CASE I. I wonder how many times we miss the boat in some of our cases, when a little closer observation we could have good results.
I now have a woman about 62, thin, nervous, who gives a history of having had the “flu” around the holiday season. She had another doctor until about three weeks ago when I was called in. She was thin, gray, face flushed, difficult breathing as though she had air hunger, coughed up a good deal of mucus, couldnt get comfortable in bed, needed a lot of attention, < nights, complains of heat although the room was cold.
The previous doctor was treating her for heart disease with all the various drugs usually given. I could find no heart trouble, she had a normal blood pressure, but the main symptom was a very much embarrassed respiration. I searched through my homoeopathic drugs, tried Ars. alb., then Puls., then Ipecac, but with no results. The patient at this time was being treated at home.
I finally asked if I might have a portable x- ray made. This showed the entire right side dark. I then introduced a needle and drew off a quart of amber fluid; this after a few days reformed. I then transferred her to a hospital where I was able to withdraw 82 ounces of fluid. I then placed her on Apis 3x. and the fluid has not returned after a week.
I believe we sometimes depend too much on our remedies and dont look close enough for mechanical conditions. Or should I have gone on with the hopes that this amount of fluid would reabsorb? As it was, the heart was pushed over against the left chest wall.
CASE II. Another case which proves the power of the homoeopathic drug. A doctor friend of mine, who is a graduate of the homoeopathic school, but doesnt practise it to any great extent, is on the staff of one of our larger hospitals in which he contacts some of the better specialists in the city. Naturally he gets plenty of advice.
It seems that for years he had been troubled with tic douloureux. About a year ago this became a great deal worse, and he consulted several men on the staff, one of whom was the best brain surgeon there. His opinion was that the only relief could be had by surgical removal with the possibility of facial paralysis as the outcome. The pain was so severe that he was compelled to resort to sedative drugs to be able to sleep.
I suggested to him that we might give homoeopathy a try. He agreed and I took his symptoms, and the drug indicated was Mezereum. I gave him the 200th just a year ago, and he has had several intervening doses of the same potency.
I ordered some 1M. and CM. in case I needed it, but to date this has not been necessary. He tells me that he is practically free of pain, just as occasional twinge.
In the face of the gloomy prognosis that he obtained from some of the best specialists here, I feel that this deserves honorable mention.
CASE III. The wife of this same doctor complained of numbness of the hands, < when going to bed. She said she would have to get out of bed to swing her arms to get them to feeling all right again. She had very few other symptoms; however, I worked out her case and chose Rhus tox. 30x. This seems to do the trick. She keeps it on hand and takes an occasional dose, and feels reasonably clear of her symptoms. GROSSE POINT, PARK, MICH.
