In spite of giving it as high as 50M, she still was in need of monthly repetitions and, though in a milder form, retained her tachycardia, as well as the acute cardiac syndrome and the migraine. Arsenicum iod., Tuberculinum, Psorinum Thyroidinum proved of no avail. Iodum is evidently not indicated by the modalities. Sycotic Co. (Paterson), a single dose of the 200. proved the most effective prescription she had ever received. A progressive improvement of all symptoms still continues after 4 months without any repetition of the dose, thus showing that this remedy effects her more deeply and lastingly than Sulphur, which by her symptoms seemed indicated.
Sycotic Co. is one of the non-lactose fermenting organisms which were introduced into our homoeopathic armamentarium by the work of E. Bach and J. Paterson. The most comprehensive symptomatology, so far available, of these important medicines can be found in the July 1950 issue of the British Homoeopathic Journal; reprints of this essay are available in pamphlet form from A. Nelson and Company, London. These intestinal nosodes have proven themselves as deep antipsorics, indispensable for chronic case work; I, personally, would care to miss them as little as I would wish to have to practice without Tuberculinum Psorinum.
Paterson regards Sycotic Co. as a pretuberculous remedy, complementary to Bacillinum and Thuja.It fits the narrow chested type of person with sallow complexion and an oily skin, of a sensitive, nervous, irritable disposition and a tendency to fears anxieties and bad temper. These constitutional types, often enough, have an overactive thyroid function. Further features of these types are anemia, rheumatic and catarrhal tendencies. Apparently, we have here a blending of the psoric and sycotic miasms.
In each of the cases presented in this paper, we were confronted with a symptom picture which definitely and apparently unequivocally pointed to an antipsoric remedy, which, when prescribed, proved ineffective in the long run. The lesson to be learned from these cases is that, in a clinical deadlock with such a definite, clear cut symptomatology, the true similimum has to be sought out from among the antipsoric nosodes. Probably their real number may exceed those known to us at the present. Statistically, on the basis of present experience, the nosode most frequently called for in a situation like those described is Tuberculinum or Bacillinum (in acute cases Influenzinum). Then follow the intestinal nosodes and lastly Psorinum and Streptococcinum.
Needless to say, this order of frequently is given as a summary of one prescribers experience with his particular case material. It is meaningless in the face of a given individual patients problem, which must always be evaluated on its own merits, regardless of all statistical considerations, as though one never had seen or heard of a similar case.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK.
DISCUSSION
DR. F.K. BELLOKOSSY [Denver, Colo.]: Do you give Tuberculin bovinum or Human Tuberculin?
DR. WHITMONT: I do not know difference. I have one marked “Tuberculin,” and another marked “Tuberculin Bovinum.”
DR. BELLOKOSSY: They are not the same.
DR. WHITMONT: What is the other?
DR. BELLOKOSSY: Heath.
DR. WHITMONT: No, another preparation.
DR. SCHMIDT: Koch Tuberculin.
DR. WHITMONT: As a rule I now sick to Bacillinum.
DR. UNDERHILL: Where do you obtain that?
DR. WHITMONT: From Nelson, in London.
DR. UNDERHILL: In the British Homoeopathic Journal they have a reprint on nosodes.
DR. WHITMONT: I read the British Homoeopathic Journal regularly and consider it the best homoeopathic publication there is even the equal or superior to our Recorder, particularly because they have much more material. It is the official organ.
DR. SUTHERLAND: The British Homoeopathic Journal is well worth reading and has excellent material. Of course, the excellence of the Journal depends on the excellence of the authors contributing to it, and may be that explains why it is the best homoeopathic journal extant. You can take that for what it means.
DR. ELIZABETH WRIGHT HUBBARD [New York, N.Y.]: May I say two things? Tuberculinum bovinum I find not only wonderful in all the glands of the neck where you would expect it to be wonderful, because, when you get cow tuberculosis-we dont have them so much any more, but we used to have them-that gives you the glandular condition in the neck or mesentery. There Tuberculinum bovinum works wonders.
The Bacillinum I find much better in the tubercular cases with mixed infection, as you usually get from the actual lungs of active tubercular cases. I have watched this with interest. When you have an inherited tubercular tendency, which is human, Tuberculin bovinum, curiously enough, does very well, amazingly well, but I am inclined to think that the Tuberculinum cough, which is human in origin, does even better. You dont agree? DR. WHITMONT: I have tested in many instances with various tuberculins for the given case and I do not know of a single instance where the Tuberculin came through a test.
DR. HUBBARD: I know where it comes through; in fact, it helps. I dont know about the test.
Also I should like to say that I thank you for that phrase “miasmatic background as an obstacle to cure,” because when we go through what are, in a way, the obstacles to cure, we often forget that, and I think that is a good phrase.
DR. ROGER A. SCHMIDT [San Francisco, Calif.]: Speaking of tuberculins, the French School has been doing a great deal of work with them. I think they were rather the first ones to infer from the psora through tuberculous tendencies and inheritance, and they have in their hands and have evolved and put on the market a number of preparations.
I dont know whether Dr. Whitmont has tuberculins, which have given good results in my hands, particularly with the bony structures and fibrous tissues affected as in chronic rheumatoid arthritis and things of that sort, which as you know, are very often mixed up with tuberculous background. For those I usually use Tuberculin Koch. Sometimes where Tuberculinum bovinum has not given me any result, I use Tuberculin Koch. I have had results with Tuberculinum bovinum, but it is true that in the inherited tendencies and background Bacillinum is, I think, the remedy of choice and may be one of the broadest categories. That is my experience.
DR. HUBBARD: Tuberculinum aviare, the bird tuberculin, is extraordinarily helpful in some of the influenza virus pneumonia epidemics. Whether or not they are carried by our ubiquitous pigeons, I dont know, but it gives one to think.
DR. SCHMIDT: I had a remarkable case where Tuberculinum aviare 1M cured a tuberculous tendency.
DR. WHITMONT: [closing]: One main point I want to impress upon you is that in two-thirds of all tuberculin cases there was neither any clinical evidence, nor any historical evidence, nor systemic evidence, or any evidence of anything whatsoever reminding one of tuberculosis. We should divorce Tuberculin and tuberculosis from each other. It may happen that a Tuberculin case may also have a tuberculous background, but we should think of it as an antipsoric nosode, and, as I would say, the most frequently used remedy next to Sulphur, regardless of tuberculosis.
