In some children, diagnosed as suffering from congenital pyloric stenosis considerable success has followed the use of Dys. co. (Bach), which would suggest that in these cases the condition had been due to pyloric spasm rather than to congenital malformation of the pylorus.
Duodenal ulcer often calls for the use of the nosode Dys.co. (Bach) but there must always be present also evidence of nervous tension, which always precedes the physical symptom and which the patient feels and refers to his “stomach and heart area”. This is in contrast to the type of duodenal ulcer found associated with the B.Proteus, where the nerve tension is insidious in action, unperceived by the patient, and the physical condition – the ulcer-tends to come on as a “crisis” without previous warning.
Cardio-vascular. Functional disturbance of heart action, associated with nerve tension; palpitation before important events; anticipatory discomfort in the cardiac area.
These are the outstanding symptoms found in the clinical proving of the nosode Dys.co.(Bach), and you will find in them something of each of the associated remedies, Arsen. alb.; Argent.nit; Kalmia.
SYCOTIC CO. (Paterson).
This organism is not of bacillary form but is a non-lactose fermenting coccus found in the intestinal tract. The details of this organism and the manner in which it was identified are to be found in the original work published in The British Homoeopathic Journal of April, 1933.
The keynote for the nosode Sycotic c. (Paterson) is “irritability” and this has special reference to mucous and synovial membrane.
Mentals. Nervous irritability; temperamental (c.f.Lycopodium); fear of dark; of being left alone; twitching of facial muscles, blinking of eyelids.
Head. Irritation of meninges, sub-acute or chronic; headache from infection of sinuses; persistent headache- particularly in a child-which may be the prodromal sign of a tubercular meningitis (c.f. Hellebore). Sweating of head at night, profuse.
Digestive System. Chronic irritation of the whole alimentary tract; catarrhal conditions; acute or chronic gastro- enteritis in the child; ………
loose offensive stool, excoriating (c.f. Medorrhinum); urgent call to stool as soon as rising out of bed; constipation unusual; diarrhoea common; nausea or sickness after eating eggs (c.f. Ferrum. met.).
Respiratory. Acute, sub-acute, chronic bronchia catarrh; catarrh of mucous membranes of nose, throat (enlarged tonsils and adenoids in child). Irritable cough at night, 2 a.m.
(I regard Sycotic co. (Paterson) as a pre-tuberculous remedy.).
Circulation. Anaemia and hydraemia, usually in the adult.
(The Sycotic patient is always anaemic looking, never carries much colour in the face.).
Neuro-muscular System. General rheumatic fibrositis, aggravated from dampness, after a period of rest (c.f. Rhus tox.). Feet painful when walking, as if walking on loose cobble stones, pain in the metatarsal bones, fidgety feet at night in bed.
Skin. Sallow complexion, oily skin, vesicular or varicellar type of eruption on face or body. (After administration of Sycotic co. (Paterson) to children, a rash varicellar in type, resembling, and often mistaken for chicken-pox may appear.) Warts on mucocutaneous surfaces.
Genito-urinary System. Sycotic co. (Paterson) has marked action on the whole of the genito-urinary tract causing irritation of mucous membranes from the kidney to the urethral tract; albuminuria; pyelitis; cystitis; urethritis; vulvo- vaginitis; balanitis.
Female. Pain in left ovary at menstrual period; cystic ovaries; tubal infection (tubercular or gonococcal); profuse leucorrhoea.
It will be evident that this coccal organism of the intestinal tract is related morphologically and clinically to the Gonococcus. Hahnemann related what he called “The Sycotic Miasm” to the disease, Gonorrhoea, but this disease is only one form of catarrhal infection of the mucous membrane of the urinary tract. There are many other non-gonorrhoeal organisms associated with the symptom picture of “catarrh” and I suggest that the miasm “Sycosis” may be considered synonymous with “Catarrh”. Gonorrhoea is an infection of mucous membrane (i.e. it is a sycotic manifestation) but catarrhal manifestations (Sycotic) are not all due to gonorrhoeal infection.
