1. Weak child, 2 years of age, thin skull, fontanelles open, soft cataract of left eye. Calcarea fluorica 6x; in three months’ examination showed anterior fontanelle closed, and child much improved in general health. No change in cataract.
2. The following troublesome symptoms not entirely relieved by wearing proper correcting glasses for compound hyperopic astigmatism were completely cured: The glasses were prescribed in June and patient reported in November following. Complained of some itching and burning, blurring of sight occasionally, floating specks before eyes, light aggravates all symptoms. Kali phos. 6x cured.
3. Epiphora from refractive error not entirely relieved from wearing corrective glasses. Calcarea fluor. 6x entirely relieved the following symptoms: Itching of mucous surface of lids, eyes water and sensation of air blowing on eyes after use of glasses.
Parenchymatous keratitis, inflammation of right cornea extending over the whole of its surface, of three months’ duration; patient could only count fingers; some pain, slight photophobia and redness, pupil dilates slowly under Atrop., but quickly contracts again. Aurum mur., Cinnabar., with instillations of Atrop; did no good. Kali mur. 6x cured. Cases of chorio-retinitis cured by Kali mur. Allen & Norton, Ophthalmic Therapeutics, p. 106.
In the Homoeopatische Monatsblatter for 1882, p. 95, is a report of thirteen cases of cataract cured eleven with Calcarea fluor. Improvement showed itself within eight days. The other two cases required Kali mur. after Calcarea fluor.
The following cases from N.A.J.H., September, 1885, p. 15, reported by George S. Norton, M.D., show the beautiful action of Kali mur. in ulceration of the cornea.
Case of ulcer of the cornea large in size, steadily increasing in extent, vascular base, moderate redness, no pain, slight photophobia, profuse lachrymation, nose sore, corners ulcerated. Kali mur6. Improvement set in at once, and ulcer commenced to heal; within five days the vascularity disappeared, and in ten days the eyes was perfectly well.
Case of ulcer of the cornea with elevated edges and vascular base, resulting from phlyctenular keratitis; in spite of all treatment it had steadily increased; cornea hazy around ulcer. Kali mur6. The ulcer began at once to heal and in two weeks all inflammatory symptoms had disappeared.
Ulcer of the cornea from the same cause as the above, also a rapidly increasing purulent infiltration between the corneal layers. Photophobia well marked; moderate redness and no pain. Several remedies were administered with no benefit. Kali mur2. was prescribed, and a rapid cure followed.
Child with ulcer near centre of cornea, which was deep; infiltration considerable. Pus in the anterior chamber; moderately red, no pain. Atrop., instillation. Hypopyon disappeared, and in twenty-four hours a rapid recovery followed under Kali mur3.
Mrs. B. L., from C, came to me on account of a swelling on right eye which appeared suddenly. A specialist had advised operation; the palpebral aperture, which was opened with difficulty, was filled with a yellowish-green, projecting mass. The conjunctiva was infiltrated and sight was lost. Kali sulph6. removed the swelling and inflammatory symptoms completely and permanently in one and one-half days. (Quesse).
Mrs. M.N., aged 46, was sent to me for treatment on May 9, 1892, by Dr. Boericke, with keratitis, involving the lower nasal third of the left cornea. The inflammation had existed since the previous Christmas, and had been subjected to rigorous allopathic treatment, with no improvement. The entire bulbar and palpebral conjunctiva was intensely inflamed. The corneal surface was vascular, with a decided ring of leucocytes round the border of the cornea, limited to the diseased area. There was a dense, irregular white opacity reaching down into the interstitial elements, occupying the centre of the affected territory, and covering an area of about one-eighth of an inch square. The clouded territory reached to the axis of vision. She could with difficulty discern large objects on the temporal side, but had no central vision. On May 9th she was put on Kali mur. 3x, every three hours. There was a marked improvement during the first twenty-four hours, and an astringent which had been given for the conjunctivitis was reduced in power and frequency, and finally discontinued. After the seventh day the Kali mur. was given in the 6x, every four hours, and was so continued up to the day of discharge. On the 23d vision was 5/20. The larger part of the cloudy area had cleared up, and the leucoma had almost disappeared, and it is safe to predict a complete restoration of vision in a few weeks under Kali mur. (H.C. French).
