Read before I.H.A., Bureau of Obstetrics, June 17, 1942.
In a short paper on this subject, I will only mention briefly some of the conditions that complicate pregnancy and delivery and the homoeopathic remedies we have to modify such conditions and bring about a successful termination.
One of the earliest of distressing symptoms is morning sickness with nausea and vomiting. It may be slight or very severe and prolonged, affecting the nutrition of the mother and foetus. I will give some of the remedies that are helpful and their indications.
Antimonium crudum : Milk-white coating of the tongue; loathing of food, pain, burning and cramp in the pit of stomach. Restlessness and some Sulphur symptoms.
Antimonium tartaricum : Like ant. c. in some respects, but the modalities differ. The patient vomits large quantities of mucus; the nausea is as intense as Ipecac but less persistent. Worse at night is more marked with Ant. t. than Ant. c. and not the relief from rest as with Ant. c.
Cocculus Indicus : Nausea, < on beginning to move or with motion and a desire for cold drinks. Frequent empty eructations; violent cramp-like pains shortly after a meal. Worse in the open air, from the sun and the warmth of the bed. Vertigo with the nausea. The patient is very sensitive, weak and irritable, Flatulent colic not > passing flatus.
Nux moschata : With its excessive dryness but no thirst, abdomen greatly distended with flatulence, causing pressure upon all organs of chest and abdomen.
Nitric acid : Bitter taste and longing for fat, for herring, chalk, lime, earth. Continual thirst. Cutting pain in abdomen in morning with much nausea, > by moving about or rising in the morning.
Other remedies to be thought of and prescribed on their characteristic indications are Ipecac, Kali carb., Natrum mur., Lycopodium, Nux vomica.
The elimination of waste products from the kidneys is to be especially watched, as well as seeing that a sufficient amount of urine for the twenty-four hours is passed. When there is pain over the kidneys, soreness on pressure or when stooping, frequent urination of small amounts of dark colored urine, eye-lids oedematous, think of Apis.
Cantharides has cutting and burning pains in kidneys and urinary passages. Passes urine drop by drop, with a constant desire to urinate; sometimes urine mixed with blood. The patient is very irritable.
Benzoic acid. Urine burning, dark and very strong smelling. Passes much mucus in the urine. Rheumatic, gouty patient, > from beat.
Equisetum. There is less bleeding, tenesmus, scalding than with Canth., but more mucus. The bladder is distended, but pain not > by urinating. Passes large amounts of urine without relief of soreness in the bladder.
Gelsemium : Incontinence of urine from paralysis of sphincter. Alternate dysuria and enuresis.
Helonias. Pain in the back, the patient is tired and weak; there is a constant burning over the kidneys and lumbar region. Sense of weight; passes a large amount of albuminous urine. The patient is better when doing something in the way of mental diversion.
Cimicifuga racemosa (Macrotys, black snake-root, Actea racemosa). In albuminuria, incessant flow of urine, frequent pressing pains in region of back and kidneys, sense of weakness and weight over kidneys.
Lycopodium : Severe backache > by passing urine. Urging to urinate, but must wait long before it will pass. Urine is turbid, or milky, with an offensive purulent sediment. Red sandy sediment in urine. Urine copious at night, scanty during the day.
Mercurius : Urine passes in a thin stream or in drops, containing blood and pus. Scanty, fiery-red urine.
Sepia : Involuntary urination at night; turbid with red sand. Blood red urine with a white sediment. Strong smelling urine.
While there are many other remedies to be studied for urinary complaints these remedies cover many of the symptoms, acute and chronic, that complicate pregnancy.
DURING LABOR.
Gelsemium : Rigid os uteri, where there are spasmodic ineffectual labor pains or loss of muscular power. Cramps in abdomen and legs; severe pains but makes no progress. Backache.
Lobelia : Rigid os with ineffectual contractions and violent dyspnoea; dull heavy headache, pain passing like a band around the forehead from one temple to another. Nausea and pallor with profuse sweat.
Viburnum prunifolium : Pains flying from part to another; irregular pains extending from hips to knees. It is said to assist in retaining a normal position of the womb subsequently where malposition had previously existed.
Opium : When pains suddenly cease; drowsiness and delirious talking. The bed feels so hard that she cannot lie on it.
Other remedies that will assist the process of labor are Cimicifuga, Pulsatilla, Chamomilla, prescribed on their characteristic indications.
POSTPARTUM HAEMORRHAGE.
Belladonna : Retained placenta with profuse flow of hot, bright red blood, speedily coagulating. Violent bearing down toward the genitals.
China officinalis : Watery and dark blood with clots; excessive weakness of patient. Heaviness of head; ringing in the ears.
Ipecac : The blood is bright red and the flow steady; weak pulse, and there may be nausea with a clean tongue. Worse from touch; sensitive to extremes of heat or cold.
Secale : Passive haemorrhage of dark, liquid blood; worse from the slightest movement. The patient is usually a scrawny individual and wants to be uncovered, though the skin is cold.
Sabina : Haemorrhages of partly clotted or bright red blood, on the least movement. Severe abdominal pains and backache; the blood is offensive smelling.
Trillium : Gushing of bright red blood at the least motion, in a person of lax fibre. Complains of feeling as though she were falling apart and feels better from being bandaged tightly.
In adherent placenta, Jahr gives two remedies which he states will cause the expulsion of the placenta and control the haemorrhage if it occurs: pulsatilla and Secale. He claims that only in a few cases has he had to use other remedies and mentions that Platina, Sabina or Belladonna bring about a successful termination.
These are just a few of the remedies that may be most useful in some of the complications of pregnancy.
DISCUSSION.
DR. JOHNSON : Dr. Schwartz always gives a complete paper. I would just like to add : for puerperal mania, Belladonna. We have had several cases of severe puerperal mania. We have used the Belladonna when the cervix did not dilate.
I would like to add for the nausea of pregnancy, Persica-the peach. Even chewing on the bud of the peach or a piece of the branch will sometimes relieve that.
Then for the retention of urine. I would like to add Aristolochia serpentaria. I had a woman whom I referred from another doctor. She had not urinated for thirty-six hours, and I did not have the Aristolochia. It was on a Sunday and I made a trip to all the drug stores in the neighborhood, and at last I found the dried root. I made a concoction of the tincture and gave it to her and in about two hours she passed, I guess a couple of gallons.
I also would like toad Chamomilla for peevishness during pregnancy, and Helonias for the constant flow of saliva during pregnancy.
DR. SCHWARTZ : All that I feel like adding, in view of what has been said by those who had had a great deal more experience in the practical side of it than I have had, is that if you get the patient during the period of pregnancy and before delivery, you can avoid these complications with your knowledge of the patient, as you would treat any other patient, plus your knowledge of obstetrics, the condition that you have there. The more we know of our homoeopathic materia medica the more certainly we can avoid the complications of pregnancy.
