Rep.
July 11th.—Headache well; side pain better; and the whole state is better. considering the vaccinial blight removed, I gave Ceanothus Americanus 1, five drops, in water, night and morning, for two months. I gave this because the spleen was enlarged, and I thought its specific influence on the left side generally might be beneficial. I was not disappointed, but very much gratified to see that the left side of thorax began to grow, and also the left mamma. The little play of the imagination here as to the left-sidedness of the action of Ceanothus was fruitful.
September 7th.—the increased dullness on percussion in the left hypochondrium having disappeared, and the left side having been manifestly bettered, and that considerably, I reverted to the thuja, and this time gave it in the hundredth centesimal dilution.
October 7th.—-Under this date I read in my case-book-“Side remains well, but she seems to have suffered a good deaL generally while taking the Thuja 100. She articulates decidedly- better, speaks now so that I can understand her, and her hearing is greatly improved.” She remains under treatment, and will receive other constitutional remedies, but the influence of the thuja upon her has been most marked and remarkable. I have myself no doubt that the child’s condition of hemiparesis arose from the vaccinial blight—i.e., from vaccinosis, she being originally delicate, particularly her nervous system.
Observation xix NEURALGIA OF EYES OF NINE YEAR’S STANDING
Miss——. oet. 20, came to me on January 18th, 1883, with various ills. The constipation for which I treated her had been cured by Nux 30 and Sulphur 30, but the fluor albus was no better. “But then,” said she, “there is the neuralgia in my eyes, which I have had for nine years- nothing has ever touched that.” The neuralgia complained of was worse in the morning and at the menstrual period.
Thuja 30 (4 in 24). One at night.
I saw her no more till the 8th of December, 1883, when she called, complaining of too frequent and too profuse menstruation.
“What about the neuralgia?”
“Oh! that is cured; I have not had it since those powders”
Was this a case of vaccinosis? Patient had been twice vaccinated and the second time was when she was 15 years, old, when it did not take. I do not feel so sure that this was a case of vaccinosis, because patient was re-vaccinated unsuccessfully after this neuralgia began, and besides, her mother died of epithelioma, so it may have been merely a case of sycosis Hahnemanni. The only certain thing about it is that the neuralgia had lasted nine years, and disappeared after the giving of the Thuja.
I have treated a certain number of other cases, with varied disease symptoms, on the hypothesis that I was dealing with vaccinosis, and often with results little short of startling, but I hardly think it would serve any useful purpose to multiply examples. The foregoing observations embody and exemplify all that is essential of what I have observed and thought on the subject; if other physicians will follow on the same lines, the reward will be theirs and mine; and if they will not, then the reward still is mine in this, that I have cured very obstinate cases of disease by reckoning with vaccinosis as a clinical fact, and as a man I could not do less than lay what I believe I know on the subject before the world. It remains for others to judge whether the work was worth doing.
Although I had fully intended citing no more cases of vaccinosis and its cure by Thuja, still the following very recent observation is really too telling to be left out.
Observation xx On January 25th, 1884, I was requested to see a lady in a well-known London Square. She is a trifle over fifty, healthy looking, and enjoying good health except for her headaches. These headaches were the bane of her life as any extra exertion, worry, or work put her out and brought them on or exacerbated them. A few visitors at her house, her ordinary social duties a dinner, an evening at the theatre, a little meeting for benevolent purposes, an uncivil servant-each and all put her hors de combat with her headache. she had had them “every few days, and ever since she could remember, but greatly increased in severity during the past three years.” She did not expect to be cured; “at my age, and after to many years,” said this lady. Moreover, she did not believe in homoeopathy, “no, not in the least, but I have tried all the best doctors and they have failed, and hearing from Lady—–, that you were specially good at headaches, I determined to send for you.”
“Vaccinated?” “Oh! yes, five or six times; has not taken for years; do you think I had better be done again?”
Thuja Occidentalis 30.
On Feb. 9th I called.—“Oh, I am better, I have only had one headache—-two days after I began with your powders—and I am very much less nervous.” To continue the medicine.
March 2nd.—“I have not had any headache at all, although I have been doing just the very things that always bring them on. I have the greatest confidence in homoeopathy, &c.”
These are, professional brother, what I conceive to be clinical facts. The lady had had headaches for more than thirty years; I gave her Thuja, and the headaches departed, and thus far have not returned.
But what are facts to me may be faddles to you, all laws of evidence to the contrary notwithstanding.
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.