HOW THE IODUMS SHOWED THEIR PATRIOTISM


HOW THE IODUMS SHOWED THEIR PATRIOTISM…


Once upon a time as Uncle Sam was looking over his backyard fence, he beheld an irate neighbor unmercifully chastising her child. Being a very humane gentleman himself, he was filled with wrath at the sight, but controlled himself and said gently “Madam, will you kindly suspend your present method of treatment of that child?” The mother responded that the child was hers and she should treat it as she pleased. Thereupon Uncle Sam told her he would give her ten minutes to walk off and let that child alone or he would wake up his war eagle and rescue the child. Then the neighbor told him that he was interfering where he had no right, and she should never speak nor listen to him again.

Now it so happened that Uncle Sam was the president of the western branch of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children and of the Human Society, so his interference was work in his own jurisdiction. Therefore he spoke to the song bird Peace, which had sung his Children to sleep for over thirty years and Peace called to her brother the War Eagle to come and take her place while she folded her wings and cuddled down to sleep. Then over all of Uncle Sam’s domain sounded the clarion notes of war.

It happened that about this time, old Grandfather Iodum had been in an unusually melancholy and low-spirited mood. He had been possessed with a fear of evil. He was restless and awaking shortly after midnight, he being sensitive of hearing, heard the echo of the first war-note and comprehended its meaning. It seemed as if his heart had been grasped by an iron hand. He sprang out of bed and he thought he would go crazy, as with trembling limbs he walked the floor. Presently an idea seized him. His thought became fixed.

He had a numerous posterity. His daughters had married into all the influential families of the world. ‘Tis true the children of them had been content to rest upon the reputation of the greatness of their ancestors, therefore were of such little use in the world that they had no reputation of their own, but Grandfather Iodum knew they had never had a chance to do much, and now was their opportunity to become famous. He would gather them all together and form a brigade and offer their services to Uncle Sam. So Grandfather Iodum sent out letters to each branch of his family, explaining his project but out of the twenty-one branches only five responded. The useless branches still remained unheard from and poor old Grandfather Iodum had to content himself with presenting a regiment instead of a brigade to his country. Those who did respond, did nobly.

The Mercurius iodatus ruber came first. The father of that branch was a Mercurius iodatus ruber while the mother was an Iodum, therefore that branch had more of the Iodum blood in its veins than others, though in some ways they resembled the Mercurius family. Mercurius iodatus ruber had many sons and one daughter and he brought them all. Next came Mercurius iodatus flavus branch, then Ferrum iodatus, Arsenicum iodatum, and finally Calcarea iodata. All brought their families excepting Calcarea iodata and he had none to bring. The wives and daughters sewed red crosses on their sleeves and formed a hospital corps and the little boys who were large enough to blow a fife or beat a drum, formed a fife and drum corps.

Grandfather Iodum objected to a physical examination for his men, for with the exception of the Mercurius men, it was a skinny crowd, and he was afraid they would be under-weight. Besides they were rather inclined to weak hearts. Grandfather Iodum himself was very thin and most of his children resembled him in that respect. Inspite of their looks, they formed when together, a pretty fair sort of a regiment and Grandfather proudly offered it to Uncle Sam, making only the simple condition that they should all go together, and that they should keep their own officers.

Grandfather Iodum brought Grandmother Iodum and appointed her chief cook because he and his sons were so hungry all the time and ate so much, he was sure that one without long experience would be unable to prepare proper meals. Arsenicum iodatum didn’t care anything about who was the cook, for his family was never hungry though they were always thirsty and wanted plenty of cold water, though it did come up immediately! Ferrum iodatum agreed with Arsenicum iodatum in respect to eating for his family was thirsty instead of hungry. Mercurius iodatus ruber was thirsty but wanted only a little. Mercurius iodatus flavus had no desire to eat but was very thirsty and brought along some lemons so he could have an acid drink occasionally. All decided that they had better camp near a copious spring as they were such a temperance crowd.

Grandfather Iodum didn’t quite like the idea of a drum corps, he was so sensitive to noise and it disturbed him but the rest of the family being less sensitive, rather liked it and Mercurius iodatus ruber who was quite hard of hearing, owing to a collection of ear-wax in his ears, pleaded the cause of the boys, so the corps remained and as Grandfather Iodum’s sensitiveness soon gave place to dullness of hearing, all enjoyed the music of the band.