These are the nosodes prepared from the non-lactose fermenting organisms of the bowel which are most generally called for in practice but there are two other members which are found occasionally in the stool and which are not well proved and seldom used.
MUTABILE (Bach).
This bacillus is so named because it mutates almost as soon as it is subcultured from a non-lactose to a lactose fermenter and is of interest mainly from a bacteriological point of view as the Bacillus Mutabile is an intermediary form between the B.Coli and the true non-lactose fermenting type. Its associated remedy is Pulsatilla and the nosode Mutabile (Bach) is likely to be of value in treatment where there is alternation of symptoms, e.g. where skin eruption alternates with asthmatic symptoms.
FAECALIS (Bach).
I have never found this nosode ;made from the B.Faecalis of much value in treatment, but where I have found the organism in the stool, the clinical symptoms have led me to choose Sepia as the indicated remedy.
THE BIOCHEMISTRY OF THE BOWEL ORGANISMS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED REMEDIES.
I would ask you now to refer to the list before you and to note the group remedies which have been found associated with each type of non-lactose fermenting organism of the bowel.
B.MORGAN (Bach).
In this group two elements are outstanding, i.e. Sulphur and Carbon. In this group also there are complex remedies from the plant world, e.g. Lycopodium and from the venom of a snake, i.e. Lachesis.
B. PROTEUS (Bach).
Here the outstanding element is Chlorine.
BACILLUS NO.”7″ (Paterson).
Bromine and Iodine.
B.GAERTNER (Bach).
Silica; Phosphorus; Flourine; Mercurius.
From this list it will be evident that each organism is associated with remedies which have a central element with which other elements may combine to form remedies of varying chemical complexity. The practice of Homoeopathy is founded on the hypothesis that the true similimum (the homoeopathic remedy) is related to the disturbed metabolism (the disease) and now it can be demonstrated that the non-lactose fermenting organism of the bowel is biochemically related to the disease and the homoeopathic remedy.
The potentized vaccine-the nosode-prepared from culture of the organism can be considered to be a complex biochemical substance having the characteristic of the disturbed metabolism, and thus to be similar to the disease and according to the law of similars, to have specific therapeutic power to restore balance, a condition of ease-i.e. health.
The individual members of each group may have some therapeutic action in a specific disease, but the action of the simpler elements may be incomplete and require the assistance of the more complex remedies, and on this hypothesis one can formulate a series of working rules for the use of the remedies and the nosodes and in actual practice demonstrate how one may complement the action of the other. INDICATIONS FOR THE USE OF THE BOWEL NOSODES IN DISEASE. My remarks will be addressed, on this occasion, to those doctors who have no means of obtaining bacteriological reports on stool culture, but who may wish to try out the use of these nosodes in their practice.
I suggest that we divide the cases to be considered into two groups:
(1) New Case. A patient who has not received homoeopathic treatment.
(2) Old Case. A patient who has been under homoeopathic treatment but who may not be responding to the treatment given.
In using the bowel nosodes it must always be remembered that they are deep acting remedies and cover the totality of symptoms from the highest level, the “mentals,” to the lowest level of “gross pathology” and that they also cover the life history of a patient from earliest childhood to adult life or old age.
The “taking of the case history” is therefore of great importance in the choice of the nosode for a particular case, and attention must be given to the “past” as well as the “present” symptoms.
New Case. Where this is a definite symptom picture which points to a remedy, this should be given, and not a nosode. In many cases, however, the choice may lie within a number of possible remedies and it is in this difficulty that one may use the list of remedies and the associated bowel nosodes. If, for example, Sulphur, Calcarea carbonica, Graphites were among the list of possible remedies, reference to the table would show that the nosode Morgan-pure (Paterson) was related to each of these and could be considered to cover the totality of the symptoms. In practice this is found to be so and proves the bowel nosodes to be deep and broad acting remedies.
As another example, the choice might lie within the group of remedies Mercurius, Phosphorus, Silica, in which case the nosode Gaertner (Bach) would be indicated.
John Paterson was President of International Homeopathic Medical League in 1939.
John Paterson wrote The Bowel Nosodes, and he was responsible for introducing them into British homeopathy n the 1920s.