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THE 


Homoeopathic  Recorder 


PUBLISHED  MONTHLY 


Volume  XXXII 


1917 


PUBUSHED  BY 

BOERICKE  &  TAFEL 


'•...' 


Index  to  Volume  XXXII 


Aconite  in  a  Chronic  Case,  453. 

Adventures  of  an  Amateur  (De 
Witt),  493- 

Advising  the  Doctors  (Typo),  35. 

Allopathic  Medicine,  The  Present 
Status  of,  433. 

American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy 
at  Rochester,  289. 

An  Old  Time  Affair,   1. 

Antitoxin  Disease,  Treatment  of 
(Guernsey),  411. 

Antitoxin  vs.  Homoeopathic  Rem- 
edy  (Cuthbert),  316. 

Appendicitis  Cured  by  Medicine 
(Wright),   408. 

Apis    (Fahnestock),  58. 

Arapahoe   Co.   Statistics,    1. 

Arsenic,  Unintentional  Proving 
(Baker),  211. 

Attenuation,  Hahnemann's  Doc- 
trine of,  241. 

Baby.  Prescribing  for  the  (Peter- 
man),  492. 

Baptisia  Case.  A  (Maddux),  233. 

Bismuth,  A  Proving  of,  369. 

Blood  Pressure,  430. 

Breasts,   The    (Park),   353. 

Burning  Bush — Dictamnus  frax, 
97. 

Burns    (Fanning),  24. 

Burns.  Radium  for  (Vondergoltz), 
128. 

Calendula,  370. 

Cancer  Needs  Constitutional  Rem- 
edy   (Bulkley),  273. 

Cancer,  Skin  Cured  (Grubbe),  275. 

Cancer  Skin.  Treatment  (Baker), 
299. 

Carduus  Mariae,  Therapeutic  Uses 
of   (Aebly),  513. 

Chorea,  Case,  A   (Raye),  505. 

Chronicles  of  the  Farm  (Blanke), 
30,   319. 

Climate  and  Tuberculosis,   140. 

Clinical    Cases    (Pompe),   258. 

Clinical  Urinology   (Mitchell),  565. 

Collinsonia,    330. 

Cratagus  oxy.,  Origin  of,  89. 

Cyanide  of  Mercury   (Boger),  179. 


Deaths  from  Drugs,  93,  429. 

Death   Statistics,    1,  95. 

Deceive    Us,    Things    Which    May 

(Mitchell),   106. 
Definite   Therapeutics    (Jones),   20. 
Doctrine     of      Signatures      (Ram- 

seyer),   531. 
Dream,  An  Awful  (Dienst),  28. 

Early  Diagnosis  of  Tuberculosis 
(McEhvee),    202. 

Emetine,   Z77- 

Endocrinous     Glands,   Interrelation 

of  the   (McEwen),  420. 
Every  Day  Facts    (Jones),  312. 
Experience   vs.   Theory,  64. 

Facts    (Jones),  263. 

Facts,    Some     Interesting    (Jones), 

.  l67- 

Ferric  Chloride  Reaction  in  Urine 
(Mitchell),    277. 

Ferrum  Pierate  and  Hernia  (John- 
son),  121,   178. 

Fish  Poisoning   (Stefanski),  490. 

Forceps?  Shall  We  Discard  (Cuth- 
bert),   VIA. 

Freak   Symptoms    (Tones).   363. 

Fruit  and  Cancer   (Teel),  409. 

Gall  Stones,  Prevention  of  (Wat- 
son), 40. 

Gastric  Affection  (Barber),  261. 

Gleanings  bv  the  Wav  (Tones). 
5.53. 

Grindelia  Robusta  in  Measles 
(Ramsever),  68. 

Gunpowder,  The  Therapeutics  of 
(Clarke),    339. 

Hahnemann   "The  Great,"  387. 

Headaches  from  Renal  Insuffi- 
ciency  (Mitchell),  562. 

Help,  A  Call  for   (Swingle),  70. 

Help,  A  Call  for  (Wittke),  508. 

Heritage  vs.  Homoeopathy  (Guild- 
Legget),    52. 

Heredity,  411. 

High  Potencies,  The  Power  of 
(Vandenburg),    307. 


97171       MAYl^/9;8 


IV 


Index. 


Homoeopathic  Philosophy,  The  Es- 
sentials   of    (Grimmer),    392. 

Homoeopathic  Publicity,  Lack  of 
(C.  M.).  243. 

Homoeopathic  Remedies    (Lee),  33. 

Homoeopathic  Remedies  in  Wounds 
(Sartos),  223. 

Homoeopathy    (Glover),    147. 

Homoeopathy  Leads    (Ray),  350. 

Homoeopathy  vs.  Modern  Therapy 
(Hermance),    360. 

Homoeopathy  vs.  Serum  and  Vac- 
cines   (Lutze),   251. 

Indian  Journal,  A  New  (Gingh), 
504. 

Indicated  Remedy   (Jones),   124. 

Infant  Feeding  (Skinner") .  323. 

Infantile  Paralysis  and  the  Ear 
(McBean^     132. 

Infinitesimals,  388. 

Infinitesimals    (Guernsey),    508. 

Insanity,  Physical  Causes  of  (Skin- 
ner), 324. 

Ieopathy,    485. 

Kali  Group,  Another   (McGeorge), 

306. 
Kentucky,    A    Note    from    (Dills), 

177. 
Know    the    Homoeopathic    Remedy 

(Rauterburg),    195. 

Laboratory  Is  Not  All,  The  (419), 

419- 
Letters  and  Papers,  Two  (Bullard), 

3\ 

Leukemia,     Splenomyelogenous,     A 

Case   of    (Faris),  212. 
Look  First  and  Reason,  65. 

Malaria  officinalis  Case,  A  (Rabe), 
159. 

Mastoiditis    (Boynton),   216. 

Materia  Medica,  Etc.,  vs  Serum 
Therapy    (Hawkes),    104. 

Mentality  of  the  Ophidia  (Dienst), 
400. 

Methylene  Blue   (Jacquelin),  122. 

Million  Dollar  Research  Labora- 
tories   (C.   M.),  100. 

Morphine  and  Opium  Habit 
(Sells).  170. 

My    Southern    Trip    (Jones),   60. 

NEW  PUBLICATIONS. 
Blair.     "Botanic  Drugs,"  321. 
Burnett.       "Diseases      of      the 
Spleen,"  458. 


Cowperthwaite.     Materia  Medi- 
ca, 457. 
Flasshoen.      "De    Quelle   Cote," 

228. 
Fisher.    "How  to  Live,"  41. 
Laidlaw.     "Hay  Fever,"  413. 
Wood.       "Clinical     Gynecology," 
80. 
Natrums,  The  (Schwartz),  160. 
Neuritis,  A  Case  (Haines),  550. 
New    Jersey    State    Society    Meet- 
ing Atlantic  City,  268. 
New  York  City  Notes,   118. 
New  York  Medical   Society  Meet- 
ing, 267. 
Notes  by  the  Way  (Jones),  514. 

Obituary  of  Homoeopathy,  The  Lat- 
est,   49. 

Obstetrics    (Shaw),    223. 

Old  Verifications,  185. 

On  the  Firing  Line  (Jones),  217. 

Operation  Not  Needed  in  These 
Two  Cases   (Wright),  503. 

Ophidia,  Mentality  of  the  (Dienst), 
400. 

Our  Choice   (Bergman).  435. 

Overdoing   It,  67. 

Palliation   (Coleman),   in. 

Palm  Beach    (Fahnestock),  57. 

Pernicious  Vomiting,  Frequency 
(Mitchell),    518. 

Personal   Experience    (Emery),  76. 

"Pharmacologic  Superstitions,"  530. 

Physician  a  Public  Man,  The 
(Boynton),   102. 

Pneumonia,  Treatment  of  (Gross), 
487. 

Poliomyelitis,   Cause  of,  272. 

Poliomyelitis,  Medical  Treatment  of 
(Hawkes),  243. 

Poliomyelitis,    Symposium.    6. 

Prefixes  and  Terminations,  456. 

Prescribing,  The  Art  of  (Cole- 
man), 510. 

Prostate,  Again  the  (Wieland),  35. 

Prostate,  Enlarged   (Lutze),  54. 

Prostate,  To  Prevent,  Disease,  517. 

Questionaire,  Chicago,  2. 

Random     Thoughts,  Some     (Ying- 

ling),   345- 
Remarkable   Vitality.   482. 
Reform,  The  Sibbolet  of,  66. 
Renal  Vascular  Disease  (Mitchell), 

82. 


Index. 


Repertory  or  Surgeon!  128. 
Respiration      Ceases     on      Falling 
Asleep,  71. 

Salvarsan,  93. 

Scientific  Presentation  of  Case  Re- 
ports, Plea   for  the    (Rabe), 

155. 
Signatures,     Doctrine     of     (Ram- 

seyer),  531. 
Single   Symptoms    (Bell),   171. 
Single     Symptom   Cures    (Nadia), 

551. 
Skin   Cancer    (Baker),  299. 
Sleep  and   Some  of  Its   Disorders 

(Gaston),   498. 
Something    Else    Again     (Jones), 

460. 
Something  of  a  Problem,  337. 
Specialist     Department   (Mitchell), 

41,  82,  132,  181,  228,  275,  323, 

372,  464,  5i8,  550. 
Staphysagria  (Fahnestock),  18,  122. 
Surgical  Dressings,  The  Kind  Not 

to  Use   (Primrose),  224. 
Symposium    on    a   Symposium,  A, 

482. 


Tetanus   (Johnson),   12. 
Transactions,  The  Last  of  the,  547. 
True     Homoeopathic      Spirit,    The 

(C.  M.),  99. 
Tuberculosis    (Stefanski),  490. 
Tuberculosis,  321. 
Tuberculosis,    Early    Diagnosis    of 

(McElwee),    202. 

Unauthorized  Use  of  Allen's  Name 
(Allen),  75. 

Uremia,  Deaths  from  Post-Opera- 
tive  (Mitchell),  372. 

Urinary  Coloring  Matter  and  Diazo 
Reaction  (Mitchell),  229. 

Urinology,  Ginical  (Mitchell),  565. 

Useful  Hints   (Jones),  414. 

Vaccination,  194. 

Warts    (Lutze),   54. 

Weakness  of  It  All,  The  (Nether- 
ton),  550. 

Why  Give  Medicine?  (Dienst),  447. 

Why  the  "Irregular"  Is  the  Real 
Scientific  Physician  (Ser- 
voss),  508. 

Wine,  The  Dietetics  of  Sound,  512. 


THE 

Homeopathic  Recorder 

Vol.  XXXII        Lancaster,  Pa.,  January  15,  1917.       No.  1 

AN   OLD  TIME  AFFAIR. 

The  Arapahoe  Co.,  Colorado,  statistics  figure  in  homoeopathic 
records.  They  were  given  out  in  the  year  t88#  fry*  Dtv"  Ambrose 
S.  Everett.  The  homoeopaths  had  charge  of**  the  County' hospitals 
and  medical  affairs  from  March  31*/ 1^83,  to  Mar-ch,  1884.  After 
this,  apparently,  "politics"  gave "the  -medical*  control  back  to  ::he 
other  side.     Now  we  quote  Everett :  '';'..-  :  -    \ 

Third,  that  during  the  year,  ending  M a rch  ^ist,  ^834.  the  county  cared 
for  180  more  patients  than  during  the  .\v.ar  ending  March  31st,  1883. 
Fourth,  that  during  the  year  ending  March  31st,  1884,  as  compared  with 
the  year  ending  March  31st.  1883,  the  county  saved  on  each  patient  treated 
the  sum  of  $3.09,  and  that  the  total  saving  to  the  county  was  $5,450.76. 
Fifth,  that  the  deaths  in  the  hospital  during  the  year  ending  March  31st, 
1883,  exceeded  those  during  the  year  ending  March  31st,  1884,  by  the 
number  of  37,  and  this,  too,  in  the  face  of  the  fact  that  the  allopathic 
school  of  medicine  was  boasting  that  during  their  year  the  county  was 
enjoying  the  services  of  the  combined  talent  of  the  Denver  Medical  Col- 
lege. Sixth,  that  the  management  of  the  year  ending  March  31st,  1883, 
did  not  report  their  outside  deaths.  Seventh,  that  the  death  rate  of  the 
hospital  for  the  year  ending  March  31st,  1884,  as  compared  with  that 
ending  March  31st,  1883,  was  reduced  about  ^t,  i  /$  per  cent. 

These  were — are — official  county  figures.  Wonder  why  the 
"regulars"  who  are  so  altruistic  do  not  take  up  with  Homoe- 
opathy? That  the  figures  are  true  is  at  least  negatively  proved 
by  the  fact  that  they  are  county  records.  The  homoeopaths  saved 
lives  and  the  money  of  the  people,  but  after  one  year  were  turned 
out.  Why?  The  answer  seems  to  be  Prejudice,  not  only  on  part 
of  the  profession,  but  of  the  laity  as  well.  We  know  an  intelli- 
gent man,  a  type  of  very  many,  who  has  seen  and  acknowledges 
the  beneficent  action  of  Homoeopathy  in  his  own  family.     "It  is 


2    Questionaire  of  the  Chicago  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society. 

good  for  children,"  he  said.  "Why  not  for  yourself?"  "No, 
sir !"  was  his  emphatic  answer.  He  and  his  kind  will  continue  to 
hinder  their  health  by  over-dosing  with  calomel,  quinine,  asperin, 
salts  and  other  things.  The  facts  of  Homoeopathy,  like  those 
quoted  in  the  foregoing,  have  no  more  effect  on  them  than  water 
poured  on  the  back  of  a  goose.  However — "keep  everlastingly 
at  it." 


THE   QUESTIONAIRE  OF  THE   CHICAGO   HOMOE- 
OPATHIC MEDICAL   SOCIETY. 

The  history  of  Homoeopathy  in  Illinois  during  the  last  three 
years  is  a  striking  verification  of  the  adage  that  a  bird  in  the  hand 
is  worth  two  m  the  bush.  If  our  readers  will  go  back  to  October, 
^913,  and  consult  the  Clinique  for  November  of  that  year  they 
will  read  that  at  the  Occooer  meeting  of  the  Chicago  Homoeo- 
pathic Medical  Society  a  sped?!  committee  was  appointed  by  Dr. 
T.'  Edward  Costain,  president  of  the  society,  to  prepare  a  ques- 
tionaire to  De  sent  out  to  the  homoeopathic  physicians  of  Illinois. 
The  committee  was  composed  of  the  following :  Drs.  T.  Bac- 
meister,  J.  P.  Cobb,  J.  W.  Cornell,  T.  E.  Costain,  G.  Fitzpatrick, 
A.  H.  Gordon,  Belle  Gurney,  Burton  Haseltine,  Sarah  Hobson, 
Paul  Mullhorst,  Clifford  Mitchell  and  Elmer  E.  Yaughan.  This 
committee  met  with  President  Costain  on  Thursday  evening,  De- 
cember 4th,  and  decided  upon  the  terms  of  the  questionaire  to  be 
sent  out.    These  were  as  follows : 

"(1)  Do  you  approve  of  the  examination  and  grading  of  the 
homoeopathic  medical  colleges  by  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation, its  councils  or  committees? 

"(2)  Are  you  in  favor  of  a  separate  board  or  homoeopathic 
board  of  medical  examiners  in  Illinois  (as  in  various  other 
States)  for  the  license  to  practice  medicine?" 

The  questionaire  was  sent  out  early  in  1914  and  a  large  num- 
ber of  replies  were  received,  from  practically  every  homoeopathic 
physician  actively  engaged  in  work  throughout  the  State  and  in 
Chicago.  About  95  per  cent,  were  opposed  to  the  examination  and 
grading  of  homoeopathic  colleges  by  the  American  Medical  As- 
sociation. 

Now  if  the  files  of  the  Clinique  for  1914  be  consulted  it  will 


Two  Letters  and  Two  Papers.  3 

be  read  with  interest,  in  view  of  preesnt  conditions,  that  when  the 
report  of  the  vote  was  discussed  at  a  meeting  of  the  Chicago 
Homoeopathic  Medical  Society  Dr.  Burton  Haseltine  criticised  it 
as  "interesting,  but  of  no  value"  and  Dr.  W.  Henry  Wilson 
speaking  officially  as  Registrar  of  Hahnemann  Medical  College 
of  Chicago  said  that  the  College  "would  pay  no  attention"  to  the 
vote  of  the  profession. 

Later  Dr.  C.  E.  Kahlke  published  a  letter  in  the  Journal  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy  in  which  he  stated  that  "Chi- 
cago Hahnemann  is  in  Class  A,  and  is  going  to  stay  there." 

In  view  of  the  confidence  in  the  A.  M.  A.  shown  by  the  of- 
ficials of  Hahnemann  in  19 14,  the  article  by  Dr.  H.  R.  Chislett 
in  the  Clinique  for  December,  1916,  is  well  worth  considering. 
In  speaking  of  the  grading  of  colleges  by  the  A.  M.  A.  Dr.  Chis- 
lett rather  mournfully  remarks  :  "Where  a  university  school  with 
but  50  hospital  beds  is  classed  'A'  and  an  independent  school  with 
139  beds  classed  'B'  for  insufficient  clinical  facilities,  it  looks  as  if 
an  injustice  could  be  substantiated."  Continuing  in  the  same 
vein,  Dr.  Chislett,  speaking  for  the  independent  colleges,  says, 
"the  situation  at  best  is  a  grave  one"  and  calls  upon  the  alumni 
of  his  institution  to  help  him  out  of  his  dilemma  by  deciding 
which  of  several  rather  disagreeable  alternatives  he  may  choose. 

It  sometimes  happens  that  the  looker  on  at  a  game  of  chess 
can  see  what  move  ought  to  be  made  better  than  the  players  of 
the  game.  And  it  would  appear  that  the  95  per  cent,  of  the  Illi- 
nois homoeopathic  profession  who  voted  "No"  in  1914  were  in 
a  better  position  to  know  what  was  going  to  happen  than  the  five 
per  cent,  represented  by  those  who  voted  "yes." 

C.  M. 


TWO   LETTERS  AND  TWO  PAPERS. 
Letter  No.  1. 

Dec.  11,  1916. 

Editor  of  the  Homceopathic  Recorder. 

The  inclosed  was  delivered  before  the  Interstate  (Horn.) 
Medical  Society,  at  Binghamton,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  16,  1916,  and  again 
in  Utica  (see  inclosed)  by  request,  Dec.  7.  In  my  initial  speech 
I  threw  myself  on  the  mercy  of  the  society  and  explained  my 


4  Tzvo  Letters  and  Two  Papers. 

embarrassment  by  telling  them  of  my  discovery  while  en  route, 
that  a  most  excellent  paper  written  by  me  and  entitled  "Homoeo- 
pathic Therapeutics,  Illustrated  by  Cases"  had  been  purloined 
from  my  grip  and  the  article  on  Poliomyelitis  substituted  .  .  . 
said  action  being  explained  by  Dr.  Kuss  in  a  letter  which  I 
begged  that  they  would  allow  me  to  read  as  an  excuse  for  my 
predicament.  This  they  generously  allowed  and  also  permitted 
me  to  read  the  Symposium,  which  I  followed  by  the  exhortation 
and  appeal  for  the  greater  attention  and  study  of  our  Homoeo- 
pathic Materia  Medica,  which  was  and  is  the  important  thing 
after  all. 

If  you  can  use  it  in  the  Recorder  do  so. 

\\\t\\  best  wishes  for  the  Recorder,  which  I  read  with  more 
real  pleasure  than  any  other  magazine  of  our  school,  I  remain 

Very  truly  yours, 

J.  Arthur  Bullard,  M.  D. 

200  S.  Franklin  St.,  Wilkes-Barre,  Pa. 


Letter  No.  2. 

Binghamton,  Nov.  8,  19 16. 

Dear  Dr.  Billiard: — Since  I  gave  up  practicing,  as  you  know, 
I  have  been  devoting  my  time  to  research  work  along  medical 
lines,  and  when  you  were  so  kind  the  other  evening  as  to  send 
me  some  of  your  wonderful  cures  by  means  of  the  single  rem- 
edy and  minimum  dose  and  all  that  "bally  rot"  I  began  to  realize 
what  a  Bug  you  had  become  on  the  subject — but  when  you  told 
me  you  were  intending  to  inflict  your  peculiar  heresies  on  some 
medical  society  I  got  busy  and  decided  to  even  up  an  old  score 
by  playing  a  joke  on  my  friend  and  at  the  same  time  afford  an 
opportunity  for  you  to  give  your  Interstate  Society  the  chance 
of  their  lives  to  hear  something  worth  while.  I  trust  I  may  not 
be  thought  too  egotistical — by  the  society — many  of  whom  I 
know,  at  least  by  reputation — when  I  say  that  my  little  sym- 
posium is,  in  all  probability,  the  best  paper  ever  written  on  the 
disease  called  Poliomyelitis. 

A  disease  that  has  caused  the  State  of  New  York  to  spend 
more  than  a  million  dollars  and  the  other  States  in  proportion. 

It  is  my  candid,  sober  thought   that  if  this  brief  article  of  mine 


Two  Letters  and  Two  Tapers.  5 

could  have  been  printed  broadcast  in  the  daily  press  of  America, 
simultaneously  with  the  publicity  given  to  the  disease,  all  this 
money,  all  the  annoyance  of  a  needless  quarantine,  all  the  pain 
and  anguish  of  frenzied  parents,  all  the  sequestration  and  deten- 
tion of  poor  city  children  pining  for  the  country  outing,  the 
fears  and  apprehension  as  well  as  a  very  large  percentage  of  the 
fatalities  would  have  been  mercifully  avoided. 

All  this,  I  say,  could  have  been  avoided  had  this,  my  article, 
been  so  published  and  read  by  the  masses  of  thinking,  intelligent 
people. 

Your  own  paper,  which  you  have,  with  so  much  pride,  as  well 
as  labor,  contributed  to  your  society*  is  no  doubt  most  excellent 
from  your  own  angle  of  view,  but  it  sinks  into  nothingness  by 
comparison,  and  if  you  must  know  it  lies  securely  tucked  away 
in  a  convenient  pigeon  hole  facing  me.  If  you  will  allow  me  to 
speak  freely,  I  do  not  think  your  society  is  longing  for  papers 
on  old  fashioned  all  wool  and  a  yard  wide  homoeopathy — it's  no 
longer  done.  Homoeopathy,  to  have  any  hearing  at  all,  in  this 
day  and  generation,  must,  at  the  very  least,  have  been  denaturized. 

Not  one  medical  society  in  ten  will  listen  with  interest  to  a 
mere  recital  of  cures.  AYhat  they  want  is  something  crude  and 
material — something  scientifically  tangible,  that  appeals  to  what 
they  call  "higher  thought.''  Something  that  they  can  take  home 
with  them  to  chew  on  even  if  it  proves  but  a  bone. 

Simply  to  cure  the  sick  !  Nonsense,  it  is  to  laugh — even  quacks 
claim  to  do  this.  You  know  as  well  as  I,  my  dear  Doctor,  no  one 
can  do  that  but  nature  ;  people  have  always  died  and  always  will — - 
doctors  or  no  doctors — and  many  times  because  of  doctors  and 
there's  food  for  thought. 

But,  and  this  is  the  milk  in  the  cocoanut.  Any  medical  'belief 
that  is  more  than  a  year  old  is  obsolete — two  years — worthless. 

Therefore  the  duty  of  the  modern  doctor  is  to  impress  his  pa- 
tients with  the  idea  that  he  is  a  SUPERMAN  (possibly  the  only 
one) — to  amuse  them  with  generalities — flatter  them  with  com- 
pliments. Confuse  them  with  technicalities,  frighten  them  with 
vague  forebodings — humor  them  in  their  self-esteem  and  super- 
stitions, give  them  enough  discomfort  to  hold  them  well  in  hand 
as  invalids,  and  allow  then  to  recover  only  when  all  requirements 
seem  satisfied. 


6  A  Scientific  Symposium. 

No  doubt  you  were  very  indignant  when  you  discovered  I  had 
substituted  my  priceless  pearls  of  wisdom  for  your  simple  mem- 
oranda of  alleged  cures — but  if  you  are  permitted  to  read  my 
masterpiece  and  your  audience  is  one  of  discrimination  and  dis- 
cernment, they  will  rise  and  call  you  blessed  and  the  end  will, 
therefore,  justify  the  means. 

And  if  you  feel  that  you  had  been  wronged — console  yourself 
as  best  you  can. 

Ever  your  chuckling  friend, 

Adam  Kuss. 

^  5ft  H< 

A    SCIENTIFIC    SYMPOSIUM   FROM  THE   STAND- 
POINT   OF   A  MODERN  HOMOEOPATH,  ON 
ACUTE    POLIOMYELITIS    OR    INFAN- 
TILE SPINAL  PARALYSIS. 

Poliomyelitis  is  an  acute  infection  attacking  children  between 
the  ages  of  early  abortion,  premature  birth  and  senile  decay. 

It  may  occur  in  epidemics,  hypodermics,  hysterics  or  statistics. 

In  the  absence  of  other  medical  excitements,  when  the  usual 
diseases  quoted  regularly  on  the  exchanges  of  the  State  Boards 
of  un-Health  may  be  described  as  dull,  but  steady  with  perhaps  a 
falling  tendency,  and  there  is  a  deep  gloom  presaging  a  period 
of  Public  Health  and  a  corresponding  slump  in  our  bank  ac- 
counts. 

It  is  during  periods  like  this  that  poliomyelitis  and  kindred 
diseases  are  most  apt  to  occur  and  become  capable  of  wide  dis- 
tribution, and  in  large  and  abnormally  foolish  communities  these 
diseases  soon  become  complicated  with  fearitis  and  are  most  in- 
fectious. 

Epidemics  of  poliomyelitis,  however,  are  most  frequent  be- 
tween January  i  and  December  31  of  each  and  every  year  since 
Rome  burned  and  Nero  fiddled  and  sporadic  cases  are  en- 
countered constantly. 

This  information  and  these  statistics  are  not  guaranteed,  but 
have  been  obtained  from  sources  we  believe  to  be  accurate. 

This  disease  may  be  regarded  as  one  capable  of  spreading  by 
contact  with  air,  light,  heat,  cold,  noise,  electricity  and  ordinary 
conversation. 


A  Scientific  Symposium.  7 

Food,  drink  and  clothing,  while  costing  much  more  than  they 
used  to,  should  be  regarded  as  especially  dangerous  carriers  of 
infection  and  conversation  is  probably  the  most  dangerous  of  all, 
and  during  the  prevalence  of  an  epidemic  of  this  nature  it  should 
BE  TOTALLY  PROHIBITED. 

The  causative  agent  in  poliomyelitis  is  said  to  be  a  filterable 
virus  more  minute  than  a  dose  of  the  hundred  thousandth  of  Lux 
Luna  and  is  only  capable  of  demonstration  by  an  extreme  high 
potency  Hindoo  psychologist. 

The  submersible  type  of  these  infinitesimal  spores  are,  unfor- 
tunately, constructed  without  periscopes  and  are,  therefore,  more 
difficult  of  capture  than  the  aeroplane  models.  As  monkeys  are 
said  to  be  extremely  sensitive  to  poliomyelitis  I  wish  to  impress 
upon  each  one  of  you  here  present  who  may  be  the  owner  or  cus- 
todian of  a  monkey  the  importance  of  washing  it  with  a  sterile 
solution  of  double  distilled  Simian  Anthropological  Apricot 
Juice  every  night  before  retiring,  as  well  as  to  never  monkey 
with  a  homoeopathic  prescription,  during  an  epidemic  of  polio- 
myelitis. 

The  pathology  of  this  disease  proves  that  it  is  a  toxin  pervad- 
ing all  the  tissues  of  the  body  lying  between  the  fissure  of  Sylvius 
and  the  heels  of  O'Sullivan  and  in  rare  cases  is  said  to  affect  the 
spinal  cord. 

The  symptoms  of  poliomyelitis  are  very  debatable  for  the  at- 
tacks are  ushered  in  by  evidences  and  manifestations  that  may 
point  unmistakably  to  anything  from  Adenoids  to  Zymatic  Zig- 
zags not  including  house-maids  knee  or  Elephantiasis. 

These  conditions  being  sometimes  attributed  by  ignorant  and 
non-observant  people  to  a  FALL  should  not  impress  us  as  scien- 
tists, for  one  can  readily  see  that  it  is  more  of  a  SUMMER  com- 
plaint than  an  Autumnal  visitation. 

And  if  you  ever  find  yourselves  too  deep  in  the  woods  to  be 
sure  of  your  bearings,  remember  a  LUMBAR  puncture  will  serve 
to  still  further  cloud  your  diagnosis  .  .  .  the  rule,  however, 
being  to  puncture  when  suspicious  symptoms  are  present. 

When  dealing  with  intemperate  parents  who  tell  you,  for  in- 
stance, that  the  child's  father  was  totally  paralyzed  when  he  went 
to  bed  the  night  before  and  well  when  he  got  up  the  next  morn- 
ing, an  error  of  diagnosis  is  allowable,  for  such  cases  should  not 


8  A  Scientific  Symposium. 

be  confused  with  the  real  thing  nor  should  they  be  published  as 
cases  of  genuine  poliomyelitis. 

Occasionally  you  will  meet  with  a  case  that  has  a  loss  of  mus- 
cular tone  and  energy  and  in  one  case  I  remember  particularly, 
that  of  a  little  girl  aged  three  who  had  eaten  a  bag  of  peanuts  be- 
fore retiring — there  were  convulsions  followed  by  profound 
drowsiness.  This  being  strictly  and  scientifically  speaking  a  case 
of  polyopeanutmyelitis. 

One  of  the  greatest  dangers  of  acute  poliomyelitis  is  a  fatal 
issue,  usually  resulting  in  death,  which  is  often  superinduced  by 
modern  homoeopathy  plus  a  scientific  treatment  not  inaptly  called 
laboratory  methods  alias  monkey  business. 

The  period  of  incubation  is  apparently  any  time  from  the 
cradle  to  the  grave. 

In  adult  infants  of  known  intemperate  habits  paralysis  usually 
develops  late  in  the  evening  and  in  the  majority  of  cases  will  show 
signs  of  wabbly  inefficiency  in  the  lower  limbs,  while  the  nerves 
of  speech  betray  an  involvement  of  articulation,  and  if  these  dan- 
gerous symptoms  are  not  soon  relieved  the  gastro-abdominal  mus- 
cles as  well  as  those  of  the  diaphragm  become  spasmodically  af- 
fected and  the  patient  forcibly  ejects  the  stomach  contents  and 
conversation  is  punctuated  with  incoherent  as  well  as  irrelevant 
remarks.  If  the  bowels  move  at  all  during  this  attack  the  stools 
are  apt  to  contain  large  or  small  quantities  of  liquid-semi-solid 
or  quite  concentrated  masses  of  fcecal  matter  having  a  pro- 
nounced odor  and  with  some  characteristic  brown  or  yellowish 
discoloration. 

The  etiology  of  poliomyelitis  is  still  to  some  of  us  a  trifle  ob- 
scure. 

According  to  the  latest  bulletins  from  the  Shockafellow  In- 
stitute, which  came  to  me  as  I  was  looking  through  Ayres'  Al- 
manac of  physical  research,  the  spores  or  germinetts  of  polio- 
myelitis are  now  declared  to  be  carried  exclusively  by  dandelion 
seeds,  which  you  all  know  are  blown  noiselessly  for  incredible 
distances  on  the  air  currents.  One  seed  being  estimated  by  the 
highest  salaried  observer  as  having  a  cargo  of  one  hundred  bill- 
ion nine  million  seven  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  four  hundred 
and  sixteen  that  were  entirely  mature  and  four  that  had  been  in- 
jured in  transit  and  therefore  very  properly  deducted  from  the 


A  Scientific  Symposium.  9 

count.     Another  observer  made  the  count  seventeen  spores  less, 
which  was  a  mere  trifle  when  one  considers  the  total  figures. 

The  characteristic  of  the  spinal  fluid  in  poliomyelitis  so  far 
has  been  made  plain  to  me  contains  a  large  percentage  of  mucil- 
age of  a  gooey  nature,  which  seems  sticky  when  you  attempt  to 
hold  it  between  your  thumb  and  finger. 

As  the  name  of  the  disease  indicates,  the  fluid  of  poliomyelitis 
contains  polionuclear  cells  and  this  is  one  of  the  strongest  diag- 
nostic points  and  well  remembering  and  should  also  make  this 
disease  more  homogeneous  and  easy  to  treat,  but  in  simple  lan- 
guage the  tommyrotodion  cerebro-cretinismal  elements  of  the 
clearasmudismial  serum  conjunction  with  a  Smithsonian  lumin- 
osity, when  mixed  with  the  seismic  forces  of  a  three  angled 
microcosm,  form  a  working  hypothesis  of  a  gummatous  triangle, 
so  why  I  ask  in  all  sincerity  shall  we  not  let  it  go  at  that  ?  All  of 
which,  as  you  well  know,  really  makes  a  sub-station  for  perfectly 
good  idiotherapeutical  nonsense — though  much  relished  by  the 
modern  and  scientific  homceopath  who  has  forgotten  most  every- 
thing he  ever  knew  of  his  materia  medica. 

Treatment. — Absolute  rest  and  a  rational  therapy  of  frequent 
spinal  punctures  and  blood  counts  is  imperative.  If  the  patient 
shows  a  tendency  to  place  the  legs  in  a  natural  and  comfortable 
position  they  should  at  once  be  moved  and  anchored  to  sand  bags 
and  heat,  cold  and  electricity  be  applied. 

After  the  expiration  of  three  or  four  weeks  of  this,  active 
treatment  with  physic  and  astringents,  emetics,  counter-irritants 
and  corrective  phlebotomy  should  be  started  together  with  such 
judicious  exhibition  of  sedatives  as  one  happens  to  have  with 
them  when  making  their  daily  visits. 

If,  notwithstanding  this  course  of  careful  preparedness  and 
watchful  waiting,  deformities  do  occur,  surgical  measures  must 
be  employed  to  correct  them  before  they  tend  to  recover  nat- 
urally. 

Stubborn  patients  who  give  evidence  that  they  mean  to  recover 
in  spite  of  any  and  all  that  science  has  done  for  them  thus  far 
should  at  least  be  made  to  swallow  repeated  doses  of  some 
promptly  absorbable  ferruginous  tonic  and  they  should  be  nour- 
ished entirely  on  peptonoids  or  other  predigested  foods. 

On  no  account  must  symptoms  of  spontaneous  improvement  be 


io  A   Scientific  Symposium. 

allowed  to  go  unchecked  or,  despite  of  the  best  efforts  of  the 
biological  and  laboratory  prescriber,  convalescence  may  set  in  and 
you  will  lose  your  patient. 

And  if  you  still  aspire  to  be  known  as  a  modern  and  scientific 
physician  BE  SURE  and  avoid  all  exhibition  of  the  indicated 
remedy  as  taught  by  Sam'l  Hahnemann. 

Second  Paper. 

BUT,  to  go  from  the  SUBLIME  to  the  ridiculous,  .  .  .  may 
we  not  hope  that  some  time,  somehow,  somewhere  some  wise  guy 
discovers  HOW  to  incorporate  this  intoxicating  spectacular  clap- 
trap of  modern  medicine  with  our  old  fashioned  homoeopathy 
.  .  .  without  eviscerating  it.  .  .  .  Then  will  have  been 
accomplished  the  one  thing  needful  to  popularize  and  perpetuate 
our  wonderful  school  of  healing. 

Drug  store  prescribing.  Shotgun  prescriptions.  Combination 
tablets.  Alternation  of  remedies.  The  indiscriminate  use  of 
laxatives.  The  hypodermic  needle.  The  unseemly  haste  to  use 
a  new  vacine  or  serum.  The  habit  of  prescribing  predigested 
foods.  The  readiness  with  which  we  resort  to  electricity  and 
other  adjuvants. 

All  this  acts  like  a  simoon  of  dust  and  simply  beclouds  our 
minds.  It  not  only  obscures  our  medical  horizon,  but  seriously 
impairs  our  mental  vision  so  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  get 
a  clear  picture  of  the  case  we  are  supposed  to  be  considering. 
r\nd  not  until  we  can  brush  away  this  cloud  of  spectacular  phan- 
toms can  we  make  even  a  conservatively  good  homoeopathic  pre- 
scription. Laboratory  methods,  biological  research,  skillful  sur- 
gery, valuable  as  they  all  are  in  their  place,  will  NEVER  serve 
to  put  a  homoeopathic  physician  where  he  can  accomplish  the 
wonderful  results  achieved  by  such  men  as  Hahnemann,  Hering, 
Lippe,  as  well  as  scores  of  others  long  since  gone  to  their  reward. 

THEREFORE  if  we  truly  and  earnestly  desire  to  maintain 
our  integrity  as  a  distinct  school  of  medicine,  if  we  wish  to  put 
homoeopathy  back  in  its  old  position  in  the  public  mind,  we  can 
do  it  in  one  way  only,  and  that  way  can  be  accomplished  by  the 
daily  study  of  HOMOEOPATHIC  MATERIA  MEDICA.  If 
we  ourselves  become  feeble  minded  about  its  beautiful  cures,  or 
if  we  are  from  anx  cause  whatsoever  led  avvav  from  the  truths 


A   Scientific   Symposium.  n 

of  its  scientific  teaching ;  if  we  find  we  are  incapable  of  practicing 
in  accordance  with  tis  laws;  if  the  tinkling  cymbals  of  the  domi- 
nant school  with  its  truly  wonderful  mastery  of  nothingness  over- 
whelms our  reasoning  powers  .  .  .  why  in  honesty  to  our- 
selves and  in  justice  to  our  suffering  patients  do  we  not  so  de- 
clare, and  give  humanity  a  chance  to  change  doctors. 

For  44  years  I  have  been  a  practicing  homoeopathic  physician. 
During  that  time  I  have  witnessed  many  marvelous  changes.  Sci- 
ence and  invention  have  accomplished  much  magic  and  many 
things  thought  impossible  years  ago  are  now  accepted  as  com- 
monplace. 

The  medical  libraries  of  that  early  day  are  now  obsolete.  I 
am  aware,  in  fact,  of  no  medical  works  that  have  stood  the 
gruelling  of  time  save  those  of  Hahnemann  and  his  school. 

The  polychrests  or  remedies  constituting  the  Materia  Medica 
of  our  first  practitioners,  however,  are  the  same  today  as  they 
then  were,  Unalterable,  Reliable  and  Praiseworthy.  The  disease 
symptoms  that  were  originally  dissipated  by  Aconite  and  Bella- 
donna and  Veratrum  and  Sulphur,  as  well  as  a  hundred  other 
drugs  then  used  and  proven  clinically  one  hundred  years  ago,  are 
as  potent  today  as  ever  and  the  Materia  Medica  of  Hahnemann 
stands  alone  like  the  Rock  of  Ages.  The  PREPAREDNESS  of 
our  medical  forefathers  has  made  the  honest  homoeopath  of  to- 
day invulnerable  in  his  warfare  with  disease.  Never  more  do  we 
have  to  grope  amid  the  darkness  of  drug  uncertainty. 

We  have  our  medical  storehouse  filled  to  overflowing  with 
priceless  gems  of  healing,  ours  for  the  taking,  and  each  possessing 
its  individual  powers  of  cure,  and  when,  owing  to  our  ignorant, 
faulty  care  of  the  house  beautiful  the  human  machinery  refused 
to  functionate  normally  and  we  are  ill,  the  means  for  restoration 
are  ours,  as  Homoeopaths  IF  we  have  the  key  to  the  house  men- 
tioned. And  the  KEY  of  my  doctors  is  called  MATERIA 
MEDICA.  And  in  order  to  use  this  key  and  be  sure  that  it  is 
right  side  up  so  as  to  insert  it  properly,  and  to  insure  its  turning 
so  that  each  ward  and  chamber  of  a  somewhat  complicated  lock 
shall  give  us  entrance  to  our  chosen  remedy,  we  must  study  it 
daily  so  long  as  we  do  live,  for  this  lock  is  a  time  lock  after  all 
and  only  by  study  can  one  learn  the  combination.  And  the  study 
each  day  of  this  good  old  fashioned  MATERIA  MEDICA  is  the 


12  Tetanus,    Its   Homoeopathic    Cure. 

ONLY  KEY  that  can  open  the  strong  box  that  contains  the  rich 
treasure  of  real  scientific  medical  knowledge  that  will  enable  us 
to  give  our  patients  what  they  most  desire  when  sick, 
a  sure,  SAFE  return  to  such  health  as  they  and  we  may  rea- 
sonably expect  and  are  entitled  to  at  our  hands  in  return  for  their 
willing  or  otherwi  sedollars. 


TETANUS,   ITS   HOMOEOPATHIC  CURE. 
By  Bert.  Johnson,  M.  D.,  Eureka,  Kan. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  paper  to  present  a  treatise  on  the 
disease  per  se  so  much  as  it  is  to  set  forth  the  best  known  treat- 
ment and  cure  of  the  infection. 

Tetanus  will  be  found  classed  by  some  authorities  under  acute 
infectious  diseases  and  by  some  under  general  and  functional 
cerebral  diseases.  Ordinarily,  I  would  think  it  best  to  assign 
it  to  the  class  of  acute  infections,  but  being  asked  by  the  Bureau 
of  Nervous  Diseases  to  write  a  paper  and  just  having  brought  a 
case  of  tetanus  through  to  recovery,  I  felt  better  qualified  on  that 
subject  than  any  other  nervous  disorder,  and  found  it  more  con- 
venient to  class  it  as  such.  For  a  nervous  disease  tetanus  surely 
is.  Its  origin  may  be  due  to  toxins  produced  by  the  tetanus  ba- 
cillus, but  the  effect  of  those  toxins  are  undoubtedly  upon  the 
nerve  centers  of  the  medulla  and  cord,  afflicting  the  motor  neurons 
chiefly.  In  the  traumatic  form  of  tetanus  (which  is  the  only 
form  we  are  here  considering)  there  is  usually  an  ascending  neu- 
ritis starting  from  the  wound. 

The  incubation  period  is  generally  from  ten  to  fifteen  days  fol- 
lowing date  of  injury,  but  may  be  several  months,  and  the  first 
symptoms  develop  after  wound  has  been  healed  for  some  time. 
Usually  the  longer  the  interval  between  the  date  of  injury  and 
the  manifestation  of  the  first  symptoms,  the  milder  the  course  of 
the  disease  and  the  better  the  chance  of  recovery.  The  mor- 
tality is  high  in  any  event,  being  given  as  ranging  from  eighty 
to  ninety  per  cent. 

The  symptoms  of  tetanus  being  familiar  to  all  physicians,  not 
much  will  be  said  concerning  them,  and  we  will  enter  at  once 
into  the  treatment,  which  in  this  day  and  age  must  needs  be 
prophylactic  first  and  curative  after. 


Tetanus,    Its   Homoeopathic    Cure.  13 

It  is  important  to  treat  every  wound  from  a  mere  scratch  or 
puncture  to  a  deep,  extensive  laceration  in  an  extremely  cleanly 
and  antiseptic  manner  and,  where  there  has  been  the  least  con- 
tamination with  soil,  to  enlarge  small  and  deep  wounds,  and  keep 
well  open  with  loose  gauze  packing  saturated  with  either  the 
hypochlorite  solution  of  Dr.  Carrel  or  the  sodium  citrate  solution 
of  Dr.  Wright.  These  solutions  promote  drainage  and  render 
wound  sterile  in  a  few  days  far  better  than  the  ordinary  anti- 
septics such  as  bichloride  of  mercury  or  carbolic  acid,  etc.  Bi- 
chloride of  mercury,  by  the  way,  is  fast  being  discarded  as  a  gen- 
eral antiseptic  on  account  of  the  albumen,  which  is  always  pres- 
ent in  the  blood  and  tissues,  rendering  it  inert. 

In  first  cleansing  a  contaminated  wound,  if  greasy,  gasoline 
is  a  handy  and  efficient  chemical  to  use  and  then  follow  up  with 
hydrogen  peroxide,  potassium  permanganate  or  other  oxidizing 
agents,  after  which  proceed  to  dress  with  gauze  as  before  stated. 

These  gauze  dressings  must  be  renewed  frequently  for  several 
days  or  until  certain  wound  is  sterile.  But  while  doing  all  this, 
don't  forget  the  indicated  homoeopathic  remedy.  You  will  gen- 
erally find  it  among  the  following:  Ledum,  Hypericum,  Cicuta. 
Staphisagria,  Arnica  or  Calendula. 

I  really  place  more  stress  upon  the  indicated  homoeopathic  rem- 
edy than  upon  all  other  treatment,  the  injection  of  anti-tetanic 
serum  included.  That  there  is  some  virtue  in  the  serum  we  must 
admit,  but  that  it  excels  or  even  approximates  the  indicated  rem- 
edy in  every  instance,  never.  It  may  be  the  best  combative 
means  the  Regular  School  have,  but  not  the  Homoeopathic  School, 
and  a  combination  of  the  two  is  poor  practice.  If  the  homoeo- 
pathic remedy  is  of  no  avail,  then  neither  is  the  antitoxine.  In 
desperate  cases  try  any  means  within  your  power.  "A  drown- 
ing man  grasps  at  a  straw."  "It  is  not  lack  of  faith,  but  lack  of 
knowledge,  that  makes  a  man  forsake  the  law  in  time  of  danger." 

You  will  find  Hypericum  most  frequently  indicated  in  these 
ca-es.  "Injury  to  parts  rich  in  sentient  nerves, — fingers,  b 
matrices  of  nails,  palms,  soles. — where  the  intolerable  pain  shows 
nerves  are  severely  involved.  Injuries  from  treading  on  nail-, 
needles,  tacks,  pin-,  splinters:  from  rat  bites;  prevents  lockjaw." 
''Punctured,  incised  or  lacerated  wound- :  sore  and  painful  be- 
yond appearances."  It  is  especially  indicated  in  injuries  evolving 
spinal  cord  and  nerve. 


14  Tetanus,   Its   Homoeopathic    Cure. 

Ledum  comes  next  in  frequency  of  indications  and  is  some- 
what like  Hypericum  in  that  it  is  of  use  in  injuries  resulting  from 
sharp  instruments,  awl,  nails,  rat  bites,  etc.  The  pains,  how- 
ever, are  more  sticking,  tearing,  throbbing  and  rheumatic ;  worse 
from  warmth  and  better  from  cold  and  wounded  parts  are  es- 
pecially cold  to  touch. 

Cicuta  Virosa  is  more  especially  to  be  thought  of  in  injuries 
from  splinters  in  which  spasms  or  trismus  shortly  result.  It  is 
more  into  the  treatment  than  the  prophylaxis   that  it  enters. 

Staphisagria  is  to  be  thought  of  in  "mechanical  injuries  from 
sharp-cutting  instruments,  post  surgical  operations ;  the  pains  are 
stinging  and  smarting,  like  the  cutting  of  a  knife." 

Arnica  would  be  given  following  traumatism  in  which  the  tis- 
sues have  been  contused  as  well  as  lacerated  and  Calendula  in 
uncontused  lacerated  wounds.  In  injuries  where  suppuration  is 
likely,  Hepar  sulphur,  low,  will  often  prevent  such  suppuration  or, 
where  it  has  already  taken  place,  a  high  potency  of  Hepar  sul- 
phur or  perhaps  Silicea  will  hasten  recovery  and  alleviate  the 
suffering. 

All  this  has  to  do  with  prophylaxis,  but  now  suppose  that,  in 
spite  of  this,  trismus  or  lockjaw  develops  or  you  are  not  called  to 
the  case  at  all  until  such  symptoms  are  manifested,  what  then  ? 

Well,  first  of  all,  keep  cool.  Don't  show  the  least  anxiety  or 
excitement  for  your  patients  is  always  very  susceptible.  Often 
the  least  touch,  jar  or  noise,  or  even  a  draft  of  air,  throws  him 
into  a  spasm.  The  diagnosis  is  plain.  If  not,  quietly  get  at  the 
history  of  the  case.  As  Dr.  John  B.  Murphy  has  said,  "The 
history  often  makes  its  own  diagnosis."  The  cardinal  symptoms 
are  an  injury,  even  the  slight,  received  ten  or  fifteen  days  previ- 
ously, tonic  or  clonic  spasms  of  the  muscles  of  neck  and  face, 
rigidity  of  muscles  of  back  and  lower  extremities  and  abdomen, 
with  litle  or  no  rigidity  of  arms.  The  temperature  is  usually 
normal  or  under  ioo.  There  is  often  a  good  appetite,  but  marked 
constipation.  Usually,  one  look  at  the  countenance  tells  the  tale 
— that  wrinkled  brow  and  sardonic  grin!  It  is  the  first  to  ap- 
pear in  tetanus  and  the  last  in  Strychnine  poisoning.  In  both 
consciousness  prevails  throughout. 

Now  as  to  the  treatment  when  tetanus  is  fully  developed. 
Time  is    precious,  delays  disastrous.     The  patient  should  be  put 


Tetanus,   Its   Homoeopathic   Cure.  15 

to  sleep  and  the  site  of  infection  widely  excised,  pure  carbolic 
acid  applied  followed  with  alcohol  and  alcohol  compresses  or 
dressings  kept  applied  for  several  days.  Have  patient  in  a  dark- 
ened, quiet,  well  ventilated  room  and  attended  by  only  one  person 
the  whole  time.  The  diet  should  be  liquid  and,  if  trismus  is 
marked,  rectal  feeding  should  be  employed  or  feeding  by  a  gas- 
tric tube  through  the  nose.  Action  of  bowels  are  best  produced 
by  high  enema  of  normal  saline. 

Start  giving  the  Homceopathic  remedy  at  once  and  keep  it  up 
at  frequent  intervals  until  improvement  begins,  then  lengthen 
intervals  of  administration.  Here,  again  Hypericum,  Cicuta, 
Ledum  come  into  use.  Occasionally,  Physostigma  is  indicated — 
"spasms  brought  on  by  the  slightest  breath  of  air  from  a  person 
passing." 

Magnesia  phosphorica  is  another  remedy  highly  useful  and 
may  be  given  along  with  another  medicine  without  interference. 
To  ease  the  painful  spasms,  I  know  of  nothing  better  Give  it 
in  the  thirtieth  or  higher  in  Hoc 'water  every  five'oi  ten  minutes 
in  severe  and  frequent  spasms.  At  all  times  keep  your  patient 
as  quiet  and  comfortable  as  possible.  Allow  no  visitors.  If  called 
upon  to  administer  -mti-tetai'ic  serum,  anc*  there  seems  no  way 
out  of  it — do  so  and  don't  be  stingy  with  it.  Often,  public  opin- 
ion is  brought  to  bear  upon  you  and  the  friends  or  relatives  de- 
mand that  antitoxine  be  used,  so  that  if  you  don't  use  it  they  will 
get  some  one  who  will,  even  though  the  case  may  be  improving 
and  doing  as  well  as  possible.  People  get  impatient  and  want 
results  quicker  than  is  best  or  possible  many  times.  They  de- 
mand that  you  have  consultation,  and  how  often  is  it  that  we 
Homoeopaths  in  small  towns  can  find  another  Homoeopath  to  call 
in?  Very  seldom,  for  usually  there  are  none  within  reach  and 
so  it  happens  that  the  Regular  man  comes  in.  All  he  knows  is 
serum.  Well  if  you  are  forced  to  use  it,  do  so  under  protest,  but 
stick  to  your  patient  nevertheless.  "God  never  loves  a  quitter." 
Give  the  antitetanic  serum  and  give  it  a  plenty  at  frequent  inter- 
vals. Begin  with  5,000  units  at  a  dose.  Inject  subcutaneously 
into  the  abdominal  tissues  and  near  the  site  of  infection.  A 
better  way,  it  is  said,  is  to  carefully  inject  without  fear  20  cc.  of 
the  antitoxine  directly  into  the  ventricle  of  the  brain,  or  do  a 
lumbar  puncture. 


16  Tetanus,    Its    Homoeopathic    Cure. 

In  injecting  into  the  ventricle,  anaesthetize  patient,  shave  scalp 
and,  by  means  of  a  Doyen,  burr  an  opening  over  the  posterior 
end  of  second  frontal  convolution  (Kocker's  point),  pass  needle 
and  inject  the  20  cc.  In  giving  it  subcutaneously,  repeat  at  in- 
tervals of  six  or  eight  hours  until  decided  improvement  occurs, 
then  double  time  between  injection  and  gradually  stop  altogether. 
The  serum  always  causes  a  decided  reaction — a  rise  in  tempera- 
ture, drowsiness  or  restlessness.  As  high  as  250,000  units  have 
been  given  without  any  bad  results. 

To  decrease  spasms,  the  Regular  School  inject  a  25  per  cent, 
solution  of  Magnesia  sulphate  with  good  results,  but  Magnesia 
phos.  by  mouth,  to  my  notion,  is  to  be  preferred. 

If  improvement  ensues,  the  patient  shows  it  in  a  relaxation  of 
muscles  from  above  downward, — jaw  and  facial  muscles  first, 
lower  extremities  last. 

The  writer  has  just  successfully  treated  a  case  of  tetanus  in  a 
poorly  nourished,  weakly  looking  boy  of  eight  years  of  age.  The 
history  of  ;1k  e^se  is  as  follows": 

On  December  27th  the  patient  rah  a"sp1inter  from  dirty  kitchen 
fV< \r*  'in  under  nail  of  .right  index  finger.  ,  It  caused  suppuration 
in  a  fewo  days,  and  much  pajn,  but  under  simple  home  treatment 
got  well  \:\  fiSptA  eight  or  nine  days  except  for  the  hail  being 
loose.  However,  at  just  this  time,  nine  days  after  injury  to 
finger,  the  boy,  who,  up  to  that  time,  except  for  pain  in  finger,  had 
been  feeling  all  right,  now  began  complaining  of  his  back  and 
neck.  Pain,  stiffness  of  muscles  of  back  and  neck  kept  increasing 
until  finally  on  the  evening  of  January  10th,  fourteen  days  fol- 
lowing injury  to  finger,  I  was  called  in. 

The  boy  was  a  perfect  stranger  to  me  and  just  my  entrance 
into  room  threw  him  into  a  tetanic  spasm.  His  jaw  set,  brow 
wrinkled  and  corners  of  mouth  were  drawn  into  a  set  grin.  He 
was  fully  conscious,  but  only  able  to  talk  through  his  teeth.  He 
seemed  in  great  misery.  His  temperature  was  100.  There  hardly 
was  a  relaxed  muscle  in  his  whole  body  except  in  his  forearms. 

Hypericum  500  in  water  was  given  him  every  two  hours  for 
five  doses  then  only  Sac.  lac.   for  a  day.*     On  the  third  day 


*  Although  injury  to  finger  was  at  this  time  painless  and  healed,  the 
nail  was  removed,  matrix  scraped  and  surface'  treated  with  pure  carbolic 
acid,   followed  by  alcohol   compresses   for  several   days. 


ledums,    Its    Homoeopathic    Lure.  17 

the  Hypericum  was  repeated.  There  was  just  a  slight  improve- 
ment. On  the  fifth  day  of  treatment  Cicuta  6x  (the  highest  po- 
tency I  had)  was  given  every  hour  and  improvement  was  more 
rapid.  Aside  from  constant  backache,  the  only  pain  the  boy  suf- 
fered was  when  tetanic  spasms  would  set  in,  which,  for  the  first 
few  days,  were  frequent  until  I  found  that  Magnesia  phos.  30th, 
in  hot  water,  at  ten  and  fifteen  minute  intervals,  soon  allayed 
them  and  the  convulsions  came  less  often.  Between  such  spasms 
his  jaw  and  neck  muscles  relaxed  and  he  could  open  mouth  nor- 
mally and  eat  all  the  family  could  get  him.  His  appetite  never 
failed.  Anything  unpleasant  to  taste,  however,  threw  him  into  a 
convulsion. 

Now  comes  "the  rub."  With  all  this  improvement,  in  the  face 
of  almost  fatal  odds — a  disease  of  extremely  high  mortality, 
amidst  noisy,  crowded,  filthy  surroundings — the  parents  of  the 
boy,  urged  on  by  neighbors  and  friends,  were  dissatisfied  and  in- 
sisted that  I  call  in  consultation.  This  I  did  on  the  seventh  day 
and  my  diagnosis  was  confirmed,  but,  of  course,  nothing  except 
anti-tetanic  serum  was  of  much  account.  This  has  been  so  ex- 
ploited by  serum  manufacturers  and  regular  profession  in  gen- 
eral that  the  laity  have  come  to  believe  it  the  only  treatment  just 
as,  with  diphtheria,  they  can  think  of  nothing  but  antitoxine,  when 
Homoeopaths  have  been  curing  it  for  the  past  one  hundred  years 
with  a  mortality  of  only  eight  per  cent. 

In  this  case  I  protested  my  best,  but  finally,  left  it  to  the  parents 
to  decide  and  they  decided  in  favor  of  the  serum  manufacturers, 
especially  since  the  local  boards  of  Associated  Charities  agreed  to 
pay  for  the  serum.  My  first  impulse  was  to  give  up  the  case 
right  then  and  there.  After  a  night's  restless  consideration,  how- 
ever, I  decided  to  stay  by  the  case  in  conjunction  with  the  "Reg- 
ular," but  it  was  several  days  before  I  relinquished  my  Cicuta. 

On  the  evening  of  the  seventh  day  of  treatment  3,000  units  of 
anti-tetanic  serum  were  administered  subcutaneously  into  ab- 
domen, followed  every  twelve  hours  with  5,000  units  until  25,000 
units  had  been  given.  For  a  fewr  days  after  injection  the  boy 
seemed  worse.  Another  "Regular"  called  in  to  see  the  case  at 
this  time,  wisely  shook  his  head  and  said,  "The  boy  won't  live.'3 
He  had  had  three  cases  in  past  ten  years  and  lost  them  all  in  spite 
of  the  earlv  administration  of  anti-tetanic  serum. 


1 8  Staphisagria. 

A  few  days  later  decided  improvement  began.  Gradually  re- 
laxation took  place  in  the  natural  order  of  from  above  down- 
ward, and  after  he  had  received  the  25,000  units,  24  hours  was 
allowed  between  injections,  of  which  he  only  received  two  more, 
making  a  total  of  35,000  units.  He  made  an  uneventful  recovery 
and  was  up  and  around  on  the  21st  day  following  commence- 
ment of  first  treatment  and  25th  day  following  onset  of  the  first 
symptoms. 

In  conclusion,  I  wish  to  state  that  I  am  firmly  convinced  that 
the  Homceopathic  remedy  alone  would  have  cured  this  case, 
though  I  must,  in  this  instance,  give  some  credit  to  anti-tetanic 
serum. 


STAPHISAGRIA. 


By  Dr.  J.  C.  Fahnestock,  Sea  Breeze  Ave.,  Palm 
Beach,  Florida. 

Staphisagria  has  quite  a  wide  sphere  of  action  among  acute 
as  well  as  chronic  sickness. 

In  a  few  words  I  shall  call  your  attention  to  just  a  few  of  the 
prominent  conditions  of  this  most  valuable  remedy.  Staphisagria 
is  rich  in  mental  symptoms  and  it  is  all  important  that  they  are 
well  understood.  I  say  important — for  it  is  the  mental  symp- 
toms or  the  impressions  that  are  made  upon  the  mind  that  in  turn 
are  reflected  to  different  parts  of  the  body  that  gives  us  the 
proper  knowledge  for  a  definite  selection  of  Staphisagria.  You 
will  read  in  the  mental  symptoms,  "Great  indignation  about  things 
done  by  others  or  by  himself."     "Grieves  about  consequences." 

You  will  see  by  this  expression  that  Staph,  is  suitable  to  cases 
brought  on  by  pent  up  anger,  or  grief,  and  often  a  silent 
"grouch"  runs  through  the  case. 

Patients  requiring  Staph,  are  very  irritable,  excitable,  at  the 
same  time  not  boisterous,  at  least  it  is  rarely  shown,  and  with  this 
irritability,  fatigue,  which  is  due  to  his  pent  up  emotions. 

A  slight  insult  causes  a  regular  breakdown,  goes  all  to  pieces, 
they  will  tell  you  of  troubles,  silent  troubles,  which  has  unfit  them 
for  business,  can't  sleep,  trembles  all  over,  brain  fag,  exceedingly 
nervous,  prostration  and  headache.     Just  think  how  often  you 


Staphisagria.  19 

have  found  such  cases  in  sexual  perverts,  those  that  constantly 
dwell  on  sexual  subjects  and  how  greatly  improved  by  Staph. 

Staph,  is  sometimes  called  the  "newly  wed  remedy."  Some 
women  suffer  severely  after  the  first  coition,  not  only  bodily,  but 
mentally,  with  a  constant  urging  to  urinate. 

Last  summer  a  newly  married  widow  (young)  came  to  my 
office  and  complained  bitterly  of  a  constant  desire  to  urinate. 
"Why,  I  am  obliged  to  urinate  every  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  day 
and  night — for  the  last  two  weeks."  Any  pain?  "No,  just  have 
to  go  all  the  time."    Staph.  30  promptly  cured. 

(Burning  in  the  urethra  when  not  urinating  often  points  to- 
Staph.) 

In  young  women  the  suffering  is  bodily  and  mentally  and  quite 
often  by  questioning  closely  you  will  find  the  external  genitals 
have  always  been  sensitive  and  especially  when  sitting. 

External  parts  are  so  sensitive  can  scarcely  wear  napkin  during 
the  menses.  It  does  not  stop  here,  but  there  may  be  inflammation 
of  the  ovaries  with  stinging,  burning,  and  a  pressing  down  sen- 
sation. 

Often  found  in  those  that  masturbate,  and  they  constantly  dwell 
upon  sexual  subjects.    In  just  such  subjects  Staph,  is  golden. 

In  babies  a  mental  condition  that  is  not  pent  up  is  frequently 
found,  the  baby  gets  angry,  which  is  followed  with  screaming, 
ugly,  pot-bellied  children,  and  especially  when  they  suffer  with 
their  teeth,  which  turns  black,  gums  swollen,  tender  to  the  touch, 
Staph,  is  a  Godsend  to  these  little  unfortunates.  (They  gener- 
ally have  a  history.) 

There  is  a  nervousness  that  runs  through  all  the  complaints 
that  requires  Staph.;  the  nervous  system  is  in  a  constant  fret. 

Don't  forget  the  state  fret.  Troubles  that  are  brought  on  by 
supposed  wrath  or  insult  and  is  followed  by  a  constant  fret. 

After  anger  or  insult  often  comes  on  a  colic  or  diarrhcea,  which 
I  have  seen  promptly  stopped  with  Staph. 

When  symptoms  agree  you  will  find  Staph,  frequently  re- 
quired for  the  after  effect  of  sexual  excesses,  self  abuse,  etc. 

There  is  often  found  hardenings  of  certain  tissues,  styes,  which 
leaves  hard  nodosities  (chalazion),  hardening  of  ovaries,  testi- 
cles, prostatic  glands,  of  tonsils.     Arthritic  nodosities. 

Just  take  an  hour  off  each  day  for  a  week  and  read  what  won- 
derful things  Staph,  can  do. 


20  A  Definite  System  of  Therapeutics. 

A  DEFINITE  SYSTEM   OF  THERAPEUTICS. 
By  Eli  G.  Jones,  M.  D.,  1404  Main  St.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

A  professor  in  a  medical  college,  in  teaching-  materia  medica, 
speaks  of  a  remedy  from  his  own  viewpoint,  or  that  of  the  school 
of  medicine  with  which  he  is  identified.  In  other  words,  he  tells 
only  a  part  and  oftentimes  a  very  small  part,  of  what  a  remedy 
will  really  do  for  the  sick.  From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  to 
know  materia  medica  is  to  know  all  about  what  a  remedy  will 
do  for  sick  people  we  must  study  the  materia  medica  of  all 
schools  of  medicine.  Then  we  know  the  true  indication  of  each 
remedy  and  just  what  we  can  do  with  it  in  our  battle  with  disease. 
The  very  first  thing  that  I  try  to  impress  upon  the  minds  of  my 
students  is  the  importance  of  ridding  their  minds  of  all  prejudice 
against  any  school  of  medicine,  but  have  an  open  mind,  ready  to 
seek  the  truth,  no  matter  where  the  quest  may  lead  them.  I  often 
use  this  illustration  in  teaching  materia  medica,  "Now  suppose 
that  I  should  take  you  out  in  a  beautiful  garden,  and  show  you 
all  the  beautiful  trees,  plants  and  flowers  gathered  from  every 
nation,  would  you  be  catisfied  to  pluck  the  first  pretty  flower  that 
came  to  your  notice?  It  seems  to  me  it  would  be  more  natural 
that  you  should  gather  a  bouquet  of  all  the  most  beautiful  flowers 
in  the  garden."  "I  take  you  out  in  the  garden  of  medical  knowl- 
edge, I  show  you  all  the  most  useful  remedies,  I  teach  you  the 
true  indications  for  each  remedy,  and  hozv  and  when  to  use  them 
in  healing  the  sick."  That,  dear  reader,  is  what  I  mean  by  teach- 
ing materia  medica.  In  all  my  writings  I  have  been  careful  and 
conscientious  about  the  statements  I  make  about  a  remedy,  unless 
it  had  been  tried  out  by  myself  by  actual  clinical  experience,  and 
not  by  "hearsay  evidence." 

Many  of  these  remedies  have  been  tested  upon  myself  in  health 
to  find  out  'definitely  what  they  would  do  in  disease  conditions. 
In  this  way  I  have  built  up  a  materia  medica  of  tried  remedies, 
and  when  I  tell  a  brother  physician  that  a  remedy  will  do  a  cer- 
tain thing,  he  has  learned  to  depend  upon  what  I  say.  I  abso- 
lutely believe  in  the  remedial  power  of  remedies  to  heal  the  sick 
just  as  much  as  I  believe  in  an  over-ruling  Providence.  My  be- 
lief in  my  remedies  is  a  part  of  my  religion.    Any  physician  who 


A  Definite  System  of  Therapeutics.  21 

has  no  faith  in  the  remedial  power  of  drugs  to  heal  the  sick  has 
no  business  in  the  profession.  If  he  holds  himself  out  to  the 
public  as  a  physician,  he  is  "obtaining  money  under  false  pre- 
tenses!" To  stem  the  tide  of  medical  nihilism  and  Drugless 
Healing  in  this  country  we  must  show  the  people  that  we  have 
absolute  faith  in  our  remedies  to  heal  the  sick.  That  we  are 
fitted  to  treat  successfully  the  diseases  common  to  our  country. 
The  early  fathers  of  r.«ie  new  school  taught  their  students  abso- 
lute confidence  in  their  remedies.  They  went  out  from  the  medi- 
cal college  with  a  fixed  belief  in  their  remedies.  They  had  per- 
fect confidence  in  themselves,  because  they  had  been  taught  a 
definite  treatment  for  the  diseases  they  would  meet  in  every  day 
practice.  As  a  result  of  such  teachings  they  grew  and  prospered. 
Their  success  in  healing  the  sick  is  today  a  matter  of  medical 
history.  Their  colleges  sprang  up  all  over  our  country  and  stu- 
dents flocked  to  them  from  all  parts  of  the  U.  S.  The  new  school 
was  then  at  the  "flood-tide"  of  their  prosperity.  Then  there  came 
a  time  when  they  began  to  retrograde.  Many  of  the  diseases  that 
their  fathers  cured  they  failed  to  cure.  They  were  not  having 
as  good  success  in  treating  the  sick  as  the  early  fathers  did. 
This  condition  was  soon  manifest  in  the  colleges  of  the  Eclectic, 
as  well  as  the  Physio-Medical  and  Homoeopathic  schools  of  medi- 
cine. Thus  we  find  that  instead  of  being  able  to  master  the  dis- 
eases common  to  our  country,  in  60  per  cent,  of  the  diseases 
common  to  our  country  the  mortality  was  increasing.  In  our 
failure  to  cure  the  diseases  common  to  our  country  the  drugless 
healers  have  grown  by  leaps  and  bounds!  What  is  the  remedy? 
It  is  simply  this,  we  must  revise  our  system  of  teaching  in  the 
medical  colleges  of  all  schools.  We  send  out  students  loaded 
down  with  technical  knowledge  of  their  profession,  but  they  lack 
the  most  important  thing  of  all.  They  are  not  fitted  to  heal  the 
sick.  They  cannot  cure  the  diseases  common  to  our  country. 
There  are  20,000,000  of  our  people  suffering  from  some  form  of 
chronic  disease.  Our  medical  student  turned  out  from  a  medi- 
cal college  cannot  cure  them  for  the  simple  reason  that  he  has 
not  been  taught  hozv  to  cure  them.  There  are  225,000  people  in 
the  U.  S.  suffering  from  cancer  and  75.000  victims  of  cancer 
die  each  year  in  this  country.  The  medical  students  turned  out 
from  our  medical  colleges  ought  to  know  how  to  treat  this  dis- 


22  A  Definite  System  of  Therapeutics. 

ease,  but  they  don't,  for  the  professors  can't  teach  students  what 
they  'don't  know  themselves! 

A  professor,  when  he  signs  a  student's  diploma,  certifies  to  the 
fact  that  he  believes  that  the  student  is  qualified  to  practice  medi- 
cine, but  is  he?  That  is  a  serious  question  for  our  medical  col- 
leges to  answer.  If  the  student  can't  cure  the  diseases  common 
to  our  country,  can  you  honestly  say  that  you  "think  he  is  quali- 
fied to  practice  medicine  ?"  Remember  that  it  is  the  business  of 
the  physician  to  heal  the  sick  and  it  is  his  'duty,  as  a  physician, 
to  fit  himself  for  the  business  of  treating  sick  people.  Copying 
your  lectures  out  of  a  medical  book  and  reading  from  the  manu- 
script to  the  medical  students  is  not  lecturing.  It  is  not  teaching 
medicine.  Any  person  with  ordinary  intelligence  could  do  all 
that.  A  professor  in  a  medical  college  should  be  able  to  stand  up 
before  a  class  of  students  and  tell  them  what  he  knoivs  about  the 
subject  by  actual  clinical  experience  in  everyday  practice.  In 
teaching  my  students  I  never  use  manuscript  or  notes.  I  want 
to  look  the  student  right  in  the  eyes.  I  want  to  talk  to  the  man 
himself  and  when  I  get  through  he  will  remember  what  I  tell 
him.  The  system  of  teaching  medical  students  will  have  to  be 
revised  in  all  our  medical  colleges  if  we  really  mean  to1  turn  out 
students  fitted  to  heal  the  sick. 

I  have  a  better  opportunity  for  knowing  the  weak  points  of 
the  doctors  of  all  schools  of  medicine : 

First.  Because  I  have  in  my  lifetime  met  physicians  of  differ- 
ent schools  of  medicine  in  consultation  in  forty  States  of  the 
Union. 

Second.  I  have  written  articles  for  our  health  journals.  I 
know  the  needs  of  the  people.  I  know  what  the  doctors  are  not 
doing  for  the  public. 

Third.  I  have  been  teaching  physicians  how  to  heal  the  sick 
for  twenty-five  years. 

Fourth.  My  correspondence  for  many  years  with  physicians 
of  all  schools  of  medicine  from  all  parts  of  the  U.  S.  has  given 
me  a  very  clear  understanding  of  what  our  physicians  are  not 
doing  for  the  sick. 

While  I  live  and  God  gives  me  strength  to  do  it,  I  shall  do 
what  I  can  to  help  our  doctors  to  do  more  for  the  sick  than  they 
are  doing.  To  be  better  physicians.  When  my  work  is  done,  may 


A  Definite  System  of  Therapeutics.  23 

some  man  be  raised  up  to  do  this  work  for  the  profession  and  do 
it  much  better  than  I  have  done.  Meanwhile  the  men  whom  I 
have  helped  to  be  better  physicians  will  not  forget  the  man  who 
has  not  only  been  a  teacher,  but  more  than  that,  a  father  to  them. 
May  God  bless  you  and  help  you  to  do  your  whole  duty  by  your 
patients.  Every  cure  that  you  make  binds  the  people  more  closely 
to  you,  every  cure  that  you  make  is  a  standing  advertisement  of 
your  success  in  healing  the  sick.  Remember  that  trWhat  man 
has  done,  man  may  do."  When  a  therapeutic  fact  is  in  your 
head,  it  is  yours,  but  if  it  is  in  the  books  it  is  not!  The  other 
man  has  made  his  reputation  (be  it  good  or  bad),  but  you  have 
got  yours  to  make,  and  it  must  be  made  upon  the  cures  that 
you  make,  not  upon  your  failures.  The  undertaker  reaps  the 
reward  of  your  failures! 

God  helps  the  man  who  helps  himself,  when  we  give  what 
we  believe  to  be  the  indicated  remedy.  The  remedy  we  honestly 
believe  is  needed  for  our  patient,  then  we  can  with  perfect  faith 
in  the  Great  Physician  ask  His  blessing  on  the  remedies  we  pre- 
scribe for  our  patient,  and  we  will  get  good  results  from  our 
treatment.  Xapoleon  used  to  say,  "That  the  Almighty  was  on 
the  side  of  the  heaviest  artillery."  We  have  the  heaviets  artillery 
ivhcn  we  give  the  remedy  that  is  indicated  in  that  particular  case. 

What  I  have  written  is  a  "heart  to  heart"  talk  with  my  readers, 
founded  on  an  experience  and  observation  of  forty-seven  years 
in  the  medical  profession.  It  is  an  honest  opinion  of  one  who 
loves  his  profession  and  from  one  who  loves  his  fellowmen. 
From  a  man  so  broad  minded  and  big  hearted,  that  he  can  recog- 
nize all  physicians  as  brothers  and  extends  to  them  the  right  hand 
of  fellowship.  For  me  there  is  no  "line  of  demarcation/'  no 
walls  of  mystery,  but  I  see  a  grand  profession  united  in  one  great 
body  of  noble  men,  with  one  object  in  view,  to  find  the  best,  the 
most  definite  means  of  healing  the  sick. 

Several  years  ago  I  had  an  invitation  to  deliver  an  address  be- 
fore .the  "National  Association  of  Suggestive  Therapeutics,"  at 
Nevada  Missouri.  Very  many  of  the  "bright  lights"  of  the  liter- 
ary- world  were  to  be  present.  All  my  expenses  were  to  be  paid 
on  the  trip.  The  social  feature  of  the  meeting  appealed  to  me 
very  strongly,  but  I  could  not  see  the  sense  of  my  delivering  an 
address  on  medicine  before  a  body  of  men  and  women  who  had 
no  faith  in  medicine. 


24  Burns — How  to  Escape  Skin   Grafting  in  Bums. 

During  the  past  year  I  was  offered  the  appointment  of  Con- 
sulting Physician  to  a  large  Chiropractic  Hospital  in  New  Jersey, 
but  I  declined  the  appointment,  for  I  felt  that  I  could  not  identify 
myself  with  a  system  of  therapeutics  that  discarded  drugs  in 
their  treatment  of  the  sick.  I  never  argue  with  these  drugless 
healers.  I  tell  them  that  "they  have  as  much  right  to  their  opin- 
ion as  I  have  to  mine."  Every  form  of  healing,  whether  with 
drugs  or  without,  must  be  tried  out  before  the  public.  They  sit 
as  a  jury,  and  they  will  sift  the  evidence,  and  when  they  do  ren- 
der a  verdict,  you  can  depend  upon  it  that  it  will  be  a  righteous 
one.  May  God  help  the  medical  profession  in  this  country  when 
that  verdict  is  returned.  For  they  will  see  the  handwriting  on 
the  wall,  "Thou  hast  been  weighed  in  the   balance  and  found 


BURNS— HOW    TO    ESCAPE    SKIN    GRAFTING  IN 

BURNS,  EXTENSIVE  OR  OTHERWISE,  WHAT 

TO  USE  AND  HOW  TO  USE   IT. 

By  Dr.  E.  B.  Fanning,  Colorado  City,  Colo. 

Sunday.    August    16,    19 14,    I    was  called  to  attend  Clarence 
,  four  years,  who  had  set  his  shirt  afire  while  playing  with 


matches  in  alley  at  rear  of  his  home.  His  father  heard  him  cry- 
ing and  went  to  the  door  to  investigate  and  saw  the  boy  running 
towards  him  with  clothing  ablaze ;  the  child  fell  to  the  ground 
before  reaching  his  father,  who  picked  him  up  soon  as  he  got 
to  him  and  knocked  off  the  charred  and  burning  shirt  and  carried 
him  in  the  house,  placed  him  on  bed  and  'phoned  for  me.  I  told 
him  to  go  at  once  to  drug  store  and  get  a  quart  of  linseed  oil 
and  I  would  be  right  up.  Half  a  dozen  neighbor  women  had  ar- 
rived ahead  of  me  and  four  or  five  were  busy  scraping  white 
potatoes  and  spreading  it  over  the  chest.  I  found  that  the  skin 
of  the  whole  chest  was  almost  completely  burned  off  and  some 
places  roasted  and  charred.  The  right  axilla  and  inner  side  of 
muscles  of  right  arm  were  partly  roasted  away.  The  left  side 
and  arm  not  so  extensively.  Both  sides  of  chest  were  completely 
denuded  of  skin.  The  child  was  in  a  semi-conscious  state.  The 
father  arrived  shortly  after  I  got  there  with  the  oil.  At  intervals 
the  child  would  rally  and  give  a  screech  and  then  lapse  off  again. 


Burns — Hozv  to  Escape  Skin  Grafting  in  Burns.  25 

sed  him  several  times  and  gave  Kali  phos.  and  Cautharis 
ately  and  with  the  oil  we  made  poultices,  using  flour,  and 
applied  them  directly  to  the  burnt  portions  and  had  them  renewed 
en  as  they  would  get  dry.  This  treatment  was  continued 
for  thirty  or  thirty-six  hours.  I  forget  which,  but  until  I  was 
satisfied  the  fire  was  all  out.  I  had  used  this  treatment  before  and 
knew  what  it  would  do.  Then  I  began  to  use  Asepsin.  I  dis- 
solved 1  grain  in  one-half  pint  distilled  water  (  any  good  water 
will  answer  just  as  well),  but  I  happened  to  have  it  on  hand  in 
quantity.  Of  this  mixture  I  added  a  tablespoonful  to  three  or 
four  ounces  of  lukewarm  water  and  sprayed  the  whole  chest, 
neck  and  arms,  where  the  fire  touched.  His  face  escaped  except 
for  a  few  small  blisters  on  right  cheek.  The  throat  and  under 
the  jaw  both  sides  got  seared,  caused  by  holding  his  head  back- 
to  escape  flame  coming  in  his  face,  which  may  also  have  caused 
him  to  stumble  and  fall.  \\ 'here  the  scraped  potatoes  had  been 
placed  on  center  of  chest,  it  dried  and  formed  a  hard,  black, 
leathery  crust  about  3^2  inches  long  and  easily  21 2  wide.  After 
spraving  gently  with  the  Asepsin  solution  we  applied  muslin 
cloth-,  soaked  in  olive  oil.  This  treatment  was  kept  up  twice  a 
day,  from  August  16th  until  December  1st.  I  discharged  him 
on  the  15th  of  December,  1914,  cured. 

Except  the  olive  oil  was  stopped  and  sweet  oil  substituted  be- 
eause  the  cloths  would  get  dry  and  hard,  latter  proved  very 
little  better,  causing  bleeding  when  removed  and  pain  to  the  pa- 
tient. Someone  suggested  Unguentine  and  by  spreading  it  on 
muslin,  and  applying  it  proved  just  the  thing  and  all  went  well 
so  far  as  local  treatment  was  concerned.  From  three  to  five  days 
after  beginning  the  application  of  Asepsin  little  white  spots  or 
dots  appeared  here  and  there  on  the  denuded  surface :  those  were 
grafts  they  sloughed  away,  but  reappeared  and  held  where  not 
injured  by  removing  the  dressing  which  had  to  be  done  very 
gently.  We  also  noticed  new  skin  forming  around  the  periphery 
of  burned  surface.  Six  weeks  after  beginning  treatment  the 
breastplate  of  dried  potatoes  and  burnt  skin  came  loose  and  I 
lifted  it  off,  leaving  a  surface  covered  by  considerable  pus  and 
bleeding  points.  This  was  thoroughlv  sprayed  and  dressed,  first, 
with  Zinc  cerate  on  bleeding  points,  then  with  greased  cloths. 
All   went  well   until   one   day   upon   removing  dressing   I    found 


26  Burns — How  to  Escape  Skin  Grafting  in  Burns. 

a  number  of  ulcers.  I  looked  at  child's  tongue  and  found  it 
coated — previously  it  had  been  clean,  bowels  regular  and  appe- 
tite, etc.,  good.  His  diet  had  consisted  entirely  of  oatmeal,  soft 
eggs,  bread  and  butter  and  milk ;  he  had  thrived  on  this  and 
gained  flesh ;  of  course,  the  medicine  had  been  continued,  as  soon 
slight  kidney  trouble  had  developed.  I  found,  on  questioning, 
that  the  good  neighbors  had  been  treating  the  boy  to  nice  cakes, 
puddings,  etc.  Hence  the  ulcers.  This  was  stopped  and  the  ul- 
cers soon  disappeared.  All  this  time  the  new  skin  was  encroach- 
ing from  the  periphery  and  spots  shooting  towards  center  from 
many  places.  New  skin  started  from  lower  end  of  sternum  and 
run  upwards  almost  like  magic.  The  patient  continued  to  im- 
prove. About  the  middle  of  October  a  new  nurse  came  on  the 
scene  through  the  city  physician.  One  morning  after  she  had 
been  on  the  case  about  a  week  I  was  informed  before  removing 
the  dressing  that  there  were  several  black  spots  on  the  chest  the 
evening  before.  When  the  dressing  was  finally  removed  I  beheld, 
to  my  horror,  a  dozen  or  more  black  blisters,  some  as  large  as 
half  dollars,  some  much  smaller.     My  first  words  were :  What  in 

the  d 1  caused  this,  has  he  had  any  more  cakes  ?    No,  nothing 

but  what  you  ordered.  Well,  I  said,  there  is  something  wrong 
somewhere.  The  child's  eyes  looked  bad,  he  was  not  himself 
while  I  was  examining  his  kidneys,  etc.,  as  best  I  could.  The 
father  spoke  up  and  said,  Doctor,  do  you  suppose  orangeade 
would  cause  it?  I  said,  who's  been  giving  him  that  trash?  He 
said  the  nurse  gives  him  all  he  wants.  Where  is  she,  I  asked. 
Out  on  an  errand.  Well  I  was  angry.  It  was  bad  enough  to 
have  the  father  in  the  house  and  it  placarded  back  and  front  with 
small-pox  cards  when  it  was  only  chicken-pox  without  sending 
me  a  nurse  who  didn't  know  enough  to  feed  a  sick  kitten.  Well, 
she  got  her's  and  then  got  out  and  the  mother  and  I  did  the 
nursing  and  feeding. 

I  opened  the  blisters  and  let  out  contents,  which  were  as  black 
as  ink.  By  this  time  new  skin  was  forming  in  splotches  in  a 
number  of  places,  but  I  had  more  ulcers  to  contend  with  and 
more  of  the  powder  was  applied  and  freely.  The  left  side  was 
pretty  well  skinned  over,  but  the  right  side  and  arm  being  roasted 
and  axilla  almost  completely  obliterated  proved  very  stubborn 
and  the  side  would  bleed  more  or  less  every  time  it  was  dressed. 


Burns — How  to  Escape  Skin  Grafting  in  Burns.  27 

After  the  father  got  well,  which  was  several  days,  the  mother 
took  sick,  which  lasted  three  days,  when  she  was  up  and  around ; 
her's  came  out  on  back,  the  father's  came  principally  on  face. 
Then  the  older  girl  had  seven  pocks  come,  all  on  face,  but  was 
not  sick  in  the  least ;  next,  the  baby,  she  had  three,  two  on  body 
and  one  on  cheek ;  next,  and  lastly,  the  patient  on  his  back  in  crib. 
I  had  not  reported  the  cases  for  I  knew  they  were  not  small-pox 
and  the  doctors  were  not  reporting  chicken-pox.  Well,  the  little 
fellow  had  them  to  perfection,  from  top  of  his  head  to  soles  of 
feet,  and  then  I  got  mine  in  shape  of  a  warrant  and  that  was 
what  I  was  expecting.  The  child,  at  this  time,  was  in  good  shape, 
had  fleshed  up  and  was  able  to  stand  a  hard  knock,  but  he  was 
not  made  ill  in  the  least;  all  he  desired  was  water  and  he  got 
plenty;  they  all  dried  up  and  disappeared,  he  never  had  a  pock 
mark  on  him.  At  the  trial  we  proved  it  was  nothing  but  chicken- 
pox.  I  was  fined  twenty  dollars  and  costs  of  six  fifty.  Six 
months  later  we  compromised.  I  paid  $3.00  and  city  paid  my 
witness  fees.  The  boy  was  put  on  Arsenicum  200tl*  for  his  blood 
condition  and  orange  juice  discarded,  the  usual  diet  continued. 
Eventually  the  whole  left  side  and  chest  was  healed,  the  right  side 
mended  slow,  but  skin  formed  in  axilla.  I  cut  it  loose  four  times 
and  tore  it  loose  twice  after.  During  operation  and  dressing  it 
I  would  place  a  pad  up  against  the  axilla  and  bind  it  as  snug 
as  I  dared  over  the  shoulder  and  around  his  neck;  this  finally 
solved  the  problem  and  today  he  has  rather  a  badly  scarred  arm, 
but  fully  as  good  use  of  it  as  he  has  of  the  left  one ;  and  when 
meeting  me  he  used  to  take  pleasure  in  showing  me  how  well 
he  could  use  it  by  pushing  both  hands  above  his  head  as  high  as 
he  could  extend  them. 

I  have  four  cases  in  all  to  report,  two  of  them  minor  cases,  one 
being  a  horse,  but  with  same  treatment  and  results.  The  next 
will  be  the  case  of  a  little  girl,  four  years,  whose  clothes  caught 
from  a  bonfire  and  burned  the  skin  completely  from  her  but- 
tocks, the  posterior  of  one  thigh  and  calf.  The  little  boy  had  to 
lay  on  his  back  nearly  five  months,  but  the  little  girl  had  to  lay 
on  her  stomach  only  two  months.  This  was  due  partly  to  the 
fact  that  her  burns  were  not  so  deep  in  places  and  to  better  sani- 
tary conditions  and  environments.  The  treatment  was  the  same. 
And  will  also  say  something  more  about  .  isepsin  and  its  uses,  etc. 


28  An  Awful  Dream. 

I  never  heard  of  its  being  used  for  burns  until  I  used  it  m 
I  procured  my  first  bottle  from  Lloyd  Bros.,  Cincinnati,  O.     It  is 
an  Eclectic  preparation.     My  last  bottle  was  procured  through 
a  Denver  house. 


AN   AWFUL   DREAM. 
By  G.  E.  Dienst,  M.  D.,  Aurora,  111. 

Less  than  a  century  ago,  I  visited  a  meeting — convention — of 
doctors.  They  seemed  to  belong  to  one  and  the  same  school  of 
practice.  There  were  present  the  old  "wheel  horses"  who  had 
paved  the  way  for  future  generations,  who  established  colleges, 
built  hospitals,  edited  journals,  wrote  books  and  practiced  medi- 
cine day  and  night  in  order  to  keep  soul  and  body  together. 

There  were  also  present  many  of  their  students,  graduates  from 
colleges,  where  these  men  taught ;  men  who  seemed  to  be  tread- 
ing the  foot-steps  of  their  preceptors. 

There  was  also  the  more  recent  graduate,  vigorous,  energtic, 
loquacious,  and  with  a  vocabulary  of  monstrous  words  which  he 
used  unstintedly  when  occasion  permitted. 

The  papers  presented  were  well  written,  some  were  fairly  well 
read,  many  contained  excellent  thoughts,  all  of  which  were  ex- 
haustively discussed  by  the  younger  element  in  particular,  whose 
wisdom  seemed  above  par. 

As  I  listened  to  the  papers  and  discussions,  saw  the  varied 
facial  expressions  of  those  present,  I  was  impressed  with  the  ap- 
parent disappointment  of  the  veterans  as  point  after  point  was 
argued.  It  readily  seemed  that  the  majority  of  the  participants 
were  seeking  to  magnify  a  word  or  phrase  the  real  meaning  of 
which  they  either  misunderstood  or  refused  to  understand.  The 
thought  forced  itself  upon  my  mind  that  the  more  recent  mem- 
bers of  the  convention  were  endeavoring  with  all  the  power  of 
their  gray  matter  to  see  how  far  they  could  miss  the  mark  and 
yet  shoot  in  one  common  direction. 

My  soul  grew  weary  at  all  this  and  began  to  feel  as  my  stomach 
would  when  eating  soup  without  salt.  In  this  disturbed  state  of 
nund  I  went  to  my  room,  retired,  and  fell  asleep.  Soon  I  was  as 
in  the  midst  of  a  most  horrible  dream. 

I  was  in  a  convention  of  Baptist  preachers.    There  were  present 


An  Awful  Dream.  29 

the  aged  fathers  who  had  paved  the  way  for  present  and  future 
generations,  who  founded  colleges,  built  churches,  edited  church 
papers,  traveled  over  unbeaten  woodlands  and  prairies  to  organ- 
ize parishes  and  save  precious  souls  from  sin.  These  aged  fathers 
have  put  the  Baptist  church  in  its  present  prosperous  condition,  as 
any  one  may  see  by  a  cursory  glance  at  the  religious  world  of 
today. 

There  were  present,  also,  some  of  their  converts,  men  who,  be- 
cause of  the  teachings  and  examples  of  these  veterans,  have  chosen 
the  ministry  as  their  life's  vocation.  Here  were  also  some  recent 
licentiates,  fresh  from  the  Seminary,  full  of  life  and  vigor — pos- 
sibly of  piety.  Of  course,  one  would  suppose  that  the  doctrines 
and  customs  of  the  Baptist  Church  would  receive  the  first  and 
most  unanimous  indorsement  in  a  place  like  this.  Such  was,  in- 
deed, the  case  when  the  older  men.  whose  studies  and  experi- 
ence had  confirmed  the  truth  of  their  preaching  and  practice, 
spoke.  But  I  w'as  amazed  at  the  remarks  of  some  of  the  pro- 
fessors and  editors  of  church  literature,  also  at  statements  by  the 
more  recent  graduate  who  spoke  fluently  of  the  Baptist  Church 
as  a  Church,  but  rather  insidiously  repudiated  the  most  cardinal 
doctrines  of  the  church  as  antiquated,  some  even  admitting, 
though  graduated  from  a  Baptist  Seminary  and  officiating  under 
a  Baptist  license,  that  they  had  never  read  the  Bible. 

Some  went  so  far  as  to  advocate  Baptism  in  salt  water  rather 
than  fresh,  as  had  always  been  the  custom.  To  this  the  younger 
element  gladly  consented.  Much  time  was  assumed  in  discussing 
the  proportion  of  salt  necessary  to  cleanse  a  soul  from  sin.  Others 
who  call  themselves  the  more  advanced  and  more  modern  ele- 
ment in  the  church  advocated,  rather  vociferously,  the  use  of  salt 
and  sulphur  as  a  necessary  combination  in  water  used  for  Bap- 
tism, else  the  convert — the  sin  sick — would  not  be  perfectly  saved. 
Others  still,  while  believing  in  the  efficacy  of  salt  and  sulphur 
water  as  the  only  means  of  salvation,  taught  that  these  should  be 
alternated  and  not  combined,  but  could  not  determine  which 
should  be  administered  first,  nor  how  frequently  they  should  be 
alternated  to  be  effective.  Others,  again,  argued  strenuously  that 
in  order  to  be  modern  and  meet  the  demands  of  the  times  there 
should  be  placed  in  the  Baptismal  tank  a  liberal  quantity  of  Colo- 
rado clay  or  Indiana  mud.     Some  of  those  present  almost  fainted 


30  Chronicles  of  the  Farm. 

at  this  when  suddenly,  away  over  in  the  amen  corner,  there  arose 
a  dyspeptic  professor  who  exclaimed — "Brethren,  man  is  but  an 
animal,  and  in  my  experience  I  have  found  the  use  of  animal 
plasms  in  the  Baptismal  water  of  remarkable  saving  efficiency. 

I  became  alarmed  for  the  mental  condition  of  the  brethren, 
when  I  was  shocked  by  the  voice  of  a  prominent  city  pastor  who 
said — 'True,  man  is  an  animal,  but  in  many  things,  particularly 
in  structure  and  function  of  some  of  his  organs,  he  differs  from 
animals  and  my  experience  teaches  that  blood  taken  from  the 
sinners'  veins  and'  used  in  the  water  prepared  for  his  individual 
Baptism  is  most  effective."  This  created  great  confusion.  Dur- 
ing the  entire  discussion  the  real  truths  which  gave  birth  to  the 
Baptist  Church  and  its  prosperity,  which  gave  spiritual  birth,  nu- 
trition and  vocation  to  many  of  the  members  of  this  convention, 
was  seldom  mentioned  except  by  the  true  and  tried,  who  were 
alluded  to  by  the  debaters  as  belonging  to  the  fossiliferous  age. 
The  veterans  witnessed  all  this  in  sadness,  and  when  permitted 
to  speak  referred  to  the  folly  of  modern  perversion  of  truth  and 
tried  to  maintain  the  essence  of  a  true  baptism  in  pure  un- 
adulterated water. 

The  debate  became  acrimonious  when  some  one  moved  an  ap- 
peal to  the  laity  which  was  carried.  Great  crowds  of  Baptists 
from  all  over  the  world  assembled.  The  debate  was  repeated, 
clergy  from  other  churches  were  present  to  hear  this  discussion, 
and  when  the  vote  was  taken,  with  one  accord,  visiting  clergy 
included,  the  laity  cried  aloud, — "Pure  cold  water,  pure  un- 
adulterated water,  and  a  single  baptism  for  us,  now  and  forever. 
We  know  what  it  is.  It  saved  us.  It  will  save  others,,  no  adul- 
terations, no  mixtures,  no  combinations,  no  alternations,  no  hy- 
pocrisy in  Baptism  for  us.  And  the  hosts  of  heaven  shouted — 
"Amen ;  Amen."    At  this  I  awoke  and,  behold,  what  a  dream. 


CHRONICLES  OF  THE  FARM. 
By  Dr.  Blanke. 

One  day  there  assembled,  by  chance,  in  the  shade  of  the  barn, 
Capt.  Olde  Horse,  Mr.  A.  Donkey,  Judge  Turkey,  Professor 
Graye  Goose,  Doctor  Mallard  Duck'e,  Mrs.  Plymouth  Rocke,  Mr. 
Bantam  Rooster,  and  several  other  unimportant  personages.     Of 


Chronicles  of  the  Farm.  31 

course,  like  all  respectable  citizens  they  talked  very  much.  Among 
other  things,  they  talked  fighting.  Mrs.  Plymouth  Rocke  (much 
to  Mr.  P.'s  satisfaction)  was  strongly  opposed  to  fighting.  In 
fact,  as  Bantam  once  said,  she  was  ready  to  fight  for  peace.  Be- 
longing, as  she  did,  to  the  better  class  mothers  of  the  Plantation 
her  word  carried  great  weight.  Among  other  things  on  this  oc- 
casion she  said :  "Our  civilization  has  advanced  to  its  present 
level  not  because  of,  but  in  spite  of  fighting."  The  others,  at 
this,  glanced  a  bit  nervously  at  grim  Game  Cocke,  who  was  stand- 
ing not  far  off,  but  his  attention  at  the  moment  was  centered  else- 
where, the  reason  being  apparent  when  a  finely  appareled 
rooster,  a  stranger,  flew  to  the  top  of  the  fence.  As  the  others 
edged  away  to  places  of  safety,  while  Game  Cocke  defied  the 
stranger  in  such  terms  that  Mrs.  Plymouth  Rocke  indignantly 
exclaimed:   "Such  language  is  scandalous." 

After  an  exchange  of  pour  parleys  the  stranger  came  down  into 
the  yard  and  the  battle  was  on.  Bantam  remarked  afterwards 
it  was  "fierce."  "But,"  he  said  approvingly,  "old  Gamy  finally 
landed  his  left  spur  square  on  the  other's  neck  and  he  could  not, 
nor  never  can,  rise  to  the  count.     It  was  great !" 

The  next  day  in  discussing  the  cause  of  such  combats  the  Pro- 
fessor expressed  the  opinion  it  was  "atavism,  lingering  traits  re- 
maining from  the  days  when  we  were  two-legged  and  feather- 
less." 

The  Doctor  thought  it  was  due  to  liver  and  spleen  troubles 
which  could  be  prevented  "by  proper  medical  supervision  of  the 
young." 

The  Judge  dogmatically  declared  the  cause  was  "lack  of 
proper  respect  for  the  law." 

Bantam  said  such  "scraps"  came  about  because  "every  fellow 
wants  to  be  the  boss." 

"Yes,"  chimed  in  Mrs.  Plymouth  Rocke,  "if  our  sex  were  what 
you  vulgarly  term  'the  boss'  there  would  be  no  more  war." 

"Try  it  the  other  way  about,"  came  from  Mr.  Barnyarde  Fowle, 
"you  hens  always  have  bossed  things." 

"Barnyarde,  I'm  ashamed  of  you !"  snapped  Mrs.  B.  F. 

After  much  and  noisy  discussion  nearly  resulting  in  a  fight  the 
Captain  asked  Mr.  Donkey  what  is  the  cause  of  war? 

"I  don't  know,"  was  the  reply. 

"An  honest  citizen,"  commented  the  Captain. 


32  Obituary. 

OBITUARY. 
J.  D.  Buck. 

Dr.  T.  D.  Buck,  aged  78,  one  of  the  best  known  physicians  of 
Cincinnati,  died  at  his  residence,  628  Oak  street,  last  night  after 
an  illness  extending  over  a  period  of  more  than  a  year. 

Conspicuous  always  among  the  practitioners  of  a  large  com- 
munity, he  devoted  a  liberal  portion  of  his  time  to  lecturing  upon 
the  various  sciences  and  arts  and  topics  important  and  of  gen- 
eral discussion.  He  was  a  pioneer  locally  among  those  who  gave 
earnest  attention  to  research  in  science  and  in  the  progressive 
study  of  the  numerous  and  newly  arisen  isms. 

He  was  something  more  than  a  student,  making  practical  and 
scientific  investigations  of  the  various  theories  and  dogmas  cur- 
rent and  of  large  acceptance. 

Dr.  Buck  was  a  writer  as  well  as  a  student,  and  in  ripe  scholar- 
ship and  out  of  his  vast  experience  wrote  many  books  of  distin- 
guished value  upon  numerous  and  various  subjects,  beliefs  and 
theories. 

He  was  born  in  Fredonia,  N.  Y..  November  20,  1838.  The 
early  death  of  his  father  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  quit  school 
before  his  education  was  completed,  but  while  he  was  working 
and  aiding  in  the  support  of  his  mother,  he  began  his  studies 
along  those  fundamental  scientific  lines  which  later  served  to  dis- 
tinguish his  work  as  original,  in  medicine  as  well  as  in  the  field 
of  general  literature. 

At  the  age  of  23  he  entered  at  the  first  call  for  Civil  War  vet- 
erans, in  Merrill's  Horse,  Company  H,  a  regiment  recruited  at 
Battle  Creek,  Mich.  He  began  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr. 
Smith  Rogers,  at  Battle  Creek,  later  attending  Hahnemann  Col- 
lege, at  Chicago,  and  graduated  in  1864  from  the  Cleveland  Medi- 
cal College. 

In  1865  he  was  married  to  Melissa  Clough,  of  Fredonia,  N.  Y. 
In  1866  he  was  made  Instructor  in  Physiology  and  Histology  in 
his  Alma  Mater,  at  Cleveland. 

In  August,  1870,  he  came  to  Cincinnati.  In  1872  he  called  the 
meeting  of  physicians  at  Dr.  Puke's  office  in  Cincinnati,  which  re- 
sulted in  the  foundation  of  the  Pulte  Medical  College,  of  which  he 


Homoeopathic  Remedies.  33 

was  Registrator  and  Professor  of  Physiology  from  the  time  of  its 
organization  until  1880.  He  then  was  made  Dean  and  Professor 
of  the  Theory  and  Practice  of  Medicine,  which  position  he  held 
almost  up  to  the  time  the  Pulte  College  was  absorbed  by  the  Ohio 
State  University.  He  was  one  of  the  best  known  Masons  in  the 
country  and  had  attained  the  thirty-third  degree  in  the  Scottish 
Rite. 

Dr.  Buck  was  operated  upon  a  year  ago  last  November  and 
never  regained  his  normal  health.  He  had  been  confined  to  his 
home  for  two  months  and  to  his  bed  for  the  past  three  weeks. 
He  was  conscious  until  Wednesday  morning,  when  he  lapsed 
into  a  coma. 

He  is  survived  by  his  sister,  Mrs.  G.  B.  Robertson,  wife  of 
Judge  Robertson;  three  sons,  Edgar  C.  Buck,  President  of  the 
Quick  Repair  Fire  Company;  Charles  R.  Buck,  physician  and 
surgeon;  Robert  J.  Buck,  general  manager  of  the  Richmond 
(Ind.)  Adding  Machine  Company,  and  three  daughters,  Miss 
Cora  Buck,  Mrs.  Dr.  Thomas  M.  Stewart  and  Mrs.  R.  Gano 
Koehler. 


"HOMOEOPATHIC  REMEDIES." 

Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 

May  I  suggest  something  for  you  to  criticise?  The  remedies 
homceopaths  use,  whether  in  potencies  or  tincture,  are  all  called 
"homoeopathic"  remedies.  Now  we,  as  homceopaths,  know  full 
well  that  many  a  time  a  homoeopathic  physician  does  not  give  a 
homoeopathic  remedy.  It  may  be  a  remedy  which  is  not  brought 
forth  by  a  homoeopath  or  it  may  be  a  remedy  not  given  homoeo- 
pathically  to  the  case.  Thus  it  is  by  no  means  a  homoeopathic 
remedy  even  though  it  may  be  30th  or  cm.  potency.  Many  of 
the  remedies  we  use  are  used  by  allopaths  and  eclectics  and  were 
first  used  by  them.  Our  distinction  should  be  by  calling  our 
preparations  "potentized"  or  "dynamized"  remedies.  Our  phar- 
macies should  use  those  terms  instead  of  homceopatihe  remedies, 
as  they  are  as  misleading  to  the  "outsiders"  as  "Specific  Medi- 
cine" of  the  Eclectic  School.  Calling  our  preparations  "poten- 
tized remedies"  would  indicate  just  what  we  do  to  the  drug 
which  is  distinctive  of  our  school  only.     If  we  use  tincture  of 


34  Advising  the  Doctors. 

any  remedy  call  it  just  plain  tincture  instead  of  "homoeopathic" 
tincture.  We  have  often  been  accused  of  "mongrelism,"  ''quack- 
ery" and  what  not  because  we  use  certain  remedies  called  homoeo- 
pathic remedies,  which  are  thought  to  be  "specifics"  for  a  certain 
disease.  The  same  accusation  has  been  applied  to  the  selectics 
because  they  use  the  title  "Specific  Medicine"  to  every  one  of 
their  remedies. 

Joseph  S.  Lee. 
924  Stocton  St.,  San  Francisco,  Calif. 

It  seems  to  us  that  Dr.  Lee  has  done  the  criticising ;  but  while 
there  is  truth  in  what  he  writes  yet  it  seems  to  us  that  the  term 
"homoeopathic  remedies"  will  and  ought  to  continue  in  use.  A 
prescription  by  a  homoeopathic  physician  in  the  tincture,  30th  or 
D.  AIM.,  potencies  may  not  be  homoeopathic  to  the  patient  for 
whom  it  is  prescribed  because  the  doctor  has  not  read  the  case 
right.  From  the  pharmaceutical  point  of  view  homoeopathic  rem- 
edies are  very  distinct  from  allopathic  or  eclectic  remedies,  which 
in  turn  are  very  distinct  from  each  other,  as  can  be  seen  in  the 
pharmacopoeias  of  the  three  schools.  In  consequence  of  this  it 
would  seem  wise  to  have  distinctive  prefixes  to  the  remedies  and 
those  in  use  are  as  good  as  any.  "Homoeopathic  remedy"  means 
one  made  according  to  the  homoeopathic  pharmacopoeia. — Editor 
of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 


ADVISING  THE   DOCTORS 

Editor  of  the  Homceopathic  Recorder. 

Though  only  a  layman  I  take  the  liberty  of  writing  to  your 
journal  on  which  I  work  as  a  compositor,  or  linotype  man.  The 
most  of  the  copy  you  send  is  good,  in  our  sense,  capable  of  being 
read  without  a  "consultation,"  as  doctors  say.  Then  comes 
"takes"  that  try  the  souls  of  men — I  mean,  of  compositors.  Here 
is  one,  type-written  on  a  ribbon  as  dry  as  Kansas  and  with  type 
on  the  tramp  order,  by  which  I  mean  they  have  never  been 
cleaned  and  most  of  them  even  if  cleaned  are  still  bums.  An- 
other is  written  with  a  hard  lead  pencil,  a  pale  gray  paper  covered 
with  pale  gray  and  faint  lines  supposed  to  be  words !  Yet  we 
must  put  this  in  good  type  and  are  blamed  if  we  make  an  error 


Again  the  Prostate.  35 

in  guessing  at  what  a  hieroglyphic  stands  for.  Another  is  writ- 
ten on  soft,  old  paper  like  blotting  paper,  written  on  both  sides, 
interlined,  deleted  and  corrected  until  parts  of  it  look  like — well. 
I  set  up  much  about  the  care  of  school  children's  eyes  and  all 
that  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  a  hint  like  this  to  the  man  giving 
advice  to  us  laymen  might  make  them  easier  on  the  old  comp. 

Yours, 

Typo. 


AGAIN  THE  PROSTATE. 

Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 

The  patient  was  a  man  of  fifty-four  years  of  age.  His  health 
had  always  been  good,  until  he  quite  suddenly  lost  the  ability  to 
urinate.  He  was  difficult  to  catheterize,  and  the  operation  of 
passing  the  catheter  made  him  so  sore  that  he  dreaded  it  more 
than  the  major  operation  of  prostatectomy.  Rectal  examination 
had  revealed  a  large  prostate,  much  larger  than  is  usually  found 
in  one  of  fifty-four. 

The  operation  was  done  suprapubicly,  the  patient  being  on  the 
table  seventeen  minutes.  He  healed  rapidly,  and  left  the  hos- 
pital on  the  eighteenth  day,  with  the  urinary  function  normal. 
Several  weeks  afterwards  he  developed  an  epididymitis  of  un- 
usual virulence.  This  resulted  in  multiple  abscesses,  involving 
the  testicle  to  such  an  extent  that  it  seemed  wise,  in  order  to  con- 
serve his  strength,  to  amputate  the  testicle.  Little  was  left  of  it, 
two  weeks  after  the  primary  involvement,  but  a  much-perforated 
mass.    His  recovery  has  been  rapid  since. 

This  man  had  had  no  gonorrhoea  for  many  years.  Yet  he  de- 
veloped a  gonorrhoeal  epididymitis.  All  these  years  the  gonococci 
had  lain  dormant,  and  became  active  only  when  they  were  rudely 
disturbed  by  the  prostatectomy,  and  when  the  vitality  of  the  pa- 
tient was  reduced  by  his  operation.  Simply  massaging  the  pros- 
tate, when  one  has  had  an  old-time  gonorrhoeal  infection,  will 
often  result  in  epididymitis,  owing  to  the  setting  free  of  latent 
toxaemias.  As  one  can  never  tell  just  what  his  patient's  past  his- 
tory has  been  one  can  never  know  just  what  is  going  to  be  stirred 
up  by  a  prostatic  examination. 

Frank  Wieland. 

Chicago,  111. 


36  Specialists'  Department. 

THE  SPECIALISTS'  DEPARTMENT 


EDITED   BY  CLIFFORD  MITCHELL,   M.   D. 
25  East  Washington  St.,  Chicago,  111. 

Blackwood  on  the  Heart. — At  a  meeting  of  the  South  Side 
Homoeopathic  Medical  Society,  of  Chicago,  recently,  Dr.  A.  L. 
Blackwood  spoke  on  the  physiology  of  the  heart,  illustrating  his 
remarks  with  a  diagram.  The  modern  view  of  cardiac  function 
comprises  six  considerations : — stimulus  production,  stimulus  re- 
ception, stimulus  conduction,  contractility,  tonicity,  and  coordina- 
tion of  function.  He  showed  in  his  diagram  the  sino-  auricular- 
node,  aptly  named  the  pacemaker  of  the  heart,  and  explained 
fully  the  various  modern  terms  as  heart  block,  auricular  fibrilla- 
tion, pulsus  alternans,  extra-systole,  and  cardiac  syncope.  His 
diagram  also  made  plain  the  function  of  the  bundle  of  His.  Dr. 
Blackwood  emphasized  the  importance  of  a  search  for  indican  in 
the  urine  in  cases  of  extra-systole  and  stated  that  it  was  his  firm 
belief  that  indicanuria  was  a  condition  in  which  eventually  extra- 
systole  might  result. 

The  Allen  Treatment  for  Diabetes. — In  response  to  many  re- 
quests we  print  the  Allen  dietary  as  used  by  us  in  the  treatment 
of  the  cases  described  in  previous  issues  of  the  Recorder. 

The  patient  is  fasted  until  sugar  disappears  from  the  urine, 
brandy  being  administered  in  small  doses  if  acetone  bodies  are 
present  and  in  severe  cases  of  acetonuria  300  cc.  of  clear  soup 
per  24  hours  being  allowed.  In  the  mild  cases  water  is  the  only 
thing  taken,  until  the  sugar  disappears,  which  usually  happens 
in  a  day  or  two.  In  the  case  described  in  the  Recorder  for  No- 
vember the  sugar  disappeared  in  two  days.  After  the  sugar  has 
disappeared,  the  patient  begins  to  take  six  to  ten  ounces  of  the 
five  per  cent,  vegetables  daily,  increasing  by  three  to  four  ounces 
daily,  until  from  16  to  20  ounces  are  eaten  per  24  hours.  If  sugar 
appears  the  patient  must  be  fasted  again,  and  the  amount,  taken 
afterwards,  lessened  so  that  no  sugar  may  be  found  in  the  urine. 
After  the  quantity  of  vegetables  taken  amounts  to  sixteen  to 
twenty  ounces  daily,  without  sugar  being  found  in  the  urine,  then 


Specialists'  Department.  37 

three  ounces  more  of  the  five  per  cent,  vegetables,  or  one  and  a 
half  ounces  daily  of  the  ten  per  cent.,  or  one  ounce  daily  of  the 
fifteen  per  cent.,  or  one-half  ounce  daily  of  the  twenty  per  cent. 
vegetables  may  be  added.  Or  instead  a  like  quantity  of  the 
five  or  ten  per  cent,  fruits.  The  quantity  is  thus  increased  until 
the  patient  gets  one  ounce  carbohydrate  per  twenty  pounds 
weight.  The  amount  of  carbohydrate  must  be  reckoned  from  the 
weight  of  the  vegetables  or  fruits  taken,  but  the  available  carbo- 
hydrate from  the  fruits  or  vegetables  is  somewhat  less  than  the 
figures  five,  ten,  etc.,  indicate.  The  list  of  the  vegetables,  etc., 
may  be  found  in  the  American  Journal  of  Medical  Sciences  for 
Oct.,  1915. 

When  on  a  vegetable  diet,  as  above,  there  is  no  sugar  found 
in  the  urine  at  the  end  of  the  second- day,  then  allow  the  patient 
two  or  three  eggs  daily  or  a  little  meat,  increasing  by  two  eggs 
daily  or  by  two  ounces  of  meat  daily,  until  he  gets  two-thirds  of 
an  ounce  of  meat  for  every  ten  pounds  of  his  weight.  A  day 
or  two  after  the  meat  has  been  given,  allow  also  one-half  to  one 
ounce  of  fat  in  the  form  of  butter  or  bacon,  remembering  that 
four  ounces  of  bacon  yield  one  ounce  of  fat.  Increase  the  fat, 
carefully  testing  the  urine  for  sugar  daily  until  patient  gets  two- 
thirds  of  an  ounce  of  fat  for  every  ten  pounds  of  weight. 

The  patient  mentioned  in  the  Recorder  for  November,  as  hav- 
ing an  infected  toe,  writes  us  (December  third)  that  his  toe  has 
healed  completely  and  that  he  is  wearing  his  shoes.  We  still 
keep  him  on  the  diet  so  as  to  allow  full  time  for  repair  to  take 
place.  The  urine  has  been  sugar  free  since  last  August  after  we 
fasted  him  for  two  days. 

Non-Parasitic  Chyluria. — We  celebrated  the  Grand  Chapter 
meeting  of  Phi  Alpha  Gamma  in  Chicago  by  demonstrating  in 
our  clinic  at  Hahnemann  Medical  College  the  first  case  of  non- 
parasitic chyluria  we  have  ever  seen  in  this  city.  The  urine,  when 
shaken  with  ether,  cleared  up  owing  to  the  removal  of  the  milky 
suspended  material  by  the  ether  which,  on  evaporation,  left  a 
little  smear  of  fat  on  a  dish.  The  urine  being  centrifuged  de- 
posited an  extremely  white  sediment  which,  when  examined  un- 
der the  microscope,  showed  numerous  fat  globules  which  were 
not  stained  by  the  writer's  urine  sediment  stain.  The  sediment 
in  chyluria  is  likely  to  be  mistaken  for  pus  and  the  belief  may  be 


38  Specialists'  Department. 

strengthened  by  finding  in  the  urine  positive  albumin  tests.  In 
our  case,  however,  the  cold  nitric  acid  test  by  contact,  even  when 
most  carefully  made,  failed  to  yield  a  ring,  the  only  thing  no- 
ticed being  a  different  haze  showing  that  serum  albumin  was  ab- 
sent. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Esbach  test  liquid  showed  one-fortieth 
of  one  per  cent,  of  protein.  The  urine  in  chyluria  is  milky  in  ap- 
pearance and  sometimes  is  positive  to  the  copper  tests  for  sugar, 
hence  chyluria  may  be  mistaken  for  diabetes  mellitus  with  lipuria. 
In  chyluria,  however,  the  fat  is  intermittently  present  in  the  urine, 
while  in  lipuric  diabetes  it  is  more  steadily  present.  In  the  case 
seen  by  the  writer  the  fat  was  present  only  in  the  daytime. 

In  diabetes  with  lipuria  the  specific  gravity  is  still  high  owing 
to  the  sugar,  while  in  chyluria  the  specific  gravity  is  low.  In 
the  case  seen  by  the  writer,  even  though  there  was  no  polyuria, 
the  specific  gravity  was  low. 

Failure  of  Tonsillectomy  in  Nephritis. — We  regret  to  be 
obliged  to  report  the  complete  failure  of  tonsillectomy  in  one  of 
our  cases  of  nephritis  in  a  boy  of  fourteen.  Inasmuch  as  no  his- 
tory of  infection  could  be  obtained  and  as  the  tonsils  were  pro- 
nounced diseased  by  eminent  "tonsil  takers,"  we  advised  tonsil- 
lectomy, which,  while  it  did  no  harm,  apparently,  to  the  patient, 
failed  utterly  to  remove  albumin  and  casts  from  the  urine  which, 
on  December  first,  are  now  greater  in  amount  than  at  any  time 
since  we  first  saw  the  case.  The  tonsil  operation  was  performed 
in  the  spring. 

Failure  of  Dental  Treatment  in  Nephritis. — We  also  regret  to 
be  obliged  to  report  the  complete  failure  of  treatment  for  pyor- 
rhea to  affect  the  general  condition  in  a  case  of  chronic  nephritis 
occurring  in  a  patient  about  sixty  years  of  age.  Although  his 
dentist  found  pyorrhea  and  treated  it  with  claimed  success  the 
general  condition  grew  worse  instead  of  better  and  the  patient 
went  elsewhere  for  treatment. 

Success  in  a  Case  of  Chronic  Nephritis. — To  offset  these  cases 
in  which  we  depended  on  the  "other  fellow"  tp  help  us  out  of  our 
difficulty  we  can  report  most  satisfactory  results  from  our  own 
treatment  in  the  case  of  a  patient  with  chronic  interstitial  ne- 
phritis and  albuminuric  retinitis.  Neither  teeth,  nor  tonsils  were 
treated  in  this  case,  but  the  patient  was  carefully  dieted  as  re- 


Specialists  Department.  39 

gards  salt  and  titration  acidity.  At  the  end  of  nearly  a  year  his 
condition  is  such  that  he  seldom  regards  it  necessary  to  seek 
medical  aid.  His  eyesight,  at  first,  was  so  poor  that  he  could 
barely  see  to  walk  and  now  he  can  read  large  print.  Dizzy  spells 
have  disappeared,  and  systolic  blood  pressure  has  fallen  to  160 
from  200  or  over. 

Peculiar  Urine  in  Pregnancy. — The  condition  of  the  urine  in 
pregnancy  is  about  the  same  in  all  cases,  polyuria  being  the  rule, 
with  low  specific  gravity,  and  low  per  cent,  of  solids,  the  clinical 
points  of  interest  being  the  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  and  the 
ratio  of  acidity  to  ammonia.  In  a  case  seen  recently,  however, 
the  quantity  of  urine  on  one  day  of  the  eighth  month  was  1420 
cc.  in  24  hours,  the  specific  gravity  1020,  the  amount  of  urea  24 
grammes,  and  the  quantity  of  ammonia  1.42  grammes,  the  ratio 
of  urea  to  ammonia  being  11  to  1.  No  explanation  of  this  pe- 
culiarly high  nitrogen  percentage  and  total  amount  has  as  yet 
been  found.  The  acidity  was  high,  45  degrees,  but  the  patient 
denies  eating  meat  in  more  than  the  usual  amount. 

Fallacy  in  Total  Solid  Estimations. — The  most  useless  thing  in 
urine  analysis  is,  in  the  writer's  opinion,  the  estimation  of  total 
solids  in  cases  of  polyuria.  Thus  in  a  case  recently  seen,  the  pa- 
tient passed  1740  cc.  of  urine  in  24  hours,  of  a  specific  gravity 
of  1017.  Now  by  the  coefficient  of  Haeser  the  total  solids  in  this 
case  were  calculated  to  be  70  grammes.  But  chemical  analysis 
of  the  individual  solids  revealed  only  12  grammes  of  urea  and 
17  of  sodium  chloride,  the  latter  due  to  a  salty  dietary.  Allow- 
ing liberally  ten  grammes  more  for  phosphates,  etc.,  there  would 
be  less  than  40  grammes  of  solids  in  this  urine  while  the  arith- 
metical calculation  shows  70  grammes,  evidently  a  fallacious 
figure. 

The  total  solid  estimation,  when  sugar  or  albumin  in  con- 
siderable amount  is  present  in  the  urine,  is  also  fallacious ;  hence 
the  writer  uses  this  calculation  sparingly  and  only  in  the  case  of 
urines  free  from  abnormal  constituents,  when  the  volume  per  24 
hours  is  less  than  1500  cc.  In  the  case  of  healthy  young  men  the 
total  solid  estimation  usually  corresponds  to  the  theoretical  for 
their  weight.  But  the  total  solid  estimation  in  pregnancy  polyuria 
is  probably  entirely  useless. 


40  The  Prevention  of  Gall  Stones. 


THE  PREVENTION  OF  GALL  STONES. 

From  the  British  Medical  Journal. 

When  a  sufferer  from  the  agonizing  attacks  of  gall  stones  asks 
his  medical  adviser  what  he  can  do  to  prevent  other  attacks,  he 
usually  receives  the  conventional  answer  that  he  must  diet  him- 
self, take  active  exercise,  and  a  course  of  alterative  medicine, 
such  as  Sodium  phosphate.  I  believe  these  methods  are  quite 
useless.  Stone  in  the  gall  bladder  is,  like  stone  in  the  urinary 
bladder,  caused  by  the  bladder  not  being  completely  emptied  each 
day,  and  the  unexpelled  residue  decomposes  and  precipitates  the 
solid  matter  of  which  the  stone  is  composed. 

It  is  common  knowledge  that  the  best  way  to  prevent  urinary 
stone  is  to  make  sure  that  the  bladder  is  completely  emptied 
daily,  and,  if  necessary,  the  patient  must  use  a  catheter  for  that 
purpose.  To  prevent  gall  stones  from  forming  it  is  just  as  essen- 
tial to  empty  the  gall  bladder  completely  each  day.  The  method 
is  to  make  pressure  over  the  gall  bladder  in  the  early  morning, 
before  breakfast,  with  the  round  end  of  a  dumb-bell  weighing 
12  lbs.  The  gall  bladder  is  usually  full  in  the  early  morning, 
and,  with  gentle  pressure  at  first,  the  contents  can  be  heard  escap- 
ing with  a  characteristic  gurgle,  and  by  increasing  pressure  and 
a  sort  of  rolling  movement  from  the  fundus  towards  the  neck,  the 
whole  of  the  contents  are  pressed  out.  It  is  as  well  to  keep  to  the 
right  of  the  abdominal  middle  line  and  to  avoid  pressing  on  the 
aorta,  as  such  pressure  constantly  repeated  might  do  harm. 

I  feel  almost  inclined  to  rename  the  gall  bladder  the  "castor 
oil  gland,"  for  the  expression  of  the  gall  bladder  mucus  is  always 
followed  within  half  an  hour  by  an  action  as  grateful  as  would  be 
produced  by  half  an  ounce  of  the  oil.  At  the  commencement  of 
this  method  there  may  be  in  the  gall  bladder  lumps  of  thickened 
mucus  or  concretions,  and  there  would  then  be  some  discomfort 
as  they  passed  along  the  duct,  but  in  a  few  days,  when  this 
debris  has  been  cleared  out,  the  patient,  who  may  have  long  suf- 
fered from  agonizing  attacks  of  gall  stones  for  years,  will  begin 
to  experience  peace  in  his  epigastrium. 

Thos.  A.  Watson,  M.  B.,  C.  M. 

Sunderland. 


Book  Reviews.  41 


,    BOOK  REVIEWS. 


How  to  Live. — Rules  for  Healthful  Living  Based  on  Modern 
Science.  Authorized  by  and  Prepared  in  Collaboration  with 
the  Hygiene  Reference  Board  of  the  Life  Extension  Institute, 
Inc.  By  Irving  Fisher  and  Eugene  Lyman  Fiske.  345  pages. 
Cloth,  $1.00.  Funk  &  Wagnals  Company.  New  York  and 
London.     1916. 

After  reading  this  interesting  book  one  vaguely  wonders  if  one 
has  to  obey  all  the  rules  and  suggestions  given  in  it.  Also,  Could 
any  one  obey  the  rules  and  have  any  time  left  for  other  things? 
Also,  Could  any  one  without  a  good  lot  pf  money  follow  the  in- 
structions? The  book  contains  much  good  advice  though  not 
all  of  it  is  new,  and,  also,  much  that  is  at  least  open  to  question. 
Indeed  we  are  told  that  the  rules  of  Cornario  so  far  as  they  go- 
are  "almost  identical  with  those  given  in  this  book."  There  is, 
however,  this  difference :  this  book  forbids  wines,  liquors,  beer, 
ale,  tea  and  coffee  from  those  who  would  live  well,  while  Cor- 
nario, if  we  remember  aright,  allowed  himself  one  bottle  of  wine 
a  day.  That  Italian  gentleman  was  a  rich,  young  fellow,  who 
went  the  pace  until  he  was  about  35  years  of  age,  then  he  went 
out  to  an  estate  to  die,  but  he  lived  to  be  over  a  hundred.  He 
was  the  first  temperance  man,  or,  at  least,  the  first  one  who 
wrote  on  the  subject — possibly  there  were  others,  but  his  book 
lives.  The  difference  between  him  and  the  men  who  wrote 
"How  to  Live"  is,  that  he  blamed  himself,  and  reformed,  be- 
came a  temperate  man,  while  they  blame  the  things  man  may 
use,  or  abuse.  If  the  men  who  wrote  the  book  under  review  (ex- 
President  Taft  is  one  of  them,  at  least  his  picture  is  the  frontis- 
piece of  the  book)  would  make  a  distinction  between  use  and 
abuse,  their  book  would  be  truer,  though  probably  not  so  popular. 
Take  the  great  ones  of  the  world,  good  and  bad,  from  Noah 
down,  and  how  many  of  them  were  total  abstainers  ?  It  may  be 
replied  that  they  would  have  been  greater  if  they  had  been. 
Perhaps,  who  knows?  Perhaps,  also,  they  might  have  been 
greater  if  they  had  been  vegetarians,  or  Christian  scientists,  or 
Doweites  or  any  other  thing. 


Homoeopathic    Recorder 

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Address  communications,  books  for  review,  exchanges,  etc., 
tor  the  editor,  to 

E.  P.  ANSHUTZ,  M.D..10U  Arch  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

EDITORIAL  NOTES  AND    COMMENTS. 

Drugless  Healers. — A  news  item  informs  the  world  that  the 
Washington  Medical  Association  is  out  in  opposition  to  a  "drug- 
less  healers  Bill."  What  puzzles  the  average  citizen  is  how  to 
reconcile  this  opposition  to  drugless  healing  with  the  great  "reg- 
ular's" opposition  to  all  drugs.  The  despised  "drugless  healers" 
are  but  following  what  is  taught  in  all  of  the  great  allopathic 
colleges. 

The  Mighty  Problem. — By  the  editorial  route  comes  the  fol- 
lowing from  the  Journal  A.  M.  A.  It  touches  the  very  heart  of 
medicine :  "If  it  were  possible  to  analyze  and  explain  the  es- 
sential features  of  the  process  of  growth,  a  tremendous  advance 
would  have  been  made."  Very,  very  true.  As  a  beginning  to- 
wards solving  the  problem  let  the  following  be  taken,  to  which 
all  agree.  When  anything  is  alive  it  grows,  when  it  dies  growth 
ceases.  Consequently  to  solve  the  problem  of  growth  one  must 
first  discover  what  life  is.  Without  any  exception  life  is  the  most 
important  thing  in  this  world  for  without  it  all  returns  to  chaos. 
We  know  much  about  its  processes  but  who  knows  what  it  is ! 

Pure  Science. — Pure  science  looks  facts  squarely  in  the  face, 
indulges  in  no  special  pleading,  evades  nothing  nor  resorts  to 
sophistry.  The  country  hears  much  of  the  gratifying  fact  that 
our  soldiers  on  the  Mexican  border  have  been  free  from  typhoid 
and  this  is  always  contrasted  with  wretched  condition  in  this  re- 
spect that  prevailed  with  them  during  the  Spanish  war.     Then 


Editorial.  43 

we  are  told  that  this  is  due  to  typhoid  vaccination.  Will  any  of 
the  men  who  say  this  also  say  that  these  troops  of  today  could 
have  gone  through  the  sanitary  conditions  that  prevailed  during 
that  war  and  been  free  from  disease?  If  they  were  scientists 
without  guile  they  would  tell  the  people  that  the  British  army  in 
the  Boer  war  was,  to  a  large  extent,  vaccinated  against  typhoid, 
but  suffered  so'  greatly  from  the  disease  that  the  practice  was 
abandoned. 

The  Modern  Prerequisite. — Remarks  the  North  American  Jour- 
nal of  Homoeopathy,  editorially:  "Service  during  at  least  one 
year  as  interne  in  a  well  conducted  hospital  is  being  more  and 
more  required  as  a  prerequisite  to  the  employment  of  physicians 
by  health  boards  and  public  services,  and  by  State  boards  of 
medical  examiners."  This,  no  doubt,  is  true,  for  our  most  es- 
teemed friend,  Dr.  E.  H.  Porter,  ought  to  know,  he  having  been 
at  the  head  of  the  health  department  of  the  great  Empire  State 
for  many  years,  and  conducted  it  well,  very  well,  but  the  Re- 
corder still  holds  the  opinion  (very  old  fashioned)  that  a  year 
under  a  country  doctor  is  worth  a  cycle  in  Cathay. 

A  Question  in  Ethics. — The  following  is  instigated  by  an  old 
review  of  a  book,  or  article,  by  Edward  Meryon,  M.  D.,  F.  R. 
C.  P.,  entitled  Homoeopathy  in  Allopathic  Journals.  The  author's 
first  objection  to  Homoeopathy  is  that  the  dogma,  Similia  Similibus 
Curantur,  "lacks  the  charm  of  novelty,"  for  "it  was  enunciated  in 
the  very  words  above  quoted  by  Gregory  the  Great  in  the  sixth 
century."  We  cannot  dispute  that,  but  the  fact  remains,  one  of 
very  many,  that  the  dogma,  "thou  shalt  not  steal,"  lacks  the  charm 
of  novelty,  yet  it  is  quite  true,  even  though  it  be  not  novel,  as  it 
was  from  the  beginning  of  mundane  affairs.  If  scientific  men 
could  disassociate  their  minds  from  the  very  curious  idea  that 
truth  and  "novelty"  are  not  synonyms  they  would  be  very  much 
nearer  science  than  they  are. 

A  Legal  Point,  in  Paying  the  Doctor. — A  man  was  injured  and 
his  employers  sent  an  admittedly  competent  physician  to  attend 
to  him.  After  a  time  the  man — Pisarzky,  by  name — refused  the 
services  of  his  employers'  doctor  and  called  in  one  of  his  own 


44  Editorial. 

choice.  In  time  the  last  doctor  sent  in  a  bill  for  $54.  The  em- 
ployers refused  to  pay  it.  As  there  was  no  dispute  as  to  facts  the 
case  was  submitted  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  York.  The 
decision  was  that  the  employer  (General  Electric  Co.)  did  not 
have  to  pay  the  bill. 

The  Disease  of  Men  of  Sense.— Dr.  Jos.  H.  Pratt,  Boston,  in  a 
paper  on  gout  (N.  Y.  S.  Med.  lour.,  Nov.),  quotes  Haberden's 
"Commentaries,"  1782,  as  follows: 

"The  gout  affords  a  striking  proof  of  the  long  experience  and  wary 
attention  necessary  to  find  out  the  nature  of  diseases  and  their  remedies. 
For  though  this  distemper  be  older  than  any  medical  records,  and  in  all 
ages  so  common ;  and  besides,  according  to  Sydenham,  chiefly  attacks  men 
of  sense  and  reflection,  who  would  be  able,  as  well  as  willing,  to  im- 
prove every  hint  which  reason  or  accident  might  throw  in  their  way;  yet 
we  are  still  greatly  in  the  dark  about  its  causes  and  effects,  and  the  right 
method  in  which  it  should  be  treated." 

To  this  Dr.  Pratt  dryly  adds  that  what  Haberden  wrote  holds 
true  today,  none  know  much  about  gout.  Sydenham's  comment, 
it  seems  to  us,  is  contrary  to  the  fundamentals  of  the  W.  C.  T.  U. 

A  Grave  Problem. — Our  most  esteemed  and  always  welcomed, 
contemporary,  with  a  too  long  name,  The  Pacific  Coast  Journal 
of  Homoeopathy,  editorially  and,  it  is  to  be  feared,  biliously,  re- 
marks :  "The  verbosity  of  contemporary  medical  literature  and 
the  deficit  of  real  value  in  the  material  offered,  often  leads  one  to 
wonder  if  medical  journalism  is  not  overdone."  Nay,  brother 
quill  driver,  in  a  multitude  of  counsellors  there  is  at  least  a  grain 
of  wisdom,  if  you  can  find  it.  And  then  medical  journalism,  or 
some  of  it,  but  follows  the  medical  sachems.  Hit  them  and  not 
your  poor  brothers  of  the  gray  goose  quill. 

The  Allopathic  Way  of  Testing  Drugs. — Dr.  Mundy,  editor  of 
the  Eclectic  Quarterly,  mildly  comments  on  a  scientific  article  in 
the  Jour.  A.  M.  A.  Seems  to  us  that  the  title  of  the  said  paper 
is  the  best  comment  to  make  on  it.  'The  action  of  Various  'Fe- 
male Remedies'  on  the  Excised  Uterus  of  the  Guinea  Pig." 


Editorial.  45 

A  Pointer. — This  is  quoted  from  Dental  Cosmos:  'The  editor 
of  the  Journal  of  the  American  Medical  Association  closes  his 
comment  in  the  results  shown  by  Levy  and  Rowntree  by  saying 
that  The  products  supplied  as  emetin  hydrochlorid  are  variable 
in  composition  and  in  toxicity  to  a  degree  which  constitutes  a 
serious  danger,'  and  that  'it  therefore  behooves  physicians  (and 
dentists)  to  insist  on  some  declaration  from  the  firm  supplying 
emetin  hydrochlorid  as  to  its  purity  and  as  to  the  standard  em- 
ployed.' '  So  it  seems  that  others  suffer  from  the  goods  sup- 
plied by  pharmacists  who  are  rather  after  money  than  true  phar- 
macy. This  is  no  knock  at  ''cut  prices,"  if  they  be  fair,  but  at 
those  who  cut  prices  and  in  doing  so  also  cut  the  quality  of  that 
which  they  supply,  which,  at  bottom,  is  the  stock  in  trade  of  all 
the  "cheap"  men.  whether  they  be  tailors,  shoe  makers,  drug 
men,  or  any  other  dealers  in  commodities  which  men  deal  in. 
Good  goods  are  worth  their  price. 

After  Surgery  Has  Done  Its  Work. — The  following  is  isolated 
from  a  paper  in  the  British  Medical  Journal,  now  so  full  of  sur- 
gical cases,  as  are  all  the  European  medical  journals.  "The  pain 
in  the  missing  hand  or  foot,  so  frequently  felt  after  amputation." 
To  this  might  be  added,  "pain  in  the  stump."  Is  not  Hypericum 
the  remedy  for  this  after  surgical  condition?  This  question  is 
asked  in  the  hope  that  some  of  our  readers  may  know  of  a  rem- 
edy for  this  condition  that  is  afflicting  so  many  poor  fellows  in 
Europe  today,  for  which  the  medical  corps  seem  to  have  no  rem- 
edy.    Let  the  Recorder  have  it  if  you  know  of  one. 

Theories. — A  somewhat,  sometimes,  peppery-capsicum-ex- 
change, The  Bulletin  of  the  Sons  of  the  Academy,  remarks: 
''Y\  hen  the  problem  before  you  cannot  be  solved  within  seven 
days  by  any  known  theory,  invent  one.  Any  fool  theory  is  bet- 
ter than  none."  But,  sons,  why  not  be  honest  and  say  "I  don't 
know."  Theories  as  thick  as  Falstaff's  blackberries  have  been 
put  forth  concerning  the  cause  of  infantile  paralysis,  but  who 
knows  the  cause  ?  So  why  invent  another  to  the  confusion  of  the 
r.-uddled  world? 


46  Editorial. 

Teeth. — Health  News  tells  us  that  "Out  of  330,179  school  chil- 
dren examined  in  the  cnty  of  New  York  in  1914,  194,207,  or  58.8 
per  cent.,  suffered  from  defective  teeth.  This  exceeded  the  sum 
total  of  all  the  other  defects  noted  by  nearly  80,000.''  To  remedy 
this  the  Public  Health  Service  "recommends  that  a  good  tooth 
brush  be  included  in  the  list  of  Christmas  presents  for  every 
American  child  and  that  its  use  be  made  a  part  of  the  daily  train- 
ing. If  this  recommendation  is  carried  out  the  United  States 
will  have  more  healthy  children  this  year  than  last  and  their 
chances  of  growing  up  into  useful,  healthy  men  and  women  will 
be  increased."  Tooth  brushes  and  dentists  can  do  much  towards 
arresting  the  loss  of  teeth,  but  they  do  not  remove  the  cause, 
which  Hensel  claims  is  due  to  lack  of  mineral  elements  in  the 
food. 

The  Curious  Phases  of  Disease. — According  to  Public  Health 
Reports,  Talladego,  Ala.,  suffered  from  typhoid  until  the  water 
supply  was  drawn  from  an  artesian  well  and  then  it  practically 
ceased.  But  in  time,  on  Oct.  20th,  diarrhoea  broke  out  to  the  ex- 
tent of  fifty  new  cases  a  day.  One-fourth  of  the  population  was 
affected  though  none  died.  Whence  or  why  the  disease  no  one 
knows.  Camden,  N.  J.,  across  the  Delaware  river  from  Philadel- 
phia, has  a  water  supply  that  chemists  say  is  almost  chemically 
pure.  Yet  that  water  will  eat  out  brass,  copper,  and  solder  as 
though  it  were  an  acid.  Is  it  possible  that  there  is  a  limit  to 
purity  that  humans  cannot  safely  pass? 

Some  Conundrum ! — There  seems  to  be  a  bit  of  friction  between 
surgeons  and  physicians  in  England  if  we  may  judge  by  a  letter 
from  Mr.  G.  W,  Thomas  in  the  British  Medical  Journal.  Writes 
Mr.  Thomas,  who  is  a  "F.  R.  C.  S.,  Eng. :" 

Sir: — Dr.  Mercier's  remark  that  a  surgeon  is  the  servant  of  the  phy- 
sician and  exists  to  carry  out  the  latter's  behests  shows  something  more 
than  a  mere  bias,  and  will  not,  of  course,  be  taken  seriously.  It  is  re- 
grettable, I  think,  to  talk  of  physicians  as  "the  higher  branch  of  the  pro- 
fession." 

Also : 

With  his  other  remarks  I  fully  agree.  The  disproportion  between  sur- 
geons' and  physicians'  fees  is  ridiculous.    When  one  considers  that  a  sur- 


Editorial.  XI 

geon,  for  perhaps  half  an  hour's  work,  often  receives  what  a  physician 
would  receive  for  fifty  consultations  (each  taking  anything  up  to  an  hour) 
the  utter  unfairness  of  the  remuneration  is  apparent.  If  the  surgeon's 
fee  is  fair,  then  the  physician's  is  hopelessly  inadequate. 

Well,  there  is  the  conundrum.  In  its  solution  one  must  always 
bear  in  mind  the  vulgar  saying,  "You  cannot  squeeze  blood  out 
of  a  turnip, "and  that  very  many  people  are  financial  turnips. 

Common  Sense  Returning. — The  following  editorial  from  the 
Philadelphia  Inquirer  seems  to  show  that  the  health  boards  have 
nearly  reached  the  limit  of  public  tolerance : 

Last  week  the  deaths  from  infantile  paralysis  in  Philadelphia  numbered 
27.  During  the  same  period  45  children  died  from  diarrhoea.  And  yet 
paralysis  has  been  termed  a  "plague"  and  our  medical  friends  have  kept  the 
country  in  a  state  of  alarm  over  it,  while  other  diseases  claiming  every 
week  more  victims  have  been  taken  as  a  matter  of  course.  How  many 
children  have  been  frightened  to  death  will  never  be  known. 

But  at  last  common  sense  seems  to  be  returning.  The  schools  will  be 
opened  on  Monday.  There  has  never  been  any  good  reason  why  they 
should  not  have  opened  on  regular  schedule.  Doubtless  the  children  would 
have  been  better  off  in  school  than  on  the  streets.  Besides,  where  does  the 
logic  come  in  when  children  are  forbidden  to  assemble  in  schools,  but  are 
permitted  to  assemble  elsewhere  at  will? 

The  summer  just  closed  has  been  made  an  exceedingly  difficult  one  for 
parents,  who  have  systematically  been  driven  into  nervous  conditions  the 
like  of  which  we  never  hope  to  witness  again. 

It  parents  would  call  in  homoeopathic  physicians  when  medical 
treatment  is  needed  it  would  be  better  for  them  and  their  chil- 
dren.   Medical  hysteria  would  vanish. 


PERSONAL. 


"He  recovered  from  the  disease,  but  was  too  weak  to  come  back.  Leaves 
a  wife  and  four  children." 

The  good  mother  wrote  the  school  teacher :  "Please  excuse  Johnny's 
bellyache,  for  he  had  green  apples." 

The  automobile  will  always  displace  the  horse  if  it  hits  him. 

Husbands  want  "a  boy,"  but  the  boy  wants  a  girl. 

Dr.  Rice,  Frisco,  says  some  speeches  have  difficulty  "in  finding  proper 
terminal  facilities."     R.  has  hit  a  mighty  fact. 

Pride  goes  before  a  fall  and  is  hurt  after  one. 

A  man  may  be  "full" — of  wisdom,  food,  or  the  "joyful."' 

Mary  disputes,  "There  is  nothing  new  under  the  sun."  Says  she  has  a 
new  hat. 

Marriage  isn't  a  failure,  but  some  married  persons  are. 

We  hear  much  of  the  "rest  cure."  Why  does  not  some  genius  get  up 
•a  work  cure?    It's  more  needed. 

When  Life's  Tiger  told  the  Monkey  that  his  two-pair  beat  Mr.  Monk's 
straight-flush  M.  agreed  quickly. 

"Honesty  wins,"  so  we  are  told,  but  no  one  dissects  what  it  wins. 

"The  meaning  and  use  of  blood  corpuscles  we  understand,  or  think  we 
do"— Halliburton. 

Avoid  law-suits,  stick  to  wool. 

Funny  language !  Workingman,  workmen,  working  for  a  man  and  work- 
ing a  man  all  differ. 

Goethe's  "roaring  loom  of  Time"  is  sure  roaring  now-a-days. 

Among  new  things  is  "A  Leg-Stretching  Machine."  It  hails  from 
Chicago. 

J.  A.  M.  A.  quotes  this :  "Why  Go  Elsewhere  and  Be  Humbugged :  Come 
In  Here."     Not  personal  this  quotation. 

"To  get  rid  of  fat,"  said  the  Doctor,  "sell  it  to  the  soap  man."  He  lost 
a  patient,  by  being  funny. 

"Dying  is  the  last  thing  that  will  happen  to  you,"  confidently  remarked 
Dr.  Wise  Guy. 

"Does  your  mother  know  you're  out?"  said  the  nurse  to  the  twilight 
baby. 

As  many  men  suffer  from  "chronic  insufficiency"  of  cash  as  from  heat. 

Many  a  man  keeps  his  promise  because  no  one  will  accept  them. 

Prescription  for  the  drowning.     Jfr.  Swim. 

A  good  allopathic  prescription  for  somnambulism  is  insomnia.  Quite 
regular,  too.    Opposites ! 

The  orthodox  say  many  men  suffer  from  heat  after  the  doctor  has  "given 
the  case  up,"  and  also  the  undertaker. 


THE 

Homeopathic  Recorder 

Vol.  XXXII      Lancaster,  Pa.,  February  15,  1917.      No.  2 

THE  LATEST  OBITUARY  OF  HOMCEOPATHY. 

This  one  was  delivered  by  Dr.  P.  A.  Zaring,  of  Brownstown, 
Ind.  It  takes  fifteen  pages  of  the  December  number  of  our  ex- 
cellent exchange,  the  Pacific  Medical  Journal.  Dr.  Zaring  heads 
his  obituary  "Medical  Heresies,"  which  covers  Homoeopathy 
and  everything  else  that  is  not  sanctioned  by  the  "Regular  Phy- 
sician"— to  quote  himself  and  his  capitalization.  The  first  thing 
in  the  paper  is  this :  "There  seems  to  be  an  innate  instinct  in  the 
human  mind  that  there  is  a  specific  somewhere  for  every  dis- 
ease." To  this  he  replies :  "This  fallacy  is  corrected  in  the 
minds  of  the  Regular  Physician  only."  That  the  Regular  Phy- 
sicians have  no  specifics  for  anything  is  well  known.  But  that 
there  is  no  "Balm  in  Gilead"  is  open  to  question,  for,  otherwise, 
life  would  be  a  rather  hopeless  afTair.  Fortunately  for  it  the 
world  is,  in  multitudes,  getting  out  of  the  fogs  of  the  Regular 
Physician  into  something  nearer  the  external  sun-light. 

There  is  much  in  Dr.  Zaring's  paper  that  is  open  to  comment. 
Just  a  specimen.  He  writes :  "Since  the  success  of  quackery  de- 
pends chiefly,  if  not  solely,  on  hysteria"  and  so  on.  Was  there 
ever  a  greater  display  of  hysteria  than  was  shown  by  the  Reg- 
ular Physicians  over  infantile  paralysis  last  summer?  The  hys- 
terical of  the  laity  were  infected,  but  any  one  who  read  many 
journals  easily  saw  that  the  sane  objected  to  the  Regular  Phy- 
sician's hysteria  even  though  forced  to  submit  to  the  nonsense  by 
burly  policemen.  But  we  must  do  Dr.  Zaring  credit  by  quot- 
ing the  following :  "Many  persons  who  are  not  themselves  hys- 
terical are  more  or  less  under  the  influence  of  those  who  are, 
and  so  the  domination  of  this  sad  weakness  is  all-pervading; 
and  it  is  driving  everything  into  specialties."     That  is  true,  but 


50  The  Latest  Obituary  of  Homoeopathy. 

who  is  doing  it  but  the  Regular  Physician?  Homoeopaths, 
whose  obituary  Dr.  Zaring  is  writing,  say  the  patient  should  be 
viewed  as  a  totality,  but  the  Regular  Physician  is  pruning  medi- 
cal things  down  to  specialties  as  can  be  seen,  better  than  we  can 
show  it,  in  Dr.  Harvey  King's  biting  little  brochure,  Medical 
Union  No.  6.    But  let  us  get  on.    Later,  Dr.  Zaring  writes: 

"All  that  is  known  about  health  and  disease  is  known  by 
the  Regular  Physicians,  Theirs  is  not  a  'school.'  It  is  the  whole 
thing.  I  have  tried  to  do  the  dissenters  justice ;  but  I  have 
failed  to  fijid  one  important  discovery  to  their  credit." 

This  last  statement,  however,  is  contradicted  by  the  essayist 
when,  further  on,  he  writes,  "Homoeopathy  was  at  one  time  the 
necessary  contradiction  of  Allopathy.  But  since  Allopathy  is 
no  more,  Homoeopathy  might  be  said  to  have  accomplished  its 
mission."  To  say  that  allopathy  "is  no  more"  is  an  error.  Al- 
lopathy changes  its  garb  every  year,  but  it  is  today  in  essence 
just  the  same  as  it  was  when  it  bled  every  patient  and  gave 
calomel.  It  is  the  rule  of  "anti,"  while  Homoeopathy  is  that  of 
"similar."  Allopathy  today  consists  of  antipyretics,  antitoxins, 
and  anti  everything  else ;  indeed,  a  late  dictionary  contains  about 
300  medical  terms  beginning  with  the  prefix  "anti."  It  is  today 
the  same  old  principle,  only  more  so.  It  "fights"  disease,  not 
knowing  that  disease  is  but  a  condition  of  the  patient.  On  the 
other  hand,  Homoeopathy  treats  the  patient — and  generally 
cures  him — yes,  brother  allopath,  cures,  even  though  to  you  the 
word  is  taboo. 

Our  essayist,  writing  of  Hahnemann,  admits  that  "his  theory 
of  small  doses  possessed  some  merit."  It  curbed  "the  Regulars." 
But  the  idea  that  the  small  dose  is  a  theory  is  an  error,  the  theory 
(or,  truer,  fact)  is  the  principle  on  which  a  medicine  is  admin- 
istered, with  which  the  size  of  the  dose  has  nothing  to  do.  In 
this  respect,  also,  the  ancient  figures  showing  how  much  water 
it  would  take  to  potentize  a  grain  to  the  30th  are  brought  in. 
These  are  mathematically  true,  but  it  is  also  equally  true  that 
if  the  calculation  of  the  power  it  would  require  so  this  were, 
it  would  be  enough,  bulked  in  the  same  way,  to  shatter  the  earth 
to  atoms.  Incidentally,  actual  science  has  demonstrated  the  pres- 
ence of  certain  drugs  in  the  30th  and  higher,  while  clinical  ex- 
perience has  demonstrated  its  power  beyond  any  doubt,  except 


The  Latest  Obituary  of  Homoeopathy.  51 

to  those  who  will  not  see.  But  Dr.  Zaring  is  one  of  them  ap- 
parently though,  probably  his  affliction  is  due  more  to  lack  of  in- 
formation than  to  willfulness.  On  this  point  he  writes  :  "It  is 
difficult  then  to  credit  any  Homoeopathist  with  sincerity  who 
believes  thus,  or  even  implies  such  belief  by  posing  as  a  Homoe- 
opathist. And  it  stultifies  common  sense  that  a  considerable 
number  of  people  credit  such  an  absurdity,  and  give  it  their 
preference  in  practice.  Sixteen  years  ago  they  were  patronized 
enough  to  keep  twenty-two  colleges  grinding  out  that  type  of 
physicians.  *  *  *  At  the  present  time  they  are  maintain- 
ing ten  colleges,  less  than  half  their  number  sixteen  years  ago." 

But,  dear  sir,  the  allopathic,  or,  if  you  prefer  it,  the  Regular 
colleges  have  also  gone  down  and  out  at  an  almost  equal  ratio, 
thanks  to  the  work  of  the  would-be  medical  czars  of  the  Ameri- 
can Medical  Association.  The  number  of  medical  graduates,  al- 
lopathic, eclectic  and  homoeopathic,  have  decreased  over  50  per 
cent.,  but  the  osteopaths,  chiropractics,  and  all  of  that  class  have 
more  than  replaced  them  in  numbers  and  are  increasing  every 
year.  This  is  the  work  of  the  A.  M.  A.  and,  to  the  Recorder,  at 
least,  it  is  not  one  to  be  proud  of,  for  it  has  landed  the  ultra 
modern  Regulars  among  the  drugless  healers,  while  the  people 
are  going  over  to  the  irregular  drugless  healers  because  they 
are  very  much  cheaper  in  the  matter  of  fees  and  probably  as 
effective.  However,  our,  dare  we  say,  friend,  Dr.  Zaring,  ap- 
parently sees  all  this  and  we  will  close  by  letting  him  have  the 
last  word,  picturing  the  Regular  Physician  without  comment : 

"In  a  town  of  half  a  dozen  physicians  everything  is  quiet ; 
health  is  good;  the  physicians  meet  one  another  on  the  streets 
and  exchange  such  remarks  as,  'Nothing  doing/  'Nobody  sick,' 
Tt  is  distressingly  healthy.'  The  itinerant  comes  to  town,  'one 
day  only,'  and  dozens  and  scores  of  patients  besiege  his  door  all 
day  long.  And  when  they  get  into  his  private  room  they  have 
just  time  to  get  a  hearty  handshake,  a  divine  smile,  a  placebo, 
and  a  word  of  encouragement,  and  to  give  him  more  money  than 
they  have  paid  their  family  physician  in  half  a  dozen  years,  and 
rush  out  to  give  room  for  the  next.  From  that  same  community 
a  large  volume  of  business  which  the  physicians  did  not  know 
of,  will  go  to  the  spectacular  specialist  in  the  next  town.  And 
he  performs   a   dozen   appendectomies   where  one   is   indicated ; 


52  Heritage  vs.  Homoeopathy. 

and  perhaps  a  hundred  tonsillectomies  as  often  as  he  should  do 
one ;  and  he  expunges  adenoids  by  the  gallons,  and  if  you  should 
offer  a  hundred  dollars  apiece  for  genuine  adenoids,  he  could 
not  supply  a  penny's  worth.  Instead  of  regulating  the  digestion, 
instructing  the  patient  in  hygiene,  dietetics,  prophylaxis  and 
sending  him  back  to  his  usual  occupation,  he  operates  for — for — 
that  is — he  operates,  and  sends  the  victim  to  the  grave.  Last 
year  this  great  attraction  was  a  country  doctor  running  behind 
expenses.  This  year  he  is  a  'specialist'  in  a  little  city  or  town, 
and  getting  rich." 


HERITAGE   VS.   HOMOEOPATHY. 
By  Dr.  S.  M.  Guild  Leggett,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Known  J.   C.  S.  as  a  patient  since   1910,  was  married   Nov., 

1910,  was  22  years  of  age,  tall,  dark  eyes  and  hair,  rather  un- 
gainly build,  pretty,  English  descent. 

History,  family, — physical. — Father,  drunkard,  two  sisters 
epileptic,  the  younger  of  the  two  having  since  died,  with  in- 
creasing imbecility  until  death.  The  elder,  fearful  temper,  ugly 
fits,  conscienceless,  resembling  what  is  now   defined  as   Moron. 

Patient. — Leucorrhcea  as  long  as  she  could  remember ;  pro- 
fuse, offensive,  chafing  in  hot  weather;  perspiration  profuse, 
axilla,  genital  region,  and  on  feet ;  menses  scant,  stains  difficult 
to  wash  out ;  constipation ;  hard,  dark,  painful  stools. 

Carbo  animalis  relieved  all  symptoms,  but  constipation,  which 
was  marked,  and  she  added  one  of  physometra.  She  received 
one  dose  of  Sepia  1,000,  which  continued  good  work  until  Jan., 

191 1,  when  she  received  a  dose  of  Psorinum  42m.  F. 

Very  occasional  prescriptions  until  she  came  to  me  on  May 
19,  '15,  stating  that  she  was  pregnant  since  Dec,  1914,  and 
wanted  my  care  for  herself  and  prospective  child,  and  advice 
as  to  whom  she  should  go  for  delivery.  She  had  no  nausea,  but 
the  profuse  leucorrhcea  had  returned,  bland  and  not  offensive. 
She  suffered  much  from  shifting  pains  in  the  legs ;  pains  in  the 
hip-joints,  worse  in  the  act  of  sitting ;  most  comfortable  in  ly- 
ing upon  the  right ;  much  chafing  of  the  inner  thighs,  which  ex- 
tended to  the  groin,  between  labia  and  thighs ;  the  flesh  was  red, 
swollen,  moist,  worse  by  the  clothing  or  covering,  better  when 


Heritage  vs.  Homoeopathy.  53 

free ;  once  the  entire  genital  organs  had  been  inflamed.  She 
received  one  dose  of  Pulsatilla  cm. 

On  June  9.  She  again  reported.  No  pains  in  legs  since  last 
visit  until  this  morning,  after  a  long  walk  ;  patches  of  fine  vari- 
cosed  veins,  with  occasional  ecchymoses;  chafing,  which  she  be- 
lieves due  to  perspiration  and  has  twice  been  "terrible;"  no  leu- 
corrhcea  since  two  days  after  the  first  powder. 

July  16.  Some  backache  when  fatigued  or  on  waking,  but 
better  when  moving  about,  induced  me  to  give  another  dose  of 
Pulsatilla  cm. 

July  28.  The  increased  leucorrhcea,  which  streamed  from  her 
when  rising  in  the  morning,  first  milky  white,  but  staining  nap- 
kins fairly  brown  ;  chafing ;  sexual  organs  swollen  and  puffy  in 
the  morning;  as  if  would  break  on  first  motion,  but  all  right 
when  has  risen  and  moved  about;  end  of  spine  sore  when  sit- 
ting ;  led  to  a  re-study  and  was  found  to  be  covered  by 
Graphites. 

Graphites  35m.  F.  cleared  up  the  condition  entirely  and  on 
Sept.  13,  1915,  she  was  delivered  of  a  9^4  pound  boy.  She  had 
a  perfectly  uneventful  labor  and  not  a  single  dose  of  medicine. 
The  medical  attendant  circumcised  the  boy  before  its  leaving 
the  hospital,  being  somewhat  of  a  crank  on  the  subject,  but  he 
never  gave  a  dose  of  medicine  to  mother  or  child.  The  only 
thing  of  moment  that  has  happened  to  the  mother  or  child  was 
the  former  had  diminished  quantity  of  milk,  so  added  modified 
cow's  milk ;  and  the  boy  had  patches  of  tinea  capitis  on  each 
cheek  and  scalp,  which  did  not  yield  entirely  until  he  had  re- 
ceived a  dose  of  Graphites,  which  was  the  mother's  curative  be- 
fore he  was  born. 

All  this  time,  he  is  now  several  months  old,  he  has  slept  the 
nights  through,  without  feeding,  from  8  P.  M.  The  mother,  of 
late,  objected  to  waking  so  early,  so  I  said  to  her  I  could  only 
recommend  that  she  give  him  a  feeding  later  in  the  evening. 
She  said  repeatedly,  "I  did  not  know  there  was  such  a  thing  as 
so  good  a  baby." 

The  indications  for  the  prescription  of  Graphites  for  mother 
were : 

"Excoriation  between  the  thighs." 

"Swollen  genitals." 


54  Warts.     Enlarged  Prostates. 

"Gushing  leucorrhcea." 

For  the  boy  were  the  "sticky,"  ''viscid"  exudations,  when  the 
scabs  were  disturbed. 

A  case  of  atavism  ?  Where!  from  ?  There  was  surely  enough 
evil  to  be  counteracted,  antidoted  or  eliminated,  and  we  know 
how  much  the  properly  fitted  remedy  can  accomplish  in  these 
cases. 


WARTS.     ENLARGED  PROSTATES. 
By  F.  H.  Lutze,  403  Jefferson  Ave.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

WARTS. 

Case  1.  Mr.  C.  S.,  a  farmer,  whom  I  was  visiting,  showed 
me  his  hands,  the  back  of  each  covered  with  large,  rough,  so- 
called  seed  warts,  asking  me  if  I  could  anything  for  them.  He 
had  been  my  patient  for  a  number  of  years,  with  firm  faith  in 
Homoeopathy,  for  I  had  cured  him  of  what  old  school  doctors 
had  called  consumption  with  only  six  months  of  life  before  him. 
He  was  now  45   years  of  age. 

He  could  give  me  no  symptoms,  but  the  warts  were  such  strik- 
ing pictures  of  the  Causticnm  wart  that  I  told  him :  Yes,  I 
could  cure  them,  and  gave  him  three  powders  of  Causticnm 
50m,  all  I  had  with  me,  telling  him  to  take  one  now,  the  2d 
one  a  week  hence,  and  the  third  one  two  weeks  later  after  the 
second  one ;  in  the  meantime  to  observe  and  try  to  get  symp- 
toms and  write  me  in  five  or  six  weeks. 

I  heard  nothing  of  him  until  I  visited  him  a  year  later,  when 
one  day  he  suddenly  showed  me  his  hands,  saying :  "Look  at 
them  now."     Not  a  vestige  of  the  warts  could  be  seen. 

I  asked  him  how  long  it  was  ere  they  began  to  disappear?  He 
could  not  tell  me ;  for  while  taking  the  powders  he  saw  no 
change  in  them.  After  that,  being  very  busy,  he  forgot  about 
them  until  the  moment  before  he  showed  them  to  me,  and 
looked,  finding  not  a  trace  of  them,  and  he  had  taken  no  other 
medicine  in  the  meantime. 

Case  2.  Mr.  Fred.  G.,  his  hired  man,  hearing  of  this,  asked 
me  to  cure  his  warts ;  they  looked  very  much  like  those  on  the 
hands  of  Mr.  C.  S.,  except  that  some  of  them,  covering  the  back 
of  his  fingers,  were  small  and  smooth,  but  I  attributed  this  to 


IV arts.     Enlarged  Prostates.  55 

the  fact  that  these  had  perhaps  not  yet  fully  matured.  He  said 
he  had  never  been  sick,  never  had  a  doctor.  I  gave  him  a  few 
powders  of  Causticum  50m.  It  produced  no  change,  and  lower 
potencies  of  Causticum  brought  no  results.  Then  he  said :  He 
had  scraped  the  large  ones  on  the  dorsal  surface  of  the  hands: 
with  a  knife  and  a  file,  trying  to  remove  them  in  this  way,  which 
had  caused  their  roughened  appearance.  Next  I  gave  him 
Thuja  30  and  200,  but  without  result. 

Then  he  told  me  he  had  taken  at  times  quinine  for  a  cold,  but 
not  much,  5  or  10  gains  at  a  dose,  feels  worse  in  the  morning 
and  in  damp  weather,  better  out  of  doors,  has  also  some  smooth 
warts  on  the  body.  ,  Now  I  gave  him  Natrum  sulph.  200  then 
30th,  which  removed  the  warts  in  two  weeks. 

Case  3.  Miss  A.  T.,  aet.  20  years.  The  back  of  both  hands 
are  covered  with  warts,  large  and  small,  but  smooth.  She  has 
tried  to  remove  them  in  several  ways,  using  also  muriatic  acid, 
but  they  grew  rather  worse  than  better,  but  can  give  no  symp- 
toms. 

June  17,  19 1 6.  Thuja  200.  June  22.  Headache  relieved  clos- 
ing the  eyes ;  eyes  felt  dry  all  day ;  craves  salt,  drinks  much  and 
often  she  is  very  irritable  and  cross,  and  always  in  a  hurry,  likes 
to  walk  fast,  lips  chap  and  peel  in  winter.    Natrum  mur.  45m. 

June  28.  Eyes  very  dry  all  day  and  have  a  yellow,  thick 
discharge  in  the  morning  on  waking.  Cross  and  irritable  and 
headache  toward  evening  from  being  tired  and  hungry;  the 
headache  is  relieved  by  closing  the  eyes,  is  a  dull  ache.  She 
feels  better  when  walking  fast,  and  in  motion.  Lips  chap  and 
peel  in  winter.     Sulphur  55m.,  one  powder. 

July  2d.  Less  thirst,  craves  acids,  vinegar.  Always  in  a 
hurry  and  on  the  run.    Sepia  im. 

July  30.  Anxiety  and  worry.  Headache  in  back  of  eyes  re- 
lieved by  eating  and  sleep.  Great  thirst  again,  drinks  much  and 
often ;  always  in  a  hurry.  Better  in  the  open  air  and  in  motion 
and  in  the  rain.  Worse  in  the  wind.  The  warts  itch  very  much. 
Natrum  mur.  cm.,  two  powders,  and  Sac.  lac. 

July  30.  The  warts  are  less,  the  small  ones  come  off,  while 
drying  the  hands  with  the  towel. 

August  10.  Warts  are  all  gone,  the  hands  and  lips  perfectly 
smooth. 


56  Warts.     Enlarged  Prostates. 

Case  4.  Miss  G.  S.,  set.  22  years.  May  5,  191 2.  Has  severe 
cramps  in  the  stomach  while  eating  and  feels  as  if  she  had  eaten 
too  much,  soon  after  beginning  to  eat,  then  becomes  so  cross 
and  irritable,  especially  with  her  own  family;  that  she  has  to 
leave  the  table  and  go  out  in  the  street,  walking.  This  and  the 
cool,  open  air  relieve  her.  Had  several  old  school  doctors  for 
the  past  year  and  more,  without  getting  any  relief  whatever. 
Nux  vom.  200. 

May  10th.  She  is  rather  worse  than  better,  especially  at  din- 
ner, at  noon,  feels  much  better  when  walking  out  in  the  open 
air.     Puis.  200,  in  aqua,  two  teaspoonfuls  every  two  hours. 

May  16.  Still  no  improvement.  Is  more  cross  than  ever, 
more  so  with  her  own  family,  though  she  don't  want  to  be,  and 
in  order  to  avoid  this,  she  leaves  the  table  at  once,  when  she 
feels  the  pain  and  irritability  coming  on  and  walks  about  in  the 
cool,  open  air,  which  relieves  all.  The  tongue  is  dry,  with  a 
thick  white  coating  and  red  streaks  here  and  there,  especially 
in  the  centre.  Antitqonium  tart.  200,  in  aqua,  two  teaspoonfuls 
every  2  to  3  hours. 

May  22d.  Improvement  began  at  once,  while  taking  the  first 
powder,  and  is  now  almost  free  from  pain  and  the  bad  temper. 
Anti.  tart.  45m,  a  powder  every  3d  day,  two  powders  and  Sac. 
lac.  completed  the  cure. 

ENLARGED    PROSTATE. 

Mr.  L.  F.,  set.  74  years,  had  been  attended  for  enlarged  pros- 
tate for  two  months  by  a  homoeopathic  surgeon,  who  instructed 
him  in  the  use  of  the  catheter  and  prescribed,  first,  Belladonna, 
and  the  Pulsatilla,  and  told  him  to  use  the  catheter  twice  daily, 
without  improving  his  condition,  and  then  sent  him  to  me  after 
two  months  of  this  treatment.  As  he  could  give  no  symptoms,  I 
continued  to  give  him  Pulsatilla  in  various  potencies. 

He  improved  in  his  general  condition,  but  the  catheter  had 
still  to  be  used  twice  daily. 

April  5th,  1912.  I  gave  him  four  powders  of  Sulphur  30, 
to  take  one  every  other  day  at  bedtime. 

April  nth  he  returned,  giving  me  these  symptoms:  He  felt 
a  great  urging  to  stool,  but  on  reaching  the  toilet,  nothing  but 
gas  passed,  relieving  the  urging.  Aloe  30,  a  powder  at  once 
and  then  every  morning,  and  Sac.  lac. 


Palm  Beach.  57 

He  urinated  freely  in  the  natural  way  the  following  day  and 
has  continued  so  ever  since,  except  when  he  takes  any  acids,  as 
sour  fruit,  vinegar  and  especially  tomatoes  this  seems  to  en- 
large the  prostate  enough  to  make  micturition  somewhat  dif- 
ficult and  painful,  but  a  few  doses  of  Aloe  or  Baryta  carb.  will 
quickly  overcome  the  trouble  and  micturition  will  again  be 
normrl. 


PALM    BEACH. 
By  Dr.  J.  C.  Fahnestock. 

You  will  pardon  me,  but  I  cannot  refrain  from  telling  you 
about  this  most  beautiful  spot,  Palm  Beach,  in  winter  time  in 
summerland.  After  my  day's  work  I  am  sitting  in  our  home 
by  the  sea  with  doors  and  windows  open  and  you  in  the  North 
shoveling  coal  or  snow  and  possibly  both. 

Our  home  is  just  1,200  feet  from  the  Royal  Poinciana  Hotel, 
one  of  the  largest  hotels  in  the  world,  and  royal,  indeed,  in  re- 
spect both  of  its  entirely  unique  surroundings  and  its  magnifi- 
cent appointments.  Fronting  the  beautiful  lake  north  and  com- 
manding also  the  ocean  view,  it  has  the  peculiar  advantage  of  a 
lordly  grove  of  cocoanut  palms  and  the  finest  environments  of 
tropical  gardening.  The  winter  climate  is  the  greatest  in  the 
world,  it  is  very  greatly  influenced  and  tempered  both  in  win- 
ter and  summer  by  the  gulf  stream,  which  passes  close  to  the 
shore  at  this  point. 

The  normal  winter  temperature  is  about  72  to  76  degrees. 

Tropical  plants  and  trees  from  all  points  of  the  world  are 
gathered  here.  Walks  shaded  by  groves  of  cocoanut  palms  are 
laid  out  in  geometrical  patterns,  bordered  with  concrete  curbs, 
and  with  lawns  protected  by  curved  sea  walks  of  concrete  and 
coquina  on  the  lake  front. 

Oleanders,  hibiscus  and  passion  flowers  are  in  bloom ;  man- 
goes, guavas,  limes,  lemons,  oranges,  figs,  sapodillas,  date  palms, 
bananas,  pineapples,  and  early  vegetables  are  common  in  all  the 
gardens. 

Rubber  trees,  royal  poinciana,  paradise,  coffee  and  many  curi- 
ous trees  in  the  gardens. 

The  hotels,  stately  mansions,  and  cottages  accommodate  thou- 


58  Palm  Beach. 

sands  of  people  and  naturally  I  am  getting  business  and  among 
those  that  truly  know  and  appreciate  homoeopathy. 

As  I  go  about  I  see  flowers  in  bloom  everywhere,  even  the 
cocoanut  trees  bloom  every  month  and  on  these  blooms  I  see 
bees  busy  at  work. 

What  a  wonderful  medicine  the  bee  furnishes  us  with. 

It  must  be  unusually  useful,  as  the  bee  is  found  all  over  the 
world.  A  queen  bee  is  the  most  jealous  thing  in  nature;  if  she 
does  not  leave  the  hive  with  a  colony  of  bees  when  new  queens 
are  hatched  she  immediately  kills  them  (jealousy),  if  there  is 
the  least  bit  of  disturbance  about  the  hive  there  are  signs  of 
fright,  and  if  it  continues,  rage,  and  if  the  hive  be  destroyed 
you  will  see  them  quietly  settling  down  in  a  mass  with  a  slowed 
buzzing,  grief. 

It  is  not  strange  to  find  Apis,  the  curative  medicine,  when 
symptoms  agree,  in  cases  resulting  from  jealousy,  fright,  rage 
or  vexation  or  grief. 

You  well  know  of  its  use  in  mental  shock,  bad  news  and  sup- 
pressed eruptions. 

A  number  of  years  ago  I  was  called  in  consultation  to  see  a 
lady  who  had  been  treated  by  allopathic  physicians  and  only 
growing  worse,  and  had  just  come  into  the  care  of  a  good 
homoeopathic  physician.  And  we  noted  the  following  state  of 
affairs : 

She  had  been  unable  to  lie  down  for  weeks,  general  dropsy,  legs 
fearfully  swollen,  arms  swollen,  face  swollen,  itching  and  burn- 
ing of  limbs,  urine  very  scanty,  almost  nil,  wanted  the  doors  and 
windows  open,  no  thirst,  very  short  of  breath,  pulse  so  feeble 
could  scarcely  count  it,  fear  of  death,  and  a  peculiar  symptom, 
she  complained  of  a  feeling  as  if  her  heart  would  turn  over  at 
intervals. 

Only  one  remedy  could  be  selected  for  such  a  condition  and 
that  was  Apis. 

The  only  preparation  the  doctor  had  was  Apis  200,  which  was 
given. 

My  advice  was,  "Don't  change  the  remedy  and  give  it  plenty 
of  time,  as  in  many  cases  Apis  is  rather  slow  in  its  action." 

Within  twenty-four  hours  improvement  began  and  no  other 
medicine  was  given. 


