TWO CASES OF PROGRESSIVE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY



The boy was brought to Washington to see me on June 3rd just past and stayed four days with his mother in my home. My grand- nephew nearly four years old made a fine playmate for observation purposes.

My first impression of great joy was to see his abundant vitality, self-assurance and natural happiness. The next was to notice his round face, chubby hands (he has gained two pounds), erect carriage, normal walking; next came a plateful of supper put away as fast as possible, not taking time for much chewing. Then came the much stronger grip of his hand, his ability to run like other boys and play hard, pushing with his back muscles to make a spring hobby horse “walk” over the grass rug. He can jump three or four inches off the floor. He can go up a whole flight of stairs without holding on the banister or pushing with hand on knee, but this, as yet, is a hard struggle and he can reach the top only with great difficulty. He comes downstairs freely, one foot over the other, normally.

He still must take a long afternoon rest, but then is good for more hard play. He spent two hours in the Zoo walking about, was very tired after it, but a long rest cured this. The case seems to me seventy-five per cent cured already in just four months from the first dose of Calc. phos. 10M and there have been only two doses so far. He may need other remedies as he grows up, just as the first case did, but I venture to predict that this remedy will complete the cure of progressive muscular dystrophy.

In comparing the two cases, these things should be noted:.

Both children were thoroughly examined by high-up specialists and the diagnosis given, followed by the statement, “no known cure”.

Both cases have very bad family history but characteristics of it vary widely.

The same remedy proved curative in both and in both improvement was evident within two weeks of administration of the first dose.

Muscles wasted to a pitiful degree can become filled out, strong and efficient in a matter of a few months from the start of correct homoeopathic treatment.

Improvement shows first in the general condition of the patient and in recovery of the muscles later, recovering from above downward.

In the first case-use of Calc. c. failed, then Phos. failed but the combination succeeded. In the second case more characteristic symptoms of the combined remedy showed up from the first.

In both cases there was family tragedy, suicide in one, sterilization of the mother in the other because the father was so shocked and worried over this disease in his son and the fatal brain tumor in the next younger child.

It will be interesting to know whether any others in our group have had cases of this pitiful malady to treat. Such cases as these surely will held build up lay faith in homoeopathy.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

DISCUSSION.

DR. WILLIAM B. GRIGGS: I have seen several cases of muscular dystrophy in the Childrens Hospital, where I have been connected for over fifty years, and I have seen only one recovery. This is simply marvelous work. One case has stuck to me a matter of sixteen months which I think has recovered. He is a boy going to the Episcopal Academy in Philadelphia at the present time.

I gave that child Glycerin in the 1000th potency and repeated it several times, and he began to improve in weight and his nutrition seemed better. Then a careful examination of the child again showed me he had flabby muscles, and the dark condition of the skin, like an ordinary, emaciated marasmus type of infant. I gave Calcarea phosphorica, began with an old potency, 300M and began raising it up and repeated it often, to the 1000th and never yet went be young, but the child began to improve. I took his hemoglobin every month regularly. The blood count and the tonus of the muscles improved.

That child today is playing like an ordinary boy, and I think he has recovered. He is the only case I have seen recover in fifty years experience at the Childrens Homoeopathic Hospital.

DR. A.H. GRIMMER: I have had no experience with this type of case. I had cases of atrophy of muscles following infantile that have filled out and returned to normal with the aid of remedies. One was cured with Calcarea sulphurica. It seems that the calcareous salts may have something to give us a key, judging from the reports of these three cases. It is well worth coming to a meeting just to hear a paper like this. It gives us courage. If we would just stick to our homoeopathic philosophy and remedies, we could cure all those so-called “incurables”.

DR. ALLAN D. SUTHERLAND: I should like to say a word, though perhaps I will be ruled out of order, since my word isnt strictly confined to the subject matter of Dr. Greens wonderful paper. The statement is sometimes made that cases of infantile paralysis recover completely under the homoeopathic remedy. We all know that many cases which are paralyzed will recover completely, anyhow, and I think we ought to be very careful in making statements to the effect that there is no question but that the recovery was due to the remedy, when in fact it may have been due to the natural recoverability of that particular case or disease.

DR. GRIMMER: All cases do nor recover. Many of them are terribly crippled.

DR. SUTHERLAND: Only about 20 per cent of the cases are paralyzed anyway in infantile; in other words, a large percentage is going to get well, and of those who get over the acute stages with a residual paralysis many will eventually recover without the remedy. Hence recovery is not always due to the remedy. Sometimes we make claims we cant substantiate. It we make claims, we ought to be able to substantiate them.

DR. RAY W. SPALDING: There is one case of progressive muscular dystrophy – the diagnosis was made by the neurologist – in a man fifty years of age, where Calcarea carbonica, followed by Phosphorus has been of assistance, but not curative. Possibly Calcarea phosphorica is what I should be looking for.

The thing that I want to bring out briefly is that I am told that a progressive muscular dystrophy does not show atrophy of a muscle. The essayist and the discussants have mentioned atrophy. I am told by this specialist in Boston that the paralysis is in the motor end plate and therefore one rarely finds an atrophy. The muscle appears as good as ever and so it does in this case I am reporting – a very bid man, weighing 190 pounds. The difficulty is in the calf muscles and they are as large as normal and very strong, but he is unable to lift his foot to go upstairs.

DR. HARVEY FARRINGTON: In fifty-two years I have had about four of these cases but none in children, and I cured none of them. The last one, a man of fifty-seven years of age, is improving, and it looks as though he were going to get well; in this kind of case any improvement is encouraging.

He has a number of symptoms of Alumina, which I gave him in the 1M.

This case illustrates a lesson that we often overlook. It was three weeks before he noticed any improvement from that medicine. Kent says that Alumina is slow in acting, but Kent might also say this kind of disease is slow in curing.

This is a charming and instructive paper that Dr. Green has given us.

DR. JULIA M. GREEN [Closing]: One thing struck me very forcibly in these two cases, that the first improvement was noted within two weeks. Calcarea phosphorica is a deep remedy and I didnt expect be shown so plainly in general attitude of the patient within two weeks.

Julia M. Green