The purpose of this brief paper is to concentrate our attention on a remedy, which, if prepared according to homoeopathic specifications and used only when indicated in accordance with our homoeopathic principle, will demonstrate its value invariably and inevitably.
The above remarks apply with equal force to every remedy in our materia medica, but in Radium bromide we have a valuable therapeutic agent as yet too little understood and too seldom used.
The earliest proving of this substance of which I can find a record was conducted by the late Dr. John H. Clarke in 1904.
The substance of this paper has been drawn from his monograph published by The Homoeopathic Publishing Co., London, and from a most excellent report of provings and clinical verification prepared by Dr. Wm. H. Dieffenbach, and published in The Homoeopathic Recorder of October, 1928.
It was extremely interesting in comparing these reports, published twenty years apart, to notice the same symptoms developing in provers separated widely not only in time but space. No less interesting were clinical confirmations of drug symptoms first recorded twenty years previously.
In his provings, Dr. Clarke used the thirtieth centesimal potency, while later provings were conducted with the 6x and 12x. Dr. Dieffenbach urges, as a result of his own experience as a prover, that no potency lower than the 12x be used in conducting a proving.
From the provings it would appear that Radium bromide produces its most definite effect on the skin and mucous membranes, producing intense itching and burning. This irritation is all but intolerable, and when relief is sought by scratching, the resulting soreness is almost as hard to endure as the itching. It also caused and cured scaly eruptions resembling eczema or psoriasis and greatly relieved a chronic dermatitis as the result of working with X-ray and radium, which had resisted treatment for several years.
Several provers noticed great relief from corns which had been troublesome for many years; on the muscles, fibrous tissues, cartilage and nerves, its action is manifested as myalgia, arthritis, neuralgia, etc. Its effect on the kidney was to produce an irritation of both the glomeruli and convoluted tubules, giving rise to faint traces of albumin in almost every prover, while in one case there appeared a few hyaline and granular casts. There was also a very definite effect on the male and female generative organs.
The chief modalities of this remedy are the general desire for, and > in, the open air; the > from continued motion; the > from extremely hot water (pruritis and skin eruptions); with < after five p.m., and while resting.
The MENTAL symptoms in a case requiring Radium bromide are very apt to resemble those of Pulsatilla or Sepia.
HEAD symptoms are apt to be right sided, or occipital, with decided > in the open air.
EYES: Symptoms of a mild conjunctivitis; > in open air.
NOSE: Red and shiny, irritation marked; crusts forming in nostrils; epistaxis, on exertion (clinical).
FACE: Acne; neuritis in trigeminal nerve (pains stabbing).
MOUTH: Nearly all provers complained of dryness in the mouth, with metallic taste.
ABDOMEN: Much flatus afternoon and evening.
STOOL: Frequent and light in color.
URINARY ORGANS: Increased urination; frequency; faint trace of albumin; increased output of chlorides; decreased output of phosphates.
MALE GENERATIVE ORGANS: Emissions with dreams.
FEMALE GENERATIVE ORGANS: Menses delayed. Several provers experienced decided relief from headache, which usually occurred during the menses.
COUGH: Dry, persistent, tickling < night in bed.
BLOOD: Increase in the polymorphonuclear neutrophiles.
BACK: Severe lumbo-sacral pain.
EXTREMITIES: Pain in muscles and joints, < on beginning to move, > after continued exercise.
SKIN: Eruptions, scaly, wart-like; itching intensely, < night; > very hot applications.
SLEEP: Restless; dreams vivid.
ANTIDOTE: Rhus venenata.
The following cases showed decided improvement soon after the oral administration of Radium bromide in potency.
CASE I. Mr. M.C., age 25 years. PAST HISTORY: Eczema in infancy. PRESENT ILLNESS: Verucca acuminata on penis, appeared in February, 1934. April 13, 1934. Rx Rad. brom. 30. Great improvement in four weeks. Entirely clear in three months. This result was obtained after the failure of Thuja and Nitric acid.
CASE II: Mrs. G., age 34 years. Wasserman 4 +. PRESENT COMPLAINT: Pruritis vulvae. Duration five days; < when heated and when in bed at night. July 2, 1935. Rx Rad. brom. 30. Itching entirely gone in two days.