Palm  Beach.  59 

This  woman  is  well  today,  to  my  great  surprise,  as  she  was 
so  bloated  we  could  not  get  the  exact  condition  of  heart  nor 
had  we  any  knowledge  of  any  kidney  or  liver  lesions  at  our  com- 
mand at  that  time,  nevertheless  this  was  an  Apis  sickness  and 
Apis  promptly  cured. 

In  the  study  of  Apis  I  find  it  affects  the  coverings  and  I  fix 
the  sick  making  properties  in  my  mind  by  observing  its  action 
on  the  coverings  of  the  different  organs  of  the  body. 

Inflammations  of  the  coverings  of  the  brain  with  effusions. 

Inflammation  of  the  covering  of  the  heart  with  effusion.  The 
covering  of  the  bowels  with  effusions.  The  covering  of  the 
testicles  or  genitals  in  both  sexes  with  effusions   (or  oedema). 

And  last  the  covering  of  the  entire  body,  the  skin,  with  in- 
flammation and  effusions  or  oedema. 

A  marked  degree  of  inflammation,  stinging,  burning,  oedema, 
fever,  without  thirst,  worse  in  the  afternoon,  worse  on  right  side, 
better  from  cold  or  cool  applications  are  the  red  lines  that  run 
all  through  the  workings  of  Apis. 

I  remember  an  unusually  severe  case  of  erysipelas  in  gentle- 
man that  was  so  beautifully  and  promptly  cured  with  Apis.  A 
gentleman  past  middle  life  was  taken  sick  with  a  severe  shooting 
pain  in  his  head  and  in  a  few  hours  there  was  a  redness  over 
the  nose,  skin  became  rough  and  swollen,  very  high  fever,  no 
thirst,  did  not  rest  at  all  during  the  night,  had  used  various  local 
applications,  but  none  relieved  like  cool  cloths.  I  was  called 
the  following  morning  and  found  this  man  in  a  state  of  de- 
lirium, eyes  swollen  shut,  the  swelling  and  redness  had  extended 
over  his  entire  bald  head,  ears  swollen  and  standing  straight 
out  from  his  head,  ears  so  nearly  swollen  shut  he  could  scarcely 
hear,  urine  suppressed  and  that  striking  condition,  high  fever 
without  thirst.     Apis  promptly  cured  the  case. 

After  I  make  a  good  review  of  Apis,  its  generals,  its  partic- 
ulars, etc.,  then  I  take  up  Nat.  mur.  for  a  good  finisher,  as  Nat. 
mur  is  the  chronic  of  Apis. 

Sea  Breeze  Ave.,  Palm  Beach,  Fla. 


60  My  Southern  Trip. 

MY  SOUTHERN   TRIP. 
By  Eli  G.  Jones,  M.  D.,  1404  Main  St.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

The  middle  of  November  found  me  and  my  better  half  in 
East  Chattanooga,  Tenn.  This  is  historical  ground.  Some  of 
the  important  battles  of  the  Civil  War  took  place  in  and  around 
this  city.  I  have  seen  the  sun  rise  on  the  Atlantic  ocean  off  the 
coast  of  Maine,  I  have  seen  the  sun  set  on  the  golden  sands  of 
the  Pacific  in  California,  "where  the  sunset  turns  the  ocean  blue 
to  gold,"  but  the  grandest  sight  I  ever  saw  was  the  sunset  on 
Lookout  Mountain,  Term.,  7,000  feet  above  the  level  of  Chat- 
tanooga. I  stood  on  the  spot  where  the  "battle  above  the  clouds" 
was  fought.  I  looked  down  into  the  seven  States  and  on  four 
battlefields  of  the  Civil  War. 

During  my  stay  in  Chattanooga  I  met  a  dozen  physicians  of 
all  schools  and  was  treated  with  great  kindness  and  courtesy  by 
them.  Dr.  Curtis  is  the  only  Homoeopath  in  that  city ;  he  has 
been  located  there  for  47  years.  His  regular  brethren  speak  of 
him  as  "a  fine  man  and  a  skillful  physician."  I  examined  and 
prescribed  for  very  many  patients,  difficult,  obscure  and  chronic 
diseases.  Upon  my  return  home  I  stopped  over  at  Berea,  Ken- 
tucky, nestled  down  in  the  foot  hills  of  the  Cumberland  Moun- 
tains. It  is  the  seat  of  Berea  College.  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
meeting  Prof.  Wm.  G.  Frost,  the  president  of  the  college ;  he  is 
a  man  among  men,  and  is  doing  a  grand  work  in  educating  the 
young  men  and  women  of  the  Cumberland  Mountains.  To  make 
them  good  men  and  women,  as  well  as  useful  citizens.  I  was 
the  guest  of  Prof.  James  W.  Raine,  Professor  of  English  Litera- 
ture in  the  college.  They  have  some  fine  college  buildings  and 
1,400  students.  During  my  stay  in  Berea  the  physicians  of  that 
town  tendered  me  a  reception.  It  gave  an  opportunity  to  pre- 
sent to  them  some  solid  facts,  that  gave  them  something  to  think 
about.  My  remarks  were  very  well  received.  In  this  town  I 
examined  and  prescribed  for  several  sick  persons.  While  on 
my  trip  south  I  prescribed  for  some  60  or  more  patients  and 
left  them  on  the  road  to  recovery.  My  way  of  reading  the  eye, 
pulse,  and  tongue  was  a  revelation  to  the  doctors.  They  could 
not  understand  it.     In  meeting  such  a  great  variety  of  diseases 


My  Southern  Trip.  61 

it  was  a  pretty  severe  test  of  my  ability  to  heal  the  sick.  I  had 
to  see  some  patients  in  Baltimore,  Md.  Then  we  took  an  auto- 
mobile ride  to  Frederick,  Md.,  sixty  miles  away,  over  a  splendid 
road-bed.  Frederick,  Md.,  is  a  town  of  great  historical  inter- 
est. Here  is  the  grave  and  monument  of  Francis  Scott  Keys,  the 
author  of  ''The  Star  Spangled  Banner."  It  also  has  "Washing- 
ton's Headquarters."  Here  is  the  home  of  Barbara  Fritchie, 
made  famous  in  history  by  the  Poet  Whittier : 

"Up    from   the    meadows    rich    with   corn, 
Clear  in  the  cool  September  morn; 
The  clustered  spires  of  Frederick  stand, 
Green  walled  by  the  hills  of  Maryland." 

The  beautiful  mountains  and  valleys,  the  rich  farming  land, 
the  nice  farming  houses  and  big  barns,  make  the  country  round 
about  Frederick  seem  like  a  veritable  "Garden  of  Eden."  My 
visit  to  the  south  land  will  be  one  of  the  pleasant  memories  of 
my  life. 

Dr.  C.  G.  Austin,  of  Nantucket,  Mass.,  had  an  attack  of 
lumbago;  he  tried  the  usual  homoeopathic  remedies  indicated  in 
this  disease,  but  they  did  not  help  him,  so  he  tried  my  remedy 
and  it  cured  him. 

For  the  benefit  of  the  new  readers  of  the  Recorder  I  will 
mention  it  once  more : 

3^.     Tr.  Bryonia. 
Tr.  Cimicifuga. 
Tr.   Gelsemium    aa    5ss. 

Mix.    Sig.    Ten  drops  in  a  tablespoonful  of  hot  water,  once  in 
half  an  hour,  until  relieved. 

Dr.  John  Fox,  Sydney,  Australia,  writes  of  his  splendid  suc- 
cess in  healing  the  sick  from  the  teaching  in  my  books.  He  is 
delighted  with  the  Recorder. 

It  is  hard  for  most  doctors  to  spare  the  time  away  from  their 
practice  to  take  a  post-graduate  course  of  instruction.  When  it 
is  possible  to  get  away  from  my  business  I  will  visit  physicians 
at  their  homes,  and  drill  them  in  the  true  indications  of  rem- 
edies, teach  them  the  definite  treatment  of  the  diseases  common 
to  our  countrv.  and  show  them  how  to  treat  their  dithcul  cases. 


62  My  Southern  Trip. 

Every  case  that  I  help  them  cure  adds  just  so  much  to  their 
reputation  as  a  physician.  I  am  prepared  to  give  considerable 
time  to  this  work  this  winter  and  I  hope  that  our  doctors  will 
appreciate  the  value  of  it.  Babies  are  often  troubled  with  con- 
stipation and  it  is  a  good  thing  to  know  hozv  to  treat  such  a  con- 
dition : 

J$.     Podophyllin,    2x    grs xxx 

Brown    Sugar     3"* 

Aqua    fl 5iv. 

Mix.     Sig.    Teaspoonful,  four  times  a  day. 

I  had  a  lady  patient  with  the  following  symptoms :  She  "wakes 
up  in  the  morning  feeling  pretty  well ;  as  soon  as  she  begins  to 
move  round  she  starts  flowing,  the  blood  is  black,  like  tar.  Be- 
tween the  monthly  periods  she  has  a  yellowish,  fetid  leucor- 
rhcea."  This  is  a  case  of  chronic  metritis,  and  Aurum  mur., 
nat.  3X  (double  chlorid  gold  and  sodium)  is  the  remedy, 
three  tablets  one  hour  after  each  meal.  One  of  our  valuable 
remedies  that  should  not  be  forgotten  is  Tr.  Tela  Araneae  (cob- 
web). It  is  especially  indicated  in  masked  periodical  diseases, 
hectic,  broken  down  patients.  The  symptoms  come  on  suddenly 
with  cool,  clammy  skin.  There  is  numbness  of  the  hands  and 
legs  when  the  body  is  at  rest.  A  long  continued  chilliness  is  the 
keynote  for  this  remedy,  Tr.  Tela  Areneae,  10  drops  in  a  little 
water,  once  an  hour  in  urgent  cases,  or  a  dose  three  times  a  day. 

In  reading  a  patient's  pulse  I  found  an  intermission  about 
every  third  or  fourth  beat,  showing  functional  weakness.  From 
this  I  suspected  an  enlargement  of  some  internal  organ.  Upon 
an  examination  of  the  liver  I  found  it  very  much  enlarged,  Tr. 
Chelidonium  was  the  remedy  indicated  in  that  case,  10  drops, 
three  times  a  day.  In  ten  days  I  read  the  pulse  again  and  found 
the  intermissions  of  the  pulse  further  apart.  This  showed  me 
that  the  remedy  was  having  its  curative  effect  and  the  enlarge- 
ment of  the  liver  becoming  smaller.  If  our  doctors  would  only 
stop  counting  the  pulse  and  try  to  learn  what  it  will  tell  you, 
they  could  learn  a  whole  lot  about  the  patient's  condition  from 
the  pulse.  In  reading  the  pulse  of  an  old  lady  of  80  years,  the 
pulse  of  the  left  arm  seemed  quite  strong  and  regular  for  a 
woman  of  her  age.     The  average  physician  would  have  jumped 


My  Southern  Trip.  63 

to  the  conclusion  that  the  pulse  was  the  normal  pulse  of  an 
old  lady,  but  when  I  put  my  fingers  on  the  pulse  of  the  right 
wrist,  the  pulse  was  entirely  different.  The  blood  did  not  flow 
freely  through  the  artery,  it  was  irregular,  now  and  then  an  in- 
termission, now  and  then  a  well  marked  interval  between  the 
pulsations.  It  gave  me  the  impression  of  a  person  who  might 
have  had  one  attack  of  apoplexy  and  would  soon  have  another. 
I  found,  by  investigation,  that  the  lady  had  an  attack  of  apo- 
plexy nine  years  ago,  yet  it  showed  that  condition  in  her  pulse. 
In  reading  the  pulse  of  another  lady,  at  first  the  pulse  seemed 
quite  regular,  then  it  began  to  feel  irritable  and  quiver  some. 
I  said  to  her,  "You  have  palpitation  of  the  heart,  sometimes 
faint  spells."  She  said,  "Yes."  Now  for  this  condition  Tr. 
Crataegus  is  the  remedy  to  calm  the  nerves  of  the  heart  and 
steady  its  action.  Ten  drops,  once  in  three  hours.  In  a  few 
days  I  read  her  pulse  again;  the  pulsations  were  normal,  full, 
strong  and  regular.  I  belive  that  Cratcegus  is  an  organ  remedy 
for  the  heart,  and  it  is  a  safe  remedy  to  give  in  many  diseases 
of  the  heart. 

In  conversation  with  Dr.  Frank  Love,  of  this  city,  he  re- 
marked to  me,  "I  have  found  very  many  good  things  in  the 
Recorder  and  in  your  books."  He  is  a  man  of  pleasing  per- 
sonality, a  prominent  regular  physician  and  has  the  largest  gen- 
eral practice  of  any  doctor  in  Buffalo.  I  had  a  report  from  an 
old  student  of  mine,  Dr.  Albert  L.  Kiraly,  Latrobe,  Penna.  He 
tells  me  of  his  success  with  a  case  of  cancer  in  the  mouth.  The 
doctor  is  a  "live  wire,"  a  member  of  the  "Academy  of  Medi- 
cine" and  consulting  physician  to  the  City  Hospital. 

Dr.  G.  S.  Farquhar,  Thornville,  Ohio,  writes  me  of  his  suc- 
cess with  a  case  of  cystic  sarcoma  on  the  side  of  a  man's  face. 
A  doctor  who  can  cure  a  case  of  that  kind  ought  to  have  a 
bright  crown  in  the  "sweet  by  and  by."  I  have  often  asked  my 
friends  the  real  difference  between  a  pipe  and  a  segar?  The 
segar  is  like  a  young  lady,  it  interests,  amuses,  exhilarates  us, 
but  the  pipe,  dear  reader,  is  like  an  old  maid.  It  comforts  us, 
consoles  us,  clings  to  us,  and  we  can't  shake  it ! 

.    "By    the    blazing    fire    sits    the    grey-haired    sire. 
And  infant's  arms  are  round  him. 
He  smiles  on  all  in  that  quaint  old  hall, 
While  the  smoke  wreaths  curl  around  him." 


64  Experience  vs.  Therapy 


EXPERIENCE  VS.  THEORY. 

Under  the  heading,  "Why  Diversity  of  Opinion,"  Dr.  Geo.  L. 
Servoss,  of  Reno,  Nev.,  editor  of  the  Western  Medical  World, 
contributes  a  paper  to  the  Medical  Summary.  After  mentioning 
a  number  of  drugs,  like  Cactus  and  Echinacea,  said  by  the  labora- 
tory to  be  inert,  he  adds : 

"I  do  not  want  you  to  get  the  idea  that  I  consider  the  laboratory 
an  absolutely  useless  adjunct,  as  such  does  not  enter  my  mind  for 
a  single  instant.  The  laboratory  is  a  necessary  thing,  both  in 
primary  and  other  work  in  connection  with  things  therapeutic, 
but  that  it  is  a  final  and  supreme  court  of  last  resort,  I  refuse  to 
admit.  We,  who  have  turned  over  Wassermann  and  other  tests 
to  laboratories,  know  the  numerous  times  in  which  seeming  dis- 
crepancies are  in  evidence.  We  have  seen  one  laboratory  give 
one  result,  another  a  contrary  one,  and  both  supposed  to  be  in  the 
hands  of  expert  workers.  If  this  is  true  of  those  institutions 
handling  pathological  work,  why  then  are  the  laboratories  giving 
their  attention  to  therapeutic  agents  invariably  infallible?  The 
chemical  end  of  the  question  may  settle  things  to  a  finality  in 
some  instances,  but  I  do  not  believe  that  such  is  the  truth  in- 
variably. Until  we  recognize  this  fact  and  combine  and  study 
both  laboratory  and  clinical  findings,  giving  each  its  true  due, 
this  diversity  of  opinion  is  bound  to  exist  and  with  the  continued 
blundering  along  in  the  dark  of  the  physician.  Until  we  are  fair 
and  square  in  our  dealings  with  drugs  and  other  remedial  agents, 
we  are  bound  to  remain  chaotic  and  to  fail  in  our  endeavors.  We 
must  cease  listening  to  one  man,  or  coterie  of  men,  and  give  heed 
to  the  masses  of  the  profession  and  the  findings  of  the  whole, 
rather  than  of  the  few.  Then  we  must  study  those  things  which 
are  necessary  in  the  treatment  of  the  sick  humans  and  come  to  our 
conclusions  upon  the  basis,  in  part,  of  our  own  clinical  observa- 
tions. No  matter  if  a  drug  is  taboo,  if  it  gives  you  results,  and 
you  know  that  such  is  the  case,  it  is  your  business  to  continue  its 
use,  regardless  of  what  others  may  say  about  it.  Such  action  on 
your  part  will  be  just  as  scientific  as  will  be  the  action  of  those 
who  might  find  fault  with  you.  Perhaps  more  so.  It  is  the  lack 
of  the  "get  together"  of  the  medical  profession  and  the  listening, 
to  too  great  an  extent  to  so-called  authorities,  that  is  to  be  very 
largely  blamed  for  our  present  diversity  of  opinion." 


Look  First  and  Reason.  65 


LOOK  FIRST  AND   REASON. 

More  is  lost  by  not  looking  than  by  not  knowing.  Something 
like  this  opens  Bartlett's  Diagnosis.  We  have  heard  of  a  case 
of  "tuberculosis"  that  was  "cured"  by  some  one  finding  a  bristle 
of  a  tooth-brush  lodged  in  the  throat.  Have  heard  of  an  awful 
rectal  case  cleared  up  by  removal  of  a  piece  of  lodged  tooth-pick. 
Have  heard  of  a  "running  sore"  healed  by  the  removal  of  a 
splinter  of  wood.  Have  known  of  "conjunctivitis"  cured  by  the 
removal  of  a  foreign  body  by  the  man  who  "looked."  Remem- 
ber, you  good  homoeopaths,  what  Hahnemann  said  in  the  Orga- 
non  about  seaching  for  removable  causes  and  then  remember,  or 
read,  what  Bartlett  says  about  the  cases  coming  to  grief,  from  the 
practitioner's  point  of  view,  i.  e.,  his  failure  to  "look." 

No  one  who  knows  the  Recorder  will  accuse  it  of  being  luke- 
warm in  the  cause  of  Homoeopathy,  but,  just  the  same,  there  is  a 
possibility  of  being  too  strongly  a  pure  repertory,  or  symptom, 
man.  That  "running  sore" — or  give  it  any  other  technical  name — 
may  refuse  to  heal  under  Silicea  or  He  par,  or  any  other  well 
indicated  remedy  simply  because  the  symptomatologist  has  not 
"looked"  and  found  the  splinter  of  wood,  or  iron,  that  is  the  cause. 
They  have  not  followed  the  teaching  of  the  Organon  while  be- 
lieving that  they  have  been  following  it  to  the  letter. 

Strictly  speaking,  ''removable  causes"  are  not  diseases,  but — 
what  shall  we  say — accidents?  Always  look  for  them.  If  the 
patient  had  a  real  disease  Homoeopathy  is  his  only  hope  of  cure, 
and  his  symptoms  are  the  only  guide  to  his  remedy.  But  even 
here,  where  there  may  be  no  removable  cause,  there  are  conditions 
that  our  lawyer  friends  are  prone  to  take  up  in  a  losing  case,  i.  e., 
"exceptions."  Sometimes  there  is  nothing  found  to  be  removed, 
and  symptomatology  is  helpless  to  cure.  That  is  a  case  in  which 
one  should  seek  for  the  original  cause.  We  heard  of  an  illus- 
trative case  the  other  day.  The  patient  had  been  the  rounds — 
hospitals  and  practitioners,  and  not  a  few  of  them.  Finally  he 
came  up  against  a  man  who,  after  hearing  the  details,  asked  him 
how  his  trouble  started.  The  man  grumbled  around  a  bit  but 
finally  it  came  out  that  several  years  before  he  had  been  knocked, 
head  over  heels,  senseless.     Had  never  been  well  since,  etc.,  etc. 


66  The  "Sibboleth"  of  Reform. 

He  was  given  Arnica  3x.  Next  day  he  came  back  ready  to  assault 
the  prescribe!*,  but  the  latter  was  cool  and  said :  "Good  sign ! 
Aggravation !  You  are  on  the  road  to  a  cure."  Then  he  gave 
him  Arnica  iooo.  That  cured  the  man,  and  every  Christmas  he 
insists  on  sending  that  prescriber  a  very  neat  present  which 
shows  that  he  was  an  unusual  patient  in  two  senses. 

From  all  this  which,  incidentally,  is  neither  new  nor  original,  it 
may  be  seen  that  the  man  who  sticks  to  pure  symptomatology, 
while  he  may,  and  does,  make  brilliant  cures,  still  is  not  strictly 
following  the  teachings  of  the  grand  old  Organon,  which  it  but 
an  exposition  of  common  sense. 


THE  ''SIBBOLETH"   OF  REFORM. 

The  following  is  quoted  from  the  Buffalo  Medical  Journal. 
It  is  worth  reading: 

Proposed  Abolition  of  Heroin. — The  Committee  on  Drug  Addiction 
of  the  National  Committee  on  Prisons,  has  developed  the  concensus  of 
opinion  that  heroin  is  more  used  by  juvenile  criminals  than  other  prepara- 
tions of  morphine  and,  since  heroin  is  not  absolutely  indispensable,  but  can 
be  replaced  with  ordinary  morphine  salts  or  even  Galenicals  of  opium, 
Federal  legislation  is  proposed  to  prohibit  its  importation,  manufacture 
and  sale.  Perfectly  simple  and  logical.  If  people  eat  too  much  meat,  and 
beef  is  found — as  is  highly  probable — to  be  the  most  used  of  any,  pro- 
hibit the  raising  of  cattle.  To  check  automobile  accidents,  count  the  cars, 
and  close  the  factory  that  turns  out  the  plurality — though  it  is  claimed 
that  it  is  now  a  majority.  Instead  of  prohibition  or  restraint  of  alcoholic  in- 
dulgence as  such,  pass  a  law  that  the  most  popular  beverage  shall  be  no 
longer  made,  etc.,  etc.,  etc. 

We  hold  no  brief  for  "heroin,"  which,  we  understand,  is  a  Ger- 
man trade-marked  proprietory  drug,  which,  no  doubt,  the  world 
is  better  without,  but  the  principle  in  the  foregoing  quotation  is 
one  worthy  of  approval  by  all  rational  men.  Because  some  hu- 
man derelicts  show  their  character  via  "heroin"  the  modern  "sib- 
boleth" reformers  shout,  "Prohibit  it!"  Because  others  show  up 
by  the  cocaine  rout  the  cry  goes  up,  "Prohibit  it,"  and  so  on  down 
an  endless  line,  even  to  gasoline.  "Prohibit"  is  the  cry.  The 
child  burns  its  fingers  in  the  fire,  is  angry  at  the  fire,  and,  later  in 
life,  joins  the  increasing  multitude  that  calls  for  the  prohibition 
of  that  which  hurts  them,  or  others,  forgetting  (or,  more  likely, 


Overdoing  It.  67 

not  knowing),  that  fire  is  a  useful  servant,  and  that  because  the 
fire  burned  the  ignorant  child's  hand  is  no  reason  for  the  prohibi- 
tion of  fire.  Shall  a  useful  thing  be  prohibited  because  there  are 
ignorant,  weakling  or  defective,  human  beings  in  the  world? 

These  comparisons,  like  those  of  the  Buffalo  Medical  Journal, 
may  seem  to  be  unjust  to  some  persons  but  cold  reason  demon- 
strates that  the  cause  of  human  depravity  is  not  a  natural  or  a 
manufactured  substance.  If  it  is,  and  the  reformers  are  right, 
then  Christianity  is  a  mere  superstition  and  the  Word  of  God  of 
non-effect. 

The  same  idea  that  rules  the  "sibboleth"  (see  Judges  xii,  verse 
6)  dominates  medicine  to-day;  everything  from  a  toothache  to 
"the  plague"  comes  to  man  from  without,  "the  germ"  comes  to 
him  and  it  is  the  cause  of  all  of  his  physical  woes,  while  his 
manner  of  life,  or  his  heredity,  has  nothing  to  do  with  his  ill- 
faring — the  cause  is  always  a  "germ."  The  cry  of  Adam  goes 
down  the  ages,  as  much  now  in  these  scientific  times  as  ever: 
"The  woman  whom  thou  gavest  to  be  with  me,  she  gave  me  of  the 
tree  and  I  did  eat."     (Genesis  iii,  verse  12). 

Always,  through  all  the  ages,  Adam,  i.  e.,  "man,"  or  "mankind," 
or  still  more  ancient,  "red  earth,"  seeks  to  shoulder  off  his  own 
faults  on  to  something  else,  to  some  "germ"  of  which  he  is  the 
innocent  victim.  He  may,  to  be  sure,  have  the  innocence  of 
ignorance,  but  as  the  civil  law,  based  on  the  eternal  law,  does 
not  excuse  ignorance  of  the  law,  neither  does  the  eternal  law — ■ 
for  if  one  takes  hold  of  hot  iron  he  will  surely  suffer,  be  he  scien- 
tist or  innocent  babe. 

If  the  men  of  this  age  would  devote  less  time  to  "making 
laws,"  and  would  pay  more  attention  to  learning  the  immutable 
laws  that  always  have  ruled,  and  always  will  rule,  they  would  be 
nearer  to  wisdom  than  though  they  had  discovered  a  brand  new 
bacillus. 

Sad,  but  very  true ! 

OVERDOING  IT. 

It  is  all  right  to  protect  the  public  but,  judging  from  the  follow- 
ing clipping  from  the  Sun,  sent  in  by  a  New  York  physician,  the 
people  prefer  physicians  who  will  attend  to  their  ills  when  called 
and  let  them  alone,  professionally,  at  other  times.  Here  is  the 
clipping — condensed : 


68  Grindelia  Robust  a  in  Measles. 

"I  have  been  very  much  interested  in  the  letters  regarding 
Christian  Science  published  in  your  correspondence  columns.  I 
am  not  a  Christian  Scientist,  but  am  fast  becoming  converted  to  it, 
for  I  am  so  very  weary  of  the  constant  nagging  of  the  medical 
profession,  through  sermons,  lectures,  editorials,  news  columns, 
placards,  banners,  pictures,  welfare  associations,  movies  and  laws. 
All  the  time  and  everywhere  trying  to  convince  us  that  we  are 
not  so  well  as  we  think  we  are,  and  that  there  is  something  awful 
the  matter  with  us.  Why,  I  am  beginning  to  feel  like  Jerome 
K.  Jerome's  'Three  Men  in  a  Boat,'  who,  after  they  had  finished 
reading  an  almanac,  imagined  they  had  every  disease  under  the 
sun  but  housemaid's  knee. 

"As  to  hysteria,  let  any  man  talk  to  me  of  hysterical  women 
hereafter!  I  will  'point  with  pride'  to  our  Board  of  Health 
and  say,  'Can  we  women  ever  hope  to  compete  with  them? 
Never!'  If  there  had  only  been  a  Christian  Scientist  or  two 
among  them  New  York  would  never  have  suffered  such  a  severe 
attack  of  nervous  prostration  as  it  has  just  passed  through.  We 
need  Christian  Scientists  among  us — and  many  of  them,  to  give  us 
ballast." 


GRINDELIA  ROBUSTA  IN   MEASLES. 

Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 

In  answer  to  the  editor's  request  for  some  simple,  everyday 
cases,  the  following  is  sent  in  the  hope  that  some  men  of  greater 
skill  and  experience  may  be  led  to  favor  us  with  many  practical 
items : 

My  son,  Lorenzo,  17  years  of  age,  was  attacked  with  measles : 
this  being  his  third  attack.  This  was  on  Dec.  26,  19 16.  The 
rash  came  out  plentifully.  But  the  boy  was  sleepless,  thirsty,  con- 
stipated, the  tongue  red,  the  left  tonsil  swollen;  wanted  hot 
drinks  (water,  lemonade,  etc.)  ;  lays  quiet.  At  9  A.  M.  nose- 
bleed, which  in  Ide's  times  of  aggravations  indicates  Bryonia. 
There  was  cough,  too.  He  received  Bryonia  30,  upon  which  he 
began  to  sweat  copiously,  especially  on  the  face ;  he  coughs  nearly 
all  the  time,  the  expectoration  being  tenacious,  sticky,  and  very 
annoying ;  the  nose  keeps  bleeding ;  the  stomach  and  abdomen 
full  of  wind ;  some  appetite,  but  very  soon  satisfied ;  still  sleep- 
less and  constipated.     Received  Lyco podium  30. 


Grindelia  Robust  a  in  Measles..  69 

Afterwards  less  wind,  less  cough,  but  still  the  same  tenacious 
expectoration ;  slept  some,  but  awoke  with  hoarseness,  bordering 
to  aphonia,  with  pain  in  the  tonsils.  The  boy  was  no  worse,  but 
he  was  not  getting  well,  and  I  very  much  desired  to  ward  off  the 
disagreeable,  oft  dangerous  sequels  of  measles  left  to  nature's 
healing  efforts. 

Xow  by  kind  Providence  I  was  led  to  study  up  Grindelia 
robusta,  which  I  had  never  used.  In  looking  up  Boericke's  Ma- 
teria Medica  I  noticed  the  "profuse,  tenacious  expectoration"  in 
connection  with  asthma,  and  a  rash  like  roseola,  with  severe 
burning  and  itching."  I  looked  up  all  my  other  books  of  materia 
medica  (homoeopathic),  but  Boericke's  was  the  only  one  which 
contained  anything  on  Grindelia  rob.  I  did  not  have  the  drug; 
found  at  Dr.  White's  a  vial  which  had  contained  some,  but  had 
dried  up.  Nevertheless,  I  decided  to  try  it.  Dr.  White  put  some 
alcohol  on  the  remnants,  shook  it,  gave  me  a  few  drops,  which  I 
diluted  up  to  the  30th,  and  I  administered  a  dose  to  my  son,  at 
night. 

The  next  morning  the  change  was  remarkable ;  there  was  very 
little  cough,  wih  very  little  expectoration ;  he  received  another 
dose,  that  day,  and  another  the  next,  and  the  cough,  which  was 
so  annoying  and  so  steady,  was  gone  in  less  than  three  days, 
which,  I  have  noticed,  is  the  time  in  which  a  true  cure  is  generally 
made ;  this  is  speaking  of  acute  diseases. 

In  looking  up  a  German  book  of  homoeopathic  practice  (Dr. 
Bruckner's),  Dr.  Adolph  Lippe  is  quoted  as  recommending  Kali 
hi.  for  the  very  troublesome  feature  of  measles. 

Xow  what  is  needed  to  teach  Homoeopathy  is  not  so  much  how 
to  use  the  repertory,  which  is  all  right  in  the  hands  of  an  ad- 
vanced homoeopath,  but  rather  what  are  the  remedies  to  meet 
such  feature  of  measles,  for  instance,  or  some  other  feature,  for 
instance,  threatening  rheumatism  following  an  acute  exanthem, 
indicated  by  painful  itching  of  the  wrist  and  of  the  toes,  which 
together  with  the  fever  was  removed  by  a  few  doses  of  Agaric  us. 
An  experienced  practitioner  could  write,  on  pathology,  a  book 
like  Nash's  Leaders,  indicating  the  different  complications  or  un- 
usual features  met  with  in  all  diseases,  and  what  remedies  can 
be  employed  to  meet  these  features.    This  is  as  much  desirable  as 


yo  A  Call  for  Help. 

the  repertory,  aye,  more  so,  if  you  would  gain  intelligent  converts 
to  Homoeopathy. 

A.  Ad.  Ramseyer. 
Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 


A  CALL  FOR  HELP. 

Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 

Six  weeks  ago  to-day  I  burned  off  my  face,  with  an  electric 
needle,  a  little  suspicious  looking  growth  which  bleed  easily,  and 
the  next  day  developed  a  case  of  eczema  on  the  affected  spot,  and 
I  have  it  ever  since.  Normally,  I  am  a  pale-faced  man  (48  years 
old),  but  this  has  made  my  face  as  red  as  the  red  part  of  a  post- 
age stamp.  It  has  extended  gradually  over  my  entire  face  and 
neck  and  is  now  below  my  collar-bone. 

The  affected  surface  burns  and  itches  and  smarts  very  much. 
I  feel  better  in  the  open  air,  also  when  hot  fomentations  are  ap- 
plied, or  from  the  application  of  dry  heat,  as  by  holding  the  parts 
over  a  gas  fire  (hot  air  draft).  My  eyes  have  swollen  shut  at 
different  times.  At  times  the  disease  seems  almost  conquered 
but  again  becomes  even  worse.  During  the  first  two  weeks,  or 
part  of  that  time,  after  the  affection  reached  by  lips,  they  be- 
came almost  blood  red  and  seemed  very  salty  (Sulphur) . 

At  times,  especially  after  hot  applications  (moist),  my  forehead 
looks  as  though  I  had  the  measles.  Lately  I  began  to  take  a  hot 
bath  before  going  to  bed  and  have  been  resting  better  since — I 
lie  in  hot  water  an  hour  or  more. 

At  times  my  face  feels  like  a  board,  and  a  dose  or  two  of 
Gelsemium  gets  rid  of  the  symptom.  Sulphur  seems  to  aggra- 
vate the  case.  I  took  a  dose  of  the  cm.  (500,000).  I  have  taken 
Pulsatilla  rather  steadily — 3X,  20  drops  in  half  glass  of  water — 
a  teaspoonful  at  two-hour  intervals.  At  first  I  tried  Skookum 
chuck,  but  changed  to  Pulsatilla,  owing  to  conditions  mentioned. 

Urine  has  been  exceedingly  light  but  normal  as  to  quantity. 
In  previous  attacks  I  have  noted  this.  Last  attack  fifteen  months 
ago — did  not  last  so  long.  Each  attack  since  the  first,  fifteen 
years  ago,  covers  a  larger  area  and  is  harder  to  get  rid  of.  Any 
irritation  of  the  face — like  a  harsh  towel — may  bring  on  an 
attack. 


Respiration  Ceases  on  Falling  to  Sleep.  ~i 

I  shall  be  pleased  to  hear  from  any  of  my  professional  brothers 
as  to  what  should  be  done  in  this  case.  I  have  not  given  up  my 
office  practice  yet,  but  do  no  outside  work.  I  take  work  very 
moderately,  as  I  have  always  tried  to  do  under  the  same  circum- 
stances.    I  suffer  many  tortures. 

I  hope  that  you  will  publish  this  and  that  I  may  hear  from 
some  full-blooded  homoeopaths  very  quickly.  I  have  tried  to 
fast  but  this  cold  weather  was  too  much  for  me,  although  I  did 
improve.     Fasting  is  one  of  my  favorite  adjuvants. 

C.  M.  Swingle.  M.  D. 

3203  Wade  Park  Ave.,  Cleveland,  O. 


"RESPIRATION   CEASES  ON   FALLING 

TO  SLEEP." 

Editor  of  the  Homceopathic  Recorder. 

In  Dr.  Yandenburg's  description  on  page  553,  of  the  breath- 
ing phenomena  of  the  old  gentleman,  he  arouses  recollections  of 
some  alarming  symptoms  noted  by  me  about  twelve  years  ago 
when  I  was  freely  using  in  obstetric  cases  certain  tablets  of 
Morphin  1/4  and  Scopolamin  hydrobromide  1/100  (long  since 
dubbed  "twilight  sleep"  tablets).  The  patient — after  two  tablets 
given  hypodermically — would  usually  sink  off  to  sleep  and  cease 
breathing  for  one  or  even  two  minutes,  unless  sharply  shaken,  and 
would  then  start,  as  from  a  sense  of  impending  suffocation,  and 
breathe  naturally  for  a  while,  only  to  repeat  the  startling  perform- 
ance. My  practice  was  a  country  practice  with  no  assistance 
handy,  and  when  very  busy  at  times  I  neglected  to  shake  up  the 
patient  until,  in  more  than  one  instance,  it  seemed  hardly  possible 
to  start  respiration.  Once,  in  a  tedious  effort  to  adjust  forceps, 
this  become  especially  alarming;  quite  rough  spanking  of  the  semi- 
conscious lady  being  necessary  to  restore  breathing.  About  this 
time  I  read  of  a  death  from  this  pain-obtunding  agent,  death 
from  apnoea.  I  then  ceased  using  scopolamin  and  substituted  a 
tablet  made  by  Squibb  &  Sons,  and  styled  "Hubbard's  Bromides." 
It  was — and  is  still — made  of  Morph.  Sulph.  1/4  and  Hyoscine 
Hydrobromide  1/100.  I  have  found  this  tablet  very  reliable  in 
such  cases,  and  have  not  at  any  time  had  reason  to   feel  very 


J2  Respiration  Ceases  on  Falling  to  Sleep. 

anxious  as  to  its  effects.  Still,  a  strong  tendency  to  precisely  the 
same  sort  of  arrest  of  respiration  is  undoubtedly  produced  by  this 
drug;  but  it  is  not  so  alarming  and  is  easier  to  control,  and  the 
suffering  saved  is  well  worth  such  anxiety  as  does  result.  In 
these  cases  a  very  little  chloroform  can  be  used  to  advantage  as 
the  climax  approaches.  Very  little  is  sufficient.  The  arrest  of 
respiration  I  attribute  to  the  Hyoscine,  the  same  as  to  the  Scopo- 
lamin  previously  used;  as  the  two  are  chemically  and  physio- 
logically almost  identical;  the  former  being  chemically  purer  as 
obtainable  here. 

I  should  expect  either  of  these  hydrobromides,  in  the  30th 
potency,  to  promptly  remedy  such  respiratory  symptoms  arising 
in  the  course  of  disease,  just  as  I  very  confidently  believe  that 
potentized  wood  alcohol  should  and  will  cure  non-syphilitic  optic 
neuritis  and  atrophy. 

I  write  this  observation  simply  in  response  to  Dr.  Yandenburg's 
request  on  page  554. 

Truly  your  friend, 

John  F.  Keenan,  M.  D. 

Brentwood,  Maryland. 


Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 

In  answer  to  Dr.  Yandenburg's  request  for  other  remedies  that 
have  ''Respiration  ceases  on  falling  to  sleep,"  I  append  the  fol- 
lowing resume: 

Ammonium  carbonicum:  Hering,  Vol.  L,  p.  239 — Loss  of 
breath  at  moment  when  falling  asleep ;  wakens  to  get  breath. 

Antimonium  tartaricum:  Allen,  Encyclopaedia,  symptom  571 — 
In  sleep,  breathing  often  irregular  and  interrupted. 

Arum  triphyllum:  Hering,  Vol.  II.,  p.  170 — On  falling  asleep 
feels  as  if  he  would  smother;  starts  as  if  frightened. 

Badiaga:  Encyclopaedia,  symptof  66 — At  the  momen  of  be- 
coming unconscious  by  sleep,  severe,  oppressive,  suffocative  at- 
tacks from  suspended  respiration. 

Baptisia:  Encyclopaedia,  symptom  233 — Afraid  to  go  to  sleep 
from  a  feeling  of  certainty  that  he  would  immediately  have  night- 
mare and  suffocation.    Compare  also  symptoms  232,  337  and  340. 

Bryonia:  Encyclopaedia,  symptom  1774 — When  he  tries  to  sleep 
he  loses  his  breath. 


Respiration  Ceases  on  Falling  to  Sleep.  73 

Calcarea  carbonica:  Hahnemann  Chronic  Diseases,  symptom 
1558 — Anxious  waking  after  midnight  with  heavy  breathing. 

Carbo  animal  is:  Encyclopaedia,  symptom  445 — Fear  of  suffoca- 
tion in  evening  in  bed,  before  going  to  sleep ;  lying  with  closed 
eyes ;  this  only  disappeared  after  sitting  up  and  opening  eyes ; 
it  prevented  sleep  the  whole  night,  etc.  Also  690 — Frequent 
starting  up  on  falling  to  sleep  in  the  evening. 

Carbo  vegetabilis:  Encylcopaedia,  symptom  740 — Respiration 
stopped  entirely  on  falling  to  sleep,  with  increased  vertigo. 

Cenchris  contortrix:  Kent,  Transactions  International  Hahne- 
mannian  Association.  1890,  p.  203 — Stops  breathing  on  falling  to 
sleep. 

Digitalis:  Hering,  Vol.  V.,  p.  no — W  nen  she  goes  to  sleep  the 
breath  fades  away  and  seems  to  be  gone ;  then  she  wakes  up  with 
a  gasp  to  catch  it. 

Graphites:  Hering,  Vol.  V.,  p.  460 — Suffocative  paroxysm  at 
night  awakes  her  out  of  sleep. 

Grindelia:  Hering,  Vol.  V.,  p.  486 — Fear  of  going  to  sleep  on 
account  of  loss  of  breath,  which  awakens  him.  Also  on  falling 
asleep  respiratory  movement  ceases,  etc. 

Kali  carbonicum:  Hahnemann,  Chronic  Diseases,  1013 — Ob- 
struction of  the  breath  wakes  him  from  sleep  at  night. 

Lac  caninum:  Swan,  Materia  Medica,  symptom  935,  p.  100 — 
AYoke  up  just  before  daylight,  feeling  almost  suffocated,  etc. 
Also  933 — Has  to  jump  up,  etc.,  etc.     The  latter  is  clinical. 

Lachesis:  Jahr,  Symptom  Codex  (German  edition),  p.  598 — 
Oppression  of  chest ;  during  sleep.  Also  Hering,  Vol.  VI.,  p.  599 
and  600 — Oppression  of  chest  during  sleep.  Suddenly  something 
runs  from  neck  to  larynx  and  interrupts  breathing  completely. 
Awakes  at  night,  can  not  sleep ;  as  soon  as  he  falls  asleep  breath- 
ing is  immediately  interrupted,  etc.,  etc. 

Mercurins  precipitatus  rubrinn:  Hahnemann  Materia  Medica 
Pura,  p.  194 — Attacks  of  suffocation  when  lying  at  night,  whilst 
going  to  sleep ;  she  must  leap  up  suddenly,  etc. 

Opium:  Encyclopaedia,  symptom  2132 — Awakened  about  mid- 
night by  oppression  of  the  chest.  Also  1323 — Attacks  of  suffoca- 
tion during  sleep. 

Sepia:  Hahnemann,  Chronic  Diseases,  symptom  105 1 — Op- 
pressed and  very  tight  in  the  chest ;  he  awakes  at  night ;  he  had  to 
breathe  with  difficulty  and  deeply  for  an  hour,  etc. 


74  Respiration  Ceases  on  Falling  to  Sleep. 

Spongia:  Encyclopaedia,  symptom  384 — Towards  morning, 
starting  out  of  sleep  from  a  shock  experienced  in  the  direction  of 
the  trachea  upwards,  as  if  she  would  be  suffocated,  passing  on 
sitting  up  in  bed. 

Sulfur:  Encyclopaedia,  symptom  2319 — She  had  scarcely  fallen 
asleep  at  night,  when  her  breath  left  her ;  threatened  to  suffocate, 
etc. 

Cadmium,  sulfat,  Curare,  Gelsemium,  Hydrocyanic  acid  and 
Ranunculus  bulbosus  have  been  credited  with  this  symptom  also, 
but  the  evidence  in  support  of  their  claims  is  not  so  conclusive. 
This  enumeration  bears  out  the  experience  of  the  everyday  ho- 
moeopath who  usually  gives  Lachesis  the  first  place,  with  Grindelia 
robusta  a  close  second,  according  to  circumstances.  Personally, 
the  snake  venom  has  served  me  exceedingly  well  in  the  presence 
of  toxaemias,  diphtheritic  stenosis  and  metastases  to  the  heart, 
especially  of  rheumatic  origin.  Grindelia  robusta  usually  requires 
the  presence  of  some  catarrhal  process  as  a  precedent,  and  when 
this  results  in  putting  too  great  a  load  against  the  heart,  it  is 
doubly  indicated  and  does  fine  work. 

C.  M.  Boger. 

Parkersburg,  W.  Va. 


Editor  of  the  Homceopathic  Recorder. 

Continuing  Dr.  Vandenburg's  discussion  of  the  symptom. 
"Breathing  stops  when  falling  asleep,"  page  553,  December,  1916, 
Homoeopathic  Recorder,  permit  me  to  state:  F.  W.  Lutze's 
''Repertory  of  the  Symptoms  of  the  Diseases  of  the  Respiratory 
Organs"  gives  under  "Breath  lost  on  falling  asleep  till  wakened 
by  suffocation,"  Carbo  veg.  and  Lachesis.  Also,  under  "Breath- 
ing interrupted  so  soon  as  he  begins  to  doze,  prevents  sleep  or  he 
must  be  aroused,"  Grindelia,  Lachesis  and  Opium.  Xash  in  his 
"Leaders  in  Respiratory  Organs,"  says,  under  "Respiration  diffi- 
cult," page  170,  "Must  be  awakened  to  avoid  suffocation."  Opium; 
and  "Difficult  respiration  when  falling  asleep,"  Grindelia,  Lache- 
sis, Opium,  Digitalis  and  Spongia.  Shedd  in  his  Clinic  Reper- 
tory, gives,  page  225,  "suffocative  attacks  on  falling  to  sleep," 
Ammonium  carbonicum.. 

Pierce  in  his  "Plain  Talks  on  Materia  Medica  with  Compari- 
sons," says  page  24:    "Dyspnoea  on  falling  asleep,"  Antimonium 


Unauthorised  Use  of  Dr.  Allen's  Name  as  a  Trademark.     75 

tartaricum;  ''threatening  paralysis  of  respiration,  the  breath  stops 
on  falling  asleep,"  Curare;  "fear  of  going  to  sleep  on  account  of 
loss  of  breath,  which  wokens  him,"  Hale,  Grindelia  squarrosa. 
Pierce  quotes  Hale  that  Lachesis  has  been  used,  also  Arsenicum, 
Nux  vomica,  Ignatia.  but  Strychnia  6th  is  better  than  all. 

Respectfully  yours, 

Karl  Greiner,  M.  D. 
Sparta,  Mich. 


UNAUTHORIZED   USE   OF  DR.   H.  C.   ALLEN'S 

NAME  AS  A  TRADEMARK. 

Philadelphia,  Penna. 
Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 
Dear  Sir: 

May  I  ask  you  to  publish  the  following  in  which  I  desire  to 
correct  any  false  impressions  that  may  have  been  conveyed  to  the 
medical  profession  by  the  unauthorized  publication  of  a  picture 
of  my  father,  the  late  Dr.  H.  C.  Allen,  and  the  use  of  his  name  in 
E &  K 's  "List  of  High  Potencies:" 

On  page  8  of  this  publication  they  show  a  picture  of  him,  be- 
neath which  they  advertise  "ALLEN'S  FLUCTION  CENTESI- 
MAL POTENCIES."  Then  follows  the  statement  that  "Dr. 
Allen  originally  conceived  the  idea  of  making  these  potencies  by 
tubular  method."  On  page  9  they  give  a  list  of  remedies  fol- 
lowed by  ("Allen"). 

This  matter  first  came  to  my  attention  late  in  October,  and  I 
immediately  wrote  Messrs.  E.  &  K.  telling  them  that  all  they  had 
published  was  without  any  authority  whatever ;  that  I  believed 
their  statements  and  use  of  his  name  was  misleading  to  say  the 
least ;  that  their  references  to  him  were  not  at  all  agreeable  to  my 
mother,  sister  or  me;  that  we  were  positive  it  would  not  have 
been  to  him,  and  asked  them  to  repudiate  what  they  had  done, 
suggesting  ways  in  which  they  might  do  it. 

Since  that  time  I  have  had  conferences  and  correspondence 
with  them.  I  understand  they  are  now  sending  out  this  price  list 
with  an  advertisement  pasted  over  father's  picture  and  with  the 
(Allen)  on  page  9  scratched  out.  This  still  leaves  the  "Allen 
Fluction  Centesimal  Potencies,"  and  reference  to  him  below,  as 
I  have  already  stated.    And  that  is  all  they  have  done. 


j6  Personal   Experiences. 

My  desire  in  writing  this  letter  is  to  correct  any  wrong  im- 
pressions that  may  have  been  conveyed  to  the  medical  profession. 
It  is  not  impossible  that  some  physicians  might  think  that  E.  &  K. 
have  had  father's  remedies  or  grafts  of  them  when,  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  they  have  not,  and  never  have  had  them,  nor  have  they  had 
access  to  them.  I  also  wish  to  emphatically  deny  that  father 
"conceived  the  idea  of  making  potencies  by  tubular  method,"  and 
that  he  ever  had  any  such  tube  in  his  office  at  his  home,  as  claimed 
by  Mr.  E.,  or  anywhere  else.  None  of  my  family  ever  saw  one 
or  heard  of  one,  and  we  certainly  would  have  if  he  had  had  one; 
nor  have  any  of  the  doctors  who  were  close  to  him  with  whom  I 

have  consulted.    Mr.  E claims  that  father  showed  the  tube 

to  him,  but  I  cannot  credit  this.    And,  furthermore,  I  am  unable 
to  conceive  of  father  using  any  remedies  made  in  this  manner. 

Before  issuing  their  price  list  it  would  have  been  at  least  the 
courteous  thing  to  do  to  have  obtained  permission  to  use  his 
name  and  picture  from  either  mother  or  me,  but  this  he  did  not 
do,  although  he  has  said  he  called  at  my  office  with  that  intention 
but  found  I  was  ill  and  did  not  follow  the  matter  further. 

Yours  very  truly, 

Franklin  L.  Allen. 

175  W.  Jackson  Boulevard,  Chicago,  111. 

Jan.  16,  1917. 


PERSONAL  EXPERIENCES. 

Editor  of  the  Homceopathic  Recorder. 

It  is  readily  observed  that  most  of  our  medical  journals  are 
filled  with  scientific  treaties  on  the  etiology,  diagnosis  and  prog- 
nosis of  diseases,  but  very  little  space  is  given  to  their  treatment. 
We  must  all  agree  that  etiology  and  diagnosis  is  one  of  the  chief 
factors  in  medicine.  But  a  great  many  writers  become  so  scien- 
tific that  they  entirely  lose  sight  of  the  great  things  in  medicine, 
viz.,  the  prevention  and  cure  of  disease. 

A  great  deal  is  being  said  to-day  on  the  prevention  of  disease. 
Articles  are  ever  appearing  in  medical  magazines  on  germ  dis- 
eases, on  organic  diseases,  etc.  But  when  all  is  said  and  done, 
what  is  the  great  basis  of  preventing  disease?  Nothing  more 
nor  less  than  keeping  the  cells  of  our  body  up  to  a  perfect  resist- 


Personal   Experiences.  JJ 

ing  condition,  or,  in  other  words,  to  keep  up  our  opsonic  index. 
When  our  patients  are  taught  that  by  proper  eating,  right  living 
and  plenty  of  out-of-doors  eercise  they  will  be  healthy  and 
resist  disease  then  will  we  be  on  the  right  road  to  preventing  dis- 
ease. Then  will  we  be  able  to  swim  in  germs  and  not  contract 
disease. 

But  when  we  have  not  done  the  above  and  disease  has  got  its 
hold  in  the  system  then  we  must  help  nature  or  our  system's  fight ; 
and  one  of  our  great  recourses  is  the  indicated  remedy. 

My  main  object  in  writing  this  letter  is  not  to  show  my  ability 
as  a  prescriber,  but  to  help  show  some  one  who  has  become  dis- 
couraged in  finding  the  remedy  for  the  case  that,  if  proper  study 
is  done  on  the  case,  you  can  either  alleviate  or  cure. 

Mrs.  B.,  aged  44,  always  well  except  for  the  past  year  has  had 
a  great  deal  of  aching  across  the  lumbar  spine.  Previous  to  the 
last  three  months  of  my  first  seeing  her,  has  had  to  stay  in  bed  a 
great  deal  as  her  legs  gave  out.  Examination  showed  great  ten- 
derness over  the  lumbar  spine,  all  the  muscles  of  the  right  leg 
very  sore,  knee-jerk  of  right  leg  absent,  left  very  weak,  great 
tenderness  over  lumbar  and  abdominal  muscles.  Bowels  would 
not  move  except  with  strong  cathartic  or  enema.  Great  distress 
from  accumulation  of  gas  in  stomach  and  abdomen.  Apparently 
well  selected  remedies  were  prescribed  and  two  consultations  were 
held  with  one  of  the  best  consultants  in  Boston  but  to  no  avail. 
Condition  grew  worse  for  three  months  till  the  patient  could  not 
get  out  of  bed  and  suffered  continual  pain.  Finally,  in  going  over 
the  case  very  thoroughly  I  said,  "I  have  the  remedy!"  It  was 
Cinchona  3X.  The  next  day  her  husband  met  me  with  a  smile 
saying,  "You  have  hit  the  case  this  time ;  she  slept  last  night ;  pain 
is  less  and  her  bowels  have  moved."  In  one  month  she  wras 
working  about  the  house.  I  was  pleased,  as  it  was  my  first  year 
of  practice,  and  my  consultant  had  looked  upon  it  as  a  hopeless 
case. 

About  eight  months  ago  Dr.  Conrad  Wesselhceft  gave  me  a 
paper  on  his  experiments  with  Bell.,  Atrop.,  etc.,  at  the  contagious 
department  of  the  Mass.  Homoeopathic  Hospital.  I  will  not  go 
into  the  contents  of  his  paper,  but  it  left  the  impression  that  ac- 
cording to  his  experience  there  was  very  little  good  in  the  use  of 
homoeopathic  remedies  in  scarlet  fever  and  diphtheria.     My  ex- 


78  Personal   Experiences. 

perience  has  been  different  in  an  epidemic  where  I  attended  over 
100  cases. 

My  experience  was  that  in  v.he  above  number  I  did  not  see 
Bell,  or  Atrop.  indicated  once.  Most  of  the  cases  called  for 
Aeon.,  Ars.,  Rhus  tox.,  or  Merc,  in  some  form,  or  Lachesis  or 
Muriatic  ac.    I  will  cite  two  cases : 

Mildred  E.,  age  5,  always  healthy,  but  had  very  large  tonsils 
and  adenoids.  When  I  was  called  to  see  her  she  had  been  sick 
ten  days.  Condition,  in  bed,  had  a  profuse  desquamation,  lips 
covered  with  scabs,  tongue  and  throat  covered  with  a  thick,  leath- 
ery coating,  nose  plugged  with  hard  mass.  Child  had  not  swal- 
lowed for  two  days  except  a  little  water;  temp.,  1040 ;  pulse,  130. 
She  was  very  weak  and  emaciated.  The  first  remedy  I  gave  her 
had  no  effect,  but  on  the  second  day  I  prescribed  Muriatic  acid. 
From  that  day  improvement  continued.  Four  or  five  cases  called 
for  this  remedy  and  got  well  on  it. 

Mary  D.,  aged  6,  had  never  been  a  strong  child  and  was  under 
size;  did  not  talk  plain,  partly  on  account  of  very  large  tonsils 
and  adenoids.  Was  very  sick  for  about  ten  days  with  the  ordi- 
nary course  of  scarlet  fever,  but  gradually  her  throat  began  to  get 
very  much  swollen  and  was  covered  with  a  grayish  membrane. 
Conditions  went  from  bad  to  worse  until  one  day  I  was  called  in 
a  hurry  and  found  a  large  piece  of  membrane  hanging  out  of  the 
child's  mouth.  On  examination  found  it  to  be  one  of  her  tonsils. 
This  condition  continued  till  the  other  tonsil  and  adenoids  came 
out  cleaner  than  I  have  seen  any  of  our  throat  men  operate  them. 
But  it  did  not  stop  there ;  six  holes,  enough  to  put  a  yellow-eyed 
bean  through,  appeared  in  the  palate.  The  child  grew  weaker 
and  weaker.  The  thought  dawned  upon  me  that  Merc,  cyanide 
was  the  only  remedy  that  would  save  the  patient.  It  took  three 
days  to  get  the  6x  to  me ;  by  that  time  the  child  was  very  low.  She 
had  not  taken  two  doses  when  her  mother  saw  a  change.  The 
holes  in  the  throat  healed,  and  the  child  to-day  is  better  than 
she  was  before  the  disease. 

Rev.  Mrs.  B.,  age  60,  had  fair  health  up  to  about  eight  months 
before  I  saw  her.  Had  been  in  the  South  all  winter  working 
hard  and  was  very  tired.  In  coming  North  on  the  train  got  a 
severe  cold  by  the  wind  blowing  upon  her  while  in  her  berth,  and 
was  left  with  a  severe  abdominal  neuralgia.     Had  been  attended 


Personal   Experiences.  79 

all  summer  or  the  last  six  months  by  two  old  school  doctors. 
Outside  of  tonics  had  been  given  an  opiate  every  night.  Being  a 
woman  with  a  strong  mind,  finally  got  tired  of  opiates,  and  as  I 
was  a  newcomer  in  town  called  on  me.  Her  symptoms  were  about 
thus :  Pain  nearly  continuous  in  the  region  over  the  stomach ; 
coming  on  worse  at  night ;  could  only  get  relief  by  pressing  on 
hard  over  the  painful  region  or  by  bending  up  double.  It  was 
clearly  a  case  for  Coloc.  It  was  given,  and  what  the  woman  had 
suffered  with  for  six  months  under  old  school  treatment  she  was 
relieved  of  in  three  days  with  Homoeopathy. 

I  have  many  times  heard  it  stated  by  physicians  of  both  schools 
that  there  was  no  cure  or  real  help  for  persons  really  afflicted  with 
tuberculosis,  only  rest  and  food  would  cure. 

I  have  a  number  of  cases  which  would  upset  that  theory.  I 
will  state  two :  Mr.  Albert  P.,  age  44,  had  been  section  hand  on 
B.  and  M.  for  a  number  of  years;  had  a  cough  for  over  a  year; 
for  three  months  had  not  worked,  but  laid  around  and  roamed  in 
the  woods.  Had  been  going  to  his  old  family  doctor,  an  allopath, 
but  he  had  not  examined  his  lungs. 

His  condition,  as  I  found  him,  was  weight,  150  pounds;  had 
lost  over  30  pounds  in  last  six  weeks.  Temperature,  103.5  °  ; 
pulse,  120;  respiration,  rapid,  severe  night  sweats,  coughing  and 
raising  all  night  so  he  could  not  sleep ;  sputum  at  times  blood 
streaked.  Examination  of  lungs  showed  dullness  over  a  greater 
part  of  the  left  lung;  coarse  mucous  rales  throughout  the  same. 
Examination  of  sputum  showed  very  many  and  large  tubercle 
bacilli.  I  asked  him  to  go  to  a  State  Sanatorium.  "No,"  he 
would  die  first,  and  I  thought  he  would  anyway.  I  gave  him 
Phos.  6x;  he  came  back  in  three  days  improved  in  every  way. 
In  three  months  he  weighed  194  pounds,  his  cough  was  practically 
gone.  That  was  three  years  ago,  and  to-day  he  is  working  hard 
and  calls  himself  well.  The  greatest  proof  that  this  remedy  did 
the  work  was  that  the  man  did  not  change  his  mode  of  living  at 
all  from  what  it  was  before  I  began  treating  him. 

Mrs.  Frank  S.,  38  years  old,  had  always  been  fat,  was  troubled 
with  salpingitis  for  two  years.  Began  with  a  cough  six  months 
ago ;  hard  and  racking,  but  raised  nothing.  Temperature  ran 
from  ioo°  to  1020  in  evening;  cough  was  very  bad  when  lying 
down ;  sweating  a  great  deal  nights ;  losing  flesh  fast ;  dullness  in 


80  Book  Reviews. 

both  apices  of  lungs ;  respiratory  murmurs  were  very  faint  in  the 
apices ;  was  not  able  to  get  sputum.  I  tried  a  number  of  remedies 
but  they  failed  to  help.  At  last  selected  Calc.  carb.  3X.  Improve- 
ment begun  at  once,  and  in  one  month  lungs  were  clear  and  pa- 
tient has  been  well  for  four  years. 

I  might  go  on  mentioning  case  after  case  of  bad  or  hopeless 
cases  that  have  responded  to  the  indicated  remedy.  I  have  tried 
to  select  my  cases  from  those  that  were  or  would  be  considered 
incurable,  just  to  show  the  great  strength  of  the  little  homoeo- 
pathic remedy. 

I  tell  you,  gentlemen,  what  we  need  is  more  men  to  put  their 
shoulder  to  the  wheel  and  study  their  cases  and  the  remedy  to 
cure  that  case.  Then  there  would  be  less  of  the  wandering  and 
groping  in  the  dark  after  vaccines,  antitoxines  and  physiological 
compounds. 

Robert  L.  Emery,  M.  D. 

54  Broadway,  Rockport,  Mass.,  Dec.  15,  1916. 


BOOK   REVIEWS. 

Clinical  Gynecology.  By  James  C.  Wood  A.  M.,  M.  D., 
F.  A.  C.  S.  236  pages,  8vo.  Cloth,  $2.00,  net.  Philadelphia : 
Boericke  &  Tafel.     1917. 

Here  is  a  fine  book  and,  in  a  sense,  an  unusual  one.  It  treats  of 
the  surgical,  therapeutic  and  general  clinical  care  of  the  condi- 
tions covered  by  the  fifteen  chapters  into  which  it  is  divided.  An 
idea  of  the  scope  of  the  book  may  be  seen  by  the  following, 
which  is  the  headings  of  the  chapters :  First,  comes  an  illuminat- 
ing "foreword"  of  about  twenty  pages,  which  treats  chiefly  of 
the  place  and  principles  of  Homoeopathy  in  the  great  world  of 
medicine.  It  is  well  worth  a  careful  study.  The  following 
chapters  cover  the  complete  treatment  of  "Dysuria,"  "Dysmenor- 
rhoea,"  "Uterine  Haemorrhage,"  "Vaginal  Discharges — Leucor- 
rhcea,"  "Cancer,"  "Myofibroma  of  the  Uterus,"  "Gastric  (Peptic) 
and  Duodenal  Ulcer,"  "Gastro-Intestinal  Auto-Intoxication  and 
Mucous  Enterocolitis,"  "Exophthalmic  Goitre,"  "Reflex  and 
Toxic  Epilepsy,"  "Specific  Inflammation  of  the  Female  Pelvic 
Organs,"  "Referred  Pain,"  "Post-Operative  Factors,"  considering 
"Homoeopathic  Prescriptions,"  "Post-Operative  Treatment,"  and, 


Book  Reviews.  81 

finally,  a  most  excellent  and  complete  Index,  covering  nearly  fif- 
teen pages.  In  this  summary  you  have  a  birdseye  view  of  a  useful 
and  helpful  book. 

Two  things  strike  this  particular  reviewer  in  the  work.  First, 
the  care  and  fullness  with  which  the  homoeopathic  remedies  have 
been  given,  nothing  perfunctory,  but  evidently  from  experience, 
and  a  hearty  belief  that  will  be  of  immense  value  to  any  man  not 
familiar  with  this  form  of  medication.  And,  second,  the  cases 
reported  where  a  good  prescriber  might  have  given  the  Simil- 
limum  until  doomsday  with  no  hope  of  a  cure  because  the  condi- 
tions were  purely  surgical. 

The  author  is  by  no  means  a  routine  prescriber,  but  confesses 
to  a  strong  leaning  to  certain  drugs  in  certain  diseases,  as,  for 
instance,  Gelsemium  in  dysmenorrhcea.  "I  believe  I  have  cured 
a  larger  number  of  cases  of  dysmenorrhcea  with  it  than  I  have 
with  any  other  single  drug."  Next  to  this  comes  Cimicifuga.  In 
ovarian  dysmenorrhcea  Apis  is  the  remedy  in  the  author's  ex- 
perience. 

Finally,  reader,  if  your  practice  includes  women  you  will  find 
this  to  be  an  exceedingly  helpful  book,  telling  what  to  do  and 
also  warning  you  away  from  certain  rocks  that  might  damage 
your  reputation  if  through  ignorance  you  ran  on  them. 

As  for  the  author  of  this  book,  he  needs  no  introduction  to  the 
homoeopathic  medical  profession,  being  known  to  them  from 
Maine  to  California,  not  only  by  the  active  part  he  has  taken  in 
national  affairs  in  the  American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy,  but 
by  his  work  Gynecology,  which  is  one  of  our  text-books.  To 
others  it  need  but  be  stated  that  he  is  one  of  the  earliest  members 
of  the  American  College  of  Surgeons. 


82  Specialists'  Department. 

THE  SPECIALISTS'  DEPARTMENT. 


EDITED  BY  CLIFFORD  MITCHELL,  M.   D. 
25  East  Washington  St.,  Chicago,  111. 

BY   CLIFFORD  MITCHELL,    M.   D. 

RENAL  VASCULAR  DISEASES. 

(Paper  read  before  the  Chicago  Homoeopathic  Medical  So- 
ciety at  the  December  meeting.) 

Before  discussing  the  question  of  diseases  of  the  kidney  blood 
vessels  allow  me,  by  way  of  preamble,  to  narrate  briefly  the  par- 
ticulars of  a  few  kidney  cases  of  my  own  which  seem  to  have  a 
direct  clinical  bearing  on  certain  modern  theories  of  renal  thera- 
peutics. Let  me  also  direct  your  attention  to  the  fact  that,  clini- 
cally speaking,  real  kidney  cases  are  rare,  and  that  many  cases 
diagnosticated  as  such  are  merely  those  suffering  from  disturb- 
ances of  the  renal  circulation. 

Case  1.  Patient,  a  large,  strong  boy  of  fourteen,  of  previous 
good  health  without  recent  history  of  any  acute  infection  that 
could  be  discovered,  happened,  as  a  result  of  passing  cloudy 
urine,  to  have  it  examined  by  me  with  the  result  that  I  found  in 
it  albumin,  granular  casts,  red  cells  and  leucocytes.  Since  there 
was  no  history  of  acute  infection  a  series  of  thorough  tests  of 
his  urine,  and  blood  were  made,  also  X-ray  examination  of  the 
kidneys  and  bladder  undertaken.  His  nose  and  throat  were  also 
investigated.  The  only  abnormality  or  focus  of  infection  dis- 
covered by  many  experts  was  in  the  tonsils,  which  were,  there- 
fore, removed  on  the  advice  of  an  eminent  internist. 

This  case  was  apparently  an  ideal  one  upon  which  to  demon- 
strate the  claim  that  removal  of  the  tonsils  when  diseased  may  be 
followed  by  the  disappearance  of  albumin  and  casts  from  the 
urine  and  of  other  signs  and  symptoms  of  kidney  disease. 

Accordingly  the  urine  has  been  repeatedly  examined  since  last 
spring  when  the  tonsils  were  removed,  and  six  months  after  the 
operation  there  is  more  albumin  in  the  urine  and  more  casts  can 
be  found  than  were  present  in  the  urine  before  the  operation. 


Specialists'  Department.  83 

Hence  the  removal  of  the  tonsils  has  failed  utterly  to  affect  the 
kidney  condition   favorably. 

Case  2.  The  patient,  a  man  of  about  sixty  years  of  age,  came 
to  me  in  August,  19 15,  feeling  wretchedly,  with  a  high  blood 
pressure,  an  enlarged  heart,  and  an  accented  second  sound.  His 
urine  showed  one-twentieth  of  one  per  cent,  of  albumin,  by 
weight,  and  there  were  numerous  tube  casts  in  it,  the  latter 
large  coarsely  granulated  and  waxy,  as  if  from  the  straight  col- 
lecting tubules.  Examination  of  the  patient  showed  a  focus  of 
infection  in  the  teeth  which  were  found  by  a  competent  dentist 
to  be  carious  in  some  instances,  moreover  presence  of  pyorrhea 
was  also  demonstrated.  The  dentist  made  a  favorable  prognosis 
and  so  far  as  could  be  determined  the  dental  condition  was  rem- 
edied or  much  improved.  In  spite  of  this  he  returned  to  me 
three  months  after  the  dentist  had  finished  his  work  and  I  then 
found  rather  more  albumin  and  more  tube  casts  than  before  the 
teeth  were  attended  to.  The  patient  was  much  discouraged  by 
the  failure  of  the  dental  treatment  to  affect  his  nephritis  favor- 
ably and  left  my  care.  I  have  not  seen  nor  heard  from  him 
since.  In  this  case,  as  in  the  preceding  one,  removal  of  the  only 
focus  of  infection  which  could  be  discovered  failed  utterly  to 
influence  the  kidney  condition  favorably. 

Case  3.  The  patient,  in  this  instance,  was  a  man  .about  sixty 
years  of  age,  who  had  been  given  up  by  several  "good  men  of 
medicine"  as  hopelessly  ill  from  chronic  nephritis  and  likely  to 
die  within  a  short  time.  His  family  sent  him  to  me  not  really 
expecting  any  improvement.  He  had  albuminuric  retinitis  and 
but  little  use  of  his  eyes.  In  his  urine  I  found  three-tenths  of 
one  per  cent.,  by  weight,  of  albumin,  but  not  many  casts  which 
were  mostly  hyaline  and  fatty.  The  patient  had  a  high  blood 
pressure  and  was  seriously  incapacitated  for  work  on  account 
of  semi-blindness  and  dizzy  spells. 

I  made  him  no  promises,  but,  in  view  of  the  absence  of  those 
large  casts  from  the  straight  collecting  tubules,  did  not  (like 
some  of  my  predecessors  in  the  case)  give  an  immediately 
gloomy  prognosis.  The  patient  was  directed  to  abstain  from 
salt  in  his  diet  and  to  take  hot  tub  baths  every  other  night.  In 
two  weeks  he  returned  measurably  benefited  and  has  kept  on  im- 
proving ever  since  during  a  period  of  almost  one  year.     The 


84  Specialists'  Department. 

albumin  in  his  urine  is  now  less  than  one-tenth  of  one  per  cent., 
he  has  no  dizzy  spells,  can  read  large  print  and  goes  to  his  busi- 
ness every  day. 

These  three  cases  illustrate,  it  seems  to  me,  the  difficulty  of 
applying  modern  theories  successfully  to  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine so  far  as  renal  diseases  are  concerned.  Not  all  kidney  cases 
are  plainly  due  to  infection;  if  there  is  an  infection  causing  the 
kidney  condition,  much  differentiation  may  have  to  be  gone 
through  with  in  order  to  find  the  focus;  even  if  a  focus  is  ap- 
parently found  removal  of  that  focus  may  not  favorably  in- 
fluence the  kidney  condition.  Again  it  is  apparently  possible 
by  disregarding  the  matter  of  focus  and  merely  adopting  sim- 
ple measures  of  diet  and  hygiene  to  influence  favorably  an  ap- 
parently desperate  case.  If  these  conclusions  are  not  reached, 
then  we  must  infer  that  certain  kidney  cases  pursue  their  course 
uninfluenced  by  medical  or  surgical  treatment. 

In  case  3  we  should,  according  to  modern  ideas  of  treatment, 
have  saturated  the  patient  with  alkalies  and  sodium  chloride  in 
order  to  overcome  the  "acidosis"  which  is  supposed  in  some  ob- 
scure cases  to  be  the  cause  of  the  difficulty.  But  no  such 
method  of  treatment  was  adopted  by  me,  inasmuch  as  others  had 
tried  it  unsuccessfully  and  given  it  up  long  before  the  patient 
consulted  me. 

It  was  noticed  in  case  2  that  all  attempts  to  influence  the  con- 
dition favorably  were  in  vain.  This  is  my  invariable  experience 
with  patients  in  whose  urine  we  discover  the  large  dark  granu- 
lar and  waxy  casts  from  the  straight  collecting  tubules.  The 
whole  kidney  tubular  system  is  involved  and  kidney  function 
too  seriously  interfered  with  to  permit  of  improvement.  These 
patients  never  recover  nor  improve  measurably.  On  the  other 
hand,  patients  whose  urine  fails  to  show  such  casts  may  have 
periods  of  remission  surprising  to  the  medical  attendant. 

Case  3,  which  showed  such  a  surprising  improvement,  directs 
our  attention  to  the  consideration  of  renal  vascular  disease.  In 
spite  of  the  dictum  of  clinicians  who  insist  that  it  is  not  possible 
to  differentiate  between  arterio-sclerotic  kidney  and  chronic 
interstitial  nephritis  I  have  ventured  the  opinion  many  times  that 
such  differentiation  is  entirely  possible  and,  as  regards  prog- 
nosis, desirable.     For  in  arterio-sclerosis  it  is  the  condition  of 


Specialists'  Department.  85 

the  heart  which  determines  the  immediate  prognosis  while  in 
chronic  interstitial  nephritis  it  is  the  kidney  function  which  ab- 
sorbs our  clinical  attention.  In  arterio-sclerosis,  if  the  heart  is 
well  cared  for,  the  kidney  often  may  take  care  of  itself,  but  in 
chronic  interstitial  nephritis  such  is  by  no  means  the  case  for 
attacks  of  uremic  convulsions  or  fatal  coma  may  subvene  any 
time  perhaps  without  warning.  Cases  of  true  chronic  interstitial 
nephritis  are  rare,  and  it  is,  of  course,  possible  that  clinicians 
who  hold  to  the  "monist"  idea  may  never  have  really  seen  a 
case.  In  my  own  experience  the  number  of  cases  in  which  I 
am  positive  of  the  presence  of  a  primary  chronic  interstitial 
nephritis  is  but  few,  not  more  than  one  or  two  being  seen  in  a 
year,  usually,  while  the  number  of  patients  who  appear  to  have 
arterio-sclerosis  of  the  kidney  is  fairly  large. 

In  the  American  Text  Book  of  Pathology  arterio-sclerotic 
nephritis  is  differentiated  from  primary  chronic  interstitial  ne- 
phritis as  follows  :  "In  arterio-sclerotic  nephritis  the  interfer- 
ence with  the  blood  supply  to  the  kidneys  manifests  itself  in 
some  cases  by  hyaline  degeneration  of  the  Malpighian  tufts. 
The  kidney  cortex  and  medulla  are  both  narrowed,  the  kidney 
vessels  become  prominent,  their  walls  wide  and,  in  advanced 
cases,  the  arteries  are  extremely  stiff.  There  is  increase  in  the 
connective  tissue  of  the  kidneys  and  this  proliferation  is  most 
noticed  in  the  vicinity  of  the  blood  vessels.  It  is  only  in  the  late 
stage  that  the  glomeruli  and  tubules  become  wholly  obliterated. 
The  kidney  is  harder  and  usually  smaller  than  normal  rarely  en- 
larged. The  cut  section  has  a  beefy  appearance,  while  the  arter- 
ies project  and  gape  like  small  stiff  tubes.'5 

Contrast  these  findings  of  gross  pathology  with  those  of 
chronic  interstitial  nephritis  in  which  we  notice  more  even  dis- 
tribution of  the  pathological  changes,  more  frequent  presence 
of  cysts  in  the  kidney,  the  extreme  hardness  of  the  kidney  sub- 
stance in  some  cases  so  great  that  the  knife  creaks  in  cutting  it, 
the  tendency  to  mottling  in  the  appearance  of  the  cut  section, 
the  yellowish  patches  alternating  with  reddish  striae  or  dots,  and 
the  more  or  less  uniform  proliferation  of  connective  tissue,  re- 
sulting in  some  cases  in  a  kidney  so  small  by  shrinkage  as  to  be 
but  one-third  normal.    Histologicallv  we  observe  in  true  chronic 


86  Specialists'  Department. 

interstitial  nephritis  a  marked  increase  in  connective  tissue 
between  the  tubules  as  well  as  about  the  glomeruli  and  tubules. 
While  it  is  true  we  may,  on  the  one  hand,  find  arterio-sclerosis 
of  the  capillaries  in  chronic  interstitial  nephritis,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  condition  in  the  large  vessels  is  not  arterio-sclerosis  at 
all,  but  merely  an  hypertrophy,  that  is,  an  increase  in  all  the  nor- 
mal tissues  of  the  walls  of  the  vessels,  while  in  the  capillaries 
only  there  is  new  tissue  formation.  The  cut  arteries  do  not  gape 
as  widely  nor  are  they  as  hard  as  in  arterio-sclerosis  of  the 
kidney. 

Is  it,  at  least,  not  fairly  reasonable  to  suppose  that  when  the 
observant  eye  of  the  gross  pathologist  may  discover  such  notable 
differences  in  the  kidneys  of  the  two  conditions  that  the  equally 
observant  eye  of  the  clinician  should  be  able  to  discover  dif- 
ference in  the  course  of  the  two  conditions  during  life,  on  the 
one  hand,  arteriosclerotic  kidney,  a  condition  of  "fits  and  starts" 
so  to  speak,  but  on  the  other  chronic  interstitial  nephritis  one 
of  steady  downward  progress? 

For  many  years  I  was  apparently  alone  in  my  contention  of 
the  different  clinical  character  of  the  arteriosclerotic  kidney 
from  that  of  chronic  interstitial  nephritis,  but  of  late  my  view 
has  received  notable  support  from  Dr.  B.  G.  R.  Williams  who 
says  in  Diagnostic  Archives  the  following:  "It  may  be  possible 
in  many  cases  to  discriminate  very  accurately  between  inter- 
stitial and  vascular  nephritis."  He  says  furthermore  that  we 
should  not  base  our  decision  upon  blood  pressure  readings,  but 
upon  a  series  of  urine  analyses  checked  by  the  symptomatology. 

Williams  explains  the  remarkable  rallying  power  from  uremic 
attacks  shown  by  the  patient  with  arteriosclerotic  kidney  as 
follows :  "In  arterio-sclerosis  of  the  kidney  the  proliferation  of 
connective  tissue  is  chiefly  about  the  glomeruli  hence  every  now 
and  then  a  number  of  the  glomerular  tufts  is  simultaneously 
destroyed  by  degeneration  from  pressure,  at  which  time  the  pa- 
tient has  a  so-called  uremic  attack  with  more  or  less  scanty  urine 
containing  much  albumin  and  many  casts.  After  a  few  days  of 
rest  and  careful  treatment  by  diet,  etc.,  the  functions  of  the  de- 
stroyed tufts  are  assumed  by  other  tufts,  the  urine  increases  in 
amount,  and  the  patient's  serious  symptoms  disappear ;  but  later 
after  a  variable  period  another  attack  supervenes.     During  the 


Specialists'  Department.  87 

intervals  between  the  attacks  the  urine  is  deceptive,  being  but 
slightly  if  at  all  abnormal." 

This  explanation  of  Williams  is  to  me  extremely  satisfactory, 
as  it  accounts  for  the  course  of  a  number  of  cases  we  see.  On 
the  other  hand,  in  true  chronic  interstitial  nephritis,  there  is 
likely  to  be  persistent  thirst,  persistent  polyuria,  and  persistent 
albuminuria,  even  though  there  be  few  or  no  casts  at  times.  The 
amount  of  albumin  may  be  small  in  chronic  interstitial  nephritis, 
but  a  trace  is  likely  to  be  persistent  even  though  it  be  but  a 
trace. 

The  progress  of  chronic  interstitial  nephritis  is  prone  to  be 
steadily  downward  and  not  marked  by  remissions  of  considerable 
length.  The  progress  of  arterio-sclerotic  kidney,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  marked  by  exacerbations  and  remissions :  as  Williams 
truthfully  remarks,  "Renal  vascular  disease  is  one  of  many  syn- 
dromes, variable  and  confusing  urinary  findings,  and  a  prog- 
nosis which  damns  the  prognostician." 

That  is  to  say,  just  as  the  patient  appears  to  the  attending 
physician  to  be  in  articulo  mortis  with  much  albumin  and  many 
casts  in  the  urine,  possibly  even  comatose,  an  amelioration  sets 
in  and  he  is  out  of  danger  for  the  present.  Not  so  in  true 
chronic  interstitial  nephritis  in  which  condition  acute  uremic 
attacks  are  much  to  be  dreaded. 

In  conclusion  let  me  advise  you  not  to  be  too  anxious  for 
some  short  cut  in  the  treatment  of  your  kidney  cases  to  such 
extent  as  to  overlook  the  cardinal,  out-standing  and  never  to  be 
forgotten  principles  which  physiological  common  sense  dictates 
for  the  relief  of  the  struggling  organs,  namely,  the  protection 
of  the  surface  of  the  body  against  chilling  by  the  wearing  of 
woolens,  etc.,  the  promotion  of  elimination  by  the  skin,  bowels, 
kidneys,  etc.,  the  prohibition  of  excesses  whether  in  eating  or 
in  drinking,  the  guarding  against  mental  and  physical  over-ex- 
ertion, or  over-stimulation,  the  watchful  care  of  the  liver  as  well 
as  of  the  bowels  and  kidneys,  the  use  between  meals  of  a  mild 
(not  strong)  alkaline  water,  and  the  limitation  of  salt  in  the 
dietary  to  such  extent  as  not  to  find  more  than  five  grammes  per 
24  hours  in  the  urine  as  a  routine  quantity,  or  less  even  if  need 
be. 

It  is  not  wise  to  advise  either  tonsillectomy  or  treatment  for 


■88  Specialists'  Department. 

pyorrhea  with  the  understanding  that  these  measures  will  surely 
remove  the  ''kidney  trouble,"  but  to  undertake  such  operations 
with  view  to  the  general  health  and  to  prevent  possibly  re- 
crudescences of  the  kidney  trouble,  due  to  foci  of  suppuration. 
Finally,  let  me  reiterate  my  conviction  that  the  immediate  prog- 
nosis depends  largely  upon  our  ability  to  distinguish  an  arterio- 
sclerotic nephritis   from   a  chronic  interstitial  one. 

THE  DISCUSSION. 

Dr.  Gordon  :  The  salt  free  dietary  is  a  good  thing  in  the 
treatment  of  renal  vascular  disease.  As  a  remedy  I  use  Merc, 
cor.  I  do  not  believe  in  vigorous  measures  for  the  relief  of  high 
blood  pressure.  As  a  remedy  for  this  condition  I  prefer  Ar- 
senicum iad.,  as  suited  to  conditions  in  which  there  are  degen- 
erated arteries. 

Dr.  Hood  :  Chronic  interstitial  nephritis  is  the  terminal  stage 
of  all  chronic  kidney  lesions.  The  diagnosis  of  chronic  lesions 
depends  upon  high  blood  pressure  plus  albumin  plus  casts. 

Dr.  Toren  :  There  is  a  tendency  sometimes  to  assume  some- 
thing and  to  try  to  make  cases  observed  fit  to  the  theory  or  as- 
sumption. Thus  Haig  gave  us  a  uric  acid  theory  based  upon  a 
chemical  determination  of  uric  acid  in  the  urine  which  has  since 
been  rejected  by  chemists.  The  treatment  of  hyperchlorhydria 
by  proteins  and  alkalies  is  another  instance  of  too  much  theory 
in  practice. 

The  theory  that  renal  diseases  are  the  result  of  cardio-vascular 
ones  appears  to  be  based  upon  the  fact  that  experiments  upon 
animals  show  that  removal  of  a  large  portion  of  the  healthy 
kidney  substance  is  not  followed  by  cardio-vascules  in  the 
animal.  But  such  cardio-vascular  diseases  as  is  present  in  hu- 
mans has  never  been  experimentally  produced  in  animals  con- 
sequently the  animal  experiments  are  not  convincing. 

Dr.  Tenney  :  The  basis  of  a  nephritis  is  sometimes  in  the 
large  intestine  and  may  be  due  to  an  amine,  as,  for  example, 
histamine.  Focal  infections  may  be  the  cause  of  recrudes- 
cence in  a  chronic  nephritis.  Effort  should  be  made  in  chronic 
interstitial  nephritis  to  produce  a  physiological  balance  for  the 
renal  function,  i.  e.,  a  physiological  margin  of  safety.  Limit 
the  protein,  use  a  salt  free  dietary,  give  barley-water  to  lessen 
irritation  of  the  renal  epithelium. 


Homoeopathic    Recorder 

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By  BOERICKE   &  TAFEL 
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EDITORIAL  NOTES  AND    COMMENTS. 

An  Old  Legend. — A  writer  in  The  Fra,  Arthur  Bennington,  tells 
us  that  according  to  the  English  Chronicles  the  origin  of  the 
Hawthorne,  the  Cratcegus  oxyacantha,  was  that  Joseph  of  Arama- 
thaea  took  the  Lord's  body  down  from  the  cross  and  laid  it  in 
his  own  tomb.  Years  afterwards  he  was  sent  to  England  to  carry 
the  Gospel.  He  and  his  company  ascended  a  long  hill,  at  the  top 
of  which  he  drove  his  staff  into  the  ground  exclaiming,  "I  am 
weary."  The  staff  took  root  and  sent  forth  sweet  blossoms. 
That  was  the  origin  of  the  Cratcegus  oxyacantha  precox — 
the  "precious"  Hawthorne.  Afterwards  the  Glanstonbury 
Abbey  was  built  near  it.  The  tree  continued  to  bloom  for 
centuries,  every  year  at  its  appointed  time,  until  the  Reforma- 
tion, when  a  zealous  reformer  cut  it  down  as  a  relic  of  Super- 
stition that  should  be  destroyed.  But  from  the  original 
staff  of  Joseph  seedlings,  or  cuttings,  had  spread  over  England, 
Scotland  and  Ireland,  so  the  tree  still  lived.  The  Holy  Grail, 
King  Arthur,  Launcelot  and  Sir  Gallahad,  all  come  in  the  later 
developments  of  the  legend  of  the  origin  of  Cratcegus..  Very 
likely  the  reformer  was  right  in  terming  it  a  "superstition,"  but 
sometimes  a  fanciful  belief  is  pleasanter  than  a  reformer  and 
more  useful. 

Why? — Things  seem  to  be,  at  least,  moderately  pointing  to 
Julius  Hensel's  way  if  one  may  judge  from  the  following  excerpt 
from  a  letter  by  Williamson,  of  the  R.  A.  M.  C.  (Royal  Army 
Medical  Corps),  of  Great  Britain,  to  the  British  Medical  Journal: 


go  Editorial. 

The  great  frequency  of  severe  varicose  veins  of  the  feet  as  well  as  leg 
and  thigh  in  some  districts,  and  their  in  frequency  in  others,  would  be 
noted,  and  provoke  consideration  as  to  cause. 

In  some  boards  large  numbers  of  cases  of  enlarged  thyroids  have  been 
found.  The  occurrence  of  hernia  in  certain  counties  where  work  is  not 
of  a  peculiarly  heavy  nature  is  a  problem  awaiting  solution.  The  frequency 
of  appendicitis,  retained  testicles,  retinitis  pigmentosa,  and  severe  psoriasis 
would  be  easily  recorded.  All  of  this  could  be  secured  with  a  minimum 
amount  of  trouble.  And  it  is  likely  that  very  small  additional  particulars 
suggested  by  an  expert  on  medical  statistics  might  greatly  enhance  the 
value  of  such  a  research, — I  am,  etc. 

Hensel  pointed  out  how  in  certain  districts  certain  ills  prevailed 
and  at  the  same  time  noted  that  those  regions  were  deficient  in 
certain  "mineral  elements."  Schuessler  had  also  the  same  idea  in 
his  therapy,  but  approached  it  in  a  different  way. 

On  a  Certain  Class  of  Jokes. — You  will  find  "jokes"  on  doctors, 
or,  if  you  are  a  purist,  on  physicians  or  "practitians,"  in  all  jour- 
nals, from  the  great  Journal  of  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion down  to  the  country  weekly.  That  the  /.  A.  M.  A.  should 
indulge  in  them  has  always  puzzled  us  for,  while  we  believe  that 
the  men  of  the  A.  M.  A.  really  try  to  cure  their  patients  to  the 
best  of  their  ability,  we  could  never  see  why  their  efforts  should 
be  made  the  subject  of  a  joke. 

German  Medical  Losses. — The  Berlin  Letter  of  the  Journal  A. 
M.  A.,  dated  Oct.  10,  says  that  "according  to  the  first  six  hun- 
dred casualty  lists"  the  losses  in  the  German  army  and  navy  medi- 
cal corps — died  of  disease,  killed,  wounded  and  missing — foots 
up,  rather  curiously,  exactly  1,500  physicians. 

Forests. — Here  is  a  quotation  from  the  Annual  Report  of  the 
U.  S.  Secretary  of  Agriculture  that  every  good  citizen  should 
read  and,  to  the  best  of  his  ability,  act  upon : 

"Millions  of  dollars  appropriated  by  Congress  for  the  improve- 
ment, development  and  consolidation  of  the  forest  holdings  have 
gone  into  the  properties.  Only  on  the  assumption  that  the  forests 
are  to  be  permanent  would  expenditures  of  this  character  be  justi- 
fiable. Abandonment  of  the  work  after  it  has  been  carried  to  its 
present  point  would  be  a  stultifying  course.  Nevertheless,  re- 
peated efforts  in  this  direction  still1  are  made.    Measures  of  van- 


Editorial.  91 

ous  kinds,  which,  if  adopted,  seriously  would  injure  or  even 
render  ineffective  the  whole  national-forest  enterprise,  are  urged." 
Certainly  the  privilege  of  cutting  the  U.  S.  forests  would  be 
"juicy  picking"  for  some  favored  one,  but  we  should  remember 
that,  in  a  large  sense,  the  world  is  like  an  animal  who  needs  his 
fur,  which  the  forests  are. 

Wonder  Why? — Looking  through  a  homoeopathic  journal  re- 
cently we  noticed  three  quotations  from  homoeopathic  journals 
and  twenty-one  from  allopathic  journals.  The  homoeopathic  quo- 
tations had  nothing  to  do  with  Homoeopathy,  nor  had  those  from 
the  allopathic  journals.    Neither  had  the  original  matter. 

Doctors  and  Their  Money. — The  following  is  from  Dr.  Taylor's 
Medical  World,  answering  a  subscriber's  query  as  to  the  value  of. 
some  stock  he  had  bought  from  a  travelling  promoter : 

"Here  is  just  what  I  have  often  told  you.  Doctors  are  ex- 
pected to  pay  their  money  for  stock,  and  then  become  selling 
agents  for  the  product,  whatever  it  is,  and  create  a  market  for  it. 
The  doctor  has  the  power  to  cause  his  patients  to  buy  products  in 
which  he  is  financially  interested,  but  it  is  not  honest  to  do  it — 
unless  his  financial  interest  in  the  product  is  known  to  the  patient." 

The  best  thing  a  professional  man  can  do  when  he  has  accumu- 
lated some  money,  and  doesn't  care  for  real  estate,  is  to  buy  first 
class  stocks  or  bonds.  Taylor  puts  the  thing  right  concerning 
pharmaceutical  and  similar  investments.  The  promotors  get  the 
lion's  share  and  then  if  the  stockholders  can  prescribe  enough  of 
the  product  he  may,  or  may  not,  as  has  happened,  get  a  little 
return.  Such  concerns  generally,  if  successful,  depend  on  one 
man,  and  when  he  goes^he  business  goes. 

Drugs — Medicines. — Ever  and  anon  appears  in  print  a  column, 
or  several  pages,  giving  the  opinions  of  eminent  physicians  as  to 
the  uselessness  of  medicine — drugs.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that 
these  views  are  honest,  and,  also,  truthful,  for  medicine  pre- 
scribed wholesale  and  with  no  guiding  law  is  useless,  and  worse, 
and  the  public  is  beginning  to  know  it.  On  the  other  hand,  every 
homoeopathic  physician  knows  that  drugs  prescribed  according  to 
the  law  of  similars  will  cure  the  great  majority  of  physical  ills, 
even  some  pronounced  to  be  incurable.     The  great  number  of 


92  Editorial. 

jibes,  jeers  and  even  threats,  hurled  at  physicians  to-day  in  the 
daily,  weekly  and  monthly  press,  seem  to  show  that  it  is  the  part 
of  worldly  wisdom  (if  for  none  other)  to  brush  the  dust  from 
your  materia  medica  and  buckle  down  to  plain  old  Homceopathy, 
for  none  of  this  hurtful  stuff  is  directed  against  it,  the  very  worst 
being  mild  pleasantry.  A  surprisingly  large  number  of  good 
allopaths  realize  all  this  and  are  turning  to  Homceopathy  by 
which  they  can  do  a  vast  amount  of  good  and  hold  their  patients. 

Tuberculosis. — Among  other  printed  matter  comes  the  Bulletin 
of  the  National  Association  for  the  Study  and  Prevention  of 
Tuberculosis,  published  at  105  E.  22nd  St.,  New  York  City. 
After  looking  through  its  pages  one  cannot  help  thinking  of  the 
young  man  in  the  Scriptures  who  had  one  thing  lacking,  in  this 
instance,  the  cure  of  the  disease.  The  Bulletin  tells  us  much 
about  the  disease  but  practically  nothing  about  its  cure.  By  the 
way,  does  any  one,  from  Johns  Hopkins,  or  the  Rockefeller  In- 
stitute, down  to  rank  and  file  of  the  physicians,  know  what  the 
disease  is?  To  say  that  the  presence  of  the  tubercle  bacilli  is 
proof  of  the  disease  is  akin  to  saying,  when  you  see  the  smoke 
and  flames  of  a  burning  building,  "that  house  is  afire."  What  is 
tuberculosis?  Has  any  man  ever  answered  the  question?  We 
have  descriptions  of  the  disease  as  it  manifests  itself  in  various 
parts  of  the  body,  but  nothing  more.  Vast  sums  of  money  are 
spent  every  year  mostly  in  prevention  and  other  ways.  The  pre- 
vention of  something,  the  origin  of  which  the  most  learned  are 
ignorant,  is  a  difficult  task. 

Dr.  Samuel  Hahnemann  said,  in  effect,  that  all  that  can  be 
known  of  a  disease  is  what  you  can  see  and  what  the  sufferer  can 
tell  you.  All  that  you  can  do,  after  noting  if  there  be  any  remov- 
able cause,  is  to  be  guided  by  the  great  law  of  Similia.  He  wrote 
this  over  a  centnry  ago,  but  it  is  worth  far  more  to-day  than  all 
the  knowledge  gained  by  the  expenditure  of  many  millions  of 
dollars  in  "fighting"  tuberculosis  concerning  which  the  U.  S. 
Public  Health  Service  recently  asked,  "Do  you  know  that  a  full 
pay  envelope  is  the  greatest  enemy  of  tuberculosis?" 

What  has  a  goodly  "wad"  to  do  with  the  tubercle  bacilli,  which 
is  said  to  be  the  cause  of  the  disease? 


Editorial.  93 

Salvarsan. — Under  the  editor's  heading,  "Tonicity  of  Salvar- 
san,"  Dr.  Qaude  L.  Shields,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  writes  a  letter  to 
the  Journal  of  the  A.  M.  A.  (i,  6,  17).  Among  other  things  Dr. 
Shields  says: 

"Out  of  the  last  twenty-three  injections  of  neo-salvarsan  we  have  had 
four  cases  of  severe  poisoning  and  one  death. 

"In  the  first  case,  a  woman,  aged  21,  was  given  0.6  gm.  neo-salvarsan; 
during  the  injection  she  suffered  intense  pain  in  the  extremities  and  a 
sensation  of  choking;  two  hours  later  she  had  repeated  convulsions, 
vomited  blood,  and  had  a  bowel  movement  every  half  hour ;  the  abdominal 
pain  was  intense;  the  pulse.  150;  temperature,  104;  this  continued  for 
forty-eight  hours,  after  which  she  gradually  recovered. 

"Since  this  case,  we  have  had  three  similar,  though  less  severe  than  the 
first. 

"In  the  last  case,  Mrs.  I.,  aged  43,  suffering  from  syphilitic  gumma, 
was  given  0.6  gm.  of  neo-salvarsan  with  no  marked  reaction;  eight  days 
later  I  injected  0.9  gm.  of  neo-salvarsan.  An  hour  later,  there  came  a 
choking  sensation,  followed  by  a  chill;  three  hours  later,  severe  vomiting 
ensued;  then  involuntary  bowel  movements,  and  agonizing  pain  in  the 
stomach;  the  body  became  extremely  livid;  this  lasted  three  days  unin- 
fluenced by  treatment;  on  the  third  day,  the  body  became  purple,  the 
pulse  imperceptible,  and  eight  hours  later  the  patient  died." 

This  is  quoted  partly  to  show  the  effect  of  the  drug  and  partly 
to  point  a  moral.  Perhaps  it  is  more  a  moral,  but  it  is  this :  That 
ever}-  issue  the  great  /.  A.  M.  A.  devotes  from  two  to  four  pages 
to  showing  up  the  iniquity  of  American  patent,  or  trade-marked, 
"remedies,"  which  kill  no  one — else  there  would  be  the  coroner 
and  the  prosecuting  attorney  called  in — but  never  has  a  word 
to  say  against  the  foreign  trade-marked  "remedies"  that  are 
foisted  on  the  American  public  at  fabulous  prices,  and  do  what 
Dr.  Shields  reports.     Wonder  why  this  is? 

Snake  Bite. — The  Calcutta  Journal  of  Medicine  (Sept.,  1916) 
prints  an  item  from  The  Lancet  April,  1916)  that  escaped  us, 
namely,  a  case  of  venomous  snake  bite  cured  by  plantain  juice. 
If  we  remember  aright  Dr.  Humphrey,  once  a  professor  in 
Hahnemann  Medical  College,  of  Philadelphia,  1871  (afterwards 
"Humphrey's  Specifics"),  mentioned  this  use  of  Plantago  in  a 
pamphlet  published  in  1871.  The  story,  briefly,  is  that  a  man  had 
a  lot  of  rattlesnakes  in  Philadelphia  that  he  handed  rather  care- 
lessly.   Asked  if  he  had  a  cure  if  bitten,  he  replied,  "Yes."     On 


94  Editorial. 

the  offer  of  a  sum  of  money  he  let  the  snakes  bite  him  several 
times,  was  not  affected  by  the  bites.    The  remedy  was  Plantago. 

"Murdering  Therapeutics." — Under  this  heading  Ellin gswood's 
Therapeutist  discusses  a  paper  in  Medical  Council  The  keynote 
of  the  paper  is  this :  "How  foolish,  indeed,  for  a  few  professors 
who  are  temperamentally,  and,  by  training,  wholly  unfitted  to  meet 
ordinary  medical  situations,  to  attempt  to  kill  the  Therapeutics 
of  twenty  centuries/'  From  it  Ellingwood  quotes  and  comments. 
Among  other  things  he  writes :  If  the  reader  "had  attended  the 
session  of  the  court  where  the  Patten  'Wine  of  Carduii'  case  was 
tried ;  where  the  very  best  Therapeutists  of  the  Old  School  were 
congregated,  this  last  Spring,  and  gave  learned  testimony  as  to 
the  action  of'  drugs,  he  would  have  been  overwhelmed  to  think 
such  ignorance  as  these  men  exhibited  of  drug  action,  could  pos- 
sibly exist  in  these  later  days  of  the  world  in  so  learned  a  pro- 
fession. Learned  and  impracticable  and  ultra-scientific,  but  ex- 
tremely ignorant,  grossly  ignorant,  in  practical  Therapeutic  de- 
tails." i 

A  Sharp  Question. — The  Charlotte  Medical  Journal  asks  it: 
"Why  can't  doctors  be  gentlemen?"  This  is  put  in  the  form 
sometimes  used  by  the  old  logicans  of  stating  a  proposition  by 
asking  a  question.  The  best  way  to  answer  is  by  countering  with 
another  question,  in  this  instance,  "Aren't  doctors  gentlemen?" 
To  be  sure  there  is  always  the  exception  to  the  rule,  or,  in  the 
old,  but  little  understood  saying,  "the  exception  proves  the  rule?'' 
How?  Why  when  we  meet  a  doctor  who  is  not  a  gentleman  we 
are  a  bit  shocked,  which  proves  that,  as  a  rule,  doctors  are  gen- 
tlemen. However,  in  fairness  to  our  gentlemanly  contemporary 
it  should  be  here  stated  that  its  remarks  are  applied  to  the  conduct 
of  many  during  a  debate,  or,  rather,  to  their  remarks.  But  even 
here  (at  the  risk  of  being  rude)  some  find  a  bit  of  acid  in  dis- 
cussion a  relief  from  the  oft  repeated  "I  have  never  heard  a  paper 
that  impressed  me  more  profoundly,''  or  some  other  stereotyped 
phrase,  by  which  "discussion"  is  usually  opened. 

An  Echo  From  the  Past. — Nearly  forty  years  ago  Dr.  P.  P. 
Wells  criticised  a  brother  doctor  as  follows : 


Editorial.  95 

"Our  author,  as  others  like  him  have  often  done  before,  having 
dishonored  a  law  he  acknowledges  to  be  'God-given  and  God- 
established,'  by  endeavors  to  incorporate  into  clinical  duties  ele- 
ments wholly  foreign  to  its  requirements,  and  having  thus,  as 
could  not  have  been  otherwise,  often  met  clinical  disappointments, 
they  turn  for  defence  before  their  consciousness  of  failure  to 
abuse  of  our  Materia  Medica,  and  in  the  enjoyment  of  this 
luxury  they  seem  to  find  much  food  for  their  self-complacency. 
To  abuse  a  great  work;  why,  of  course,  he  who  does  this  must 
in  his  own  eyes  be  greater,  and  this  must  be  a  comfort  to  him; 
and  we  know  of  no  other  excuse  for  this  paltry  work.  We  have 
heard  much  of  this  in  our  day,  and  chiefly  from  those  who  really 
knew  very  little  of  that  which  they  have  so  freely  disparaged." 

Those  old  journals  are  interesting  reading. 

Sea  Water. — The  British  Homoeopathic  Journal  for  August  is, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  notices,  etc.,  made  up  entirely  of  Dr. 
J.  R.  Day's  article  on  "Sea-water  Treatment."  It  seems  to  cure 
everything  from  constipation  to  tubercular  conditions.  The  sea 
water  must  be  made  isotonic  with  either  spring,  or  distilled, 
water,  *.  e.,  three  parts  distilled  to  two  parts  of  sea-water.  In 
the  "discussion"  one  gentleman  seemed  to  voice  the  general 
sentiment  when  he  quoted  Wynne  Thomas,  "When  other  treat- 
ment fails  try  sea  water."  It  was  also  said  that  the  water  was 
valuable  in  foul  smelling  discharges.  This  reminds  us  that  sev- 
eral years  ago  a  writer  in  The  Lancet  told  of  curing  a  case  of 
exceedingly  foul  smelling  syphilis  with  injections  of  distilled 
water,  something  easily  obtainable.  Perhaps  it  will  do  all  the 
sea  water  will  do. 

Cholera. — Notwithstanding  all  that  is  said  about  the  advances 
in  medicine  the  facts  seem  to  show  that,  aside  from  sanitation, 
good  nursing  and  care,  actual  disease  is  more  fatal  than  form- 
erly. In  Austria-Hungary  it  is  officially  reported  that  from  De- 
cember 27  to  September  18,  there  were  27,591  cases  of  cholera 
and  of  these  15,270  died.  A  fearful  death  rate.  The  figures 
are  given  in  the  Bulletin  of  the  International  Office. 


PERSONAL. 


Nay,  Mary,  chin  music  from  a  double  chin  is  no  finer  than  from  a  single 
one. 

Not  even  Dr.  Moffat's  book  has  a  remedy  for  the  "Fs"  of  an  egotist. 

"Stagnation,"  broadly,  means  "not  running."  Those  who  do  not  run  do 
not  get  out  of  breath. 

Man  may  be  a  Bachelor  of  Arts  or  an  Artful  Bachelor. 

Not  infrequently  Information  Bureaus  run  out  of  stock. 

Some  men  sleep  like  a  log  being  operated  on  in  a  saw-mill. 

"Brutes!  To  march  me  through  the  rain,"'  said  the  spy.  "Worse  for 
us,  we  have  to  march  back,"  replied  the  soldiers. 

The  difference  between  a  king  and  a  President  of  the  U.  S.  is  that  tht 
former  has  a  fairly  steady  job. 

"A  charming  landscape,"  said  the  visitor.  "You  flatter  me,"  said  tht 
artist.     "No,  I've  seen  it." 

A  "bird-like  appetite,"  Mary,  depends  on  whether  the  bird  is  an  ostrich. 

"Lowest  prices,  best   service,  satisfaction  guaranteed." — Undertaker. 

A  "free  translation,"  Mary,  doesn't  mean  that  it  costs  nothing. 

The  most  difficult  patients  to  cure  are  those  who  have  no  ills. 

"Climate!"  exclaimed  an  honest  man.  "No  climate  would  dare  disagree 
with  my  wife."  « 

A  chance  for  inventors :  Whiskey  with  the  smell  of  roses,  onions  smell- 
ing of  violets,  tobacco  like  ozone,  etc. 

Some  lose  half  the  dinner  by  not  smoking;  some  the  whole  of  it  by 
smoking. 

The  language  of  medicine.  Yellow  liver.  Green  gangrene.  Black,  a 
hasty  fist,  and  so  on. 

Claude  says  that  the  "mystic  circle"  is  too  much  class  reunion  good  cheer. 

A  religious  ex.,  we  have  'em,  writes  of  "Arch-natural  manhood."  What 
is  the  base? 

"Since  the  so-called  Reformation." — Ex.     Which  one? 

"Woman's  great  mission." — Ex.  Well,  what  is  her  "mission?"  And, 
what  is  man's? 

Bernard  Shaw,  truthfully,  for  once,  said  you  cannot  kill  a  nation. 

The  man  who  blows  out  his  brains  kills  himself  without  disturbance  to 
the  brain. 

"Citizen  soldiers?"    Isn't  a  soldier  a  citizen? 

A  Connecticut  law  maker  wants  to  "license  journalists."  Gee,  brother, 
they  have  enough  now! 

The  Pocket-book  is  convalescent  but  still  a  little  weak  from  its  Christ- 
mas orgie. 


THE 

HOMEOPATHIC  RECORDER 

Vol.  XXXII         Lancaster,  Pa.,  March  15,  1917.         No.  3 

"THE   BURNING  BUSH." 

Do  not  balk,  reader,  for  even  though  this  opens  with  verses 
2  and  3,  Chap,  iii,  of  Exodus,  yet  it  is  not  religious.  (  Here  are  the 
verses : 

2.  And  the  Angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  unto  him  in  a  flame  of  fire 
out  of  the  midst  of  the  bush :  and  he  looked,  and,  behold,  the  bush 
burned  with  fire,  and  the  bush  was  not  consumed. 

3.  And  Moses  said,  I  will  now  turn  aside,  and  see  this  great  sight, 
why  the  bush  is  not  burned. 

Now,  in  this  connection  read  the  following  from  a  recent  issue 
of  the  Scientific  American: 

"One  of  the  most  remarkable  plants  in  the  world  is  certainly 
the  so-called  Burning  Bush,  Dictamnus  fraxinella.  This  species 
is  native  to  Western  Asia,  though  nowadays  commonly  to  be 
found  in  gardens  in  temperate  regions.  A  great  many  people  who 
grow  the  plant  are  quite  unaware  of  its  strange  habits.  As  a 
matter  of  fact  the  Dictamnus  secretes  a  fragrant  essential  oil  in 
great  abundance.  This  is  produced  in  especially  large  quantities 
by  the  flower  stems,  in  warm  weather  volatilizing  so  that  the  air 
surrounding  the  plant  is  impregnated.  Further,  this  vapor  is 
highly  inflammable,  and,  if  a  naked  flame  is  brought  near  to  the 
plant,  the  fumes  at  once  take  fire  with  a  most  singular  result.  The 
whole  plant  is  surrounded  with  crackling  shooting  flames,  reddish 
in  color,  and  leaving  a  highly  aromatic  odor  behind  them.  The 
Burning  Bush  is  not  injured  in  any  way  by  the  fire ;  for  the  flames 
do  not  actually  come  into  contact  with  the  plant  itself. 

''Several  conditions  are  needful  if  the  experiment  with  the 
Burning  Bush  is  to  be  a  success.     Thus  it  is  essential  that  the 


98  "The  Burning  Bush." 

air  should  be  very  dry  and  warm,  also  that  there  should  be  prac- 
tically no  wind.  The  best  effects  are  secured  only  just  after  the 
opening  of  the  flowers.  It  will  be  realized  that  these  conditions 
cannot  always  be  relied  upon.  A  plan  has  recently  been  devised 
by  means  of  which  the  inflammable  nature  of  the  vapors  given 
out  by  the  Dictamnus  may  be  shown  with  startling  effect. 

"A  strong  plant  of  the  Burning  Bush  is  raised  in  a  pot.  At  the 
time  when  the  flowers  are  just  reaching  perfection  the  plant  is 
placed  in  a  glass  jar  or  a  shade.  This  is  closely  covered  for  some 
hours  before  the  time  of  the  experiment.  On  removing  the  cover 
a  light  is  held  over  the  plant  when  there  is  at  once  a  tremendous 
outburst  of  flame.  So  great  is  the  rush  of  fire  that  it  is  wise  to 
keep  one's  face  away  from  the  top  of  the  jar;  a  nasty  burn  is 
not  by  any  means  out  of  the  question.  After  an  interval  of  an 
hour  or  so  with  the  jar  or  case  closed  up  the  experiment  may  be 
repeated  with  similar  results. 

"In  connection  with  the  Dictamnus  it  is  rather  remarkable  that 
the  species  is  common  where  the  incident  of  Moses  and  the  Burn- 
ing Bush  is  said  to  have  occurred." 

Being  interested  in  this  we  made  inquiry  of  Boericke  &  Tafel's 
man  who  has  charge  of  the  medicine  rooms,  wherein  are  to  be 
found  many  curious  drugs,  unproved  and  many  of  them  practic- 
ally unknown  as  regards  their  use  that  have  been  accumulating 
during  over  half  a  century,  as,  for  instance,  Dead  Sea  Water. 

The  medicine  man  called  attention  to  a  work  published  in  1862, 
Synopsis  Plantarium  Diaphoricarum  Systematische  Ubersicht  der 
Heilkuntz  Giftphlanzen  aller  Lander.  By  David  x\ugust  Rosen- 
thal, a  Breslau  physician. 

The  title,  literally  translated,  means  A  Systematic  View  of  the 
Useful  and  Poisonous  Plants  of  all  Countries. 

Rosenthal  bears  out,  in  effect,  what  the  Scientific  American  says 
of  the  "Burning  Bush,"  namely,  that  it  gives  out  a  faint,  pleas- 
ing, aromatic,  citron-like  odor,  and  has  a  bitter  taste.  Also  that 
in  the  early  centuries  it  was  highly  esteemed  as  an  antidote  for 
poisons,  and  as  a  remedy  for  weak  heart.  Later  it  was  used  to 
correct  the  menstrual  flow,  leucorrhcea,  weak  digestion,  melan- 
cholia, hysteria  and  epilepsy.  Also  that  it  will  flash  into  flame  if 
fire  is  applied  to  it — not  the  bush,  which  is  not  consumed,  but  the 
emanations  from  it  blaze  up  while  the  bush  apparently  is  not 
harmed. 


The  True  Homoeopathic  Spirit.  99 

Surely  a  curious  plant  and  drug  and  a  very  old  one.  But  it  is 
not  in  commercial  supply.  The  6x  is  about  the  lowest  available 
strength  at  present.  Probably  all  this  is  of  no  practical  value  to 
physicians,  but  to  us  it  seemed  to  be  unusually  interesting.  The 
man  of  medicine  (in  the  pharmacy)  told  us  that  once  there  was 
quite  a  demand  for  it.  Perhaps  some  reader  can  give  more  light 
on  the  subject.  What  lends  especial  interest  to  the  subject  is  the 
reference  to  it  by  Moses,  an  interest  shared,  not  only  by  the  man 
who  believes  in  the  book  on  which  our  civilization  (for  better  or 
worse)  is  founded,  but,  also,  for  the  scientist  who  will  believe  only 
that  which  he  can,  or  thinks  he  can,  scientifically  demonstrate.  A 
century  or  tmo  ago  the  scientific  man  would  believe  nothing  but 
what  was  the  scientific  view  of  his  day.  For  instance,  he  would 
not  believe  in  the  circulation  of  the  blood.  The  arteries  were, 
as  the  Greek  shows,  "air  tubes."  But  to-day  he  wTill  swallow 
anything  that  is  not  an  "ancient  superstition."  The  scientific  man 
is  a  queer  but  useful  bird,  who  has  largely  been  employed  in  all 
the  ages  in  dynamiting  the  science  of  his  predecessors,  and  thus 
advancing  humanity. 


THE   TRUE   HOMOEOPATHIC  SPIRIT 

It  is  difficult  to  write  an  editorial  or  anything  else  upon  a  sub- 
ject which  is  most  prominent  by  its  absence  from  the  view,  hence 
one  on  the  true  homoeopathic  spirit  has  its  limitations  in  these 
days  when  almost  every  homoeopath  has  at  least  one  eye,  and 
often  both,  on  what  the  older  school  is  doing.  But  there  is  such 
a  thing  as  homoeopathic  spirit  which  is  worth  while  and  which 
we  can  recommend  to  the  notice  of  our  readers  as  entirely  com- 
patible with  dignity,  truth,  and  science.  For  what  is  science  but 
exact  knowledge,  hence  if  homoeopathy  has  exact  knowledge,  it 
is  just  as  good  science  as  astronomy  or  other  recognized  branch 
of  learning. 

What  we  insist  upon  is  that  homoeopathy  shall  prove  its  claims 
or  drop  them.  Philosophical  or  speculative  doctrines  have  no 
place  in  modern  medicine.  If  homoeopathy  cannot  prove  by  in- 
struments of  precision  that  its  curative  claims  are  valid,  no 
amount  of  "talk"  will  prevent  it  from  achieving  the  waste  basket. 

Dr.  Conrad  Wesselhoeft,  of  Boston,  in  a  letter  to  us  hits  the 


ioo  The  Million  Dollar  Research  Laboratories. 

nail  on  the  head  when  he  says :  "We  can  either  leave  homoeopathy 
as  a  religious  sect  to  die  the  death  of  the  marytr,  or  we  can  allow 
it  to  be  dragged  in  the  mud,  degenerated  with  combination  tab- 
lets, and  besmeared  with  hypocracy,  to  die,  a  recluse  from  scien- 
tific medicine,  an  inglorious  death.  The  most  crying  need  of 
homoeopathy  today  is  a  revised  edition  of  Hughes'  'Principles  and 
Practice  of  Homoeopathy'  with  a  due  consideration  of  the  prob- 
lems in  the  light  of  the  Ehrlich  theory  and  modern  pharmacologi- 
cal investigators." 

The  apathy  of  our  own  men  in  regard  to  proving  what  homoe- 
opathy is  or  may  be  has  been  a  stumbling  block  in  our  path.  But 
homoeopathic  research  work  is  just  as  practicable  a  field  as  any 
pharmacological  one.  As  Dr.  J.  A.  Toren  says :  "Why  not  in- 
oculate animals  with  germs  and  see  what  the  homoeopathic  rem- 
edy can  do  for  them?"  Stray  criminals  might  be  hired  for  the 
purpose  of  such  experiments  upon  humans.  But  in  work  upon 
the  humans  control  must  be  exercised  much  greater  than  what 
we  usually  find  in  the  case  of  drug  provers. 

In  conclusion,  is  it  not  more  dignified  to  enroll  ourselves  in  a 
little  army,  which  is  doing  really  scientific  work  with  precise 
methods  and  instruments  than  to  spend  evenings  asserting  that 
we  are  already  the  "whole  thing"  and  that  it  is  needless  to 
deny  it  ? 

Wake  up,  homoeopaths,  and  join  "Gideon's  band."  Otherwise 
in  the  future  your  children  may  sufTer  from  the  stigma  of  a 
parentage  which  shall  be  a  matter  of  derision  rather  than  a  source 
of  pride. 

C.  M. 


THE  MILLION   DOLLAR  RESEARCH 
LABORATORIES 

It  seems  to  be  the  thing  now  days  for  men  over-burdened 
with  money  to  lighten  their  load  by  establishing  million  dollar 
research  laboratories  with  the  idea,  bred  in  their  bone,  that  money 
will  do  anything  and  everything  even  to  discovery  of  sure  cures 
for  disease.  No  doubt  money  is  of  much  assistance  in  tracing 
the  mysterious  causes  of  human  ills  and  especially  in  finding 
means  by  which  these  ills  may  be   fought  to  a  finish,  but  the 


The  Million  Dollar  Research  Laboratories.  101 

one  thing  which  the  million  givers  seem  to  ignore  is  the  psy- 
chology of  incentive.  Million  dollar  laboratories  hire  their  help, 
but  the  incentive  of  any  salaried  man  is  never  as  great  as  that 
of  the  man  who  works  for  "number  one."  Human  nature  is  the 
same  the  world  over,  and  we  think  it  not  unreasonable  to  expect 
that,  in  the  future,  as  in  the  past,  progress  in  medicine  will  'de- 
pend largely  upon  the  man  who  is  ambitious  to  "get  there"  rather 
than  on  the  man  who  is  waiting  for  the  clock  to  strike  the  hour 
when  his  work  is  over. 

We  agree  with  Dr.  Conrad  Wesseihceft,  of  Boston,  who,  in  a 
private  letter  to  us  recently  received,  says :  "Men  like  Robert 
Koch,  Sir  James  McKenzie  and  others  did  clinical  research  work 
in  the  course  of  their  private  practice,  which  has  done  more  to 
advance  medicine  than  all  the  million  dollar  research  laboratories 
in  the  country.'' 

Then,  again,  the  salary  proposition  will  always  be  a  matter  in 
which  "pull"  will  exert  an  influence.  While  the  million  dollar 
laboratory  will  always  profess  to  command  "the  best  that  money 
can  find,''  inside  workings  will  always  result  in  a  certain  amount 
of  favoritism  which  cannot  be  avoided.  Sectarian  religious  in- 
fluences will  especially  hurt  the  million  dollar  laboratory.  It  is 
unlikely  that  the  staff  of  a  given  laboratory  would  deliberately 
offend  the  donor  of  any  considerable  part  of  the  laboratory  en- 
dowment, and  that  donor  is,  if  human,  subject  to  the  pulling  and 
hauling  of  friends,  relatives,  and  the  like.  So  that  on  every  fac- 
ulty of  a  million  dollar  laboratory  will  be  found  incompetent 
favorites  who  will  retard  the  work  and  whose  presence  there  will 
be  resented,  more  or  less,  by  the  real  men  who  are  trying  to  do 
their  duty  to  the  laboratory. 

A  witty  friend  of  ours  once  said :  "It  is  a  mistaken  policy 
which  sends  tramps  to  the  public  library  instead  of  to  the  work- 
house." similarly  it  is  a  mistaken  policy  which  credulous  million- 
aires adopt  when  they  provide  snug  salaried  berths  in  research 
laboratories  for  men  who  cannot  earn  their  living  anywhere  else. 

The  real  man  of  medical  action  will  never  accept  a  salaried 
position  pertaining  to  medicine.  Conversely  it  is  fair  to  assume 
that  any  man  on  a  medical  salary  is  not  the  man  on  whom  medi- 
cine can  depend  for  advancing-  medicine. 

C.  M. 


102  The  Physician  a  Public  Man. 


THE  PHYSICIAN   A  PUBLIC  MAN 

Probably  in  no  vocation  can  it  be  more  truly  said  that  a  man 
cannot  serve  two  masters  than  in  that  of  the  Practice  of  Medi- 
cine. The  requirements  of  actual  practice  and  the  rapid  advance 
of  medical  science  demand  a  concentration  of  thought  and  study 
that  almost  preclude  taking  any  active  part  in  the  other  matters 
of  public  interest.  With  this  as  a  reason,  or,  perhaps,  an  ex- 
cuse, too  many  physicians,  especially  of  the  homoeopathic  school, 
are  not  found  among  the  active  citizens  of  our  country.  Many 
being  too  busy  to  even  vote !  That  this  attitude  is  at  once  inimi- 
cal to  the  best  interests  of  both  the  country  and  the  physician  goes 
without  saying.  Our  old  school  brethren  are  more  awake  to  this 
fact  than  are  the  good  Musselmans  of  the  homoeopathic  school, 
hence  the  plums  of  public  service  (to  appeal  to  your  cupidity)  are 
gathered  up  by  our  friends  the  enemy,  the  advancements  in 
science  of  preventive  medicine  and  the  honors  of  municipal  medi- 
cal service  have  not  been  gathered  in  by  the  homoeopaths.  To 
the  busy  practitioner  this  may  seem  a  matter  of  little  import. 
And  in  a  sense  he  is  right.  But  if  we  stop  to  realize  our  civic  re- 
sponsibility the  matter  presents  a  different  phase.  Being  one  of 
the  learned  professions  the  practitioner  of  medicine  is  essentially 
a  teacher.  It  is  not  enough  to  relieve  men  of  their  ills,  they  must 
be  taught  how  to  avoid  them.  To  cater  to  disease  only  makes 
the  physician  a  parasite  waxing  fat  on  the  distress  of  his  fel- 
low-men— to  relieve  their  suffering  and  at  the  same  time  teach 
them  to  avoid  future  misfortune  is  to  render  an  inestimable  ser- 
vice to  humanity. 

To  be  sure  such  a  course  seems,  in  a  measure,  suicidal,  since 
it  is  likened  unto  killing  the  goose  that  laid  the  golden  egg.  But 
this  is  not  only  a  selfish,  but  also  a  shortsighted  view  of  the  sub- 
ject. As  mankind  learns  of  the  rule  of  law  in  his  physical  being 
he  naturally  turns  to  those  who  can  teach  him  the  law  and  how 
to  obey,  and  the  truly  learned  physician  will  ever  have  his  clien- 
tele, for  man's  ignorance  is  only  equaled  by  his  disobedience. 

Aside  from  a  few  sporadic  efforts,  usually  limited  to  individuals 
and  unco-ordinated,  the  homoeopathic  school  has  done  nothing  in 
the  line  of  public  instruction,  and  has  added  little  if  anything 
to  the  healing  art  since  the  days  of  its  illustrious  founder.     The 


The  Physician  a  Public  Man.  103 

"scientific"   men  of   our   school   have   been   the   students   of   our 
brethren  of  the  dominent  school,  oft  times  their  almost  too  ardent 
Dwers  :    while   the   "true   homoeopaths"   have   too   often,    like 
old  men.  lived  contentedly  in  the  glorious  past. 

To  be  sure,  drug  action  and  symptomatology  were  most  per- 
fectlv  studied  by  our  f raters  of  old  with  an  intensity  of  effort  of 
which  we  are  seldom  guilty,  but  instrument-  of  precision  and 
ntific  experiment  have  added  facilities  of  which  they  never 
dreamed,  and.  had  we  their  spirit,  we  could  explain  things  to 
them  explainable  only  by  vague  hypotheses  and  correlate  actions 
and  svmptoms  which  to  them  stood  isolated  and  unrelated.  But 
motif  of  this  paper  lies  not  here. 

About  us  surges  the  current  of  progress  and  we  face  the  ques- 
tion whether  we  will  advance  with  its  foremost  billows  or  be 
contentedly  caught  in  the  eddies.  The  spirit  of  civic  efficiency  is 
in  the  air,  the  bringing  of  every  vocation  to  the  most  intensive 
point  of  productiveness  for  the  commonweal.  And  we  are  face 
:"ace  with  the  question  whether  we  will  be  among  those  who 
set  the  high  standards  or  delay  action  till  we  find  ourselves  in 
""Class  B"  of  the  schedule  set  by  men  more  fully  alive  to  op- 
portunity and  duty. 

Every  physician  is  inherently  one  of  the  leading  men  in  his 
community — if  not  he  has  fallen  short  in  his  privile.ee  and  duty 
as  a  citizen.  Among  the  builders  of  the  nation  are  many  of  our 
profession;  signers  of  the  declaration  of  independence:  soldiers 
on  its  battlefields :  statesmen  in  its  legislative  halls.  YYe  today 
are  less  worthy  than  they  if  we  delegate  our  civic  duties  to  the 
professional  politician. 

In  the  matter  of  public  instruction,  the  lay  press,  the  community 
center,  and  the  public  schools  need  the  physician  and  are  open 
to  his  sendee.  The  columns  of  the  press  should  not  be  relegated 
to  the  professional  journalist  or  lay  theorist,  the  physician  should 
there  as-ume  his  duty  as  public  instructor.  The  platform  of  the 
community  center  will  welcome  his  health  talks,  while  the  depart- 
ments of  physiology  and  hygiene  in  the  public  schools  are  his  not 
only  by  the  privilege  of  his  calling,  but  by  the  duty  he  owes  to 
the  community.     Shall  we  awake,  or  sleep  on? 

W.  E.  Boynton.  M.  D. 

Chicago. 


104   Mat.  Med.  and  Clin.  Therapeutics  vs.  Serum  Therapy. 


MATERIA    MEDICA   AND   CLINICAL  THERAPEU- 
TICS VS.   SERUM  THERAPY* 

By  W.  J.  Hawkes,  M.  D.,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

In  discussing  this  subject  I  do  not  wish  to  be  understood  as 
condemning  serum  therapy  unreservedly.  Practically  I  know  too 
little  about  it  to  warrant  my  taking  such  a  position. 

Admit  "in  principle,"  as  the  rulers  of  nations  say,  that  the 
theory  of  serum  therapy  is  sound,  and  that  it  runs  parallel  with 
similia  similibus  curentur,  as  it  seems  to  do.  I  contend,  however, 
that  the  practice  is  less  safe  and  no  more  effective  curatively,  or 
as  a  prophylactic,  than  our  practice  of  oral  therapeutics. 

It  is  less  safe  because  thereby  is  injected  directly  into  the 
blood  a  foreign  substance  of  possible  impurity.  By  this  process 
nature's  protective  agencies — the  germicidal  secretions  of  the 
alimentary  tract — are  evaded.  Nature  is  thus  deprived  of  her 
only  safeguard.  The  same  substances  taken  by  the  mouth  would 
be  rendered  practically  harmless.  Many  examples  might  be  cited 
of  substances  which  are  fatal  when  introduced  directly  into  the 
blood,  but  which  are  comparatively  harmless  when  swallowed. 

Even  though  vaccines  be  prepared  with  the  utmost  care  and 
cleanliness,  there  is  still  a  probable  element  of  danger  from  their 
administration  hypodermically.  But  their  preparation  and  dis- 
tribution is  a  commercial  proposition,  and  hired  help  of  many 
hands  must  be  employed  in  the  process.  The  immense  quantity 
manufactured  and  sold  and  used,  renders  it  a  physical  impossi- 
bility for  a  few  scientific  men  to  do  the  work.  Individuals  who 
work  for  wages  and  who  have  no  conception  of,  nor  interest  in  the 
vital  necessity  of  their  being  minutely  careful  and  scrupulously 
clean  in  their  work  are  not  to  be  relied  upon.  Hence  the  danger 
of  impurity.  Why  take  the  risk  when  we  have  means  of  ex- 
hibiting measures  at  least  as  effective  for  good  and  at  the  same 
time  absolutely  safe? 

The  absurd  claim  formerly  made  that  the  substances  injected 
as  germicides  did  their  work  by  bodily  attacking  the  disease-pro- 
ducing germs  and  physically  destroying  them  is  now  practieally 
abandoned.    The  ground  now  taken  is  that  the  good  work  is  per- 

*Read  before  the  Southern   Cal.   Horn.   Med.   Society. 


Mat.  Med.  and  Clin.  Therapeutics  vs.  Serum  Therapy.    105 

formed  by  raising  the  opsonic  index  and  increasing  antibodies  in 
the  blood,  which  attack  and  destroy  the  inimical  germs.  This 
may  be  true  and  a  valid  claim.  But  in  plain  language  that  is 
simply  saying  that  they  thereby  restore  the  blood  and  body  of  the 
patient  to  as  nearly  as  possible  a  normal  state  of  health.  Perfect 
health  is  the  best  safeguard  against  bad  germs  or  disease-causing 
conditions  of  whatever  character.  Any  procedure  which  deranges 
the  normal  proportion  and  relationship  of  the  varied  constituents 
of  the  blood  or  other  fluids  or  tissues  of  the  body  is  inimical  to 
the  health  of  that  body.  Hence,  even  if  the  opsonic  index  could 
be  raised  above  the  normal,  or  if  the  number  of  antibodies  could 
be  increased  above  their  normal  proportion  in  the  blood,  the  health 
of  the  body  would  be  to  that  degree  impaired.  We  cannot  be 
either  above  or  below  normal  in  any  of  the  constituents  of  the 
body  and  be  perfectly  healthy. 

I  contend,  therefore,  that  whatever  measures  most  easily,  thor- 
oughly and  safely  restore  the  body  to  perfect  health  and  prevent 
departure  therefrom  is  the  best  weapon  at  the  command  of  the 
physician  against  sickness.  This  being  true,  I  ask  is  there  any- 
better  combination  known  for  the  accomplishment  of  this  most  to 
be  desired  end  than  perfect  and  comprehensive  hygiene  and  our 
"science  of  therapeutics?"  Do  you  know  of  any  such?  I  surely 
do  not. 

The  function  of  medicine  is  to  attack  and  remove  the  constitu- 
tional inherent  defect  which  in  us  all  impairs  our  natural  powers 
of  resistance  against  disease  producing  influences,  and  the  func- 
tion of  hygienic  measures  is  to  obviate  external  exciting  causes. 
These  allies  are  unbeatable. 

Vaccines  are  now  being  extensively  employed  in  an  ever-in- 
creasing number  of  diseases  as  prophylactic  and  curative  meas- 
ures, and  extravagant  claims  are  being  made  as  to  their  efficacy 
in  the  cure  and  prevention  of  disease.  Small-pox  is  the  disease 
having  the  questionable  honor  of  seniority  in  this  list,  and  is  the 
one  having  the  greatest  number  of  adherents  having  implicit  faith 
in  its  efficacy  as  a  prophylactic  against  variola.  But  the  only  evi- 
dence offered  in  support  of  this  claim  is  the  fact  that  small-pox 
has  diminished  greatly  in  frequency  and  severity  since  vaccination 
has  been  in  vogue.  But  to  me  this  evidence  is  far  from  con- 
clusive or  convincing,  because  the  same  evidence  can,  with  as 


106   Mat.  Med.  and  Clin.  Therapeutics  vs.  Serum  Therapy. 

much  logic,  be  urged  in  support  of  the  claim  that  vaccination  has 
been  the  cause  of  a  like  reduction  in  the  frequency  and  severity 
of  intermittent  fever,  yellow  fever,  cholera,  the  plague,  etc.  For 
all  these  diseases  have  been  in  the  same  period  even  more  thor- 
oughly eradicated  than  has  small-pox. 

Now  I  want  it  to  be  distinctly  understood  that  I  am  not  ques- 
tioning or  denying  the  efficacy  of  vaccination  by  scarification  as 
a  modifier  or  preventive  of  small-pox.  What  I  do  claim  is.  that 
it  is  a  dangerous  proceeding,  and  that  we  have  a  method  which 
is  as  effective,  and  which  is  at  the  same  time  absolutely  safe.  I 
have  personally  convincing  and  accumulated  evidence  of  the 
dire  results  often  following  vaccination  by  scarification,  so  that 
I  have  not  for  years  vaccinated  in  that  way,  nor  will  I  ever  again 
do  so. 

The  lamentable  fact  that  responsibility  cannot  be  placed  when 
palpable  injury  results  from  vaccination  with  impure  virus  pre- 
vents publicity  and  punishment,  and  more  than  any  other  cause 
prevents  exposure  and  investigation.  As  it  is  on  no  one  con- 
cerned can  responsibility  for  damage  be  placed,  and  the  injured 
one  is  helpless  and  those  responsible  go  unpunished.  In  any 
other  case  of  malpractice,  though  having  less  evil  consequences., 
punishment  would  follow. 

Experiments  by  homoeopathic  professors  in  Iowa  University 
convinced  them  that  taking  variolinum  per  orem  was  effective  in 
producing  the  reaction  characteristic  of  vaccine,  and  the  results 
sought  for  by  vaccination,  and  that  absolutely  without  risk.  Act- 
ing on  this  conviction  they  adopted  that  method  of  vaccinating 
school  children,  giving  certificates  that  such  children  had  been 
successfully  vaccinated.  Furthermore,  these  certificates  were 
judged  legal  and  satisfactory  by  the  court  in  Iowa  City,  Council 
Bluffs  and  Chicago. 

Probably  the  disease  next  most  vaccinated  against  is  typhoid 
fever.  This  is  carried  to  such  an  extent  in  the  army  and  navy 
that  recruits  are  court  martialed  and  punished  by  imprisonment 
and  otherwise  for  refusing,  when  conscientiously  opposed  to  it,  to 
submit  to  vaccination.  From  'The  Land  of  the  Free  and  the 
Home  of  the  Brave''  viewpoint,  this  is  a  very  serious  matter. 
Furthermore,  it  is  dangerous  in  another  way  beside  the  direct 
dansrer  of  the  inoculation. 


Mat.  Med.  and  Clin.  Therapeutics  vs.  Serum  Therapy.    107 

There  is  probably  no  other  disease  the  direct  cause  of  which 
is  so  easily  and  unmistakably  traced  and  fixed  as  typhoid  fever, 
and  consequently  so  easily  destroyed  or  avoided.  With  uncon- 
taminated  food  and  drink  there  need  be  no  typhoid  fever  in  any 
community.  Again,  hygiene— cleanliness — is  the  remedy  and  the 
only  remedy  needed  as  a  prophylactic.  Hence,  the  second  source 
of  danger  is  faith  in  the  theory  and  practice  of  vaccination  as 
all-sufficient  protection  against  typhoid  fever.  If  the  people  and 
health  officials  of  communities  are  convinced  that  the  only  thing 
needed  to  guarantee  them  protection  against  typhoid  fever,  the 
need  and  importance  of  hygienic  precaution  against  it  will  be 
neglected  or  lost  sight  of  altogether.  We  all  know  how  in- 
different, through  ignorance,  probably,  a  majority  of  the  dear 
people  are  to  the  ordinary  rules  of  hygiene;  and  this  knowledge 
tells  us  that,  even  when  facing  an  epidemic,  how  little  attention 
they  will  give  to  these  rules  if  they  are  assured  by  their  medical 
authorities  that  they  need  have  no  fear  if  only  they  are  vaccinated  ! 

In  the  Russo-Japanese  war  vaccination  against  contagious  dis- 
eases was  not  practiced.  Only  intelligent,  extensive  and  most 
thorough  hygienic  measures  were  employed.  Yet  their  record  of 
freedom  from  typhoid  fever  was  the  wonder  of  the  world.  In 
the  making  of  this  record  the  authorities  were  strongly  reinforced 
by  the  ambition  of  the  soldiers  themselves. 

The  Japanese  soldier  who  dies  in  battle  for  his  country,  or  who 
is  crippled  and  discharged  because  of  wounds,  is  a  hero  in  the 
eyes  of  his  family  and  friends.  But  if  he  dies  or  is  discharged 
because  of  sickness,  he  is  held  in  contempt,  so  he  uses  every  in- 
telligent effort  to  avoid  sickness,  while  he  braves  death  with  a 
fearlessness  that  is  almost  fanatical. 

They  are  intimately  and  thoroughly  instructed  as  to  all  hygienic 
means  of  preventing  all  causes  of  disease,  and  cleanliness  in  its 
broadest  sense  is  the  keynote.  Nor  is  this  confined  to  themselves 
and  their  camp ;  the  surrounding  country  and  villages  are  thor- 
oughly policed  and  cleansed.  Especial  attention  is  given  to 
sources  of  water  supplies.  Boiling  the  water  is  the  plan  uni- 
versally adopted.  Apparatus  for  boiling  water  is  attached  to  all 
commands. 

Their  ration  of  food  is  simple  and  not  excessive,  and  con- 
sists chiefly  of  rice,  and  occasionally  a  little  barley.     But  little 


108   Mat.  Med.  and  Clin.  Therapeutics  vs.  Serum  Therapy. 

meat  is  used,  and  is  always  prepared  before  being  issued  to  the 
soldiers.  Meat  on  the  hoof  is  practically  unknown  in  camp.  All 
food  is  scrupulously  protected  against  contamination,  especially 
is  it  protected  against  flies. 

Excreta  is  buried  or  otherwise  effectually  disposed  of. 

The  dead  soldiers  are  cremated.  The  bodies  are  placed  in 
ditches  and  covered  with  kerosene  and  burned.  The  use  of  in- 
ternal antiseptic  drugs  was  in  intestinal  affections  tried  and  dis- 
carded as  useless  or  even  harmful.  In  short,  all  measures  used 
and  approved  of  aimed  at  cleanliness — the  one  great  prophylactic 
against  all  disease. 

Results,  as  compared  with  those  of  the  Chinese-Japanese  war, 
when  these  measures  were  not  observed,  are  significant.  In  the 
former  war  the  proportion  was  i  wounded  to  6.93  sick.  One 
died  of  wounds  to  12.09  from  sickness.  In  the  Russo-Japanese 
war  the  ratio  of  sickness  was  1  to  1.07,  and  deaths  1  to  0.47  from 
sickness. 

In  the  Russo-Japanese  war  the  number  of  soldiers  incapaci- 
tated by  sickness  was  one  Japanese  to  six  Russians.  The  Russians 
made  hygiene  a  negligible  matter. 

These  records  (official)  speak  for  themselves  and  for  hygienic 
thoroughness  as  the  best  means  of  preventing  disease. 

Following  is  a  quotation  from  the  report  of  the  government 
survey  anent  typhoid  fever: 

STAMPING    OUT    INFECTIOUS    DISEASES. 

"Through  their  surveys  they  had  practically  eliminated  typhoid 
fever  from  the  town  of  North  Yakima,  Washington,  although 
prior  to  the  time  of  their  survey  in  191 1  the  deaths  from  typhoid 
in  that  little  city  had  averaged  between  twenty-five  and  thirty  a 
year.  They  had  driven  typhoid  fever  out  of  the  rural  districts 
of  Yakima  county,  which,  in  19 10,  had  lost  twenty-five  lives 
through  death  by  typhoid.  In  191 1,  the  year  of  their  survey,  the 
death  rate  fell  to  eleven;  in  1912,  to  three,  and  in  1913,  deaths 
from  typhoid  disappeared  from  the  county.  Their  survey  had  in 
Orange  county,  North  Carolina,  cut  the  death  rate  from  typhoid 
in  half.  In  Berkeley  county,  West  Virginia,  their  survey,  made  in 
1914,  reduced  the  number  of  cases  of  typhoid  in  the  county  from 
two  hundred  and  fifty-nine  in  191 3  to  twenty  in  19 15,  with  no 
deaths  at  all  in  the  latter  vear.    In  Dorchester  countv,  Maryland, 


Mat.  Med.  and  Clin.  Therapeutics  vs.  Serum  Therapy.    109 

these  gentlemen  had  seen  their  work  reduce  the  number  of  cases 
in  one  year  from  one  hundred  and  fifteen  to  twenty,  and  the  num- 
ber of  deaths  from  fifty-one  to  three.  Lawrence  county.  Indiana, 
a  county  which  received  one  of  their  educational  surveys  in  1914, 
rejoiced  in  the  fact  that  the  number  of  cases  had  fallen  from 
ninety-seven  in  1913  to  thirty  in  1915,  and  the  number  of  deaths 
from  fourteen  to  five ;  while  in  Wilson  county.  Kansas,  their 
survey  had  cut  the  typhoid  rate  exactly  in  two." 

In  view  of  the  foregoing-,  I  ask,  is  there  a  competent  physician 
who  will  assume  the  grave  responsibility  of  advising  his  clientele 
that  it  is  safe  or  prudent  to  rely  on  vaccination  as  a  safeguard 
against  typhoid  fever,  while  not  religiously  guarding  the  possi- 
bility of  eating  or  drinking  food  or  liquid  contaminated  with 
excreta  from  those  ill  of  that  disease  ?  This,  in  effect,  is  what  he 
would  be  guilty  of  doing  were  he  to  assure  them  that  vaccination 
with  anti-typhoid  serum  surely  would  prevent  their  contracting 
that  disease. 

Will  any  physician,  deserving  of  that  honorable  title,  claim  that 
an  individual  may  with  impunity  take  into  his  body  typhoid  germs 
because  he  has  been  vaccinated  with  anti-typhoid  serum  ? 

Since  writing  the  foregoing  I  have  had  under  my  care  a  case 
which  has  a  significant  bearing  on  the  matter  under  discussion. 

The  patient  abraded  his  finger  while  doing  minor  surgical  work. 
The  affected  arm  became  slightly  swollen  and  inflamed.  A  swell- 
ing appeared  on  the  inner  and  anterior  surface  of  the  upper 
arm,  which  was  slightly  inflamed  and  more  or  less  painful,  but  was 
not  in  any  degree  distressing. 

The  surgeon  in  charge  examined  the  blood  and  urged  an  opera- 
tion. He  also  gave  two  intravenous  injections  in  the  abdomen. 
The  patient's  wife  tried  in  vain  to  avoid  operation,  but  the  sur- 
geon assured  her  emphatically  that  it  was  imperative. 

What  the  serum  was,  or  what  the  operation  was  expected  to 
accomplish,  I  do  not  know.  A  physician  friend  of  the  patient 
who  was  present  through  the  operation  said  he  saw  no  object  to 
be  gained  by  the  operation,  and  that  there  was  no  pus  nor  any 
other  discharge  from  the  wound  except  blood.  The  wound  made 
was  about  three  inches  long,  and  to  the  bone.  The  surgeon  bored 
with  his  fingers  up  into  the  axilla.  Xo  enlarged  glands  were 
found.     In  short,  no  indications  that  any  good  could  be  accom- 


no   Mat.  Med.  and  Clin.  Therapeutics  vs.  Serum  Therapy. 

plished  by  operation.  For  my  part,  I  cannot  for  the  life  of  me 
imagine  what  the  operation  was  expected  to  get  rid  of.  Xo 
abscess,  no  pus  and  no  enlarged  or  infected  glands.  The  opera- 
tion was  on  Tuesday.  The  serum  was  injected  on  the  following 
Thursday,  and  erysipelas  set  in  on  Friday. 

I  saw  him  first  on  Sunday,  August  27th,  two  days  later.  "  All 
information  of  the  case  I  had  previous  to  this,  my  first  visit,  was 
given  me  by  the  friend,  physician  mentioned,  and  the  wife  of  the 
patient. 

When  erysipelas  set  in  the  patient,  who  is  a  staunch  homoeopath, 
and  knowing  a  good  deal  about  drugs  and  medicines,  insisted  on 
my  being  sent  for  and  being  given  full  charge  of  the  case  in  all 
matters  except  what  was  strictly  surgical.  This  was  agreed  to 
by  the  surgeon  and  myself.  The  situation  was  not  at  all  to  my 
liking,  and  I  had  suggested  that  it  would  please  me  if  a  surgeon 
of  my  own  school  were  called.  The  surgeon  was  very  nice  about 
it,  and  expressed  perfect  willingness  that  this  should  be  done,  but 
surgeon  and  patient  were  friends  and  the  surgeon  had  operated 
in  the  family  before,  so  it  was  agreed  that  he  should  continue  to 
dress  the  wound,  while  I  took  charge  of  the  medical  and  dietetic 
treatment. 

The  erysipelas  had  begun  on  the  shoulder  of  the  affected  arm. 
The  absurd  method  of  drawing  a  scar  line  to  prevent  spread  of 
the  skin  inflammation  had  been  resorted  to  without  apparent 
effect.  The  flush  extended  so  that  it  covered  practically  the  entire 
surface  of  the  body  from  the  hair  line  of  the  scalp  to  the  feet. 

I  have  never  in  all  my  experience  seen  a  case  act  as  this  one  has 
during  the  six  weeks  of  my  attendance.  The  patient  would  ap- 
parently respond  to  the  action  of  each  remedy  administered,  and 
then,  without  apparent  cause,  would  relapse  and  become  a  little 
worse  than  before.  The  erysipelitic  flush  would  almost  disappear 
and  again  return,  to  again  disappear  and  again  return.  The 
temperature  would  rise  to  103 °,  and  in  twelve  hours  or  less  recede 
to  normal,  and  even  to  a  degree  below  normal.  The  pulse  was  at 
all  times  out  of  proportion  to  the  temperature,  running  as  high  as 
148.  To-day  (October  10,  1916)  the  temeprature  is  normal,  while 
the  pulse  is  140.  Mild  delirium  set  in  about  two  weeks  ago.  At 
first  the  delirium  was  characterized  by  the  baptisia  symptom ;  his 
legs  were  out  of  place  and  he  was  distressed  lest  they  get  away 


Palliation.  in 

from  him.  Baptisia  in  twelve  hours  corrected  all  that,  and  at 
the  same  time  the  temperature  dropped  from  102  °  to  normal. 
Later,  the  character  of  delirium  changed  to  fear,  causing  the 
patient  to  want  to  get  away ;  at  the  same  time  there  was  profuse 
warm  sweat  over  the  upper  part  of  body,  and  the  eyes  had  a 
frightened  look.     Belladonna  acted  as  promptly  as  had  Baptisia. 

The  diet  was  confined  to  fruit  juices,  with  a  portion  of  lamb 
broth  with  a  little  well  cooked  rice  in  it,  according  to  appearance 
of  tongue  and  desire  of  patient.  He  was  very  thirsty  during  the 
first  three  weeks,  and  had  all  the  boiled  water  he  would  take. 

Retention  of  urine  began  about  a  week  ago,  with  occasional  in- 
voluntary dribbling.  About  the  same  time  slight  involuntary 
stools  began.  The  bowels  had  given  but  little  trouble.  It  is  now 
necessary  to  catheterize. 

The  patient  is  in  a  critical  condition,  and  the  prognosis  is  doubt- 
ful.   Dr.  Shepherd  saw  the  case  with  me  about  a  week  ago. 

Xow  I  am  convinced  in  my  own  mind  that  the  vaccine  injection 
was  the  chief  cause  of  the  trouble.  Also  I  am  sure  that  the 
operation  was  a  mistake.    The  wound  is  perfectly  healed. 

I  am  glad  I  have  not  to  bear  the  responsibility  of  those  in- 
jections of  (anti-what?)  serum  on  my  conscience.  I  can  say  the 
same  of  a  number  of  other  such  injections. 


PALLIATION. 

By  Daniel  E.  S.  Coleman,  M.  D.,  New  York. 

Prof,  of  Materia  Medica  at  the  New  York  Homoeopathic  Medical  College 

and  Flower  Hospital.     Visiting  Physician  at  Metropolitan  Hospital, 

Blackweil's  Island,  N.  Y. 

What  can  be  done  to  alleviate  the  suffering  of  those  afflicted 
with  incurable  diseases  is  of  vast  importance  to  the  conscientious 
physician. 

It  is  a  grave  mistake,  born  of  inexperience,  that  palliative  medi- 
cine lies  largely  outside  the  scope  of  Homoeopathy. 

My  interneship  at  the  Metropolitan  Hospital  and  my  subsequent 
position  as  visiting  physician  has  brought  me  in  contact  with  a 
large  number  of  chronic  and  incurable  cases  which  this  vast  in- 
stitution harbors.  My  conclusions  drawn  from  experience  there 
as  well  as  from  private  practice  is  that  in  Homeopathy  we  have  a 


H2  Palliation. 

method  of  palliating  the  majority  of  incurable  cases  in  a  manner 
unapproached  by  any  other  treatment. 

It  is  paramountly  important  that  the  physician,  especially  one 
engaged  in  teaching,  should  be  able  to  differentiate  mechanical 
from  dynamic  conditions.  Failure  to  do  so  has  too  often  placed 
Homoeopathy  in  a  false  light,  shaken  the  confidence  of  those  under 
instruction  and  caused  undue  suffering  to  unfortunate  patients. 

A  few  cases  may  be  of  interest  to  illustrate:  1st.  What  can 
Homoeopathy  do  to  mitigate  the  distress  of  cancer  sufferers  ?  My 
answer  is :  Homoeopathy  can  control  many  cases  of  cancer  in  a 
way  impossible  by  any  other  means,  it  can  diminish  pain  and  pro- 
long life.  If  greater  care  in  the  selection  of  remedies  applicable  to 
the  individual  were  exercised,  less  necessity  for  the  administration 
of  morphine  would  be  required. 

Case  i. — Male.  Far  advanced  carcinoma.  Morphine  no  longer 
controlled  the  intense  burning  pain  and  the  patient  was  brought  to 
the  hospital  for  relief.  I  prescribed  Arsenicum  album  in  repeated 
doses  on  the  indication,  burning  pain  relieved  by  heat.  The  pain 
was  stopped  and  the  patient  had  a  night's  rest,  the  first  in  a  long 
time.  Next  day  I  was  reproached  by  his  family  for  giving  ''such 
a  powerful  drug."  Arsenicum  perfectly  palliated  his  suffering 
until  the  end. 

Case  2. — On  September  21,  1910,  a  lady,  J2  years  of  age,  suf- 
fering from  an  inoperable  carcinoma  of  the  breast,  of  six  years' 
duration,  applied  to  me  for  treatment.  She  had  been  under  the 
care  of  a  most  excellent  homoeopathic  prescriber  who  regrettedly 
gave  up  practice  in  this  part  of  the  world.  I  stopped  the  sharp 
shooting  pains  with  Coninm  3d.  Later,  haemorrhages  appeared, 
some  very  profuse.  MUHfolium  6,  gtts.  x,  in  half  a  glass  of  water, 
5i  every  five  minutes,  afforded  complete  control.  After  the  first 
dose  the  blood  would  drop  and  it  always  ceased  after  the  second. 
Finally,  the  odor  became  very  offensive  and  external  deodorants 
(used  by  her  family)  proved  valueless.  I  prescribed  Krcosotum 
6th,  later  3X,  on  these  indications,  ulceration  with  thin  putrid  dis- 
ciharge  and  bluish  color  of  the  parts. 

This  remedy  not  only  stopped  the  extensive  ulceration,  but  en- 
tirely removed  the  odor  as  well.  After  receiving  the  indicated 
remedy  her  general  health  always  improved.  This  winter  she 
caught  cold  and  the  cough  caused  unusually  severe  haemorrhages. 


Palliation.  113 

Millefolium  served  as  usual,  and  China  removed  the  weakness 
resulting  from  the  loss  of  blood. 

This  lady  will  be  JJ  years  of  age  on  June  7th,  and  a  cancer  pa- 
tient for  nearly  thirteen  years.  She  has  no  cachexia,  her  cheeks 
are  full  of  color,  in  all  respects,  for  her  age,  she  is  an  extraordi- 
narily well-preserved  woman  mentally  and  physically.  One  would 
never  suspect  the  presence  of  cancer.  What  other  treatment  could 
have  accomplished  the  same  results  ? 

Case  3. — Some  years  ago  I  was  called  to  treat  a  lady  suffering 
from  carcinoma  of  the  liver.  She  was  declining  rapidly  under 
''old  school"  treatment.  I  prescribed  Natrum  mur.  30th  on  the 
indications,  great  weakness,  emaciation,  hunger,  thirst,  constipa- 
tion, etc.  She  gained  much  weight  and  improved  to  such  an  ex- 
tent that  her  family  thought  she  would  recover.  This  continued 
for  several  months.  She  then  began  to  decline  and  lose  weight. 
Her  son,  an  allopathic  physician,  wished  her  to  see  some  promi- 
nent allopathic  surgeons.  No  operation  was  performed  and  she 
finally  died  while  under  their  treatment.  Homoeopathy  alone  was 
capable  of  improving  and  holding  for  a  time  such  a  hopelessly  in- 
curable patient. 

Other  illustrations  could  be  given,  but  time  goes  fast. 

The  power  of  the  indicated  homoeopathic  remedy  to  diminish 
sugar  and  prolong  the  lives  of  diabetic  patients  is  familiar  to  mem- 
bers of  our  school,  as  I  have  repeatedly  verified.  This  case  may 
be  of  interest  to  show  the  value  of  the  indicated  remedy  in  the 
final  stage  of  diabetes. 

Male,  set.  24.  Two  years'  treatment  by  three  eminent  "old 
school"  physicians.  He  was  given  less  than  a  week  to  live  when 
I  was  called. 

Symptoms :  Great  weakness,  can  hardly  stand,  emaciation,  in- 
tense hunger  and  thirst,  eats  every  two  hours,  constipation  with 
no  desire  for  stool,  cold  hands  and  feet,  cold  clammy  sweat,  pas- 
sage of  large  quantities  of  light-colored  urine;  gets  up  at  night  to 
urinate,  acid  eructations  and  nausea.  Natrum  mur.  200,  one  dose. 
Three  days  later,  improved ;  stomach  less  acid,  little  nausea,  first 
time  in  three  weeks  that  he  did  not  get  up  to  urinate ;  thirst  and 
appetite  normal ;  very  much  stronger.  Improvement  ceased  after 
a  time,  and  I  gave  him  Natrum  mur.  30,  four  times  daily.  He 
seemed  to  do  better  on  repeated  doses.     After  the  first  month  of 


H4  Palliation. 

treatment  he  had  gained  so  much  in  strength  that  he  (without 
my  knowledge  or  consent)  carried  a  trunk  up  stairs.  I  discon- 
tinued the  remedy  when  improvement  was  evident,  and  resumed 
it  when  improvement  ceased.  Later,  when  symptoms  peculiar  to 
Natrum  mur.  disappeared,  other  remedies  were  prescribed,  but 
none  helped  to  the  same  extent.  Following  are  the  urinary 
analyses : 

Aug.  15,  1906,  quantity,  6,060  c.  c.  Appearance  very  pale. 
Odor,  sweet.  Reaction,  acid.  Sp.  gr.,  1.027.  Urea,  1  per  cent. 
Total  excretion  in  24  hours,  60  grams.  Chloride,  low.  Phos- 
phates, enormously  increased.  Albumin,  trace.  Sugar,  5  per  cent. 
Acetone,  large  amount.     Diacetic  acid,  large  amount. 

Aug.  17th,  quantity  in  24  hours,  5,180  c.  c.  Color,  pale.  Reac- 
tion, acid.  Sp.  gr.,  1.028.  Urea,  0.8  per  cent.  Total  in  24  hours. 
40  grams.  Chloride,  low.  Phosphates,  excessive.  Albumin, 
less.  Sugar,  5  per  cent.  Acetone,  same.  Diacetic  acid  about  one- 
fourth  less. 

September  2d.  Quantity,  3,480  c.  c.  Color,  pale.  Odor, 
normal.  Sp.  gr.,  1.026.  Urea,  1  per  cent.  Total  excretion  in  24 
hours,  38  grams.  Chloride,  normal.  Phosphates,  markedly  in- 
creased. Albumin,  trace.  Sugar,  2.6  per  cent.  Acetone,  a  little 
less.    Diacetic  acid  three-fourths  less  than  original. 

September  15th.  Quantity  in  24  hours,  5,580  c.  c.  Sp.  gr., 
1.030.  Urea,  1.4  per  cent.  Total  in  24  hours,  78  grams.  Chloride, 
low.  Phosphates,  excessive.  Albumin,  strong  trace.  Sugar,  3.3 
per  cent.    Acetone  and  diacetic  acid  higher  than  last  analysis. 

September  27th.  Quantity  in  24  hours,  5,280  c.  c.  Appearance, 
pale.  Odor,  normal,  Sp  gr.,  1.017.  Urea,  1.1  per  cent.  Total 
in  24  hours,  58  grams.  Indican.  increased.  Chlorides,  nearly 
normal.  Phosphates,  excessive.  Albumin,  very  slight  trace. 
Sugar,  2  per  cent.    Acetone,  same.    Diacetic  acid,  very  little. 

October  29th.  Quantity  in  24  hours,  4,380  c.  c.  Appearance, 
pale.  Urea,  1.05  per  cent.  Total  in  24  hours,  47  grams.  Chlor- 
ides, low.  Phosphates,  a  trifle  high.  Albumin,  negative.  Sugar, 
2.08  per  cent.    Acetone  and  diacetic  acid,  lowest  yet. 

November  8th.     Quantity  in  24  hours,  4.440  c.  c.     Color,  pale ' 
but  darker  than  before.     Urea,  0.4  per  cent.     Total  in  24  hours, 
17.7  grams.     Indican,  a  trifle  high.     Chlorides,  very  low.     Sul- 
phates, low.     Phosphates,  somewhat  high.     Alubmin,  one-fourth 


Palliation.  115 

of  1  per  cent,  by  weight.  Sugar,  2.51  per  cent.  Acetone  and 
diacetic  acid,  rather  high. 

Although  this  patient  improved  greatly  for  a  time,  pathological 
changes  had  advanced  too  far  and  the  indicated  remedy  finally 
ceased  to  act.  He  died  three  months  from  the  time  I  began  treat- 
ment. 

I  made  no  change  in  diet  from  that  which  he  was  receiving 
under  his  former  physician.  The  connection  between  the  indica- 
tions for  Xatrum  mur.  and  diminished  chlorides  in  the  urine  is  of 
interest. 

I  have  often  reflected  what  Homoeopathy  could  have  accom- 
plished for  this  young  man  if  it  had  been  employed  at  the  be- 
ginning. 

The  opportunities  to  study  heart  conditions  offered  by  the 
Metropolitan  Hospital  are  second  to  none  in  the  world.  Hundreds 
and  hundreds  of  patients  are  at  our  disposal,  and  dull  indeed  must 
be  the  man  who  cannot  become  efficient  after  such  clinical  service. 
The  application  of  the  indicated  homoeopathic  remedy  is  too  often 
neglected,  and  purely  mechanical  medication  resorted  to  in  cases 
where  such  a  measure  does  not  apply.  It  is  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance in  these  cardiac  conditions  that  we  have  a  clear  concep- 
tion of  the  difference  between  patients  requiring  mechanical  thera- 
peutics and  those  in  which  the  indicated  homoeopathic  remedy 
should  be  used.  Itis  only  when  dilatation  with  broken  compensa- 
tion exists  that  mechanical  measures  are  necessary.  The  heart 
must  be  contracted  and  compensation  restored,  and  woe  to  him 
who  does  not  recognize  the  true  condition  of  affairs. 

Remedies,  such  as  Cactus  grand.,  Arsenicum,  Apocynum, 
Kalmia.  Spigelia,  Digitalis,  Iberis,  Laurocerasus,  etc.,  etc.,  pre- 
scribed on  homoeopathic  indications,  can  do  more  for  incurable 
heart  conditions  where  compensation  is  not  broken  than  any 
known  methods  of  medicinal  therapeutics. 

Space  does  not  afford  any  extensive  presentation  of  the  many 
cases  which  have  come  under  my  care  in  hospital  and  private  prac- 
tice.   A  few  illustrations  must  suffice. 

Female,  set.  60.  Superficial  area  of  cardiac  dulness  increased. 
Urinary  analysis  showed  the  presence  of  chronic  parenchymatous 
nephritis.  Pulse,  140  and  weak.  Rapidity  of  the  pulse  led  to  the 
selection  of  Iberis  0,  gtt.  x,  in  half  glass  of  water,  5ii,  q.  1.  b. 


u6  Palliation. 

Dyspnoea  and  other  symptoms  of  cardiac  distress  were  also 
present.  In  a  few  days  the  pulse  was  reduced  to  96,  and  she  was 
decidedly  improved  in  every  way.  The  rapid  pulse  has  often 
been  my  "keynote"  to  cases  requiring  Iberis.  I  remember  a  little 
girl  of  mine  presenting  a  systolic  murmur  at  apex  transmitted 
under  the  left  scapula.  Pulse,  104.  A  few  days'  administration 
of  Iberis  brought  it  to  88,  and  she  seemed  in  perfect  health  when 
discharged. 

Girl,  age  9.  Symptoms  :  Fainting  spells  almost  daily,  screaming 
with  sharp  pain  in  the  heart,  great  weakness ;  systolic  murmur 
heard  at  the  apex  and  transmitted  under  left  scapula;  diastolic 
murmur  at  second  right  intercostal  space  transmitted  to  neck ; 
pulse,  126,  very  weak  and  irregular.  3J.  Iberis  0,  gtt.  x,  in  half 
glass  of  water,  5ii  half  hour  before  meals  and  at  bed  time.  Eight- 
een days  later  general  condition  much  improved ;  only  one  fainting 
spell ;  pulse,  120,  and  much  stronger.  IJ .  Iberis  continued.  About 
seven  weeks  later  marked  improvement.  Xo  fainting  spells  for 
over  six  weeks.  Had  two  in  three  days  following  last  visit,  prob- 
ably due  to  the  exertion  of  coming  to  my  office  from  out  of  town. 
Is  active,  cheerful,  has  gained  five  pounds.  Pulse,  100,  and  very 
much  stronger.  Continues  well.  Six  months  later.  No  fainting 
spells  in  about  six  months.  Iberis  palliated  her  symptoms  per- 
fectly. 

The  medical  profession  owes  to  Dr.  Rubini  a  great  debt  of 
gratitude  for  his  excellent  proving  of  Cactus  grand.  Many  times 
have  I  relieved  the  pain  of  those  suffering  from  angina  pectoris 
and  other  cardiac  conditions  where  the  well-marked  indications 
appeared,  "sensation  of  constriction  in  the  heart,  as  if  iron  hand 
prevented  its  norma!  movements,"  "numbness  of  left  arm,"  "pal- 
pitation <  lying  on  left  side,"  etc. 

Female,  ?et.  30.  Conscious,  heavy,  constricted  feeling  about  the 
heart,  convulsive  action,  numbness  of  the  hands,  surging  over 
body,  sometimes  feels  as  if  dying,  great  exhaustion,  pulse  91  and 
weak,  can  hardly  attend  business.  Examination  revealed  an  aortic 
stenosis  and  mitral  regurgitation.  Under  Cactus  0,  gtt.  x,  in  half 
a  glass  of  water,  3ii  four  times  daily,  she  improved  rapidly,  and 
all  her  subjective  symptoms  disappeared.  She  writes  now,  some 
years  later,  that  she  is  absolutely  free  from  disagreeable  sensa- 
tions.   The  valvular  murmurs  still  remain,  of  course. 


Palliation.  117 

Many  years  ago  a  brother  physician  and  a  fine  homoeopathic 
prescriber  was  thought  to  be  near  death  from  his  valvular  lesion. 
Cactus  grand.,  prescribed  by  himself,  palliated  his  condition  per- 
fectly (he  always  carries  it  in  his  pocket),  and  he  is  alive  to-day 
attending  to  an  active  practice. 

Valvular  heart  disease  and  chronic  parenchymatous  nephritis 
in  a  man  about  fifty  years  of  age.  Double  murmur  heard  at 
apex,  systolic  murmur  transmitted  to  the  left;  double  murmur 
heard  at  second  right  intercostal  space,  systolic  murmur  trans- 
mitted to  the  neck.  Urine  contained  albumen,  pus  corpuscles, 
epithelia  from  the  convoluted  tubules  containing  fat  and  granular 
casts.  Passed  less  than  twenty  ounces  a  day.  Clinical  symptoms  : 
Stupid  and  drowsy,  dyspnoea,  excessive  oedema,  no  thirst.  He 
grew  worse  under  the  administration  of  infusion  of  Digitalis  and 
Citrate  oft  caffein,  finally  ending  in  marked  stupor,  showing  every 
sign  of  fast  approaching  death.  I  suggested  Apis  mellifica  as  his 
remedy.  Eight  drops  of  the  tincture  were  dissolved  in  a  glass 
of  water,  and  a  teaspoonful  given  every  hour.  In  the  next  twenty- 
four  hours  the  man  passed  one  hundred  and  ten  ounces  of  urine 
and  showed  very  marked  improvement.  For  about  a  week  the 
average  was  one  hundred  ounces  daily.  By  that  time  he  was  out 
of  bed,  the  oedema  had  disappeared  and  he  presented  no  subjective 
symptoms.  Unless  you  listened  to  his  heart  and  examined  his 
urine,  you  could  not  tell  he  were  ill. 

C rates gus  has  done  excellent  work  for  me,  but  its  imperfect 
proving  prevents  us  from  understanding  its  exact  relationship.  I 
have  a  fondness  for  this  remedy  because  it  relieved  the  dyspnoea 
and  distress  of  one  of  the  finest  men  I  have  ever  met,  and  a  very 
dear  friend,  in  his  last  illness.    I  refer  to  Dr.  W.  I.  Pierce. 

What  can  the  indicated  homoeopathic  remedy  do  in  cases  of 
renal  and  gall  stone  colic?  These  conditions  can  often  be  re- 
lieved by  the  indicated  remedy,  but  they  are  purely  mechanical 
and  the  remedy  cannot  always  bring  the  desired  relief.  Berberis, 
Calcarea  carb.,  Aconite,  Belladonna,  etc.,  have  served  me  in  such 
cases,  but  no  one  is  justified  in  waiting  long  for  the  action  of  a 
dynamicaly  acting  remedy.  Prompt  relief  must  be  given.  After 
fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  without  amelioration,  anaesthetics  should 
be  resorted  to.  When  the  suffering  is  excruciating  we  cannot  wait 
so  long.    Dr.  Walter  Sands  Mills  was  a  sufferer  from  renal  colic. 


ii8  New  York  City  Notes. 

Observing  in  Allen's  "Handbook"  the  use  of  Calcarea  carb.  for 
gall  stone  colic,  he  decided  to  try  it  for  his  own  complaint.  He 
met  with  success,  and  has  often  used  it  in  practice.  I  also  have 
obtained  results  from  its  use.  I  repeat,  however,  that  renal  and 
gall  stone  colic  are  really  mechanical  conditions,  and  will  not  al- 
ways respond  to  the  dynamically  indicated  remedy.  This  is  no 
argument  against  the  efficiency  of  Homoeopathy,  but  against  those 
who  do  not  understand  its  true  philosophy  and  its  proper  place  in 
medicine. 

No  one  would  think  of  excluding  an  anaesthetic  during  a  surgi- 
cal operation,  of  sitting  a  patient  on  a  bee  hive  and  administering 
Apis  for  stinging  pains,  or  of  expecting  to  quiet  a  nervous  man 
while  his  mother-in-law  remained  in  the  house. 

Hahnemann  directed  to  remove  the  cause  and  treat  the  disease. 

To  properly  separate  mechanical  from  dynamic  conditions  is 
necessary  to  us  as  individuals  and  as  a  school. 

I  have  not  mentioned  non-mechanical  palliatives,  as  heat,  cold, 
vibration,  manipulation,  etc.    These  should  be  utilized. 


NEW  YORK  CITY  NOTES. 

Among  the  interesting  news  items  in  the  hospital  world  is  the 
appointment  of  Oliver  H.  Bartine  as  superintendent  of  the  Flower 
Hospital,  New  York  City.  For  the  past  twelve  years  he  has  filled 
a  similar  position  at  the  Hospital  for  the  Relief  of  the  Ruptured 
and  Crippled,  and  we  feel  that  Flower  Hospital  is  to  be  con- 
gratulated upon  the  change. 

The  efficiency  of  Mr.  Bartine's  work  during  the  twelve  years 
that  he  held  office  at  the  Ruptured  and  Crippled  is  well  known, 
and  the  hospital's  excellent  standing  as  well  as  the  effectiveness 
of  its  organization  bear  testimony  to  his  power  and  ability  as  an 
executive. 

It  was  in  1895  that  Mr.  Bartine  began  his  hospital  career  under 
the  late  James  R.  Lathrop  and  Charles  B.  Grimshaw  at  the  Roose- 
velt. In  1902  he  was  appointed  Deputy  Superintendent  of  the 
New  York  City  Children's  Hospital  and  Schools.  This  position 
he  held  successfully  until  1905,  when  he  was  called  to  the  Hos- 
pital of  the  New  York  Society  for  the  Relief  of  the  Ruptured 
and  Crippled  to  become  its  superintendent. 


New  York  City  Notes.  .119 

There  he  made  one  of  the  most  remarkable  records  of  any 
superintendent  in  the  country.  Hospital  efficiency  is  his  constant 
aim,  and  it  is  along  the  line  of  finance  that  he  has  made  some  of 
his  most  noteworthy  success.  Under  his  direction  the  endowment 
fund  at  the  Ruptured  and  Crippled  has  been  greatly  increased, 
while  the  per  capita  operating  cost  is  considerably  less  than  that 
of  any  other  institution  doing  a  similar  work. 

It  is  not  alone  in  hospital  management  that  Mr.  Bartine  is  an 
authority.  Construction  with  its  many  perplexing  and  generally 
little  understood  problems  has  likewise  claimed  his  attention,  and 
in  this  as  well  he  has  achieved  an  enviable  reputation.  His  many 
monographs  and  magazine  articles  upon  various  phases  of  hospital 
building  and  equipment  have  been  generally  accepted  throughout 
the  country  as  the  last  word  in  the  development  of  the  modern 
hospital  where  efficiency  of  service  and  low  cost  of  operation  are 
the  important  considerations. 

Among*  his  many  pamphlets  that  are  being  used  by  hospital 
authorities  and  architects  are: 

The  Building  of  the  Hospital. 

Artificial  Illumination. 

Organization  and  Method. 

Construction. 

Departments  and  Rooms. 

Among  his  other  activities  Mr.  Bartine  is  Vice-Chairman  of  the 
New  York  Committee  on  After  Care  of  Infantile  Paralysis  Cases. 
He  has  devoted  much  of  his  valuable  time  and  knowledge  to  the 
great  work  the  committee  is  doing  toward  the  relief  of  the  poor 
victims  of  last  summer's  epidemic. 

The  Dietetians  of  New  York  City  have  at  last  organized.  For 
some  months  they  have  been  meeting  informally  at  some  of  the 
larger  hospitals.  The  field  and  influence  of  the  dietetians  is  grow- 
ing, however,  and  realizing  the  increasing  need  of  some  central 
organization  which  will  assist  in  standardizing  their  work  they 
have  formed  this  association  of  dietetians. 

The  moving  spirits  back  of  the  enterprise  are  Miss  George,  of 
Mount  Sinai  Hospital,  and  Miss  Speas,  of  Flower  Hospital.  At 
the  meeting,  which  will  be  held  on  February  12th,  the  permanent 
organization  will  be  effected. 

The  breadth  and  scope  of  this  association  are  refreshing.     Not 


120  New  York  City  Notes. 

only  are  all  things  pertaining  to  diet  and  diet  schedules  presented 
to  the  members  in  the  most  approved  fashion,  but  matters  of 
general  hospital  interest  are  discussed. 

