Latterly, and for years, she had tried nothing; whenever an attack came on, she would remain in her darkened bedroom, with her head tied up, bewailing her fate. To me she exclaimed, “My existence is one lifelong crucifixion!”
I should have stated that the neuralgia was preceded and accompanied by influenza. In the aggregate these attacks of influenza and post-orbital neuralgia confined her to her room nearly half the year. In appearance she was healthy, well- nourished, rather too much embonpoint, and fairly vigorous. A friend of hers had been benefited by homoeopathy in my hands, and she therefore came to me “in utter despair.”
These are the simple facts of the case, though they look very like piling up the agony! Now for the remedy. The resources of allopathy had been exhausted, and, moreover, I have no confidence in them anyway; homoeopathy- and good homoeopathy too, for the men tried knew their work-had also failed. Do-nothing, now much in vogue, had fared no better.
I reasoned thus: This lady tells me she has been vaccinated five or six times, and being thus very much vaccinated, she may be just suffering from chronic vaccinosis, one chief symptom of which is a cephalalgia like hers, so I forthwith prescribed Thuja 30. It cured, and the cure has lasted till now. The neuralgia disappeared slowly; in about six weeks (February 14, 1882) I wrote in my case book, “The eyes are well!”
As I have not heard from the patient for some time, I am just writing a note to her to know whether the neuralgia has thus far (December 30, 1882) returned. The reply I will add.
Of course, it does not follow that because Thuja cured this case of neuralgia of some twenty years’ standing that therefore the lady was suffering from vaccinosis; that Thuja DID cure it is incontrovertible, and my vaccinosis hypothesis led me to prescribe it. More cannot be maintained. At least the case must stand as a clinical triumph for Thuja 30-this much is absolute.
In reply to my inquiry, I received the following: “Jan. 1, 1883…. “I have been in very much stronger health ever since I crossed your threshold, and excepting one or two attempts at a return from the enemy, I have been quite free from suffering…”
The lady continues well of her post-orbital neuralgia at the time of going to press. After the disappearance of the neuralgia she had several other remedies from me for dyspeptic symptoms.
I shall probably never have a more severe case of what I conceive to be vaccinosis than the one just narrated, or one that had lasted longer. Twenty years may be considered enough to declare it en permanence, and its gradual cessation within six weeks from the time of commencing with the Thuja, stamps it as an undoubted cure.
However, the following is not uninteresting.
Observation vii
CHRONIC HEADACHE OF NINE YEAR’S DURATION
Miss G——-, oet. 19, came under my care on March 12, 1881, complaining of bad attacks of headache for the past nine years. She said it was as if the back of her head were in a vice, and then it would be frontal, and throbbing as if her head would burst. She was very pale, and her forehead looked shiny and in places brown.
These “head attacks” occurred once or twice a week.
Tendency to constipation; menses regular; an old stye visible on left eyelid; poor appetite; dislikes fleshmeat; liver enlarged a little; had a series of boils in the fall of 1880.
Feet cold; used to have chilblains. For years cannot ride in an omnibus, or in a cab, because of getting pale and sick; skin becomes rough in the wind; lips crack; gets fainty at times.
To have Graphites 30
April 13th.-Appetite and spirits better, but otherwise no change; questioned as to the duration of the head attacks, she tells me the last but one continued for three weeks-the last, three days. Over the right eye there is a red, tender patch; has two or three white-headed pustules on her face.
Was vaccinated at three months, re-vaccinated at seven years, and again at fourteen. Had small- pox about ten years ago.
Thus here was a case that had small-pox ten years ago, or thereabouts, for she could not quite fix the date, and had been vaccinated three times besides, once subsequent to the small-pox!
Rx Tc. Thuja Occidentalis, 3 iv. 3x To take five drops in water twice a day.
May 13th.-Much better: has only had one very slight headache lasting an hour or two; the frontal tender patch is no longer tender; no further faintness at all. Lips crack. The pustules in the face gone and skin quite clear.
To have Thuja 12, one drop at bedtime.
