Fever
To Dr. G.W.Bowen, Fort Wayne, Indiana, we are indebted for this valuable remedy. It is the product of dried, peat – like, decomposed vegetable matter from a marsh, placed in closed jars, covered with water and allowed to stand from one to three weeks at a temperature of 90 F. The longer it was allowed to stand the more intensely offensive it became. This was in 1862. Fragmentary provings only have been made. First by paid laboring men, under Dr. Bowen, from the crude drug, by inhalation of the gases evolved during the process of re – decomposition, presumably similar in modus operandi to the infection from marsh malaria, with which the author had to contend in disease met with in daily practice during the summer and autumn. Many patients were suffering from malarial affections the so – called dumb ague – which were very intractable, as this type of autumnal fevers generally is in the West. It was to find a remedy for this nondescript type that the experiments were undertaken, and it is to be regretted that the symptoms elicited from inhaling the fumes in the various stages of decay were not expressed in the original language of the provers. Provings also with 30 potency by Yingling:
After first week: Headache, nausea, white – coated tongue, gastric distress, continuing two or three days.
After second week: Increased headache, nausea, aversion to food, distress in stomach, liver, spleen, and on the third day chills, which would have continued indefinitely if not antidoted.
After third week: To the above symptoms were added extreme lassitude, nausea, loss of appetite, continued fever with aches almost unbearable, and profound weakness with typhoid condition.
Type: Quotidian, tertian, remittent, continued, malarial, typhoid.
“Dumb – ague,” of every type, from drug suppression, from “ague cures.”
Time: No marked periodicity. All hours, both day and night.
Cause: Malarial exposure, especially during summer and autumn drought, suppression of fever paroxysms by Quinine and “ague cures,” cases spoiled by drugging. Rheumatic, psoric, tubercular diathesis.
Prodrome: Aching in the hands, wrists, elbows, feet, ankles, knees.
A tired aching in the wrists and thighs, abdomen and chest.
A general sense of weariness.
Chill: Chilly sensation in left forearm, followed by chilly feelings in hands and fingers, feet cold with sensation as if chilliness would creep up the legs. A few moments later knees feel cold.
A sense of coldness ascending over body from the legs.
Backache, lumbar region feels tired.
General sense of weariness from a short walk, especially through pelvis, sacral region and upper thighs, inclined to lie down to rest.
“At times I felt as if I should become cold or chilly, then again I felt as if I should become feverish or hot, thought neither is very marked.”
Gaping, yawning and desire to stretch.
Legs restless, fidgety, must stretch and move them.
“Felt as I did before having ague twenty – five years ago.”
Face and head feel warm as if flushed, becomes general over body, feverish.
Analysis: Malaria officinalis seems to bear the same relation to chronic malarial affections that Ipecac., Natrum, Cinchona and its alkaloids do to acute. It is especially effective in “spoiled cases” coming from the tropics and the suppressive treatment of the dominant school, where the type has been changed and it is impossible to distinguish the symptoms of the original disease from drug effects.
The following cures by Dr. W.A. Yingling, Emporia, Kansas, reported in Trans. I.H.A., 1900, may aid, in absence of verified provings, in ascertaining its range of action.
Case I.
October, 1898. Mr. C.F.-, 28, a Kansas volunteer. After a week of wet and chilling weather in camp he came home sick. Had a chill followed by fever. Aching over entire body. Nausea, retching and vomiting of bile. Wants cold drinks. Cannot eat, vomits everything, except once could eat raw tomatoes. Craves acids. Tongue, thickly coated white Lips dry and parched. Urine high colored, like strong tea. Retching and gagging from hawking mucus. Face, eyes and skin very sallow, skin very dry. Mouth dry subjectively, but really moist. Very weak and tottering. Malaria off-m.
Case II.
Mrs. S.A.H., 63, has been sick several days. Vertigo on rising. Head feels badly, threatens to ache. Bitter taste, mouth parched, tongue white. Thirst for lemonade, not so much for water. Ravenous appetite for some days, none now. Shooting pains in the muscles all over body, bones ache. High fever during the night. Restless tossing about. Restlessness most marked in the arms. Stitching and yawning this morning. Diarrhea, painless, five or six stools this morning, watery, yellowish, somewhat foul. tenderness in right iliac region, weakness in bowels. Skin hot and dry.
Malaria off-6m.
Case III.
M.H., 16. “Dumb ague” a year ago, slight chills and fever, no sweat. Aching through forehead and temples. Little appetite, thirst all the time. Bowels loose yesterday, but no stool to – day. Feels well on rising in morning aggravation after being about for a time, amelioration toward evening Backache in lumbar region, pains shoot up the back, aggravation when first lying down, then gets better, aggravation walking, lying on abdomen. Last four days has been weary and languid, yawning, “malarious feeling. ”
Malaria off. 6 m.
Case IV.
M.B., 13. Every evening, at twilight, anticipating daily, chilly with flushes of heat, great desire for fresh air, cannot breathe on account of pain in the liver, aggravation lying, amelioration from hard pressure on region of liver, during the day has no pain or tenderness. Seems entirely well, except is getting weaker. Slight fever for a couple of hours in the evening, raves, sings, talks all night, restless sleep. Tongue clean. Appetite variable, craves potatoes, apples, beefsteak.
Malaria off-m.
Case V.
G.C., 28, ague every other day, chill over whole body, icy cold from hips down, heat aggravation about the trunk, sweat general, but slights. Begins about noon. Had frequent severe attacks of ague when living in Missouri, also on the Pacific coast, and is now run down. Feels languid weak and drowsy during apyrexia, unable to be up. Little appetite, great thirst, breath foul. Pulse weak, flashes of heat all the time. Has taken much Quinine and “salts for costiveness.” Stool hard, and at times bleeding after stool. Intense headache as if it would burst.
Malaria off-m.
Dr. George Hering, of London, hints at its use in tuberculosis, quoting from notes of Dr. Casanova, made nearly forty years ago.
“I know several localities in South America, Africa and Spain where the marsh miasma has unquestionably arrested and cured that fatal scourge of the human race, phthisis pulmonalis, without any other treatment or restriction in food or drink.”
“Miasmatic places are the most healthy places – for some of us at least. Now, I can give some support to this statement of Dr. Casanova. I was once on board a Liverpool steamer which put into Aspinwall, on the swampy Isthmus of Panama, for nine days. Upon our return home several of the sailors, otherwise healthy fellows, were prostrated by Panama fever, whilst I myself, who had formerly suffered from tubercular disease of the lungs, was totally unaffected.”.
