Kent says:.
Persons on the border-land of insanity. It is true that phthisis and insanity are convertible conditions, the one falls in to the other. Many cases that are treated and cured, and phthisis of the lungs has just been turned aside, finally become insane. Persons who have been cured of insanity go into phthisis and die, showing the deep-seated character of their nature. The intellectual symptoms and the lung symptoms are interchangeable. If Tuberculinum bovinum be given in 10 M, 50M and CM potencies, two doses of each potency at long intervals, all children and young people who have inherited tuberculosis may be immuned from their inheritance and their resiliency will be restored.
In my experience I have not seen many cases of general neurosis or psychoneurosis develop pulmonary or other tuberculosis, but I have found a great number of these cases who need Tuberculinum for a time to rid them of the foundation of their neurosis.
Stone and Default in their book on Diagnosis and Treatment published in 1946 say:.
Neurasthenia is often linked with or brought about by fatigue and takes on the most significant traits of tuberculosis. Neurasthenics are inclined to study the symptoms of the disease they dread the most. Auto-suggestion goes a long ways in such instances. A case of this kind is very puzzling and one hesitates to rule out the presence of a tuberculous condition, always possible and often so elusive. The process of elimination can never be too thorough. The patients complaints must, of necessity, be taken into consideration, but they must also be evaluated in regard to the actual clinical and laboratory findings.
Dr. Wilfred C. Hulse of New York in Digest of Treatment states that we must emphasize that a diagnosis of neurosis ought not to be made merely on the basis of exclusion of organic pathology, but on the basis of a study of the patient as a whole. The physician ought to be aware that the diagnosis of an organic condition primarily on the basis of inference and not on the basis of objective clinical findings may make a confirmed invalid out of a mild neurotic.
Neurosis and general nervous diseases have become very much more prevalent in the past twenty-five years. Our methods of living, competitive in character, outdoing the other fellow in work and education, always in a tension, the worker today is rewarded only for the piece work he covers. In our war service one out of every sixteen was rejected on account of neurosis and in combat one out of every four became neurotic. Our cold war is nerve racking.
We are all eating foods modified by the use of sprays, dusts and washes for the prevention or spread of parasites, fungi, viruses and other physiological diseases, and foods grown with the use of synthetic fertilizers. We are taking synthetic vitamins and our children are being immunized against small pox, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, typhoid fever, etc. According to all our cruder tests these preparations are all free from any and all disease manifestations, but in the attenuated form we know nothing about them. All these things help to increase the life span but are leaving and spreading a greatly increased number of suppressions with a marked increase of neurosis and accompanying diseases.
There are patients, from children to the aged, who are never quite well with these suppressions, they care a great deal what others think of them, they become very nervous and upset if work for which they are responsible is delayed by inefficiency in their help, they lose much sleep, have pain here and there, fear that a fatal disease is upon them. Tuberculinum in potencies from 1M to CM will help these people to live with their difficulties and carry on their work well. In children with epidemic colds or other acute diseases with a continued fever and easily excited and fearful and the remedies that appear similar to their condition do not change their sickly condition into one of order, then Tuberculinum for these children will cause their mothers to change their anxiety over getting them to eat something, to providing them enough to satisfy their hunger.
Many of these neurotic people develop a definite fear of some impending disease, such as cancer or some other very serious malady, which they are quite sure is incurable and in many instances is not curable unless they are given their indicated remedy. These patients become so depressed at times, and so excited at other times, that their symptomatology will convince you that your patient already has a cerebral lesion.
Not all nervous patients call for Tuberculinum, but when they do they must have it for satisfactory relief. These fears as a rule cannot be controlled by sedatives and they look forward to a most horrible death; they will cry and fret and worry, have no appetite, and will eat very little, and are sleepless, weak and exhausted. Some will have an allergic dermatitis, a taenia, a pruritis or a gastrointestinal disturbance, any one of which they are sure is the seat of their dreadful incurable disease.
Case I- Mrs. P. S., aged 24. Small and beautiful-appearing young mother, nervous, irritable, angry and disagreeable. She had a beautiful young son about 18 months of age. After the start of her second pregnancy she started divorce proceedings against her husband. After a dose of Tuberculinum the proceedings were called off.
CASE II- Mrs. C.D., age about 60, obese, very active, and either depressed or very cheerful. When depressed she becomes hysterical; when cheerful she is very sociable and friendly and the life of a crowd. She is worrisome and fearful of the future, is diabetic and has post menopausal vaginitis. periods of sleeplessness, worries about family and friends. After Tuberculinum she was very much more congenial and cooperative.
CASE III- Miss L.R. Recurrent and frequent sore throat and head colds, worrisome, nervous, and fearful. Fear of impending disease, marked fluctuating hypertension, post menopausal state, suppressed worries. Tuberculinum at several intervals helped to keep her efficient in a public position.
CASE IV- T.U., aged 6. Fear, recurrent fever, sore throat and restlessness, out of school for weeks. Tuberculinum helped to hasten his return to school.
CASE V- Mrs. H.H., aged 35. Weak, exhausted, tired, backache, headache, nervous, worrisome; a thin small and emaciated person. Tuberculinum helped her to care for her home and her family of three.
CASE VI- Mrs. F.G., aged 54. Very nervous with a terrible fear of impending disaster, marked hypertension, menopause, digestive disturbance, constipation. She had a decided opinion, false, that she had a severe and definite pelvic lesion. After Tuberculinum she was greatly improved mentally.
Tuberculinum. when indicated, may be the safeguard between your patient and these acute infectious and recurrent diseases together with all the attending nervous symptoms.
PANDORA, OHIO.
