Heredity or acquisition consists of the miasmatic traits: psoric, sycotic, syphilitic or tubercular (which is another name for the scrofulous and is a combination of two or more miasms). From the pathologists point of view it is double or triple miasmatic. The pathologist relies more upon the specific cause: the idea, the same, while the homoeopathist values more the innate nature : the similimum or the most similar. This similimum of hereditary miasmatic nature plays a major role in the treatment and cure of consumption, as does the phase of acquired miasms. So the hereditary or acquired miasmatic traits have to be met, either at the commencement of treatment or at an intermediate stage, by out welltried friends.
Bacillinum, Medorrhinum, Natrum sulph., Psorinum, Syphilinum, Sulphur, Thuja or Tuberculinum, in medium or high potencies. Of course, Tuberculinum or Bacillinum are more frequently called for and, if property administered, they render such a magnificent service that one can not do without them. I distinctly remember to-day how wonderfully a case of mine in a thirty-year-old peasant whose parents, two brothers and a sister died of tuberculosis, even after considerable doses of Streptomycin, P.A.S., Vitamin, and Calcium combined 2with collapsotherapy, was cured by Tuberculinum bovinum alone administered in various potencies from 1 M to DM, in the course of two years time.
No clear picture of a remedy was presented by the case, and I applied the same remedy on grounds of heredity and past history alone. Incidentally, Tuberculinum may be established as a sycotic as well as a syphilitic remedy, if we remember: Rhus tox. or Thuja failing. Tuberculinum comes in (KENT, Materia Medica, PP.962. 972), and “syphilitic cases refractory to reaction” (Heron), confirmed by Dr.H.C.Allen in his treatise on Nosodes (p.529).
THE LOCAL VIEW. Despite the constitutional nature of tuberculosis, many cases present themselves which give no clue for a miasmatic or a constitutional remedy.,
They are mostly semi-chronic cases or are at the initial stage of the disease, frequently calling for either the moderately acting remedies like Arsenic alb., Ars. iod., Bryonia, Hepar sulph, Natrum mur, Natrum sulph, Pulsatilla, Senecio, Stannum, and Ustilago in medium potencies, by virtue of their acute remedies like calcarea, lachesis, Lycopodium Nitric acid, Phosphorus, Sulphur, Silicea, etc., indicated there in the aforesaid potencies as acute local remedies for the local remedies for the local conditions of fever, cough, chest pain, expectoration and other discomforts, as revelled in their peculiar modus operandi. aptly called in Homoeopathic “the modality of symptoms.,” The acute, short-acting remedies again have occasionally to be interpolated in very severe cases to meet an acute emergency, a new development or a new twisting of an old existing symptom pointing to one of them.
A few cases of mine of confirmed tuberculosis splendidly progressed under Bryonia, Pulsatilla and Senecio, applied intercurrently but bringing a great change for the better and helping a complete cure of the disease by other constitutional remedies.
THE OVERALL PICTURE. The constitutional remedies like Calcarea carb., Calcarea phos., Calcarea sulph., Guaiacum, Kali bichrom., Kali carb., Kali iod. Kali phos., Kali sulph., lachesis Lycopodium, Medorrhinum, Nitric acid, Natrum sulph.; phosphorus, Sepia, Silicea, sulphur Syphilinum, Thuja. Theridion and Tuberculinum may be indicated at any stage of the disease, and they play their part worthily when their typical symptoms of the physical makeup and appearance., their conditions of reactions to time, environment, climate, temperature, applied heat and cold, and the aversions, thoughts, wills, feeling, sensations, doing., habit and demeanour are expressly manifested, leave no chance of confusion in their group.
The constitutional remedy is always the life saver, and may be needed in the beginning, midway and in the end and, when indicated, nothing else can take its place. Here, as elsewhere, the higher the potency, the better the result, except of course in the far-advanced cases, where as high-power constitutional remedy may either give a rude thumping shock to the nervous system and through it to the vital principle, retarding or shattering the defence mechanism, which it primarily means to stimulate and strengthen for it may suppurate and lay bare the pathological local condition, i.e. a tubercle, to the detriment of the patients life.