At  the  last  meeting  Oliver  H.  Bartine,  Superintendent  of 
Flower  Hospital,  outlined  the  remarkable  work  done  by  the  hos- 
pital in  the  care  of  the  victims  of  infantile  paralysis  during  the 
recent  epidemic.  Thanks  to  the  generosity  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  the  hospital  early  in  the  scourge  threw  open  its  doors 
to  the  little  sufferers  and  assured  them  of  every  care  that  science 
could  provide.  The  resultant  low  death  rate  and  the  remarkable 
high  percentage  of  complete  recoveries  among  the  little  patients 
admitted  to  the  hospital  will  always  stand  as  a  shining  testimonial 
to  the  unflagging  care  and  unselfish  attenion  given  to  them  by  the 
medical  men  in  charge. 

Mr.  Bartine  gave  a  brief  history  of  the  epidemic,  and  par- 
ticularly mentioned  the  work  being  done  by  the  New  York  Com- 
mittee upon  the  After  Care  of  Infantile  Paralysis. 

Dr.  J.  T.  Simonson,  head  of  the  Chair  of  Pediatrics  at  the 
New  York  Homoeopathic  Medical  College  and  Flower  Hospital, 
outlined  some  rules  for  infant  feeding.  As  one  of  the  foremost 
specialists  in  children's  diseases,  Dr.  Simonson's  suggestions  car- 
ried real  weight.  This  phase  of  the  work  is  one  of  the  most 
important  that  the  modern  dietetian  has  to  face,  especially  in 
view  of  the  fact  that  so  many  of  the  newer  hospitals  are  being 
equipped  with  large  maternity  and  children's  wards. 

It  is  planned  to  have  some  one  or  more  important  and  well 
known  persons  address  each  meeting.  Some  of  the  speakers  at 
the  earlier  meetings  have  been  Miss  Jane  Delano,  the  Head  of  the 
National  Red  Cross,  and  Professor  Mary  Rose,  of  Teachers' 
College. 

The  outcome  of  this  organization  is  being  watched  throughout 
the  country  not  only  by  medical  men  and  the  heads  of  hospitals, 
but  by  the  various  schools  of  Domestic  Economy  and  Household 
Science,  who  are  interested  in  solving  the  problems  that  will  be 
presented  to  this  association. 


Ferritin  Picrate  and  Hernia.  121 


FERRUM   PICRATE  AND   HERNIA. 

Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 

I  am  impelled  to  write  you  of  a  peculiar  and  quite  pleasing- 
experience.  I  have  under  treatment  Mr.  L.  O.  E.,  now  S2  years 
old.  who  had  for  years  been  troubled  with  a  chronic  diarrhoea,  a 
relic  of  the  Civil  War.  Ten  years  ago  he  consulted  an  osteopath 
who.  after  a  number  of  treatments,  cured  (  ?)  the  diarrhoea.  But 
at  no  time  since  have  the  bowels  been  regular  in  their  action, 
there  seeming  to  be  a  state  of  inertia  rather  than  constipation; 
stools  were  natural  in  form  and  consistency.  I  have  found  it 
quite  a  task  to  keep  him  from  using  purgatives  to  excess.  One 
year  ago  he  developed  quite  a  rheumatic  arthritis,  also  consider- 
able enlargement  of  the  prostate  gland.  He  suffered  no  pain 
but  had  great  inconvenience  in  the  frequent  efforts  to  void  the 
urine,  being  compelled  to  get  up  about  every  two  hours  at  night. 
On  account  of  age  and  a  tendency  to  dribbling  of  urine  and  some 
other  symptoms  indicating  Thuja  occ,  I  gave  him  that  remedy 
for  several  weeks  in  varying  potencies,  with  slight  relief.  In  look- 
ing up  his  symptoms  I  found  in  "A  Dictionary  of  Practical  Ma- 
teria Medica,"  by  Clarke,  referred  to  Ferrum  picrate,  which 
seemed  to  promise  some  help  in  this  case.  I  procured  the  B.  &  T. 
tablets  3X.  of  which  I  gave  him  two  tablets,  morning  and  even- 
ing with  marvelously  quick  relief  to  the  prostate  trouble.  He 
had  also  been  troubled  with  an  extremely  large  femoral  hernia  on 
the  right  side,  and  a  scrotal  hernia  on  the  left  side,  for  which  he 
had  been  unable  to  get  a  truss  to  hold.  To  my  surprise  he 
told  me  the  last  remedy  had  helped  his  rupture,  and  upon  ex- 
amination the  right  side  hernia  was  almost  gone.  I  then  triturated 
the  remedy  to  the  6x,  and  have  had  him  taking  it  twice  a  day. 
Now.  four  months,  the  hernia  has  to  all  appearances  entirely  dis- 
appeared, but  cannot  see  that  he  has  been  benefited  as  to  the 
scrotal  hernia.  On  account  of  his  age  and  apparently  hopeless 
physical  condition  I  did  not  deem  it  worth  while  to  keep  a  clinical 
record,  and  am  now  giving  you  this  account  from  memory.  I 
do  not  feel  this  to  be  a  matter  of  much  importance  unless  the  in- 
fluence of  Ferrum  picrate  in  hernia  may  be  verified. 

Chas.  E.  Johnson,  M,  D. 

208^  N.  Travis  St.,  Sherman,  Texas. 


122  A  Letter  and  a  Paper. 


A    CLINICAL    PROVING    OF  METHYLENE  BLUE. 

Editor  of  the  Homozopathic  Recorder. 

A  patient  of  mine,  on  the  advice  of  Dr.  C ,  took,  as  an 

intestinal  and  urinary  antiseptic  three  (3)  grains  of  methylene 
blue  daily  for  several  months.  The  following  symptoms  occurred 
at  various  times  during  the  hot  weather:  Sudden  severely  cold 
chills  running  up  and  down  the  spine,  with  imperative  desire  to 
urinate.  Chills  gradually  subside  after  urination.  On  stopping 
the  methylene  no  more  chills  appeared.  Several  months  later,  one 
grain  was  taken  to  be  followed  within  a  short  time  by  a  return 
of  the  same  symptoms.  This  time  the  drug  was  definitely  aband- 
oned.    I  think  this  case  was  a  good  proving. 

S.  S.  Jacquelin,  M.  D. 

1019  Beacon  St.,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 


A  LETTER  AND   A  PAPER. 

Editor  of  the  Homozopathic  Recorder. 

The  Recorder  came  this  morning  and  the  article  on  "Staphi- 
sagria'' "set  my  heart  a-goin'  like  the  tickin'  of  a  clock." 

Enclosed  find  results.  I  have  always  noticed  that  when  the 
sexual  organs  of  either  male  or  female  act  in  perfect  accord 
with  the  laws  of  God  and  nature  that  there  is  buoyancy  and 
pleasure  instead  of  despair  and  defeat,  hence  the  following  de- 
duction on  Staphisagria. 

You  might  just  omit  my  name  from  inclosed. 

Enclosed  find  subscription  and  don't  omit  my  name  there.  I 
am  just  closing  treatment  on  a  case  of  conjunctivitis  of  thirty- 
five  years'  standing  with  fine  results. 

Yours, 


staphisagria. 
Nov.  6,  1916,  I  received  a  letter  from  a  lady  in  western  Kansas 
in  regard  to  her  husband's  health.  "J.  W.  just  sits  around  and 
mopes  and  sighs,  says  he  wants  to  get  out  of  the  way :  he  is  a 
failure ;  can't  sleep,  can't  eat,  can't  fix  his  mind  on  anything  but 
his  troubles ;  has  no  faith  in  these  allo's  here ;  thinks  they  are 
a  joke  as  physicians,  you  know,  and  I  want  to  tell  you  he  has 


A  Letter  and  a  Paper.  123 

had  serious  business  reverses  and  lost  heavily  during  the  past 
season.     Send  what  he  needs  right  away." 

/  did.  I  sent  four  oz.  Staphisagria,  10  drops  t.  i.  d.,  and  after 
three  weeks  five  days  t.  i.  d.  until  gone.  I  told  him  to  cheer 
up,  for  about  Dec.  15  his  nightmare  of  doubt  and  defeat  would 
be  replaced  by  the  golden  dreams  of  youth  again. 

The  last  of  Dec.  I  heard  from  him  again,  as  follows :  "Well, 
true  to  your  prophecy,  J.  W.  is  much  better ;  still  taking  the 
remedy ;  seems  in  so  much  better  heart  and  spirits ;  if  he  needs 
anything  more  send  it  on." 

I  wrote  back,  "continue  treatment."  In  the  above  case  there 
was  severe  backache  and  pain  over  the  loins,  some  cough  and 
stomach  trouble ;  also  he  had  quit  "tobacco  and  whiskey,"  and  he 
needed  something  to  give  him  "peP-''  Staphisagria  put  him  on 
the  road  to  success  again,  and  it  will  do  the  same  for  others. 

I  have  failed  only  when  I  gave  up  and  discontinued  the  remedy 
too  soon. 

A  couple  of  years  ago  I  treated  a  son  in  this  family  for  the 
following  symptoms :  "Catches  cold  all  the  time ;  sores  looking 
like  'Cuban  itch'  on  his  hand,  arms  or  anywhere  else  he  gets  the 
slightest  bruise;  he  is  6  ft.  3  in.  tall,  and  only  wreighs  120  lbs.; 
19  years  old.  Send  something  to  build  him  up.  We  are  afraid 
of  consumption ;  he  has  such  a  cough  and  night  sweats." 

I  sent  it  by  return  mail.  Thyroid,  2  gr.  tablets,  three  a  day  at 
first,  and  after  the  first  hundred  were  taken  the  subsequent  two 
hundred  twice  a  day.  I  wrote  them  that  they  would  soon  be  ask- 
ing me  for  something  to  reduce  his  weight,  and  what  they  had 
better  do  to  take  the  "ginger"  out  of  him.  At  the  end  of  six 
months  his  mother  wrote,  "Just  think,  H.  weighs  180  lbs.,  has  no 
cough  ;  no  sores ;  can  eat  anything  and  do  any  kind  of  hard  work. 
Shall  I  have  him  take  the  rest  of  the  tablets?" 

I  stopped  the  remedy,  as  I  felt  the  results  were  fine.  So  alto- 
gether he  took  2]/2  oz.  of  the  Thyroid  and  no  other  remedy. 

He  has  not  been  sick  since  and  continues  in  strength  and  keeps 
in  good  flesh. 

There  are  others,  but  I  am  afraid  to  weary  the  "typo." 

Staphisagria  is  a  wonderful  remedy  for  chronic  "blepharitis" 
and  "styes"  which  harden  almost  like  wood  and  bleed. 


124  The   Indicated    Remedy. 

THE  INDICATED   REMEDY. 
By  Eli  G.  Jones,  1404  Main  St.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

In  examining  a  patient  we  naturally  look  for  the  indicated 
remedy.  It  may  be  found  in  reading  the  pulse,  or  the  tongue,  or 
eye.  Again,  the  patient  may  complain  of  some  special  symptom 
that  gives  us  the  keynote  for  the  indicated  remedy.  A  man  has 
sallow,  dirty  looking  complexion,  the  base  of  tongue  has  a  thin 
white  coating.  He  complains  of  the  sensation  of  a  "stick  of 
wood  in  his  right  side/'  The  symptom  points  to  one  remedy, 
Chionanthus.  I  examined  his  liver  and  found  it  enlarged.  I  pre- 
scribed Tr.  Chionanthus,  10  drops,  once  in  three  hours.  It  reduced 
the  size  of  the  liver. 

A  student  from  one  of  our  colleges  presented  himself  for  ex- 
amination. In  reading  his  pulse  it  was  weak,  rapid,  intermittent, 
the  pulse  indicating  Kali  phos.  It  would  seem  from  a  hurried 
examination  of  the  patient  that  the  above  remedy  was  all  that 
he  needed,  but  when  I  read  the  tongue,  it  told  another  story. 
The  yellowish-white  coating  on  the  back  of  the  tongue  indicated 
Nux  vomica,  3d  x,  three  tablets,  once  in  three  hours,  in  alterna- 
tion with  Kali  phos.  3d  x,  three  tablets,  once  in  three  hours. 

The  young  man  had  been  a  hard  student  burning  the  midnight 
oil,  and  had  taken  very  little  nourishing  food.  He  had  drawn 
upon  the  Kali  phos.  in  the  grey  matter  of  the.  brain  until  the 
brain  was  tired  out.  His  stomach  was  almost  digesting  itself. 
A  complete  change  in  his  hours  of  study  was  ordered  and  proper 
food  at  regular  intervals  to  nourish  the  brain  and  body. 

A  lady  is  subject  to  sick  headache.  She  has  burning  in  the 
stomach,  a  bitter  taste  in  her  mouth,  a  burning  pain  in  the  right 
temple  as  if  a  screw  were  driven  into  it.  Natrum  sulph.,  6th  x, 
three  tablets  once  in  two  hours,  was  the  remedy  needed,  and  it 
cured  her. 

Ferrum  is  often  prescribed  in  anaemia  "without  rhyme  or  rea- 
son." If  it  does  not  increase  the  desire  for  food,  and  the  ability 
to  digest  it  then  Ferrum  is  not  the  remedy  your  patient  needs. 

A  doctor  wants  to  know  what  is  "good  for  the  itch."  I  pre- 
sume he  means  scabies.  The  following  local  application  will  cure 
the  disease  every  time : 


The   Indicated    Remedy.  125 

I£.     Oil  Tar $j. 

Tr.  Veratrum  Mr fl.  5J. 

Lanolin §xvi. 

Mix. — Sublimated  sulphur  sufficient  to  make  the  mass  the  con- 
sistency of  an  ointment. 

Sig. — Apply  three  nights  in  succession  then  take  a  bath,  skip 
three  nights,  then  apply  it  three  nights  more. 

In  an  itching  skin  disease  when  it  feels  good  to  scratch  but 
bums  afterwards,  and  is  made  worse  by  application  of  water, 
Stdphur  is  the  internal  remedy.  If  the  scratching  makes  the 
parts  feel  raw  and  sore,  Cansticum  is  the  remedy.  When  we  have 
very  dry  skin,  itching  worse  at  night  in  the  warmth  of  the  bed, 
feels  better  from  washing,  Graphites  is  the  remedy. 

Dr.  D.  H.  Brien,  Seoul,  Korea,  Asia,  writes  me  that  "Ferrum 
phos.  is  a  definite  cure  for  chilblains ;  will  cure  99  cases  out  of 
100;  will  cure  when  Agaricus  will  not  touch  the  case."  He  does 
not  mention  the  potency,  but  presume  he  means  the  3d  x,  three 
tablets,  once  in  two  hours. 

The  doctor  informs  me  that  it  is  a  good  climate  for  asthmatics 
if  they  have  the  price  to  get  there.  It  is  no  place  for  poor  people ; 
laboring  men  get  20  cents  a  day,  working  from  daylight  until 
dark. 

A  young  lady  was  telling  her  father  what  kind  of  a  husband 
she  wanted.  "He  must  not  drink  liquor,  use  tobacco  or  swear,  and 
must  be  strictly  virtuous."  The  father  replied,  "Daughter,  you 
are  a  stranger  here.     Heaven  is  your  home !" 

In  headaches  due  to  exhaustion,  those  wasting  diseases  when 
phosphates  are  found  abundantly  in  the  urine,  with  pain  in  the 
back  of  the  head  and  neck,  Tr.  Coca  is  the  remedy.  Tr.  Coca  3j 
in  four  ounces  of  water,  teaspoonful  every  hour. 

A  lady  is  very  nervous,  is  fearful  of  impending  danger,  looks 
on  the  dark  side  of  life,  has  fits  of  weeping,  walks  unsteadily,  dark 
circles  round  the  eyes ;  she  has  pain  on  top  of  her  head,  she  needs 
Tr.  Pulsatilla,  15  gtts,  in  four  ounces  of  water,  one  teaspoonful 
once  an  hour.    Pulsatilla  is  a  Woman's  remedy. 

"The  women  weep  and  whisper  still, 
Give  us  the  darling  Pulsatill." 


126  The   Indicated    Remedy. 

Spongia  is  a  good  remedy  for  croup  when  it  is  indicated.  If 
there  is  a  harsh,  barking  croupy  cough,  with  sawing  respiration, 
the  child  feels  suffocated,  is  frightened,  has  to  sit  up  to  breathe, 
give: 

I£ .     Tr.  Spongia gtts.  xv. 

Aqua fl.  giv. 

Mix — Sig. — Teaspoonful  every  fifteen  minutes  until  relieved. 

You  have  met  with  men  who  are  irritable,  "cranky,"  with  no 
desire  to  talk  except  to  find  fault  with  those  about  them.  They  are 
"out  of  sorts"  with  everything,  nothing  suits  them,  a  chronic 
"grumbler."  If  you  try  to  cheer  them  up  they  resent  it.  Such 
people  need  Sulphur. 

A  very  common  complaint  in  summer  is  an  itching  round  the 
ankles.    Natrum  phos.  is  the  remedy  indicated. 

For  a  case  of  diabetes  with  zveakness  of  nervous  system,  it  is  a 
"safe  and  sane"  treatment  to  give  the  patient  Natrum  sulph. 
6th  x,  and  Magnesia  phos.  6th  x  every  two  hours  in  alternation. 
You  may  expect  good  results  from  the  above  remedies  in  a  week. 
Try  it ! 

In  chorea  with  constipation  Natrum  sulph.  should  always  be 
given,  whatever  other  remedy  may  be  indicated. 

In  appendicitis  when  there  is  dull  pain  in  right  ileo-caecal  region, 
shifting  flatus,  tenderness  on  pressure,  vomiting  persistent,  Na- 
trum sidph.  3d  x  is  the  remedy,  3  tablets  once  an  hour  in  a  little 
hot  water. 

You  will  often  be  asked  to  prescribe  for  pruritus  of  the  vagina, 
especially  in  old  ladies.  The  itching  nearly  drives  them  frantic  I 
But  you  will  have  a  remedy  that  you  can  depend  upon  every  time. 
Have  the  patient  wash  the  parts  first  with  Castile  soap  and  warm 
water,  then  apply  the  following: 

I£ .     Powd.  Borax  5iv. 

F.  E.  Hydrastis fl.  gii. 

Aqua fl.  §iv. 

Mix. — Sig. — Bathe  the  parts  three  times  a  day. 

That  particular  form  of  colic  that  always  begins  in  the  right 
groin  needs  Natrum  sulph.  3d  x 

In  chronic  catarrh,  colds  in  the  head,  sneezing  and  sore  nostrils 
with  albuminous  discharge  from  the  nose,  it  is  good  practice  to 


The   Indicated   Remedy.  127 

begin  the  treatment  of  such  patients  with  Calcarea  pJws..  This 
remedy  has  a  decided  tonic  action,  and  has  a  healing  influence 
upon  the  inflamed  membranes.  I  have  seen  women  that  suffered 
from  icy  coldness  over  the  whole  body  during-  menstruation. 
They  needed  Silicea. 

A  patient  complains  of  coldness  in  the  stomach,  wants  plenty 
of  condiments  and  sour  things,  something  to  warm  up  the 
stomach  and  start  digestion.  Digestion  is  slow,  stomach  feels  full 
when  only  a  little  has  been  eaten.  They  have  distension  of  the 
abdomen,  bitter  eructations,  belching  up  gas  don't  relieve.  China 
is  the  remedy  indicated. 

I  had  a  letter  from  Dr.  Lester  Gibbons,  5th  Rifle  Brigade, 
Munster,  Isle  of  Shepley,  England.  In  this  letter  he  speaks  of  the 
medical  treatment  of  cancer.  He  was  at  one  time  a  student  under 
Dr.  J.  T.  Kent  in  this  country,  and  the  words  of  Dr.  Kent 
ring  in  his  ears,  "That  all  that  Homoeopathy  could  do  for  cancer 
was  to  prolong  the  life  of  the  patient  for  a  period  of  three  years 
when  once  the  disease  has  gained  a  foothold." 

I  am  much  surprised  at  such  a  statement  from  Dr.  Kent !  I 
always  regarded  the  late  Dr.  J.  T.  Kent  as  one  of  the  great 
teachers  of  materia  medica,  and  any  homoeopathic  physician  who 
knows  his  materia  medica  has  no  earthly  reason  for  saying  (as 
some  of  them  do)  that  "there  is  no  cure  for  cancer"  when  the 
materia  medica  of  that  school  of  medicine  is  rich  in  remedies  that 
do  have  a  curative  effect  in  cancer.  After  all  is  said  and  done  the 
fact  remains  that  cancer  (both  external  and  internal)  is  being 
cured  in  every  State  of  the  Union  by  medicine. 

Dr.  M.  E.  O.  Schroeder,  Xanuet,  Rockland  Co.,  N.  Y.,  is  one 
of  our  very  bright  readers  of  the  Recorder.  She  writes  me  about 
a  case  she  has.  "A  lady  64  years  old ;  tongue  clean ;  pulse  inter- 
mits something  like  this :  9,  9,  4,  4,  3,  2,  9,  6 ;  a  mixed  pulse,  not 
rapid,  rather  slow.  The  figures  she  gives  show  how  far  apart 
the  intermissions  of  the  pulse  are.  In  reading  a  pulse  of  the 
above  kind,  I  first  think  of  functional  weakness,  then  I  get  the 
impression  of  an  enlargement  or  disease — of  the  liver  or  spleen. 
I  advised  her  to  make  a  thorough  examination  of  her  patient,  first 
the  liver  then  the  spleen  and  uterus.  I  think  she  will  find  the 
cause  of  the  trouble  in  one  of  these  organs.  Dr.  Schroeder  shows 
more  than  ordinary  skill  in  reading  the  patient's  pulse.     It  is  the 


128  '    A,  Case  for  Skilled  Repertory  Men  or  the  Surgeon ? 

best  reading  of  the  pulse  that  I  have  had  from  any  physician  for 
a  long  time. 

When  a  man  has  been  out  with  the  boys  all  night  or  entertaining 
a  "friend  from  the  West,"  the  morning  after  he  has  a  "dark 
brown  taste"  in  his  mouth,  a  frontal  headache  with  dizziness,  he 
wants  to  have  his  head  bound  up  tightly  or  press  it  against  some- 
thing hard.  It  feels  sometimes  as  if  it  was  "split  open  with  an 
axe!"  Tr.  Nux  vomica,  ist  x,  is  the  remedy,  ten  drops  in  half  a 
glass  of  water,  one  teaspoonful  once  an  hour  until  relieved.  A 
man  said  he  "did  not  drink  whiskey  because  he  liked  it  but  for 
the  glorious  operation!" 


SUGGESTS  RADIUM  BROM.  FOR  BURNS. 

Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 

In  answer  of  Dr.  C.  M.  Swingle,  of  Cleveland,  O.,  I  would 
suggest  in  analogy  of  another  case  of  local  actual  Burning  the 
Skin — Radium  brom.  I2x,  one  grain,  three  times  a  day. 

If  I2x  should  not  answer  promptly  I  would  try  30X,  once  a 
day. 

Radium  brom.  (and  also  X-Ray,  in  potency)  must,  by  personal 
experience,  be  considered — nearly  specific  for  skin  burns. 

The  aggravation  by  Sulphur  (high),  the  amelioration  by  a 
hot  bath,  the  general  benefit  from  Pulsatilla,  speak  most  emphati- 
cally for  Radium  brom.  Compare  H.  C.  Allen  on  X-Ray,  T.  H. 
Clarke  on  Radium  and  my  clinical  experience  with  Radium  in 
Homoeopathic  Recorder,  Vol.  XXV.,  No.  12. 

Very  truly, 

Eric  Vondergoltz. 

205  E.  205th  St.,  New  York. 


A  CASE   FOR  SKILLED   REPERTORY  MEN 
OR  THE  SURGEON? 

Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 

T  am  enclosing  herewith  a  summary  of  a  case  that  has  baffled 
all  my  efforts  to  establish  a  cure.  In  fact  the  case  seems  to  be 
growing  worse.  I  am  anxious  to  find,  if  possible,  the  indicated 
remedy  for  this  case.  I  have  exhausted  all  by  resources  and  still 
apparently  have  accomplished  nothing.     Can  you,  or  any  of  the 


A  Case  for  Skilled  Repertory  Men  or  the  Surgeon?       129 

readers  of  the  Recorder  help  me  out  on  this  case.  I  leave  it  to 
your  discretion  as  to  whether  you  shall  publish  the  case  in  the 
Recorder  or  not.  Hoping  that  you  may  not  consider  that  I  have 
in  any  way  imposed  upon  your  good  will,  I  am, 

Yours  truly, 

S.  O.  Pitts,  M.  D. 
xAlda,  Neb. 

THE   CASE    IX   DETAIL. 

Mrs.  F.     Age  28.    Housewife. 

Form,  medium  slender  with  long  waist.  Complexion,  medium 
light.    Eyes,  brown. 

Height,  5  ft.  4  in.    Weight,  130.     Married.     No  children. 

Fathers  age,  53 ;  strong  and  healthy.  Mother,  54,  strong  and 
robust. 

Father's  parents  still  living,  always  been  strong,  past  80. 

Mother's  father  killed  in  accident,  age  52. 

Mother's  mother,  ruptured  vericose  vein  on  leg,  died  of  hemor- 
rhage therefrom  at  age  of  60. 

Ancestry  healthful  so  far  back  as  known. 

Patient  had  pneumonia  seven  years  ago.  Troubled  with  a 
condition  resembling  asthma  for  a  number  of  months  following. 
When  spells  would  come  on  had  to  go  to  open  window  for  air. 
Fresh  air  relieved  somewmat.  Spells  always  came  in  the  night. 
Has  not  been  bothered  in  this  respect  for  four  or  five  years. 

Apparently  well  up  until  18  months  ago. 

Tonsils  always  chronically  enlarged  and  folicles  filled  with  a 
yellow  cheesy  mass  often  twice  the  size  of  a  grain  of  wheat.  Ton- 
sils removed  last  July.  Recovery  from  operation  apparently  com- 
plete. 

Patient  somewhat  dictatorial  in  disposition  with  a  tendency  to 
fault-finding.  Slightly  hysterical  and  oversensitive.  Obstinate 
and  easily  offended  :  peevish  and  inclined  to  scold  when  angry. 
Gets  angry  in  a  minute  and  throws  things  about,  or  ends  up  with 
a  crying-  spell.    Likes  to  work  when  feeling  well. 

Patient's  present  trouble  commenced  about  18  months  ago  with 
a  condition  resembling  indigestion,  followed  later  with  a  pain  in 
left  side  about  one  inch  above  and  two  inches  to  the  outside  of 
umbilicus.  There  is  now  more  or  less  general  weakness  with  an 
all  gone  feeling  at  times  as  of  the  body  trembling.  No  external 
evidence  of  this  trembling. 


130      A  Case  for  Skilled  Repertory  Men  or  the  Surgeon ? 

Head. — Slight  dizziness  at  times.  May  come  when  at  work  or 
when  lying  down.  Never  to  the  extent  of  vertigo.  Fatigue  of 
head  at  times ;  generally  in  the  back.  Bursting  sensation  in  the 
head  aggravated  from  motion.  At  times  a  pulsation  of  head  with 
a  sensation  of  weariness,  worse  from  exertion  or  moving  or  turn- 
ing the  eyes,  from  leaning  over,  stooping  or  from  vexation. 
Headache  often  accompanied  by  a  swelling  or  puffiness  of  the 
eyes.  Feels  that  she  must  lie  down.  Scalp  sometimes  painful 
from  touch. 

Eyes. — Aching  in  and  back  of  with  a  sensation  of  enlargement 
of  eyes.  Eyes  feel  fatigued  and  drowsy.  Lachrymation  in  open 
air.    Eyes  somewhat  prominent.    At  times  swelling  of  the  lids. 

Ears. — Normal  in  every  way. 

Nose. — Smell  very  sensitive. 

Face. — Comedones  very  numerous.  At  times  slight  swelling 
under  eyes.  Blue  circles  around  eyes  (not  marked).  Rather  a 
muddy  complexion  with  cracking  of  skin  of  lips  at  times  with 
skin  peeling  off.  Some  acne  on  cheeks  and  chin  at  times,  but 
not  sonstant.  Slight  yellowish  color  of  face  around  eyes  and 
mouth.    Skin  has  a  general  yellowish  tinge. 

Throat. — Choking  sensation  in  throat  at  times.  At  times  a 
dull  pain  in  the  region  of  the  thyroid.  No  enlargement  of  the 
thyroid.  Expectoration  of  considerable  mucus  by  hawking  and 
spitting  in  the  morning. 

Stomach  and  Bowels. — Desire  for  fruits.  Faintness  in 
stomach  at  times.  If  meals  are  delayed  for  an  hour  or  more 
faintness  in  stomach  greatly  aggravated,  and  will  also  bring  on 
headache.  Piles  trouble  at  times  when  there  will  be  itching  in 
the  anus.  Bowels  somewhat  irregular.  May  be  normal  for  sev- 
eral days  and  then  constipated  for  a  few  days. 

Urine  slow  in  passing.  Aching  sensation  at  times  following 
urination.     Urinalysis  shows  no  abnormal  condition. 

Emissions  of  wind  from  vagina  at  times.  Yellowish  leucor- 
rhcea.  Menses  too  early  by  three  to  five  days.  Absence  of  en- 
joyment during  coition. 

Slight  catarrhal  condition  of  nose  and  throat  with  a  sense  of 
dryness  in  the  throat. 

Respiration  varies  about  twenty  per  minute  most  of  the  time. 
Much  quickened  on  ascending  stairs  or  exertion. 

Fluttering  of  heart  at  times.     Heart   action  increased   at   all 


A  Case  for  Skilled  Repertory  Men  or  the  Surgeon?       131 

times.  Heart  runs  from  80  to  90  per  minute,  increases  to  over 
100  on  slight  exertion  or  excitement.  Heart  somewhat  irregular 
in  action.  No  intermission.  No  valvular  lesion.  Pulsations  can 
sometimes  be  felt  all  over  body,  especially  in  and  back  of  eyes. 
Heart  condition  always  aggravated  after  exertion  or  excitement. 

At  times  sleepless  at  night.  Feels  nervous  and  restless.  Seems 
as  cannot  hold  eyes  closed.  Heart  and  general  condition  always 
worse  at  times  when  restless  spells  come. 

Temperature  normal. 

Condition  aggravated  from  anger  or  excitement  or  exertion. 
Aggravated  from  exertion  of  mind  or  work  requiring  close  appli- 
cation, or  from  fright.  Inclined  to  lie  down.  Better  when  lying 
down.  Worse  before  menses.  Feels  tired  with  an  inclination  to 
rest. 

At  times  there  is  a  trembling  feeling  all  over  the  body.  Feels 
as  if  the  body  were  quivering.  No  quivering  noticed  on  inspec- 
tion.   Feels  weak  and  debilitated  most  of  the  time. 

Appetite  fairly  good  though  small  amount  of  food  seems  to 
fill  up. 


Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 

I  have  just  now  completed  reading  the  able  scientific  and  ex- 
cellent article  in  the  January  number,  on  page  6,  "Poliomyelitis." 
The  doctor  stopped  writing  before  he  told  us  how  to  cure  the 
disease  and  so  if  he  will  excuse  me  I  will  add  a  few  words  on  that 
department.  As  soon  as  I  suspect  that  I  am  dealing  with  a  case 
of  poliomyelitis  I  put  one  teaspoonful  of  the  tincture  of  Aconite 
on  the  spinal  column  and  rub  it  in  well  and  repeat  this  when 
needed.  And  give  internally  four  drops  of  tincture  of  Aconite 
in  half  a  glass  of  water  and  give  it  in  alternation  with  Gelsemium 
tincture,  twenty  drops  in  another  glass  with  the  same  quantity  of 
water.  These  may  be  given  as  often  as  the  physician  deems  ad- 
visable. 

In  addition  to  the  above  I  would  use  a  five  thousand  candle 
power  lamp  held  over  the  spine  from  fifteen  minutes  to  a  half 
hour,  as  seems  best  for  the  patient,  and  repeat  it  as  often  as 
seems  necessary.  In  the  forty  years  that  I  have  been  dispensing 
homoeopathy  I  have  not  learned  of  a  better  treatment. 

Chas.  C.  Curtis.  M.  D. 

1204  Pacific  Ave.,  San  Pedro,  Calif. 


132  Specialists'  Department. 

THE  SPECIALISTS'  DEPARTMENT. 


EDITED   BY  CLIFFORD   MITCHELL,   M.   D. 

25  East  Washington  St.,  Chicago,  111. 

OUR  CONTRIBUTORS. 

In  this  number  we  publish  an  article  by  Dr.  G.  M.  McBean, 
F.  A.  C.  S.,  a  Chicago  specialist  in  the  eye  and  ear,  and  also  one 
by  Dr.  L.  F.  Ingersoll,  of  Englewood,  Chicago,  whose  special  in- 
terest is  in  obstetrics. 

INFANTILE  PARALYSIS  AND  THE  EAR. 
George  M.  McBean,  M.  D. 

I  would  like  to  confine  my  remarks  strictly  to  the  subject  as- 
signed me,  but  a  somewhat  exhaustive  survey  of  the  recent  litera- 
ture of  poliomyelitis,  and  also  personal  communications  from 
several  physicians  who  have  had  considerable  experience  with  the 
disease,  lead  me  to  think  that  poliomyelitis  has  no  ear  complica- 
tions or  sequelae.  Ear  infections  may  exist  coincidentally  with 
poliomyelitis,  but  from  independent  causes  and  not  as  a  sequence. 

Naturally  in  an  epidemic  such  as  the  one  of  last  year,  there  are 
many  cases  classed  as  poliomyelitis  (commonly  called  infantile  pa- 
ralysis) that  are  really  due  to  quite  different  causes.  The  mis- 
conception concerning  the  disease  is  phenomenal,  both  among 
physicians  and  the  laity.  For  instance,  I  have  several  times  heard 
and  read  the  terms  epidemic  infantile  paralysis  (poliomyelitis) 
and  epidemic  cerebro-spinal  meningitis  used  interchangeably. 
Possibly  a  few  differential  points  in  these  two  diseases  would  not 
come  amiss. 

Epidemic  Meningitis.  Poliomyelitis, 

Paralysis.  Rare  in  early  stages.  Common. 

Temperature.  Always  high.  High  at  onset,  but  drops 

before  paralysis. 

Pulse.  Compression   pulse    slow       High    at    onset.     Drops 

and   arrythmic.  after    paralysis. 

Delirium.  Stupor,    may    go    on    to       Lessens     as     case     pro- 

coma.'  gresses. 

Rigid    spine.  Marked.  Patient    can    turn    head. 

Kernig.  Both  legs  alike.  One  lee  more  marked. 

(Frauenthal    and    Manning.) 


Specialists'  Department.  133 

It  is  true  that  poliomyelitis  cases  of  the  encephalic  type  suffer 
from  a  meningitis,  but  a  number  of  autopsies  show  that  the  men- 
ingitis is  always  of  the  serous  form.  Lumbar  puncture  in  these 
cases  shows  a  fluid  that  is  clear  or  slightly  opalescent  (Wick- 
man).  In  suppurative  meningitis  or  epidemic  meningitis  the  fluid 
would  be  under  greater  pressure,  would  be  turbid  and  probably 
contain  micro-organisms  of  the  disease  and  pus  cells. 

It  is  to  be  remembered  that  suppurative  ear  disease  is  the  cause 
of  suppurative  meningitis  in  a  large  proportion  of  the  cases.  It 
should  also  be  remembered  that  ear  infections  complicating  in- 
fluenza may  result  in  meningitis.  This  would  give  a  disease  com- 
plex which  might  easily  be  mistaken  for  the  early  stage  of 
poliomyelitis. 

On  the  other  hand  poliomyelitis  is  a  disease  of  the  summer 
months  and,  according  to  one  report  of  279  cases,  there  was  a 
complete  absence  of  acute  catarrhal  troubles  in  the  respiratory 
tract  and  eyes. 

Theoreticaly,  it  is  possible  to  get  a  change  in  the  hearing  func- 
tion from  the  paralysis  (common  in  this  epidemic)  of  the  facial 
nerve  which  controls  the  stapedius  muscle  in  the  middle  ear.  The 
function  of  this  muscle  is  to  antagonize  the  tensor  tympani  and. 
prevent  concussion  of  the  labyrinth  from  explosions  and  loud, 
noises  in  general. 

However  this  is  pure  speculation,  for  no  such  cases  have  been 
reported.  Otherwise  the  ear  complications  and  sequelae  are  con- 
spicuous by  their  absence. 

THE  NEWER  OBSTETRICAL  METHODS. 

L.    F.    IXGERSOLL,    M.    Dv    CHICAGO. 

What  are  the  newer  methods  ?  Really  the  question  is  a  difficult 
one  to  answer  for  it  does  not  seem  as  if  the  profession  is  making 
as  rapid  strides  toward  improvement  in  obstetrical  methods  as  are 
other  branches  of  medicine  and  surgery. 

Twenty  or  more  years  ago  when  the  writer  began  his  obstetri- 
cal career  the  cry  was  for  better  forceps.  I  myself  wanted  the 
best  to  be  had,  but,  being  at  that  time  impecunious,  had  to  put  up 
with  what  I  could  get,  namely,  an  heirloom  from  my  preceptor 
in  the  shape  of  an  instrument  which  he  had  discarded.  Later 
in  my  career  I  was  able  to  buy  the  best  the  dealers  could  give  me, 


134  Specialists'  Department. 

but  found  it  not  worth  a  fig  in  comparison  with  the  old  instru- 
ment which,  on  one  memorable  occasion,  got  me,  an  unborn 
child,  and  a  mother  out  of  a  very  embarrassing  predicament.  I 
am  still  using  ''Old  Reliable"  regardless  of  the  faces  made  by  the 
nurses  to  whom  I  hand  it  out  for  sterilization.  When  I  retire 
I  shall  bequeath  it  to  some  good  young  man,  if  I  can  find  one 
broad-minded  enough  to  get  away  from  his  bookishness  and  to 
appreciate  a  really  good  thing. 

The  deduction  to  be  drawn  from  all  this  appears  to  be  that  no 
improvement  worthy  of  note  has  been  made  in  obstetrical  for- 
ceps in  the  last  two  or  three  decades  or  even  longer. 

Then  again  there  was  the  obstetrical  chair.  This  instrument 
of  torture,  which  should  never  have  seen  the  light  of  day,  has 
been  relegated  to  the  garret,  and  what  have  we  in  its  place? 
Caesarean  section?  But  this  procedure  was  known  long  before 
the  chair  was  inflicted  upon  us. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  we  are  stumbling  and  plunging  along  over 
the  rough  obstetrical  road  in  the  same  old  way,  merely  simplifying 
our  methods  somewhat,  and  taking  care  not  to  kill  a  woman  just 
because  we  are  delivering  her. 

O,  Obstetrics !  What  crimes  have  been  committed  in  thy 
name !  But  it  must  be  admitted  we  no  longer  do  craniotomy,  and 
that  the  obstetrical  laparotomist — God  bless  him — has  brought  his 
particular  branch  of  the  art  to  a  high  degree  of  perfection.  Yet 
at  best  his  field  of  usefulness  is  limited  by  circumstances,  more 
than  could  be  wished.  Although,  personally,  I  have  never  been 
forced  to  call  upon  him  for  aid — for  which  some  may  deem  me 
of  the  devil — yet  I  take  off  my  hat  to  him  and  call  him  my  friend. 

But  the  subject  of  my  discourse  was  originally  the  forceps,  and 
let  us  not  drift  too  far  away  from  this  theme.  Let  me  say  right 
here  that  the  O.  F.  will  ever  be  the  instrument  of  obstetrical 
emergencies,  and  that  the  laparotomist  can  never  become  of  the 
every  day  practical  aid  (because  of  reasons  stated  before)  that 
the  forceps  is  to  us. 

Hence  it  becomes  of  importance  to  consider  what  improve- 
ments, if  any,  have  been  made  in  the  manufacture  and  use  of  the 
forceps  since  the  days  of  Sheldon  Leavitt.  In  my  own  student 
days  every  lying-in  woman  received  the  benefit  of  the  use  of  for- 
ceps except  in  cases  where  she  would  not  wait,  and  the  use  of  the 


Specialists'  Department.  135 

forceps  became  a  routine  measure  characterized  by  a  great  degree 
of  sameness.  In  those  days  there  were  but  few  interneships 
offered  us  hence  we  had  to  learn  by  personal  experience  how  to 
use  the  forceps,  and,  as  we  merely  understood  the  theory  of  the 
thing,  when  we  began,  accidents  would  occur  to  the  child  which 
nobody  knew  about,  and  which  we  ourselves,  perhaps,  never  really 
understood  the  meaning  of.  It  used  to  be  supposed  that  a  diploma 
in  medicine  and  surgery  carried  with  it  a  complete  knowledge  of 
the  obstetrical  art,  but  we  now  realize  that  unless  we  possess  a 
material  amount  of  surgical  deftness,  we  can  not  become  an  ob- 
stetrician regardless  of  what  opportunities  for  observation  or  of 
what  experience  we  may  have. 

it  a  person  has  not  the  natural  ability  required,  no  Class  A 
college  or  any  other  training  can  make  an  obstetrician  out  of  him. 
It  is  much  easier  to  talk  about  obstetrics  in  a  medical  society 
meeting  than  to  get  yourself,  the  unborn  babe,  and  the  mother 
out  of  an  obstetrical  emergency  in  the  lying-in  room.  The  ob- 
stetrician, like  the  poet,  is  born  not  made.  In  no  branch  of  medi- 
cine or  surgery  is  natural  adaptability  more  necessary  than  in 
obstetrics.  Some  of  the  rawest  mistakes  which  have  come  under 
my  observation  have  been  made  by  those  whose  opportunities 
for  perfection  have  been  greatest.  No  matter  how  many  millions 
are  donated  by  credulous  millionaires  for  the  building  up  of 
mammoth  educational  plants,  it  will  ultimately  be  found  that 
money  does  not  make  the  obstetrical  man.  Every  now  and  then 
we  may  meet  persons  who  will  admit  they  have  no  business  with 
the  forceps  but  they  are  few  and  far  between  and.  in  my  own 
experience,  I  have  met  but  two  of  them. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  lying-in  woman  is  in  the  great 
majority  of  cases  not  sick  but  merely  doing  what,  as  a  rule,  she  is 
well  qualified  and  fitted  for  doing.  As  a  rule,  that  is,  but  ex- 
ceptions occur,  and,  it  is  in  the  case  of  the  exception  that  the 
obstetrician  comes  in  to  ensure  the  safe  passage  of  the  infant 
through  the  birth  canal  and  the  safe  delivery  of  it  without 
rupture  of  the  peritoneum.  Xormal  cases  may  be  seen  through 
with  safety  by  a  midwife,  if  she  knows  enough  to  attend  with 
surgically  clean  hands,  to  support  the  perineum,  and  to  flex  the 
head  at  the  proper  time. 

Uterine  inertia  is  an  interesting  problem  to  the  obstetrician. 
It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  a  woman  can  "bear  down"  if  she 


136  Specialists'  Department. 

only  will.  In  all  cases  uterine  inertia  requires  skilled  attention 
from  the  attending  physician.  Formerly  in  such  cases  it  was  my 
custom  to  dilate  the  cervix  and  to  go  after  the  foetus  with  the 
•O.  F.,  and  this  procedure  has  been  uniformly  successful  in  my 
•experience,  but  there  is  a  large  chance  that  pituitrin  properly  ad- 
ministered may  do  the  work  without  the  necessity  for  instrumen- 
tation. I  use  1  c.  c.  of  this  drug,  repeated  if  necessary  in  20 
or  30  minutes,  and  have  had  good  results  from  it.  The  question 
comes  up  as  to  whether  the  administration  of  pituitrin  is  attended' 
with  any  uncertainties.  In  answer  to  this  allow  me  to  emphasize 
the  importance  of  proper  dilatation  of  the  cervix.  A  lazy  uterus 
is  not  unlike,  in  some  cases,  a  lazy  man,  that  is,  very  effective 
when  once  started,  hence  an  oncoming  foetus  under  the  stimulus 
of  ten  to  twenty  c.  c.  of  pituitrin  is  liable  to  create  embarrassment 
for  an  undilated  cervix.  Laceration,  both  of  the  cervix,  and  of 
the  perineum,  may  occur,  if  dilatation  is  not  brought  about  as  it 
should  be. 

I  have  had  most  gratifying  results  from  pituitrin  in  cases  in 
which  there  is  extraordinary  pendulousness  of  the  abdomen  and 
uterus,  bringing  about  delivery  in  some  of  them  in  as  short  a 
time  as  45  minutes.  In  buttocks  cases  with  complete  lack  of  ex- 
pulsive pains  it  has  also  served  me  well.  Pains  sufficiently  ex- 
pulsive are  caused  by  it,  and  the  child  born  in  time  to  be  resus- 
citated. The  pituitrin  procedure  appears  to  me  to  be  a  natural 
one,  and  by  all  means  the  best  thing  we  have  hit  upon  in  ob- 
stetrical practice  since  I  have  been  in  the  field. 

CLINICAL  URINOLOGY  AND  RENAL  THERAPEUTICS. 

CLIFFORD  MITCHELL,  M.  D. 

Things  Which  May  Deceive  Us. — Being  consulted  by  a  man  of 
2)7  recently  as  to  whether  he  had  better  apply  for  life  insurance,  I 
examined  the  freshly  voided  urine  and  found  it  entirely  free  from 
albumin  by  the  Heller  test  with  cold  nitric  acid  by  contact,  and 
the  sediment  free  from  casts.  But  the  specific  gravity  of  the 
specimen  being  only  1008,  I  declined  to  advise  him  to  apply  until 
I  had  seen  a  specimen  of  higher  gravity.  He  went  without 
drinking  any  fluids  for  several  hours,  then  returned  to  me  and 
voided  a  specimen  which  was  of  specific  gravity  1015.  This  speci- 
men showed  a  perfectly  plain  white  ring  with  the  nitric  acid  and. 


Specialists'  Department.  137 

under  the  microscope,  the  sediment  was  found  to  contain  several 
granular  casts.  This  experience  should  warn  us  not  to  be  sure 
of  the  absence  of  albumin  and  casts  in  cases  in  which  we  examine 
specimens  of  only  low  specific  gravity.  It  is  fashionable  nowadays 
to  ''flush  out  the  kidneys,"  which  procedure  is  not  to  be  con- 
demned in  the  abstract  by  any  means  but  from  the  viewpoint  of 
the  analyst  it  is  a  nuisance  pure  and  simple,  for  patients  bring 
specimens  for  examination  which  are  mostly  water  without  solid 
matters  of  significance.  Too  much  water  in  urine  will  entirely 
dissolve  red  cells,  a  few  of  which  may  be  the  only  clinical  evidence 
of  tuberculosis  or  calculus  of  the  urinary  tract,  and  a  few  tube, 
casts  originally  present  may  be  washed  to  pieces  by  a  large 
amount  of  water.  Thus  not  long  ago  I  failed  to  find  any  casts 
in  the  24  hours'  urine  of  a  woman  who  passed  three  quarts,  but 
found  them  without  much  trouble  when  she  passed  only  two 
quarts.  In  general,  it  may  be  said  that  absence  of  albumin  or  of 
casts  in  urine  of  specific  gravity  below  1015  is  not  conclusive.. 
This  is  recognized  by  life  insurance  companies,  many  of  which 
require  a  specific  gravity  above  1015. 

The  practical  difficulty  we  encounter  is  in  explaining  to  patients 
that  while  the  drinking  of  much  water  may  be  a  good  thing  in  the 
abstract,  concretely,  when  they  are  collecting  urine  for  examina- 
tion they  should  restrict  the  amount  of  fluid  ingested  so  as  not  to 
interfere  with  the  work  of  the  analyst. 

Another  nuisance  to  the  analyst  is  the  taking  of  certain  drugs 
by  the  patient,  when  the  latter  is  collecting  his  urine  for  examina- 
tion. Sodium  bicarbonate  is  now  a  fashionable  drug  and  plays 
the  mischief  with  the  analyst,  as  it  raises  the  specific  gravity,  being 
apparently  excreted  in  relatively  large  amount  in  the  urine. 
A  patient  by  taking  sodium  bicarbonate  may  make  his  urine  appear 
to  be  of  normal  specific  gravity  when  really  it  is  below  1015* 
Moreover  the  effervescence  on  adding  acid  may  obscure  a  trace  of 
albumin,  and  the  alkaline  condition  of  the  urine  may  dissolve 
casts  and  other  important  elements.  It  is  very  easy  for  the 
analyst  to  discover  whether  the  patient  is  taking  bicarb,  soda  or 
not,  for,  if  so,  on  adding  acid  to  the  heated  urine  bubbles  will 
rise  for  several  minutes  or  even  longer.  (Just  as  in  stale  urine 
the  bubbles  from  ammonium  carbonate  rise  for  a  long  time  after 
adding  acids.)  The  original  titration  acidity  of  the  urine  is 
masked  bv  sodium  bicarbonate. 


138  Specialists'  Department. 

Still  another  nuisance  is  the  taking  of  phenolphthalein  in  laxa- 
tives or  in  other  ways  as  by  injection  of  the  phenolsulphone- 
phthalein  for  determination  of  the  renal  function  so-called. 
Urines  containing  phenolphthalein  are  puzzling  to  the  analyst 
because  of  simulating  the  diazo  reaction,  the  ammonia  causing 
a  red  tint  much  like  that  obtained  in  the  diazo  test  for  typhoid 
fever.  Then,  again,  when  there  is  already  phenolphthalein  in 
urine  it  interferes  with  the  titration  acidity  procedure,  too  much 
of  the  phenolphthalein  perhaps  being  present.  Hence  in  preg- 
nancy cases  the  ammonia  determinations  by  the  formol  method 
may  be  affected. 

The  various  coal  tar  preparations  may  lead  to  assumption  that 
diacetic  acid  is  present  because  of  a  red  color  with  ferric  chloride. 
Aspirin  being  a  popular  drug  there  is  no  telling  how  many  urines 
are  reported  positive  for  diacetic  acid  when  reall  it  they  are  cases 
of  aspirinuria. 

The  Cause  of  High  Titration  Acidity. — There  are  different  types 
of  cases,  clinically,  in  which  high  tritration  acidity  is  found  in 
the  urine.  Some  of  them  appear  to  be  merely  chemical,  that  is, 
yield  readily  to  the  administration  of  alkaline  mineral  waters,  such 
as  French  Vichy  or  to  small  doses  of  sodium  citrate,  and  do  not 
tend  to  recur  after  cure,  but  there  are  others  in  which  the  titration 
acidity  is  obstinate  and  does  not  yield  readily  to  alkalies,  moreover 
strong  alkalies  may  have  to  be  avoided  as  the  urine  may  be  more 
acid  than  ever  after  discontinuing  them.  The  cause  of  this  ob- 
stinate acidity  is  important,  as  the  microscope  may  show  presence 
of  mucin  threads  and  cylindroids  concomitant  with  the  acidity,  the 
same  disappearing  when  the  acidity  is  lowered,  as  if  indicating 
that  the  urine  is  really  irritating  to  the  urinary  tract. 

Dr.  A.  C.  Tenney,  of  Chicago,  states  as  his  experience  that 
these  obstinate  cases  of  high  totration  acidity  may  be  found  in 
some  sort  of  relation  to  bodily  infection  as,  for  example,  from  the 
teeth,  as  in  pyorrhea,  or  the  tonsils.  Tenney  thinks  that  the  in- 
fection is  the  thing  to  treat  when  the  usual  measures  for  reducing 
a  high  acidity  fail.  Another  objection  to  strong  alkalies  is,  of 
course,  the  effect  upon  the  digestion.  While  diabetics  appear  to 
be  indifferent  to  alkalies,  all  others  are  not  so,  by  any  means,  and 
may  not  be  able  to  take  anything  but  the  mild  alkaline  waters,  like 
Vichy,  which  again  may  not  be  potent  enough  to  overcome  the 
acidity. 


Homoeopathic    Recorder 

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EDITORIAL  NOTES  AND    COMMENTS. 

The  Allopathic  Belief. — One  cannot  but  admire  the  robust  faith 
of  the  "regular  physician"  in  his  sum  of  medical  knowledge.  He 
has  repeatedly  said  that  he  has  all  that  is  known  in  medicine  of 
any  value,  consequently  the  "sects,"  as  he  dubs  the  rest  of  the  med- 
ical world,  are  useless.  His  attitude  reminds  one  of  the  Caliph; 
Omar  when  he  captured  Alexandria,  Egypt.  He  was  asked  to> 
spare  the  famous  library,  then  the  finest  in  the  world.  The 
Caliph  replied  that  if  the  library  contained  matter  opposed  to  the 
Koran  it  merited  destruction,  while  if  it  was  the  same  as  the 
Koran  it  was  superfluous,  as  all  true  believers  had  the  Koran. 
So  the  library  went  up  in  smoke. 

No  Law? — Dr.  D.  L.  Field,  of  Jeffersonville,  Ind.,  in  a  letter  to 
the  Medical  Summary,  writes :  "There  is  no  law  of  therapeutics." 
And  again,  "No  universal  law  of  therapeutics  has  ever  been  dis- 
covered." Every  one  knows  that  there  is  a  law,  or  what  seems 
to  be  very  near  akin  to  one,  governing  the  action  of  arsenic, 
strychnine  and  other  poisons  on  the  human  body ;  that  law  gov- 
erns the  motion  of  the  planets,  and  all  matter  down  to  the  dust 
of  the  earth,  so  is  it  not  unreasonable  to  deny  that  law  governs 
the  action  of  drugs  in  disease?  The  fact  that  many  learned 
men  do  not  know  this  law  is  not  a  valid  reason  for  denying  its 
existence.     Elsewhere  in  the  same  journal  Dr.  Field  writes : 

Many  causes  of  diseases,  exert  only  a  temporary  effect.  The  "vis  medi- 
catrix  naturae."  The  power  of  nature  to  shake  off  disease,  is  well  known. 
If  it  were  not  for  this  fact,  "C.  S.  Healers,"  "Faith  healers,"  and  I  am. 
tempted  to  say,  "Homeos,"  would  be  in  a  sorry  plight. 


140  Editorial. 

If  this  be  reasoned  to  a  conclusion  it  will  land  its  writer  in  a 
curious  dilemma,  for  homoeopathic  treatment  during  the  past 
century  has  invariably  shown  a  much  lower  mortality,  especially 
in  dangerous  epidemics,  than  the  ''regular"  treatment.  If  Ho- 
moeopathy is  nothing  but  'vis  medicatrix  naturae,"  what  was  the 
cause  of  the  increased  mortality  under  Regular  Medicine? 

Does  Man  Live  After  Death  ? — The  query  raised  by  the  London 
Lancet's  review  of  a  recent  book  by  Sir  Oliver  Lodge,  not  long 
ago,  President  of  the  British  Scientific  Association.  Sir  Oliver 
says  "Yes"  to  the  question.  The  Lancet  politely  intimates  "No." 
No  one  can  prove  it?  Nothing  can  be  proved  to  a  man  who  does 
not  want  to  Relieve,  and  nothing  can  budge  a  man's  faith  if  it  be 
inrooted  in  him.  If  a  man  believes  that  disease  is  caused  by  small 
animals,  no  reasoning  will  change  his  faith.  If  others  believe  it 
is  a  visitation  of  God,  or  the  effect  of  violated  law,  or  is  caused 
by  devils,  or  by  any  other  means,  you  nor  no  one  else  will  change 
the  belief.  Scientific  gentlemen  laugh  at  faith  even  while  they 
are  as  much  in  its  grip  as  is  the  most  superstitious  peasant.  A 
whole  faculty  of  scientists  could  not  change  the  belief  of  some 
that  it  is  unwise  to  have  13  at  a  table,  and  per  contra,  a  thousand 
remarkable  cures  by  Homoeopathy  will  not  change  an  allopath  set 
in  his  belief  that  Homoeopathy  is  a  delusion. 

Effect  of  Shell-shock. — This  is  takn  from  the  London  Letter  of 
the  Therapeutic  Gazette,  January.  An  English  officer  of  fine 
physique  had  suffered  from  shell-shock,  by  which,  presumably,  is 
meant  the  effect  of  the  concussion  of  the  high  explosive,  but  no 
actual  hurt.  He  had  been  a  golfer.  After  leaving  the  hospital  he 
tried  the  game.  "He  could  get  to  the  green  in  the  regulation 
number  of  strokes,  but  although  having  been  a  very  fine  putter 
previously,  he  had  entirely  lost  his  touch,  and  confessed  that  when 
he  struck  the  ball  his  direction  was  always  good,  but  he  had  no 
notion  whether  the  ball  was  going  5  feet  or  15  yards."  Accord- 
ing to  experience  published  in  the  Homoeopathic  World  Hyperi- 
cum is  the  remedy  for  shock. 

"Expert  Advertising." — The  professors  of  it  are  not  averse  to 
proclaiming  their  wizard  powers.  In  a  very  respectable  medical 
journal  a    very    respectable    food   is    advertised.      The   heading 


Editorial.  141 

"catches  the  eye."  It  is,  "we  explode  the  food  cells."  The  food  is 
"sealed  in  huge  guns"  and  gets  "an  hour  of  fearful  heat."  After- 
wards, "when  the  guns  are  hot  over  100  million  steam  explosions 
occur  in  every  kernel."  One  must  especially  admire  the  ability  of 
the  man  who  can  count  "over  100  million  steam  explosions"  in  a 
small  kernel.  Why  these  explosives  in  guns  are  better  than 
mother's  cooking  the  expert  does  not  make  clear.  But,  at  any 
rate,  this  is  expert  advertising. 

Just  Some  Queries. — Brother  Andrews,  of  the  Medical  Sum- 
mary }  has  stumbled  into  advice  giving.  His  advice  is  very  good 
if  you  can  follow  it.  He  writes  under  the  heading,  "The  Best 
Antidote  to  Worry :" 

The  best  antidote  for  worry  is  a  change  of  mental  occupation,  a  get- 
ting away  from  the  scenes  which  provoke  worry,  exercise  in  the  open 
air,  a  good  book,  a  pleasant  recreation,  or  a  temporary  change  of  occupa- 
tion. As  a  matter  of  mental  health  every  sufferer  from  this  unfortunate 
condition  owes  it  to  himself  to  discover  some  simple  means  of  getting 
away  from  this  habt  which  is  destructive  to  health  and  peace  of  mind  alike. 

That  is  excellent  advice  for  plutocrats,  bankers  and  medical 
editors,  but  what  of  Jim  who  handles  a  big  trolley  car,  or  Claude 
wrho  "clerks,"  or  Percy  who  drudges  over  a  "set  of  books,"  all 
with  a  wife,  baby,  rent,  coal  bills  and  such  like  things  ? 

Giving  It  a  Name. — The  following  is  clipped  from  a  paper  on 
cancer  by  Crile  in  the  International  Journal  of  Surgery,  Jan., 
1917: 

To  determine  the  accuracy  of  diagnosis  based  on  microscopic  examina- 
tions in  borderline  cases,  Bloodgood  submitted  specimens  from  fifty  known 
cases  of  adeno-carcinoma  to  expert  pathologists  in  New  York,  Philadel- 
phia, St.  Louis  and  Detroit.  After  receiving  their  reports  he  was  "com- 
pelled to  conclude  as  they  did,  that  we  cannot  depend  on  the  microscopic 
interpretations.  In  each  one  of  these  cases  the  pathologists  were  divided 
into  two  groups,  one  in  favor  of  a  diagnosis  of  cancer,  the  other  of  a 
benign  lesion.    There  was  not  unanimous  agreement  in  a  single  case." 

Looks  as  if  the  only  hope  for  a  cure  is  to  be  found  in  those 
who  ignore  the  name  and  treat  the  patient,  paying  especial  atten- 
tion to  the  mentality  and  idiosyncrasies,  and  do  not  hunt  for 
"cancer  remedies,"  because  any  remedy  may  be  a  "cancer  remedy" 
if  indicated. 


[42  Editorial. 

Prescribe  But  Also  Look. — Dr.  C.  S.  Cope  (Clinical  Medicine) 
writes  a  paper  that  is  a  mixture  of  medicine,  philosophy  and  relig- 
ion. Very  briefly,  it  may  be  said  that  Cope's  argument  is,  that 
"sin"  is  the  result  of  physical  defects.  Incidentally,  that  religion 
is  the  outgrowth  of  medicine.  To  prove  his  point  several  in- 
stances are  given.  A  prisoner  was  not  insane  but  devilish,  would 
smash  every  rule  and  everything  he  could ;  finally  an  abnormal 
lump  was  noticed  on  his  abdomen,  a  small  operation  straightened 
things  out  (hernia),  and  the  man  became  decent  and  orderly. 
In  three  other  persons,  boys,  who  were  abnormal,  the  whole 
trouble  was  cleared  away  by  attending  to  the  adhesions,  etc.,  on 
the  prepuce.    Look  as  well  as  prescribe. 

Protecting  the  Public. — Our  dignified  contemporary,  the  Jour. 
A.  M.  A.,  gets  into  a  Podsnappian  state  of  cholor  whenever  it 
thinks  of  Bink's  Liver  Regulator,  Hink's  Rheumatism  Rub,  or 
Jink's  Female  Regulator,  but  it  blandly  endorses  in,  Lydia  Pink- 
ham's  style,  "Corpus  Luteum  of  the  Sow"  for  nervous  women. 

"A  Health  Hint." — The  world  is  deluged  with  them,  and  this 
one  comes  down  on  the  flood  like  all  the  others.  It  is :  "Do  you 
know  that  slouchy  postures  are  a  menace  to  health?"  Would  it 
not  be  quite  as  much  an  evidence  of  wisdom  to  ask  the  world  if  it 
did  not  know  "that  a  cancer  is  a  menace  to  health  ?"  Yes,  quite  as 
much — but  too  much  of  a  give-away,  too  apparent  to  even  the 
dullards.  Does  not  the  real  physician,  or  doctor,  instead  of 
reproaching  the  victim  for  being  a  slouchy,  sallow,  and  lack- 
lustre creature,  rather  seek  for  the  cause,  and  a  remedy?  Ho- 
moeopaths do,  and  the  others  would  be  wise  to  follow  their  foot- 
steps. 

As  One  Sees  Us. — The  following  is  taken  from  a  free-lance,  little 
publication,  known  as  The  Houghton  Line.  Soft  words  are 
pleasanter  but  it  is  more  useful  to  know  the  hard  ones  said  about 
yourself : 

I  am  free  to  state  that  of  all  the  sects  I  believe  the  homceopath  to  be 
the  least  sincere,  without  desiring  to  be  understood  as  holding  his  meth- 
ods of  cure  to  be  proportionately  defective. 

Having  battled  through  all  sorts  of  adversity  and  withstood  all  sorts 
of  persecution  before  he  could  obtain  legislative  recognition,  the  Homoeo- 
path is  now  doing  his  damnedest  to  prevent  any  other  method  of  healing 


Editorial.  143 

being  recognized.     Strange  to   say,  he  is   working  hand   in   hand   to   that 
end  with  his  former  enemy,  the  "old  school  regular." 

Also : 

Homoeopathy;  first  promulgated  by  Hahnemann  in  1810.  While  this 
sect  is  quite  active  and  has  many  colleges,  homoeopaths  of  today,  almost 
completely  ignore  the  original  theories  of  Hahnemann  and  do  not  hesitate 
to  prescribe  contrary  to  the  original  Hahnemannian  theories.  That,  by 
the  way,  is  a  tribute  to  their  broad-mindedness  and  intelligence.  It  would 
be  only  a  step  to  a  higher  plane  if  they  would  openly  acknowledge  Hahne- 
mann as  having  been  in  error  when  he  denied  that  Nature  would  heal  and 
claimed  that  chronic  diseases  were  due  to  the  itch,  that  the  infinitesimal, 
potentized  doses  owed  merits  largely  to  their  minimization  of  drug  treat- 
ment and  aided  psycho-therapeutic  healing. 

The  most  obvious  thing  in  this  gentle  whoop  is  the  Line 
doesn't  know  what  it  is  writing  about,  though,  indeed,  there  is  a 
certain  sting  in  the  first  quotation. 

Germicides. — The  London  Lancet  (Jan.  8)  editorially  remarks: 
"The  search  for  an  efficient  germicide  within  the. body  has  gone 
on  for  half  a  century  with  undiminished  enthusiasm,  although  the 
number  has  latterly  increased  of  cautious  people  who  contend 
that  the  search  must  be  a  hopeless  one,  because  any  agent  that 

I  destroyed  the  living  bacterial  protoplasm  would  also  be  potent  to 
harm  the  living  tissue  cells."  But  the  editor  goes  on  to  say  that 
ever   and  anon   the   drooping  hopes   are    revived  by   something 

I  new,  the  latest  being  "flavine,"  "an  acridine  derivative  of  com- 
plicated formula"  evolved  by  Ehrlich. 

The  fact  that  the  leaders  of  what  is  known  as  modern,  or 
scientific,  medicine  have  discarded  the  use  of  drugs  is  the  in- 
evitable result  of  the  failure  to  find  a  germicide.  This  school  of 
medicine  is  based  on  the  theory  that  each  disease  is  a  living 
creature  which  must  be  killed,  hence  trie  quest  for  a  germicide 
which  is,  translated,  "germ  killer."  Modern  medicine  rests  on 
that,  and  must  stand  or  fall  on  its  truth  or  falsity.  Is  it  true  or 
is  it  false?  Is  smoke  the  cause  of  fire  because  smoke  is  found  in 
at  every  fire?  Because  "little  rods"  accompany  tuberculosis  is  that 
scientific  proof  that  they  are  the  cause?  Coughs  also  are  always 
present.  You  cannot  cure  a  man  by  killing  his  germs.  Indeed, 
a  certain  genial  New  York  doctor,  a  very  scientific  one,  tells  us 
that  man  is  nothing  but  germs.  From  this  angle  germicides  are 
really   homicides. 


PERSONAL. 


Man  is  a  few  days  and  full  of  trouble,  to  say  nothing  of  the  trouble  he 
makes. 

Among  recent  ''rules  of  health"  is  this  one,  "Keep  serene."  Wonder  if 
joyous  "rule"  makers  understand  what  they  write. 

Another  bit  by  another  joyous  one  is,  "Let  us  Smile."  You  cannot  in 
some  States. 

"Will  you  have  your  stamp  licked  or  unlicked?"  asked  the  polite  drug 
clerk  of  the  lady. 

Olecranarthritis,  otherwise,  an  inflamed  elbow-joint. 

Any  one  who  suffers  from  scoracratia  is  humiliated. 

Queer  custom — flowers  to  weddings  and  flowers  to  funerals. 

"Miss  Jones  forever,"  shouted  an  enthusiastic  suff.  voter,  but  she  slightly 
frowned. 

Fast  man — one  travelling  "the  pace."    Fast  man — one  tied  to  the  stake. 

Remarks  Binks :  "Say  nothin',  chop  wood,  pick  up  the  chips  and  you 
will  be  as  happy  as  a  poker  player  can  be." 

If  it  were  not  for  the  fool  and  his  money,  where  would  you  rich  read- 
ers be? 

The  aeroplane,  like  oratory,  comes  back  to  earth  when  the  gas  supply 
fails. 

The  effect  of  seeing  ourselves  as  others  see  us  depends  on  who  the 
other  one  is  whose  eyes  we  use. 

Juryman  asked  to  be  excused  on  the  ground  of  stupidity.  "You  are 
what  the  law  requires,"  wearily  replied  the  Judge. 

Knowing  is  better  than  learning,  for  knowing  is  the  basic,  while  learn- 
ing is  the  ornamental  gingerbread. 

There  is  one  thing  some  men  can  take  and  welcome,  namely,  their  de- 
parture. 

When  the  druggist  mixes  up  the  prescription  with  the  doctor's  signa- 
ture there  is,  sometimes,  a  case  for  the  coroner. 

Learned  men  must  decide  whether  a  "pull"  is  better  than  push  in  suc- 
cess. 

Is  absent  treatment  successful  if  the  patient  moves  and  fails  to  notify 
the  healer? 

Old  time  slang  sounds  queer  today.  For  example,  "He  walked  out  on 
his  ear." 

As  a  rule,  the  physician  can  collect  his  thoughts  easier  than  his  bills. 


THE 

Homoeopathic  Recorder 

Vol.  XXXII  Lancaster,  Pa.,  April  15,  1917.  No.  4 

"CLIMATE  AND  TUBERCULOSIS." 

Dr.  John  W.  Trask's  very  able  paper  on  this  subject  brings  up 
a  view  of  it  that  the  Recorder  has  harped  on  several  times  in  the 
past.  Twenty  or  twenty-five  years  ago  Dr.  Herring,  of  London, 
England,  contributed  a  number  of  papers  to  this  journal,  partly 
philosophical  and  partly  medical  observations.  Among  the  latter 
was  one  on  his  own  person.  After  being  graduated  in  medicine 
he  was  sent  on  a  sea  voyage  because  he  had  tuberculosis.  He 
went  to  the  Pacific  by  way  of  Panama,  before  the  French  had 
started  work  on  the  canal.  In  crossing  the  Isthmus  nearly 
all  the  party  came  down  with  the  Panama,  or  Chagres  malarial 
fever,  except  himself,  who  not  only  escaped  but  was  cured  of 
his  tuberculosis.  He  also  mentioned  the  fact  that  an  Italian  phy- 
sician of  the  17th  century  had  made  the  same  observation  on  the 
curative  effects  of  a  malarial  climate  on  the  disease.  A  Cali- 
fornia physician  recently  said  that  he  had  investigated  many  of 
the  tuberculous  who  go  to  that  State  for  the  climate,  and  asserted 
that  nearly  all  of  them  had  taken  much  quinine  for  malaria  in 
the  past. 

There  seems  to  be  a  peculiar  connection  between  the  two  dis- 
eases. When  Dr.  Bowen  was  conducting  his  experiments  with 
decaying  swamp  vegetation,  which  resulted  in  that  curious  drug 
Malaria  off.,  he  hired  a  number1  of  persons  to  inhale  the  awful 
fumes  that  arose.  They  mostly  got  chills  and  fever,  malaria, 
and  one  of  them,  a  woman  with  tuberculosis,  not  only  contracted 
the  disease,  but  was  cured  of  her  tuberculosis.  Bowen  thought 
that  his  drug  might  be  useful  in  the  treatment  of  consumption 
in  about  the  3X  attenuation  or  higher. 

All  of  this  seems  to  point  the  way  for  investigation,  that  is  to 


146  Climate  and  Tuberculosis. 

say,  of  the  connection  between  the  two  diseases.  Look-  as  if 
malaria  on  top  of  tuberculosis  has  a  curative  effect  and  the 
reverse  a  bad  one. 

Malaria  officinalis  might  be  termed  the  vegetable  Pyrogenium. 
Neither  are  very  pleasant  in  the  making.  Malaria  oft.  is  made 
by  taking  certain  swamp  vegetation  putting  it  in  a  jar  with  water 
and  then  let  it  decay  or  ferment  in  a  warm  place.  The  fumes  are 
something  frightful,  and  it  was  these  that  Bowen  hired  certain 
ones  to  inhale  and  thus  prove.  In  Dr.  Rabe's  paper,  published 
in  this  issue  of  the  Recorder  (a  paper  he  gave  us  last  summer, 
but  unfortunately  got  mixed  up  with  a  lot  of  old  paper,  and  was 
overlooked),  is  a  very  interesting  report  of  the  use  of  this  little 
known  drug,  which  seems  to  vie  with  Natrum  mur.  in  old  ma- 
larial cases. 

Pyrogenium  is  a  great  remedy  for  typhoid,  which  disease  is 
believed  to  originate — or  it  was  once  so  believed — from  decaying 
flesh  or  excrement.  Malaria  off.  is  the  remedy  for  the  ills 
originating  in  decaying  vegetation.  Whether  the  last  named  would 
be  of  use  in  the  treatment  of  tuberculosis  is  somewhat  of  an  open 
question.  From  the  foregoing  facts  it  looks  as  if  the  remedy 
might  be  of  use  and,  at  worst,  could  harm  no  patient  in  the  3d, 
6th  or  30th  potency. 

The  fact  as  related  to  us  years  ago  by  an  old  physician  in 
the  Pension  Bureau  at  Washington  that  when  (if  we  remember 
aright)  the  cable  roads  were  laid  in  that  city  much  malaria  fol- 
lowed its  lines,  even  in  mid-winter;  and,  as  told  by  a  Pennsyl- 
vania physician,  that  the  same  disease  followed  the  lines  of 
canals  when  dug  in  that  State,  and  the  well  known  fact  that  the 
disease  greatly  prevails  wherever  new  ground  is  broken  up  as 
was  the  case  among  the  early  settlers  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and 
Illinois,  all  goes  to  prove  that  Bowen  was  right  when  he  said  his 
provers  contracted  chills  and  fever,  the  scourge  of  pioneers,  even 
as  too  often  tuberculosis  is  of  their  descendants.  Perhaps  latent 
malaria  may  be  at  the  bottom  of  some  of  the  tuberculosis,  and 
in  this  connection  and  with  this  train  of  thought,  just  re-read  the 
history  of  the  patient  treated  by  Dr.  Rabe. 


Homoeopathy.  147 


HOMOEOPATHY. 
By  Dr.  H.  G.  Glover,  Jackson,  Mich. 

Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 

This  paper,  as  you  will  soon  discover,  is  rather  discursive.  At 
least,  it  may  seem  so;  but  after  all,  every  great  subject  or  ques- 
tion is  more  or  less  intimately  connected  with  many  other  sub- 
jects. "One  touch  of  Nature  makes  the  whole  world  kin."  I  like 
to  have  men  speak  or  write  out  of  their  own  experience.  So,  if 
you  will  pardon  me,  I  shall  speak  out  of  mine.  Talking-  about 
oneself  is  not  just  the  same  thing-. 

Things  that  have  fixed  themselves  in  our  consciousness  as  Truths 
have  almost  invariably  come  through  the  triple  alembic  of  Heart 
Mind  and  Soul.  It  frequently  happens  that  we  for  a  long  time 
"See  through  a  glass  darkly,"  and  then,  suddenly  something 
clears  the  "wind-shield,"  and  things  look  different. 

We  stumble  along  through  life  feeling  quite  sure  in  our  hearts 
oftentimes  that  we  have  taken  the  right  by-path,  and  that  eventu- 
ally we  shall  arrive — and  finally  we  do.  Then  we  suddenly  be- 
come conscious  of  the  fact  that  the  route  over  which  we  have 
traveled  was  far  more  circuitous  than  we  had  planned,  or  even 
dreamed  that  it  would  be.  And  so,  by  "indirection,"  as  Polonius 
said,  "we  find  direction  out." 

I  began  the  study  of  medicine  and  Homoeopathy  when  I  was 
about  eighteen.  As  "De  Habitant,"  in  Drummond's  beautiful 
poem  says,  "Dat's  a  long  tarn  ago."  We  shall  not  be  too  partic- 
ular in  stating  just  how  long. 

At  that  time  I  did  not  even  know  the  meaning  of  the  word 
Homoeopathy.  It  just  so  happened — if  anything  ever  does  "hap- 
pen"— that  a  dear  friend  of  mine,  a  man  much  older  than  I, 
took  me  to  his  family  physician,  old  Doctor  Botsford,  of  Grand 
Rapids,  as  I  was  at  that  time  living  there. 

From  the  friend  and  from  the  good  old  doctor  I  got  my  first 
glimmerings  of  the  homoeopathic  method,  but  not  of  the  Great 
Central  Truth  of  Homoeopathy.  After  a  time — long  time  it  seems 
to  me — I  went  to  college — "Old  Hahnemann,"  of  Chicago.  What 
a  brilliant  lot  of  men  made  up  that  faculty !  I  say  that  advisedly, 
after  years  of  observation  of  the  medical  profession.     Among 


148  Homoeopathy. 

them  were  Hoyne  and  Rawkes,  true  homoeopaths,  and  so-called 
"high  potency"'  men.  From  these  men  I  learned  something  of 
the  Law  of  Similars,  and  of  how  to  select  the  "indicated"  remedy 
in  accordance  with  that  law.  In  the  Skin  and  Venereal  Clinic  of 
Hoyne,  and  the  General  Medical  Clinic  of  Hawkes,  I  saw  what 
could  be  done  with  the  single  remedy  and  the  minimum  dose. 
Soon  it  was  useless  to  tell  me,  it  was  "bottled  moonshine."  Later 
on,  after  my  graduation,  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  "win  out"  in 
a  competitive  examination  and  was  appointed  house  surgeon  for 
Hahnemann  Hospital.  Four  of  the  eight  departments  in  the 
hospital  were  under  my  supervision.  Among  these  were  the  two 
mentioned  above.  I  had  ample  opportunity  to  become  acquainted 
with  the  hospital  pharmacy  and  the  various  potencies  kept  in 
stock  there,  as  all  of  the  remedies  prescribed  for  my  depart- 
ments were  put  up  by  me.  So  you  see,  if  the  one  M.  was  pre- 
scribed, I  knew  positively  that  the  patient  got  that  potency.  Fre- 
quently in  the  departments  of  Hoyne  and  Hawkes  I  had  to  give 
the  higher  potencies.  I  had  a  fine  chance  to  watch  their  effect. 
Hoyne  had  a  way  of  prescribing  for,  say,  a  case  of  eczema — 
infantile  eczema.  Bad  cases  they  were,  too,  that  came  to  that 
clinic.  Graphites,  perhaps,  would  be  the  remedy.  It  would  be 
given  first  in  the  sixth  trituration — never  lower.  Xo  improve- 
ment. Then  the  twelfth.  No  improvement.  This  would  some- 
times— quite  frequently — go  on  until  the  one  M.  or  two  M. 
potency  was  reached.  Then  the  next  time  the  baby  was  brought  in 
a  murmur  of  surprise  at  the  great  improvement  would  go  all  over 
the  class. 

The  same  method  was  often  pursued  in  the  Medical  Clinic. 
It  often  worked  the  same,  too.  There  is  an  old,  old  saying, 
"Seeing  is  believing."  These  things  made  me  say  to  myself, 
"There  must  be  something  in  this  theory  of  the  dynamic  power 
in  drugs."  When  I  got  out  into  general  practice  I  did  not  for- 
get what  I  had  seen  in  the  clinics.  In  the  chronic  cases  par- 
ticularly I  used  the  higher  potencies  whenever  opportunity  pre- 
sented itself.  Frequently  I  made  very  satisfactory  hits.  I  recall 
one  case  of  twenty  years  ago  in  which  Causticum  200  cleaned 
up  an  obstinate  case  of  enuresis.  This  was  one  of  the  very  first 
cases  in  which  I  used,  on  my  own  responsibility,  the  higher 
potency. 


Homoeopathy.  149 

Now  don't  misunderstand  me.  I  am  not  an  exclusionist  in 
regard  to  the  potencies  or  anything  else.  Exclusivism,  par- 
ticularly in  our  method  of  practice,  is  a  sort  of  mental  dry  gan- 
grene. The  man  who  prescribes  the  first  dilution  or  even  the 
tincture  in  accordance  with  the  Law  is  just  as  good  a  homoeopath 
as  the  fellow  who  might  for  the  same  case  give  the  CM.  potency. 
But  the  chances  are  that  the  man  who  uses  either  the  high  or  the 
low  exclusively  will,  in  the  long  run,  be  "distanced"'  as  a  pre- 
server by  the  fellow  who  intelligently  and  carefully  uses  both. 
The  man  who  understands  the  use  of  all  of  the  tools  in  his  kit 
is  much  more  likely  to  be  an  all-around  good  workman  than  the 
fellow  who  understands  the  use  of  only  a  few. 

But  why  should  we  quibble  amongst  ourselves  over  the  question 
of  the  efficacy  of  the  higher  potencies  when  the  so-called  domi- 
nant school  is  daily  proving  in  the  laboratory  not  only  the  Law 
of  Similars  but  the  efficacy  of  the  high  attenuation  as  well? 
Myer  Solis-Cohen,  A.  B.,  M.  D.,  of  Philadelphia,  has  put  him- 
self on  record  in  the  Interstate  Medical  Journal,  March,  1914.  as 
to  "The  apparent  toxicity  of  the  infinitesimal  doses  of  Tuber- 
culin." I  quote  him.  "Accustomed  as  most  of  us  are  to  think  of 
Tuberculin  in  terms  of  thousandths,  hundredths  and  tenths  of  a 
milligram,  and  even  in  milligrams,  it  seems  incredible  that  clinical 
results  can  be  obtained  from  doses  so  small  as  one-billionth  and 
one  hundredth  of  a  billionth  of  a  milligram."  When  you  get 
home  sit  down  and  figure  that  out,  please — I  can't.  I  can  only 
call  your  attention  incidentally  to  the  fact  that  one  milligram  is 
approximately,  etc.,  etc.,  15/1000  of  a  grain.  Imagine,  if  you 
can,  one  billionth  of  this  quantity — and  then,  if  your  imagination 
is  still  in  working  order,  imagine  one  hundredth  of  a  billionth 
of  15/ioooth  of  a  grain.  Talk  about  "bottled  moonshine"  and 
star  dust  and  ether  vibrations  and  potentized  emanations  from 
the  magnet !  Why,  at  this  rate,  we  fellows  who  occasionally  give 
the  30th  or  200th  potency  will  be  soon  wallowing  in  a  sea  of 
materialism,  and  Hahnemann's  theory  of  the  spiritual  dynamis 
of  drugs  will  sound  coarse  and  crude. 

As  I  was  writing  this  paper  a  representative  for  P.  D.  &  Co. 
called  on  me.  The  pamphlet  I  hold  in  my  hand  was  among  those 
he  put  on  my  desk.  It  is  dated  March  23.  1916,  the  day  I  received 
it.     I  want  to  read  a  few  extracts  from  it. 


150  Homoeopathy. 

W.  B.  Cannon,  George  Higginson  Professor  of  Physiology  in 
Harvard,  in  his  valuable  book  of  last  year  on  the  "Bodily  Changes 
in  Pain,  Hunger,  Fear  and  Rage''  describes  a  very  delicate  labora- 
tory experiment  in  which  he  demonstrated  that  contraction  of  the 
longitudinal  muscles  of  the  intestine  could  be  inhibited — "notice- 
ably inhibited" — "by  Adrenin,  one  part  in  200  millions !"  A 
pretty  heavy  "cannon  shot"  that  for  the  "Old  School"  bulwarks. 
As  we  used  to  say  when  I  was  a  boy,  "How  is  that  for  high." 
Do  any  of  you  recall  the  alleged  "joke"  of  years  ago  about  putting 
a  grain  of  a  drug  in  Lake  Superior  and  taking  a  homoeopathic 
dose  out  of  Lake  Erie? 

And  "now  is  the  winter  of  our  discontent  made  glorious  sum- 
mer" by  Serums,  Vaccines,  Bacterines  and  Phylacogens.  Apropos 
of  this  I  quote  from  Cabot,  of  Harvard,  Case  Histories  in  Medi- 
cine, p.  276'.  "The  homoeopathic  principle,  'Similia  Simillibus 
Curantur'  and  the  minute  doses  still  used  by  a  minority  of  ho- 
moeopathic practitioners,  are  paralleled  closely  by  the  vaccine 
therapy  (especially  tuberculin  therapy)  which  has  come  into  vogue 
in  the  past  decade.  It  is  agreed,  as  it  seems  to  me,  by  most  of 
those  who  have  considered  the  facts,  that  the  homoeopathic  dogma 
is  sometimes  true.  On  the  other  hand,  most  honest  homoeopaths 
admit  that  since  in  many  instances  they  can  find  no  way  to  apply 
their  principle,  they  must  often  fall  back  on  the  use  of  ordinary 
drugs  in  the  ordinary  doses  used  as  the  rest  of  us  use  them — in- 
dependent of  any  dogma."  "A  Daniel  come  to  judgment!"  It 
is  quite  evident  that  the  excellent  and  intentionally  fair-minded 
doctor  still  has  something  to  learn — about  Homoeopath}-. 

Sometimes  when  I  think  of  our  friends,  the  enemy,  in  the  old 
days,  and  of  the)  scorn  and  derision  and  contumely  with  which 
the  homoeopath  was  regarded,  and  then  think  on  the  change  of 
attitude  of  the  present  time,  and  of  the  very  evident  desire  to  get 
us  all  well  herded  in  the  fold  of  the  A.  M.  A.,  I  am  reminded  of 
those  old  lines  of  Pope : 

"Vice  is  a  monster  of  such  horrid  mien 
As  to  be  hated  needs  but  to*  be  seen  ; 
Yet  seen  too  oft, — 'familiar  with  her  face. 
We  first  endure,  then  pity,  then  embrace." 

Or  of  Goldsmith's  line,  "And  those  who  came  to  scoff,  remained 
to  pray." 


- 


- 


-_  .  :r  5 


rty-tigiit.    Good 


-     . 


:  : 


Art  "make 


r  : :    :■ :    : :    -- 


152  Homoeopathy. 

the  moon,  than  such  a  homoeopath  !"  Dr.  Chas.  Mayo,  known  the 
world  over  as  a  surgeon,  recently  said  in  the  Clinical  Congress 
of  Surgeons  at  Boston — all  honor  to  him  for  his  candor  and 
honesty  in  saying  it — "We  (the  Old  School,  mind  you)  are 
proving  the  correctness  of  the  law.  Similia  Simillibus  Curantur,  as 
enunciated  by  Hahnemann.''  He  said  a  number  of  other  com- 
plimentary things,  but  the  above  is  quite  sufficient. 

Shall  zv e  then  barter  our  birthright  for  a  mess  of  pottage — and  a 
bad  mess  at  that? 

Shall  we  then  "sell  the  mighty  space  of  our  large  honors  for  so 
mucli  trash"  as  may  be  found  in  so  many  c.  c.'s  of  number  36 
or  number  47 — or  4-1 1-44 — as  you  choose? 

How  many  members  of  this  society  have,  within  the  past  de- 
cade, read  that  wonderful  defense  of  Homoeopathy  written  many 
years  ago  by  that  valiant  defender  of  the  faith  whose  sturdy 
frame  was  for  so  many  years  seen  on  the  streets  and  in  the  hall 
of  learning  of  this  beautiful  little  city — Dr.  Samuel  A.  Jones? 

Xo  matter  how  many  times  you  may  have  read  it.  I  urge  you, 
when  you  go  home,  to  read  again  "The  Grounds  of  a  Homoeo- 
path's Faith,"  and  go  from  the  reading  to  your  work  strength- 
ened, uplifted,  fortified.  I  am  well  aware  that  I  am  now  about 
to  tread  on  dangerous  ground.  Nevertheless  I  am  here  to  say. 
what  I  think — and  it  seems  to  me  that  in  the  medical  world  of  this 
country — which,  of  course,  means  the  dominant  school — all  the 
signs  of  the  times  point  to  the  fact  that  a  well  organized  move- 
ment is  on  foot — fathered  and  guided  and  controlled  by  schem- 
ing, conniving — I  had  almost  said  unscrupulous — seekers  after 
place  and  power  to  suppress  and,  in  a  measure,  subsidize  the 
medical  liberty  of  the  public  at  large,  and  establish  a  system  of 
medical  surveillance  and  monopoly  essentially  akin  to  the  spirit  of 
militarism  which  has  resulted  in  making  Europe  at  this  moment  a 
hell  of  horrors.  I  may  be  wrong  in  this.  I  sincerely  hope  I  am. 
But  if  I  am  not  wrong,  and  the  A.  M.  A.  keeps  on  absorbing  the 
members  of  our  school,  and  that  movement  ultimately  succeeds, 
where  will  the  homoeopath  come  in0  The  A.  M.  A.  will  then  be 
the  gigantic  pussy  who  has  eaten  the  canary — and  we'll  be  the 
canary,  or,  more  appropriately,  the  "jay" — in  the  most  derisive 
acceptance  of  the  term.    It  seems  to  me  that  never  so  much  as  now 


Homoeopathy.  1 53 

did  our  own  welfare  as  a  school  of  medicine  and  the  welfare  of 
humanity  at  large  demand  that  we  "stand  by  our  guns." 

In  this  audience  I  see  a  good  many  who  are  strangers  to  me — 
some  with  whom  I  am  slightly  acquainted — a  few  whom  I  have 
known  long  and  well.  Before  I  leave  the  floor  I  want  to  if  pos- 
sible put  myself  on  terms  of  closer  intimacy  with  you  all.  I  want 
to  know  the  present  day  homoeopaths  better — those  in  this  State 
particularly.  In  order  to  do  this  I  shall  have  to  give  you  a  few 
glimpses  of  the  kind  of  fellow  I  delude  myself  into  thinking 
I  am.  Was  it  Talleyrand  or  Rochefoucald  who  said  that  "lan- 
guage was  given  us  to  conceal  our  thoughts?"  No  matter.  I 
do  not  fully  agree  with  either  or  both  of  these  very  clever  men. 
Doubtless  some  of  our  thoughts  were  better  concealed.  However. 
I  much  doubt  the  possibility  of  concealing  them  through  the 
non-use  or  the  use  of  speech.  "As  a  man  thinketh  in  his  heart 
so  is  he."  And  "thoughts"  though  they  be  given  no  tongue,  will, 
like  murder,  "Speak  with  most  miraculous  organ."  This  may 
give  you  one  glimpse  of  me. 

I  believe  in  the  great  avatars,  whoever  they  may  be,  who  are 
constantly  in  the  vanguard  of  progress,  and  who  are  leading 
the  races  of  men  to  mental,  moral,  physical  and  spiritual  light, 
for  these  things  are  really  one. 

I  believe  with  the  great  bard  Tennyson  that  "Men  may  rise 
on  stepping-stones  of  their  dead  selves  to  higher  things."  I 
believe  with  Cowper  that  "God  made  the  country,  and  man  made 
the  town,"  and  you  can  judge  for  yourselves  which  is  the  better. 
I  believe  with  Bliss  Carman,  who,  in  my  opinion,  writes  the  best 
verse  of  any  living  English-speaking  poet,  that  aside  from  the 
moilers  and  toilers  in  the  great  cities — 

"There  be  others, — happier  few, 
The  vagabondish  sons  of  God 
Who  know  the  by-ways  and  the  flowers 
And  care  not  how  the  world  may  plod. 

"They  idle  through  the  traffic  lands 
And  loitre  through  the  woods  with  Spring, — 
To  them  the  glory  of  the  earth 
Is  but)  to  hear  a  blue-bird  sing." 

I  believe  that — 


154  Homoeopathy. 

"We  build  the  ladder  by  which  we  rise 
From  the  lowly  earth  to  the  vaulted  skies, 
And  we  mount  to  its  summit  round  by  round." 

I  believe,  and  often  say.  in  the  beautiful  language  of  Bums 
that  we  should — 

''Gently  scan  our  brother  man 

Still  gentlier  sister  woman ; 
For  though  they  gang  a  kennan  wrang, 

To  step  aside  is  human. 
One  point  must  still  be  greatly  dark — 

The  reason  why  they  do  it; 
And  just  as  lamely  can  ye  mark 

How  far  perhaps  they  rue  it." 

And  last,  but  by  no  means  least,  I  believe,  profoundly  believe, 
that  every  minutest  detail  of  this  wonderful  world  and  more 
wonderful  universe  in  which  we  live  and  move  and  have  our 
being  is  governed  by  law.  Many  of  these  laws  we  have  dis- 
covered or  MM-covered  and  formulated.  Not  the  least  of  them 
was  shown  to  us  by  the  immortal  Hahnemann  in  the  formula 
"Similia  simillibus  cur  ant  ur." 

I  believe  in  the  law  and  the  formula  as  thoroughly  and  pro- 
foundly as  it  is  possible  for  me  to  believe  in  anything.  I  believe 
in  it  through  having  personally  tested  it  during  an  active  practice 
covering  a  long  period  of  years. 

I  believe  in  it  as  operative  through  the  Mother  Tincture  or  the 
D.  M.  M.  potency.    I  have  used  both  in  my  practice. 

I  believe  in  the  men  who  make  up  the  great  army  of  practi- 
cians who  use  that  law.  The  constant  use  of  a  good  thing  reflects 
good  on  the  user.  This  may  be  one  of  the  reasons  why  ho- 
moeopathic doctors  are  almost  invariably  good  fellows.  All 
doctors  are  pretty  good  fellows  I  grow  more  and  more  to  believe, 
but  homceops.  are  damned  good  fellows.  If  you  don't  think  so 
look  around  you! 

You  see  I  am  patting  myself  on  the  back  a  little.  Now  that 
I  have  stated  some  of  my  "believes"  I  leave  it  to  you  to  judge 
whether  they  are  "bad  believes"  or  "good  believes." 

And  finally,  Mr.  President  and  members  of  this  society,  when 
at  the  end  the  summons  comes  for  me  to  join  the  innumerable 


A  Plea  for  More  Scientific  Presentation  of  Case  Reports.    155 

caravan  that  moves  to  the  pale  realms  of  shade,  I  want  to  go 
down  into  that  valley  of  the  shadow  declaring  to  the  last  my 
allegiance  to  that  storm-beaten  but  still  triumphant  banner  upon 
whose  folds  are  written  in  letters  of  living  light  these  immortal 
words — Similia  simiUibus  curantur. 


A  PLEA    FOR    A    MORE   SCIENTIFIC  PRESENTA- 
TION  OF   CASE   REPORTS,  AS  AN  AID  IN  THE 
ADVANCEMENT    OF    THE   INTERESTS  OF 
HOMOEOPATHY,  WITH   AN   ILLUSTRA- 
TIVE  CASE  IN   DEMONSTRATION. 

By  R.  F.  Rabe,  M.  D.,  616  Madison  Aye.,  N.  Y. 

For  many  years  Homoeopathy  gained  adherents,  both  lay  and 
professional,  through  the  numerous  case  reports  of  the  fre- 
quently remarkable  cures  it  is  capable  of  making.  The  many 
failures  of  old  school  therapy  were  cited  and  the  brilliant  suc- 
cesses of  the  law  of  similars  extolled  in  medical  journals  and 
by  word  of  mouth  in  medical  gatherings  far  and  wide.  Al- 
though it  is  true  that  the  majority  of  these  reports  were  con- 
vincing to  the  initiated,  it  must  be  conceded  that  many  could 
not  bear  the  light  of  modern  scientific  investigation  and  analysis. 

To-day  men  of  science  seek  facts  and  build  up  theories  after- 
wards, and  where  theories  do  not  harmonize  with  the  facts,  so 
much  the  worse  for  the  theories.  To  such  men  it  matters  not  at 
all  whether  the  law  of  Homoeopathy  be  involved  in  a  therapeutic 
measure  or  whether  the  latter  is  based  upon  some  other  law,  or 
none  at  all,  provided  that  such)  measure  is  in  accord  with  facts 
proved  to  be  true  and  is  logical  in  character. 

In  the  homoeopathic  school  of  medicine  case  reports  commonly 
take  on  one  or  two  forms,  either  they  assume  the  character  of 
dogmatic  assertion  unsupported  by  convincing  proof,  or  they  lay 
stress,  intentionally  or  not,  upon  symptom  verifications.  Where 
the  latter  is  emphasized,  such  reports  are  not  only  interesting,  but 
of  great  value  to  those  who  may  listen  to  them,  since  they  con- 
firm the  experience  of  others  with  the  remedies  employed  and 
strengthen  confidence  and  faith  in  their  use.  Under  such  circum- 
stances,  the   question  of   diagnosis   of   the   conditions   reported 


156  A  Plea  for  More  Scientific  Presentation  of  Case  Reports. 

cured  is  of  secondary  importance,  since  to  the  Hahnemannian 
the  main  point  is  not  which  particular  disease  entity  was  cured, 
but  the  fact  that  a  patient  was  cured  in  whom  certain  symptoms, 
the  counterpart  of  those  known  to  be  produced  by  a  certain 
drug,  were  caused  to  disappear. 

This  attitude  is  good  as  far  as  it  goes,  but  is  of  little  value 
to  men  who  are  trying  to  place  Homoeopathy  upon  a  sound  scien- 
tific basis.  Dr.  A.,  for  example,  may  report  a  most  interesting 
and  valuable  verification  of  Arsenicum  album,  say,  in  a  case,  of 
septicaemia,  but  unless  he  can  give  scientific  evidence  as  proof 
of  his  asserted  diagnosis,  such  as  the  identification  of  the  par- 
ticular micro-organisms  responsible  for  the  infection,  his  cure 
will  not  be  accepted  at  its  rightful  value  and  Homoeopathy  has  to 
this  extent  at  least,  been  deprived  of  an  opportunity  to  advance 
its  claims. 

Again,  Dr.  B.  may  report  an  instructive  case  of  aneurism  of 
the  thoracic  aorta,  apparently  cured  by  Baryta  carbonica.  He 
may,  in  his  presentation  of  the  case,  detail  good  Baryta  carbonica 
symptoms  which  no  one  can  dispute,  but  if  his  diagnostic  ability 
is  such  as  to  fail  to  command  the  confidence  of  others  no  one 
will  place  any  credence  in  his  statements,  or  any  value  upon  the 
supposed  cure. 

Yet  these  asserted  demonstrations  of  the  alleged  superiority 
of  homoeopathic  therapy  have  cluttered  our  literature  for  years 
and  in  reality  have  absolutely  no  value  as  scientific  evidence. 
One  swallow  does  not  make  a  summer,  and  similarly,  one  case 
proves  nothing.  Patients  get  well  without  medicines,  or  often  in 
spite  of  it.  Medicine  is  far  from  being  an  exact  science,  although 
Homoeopathy  in  its  rightful  sphere,  approaches  more  nearly  this 
condition,  than  any  other  therapeutic  method.  If  we  are  to 
advance,  nay,  more,  if  we  are  to  survive,  we  must  depart  from 
time-worn  methods  and  among  the  numerous  things  which  we 
must  do  is  the  necessity  for  scientific  demonstration  of  Ho- 
moeopathy in  our  clinical  reports,  and  these,  furthermore,  must 
be  presented  in  series  of  hundreds  and  not  as  isolated,  scattered 
examples  here  and  there. 

This  means  that,  for  the  most  part  at  least,  the  work  must  be 
done  by  our  homoeopathic  hospitals,  especially  by  those  in  the 
large  medical  centers,  such  as  New  York,  Boston,  Philadelphia, 


A  Plea  for  More  Scientific  Presentation  of  Case  Reports.    157 

Chicago,  etc.,  where  trained  men,  clinical  facilities  and  labora- 
tories of  diagnosis,  pathology,  bacteriology,  radiology,  chem- 
istry, etc.,  are  available. 

If  we  can  do  this,  it  is  certain  that  within  a  few  years  we 
shall  have  gone  a  long  way  toward  compelling  the  universal 
acceptance,  on  the  part  of  scientific  men,  of  our  fundamental 
principles.  Such  men  are  already  acknowledging  the  truth  of  our 
philosophy  and  are  reaching  out  for  confirmation;  it  is  for  us 
to  meet  them  more  than  half  way  and  convince  them  of  the  truth 
and  justice  of  our  claims. 

As  an  example  of  the  kind  of  case  reports  the  essayist  has 
in  mind,  the  following  is  in  all  modesty  presented,  although  not 
by  any  means  urged  as  a  finished  model 

On  November  23,  191 5,  the  writer  was  called  to  see  a  nineteen 
year  old  college  student  from  Ithaca  who,  as  a  result  of  failing 
health,  had  been  compelled  to  give  up  his  studies  and  enter  the 
college  infirmary.  While  under  the  treatment  of  one  of  the 
infirmary  or  college  physicians,  a  diagnosis  of  "intestinal  tox- 
aemia" and  "decided  chronic  colitis"  was  made.  After  each 
meal  a  small  pasty  stool  was  reported,  and  the  patient's  tem- 
perature ranged  from  96  °  to  980,  but  never  became  normal. 
The  opinion  was  expressed  by  the  physician,  in  a  letter  to  the 
boy's  foster  mother,  this  letter  being  now  in  the  essayist's  pos- 
session, that  it  would  be  some  two  weeks  before  the  boy  could 
be  cleared  of  intestinal  toxins,  and  that  it  would  "take  quite  a 
month  for  the  patient  to  get  at  all  in  reasonably  good  condi- 
tion, with  care." 

So  far  as  can  be  learned  the  treatment  was  supportive,  to- 
gether with  the  use  of  intestinal  antiseptics ;  but  the  boy  not  only 
failed  to  improve,  but  became  actually  worse.  It  was  then  that 
he  was  sent  home  and  came  under  the  writer's  care.  A  careful 
physical  examination  showed  the  area  of  cardiac  dullness  to 
extend  to  the  left  mamillary  line  with  the  cardiac  impulse  in  the 
same  line  and  fifth  intercostal  space.  No  adventitious  sounds 
were  present.  The  pulse  was  weak  and  rapid,  varying  consider- 
ably on  any  slight  physical  effort.  The  lungs  were  apparently 
normal,  and  there  was  no  enlargement  of  either  the  liver  or  the 
spleen.  No  swelling  of  any  of  the  lymphatic  glands  could  be 
detected.     The  pupils  were  dilated,  but  reacted  to  light  and  ac- 


158  A  Plea  for  More  Scientific  Presentation  of  Case  Reports. 

commodation.  The  patellar  reflexes  were  exaggerated.  The 
early  history  of  the  patient  was  negative,  except  for  malarial 
fever  some  four  years  ago,  controlled  by  quinine,  and  one  or 
two  recurrences  of  this,  again  checked  by  the  same  drug.  The 
boy's  mother  was  reported  to  have  died  of  nephritis  following 
an  attack  of  typhoid  fever.  The  symptoms  elicited  were  the 
following:  Feels  very  weak,  is  very  forgetful,  mind  seems  hazy, 
mental  concentration  difficult  so  that  he  studies  with  great  diffi- 
culty. Dull  pain  in  the  forehead,  especially  on  the  left  side. 
Vertigo  after  sitting  in  one  position,  or  after  reading,  and  then 
directing  his  gaze  at  some  other  object.  Dull  pain  in  the  abdo- 
men, more  on  the  right  side,  coming  on  about  thirty  minutes 
after  eating  and  lasting  about  an  hour.  Good  appetite;  bowels 
moving  two  or  three  times  a  day,  but  has  been  taking  -odium 
phosphate.  Temperature,  by  mouth,  constantly  and  persistently 
subnormal;  has  been  as  low  as  950,  but  is  never  above  980. 
Sweats  from  the  least  exertion  on  hands,  feet  and  in  the  axillae. 
The  sweat  feels  cold.  He  feels  cold  constantly,  particularly  his 
hands  and  feet;  has  to  wear  a  heavy  woolen  sweater  in  the 
house.  Is  losing  strength,  and  has  lost  twenty  pounds  in  weight 
in  about  three  weeks.  Is  short  of  breath  from  the  least  exer- 
tion, and  when  surprised  by  anything  unexpected.  Even  while 
sitting  still  his  breathing  is  labored.  Stools  were  constipated 
before  using  the  laxative  and  contained  mucus.  Has  not  felt 
well  since  the  latter  part  of  August,  191 5. 

An  examination  of  the  blood  was  now  made  and  the  report, 
dated  November  24,  191 5,  among  other  things,  showed  a  color 
index  of  0.80 ;  haemoglobin,  78  per  cent. ;  number  of  red  cells, 
4,428,000;  number  of  white  cells,  8,200.  In  the  differential 
leucocyte  count,  the  polynuclears  showed  70.5  per  cent. ;  small 
mononuclears,  23.8  per  cent.;  large  mononuclears,  4.1  per  cent.; 
eosinophiles,  1.6  per  cent.  The  Widal  reaction  for  typhoid  was 
negative.    A  small  number  of  plasmodia  malariae  was  found. 

An  analysis  of  the  urine  showed  nothing  but  a  high  specific 
gravity,  1030,  and  a  moderate  number  of  calcium  oxalate  crystals. 

The  examination  of  the  faeces  showed  a  large  amount  of  indol, 
a  gas  volume  of  105  per  cent.,  a  small  amount  of  skatol,  a  trace 
of  phenol1,  no  ova  or  parasites  and  a  moderately  high  unmber  of 
colon  bacilli. 


A  Plea  for  More  Scientific  Presentation  of  Case  Reports.    159 

The  diagnosis  was  secondary  anaemia,  due  to  chronic  malarial 
poisoning. 

With  the  symptoms  detailed  above,  no  one  of  our  well-proved 
remedies  seemed  to  agree,  so  that  by  a  process  of  exclusion, 
rather  than  by  direct  choice  on  symptomatic  grounds,  Malaria 
officinalis,  a  product  of  decaying  vegetable  matter  in  water,  was 
given  in  the  200th  potency,  four  times  each  day,  and  continued 
for  three  days.  An  immediate  improvement  was  manifested.  At 
the  end  of  eight  days,  the  morning  temperature  being  97.2 °,  one 
dosef  only  of  Malaria  officinalis  in  the  6000th  potency  was  given. 
Five  days  later  decided  improvement  was  noted,  with  a  tempera- 
ture mostly  normal,  but  never  lower  than  980.  Strength  and 
vigor  were  rapidly  returning.  Two  weeks  later  the  patient  pre- 
sented practically  no  symptoms.  One  dose  of  the  same  remedy 
in  the  50,000th  potency  was  given,  and  was  the  last  that  was 
required. 

On  January  19,  191 6,  less  than  two  months  after  the  previous 
examination  of  the  blood,  another  was  made  and  showed  a  gen- 
eral improvement  in  its  condition.  The  color  index  had  im- 
proved from  0.80  to  0.86 ;  the  haemoglobin  from  78  per  cent,  to 
84  per  cent. ;  the  number  of  red  cells  from  4.428,000  to  4,586,000; 
the  number  of  white  cells  had  decreased  from  8,200  to  7,252. 
In  the  differential  count  the  polynuclears  had  improved  from 
70.5  per  cent,  to  73.2  per  cent.,  and,  furthermore,  no  malarial 
Plasmodia  were  to  be  found.  Moreover,  the  patient  looked  well 
and  felt  well,  complaining  of  nothing,  was  able  to  return  to  col- 
lege, and  has  remained  well  since. 

Surely  this  interesting  case  is  of  value  as  a  concrete  demon- 
stration of  the  truth  of  the  law  of  similars  and  the  curative 
power  of  the  high  and  highest  potencies.  The  evidence,  it  seems 
to  the  writer,  is  conclusive  and  cannot  be  disputed  or  cast  aside. 
The  remedy  used,  Malaria  officinalis,  is.  to  be  sure,  not  a  poly- 
chrest,  and  needs  reproving,  development  and  further  verifica- 
tion. So  far  as  its  evident  power  to  cause  the  disappearance  of 
the  Plasmodium  of  malaria  is  concerned,  the  same  power  un- 
doubtedly belongs  to  any  remedy  which  is  homoeopathic  to  the 
symptoms  presented  by  any  other  malarial  case.  In  the  writer's 
own  experience  Natrum  muriatic  urn  has  done  the  same  thing 
when  chosen  according  to  the  law  of  similars.     Certainly  these 


160  The  Natrums. 

facts  have  an  important  place  in  any  demonstration  of  the  really 
scientific  nature  of  Homceopathy  and  must  be  of  aid  in  its  ad- 
vancement. 


THE  "NATRUMS."* 
By  Elmer  Schwartz,  M.  D.,  Chicago,  111. 

NATRUM  ARSENICUM. 

The  group  of  remedies  we  shall  discuss  will  be  Natrum  arseni- 
cum,  Natrum  carbonicum,  Natrum  muriaticum,  Natrum  phos- 
phoricum,  and  Natrum  sulphuricum.  The  first  three  somewhat 
resemble  each  other  in  their  generalities,  which  we  will  notice 
later. 

The  first  one  we  shall  discuss  will  be  Natrum  arsenicum,  which 
from  its  combination  of  elements,  should  be  of  great  value  in 
our  materia  medica.  We  all  know  that  its  general  characteristics 
will  resemble  in  a  measure  the  nature  of  the  elements  in  com- 
bination. 

We  all  know  the  nervousness,  the  excitability  and  sensitiveness 
of  Sodium,  and  we  also  know  of  the  extreme  restlessness,  anxiety 
and  fear  of  Arsenicum,  but  in  this  remedy  we  shall  have  to 
differentiate  quite  closely  to  be  able  to  bring  out  the  character- 
istic generalities,  which  will  enable  us  to  prescribe  it. 

These  patients  are  extremely  sensitive  to  cold  and  the  cold 
open  air,  yet  the  warm  open  air  gives  relief,  even  to  the  mental 
distress.  They  have  a  tendency  to  take  cold  and  are  affected  by 
the  cold  wet  weather. 

A  strong  feature  is  the  ansemia  and  weakness  associated  with 
dropsy  of  the  extremities ;  therefore,  they  are  distressed  on  as- 
cending stairs  or  from  exertion. 

Eating  causes  an  aggravation  generally,  and  such  things  eaten 
as  butter,  cold  foods,  fats,  fruits,  milk  and  pork  make  them  feel 
worse. 

As  we  find  in  the  Natrum  there  is  marked  physical  irritability 
and  weakness,  there  is  a  desire  to  lie  down,  although  this  often 
makes  the  patient  feel  worse,  still,  on  the  other  hand,  some  symp- 
toms are  made  worse  from  motion.  With  this  desire  to  lie  down 
there  seems  to  be  a  strong  aversion  to  motion. 


*Read  before  the  Regular  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society. 


The  Natrums.  161 

The  Nat.  arsenicum  patient  is  over-sensitive,  both  internally 
and  externally,  being  sensitive  as,  for  instance,  from  a  thunder 
storm;  has  electric  shocks  going  through  the  body. 

The  mental  distress  is  relieved  while  walking  in  the  open  air, 
but  the  physical  conditions  are  made  worse ;  thus,  for  this  reason 
we  see  that  he  wants  to  either  sit  or  lie  down,  for  his  aversion 
to  motion  is  no  doubt  due  to  him  being  made  worse  on  motion. 

Patients  whose  symptoms  call  for  this  remedy  have  their  good 
dispositions  so  disturbed  that  they  anger  at  trifling  things,  and 
become  furious  when  contradicted,  and  it  is  after  these  fits  of 
anger  that  he  becomes  worse. 

As  was  said  before  his  concentration  of  mind  is  better  in  the 
open  air  and  more  difficult  while  in  the  house.  He  is  so  disturbed 
mentally  that  he  is  over-conscientious  about  trifles ;  becomes  dis- 
contented and  discouraged,  and  at  times  way  down  in  the  depths 
of  despair.  Although  there  is  dullness  of  mind  and  mental  ex- 
ertion makes  him  feel  worse  he  is  very  easily  excited. 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  fear  entering  into  the  symptoms  of  this 
remedy,  such  as  fear  in  the  evening  on  going  to  bed,  or  when  in  a 
crowd ;  he  has  a  fear  of  some  impending  disease,  or  of  some  evil 
that  may  happen  to  him.  As  we  see  the  Natrum  ars.  individual 
is  easily  frightened  and  is  constantly  in  a  hurried  anxious  state. 

At  times  with  women  the  mind  is  very  active  and  ideas  abund- 
ant, but  more  frequently  there  is  irritability,  impatience  and  in- 
difference. An  aversion  to  most  everything  in  life  with  loathing 
of  life. 

She  becomes  quarrelsome,  is  restless,  especially  nights,  tossing 
with  anxious  restlessness. 

As  to  the  other  Nostrums  there  is  sensitiveness  to  noise,  being 
easily  startled. 

Natrum  ars.  is  a  very  deep  acting  remedy,  but  it  also  is  a  very 
difficult  remedy  to  study,  as  it  seems  to  affect  every  tissue  in  the 
body,  and  in  many  forms.  To  understand  it  is  to  prescribe  it 
when  indicated. 

NATRUM     CARBON  I  CUM. 

The  Natrum  carbonicum  patient  is  unable  to  resist  either  the 
cold  or  the  heat ;  he  is  sensitive  to  the  cold  and  heat,  is  chilly  and 
aggravated  by  the  least  draft,  and  requires  much  clothing  when  the 


162  The  X  at  rums. 

weather  is  cold  ;  yet  in  the  heat  of  summer  and  when  exposed 
to  the  sun's  rays  he  is  nearly  prostrated,  becomes  weak  and 
languid. 

They  are  aggravated  by  weather  changes  causing  their  di- 
gestive, rheumatic  and  gouty  troubles  to  become  accentuated. 

Like  its  sister  remedies  Nat.  ars.  and  Nat.  mur.,  it  shows  a 
nervous  tendency  even  to  extremes,  nervous  excitement,  palpita- 
tion and  trembling  associated  with  great  prostration  and  nervous 
weakness.  Nat.  carb.  is  so  sensitive  to  noise  that  the  slamming 
of  a  door  or  rattling  of  paper  causes  palpitation  and  other  nervous 
disturbances,  such  as  melancholia  and  irritability. 

Nat.  carb.  often  becomes  estranged  from  family  and  friends, 
showing  a  very  quarrelsome  nature,  even  having  an  aversion  to 
his  own  family,  friends  and  acquaintances. 

There  is  such  a  degree  of  sensitiveness  that  music  causes  weep- 
ing, melancholia,  and  sometimes  thoughts  of  suicide.  This  is  true 
in  a  measure  with  the  Natrum  family. 

Another  feature  quite  prominent  with  the  Nat.  carb.  patient 
is  his  capacity  for  generating  gas,  and  we  find  in  those  who  are 
old  dyspeptics  frequent  belching  and  a  sour  stomach. 

Xervous  exhaustion,  physical  exhaustion  and  weakness  of  mind 
and  body  are  strong  characteristics  of  the  Nat.  carb.  individual. 

A  point  well  to  remember  is  that  this  patient  is  better  after 
eating,  even  becomes  warm  after  eating  as  well  as  being  relieved 
from  his  pains.  His  all  gone  feeling  in  the  stomach,  which  causes 
hunger,  comes  on  about  an  hour  before  meal  times. 

I  have  tried  to  steer  clear  of  enumerating  classified  diseases, 
but  mention  the  nervous  tendencies,  the  eruptive  characteristics 
which  manifest  themselves  as  vesicles  or  herpes  on  the  skin  and 
mucous  membranes,  notably  on  the  lips,  hands,  feet,  fingers  and 
toes. 

NATRUM     MURIATICUM. 

Our  next  member  of  the  Natrum  family  is  Natrum  muriaticum. 
Our  texts  picture  this  remedy  as  one  whose  skin  is  shiny,  pale, 
waxy  and  looks  as  if  greased,  but  my  experience  does  not  always 
verify  this,  for  as  we  all  know  it  is  the  strange,  rare  and  peculiar 
symptoms  relating  to  the  whole  patient  that  give  the  indications 
for  the  remedy.     Nat.  mur.  patients  are  more  or  less  emaciated, 


The  X  at  rums. 

weak,  nervous,  prostrated  and  having  a  nervous  irritability  or  a 
weeping  mood. 

Hysteria  is  a  strong  feature  among  women,  weeping  and 
laughing,  even  to  prolonged  spasmodic  laughter,  which  is  usually 
followed  by  tearfulness  and  sadness. 

A  Natrum  mur.  individual  easily  takes  on  grief  and  will  even 
grieve  over  nothing.  They  love  to  recall  unpleasant  occurrences 
to  grieve  over  them,  and  usually  if  consoled  in  their  grief  become 
angered. 

Frequently  headaches  come  with  this  melancholia,  and  at  times 
walk  the  floors  raging  and  cursing. 

We  think  of  Ignatia  for  the  girl  with  unrequited  love,  but 
Nat.  mur.  has  this  characteristic  and  is  the  chronic  of  Ign.  in 
oases  of  this  kind. 

The  Nat.  mur.  patient  is  also  an  excitable  individual  and  is 
disturbed  by  excitement  and  is  extremely  emotional ;  her  whole 
nervous  economy  is  in  a  state  of  uneasiness  and  irritability,  noise, 
thunder,  the  slamming  of  a  door  and  sometimes  music  disturb 
her  very  much. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  Natrum  mar.  patient  is 
greatly  disturbed  by  excitement  and  is  extremely  emotional. 
Like  its  sister  remedy,  Nat.  carb.,  noise,  the  slamming  of  doors,  or 
sudden  noises,  and  sometimes  music,  cause  distress  of  this  highly 
sensitive  organism.  As  for  pains  they  are  stitching,  convulsive, 
jerking,  twitching  and  shooting,  entirely  harmonizing  with  this 
over-sensitive,  excitable,  emotional  and  intense  organism. 

A  strong  characteristic  is  that  complaints  are  worse  while  in- 
doors, especially  if  the  room  is  warm;  the  open  air  is  the  thing 
that  gives  relief.  It  is  to  be  observed  that  Natrum  carb. 
and  Nat.  mar.  both  have  a  general  nervous  tension,  but  one  is 
a  chilly  patient  and  the  other  usually  a  warm  blooded  individual, 
but  it  must  be  remembered  that  both  are  much  disturbed  by  being 
in  a  room  filled  with  people. 

The  skin  of  the  Natrum  mur.  patient  usually  looks  waxy  and 
dropsical ;  usually  there  is  much  emaciation ;  often  the  infant  looks 
prematurely  old.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  the  emaciation 
of  Nat.  mar.  takes  place  from  above  downward  (Lye). 

As  to  the  discharge  from  the  mucous  membranes  it  is  watery 
or  thick  and  white ;  the  skin  throws  out  its  vesicular  and  scalv 
eruptions. 


164  The  Natrums. 

When  it  comes  to  the  tissues  involved  in  a  Nat.  mur.  case  it 
should  be  remembered  that  all  structures  may  be  involved. 

The  pace  of  Nat.  mur.,  which  is  slow,  should  be  kept  in  mind, 
especially  when  dealing  with  chronic  complaints,  as  these  com- 
plaints usually  are  a  long  time  manifesting  themselves. 

Some  good  points  that  are  well  to  keep  in  mind  when  consider- 
ing Nat.  carb.  and  Nat.  mur.  in  chronic  complaints  are  the  extreme 
sensitiveness  of  both  remedies  to  the  extremes  of  temperature, 
both  heat  and  cold ;  the  extreme  weakness  that  comes  in  both 
Nat.  carb.  and  Nat.  mur.  from  the  heat  of  summer,  great  sus- 
ceptibility to  the  rays  of  the  sun.  The  relief  from  eating  in 
Nat.  carb.  usually  associated  with  a  great  deal  of  gas  and  an 
aggravation  from  cold  damp  weather,  should  be  kept  in  mind. 
If  I  remember  correctly  A'at.  mur.  is  not  disturbed  by  dampness. 

XATRUM   PHOSPHORICUM. 

Natrum  phosphoricum  brought  out  by  Schuessler — "It  is  a 
remedy  suitable  in  those  individuals  whose  nerves  are  all  upset 
from  excessive  mental  exertion  and  sexual  excesses.  There  is 
marked  ancemia  and  an  aversion  to  the  open  air,  being  agg. 
when  in  the  open  air,  which  is  a  strange  thing;  of  course,  there 
would  be  an  aggravation  from  a  draft  of  air  and  from  cold,  while 
there  is  a  tendency  to  the  frequent  taking  of  a  cold." 

Weather  changes  disturb  him  and  he  really  has  an  aversion 
to  bathing.  These  patients  have  many  symptoms  coming  on  after 
coition,  he  may  have  been  a  sexual  debauche.  Like  Nat.  carb. 
there  is  a  general  amelioration  after  eating. 

The  muscles  are  flabby  and  there  is  loss  of  flesh,  therefore, 
physical  exertion  naturally  makes  him  feel  worse.  While  he  is 
generally  better  after  eating  such  things  as  butter,  cold  drinks, 
cold  food,  fats  and  sour  things  disturb  him. 

This  individual  at  the  beginning  of  his  trouble  has  great  phy- 
sical irritability,  but  later  there  is  a  marked  lack  of  reaction. 

When  the  weather  is  hot  he  feels  a  lassitude  in  the  morning, 
a  constant  desire  to  lie  down,  sometimes  a  prolonged  weakness 
from  loss  of  fluids. 

Single  parts  become  numb;  there  are  orgasms  of  blood  and 
stitching,  tearing  pains  which  are  agg.  during  a  thunder  storm. 
Pulsation   takes   place   all   over   the   body   accompanied   with    a 
sensation  as  thousrh  a  shot  was  forced  through  the  arteries. 


The  Natrums.  165 

There  is  a  general  sensitiveness  also  to  pain,  As  with  Nat 
carb.  and  Nat.  mur.  there  is  a  general  aggravation  during  a 
thunder  storm,  he  trembles  during  a  thunder  storm. 

Remember  the  nervous  and  paralytic  weakness  that  is  worse 
in  the  morning  and  after  exertion. 

Nat.  phos.  individuals  anger  over  trifles,  and,  like  Staph.,  have 
complaints  from  vexation ;  they  are  anxious  at  night  while  in  bed 
and  have  a  fear  when  having  fever  about  the  future  and  about 
his  health. 

Company  he  does  not  like  because  his  concentration  is  weak 
and  he  becomes  confused. 

In  his  delusions,  which  are  frightful,  he  thinks  he  sees  the 
dead  or  hears  footsteps. 

Generally  he  is  discontented,  discouraged  and  easily  distracted 
when  he  attempts  to  read  he  finds  his  mind  is  not  up  to  par,  and 
this  mental  exertion  brings  on  many  complaints. 

We  think  of  him  as  a  very  excitable  fellow,  who  is  afraid  at 
night  of  different  things  that  he  imagines  are  going  to  happen  to 
him.    He  fears  bad  news,  is  very  easily  frightened  and  heedless. 

Always  in  a  hurry,  no  one  walks  fast  enough  to  suit  him. 
Sometimes  his  ideas  are  abundant  and  at  other  times  deficient  and 
sluggish. 

As  his  condition  progresses  he  becomes  indifferent  to  every- 
body, until  he  has  a  dread  of  either  mental  or  physical  work. 

We  look  upon  this  poor  individual  as  one  with  great  prostra- 
tion of  mind ;  yet  extremely  sensitive  to  noise,  music  and  to  his 
surroundings. 

He  finally  has  spells  of  stupefaction,  which  creep  over  him ;  he 
does  not  want  to  talk  for  his  thoughts  wander;  he  is  growing 
timid  and  bashful  and  weeps  and  seems  to  be  approaching  im- 
becility. 

With  what  you  have  of  these  two  elements,  Sodium  and  Phos- 
phorus, you  may  realize  that  it  affects  all  tissues  of  the  body  and 
in  various  ways.  The  general  characteristics  are  all  that  can  be 
brought  out  that  will  enable  the  prescriber  to  select  the  remedy 
judiciously. 

NATRUM    SULPHURICUM. 

It  is  left  to  Natrutn  sulph.  to  so  disturb  the  mind  and  fill  it 
with  direful  impulses  to  self-destruction,  hatred  and  revenge  so 
that  the  individual  is  unable  to  reason  out  his  affections.     He 


1 66  The  Natrums. 

must  reason  with  himself  whether  he  is  to  allow  himself  to  die.  or 
to  live.  This  condition  so  disturbs  him  that  he  spends  sleepless 
nights  because  all  through  the  day  he  has  been  fighting  hard  to 
resist  the  temptation  to  destroy  himself ;  he  thinks  he  wants  to 
die,  and  yet  he  doeen't  want  to  die. 

As  in  all  the  Natrums  every  noise  even  the  slightest,  causes 
distress,  such  as  the  crumpling  of  paper  or  even  the  piano  causes 
great  uneasiness. 

A  heated  room  causes  much  distress,  but  if  out  in  the  cool 
air  his  unnatural  impulses  pass  away.  There  is  such  sensitive- 
ness that  minor  strains  of^music  or  mellow  lights  cause  sadness 
as  in  Nat.  carb.,  Nat.  mur. 

The  Nat.  sulph.  is  generally  worse  in  the  morning  with  the  heat ; 
there  is  troublesome  palpitation  as  in  all  the  Natrums;  all  are 
worse  lying  on  the  left  side. 

Being  a  nervous  remedy  there  are  violent  pains  in  the  back  of 
the  neck  and  down  the  spine  as  in  the  sacrum. 

Nat.  sulph.  should  be  remembered  as  one  of  the  most  prominent 
of  the  anti-sycotics,  especially  for  inherited  sycosis. 

A  strong  feature  of  the  remedy  is  its  susceptibility  to  wet 
weather,  therefore,  it  is  useful  (when  indicated)  for  those  pa- 
tients who  live  near  bodies  of  water  and  have  been  subjected  to 
malarial  influences.  A  remedy  that  belongs  to  the  neuropathic 
and  bilious  constitution. 

There  is  great  sensitiveness  to  the  night  air  (Dulc),  there 
being  a  universal  catarrh  generally  with  discharges.  There  is  also 
sensitiveness  to  touch  and  pressure  and  an  over-sensitiveness 
mentally  and  physically,  being  very  sensitive  to  pain.  The  pains 
are  very  numerous,  which  are  all  better  from  motion,  sometimes 
associated  with  a  bruised  feeling  all  over. 

The  Nat.  sulph.  individual  has  a  strong  desire  for  the  open 
air,  and  is  relieved  while  walking  in  the  air;  he  is  sensitive  to  a 
warm  room,  although  there  are  some  Nat.  sulph.  patients  who 
are  sensitive  to  cold  and  must  be  clothed  warmly. 

Spring  seems  to  be  a  time  of  a  general  aggravation ;  also  warm 
weather  makes  him  feel  worse. 

With  this  nervous  patient  there  is  a  general  physical  restless- 
ness and  anxiety  often  associated  with  marked  weakness  and 
trembling  with  pulsations  and  a  rapid  heart. 

Nat.  sulph.  should  be  thought  of  in  those  patients  who  have 


Some  Interesting  Facts.  167 

received  injuries  to  the  head  or  spine;  convulsions  may  result 
from  injuries  to  the  head. 

Anxiety,  which  passes  off  after  eating  breakfast  or  at  night, 
while  in  bed,  or  an  anxiety  and  loathing  of  life  with  suicidal  im- 
pulses are  strong  mental  symptoms. 

The  Natrum  sulph.  individual  is  sad  and  irritable  in  the  morn- 
ing. There  are  many  kinds  of  complaints  and  numerous  pains 
associated  with  the  Nat.  sulph.  constitution,  for  these  we  do  not 
prescribe,  but  endeavor  to  grasp  the  totality  of  the  characteristic 
symptoms  regardless  of  classified  diseases.  There  are  many  other 
symptoms  that  might  be  brought  out  in  these  five  remedies  men- 
tioned, but  we  feel  that  the  main  characteristics  are  all  that  may 
be  retained  by  us  to-night. 


SOME   INTERESTING  FACTS. 
By  Eli  G.  Jones,  M.  D.,  879  W.  Ferry  St.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Dr.  W.  A.  Franklin,  Magnolia,  111.,  a  prominent  regular  phy- 
sician of  that  State,  writes  me  of  a  good  joke  his  little  daughter 
got  on  him.  She  said :  "Papa,  you  have  practiced  medicine  a 
good  while,  zvhen  are  you  going  to  be  a  doctor?"  This  dear  lit- 
tle girl  has  given  us  all  something  serious  to  think  about.  It  will 
apply  to  a  large  proportion  of  the  doctors  in  this  country.  The 
literal  meaning  of  the  word  doctor  is  a  'learned  man."  a  man 
learned  in  his  profession,  one  who  is  fitted  to  heal  the  sick.  Dear 
reader,  you  have  practiced  medicine  several  years,  when  are  you 
going  ta  be  a  doctor? 

Dr.  H.  R.  Edwards,  formerly  of  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  one  of  our 
bright  men,  and  an  excellent  prescriber,  is  now  a  member  of 
the  Army  Medical  Corps  Training  Depot,  No.  4  Montreal, 
Canada. 

Dr.  A.  O.  Reppeto,  Banks,  Oregon,  an  old  "War  Horse"  of 
the  Eclectic  School  of  Medicine,  writes  of  a  case  of  anaemia  he 
had.  A  lady  who  suffered  with  anaemia  and  palpitation  of  the 
heart  for  twenty  years.  The  doctor  prescribed  my  treatment  for 
this  condition,  Ferrum  3X,  three  tablets  once  in  three  hours,  in  al- 
ternation with  Digitalin  3X,  three  tablets  once  in  three  hours. 
In  three  weeks  the  lady  was  entirely  free  from  all  her  symp- 
toms. 


1 68  Some  Interesting  Facts. 

When  we  give  the  remedy  that  is  indicated  we  expect  results 
from  the  start,  and  we  generally  get  them.  How  much  better 
this  is  than  the  old1  "shot  gun"  practice,  that  never  hits  any- 
thing. How  often  it  happens  in  the  practice  of  a  physician  when 
he  has  a  critical  case,  he  zvorries  about  his  patient,  he  can't  rest 
nights.  When  he  goes  to  visit  his  patient  his  mind  is  full  of 
doubts  and  fears.  He  dreads  to  approach  the  house,  for  fear 
that  he  will  see  "crape  on  the  door."  Some  of  you  know  how 
it  is  yourselves.  How  different  is  the  experience  of  the  doctor 
who  knozvs  the  true  indications  of  remedies.  There  is  no  guess- 
work or  uncertainty,  but  the  practice  of  medicine  is  to  him  a 
constant  source  of  pleasure. 

A  physician  in  this  city  called  me  into  his  private  office  and 
introduced  me  to  a  lady  patient.  He  said :  "Doctor,  I  want  you 
to  read  this  lady's  pulse  and  tell  me  what  you  think  about  her. 
I  read  her  pulse  and  I  noticed  that  there  was  an  intermission  of 
the  pulsations  about  every  tenth  beat  of  the  artery.  I  said: 
"She  has  an  enlargement  of  some  internal  organ,  probably  the 
liver."  The  doctor  said :  "I  have  been  treating  her  liver  for  a 
month."  "Well,"  I  said,  "the  pulse  shows  me  that  she  is  get- 
ting the  curative  effects  of  your  remedy,  for  the  intermissions 
of  the  pulse  are  fainter  and  further  apart/3 

This  lady  complained  of  redness  of  right  ear,  it  bums  after 
she  gets  in  bed.  That  indicated  indigestion  and  Natrum  phos. 
3x  is  the  remedy   for  it. 

A  case  of  syphilis  is  presented  to  me  for  treatment.  The 
doctor  has  prescribed  a  vegetable  compound  to  cure  the  disease. 
In  reading  the  tongue,  I  noticed  a  fissure  (perpendicular),  be- 
ginning at  back  part  of  tongue,  and  extending  half  zvay  down 
the  tongue.  I  said :  "The  tongue  shows  that  the  patient  has 
been  loaded  up  with  Mercury.  The  first  thing  you  have  to  do 
is  to  neutralize  the  effects  of  the  Mercury  with  Iodide  potash, 
five  grains,  three  times  a  day.  After  a  few  days  on  this  rem- 
edy, I  would  give  him : 

5.     F.  E.   Berberis  Aqui    ffl.jy. 

Tr.   Corydalis    ffi.Jss. 

Alcohol   Jss. 

Aqua q.  s.  oj. 


Some  Interesting  Facts.  169 

Mix.    Sig.    Tablespoonful  four  times  a  day. 

This  is  the  remedy  he  needs  to  cure  the  syphilis.  It  improves 
the  appetite,  removes  the  cutaneous  eruptions.  Relieves  the  sore- 
ness of  the  throat.  It  makes  the  patient  feel  better  every  way. 
He  will  feel  so  much  better  in  a  month  that  it  will  be  hard  to  get 
him  to  continue  the  treatment,  for  he  will  think  that  he  is  cured. 
It  is  best  to  continue  the  remedy  until  all  the  symptoms  of  the 
disease  have  disappeared. 

Lac  caninum  is  sometimes  indicated  in  sore  throat,  diphtheria 
and  quinsy.  When  both  pain  and  membrane  shift  from  side  to 
side,  there  is  stiffness  of  the  neck  and  tongue,  profuse  saliva,  ach- 
ing in  limbs,  the  throat  feels  as  if  it  was  burned  razv,  it  may  be 
prescribed  in  30X.  I  had  a  patient  that  complained  of  soreness 
through  the  chest,  with  a  severe  dry  cough.  This  cough  seemed 
as  if  she  would  cough  her  insides  out.  Worse  in  the  morning. 
Tr.  Penthorum  3X  is  the  remedy,  ten  drops  once  in  two  hours. 
A  patient  complains  of  a  teasing  cough,  with  much  wheezing, 
Kali  mur.  3X  was  the  remedy  indicated,  three  tablets  once  in  two 
hours. 

In  nasal  polypus,  accompanied  with  a  putrid  smell  in  the  nose, 
or  a  loss  of  all  sense  of  smell,  and  a  putrid  taste  in  the  mouth, 
early  in  the  morning,  a  dropping  down  of  mucus  in  the  back  of 
the  throat,  Tr.  Lemna  minor  3X  is  the  remedy,  five  drops  once 
in  three  hours. 

A  "regular"  physician  visited  me  a  few  years  ago  from  Grand 
Rapids,  Michigan.  He  sat  in  my  office  for  two  hours  and  told 
me  of  the  very  many  splendid  cures  he  had  made  from  the  rem- 
edies mentioned  in  my  writings.  I  call  to  mind  one  case  he  men- 
tioned:  The  patient  has  been  the  rounds  of  the  doctors.  There 
was  weakness  of  hands,  everything  falling  from  the  hands.  He 
gave  Tr.  Bovista  3X,  twenty  drops  in  half  a  glass  of  water,  tea- 
spoonful  every  half  hour. 

A  young  lady  is  irregular  in  her  menstruation,  she  often  goes 
two  or  three  months  without  her  monthly  period.  The  Eclectics 
depend  upon  Senecio  (life  root)  in  such  cases  and  they  call  it 
the  "female  regulator,"  and  they  give  in  ten  drop  doses  of  the 
tincture,  once  in  three  hours.  Among  the  "Tissue  Remedies" 
Kali  phos.  is  the  remedy  for  irregularity  of  the  monthly  periods. 


Some  Interesting  Facts. 


I  had  in  the  above  case  prescribed  the  two  remedies  in  alternation 
and  they  did  the  work,  for  she  ''came  round"  regularly  each 
month. 

A  lady  has  rheumatic  pain  in  one  of  her  knees,  it  is  not  swelled 
and  there  is  not  discoloration  of  the  skin.  Kali  mnr.  3X  is  the 
remedy  she  needs,  three  tablets,  once  in  two  hours. 

I  have  had  some  Homoeopathic  physicians  write  to  me  about 
their  own  case,  and  they  asked  me  to  prescribe  for  them.  I 
studied  over  their  case  and  outlined  a  plan  of  treatment  for  them, 
but  because  the  remedies  were  not  prescribed  according  to  the 
law  of  Hahnemann,  they  would  not  take  the  remedies.  Ye  gods ! 
if  I  was  doubled  up  with  the  colic  and  a  doctor  prescribed  a  rem- 
edy for  me  that  would  cure  me  I  zvoul'dn't  care  a  rap  whether 
it  was  prescribed  according  to  the  law  of  Hahnemann,  Brown  or 
Smith.  I  would  say  to  him,  "Get  busy  and  cure  this  pain."  I 
want  the  remedy  that  will  cure  my  patient,  I  don't  care  a  rap 
zvhere  it  comes  from  or  who  has  used  it.  In  this  progressive  age 
of  the  world's  history,  no  physician  can  afford  to  plead  ignorance 
of  the  most  common  remedies  of  our  school  of  medicine. 

I  thank  God  that  I  am  a  free  man,  and  not  tied  down  to  any 
man's  dogma,  or  any  man's  system  of  therapeutics.  I  have  the 
whole  field  of  medical  science  to  browse  round  in. 

"I  know  my  power  for  /  have  learned  from  many  teachers."  It 
looks  so  silly  to  me  to  see  doctors  of  different  schools  of  medi- 
cine looking  cross-eyed  at  each  other.  Life  is  so  short,  and  the 
length  of  time  between  the  cradle  and  the  grave  seems  only  a 
little  time,  why  should  we  quarrel  among  ourselves  and  abuse 
each  other  ?  We  are  all  trying  to  do  the  best  we  can  for  the  sick, 
according  to  the  light  we  have,  judging  from  the  results  of  the 
treatment  of  some  of  our  doctors.  Their  lamps  smoke,  they  need 
trimming.  When  we  can  help  a  brother  physician  to  be  a  better 
physician,  when  we  are  helping  him  to  do  more  for  the  sick  than 
he  has  been  doing,  we  are  doing  God's  work !  It  means  the  less- 
ening of  mortality,  the  saving  of  human  life.  The  best  years  of 
my  life  have  been  given  to  the  work  of  bringing  about  a  more 
kindly  feeling  between  the  doctors  of  the  different  schools  of 
medicine.     I  feel  confident  that  my  work  has  not  been  in  vain-. 

Mark  Twain  was  spending  the  summer  down  on  the  coast  of 
Maine.  He  asked  an  old  fisherman  ''if  they  had  any  Osteopaths 
in  that  harbor?'' 


Single  Symptoms.  [71 

The  old  man  scratched  his  head  and  replied,  "I  have  been  fish- 
ing- on  this  coast  nigh  on  to  forty  years,  but  I  never  heard  of  any 
such  a  fish  as  that."  In  the  evening  he  was  telling  his  wife  about 
it.  She  said,  "You  old  fool,  don't  you  know  that  an  Osteopath 
ain't  a  fish,  it's  a  bird !" 


SINGLE   SYMPTOM.* 
By  Jas.  B.  Bell,  M.  D.,  Augusta,  Me.,  1865. 

The  value  of  single  symptoms  as  characeristics  has,  until 
recently,  been  but  little  appreciated,  except  by  some  of  the  great 
artists  of  our  school. 

With  the  revival  of  pure  homoeopathic  art,  which  is  now  evi- 
dent among  us,  more  attention  is  given  to  things  wholly  insignifi- 
cant to  the  "progressive''  homceopathist. 

Clinical  experience  is  the  chief  test  of  the  comparative  value  of 
symptoms,  showing  which  are  characteristic  or  individual,  and 
which  only  generic. 

Bcenninghausen  suggests  another,  which  may  prove  of  much 
value,  viz. :  Those  symptoms  which,  in  proving,  appear  latest, 
after  the  last  dose  of  the  medicine.  He  credits  the  original  sug- 
gestion to  the  "genial  C.  Hering." 

A  few  cases  bringing*  out  characteristics  by  clinical  observations 
are  offered. 

Fred.  C,  aged  eighteen  months,  strong,  active,  well  developed, 
blonde,  has  severe  pneumonia.  Aeon,  200  in  water,  during  two 
days,  and  Bry.  200,  during  two  days  more,  seem  to  do  little  more 
than  to  palliate,  and  perhaps  shorten  the  first  stage,  leaving  the 
case  at  the  end  of  four  days  as  follows :  Right  lung  wholly  hepa- 
tized,  except  the  summit,  as  shown  by  entire  dulness  on  per- 
cussion ;  loud  bronchial  breathing ;  no  vesicular  murmur ;  distress- 
ing short,  dry  cough,  in  frequent  paroxysms :  breathing  much 
oppressed ;  skin  cool ;  tongue  white ;  but  little  thirst ;  slept  with 
eyes  partially  closed ;  moaned  much  in  sleep,  and  rolled  his  head 
much  from  side  to  side — more  when  coughing.  Intelligence  not 
disturbed.    Sulph.  200,  in  water,  during  twenty-four  hours,  pro- 


reprinted  by  request.     Copy  supplied  by  Dr.  S.  C.  Guild-Legget. 


172  Single  Symptoms. 

duced  no  change  and  no  signs  of  resolution.  The  case  was  get- 
ting serious;  the  child  was  sinking.  Giving  up  the  pathological 
idea  of  Wurmb  upon  which  Sulphur  was  given,  I  sought  for  the 
characteristics  of  the  case,  and  a  corresponding  remedy.  I  fell 
upon  Williamson's  "rolling  of  the  head  .during  difficult  dentition,'* 
under  Podophyllum,  which  also  has  "moaning  in  the  sleep  with 
eyelids  half  closed."  Trusting  to  this  fail  thread,  it  was  given, 
Pod.  30,  in  water,  every  three  hours.  Before  the  third  dose 
was  taken,  resolution  was  complete  in  the  whole  lung;  the  wel- 
come crackling  was  everywhere  to  be  heard,  and  the  symptom 
was  gone.    The  recovery  was  rapid.  : 

S.,  boy,  age  three  years,  phlegmatic,  fat.  Mother  called  and 
said  the  boy  had  a  high  fever ;  was  restless,  thirsty,  had  some  dry 
cough.  Sent  Aeon.  200,  and  would  call  in  twelve  hours.  Found 
the  child  much  worse.  Lay  propped  up  in  bed,  seemingly  half 
asleep,  with  eyelids  half  closed,  and  occasionally  moaning.  On 
waking,  he  began  to  cough,  rolling  his  head  from  side  to  side. 
Cough  was  dry,  skin  hot,  face  flushed,  sensorium  clear.  The  child 
had  been  much  exposed  to  the  sharp  winter  air,  and  it  was  so 
obvious  a  case  of  pneumonia  in  the  first  stage,  that  no  ausculta- 
tion was  made. 

Leaving  crude  pathology  alone  this  time,  and  trusting  to  the 
peculiar  and  characteristic  symptoms,  I  gave  at  once  Pod.  200,  in 
water,  every  three  hours.  Calling  in  twenty-four  hours  I  found 
the  boy  convalescent.  The  symptoms  were  removed,  and  with 
them  the  whole  disease  process. 

I  have  since  verified  these  symptoms  of  Podophyllum,  in  many 
cases,  otherwise  totally  unlike  the  above,  as  regards  the  organs 
implicated. 

The  rolling  of  the  head  must  exist  with  the  moaning  in  the 
sleep  with  the  eyelids  half  closed. 

When  either  symptom  occurs  alone,  other  remedies  are  indi- 
cated. 

Another  is  in  the  rolling  of  the  head  and  the  biting  of  the 
night  dress,  or  other  objects,  sometimes  seen  in  cases  of  infantile 
diarrhoea. 

These  cases  confirm  the  teaching  that  the  art  of  curing  has 
nothing  to  do  with  the  names  of  the  diseases,  or  with  the  names  of 
the  organs  diseased.  And  that  therapeutics  and  diagnostics  (in 
non-surgical  diseases)   are  distinct  sciences. 


Single  Symptoms.  173 

The  organism  has  "strange  characteristics  and  peculiar"  ex- 
pressions in  every  disease  state,  over  and  above  the  general  ex- 
pressions or  symptoms. 

Thereby  Hahnemann's  own  directions  are  to  guide  us  in  the 
selection  of  the  one  remedy  ,from  a  group  having  the  generic 
symptoms. 

The  characteristics,  then,  of  the  different  remedies,  when  surely 
verified,  become  exceedingly  precious. 

They  are  most  valuable  gifts  to  impart  one  to  another. 

By  means  of  Dr.  Lippe's  verified  symptom  of  Kali  bichr,, 
"Sharp  stitches  in  the  left  ear,"  etc.,  I  have  quickly  cured  three 
cases  of  diphtheria. 

Dr.  Guernsey's  symptoms  of  Magn.  mur.,  "Stool  crumbling  as 
soon  as  it  comes  to  the  verge  of  the  anus;"  of  Sepia,  "Bearing 
down,  causing  her  to  cross  her  legs  to  keep  the  organs  in ;"  of 
Conium,  "the  urine  flows,  stops  and  flows  again;"  "Leucorrhoea 
flowing  after  micturition,"  and  others,  have  been  of  great  service 
in  many  chronic  cases. 

In  the  hope  that  others  will  do  likewise,  a  few  carefully  veri- 
fied characteristics  are  contributed. 

Senega:  Sensation  of  trembling,  with  no  visible  trembling. 
Soreness  of  the  walls  of  the  chest  on  moving  the  arms,  particu- 
larly the  left.     Burning  pain  about  the  heart. 

Lobelia  inf.:  Xausea,  wrorse  at  night,  and  after  sleeping;  re- 
lieved by  a  little  food  or  drink. 

Gelsemium  nit.:  Fever  without  thirst.  Wants  to  lie  still  and 
rest,  particularly  with  inflamed  tonsils,  beginning  on  the  right 
side. 

Lachesis:  Thinks  she  is  dead  (in  typhoid),  and  that  prepara- 
tions are  making  for  the  funeral,  or  that  she  is  nearly  dead,  and 
wishes  someone  would  help  her  off. 

Magn.  carb.:  Stools  like  scum  of  a  frog  pond;  green  and 
frothy. 

Baptisia  tinct.:  She  cannot  go  to  sleep  (in  typhoid)  because 
she  cannot  get  herself  together.  Her  head  feels  as  though  scat- 
tered about,  and  she  tosses  about  the  bed  to  get  the  pieces  to- 
gether.    (Hahnemannian  Monthly.  Vol.  I.,   1866.) 


174  Shall  We  Discard  the  Forceps? 

SHALL  WE   DISCARD  THE   FORCEPS? 

Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 

I  have  been  reading-  an  article  this  morning  from  the  pen  of  a 
physician  away  out  West,  in  another  medical  publication,  on 
the  bad  results  from  the  use  of  the  forceps.  He  says :  "If  this 
paper  accomplishes  nothing  but  the  awakening  of  the  family 
physician  to  a  realization  of  the  dreadful  trauma  he  usually 
inflicts  on  the  brain  of  the  unborn  child  when  he  applies  the 
forceps,  the  time  will  have  been  well  spent.  Certainly  he  will 
never  again  put  on  the  forceps  to  economize  time.  The  cases 
of  epilepsy,  defects  and  insanity  due  to  forceps  are  almost  beyond 
calculation.  From  a  careful  study  of  a  large  number  of  brains 
traumatized  by  the  use  of  forceps,  I  am  persuaded  that  a  Caesarean 
section  in  preference  to  a  high  forceps  delivery  is  conservative 
surgery." 

I  believe  that  is  the  most  remarkable  and  unreasonable  state- 
ment I  have  ever  heard  of.  Farther  on  he  states :  "The  senior 
members  here  can  remember  that  in  after  years  these  cases  de- 
veloped fits,  developed  mental  aberrations  that  get  them  into 
trouble  with  society.  The  fact  is  the  child  has  a  scar  on  its  brain 
due  to  trauma."  To  my  way  of  thinking  after  almost  twenty- 
four  years  of  experience,  the  forceps  when  properly  used,  and 
if  proper  forceps,  are  a  God-send  to  humanity.  If  used  promptly 
and  carefully  and  forceps  of  a  proper  pattern,  the  dire  results  he 
mentions  will  be  extremely  rare,  if  ever. 

I  believe  danger  from  a  Caesarean  section  to  both  mother  and 
child  at  time  of  delivery  and  future  weakening  of  the  mother's 
constitution  outweighs  the  proper  use  of  forceps  thousands  of 
times. 

I  believe  forceps  are  often  blamed  for  injuries  they  are  not 
responsible  for.  Years  ago  I  adopted  a  rule  that  where  the  labor 
was  at  a  standstill  for  two  hours  forceps  should  be  used.  The 
longer  I  follow  this  little  rule  of  my  own  the  better  satisfied 
I  am  with  it.  I  cannot  say  how  many  cases  of  confinement  I 
have  attended  in  the  last  twenty-four  years.  It  certainly  runs 
into  the  hundreds,  but  I  have  never  had  the  death  of  a  mother, 
either  at  the  time,  or  as  a  result  of  the  confinement.    There  have 


Shall  We  Discard  the  Forceps/ 


- 


been  exactly  four  babies  in  that  length  of  time   which   I   have 
not  been  able  to  get  to  breathe,  and  every  one  of  them  were  breech 
presentations.     In  addition  to  the  four,  I  did  a  craneotomy  on  a 
dead   child   more   than   twenty   years   ago,   where   I    was    called 
in  by  a  brother  physician  after  a  midwife  had  given  up  the  case 
after  a  two  days'  vigil.    Possibly  I  have  used  the  forceps  well  on 
to  a  hundred  times.     Had  I  done  a  Caesarean  section  in  each  of 
these  cases  could  I  show  as  good  results?    Regarding  the  craneot- 
omy I  mention :  Although  the  mother  recovered,  I  believe  now 
with  my  riper  experience  that  if  I  had  it  to  do  again,  I  would 
probably  do  a  Caesarean  section.     I  know  a  physician  who  seldom 
has  less  than  four  still-born  babies  in  any  year.     His  rule  is  to 
use   forceps   if   labor   is  at  a   standstill   for   twenty-four  hours. 
That,  in  my  opinion,  is  too  long  a  time  to  delay.     I  believe  more 
harm  is  done  to  both  mother  and  child,  even  though  the  child 
lives,  by  the  prolonged  pressure  on  the  head,  than  by  the  pressure 
of   the   forceps   for   a    few   minutes.      If   the   forceps   are   used 
promptly  the  head  is  soft  and  pliable  and  gives  readily.    The  ma- 
ternal parts  give  readily,  and  there  are  many  times  less  danger 
of  a  laceration.     My  experience  is  that  the  longer  you  delay  the 
use  of  the  forceps  after  two  hours'  waiting  the  surer  you  are 
of  maternal  lacerations.     One  of  the  first  purchases  I  made  after 
my  graduation  away  back  in  1893   was  a  Pair  of  Hodge  forceps. 
Nothing  could  have  persuaded  me  to  buy  anything  else  than 
Hodge  forceps.    A  dearly  loved  professor,  although  not  a  teacher 
of  obstetrics,  never  lost  an  opportunity  to  digress  from  his  lecture 
to  laud  the  Hodge  forceps.     For  eight  years  I  used  those  cruel, 
cruel  instruments.     That  is  I  used  them  when  I  could  not  get 
out  of  it.     When  I  heard  other  physicians  talk  about  a  forceps 
delivery  and  mention  that  they  did  not  have  the  slightest  lacera- 
tion I  branded  them  as  liars.     Did  I  not  have  Hodge  forceps? 
Were  they  not  the  best  in  the  world?     Wras  I  not  careful?     I 
always  had  a  bad  laceration,  how  could  such  a  thing-  be  avoided? 
It  looked  to  be  impossible  to  me. 

Sixteen  years  ago  a  friend  made  me  a  present  of  a  nice  new 
obstetric  bag.  I  was  very  proud  of  it.  Alas !  it  was  too  short 
for  my  beloved  Hodge  forceps.  I  wrote  to  the  instrument  maker 
for  a  pair  of  Elliot  forceps,  giving  the  length  of  the  new  bag, 
and  saying  to  not  send  them  unless  they  would  go  into  a  bag 


176  Ferrum  Picrate  in  Hernia. 

that  size.  They  took  the  liberty  to  send  me  a  pair  of  Simpson 
forceps,  saying  that  the  Elliot  forceps  were  too  long  for  my  bag, 
and  to  return  the  Simpson  forceps  if  I  did  not  like  them.  I  was 
too  busy  that  day  to  return  them,  and  early  next  morning  was 
called  to  a  case.  I  had  in  the  meantime  sold  my  Hodge  forceps 
and  took  the  new  Simpson  forceps  with  me  to  the  case.  It  was  a 
bad  one,  and  I  had  to  use  the  forceps.  I  felt  sure  that  I  would 
have  a  bad  laceration,  and  told  the  husband  so.  What  was  my 
surprise  to  not  have  the  slightest  sign  of  a  laceration.  I  kept 
those  forceps  and  a  laceration  is  indeed  a  rare  occurrence  in  my 
practice.  Undoubtedly  it  was  the  Hodge  forceps  which  caused 
my  lacerations.  Now  I  am  not  afraid  to  use  forceps.  Of  course, 
there  may  be,  and  undoubtedly  are,  physicians  who  are  base 
enough  to  use  forceps  to  save  time.  I  have  never  done  that  and 
have  no  respect  for  one  who  will.  When  necessary  I  consider 
the  judicious  use  of  forceps  a  far  less  danger  to  both  mother 
and  child  than  the  delayed  use  of  them.  As  far  as  permanent  in- 
jury to  the  child  from  use  of  forceps  in  delivery  is  concerned,  I 
have  never  known  of  such  a  case  or  heard  of  an  authentic  in- 
stance of  it. 

My  advice  is :  Have  a  pair  of  good,  safe  forceps.  I  prefer 
Simpsons,  but  there  may  be  others  just  as  good.  Do  not  be  afraid 
to  use  them  when  necessary,  and  use  them  promptly  and  carefully. 
Never  use  them  so  that  you  can  get  away.    That  is  criminal. 

E.  P.  Cuthbert,  M.  D. 

Evans  City,  Pa. 


FERRUM   PICRATE   IN   HERNIA. 

Editor  of  the  Homceopathic  Recorder. 

I  wrote  you  several  weeks  ago  [see  March  Recorder,  page  12] 
of  my  virgin'  experience  with  Ferrum  picrate  in  the  case  of  an 
aged  patient,  Mr.  L.  A.  Edmiston,  of  this  city.  I  have  just  come 
in  from  seeing  him.  He  says  the  right  sided  hernia  is  cured. 
As  the  remedy  had  no  apparent  effect  on  that  on  the  left  side  I 
some  days  ago  gave  him  Picrotoxine  3X.  This  A.  M.  he  says 
the  left  side  is  wonderfully  improved,  but  that  he  has  vertigo 
so  bad  that  he  fears  to  stand  on  his  feet  without  a  firm  support. 


A  Note  from  Old  Kentucky.  177 

I  gave  him  Sac.  lac,  and  hope  to  get  a  good  report  soon.     His 
daughter  says  he  is  doing  fine. 

Chas.  E.  Johnson,  M.  D. 
Sherman,  Texas,  208*^  N.  Travis   St. 


A  NOTE   FROM   OLD   KENTUCKY. 

Editor  of  the  Homozopathic  Recorder. 

I  feel  constrained  to  say  a  few  words  for  your  journal.  I  have 
been  a  reader  of  it  for  several  years  and  find  that  it  deals  with 
matters  and  facts  that  the  busy  doctor  needs.  We  need  some- 
thing practical  and  that  will  give  us  aid  and  help  out  in  our  pre- 
scribing. I  dropped  into  Homoeopathy  over  twenty-five  years 
ago,  and  the  longer  I  live  and  prescribe  remedies  the  more  I  am 
convinced  of  its  merits.  When  I  get  right  down  to  close  taking 
of  a  case,  and  dig  out  the  indicated  remedies,  I  never  fail  to  get 
good  results  and  that  quickly. 

I  wish  to  refer  to  a  man  whom  I  have  the  pleasure  of  knowing 
quite  well,  and  he  is  a  jewel  when  it  conies  to  prescribing;  his 
manner  of  reading  the  pulse  and  the  tongue  is  simply  little 
short  of  marvelous.  I  trust  you  will  keep  him  busy  with  his 
correspondence,  as  I  am  sure  that  he  is  a  Moses  when  it  comes 
to  leading  us  to  the  indicated  remedy.  I  refer  to  Dr.  Eli  G. 
Jones,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  I  hope  to  have  him  with  me  this 
summer;  he  has  the  experience  that  every  doctor  needs,  and  I 
hope  to  have  some  good  reports  to  make  after  his  visit. 

I  wish  to  relate  a  case  in  hand,  that  gave  me  still  more  con- 
fidence in  our  remedies  in  cases  of  emergencies :  A  child  6 
years  of  age,  girl,  daughter  of  prominent  attorney,  fell  into  a  tub 
of  hot  water,  scalding  her  left  arm  from  shoulder  to  wrist,  her 
left  side  and  back,  both  buttocks  and  left  leg  to  knee,  the  skin 
slipping  off  entirely  from  these  surfaces.  I  saw  the  case  within 
twenty  minutes  after  the  accident.  Her  mother  had  removed 
the  clothing  and  with  it  the  skin.  The  child  was  very  nervous 
and  suffering  intensely.  I  gave  her  at  once  Cantharis  6x  and 
then  adjusted  the  parts  with  sterate  of  zinc.  The  shock  was 
almost  nil,  and  the  pain  has  never  been  a  factor  since  she  took 
the  first  dose  of  Cantharis.    Being  of  a  very  nervous  disposition 


178  Cyanide  of  Mercury. 

she  suffered  with  electric  shocks  at  night,  and  would  dream  of 
falling  into  water.     For  this  I  gave  Belladonna  30X. 

Again,  I  repeat,  keep  Dr.  Jones  "on  the  job,"  and  I  will  promise 
you  some  good  homoeopathic  cures  this  summer. 

M.  Dills,  M.  D. 

Carlisle,  Ky. 

CYANIDE   OF  MERCURY. 

Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 

The  following  account  of  the  effects  of  Cyanide  of  mercury  is 
abridged  from  the  Real  Lexicon,  published  by  the  disciples  of 
Hahnemann  in  Leipzig  in  1837.  It  was  discovered  by  Scheele. 
It  acts  as  a  violent  irritant  upon  the  animal  economy;  in  large 
doses  destructively.  Its  action  is  especially  apparent  in  the 
glandular,  lymphatic  and  nervous  systems  at  the  same  time. 
Ittner  saw  two  grains  cause  restlessness,  nausea  and  trembling 
in  a  dog.  Oliver  d'Angers  gave  a  small  dog  seven  grains.  In 
five  minutes  she  retched,  fell  upon  her  side  with  alternate  jerk- 
ings  and  flaccidity,  rapid  breathing  and  heart  action,  succeeded  by 
very  slow  thoracic  and  circulatory  movements.  Three  grains  in- 
jected in  the  cellular  tissues  of  the  thigh  of  a  dog  in  three  minutes 
caused  violent  retching  and  violent  convulsive  jerks.  This  condi- 
tion alternately  interrupted  by  great  relaxation,  lasted  three- 
fourths  of  an  hour.  Haff  a  grain  injected  into  the  jugular  vein 
of  a  young  dog  acted  with  so  sudden  a  violence  that  the  animal 
gave  a  loud  cry  and  fell  upon  its  side,  when  light  jerkings  began. 
Respiration  was  deep  and  very  slow,  the  heart  beat  only  32  per 
minute;  this  slowness  grew  until  death  followed.  Post  mortem 
showed  bloodless  crepitant  lung  tissues  and  the  heart  flaccid. 

According  to  Kapeler  a  man  took  23^2  grains  with  suicidal  in- 
tent. Profuse  bloody  vomiting,  copious  diarrhoea  and  violent  ab- 
dominal colic  quickly  ensued.  After  four  days  Kapeler  found 
him  lying  upon  his  side  with  a  serious  facial  expression,  staring 
eyes  and  reddened  conjunctiva.  The  scrotum  and  priapismic 
penis  were  dark  blue.  He  had  violent  headache  and  a  strong, 
vigorous  heart  beat.  The  pulse  was  somewhat  slow  but  full  and 
hard ;  some  cough.  The  lips,  tongue  and  inner  cheeks  were 
strewn  with  numerous  small  ulcers  covered  by  a  whitish  gray 


Morphine  and  Opium  Habit.  179 

mass;  with  much  thirst,  swelling  of  the  salivary  glands,  profuse 
flow  of  saliva  from  the  mouth,  difficult  deglutition,  nausea,  con- 
stant retching  and  vomiting  after  every  drink :  continuous  urging 
to  stool  with  tenesmus  but  infrequent  stools  only,  which,  however, 
were  mixed  with  blood;  retained  urine.  After  eight  days  gen- 
eral weakness,  frequent  faints,  jerking  limbs,  stupefaction,  pulse 
weak,  urine  still  suppressed,  finally  hiccough  and  death. 

Post  mortem  after  twenty  hours.  Limbs  stiff  and  contracted, 
little  blood  in  heart.  Clotted  blood  in  rear.  Jaws  tightly  closed. 
Inner  cheeks  and  gums  covered  with  grayish  ulcers,  tongue  en- 
larged, the  edges  ulcerated  and  covered  with  an  adherent  grayish, 
thick  rough  coating.  In  the  oesophagus  was  a  red  spot  the  size 
of  a  dollar,  etc. 

It  is  more  than  likely  that  this,  as  probably  the  earliest  sum- 
marized account  of  its  action,  was  what  led  to  the  use  of  Cyanide 
of  mercury  in  the  celebrated  case  of  Dr.  Yillears  and  its  conse- 
quent introduction  into  the  homoeopathic  treatment  of  diphtheria. 
Some  years  ago  I  cured  a  case  of  croupous  enteritis  with  this 
drug. 

It  is  also  worthy  of  note  that  these  victims  were  prone  to  lie  upon 
the  side,  and  that  the  symptoms  showed  alternate  spasm  and 
relaxation.    The  significant  symptoms  are  italicized. 

C.  M.  Roger,  M.  D. 

Parkersburg,  W.  Va. 


MORPHINE  AND  OPIUM   HABIT. 

Editor  of  the  Homceopathic  Recorder. 

Having  read  in  the  Recorder,  also  three  or  four  months  ago 
in  the  Journal  of  the  American  Association  of  Progressive  Medi- 
cine, of  the  use  of  Tr.  Aven  asativa  in  the  morphine  habit,  it  may 
not  be  out  of  place  to  say  that  I  discovered  the  usefulness  of 
Avena  sativa  in  curing  all  cases  of  this  dreadful  habit  way  back 
in  1875-6.  In  brief,  I  had  my  patients  reduce  the  quantity  of 
morphine  daily  one-half.  My  first  patient,  seven  years  in  this 
worst  slavery,  took  twelve  grains  of  morphine  daily.  She  was 
commanded  to  take  only  six  grains  the  first  day  of  treatment,  the 
next  day  three  grains,   the  next  one-half   grain,   the   following 


180  Biochemistry  for  Dr.  Pitts'  Patient. 

day  three-fourth  grain,  the  next  three-eighth  grain,  and  so  on. 
She  took  from  ten  to  thirty  drops  of  Avena  sativa  in  hot  water, 
the  quantity  and  frequency  of  dose  according  to  nervous  dis- 
turbance; in  cold  water  during  the  night,  as  required.  In  hot 
water  it  acts  more  rapidly.  I  have  also  found  Avena  very  help- 
ful in  the  drinking  habit.  And  to  quiet  the  nervous  state  in  all 
female  diseases  I  found  nothing  better,  after  which  the  indicated 
remedy  could  and  would  cure  each  case,  where,  without  the 
Avena,  the  same  medicine  would  be  useless. 

E.  H.  M.  Sells,  M.  D. 
137  W.  94th  St.,  New  York  City. 


BIOCHEMISTRY  FOR  DR.  PITTS'   PATIENT. 

Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder, 

From  the  point  of  the  Biochemist  (according  to  the  late  Dr. 
Schuessler)  the  first  remedy  to  be  selected  in  the  presented  case 
of  Dr.  S.  O.  Pitts,  Alda,  Xeb.,  must  be  Kali  sulf.  6x  for  the 
following  reasons: 

(1)  Heaviness,  weariness,  vertigo. 

(2)  Caiarrhalic  condition  of  yellow  secret. 

(3)  Yellow  color  of  skin  and  face. 

(4)  Indigestion. 

The  next  remedy  to  Kali  sulf.  eventually  to  be  given  will  be 
Nat.  mur.  6x. 

The  final  step  will  be  after  Kali  sulf.  and  eventually  Nat.  mur. 
have  been  exhausted — to  choose  either  Calc.  phos.  or  Kali  phos. 
(both  6x  also). 

Of  the  remedies  the  patient  should  take  about  5-10  grs.  three 
times  a  day. 

Very  truly, 

E.   VONDERGOLTZ. 

205  E.  72nd  St.,  New  York. 


Specialists'  Department. 

THE  SPECIALISTS'  DEPARTMENT. 


EDITED   BY  CLIFFORD   MITCHELL,   M     D. 

25  East  Washington  St.,  Chicago,  111. 

THERAPEUTIC  NOTES. 

Cardiovascular  Stimulants. — Dr,  Fritz  C.  Askenstedt,  of  L 

ville,  in  an  article  in  the    Kentucky    Medical    Journal,    for  July 
1st.  1916,  .summarizes  his  experience  as  follows: 

"Recent  clinical  research,  with  its  more  accurate  means  for  ob- 
servation, leads  us  to  the  inevitable  conclusion  that  among  the 
digitalis  allies  are  to  be  found  the  most  effective  cardiac  remedies. 
Among  these,  digitalis  stands  out  as  a  therapeutic  giant — a  power- 
ful friend  when  rightly  used,  and  a  most  dangerous  enemy  when 
its  powers  are  misused.  Its  virtue  does  not  seem  to  lie  alone  in 
vagus  stimulation  for  here  aconite  excels  it:  nor  in  myocardial 
excitation,  in  which  the  action  of  helleborein  is  almost  wholly 
spent;  but  probably  in  a  peculiar  dynamic  effect  exerted  directly 
upon  the  muscle  fibres  of  the  heart. 

Of  the  heteregeneous  group  not  belonging  to  the  digitalis  series 
few  drugs  have  proven  themselves  actually  worthy  of  the  designa- 
tion cardiovascular  stimulants.  The  stimulating  effect  of  atropine 
is  transient  and  uncertain,  and  as  for  the  rest,  the  nitrites  ex- 
cepted, positive  results  are  proving  the  exception  rather  than  the 
rule.  It  must  be  admitted,  however,  that  many  beneficial  results 
may  escape  the  physical  tests  employed,  and  that  the  occasional 
effects  observed  should  teach  us  a  more  careful  individualization 
of  cases  before  treatment  i;  begun,  and  a  closer  scrutiny  of  re- 
sults thereafter. 

Regulation  of  rest  and  diet,  increasing  the  blood-pressm- 
an irritant  upon  the  skin,  or  lowering  it  by  spinal   concu- 
flushing  of  the  capillaries  by  dilatation  of  the  rectal  sphincters. 
resuscitation  by  stimulation  of  the  olfactories,  intelligent  use  of 
heat  and  cold,  these  are  some  of  the  measures   in  many 
more  prompt  and  effective  in  cardiac  emergency  than  the  V: 
the-wisp'  action  of  some  of  the  reputed  heart  stimulants.*" 


182  Specialists'  Department. 

Frequency  of  Urination  in  Women. — A  subject  we  are  all  in- 
terested in  because  of  the  obscure  etiology  is  frequency  of  urina- 
tion in  women.  Xot  seldom  the  writer  is  obliged  to  report  no  ab- 
normal findings  in  the  urine  of  a  woman  who  is  urgently  seeking 
relief  from  a  most  annoying  frequency.  Among  the  urinary 
causes  are,  of  course,  extreme  variations  in  acidity  and  alkalinity, 
but  when  these  are  absent  and  other  urinary  findings  nil  the 
cause  must  be  sought  for  elsewhere.  Every  one  should  read  an 
excellent  summary  of  the  etiology  of  frequency  in  women,  by 
Dr.  W.  A.  Newman  Dorland,  author  of  the  familiar  Borland's 
Medical  Dictionary.  In  the  Urologic  and  Cutaneous  Review, 
Volume  XX.,  Number  it,  1916.  Dr.  Dorland,  after  a  careful 
•study,  holds  the  following  causes  in  order  of  frequency  respon- 
sible for  the  trouble : 

I.  Pregnancy.  C  Pressure.)  II.  Pericystic  conditions. 
(Edema  bullosum.)  III.  Hyperemia  of  the  bladder.  (Drugs, 
foods,  congestions,  masturbation,  uterine  diseases.)  IV.  Cys- 
titis. (Colon  Bacillus.)  V.  Relaxation  of  the  vaginal  sphincter. 
(Multipara?.)  VI.  Tuberculosis  of  the  bladder.  (Blood.) 
VII.  Neurotic  conditions.  (Hysteria,  etc.)  VIII.  Urethritis. 
(Gonorrhea.)  IX.  Urethral  tumors.  (Caruncle,  etc.)  X. 
Stone  in  the  bladder. 

The  above  is  a  good  ''working"  list  for  the  general  practitioner. 
In  cases  not  of  pregnancy  the  pericystic  conditions  are  most  often 
overlooked  by  the  doctor.  Frequency  of  urination  in  women  is 
likely  to  be  due  to  pressure  upon  the  bladder  by  exudates,  peri- 
toneal or  parametric,  to  pus  tubes,  large  pelvic  hematoceles,  small 
cervical  or  larger  uterine  myomata.  tumors  of  the  adnexa,  or  the 
cervix  of  a  retroflexed  uterus.  The  results  of  pressure  on  the 
bladder  wall  may  be  an  edema  of  the  mucosa,  the  so-called  edema 
imllosum  of  Kolischer. 

Weak  Spermatozoa. — From  a  reprint  sent  us  b>  Dr.  Lespinasse, 
•of  Chicago,  we  cull  the  following  conclusions.  (Extract  from 
paper  read  at  Detroit  meeting  of  the  A.  M.  A.)  : 

"Many  cases  of  sterility  attributed  to  the  woman  are  due  to 
weak  spermatozoa. 

"This  type  n\  case  can  be  diagnosed  by  careful  examination 
of  the  semen. 


Specialists'  Department.  183 

"The  cause  of  sterility  is  as  often  in  the  male  as  in  the  female, 
if  not  oftener. 

"Treatment  depends  entirely  on  the  cause. 

"Obstructive  cases,  male  or  female,  are  operative. 

"Weak  sperm  cases  would  indicate  direct  uterine  insemination 
and  glandular  therapy,  diet,  modes  of  life.  etc. 

"Secretion  cases  necessitate  appropriate  therapy  to  check  or 
modify  the  destructive  secretions. 

"Nonproduction  of  the  essential  elements,  namely,  spermatozoa 
or  ova.  would  indicate  glandular  therapy." 

When  Not  to  Operate  on  the  Prostate. — In  the  Lancet-Clinic  for 
March  nth,  1916,  we  read  an  excellent  article  by  Dr.  Barnett  ad- 
vising against  prostatic  operation  under  the  following  circum- 
stances:  I.  When  the  specific  gravity  of  the  urine  is  below  1016; 
II.  when  the  renal  functional  test  is  low;  III.  when  the  urine  is* 
highly  acid  or  alkaline;  IV.  when  residual  urine  has  just  been; 
withdrawn ;  V.  when  the  bowels  are  distended  with  gas ;  VI.  after 
suprapubic  cystotomy  for  retention. 

