Vaccinosis and Its Cure by Thuja: With Remarks on Homoeoprophylaxis

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YACCINOSIS

H0MCE0PR0PH1"LAXIS.

VRNETT, M. D.

1

VACCINOSIS

AND ITS CURE BY THUJA;

WITH REMARKS ON

HOMCEOPROPHYLAXIS :

BY

J. COMPTON BURNETT, M.D.

Arbor vitee : nomen omen.
Similia similibus prcevenientur.

LONDON :

THE HOMOEOPATHIC PUBLISHING COMPANY,

12, Warwick Lane, E.C.
F. E. BOERICKE, new YORK & PHILADELPHIA.

1884.

lSl^\ ' ^^

CHESTER :

EDWARD THOMAS, PRINTER, CAXTON BUILDINGS,

PEPPER STREET.

®0

THAT EMINENT

CHRISTIAN CITIZEN AND ARDENT CHAMPION

OF LIBERTY,

MAYOR OF DOVER,

THE

FOLLOWING PAGES ARE ADMIRINGLY DEDICATED

BY

®be Author.

PREFACE.

Truth is not Truth save only to the
Infinite ; to the mind of mortal man
Truth is not necessarily Truth, but only
that which appears to be true. Hence it
is that what is a glorious truth to one
man is inglorious nonsense to another,
and both individuals may be equally
honest of purpose and of like earnestness
in their search after Truth.

Minds have their affinities no less than
matter, and no one ought, after reflection,
to be disappointed to find his own most
cherished pursuits contemned and ridi-
culed by men of other minds.

The contents of this little volume
appear to the writer to constitute an
important elucidation of certain, otherwise
obscure, clinical phenomena ; for him
vaccinosis is a sub- division of the sycosis
of Hahneniann ; and its recognition of
considerable utility in the consulting-room

vi Preface.

and at the bedside. The idea of using
Thuja Occidentalis as here recommended
is not new, nor is it peculiar to the writer,
though it is but very little known in this
country, and still less acted upon, and
hence it is hoped that the publication of
these pages may help to establish vac-
cinosis as a form of disease, and Thuja as
one of its chief remedies.

There is an admirable Prize Essay on
Thuja, by a learned German physician of
eminence. Dr. H. Goullon, of Weimar,
entitled ** Thuja Occidentalis. Abendlan-
discher Lebensbaum. Eine monograph-
isch-therapeutische Abhandlung nebst
Kritischer Beleuchtung der sogenannten
Lues gonorrhoica (blenorrhoischen Sy-
philis) oder Sykosis Hahnemann's von
Dr. Med. H. Goullon." This important
essay obtained the prize of the Homoeopa-
tische Centralverein of Germany, and was
published at Leipsic in 1877, by Baum-
gartner. It is a complete monograph on
the subject of which it treats, and is
eminently instructive and suggestive.

Preface, vii

In Dr. GouUon's Essay, p. 64, we read
" Dr. Kunkel erinnert bei dieser Gelegen-
heit an die Aehnlichkeit des Krankheits-
bildes, wie es die von uns so genannte
Vaccinose, d. i. der Complex von Krank-
haften Symptomen nach dem Impfen
bietet und wie es der eben beschriebene
sycotische Tripper darstellt. Auch sei
bei beiden das Incubationsstadium ver-
haltnissmassig kurz." And, again, p.
120, ** Folgen des Impfens und Revac-
cinirens."

To those to whom the evidence ad-
duced may be insufficient as proof of the
existence of vaccinosis, to those, it is
submitted, the facts may nevertheless
possess some interest merely as a Contri-
bution to the Clinical History of Thuja
Occidentalis,

And, moreover, if the Thuja cured the
recorded cases it must be manifest that
the efficacy of very minute doses is a
factor yet to be reckoned with by practical
medicine, both curative and preventive.

Of the critics it is merely asked that

viii Preface.

they go to their task — sine it a et studio :
truth is the aim of the writer.

As to the word vaccinosis it is only
needful to say that, though a hybrid word-
form, it is coined on the model of such
designations as scrofulosis and tuber-
culosis, whose sole apology is practical
usefulness and the difficulty of putting
pure word-forms in their stead.

In regard to the second part of this
little treatise on Homoeoprophylaxis the
writer believes it will prove suggestive
and instructive, and he is not without
some hope that it may lead to a clearer
appreciation of how the law of similars
might with advantage be extended sys-
tematically to the prevention of specific
diseases. How far this may be possible
experience must shew.

J. COMPTON BURNETT.

5, HoLLEs Street,

Cavendish Square, W.,

March, 1884.

On Vaccinosis and its Cure by Thuja
Occidentalism with remarks on
Homceoprophylaxis .

CEAR not, critical reader, this is
not an anti-vaccination treatise,
for the writer is himself in the
habit of vaccinating his patients,
au besoin^ and he believes that
vaccination does protect, to a cer-
tain large extent, from small-pox,
though the protection must neces-
sarily cease as soon as the vac-
cinated person has slowly returned
to his pristine state of pure health.

2 Vaccinosis and

The writer starts with this de-
claration just to clear the ground,
and to explain that the following
pages are neither pro-vaccinational
nor anti-vaccinational in the or-
dinary sense, inasmuch as their
scope is essentially one of aetio-
pathology and cure, and of Homoe-
oprophylaxis. — That is to say : the
writer's aim is to shew, 15/, that
there exists a diseased state of the
constitution which is engendered
by the vaccinial virus (the so-
called lymph), which state he pro-
poses to call Vaccinosis, or the
Vaccinial State; and, 2ndly^ that
there exists also in nature a notable
remedy for said Vaccinosis, viz. :
the Thuja cciden talis ; and, ^rdly,
that Thuja is a remedy of Vacci-
nosis by reason of its homoeopath-

Homceoprophylaxis. 3

icity thereto ; 4thly, that the law of
similars also applies to the pre-
vention of disease.

Vaccinosis does not express
merely the same thing as vaccinia^
for the latter means the febrile
reaction which occurs in an organ-
ism after vaccination, with special
reference to the local phenomena
at the point where the vaccinial
pus, or lymph, is inserted. Some-
times, also, the term vaccinia is
applied to a general varioloid erup-
tion following vaccination ; but
here, vaccinia is commonly held to
end.

Now all this is included by
me in the term vaccinosis, but
still / do not mean merely this, but
also that profound and often long-

4 Vaccinosis and

lasting morbid constitutional state
engendered by the vaccine virus,
which virus we usually euphemis-
tically term ** lymph.'' Lymph,
of course, it is not, but pus —
matter — and why a specific viru-
lent pus should be persistently
called ** lymph" seems somewhat
peculiar, and is eminently unsci-
entific. As I am a lover of purity,
and incidentally also of philological
purity, I call this *Mymph'' pus,
because it is pus and not ** lymph.''
The diseased state, then, engen-
dered by this vaccinial pus, by
vaccination, is vaccinosis ; and in it
are not included any other diseases
whose causes may be accidentally
or incidentally contained in the
vaccine pus, — such as scrofulosis,
syphiHs, or tuberculosis.

Homceoprophylaxis.

Wherein does the Protective
Power of Vaccination consist ?

Given a perfectly healthy indi-
vidual who has never been vacci-
nated. We say to such a one,
you must be vaccinated or you are
liable to catch small-pox, which is
often about. Let us pause to note
clearly that the individual thus
warned by us as being liable to
catch small-pox is perfectly healthy.
Now let us vaccinate this perfectly
healthy person, and, the vaccin-
ation succeeding, we say he is
henceforth protected from small-
pox. That is to say this thor-
oughly healthy non-vaccinated per-
son becomes more or less proof
against the contagion of small-pox

€ Vacdnosis and

by vaccination, or, at any rate, it
is so averred.

It may be safely admitted that
no one can be more than perfectly
healthy, and any modification or
altering of perfect health must
result in a minus, i.e., less thait
perfect health ; and less than per-
fect health must necessarily be
disease or ill health of some sort
and in some degree.

Hence it follows that the pro-
tective power of vaccination is due
to a diseased state of the body.
[See Remarks on Homoeoprophy-
laxis further on.]

Forms of Vaccinosis.

Vaccinosis shews itself as a
formidable acute disease that may
terminate fatally, or it may mani-

HomcBOprophy taxis. 7

fest itself as a chronic affection.
The ordinary forms of vaccinia
must, be included under acute
vaccinosis. The word Vaccinose
(Vaccinosis) is used* in the homoe-
opathic literature of Germany,
though hardly generally accepted.
So far as I know, it has no place
in English literature, either homoe-
opathic or general, at all. But the
literature of anti-vaccinators teems
with examples of **ill-eftects of
vaccination," ** consequences of
vaccination," and the like. Most
of these would fall under the
general term vaccinosis, but only
in so far as they are due to
*' pure " vaccine pus. Here let
me remark that it is too often
lost sight of that ^^ pure vac-

* Thuja Occidentalis, by Goullon (j. cit.).

8 Vaccinosis and

cine lymph '' means vaccine pus
(matter) and nothing else, just as
we would say pure consumption,
pure syphilis, pure poison. The
general idea is that pure vaccine
lymph is as harmless as bread and
butter.

Chronic vaccinosis more par-
ticularly lies completely beyond the
ken of ordinary medicine, and al-
though it will sometimes turn up in
literature as **I11 effects of vaccina-
tion," it is, nevertheless, but an
unrecognised waif, much to the
disadvantage of suffering mankind
and of medical science. It has not
yet been sufficiently studied to be
readily* defined ; except causally,

• See, however, the writings of Rummel,
Boenninghausen, von Grauvogl, Kunkel, and
H. Goullon.

Homceoprophylaxis. g

indeed, its very existence is not
generally admitted. But a study
of the following cases will afford
ample evidence that its symptoms
are very like the pathogenetic
symptoms of Thuja Occidentalis.

A few preliminary remarks on
vaccinosis may here follow before
we go to my clinical evidence.

For convenience' sake let us
call the vaccinated person a
vaccinate.

Latent Vaccinosis.

