ABOUT PRESCRIBING FOR MASTOIDITIS


Few who call themselves homoeopaths have the courage to treat mastoiditis medicinally. Like some of the rest of the group my experience in this ailment is limited. I have had four cases in nearly forty years–actually diagnosed. One, a boy of 18 or 19 following an otitis caused by his going in swimming too soon after measles. Hepar was quiet sufficient.


In these days of frustration and lowered spiritual quality the message to the doctor telling of acute illness is often delayed until the illness has become well advanced. Otitis is one of these critical conditions and often is not seen until suppuration and spontaneous drainage has become effected or even an extension to the mastoid has resulted. This provides more opportunity for the study of these critical conditions.

With middle ear abscess the question of paracentesis will often be presented. In the absence of that degree of certainty which homoeopathic practice confers and when the suppurative focus has become fairly well developed, paracentesis may well be adopted. But the homoeopathic remedy is certain in its effects, at least more certain than anything else; it is the most important factor in most cases, the most decisive influence in the turn towards recovery.

“Spontaneous” drainage when aided or directed by the remedy is less destructive, there is less tendency to premature closure, extension is intercepted and the period of recovery in general is much shorter. Of paracentesis before a reasonable degree of suppurative development has been effected nothing good has come to my notice. Certainly it makes recovery slower and relapses and chronicity are more likely to ensue.

In the mastoid area a similar condition pertains. Here again, with the exception of some atypical cases and the positive exception of certain advanced conditions the homoeopathic remedy should, it seems to me, be the determining factor; to be given at least twenty-four hours in which to develop vital power; and twenty-four is usually enough. Even when the tympanum has not ruptured the abscess may resolve with free discharge through the nose or by sleeping into the throat; or if already ruptured there may be increased evacuation through the ear.

These terms are affirmed without being unmindful of the always difficult anatomy, of the possibility of individual anatomical peculiarity and consequent precarious pathology that may result.

With exceptions dictated by these factors and rarely by some inherent personal quality or by exceptional virulence of the infecting agent itself, the homoeopathic remedy is the best coup. Even should operation be unavoidable and the urgency extreme, the homoeopathic remedy will offer the indispensable stratagem in the game to save life.

I report an ordinary case of mastoiditis although at critical stage in which the homoeopathic remedy was the sole reliance:

Alice A., aet. 11, had had earache four days, the left first then both. Both tympani had ruptured, there was swelling and redness about the them and there was free discharge of bloody, brownish soreness; relieved by warmth; shrinking from being touched about the ears. At first the pain had wakened her frequently but during the latter twelve hours or so there had been only soreness and dull headache.

The girl had evidently became more ill, however, and there was an especially sore spot on the mastoid at a level with the orifice. She felt quite weak, as if unable to sit up. She was rather darkly flushed, dull heavy countenance, dull mentally, dozing much, the head heavy, dizziness. Noise in ears like trolley cars. Photophobia. Chilliness and heat. Thirst for cold day and night. Restless moving from midnight until morning. Sleeplessness. Temperature 102.8, pulse not recorded but I think it was relatively slow.

Lachesis 1000 was given and the child had a good night, was quite bright next morning and the discharge from both ears was considerably increased. No local treatment was used. After two weeks recovery was perfected.

WATERBURY, CONN.

DISCUSSION.

DR. STEVENS: There is nothing I dread more than a case of middle-ear involvement, but the right remedy can work wonders. Puls. is apt to help early in the game. Sil. often is the remedy when there is real suppuration, but always one must differentiate.

I agree with Dr. Hayes that too early paracentesis is a great mistake. The given case is fine.

DR. BROWN: We all get these cases, sometimes after they have been very bunglingly handled by those who believe differently than we do and possibly I have bungled it myself for in no case does pure homoeopathy show its superior value and sterling worth than in mastoiditis.

DR. WOODBURY: It would be hard to improve this prescription; it was not Arsenicum, nor did it seem like Rhus. Lachesis is a remarkable remedy, taken all in all. I have been fortunate in never having an ear drum punctured, though have had them rupture spontaneously. I have had but one mastoid operated upon; that one followed a severe attack of scarlet fever. Hepar and Silica have served me greatly in healing the suppurations of otitis media. It takes courage, finesse, and persistence to win in these cases; but win homoeopathy will, when properly applied.