The  advice  not  to  operate  when  the  specific  gravity  of  the  urine 
is  below  1016  does  not,  of  course,  contemplate  such  cases  as  we 
have  frequently  complained  about  in  these  pages  where  the  pa- 
tient makes  a  "tank"  of  himself  in  order  to  "flush  out  the  kid- 
neys." The  analyst  of  urine  is  not  a  fireman  and  has  no  need  for 
large  volumes  of  water,  but,  rather,  the  contrary.  Urine  for  ex- 
amination should  be  small  in  24  hours'  volume.  If  the  patient  not 
drinking  more  than  is  necessary  for  the  quenching  of  ordinary- 
thirst  passes  urine  habitually  of  specific  gravity  below  1016  then 
the  advice  of  Barnett  is  conservative.  But  in  these  days  of  kid- 
ney flushing  the  passing  of  a  gallon  or  so  of  urine  in  24  hours  of 
specific  gravity  below  1016  is  not  of  significance,  since  it  simply 
means  that  that  the  patient  does  not  know  any  better  than  to  fur- 
nish water  for  analysis  instead  of  urine. 

The  fact  that  it  may  be  a  good  thing  for  the  patient  to  flush 
the  kidneys  is  no  reason  why  he  should  drink  a  gallon  of  water 
when  collecting  his  24  hours'  urine  for  analysis. 

"Acidosis"  in  Nose.  Throat,  and  Chest  Affections. — We  are  help- 
ing cases  which  our  good  friends,  the  nose  and  throat  men.  send 
us  by  looking  after  the  titration  acidity  of  the  urine,  and  for  the 
presence  of  small  amounts  of  sugar  not  recognized  by  <o-ealled 


184  Specialists'  Department. 

''rough  testing."  In  a  case  recently  seen  where  chronic  cough 
had  troubled  a  young  woman  for  several  years,  we  found  a  high 
titration  acidity  and  cured  the  cough  with  French  Vichy  water 
and  bicarbonate  of  soda  in  thirty  grain  doses,  several  times  daily. 
We  are  pleased  to  notice  that  Kekoff  who,  by  the  way,  is  not  a 
foot  ball  star,  as  his  name  might  suggest,  but  a  brainy  medical 
man,  is  helping  hay  fever  sufferers  right  and  left  with  soda  bi- 
carb. It  will  pay  those  who  treat  hay  fever  to  read  his  article  in 
the  Neiu  York  Medical  Journal.  He  gives  the  drug  in  60  grain 
doses  three  times  daily. 

In  estimating  the  titration  acidity  of  urine  some  regard  must 
be  had  to  the  specific  gravity.  We  naturally  find  a  high  acidity  in 
many  cases  in  which  the  specific  gravity  is  well  above  1020.  But 
it  is  in  the  cases  where  the  acidity  is  above  20  degrees  in  urines 
of  specific  gravity  not  much  above  1020  and  especially  in  those 
of  specific  gravity  below  it,  where  the  soda  comes  in.  Also,  of 
course,  in  cases  in  which  the  specific  gravity  being  high  the  acid- 
ity is  above  fifty  degrees.  We  saw  a  case  recently  in  which  the 
acidity  was  150  degrees  with  specific  gravity  1035.  Such  cases 
urgently  call  for  alkali. 

Another  matter  sometimes  puzzling  to  nose  and  throat  men  is 
the  extreme  dryness  of  the  throat  complained  of  by  certain  pa- 
tients. In  such  cases  by  a  specially  careful  sugar  test  we  may  find 
reduction  after  thorough  boiling  of  the  test  liquid  and  the  urine. 
We  help  such  patients  speedily  by  curtailing  their  supply  of 
sweets.  The  starches,  as  a  rule,  need  not  be  diminished  below  the 
ordinary  amount  used  as  food,  when  only  a  slight  reduction  is 
noticed. 

An  Unusual  Specimen  of  Urine.— Through  the  kindness  of  Dr. 
E.  A.  McBurney,  of  Chicago,  we  were  favored  with  the  examina- 
tion of  a  most  unusual  specimen  of  urine.  The  patient  was  a 
married  woman  whose  24  hours'  urine  measured  only  280  c.c, 
of  specific  gravity  1035.  cloudy  from  deposited  urates  The 
acidity  was  150  degrees,  that  is  ten  c.c.  of  the  urine  required  fif- 
teen c.c.  of  decinormal  soda  solution  to  neutralize  it.  Urea  and 
ammonia  were  fairly  high  in  percentage,  but  the  unusual  feature 
of  all  was  the  per  cent,  of  phosphoric  anhydride,  the  latter  being 
0.66  per  cent.,  or  1.84  gramme  per  24  hours.  The  occurrence  of 
nearly  two  grammes  of  phosphoric  anhydride  in  only  280  c.c.  of 


Specialists'  Department.  185 

urine  is,  in  the  writer's  experience,  unique.  Repeated  titrations 
agreed,  the  indicator  used  being  ferrocyanide,  and  the  solution 
uranium  nitrate,  Merck's  guaranteed  reagent.  The  condition 
was  apparently  acute  renal  hyperemia,  albumin  and  casts  being 
found  in  the  urine. 

America's  Special  Problem  in  Eugenics. — That  spicy  writer,  Dr. 
G.  Frank  Lydston,  of  Chicago,  "has  very  little  use''  for  mis- 
cegenation. In  a  reprint  recently  received  from  him  he  advocates 
sterilizing  both  parties,  black  and  white,  who  have  sex  relations 
with  one  another.  He  declares  that  the  sexual  relation  of  blacks 
and  whites  threatens  the  country  with  degeneration  and  decay. 

Treatment  of  Sciatica. — An  interesting  article  on  the  obscure 
causes  of  sciatica  is  to  be  found  in  a  recent  number  of  the  Pa- 
cific Coast  Journal  of  Homoeopathy.  The  writer  contends  that 
citrus  fruits  are  the  cause  of  much  sciatica  on  the  Coast.  Speak- 
ing of  treatment  of  sciatica  we  observe  that  hypodermic  injec- 
tions of  quinine  and  urea  hydrochloride  are  being  used.  An 
article  by  Gartner  in  the  Atlantic  Journal-Record  may  be  read  with 
interest  in  connection  with  this  new  form  of  treatment. 

Permanganate  in  Uremia. — In  suppression  of  urine  with  con- 
vulsions potassium  permanganate  hypodermically  has  been  used 
with  claimed  success.  One  c.c.  of  one  per  cent,  solution  is  used 
by  Davidson,  described  in  the  London  Lancet. 


OLD  VERIFICATIONS. 

Berberis  vulgaris:  Soreness  and  tenderness  of  the  renal  region, 
<  by  the  least  jar  or^  pressure;  tearing  pains  in  the  back,  extend- 
ing down  ureters  and  shooting  into  hips. 

Magnesia  phosph.:  Choreic  patient:  talking  to  herself  almost 
constantly,  or  sitting  still  in  moody  silence,  or  carrying  things 
from  one  place  to  another  and  then  back  again. 

Aloes:  Chronic  stomatitis  ulcerosa  and  chronic  diarrhoea;  no 
appetite,  poor  digestion,  emaciation,  ten  to  twenty  stools  daily  for 
a  year;  when  desire  comes  she  cannot  wait;  usually  <  in  the 
latter  part  of  night  and  early  morning,  of  a  jelly-like  mucus  and 
always  with  a  great  amount  of  flatus. 

Acetic  acid:   Great  thirst,  profuse  urine  and  marked  debility. 

Cundurango :  Cracks  in  the  corners  of  the  mouth. 


Homoeopathic    Recorder 

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EDITORIAL   NOTES   AND    COMMENTS. 

A  New  Journal. — There  comes  to  hand  the  first  issue  of 
Tijdschrift  van  Vereeniging  van  homoeopathische,  Geneesheeren 
in  Nederland.  The  address  is  Oudenrijn,  Holland.  Edi- 
tors, Dr.  D.  K.  Munting,  of  Amsterdam,  and  Dr.  J.  N.  Voor- 
hoeve,  of  Oudenrijn.  We  sincerely  hope  that  this  journalistic 
venture  will  be  successful,  that  our  exchange  copy  will  not  be 
sent  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  and  that  the  Tijdschrift  will  not 
meet  with  the  fate  that  overtook  the  Journal  Beige  de  Homceo- 
pathie. 

Stramonium  the  Remedy  for  Infantile  Paralysis. — Dr.  M.  M. 
Fleagle,  of  Hanover,  Pa.,  read  a  paper  on  this  remedy  before 
the  Penna.  State  Society  (Hahnemannian  Monthly,  Feb.)  In  it 
he  stated :  "I  fully  believe  that  if  Stramonium  were  prescribed 
instead  of  routine  Belladonna  or  Gehemium,  we  would  save 
many  more  lives."  He  contended  that  Stramonium  is  a  deep 
acting  drug,  and  infantile  paralysis  is  really  a  constitutional 
trouble.     It  will  be  well  to  bear  this  hint  in  mind. 

Swat  Not. — From  Kansas,  the  land  of  grasshoppers  and  re- 
formers, the  land  of  corn,  where  everyone  gets  rich,  yet  where 
you  have  to  smuggle  in  the  spirit  of  the  corn,  came  the  slogan, 
"Swat  the  Fly."  But  now  comes  Dr.  Herman  Hornig,  addressing 
the  Philadelphia  Charity,  who  says  that  when  you  swat  the  fly 
you  merely  smear  his  germs  over  the  landscape.  He  says,  cage 
the  fly  and  starve  him.  Some  think  the  fly  is  a  minute  buzzard, 
and  it  is  known  that  no  carrion  no  buzzard. 


Editorial  187 

A  Calculation. — The  conclusion  is  that  man  doesn't  want  truth, 
he  wants  only  something  to  back  up  his  own  ideas.  We  ran  into 
a  bunch  of  allopathic  laymen  the  other  day.  The  row  started 
by  the  recitation  of  their  own  and  their  families'  ills.  The 
treatment  was  enough  to  make  a  good  homoeopath  shed  tears. 
It  was,  to  use  the  favorite  word  of  young  misses,  awful.  One 
incident.  A  friend  of  one  had  gangrene  and  an  amputation,  fol- 
lowed by  successive  amputations  until  both  legs  were  off  nearly- 
to  the  hips,  and  death  ended  the  matter.  We  said  that  a  phy- 
sician who  understood  Homoeopathy  could  have  stopped  it  in 
the  beginning.  Then  the  storm  broke.  They  denied  that  Ho- 
moeopathy could  have  done  anything  of  the  kind !  Were  not 
their  physicians  the'  real  thing !  Didn't  they  know  more  than  all 
the  outsiders !  What  right  have  you  to  question  their  treatment ! 
Into  the  storm  we  finally  succeeded  in  fluttering  the  statement 
that  but  a  few  years  ago  these  allopathic  forebears  strenuously- 
argued  that  a  doctor  who  would  not  bleed  his  patient  was  guilty 
of  passive  murder.  This  was  swept  away  in  a  hurricane  of  words. 
Finally,  all  shook  hands  and  we  gave  them  the  parting  shot,  that 
no  one  would  believe  anything  he  didn't  want  to  believe,  and 
they'd  rather  have  their  legs  cut  off  than — but  here  they  all 
bolted. 

The  Examining  Board  Problem. — That  disrespectful  Houghton 
line  considers  the  troubles  of  the  A.  M.  A.  in  the  matter  of  Ex- 
amining Boards.  It  insists  that  the  A.  M.  A.  is  seeking  to  be 
a  Trust,  in  fact,  is  one,  though  not  firmly  fixed,  to  which  end 
is  the  scheme  for  a  National  Board  of  Medical  Examiners.  "This 
National  Board"  it  says,  "is  what  we  might  call  the  'holding 
company.'  "  By  this  central  power  "all  clumsy  and  inefficient 
scattering  of  energies"  could  be  eliminated.  This  is  to  be  done 
by  requiring  each  candidate  to  go  through  the  kindergarten  and 
common  schools,  presumably,  then,  certainly,  four  years  of  high 
school,  two  years  of  college,  six  years  of  medical  college,  topped 
off  by  one  year  interneship  in  a  hospital.  All  of  these  institutions 
must  be  "acceptable"  to  the  Board  and,  as  it  will  be  A.  M.  A. 
Line,  thinks  you  have  a  "trust"  that  will  beat  the  Standard  Oil 
and  be  much  harder  for  the  trust  busters  to  bust,  for  they  did. 
crack  the  Standard. 


Editorial. 

Legal  Decisions. — It  is  difficult  for  the  ordinary  man  to  know 
the  actual  results  of  a  court's  decision  beyond  its  general  tenor. 
The  reason  for  this  statement  is  a  newspaper  report  of  an  alleged 
illegal  practitioner  in  Vermont  who  was  caused  to  be  arrested  by 
the  allopathic  powers  on  the  ground  that  he  was  illegal.  The 
lower  court  apparently  freed  him.  After  this  it  seems  that  the 
doctors  said  things  about  the  judge  of  that  court.  He  came 
down  and  sued  them  for  libel.  The  Supreme  Court  seems  to 
have  backed  him  up.  Looks  as  if  the  capable,  the  real  physician, 
did  not  have  to  resort  to  the  courts  to  protect  his  "business." 
That  word  "business"  somehow  grates  on  the  nerves  when  used 
in  connection  with  the  healing  profession.  Certainly  it  is  not  a 
good  one  to  let  loose  on  the  public  who  in  sore  straits  calls  in  a 
physician  and  it  may  be  from  the  superstitions  of  the  past  looks 
up  to  him  as  a  savior  rather  than  as  a  business  man.  The  point 
is  a  bit  tenuous.  The  old  doctors  had  a  truer  idea  when  they 
insisted  that  what  they  received  was  a  "honorarium  "  Perhaps 
this  is  not  practical  but  it  makes  for  dignity. 

New  England  Medical  Gazette. — Dr.  DeWitt  G.  Wilcox  has 
resigned  the  chief  editorial  chair  of  the  Gazette  and  is  succeeded 
by  Dr.  Sanford  B.  Hooker.  Sorry  Wilcox  has  retired  for  he  was 
an  interesting  writer  something  that  covers  a  multitude  of  sins — 
not  that  he  had  any.  His  patients  wouldn't  give  him  time  for 
editorial  work.  Hope  and  believe  Dr.  Hooker  will  make  a 
brilliant  success  of  the  fine  old  journal.  In  its  review  of  ho- 
moeopathic periodicals  for  January  the  Recorder  is  given  a  little 
dig.  After  commenting  favorably  on  several  of  the  papers  it 
says  concerning  one,  "The  article  reads  like  an  advertisement 
for  the  proprietory  article  which  was  used  in  the  case  reported." 
Proprietory  names  are  so  scientific  that  this  one  got  past  the  cen- 
sor. The  writer  of  the  paper  very  indignantly  denies  any  inten- 
tion of  advertising.     So  let  it  rest. 

Medicine  and  the  Law. — In  Doctor  Luther  Emerick's  presi- 
dential address  before  the  Ulster  County,  N.  Y.,  Medical  (allo- 
pathic) Society  occurs  the  following,  anent  the  "Harrison  law :" 
"Its  burdensome  requirements  are  not  only  a  serious  interfer- 
ence with  us  in  the  pursuit  of  our  calling,  but  are  direct  insults 


Editorial.  189 

to  us,  charging,  by  inference,  that  we  are  not  to  be  trusted,  but 
must  be  supervised  and  regulated."  After  centuries  of  struggle 
it  has  come  to  pass  that  doctors  of  divinity  can  hand  out  any 
sort  of  dope  for  the  cure  of  the  soul  and  the  law  never  peeps. 
It  was  not  so  once,  but  now  doctors  of  divinity  (after  much 
tribulations)  are  willing  to  permit  man  to  go  to  hell,  or  heaven, 
by  whatever  road  he  pleases,  and  in  return  the  aforesaid  doctors 
are  allowed  to  thunder  forth  whatever  they  please.  Mankind 
has  the  liberty  to  choose  Ms  doctor  of  divinity  or  do  without 
one  even  as  the  doctor  has  the  full  right  to  preach  what  he  pleases. 
But  after  the  D.  D.'s  had  learned  wisdom  (or  had  it  forced  upon 
them "i  the  allopathic  M.  D.'s  joyously  stepped  into  their  discarded 
shoes  and  are  trying  to  tread  the  old  path  of  compulsion,  with  the 
difference  that  they  apply  the  same  arguments  to  the  salvation  of 
man's  body  that  the  elder  doctors  did  to  his  soul.  It  is  the  same 
thing  over  again. 

A  New  Definition  of  a  Quack. — Dr.  John  M.  Swan,  of  Ro- 
chester, N.  Y.,  contributes  a  paper  to  the  New  York  Journal  of 
Medicine,  headed,  "Is  Medicine  a  Business?"  The  paper  con- 
cludes with  a  quotation  from  Professor  Joseph  McFarland.  The 
last  period  in  the  quotation  is  the  following:  "It  is  in  taking 
too  much  money  for  too  little  service  that  makes  a  man  a 
quack."    Well!  humph!    What  are  vou  getting  off,  McFarland? 

r 

The  Pot  Says  the  Kettle  May  Be  Black. — This  from  Practical 
Medicine,  of  India,  reads  almost  like  a  bit  of  irony :  "The  open- 
ing of  the  Panama  Canal  was  welcomed  by  the  world  as  shorten^ 
ing  the  route  to  the  East,  but  evidently  it  has  placed  India  within 
sight  of  a  new  danger.  This  danger  is  the  introduction  of  yellow 
fever  into  the  Port  of  Calcutta  through  the  medium  of  Stego- 
myia  mosquitoes.  The  Bengal  Government,  it  is  understood,  has 
done  well  to  appoint  a  committee  to  recommend  necessary  pre- 
cautions to  secure  the  port  from  this  new  danger." 

Conservatism. — The  tonsils  are  ill — cut  'em  out.  The  appendix 
is  bothering — cut  it  out.  The  female  organs  are  at  fault — cut  'em 
out.  The  gall  bladder  sends  out  painful  things — cut  it  out.  A 
nerve  gets  rampagious — cut  it  out.     A  foot  gets  started  in  gan- 


190  Editorial. 

I 
grene — cut  it  off.  The  breast  starts  a  lump — cut  it  off.  The  head 
aches — cut — no,  we  must  be  conservative. 

Asking  Too  Much? — At  the  last  meeting  of  the  Congress  of 
Medical  Education,  Public  Health  and  Medical  Licensure,  Dr. 
John  M.  Baldy,  President  of  the  Pennsylvania  Bureau  of  Medi- 
cal Education  and  Licensure,  spoke  of  the  necessity  for  the 
standardization  of  hospitals  that  has  arisen  from  the  demand  of 
the  profession  for  the  interne  year.  To  quote  from  the  /.  A. 
M.  A.,  Dr.  Baldy  said : 

If  the  medical  student  should  have  an  interne  year,  it  follows,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  that  hospitals  must  be  taken  in  hand  as  well  as  medical 
sohools  so  that  the  time  of  the  interne  will  not  be  wasted.  This  year  of 
time  should  be  of  value  to  him  and  of  ultimate  value  to  the  community. 
There  are  certain  hospitals  that  have  anticipated  the  needs  of  the  time  and 
are  perfecting  their4  plants,  but  they  are  few  and  far  between.  The  hos- 
pitals are  governed  by  boards  of  managers;  they  have  superintendents  in 
charge,  many  of  them  trained  nurses ;  we  have  not  pointed  out  to  the 
boards  of  managers  wherein  these  institutions  are  deficient.  We  have  not 
pointed  out  to  them  that  certain  things  are  absolutely  essential  for  the  suc- 
cessful management  and  running  of  these  institutions.  Boards  of  man- 
agers are  business  men  and  have  not  received  very  kindly  the  suggestions 
from  doctors,  the  progressive  men  on  hospital  staffs,  on  account  perhaps 
of  lack  of  funds.  The  advice  and  suggestions  of  such  men  would  en- 
able them  to  bring  up  the  efficiency  of  the  various  departments  in  these 
hospitals  and  see  that  they  are  manned  by  competent  men.  If  the  in- 
terne year  is  to  be  one  worth  while,  then  hospitals  should  be  standardized 
with  reference  to  equipment  and  facilities  for  making  the  interne  year 
worth  while. 

No  doubt  some  reader  would  like  to  have  a  new  coat,  but  be- 
cause he  does  not  have  the  money  for  it  is  he  to  be  standardized 
out  of  his  profession  as  were  the  small  medical  colleges  because 
they  did  not  have  sufficient  money  to  follow  the  pace  of  the  rich 
colleges?  Dr.  Baldy's  reasoning  appears  to  be  like  arguing  that 
a  man  has  no  right  to  be  ill  unless  he  has  enough  money  to  pay 
for  all  the  ultra  kinks  of  modern  medicine.  Was  the  hospital 
created  for  the  interne  or  the  interne  fon  the  hospital  ? 

Then  and  Now.— Bless  you,  how  the  mighty  have  fallen — or 
the  lowly  become  the  mighty !  This  is  brought  out  by  a  paper 
(Iredell  Medical  Record,  1897)    read  before  the  American  Health 


Editorial.  191 

) 

Association.     The   burden  of  his   Address   was   "heredity" — the 

offspring  of  those  with  a  "consumptive  taint."  To-day  it  is 
spit.  ''But  we  have  advanced  since  then."  Sure!  But,  perhaps, 
seventeen  years  hence  you  may  be  as  much  a  back  number  (?) 
as  Iredell.  Medical  "science"  seems  to  be  a  matter  of  chro- 
nology— here  to-day  and  gone  to-morrow.  Father  Hahnemann 
came  nearer  to  medical  science  than  any  of  you. 

A  Hint  to  Young-  Men. — The  following  is  quoted  from  the 
International  Journal  of  Surgery: 

Comparatively  few  physicians  seem,  as  yet,  to  realize  the  significance 
of  pyorrhea  alveolaris  and  alveolar  abscess  in  the  causation  of  serious 
infections  in  distant  parts  of  the  body,  such  as  diseases  of  the  heart, 
bloodvessels  and  kidneys  and  various  forms  of  arthritis.  This  is  not  dif- 
ficult to  understand  for  the  medical  practitioner  has  been  accustomed  to 
consider  dental  diseases  as  outside  his  own  province,  and  the  dentist,  as 
a  rule,  has  but  a  limited  knowledge  of  general  pathology. 

This  abbreviated  quotation  (though  nothing  is  left  out  that  is 
essential)  seems  to  show  that  the  broad  man,  the  General  Prac- 
titioner (as  Dr.  R.  T.  Morris  said),  is  the  coming  specialist  of 
specialists.  Looks  as  if,  in  the  medical  millennium,  the  broad 
man  would  tell  the  skilled  specialist — in  teeth,  nose,  throat,  eyes, 
or  anything  else — what  he  was  to  do.  This  is  but  a  very  gentle 
hint  to  the  young  men  who,  according  to  H.  V.  H.,  are  all  going" 
in  for  "specialties,"  without  knowing  their  specialty  as  the  quota- 
tion from  the  International  Journal  of  Surgery  demonstrates.  In 
other  words,  it  seems  to  bring  into  strong  light  the  real  truth  of 
what  that  great  medical  philosopher.  Dr.  Samuel  Hahnemann, 
taught  when  he  emphasized  the,  sometimes  laughed  at,  "totality 
of  the  symptoms."  Every  real  advance  made  by  modern  medi- 
cal science  but  accents  the  truth  of  Hahnemann's  apothegm. 
To  point  this.  We  heard  of  a  rich  man  who  had  twenty-one 
big  physicians  look  him  over  and  fail.  A  miserable  little  osteo- 
path located  the  trouble  and  relieved  the  man.  The  trouble  was 
a  small  dislocation  that  obstructed  a  main  highway  and  resulted 
in  paralysis.  It  was  not  a  case  for  the  drug  "totality"  but  one 
for  "removable  cause."  These  two,  the  drug  "totality"  and  the 
"removable  cause,"  are  twins  in  true  medicine.  The  specialist 
of  specialists  must  be  a  big  man. 


PERSONAL. 


A  problem  play  is  generally  unmailable  stuff  dressed  up  as  a  problem. 

A  running  account  is  your  wife's  and  daughter's  dressmaker's  bills. 

Talk  is  not  cheap  oven  the  long  distance. 

A  Kathleen  Mavourneen  loan  is  one  that  may  be  for  years  or  it  may  be 
forever. 

A  dyspeptic  is  a  grouch  with  a  pathological  reason, 

Problem  for  Scientists:  Can  a  man  really  fall  down  stairs  on  a  moving 
stairway? 

Brown  said  his  house  "burnt  up."  Smith  remarked  that  Brown's  house 
"burnt  down."    Jones  said  it  "burnt  out." 

"Every  man  has  his  price."     Some,  "no  offer  refused." 

There  are  many  balls— cannon  ball,  base  ball,  Charity  Ball,  Waiter* 5  Ball, 
the  balled  up,  the  kid's  bawl,  etc. 

Good  clothes  giveth  man  self-confidence,  so  much  that  sometimes  he 
standeth  up  ye  tailor. 

Conscientious.  The  nurse  who  awakens  a  patient  to  give  him  his 
sleeping  potion. 

"Mother's  advice !"  exclaimed  the  young  rooster,  "my  mother  was  a  coal 
oil  stove  and  gave  me  none." 

Most  men  don't  have  to  ask  their  wives  for  advice. 

"I'll  be  appreciated  when  dead,"  said  the  author.  "Yes.  You'll  be 
silent." 

"Women  talk  more,"  writes  Mary,  ''because  men  are  such  simpletons." 

Profit  sharing  is  often  but  shearing. 

Wonder  if  health  culturists  can  make  one  as  beautiful  as  they  are  in 
their1  advertising  picture. 

The  biggest  red-tape  factory  in  the  U.  S.  is  loocated  on  Dearborn  St., 
Chicago,  the  city  of,  big  things. 

"He  that  uttereth  slander — is  a  fool." — Solomon. 

"It  is  a  sport  to  a  fool  to  do  mischief." — Solomon 

"A  scorner  seeketh  wisdom  and  findeth  it  not." —  Solomon. 

Ye  modern  ornithologist  looketh  for  fine  specimens  on  gentle  woman's 
toggery. 

An  origin  of  caloric  is  often  your  cold  fact  laid  before  a  friend. 

A  learned  doctor  writes  of  "The  Causes  of  Ageing."  There's  only  one, 
brother — too  many  birthdays. 

Binks  remarked  the  day,  "When  I  was  turned  loose  from  college  I 
knew  so  much  more  than  I  do  today !" 

You  can  no  more  convince  a  man  by  verbal  argument  than  you  can  a 
piece  of  putty. 

The  shortest  street  in  the  world  is  Easy  Street. 

When  you  go  to  an  insane  asylum  be  sure  to  have  identfkaton  else  you 
may  have  trouble  in  getting  out. 


THE 

Homeopathic  Recorder 

Vol.  XXXII  Lancaster,  Pa.,  May  15,  1917.  No.  5 

VACCINATION. 

Still  the  same  old  hot  question!  Journal  A.  M.  A.  (3-31) 
prints  a  report  by  Dr.  C.  W.  Garrison,  State  health  officer.  Little 
Rock,  Arkansas,  in  which  he  tells  how  twenty-five  patients  in  the 
State  Hospital  for  Nervous  Diseases,  at  Little  Rock,  by  the 
courtesy  of  the  superintendent,  were  experimented  on.  "Twenty- 
five  persons  were  selected  who  showed  no  evidence  of  previous 
successful  vaccination."  These  were  given  Vaccininum.  one 
tablet  a  day,  for  seven  days.  On  the  eighth  day  they  were  vac- 
cinated, secundum  arteni,  and  twenty  developed  "positive"  reac- 
tions to  the  virus  put  into  their  arms  or  legs.  This  leads  Dr. 
Garrison,  who  conducted  the  experiments  on  the  patients,  to  re- 
mark: "Consequently,  this  proves  conclusively  the  inefficiency  of 
the  former  method  of  vaccination." 

This  short  report  by  Dr.  Garrison  is  dignified  by  an  editorial 
by  the  editor  of  the  Journal  of  the  A.  M.  A.  in  the  same  issue, 
headed.  "The  Fallacy  of  Internal  Vaccination  Against  Small- 
pox." On  the  whole  subject  the  editor  remarks:  "This,  was  a 
foregone  conclusion  because  medical  science  and  experience  know 
of  no  other  successful  and  practical  way  of  inducing  the  changes 
in  protection  against  infection  than  by  introducing  the  vaccine 
material  directly  into  the  tissues  or  the  blood.  This  is  true  of  all 
forms  of  protective  inoculation — inoculation  against  typhoid, 
against  cholera,  against  plague,  etc..  as  well  as  against  small- 
pox." So  says  the  official  organ  of  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation of  Allopathy  of  Modern,  or.  of  Scientific  Medicine — you 
can  take  your  choice  of  titles.  Here  it  is  distinctly  stated  that 
the  allopathic  or  scientific  vaccines,  etc..  from  small-pox  up.  or 


194  Vacciation. 

down,  change  the  blood  or  tissue.  Nature,  or  God  (as  you 
please),  created  man  and  his  blood,  so  the  Journal  of  the  A.  M.  A. 
seems  to  be  in  the  position  of  the  clay  that  says  to  the  potter. 
"What  formest  thou?'* 

It  may  be  that  Vaccininum  did  not  prevent  the  cruder  vaccine 
from  poisoning  the  flesh  into  which  it  was  inserted,  but  does  this 
fact  scientifically  prove  anything  beyond  the  fact  that  Vaccininum 
will  not  render  inocuous  the  virus  of  vaccine?  The  Journal 
thinks  that  the  only  way  to  protect  against  disease  is  to  change  the 
blood  or  tissue  of  human  beings  by  putting  the  vaccine  poison 
into  them.  It  concludes :  "Ignorance  and  prejudice  die  hard." 
To  which  we  reply.  Amen ! 

In  this  same  issue  of  the  Journal  among  its  foreign  news  items 
is  an  abstract  of  a  speech  delivered  by  Deputy  Hoffman  in  the 
Reichstag  on  March  22,  in  which  he  stated  that  there  are  30,000 
cases  of  small-pox  in  Germany,  and  the  disease  is  rapidly  spread- 
ing. 

For  years  Germany  has  been  held  up  as  a  model  in  the  matter 
of  vaccination,  every  one  there  being  thoroughly  vaccinated,  and 
in  consequence  small-pox  did  not  nor  could  not  visit  that  country, 
yet  here  it  is  with  a  big  and  increasing  epidemic  of  the  disease 
sweeping  it.  Vaccininum,  or  VarioHnum,  which  latter  is  used 
much  more  than  the  first  named,  may  not  protect  against  small- 
pox but  neither  does  the  orthodox  vaccination,  as  Germany's  ex- 
perience is  rather  positively  demonstrating.  Also,  from  this,  it  is 
fair  to  assume  that  typhoid  and  the  many  vaccinations  that  have 
sprung  up  lately  are  equally  ineffective.  Why  are  they  so  per- 
sistently advocated  and  forced  on  an  unwilling  people?  Because, 
apparently,  as  the  Journal  truly  says,  "Ignorance  and  prejudice  die 
hard." 


The  next  meeting  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy 
will  be  held  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  from  June  17  to  June  23.  Head- 
quarters will  be  Hotel  Powers.  Local  chairman,  Dr.  John  M. 
Lee,  179  Lake  Ave.,  Rochester. 

You  might  as  well  take  it  in,-  reader,  for  it  is  well  to  mix  with 
your  brethren  once  a  year  and  mutually  rub  off  the  rust. 


Know  the  Homoeopathic  Remedy.  195 


KNOW  THE   HOMOEOPATHIC  REMEDY. 

By  L.  E.  Rauterburg,  M.  D.,  "  The  Farragut," 
Washington,  D.  C. 

There  are  moments  in  the  practice  of  each  of  us  when  we  long 
desperately  for  one  reassuring  word  from  one  who  has  been  up 
against  a  similar  experience;  when  the  mind  wavers  between 
two  remedies ;  when  the  longer  we  waver  the  more  muddled  we 
grow ;  when  we  realize  that  there  is  no  time  to  be  lost ;  at  such 
moments  the  quiet  testimony  of  a  brother  physician  who  has  won 
out  under  like  conditions  is  a  bracer  that  steadies  our  nerves  and 
perhaps  our  allegiance  to  Homoeopathy.  It  has,  therefore,  oc- 
curred to  me  that  instead  of  a  theoretical  discussion  of  any  single 
point  I  should  present  to  you  some  pages  from  actual  practice ; 
my  own  experience  being  that  a  single  case  conscientiously  re- 
corded is  of  more  vital  assistance  than  tons  of  brilliant  discourse. 
With  riper  years  it  is  more  and  more  borne  in  upon  me  that  while 
we  have  the  whole  maze  of  materia  medica  from  which  to  choose, 
there  stand  out,  for  each  of  us,  a  few  beacon  lights  which  have 
most  often  served  our  need.  These  tried  and  tested  friends  are 
kept  ranged  in  the  front  of  the  brain  on  the  "First-Aid-to-the- 
Injured"  shelf.  To  bear  witness  of  these  who  have  served  me 
best  after  a  testing  time  of  forty-four  years  is  one  of  the  greatest 
pleasures  of  my  work. 

Our  one  great  business  is  to  know  the  homoeopathic  remedy ; 
to  have  it  at  the  finger's  ends ;  at  the  tip  of  the  tongue ;  on  the 
hair  trigger.  The  further  I  travel  along  the  road,  the  stronger 
becomes  my  conviction  that  however  alluring  and  delightful  side 
lines  may  be,  they  are  sounding  brass  and  tinkling  cymbals  if  we 
have  not  the  steady,  solid,  central  knowledge  of  the  Similia 
definitely  established  in  the  mind.  Salves  and  sprays,  blood  counts 
and  blood  pressures  and  the  like  are  interesting  to  the  practi- 
tioner and  impressive  to  the  patient,  but  their  value  in  removing 
the  cause  of  disease  is  but  frippery  if  we  have  not  also  the  right 
homoeopathic  remedy  to  send,  like  the  ethereal  ferret,  down  among 
the  disturbed  electrons  of  the  diseased  cells,  and  there  to  remove 
the  cause.  To  employ  grosser  agencies  in  attempting  to  eradicate 
a  condition  as  subtle  and  infinitesimal  as  the  cause  of  disease  is,  as 


196  Know  the  Homoeopathic  Remedy. 

some  one  has  wittily  expressed  it,  like  trying  to  feed  a  gnat  with 
a  teaspoon.  To  despair  of  eradicating  disease  simply  because  the 
ponderous  appliances  of  science  fail  to  elicit  response  is  like  the 
man  who  threw  away  his  watch  because  it  did  no  better  after 
being  filled  with  axle  grease.  It  is  the  great  glory  of  the  homoeo- 
path that  he  has  saved  so  many  of  these  poor  wrecked  human 
watches  from  the  scrap  pile  and  melting  pot. 

Of  all  the  remedies  instrumental  in  snatching  patients  from  the 
operating  table,  I  think  I  should  award  first  prize  to  Arnica  and 
Conium.  The  marvelous  power  of  penetration  and  the  wide 
scope  of  these  remedies  is  an  ever-increasing  source  of  wonder 
to  me.  If  taken  in  time  Conium  stands  at  the  very  head  of  her 
class  in  dissolving,  dissipating  and  eliminating  tumors  of  the 
breast.  In  all  my  experience  I  have  known  but  few  cases  where 
it  failed,  if  taken  in  time,  and  if  patiently  persisted  in.  I  recall 
two  cases  of  this  sort  that  rejoiced  my  heart.  One  was  a  lady 
of  about  40,  who  came  reluctantly  to  me  upon  the  solicitation  of 
friends.  The  tumor  was  about  the  size  of  an  egg,  firm  and 
hard,  painful  to  touch  and  causing  severe  pain  at  every  motion  of 
her  arm.  The  growth  had  been  gradual  but  had  increased  rapidly 
of  late.  Her  general  health  seemed  good  and  her  menstruation 
normal.  She  stated  that  upon  the  advice  of  a  surgeon  she  had 
already  decided  to  have  an  operation,  the  date  being  set  for  a 
day  or  two  later,  and  only  upon  the  persistent  urging-  of  friends 
had  she  come  to  have  my  opinion  as  to  the  necessity  for  opera- 
tion. The  surgeon  had  assured  her  that  there  was  only  one  thing 
to  do,  cut  to  cut  quickly.  I  frankly  told  her  that  it  was  impossible 
to  predict  the  outcome  of  treatment  with  certainty,  but  that  I  had 
been  successful  in  a  number  of  such  cases,  and,  in  my  opinion,  a 
few  weeks  would  determine  the  result  of  treatment.  She  seemed 
disappointed,  having  already  resigned  herself  to  the  ordeal  of 
operation,  but  finally  decided  to  give  Homoeopathy  a  trial.  I  pre- 
scribed Conium  30X,  at  intervals,  from  February  24th  to  May 
25th.  From  the  very  first  the  stabbing  pains  lessened,  and  then,  to 
my  satisfaction,  the  tumor  grew  smaller  and  smaller  until  at  the 
end  of  three  months  it  had  entirely  disappeared.  It  has  now  been 
ten  months  since,  and  there  has  been  no  sign  of  reappearance  of 
the  trouble. 

I   recall  another  case  where  the  breast  was  a  mass  of  hard 


Know  the  Homoeopathic  Remedy.  197 

lumps  feeling  like  a  bag  full  of  cracked  ice,  the  lumps  grinding 
against  each  other  when  moved.  This  case  also  had  been  pro- 
nounced doomed,  but  Conium  30X  entirely  dissolved  it,  and  a 
perfectly  healthy  state  continued  for  fifteen  years.  A  few  months 
ago  this  lady  returned  to  Washington  in  great  distress,  the 
trouble  having  developed  again,  but  this  time  in  the  other  breast, 
and  instead  of  many  lumps,  it  was  a  single  huge  hard  tumor 
which  had  refused  to  yield  to  the  treatment  of  her  physician  in 
Boston  where  she  now  lived.  I  began  at  once  with  Conium,  but 
this  time  elicited  but  slight  response.  Then  reflecting  that  she 
was  a  black  haired,  swarthy  type,  and,  that  having  twice  ap- 
peared, this  must  be  a  deep-rooted  constitutional  tendency.  I 
turned  to  Iodine,  which  acted  like  magic.  Conium,  you  will 
recall,  has  especial  affinity  for  fair,  light  haired  persons,  and 
Iodine  for  the  dark,  and  I  am  convinced  that  if  given  faithfully, 
persistently,  energetically,  they  will  dispel  a  large  number  of  the 
so-called  cancers  of  the  breast. 

Of  the  other  Blue  Ribboner.  Arnica,  I  could  write  volumes  of 
grateful  recognition.  The  more  intimate  my  understanding  of 
this  glorious  remedy,  the  wider  its  scope  is  seen  to  be.  In  preg- 
nancy its  action  is  wonderful.  I  have  had  three  cases  recently 
where,  in  the  later  months,  the  patients'  legs  were  not  only 
swollen  and  varicosed  beyond  recognition,  but  black  as  ink.  In 
each  case  Arnica  completely  relieved  the  abnormal  conditions. 
In  these  cases  it  is  well  to  use  Bellis  perennis  in  connection  with 
Arnica,  changing  off  to  Bellis  after  a  week  or  so.  Bellis,  you 
know,  was  Burnett's  great  pet  for  traumatic  conditions,  especially 
in  women.  It  is  most  closely  allied  to  Arnica.  In  both  the  steps 
of  action  are  traumatic,  varicosity  of  the  veins,  ecchymosis  and 
suppuration.  In  confinement  cases  Arnica  30.x  is  the  greater 
boon  after  delivery,  and  should  be  included  in  every  outfit. 

Just  here,  while  speaking  of  birth,  I  want  to  add  my  tribute  of 
gratitude  to  another  old  friend  who  has  never  failed  me,  and  one 
that  I  regret  to  learn  is  not  generally  known — Lactuca  virosa. 
When  the  milk  fails  to  appear  or  is  not  sufficient,  this  blessed 
little  remedy  will  turn  the  tide  in  the  direction  intended  by  nature. 
Yet  good  old  Jahr  and  Wm.  Boericke  are  the  only  ones  who 
mention  it,  as  far  as  I  know.     A  little  millionaire  babv  was  born 


198  Know  the  Homoeopathic  Remedy. 

into  the  world  a  short  while  ago  and  found  everything  awaiting 
him  that  money  could  buy — except  nature's  food.  The  condition 
of  the  infant  was  such  that  it  was  deemed  imperative  that  he 
should  have  breast  milk,  and  the  mother  greatly  desired  to  nurse 
him  herself,  yet  all  efforts  failed  to  induce  a  drop  to  flow. 
Finally  the  grandmother,  whom  I  had  treated  for  the  same 
trouble  in  days  of  old,  sent  a  telegram  to  me  to  know  what  it 
was  I  gave  to  make  her  milk  come.  I  replied  "Lactuca  virosa"  x, 
and  a  short  while  after  received  a  letter  saying  that  it  had 
caused  "rivers  of  milk  to  come."  I  have  had  a  number  of  cases 
where  the  mother  had  borne  many  children  without  being  able 
to  nurse  one  of  them,  but,  when  given,  Lactuca,  she  fulfilled  the 
duties  of  a  mother  with  perfect  ease.  It  is  interesting  to  note 
that  Lactuca  is  made  from  acrid  lettuce,  and  you  know  that  when 
lettuce  has  gone  to  seed  it  is  full  of  a  pure  white  thick  milk 
that  flows  over  your  fingers  when  you  break  the  stem.  So  plainly 
has  Nature  written  out  her  secrets  if  we  have  but  the  eyes  to 
read  them ! 

And  now  to  return  to  Arnica,  from  which  I  have  wandered. 
So  complete  is  my  reverence  for  the  limitless  powers  of  Arnica 
that  I  would  never  omit  it  in  any  case  where  the  cause  can  be 
traced  even  remotely  to  mechanical  injury,  strain,  bruise,  pressure, 
concussion,  or  effusion ;  no  matter  how  many  years  ago  the  in- 
jury occurred.  As  long  as  the  effect  of  the  injury  remains,  just 
so  long  is  Arnica  needed.  Nor  would  I  despair  if  I  saw  no 
immediate  results.  When  once  we  have  set  in  motion  that  mystic 
force  and  sent  it  on  its  errand  down  through  the  hidden  labyrinth 
of  the  body,  wre  need  not  worry  about  what  it  is  doing :  whether 
we  can  see  it  or  not,  we  can  rest  assured  that  it  is  busily  un- 
ravelling and  absorbing,  and  that  it  shall  not  return  to  us  void. 

To  illustrate  its  use  I  give  the  following  case :  Captain  J.  came 
to  my  office  and  related  that  in  his  effort  to  restrain  intoxicated 
passengers  on  his  steamer,  he  was  struck  by  one  of  them  with  a 
black-jack  across  the  forehead,  felling  him  unconscious.  In  the 
Marine  Hospital,  to  which  he  was  taken,  it  was  found  that  beside 
a  broken  nose,  his  right  eye  had  been  rendered  sightless.  Though 
its  exterior  gave  no  evidence  of  injury,  he  was  absolutely  blind 
in  the  eye.    After  some  treatment  there,  he  was  placed  under  the 


Know  the  Homoeopathic  Remedy.  199 

care  of  one  of  our  noted  specialists,  who.  after  one  year's  unsuc- 
cessful treatment  advised  that  further  efforts  would  be  waste 
of  time  and  money,  and  that  the  case  was  a  hopeless  one.  When 
he  came  to  me  for  advice  I  advised  Captain  J.  that  his  case  was 
entirely  beyond  my  scope  and  suggested  that  he  consult  another 
specialist,  but  he  replied  that  the  prognosis  of  his  oculist  had 
already  been  confirmed  by  the  leadirig  specialist — the  Oracle  of 
Wash.,  and  he  begged  that  I  would  try  to  help  him.  Thoroughly 
discouraged  and  determined  not  to  accept  the  case,  I  noticed  the 
man  frequently  wiped  the  tears  from  his  right  eye  upon  his 
handkerchief,  saying  that  "he  must  have  had,  at  one  time,  a  load 
of  gunpowder  put  into  his  head,''  and  pointed  out  some  black 
granular  masses  that  collected  on  his  handkerchief  with  the  tear 
flow.  Upon  examination,  I  found  these  spots  to  consist  of  clotted 
blood.  I  remembered  the  action  of  Arnica  upon  the  blood  vessels, 
it  dilates  the  capillaries,  making  extravasation  of  blood  possible ; 
it  weakens  their  walls  producing  venous  stasis,  and  hence  its  in- 
dication in  ecchymosis.  concussion  and  compression  of  the  brain, 
depression  of  the  cranial  bones,  and  even  extravasation  of  blood 
into  the  cavity.  I  then  concluded  that  cerebral  haemorrhage  had 
followed  the  blow,  and  that  a  blood  clot  had  formed  creating  a 
pressure  upon  the  nerve  structure,  causing  the  loss  of  vision  and 
violent  neuralgic  pains,  with  which  he  had  suffered  since  the 
receipt  of  injury.  I  prescribed  Arnica  30X,  and  continued  it  for 
one  week  and  then  discontinued  all  medicine  for  one  week.  A 
general  improvement  followed  this  course,  a  lessening  of  the 
pain,  marked  decrease  of  the  blood  clots  in  the  lachrymal  flow,  and 
best  of  all,  he  was  able  to  distinguish  darkness  from  light  with 
the  affected  eye.  I  now  prescribed  Hypericum  6x,  the  "par  ex- 
cellence" for  wounded  or  injured  nerves,  contusion  of  brain,  local 
congestion,  with  or  without  haemorrhage.  Some  weeks  later  the 
man  entered  my  office  and  without  previous  comment,  seized  my 
morning  paper  from  my  desk,  and.  with  his  good  eye  closed,  read 
clearly  all  the  headlines  and  large  type  on  the  page.  You  may 
imagine  his  joy  and  my  own  upon  this  manifestation  of  the 
efficacy  of  our  doctrines  and  remedies.  There  remained  some 
paroxysms  of  neuralgic  pains  which  yielded  to  a  few  doses  of 
Spigelia.     The  sight  continued  to  improve  to  such  an  extent  that 


200  Know  the  Homoeopathic  Remedy. 

he  was  able  to  find  employment,  though  the  vision  is  still  im- 
perfect. But  to  be  able  to  read  even  large  type  after  a  year  of 
blindness  meant  much  to  him,  and  the  dear  old  fellow's  grati- 
tude has  been  one  of  the  richest  rewards  of  my  life.  When  the 
happiness  of  restoring  sight,  hearing  and  speech  comes  to  us.  our 
reverence  for  the  Hahnemannian  law  becomes  profound. 

A  lady  came  to  me  being  almost  totally  deaf.  It  was  with 
difficulty  that  she  could  understand,  even  though  her  friends 
yelled  at  the  top  of  their  lungs.  The  two  favorite  remedies  that 
I  keep  in  mind  as  first  aid  in  such  cases  would  be  Conium  and 
Cicuta.  In  this  case  Cieitta  was  best  indicated.  It  was  given  in 
the  30X,  and  at  the  end  of  a  month  she  entered  my  office  happy 
and  smiling,  and  able  to  hear  my  voice  at  its  ordinary  pitch.  She 
told  me  she  had  been  to  church  and  had  been  able  to  follow  the 
sermon  for  the  first  time  in  years,  and  as  she  sat  before  me  she 
pointed  to  the  clock  across  the  room,  saying,  "Would  you  be- 
lieve it,  doctor,  I  can  hear  that  clock  tick!" 

One  more  illustration  of  what  the  remedy  will  do  when 
chosen  according  to  the  Hahnemannian  rule.  An  elderly  man 
came  in  one  day  and  silently  laid  a  slip  of  paper  before  me  on 
which  was  written  "Paralysis  of  the  vocal  cords.  Try  to  help 
him,"  and  signed  by  a  brother  physician.  The  man  was  abso- 
lutely mute.  He  could  not  have  uttered  a  sound  if  you  had  stuck 
a  knife  into  him.  I  thought  it  over  and  gave  Selenium,  after- 
ward Caiisticum,  and  about  two  weeks  later  he  returned  to  give 
thanks,  and  nearly  talked  me  to  death,  though  there  still  remained 
a  slight  impediment.  The  treatment  was  continued,  and  in  a 
short  while  all  trace  of  his  affliction  had  disappeared. 

I  have  been  asked  to  give  my  opinion  of  the  use  of  Syphillinum 
and  Tuber  eulimim  before  closing.  As  this  is  a  big  subject  in 
itself  I  can  do  little  more  than  allude  to  it.  As  it  requires  a  life 
time  of  experience  on  the  part  of  the  physician  and  the  loss  of  many 
a  patient  before  one  can  handle  these  great  remedies  successfully, 
it  is  but  right  that  we  old  veterans  should  faithfully  record  our 
findings,  so  that  those  who  follow  after  may  run  where  we  have 
walked  with  toiling  feet.  And  in  order  that  experience  should 
be  of  any  real  value,  we  must  present  our  lamentable  failures  as 
frankly  as  our   successes.      My   experience   with   Syph.   may   be 


Know  the  Homoeopathic  Remedy.  201 

summed  up  in  one  sentence:  Though  I  have  given  it  and  given 
it,  over  and  over,  most  faithfully  and  conscientiously,  high,  low 
and  medium,  frequently  and  infrequently,  I  have  never  yet  ob- 
tained the  least  result  in  cases  of  syphilis.  After  patient  work  of 
months,  the  report  of  the  blood  test  has  invariably  been  "Positive" 
or  "Double  Positive."  If  any  one  has  had  better  results  I  should 
certainly  be  glad  to  hear  it.  It  is  probably  of  value  in  cases  where 
the  taint  is  inherited  and  not  acquired,  but  I  seriously  doubt  if  at 
present  we  can  improve  upon  our  mercuries,  iodides  and  aurum. 
Of  Tubercidinum,  I  can  say,  after  twelve  years'  industrious  em- 
ployment of  it,  that  in  advanced  cases  of  tuberculosis  it  has  ap- 
parently caused,  first,  a  temporary  improvement,  quickly  fol- 
lowed by  a  complete  collapse,  the  lung  going  with  startling  rapid- 
ity. My  only  comfort  in  these  sad  cases  has  been  that  they  were 
doomed  anyhow,  for  they  were  in  the  last  stage  when  treatment 
was  begun.  However,  I  am  very  happy  to  say  that  in  the  very 
first  stage,  or  in  the  stage  of  suspicion,  Tubcrculinum  is  a  glorious 
remedy.  Also  in  conjunction  with  our  anti-psorics  it  accomplishes 
wonders  with  those  ailing  ones  born  of  tuberculous  parents,  who, 
though  not  definitely  tuberculous  themselves,  are  never  well, 
emaciated  and  prone  to  glandular  and  catarrhal  troubles.  To 
these  it  is  a  real  boon  that  undoubtedly  saves  them  from  the 
parent's  fate. 

I  had  one  lady  who  had  spent  her  life  fighting  tuberculosis ;  the 
taint  had  appeared  in  every  form  from  glandular  troubles  to  men- 
ingitis, from  catarrhs  to  uterine  polypi.  She  was  a  mere  bag  of 
bones.  After  a  course  of  Tubcrculinum  she  gained  forty  pounds 
in  three  months  and  was  benefited  in  every  way.  Another  born 
of  similar  taint,  who  had  never  known  a  well  day  in  her  life  and 
was  emaciated  in  the  extreme,  was  given  Tubercidinum,  and  in 
about  six  months  she  tipped  the  scales  at  180  pounds,  and  has 
remained  around  that  figure  for  a  number  of  years  with  a  corre- 
sponding lessening  of  her  old  troubles.  I  had  one  whole  family 
whose  lives  were  probably  saved  by  Tuber  culinum.  One  of  the 
daughters  died  of  tuberculosis  just  as  she  was  ripening  into 
womanhood.  I  was  called  when  she  was  in  the  latter  stages, 
and  I  could  not  save  her.  In  the  next  one  the  disease  attacked 
the  hip  bone  ;  great  splinters  and  fragments  of  bone  were  removed 


202  The  Early  Diagnosis  of  Tuberculosis. 

by  operation,  and  much  was  discharged  with  the  pu^.  Tuber. 
and  Silieea  cured  her.  though,  of  course,  she  will  always  walk 
with  an  uneven  gait.  Next  the  little  one  of  17  began  with  a  hack- 
ing cough,  night  sweats  and  dullness  under  the  clavicle.  Tuber- 
culinum  and  Phos.  cured  her.  Xext  the  mother  and  the  son 
followed,  and  all,  I  am  happy  to  say,  were  reclaimed  by  Tuber. 
given  in  time.  My  method  of  giving  it  is  to  use  the  1000th. 
I  have  given  one  dose  every  week  until  four  doses  are  taken 
unless  before  that  time  has  elapsed,  symptoms  of  aggravation 
develop.  These  symptoms  are  usually  feverishness,  swelling  of 
glands,  sometimes  nausea.  As  soon  as  these  appear  I  stop  the 
Tub.  immediately,  and  have  rarely  found  it  necessary  to  repeat 
the  dose. 


THE   E^RLY   DIAGNOSIS   OF  TUBERCULOSIS. 
By  L.  C.  McElwee,  M.  D.,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

This  caption  is  chosen  to  especially  pave  the  way  for  the  follow- 
ing statements : 

1st.     Tuberculosis  of  the  lungs  is  most  amenable  to  treatment. 

2d.  But  early  diagnosis,  i.  e.,  very  early  diagnosis,  is  absolutely 
essential  to  success. 

PRAYER. 

O  Lord,  grant  that  we  may  not  be  willfully  misunderstood  by 
any  reader  of  this  paper.     Amen. 

When  one  considers  the  fact  that  in  more  than  90  per  cent,  of 
post  mortems  made  on  persons  dead  of  other  diseases  healed 
tubercular  lesions  in  the  lungs  are  found,  one  will  cease  to  wonder 
at  my  statement  that  ''tuberculosis  of  the  lungs  is  most  amenable 
to  treatment." 

The  dead  room,  then,  has  laid  bare  a  great  clinical  fact  of  which 
therapists  have  been  all  too  slow  to  take  advantage.  If  90  per 
cent,  of  all  people  who  die  of  other  causes  have  at  some  previous 
time  spontaneously  recovered  from  pulmonary  tuberculosis,  and 
that,  too,  without  so  much  as  ever  knowing  that  they  were  so 
affected  (and,  therefore,  without  any  kind  of  treatment),  then  the 
strain  on  the  reader's  imagination  at  our  opening  statement  is 
greatly  relieved. 


The  Early  Diagnosis  of  Tuberculosis.  203 

The  writer  respectfully  refers  the  reader  to  the  transactions  of 
any  world's  tuberculosis  congress,  but  more  especially  that  of 
Paris  in  1905  for  verification  of  the  above-mentioned  figures. 

EARLY    DIAGNOSIS. 

But  most  of  those  healed  lesions  were  small  and  show  that  the 
involvement  had  not  been  extensive.  This  admonishes  us  that  to 
cure  this  disease  we  must  be  able  to  diagnose  it  when  in  its  very 
earliest  incipiency. 

And  here  is  the  rub.  For  many  there  are  who  will  not  assent 
to  a  positive  diagnosis  until  tubercular  bacilli  are  found  in  the 
sputa.  While  we  nor  anyone  else  would  dispute  a  diagnosis  made 
on  such  (microscopic)  finding,  yet  we  must  insist  that  a  positive 
diagnosis  can  and  must  be  made  some  time  before  tubercular 
bacilli  can  "be  found  in  the  sputa  if  we  are  to  expect  frequent 
cures  from  our  treatment.  To  him  who  insists  on  the  presence 
of  tubercular  bacilli  as  an  absolute  necessity  to  a  positive  diagnosis 
we  would  argue,  first,  from  the  90  per  cent,  of  spontaneously 
cured  cases,  and  second,  from  that  much  smaller  but  more  familiar 
class  of  cases  which,  in  the  beginning,  have  no  sputa  and  even 
only  a  slight,  if  any,  cough,  but  which,  when  allowed  to  run  on 
without  appropriate  treatment,  later  develop  a  full  fledged  case 
of  tuberculosis,  and  in  spite  of  everything  said  or  done  for 
them,  progress  from  bad  to  worse,  and  finally  die  with  the  usual 
facies  of  consumption,  tubercular  bacilli  and  all. 

It  is  generally  agreed,  we  believe,  that  the  bacillus  of  Koch, 
discovered  in  1 881 -'82,  is  the  ultimate  cause  of  tuberculosis,  but 
what)  are  we  to  do  with  the  annoying  fact  that  all  persons  are 
infected  with  the  bacillus,  in  some  degree,  before  the  age  of  two 
years?  Yet,  strange  to  say,  less  than  2  per  cent,  of  people  so  in- 
fected ever  develop  the  active  form1  of  the  disease!  It  merely 
means  that  we  must  abandon  the  stiff-necked  attitude  of  no 
diagnosis  without  the  presence  of  tubercular  bacilli.  It  also  means 
that  something  more  than  germs  is  necessary  to  constitute  disease  ; 
but  that  is  another  story  too  long  to  dwell  upon  here. 

Well,  then,  what  are  we  to  look  for  to  make  up  our  diagnosis 
if  not  tubercular  bacilli  ?  Brother  reader,  we  have  a  plenty.  You 
have  seen  it  all,  time  and  again,  but  mayhap  have  not  correlated 
your  observations.    During  a  period  of  observation  covering  more 


204  The  Early  Diagnosis  of  Tuberculosis. 

than  thirty  years  of  an  extensive  city  practice  and  with  twenty 
of  these  years  a  large  dispensary  practice,  we  have  found  that  in 
St.  Louis,  at  least,  the  usual  manner  of  onset  of  this  disease  is  in 
one  of  three  general  form- : 

(a)  Spitting  blood;  (b)  a  '"nasty  cough."  and  (c )  chills  simu- 
lating tertian  ague. 

H.EMOPTV.-:  - 

(a)  The  frankest  and  most  outspoken  form  is  where  one  has 
a  more  or  less  profuse  haemoptysis.  We  have  seen  all  varieties 
from  a  slightly  blood-streaked  sputum  to  an  immediately  fatal 

haemorrhage.  But  even  in  this  form  of  onset  there  are  usually 
precursory  symptoms  prior  to  the  haemorrhage,  but  mostly  no 
sputum  at  any  time  of  the  day  and  often  no  cough.  (The  pre- 
cursory symptoms  are  peculiar  to  all  forms  of  onset  and  will  be 
given  after  the  consideration  of  the  various  forms  of  the  onset.) 

Haemoptysis  must  be  considered  pathognomonic  of  tuberculosis 
in  the  absence  of  heart  disease,  epistaxis.  bleeding  gums  or 
actinosycosis. 

A  "nasty  cough." 

(b)  Who  has  not  been  consulted  for  a  '"nasty  cough?"  A 
cough  which  remained  too  long  with  the  patient  after  an  attack  of 
measles,  whooping  cough,  pneumonia,  pleurisy,  grippe,  typhoid 
fever,  puerperal  fever,  or  other  exhausting  disease  or  ordeal 
which  has  reduced  the  vital  energy  of  the  patient  to  a  point  below 
normal.  These  patients  will  disclose  all  of  the  precursory  symp- 
toms and  will  teli  you  that  they  have  been  to  this  and  that  doctor, 
and  likely  have  as  many  diagnoses  to  relate  as  there  were  doctors 
consulted.  Xone,  however,  suspected  the  truth,  and  what  is 
worse,  made  no  proper  effort  to  ascertain  it.  It  has  been  said 
that  the  first  and  most  important  requisite  in  the  diagnosis  of 
phthisis  is  "to  know  enough  to  suspect  it."  One  has  learned  a  lot 
when  he  knows  enough  not  to  loll  in  his  chair  and  idly  listen  to  the 
narrative  of  a  patient,  but  to  get  up  and  make  a  painstaking  quest 
for  anything  that  might  be  lurking  in  concealment  about  his  or 
her  chest  when  consulted  on  account  of  a  '"nasty  cough."  Always 
examine. 


The  Early  Diagnosis  of  Tuberculosis.  205 

TERTIAX     AGUE. 

(c)  The  most  deceptive  manner  of  onset  (to  us)  have  been 
those  cases  which  began  with  a  chill,  fever  and  sweat,  similar  in 
all  respects  to  malarial  ague.  The  chill  usually  comes  at  10  to  11 
A.  M.  or  2  to  3  P.  M.,  is  tertian  in  type,  and  is  not  suppressed  or 
altered  by  quinine  in  any  quantity  except  possibly  in  changing 
the  time  from  morning  to  afternoon,  or  vice  versa,  and  conforms 
accurately  to  Natr.  nutr.  and  Apis,  but  which  has  always  failed 
to  cure  for  the  writer. 

PRECURSORY    SYMPTOMS. 

Those  precursory  symptoms  peculiar  to  all  forms  of  onset  are : 
Poor  blood  (anaemia),  rapid  pulse,  more  or  less  afternoon  rise  of 
temperature,  loss  of  strength,  noticed  mostly  as  shortness  of 
breath  on  ordinary  exertion,  and  (more  or  less  constantly)  ab- 
normal sweaty  axilla.  The  rise  of  temperature  is  very  insidious, 
will  be  found  mostly  from  2  to  4  P.  M.,  and  varies  from  l/2  to  1 
degree  Fahr.,  and  is  rarely.,  if  ever,  suspected  by  the  patient.  A 
blood  count,  of  course,  will  disclose  accurately  the  deficiency  of 
red  corpuscles,  but  a  fairly  good  idea  may  be  gained  of  their 
relative  abundance  by  an  inspection  of  the  conjunctiva  lining  the 
lower  eyelid.  A  pulse  above  90  per  minute  with  the  patient  in  a 
recumbent  position  for  fifteen  minutes  should  be  sufficient  cause 
for  suspicion  of  apical  tubercular  involvement.  Of  course,  this 
feature,  to  become  really  significant,  should  be  associated  with  one 
or  more  of  the  others  above  mentioned.  Great  caution  must  be 
exercised  in  interpreting  the  meaning  of  loss  of  strength  since  it 
is  so  frequently  a  sign  of  so  many  other  conditions,  particularly 
anaemias.  And  abnormal  axillary  sweat  may  be  equally  mislead- 
ing, for  many  persons  are  greatly  annoyed  by  it  who  are  not  in 
the  least  tubercular:  but  given  the  group  of  symptoms  (often 
found)  of  a  "nasty  cough,"  loss  of  weight  and  strength,  with 
marked  increased  frequency  of  the  pulse,  afternoon  rise  of  tem- 
perature, and  mayhap  recently  developed  sweaty  axillae,  and  one 
is  most  excusable  if  he  does  not  investigate  what  St.  Chauvet  has 
called  the  "alarm  area." 

"This  spot  lies  midway  on  a  line  drawn  from  the  seventh  inter- 
vertebral space  to  the  tubercle  on  the  spine  of  the  scapula  at  about 
the  junction  of  its  inner  and  middle  thirds."     (Riviere.) 


206  The  Early  Diagnosis  of  Tuberculosis. 

But  the  art  of  the  early  diagnosis  of  pulmonary  phthisis  may 
not  be  described  in  a  medical  paper  but  may  be  learned  from  some 
of  the  several  extensive  works  on  the  subject,  e.  g.,  Riviere. 
It  is  merely  forecast  here.  Certain  it  is,  however,  that  a  positive 
diagnosis  is  practical  without  the  presence  of  the  tubercular 
bacilli. 

THE   REMEDY. 

The  diagnosis  having  been  reached,  what  are  we  to  do  about 
it?  Well,  brother,  I  am  writing  this  paper  chiefly  to  persuade 
you  to  believe  that  you  can  cure  the  great  majority  of  patients 
whom  you  find  in  this  condition.  I  am  free  to  admit  that  in  those 
cases  called  "incipient"  by  the  text-books,  and  even  where  the 
tubercular  bacilli  are  just  beginning  to  appear,  a  cure  is  very 
difficult  and  may  only  be  expected  in  a  limited  number  of  the 
most  favorable  cases,  and  even  then  it  comes  about  slowly,  and 
that  in  those  advanced  cases  wherq  the  classical  facies  are  dis- 
tinct there  is  no  more  hope  for  cure  now  than  there  ever  was. 
They  will  move  on  in  the  same  direction  at  much  the  same  rate 
and  terminate  at  the  same  place  in  the  same  way,  but  their  course 
can  be  made  much  more  comfortable  and  their  end  a  tranquil 
dream  instead  of  a  harrowing  nightmare.  They  may  be  so  treated 
that  they  cross  the  River  Styx  without  fully  realizing  that  their 
feet  have  trod  its  shore  or  that  its  waves  have  lapped  their  feet. 
All,  or  most  all,  of  the  horribleness  of  the  last  weeks  or  months 
of  the  average  case  may  be  abated.  The  night  sweats,  the  diar- 
rhoea, the  frequent  painful  and  nerve-racking  hectic  rigors  may  be 
abated  by  the  same  treatment  which  will  cure  the  curable  case, 
viz.,  Tuberculin. 

TUBERCULINE. 

Now  Tuberculine  was  proposed  as  a  remedy  for  pulmonary 
phthisis  in  Rolling's  Pharmacopoe,  p.  235,  published  in  Leipsic  in 
1836.  In  1886,  Samuel  Swan  published  his  work  on  Morbific 
products,  which  described  the  action  and  application  of  Tuber- 
culiniim.  Dr.  Burnett,  of  England,  published  his  cures  of  tuber- 
culosis by  Bacillinum  (same  as  Tuber  culinum  or  Tuberculine} 
in  '1885,  and  in  1890  Koch  arrived  with  Tuberculine.  And  al- 
though Dr.  Koch  was  never  able  to  show  a  single  case  cured  by 
his  remedy  and  dosage,  so  far  as  we  know,  the  secular  press 


The  Early  Diagnosis  of  Tuberculosis.  207 

lauded  him  to  the  skies  for  his  wonderful  discovery.  But  because 
of  his  awful  dosage  his  precious  remedy  fell  into  deserved  dis- 
use. Deserved  because  harmful  as  used.  For  it  must  be  realized 
that  Tuberculide  is  as  dangerous  to  a  tubercular  patient  as  Nux 
vomica  to  dogs.  One  can  kill  a  tuberculous  patient  by  over- 
dosing with  Tuberculine  as  certainly  (and  with  the  very  best  of 
intentions)  as  he  could  kill  a  baby  with  opium  when  equally  care- 
lessly given.  Finally,  some  one  seemed  to  take  the  hint  from 
Burnett's  published  cures,  and  began  giving  Tuberculine  in  doses 
so  small  (one  ten-millionth  milligram)  as  to  excite  the  risibles  of 
even  the  "Hahnemanniac."  And  lo !  Richard  was  himself  again; 
Tuberculine  had  come  into  her  own,  and  in  coming  brought  along 
her  faithful  handmaiden — humane  dosage. 

Xow  the  action  of  large  doses  of  Tuberculine  is  to  induce  what 
is  known  as  a  reaction,  i.  e.,  a  sharp  chilly  rise  of  temperature 
with  chilly  sensations,  aching,  and  "grippy"  feeling  for  several 
hours,  which  is  the  beginning  of  the  ''negative  phase"  with,  may- 
hap, both  local  and  focal  reactions,  and  a  much  lowered  vitality 
for  from  one  to  several  days.  During  the  negative  phase,  anti- 
bodies are  developed  by  the  conflict  in  the  system  between  the 
Tuberculine  and  the  vis  medicatrix,  then  die  negative  phase  is 
succeeded  by  the  positive  phase  which  lasts  an  uncertain  time.  It 
was  at  first  thought  that  this  period  would  be  positively  deter- 
mined by  the  "opsonic  index."  But  experience  did  not  realize  on 
the  expectation.  In  febrile  cases  it  is  often  found  that  the  cycle 
is  complete  in  ten  days.  This  is  shown  by  the  subsidence  of 
the  reactionary  rise  of  temperature  after  a  given  dose  of  Tuber- 
culine to  a  certain  level,  as  shown  by  the  clinical  thermometer, 
which  remains  at  that  degree  for  some  time  and  then  gradually 
begins  to  rise  each  day  until  it  has  almost  or  quite  reached  the 
point  where  it  was  at  the  time  of  the  administration  of  the  dose 
which  provoked  the  hyperpyrexia.  The  dose  must  not  be  repeated 
until  the  cycle  is  complete.  Since  the  cycle  is  usually  complete  in 
eight  to  ten  days  in  cases  with  hyperthermery  it  seems  to  work 
out  very  well  in  practice  to  repeat  the  dose  in  afebrile  cases  once  a 
week  or  ten  days.  It  may  be  that  some  patients  might  be  able  to 
stand  more  but  it  is  risky.  Some  physicians  advise  0.000000 1  mg. 
as  the  initial  dose,  but  we  have  not,  after  considerable  experience. 


2o8  The  Early  Diagnosis  of  Tuberculosis. 

found  any  harm  arising  from  o.ooi  mg.  as  the  initial  dose,  in- 
creasing about  30  per  cent,  per  week  until  the  point  of  immunity 
is  reached.  A  practical  scale  is  that  used  by  Von  Behring,  viz. : 
Xo.  1,  0.001  mg.,  No*.  2,  0.0013  mg. ;  No.  3,  0.0017  mg. ;  Xo.  4, 
0.0022  mg. ;  Xo.  5,  0.0028  mg. ;  Xo.  6,  0.0036  mg. ;  Xo.  7,  0.0047 
mg. ;  Xo.  8,  0.0061  mg. ;  Xo.  9,  0.0079  mg. ;  Xo.  10,  0.01  mg. ; 
Xo.  11,  0.13  mg. ;  Xo.  12,  0.017  mg.,  and  so  on  until  no  reaction 
occurs  after  any  sized  dose.  During  the  course  of  administration 
of  Tiiberculine,  according  to  this  scale,  should  the  operator  dis- 
cover a  reaction  in  the  patient  just  after  any  given  dose,  he  must 
realize  that  he  had  given  too  large  a  dose,  and  must  repeat  it 
even  in  that  quantity  short  of  ten  days,  and  it  were  better  to  wait 
two  weeks.  And  then  he  should  drop  down  the  scale  at  least 
five  doses  and  come  up  again,  when  he  will  most  likely  find  that 
he  can  pass  the  point  at  which  he  got  the  aggravation,  i.  e.,  reac- 
tion without  noting  any  disturbance.  This  fact  admonishes  us 
the  absolute  necessity  of  the  patient's  taking  their  own  tempera- 
ture. This  should  be  done  at  8  A.  M.,  12  M.  and  4  and  8  P.  M., 
and  accurately  recorded  along  with  the  .pulse  rate  in  a  small  vest 
pocket  memorandum  book  which  is  brought  to  the  doctor  at 
each  visit  to  his  office  or  when  he  visits  the  patient.  The  weight 
is  recorded  at  the  bottom  of  the  page  for  each  week  thus  giving 
at  a  single  glance  the  progress  of  the  case  for  any  single  week — 
a  most  satisfactory  record  in  a  review  of  the  case  later  on. 
The  patient  is  then  immunized  or  cured  and  will  be  found  to  be  in 
ordinary  health  and  will  remain  so  indefinitely  in  any  climate  un- 
less again  the  subject  of  the  same  kind  of  an  attack  which 
brought  on  the  one  which  developed  the  case  in  point — and  he 
may  even  pass  that  in  safety. 

ADMINISTRATION. 

The  doses  are  administered  hypodermically  under  aseptic  pre- 
cautions, and  usually  in  the  triceps  muscle  of  the  left  arm  because 
of  its  convenience.  The  left  arm  is  bared  as  far  as  possible, 
paint  the  site  to  be  punctured  with  Tinct.  iodine  (U.  S.  P.),  re- 
move with  alcohol ;  make  skin  tense  by  drawing-  it  sideways,  at 
right  angles  to  humorus.  with  thumb  and  fingers  of  left  hand 
and  with  a  sharp  hammer,  stroke  motion  with  the  hypodermic 
needle  in  the  right  hand  between  thumb  and  fore-fingers,  plunge 


The  Early  Diagnosis  of  Tuberculosis.  209 

needle  up  to  hilt.  The  patient  will  be  surprised  to  feel  no  pain. 
And  the  harder  the  hammer  stroke  the  less  liability  of  pain. 
Shove  the  plunger  slowly  home  and  withdraw  needle.  Then  draw 
into  syringe  5  or  10  drops  of  alcohol,  discharge  ad  lib.,  return  to 
case  and  you're  ready  for  next  case,  and  your  needle  will  never 
rust  closed.  Xow  do  not  fall  into  the  error  of  putting  all  your  de- 
pendence on  the  Tubcrculine.  While  we  believe  it  to  be  the 
sovereign  remedy,  we  are  sure  it  can  be  materially  assisted,  and 
also  that  it  is  not  often  alone  sufficient.  The  first  auxiliary  rem- 
edy (food)  demanding  attention  is  organic  iron  in  teablespoonful 
doses.  Its  need  will  be  readily  seen  in  most  cases,  but  whether 
seen  or  not,  it  is  needed  and  should  be  given,  secundum  artem,  in 
all  cases.  The  association  of  arsenic  and  nucleine  with  it  is  of 
distinct  advantage.  Kali  c,  Phosphorus,  Calc.  c.  or  Baryta  carb. 
will  be  of  signal  advantage  in  doses  of  0.00000000 1  mg.  twice  a 
day  when  prescribed  by  any  one  u*ho  knozes  or  will  learn  how  to 
use  them.  Occasionally  one  will  find  a  case  where  the  "human" 
Tubcrculine  does  not  help  at  all.  We  have  often  thought  that  the 
"bovine"  strain  would  be  efficient  in  such  case,  but  never  could  get 
it  in  proper  dilution.  This  is  merely  a  hint  to  some  one  who  may 
wish  to  try  it  out. 

ENFORCED  REST. 

And  whereas  we  formerly  allowed  all  our  patients  to  pursue 
their  usual  occupations  during  treatment  (if  not  too  strenuous), 
we  are  now  certain  that  it  is  better  for  them,  when  at  all  possible, 
to  stop  work  and  remain  in  bed  for  at  least  a  month.  It  may 
require  longer,  but  be  that  as  it  may,  they  should  cease  from  physi- 
cal exertion  as  much  as  possible.  This  period  of  inaction  should 
be  spent  in  a  plaace  which  is  practically  the  open  air. 

A  SANATORIUM  AT  HOME. 

A  model  sanitorium  can  be  had  almost  anywhere  at  an  in- 
significant cost.  The  back  yard,  back  porch,  or  back  room  may 
easily  be  converted  into  an  open  air  habitation  for  any  patient. 
A  tent  and  awning  to  shield  from  the  sun,  rain  or  snow,  screens 
to  protect  from  air  pests,  a  comfortable  single  iron  bed,  and  one 
has  all  the  essentials.  The  open  air  treatment  is  most  beneficial 
in  winter  but  requires  much  added  work  by  the  nurse  or  family. 


210  The  Early  Diagnosis  of  Tuberculosis. 

CHANGE   OF    CLIMATE    XOT    NECESSARY. 

Just  here  let  me  advise.  Do  not  send  your  patients  to  a  change 
of  climate  unless  they  can  be  accompanied  by  one  or  more  of  their 
immediate  families.  Because  the  pang's  of  homesickness  and 
loneliness  drive  them  almost  to  despair — more  especially  when  not 
liberally  supplied  with  money.  Money  will  provide  some  diver- 
sion and  obtain  some  friends  and  a  certain  sort  of  welcome  for  a 
"lunger"  who  is  nowadays  mostly  persona  non  grata  in  all  those 
locations  supposedly  favorable  to  pulmonary  tuberculosis.  But 
the  patient  of  limited  means  will  fare  much  best  at  home  amid 
home  influences,  friends,  family  and  sympathy.  For  a  patient  may 
recover  in  the  climate  of  home  as  well  as  any  other.  Especially 
is  this  the  case  in  the  matter  and 

IMPORTANCE  OF  FEEDING 

which  is  so  tremendously  important.  For  if  a  patient  is  to  re- 
cover satisfactorily  he  is  to  do  so  via  a  liberal  and  appetizing 
diet  of  everything  "good  to  eat."  And  that  taken  at  the  times 
when  most  beneficial.  And  who  will  interest  themselves  in  fixing 
dainties  for  the  sick  so  much  as  mother,  wife  or  sister?  In  gen- 
eral, their  diet  should  be  highly  nutritious,  easily  digested  and  ap- 
petizing. The  attending  physician  and  family  will  do  well  to 
confer  frequently  and  extensively  over  the  subject  of  diet.  Bath- 
ing is  also  of  importance,  but  we'd  like  to  hint  to  the  physician  to 
be  careful  about  having  any  patient  bathed  according  to  set  rules. 
Consult  the  patient's  personal  comfort  always  in  the  matter  of 
general  baths.  Their  temperature  and  frequency  of  repetition 
will  depend  on  their  effect  on  the  patients  as  disclosed  by  the 
clinical  thermometer  and  variation  of  bodily  weight. 

Finally,  we  wish  to  say  this  (that  we  may  hearten  some  pes- 
simist, cheer  up  some  discouraged  practitioner)  : 

State  a  positive  diagnosis  in  early  incipiency  gently,  but  im-- 
xnediately;  follow  the  statement  instantly  with  an  assurance  of 
cure,  said  assurance,  of  course,  to  be  modified  by  conditions 
present.  Ask  and  you'll  get  the  hearty  co-operation  of  the  pa- 
tient and  family.  Then  confidently  expect  many  brilliant  results 
and  much  personal  gratification.  Tubercular  lesions  in  other 
v  parts  of  the  body  yield  to  Tubcrculine  more  readily  than  pulmon- 


Excerpt  Unintentional  Provings.  211 

ary  involvement — laryngeal  lesions  being  the   deplorable  excep- 
tion. 

1221  X.  Grand  Ave.,  St.  Louis. 


EXCERPT  UNINTENTIONAL   PROVINGS 
OF  ARSENIC. 

By  W.  Franklin  Baker,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Of  late  much  has  been  said  of  the  verification  of  the  drug 
pathogenesy  of  the  homoeopathic  action  of  drugs  found  in  chemi- 
cal workers  and  the  industries  associated  with  manufacturing. 

It  was  supposed,  and  is  now  generally  believed,  that  these  drug 
effects  are  essentially  toxic,  and  of  economic  importance  only,  but 
if  one  will  but  take  the  time  to  investigate  and  had  sufficient 
funds  at  his  disposal  to  further  examine  and  verify  his  findings 
he  will  find  a  complete  symptomatology,  from  the  grosser  patho- 
logical to  the  finer  mental,  so  completely  outlined  as  to  correspond 
almost  to  an  entirety  with  the  known  symptoms  verified  by  direct 
provings. 

These  effects  have  been  called  "Unintentional  Provings,'''  and 
their  value  to  the  homoeopath  remains  to  be  studied.  They  differ 
from  the  direct  provings  in  that  they  unconsciously  are  allowed 
to  progress  to  a  finality  of  action  which  one  is  not  permitted  to 
observe  in  the  direct  proving  of  drugs. 

They  are  further  of  value  because  their  pathology-  is  known  and 
studied  under  "Industrial  Diseases,"  and  has  been  subjected  to 
the  repeated  observations  of  many  skilled  operators  in  verification. 

Lastly  they  show  clearly  the  effect  of  definite  chemical  com- 
pounds on  healthy  organisms  (a  thought  that  our  recent  com- 
mittee on  drug  proving  has  insisted  upon). 

Examination  of  workers  in  arsenic  was  conducted  in : 
Four  paper  mills. 
Two  chemical  shops. 
Three  foundaries. 
Three  wool  scourers. 

Sixty  workers  were  examined  in  all. 

The  distribution  of  the  action  of  the  arsenic  seemed  to  be 
primarily  on  the  blood,  resembling  a  secondary  anaemia,  giving 
rise  to  change  in  : 


212  A  Case  of  S plenomyelo genous  Leukcemia. 

(a)  Blood  and  circulation. 

(b)  Color  of   skin. 

(c)  Weakness  in  muscular  system. 

(d)  Nervous   system. 

(e)  Digestion. 

(f)  Respiration. 

(g)  Genito-urinary  systems. 
Heart  changes  observed : 

(i)   Apical  soft  blowing  murmur. 

(2)  Arterial  murmur,  synchronous  with  pulse. 

(3)  Venous  murmurs,  soft  blowing  in  veins. 
Blood  changes : 

(1)  Reduced  specific  gravity. 

(2)  Reduced  red  cells. 

(3)  Reduced  fibrinous  material. 

(4)  Increase  in  watery  elements. 

The  following  characteristics  were  noticeable : 

(a)  Extreme  restlessness  and  fear. 

(b)  Burning. 

(c)  Weakness  and  depression  of  spirits. 

(d)  Thirst,  small  quantities. 

(e)  Aggravation  during  night. 


A  CASE  OF  SPLENOMYELOGENOUS  LEUKEMIA. 
R.  S.  Faris,  M.  D.,  3003  E.  Broad  St.,  Richmond,  Va. 

Miss  M.  F.,  set.  35,  a  seamstress,  suffered  from  an  attack  of 
grippe  in  December  of  1914,  and  she  had  never  felt  well  since. 
When  I  saw  her  the  following  March  she  was  suffering  from 
throbbing  pains  in  the  right  eyeball,  and  was  unable  to  read  or 
write  because  it  made  her  "nervous,"  and  she  would  not  be  con- 
sidered a  nervous  type  of  patient.  In  addition  to  this  pain  in  the 
eyes  she  suffered  from  what  she  caHed  a  "thumping  pain,"  located, 
especially,  in  the  right  posterior  part  of  the  head,  but  involving 
the  entire  right  side  of  the  head  and  neck.  In  a  few  days  the  pain 
seemed  to  leave  the  other  parts  of  the  head  to  a  greater  or  less 
extent  and  to  locate  in  the  right  occipital  region,  and  frequently 
extending  to  the  parietal  area,  but  for  months  it  did  not  affect 


A  Case  of  Splenomyelogenous  Leuk&mia.  213 

the  left  side.  When  these  pains  were  most  severe  the  scalp  would 
be  elevated  in  what  she  called  a  "ridge  or  bump/'  and  as  the 
pain  became  less  the  swelling,  which  was  distinctly  perceptible, 
receded..  These  pains  in  her  head  were  always  worse  during  her 
menstrual  epoch,  and  these  occasions  were  very  irregular,  varying 
from  three  to  six  weeks,  but  they  never  entirely  ceased.  The 
occipital  swelling  during  one  of  her  severe  atacks  was  as  large  as 
a  hickory  nut. 

During  April  and  May  she  was  bothered  very  much  with  numb- 
ness and  tingling  in  her  hands  and  feet.  These  attacks  began  in 
the  ringers,  hands  and  feet  and  at  first  they  felt  as  if  they  were 
asleep,  then  they  became  red.  and,  later,  turned  almost  purple 
in  color  and  were  accompanied  by  severe  pain  of  a  drawing 
nature,  and  was  worse  at  the  ends  of  the  fingers. 

In  May  she  had  an  attack  similar  to  those  from  which  she 
had  suffered  since  she  was  a  child.  These  attacks  began  with 
severe  pain  above  the  pubes,  and  the  first  pain  was  coincident 
with  urination.  The  abdomen  was  bloated  causing  shortness  of 
breath.  The  attacks  usually  followed  getting  wet.  About  this 
time  her  heart  gave  her  some  trouble,  there  was  a  sensation  as 
if  a  cord  were  drawn  about  the  heart  and  then  pulled  toward  the 
left  arm.    The  pain  extended  down  the  left  arm. 

During  the  fall  she  was  somewhat  better  but  was  never  entirely 
free  from  suffering.  In  November  her  troubles  began  again. 
The  pain  in  the  right  occipital  region  increased  so  that  it  felt  as 
if  someone  were  grasping  a  handful  of  the  scalp  and  were  trying 
to  pull  it  off.  The  numbness  and  tingling  of  the  hands  returned, 
and  on  about  the  25th  of  the  month  she  suffered  from  intense 
dull  pain  in  the  left  chest  at  about  the  10th  rib,  this  area  was  two 
or  three  inches  broad  and  extended  horizontally  from  about  the 
axillary  line  to  the  xyphoid  cartilage  with  occasionally  pains  ex- 
tending to  the  liver  and  down  into  the  abdomen.  This  was  ac- 
companied by  frequent  urination.  The  pain  was  somewhat  con- 
trolled by  opiates,  but  returned  more  severely  than  at  first  as  the 
effect  of  the  opiates  wore  off.  At  this  time  the  affected  area  was 
swollen  and  the  abdomen  became  distended  and  tympanic.  Dur- 
ing this  severe  attack  her  temperature  was  frequently  subnormal 
and  never  showed  much  fever.    The  pulse  ranged  from  80  to  go. 


214  A  Case  of  Splenomyelogenous  Leukcemia. 

The  patient  was  very  constipated,  and  there  were  many  points 
which  simulated  obstruction,  however  a  blood  smear  quickly  de- 
cided the  question  by  showing  a  field  literally  covered  with 
leukocytes,  and  the  physical  findings  showed  conclusively  that 
it  was  not  the  lymphatic  form  of  the  disease  but  was  splenomyelo- 
genous. Following  this  severe  attack  she  was  troubled  more 
or  less  for  a  month  with  nausea,  which  occasionally  went  to  the 
extent  of  vomiting.  During  this  month  the  spleen  enlarged 
rapidly  and  attained  its  largest  size  about  Christmas,  when  it  ex- 
tended about  one  and  one-half  inches  to  the  right  of  the  um- 
bilicus and  downward  almost  to  the  anterior  superior  spine  of  the 
ilium.  The  following  month  or  two  the  spleen  varied  in  size, 
and,  as  it  would  get  smaller  the  occipital  pain  would  increase, 
and  as  the  spleen  would  get  larger  the  pain  would  subside. 

Quite  an  array  of  remedies  were  used  in  the  year  and  a  half 
that  she  has  been  under  treatment.  In  the  early  stages  Gels.  0,  ix 
and  2x,  seemed  to  exert  a  good  inuence  over  the  tingling  and 
numb  conditions.  Mag.  phos.  30X  relieved  the  cramps  at  the 
menstrual  time.  The  area  over  the  occipital  nerves  was  frozen 
with  ethyl  chlorine  spray,  but  did  not  seem  to  be  of  much  value. 
When  she  was  in  bed  massaging  her  back  and  neck  seemed  to  be 
grateful  and  give  temporary  relief.  When  the  spleen  enlarged  so 
rapidly  and  to  such  an  immense  size  she  was  given  Sodium 
cacodylate  3  gr.,  hypodermically,  daily  for  three  days,  then  every 
other  day  for  about  two  weeks,  and  then  every  third  day.  Bene- 
ficial results  seemed  to  be  obtained  at  first,  but  I  have  doubts  as 
to  its  real  efficacy.  When  she  was  so  badly  constipated  Plumb, 
met.  200  started  up  peristalsis.  The  Sodium  cacod.  was  fol- 
lowed by  Ceanothus  ix,  gtt.  v,  t.  i.  d.  This  remedy  for  a  time 
seemed  to  be  of  value,  and  I  believe  it  did  do  really  good  work, 
but  the  remedies  which  finally  started  her  on  the  road  to  recovery 
were  Benzol  in  conjunction  with  China  ars.  2x  and  the  X-ray. 
Cobb,  in  the  Clinique  of  August,  1^14,  says  regarding  Benzol: 
"It  is  worthy  of  note  that  there  are  several  different  compounds 
on  the  market  which  may  be  confounded,  and  that  Benzol  is 
Benzene  C0HC,  which  is  a  product  of  coal  tar  distillation,  while 
Benzine  is  a  product,  not  of  coal  tar.  but  of  crude  petroleum, 
with  high  toxic  capability."     He  also  recommends  that  a  blood 


A  Case  of  S  plenomyelo  genous  Leukcrmia. 


215 


count  be  taken  frequently,  and  that  the  urine  be  examined  to 
guard  against  a  too  sudden  drop  of  the  white  cells  in  the  first  case 
and  against  albumin  in  the  latter.  Miss  F.  was  given  Benzol 
m.  v.  in  an  equal  amount  of  olive  oil,  t.  i.  d.  The  amount  was 
increased  on  an  average  of  one  drop  a  week.  The  greatest  amount 
taken  daily  was  33  minims.  She  averaged  an  X-ray  treatment  of 
about  15  to  20  minutes'  duration  every  five  days.  Lately  the  first 
half  of  the  treatment  was  given  to  the  abdomen  and  the  last  half 
to  the  back.  The  Chin.  ars.  2x  was,  given  two  tablets  q.  i.  d., 
but  the  hours  were  not  allowed  to  conflict  with  the  time  at  which 
the  Benzol  was  taken.  The  leukocytes  began  to  diminish  in 
quantity  as  soon  as  this  line  of  treatment  was  instituted. 

The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  leukocytes  per  c.  m. 
and  the  daily  consumption  of  Benzol: 


Feb.      26,  191 5 202400 

■•••35730° 
. . . 577400 
. . . 336200 

. . .433000 
. . .271300 
. .  . 506200 
. . . 264000 
. . . 148000 
. . .  96000 
...  48000 
. . .  32000 


March 

20, 

April 

8,     ' 

April 

30, 

May 

14,      ' 

May 

26.      ' 

June 

6,     ' 

June 

T-l-iUr 

21,      ' 

July 

Aug. 

/  • 
4,      ' 

Sept. 

1,      ' 

Sept. 

30. 

Benzol  not  yet  begun. 
Benzol  not  yet  begun. 
Benzol  m.  15  daily. 
Benzol  m.  19  daily. 
Benzol  m.  22  daily. 
Benzol  m.  25  daily. 
Benzol  m.  26  daily. 
Benzol  m.  28  daily. 
Benzol  m.  33  daily. 
Benzol  m.  15  daily. 
Benzol  m.  15  daily. 
Benzol  m.   15  daily. 


Her  normal  waist  measure  was  26  inches  but  increased  to  31 
when  the  spleen  was  largest,  and  it  is  now  back  to  2y  inches. 
Her  appetite  is  good  and  bowels  regular.  She  is  feeling  much 
stronger,  and  her  face  is  becoming  rosy  instead  of  remaining 
sallow  as  it  has  been.  She  can  breathe  with  comfort,  and  has  be- 
gun to  work  a  little  at  her  former  occupation.  She  feels  better 
than  she  has  for  many  months,  and  seems  to  be  on  the  road  to 
recovery. 


216  Two  Cases  of  Acute  Mastoiditis. 

TWO  CASES  OF  ACUTE  MASTOIDITIS. 
By  W.  E.  Boynton,  M.  D.,  F.  A.  C.  S. 

The  following  two  cases  are  cited  since  they  occurred  simul- 
taneously and  illustrated  the  perplexities  confronting  the  aural 
surgeon : 

Case  i. — Female,  set.  33.  Recovering  from  an  attack  of  "la 
grippe"  developed  acute  otitis  with  the  usual  symptoms.  Tympanic 
membrane  slightly  bulging,  mastoid  almost  negative.  Free  in- 
cision of  tympanic  membrane  was  followed  by  a  discharge  of 
bloody  serum  for  first  twenty-four  hours  when  discharge  stopped 
and  incision  healed  and  ear  symptoms  subsided.  About  a  week 
later  pain  in  ear  returned  and  examination  developed  a  furuncu- 
losis  of  the  membranous  portion  of  the  canal  on  posterior  wall. 
This  condition  subsided  rapidly  on  free  incision  and  ear  symptoms 
disappeared.  Five  days  later  complained  of  pain  in  head  on  the 
affected  side  with  some  discomfort  in  ear,  though  not  marked. 
Mastoid  was  found  negative  as  was  the  canal  and  tympanic  mem- 
brane, but  the  patient  did  not  look  well.  She  had  been  up  and 
around  and  thoug'ht  she  had  overdone.  She  was  sent  into  hos- 
pital and  tympanic  membrane  incised  freely  under  general  an- 
aesthetic with  idea  that  there  might  be  a  slight  retention.  Condi- 
tions were  found  negative.  Second  day  following  patient  de- 
veloped well-defined  swelling  under  mastoid  process  and  sensitive- 
ness over  jugular.  The  mastoid  cells  were  opened  and  found  to 
be  necrotic  with  exposure  of  the  sinus  and  perforation  of  the 
tip,  with  pus  surrounding  sinus  and  burrowing  in  tissues  of  the 
neck.  Patient  made  an  uneventful  recovery.  In  this  case  there 
was  extensive  destruction  in  the  mastoid  process,  and  extension 
into  the  cerebral  cavity  and  into  the  neck,  and  yet  the  mastoid  had 
been  negative  up  to  the  last  few-  hours,  and  there  had  been  prac- 
tically no  discharge  from  the  middle  ear  at  any  stage  of  the 
attack. 

Case  2. — Female,  aet.  26.  Had  suffered  from  severe  attack  of 
purulent  otitis  media  for  past  six  weeks,  which  had  resisted  best 
homoeopathic  medication.  The  discharge  was  profuse,  thick, 
purulent,  returning  as  fast  as  wiped  away,  and  had  been  so  from 
beginning  of  attack.    When  sent  by  author  there  was  every  symp- 


On  the  Firing  Line.  217 

torn  of  an  active  mastoiditis  :  the  posterior  superior  wall  of  the 
canal  was  markedly  bulging,  the  mastoid  process  was  very  sen- 
sitive to  deep  pressure,  especially  over  antrum  and  tip,  the  tissues 
of  the  neck  were  swollen  and  tense,  and  the  head  held  well  to 
the  affected  side ;  the  patient  complained  of  constant  pain  in 
mastoid  area  and  inability  to  sleep  not  due  to  the  pain.  In  fact, 
a  most  serious  condition  was  apparently  present  in  the  mastoid 
cells  with  probable  perforation  of  the  tip  and  involvement  of  the 
tissues  of  the  neck.  Immediate  operation  was  advised  and 
promptly  refused.  Feeling  that  this  was  the  only  advisable  treat- 
ment the  author  refused  further  responsibility  in  the  case.  In 
spite  of  the  unfavorable  prognosis  the  case  proceeded  to  unevent- 
ful recovery  under  the  care  of  her  physician.  This  patient  was 
three  months  pregnant  which    may  or  may  not,  have  factored. 

Both  cases  were  under  the  care  of  first  class  homoeopathic 
physicians  before  the  author  was  called  in  consultation.  One 
had  none  of  the  cardinal  symptoms  of  mastoid  involvement  until 
the  last  twelve  hours,  and  yet  had  a  very  serious  condition  present 
in  the  mastoid.  The  other  had  all  the  picture  of  an  extensive 
mastoiditis  wTith  involvement  of  the  adjacent  tissues,  and  yet 
made  a  recovery  not  to  be  expected  in  such  cases.  It  is  such 
cases  as  these1  that  make  the  surgeon  wish  he  had  stuck  to  the 
plow. 

22  E.  Washington  St..  Chicago,  111. 


ON  THE  FIRING  LINE. 
By  Eli  G.  Jones,  M.  D.,  1404  Main  St.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

In  March  I  had  a  call  to  Colfax,  Jasper  Co.,  Iowa,  to  give  a 
personal  course  of  instruction  to  Dr.  Frank  W.  Stewart  and 
help  him  with  some  difficult  cases.  Colfax  is  a  town  of  3,000 
population,  twenty-three  miles  east  of  Des  Moines,  and  about 
150  miles  from  Omaha.  The  town  has  eight  sanitariums  in 
it,  each  one  has  a  mineral  spring  of  its  own.  This  mineral  water 
has  quite  a  reputation  for  the  cure  of  rheumatism.  The  largest 
sanitarium  is  two  miles  out  of  town,  the  Colfax  Hotel.  It  is  a 
fine  large  building  with  200  rooms  in  it.  and  beautiful  grounds 
adjoining  the  building.      When    Dr.    Stewart   and   I   visited   the 


218  On  the  Firing  Line 


■s 


hotel  we  were  treated  with  great  kindness  and  courtesy  by  the 
proprietor,  Col.  Donahue.  We  were  his  guests,  and  after  a 
nice  supper  we  were  conducted  all  over  the  hotel.  It  is  a  first 
class  hotel,  where  sick  people  come  to  get  well.  Dr.  Stewart 
had  "rounded  up"  some  eighty  patients  for  me  to  examine  and 
prescribe  for;  many  of  them  were  old  "chronics"  that  had  been 
the  ''rounds  of  the  doctors."  I  have  never  seen  so  many  interest- 
ing cases  as  I  saw  in  Colfax.  My  method  of  examination  was 
a  little  different  from  the  usual  plan.  When  a  patient  was  brought 
into  the  private  office  Dr.  Stewart  would  tell  me  the  principal 
symptoms  the  patient  had,  then  I  read  the  eyes,  pulse  and  tongue 
and  wrote  out,  on  a  prescription  pad.  the  remedies  the  patient 
needed,  and  how  and  when  to  take  them.  The  doctor  would 
then  proceed  to  prepare  the  medicine  for  them.  In  each  case  I 
called  his  attention  to  certain  points  about  the  case  that  I  wanted 
him  to  know,  for  it  was  a  part  of  his  instruction.  In  this  way  it 
helped  to  fix  certain  facts  in  his  mind.  The  course  of  instruction 
was  not  only  clinical  but  eminently  practical.  When  a  student 
sees  the  appearance  of  the  eye  and  tongue  and  learns  what  it 
means,  when  he  reads  the  pulse  of  the  patient  with  me,  and 
learns  the  meaning  of  the  different  variations  of  it,  it  is  an 
object  lesson  to  him,  and  one  that  he  will  not  soon  forget. 

I  was  in  that  town  about  nine  days,  and  some  of  the  patients  I 
saw  before  I  left  for  home,  and  they  had  already  begun  to  re- 
spond to  the  action  of  the  remedies,  and  were  on  the  road  to  re- 
covery. Dr.  Stewart  has  a  large  practice ;  he  is  a  careful,  skillful, 
conscientious  physician,  one  who  has  the  respect  and  confidence 
of  the  community  in  which  he  resides. 

On  my  way  home  I  stopped  off  at  Chicago  and  attended  the 
"Society  of  Medical  Research."  This  is  a  non-sectarian  medical 
society  with  about  200  members  from  all  schools  of  medicine. 
It  is  affiliated  with  the  "American  Association  of  Progressive 
Medicine"  of  which  Dr.  L.  D.  Rogers  is  president.  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  meeting  the  doctor  at  the  above  meeting.  He  is  a 
fine  physician,  a  man  of  pleasing  personality.  Under  his  admin- 
istration the  association  is  growing  in  membership  very  fast.  I 
also  met  my  old  friend,  Dr.  Charles  Woodward,  author  of  "Intra- 
uterine Medication."     In  his  specialty  of  gynaecology  he  has  no 


On  the  Firing  Line.  219 

rival.  It  was  my  good  fortune  to  meet  with  Dr.  Finley  Ellings- 
wood,  author  of  the  best  work  on  eclectic  materia  medica,  and 
editor  of  "Ellingwood's  Therapeutist."  He  has  the  "pen  of  a 
ready  writer,"  and  his  books  are  well  known  by  physicians  of  all 
schools  of  medicine. 

Dr.  W.  E.  Bremser,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  one  of  "my  best  boys," 
reports  three  very  interesting  cases.  He  had  a  case  of  vicarious 
menstruation  in  a  young  girl.  She  bled  only  from  the  left  nostril, 
and  bled  worse  after  a  sleep.  Lachesis  cleaned  up  the  case  and 
caused  her  to  menstruate  regularly.  A  case  of  myelitis.  The 
woman  had  arms  cold  as  death  to  the  elbow,  without  motion, 
hyperesthesia,  dripping  sweat  from  hands  and  feet,  could  not 
bend  her  knees.  He  painted  her  spine  with  Tr.  iodine  night  and 
morning,  and  gave  her  Kali  phos.  and  Tr.  Avena  sativa.  In  two 
weeks  she  could  lay  on  her  back,  her  extremities  were  warm, 
skin  not  super-sensitive  and  she  could  straighten  out  her  knees. 
Another  patient,  colored  man,  had  "cancer  of  the  scrotum ;  is  pro- 
gressing nicely  under  Aurum  arsenici  and  Spongia.''  The  reports 
that  I  am  getting  every  day  from  the  "firing  line"  do  my  heart 
good.     I  say,   "thank  God,  another  life  saved." 

I  am  in  close  touch  with  physicians  of  all  schools  of  medicine 
in  all  parts  of  our  country,  Canada,  Cuba  and  across  the  Atlantic 
and  Pacific  that  are  doing  things  in  their  profession.  When 
I  think  of  how  very  many  precious  lives  are  being  saved  every 
year  by  their  treatment  I  thank  God  that  He  has  let  me  live  to  see 
this  day. 

Dr.  John  Fox,  Sydney,  Australia,  reports  a  case  of  cancer  of 
the  breast  treated  successfully  with  Phytolacca.  He  dug  up  the 
root  of  the  plant  and  made  an  extract  of  it,  and  gave  it  internally. 
By  this  treatment  he  dissolved  away  a  cancer  in  the  breast  that 
measured  twenty-three  inches  in  circumference;  the  breast  had 
four  nipples  instead  of  one.  I  am  quite  sure  that  our  pro- 
fession do  not  realize  the  curative  value  of  Phytolacca  in  cancer. 
Among  the  seventy-five  remedies  taken  from  all  schools  of  medi- 
cine that  are  curative  in  cancer  Phytolacca  stands  at  the  head  of 
the  list.  I  find  our  physicians  fail  to  recognize  one  fact,  that  in 
women,  wornout,  nervous,  weak  pulse  but  with  some  tension  to  it, 
it  is  always  best  to  examine  the  spine  for  tender  spots.     If  the 


220  On  the  Firing  Line. 

patient  has  pain,  beginning  at  back  of  head  and  going  over  to 
frontal  region,  heat  in  palms  of  hands,  cold  knees,  quivering  of 
the  toes  in  bed  at  night,  then  you  know  that  you  have  a  case  of 
spinal  irritation,  and  you  can  cure  these  patients  very  soon  if  you 
go  the  right  way  about  it  you  will  get  results  from  your  treat- 
ment from  the  very  start.  First,  paint  a  strip  as  wide  as  your 
two  fingers  with  Tr.  iodine  the  whole  length  of  the  spine,  do  this 
night  and  morning  until  spine  feels  pretty  sore,  then  leave  it  off. 
AYe  know  that  Belladonna  in  toxic  doses  spends  its  force  upon 
the  brain  and  spinal  cord.  Therefore,  in  an  injury  to  the  spine, 
congestion  or  irritation.  Belladonna  is  the  remedy.  I  give  Tr. 
Belladonna,  ist  x,  5  drops  once  in  three  hours,  also  2  grs.  Quinine 
before  breakfast  and  dialysed  iron  15  drops  after  dinner  and 
supper.  This  plan  of  treating  spinal  irritations  has  stood  the  test 
of  forty-seven  years'  practice  and  it  can  be  depended  on.  Re- 
ports from  my  medical  friends  all  over  the  country  tell  of  cures 
of  this  condition  with  above  treatment.    Try  it. 

Dr.  M.  S.  Lane,  of  this  city,  reported  to  me  a  cure  he  made  of 
a  case  of  diarrhoea.  The  discharges  from  bowels  were  almost 
constant,  and  the  patient  had  fainting  spells  from  the  great 
prostration!     Arsenicum  200  cured  the  diarrhoea. 

Several  years  ago  I  was  called  to  Bainbridge,  Georgia,  in  con- 
sultation with  two  regular  physicians.  Y\  nen  we  went  into  a 
room  to  consult  about  the  patient,  the  oldest  doctor  remarked  to 
me,  "I  don't  believe  in  specific  medication."  I  replied,  ''Neither 
do  I.  Now,"  I  said,  "you  have  told  me  of  something  you  don't 
believe  in,  now  /  will  tell  you  something  that  I  do  believe  in  with 
all  my  heart  and  soul,  that  there  are  certain  remedies  that  do 
have  a  definite  remedial  action  upon  certain  abnormal  conditions." 
The  word  specific  should  never  be  used  in  medicine,  for  there  is 
no  such  a  thing  as  a  specific  for  any  disease  on  earth.  There 
can't  be,  the  thing  is  impossible.  A  specific  is  a  remedy  for  a 
particular  disease,  therefore  to  be  a  specific  it  must  naturally 
cover  all  the  symptoms  of  that  disease,  which  any  first  year  medi- 
cal student  knows  is  utter  foolishness.  To  claim  to  have  a  specific 
for  any  disease  is  the  very  zvorst  form  of  quackery!  The  teach- 
ing of  our  medical  students  that  this  or  that  remedy  is  a  specific 
for  a  certain  disease,  has  driven  very  many  i^ood  men  out  of  our 


Obstetrics.  221 

profession)  to  join  the  vast  army  of  drugless  healers  and  medical 
nihilists.  These  "specifics"  and  ''proprietary"  remedies  are  like 
"ready  made  clothing-."  they  may  fit  and  they  may  not,  oftentimes 
they  are  "misfits."  Some  of  us  know  by  experience  that  proprie- 
tary remedies  are  like  boarding  house  hash,  they  are  the  "sub- 
stance of  things  hoped  for,  the  evidence  of  things  not  seen." 
There  is  one  word  more  that  I  object  to  the  use  of  in  our  medical 
literature,  that  is  the  word  "'incurable!'  You  can't  find  it  in  any 
of  my  writings,  I  don't  talk  about  it  to  my  students  or  medical 
friends.  It  has  been  a  "bugbear"  to  the  profession  for  "lo,  these 
many  years."  Just  tell  a  doctor  that  a  "case  is  incurable"  and 
he  gets  weak  in  the  knees  and  gets  cold  feet.  How  do  we  know 
that  any  case  is  incurable  until  we  go  at  it  with  a  fixed  determina- 
tion to  conquer  it?  Really  I  feel  like  apologizing  to  the  reader 
for  mentioning  such  a  word  in  this  article. 

A  young  doctor  remarked  to  me,  "The  fathers  of  our  school 
have  said  that  this  disease  is  incurable."  "Yes,"  I  said,  "but  the 
fathers  are  dead.  The  king  is  dead,  long  live  the  king,  but  don't 
forget  that  He  is  dead,  and  that  the  world  moves,  it  don't  stand 
still.  We  are  to-day  curing  diseases  our  fathers  in  medicine 
could  not  cure/'  The  man  who  writes  books  on  materia  medica 
forty  years  from  now  will  have  very  much  to  learn  about  reme- 
dies he  never  heard  of  ! 

"Live  while  we  live  ; 

The  sacred  preacher  cries  ; 
And  give  to  God  each 
Moment  as  it  flies." 


OBSTETRICS. 

Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 

I  was  interested  in  Dr.  Ingersol's  article  in  the  March  Re- 
corder and  can  agree  with  him  that  obstetricians  are  born  not 
made. 

Patience  must  be  a  leading  quality,  but  combined  with  it  must 
be  good  judgment  as  to  when  nature  should  receive  assistance. 

As  to  forceps  I  happened  to  get  a  satisfactory  pair  when  I 
commenced  my  practice  for  five  years  ago. 


222  Obstetrics. 

I  was  not  fortunate  enough  to  have  had  any  clinical  experi- 
ence with  forceps  when  I  ran  up  against  my  first  forceps  case. 

I  had  been  taught  that  the  blades  having  been  slipped  into 
place  should  lock  without  any  further  adjustment.  But  when  I 
had  slipped  them  into  place  they  refused  to  lock.  After  repeated 
trials  without  success,  not  wishing  to  injure  my  patient  by  un- 
skillful manipulations  I  sent  for  an  old  experienced  doctor,  who, 
after  examining  the  patient,  said  :  ''I  should  advise  using  forceps." 
I  asked  him  if  he  would  be  kind  enough  to  operate,  which  he 
readily  consented  to  do.  I  watched  him  as  a  cat  would  watch  a 
mouse,  and  I  have  never  had  any  trouble  in  applying  forceps 
since. 

I  have  always  carried,  besides  my  standard  forceps,  a  short 
light  pair,  for  low  operations.  These  latter  seem  indispensable 
to  me,  if  one  is  to  consider  the  comfort  of  his  patient. 

In  many  cases  of  long,  tedious  labors,  when  the  patient  has 
become  thoroughly  tired  out,  nothing  is  needed  to  bring  the 
labor  to  a  successful  conclusion  but  a  little  more  expulsive  ef- 
fort than  the  woman  is  able  to  give,  and  unless  she  receives  as- 
sistance the  case  will  drag  on  for  hours. 

It  is  then  that  the  light  forceps  are  a  godsend  to  the  woman 
and  if  they  are  skillfully  used  I  do  not  believe  there  is  any  lia- 
bility of  laceration  of  the  perineum  than  there  would  be  if  after 
hours  of  suffering  the  woman  was  able  to  conclude  the  process 
without  such  assistance.  I  make  this  statement  confidently,  on 
the  basis  of  an  experience  which  has  not  been  small. 

Pituitrin  I  have  never  used  because  I  cannot  feel  safe  in  in- 
troducing into  the  system  of  my  patients  any  drug  which  I  can- 
not control  after  it  gets  to  work. 

We  are  advised  not  to  use  it  until  the  parts  are  ready  for  the 
labor  to  proceed  and  when  such  is  the  case  I  can  see  no  advantage 
that  Pituitrin  possesses  over  the  forceps,  while  the  forceps  have 
the  manifest  advantage  that  one  can  control  the  amount  of  force 
applied  as  also  its  periodicity  and  direction ;  in  each  of  these 
points  showing  their  superiority  over  Pituitrin. 

As  to  raw  mistakes  by  those  who  have  had  special  oppor- 
tunities, I  was  once  called  to  see  an  infant,  two  days  old,  that  had 
its  right  arm  broken  at  the  upper  third  of  the  humerus. 


Homoeopathic  Remedies  in  Wounds.  223 

It  was  a  forceps  delivery  by  a  college  professor,  who  was  called 
from  a  neighboring  city,  and  left  without  realizing  what  he  had 
done. 

In  closing  I  wish  to  express  my  high  appreciation  of  the  Re- 
corder. John  J.  Shaw,  M.  D. 

Plymouth,  Mass. 


HOMOEOPATHIC   REMEDIES  IN  WOUNDS. 

Messrs.  Boericke  &  Tafel, 

ion  Arch  Street, 

Philadelphia. 

Dear  Sirs: — I  enclose  copy  of  letter  I  sent  to  the  British  Medi- 
cal Journal  so  as  to  gain  time.  If  you  think  it  right  please  for- 
ward it  to  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 

Yours  truly, 

Antonio  L.  Dos  Santos. 

(Here  follows  the  letter  in  question. — Ed.  H.  R.)  : 
The  Editor  British  Medical  Journal, 

429  Strand,  London,  W.  C. 

Sir: — In  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder,  15th  Jan.,  1917;  page 
45,  published  at  Lancaster,  Pa.,  U.  S.  A.,  I  find  the  following 
passage :  "The  following  is  isolated  from  a  paper  in  the  British 
Medical  Journal,  now  so  full  of  surgical  cases,  as  are  all  the 
European  medical  journals. — 'The  pain  in  the  missing  hand  or 
foot,  so  frequently  felt  after  amputation.'  To  this  might  be 
added,  'pain  in  the  stump.'  Is  not  Hypericum  the  remedy  for  this 
after  surgical  condition?" 

On  page  60  of  the  2d  edition  of  J.  T.  Kent's  "Lectures  on  Ho- 
moeopathic Materia  Medica,"  I  find  the  following:  "Allium  cepa. 
Another  affection  over  which  this  remedy  has  marvellous  power 
is  traumatic  neuritis,  often  met  with  in  a  stump  after  amputa- 
tion. The  pains  are  often  unbearable,  rapidly  exhausing  the 
strength  of  the  patient." 

In  view  of  the  great  number  of  sufferers  from  amputation  at 
the  present  moment  in  England,  I  venture  to  address  these  lines 
to  you,  thinking  they  may  prove  of  interest. 

I  am,  sir.  Yours  faithfully, 

Antonio  L.  Dos  Santos. 

P.  O.  Box  1014,  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil. 


224  Surgical  Dressings,  the  Kind  Arot  to  Use. 

SURGICAL  DRESSINGS,  THE  KIND   NOT  TO  USE. 

Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 

Enclosed  you  will  find  an  article  by  one  of  our  leading  Toronto 
surgeons  who  has  recently  returned  from  the  war  zone.  I  think 
it  is  a  valuable  article,  as  it  shows  the  dangers  of  suppression  by 
interfering  in  any  way  with  the  forces  of  nature  throwing  off 
disease  from  within  out. 

Yours  sincerely, 

W.  A.  McFall,  M.  D. 

919  College  St.,  Toronto,  Ont.,  Canada. 

(Here  is  the  article  referred  to  by  Dr.  McFall. — Ed.  H.  R.)  : 

THE  PHYSICS  OF  A  SURGICAL  DRESSING, 

With  Special  Reference  to  the  Harmful  Effect  of  Using 
Impermeable  Material  Over  Septic  Wounds. 

by 
Lieut.-Colonel  A.  Primrose,  M.  B.,  C.  M.  Edin.,  M.  R.  C.  S., 

Eng. 
Canadian  General  Hospital. 
A  number  of  most  interesting  papers  by  Sir  Almroth  Weight 
have  recently  appeared  in  the  British  Medical  Journal,  in  which 
he  demonstrates  by  a  most  complete  series  of  ingenious  labora- 
tory experiments  a  method  of  securing  the  drainage  of  septic 
wounds  received  in  war.  He  further  gives  an  account  of  the  prac- 
tical value  of  these  methods  as  employed  in  the  treatment  of  men 
wounded  in  France  during  the  present  war.  In  his  last  com- 
munication, Part  III.  of  his  lecture  on  "Wound  Infections  and 
Their  Treatment,"1  he  gives  his  scheme  for  the  practical  treat- 
ment of  wound  infections  "from  the  first  aid  post  back  through 
the  whole  system  of  hospitals."  In  the  field  ambulance  he  ap- 
plies a  wet  dressing  of  5  per  cent,  solution  of  sodium  chloride  and 
0.5  per  cent,  sodium  citrate,  and  he  states,  "over  the  top  of  all 
ought  to  come  a  layer  of  impervious  protective  tissue"  (the  italics 
are  mine).  I  wish  to  suggest  that  as  a  scheme  for  "drainage," 
the  effectiveness  of  the  dressing  is  entirely  upset  by  the  "imper- 
meable protective."  It  should  be  noted,  too,  that  in  the  same 
paragraph  he  definitely  states  that  his  object  is  "the  procuring  of 
drainage." 


Surgical  Dressings,  the  Kind  A^ot  to  Use.  225 

My  attention  was  first  called  to  the  harmful  use  of  impermeable 
material  such  as  protective,  oil-silk,  rubber  adhesive,  etc.,  by  a 
paper  on  the  physics  of  a  surgical  dressing  published  about  ten 
or  fifteen  years  ago  in  the  Annates  de  I'lnstitut  Pasteur.  Since 
reading  it  I  have  had  many  opportunities  of  observing  clinically, 
in  my  hospital  wards  in  Toronto,  the  deleterious  effects  of  imper- 
meable dressings. 

The  experiments,  so  far  as  I  can  recall  them,  were  of  the  fol- 
lowing character :  An  animal  was  prepared  by  shaving  a  portion 
of  the  skin  surface  and  then  an  area  was  excoriated  sufficiently  to 
draw  blood.  This  area  was  covered  with  powdered  strychnine 
and  a  piece  of  oil-silk  was  secured  over  it,  so  that  evaporation 
from  the  surface  was  prevented.  The  animal  died  of  strychnine 
poisoning.  Another  similar  experiment  was  done,  save  that  the 
oil-silk  was  replaced  by  an  absorbent  dressing,  allowing  of 
evaporation  from  the  surface  and  absorption  of  secretions  into 
the  dressing.  These  animals  showed  no  symptoms  of  poisoning. 
Similar  experiments  were  done  with  some  virulent  bacteria,  with 
similar  results :  under  impermeable  oil-silk  septic  absorption  oc- 
curred, and  under  a  simple  absorbent  dressing  no  sepsis  resulted. 
There  were,  too,  a  series  of  laboratory  experiments  conducted  to 
show  the  value  of  absorption  into  the  dressings  and  the  method 
of  securing  it  by  free  evaporation  from  the  surface.  A  flask  was 
filled  to  half  its  capacity  with  water,  and  a  wick  of  absorbent 
gauze  saturated  with  water  was  placed  so  that  one  end  of  the 
wick  lay  in  the  water  and  the  other  projected  beyond  the  mouth 
of  the  flask  so  as  to  form  a  tuft.  A  fragment  of  some  aniline  dye 
was  placed  in  the  gauze  level  with  the  neck  of  the  flask,  and 
very  soon  the  gauze  tuft  projecting  beyond  the  mouth  of  the  flask 
was  stained  with  the  dye.  A  similar  experiment  was  carried  out 
with,  however,  the  addition  of  a  bell  jar  placed  over  the  flash  to 
prevent  evaporation;  the  addition  of  the  bell  jar  not  only  pre- 
vented the  aniline  dye  from  rising  into  the  projecting  tuft,  but  the 
dye  actually  descended  to  some  extent  towards  the  water  in  the 
flask.  I  would  not  vouch  for  the  accuracy  of  detail,  but  I  at- 
tempted to  repeat  one  of  these  experiments  in  the  laboratory  tent 
in  our  hospital  here.  I  took  two  small  flasks,  each  about  one- 
third  filled  with  water ;  I  saturated  wicks  of  gauze  in  water,  and 
immersing  one  end  of  the  wick  in  the  water  in  the  flask,  the  other 


226  Surgical  Dressings,  the  Kinxi  Xot  to  Use. 

end  was  allowed  to  project  a?  a  tuft  beyond  the  mouth  of  each 
flask.  I  inserted  a  fragment  of  crystal  violet  in  the  gauze  at  the 
level  of  the  neck  of  the  flask :  I  then  tied  a  piece  of  oil-silk  as  a 
cap  over  the  top  of  one  of  the  flasks,  allowing  the  gauze  tuft  to 
project  within  this  protective  cap.  After  some  hours  the  dye  had 
risen  into  the  tuft  of  gauze  projecting  from  the  unprotected  flask  ; 
on  the  other  hand,  in  the  flask  covered  by  oil-silk  the  dye  had 
failed  to  rise  in  the  tuft,  and  had  descended  somewhat  in  the 
wick.  This  last  flask  was  left  over  night,  and  next  morning  the 
oil-silk  was  removed.  Within  an  hour  the  dye  mounted  to  the 
top  of  the  tuft. 

I  have  made  many  clinical  observations  as  to  the  effect  of  im- 
permeable dressings.  I  may  cite  one  example :  A  woman  was 
desperately  ill  writh  subphrenic  abscess.  I  succeeded  in  establish- 
ing drainage,  and  her  condition  improved.  Some  ten  days  after- 
wards I  was  disappointed  to  find  her  temperature  rising ;  the  fre- 
quency of  the  pulse  increased,  and  there  was  every  evidence  of  a 
recrudescence  of  serious  symptoms.  I  had  not  seen  the  dressing 
for  a  few  days,  and  I  found  that  the  nurse  had  placed  a  large 
piece  of  oil-silk  over  my  dressing  in  order  to  protect  the  bed- 
clothers  from  getting  soiled.  I  at  once  suspected  the  impermeable 
covering  as  responsible  for  the  trouble,  and  therefore  continued 
to  apply  the  same  type  of  dressing,  with,  however,  the  omission 
of  the  oil-silk.  The  patient  improved  promptly,  and  all  symptoms 
of  absorption  disappeared.  The  sister  in  charge  of  the  case,  on 
my  explaining  what  had  occurred,  made  a  somewhat  shrewd  ob- 
servation. The  sister  told  me  that  she  had  observed,  when  a 
moist  piece  of  alembroth  gauze  (charged  with  aniline  dye)  was 
applied  under  the  oil-silk  to  the  unbroken  skin,  the  dye  stained 
the  skin  deeply  so  that  it  could  not  be  removed  by  washing ;  on 
the  other  hand,  moist  alembroth  gauze  without  oil-silk  never  pro- 
duced staining.  This,  indeed,  is  a  good  demonstration  of  the  ef- 
fect of  impermeable  coverings  over  the  dressing. 

The  hospital  with  which  I  am  at  present  connected  has  only 
been  in  operation  some  six  weeks,  and  hardly  a  day  passes  but 
patients  are  admitted  with  impermeable  coverings  over  septic 
wounds.  In  one  a  septic  thumb  had  been  opened  two  days  previ- 
ously, and  when  the  patient  came  to  me  a  piece  of  oil-silk  formed 
a  cap  over  the  entire  thumb ;  outside  that  was  some  wool  and  a 


Surgical  Dressings,  the  Kind  Xot  to  Use.  227 

bandage.  Another  man  had  a  septic  wound  of  the  leg  dressed 
with  moist  gauze  held  in  place  by  a  patch  of  adhesive  plaster, 
which  overlapped  the  gauze  in  all  directions.  We  have  already 
seen  dozens  of  similar  cases  in  our  short  experience  here  of  the 
employment  of  impermeable  coverings  over  moist  dressings.  We 
have  been  able  to  note,  too,  the  prompt  improvement  on  the  omis- 
sion of  that  covering  in  our  dressings ;  frost-bites  with  broken 
skin,  shrapnel  and  bullet  wounds — I  am  within  the  mark  when  I 
say  that  by  far  the  majority  of  all  septic  wounds  admitted  have 
had  an  impermeable  covering.  The  custom  is  unquestionably 
widespread. 

What  has  tempted  me  most  to  write  this  note  is  the  fact  that 
so  high  an  authority  as  Sir  Almroth  Wright  advocates  the  use  of 
impermeable  protective  over  his  dressing.  This  covering,  I  fancy, 
is  added  for  some  specific  purpose,  but  its  object  is  not  stated,  and 
there  has  been  nothing  of  similar  character  used  in  his  laboratory 
experiments.  It  is  true  it  increases  the  penetrating  power  of  an 
antiseptic,  but  Sir  Almroth  Wright's  avowed  object  is  drainage, 
and  beyond  all  doubt  it  is  infinitely  better  to  depend  upon  drain- 
age into  the  dressing  than  attempt  to  render  a  wound  aseptic  by 
confining  the  discharges  and  driving  the  antiseptic  in. 

Impermeable  coverings  used  for  the  purpose  of  preventing 
evaporation  are,  indeed,  sometimes  useful.  Thus,  in  a  healing 
ulcer  one  finds  the  healing  process  will  proceed  well  under  a 
moist  piece  of  lint  entirely  covered  by  protective ;  so,  too,  one  uses 
it  in  skin  grafting.  Such  dressings  are  removed  easily,  they  do 
not  stick,  and  the  delicate  epithelium  is  not  disturbed  on  taking 
oft  the  dressing.  The  impermeable  covering  is  often  a  favorite 
dressing,  too,  for  the  very  reason  that  "it  does  not  stick,"  and 
particularly  in  children  one  is  tempted  to  use  it  because  the  dress- 
ing can  be  changed  without  pain.  The  cases,  however,  in  which 
its  use  is  justifiable  are  only  those  which  are  either  aseptic  or 
have  a  very  small  degree  of  infection — cases,  in  fact,  comparable 
to  those  Sir  Almroth  Wright  speaks  of  as  capable  of  being  closed 
by  secondary  suture.  Even  in  these  cases,  however,  we  some- 
times fail  to  secure  success,  and  when  employed  we  should  care- 
fully watch  the  results. 

In  my  opinion  the  best  dressing  for  septic  wounds  is  a  moist 
dressing,  and  we  found  the  hypochlorous  acid  solution  wonder- 


228  Book  Reviews. 

fully  effective.  The  moist  dressing  is  applied  directly  to  the 
wound,  and  over  this  dry  gauze.  Even-thing  should  be  done  to 
favor  free  evaporation  from  the  surface  and  absorption  into  the 
dressing,  which  should  be  frequently  changed.  I  am  convinced 
it  would  be  greatly  to  the  advantage  of  the  wounded  if  imper- 
meable protective  and  oil-silk  were  entirely  removed  from  the 
surgical  armamentarium  of  the  army.  Their  use  in  surgery  is 
very  restricted,  and  as  they  are  employed  in  military  surgery  at 
present  they  do  far  more  harm  than  good. 

REFERENCE. 

^British  Medical  Journal.  November  13th,  191 5,  p.  717. 


BOOK  REVIEWS. 


De  Quel  Cote  se  trove  la  Verite  ex   Medecine?     Par  le 

Docteur    Ch.    Flasschcen.      Paris.     Bailliere  et  Fils.     19  Rue 

Hautefeuille.     1916. 

This  is  a  70  page  book,  stitched  in  paper,  as  are  nearly  all 
European  books.  The  work  is  a  scholarly  discussion  of  Allopathy 
and  Homoeopathy,  showing  on  which  side  the  truth  is  to  be  found 
and,  needless  for  us  to  add,  the  author  finds  it  on  the  side  of 
Homoeopathy.  The  allopaths  have  always  dealt  in  hypotheses, 
speculation  and  the  morbid  phenomena  of  disease  as  something 
apart  from  the  patient.  Their  therapeutics  are  "heterogeneous, 
born  of  empiricism,  of  the  syllogism  or  of  speculative  ideas." 
On  page  15  is  a  paragraph  in  running  about  this  way:  "One 
can  treat  disease  without  knowing  the  law  of  similars,  or  Ho- 
moeopathy, but  one  can  never  cure  without  its  aid."  In  other 
words,  if  a  cure  by  medicine  when  made  by  an  allopath,  eclectic 
or  anyone  it  is  made  by  a  medicine  that  acts  according  to  the 
universal  law  governing  drug  action  in  disease.  There  are  also 
some  striking  sentiments,  quoted  from  allopathic  authorities. 
Among  them  is  this  from  Devergie :  "Homoeopathy  is  the  pivot 
around  which  revolves  all  the  dominant  principles  of  medicine." 

We  do  not  know  the  price  of  the  book  or  whether  it  is  ob- 
tainable in  this  country. 


Specialists'  Department.  229 

THE  SPECIALISTS'  DEPARTMENT. 


EDITED   BY  CLIFFORD   MITCHELL,   M.   D. 
25  East  Washington  St.,  Chicago,  111. 

THERAPEUTIC  NOTES. 

THE  RELATION  OF  URINARY  COLORING  MATTER  TO 
THE  DIAZO  REACTION. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  reactions  in  the  urine  is  that  ob- 
tained in  various  infections  and  known  as  the  diazo  reaction.  It 
has  come  into  practical  use  in  the  diagnosis  of  typhoid  fever 
principally,  although  it  merits  more  extended  usage  in  the  prog- 
nosis of  tuberculosis,  in  the  last  stages  of  which  it  is  frequently 
found. 

The  diazo  reaction  is  obtained  by  mixing  urine  with  a  solution 
of  sulphanilic  acid  in  hydrochloric  acid  to  which  a  little  sodium 
nitrite  solution  is  added  and  the  whole  alkalinized  after  mixing 
with  urine  by  means  of  addition  of  ammonia.  The  technique  of 
the  test  is  not  difficult,  and  is  described  in  all  books  dealing  with 
urinology. 

Formerly  it  was  not  known  just  what  caused  the  reaction,  and 
for  a  time  it  was  supposed  to  be  pathognomonic  of  typhoid,  but 
like  many  other  "sure  shots"  it  "lost  out"  when  more  careful 
study  showed  that  it  is  positive  in  the  urine  of  many  infections. 

In  later  years  the  reaction  has  been  attributed  to  alloxyproteic 
acid,  and  study  has  shown  that  this  acid  contains  at  least  four 
different  substances,  at  times,  one  of  which  is  the  antecedent 
of  the  normal  urinary  coloring  matter,  and  is  known  as  uro- 
chromogen.  This  urochromogen  when  extracted  from  urine  gives 
the  diazo  reaction.  It  is  claimed  that  other  substances  besides 
urochromogen  give  the  reaction  as  leucin,  tyrosin,  and  such  sub- 
stances as  contain  the  imidazol  nuclei,  as,  for  example,  histidin. 

The  Question  of  Acidosis. — The  definition  of  acidosis  is  difficult 
as,  etymologically,  it  implies  a  saturation  with  acids,  whereas  as 
a  matter  of  fact  the  blood  holds  on  to  its  alkalinity  under  all  cir- 


230  Specialists'  Department. 

cumstances.  To  define  acidosis  as  a  condition  in  which  the 
alkalinity  of  the  blood  is  diminished  is  an  improvement,  but  does 
not  altogether  satisfy  us  as  to  the  actual  pathology  present. 
Diminished  alkalescence  of  the  tissues,  in  general,  is  the  idea  we 
should  convey  by  use  of  the  term. 

Acidosis  is  a  condition  in  which  acid  metabolites  accumulate. 
Acidosis  may  be  shown,  for  example,  according  to  Fischer,  in 
the  cells  of  the  kidney,  by  an  accumulation  of  acid  substances 
there. 

In  our  opinion  the  term  acidosis  does  not  necessarily  apply 
to  an  increase  in  the  titration  acidity  only  of  the  urine.  Increase 
in  urinary  acidity,  however,  always  demands  investigation  as  to 
cause,  and  for  this  purpose  we  use  the  tests  for  the  acetone 
bodies  (diacetic  acid,  beta-oxybutyric  acid),  and  also  employ  the 
determination  of  ammonia. 

Diacetic  acid  is  readily  found  in  urine  by  use  of  the  ferric 
chloride  test,  but  the  determination  of  beta-oxybutyric  acid  is 
extremely  difficult,  hence  we  use  as  a  more  easy  method  the 
determination  of  the  ammonia,  excretion  of  which,  as  a  rule,  cor- 
responds to  the  degree  of  acidosis. 

Acidosis  is  seen  in  severe  liver  affections,  where  we  find  great 
ammonia  increase,  and  in  fevers.  For  the  determination  of  the 
degree  of  acidosis  in  fevers  the  comparison  of  the  excretion  of 
urea  with  that  of  ammonia  is  an  easy. method.  Such  acidosis  is 
common  in  streptococcus  infections  and  in  diphtheria. 

Therapeutically,  the  determination  of  the  ratio  of  urea  to  am- 
monia is  helpful,  as  itj  enables  us  to  decide  whether  or  not  the 
acidosis  is  of  such  degree  as  to  warrant  the  administration  of 
alkalies.  In  giving  alkalies,  however,  two  things  must  be  con- 
sidered :  First,  we  are  not  by  so  doing  necessarily  treating  the 
cause  of  the  disease,  and  second,  if  we  use  too  much  alkali,  after 
we  stop  it,  the  urine  may  react  more  acid  than  ever.  For  this 
reason  the  writer  is  opposed  to  massive  doses  of  alkalies,  ex- 
cept in  pregnancy  and  in  diabetes,  where,  when  diacetic  acid  is 
present,  enough  sodium  bicarbonate  must  be  given  to  make  the 
urine  at  least  amphoteric  in  reaction. 

As  Umber  truthfully  observes  "in  the  acidosis  of  diabetes  of 
years'  standing  coma  may  be  prevented  by  the  daily  use  of  large 
amounts  of  alkalies  (sodium  bicarbonate)." 


Specialists'  Department.  231 

That  this  use  of  alkali  is  merely  palliative  is  shown  by  the  fact 
that  when  once  the  victim  goes  into  coma  no  amount  of  alkali 
can  be  depended  upon  to  bring  him  out  of  it.  Not  even  the  much 
vaunted  use  of  sodium  carbonate,  intravenously,  can  be  relied 
upon. 

The  books  say,  "decomposition  of  fat  produces  acetone  bodies." 
But  what  causes  the  decomposition  of  the  fat  ?  Some  toxic  agency 
with  which  we  are  as  yet  not  any  too  familiar,  hence  we  should 
concern  ourselves  with  the  study  in  the  urine  of  substances  other 
than  the  acetones  if  we  are  to  delve  into  the  search  for  the 
original  cause  of  the  acidosis.  For  we  can  not  cure  without 
removing  cause. 

In  the  pernicious  vomiting  of  pregnancy,  however,  alkalies,  as 
sodium  bicarbonate,  may  apparently  affect  a  real  cure  of  the 
condition.  At  any  rate  when  the  pregnant  woman  has  been  for 
days  vomiting  everything,  even  water,  when  the  urine  contains 
acetones,  and  shows  a  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  below  10  to  1, 
administration  of  large  doses  of  bicarbonate  of  soda,  first,  by 
rectum  and  later  by  mouth,  brings  about,  in  some  cases,  most 
remarkable  improvement.  It  is  interesting  in  such  cases  to  see 
the  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  slowly  rise  as  the  patient  gradually 
begins  to  eat  again.  The  acetone  bodies  and  creatinine  in  in- 
creased amount  may  persist  for  some  little  time,  but  gradually 
they  disappear  and  the  urine  becomes  practically  normal  again. 


The  prevalent  itch  for  inspecting,  regulating,  licensing,  and  so 
on,  every  thing  under  the  sun  has  finally  struck  the  medical  pro- 
fession. From  a  news  item  it  seems  that  the  city  fathers  of  Bir- 
mingham, Alabama,  have  levied  a  license  tax  on  all  physicians,  a 
tax  graded  according  to  their  income,  and  the  physicians  are 
justly  protesting. 

If  men  who  heal  the  sick  are  to  be  taxed,  and  "regulated,"  so 
should  be  the  mothers  who  bear  children. 

Let  the  A.  M.  A.  ponder  this  abstruse  problem  for  they  are  the 
-men  who  have  created  this  Frankenstein. 


232  Editorial. 


Homoeopathic    Recorder 

PUBLISHED  MONTHLY  AT  LANCASTER,  PA. 

By  BOERICKE   &  TAFEL 
Subscription  92.00,  To  Foreign  Countries  92.24,  Per  Annum 

Addrtei  commuuicmtions,  books  for  review,  exchmngee,  etc., 
tor  the  editor,  to 

E.  P.  ANSHUTZ,  M.  D.,  IOII  Arch  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


EDITORIAL   NOTES   AND    COMMENTS. 

Our  Next  President. — The  coming  meeting-  of  the  American  In- 
stitute of  Homoeopathy,  to  be  held  at  Rochester,  N.  Y..  in  June. 
will  be  a  noteworthy  one,  for  then  will  be  presented,  or  discussed, 
the  plans  for  a  reorganization,  or  federation,  looking  to  a  closer 
union  of  all  homoeopathic  interests,  something  much  to  be  de- 
sired. An  energetic  man  will  be  needed  to  head  this  movement. 
In  this  connection  comes  a  circular  letter,  from  Dr.  Sprague 
Carleton,  signed  by  42  well  known  homoeopathic  physicians,  scat- 
tered from  the  Atlantic  Coast  to  San  Francisco  and  Seattle,  which 
is  about  as  far  west  as  you  can  go,  the  letter  advocating  the  elec- 
tion of  Dr.  Frederick  M.  Dearborn  to  the  office  of  President  of 
the  Institute  for  ensuing  term.  From  a  personal  acquaintance 
with  Dr.  Dearborn  of  many  years  we  know  that  he  possesses 
those  qualities  essential  to  a  successful  administration  of  the  office 
which  seeks  him,  namely,  energy  (he  is  in  the  language  of  the  day 
a  "live  wire"),  is  wMely  and  favorably  known  not  only  among 
homoeopaths  but  by  men  of  affairs  in  the  world,  and,  as  was  his 
father,  Dr.  Henry  M.  Dearborn  before  him,  is  a  loyal  homoeopath, 
and  not  in  the  least  apologetic  for  the  fact.  The  Recorder  doesn't 
mix  up  in  politics,  consequently  in  the  foregoing  is  not  saying  a 
word  against  any  other  candidate,  but  merely  that  it  knows  that 
Dearborn  is  well  fitted  for  the  office  in  the  stirring  times  that 
seem  to  loom  up  in  the  future  in  the  world,  in  our  beloved  country 
and  in  Homoeopathy. 


Editorial.  233 

Damage  Suits. — The  California  medical  scientists  ought  to 
hunt  for  the  bacilli  of  damage  suits,  for  there  seems  to  be  an 
epidemic  of  them  in  the  Golden  State.,  for  Dr.  Anderson's  Pacific 
Medical  Journal,  April,  devotes  46  pages  of  small  type  to  them. 
We  figured  up  the  amounts  for  which  the  doctors  were  sued 
and  find  it  amounts  to  $1,753,000,  divided  up  among  71  claim- 
ants, and  are  not  sure,  but  that  several  got  away  from  us.  Sev- 
eral morals  might  be  drawn  from  the  reason  of  these  nearly 
one  and  three-quarter  millions  of  dollars  asked  for  as  phy- 
sical damages,  but  let  the  fact  speak  for  itself.  No  doubt  some 
are  blackmail,  but  others,  as  the  case  where  the  wrong  woman 
was  cut  open,  seem  to  have  some  ground  in  justice.  No  ho- 
moeopaths figure  in  the  list. 

A  Baptisia  Case. — It  was  reported  by  Dr.  D.  P.  Maddux,  of 
Chester,  Pa.  (Pena.  Transactions,  Hahncmannian  Monthly, 
Feb.).  It  was  a  surgical  case,  Dr.  Maddux  doing  chiefly  that 
work.  Scene,  Crozier  Hospital.  The  surgical  part  was  very 
successful,  but  the  patient  became  delirious  and  wild  so  that  it 
took  two  men  to  hold  him.  No  drugs,  not  even  Morphine, 
would  do  good.     Finally,  in  a  sane  moment  Maddux  asked  him : 

"Walter,  why  is  it,  when  people  are  trying  so  hard  to  be  good 
and  kind  to  you  that  you  make  so  much  fuss  and  trouble?" 

"He  replied,  in  a  quiet  and  composed  voice,  'Well,  Doctor,  if 
people  were  trying  to  take  your  arms  and  legs  apart,  wouldn't 
you  make  a  fuss?'     'Does  it  feel  like  anyone  was  trying  to  do 

that?'  I  replied.     'Feel?   H 1,'  he  answered  in  excited  tones, 

'if  they  put  your  arms  on  the  bureau  and  your  legs  on  the  ward- 
robe, you  would  make  a  fuss  and  a  racket,  wouldn't  you?'  'Do 
you  really  think  anyone  is  trying  to  do  that?'  I  said  to  him. 
'Think!'  he  said  in  indignant  tone  and  an  outburst  of  explosive 
profanity.  T  know  they  are.  Guess  I  am  the  one  that  suffers. 
There  would  not  be  any  think  about  it,  with  you  if  they  were 
taking  your  arms  and  legs  apart,  would  it  ?'  " 

He  was  given  Baptisia  tinctoria  and  that  at  once  cleared  up 
the  trouble. 

Something  New. — It  comes  from  Chicago,  in  The  Clinique, 
which  is  a  month  and  two  days  late — is  our  fast  city  getting 


234  Editorial. 

like  our  old  Philadelphia?  However,  the  new  something  is  two 
women  who  wanted  babies,  the  more  credit  to  them,  for  it  is 
generally  the  other  way  about.  Dr.  B.  A.  McBurney  had  charge. 
An  examination  showed  the  cause  of  barrenness.  A  slight 
operation  removed  it.  The  two  women,  married,  of  course,  were 
soon  blessed  with  children.  Good  for  McBurney !  Hope  he  will 
be  over- worked,  for,  indeed,  with  hell  raging  today  the  world 
needs  more  babies — and  needs  them  at  all  times  according  to 
our  gallant  Colonel  T.  R. 

More  "Uplift." — Surely  with  a  sigh  the  Editor  of  the  Long 
Island  Medical  Journal,  wrote :  "First  came  the  Boylan  Law, 
then  the  Harrison  Law,  and  now  Mr.  Charles  B.  Towns  has  ap- 
peared before  Congress  with  a  pamphlet  urging  still  further 
restrictions.  Mr.  Towns,  in  his  latest  contribution  to  the  sub- 
ject of  drug  abuse,  acknowledges  that  he  perpetrated  the  Boylan 
Law."  But  he  wants  more.  The  more  restrictive  legislation  is 
passed  the  more  is  demanded  by  the  insatiable  men  and  women 
who  would  have  humanity  forced  into  their  pattern.  If  this  sort 
of  thing  keeps  piling  up  we  of  the  herd  to  be  "reformed"  will 
have  to  fight  for  a  new  Bill  of  Rights. 

"Needling." — Our  restless  allopathic  friends,  whose  motto  is 
"Excelsior!"  whose  policy  might  be  rendered  "Darn  the  direc- 
tion so  long  as  we  are  moving  somewhere,"  and  who  seem  to 
think  that  "something  new"  is  a  synonym  of  "science,"  have 
discovered  something  new,  among  the  Chinese,  whose  doctors 
have  practiced  it  for  centuries,  for  time  out  of  mind.  It  is 
"needling."  An  esteemed  and  learned  exchange  devotes  two 
editorial  pages  to  the  treatment.  It  consists  of  pricking  a  needle 
into  the  liver,  or  other  organs  or  parts,  where  it  can  be  done 
with  safety.  Naturally  it  works  wonders,  as  do  all  new  things 
at  first,  for  even  the  seton  was  a  curative  wonder  worker  at 
one  time.  No  doubt  "needling"  is  an  advance  over  the  hypo- 
dermic syringe.  If  no  great  damage  is  done  by  the  needle,  na- 
ture will  easily  repair  the  harm,  while  the  syringe  is  followed 
by  stuff  that  no  emetic,  purge,  diuretic,  or  sudorific  can  clear 
away  if  wrong  or  lethal,  one  of  which  it  generally  is. 


Editorial.  235 

Man  and  Malaria. — The  Buffalo  Medical  Journal  summarizes 
Metzmain  (U.  S.  P.  H.  S.)  on  the  subject  of  malaria,  as  fol- 
lows :  "The  general  conclusion  is  that  man  and  not  the  ano- 
pheles is  the  winter  carrier — and  hence,  more  broadly,  the  spe- 
cific carrier  of  malaria."  Curious  what  a  hold  the  modern 
superstition  that  disease  is  an  animal  has  on  an  otherwise  bright 
set  of  men.  The  old  common  sense  belief  that  disease  is  in- 
herited or  is  the  result  of  the  violation  of  the  laws  of  health,  or 
of  surroundings  or  occupation,  does  not  agree  with  the  mod- 
ern theory,  consequently  common  sense  is  excluded. 

Independent  Journals. — The  Journal  of  the  A.  M.  A.  devotes 
nine  of  its  spacious  columns  to  printing  Dr.  E.  L.  Register's  Ad- 
dress before  the  last  meeting  of  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion. Dr.  Register  is  editor  of  the  Charlotte  (N  C.)  Medical 
Journal.  After  this  the  A.  M.  A.'s  covers  six  editorial 
columns  in  showing  up  the  badness  of  the  Independents.  So 
far  as  we  can  see  it  all  hinges  on  the  advertising  pages.  The 
Independents  will  print  advertisements  of  pharmaceuticals  which 
the  inner  circle  of  the  A.  M.  A.  condemn.  Wherein  the  nos- 
trums advertised  by  the  A.  M.  A.'s  organ  differ  from  those 
found  in  the  pages  of  the  Independent  press  is  not  clear.  If  that 
inner  circle  can  control  all  medical  advertising  they  will  have  as 
snug  a  monopoly  as  any  one  could  desire.  There  seems  to  be 
but  one  way  for  them  to  get  it  and  that  is  after  the  pattern  of 
the  Randall  bill.  If  they  can  get  a  bill  through  Congress  ex- 
cluding from  the  mails  all  journals  of  which  the  A.  M.  A.  dis- 
approves, the  trick  is  done. 

Alcohol. — In  that  interesting  book,  The  Knowledge  of  the 
Physician,  the  author,  the  late  Dr.  Richard  Hughes,  says:  "Al- 
cohol therefore  is  certainly  a  nerve  producing  food ;  and  many 
instances  are  on  record  of  life  being  sustained  almost  wholly 
upon  it  for  months  and  even  years.'* 

But  he  is  of  the  opinion  that  it  is  best  to  use  it  sparingly  or 
not  at  all  by  the  young.  This  fits  in  with  a  saying  in  Scotland 
that  a  man  is  a  fool  to  use  whiskey  before  he  is  forty  and  a  fool 
not  to  use  it  after  that  age.  Alcohol  is  something  that  ought 
to  be  wisely  regulated  by  law,  but  total  prohibition   is  neither 


236  Editorial. 

desirable  nor  possible,  because  wherever  there  are   fruit  juices 
there  will  be  alcohol  by  the  natural  process  of  fermentation. 

Laboratory  Therapeutics. — The  Homoeopathic  World  abstracts 
Boas'  (Copenhagen)  comments  on  the  recurrence  of  syphilis 
after  it  has  been  cured  according  to  laboratory  science.  The  pa- 
tients had  syphilis.  They  were  given  Salvarsan  according  to 
art,  and  many  mercurial  inunctions.  They  were  cured,  appar- 
ently. For  two  years  they  stood  "Wassermann's.''  Then  syph- 
ilis broke  out  on  tonsils,  trunk,  genitals  and  in  ulcers.  Boas 
says  it  is  "discouraging."  So  it  is.  The  only  way  out  is  to 
abandon  laboratory  science  and  go  back — or  forward — to  real 
medical  science,  namely,  Homoeopathy.  All  else  is  but  vanity 
and  vexation  of  spirit. 

Words,  Words,  Words! — These  are  picked  out  of  a  single  is- 
sue of  a  very  respectable  allopathic  medical  journal,  they  are 
supposed  to  be  human  diseases  or  something  akin :  "Familial 
icterus,"  "Endothelioma  of  the  bronchi,"  "Conjugial  phthisis," 
"Diphtheroids,"  "Aleukocythemic  leukemia,"  'Tntracanalicular 
papilloma,"  "Polycystid  gregarines  from  arthropoda,"  "Cyto- 
leichus  peurosei,"  "Agglutination  of  bacteria  by  means  of  dried 
and  dosed  serums  with  special  application  to  diseases  of  chil- 
dren," "Colomba  of  iris,"  "Aeanthokeratodermia  precornfufa- 
ciens,"  "Dwarfism  from  Achondroplasia,"  and  many  others.  All 
of  this  must  be  learned,  if  we  may  judge  from  the  names,  but 
one  may  be  pardoned  for  wondering  if  the  writers  of  the  papers, 
whose  headings  are  quoted,  knew  what  they  were  writing  about. 
Possibly,  understand  we  say  "possibly,"  if  Aristotle  were  awake, 
might  he  not  rub  his  eyes  and  wonder  what  the  words  meant' 

A  Diagnostic  Point. — An  account  of  the  death  of  Emperor 
Francis  Joseph  of  Austria  concludes  as  follows :  "During  the 
day  he  was  slightly  delirious.  His  last  words  were.  T  am 
tired.'  "  Perhaps  this  should  have  been  headed,  "A  suggested 
diagnostic  point,"  for  it  may  not  be  universal,  but  we  have  known 
of  several  cases  where  the  patient  was  of  middle  age  or,  like 
the  Emperor,  well  on  in  years,  who  complained  of  feeling  "so 
tired."     Death  soon  followed  in  everv  instance.     It  is.  however, 


Editorial.  237 

a  rather  gruesome  thing  to  write  or  talk  about,  as,  if  true,  it  is 
a  portent  of  the  end. 

"Certified  Causes  of  Death." — This  is  a  75  page  pamphlet,  the 
report  of  a  committee  on  vital  statistics,  and  issued  by  the  Gov- 
ernment. Comment  is  invited  the  publication.  The  main  list 
includes  189  legitimate  causes  of  death,  but  these  are  subdivided. 
Take,  for  instance,  "cancer :" 

"2.  Under  (A)  the  following  terms  should  be  retained  as  ac- 
ceptable inclusions :  Adenocarcinoma,  alveolar  cancer,  alveolar 
sarcoma,  angiosarcoma,  cancer,  carcinoma,  carcinoma  myxoma- 
todes,  chondrosarcoma,  colloid  carcinoma,  columnar- celled  car- 
cinoma, cystosarcoma,  endothelioma,  epithelioma,  fibrosarcoma, 
giant-celled  sarcoma,  hemendofhelioma,  hypernephroma,  lym- 
phendothelioma,  lymphosarcoma,  malignant  tumor,  melano sar- 
coma, metastatic  cancer,  myeloid  sarcoma,  myxosarcoma,  osteo- 
sarcoma, papuliferous  carcinoma,  plexiform  sarcoma,  sarcoma, 
sarcoma,  scirrhous  sarcoma." 

This  is  a  specimen  from  three  pages  of  cancer  containing  pos- 
sibly 200  names.  Would  it  not  be  better  to  simplify  rather  than 
to  elaborate?  Very  likely  any  of  the  names  quoted  could  be 
subdivided  to  brain-fag  of  the  student. 

Science? — No  doubt  every  reader  has  seen  pictures  of  the  cor- 
rect posture  of  the  human  being — the  bolt  upright — and  has 
read  of  the  disreputable  slouching  posture.  To  add  to  their  sum 
of  science,  as  she  is  taught,  we  quote  the  following  from  a  paper 
by  Dr.  Franklin  A.  Turner,  of  Rockford,  111. :  'The  chief  pre- 
disposing cause  of  haemorrhoids  is  the  upright  position  of  man," 
with  several  subsidiary  causes  needless  to  mention.  After  read- 
ing several  hundred  scientific  medical  papers,  one  cannot  but 
conclude  that  etiology  is  chaos  and  treatment  nebulosity  among 
the  scientific.  We  use  the  term  "scientific"  because  that  is  what 
these  respected  gentlemen  have  adopted  to  distinguish  them- 
selves from  the  sects  and  so  on,  but  the  earnest  seeker  after 
medical  science  will  search  in  vain  among  the  hundreds  of  papers 
for  agreed  upon  medical  science,  save  the  proposition  that  the 
writers  are  all  scientific.  Beyond  that  one  principle  the  earnest 
seeker  will  find  a  confusion  of  tongues  only.     Sad,  but  fact. 


238  Editorial. 

Treatment. — It  seems  sort  o'  queer  to  an  old  homoeopath  that 
one  of  "the"  physicians  cannot  treat  a  sick  person  until  he  has 
discovered,  via  the  laboratory,  what  microbe  he  has.  It  makes 
one  suspect  that  ultra  medical  science  is  a  hopeless  cripple,  the 
more  so,  as,  after  the  microbe  has  been  spotted  by  a  man  who 
never  saw  the  patient,  the  doctor  who  has  seen  him  is  just  as 
much  in  the  dark  as'  ever,  save  for  an  experimental  injection  of 
a  serum  or  vaccine  supposed  to  be  evolved  from  that  microbe. 
Really,  you  know,  that  is  not  science. 

Frauds. — The  Journal  of  the  A.  M.  A.  (4-24)  contains  a  fairly 
full  report  of  the  Sargol  case.  Sargol  is  a  tablet  made  up  of 
Saw  Palmetto,  several  hypophosphates.  lecithin  and  nux  vomica 
It  was  advertised  to  increase  the  weight.  After  a  thirteen  week 
trial  the  jury  brought  in  a  verdict  of  "guilty"  and  the  company 
was  fined  $30,000,  which  was  paid,  a  thing  made  possible,  prob- 
ably, because  the  tablets  cost  the  company  about  seventy  cents 
per  1,000,  and  were  sold  to  the  public  at  about  $25.00  per  1,000. 
In  the  same  issue  of  the  Journal  is  a  peculiar  letter  from  a 
Kansas  physician  asking  the  editor  to  come  out  to  Western 
Kansas,  where  they  cut  out  the  tonsils  "daily"  for  the  cure  of 
arthritis,  nephritis,  endocarditis,  otitis  media  and  other  ear  dis- 
eases, tonsillitis,  diphtheria  and  many  other  ills  not  enumerated 
in  the  letter,  for  a  possible  average  cost  of  $25.00  per  head. 

Next  to  Homoeopathy. — Next  to  Homoeopathy  comes  surgery. 
If  the  two  fail  the  case  is  hopeless.  This  is  suggested  by  a 
pamphlet  by  Dr.  Wm.  Seaman  Bainbridge,  who  has  many 
learned  letters  after  his  name.  It  is  a  pamphlet  on  human 
plumbing,  title,  "Chronic  Intestinal  Stasis,"  commonly  known 
as  "constipation"  or  "all  bound  up."  Ten  clinical  cases  are  re- 
lated where  the  human  plumbing  was  tangled,  or  had  grown 
together,  where  neither  allopathic  purges  nor  the  homoeo- 
pathically  indicated  remedy  could  have  brought  relief.  The 
point  is  that  where  Homoeopathy  fails  surgery  is  indicated,  with 
the  extension  of  the  point,  that  surgery  sadly  needs  Homoe- 
opathy to  help  it  out  after  the  cutting  is  done. 


Editorial.  239 

A  Point  of  Ethics. — The  Recorder  tries  to  give  the  post-office 
address  of  all  who  contribute  to  its  pages.  Judging  from  the 
numerous  re-prints  received  this  is  considered  by  many  to  be 
unethical  for  nearly  all  of  them  give,  say,  Dr.  John  Smith,  of 
so  and  so  city.  If  the  city  is  given  why  not  the  street  number 
so  as  to  save  labor  to  post-office  clerks   and  also  to  others,  in 

hunting  up  the  writer's  address  ? 

1 

Yes,  Very  Obvious. — From  a  two  page  editorial  in  the  Jour. 
A.  M.  A.  (4-14)  on  'The  Bacteriology  of  Poliomyelitis"  comes 
the  following  from  the  summing  up : 

"It  appears,  then,  on  the  one  hand,  that  the  workers  of  the 
Rockefeller  Institute  are  unwilling  to  grant  that  the  coccus  re- 
cently isolated  from  poliomyelitis  by  the  workers  mentioned 
bears  relationship  to  poliomyelitis  in  man;  they  insist  that  it  is 
merely  a  streptococcus  and  produces  lesions  which  may  be  pro- 
duced by  streptococci  in  general.  On  the  other  hand,  Rosenow 
and  Towne  claim  that  these  streptococci  under  proper  cultural 
conditions  so  modify  their  characteristics  as  to  simulate  the 
globoid  bodies  described  by  Flexner,  Noguchi  and  Amoss,  which 
the  latter  insist  is  the  true  causative  organism  of  poliomyelitis. 
Obviously,  the  subject  demands  further  investigation  and  con- 
firmation." 

A  Hint  to  Surgeons. — The  Recorder  is  not  a  surgical  journal, 
but  we  ran  across  the  following  in  the  Illinois  Medical  Journal, 
by  Ochnesner,  and  thought  it  worth  while  passing  it  on : 

There  is  an  old  rule  in  surgery,  so  old  that  I  have  not  been  able  to 
trace  its  origin,  which  says,  "Ubi  pus,  ibi  evacuo," — or  in  English,  "Where 
there  is  pus,  there  evacuate."'  This  rule,  with  certain  modifications,  is 
still  a  good  one,  but  in  recent  times  it  has  too  often  been  exceeded. 
Many  surgeons  seem  to  have  construed  it  to  read :  "Before  there  is  pus, 
evacuate."'  which,  of  course,  is  an  absurdity. 


PERSONAL. 


It  took  19  policemen  to  handle  a  New  York  pacifist  convention. 

A  smart  Alec  said  he  could  tell  how  much  water  ran  over  Niagara  to 
a  quart.    The  answer  was  "two  pints." 

When  a  man  takes  his  life  he  loses  it. 

The  man  who  sings  the  praises  of  poverty  gets  out  of  it  in  a  hurry,  if 
he  can. 

"He  is  in  the  public  eye !"  "Let  the  public  hasten  to  an  oculist,"  re- 
plied Binks. 

"Perfect"  is  perfect,  so  what  is  "more  perfect?" 

Among  the  elevating  things  is  the  mule. 

The  Society  for  the  Suppression  of  Cruelty  ought  to  suppress  books 
on  "How  to  be  a  Fluent  After  Dinner  Speaker." 

Nix,  Mary,  pugilists  do  not  keep  scrap-books. 

He  who  layeth  not  up  for  ye  rainy  day  cribbeth  his  neighbor's  um- 
brella. 

Once  every  nation  had  its  legal,  Examining  Board  for  religion  that 
you  must  pass  not  to  be  an  outlaw. 

Binks. — "Why  the  worry?"  Jones. — "Trying  to  be  honest  and  obey  the 
tax  laws." 

Bait  your  hook  with  something  for  nothing,  and  the  fish  will  bite. 

That  a  rolling  stone  gathers  no  moss  is  true,  while  it  rolls,  but  it  does 
at  the  bottom  where  it  lies  forever. 

Man  may  not  be  able  to  find  trouble,  but  he  can  pick  up  a  fight  any 
day  if  he  wants  one. 

Some  men  mistake  their   own   ill-natured   remarks   for   frankness. 

You  can  carve  on  granite  the  fact  that  the  late  lamented  "lies,"  but 
would  not  have  dared  say  it  to  his  face. 

Wonder  if  the  Allies  and  Teutons  continue  fighting  after  a  shell  has 
sent  them  over  the  Great  Divide? 

When  a  man  tells  you  "there's  no  such  word  as  fail"  you  can  put 
him  among  the  cheerful. 

"Throw  down  the  god  of  money  and  trample  him  in  the  dust,"  said 
the  preacher.     Then  they  passed  the  contribution  plate. 

A  French  soldier,  from  the  trenches,  told  us,  "We  call  the  scream  of 
a  shell  the  'Death  Whistle.' " 

An  esteemed  has  an  article  on  the  "Need  of  Greater  Appreciation  of 
Foods."     Broiled  steak  for  us ! 

1st  London  Cabby. — "Ye  guv  me  a  narsty  look."  2d. — "Ye  'ave  a  narsty, 
but  I  didn't  guv  it  ye." — Ancient. 


THE 

Homeopathic  Recorder 

Vol.  XXXII  Lancaster,  Pa.,  June  15,  1917.  No.  6 


"THE   HAHNEMANNIAN   DOCTRINE 
OF  ATTENUATION." 

The  above  is  the  heading  of  an  article  in  the  Phy sic o -Clinical 
Medicine,  a  new  journal  published  at  San  Francisco.  As  a  pre- 
liminary, it  can  be  said,  possibly  from  lack  of  understanding,  that 
"Physico"  medicine  seems  to  out-Herod  even  our  extreme  fluxion 
potencies.     Here  is  a  quotation : 

"It  is  practically  impossible  to  conceive  the  limit  of  the  sub- 
division of  matter.  An  idea  of  the  smallness  of  an  electric 
charge  in  matter  was  referred  to  by  Prof.  Millikan,  in  a  recent 
lecture  here  at  the  University  of  California.  It  was  he  who  first 
isolated  and  weighed  electrons.  He  said  that  if  the  two  and  a 
half  million  people  who  live  in  Chicago  were  to  begin  to  count, 
and  count  as  fast  as  they  could,  day  and  night,  without  stop- 
ping to  eat  or  sleep  or  die,  for  20,000  years,  then,  if  the  amount 
all  had  counted  were  added  up,  the  total  would  be  the  number 
of  electrons  passing  through  an  ordinary  light  filament  in  one 
second !" 

The  article  does  not  have  much  to  say  of  Hahnemann  or  Ho- 
moeopathy, the  gist  of  what  is  said  is  contained  in  the  following 
quotation : 

"It  is  assumed  that  Hahnemann  conceived  disease  as  a  per- 
version of  the  spiritual  vital  powers  and  anything  spiritual  not 
being  combatable  by  material  remedies  he  turned  to  a  spiritual 
power  bound  up  in  plants  and  liberated  by  dilution.  The  corrol- 
lary  of  the  latter  conception  was,  'the  efficiency  of  medicinal  sub- 
stances reduced  to  a  wonderful  degree  of  minuteness  or  dilution.' 
Hahnemann  lived  at  a  time  when  the  now  exploded  theory  of 
vitalism  dominated  medical  thought  and  he  no  doubt  employed 


242  The  Hahnemannian  Doctrine  of  Attenuation. 

it  as  a  vehicle  for  emphasizing  this  doctrine.  The  historic  de- 
velopment of  therapeutics  is  identified  with  this  theocratic  phil- 
osophy." 

Is  the  theory  of  vitalism  "exploded?"  Briefly  vitalism  is, 
"the  theory  that  all  animal  functions  are  dependent  upon  a  special 
form  of  energy  or  force,  the  vital  force,  distinct  from  any  other 
of  the  physical  force,"  so  says  the  dictionary.  Just  here  let  us 
quote  from  the  article  to  show  what  the  Physico-Medicine  stands 
for: 

"Pharmacodynamics  is  identified  with  homovibrations  and  not 
if  I  am  permitted  to  neologize  by  heterovibrations.  We  are  stand- 
ing on  the  threshold  of  a  new  pharmacognosy  in  which  radio- 
therapy will  be  employed  with  relation  to  the  polarity  and  vi- 
bratory rate  of  disease.  I  have  designated  the  former  as  polari- 
therapy,  and  the  latter  I  shall  neologize  as  oscillatotherapy." 

This  outlines  what  is  substituted  for  the  old  vitalism  and, 
frankly,  we  do  not  hesitate  a  moment  to  hold  on  to  vitalism  on 
which,  in  one  sense,  Homoeopathy  is  based. 

Man  is  made  up  of  body  and  soul,  or  of  body,  i.  e..  matter, 
only.  Under  the  old  idea,  if  a  man  lost  his  leg  he  knew  his  body 
had  been  mutilated,  but  he,  himself,  was  unchanged,  and  would 
be  so  when  he  lost  his  whole  body.  In  other  words,  his  vital 
part,  or  soul,  was  immortal.  The  idea  prevailing  to-day  among 
scientists,  or  some  of  them,  is  that  all  of  man  is  matter  going 
from  coarse  to  radio-energy,  consequently  when  man  dies  he  re- 
turns to  the  vast  mass  of  matter  and  that  is  the  end  of  him. 
The  old  vitalism  is  more  logical,  more  in  accord  with  reason  and 
consequently  more  truly  scientific. 

More  and  more  the  marvelous  discoveries  of  science  are  con- 
firming the  truth  of  Homoeopathy  on  its  physical  side,  but  that 
same  science  halts  at  duality  of  man,  body  and  soul,  the  one  ab- 
solutely natural,  the  other  absolutely  immaterial  yet  acting  on  the 
material  and  influencing  it  to  do  as  the  soul  desires.  It  is  the 
recognition  of  the  dual  nature  of  man  that  gives  Homoeopathy 
its  vitality.  Our  materia  medica  is  full  of  mental  symptoms  and 
man  is  one  complex  of  emotions.  Can  the  laboratory  isolate  an 
emotion?  The  materialists  stand  on  one  side,  the  Christian  Scien- 
tists on  the  other.  The  one  all  matter,  the  other  all  mind  and 
both  one  legged.  The  follower  of  Homoeopathy  stands  ,on  two 
legs,  hence  his  success. 


Medical   Treatment  of  Poliomyelitis.  243 


THE  LACK  OF  HOMOEOPATHIC  PUBLICITY 
IN   ILLINOIS. 

The  sum  total  of  homoeopathic  activities  in  Illinois  is  very- 
great,  but  these  activities  remind  us  somewhat  of  the  industry  of 
moles,  which  conceal  their  efficiency  from  the  public  eye.  This 
is  an  age  of  publicity  and  nothing  can  grow  without  it.  In  Illi- 
nois we  have  local  homoeopathic  societies  whose  programmes  are 
both  interesting  and  instructive,  and  in  Chicago  we  have  several 
homoeopathic  societies  at  which  first-class  papers  and  discussions 
are  to  be  heard.  Yet  all  this  work  finds  no  printed  expression 
except  in  the  short  news  items  of  the  Journal  of  the  American 
Institute. 

As  a  remedy  for  this  condition  we  suggest  the  publication  of 
Bulletins.  For  example,  there  would  be  a  Fall  Bulletin,  pub- 
lished jointly  by  the  local  homoeopathic  societies  in  Illinois,  and  a 
Spring  Bulletin  also. 

In  Chicago  there  should  be  a  monthly  Bulletin  published  by 
the  Chicago  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society. 

The  Society  for  Clinical  Research  publishes  a  Bulletin  and  is 
getting  members  as  a  result. 

Why  should  not  we  avail  ourselves  of  this  simple  expedient  for 
obtaining  publicity? 

C.  M. 


MEDICAL  TREATMENT  OF    POLIOMYELITIS. 
By  W.  J.  Hawkes,  M.  D.,  357  S.  Hill  St.,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

When  I  accepted  the  invitation  of  the  chairman  of  the  bureau 
to  prepare  a  paper  on  this  subject  I  did  not  fully  realize  the 
paucity  of  my  knowledge,  or  the  knowledge  of  anybody  else,  for 
that  matter,  on  the  medicinal  treatment  of  infantile  paralysis. 

This  lack  of  positive  knowledge  on  the  subject  may  not  be  an 
unmitigated  evil,  however,  as  it  will  necessarily  make  the  paper  a 
brief  one. 

In  order  to  enlarge  my  meagre  knowledge  of  this  dreadful 
and  much  dreaded  disease,  I  wrote  to  ten  or  twelve  of  the  more 
prominent  physicians  of  our  school  in  New  York  City,  asking 


244  Medical  Treatment  of  Poliomyelitis. 

for  information  in  regard  to  symptoms  and  treatment,  especially 
for  symptoms  of  the  onset  and  first  few  days  of  attack.  But  I 
was  disappointed,  as  responses  to  my  inquiries  were  not  at  all 
enlightening  nor  instructive.  Evidently  but  little,  if  anything, 
more  of  practical  value  is  known  there  than  is  known  here.  But 
very  few,  if  any,  of  the  cases  received  in  Flower  Hospital  were 
treated  homceopathically.  Everyone  in  authority  seemed  to  be  in 
panic,  and  all  seemed  obsessed  to  adopt  ''heroic"  treatment.  So 
Homoeopathy  got  no  opportunity  to  show  what  it  could  do.  "'Tis 
true,  pity  'tis  'tis  true." 

Dr.  Daniel  E.  S.  Coleman  writes: 

"Although  I  have  seen  about  200  cases,  my  personal  patients 
have  been  almost  entirely  free.  The  Metropolitan  Hospital  has  a 
ward  devoted  entirely  to  this  disease,  but  it  does  not  come  under 
my  service.     (I  am  visiting  on  the  female  medical,  all  adults.) 

"I  was  asked  if  I  would  like  to  prescribe  for  some  of  the  cases 
in  the  poliomyelitis  ward.  I  answered,  'Yes,  give  me  some  of  the 
cases  they  say  are  going  to  die.'  This  was  refused,  however,  and 
I  prescribed  for  some  of  the  less  severe.  One  case  had  the  right 
side  of  the  face  and  external  rectus  muscle  paralyzed.  I  gave 
Causticum  6th.  Another  had  the  left  side  paralyzed.  I  gave 
Lachesis  30.  For  another  case  on  which  I  was  called  in  consulta- 
tion I  suggested  Cicuta,  because  of  the  characteristic  convulsions 
and  rotation  of  the  eyeballs  upward.  The  case  was  taken  to  the 
hospital  and  received  the  serum  treatment,  however. 

"I  firmly  believe  that  Homoeopathy  could  demonstrate  its  power, 
but  the  complete  control  of  a  large  number  of  cases  should  be  in 
the  hands  of  an  expert  prescriber  assisted  by  men  having  the  in- 
terests in  homoeopathic  therapeutics  at  heart. 

"I  believe  the  Flower  Hospital  is  to  have  a  ward,  in  which 
event  some  verifications  can  be  looked  for. 

"You,  of  course,  know  that  there  is  no  one  remedy  for  this 
disease.  Asi  in  all  other  troubles,  it  must  be  the  indicated  one. 
The  two  earliest  positive  diagnostic  signs  are  the  absence  of  the 
patella  reflex  and  Kernig's  sign.  They  develop  very  early  and 
are  characteristic." 

Professor  R.  F.  Rabe,  M.  D.,  writes: 

"On  the  24th  our  New  York  County  Homoeopathic  Medical 


Medical  Treatment  of  Poliomyelitis.  245 

Society  held  a  special  meeting  to  consider  the  infantile  paralysis 
situation.  The  attendance  was  good,  there  being  sixty-one  mem- 
bers and  visitors  present.  But  nine  or  ten  spoke,  and  of  these, 
but  four  had  had  any  actual  experience.  Dr.  Samuel  B.  Moore, 
one  of  the  attending  physicians  of  the  Metropolitan  Hospital  on 
Blackwell's  Island,  told  of  the  work  being  done  over  there,  and 
stated  that  408  cases  were  then  under  treatment.  The  latter  is 
routine,  consisting  almost  entirely  in  the  administration  of  adrena- 
lin chloride.  No  homceopahic  remedies  had  been  applied,  except 
in  a  few  instances,  and  these  had  been  unsatisfactory.  The 
reason  given  is  the  alleged  fact  that  no  remedy,  homoeopathic  or 
otherwise,  is  ever  carried  to  the  spinal  canal,  unless  put  there 
by  a  lumbar  puncture  syringe  and  needle.  Dr.  Hill,  of  Flower 
Hospital,  supported  this  view,  and  spoke  of  30  cases  under  the 
care  of  Dr.  Simonson  and  himself.  These  cases  had  been  ad- 
mitted within  the  past  few  days  only,  some  were  moribund,  some 
suffering  with  respiratory  paralysis,  on  admission.  Homoeopathic 
remedies  had  mostly  failed  and  other  things,  such  as  adrenalin, 
quinine  and  immune  serum,  had  been  employed.  Autotherapy 
was  extolled  by  Dr.  Duncan,  but  no  real  experience  given  in  sup- 
port. From  the  standpoint  of  Homoeopathy  the  meeting  was  an 
absolute  failure  and  Homoeopathy  has  lost  its  great  chance  to 
demonstrate  what  it  can  really  do.  The  pathological  idea  has 
dominated  all  treatment,  hence  symptomatology  has  been  relegated 
to  the  background." 