The vaccinate is one who is
suffering from vaccinosis ; he may
not be ill in the ordinary sense,
but he must be in a subdued
morbid state, he has been blighted,
or he is no vaccinate ; it is his

lo Vaccinosis and

diseased condition that protects
him from small-pox.

Some may, perhaps, say that
vaccinosis is the same as vaccinia ;
this is, however, not so ; vaccinosis
is vaccinia and something more,
for if a person is vaccinated unsuc-
cessfully he has not had vaccinia,
whereas some of the worst cases
of (my) vaccinosis which I have
met with were just those in whom
the vaccination did not ''take,'' as
the saying goes. Hence I must
call attention to what I believe is
a fact, viz. : that it often does take
deep hold of the constitution with-
out calling forth any local phenom-
ena, and, not only so, but such
cases may be even very severe in
their internal developments mani-
fested by the supervention of va-

Honueoprophylaxis. ii

nous morbid symptoms after vac-
cination. Let us dwell a little on
this novel assertion, I was going to
say/oc/, yet probably very few will
admit that it is a fact at all, but
only a fad of mine, since every-
body holds that if the vaccination
does not **take'' the individual
has remained uninfluenced by the
process of putting vaccine under
the cuticle. In other words, when
a person is vaccinated and does
not take ; is, in fact, unsuccessfully
vaccinated, it is held that said
person is proof against vaccination,
and we certify accordingly. Every
one believes that the unsuccess-
fully vaccinated individual has not
' in any way been affected or altered
by the vaccination.

Close and minute observa-

12 Vaccinosis and

TION, HOWEVER, TEACHES ME THAT
SUCH IS BY NO MEANS NECESSARILY
THE CASE, FOR NOT A FEW PERSONS
DATE THEIR ILL HEALTH FROM A
SO-CALLED UNSUCCESFUL VACCINA-
TION. My own conception of the
thing is just this: — The vaccinated
person is poisoned by the vaccine
virus ; what is called the ' ' taking ' '
is, in point of fact, the constitu-
tional re-action whereby the organ-
ism frees itself more or less from
the inserted virus. If the person
do not *'take," and the virus has
BEEN ABSORBED, the ''taking'' be-
comes a chronic process — paresis,
neuralgiae, cephalalgiae, pimples,
acne, &c. The less a person
''takes," therefore, (in such a case)
the MORE is he likely to suffer from
chronic vaccinosis, i.e.^ from the

Homceoprophylaxis . 1 3

genuine vaccination disease in its
chronic form, very frequently a
neuralgia or paresis.

Most practitioners will agree
that neuralgia is more prevalent
now than ever before within the
present age, and experience has
forced me to. ascribe many such
cases to vaccinosis.

If my colleagues object to my
aetio-pathology of such neuralgiae,
perhaps they will favour us with a
more satisfactory one. The word
''neuralgia" covers such a multi-
tude of sins in the world of no-
sology and pathology that my
hypothesis is as exact science
compared therewith !

But what evidence have I to
offer that shall go to shew whether
there is such a disease as vac-

14 Vaccinosis and

cinosis ? or, that being conceded,
whether Thuja can cure it ?

I will first repeat that I do not
claim to be the originator of this
clinical application of TAw/'a; Boen-
hinghausen was, I believe, the first
to point out the homceopathicity
of Thuja Occidentalis to small-pox
itself, and thence its use was ex-
tended by Kunkel and GouUon to
the curation of the ill-effects of
vaccination, or vaccinosis as I pro-
pose to call it. My attention was
first arrested by hearing of Dr.
David Wilson's use of Thuja, and
then a perusal of Dr. Kunkel' s
pamphlet and Dr. GouUon' s mono-
graph on Thuja shewed me the
great importance of Thuja as a
dynamic antidote to the effects of
vaccination.

Homceopropkylaxis. 15

Let us now pass on to the con-
sideration of some cases of what I
call vaccinosis, and of the be-
haviour of Thuja therein.

A Severe Case — A Dying Baby.

Very early in the year 1881, I
was called to see a baby in Harley
street, about ten weeks old : its
mother thought it was dying. She
had previously lost babies by
death, and knew what a dying
baby looked like. The wee patient
had begun its life's journey on
the bottle ; but, being overtaken
by the measles, it nearly died,
when a wet nurse was obtained
and the baby rallied and began to
thrive. But a new wet nurse had
to be obtained, as the first went
dry from over-feeding. The new

1 6 Vacctnosis and

wet nurse was healthy and strong,
but, having gone into the Maryle-
bone workhouse with her own very
fine boy, she was re-vaccinated
the day before she was removed
therefrom to take charge of the
patient in question. The baby
throve for two or three days, and
the mother was just congratulating
herself on her success, when one
afternoon it went very ill, and get-
ting much worse towards the even-
ing, the mother sent this message
to me — '* I think baby is dying."
I visited the babe in the warm
and airy nursery and investigated
everything. There was nothing to
account for the sudden change.
Baby was ghastly white, and in
collapse. On questioning the wet
nurse as to her own health and

Homceoprophylaxis . 1 7

state, she remarked that she was
quite well (and she looked it, and
had a notably good appetite), but
she said her re-vaccinated arm
*'was a little painful.'' The ves-
icular stage of the local vaccinial
eruption was just at the point of
turning to the pustular.

I thought the matter over a
little and came to the conclusion
that the poor wee thing was, in
point of fact, sucking the vaccinial
poison from its nurse through the
milk. Therefore I gave Thuja 6,
in pilules, both to babe and nurse,
but whether every half-hour or
every hour I do not now remem-
ber. Calling later in the evening
I noticed baby was asleep and
looking a little less ghastly. Next
morning it was indeed still pale,

1 8 Vaccinosis and

but practically well ; and the vac-
cinial vesicles on the nurse'* s arm had
withered^ and they forthwith dried
Up completely, in lieu of becoming
pustular*. That baby never looked
back, and is now a bonny child.

It is iiot possible to prove, of
course, that this apparently dying
baby was suffering from vaccinosis.
It lay apparently dying : I feared
it would die. But some points in
connection with this case are in-
controvertible. For instance, it is
a fact that the nurse had been
re-vaccinated ; it is equally a fact
that she was suckling the baby ;
the baby was desperately ill of
something ; it got Thuja and began
to mend forthwith. Moreover,
and thisi point is significant, the
vaccinial vesicles in the nurse's

Homoeoprophylaxis. ig

arm withered instead of going on to
their usual development. Hence
some disturbing influence rtiust
have intervened in her organism,
and the only thing I know of was
the Thuja. If the Thuja had no
effect upon the suckling woman,
what made the vaccinial vesicles
wither ?

Let us suppose that they with-
ered because the milk drained off
all the virus. But the baby suck-
ed the milk, and was very ill ; and
the withering of the vaccination
vesicles was synchronous with the
prompt and evident amelioration in
the child.

But that is only one case, and
proves nothing : there are strange
coincidences in organismic life as
we all know.

20 Vaccinosis and

Now let me narrate to you
another case of acute vaccinosis,
but before doing so it might not
be amiss to interpolate an obser-
vation by Dr. J. T. Harris, of
Boston, and published in the New
England Medical Gazette, for June,
1883. I quote it entire, because
it strengthens my position some-
what ; it runs thus : —

A Case of true Vaccinia in a Child fol-
lowing THE VACCINATION OF HER MoTHER.

On the i^tk of February, 1882, I
called at the house of Mr. G , intend-
ing to vaccinate his two children, one
about three years old, the other a seven
months* babe at the breast, whose head,
face, arms, and legs were covered with
eczema, crusta lacUa, from which it was
suffering severely. Fearing an aggrava-
tion of the humour from complication
with the vaccination, I declined to

Homceoprophylaxis . 2 1

operate, giving as my reason that I
thought the child was suffering already;
that she would be more feverish, irritable,
and would require greater care if vac-
cinated than at present. Although the
three-years-old child was troubled with the
same form of humour, I vaccinated her,
and also the mother. Both vaccinations
took, and ran the usual course without
much constitutional disturbance. The
fifth day after the operation was Mrs.
G 's sickest day. She then had head-
ache, backache, fever, and chill. The
vaccination developed normally, but more
rapidly than usual.

On the first day of March the baby
was more restless and feverish, requiring
constant care. On the second day the
mother noticed a number of little red
pimples upon the child. These increased
rapidly upon the face, arms, and legs. I
was called to see the little patient on
Saturday, the j\.tk of March. The little
pimples at this time were very numerous,

22 Vaccinosis and

had increased in size ; the areola quite
red ; some swelling ; baby feverish ; tem-
perature 1 02. To the question, " What
is it, doctor?" I frankly answered, ** I do
not know, it is not small-pox nor chicken
pox. I shall have to wait until it is more
fully developed.**

On Sunday morning, the fifth day of
the fever, the vesicles were forming and
more or less filled with lymph, and in the
afternoon some were umbilicated. Fresh
eruptions were also developing, and upon
the face, arms, and legs — those portions
of the surface most severely marked with
the eczema — the new eruption had be-
come confluent, the whole character of
the eruption resembling that of small-pox.
There were without doubt between four
and five hundred well-defined circular ve-
sicles upon the child during the course
of the disease. I invited Dr. Miles to see
the case on Sunday afternoon. After a
careful examination we concluded that it
was a case of vaccinia, communicated to

Homoeoprophylaxis. 23

the child through the mother*s milk.
That there should be no mistake, however,
I called upon Dr. McCullom, the city
physician, reported the case, and invited
him to see the patient with me, which fie
did on Monday morning. Dr. Martin, of
I^oxbury, and Dr. Cutler, of Chelsea, also
saw tl^e case, and were much interested
in it,

On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednes-
day, the sixth, seventh, and eighth days,
there was much swelling of the face,
iarms, and legs, where it had taken on the
conjfluent form. The little patient was
quite feverish and restless. On the sev-
enth, eighth, and ninth days was quite
hoarse, and had some difficulty in swal-
lowing. All the symptoms gradually di-
minished after the ninth day, and many
of the scabs were rubbed off. On the
seventeenth day very few adherent scabs
remained. Aeon, and Tart* emetic were
the remedies used.

