APHORISM 67. Soft swellings are harmless. Hardness is bad.
COMMENT: It is bad when a swelling disappears suddenly, or where no swelling takes place in wounds or ulcers. But a hard swelling usually denotes a severe degree of inflammation, which must first be remedied, perhaps by: Arsenicum, Belladonna, Hepar, Lachesis, Mercurius, Pulsatilla, or Silica according to accompanying symptoms, and the pus will be discharged, which, if “laudable,” is the best salve for all ulcers. When swelling of injured parts is lacking entirely it means lack of reactive power, which first must be remedied (without much consideration of the damaged parts), usually by Arsenicum, Camphora, Carbo vegetabilis, Conium, Laurocerasus, Opium, Phosphoric acid and Sulphur, which remedy must be selected strictly in accordance with homoeopathic tenets, and given in the smallest dose.
Through such exclusively internal treatment it is frequently possible to restore the vanished swelling, especially through Arsenicum, Calcarea carb., Hepar, Kreosotum, Lachesis, Lycopodium, Mercurius, Sepia and Silica, which could hardly be accomplished by external means, since the cause is not in the injured parts, but only in the internal organism. What can be accomplished by the exclusive internal treatment of external injuries, e.g., by Arnica in crushed wounds, Arsenicum in burns and Symphytum in fractures, etc., that is known in wider circles of physicians than many other things of which homoeopathy boasts.
APHORISM 68. Pains in the back of the head are relieved by opening the straight frontal vein.
COMMENT: This must refer to the amelioration of fleeting congestive occipital pain, which usually can be cured lastingly by: Aconitum, Apis, Belladonna, Borax, Ignatia, Mezereum, Nux vomica, Petroleum, Sepia, Silica, Staphisagria or Sulphur. All other nervous, rheumatic or other pains in the occiput can hardly be relieved by venesection, which might even aggravate the pain. However, the indicated homoeopathic remedy will cure them all. Consult especially: Alumina, Ambra, Carbo animalis or vegetabilis, Chelidonium, Colchicum, Magnesia muriatica, Mezereum, Natrum carbonicum, Nitri acidum, Sabina, Senega, Thuja, Zincum, etc. In no case can a phlebotomy be any kind of a cure.
APHORISM 72. Jaundiced patients seldom suffer from flatulency.
COMMENT: Book V contains much of value, but also some half truths, questionable and erroneous statements. This aphorism also suffers many exceptions, which, however, are of little importance to science. We only shall, in a general way, point to cases of jaundice for which suitable remedies are: Carbo vegetabilis, Chamomilla, China, Ignatia, Lycopodium, Nux and Plumbum, and in which considerable flatulency is often present.
APHORISM 70. Patients suffering from quartan fevers usually do not get convulsions, but were cured of the fevers when convulsions were present.
COMMENT: Our attentive and astute observer could not miss seeing that never two diseases of different nature existed at the same time in a patient. This important observation is the first basis on which the doctrine of homoeopathy foots which was fixed by experiments, observations and experience.
Thus it was shown that only similar diseases can blot out each other, while dissimilar diseases can only temporarily suppress each other. Thus under the dominance of the stronger disease the weaker only slumbers and remains uncured when the super-disease subsides or is cured. That may be the reason why Hippocrates in this aphorism does not claim a lasting cure of quartan fevers when convulsions also appear.
Only such remedies, which have in their proving symptomatology both the quartan (or any other intermittent) fever in addition to convulsions are indicated, viz.: Antimonium crudum, Arnica, Arsenicum, Belladonna, Calcarea carb, Causticum, China, Cina, Cocculus, Cuprum, Hyoscyamus, Ignatia, Lachesis, Nux, Rhus, Sepia, Stannum, Sulphur or Veratrum. Hence, if epileptic patients get quartan fever demanding a remedy which lacks real convulsions, then the fever may temporarily cease, but returns inevitably later. From our numerous experiences just in these two conditions, we must conclude this to be the only interpretation of this aphorism.
END OF BOOK V.
BOOK VI.
APHORISM 1. In cases of chronic lientery it is a favorable symptom when sour eructation occurs, which possibly can also be produced artificially.