Grandfather Iodum was a very active man. He could never keep still, night or day, so he soon had the regiment organized. The officers were selected from the Mercurius iodatus flavus family because they were always at their best during care and anxiety, while the other families were at their worst when studying out anything.

Camp drill didn’t suit any of the Iodum branches except Mercurius iodatus Flavus and Grandfather Iodum himself and sons. Moving around made all the rest feel bad in some way. Camping out seemed to affect the different branches differently. The Arsenicum iodatums seemed to take somewhat after their Grandfather Arsenicum. They were a chilly race and could not endure the cool sharp weather. The Ferrum iodatums were better in the open air or draft. In this respect they were more like the Iodums, who are better in the cold open air. The Mercurius iodatus rubers are also brighter in the open air, while the Mercurius iodatus flavuses are very susceptible to cold damp weather.

It was well that the hospital corps had been established, for the red cross workers were soon in great demand. In his younger days, Grandfather Iodum had been “one of the boys” and now he was receiving the punishment which comes to old syphilitics. He was greatly annoyed by violent nightly pains in the joints, although there was no swelling and there were pains in the bones of the arm upon which he had lain. Ferrum iodatum had also been “one of the boys” and now his rheumatic reward which was of sycotic origin made its appearance. He had a bruised paralyzed feeling in all the limbs with aversion to motion. The pains extended from foot to pelvis in the evening.

Arsenicum iodatum had followed in the foot-steps of the others but like Grandfather Iodum, his rheumatic gout was of syphilitic origin. He had severe pains in the calf of the leg in the afternoon, which extended over the whole leg. It disappeared during active motion and returned when at rest, therefore in the afternoon, when not drilling with the regiment, he would always be found diligently going through with the wetting up exercises. Mercurius iodatus flavus also followed in the foot-steps of his Grandfather Iodum. His rheumatic gout demonstrated itself in stiffness and sore pains. The limbs felt heavy and sore. There was soreness and lameness in the hands and fingers, soreness of the bones of the face, stiffness of the neck, bruised pain over entire scapular region. Most of the pains were worse at night and better when in motion.

Mercurius iodatus ruber had rheumatism also, but he was sycotic and his rheumatism was mostly muscular. It was of the wandering kind and alternated between arms and legs, hands and feet. The nurses were in great demand but they knew their business and succeeded in keeping their patients well enough for their work most of the time.

When so many are gathered hastily together, the sanitary arrangements cannot always be the best and in camp Iodum, although much care had been taken, they were far from being perfect and a little dark haired, dark eyed Iodum boy was the first to show the results. One night, the head nurse was startled by the dry metallic cough of the croup. She hurried to the bedside of the little Iodum, thinking she had a case of spasmodic croup, but investigation showed upon the velum palatinum and tonsils, a thick greyish white exudation. The tonsils were enlarged and there was much pain in the throat; swallowing was painful; breath was offensive respiration was irregular, short and quick; active motion of alae nasi and salivation. The child was grasping his throat with his hand. The nurse quickly isolated him, but it was too late. The diphtheria spread until for a time it seemed as though the fife and drum corps would by wholly annihilated.

The Mercurius iodatus flavus boys were the next to succumb to the dreaded disease. With them, the membrane began in little spots on the right side of the throat, but they soon ran together and formed yellow patches. The base of the tongue was covered with a thick yellow coating as though covered by a piece of chamois. The tip and edges were clean and red. There was great thirst for cold water, which was taken in the little sips because the throat was so full. Warm drinks and empty swallowing caused pain. There was profuse fetid saliva which made the chin sore. The nose was obstructed with thick yellow scales and membrane, worse on the right side. There was much painful hawking of stringy mucus.

Frederica E. Gladwin
Frederica E Gladwin was born in 1856 in rural Connecticut. She initially trained to be a teacher. She came across homeopathy and studied medicine, graduating from the University of Missouri. She continued her studies under Kent and was one of his greatest followers. She helped him in putting part of his repertory together and corrected some mistakes in earlier editions.
She was one of the first students to graduate from the Philadelphia Post-Graduate School of Homeopathy and served at the school as Clinician, Professor of Children's Diseases and Professor of Repertory. She taught from 1933 until her health failed. She also taught Pierre Schmidt how to use the repertory.
Her accomplishments include being one of the founders of the American Foundation of Homeopath. She was a frequent contributor of articles, many of which are printed in the Homeopathic Recorder. She died on May 7, 1931.