At the present . time. May 14^^, the

24 Vaccinosis and

child shows pits, not deep however. The
parts where the eruption was confluent
are still quite red. The eczema, however,
seems to have left for good, and I am in
hopes of seeing a good clear skin before
many weeks. Although the diagnosis the
first few days was obscure, all doubt was
removed, and it was pronounced a case of
vaccinia communicated from the mother.
You will note that on the fifth day after
the re- vaccination of the mother the
paroxysm of fever occurred, and ten days
after the baby was feverish, and the
eruption made its appearance one day
later. We can therefore call it fourteen
days from the time the babe first took the
milk impregnated with vaccinia from its
mother. If the system can thus be so
thoroughly impregnated with vaccinia,
may we not also fear various and worse
evils from the milk of unhealthy and un-
clean nurses?

My remark to this instructive
experience of Dr. Harris is, that

Homceopropkylaxis. 25

Thuja Occidentalis was more Ho-
moeopathic to the case than Aeon.
and Ant, tart. It shows that
vaccinia may most probably be
sucked by the babe in the milk,
though • this is not conclusively
shewn, inasmuch as it may have
been a case of small-pox in the
suckling.

The same transmissibility of
disease through the milk has been
observed more than once. For
instance — On Christmas-day last,
1883, M. Layet and a number of
medical men, veterinary surgeons,
and others, examined and reported
on an alleged case of spontaneous
cow-pox occurring in a milch cow
at C6rons near Bordeaux. The
animal presented on the four teats
and the neighbouring parts of the

26 Vaccinosis and

udder a considerable number of
small pustules, most of them
already dried and covered with
black crusts, but some containing
a more or less milky fluid. The
eruption was confluent, and there
were no umbilicated pimples. It
had made its first appearance on
December 22nd. On December
26/A, six or seven tubes were filled
with the fluid from such pustule^
as had not already burst. The
reporters state that an infant fed
with the milk from this cow h9.d
at the same time presented very
similar symptoms.

I now revert to my narrative.

Observation it.
Acute Vaccinosis.
Aug. 2 is/, 1 88 1. — On this day

Homceoprophylaxis. 27

there was brought to me a little
boy, of five months of age, on
the bottle, and I was informed
that he had been aihng a week,
beginning with violent vomiting,
loss of appetite, and greenish slimy
diarrhoea. The child looked very
ill, pale ; upper eye-lids drooping ;
tongue very thickly coated, moist ;
temperature high ; throat severely
ulcerated ; deglutition painful ; on
the anterior aspect of the uvula
one saw an open ulcer of about
the size of a large split pea. The
greatest distress lay in the throat ;
the mother brought him on this
account ; it pained his throat ;
which was visibly and demonstrably
severely ulcerated : so I gave him
Kali Chloratum 6, trituration, a
dose every hour, and ordered him

28 Vaccinosis and

to be kept in a room with a good
fire, and the windows open.

Aug. 22nd. — I called and found
him no worse ; more could not be
said. He had had a very restless
night. He was profoundly weak,
hence I gave Kali Phos. 6 in alter-
nation with the other medicine.

2'yd. — Not quite so weak, but
the green slimy diarrhoea con-
tinues. To have Merc. iod.

24th. — The tongue had begun
to clear a little on the left side,
but otherwise there was no mate-
rial change except that he could
swallow a little better. Baby was
very weak ; his mother looked up
at me, and the anxious father kept
his eyes fixed on my visage, as I
sat and studied the little man-
nikin : he looked very pale and

Homceoprophylaxis. 29

veiy ill and weak ; could not be
got to notice anything, but per-
petually whined in a piteous little
way. I do not know when I ever
felt the weight of responsibility
greater. Previously I had care-
fully enquired about the drains,
and had ordered the milkman to
be changed, and was careful to
seek for the real origin of the
child' ^ illness, but I could not
trace it to anything. ;The dwelling
was healthy, the bottle clean, and
there seemed nothing to account
for the illness. Suddenly it occur-
red to me to ask when the child
had been vaccinated. The answer
was, on the 12th July. I learned
also that the child had a very bad
arm, and that the present illness
commenced on the day on which

30 Vaccinosis and

the last vaccinial scab fell off the
arm. This shed a light upon the
case and allowed its true aetio-
pathology to be understood. The
disease evidently was an en-ex-
anthem, an eruption on the lining
membrane of the throat and
gut, due to the vaccination ; and
the vomiting, diarrhoea, and sore
throat started just as these inside
pustules broke and discharged
their contents, and the feverishness
was synchronous therewith. The
child's organism had essayed to
free itself from the vaccinial poison
by an eruption on the internal
mucous membrane. Had the
child been stronger the eruption
would probably have been on the
skin in the form of an exanthem
simply. I prescribed Thuja Occi-

Homceopfophylaxis . 3 1

dentalis 30, one-drop powders, one
every two hours, and no other
medicine*

^^th.^ — Much better, began to
mend (in the mother's opinion —
and what more competent?) **very
soon after the first powder/' Has
slept better. To continue the
Thuja powders.

28th. — I called to say good-bye,
and found the little one still rather
weak, but well and cheerful, and
at play on his mother's lap.

Here, Thuja 30 brought health
to the child and joy to the home.

Of course this case is not con-
clusive either; for the effects of
the vaccination — my vaccinosis —
may have been working off, and
the fact of the sudden amelioration
immediately after the exhibition of

32 Vaccinosis and

the Thuja may have been a mere
coincidence. Pretty well all acute
cases are open to this objection,
and hence I will relate no more
cases of acute vaccinosis : they
prove nothing, it can merely be a
question of probabilities. / am
satisfied that these two cases were
genuine examples of acute vac-
cinosis, anjd that the Thuja cured
them, but others will, perhaps,
demand further proof before they
believe either in vaccinosis or in
Thuja as its cure.

So let us pass on to the con-
sideration of some chronic cases
of the vaccinial state, or vac-
cinosis. For the sake of reference
let us number the [lobservations.
Two I have narrated, and so we
come to

Homosoprophylaxis. 33

Observation Hi.
Pustular Eruption.

Mr. J , a hale-looking,

middle-aged London merchant,
came under my observation on
November y^d, 1881. Said he,
*' I am not a homoeopath, but
twenty years ago I had eczema,
and the allopaths could not touch
it, so I went to a homoeopathic
doctor, and he cured me/' And
he went on to say that he believed
in homoeopathy for skin diseases.
On the left leg he had a pustular
eruption due, he believed, to a
bruise. He had also eczema of
the ear, and he volunteered the
information that ever since his
second vaccination he had been
subject to eczema. The eczema

D

34 Vaccinosis and

of twenty years ago was soon after
the re -vaccination.

R Thuja Occidentalis 30. Four three-
drop powders to the two dozen. To take
one, dry on the tongue, three times a day.

He came in a week nearly well ;
the pustules had at once begun to
wither.

The Thuja was repeated, but
in less frequent dose, and the
patient subsequently sent word
by his brother to say that his
skin was well, and he himself too
busy to shew himself as he had
promised.

This case also proves nothing,
because anyone might get a pus-
tular eruption after a bruise, or
without a bruise, and be quickly
rid of it, without either suffering
from vaccinosis, or getting Thuja^

Homceoprophylaxis. 35

supposedly, to cure it. The fact
is it is exceedingly difficult to
absolutely prove anything clinically
at all. The patient himself at-
tributed his cure to the powders,
knowing of old the very stubborn
nature of all his cutaneous erup-
tions.

Observation iv.

Pustular Eruptions.

Miss , act, 18, was re-
vaccinated in July, 1 88 1, at her
parents' country residence, thirty
miles from London, by the local
surgeon, with ** lymph'' direct
from the calf. The operation was
very successful, and she had a
very **fine" arm. But as the
**arm" was just at its greatest
perfection she got an eruption on

36 Vaccinosis and

her chin covering its whole extent
and involving the lower lip. The
thing was very unsightly and had
a singularly ugly repulsive aspect.
The gentleman who had done the
re-vaccination was of opinion that

Miss had got some of the

vaccine virus on to her finger-nails
and inoculated herself by scratch-
ing. The sequel, however, shewed
that the chin manifestation was
from within. The surgeon had
ordered applications, two of which
were vaseline and zinc ointment,
but the eruption on the chin was
not to be got rid of. The young
lady had to wear a dense veil to
hide her face when driving out-
She was brought to London for my
advice, and I gave Thuja 30. In
a fortnight she was out and about,

Homceoprophylaxis. 37

and only some diflfused redness of
the skin remained, but no scar or
thickened skin. Now, it might be
objected to this case that the
Thuja had nothing to do with the
disappearance of the eruption, be-
cause it was just the history of the
disease : it ran through its natural
course and died. I thought that
to myself at the time of prescribing
it, but against this was the fact
that the arm had healed already,
and it had depassed the natural
course of vaccinia by at least a
fortnight when I first 'prescribed
the Thuja. But to have a test I
gave her brother, who also had a
somewhat similar pustular erup-
tion (and who had been re-vac-
cinated at the same time), but
more spare, and instead of being

38 Vaccinosis and

on the chin, it was around the left
nostril. I say, to have a test, I

gave this brother of Miss ,

Antimoniutn tart., which is also, as
every one knows, apparently ho-
moeopathic to such a pustular
eruption. This boy's case will be

Observation v.

This is the brother of Miss
. {pbserv. iv.)

The two eruptions were similar,
though the boy's was compara-
tively trivial, and of the same age,
and from the same cause, i.e., from
the vaccine virus. The patients
went into the country, and in two or
three weeks' time the mother wrote
that the young lady was quite well,
** the medicine soon put her right^'

HomcBoprophylaxis, 39

was her expression, but the boy
had ** a bad cold in his head ;
nose-bleed ; left side of nose swel-
led and red ; two little spots of
matter, the size of a large pin's
head, at the edge of the nostril,
and below it, having something

the look of 's chin ; his arm

is also not well, and he has had
four little pocks about the vac-
cination marks." I sent Thuja
30, and he was reported well in
ten days.

