There is nothing new in this paper; it is just an attempt to depict some aspects of the office work which comes to the homoeopathic prescriber because he has a reputation of doing things differently and of welcoming patients apparently uninteresting or incurable in the opinion of the general run of doctors.
First–headache, migraine, the kind of pain that drives people to aspirin, anacin and other pain killers.
1. Mr. C. D. J., 42 years, came to me in January, 1938, for stomach ulcers which had lasted a long time with different kinds of treatment, even to operation to create a new opening from the stomach into the duodenum.
Remedies used (Phos., Lyc., Kali bi.) were palliative only and the trend was to greater suffering and loss of weight. Finally in May, 1938, when left leg was swelling badly, he consulted another physician who took more x-rays which showed a blood clot where stomach symptoms were worst and thrombosis to the leg. He had three x-ray treatments with great relief. He was practically well after this and has had no further trouble with ulcers.
Here is where the headaches come in. He had been a great sufferer from migraine since childhood but had been so ill with the ulcers he had barely mentioned them and, of course, the chronic trouble was suppressed by the acute for the time being. After the x-ray treatments he had no headache for nearly a year, then they returned with great severity, often preceded by half vision.
A study of headache symptoms combined with a few generals led to Nat. m. in January, 1941. This helped immediately and made attacks lighter and farther apart. By October of that year the old severity returned and he was given Sep. 2c. There has been practically no headache since.
This is a good example of progress of chronic troubles to vital parts, of suppression there by operation and x-ray treatment and of fundamental cure of the first ailment. Whether those ulcers were cured remains to be seen, but elimination of the headache looks that way.
2. Mrs. C. W. P., 35 years, married fourteen years and never pregnant; told by former doctor too small to bear children; medium height but slender.
Dysmenorrhoea always and headache from childhood. Menses irregular in time, quantity and suffering, slow starting and better when fully established. Pain in circular spot either side sacrum. Cannot bear anything about the neck, feels suffocated. Hunger great before menses and headache.
Headache before menses, sometimes during or after or both; severe dull ache beginning left temple and extending over parietes to occipital, sometimes into region zygomae. Accompanied by ravenous hunger, nausea, gagging, mental depression. Sometimes last two days and leave her feeling greatly depleted.
Mucus in stools and blood occasionally. Puffiness under eyes in morning. Depression marked in morning. Weakness after a hot bath, even next a.m. Fainted once.
Given Sep. first before all these symptoms were reported. This helped dysmenorrhoea and the headache for a time. Headache grew lighter with tendency to have some of it all the time instead of such severe attacks near menses.
Then given Psor. for short time only, with little effect.
Finally on October 15, 1936, Lach. seen plainly as the curative remedy. First headache after this prescription was awful and was more typically Lach. headache. Then attacks grew lighter and farther apart with some periods entirely free and general energy improved greatly until after end of 1939 practically never any headache and looked like another person, healthy and good nervous poise. Lach. was carried through the series of potencies.
This case shows the unfortunate consequence of partial pictures of patients and the longer time necessary for cure after the similimum is found.
3. Mr. W. H. T., 35 years, medium height and weight, medium light complexion, delicate features. Easily worried; takes his work home with him. Tired all the time; nervous work, lettering, drawing. Picks fingers. Worse draft, damp weather. Perspiration free but one-sided; on side not lain on. Vertigo: going up or down stairs or when overtired, on stooping. Lack vital heat marked. All-gone sensation in stomach at odd times. Sleep poor, restless; snoring; dreams much, bad frightening dreams; needs much sleep. Appetite not good; worse a.m. Constipation for many years with use of cathartics.
At 29 years: paralysis left face for one year; all teeth removed, were bad, suppuration.
Tendency to infections and slow healing.
Headache for twelve years: periodic or erratic preceded by heavy head and confusion. Over the eyes and later occipital. Dull heavy aching, sometimes throbbing on stooping. Worse any jar, somewhat from light. Stomach feeling upset, no real nausea. Begins any time in the day but lasts until sleep at night, Languid for a day after a headache; gnawing in stomach.
Thuj. seemed rather clear in this case and was given in the 10M. after initial study of the picture. It was carried through the MM. of the series during the next two years with entirely satisfactory results, the headache gone altogether after longer and longer intervals between attacks and great improvement in general health.
Here is a case we like and one which brings more patients. He had had no suppressive treatment and not much in his environment to retard his progress.
Now a few skin cases:.
1. Mrs. S. S., 55 years. A plump, florid hard-working woman on her feet all day in a restaurant. Eight years before had an operation on right mastoid. Had had sensation in that ear, to use her own words “as if a crowd of maggots were working.” On applying for treatment, there were areas of full redness behind both ears with serum oozing from cracks, this greasy scales piling up all around the edges of the hair but not on whole scalp. Itching was most troublesome.
Graph. 1M. was prescribed. Marked improvement followed but it was shortlived and followed by extension of the scales farther up on the scalp, appearance was a shiny red moist area with scales around the edges. Itching increased to become almost maddening.
Psor. 10M. was given. This may have been a mistake in view of the final outcome but it caused a marked aggravation followed by decided improvement. However, this did not last long enough and the mass of scales extended all over the scalp, also the eruption under mammae became worse. More Psor. did not help matters.
Graph. 1M. was given again whereupon all symptoms cleared up rather promptly although an extension appeared in the inter- gluteal fold. This and all symptoms were gone within two months of the dose of Graph.
The patient was given another dose to be taken in case of return of eruption. I do not know whether or not this has been taken, but I do not know her skin has remained clear now for nearly six months.
2. M. W., 3 years. Youngest of eight sisters and the only one to have an eruption. Father has had something the same thing though milder, lasting a great many years. General health of the whole family wonderfully good.
Rather fat, blonde with straight bushy hair; active; happy. Hearty eater; desire eggs, especially hard-boiled.
Eruption since 8 months old. Bends of elbows and knees; scattered over forearms in dry scaly patches like psoriasis. Cracking in ceases and some blood. Large brown wart end of one finger. Given Calc. c. 10M. which produced a marked aggravation and caused the wart to drop off within the first week. Then a marked improvement for a few months. Medicine repeated after six months when worse again.
This went on better and worse for the next four months when Calc. c. held no longer. Next remedy Lyc. By this time the bends of elbows were a mass of eruption with a patch on each wrist and some on face and ears with cracks under the ears; puffy about eyes and redness below them. Right side was decidedly worse and Lyc. was chosen. It was a poor choice, for the whole condition gradually became worse with more area affected and the tendency for scabs to pile high. So, after two months, Graph. 10M. was given. First result was great improvement but later it was up and down again with terrible itching added which made her so nervous she could not sleep and there was wailing from everybody in the home.
Finally, fifteen months after the beginning of treatment Psor. 1M. was given and the result was a miracle cure, quick and permanent; eruption entirely gone within a month and no recurrence except a very faint trace after seven months quickly cured by Psor. 10M.
Question: Was it necessary to lead up to this remedy or could Psor. have been seen in the beginning? This case shows Psor. as more than an intercurrent.
3. Mr. H. R. H., 64 years. This man was a pitiful sight when I first saw him; face showing pallor, great anxiety, restlessness, marked irritability, sitting propped up in bed; hands and fingers covered with raw, denuded areas interspersed with dirty white scabs piled high and oozing watery fluid under them, intense burning pain with occasional darting.
These hands were covered with zinc ointment thick, fingers spread apart and he held them rather high in front of him to ease the pain. He had taken codeine twice on this day.