Child, aet. 8, with opacity of both cornea, with fresh ulceration and some infiltration, no redness. The ulceration healed, and the infiltration speedily cleared up under Kali mur6.
An ulcer at outer edge of cornea slightly excavated, with vessels running to it, improved under this remedy rapidly.
It may be that Kali mur. will be found useful in cases of clear ulceration and absence of infiltration. It is worth a trial.
A girl had, on the lower edge of the left cornea, a little blister, from which a bundle of small veins ran. Feeling of sand in the eye. Edges of eyelids are scabby. Kali mur12. internally and externally, every six hours for three days, cured the cornea in ten days, and in three weeks the scurfiness of the eyelids, which she had had for two years, had nearly disappeared. (W. P. Wesselhoeft, M.D. From Hg).
Dr. Koch writes: An old woman came to me aet. 72. She had worn a green shade over her eyes to my recollection, since my younger days, when, as a student, I spent my holidays at Simbach with my grandparents. This person complained of a constant burning sensation in her eyes, causing a continued flow of smarting tears. This commenced at eight o’clock in the morning and lasted till sunset. During the night it was better. She had much thirst, but little appetite. Externally the conjunctiva palpebrum was in a chronic state of inflammation. On each side of the nose there were excoriation and eczema of the skin caused by the flow of acrid tears. The punctae lachrymosa were dilated; but the tear-ducts were unobstructed. I hesitated whether I should give Natrum mur. or Arsenic.; but Dr. Schussler’s special mention of Natrum mur. in regard to these excessive lachrymal secretions determined my choice, and I gave Natrum mur. in water, one teaspoonful three times a day. In three weeks the symptoms all greatly subsided, and shortly after entirely disappeared. (From Schussler).
I have hitherto only given Natrum phos. in scrofulous subjects, and only then when my old remedies, Calcarea carb., etc., failed. One case was particularly striking on account of its being cured so rapidly. In May last a little girl, aet. 8, was brought to me, who suffered from severe conjunctivitis, with great dread of light. She had been treated for some time by an ordinary practitioner, but without effect. I ascertained that her eye affection dated from the time she had had measles, some years previous. Calcarea carb. and other medicines proved ineffectual. The enlargements of the glands of the neck, and the creamy secretion of the eyelids, led me to try Natrum phos., of which I administered a dose three time daily. A week later on, and the child was brought to me, her eyes bright and perfectly cured. (From Schussler).
Louis G, aet. 19, came to my office, July 3d, 1886, by advice of his physician, Dr. Nichols, of Hoboken, N.J. The young man was of good physique and apparently perfectly healthy. He stated that his right eye had been “bloodshot” for a week, and that the vision had been steadily failing for five days. Examination of the eye showed moderate photophobia, lachrymation, conjunctival redness and ciliary injection. The cornea was very hazy, appearing like ground glass throughout its whole extent, but was not vascular; the surface was clear. The vision was reduced to counting fingers six inches from the eyes. The history of the case, though not clear, pointed toward a strumous rather than a syphilitic origin. Atrop. was instilled, and Kali mur. was given internally. Under this treatment alone he steadily and rapidly improved until he was discharged, August 19th, with vision 15/40. On December 27th he was again seen, when the vision in the right eye was found to be perfect (15/15). But the disease was making its appearance in the left eye, as evidenced by moderate inflammatory symptoms and cornea hazy at the outer edge. L.V. 15/30. The same treatment was prescribed which had been so successfully employed before, but for two weeks the cornea gradually grew more opaque, the redness increased, the pain became more marked as if there were something in the eye, the photophobia and lachrymation became excessive, and the vision decreased to counting fingers at six inches. Rhus tox. 6x was then alternated with Kali mur. 6x when the sthenic type of the disease soon changed, and the inflammatory symptoms rapidly abated, after which, under Kali mur. alone, the improvement continued so long that in eight weeks his vision was 15/40, and later became perfect.
Professor of Materia Medica in the University of Michigan Homeopathic Medical College. Member of American Institute of Homeopathy. In addition to his editoral work he authored or collaborated on: Boericke and Dewey's Twelve Tissue Remedies, Essentials of Homeopathic Materia Medica, Essentials of Homeopathic Therapeutics and Practical Homeopathic Therapeutics.