If anyone can account for the
cure of these two cases indepen-
dently of the Thujay his ingenuity
is greater than mine. That they
were causally connected with the
re-vaccination admits of no doubt
whatever. Nevertheless, it does
not do to be quite sure of one's

40 Vaccinosis and

facts ; sources of error are often
very occult.

Observation vi.
Post-orbital Neuralgia of

TWENTY years' STANDING.

This case (which came under
observation on January gth, 1882,)
is one of considerable interest on
various accounts. Its subject, a
lady of very high rank, over fifty
years of age, had been in turns,
and for many years, under almost
all the leading oculists of London
for this neuralgia of the eyes, i.e.j
terrible pain at the back of the
eyes, coming on in paroxysms and
confining her to her room for many
days together; some attacks would
last for six weeks. Some of the

Hontteoprophylaxis. 41

neuralgic pain, however, remain-
ed at all times. Her eyes had
been examined by almost every
notable oculist in London, and no
one could find anything wrong
with them structurally, so it was
unanimously agreed and declared
to be neuralgia of the fifth nerve.
Of course no end of tonics, ano-
dynes, and alteratives had been
used. The oculists sent her to
the physicians and these back
again to the oculists. The late
Dr. Quin and other leading homoe-
opaths had been tried, but **no
one had ever touched it.*'

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.

42 Vaccinosis and

To me she exclaimed ** My exis-
tence is one life-long crucifixion ! "

I should have stated that the
neuralgia was preceded and ac-
companied 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 vigor-
ous. 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 con-

Homceoprophylaxis. 43

fidence in them anyway ; homoe-
opathy — 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 vaccin-
ated 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 disap-
peared 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

44 Vaccinosis and

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 suflfering from vaccinosis ;
that Thuja did cure it is incontro-
vertible, and my vaccinosis hypo-
thesis 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 enquiry, I re-
ceived the following :

"Jan. 1,(1883).

..." I have been in very much
stronger health ever since I crossed your
threshold, and excepting one or two

Homoeoprophylaxis. 45

attempts at a return from the enemy, I
have been quite free from suffering." . .

This lady continues well of her
post-orbital neuralgia at the time
of going to press. After the dis-
appearance 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 con-
ceive 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
drug-cure.

However, the following is not
uninteresting.

46 Vacciftosis and

Observation vii.
Chronic Headache

OF NINE years' DURATION.

Miss G , aet. 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 throb-
bing as if her head would burst.
She was very pale, and her fore-
head looked shiny and in places
brown.

These ** head attacks" occur-
red once or twice a week.

Tendency to constipation ; men-
ses regular ; an old sty visible on
left eyelid ; poor appetite ; dislikes

Homceoprophylaxis. 47

flesh-meat ; liver enlarged a little ;
had a series of boils in the fall
of 1880.

Feet cold ; used to have chil-
blains. For years cannot ride in
an omnibus, or in a cab, because
of getting pale and sick ; skin be-
comes rough in the wind ; lips
crack ; gets fainty at times.

To have Graphites 30.

April 13/A. — Appetite and
spirits better, but otherwise no
change ; questioned as to the dur-
ation 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

48 Vaccinosis and

years, and again at fourteen.
Had small-pox about ten years ago.

Thus here was a case that had
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 !

R Tc, ThujcB Occidentalism 3iv. '^x.
To take five drops in water twice
a day.

May 13/A. — Much better: has
only had one very slight headache
lasting an hour or two ; the frontal
tender patch is no longer tender ;
no further faintiness at all. Lips
crack. The pustules in the face
gone and skin quite clear.

To have Thuja 12, one drop at bedtime.

June lyth. — Was taken ill yes-
terday fortnight with soreness of

Homceoprophylaxis. 49

stomach ; fever ; nausea and per-
spiration. 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 15/. — Continues well.

27/A. — The headaches have not
returned.

Feb. 24/A, 1882. — The cure
holds good, for she has had no
headache and is otherwise well.
She had subsequently some other
remedies for the little tumour on

£

50 Vaccinosis and

her eyelid and for a small exostosis
on lower jaw, but she had received
nothing but Thuja when the cepha-
lalgia 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 shew 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 ThuJUy or a
general organismic reaction called
forth by it ; and this sent me often

Hommoprophylaxis. 51

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 the 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 suffic-
iently on the stretch without it.

Observation viii.

Enlarged Glands.

Apex- Catarrh.

Master C , aet, 1 1 J, came

under my care on August 18/A,
1881, complaining of a cough,

52 Vaccinosis and

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 ** feel-
able." He weighed 55/. 4/65.
The vaccination scars were on the
left arm, and the glands over the
apex of right lung were not indu-
rated. Induration of the lym-
phatics on the left side of the neck
(the vaccination being performed
on that side), is the rule after
vaccination, as anyone may ob-
serve for himself if he will take the
trouble to examine a healthy child

Homceoprophylaxis. 53

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.

R ThujcB 30, m. ii. Sac. lac. q.s. Fiat
pulv. Tales xxiv. One, three times a day.

Aug. 2yth, — ^^Is well of cough,
but the sweats continue. To take
no medicine.

Sep. 6th. — The most careful
examination of chest reveals no
rale; there is no cough; the sweats
have quite ceased ; the said cer-
vical lymphatics can not be found.
The boy now weighs 5s/. 8/65., so
that he has gained 4/65. in weight
since he got the Thuja.

Discharged cured,

Thd. boy had been at school,
and was sent home to his parents

54 Vaccinosis and

by the school physician on account
of his obstinate cough, and be-
cause his general symptoms ex-
cited 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 per-
haps also account for the dis-
appearance of the apex-catarrh,
cough, and perspirations. But
what is to account for the dis-
appearance 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

Homceoprophylaxis. 55

through yet a few more observa-
tions 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 vac-
cinia, it is clearly important that it
should be recognized, and, its exis-
tence being demonstrated, it is
desirable that we know how to
cure it,

Observation ix.

Hairless Patches on Chin.

Mr. , a London mer-
chant, came under my care on July
27/A, 1882, to be treated for some
roundish hairless patches on either
side of his chin, which began four
months ago. The larger patch on

56 Vaccinosis and

the right side was about the size
of a florin. Had also an old hor-
deolum on his right lower eye-lid.

Has been twice vaccinated, the
second time, twelve years ago, did
not " take."

R ThujcB Occidentalis 30 (4 in 24). To
take one, dry on the tongue, at bedtime.

Sept. jth. — The bald patches
are smaller, the one on the left
side nearly gone. Has, appar-
ently, a very bad coryza — ? — or-
ganismic reaction ?

Rep.

Oct. ijth. — The bald patches
are gone ; the old hordeolum also
gone. The closely-shaven beard
is now uniform, the previously-
existing white bald patches being
completely covered with hair.

I give this as an interesting

Homceoprophyiaxis. 57

cure by Thuja^ but I am riot very
sure that the disease was really
due tb vaccinosis because of other
points in his clinical history. Still
it might have been so, as the hair
is very powerfully influenced by
the vaccine poisoning. Thus
Kunkel observed both a very weak
growth of hair, and an excessive
growth, especially in wrong places,
as effects, he believed, of vaccina-
tion. Therefore let it stand as a
doubtful case of vaccinosis for
what it may be worth, — but there
can hardly be any reasonable
doubt as to the cure of the case by
Thuja.

Here it might not be amiss to
observe casually that the presence
of sties on the eyelids is often, in
my opinion, a symptom of vac-

58 Vaccinosis and

cinosis. This case is not without
practical importance, inasmuch as
hodiernal medicine hands over a
sty to the chirurgeon's .art ; and
all the time, poor old dame, weens
herself so very much superior to
scientific therapeutics usually call-
ed homoeopathy. The conceit of
the orthodoxly ignorant is truly
sickening.

Observation x.

Habitual Influenzas. General
Ill-health and Headache.

Mr. , a city gentleman,

came under my observation on
December 28/A, 1882, complaining
that he was suffering from a series
of neglected colds. He is costive ;
gets boils and pimples ; has a
number of warts, both flat and

Homceoprophylaxis. 59

pedunculated ; never had gonor-
rhoea ; has severe frontal headache
these three months ; much pain
across chest ; and feels so out of
health that he can no longer
attend to his work, which is only
light office work. He especially
asks for a preventive for his fre-
quent influenza colds. Flesh is
flabby and skin spotted with pim-
ples.

The habitual influenza^ the
chronic frontal headache ^ the pimply
skin, the feeling of general malaise
point, according to my experience,
to vaccinosis. But had patient
been vaccinated ? Yes. Four
times, and did not " take " the
last three times. I do not expect
many to agree with my theory
that, when an individual is unsuc-

6o Vaccinosis and

cessfully vaccinated, he may have
been seriously affected in his health
by the re-actionless vaccination,
perhaps more so than as if it had
** taken." But it is a settled point
with me, and in these cases I find
Thuja as promptly efficacious as
in the ordinary forms of vaccinosis.

R Thuja Occidentalis 30 (4 in 24). One
at bedtime and on rising.

January loth^ 1883. — Wonder-
ful improvement already in the
first week ; the headaches gone
(had had them three months),
pain in chest gone ; and the
bowels are less costive. What a
change in twelve days !

R Thuja Occidentalis 100, as before.

February %th. — Well; he com-
plains of nothing, and merely calls
to thank me.

Homczoprophylaxis . 6 1

This case made a considerable
sensation in the gentleman's large
office-circle, partly because the
change in his condition was so
sudden and complete, and partly
because he came to homoeopathy
demonstratively unwillingly, and
in consequence of the earnest
solicitations of his chef de bureau.

Observation xi.

Acne of Face and Nose, and
Nasal Dermatitis.

A young lady, about twenty
years of age, was brought by her
mother to me on October aS^A,
1882. Patient had a very red
pimply nose, not like the red nose of
the elderly bibber, or like that due
to dyspepsia or to tight-lacing, but
a pimply, scaly nasal dermatitis.