June 17th.-Was taken ill yesterday fortnight with soreness of stomach; fever; nausea and perspiration. Subsequently spots broke out like pimples.-eight on the face, one each on the thumb and wrist, one on the foot, and two on the back,-they filled with matter, were out five days, became yellow, and then died away. Her mother says the symptoms were just the same as when patient had the small- pox. Her headaches were well just before this bout came on.
July 1st.-Continues well.
27th.-The headaches have not returned.
Feb. 24th, 1882.-The cure holds good, for she had no headache and is otherwise well. She had subsequently some other remedies for the little tumour on her eyelid and for a small exostosis on her eyelid and for a small exostosis on lower jaw, but she had received nothing but Thuja when the cephalalgia disappeared, and it was two or three weeks before the next medicine followed.
Some months after this date this young lady was brought by her mother merely to show me how well she was, and to take final leave of me; two years later I learned from her mother that she continued well, so the cure is permanent.
An interesting feature in this case is the curious attack which came on at the beginning of June. My reading of it is that it was really a proving of Thuja, or a general organismic reaction called forth by it; and this sent me often up to the thirtieth dilution in my subsequent use of Thuja, though I have occasionally found the third decimal dilution answer better than the thirtieth.
But this is not point of my thesis, for this case was evidently cured by the low dilution, and when the low dilutions cure, and cure promptly, even though not very agreeably, but well, it cannot be necessary to go up any higher, especially as one’s faith is sufficiently on the stretch without it.
Observation viii
ENLARGED GLANDS APEX-CATARRH
Master C—, oet. 11 1/2, came under my care on August 18th, 1881, complaining of a cough, worse at 7-30 P.M.; he also coughed by day and through the night, but it did not wake him. He perspired fearfully, worst on the head, and worse during the night. Over upper half of left lung one heard moist crackling rales. The cervical lymphatic glands at the top of the apex of left lung were indurated and distinctly “feelable.” He weighed 5st. 4lbs. The vaccination scars were on the left arm, and the glands over the apex of right lung were not indurated. Induration of the lymphatics on the left side of the neck (the vaccination being performed on that side), is the rule after vaccination, as any one may observe for himself if he will take the trouble to examine a healthy child just before vaccination and any time thereafter. I say: any time thereafter, for the thing generally persists for a very long time unless cured by medical art.
Rx Thuja 30, m. ii Secale lac. q. s. Fiat. pulv. Tales. xxiv. One, three times a day.
Aug.27th.-Is well of cough, but the sweats continue. To take no medicine.
Sept.-The most careful examination of chest reveals no rale; there is no cough; the sweats have quite ceased; the said cervical lymphatics can not be found. The boy now weighs 5st. 8lbs., so that he has gained 4lbs, in weight since he got the Thuja.
Discharged cured.
The boy had been at school, and was sent home to his parents by the school physician on account of his obstinate cough, and because his general symptoms excited alarm. To me it appeared to be the first stage of phthisis. That the boy should increase in weight at home just after returning from school is, of course, not necessarily due to the medicine; home life, too, would improve his nutrition generally, and would perhaps also account for the disappearance of the apex-catarrh, cough, and perspirations. But what is to account for the disappearance of the induration of the cervical glands? Of course this case offers but little evidence of the existence of vaccinosis or of its cure by Thuja; so I will ask the reader to wade through yet a few more observations which I transcribe from my case books. For if there be such a disease as Vaccinosis, in other words, if vaccination have any ill-effects beyond those commonly epitomized under the name vaccinia, it is clearly important that it should be recognised, and its existence being demonstrated, it is desirable that we know how to cure it.
Observation ix
HAIRLESS PATCHES ON CHIN
Mr.——, a London merchant, came under my care on July 27th, 1882, to be treated for some roundish hairless patches on either side of his chin, which began four months ago. The larger patch on the right side about the size of a florin. Had also an old hordeolum on his right lower eyelid.
Burnett was one of the first to speak about vaccination triggering illness. This was discussed in his book, Vaccinosis, published in 1884. He introduced the remedy Bacillinum. He authored twenty books, including the much loved "Fifty Reason for Being a Homeopath." He was the editor of The Homoeopathic World.