One  of  the  pamphlets  sent  me  by  my  correspondents  in  New 
ifork  is  an  address  of  twenty  pages  on  "Infantile  Paralysis,"  by 
Simon  Flexner,  M.  D.,  head  of  the  Rockefeller  Institute  for  Re- 
search, delivered  before  the  New  York  Academy  of  Medicine, 
July  13th  last.  In  all  the  twenty  pages  of  the  address  there  is 
nothing  positive,  new  or  encouraging.  The  only  paragraph  that 
approximates  positive  findings  is  the  one  treating  of  experiments 
on  monkeys,  and  these  are  far  from  being  conclusive  or  convinc- 
ing. Quoting  them  here  would  be  unprofitable.  I  will,  therefore, 
quote  only  two  brief  paragraphs  on  the  treatment,  orte  of  which, 
it  seems  to  me,  contradicts  the  other.    He  says : 

"There  exists  at  present  no  safe  method  of  preventive  inocido>- 
tion  or  vaccination,  and  no  practicable  method  of  specific  treat- 


246  Medical   Treatment  of  Poliomyelitis. 

merit.      The   prevention    of    the   disease    must    be    accomplished 
through  general  sanitary  means." 

And,  further,  "Recovery  from  the  disease  is  a  spontaneous 
process  which  can  be  greatly  assisted  by  proper  medical  and 
surgical  care."     (The  italics  are  mine.) 

In  the  August  number  of  Health  Sews,  the  monthly  bulletin 
New  York  State  Department  of  Health,  is  an  article  over  the 
signature  of  Robert  W.  Lovett,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  Orthopedic 
Surgery,  Harvard  University,  and  surgeon  to  the  Children's 
Hospital,  Boston.     I  quote: 

"For  purposes  of  treatment  the  disease  may  be  divided  into 
three  stages :  (a)  The  acute  stage  beginning  with  the  acute  attack 
and  ending  with  the  disappearance  of  the  tenderness  (a  matter 
generally  of  from  four  weeks  to  three  months)  ;  (b)  the  con- 
valescent stage  from  the  disappearance  of  the  tenderness  until  the 
disease  has  become  practically  stationary  (a  matter  of  about  two 
years)  ;  (c)  the  chronic  stage  which  begins  about  two  years  from 
the  onset. 

"acute  stage. 

"From  the  pathology  it  may  be  seen  that  the  physiological 
requirement  of  this  stage  is  rest,  in  order  that  nature  may  be 
given  a  chance)  to  repair  the  damage  so  far  as  possible  by  absorp- 
tion. It  is  not  reasonable  during  this  time  to  excite  the  peri- 
pheral ends  of  hemorrhagic  and  anaemic  nerve  centers  by 
massage,  electricity  and  attempted  movements.  The  tenderness 
must  be  accepted  as  evidence  of  an  active  process  still  going  on 
in  the  cord  and  so  long  as  it  .exists  the  patient  should  be  let  alone. 
Massage  at  this  time  may  cause  great  increase  of  pain  and  tender- 
ness and  may  seriously  delay  recovery,  and  there  is  no  evidence 
whatever  to  show  that  the  use  of  electricity  at  this  stage  is  of  any 
value. 

"During  this  stage  the  patient  should  be  kept  quiet.  Joints 
will  not  ankylose,  hopeless  muscular  atrophy  will  not  occur,  and 
by  this  proceeding  the  damaged  cord  will  have  the  best  chance  to 
repair,  and  repair  to  the  highest  degree  is  desirable.  One  of  our 
chief  gains  of  late  has  been  the  avoidance  of  meddlesome  and 
useless  therapeutic  measures. 


Medical   Treatment  of  Poliomyelitis.  247 

"the  convalescent  phase. 

"With  the  disappearance  of  the  tenderness  the  acute  process  in 
the  cord  may  be  assumed  to  have  reached  a  stage  when  thera- 
peutic measures  may  be  begun,  but  probably  in  no  case  should 
they  be  undertaken  in  less  than  four  to  six  weeks  from  the  onset. 
Of  late  much  has  been  said  as  to  the  advisability  of  keeping 
such  convalescents  in  bed  for  an  indefinite  time,  and  there  is  no 
question  that  most  cases  of  this  disease  are  allowed  to  overdo 
to  their  own  detriment.  But  prolonged  recumbency  for  children 
is  unnatural  and  undesirable,  physiologically  and  mentally.  More- 
over, it  has  been  too  much  the  custom  to  allow  such  children  to 
sit  and  lie  around  until  they  have  acquired  flexion  deformities 
of  the  hips,  knees  and  ankles,  and  the  best  practice  at  present  con- 
sists in  getting  these  children  into  the  upright  position  early  in  the 
convalescent  stage. 

"The  upright  position  is  desirable  not  only  because  it  antago- 
nizes the  evils  of  the  permanent  sitting  position,  but  because  the 
effort  to  balance  on  the  feet  instructively  excites  to  effort  a  large 
number  of  muscles  not  otherwise  to  be  reached,  and  is  a  valuable 
form  of  muscle  training. 

"Fatigue  is  always  detrimental  and  a  source  of  danger  at  this 
stage.  Muscles  are  more  often  weakened  than  totally  paralyzed 
in  this  disease  (in  the  proportion  of  about  nine  partial  to  one 
total  paralysis  in  the  Vermont  figures),  and  danger  of  over- 
using such  partly  paralyzed  muscles,  even  by  mild  activity,  is  very 
great  and  retards  recovery  and  if  persisted  in  does  permanent 
damage.  The  worst  advice  that  can  be  given  to  a  patient  in  the 
light  of  our  modern  knowledge  is  to  use  his  muscles  as  much  as 
he  can.  Patients  in  the  convalescent  stage  should  be  most  care- 
fully guarded  in  tthe  matter  of  too  much  walking. 

"Electricity.  The  use  of  Faradic  electricity  gives  a  mild  form 
of  muscular  exercise  which  will  cause  muscles  to  contract  which 
will  not  do  so  voluntarily,  and  apparently  does  nothing  more,  and 
galvanic  electricity  and  the  newer  currents  are.  supposed  in 
some  mysterious  way  to  do  good,  but  in  experience  of  many 
years  with  and  without  electricity  used  in  all  forms  and  under 
many  conditions  of  control  the  writer  has  never  been  able  to 
satisfy  himself  that  it   was  of   any  use  whatever  in   any  given 


248  Medical  Treatment  of  Poliomyelitis. 

case.  There  is  no  possible  objection  to  its  use  if  strong  currents 
are  not  used,  provided  the  other  measures  of  proved  usefulness 
are  also  employed.  But  electricity  has  done  an  indefinite  amount 
of  harm  in  this  disease  because  it  has  deluded  the  parents,  and 
often  the  physician,  into  thinking  that  the  patient  was  being 
adequately  treated  by  that  alone,  while  serious  deformities  were 
developing  and  valuable  time  being  lost. 

"The  financial  standing  of  the  various  families  affected  would 
indicate  that  the  disease  is  falling  heaviest  upon  those  of  poor 
and  moderate  circumstances.  Xine  families  among  well-to-do 
people  are  affected.  The  sanitary  conditions  of  the  homes  where 
these  cases  have  occurred  would  indicate  that  the  disease  exists 
independently  of  the  living  conditions.  These  conditions  are  re- 
ported bad  in  35  instances,  fair  in  30,  good  in  30,  and  excellent 
in  24. 

"The  previous  health  of  the  victims  as  reported  on  the  special 
report  blank  indicates  that  for  the  most  part  the  children  were 
in  excellent  physical  condition  for  the  month  prior  to  the  onset 
of  the  illness.  There  have  been  but  few  instances  of  more  than 
one  case  in  a  family. 

"Sixty-one  patients  had  a  high  fever,  42  moderate  fever,  head- 
ache was  severe  in  17  instances,  moderate  in  17,  and  in  78  not 
noticed,  constipation  was  present  in  63  instances,  and  diarrhcea 
in  15,  vomiting  was  present  in  51  instances,  pain  in  the  affected 
limbs  in  65  cases,  retraction  of  the  head  in  42,  restlessness* in  66 
cases,  and  drowsiness  in  an  equal  number. 

"The  reports  indicate  that  paralysis  appeared  in  most  instances 
during  the  first  five  days  of  the  illness,  29  are  reported  on  the 
first  day,  20  on  the  second,  17  on  the  third,  18  on  the  fourth,  and 
7  on  the  fifth.  One  case  is  reported  on  the  twenty-first  day.  No 
paralysis  was  reported  in  19  instances." 

Here  we  have  the  "last  word"  for  treatment  of  poliomyelitis 
from  the  pens  of  acknowledged  highest  authorities  in  the  old 
school.  Professor  Lovett  says:  "One  of  our  chief  gains  of  late 
has  been  avoidance  of  meddlesome  and  useless  early  therapeutic 
measures,"  and,  "In  no  case  should  therapeutic  measures  be  un- 
dertaken in  less  than  from  four  to  six  weeks  from  the  onset !" 
And  Professor  Flexner  says :  "There  is  no  practicable  method  of 
specific  treatment." 


Medical   Treatment  of  Poliomyelitis.  249 

The  only  statement  of  real  value  (because  it  is  absolutely  true) 
is  that  "The  prevention  of  the  disease  must  be  accomplished 
through  general  sanitary  means.''  And,  as  I  have  contended  for 
years,  it  is  equally  true  of  all  diseases.  All  disease  originates  in 
uncleanliness  of  some  kind. 

From  the  viewpoint  of  the  old  school  with  its  crude  drug 
haphazard  methods,  the  advice  of  these  authorities  against  the  use 
of  drugs  in  treatment  of  poliomyelitis  is  good  and  should  be  fol- 
lowed to  the  letter;  but  what  a  commentary  on  their  "scientific" 
therapeutic  methods !  Here  we  have  therapeutic  nihilism  with  a 
vengeance !  No  medical  treatment  for  a  sufferer  from  this  dread 
disease  of  our  children  during  the  first  four  to  six  weeks  of  the 
attack !  Were  it  not  serious  and  pathetic,  would  it  not  be  ridic- 
ulous in  the  extreme? 

How  different  with  homoeopathic  practice  with  its  harmless 
curative  medicines !  It  strikingly  illustrates  the  truth  of  my 
favorite  saying  to  my  patients,  that  "drugs  make  ill ;  medicines 
make  well."  With  us  there  is  no  fatal  waiting  four,  or  six,  or 
any  number  of  weeks,  or  days,  or  hours!  With  us  the  earlier 
we  can  begin  medicating  the  sick  little  ones,  the  better  the  chances 
for  curative  results.  No  waiting  for  fear  of  making  the  patient 
worse.  No  wasting  of  valuable  time  in  fear  (or  conviction)  that 
our  medicines  will  injure  instead  of  help  the  sufferer. 

Homoeopathic  physicians  need  not  be  in  the  least  discouraged 
by  the  hopeless  pessimism  of  these  iconoclastic  teachers  of  high 
degree  and  authority  in  the  old  school !  I  see  no  reason  why  our 
remedies,  accurately  selected  and  applied  according  to  our  method 
of  symptom-similarity,  should  not  be  as  effective  for  good  in  the 
treatment  of  the  disease  under  discussion  as  in  any  other.  There 
is  no  occasion  for  us  to  become  panic  stricken  on  being  brought 
face  to  face  with  a  visitation  of  poliomyelitis,  if  we  only  know 
the  indications  for  our  remedies  and  apply  them  courageously  and 
calmly,  without  panic.  Knowledge  begets  confidence,  and  con- 
fidence prevents  panic  and  the  inevitable  inefficiency  of  the 
panic  stricken. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  these  symptoms  were  not  compiled  by 
homoeopathic  authority.  As  it  is,  they  are  too  general  to  be  of 
much  use  in  determining  selection  of  probable  remedies. 


250  Medical   Treatment  of  Poliomyelitis. 

The  61  having  ''high  fever"  would  suggest  Aconite,  Bella- 
donna, Magnesia  phos.,  Veratrnm  viride  and  Gelsemium.  The 
42  with  "moderate  fever"  would  suggest  Bryonia,  Gelsemium  and 
Rhus  tox.  The  17  with  "severe  headache"  would  suggest  Aconite, 
Belladonna,  Bryonia,  Gelsemium  and  Hellebore.  The  17  with 
"moderate  headache"  the  same  remedies.  The  63  having  con- 
stipation would  suggest  Bryonia,  Nux  vomica,  Opium  and  Phos- 
phorus. The  15  having  diarrhoea  would  suggest  Arsenicum, 
Cuprum,  Veratrum  album,  Ipecac  and  Phosphorus.  The  51  hav- 
ing vomiting  would  suggest  Arsenicum,  Tartar  emetic,  Ipecac  and 
Veratrum  album.  The  65.  having  "pain  in  the  affected  limbs" 
would  suggest  Rhus  tox.,  Bryonia,  Gelsemium,  Agaricus  mus- 
carius  and  Ledum.  The  42  having  "retraction  of  the  head"  would 
suggest  Gelsemium,  Bryonia,  Hellebore  and  Nux  vomica.  The 
66  having  "restlessness"  would  suggest  Arsenicum,  Rhus  tox., 
Belladonna,  Hyoscyamus  and  Stramonium.  The  66  having 
"drowsiness"  would  suggest  Opium,  Gelsemium,  Baptisia  and 
Phosphorus. 

I  use  the  term  "suggest"  instead  of  "indicate"  because  the 
general  character  of  the  symptoms  given  warrants  no  more  than 
suggestion.  Homoeopathic  physicians  would  have  observed  and 
noted  particulars,  and  their  notes  would  have  had  much  more 
value  for  physicians. 

To  my  mind,  with  the  meagre  experience  and  knowledge  on  the 
subject  I  possess,  the  remedies  which  hold  out  the  most  promise 
are  Aconite,  Agaricus,  Belladonna,  Bryonia,  Gelsemium,  Rhus 
tox.,  Magnesia  phos.,  Veratrum  album  and  Veratrum  viride,  also 
Hellebore,  Hyoscyamus,  Arsenicum  and  Stramonium.  But  any 
one  of  a  score  or  more  not  mentioned  might  be  as  useful  as  either. 
Here,  as  always,  we  must  note  carefully,  and  be  guided  thereby, 
the  characteristic  and  peculiar  symptoms  of  each  individual  pa- 
tient.    Only  thus  can  best  results  be  obtained. 

I  know  of  no  disease  which  offers  so  great  an  opportunity  of 
showing  the  superiority  of  the  symptom-similarity  method  of 
homoeopathic  prescribing  for  the  sick  over  all  other  methods.  It 
is  not  at  all  improbable  that  we  may  have  a  visitation  of  the 
malady  in  Los  Angeles  in  the  not  very  distant  future,  and  prac- 
titioners of  our  school  will  be  in  grievous  error  if  they  are  mis- 


Homoeopathy  vs.  Serum  and  Vaccine  Treatment.  251 

led  by  their  fears  to  abandon  the  true  homoeopathic  method  and 
follow  after  uncertain  and  strange  gods. 

In  the  treatment  and  prevention  of  poliomyelitis,  as  in  every 
other  disease,  hygienic  measures  in  the  broadest  extent  must  be 
strictly  observed.  This  is  especially  true  of  direct  sunlight. 
According  to  highest  authority,  the  germs  causing  this  disease 
cannot  live  if  exposed  to  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun.  I  believe  this 
to  be  true  of  all  inimical  germs.  Sunlight  is  the  life  of  the 
world — animal  and  vegetable.  If  all  animal  excreta  and  all  dead 
animal  and  vegetable  matter  were  deposited  and  left  as  nature 
intended,  there  would  be  no  epidemics  of  germ-caused  diseases. 
The  sun  and  wind  would  see  to  their  being  made  innocuous.  But, 
alas !  civilization  must  have  its  graves,  privys,  cesspools,  sewers 
and  other  means  of  collecting  and  storing  them  away  from  where 
nature's  disinfectants  can  reach  them,  and  thus  the  many  physical 
ills  which  humanity  is  not  ''heir  to"  are  propagated  and  perpetu- 
ated. There  would  be  no  disease  were  nature's  laws  not  fool- 
ishly and  criminally  broken  or  disregarded. 

(Read  before  the  Southern  California  Homoeopathic  Medical 
Society.) 

HOMCEOPATHY   VERSUS   SERUM  AND 
VACCINE  TREATMENT. 

By  F.  H.  Lutze,  M.  D.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Homoeopathy  is  that  science  of  medicine  which  learns  the  ef- 
fect of  medicines  orr  the  human  organism  by  testing  them  singly 
on  persons  in  normal  health.  It  is  the  only  method  by  which 
this  knowledge  can  be  obtained,  for  if  the  medicines  are  given 
to  the  sick  the  effect  of  the  medicines  are  mixed  with  the  effect 
of  the  disease  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  it  impossible  to  tell,  which 
are  drug  and  which  are  disease  symptoms,  hence  nothing  can  be 
learned,  and  if  tested  on  animals  we  can  make  no  deductions  from 
this  result  to  that  which  it  might  have  on  human  beings,  for 
drugs  act  widely  different  on  animals  and  intelligent  human  be- 
ings. Drugs  that  the  brute  animal  can  feed  on  are  often  very 
poisonous  to  man,  as  Belladonna,  for  instance ;  they  act  even  dif- 
ferent on  different  persons  wherefor  each  remedy  is  tested  on  a 
number  of  persons. 


252         Homoeopathy  vs.  Serum  and  Vaccine  Treatment. 

These  symptoms  and  signs,  produced  on  healthy  persons  by  the 
single  remedy,  are  carefully  observed  and  written  down  and  this 
forms  our  materia  medica,  our  law  and  guide  in  healing  the  sick. 
It  enables  us  before  hand  to  know  the  effect  of  a  remedy  on  the 
sick  patient. 

When  the  symptoms  of  a  patient  are  very  similar  to  the  symp- 
toms a  certain  remedy  has  produced  on  healthy  persons,  then 
this  remedy  will  cure  the  patient  quickly,  safely  and  permanently, 
if  the  patient  is  at  all  curable ;  it  is  infallible  and  has  been  proved 
for  the  past  hundred  years  or  more,  is  proved  now  daily  by  all 
good  and  strict  Homoeopaths,  and  it  will,  at  the  same  time,  ex- 
tinguish pain  by  freeing  the  patient  of  the  disease,  the  cause  of 
pain.  Homoeopathic  treatment  can  never  do  any  harm,  the  rem- 
edies are  too  mild  for  that,  but  cures  all  curable  patients,  for  the 
graver  the  disease  the  less  medicine  is  required,  the  susceptibility 
of  the  patient  is  then  very  much  greater.  An  intelligent  layman, 
who  has  had  some  instructions  from  a  good  Homoeopath,  can 
cure  patients  which  any  other  ever  so  highly  educated  physician 
would  fail  to  cure.  Such  a  layman,  a  stair-builder,  cured  me  of 
trachoma  after  several  highly  educated  oculists  consulted  by  me 
for  several  years  previous  had  utterly  failed  to  even  benefit  in  the 
least. 

The  observation  that  patients  at  times  recover  from  their  ill- 
ness without  any  treatment  led  to  the  belief  that  in  such  cases 
the  organism  produced  within  itself  an  antitoxine  to  bring  about 
this  result.  But  this  is  not  true.  Wherever  a  spontaneous  cure 
results,  it  does  so,  because  the  patient  has  inherent  strength  and 
vitality  enough  to  throw  off  the  disease  by  means  of  a  diarrhoea, 
by  urination,  expectoration  or  perspiration  and  such  cases  are  al- 
ways accompanied  with  much  loss  of  strength  and  tissue. 

In  the  manufacture  of  serums  and  vaccines  the  diseased  mat- 
ter, bacilli,  germs,  or  pus,  is  taken  from  the  sick  and  injected  into 
an  animal  (often  an  old  worn  out  cheap  horse)  subcutaneously 
(the  animal  may  be  unhealthy  as  well),  causing  the  animal  to 
become  sick.  When  this  sickness  subsides,  a  second  injection  is 
made  and  so  forth,  till  the  animal  does  not  show  the  effect  any 
more,  then  he  is  supposed  to  be  immune. 

The  horse  is  then  bled,  the  blood  allowed  to  coagulate,  the 
serum  is  then  separated  from  the  clot  and  the  serum  being  an 


Homoeopathy  vs.  Serum  and  Vaccine  Treatment.  253 

animal  substance,  removed  from  the  living  body  being  subject  to 
putrefaction,  carbolic  acid  or  perhaps  some  other  preservative 
is  added  to  prevent  this  and  preserve  it  for  future  use.  I  have 
no  doubt  that  much  care  is  taken  in  the  laboratory  to  insure 
safety,  but  the  power  for  good  or  evil  in  any  substance  can  not 
be  seen  in  the  laboratory  with  a  microscope  or  even  with  a  spec- 
troscope nor  by  any  chemical  process,  but  it  shows  itself  very 
readily  when  these  preparations  and  serums  are  injected  into 
the  human  body.  This,  then,  is  the  serum  injected  subcutancously 
into  the  sick    to  cure  their  disease. 

There  ccm  be  no  doubt  that  such  a  serum,  injected  directly 
among  the  nerve-filaments,  the  blood  and  lymph  circulation  of  the 
human  organism,  placed  where  the  snake  in  biting  deposits  its 
venom,  where  the  human  system  is  unprovided  to  defend  and 
protect  itself  against  harm,  must  be  very  injurious,  contaminated 
as  it  is  with  the  injected  germs  of  disease,  the  chemical  preserva- 
tive and  any  disease  the  animal  may  have  suffered  from  before 
the  injection  was  made. 

What  wonder,  then,  that  it  causes  death  not  only,  but  long-  suf- 
fering  as  well,  by  producing  cancer  and  other  slowly  fatal  ills. 

To  inject  such  foul  mixtures  under  the  skin,  in  among  the 
nerve  filaments  and  blood  and  lymph  circulation,  just  where  the 
snake  deposits  its  venom  with  its  bite,  where  the  organism  has 
nothing  to  defend  and  protect  itself  against  harm,  is  a  harmful  and 
really  unscientific  practice. 

It  is  the  height  of  folly  to  think  that  any  serum  or  vaccine, 
produced  in  this  artificial  manner,  can  even  in  the  slightest  degree 
approach  the  effect  of  any  substance  nature  may  produce  in  the 
living,  though  diseased  human  organism  for  its  own  protection  or 
cure. 

If  this  method  of  treatment  has  any  claim  to  being  scientific, 
it  must  obey  an  universal  law,  must  be  applicable  to  all  forms  of 
disease,  or  disturbances  of  the  health;  this  it  is  not,  nor  never 
can  be.  Where  is  the  serum,  or  vaccine,  for  epilepsy,  chorea, 
scarlet  fever,  measles,  nephritis,  haemorrhoids,  fistula,  warts, 
burns,  or  other  mechanical  injuries? 

Furthermore  the  serums  cannot  be  uniform  for  they  are 
taken  from  various  animals  and  pass  through  various  laboratory 
processes. 


254         Homoeopathy  vs.  Serum  and  Vaccine  Treatment. 

The  law  of  homoeopathy  is  ever  the  same  and  can  be  applied 
with  equal  certainty  of  success  to  all  forms  of  diseases  and  de- 
rangements of  mankind,  and  its  remedies  are  derived  always  from 
the  same  source,  plants,  minerals  or  animal  poisons  which  are 
always  uniform  and  can  be  employed  with  the  greatest  success 
in  all  forms  of  illness,  from  the  slightest  to  the  most  grave  dis- 
ease, for  it  is  a  law  of  nature. 

Again,  the  serums  and  vaccines  are  injected  into  the  sick  for  the 
name  of  their  disease:  Antitoxin  for  diphtheria,  antityphoid 
serum  for  typhoid  fever  or  even  its  prevention  and,  whereas,  in 
reality  no  two  cases  of  disease  can  be  exactly  alike,  can  cer- 
tainly not  be  cured  by  the  same  remedy.  It  is  like  giving  suits  of 
clothing  all  exactly  alike  in  size,  shape  and  style  to  every  person 
by  the  name  of  Smith  and  expect  them  to  be  perfect  fitting,  an 
evident  absurdity,  and  this  despite  the  fact  that  the  disease  can- 
not be  cured  nor  treated,  it  is  the  patient  who  is  to  be  treated 
and  cured.  Disease  is  not  an  entity,  does  not  exist  by  itself.  It 
is  simply  a  derangement  of  a  person's  healthy  functions  and  we 
all  know  that  no  Hvo  individuals  arc  exactly  alike  nor  even  simi- 
lar in  all  respects;  that  which  will  nourish  one  may  make  an- 
other sick,  what  will  cure  one  may  kill  another. 

SEQUELAE   OF   THE   SERUM    AND   VACCINE   TREATMENT. 

Advocates  of  this  foolish  treatment  admit  themselves :  That 
heart-murmurs,  paralysis,  nervous  symptoms,  etc.,  have  been  seen 
by  themselves  to  follow  it  cften  and  quickly.  I  myself  have  had 
children  patients  with  trachoma,  with  nervous  restlessness,  loss  of 
appetite,  cessation  of  growth  and  development,  follow  quickly, 
undoubtedly  due  to  vaccination.  There  certainly  must  be  later 
effects,  dullness  and  confusion  of  the  mind  and  grave  diseases 
which  are  connected  immediately  with  such  maltreatment,  but 
might  be  easily  traced  back  to  it. 

And  yet  the  treatment  is  persisted  in  because  it  is  easy,  requires 
no  time  for  study,  any  medical  novice  can  give  it  and  if  he  did 
not  know  how,  the  manufacturers  will  tell  him  in  a  few  words 
and  he  can  ever  after  inject  antitoxine  for  diphtheria,  etc.,  etc. 
It  does  not  even  require  any  common  sense,  good  judgment  or 
sound  reasoning.  It  is  continued  because  the  public,  untrained 
in  matters  medical  and  not  given  to  think  much  on  such  matters, 


Homoeopathy  vs.  Serum  and  Vaccine  Treatment.  255 

believe  in  it,  the  press  lauds  and  advertises  it  freely  with  the 
same  lack  of  knowledge,  believing  that  each  disease  is  a  fixed 
entity,  always  the  same,  according  to  its  name,  hence  can  always 
be  treated  successfully  with  one  and  the  same  remedy. 

All  efforts  in  the  laboratories  are  bent  to  finding  the  germ,  the 
supposed  cause  of  the  disease,  making  a  diagnosis  accordingly 
and  then  to  mankind  a  serum  from  these  same  germs,  the  pre- 
sumed cause  of  the  diseae,  to  cure  it.  But  diagnosis  helps  very 
little  in  healing  the  sick,  which  should  be  the  chief  aim  of  the 
physician  and  of  medical  science.  The  knowledge  that  the  pa- 
tient is  suffering  from  diphtheria,  pneumonia,  scarlet  fever, 
measles,  small-pox,  does  not  aid  one  iota  in  finding  the  curative 
remedy  for  each  case,  for  the  remedy  which  cures  one-  patient  of 
diphtheria  may  kill  others  for  no  two  patients  are  affected  alike 
by  the  same  malady.  Preventive  medication  is  impossible  for 
we  do  not  know  in  what  way  or  by  which  disorder  a  person  may 
be  attacked.  If  anyone  is  given  a  remedy,  for  example,  for  scar- 
let fever  because  one  of  the  family  is  suffering  with  it  and  the 
one  so  treated  does  not  suffer  from  this  same  scarlet  fever,  it  is 
no  proof  whatever  that  the  remedy  prevented  it,  for  he  might 
never  have  been  taken  with  the  disease  though  he  had  received 
no  preventive  whatever.  The  folly  of  prophylaxis  is  easily  seen 
if  it  is  only  considered  that  each  disease  or  each  patient  would 
require  a  prophylactic  and  then  think  what  would  become  of  a 
person  treated  with  all  of  them  at  once  to  protect  him  from  all 
diseases.  The  only  protection  against  disease  must  be  found  in 
proper  modes  of  living  and  sanitation.     Not  at  all  in  medication. 

STATISTICS. 

Statistics  have  been  cited  to  prove  the  good  results  of  the 
serum  and  vaccine  treatment.  But  what  are  statistics?  A  few 
correct  and  truthful  statements  perhaps,  but  largely  mixed  with 
errors  and  self-deceptions  in  failing  to  take  into  account  all  the 
features  of  the  cases,  nor  all  the  attending  conditions  and  circum- 
stances, as  I  shall  show  in  a  few  examples  and  positive  fabrica- 
tions and  willful  lies,  uttered  and  published  for  the  sake  of  money 
or  renown. 

I  can  furnish  proof  of  two  cases  of  diphtheria,  treated  with 
antitoxine  and  pronounced   cured  because  their  throat  cleared. 


256         Homoeopathy  vs.  Serum  and  Vaccine  Treatment. 

Both  died  within  three  days  later  from  paralysis  of  the  heart. 
Statistics  are  silent  on  this  fact. 

A  hospital  patient  was  treated  with  serum  and  became  much 
worse.  Another  case,  seemingly  identical  with  the  first,  was  to 
be  treated  with  the  same  serum,  but  no  more  being  on  hand  he 
received  no  treatment  and  this  patient  improved  without  any 
treatment.  The  next  day  a  physician  of  the  visiting  staff  called 
at  the  hospital  and  was  informed  by  an  interne  that  the  improve- 
ment was  due  to  an  injection  of  serum.  The  honest  nurse,  how- 
ever, told  the  visiting  physician  the  truth  that  no  serum  had  been 
used,  could  not  have  been  used,  as  none  was  on  hand  in  the  hos- 
pital even  then.  The  equally  honest  physician  remarked  that 
serums  were  a  failure,  even  harmful. 

During  the  Spanish-American  war  typhoid  fever  carried  off 
many  of  the  soldiers  in  the  camps  on  account  of  unsanitary  con- 
ditions, impure  drinking  water,  embalmed  beef,  etc.  Some  time 
later  a  so-called  antityphoid  serum  was  made  and  this  was  in- 
jected in  all  soldiers  and  men  of  the  navy,  such  as  were  unwilling 
to  submit  to  this  treatment  were  locked  up  till  they  submitted 
(this  is  a  sample  of  the  much  vaunted  American  freedom).  Sta- 
tistics furnished  by  the  Surgeon  General  of  the  Army  state, 
thirteen  years  later,  that  the  antityphoid  serum  injections  had 
been  so  effective  and  beneficent  that  in  the  camps  around  San 
Antonio,  Texas,  not  one  per  cent,  of  all  the  soldiers  had  died 
from  typhoid  fever.  Nothing  was  said  of  the  fact  that  these 
camps  were  established  in  the  most  up-to-date  and  sanitary  man- 
ner possible,  supplied  with  plenty  of  good  water  and  food  and 
in  time  of  peace.  That  the  health  of  the  men  so  treated  is  not 
as  robust  as  before,  that  they  are  more  nervous  and  take  cold 
much  easier  from  which  they  recover  but  slowly  even  under  good 
homoeopathic  treatment  and  blunted  intellectually,  of  the  facts 
no  mention  is  made.  The  disastrous  results  of  this  treatment 
often  following  years  later  are  not  followed  up,  not  observed. 

A  lady,  38  years  of  age,  single,  had  always  enjoyed  the  best 
of  health  till  attacked  with  diphtheria.  Her  tonsils  and  palate 
were  covered  with  a  white  glistening  membrane,  which  began 
on  the  left  side  and  attacked  the  right  side  of  the  throat ;  on  swal- 
lowing the  pain  extended  to  the  ears.  I  have  cured  any  number 
of  such   patients   in   five   days  completely.     But  here   a  throat 


Homoeopathy  vs.  Serum  and  Vaccine  Treatment.         257 

specialist  was  called  who  injected  a  serum  in  both  arms.  The 
next  day  the  throat  was  clearing  up,  but  this  was  no  cure,  the 
disease  was  only  driven  to  more  vital  parts,  the  nerve  centers,  all 
her  limbs  were  numb  and  paralyzed.  When  the  specialist  was 
asked  if  this  could  be  the  result  of  the  treatment  he  stoutly  denied 
it.  But  had  the  patient  been  properly  treated  and  cured  this  could 
not  have  happened.  But  worse  was  to  follow  still ;  a  few  days 
later  she  became  violently  insane,  suffering  from  a  monomania.  I 
attended  this  lady  myself  after  this. 

Another  lady,  35  years  of  age,  single,  an  artist,  took  cold  after 
coming  out  of  a  Turkish  bath,  was  treated  by  injections  of  serums, 
till  all  the  glands  of  the  body  enlarged.  Seeing  this  was  no  warn- 
ing to  the  attending  physician  he  continued  the  injections  until 
she  died  suddenly.     I  have  personal  knowledge  of  this  case. 

An  officer  of  the  U.  S.  Navy,  like  all  naval  men,  had  to  sub- 
mit to  the  treatment  with  antityphoid  serum.  Before  this  he 
he  was  always  strong  and  healthy,  rarely  ever  had  a  cold  and  if 
he  did  got  well  without  any  treatment  and  quickly.  He  takes 
cold  very  easily  now  and  does  not  recover  as  heretofore,  it  re- 
quires much  time  now  for  his  recovery  even  with  good,  careful 
treatment,  and  is  very  nervous  ever  since. 

Bacteriologists  in  the  Rockefeller  Institute  claimed  to  have 
found  the  germs  of  infantile  paralysis  and  prepared  from  this 
a  serum  for  its  cure.  It  caused  six  deaths  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
This  was  announced  in  an  old  school  journal,  but  the  discoverers 
of  the  germ  and  the  serum  stoutly  denied  the  serum  to  be  the 
cause  of  the  deaths.     Naturally  not. 

A  man  kissed  his  little  daughter  before  going  to  business  in 
the  morning.  Two  hours  later,  learning  that  the  child  had  diph- 
theria, he  called  at  his  physician's  office  to  have  antitoxin  injected 
in  himself  as  a  prophylactic.  The  injection  was  given  and  he  died 
in  the  doctor's  office  a  few  minutes  later. 

Such  examples  could  be  multiplied,  but  this  paper  is  already 
too  long. 

And  this  absurd  method  of  treatment,  which  attempts  to  cure 
disease  (a  thing  that  has  no  existence  by  itself  outside  of  the 
patient,  according  to  its  name,  but  entirely  ignores  the  pa- 
tient, the  very  and  only  one  to  be  cured),  is  thoughtlessly  en- 


258  Clinical  Cases  from  Washington. 

dorsed  by  physicians  high  in  government  offices,  who  are  blinded 
by  the  glitter  of  so-called  scientific  laboratory  proceedings  and 
its  ease  of  application  and  enforced  upon  a  liberty  loving  people 
against  their  will  and  without  their  consent  in  violation  of  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States,  which  guarantees  personal 
as  well  as  religious  liberty  to  every  law  abiding  citizen. 

Yellow  fever,  which  years  ago  devastated  Havana,  Cuba,  was 
extinguished  when  a  great  sanitary  engineer,  Colonel  Waring, 
was  sent  there  by  the  U.  S.  Government.  He  caused  sewers  to 
be  built,  enforced  cleanliness,  collection  of  all  waste,  garbage 
and  refuse  and  its  destruction.  Who  ever  heard  of  an  anti- 
yellow-fever  serum  or  vaccine? 

It  was  sanitation  alone  which  prevented  the  return  of  yel- 
low fever  there. 


CLINICAL  CASES  FROM   WASHINGTON. 
By  Dr.  A.  A.  Pompe,  Vancouver,  'Wash. 

January  1,  19 17,  was  called  to  White  Salmon,  60  miles  up 
the  Columbia  river,  to  see  a  girl  of  11  years  old,  who  was  taken 
down  violently  with  inflammatory  rheumatism.  She  could 
neither  lie  still  nor  move  on  account  of  excruciating  pains.  Both 
feet  were  drawn  inwards.  Pains  were  shifting,  worse  from  heat. 
Urine  scanty  and  dark.  Pains  in  all  the  joints.  Gave  one  dose 
of  Apis  melliiica  in  the  form  of  medicated  pellets,  No.  5.  She 
stopped  her  screaming  inside  of  two  minutes  and  all  the  time, 
while  I  was  there,  some  five  hours,  she  remained  quiet,  could  lie 
still  and  move  herself  more  or  less  before  I  departed.  I  left 
a  couple  of  extra  powders  and  plenty  of  placebo,  the  powders 
to  be  given  whenever  improvement  stopped.  These  were  given 
during  the  first  week,  at  the  end  of  which  time  she  was  able  to 
sit  up  and  improvement  continued  so  that  she  was  entirely  cured 
in  two  weeks'  time  from  first  day  of  illness  and  able  to  go  to 
school  again. 

Last  summer,  in  June,  noticed  a  pale  slender  woman  of  dark 
complexion  talking  to  a  friend  of  mine  and  observed  in  the  mid- 
dle of  left  cheek  two  long  horny,  sharp,  spindling  warts  hang- 
ing down.  Immediately  I  put  up  one  small  powder  of  Causticmn 
m.,  put  it  into  a  small  envelope  with  direction:  "Take  at  once, 


Clinical  Cases  from  Washington.  259 

dry,  on  the  tongue,  with  the  compliments  of  Dr.  Pompe."  This 
I  gave  later  to  my  friend,  requesting  him  to  hand  it  to  this 
woman  and  told  him  it  was  a  dose  of  medicine  to  cure  the  warts 
on  her  face. 

Only  one  month  ago  did  I  learn  the  result  when  my  friend's 
wife  came  in  for  a  prescription.  On  inquiry  she  told  me  that 
one  wart  came  out,  root  and  all,  the  third  day,  and  the  second 
one  the  fourth  day.  She  was  a  much  surprised  woman,  had 
never  thanked  me  or  let  me  know  the  warts  were  gone.  She 
used  to  cut  them  off  every  now  and  then,  which  always  caused 
profuse  bleeding. 

A  girl  of  17  consulted  me  about  numerous  small,  round, 
pinkish,  isolated  warts  all  over  her  forearms.  Selected  Calcarea 
ostrearum  m.,  after  which  no  more  warts  appeared,  but  none 
disappeared.  After  six  weeks  gave  a  dose  in  the  a  m.  potency, 
but  this  also  failed  to  remove  any  of  them.  The  next  prescrip- 
tion was  Silicea  m.,  because  the  girl  always  felt  chilly.  This  re- 
moved every  one  of  the  warts,  but  do  not  know  what  time  it 
took. 

A  boy  of  16  had  numerous  rough,  large  warts  on  both  hands. 
Always  had  more  come  during  cold  rainy  weather.  Prescribed 
Dulcamara  c.  c,  which  removed  only  part  of  them.  Dulcamara 
m.  did  not  remove  any  more.  Gave  Thuja  Occident  alts  m., 
which  had  no  effect.  Next  Rhus  toxicodendron  m.,  which  re- 
moved the  rest  of  them.  Remedies  were  given  in  single  doses, 
of  course. 

A  mare  had  one  large  wart,  size  of  a  fist,  on  her  ribs  and  one 
of  same  size  on  the  groin  close  to  mammary  gland,  which,  in 
locomotion,  caused  bleeding  and  suppuration  from  the  friction. 
Three  small  powders  of  Thuja  occidentalis  m.,  regular  baby  pow- 
ders! in  size  and  quantity,  with  instructions  to  give  one  whenever 
improvement  stopped,  removed  both  warts  in  a  few  weeks.  They 
simply  got  smaller  and  smaller  until  they  disappeared  entirely. 

Four  or  five  years  ago  a  woman  came  with  three  suppurating 
warts  on  her  face,  expecting  me  to  cut  them  out.  One  dose  of 
Thuja  occidentalis  m.  removed  all  three  in  one  week. 

A  woman  at  Vancouver,  B.  C,  had  warts  come  on  ends  of 
fingers,  close  to  nails,  and  very  painful.     Their  allopathic  phy- 


260  Clinical  Cases  from  Washington. 

sician  had  to  cut  away  part  of  thumbnail  to  relieve  pressure,  for 
the  pains  extended  clear  up  to  her  shoulder.  He  applied  some 
corn  salve  to  deaden  skin.  Her  brother-in-law  advised  writing 
to  me  for  internal  remedy  to  which  patient  agreed.  One  dose 
of  Cansticum  m.  cured  permanently  in  two  to  four  weeks. 

In  1906  a  man  in  the  fifties  or  sixties  came  with  a  large, 
round,  smooth,  flat,  flesh-colored  growth  larger  than  a  25  cent 
piece,  in  the  middle  of  his  forehead,  asking  if  I  could  do  any- 
thing for  that.  He  was  employed  as  a  horse  inspector  by  the 
U.  S.  Government,  at  the  military  post  here  and  the  army  sur- 
geon had  wanted  to  burn  it  with  the  X-ray.  This  growth  would 
enlarge  every  time  during  cold  wet  weather.  Selected  for  him 
Dulcamara  c.  c,  three  powders,  with  instructions  to  take  one 
two  weeks  apart.  After  one  week's  time  he  came  to  see  me  and 
I  saw  that  the  outer  edge  had  turned  black.  I  then  directed 
him  to  not  take  any  other  powders  as  long  as  he  noticed  im- 
provement. The  next  day  I  departed  to  take  a  post-graduate 
course  at  the  Hering  and  do  not  know  if  this  man  took  any  of 
the  other  powders,  but  my  wife  wrote  me  six  weeks  later  that 
Mr.  B.  requested  to  know  wrhat  his  bill  was  for  the  growth  had 
entirely  disappeared. 

Could  give  many  more  similar  cures  of  warts. 

In  my  practice  have  found  Mercurius  solubilis  in  higher  po- 
tencies more  frequently  indicated  in  toothaches  than  any  other 
remedy  and  have  seen  all  pain  stop  more  than  once  in  one-half  a 
minute ;  of  course,  like  any  other  remedy,  it  must  be  indicated. 

Many  chronic  and  serious  skin  diseases  or  more  properly 
stated  "manifestations  of  disease  thrown  out  to  the  surface," 
have  I  seen  disappear  like  snow  before  the  sun  after  one  single 
dose  of  medicine  in  a  high  potency,  but  it  takes  more  after 
several.  To  apply  any  local  treatment,  as  is  so  often  recom- 
mended, even  by  teachers  in  homoeopathic  colleges,  is  assuredly 
wrong  and  contrary  to  homoeopathic  principles. 

It  is  better  to  strive  to  find  the  correct  remedy  for  each  patient, 
even  if  we  fail  in  some  cases  and  loose  prestige,  money  and  per- 
haps practice  than  to  resort  to  nostrums,  which  do  not  cure,  but 
suppress  nature's  efforts  to  relieve  the  internal  man.  Besides 
it  is  deceiving  the  patient  and  degrades  us  in  our  own  estimation 
and  earns  us  the  contempt  of  every  Homoeopathist  who  under- 
stands Homoeopathy. 


Gastric  Affections.  261 

Let  those  Homceopathists  who  only  use  the  lower  potencies 
reflect  on  the  meaning  of  the  word  "Potency."  They  can  never 
succeed  to  cure  deep-seated  chronic  ailments  unless  they  learn 
to  use  and  prescribe  our  remedies  in  the  "Greater  Powers.'' 


GASTRIC  AFFECTIONS. 
By  Dr.  G.  L.  Barber,  Chicago,  111. 

Pains :  Pressure,  periodical,  increasing,  violent,  always  worse 
after  a  meal ;  violent,  burning,  worse  touch,  better  motion, 
night.  Abate  on  sixth  day.  Arsen.,  one  dose,  repeated  in  three 
months,  relieved  these  chronic  symptoms. 

Pains :  Violent  vertigo,  balancing  to  and  fro,  fullness,  press- 
ing forwards,  burning  heat,  sore  pain,  face  bloated,  hot,  red, 
sand-pressure  in  eyes,  eyelids  swollen,  headache,  bloating,  ten- 
sion, stiffness,  tearing  drawing,  worse  slightest  pressure,  stool 
suppressed  ten  days,  menses  suppressed.  Bryonia,  one  dose 
cured. 

Pains :  Flatulence  excessive,  rumbling,  distension,  pinching, 
excessive  heat,  fullness,  bursting  sensation,  oppressed  respira- 
tion, risings  of  air,  food  excites  the  pains,  chilliness,  torpor,  ob- 
struction, nosebleed,  worse  stooping,  worse  pressing  at  stool. 
Carbo  veg.  cured  with  one  dose. 

Pains :  Vertigo,  vision  obstructed  on  motion,  chest  feels 
tight,  unable  to  breathe  freely,  pressure,  scraping,  burning  in 
stomach,  repletion,  pressure  on  eating,  pinching,  rumbling, 
grunting,  thin  frequent  stool,  involuntary  urine,  half-sleep,  cold, 
chilly  internally.  Cicuta  9th,  one  dose,  cured  these  chronic  symp- 
toms in  an  old  man. 

Pains :  Gnawing  in  stomach  after  eating,  pressure  as  from 
stone  rolling,  cramp-like  drawing,  pains  start  in  pit  of  stomach, 
go  to  upper  abdomen,  back,  kidneys,  burning,  gnawing,  tingling, 
sticking,  pinching,  develop  rapidly,  with  stools  of  yellow,  green- 
ish water,  or  frothy,  green  water,  no  pain,  frequent,  gush  out 
with  force.  Gratiola  gives,  in  a  few  days,  more  relief  to  hypo- 
chondriacs with  abdominal  sufferings  than  any  other  remedies. 

Pain :  Distension  of  stomach,  burning  pressure,  aching,  spas- 
modic drawing,  cutting,   rumbling,  tension,   tenesmus,   scraping 


262  Gastric  Affections. 

in  throat,  heartburn,  rising  of  air,  pressure,  tension  in  forehead, 
drawing,  pressure  in  occiput,  drawing  in  arms,  bloatedness, 
gurgling,  sensation  of  rope  tied  around  body,  worse  stooping, 
bending  back,  inclining  to  right  side,  worse  breathing,  walking, 
afternoon.    Nux  vomica,  two  doses. 

Pain :  Frequent  drawing  in  hypochondria,  body  stiff,  disten- 
sion scrobiculous  cordis,  and  stomach,  pressure,  throat  distended, 
chest  oppressed,  trembling,  on  inspiration  cannot  get  breath  into 
chest.     Calcarea  carb.  cured. 

Pains  :  Intense,  aching,  umbilical  region,  distension,  pressure, 
stomach,  burning,  breathing  oppressed,  chronic.  Nux  vom.,  one 
ten  thousandth,  one  dose. 

Pain :  Violent  stitches,  right  side,  forenoon,  ribs,  side  curved 
by  contraction,  hard  nodosity,  short  oppressed  breathing,  face 
hot,  red,  right  side,  violent  stitches  in  right  temple,  tenesmus, 
violent  pressure  on  bladder,  violent  burning  in  urethra,  bloody 
drops  of  urine.  Nux  vom.  6th,  one  dose,  cured  these  gastric 
symptoms. 

Pains :  Vertigo,  vanishing  of  senses,  roaring  in  ears,  anx- 
iousness,  trembling,  pressure  in  stomach,  flatulence,  distension, 
menses  eight  days  early  with  weakness,  asthmatic  constriction 
of  chest.    Nux  vom.  18th,  one  dose,  cured  these  symptoms. 

Pains :  Violent,  cutting,  whirling  in  umbilical  region,  alive, 
turning  sensation,  sore  in  abdomen,  periodical,  better  at  night, 
increasing  to  a  swoon  on  stooping.  Nux  vom.  12th,  one  dose, 
cured. 

Pains :  Slight  pinching,  rumbling  in  abdomen,  tension,  slight 
pressure,  stitching  headache,  contractive  sensation  in  stomach, 
in  morning,  menses  early,  scanty,  weeping.  Nux  vom.  30th,  one 
dose,  cured. 

Pains :  Constant  headache,  periodical  stitches  in  temples,  ver- 
tigo on  stooping,  roaring,  distention,  repletion,  uneasiness, 
flatulence,  stool  hard,  pressure  from  above  down,  oppressed 
breathing,  shocks  arising  from  pit  of  stomach,  constant  pressure 
on  sternum,  exhausting  morning  sweat,  all  symptoms  worse 
morning,  exercise,  open  air.     Nux  vom.  30th,  two  doses,  cured. 

Pains :  In  loins  during  motion,  weakness  in  hips  and  left 
thigh,  constant  feeling  of  heaviness  in  abdomen,  pit  of  stomach 


Some  Facts  for  the  Reader  to  Think  About.  263 

and  abdomen  distended,  blue  margins  around  eyes,  weight  of 
head,  melancholy.     Nux  vom.  30th,  three  doses,  cured. 

Pain :  In  head  as  from  subcutaneous  ulceration,  vertigo, 
straining  pain  in  nape,  to  top  of  head,  humming  and  roaring, 
ringing  of  bells,  tingling,  tearing  in  right  ear,  tearing  and  draw- 
ing in  both  rows  of  teeth,  pressure  in  pit  of  stomach,  excessive 
anguish,  worse  night,  pinching,  cutting  in  abdomen,  pressure  in 
bladder,  shortness  of  breath,  pressure  in  pit  of  neck,  single 
stitches  below  sternum,  violent  on  pressure,  violent  stitches  in 
back,  neck,  chest,  every  four  weeks,  violent  beating  of  heart,  at 
night,  anxious,  vehement,  quarrelsome.  Nux  z?om.  30th,  one 
dose,  cured  these  complicated  symptoms. 

Pains :  Boring,  drawing,  back,  thighs,  from  suppressed 
herpes.     Sulphur  30th,  restored  eruption. 

Pain:  In  pit  of  stomach,  as  if  two  stones  were  being  rubbed 
against  one  another,  sensation  of  a  heavy  lump  in  abdomen, 
chronic  pain  in  the  left  hypochondrium  and  back.  Sulphur  30th 
cured. 

Insanity,  long  standing,  imagines  she  has  syphilis,  and  says 
to  the  doctor :  You  remind  me  of  an  old  grey-headed  multi- 
millionaire, etc.  Sulphur  3  millionth,  Finke,  three  No.  5  pel- 
lets, B.  &  T.,  with  placebo,  cured  in  two  weeks.  An  eruption  of 
brown,  thick  scabs  was  thrown  out  on  the  face  when  sanity  ap- 
peared and  remained. 

I  cite  this  case  to  prove  Hahnemann's  doctrine :  "You  can 
scarcely  get  the  dose  too  small." 


SOME  FACTS  FOR  THE  READER 
TO  THINK  ABOUT. 

By  Eli  G.  Jones,  M.  D.,  879  West  Ferry  Street, 
Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

I  have  had  agents  for  medical  books  call  to  see  me  (mostly  of 
the  regular  school).  They  always  say,  "Now  this  is  the  last  word 
on  this  subject,  written  by  a  man  at  the  head  of  the  profession," 
etc.  After  I  have  listened  patiently  to  their  talk,  I  ask  them  "to 
show  me  one  disease  in  the  book  where  there  is  a  definite  treat- 
ment given  that  will  cure  the  disease,  or  give  a  definite  indication 


264  Some  Facts  for  the  Reader  to  Think  About. 

for  the  remedies  prescribed  for  any  particular  disease."  That  kind 
of  talk  makes  them  very  tired  and  they  soon  ''fade  away."  When 
they  want  to  damn  a  man  they  call  him  a  "Homoeopath."  They 
will  often  say,  "You  are  a  Homoeopath,  I  should  think,  and  don't 
care  to  enter  into  any  argument  with  you."  You  can  be  very 
sure  that  they  don't  want  to  argue  with  me,  for  I  know  too  much 
about  old  school  remedies.  I  practiced  that  system  as  long  as  my 
conscience  would  let  me,  and  know  too  much  of  the  inside  his- 
tory of  that  school  of  medicine. 

I  hear,  now  and  then,  of  a  woman  having  her  uterus  and  ovar- 
ies cut  out.  After  a  woman  has  been  mutilated,  unsexed,  de- 
graded, she  is  not  a  woman!  What  is  she?  Cystic  tumors  of 
the  ovaries,  enlargement  of  uterus  and  ovaries,  fibroid  tumors  of 
the  uterus,  ulceration  of  os  uteri,  and  cancer  of  the  uterus  can  be 
cured  by  medicine.  There  is  no  earthly  excuse  for  a  surgical 
operation  in  such  cases.     It  is  mutilating  God's  image! 

Surgery  in  such  cases  is  the  last  resort  of  an  incompetent  phy- 
sician, he  proceeds  to  cut  out  what  he  can't  cure  by  medicine. 
Any  man  who  would  mutilate  a  woman  in  that  way  should  be 
prosecuted  for  mal  practice! 

In  April  I  was  invited  to  attend  the  Eastern  Ohio  Homoeo- 
pathic Medical  Society,  at  Akron,  Ohio,  and  give  them  a  "prac- 
tical talk  on  prescribing  for  the  sick."  On  the  evening  of  April 
17th,  Dr.  E.  J.  Cauffield,  president  of  "The  Summit  County  Clini- 
cal Society  (Homceo.),"  gave  a  banquet  to  the  members  of  that 
society,  at  the  University  Club.  Covers  were  placed  for  eigh- 
teen guests  and  the  writer  was  the  guest  of  honor.  He  was  also 
elected  honorary  member  of  the  society.  As  this  is  the  first  Ho- 
moeopathic Medical  Society  he  has  ever  been  a  member  of  he 
feels  highly  honored! 

The  above  society  was  founded  by  Dr.  Childs,  formerly  resi- 
dent of  Akron,  and  one  of  the  early  fathers  of  Homoeopathy  in 
Ohio.  On  April  18th.  The  Eastern  Ohio  Homoeopathic  Medical 
Society  and  The  Summit  County  Medical  Society  (regular)  met 
in  joint  session  at  "The  Peoples  Hospital."  The  Summit  County 
Medical  Society  had  placed  at  their  disposal  the  "Assembly 
Rooms"  for  the  meeting.  The  above  society  showed  a  spirit 
of  liberality  and  courtesy  that  other  medical  societies  would  do 
well  to  emulate. 


Some  Facts  for  the  Reader  to  Think  .Ibout.  265 

"'Tis  well  at  times, 
To   break    the   lines   of   rigid    separation, 
To  wander  from  the  beaten  paths. 
By  way  of  social  meetings." 
I  fully  appreciate  the  kindness  and  brotherly  love  of  the  phy- 
sicians of  Akron,  Ohio. 

Dr.  Charles  A.  Dixon  kindly  placed  his  automobile  at  my  dis- 
posal. I  also  saw  some  cases  in  consultation  with  him  and  Dr. 
Kneale.  A  part  of  the  time  I  was  the  guest  of  Dr.  W.  E. 
Kneale.  The  doctor  and  his  wife  were  as  kind  to  me  as  if  I  had 
been  their  father.  He  has  a  lovely  wife  and  three  beautiful  chil- 
dren. I  was  not  very  well  a  part  of  the  time  so  the  doctor  was 
especially  kind  and  sympathetic;  he  accompanied  me  as  far  as 
Cleveland,  on  my  return  home,  to  see  that  I  did  not  get  side- 
tracked or  fall  by  the  way.  The  doctor  is  a  "Brother  Mason, 
good  and  true." 

"All  brother  Masons,  brothers  kind  and  true, 
When  you  are  in  trouble  they  will  stand  by  you. 
Across  the  seas,  where'er  you  go,  or  in  your  native  land, 
Where'er  you  find  a  Mason,  you  will  find  a  helping  hand." 
The  average  doctor  goes  to  an  obstetrical  case  with  visions  of 
turning  abnormal  presentations,  convulsions,  flooding,  instru- 
mental delivery,  etc.  He  expects  trouble  and  he  generally  gets 
it.  If  I  would  put  a  gun  in  my  pocket  and  go  down  street  look- 
ing for  trouble,  I  would  get  it  before  I  had  gone  a  block !  One 
thing  he  seems  to  forget,  that  childbirth  is  a  natural  process  of 
nature  and  that  meddlesome  midwifery  is  bad,  and  in  most  cases 
entirely  uncalled  for.  The  young  doctor  is  impatient,  he  is  in 
a  hurry,  he  can't  wait  on  nature,  but  he  must  "butt  in"  and  make 
a  "play  to  the  grand  stand."  He  tells  the  husband  all  kinds  of 
ghost  stories  of  what  may  happen  if  he  don't  use  the  instruments, 
and,  incidentally,  to  collect  an  extra  fee!  He  is  prone  to  inject 
some  kind  of  "dope"  into  her  so  she  won't  feel  the  pain.  The 
pains  are  not  strong  enough  to  suit  his  notions  so  he  gives  Ergot. 
That  remedy  produces  powerful  contractions  of  the  uterus,  and 
has  killed  thousands  of  babies!  The  use  of  instruments  at  con- 
finement is  the  cause  of  60,000  women  in  America  having  cancer 
of  the  uterus'. 


266  Some  Facts  for  the  Reader  to  Think  About. 

In  all  the  years  of  my  practice  I  never  had  a  pair  of  obstetric 
forceps  in  my  possession  or  had  occasion  to  use  them  in  my  con- 
finement cases.  One  of  my  teachers  on  obstetrics  had  the  largest 
obstetric  practice  of  any  physician  in  Philadelphia  and  in  thirty 
years'  practice  never  used  the  obstetric  forceps. 

Another  of  my  teachers  of  midwifery  in  thirty  years'  practice 
never  used  the  forceps  in  confinement. 

During  the  years  I  attended  confinement  cases  I  never  lost  a 
woman  in,  or  after  childbirth,  and  I  had  over  300  cases. 

Our  medical  colleges  should  teach  their  students  how  to  pre- 
pare a  pregnant  woman  for  her  "hour  of  trial"  and  thus  avoid 
floodings,  convulsions,  etc.  They  should  be  taught  how  to  in- 
fluence the  child  through  the  mother  during  pregnancy,  and  thus 
have  children  that  are  mentally  and  physically  well  born.  What 
our  medical  colleges  don't  teach  and  what  they  ought  to  teach 
their  students  would  fill  a  large  sized  book! 

I  have  had  letters  from  professional  nurses  and  women  in  sev- 
eral of  our  towns  and  cities,  asking  me  for  a  ''reliable  treatment 
for  child  bed  convulsions."  They  wrote  me  that  "the  physicians 
could  not  cure  such  cases,  that  the  women  died  from  the  fits."  In 
those  towns  and  cities  are  physicians  of  all  schools  of  medicine. 
I  would  suggest  to  those  physicians  that  they  should  diligently 
and  prayerfully  study  their  materia  medica,  and  get  "more  light !" 
Don't  let  the  undertakers  thrive  on  your  failures  to  cure  your 
patients. 

Once  upon  a  time  in  the  city  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  they  had  an 
epidemic  of  la  grippe.  A  reporter  of  one  of  the  newspapers  was 
talking  with  an  undertaker.  The  latter  made  the  remark  that  he 
had  "not  had  to  bury  any  cases  of  la  grippe  from  a  Homoeopathic 
physician."  The  reporter  investigated  the  matter  and  he  found 
that  not  an  undertaker  in  the  city  had  a  death  certificate  from  a 
Homoeopathic  physician  from  la  grippe.  Our  Homoeopathic 
friends  may  now  proceed  to  throw  bouquets  at  themselves ! 

A  regular  medical  society  met  in  Philadelphia,  not  long  ago, 
and  they  decided  that  there  was  "no  cure  for  la  grippe  and  that 
the  best  thing  that  a  sufferer  from  that  disease  could  do  was  to 
get  out  in  the  cold  air."  Those  of  you  who  have  had  a  dose  of 
the  la  grippe,  can  tell  how  it  feels  when  the  cold  air  goes  up  m 
your  nose ;  you  will  be  ready  to  damn  any  man  who  suggests  cold 
air  as  a  cure  for  la  grippe. 


Sixty-Fifth  Annual  Meeting.  267 

A  surgeon  in  the  Canadian  army  going  over  seas,  to  take  part 
in  the  great  war.  writes  me  that  he  wants  a  treatment  for  gonor- 
rhoea, '"The  surgeons  can't  cure  it  in  less  than  forty-one  days." 
The  surgeons  treat  the  men  about  the  same  as  in  our  Civil  War, 
fifty-four  years  ago,  Calomel,  Quinine  and  Digitalis.  If  a  man  is 
sick  he  must,  first  of  all,  be  scoured  out  with  Calomel.  If  he  has 
a  diarrhoea  Laudanum  is  the  remedy.  The  doctor  says  that  they 
"are  only  allowed  thirty  pounds  of  baggage."  so  he  picked  out 
two  medical  books  to  take  with  him,  "Blackwood's  Materia 
Medica,"  and  "Definite  Medication"  (Jones).  During  the  Civil 
War  the  Surgeon  General  of  the  army  made  the  statement  that 
"Calomel  killed  more  soldiers  than  the  enemies'  bullets."  Xow 
we  can  see  from  the  above  treatment  of  the  soldiers  how  much 
progress  has  been  made  b\  the  old  school  in  fifty-five  years! 
"Oh.  wad  some  power  the  giftie  gie  us, 
To  see  ourselves  as  ithers  see  us." 


SIXTY-FIFTH   ANNUAL   MEETING   OF  THE 

HOMOEOPATHIC   MEDICAL   SOCIETY   OF 

THE   STATE   OF   NEW  YORK. 

Reported  by  Dr.  


The  Sixty- Fifth  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Homoeopathic  Medi- 
cal Society  of  the  State  of  Xew  York  was  held  in  Xew  York 
City  on  April  10th  and  nth.  The  opening  business  session,  as 
well  as  the  scientific  session,  consisting  of  an  oration  in  medi- 
cine by  Dr.  W.  H.  Watters,  of  Boston,  and  an  oration  in  sur- 
gery, by  Dr.  H.  L.  Northrop,  of  Philadelphia,  and  a  propagan- 
distic  session  contributed  by  Drs.  W.  A.  Dewey  and  C.  E.  Saw- 
yer, was  held  in  the  Convention  Room  of  the  Hotel  McAlpin  on 
Tuesday  afternoon. 

Hahnemann's  birthday,  April  10th,  was  appropriately  cele- 
brated by  a  banquet,  held  in  the  ball  room  of  the  Hotel  McAlpin, 
at  7  P.  M.  Two  hundred  and  thirty-three  diners  enjoyed,  to  the 
full  extent,  the  remarks  of  the  President,  Dr.  G.  R.  Critchlow, 
and  the  speakers,  Drs.  W.  W.  Van  Baun.  W.  A.  Dewey.  R.  S. 
Copeland  and  E.  C.  Sawyer.  It  has  been  seldom  the  privilege  of 
medical  men  to  listen  to  toasts  all  responded  to  by  their  own 
brethren,  and  all  so  eloquently. 


268  Another  Atlantic  City  Meeting. 

The  second  day,  Wednesday,  April  nth,  was  spent  at  the 
Metropolitan  Hospital,  where  twelve  clinics,  embracing  medi- 
cine, surgery  and,  the  various  specialties,  were  conducted  by  out- 
of-town  physicians.  Lunch  was  served  at  the  Nurses'  Home  of 
the  Metropolitan  Hospital  by  the  Medical  Board  of  that  Institu- 
tion. At  this  luncheon,  the  Deputy  Commissioner  of  Charities, 
Mr.  Wright,  spoke  appropriately  and  Dr.  Rankin,  President  of 
the  Medical  Board,  welcomed  the  guests. 

The  details  of  the  meeting  were  arranged  by  a  Local  Com- 
mittee of  sixteen,  of  which  Drs.  F.  M.  Dearborn  was  chairman, 
B.  B.  Clark,  secretary,  and  J.  H.  Fobes,  treasurer. 

This  meeting  probably  stands  as  the  most  successful  the  New 
York  State  Society  has  ever  had,  nearly  four  hundred  different 
physicians  being  in  attendance  at  one  session  or  another.  A 
gathering  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  witnessed  the  clinics  at  the 
Metropolitan  Hospital,  and,  as  a  result  of  the  efforts  of  the  In- 
stitute officials  present,  a  resolution  suggested  by  Dr.  Sawyer 
making  federation  between  the  American  Institute  of  Homoe- 
opathy and  the  New  York  State  Society  immediately  effective 
was  unanimously  passed. 

Drs.  F.  M.  Dearborn,  New  York ;  W.  A.  Dewey,  Ann  Arbor, 
and  E.  C.  Sawyer,  Marion,  Ohio,  attended  the  May  meetings  of 
the  State  Societies  of  Ohio,  Michigan  and  Illinois.  They  must 
have  done  some  hustling  to  get  around,  but  they  are  hustlers. 
They  report  enthusiastic  meetings  and  all  for  "federation." 
Good  thing,  that  federation. 


ANOTHER  ATLANTIC  CITY  MEETING. 

The  New  Jersey  State  Homoeopathic  Society  met  this  year  in 
Atlantic  City,  May  24-26,  at  the  Chalfont,  of  course.  The  Re- 
corder's scribe  took  a  day  off  on  the  25th  and  went  down  there 
to  say  "howdy"  to  old  friends  and  new  and  to  pick  up^  anything 
that  came  handy — in  the  way  of  items  and  papers  for  the  journal, 
of  course. 

The  impression  left  by  this  day  with  the  good  men  and  true  of 
Jersey  was  The  American  Flag  and  Aggressive  Homoeopathy, 
both  marching  on. 


Another  Atlantic  City  Meeting.  269 

This  meeting  was  one  of  "features"  or  "attractions."  Dewey 
was  there  on  Thursday  with  his  picture  show,  but  had  departed 
for  California  before  the  scribe  arrived.  In  the  morning  of  Fri- 
day came  Dr.  E.  C.  Sawyer,  of  Marion,  Ohio  (and  proud  of  his 
town),  and  in  the  afternoon  good  looking  and  genial  President, 
Dr.  C.  F.  Hadley,  of  Camden,  N.  J.,  caught  Major  Gordon,  bet- 
ter known  as  "Ralph  Connor,"  the  writer  of  novels,  who  gave  us 
an  interesting  talk  on  the  war. 

On  Saturday  the  attraction  was  to  be  the  man  that  every  one 
thinks  is  our  coming  President  of  the  Institute,  Dr.  Frederick  M. 
Dearborn,  of  little  old  New  York.  He  seems  to  have  a  host  of 
friends.  We  heard  him  mentioned  by  men  there  by  his  full  and 
formal  name  and  title,  also  as  "F.  M.,"  "Fred,"  "Freddy"  and 
"Fritsie." 

Well,  Sawyer  gave  us  a  rattling  and  inspiring  address,  with 
never  a  note  or  bit  of  manuscript  or  halting  for  the  proper 
word.  Indeed,  it  struck  us  that  the  speaker  could  get  a  job  as  a 
"spell-binder"  from  any  of  our  political  parties  if  he  wanted  one. 

As  for  Sawyer's  address  we  can  but  quote  from  memory  a  few 
points  that  stick  there.  This  was  the  21st  State  Society  ad- 
dressed since  the  speaker,  with  Dewey  and  Dearborn,  started  out 
on  the  great  campaign  for  Homoeopathy.  Every  society  had 
promptly  swung  into  line  with  the  work.  (New  Jersey  also  did 
so  as  soon  as  a  vote  could  be  taken.)  He  emphasized  the  fact 
that  Homoeopathy  is  a  power  in  the  land  and  can  become  very 
influential  if  we  all  loyally  and  heartily  fall  into  line.  A  year 
ago  we  had  $38,000,000  in  actual  institutions  and,  during  the  past 
year,  a  full  $2,000,000  had  been  added.  Homoeopaths  are  among 
our  busiest  and  most  popular  physicians,  but  they  should  take 
time  to  do  their  duty  to  the  public,  the  national,  State  and  local 
societies.  Money,  he  said,  is  one  of  the  easiest  things  to  get  in 
this  country  if  the  cause  is  righteous,  but  what  is  wanted  is  whole- 
souled  men  to  work,  men  enthusiastic  and  aggressive.  We  must 
demand  our  rights  and  we  will  get  them  if  we  go  after  them  col- 
lectively. When  the  business  headquarters  of  the  Institute  were 
opened  in  Chicago  there  were  found  over  700  delinquent  mem- 
bers ;  they  started  after  them  and  over  half  are  back  in  the  fold 
and  the  others  are  coming  fast.     Also,  at  Rochester,  he  believed 


270  Another  Atlantic  City  Meeting. 

M 

there  would  be  500  new  names  offered  for  membership.  Told  an 
instance  of  the  necessity  even  from  purely  selfish  motives  of  be- 
ing in  good  standing  in  your  State  society  and  in  the  national 
body.  A  certain  man  thought  he  had  outgrown  Homoeopathy ;  he 
applied  for  membership  in  a  certain  rather  exclusive  body,  but  one 
that  takes  in  homoeopathic  surgeons  as  well  as  others.  The  first 
inquiry  always  is  as  to  the  candidate's  standing  in  his  State  and 
national  societies.  This  man  hadn't  any,  simply  because  he  had 
dropped  out ;  he  came  back,  got  his  standing  established  and  then 
.was  taken  in.  This  was  only  one  of  several  instances  related, 
showing  the  power  of  organization  and  the  helplessness  of  the 
man  who  stands  alone.  Homoeopathic  writers  also  got  a  swipe 
from  the  speaker,  those  writers  who  fill  their  papers  with  quo- 
tations from  old  school  men.  Why,  he  said,  we  have  thousands 
of  men  who  are  the  peers  and  the  superiors  of  the  old  school  men, 
so  why  be  always  going  outside  for  your  authorities?  We  now 
have  a  new  order  of  things.  We  are  not  promising  to  do  things 
if  we  can,  we  are  going  to  do  them.  All  told,  it  was  worth  a  trip 
to  Atlantic  to  hear  this  stirring,  aggressive  and  Homoeopathic 
address.  The  whole  of  it  might  be  summed  up  in :  Get  Together 
and  be  Homoeopathic  Physicians. 

Of  a  totally  different  nature  was  the  short  talk  given  by  Major 
Gordon,  otherwise  ''Ralph  Connor."  He  had  been  with  the  Ca- 
nadian troops  at  the  front,  and  we  all  know  that  these  troops  were 
where  things  were  hottest.  His  principal  topic  was  the  doctors 
and  their  real  heroism.  At  one  place,  a  "receiving  station,"  we  be- 
lieve he  called  it,  just  back  of  the  firing  line,  there  were  over  2,300 
shot-up  men  brought  in  in  one  action,  and  these  doctors  worked 
without  rest  or  sleep  for  48  hours,  two  days  and  nights.  Also 
many  other  instances.  He  concluded  with  a  few  statements  that 
had  a  very  sobering  effect  on  all  of  us.  He  said  that  the  Ameri- 
cans must  not  get  the  idea  that  their  part  in  this  war  will  be  an 
easy  one  and  Germany  a  power  that  you  can  whip  "with  one  hand 
tied  behind  your  back.  It  will  require  all  your  power — men, 
money,  provisions  and  munitions."  Also  do  not  deceive  your- 
selves with  the  notion  that  there  are  dissensions  among  the  Ger- 
mans, for  never  was  there  a  nation  so  knit  together  back  of  their 
leader.     But,  so  are  the  allies  and  so  must  be  the  Americans. 


Another  Atlantic  City  Meeting.  2.JI 

What  Major  Gordon  said  about  the  need  of  doctors — he  did 
say  it  though  we  have  not  mentioned  it — reminds  us  of  something- 
Sawyer  said  to  the  same  effect  when  urging  the  need  of  physicians 
offering  their  services  to  aid  their  country.  He  said  the  country 
is  actually  ''hard-up  for  doctors,"  owing  to  the  increasing  burdens 
put  on  medical  students,  so  that  a  medical  graduate  can  hardly 
expect  to  become  self  supporting  before  the  age  of  33.  That,  as 
you  know,  has  been  one  of  this  journal's  hobbies.  As  our  "C.  M." 
showed  some  months  ago  the  country's  answer  to  this  fearful 
grind  on  medical  students  is  a  host  of  chiropractors  and  others. 

The  Society  adopted  a  resolution  to  the  effect  that  the  mem- 
bers pledged  themselves  to  take  care  of  a  brother  physician's 
practice  who  had  been  called  to  sen-ice  in  the  army,  and  to  turn 
over  to  him  what  was  collected  from  his  patients  on  his  return, 
or  the  net  profits.  Also  another  resolution  offering  the  services 
of  the  members  of  the  Society  to  the  Government. 

One  ticket  for  officers  for  the  ensuing  year  was  presented  by 
the  Nominating  Committee.  It  was  headed  by  Dr.  J.  H.  Bryan, 
of  Asbury  Park,  for  President.  Dr.  Bailey,  of  Atlantic  City,  cast 
the  single  ballot — and  there  was  no  contested  election. 

When  Dr.  Cornell,  of  Trenton,  made  his  report  on  legislation, 
to  the  effect  that  no  medical  legislation  had  been  enacted  during 
the  past  year,  Dr.  T.  H.  Bryan  related  an  incident  that  may  be  of 
interest.  He  brought  suit  for  a  bill,  but  was  non-suited  because 
he  did  not  produce  his  diploma,  or  his  license,  which  he  had 
received  24  years  before.  Seems  to  us  that  this  is  a  legal  point 
worth  looking  into  by  our  legislative  committees. 

From  one  of  the  few  discussions  heard  the  scribe  relates  the 
following  by.  we  believe.  Dr.  H.  L.  Maps,  of  Passaic.  In  brief, 
he  said  that  in  feeding  a  typhoid  patient  he  would  rather  give 
them  corn  beef  and  cabbage  than  milk,  which  latter  diet  he 
thought  was  the  worst  diet  that  could  be  given,  because  while  it 
entered  the  mouth  as  a  liquid  it  became  solidified  when  in  the 
stomach.  He  even  went  so  far  as  to  express  the  belief  that  the 
majority  of  cases  of  typhoid  perforation  were  caused  by  a  milk 
diet. 

Well,  gentle  reader,  as  this  may  seem  like  a  rather  long  non- 
official  report  of  a  single  day  we  will  chop  it  off  right  here. 


272  The  Cause  of  Poliomyelitis. 


THE   CAUSE  OF  POLIOMYELITIS. 

Eleven  of  the  broad,  big  pages  of  the  British  Medical  Journal 
are  taken  up  by  a  recent  article  on  the  cause  of  cerebro-spinal 
fever,  Drs.  Gordon  and  Flack  being  the  writers.  In  this  paper 
it  is  taken  by  the  writers  as  a  fact  that  the  meningococcus  is 
the  cause  of  the  disease,  and  healthy  persons  are  responsible  for 
the  spread  of  the  cause.  At  least  they  open  their  long  paper  as 
follows : 

In  the  present  as  in  past  outbreaks  of  cerebro-spinal  fever,  where  bac- 
teriological investigations  have  been  made,  convincing  evidence  has  been 
found  that  the  main  factor  in  the  spread  of  this  disease  is  the  healthy 
carrier  who  harbors  the  meningococcus  in  his  nasopharynx,  whence  it  is 
liable  to  become  detached  when  he  sneezes,  coughs,  or  possibly  when  he 
articulates  loudly. 

Dr.  Stedman,  in  his  Dictionary,  learnedly  informs  the  inquirer 
that  a  "meningococcus"  is  a  "diplo coccus  intra-cellularis  mening- 
tidis."  If  you  ask  what  that  is  you  are  learnedly  told  that  it  is 
a  "meningococcus."  The  learned  gentleman  have  not  yet  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  out  of  this  tail  chasing  circle,  no  matter  how 
fast  they  chase  it. 

If  a  plain  man  asks  a  learned  man  "what  is  a  meningococcus  ?" 
the  learned  man  will,  probably,  by  a  shrug  of  his  shoulders,  po- 
litely convey  the  opinion  that  you  are  a  boob  who  ought  to  study 
modern  medical  science.  But,  really  he  doesn't  know  himself. 
He  has  discovered  that  it  is  never — well,  hardly  ever — absent 
from  the  disease,  and,  therefore,  gravely  assumes  that  he  has  laid 
hold  of  the  tail  of  the  cause  of  the  disease  and  proudly  holds  up 
his  game  by  its  tail  to  an  admiring  world,  and  then  asks  that  all 
sorts  of  things  be  done  to  protect  the  public  from  the  dragon  he 
has  smoked  out  and  that  he  be  given  the  job  of  doing  the  pro- 
tecting. 

Being  an  honest,  if  enthusiastic,  man,  he  soon  finds  his  "cause" 
of  cerebro-spinal  fever,  and  of  all  other  diseases,  scattered  helter- 
skelter  throughout  healthy  humanity.  This  is  a  staggerer,  but, 
like  the  world  renowned  Dr.  Sangrado,  he  clings  to  his  great 
discovery  and  invents  the  "healthy  carrier,"  an  invention  that  of- 
fers more  openings  for  tyranny  than  did  the  much  talked  of  "in- 
quisition," for,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  there  is  hardly  a  human  being 


Cancer  Xeeds  a  Constitutional  Remedy.  275 

from  the  bacteriologist  down  to  the  tramp  on  whom  the  man 
with  the  microscope  cannot  find  '"germs,"  therefore  he  is  a 
"menace,"  therefore  he  should  be  "restrained." 

To  be  sure  not  much  of  this  sort  of  thing  has  been  done  as  yet. 
but  immense  possibilities  are  involved  in  it.  Let  the  big  medical 
journals  work  it  up  and  the  big  newspapers  follow  it  up  as  a 
sensation,  any  man  can  be  branded  so  as  to  be  avoided  as  "car- 
rier," or,  in  other  words,  a  modern  leper.  But  is  disease  spread 
by  "carriers,"  not  in  their  clothing,  but,  as  Drs.  Gordon  and  Flack 
say,  by  a  "carrier?"  Xo,  it  is  not.  for  disease  is  the  result  of 
violated  Law  and  not  a  created  thing. 

Good  Lord,  the  world  needs  cool  headed,  sane  and  rational 
Homoeopathy  as  never  before  ! 


CANCER   NEEDS   A   CONSTITUTIONAL  REMEDY. 

The  following  is  from  a  paper,  "The  Real  Cancer  Problem," 
by  Dr.  L.  Duncan  Bulkley,  of  New  York  (Medical  Record).  It 
is,  in  the  main,  sound  doctrine.  And  what  can  reach  that  deep 
"systemic  change"  but  the  homoeopathic  remedy?  Seek  the 
patient's  symptoms,  peculiar  symptoms,  and  do  not  be  afraid  to 
give  the  remedy  indicated  even  though  never  dreamed  of  as  "a 
cancer  remedy :" 

"What  then  is  the  real  problem  of  cancer?  Surely  it  is  not  to 
increase  the  surgical  activity,  which  has  resulted  only  in  a  steadily 
ascending  scale  of  mortality,  which  in  reality  is  greater  than 
that  observed  in  any  other  malady !  For  the  increase  in  the 
death  rate  from  cancer  throughout  the  Lnited  States  from 
1900  to  the  present  time  has  been  coincident  with  the  greatest 
activity  both  in  laboratory  research  and  in  the  advanced  sur- 
gery of  the  disease.  I  repeat,  is  it  not  time  for  us  to  stop  and 
consider  whether  our  laboratory  work  with  the  microscope  on 
morbid  tissue,  and  our  experimentation  on  rats  and  mice,  are 
truly  serving  to  solve  the  real  problem  of  cancer"  Or  whether 
we  had  not  better  turn  our  attention  to  human  beings,  and  by- 
careful  clinical  study  of  our  patients  discover  where  the  funda- 
mental error  lies,  which  first  induces  the  formation  of  an  aber- 
rant cell  mass,  which  we  call  cancer,  and  then  continuallv  feeds 


274  Cancer  Needs  a  Constitutional  Remedy. 

it  by  the  same  deranged  blood  stream,  so  that  it  becomes  utterly 
uncontrollable  and  invades  and  destroys  other  tissues;  while 
at  the  same  time  the  anaemia,  pernicious  and  progressive  in  char- 
acter, gradually  saps  the  life  of  the  patient,  to  a  lethal  end.  For 
repeated  and  most  careful  laboratory  studies  have  demonstrated 
great  and  significant  changes  in  the  blood  in  cancer.  I  hope  to 
satisfy  you  that  the  mass  which  is  excised  is  only  the  product  of 
a  far  deeper  systemic  change,  which  has  probably  already  pro- 
duced other,  more  or  less  similar,  masses  or  deposits  elsewhere, 
in  the  bones  and  internal  organs  or  lymphatics.  So  that  surgical 
removal  of  the  one  often  stimulates  the  development  of  others." 


The  Journal  of  the  A.  M.  A.,  commenting  on  H.  G.  Wells' 
Tono-Bungay  or  the  history  of  a  patent  medicine,  says :  "It  has 
been  conservatively  estimated  that  each  year  the  United  States 
spends  $150,000,000  for  nostrums.  This  is  called  'waste  futile 
yet  monstrous ;  waste  of  money,  waste  of  efficiency,  waste  of 
health,  yes,  waste  of  life  itself  are  the  indictments  that  stand  fairly 
and  squarely  against  the  great  majority  of  patent  medicines.' ': 
Where  the  "waste  of  efficiency"  comes  in  is  not  clear,  but,  prob- 
ably, Jama  knows,  or  thinks  he  does,  which  is  sufficient  for  an 
editor. 

About  twenty-five  years  ago  a  book  was  published  giving  the 
prescriptions  in  all  of  the  big  allopathic  hospitals  for  the  various 
diseases.  As  we  remember  it  the  prescriptions  of  each  hospital 
differed  from  all  the  others  and  in  this  multitudinous  wisdom  you 
could  duplicate  every  nostrum  ever  put  on  the  market.  This 
says  nothing  of  the  private  prescriptions  which  not  improbably 
took  on  the  same  Dolly  Yarden  characteristics.  So  in  order  to  be 
accurate,  financially,  as  to  the  waste  it  would  be  necessary  to  as- 
certain how  much  money  was  spent  for  these  prescriptions,  which, 
in  composition,  run  the  gamut  of  the  pharmacopoeia  and  often  in- 
clude the  patent  medicines  in  their  make-up.  This  sort  of  thing, 
"patent"  or  "regular."  is  but  therapeutic  chao-. 


Specialists'  Department.  275 

THE  SPECIALISTS'  DEPARTMENT. 


EDITED   BY  CLIFFORD  MITCHELL,   M.   D. 

25  East  Washington  St.,  Chicago,  111. 

Skin  Cancer  Cured  by  Grubbe. — It  is  comforting  to  read  the 
statistics  of  Dr.  Emil  Grubbe,  of  Chicago,  the  pioneer  of  the 
X-ray  in  that  city.  In  a  reprint  sent  us  he  describes  139  cases  of 
skin  cancer  cured  by  him,  as  follows  : 

"2  have  remained  free  from  recurrence  fourteen  years. 

2  have  remained  free  from  recurrence  thirteen  years. 

3  have  remained  free  from  recurrence  twelve  years. 

2  have  remained  free  from  recurrence  eleven  years. 

3  have  remained  free  from  recurrence  ten  years. 

4  have  remained  free  from  recurrence  nine  years. 

3  have  remained  free  from  recurrence  eight  years. 
6  have  remained  free  from  recurrence  seven  years. 
8  have  remained  free  from  recurrence  six  years. 

14  have  remained  free  from  recurrence  five  years. 

20  have  remained  free  from  recurrence  four  years. 

20  have  remained  free  from  recurrence  three  years. 

25  have  remained  free  from  recurrence  two  years. 

27  have  remained  free  from  recurrence  one  year. 

A  total  of  139  cases  have  remained  free  from  recurrence  for 
more  than  one  year.'' 

The  X-ray  was  responsible  for  the  cure  in  all  these  cases.  Read 
his  article  in  the  Journal  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homoe- 
opathy for  May,  191 7. 

How  About  Allouez  Water  ? — We  are  called  up  by  phone  every 
now  and  then  and  asked  what  has  become  of  Allouez  water. 
Many  may  be  able  to  remember  when,  in  1894,  the  writer  had  the 
good  fortune  "to  cure"  (apparently)  a  case  of  diabetes  with  this 
water,  as  a  result  of  which  he  was  kept  busy  for  some  years  ex- 
plaining why  he  could  not  cure  others  with  it.  Of  late  we  seem 
to  hear  little  or  nothing  about  this  water,  which,  taken  hot  before 
meals,  apparently  exercises  a  beneficial  effect  upon  both  thirst 
and  digestion  in  diabetes.    What  has  become  of  Allouez  ? 


276  Specialists'  Department. 

Sugar  in  the  Urine  of  Pregnancy. — Since  using  Benedict's  test 
for  sugar  in  urine  the  writer  has  been  struck  by  the  frequency 
with  which  he  finds  a  small  amount  of  sugar  in  the  urine  of 
pregnant  women.  In  some  cases  there  is  enough  so  that  fer- 
mentation with  the  Einhorn  instrument  shows  a  fraction  of  one 
per  cent,  of  sugar  fermentable  by  yeast  and,  therefore,  not  lac- 
tose, which  sometimes  occurs  in  the  urine  when  the  patient  is  lac- 
tating.  This  sugar,  whatever  it  is,  disappears  after  confinement, 
any  sugar  then  present  being  lactose  and  not  fermenting  with 
yeast. 

Significance  of  Uric  Acid. — Since  the  high  price  of  meat  has 
been  in  evidence  the  writer  has  noticed  a  most  signal  decrease 
in  the  amount  of  uric  acid  found  by  his  analyses  of  urine,  which 
tends  to  show  that  at  least  half  or  more  of  the  uric  acid  we  used 
to  find  was  due  to  meat-eating.  Nowadays  a  ratio  of  urea  to  uric 
acid  30  or  lower  is  rare,  and  should  be  of  clinical  significance,  if 
the  patient  is  not  eating  much  meat,  as  few  now  are. 

The  writer  has  noticed  that  in  tumors  of  the  sexual  organs  in 
women  uric  acid  may  be  relatively  high  in  the  urine,  while  in 
pregnancy  it  is  low. 

A  Simple  Test  for  Renal  Function. — There  has  been  quite  a 
little  revival  of  late  of  the  old  Albarran  polyuria  test  for  renal 
function  and  some  of  the  writers  insist  that  it  gives  surprisingly 
satisfactory  results.  It  can  be  recommended,  therefore,  to  those 
who  are  not  as  handy  with  the  hypodermic  needle  as  our  friends, 
the  surgeons,  who  usually  prefer  the  dye  tests.  The  patient  is  in- 
structed to  drink  little  or  no  water  at  the  evening  meal  and  also 
none  after  it.  He  urinates  before  going  to  bed,  as  usual.  On 
rising  in  the  morning  he  urinates  and  saves  the  urine  voided. 
Then  he  immediately  drinks  as  fast  as  possible  one  pint  of  cold 
water,  about  500  c.c.  He  eats  and  drinks  nothing  for  two  hours 
after  drinking  this  water  and  by  that  time  should  have  voided 
most  of  the  water  drunk,  care  being  taken  that  he  keep  quiet 
and  not  exercise  or  work  at  anything.  If  he  voids  80  per  cent, 
of  the  500  c.c.  in  two  hours,  he  is  doing  well,  so  far  as  the  work 
of  the  kidneys  on  time  is  concerned,  and,  if  the  urine  voided  on 
rising  in  the  morning  has  a  specific  gravity  noticeably  higher 
than  the  urine  voided  after  drinking  the  water,  kidney  function 


Specialists'  Department.  277 

is  good.  Poor  kidney  function  is  shown  by  delay  in  voiding  the 
urine  after  the  water  drinking  and  by  low  specific  gravity  of  the 
urine  voided  on  rising.  In  cases  of  nephritis  the  specific  gravity 
of  the  urine  voided  on  rising  is  often  noticed  to  be  low,  whereas 
in  the  case  of  young  and  vigorous  men  the  specific  gravity  of  the 
urine  may  be  as  high  as  1030  or  upward,  on  rising,  when  no  fluids 
have  been  drunk  during  the  evening. 

The  Ferric  Chloride  Reaction  in  Urine. — If  twenty  grammes  of 
iron  chloride,  Fe2Cl6,  are  dissolved  in  80  c.c.  of  distilled  water  a 
solution  is  obtained  which,  whatever  its  chemical  constitution,  is 
clinically  valuable  in  that  it  yields  color  reactions  with  certain  con- 
stituents of  urine.  This  reagent,  for  example,  strikes  a  wine  red 
color  with  diacetic  acid,  when  the  latter  is  present  in  urine,  hence 
is  a  simple  means  by  which  acidosis  may  be  detected  whether  in 
the  pernicious  vomiting  of  pregnancy,  or  in  diabetes  mellitus. 
In  typhoid  also  the  reaction  may  sometimes  be  obtained,  also  in 
cyclic  vomiting  after  a  time. 

The  ferric  chloride  solution,  as  above,  is  little  used  by  phy- 
sicians on  account  of  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  the  iron  chloride, 
which  is  not  handled,  as  a  rule,  by  apothecaries  except  in  the  so- 
lution known  as  tincture  of  iron  or  occasionally  in  the  solution 
known  as  liquor  ferri  chloridi.  Iron  chloride  occurs  in  reddish 
brown  lumps  and  is  readily  obtained  in  the  large  cities  from  such 
firms  as  Daigger  &  Co.  or  other  dealers  in  chemicals.  A  pound 
of  it  will  last  the  doctor  a  long  time  and  every  physician  should 
procure  a  pound  bottle  of  this  substance,  which  has  not  been 
advanced  in  price  to  such  extent  as  many  of  the  other  chemicals. 
If  the  doctor  has  no  scales  he  can  get  his  pharmacist  to  make  a 
twenty  per  cent,  solution  for  him.  This  solution  turns  darker 
with  age,  but  in  the  writer's  experience  this  does  not  alter  its 
properties  of  reacting  with  urine  constituents. 

The  test  for  diacetic  acid  in  urine,  as  advised  originally  by 
Gerhardt,  is  as  follows :  To  a  few  c.c.  of  urine  add  the  solution 
of  ferric  chloride  drop  by  drop  until  the  precipitate  of  phosphates 
ceases,  which  may  be  ascertained  by  letting  the  precipitate  settle 
after  each  addition  of  a  few  drops,  which  settling  requires  about 
ten  minutes'  time.  When  the  phosphates  no  longer  precipitate, 
filter  the  urine  and  to  the  filtrate  add  more  ferric  chloride.     If 


278  Specialists'  Department. 

now  a  wine  red  color  is  seen,  boil  another  sample  of  the  original 
urine  and  repeat  the  test.  If  no  color  is  obtained  with  the  sec- 
ond sample,  then  diacetic  acid  was  the  cause  of  the  red  reaction 
in  the  first  sample.  The  test  may  be  confirmed  by  taking  a  third 
sample  of  the  original  urine,  adding  sulphuric  acid  to  it,  shaking 
up  with  ether,  drawing  off  the  ether  with  a  pipette  and  testing  the 
ethereal  solution  with  ferric  chloride  as  above. 

The  wine  red  color  obtained  with  the  ferric  chloride  and  dia- 
cetic acid  disappears  on  standing  24  to  48  hours  or  fades  out  very 
noticeably. 

There  are  several  objections  to  this  so-called  standard  test  of 
Gerhardt.  In  the  first  place  diacetic  acid  in  severe  cases  of  dia- 
betes may  be  present  in  such  large  amount  as  to  withstand  boil- 
ing, unless  the  latter  be  continued  longer  than  most  physicians 
would  have  patience  to  attempt.  Then,  again,  the  waiting  for 
the  phosphates  to  settle  is  tedious,  and  the  waiting  for  the  color 
to  fade  is  out  of  the  question  for  most  doctors.  The  trouble  is 
that  diacetic  acid  is  not  the  only  substance  which  in  urine  may 
yield  a  wine  red  color  with  ferric  chloride  solution.  The  wine 
red  color  may  be  seen  whenever  ferric  chloride  is  added  to  the 
urine  of  those  who  have  taken  certain  drugs :  salicylic  acid  and 
compounds  of  it.  coal  tar  products,  as  antipyrin,  phenacetin, 
thallin.  In  large  amounts  the  salicylates  give  a  purplish-red  with 
ferric  chloride  which  an  experienced  person  learns  to  recognize, 
but  in  small  amounts  various  drug  products  simulate  the  wine-red 
of  diacetic  acid  most  confusingly.  Alkaline  urine  gives  a  reddish 
precipitate  with  ferric  chloride,  due  to  formation  of  ferric  hy- 
drate. 

A  ready  clinical  method  of  differentiating  diacetic  acid  from 
aspirin,  so  commonly  used  by  patients,  and  other  drugs  is  much 
needed.  The  writer  has  greatly  shortened  Gerhardt's  test  by 
adding  three  drops  of  the  ferric  chloride  solution  to  ten  c.c.  of 
urine  and  holding  the  test  tube  above  the  head  against  a  strong 
light  by  which  the  wine-red  color  may  be  noticed  at  the  bottom 
of  the  tube  without  waiting  for  the  phosphates  to  settle,  etc. 
Normal  urine  gives  a  gold-yellow  color  due  to  dilution  of  the 
ferric  chloride  with,  the  urine.  But  drug  products  give  a  wine-red 
color  in  some  cases  exactlv  like  the  diacetic  acid. 


Specialists'  Department.  279 

The  writer  has  lately  made  the  observation  that  the  wine-red 
color  formed  may  be  changed  to  a  yellow  by  the  addition  of  a 
drop  or  two  of  a  one  per  cent  solution  of  citric  or  tartaric  acids. 
But  this  change  of  color  does  not  serve  to  distinguish  diacetic 
acid  from  drugs. 

About  the  easiest  rapid  method  of  differentiating  diacetic  acid 
from  drugs  is  to  shake  the  tube  after  the  ferric  chloride  has  been 
added  and  to  notice  the  color  of  the  phosphates  mixed  with  the 
red.  In  the  case  of  diacetic  acid  the  color,  after  shaking,  appears 
a  brick-red,  but,  in  the  case  of  such  drug  products  as  the  writer 
has  thus  far  observed,  the  color  is  other  than  brick-red.  How- 
ever, absolute  reliance  must  not  be  placed  upon  this  method  of 
differentiation,  inasmuch  as  the  writer  has  not  had  opportunity 
to  examine  a  sufficient  number  of  specimens  to  be  sure  that  no 
drugs  produce  a  brick-red.  The  best  way  to  be  sure  of  the 
reaction  is  to  prevent  the  patient  from  taking  crude  drugs  while 
the  tests  are  being  made.  Owing  to  the  deceitf ulness  of  diabetics 
and  to  their  cunning  in  small  matters  of  concealment  this  can 
not  always  be  done.  The  writer  has  known  a  diabetic  who  was 
taking  acetanilid  every  two  hours  for  neuritis  to  deny  that  he 
was  taking  any  medicines  at  all. 

On  account  of  the  untrustworthiness  of  diabetics  it  is  im- 
portant that  we  experiment  with  ferric  chloride  and  obtain  some 
short  ready  clinical  method  for  distinguishing  drugs  in  the  urine 
from  diacetic  acid.  The  writer  has  made  a  start  by  observing  the 
interesting  action  of  one  per  cent,  citric  acid.  Who  will  go  a 
step  further? 

In  the  pernicious  vomiting  of  pregnancy  no  trouble  is  ex- 
perienced as  regards  drugs  since  the  patient  vomits  "everything." 
Hence  in  the  urine  of  a  pregnant  woman  who  is  "vomiting  every- 
thing"'' the  diagnosis  of  acidosis  is  readily  made  by  noticing  the 
color  at  the  bottom  of  the  tube  when  to  ten  c.c.  of  urine  are  added 
three  or  more  drops  of  the  twenty  per  cent,  ferric  chloride,  a 
wine  red  indicating  diacetic  acid. 


Homoeopathic    Recorder 

PUBLISHED  MONTHLY  AT  LANCASTER.  PA. 

IBy  BOERICKE   &  TAFEL 
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Address  communications,  books  for  reriew,  exchanges,  etc., 
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EDITORIAL  NOTES   AND    COMMENTS 

Ann  Arbor's  Good  Work. — According  to  its  Annual  Report  the 
Homoeopathic  Hospital,  at  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  cared  for,  in  1916, 
5,168  patients  with  a  mortality  of  2.8.  It  must  be  a  very  popular 
institution  for  it  was  taxed  to  the  limit  the  entire  year.  Real 
"Homoeopathy  is  the  winning  horse  in  the  medical  Derby."  as 
Burnett  once  said. 

How  We  Get  Tuberculosis  From  Milk. — Our  always  interesting 
contemporary,  the  Illinois  Health  News,  issues  a  number  devoted 
to  the  milk  supply.  Concerning  the  "Diseases  Spread  Through 
Milk"  it  says,  anent  Tuberculosis : 

"2.  Indirectly ;  from  cows  having  tuberculosis  of  the  lungs. 
The  germs  are  coughed  up  into  the  mouth,  swallowed  by  the 
cow,  passed  into  the  feces  and  thus  indirectly  get  into  the  milk." 

This  information  is,  indeed,  startling  and  ought  to  engage 
the  attention  of  cow  anatomists,  or  is  it  physiologists?  It  also 
says  that  "every  dairy  shall  be  provided  with  a  sanitary  water- 
closet  or  privy." 

A  Chicago  Breeze. — Dr.  Frank  Wieland.  of  Chicago,  who  oc- 
casionally has  appeared  in  Mitchell's  bureau  in  the  Recorder 
contributes  a  right  good  piece  to  Dr.  Hobson's  Jour.  A.  I.  H. 
Some  years  ago  he  perpetrated  a  book  and  Montgomery.  Ward 
&  Co.  bought  4,000  copies  of  it  for  their  employees — how  we 
envy  Wieland!  Well,  the  result  was  that  the  same  big  firm 
employed  him  as  their  medical  chief.     At  first  they  spent  $3,000 


Editorial.  281 

per  year  on  their  medical  department,  now  it  runs  about  $125,- 
000  a  year,  a  complete  homoeopathic  corps  from  prescribers  and 
surgery  to  nurses  and  dentists,  and  the  firm  and  its  people  are 
well  satisfied.  Score  another  for  Homoeopathy.  Just  one  quo- 
tation from  the  paper.  Wieland  had  been  listening  to  a  brilliant 
paper : 

As  I  listened  to  this  young  physician,  who  was  doing  real  things,  there 
came  to  my  mind  the  weary  years  of  medical  meeting  to  which  I  had 
dragged  my  weary  limbs — I  think  it  is  the  custom  in  writing  papers,  to 
drag  one's  limbs,  instead  of  one's  legs.  I  could  repeat  the  beginning  of 
every  discussion  of  every  paper  ever  read.  It  was  always  thus :  "I  have 
enjoyed  Dr.  Brown's  paper  very  much,  indeed.  He  seems  to  have  struck 
a  keynote,"  etc.,  until  it  seemed  to  me  that  I  should  go  mad  and  end 
my  days  in  a  padded  cell  if  anyone  ever  said  the  words  again.  I  thought 
how  glorious  it  would  be  if  some  day  some  really  honest  man  in  dis- 
cussing a  paper  would  tell  the  truth  and  say,  "I  have  listened  to  Dr. 
Brown's  paper  attentively.  It  is  an  insult  to  our  intelligence.  It  is  taken 
bodily  from  the  Journal  of  the  A.  M.  A.  He  does  not  even  pronounce 
correctly  the  names  of  the  authorities  from  which  he  so  generously  quotes. 
He  never  should  write  a  paper,  because  he  never  has  anything  to  say." 
If  someone,  some  time,  would  only  thus  speak  I  know  I  should  say :  "Now, 
Lord,  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  for  I  have  achieved  the 
kingdom." 

''Adulteration  of  Chestnuts." — By  this  it  is  not  meant  the 
adulteration  of  ancient  jokes,  and  there  are  no  others,  but  the 
"adulteration"  of  the  nuts  of  the  chestnut  tree.  The  "adultera- 
tion" was  discovered  by  the  United  States  Department  of  Agri- 
culture in  23  bags  of  chestnuts  shipped  to  New  York  from  Vir- 
ginia. These  bags  contained  an  unspecified  number  of  wormy 
and  moldy  nuts,  or  to  quote  from  the  official  paper :  "Adultera- 
tion of  the  article  was  alleged  in  the  libel  for  the  reason  that  it 
consisted  in  particular  [part]  of  a  particular  filthy,  decomposed, 
and  putrid  vegetable  substance,  to  wit,  wormy  and  moldy  chest- 
nuts." The  23  bags  of  nuts  were  destroyed.  If  every  bag  of 
nuts,  barrel  of  apples,  box  of  oranges  or  anything  else  boxed, 
bagged  or  barreled  is  to  be  destroyed  because  all  of  it  is  not 
sound  we  might  as  well  make  up  our  minds  to  face  a  still  higher 
cost  of  living.  Sometimes  it  seems  to  us  that  this  "pure  food" 
racket,  which  is  all  right  when  rationally  conducted,  is  develop- 


282  Editorial. 

ing  into  pure  tyranny  or  undesirable  hysteria,  neither  of  which 
is  desirable  nor  useful. 

Somewhat  Metaphysical. — Dean,  of  the  British  army  medical 
corps,  reports  in  the  Lancet  of  May  5  25  cases  of  tetanus  coming 
under  his  observation  all  of  which  had  probably  "received 
prophylactic  injections  in  France/'  after  the  battle  of  the  Somme. 
This  brings  up  the  very  metaphysical  problem,  namely :  If  what 
is  had  not  been  what  would  have  been?  If  these  men  had 
not  received  the  injections  of  a  serum  infected  with  the  alleged 
germs  of  tetanus  would  they  have  contracted  the  disease,  or  if 
they  had  not  received  them  would  they  have  contracted  the  dis- 
ease ?  Or,  in  other  words,  would  they  have  been  better  off  with- 
out the  serum  than  with  it?  Or,  again,  in  other  words:  We 
know  that  a  man  with  a  broken  bone  is  better  off  because  of  the 
ministrations  of  a  surgeon,  but  are  we  equally  certain  that  he  is 
better  off  because  of  the  injection  of  what  is  termed  an  anti- 
toxin? Again  another  query.  Dean  notes  that  in  21  of  these 
25  cases  the  presence  of  a  foreign  body  was  noted ;  evidently 
the  serum  will  not  prevent  the  tetanus  if  the  cause,  a  foreign 
body,  is  present.  And  that  leads  up  to  the  question,  would  the 
disease  develop  without  the  cause?  Dean  notes  the  "dead  tissue 
providing  a  focus  for  the  multiplication  of  tetanus  bacillus 
*  *  *  with  little  or  no  capacity  for  growth  in  living  tissue." 
Does  this  not  mean  that  the  dead  tissue  is  primary?  If  Dean 
be  right  of  what  avail  is  it  to  make  a  round-about  extract  of 
the  effect  of  dead  tissue  to  scientifically  cure  dead  tissue  in  a 
living  body? 

What  is  Sauce  for  the  Goose  is  NOT  Sauce  for  the  Gander.— 

The  Journal  of  the  A.  M.  A.  prints  an  account  of  how  the  mak- 
ers of  a  certain  remedy  were  haled  into  court  by  the  Govern- 
ment for  alleging  that  it  would  cure  syphilis  and  attending 
blood  poisoning.  The  claim  was  declared  "to  be  knowingly  and 
wantonly  false  and  fraudulent." 

The  Bureau  of  Chemistry  declared  the  remedy  a  com- 
bination of  potassium  iodid  with  a  little  mercury.  When  the 
allopaths  give  these  drugs,  and  they  are  about  all  that  they  do 


Editorial.  283 

give,  are  the  allopaths  equally  guilty  with  the  proprietory  medi- 
cine man  ?  It  would  be  interesting  to  have  the  court  decide  this 
point. 

Something  New  About  Vaccine  Virus. — Public  Health  Reports 
says  that  vaccine  virus  should  be  kept  on  ice.  "The  virus  is  a 
living  thing,  suspended  in  a  medium  without  food  for  multiplica- 
tion, and  like  most  living  things  which  do  not  enter  the  spore 
state,  death  rapidly  takes  place  unless  the  life  processes  are  re- 
tarded by  refrigeration."  Perhaps  some  day  men  may  inquire 
whether  these  living  things  are  good  things  to  turn  loose  in  the 
human  body. 

Just  a  Bit  Confusing. — The  Jour.  A.  M.  A.,  after  several  pages 
devoted  to  condemning  allopathic  prescriptions  put  up  as  pro- 
prietory remedies,  prints  a  communication,  headed  "Shortage  of 
Salvarsan  an  Intolerable  Burden,''  and  then  an  inquiry  concern- 
ing the  same  drug  producing  optic  atrophy.  The  editor  replies : 
"It  is  asserted  by  some  observers  that  Salvarsan  occasionally 
produces  optic  atrophy.''  Also,  others  deny  this,  but  it  "is  well 
to  warn  the  patient  of  this  fact,  and  that  his  vision  is  liable  to 
become  impaired  after  treatment  with  Salvarsan."  This  refers 
to  the  treatment  of  tabes.  Yea,  there  may  be  "death  in  the  pot," 
but — it  is  a  fine  foreign  proprietory  pot,  for  money. 

Tuberculosis. — From  a  long  editorial  in  the  London  Lancet, 
headed  ''Tuberculosis  and  the  War,"  it  looks  as  if  our  friends 
are  beginning  dimly  to  see  the  light.     Here  are  a  few  points : 

"Taking  first  the  tuberculous  soldier,  it  is  evident,  we  think, 
that  camp  and  trench  life  has  not  been  productive  of  more  break- 
downs than  would  have  occurred  in  civilian  employment." 

The  breakdown  in  industrial  life  of  the  tuberculous  "would 
give  a  vastly  higher  total"  than  is  shown  in  the  trenches. 

"Light  also  is  dawning  on  the  general  question  of  the  treat- 
ment in  civil  life,"  for  "it  is  becoming  clear  that  sanatorium 
treatment  in  the  strict  sense  is  not  even  necessarily  the  best 
treatment. 

Also,    "scientifically    directed   tuberculosis    treatment    may    be 


284  Editorial. 

materially  modified  and  reduced  in  most  early  cases  in  favor  of 
a  carefully  conducted  supervision  of  home  conditions." 

Finally,  the  use  of  a  little  more  "common  sense  in  the  hand- 
ling of  the  tuberculous"  is  urged. 

When  one  considers  these  points  he  is  almost  driven  to  the 
conclusion  that  our  friends  are  about  ready  for  another  of  their 
many  revolutions,  one  that  will  scrap  their  current  notions  which 
have  cost  the  world  very  many  millions  of  dollars,  all  spent 
on  untenable  theories  that  posed  as  medical  science.  The  big 
medical  shop  of  Allopathy  seems  to  be  like  a  live  department 
store  that  must  present  a  new  line  of  goods  every  year  to  live. 
Our  lamentation  is  that  they  claim  "Science"  as  their  "leader" 
when  they  do  not  carry  it  in  stock. 

The  Difference. — Dr.  Geo.  Draper's  (New  York)  paper,  on 
"Acute  Poliomyelitis,"  in  the  Jour.  A.  M.  A.,  contains  two  state- 
ments that  seem  to  show  the  gulf  that  divides  Allopathy  from 
Homoeopathy.  The  first  is :  "So  far  as  we  know,  paralysis  is 
the  only  undesirable  result  of  acute  poliomyelitis."  The  second 
is :  "No  treatment,  save  that  to  make  a  febrile  patient  com- 
fortable, is  needed,  therefore,  in  many  cases."  As  an  addenda 
to  this  may  be  quoted  from  the  paper  the  statement  "that 
paralysis  is  an  accidental  and  incidental  occurrence  in  the  latter 
part  of  an  acute  systemic  infection."  This  reasoning  seems  to 
result  in  the  conclusions  that  the  worst  of  disease  is  the  unde- 
sirable results,  that  nothing  can  be  done  save  to  make  the  pa- 
tient comfortable,  and,  finally,  the  evil  results  are  but  accidental 
or  incidental. 

1 

Compulsory  Health  Insurance. — In  a  letter  to  the  Jour.  A. 
M.  A.,  Dr.  Ralph  S.  Cone,  of  Westwood,  N.  J.,  advances  fif- 
teen reasons  in  opposition  to  this  latest  "fad,"  as  he  terms  it. 
Among  them,  summarized,  are :  Because  it  would  be  mere  lodge 
or  contract  work,  unsatisfactory  to  all.  That  it  does  not  reduce 
mortality,  but  rather  the  contrary.  That  no  one  wants  it  save 
the  interested  few.  That  it  would  enslave,  burden  and  belittle 
all  parties  "and  ring  the  death  knell  of  medicine  as  a  humani- 
tarian calling."    That  "it  would  be  a  nightmare  with  no  awaken- 


Editorial.  2S5 

ingv"     Dr.  Cone  might  have  added :     Because  it  creates  a  mon- 
opoly and  so  seems  to  be  contrary  to  the  Sherman  Act. 

John  Marshall. — The  first  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States 
studied  law  for  six  months  and  was  then  admitted  to  the  bar. 
After  an  adventurous  life  in  army  and  courts  he  was  appointed 
to  the  position  he  held  for  thirty-five  years.  His  reports  fill 
thirty  volumes  and  are  still  sound  law.  The  point  of  this  is  that 
the  ability  does  not  need  endless  college  tutoring,  nor  will  such 
cramming  confer  it  where  none  exists. 

New  Organs  for  Old. — Dr.  G.  Frank  Lydston,  needless  to  add. 
of  Chicago,  sends  us  a  pamphlet  on  "Sex  Gland  Implantation." 
In  brief,  one  case  will  illustrate.  A  man's  testes  had  gone 
wrong.  Those  taken  from  a  boy  of  14,  who  had  been  killed  in 
an  accident,  were  implanted.  The  man  became  normal  in  his 
functions  and  gained  in  his  general  health.  Several  other  cases 
of  implantation  are  given.  Some  old  fellows  had  it  done  to 
renew  virility.  One  obstacle  to  this  queer  operation  must  be  the 
difficulty  in  procuring  planting  material. 

Antitetanic  Serum. — A  paper  in  the  London  Lancet,  by  Mac- 
Conkey  &  Homes  opens  with  the  following  statement :  'The 
occurrence  of  cases  of  tetanus  even  though  a  prophylactic  in- 
jection of  serum  had  been  given  draws  attention  to  the  com- 
paratively short  duration  of  the  complete  passive  immunity  con- 
ferred by  a  dose  of  antitoxin."  Inasmuch  as  those  receiving" 
the  serum  sometimes  contract  tetanus,  and,  inasmuch  as  many 
who  are  injured,  who  do  not  receive  the  prophylactic  dose,  do 
not  contract  tetanus,  one  wonders  whence  comes  the  apparently 
blind  faith  in  the  protective  virtue  of  this  theoretical  serum. 

A  Possible  Legal  Danger. — In  the  Journal  A.  M.  A.  (4-28) 
Drs.  Force  and  Stevens  have  a  paper  on  the  "severity  of  vac- 
cinia," that  exonerates  the  vaccine  makers  and  throws  the  re- 
sponsibility for  ''accidents''  on  the  vaccinator,  as  witness  the 
following,  from  their  paper : 

"The  experiments  described  above  show  that  the  duration  and 
severity  of  vaccinia  are  not  influenced  to  any  marked  degree  by 


286  Editorial. 

variations  in  the  methods  of  preparing  the  vaccine  or  by  treat- 
ment of  the  vaccinia  vesicle.  We  are  forced,  then,  to  conclude 
that  the  vaccinia  of  long  duration  and  marked  severity  is  a 
result  of  improper  vaccination  technic." 

This  is  a  grave  assertion  for  it  means  that  when  tetanus,  the 
loss  of  an  arm  or  leg,  long  continuing  illness,  or  death  follows 
vaccination  in  any  of  its  now  numerous  forms  the  vaccinating 
doctor  is  responsible,  a  rather  heavy  responsibility  in  these  days 
of  "liability"  for  everything  under  the  sun,  and  especially  for 
a  doctor  who  has  accumulated  a  little  money.     But  so  it  is ! 

"Vaccination  Shock." — The  following  is  from  the  Paris  let- 
ter of  the  Jour.  A.  M.  A.: 

"Under  the  name  of  'choc  vaccinal,'  Mery  and  Halle  have  de- 
scribed a  syndrome  which  is  sometimes  produced  by  antityphoid 
and  antiparatyphoid  vaccination.  The  onset  of  this  condition  is 
sudden  and  severe,  consisting  of  a  distinct  chill,  marked  prostra- 
tion and  a  considerable  elevation  of  temperature.  The  symp- 
toms may  be  divided  into  two  distinct  groups,  occurring  in 
periods.  The  first  group  of  symptoms  embraces  the  gastroin- 
testinal manifestations  (vomiting,  sometimes  intractable,  diar- 
rhoea, often  severe,  and  particularly  fetid  and  watery)  and  al- 
ways extreme  asthenia  with  circulatory  collapse  (cyanosis,  deaf- 
ening of  the  heart  sounds,  fetal  rhythm,  weak  radial  pulse,  some- 
times imperceptible,  hypotension,  and  mental  torpor  not  unlike 
the  meningeal  state),  to  which  are  frequently  added  renal  symp- 
toms (anuria,  scanty  urine,  and  urine  highly  colored,  rich  in 
solids  and  even  containing  albumin)  and  sometimes  inconti- 
nence of  bowel  and  bladder.  In  exceptional  cases  there  are 
symptoms  of  involvement  of  the  liver  and  spleen.  The  symptoms 
of  the  second  period  often  are  not  clear  and  may  be  inconstant, 
if  treatment  of  the  case  is  instituted  early.  They  consist  of  hypo- 
thermia, a  persistence  of  the  circulatory  collaspe  phenomena 
and  sometimes  renal  symptoms,  especially  anuria.'' 

The  point  of  all  this  lies  in  the  question :  Y\ Thy  submit  men  to 
the  possibility  of  this  physical  wrecking,  for  a  disease  that  sani- 
tation absolutely  prevents?  The ''typhoid  vaccination"  is  the  top 
h  of  scientific  medicine — but  our  question  still  remains. 


Editorial  287 

Is  the  Fool-killer  Asleep? — According  to  the  Pacific  Medical 
Journal  some  one  has  offered  a  new  medical  law  to  the  Legislature 
of  California.  It  proposes  that  every  prescription  must  be  written 
in  English,  contain  the  name  of  the  patient  and  his  disease.  Must 
be  in  triplicate,  one  for  druggist,  one  for  patient  and  one  to  be 
kept  in  the  physician's  office,  and  open  to  public  inspection  to 
anyone  demanding  it.  A  $300  fine,  or  imprisonment,  is  the  teeth 
in  this  bray. 

Theory  vs.  Facts. — Our  esteemed  allopathic  friends  find  it  a 
difficult  task  to  make  fact  gee  with  their  theories.  Dr.  C.  V. 
Craster,  health  officer  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  contributes  eleven  col- 
umns to  the  Jour.  A.  M.  A.  on  poliomyelitis."  Newark,  you 
know,  had  the  disease  bad.  This  article  is  helped  out  by  several 
diagrams  and  tables,  but  the  "summary"  is  what  interests.  Pri- 
marily the  disease  is  assumed  to  be  "infectious,"  but  "no  nation- 
ality or  condition  of  social  life  was  exempt  from  infection ;"  food 
or  sanitary  condition  did  not  have  "any  bearing  in  the  disease  in- 
cidence ;"  "no  definite  focus  of  the  disease  was  traced  to  schools ;" 
"there  was  no  case  of  contact  infection  in  hospitals ;"  83.8  per 
cent  were  under  5  years  of  age ;  infection  by  contact,  though  pos- 
sible, is  not  probable;  *'the  predisposing  causes  of  the  disease 
seem  to  be  age  (under  5  years)  and  season  (high  temperature 
and  low  rainfall)."  This  is  a  fair  abstract  of  a  paper  by  a  man 
who  was  where  the  disease  was  at  its  worst.  The  assumption, 
which  is  purely  theoretical,  that  the  disease  is  contagious,  is  not 
borne  out  by  the  statements  quoted  above.  It  seems  to  depend  on 
weather  and  age,  and  on  something  else — God  knows  what!  In 
view  of  this,  why  the  hysterical  quarantine  ? 

And  the  Fad  Goes  Marching  On. — The  fad  is  vaccine  therapy. 
Reasoning  from  the  known  fact  that  all  preceding  allopathic 
therapies  have  been  scrapped  it  is  a  sound  deduction  that  this  one 
will,  in  time,  go  the  way  of  the  others.  At  present  it  is  an  epi- 
demic. It  has  even  reached  anal  itching  in  which  ill  injections  in 
doses  of  the  bacterium  are  recommended  running  in  size  from 
eight  hundred  and  fifty  millions  to  one  thousand  three  hundred 
millions  of  the  critters.  Does  any  cool  headed  man  think  this  sort 
of  thing  can  last? 


PERSONAL. 


"I  will  replace  your  dog,*'  said  the  motorist,  who  killed  the  pup.     "So 
sudden !"  murmured  the  lady. 

Nay,  Mary,  the  art  of  self-defence  availeth  not  a  man  when  a  woman 
comes  after  him. 

The  descendants  of  most  men  are  Bills. 

"I'm  dry,"  said  a  man  in  a  Berlin  beer  hall.     The  waiter  brought  him 
three  beers.     A  cryptic. 

According  to  Life  an  editor  cannot  express  his  opinions  at  home  and 
the  boss  bottles  him  in  his  sanctum. 

Sad!     When  a  man  falls  in  love  with  a  movie  actress. 

"I  don't  bother  my  studies  and  so  my  studies  don't  bother  me,"  said  the 
college  youth  in  his  salad  days. 

A   small   boy   thought    suffering    for    righteousness    sake    was    going   to 
church. 
'  Don't  kick,  let  mules  do  it. 

Don't  hit  a  fellow  huskier  than  yourself. 

Even  a  wild  man  jaws  over  a  tough  steak. 

Cussin'  is  but  showin'  you'r  feelin',   says   Si. 

Sure,  Ma»-y,  there  are  Long  Island  ducks  in  Brooklyn,  also  dears,  birdies, 
chickens,  hens,  geese,  goats  and  the  like. 

Among  the  knockers  in  the  world  is  old  Opportunity,  but  they  say  he 
only  knocks  once  and  that   settles  you. 

When  a  man   says   "It's  a  queer  world,"'  where   does  he   get  his   com- 
parison? 

Man  breathes  the  air,  puts  on  airs,  is  up  in  the  air.  has  an  air  and  some- 
times is  aired  in  the  newspapers. 

"Wanted. — In  weather  bureau,  a  man   with  foresight. 

Why  so  many  "tests"  and  no  cures? 

There   are   two  kinds   of   Science,   one   is   exact  knowledge,   the   other 
isn't. 

Cheer  up !     Fly  time  is  coming. 

Bills?    Lots — Bill    Bryan,    dollar    bills,    doctor's    and    other    bills,    bird's 
bills,  bill  of  divorce,  Congress  bills,  billing  and  cooing,  and  oh,  lots ! 

Papa,  was  grandpa  a  monkey?  asked  the  young  evolutionist. 

A  gentleman  farmer  is  generally  a  man  who  got  his  pile  before  his  farm. 

Nay.   Mary,  auto  men  are  not  stuck  on  driving  rains. 

The  young  man  asked  pa  for  his  daughter's  hand  and  the  old  man  said 
better  take  all  of  her. 

It  is  easier  to  get  a  bow  returned  than  that  money  you  loaned. 


THE 

Homeopathic  Recorder 

Vol.  XXXII  Lancaster,  Pa.,  July  15,  1917.  No.  7 

THE  A.   I.   H.   AT   ROCHESTER. 

Notes,  Comments  and  Gossip. 

The  American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy  met  this  year.  1917, 
under  the  presidency  of  Dr.  Wm.  W.  Van  Baun,  of  Philadel- 
phia.    The  meeting  was  a  shining  success. 

The  first  impression  of  Rochester  is  of  a  big  elevated  road, 
the  N.  Y.  Central,  and  a  city  that  seems  to  be.  on  a  small  scale, 
of  course,  a  sort  of  mixture  of  New  York  and  Chicago.  To 
add  to  this  impression  was  the  presence  of  many  familiar  faces  of 
both  of  these  towns.  Also,  Rochester  seemed  to  this  visitor  to 
be  boiling  over  for  The  Flag,  the  Red  Cross  and  everything 
else  dear  to  the  American  heart  in  the  present  great  crisis. 

Y\ "hile  on  the  subject  we  might  as  well  say  that  the  Hotel 
Powers  is  one  of  the  best  arranged  places  for  the  meeting  of 
the  Institute  that  has  been  visited  for  many  years — ample  cor- 
ridors, very  ample,  commodious  rooms  for  the  meetings,  and 
extra  high  ceilings  everywhere. 

We  had  the  pleasure  of  intercepting  our  rival  (shall  we  say?), 
Dr.  S.  M.  Hobson,  editor  of  the  Journal  of  the  American  In- 
stitute of  Homoeopathy,  and  humbly  confessed  that  the  Re- 
corder man  was  not  present  to  be  a  rival  to  the  Journal's  re- 
port, but  merely  to  write  a  letter  to  our  subscribers  giving  one 
observer's  impressions.  Now,  as  has  been  said  before,  many 
a  time,  if  anyone  wants  to  know  what  was  really  and  officially 
done  and  said  at  the  meeting  he  ought  to  send  in  his  application 
for  membership  to  the  A.  I.  H.  and  receive  the  Journal  gratis, 
as  a  sort  of  premium  for  the  good  deed  of  becoming  a  member 
of  this  great  national  body.     And  if  the  new  member  does  not 


290  The,  A.  I.  H.  at  Rochester. 

like  the  article  of  Homoeopathy  dished  up,  let  him  get  up  on  the 
floor  and  say  so.  A  national  body  is  for  that  purpose — to  ven- 
tilate the  truth  of  things.  Just  here  it  may  be  added  that  the 
rulings  of  a  national  body  in  our  Democratic  government  are  not 
final,  for  unless  that  decision  is  in  accord  with  the  truth — a 
mighty  word — both  majority  and  minority  will,  sooner  or  later, 
go  down,  for  while  very  trite  it  is  also  very  potent,  that  "Truth 
is  Mighty  and  will  prevail.'' 

•In  apposition  to  this — and  apropos  of  nothing,  unless  it  be  that 
one  gentleman  jokingly  referred  to  the  Recorder  as  a  preacher 
— let  us  here  relate  a  remark  overheard  in  the  corridors  of  the 
"Powers"  made  by  a  lady  of  the  Emerald  Isle:  "I  tink  she  has 
but  wan  father  and  one  mither.'' 

At  the  Institute  meetings,  if  you  are  a  "regular"  (in  the  good 
sense)  attendant,  you  meet  many  men  you  recognize,  but  do  not 
remember  their  names.  So,  in  consequence,  men  meet,  cordially 
shake  hands,  and  then  mutually  peer  at  each  others  names  re- 
corded on  the  badges,  to  find  out  wTho  is  the  man  whose  hand 
has  been  cordially  shaken. 

A  Chicagoian  told  us  of  a  man  of  his  acquaintance  who 
made  a  fortune  by  not  playing  music  in  his  establishment. 
Chicago,  you,  know,  is  a  great  place  for  original  ideas,  some  of 
which  are  true. 

At  the  memorial  services  there  were  the  names  of  45  of  the 
members  reported  who  have  gone  over  to  the  other  side,  but 
per  contra,  Dr.  W.  E.  Reilly,  of  Fulton,  Mo.,  who,  for  many 
years,  has  been  of  the  censor  staff,  reported  that  never  before 
had  so  many  new  men  applied.  He  didn't  know  how  many,  but 
thought  it  would  be  around,  or  over,  500,  which  seems  to  indi- 
cate that  the  Institute  is  a  very  live  proposition.  In  this  con- 
nection we  might  mention  that  Dr.  C.  E.  Sawyer,  of  Marion, 
(  ).,  who  has  been  a  big  factor  in  helping  to  line  up  30  or  more 
State  Societies  in  the  great  homoeopathic  federation,  in  a 
rattling  speech,  advised  making  the  condition  for  membership 
more  exacting,  in  other  words,  make  it  an  honor  to  be  a  mem- 
ber and  then  they  will  seek  membership  instead  of  having  to  be 
solicited,  struck  the  scribe  that  Sawyer  is  something  of  a  psy- 
chologist, and  also  came  the  thought  that  it  may  be  possible  to 
have  things  in  the  Institute  as  they  are  in  that  new  surgical  so- 


The  A.  I.  H.  at  Rochester.  291 

ciety  membership  in  which  is  so  eagerly  sought.  As  we  un- 
derstand it  the  surgical  society  requires  that  its  members  prove 
their  qualifications.  If  the  Institute  can  do  the  same  men  will 
seek  membership  and  furthermore  will  see  to  it  that  they  do 
not  let  their  dues  fall  into  arrears  as  is  now  the  case,  but  will 
keep  them  up-to-date.  It  wras,  so  to  speak,  a  keen  psychologi- 
cal suggestion,  but  to  carry  it  out  will  require  a  tighter  rein. 

It  seems  that  the  Government,  or,  rather,  those  in  charge  of 
the  medical  end  of  things,  are  rather  cool  towards  calling  ho- 
moeopathic physicians.  We  all  know  why,  of  course.  If  we 
get  into  a  real  war  and  we  get  past  the  stage  of  uniforms  and 
officers,  the  assistance  of  the  homoeopaths  will  be  gladly  accepted, 
because,  owing  to  the  interminable  requirements  of  "higher  edu- 
cation" the  output  of  physicians  is  growing  smalier  by  degrees 
and  beautifully  less.  Our  great  and  very  efficient  President, 
Dr.  YVm.  YV.  Van  Baun,  of  Philadelphia,  dwelt  rather  strongly 
on  the  pre-medical  requirements  of  many  examining  boards. 
He  said,  among  other  things :  "We  should  go  to  our  Legis- 
latures and  demand  that  they  compel  these  autocratic  boards  to 
open  their  doors  to  all  men  and  women  who  are  morally  and 
physically  fit,  and  are  able  to  pass  their  examinations."  This 
applying  to  the  requirement  that  the  candidate  must  hail  from 
certain  schools. 

The  Institute  passed  resolutions  looking  to  the  raising  of 
money  for  500  bed  hospital  units  and  offering  them  to  the  Gov- 
ernment, seeirs  to  us  that  if  this  is  done  and  refused  on  the 
foolish  allopathic  prattle  of  "sectarianism"  the  allopaths  will 
soon  find  themselves  in  very  hot  water.  The  caring  for  human 
ills  is  too  wide  a  field  to  be  occupied  by  one  body  only. 

Dr.  T.  H.  Carmichael,  of  Philadelphia,  introduced  a  resolu- 
tion to  prohibit  the  sale  of  alcoholic  drinks  during  the  war. 
Just  here  the  scribe  might  mention  the  fact  that  this  Maine  and 
Kansas  idea  was  proposed  in  the  warring  European  nations,  but 
none  of  them  adopted  it  except  Russia,  and  the  Czar  is  now  a 
statesman  out  of  a  job,  as  Senator  Pomeroy  once  said,  and  with 
no  immediate  prospect  of  getting  one.  It  isn't  wise  to  try  to 
introduce  politics  in  mighty  times  like  these. 

Dr.  C.  A.  Burrett,  the  Dean  of  the  Homoeopathic  College 
connected  with  the  Ohio  Universitv  at  Columbus,  told  us  that 


292  The  A.  I.  H.  at  Rochester. 

the  women  of  Ohio  were  raising  a  fund  to  help  homoeopathic 
medical  students.  Well,  all  you  married  men  know  that  when 
women  really  go  after  anything  they  get  it. 

This  was  the  biggest  session  the  Institute  ever  held.  Fre- 
quently, at  the  morning  business  session,  every  chair  was  taken 
in  the  big  hall  and  numbers  were  standing,  something  unusual 
in  the  scribe's  20  years'  experience.   ■ 

Our  good  friend  and  a  favorite  contributor  with  our  readers, 
Dr.  D.  E.  S.  Coleman,  of  New  York  City,  introduced  a  resolution 
condemning  white  bread.  He  said  chickens  fed  on  it  would 
die  sooner  than  those  fed  on  nothing.  All  right,  but  the  scribe 
has  lived,  more  years  than  he  cares  to  print,  on  white  bread 
and  detests  the  bran  variety.  So  please  do  not  prohibit  the 
white.  Let  the  diet  sinners  indulge  their  depraved  appetites 
without  having  to  surreptitiously  resort  to  white  bread  speak- 
easies. 

Dr.  F.  M.  Dearborn,  Xew  York,  thought  that  the  Homoeo- 
paths ought  to  have  their  share  in  the  Red  Cross — Rochester  is 
boiling  with  Red  Cross  work — and  so  does  every  one  who  thinks 
aright.  There  is  too  much  old  school  sectarianism  abroad  for 
these  epoch  making  times. 

Had  a  pleasant  interview  with  Dr.  Hobson,  editor  of  the  of- 
ficial journal,  who  seemed  to  be  suspicious  of  our  erratic  co- 
worker, "T.  W."  Told  our  brother  editor  that  "T.  W."  was  a 
composite  personage,  but  the  reply  was  a  lot  of  learned  talk 
about  "internal  evidence,"  so,  being  a  good  homoeopath,  we 
did  not  dispute  our  superior  officer,  knowing  "T.  W."  to  be 
the  thing  he  is,  and  harmless. 

Met  Dr.  George  Royal,  the  veteran  of  Iowa,  where  all  men, 
if  not  rich,  are  about  the  same  thing,  for  they  want  for  nothing. 
Asked  about  his  son  whom  we  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  at 
other  sessions,  and  was  sorry  to  hear  that  both  he  and  his 
charming  wife  had  met  with  a  misfortune — physical — but  to 
their  credit.  In  brief  two  children,  very  young,  were  in  danger 
from  a  backing  auto  truck  and  the  doctor  and  his  wife  rescued 
them,  but  both  of  the  rescuers  were  rather  seriously  injured  in 
doing  so.  Let  us  hope  they  will  be  out  and  about  before  the 
next  meeting  of  the  A.  I.  H. — the  oldest  medical  body  in  the 
United  States  and,  dare  we  say  it,  the  wisest,  notwithstanding 


The  A.  I.  H.  at  Rochester.  293 

an  occasional  break,  which  is  but  human.  Xo  man,  or  body 
of  men,  knows  it  all,  but  the  A.  I.  H.,  collectively,  know  more 
than  the  other  fellows  who,  really,  do  not  know  much  about 
"cure/'  which,  in  truth,  is  a  word  they  condemn.  This  fact  is 
commendable  for  their  honesty — we  always  knew  they  were 
honest — but  is  proof  that  they  should  come  to  Homoeopathy  and 
learn  how  to  cure,  that  is  to  say,  the  fundamental  principle  of 
the  real  reason  for  the  existence  of  doctors.  Of  what  avail  is 
it  to  be  able  to  tell  what  ails  a  man  and  do  no  work?  (This  is 
a  rather  far  flung  paragraph  beginning  with  Royal's  injury  and 
ending  with  sound  advice  to  the  allopaths.) 

On  Tuesday  the  Rochester  Post-Express  printed  the  half-tones 
of  Ex-President  Dr.  H.  C.  Aldrich,  of  Minneapolis,  and  of  Dr. 
George  Royal,  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa.  Aldrich  was  Aldrich,  but 
Royal  looked  like  an  aggressive  young  man.  Well,  we  have  a 
friend  who  insists  that  age  is  but  a  superstition.  Can  you  im- 
agine Helen  of  Troy  as  a  woman  who  "looks  her  age?"  Go 
to! 

Dr.  J.  C.  Guernsey,  son  of  Dr.  H.  N.  Guernsey,  author  of 
Obstetrics,  a  book  that  will  not  die,  made  the  assertion,  in  his 
paper,  that  recoveries  from  disease  under  homoeopathic  treat- 
ment, are  riot  accidental,  but  real,  which  is,  of  course,  but  a 
statement  of  fact. 

Dr.  E.  M.  Howard,  of  Camden,  N.  J.,  in  his  paper,  made  the 
very  true  remark  that  medicine  is  an  art  and  not  a  science.  But, 
then,  what  becomes  of  scientific  medicine,  which  is  artful  if  not 
an  art? 

The  Union  and  Advertiser,  on  Tuesday,  came  out  with  half- 
tone of  Dr.  C.  W.  Perkins  and  also  of  the  Boston  war  horse  of 
the  Institute,  Dr.  John  P.  Sutherland.  The  Eevening  Times,  of 
same  date,  was  adorned  with  the  pictures  of  Dr.  Horace 
Packard,  the  cancer  specialist  of  Boston,  and  of  Dr.  Frank 
Wieland,  needless  to  add,  a  citizen  of  that  enterprising  town 
you  may  have  heard  of,  named  Chicago.  You  may  remember 
that  the  Recorder  had  something  to  say  lately  of  Wieland,  who 
is  the  chief  of  the  big  Montgomery  Ward  Co.'s  medical  depart- 
ment that  is  becoming  the  talk  of  the  country  for  its  good  work 
in  handling  a  big  corps  of  employees — the  medical  department, 
of  course,  also,  of  course,  M.  W.  &  Co.  have  made  this  possible 
by  a  generous  and  brainy  use  of  money. 


294  The  A.  I.  H.  at  Rochester. 

Dr.  W.  B.  Gifford,  of  Attica,  N.  Y.,  related  two  incidents  of 
the  late  Dr.  Talcott,  of  the  big  Middletown.  N.  Y.,  Asylum,  that 
may  be  of  interest  and,  indeed,  one  of  them,  at  least,  of  value. 
A  New  York  banker  had  to  give  up  business  on  account  of  his 
physical  condition.  He  consulted  many  specialists  and  practi- 
tioners in  the  U.  S.  and  Europe,  but  none  of  them  could  relieve 
him.  One  day  he  met  his  friend,  Talcott,  and  said  he  believed 
he  would  go  up  to  Middletown.  Was  told  to  come  along.  He 
went  and  among  the  questions  asked  was :  "Did  you  ever  receive 
a  severe  blow?''  Reply:  "No/5  Remedy  given  did  no  good.  But 
soon  after  the  banker  said  that  he  had  received  a  blow,  but  had 
forgotten  it,  a  brick  from  a  building  had  crushed  in  his  hat  and 
and  the  blow  had  dazed  him  for  a  moment,  but  as  he  did  not 
seem  to  be  injured  he  paid  no  attention  to  it.  The  next  question 
was  :  "Were  those  awful  headaches  experienced  before  the  brick 
hit  you?"  "No/'  He  was  given  Arnica  in  a  fairly  high  po- 
tency. That  night  he  had  the  worst  headache  he  ever  experi- 
enced. Tn  a  few  days  he  was  given  another  dose  of  the  same 
remedy  and  again  suffered  acutely,  but  that  was  his  last  at- 
tack, the  awful  pain  left  and  never  returned.  This,  we  think, 
is  a  verification  of  the  great  Homoeopathic  Law.  too  little  under- 
stood to-day. 

The  other  anecdote  was  of  a  different  nature.  Talcott  was 
a  handsome  man.  One  lady  patient  always  wanted  to  kiss  him. 
He  told  her  finally  that  when  she  was  cured  he  would  kiss  her 
good-bye.  "But  when  I  am  cured  I  won't  want  to  kiss  you," 
was  the  feminine  reply. 

This  reminds  us  that  one  day  we  saw  the  ladies  of  the  In- 
stitute gathered  like  a  flock  of  birds  of  paradise  in  front  of 
"The  Powers."  They  were  bent  on  an  auto  trip,  presumably. 
Xow  it  would  be  impossible  to  say  which  was  the  handsomest,* 
because  other  men  might  write  letters  and  thus  start  a  contro- 
versy, a  thing  the  old  Recorder  avoids. 

(  >n  the  pre-election  day  two  men  who  are  always  present  were 
discussing  the  election,  which  bid  fair  to  be  a  hot  one.  It  was 
remarked  that  these  elections  ought  to  be  by  mail  so  that  every 
member  could  have  his  say.  But  as  this  is  a  question  for  the 
Fathers  of  the  Institute  to  decide,  or,  rather,  to  bring  up  for 
decision,  the  reporter  will  say  no  more  about  it  beyond  stating 


The  A.  I.  H.  at  Rochester.  295 

that,  on  the  other  hand,  if  a  member  does  not  attend  he  has  no 
right  to  kick  about  the  majority  vote  of  those  who  do  attend. 
This  question  has  been  up  before  and  defeated. 

Met  Dr.  G.  De  Witt  Wilcox,  ex-president  of  the  Institute  (at 
Denver),  and  ex-editor  of  the  New  England  Medical  Gazette, 
which  he  quit  because  of  the  demands  on  his  time  by  his  practice 
— surgery.  We  both  hoped  that  that  old  journal  would  grow 
and  prosper.  The  reporter  would  like  to  see  more  homoeopathic 
journals  and  colleges,  many  more,  as  in  the  days  when  he  was 
a  freshman  in  the  quill-driving  fraternity.  The  men  of  the  In- 
stitute, and  others,  ought  to  loosen  up  and  support  their  jour- 
nals, which  "the  dear  above"  (to  quote  a  very  old  expression), 
knows  are  not  on  a  bed  of  financial  roses.  Dr.  T.  A.  McCann, 
of  Dayton,  Ohio,  one  of  the  workers  put  it  in  a  nutshell  when 
he  remarked  to  a  group  in  effect,  homoeopathic  doctors  ought 
to  stop  -fighting  each  other  and  if  they  must  scrap  do  it  with 
the  other  fellows.  It  was  not  said  in  these  words,  but  that  was 
the  substance.  Journals,  colleges  and  doctors  ought  to  stop 
knifing  each  other  and  pull  together.  There  is  room  for  all,  and 
then  some. 

Talking  to  a  physician,  pretty  well  known,  but  incog  here, 
we  remarked  that  we  had  some  friends  who  went  to  his  region 
every  year  on  account  of  hay  fever.  He  made  the  rather  un- 
expected reply  that  there  were  many  residents  there  who  suf- 
fered from  that  ill,  just  as  did  residents  of  other  regions.  This 
sort  of  thing  adds  new  complications  for  medical  scientists,  or 
psychologists,  to  solve.  Perhaps  our  friends  are  like  the  lady 
who  always  went  to  the  doctor  who  ordered  her  to  Europe  or 
Florida.     Who  knows  ? 

Met  the  "ile  doctor"  as  an  Irish  patient  dubbed  him,  again, 
namely,  "The  General,"  otherwise  Dr.  M.  O.  Terry,  who  has 
retired  and  is  now  living  at  Fort  Meyers,  Florida.  He  got  his 
military  title  from  his  position  in  the  Xew  York  National  Guard 
and  his  title  of  "ile"  doctor  from  his  insistence  that  olive  oil, 
properly  administered,  will  cure  nearly  every  case  of  appendi- 
citis. He  gave  it  by  mouth,  but  thoroughly  cleaned  out  the  lower 
bowel  by  injections.  And  here  is  a  point,  gathered  from  the 
talk,  worthy  of  note  in  reference  to  injection.  If  you  poke  a 
man  vigorously  he  will  recoil,  but  if  you  gently  apply  the  same 


296  The  A.  I.  H.  at  Rochester. 

force  he  will  not.  This,  it  seems  to  us,  is  a  pointer  "worth  the 
price  of  a  year's  subscription."  It  applies  to  all  medical  pro- 
cedures equally,  be  they  hypodermics,  rectal  or  manipulations. 
Osteopaths  ought  to  profit  by  this  hint. 

On  Wednesday,  the  Union  and  Advertiser  printed  half-tones 
of  Dr.  W.  C.  R.  Yoight  and  of  Dr.  C.  E.  Sawyer.  The  Demo- 
crat and  Chronicle  had  a  half-tone  of  Sawyer  (which  his  best 
friend  would  not  have  recognized)  and  a  group  made  up  of 
Drs.  H.  A.  Whitmarsh,  Sprague  Carleton,  Gilbert  Fitzpatrick, 
T.  E.  Costain  and  H.  R.  Wright,  all  so  well  known  that  we  need 
not  mention  their  cities. 

Dr.  Scott  Parsons,  the  Institute's  press  agent,  ought  to  have 
his  salary  increased — if  he  gets  one — for  he  is  an  expert.  In- 
cidentally a  press  agent,  according  to  the  late  Elbert  Hubbard, 
is  the  man  really  responsible  for  history.  What  would  "The 
Charge  of  the  Light  Brigade"  have  amounted  to  without  its  press 
agent,  Tennyson?  Towards  the  end  half-tones  came  so  thick 
and  fast  that  we  gave  up  noting  them,  but  will  not  delete  what  is 
already  noted. 

Dr.  W.  E.  Reilly,  of  Fulton,  the  long,  thin  censor,  speaking 
to  scribe  apropos  of  what  had  gone  before,  said  that  stiff  hats, 
pressing  the  forehead  and  back  of  head  as  they  do,  are  a  fruitful 
cause  of  baldness.     He  gave  this  as  a  "Therapeutic  Byway." 

On  Thursday  morning  President  Van  Baun  announced  the 
election  returns :  "Dr.  John  M.  Lee  received  204  votes.  Dr. 
Frederick  M.  Dearborn  received  204  votes.  No  election."  As 
the  intense  reporters  would  put  it :  "A  tense  silence  followed." 
It  was  broken  by  Dearborn  coming  forward  and  after  a  few 
appropriate  remarks,  moving  that  the  election  of  his  rival.  Lee, 
be  "made  unanimous."  The  cheers  and  applause  that  followed 
this  graceful  act  reminded  one  of  the  way  things  are  done  at  the 
Presidential  nominating  conventions.  Dearborn  certainly  made 
himself  solid,  and  on  all  sides  remarks  were  heard  by  the  scribe 
to  the  effect  that  he  is  the  man  for  next  year,  namely.  Dearborn, 
of  course. 

The  other  officers  elected  were :  Recording  Secretary,  Dr. 
Sarah  M.  Hobson,  of  Chicago ;  Registrar,  Dr.  William  O.  Forbes, 
of  Hot  Springs,  Ark. :  Trustees,  Dr.  J.  P.  Cobb,  of  Chicago ; 
Dr.  D.  P.  ^faddux,  of  Chester,  Pa.,  and  Dr.  Charlees  E.  Sawyer, 


The  A.  I.  H.  at  Rochester. 

of  Marion,  Ohio ;  Censor,  Dr.  Dudley  A.  Williams,  and  Dr.  Flor- 
ence N.  Ward,  First  Vice-President,  and  Dr.  E.  H.  Walcott,  of 

Rochester,  Second  Vice-President.  (This  list  is  copied  from  a 
Rochester  newspaper.)  Several  of  the  newly-elected  or  re- 
elected made  short  speeches,  the  shortest  being  that  of  brother 
Sarah  M.  Hobson — who  is  also  editor  of  the  A.  I.  H.  Journal. 
She  said  she  could  work,  but  not  talk,  at  which  a  doctor  at  our 
elbow   whispered,   "She  is   different   from   other   women." 

Here  is  an  abstract  of  a  talk  with  Dr.  L.  G.  Wilberton,  of 
Winona,  Minn.,  a  town  ioo  miles  south  of  St.  Paul,  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi river,  on  flat  prairie  land.  He  had  34  cases  of  infantile 
paralysis.  When  the  days  were  hot  and  the  nights  cool  the 
cases  increased.  When  day  and  night  were  both  hot  there  were 
no  new  ones.  State  health  officials  told  the  people  there  were 
no  remedies  for  the  disease.  His  remedies  were:  Aconite,  Bel- 
ladonna, Gelsemium  and  Echinacea.  Did  not  lose  a  case.  Health 
Board  officials  visited  the  cases  and  told  him  nine  of  them 
would  be  paralyzed.  All  got  well  and  then  the  same  officials  ac- 
knowledged that  they  "were  wrong  in  their  diagnosis/"  which 
acknowledgment  reminds  one  of  Gil  Bias'  famous  preceptor. 
In  one  case  of  opisthotonos  he  was  uncertain  and  did  not  re- 
port, was  arrested  and  twenty  allopathic  physicians  testified 
against  him.  Had  the  suit  held  over,  when  trial  came  the  lov 
was  put  in  evidence  and  he  was  as  active  as  any  normal  boy. 
Jury's  verdict :  "Not  guilty."  Had  two  cases  coming  to  him 
after  the  paralysis  ;  both  are,  to-day,  nearly,  or  quite,  normal. 
The  remedies  he  used  in  these  two  cases  were :  Echinacea  and 
Lathyrus  sativa,  the  two  in  alternation  at  first,  and  Lathyrus 
continued  after  Echinacea  was  stopped.  In  these  two  cases 
the  parents  took  the  health  board  at  its  word,  that  there  were 
no  remedies,  and  did  not  call  in  a  doctor  until  paralysis  struck 
the  children.  Wilberton  thinks  that  Echinacea  plays  a  part  in 
all  stages  of  this  disease  though  it  alone  will  not  do  the  work. 
Lathyrus  comes  in  the  paralytic  stage. 

Met  Dr.  W.  F.  Baker,  of  Philadelphia.  He  read  a  paper  we 
did  not  hear,  but  it  seems  he  has  "a  built  up  protein."  which, 
when  injected  into  cows,  they  will  not  react  to  the  tuberculin 
"test/'  This  is  but  a  scintillation  of  what  is  involved  in  this 
principle,   too  much   for   a   reporter.      Baker  ought   to  boil   the 


298  The  A.  I.  H.  at  Rochester. 

whole  thing  down  and  let  it  be  known  through  the  Recorder, 
which  has  a  cosmopolitan  circulation.  If  his  ideas  are  what  he 
thinks  they  are,  and  they  really  are  he  contends,  lie  will  revolu- 
tionize things  and  reduce  the  cost  of  living,  something  that  in- 
terests us  all. 

Had  a  bit  of  lunch  at  which  were  Drs.  Otis  M.  Wiley,  of 
Syracuse,  X.  Y. ;  C.  M.  Schwartz,  late  of  Yokahoma,  Japan;  R. 
F.  Rabe,  of  New  York;  M.  R.  French,  of  Chicago — the  Illinois 
Chicago — G.  H.  Tafel,  of  Philadelphia,  and  others.  The  "germ 
theory"  raged  around  the  table.  Wiley  and  Rabe  thought — 
knew — that  the  cause  of  disease  is  germs,  and  scientifically 
proved  it — to  their  own  satisfaction.  The  others  thought  that 
the  cause  of  disease  lies  deeper,  or  back  of  the  scientific  cause, 
even  if  it  is  scientific.  And  so  after  an  ocean  of  words  had  bil- 
lowed the  disputants  shook  hands  and  parted,  each  just  where 
he  was  before,  the  end  of  all  controversy. 

In  his  business  address  President  Van  Baun  made  a  number 
of  recommendations.  One  was  to  ''pledge  our  individual  and 
united  support  to  our  National  Government"  in  the  present  war. 
There  were  twelve  other  recommendations  of  which  we  have 
space  for  but  one,  i.  e..  "Following  the  suggestions  of  Drs.  Con- 
rad Wesselhoeft  and  Weston  D.  Bayley,  I  would  advise  that 
some  definite  steps  be  taken  to  harmonize  homoeopathic  literature 
with  the  nomenclature  and  phraseology  of  modern  medicine,  and 
to  undertake  the  publication  of  a  complete  revision  along  these 
lines  of  Hughes'  'Principles  and  Practice  of  Homoeopathy.'  " 
That  is  a  fine,  scholarly  and  interesting  work  and  probably 
Hughes  has  gone  to  the  source  of  homoeopathic  literature  more 
thoroughly  than  any  other  writer,  but  there  is  an  undertone  to 
his  writings  that  almost  unconsciously  jars  on  the  enthusiastic 
homoeopath,  as.  for  instance,  in  this  book  he  writes  that  "the 
thing  with  which  we  shall  have  to  do  is  a  method — not  a  doc- 
trine or  a  system."  (The  italics  are  Hughes'.)  Also  this:  "Suf- 
fice it  now  to  say  that  in  it"  the  Organon,  "Hahnemann  leaves 
no  point  untouched  which  conduces  to  the  working  of  the  ma- 
chine he  has  invented."  This  sort  o'  jars  one  who  regards 
Homoeopathy  as  one  of  the  profoundest  of  natural  laws.  How- 
ever, in  a  revision  of  the  book  the  views  dampening  enthusiasm 
can  be  deleted. 


The   Treatment  of  Skin   Cancer.  299 

Well,  we  will  have  to  stop,  even  thought  not  a  tithe  of  the 
men  and  things  seen  and  heard  have  been  touched  on.  Imagine 
a  big,  square,  central  room,  lounges  and  chairs  in  its  center ; 
around  it  are  cigar,  news  and  other  stands  ;  doctors  with  red 
senior  badges  and  others  with  blue  membership  badges,  doctors 
lounging,  reading,  talking,  smoking,  strolling  or  hastening  as 
though  going  on  an  emergency  call ;  passage  ways  leading  to 
the  streets,  to  dining  rooms,  to  committee  rooms,  to  exhibit 
rooms  and  to  "the  buffet,"  or  down  to  the  many  subterranean 
resorts,  Dutch  kitchens,  etc.,  ail  this  in  the  first  or  ground  floor. 
Go  up  the  marble  stairway,  or  take  the  elevator,  to  the  floor 
above.  There  you  enter  spacious  corridor.-,  wide,  roomy  and 
high,  filled  with  exhibits,  exhibitors,  and  doctors  ;  around  these 
corridors  are  big  and  little  halls  and  parlors — the  main  meeting 
hall,  the  "Meissen"  filled  with  ladies,  "headquarters'"  for  this 
and  that,  sectional  rooms  with  some  one  reading  a  paper  or  dis- 
cussing one.  special  exhibit  rooms,  full  of  electric  sparks,  lights 
or  noises,  closed  rooms,  passages  leading  oil"  to  unknown  regions 
— picture  all  this  and  you  have  a  mental  vision  of  the  American 
Institute   of   Homoeopathy   at   Rochester. 

E.   P.   A. 


THE   TREATMENT  OF   SKIN    CANCER/ 

By  Dr.  H.  L.  Baker,  Lebanon,  Ind. 

Cancer  has  previously  been  regarded  largely  and  almost 
wholly  from  its  histological  and  surgical  aspects.  But  relatively 
little  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  dietetic  and  medical  aspects 
of  this  most  threatening  malady,  although  voices  have  been 
raised,  from  time  to  time,  with  more  or  less  force,  claiming  that 
the  disease  is  constitutional,  and  that  it  depends  largely  on  diet 
and  mode  of  life. 

Because  this  paper  is  supposed  to  deal  solely  with  the  treat- 
ment of  cancer  I  trust  you  will  pardon  me  if  we  digress  for  a 
moment  and  take  up  the  cause  of  this  fearsome  disease. 

Cancer  is  undoubtedly  a  diseased  action  of  originally  normal 
tissue  cells,  due  largely  to  perverted  metabolism,  and  this  per- 


*Read  before  Indiana  Institute  of  Homoeopathy,  at  Terre  Haute,  Ind. 


300  The   Treatment  of  Skin   Cancer. 

verted  metabolism  is  brought  about  by  a  bad  blood  stream.  I 
desire,  first,  to  call  your  attention  to  intestinal  stasis  as  the  in- 
centive of  auto-toxaemia  and  then  to  point  out  the  intimate  re- 
lation between  auto-intoxication  and  cancer,  and  not  only  can- 
cer, but  also  those  diseases  that  have  been  described  as  being- 
due  to  the  presence  of  uric  acid  in  the  blood.  Cancer  is  only  a 
product  depending  upon  intestinal  stasis  (constipation)  for  its 
existence,  especially  when  that  is  associated  with  a  highly  nitro- 
genous diet,  the  fermentation  of  which  in  the  colon  poduces 
toxines  of  the  most  virulent  description,  which,  also,  invariably 
tend  to  promote  constipation.  Now  it  is  impossible  to  have 
toxaemia  persisting  for  any  length  of  time  without  the  metabolism 
of  every  cell  of  the  body  becoming  prejudicially  affected,  and 
consequently  ,the  thyroid  and  other  blood  glands  are  rendered 
incapable  of  exerting  their  salutary  influence  upon  the  blood 
stream. 

An  equally  important  prejudicial  effect  is  that  upon  the  in- 
testinal canal  itself,  the  muscular  fiber  of  which  becomes  en- 
feebled and  peristalsis,  as  a  consequence,  ceases  to  be  efficient, 
with  the  inevitable  result  that  intestinal  stasis  supervenes  with  its 
increasingly  disastrous  result  upon  the  character  of  the  blood 
and,  through  it,  upon  every  tissue. 

(There  are  three  organs  of  the  body — the  heart,  lungs  z:\c\ 
intestines — which  must  be  kept  in  involuntary,  yet  constant 
movement  if  health  is  to  be  maintained.) 

In  direct  consequence  the  physiological  control  over  cell-life 
ceases,  this  being  replaced  by  .a  condition  of  things  which  is  not 
only  antagonistic  to  healthy  metabolism,  but  has  succeeded  in 
extinguishing  that  vitalizing  influence  which  hitherto  had  been 
so  characteristic  of  healthy  cell  life. 

Is  it  to  be  wondered,  then,  seeing  a  suitable  soil  for  an  un- 
healthy development  and  growth  of  any  perverted  cell  having 
been  provided  and  maintained,  that  morbid  conditions  supplant 
those  of  the  normal? 

Cancer  is  a  disease  consequent  upon  the  toxic  condition  of 
the  blood,  which  has  existed  with  little  or  no  intermission  dur- 
ing a  prolonged  period,  the  consequence  being  normal  meta- 
bolism has  become  so  seriously  interfered  with  that  in  any  part 
which  has  been  weakened  by  an  injury  or  persistent  irritation 


The  Treatment  of  Skin   Cancer.  301 

this  has  been  supplanted  altogether  and  been  replaced  by  cell 
metamorphosis,  the  cells  in  that  region  thereby  being  converted 
from  enfeebled  normal  cells  into  a  malignant  neoplasm  com- 
pletely disassociated  from  physiological  control.  Such  being  the 
case,  the  new  growth  has  ceased  to  exist  as  a  portion  of  the 
human  body,  and  therefore  has  been  established  itself  as  a  for- 
eign body  which  has  taken  root  upon  the  subjacent  tissue.  Xow 
this  could  not  possibly  have  been  accomplished  had  its  environ*- 
ment  been  possessed  of  the  normal  resisting  power  of  the  dis- 
ease which  every  cell  possesses  when  it  is  being  nourished  by  a 
healthy  blood  stream. 

It  must  be  conceded,  then,  that  before  cancer  is  able  to  mani- 
fest its  presence  a  suitable  soil  has  been  provided  for  its  re- 
ception and  subsequent  growth  and  that  the  rational  method  of 
inhibiting  its  development  and  effecting  its  destruction  is  to  ren- 
der the  soil  unsuitable  to  its  existence. 

TREATMENT    OF    CANCER. 

We  will  now  take  up  the  treatment  of  cancer.  ■  To  me  there 
is  no  other  study  in  the  practice  of  medicine  so  pleasing  or 
gratifying  as  the  treatment  of  cancer  with  medicine  and  diet,  for 
in  the  treatment  of  such  a  disease  you  are  put  on  your  metal,  be- 
cause it  is  the  worst  disease  that  afflicts  humanity  and  one  which 
'demands  the  very  best  that  is  in  you.  I  know  that  there  is  a 
great  deal  of  discussion  as  to  the  real  causation  of  cancer,  and 
the  question  never  may  be  settled  beyond  the  point  where  a 
difference  of  opinion  will  not  obtain.  Skin  cancer,  epithelioma, 
is  but  one  form  of  cancer,  and  in  speaking  of  skin  cancer  it  is 
as  well  to  include  all  cancers  as  just  one  form,  and  the  treatment 
of  epithelioma  must  necessarily,  of  course,  apply  largely  to  the 
treatment  of  all  cancers. 

There  is  such  a  consensus  of  opinion  as  to  the  advisability  of 
early  removal  of  the  neoplasm  that  a  discussion  of  the  subject 
would  seem  useless.  So  then,  in  the  first  place,  let  us  remove 
the  tumor,  and  thoroughly.  But  after  we  have  done  so,  after 
we  have  taken  it  out  by  the  very  roots,  is  this  sufficient'  Xo. 
We  must  then  adopt  the  means  to  prevent  a  second  develop- 
ment. We  must  change  the  diathesis :  we  must  seek  to  modify 
the  patient's  constitution  so  that  it  no  longer  will  be  prone  to 
reproduce  the  disease. 


302  The   Treatment  of  Skin   Cancer. 

When  nature,  by  her  own  efforts,  effects  a  cure  of  cancer  — 
which  we  know  occasionally  takes  place — this  is  not  accom- 
plished by  any  local  application,  but  by  the  disease-resisting 
power  of  the  cells  of  the  body  becoming  re-established,  and  this 
can  only  be  effected  by  the  blood  stream  becoming,  by  its  im- 
proved condition,  competent  to  supply  invigorating  pabulum 
to  the  various  tissues  which  have  been  handicapped  previously  by 
being  compelled  to  rely  upon  a  vitiated  substitute  for  this. 

The  food  that  we  eat,  and  our  mode  of  living,  make  us  for 
good  or  bad,  that  no  one  can  deny,  and  therefore  in  the  fight 
against  disease,  especially  such  a  disease  as  cancer,  we  must 
correct  errors  of  diet  and  living  looking  towards  the  making  of 
a  more  perfect  working  organism.  It  is  useless  to  give  medicines 
or  to  use  surgery,  or  any  local  treatment,  without  due  con- 
sideration is  given  the  diet,  mode  of  living,  and  the  general  con- 
dition of  the  patient. 

When  a  case  of  cancer  presents  itself  remember  that  you  are 
going  to  contend  with  a  patient  who  is  afflicted  with  cancer — in 
other  words,  treat  the  patient  and,  at  the  same  time,  but  sec- 
ondly, get  the  disease.  Get  all  the  facts  in  the  case,  not  miss- 
ing a  single  detail ;  read  the  pulse,  eye  and  tongue ;  examine  the 
urine  for  excessive  acidity  or  alkalinity ;  observe  if  the  patient 
is  well  nourished  ;  inquire  as  to  skin  disease,  vaccination,  syph- 
ilis or  gonorrhoea.  In  treating  a  case  of  cancer  you  must  expect 
to  cover  the  entire  field  of  disease,  for  it  touches  all  phases  of 
abnormality  that  afflicts  the  race. 

The  pulse  of  a  cancer  patient  is  weak,  often  a  discouraged 
feeling  to  it,  and  it  is  quicker  than  normal.  Does  the  heart  beat 
regular,  or  does  it  intermit?  The  tongue  under  its  yellowish, 
white  color  shows,  in  advanced  cancer,  a  dark,  red  color ;  in  the 
last  stage,  we  have  the  "beef  steak"  tongue.  The  white  of  the 
eye  has  a  pearly  tint,  with  greenish  yellow  spots,  showing  a 
drain  upon  the  system,  toxic  matter  in  the  blood  and  decomposi- 
tion of  albumen.  The  eyes  will  tell  you  if  the  glands  are  acting 
normally  or  not.  The  tongue  shows  you  whether  the  patient  is 
digesting  his  food  or  not;  if  he  does  not  digest  his  food,  he  can- 
not make  good  blood.  The  pulse  tells  you  whether  the  vital  forces 
are  strong  or  weak. 

The  most  powerful  antiseptic  in  the  pharmacopoeia   will   not 


The   Treatment  of  Skin   Cancer.  303 

prevent  bacteria  establishing  themselves  in  a  wound,  and  it  is 
only  the  independent  action  of  the  vital  energy  of  the  cellular 
tissue  which  prevents  infection  and  promotes  healing.  Alan  is 
engaged!  in  a  perpetual  struggle  with  the  germs  of  disease,  these 
finding  access  to  his  body  by  various  channels,  and  it  is  only 
the  healthv  vitality  of  the  cells  opposed  to  these  which  enables 
him  to  withstand  infection.  Xow.  this  healthy  vitality  can  only 
be  assured  by  supplying  the  cellular  tissues  freely  with  pabulum, 
derived  from  vital  elements  contained  in  the  products  of  the 
vegetable  kingdom,  to  which  may  be  added  milk,  eggs  and 
cheese.  This  wonderful  vitalizing  agent  is  essentially  nuclein 
and  it  has  recently  been  demonstrated  by  actual  experiment  that 
all  fruits,  and  seeds  also,  contain  radio-active  elements  when  in 
an  uncooked  condition.  Thus  we  perceive  that  the  products  of 
the  vegetable  kingdom,  when  ripe — which  means  they  are  suf- 
ficiently cooked  by  the  sun— should  constitute  our  main  food 
supply,  seeing  these,  and  these  only,  satisfy  all  our  physiological 
necessities,  and  moreover  are  in  complete  harmony  with  the 
functional  arrangements  of  our  digestive  apparatus.  Why. 
then,  do  we  systematically  overload  the  stomach  with  an  amount 
of  DEAD  matter  which  it  was  never  intended  to  receive  and 
which  it  is  impossible  for  it  to  utilize  with  advantage  and,  more- 
over, from  which  the  most  important  constituent  has  been  re- 
moved ? 

Fruit  juices  undoubtedly  are  possessed  of  medicinal  as  well 
as  nutritive  properties.  Who  is  not  acquainted  with  the  diges- 
tive properties  of  the  juice  of  grape  fruit,  pineapple  and  pawpaw  ; 
the  laxative  effects  of  figs  and  prunes,  and  the  anti-rheumatic 
effects  of  apples  and  celery.  Uncooked  fruits  have  the  advan- 
tage over  those  which  have  been  cooked,  in  that  their  abundant 
salts,  such  as  iron,  potash  and  calcium,  which  are  there  in  organic 
combination  are  thus  fully  appropriated  by  the  blood  and 
have  a  marvellously  beneficent  effect  upon  the  quality  of  this 
fluid.  They  supply  to  the  blood  just  those  elements  necessary 
to  neutralize  the  acid  contents  of  the  tissue  cells,  which,  unless 
so  acted  upon,  would  destroy  these  cells.  Xow  this  alkali  is 
supplied  in  the  most  acceptable  form  by  the  salts  of  fruit  when 
partaken  of  in  their  natural  condition.      Such,   however,   is   not 


304  The  Treatment  of  Skin  Cancer. 

the  case  when  the  fruit  is  cooked.  Dried  fruits  are  also  ex- 
cellent articles  of  diet,  but  these  should  always  be  thoroughly 
washed  before  being  brought  to  the  table,  for  sanitary  reasons. 
These  are  not  only  nutritious,  but  laxative  in  their  nature,  and 
hence  are  of  considerable  help  where  there  is  a  tendency  to  con- 
stipation. They,  however,  do  not  contain  any  of  the  important 
acids  which  are  present  in  their  fresh  state,  and  undergo,  in  the 
process  of  digestion,  a  transformation  into  alkaline  carbonates, 
which  keep  the  blood  alkaline,  stimulate  the  liver  cells,  regulate 
the  bowels,  tending  also  to  keep  them  aseptic,  and  entering  the 
blood  stream,  bathe  and  refresh  every  cell  of  the  body  in  a 
cleansing,  vitalizing  fluid  of  the  best  and  purest  description. 

You  cannot  have  a  hair,  a  nail,  or  the  enamel  on  a  tooth  With- 
out silica,  and  this  salt  comes  largely  from  the  hulls  of  cereals ; 
a  bone  cell  without  the  phosphate  of  lime,  or  a  drop  of  blood 
without  the  phosphate  of  iron.  The  inorganic  salts  are  the.  vital 
elements  of  the  body,  the  builders,  the  workers  and,  when  de- 
ficiency occurs  in  any  one  of  them,  the  perfect  chemistry  of  the 
living  organism  is  disturbed.  Nature  supplies  these  mineral 
salts  in  abundance  for  all  our  needs,  but  the  manufacturer,  either 
through  his  greed  for  profit,  ignorance,  or  an  appeal  to  our 
vanity,  robs  many  articles  of  our  daily  food  of  nearly  all  these 
mineral  salts.  For  instance,  the  grain  of  wheat  contains  about  5 
per  cent,  of  these  necessary  and  vital  mineral  salts,  but  the  best 
refined  flour  contains  less  than  ^  of  1  per  cent. ;  the  unpolished 
grain  of  rice,  I  have  read,  contains  between  6  and  7  per  cent,  of 
mineral  salts,  while  the  polished  rice,  which  we  buy  at  all  the 
groceries,  contains  less  than  1  per  cent. ;  brown  sugar,  nearly  4 
per  cent. ;  the  refined  granulated  sugar,  less  than  1  per  cent. 
Many  other  foods  subjected  to  bleaching  and  refining  processes 
are  likewise  robbed  of  vital  elements  needed  in  the  body  chem- 
istry. 

Internally,  I  give  Phytolacca,  because  it  contains,  I  have  read, 
more  of  the  natural  mineral  phosphates  in  a  form  that  is  readily 
assimilated  than  any  other  plant  that  has  yet  been  analyzed. 
Phytolacca  is  also  the  greatest  glandular  alterative  known,  and 
many  neoplasms  originate  in  a  gland.  When  a  certain  salt  is 
needed  or  indicated,   I   give  it  in  the  form  known   as   "Tissue 


The  Treatment  of  Skin  Cancer.  305 

Remedies."  Thyroid  gland,  also,  has  given  me  some  results. 
Double  Sulphide,  as  prepared  by  Burgess,  is  an  excellent  remedy 
to  furnish  calcium  to  the  system  and  to  act  as  an  antiseptic. 
Nucalcide,  a  preparation  made  by  Aulde,  of  Philadelphia,  com- 
posed of  nuclein  and  calcium  sulphide,  is,  indeed,  a  most  pleas- 
ing therapeutic  agent  because  of  furnishing  nuclein  and  calcium 
salts  at  the  same  time.  Strychnia  sulphide,  1/30  grain,  before 
meals  and  on  retiring,  is  needed  if  the  pulse  is  discouraged  and 
weak. 

The  local  treatment  will  depend  on  where  the  epithelioma  is 
located,  for  a  skin  cancer  located  inside  the  mouth  would  have 
to  be  treated  with  a  medicine  in  one  form,  and  a  cancer  of  the 
face,  not  treated  with  a  medicine  in  one  form,  and  a  cancer  of 
the  face,  not  located  near  the  eye,  or  on  the  hand,  would  have 
to  be  treated  with  another  medicine. 

I  have  tried  all  the  medicines  suggested  or  thought  of  in  the 
local  treatment  of  epitheliomas,  and  have  found  many  of  them 
to  be  valueless,  and  others  to  be  positively  harmful.  A  remedy 
must  be  selected  that  when  applied  directly  to  the  epithelioma 
will  create  sufficient  inflammation  to  destroy  the  cancer  cells, 
and  while  inflaming  the  surrounding  healthy  tissue,  will  not 
cause  their  destruction.  By  inflaming  the  healthy  tissues  sur- 
rounding the  cancer  the  blood  and  lymph  vessels  are  effectually 
closed  against  the  migration  of  any  cancer  cells  or  fungi. 

I  have  tried  arsenic  in  all  its  forms  and  prepared  in  many 
ways,  but  have  discarded  it  because  of  the  danger  of  absorption 
and  consequently  kidney  involvement,  and  because  it  is  far  too 
painful  for  the  depth  of  tissue  it  will  destroy.  Chloride  of  chro- 
mium is  too  superficial  in  action  to  be  of  any  service  in  any  but 
the  very  smallest  skin  cancers. 

A  remedy  that  I  have  used  for  years,  and  have  come  to  de- 
pend upon  most,  is  saturated  solution  of  chloride  of  zinc  because 
it  is  less  painful  than  any  other  escharotic,  and  yet  it  destroys 
cancer  tissue  to  quite  a  depth.  I  have  used  this  drug  in  solu- 
tion, and  also  made  the  paste,  and  always  with  the  best  of  re- 
sults. In  cancer  inside  the  mouth  I  inject  a  solution  of  zinc 
chloride  with  tincture  of  thuja  directly  into  the  cancer,  using  a 
few  drops  at  each  injection.  The  method  can  also  be  used  in 
epitheliomas  of  the  cervix. 


306  Another  Kali  Group. 

Gentlemen,  it  has  been  my  endeavor,  in  my  feeble  manner,  to 
set  forth  my  belief  as  to  the  causation  of  cancer  and  its  most 
successful  method  of  treatment,  hoping-  that  I  may  be  able  to 
arouse  in  your  minds  a  train  of  thought  that  will  open  up  the  way 
whereby  a  more  feasible  solution  of  the  cancer  problem  may  be 
brought  about,  and  thus  be  the  means  of  saving  many  valuable 
lives.  My  paper  is  incomplete,  for  to  go  in  and  give  in  detail 
each  step  of  the  treatment  would  take  up  too  much  time,  and 
then  perhaps  not  be  lucid,  but  knowing  you  as  careful,  thought- 
ful men,  it  has  been  my  endeavor  to  give  you  the  thought,  the 
suggestion,  knowing  full  well  that  you  can  elaborate  and  work 
out  the  idea  to  its  successful   fruition.     I  thank  you. 


ANOTHER   KALI   GROUP.* 

Kali  Bichromicum,  Kali  Carbonicum  and 
Kali  Hydriodicum. 

By  Wallace  McGeorge,  M.  D.,  of  Camden. 

In  the  paper  read  before  this  Society  two  years  ago  I  gave 
some  indications  for  the  use  of  Kali  muriaticum.  Kali  phosphori- 
cum  and  Kali  sulpliuricum,  three  of  the  tissue  remedies.  To- 
day, by  request,  I  call  your  attention  to  three  other  of  the  potash 
remedies,  Kali  bichromicum,  Kali  carbonicum  and  Kali  hydriodi- 
cum. 

Kali  bichromicum  was  introduced  into  our  Materia  Medica 
in  1845,  but  the  first  proving  of  it  was  published  by  Dr.  Arneth 
in  1847.  Dr.  Drysdale  issued  another  proving  in  1852,  but  in 
the  first  number  of  the  Hahnemanuian  Monthly,  published  in 
August,  1865,  Dr.  Ad.  Lippe  gave  the  best  and  fullest  account 
of  this  drug,  accessible  at  that  time,  and  calls  attention  to  many 
of  the  symptoms  peculiar  to  this  remedy. 