62 Vaccinosis and

which extended from the cuta-
neous covering of the nose to that
of the cheeks, but appearing here
more as facial acne. The nasal
dermatitis was, roughly, in the
form of a saddle. Of course this
state of things in an otherwise
pretty girl of twenty was painfully
and humiliatingly unpleasant to
her and to her friends, in fact it
was likely to mar her future pros-
pects very materially, more espe-
cially as it had already existed for
six years and was making no signs
of departing. She also complained
of obstinate constipation. The
pimples of the nose and face used
to get little white mattery heads.
In trying to trace the skin-affection
back to its real origin I ascertained
that the patient was re-vaccinated

Homceoprophylaxis. 63

six years ago, but she could not
remember whether the nose was
previously affected or not. This
re- vaccination was unsuccessful,
i.e. J it did not ** take."

R Thuja Occidentalis 30. .

November y^th. — Pimples of
face decidedly better. Nose less
red. Constipation no better.

R ThujcB Occidentalis 100.

January 3^^, 1883. — The face
is free ! Her mother gratefully
exclaims, **She is wonderfully bet-
ter." I ask the young lady which
powders did her most good; she
says, *'The /as/." The skin of
the nose is normal, but the consti-
pation is no better, and for this
she remains under treatment.

That Thuja cured this case is
incontrovertible, but that it was a

64 Vaccinosis and

case of vaccinosis is not quite so
certain, though it is far from im-
probable. The re- vaccination and
inflammation of the skin of the
nose were referred both to six
years ago when she was in Swit-
zerland at school ; but patient
could not remember which was
the first, the bad nose or the
vaccination.

Observation xii.

Neuralgia of Right Eye.

Mr. , a gentleman of

position and means, about fifty
years of age, came to consult me
on 28th June, 1882, for a neu-
ralgia of the right eye. He had
come in consequence of the cure
of the case recorded here as Ob-
servation vi.

Homceoprophylaxis. 65

He complained of almost con-
stant pain in right eye ever since
Christmas, 1881, i.^., just about
six months. Had had neuralgia
in head and shoulders in 1866,
and so much morphia had been
injected in his shoulders by a
doctor in Scotland that it almost
killed him: for seven or eight
hours it was doubtful if he would
recover.

Has a brown, eczematous,
itchy (at night,) eruption on both
shins and between the toes. The
neuralgia of right eye, and for
which he comes to me, is bad
both by day and night, but rather
worse at night. Mr. (now Sir
William) Bowman had examined
the eye and declared it to be
neuralgia, the eye being normal.

66 Vacctnosis and

Mr. White Cooper had done the
same.

On my enquiring when he was
last vaccinated, he seemed com-
pletely frightened, and stammered
out rapidly, ** I should not like to
be vaccinated again."

'' Why ? "

** I was very seedy the last
time I was vaccinated, in fact I
felt awfully ill for about a month,"
and he again hurriedly protested
that he would not like to be vac-
cinated again. The vaccination
that had made him so ill was
either in 1852 or 1853.

This seemed to me to be a case
of vaccinial neuralgia, and therefore
I ordered Thuja 30, in infrequent
dose. This was on the 28/A of
June, 1882.

TTomcBOprophylaxis. 67

July Sth. — But very little pain
after the first powder. To have
the same medicine again.

The cure proved permanent,
and is interesting as proof of the
rapidity with which the most like
remedy can cure a neuralgia.
And, considering how ** awfully ill''
he had been after his last vaccina-
tion, I think it rather probable
that this case is an example of
vaccinosis.

What do you think ?

Having narrated some rather
striking cases of what I conceive
to be the neuralgia of vaccinosis,
let me pass on to a case shewing
evident tissue change or organic
disease. It will be

68 rikrr^^ mmd

Befrtg 2. case of

Diseased Fesger-xails.
On EKicember zzmJ^ 1882, a
yocn^ lady ot 26 came under my
care toe an o^^v state c^ the nails
of her fingersw Naturally a lady of
her age would not be indi£ferent to
the state of her nails. These nails
are indented rather deeply, and in
addition to these indentations
there are black patches on the
under surfeices of the nails, reach-
ing into the quick. Very sUght
leucorrhoea occasionally. She
had chicken-pox as a child of
eleven. On her shoulders there is
an eruption of roundish patches
forming mattery head^. Has been
vaccinated three different times ;
the last time two years ago, and

HomcBOprophylaxis. 69

the nails have become diseased
since this last vaccination. The
black patches have existed these
eighteen months.

Looking upon this diseased
condition of the nails as evidence
of chronic vaccinosis I ordered her
Thuja 30 (one in 6).

March ig/A, 1883. — Has con-
tinued the Thuja 30 for just about
three months, with the result that
within a fortnight from commenc-
ing with it the black patches un-
der the nails began to disappear,
and there is now no trace of them.
The indentations are notably bet-
ter. The eruption on the back
has not been modified, and for
this she remains under treatment ;
but I thought this much of a case
of nail disease would be of some

70 Vaccinosis and

interest, and the more so as it is
not easy to demonstrate drug-
action on nail growth at all.

We will now go back to the
head and the central nervous
system.

Observation xiv.

Case of Ptosis.

A young lady of about 25 years
of age came to me in May, 1881,
telling me that she had had some
tooth-stumps extracted in Novem-
ber, 1880, whereafter there was
haemorrhage for eight or nine hours.
Two very able men in the homoeo-
pathic ranks had treated her for
some time with much benefit, but
she still remained ill. Conium had
been of greatest use. She still
complained of ptosis of left side ;

Homceoprophylaxis. 71

sleeplessness ; reeling to the right
when walking out of doors, ten-
dency to fall to the right. I gave
her Equisetum hyemale {y) because
her tongue was cracked. (Clin-
icians may note this valuable little
wrinkle, i.e.^ cracked tongue=^Equu
setuMj of which I first saw an
account in the Therapeutic Gazette.)
It was continued for months with
very great benefit, and was fol-
lowed by Bellis per., and then by
Juglans regia, &c. Then came
A vena sativa fl, Cadmium 6 and 12,
and Psoricum 30, and finally Tito-
nium^o.

These more or less well-chosen
remedies wrought a great change
in the patient, but on the 2gth
July, 1882, she still complained
that the left eye was wrong. It

V

72 Vaccinosis and

made her feel sea-sick when she
read ; pains in left eye worse in the
early morn ; some ptosis of left
upper lid ; eye-ball stiff, and an
aching across it and right across
the forehead, and she was giddy in
walking about.

The case having thus come to
a standstill, I cast about for some
aetiologico-therapeutic appuij and
in so doing learned that she had
been vaccinated four times in all ;
the last time, three years ago, took
but faintly.

Thuja 30 soon cured the ptosis
and the other described symptoms.

Of course I cannot prove that
we had here to do with a case of
vaccinosis, but such it appeared
to me. Well-chosen remedies had
greatly benefited the patient, but

Homceoprophylaxis. 73

there seemed to be a bar to the
complete cure, and Thuja effectu-
ally removed this bar.

In chronic disease, when the
right remedies seem barred in
their action, Hahnemann, on the
off-chance that it might be due to
psora, recommended his disciples
to interpose sulphur as the great,
most likely, anti-psoric. Most of
us have found this a very valuable
clinical suggestion, Similarly, I
have found that vaccinosis fre-
quently bars the way, and then
Thuja comes in with simply the
beautiful effect of a genuine
simillimum.

I shall narrate several more
such cases before I take my leave,
so that others may be in posses-
sion of evidence sufficient to form

74 Vaccinosis and

a judgment on the questions of
whether there exists such a morbid
state as vaccinosis ? and whether
Thuja can cure the same ?

Observation xv.

Paresis.

Mr. , a private gentle-
man, married, and one who had
always led a healthful life, but too
great a traveller, came under my
observation early in the year 1882,
in a very weak condition. He had
had slight hemiplegia of the right
side, and still shewed some symp-
toms of paralysis, e.g.^ weakness
of right arm, occasional dragging
of the legs, loss of memory, im-
paired vision, and loss of power
generally. His effective virility

Homceoprophylaxis. 75

was extinct, and had been so for
two or three years, and naturally
this did not tend to raise his
spirits. I treated him for a few
months with but slight benefit,
when one day he complained of a
frontal headache that at once re-
minded me of the Thuja headache.
I gave him Thuja occidentalis 30
(4 in 24) and within a few days
he remarked a very notable im-
provement, feeling better than he
had for three years. Getting this
report at his next visit, I fell to
questioning him about vaccination,
which I had previously not done :
and what was the answer ?

Feb. 24/A, 1883. — ** How many
times have you been vaccinated ? ' '

**I have been vaccinated six or
seven times."

s -^

axd

- Dii h ake everr time ? "

And firom close qaesdomiig I
sads&ed myself that this gentleman
had been six times ifiisaccessfally
vaccinated, and this su^ested to
me that he was really suffering
from that vaccinial bUght which I
have ventured to call vaccinosis.

Patient had received only four
doses of the Thuja 30 in the early
part of January, 1883, just to cure
his headache, and which resulted,
inter alia, in a hypopubic resurrec-
tion of great importance ; and the
headache having simultaneously
left him, he then took the consti-
tutional remedy I had prescribed,
viz., Titanium J and continued it
until a few days ago. I had in-
structed him to take the Thuja

Homosoprophylaxis. yy

only for a few days, till his head-
ache disappeared.

Now, thought I, we will satu-
rate him with Thuja and extinguish
the vaccinosis ; so I gave him this
prescription :

R Tc. Thuja Occidentalis 3, 5 iv. To
take four drops in water night and morn-
ing, and report in a month.

The result was quite satisfac-
tory, and he became, in his wife's
words — ** quite a different man ; "
all paralytic symptoms having dis-
appeared, and the old headache
had not returned at the end of
1883, when I last saw him.

Loss of virile power is fre-
quently a result of vaccination,
and when the local debility is due
to this cause it is really wonderful
how the case is altered by a few
doses of Thuja.

yS Vacdnosis and

Observation xvi.
Case of Spinal Irritation.

Miss , aet. 29, came under

my care in November, 1882, com-
plaining of owning a spine. She
had been under the best physicians
and surgeons of London. Had
derived a Httle benefit firom many,
most, she thought firom the move-
ment cure, under Dr. Roth, of
Wimpole Street. She also alleged
that mesmeric passes had eased
her a good deal.