COMMENT: Remembering that almost all remedies which are valuable in lientery also have sour eructation, which Hippocrates considers desirable, even when produced artificially, it shows how closely his experience brought him to the knowledge of homoeopathy. Though this does not rhyme with his explanation from the theory of his time, it does not discount experience and observation. Had he known our Asarum, Bryonia, China, Ferrum, Phosphorus and Sulphuric acid, he would have used them, and the results would have confirmed his supposition and theory, and proved Muriatic acid useless, which is recommended by some physicians, because in muriatic acid we find neither lientery nor sour eructations.
APHORISM 3. Loathing of food during prolonged dysentery is a bad sign, especially if fever is present.
COMMENT: It is self-evident that the combination of two such critical symptoms spell a bad prognosis, as they indicate deep involvement of the digestive apparatus, and are depleting patients strength in a short time. Yet, in such bad cases our remedies: Antimonium crudum, Arsenicum, China, Nux moschata Phosphorus or Pulsatilla can accomplish much when chosen carefully according to the symptom totality. It must be observed that when Hippocrates speaks of dysentery, it is not always what it means to us, but also diarrhoea without tenesmus.
APHORISM 4. Shiny smooth ulcers are bad.
COMMENT: The homoeopathic treatment is here also entirely different from that of allopathy, more adapted to the sickness, because it goes more to the bottom of the trouble by first aiming at improving the body fluids, thus changing the malignant ulcer into a benign condition. In the small, often very painful fur- uncles we are frequently very successful with Arnica, usually followed by a very small dose of Sulphur to prevent recurrences.
Large, often with multiple openings (carbuncles), usually demand: Hepar, Lycopodium or Nitric acid; burning pains: Arsenicum; dark purple color: Lachesis; scarlet red: Apis or Belladonna; etc. All external applications of medicated salves or plasters are not only entirely superfluous, but may also cover up the external picture which, as mentioned, is so necessary for the choice of the right remedy. Under homoeopathic treatment the course is always quick and without danger, and one need not fear this trouble, not dangerous in itself but very annoying, might become protracted.
APHORISM 6. Kidney and bladder troubles in old people are difficult of cure.
COMMENT: A main difficulty in this condition is due to the long list of remedies which offer a choice; here are the most prominent, but there are others: Aconitum, Apis, Arnica, Arsenicum, Belladonna, Calcarea carbonica, Camphora, Cantharis, Dulcamara, Ferrum, Helleborus, Hepar, Hyoscyamus, Lycopodium, Mercurius, Nux vomica, Opium, Phosphoric acid, Pulsatilla, Sarsaparilla, Squilla, Silica, Thuja, Valeriana and Veratrum. Another reason for the difficulty is, that so few accompanying symptoms can be elicited which secure the proper choice.
Hence it is and remains a task even for homoeopathic physicians to obtain a cure, especially in old persons, who usually lack patience and endurance.
We cannot close this discussion without calling attention to the danger of holding back urination, either voluntarily or enforced by circumstances. It is hard to understand why so much more attention is paid to regular stools, which is hardly as important as regular urination. Yet, it is certain that constipation, even of several days, in most cases is less dangerous than ischuria, even if only for a few hours, or not to relieve the urging for a still shorter time. The physician who lays sufficient stress on this should include this information in his advice and warning to the laity when giving hygienic instruction.
APHORISM 8. Ulcers in dropsical patients are not easily cured.
COMMENT: This condition is a direct result of low vitality, and dropsy is intimately connected with the same cause. In consequence nature evidently opposes scarifications and tapping of the accumulated water because thus a second evil is added to the first. As soon as a properly chosen remedy overcomes the internal disease, enabling the skin to again take up its natural function, dropsical conditions are cured. External manipulations remove the trouble only temporarily, and reformation occurs.
For such ulcers in dropsical conditions homoeopathy has some remedies which, properly selected according to concomitant symptoms, are very potent and often astonish in their prompt action. The most prominent are: Arsenicum, Graphites, Helleborus, Lycopodium, Mercurius, Rhus, Squilla and Sulphur. In oedema of the legs with profuse watery discharge from ulcers which do not form pus, no remedy has equalled Rhus toxicodendron given in smallest doses.