When  shall  we  use  Kali  bichromicum/  The  principal  use  of 
this  remedy  is  in  diseases  of  the  mucous  membranes.  In  ca- 
tarrhal affections  of  the  nose  and  throat ;  in  ozaena.  with  or 
without  the  green  clinkers,  or  plugs,  it  is  par  excellence.     It  is 


*Read  before  the  New  Jersey  State  Homoeopathic  Medical   Society,  at 
Atlantic   City,    May   26,    1917. 


Another  Kali  Group.  307 

good  in  certain  forms  of  indigestion,  particularly  in  those  cases 
where  the  patient  feels  worse  from  twenty  to  thirty  minutes 
after  eating. 

In  bronchial  coughs,  when  the  most  pain  is  at  the  bifurcation 
of  the  bronchia,  or  when  a  cough  is  brought  on  by  pressure  at 
this  spot,  Kali  bichromicum  gives  prompt  relief.  One  character- 
istic symptom  of  this  remedy  is  that  discharges  from  the  nose, 
mouth,  larynx  or  vagina  are  ropy  and  stringy,  sometimes  the 
expectoration  is  pulled  out  in  strings,  reaching  down  nearly  to 
the  feet. 

In  proctitis,  especially  in  painful  cases,  Kali  bichromicum 
works  finely.  Sometimes  in  these  cases  there  is  a  sensation  of  a 
plug  in  the  anus,  similar  to  Lachesis.  In  blennnorrhcea  from  the 
rectum,  Kali  bichromicum  gave  considerable  relief. 

This  was  in  the  case  of  one  of  our  noted  authors  who  died  in 
1884.  He  was  an  elderly  man,  gentle,  refined,  a  widower,  who 
lived  alone  after  his  children  had  married  and  gone  to  homes  of 
their  own.  For  some  time  he  had  one  peculiar,  disagreeable 
symptom.  After  he  went  to  bed  and  fell  asleep  he  would  wake 
up,  feeling  a  gush  of  water  from  his  rectum,  but  there  was  no 
pain,  nor  distress,  accompanying  this  flow.  For  his  own  com- 
fort he  usually  placed  a  napkin  or  handkerchief  to  catch  this 
discharge.  When  it  dried  no  odor  or  stain  or  mark  of  any  kind 
was  left  to  indicate  the  nature  of  the  flow.  When  one  of  these 
napkins  was  given  to  me  for  examination  I  could  hardly  believe 
my  own  eyes,  or  nose,  or  touch,  so  perfectly  had  the  flow  dried 
up  and  vanished  from  the  saturated  cloth  of  the  preceding  night. 
Kali  bichromicum,  which  had  been  given  him  for  his  other  symp- 
toms, covered  this  one,  too,  for  in  a  few  days  this  rectal  flow 
entirely  ceased. 

In  coccyodynia  or  neuralgia  of  the  coccygeal  region,  when 
the  coccyx  is  pushed  backward,  or  continues  in  a  relaxed  condi- 
tion too  long ;  when  the  patient  cannot  sit  down  comfortably 
because  the  backbone  is  too  long,  as  she  expresses  it,  Kali 
bichromicum  30th  or  200th    gives  great  relief. 

In  stinking  ulcers  of  nose  and  throat;  in  cases  where  the  nasal 
bones  are  eaten  away  in  syphilis.  Kali  bichromicum  will  often- 
times  stay   this  bothersome   disease   and   restore   the   patient   to 


308  Another  Kali  Group. 

comparative  health.  In  pharyngeal  ulcers,  which  are  deep- 
seated  ;  in  nasopharyngeal  troubles,  where  the  septum  is  par- 
tially eaten  away,  Kali  bkhromicum  will  avert  the  destructive 
process  and  partially  heal  the  diseased  parts.  To  get  the  best 
results  in  these  desperate  cases,  always  use  high  potencies. 

In  the  epidemic  of  influenza  among  the  horses  in  1872,  called 
the  epizooty,  Kali  bichromicum  worked  wonders.  We  were  ad- 
vised to  use  the  first  decimal  trituration  and  that  was  the  form 
we  used  and  with  gratifying  success.  If  I  had  used  a  higher 
potency,  the  poor,  sick  horses  would  have  recovered  sooner,  for 
in  my  after  experience  in  veterinary  work  among  my  patients 
I  found  the  high  potencies  cured  them  quicker. 

Kali  carbonicum  is  the  oldest  of  the  potash  group  in  our 
Materia  Medica,  having  been  proved  by  Hahnemann,  Gersdorff. 
Goullon,  Hartlaub  and  Rummel.  Hahnemann  classes  it  among 
the  anti-psorics,  and  in  his  Chronic  Diseases.  Volume  IV..  de- 
votes fifty-five  pages  to  its  elucidation. 

In  my  experience  Kali  carbonicum  is  good,  very  good,  for 
stitches.  In  fact,  it  is  the  stitch  remedy.  Stitches  run  through 
nearly  every  part  of  the  body.  In  stitches  of  the  eyes  and  ears 
it  comforts  many  suffering  people.  Stitches  in  region  of  the 
liver,  sharp  stitches  and  clawing  stitches ;  stitches  under  the 
clavicle  and  stitches  under  the  last  rib.  Stitches  in  the  mammae, 
in  region  of  the  heart,  in  both  kidneys,  in  the  rectum,  and  trans- 
versely through  the  pudendum. 

This  does  not  cover  all  the  stitches  under  this  drug.  It  has 
a  stitch  from  apex  of  left  scapula  to  pit  of  stomach ;  stitches  in 
the  arm  and  forearm,  in  the  wrist  joints  and  fingers ;  stitches  in 
the  tibia,  in  the  foot,  in  the  dorsum  of  foot,  in  tendons  of  right 
foot,  and  stitches  in  feet  after  a  walk. 

Stitches  are  characteristic  of  Kali  carbonicum.  There  are 
stitches  in  the  joints  and  tendons ;  stitches  in  right  or  left  side 
at  night ;  violent  stitches  in  left  side  of  chest,  in  the  region  of 
the  heart,  sometimes  extending  to  the  back.  These  stitches  are 
so  severe  they  almost  hinder  breathing.  We  find  them  in  either 
side  of  the  chest,  also  during  expiration  of  the  breath.  It  has 
pulsative  stitches  in  left  side  of  the  chest  and  pressure  in  region 
of  both  kidneys. 


Another  Kali  Group.  309 

Kali  carbonicum  is  particularly  useful  in  kidney  and  uterine 
affections.  My  first  experience  with  Kali  carb.  was  in  Novem- 
ber, 1867.  That  was  my  last  year  in  college  and  Professor 
Guernsey  had  sent  me  up  to  Norristown  to  attend  to  the  prac- 
tice of  Doctor  Preston,  while  he  was  away  on  his  wedding  tour. 
I  saw  more  patients  in  that  ten  days  than  I  ever  expected  to  see 
again  in  the  same  length  of  time.  One  case  he  left  in  my  care 
was  an  Irish  woman,  who  had  aborted  and  was  in  a  deplorable 
condition.  The  doctor  said  he  hated  to  leave  me  with  so  bad  a 
case.  I  hated  it,  too.  She  lived  in  a  stone  house  and  it  was 
hard  to  keep  her  bed-room  warm.  She  was  flowing  a  nasty,  of- 
fensive lochia,  and  she  had  so  much  pain  she  would  scream  out 
in  her  suffering.  As  she  was  so  bad,  I  continued  faithfully  to 
carry  out  Doctor  P.'s  directions,  and  did  not  change  her  medi- 
cine. On  my  third  visit  I  found  her  much  worse,  her  neighbors 
sitting  around  to  see  her  die.     Then  I  got  a  move  on. 

Professor  Guernsey  had  been  giving  us  his  keynotes  and  I 
remembered  what  he  taught  about  Kali  carbonicum:  "Distress- 
ing, cutting,  shooting,  darting  and  stitching  pains  all  over  the 
abdomen ;  the  more  completely  the  stitching  pains  seem  to  pre- 
dominate the  more  certainly  will  Kali  carbonicum  be  the  rem- 
edy." After  a  careful  examination  I  decided  Kali  carb.  was  her 
remedy.  Fortunately  I  had  some  of  Fincke's  4000th-  potency 
with  me  and  I  gave  it  to  her  in  water  every  hour  she  was  awake. 
When  I  called  next  day  I  was  relieved  to  find  no  crape  on  the 
door.  I  went  in  and  found  her  sleeping.  The  woman  who  sat 
up  with  her  said  she  began  to  get  easy  after  the  fourth  dose  and 
had  slept  well  the  latter  part  of  the  night.  I  continued  the  rem- 
edy. From  that  time  she  improved  rapidly,  and  she  was  grate- 
ful to  me  because  my  medicine  had  taken  away  her  pain.  Before 
Dr.  P.  returned  she  was  well  enough  to  sit  up.    When  he  came 

back  the  first  question  he  asked  me  was  what  day  Mrs.  

■died?  When  I  told  him  of  her  improvement,  he  scarcely  be- 
lieved me,  so  I  insisted  on  his  seeing  her  before  I  gave  up  the 
case.  After  he  saw  her  he  wanted  some  of  my  Kali  carb.  4000. 
I  had  gotten  mine  from  _  Dr.  Guernsey  and  told  him  where  to 
go  if  he  wanted  the  same  preparation. 

Singularly  enough,  four  years  later,  when  one  of  the  founders 


310  Another  Kali  Group. 

of  this  society  had  Bright's  disease  so  badly  that  he  gave  up 
practice  for  a  time,  some  of  Fincke's  Kali  carb.,  4000th  po- 
tency, put  him  on  his  feet,  and  he  lived  to  practice  his  profession 
seventeen  years  longer.  In  his  case  the  bagginess  of  the  epebrov/s, 
the  aggravation  at  3  A.  M.  and  the  frequent  calls  to  urinate  at 
night  led  me  to  prescribe  Kali  carbonicnm.  Do  you  wonder 
that  I  have  had  a  good  feeling  for  this  remedy  ever  since? 

In  looking  over  my  patients,  if  I  see  a  swelling  over  one 
or  both  eyes,  it  invariably  suggests  Kali  carb.  It  is  generally 
described  as  a  swelling  between  the  eyebrows  and  eyelids,  that 
fills  up  when  coughing,  or  making  any  unusual  effort.  I  have 
found  this  symptom  present  oftener  in  nephritic  troubles  than 
any  other.  Whenever  I  see  that  symptom  I  always  examine  the 
kidneys.  When  with  the  "little  bag  over  the  eyes''  I  feel  a 
puffiness  or  swelling  around  the  ankles,  I  know  that  both  the 
heart  and  kidneys  are  affected  and  the  first  remedy  I  study  up 
is  Kali  carbonicum.  If  with  these  two  objective  symptoms  pres- 
ent I  find  the  patient  has  to  rise  often  at  night  to  urinate,  I  seek 
no  further,  for  Kali  carbonicum  will  relieve  promptly  the  urin- 
ary difficulty  ;  in  a  little  longer  time  it  will  tone  up  the  heart  and 
later  on  the  puffiness  or  swelling  around  the  ankles  will  disap- 
pear. 

In  cerebral  troubles,  when  the  patient  wakes  up  every  morn- 
ing at  3  o'clock,  Kali  carbonicum  is  helpful. 

In  typhoid  fever,  when  the  patient's  abdomen  becomes  hard 
or  tympanitic,  with  or  without  the  stitching  pains,  Kali  carb. 
will  often  relieve  this  distressing  and  dangerous  condition  and 
lead  the  way  to  complete  recovery. 

Kali  hydriodicum  is  a  very  useful  remedy  when  indicated, 
but,  unfortunately,  it  is  empirically  used  by  many  physicians  in 
massive  doses  and  fearfully  abused  by  scores  of  practitioners, 
who  give  it  any  old  way  for  almost  everything.  If  a  syphilitic 
taint  is  suspected,  K.  I.  is  given  on  general  principles.  It  is 
surprising  how  many  patients  need  K.  I.  among  the  specialists. 
While  listening  to  this  paper  don't  think  of  Kali  hydriodicum 
as  K.  I.  given  in  five  or  ten  grain  doses,  but  as  the  properly  se- 
lected remedy,  administered  in  the  12th,  30th,  200th  or  40,000th 
potency.  As  a  rule,  the  higher  it  is  given,  the  longer  good  ef- 
fects  will    follow   its   exhibition. 


Another  Kali  Group.  311 

Kali  hydriodicum  will  relieve  excruciating  pains  in  the  head 
from  gnmmata,  hut  will  not  cure  this  horrid  disease.'  Yet  Far- 
rington  in  his  lectures  said  "when  gummatous  tumors  involve 
the  nervous  tissues,  Iodide  of  Potassium  is  your  only  hope."  No 
wonder  these  distressing  cases  are  hopeless. 

The  characteristic  color  of  the  discharge  of  Kali  hydriodicum 
is  green.  Kent  says  there  is  "green  discharge  of  muco-pus  from 
the  nose,  from  the  eyes,  from  the  ears,  thick  copious  green  ex- 
pectoration ;  thick,  greenish  leucorrhcea ;  green  discharge  from 
ulcer.-.*'  These  thick  green  or  yellowish  green  discharges  are 
sometimes  very  fetid.  In  gonorrhoea  or  urethritis  the  discharge 
is  thick  and  green,  or  greenish  yellow,  without  pain. 

In  catarrhal  laryngitis  or  bronchitis  the  expectoration  is  green- 
ish. In  phthisis  pituitosa,  the  expectoration  is  greenish  and 
purulent.  In  oedema  pulmonum,  the  expectoration  is  like  green 
soapsuds.  As  a  rule'  the  expectoration  of  Kali  hydriodicum 
is  nauseous  to  the  taste  and  offensive  to  the  smell  of  the  af- 
flicted patient. 

In  syphilitic  cases,  when  the  patient  has  been  mercurialized,  or 
improperly  treated,  and  when  the  disease  has  run  a  rapid  course, 
eating  away  the  bones  of  the  nose,  Kali  hydriodicum  will  some- 
times check  this  bony  destruction.  In  severe  sore  throat,  with 
intense  headache — not  a  specific  type,  Kali  hydriodicum  works 
wonders,  when  given  in  the  higher  potencies. 

Kali  hydriodicum  and  Marcurius  solubilis  are  two  of  our 
best  glandular  remedies  and  they  have  many  symptoms  in  com- 
mon. The  indentation  of  the  teeth  on  the  edges  of  the  tongue 
is  just  as  marked  under  Kali  hydriodicum  as  in  Mcrcurius. 
Either  remedy  follows  well  after  the  other.  Both  are  wonderful 
alteratives,  and  both  remedies  have  long  lasting  action  on  nearly 
all  the  glands  of  the  body. 

In  patients  who  have  been  mercurialized  to  excess,  Hepar  sul- 
phur, and  Kali  hydriodicum  will  help  to  right  them.  If  the 
patient  is  shivering,  chilly  and  wants  to  be  near  the  stove,  give 
Hepar.  But  if  he  is  too  warm  and  wants  to  throw  the  covers 
off,  if  he  must  keep  moving  about,  and  is  very  tired  when  keep- 
ing still,  Kali  hydriodicum  is  his  remedy. 

In   diseases   of    the    kidneys,    such    as    chronic    nephritis    and 


312  Facts  Gleaned  From  Everyday  Practice. 

chronic  diffuse  nephritis,  in  lardaceous  kidney,  in  phosphaturia 
and  in  tuberculosis  of  the  kidneys,  it  is  useful.  It  is  said  to  cure 
enuresis  in  children,  but  I  have  no  records  of  cures  from  its  use. 
in  this  disease. 

In  pneumonia,  with  hepatization,  it  works  well.  In  carditis 
and  pericarditis  it  has  done  much  good. 

One  more  condition  to  remember,  Kali  hydriodicum  will 
cure  as  many  cases  of  flatulence,  or  wind  colic,  as  Lycopodium 
or  Carbo  veg. 


FACTS   GLEANED   FROM   EVERYDAY   PRACTICE. 
By  Eli  G.  Jones,  M.  D.,  879  West  Ferry  St.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y 

It  is  just  fifty  years  since  I  began  the  study  of  medicine,  and 
I  have  been  studying  medicine  ever  since  that  time.  Some  of 
our  old  physicians  seem  to  think  that  they  are  "too  old  to  learn 
new  things."  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  a  doctor  is  never  too  old 
to  learn  if  he  really  wants  to. 

I  try  to  learn  something  new  every  day  to  add,  at  least,  one 
therapeutic  fact  to  my  store  of  medical  knowledge.  I  have  done 
the  best  work  of  my  life  since  I  was  sixty  years  old.  I  am  a 
better  physician  than  I  was  a  year  ago,  and  a  great  deal  better 
doctor  than  I  was  ten  years  ago.  We  cannot  afford  to  stand 
still.  We  must  study  and  keep  up  with  the  profession  or  else  be 
among  those  who  "also  ran." 

An  old  Eclectic  physician,  who  has  grown  gray  in  the  profes- 
sion, writes  me,  "I  want  to  tell  you  how  an  old  man  with  men- 
tality impaired  by  age  and  sickness  now  goes  about  the  work 
of  healing  the  sick  with  confidence,  when  in  his  prime,  before 
he  had  studied  your  writings,  he  went  among  the  sick  with  fear 
and  trembling!" 

Dr.  W.  H.  Betteys,  Plymouth,  Michigan,  reads  the  Recorder. 
He  writes  me,  "One  of  my  friends  once  told  me  'that  the  best 
man  that  ever  came  into  the  world  was  a  physician/  What  a 
beautiful  thought  that  is.  The  man  'who  went  about  doing 
good.     The  man  who  was  everybody's  friend.'  ' 

Dr.  G.  F.  Lee,  Sumter,  S.  C,  is  one  of  the  Grand  Brother- 
hood  of   Recorder    readers.      He    writes   me   of   his    "splendid 


Facts  Gleaned  From   Everyday  Practice.  313 

success  in  the  treatment  of  cancer  from  the  treatment  in  my 
'Cancer  Book.'  "    He  is  "doing  things'*  in  the  Palmetto  State. 

When  in  a  case  of  dyspepsia  or  indigestion  a  patient  com- 
plains of  a  pressure  as  of  a  load,  and  fullness  in  the  stomach, 
yellow,  slimy  coating  on  tongue,  water  gathers  in  the  mouth, 
Kali  sulph.  is  the  remedy  indicated,  6x,  three  tablets  once  in  two 
hours. 

Physicians  often  write  to  me  for  advice  about  some  difficult 
case  they  have.  I  do  the  best  I  can  for  them  from  the  meager 
facts  that  they  send  me.  I  could  do  so  much  better  if  I  could 
see  the  patients  and  examine  them  in  my  own  way  by  reading 
the  eye,  pulse,  and  tongue. 

A  lady  has  "coldness  and  numbness  in  her  arms  and  hands ; 
she  says  her  arms  feel  as  if  they  had  a  tight  bandage  round 
them.  When  she  wakes  up  in  the  morning  she  has  to  rub  them 
some  time  to  get  rid  of  the  feeling  as  if  they  were  asleep."  I 
gave  her  Tr.  Rhus  tox.  3X,  ten  drops,  once  in  two  hours,  and 
Causticum  6x,  three  tablets  once  in  three  hours.  This  treatment 
began  to  help  her  from  the  start  and  in  a  week  she  was  very 
much  better. 

When  I  was  down  in  Tennessee  I  was  asked  to  prescribe  for 
a  lady  with  an  eruption  on  her  hands  and  much  itching.  It 
looked  to  me  like  the  effects  of  poison  ivy.  I  gave  her  Tr.  Rhus 
tox  3X,  fifteen  drops  in  half  a  glass  of  water,  teaspoonful  every 
hour;  apply  Tr.  Sanguinaria.  full  strength,  to  the  hands  three 
times  a  day.  They  began  to  get  better  as  soon  as  she  applied 
the  remedy.     It  will  stop  the  itching  from  poison  ivy. 

A  doctor  writing  me  that  he  has  enlargement  of  prostate  gland, 
just  the  kind  of  cases  that  they  usually  operate  on.  I  advised  him 
to  take  Tr.  Hydrangea,  six  drops,  three  times  a  day  and  Cdlcarea 
Huorica  6x,  three  tablets,  once  in  three  hours. 

I  am  often  asked  the  question  by  physicians,  "What  do  you 
think  of  this  or  that  mew  fad'  or  'serum'  for  healing  the  sick?" 
My  answer  to  all  such  enquiries  is,  "A  physician  who  knows 
materia  medica  need  have  no  fear  of  competition  with  any  'fad' 
or  'serum'  treatment,  or  any  form  of  drugless  healing,  for  he 
can  beat  them  every  time!" 

I  am  sorry  to  say  that  some  of  our  doctors  are  too  lazy  to 


314  Facts  Gleaned  From  Everyday  Practice. 

study,  or  they  make  the  excuse  that  they  "haven't  the  time  to 
study."  They  are  looking  for  some  easy  way  to  practice  medi- 
cine that  don't  require  any  study  or  brain  work.  These  men 
are  "easy  marks"  for  the  man  who  has  made  a  wonderful  dis- 
covery, where  all  diseases  can  be  cured  by  his  fad  or  serum ! 

Remember  that  there  is  no  royal  road  to  success.  It  means 
study,  and  lots  of  it.  It  means  hard  brain  work  and  years  of 
patient  study.  I  have  known,  in  my  lifetime,  what  it  zcas  to 
feel  the  sting  of  poverty.  Yet  knowing  all  this  and  also  how  it 
feels  to  a  doctor  to  have  money  at  his  command  I  would  not 
surrender  what  I  know  about  healing  the  sick  for  all  the  money 
in  Wall  Street!  I  have  often  tried  to  make  our  doctors  under- 
stand that  Knowledge  is  Power!  It  gives  a  man  confidence,  it 
gives  him  more  self-respect,  it  is  the  thing  that  commands  the 
respect  of  those  around  you.  It  is  the  thing  that  lifts  you  up 
above  your  companions.  It  is  the  thing  that  helps  a  doctor  to 
"do  things"  in  his  profession. 

I  have  a  gargle  for  sore  throat,  tonsillitis  and  diphtheria  that 
I  have  used  since  I  first  began  the  practice  of  medicine  : 

Jy .     Chlorate  Potash    3i. 

Sulph.  Zinc grs.  x. 

Mix.    Divide  into  two  powders. 

Sig.     Put  one  powder  in  a  goblet  of  warm  water. 

Gargle  the  throat  once  an  hour.  Some  of  our  doctors  have 
them  made  up  i^i  tablet  form.  This  makes  it  more  convenient 
for  the  office  prescribing.  As  a  gargle  for  sore  throat  the  above 
formula  can't  be  excelled.  For  little  children  the  mother  makes  a 
swab  and  swabs  the  throat  out  every  hour. 


Dr.  P.  C.  Majumdar,  Indian  Homoeopathic  Review,  reports 
two  cases  of  gangrenous  wounds,  one  in  the  finger  and  another 
on  the  leg.  They  were  both  treated  allopathically  but  grew 
worse  until  amputation  was  said  to  be  the  only  hope  of  saving 
the  patients'  lives.  Lachesis  30th  and  200th  cured  both  of  these 
men. 


The  Xext  Meeting  of  the  Southern  Horn.  Med.  Asso.      3  1  5 


THE     NEXT     MEETING     OF    THE    SOUTHERN 
HOMOEOPATHIC   MEDICAL  ASSOCIATION. 

We  have  received  the  following  from  Secretary  Frank  A. 
Swartwout,  whose  address  is  "12  Iowa  Circle,  X.  \\\.  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,"  if  you  want  more  information. 

;|;  ;|c  :'■: 

The  Southern  Homoeopathic  Medical  Association,  Bureau 
Chairmen  have  been  appointed  as  follows  : 

Materia  Medica — Dr.  Eldridge  C.  Price,  1012  Madison  Ave- 
nue, Baltimore,  Md. 

Surgery — Dr.   YV.    A.    Boies,    Knoxville,    Tennessee. 

Obstetrics — Dr.  Garnette  W.  Johnson,  Danville,  Virginia. 

Ophthalmology,  Laryngology  and  Otology — Dr.  Burton 
Haseltine,  122  South  Michigan  Boulevard,  Chicago,  111. 

Pedology — Dr.  Martha  C.  Burritt,  1855  Calvert  Street,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. 

Homoeopathy  and  Propagandism — Dr.  J.  L.  Jennings,  Dan- 
ville, Virginia. 

Local  Committees. 

Reports  from  Bureau  Chairmen  indicate  much  interest  con- 
cerning the  Annual  Meeting,  which  will  be  held  in  Washington, 
D.  C,  October  24,  25,  26,  1917.  A  number  of  papers  illustrated 
by  lantern  slides  or  demonstrated  otherwise  have  been  prom- 
ised. Some  important  matters  related  to  the  medical  profession 
and  of  great  moment  to  the  country  at  this  juncture  will  be  dis- 
cussed by  men  experienced  in  those  affairs.  Arrangements  are 
being  made  for  clinics  to  be  held  before  the  Society, 

Washington  is  usually  an  attractive  place  for  gathering  con- 
ventional bodies,  but  Washington  in  war  time  is  more  than  ever 
interesting.  A  record  attendance  is  expected  at  this  meeting 
and  a  special  effort  is  being  made  to  bring  out  a  full  quota  of 
Southern  physicians. 

The  great  need  for  an  increased  number  of  honoeopathic  phy- 
sicians in  the  South  will  receive  especial  attention  at  this  meet- 
ing. The  Executive  Committee  is  gathering  data  concerning 
this  need  and  formulating  a  plan  whereby  continued  and  in- 
creasing effort  may  be   made  to  bring  more   Southern   men   to 


316  Shall  We  Use  Anti-Toxin. 

homoeopathic  colleges  for  their  education,  expecting,  thereby,  to 
increase  the  number  who  will  practice  Homoeopathy  South  of 
Mason  and  Dixon's  line.  As  a  part  of  this  plan,  it  is  desired 
by  active  members  of  the  Association  to  hold  the  Annual  Meet- 
ing of  1918  in  the  heart  of  the  South.  It  is  hoped  to  have  avail- 
able at  the  next  meeting,  invitations  from  several  Southern 
cities. 

Frank  A.  Swartwout,  M.  D  , 
Secretary  Southern  Homoeopathic  Med.  Asso. 


SHALL  WE   USE  ANTI-TOXINE   IN  PREFERENCE 

TO    THE    INDICATED    HOMCEOPATHIC 

REMEDY. 

Editor  of  the  Homceopathic  Recorder. 

I  have  been  graduated  twenty-four  years  and  have  practiced 
Homoeopathy  twenty-three  years,  or  since  my  graduation  in 
Homoeopathy.  (I  graduated  at  an  Allopathic  school  first.)  I 
have  never  had  a  death  from  diphtheria  or  any  other  kind  of  a 
sore  throat  and  I  have  never  used  anti-toxine  and  I  never  will 
if  I  can  get  out  of  it.  If  any  of  the  users  of  anti-toxine  can 
show  as  good  a  record  for  as  many  years'  practice,  let  them  step 
out  front  and  speak  out?  Naturally  in  that  many  years  I  have 
had  some  pretty  bad  cases  of  diphtheria,  and  I  have  had  some 
pretty  bad  looking  sore  throats  to  treat,  which  were  not  diph- 
theria, but  which  some  doctors  would  have  diagnosed  as  such, 
squirted  in  the  juice,  regardless  of  bad  after  effects,  collected 
the  extra  fee  and  told  all  over  town  of  the  bad  case  of  diph- 
theria they  had  cured. 

I  will  acknowledge  that  I  did  see  anti-toxine  used  once,  just 
once ;  I  had  been  called  in  consultation  on  a  bad  case  of  laryn- 
geal diphtheria,  fifteen  years  ago,  which  had  been  diagnosed  by 
a  young  doctor  as  tonsilitis  and  treated  as  such  for  several  days, 
the  child  steadily  growing  worse.  When  I  saw  her  I  told  him 
the  patient  could  not  live  longer  than  two  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, it  being  almost  midnight  then.  The  child's  father  ex- 
pressed a  wish  that  anti-toxine  should  be  used.  We  got  it  and 
the  doctor  injected  it.  The  child  collapsed  immediately  and  he 
resorted  to  artificial   respiration  or  she  would  have  died  then. 


Shall  We  Use  Anti-Toxin.  317 

However,  twenty  minutes  after  the  administration  of  the  anti- 
toxine  she  was  dead.  I  do  not  think  she  would  have  lived  more 
than  an  hour  longer  if  she  had  not  received  the  injection.  In  that 
case  the  anti-toxine  did  some  good,  for  I  believe  that  it  shortened 
her  sufferings. 

I  had  never  passed  a  State  Examining  Board  and  a  few 
years  ago,  December,  19 10,  I  believe,  I  was  visiting  in  another 
State  and  it  happened  that  the  State  Board  was  in  session.  I 
thought  I  might  at  some  time  wish  to  move  from  Pennsylvania 
and  it  would  be  nice  to  have  a  State  Board  certificate,  so  I  took 
the  examination.  Having  been  graduated  some  years,  they 
gave  me  an  oral,  by  a  committee  of  three,  two  Allopaths  and 
one  poor  little  Homoeopath.  The  examination  was  practical  and 
not  difficult  to  pass  for  one  who  was  fight  in  the  harness.  The 
chairman,  among  other  things,  asked  me:  "Doctor,  what  dose 
of  anti-toxine  would  you  use?"  A  few  days  before  I  had  read 
somewhere  that  the  dose  was  six  thousand  units.  So  I  told  him 
that  and  he  said :  "Yes,"  and  began  to  ask  me  the  next  ques- 
tion. I  interrupted  him:  "But  I  have  not  answered  your  ques- 
tion.'' He  said:  "Yes,  your  answer  was  correct."  I  replied: 
"No,  you  asked  me  what  dose  /  would  use.  I  would  not  use 
any,  I  would  depend  on  my  homoeopathic  remedies."  He  looked 
disgusted  and  said :  "Now  look  here,  you're  not  a  Homoeopath, 
are  you?"  I  assured  him  that  I  was,  most  certainly.  Then  he 
asked  the  Homoeopath  on  the  committee  if  he  used  anti-toxine 
and  he  acknowledged  that  he  did.  He  was  small  enough  to  be- 
gin with,  but  that  made  him  look  a  little  smaller  in  my  eyes 
than  he  had  looked  before.  I  turned  to  him  and  said :  "Isn't 
that  a  nice  way  to  practice  Homoeopathy?"  He  cringed,  but 
could  not  offer  an  answer.  We  had  a  general  discussion  of  the 
subject  then,  but  none  of  them  could  combat  my  argument  that 
I  must  be  right,  as  I  had  never  had  a  death  from  diphtheria  or 
any  other  sore  throat. 

I  supposed  they  would  try  to  flunk  me  for  it,  but  they  passed 
me  all   right. 

The  remedies  I  usually  use  and  rely  most  on  in  treating 
diphtheria  are :  Belladonna  3x.  Merc.  jod.  rub.  2x  or  3X,  and 
Phytolacca    ix.     Other   remedies   as   indicated.      If   we   will   in- 


318         Treatment  Wanted  for  the  Anti-Toxin  Diseases. 

dividualize  our  cases,  not  only  diphtheria,  but  every  other  dis- 
ease, and  treat  that  particular  patient  and  not  the  disease  in 
general,  we  will  get  better  and  quicker  results  and  make  more 
friends  for  ourselves  and  Homoeopathy  than  by  giving  some 
crude  drug,  or  an  anti-toxine  which  has  been  recommended  for 
that  disease  in  general. 

The  curse  of  Homoeopathy  at  the  present  moment  and  what  I 
believe  is  doing  more  to  kill  it  than  anything  else  is  the  teaching 
in  some  of  our  so-called  homoeopathic  colleges.  It  is  an  actual 
fact  that  some  time  ago  I  received  a  reprint  of  an  address  de- 
livered before  a  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society,  in  Boston,  I 
think,  by  the  professor  of  medicine  in  one  of  our  homoeopathic 
colleges,  on  the  merits  of  Phenol  in  some  disease,  typhoid  fever, 
I  think.  With  all  the  grand  array  of  homoeopathic  remedies 
suitable  to  curing  typhoid  fever  why  does  any  man  want  to  fool 
with  a  crude  drug?  Xo  wonder  the  college  he  is  connected 
with  is  having  a  hard  fight  for  existence.  Either  he  should  be 
put  out  of  the  faculty  or  the  homoeopathic  profession  of  the 
country  should  put  that  school  out  of  the  business  by  refusing 
to  send  them  students  or  to  aid  them  in  any  way  whatever. 

For  my  part,  I  guarantee  that  I  will  not  throw  anything  their 
way  as  long  as  that  man  teaches  in  their  school. 

E.  P.  C. 


TREATMENT  WANTED   FOR  THE   ANTI- 
TOXIN DISEASE. 

Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 

I  have  quite  an  interesting  case  on  hand  and  would  be  glad 
to  hear  from  others  as  to  their  treatment  of  similar  cases  and 
the  final  results. 

Mrs.  M..  set.  43.  hard  nodular  lump  appeared  in  right  breast 
at  right  of  nipple  after  an  injection  of  "antitoxin"  in  the  breast. 

The  swelling  and  pain  became  unbearable  and  patient  was  re- 
lieved of  $200.00  worth  by  a  cancer  specialist  by  the  torture 
method  of  plasters.  Since  then  the  lump  has  returned  and  is 
now  about  the  size  of  a  duck  egg.  Nipple  retracted.  Under  ap- 
plications Wine  of  Phytolacca  it  seems  to  be  decreasing  in  size 
and  swelling  is  leaving  the  rest  of  the  breast. 

I  am  giving  Conium  internally. 


Plantation  Medicine.  319 

The  three  daughters  got  an  injection  in  their  breasts  at  the 
same  time  and  each  has  a  lump  at  the  site  of  operation. 

The  youngest  is  nine  years  of  age  and  has  suffered  from 
chronic  tonsillitis  and  swelling  of  the  glands  of  the  neck  which 
have  the  same  nodular  form  as  that  of  the  breast. 

If  any  of  the  brethren  have  been  able  to  completely  eradicate 
the  results  of  such  antitoxin  administration  I  should  be  very 
glad  to  know  of  their  line  of  remedies. 

H.  G.  Colby  Bond.  M.  D. 

Dewey,  Okla.,  June  7,   191 7. 


PLANTATION    MEDICINE. 
By  Dr.  Blanke. 

One  hot  day,  in  the  shade  of  the  old  barn,  Dr.  Mallard  Ducke 
and  the  eminent  Professor  Grave  Goose  were  discussing  the 
problem  of  the  prevention  of  disease  and.  for  a  wonder,  that 
smart  Alec,  Bantam  Rooster,  attentively  listened.  Very  learn- 
edly Dr.  Mallard  Ducke  explained  the  science  of  the  prophy- 
laxis. "When  he  had  concluded  the  Professor  remarked,  and,  it 
must  be  admitted,  in  an  irritatingly  superior  tone,  "I  see.  my 
dear  doctor,  that  your  science  has  got  within  sight  of  true  sci- 
ence. You  give  a  disease  to  prevent  the  same  disease  that  you 
give.  Real  scientists  have  known  this  for  centuries,  namely,  that 
'the  lightning  never  strikes  twice  in  the  same  place.'  to  quote 
one  of  our  well  established  maxims." 

At  this  the  Doctor  got  hot  and  retorted,  "We  demonstrate 
the  truth  of  some  of  your  too  often  idle  theories !" 

"Yes,"  calmly  replied  the  Professor,  "you  people  merely  con- 
firm our  science  and  then  you  strut  about  as  discoverers.  Dis- 
coverers!" 

"Sir!"  bristled   the   Doctor. 

"I  have  said  it,"  came  back  the  Professor. 

Just  here,  before  a  scrap  eventuated  Bantam  called  out  from 
above,  on  the  old  wagon-tongue,  where  he  was  perched,  "Say. 
youse  guys !  You  can't  make  the  lightning  strike  nor  youse 
can't  dodge  it  when  it  does.  Neither  do  youse  know  why  it 
strikes,  so,  Doc,  what's  the  use  of  makin'  artificial  lightnin'  to 


320  A  Stalwart  Iconoclast  on  Tuberculosis. 

hit  a  feller  to  stop  the  real  thing,  seeitr  as  you  and  the  Prof, 
don't  know  nuttin  about  the  whole  thing?*' 

At  this  the  two  scientists  wrathfully  looked  at  Bantam,  but 
as  he  was  mostly  feathers  and  could  ascend  to  the  top  of  the 
barn,  while  they  were  so  portly  they  could  not  get  up  to  the 
wagon-tongue,  or  catch  him  by  any  means,  they  merely  glared 
for  a  moment  at  the  fresh  one.  Then  said  the  Doctor,  "We  can- 
not discuss  scientific  subjects  with  the  riff-raff." 

"No,"  replied  the  Professor,  "let  us  pass  by  in  silent  con- 
tempt," which  they  did. 


A  STALWART   ICONOCLAST  ON  TUBERCULOSIS. 

It  was  written  by  Dr.  \Y.  R.  D.  Blackwood,  852  N.  23d  St., 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  for  the  Southern  Clinic,  Richmond,  Ya. : 

"My  good  friend,  Bryce,  has  asked  my  opinion  concerning  the 
communicability  of  tuberculosis,  and  here  it  is :  With  an  experi- 
ence of  almost  sixty  years  in  army,  hospital,  and  private  practice 
in  this  and  other  lands,  including  that  of  two  great  hospitals,  I 
should  know  something  about  the  matter,  and  I  think  I  do.  Of 
course,  I  have  taken  all  proper  precautions  against  spreading 
the  malady,  such  as  isolation,  disinfection,  antisepsis,  and  other 
precautions  against  transfer.  But  patients  will  not.  always,  act 
as  we  tell  them  to  do.  even  for  their  personal  benefit,  hence  I 
have  had  plenty  of  chance  to  know  the  ins  and  outs  of  this 
question.  I  have  had  many  cases  where  the  other  members  of  the 
family  slept  or  roomed  with  the  patient,  such  as  boarding-school 
children,  wives  and  husbands,  nurses  and  caretakers,  physicians 
and  undertakers,  and  other  combinations  which  gave  people  ex- 
cellent chances  to  catch  the  trouble,  but  up  till  the  time  of  com- 
mencing this  paper  I  have  not  seen  a  solitary  instance  of  one 
taking  tubercular  disease  from  some  one  else.  In  view  of  all 
these  conditions  I  do  not  believe  that  tuberculosis  is  infectious, 
contagious,  or  portagious ;  in  other  words,  it  cannot  be  trans- 
ferred by  looking  or  talking  to  a  consumptive,  getting  into  close 
contact  with  one,  or  carrying  the  malady  from  place  to  place,  as  is 
the  case  in  scarlatina  or  small-pox. 

"The  whole  explanation  of  the  craze  as  to   Tuberculin   as  a 


Book  Reviews.  321 

preventive  is  precisely  that  of  the  farrago  of  antitoxins,  serums, 
and  the  other  frauds.  Producers  who  have  millions  invested  in 
factories  sending  out  these  humbugs  must  get  their  money  back 
with  usurious  profits  from  such  dupes  as  they  can  influence 
through  lying  advertisements,  reports  from  subsidized  doctors, 
druggists,  and  preachers  (who  will,  in  company  with  congress- 
men, certify  to  anything),  and  through  such  boosting  the  credu- 
lous and  ignorant  public  is  stung. 

"The  whole  business  is  based  on  superstition,  quackery  and 
robbery. 

"Dr.  Bryce  has  said  that  I  speak  out  plainly  without  caring 
what  others  think  about  my  lucubrations,  and  he  is  right.  The 
probability  is  that  many  or  all  my  readers  may  not  agree  with 
these  views,  but  I  can't  help  that.  What  do  you  think  about  it, 
my  eminent  friend  Bryce?" 


BOOK  REVIEWS. 


Botanic  Drugs.  Their  Materia  Medica,  Pharmacology  and 
Therapeutics.  By  Thomas  S.  Blair,  M.  D.,  Editor  [Medical 
Council;  Author  of  "Public  Hygiene,"  "A  Practitioner's 
Handbook  of  Materia  Medica  and  Therapeutics,"  and 
"Pocket  Therapeutics ;"  formerly  Neurologist  to  Harrisburg 
(Pa.)  Hospital.  Large  type,  fully  indexed,  394  pages.  Price, 
$2.00.  Cincinnati.  Therapeutic  Digest  Pub.  Co.  1917- 
(Also  on  sale  homoeopathic  pharmacies.) 

This  is  a  brave  attempt  to  turn  the  profession  away  from  the 
products  of  the  chemical  factories,  the  biologic  products  of  the 
laboratories,  and  to  lead  it  back  to  the  old  time  drugs  from  the 
work-shop  of  Nature — back  to  Abies  and  Zingiber,  quoting 
the  first  drug  named  on  page  63  and  the  last  one  on  page  352, 
with  possibly  200  between.  Here  is  a  quotation  from  the 
Preface : 

"As  between  the  empiricism  of  much  which  passes  muster  as 
'clinical  experience,'  and  the  dogmatism  of  the  more  militant 
school  of  laboratory  pharmacologists,  much  untilled  ground  lies 
in  the  field  of  botanic  remedial  agents.  This  book  will  make  an 
effort  to  till  that  srround.  as  far  as  one  book  maw" 


322  Book  Reviews. 

It  seems  to  the  reviewer  that  the  author  does  not  comprehend 
the  work  of  Hahnemann  for  he  writes :  "In  fact,  from  yEgineta 
and  the  medieval  European  writers  Hahnemann  took  the  greater 
part  of  his  remedies,  accepting  their  nomenclature  and  much 
of  their  data.  In  fact,  outside  of  the  botanic  field,  oyster  shells, 
graphite,  lachesis,  sepia,  burnt  sponge  and  other  'peculiar'  rem- 
edies of  sectarian  medicine  were  also  described  in  ancient  and 
medieval  books."  That  may  be  so,  with  the  possible  exception 
of  Lachesis,  but  Dr.  Blair  forgets  that  the  effects  of  these,  and 
the  botanic  drugs,  were  tested  on  healthy  human  beings  and 
it  is  this  fact  that  constitutes  the  great  value  of  Hahnemann's 
work  and  causes  it  to  stand  very  distinctly  apart  and  above  all 
other  in  this  field,  i.  e.,  materia  medica  apart  from  the  great 
therapeutic  law,  which  only  makes  materia  medica  of  any  real 
value. 

One  very  commendable  feature  of  this  book  is  the  insistence 
on  the  fresh,  or  green,  plant  tincture.  "Fermentative  changes 
ruin  some  plant  structures,  and  microorganisms  proliferate  very 
rapidly  in  others."  "I  know  of  no  form  of  the  drug,"  Cactus, 
"which  retains  its  integrity  except  that  made  from  recent  ma- 
terial placed  in  strong  alcohol  and  kept  strongly  alcoholic  as  a 
finished  product." 

In  short,  without  saying  so,  the  author  advocates  the  Hahne- 
mannian  fresh  plant  tinctures.  Here  is  a  striking  comment: 
"Cheap  fluid  extracts  are  the  real  basis  for  a  lot  of  therapeutic 
nihilism."  He  also  remarks  that  "there  are  many  uncertain 
alkaloids  and  other  proximates,  even  as  there  are  certain  crude 
botanic  drugs."  So  it  seems  (and  this  is  from  a  "Regular") 
that  the  fresh  plant  tincture  from  the  true  plant  is  that  only 
which   the  physician   should   administer. 

The  drugs  are  handled,  taking  Abies  as  a  model,  by  first  giv- 
ing their  source  and  what  is  known  of  their  various  prepara- 
tions if  there  is  more  than  one,  followed  by  their  pharmacology, 
therapeutics  and,  finally,  administration.  You  will  find  the  book 
a  useful  addition  to  your  works  of  reference,  as  it  gives  the  al- 
lopathic view  and  use  of  very  many  of  our  drugs. 


Dr.  W.  H.  Haerchette,  Sioux  City,  la.,  remarks  that  Sulphur 
and  Calcarca  carb.  are  peculiarly  valuable  for  mouth  breathing 
children. 


Specialists'    Department.  323 

THE  SPECIALISTS'  DEPARTMENT. 


EDITED   BY  CLIFFORD   MITCHELL,   M.   D. 
25  East  Washington  St.,  Chicago,  111. 

OUR  CONTRIBUTORS. 

We  are  pleased  to  insert  an  article  in  this  issue  from  Dr.  H. 
O.  Skinner,  pediatrist,  of  St.  Paul.  Minn.,  and  to  excerpt  a  paper 
by  Dr.  H.  P.  Skiles,  of  Chicago,,  on  Insanity.  Dr.  Skinner  writes 
on  the  feeding  of  babies  in  a  practical  way,  which  should  be  of 
great  help  to  those  interested  in  the  care  of  children. 

IXFAXT  FEEDIXG  SIMPLIFIED. 

DR.    H.    O.    SKIXXER. 

The  artificial  feeding  of  infants,  usually  considered  so  com- 
plicated, may  be  made  very  simple  and  the  following  schema, 
varied  slightly  to  meet  individual  requirements,  has  been  my 
mainstay  for  a  number  of  years. 

The  requirements  are  a  knowledge  of  quantity  and  composi- 
tion. 

Quantity  of  food  required  is  determined  thus :  the  number 
of  feedings  (5  to  7,  one  each  at  6,  9,  12  A.  M.,  3.  6  P.  M.,  and 
one  or  two  at  night)  is  multiplied  by  the  amount  given  at  each 
feeding  (1  to  2  oz.  more  than  the  age  of  the  baby  in  months). 

Composition  considers  the  nutritive  principles  of  milk  and 
sugar  with  water  or  barley  water  enough  to  make  up  the  total 
amount  required. 

Milk,  whole.  1  to  2  ozs.  daily  for  each  pound  of  the  baby's 
weight. 

Note:  begin  with  only  1/4  to  1/3  milk  and  more  or  less  slowly 
increase  to  the  amount  required  by  the  above  schedule. 

The  best  milk  is  Holstein,  the  poorest,  Jersey  or  Guernsey. 
Herd  milk  is  better  than  one  cow  milk.  Cream  is  not  well  toler- 
ated. Too  much  is  evidenced  by  sourness,  vomiting,  curdy  ap- 
pearance of  stools  and  usually  constipation.  Remedy,  skim  the 
milk. 


324  Specialists'   Department. 

Sugar,  roughly,  as  much  as  can  be  tolerated,  beginning  with 
y2  02.  and  working  gradually  up  to  2  ozs.  daily. 

Malt  sugar  (dextri-maltose)  is  usually  best  tolerated,  but  will 
not  agree  with  vomiting  babies  for  whom  milk  sugar  is  best. 
Cane  sugar  is  the  sweetest,  but  worst  tolerated.  Intolerance  is 
shown  by  gas,  chafing  and  diarrhoea. 

Diluent. — Plain  water  is  good,  barley  water  (2  to  4  teaspoon- 
fuls  barley  flour,  in  1  pint  water,  boiled  fifteen  minutes,  replac- 
ing water  of  evaporation)  is  better.  Oatmeal  water  (made  by 
substituting  tablespoonful  of  oat  meal  for  teaspoonful  of  bar- 
ley flour)  is  said  to  be  somewhat  laxative,  but  in  my  experience 
is  no  better  than  barley  water. 

Lime  water  (1  part  to  15  or  20  of  formula)  in  case  of  nor- 
mal babies  or  milk  of  magnesia  (1  to  4  teaspoonfuls  daily)  for 
constipated  babies,  added  to  the  day's  milk  mixture  seems  to 
make  it  more  digestible. 

If  necessary  to  boil  milk,  do  so  after  adding  the  water,  but  be- 
fore adding  the  sugar  or  alkali. 

On  occasion  of  changing  the  strength  of  formula,  decrease 
very  rapidly,  but  increase  very  slowTly  and  cautiously. 

Weigh  baby  every  week,  as  weight  is  the  only  criterion  for 
growth  and  is  necessary  in  fitting  the  baby's  food  to  its  needs. 

The  baby  should  be  wakened  if  asleep  at  feeding  time  and  fed 
nothing  between  times  but  water. 

The  baby  should  receive  normally  about  40  calories  per  pound 
per  day.  The  value  of  any  mixture  can  be  figured  from  the  fol- 
lowing food  values :  1  oz.  milk,  20  calories ;  1  oz.  sugar,  any 
kind,  120  calories;  1  oz.  barley  water  (2  teaspoonfuls  of  the 
flour),  2  calories. 

THE  PHYSICAL  CAUSES  OF  INSANITY. 

DR.   H.    P.   SKILES. 

(The  following  is  an  excerpt  from  a  paper  read  by  Dr.  Skiles 
before  the  Chicago  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society,  in  April, 
1917)  : 

The  idea  that  insanity  is  a  mental  disease,  and  primarily  from 
the  brain,  would  naturally  follow  Brokaw's  announcement  in 
1861,  that  the  brain  is  the  center  of  the  nervous  system;  and 
he  had  discovered  the  area  where  words  were  kept. 


Specialists'    Department.  325 

Some  light  has  been  thrown  on  this  subject  during  the  past 
twenty-five  years.  There  is  scarcely  any  difference  of  opinion  at 
present  in  regard  to  mental  diseases  which  are  primarily  located 
in  the  brain'  and  which  are  manifested  by  a  number  of  de- 
mentias. 

These  are  trauma  of  the  skull  which  produces  pressure  on  the 
brain,  blood  clots,  tumors  of  the  brain,  and  paresis  which  is  pro- 
duced by  syphilis.  These,  as  we  understand  it,  cover  all  the 
causes  of  dementias  directly  from  the  brain.  The  percentage  of 
insanity  from  these  is  small  in  comparison  to  the  remaining 
mass  of  insane  as  exist  at  the  present  time. 

I  presume  that  it  is  known  not  only  to  all  medical  men,  but 
also  to  many  of  the  laity,  that  an  infection  occurring  anywhere 
on  the  body,  or  in  the  body,  may  produce  a  condition  so  serious 
that  it  may  cause  delusions,  delirium  and  death ;  and  yet  an 
autopsy  in  the  great  majority  of  these  cases  will  show  no  path- 
ology in  the  brain,  more  than  we  would  have  in  a  typhoid  or 
pneumonia  case.  It  is  common  for  abnormal  mental  phenomena 
to  be  observed  in  many  of  the  acute  diseases,  but,  as  a  rule,  nor- 
mal mentality  returns  as  soon  as  convalescence  is  complete.  The 
beginning  of  some  rare  cases  of  insanity  has  been  traced  back 
to  one  or  more  of  the  acute  diseases. 

>k  -%  >k  &  * 

Among  a  number  of  cases  cured  by  the  practical  application 
of  his  theory  of  physical  causes  of  insanity  Dr.  Skiles  cites  the 
following : 

"One  case,  a  Miss  S.,  nineteen  years  of  age,  high  school  grad- 
uate, daughter  of  a  well  to  do  farmer,  who  had  been  working 
during  the  summer  of  1909  as  an  assistant  to  the  county  re- 
corder in  the  county  in  which  she  lived,  suddenly  lost  conscious- 
ness of  herself  and  her  surroundings.  She  was  kept  at  home 
for  several  weeks  and  was  then  brought  to  the  Garfield  Park 
Sanitarium  about  the  middle  of  September.  She  could  not  tell 
anything  about  herself,  not  even  her  name  or  home.  She  was 
kept  under  surveillance,  and  closely  observed.  At  the  end  of  two 
weeks  she  was  placed  under  an  anaesthetic  and  examined  as  to 
her  physical  condition.  We  found  an  erosion  of  the  entire  cer- 
vix uteri,  strawberry  in  color,  with  a  cervicitis.  The  entire  cer- 
vix was  treated  with  silver  nitrate,  the  cervix  was  dilated  and 


326  Specialists'    Department. 

nitrate  of  silver  applied  internally  to  the  endometrium.  The 
rectum  was  also  examined,  the  hood  of  the  clitoris  was  pushed 
back  and  cleaned  of  small  particles  of  smegma  after  which  the 
treatment  was  applied  to  the  cervix  for  several  w^eks  or  until 
the  parts  assumed  a  normal  complexion.  By  the  end  of  No- 
vember she  had  improved  so  that  she  could  be  taken  out  to  walk 
short  distances  and  by  the  middle  of  December  she  was  able  to 
walk  three  or  four  miles  without  fatigue.  Since  her  discharge 
in  January,  1910,  she  has  had  no  relapse." 

CLINICAL  URINOLOGY  AND  RENAL  DISEASES. 

CLIFFORD   MITCHELL.    M.   D. 

An  Interesting  Case. — There  are  so  many  causes  of  albuminuria 
and  the  condition  is  often  so  extremely  obscure  that  an  attempt  at 
a  diagnosis  should  not  be  made  without  the  most  serious  consid- 
eration of  every  case.  The  following  is  instructive,  as  it  illus- 
trates the  desirability  of  not  jumping  at  conclusions : 

Patient,  43,  of  good  family  history,  applied  for  life  insurance 
early  in  19 17,  when  it  was  discovered  that  he  had  albumin  and 
tube  casts  in  his  urine.  He  went  about  from  one  laboratory  to 
another  receiving  stereotyped  reports  of  per  cent,  of  albumin 
and  kind  of  casts  without  suggestion  as  to  the  meaning  or  cause 
of  same  until  finally  he  was  referred  to  the  writer  for  an  in- 
vestigation as  to  the  pathology.  I  found  that  in  1907  he  had 
what  was  called  acute  nephritis,  though  no  oedema  was  present. 
His  principal  symptom  at  that  time  was  weakness,  chiefly  felt  in 
the  knees.  He  was  dieted  and  treated  for  nephritis  for  two 
months,  at  the  end  of  which  time  albumin  had  disappeared  from 
his  urine  and  analyses  made  every  six  months  afterwards  for 
some  years  failed  to  show  any  return  of  the  albuminuria. 

He  presented  no  history  of  syphilis,  had  had  no  tonsillitis  or 
sore  throat,  there  had  been  no  skin  troubles,  no  haemorrhoids,  no 
hernia,  no  disturbances  of  hearing  or  of  sight.  His  blood  press- 
ure was  128-90,  his  pulse  and  temperature  normal.  There  was 
no  afternoon  temperature  nor  acceleration  of  the  pulse.  Patient 
wras  a  married  man  of  good  habits.  He  had  never  had  oedema 
nor  any  swelling  anywhere  in  the  body. 

The  condition  of  the  heart  appeared   good,  the  only   abnor- 


Specialists'   Department.  327 

mality  detected  being  a  slight  accentuation  of  the  aortic  second 
sound.     He  felt  well  and  had  no  contplaints. 

The  writer  caused  him  to  collect  the  urine  for  24  hours  in 
three  periods  of  eight  hours  each,  kept  in  a  cool  place.  He  was 
also  given  directions  for  making  the  test  for  kidney  function  de- 
scribed in  the  recent  issues  of  the  Recorder,  namely,  by  drink- 
ing (after  fasting)  one  pint  of  cold  water,  etc.  His  kidney 
function  was  found  to  be  practically  perfect,  as  he  voided  all  the 
water,  according  to  the  Albarran  test,  in  less  than  two  hours 
after  drinking  it.  Careful  tests  for  albumin  in  his  urine  failed 
to  discover  the  presence  of  any  albumin  at  all. 

A  natural  conclusion  in  a  case  like  this  would  be  that  either 
there  was  a  flaw  somewhere  in  the  work  of  previous  attending 
physicians  or  else  that  he  might  be  one  of  those  peculiar  indi- 
viduals who  manifest  cyclic  albuminuria. 

The  ordinary  examination  for  tube  casts  in  this  case  was 
negative,  but  our  instinct  was  that  tube  casts  should  be  found. 

Accordingly  we  "got  after"  the  urine  with  re-centrifugation, 
until  the  scanty  sediment  began  to  increase  in  amount.  After 
several  re-centrifugations  we  were  able  to  demonstrate  two  typi- 
cal casts  of  the  hyaline  variety  and  as  one  of  them  contained 
fat  droplets  we  felt  repaid  for  our  work. 

It  has  been  argued  that  too  much  centrifugation  will  destroy 
casts,  but,  on  the  contrary,  the  only  way  we  are  able  to  find 
casts  in  those  difficult  urines  which  deposit  practically  no  sedi- 
ment in  three  to  five  minutes  is  to  re-centrifuge  until  sufficient 
sediment  is  collected  to  be  visible  to  the  naked  eye. 

Hence  in  the  case  above  described  we  concluded  that  the 
patient  was  suffering  from  slight  chronic  parenchymatous  ne- 
phritis with  slight  acute  exacerbations,  one  of  which  occurred 
about  the  time  he  applied  for  life  insurance. 

Such  a  patient  might  easily  pass  for  life  insurance  between 
exacerbations. 

The  Danger  of  Water-Drinking. — There  is  danger  in  drinking 
water  even  when  the  water  is  perfectly  pure.  This  statement, 
however,  can  not  be  used  as  comforting  by  the  ''wets."  The 
danger  in  drinking  water  is  that  you  may  fool  your  analyst. 
The  following  will  illustrate  :     On  the  25th  of  April  a  specimen 


328  Specialists'    Department. 

of  urine  was  sent  to  the  writer  for  analysis.  It  was  without 
information  regarding  time  #when  voided,  etc.,  but  being  of  light 
color  and  low  specific  gravity  the  writer  was  suspicious  of  it  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  albumin  tests  were  absolutely  negative. 
The  routine  microscopic  examination  failed  to  find  tube  casts, 
but  our  instinct  was  that  casts  should  be  found,  so  after  some 
little  trouble  we  managed  to  find  a  few  hyaline  ones.  The  next 
step  was  to  persuade  the  patient  to  collect  the  urine  according  to 
the  writer's  card  of  directions,  which  was  accomplished  finally 
after  some  weeks. 

The  24  hours'  urine  collected  in  three  periods  of  eight  hours 
each  showed  a  frothy  liquid  in  which  albumin  in  quantity  easily 
determined  by  the  Esbach  tube  was  present  in  all  specimens  and 
the  most  hurried  examination  for  casts  found  them  without 
trouble ! 

The  rage  for  water  drinking  to  flush  out  the  kidneys  has  been 
animadverted  upon  in  this  department  several  times.  Xot  that 
water  drinking  is  a  bad  thing  in  the  abstract,  but  it  is  sometimes 
possible  to  drink  water  enough  before  voiding  urine  to  con- 
ceal what  the  analyst  wants  to  find. 

As  we  are  writing  this  article  we  can  hardly  help  wondering 
how  many  years  will  elapse  before  the  laity  finds  out  ''what  is 
what"  in  urine  analysis. 

How  to  Collect  Urine  for  Analysis. — Inasmuch  as  no  one  is 
writing  much  about  the  urine,  wThile  at  the  same  time  there  is 
the  most  crying  need  for  instruction  both  of  the  profession  and 
of  the  public  in  regard  to  the  importance  of  collecting  and  pre- 
serving the  urine  properly  before  an  analysis  is  undertaken,  we 
feel  it  incumbent  upon  ourselves  to  print  our  latest  instructions 
as  to  the  collection  and  preservation  of  urine.  That  these  in- 
structions are  practical  we  do  not  claim,  for  experience  shows 
they  are  most  unpractical.  No  one  in  these  days  will,  as  a  rale, 
take  the  trouble  to  find  out  whether  he  is  getting  his  money's 
worth  or  not,  hence  any  one  whose  mission  it  is  to  save  both 
money  and  life  for  others  is  likely  not  to  enjoy  the  vocation. 
However,  for  the  benefit  of  the  few  who  really  like  to  make  a 
"good  job"  even  of  collecting  urine  we  submit  the  following: 

Provide  three  clean  bottles  each  of  a  pint  or  more  in  capacity. 
Divide  the  24  hours  into  three  periods,  as  follows : 


Specialists'    Department.  329 

1.  Noon  to  bed-time. 

2.  During  night  and  on  rising. 

3.  Breakfast  to  noon. 

Collect  and  furnish  the  entire  urine  of  each  period  in  a  bottle 
by  itself,  tightly  corked  and  kept  on  ice,  or  in  a  cool  place. 

When  for  any  reason  the  whole  24  hours'  urine  cannot  be 
supplied,  furnish  at  least  a  pint  with  full  information. 

Begin  the  collection  on  an  empty  bladder;  take  no  drags,  and 
drink  no  more  than  necessary  to  quench  the  thirst. 

If  the  urine  is  sent  from  out  of  town,  add  to  each  bottle  a 
fragment  of  gum  camphor  about  the  size  of  a  bean. 

Label  the  specimens  and  ship  without  delay  the  entire  amount 
of  urine  collected  in  24  hours.  Do  not  send  from  out  of  town 
so  as  to  arrive  late  Saturday,  or  on  Sunday  or  on  a  holiday. 

Advise  whether  parcel  post  or  express  is  used  for  shipping, 
and  if  express,  by  what  company  shipped. 

Our  Diabetic  Clinic. — During  the  winter  of  1916-1917  we 
treated  in  our  clinic  quite  a  number  of  cases  of  diabetes  mellitus 
with  results  which  serve  to  strengthen  our  belief  in  the  import- 
ance of  the  bowel  function  in  diabetes.  When  we  began  our 
service  in  this  clinic  nearly  all  the  patients  complained  bitterly 
of  aches  and  pains,  which  they  attributed  to  many  causes  of  no 
bearing  so  far  as  we  could  see.  When  we  completed  our  ser- 
vice in  the  spring  of  1917  practically  all  of  the  patients  were 
symptomatically  well,  the  reason  being  that  we  pay  as  much 
attention  to  the  constipation  of  diabetics  as  to  the  diet  or  any- 
thing else.  It  is  useless  to  prescribe  a  dietary  for  diabetics  when 
the  bowels  are  not  functioning  properly.  While  the  sugar  may 
be  diminished  by  careful  diet,  if  the  urine  shows  indican 
the  patient  will  be  depressed  and  full  of  complaints.  If  you  are 
to  win  the  gratitude  of  the  diabetic  patient,  you  must  get  his 
bowels  open.  This  seems  elementary  advice  but  judging  from 
the  constipated  condition  of  the  ambulatory  cases  seen  in  clinics 
the  bowel  attention  given  them  previously  can  not  have  been 
sufficient.  Occasional  doses  of  salts  or  the  taking  of  pills  when- 
ever patients  can  remember  it  or  afford  to  procure  the  articles, 
coupled  with  the  insane  idea  that  diet  in  diabetes  means  meat 
plus  gluten  bread,  leads  to  a  pitiable  condition  of  indicanuria  and 


330  Specialists'   Department. 

toxemia,  which  in  time  is  likely  to  terminate  in  an  incurable  and 
frightful  neuritis.  Some  of  the  most  agonizing  cases  of  neuritis 
ever  seen  by  the  writer  have  been  in  old  cases  of  diabetes.  Such 
neuritis  should  be  a  warning  to  all  to  keep  down  the  indican  in 
the  urine  of  diabetics  by  a  vegetable  diet  principally  and  by  care- 
ful and  regular  daily  attention  to  the  bowel  function. 


Dr.  G.  W.  McBean,  Chicago  (Jour.  A.  I.  H.)  finds  Agaricus 
ix  the  remedy  for  muscular  inco-ordination,  twitching  or  nicta- 
tion of  the  eyelids,  and  also  for  excessive  stuttering  of  children. 
Thuja  6  for  warts  and  papilloma.  Phytolacca  6  io  drop  doses 
every  two  hours  for  acute  tonsillitis  and  pharyngitis. 


COLLINSONIA. 


Collinhonia  is  an  old  remedy,  but  one  that  does  not  receive 
enough  attention  from  the  average  practitioner.  Haemorrhoids, 
chronic  laryngitis  and  atonic  heart  are  leading  indications  for 
it,  and  here  it  receives  attention  from  the  average  practitioner. 
Many  neglect  to  remember  it  in  rectal  pain  unless  due  to  obvious 
haemorrhoids.  Its  action  here  is  sometimes  instantaneous.  The 
writer  has  more  than  once  had  occasion  to  bless  the  action  of  this 
remedy  in  his  own  case.  A  country  practice  in  the  long-ago  en- 
abled him  to  accumulate  a  combination  of  rectal  pockets  and 
haemorrhoids  which  were  finally  properly  treated  and  cured, 
but  a  rectal  neurosis  has  remained,  which  is  aroused  by 
sitting  on  a  cold,  damp  seat,  and  when  such  exposure  is  com- 
mitted the  following  night  is  liable  to  afford  a  disagreeable 
surprise  in  the  way  of  sudden  excruciating  pain,  which  wakes 
the  sleeper  out  of  a  sound  slumber,  and  may  be  likened  to  the 
piercing  of  the  rectum  with  a  sharp  knife. 

We  have  been  schooled  and  sleep  with  a  bottle  of  Collinsonia 
on  the  dresser  at  the  head  of  the  bed,  and  one  or  two  applica- 
tions of  the  full  strength  of  the  tincture  medicine  to  the  tongue, 
made  by  turning  the  bottle  upside  down  on  the  dorsum,  banishes 
every  unpleasant  feature,  and  within  ten  minutes  sweet  oblivion 
is  again  on,  and  no  more  trouble  for  a  month  or  two,  or  until  an- 
other indiscretion  provokes  another  attack. — Eclectic  Medical 
Journal. 


Homoeopathic    Recorder 

PUBLISHED  MONTHLY  AT  LANCASTER.   PA 

By   BOERICKE    &  TAFEL 
Subscription  $2.00,  To  Foreign  Countries  $2.24,  Per  Annum 

Addren  commuaicMtioas,  books  for  reriew,  exchanges,  etc., 
tor  the  editor,  to 

E.  P.  ANSHUTZ,  M.  D.,  lOll  Arch  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

EDITORIAL   NOTES   AND    COMMENTS 

A  Problem. — The  Journal  of  the  A.  M.  A.  heads  an  editorial 
''Urgent  Xeed  for  Young-  Men  for  the  Medical  Corps."  Xo  dis- 
pute as  to  the  need,  but  how  can  it  be  satisfied?  Has  not  the 
A.  M.  A.,  by  its  ever  increasing  requirements,  made  it  impossible 
for  any  one  to  become  a  physician  until  he  reaches  middle  age? 
Sometimes  one  almost  inclines  to  the  belief  that  the  wisdom  of 
the  A.  M.  A.  will  not  pass  the  acid  test  of  common  sense. 

Onward. — Concerning  the  proposition  to  establish  "a  chair  of 
Old  School  Therapeutics  at  the  Boston  University  School  of 
Medicine,''  "A.  H.  R."'  comments  editorially,  as  follows,  in  the 
N.  E.  Med.  Gazette: 

"It  would  seem  to  the  writer  that  the  time  has  come  when 
the  name  homoeopath  should  be  dropped,  as  being  inadequate  to 
typify  the  physician  who  uses  everything  which  the  modern  phy- 
sician holds  good.  Xo  physician  worthy  of  the  name  limits 
himself  to-day  to  the  dictates  of  the  Organon,  much  as  he  may 
reverence  it  as  a  long  stride  in  advance  of  its  time.  It  was  a 
stimulus,  but  many  stimuli  have  since  appeared.  Should  we  not 
also  embrace  these?  Most  of  us  do.  Then  why  not  say  so 
frankly?" 

Didn't  know  the  "Old  School"  had  any  therapeutics  outside 
of  the  manufacturing  pharmacists'  catalogues.  Haven't  the  big 
guns  booted  that  chair  out  and  didn't  a  certain  "eminent"  re- 
cently say,  in  effect,  that  the  man  who  prescribed  medicine  was 


33* 


Editorial. 


either  a  grafter  or  a  medical  weakling?  The  Organon  may 
have  been  left  behind,  but  those  who  have  done  so  have  accom- 
plished the  fact  by  marching  backward.  As  for  dropping  the 
name  ''homoeopath,"  that  is,  it  seems  to  us,  up  to  the  individual 
rather  than  to  societies.  And  this  recalls  a  recent  letter  re- 
ceived here  from  a  wealthy  lady  in  a  hustling  little  city.  The 
writer  lamented  the  death  of  their  old  homoeopathic  physician 
"who  cured  us,  while  all  the  scientific  doctors  we  now  have  can 
do  is  to  perform  operations.  We  miss  that  good  old  homoeo- 
path." 

Beans. — Our  grandfather,  a  gentleman  of  the  old  order,  once 
remarked  to  us,  then  a  small  boy,  "the  Romans  conquered  the 
world  on  a  diet  of  beans."  That  they  did  conquer  the  world 
and  held  it  down  for  many  centuries  is  history,  that  they  did  it 
on  a  diet  of  beans  modern  medical  science  seems*  to  deny,  for, 
according  to  Professors  McCollum,  Simmonds  and  Pitz,  of  the 
Wisconsin  University,  rats  do  not  thrive  on  the  white  bean  and, 
therefore,  man  cannot.  To  be  sure  an  ignoramus  might  put 
up  the  clack  that  man  cannot  thrive  on  a  rat's  diet,  but,  of 
course,  that  would  be  merely  a  display  of  the  ignorance  of  the 
ignoramus.  Our  learned  contemporary,  the  Journal  of  the  A. 
M.  A.,  devotes  over  a  page  of  its  exceedingly  valuable  editorial 
space  to  this  Wisconsin  Report,  which,  it  says,  is  an  important 
contribution  "to  the  biologic  value  of  white  beans,''  etc.  Also 
"experiments  on  rats,  the  best  guide  as  to  what  may  be  ex- 
pected in  respect  to  the  nutrient  possibilities  of  a  ration,"  etc. 
Also,  that  there  was  a  high  mortality  among  the  rats  when  fed 
on  beans.  In  view  of  this  science  we  may  probably  be  con- 
fronted before  long  with  a  bean  prohibition  society.  Apparently 
in  the  lexicon  of  biologic  science  a  rat  is  the  measure  of  a  man. 
In  honesty  to  our  contemporary  it  should  be  stated  that  it  re- 
marks that  until  more  information  is  forthcoming  caution  is 
advisable.  Also,  that  the  bean  "may  act  as  a  very  desirable 
source  of  water-soluble  vitamin."  What  a  "vitamin"  is,  well, 
not  even  Jama  knows.  But  on  the  other  hand,  to  quote  our 
learned  contemporary,  beans  in  the  digestive  tract  are  "accom- 
panied by  the  liberation  of  a  great  deal  of  gas." 


Editorial.  333 

Time  Works  Wonders — With  Some. — Here  is  a  quotation  from 
a  recent  article  in  a  homoeopathic  journal :  "It  must  be  re- 
membered, however,  that  Hahnemann  was  a  physician  of  the 
early  part  of  the  last  century,  and  that  medical  thought  and 
progress  are  at  a  different  stage  to-day."  If  this  be  true  why, 
then,  old  Homoeopathy  should  be  thrown  on  the  allopathic  scrap- 
heap?  But,  also,  science  has  advanced  since  Newton  announced 
the  law  of  gravitation. 

Obituary. — It  is  with  real  regret  that  we  read  in  his  own  jour- 
nal, The  Pacific  Medical  Journal,  of  San  Francisco,  the  death  of 
its  editor,  Dr.  YVinslow  Anderson.  While  he  and  his  journal 
were  on  the  other  side  of  the  fence,  nevertheless  the  Recorder 
was  always  glad  to  hear  from  it — the  journal.  Let  us  hope  that 
a  worthy  and  equally  scholarly  man  may  be  found  to  carry  on 
the  old  Journal. 

How  to  Prevent  Typhoid. — Our  most  esteemed  contemporary, 
Health  News,  issued  by  the  United  States  Public  Health  Ser- 
vice, in  its  issue  of  March  21,  tells  us: 

'Typhoid  fever  is  found  only  in  man.  It  is  caused  by  a  short 
rod-shaped  microscopic  vegetable,  which  enters  the  body  through 
the  mouth  and  leaves  it  in  human  discharges  to  enter  another 
human  mouth  to  which  it  is  carried  by  fingers,  flies,  fluids  and 
food.  It  is  essentially  a  disease  of  young  adult  life.  Older 
people  are  less  apt  to  have  it  probably  because  they  have  suf- 
fered from  an  attack  of  the  disease  in  their  youth." 

If  this  be  true  then  the  only  way  to  stop  typhoid  is  to  prevent 
people  from  taking  into  themselves  the  excreta  of  other  persons 
who  are  afflicted  with  that  rod-shaped  vegetable,  This  being  a 
simple  proposition  one  wonders  why  our  officials  insist  on  ty- 
phoid vaccination  to  do  the  work  of  the  sanitarian 

Contagious? — Public  Health  Reports  gives  the  names  of  70 
cities  of  over  10,000  population  in  which  one  or  more  cases  of 
cerebro-spinal  meningitis  had  occurred  in  the  five  weeks  ending 
May  26.  These  are  scattered  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific 
and  from  the  lakes  to  the  gulf.     The  smallest  number  reported 


334  •  Editorial. 

in  any  city  was  I,  and  the  largest  133.  Seems  as  if  one  must 
have  a  robust  imagination  to  class  so  widely  and  thinly  scat- 
tered a  disease  as  "contagious."  Looks  more  as  if  the  old 
etiological  factor  'visitation''  was  more  in  accord  with  the 
facts  than  is  the  current  theory  of  contagion.  Why  a  visita- 
tion?    Why  a  cyclone? 

A  "Guarantee." — According  to  its  Monthly  Bulletin  the  Con- 
necticut State  Board  of  Health  guarantees  to  save  one  life  for 
every  $500  the  Legislature  will  give  it.  On  the  same  sort  of 
guarantee  still  more  lives  could  be  saved  if  the  therapeutics  of 
every  State  institution  and  health  boards  were  given  over  to 
homoeopathic  physicians,  or  homoeopathic  treatment.  There 
would  be  no  extra  money  required,  but  the  State  would  save 
money  as  well  as  lives.  At  least  that  was  the  experience  of 
Arapahoe  Co.,  Colorado,  some  years  ago. 

''Epidemic"  Meningitis. — The  Journal  of  the  A.  M.  A.  opens 
an 'editorial  as  follows:  "Of  the  acute  infectious  diseases  none 
is  feared  more  than  epidemic  meningitis,  and  justly,  because  of 
the  frightful  death  rate,  to  say  nothing  of  the  suffering  and 
disability.  Even  under  the  most  favorable  circumstances,  which 
means  the  prompt  intraspinal  use  of  potent  antiserum,  it  has  not 
been  possible  to  reduce  the  death  rate  much  below  30  per  cent." 
From  far  off  memories  of  our  Civil  War  there  comes  no  recol- 
lection of  meningitis,  but,  of  course,  as  all  old  timers  know,  in 
thosse  days  they  did  not  inject  "antiserum"  into  the  spinr 
Perhaps,  if  you  gentlemen  will  not  adopt  the  rational  homoeo- 
pathic treatment  for  meningitis,  the  "expectant"  treatment  will 
show  better  results  than  that  shown  by  "prompt  intraspinal  use 
of  potent  antiserums."     Couldn't  be  much  worse  at  any  rate. 

What  Shall  We  Do  To  Be  Saved?— The  following  is  from  a 
paper  by  an  eminent  U.  S.  medical  official :  "A  dusty  atmosphen 
is  objectionable  and  unpleasant.  It  irritates  the  nose  and  throat 
Smoke  may  be  considered  as  a  combination  of  the  gases  of  com 
bustion  and  of  dust  in  the  shape  of  carbon  particles.  The  air  i 
sufficiently  free  from  impurities,  such  as  dust  and  smoke,  prac 
tically  everywhere   except   in   manufacturing  cities   and   in   arid 


Editorial.  335 

regions  during  windy  periods."  Looks  as  if  the  only  thing  that 
can  save  us  is  for  the  health  boards  to  order  all  mills,  factories, 
railroads  and  houses  producing  smoke  to  stop  it  and  to  plow  up 
all  roads  and  streets  and  sow  them  with  grass.  Sometimes  one 
wonders  if  some  of  our  eminent  medical  officials  are  playing 
to  the  grandstands,  and,  also,  wonders  if  the  leg  of  the  mighty 
Press  is  ever  elongated  by  the  "eminents,"  some  of  whom  dearly 
love  a  sensation. 

"Epidemology  of  Poliomyelitis." — This  is  the  title  of  a  paper  by 
Dr.  J.  A.  Conway,  of  Hornell,  X.  Y.,  in  the  A".  Y.  State  Journal. 
It  is  plain  that  Dr.  Conway  is  not  a  very  firm  believer  in  the 
theory  that  the  disease  is  contagious.  When  it  appeared  in  Ithaca 
all  children  under  16  were  prohibited  from  attending  anything 
and  kept  at  home. 

"The  alarm  of  the  people  for  the  safety  of  their  children  de- 
manded the  adoption  of  some  such  regulations ;  the  residents 
themselves  acted  as  excellent  police  for  their  enforcement,  report- 
ing promptly  all  violations. 

"On  September  6th,  and  for  two  weeks  following,  guards  were 
placed  night  and  day  on  all  roads  leading  to  and  from  the  city 
of  Ithaca,  at  railroad  stations,  etc. 

''Still,  with  all  these  precautions,  the  disease  continued  to 
spread,  even  to  the  remote  and  isolated  farm  homes  from  where 
the  children  had  not  been  absent  for  periods  of  from  four  to 
six  weeks.  A  number  of  cases  have  been  observed  where  none 
but  the  adults,  and  in  several,  the  father  only,  and  he  very  in- 
frequently had  been  away  from  the  farm,  yet  the  disease  visited 
these  homes. 

'Tn  addition  to  the  above  quarantine  regulations,  all  actual 
cases  were  quarantined  for  a  period  of  six  weeks  and  all  contacts 
under  sixteen  years  of  age,  for  a  period  of  two  weeks.  Strange 
to  say,  no  cases  were  reported  in  these  contacts." 

Looks  as  if  the  medical  authorities  not  knowing  what  to  do 
threw  a  big  and  expensive  quarantine  bluff. 


PERSONAL. 


Tiberius  said  that  at  40  every  man  was  a  fool  or  a  physician  and  he 
might  have  added,  or  sometimes  both. 

The  Court  left  the  jury  to  decide  whether  the  patient  died  from  this 
or  that.     Wise  Court ! 

"Patent  medicine  frauds.'"  Leave  off  the  "patent"  and  there  would 
be  trouble  in  the  camp. 

Dr.  Wiel  discusses  the  ''Inadequacy  of  Anaphylatoxin  Theory  of  Ana- 
phylaxis."    Discussion  clear  as  title. 

The  old  alchemists  tried  to  transmute  base  metals  into  gold.  The 
modern  tries  paper  and  often  succeeds. 

Hell?     What  you  don't  enjoy. 

In  time  one  wearies  of  the  chronic  reformers  and  welcomes  for  a 
change    the   laughin'   philosopher. 

Every  man  wants  to  violate  a  certain  Commandment  when,  he  has  a 
icornet  blower   for   a  neighbor. 

"A  hyphen  is  something  our  canary  bird  sits  on,"  defined  a  small  boy. 

"Why  do  you  find  fault  in  me?"  said  the  youth.  "I  find  nothing  in 
you,"  replied  the  maiden. 

The  modest  lady  traveler  blushed  when  asked  if  she  had  seen  the 
Cherokee  Strip. 

When  it  comes  to  one's  "last  drop  of  blood"  the  man  is  done  for  be- 
fore it  is  reached. 

Saving  our  fuel  supply  for  the  future  implies  a  lack  of  faith  in  the 
devil. 

He  called  her  a  "pearl"  and  she  said,  "Quit  yer  stringin'  me." 

One  isn't  surprised  that  "art  objects"  in  certain  department  stores. 

The  man  who  wrote  How  to  Make  Money  was  buried  in  the  Potter's 
Field. 

You  can  get  barrels  of  opinions  free  from  your  friends,  but  not  from 
lawyers. 

"I  suppose  I  must  make  allowance,"  said  the  husband,  as  he  sat  down 
to  a  poor  dinner.  "Yes,  John,  more,"  replied  the  young  wife,"  "home  is 
getting  dearer  every  day." 

The  bum  pleaded  he  had  a  wife  who  was  a  widow  with  four  helpless 
children. 

"The  world  owes  me  a  living."     Why? 

When  one  contemplates  his  remote  ancestors'  wigs  and  clothes  he  is  apt 
to  think  that  the  world  has  advanced — in  clothing. 

Binks  remarks  that  the  time  has  come  when  surgeons  have  got  to  cut 
out  something. 

Among  the  "isms"  they  say  rheumatism  is  the  baddest. 


THE 

Homoeopathic  Recorder 

Vol.  XXXII        Lancaster,  Pa.,  August  15,  1917.        No.  8 

SOMETHING  OF  A  PROBLEM. 

Dr.  S.  E.  Fletcher,  of  Chicopee,  Mass.,  opens  it  up  in  the  Xew 
England  Medical  Gazette,  which  prints  his  address  before  the 
Boston  University  Convocation.  His  premises  are  sound, 
namely,  that  health  is  a  blessing,  that  treating  disease  medically, 
however  useful,  is  but  fighting  preventable  causes  and,  conse- 
quently, preventive  medicine  is  really  the  highest.  He  said : 
"This  is,  indeed,  an  age  when  the  physician  who  can  prevent 
disease  ranks  far  above  the  one  who  only  possesses  the  ability 
or  the  purpose  to  cure  disease."  All  of  this  is  true,  but  when  we 
come  to  the  means  by  which  disease  is  prevented,  according  to 
Dr.  Fletcher,  there  arises  something  of  a  problem.  The  first 
thing  brought  forward  is  the  alleged  prevention  of  small-pox 
by  vaccination  : 

"Of  what  inestimable  value  to  the  world  the  discovery  of 
Jenner  has  proved,  and  his  stupendous  contribution  to  the  in- 
dustrial efficiency  of  every  nation  by  the  prevention  of  that  one 
disease,  may  be  appreciated  by  a  comparison  of  our  present 
immunity  with  the  appalling  losses  of  but  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years  ago." 

This  discovery  was  "that  inoculation  with  the  virus  of  cow- 
pox"  would  prevent  small-pox.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  is  doubt- 
ful if  Dr.  Fletcher,  or  any  one  else,  knows  what  cow-pox  is.  or, 
indeed,  if  there  is  such  a  thing,  or  ever  was.  It  is  also  doubtful 
if  even  the  vaccine  farmers  know  what  is  used  today.  Tenner's 
cow-pox  was  on  the  udder  of  the  cow.  but  today  they  shave  the 
bellies  of  calves,  artificially  produce  a  running  sore  and  thus 
obtain  that  which  is  inoculated  into  humans.  That  the  vaccine 
makers  do  not  know  what  they  use  to  produce  these  sores  on 


338  Something  of  a  Problem. 

healthy  calves  seems  to  be  proved  by  the  fact  that  the  same  un- 
known poison  has  started  exceedingly  disastrous  epidemics  of 
the  foot  and  mouth  disease. 

It  is  also  a  fact  that  in  England,  where  this  peculiar  Asiatic 
rite  of  preventive  medicine  was  first  introduced  to  the  western 
nations,  it  came  in  a  form  resembling  our  present  typhoid  in- 
oculation, but  was  afterwards  prohibited  by  an  act  of  Parlia- 
ment. Then  Jenner  brought  forward  his  modified  form  of  the 
same  thing,  and  again,  after  years  of  practice  of  it,  Parliament 
has  again  practically  repealed  it  by  leaving  it  optional  with  the 
people.  Today  Germany,  which  has  this  form  of  preventive 
medicine  rigidly  enforced,  is  suffering  from  a  severe  epidemic 
of  small-pox,  while  England,  without  this  prevention  is  free 
from  the  disease.     Is  not  that  a  problem  ? 

During  the  years  when  small-pox  was  so  bad  "the  fever,"  a 
sort  of  typhus,  was  still  more  dreaded.  "The  fever"  vanished 
with  sanitation,  as  did  its  twin  sister,  small-pox.  Incidentally, 
a  worse  scourge  than  small-pox  is  rapidly  increasing  in  all  vac- 
cinated countries,  namely,  cancer.  Further  on  Dr.  Fletcher 
says: 

"When  Wright  discovered  that  a  vaccin  prepared  from  ty- 
phoid bacilli,  killed  by  heat,  and  injected  into  the  tissues  of 
healthy  persons  rendered  those  persons  practically  immune  to 
typhoid  fever,  he  established  a  new  era  in  military  efficiency 
in  every  army  which  made  application  of  his  discovery." 
Then  after  reciting  the  experience  of  our  army  on  the  Mexican 
border,  he  adds :  "Contrast  this  with  the  humiliating  records 
of  the  Spanish  War,  when,  among  55,829  regulars  assembled 
and  in  the  field,  there  were  7,745  cases,  while  among  the  250,000 
volunteers  assembled  in  camps  soon  after  the  declaration  of  war 
there  were  20,000  cases  of  typhoid,  or  about  80  cases  to  every 
1,000  men."  Very  true,  but  he  neglects  to  add  that  the  same 
practice  did  not  prevent  the  disease  in  the  British  army  in  the 
Boer  war,  or  in  the  recent  Dardanelles'  expedition,  nor  will  it 
in  any  other  place  where  sanitation  does  not  prevail.  Again  we 
read: 

"In  1 88 1,  the  first  year  of  French  work,  63  per  cent,  of  all 
employees  were  infected  with  yellow  fever,  with  many  deaths. 


The  Therapeutics  of  Gunpowder.  339 

In  1904,  the  first  year  of  United  States  work,  the  death  rate  was, 
in  comparison,  but  one-twelfth  of  the  French  record,  and  since 
1906  there  have  been  no  cases  of  yellow  fever  in  the  Canal  Zone. 

"Until  1898,  the  first  year  of  American  occupancy  of  Cuba, 
yellow  fever  was  never  absent  from  the  island,  but  with  the 
application  of  modern  sanitary  methods  it  became  practically 
extinct  so  long  as  the  Cubans  continued  those  precautions." 

All  that  is  very  true,  but  as  it  was  modern  sanitary  methods 
alone  without  the  aid  of  any  serum  or  inoculation  that  over- 
came yellow  fever,  which  is  a  far  more  deadly  disease  than 
small-pox,  or  typhoid,  why  could  it  not  alone  also  overcome  the 
much  milder  diseases?  There  seems  to  be  something  logically 
wrong  in  the  reasoning  of  the  defenders  of  inoculation. 


THE  THERAPEUTICS   OF   GUNPOWDER. 
By  John  H.  Clarke,  M.  D.  London,  England. 

In  response  to  'a  request  with  which  Dr.  Baker  has  honored 
me,  to  contribute  a  paper  for  the  Southern  Homoeopathic  As- 
sociation, I  am  writing  a  few  notes  on  Gunpowder  as  a  Medi- 
cine. Until  Dr.  Baker's  letter  reached  me,  I  was  under  the  im- 
pression that  I  had  put  nearly  all  that  was  necessary  from  a 
practical  point  of  view  into  my  little  pamphlet,  entitled  "Gun- 
powder as  a  War  Remedy/'  but,  as  he  assures  me  that  by  mak- 
ing an  addendum  thereto  I  can  interest  the  members  of  the  As- 
sociation in  the  curative  power  of  Gunpowder,  which  is  both 
great  and  extensive,  it  gives  me  much  pleasure  to  comply  with 
his  request. 

First,  about  Gunpowder  itself.  Of  course,  Black  Gunpowder, 
the  original,  is  here  in  question.  Its  discovery  is  attributed  to 
the  alchemist  monk,  Roger  Bacon,  who  was  born  at  Ilchester  in 
Somersetshire  about  the  year  1214 — exactly  seven  centuries  be- 
fore Armageddon.  The  Century  Dictionary  gives  this  descrip- 
tion of  it :  "An  explosive  mixture  of  saltpetre,  sulphur  and 
charcoal,  reduced  to  fine  powder,  and  thoroughly  incorporated 
with  each  other,  then  granulated,  cleaned  or  dusted,  glazed  or 
polished,  and  dried."  A  correspondent,  Mr.  Ewbank  Smith,  of 
St.  Leonard's-on-Sea,  has  pointed  out  to  me  that  the  "dusting" 


340  The  Therapeutics  of  Gunpowder. 

referred  to  in  the  above  definition  is  a  coating  of  Graphites, 
which  makes  the  grains  "run"  freely.  So  in  Black  Gunpowder 
we  have  a  mixture  which  ought  to  delight  the  heart  of  the  lover 
of  the  "combination  tablet."  But,  however  complicated  its  com- 
position, therapeutically  it  is  an  unit,  just  as  Opium  and  Cin- 
chona are  units,  despite  their  very  complicated  analysis. 

Except  for  a  short  and  sharp  experience  of  my  own,  in  which 
a  few  doses  of  Gunpowder  2x  resulted  in  an  attack  of  herpes 
facialis,  involving  the  right  side  of  the  nose  and  right  brow,  and 
leaving  characteristic  scars,  I  know  of  no  proving  of  Gun- 
powder. The  indications  for  its  use,  therefore,  are  purely  clini- 
cal and  inferential.  For  my  part,  I  must  confess,  I  do  not  like 
it  any  the  less  on  that  account.  The  Repertory,  though  an  ever 
present  help  in  time  of  trouble,  is  not  exactly  a  penny-in-the- 
slot  machine,  but  requires  a  good  deal  of  thought  and  judgment 
in  using.  And  though  it  sounds  like  heresy  to  say  it,  there  is 
a  certain  amount  of  comfort  in  a  remedy  which  it  is  of  no  use 
looking  for  in  the  pages  of  Kent!  However,  I  am  unselfish 
enough  to  hope  that  America  will  soon  change  all  that,  and  let 
us  have  provings  of  Gunpowder  in  the  potencies,  as  well  as  in 
the  crude,  and  then  the  Repertories  will  claim  it  for  their  own. 
In  view  of  the  possibility  of  its  achieving  this  distinction,  I  have 
been  hunting  for  a  classical  name  to  bestow  upon  it,  in  order  to 
give  it  proper  dignity.  I  have  not  succeeded  quite  to  my  satis- 
faction, but  I  offer  "Pulvis  nigra"  as  a  possible  solution.  In 
the  meantime  "Gunpowder"  does  well  enough,  with  "Gunp."  for 
short,   for  prescribing  purposes. 

The  indications  for  the  use  of  Gunpowder  have  nearly  all 
been  discovered  by  its  use  in  the  crude.  If  I  remember  rightly 
it  was  from  my  friend,  the  late  Dr.  Robert  T.  Cooper,  that  I 
first  heard  of  Gunpowder  as  a  medicine,  and  who  suggested  to 
me  that  it  would  be  worth  a  proving.  In  my  Dictionary  of  Ma- 
teria Medica  I  have  mentioned  under  Kali  nitricum  that  it  was 
a  favorite  remedy  among  soldiers  for  gonorrhoea,  a  teaspoonful 
being  taken  in  hot  water.  But  the  grand,  red-string  indication 
of  "Blood  Poisoning"  I  learned  from  the  Rector  of  Stradbrooke, 
in  Suffolk,  the  Revd.  Roland  Upcher,  who  contributed  an  article 
on  the  subject  to  the  Homoeopathic  IVorld  in  191 1.    He  told  how 


The  Therapeutics  of  Gunpowder.  341 

the  shepherds  on  his  father's  glebe-farm  in  Norfolk  used  Gun- 
powder for  the  following  purpose:  (1)  As  a  prophylactic 
against  blood-poisoning.  For  this  purpose  they  ate  it,  sprinkled 
thickly  on  cheese,  when  taking  their  bread-and-cheese  meal. 
This  was  principally  as  a  protection  against  blood-poisoning 
from  sheep-rot,  when  handling  sheep  affected  with  it.  (2)  As 
an  application  for  cuts  either  on  their  hands  or  on  the  sheep 
when  shearing  the  sheep.  (3)  As  a  remedy  when  actually  poi- 
soned. On  one  occasion  a  shepherd  who  had  not  been  protected 
by  the  Gunpowder-and-bread-and-cheese  diet  got  poisoned  in 
the  foot-paring  season,  his  arm  became  rapidly  swollen  and  al- 
most black  from  finger  tips  to  arm-pit.  A  dessertspoonful  of 
gunpowder  was  moistened  and  made  into  a  paste,  and  then 
water  was  added  to  the  amount  of  half  a  tumbler  and  the  whole 
administered  in  a  single  dose.  By  the  next  morning  the  swell- 
ing and  inflammation  had  all  gone,  and  the  trouble  was  prac- 
tically over.  Only  two  fingers  remained  discolored  with  a 
threatened  boil.  That  was  poulticed  and  in  three  days  another 
dose  was  administered  and  the  man  was  well. 

(Apropos  of  foot-rot  in  sheep,  Mr.  Ewbank  Smith,  in  a  letter 
he  wrote  me  about  the  Graphites  element  in  Gunpowder,  adds 
this  interesting  note :  "My  father  was  a  hotel  proprietor  in 
County  Durham,  and  kept  many  horses.  I  remember,  when  a 
youth,  the  grooms  used  ointment  of  gunpowder  and  of  black 
lead  for  sore  hoofs.") 

(4)  So  much  for  the  experience  of  the  shepherds.  But  Mr. 
Upcher  has  many  more  experiences  to  relate.  He  tells  of  a 
case  of  thrombosis  of  veins  with  great  cedema  and  prostration 
resulting  from  swallowing  a  quantity  of  pus  from  a  dental  ab- 
scess. The  patient  was  so  ill  that  life  was  despaired  of.  Crude 
gunpowder  was  given  in  a  larger  dose  than  was  prescribed  with 
the  result  that  violent  purging  and  sweating  occurred  followed 
by  very  rapid  recovery.  (The  "purging  and  sweating"  may  be 
put  down  as  pathogenetic  and  remembered  against  observations 
I  shall  refer  to  presently.)  (5)  A  patient  had  suffered  for  years 
from  boils  all  over,  so  that  they  became  a  misery  to  her.  She 
was  cured  by  pills  sold  by  a  quack.  The  pills,  on  examination, 
turned  out  to  be  pills  of  gunpowder.      (6)   Pig-keepers  in  Suf- 


342  The  Therapeutics  of  Gunpowder. 

folk  give  their  pigs  a  teaspoonful  of  gunpowder  when  "hide- 
bound." That  is,  when  the  pores  of  the  skin  become  stopped  up 
from  lying  on  wet  manure.  As  a  result  of  this  they  waste  away 
and  would  die  but  for  the  gunpowder  cure.  A  single  dose  is 
sufficient  to  start  the  skin  scaling  and  piggy  does  the  rest  by 
rubbing  himself  against  anything  he  can  find  handy.  (A  corre- 
spondent of  East  Dereham,  Norfolk,  writes  me  that  the  people 
there  give  gunpowder  to  their  pigs  "as  an  aperient,  appa- 
rently.") (7)  Other  indications  given  by  Mr.  Upcher  are :  Herpes 
and  carbuncles  and  eruptions  caused  by  suspected  blood-poison- 
ing.   And  I  may  add  to  these,  pustular  acne. 

(8)  As  a  vermicide.  I  have  heard  of  soldiers  taking  gun- 
powder as  a  cure  for  tape-worm;  but  I  have  not  heard  of  any 
success  with  this  parasite.  But  in  the  case  of  lumbrici  I  know 
of  an  authentic  cure.  It  was  told  me  by  the  patient,  an  Irish 
lady,  and  occurred  sixty  years  ago.  She  was  ten  years  old  at  the 
time  and  her  life  was  despaired  of.  At  last,  on  the  advice  of  a 
friend  of  the  family,  gunpowder  was  administered  according 
to  the   following   Irish   domestic  prescription : 

"Put  a  dessertspoonful  of  gunpowder  and  three  wineglassfuls 
of  cold  water  into  a  new  tin  porringer.  Stir  round  with  a  red 
hot  poker  until  cold.  Bottle  and  give  half  a  wineglassful  (well 
shaken)  for  six  mornings,  fasting,  and  on  the  seventh  a  good 
dose  of  castor  oil." 

The  patient  did  not  enjoy  the  medicine,  but  it  resulted  in 
the  passage  of  an  enormous  number  of  lumbrici  and  a  com- 
plete cure. 

My  pamphlet  has  brought  me  letters  from  a  number  of  corre- 
pondents  in  addition  to  interesting  articles  in  the  press.  Lieut. 
Col.  R.  O'H.  writes  that  among  the  North  American  Indians  he 
has  known  gunpowder  used  as  an  aperient  or  emetic  "accord- 
ing to  the  dose  given."  But  he  does  not  say  which  amount  does 
which.  It  was  a  large  dose  that  caused  purging  and  sweating 
in  the  case  of  thrombosis  alluded  to  above.  From  others  I  learn 
that  gunpowder  for  snake-bites  among  the  North  American 
Indians,  and  the  picture  of  the  shepherd  with  the  swollen,  black- 
ened arm,  poisoned  by  infection  from  sheep-rot,  and  cured  with 
gunpowder  is  not  a  bad  counterpart  of  a  snake-bitten  limb. 


The  Therapeutics  of  Gunpowder.  343 

One  of  the  most  interesting  contributions  to  the  Gunpowder 
question  was  a  letter  in  the  South  Wales  Daily  Neivs,  of  August 
20th,  from  the  Revd.  Fuller  Mills,  of  Carmarthen.  The  most 
interesting  point  of  this  letter  is  that  it  shows  Gunpowder  as 
an  analogue  of  Arnica.  It  is  a  vulnerary,  both  prophylactic  and 
curative. 

.  Mr.  Mills  writes :  "Early  in  the  sixties  of  the  last  century  I 
was  a  boy  behind  the  counter  of  what  was  known  as  the  'Com- 
pany's Shop/  at  'Abertylery,"  as  it  was  then  spelt.  Among  the 
collier  customers  who  came  to  the  shop  was  a  tall,  well-de- 
veloped man,  known  as  Dick  Stevens.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  prize  ring,  or  the  pugilistic  fraternity,  which  was  very  popu- 
lar in  those  days — days  of  Tom  Sayers,  Tom  King,  Heenan, 
Dan  Pontypridd,  Evan  Jones  (Tanto  Catchum'),  and  others. 
Dick  Stevens  was  matched  to  fight  Ianto,  and  was  preparing  for 
the  fight.  When  he  came  to  the  shop  for  his  weekly  require- 
ments, which  were  of  the  plainest  and  simplest  kind,  for  such 
men  have  to  bring  the  body  into  subjection  in  all  things,  he  gen- 
erally asked  for  an  ounce  or  two  of  gunpowder.  I  wondered 
at  this,  and  my  curiosity  was  aroused.  I  asked  him  what  he 
used  it  for.  His  reply  was,  T  mix  it  with  my  gravy  when  I  have 
my  dinner  and  swallow  it.  It  prevents  the  flesh  .from  easily 
puffing  under  the  hard  blows  of  an  opponent.  The  cuts  and 
bruises  are  not  so  hurtful  and  more  easily  heal.'  So  gunpowder 
is  a  remedy  for  the  wounds  of  the  warfare  of  fisticuffs  as  well 
as  of  guns  and  swords !  In  this  connection,  I  may  mention  that 
I  learn  from  a  friend  that  when  flogging  was  in  vogue  in  the 
Royal  Navy  the  victims  took  a  dose  of  gunpowder  just  before 
undergoing  the  lash,  whenever  they  could  procure  it.'' 

My  own  therapeutic  experiences  with  Gunpowder  have  been 
with  the  3X  trituration  and  tablets,  and  the  5x  trituration.  My 
rather  painful  experiment  on  myself  with  the  2x  trituration 
made  me  draw  the  line  at  that;  but  it  would  seem  that  all  po- 
tencies that  have  been  tried  are  curative.  This  shows  to  me 
that  the  action  is  specific,  or,  in  other  words,  homoeopathic.  Ex- 
perience tells  me  that  if  a  substance  can  cause  a  condition  or  set 
of  symptoms,  it  can  cure  the  same.  And  vice  versa,  it  can  cause 
in  sensitive  subjects    the  symptoms  it  can  cure.     Therefore,   I 


344  The  Therapeutics  of  Gunpowder. 

have  not  the  smallest  objection  to  using  well-observed  symp- 
toms removed  under  the  action  of  a  given  remedy  as  indications 
in  prescribing,  precisely  as  if  they  had  appeared  in  a  proving. 

Among  the  cases  I  have  myself  cured  with  Gunpowder  are: 

(i)  Vaccinal  blood-poisoning  of  two  years'  standing,  re- 
sulting in  a  rupia-form  general  eruption  with  fever  and  ex- 
treme debility.  (2)  Poisoned  insect-bite.  (3)  Poisoned  cut 
from  a  butcher's  knife.  (4)  Sewer-gas  poisoning.  (5)  Poi- 
soning from  earthquake-dust.  (6)  Secondary  syphilitic  erup- 
tions. 

The  earthquake  case  was  curious.  It  was  in  the  person  of  a 
girl  of  four,  born  soon  after  the  last  great  earthquake  in  Ja- 
maica, and  the  victim  of  a  pemphigus-like  eruption  with  fever, 
which  was  epidemic  among  the  children  of  the  colony  for  some 
time  following  the  earthquake.  The  case  was  reported  to  me 
by  the  child's  aunt.  I  thought  Gunpowder  must  surely  be  the 
simillimum  for  earthquake,  and  sent  the  5X  trituration  in  pow- 
ders, which  quickly  revolutionized  the  child's  health  in  every 
way  for  the  better. 

My  recommendation  of  Gunpowder  as  a  war  medicine  is 
based  on  the  above  experience.  I  recommend  it  in  two-grain 
tablets  of  the  3X ;  one  daily  as  a  prophylactic ;  one  every  two 
hours  in  cases  of  wounds  or  blood-poisoning  with  fever :  two, 
three  or  four  times  a  day  in  wounds  without  fever,  whether 
septic  or  not. 

In  the  matter  of  Relationships,  Arnica,  Hamamelis,  Calendula, 
Ruta  and  Symphytum  are  nearest  in  wounds  and  bruises :  An- 
thracinum  and  Tarentula  Cubensis  in  carbuncles  and  boils ;  in 
blood-poisoning,  Lachesis,  Septicemin,  Variolinum,  Syphilinum, 
et  cetra.  Mr.  Upcher  regards  Hepar  sulph.  as  complementary 
to  Gunpowder.  He  finds  a  few  intercurrent  doses  of  Hepar 
enhance  its  action.  In  the  case  of  injured  nerves  and  painful 
wounds  Hypericum  200  has  done  splendid  work. 

The  history  of  Gunpowder  is  a  very  old  one,  but  its  history 
as  a  medicine  is  only  just  beginning.  I  commend  it  to  my 
American  confreres  as  a  very  rich  field  for  cultivation. 


Some  Random  Thoughts.  345 

SOME   RANDOM  THOUGHTS. 
By  W.A.  Yingling,  M.  D.,  Emporia,  Kansas. 

If  all  the  homoeopathic  physicians  of  the  nation  could  grasp 
the  underlying  principles  of  the  Law  of  Cure  as  propounded 
by  Hahnemann,  and  would  seek  sincerely  to  be  governed  by 
them,  Homoeopathy  would  not  only  maintain  itself,  but  would 
advance  rapidly  to  a  full  and  complete  and  lasting  victory.  The 
main  barrier  in  the  way  of  success  is  a  lack  of  proper  compre- 
hension of  the  principles  of  Simillimum.  The  mere  use  of  the 
remedies,  even  in  potencies,  does  not  make  the  homoeopathic 
physician.  Even  the  crude  drug  selected  and  applied  accord- 
ing to  Hahnemann's  teaching  is  better  Homoeopathy  and  more 
successful  in  the  cure  of  disease.  Routine  prescribing  is  always 
detrimental  and  subversive  of  the  Law  of  Cure.  It  will  never 
do  to  prescribe  by  impulse,  nor  because  a  similar  case  was  cured 
by  a  certain  remedy.  The  remedy  must  be  suited  to  the  indi- 
vidual case  in  hand  according  to  the  totality  of  symptoms.-  The 
question  is  not,  What  are  all  the  complaints  or  variations  from 
health,  but  what  are  the  complete  symptoms,  the  prominent)  un- 
common, unusual  or  characteristic  symptoms,  of  the  case.  This 
is  seen  from  the  fact  that  we  are  often  called  upon  to  prescribe 
for  an  acute  sickness  wherein  the  latest  and  most  prominent 
symptoms  are  to  be  the  basis  of  the  prescription.  Often  condi- 
tions and  symptoms  not  revealed  to  the  prescriber  are  cured  by 
the  remedy  selected  on  the  most  prominent  and  uncommon  symp- 
toms. It  is  not  all  the  symptoms,  but  the  true  totality,  the 
complete  symptoms.  The  aggregate  symptoms'  list  would  or- 
dinarily be  but  a  conglomeration  of  ailments  and  complaints, 
whereas  the  carefully  selected  symptoms,  according  to  the  153 
section  of  the  Organon,  would  unerringly  lead  to  the  curative 
remedy.  The  totality  is  essential,  but  the  totality  is  not  by  any 
means  the  simple  aggregate  of  symptoms.  The  honest  poor 
prescriber  will  have  an  aggregate  of  possibly  thirty  to  fifty 
symptoms  to  confuse  him,  whereas  the  expert  and  efficient  pre- 
scriber will  cull  a  half  dozen  from  the  list,  rearrange,  classify, 
and  complete  the  totality  of  each  symptom  so  as  to  easily  and 
clearly  point  to  the  one  remedy  that  will  cover  the  case  and  per- 


346  Some  Random  Thoughts. 

manently  cure.  Of  course,  there  are  cases  where  the  best  pre- 
servers fail  and  cannot  secure  or  elicit  the  necessary  completed 
symptom  list.  In  some  cases  the  cause  of  the  sick  condition  may 
be  the  predominant  key  to  the  situation.  In  other  ailments  the 
locality  or  organ  may  predominate,  or  some  very  prominent  and 
peculiar  sensation  may  be  the  essential  feature. 

In  one  case  a  lady  had  symptoms  referring  to  the  uterine 
region  which  called  for  Pulsatilla.  She  complained  of  a  very 
distressing  sensation  of  an  apple-core  in  the  throat.  Pulsatilla 
did  not  contain  that  sensation,  but  the  remedy  containing  it  was 
not  to  be  thought  of  in  respect  to  the  other  conditions.  Pulsa- 
tilla did  no  good  at  all  though  it  fully  covered  the  aggregate 
symptoms  except  the  one  peculiar  and  very  prominent  sensa- 
tion. On  her  return,  after  several  days,  her  great  complaint 
was  the  apple-core  sensation.  She  had  not  eaten  an  apple  and 
never  had  any  actual  experience  as  to  how  an  apple-core  would 
feel  in  the  throat,  yet  she  said  it  felt  just  like  an  apple-core.  It 
was  the  greatest  prominent  symptom,  the  uncommon  and  pe- 
culiar condition.  I  did  not  like  to  prescribe  on  one  symptom, 
but  decided  to  test  the  matter  and  thus  gave  the  only  remedy 
containing  the  sensation  with  dryness  and  pain  and  constant  in- 
clination to  swallow.  This  remedy  was  Mercurius,  and  very 
promptly  and  completely  cured  the  patient  as  well  as  the  apple- 
core  sensation.  Phytolacca  has  the  sensation  as  if  an  apple- 
core  had  lodged  in  the  throat,  but  not  with  the  above  concomi- 
tants.    This  cure  was  nearly  thirty  years  ago. 

Another  case  wherein  I  had  prescribed  several  times  with 
only  meagre  and  temporary  results  complained  of  a  sensation 
as  though  a  hole  was  in  her  clothing  on  the  dorsal  back  and  a 
cold  wind  was  blowing  through  it.  This  was  so  marked  and 
prominent  that  she  often  had  some  one  examine  the  back  to  find 
the  hole.  Several  remedies  have  the  peculiar  sensation  of  air 
or  wind  blowing  on  the  back.  Cold  wind  blowing  on  the  back 
between  the  scapulae,  Causticum.  Cool  wind  blowing  on  the 
back,  Asarum,  China.  As  if  wind  was  blowing  on  the  back, 
Hepar.  As  if  cool  air  was  blowing  on  the  back,  Camphora. 
Cool  air  spreading  from  the  spine  over  the  body,  Agaricus.  Cold 
air  blowing  on  left  lumbar  region.   Cast  ovum.     From  the  fact 


Some  Random  Thoughts.  347 

that  there  has  been  a  history  of  malaria  and  ague  I  selected 
China  with  prompt  relief  of  the  whole  condition,  yet  China  was 
not  indicated  by  the  other  symptoms  of  the  patient.  This  kind 
of  prescribing  is  not  ideal  and  will  fail  in  many  cases,  yet,  at 
times,  it  is  the  only  course. 

I  had  one  case  where  the  peculiar  condition,  the  prominent 
symptom  of  inability  to  urinate  in  the  presence  of  any  one,  com- 
pletely failed  to  respond  in  any  degree  from  Natrum  mur.,  the 
only  remedy  known  to  have  the  symptom.  But  Lachesis,  se- 
lected on  strict  Lachesis  keynotes,  promptly  and  permanently 
cured. 

Prescribing  on  one  peculiar  symptom  must  be  the  exception 
and  indulged  in  only  when  at  the  end  of  our  string,  not  know- 
ing what  else  to  do.  While  it  is  not  a  commendable  practice, 
yet  it  will  sometimes  be  the  only  key  to  open  the  difficult  lock 
leading  to  success. 

There  is  no  doubt  the  changing  of  the  potency  from  a  higher 
to  a  lower  or  from  a  lower  to  a  higher  will  accomplish  what  the 
continuation  of  the  same  potency  will  not  accomplish.  It  is  the 
practice  of  the  best  prescribers  to  go  higher  or  lower  when  a 
case  comes  to  a  standstill  or  the  potency  used  will  not  hold  the 
case.  While  this  is  a  good  rule  and  efficient  in  most  cases,  yet 
in  many  cases  it  is  the  repetition  of  the  dose  or  remedy  and  not 
the  change  of  potency  that  acts  curatively.  It  is  true  that  we 
should  repeat  the  remedy  as  seldom  as  the  conditions  will  per- 
mit. The  fear  of  spoiling  the  case  or  doing  injury  to  the  pa- 
tient acts  as  a  barrier  to  repetition  with  some  excellent  prescrib- 
ers, yet  I  cannot  but  believe  this  is  erroneous,  especially  in  acute 
conditions.  If  it  were  true  in  all  cases  the  majority  of  cases 
would  be  spoiled,  for  most  cases  pass  through  the  hands  of  in- 
efficients  and  come  to  us  after  repeated  dosing  by  crude  drugs 
and  low  potencies.  I  have  found  that  the  indicated  remedy  acts 
promptly  in  curable  conditions  no  matter  what  the  previous  drug- 
ging has  been.  It  is  fortunate  for  humanity  that  this  is  really 
true.  It  is  the  hope  of  the  world,  based  on  experience  and  not 
on  theory. 

It  is  thought  dangerous  to  repeat  Lachesis,  especially  in  high 
potencies,  yet  Doctor  Berridge,  of  London,  England,  reports  a 


348  Some  Random  Thoughts. 

case  cured  by  the  repetition  of  Lachesis  mm.  (F.)  (Millionth 
potency)  night  and  morning  for  one  whole  week.  The  reason 
he  repeated  was  that  it  was  not  the  Simillimunv  but  only  a 
similar  remedy.  Yet  this  is  no  argument  that  the  remedy  should 
be  indiscriminately  repeated.  The  fewer  doses  that  will  cure  the 
patient  the  better  and  the  more  homceopathically  scientific.  The 
place  where  the  danger  comes  in  is  not  the  continuous  repeti- 
tion of  the  remedy,  but  in  interrupting  the  action  of  the  rem- 
edy, which  has  been  withheld  for  a  few  days  or  longer.  When 
we  get  action  and  see  that  the  remedy  is  doing  its  work,  we 
must  allow  it  to  act  uninterruptedly  as  long  as  possible.  It  is 
better  to  wait  too  long  than  to  repeat  too  soon,  and  the  next 
repetition  should  be  a  single  dose.  Symptom  conditions  re- 
maining the  same  if  the  repetition  fails  to  get  the  proper  re- 
sponse a  higher  potency  of  the  same  remedy  should  be  given. 
If  the  symptom  condition  is  changed  and  the  old  remedy  is 
not  indicated,  a  new  remedy  must  be  very  carefully  selected  and 
a  different  potency  used,  usually  a  higher  one.  If  the  higher 
potency  of  the  same  remedy  fails,  and  the  symptoms  are  un- 
changed, then  a  lower  should  be  used.  Dr.  Ad.  Lippe  advises 
where  no  response  has  been  obtained  by  the  change  of  potency 
and  the  remedy  is  still  clearly  indicated  to  repeat  a  lower  po- 
tency in  water  every  two  hours  till  a  good  response  is  obtained, 
even  if  several  days  are  required,  and  then  wait  on  its  action. 
The  single  dose  is  the  ideal  dose,  but  it  is  only  applicable  with 
the  true  Simillimum,  which  is  very  difficult  to  get,  owing  to  the 
masked  symptoms  through  promiscuous  drugging.  The  farther 
removed  from  the  Simillimum  the  greater  must  be  the  repetition 
to  get  the  necessary  action  upon  which  to  wait  for  a  cure  or  a 
change.  But  even  the  very  near  Simillimum  in  certain  cases 
must  be  repeated  till  there  is  a  decided  action  of  the  remedy. 
Doctor  Kent  wrote  me  some  years  ago  that  in  low  fevers  it  was 
usually  necessary  to  repeat  the  dose  even  every  two  or  three 
hours  for  days  before  getting  the  required  impression  of  the 
drug  essential  for  a  speedy  and  complete  cure.  Yet  all  pure 
Homoeopaths  know  of  the  wonderful  action  of  the  single  rem- 
edy and  what  it  will  accomplish  when  administered  in  a  high 
potency.     The  lower  the  potency,  the  nearer  the  crude  drug,  the 


Some  Random  Thoughts.  349 

greater  must  be  the  repetition,  as  a  rule,  unless  it  be  the  one 
remedy,  the  true  Simillimum,  covering  the  totality  of  the  pa- 
tient's symptoms. 

In  the  last  number  of  the  North  American  Journal  of  Ho- 
moeopathy is  an  illustration  of  the  positive  action  of  the  crude 
drug  in  the  cure  of  even  very  difficult  and  serious  sickness. 
These  illustrations  are  made  to  prove  that  the  crude  will  cure 
when  selected  according  to  the  Law  of  Cure.  But  it  will  be  no- 
ticed that  the  drug  is  necessarily  repeated  most  frequently,  even 
every  fifteen  to  thirty  minutes  for  days,  then  one  or  two  hours 
for  other  days  bordering  on  weeks  even  when  the  patient  is 
better  and  the  drug  action  has  been  quite  marked.  While  these 
cases  were  cured  with  the  crude  drug,  they  could  have  been 
cured  more  promptly  and  with  less  suffering  and  expense  by 
the  use  of  a  potency  from  the  200th  upward.  There  is  no  ques- 
tion but  that  the  crude  or  very  low  potency  will  cure  when  ho- 
moeopathic to  the  diseased  condition.  Experience  teaches  and 
proves  this  beyond  a  doubt.  But  the  experience  as  fully  and 
completely  proves  and  establishes  the  fact  that  the  high  and 
higher  potencies,  act  more  promptly  and  efficiently  and  will  cure 
cases,  especially  of  chronic  diseases,  that  the  crude  can  not 
touch.  It  is  erroneous  to  suppose  that  the  high  potencies  excel 
in  the  treatment  of  chronic  cases  and  are  not  efficient  in  the 
acute  stages  of  disease.  My  experience  goes  to  prove  that  the 
high  potencies  are  more  reliable  and  efficient  in  the  acute  cases 
and  will  abort  sickness,  or  restrict  it  to  a  few  days,  whereas  the 
crude  would  require  many  days  or  weeks  to  accomplish  the 
same.  Right  there  is  the  rub  with  some  physicians.  The  finan- 
cial results   are   not  so  large. 

We  often  hear  of  the  broken  dose.  By  dissolving  a  small  pow- 
der or  a  few  pellets  in  water  it  is  supposed  that  the  whole 
amount  of  water  is  the  actual  dose  and  that  each  teaspoonful 
is  but  a  part  of  the  actual  dose.  We  consider  this  erroneous 
and  far  from  the  fact.  Instead  of  a  broken  dose  when  admin- 
istered, the  mother  tincture  would  be  the  dose.  We  would  have 
to  state  the  30th  of  a  dose,  or  the  200th  or  100th  of  a  dose  was 
given  instead  of  a  potency.  When  we  dissolve  a  small  powder 
or  a   few  pellets   in   twelve   teaspoons   of   water   each   teaspoon 


350  Some  Random  Thoughts. 

represents  a  distinct  dose  when  given  separately,  whereas  to 
give  six  of  the  teaspoonfuls  of  the  mixture  at  once  would  be 
but  one  single  dose  and  have  the  same  action  on  the  system  as 
one  teaspoonful.  It  is  not  the  quantity  or  size  of  the  powder 
or  fluid  administered  (within  reason)  that  constitutes  the  dose. 
It  is  the  resultant  effect  on  the  diseased  economy  and  the  single 
teaspoonful  of  the  medicated  mixture  will  have  the  same  effect 
as  six  given  at  precisely  the  same  time  or  instant.  This  is  the 
reason  that  a  child  can  eat  a  small  vial  of  medicated  pellets  with- 
out serious  injury  (unless  very  sensitive  to  the  action  of  the 
remedy),  whereas  if  the  child  had  taken  the  same  amount  in 
small  portions  at  intervals  of  a  couple  of  hours  there  would  likely 
have  followed  a  proving  of  the  drug. 

Hahnemann  thought  he  was  giving  a  small  dose  the  size  of 
a  mustard  seed  when  placing  that  small  pellet  in  a  powder  of 
sugar  of  milk.  This  was  one  of  the  extremely  few  errors  of 
the  master  and  was  an  error  based  exclusively  on  the  want  of 
experience  and  opportunity  to  thoroughly  investigate.  Today 
the  same  error  is  made  by  many  and  in  the  same  way.  We  now 
know  the  little  mustard  seed  pellet  really  medicated  the  whole 
powder  and  that  the  size  of  the  dose  was  the  full  powder  and 
not  the  tiny  pellet.  Those  who  doubt  this  statement  can  easily 
verify  it  by  actual  experiment.  The  result  of  the  little  pellet  in 
the  powder  of  milk  is  the  same  as  the  same  pellet  in  water.  In 
the  remedy  or  potency  there  is  subtle  power  that  speedily  dif- 
fuses itself  through  the  mass  of  sugar  or  water  the  same  as  a 
magnet  will  magnetize  repeatedly  iron  or  steel  when  rubbed 
across  it  and  without  perceptible  diminution  of  its  own  inherent 
magnetic  power.  We  accept  the  power  of  the  magnet  without 
question  simply  because  we  know  by  experience  it  is  true.  We 
can  and  should  have  the  same  positive  experience  or  acquaint- 
ance with  our  weapons  against  disease.  I  do  not  profess  to  know 
what  it  is  that  is  potentized  nor  how  the  potency  is  developed, 
but  I  am  inclined  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  what  may  be  called 
a  vital  electricity.  It  acts  very  much  like  electricity.  It  is  as 
quick  in  action  and  as  subtle  in  its  sway  through  the  nerves  of 
the  patient.  The  dose  of  the  potentized  medicine  does  not  have 
to  go  to  the  stomach,  but  when  the  one  true  Simillimum  barelv 


Some  Random  Thoughts.  351 

touches  the  tongue  there  is  an  effort  on  the  entire  economy.  I 
have  seen  very  severe  pain  or  quite  profuse  hemorrhage  cease 
within  a  month  or  two,  in  a  fractional  part  of  a  minute,  after 
the  potentized  remedy  was  placed  on  the  tongue.  It  acts  like 
electricity,  goes  right  to  the  spot  like  a  flash  of  lightning.  Po- 
tentiation seems  to  free  this  vital  electricity  from  its  crude  ma- 
terial environment  by  the  breaking  up  of  the  atoms  and  electrons 
of  the  drug.  Every  substance  has  its  own  vital  life  that  acts  in 
its  own  peculiar  way  on  the  sick  condition  through  the  nervous 
system.  The  nerves  are  the  connecting  wires  to  carry  the  cur- 
rent of  vital  fluid.  The  further  this  vital  electricity  gets  away 
from  the  crude  material  environment  of  the  drug  the  freer  is 
its  action.  The  steps  in  potentiation  accomplishes  this,  hence 
the  higher  potencies  are  more  active  and  powerful  when  indi- 
cated, and  still  more  active  when  the  impressed  vital  force  is  in 
tune  with  the  vital  electricity,  when  there  is  what  has  been  termed 
a  "sensitivity"  of  the  patient.  These  sensitives  make  the  ideal 
provers  of  our  drugs,  whereas  the  person  remote  from  the 
sphere  or  line  of  action  of  the  vital  electricity  of  a  given  drug 
has  but  little  or  maybe  no  impression,  hence  would  have  no 
symptoms  as  provers  of  the  drug. 

This  brings  us  to  the  aggravation  from  the  repetition  of 
a  remedy.  Some  of  our  best  prescribers  fear  to  repeat  be- 
cause of  the  aggravation  or  injury  following  the  repe- 
tition. I  think  this  fear  is  largely  unfounded.  An  in- 
tensification or  aggravation  will  follow  repeated  action  of  a 
drug  only  with  those  sensitive  to  that  particular  drug.  Those 
without  this  sensitivity  can  repeat  the  drug  within  reason  with- 
out any  other  than  curative  results.  This  sensitivity  is  more  than 
a  mere  receptivity  of  the  drug  action.  It  implies  such  a  con- 
dition of  the  patient's  vital  force  to  the  action  of  the  vital  elec- 
tricity of  the  drug  that  an  over-action  is  produced  by  even  one 
or  two  impulses.  The  voltage  of  the  remedy  is  too  great  and 
burns  out  the  wires.  All  persons  do  not  have  this  sensitivity 
to  one  drug  and  yet  may  have  it  in  a  marked  degree  to  another. 
He  may  be  sensitive  to  one  drug  and  may  be  immune  to  all 
others.  Some  one  related  that  the  wife  of  a  druggist  was  so 
sensitive  to  Ipecac,  that  while  she  was  in  an  upper  room  with 


352  Some  Random  Thoughts. 

all  the  doors  tightly  closed  the  preparation  of  an  Ipecac,  com- 
pound in  a  mortar  in  the  drug  room  would  seriously  affect  her. 
Ill  results  from  repetition  are  produced  by  the  Simillimum  on 
the  sensitive.  A  similar  remedy  is  not  likely  to  have  ill  re- 
sults, and  the  further  removed  from  the  Simillimum  the  less 
likelihood  will  there  be  of  over-action.  The  rule  is  and  must 
be  to  give  as  few  doses  as  will  markedly  affect  the  vital  force 
and  then  wait  on  its  action  before  repeating.  Often  a  new 
train  of  symptoms  wTill  come  on,  but  if  these  are  in  line  with 
the  action  of  the  drug  administered  no  repetition  must  be  al- 
lowed, as  that  would  interrupt  its  action  and  retard  the  case. 
Sometimes  it  is  difficult  to  decide  when  the  drug  action  has 
ceased.  A  general  rule  to  decide  this  is  found  in  the  general 
condition  of  the  patient.  If  the  patient  is  better,  even  though 
the  local  conditions  may  appear  to  be  worse  or  new  symptoms 
come  on,  the  remedy  is  doing  its  work  and  should  not  be  in- 
terrupted. The  only  exception  to  this  is  in  cases  of  extreme 
suffering  or  danger.  Following  a  remedy  if  old  symptoms  arise, 
those  of  years  ago,  especially  those  of  the  initial  stage  or  on- 
set of  the  disease,  there  should  be  no  repetition  of  the  remedy, 
as  the  return  of  these  old  symptoms  plainly  shows  a  favorable 
and  curative  action  of  the  drug.  The  same  may  usually  apply 
also  where  a  skin  eruption  comes  on  or  is  intensified  or  appar- 
ently aggravated  by  the  administered  remedy.  It  is  a  good 
rule  to  do  nothing  when  in  doubt  but  to  await  the  development 
of  symptoms  and  conditions,  and  till  they  point  clearly  to  the 
right  way.  Time  will  be  saved  and  danger  avoided.  If  you 
give  the  wrong  remedy  or  dose  you  must  wait  some  hours  to 
find  out  your  error  and  then  go  over  the  same  field  again,  pos- 
sibly to  find  another  error  manifested.  If  nothing  had  been 
done,  Placebo  being  administered,  during  the  several  hours 
necessary  to  find  out  whether  you  had  made  a  mistake,  a  care- 
ful watching  and  study  of  the  case  would  have  led  to  success. 
Be  sure  you  are  right  and  then  go  ahead.  Waiting  the  action 
of  the  remedy,  withholding  the  repetition  of  the  drug  till  its 
action  is  fully  expended,  requires  nerve  only  with  those  who 
are  not  fully  convinced  of  the  Law  of  Cure,  or  are  ignorant  of 
its  force  and   dependability. 


The  Breasts.  353 

The  Law  of  Cure  is  potential  and  wonderful  in  its  results 
when  rightly  followed.  The  one  who  knows  it  and  follows  it 
can  rest  in  assurance  of  the  best  possible  results.  If  there  should 
be  a  failure  it  is  not  the  result  of  the  Law  of  Cure,  but  the  fail- 
ure of  the  prescriber  to  successfully  take  the  case  or  select 
the  true  remedy.  I  have  learned  that  failures  are  my  fault  and 
not  that  of  the  homoeopathic  law,  for  when  I  try  again,  go  over 
the  case,  elicit  new  symptoms  and  causes  and  conditions,  success 
follows.  Had  I  given  the  successful  remedy  first  there  would 
have  been  no  failure.  Hence  I  must  not  blame  the  Law  of  Cure, 
but  acknowledge  my  own  inefficiency.  And  I  may  add  that 
there  is  no  physician  living  or  dead  but  that  fails  sometimes. 
There  is  no  use  to  be  discouraged,  but  buckle  in  with  firm  de- 
termination to  master  the  intricacies  and  make  a  telling  success. 

Doctor  Ad.  Lippe  pointed  to  the  fact  that  when  a  patient  re- 
sponded to  the  action  of  the  remedy  administered,  but  kept  fall- 
ing back,  the  remedy  or  its  repetition  would  hold  the  case  but 
for  a  short  time  only,  then  do  no  good,  and  another  remedy  will 
seem  equally  indicated  and  do  good  only  for  a  short  time,  the 
case  was  incurable  and  the  patient  would  die.  I  have  noticed 
this  in  several  instances  and  conclude  Doctor  Lippe  was  cor- 
rect in  his  conclusions.  In  one  case  I  had  every  organ  in  the 
body  was  successively  affected,  and  each  change  indicated  an- 
other remedy  and  each  remedy  apparently  acted  promptlv  for 
relief,  still  the  patient  gradually  declined  and  died  from  inani- 
tion, wasted  to  a  skeleton.  The  most  carefullv  selected  food 
was  not  tolerated  and  did  no  eood  at  all. 


THE   BREASTS. 
By  Dr.  Mabelle  Park,  Seattle,  Wash. 

I  think  I  might  apologize  for  taking  as  my  subject  a  question 
so  generally  understood,  yet  so  generally  neglected,  so  serious 
in  its  nature  when  it  is  neglected,  a  fountain  head  of  trouble 
that  radiates  in  so  many  directions  and  is  inductive  of  so  many 
other  conditions  of  a  pathologic  nature  and  yet  the  old,  old 
story  is  always  new  if  some  new  phase  is  introduced  into  it  and 
possibly  I  may  be  able  to  introduce  some  new  thought  that  may 


354  The  Breasts. 

make  it  worth  the  while  to  some  one,  or,  perhaps,  the  discussion 
that  may  be  brought  out  will  throw  a  ray  of  light  on  some 
hitherto  dark  page  of  this  uninviting  subject.  (I  am  quite  sure 
more  can  be  said  of  the  breasts  than  I  shall  say  in  this  paper 
and  I  shall  speak  only  of  the  female  breast.) 

When  a  girl  merges  into  puberty,  we  all  know  the  physiologi- 
cal change  that  occurs  in  the  breast;  they  become  suddenly  de- 
veloped, the  vascularity  is  increased  and  so  on  I  might  en- 
numerate  other  changes.  I  merely  speak  of  it  to  show  the  close 
sympathy  of  the  breast  writh  the  generative  sphere.  We  should 
expect  an  organ  so  intimate  in  its  relation  as  to  undergo  simul- 
taneous morphological  changes  with  the  generative  sphere  to 
also  undergo  pathological  changes  when  the  generative  is  out 
of  tune,  so  to  speak,  and  thus  we  find  it  so,  Pain  in  the  breast 
at  the  catamenial  period  as  early  as  puberty  is  not  an  uncom- 
mon symptom  and  often  becomes  a  troublesome  disease  which 
extends  to  the  period  of  adolescence.  This  condition  often  goes 
hand  in  hand  with  a  dysmenorrhcea  though  not  always.  Such 
remedies  as  Puis.,  Acta,  Ignatia,  Conium  and  a  few  others  in- 
vite our  attention  so  far  as  medicine  is  concerned.  Taking  up 
the  troubles  in  sequence,  as  we  might  expect  to  run  across  them. 
The  next  is  during  the  period  of  gestation,  where  the  glands 
become  active  and  give  us  a  condition  known  as  galactorrhcea.  I 
do  not  know  the  etiology,  but  I  do  know  that  it  is  a  most  trouble- 
some condition  and  if  not  checked  will  lead  to  serious  exhaus- 
tion and  anaemia.  It  has  been  my  lot  to  have  had  three  of 
these  cases  and  in  each  case  the  patient  was  of  the  blonde  type, 
gave  a  high  leucocyte  count,  and  in  one  case  I  found  lactose 
in  the  urine.  My  years  of  observation  have  been  few7  and  pos- 
sibly there  are  plenty  of  men  here  who  have  seen  many  more 
of  these  cases  and  can  give  more  data  concerning  them.  In 
the  three  I  have  spoken  of  Calc.  carb.  remedied  the  condition. 
This  was  exhibited  in  the  thirtieth  potency.  Passing  on,  near 
the  period  of  confinement,  if  patient  is  a  primapara  and  the  nip- 
ples short,  they  should  be  stretched  out  each  day  during  the  last 
month  to  prevent  depressed  nipples,  a  condition  attended  with 
some  trouble  to  both  child  and  nurse,  as  it  is  difficult  for  the 
child  to  nurse.     In  case  this  is  not  done  a  nipple  shield  will  have 


The  Breasts.  355 

to  be  worn  with  an  artificial  nipple  attached.  It  is  also  our  prac- 
tice to  have  the  nipples  treated  with  Glycerole  of  Tannin  for  the 
purpose  of  toughening  them.  This  is  also  done  before,  confine- 
ment. If  this  is  done  we  will  seldom  have  to  treat  cracked  nip- 
ples, which  is  a  most  distressing  affection  and  which  may  be 
treated  with  Subnitrate  of  Bismuth  with  Castor  oil  rubbed  to  a 
thick  cream  and  applied  to  the  nipple  between  the  periods  of 
nursing.  Other  methods  that  are  spoken  of  in  text  books  are 
to  paint  the  nipple  with  Chloro-percha  or  with  lodo-collodian; 
this  is  very  effective,  but  not  half  so  effective  as  the  oil  and 
Subnitrate  of  Bismuth.  For  cracked  nipples  you  would  want  to 
think  of  such  remedies  as  Am.,  Calend.,  Castor  equor.,  Ham., 
PhytoL,  or,  in  some  cases,  Agar.,  Cat.,  Carb.,  Cham.,  Croton 
tig.,  Graph.,  Lye.,  Mere.,  Phos.,  Pids.,  Sepia,  Sil.,  Sulph. 

Mastitis. — A  trouble  that  has  its  origin  in  some  infection 
having  its  focus  in  the  nipple  and  traversing  the  milk  ducts ;  it 
may  also  be  caused  by  a  congested  breast,  often  caused  by  the 
hanging  down  of  the  breast,  or  a  kinking  of  the  lactiferous  duct. 
Whatever  the  etiology  the  first  and  most  reasonable  thing  to  do 
is  to  draw  the  milk  as  clean  as  possible  from  the  breast,  sup- 
port the  breast  so  that  the  ducts  are  straight,  best  with  a  corset 
cover  and  cotton,  then  apply  hot  compresses  of  water  and  Phyto- 
lacca. Many  use  witch  hazel,  or  Calendula,  or  gentle  massage 
from  the  base  of  the  breast  toward  the  nipple  with  Glycerine; 
this  is  an  excellent  adjuvant. 

Remedies  such  as  these,  if  selected  carefully,  are  sufficient  to 
handle  almost  any  case :  Aeon.,  Bell.,  Bry.,  Graph.,  Hepar, 
Mentha  pip.,  Phos.,  PhytoL,  Sil.,  Acetic  acid,  Arum  triph.,  Carbo 
animalis,  Cham.,  Cistus,  Con.,  Lach.,  Merc,  sol.,  Rhus  tox.,  Sul., 
Ver.  z'ir.  and  perhaps  some  more  remedies  enumerated  under 
sore  nipples  may  be  indicated. 

We  often  note  times  after  confinement  that  the  quality  of  the 
milk  is  changed  and  is  injurious  to  the  child  or,  to  say  the 
least,  it  has  no  food  value  to  the  child ;  or  the  milk  becor.es 
scanty,  or  suppressed.  So  I  will  give  a  few  of  the  conditions,  as 
I  have  looked  them  up  very  carefully  and  many  of  the  conditions 
I  have  seen  in  practice.  Perhaps  the  most  common  and  disap- 
pointing condition  is  where  no  milk  is  secreted  one  of  two  rem- 


356  The  Breasts. 

edies  will  usually  change  this  condition  and  they  are  Agnus 
castas,  or  Urtica  urens.  Perhaps  you  will  have  coincidently  a 
condition  that  may  call  for  Secale. 

Milk  scanty — Agnus  castus,  Asaf.,  Borax,  Puis.,  and  then 
would  follow  less  likely  remedies  such  as  Bry.,  Cal.  carb.,  China, 
Merc.  soi.  and  Phos.  acid. 

Milk  acid,  bitter,  tastes  badly,  salty,  watery,  and  several  other 
abnormal  milk  conditions,  nearly  all  respond  to  Cal.  phos. 

Caked  breasts,  Carbo  an.,  Con.,  Graph.,  Sil.,  Phytol.,  and  Sul. 

With  a  sensation  as  if  the  breast  was  on  a  tension,  Merc,  Nux 
vom.,  Secale  and  Sepia. 

Atrophy  of  breast,  Iod.,  Nit.  ac.  and  Sars. 

Cancer  of  the  Breast. — Right  here  much  needs  to  be  said, 
as  there  are  so  many  conditions  that  are  thought  to  be  cancer 
that  are  not,  and  many  that  are  not  are  sent  to  the  operating 
table,  that  it  stands  a  Homoeopath  well  in  hand  to  make  a  very 
careful  differentiation.  Three  of  these  cases  have  fallen  under 
my  care  this  year  and  all  were  advised  by  men  of  the  dominant 
school  to  operate. 

Now  I  do  not  want  you  to  think  that  I  am  averse  to  operat- 
ing those  cases  that  are  without  fail  a  carcinoma  or  a  sarcoma 
for  I  do  think  that  operative  measures  hold  such  a  growth  well 
enough  in  check  that  the  homoeopathic  treatment  will  often  do 
wonders  in  clearing  them  up,  but  I  am  averse  to  operating,  then 
to  sit  down  on  the  results  thus  obtained  and  do  no  more  for  the 
patient,  for  you  will  find  in  about  one  year  that  the  process  will 
renew  itself  and  then  you  will  find  that  it  is  too  late,  and  your 
patient  will  go  down  to  death  in  spite  of  all.  We  see  this  en- 
acted in  the  dominant  school  of  medicine  every  day.  I  do  not 
think  that  all  lumps  in  the  breast  are  cancer,  nor  will  they 
ever  be,  and  should  they  be  operated  upon,  perhaps  fibre  ade- 
noma are  the  most  common  of  all  the  tumors  of  the  breast,  and 
they  are  of  a  benign  character,  and  I  think  that  a  vast  majority 
of  the  so-called  cancer  cures  that  are  made  by  the  knife  are  fibre 
adenoma,  I  do  not  say  all.  The  microscopic  appearance  is  very 
similar,  though  not  identical  if  the  carcinoma  be  in  the  early 
stages  and  I  doubt  if  the  average  microscopist  can  tell  the  dif- 
ference.    The  clinical  symptoms  are  very  different.     The  char- 


The  Breasts.  357 

acter  of  the  pain  (and  both  may  have  pain  of  the  most  intense 
character)  is  very  different.  In  fibre  adenoma  the  pains  are 
not  of  a  continuous  character  and  are  always  worse  at  the  men- 
strual epoch,  while  the  pains  of  cancer  are  always  of  a  burning 
character  and  never  let  up.  The  carcinoma  are  of  a  stony 
hardness  and  are  blue  and  sensitive  to  the  touch,  while  an  ade- 
noma may  or  may  not  be  sensitive  to  the  touch  and  are 
never  blue,  but  are  usually  hard.  In  the  case  of  cancer  the 
growth  may  be  slow  or  neuralgia  of  the  breast  is  always 
manifest,  while  in  adenoma  the  growth  is  slow  with  no 
tendency  to  break  down.  In  carcinoma  there  is  always  a  ca- 
chexia, while  in  fibre  adenoma  there  is  no  cachexia.  In  carci- 
noma the  veins  over  the  body  are  tortuous,  and  are  enlarged, 
and  particularly  about  the  chest,  while  in  fibre  adenoma  they  are 
not.  We  would  scarcely  expect  cancer  to  occur  in  patients  un- 
der the  age  of  45  (though  this  is  not  an  invariable  rule),  while 
in  fibre  adenoma  it  usually  comes  on  after  the  age  of  puberty 
and  more  often  after  lactation.  Sarcoma  may  come  and  do  usu- 
ally come  on  early  in  life.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  all  these 
conditions  are  affecting  glands  and  thus  there  may  be  swelling 
in  other  of  the  lymphatic  glands  notably  under  the  arm  and  that 
is  not  a  diagnostic  sign.  The  carcinoma  is  always  present  and 
is  of  metastic  growth,  while  in  the  case  of  fibre  adenoma  it  may, 
or  not,  be  present  and  is  of  systemic  origin.  In  carcinoma  the 
blood  suffers  a  change.  There  is  a  high  leucocyte  count  with  a 
very  high  percentage  of  lymphocytes  in  the  blood.  The  nor- 
mal lymphocytes  are  usually  less  than  25%,  while  in  cancer 
the  lymphocyte  count  will  go  as  high  as  70%. 

The  Diazo  test  of  the  urine  is  always  diagnostic  when  you  get 
it,  but  you  will  not  get  it  until  you  have  been  able  to  diagnose 
the  condition  as  carcinoma  by  other  means  and  long  before. 
That  test  is  of  special  value  when  after  an  operation  we  might 
suspect  a  metastic  cancer  elsewhere  usually  of  the  pleura  after 
the  breast  has  been  removed,  or  after  a  uterus  has  been  removed 
we  have  reason  to  suspect  metastasis  of  the  pelvic  glands.  I 
think  then  it  behooves  every  homeo  to  look  well  to  the  diagnosis 
of  a  breast  condition  before  operating,  as  a  scar  is  always  left 
that  gives  no  end  of  trouble  even  in  a  benign  condition.     I  need 


358  And  Still  Homoeopathy  Leads. 

give  no  remedies  in  carcinoma  for  you  know  them  perhaps  bet- 
ter than  I  do,  but  for  fibre  adenoma  you  can  rely  upon  the  in- 
dicated remedy  and  they  are  in  the  class  such  as  Conium,  Cal. 
Huor.,  Carbo  animalis,  PhytoL,  Cal.  carb.,  Sil.  and  Lapis  albus. 


AND  STILL   HOMCEOPATHY   LEADS. 
By  Mary  E.  Ray,  M.  D.,  Bartlesyille,  Okla. 

The  Twentieth  Century  is  every  day  marking  the  birth  of 
some  new  system  of  treatment  for  suffering  humanity. 

Sanitation  is  a  technical  scientific  attack  upon  the  causes  of 
disease.  Every  State,  city  and  locality  are  insistant  upon  the 
active  observance  of  sanitary  rules.  Most  of  the'  plagues  and 
epidemics  of  olden  times  are  now  purely  historical.  Therefore 
we  are  indebted  to  the  departments  of  science  devoted  to  sani- 
tation and  the  enthusiastic  claims  of  the  laboratory. 

Surgery  is  taking  huge  strides  day  by  day.  Hospitals,  a  few 
years  ago,  places  shunned  and  dreaded,  are  now  crowded  and 
new  ones  being  built  to  accommodate  the  over  enthusiastic,  who 
are  seeking  surgical  aid.  There  is  something  fascinating  in  the 
thought  of  a  surgical  operation  with  escape  from  long-time  pain. 
Why  suffer  delay  of  medical  treatment  wrhen  the  surgeon  can  so 
easily  end  both.  Thus  the  surgeon  and  hospital  are  a  financial 
success,  and  the  old  family  physician  is  ancient  history.  This 
being  the  case,  it  is  unwise  to  utter  protest  against  the  present 
trend  in  medicine. 

Many  babies  have  been  kept  alive ;  puny  and  immature  in- 
fants are  so  guarded,  carefully  nourished,  fed  sterilized  food, 
breathing  sterilized  air,  who  would  otherwise  have  died  of  in- 
fection, except  for  increased  medical  knowledge. 

Disease  is  being  reduced  in  the  number  of  cases  and  in  sever- 
ity by  modern  methods  of  treatment.  Tuberculosis  in  its  in- 
cipient stage,  by  the  present  system  of  rest,  feeding,  and  out-of- 
door  life.  By  neutralizing  the  toxins  in  the  case  of  diphtheria, 
is  another  scientific  method  of  treatment.  There  are  some  who 
still  object  to  the  use  of  antitoxine,  but  its  value  is  inestimable. 

We  also  have  the  serum  for  typhoid  fever,  pneumonia,  spinal 
fever,  etc. ;  all  are  being  tested  to  their  full  capacity. 


And  Still  Homoeopathy  Leads.  359 

With  all  these  facts,  the  outlook  is  gloomy,  in  spite  of  all 
that  sanitation  has  done  and  may  yet  do ;  in  spite  of  all  marvel- 
ous results  of  surgery,  the  acumen  of  which  soon  must  be  at- 
tained. 

In  spite  of  all  modern  methods  of  nursing  and  general  man- 
agement of  patients,  disease  each  year  is  more  prevalent  and 
more  fatal  according  to  statistics. 

We  all  have  admiration  and  respect  for  these  different  scien- 
tists and  believe  in  their  labors.  They  have  faced  many  prob- 
lems to  the  satisfaction  and  betterment  of  mankind. 

Homceopathy  was  an  experiment  in  Hahnemann's  time.  It 
proved  its  value  by  the  clinical  test  during  the  next  period.  By 
the  present  day  methods  it  has  been  scientifically  proven  both  as 
to  theory  of  similars  and  the  small  dose. 

Sir  A.  E.  Wright's  opsonic  work,  for  example,  is  but  a  con- 
firmation or  re-discovery  of  Homceopathy.  The  results  of  his 
research  are  familiar  to  every  professional  listener.  Working, 
for  instance,  with  the  germs  of  pus  production,  he,  too,  observed 
the  law  of  similars.  Taking  minute  quantities  of  the  toxins  of 
the  disease  producing-germ,  toxins  capable  of  producing  symp- 
toms similar  to  those  caused  by  the  germ,  he  was  able  to  cure 
the  lesions  produced  thereby. 

Not  only  did  WTright  thus  re-discover  the  law  of  similars,  but 
also,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  he  hit  upon  the  century  old  con- 
clusion as  regards  the  size  of  the  dose.  One  ten  thousandth 
of  a  milligram  equal  to  the  sixth  decimal  dilution  of  the  homoeo- 
pathic profession,  is  the  dosage  recommended  by  this  scientist. 

This  work  is  but  one  example  of  recent  unbiased  confirmation 
of  homoeopathic  claims.  The  opsonic  theory  of  Wright,  the 
anti-tubercular  system  of  Von  Berhing,  the  mercurial  treatment 
of  specific  disease, — indeed  every  single  therapeutic  procedure 
of  proven  value  in  use  by  the  other  school,  is  simply  a  verifica- 
tion of  Hahnemann's  theories. 

In  Homceopathy,  humanity  has  the  priceless  secret — the  key 
to  the  shackles  of  disease,  relief  from  the  bane  of  the  ages. 
This  has  long  been  the  testimony  of  our  own  school  of  practice, 
it  has  occasionally  been  admitted  by  a  broadminded  and  ob- 
servant man  of  the  other  school :  and  this  past  five  years  has 


360  Homoeopathy  Versus  Modern  Therapy. 

been  discussed  in  scientific  bodies,  and  homoeopathic  ideas,  if 

not  the  name,  are  now  practically  accepted  by  the  dominant 
school. 

In  Homoeopathy  is  healing  for  the  nations,  with  joint  owner- 
ship in  all  the  marvels  of  surgery,  in  all  the  products  of  the 
laboratories,  in  all  that  the  sciences  collateral  to  medicine  have 
determined — with  ownership  in  all  these,  Homoeopathy  has  been 
sole  possessor  of  the  knowledge  of  remedial  application  when 
surgery  has  been  helpless,  the  laboratory  impotent,  and  general 
science  at  sea,  Homoeopathy  has  gone  on,  serene  in  the  conviction 
of  cures  impossible  by  other  methods. 

Practitioners  of  our  faith  are  everywhere.  Our  hospitals  are 
increasing  in  numbers  and  influence.  Our  asylums,  homes  and 
dispensaries  are  without  end.  The  records  are  open  and  the 
results  of  our  practice  speak  for  themselves. 


HOMOEOPATHY  VERSUS   MODERN   THERAPY. 
By  Dr.  Alexander  C.  Hermance,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

In  speaking  upon  the  subject  of  homoeopathic  materia  medica, 
the  application  of  which,  by  the  way,  is  coming  to  be  considered 
as  a  specialty,  as  we  now  hear  of  the  materia  medicist,  or  the 
internist,  in  contra-distinction  to  the  surgeon,  pathologist,  neu- 
rologist, gynecologist  and  other  specialties,  and  considering  the 
fact  that  so  many  of  us  in  our  endeavor  to  be  considered  scien- 
tific in  practice  are  chasing  the  false  gods,  such  as  the  serum 
therapy,  etc.,  I  would  say,  though  at  one  time  considering  the 
knowledge  of  homoeopathic  therapeutics  possessed  and  practiced 
by  all  who  professed  to  believe  Homoeopathy,  that  in  these  days 
of  therapeutic  nihilism  a  man  who  studies  and  applies  his  knowl- 
edge of  materia  medica  according  to  the  law  is  indeed  a  spe- 
cialist. 

When  we  hear  it  said  in  medical  meetings,  "Of  what  use  is  it 
to  read  papers  on  a  remedy?  We  can  get  all  that  in  books.  It 
is  only  a  waste  of  valuable  time.  Let  us  talk  about  something 
scientific,  the  vaccine  treatment,  the  Salvarsan  treatment  for 
syphilis.  Let  us  discuss  modern  therapy  and  be  up  to  date." 
It  is  well  to  be  up-to-date  and  we  must  consider  and  accept  many 


Homoeopathy  Versus  Modern  Therapy.  361 

truths  developed  by  modern  thought  and  investigation.  But 
none  of  them  have,  as  yet,  disproved  the  homoeopathic  truth  of 
similars,  but,  on  the  contrary,  confirmed  it  in  many  instances. 
Therefore,  though  it  may  be  an  old,  old  story,  it  is  the  truth. 
We  are  all  familiar  with  the  old  saying,  "There  is  more  truth 
than  poetry  in  that,"  but  perhaps  we  are  not  so  familiar  with  its 
origin.  The  story  goes  that  old  John  Sylvester  and  old  Ben 
Johnson,  the  celebrated  English  wits,  used  to  meet  several  nights 
a  week  at  the  Tavern  to  smoke  their  pipes  and  drink  their  ale 
and  see  which  could  outdo  the  other  in  wit.  One  night  it  was 
to  see  who  could  compose  the  best  impromptu  rhyme.  Says 
John  Sylvester,  'T,  John  Sylvester,  slept  with  your  sister,"  and 
Johnson  replied  by  saying,  "But  I,  Ben  Johnson,  slept  with  your 
wife."  Ah !  says  John,  "but  that's  not  poetry."  "No,  but  by 
God  it's  the  truth,"  said  Johnson.  Homoeopathic  therapeutics 
may  not  be  considerd  scientific  by  our  Old  School  friends,  but  by 
God  it's  the  truth. 

Some  of  this  modern  therapy  reminds  me  of  the  old  darkey 
preacher  who  was  comparing  the  different  religious  sects.  Using 
a  che'stnut  as  an  illustration  the  old  fellow  being  a  Methodist 
wanted  to  show  that  the  meat  of  the  nut  represented  the  truth. 
He,  as  follows,  said :  "Brethren,  the  prickly  bur  you  see  on  the 
outside  represents  the  stiff-necked  Episcopalean,  the  shell  un- 
dearneath,  the  hard  shell  Baptist,  but  the  meat,  ah !  the  meat  on 
the  inside  that  am  the  Methodist."  Cracking  the  nut  open,  with 
a  look  of  disgust,  he  exclaimed :  "The  inside  am  rotten."  And 
so  I  believe  it  to  be  with  many  of  the  modern  theories  of  cure — 
"the  inside  am  rotten." 

The  laboratory  can  explain  many  things,  but  it  cannot  tell  us 
a  Lycopodium  patient  has  an  aggravation  from  4  to  8  P.  M.,  a 
Sulphur  patient  a  diarrhoea  at  5  A.  M.,  an  Arsenicum  patient  a 
midnight  aggravation,  a  Borax  patient  an  aggravation  from 
downward  motion,  etc.  Only  the  physiological  study  of  the 
action  of  drugs  upon  the  living  subject  will  tell  us  these  things. 

We  need  all  the  papers  and  discussions  upon  materia  medica 
that  we  can  get, — good,  practical  papers,  not  too  long,  but  to 
the  point,  bringing  out  characteristics,  so  to  speak,  with  verifica- 
tion of  same.    We  want  to  be  able  to  recognize  these  old  friends 


362  Homoeopathy  Versus  Modern  Therapy. 

when  we  meet  them  and  have  to  prescribe  in  a  hurry.  No  finite 
mind  can  retain  a  complete  knowledge  of  all  the  symptomatology 
of,  I  might  say,  our  too  numerous  remedies,  but  it  can  retain 
the  peculiar  characteristics  of  many  and  in  this  way  get  as 
familiar  with  them  as  we  do  our  friends  whom  we  meet  every 
day  by  their  voice,  their  laugh,  their  gait,  their  expression,  etc. 
This  will  greatly  help  us  in  quick  snap-shot  prescribing  to  se- 
lect the  simillimum  instead  of  resorting  to  paliation  unhomoeo- 
pathic  and  unscientific.  In  our  most  complicated  cases  we  must 
have  time  to  work  them  out  systematically,  using  some  good 
repertory. 

In  closing  I  might  relate  a  few  snap-shot  cures  or  successful 
keynote  prescribing. 

A  woman  at  a  hotel  was  suffering  with  severe  attack  of  what 
has  been  termed  uterine  colic.  She  was  obliged  to  stop  over  in 
the  city  on  account  of  illness.  Attacks  had  been  coming  on  reg- 
ularly for  several  years  lasting  all  during  menstruation.  Had 
all  kinds  of  doctors — operation  advised  by  regular  physician  at 
home.  Must  leave  city  in  morning,  if  possible,  must  have  relief 
— audible  rumbling  of  gas  in  intestines,  marked  aggravation  4 
to  8  P.  M. — hungry,  but  feared  a  mouthful  of  food  would  fill  her 
up.  You  recognize  an  old  friend,  Lycopodium.  Was  cured  in 
a  few  hours.  A  friend  says  she  is  perfectly  well  with  no  re- 
turn of  trouble. 

A  travelling  man  at  a  hotel,  also  with  severe  attack  of  asthma, 
afflicted  many  years,  thinks  it  hereditary,  must  have  relief  so  as 
to  leave  city  in  morning.  Attack  comes  on  at  midnight — can- 
not lie  down  for  fear  of  suffocating,  extreme  restlessness,  fearful 
of  results.  If.  Arsenicum.  Two  years  after,  when  pasing 
through  the  city  patient  stopped  to  get  some  more  of  those  pow- 
ders in  case  he  ever  needed  them.  There  has  been  no  return  up 
to  date. 

Little  girl  of  five  years  of  age  has  always  disliked  milk,  which 
disagreed  with  her  in  any  form.  After  taking  JEthusa  has  had 
no  further  trouble.    She  now  likes  milk. 

Young  woman  with  enlarged  cervical  glands,  after  taking 
number  of  remedies,  asked  if  salt  would  hurt  her.  When  asked 
why,  she  replied  that  she  had  used  it  on  everything,  even  clear 
at  times.    Nat.  mur.  200  cured  her. 


Freak  Symptoms.  363 

You  all  recognize  old  friends  in  these  cases,  and  I  could  re- 
late like  experiences.  We  must  go  to  our  repertory  with  our 
more  difficult  cases,  but  we  must  also  memorize  enough  materia 
medica  to  be  able  to  use  it  when  time  for  study  is  limited  in- 
stead of  resorting  to  paliative  measures  of  old  school. 

It  is  our  materia  medica  and  therapeutics  that  makes  us  dis- 
tinctive in  medicine,  and  the  more  we  have  of  it  the  better  it 
will  be,  not  exhaustive  articles  that  we  could  much  better  read 
and  digest  at  leisure,  but  verifications  and  comparisons,  papers 
that  bring  out  some  distinctive  feature  of  some  remedy  that 
may  be  impressed  upon  our  mind.  We  then  feel  that  we  have 
learned  something  that  will  be  useful  to  us  perhaps  in  an  emer- 
gency. I  believe  in  an  abbreviation  rather  than  an  expansion 
of  the  homoeopathic  materia  medica. 

The  original  remedies  proven  by  Hahnemann,  Gross,  Hering, 
and  others  number  about  two  hundred,  which  of  themselves 
compose  a  large  materia  medica,  nearly  all  of  which  have  stood 
the  investigation  of  wise  and  careful  practitioners  for  more  than 
half  a  century. 

It  is  really  painful  to  acknowledge  what  drones  many  of  us 
have  been,  for  after  a  score  of  years  in  active  practice  we  are 
far  from  being  thorough  in  our  knowledge  of  the  most  com- 
monly used  remedies,  and  many  of  us  who  have  presumed  to 
have  mastered  their  therapeutic  properties  are  ready  to  lay  them 
aside  to  give  place  to  newly  proved  drugs  which  are  compara- 
tively little  known  in  practice.  We  should  feel  less  anxious  to 
increase  our  list  of  remedies,  but  should  increase  our  knowledge 
of  the  old  and  well  proven  ones. 


FREAK   SYMPTOMS. 
By  Eli  G.Jones,  M.  D.,  879  West  Ferry  St.,  Buffalo,  N.Y. 

What  I  call  "Freak  Symptoms''  are  something  unusual,  symp- 
toms that  are  not  met  with  in  everyday  practice,  but  when  a 
doctor  meets  with  them  he  must  know  what  remedy  is  indicated, 
if  he  wants  to  be  a  good  prescriber.  A  woman  may  tell  you  that 
she  is  afraid  in  the  evening,  she  don't  want  to  be  alone,  she  is 
■afraid  of  ghosts.    Tr.  Ranunculus  but.  ix  is  the  remedy  she  needs. 


364  Freak  Symptoms. 

In  puerperal  fever,  with  danger  of  putrefaction,  putrid  dis- 
charges, coldness,  intolerance  of  covering,  suppressed  urine  and 
tendency  to  collapse,  Secale  cor.  30X  is  the  remedy  needed. 

In  neuralgia  following  amputation  or  injuries  to  nerves,  char- 
acterized by  the  fine  thready  shooting,  but  not  burning  pains,  Al- 
lium cepa  ix  is  the  remedy. 

I  have  had  patients  complain  of  dimness  of  vision,  as  if  looking 
through  a  fog,  or  as  if  hairs  or  feathers  were  before  the  eyes,  and 
they  wanted  to  rub  the  eyes  constantly.    Alumina  30X  is  indicated. 

When  leucorrhcea  is  profuse,  acrid  and  burning,  something  like 
ammonia,  we  think  of  Ammonia  carb.  3X.  A  patient  may  have 
a  dry  cough  during  the  day  and  loose  at  night  with  much  rattling 
of  mucus  and  expectoration  of  ropy,  tenacious  mucus. 

The  remedy  is  Ammonium  mur.  3X.  I  have  had  weak,  nervous 
people,  especially  those  afflicted  with  spinal  irritation,  complain 
of  this  symptom.  They  smell  filth  wherever  they  go.  When  they 
go  to  the  water  closet  they  say  that  they  can  smell  human  feces 
for  days  or  weeks  afterwards.  No  matter  if  they  bathe  themselves, 
change  all  their  clothes,  use  the  strongest  perfume,  the  awful 
smell  ''lingers  round  them  yet."  You  may  not  meet  with  this 
symptom  very  often,  but  it  may  come  when  you  least  expect  it, 
and  Anacardium  3X  is  the  remedy.  A  woman  will  get  the  im- 
pression at  night  that  her  hands  and  arms  are  enormously  en- 
larged, so  she  must  strike  a  light  before  she  can  be  convinced 
that  it  is  not  so.    Tr.  Aranea  diadema  3X  is  the  remedy  she  needs. 

That  form  of  vertigo  with  crawling  and  whirling,  as  if  intoxi- 
cated, calls  for  Argentum  met.  3X. 

A  doctor  writes  me  that  his  wife  can't  eat  sweet  things,  she 
has  a  sweetish  taste  in  her  mouth.  Zincum  3X  is  indicated. 

In  those  severe,  agonising  headaches,  with  a  sensation  as  if  the 
top  of  the  head  were  opening  and  shutting,  or  as  if  being  lifted 
or  raised  up,  give  Tr.  Cannabis  Ind.  3X,  ten  drops  once  an  hour. 

vSome  women  have  menses  flow  only  in  the  day  time,  while  the 
leucorrhcea,  which  is  bloody,  is  generally  at  night.  Causticum 
3x  is  indicated. 

There  is  a  mental  condition  you  may  meet  with,  the  patient 
imagines  that  he  is  hovering  in  the  air  like  a  spirit.  Tr.  Asantm 
3x  is  the  remedy  the  patient  needs. 


Freak  Symptoms.  365 

In  some  ladies  menstruation  may  be  too  early,  profuse  in  the 
morning,  scanty  during  the  day,  flowing  mostly  at  night.  Tr. 
Bovista  is  the  remedy  indicated. 

We  may  meet  with  patients  afflicted  with  chronic  dyspepsia. 
They  dislike  zvarm  food.,  have  acid  fermentation,  sour  risings,  a 
longing  for  eggs,  and  all  sorts  of  indigestible  things,  such  as  coal, 
chalk,  slate  pencils,  etc.,  with  aversion  to  meat.  Calcarca  carb. 
6x  is  indicated. 

In  senile  dementia,  when  the  patient  is  forgetful  of  figures, 
names,  or  places,  he  has  an  antipathy  to  his  family,  he  imagines 
himself  surrounded  by  foes,  or  by  hideous  animals,  Crotalus  horr. 
6x  is  the  remedy  indicated. 

In  ciliary  neuralgia,  when  the  pain  goes  from  the  eyes  to  the 
top  of  the  head,  with  a  sensation  of  a  cold  wind  blowing  against 
the  eyes,  Tr.  Crocus  sativa  is  the  remedy  needed. 

A  woman  may  complain  of  a  sensation  of  something  jumping 
about  in  the  pit  of  her  stomach,  abdomen  or  other  parts  of  the 
body,  or  a  feeling  in  the  abdomen  of  something  dead  there. 
This  symptom  calls  for  Tr.  Crocus.  You  may  have  patients  com- 
plain of  rheumatic  pains  in  shoulder,  arms,  and  tips  of  fingers, 
with  yellowness,  coldness,  finger  nails  blue.  The  flesh  is  sore  to 
the  touch,  and  there  is  no  relief  from  sweat.  Tr.  Chelidonium 
3x  is  the  remedy  called  for. 

Now  and  then  you  will  have  patients  complain  that  their  arms 
go  to  sleep  when  grasping  anything  firmly,  the  joints  feel  sore  and 
bruised,  Tr.  Chamomilla  ix  is  the  remedy  indicated. 

In  tumors,  felons  and  ulcers  when  there  is  relief  from  cold  ap- 
plications, with  the  need  of  rapid  motion,  it  seems  as  if  she  could 
walk  forever,  Fluoric  acid  6x  is  the  remedy  called  for. 

In  nervous  chills  from  emotional  excitement  or  depression,  in 
which  there  is  shivering  and  chattering  of  teeth,  yet  there  is  no 
real  chilliness,  Tr.  Gelsemium  is  the  remedy  they  need. 

In  angina  pectoris  there  seems  to  be  a  rush  of  blood  to  the 
heart,  then  to  the  head,  at  times  fluttering  of  the  heart  then  beat- 
ing as  if  it  would  burst  the  chest  open,  pains  in  the  arms  with  loss 
of  power  in  the  arms.     This  condition  calls  for  Glonoin  6x. 

We  sometimes  have  patients  complain  of  a  sensation  of  one 
limb  double,  or  another  person  is  sick  in  bed  with  them.    In  puer- 


366  Freak  Symptoms. 

peral  fever  a  woman  may  tell  you  that  there  are  "two  babies  in 
bed  with  her,  and  that  she  can  only  attend  to  one."  The  above 
symptom  calls  for  Petroleum  6x. 

There  is  a  certain  form  of  chlorosis  in  young  girls.  They  have 
rush  of  blood  to  the  head,  flushing  of  the  face,  coldness  of  ex- 
tremities at  night.  She  feels  miserable,  is  apprehensive  about  the 
future  with  constant  thoughts  about  death,  menses  pale,  scanty, 
irregular,  profuse  zvhite  leucorrhcea,  and  constipation.  Such  pa- 
tients need  Graphites  6x. 

I  have  had  patients  complain  that  the  inside  of  the  head  felt 
numb,  and  made  of  pith.  With  the  above  symptoms  there  is  de- 
layed menstruation.     Graphites  6x  is  the  remedy  indicated. 

In  mental  troubles  associated  with  suppressed  menstruation, 
also  in  puerperal  mania,  with  unchaste  talk,  she  wants  to  em- 
brace everybody,  with  the  illusion  that  she  can  satisfy  all  comers! 
Platinum  6x  is  the  remedy  that  she  needs. 

In  rheumatism  of  the  hands,  with  stiffness  and  cutting  pains  on 
closing  the  hands,  also  arthritis  deformans  in  women.  Caulophyl- 
lum  3X  is  the  remedy. 

In  abscess  of  the  liver  or  kidneys,  and  in  the  later  stage  of  sup- 
purative or  secondary  nephritis,  when  you  are  unable  to  get  rid 
of  the  pus  that  constantly  shows  in  the  urine,  Hepar  sulph.  30X 
will  often  clear  up  the  case. 

A  patient  says  her  head  feels  as  if  it  was  becoming  elongated 
upward,  or  extending  upward  like  a  conical  hat.  Tr.  Hypericum 
6x  is  the  remedy  indicated. 

Some  patients  will  tell  you  that  they  bite  the  sides  of  the 
tongue,  or  inside  of  the  mouth,  when  talking  or  chewing.  Tr. 
Ignatia  ix  is  the  remedy  that  they  need. 

You  may  meet  with  patients  that  have  a  fearsome  expression 
on  their  face.  They  give  you  the  impression  of  a  person  who 
is  afraid  of  something  or  somebody.  They  look  behind  doors, 
in  dark  corners,  under  the  bed  (why  does  a  woman  always  look 
under  the  bed  at  night  instead  of  looking  in  the  bed,  where  a 
man  is  supposed  to  be?).  They  often  look  behind  them  or  over 
their  shoulders.  They  are  the  slave  of  fear!  They  need  Tr. 
Aconite  3X. 

When  the  pulse  is  weak  and  fluttering,  with  a  cold  sensation 
about  the  heart,  Kali  bichromate  3x  is  the  remedy  they  need. 


Freak  Symptoms.  367 

In  sympathetic  vomiting,  or  where  the  irritation  starts  from 
some  other  organ  than  the  stomach.  Kreosotum  30X  is  indicated. 

In  habitual  drunkards  with  red  blotches  on  the  forehead,  or  a 
rum  blossom  nose,  Tr.  Ledum  6x  is  the  remedy. 

A  woman  fears  she  will  become  insane,  thinks  she  is  incurable, 
believes  she  has  some  organic  disease  that  the  doctors  don't  un- 
derstand, she  is  tormented  about  her  salvation,  thinks  she  has 
committed  the  unpardonable  sin.    What  she  needs  is  Tr.  Liliiim 

tig.  3*- 

In  some  women  the  breasts  and  nipples  are  swollen  during 
menstruation,  and  instead  of  menstrual  flow  we  may  have  milk 
in  the  breasts.     Mercurius  viv.  3X  is  the  remedy  called  for. 

In  bad  cases  of  diphtheria  with  small,  rapid  or  intermittent 
pulse,  extreme  prostration,  threatened  collapse,  very  fetid  odor 
and  the  disease  is  apt  to  invade  the  nostrils.  Mercurius  cyan.  6x 
is  the  remedy.  The  Homoeopaths  have  had  wonderful  success 
in  the  treatment  of  desperate  cases  of  diphtheria  with  the  above 
remedy. 

If  a  man  could  discover  a  remedy  that  would  cure  a  woman 
of  scolding  it  would  be  a  God-send  to  poor,  suffering  humanity. 
When  a  woman  scolds  until  she  works  herself  into  a  hysteric  fit, 
Tr.  Moschus  3X  is  the  remedy. 

In  neuralgia  of  the  ovary  we  sometimes  get  a  symptom,  a  sen- 
sation as  if  the  heart  and  ovary  were  being  drawn  together,  Tr. 
Naja  trip.  6x  is  the  remedy  indicated. 

Some  women  get  sad  and  melancholy,  they  are  aggravated  by 
sympathy,  and  there  is  an  aversion  to  men!  Is  not  that  a  queer 
symptom  for  a  woman  to  have?     She  needs  Natrum  mur.  6x. 

A  cough  that  is  made  worse  by  lying  on  the  left  side,  and  if 
you  ask  the  patient  how  his  cough  is,  if  he  coughs  before  he 
answers  you,  he  needs  Phosphorus  3X. 

In  that  form  of  constipation  complicated  with  prolapsus  of  the 
rectum  there  is  a  sinking  sensation  in  the  abdomen,  as  if  the  in- 
testines would  drop  through  the  pelvis,  Podophyllum  6x  is  the 
remedy  indicated. 

Some  women,  when  they  go  to  bed,  feel  sleepy,  yet  after  they 
get  in  bed  are  restless  and  fussy,  she  feels  too  hot  and  throws  off 
the  covers,  and  puts  her  arms  out  to  get  relief.     While  sleeping 


368  Freak  Symptoms. 

her  favorite  position  is  on  her  back  with  her  hands  above  her 
head.    Such  women  need  Tr.  Pulsatilla  ix. 

In  paralysis  of  the  left  oculo-motor  nerve,  and  of  the  superior 
rectus  muscle,  with  double  vision,  better  only  by  bending  the 
head  backward,  Tr.  Senega  3X  is  the  remedy  called  for. 

In  some  cases  of  chorea  there  is  a  symptom  of  jumping  about, 
a  sensation  as  if  the  feet  and  legs  were  floating  in  the  air.  The 
above  symptoms  indicate  Tr.  Sticta  6x. 

A  woman  expects  trouble  from  everything  she  undertakes, 
she  is  afraid  to  go  to  a  doctor  for  fear  he  will  tell  her  that  she 
has  some  incurable  disease.  She  is  a  "worrier"  and  seems  to  en- 
joy it,  but  she  needs  Argentum  nit.  6x. 

In  asthenopia  with  a  feeling  as  if  a  veil  were  between  the  eyes 
and  the  light,  or  as  if  mucus  were  over  them,  and  he  is  obliged 
to  wipe  the  eye  in  order  to  remove  it.  Tr.  Crocus  is  the  rem- 
edy indicated. 

I  hope  to  meet  very  many  of  the  readers  of  The  Recorder  at 
the  Sixth  Annual  Convention  of  the  "American  Association  of 
Progressive  Medicine"  at  Auditorium  Hotel,  Chicago,  111.,  Sept. 
24th,  25th  and  26th,  19 1 7. 

It  welcomes  to  its  ranks  physicians  of  all  schools  of  medicine. 

It  was  not  organized  to  build  up  or  perpetuate  any  school  of 
medicine,  but  to  benefit  the  whole  profession. 

In  general  anaemia,  when  there  is  a  tendency  to  early,  but 
scanty  menstruation,  or  when  there  is  a  How  between  the  periods, 
Manganum  3X  is  the  remedy  indicated. 

A  patient  may  tell  you  that  he  has  palpitation  of  the  heart 
when  sitting,  better  when  moving  about,  Magnesia  mur.  3X  is 
the  remedy  needed. 

In  diarrhoea  with  frequent  movements,  with  burning,  corrosive 
discharges,  burning  in  anus,  as  if  it  were  on  fire;  in  fact,  a  burn- 
ing of  the  whole  gastro-intestinal,  "thirty  feet  of  fire  "  Tr.  Iris 
versicolor  3X  is  the  remedy  needed. 