Her symptoms were legion ; she
was bent forward, could scarcely
walk, her spine very tender and
painful ; twitchings ; pain all down
the back ; and chilliness, worse at
night. Her liver was decidedly
enlarged and there was pain in the

Homceoprophylaxis. 79

right side. This hepatic disturb-
ance was righted by Chelidonium
majus I ; five drops, in water, twice
a day. Then, on December igth,
I gave her Kedrqn i, which cer-
tainly eased the cephalalgia and
chilliness a good deal, and it was
therefore continued till

February gth^ 1883, when I
went into her case a little more
thoroughly as to its anamnesis.
She had been vaccinated four
times successfiiUy, once it did not
take.

R ThujcB Occidentalis 30.

March %th. — Patient exclaimed

. . . . "that is capital stuff; I am

very much better ; my back is very

much better ; the coldness is gone ;

I am so much stronger altogether."
Rep.

8o Vaccinosis and

March 315^. — Back '* wonder-
fully better."

She needed several other reme-
dies, but practically her cure- was
effected by Thuja.

On May 17/Ashe had Thuja 100
and soon afterwards began to play
at lawn-tennis.

On June 12th she reported her^
self thus — *' I have not been so
well for three or four years ; I feel
strong, and can do anything."

I do not know whether any one
will admit that this was a case of
vaccinosis ; certain it is that she
had been vaccinated five times
and was very ill, practically an
invalid, till I gave her Thuja^ and
then she mended and is now well
and comparatively vigorous.

Homceoprophylaxis. 8i

Observation xvii.

Case of Scrivener's Cramp ;
Cephalalgia, and Enlarged

Spleen.

Miss , aet. 29, a city

clerk, came under my observation
on May ythj 1883, complaining of
much epigastric beating, pain in
left side, great chilliness, and
writer's cramp of the right side.
An examination shewed an en-
largement of the spleen, and a
swelling of the left ovary of about
the size of a hen's egg. Her
breath is heavy, and she gets gid-
diness. She hzs frontal headache of
a severe kind almost every day for
a long time.

R Ceanothi Americani i. Five drops,
in water, three timfes a day.

82 Vaccinosis and

May 30/A. — Side is much bet-
ter; the chiUiness is better; the
feet warmer ; the beating less.

Rep, et Cup. acet. i.

July 30^A. — Side nearly well ;
paining every alternate day or so.
Pain in the back no better ; giddi-
ness better. Complains especially
of the severe frontal headache, and
the cramps in the right arm are so
bad that she has had to give up
office work.

Has been vaccinated three
times, but the last time it did not
take.

R TV. ThujcB Occidentalis 30, night and
morning".

August 16th. — Headache and
writer's cramp well. She returns
to work.

November 16/A. — Continues at

L

Homceoprophylaxis. 83

office work with comfort ; no re-
turn of either headache or cramps.
Continues under treatment for
ovarian tumour, and gets Silicea 6.
The hydrogenoid constitution
of von Grauvogl was here well
pronounced, and what I call vac-
cinosis was implanted on it. The
action of Thuja was most marked,
prompt, and durable. Questioned
on November itth as to which
medicine cured the headache and
the cramps, she instantly said it
was the powders (i^e.^ the Thuja).

Observation xviii.

Arrested Development and
Hemiparesis.

Miss , aet. 16, was brought

to me on May 16/A, 1883. This
was her state : roof of mouth very

84 Vaccinosis and

much arched; left side of face
drawn to the left so that her
mouth is awry. She speaks very
badly ; cannot articulate properly ;
and is very deaf. Has always
been so. Has a polypus in left
nostril ; the tonsils are enormously
hypertrophied ; breathes very loud-
ly. Left mamma smaller than the
right ; left side of thorax generally
smaller than the right. Tongue is
cracked ; pain in left side for
years ; frontal headache for a
twelvemonth. Menses normal,
having begun six months ago.
She was vaccinated at the age of
three months ; it did not take^ and
so she was done a second time in
both arms, when it took fairly well.
Patient is the child of healthy
parents, and there did not appear

Homceoprophylaxis. 85

to be anything to account for the
extraordinary backwardness. I
reasoned that the child had evi-
dently been blighted by the vac-
cination, for she did not readily take
(the organism resisted), and then
did take (organism overcome).

R ThujcR Occidentalis 30. Two drops,
daily, for four weeks.

Now note the sequel, not for-
getting that the child's condition
had been, as described, nearly all
her life.

June 13/A. — On this day her
mother brought her and reported —
this is the note in my case book :
*' on the whole very much better ;
can certainly articulate better ! !
and the head and face are not so
onesided, and she hears better ! ! "

Both parents were agreed that

86 Vaccinosis and

the changes had been wrought

since the medicine had been taken.

The father is an unusually gifted

professional man, and the mother

an educated lady.
Rep.

July I ith, — Headache well ;
side pain better ; and the whole
state is better. Considering the
vaccinial blight removed I gave
Ceanothus Americanus i, 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 bene-
ficial. 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

Homczoprophylaxis. 87

here as to the leftsidedness of the
action of Ceanothus was fruitful.

September yth. — The increased
dulness on percussion in the left
hypochondrium having disappear-
ed, and the left side having been
manifestly bettered, and that con-
siderably, I reverted to the Thuja^
and this time gave it in the hun-
dredth centesimal dilution.

October jth. — 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 im-
proved." She remains under treat-
ment, and will receive other con-
stitutional remedies, but the influ-

88 Vaccinosis and

ence 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
Years' Standing.

Miss , act. 20, came to

me on January 18/A, 1883, with
various ills. The constipation for
which I had 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

Homceoprophylaxis . 89

has ever touched that." The neu-
ralgia 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 Sth
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 vac-
cinated, 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 revaccinated
unsuccessfully after this neuralgia

go Vaccinosis and

began, and besides, her mother
died of epithelioma, so it may have
been merely a case of sycosis Hah-
nemanni. 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 sub-
ject ; if other physicians will fol-
low on the same lines the reward

Honueoprophylaxis. gi

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 25/A, 1884, I was
requested to see a lady in a well-

92 Vaccinosis and

known London Square. She is
a trifle over fifty, healthy looking,
and enjoWng good health except
for her headaches. These head-
aches 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 vis-
itors at her house, her ordinary
social duties, a dinner, an evening
at the theatre, a little meeting for
benevolent purposes, an uncivil
ser\*ant — each and all put her hors
d€ combat with her headache. She
had had them "every few days
and ever since she could remem-
ber, but greatly increased in
severity during the past three
years." She did not expect to be
cured ; "at my age, and after so
many years," said this lady.

Homosoprophylaxis. 93

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 head-
aches, 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. gth 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

94 Vaccinosis.

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 30 years ; I gave her
Thuja^ and the headaches de-
parted, and thus far have not
returned.

But what are facts to me may
be faddles to you, all laws of evi-
dence to the contrary notwith-
standing.

SOME REMARKS
ON HOMCEOPROPHYLAXIS.

In the April number, 1884,
of the Homceopathic Worlds there
appeared the following commu-
nication to the Editor: —

Dr. Skinner on M. Pasteur's
homcbopathy.

Dear Sir, — If the italicised is not
Homoeopathy, what is it?

Thos. Skinner, M.D.

25, Somerset St., W., Feb. 27, 1884.

M. Pasteur's Experiments.
M. Pasteur made an interesting com-
munication to the Paris Academy of
Sciences on Monday in relation to canine
madness. His experiments had shown
him that an injection in the region of
the skull of the virus of rabies always

96 HonuBOprophylaxis.

produced the malady in an acute form,
but that an injection in the veins only
occasionally had acute results, being often
followed by chronic affection only, with-
out barking or ferocity. If a dog were
inoculated with fragments of marrow or
of nerve taken from a mad dog, the dis-
ease would be communicated. M, Pasteur
further stated that he had rendered twenty dogs
proof against the disease by inoculating them
with other virus than the virus of rabies. Fowls
and pigeons injected with the latter be-
came affected, but soon recovered spon-
taneously.

** If the italicised is not Ho-
moeopathy, what is it?" Just so,
what is it?

I think a little reflection will
shew that it belongs in the sphere
of preventive medicine, and is not
homoeopathy, i.e.j it is an exten-
sion of the principle of similars to
the prevention of disease.

HomcBOprophylaxis. 97

Many other ardent homoe-
opaths besides Dr. Skinner have
claimed that vaccination is a proof
of the truth of homoeopathy;
that it is, in fact, part and parcel
of it. Evidently this is from the
want of a little thought on the sub-
ject, since it must be manifest that
such is quite impossible, for the
simple reason that homoeopathy
is a system of curing — similia
similibus curantur — whereas vac-
cination is not a curative measure
at all, but a preventive one. And
since prevention is, admittedly,
better than cure, it must follow
that it cannot be the same;
therefore, vaccination is not ho-
moeopathy, though I shall suggest
that it might fitly be termed
HomceoprophylaxiSj inasmuch as

H

gS Hcrmceopropkylaxis.

vaccinia and Yariola are similar
postnlar diseases, and the former
being preventive of the latter,
it may be in obedience to the
principle — uke prevents like.
Being a question of prophylaxis,
it cannot be classed in any system
of cure. And that likes are pre-
vented by likes, / could adduce
very many examples to shew,
did the narrow limits of this little
treatise admit of it. Here it
must suffice to diflFerentiate be-
tween homoeopathy aAd homoeo-
prophylaxis, and to endeavour in
a very general way to study a
little the true nature of the latter
as exemplified in vaccination and
analogous facts such as Pasteur's
inoculations.

Giving a variolous patient vac-

Homceoprophylaxis. gg

cine pus, or lymph (vaccininum) ,
wherewith to cure his small-pox,
that is homoeopathy, and we have
ample testimony that it will thus
act if given in refracted dose, and
thus acting, it can hardly be other
than homoeopathic in such action.
The law of similars is the ground-
work of both ; in the one case to
prevent, and in the other to cure.