DR. BELLOKOSSY: I like his paper, but cannot understand what the terms; “difficult anatomy, possibility of individual anatomical peculiarity and precarious a pathology” mean. Is not the homoeopathic remedy always the best coup? I have seen several mastoiditis cases after operation and they had to be treated as if they never had been operated. We should not forget the operations– while they may save life in some cases–in other cases endanger life. The audacity and mendacity of the operating gamblers should not impress us any longer!.

DR. POMPE: Some 20 years ago I was called to see a child of 2 or 3 years 9 miles from town who had been crying without any apparent reason for several days. I could not determine whether there are any ear trouble but on that crying symptom I gave her Caps. 1M. and very soon the crying stopped, so apparently there had been ear trouble. Several years later I was called to see the same child then 70 miles up the Columbia River and reached the patient at 10 p.m. She was then asleep but she had complained of pain in one of her ears for some days, so I parted her lips gently and dropped in a few 1 2 5 pellets medicated with Caps. 1M. as I remembered that I had give her this remedy before. I was able to leave on the 6 a.m. train next morning, for there was no further complaint. Homoeopathy can sure score remarkable triumphs in ear troubles as in all other sick conditions.

DR. A. PULFORD: Another of Hayes excellently handled cases. Dr. Hayes has illustrated just what a real homoeopath should, and can do, if he cares to.

Perhaps I never had a case of mastoiditis, and perhaps would not know a case if I should run across one. Perhaps also it is my dense ignorance that gives me such implicit faith in the indicated drug when properly applied.

I have had quite a number of ear cases of all kinds, but my faith in the indicated drug never faltered, and for some unaccountable reason my patients neither died nor were they compelled to visit the surgeon.

I well recall the case of a 4 year old child, who already had had four delicate mastoid operations. At 11 p.m. I was called to the bedside of that child. The mother told me that every attack had commenced that identical way, and the child had been tortured unmercifully, and she was sick and tired of allopathic treatment. Here is what I found: The child woke suddenly, screamed and said someone had stabbed her in the ear. Raging fever, skin burning hot leaving a burning sense to my fingers, and of a bright scarlet color.

Eyes bright and glistening, pupils fully dilated giving a wild look. Carotids throbbing violently. Throat scarlet red and dry. Every jar, especially of the bed increased the pain in the ear intolerably. Who could possibly have missed Bell.? She received a single dose of the 30x. In fifteen minutes she was sound asleep. Woke in the morning with a watery discharge. The drug was not repeated, neither we any other remedy given. It is now over 20 years and there has been return.

DR. D. T. PULFORD: This paper has interested me very much as I, like all others, have had a few ear cases in my short time, all treated without the knife and some after the ardent specialist had left his usual mess. One I fell down on miserably because the child, a spoiled one, yelled so long as so loud that the parents wanted to drum lanced and she had it and later repeated the performances. The specialist had told the fond parents that she had unusually small canals and that cutting was imperative. One lady quite deaf from the “usual scientific treatment” regained her hearing under Sulphur.

The only mastoid I had was last June. This little girl, about the same age as Dr. Hayes little patient, had had an otitis media which had not been progressing so very satisfactorily. She had always been frail. She was thin, had an awful muddy color, to her face particularly. Just one of those “one damn thing after another” cases. It struck me that Tub. bov. might not be a bad thing for her and I gave her a dose. It set up the fireworks just the day after we left for the I.H.A. meeting. Upon my return was called out to see her at once. The protruding ear told the whole story.

Royal E S Hayes
Dr Royal Elmore Swift HAYES (1871-1952)
Born in Torrington, Litchfield, Connecticut, USA on 20 Oct 1871 to Royal Edmund Hayes and Harriet E Merriman. He had at least 4 sons and 1 daughter with Miriam Martha Phillips. He lived in Torrington, Litchfield, Connecticut, United States in 1880. He died on 20 July 1952, in Waterbury, New Haven, Connecticut, United States, at the age of 80, and was buried in Waterbury, New Haven, Connecticut, United States.