Some  women  pass  through  life  and  never  discover  the  fact 
that  they  have  a  womb.  When  they  do  find  out  that  they  have 
such  an  organ,  you  will  hear  about  it  every  time  you  meet  them. 
The  more  she  talks  about  her  womb,  the  stronger  the  indication 
for  Tr.  Helonias. 


A  Proving  of  Bismuth.  369 

In  meningeal  troubles  of  children,  when  the  child  lies  with 
eyelids  half  open  and  the  eyeballs  rolled  upward  showing  only 
the  whites,  they  need  Tr,  Hellebore  3X. 

A  patient  complains  of  coldness  in  occiput  ascending  from 
nape  of  neck,  Tr.  Chelidonium  ix  is  indicated. 


A   PROVING  OF   BISMUTH. 

The  article  from  which  the  following  is  taken  was  contributed 
by  Dr.  F.  A.  Hepworth,  F.  R.  C.  S.,  to  the  London  Lancet  of 
April  14.  The  toxic  symptoms  followed  after  the  use  of  Bis- 
muth paste  in  infected  wounds.  It  has  a  value  for  two 
reasons:  1st.  Don't  use  Bismuth  paste  too  freely.  2d.  As  a  ho- 
moeopathic proving: 

"In  the  accompanying  table,  which  gives  details  of  the  cases, 
it  will  be  seen  that  four  patients  developed  a  blue  line  on  the 
gums.  This  was  first  noticed  in  Private  Y.,  who  complained 
of  a  sore  mouth  10  to  14  days  after  his  operation,  and  was  found 
to  have  a  broad  band  of  bluish  pigmentation  inside  the  cheeks, 
and  on  the  sides  of  the  tongue,  as  well  as  an  unusually  thick  line 
on  the  gums.  Other  patients  were  then  examined  and  three 
more  were  found  with  less  noticeable,  but  still  distinct  'blue 
lines' — Sergeant  R.,   Private  B.,   and   Private   D. 

"Ancemia  was  present  in  all  seven  cases,  and  disappeared  as 
the  wounds  healed.  Constipation  was  especially  noticeable  in 
Private  Y.  Both  symptoms  are  so  common  among  men  with 
severe  wounds  that  they  are  of  little  diagnostic  value.  No  neu- 
ritis, wrist-drop,  colic,  or  headache  has  been  noticed.  Mental 
stupor  was  a  troublesome  feature  in  one  patient  (Private  D.), 
but  had  been  developing  before  his  treatment  with  Bismuth 
paste. 

"Loss  of  sphincter  control,  delirium,  and  sleeplessness  con- 
tinued for  two  or  three  weeks  in  the  case  of  Private  J.  B.,  who 
was  extremely  ill  and  thought  to  be  dying.  His  infection  was 
severe  and  his  knee-joint  was  involved.  Improvement  followed, 
not  directly  after  amputation,  but  as  the  suppurating  amputa- 
tion wound  cleaned  up.  His  symptoms,  therefore,  may  have 
been  due  to  plumbism,  but  are  much  more  likely  to  have  been 
caused  by  septic  intoxication  or  Iodoform  poisoning. 


370  Calendula. 

"Blood  changes  were  looked  for  by  our  pathologist,  Major 
A.  E.  Nash,  R.  A.  M.  C.  (T.),  but  no  granules  were  found  in 
the  corpuscles.  The  urine  was  also  examined  for  lead,  but  no 
trace  found  in  any  case. 

"Opinion  was,  at  first,  strongly  in  favor  of  the  view  that 
the  symptoms  in  these  patients  were  due  to  lead  absorbtion,  es- 
pecially as  the  cases  occurred  while  one  particular  batch  of  Bis- 
muth preparation  was  in  use.  But  in  Sir  Thomas  Oliver's  book 
on  'Lead  Poisoning,'  p.    135,  it  is  stated  that : — 

"A  blue  line  on  the  gums,  with  difficulty  distinguished  from 
that  caused  by  lead,  may  be  observed  in  persons  to  whom  large 
doses  of  Bismuth  have  been  administered  by  the  mouth ;  or  who, 
as  the  subjects  of  empyema,  have  had  injected  into  the  fistulous 
track  in  their  thoracic  wall  Bismuth  emulsion." 


CALENDULA. 


(The  following  is  condensed  from  a  paper  by  Dr.  W.  M. 
Gregory,  in  Eclectic  Medical  Journal)  : 

Many  a  "Made  in  Germany"  drug  is  really  no  better  than 
Friedmann's  turtle  serum,  but,  as  they  travel  in  better  com- 
pany, and  do  not  use  such  quackish  methods  of  advertising,  it 
takes  them  longer  to  get  found  out. 

We  who  know  something  of  the  medical  resources  of  the  vege- 
table kingdom  have  a  common  well-known  remedy,  that  is  to  some 
of  us,  that  if  its  absolutely  infallible,  non-poisonous  germicide,  and 
antiseptic  qualities  had  been  discovered  in  some  German  univer- 
sity laboratory,  would  be  heralded  all  over  the  world  as  the 
"greatest  medical  and  surgical  discovery  of  the  twentieth  cen- 
tury." I  allude  to  Calendula  officinalis,  the  common  or  garden 
marigold.  It  is  absolutely  sure  death  to  all  pus  germs  of  what- 
ever kind,  streptococci,  staphylococci,  or  any  other  cocci. 

If  the  value  of  this  harmless  plant  as  a  germicide,  antiseptic 
and  healing  agent,  were  known  in  every  hospital  and  surgery 
in  the  world,  the  gain  to  medicine  and  surgery  would  be  beyond 
computation.  Its  use  in  burns  and  scalds  will  relieve  pain  more 
quickly  and  thoroughly  than  any  other  remedy  ever  discovered, 
and  no  burn  dressed  with  it  will  ever  develop  a  drop  of  pus.   My 


Calendula.  371 

attention  was  called  to  it  some  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  ago,  in  some 
journal  which  stated,  "Lacerated  and  contused  wounds,  even  if 
far  form  aseptic,  will  never  suppurate  if  dressed  with  a  good  ex- 
tract of  Calendula:" 

I  hardly  believed  it,  but  tried  it  in  a  large  number  of  accident 
cases,  some  of  them  very  dirty  ones,  and  found  that  was  per- 
fectly true.  Made  up  as  a  lotion,  with  hot  water  and  acetate  of 
lead,  Calendula  forms  the  best  remedy  we  have  to  suppress  a 
violent  acute  synovitis  arising  from  injury  of  the  knee  joint; 
its  use  here  will  prevent  effusion  and  suppuration.  Calendula  is 
the  greatest  non-poisonous  germicide,  antiseptic,  reliever  of 
pain,  and  healer  of  wounds  that  has  ever  been  brought  into  use. 


Ancient  Dope. — The  following  keeps  bobbing  up  on  the  stream 
of  medical  "Health,"  and  the  "ism"  journals : 

"Do  you  know  heavy  eating,  like  heavy  drinking,  shortens 
life?" 

No,  we  don't.  Neither  do  you.  Both  of  us  have  known  ab- 
stemious persons  to  go  to  an  early  grave  after  a  wretched  ex- 
istence, and  we  have  known  heavy  eaters  and  drinkers  to  do  the 
same.  On  the  other  hand,  both  of  us  have  known  members  of 
each  class  to  live  on  to  old  age.  Man's  physical  appetites  depend 
on  his  inherited  constitution  with  the  make-up  of  which  musty 
maxims  have  nothing  to  do.  There  is  no  vice  in  hearty  living 
and  no  virtue  in  an  acetic  diet. 

\ 

In  An  Indian  Jungle. — The  monkeys  there  were  very  numer- 
ous and  were  sure  they  ruled.  Occasionally  a  boa  constrictor 
swallowed  one  of  them,  or  a  panther  or  tiger  lunched  at  their 
expense.  Finally,  a  Man  came.  As  usual  they  reviled  him. 
The  Man  had  a  gun,  which  spoke  several  times.  Then  the  Ban- 
dar log  grew  circumspect.  They  agreed  that  they  would  ignor 
the  Man.  But  ever  and  anon  one  of  them  would  hurl  a  cocoa- 
nut  at  him  and  immediately  scramble  up  among  the  thick  boughs 
of  silence.     Perhaps  there  is  no  point  to  this. 


372  Specialists'  Department. 

THE  SPECIALISTS'  DEPARTMENT 


EDITED   BY  CLIFFORD  MITCHELL,   M.   D. 
25  East  Washington  St.,  Chicago,  111. 

CLINICAL  URINE  ANALYSIS  AND  RENAL  THERA- 
PEUTICS. 

Deaths  From  Post-Operative  Uremia. — Fatal  cases  of  post- 
operative uremia  are  not  as  common  now  as  formerly,  but  this 
fact  will  not  console  a  family  which  may  have  lost  one  of  its 
members  from  such  an  unfortunate  accident. 

Physical  examination  and  laboratory  tests,  as  a  rule,  if  well 
conducted,  are  entirely  sufficient  to  discover  if  patients  are  likely 
to  develop  uremia.  Occasionally,  however,  the  unexpected  hap- 
pens and  a  patient  who  appears  to  be  a  good  operative  risk  goes 
into  uremic  coma  following  an  operation  and  dies.  There  is  al- 
ways a  great  commotion  in  such  cases  and  a  tendency  to  make 
somebody  the  "goat"  for  blame.  As  a  rule,  however,  it  is  dif- 
ficult to  fix  the  blame  specifically  upon  any  one  person  engaged 
in  the  preliminary  proceedings.  The  tests  for  renal  efficiency 
with  phenolsulphonephthalein  may  have  been  satisfactory,  as  in 
the  case  Lydston  speaks  of  in  which  death  occurred  on  the  third 
day  from  uremia,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  careful  pre-operative 
functional  tests  showed  perfect  function  of  the  sound  kidney  and 
a  fair  activity  of  function  of  the  diseased  kidney.  Then  again 
laboratory  tests  for  albumin  may  be  reported  as  "negative"  and 
the  microscope  show  nothing  in  the  way  of  presence  of  casts  in 
the  urine. 

How,  then,  are  deaths  from  uremia  following  various  opera- 
tions to  be  acounted  for?  In  one  or  two  cases  which  have  come 
under  the  writer's  observation  routine  has  been  his  opinion  at  the 
bottom  of  it. 

Man  moves  along  the  lines  of  least  resistance.  As  a  general 
rule,  no  one  does  anything  he  doesn't  have  to  do  and  many  fail 
to  do  what  they  ought  to  do.  Salaried  persons  are  notable  ex- 
emplars of  the  "short  cut"  method  of  doing  things.     When  a 


Specialists'  Department.  373 

hospital  has  certain  rules,  the  most  any  one  connected  with  it  may 
be  expected  to  do  is  to  carry  out  these  rules  and  in  some  cases 
he  will  not  even  do  that.  Suppose,  however,  that  the  "General 
Orders"  of  the  hospital  have  been  carried  out,  how  can  nephritis 
be  overlooked  ?  In  the  writer's  opinion  the  following  appears  to 
be  a  plausible  explanation  of  how  a  patient  with  chronic  ne- 
phritis may  slip  through  the  various  tests  and  examinations.  In 
the  first  place  not  all  cases  of  chronic  nephritis  may  show  an  ab- 
normally high  systolic  blood  pressure  on  all  occasions.  Retinal 
examinations  are  not  necessarily  a  part  of  the  routine  examina- 
tions made  before  an  operation.  The  burden  of  proof,  then,  in 
a  certain  case  may  happen  to  fall  upon  the  urine  analysis.  Sup- 
pose now  the  "General  Orders"  of  the  hospital  read  "Single  speci- 
men of  urine  examined  as  soon  as  patient  enters"  and  "24  hours' 
collection  of  urine  undertaken."  Suppose  the  "General  Orders" 
also  re'ad  "Patient  to  drink  a  glass  of  water  every  two  hours  be- 
fore operation."  Now,  then,  it  may  so  happen  that  the  single 
specimen  of  urine  examined  as  soon  as  the  patient  is  received 
may  have  been  voided  after  drinking  freely  of  water  or  other 
liquid  and  it  is  certain  to  be  the  case  that  the  24  hours'  collection 
of  urine  will  represent  a  larger  volume  of  water  taken  by  the 
glass  every  two  hours.  In  both  these  instances  then  the  interne 
examining  the  urine  may  fail  to  find  either  albumin  or  casts  for 
the  excellent  reason  that  neither  may  be  present. 

The  writer  has  repeatedly  seen  cases  in  which  albumin  and 
casts  were  not  found  in  urines  of  low  specific  gravity,  due  to 
water  drinking',  when,  by  procuring  specimens,  from  the  same 
patient,  of  higher  specific  gravity,  both  albumin  and  casts  were 
readily  discovered. 

In  other  words,  a  hospital  which  does  not  check  up  its  negative 
findings  of  albumin  and  casts  by  some  sort  of  rule  regarding  spe- 
cific gravity  of  urine  is  an  institution  in  which  every  now  and 
then  an  "unexpected"  death  from  post-operative  uremia  may  take 
place.  There  may  also  be  flaws  in  the  technic  of  remedial  meas- 
ures taken  by  excited  or  inexperienced  internes.  The  "General 
Orders"  may  read  that  in  case  of  uremia  the  patient  is  to  receive 
normal  salt  solution  intravenously ;  but  it  may  so  happen  that  the 
supply  of  normal  salt  solution  furnished  the  interne  is  made  by 


374  Specialists'  Department. 

diluting  saturated  salt  solution  and  that  this  dilution  may  have 
been  forgotten  and  the  patient  may  have  received  the  saturated 
solution  instead.  Whatever  may  be  the  good  accomplished  by 
salt,  too  much  of  it  in  nephritis  is  hardly  the  proper  thing.  In 
other  words,  "there  is  many  a  slip  betwixt  cup  and  lip,"  in  hos- 
pitals as  well  as  in  other  places. 

Too  Much  Ureteral  Catheterization. — Lydston,  in  a  brief  on 
ureteral  catheterization,  concludes  that  in  his  opinion  it  is  being 
practiced  oftener  than  is  wise.  "The  ureteral  catheter  and  cysto- 
scope  are  not  the  safest  of  playthings,  especially  for  the  amateur, 
nor  is  the  urinary  tract  a  safe  playground  for  the  tyro.'' 

To  this  conservative  dictum  the  writer  will  add  nor  is  urine 
analysis  a  kindergarten  pastime. 

Pyelocystitis  in  Children. — We  read  a  good  deal  now  a  days 
about  pyelitis  in  children,  especially  in  little  girls  under  two  years 
of  age.  The  writer  has,  however,  often  pointed  out  the  danger 
of  making  a  diagnosis  solely  from  the  discovery  of  leucocytes  in 
the  urine.  Vaginitis,  and  vulvitis,  must  be  excluded  and  in  order 
to  do  this  safely  a  catheterized  specimen  of  urine  is  best  for  ex- 
amination, care  being  taken  that  no  pus  is  left  behind  by  incom- 
plete catheterization.  We  know  of  a  case  where  a  child  with 
vulvitis  was  kept  in  bed  for  ten  days  under  the  supposition  that 
pyelitis  was  the  condition  present.  Much  pains  must  be  taken  to 
avoid  admixture  of  pus   from  the  genito-urinary  tract. 

The  modern  treatment  of  pyelocystitis,  usually  due  to  the  colon 
bacillus,  in  children  is  to  give  plenty  of  water  to  drink  and  to 
"switch"  the  urine  from  an  acid  to  an  alkaline  reaction  and  back 
again  over  a  period  of  several  weeks. 

The  urine  may  be  made  alkaline  by  use  of  the  alkaline  citrates, 
which  alone  in  young  children  are  sometimes  curative.  If  not  so, 
change  to  cautious  use  of  hexamethyline  tetramine  is  advised,  and 
so  on  back  and  forth.  In  very  young  children  it  may  not  be  ad- 
visable to  change  the  urine  from  acid  to  alkaline  in  less  than  ten 
days  with  gradutlly  increasing  doses  of  the  citrates. 

Electricity  for  Enlarged  Prostate. — We  are  often  asked  if  en- 
larged prostate  may  not  be  treated  successfully  by  the  static  elec- 
tricity now  so  much  used  and  if  by  this  procedure  an  operation 
may  be  avoided.     The  wave  current  is,  it  is  true,  used  in  many 


Specialists'  Department.  375 

cases  and  clinically  may  effect  so  much  relief  of  symptoms  as  to 
be  of  a  certain  value,  but  electricity  will  not  cure  the  condition  in 
an  anatomical  sense.  Infiltration  and  inflammation  may,  how- 
ever, be  abated  and  in  this  way  relief  experienced  by  the  patient. 

Edema  in  Pregnancy. — The  occurrence  of  edema  in  pregnancy 
most  always  causes  apprehension  on  part  of  both  patient  and  phy- 
sician, but  all  edema  occurring  at  this  time  is  not  necessarily  of 
grave  import. 

If  the  edema  is  only  about  the  ankles  and  disappears  after  the 
night's  rest,  it  may  be  due  only  to  pressure  or  to  varicosity,  but,  if 
on  the  other  hand,  it  is  present  in  the  morning  on  waking  and  ex- 
tends up  the  leg,  it  is  more  likely  to  be  toxic.  Much  more  also  is 
this  latter  true,  if  ede.i  a  of  the  hands  and  face  occur.  In  such 
cases  careful  collection  and  examination  of  the  urine  must  be 
made.  It  must  be  remembered  that  in  some  cases  of  chronic 
parenchymatous  nephritis  of  pregnancy  tube  casts  are  hard  to 
find  in  the  urine,  but  an  amount  of  albumin,  which,  when  precipi- 
tated, settles  down  to  the  first  mark  on  the  Esbach  tube  or  over 
is  strongly  suggestive  of  a  nephritis,  when  the  ratio  of  urea  to 
ammonia  is  not  so  low  as  to  indicate  pregnancy  toxemia  of  the 
hepatic  kind. 

240  Recent  Analyses  of  the  24  Hours'  Urine. — The  writer  has 
recently  overhauled  a  collection  of  240  analyses  made  by 
him  of  the  24  hours'  urine  in  about  200  different  persons, 
previously  not  reported.  The  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia 
was  found  to  be  above  20  to  1  in  210  out  of  the 
240  analyses,  confirming  previous  statements  made  by 
the  writer  regarding  this  ratio.  In  other  words,  a  ratio  of 
urea  to  ammonia  below  20  to  1  is  of  such  infrequent  occur- 
rence (in  thirteen  per  cent,  only  of  the  cases)  as  to  demand  in- 
vestigation. It  may  be  confidently  assumed  that  in  such  a  case 
something  abnormal  is  present  in  the  patient's  system.  Still  more 
is  this  true  if  the  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  is  found  to  be  between 
15  and  20  to  1.  In  only  18  analyses  or  seven  and  one-half  per 
cent,  were  such  low  figures  found.  Finally  most  serious  of  all 
are  the  cases  where  the  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  is  below  fif- 
teen to  1,  occurring  in  only  12  analyses  or  five  per  cent,  of  the 
cases.     In  the  cases  in  which  the  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  was 


376  Specialists'  Department. 

below  15  to  i  all  were  either  toxemia  of  pregnancy  or  acidosis  of 
diabetes.  The  lowest  ratio  observed  in  this  particular  set  of 
cases  was  eleven  to  one,  in  two  instances,  one  a  case  of  diabetes 
and  the  other  of  pregnancy. 

In  looking  over  the  records  of  these  patients  the  writer  is  more 
than  ever  convinced  of  the  clinical  value  of  this  simple  analytical 
procedure.  Patients  in  whole  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  below  20 
to  1  is  found  should  be  kept  under  observation  and  treatment  un- 
til the  ratio  improves  regardless  of  what  other  conditions  may  or 
may  not  be  present,  while,  at  the  same  time,  a  searching  investi- 
gation into  the  condition  of  the  various  digestive  and  abdominal 
organs  is  conducted. 

.Most  men  in  health  show  a  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  of  30  to  1 
or  up.  Many  women  in  apparent  health  may  show  a  ratio  be- 
tween 30  and  20  to  1.  But  when  there  is  taken  into  considera- 
tion the  tendency  to  constipation  on  part  of  many  women,  it  is 
difficult  to  decide  whether  the  lower  ratio  in  women  is  due  to 
sex  or  to  bowel  stasis. 

In  any  event  the  dropping  of  the  ratio  below  20  to  1  is  signifi- 
cant of  some  disturbance  of  the  general  health  in  either  man  or 
woman. 

In  pregnancy  or  in  diabetes  the  ratio  below  15  to  1  is  always 
serious,  it  being  assumed  that  proper  precautions  in  collecting 
and  preserving  the  urine  are  taken  and  that  the  specific  gravity 
of  the  24  hours'  urine  is  around  1015  or  upwards  when  the  urea 
determination  is  to  be  made,  since  the  hypobromite  process  is 
slow,  and  perhaps  unreliable  in  urines  of  low  specific  gravity. 


Pneumonia. — For  the  week  ending  June  16  Public  Health  Re- 
ports  gives,  in  45  cities.  358  cases  of  pneumonia  and  214  deaths, 
which  is  a  mortality  of  slightly  over  60  per  cent.  This  percent- 
age is  not  accurate,  of  course,  for  the  figures  show  merely  the 
number  of  new  cases  during  and  the  number  of  deaths  in 
cases  previously  reported,  but,  at  best,  there  is  no  triumph  of  mod- 
ern medicine  in  these  figures.  In  fact  they  are  worse  than  those 
of  old  allopathy.  Better  look  up  the  homoeopathic  treatment, 
gentlemen. 


Homoeopathic    Recorder 

PUBLISHED  MONTHLY  AT  LANCASTER,  PA. 

By  BOERICKE   &  TAFEL 
Subscription  $2.00,  To  Foreign  Countries  $2.24,  Per  Annum 

Addren  commuuicmtion*,  bo  oka  for  reriew,  exchange;  etc., 
tor  the  editor,  to 

E.  P.  ANSHUTZ,  M.  D.,  lOll  Arch  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


EDITORIAL   NOTES   AND    COMMENTS. 

A  Correction. — Mistakes  will  happen,  as  the  following  letter 
proves : 

Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 

In  your  July  edition  you  published  a  paper,  "The  Treatment  of  Skin 
Cancer,"  as  written  and  read  by  me  at  the  Indiana  Institute,  would  say 
that  this  is  an  error,  as  it  was  written  and  read  by  Dr.  Oscar  Jones,  of 
Indianapolis,  Ind..  and  as  I  was  secretary  of  the  Indiana  Institute,  I  was 
asked  to  have  the  paper  published,  so  in  justice  to  Dr.  Jones  please  make 
this  correction  and  oblige. 

H.  L.  Baker,  M.  D., 

Lebanon,  Ind. 

As  there  was  no  name  on  the  paper,  but  a  note  on  the  back  of 
the  last  sheet  from  Dr.  Baker,  offering  the  paper  to  the  Recorder, 
we  assumed  that  he  was  the  writer,  hence  the  error  which  we 
very  much  regret. 

Emetine. — The  Therapeutic  Gazette  opens  an  editorial  on  "The 
Toxic  Effect  of  Emetine  Hydrochloride,"  as  follows :  "We  have 
so  often  called  attention  in  these  pages  to  the  fact  that  any  drug 
which  is  powerful  enough  to  do  good  will,  if  wrongly  used,  also 
be  powerful  enough  to  do  harm,  that  we  hesitate  to  reiterate 
this  truism  in  therapeutics."  Then,  later  on,  it  quotes  two  cases 
of  death  from  Emetine  from  the  Military  Surgeon.  Here  is  one 
of  them  : 

"In  one  of  the  fatal  cases  one-third  of  a  grain  of  emetine  was 
administered  three  times  a  day  from  August  21  to  August  24. 
It  was  repeated  from  September  5  to  September  15;  and,  again, 


378  Editorial. 

from  September  27  to  October  3  in  one-half-grain  dose  once  a 
day.  The  patient  after  this  was  found  to  have  a  rapid  pulse, 
motor  weakness,  and  great  nervousness,  with  a  very  low  blood- 
pressure,  the  pulse  later  becoming  irregular,  the  rate  rising  as 
high  as  162  and  the  respiration  42.  The  lungs  showed  evidences 
of  congestion,  and  there  was  cough  with  some  expectoration. 
On  October  5  there  was  a  foul  diphtheritic  odor  to  the  breath 
and  the  throat  showed  a  pustular  exudate  on  the  posterior  wall. 
The  tongue  was  red,  beefy,  dry,  and  fissured.  The  temperature 
was  101.060.     Death  took  place  on  that  date." 

Farther  on  we  read  from  the  same  editorial :  "It  would  seem 
probable  from  this  and  other  papers,  therefore,  that  Emetine 
has  to  be  used  with  some  care,  particularly  if  the  patients  are  al- 
ready weakened  by  disease."  Why  cannot  our  allopathic 
brethren,  who  are  so  really  learned  in  so  many  respects,  see  the 
glaring  truth  that  it  is  neither  quantity  nor  frequency  in  dos- 
age that  avails  in  therapeutics?  Why  cannot  they  see  that  there 
is — that  there  must  be — a  law  governing  therapeutics?  Would 
any  of  them  apply  the  allopathic  (opposite)  treatment  of  hot 
water  to  a  frosted  limb?  Would  they  not  rather  apply  the  ho- 
moeopathic (similar)  treatment  of  cold?  They  all  know  that 
the  small  dose  of  the  emetic  Ipecac,  controls  vomiting,  so  why 
not  carry  this  law  further?  It  would  be  Homoeopathy,  but  very 
beneficial  to  humanity. 

Good  Red  Blood. — Every  man  likes  to  possess  it  and  conse- 
quently may  be  interested  in  "The  Origin  of  the  Red  Blood  Cor- 
puscle," as  expounded  by  our  scientific  contemporary,  the  Jour. 
A.  M.  A.     It  opens  thus: 

"According  to  a  current  dictim  in  histology,  the  mammalian 
red  blood  corpuscle  is  a  cell  which  has  lost  its  nucleus.  At  an 
early  period  in  fetal  life  the  blood-forming  function  appears  to 
be  associated  with  the  fetal  liver.  In  'blood  islands'  of  this  or- 
gan, nucleated  erythroblasts  are  believed  to  be  formed  rapidly 
by  karyokinesis.  The  primitive  spleen  also  assumes  a  small  por- 
tion of  the  hematopoietic  function,  which,  however,  does  not  ap- 
pear to  persist  in  these  organs  much  beyond  the  term  of  intra- 
uterine life." 

After  this  beginning  the  job  seems  to  be  taken  over  by  the 


Editorial.  379 

"red  bone  marrow,"  which,  by  means  of  biconvex  erythroblasts, 
and  karyokinesis  "the  daughter  cells  eventually  produce  hemo- 
globin in  cystoplasm."  The  trouble  with  this  lucid  exposition 
of  the  origin  of  red  blood  is  that  no  one  seems  to  be  quite  sure 
whether  it  is  true  or  not  for  the  article  concludes :  "That  a  new 
method  of  study  has  raised  new  problems  in  regard  to  the  pro- 
cess under  investigation  is  characteristic  of  progress  in  scientific 
research." 

Oxalic  Acid. — The  following  is  the  heading  of  an  editorial  in 
the  Journal  A.  M.  A.:  "The  Nephritis  produced  by  Oxalic 
Acid."  It  cannot  be  termed  a  proving,  yet  it  points  that  way. 
Umeda  and  Ringer  are  the  men  quoted.  "From  their  observa- 
tions it  appears  that  oxalic  acid  in  small  quantities  produces  ne- 
phritis." This,  it  seems,  is  done  "by  precipitating  the  calcium 
salts  in  the  cells  during  the  process  of  their  excretion."  This 
may  or  may  not  be  of  use  in  homoeopathic  prescribing. 

Logic  or  Casuistry? — Kerley,  in  the  Archives  of  Pediatrics, 
says  that  but  a  small  percentage  of  children  are  susceptible  to 
poliomyelitis.  Also  that  there  are  innocent  carriers  who  spread 
the  disease.  Evidently  Kerley  dare  not  go  against  the  orthodox 
faith  that  disease  is  a  micro-organism.  Consequently  disease  is 
an  organic  being,  a  living  creature  with  organs  for  propagating 
its  species,  or  seeds  for  the  same  purpose.  Consequently,  as  the 
disease  breaks  out  in  districts  remote  from  any  other  case,  the 
doctrine  of  carriers  has  to  be  evolved  to  bolster  up  the  parent 
theory  on  which  "modern  medicine,"  i.  e.,  modern  theory,  is 
founded.  The  "carrier"  doctrine  is  a  weak  one,  but  it  is  all 
they  have.  To  be  actually  scientific  our  brethren  ought  to  tell 
us  when,  where,  why  and  how  the  beyond-the-microscope — germ 
of  poliomyelitis  started,  a  germ  that  at  certain  seasons  appears 
in  spots  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  simultaneously. 

"Regular"  Therapy. — Brother  Andrews,  of  the  Summary,  gets 
off  the  following,  though  whether  original  or  otherwise  is  un- 
known :  "Very  rarely  can  a  doctor  give  any  better  reason  for 
using  a  drug  than  that   somebody   recommended   it."     That   is 


380  Editorial. 

very  true  of  the  "regulars,"  whose  psychology  in  the  matter  of 
therapy  is  at  the  bottom  the  same  as  that  which  prevails  with 
those  who  look  to  patent  medicine  almanacs.  Homoeopaths  only 
can  give  a  near  scientific  reason  for  their  therapy. 

How  to  Be  Medically  Damned. — The  following  is  taken  from 
a  paper  by  Rodger  S.  Morris,  College  of  Medicine,  Cincinnati : 

"Mistakes  in  spelling,  when  few  in  number  and  trivial,  may 
often  be  excused  in  the  hurry  and  tension  of  a  written  examina- 
tion. But  no  such  excuse  can  account  for  spelling  pectoriloquy 
'pectorilliquity,'  'pectoriliquoy'  and  'pectorleque.'  Likewise,  when 
one  finds  empyema  spelled  'empyemia'  consistently  in  nine  papers, 
it  is  evidence  of  mental  carelessness  on  the  part  of  the  writers, 
and  causes  one  to  wonder  whether  empyema  and  pyemia  are 
looked  on,  perhaps,  as  synonyms.  Fancy  the  impression  on  a 
medical  editor  of  referring  to  the  Diplococcus  pneumonia  as  the 
'diplococcus  pneumonii,'  'the  pneumonococcus  diplococci  organ- 
ism/ 'pneumococcus  lancelotus,'  'bacilus  of  Frankle,'  'pneumo- 
coccus  Bacillus  of  pneumonse  of  Frankel,'  'pneumococcus  of 
Friedlander'  or  Tneumococcus  or  B.  Lancillatus.'  A  paper  con- 
taining such  errors  would  receive,  and  deserve,  a  place  in  the 
waste  basket.  Even  more  damning  would  it  be  for  the  young 
physician  to  read  such  matter  before  an  audience  of  his  col- 
leagues." 

Wonder  what  an  old  Greek  scholar  would  say  if  he  were  to 
read  the  wierd  scientific  terms  coined  from  his  language  by  the 
ultra  learned  modern  medicos?  Surely  we  need  an  up-to-date 
Paracelsus. 

The  Inventor  of  Esperanto. — Lazarus  Ludwig  Zamenhof,  who 
was  responsible  for  that  queer  language,  Esperanto,  died  last 
April,  at  Warsaw,  Poland,  at  the  age  of  57.  What  adds  a  touch 
of  interest  is  the  fact  that  he  studied  medicine  at  Moscow,  Rus- 
sia, and  later  "specialized  as  an  ophthalmic  surgeon"  at  War- 
saw. His  linguistic  invention  took  hold  to  a  considerable  ex- 
tent and  a  medical  journal  was  published  in  it,  La  Kuracisto, 
which  was  blown  out  of  existence  by  the  great  war.  But  for 
all  that  you  can  bet  that  no  invented  language  will  ever  live ;  it 
is  not  rooted  in  the  soil  of  childhood.     It  has  no  vitality. 


Editorial.  381 

"Small-pox  in  Germany." — Editorially  writing  under  this  head- 
ing the  London  Lancett  is  quite  apologetic.  It  takes  the  view 
advanced  by  the  leading  German  medical  journal  that  the  dis- 
ease was  spread  by  tramps,  immigrants,  or  wandering  laborers. 
Tramps,  we  have  read,  are  unknown  in  Germany,  immigrants 
could  hardly  get  there  and  must  be  of  a  peculiar  character  to 
wish  to  at  present,  while  why  should  a  laborer  wander 
where  labor  is  so  scarce?  But,  passing  all  this  by,  why  should 
even  these  men  spread  the  disease  among  those  "absolutely  pro- 
tected" by  vaccination?  Can  it  be  that  when  the  small-pox  con- 
ditions exist  vaccination  is  powerless  and,  consequently,  is  a 
useless   affliction  where  they  are  not  present. 

Infantile  Paralysis  Again. — Under  the  heading,  "Poliomyelitis 
Anterior,"  the  Eclectic  Medical  Journal  prints  a  paper  by  Dr. 
F.  T.  Sinclair,  of  Lysander,  N.  Y.,  read  before  the  Eclectic  So- 
ciety of  that  State.  In  the  first  case  that  came  his  way  was  al- 
ready paralyzed.  Family  lived  in  a  shack — social  outcasts. 
Treatment,  half  a  dozen  doses  of  castor  oil  and  1/60  gr.  of 
Strychnine,  about  twice  a  day.  Complete  recovery.  Next  case 
was  seen  before  paralysis  set  in.  Told  parents  it  did  not  have 
the  disease.  They  seemed  disappointed.  Same  treatment  and 
same  result.  Had  many  more  cases,  but  always  said  they  were 
not  paralysis.  All  recovered  promptly  under  the  oil  treatment. 
From  this  experience  one  might  almost  infer  that  last  summer's 
"epidemic"  was  merely  a  severe  form  of  the  old  "summer  com- 
plaint"  plus    extreme    hysteria. 

Some  Old  Time  Ideas. — If  you  possess  a  copy  of  the  first  vol- 
ume of  the  International  Hahnemannian  Association  you  will 
find  in  it  a  paper  by  Dr.  Ad.  Lippe,  headed  "Drug  Proving. " 
Among  other  things  he  writes  of  the  "medical  men  who  indulge 
in  the  belief  that  pathology  has  become  an  exact  science :  that 
the  modern  theories  as  to  disease  are  true"  and  so  on.  It  was 
"modern"  in  that  rather  remote  day  and  has  been  ever  since, 
-even  though  the  "modern"  of  each  decade  was  but  dust  and 
ashes  for  the  next. 

Mercuric  Poisoning. — The  Journal  of  the  A.  M.  A.,  editorially, 
considers  the  increasing  number  of  cases  of  mercuric  poisoning 


382  Editorial. 

1 
"as  a  possible  complication  of  surgical  operations  and  in  obstet- 
ric practice  ever  since  the  more  widespread  introduction  of  mer- 
curic chlorid  as  an  antiseptic  agent." 

"The  striking  peculiarities  of  the  course  of  the  intoxication 
are  not  only  the  more  immediate  effects,  including  the  initial 
toxic  gastritis  and  the  stomatitis  when  the  drug  is  swallowed, 
or  the  subsequent  intensive  and  often  fatal  ulcerative  colitis,  but 
also  the  later  manifestations,  particularly  the  development  of  a 
more  or  less  complete  anuria,  which  may  persist.  The  anuria 
usually  arises  on  or  about  the  fourth  day  after  the  poison  is  in- 
troduced, and  the  patients  progress  to  subsequent  death,  from 
lesions  of  the  liver  or  colon,  with  or  without  the  reestablishment 
of  the  urinary  secretion." 

If  men  could  get  the  germ  killing  idea  out  of  their  heads  and 
substitute  healing  Calendula  for  the  poisonous  antiseptics  it 
would  be  a  blessing  to  afflicted  humanity. 

Bats. — By  this  is  not  meant  the  kind  that  men  occasionally 
evolve  when  feeling  fine,  but  the  real  nocturnal  beast,  bird  or 
whatever  it  is.  Dr.  S.  A.  Campbell,  in  the  Medical  Review  of 
Revkws  (July),  contributes  a  paper  under  the  heading,  "The. 
Bat  as  an  Eradicator  of  the  Mosquito,"  in  which  he  proves,  if 
his  facts  are  facts,  that  the  bats  kill  off  mosquitoes,  especially 
the*  anopheles,  and  thus  make  not  only  for  human  comfort,  but 
for  the  extermination  of  "malaria."  His  paper  reads  all  right, 
so  it  may  be  that  as  medical  science  gets  its  eyes  open  we  may 
even  find  defenders  of  the  pesky  musca  domestic  a,  alias  the  fly, 
as  a  protector  of  the  human  family  even  though  we,  at  times, 
in  our  ignorance,  curse  him  for  his  diabolic  pranks,  especially 
when  one  of  his  kind  gets  into  our  bed  room  early  on  a  sum- 
mer's morning,  and  joyously  sports  over  us.  Seems  to  us  that 
if  medical  science  would  get  below  the  self-apparent,  and  answer 
the  questions,  Why  the  mosquito  ?  Why  the  bat  ?  Why  the  fly  ? 
and  Why  other  similar  things?  it  would  be  getting  nearer  to 
medical  science.  To  be  sure  the  bat  is  a  nuisance,  but  not  so 
great  an  one  as  is  the  mosquito  though  physically  larger.  There- 
in resides  a  problem  O,  scientists !  for  Dr.  Campbell's  people 
killed  the  bats  and  got  malaria  instead.  Medical  science  has  a 
rocky  road  to  its  river  Jordan. 


Editorial.  383 

Bromides. — Dr.  H.  V.  Halbert  (The  Clinique)  writes  that 
the  bromides  in  the  treatment  of  epilepsy  are  an  utter  failure, 
and  worse:  "The  writer  has  had  an  extended  experience  in  the 
treatment  of  this  unfortunate  disease  but  has  not  reached  a  de- 
gree of  success  sufficient  to  offer  and  encouragement  in  giving 
advice.  Two  facts,  however,  stand  forth  in  this  experience  which 
may  be  given  without  hesitation.  First,  bromides  will  not  give 
satisfactory  or  even  safe  results  and  for  that  reason  should  not  be 
employed  except  when  they  are  demanded  for  temporary  relief. 
Second,  the  only  known  method  that  is  reliable  might  be  de- 
scribed as  the  homoeopathic  method.  In  other  words,  the  pa- 
tients treated  from  a  systematic  standpoint,  showed  the  only 
favorable  results.  In  looking  over  my  records  for  the  past 
twenty-five  years  I  am  really  surprised  at  the  good  results  which 
have  been  attained  by  this  line  of  treatment.  While  no  one  would 
be  foolhardy  enough  to  make  extensive  claims  for  the  treat- 
ment of  epilepsy,  I  truly  feel  that  if  we  had  more  confidence  in 
this  method  and  more  patients  in  its  pursuit  it  would  be  possible 
to  do  much  more  than  we  have  done  for  these  unfortunates.  The 
theory  of  homoeopathy  means  the  individual  study  of  every- 
thing which  pertains  to  this  disease  whether  it  be  environment, 
diet,  or  the  use  of  remedies." 

Metaphysical. — The  editorials  of  our  beloved,  but  erratic  con- 
temporary, the  /.  A.  M.  A.j  are  always  a  philosophical  delight. 
To  share  this  pleasure  with  the  reader  the  following  opening  of 
one  on  'The  War  and  Medical  Research"  is  quoted : 

"Who  is  going  to  care  about  a  streptococcus  six  months  from  now?" 
said  a  well-known  pathologist.  War  is  declared ;  men's  minds  are  on  pre- 
paredness, on  the  food  supply,  on  soldiers  and  on  the  wounded.  Atten- 
tion has  shifted  from  the  ordinary  problems  of  life  to  the  great  topic.  And 
so,  too,  the  attention  of  research  workers  will  shift  from  those  phases  of 
medical  research  which  concern  the  cultural  characteristics  of  micro- 
organisms, the  intricate  anatomy  of  the  lower  forms  of  life,  the  molecular 
arrangement  of  unknown  minor  constituents  of  the  urine,  to  the  broad 
problem  of  putting  as  many  men  as  possible  at  the  front,  keeping  them 
there  and  getting  them  back  again  as  quickly  as  possible  when  the  exi- 
gencies of  war  cause  their  temporary  removal  to  the  hospital. 

Well,  respected  one.  isn't  it  better  to  heal  the  sick  than  to  be 
an  eminent  entomologist? 


PERSONAL. 


Honestly,  brother  sinner,  do  you  understand  all  of  those  ponderous 
words  you  read  in  heavy  weight  medical  articles? 

"Sporadic  cases"  bumps  the  medical  scientist. 

How  can  a  "sporadic  case"  of  a  "germ  disease"  occur  with  nary  a 
contact? 

A  fool  can  ask  more  questions  in  a  minute  than  a  medical  scientist  can 
answer  in  a  life  time. 

"Remember  the  public's  opinion  of  you  always  lags  somewhat  behind 
your  own." — Urological  and  Cutaneous  Review. 

Physical  Culture  offers  $100  for  the  best  essay  on  "What  One  Has  to 
Offer  in  Marriage."     Some  puzzle,  that! 

Not  sure,  Mary,  whether  standing  on  one's  dignity  would  hurt  it  or 
not.     Probably  depends  on  the  weight. 

"You  are  very  sweet,"  sighed  the  youth,  "but  I  have  diabetes." 

Claude  remarks  that  it  is  hard  to  know  whether  it  is  opportunity  or  a 
collector  knocking  at  your  door,  when  there  is  a  knock. 

"Contraception."     Pleasure  without  paying. 

The  R.  R.  that  advertises  "through  to  Chicago  without  change"  forgets 
the  porter  and  the  diner  people. 

3  A.  M.     Sleet.    "Awful  night  to  be  out."    "But  I  won,"  replied  Binks. 

What  becomes  of  a  man  when  his  body  is  planted? 

Leonard  Keene  Hirshberg,  A.  B.,  M.  A.,  M.  D.,  (Johns  Hopkins)  is 
often  quoted  in  the  joke  column  of  the  /.  A.  M.  A, 

J.  A.  M.  A.  has  had  three  learned  articles  on  "Splenoctomy,"  but  never 
a  word  about  how  to  cure  splenalgia. — Ceanothus. 

"Stamping  out  disease"  is  as  bad  a  use  of  language  as  it  is  of  science. 

There  are  two  great  divisions  of  humanity,  the  one  looks  for  good 
points  in  men  and  things,  and  the  t>ther  for  flaws. 

The  kid  said  there  are  two  zones,  the  temperate  and  the  intemperate. 

The  toastmaster  asked  "shall  we  enjoy  ourselves  a  little  longer  or  shall 
the  speeches  begin?" 

"Kiss"  may  be  aproper  or  a  common  noun;  it  may  be  a  regular  or  an 
irregular  verb ;  and  it  is  always  a  conjunction. 

Many  men  are  contractors,  some  of  works,  but  most  of  debts. 

Any  man  may  retire  on  his  money  if  he  puts  it  under  the  mattress. 

Sometimes  the  bride's  whole  family  are  settled  on  her  instead  of  a 
dowry. 

Johnny  told  Sally  she  was  lovely,  and  Becky  told  her  not  to  be  de- 
ceived by  Johnny. 

She  must  be  a  husky  girl  who  can  take  up  the  piano. 

The  poor  author  said  he  never  had  a  contribution  rejected,  in  church 
at  least. 


THE 

Homeopathic  Recorder 

Vol.  XXXII    Lancaster,  Pa.,  September  15,  1917.     No.  9 

INFINITESIMALS. 

Dr.  Albert  Abrams,  of  San  Francisco,  in  Physic o -Clinical 
Medicine  of  same  city,  seems  to  have  stirred  up  the  homoeopathic 
journals.  The  Recorder,  June,  considered  his  paper  and  nearly 
all  the  other  homoeopathic  journals  have  done  the  same — ap- 
provingly. Yet,  indeed,  there  is  nothing  homoeopathic  in  what 
he  wrote  save  an  affirmative  of  the  infinitesimal,  which,  as  many 
of  our  men  have  repeatedly  told  us,  Hughes,  for  instance,  has 
nothing  to  do  with  Homoeopathy,  or,  in  other  words,  with 
similia  similibus  curantur.  In  this  they  are  right,  for  Hahne- 
man  started  with  big  doses  and  succeeded ;  he  reduced  the  dose, 
and  succeeded,  and  to-day  we  have  men  prescribing  the  6  and 
others  the  D.  M.  M.,  the  3x  and  the  30th,  all  successful.  This 
seems  to  show  that  Homoeopathy  is  a  bigger  proposition  than 
infinitesimals,  and,  also,  that  the  recognition  of  the  fact  of  in- 
finitesimals is  no  proof  that  the  man  so  recognizing  is  a  Homoeo- 
path, nor  is  it  a  proof  of  the  fundamental  principle  of  Homoe- 
opathy,  namely,  similia  similibus  curantur. 

There  is  a  vast  deal  back  of  that  Latin  homoeopathic  proverb, 
whether  you  spell  it  curantur  or  curcntur,  than  is  dreamed  of  in 
the  philosophy  of  some  of  the  modern  homoeopathic  Horatios. 
The  size  of  the  dose  is  a  matter  of  experience  with  logic  tending 
to  the  higher  potencies.  The  action  of  the  law  is  eternal  whether 
the  Aconite  be  in  the  tincture  or  in  a  potency,  and  we  can  also 
see  that  the  smaller  the  dose  of  the  needed  ''similar"  poison  that 
is  curative  the  less  the  afflicted  one  has  to  contend  with  on  his 
road  to  recovery.  The  "how"  of  a  cure  bothers  the  men  who  go 
in  for  science.  How  does  a  grain  of  corn  germinate  and  bring 
forth  a  hundredfold?    "Heat  and  moisture"   is  the  triumphant 


386  Infinitesimals. 

reply.  But  "how?"  No  one  knows,  not  even  the  Agricultural 
Department  of  the  United  States.  That  Department  knows  the 
fact  just  as  the  Homoeopaths  know  the  fact  that  Aconite  will 
cure  if  indicated.  But  how  it  is  done  in  either  case  no  one 
knows.  To  answer  you  must  know  the  secret  of  "life,"  and  not 
even  the  Rockefeller  Institute  knows  that,  for  when  one  of  its 
scientists  loses  what  is  known  as  "life"  he  becomes  a  mass  of 
substance  easy  to  analyze,  which  was  not  the  case  before  his 
mysterious  "life"  departed.    Then  the  mass  was  warm  with  life. 

This  leads  up  to  what  one  very  respected  contemporary  had 
to  say  of  Abrams'  paper,  namely : 

"If  Abrams'  conclusions  are  confirmed  by  other  investigators 
and  they  become  thoroughly  established,  it  will  be  a  tribute  to 
Samuel  Hahnemann  and  should  serve  to  lessen  much  of  the 
prejudice   now  existing   against   Homoeopathy." 

With  all  due  regard  for  our  learned  New  York  contemporary 
it  will  do  nothing  of  the  kind,  for  Abrams,  while  proving  the 
actuality  of  the  so-called  infinitesimal  rather  makes  light  of  real 
Homoeopathy  of  which  the  infinitesimal  is  but  a  corollary.  Ho- 
moeopathy is  the  only  thing  in  therapeutics  that  is  scientific  and 
it  can  and  must  stand  on  its  own  bottom.  The  seemingly  near 
approaches,  and  the  patronizing  half  approvals  from  the  out- 
side are  of  no  real  benefit  without  a  recognition  of  the  great 
fundamental,  the  Law.  A  man  may  believe  that  an  ion  can 
buzz  around  in  an  atom  like  a  fly  in  a  cathedral,  but  that  belief 
does  not  make  him  a  Homoeopath  any  more  than  the  seeing  and 
believing  in  the  existence  of  a  cathedral  makes  a  man  a  Chris- 
tian. 

When  we  get  down  to  brass  tacks  there  is  precious  little  any 
of  us  know  of  what  is  belowT  the  surface  of  things,  though  most 
of  us  are  cock-sure  we  know  much  or  even  "know  it  all."  What 
causes  diphtheria? 

"The  bacillus  of  diphtheria,  of  course." 

What  causes  the  bacillus? 

"Give  it  up!" 

And  even  here  it  is  by  no  means  certain  whether  the  bacillus 
causes  the  disease  or  the  disease  causes  the  bacillus.  Every 
experienced   Homoeopath   knows   that   a    drug   administered   on 


Hahnemann — The  Great.  387 

clear  cut,  homoeopathic  indications  will  quickly  cure  the  patient 
whether  it  be  given  in  material  or  infinitesimal  dosage  if  cure  be 
possible,  but  a  belief  in  infinitesimals  without  the  Law  would 
leave  the  physician  helpless. 

And  after  all  is  said,  why  should  Homoeopaths  be  so  eager  for 
the  crumbs  of  commendation  that  fall  from  the  allopathic  table 
as  though  they  were  our  superiors? 


"  HAHNEMANN"  —  THE    GREAT.* 
By  W.  J.  Hawkes,  M.  D.,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

As  I  review  modern  history,  five  names  stand  out  pre-eminent 
among  all  the  many  illustrious  men  of  the  period — Shakespeare, 
Napoleon,  Washington,  Lincoln,  Hahnemann.  Each  in  his 
sphere  has  no  equal.  Like  the  "Grizzly  Giant"  in  the  Redwood 
Forest  of  the  lordly  Sequoias  of  our  own  California,  they  stand 
supreme.  Time,  the  great  eraser  of  the  commonplace,  but  adds 
to  their  glory. 

True  greatness  is  not  an  accident  nor  a  freak  of  fortune.  True 
greatness  is  measured  by  accomplishment,  and  accomplishment 
is  achieved  only  by  hard,  intelligent  and  persistent  effort,  guided 
by  lofty  aspiration. 

Hahnemann  possessed  all  these  requisites  in  a  remarkable  de- 
gree. Besides,  he  was  fortunate  in  that  his  father  was  a  man 
of  culture  and  great  common  sense.  Habit  of  thought  is  one 
of  the  rarest  and  most  valuable  mental  possessions.  The  elder 
Hahnemann  realized  this  and  was  in  the  habit  of  daily  giving 
his  son  lessons  in  thinking.  It  is  related  of  him  that  frequently 
when  walking  with  a  friend  he  would  abruptly  stop,  look  at  his 
watch,  and  ask  to  be  excused,  saying  that  "it  was  time  for  him 
to  give  Samuel  his  lesson  in  thinking." 

With  this  beginning  in  the  training  of  a  mind  so  well  endowed 
by  nature  as  was  young  Hahnemann's,  followed  through  all  the 
subsequent  years  by  uninterrupted  and  intense  studious  applica- 
tion, we  need  not  so  much  wonder  at  the  almost  unbelievable 
amount  and  extent  of  his  labor  and  accomplishment. 


*Read  at  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Los  Angeles  County  Homoeopathic 
Medical  Society  on  the  1626.  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  Hahnemann. 


388  Hahnemann — The  Great. 

Hahnemann's  ignorant  traducers,  even  those  who  laid  claim 
to  education  and  culture,  accused  him  of  being  an  ignorant  Char- 
latan and  quack;  whereas,  medical  history  contains  the  name 
of  none  more  learned,  not  only  in  medical,  but  in  all  scientific, 
literary  and  general  knowledge  of  his  time. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-two  years  he  was  master  of  twelve  lan- 
guages. It  was  his  custom,  when  investigating  a  scientific  prob- 
lem, to  learn  the  language  in  which  treatises  on  the  subject  were 
originally  written,  to  first  master  that  language,  so  that  he  could 
study  it  in  the  original.  He  realized  that  a  translation  rendered 
less  clear  the  text,  and  with  him  thoroughness  and  accuracy 
were  almost  a  passion. 

To  the  ordinary  student  or  author  it  would  be  no  "trifling 
matter''  to  undertake  to  learn  a  foreign  language  in  order  that 
he  might  better  know  his  subject.  No  clearer  light  can  be 
thrown  on  Hahnemann's  conception  of  work  and  thoroughness 
than  by  quoting  the  following  extract  from  a  discourse  on  the 
necessity  of  homoeopathic  physicians  learning  the  language  in 
which  the  literature  of  their  school  was  originally  written : 

"Is  it  possible,  then,"  he  writes,  "that  any  man  who  professes 
to  be  a  Homoeopath,  and  to  love  his  species,  will  not  take  the 
comparatively  trifling  trouble  of  acquiring  this  important  pre- 
liminary to  a  correct  acquisition  of  this  great  boon  to  the  sick? 
No,  it  cannot  be !" 

"A  trifling  matter!"  the  learning  of  the  German  language! 
What  a  light  that  quotation  throws  on  the  bigness  of  the  man! 

Hull  says :  "The  Register  of  his  Consultations,  every  day 
increasing  in  magnitude,  forms  at  this  moment  a  stupendous 
medical  encyclopedia. 

"We  have  seen  upon  one  of  the  shelves  of  Hahnemann's  li- 
brary thirty-six  quarto  volumes,  of  at  least  five  hundred  pages 
each,  entirely  written  by  his  own  hand ;  and  to  those  who  are 
curious  as  to  the  penmanship  of  the  venerable  octogenarian,  who 
has  never  used  spectacles,  we  can  testify  to  writing  as  fine  and 
beautiful  as  the  Mignonne  of  Didot." 

Dudgeon  writes:  "We  may  form  some  idea  of  Hahnemann's 
immense  industry  when  we  consider  that  he  proved  about  ninety 
different  medicines,  that  he  wrote  upwards  of  seventy  original 


Hahnemann — The  Great.  389 

works  on  chemistry  and  medicine,  some  of  which  were  in  sev- 
eral thick  volumes,  and  translated  about  twenty-four  works  from 
the  English,  French,  Italian  and  Latin,  on  chemistry,  medicine, 
agriculture  and  general  literature,  many  of  which  were  in  more 
than  one  volume." 

And  all  this  by  "an  ignorant  Charlatan  and  quack !"  In  the 
language  of  the  street,  I  ask,  "Can  you  beat  it?" 

As  a  chemist,  and  as  an  authority  on  chemistry,  he  had  no 
superior  at  the  time  in  which  he  lived.  He  it  was  who  first 
solved  the  problem  of  making  Mercury  soluble — mercurius 
solubilis  Hahnemannii — the  soluble  mercury  of  Hahnemann — is 
an  article  of  commerce  to-day. 

He  was  first  to  recommend  humane  treatment  of  the  insane, 
and  foremost  in  emphasizing  the  importance  and  necessity  of 
attention  to  hygiene,  urging  the  use  of  pure  water  ad  libitum 
externally  and  internally,  and  moderation  in  eating  of  simple 
food ;  and  plenty  of  exercise  in  the  open  air  and  sunshine. 

It  will  doubtless  be  astonishing,  and,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  il- 
luminating news  to  the  medical  scientists  of  to-day,  in  all  schools, 
to  learn  that  Hahnemann  was  the  first  to  recognize  and  publish 
the  parasitical  causation  of  disease,  wrhich  he  does  on  more  than 
one  occasion  in  his  volume,  "Nature  of  Chronic  Diseases."  On 
page  34  of  that  work  he  says : 

'They  must,  therefore,  have  for  their  origin  and  formation, 
constant  chronic  miasms,  whereby  their  parasitical  existence 
in  the  human  organism  is  enabled  to  continually  rise  and  grow." 

And  again,  on  page  210  of  the  same  volume: 

''Now,  if  we  consider  the  great  changes  which  must  be  ef- 
fected by  the  medicine  in  the  many,  variously  composite  and 
incredibly  delicate,  parts  of  our  living  organism  before  a  chronic 
miasm  so  deeply  inrooted,  and,  as  it  were,  parasitically  inter- 
woven with  the  economy  of  our  life  as  psora  is,"  etc. 

He  was  acknowledged  by  the  scientific  world  of  his  time 
to  be  one  of  the  most  learned  and  profound  students  and 
philosophers  of  the  age.  He  was  acknowledged  by  his 
contemporaneous  professional  colleagues  and  medical  writ- 
ers to  rank  among  the  most  learned,  successful  and  scientific 
physicians  of  his  time,  until  he  discovered,  formulated  and  pro- 


3<p  Hahnemann — The  Great. 

mulgated  the  law  "Similia  similibus  curantur."  Then  he  became 
a  charlatan  and  a  quack !  Strange  conclusion  this  of  his  so  recent 
admiring  medical  colleagues !  Great  learning  plus  more  knowl- 
edge equals  ignorance  and  charlatanry !  Because  his  profound 
and  conscientious  and  marvelously  industrious  studies  had 
taught  him  more  than  they  knew  he  immediately  became  in  their 
sight  anathema !  He  had  not  changed  one  whit  in  any  respect, 
except  to  grow !  His  life  and  conduct  were  the  same  as  be- 
fore. He  was  as  good  a  citizen,  as  loving  and  true  a  husband, 
father  and  friend!  as  before  he  had  thus  so  greatly  added  to  his 
learning.  Yet,  strange  metamorphosis,  he,  presto,  at  once  be- 
came an  ignorant  quack  and  charlatan !  And  these  holy  medical 
pharisees  proceeded  immediately  to  make  of  him  a  persecuted 
medical  outcast.  But  did  they  ?  Could  they  ?  No !  They  did 
not  know  the  ability,  courage  and  persistence  of  the  man.  They 
did  not  realize  the  power  of  truth,  which,  crushed  to  earth,  will 
rise  again,  which  is  mighty  and  will  prevail ! 

Dr.  Croserio,  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Neidhard  in  1840,  thus  speaks 
of  Hahnemann : 

"Invalids  from  the  highest  classes  of  society  are  constantly 
flocking  to  the  cabinet  of  Hahnemann ;  and,  notwithstanding  the 
heat  of  the  season,  which  drives  all  our  aristocratic  families  into 
the  country,  his  Salon  is  always  full,  and  the  patient  is  fre- 
quently compelled  to  wait  his  turn  from  five  to  six  hours  before 
he  can  reach  the  sanctuary  of  ^sculapius.  His  weekly  recep- 
tions— every  Monday— are  frequented  by  physicians  and  gentle- 
men of  the  first  distinction  from  different  sections  of  Europe. 
Hungary,  Italy,  Germany,  England  and  the  Ibernian  peninsula 
furnish  visitors  to  this  great  man." 

The  following  letter  appeared  in  the  Leipsig  General  Gazette, 
as  correspondence  from  Paris,  regarding  the  celebration  of 
Hahnemann's  eighty-fifth  birthday: 

"Paris,  April  12,  1840.  Day  before  yesterday  Hahnemann 
celebrated  his  eighty-fifth  birthday.  The  elite  of  the  German 
residents  and  many  celebrated  Frenchmen  had  assembled  in  his 
Salon  in  the  evening  to  congratulate  the  aged  Commander-in- 
Chief  of  our  Homoeopathic  phalanx,  which  is  increasing  every 
day.     *     *     *     The  old   reformer  of  medicine,   with   his   lofty 


Hahnemann — The  Great.  391 

brow  and  kindly  smiling  face,  was  the  most  lifelike  exemplar  of 
his  system  of  healing,  for  there  surely  are  but  few  persons  of 
eighty-five  years  of  age  who  are  so  active  and  busy  as  he,  and 
who,  in  his  profession,  does  the  honors  in  many  a  crowded 
Salon  long  after  midnight.  Art  and  science  had  combined  to 
celebrate  his  birthday  worthily." 

I  can  do  no  better  in  closing  this  brief  paper  than  to  quote 
from  Hahnemann's  historian,  Thomas  Lindsley  Bradford,  M.  D. : 

"Such  was  the  life  of  a  great  benefactor  to  mankind.  Born  in 
the  middle  of  a  century  whose  influence  shaped  our  own,  a  cen- 
tury prodigal  in  great  men ;  in  the  year  when  Frederick,  des- 
tined to  be  called  The  Great,  was  masquerading  among  the 
art  galleries  of  Holland ;  wandering  in  boyhood  on  the  fair  hills 
of  Meissen  when  all  Europe  was  engaged  in  the  Seven  Years' 
War  and  Saxony  was  crushed  by  iron  heels;  going  forth  the 
young  scholar  to  Academic  Leipsic  just  when  the  unfortunate 
monarch,  Louis  XVI.,  was  ascending  the  guillotine-shadowed 
throne  of  France ;  when  George  the  Third  was  king  and  America 
was  only  a  colony  of  England ;  when  Rousseau  was  yet  writing 
of  the  Rights  of  Man ;  when  cynical  Voltaire  was  mentor  of  the 
Prussian  Frederick. 

"A  man  in  his  prime,  he  was  patiently  searching  for  nature's 
law  of  cure  when  the  world  was  appalled  by  the  Reign  of  Ter- 
ror ;  when  the  little  sous-lieutenant  of  artillery,  Bonaparte,  saw 
with  indignant  eyes  the  sans  culottes  of  Paris,  drunk  with  blood, 
besiege  the  dissolute  court  of  Marie  Antoinette;  when  noble 
Mirabeau  yet  lived;  when  Marat  and  Robespierre  led  in  France 
the  Devil's  Dance  of  Death. 

"He  was  of  the  time  of  the  Boston  Tea  Party  and  the  declara- 
tion on  the  State  House  steps  of  Philadelphia ;  of  the  day  of 
Washington  and  Lafayette.  He  saw  Napoleon  build  an  em- 
pire on  the  ashes  of  a  revolution;  saw  him  march  across  the 
lands  of  Germany ;  saw  Austerlitz ;  saw  the  dismal  retreat  from 
Moscow,  and  acted,  there,  as  good  physician  to  the  sick  and  suf- 
fering army  of  1813.  He  listened  to  the  echoes  of  Waterloo — 
the  story  of  St.  Helena.  He  left  Germany  for  brilliant  Paris 
when  Bismarck  was  a  student  of  twenty ;  he,  the  recluse,  the 
scholar,  the  thinker,  became  in  his  old  age  the  fashionable  phy- 
sician in  the  gayest  city  in  the  world. 


392  The  Essentials  of  Homoeopathic  Philosophy. 

"He  lived  through  the  changes  of  a  world's  century ;  saw  his 
system  of  healing  rise  from  contempt  to  honor ;  knew  hardship ; 
died  in  luxury  in  the  world's  capital. 

"Scholar  whom  scholars  honored  and  respected.  Physician 
whom  physicians  feared.  Philologist  with  whom  philologists 
dreaded  to  dispute.  Philosopher  whom  adversity  nor  honors 
had  power  to  change." 


THE   ESSENTIALS  OF  HOMOEOPATHIC 
PHILOSOPHY. 

By  Dr.   A.  H    Grimmer. 

The  basic  principle  underlying  all  our  philosophy  that  must 
be  perceived,  if  you  would  excel  and  grow  in  ability  to  apply 
the  Law,  is  that  appertaining  to  the  "life  force''  and  its  mani- 
fold manifestations,  whose  processes  constitute  the  varying  phe- 
nomena of  growth  and  development,  spiritually,  mentally  and 
physically,  all  of  which  are  summed  up  and  recognized  as  health 
or  sickness  in  proportion  to  the  harmony  or  order  that  prevails 
in  the  play  of  said  processes. 

Thii  "life  force"  is  that  which  is  prior  to,  and  builds  and  re- 
pairs and  fuses  together  into  one  concrete  whole  the  multitudi- 
nous and  diverse  varieties  of  cells  that  are  combined  to  make 
up  the  body  organism. 

And  it  is  that  mystic  substance  that,  departing,  leaves  the  body 
a  decaying  and  disintegrating  mass  responsive  only  to  the  forces 
of  physical  change  in  the  world  of  matter. 

This  life  force  is  that  which  reflects  the  ego,  or  the  individual- 
ity with  its  loves,  its  fears,  and  imaginations,  its  desires  and  aver- 
sions and  its  innumerable  responses  to  environment.  It  is  like- 
wise the  fixed  power  that  determines  each  characteristic  crystal 
in  the  mineral  kingdom,  each  flower,  shrub  and  plant  in  the  vege- 
table kingdom  and  each  species  of  the  animal  world. 

Accepting  the  premises  that  health  is  nothing  more  than  an 
orderly  process  in  the  play  and  action  of  the  life  force,  and  that 
disease  is  only  disorderly  life  action,  we  are  enabled  to  approach 
the  realm  of  cause  by  perception. 


:Read,  at  the  Indiana  Inst,  of  Homoeopathy  at  Terre  Haute,  Ind. 


The  Essentials  of  Homoeopathic  Philosophy.  393 

Life  force,  like  electricity,  is  one  of  the  imponderable  sub- 
stances, it  can  not  be  analyzed  or  seen  or  known  by  any  scientific 
process,  we  are  cognizant  of  it  only  by  and  through  its  effects 
and  manifestations. 

These  things  teach  us  why  potentized  remedies  cure  disease 
by  removing  its  cause  in  the  restoration  of  orderly  life  action. 

Physiology  teaches  that  there  is  a  period  cycle  in  the  life  of 
every  cell  in  the  body  and  that  at  stated  periods  a  complete  new 
mass  of  cells  composing  the  body  organism  is  born ;  this  might 
be  called  a  cellular  cycle.  Cells  developed  under  the  stimulus 
of  disordered  life  force  must  be  imperfect  for  the  uses  for  which 
they  were  ordained,  and  if  this  disorderly  process  is  continued 
over  a  period  of  time  sufficient  for  a  number  of  cellular  cycles 
to  elapse  it  will  inevitably  result  in  morbid  tissue  growth  and 
pathology. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  process  may  be  reversed  and  morbid 
anatomy  may  be  removed  by  restoring  normal  life  action  over 
a  period  of  time  sufficient  for  enough  cellular  cycles  to  elapse 
to  produce  normal  body  cells  and  tissues. 

Even  the  wildest  advocate  of  the  germ  theory  of  disease  ac- 
knowledges the  life  force  as  a  fundamental  factor  in  sickness 
which  he  calls  body  resistance. 

But  it  remains  for  the  Homoeopath  operating  under  the  "Law 
of  Cure"  to  control  that  body  resistance  in  such  a  way  that  germs 
become  negative  and  inoperative  things  in  the  process  of  life 
and  health. 

When  a  state  of  susceptibility  to  a  disease,  or  to  certain  drugs, 
or  to  certain  temperature  changes  is  present  in  a  given  case, 
it  exists  because  the  life  force  of  that  individual  is  flowing  in 
disorder.  And  the  symptoms  that  manifest  in  that  individual 
can  be  removed,  together  with  that  susceptibility  and  the  tissue 
changes  that  may  be  present  in  the  body,  with  that  drug  whose 
provings  on  healthy  people  have  produced  similar  symptoms  and 
susceptibilities. 

It  now  is  apparent  why  symptoms  of  the  mind  are  more  im- 
portant to  the  Homoeopath  than  physical  symptoms  are;  in  the 
hunt  for  the  indicated  remedy  they  are  the  things  that  speak  of 
the  patient  as  a  whole. 


394  The  Essentials  of  Homoeopathic  Philosophy. 

In  the  grading  of  symptoms  to  determine  their  relative  value 
and  force  for  the  selection  of  the  curative  remedy  there  are  two 
grand  divisions  of  symptoms,  common  and  uncommon ;  this 
cleavage  prevails  from  mind  to  body,  mental  and  physical,  from 
generals,  those  relating  to  the  organism  as  a  whole,  to  par- 
ticulars, those  predicated  of  the  organs  or  parts  of  the  body. 

Common  symptoms  are  those  found  in  many  cases  of  sickness 
(diagnostic)  and  in  the  provings  of  many  remedies:  the  un- 
common are  those  peculiar  to  the  individual  under  treatment, 
and  they  speak  of  patient  and  are  the  unerring  guides  to  the 
remedial  drug. 

General  symptoms  are  such  as  relate  to  the  patient  as  a  whole ; 
they  may  be  mental  or  physical,  common  or  uncommon,  but  they 
are  more  valuable  for  the  selection  of  the  needed  medicine  than 
particular  symptoms  are  which  only  relate  to  parts  of  the  body. 

To  be  a  successful  prescriber  of  the  homoeopathic  Materia 
Medica  one  must  know  these  fundamental  things. 

The  important  mental  general  symptoms  besides  being  di- 
vided into  two  grand  divisions,  common  and  uncommon  in  point 
of  value,  have  three  groupings. 

The  first  and  highest  grade  are  those  relating  to  the  will  or 
the  affections ;  thus  a  man  bent  on  self-destruction  manifests  the 
deepest  disorder.  The  second  grade  are  perversions  of  the 
rational  mind  and  the  third  disturbances  of  the  memory. 

The  physical  generals  which  constitute  the  desires  and  aver- 
sions of  the  stomach  together  with  the  sex  desires  and  the  body 
responses  to  physical  environment  form  the  lowest  general 
grade. 

A  convenient  way  to  assist  in  remembering  these  things  is  to 
draw  a  diagram  of  four  circles,  one  within  the  other. 

The  inner  circle  to  represent  those  symptoms  relating  to  the 
will,  which  typifies  the  affections. 

The  next  inner  circle  representing  perversions  of  the  intel- 
lect. 

The  third  circle  typifying  the  memory  in  its  perversions. 

The  fourth  and  outer  circle  symbolizing  symptoms  of  the 
physical  body. 

From  the  outer  circle  at  right  angles  straight  lines  may  be 


The  Essentials  of  Homoeopathic  Philosophy.  395 

drawn  to  represent  the  body  parts  and  organs,  which  stand  for 
the  particular  symptoms. 

Through  the  four  circles  a  vertical  line  can  be  drawn  to  make 
two  quadruple  hemispheres,  each  set  of  hemispheres  standing 
for  the  common  and  uncommon  symptoms,  respectively. 

With  this  understanding  of  the  relative  value  of  symptoms 
one's  work  is  wonderfully  lightened  and  confusion  in  the  great 
mass  of  symptomatology  is  avoided. 

It  also  assists  in  a  clear  and  comprehensive  taking  of  the  case, 
the  first  essential  to  a  successful  prescription. 

Many  ask  how  do  you  know  the  uncommon,  rare  and  peculiar 
symptoms  that  Hahnemann  and  the  masters  dwell  so  insistently 
upon? 

The  answer  is  to  learn  all  the  common  things  relating  to  dis- 
ease and  to  drug  provings,  and  then  the  uncommon  things  stand 
out  in  bold  relief  like  signal  lights  through  the  darkness  of 
night. 

There  are  other  things  besides  finding  the  indicated  remedy 
that  are  necessary  to  success,  the  foremost  being  the  ability  to  in- 
terpret the  meaning  of  symptoms  coming  up  after  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  remedy. 

Most  physicians  have  recognized  the  increase  of  symptoms 
known  as  the  homoeopathic  aggravation  that  comes  soon  after 
the  administration  of  the  remedy  in  acute  cases  of  sickness,  but 
in  chronic  cases  a  period  of  from  two  to  seven  days  or  longer 
may  elapse  before  it  comes. 

The  recognition  of  this  aggravation  is  always  hailed  as  a  cer- 
tain indication  of  the  correctness  of  the  prescription  and  it  should 
be  allowed  to  act  without  interference  of  any  sort. 

Another  feature,  peculiar  to  our  art,  is  that  symptoms  depart- 
ing under  the  influence  of  the  homoeopathic  remedy  go  away  in 
the  inverse  order  to  their  appearance;  that  is,  the  last  to  come 
are  the  first  to  go. 

To  illustrate.  In  a  serious  case  of  sore  throat,  where  the  in- 
flammation and  exudation  begins  on  the  left  side  and  travels  to 
the  right  side  under  the  right  remedy  the  right  tonsil  gets  well 
first;  if  this  order  does  not  obtain  you  need  take  no  credit  for 
your  patient's  recovery,  which  nature,  unassisted,  accomplished, 


396  The  Essentials  of  Homoeopathic  Philosophy. 

but  in  that  event  the  left  tonsil,  the  one  first  affected,  would  get 
well  first  and  the  last  one  affected  would  get  well  last. 

Another  frequent  observation  many  times  confirmed  is  that 
symptoms  go  away  from  within  outward,  from  center  to  cir- 
cumference and  from  above  downward. 

This  is  nicely  illustrated  in  the  cases  of  suppressed  skin 
symptoms. 

Eruptions  that  have  been  driven  in  with  local  applications  fre- 
quently make  the  patient  sick  with  severe  stomach  inflammation, 
even  ulcers  with  vomiting  and  pain.  Or  a  bronchial  inflamma- 
tion has  been  produced  ending  in  chronic  bronchial  asthma.  And 
on  the  administration  of  the  curative  remedy  these  old  erup- 
tions have  reappeared  with  a  complete  relief  of  the  stomach  or 
bronchial  symptoms. 

Again  a  suppressed  gonorrhceal  discharge  has  many  times  re- 
sulted in  a  severe  arthritis  even  to  stiffened  and  distorted  joints. 

Also  chronic  nasal  catarrh  has  eventuated  from  the  same  sup- 
pression by  powerful  astringents. 

The  administration  of  the  curative  remedy  results  in  re-estab- 
lishing and  curing  the  urethral  discharge,  together  with  a  com- 
plete obliteration  of  all  the  other  symptoms  and  a  perfect  restor- 
ation of  health. 

These  are  only  a  few  of  the  essentials  that  must  be  noted  and 
strictly  followed,  which  is  much  facilitated  by  a  properly  kept 
record  of  the  patient's  history  and  symptom  picture. 

It  is  not  possible  to  make  the  observation  and  follow  the 
proper  procedures  noted  above  without  you  do  keep  records. 
And  unless  you  give  the  single  remedy  in  the  minimum  doses  you 
will  be  unable  to  confirm  the  teaching  of  those  men  who  made 
Homoeopathy  respected  and  stimulated  its  wonderful  growth  by 
the  magic  power  of  the  cures  they  accomplished  and  all  in  the 
face  of  bitter  opposition. 

In  recognizing  the  vast  importance  of  the  life  force  as  the 
most  potent  factor  in  health  and  disease,  and  in  studying  and 
interpreting  the  language  of  symptoms  as  the  messengers  who 
bring  tidings  of  the  inner  man  and  reflect  the  true  state  of  order 
that  prevails,  we  need  not  ignore  other  important  things  which 
may  affect  health.  Our  only  plea  is  to  place  things  in  their 
proper  order  of  importance  and  relation. 


The  Power  of  High  Potencies.  397 

I  have  only  praise  for  anything  in  the  realm  of  medicine  that 
will  aid  in  the  relief  of  suffering  and  in  the  cure  of  sickness. 

I  recognize  as  valuable  all  contributions  that  have  come  to  us 
from  various  sources  and  gladly  give  them  a  place  in  the  store 
house  of  knowledge. 

But  to  be  truly  progressive  and  to  accomplish  real  results  in 
medicine  as  well  as  in  any  other  vocation  in  life,  we  must  hew 
to  principle  and  law. 

If  we  are  guided  by  principle  and  law  we  soon  are  able  to 
place  things  in  their  proper  value  and  relation  to  each  other. 

\Ye  would  not  encroach  on  the  realm  of  surgery  by  attempt- 
ing to  set  a  broken  leg  with  the  indicated  remedy,  although  we 
may  do  much  toward  producing  a  speedy  union  of  bone  by 
stimulating  the  life  force  to  specific  action  along  those  special 
lines. 

Xor  would  we  attempt  with  surgery  to  cure  a  tuberculous 
lung  when  only  the  proper  remedy  together  with  general  care 
is  needed. 

These  are  only  a  few  stray  sparks  of  thought  that  may  stimu- 
late discussion  and  bring  forth  an  abundant  harvest  of  mature 
and  ripened  fruits  for  our  use. 


THE  POWER  OF  HIGH   POTENCIES-  A  REASON- 
ABLE  SCIENTIFIC  FACT. 

By  M.  W.  Van  Denburg,  A.  M.,  M.  D. 
Mt.  Vernon,  N.  Y. 

The  fact  of  the  power  of  high  potencies  to  remove  disease  ef- 
fects and  restore,  or  cause  to  be  restored  to  health  cases  of  un- 
doubtedly morbid  conditions,  is  no  longer  subject  to  doubt,  save 
by  those  who  have  never  made  the  experiment,  or,  having  at- 
tempted to  make  it,  have  not  used  the  proper  means  and  methods. 

Failure  to  demonstrate  a  scientific  statement  depends  always 
upon  pursuing  certain  methods  within  certain  limits.  Often,  as 
in  the  manufacture  of  chemicals,  a  great  degree  of  accuracy  is 
required  to  avoid  failure. 

Haphazard  methods  in  drug-cure  ought  not  to  be  blamed  if 
they  give  haphazard  results. 


398  The  Power  of  High  Potencies. 

This  is  usually  the  case.  Now  entirely  satisfactory,  now  of 
no  use  whatever,  or  even  increasing  the  condition. 

Let  no  one,  therefore,  deny  the  power  of  high  potencies  until 
he  has  made  sufficient  trials  to  warrant  a  scientific  conclusion, 
free  from  the  doubt  of  imperfect  methods. 

Beyond  a  doubt,  such  an  investigator  will  reach  some  most 
astonishing  results  of  cure,  and  some  very  flat  failures.  These 
will  be  the  natural  and  logical  results  of  accurate  prescriptions 
and  of  faulty  ones.  The  first,  a  fitting  of  actual  drug-effects 
upon  the  healthy  to  the  morbid  effects  manifested  by  the  patient. 

The  second  will  result  from  either  of  two  causes,  or  both  com- 
bined.  The  case  has  not  been  properly  diagnosed  as  to  sensa- 
tions, tissue  changes,  and  environmental  effects,  or  modalities 
(the  last,  though  at  first  sight,  seeming  of  little  value,  are  never- 
theless excellent  ear-marks  of  the  proper  remedy),  or  the  drug 
itself  has  failed  to  act  as  expected.  The  failure  of  the  drug  to 
act  may  arise  from  one  or  several  causes : 

First.  The  potency  may  not  be  high  enough.  30X,  50X,  ioox, 
iooc,  200c,  even  500c  have  each  been  known  to  give  undoubted 
results. 

(1)  First,  because  curative  effects  have  followed  the  drug 
administration  in  so  many  similar  cases  that,  by  all  rules  of 
scientific  reasoning,  we  should  attribute  the  results  to  the  remedy. 

(2)  In  other  similar  cases,  other  drugs  have  failed  to  pro- 
duce the  desired  results. 

(3)  Because  results  have  followed  very  soon  after  the  drug 
has  been  taken,  and  in  such  a  way  as  to  leave  no  doubt,  at  the 
time,  of  their  being  the  result  of  taking  the  drug.  When  such 
examples  have  been  repeated  several  times  with  great  uniform- 
ity, it  is  reasonable  to  attribute  them  to  the  curative  powers  of 
the  drug  given. 

Second.  The  failure  of  high  potencies  to  cure  may  arise  from 
the  fact  that  the  drug-symptoms  used  were  not  the  active  drug- 
effects  upon  the  prover. 

(1)  Not  all  symptoms  given  in  the  books  are  reliable  drug- 
effects.     Some  are  mistaken  effects  due  to  faulty  observation. 

(2)  The  patient  may  have  an  idiosyncrasy  hostile  to  the  ef- 
fects of  this  particular  drug.  This  is  not  often  the  case,  but 
there  are,  however,  well  established  cases  of  this  kind. 


The  Power  of  High  Potencies.  399 

Third.    The  drug  preparation  may  not  be  reliable. 

High  potencies  are  often  disregarded  because  they  are  so  un- 
reasonably small. 

Our  own  judgment  of  values  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  fact 
of  cure,  any  more  than  our  before-hand  judgments  as  to  what 
the  results  will  be  of  new  combinations  in  chemistry.  Nature 
has  her  own  ways  of  doing  things  independent  of  our  prejudices 
or  pre-judgments. 

We  are  beginning  to  learn  just  a  little  in  the  great  field  of 
ionization  effects  in  physics,  and  we  know  still  less  of  these  ef- 
fects in  physiology.  There  are  many  elements  in  the  normal 
blood  and  normal  tissues  of  which  chemistry  gives  only  the 
faintest  trace,  but  they  are  always  present  in  normal  physiologi- 
cal conditions.  It  is  more  than  probable  that  they  are  also  neces- 
sary to  those  conditions. 

It  is  equally  probable  that  even  the  slightest  increase  or 
diminution  of  these  minute  substances  have  much  to  do  with  the 
maintenance  of  health  and  the  repair  of  morbid  tisues  and  mor- 
bid vital  manifestations.  There  is  no  room  for  doubt  in  this  re- 
spect, since  the  mental  and  moral  effects  of  certain  drugs  are 
no  less  evident  than  their  somatic  effects. 

The  effects  of  drugs  in  mental  diseases  are  quite  as  marked 
as  in  tissue  disease.  This  is  a  matter  of  common  knowledge ;  the 
explanation  of  this  fact  is  another  matter. 

Because  in  his  day  Hahnemann  gave  his  personal  views  and 
explanations,  and  because  they  now  seem  unwarranted  in  the 
light  of  our  greater  knowledge  in  many  fields  of  vital  investiga- 
tion, is  no  reason  for  either  accepting  or  rejecting  the  facts  of 
drug-effects  in  curing  morbid  conditions.  These  rest  on  an  en- 
tirely different  basis,  namely,  experimental  proof  or  disproof 
under  methods  of  drug  administration  based  upon  proven  rela- 
tionship between  drug-effects  and  disease-effects.  If  the  results 
of  certain  methods  are  on  the  whole  beneficial  in  curing  the  sick 
then  there  must  be  an  actual  relationship  which  it  is  of  the  high- 
est importance  to  learn,  and  to  employ. 

Because  certain  practitioners  have  seen  the  light  of  the  value 
of  high  potencies  in  curing  the  sick,  and  because  some  have 
drawn  wild  and  unwarranted  conclusions  therefrom,  does  not 
change  the  facts. 


4<do  The  Mentality  of  the  Ophidia. 

Because  some  medical  men  scout  all  ideas  as  to  the  possible 
value  of  high  potencies  does  not  alter  the  facts. 

Because  some  have  made  bungling  and  imperfect  use  of  the 
method  of  cure  according  to  similars  does  not  alter  the  facts. 

Skill  in  diagnosing  drug-sickness,  skill  in  diagnosing  morbid 
states  in  the  sick,  skill  in  matching  the  leading  and  basic  mani- 
festations of  the  one  with  the  other,  these  are  the  principles  that 
count,  and  their  application  will  bring  results  satisfactory  in  a 
very  large  percentage  of  the  cases  the  physician  is  called  to 
treat. 


THE   MENTALITY   OF  THE  OPHIDIA. 
By  Dr.  G.   E.   Dienst,   Aurora,   111. 

What  is  the  relation  between  man  and  the  serpent  world,  ex- 
cept a  mutual  dislike  and  fear  ?  What  is  the  affinity  between  the 
inherent  element  of  the  venom  of  a  serpent  and  the  human  soul? 
In  how  far  does  the  dynamized  poison  of  a  serpent  affect  the 
physiology  and  the  psychology  of  man?  Wrhat  element  (chemi- 
cal, physiological  or  dynamic)  in  the  dental  secretion  of  a  ser- 
pent causes  such  a  profound  change  in  the  organs,  tissues  and 
fluids  of  the  human  body  when  bitten  by  one,  and,  conversely, 
what  element  therein  produces  such  marked  changes  in  the  or- 
gans, tissues  and  fluids,  as  well  as  in  the  intellect,  sensibilities 
and  the  will,  when  administered  in  dynamic  preparations  and  in 
infinitesimal  doses  at  lengthened  intervals  to  the  sick?  Does 
this  venom  contain  the  life  force,  the  real  soul  of  the  serpent, 
and  is  this  communicable,  in  dynamized  form  to  the  human  soul  ? 
Briefly,  does  the  psychological  element  of  the  serpent — its  ir- 
ritability, anger,  fear,  jealousy,  or  the  changing  seasons  of  the 
year — affect  the  virility  of  its  venom,  and  if  so,  will  its  state  of 
irritability  or  the  changing  seasons  increase  or  retard  this  viril- 
ity?    These  questions  are  but  hints  at  problems  not  yet  solved. 

As  physicians  we  are  not  so  much  interested  in  the  toxic  ele- 
ments of  the  venomous  secretions  of  the  Ophidia  as  we  are  in 
the  therapeutic  powers  therein  contained,  which  have  been  so 
forcibly,  so  clearly  and  so  unquestionably  demonstrated  in  the 


*Read  before  the  Missouri  Institute  of  Homoeopathy,  May  31,  1917. 


The  Mentality  of  the  Ophidia.  401 

provings  and  clinical  experiences  of  learned,  untiring  and  un- 
prejudiced observers.  Therefore,  let  us  take  a  general  survey 
of  these  poisons  as  we  find  them  in  their  relation  to  the  human 
organism. 

Of  these  poisons,  the  most  frequently  used  as  remedies  for 
the  sick  are  Lachesis  unit  us,  Crotalus  horridus,  or  the  North 
American  rattlesnake ;  Crotalus  cascavella,  or  South  American 
rattlesnake,  Xaja  tripudians,  a  variety  of  the  cobra;  Elaps  coral- 
linus,  or  the  coral  snake,  and  the  Cinchris  contortrix,  or  copper- 
head snake.  These  have  been  quite  thoroughly  proven,  and  our 
clinical  experience  has  greatly  enriched  the  symptomatology  and 
the  pathology  of  these  elements. 

The  late  Dr.  E.  A.  Farrington  has  given  us  a  brief  but  con- 
cise description  of  the  physiological  effects  of  these  poisons, 
which,  by  your  permission,  I  quote  in  full. 

"The  Ophidia,  as  a  group,  are  characterized  by  their  paralyz- 
ing action  upon  the  nerves.  They  directly  weaken  the  brain  and 
heart  action.  Then  follow  decomposition  of  the  blood,  changes 
in  the  muscular  tissue  and  local  death  from  gangrene.  At  first 
there  is  developed  a  condition  of  anxiety,  mental  excitability  and 
oversensitiveness  of  the  brain,  with  hallucinations,  anxious  fear, 
etc.  Afterwards  arises  nervous  depression,  varying  from  such 
a  debility  as  is  observed  in  severe  or  protracted  disease  and  ad- 
vancing old  age  to  mental  confusion,  stupor,  low  delirium  and 
paralysis.  Constrictions  are  noticed,  as  in  the  throat,  larynx  and 
sphincters  in  general.  Haemorrhages,  which  are  usually  dark, 
decomposed,  oozing  from  every  orifice  of  the  body ;  thus  also, 
ecchymoses.  They  are  most  marked  under  Lachesis  and  Cro- 
talus, less  in  Elaps,  least  in  Naja.  Face,  sickly,  pale,  anxious ; 
bloated,  dark  red  or  bluish.  Special  senses  altered ;  dim  vision, 
excitability  of  brain  and  spinal  cord,  accounting  for  the  mental 
restlessness  and  bodily  sensitiveness.  Predominant,  even  with 
the  pains,  are  torpidity,  numbness,  twitchings,  formication." 

You  already  see  in  what  class  of  diseases  you  will  find  these 
poisons  curative :  Inflammations  and  fevers  of  low,  destructive 
type,  such  as  gangrene,  malignant  ulcerations,  diphtheria,  ty- 
phoid, pyaemia,  carbuncles,  etc.  With  all  there  are  tendency  to 
faint,  muscular  prostration,  trembling,   as   in  drunkards  ;  irreg- 


The  of  :'<:■:  C 

plectic   congestions. 
para'. 

5]  .   •  ."  the  a  isons,   seem  to  be 

:    -  -  nsequently.  you  ex- 

is  eminently  char;  ptoms  of  the  larynx, 

res   iration  and  of  the  Ophidia  cause 

nstrictr       -     -  g    from    irritation   of   the 

pneumogastric.    All  of  them  have  lyspncea  and  hear:  - 

Moreover,  the  Ophidia  proc.  rung  skin. 

This  is  not  jaundice,  and  must  not  ':  erec- 

tion.    It  comes  from  the  blood,  and  is  due  to  the  dec  :ion 

-  :hat  fluid,  ju~  find  in  yellow 

and  not  to  the  staining  of  the   skin   with   bile.      This   is   m   st 
marked  in  the  Crotalus.     Again,  you  may  rind  tha:  in  is 

dry  and  harsh,  as  if  there  was  no  vitality  in  it,    >r  it  may  be 
clammy,  more  characteristic  of  LachesL'.     The   discharges   are 
:   en  the  formed  :  -::ols  of  Lachesis  are  horribly  of- 

lS  the  heart  is  weakened  by  all,         6nd,  as  ; karacter- 
istic,  running  through  them  all,  weak  heart,  cold  fee:  and  tr- 
;  —  r.   :  the  :re:::':k::^  :■:    ..ere  nervousness,  but  the  trembling 
ikr.ess   fro:::    :'.:-:  i-r: is: rkr.g;.      The    :old    fee:   are   not  in- 
dicative of  congestion,  as  you  find  under  Belladonnc     they  are 

Z'r.i  hear:  sy:::?:::::s  :f  .\\:/k  rese::::ie  ere::/.-  those  :f  Lache- 
but  its  cardiac  symptoms  point  more  markedly  to  the  re 
effe:         f     ardiac  valvular  lesions;  those  of  Lack-:.  re  to 

the  incipience-  of  rheumatic  diseases  of  the  heart.     In  Naja  there 
.  well-marked  frontal  and  temporal  headache  with  the  cardiac 
:r:::::s:   the   ker-.r:   ":ea:s    :u:::ukuously       The   :a:ie:::    aw 
g     ping  for  breath.    Naja  causes  more  nervous  phenomena  than 
f  :;:e  snake-; 
Our  subject,  however,  has  to  do  with  the  psychology  of  these 
remedies.     I  confine  myself  to  this  field  for  the  purr.  :;e   : :'  im- 
pressing upon  each  of  you  the  wonderful  powers  —ess 
;  ker.    iea'.ir.r      ::'.:   :'.:e  ::e::r:-:i:   and  those  who  are  mentally  UL 
Were  these  remedies                                             understood  as  rem- 
edies should  be  understood  and  known,  and  were  these  r 

-ane 


The  Me  Ha. 

asylur.  .:.  :   riums     f   >ur  I  iy  populated 

the  a:  Id  soon  be  greatly  depopv.  □  I  the  candi- 

dates  for  these  instituti   as    would   rapidly  der  □   number. 

It  is  a  sad  reflecti  n     :    the  professional  ability  of  physicians 

insanity  i  -  ent 

-     , jNTORTK 

The  Cmchris  is  dreadfully  forgetful,  not  of  things  in  par- 
ticular, as  in  many  other  remedies,  but  in  dim  pc  rer  to 
recall  mental  impressions.  This  I  -  :  memory  is  usually  pre- 
ceded by  a  letharg  ::  the  mind;  not  a  weakne-- 
haustion  particularly,  but  a  mental  laziness  until  the  mind  loses 
-.ver  to  reproduce  from  its  I  lings  and  new. 
There  is  also  a  marked  anxiety  with  fear,  which  is  often  cause- 
less. For  instance,  there  is  a  fear  ::  death  without  sufficient  ill- 
ness to  cause  this  fear.  The  nature  >f  this  fear  is  >f  -udden 
death — by  accident  or  disc?.;. — and  this  ray  so  possess  the  i .h:td 
as  to  make  life  miserable  to  the  in  lividual  and  his  family. 

Then,  again,  there  is  a  strange  absent-mindedness;  not  a 
dreamy  state  only,  but  the  mind  becomes  a  blank — is  absent — 
when  the  individual  will  take  the  wrong  street  when  he  knows 
the   r:^  rate!;,    take   the    wrong   car   without  a 

thought  as  to  which  :  -  taken.     This  Le 

ing  situations  and  causes  much  anxiety.  Such  people  are  usu- 
ally neurasthenic  and  not  a  few  are  sexual  debauches.  But  more 
particularly,  there  is   a  distressing  :ss   in    . 

in  practically  all  the  Ophidia. 

One  of  the  lady  provers  had  the  suspicion  that  her  husband 
intended  placing  her  in  an  insane     -  though  - 

it  was  but  a  delusion  these  paroxysms  ::  daily  from    3   I 

8  o'clock  P.  M..  and  continued  for  a  fortnight  before  they  wore 
away.     You  see  how  deeply  this  venom  burrows  into  the  very 
ego  and  destroys  the  power  of  reas 
will  and  deranges  the  sensibilities. 

Add  to  this  the   fact  th  the  lady 

whose  mind  was  clear  and  cheerful  in  the  forenoon  but  cloudy 
and  suspicious  in  the  afternoon  ;  that  the  dreams  are  vivid  and 
horrible  and  make  such  deep  impressions  that  they  can  not  be 
shaken  off  during:  the  waking  hours,  and  you  have  a  fair  con- 


404  The  Mentality  of  the  Ophidia. 

ception  of  the  therapeutic  value  of  Cenchris.  These  dreams  are 
often  distressingly  lascivious  even  in  virtuous  people.  Do  not 
forg-et  that,  practically  all  the  symptoms  are  aggravated  from 
pressure ;  by  lying  down ;  in  the  afternoon,  evening,  night  and 
on  waking. 

CROTALUS  HORRIDUS. 

Is  it  not  a  singular  phenomena  that  one  of  the  first  and  most 
noticeable  effects  of  this  poison  is  to  produce  a  snappy,  surly, 
irritable,  suspicious,  jealous,  watchful  "touch  me  not"  sort  of 
condition  ?  Is  there,  in  truth,  a  shadow  of  similarity  between  cer- 
tain phenomena  in  serpent  and  man  ?  Or  is  this  similarity  a  mere 
assumption  to  convey  the  idea  of  comparison? 

This  remedy  has  been  most  carefully  proven,  and  when  the 
symptoms  agree  it  is  one  of  the  most  potent  in  the  Materia 
Medica. 

Another  of  its  mental  particulars  is  forgetfulness — of  things, 
of  desires,  of  purposes.  The. housewife  will  hasten  to  the  store 
to  purchase  some  needed  or  indispensable  article,  on  arriving 
forgets  the  cause  of  her  haste,  of  the  great  need  so  apparent  a 
few  moments  previous.  This,  as  in  Cinchris,  leads  into  realms 
of  embarrassment,  for  such  people  forget  the  proper  words  or 
forms  of  expressing  even  common  ideas,  or  forget  how  to  de- 
scribe certain  events,  when  they  endeavor  to  put  their  thoughts 
in  writing.  They  make  ridiculous  mistakes  in  spelling,  or  in 
placing  of  words.  One  of  the  provers,  an  educated  man,  when 
writing,  would  think  of  one  word — the  right  word — and  write 
another — the  wrong  word.  i 

In  the  incipient  stages  of  senile  dementia  the  patient  has  de- 
lusions that  he  is  making  mistakes  in  keeping  his  accounts,  in 
writing  letters  and  other  communications.  He  is  forgetful  of 
things,  figures,  names,  places.  As  time  passes  these  delusions 
are  followed  by  serious  phenomena, — struggling  with  imaginary 
foes  at  night ;  imagines  himself  surrounded  by  hideous  monsters, 
and  that,  in  reality,  he  is  taken  with  a  marked  antipathy  to  cer- 
tain members  of  his  family.  In  low  forms  of  typhoid,  where 
there  is  much  muttering  delirium  with  desire  to  escape  from  his 
bed,  this  remedy  is  invaluable. 

In  broken  down  inebriates,  with  delirium  tremens,  especially 


The  Mentality  of  the  Ophidia.  405 

in  those  whose  generals  are  characterized  by  insomnia  with  much 
trembling.  In  the  female,  whose  thoughts  dwell  continually  on 
death,  who  are  sad,  low  spirited  and  particularly  sensitive  to 
noises  and  psychical  impressions  such  as  reading  or  listening  to 
pathetic  or  gruesome  stories. 

When  these  things  appear  you  know  there  is  functional  dis- 
turbance of  the  intellect,  the  mental  machinery  is  out  of  order 
and  if  not  corrected  organic  changes  are  inevitable.  The  similar- 
ity of  Crotalus  horridus  to  these  disturbances  is  so  obvious  that 
no  one  need  mistake  in  choice  of  remedies.  Periodicity  marks 
all  the  symptoms.  Some  of  the  sensations  accompanying  the  men- 
tal phenomena  are — as  from  a  blow  on  the  occiput — as  if  tongue 
and  tissues  of  throat  were  tied  up — as  of  a  plug  in  the  throat  to 
be  swallowed — of  choking — as  if  the  heart  turned  over  like  a 
tumbler  pigeon.  Rest  ameliorates  and  motion  or  exertion  ag- 
gravate all  the  symptoms. 

CROTALUS   CASCAVELLA. 

The  venom  of  the  Cascavella  is  as  deadly  as  any  of  the 
Crotalidae,  and  its  symptomatology  differs  but  little  from  the 
horridus.  The  mental  symptoms,  however,  are  more  pronounced 
and  peculiar.  As  in  the  horridus,  the  Cascavella  has  much  sad- 
ness, morbid  thoughts  about  death  with  the  same  snappy,  surly, 
suspicious  nature.  The  great  difference  is  in  its  magnetic  state, 
a  condition  in  which  the  patient  hears  nothing,  then  suddenly 
changes  into  a  state  of  keen  excitement  when  they  see  spectres 
of  death  as  a  gigantic  black  skeleton.  Auditory  delusions,  voices 
are  heard,  as  of  following  the  patient,  when,  instead  of  running 
from  the  imaginary  voices,  they  turn  against  them  and  endeavor 
to  kick,  bite,  strike  or  scratch  the  one  uttering  the  voice.  Some- 
times they  will  throw  themselves  against  closed  doors  and  scratch 
them,  imagining  them  to  be  the  source  of  the  uncanny  voices. 

Thoughts  of  suicide  are  not  marked,  though  sometimes  to 
escape  an  imaginary  foe  they  will  jump  out  of  the  window  in 
an  effort  to  destroy  themselves. 

The  Cascavella  is  possessed  of  peculiar  fancies,  as  that  her 
eyes  are  falling  out,  hears  groans,  fears  at  night  about  indefinite 
things. 

There  is  another  psychological  phenomena  not  yet  clearly  de- 


406  The  Mentality  of  the  Ophidia. 

veloped,  but  observed  as  one  of  the  pathogenetic  changes  and 
that  is  described  as  a  spirit  of  clairvoyance.  This  is  strange,  and 
leads  to  the  inquiry  as  to  how  much  of  the  serpent  element  is 
usual  in  clairvoyants.  The  symptoms,  both  mental  and  physical, 
are  worse  at  night,  and  from  cold  baths  or  cold  applications. 

ELAPS    CORALLINUS. 

This  Brazilian  serpent  has  some  marvelous  powers,  but  they 
are  shown  in  the  physical  more  than  in  the  mental.  From  this 
serpent  provings  were  made  from  the  venom  sac  and  also  from 
the  gall.  This  latter  is  know,  as  Fel  Elaps  C.  and,  while  its 
pathogenetic  action  is  similar  to  that  of  the  venom  sac,  it  is 
more  strongly  marked  than  the  former ;  i.  e.}  the  symptoms  were 
more  pronounced. 

As  in  the  preceding  venoms  it  is  fearful,  and  apprehensive  of 
some  impending  fatal  disease — a  fear  of  death.  This  was  par- 
ticularly demonstrated  in  a  young  lady  teacher  who  showed  such 
distressing  fear  of  impending  pulmonary  tuberculosis  when 
symptoms  failed  to  justify  such  fear.  In  the  process  of  time 
difficulty  with  the  ears  arose  characterized  by  dullness  of  hear- 
ing and  tinnitus  with  a  slight  suspicion  of  pain  in  the  mastoid 
which  called  for  Elaps,  and  after  its  administration  the  ears 
were  speedily  restored  to  normal,  and  with  this,  the  fear  of  im- 
pending tuberculosis  subsided. 

Absent-mindedness  is  peculiar  to  the  Ophidia  and  Elaps  keeps 
pace  in  this  defect  with  the  others.  There  is  depression  of  soul 
with  a  desire  to  fight  these  mental  battles  in  solitude,  as  in  Bufo, 
with  this  difference  that  in  Elaps  there  is  not  the  sexual  perver- 
sion as  in  Bufo.  Elaps  is  very  sensitive,  the  least  contradiction 
causes  shuddering  or  trembling  of  the  body;  flashes  of  intense 
anger  followed  by  severe  pricking  sensation  over  the  whole  body 
are  found.  As  time  passes  there  develops  a  form  of  auto-criti- 
cism, finding  fault  with  one's  self,  he  does  nothing  which  pleases 
him,  and  instead  of  seeking  wholesome  advice  refuses  it  and  re- 
sents kindness  or  words  suggestive  of  a  better  life.  As  in  the 
horridus,  there  are  auditory  delusions, — hearing  voices — hears 
people  talking,  but  offers  no  attack.  Elaps  is  full  of  fear — to  be 
alone — that  something  dreadful  will  happen — of  impending  dan- 
ger— all  of  which  are  aggravated  during  rainy  weather  for  which 


The  Mentality  of  the  Ophidia.  4°7 

it  has  a  horror.  To  guide  us  in  the  accurate  selection  of  this 
remedy,  please  notice  a  few  of  its  rare  sensations : 

"Sensation  within  the  chest  and  at  the  sternum,  as  if  the 
pleurae  were  pulled  off  and  the  lungs  violently  drawn  apart." 

"Sensation  as  of  a  heavy  load,  iron  bar,  or  weight  on  parts." 

"Fluids  roll  audibly  into  the  stomach." 

LACHESIS    MUTUS. 

This  is  doubtless  the  best  proved  and  most  extensively  used 
of  all  the  Ophidia.  It  is  unfortunate  for  us  that  that  great  and 
good  man,  Dr.  C.  Hering,  was  prevented,  by  death,  from  com- 
piling his  monogram  on  this  particular  venom.  The  physical 
and  the  psychical  of  this  remedy  are  so  clearly  demonstrated  in 
the  clinical  researches  of  our  most  learned  prescribers  that  there 
is  no  longer  a  question  of  its  efficacy  as  a  remedy  of  great  value. 
While  some  of  the  psychical  phenomena  may  seem  paradoxical, 
remember  that  the  variable  physical  phenomena  under  which 
these  were  brought  to  the  surface  differed  very  materially. 

This  serpent  poison  is  both  deep  and  long  in  its  action,  chang- 
ing the  tissues,  organs,  cells  and  fluids  of  the  body  as  no  other 
substance  does  in  like  manner.  The  clinical  experiences  and 
verifications  are  intensely  rich  in  symptoms  and  pathology. 

As  to  its  mentality  I  can  do  no  better  than  to  quote  some  of 
the  provings  made  by  that  master  prover,  Dr.  Hering,  and  others, 
for  they  were  not  only  learned  men,  but  expert  and  very  ac- 
curate observers. 

Here  are  some  of  the  psychical  phenomena  found  in  Lachesis: 

"Weakness  of  memory;  makes  mistakes  in  writing;  confusion 
as  to  time." 

"Delirium  at  night,  muttering,  drowsy,  with  red  face;  slow, 
difficult  speech  with  dropped  jaw." 

"One  word  often  leads  into  another  story." 

"Exceptional  loquacity  with  rapid  change  of  subject;  jumps 
abruptly  from  one  subject  to  another." 

"Feels  extremely  sad,  unhappy  and  distressed  in  mind  on 
working  in  the  morning." 

"Great  sadness  and  anxiety  aggravated  after  sleeping." 

Have  you  seen  such  in  your  experience? 

How  often  we  find  this  state  of  soul  in  women  approaching 


408  Appendicitis  Cured  by  Medicine. 

the  menopause  or  those  suffering  from  repeated  abortions,  volun- 
tary or  involuntary,  and  Lachesis  is  our  therapeutic  leader. 

Let  us  turn  to  a  further  clinical  side  of  the  picture  for  a 
moment,  for  here  are  conditions  rich  in  knowledge : 

"Great  dullness  of  mind  with  bodily  weakness  in  typhoid." 

"No  sooner  does  one  idea  occur  to  him  than  a  number  of 
others  follow  in  quick  succession  when  he  is  writing." 

The  almost  uncanny  power  possessed  by  these  remedies  in  the 
many  forms  of  mental  derangement  incident  to  our  social,  moral 
and  economic  life  should  receive  the  most  unprejudiced  study 
by  every  homoeopathic  physician,  for  with  them  he  has  a  po- 
tentiality absolutely  unknown  elsewhere  in  restoring  to  health 
them  that  are  mentally  sick. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  the  "Serpent"  which  tempted  Mother 
Eve  was  not  slain  instanter,  for  we  fear  that  since  her  time 
there  has  been,  in  human  nature,  a  shadow  of  the  serpent  nature. 


APPENDICITIS  CURED   BY   MEDICINE. 
By  Jos.   E.  Wright,   M.  D. 

A  case  of  chronic  appendicitis  dating  back  six  or  seven  years;- 
at  which  time  patient  had  a  "severe  colic,"  has  been  more  or  less 
tender  over  McBurney's  point  ever  since.  Acute  exacerbations 
were  frequent,  particularly  after  much  physical  exertion.  Stitch- 
ing, catching  pains  worse  from  motion,  walking,  etc.,  frequently 
obliged  to  stop  walking  and  hold  hand  over  painful  spot. 
Bryonia  3X,  every  two  hours.  Relieved  after  a  few  doses.  Ten- 
derness disappeared  entirely  in  two  weeks,  has  had  no  discom- 
fort in  over  three  months.  Keeps  a  bottle  of  Bryonia  handy. 
Patient,  a  man  over  seventy,  is  appreciative  and  grateful. 

Another  case  of  acute  appendicitis  was  that  of  Mr.  C.  in  the 
fifties. 

Mr.  C.  was  brought  home  from  the  office  (expert  accountant) 
with  severe  pain  over  the  appendix,  rigid  abdominal  rectus,  nau- 
sea, diarrhoea.  Temperature,  104.  Mouth  dry,  wanted  large 
draughts  of  cold  water,  was  greatly  aggravated  by  slightest  mo- 
tion. Could  not  permit  palpation.  Bryonia  put  him  to  sleep  in 
less  than  half  hour.     Repeated  at  irregular  intervals  through  the 


Fruit  and  Cancer.  409 

night.  Temperature  next  A.  M.  under  100.  Thirst  and  dry 
mouth  practically  gone.  In  the  evening  temperature  had  gone 
over  100.  Soreness  and  swelling  of  the  right  epidymis,  which  I 
diagnosed  infectious  metastasis ;  Sulph.  6,  in  water,  every  hour. 
The  complication  disappeared  in  two  days.  Patient  remained 
at  home  a  few  days,  returned  to  business  feeling,  and  now  feels, 
better  than  he  has  for  several  years. 

I  regard  both  of  these  cases  as  complete  recoveries  from  ap- 
pendicitis. The  indications  for  Bryonia  were  clear-cut  and  un- 
questionably that  remedy  is  entitled  to  the  credit  of  saving  both 
of  those  patients  from  an  appendectomy. 

The  complication  in  Mr.  C.'s  case  was  rather  unique,  but  was, 
I  am  satisfied,  a  metastasis  or,  better,  possibly  an  extension  of 
septic  matter  from  the  appendix,  which,  to  my  mind,  confirms 
the  diagnosis. 

If  the  claim  that  appendicitis  is  an  infection  is  true,  Sulphur 
played  a  very  important  role  in  clearing  away  the  debris. 


FRUIT  AND  CANCER. 

Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 

As  a  new  subscriber  I  am  enjoying  the  Recorder  very  much, 
but,  but,  but.  ' 

I  am  more  and  more  impressed  with  the  size  of  the  United 
States  and  the  variety  of  conditions  the  older  I  get. 

If  I  only  had  Dr.  Baker,  of  Lebanon,  Ind.,  out  here  on  Puget 
Sound,  where  I  have  been  for  twenty-five  years,  he  would  either 
revise  his  ideas  regarding  fruits  or  he  would  continue  to  cure 
cancer  while  his  patients  came  to  me  or  some  other  of  us  older 
men  who  had  learned  conditions  in  this  part  of  the  country  for 
the  cure  of  conditions  due  to  hyperacidity.  It  may  be  that  the 
fruits  we  have  here  are  not  sufficiently  "sun  baked,"  but  cer- 
tainly we  here  meet  much  trouble  from  the  eating-  of  fruit. 

In  my  reading  of  medical  books  and  journals  I  frequently 
think  that  the  text  would  be  more  helpful  to  us  on  the  Pacific 
coast  if  it  could  have  been  written  by  a  Pacific  coast  man. 

Dr.  C.  S.  Teel. 

Bellingham,  Wash.,  July  21,   1917. 


410  The  Red  Cross  and  Homoeopathy. 

(The  paper  referred  to,  "The  Treatment  of  Cancer,"  in  July 
Recorder,  was  erroneously  credited  to  Dr.  Baker,  but  was  written 
by  Dr.  Oscar  Jones,  of  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  and  read  at  the  last 
meeting  of  the  Indiana  Institute  of  Homoeopathy.  See  Aug. 
Recorder,  page  377. — Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder.) 


TREATMENT  OF  ANTITOXIN    DISEASE. 

Editor  of  the  Homeopathic  Recorder. 

Anent  the  request  from  Dr.  H.  G.  Colby  in  your  current  num- 
ber, page  318,  "Treatment  Wanted  for  Antitoxin  Disease,"  I 
would  recommend  Diphtherinum  high  to  him.  I  have  had  ex- 
cellent results  many  times.  One  case  comes  vividly  to  mind  on 
account  of  the  suffering  complained  of.  A  girl  of  twenty-four 
years  had  had  diphtheria  seven  years  before  I  saw  her  and  had 
had  antitoxin  injected  in  the  left  arm.  Since  then  she  had  ex- 
perienced excruciating  pains  in  that  spot  at  times,  the  pain  go- 
ing up  to  the  head.  At  the  time  she  consulted  me  she  was  in- 
capacitated from  it,  and  I  gave  her  three  powders  of  Diphtheri- 
num one  hundred  thousand,  of  Swan,  two  hours  apart.  There 
was  an  entire  cessation  of  the  pain  by  the  time  the  last  powder 
was  taken  and  there  was  no  return  of  it  in  the  two  years  before 
she  moved  away  from  here,  nor  have  I  heard  from  her  since. 

Wm.  Jefferson  Guernsey. 

4340  Frankford  Ave.,   Philadelphia,   Pa. 


THE   RED   CROSS  AND   HOMCEOPATHY. 

(The  following  clipping  from  a  Baltimore  paper,  the  date  and 
name  of  which  were  not  given,  but  the  date  was  about  the  15th?)  : 

Homoeopathic  physicians  of  Baltimore  and  the  counties  of 
Maryland  will  meet  at  the  Hotel  Emerson  this  afternoon  and 
assert  their  claims  to  full  recognition  by  the  Government  in  the 
medical  work  of  the  war. 

The  homoeopathists  feel  that  they  have  not  had  a  "square 
deal"  from  the  American  Red  Cross,  and  they  are  going  to  in- 
sist that  they  be  given  the  same  rights  in  the  organization  of 
base  hospitals  and  in  the  conferring  of  commissions  as  the  al- 
lopathic physicians  have  enjoyed. 


Heredity.  411 

Dr.  Frederick  M.  Dearborn,  who  is  in  charge  of  the  Metro- 
politan Hospital  in  New  York  and  who  is  organizing  a  homoeo- 
pathic base  hospital  in  that  city,  will  be  the  chief  speaker  at  this 
afternoon's  meeting. 

WILL    URGE    ENLISTMENTS. 

The  Maryland  homoeopaths  will  be  urged  to  enlist  in  the 
medical  sen-ice  of  the  Government. 

According  to  Dr.  William  Dulany  Thomas,  one  of  the  lead- 
ing homoeopaths  of  Baltimore,  the  difficulties  encountered  by  the 
homoeopathic  physicians  have  been  not  so  much  with  the  Gov- 
ernment as  with  the  Red  Cross.  The  Red  Cross,  he  says,  until 
recently  has  most  unfairly  discriminated  against  the  homoeo- 
paths, who  were  allowed  only  to  form  hospital  units  and  denied 
the  privilege  of  organizing  base  hospitals. 

"In  this  manner,"  Dr.  Thomas  explained,  "we  were  merged 
into  the  allopathic  majority  and  our  identity  almost  lost.  Re- 
cently, however,  a  meeting  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homoe- 
opathy, which  corresponds  to  the  American  Association  of  Al- 
lopathic Physicians,  was  called  in  Washington  to  protest  against 
the  existing  state  of  affairs  and  to  confer  with  Government  of- 
ficials. This  meeting  was  attended  by  homoeopathic  physicians 
from  all  over  the  country.  * 

"As  an  outcome  of  the  meeting,  I  understand,  the  Red  Cross 
changed  its  former  practice  of  discriminating  against  us  and  we 
were  allowed  to  organize  base  hospitals  as  well  as  hospital  units. 
The  meeting  this  afternoon  will  be  to  interest  Maryland  homoeo- 
pathic physicians  in  the  homoeopathic  base  hospitals." 


HEREDITY 

The  advanced  medical  men  who  hoot  at  old-fashioned  ''hered- 
ity'' ought  to  read  Sir  William  Osier's  "Campaign  Against 
Syphilis,"  the  annual  oration  delivered  before  the  Medical  So- 
ciety of  London,  May  14.  191 7.  It  is  a  rather  long  paper,  cover- 
ing eight  columns  of  the  Lancet's  small  type  pages,  consequently 
we  cannot  follow  it  very  closely.  Indeed,  the  gist  of  the  oration 
is   state   control.      "That   the   preaching   of    chastity    appears   a 


412  Heredity. 

ghastly  failure,  in  the  face  of  the  record  of  800,000  fresh  cases 
annually  in  this  Christian  kingdom,"  is  no  reason  why  the  ''ap- 
peal for  personal  purity  should  not  take  the  first  place  in  the 
educational  campaign."  But  after  this  sop  to  the  moralists  he 
goes  on  to  say,  "I  am  a  strong  advocate  of  strong  central  con- 
trol in  these  matters." 

About  forty  years  ago  the  English  Government  attempted  to 
regulate  prostitution  in  India,  at  least  so  far  as  the  army  was 
concerned.  The  result  was  an  enormous  reduction  of  venereal 
disease.  But  the  idea  of  licensing  "sin"  caused  a  great  uproar 
among  certain  classes  of  women  and  men  in  England,  who 
made  such  a  clamor  that  Parliament  put  a  stop  to  the  new  order 
and  venereal  diseases  soon  rose  to  their  old-time  level,  boosted 
there  by  the  good  men  and  women — whose  goodness  seems  to 
be  in  excess  of  their  brains — who  think,  though  calling  them- 
selves Christians,  that  mankind  can  be  saved  by  legal  prohibition. 
However,  while  this  has  to  do  with  heredity  it  is  not  quite  per- 
tinent to  the  point  sought. 

But  just  one  "aside."  Speaking  of  typhoid,  Sir  William  re- 
marked :  "Inoculation  has  done  much ;  but  the  conquest  of 
enteric  fever  in  this  country  was  done  by  honest  sanitation." 
Given  honest  sanitation  inoculation  is,  at  least  a  temporary 
handicap  to  health.  It  is  the  same  without  honest  sanitation. 
Indeed,  the  Hand-Book  of  Therapy,  issued  by  the  A.  M.  A.,  has 
this  to  say :  "With  all  the  advantages  to  an  individual  and  to 
a  community  conferred  by  protection  against  typhoid  fever  by 
vaccination,  the  physician  must  also  carefully  consider  what  con- 
stitutes contra-indications."  These  are  too  long  to  quote  here, 
but  it  looks  as  if  everything  from  "coryza"  to  "syphilis"  and 
between  contra-indicate  the  operation.  Only  the  robust  can  stand 
it  safely.  This,  and  the  many  other  vaccinations,  may  prevent 
certain  diseases,  but  it  is  done  at  the  expense  of  health  and,  if 
there  is  anything  in  heredity,  at  the  expense  of  posterity. 

But  to  go  on.  Here  is  a  quotation :  "Among  the  infectious 
gonorrhoea  and  syphilis  stand  out  as  the  great  race  poisons." 
Add  to  these  two  "psora"  and  you  find  Osier  just  where  Hahne- 
mann was,  so  far  as  etiology  goes,  a  hundred  years  ago.  Osier 
goes  on  to  say  that  "the  gonococcus  is  not  a  great  destroyer  of 


Book  Reviews.  413 

life,"  but  "it  is  the  greatest  known  preventer  of  life,"  and  ''as 
high  as  25  per  cent,  of  the  major  operations  may  be  for  gonor- 
rhoea complications,  which  are  among  the  commonest  sources  of 
chronic  ill  health."  Fifty  per  cent  of  sterility  is  due  to  this  cause, 
and,  according  to  Xoegereath,  "90  per  cent,  of  sterile  women 
have  husbands  who  have  had  gonorrhoea." 

As  for  syphilis.  "The  spirochetaes  may  kill  the  child  in  utero, 
a  few  days  after  birth,  or  within  the  first  two  years  of  life,  or  the 
blighted  survivor  may  be  subject  to  innumerable  maladies."'  Is 
not  all  this,  the  old  doctrine,  taught  by  Hahnemann  in  the 
Chronic  Diseases? 

Of  the  90,000  children,  out  of  800,000  born,  who  died  under 
one  year,  he  says :  "Shades  of  Fracastorius !  Syphilis  is  not 
even  mentioned !  When  I  was  a  pathologist  and  physician  to  an 
infants'  home,  we  did  not  have — nor  did  we  need ! — Schaudinn 
or  YVassermann  or  Xoguchi  to  tell  us  of  what  95  per  cent,  of 
infants  died  during  the  first  month.  Jonathan  Hutchinson  and 
Parrot  and  Diday  and  Fournier  had  told  us  that." 

So  the  oration  goes  on  piling  up  evidence  on  evidence  to  show 
that  the  sins  of  the  fathers,  or,  to  put  it  in  milder  terms,  the 
"indiscretions,"  are  visited  upon  their  posterity.  All  of  this  goes 
to  prove  the  reality  of  heredity — if  you  accept  Osier's  statements. 
It  also  goes  to  prove  the  truth,  or  two-thirds  of  it,  of  Hahne- 
mann's Chronic  Diseases.  As  for  Hahnemann's  "psora"  all  that 
is  required  is  more  time  to  prove  its  truth  also — if,  indeed,  it 
does  not  develop  that  it  is  but  a  remote  form  of  the  two  great 
causes  given  by   Sir  William  Osier. 


BOOK  REVIEWS. 


The  Treatment  of  Hay  Fever.    By  George  F.  Laidlaw,  M.  D. 

136  pages.     Cloth,  Si. 00.     Xew  York.     Boericke  &  Runyon. 

1917. 

Written  in  the  clear  and  simple  style  for  which  the  author  is 
well  known  in  homoeopathic  medical  meetings  and  in  his  teach- 
ing, this  book  is  well  adapted  to  the  layman  as  well  as  the  phy- 
sician who  wishes  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  disease  in  small 
compass.     The   chapters   are   short   and   to   the   point. 


414  Useful  Hints. 

The  first  five  chapters  describe  the  treatment  of  hay  fever  by 
rosin  weed,  the  silphium  laciniatum  of  the  older  homoeopathic 
literature,  and  also  treatment  by  ichthyol  and  by  faradic  electri- 
city, as  announced  by  Dr.  Laidlaw  at  the  Baltimore  meeting  of 
the  American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy  and  at  the  meeting  of 
the  United  States  Hay  Fever  Association,  at  Bethlehem,  in  the 
summer  of  1916. 

There  follow  short  chapters  on  the  author's  view  of  hay  fever, 
as  a  form  of  urticaria,  which  he  compares  with  the  old,  but  for- 
gotten theory  of  hay  fever  as  a  form  of  gout  and  the  new  theory 
of  anaphylaxis,  giving  a  clear  and  simple  account  of  that  much 
misunderstood  word.  Then  come  chapters  on  the  theory  and 
practice  of  treating  hay  fever  by  pollen  extracts  and  vaccines, 
old  and  new  ideas  on  diet  and  the  little  book  ends  with  an  in- 
teresting historical  sketch  of  the  use  of  rosin  weed  in  medicine 
and  its  pharmacology. 


USEFUL    HINTS. 

By  Eli  G.  Jones,  M.  D.,  1404  Main  St.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

I  read  in  the  medical  journals  of  "a.  regular  Homoeopathic 
Medical  Society  or  a  regular  Homoeopathic"  physician.  What  are 
we  to  infer  from  that?  Are  all  other  homoeopathic  physicians 
"irregular,  redundant  and  defective?"  Children  are  often 
troubled  with  seat  worms.  The  itching  nearly  drives  them  fran- 
tic. Natrum  mur.  3X  is  the  remedy  that  they  need.  I  had  a  man 
consult  me  for?  seat  worms  that  made  life  miserable  for  him.  I 
told  him  to  take  small  end  of  a  cigar,  wet  in  warm  water,  and 
place  it  in  the  rectum,  as  far  up  as  he  had  the  itching.  He  re- 
tained it  a  little  while,  it  stopped  the  itching  and  put  the  seat 
worms  out  of  business.  In  June  I  was  called  to  Hagerstown, 
Md. :  it  is  a  city  of  17,000  population.  There  are  three  Homoeo- 
paths located  there,  all  doing  a  good  business.  I  spent  one  day 
and  a  night  on  "Braddock  Heights,"  2,500  feet  above  sea  level. 
The  view  from  the  "Heights"  is  the  finest  I  have  ever  seen  any- 
where ;  you  can  look  down  in  the  valley  for  ten  miles  around 
and  see  the  fields  of  corn  and  waving  grain  just  beginning  to 
turn  yellow.     The  air  is  pure  and  exhilerating.     It  is  an  ideal 


Useful  Hints.  415 

place  to  rest  and  forget  all  the  cares  and  troubles  of  this  world. 
It  makes  you  thank  God  that  you  are  alive!  It  is  only  a  few 
miles  from  Frederick,  Md.,  by  trolley  ride.  July  found  me  in 
Galesburg,  111.,  fifty-five  miles  from  Peoria,  not  far  from  the 
Iowa  line.  Galesburg  is  the  seat  of  Knox  county,  and  also  the 
seat  of  Knox  and  Lambert  Colleges.  It  has  25,000  population. 
There  are  two  Homoeopaths.  Dr.  E.  X.  Nash,  of  that  school  of 
medicine,  has  a  good  practice,  and  is  chief  of  the  medical  staff 
of  one  of  the  hospitals.  Dr.  F.  C.  Dickinson,  the  other  homoeo- 
pathic physician,  has  a  fine  practice  that  extends  into  all  ad- 
joining towns.  He  is  a  very  fine  man  and  a  good  prescriber. 
He  told  me  of  some  good  cures  he  had  made  and  I  hope  to  get 
some  ''Notes"  of  some  of  them  to  incorporate  in  this  article  be- 
fore it  is  finished. 

One  of  our  good  old  doctors  gave  me  some  ''Notes"  of  rem- 
edies when  I  was  in  Ohio  in  May.  I  am  very  sorry  that  I  mis- 
laid his  address,  but  here  they  are  and  they  are  good  "hints :" 

"Spongia  200  for  cardiac  asthma. 

"Belladonna  200  will  cure  quinsy.  I  use  Kali  bichromate  200 
in  ever}-   case  of  diphtheria. 

"Kali  phos.  6x,  ten  tablets  in  cup  of  hot  water  at  bed  time, 
cures  constipation." 

The  above  are  taken  from  the  old  doctor's  "book  of  experi- 
ence," the  best  of  ail  books. 

How  can  we  tell  by  the  pulse  if  a  person  has  valvular  disease 
of  the  heart? 

The  pulsations  of  the  artery  are  more  sharply  defined  than  in 
the  normal  pulse.  The  blood  instead  of  flowing  freely  through 
the  artery  is  being  constantly  interrupted. 

Remember  that  C  ale  area  fluoric  a  3X  is  the  remedy  we  depend 
upon  to  arrest  the  early  stages  of  valvular  disease  to  restore 
normal  action  of  the  valvular  structure.  It  removes  fibroid  de- 
posits about  the  endocardium  and  restores  normal  endocardial 
structure.  It  may  be  given  as  follows :  Ten  grains  in  half  a 
glass  of  water,  teaspoonful  once  an  hour.  In  the  acute  stage 
of  myocarditis  Kali  mur.  is  the  basic  remedy,  the  main  remedy 
that  we  have  to  lean  upon,  for  it  will  absorb  the  plastic  exudates 
and  emboli.  Give  Kali  mur.  3X,  ten  grains  in  half  a  glass  of 
water,  teaspoonful  every  hour. 


41 6  Useful  Hints. 

In  the  chronic  form  of  myocarditis  we  have  a  deposit  of  fibrin, 
which  causes  induration  of  the  muscle  of  the  heart,  which  con- 
dition calls  for  Calcarea  Huorica  6x,  three  tablets  once  in  three 
hours.  It  is  the  basic  remedy  in  the  above  disease  in  its  chronic 
form. 

You  will  meet,  now  and  then,  with  a  doctor  who  thinks  he 
"knows  it  all,"  wisdom  seems  to  fairly  exude  from  the  pores  of 
his  skin.  When  he  talk's  to  you  he  has  a  condescending,  a 
patronizing  way  about  him  that  seems  to  say,  ''You  poor  boob, 
what  do  you  know  about  medicine?  I  forget  every  night  more 
than  you  ever  knew."  They  are  a  law  unto  themselves  and 
when  they  die  wisdom  dies  with  them.  You  will  find  them  in 
all  schools  of  medicine  and  in  almost  every  community. 

In  those  old  chronic  cases  of  intermittent  fever,  where  the 
chill  will  continue  to  appear  every  eighth,  fifteenth  or  twenty- 
second  day,  examine  the  spleen  and  you  will  find  hypertrophy 
of  that  organ.  Just  so  long  as  the  enlargement  of  the  spleen 
exists  you  may  expect  to  have  the  paroxysms  continue  to  re- 
turn. Then  the  thing  for  you  to  do  is  to  reduce  the  size  of  the 
spleen. 

If  the  tongue  has  a  dirty  brown  coating,-  skin  yellow,  a 
cough,  scanty  high  colored  urine,  a  dull  heavy  headache,  you 
may  prescribe : 

IJ.     F.  E.  Grindelia  Squarrosa fl.  gi. 

Syrup  Orange  fl.  gv. 

Mix.     Sig.    Teaspoonful  four  times  a  day. 

One  writer  reports  seventy  cases  cured  with  the  above  rem- 
edy. 

When  there  is  soreness  and  tenderness  in  left  side,  patient 
can't  lie  on  the  left  side,  and  feels  chilly  all  the  time,  Tr. 
Ccanothus  is  the  remedy,  ten  drops,  three  times  a  dav. 

In  liver  troubles  Bryonia  is  indicated  when  patient  prefers  to 
lie  on  right  side,  there  are  sharp  knife-like  pains,  better  from 
heat,  worse  from  any  motion. 

In  sciatica  when  the  pain  comes  in  paroxysms,  of  a  tearing, 
shooting,  boring  character,  relief  from  heat  and  pressure,  by 
Hexing  the  leg  on  the  abdomen.  Tr.  Colocynth  3X  is  the  rem- 
edy, fifteen  drops  in  half  a  glass  of  water,  teaspoonful  once  an 
hour  until  relieved. 


Useful  Hints.  417 

Deafness  in  old  folks  with  weak  vitality  calls  for  Tr.  Cicuta 
30X,  ten  drops,  three  times  a  day. 

In  old  people  who  have  deafness  from  hardened  wax  in  the 
ears,  with  the  vertigo  peculiar  to  Conium,  you  will  find  Tr. 
Conium  30X,  ten  drops,  three  times  a  day,  will  often  help  the 
deafness.  There  are  some  advantages  in  being  deaf.  There  is 
a  good  deal  of  talk  that  you  miss  that  is  just  as  well  for  your 
peace  of  mind  that  you  did  not  hear  it. 

A  man  sometimes  thinks  he  is  in  love,  but  he  is  mistaken,  it 
is  only  a  mild  form  of  sexual  hysteria !  Now  and  then  you  will 
meet  with  a  person  who  thinks  they  have  "got  religion,"  but 
I  have  seen  cases  where  it  was  only  a  case  of  indigestion  and 
torpid  liver.  It  is  wonderful  how  different  things  will  look 
to  a  person  with  good  digestion  and  active  liver. 

It  is  said  that  "all  things  come  to  those  who  patiently  wait," 
but,  personally,  I  think  it  is  a  grand  thing  to  get  out  and  hustle 
a  little  at  the  same  time. 

''Whatsoever  you  desire  of  good,  it  is  yours,  you  have  but  to 
stretch  forth  your  hand  and  take  it."  Let  the  above  thought 
burn  itself  into  your  brain,  for  it  spells  success  for  you  ! 

"Don't  grieve  over  troubles  that  cannot  be  helped, 
For  life  is  too  short  to  repine; 
Take  life  as  it  comes,  with  its  cares  and  its  strifes, 
Let  to-morrow  take  care  of  itself. 

Don't  borrow  your  troubles,  they'll  come  soon  enough; 
Each  day  brings  enough  and  to  spare ; 
Bear  patient  your  lot  in  the  battle  of  life, 
Let  to-morrow  take  care  of  itself. 

If  an  unpleasant  task  should  fall  to  your  lot, 
That  you  hardly  have  courage  to  meet, 
Do  it  now,  don't  delay,  it  is  always  the  best, 
Let  to-morrow  take  care  of  itself. 

Don't  worry  too  much  it  weakens  your  nerves 
And   wrinkles   your  forehead   as   well. 
Let  the  joys  of  to-day  be  sufficient  for  you, 
Let  to-morrow   take  care  of  itself." 


418  Useful  Hints. 

A  homoeopathic  physician  with  his  splendid  materia  medica 
has  no  earthly  excuse  for  adopting  the  "serum  treatment"  for 
the  sick.  Let  the  old  school  fool  with  it  as  much  as  they  like 
and  get  the  benefit  of  whatever  odium  may  be  attached  to  it. 
When  I  see  some  of  our  doctors  adopting  this  serum  treatment 
I  wonder  at  any  intelligent  man  being  fooled  by  such  a  "fad." 
It  makes  me  think  of  what  an  old  farmer  said  about  the  "Green 
Back"  party  when  it  first  came  out : 

"'Taint  a  common  kind  of  cattle, 
That  is  ketched   with   mouldy  corn!" 

The  regular  school  cannot  cure  the  diseases  already  in  exist- 
ence, then  each  year  they  add  some  new  diseases.  To  the  long 
list  of  diseases  one  of  the  fathers  of  that  school  left  on  record 
this  statement :  "We  have  multiplied  diseases,  we  have  in- 
creased their  mortality." 

Our  business  as  physicians  is  to  heal  the  sick,  and  our  treat- 
ment of  the  different  diseases  should  be  a  "safe  and  sane"  treat- 
ment that  removes  the  disease  and  "leaves  no  trace  behind." 
We  have  no  earthly  right  to  "set  up  one  disease  in  the  system 
to  cure  another."  Nature  is  already  at  work  to  rid  herself  of 
the  disease.  Instead  of  aiding  nature  in  her  efforts  we  double 
her  burden  by  injecting  a  serum  into  the  system,  thus  adding 
another  disease  to  the  system.  As  a  result  of  this  mal-practice 
nature  has  two  forces  to  contend  with ;  she  does  the  best  she 
can  for  she  is  always  our  friend  even  when  we  abuse  her  the 
most.  In  nature's  efforts  to  rid  herself  of  the  two  diseases  the 
heart  has  to  work  over-time  and  the  stronger  pulsations  of  the 
radial  artery  gives  us  the  impression  of  a  power  behind  the 
heart  that  is  driving  if  to  its  own  destruction.  Thus  it  is  by 
this  system  of  therapeutics  they  are  creating  heart  disease  in  the 
human  body  and  the  number  of  deaths  from  heart  disease  have 
doubled  within  the  past  ten  years.  This  is  only  some  more 
ammunition  furnished  the  drugless  healers  with  which  to  accom- 
plish our  own  destruction! 

It  is  a  maxim  in  military  science  that  "we  should  never  ex- 
pose a  weak  point  to  the  enemy."  Yet  that  is  just  what  our  pro- 
fession is  constantly  doing  every  year.  All  these  "weak  points" 
and   all   our   sins  of   omission   and   commission   are   being   pub- 


Useful  Hints.  4X9 

lished  and  spread  broadcast  over  the  country.  Is  it  any  won- 
der with  all  this  free  advertising  our  profession  is  getting  that 
the  drugless  healers  are  growing  in  this  country  by  leaps  and 
bounds f 

This  craze  for  needless  surgery,  operating  on  everything, 
from  ingrowing  toenail  to  cancer,  mutilating  and  unsexing  our 
women,  poisoning  the  bodies  of  little  children  with  a  filthy 
serum,  makes  me  tremble  for  our  profession  when  I  remember 
that  God  is  just! 


THE  LABORATORY  IS   NOT  ALL. 

"I  am  convinced  that  we  must  have,  in  addition  to  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  heredity,  previous  disease,  the  origin  and  course  of 
the  present  disease  (which  is  all  our  present  methods  reveal  to 
us),  a  knowledge  of  the  attitude,  idiosyncrasies,  organization, 
etc.,  which  go  to  make  up  the  individual  patient,  and  which  de- 
termine the  peculiarities  of  his  functions,  predispositions  and  sus- 
ceptibilities, and  the  special  and  individual  manifestations  of  his 
diseases.  I  am  firmly  convinced  that  the  products  of  morbid 
processes — and  that  is  all  the  modern  laboratory  takes  into  ac- 
count— do  not  embrace  all  the  facts  in  a  given  case ;  indeed,  may 
not  even  embrace  those  most  characteristic  or  fundamental.  All 
that  is  contained  in  all  test-tube  and  revealed  by  the  microscope 
cannot  possibly  be  all  the  indications  of  disease.  There  are  those 
among  us  who  think  so.  They  apparently  are  unable  to  conceive 
that  pathogenetic  influences  may  lie  within  a  healthy  body,  or  that 
morbid  processes  may  be  going  on  without  a  manifestation  of 
gross  morbid  products.  They  cannot  conceive  of  anything  dis- 
turbing the  normal  play  of  the  organs  that  does  not  come  from 
outside  the  body.  That  inharmony  in  development  and  correla- 
tion of  organs  can  possibly  be  genetic  factors  in  disease,  or  that 
inharmony  in  function  can  arise  from  this  and  be  existent  for  a 
considerable  time  before  marked  morbid  products  are  evidenced, 
is  to  many  ridiculous." — Dr.  Philip  Rice,  San  Francisco,  Calif., 
in  Pacific  Coast  Journal  of  Homoeopathy. 


420  Specialists'  Department. 

THE  SPECIALISTS'  DEPARTMENT. 


EDITED   BY  CLIFFORD   MITCHELL,   M.   D. 

25  East  Washington  St.,  Chicago,  111. 

Inter-Relation  of  the  Endocrinous  Glands. — Dr.  Ernest  L.  Mc- 
Ewen,  of  Chicago,  in  a  reprint  sent  us  from  the  Journal  of 
Cutaneous  Diseases  gives  a  tabulation  adopted  from  Paton,  which 
we  think  of  sufficient  interest  to  reproduce  in  this  department  of 
the  Recorder: — 

(1)  Mobilization   of   sugar   from   the  glycogen   of  the  liver  is 

stimulated  by  the 
Neural-pituitary, 
Thyroid  and 
Chromaffin  System. 
It  is  inhibited  by  the 
Parathyroids  and 
Pancreas. 

(2)  The  growth  of  muscle,  bone  and  connective  tissues  gener- 

ally, is  stimulated  by  the 
Buccal-pituitary, 
Thyroid, 
Thymus  and  the 
Gonads. 

(3)  The  glandular  inter-relations  which  are  fairly  well  established 

are  as  follows : 

(a)  The  thyroid  exerts  a  stimulating  action  upon  the 

chromaffin  system  and  the  gonads.  It  inhibits 
and  is  itself  inhibited  by  the  buccal-pituitary 
and  the  parathyroids. 

(b)  The  buccal-pituitary  stimulates  the  gonads,  in- 

hibits the  thyroid  and  is  itself  inhibited  by  the 
gonads   and  thyroid. 

(c)  The   thymus   inhibits   and   is   itself   inhibited  by 

the  gonads. 

(d)  The  gonads  inhibit  the  buccal-pituitary  and  the 

thymus;  they  probably  stimulate  the  inter- 
renal  system ;  they  are  stimulated  by  the  buc- 


Specialists'  Department.  421 

cal-pituitary,  the  thyroid,  and  probably  by  the 
interrenals. 

(e)  The  parathyroids  are  inhibitory  to  the  thyroid. 

(f)  The    interrenal    system    probably    stimulates  the 

gonads,  and  in  return  is  stimulated  by  them. 
To  summarize,  a  direct  or  indirect  relationship  may  be  con- 
sidered as  existing,  or  possible  of  existence,  between  the  endo- 
crinous glands  mentioned  in  this  paper  and  the  following  skin 
diseases : 

The  pigmentation  of  Addison's  disease ;  very  probably  the 
pigmentation  from  pregnancy  and  pelvic  tumors ;  and  pig- 
mented new  growths  of  the  skin. 
The  dermatoses  which  are  persistently  associated  with  dia- 
betes. 
The  dermatoses  which  are  secondary  to  excess  of  body  fat, 

both  local  and  general. 
The  skin  disturbances  which  are  characteristic  of  puberty 
in  both  sexes  as  well  as  those  which  attend  the  involution 
of  the  sex  life. 
Hypertrichosis  in  women. 
Alopecia,   in  certain  instances  in  both   sexes. 
Dermatoses   which   are   serologically    related   to   hypo-    and 
hyper-activity  of  the  glands  of  the  skin. 
It  is  evident  from  this  last  that  the  glands  of  internal  secre- 
tion deserve  the  frequent  attention  of  the  dermatologist.     We 
are  reminded  again  that  the  successful  practice  of  our  specialty 
entails  upon  us  not  only  the  necessity,  but  the  duty,  of  studying 
the  internal  conditions  of  the  cases  in  our  charge.     Dermatology 
is  notoriously  deficient  in  facts  bearing  on  the  causation  of  skin 
disease;  may  this  not  be  due  in  part  to  our  failure  at  times  to 
appreciate  fully  the  value  of  the  complete  history  and  the  thor- 
ough physical  examination? 

The  New  Treatment  of  Burns. — One  of  the  most  interesting 
developments  of  the  therapeutics  of  the  war  is  the  new  treat- 
ment of  burns  by  the  application  of  hot  solution  of  a  wax-resin 
mixture.  The  mixture  is  heated  until  it  melts  and  when  it  is 
sufficiently  melted  to  flow  it  is  applied  to  the  tissues  and  strange 
to  say  does  not  seem  to  cause  pain  when  applied  in  this  manner 
to  burns.    A  substance  is  now  made  in  this  country  by  the  name 


422  Specialists'  Department. 

of  Redintol,   which   is  used  in   a  similar  manner  for  a  similar 
purpose.      (Boericke  &  Tafel  supply  it.) 

New  Test  for  Indican. — Dr.  F.  C.  Askenstedt,  of  Louisville, 
sends  us  his  reprint  from  the  Journal  of  Laboratory  and  Clinical 
Medicine  on  an  improved  test  for  indican  in  the  urine,  which  is 
to  be  recommended  to  the  general  practitioner  who  wishes  to 
use  as  simple  a  technic  as  possible : 

"Dilute  the  urine  until  it  has  a  sp.  gr.  of  1005.  For  example, 
if  urine  shows  a  sp.  gr.  of  1017,  dilute  five  parts  of  urine  with 
twelve  parts  of  water;  if  its  sp.  gr.  is  1021,  dilute  five  parts  of 
the  urine  with  sixteen  parts  of  water,  etc.,  corrections  being 
made  for  temperature.  An  exception  is  made  for  diabetic  urine, 
which  is  diluted  until  its  urea  content  is  0.5  per  cent.  Place 
10  c.c.  of  the  diluted  urine  in  test  tube  and  warm  over  a  flame 
until  the  lower  end  of  the  tube  begins  to  feel  hot  to  the  hand. 
Then  add  8  c.c.  chloroform  and  mix  by  shaking  a  few  times.  Ten 
cubic  centimeters  of  a  solution  of  0.4  per  cent,  perchloride  of 
iron  in  concentrated  hydrochloric  acid  (Obermeyer's  reagent)  is 
now  added,  and,  with  the  tube  duly  stoppered,  quickly  extract 
the  indigo  by  shaking  the  tube  two  minutes,  holding  it  in  a  hori- 
zontal position.  By  releasing  the  stopper  once  or  twice  during 
the  procedure,  squirting  will  be  prevented.  After  this,  let  the 
chloroform  fall  to  the  bottom  of  the  tube,  then  pour  off  most  of 
the  supernatant  fluid,  fill  the  tube  nearly  full  with  water,  invert 
it  a  few  times  to  wash  the  chloroform,  and  let  it  again  precipi- 
tate in  the  tube.  If  indican  is  normal  in  amount,  the  chloroform 
will  remain  white  or  show  a  mere  trace  of  blue.  Any  increase 
in  blue  exhibits  a  proportionate  excess  of  indican." 

Fatty  Degeneration  of  the  Heart  and  Kidneys. — In  a  previous 
number  of  the  Recorder  we  warned  the  profession  to  beware  of 
the  fat  man  who  sits  in  an  office  all  day  and  rides  to  and  fro 
from  his  office  in  a  machine.  The  warning  may  also  apply  to 
the  fat  woman,  as  well,  and  in  another  direction,  namely,  that 
of  fatty  degeneration  of  the  heart.  Anders  says  of  this  condi- 
tion that  the  diagnosis  is  "sadly  obscure,"  and  that  the  trouble 
is  to  be  "inferred"  rather  than  diagnosed. 

Not  only  is  the  cardiac  condition  sadly  obscure,  but  the  renal 
condition  may  be  baflling  so  far  as  evidences  of  fatty  degenera- 
tion of  the  kidneys  are  to  be  found  in  the  urine.     In  a  specimen 


Specialists'  Department.  423 

of  the  24  hours'  urine  of  a  fat  woman  recently  examined  by  me 
there  was  neither  any  albumin  nor  casts  although  the  specific 
gravity  was  1016  and1  the  amount  of  urine  775  c.c.  in  the  24 
hours.  The  only  thing  about  the  analysis  not  satisfactory  was 
the  small  amount  of  solids,  especially  of  phosphoric  acid  which 
was  barely  one  gramme  in  24  hours.  All  the  normal  solids  were 
low,  including  chlorides,  urea,  etc. 

The  patient  died  a  few  days  after  the  analysis  and  the  post- 
mortem showed  a  highly  fatty  heart  with  fatty  degeneration  of 
the  kidneys. 

Fatty  degeneration  of  the  kidneys  secondary  to  other  fatty 
changes  in  the  body  is  to  be  differentiated  from  chronic 
parenchymatous  nephritis  with  the  large  white,  fatty  kidney. 
The  latter  condition  is,  as  a  rule,  readily  recognized  by  the 
albumin  and  casts  which  accompany  the  fat  found  in  the  urine. 

The  Ratio  of  Urea  to  Ammonia. — In  order  to  stimulate  inter- 
est in  what  we  believe  to  be  a  clinical  point  of  value  we  shall 
publish  from  time  to  time  the  figures  of  our  analyses  relating 
to  this  ratio.  Taking  all  those  patients  whose  names  begin  with 
M  in  our  card  index  for  the  last  three  years  we  find  that  there 
were  97  of  them  and  that  we  made  125  analyses  of  their  urine 
in  which  the  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  was  featured.  There  were 
54  men,  and  43  women :  of  the  women,  six  were  pregnant,  and 
of  all  the  patients  three  were  diabetics. 

Of  the  125  analyses  it  may  be  said  that  in  93  reports  the  ratio 
of  urea  to  ammonia  was  from  20  to  1  up  to  50  to  1,  that  is  in 
about  75  per  cent.  In  79  reports  the  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia 
was  from  20  to  1  up  to  40  to  1,  that  is  about  62  per  cent. 

On  the  other  hand,  in  only  21  reports  was  the  ratio  of  urea  to 
ammonia  below  20  to  1,  in  only  eight  reports  below  15  to  1, 
and  in  only  one  report  below  10  to  1  :  percentages  of  16,  5,  and 
0.8,  respectively. 

Hence,  as  stated  in  a  review  of  two  hundred  or  more  cases 
published  in  the  Recorder  for  August,  the  number  of  instances 
in  which  the  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  falls  below  20  to  1  is 
relatively  so  small  as  to  demand  clinical  investigation. 

There  were  11  analyses  of  the  urine  of  pregnant  women  of 
which  there  were  only  three  in  which  the  ratio  of  urea  to  am- 
monia was  above  20  to   1   and  not  one  in  which  it  was  above 


424  Specialists'  Department. 

30  to  I.  On  the  other  hand,  8  were  below  2d  to  I,  6  were 
below  15  to  1  and  1  was  below  10  to  1.  In  only  two  male 
patients  was  the  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  found  to  be  below 
20  to  1.  One  of  these  was  a  diabetic  whose  ratios  in  5  analyses 
ran  14  to  1,  31  to  I,  17  to  1,  17  to  I,  20  to  1. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  were  21  analyses  of  men  in  whose 
urine  the  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  ran  from  20  to  1  up  to  30 
to  1. 

There  were  14  analyses  in  the  case  of  women  in  which  the 
ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  ran  below  20  to  1,  and  of  these  11 
were  in  cases  of  pregnancy,  as  shown  above.  That  is,  a  ratio 
below  20  to  1  in  a  woman  not  pregnant  is  uncommon  and  at 
least  warrants  the  suspicion  of  pregnancy,  unless  the  patient  be 
an  old  lady,  for,  as  we  have  stated  before,  the  ratio  of  urea  to 
ammonia  in  old  women  is  frequently  below  20  to  1. 

A  persistently  low  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  in  a  young  woman 
points  to  pregnancy,  if  diabetes  is  absent. 

In  50  analyses  of  male  patients'  urine  the  ratio  of  urea  to 
ammonia  was  above  30  to  1.  In  only  22  analyses,  however,  of 
the  urine  of  women  did  the  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  exceed  30 
to  1.  This  shows,  as  already  pointed  out,  that  in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  men  eat  more  meat  than  women  the  ratio  of  urea  to 
ammonia  in  men  tends  to-be  higher  than  in  women.  As  a  rule, 
when,  in  the  case  of  a  man,  the  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  falls 
below  30  to  1  and  remains  there,  such  a  man  is  in  need  of 
medical  attention. 

CONCLUSIONS. 

1.  A  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  below  30  to  1  requires  ex- 
planation. 

2.  A  ratio,  of  urea  to  ammonia  below  20  to  1  in  an  otherwise 
healthy  young  woman  raises  the  suspicion  of  pregnancy. 

3.  A  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  above  20  to  1,  but  below  30 
to  1,  in  a  male  is  of  more  clinical  significance  than  in  the  case 
of  a  non-pregnant  woman. 

4.  A  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  above  30  to  1  is  usual  in 
health  and  requires  no  explanation. 

5.  If  the  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  is  persistently  below  20  to  1 
in  the  urine  of  a  person  in  whose  case  no  diagnosis  has  been  estab- 
lished, a  careful  physical  examination  is  warranted. 


Homoeopathic    Recorder 

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EDITORIAL   NOTES   AND    COMMENTS. 

Who  Is  In  Front? — A  good  many  of  our  estimable  'regular/' 
and  also  homoeopathic,  friends  have  much  to  say  about  the  "on- 
ward sweep/'  the  "fore-front,''  the  ''mighty  current,"  and  the 
like,  of  modern  medicine.  The  "regulars"  are  possessed  by  the 
idea  that  they  are  making  mighty  strides  forward  and  not  a  few 
Homoeopaths  think  that  the  homoeopathic  profession  is  in  dan- 
ger of  being  left  hopelessly  in  the  rear. 

Just  a  few  days  ago  (at  this  writing)  two  members  of  the 
firm  of  machinists  who  do  the  engine,  boiler  and  other  work  of 
that  nature  in  the  establishment  of  our  publishers  were  in  the 
office.  Physically  they  looked  seedy.  Each  had  a  "cold"  that 
their  physicians  could  not  cure,  colds  that  had  lasted  all  winter. 
Didn't  ask,  but  presume  their  individual  physicians  were  men 
in  the  "fore-front;"  at  least  they  were  "regulars."  "What  can 
you  Homoeopaths  do?"  They  hadn't  come  in  for  treatment,  the 
question  simply  followed  an  incidental  relation  of  their  ills. 
What  seemed  to  be  the  indicated  remedy  was  given  them.  Next 
day  came  a  telephone  message  of  hearty  thanks.  The  favorable 
effects  of  the  remedy  were  most  marked.     Were  feeling  fine. 

This  little  episode  raises  a  question  and  the  question  is  this  : 
Is  not  Homoeopathy  so  far  in  advance  of  the  "on-rush"  that  to 
join  the  rush  would  be  to  go  backward?  Medicine  was  made 
for  patients  and  not  patients  for  medicine.  The  physician  who 
can  cure  illness  is  far  in  advance  of  the  one  who  can  write 
learnedly  about  disease,  but  cannot  cure  it. 


426  Editorial. 

The  Devil  and  the  Deep  Sea. — An  abstract  from  the  Deutsche 
Med.  Wochenschrift  of  a  paper  by  Luth  tells  us  that  too  little 
salvarsan  "actually  breeds  a  strain  of  more  resistant  spirocheta" 
and  "the  patient  is  thus  worse  off  than  if  he  had  been  given  no 
treatment  at  all"  because  these  salvarsan  bred  "spirocheta''  are 
more  virulent.  Incidentally,  the  paper  opens  with  the  statement 
that  there  are  more  cases  of  tertiary  syphilis  met  to-day  than 
before  the  days  of  salvarsan.  If  too  little  of  this  medical  won- 
der of  allopathy  be  given  the  patient  is  worse  off  than  with  no 
treatment;  if  too  much  be  given  the  coroner  ought  to  be  callel 
in,  but  isn't.  Everything  points  to  Homoeopathy — which  will 
come  when  the  world  becomes  sane. 

A  Big"  Job. — In  the  "Ohio  Bulletin  of  Charities  and  Correc- 
tions" Dr.  Thos.  H.  Haines  insists  that  all  "feeble-minded"  must 
be  reported  and  be  under  the  supervision  of  some  "central 
authority,"  allopathic,  of  course.  What  they  can  do  for  them 
after  they  come  under  supervision  is  not  clearly  defined.  There 
is  another  and  a  serious  side  to  this  proposal,  which  is,  that  the 
number  reported  if  the  proposed  rule  be  truly  enforced  might 
be  so  great  that  it  would  swamp  the  proposed  central  authority. 
It  would,  also,  probably  cause  an  uproar,  for  the  drag-net  might 
catch  some  Senators,  Congressmen,  Governors,  editors  and  even 
doctors.     Go  slow  and  cautiously. 

Fame,  At  So  Much  Per. — The  Buffalo  Medical  Journal  tells 
us  that,  "The  same  old  plan  of  co-operative  fame,  inclosing  $15 
and  photograph,  has  again  been  rendered  available,  for  Buffalo 
and  vicinity."  Presumably  this  is  the  plan  by  which  you  get 
your  picture  and  a  biography  written  by  yourself,  in  a  book  that 
no  one  buys  much  less  reads.  You  pay  $15  and  get  a  free  copy. 
That's  all.  What's  the  use !  To-day  the  ordinary  citizen  has  to 
commit  a  first  murder,  or  rob  a  bank,  be  a  first-class  ball  player 
or  prize  fighter  to  become  famous,  and  even  then  his  fame  is 
ephemeral.  And  what  good'  is  it  to  you  after  all,  when  you  be- 
come defunct  ?  Better  write  for  the  Recorder  and  thus  go  down 
to  posterity  in  the  bound  volumes  of  libraries. 

"Thou  Canst  Not  Shake  Thy  Gory  Locks  at  Me."— On  the 
evening  of  July  19th  the  Chicago  Journal  published  an  interview 


Editorial.  427 

with  Dr.  Franklin  Martin,  of  Chicago,  and  of  the  U.  S.  De- 
fense Board  in  which  the  worthy  doctor  gives  out  that  he  is 
much  worried  by  the  impending  shortage  of  doctors  in  the 
United  States.  ".Murder  will  out''  and  at  last  the  calamity  which 
some  of  us  have  been  predicting  for  years  is  right  upon  us. 
May  we  humbly  ask  who  originally  "started"  this  shortage  of 
doctors?  And  why  do  not  some  of  our  brave  old  school  men 
come  out  boldly  and  denounce  the  campaign  of  medical  college 
wrecking  which  certain  influences  began  in  1905  or  thereabouts 
and  which  is  netting  so  much  profit  to  quacks  and  cults?  "Thou 
canst  not  shake  thy  gory  locks  at  me  and  say  I  did  it,"  for  the 
writer  of  this  editorial  has  for  years  predicted  in  the  journals 
just  what  has  now  happened.  But  will  the  public  ever  know  who 
"started"  it?— (C.  M.) 

Flexner's  Logic. — The  article  by  Professor  Paul  Shorey  in 
the  Atlantic  Monthly  for  June,  19 17,  in  which  he  demolishes 
Flexner's  logic  as  applied  to  classicism  should  be  read  by  all 
good  Homoeopaths  who  remember  Flexner's  Zeppelin  attack 
upon  our  institutions  not  many  years  ago.  If  Flexner's  medical 
logic  is  no  better  than  his  classical  Lydston's  judgment  of  him 
is  sustained. —  (C.  M.) 

"Triumphs,"  Etc. — Dr.  W.  Gilman  Thompson,  under  the  head- 
ing, "Medical  Triumphs  and  Opportunities,"  in  the  North 
American  Review,  sings  the  praises  of  his  class,  but,  really,  so  it 
seems,  these  praises  are  due  the  sanitarians.  For  example,  he 
very  truly  says  that  more  men  died  from  typhoid  in  the  Boer 
war  and  in  our  Spanish  war  than  from  bullets.  "Betterment  in 
camp  hygiene,"  he  writes,  "began  to  yield  striking  results  in  the 
Russo-Japanese  war,  and  the  lack  of  any  considerable  number 
of  cases  of  typhoid  fever  on  the  western  battle  front  in  the  pres- 
ent war  is  due  not  only  to  improved  hygienic  measures,  but  to 
the  employment  of  preventive  inoculations  against  typhoid 
fever." 

The  facts,  however,  seem  to  indicate  that  the  inoculations 
which  to-day  are  given  the  chief  credit  are  really  a  severe  handi- 
cap on  the  good  work  of  sanitation  and  hygiene.  In  the  Boer 
war  the  men  had  plenty  of  typhoid  inoculation  and   "died  like 


428  Editorial. 

flies,"  as  one  writer  put  it,  at  the  time.  South  Africa  is  said  to 
be  a  dry,  healthy  country,  yet  the  English  troops  suffered  more 
from  disease  there  than  in  any  war  they  ever  engaged  in,  unless 
the  Crimean  be  excepted.  Their  chief  ill  was  typhoid  yet  they 
were  inoculated.  Then  came  the  era  of  sanitation  and  hygiene 
— and  they  give  the  chief  credit  to  their  inoculations ! 

Yellow  Fever  and  Malaria. — Dr.  Thompson,  in  the  same  North 
American  Review  article  (see  above),  claims  one  of  the  medical 
triumphs  to  be  experimentation  of  yellow  fever  and  the  control 
of  malaria.  In  these  instances,  fortunately,  there  are  no  inocula- 
tions, only  mosquito-bars,  for  both  of  which  the  world  should 
be  grateful.  Yet  even  here  there  are  those,  like  the  Health  Com- 
mission of  Bengal,  who  doubt  the  truth  of  the  alleged  discoveries, 
for  he  said  that  in  India,  where  malaria  goes  in  epidemics,  some- 
times it  rages  when  the  anophele  is  notably  scarce  and  at  other 
times  when  these  mosquitoes  are  about  in  swarms  there  is  no 
malaria.  And  again  the  disease  and  the  mosquito  go  together. 
As  for  yellow  fever  there  be  those  who  believe  that  it  is  sani- 
tation that  has  cleared  the  scourge  away.  When  houses  in  cities 
have  holes  cut  in  their  floors  through  which  matter  is  dropped 
which  should  go  through  sewers  small  wonder  that  they  are 
visited  by  plagues;  when  these  are  cleaned  up,  naturally,  the 
plague  ceases.  Mosquitoes  and  even  the  air  may  transmit  yel- 
low fever,  malaria  and  other  diseases,  but  neither  is  the  primal 
cause. 

A  Problem. — This  seems  to  be  an  age  prolific  in  'problems.'" 
For  instance,  a  bulletin  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Labor  opens 
with  the  statement  that,  "More  women  15  to  45  years  of  age  die 
from  conditions  connected  with  childbirth  than  from  any  dis- 
ease except  tuberculosis."  Naturally  the  simple  question  arises, 
Why?  The  bulletin  gives  many  answers,  but  the  following 
about  covers  them  all:  "The  expectant  mother  should  at  once 
consult  a  physician.  She  should  remain  under  supervision  so 
any  dangerous  symptom  may  be  discovered  as  soon  as  it  ap- 
pears." Is  this  a  scientific  answer  to  present  conditions  ?  What 
about  our  mothers,  grandmothers  and  great-grandmothers  who 
bore  from  6  to  12,  or  more,  children,  never  had  a  scientific  phy- 


Editorial.  429 

sician  to  aid  them,  yet  nearly  all  lived  the  three  score  and  ten  of 
the  psalmist  in  a  state  of  vigorous  health?  What  of  to-day, 
basking,  as  it  does,  in  the  beneficent  light  of  modern  medical 
science?  One,  or  two  children,  generally  none,  and  the  mother? 
Mostly  a  nervous  wreck!  Again,  Why?  Our  grandmothers 
who  bore  so  many  children,  also  cooked,  churned,  milked  the 
cows,  made  their  own  and  the  family's  clothes  and  did  many 
other  things,  and  were  healthier  than  are  their  descendants. 
Wiry?  Well,  there  is  a  problem  that  neither  the  bacteriologists, 
scientific  medicine  men  nor  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Labor  have  solved. 

Death  From  Salvarsan. — Reported  in  the  British  Medical  Jour- 
nal by  a  Government  medical  practitioner  in  India.  The  patient 
had  syphilis.  No  special  history.  Was  given  salvarsan  and 
died.     Here  is  the  summary : 

"The  interest  in  the  case  here  recorded  lies  in  the  long  period 
between  the  administration  of  the  salvarsan  and  the  manifesta- 
tion of  toxaemia.  The  symptoms  would  suggest  acute  yellow 
atrophy  or  phosphorus  poisoning,  but  both  are  negatived  by  the 
fact  of  there  being  enlargement  of  the  liver  throughout,  and 
also  as  to  the  former  by  the  absence  of  leucin  and  tyrosin  in 
the  urine.  There  must  have  been  a  storage  of  arsenic  in  the 
liver,  giving  rise  in  the  cells.  Captain  Armstrong,  I.  M.  S.,  who 
has  kindly  looked  up  the  literature  on  the  subject,  says  that  three 
similar  cases  have  been  recorded,  in  one  of  which  a  necropsy 
was  performed.  This  was  a  woman  who  was  given  three  doses 
of  salvarsan  at  an  interval  of  nine  days  without  any  untoward 
symptoms.  Three  or  four  days  after  the  last  dose  she  developed 
toxic  symptoms,  diarrhoea,  and  vomiting,  jaundice,  enlargement 
of  liver,  and  severe  abdominal  pains  and  died.  Post-mortem  ex- 
amination showed  diphtheroid  necrotic  ulcers  in  the  intestines, 
perforation  of  the  stomach,  and  acute  fatty  degeneration  of  the 
liver." 

"Salvarsan"  is  a  German  patent  medicine  that  often  kills.  It 
is  treated  with  great  respect  by  the  Journal  of  the  American 
Medical  Association,  which  holds  weekly  war  dances  on  Ameri- 
can patent  medicines  that  do  not  kill.  But  then  we  are  told,  on 
the  highest  authority,  that  a  prophet  is  not  without  honor  save 
in  his  own  country.     Have  read  that  the  German  Doctors  fight 


430 


Editorial. 


very  shy  of  the  patent  medicines  they  so  freely  sell — or  did — 
and  our  allopathic  doctors  so  freely  use  in  this  country.  Looks 
almost  as  if  it  were  on  the  same  principle  that  causes  the  Chinese 
and  Indian  "doctors"  to  flourish  in  this  country. 

Blood  Pressure. — We  recently  met  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  a 
Methodist,  who  apparently  visited  and  looked  after  his  poor 
parishioners.      One   of   his   congregation   was   also   present   and 

the  minister  remarked  that  "Mrs.  is  very  ill."     "What 

ails  her?"  "She  has  blood  pressure,"  he  said,  and  then  turning 
to  the  writer  he  asked,  "What  sort  of  a  disease  is  'blood  press- 
ure?'" "The  latest"  was  the  answer,  but  after  getting  this  off 
went  on  to  explain  that  it  is  but  a  symptom.  Some  time  after 
this  the  Long  Island  Medical  Journal,  July,  came  along  with  ten 
of  its  big  pages  filled  with  a  paper  by  Dr.  J.  M.  Van  Cott  on  this 
subject.     We  quote  his  ' 'conclusions  :" 

"I.  The  pathology  of  blood  pressure  is  primarily  the  path- 
ology of  the  somatic  cells. 

"II.     Hypertension  is  a  symptom,  not  an  essential  disease. 

"III.  It  is  contraindicated  in  the  majority  of  cases  of  hyper- 
tension to  exhibit  cardio-vascular  depressors,  as  a  routine  treat- 
ment. 

"IV.     Cardio-vascular   stimulants   are  often   indicated. 

"V.  It  is  indicated  to  reduce  hypertension  by  arresting  toxine 
formation,  securing  its  elimination,  and  decreasing  the  viscosity 
of  the  blood. 

"VI.  The  author  does  not  wish  to  be  construed  as  condemn- 
ing the  use  of  nitrites,  and  other  drugs  having  similar  action,  in 
all  cases ;  but  to  discourage  the  practice  so  commonly  met  with 
of  attempting  to  reduce  blood  pressure  simply  because  it  is  high." 

Hay  Fever. — Public  Health  Reports  for  July  20th  contains 
a  paper  on  "Hay  Fever/'  by  Wm.  Scheppgrell,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  New 
Orleans.  The  central  idea  is  that  hay  fever  is  caused  by  some 
agent  outside  of  the  patient.  That  may  be  so,  but  if  one  hun- 
dred persons  are  exposed  to  the  pollen  of  "Ambrosia  elatior  and 
triUda"  and  only  one  develops  the  disease  is  it  not  reasonable 
to  infer  that  the  cause  lies  in  the  patient?  This  is  the  point  of 
Hahnemann's  Chronic  Diseases,  a  much  abused,  but  little  under- 
stood book. 


Editorial.  431 

A  Passing  Comment. — In  the  P.  C.  Journal  of  Homoeopathy's 
report  of  the  meeting  of  the  State  Society,  at  Oakland,  we  find 
the  following:  "Dr.  Buffam,  in  closing,  spoke  of  the  danger  of 
atropine  in  patients  over  40."  From  our  slender  knowledge  of 
the  subject  have  no  comment  to  make  save  that  of  an  eye-man, 
several  years  ago,  who  remarked,  "Strange  how  the  people 
dread  the  'drops.' '      Perhaps  the  dread  is  true  instinct. 

Immunization. — Dr.  J.  G.  Adam  has  delivered  four  lectures 
before  the  Royal  College  of  Physicians  which  have  been  printed 
in  the  Lancet.  They  deal  with  the  beginning  of  things,  of  life, 
taking  in  evolution  and  immunity.  The  point  here  is  that  toxins 
and  drugs  "acting  on  the  tissues  of  the  body,  act  also  on  the 
germ  cells,  causing  modification  of  the  latter,"  etc.  If,  then, 
immunization  really  does  protect  against  a  given  disease  it  does 
so  by  changing  the  cells  of  the  body.  This  brings  up  the  ques- 
tion as  to  whether  it  is  not  wiser  to  leave  the  body  in  its  normal 
condition?  May  not  the  price  of  immunization  be  greater  than 
the  problematical  protection?  An  unprejudiced  study  of  the 
after  lives  of  the  immunized  alone  can  answer. 

On  the  Pacific  Coast. — The  following  is  self-explanatory : 
"On  account  of  war  conditions,  the  Pacific  Coast  Journal  of 
Homeopathy  has  suffered  the  loss  of  many  of  its  force.  With 
the  editor  already  in  the  field  and  the  business  manager  at  any 
moment  likely  to  be  called,  the  State  Society,  at  its  last  meeting, 
took  over  the  publishing  of  the  Journal." 

Another  Symposium. — The  Medical  Review  of  Reviews,  Aug- 
ust, publishes  a  series  of  papers  under  the  general  heading,  "A 
Symposium  on  Sectarianism."  The  "sectarians"  are  homoeo- 
paths, chiropractors,  mechano-therapists,  eclectics,  osteopaths 
and  naprapaths.  Dr.  G-  Harlan  Wells  answers  the  question 
"Why  I  am  a  Homoeopathic  Physician"  and  does  it  extremely 
well.  The  enterprising  Medical  Review  of  Reviews  should  fol- 
low this  symposium  with  another  taking  in  all  the  remaining 
medical  sects.  Let  some  one  answer  "Why  I  am  an  Allopath," 
why  a  Christian  scientist,  why  a  scientific  physician,  why  a  faith 
curist  and  so  on  down  the  sectarian  line. 


PERSONAL. 


A  Texas  undertaker  "solicits  your  business"  and  his  aim  is  "to  please 
the  public." 

The  "fatal  death"  of  an  estimable  lady  is  reported  in  a  New  Mexico 
journal. 

Many  persons  would  show'  a  greater  love  for  music  by  not  attempting 
to,  play,  whistle  or  sing  it. 

"The  United  Physicians  of  Buffalo."     Let  us  hope  they  will  remain  so. 

Man  advertises  "Player-piano  music  for  exchange."  If  it  is  for  some- 
thing else  he  is  wise. 

A  learned  physician,  Gourbin,  says  that  hens,  ducks,  geese,  pheasants 
and  "domestic  quadrupeds"  are  "carriers  of  diphtheria."     Kill  'em  all! 

A  "detoxinated"  cigar  is_  an  abomination,  notwithstanding  the  health 
sharps. 

"I  like  a  cigar  after  a  good  dinner,"  said  Claude  to  his  landlady,  and 
thien  didn't  light  one. 

A  man  said  while  he  couldn't  freely  forgive  his  enemies  he  liked  to 
sympathize  with  them. 

"Envy  is  sinful,"  said  the  daughter  to  Pa  when  her  chum  got  a  seal- 
skin coat. 

A  modern  linguist  told  his  best  girl  he  thought  her  hands  were  "im- 
mense" and  was  surprised  at  the  result  of  his  compliment. 

"You  know  paper  is  getting  very  scarce,"  said  the  cheerful  debtor  when 
he  couldn't  give  his  creditor  a  check. 

Ye  good  citizen  cryeth  "something  ought  to  be  done!"  but  he  doeth 
it  not. 

Many  plans,  like  many  men,  refuse  to  work. 

According  to  Billy  Sunday,  as  reported,  N.  Y.  is  nearer  God  than  any 
city.     Oh,  you  Kansas  cities ! 

A  man  may  know  as  much  as  Solomon,  but  it  dies  with  him  unless  it 
be  ultimated  in  type. 

When  one  thinks"  of  space  which  can  have  no  end  he  almost  feels  nutty. 

Music  hath  charms  to  soothe  the  savage  breast,  also,  some  sorts,  to 
arouse  the  savage  in  the  peaceful  breast. 

No  one  can  whistle  and  use  his  mind  at  the  same  time.  Neither  can  the 
afflicted  hearers. 

His  voice  is  for  war,  but  not  his  person. 

"C.  M."  (Clinique)  says  backache  is  prevalent  in  Chicago.  Don't  be  so 
strenuous. 

"I  am  happiest  when  I  sing!"     Yea,  brother,  but  what  of  the  others? 

"My  breath  troubles  me,"  said  the  patient.  "I'll  stop  that."  replied  the 
young  M.  D. 


THE 

Homeopathic  Recorder 

Vol.  XXXII      Lancaster,  Pa.,  October  15,  1917.       No.  10 

THE  PRESENT  STATE  OF  ALLOPATHIC 
MEDICINE 

By  "allopathic"  is  meant  ''scientific  medicine,"  for  did  not  the 
old  allopaths  claim  to  be  the  "regular"  physicians,  and  do  not 
their  descendants  claim  the  same?  It  is  a  chameleon  "business," 
so  no  matter  what  color  is  shown  the  same  old  chameleon  presents 
it.  At  one  period  it  was  bleeding  and  calomel  and  the  man  who 
did  not  follow  it  was  guilty  of  "passive  murder,"  to  quote  the 
phrase  once  used  in  the  Lancet  when  discussing  the  subject.  A 
good  many  years  ago  we  knew  two  doctors,  one  a  well-to-do 
country    doctor    whose    neighbors    finally    invented    a    proverb, 

"Send  for  Dr. and  then  for  the  undertaker."    The  other's 

name  is  pretty  well  known  in  literature.  Both  of  them  had  the 
routine  of  bleeding  and  calomel,  with  leeches  in  the  final  act. 
Saw  a  little  five-year-old  girl  go  with  leeches  sucking  her  skin. 