M. Pasteur and others, by their
inoculations, are empirically la-
bouring to extend homceoprophy-
laxis in the line initiated by Jen-
nerian vaccination, or rather it is
a revival of the old inoculation
for small-pox, and on a line with
s3rphilization.

We are here met by the dose-
question, just the same as we are
in homoeopathy, or the treatment

loo Homceoprophylaxis.

of disease by the light of the law of
likes. By the clear light of this
same law will preventive medicine
also have to march.
But the dose ?

Jennerian vaccination is in ac-
cordance mth the principle of
homceoprophylaxis, though only
enunciated as an empiric fact by
Jenner, and ever since practised as
such. Pasteur gets, perhaps, a
little further by advancing along
the line of ** cultivating." One
cannot help wondering, however,
how much Pasteur knows of iso-
pathy and of homoeopathy. We
will return to M. Pasteur's experi-
ments presently.

Homosoprophylaxis. loi

Nature of Homceoprophylaxis.

The prevention of disease ac-
cording to the law of similars —
homceoprophylaxis — is still strug-
gling with its swaddling clothes, but
we may reflect on the following : —

Two similar diseases will affect
the organism similarly : they will
affect the same parts, organs, or
tissues, and in a like manner.

If we call the two diseases a
and by and the organism O, then if
a fall upon O, and affect it posi-
tively (positive effect = c), this
effect of a upon O, c, will be like
the effect oi b (= d)^ for a and b
are alike.

Now if we admit that the simi-
larity between a and b is enough
to render them effectively equal,
potentially congruent, then we

I02 HonuBOprophylaxis.

should say a = b, and therefore
c=d. Consequently 0+a^O+by
and O 4- c = O + rf.

That is the question for the
solution of which we must appeal
to scientific experiment, both at
the bedside and in the laboratory,
as well as to abstract reasoning.

It has frequently appeared to
the writer that time and quantity
(dose) , are not duly reckoned with
in the question of the efficacy or
inefficacy of Jennerian vaccination ;
and Pasteur seems also to lose
sight of both factors in his own
experiments. The great mass of
medical men firmly believe that
vaccination protects against vari-
ola ; and, that vaccinia and variola
are alike is quite certain ; it is
only the degree of the likeness that

Hontceoprophylaxis. 103

can be subject of dispute, for both
are pyrexial pustular diseases.

Statistics of a number of years,
nevertheless, shew that variola is,
in the aggregate, about as deadly
as ever, allowing for a natural
decrease in its vis by age ; this
cannot be controverted, so much
must be conceded to the anti-
vaccinators.

And yet, given groups of indi-
viduals are evidently protected /or
the time from variola by vaccina-
tion, and the more recent the vac-
cinia the greater the temporary
protection, provided the effect of the
vaccination be not too great, in which
case there will be a homceoprophylactic
aggravation, and then there will not
only be no protective power, but on
the contrary the vaccinate will be

I04 Homceoprophylaxis.

predisposed to itj i.e., instead of a
positive and a negative eliminating
one another we shall have two
positives to be added together.

Let us express the difference
between a vaccinated and an un-
vaccinated individual by the al-
gebraic quantity x. Now, what is
the nature of x ? Is it positive or
negative ? Quoad perfect health it
is negative, but quoad the organis-
mic individual it is positive, if a
diseased condition can be said to
be a positive one.

To begin with, it is inconceiv-
able that X should be a constant
FACTOR, which is evidently the
general assumption; it must be
an always lessening quantity, and
X might thus be initially congruent
with variola, while it may at any

HomcBOprophylaxis. 105

subsequent point be incongruent.
This really expresses the sum of
human experience on the question
of the efHcacy or inefficacy of Jen-
nerian vaccination, though it is
not apprehended; whence the cry
for re-vaccination coup sur coup on
the one hand, and the want of
faith in vaccination on the other,
both positions being readily com-
prehensible if the effect of vacci-
nation be recognised as an incon-
stant factor.

And from these considerations
it must be manifest that the pro-
tection afforded by vaccination will
be different in different individuals,
and diminishingly different in the
same individual, and always grow-
ing less and less until it is nil.
Thus X might to-day be preven-

io6 Honugoprophylaxis.

tively equal to variola in an en-
demic form, but not equal to it in
epidemic form. In other words
the protection afforded by x is
relative and contingent. More-
over, if the vaccinosis be too great,
i.^., too powerfully diseasing, it not
only cannot protect, but must
actually add fuel to the flames.

We thus appear to arrive at
the conclusion that vaccination
does relatively and contingently
protect from small-pox as a dis-
ease, but nevertheless, the mor-
tality from small-pox remains in
the aggregate the same, but in a
greater percentage. That is to
say, fewer people probably get
small-pox, but the absolute num-
ber of deaths is not affected, or is
greater.

Honueoprophylaxis. 107

In pro-vaccinational and anti-
vaccinational literature , morbility
and mortality are commonly con-
founded together. We have no
means of knowing how many
people get small-pox, either abso-
lutely or proportionately, we only
know how many die of it. There-
fore all the vaccination statistics
are wide of the mark except per-
haps those in certain hospitals.
The pro-vaccinators maintain that
vaccination protects from variola
because they see that, as a general
rule, the vaccinated do not get
small-pox. The anti-vaccinists say,
** Oh ! but a good many of your
vaccinated persons do get small-
pox nevertheless, and the mortality
from small-pox is as great as ever,
or greater than ever ! " Both

io8 Homoeoprophylaxis.

sides are honest ; both are appar-
ently deaHng with facts ; both are
striving after truth, and collec-
tively they expend enough human
energy to enrich a nation or colo-
nize a continent. Where then is
the missing link ?

While writing this, an ardent
bacterist. Dr. H. Thomas, of Llan-
dudno, very kindly sends me a
clipping from the Athenceum of
March 15/A, 1884. It run thus:

M. Pasteur and his fellow labourers
communicated to the Acad6mie des Sci-
ences on the 2^th of February the impor-
tant fact that by inoculation with virus
taken from mad dogs they can render all
dogs absolutely safe from the effects of
rabies, in whatever way and in whatever
quantity the virus may be administered.

This is the same fact referred
to by Dr. Skinner further back.

Homosoprophylaxis. log

But we find no principle enun-
ciated here by the Athenceum ;
nevertheless, the results must be
in obedience to the law of similars in
prophylactics — homoeoprophylaxis.

Here M. Pasteur and his fel-
low-workers, just the same as the
Jennerian vaccinators, and the an-
ti-vaccinators — here, I say, they
practically ignore the element time^
and the altering nature of the pro-
tection. When people speak of
** the necessity of r^- vaccination,
because vaccination loses its ef-
fect," time IS roughly reckoned
with, but an arbitrary limit is set
entirely devoid of any scientific
basis.

On the other hand it has been
often noticed that a healthy person
gets variola soon after vaccination,

no //omceoprophylaxis.

which to my mind mihtates in no
wise against a beUef in the protec-
tive power of vaccination, but is
to be interpreted as meaning that
the vaccinial infection was more
than enough ; just the same as a
little Aconite will lessen feverish-
ness, while much Aconite will make
the feverishness worse.

Continuing now to let x stand
for the difference between a vac-
cinate and a non- vaccinate, we
must keep well before our minds
that X represents the remaining
effects of a disease — vaccinosis —
and this is not a constant quantity ;
in an otherwise healthy person it
must be continually growing less
and less, and finally become
extinct. Therefore, in order to
determine whether vaccination

Homoeoprophylaxis . 1 1 1

protects against variola or not,
we must first have the date of
the vaccination in each case of
varioloid or small-pox in the vac-
cinate. Were a considerable num-
ber of such cases tabulated we
might arrive at some idea as to
how long a given vaccination con-
tinues to affect the individual suf-
ficiently for the vaccinosis to leave
no room for variola, provided
always that the vaccinations were
unipotential.

is it possible for vaccination
to be contingently effective,
and yet for the mortality
fromSmall-pox to be Greater?

This question crops up and
presents itself to one's mind thus :

112 Homceoprophylaxis.

Vaccination protects from variola
say the vaccinators.

Quoth the anti-vaccinators —
That is impossible, because some
of those who have been vaccinated
do get variola, and the mortality
from variola has actually increased,
so where is the prevention ?

How can these things be ?

Let us ponder these points.
And first of all let us not confound
morbility with mortality. We
really want three words to express
our meaning well. Firstly, mor-
tality, or the number of deaths;
secondly, morbidity , or the quantity
of ill-health of the living ; and
thirdly, morbility ^ or the number of
those who actually take a given
disease. I ask forgiveness for this
word-coining ; no one need use

Homceoprophylaxis . 113

the words if they are needless or
objectionable, but it seems to me
that these three ideas must be
accurately expressed if we are to
adequately discuss the question.

In judging of the ill-effects of
vaccination, only the mortality is
considered as a general rule by the
pro-vaccinists. By giving atten-
tion to vaccinational morbidity (the
vaccinosis of this little treatise), I
have been enabled to do some
notably good clinical work, and
I put the facts observed before
the world as a duty, and really
unwillingly, as I am sure to be
much misunderstood, but that
cannot be helped, and besides I
am now wandering away from
my text.

Before we can scientifically

114 Honiceoprophylaxis.

reckon with vaccination we must
take accurate account of the mor-
bihty as well as of the mortality
and morbidity. The practical
physician alone has the necessary
scope for making observations in
respect of the morbidity arising
from vaccination, i.e., vaccinosis.
Unfortunately it is completely
ignored as a general rule.

Any statistician can observe
and arrange the facts relating to
its morbility, and the Registrar
General might be got to deal with
them as he does with those relating
to mortality. But, I must submit
that mortality statistics alone with-
out morbility statistics cannot pos-
sibly lead to any real settlement of
the vaccination question, for we
want to know not only how many

Homoeoprophylaxis . 115

die of small-pox, but also how
many get it and get over it.

Herein, it seems to me, lies the
kernel of the nut.

And not only do we want to
know how many get small-pox and
recover, and how many get it and
die of it, but also what is the mor-
bidity of those protected by the
vaccination.