In the far-advanced cases, on the other hand. the medium potencies, e.g. the 30th, 200th and 500th have a soothing beneficial effect, while, strangely, the low potencies, e.g. the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or the 6th, cause am in irritation and discomfort, invoking the vital principle only too faintly as it were, without the capability to rouse it sufficiently to meet the situation. So the question of the gravity of the case or otherwise is of prime importance, as it entails not only the selection of the potency, but also the prospect of life and death to the patient.
Dr. Kents warning about the application of Hepar sulph., Phosphorus, Sulphur and Silicea high, in such cases are worthy of consideration. I distinctly remember to have killed an abandoned case of tuberculosis by administering a dose of Tuberculinum bov. 10m, which seemed indicated by the complex of local and general symptoms and previous history, but instead of modifying the case beneficially, which it usually does, seriously aggravated the general state, whereon the patient died of coma following a high temperature and fearful haemoptysis.
But fear in the physician;s mind is more fearful than a fierce disease. We should shed it, and ascertain the actual state by the scientific methods of skiagram and laboratory tests. If the aforesaid danger level has not yet must be administered either to abort the case of secure the patient beforehand from the imminent fateful developments.
A SOLITARY GUIDE.
Occasionally in practice a case comes to our hand which indicates no remedy in particular from the local or general symptoms or from the heredity or past history and so baffles our but efforts to find a way out, as various prescriptions fail to elicit any response; the patient gradually becomes impatient, demanding something special for him and exacting much of our valuable time. The physician himself gets more and more disappointed as he interrogates the patient, when unexpectedly, like a beam of light from the heaven as if were, a casual statement from the patient gives a clue to the right remedy, which either cures the case completely or paves the way fro the subsequently; indicated remedy to act and hasten the recovery.
I remember three cases of this type; the first of a middle-aged gentleman, a tubercular subject of Phosphorus type, confessing accidentally a great fear of dogs, needing Bacillinum which in varied potencies from 200. to 10M completely cured him; the second in the person of a youth. a blonde, suffering for three months from unilateral tuberculosis, much emaciated, prostrated and almost doomed, who rallied considerably under Scilla maritima 200. and 1M (Tuberculinum bovinum, however, was needed at a latter stage), the leading indication being the gushing of tears with coughing; the third case was of a confirmed tubercular subject, who incidentally complained of a paroxysmal sneezing (about eighty to a hundred times in each paroxysm and definitely prostrating) and was given a few doses of Petroleum 200. and 1M, which effected three-fourths of a cure. Such cases are not frequently met with, but the peculiar indications being uncommon rare concomitants are like solitary guides in a vast desert and they never fail to show us the proper way, the right remedy.
INTO THE INNER CHAMBER.
The more complete the picture of a drug, the more favourable the prognosis. But the complete picture of a drug delineated on one canvas of a single case with the really complete prominent lines of heredity, acquisition, particulars, generals and the rare uncommon factors, is rarely met with the practice.
A physician is fortunate enough to find such a case or two in his whole lifetime. Many times, therefore, neither the particulars, nor the past history, nor even the generals or the peculiar, as found separately or together in their incomplete and most insignificant state, after a careful search, yield any fruit, leaving us at out wits end as to the selection of the remedy.
Then it is a true conception of the inner nature or the genius of the remedy as revealed by a thorough grasp of it from its broad outlines, from its nature and sequence of action upon organ and organ, that comes to our rescue, ushering in a remedy either for the radical cure or for a change for the better. A thirty-year- old, fair, good-natured, emotional lady, suffering from various troubles for a long time (congestion of the right ovary, hepatitis, jaundice, right-sided pneumonia, etc.), was down with bilateral tuberculosis (from right to left).