What is the ordinary liability
of the perfectly healthy to catch
small-pox, i,e.^ what is their pros-
pective morbility, morbidity, and
mortality ?

Assuming that vaccination does
protect, relatively and contingently,
what do we pay for the protection,
not in money, but in vaccinial
morbidity, or vaccinosis ?

It seems to me probable that

1 1 6 Homceoprophylaxis.

ordinary Jennerian vaccination is
not efficiently protective in those
whose proneness to catch small pox
is very great, while it is efficiently
protective where the proneness to
catch small-pox is less.

If we reflect upon this for a
while we shall see that there is
nothing unreasonable in this prop-
osition.

The un-vaccinated are not
equally prone to catch small-pox ;
we vaccinate them all alike.

Now is it even conceivable that
the vaccination has rendered them
equally immune, when some of
the ww-vaccinated were already
immune ?

My line of argument here
stands thus : — Vaccination is pre-

Homoeoprophylaxis . 117

ventive of small-pox when the
proneness to catch it is small;
and when the proneness to catch
it is small, those who do get small
pox do not die of it, therefore vac-
cination affects the morbility rather
that the mortality of small-pox. I
refer to ordinary Jennerian vacci-
nation, and not to microposic
homoeoprophylaxis.

If I am right then we can
affirm on aprioristic grounds that
ordinary macroposic vaccination
will diminish morbility but increase
the mortality, i.^., fewer will get it,
but more will die : the mortality
will be greater.

How so ?

Vaccination is a homoeopro-
phylactic diseasing measure : one
disease is given to prevent a like

ttS

//cffUEOpropkylaxis.

one. — ^vaccinia to prevent N'ari-
o!a- If the diseasing process of
vaccination fed! to protect, then
the vaccinated person will be more
likelv to die because there is the
homoeoprophylactic aggravation :
the two diseases combine to kill
the patient just the same as too
much of the homoeopathic remedy
will aggrsLV^te the disease to which
it is highly homoeopathic ; with,
perhaps, the like result.

This is manifest, for in vac-
cinating a person we are diseasing
him ; we communicate vaccinosis
to him : if he, in addition to the
vaccinosis, now get small-pox, he
is the more likely to die the worse
he has the vaccinosis.

If y represent the prospective
mortality of the un vaccinated, and

Homceopwphylaxis . 1 1 g

X the difference between the vac-
cinated and the unvaccinated, i,e,^
vaccinosis, then the chances of
dying of the vaccinated person
who gets small-pox are y -^ x.

Against the hypothesis that
vaccination may be protective in
some cases (relatively and con-
tingently), and add fuel to the
flames in others, i.e.^ decrease the
morbility and increase the mor-
tality. Against this hypothesis it
will be objected that the mortality
is much greater in variola than it
is in varioloid. This, I submit,
proves nothing, because the un-
vaccinated belong almost exclu-
sively to the social residuum in
whom all diseases are relatively
very fatal. Vaccination has been

s:'^ms ;. 's^ dI'Tt ::>r :nanv vears,
ijiii btcce I'-T^iTSt evervbodv who
IS 2-=:tt«:ot his been vaccinated.
Xe^j 2Z rre anti-vaccinists have
tle-nselTres reen vaccinated. Now
iLli the menta! i^iU of the world
sre rifdni: a^::ain5t A^accination, I
ve:::r::re to foretell that in the
rirzre the mortalitv in their un-
v3.cchiarei offspring will be very
srr.3ll : probably only those who in-
herit the PURULENT DIATHESIS wiU

die, and manv of these would be
saved if homoeopathically handled,
or homoeoprophylactically vacci-
nated in refiracted dose.

Dynamic or Microposic
homceoprophylaxis.

When I began with this little
essay I meant it to be on the one

Homceoprophylaxis . 121

hand a contribution to the clinical
history of Thuja Occidentalism and
on the other a plea for the recog-
nition of the clinical importance
of vaccinosis, particularly in
chronic neurotic headaches. But
as I went on I felt impelled to say
a few word's on the subject of what
I have called homceoprophylaxis,
and now I cannot bring myself
to conclude without dipping a little
into the dynamics of preventive
medicine according to the law of
likes.

Strewn about in literature there
are examples of small-dose homceo-
prophylaxis ; see Hahnemann's
little essay on Belladonna, for
example, at the very birth of
Hahnemannian homoeopathy.

Then vaccine ** lymph" — pus —

122 Homoeoprophylaxis .

has been dynamized more ho-
mceopathico and given as a pro-
phylactic against small -pox in
epidemic times, and apparently
with effect. Thuja Occidentalis
has been used in like manner by
more than one homoeopathic prac-
titioner, and they claim that it is
effective. The eminent Dr. David
Wilson, of London, has, I hear,
long used Thuja^ in dynamic dose,
as a sure preventive of variola.

Speaking for myself, I have for
the last nine years been in the
habit of using vaccine matter, in
the thirtieth homoeopathic centes-
imal potency, whenever small-pox
was about, and I have thus far not
seen anyone so treated get variola.

Dr. Massoto inoculated the
diphtheritic exudation in an epi-

Homceoprophylaxis. 123

demic of diphtheria, and that with
success.

It seems to me that the re-
quirement of the age is to systema-
tize the prevention of disease ac-
cording to the law of similars, and
IN DYNAMIC DOSE. Clearly the
dynamic dose is essential, or at
any rate the very small dose, for
otherwise the homoeoprophylactic
aggravation would be a serious
detriment in every way. It is
easy to see that M. Pasteur and
his fellow workers are sailing down
straight on this rock, whereon they
are sure to suffer shipwreck.

M. Pasteur's latest communica-
tions to the Academic des Sciences
are in substance as follows : —

** If the virus of rabies be transmitted
from the dog to the monkey, and then

rrirmsryr^r^ln^Gxzs,

i::iLL TLiniiiff*j ir mnmiffy, it 'woD be found
"niin Eirtr farr "miisinissiari liie Tirnlence
It rrt* TXT25 31B5 'r»j»r:niiie enfeeiiiied. If the
xx"i:f ^x» fmsshiez be r^^transmitted to a
a:K.. n: £X Lrirrr«t,'. :£ ihsi 55>ec3es, it irill
ryr.^.r.TT sell grrfrr :iLr-sf, Bj a few trans-
nuFsiniis- re ibe Tirss from monkey to
rjnzi*T "ibir* r.£:ii ^aslhr be obtained a
Tir:::? sr irr*!r::iEr*c e? siiall ucrer commu-
riri.**, bj i:]rpD5e!r3Qc iDocnlatxms, the
fis*3L5i?^ r:> a ac^. Ii>DCiiIat3ons by tre-
ZM^zzlz^Z X sarb xirus will likewise pro-
duce r:^ resuh : b-i an animal will, not-
w:ihs:iaz ii-g. be rendered thereby proof
a^afcst the disease. The virulence of the
\inis becomes, on the contrary, augmented
in its passage from rabbit to rabbit. If a
dog be inoculated with vims thus aug-
mented in power, a far more intense form
of the disease will be manifested than that
apparent in ordinary' canine madness, and
it will invariably prove fatal."

By appl)dng these and other
observations, M. Pasteur obtained

Homceoprophylaxis . 125

virus of different degrees of viru-
lence, and succeeded, by inocula-
tions of the milder qualities, in-
preserving animals from the effects
of more active and mortal kinds.
For example, after several days
longer than the shortest incuba-
tion term, M. Pasteur extracted
virus from the head of a rabbit
which had died of the disease,
and inoculated successively two
other rabbits. Each time a dog
was inoculated with the virus,
which, as has been seen, would
increase each time in virulence.
The result was that the dog was
ultimately rendered capable of
bearing a virus of mortal strength,
and became absolutely proof
against canine virus. M. Pasteur
anticipates that the time is still

1 26 HoffKBOprophylaxis.

distant when canine madness will
be extinguished by vaccination,
but pending that consummation,
he feels pretty certain that he will
be able to avert the consequences
of a bite from a mad dog. He
savs : — ** Thanks to the duration
of incubation after a bite, I have
ever}' reason to believe that pa-
tients can be rendered insuscep-
tible before the mortal malady has
had time to declare itself." M.
Pasteur stated, in conclusion, that
he had solicited the Minister of
Education to appoint a Commis-
sion to test his experiments. He
added : —

" The principal experiment that I shall
attempt will consist in taking from my
kennels twenty dogs insusceptible to the
disease, and placing the same in com-

Homceoprophylaxis. .127

parison with twenty ordinary dogs I
shall then have all these forty dogs bitten
by a number of dogs in a rabid state. If
the facts that I have enunciated are exact,
the twenty dogs that I believe to be proof
against the disease will remain healthy,
while the other twenty will become
affected. For a second experiment no
less decisive, I propose to place before the
Commission twenty vaccinated and twenty
un-vaccinated dogs. All the forty I shall
then inoculate in the most sensitive parts
with virus taken from a rabid dog. The
twenty vaccinated dogs will resist, and
the other twenty will all die of madness,
either paralytic or furious."

This is as far as M. Pasteur
has got at present, and his labours
clearly tend in the direction of
homceoprophylaxis and homoe-
opathy; but time and dose are not
duly reckoned with. The fatal
fallacy underlying the whole thing

128 Homceoprophylaxis.

is regarding the immunity pro-
duced by Jennerian or Pasteurian
vaccination as a constant factor,
whereas it is a constantly dimin-
ishing one, and must in the nature
of things be so.

As a last word I would put in a
plea for homceoprophylactic vac-
cination, or what might be termed
homoeopathic vaccination. That
is to say, the vaccine matter is to
be prepared as a homoeopathic
remedy, and to be given by the
mouth, in dynamic dose as the
homoeoprophy lactic. Pasteur's at-
tenuating it by poisoning a series
of animals is ridiculous ; an ordi-
nary vial will do just as well. It
is with virus thus attenuated that I
used to treat myself when I was at-

Hoinceoprophylaxis. 129

tending small-pox instead of being
re -vaccinated. I used to treat
my family and others with whom I
was compelled to associate in the
same way. None of us ever took
small-pox.

In magnis voluisse sat est.