Another,  who  could  not  bleed  a  typhoid  patient,  or  did  not,  re- 
fused him  water.  This  patient  got  well  because,  while  his  family 
strictly  followed  orders,  he,  one  evening  managed  to  crawl  out 
of  bed,  worm  his  way  to  the  "water  spring,"  drank  copiouslv — 
and  recovered.     These  are  true  stories. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  enumerate  the  many  fads  that  have 
masqueraded  as  "regular"  medicine  before  and  since  those  days, 
even  if  we  had  a  clear  knowledge  of  them,  which  we  have  not. 
When  "germs"  were  sprung  on  the  world  the  whole  quest  was 
for  germicides,  which  may  or  may  not  have  killed  the  germs, 
but  the  patients  often  went  the  way  the  germs  were  supposed  to 
go.  An  old  Texan  on  this  wave  got  up  "Radam's  Microbe 
Killer,"  which,  from  its  composition,  was  safer  than  the  germi- 


434  The  Present  State  of  Allopathic  Medicine. 

cides.  They  say  he  made  a  fortune  out  of  the  "Microbe  Killer,'' 
but  the  microbe  killers  denounced  him  as  a  fraud  even  though 
he  but  followed  in  their  footsteps.  Many  other  scientific  meteors 
have  since  then  blazed  forth  in  the  "regular"  firmament,  and 
gone  the  way  of  their  predecessors. 

At  present  they  have  thrown  nearly  the  entire  pharmacopoeia 
on  the  scrap  heap,  substituting  vaccines  and  serums.  When  they 
tire  of  this,  or  the  world  does,  some  other  scientific  thing  will 
have  to  be  invented.  Though  the  "regular"  therapy  which,  as 
said  before,  is  always  scientific,  changes  with  each  decade. 
Though  the  pharmacopoeia  has  been  thrown  away  there  still 
remain  the  trade-marked  remedies,  lineal  descendants  of  the 
old  patent  medicines  to  fall  back  on.  The  "literature"  of  the  big 
drug  houses  has  taken  the  place  of  the  chair  of  therapeutics. 
Many  of  the  pharmaceuticals  passed  by  the  A.  M.  A.'s  council, 
and  an  equal  number  condemned  by  that  inquisitorial  body,  are 
really  excellent,  but  it  is  an  awful  wrenching  of  terms  to  call 
this  practice  "scientific,"  this  practice  of  doping  all  cases  of  a 
given  disease  with  what  are  practically  secret  remedies.  Is  not 
the  prescribing  of  "Ayer's  Cherry  Pectoral,"  "Pierce's  Golden 
Medical  Discovery,"  "Simon's  Liver  Regulator,"  "Swamp  Root," 
and  all  the  others  just  as  scientific  as  to  prescribe  the  secret 
things  advertised  in  the  /.  A.  M.  A.  under  ridiculous  Greek 
names?  To  be  sure,  this  sort  of  thing  is  probably  better  than 
the  sometimes  queerly  compounded  prescription  of  many  drugs 
of  earlier  days,  but  it  is  not  science,  nor  never  has  been. 

Homoeopaths  to-day  are  prescribing  the  same  drugs,  on  the 
same  lines,  that  were  in  use  a  hundred  years  ago.  Haven't  "ad- 
vanced?" Certainly  not,  only  developed.  They  hold  the  key  of 
true  medical  science  and  the  sooner  our  esteemed  but  ever- 
wandering  "regular"  friends  make  use  of  it  the  better  for  the 
world. 


Our  Choice."  435 


"  OUR   CHOICE" 

By  N.  Bergman,  A.B.,  M.D.,4872  Winthrop  Aye., 
Chicago.  111. 

In  these  days  of  intense  scientific  application  in  the  realm  of 
medicine  and  insistent  search  for  a  panacea  or  specific  remedy 
for  all  human  ills,  it  is  fitting  that  we  take  an  invoice  of  our- 
selves and  our  art  to  ascertain  whether  we  do  not  contribute  as 
much  as,  or  more  than,  any  other  school  of  healing  to  the  restora- 
tion of  health  and  happiness,  in  spite  of  our  supposed  position 
of  being  among  the  non-progressive  in  medicine.  Are  we  really 
occupying  an  inferior  position  among  the  many  and  varied  heal- 
ing methods  the  world  has  to  offer  an  ailing  humanity? 

Indeed  not!  On  the  contrary  a  number  of  diseases  were 
never  known  to  have  been  cured  by  any  medicine  before  Ho- 
moeopathy made  such  a  thing  possible.  ■  I  need  only  to  point  to 
Hahnemann's  brilliant  records  in  cholera,  whooping  cough, 
typhus  and  other  acute  ailments  that  had  persistently  baffled  the 
old  medication  from  the  remotest  times,  not  to  mention  the 
chronic  diseases  which,  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  man- 
kind, found  their  cure  through  Homoeopathy. 

Our  records  show  to-day  our  superiority  as  they  did  in  the 
very  dawn  of  Homoeopathy,  when  the  great  master  was  pro- 
pounding his  doctrines  to  a  hostile  professional  world.  Why 
should  we,  therefore,  not  assert  ourselves  as  masters  of  the 
art  of  healing  and  demand  our  rights  as  exponents  of  the  only 
true  school  of  medicine?  Why  should  we  bow  to  a  school  of 
medicine  which  rests  on  the  very  insecure  basis  of  empiricism? 
Who  do  we  have  to  stand  in  such  awe  of  a  body  of  medical  men 
who  flounder  blindly  in  the  bogs  of  speculative  medication,  to- 
day lauding  to  the  skies  one  remedy  or  procedure,  to-morrow 
relegating  the  same  to  the  scrap  heap  of  oblivion  ?  Why  should 
we  allow  ourselves  to  be  frightened  into  a  state  of  paresis  by 
these  theorizing  scientists,  whose  views  without  doubt  present 
an  imposing  chimerical  spectacle,  but  whose  elaborations  we 
shall  find — when  we  have  recovered  our  senses — cannot  affect 
the  law  of  cure  one  jot  or  tittle  ?  What  algebra  is  to  mathematics 
Homoeopathy  is  to  medicine;  it  furnishes  the  fixed  formula,  ac- 


4^C>  "Our  Choice." 

cording  to  which  these  perplexing  problems  we  meet  in  our  pro- 
fession may  find  their  solution.  It  provides  the  only  key  by 
which  the  doors  of  these  secret  torture  chambers  may  be  un- 
locked, which  have  held  humanity  a  degraded  captive  from  times 
immemorial.  What  our  remedies  are  doing  to-day  they  will  do 
a  thousand  years  hence  on  the  same  indications,  because  their 
application  is  founded  on  the  immutable,  God  given  law  of 
similia.  Our  pharmacopoeia  presents  a  noble  series  of  pictorial 
likenesses,  whose  features  will  never  change,  in  sharp  contrast 
to  the  dazzling  moving  picture  shows,  which  to-day  entrance  the 
greater  portion  of  the  medical  world,  now  to  be  applauded,  now 
again  to  be  censured  and  tabooed.  Why  that  is  so  we  well 
know ;  it  is  because  when  there  is  no  law  there  will  be  uncer- 
tainty, insecurity,  chaos  and  finally  nihilism.  But  zee  do  not 
theorize,  we  prove  things,  and  this  more  than  in  one  sense.  We 
furnish  the  proofs  that  we  are  not  only  amply  able  to  hold  our 
own  as  homoeopaths,  but  that  we  can  vastly  improve  upon  the 
methods  of  the  old  school  and  substitute  success  for  the  latter's 
failures.  May  the  following  cases  provide  such  proofs ;  they  are 
all  from  my  case  books  and  selected  especially  because,  as  you 
will  see,  they  had  all  previously  been  under  allopathic  treatment, 
and  hence  the  contrast  between  the  two  methods  will  become  all 
the  more  conspicuous: 

DIARRHOEA. 

I.  In  November,  seventeen  years  ago,  with  my  field  of  activitv 
at  that  time  in  middle  Illinois,  I  was  called  to  attend  Mrs.  W.  [. 
A.,  who  had  for  many  years  been  a  sufferer  from  diarrhoea.  She 
had  been  under  the  care  of  several  allopathic  physicians,  and  of 
late  had  taken  a  three  months'  course  of  treatment,  consisting 
of  a  stomach  and  intestinal  "tonic,"  graduated  in  strength  and 
dosage  as  the  patient's  tolerance  of  the  same  would  allow.  Noth- 
ing, however,  seemed  to  give  any  relief  to  these  attacks,  which 
came  on  with  persistent  regularity ;  sometimes  every  day,  at 
other  times  every  third  day,  or  with  longer  intervals.  The  dis- 
charges were  watery,  green  and  slimy,  mostly  occurring  in  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon.  Some  weakness  and  slight  nausea 
were  present,  otherwise  no  particular  symptoms.  The  history 
revealed  a  malarial  base  of  the  ailment,  and  I  diagnosed  it  as  a 


"Our  Clio  ice."  437 

masked  intermittent  mal.  fever,  the  acute  symptoms  long  ago 
having  exhausted  themselves,  leaving  the  patient  with  this  chronic 
lesion.  Ipecac  200  was  given  with  splendid  results ;  recovery 
gradually  took  place,  and  when  at  long  intervals  an  attack  might 
occur,  a  dose  or  two  of  the  same  remedy  always  brought  relief. 

MALARIAL    FEVER. 

2.  October,  1902,  I  was  summoned  to  see  Airs.  C.  L.,  aet. 
26  years,  whom  I  found  suffering  from  intermittent  malarial 
fever.  She  was  a  little  over  seven  months  advanced  in  preg- 
nancy, and  because  of  her  condition,  considerably  worried  for 
her  own  as  for  her  child's  sake.  The  physician  she  had  called 
in,  had  told  her  that  because  of  her  state  nothing,  could  be  done ; 
that  he  could  not  possibly  give  her  quinine  for  fear  of  bringing 
on  a  miscarriage,  and  that  she  had  to  make  the  best  of  it  and 
bear  it.  It  was  a  clear  Natr.  mur.  case.  The  chills  would  come 
on  at  about  11  a.  m.  with  the  peculiar  thirst,  nausea,  vomiting, 
head-  and  backache  of  this  drug,  and  the  other  stages  each  with 
their  characteristic  symptoms  The  200th  potency  was  given 
and  complete  recovery  soon  took  place.  The  prostration  and 
emaciation  gradually  disappeared,  she  developed  a  fine  appetite, 
gained  strength  and  flesh,  and  when  finally  her  time  was  up,  the 
old  school  physician  was  not  the  one  who  officiated  at  the  bedside. 

UTERINE     COLIC. 

3.  In  the  night  of  November  30,  191 5,  I  was  called  to  the 
sick  bed  of  Mrs.  H.  E.,  aet.  18  years,  whom  I  found  suffering 
intensely  from  uterine  colic,  and  just  regaining  consciousness 
from  a  deep  swoon.  Such  a  state  had  of  late  always  accom- 
panied her  periods.  With  her  husband's  assistance  I  extracted 
the  following  clinical  history :  Had  found  herself  pregnant  sev- 
eral months  previously,  but  because  of  her  youth  had  feared 
motherhood,  so  had  consulted  a  physician,  who  had  opened  up 
and  emptied  the  gravid  uterus  at  about  two  months'  pregnancy. 
Since  then  had  fainting  attacks  at  the  slightest  unusual  exertion 
and  terrible  pains  at  the  time  of  her  menses.  The  swoons  would 
be  most  frequent  and  severe  at  the  approaching  menstrual  nisus. 
and  would  last  at  times  for  several  hours  before  consciousness 
returned.     On  consulting  the  surgeon  for  relief  from  this  condi- 


438  "Our  Choice." 

tion,  she  had  been  told  that  she  must  expect  such  a  state  until 
the  vital  forces  had  time  to  adjust  themselves  and  set  the  system 
functionating  right  again,  so  he  had  not  given  nor  suggested 
any  remedy.  I  left  Colocynth  30X,  to  be  taken  in  water  every 
half  to  one  or  two  hours,  as  needed,  until  better,  and  advised 
the  patient  to  report  as  soon  as  over  her  period.  On  December 
5th  she  reported,  and  received  8  powders  of  Moschus  200,  one 
powder  on  the  tongue  every  three  days,  also  a  few  powders  of 
Coloc.  30X,  to  be  used  in  case  of  need  as  before.  December  19th 
I  saw  my  patient  again,  and  her  report  was  then  one  fainting 
attack  only  since  the  beginning  of  the  month,  evidently  due  to 
the  excitement  of  a  day's  shopping  down  town.  When  I  again 
heard  from  my  patient  on  January  25,  1916,  she  declared  she 
felt  perfectly  well ;  there  were  no  more  fainting  attacks,  and  her 
periods  were  painless  and  normal  in  every  respect.  The  only 
difficulty  she  was  aware  of  was  costiveness  of  the  bowels,  which 
had  come  on  after  the  abortion.  I  gave  one  dose  of  Nux  vom. 
1,000  m.,  on  the  tongue,  and  half  a  dozen  powders  of  Opium 
1,000,  to  be  taken  at  intervals  of  3-4  days,  as  long  as  needed. 
I  did  not  hear  from  her  again  until  March  5th,  when  she  re- 
ported being  in  good  health,  the  bowels  operating  now  every 
day  on  their  own  accord.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  anxiety 
on  the  part  of  the  young  husband  and  the  family  about  this 
case,  and  loud  clamor  for  tonics,  massage,  electricity,  etc.,  to 
overcome  the  distressing  fainting  spells,  but  here  Moschus 
proved  to  be  the  best  tonic  and  reconstructant,  and  accomplished 
as  much  as  or  more  than  all  these  accessories  could  have  done. 
A  cure  was  effected  on  the  strict  basis  of  similia. 

EFFECT    OF    ABORTION. 

4.  The  following  case  presents  even  stronger  evidence  in 
favor  of  the  homoeopathic  treatment,  for  here  were  added  to  the 
willful  violation  of  natural  functions  the  vicious  effects  of 
physiological  drug  action,  which  had  to  be  overcome  as  well 
as  the  consequences  of  the  abortion.  On  September  16,  191 5.  my 
advice  was  sought  by  Miss  C,  who  about  half  a  year  previously 
had  found  herself  pregnant,  and  in  order  to  escape  the  conse- 
quences of  her  indiscretion,  had  submitted  to  an  abortion.  No 
curettage  had  been  performed,  but  the  uterus  had  been  forcibly 


"Our  Choke."  439 

opened  and,  with  the  assistance  of  some  medication,  its  con- 
tents had  been  allowed  to  drain  out.  There  had  been  profuse 
haemorrhage,  but  comparatively  little  fever  and  suffering.  No 
complications  had  set  in,  and  in  about  two  weeks  the  patient  had 
been  on  her  feet  again  and  back  to  work.  When  her  next  period 
came  on  it  was  so  profuse  and  exhausting  that  Ergot  in  heroic 
doses  were  administered  to  check  the  flow.  About  a  month  later 
a  similar  haemorrhage  occurred  to  be  checked  again  by  material 
doses  of  Ergot.  This  had  now  gone  on,  repeating  itself,  for 
five  months,  and  the  patient  very  much  reduced  in  strength 
and  weight,  dreaded  another  ordeal  of  the  same  kind.  I  found 
her  very  pale,  thin  and  extremely  nervous,  and  a  local  examina- 
tion revealed  a  somewhat  enlarged  uterus,  a  flabby  and  swollen 
cervix,  slightly  excoriated  and  some  leucorrhceal  discharge.  The 
subjective  symptoms  were  anorexia,  headache  and  dragging 
pains  around  loins  and  in  front;  weakness  and  loss  of  weight. 
I  reckoned  that  I  had  to  deal  with  not  only  a  menorrhagia  but 
also  a  cachexia  brought  on  by  the  injudicious  use  of  Ergot,  so 
gave,  therefore,  Secalc  1,000,  three  powders  to  be  taken  three 
days  between,  also  placebo  three  times  a  day.  On  September 
28th  the  report  showed  quite  an  improvement  in  the  strength 
and  looks  of  the  patient,  and  she  received  now  one  dose  of 
Viburnum  1,000  on  the  tongue  and  placebo  as  before.  October 
19th  I  had  the  report  that  my  patient  was  feeling  quite  well  and 
had  had  a  normal  menstruation  in  all  respects.  The  period  in 
November  was  painless,  but  marked  by  a  more  profuse  flow,  so 
I  gave  again  Secale  1,000  on  December  1st,  when  she  reported. 
The  following  menstruation  was  normal,  but  left  her  with 
dragging  pains  in  the  back,  for  which  she  received  Sepia  1,000 
on  December  10th.  On  December  226.  she  complained  of  pains 
around  hips  towards  the  front,  for  which  Sabina  1,000  was  pre- 
scribed, one  dose  every  3-4  days  as  needed.  I  did  not  prescribe 
any  more  for  this  patient  except  on  January  30th,  19 16,  for  an 
attack  of  facial  neuralgia,  as  her  periods  were  normal  and  her 
former  good  health  restored.  I  believe  that  in  this  case  Secale 
alone  did  as  much  as  the  other  three  remedies  to  restore  the  pa- 
tient. I  have  had  many  occasions  to  observe  the  prompt  cura- 
tive action  of  the  high  potencies  in  persons  whom  the  crude  drug 


440  "Our  Choice" 

or  poison  previously  had  brought  into  a  cachectic  state.  I  need 
only  to  call  attention  to  the  many  cases  of  Silver  nitrate  and 
Iodine  poisoning  we  meet,  and  which  are  always  benefited  by 
the  corresponding  drug  given  homceopathically ;  and  who  has  not 
seen  these  little  puny,  lime  water  fed  babies,  who  will  be  given  a 
new  lease  of  life  by  a  few  high  doses  of  Calcarea  to  counteract 
the  diathesis,  that  has  been  forced  upon  them  ? 

PLEURISY. 

5.  The  following-  case  is  a  fair  example  of  the  superior  re- 
sourcefulness of  the  homoeopathic  treatment  in  pleurisy  with 
effusion.  This  case  had  been  declared  by  an  old  school  physi- 
cian to  be  incurable,  except  by  operative  means.  On  June  6, 
1912,  I  was  called  to  see  Air.  J.  L.,  35  years  old,  who  gave  the 
following  clinical  history :  About  ten  days  previously  had  taken 
a  cold,  which  quickly  had  located  itself  in  the  lower  left  lung 
with  severe  stitches,  difficulty  of  breathing,  cough  and  fever. 
As  the  disease  progressed  the  condition  grew  worse  and  finally 
the  physician  in  charge  had  told  the  patient  that  the  only  help 
out  of  the  difficulty  was  an  operation  as  there  now  was  water  in 
the  lung.  As  he  was  disinclined  to  submit  to  this,  the  doctor  left 
him,  and  when  I  was  called  he  had  been  without  medical  atten- 
tion for  six  days.  I  found  unmistakable  signs  of  fluid,  fine  moist 
rales,  diminished  vocal  fremitus,  movable  dullness  on  percussion, 
hard  cough,  dyspnoea  and  preference  to  lie  on  the  affected  side, 
great  weakness  and  anorexia.  Pulse  and  temperature  were  100 
res]).  Bryonia  200  was  given  four  times  a  day;  the  next  day 
there  was  a  slight  improvement  generally  with  pulse  and  tempera- 
ture 88  and  99.8  resp.  The  same  remedy  was  continued  for 
two  days  more  when  on  the  9th  the  pulse  and  temperature  were 
80  and  99.2  resp.  As  the  rales  now  were  more  marked  and 
cough  looser  and  less  painful  with  dullness  disappearing  the 
medicine  was  changed  to  Tartar  emetic  1,000,  a  dose  three  times 
a  day.  The  next  day  pulse  was  80  and  temp.  99.2,  and  on  June 
1 2th  the  pulse  72,  temp.  98.8,  and  patient  very  much  improved 
in  all  respects.  Xow  Tartar  emetic  cm.  was  given,  two  doses 
a  day,  and  on  the  14th  he  was  out  of  bed  and  sitting  up.  Pulse 
was  now  72,  temp.  98.2,  and  exudation  almost  entirely  removed. 
One  June   17th  the  patient  was  still  more  improved  and  received 


"Our  Choke!'  441 

now  one  dose  of  Sulphur  1,000.  June  20th  there  were  no  rales 
nor  abnormal  symptoms,  and  when  the  patient  called  at  my  office 
on  June  26th  he  was  discharged  entirely  well.  I  have  had 
several  chances  to  examine  this  patient  later,  and  have  found 
his  breathing-  perfectly  free  and  easy  and  chest  without  any  dis- 
comfort whatsoever. 

PNEUMONIA. 

6.  The  following'  case,  though  not  with  such  a  fortunate 
termination,  demonstrates  notwithstanding  the  wonderful  deep 
going  action  of  our  remedies  and  their  power  to  lessen  and  re- 
move exudates  and  solidified  tissue  in  pulmonary  lesions  before 
which  our  allopathic  brethren  stand  practically  helpless.  Sep- 
tember 9,  1911,  I  had  a  call  to  attend  Mr.  M.  J.  G.,  set.  71  years, 
who  had  had  an  attack  of  lobar  pneumonia  six  months  before. 
From  the  clinical  history  obtained  I  inferred  that  his  physician 
had  been  able  to  check  the  disease  in  its  early  stages,  as  the  fever 
and  pain  had  disappeared  quite  soon  and  the  patient  subsequently 
had  been  discharged  as  cured.  However,  he  had  never  felt  well ; 
had  had  a  constant  hacking  cough,  difficulty  of  breathing,  poor 
appetite,  gradually  increasing  swelling  of  feet  and  legs,  great 
weakness  and  inability  of  lying  down  with  comfort. 

My  examination  revealed  a  solidified  right  lung,  broncho-vesi- 
cular sounds,  marked  dullness  on  percussion,  a  weak  intermittent 
heart  beat  at  116  a  minute,  but  with  no  abnormal  sounds,  and  a 
temperature  of  99.. 2  The  objective  symptoms  were  dyspnoea,  a 
hard,  teasing  cough. with  scant  expectoration,  oedema  of  lower 
limbs,  pallor  of  face  and  general  debility.  In  my  estimation  the 
patient'  still  had  pneumonia,  in  a  sense,  and  was  at  present  in 
the  stage  of  red  hepatization ;  in  fact,  the  disease  had  simply 
been  held  in  abeyance  during  all  these  months  by  some  abortive 
or  suppressive  treatment.  Ars.  jod.  30X  was  given  in  water  every 
three  hours.  In  a  few  days  improvement  took  place ;  the  lung- 
began  to  clear  up,  moist  rales  commenced  to  appear,  the  cough 
became  loose  and  easy  with  the  characteristic  rust  colored 
sputum,  the  dyspnoea  lessened,  fever  and  pulse  became  lower 
and  the  patient  more  comfortable.  I  saw  him  every  3-4  days 
right  along;  he  was  gaining  steadily  and  at  the  end  of  the  month, 
under  the  same  remedy  in  less  frequent  doses,  the  lung  was  almost 


442  "Our  Choice.' 

entirely  clear,  cough  nearly  gone  and  pulse  and  temp.,  resp.  ioo 
and  98.4.  Although  the  danger  from  the  pulmonary  lesion  now 
was  passed  evidently.  I  continued  my  visits,  as  the  cardiac  condi- 
tion still  was  a  matter  of  concern.  Under  Ars.  200  there  was 
still  further  improvement,  and  on  Oct.  16th  the  lung  was  clear, 
pulse  and  temp,  normal,  but  oedema  persistent.  At  this  juncture 
the  family  council  decided  upon  hospital  care  for  want  of  a  well 
needed  rest  to  the  members  of  the  household,  so  that  patient 
passed  out  of  my  hands  and  came  again  under  old  school  treat- 
ment. About  a  month  later  I  heard  he  had  died  shortly  before, 
evidently  from  failing  cardiac  and  renal  functions. 

PULMONARY. 

7.  The  case  of  Mr.  G.  L.,  set.  21,  also  presents  an  example 
of  the  difficulties  that  meet  an  allopathic  physician  in  his  treat- 
ment of  pulmonary  diseases  and  how  he  is  handicapped,  simply 
because  of  his  ignorance  of  the  law  of  cure.  On  Oct.  17,  1907, 
I  was  called  to  visit  this  patient  whom  I  found  with  the  follow- 
ing symptoms :  Cyanosis,  cold,  clammy  sweat  on  body  and  face ; 
anxiety  and  suffering  on  countenance ;  intense  dyspnoea ;  rapid 
breathing ;  sibilant  rales ;  weak  and  slow  heart's  action,  pulse 
small  and  thready,  only  60  a  minute ;  temp.  98 ;  anorexia  and 
frequent  vomiting,  much  thirst,  constipation  and  some  tympanitis. 
The  patient  was  extremely  thin  and  exhausted,  in  fact  in  a  state 
of  collapse  and  really  presented  an  appearance  of  impending 
dissolution. 

The  clinical  history  disclosed  that  he  had  had  a  chill  or  two 
several  days  before,  followed  by  pain  in  chest,  cough,  fever  and 
general  malaise.  Had  called  in  an  old  school  physician,  who 
diagnosed  the  case  as  bronchitis,  had  seen  him  two  or  three  times 
and  assured  him  of  recovery  on  the  medication  he  had  prescribed. 
As  there,  on  the  contrary,  had  been  a  steady  aggravation  of  the 
symptoms,  and  in  addition  vomiting,  coldness  and  weakness,  the 
family  decided  on  a  change  of  treatment.  It  was  evident  from 
the  first  glance  that  the  patient  was  under  the  influence  of  some 
drug,  that  not  only  had  obscured  the  original  symptoms  in  part, 
but  also  impressed  its  own  physiological  effects  on  the  disease. 
Diagnosing  the  case  as  broncho-pneumonia,  I  gave  one  dose  of 
Tart,  emetic  1,000  on  the  tongue,  of  course  stopping  all  former 


"Our  Choice.''  443 

medication.  The  next  day  I  found  my  patient  better,  with  a 
pulse  of  78,  temp,  of  100.5,  tne  cyanosis  nearly  gone,  vomiting- 
stopped  and  more  comfort  in  general.  Another  dose  of  the  same 
remedy  was  given,  as  also  on  October  19th,  when  the  pulse  was 
80  and  much  stronger  and,  temp.  99.6.  On  October  20th  there 
were  more  pains  in  the  right  lung,  but  same  temperature  and 
pulse  as  before,  so  changed  to  Bryonia  1,000,  one  dose.  October 
22d  the  condition  was  very  much  improved ;  the  pain  in  the  lung 
less,  cough  diminished,  rales  loose,  dyspnoea  gone,  pulse  and  temp. 
76  and  99  resp.  Phos.  1,000,  one  dose  was  now  given,  and  on 
October  24,  finding  my  patient  practically  well,  with  a  temp,  of 
98.6  and  pulse  of  78,  but  still  with  a  little  stitch  through  the 
lung,  I  gave  one  dose  of  Kali  carb.  1,000,  which  finished  the  case 
and  restored  him  to  health.  Learning  of  a  tubercular  diathesis 
in  the  family  I  later  gave  this  patient  four  powders  of  Bacillinum 
200  to  be  taken  at  longer  intervals.  This  constitutional  remedy 
acted  with  a  wonderful  tonic  effect  on  his  system.  His  face  be- 
came full  and  rosy,  he  increased  about  20  lbs.  that  following 
winter,  and  has  ever  since  been  in  splendid  health.  With  ex- 
ception of  an  occasional  cold  or  sore  throat,  he  has  escaped  any 
further  outbursts  of  the  psoric  miasm,  and  his  athletic  attain- 
ments of  late  years  have,  even  under  the  handicap  of  the  daily 
grind  of  strenuous  office  work,  again  demonstrated  to  me  the 
wonderful  greatness  of  Hahnemann's  genius. 

I  am  sure  that  anyone  of  us  is  able  to  recall  cases  indefinitely 
along  these  lines,  and  what  we  are  able  to  do  in  these  acute  condi- 
tions does  not  even  compare  with  what  our  healing  art  can  ac- 
complish in  the  more  grievous  and  disastrous  chronic  states, 
which  the  other  medical  schools  pronounce  practically  incurable. 
It  is  in  dealing  with  these  that  the  possession  and  understanding 
of  the  use  of  this  law  of  similia  enable  us  to  take  a  positively 
unique  position  ahead  of  all  healers  in  the  world.  But  in  order 
to  maintain  such  a  position,  it  is  necessary  that  we  familiarize 
ourselves  thoroughly  with  the  profound  searching  action  of  these 
constitutional  remedies,  upon  which  only  a  lasting  cure  can  be 
established.  Which,  therefore,  is  the  individual  constitutional 
remedy  becomes  the  great  problem.  Here  again  our  law  of 
cure  comes  to  our  rescue  in  pointing  out  the  way,  there  is  sue- 


444  "Our  Choice." 

cess  along  no  other  road.  When  any  remedy  is  truly  indicated  in 
a  chronic  sufferer,  it  may  be  the  constitutional  remedy  of  that 
particular  person,  and  a  cure  be  established  even  without  the 
complementary  action  of  a  so-called  antimiasmic.  To  illustrate 
my  point,  allow  me  to  mention  two  cases  that  I  believe  I  have 
cured  with  two  such  comparatively  shallow-acting  remedies  as 
Bryonia  and  Spigelia,  neither  of  which  is  mentioned  in  Hahne- 
mann^ Materia  Medica  or  his  Chronic  Diseases. 

CHRONIC     HEADACHE. 

8.  Airs.  F.  C,  about  24  years  old,  with  her  mother,  called  on 
me  April  25,  1916,  with  a  history  of  chronic  headaches.  The 
mother  confirmed  her  daughter's  history,  that  the  ailment  dated 
as  far  back  as  her  early  girlhood,  adding  that  "she  no  doubt  has 
inherited  that  from  me,  for  I  was  afflicted  in  the  same  way  and 
still  am,  and  the  only  thing  that  will  relieve  me  is  a  strong  anodyne 
and  repeated  doses  of  some  powerful  cathartic,  until  I  am  thor- 
oughly emptied  out."  The  symptoms  were  as  follows  :  Severe 
throbbing  sore  pain  in  forehead,  above  and  in  the  eyes,  the  eye- 
balls burning  and  terribly  sore  to  touch ;  can  hardly  keep  eyes 
open;  always  worse  by  motion  and  commotion  about  her;  wants 
to  be  alone  and  absolutely  quiet,  as  anybody's  presence  makes  her 
impatient  and  peevish.  Headaches  come  on  quite  frequently  and 
are  accompanied  by  constipation,  bad  breath  and  coated  tongue. 
Is  always  worse  in  a  warm  room  and  can  never  attend  to  any 
kitchen  duties,  as  the  heat  from  the  fire  aggravates.  Has  had 
rheumatism  off  and  on  with  modalities  like  those  of  the  head- 
aches. I  went  deeper  into  her  life's  history,  but  found  nothing 
unusual  also  made  an  examination,  but  discovered  nothing  radic- 
ally wrong.  To  me  the  remedy  stood  out  clearly  in  her  case,  so 
gave  her  a  dose  of  Bryonia  1,000  on  her  tongue  at  once  as  she 
was  quite  ill.  Only  a  few  minutes  later  she  brightened  up  and 
said ;  "Why,  doctor,  I  feel  much  better  already ;  that  was  cer- 
tainly a  wonderful  remedy."  Her  mother  saw  the  effect  and 
blurted  out;  "Oh,  that  is  impossible,  you  gave  her  some  dope, 
doctor!"  I  protested  and  pleaded  my  innocence  to  such  a  prac- 
tice, but  apparently  in  vain,  however.  1  gave  two  more  powders 
of  Bryonia  1st  to  be  taken  2-3  days  apart  and  plenty  of  placebo 
to  keep  the  good  work  going.     She  promised  faithfully  to  report 


"Our  Choice."  445 

about  her  progress,  and  when  I  saw  her  a  few  weeks  later  she 
declared  there  had  been  no  return  so  far  of  her  headaches.  The 
old  lady,  who.  by  the  way,  works  for  an  old  school  physician, 
still  imbibes  her  exhilarating  draughts  of  Pluto,  Abilena,  Citrates, 
etc.,  but  the  young  woman,  whom  I  have  met  several  times  since, 
"knocks  on  wood,"  and  assures  me  every  time  I  see  her  that  she 
has  never  had  any  headache  worth  mentioning  since  she  took 
those  little  powders  and  tablets.  She  has  been  in  my  office  later 
for  other  occasional  ailments,  but  not  for  any  headaches,  so  I 
conclude  the  Bryonia  cured  her. 

NEURALGIA. 

9.  On  Dec.  8,  1916,  I  had  a  call  from  Mr.  G.  A.  E.,  set.  35 
years,  who  for  a  number  of  years  had  suffered  from  periodical 
attacks  of  neuralgia.  While  working  in  a  factory  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, ten  years  ago,  his  work  bench  stood  quite  near  an  electric 
fan,  exposing  him  to  the  constant  draught  therefrom.  Gradu- 
ally a  headache  was  developed,  which  finally  settled  above  the 
eyes,  more  particularly  the  left  one.  During  rest  hours  the  pain 
would  gradually  leave,  only  to  return  again  as  work  was  re- 
sumed. This,  my  patient  believes,  was  the  beginning  of  his  com- 
plaint, which  had  persisted  ever  since.  He  is  now  doing  car- 
penter work  and  dreads  the  cold  season  and  working  in  draughty 
houses,  exposed  to  the  dampness,  which  always  aggravates.  He 
has  not  gone  through  a  single  winter  of  late  without  three  or  four 
severe  attacks  of  this  neuralgia,  and  having  tried  a  number  of 
"cures"  and  sedatives  with  only  temporary  or  partial  relief,  had 
almost  given  up  hope  of  ever  being  cured.  The  pain  comes  on 
gradually,  reaching  its  intensity  in  a  couple  of  hours,  at  times 
being  so  severe  as  to  compel  him  to  quit  work  and  lie  down  in 
absolute  rest.  Two  remedies  come  here  to  my  mind,  Stan  11  ion. 
because  of  its  characteristic  onset  and  departure,  and  Spigelia 
because  of  the  predilection  for  the  left  eye.  There  was  not 
enough  general  weakness  to  favor  the  former  remedy,  so  my 
choice  fell  upon  the  latter,  because  of  its  great  aggravation  by 
cold  and  draught  and  the  intense  stitching  nature  of  the  pain. 
The  30th  potency  was  given  on  disks,  one  dose  to  be  taken  at 
once  and  another  at  bedtime,  and  the  following  day  every  two 
or  three  hours  as  needed.     The  next  morning  the  patient   was 


446  "Our  Choicer 

well  enough  to  go  to  work,  and  an  occasional  dose  of  the  remedy 
brought  him  safely  through  this  attack.  Whether  he  is  now 
permanently  cured  and  whether  Spigelia  is  his  constitutional 
remedy  I  do  not  dare  to  say.  We  have  a  number  of  deep  acting 
remedies  in  this  group  of  ailments  with  above  modalities,  but  the 
few  doses  of  the  remedy  he  took  have  enabled  him  to  go  through 
the  whole  winter  and  spring  without  any  further  visitation  of  his 
trouble. 

But  let  these  above  cited  proofs  suffice,  and  now  only  a  few 
words  in  concluusion. 

All  jesting  aside  regarding  our  professional  brethren  of  the 
other  schools !  We  know  that  they  are  nobly  striving,  accord- 
ing to  their  light,  for  the  good  of  humanity ;  that  they  are  putting 
forth  mighty  efforts  to  mitigate  suffering  and  to  eradicate  evil, 
and  especially  must  we  give  them  a  generous  recognition  of  their 
endeavors  in  the  field  of  preventive  medicine.  But  alas !  they 
recognize  no  law.  Their  uncertain  footing,  their  foolish  vacilla- 
tions and  deplorable  ignorance  of  the  true  action  of  a  remedy, 
and  the  two  following  most  salient  points  in  their  medication, 
viz.,  that  they  prescribe  for  the  name  of  the  disease  and  ac- 
cording to  the  dictum  of  "contraria,"  are  the  points  that  cause 
their  failures.  When  a  patient  is  treated  according  to  "contraria 
contrariis"  and  a  cure  is  effected,  he  gets  well  because  of  nature's 
own  efforts  in  his  behalf,  which  are  always  in  accordance  with 
the  law,  and  in  spite  of  the  remedial  agents  given.  Preventive  in- 
ternal medication,  such  as  serum  therapy,  etc.,  is  always  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  law  of  similia.  Let  us  not  be  blinded  by  the 
appearance  of  these  so-called  new  discoveries,  which  dazzle  by 
their  brilliancy  and  deceive  by  their  promise  of  a  panacea.  There 
will  never  be  such  a  thing.  Therapeutically,  we  have  left  all  ex- 
perimental fields  and  rest  on  the  truth.  The  grandest  research 
work  ever  undertaken  culminated  in  Homoeopathy  and  the  giv- 
ing to  the  world  of  the  law  of  cure.  However  progressive  the 
profession  will  be,  its  labors  will  disclose  no  new  law  for  there 
is  only  one;  it  may  be  rediscovered  through  different  channels, 
but  only  to  be  confirmed  and  reacclaimed;  whatever  may  be  the 
future  developments  in  the  fields  of  pathological  research  and  in- 
vestigation ;  whatever  may  be  the  scrutiny  of  present  or  future 


Why  Give  Medicine?  447 

means  of  combatting  disease ;  whatever  may  be  the  inquiry  into 
the  methods  of  using  these  means,  Homoeopathy  will  stand  the 
test.  We  have  proven  that  there  is  no  tonic  like  the  indicated 
homoeopathic  remedy;  that  there  is  no  reconstructive  like  the 
deep  acting  constitutional  homoeopathic  remedy ;  that  there  is  no 
safety  except  in  the  homoeopathic  remedy,  and  that  there  is  no 
final  salvation  from  the  horrors  of  the  chronic  miasms  whose 
victims  are  now  filling  as  degenerates  and  lunatics  our  penal  in- 
stitutions and  asylums,  except  in  a  strict  adherence  to  the  law 
of  similia ;  we  rest  on  our  records  and  we  will  abide  by  our 
choice ! 

[Read  at  the  meeting  of  the  Regular  Homoeopathic  Medical 
Society,  Chicago,  111.,  June  5,   1917.] 


WHY  GIVE   MEDICINE? 
By  Dr.  G.  E.  Dienst,  Aurora,  111. 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 

This  is, a  strange  question  to  ask  an  association  of  physicians. 
It  is  not  impertinent,  however,  neither  is  it  asked  in  a  spirit  of 
impertinence.  The  science  of  medicine  and  its  practice  involves 
the  giving  of  drugs  in  some  form  to  sick  people.  The  practice 
of  medicine  is,  therefore,  a  profession  and  a  vocation.  Among 
all  classes  of  society  the  physician  alone  can  draw  the  greatest 
profit  for  himself  individually,  only  from  the.  best  possible  and 
most  successful  treatment  of  his  fellow  beings;  while  others,  it 
is  true,  also  in  the  service  of  society,  but  more  for  the  sake  of 
gain  and  less  for  the  benefit  of  their  fellows.  This  quasi  philan- 
thropic vocation  maintains  its  vitality  by  the  giving  of  some- 
thing which  heals. 

It  is  a  well  known  truth  that  certain  substances  called  drugs, 
when  introduced  into  the  healthy  human  organism,  produce 
sickness  and  destroy  life,  and  these  same  substances  when 
given  to  the  sick  in  proper  form  cure  their  ills  and  promotes 
life.  In  the  administration  or  dispensing  of  drugs,  therefore,  it 
is  pertinent  to  ask,  why — by  what  law  of  science  do  we  give 
medicine  to  the  sick?  Is  it  on  the  assumption  that  drugs  drive 
out  disease-producing  germs,  or  that  they  change  the  function  of 


448  Why  Give  Medicine? 

the  tissues  and  organs  from  discord  to  harmony?  Some  of  these 
theories  hold  the  controlling  thought  in  the  practice  of  many 
physicians.  Indeed,  we  are  sometimes  compelled  to  think,  when 
we  read  of  certain  drugs  or  substances  used  in  various  disease 
nomenclature,  that  some  men  are  painfully  void  of  even  theories ; 
while,  on  the  other  hand,  when  surveying  the  field  of  medical 
literature,  we  can  not  suppress  the  conviction  that  not  a  few  men 
are  led  by  blind  prejudice  rather  than  demonstrable  truths. 

Then  to  the  question,  Why  give  medicine?  By  what  law  of 
science  or  nature  does  a  physician  administer  a  drug,  or  a  com- 
bination of  drugs  to  the  sick?  Is  there  a  reason  and  is  this  rea- 
son logical  ?  Is  the  science  of  medicine  based  upon  a  rapidly 
fluctuating  assumption ;  upon  theories  with  but  a  shadow  for  a 
foundation ;  upon  faith  in  a  remedy  to-day  and  doubts  on  the 
morrow ;  upon  the  idiosyncrasies  of  drug  whose  only  thought  is 
commercial,  or,  is  it  based  upon  demonstrable  laws,  immutable 
as  the  hills,  and  as  clear  as  the  midday  sun?  Are  we  groveling 
in  ignorance,  therapeutically,  and  following  a  modified  practice 
of  barbaric  ages,  or,  are  we  traveling  in  the  full  light  of  the  day  ? 

For  centuries — even  to-day — the  law  of  opposites  determined 
the  remedy  and  the  manner  and  frequency  of  its  administration. 
Cold  water  was  employed  to  allay  the  irritation  of  burns,  and, 
though  the  palliation  was  but  transient,  and  the  pathological 
results  often  a  permanent  irritation  of  the  parts  affected,  yet  men 
persisted  in  its  practice.  Cathartics,  more  or  less  drastic,  were 
employed  in  constipation  and  other  intestinal  and  rectal  dis- 
turbances, on  the  assumption  that  the  contents  of  the  intestines 
were  responsible  for  the  impaired  function,  and,  though  the 
cathartic  removed  the  contents,  the  reaction  left  nature  so  de- 
pleted that  it  was  incapable  of  performing  the  usual  normal 
function.  Hence,  instead  of  curing  the  trouble,  the  drugs  stereo- 
typed it.  To  relieve  pain  and  nervous  irritation  the  common- 
wealth was  perpetually  and  still  is  drugged  with  opiates  and  vari- 
ous narcotics  on  the  assumption  that  these  relieve  pain,  induce 
sleep,  soothe  the  irritated  nerves  and  lessen  the  hectic  cough. 
which  they  do  if  continually  repeated  in  ever  increasing  dosage. 

To  the  laity  this  seems  rational.  To  the  physician  it  may  ap- 
pear as  a  justifiable  law,  but  is  it?     The  blow  has  not  weakened 


Why  Give  Medicine?  449 

the  powers  of  the  disease,  it  has  not,  in  the  least,  impaired  its 
destructiveness ;  but  it  has  fatally  stunned  the  forces  of  nature 
and  made  permanent  cure  an  impossibility.  Is  it  just  to  sacrifice 
the  future  for  the  present?  Is  it  justice  to  the  suffering-  to  im- 
pair nature's  function  for  the  moment  on  the  false  assumption 
that  it  is  for  the  present  and  future  good?  If  not,  why  give  it? 
and  yet  this  law  governs  the  practice  of  many  physicians.  Then 
there  is  the  other  law,  so  common  in  practice,  which  presumes  to 
displace  one  diseases  by  the  introduction  of  another  of  a  dissimi- 
lar nature — a  truly  heterogenous  procedure.  This  is  done  in 
chronic  as  well  as  in  acute  diseases.  Why  attempt  to  relieve  a 
headache  by  giving  an  emetic,  or  paralyzing  the  muscles  of  the 
heart?  True,  the  headache  is  palliated,  but  the  stomach  is  irri- 
tated and  the  cardiac  function  impaired,  and  when  persisted 
in,  such  practice  produces  an  incurable  irritation  of  the  stomach 
and  the  heart,  and  since  these  belong  to  the  patient  as  well  as  the 
head,  where  is  the  relief  to  the  patient?  The  same  is  true  with 
cathartics  which  forcibly  remove  the  contents  of  the  intestines 
but  leave  a  chronic  inflammation  of  the  mucosa,  paralyzes  the 
nerve  supply  of  the  intestines  and  weakens  their  muscular  coat. 
This  is  done,  I  dare  say,  ninety-nine  times  out  of  every  hundred 
when  the  tardy  condition  of  the  intestines  and  rectum  often — 
a  result  and  not  a  cause — was  doing  no  injury.  Such  a  practice 
accounts  for  the  many  cases  of  dyspepsia,  gall  stones,  and  so- 
called  attacks  of  appendicitis.  It  is  then,  as  so  many  assert  with 
much  truth,  that  it  is  as  hard  to  get  rid  of  the  effects  of  medi- 
cine as  the  disease.  It  also  accounts,  in  great  part,  for  the  many 
inexcusable  complications  we  meet  with  in  our  daily  practice. 
Through  the  practice  of  such  medicine  the  public  is  led  to  expect 
some  violent  morbid  action  of  the  remedy,  and  they  regard  this 
violence — they  know  no  better  way — as  the  test  of  energy  of  the 
drug  with  never  a  thought  as  to  whether  it  is  palliative,  curative 
or  destructive. 

If  a  man  rides  on  a  rough  road  in  a  wagon  minus  springs,  he 
is  very  sensible  of  every  motion,  and  every  bump  and  jolt, 
though  his  progress  at  best  is  but  four  miles  an  hour,  yet  the 
jars  and  jolts  contribute  nothing  to  his  progress. 

They  are  wasting  the  force  necessary  to  progress.     Every  jolt 


450  Why  Give  Medicine? 

contributes  a  certain  percentage  of  retardation  to  progress.  On 
a  smooth  railroad,  in  a  limited  train,  seated  in  a  comfortable 
parlor  car,  gliding  along  at  the  rate  of  fifty  miles  an  hour,  one  is 
scarcely  sensible  of  any  progress,  and  yet  how  vast  the  distance 
covered  in  one  day.  And  may  I  ask,  Who  is  conscious  of  the 
rapidity  of  the  earth's  revolutions,  or  the  hidden  power  in  a 
trolley  wire,  and  these,  without  a  jolt  or  par  or  convulsive  move- 
ment of  any  nature,  travel  at  an  immense  rapidity.  Then  why 
jar  and  jolt  the  human  organism  with  a  drug  which,  though  ap- 
parently violent,  impedes  rather  than  accelerates  the  forces  of 
health  ? 

There  are  other  laws  governing  certain  schools  of  practice 
which  seems  to  me  inexplicable.  It  is  possible  that  the  law  of 
personal  experience  enters  the  realms  of  certain  practice,  and 
thjs  must  be  calculated  on  the  ratio  of  legitimate  and  impartial 
observation  of  the  experimenter.  One  man  to  heal  the  sick  gives 
different  remedies  in  alternation.  This  may  be  legitimate ;  it  may 
be  scientific,  it  may  be  rational,  it  may  be  artistic,  and  if  so,  it  is 
too  profoundly  deep  for  my  limited  powers  of  understanding. 
But  medicine  is  given  in  this  manner.  I  cannot  comprehend, 
for  instance,  how  a  sick  man,  in  need  of  "Aconite/'  and  receiv- 
ing a  doze  of  the  same,  changes  in  thirty  minutes  or  less  into  a 
condition  requiring  "Belladonna/'  and  after  taking  "Belladonna," 
granting  it  was  necessary,  how  that  will  throw  him  back,  in  a 
few  short  minutes,  into  a  condition  requiring  "Aconite"  again. 
Is  it  a  law  that,  by  tossing  a  disease  back  and  forth  with  more 
or  less  rapidity  you  break  its  neck?  What  becomes  of  the  pa- 
tient? Suppose  this  jugglery  is  continued  for  a  certain  length 
of  time  and  the  patient  recovers,  which  remedy  cured  him? 
Suppose  the  patient  dies  and  his  death  is  attributed  to  medicine, 
can  it  be  possible  to  determine  which  remedy  killed  him?  Was 
it  the  one  or  the  other,  or  the  alternation  which  committed  the 
deed?  If  the  one  or  the  other,  why  give  it?  If  the  alterna- 
tion, why  alternate  ?  Can  it  be  scientifically  possible  to  so  change 
a  human  organism  with  a  remedy  in  thirty  minutes  or  one  hour 
so  as  to  necessitate  another  remedy  to  save  the  patient's  life, 
and  if  so,  is  it  a  safe  law  by  which  to  practice  medicine?  Now,  I 
say,  this  may  be  clear  to  some,  it  may  be  a  legitimate  reason  for 


Why  Give  Medicine ?  451 

giving  medicine  in  this  manner,  but  I  fail  to  understand  the  rea- 
son. Again,  there  is  a  custom,  very  common*  of  giving  remedies 
—drugs — in  combination — favorite  compounds.  Recently  I  saw 
a  sure  cure  for  a  bronchial  cough  and  it  looked  so  easy.  All  that 
was  necessary  was  the  diagnosis  of  a  bronchial  cough  and — 
presto — here  is  the  tablet  with  printed  instructions  as  to  fre- 
quency of  giving,  and  the  cure  will  follow.  But  wait  a  moment, 
let  us  study  this  matter.  On  examination  this  tablet  was  said  to 
be  composed  of  "Bryonia,"  Causticum  and  Phosphorus,  the 
formula  being  that  of  a  celebrated  physician.  The  combination 
might  seem  to  be  legitimate,  scientific  and  possibly  artistic  were 
it  not  for  certain  interrogations.  The  first  is  in  how  far  do 
Causticum  and  Phosphorus  accelerate  or  inhibit  the  therapeutic 
action  of  Bryonia?  I  waited  for  a  reply — none  came.  Possibly 
the  question  is  a  sort  of  inverted  affair,  so  I  asked  in  how  far 
does  Bryonia  and  Causticum  accelerate  or  retard  the  action  of 
Phosphorus?  Xo  answer,  absolutely  not  a  word.  At  this  I  was 
very  much  embarrassed.  The  question  must  be  wrong.  I  then 
asked,  does  the  combination  of  Bryonia  and  Causticum  and  Phos- 
phorus form  a  new  chemical  element,  single  in  nature  and  thera- 
peutic use,  and  thus  make  it  an  universal  specific  for  all  forms  of 
bronchial  coughs?  Again,  no  answer,  not  a  word.  My  em- 
barrassment changed  to  irritability,  for  we  have  no  proving  of 
such  a  combination,  nor  has  a  clearly  defined  clinical  observation 
commended  its  use.  Xow,  then,  if  the  totality  of  symptoms  in  a 
bronchial  cough  called  for  Bryonia,  how  in  the  name  of  rational 
medicine  could  the  other  two  be  indicated,  and,  if  not  indicated, 
why  give  them?  Why  burden  the  system  with  their  presence  if 
not  needed?  Such  practice  does  not  require  a  physician,  any 
janitor  can  do  as  well.  The  coughs  of  the  three  remedies  with 
their  several  complex  of  symptoms  differ  so  materially  that  it  is 
inconceivable  why  such  combinations  exist.  Then  why  give  it  ? 
This  is  but  one  of  a  thousand  of  such  combinations  found  in  the 
open  market  and  prescribed  by  men  who  call  themselves  scientific. 
The  antipathic  and  revulsive  laws  of  medicine,  if  persisted  in, 
stereotype  instead  of  curing  the  disease.  The  alternation  or 
combination  of  remedies  in  crude  or  potentized  form  has  not  so 
much  as  a  shadow  of  law  or  logic  to  justify  their  administration. 
If  these  practices  are  questionable,   if  they   cannot   endure   the 


452  Why  Give  Medicine? 

light  of  reason  without  crumbling  to  dust  why  use  them?  and  if 
faulty,  if  not  commensurate  with  the  light  of  reason,  what  have 
we  to  offer  that  is  better? 

Many  years  ago  the  sage  of  "Coethen,"  in  discussing  a  similar 
problem,  called  attention  to  three  emphatic  principals  governing 
the  giving  of  medicine.  The  first  refers  to  disease  causes  in 
fact  (not  in  theory),  which  every  physician  must  know  before 
he  can  safely  administer  drugs  to  the  sick.  The  second  was  the 
manner  in  which  disease  elements  expressed  themselves  in  differ- 
ent individuals.  The  third  was  the  fitting-  of  a  single,  simple 
medical  substance  to  this  disease  element  as  the  tailor  fits  a  suit 
of  clothes  to  each  individual  customer.  As  to  reasons,  he  say, 
I  hrganon,  Sec.  18:  "From  this  undoubted  truth:  that  in  disease 
nnthing  else  can  be  found  by  which  they  may  express  their  need 
of  help,  it  follows  incontrovertably  that  the  complex  of  all  symp- 
toms observed  in  every  single  case  of  disease,  will  be  the  only 
indication,  the  only  direction,  toward  a  remedy  to  be  selected." 
Have  you  ever  read  or  heard  anything  more  rational  and  more 
emphatic  as  a  reason  for  giving  medicine  than  this?  This  is 
not  necessarily  forcing  the  contents  of  the  intestines  to  the  outer 
world  without  due  consideration  as  to  causes  and  disease  ex- 
pression. It  is  not  benumbing  the  organism  at  every  appearance 
of  pain  on  the  false  assumption  of  curing  that  pain.  Having  this 
totality  of  disease  expression  the  remedy  selected  for  the  removal 
of  this  expression  and  its  cause  must  be  similar  in  its  pathogenetic 
effects  to  the  disease  expression.  For  do  we  not  read,  Org~anon, 
Sec.  25a:  "In  all  careful  experiments,  that  medicine  indeed, 
which  in  its  action  upon  healthy  human  bodies  has  proved  itself 
able  to  generate  the  greatest  number  of  symptoms  in  similarity 
to  those  found  in  case  of  disease  which  is  to  be  healed,  does  also, 
in  duty  potentiated  and  lessened  doses  speedily,  thoroughly  and 
permanently  cancel  the  totality  of  the  symptoms  of  this  state 
of  disease;  i.  e.,  the  whole  present  disease  and  converts  it  into 
health,  and  that  medicines  without  exception  heal  such  diseases 
which  most  nearly — with  regard  to  the  greatest  similarity  of 
symptoms — approach  them,  and  that  they  leave  none  of  these 
unhealed." 

Here,  then,  is  the  most  rational,  the  most  logical,  the  most 
clearly  defined  reason  why  medicine  should  be  given  to  the  sick. 


Aconite  in   a  Chronic   Case.  453 

When  properly  understood  this  brief  law  is  worth  libraries  of 
modern  medical  literature.  This  does  not  mean  'like''  and  the 
adag'e  "Like  cures  like"  is  a  misnomer.  The  law  is  "Similars 
cure  Similars,"  and  the  true  reason  for  giving-  medicine  is  based 
upon  this  unchangeable  and  incontrovertible  law  of  similars. 
[Read  before  the  Indiana  State  Institute  of  Homoeopathy,  May 
19,  'I7-] 


ACONITE   IN   A  CHRONIC   CASE. 

The  following  from  Teste's  Homoeopathic  Materia  Medica, 
today  a  rare  book,  is  both  interesting  and  valuable : 

"Mr.  X.,  42  years  old,  tall,  athletic,  of  a  sanguine  tempera- 
ment, mild  disposition,  possessed  of  the  most  perfect  equanimity, 
without  anxiety  about  anything,  and  endowed  with  an  adven- 
turous spirit.  He  had  been  all  over  the  world.  His  life  had 
been  full  of  incidents,  and,  therefore,  a  series  of  emotions.  For 
the  last  two  years  he  had  been, treated  for  aneurism  of  the  heart; 
such,  at  any  rate,  his  disease  had  been  pronounced  by  several 
medical  celebrities  of  Russia,  Germany  and  England. 

His  disease  set  in  in  1850,  in  consequence  of  a  journey  in  a 
sleigh,  which  my  patient  had  been  obliged  to  take  in  midwinter, 
in  the  north  of  Russia,  when  the  thermometer  was  from  300  to 
350  degrees  below  zero,  and  during  which,  trusting  only  to  his 
own  skill  for  the  management  of  his  own  team  in  the  snows,  he 
remained  with  the  upper  part  of  his  body  exposed  to  the  wind 
for  several  weeks,  night  and  day,  although  he  was  covered  with 
the  thickest  kind  of  fur.  But,  in  spite  of  this  precaution,  he  was 
not  able  to  resist  such  a  hard  exposure.  It  brought  on,  in  his 
opinion  and  my  own,  the  sad  condition  in  which  he  now  found 
himself,  and  which  I  shall  endeavor  to  describe. 

Mr.  X.,  looked  as  if  he  enjoyed  the  most  perfect  health,  calm 
features,  a  natural  complexion,  easy  speech,  normal  color  of  the 
lips,  which  are  not,  by  any  means,  bloated  ;  in  one  word,  there  was 
not  a  single  symptom  that  might  lead  one  to  believe  in  the  ex- 
istence of  an  organic  affection  of  the  heart.  Nevertheless  he  ex- 
perienced acute  stitches  in  the  region  of  this  organ,  which  alter- 
nated with  violent  palpitations,  accompanied  with  intense  anx- 
iety, a  good  deal  of  dryness  at  the  throat,  and  a  noise  in  the 


454  Aconite  in  a  Chronic  Case. 

head,  which  was  particularly  distressing  in  the  left  ear.  Dur- 
ing the  most  violent  paroxysms  he  seemed  even  threatened  with 
cerebral  apoplexy,  and  lost  his  consciousness ;  these  symptoms 
were  only  slowly  and  incompletely  relieved  by  bleeding  for  they 
came  on  again  after  a  certain  interval.  The  whole  left  side  of 
the  chest,  including  the  back  and  shoulders,  were  so  painful 
that  they  could  not  be  touched.  For  some  months  past,  the  pa- 
tient, who  had  lost  his  sleep,  dared  not  sleep  any  longer  in  his 
bed,  and  spent  his  nights  in  an  easy  chair. 

It  is  to  be  observed  (and  this  point  is  of  great  importance), 
that  during  the  seven  months  that  the  patient  spent  in  Egypt, 
which  has  a  warm  climate,  all  the  morbid  symptoms  which  have 
been  related  above,  gradually  disappeared,  so  that  Mr.  X.  be- 
lieved himself  cured ;  but  they  all  returned  as  soon  as  he  again 
exposed  himself  to  the  climate  of  Northern  Europe. 

When  I  saw  him  the  first  time,  his  pains,  wThich  were  intense, 
were  not  at  their  height.  After  listening  to  a  recital  of  his 
sorrow  I  thought  his  case  over  in  my  accustomed  manner  and  the 
result  of  my  investigations  was  as  follows : 

On  placing  my  hand  on  the  left  anterior  and  superior  portion 
of  the  thorax,  over  the  nipple,  I  perceived  in  this  region  an  ir- 
regular, tumultous  beating,  which  came  on  at  momentary  in- 
tervals, separated  by  short  and  rare  intermissions.  This  beating 
was  so  violent  that  it  raised  and  agitated  the  clothes,  so  that  it 
could  be  seen,  and  the  intervals  distinctly  noticed  at  a  distance 
of  several  paces.  The  sensation  of  a  rush  of  blood  to  the  head 
was  proportionate,  according  to  the  declaration  of  the  patient, 
to  the  intensity  of  the  beating.  If  the  hand  was  applied  below 
the  costal  insertion  of  the  pectoralis  major  muscle,  that  is  to 
say,  on  the  precordial  region  proper,  the  beats  of  the  heart 
seemed  perfectly  normal  and  regular.  Auscultation  at  these 
two  points  led  to  the  same  results,  a  dull  friction-sound  above 
and  a  spasmodic  sensation  perceptible  to  the  touch,  which 
shocked  the  ear;  below,  the  normal  sounds  of  the  heart.  Finally, 
while  applying  one  hand  to  the  pectoral  major,  and  with  the 
other  feeling  the  pulse,  either  at  the  wrist,  or  at  the  carotid  ar- 
tery, or  heart,  it  is  at  once  seen  that  there  is  no  sort  of  simul- 
taneity between  the  pretended  palpitations,  mentioned  by  the  pa- 


Aconite  in   a  Chronic   Case.  455 

tient,  and  perceived  by  the  former  hand,  and  the  real  beats  of 
the  heart  and  arteries. 

There  was  no  doubt,  therefore,  that  these  ten  celebrated  al- 
lopathic physicians,  among  whom,  I  read  to  my  amazement,  the 
name  of  Dr.  Clarke,  physician  to  the  Queen  of  England,  and 
who  gave  a  similar  diagnosis  as  the  rest  of  them  made  a  mis- 
take. It  was  not  an  aneurism  of  the  heart,  but  a  simple  neu- 
ralgia, or,  in  other  words,  a  spasm  of  the  pectoralis  major  mus- 
cle. The  only  physician  who  was  of  my  opinion  was  Dr.  Bouil- 
land,  but  I  did  not  become  aware  of  this  fact  until  I  had  estab- 
lished my  own  diagnosis. 

This  disease  was  certainly  much  less  serious  than  an  aneurism, 
but  was  I  any  the  surer  to  cure  it?  What  was  the  character  of 
the  disease?  It  was,  if  I  may  use  this  vague  expression,  a 
rheumatic  affection  of  a  muscle,  produced  by  the  influence  of  a 
keen  and  icy  cold  wind  on  a  strong  and  plethoric  organization. 
The  muscles  of  the  shoulder,  chest  and  of  that  portion  of  the 
back,  which  corresponds  to  the  heart ;  the  intercostal  muscles  of 
the  left  side ;  and,  lastly,  the  heart  itself,  although  in  a  much  less 
marked  manner,  were  the  parts  involved.  The  spasm  of  the 
pectoralis  muscle  did  not  seem  to  me  to  furnish  a  particular 
indication  ;  it  was  not  a  fixed  symptom,  but  came  and  went  at 
short  intervals.  As  to  the  rush  of  blood  to  the  left  brain,  with- 
out any  derangement  of  the  rhythm  of  the  pulse,  which  was  65 
a  minute,  I  explained  it  by  the  fact  that  either  the  arteries  or 
the  large  venous  trunks  of  the  neck  were  pressed  upon  at  every 
spasmodic  contraction  of  the  muscles  which  covered  these  ves- 
sels. 

The  pathological  condition  which  I  have  here  described  is  un- 
doubtedly of  sufficient  interest  to  merit  a  detailed  account,  and 
there  probably  never  was  such  a  case  before.  I  hesitated  what 
remedy  I  should  give.  First  I  hit  upon  Spigelia.  This  stopped 
the  stitches,  but  the  spasm  remained ;  he  slept  a  few  hours  the 
first  night  (which  he  had  not  done  for  six  months)  ;  but  there 
was  prostration,  loss  of  appetite,  bitterness  of  mouth,  and  a 
slight  headache  with  dizziness  in  the  morning.  Three  days  after 
Spigelia  I  gave  Colchicum,  which  had  a  little  better  effect.  There 
was  less  drvness  in  the  throat ;  no  headache ;  six  or  seven  hours 


456  Prefixes   and   Terminations. 

good  sleep  at  night ;  no  stitches  of  any  kind ;  for  some  hours  the 
spasm  ceased ;  but  the  pain  in  the  shoulder  continued,  nor  did 
the  appetite  return ;  nevertheless  Mr.  X.  felt  very  much  encour- 
aged. He  looked  on  Homoeopathy  as  his  sheet  anchor,  where  the 
old  school  practice  had  never  afforded  him  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
relief,  and  left  him  no  other  prospect  than  a  life  of  suffering, 
which  death  alone,  so  often  desired  by  him,  could  terminate. 

On  the  fifth  or  sixth  day  of  the  treatment,  Mr.  X.  received 
some  bad  news,  and  all  the  symptoms  (spasms,  stitches,  conges- 
tion, noises)  became  worse  again.  The  Colcliicum  remained  pow- 
erless. Fortunately  my  opinion  concerning  the  true  remedy  in 
this  case  had  become  settled.  The  nature  of  the  disease,  its 
cause  (exposure  to  a  keen  and  icy  cold  wind),  the  constitution 
of  the  patient  (sanguine  and  athletic),  every  symptom,  except  the 
non-existence  of  fever,  pointed  to  Aconite.     It  acted  like  magic. 


PREFIXES  AND  TERMINATIONS. 

A  knowledge  of  prefixes  and  terminations  is  of  great  use  in 
remembering  medical  terms.  Presumably  our  readers  know  all 
about  them,  but  just  the  same,  at  the  risk  of  being  pedagogic, 
here  are  a  few,  culled  from  Dunglison : 

"A"  and  "An"  are  privatives,  or  negatives.  For  instance, 
"Sthenia"  means  "strength,"  while  "Asthenia"  means  lack  of 
strength.     "Anemia."  lack  of  blood. 

"Tetra"  is  the   prefix   "four"   and   "ter/'   "three." 

"Myo,"   "muscle."     "Myocardium." 

"Endo"  means  "within,"  as,  for  instance,  "Vrafocarditis,"  an 
inflammation  of  the  internal  membranes  of  the  heart. 

"oid"  is  a  termination  meaning  "form"  or  "resemblance,"  as 
"sphenoid,"  or  "spheroid/' 

"oma,"   denoting  a  tumor  or  cancer.      "Papilloma." 

"ology,"  "talk,"  or  something  akin,  as  "theology"  "path- 
ology." 

"path."  i.  e.}  patlicma,  meaning  "suffering,"  as,  for  instance, 
"pathology,"  literally  the  "talk"  or  "science"  of  "suffering." 
"Homceo/>af/?y"  illustrates   the  use   as   a  termination. 

"Ortho"  meaning   "normal"  or  "right."     Orthodox   religion. 


Southern  Horn.  Med.  Asso.  Annual  Meeting  Postponed.  457 

"Para''  meaning  "hear,"  or  "beside,"  as   paratyphoid." 

"pachy,"  that  is  to  say,  "thick,"  as  "/>ac/?ydermatous,"  i.  e., 
thick  skinned. 

"peri,"  that  is,  "around."    For  example,  "pericardium." 

"pseaglo,"  i.  e.,  "false,"  "deceptive,"  as  "pseudomemhrane." 

"proto,"  i.  c,  "first"  or  "highest."    For  example,  "protoplasm" 

"pyro"  that  is,  "fire,"  or  fever.     Pyrogemum. 

"pyo"  i.  e.,  "pus ;"  for  example,  "pyogenic:' 

"syn:"  also  "sym"  meaning  "with"  or  "together,"  as  ".sym- 
pathy," or  "syndrome" 

"poly,"  "much"  or  "many."     "Pa/ypharmacy." 

"pro,"  "before,"  as  in  "prognosis." 

"pan,"   "all."     "Panacea." 

"mono,"   "one."     Monotype. 

"meta,"  "change."    Metastasis. 

"idio"  own.     "Idiopathic." 

"dys,"  "difficult."     "Dyspepsia.:' 

"necro"   "corpse,"   "dead."     "Necrosis" 

"myxa"  "mucus,"  as  "myx  adenitis" 

"itis"  "inflammation,"  "neurit." 

"hyper,"  "above,"  or  "excessive,"  as  "hyperemia" 

Also  hypercritical,  which  we  hope  our  readers  will  not  be  over 
this  kindergarten  display  of  filched  learning,  which  some  men, 
at  least,  have  found  useful.  There  are  many  more  of  these 
little  Greek  aliens  that  enter,  as  those  given  do,  into  the  make-up 
of  a  host  of  medical  terms.  Getting  them  helps  in  the  under- 
standing of  medical  terms. 


SOUTHERN   HOMCEOPATHIC  MEDICAL  ASSO- 
CIATION ANNUAL  MEETING  POSTPONED 
TO   NOVEMBER  14,   15,    16 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  Southern  Homoeopathic  Medical 
Association,  called  for  October  24,  25,  26,  is  postponed  to  No- 
vember 14,  15,  16.  A  War  Congress  of  the  American  College 
of  Surgeons  was  recently  called  to  meet  at  Chicago  during  the 
week  of  October  22d.  Many  of  our  surgeons  desire  to  attend 
this  meeting. 


458  Book  Reviews. 

Information  from  every  section  of  the  country  indicates  that 
an  exceptionally  large  number  of  members  and  others  are  plan- 
ning to  attend  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Southern  Association. 
After  careful  consideration  of  the  matter,  and  with  the  courteous 
consent  of  our  prospective  hosts  at  Washington  to  arrange  for 
the  change  in  date,  the  Executive  Committee  decided  to  postpone 
the  meeting  to  November  14,  15,  16.  This  is  done  to  avoid  any 
complication  in  the  meeting  time  of  these  two  important  sessions. 
The  Executive  Committee  is  making  a  thorough  canvass  to 
bring  this  meeting  to  the  attention  of  all,  and  particularly  of 
members  from  the  South,  as  matters  of  unusual  importance  to 
the  Society  and  the  region  which  it  represents  will  be  considered. 
In  view  of  the  crowded  condition  of  the  Washington  hotels  the 
Executive  Committee  enjoins  all  who  expect  to  attend  to  secure 
reservations  now  at  headquarters,  the  Shoreham  Hotel  or  else- 
where. 

Sincerely  yours, 

H.   M.   Stevenson, 
A.  E.  Hinsdale, 
Mary  E.  Hopkins, 
F.  A.  Swartwout, 

Executive  Committee. 


BOOK  REVIEWS 


Diseases   of  the   Spleen    and   Their   Remedies   Clinically 
Illustrated.      By   J.    Compton    Burnett,   M.    D.      83    pages. 
Cloth,  $1.00.     Philadelphia:    Boericke  &  Tafel.     1917. 
This  is  not  a  new  book,  as  every  one  who  is  acquainted  with 
medical  literature  knows.     It  is  merely  a  new  edition,  an  Ameri- 
can edition,  of  one  of   Burnett's  numerous  monographs,  which 
are  too  valuable  to  let  die.     The  author,   Burnett,  was  first  a 
"regular"  physiciari,  then  a  Homoeopath,  the  cause  of  which  you 
can  see  in  his  Fifty  Reasons  for  Being  a  Homoeopath,  and,  later, 
by  delving  in  ancient  literature  he  revived  the  doctrine  of  organo- 
therapy first  advanced  by  Hohenheim,  and  developed  by  Rade- 
macher.     According  to  our  author  this   form  of   therapy  is  a 
part,  a  neglected  part,  of  Homoeopathy.     The  theory,  as  we  un- 
derstand it,  is  that  a  human  being  may  be  sound  in  all  his  parts 


Book  Reviews.  459 

but  one;  or,  his  disease  may  have  its  seat,  its  origin,  in  one 
organ,  and  thence  affect  the  whole  body;  that  there  are  "organ 
remedies"  which  go  right  to  the  seat  of  the  disease,  cure  the 
organ  and  thence  the  whole  man.  If  you  are  a  good  enough 
diagnostician  to  trace  the  disease  to  a  particular  region,  and  a 
good  enough  therapist  to  know  the  drugs  that  are  the  "organ 
remedies" — there  are  more  than  one,  and  here  Homoeopathy 
comes  in  with  its  finer  distinctions  to  differentiate — why  you 
can  do  almost  impossible  things  with  your  remedies.  Not  much 
is  known  about  the  spleen,  or  of  its  uses  or  diseases,  much  less 
of  the  cure.  This  book,  though  not  a  large  one,  will  be  a  tower 
of  strength  in  the  hands  of  any  practitioner  who  knows  enough 
to  know  that  the  spleen  is  the  seat  of  his  patient's  disease.  We 
once  knew  an  I.  H.  A.  man,  a  strict  Hahnemannian.  who  made 
a  brilliant  cure  of  a  prominent  (if  the  term  be  allowed)  patient, 
and  he  did  it  on  the  organotherapy  of  this  book.  There  is  more 
in  the  herbal  "simples"  than  is  dreamed  of  in  the  philosophy  of 
many  a  modern  medical  Horatio,  and  "this  is  one  of  the  books 
that  throws  light  on  those  "simple"  (tinctures)  that  have  to  do 
with  the  diseases  having  their  seat  in  the  spleen.  Many  a  man 
knows  when  the  patient  has  an  enlarged  spleen,  or  other  dis- 
orders of  that  organ,  but  few  know  what  to  do  in  that  case. 
These  are  the  ones  that  will  find  this  book  profitable. 


A  Text-Book  of  Materia  Medica  axd  Therapeutics.  Char- 
acteristic, Analytical  and  Comparative.  A.  C.  Cowperth- 
waite,  M.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.  Eleventh  edition  with  an  ap- 
pendix including  new  remedies.  886  pages.  Cloth,  $6.00. 
Philadelphia:    Boericke  &  Tafel.     1917. 

When  Dr.  Frank  Webster  was  president  of  the  Homoeopathic 
Medical  Society  of  Ohio  he  made  the  following  suggestion  con- 
cerning materia  medica  : 

"It  has  always  been  my  belief  that  our  materia  medica  should 
be  rewritten,  by  a  committee  of  wise  and  impartial  physicians, 
and  a  materia  medica  compiled,  and  this  one  be  taught  to  the 
students  of  all  our  colleges.  We  often  hear  physicians  say  they 
do  not  believe  in  this  symptom  or  that  symptom.  It  should  be 
that  all  the  symptoms  of  a  drug  should  be  verified  by  actual 


460  Something  Else  Again. 

practice.  Then  we  should  have  a  materia  medica  that  the  aver- 
age mind  can  take  hold  of.  I  do  hope  that  some  day  this  will  be 
accomplished." 

In  the  index  of  Boericke  &  Tafel's  Book  Catalogue  there  are 
given  forty-six  materia  medicas  in  which  that  subject  is  dished 
up  in  every  conceivable  form,  and  it  is  difficult  to  see  how  any 
one  would  find  a  new  one.  It  seems  to  the  reviewer  that  this 
one,  Cowperthwaite's,  comes  as  near  what  Dr.  Webster  wants  as 
any  book  could. 

In  treating  a  drug  Cowperthwaite  first  gives  a  brief  descrip- 
tion of  it,  with  preparation.  This  is  followed  by  a  general  analy- 
►m  the  physiological  standpoint,  and  this  by  the  character- 
istic symptoms,  all  of  which  have  been  verified.  Following  this 
is  a  section  on  the  therapeutics  of  the  remedy.  Thus  you  have  the 
homoeopathic  materia  medica  following  the  schema  of  Hahnamenn 
but  made  up  solely  of  dependable  and  verified  symptoms.  The 
fact  that  eleven  editions  have  been  issued  is,  perhaps,  the  strong- 
est argument  that  in  this  book  the  author  seems  to  have  suc- 
ceeded in  his  aim  of  giving  the  profession  a  satisfactory  work- 
ing "text-book"  on  materia  medica.  It  is  not  so  comprehensive 
as  Anen's  great  Handbook,  which  gives  the  subject  practically 
unabridged,  nor  is  it  cut  down  as  in  the  various  condensed  works, 
but  occupies  a  middle  position. 

This  edition  is  printed  on  "feather  weight"  paper  which  makes 
the  book,  large  as  it  is,  easy  to  hold.  The  paper  also  is  easy  on 
the  eyes,  taking  the  ink  well  and  having  no  sheen. 


"SOMETHING  ELSE   AGAIN" 
By  Eli  G.  Jones,  M.D.,  1401  Main  St.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

In  reading  the  pulse  of  a  patient  the  average  physician  will 
usually  read  the  pulse  of  the  right  arm.  Now  it  often  happens 
that  the  pulse  of  one  arm  may  be  entirely  different  from  the 
other.  In  this  way  a  doctor  is  liable  to  make  a  great  mistake 
in  his  diagnosis  of  the  true  condition  of  his  patient.  It  is  a 
good  rule  to  follow  in  reading  a  patient's  pulse,  if  the  case  does 
not  appear  perfectly  clear  to  you,  then  by  all  means  read  the 
puKc   "f    both    wrists.      In    reading   the   pulse   of   an   old    lady    I 


Something  Else  Again.  .461 

started  with  the  right  wrist.  It  gave  me  the  impression  of  about 
the  usual  strength  to  the  pulsations  for  a  person  that  age.  I 
could  get  a  pretty  fair  estimate  of  the  amount  of  vitality  in  her 
system.     In  other  words,  it  told  of  her  constitutional  condition. 

In  reading  the  pulse  of  the  left  wrist  (as  the  Dutchman  said), 
I  found  ''something  else  again."  The  artery  gave  me  the  im- 
pression of  fullness,  irritability  and  tension,  as  if  the  nerves 
and  muscles  had  been  over-strained  and  lacerated.  This  lady 
had  fallen  down  stairs  and  dislocated  her  shoulder,  the  ligament 
of  her  arm  had  been  torn  and  over-strained,  so  she  had  lost  all 
the  use  of  her  hand.  The  fingers  were  cold  and  lifeless  as  a 
dead  person.  The  pulse  in  her  left  arm  showed  very  plainly  the 
local  condition.  For  the  fullness  of  the  pulse  and  its  tension, 
like  a  finger  post,  pointed  directly  to  a  focus  of  congestion  and 
irritation  in  that  arm.  We  must  always  keep  in  our  mind  the 
fact  when  we  are  reading  the  pulse  that  Dame  Nature  is  send- 
ing a  message  over  the  wire  to  us,  and  it  is  our  business  to 
interpret  that  message  correctly.  If  we  don't  so  much  the  ivorse 
for  us  and  for  the  patient. 

It  looks  so  silly  to  me  to  see  a  doctor  take  out  his  watch  and 
begin  to  count  the  pulse;  why  not  count  how  many  times  the 
patient  breathes  or  sneezes?    It  would  be  just  as  sensible. 

In  reading  the  pulse  of  an  old  physician  87  years  old,  there 
would  be  5  or  6  pretty  strong  pulsations  then  5  or  6  very  rapid 
pulsations.  The  impression  I  got  from  his  pulse  was  a  feeling 
of  a  weak  nerve  power.  The  heart  was  getting  tired  out,  but 
trying  to  do  the  best  it  could  to  keep  going.  I  advised  Tr. 
Crataegus,  10  drops,  once  in  3  hours  to  steady  the  heart's  action, 
and  Kali  phos.  3d  x  three  tablets  once  in  two  hours  to  raise  the 
nerve  power. 

In  two  or  three  days  I  read  the  pulse  again  and  found  it 
quite  different.  Instead  of  the  rapid  pulsations  now  and  then 
as  before  when  I  read  it,  I  found  an  intermission  every  fifth 
pulsation.  Several  days  after  I  read  the  pulse  again  and  I 
found  the  intermission  further  apart,  at  every  twelfth  beat,  show- 
ing me  that  the  heart  was  stronger  and  feeling  the  good  effects 
of  the  Crataegus.  The  eyes  had  a  brighter,  clearer  expression 
to  them.  This  tells  us  as  plain  as  zvords  could  tell  that  the  patient 
has  more  vitality  and  is  better. 


462  Something  Else  Again. 

When  a  patient  comes  into  my  office  I  don't  ask  them  "If  they 
feel  better,"  but  a  glance  at  the  person's  eyes  tells  me  at  once 
that  they  are  better  by  the  clear,  bright  expression,  and  also  by 
the  pleased,  restful  expression  of  the  face.  A  good  physician 
should  develop  the  three  senses,  seeing,  touching  and  smelling. 
The  good  Father  above  gave  us  our  eyes,  our  fingers  and  ears 
as  instruments  to  diagnose  disease,  but  some  men  seem  to  think 
they  know  more  than  the  Almighty,  so  they  have  to  use  different 
instruments  made  by  the  hand  of  man  to  help  them  to  find  out 
what  ails  a  sick  person. 

A  prominent  regular  physician  writes  me  that  he  ''wants  to 
know  how  to  'do  things'  for  his  patients."  He  also  wants  ad- 
vice about  the  "best  work  on  homoeopathic  and  eclectic  materia 
medica." 

During  the  past  twenty-five  years  I  have  had  a  great  many 
letters  like  the  above  from  physicians  of  the  regular  school  who 
want  "more  light !"  I  have  kept  in  close  touch  with  them  by 
correspondence,  and  led  them  along  step  by  step,  until  they 
knew  the  definite  action  of  remedies  and  could  heal  the  sick. 

There  are  a  large  number  of  doctors  in  our  country  and 
across  the  broad  Atlantic  that  owe  their  success  in  practice  to 
my  teaching  and  writings.  For  this  I  thank  God.  "No  man 
liveth  to  himself."  We  are  in  the  world  to  help  each  other. 
When  we  can  help  a  brother  physician  to  be  a  better  physician 
we  are  doing  God's  work,  and  we  may  expect  His  blessing  on  it. 

I  have  in  my  lifetime  seen  some  of  the  best  surgeons  in  this 
country  perform  operations,  among  them  Gross,  Pancoast, 
Agnew,  A.  B.  Crosby,  Maury,  and  Thomas  G.  Morton.  I  saw 
the  latter  perform  an  amputation  at  the  hip  of  a  woman  while 
she  was  under  the  influence  of  nitrous  oxide  gas.  It  was  the 
quickest  operation  that  I  ever  saw. 

While  in  Galesburg,  Ills.,  I  was  invited  by  Dr.  J.  F.  Percy, 
head  surgeon  of  St.  Mary's  Hospital,  to  see  him  perform  an 
operation  on  two  patients.  The  doctor  is  a  gentleman  in  every 
sense  of  the  word  and  a  fine  operator.  My  idea  of  a  surgeon  is  a 
man  who  knows  exactly  what  he  wants  to  do,  and  does  it  quickly 
and  skillfully. 

In  August  I  was  called  to  Canandaigua,  N.  Y.,  in  consultation 


Something  Else  Again.  463 

on  some  cases.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  Dr.  James  Hawley 
of  that  city,  now  87  years  old,  but  mentally  he  is  as  bright  and 
keen  as  ever,  and  does  a  good  office  practice.  He  is  one  of  the 
old  time  eclectics  who  made  a  splendid  reputation  for  curing  his 
patients.  As  a  result  of  his  success  in  practice  he  had  more  busi- 
ness than  any  doctor  in  that  part  of  Xew  York  State. 

The  present  generation  do  not,  and  can  not,  realize  the  persecu- 
tion and  abuse  that  the  early  fathers  of  the  new  school  were 
subjected  to  by  the  old  school.  In  those  days  a  new  school 
physician  learned  to  know  his  remedies  and  to  depend  upon  them. 
For  in  those  days  his  bread  and  butter  and  his  liberty  depended 
upon  his  saving  the  life  of  his  patients.  They  simply  had  to 
cure  their  patients  to  keep  out  of  jail,  and  now  and  then  their 
persecutors  had  them  locked  up  to  keep  them  from  curing  any 
more  patients.  All  honor  to  the  men  who  fought  our  battles 
for  us  and  made  it  possible  for  us  to  have  such  a  thing  as  a  new 
school  of  medicine,  to  teach  us  the  definite  action  of  remedies  and 
how  to  heal  the  sick.  Their  work  is  done,  but  the  record  still 
lives!    "After  life's  fitful  fever  thev  sleep  well." 


HELP  WANTED. 

Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 

Can  any  of  your  readers  give  treatment  for 

Rheumatoid  Arthritis. 
Burning  pains  in  knee  joints. 
Locked  joints. 

Acromelagia. 
Hypertrophy  of  the  bones  of  face  and  hands. 
The  writer  would  be  pleased  to  have  any  information  along 
this  line. 

Very  truly  yours, 

J.  E.  Heyser,  M.  D. 
Philadelphia,  Oct.  5,  1917. 

(The  writer  is  not  a  homoeopathic  graduate. — Ed.   Homceo- 
pathic  Recorder.) 


464  Specialists'  Department. 

THE  SPECIALISTS'  DEPARTMENT. 


EDITED   BY  CLIFFORD  MITCHELL,   M.   D. 
25  East  Washington  St.,  Chicago,  111. 

New  Treatment  of  Pneumonia. — When  the  diplococcus  of 
Weichselbaum  is  present  in  the  sputum  of  pharyngitis  or  bron- 
chitis in  overwhelming  number  with  such  symptoms  as  tenacious 
sputum,  persistent  hacking  cough,  and  severe  pain  Ochsner,  of 
Chicago,  has  found  five  grain  doses  of  boric  acid,  given  six 
times  daily,  to  be  wonder  fully  effective.  He  advises  that  the 
usual  alkaline  expectorant  mixtures  be  not  given  while  the  boric 
acid  is  being  used.  We  hail  the  advent  of  the  single  remedy  with 
pleasure  when  advocated  by  a  leading  brother  of  the  regular 
school.  Boric  acid  in  small  doses  is  not  poisonous  and*  if  you 
have  a  case  where  the  laboratory  shows  the  Weichselbaum  dip- 
lococcus in  great  numbers  in  the  sputum  try  boric  acid.  An 
agreeable  formula  containing  boric  acid  in  solution  is  that  pub- 
lished by  the  writer  in  Renal  Therapeutics  consisting  of  120  grains 
of  boric  acid  in  one  ounce  glycerine  and  enough  water  to  make 
eight  ounces,  to  which  a  little  syrup  of  orange  peel  might  be 
added  for  flavor.  We  are  pleased  to  observe  the  beginning  of  a 
tendency  to  get  away  from  the  everlasting  "acidosis"  theory  as 
a  cause  of  all  ills  and  we  rejoice  that  the  diplococcus  of  Weichsel- 
baum is  one  which  is  destroyed  by  acids. 

Ochsner  thinks  that  the  boric  acid  is  worthy  of  a  trial  in 
pneumonia,  which,  according  to  McFarland,  is  caused  in  75  per 
cent,  of  the  cases  by  the  diplococcus  of  Weichselbaum. 

Early  Recognition  of  Poliomyelitis. — In  the  Illinois  Health 
News  for  June,  191 7,  there  is  published  a  quiz  on  poliomyelitis 
which  every  one  should  read  in  order  to  recognize  an  attack  be- 
fore a  patient  has  exposed  others  to  the  danger  of  infection. 
Question  number  36  in  the  quiz  is  the  following :  What  would 
put  an  ordinarily  intelligent  mother  on  her  guard?  Answer: 
Restlessness,  with  headache,  will  be  found  more  frequently  than 
any  other  symptoms  of  easy  recognition.  Children  except  in  a 
small    number  of    severe   illnesses    rarely   have   headaches.      In 


Specialists'  Department.  465 

adults  headaches  are  so  common  that  the  uncommonness  of  them 
in  children  is  overlooked.  In  a  time  of  epidemic  poliomyelitis  the 
occurrence  of  headache  iri  a  child  should  occasion  the  most  care- 
ful attention  to  determine  the  cause  of  it,  as  it  occurs  in  over 
50  per  cent,  of  the  cases.  To  this  may  be  added  backache,  which 
normally  is  even  more  rare  than  headache  in  children,  though 
a  very  frequent  accompaniment  of  poliomyelitis. 

Why  the  Pre-Diabetic  State  May  Be  Overlooked. — Analytical 
reasons  why  the  pre-diabetic  state  may  be  overlooked  are:  (1) 
Because  of  the  lack  of  delicacy  of  the  tests  used,  (2)  because  of 
the  lack  of  care  in  the  selection  of  the  specimen  of  urine,  (3)  be- 
cause of  the  disregard  by  examiners  of  the  so-called  "doubtful" 
reactions  which  in  some  cases,  it  is  true,  are  of  no  significance, 
but  in  others  are  of  the  utmost  importance. 

It  is  true  that  concentrated  highly  acid  urines  of  high  specific 
gravity  and  cloudy  from  deposited  urates  may  yield  "doubtful 
reactions"  with  some  of  the  cupric  tests  due  to  reduction  by 
uric  acid  and  creatinine.  Fehling's  test  is  liable  to  fallacies,  es- 
pecially when  the  patient  happens  to  be  taking  salicylates,  so 
popular  in  these  days.  Hence  my  invariable  custom  of  warning 
the  patient  not  to  take  drugs  for  a  day  or  two  before  examina- 
tion, not  to  furnish  urine  either  diluted  too  much  by  water  drink- 
ing or  concentrated  because  of  profuse  perspiration.  "Doubtful" 
reactions  in  the  urine  of  those  who  observe  these  precautions  are 
suspicious  and,  if  such  persons  be  kept  under  observation  on  an 
ordinary  mixed  diet  or  especially  after  ingestion  of  sweets,  glu- 
cose in  quantity  will  sooner  or  later  be  found. 

Many  a  diabetic  patient  comes  to  me  with  the  story  that  there 
is  no  longer  any  "sugar"  in  his  urine,  but  when  the  latter  is  col- 
lected according  to  instructions  and  examined  with  careful  technic 
the  per  cent,  of  absolutely  negative  findings  is  extremely  small. 
In  such  cases  even  a  slight  reduction  in  urines  of  specific  gravity 
around  1020  and  of  acidity  around  20  degrees  is  most  likely  due 
to  traces  of  glucose. 

Difficulty  in  Finding  Tube  Casts. — As  an  illustration  of  the 
lack  of  value  of  a  negative  report  on  tube  casts  in  urine  the  fol- 
lowing is  a  good  one :  On  the  fifth  of  July,  I  received,  by  ex- 
press, two  specimens  of  urine  of  a  woman,  living  in  a  nearby 


466  Specialists'  Department. 

city,  whose  attending-  physician  reported  to  be  dropsical  and  to 
have  albumin  in  her  urine. 

The  urine  when  received  was  cloudy  and  of  slightly  unpleasant 
odor,  contained  albumin,  which,  when  precipitated,  settled  to  the 
second  mark  on  the  Esbach  tube  indicating  two-tenths  of  one  per 
cent.  There  were,  however,  no  tube  casts  to  be  found.  As  the 
urine  contained  no  preservative  I  requested  a  fresh  specimen  to 
be  sent  me  by  parcel  post  with  special  delivery  stamp,  and  with 
addition  to  the  specimen  of  a  small  piece  of  gum  camphor.  This 
specimen  arrived  in  good  condition  on  the  seventh  of  the  month, 
was  of  acid  reaction,  and  of  not  unpleasant  odor.  Albumin  was 
still  plenty,  but  no  casts  at  all  were  to  be  found,  although  the  sedi- 
ment was  abundant  and  composed  of  the  usual  epithelia.  On  the 
tenth  of  July,  however,  the  patient  sent  still  another  specimen 
in  which  tube  casts  were  plenty,  mostly  granular,  with  a  few 
waxy  and  one  or  two  highly  fatty  ones.  What  the  reason  was 
of  the  absence  of  casts  in  the  second  specimen  sent  I  have  not 
as  yet  been  able  to  find,  but  the  case  serves  well  to  show  the  im- 
portance of  repeated  examinations  in  cases  where  negative  find- 
ings are  reported,  but  where  clinical  conditions  point  to  kidney 
involvements. 

The  Insidious  Lemon  Phosphate. — Illustrating  the  difficulties 
which  trouble  the  analyst  a  recent  analysis  of  urine  gave  us  a 
titration  acidity  equivalent  to  more  than  2  grammes  HC1,  and  a 
ratio  of  urea  to  phosphoric  acid  of  only  5  to  1.  In  other  respects 
the  urine  was  not  interesting.  Suspecting  something  peculiar  in 
diet  we  quizzed  the  patient,  who  bashfully  admitted  that  he  had 
repeatedly  indulged  in  lemon  phosphate,  while  collecting  his 
urine.  But  this  patient  was  not  so  bad  as  another  one  who  in 
answer  to  questions  relating  to  his  conduct  cheerfully  admitted 
that  he  had  been  on  a  spree  the  entire  24  hours  during  which 
his  urine  was  collected  for  examination ! 

Litmus  Paper  and  Titration  Acidity. — We  have  frequently  no- 
ticed the  discrepancy  between  the  amount  of  acidity  denoted  by 
litmus  paper^  and  by  the  decinormal  sodium  hydroxide.  Recently 
we  examined  a  specimen  which  was  very  feebly  acid  to  litmus, 
but  which  showed  a  titration  acidity  of  38  degrees,  which  is  above 
normal.     Nevertheless  there  was  more  than  one  gramme  of  am- 


Specialists'  Department.  467 

monia  per  24  hours  in  this  urine  and  triple  phosphate  crystals 
were  plenty  in  the  sediment.  In  this  case  it  looks  as  if  the 
litmus  had  "the  edge"  on  the  phenolphthalein,  the  reason  being 
presumably  that  in  the  presence  of  ammonium  carbonate  the 
phenolphthalein  is  slow  to  indicate. 

Keep  the  Urine  on  Ice. — Again  illustrating  the  difficulties  which 
beset  the  analyst  we  received  recently  a  specimen  in  which  we 
found  the  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  only  11  to  I.  According  to 
our  experience  this  is  a  dangerously  low  ratio  in  pregnancy. 
But  in  this  particular  case  we  found,  as  stated  above,  a  very 
feebly  acid  reaction  with  litmus  and  there  were  triple  phosphate 
crystals  in  the  sediment,  both  of  which  pointed  to  the  presence  of 
ammonium  carbonate  in  the  urine,  which  is  not  the  ammonia  we 
determine  for  clinical  purposes,  ammonium  carbonate  being  prac- 
tically an  abnormal  constituent.  Hence  when  we  find  triple  phos- 
phate crystals  in  the  urine  of  a  pregnant  woman  we  must  ob- 
tain another  24  hours'  specimen  which  has  been  kept  on  ice 
to  prevent  the  action  of  the  micrococcus  urese  from  changing 
a  part  of  the  urea  into  ammonium  carbonate,  thus  making  our 
urea  figure  too  low  and  our  ammonia  too  high. 

The  fact  that  in  the  specimen  in  question  the  litmus  was  but 
slightly  reddened,  while  the  trtration  acidity  indicated  38  degTees, 
pointed  to  the  presence  of  ammonium  carbonate,  which,  as  is 
well  known,  interferes  with  the  promptness  of  the  phenolphth- 
alein used  as  indicator  in  the  titration  with  sodium  hydroxide. 

Practically,  then,  when  a  specimen  of  urine  smells  of  ammonia, 
it  is  well  not  to  attempt  any  ammonia  determination. 

An  Unusual  Specimen  of  Urine. — During  the  month  of  August 
we  received  the  24  hours'  urine  of  a  woman  about  45  years  of 
age  suffering  from  a  skin  trouble,  which  was  said  to  be  due  to 
kidney  disease.  The  urine,  on  being  poured  out  from  the  bottle 
to  the  graduate,  showed  a  peculiar  viscidity,  so  great  that  it  was 
almost  impossible  to  measure  drops  of  it  by  use  of  a  medicine 
dropper  for  the  sugar  tests.  The  urine  did  not  foam  like  other 
urines  except  a  little  when  violently  agitated.  In  composition  it 
was  normal  so  far  as  the  principal  normal  solids  are  concerned, 
but  the  sediment  was  composed  of  pus  in  considerable  amount. 
There  was  nothing  in  the  specimen  which  pointed  definitely  to 


468  Specialists'  Department. 

the  source  of  the  pus,  but  the  reaction  was  slightly  acid  and  the 
odor  did  not  suggest  bladder  trouble. 

The  mucilaginous  substance,  present  in  large  amount,  was 
tested  with  all  the  usual  urine  reagents,  but  they  gave  no  clue 
to  its  composition.  It  was  not  precipitated  by  acetic  acid  nor  did 
it  reduce  sugar  test  liquids.     Ferric  chloride  showed  nothing. 

The  only  positive  information  derived  was  from  the  use  of 
lead  acetate^solution,  20  per  cent.,  which  caused  a  precipitate  dif- 
fering materially  from  the  usual  precipitate  with  this  reagent. 
The  precipitate  with  lead  acetate  wTas  shreddy  or  fibrous  in  char- 
acter instead  of  being  smooth  and  finely  divided.  Under  the 
microscope  the  appearance  of  the  precipitate  was  distinctly  fibrous 
like  the  fibers  of  external  origin  plus  an  amorphous  dark  yellow 
material. 

Boiling  the  urine  did  not  destroy  its  viscidity,  but  boiling  with 
hydrochloric  acid,  concentrated,  destroyed  it  completely. 

The  Ratio  of  Urea  to  Ammonia. — Continuing  our  series  of 
cases  in  the  card  index  for  1917,  letters  N  to  S,  inclusive,  we  find 
that  there  were  96  analyses  made  of  the  urine  of  70  persons,  of 
whom  31  were  males  and  39  females.  The  number  of  analyses  in 
which  the  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  fell  below  20  to  1  was  19, 
which  represents  the  percentage  also  or  nearly  that.  The  num- 
ber of  analyses  in  which  the  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  was  be- 
tween 20  and  30  to  1  reached  30  in  all,  which  also  represents  the 
percentage  fairly  closely.  The  ratio  fell  between  30  and  40  to  1 
in  22  analyses  and  was  above  40  to  1  in  25  analyses.  Hence  the 
previous  statements  made  as  to  the  uncommonness  of  a  ratio 
below  20  to  1  have  been  verified  by  these  analyses,  of  which  80 
per  cent,  showed  a  ratio  above  20  to  1.  Again  a  ratio  of  urea 
to  ammonia  below  20  to  1  occurred  in  pregnant  women  mostly, 
in  13  analyses  out  of  19,  ratios  below  20  to  1  occurring  in  non- 
pregnant women  or  males  in  only  6  analyses  or  about  six  per  cent. 

There  were  in  all  24  analyses  made  of  the  urine  of  pregnant 
women  in  54  per  cent,  of  which  the  ratio  was  below  20  to  I,  in 
25  per  cent,  between  20  and  30  to  1  and  in  8  per  cent,  above  30 
to  1.  Whence,  as  we  have  stated  before,  if  in  a  healthy  young 
woman's  urine  a  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  below  20  to  1  per- 
sistently occurs  the  suspicion  of  pregnancy  is  raised. 


Homoeopathic    Recorder 

PUBLISHED  MONTHLY  AT  LANCASTER.  PA. 

By  BOERICKE   &  TAFEL 
Subscription  $2.00,  To  Foreign  Countries  $2.24,  Per  Annum 

AddreiM  commuaicmtions,  books  for  reriew,  exchanges,  etc., 
tor  the  editor,  to 

E.  P.  ANSHUTZ,  M.  D.,  1011  Arch  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

EDITORIAL   NOTES   AND    COMMENTS. 

"The  Scientific  Spirit." — Dr.  Andrew  Macphail  incidentally 
touches  on  this  spirit  in  his  "address"  {Lancet),  "A  Day's 
Work/'  the  work  being  the  taking  of  Vimy  Ridge  by  the  Can- 
adians with  whose  medical  corps  he  is  connected.  Here  are  a  few 
quotations : 

"But,  having  embarked  upon  this  new  adventure,  I  shall  be 
bold,  and  look  even  Science  in  the  face.  We  are  at  war  not 
alone  with  flesh  and  blood,  but  with  principalities  and  powers. 
One  of  the  principalities  and  powers  with  which  we  are  at  war 
is  that  unmitigated  scientific  spirit  which  is  the  peculiar  possession 
of  the  enemy  and  is,  happily,  alien  to  our  race. 

"That  spirit  is  not  our  inheritance,  yet  none  have  done  more 
than  we  for  the  advancement  of  real  science,  including  the  ancil- 
lary science  of  medicine  and  all  sound  learning.  When  I  prac- 
ticed the  trade  of  Professor  of  the  History  of  Medicine  I  al- 
ways regarded  Sydenham  as  the  great  exponent  of  our  method: 
'I  take  the  view,'  he  said,  'that  we  shall  go  without  any  hypothe- 
sis, and  study  the  conditions  as  they  appear — the  process  before 
the  explanation.'  " 

That  from  Sydenham  sounds  like  "treat,  the  patient."  Here 
is  another  bit  from  the  paper : 

"Even  to  science  the  scientific  spirit  is  fatal.  It  becomes  dog- 
matic and  then  sterile.  We  have  always  kept  in  mind  that  there 
is  a  spiritual  law  in  the  natural  world,  whilst  the  German,  lack- 
ing a  philosophy  of  life,  takes  what  he  filches,  and  develops  it 


47°  Editorial. 

in  the  cold  world  of  abstract  science.  That  is  the  genesis  of  his 
superman,  a  monstrosity  developed  from  the  tentative  hypothesis 
of  our  own  Darwin.  Nay,  more,  the  scientific  spirit  is  the  enemy 
of  life.  We  live  not  by  truth  but  by  illusion,  and  the  human  heart 
creates  those  illusions  which  alone  make  life  tolerable.  There 
is  a  profound  instinct  which  impels  us  to  war  against  the  truth, 
against  reality.  We  eschew  the  fact,  and  take  refuge  in  evasion. 
From  the  facts  of  life  we  fly  to  hope.  The  human  race  has 
nourished  itself  upon  fiction,  myth,  and  miracle.  It  still  finds 
its  fulfillment  not  in  life  but  in  immortality,  not  in  formulae  but 
in  religion/' 

Also : 

"You  have  heard  it  said  that  all  great  wars  in  the  past  were 
religious  wars.  This,  too,  is  a  religious  war — against  the  calcu- 
lated atheism  which  would  make  of  religion  a  speculative  depart- 
ment within  the  bounds  of  the  scientific  spirit." 

The  "Anti-Scientific"  Spirit. — Our  excellent  contemporary,  The 
New  England  Medical  Gazette,  runs  an  interesting  monthly  re- 
view of  "Homoeopathic  Periodical  Literature."  -Commenting  on 
Dr.  Lutze's  paper  in  the  June  Recorder,  the  Gazette,  among 
other  things,  says : 

"An  interesting,  though  painful  example  of  the  anti-scientific 
attitude  so  frequently  encountered  in  some  homoeopathic  peri- 
odicals, especially,  we  regret  to  say,  in  the  Recorder."  Also 
in  conclusion :  "When  our  writers  can  produce  case  reports 
worthy  of  respect  instead  of  indulging  in  recriminations  and 
ex  cathedra  statements,  we  may  reasonably  look  for  a  modicum 
of  respect  from  our  allopathic  brethren,  but  not  one  moment 
before." 

Well,  brother,  we  must  plead  guilty  of  the  anti-scientific  spirit. 
Our  excuse  is  that  this  is  a  homoeopathic  journal,  and  the  so- 
called  science  is  anti-homoeopathic;  also,  sooner  or  later,  it  turns 
out  to  be  punk.  As  for  the  respect  of  our  allopathic  brethren, 
you  will  not  get  it  in  their  journals  or  officially,  though  you 
may  when  meeting  them  personally.  Officially,  Homoeopathy 
is  anathema  to  them,  so  why  court  the  favor  you  cannot  gain: 
And,  again,  as  Homoeopathy  is  the  science  of  therapeutics  why 


Editorial.  471 

seek  patronizing  pats  from  those  who  know  not  the  real  science 
of  medicine?  We  fear  the  Recorder  is  like  the  Ethiopian  or 
the  leopard  in  that  it  cannot  change  its  skin  or  spots. 

Too  Much  "Stuff." — The  following  is  clipped  from  an  editorial 
by  Halbert  in  The  Clinique.  Looks  as  if  it  were  about  time  to 
reform  the  reformers,  or  dump  them,  before  they  throw  the 
whole  practice  of  medicine  to  the  chiropractors,  et  a!.: 

"It  may  not  be  inopportune  at  this  crisis,  to  question  the 
methods  of  medical  education  which  have  put  us  into  our  present 
position.  We  have  too  few  students  coming  forward  because 
the  educational  requirements  to  get  up  to  the  licensing  board  are 
too  severe.  It  now  takes  about  ten  years  for  a  medical  student 
to  complete  his  course  and  this  requirement  alone  has  turned 
young  men  away  from  the  profession.  At  first  thought  it  would 
seem  that  such  demands  would  make  better  physicians,  but  do 
they?  Our  young  men  are  coming  out  of  medical  colleges  stale 
with  technical  education  which  they  can  not  apply  in  actual 
practice.  For  the  most  part  they  are  laboratory  experts  who 
lack  in  practical  ability  to  cope  with  actual  sickness.  They  see 
disease  through  a  microscope,  and  have  none  of  the  intuitive 
training  which  is  essential  in  practice.  The  pre-medical  and 
medical  college  demands  are  excessive  for  theoretical  education 
while  therapeutics  and  bedside  work  are  almost  slighted.  In 
reality  the  best  education  a  doctor  gets  is  found  in  practice. 
We  are  loading  down  our  students  with  a  mess  of  memorized 
'stuff'  which  he  can  never  use  and  we  are  putting  off  his  useful 
work  until  he  is  an  old  man.  Worst  of  all  we  are  discouraging 
medical  usefulness  and  we  are  scaring  our  young  men  from  the 
profession." 

"Why?" — That  "Why?"  is  a  puzzle,  not  only  in  what  follows 
but  in  everything  else.  The  present  "Why?"  is  the  following 
opening  an  editorial  in  the  Medical  World:  "Statistics  show  that 
the  death  rate  of  child  birth  has  not  decreased  in  the  past 
seventeen  years." 

Treat  the  Patient. — Dr.  S.  W.  Boorstein,  of  New  York,  read  a 
paper  at  the  last  meeting  of  the  A.  M.  A.  on  the  treatment  of 


472  Editorial. 

poliomyelitis  at  the  Fordham  Hospital.  Here  is  a  bit  from  it : 
"The  best  results  can  be  obtained  if  each  patient  is  studied  in- 
dividually and  controlled  from  beginning  to  end.  This  can  be 
done  even  in  a  clinic  by  taking  enough  interest  in  the  chil- 
dren." Is  not  this  the  Hahnemannian  doctrine  of  treating  the 
patient  rather  than  the  diagnosis?  Gentlemen,  if  you  go  on  that 
line  you  will  make  some  real  advances. 

Tuberculous  Rules. — The  Illinois  State  Board  of  Health  has 
issued  a  long  list  of  rules  for  those  suffering  from  tuberculosis, 
and  will  fine  any  doctor,  health  officer  or  sufferer  caught  violating 
them  $200  or  send  them  to  jail.  These  rules  practically  make 
the  tuberculous  pariahs.  They  are  based  on  the  assumption  that 
the  disease  is  contagious,  an  assumption  that  has  never  been 
proved.  The  germ  theory  is  the  cause  of  much  unfounded  fear, 
nonsense  and  tyranny. 

Westward  the  Course  of  Empire  Takes  Its  Way ! — The  good  old 
North  American  Journal  of  Homoeopathy  that,  in  its  early  days, 
was  published  by  Boericke  &  Tafel  (it  is  now  in  its  65th  year) 
is  to  be  moved  to  Chicago,  and  to  quote  from  the  editorial  of  the 
last  New  York  issue,  its  "editorial  and  business  office  will  be 
temporarily  at  2812  N.  Clark  St.,  Chicago,  where  all  communi- 
cations should  be  sent."  This  leaves  the  Chironian  alone  to  hold 
up  Homoeopathy  in  our  biggest  city.  It  is  a  great  opportunity  for 
that  journal.  May  it  rise  to  the  opening  is  the  Recorder's  hope. 
We  need  a  sound  homoeopathic  journal  in  our  metropolis. 

Vaccine  Therapy. — Very  gently  Dr.  James  L.  Leake,  of  the 
U.  S.  Health  Service,  gives  vaccines  a  down  setting  in  the 
Jour.  A.  M.  A.  For  example:  "It  would  be  invidious  to  indicate 
examples,  but  a  great  part  of  the  unqualifiedly  favorable  com- 
munications on  vaccine  therapy,  reporting  uniform  benefit  with- 
out severe  reaction,  bear  internal  evidence  of  lack  of  careful 
control,  and,  as  a  rule,  the  more  favorable,  the  greater  is  this 
evidence."  Possibly  these  were  the  "strictly  scientific  pure  read- 
ing matter"  to  be  published  as  contributions  that  go  in  some 
advertising  contracts. 


Editorial.  473 

Also:  "The  experience  of  such  clinicians  as  Dr.  Billings  who 
has  had  the  most  expert  technical  assistance  and  advice,  with 
parallel  serologic  studies,  is  more  important  than  the  mere  numeri- 
cal summary  of  the  overburdened  and  much  vaunted  favorable 
literature  on  specific  therapy.  After  years  of  trial,  especially  in 
chronic  disorders  which  should  offer  the  most  favorable  field, 
Dr.  Billings  says  that  a  personal  and  general  hygienic  manage- 
ment will  accomplish  quite  as  much  without  as  with  vaccines ; 
and  that  vaccines  without  proper  attention  to  a  hygienic  manage- 
ment, are  more  likely  to  be  harmful  than  helpful."  A  neat  and 
polite  manner  of  saying  vaccine  therapy  is  N.  G.  The  Journal 
remarks,  in  a  long  editorial,  "The  history  of  commercial  vac- 
cines is  not  creditable  to  many  medical  and  scientific  journals." 

Poliomyelitis. — From  June  1  to  August  8,  cases  of  infantile 
paralysis  were  reported  in  220  localities,  spread  over  thirty-six 
States.  The  number  in  a  place  runs  from  1  to  32,  the  last  being 
the  highest.  This  simultaneous  appearance  over  so  large  an  area 
points  to  climatic  conditions  as  the  cause.  Quarantining  against 
such  a   disease  seems  to  be  like  quarantining  sunstroke. 

Your  Chance. — The  American  Druggist  prints  a  page  contain- 
ing four  reproductions  of  doctors'  prescriptions  and  offers  $500 
rewrards  for  the  man  who  can  decipher  one  of  them.  This  seems 
like  a  joke  to  those  not  concerned,  but  how  would  it  appear  to  the 
patient  or  to  the  family?  Let  it  be  gently  suggested  that  the 
mighty  A.  M.  A  add  still  another  year  to  the  medical  course 
to  be  devoted  to  penmanship.  In  rebuttal1  to  this  suggestion, 
however,  it  might  be  stated  that  as  these  compounded  prescrip- 
tions are  no  good  it  may  be  better  for  the  patient  that  the  drug- 
gist runs  in  harmless  aromatic  placebos  for  the  mystic  cabalistics. 

The  Present  Status. — The  N.  Y.  State  Journal  of  Medicine 
recently  contained  four  papers  on  "The  Present  Status  of  Serum 
Therapy,"  also  of  "Vaccine,"  "Physiological"  and  "Drug 
Therapy."  The  last  named  was  by  Dr.  Warren  Coleman,  of 
New  York  City.     Among  other  things  Coleman  said : 

"As  I  read  medical  opinion  there  is  a  strong  drift  away  from 
drug  therapy.     I  meet  it  on  every  hand,  in  talks  with  other  phy- 


474  Editorial. 

sicians,  in  medical  journals,  and  in  text-books  on  pharma- 
cology and  therapeutics.  The  same  tendency  is  evident  in  the 
curricula  of  the  medical  schools. 

"With  laudable  enough  impulse  practitioners  turn  to  the  latest 
cure.  But  should  we  not  ask  ourselves  whether  in  our  enthu- 
siasm for  the  new  we  are  not  neglecting  old  and  tried  remedies. 
May  it  not  be  that  at  times  our  therapeutic  judgment  is  clouded 
by  the  glamor  of  a  name  or  by  the  glowing  advertisements  of  a 
manufacturer  who  has  seized  upon  a  fleeting  opportunity  ?  I 
have  practiced  medicine  long  enough  to  see  many  'latest  cures' 
sink  into  oblivion. 

"In  reading  the  text-books  of  fifty  or  a  hundred  years  ago  it  is 
difficult  to  believe  that  their  authors,  many  of  whom  are  recog- 
nized to-day  to  have  been  endowed  with  unusual  gift  of  ob- 
servation, could  have  been  so  accurate  in  observing  the  symptoms 
and  signs  of  disease  and  yet  so  unreliable  in  estimating  the  results 
of  their  therapy.  That  they  made  mistakes  is  obvious,  but  this 
scarcely  justifies  condemnation  of  the  whole  fabric  of  their  teach- 
ing/' 

Perhaps  the  "glowing  ads."  with  their  "pure  reading  matter" 
have  much  to  do  with  it. 

A  New  Angle  on  Antitoxin. — Writes  the  Lancet: 
"Antitoxin  serum  has  in  time  past  been  administered  by  a  large 
number  of  different  routes  which  are  in  essence  only  two :  in- 
directly by  the  alimentary  canal,  or  directly  into  the  body  whether 
via  blood  vessels  or  lymph-spaces.  Dr.  William  Fearnley,  of 
Ackworth,  sends  us  an  interesting  note  on  the  administration  of 
diphtheria  antitoxin  by  the  mouth  at  the  Pontefract  Isolation 
Hospital,  where  this  method  has  been  in  practice  for  many  years. 
From  the  year  1909  to  the  present  time  120  cases  have  been  so 
treated,  with  118  recoveries  and  2  deaths,  one  of  which  occurred 
within  a  few  hours  of  admission.  Xo  tracheotomy  was  per- 
formed during  the  same  period.  The  figures  he  gives  are  strik- 
ing in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  death  rate  of  serum-treated  cases 
of  diphtheria  in  hospitals  is  now  from  3  to  14  per  cent." 

Looks  as  if  diphtheria  antitoxin  was  but  a  clumsy  and  very  ex- 
pensive substitute  for  the  homoeopathic  nosode  Diphtherinum. 


Editorial.  475 

Avast  Osier. — Back  in  the  old  days  there  was  a  snappy  little 
journal  known  as  the  California  Homoeopath,  which  was  run  by 
Drs.  Wm.  Boericke  and  Willis  A.  Dewey.  Neither  needs  an  in- 
troduction to  the  homoeopathic  profession — Boericke  &  Dewey's 
Twelve  Tissue  Remedies,  Boericke's  Materia  Medica,  Dewey's 
Essentials  and  also  Practical  Therapeutics!  Well,  Dewey  "came 
east"  and  Boericke  thought  he  was  too  old  to  run  a  journal,  so 
they  made  the  name  The  Pacific  Coast  Journal  of  Homoeopathy 
(a  cumbersome  title)  and  took  on  new  editors — several  of  them. 
The  last  one,  Dr.  E.  H.  Howell,  has  gone  to  the  war,  and  lo !  our 
old  friend,  and  may  we  say  it?  pal.  Dr.  Wm.  Boericke  is  back 
again  as  editor.  Welcome !  and  t'ell  with  Sir  William  Osier's 
''age  limit."  We  do  not  know  how  old  the  California  William 
is — forty,  fifty,  sixty? — but  he  is  young  enough  to  run  the  P.  C. 
J.  of  H.  William,  you  may  be  sixty,  or  on  the  shady  side  of 
seventy,  but  don't  you  let  this  Osier  scientific  guff  get  your  goat. 
You  know  more  than  you  did  when  you  were  younger,  and  are 
better  fitted  for  the  job  than  you  were  when  you  and  Dewey,  in 
your  dewy  age,  started  the  old  journal,  so  unless  you  have 
met  with  the  misfortune  that  sometimes  befalls  old"  boys,  i.  e., 
got  rich),  stick  to  it ! 

Methods  of  Treatment. — Here  is  a  bit  of  truth  from  the  paper 
of  Dr.  R.  J.  Rowlette.  in  Lancet,  on  the  "Limitations  of  Vaccine 
Therapy :" 

"It  is  notorious  that  no  judgment  in  medical  practice  is  more 
difficult  than  the  estimation  of  the  value  of  a  particular  method 
of  treatment.  A  new  method  is  introduced,  it  wins  a  certain 
amount  of  favor,  it  may  become  the  fashion,  and  unless  it  is  ac- 
companied by  some  obtrusive  disadvantages  or  dangers,  many  of 
us  are  convinced  that  the  treatment  is,  if  not  'the  last  word,'  at 
least  'a  distinct  advance,'  and  we  go  on  with  it  until  a  new  fashion 
takes  the  place  of  the  old.  Our  reasoning  on  these  matters 
is  never  logical,  and  rarely  individual.  We  are  governed  by  laws 
— if  they  be  laws — of  herd  psychology.  Our  conclusions  are  in- 
structive, not  conscious." 

Tetanus. — Among  the  "conclusions"  of  Sir  David  Bruce's  paper 
on  "Tetanus"   {Lancet)   is  the  following:    "In  the  200  cases  of 


476  Editorial. 

tetanus  under  review  the  mortality  was  36.5  per  cent."  Dr.  Bruce 
is  evidently  not  a  firm  convert  to  the  use  of  the  serum,  for  be- 
fore this  he  remarks: 

"The  difficulty  of  arriving  at  truth  in  human  therapeutics  is 
notorious.  It  would  certainly  be  very  satisfactory,  and  ample  re- 
ward for  work  expended,  if  the  real  value  of  anti-tetanic  serum 
in  the  treatment  of  tetanus  could  be  definitely  laid  down. 

"Millions  of  cubic  centimeters  of  anti-tetanic  serum  have  been 
used  since  the  war  began.  If  it  could  be  proved  to  be  of  no  use  it 
would  mean  a  great  lessening  of  pain  and  inconvenience  to  the 
men  suffering  from  tetanus,  and  economy  to  the  State." 

Still  going  backwards  in  this  paper  it  appears  that  if  the  sur- 
geon frees  the  wound  from  all  necrotic  substance  there  is  no 
tetanus,  while  if  he  does  not  the  serum  is  useless.  Xo  wonder 
the  "regulars"  become  therapeutic  nihilists. 

A  Remarkable  Case. — It  comes  from  the  Walkerton,  Ontario, 
Times.  Carlton  Robinson,  a  young  farmer,  was  operated  on  for 
appendicitis  and  the  appendix  handed  to  him  in  a  bottle.  Xot 
feeling  well  some  time  afterwards  he  went  to  another  doctor  who 
also  operated  and  handed  him  his  appendix  in  a  bottle.  Not  be- 
ing an  anatomist  Robinson  is  now  sueing  for  damages  under  the 
mistaken  idea  that  a  man  cannot  have  two  appendixes. 

A  Query. — Our  many  allopathic  exchanges  are  laden  with 
papers  on  the  action,  or  appearance,  of  the  patient  or  his  organs, 
in  certain  diseases.  They  possess  a  diagnostic  interest,  but  there 
is  one  thing  lacking  in  all  of  them — how  to  cure  the  condition  so 
well  described,  and  often  illustrated.  These  really  learned  gen- 
tlemen ought  to  acquire  the  art  of  cure  in  addition,  namely,  Ho- 
moeopathy, for  it  is  of  more  importance  to  the  patient,  who  is  the 
star  in  an  interesting  case,  to  be  cured  of  his  disease  than  to 
have  it  illuminatively  described  and  die.  Honestly,  now,  is  not  a 
man  who  can  cure  nine  cases  out  of  ten  of  a  given  disease  which 
he  cannot  describe  a  greater  scientist  than  one  who  cannot  cure 
but  can  describe? 

One  Wonders. — Yes,  one  wonders  why  the  world  remains  so 


Editorial.  477 

stupid  and  disease  plugs  along  as  in  the  past,  while  the  medical 
journals  are  dripping  an  overflow  of  wisdom.  For  example: 
"Phagocytosis,  is  thus  a  body  defense  against  bacterial  inva- 
sion, and  as  such  exercises  an  inhibitory  or  antagonistic  influence 
on  all  inflammatory  processes.  The  index  of  phagocytosis  for 
streptococci,  staphylococci,  and  pneumococci  is  a  relative  quantity 
to  such  a  degree  that  given  a  case  of  mixed  infection,  involving 
several  kinds  of  micro-organisms,  one  species  of  bacteria  will 
eventually  prevail  at  the  expense  of  the  others."  Wonder  which 
bacteria  will  prevail  in  sick  Europe? 

"Gipsy  Medicine." — This  is  the  heading  of  an  editorial  in  the 
Lancet.  The  editor  dosen't  seem  to  have  very  much  respect  for 
that  form  of  medicine.  The  editorial  is  based  on  Mr.  Frank 
Curtiss'  book,  "Romany  Life."  Here  is  an  extract  from  the 
editorial : 

"They  use,  for  example,  a  decoction  of  eye-bright  in  the  Xew 
Forest  for  washing  inflamed  eyes.  The  decoction  is  pungent 
and  irritative,  but  'eye-bright'  is  a  name  pointing  indubitably  to 
the  eye,  and  it  would  be  folly,  thinks  a  gipsy,  to  disregard  an 
indication  from  the  Unseen.  This  is  of  the  nature  of  the  old 
signaturist  beliefs  of  mediaeval  Europe,  according  to  which  God 
signalled  to  man  what  different  plants  should  be  used  for.  The 
signal  was  usually  visual :  a  conformation  of  tne  bark  of  the 
cork-tree  resembling  an  ear — at  a  very  wide  interval — was  held 
to  point  to  cork  as  a  remedy  for  earache  or  ear  diseases.  But 
the  signal,  by  parity  of  reasoning,  might  be  afforded  by  a  name — 
e.  g.,  eye-bright.  'You  can't  be  too  careful  of  the  eye,  it's  such 
a  precious  limb,'  said  a  half-caste  gipsy,  advocating  eye-bright 
as  a  cure  for  inflammation  of  the  eye.  But  though  the  gipsies  are 
not  rational  in  this  matter  of  collyria,  there  can  be  no  doubt  what- 
ever that  some  of  their  botanical  applications  and  draughts  prove 
serviceable." 

"Eye-bright"  is  our  Euphrasia,  and  it  seems  that  the  Gipsies 
use  it  on  homoeopathic  principles.  May  it  not  be  possible  that 
our  modern  physicians  who  are  wedded  to  serums  and  vaccines, 
and  who  scorn  the  ancient  lore,  might  not  go  to  it  and  begin  to 
learn  the  primaries  of  therapeutics? 


478  Editorial. 

More  About  Vaccine  Therapy. — Dr.  Jos.  L.  Miller,  Chicago, 
read  a  paper  at  the  last  meeting  of  the  A.  M.  A.  on  'The  Non- 
specific Character  of  Vaccine  Therapy."  Among  other  things  he 
remarks  that  ''the  chief  difficulty  in  this  form  of  therapy  is  the 
violence  of  the  reaction."  Also,  "The  chief  objection  to  its  con- 
tinuance is  the  danger  of  grave  or  fatal  reaction."  Also,  "The 
Germans  are  now  referring  to  this  method  of  treatment  as  febrile 
therapy,  believing  that  any  agent  that  will  cause  a  rise  in  tem- 
perature may  give  results."  The  most  optimistic  can  hardly 
call  this  illuminating.  As  for  the  German  notion  it  reminds  one 
somewhat  of  the  old  doctor  who  threw  all  his  patients  into  fits. 

Cancer. — Dr.  William  Seaman  Bainbridge,  New  York  City, 
in  his  pamphlet  on  "The  Cancer  Campaign,"  rather  caustically 
remarks  of  one  of  the  campaign  publications :  "One  of  the  or- 
ganizations concerned  with  the  propaganda  against  cancer  re- 
cently issued  a  circular,  entitled  'Fighting  Cancer  with  Facts/ 
Unfortunately,  the  one  great  and  all-important  fact,  the  cause 
of  cancer,  is  not  in  our  possession."  Well  said,  but  is  it  not 
equally  true  of  tuberculosis?  To  say  that  the  tubercle  bacilli 
are  the  cause  is  no  real  answer  unless  you  can  give  their  cause. 

Also,  from  same :  "There  is  perhaps  no  more  completely  and 
ineradicably  fixed  delusion  in  the  public  mind  than  that  cancer 
never  is  really  cured,  and  that  if  it  is  cured  it  was  not  cancer."  Is 
it  not  the  medical  mind  that  harbors  that  delusion  ? 

A  Queer  Theory. — An  editorial  on  tuberculosis  (/.  A.  M.  A.) 
opens  by  stating  that  97  per  cent,  of  the  people  have  or  have  had 
tuberculous  infection,  quoting  Xaegeli.  The  editor  comments : 
"From  these  observations  the  prevailing  opinion  that  our  resist- 
ance to  tuberculous  infection  during  adult  life  is  due  to  a  more 
or  less  complete  immunization  through  infections  received  and 
overcome  in  youth  receives  strong  support."  According  to  this 
the  more  diseases  one  has  in  childhood  the  healthier  he  should 
be  in  adult  years.  With  all  regard  due  the  eminent  medical 
scientists  who  hatch  theories  as  a  hen  does  eggs,  we,  for  one,  do 
not  believe  this  theeory  or  its  tender  "immunization,"  alias  mak- 
ing the  people  sick  to  keep  them  being  sick. 


Editorial.  479 

A  Medical  Sahara. — It  was  suggested  by  a  bird's  eyeview  of  146 
article  in  American  and  98  in  foreign  allopathic  medical  journals 
covering  about  one  month.  Nearly  everything  under  the  medical 
sun  can  be  found  in  these  articles  save  old  fashioned  cure.  The 
homoeopaths  and  eclectics  seem  to  have  this  field  to  themselves 
and  ought  to  give  it  intensive  cultivation,  for  it  is  the  one  field 
to  which  the  eyes  of  the  afflicted  turn. 

Old  Thing's  In  New  Clothes. — A  Chicago  physician  sends  us  a 
clipping  from  the  Herald  of  that  city,  containing  a  report  of  a 
medical  meeting.  Among  others  reported  was  our  enthusiastic 
friend.  Dr.  C.  H.  Duncan,  of  New  York.  He  told  of  a  case  of 
rhus  poisoning,  which  "sixty  different  remedies  failed  to  relieve.'' 
Then  a  cow  was  fed  on  an  '"armful"  of  the  poison  ivy.  a  quart 
of  her  milk  given  to  the  patient  and  a  quick  and  permanent  cure 
followed.  Thus  is  a  new  field  opened  to  modern  medical  science, 
i.  e.,  a  therapeutic  dairy. 

If  rhus  poisoning  can  be  cured  in  this  way  why  not  all  other 
ills  ?  We  could  have  tuberculosis  cows  to  whose  feed  liberal 
amounts  of  the  tuberculosis  poison  had  been  added,  typhoid  cows, 
and  so  on  down  the  line.  It  is  a  brilliant  idea,  and  the  practice 
would  be  away  ahead  of  the  clumsy  and  expensive  methods  now 
in  vogue  of  administering  the  hair  of  the  dog  that  bit  you. 

But  brilliant  as  the  theory  is  it,  together  with  serum,  vaccine, 
auto  and  the  whole  brood  of  isopathic  methods,  does  not  equal 
the  one  evolved  by  the  father  of  them  all.  Dr.  Samuel  Swan,  in 
simplicity,  safety  and  effectiveness,  if  there  be  any  virtue  in  it — 
which  there  seems  to  be.  The  "works"  in  all  these  Dolly  Yarden 
therapies  is  the  virus  of  the  disease  or,  if  you  prefer  it,  the 
"germs."  This  being  so,  why  not  simply  triturate  the  virus  and 
administer  in  place  of  going  all  around  Robin  Hood's  barn,  and 
through  its  horses,  cows,  pigs,  fowls  and  other  animals?  It 
would  be  cheaper,  safer,  more  effective,  and  would  aid  Mr. 
Hoover  in  his  conservation  of  the  food  supply  by  saving  many 
animals. 


PERSONAL 


Say,  old  boys,  do  not  remark  to  ladies,  "I  remembered  you  when  we 
went  to  the  dance  fifty  years  ago."    They  don't  like  it. 

"Safety  first."     The  bath  tub  rather  than  the  ocean. 

An  old  mortgage  on  a  Babylonian  house  isn't  worth  a  law  suit  to-day. 

The  man  under  a  cloud  is  more  in  the  limelight  than  ever  before. 

Many  an  impecunious  cuss  can  tell  the  world  "how  to  succeed." 

"Give  diagnosis  of  thermoanesthesia."     "Hell,"  wrote  the  candidate. 

Asks  Mary:  "Is  it  a  sign  of  contempt  when  an  army  turns  its  back  on 
the  enemy?"     G'wan ! 

"Old  rags!"  Householder,  "No.  Get  out!  Wife's  away."  "Any  old 
bottles !" 

"Who  is  the  rear  guard?"  asked  an  officer  in  an  old  time  retreating 
army.     "The  slowest  runners,  sir." 

The  growth  of  the  world's  goodness  keeps  step  with  the  increase  in 
police  efficiency. 

When  a  young  man's  engagement  lasts  too  long  he  often  hasn't  enough 
money  left  for  the  ceremony. 

The  man  who  got  married  to  escape  the  fighting,  enlisted. 

Nay,  Mary,  "hitting  the  hay"  is  not  an  etiological  factor  in  hay  fever. 

A  promoter  is  a  financier  without  finances. 

The  only  man  who  can  reliably  foretell  his  demise  is  he  who  is  sen- 
tenced to  the  chair. 

"Practice  makes  perfect,"  says  the  old  proverb,  but  it  should  have  been 
added,  "not  in  the  stock  market." 

"The  greatest  wisdom  in  man  consists  in  knowing  his  own  follies." 
How  few  are  wise ! 

Knit,  nit!  girls,  when  you  play  auction,  tennis,  or  other  games. 

And  they  laugh  at  the  ad.  "Wanted. — A  poor  widow  woman  wants  wash- 
ing on  Thursday." 

Nay !  Nay !  Mary,  when  thermometers  go  very  low  it  does  not  mean 
a  good  time  to  buy  them. 

The  enormous  price  of  some  drugs  is  not  an  unmixed  evil. 

But  can  the  wise  man  answer  the  questions  the  fool  asks? 

We  don't  know  of  anything  that  is  "a  drug  on  the  market"  at  present  un- 
less it  be  speeches. 

Don't  throw  rice  at  a  wedding  or  Mr.  Hoover  will  get  you. 

Call  a  man  "a  dog"  and  he  may  hit  you,  but  call  him  "a  sly  dog"'  and 
he  smirks. 

A  Vassar  girl  remarked  that  she  had  never  met  Horatio  at  bridge. 

Man  told  the  court  the  auto  hit  him  in  the  same  place  it  carried  its 
license  number. 

The  doctor  paid  a  number  of  visits  but  patient  failed  to  pay  the  doctor 
any  visits. 


THE 

HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER 

Vol.  XXXII    Lancaster,  Pa.,  November  15,  1917.      No.  11 

REMARKABLE   VITALITY 

The  vitality  of  old  Homoeopathy  is  wonderful.  For  years 
the  allopaths  attacked  it  by  every  means  in  their  power — de- 
nunciation, sarcasm,  ridicule,  innuendo  and  as  far  as  they  could 
by  laws  and  actual  persecution-  But  old  Homoeopathy  grew 
.and  prospered.  This  state  of  things  suddenly  ceased  after  the 
appearance  of  Dr.  Geo.  M.  Gould's  pamphlet.  There  was  an 
interval  of  peace.  Then^slowly  arose  a  far  greater  danger,  one 
that  might  be  termed  scientific  criticism  from  within.  Our  ma- 
teria medica,  that  had  worked  therapeutic  miracles,  became  an 
unscientific  jumble,  a  jungle,  a  wilderness,  a  stumbling  block  to 
progress,  and  the  like.  Cures  reported  by  homoeopathic  phy- 
sicians were  unscientific  and  unverified  assertions.  Unless  Ho- 
moeopathy becomes  progressive  and  scientific,  unless  it  becomes 
subservient  to  the  laboratory,  it  is  doomed.  So  ran,  and  run, 
the  criticisms  from  within,  criticisms  from  graduates  of  homoeo- 
pathic medical  colleges,  and,  no  doubt,  honest  in  intent,  but  be- 
traying a  certain  lack  of  logic. 

Apropos  of  this  there  is  an  old  fifteen-page  pamphlet  bearing 
the  title  "Homoeopathies :  What  It  is,  and  the  Logic  of  It,"  date 
1865,  from  which  we  take  the  following: 

"Homoeopathies  is  a  given  positive  thing. 

"It  is  the  whole  of  itself,  an  entirety. 

"Homoeopathies  is  what  it  is ;  it  is  not  what  it  is  not. 

"Homoeopathies  is  as  it  is ;  it  is  not  as  it  is  not. 

"That  which  is  Homoeopathies  is  Homoeoapthics. 

"That  which  it  might  be,  or  ought  to  be,  is  not  Homoeopathies. 

"A  notion,  opinion,  or  idea,  of  Homoeopathies,  is  not  Homoeo- 
pathies itself.     *     *     * 


482  Remarkable  Vitality. 

"What  the  Homoeopathies  is,  in  fact,  and  in  reality,  is  a  mat- 
ter of   fact,   known   by   evidence  historically. 

"It  is  the  art  of  healing  established  by  Hahnemann,  and  by 
him  named  Homoeopathies. 

"It  is  precisely  what  its  maker  made  it,  precisely  what  he, 
who  christened   it,    defined    and   described   it. 

"Anything,  being  not  the  same  in  fact,  is  not  Homoeopathies. 
It  may  be  something,  a  notion,  or  an  opinion,  or  an  explanation, 
or  anything  else,  even  better ;  but  it  is  not  the  Homoeopathies 
established  as  a  positive  historical  fact  and  thing. 

"Calling  that  Homoeopathies  which  is  not  the  Homoeopathies, 
does  not  make  it  the  Homoeopathies." 

You  will  note  that  the  unknown  writer  (there  is  no  one  named 
as  author)  remarks  that  anything  differing  from  Homoeopathies 
may  be  "even  better,"  but  it  is  not  Homoeopathies.  Conse- 
quently, if  any  one  thinks  he  has  found  something  "better''  he 
should  abandon  Homoeopathies  and  take  up  with  that  which  is 
"better,"  and  not  try  to  twist  Homoeopathies  into  something 
which  it  is  not,  for  such  an  effort  is  not  logical,  scientific,  or, 
strictly   speaking,   honest   even   though   the   intentions  be   good. 

Had  the  writer  of  the  old  pamphlet  known  what  is  termed  the 
"scientific  medicine"  of  today  he  would  have  had  another  bit 
of  logic  to  advance.  Scientific  medicine  today  is  but  another 
term  for  therapeutic  nihilism.  Homoeopathies  is  but  another 
term  for  scientific  therapeutics.  The  two  being  contradictions 
cannot  live  together  in  the  same  household,  or,  what  is  the  same 
thing,  mind.     The  one  excludes  the  other. 

The  sum  of  it  all  is :  Be  a  loyal  Homoeopath,  or  enlist  in  the 
nihilistic  army — if  they  will  accept  you.  Dabble  in  scientific 
medicine  as  much  as  you  please  but  for  logic's  sake  do  not 
preach  from  the  housetops  that  Homoeopathy  is  doomed  unless 
it  becomes  something  it   is  not. 


A  SYMPOSIUM   ON  A  SYMPOSIUM 

Every  now  and  then  the  Medical  Review  of  Reviews  breaks 
out  in  a  symposium.  Some  time  ago  the  mob,  that  is  the  lay- 
men, symposed  the  doctors  and  now,  in  October  issue,  the  doctors 


A  Symposium  on  a  Symposium.  483 

have  their  come  back.  Perhaps  a  few  bits  from  opinions  may  be 
of  interest  to  the  Recorder's  readers.  Braisted,  U.  S.  Navy, 
tells  the  world : 

"Even  the  least  experienced  young  doctor  knows  so  many 
things  that  would  benefit  the  people  if  only  they  could  be  per- 
suaded to  do  them.  But  he  preaches  in  vain,  his  missionary  ef- 
forts are  branded  as  self  advertisement,  and  finally  it  is  by  the 
will  of  the  public  that  he  comes  to  prescribing  drugs  instead  of 
sunlight  and  air  and  exercise."  Also,  further  on,  "If  we  could 
change  things  to  our  taste  we  would  shake  the  public's  faith  in 
drugs  and  increase  its  faith  in  sanitary  measures."  But  the  fool 
public  persists  in  the  belief  that  there  is  balm  in  Gilead  for  their 
ills,  and  that  the  physician  should  be  more  than  a  mere  sani- 
tarian, prescribing  air  and  sunlight  for  their  ills.  As  a  Homoeo- 
path, we  think  the  public  is  right. 

Brill,  of  Columbia,  says :  "Many  individuals  today  believe 
that  the  best  physicians  can  cure  the  most  of  the  ills  which  af- 
flict the  human  body  ;  that,  on  the  other  hand,  if  these  ills  be 
not  dispelled  by  them,  they  are  incompetent  and  unqualified  to 
continue  in  their  profession.  Fortunately,  the  medical  profes- 
sion has  taken  good  means  to  dispel  these  ideas."  Well — no 
comments,  if  the  Allopaths  admit  they  cannot  cure  disease. 

Henderson,  of  Yale,  is  militant  in  the  following:  "For  the 
solution  of  such  problems  the  public  health  line  of  attack  has 
the  peculiar  advantage  that  our  courts  are  able  to  bring  such 
solutions  under4  the  police  power  of  the  State  and  thus  to  free 
them  from  many  of  the  legal  and  constitutional  obstructions 
which  oppose  other  methods  of  solution."  If  the  constitution 
is  to  be  scrapped  and  the  police  power  brought  in  to  aid  the 
peculiar  medicine  that  discards  medicines  we  fancy  the  laymen 
will  have  something  to  say,  especially  in  view  of  the  following 
from  the  same  paper :  "The  feature  of  the  medical  situation 
of  which  the  least  grasp  is  shown  is  the  fact,  as  President  Eliot 
once  expressed  it,  that  the  vast  majority  of  the  ills  to  which 
flesh  is  heir  can  be  overcome  if  we  can  onjy  get  the  knowledge 
necessary  to  do  it."  The  greater  part  of  that  "necessary  knowl- 
edge" has  been  available  for  a  century,  i,  e.,  "the  science  of 
Therapeutics,"  but  you  refuse  to  even  look  at  it,  instead,  you 
hoot  at  it. 


484  A  Symposium  on  a  Symposium. 

Meyer,  of  the  New  York  University,  begins  by  remarking : 

"A  New  York  physician  once  said  that  success  in  the  practice 
of  medicine  depended  one-quarter  upon  'savior,'  and  three-quar- 
ters upon  'savoir  faire/  "  He  also  makes  the  apparently  sensi- 
ble comment :  "Admitting  that  you  cannot  easily  change  a  phy- 
sician's 'savoir  faire,'  I  charge  that  he  could  be  provided  with 
more  'savoir,'  if  the  curricula  of  the  medical  colleges  included 
more  bedside  instruction  for  every  student."     Very  sensible! 

Robert  T.  Morris,  N.  Y.  Post-Graduate,  surgeon,  author  and 
Darwinian  theologian,  opens  up  with  this  characteristic  bit: 
"What's  the  matter  with  the  layman?  Nothing,  excepting  that 
he  is  human  in  refusing  to  know  everything  all  at  once  and 
thereby  depriving  the  people  of  two  thousand  years  from  now 
of  joyful  opportunity  for  making  continued  progress.  Further- 
more, the  layman  is  like  the  doctor  in  having  lost  safe  guidance 
by  way  of  instinct  when  he  evoluted  away  from  firm  footing 
upon  four  legs."  That  is  the  opening.  This  is  the  conclusion: 
"A  public  which  wishes  to  preserve  its  most  highly  cultured  mem- 
bers and  to  extend  culture,  is  in  the  hands  of  scientific  physicians 
who  require  sufficient  endowment  for  being  kind  in  a  large  way 
unsentimentally.  What's  the  matter  with  the  layman?  He  is 
human  and  does  not  know  if  what  I  have  stated  is  the  truth." 
Yea,  there's  the  rub !  He  blinks  at  the  desired  large  appropria- 
tions to  a  science  that  changes  with  the  seasons. 

Pilcher,  once  of  N.  Y.  Post-Graduate,  rather  ironically  re- 
marks :  "It  ought  never  to  be  forgotten  that  physicians  are  not 
a  class  apart,  of*  any  different  mold  from  other  people,  but  that 
they  are  a  part  of  the  people  and  generally  reflect  the  character- 
istics of  the  community  in  which  they  live.  More  than  most 
men  a  physician  cannot  escape  being  molded  by  public  opinion 
as  it  prevails  in  the  community  in  which  his  life  is  spent,  and 
through  the  good  will  of  which  his  income  depends."  That  is 
not  quite  true  of  a  scientific  physician,  i.  e.,  a  Homoeopath. 

Rosser,  of  Baylor  University,  makes  this  rather  large  and 
rather  queer  claim,  coming,  as  it  does,  from  what  is  said  to  be 
calm  science :  "There  is  a  widespread  appreciation  for  scientific 
discoveries,  such  as  vaccination,  which  has  robbed  small-pox 
of  its  loathsome  horrors ;  of  antitoxin  for  diphtheria,  which  has 
reduced  the  mortality  by  reversing  it,  so  that  instead  of  more 


A  Symposium  on  a  Symposium.  485 

than  90  per  cent,  of  the  cases  proving  fatal  before  its  introduc- 
tion, a  number  in  excess  of  that  recover  since  its  employment 
has  become  almost  universal."  Probably  90  per  cent  is  a  mis- 
print, as  it  cannot  be  anything  else. 

There  is  much  more  of  the  symposium,  but  that  it  enough. 
There  is  one  element,  however  that  none  of  the  symposionists 
mention  even  though  it  plays  a  big  part,  and  that  is  Prejudice. 
Last  summer  we  met  one  who  had  been  suffering  for  weeks. 
Suggested  a  clearly  indicated  remedy.  "What  is  it?"  "One  of 
our  homoeopathic  remedies."  "Humph,  I'd  rather  have  the  dis- 
ease than  take  that  foolishness !"  In  the  October  Recorder 
mention  was  made  of  an  English  medical  journal  that  printed 
a  paper  mildly  commendatory  of  Homoeopathy  and  in  conse- 
quence lost  1,400  subscribers.  Had  these  men  studied  Homoe- 
opathy? Probably  not,  with  the  probability  tremendously  in 
favor  of  the  "not."  So  far  as  this  is  true  of  the  1,400,  were 
they  not  prejudiced  men  rather  than  medical  scientists? 

Know,  O  scientist,  that  science  is  a  bigger  thing  than  is 
dreamed  of  in  your  little  philosophy. 


ISOPATHY. 


(This  is  the  heading  of  an  editorial  in  the  Journal  of  the 
American  Medical  Association,  Oct.  13.  We  reprint  it  here- 
with entire. — Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder)  : 

"The  early  stages  of  Homoeopathy  are  associated  with  cer- 
tain apparently  minor  developments  of  no  little  interest  from  the 
historical  point  of  view.  Not  wholly  satisfied  with  the  doctrine 
expressed  by  'similia  similibus,'  Hering,  Lux  and  others  urged 
the  principle  of  'aequalia  aequalibus  curantur' — the  like  cures 
the  like.  The  form  of  treatment  indicated  in  this  slogan  was  re- 
garded not  as  a  new  departure,  but  rather  as  the  revival  of 
methods  found  in  folk  medicine,  and  mentioned  by  early  writers 
and  even  by  church  fathers,  especially  the  holy  Bishop  Ivo  of 
Chartres,  whose  remarkable  statement  on  the  analogy  between 
Christ  and  the  skilled  physicians,  made  in  1092,  runs  as  fol- 
lows: 

"  Tt  is,  namely,  the  habit  of  people  skilled  in  medicine  to  cure 


486  I  so  pat  hy. 

at  one  time  by  opposites,  and  at  another  by  likes,  the  illnesses 
which  they  undertake  to  cure.  This  is  what  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  did,  making  us  rich  by  his  poverty,  exalting  us  by  His 
humility,  healing  us  by  His  infirmity,  giving  us  life  by  His  death. 
In  the  same  way,  in  medical  theory,  dry  is  set  against  moist, 
moist  against  dry,  hot  against  cold ;  and  contraries  of  lesser 
strength  are  overcome  by  the  bringing  in  of  contraries  of  greater 
strength.  In  similar  fashion  like  is  apposed  to  like,  when  the 
length  or  breadth  of  the  poultice  is  measured  by  the  amount  of 
the  wound  or  swelling.  So  scorpions'  flesh  boiled  in  oil  heals 
the  stings  of  scorpions  ;  so  a  remedy  made  from  the  flesh  of  a 
serpent  operates  against  the  bite  of  a  serpent,  and.  taken  in  a 
drink,  overcomes  poisoned  drinks.  In  the  same  likeness  our 
Physician  healed  by  His  own  death  in  the  flesh  the  death  of  our 
flesh  which  came  from  the  serpent.  .  .  .  But  with  this  rem- 
edy made  up  of  the  like  was  mixed  also  the  remedy  made  of  the 
opposite.  For  here  obedience  healed  what  disobedience  had 
there  corrupted  ;  and  what  had  there  been  contaminated  by  the 
pleasure  of  appetite  is  here  made  right  again  by  the  suffering 
upon  the  cross.' 

"We  are  told  that  the  isopathic  principle  of  treatment  was 
carried  out  by  its  adherents  in  the  most  exact  manner  possible. 
For  small-pox,  matter  taken  from  the  pustules — variolin — was 
given  internally ;  itch  was  treated  internally  with  'psorin'  or 
scaly  material  from  parts  affected  with  scabies ;  sweating  of  the 
feet  with  foot-sweat :  phthisis  with  'phthisin :'  caries  of  the 
teeth  with  'odontonekrosin ;'  diseases  of  the  liver  with  'hepatin  :' 
diseases  of  the  spleen  with  'lienin  ;'  diarrhoea  with  fecal  matter  ; 
teniasis  with  tapeworm  joints  ;  gonorrhoea  with  gonorrhoeal  pus — 
a  treatment  for  gonorrhoea  recently  urged  again  as  a  new  ad- 
vance by  a  homoeopathic  physician  in  New  York.  In  the  end  it 
even  was-  demanded  that  the  remedy  must  come  from  the  pa- 
tient's own  body — auto-isopathy — and  auto-cankrin  was  given  in 
cancer,  auto-odontonekrosin  for  dental  fistula,  etc.  The  reference 
in  the  remarkable  state  rent  by  Bishop  !v<>  to  the  use  of  the  flesh 
of  scorpions  and  serpents  in  stings  and  bites  by  these  animals 
reminds  us  again  that  in  the  early  ways  of  treating  the  condi- 
tions resulting  from  the  bites  of  poisonous  animals  we  see  the 


Isopathy.  487 

first  foreshadowing  of  the  present  conceptions  of  immunity  and 
the  treatment  based  thereon.  Probably  what  is  usually  called 
crude  empiricism  has  had  more  to  do  with  the  evolution  of  those 
conceptions  and  methods  of  treatment,  preventive  and  curative, 
than  ordinarily  recognized." 

(It  seems  to  some  that  the  20th  century  user  of  serums,  vac- 
cines, etc.,  etc.,  are  not  very  far  removed  from  the  "crude  em- 
piricism" of  good  Bishop  Ivo.  Indeed,  between  the  ancient  and 
modern  one  inclines  to  favor  the  former  for  then  it  was  given  in 
the  stomach,  where  Xature  could  generally  dispose  of  it  without 
the  serious  damage  so  often  following  the  "shot"  method.  Also 
in  the  Bishop's  time,  and  in  the  days  of  Hering,  they  did  not  di- 
lute the  disease  virus  through  the  blood  of  an  animal  but  by 
means  of  milk  sugar  and  alcohol  which  is  cleaner,  cheaper,  safer 
and  more  scientific. — Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 


TREATMENT  OF  PNEUMONIA* 
By  W.  L.  Gross,  M.  D.,  New  Brighton,  Penna. 

Many  of  the  cases  of  typical  pneumonia  need  no  special  active 
treatment  when  the  disease  takes  a  favorable  course. 

Most  cases  that  get  well  do  so  under,  or,  I  may  say,  in  spite  of 
any  treatment. 

From  the  now  absolute  method  of  treatment  bv  large  bleed- 
ings and  from  the  use  of  certain  drugs,  as  Veratrum,  Tartar 
emetic,  coal  tar  derivatives,  etc.,  which  are  even  now  used  by 
professing  Homoeopaths,  we  should  expect  harm,  rather  than 
good. 

We  do  not  know  of  any  means  certainly  to  influence  favor- 
ably the  pneumonic  process. 

Whether  we  are  yet  to  learn  of  some  specific  mode  of  treat- 
ment, perhaps  by  means  of  some  serum,  yet  to  be  perfected,  I 
cannot  say.  Until  now  my  experience  with  the  sera  on  the 
market  has  been  very  unsatisfactory.  We  are  at  present  obliged 
to  rely  upon  purely  symptomatic  and  constitutional  treatment. 
The  symptoms  which  are  usually  prominent  in  pneumonia  even 


*Read  before  the  Beaver  County  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society,   Sept. 
27,   1917. 


488  Treatment  of  Pneumonia. 

in  the  milder  cases  and  of  which  the  patient  is  especially  de- 
sirous to  be  relieved  are  the  pain  in  the  side,  the  troublesome 
cough,  and  the  difficulty  and  distress  in  breathing. 

Since  the  respiratory  symptoms  are  partly  due  to  the  pain, 
as  this  improves  the  patient's  breathing  often  undergoes  a  de- 
cided improvement. 

For  the  pain  we  have  a  number  of  local  applications  to  the 
skin  of  the  affected  side.  An  ice  bag  sometimes  gives  marked 
relief. 

Many  patients  cannot  bear  this,  but  prefer  warm  poultices  or 
cold,  wet  compresses. 

The  application  of  mustard  plasters  or  dry  cups  is  sometimes 
of   advantage. 

Hypodermic  injections  of  Morphia  are,  however,  the  most 
efficacious. 

There  is  no  good  reason  why  we  should  not  use  this  remedy, 
with  care  and  in  moderate  doses,  for  the  relief  of  the  pain  and, 
as  the  disease  is  of  short  duration,  there  is  little  danger  of  in- 
ducing the  Morphin  habit. 

Local  blood-letting  is  a  remedy  the  action  of  which  cannot  be 
explained  physiologically  and  yet  experience  has  shown  that  it 
is  of  undoubted  advantage. 

The  tepid  or  cold  bath  serves  as  the  most  effective  means  of 
improving  the  respiration,  of  aiding  expectoration  and  of  stim- 
ulating and  refreshing  the  whole  system. 

It  is  useless  if  not  injurious  to  give  a  patient  baths  if  the  dis- 
ease is  progressing  favorably,  for  almost  every  kind  of  bath 
has  some  disagreeable  feature. 

These  disadvantages,  however,  are  always  less  in  severe  cases 
than  the  benefit  and  improvement  which  baths  give  the  patient 
and  which  most  patients  recognize  with  gratitude. 

The  main  point  is  that  the  patient  should  make  no  physical 
exertion  while  in  the  bath. 

He  should  be  lifted  into  it,  held  and  supported  while  in  and 
lifted  into  bed  again  after  it. 

Since  the  baths  are  given  primarily  not  on  account  of  the 
fever,  but  to  improve  the  respiration,  and  because  of  their  favor- 
able influence  on  the  nervous  system,  their  temperature  need 
not  be  especially  low. 


Treatment  of  Pneumonia.  489 

The  temperature  may  be  from  yy°  to  86°.  Somewhat  warmer 
with  weak  and  sensitive  people  and  colder  for  the  strong  and 
robust  with  very  high  fever  or  severe  nervous  symptoms. 

Not  more  than  two  baths  a  day  are  needed  in  most  cases. 

The  favorable  action  of  the  baths  is  seen  in  the  great  relief 
and  refreshment  that  the  patient  feels.  The  respiration  is  quieter 
and  slower,  but  deeper.  Patient  often  falls  into  a  quiet  sleep 
after  the  bath.  The  wet  pack  can  be  used  instead  of  the  bath 
with  advantage  in  some  cases.  It  seems  to  irritate  the  patient 
less  and  gives  the  same  or  even  greater  relief. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  mention  that  the  patient's  strength 
must  be  kept  up,  as  far  as  possible,  with  nourishing  foods,  liquid 
in  character,  as  milk  broths,  etc.  Alcohol,  in  the  form  of  brandy 
or  whiskey,  may  be  used  in  a  critical  turn  to  bridge  over  dan- 
ger of  collapse,  but  my  experience  with  it  has  not  been  very  en- 
couraging. 

A  great  deal  has  been  said  on  the  open  air  treatment  of  pneu- 
monias, and  while  my  experience  has  not  been  as  great  as  might 
be  yet  it  has  been  demonstrated  to  my  satisfaction  that  the  open 
air  treatment  in  cold  weather  has  harmed  more  of  my  patients 
than  it  benefitted. 

Plenty  of  fresh,  cool  air  is  necessary,  but  the  method  of  put- 
ting a  pneumonia  patient  in  an  open  room  in  winter  does  not  ap- 
peal to  me  as  the  correct  method  of  procedure. 

As  to  remedies,  our  homoeopathic  drugs  occupy  a  prominent 
position  in  the  treatment  of  pneumonia,  the  progress  of  the  dis- 
ease being  materially  shortened  and  the  severity  of  the  symp- 
toms being  diminished  by  their  employment. 

The  remedy  most  frequently  indicated  in  the  first  stage  of  a 
typical  case  of  pneumonia  is  Ferrum  phos.  Its  administration 
is  only  contra-indicated  by  marked  bronchial  obstruction,  mani- 
fested by  dyspnoea,  moderate  fever,  impaired  surface  circulation 
and  heart  feebleness  and  cyanosis.  When  these  symptoms  are 
present  Tartar  emetic  is  preferable.  Phosphorus  is  probably 
given  more  frequently  than  any  other  remedy  by  the  majority 
of  prescribers  and  it  is  certainly  a  valuable  remedy.  It  is  more 
suitable,  however,  to  broncho-pneumonia  occurring  in  degenerate 
adults ;  those  suffering  from  fatty  degenerations,  Bright's  dis- 
ease, diabetes,  pulmonary  phthisis,  etc.     The   febrile  symptoms 


490  Treatment  of  Pneumonia. 

are  generally  less  marked  than  in  the  Ferr.  phos.  case.  Bryonia 
is  particularly  suitable  to  those  cases  complicated  with  pleurisy, 
which  is  not  common.  When  the  symptoms  of  capillary  involve- 
ment are  not  prominent  and  there  is  much  complaint  of  pain  and 
soreness  in  the  sub-sternal  region  when  coughing,  children  be- 
ing inclined  to  hold  the  chest  when  coughing,  Bryonia  ■  gives 
good  results. 

The  indications  for  Squilla  are  almost  the  same  as  for  Bryonia. 
It  is  often  given  if  Bryonia  fails  or  after  it  has  done  its  work. 
There  is  more  irritability  of  the  mucous  membranes  and  more 
spasmodicity  under  Squills  than  under  Bryonia. 

Sulphur  is  useful  after  any  of  the  preceding  medicines  and  is 
the  better  indicated  the  more  the  pulmonary  consolidation  pre- 
dominates over  bronchitic  and  pleuritic  symptoms. 

Aconite  or  Gelsemium  may  be  needed  for  the  febrile  symp- 
toms in  the  early  stages  and  Iodide  of  Antimony  when  the  bron- 
chial element  is  pre-eminent. 

This  Iodide  of  Antimony  is  of  first  importance  in  those  cases 
of  broncho-pneumonia  occurring  in  the  course  of  some  case  of 
pulmonary  tuberculosis. 

The  Arsenite  of  Antimony  is  an  important  remedy  in  the 
broncho-pneumonias  of  the  aged,  with  long  rales  and  feeble  heart 
action. 

Especial  care  should  be  exercised  during  convalescence  from 
broncho-pneumonia  to  secure  perfect  resolution  of  the  inflamed 
lung,  as  neglected  cases  often  develop  tuberculosis.  The  pa- 
tient should  be  kept  under  observation  until  all  traces  of  con- 
solidation have  disappeared. 

In  order  to  aid  resolution,  careful  hygienic  and  dietetic  meas- 
ures, together  with  change  of  air,  cod  liver  oil  and  respiratory 
gymnastics,  may  be  advised. 


TUBERCULOSIS.     FISH   POISONING* 
By  Dr.  J.  A.  Stefanski,  8408  Superior  Ave.,  Chicago, 111. 

Miss  Lottie  M.,  age  17,  blonde,  well  developed,  weight,   145. 
Entered  a  convent  in  Feb.,   191 1.     During  her  novitiate,  which 


*Read  before  the  Regular  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society.  Chicago. 


Tuberculosis.    Fish  Poisoning.  491 

includes  a  course  of  hard  work,  she  contracted  a  severe  cold,  af- 
fected iwth  a  short,  dry,  painful  cough  and  feevrish  in  the  even- 
ings. Her  condition  became  worse  and  she  was  sent  to  St. 
Mary's  Hospital  in  Chicago.  Diagnosis  of  pulmonary  tuber- 
culosis was  made.  Open  air  treatment  instituted,  Tuberculin 
injections  administered,  and  cod  liver  oil,  as  the  principal  article 
of  diet,  prescribed.  Condition  kept  getting  worse  until  June 
10,  when  her  parents  were  called  and  were  told  to  take  her 
home,  as  she  could  only  live  a  few  days  longer.  This  was  done 
after  fortifying  the  patient  for  the  journey  with  four  cups 
strong,  black  coffee. 

I  was  called  to  the  case  June  nth  and  found  a  very  sick  girl. 
Temperature  105 °,  pulse  wTeak  and  rapid,  emaciation  very 
marked  ;  in  fact,  all  symptoms  of  tuberculosis,  and  three  or  four 
for  Bryonia.  Right  side  principally  affected,  coarse  crackling 
over  entire  right  lung,  >  from  lying  on  painful  side.  Bryonia 
thirst,  little  expectoration,  motion   <   cough,   <   pain. 

Bryonia  3X  in  water,  given  every  hour  until  next  morning. 

Diet.     Home-made  beef  tea,  tgg  albumin  H20  and  milk. 

June  12.  Temperature  103.  Expectorating  a  good  deal  of 
greenish,  offensive  mucus. 

June  13.  Temperature  103.  Condition  same.  Bryonia  con- 
tinued. 

June  14.  Temperature  103.  Pains  like  needle  pricks  over 
entire  chest.  Abdomen  distended,  diarrhoea  dark  and  very  of- 
fensive.    I*.  Tub.  21m  in  H20  for  12  doses,  one  hour  apart. 

June  15.  Temperature  101.  Stool  becoming  formed.  Ap- 
petite better.     S.  L. 

June  18.  Temperature  normal.  Full  diet  given  and  S.  L. 
continued.     Given  and  repeated  next  two  days. 

In  the  early  part  of  July  she  came  to  my  office  for  general 
inspection.  She  weighed  then  160  pounds.  Today  she  weighs 
180  pounds ;  has  a  large  cavity  in  right  lung,  but  persists  in  liv- 
ing and  enjoying  good  health. 

July  12,   19 1 3.     I  was  called  to  Mr.  ,  age  40,  laborer, 

Illinois  steel  mill.  He  became  violently  ill  three  hours  following 
a  fish  diner ;  anyhow  the  family  called  it  "fish  poisoning." 

His  face  was  pale,  nose  pinched,  cold  sweat  on  forehead,  eyes 


492  Tuberculosis.    Fish  Poisoning. 

sunken,  mucous  vomiting  and  mucous  diarrhoea,  painful  cramp- 
ing of  almost  every  muscle  in  his  body.  In  fact,  I  never  saw 
as  many  individual  muscles  demonstrated  in  my  dissecting  in 
college,  as  I  did  then.  Temperature  was  96.5,  pulse  impercep- 
tible. Ptomaine  poisoning — granted.  As  to  treatment,  I  would 
first  like  to  tell  you  what  I  didn't  do.  I  didn't  siphon  out  his 
stomach,  i.  e.,  tube,  neither  did  I  give  him  Apomorphia.  I 
didn't  give  him  thirty  grains  of  Tannic  acid,  nor  copious 
draughts  of  strong  tea  or  oak  bark  decoction.  Nor  did  I  give 
him  30  c.c.  castor  oil  to  clear  out  his  bowel.  I  didn't  give  him 
.12  grams  of  Opium  or  1.3  c.c.  0  Caps,  to  control  intestinal  dis- 
turbances. Nor  8  c.c.  Solanium  acetate  to  reduce  febrile  dis- 
turbances and  relieve  the  kidneys  and  I  surely  would  have  for- 
gotten the  Creosote  in  lime  water  to  overcome  the  nausea  after 
the  stomach  was  empty.  That  is  considered  the  treatment  of 
one  case.  I  didn't  know  this  at  the  time  and  since  I  read  this  to 
you  I've  already  forgotten  it,  but  I'll  never  forget  Cuprum  when 
I  see  a  case  like  this  again.  The  200th  in  water,  every  half 
hour,  for  ten  doses. 

After  the  second  dose  he  told  me  he  felt  so  warm,  as  if  he  had 
taken  a  hot  drink.  He  barely  toddled  on  his  feet  for  almost  a 
week,  but  that  is  all  the  medicine  he  got. 


PRESCRIBING  FOR  THE  BABY 

By  Dr.  J.  H.  Peterman,  Ardmore,  Okla. 

Empirical  prescribing  will  not  accomplish  any  more  than  it 
will  for  adults.  It  is  necessary  to  individualize  and  prescribe  for 
the  patient  not  the  disease  only.  No  matter  how  tiny  and  in- 
significant, it  has  its  individuality,  calling  for  a  close  discrimina- 
tion between  the  remedies.  Look  at  it  closely,  for  we  have  only 
objective  symptoms  and  the  family  history  to  guide  us.  It  may 
be  plump  or  lean,  fresh  looking  or  old  and  withered,  cross  or 
good  natured,  stupid  or  bright.  Parts  of  the  body  may  be 
emaciated,  the  abdomen  large,  the  head  too  big,  the  fontanelles 
open  wide.  We  may  encounter  asphyxia  probably.  Camphor 
will  restore  it.  It  may  even  arouse  it  from  apparent  death. 
Where  the  face  is  purple  and  pulse  imperceptible,  potentized 
Opium  may  do. 


Prescribing  for  the  Baby.  493 

In  cases  where  there  is  much  loss  of  blood  by  the  mother,  the 
infant  pale  or  anaemic,  Cinchona  to  both.  Arnica  is  the  remedy 
after  labor  unless  another  remedy  is  clearly  indicated.  It  is  good 
practice  to  give  the  medicine  for  baby  to  the  mother,  if  she  nurses 
it,  which,  of  course,  she  should.  Babies  should  not  be  brought 
up  on  the  bottle.  Even  if  there  is  no  milk  at  first,  it  will  appear 
in  most  cases  if  the  baby  is  put  regularly  to  the  breast. 

The  eyes  of  the  baby  must  be  wiped  as  soon  as  the  head  is  de- 
livered. If  they  become  inflamed  or  discharge,  Merc,  or  Sulph. 
I  like  the  old,  usual  wray  of  using  some  of  the  mother's  milk  in 
baby's  sore  eyes.  Calc.  ostr.  is  baby's  remedy  par  excellence. 
It  prepares  the  child  for  the  teething  period.  Antim.  tart,  is 
the  most  useful  in  catarrh,  where  there  is  dyspncea.  Nitx  vom. 
and  Kali  bichrom.,  where  the  nose  is  stopped  up,  also  Kali 
sulph.  In  spasmodic  croup,  Aeon.,  Bell.,  Hep.,  Sulph.  and 
Spongia.  In  membranous  croup,  Bronx.,  Iodine,  Kali  brom. 
For  retention  of  urine,  Apis.  Colic  is  one  of  the  most  distress- 
ing ailments  of  children,  it  is  only  the  outcome  of  disorder  and 
must  be  treated  for  the  cause.  Prescribing  correctly  for  the  in- 
fant, inherited  tendencies  to  disease  may  be  overcome.  The  skin 
eruptions — what  untold  misery  results  from  their  suppression 
by  the  numerous  salves  and  smears,  when  a  few  doses  of  Sul- 
phur, Calc.  or  other  antipsorics  would  cure  the  patient  for  life. 

Last,  but  not  least. 

In  my  forty-seven  years  of  practice  I  had  no  death  of  a  mother 
through  confinement. 

It  was  law  with  me :  If  you  want  me  to  be  with  you  during 
that,  I  must  have  you  under  my  care  before. 

This  should  be  absolute  law  with  us.  The  "twilight  sleep"  in 
confinement  is  criminal !  The  mother  needs  all  her  life  force  in 
that  act,  it  must  not  be  put  to  sleep ;  it  is  idiocy  unworthy  of  our 
profession ! 


ADVENTURES   OF  AN   AMATUER 

Someone  has  said  that  the  striking  thing  about  the  spectacle 
of  an  elephant  dancing  on  a  tight  rope  is  not  the  dancing,  but 
the  fact  that  it  is  by  an  elephant.  If  any  interest  attaches  to  my 
therapeutic  adventures  it  is  not  so  much  to  them  themselves  as 


494  Adventures  of  an  Amateur. 

to  the  fact  that  they  are  those  of  an  amateur.  Thinking  of  the 
results  I  have  seen  from  the  use  of  a  few  homoeopathic  rem- 
edies, with  but  few  exceptions  domestic  potencies,  in  the  hands 
of  myself  and  other  laymen  I  have  sometimes  thought  what 
very  remarkable  things  we  might  do  with  medical  training.  I 
think  of  the  words  of  Private  Mulvaney,  "They  tuk  Lungtung- 
pen  riakid;  an'  they'd  take  St.  Petersburg  in  their  dhrawers." 

I  am  a  Homoeopath  of  the  third  generation.  I  remember,  at 
my  grandfather's  in  Philadelphia,  as  a  small  boy,  receiving  tiny 
pellets  administered  by  a  stately  gentleman  who  was  called,  I 
think,  Dr.  Kitchen.  These  were  for  certain  nervous  twitchings 
of  the  shoulders,  which  further  serological  research  ascribed  to 
the  fact  that  I  had  been  promoted  from  "baby  waists"  to  sus- 
penders, confirming  that  weighty  saying,  "There  is  always  a 
cause." 

About  1876  my  mother  acquired  a  thirty  remedy  domestic 
chest.  I  was  then  only  ten  years  old,  but  I  remember  my  uncle 
in  bed  with  inflammatory  rheumatism,  shaking  with  glee  a  vial 
of  little  pellets  and  laughing  at  my  mother,  who  proposed  to 
cure  him  with  them,  but — she  did !  This  reminds  me  of  a  friend, 
a  member  of  the  Philadelphia  Bar,  who,  about  1886,  told  me 
that  his  wife  had  called  in  a  Dr.  Lee,  of  38th  and  Chestnut 
streets,  who  gave  them  some  funny  little  pills.  He  said,  "It 
does  the  baby  a  great  deal  of  good,  she  shakes  the  bottle  and  the 
pills  rattle  and  it  amuses  her."  Later  he  told  me,  with  great 
earnestness,  that  he  was  firmly  convinced  that  he  owed  the  lives 
of  both  wife  and  child  to  the  skill  of  that  same  Dr,  Lee.  Re- 
membering these  incidents,  I  was  not  greatly  disturbed  at  find- 
ing an  English  publication  saying  of  a  homoeopathic  remedy, 
"The  directions  are  'four  pellets  every  hour,'  which  must,  at 
least,  keep  the  patient  amused."  There  is  really  some  philosophy 
in  this.  I  gave  some  remedies  and  elementary  literature  to  a 
friend  who  had  forsaken  Allopathy  for  Christian  Science.  Find- 
ing among  other  things  that  Bryonia  3X  relieved  his  severe 
bronchial  colds  and  that  Pulsatilla  3X  speedily  cured  his  child's 
earache,  he  was  converted  to  Homoeopathy,  saying  that  he 
thought  fifteen-sixteenths  of  the  cure  was  due  to  the  remedy 
and  one-sixteenth  was  due  to  "psychological  effect :"  the  con- 
tinued repeated  taking  of  the  remedy  with  a  definite  effect  in 


-■sutures  of  an  .  1 :  495 

view  helped  to  bring  about  that  effect.     I  agreed  with  him  and 

not  to  be  outdone  in  generosity  ottered  to  concede  more  even 
than  the  one-sixteenth  he  claimed,  say.  a  tenth,  to  his  psy- 
chotherapy. There  is  something-  in  kee]  patient 
'"amused."  witness  the  Placebo. 

After  the  above-mentioned  attack  of  "suspenderitis"  I  did  not 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  physician  for  many  years.  Through  my 
boyhood  Jamaica  ginger  was  my  one  remedy  till  reaching  what 
Kipling  calls  '"years  of  indiscretion."  1  substituted  whiskev  as 
my  panacea.  I  was  about  twenty  when  1  dropped  into 
of  Dr.  Malcolm  Macfarlan,  in  West  Philadelphia,  and  exhil 
an  inflamed  eye,  said.  "Is  it  catarrhal  conjunctivitis?"  With  a 
twinkle  of  his  eye.  he  said.  '"You  might  term  it  that.  I  should 
call  it  a  cold." 

At  our  last  meeting,  with  that  same  twinkle  of  the  eye  after 
advising  moderation  in  smoking,  he  produced  a  box  of 
and  we  had  a  charming  smoke  and  chat.  It  was  a  summer  after- 
noon and  for  once  there  were  no  patients  crowding  the  waiting- 
room.  As  I  left,  he  said.  "Drop  in  again,  drop  in  often."  "Rut." 
I  said,  "you  charge  me  a  dollar  a  'drop.'  '  "That  is  nothing," 
he  said,  "if  I  dropped  in  at  your  office,  you  would  charge  me, 
at  least,  five."  I  was  practicing  law  then.  He  never  took  my 
ills  very  seriously,  but  I  have  seen  him  fight  death  all  night  and 
win.  It  is  twenty-five  years  since  we  parted  that  summer  after- 
noon, but  I  shall  always  remember  him  with  affectionate  r<  g 
and  respect. 

Proceeding-  from  the  Law  to  the  ( iospel  and  coming  to  Cen- 
tral Pennsylvania  1  was  fur  ten  years  out  of  touch  with  Ho- 
moeopathy. Colds  in  the  head  led  me  to  take  it  up.  From  child- 
hood my  chief  affliction  had  been  these  colds.  I  had  two  or 
three  of  them  every  winter  :  life  was.  for  two  or  three  weeks  at 
a  time.*  one  snuffle,  sniffle  and  blow.  Distressing  catarrhal  se- 
quels added  to  the  misery.  Now  no  -elf-respecting  physician 
will  stoop  to  concern  himself  with  anything  so  insignificant  as 
a  cold  in  the  head  and  to  be  just  he  does  not  often  get  a  fair 
chance,  as  the  patient  does  not.  as  a  rule,  consult  him  until  the 
cold  is  pretty  well  advanced  and  colds  should  be  nipped  in  the 
bud. 


496  Adventures  of  an  Amateur. 

Consulting  the  ancestral  works  I  selected  a  rather  complete 
list  of  coryza  and  catarrh  remedies,  adding  a  few  for  rheuma- 
tism and  general  domestic  use.  This  was  thirteen  years  ago  and 
since  then  I  have  not  had  a  cold  in  my  head,  that  is.  for  more 
than  a  few  hours.  I  have  stopped  them  all  with  Aconite,  fol- 
lowed, in  some  cases,  by  Nux  vomica. 

Most  of  my  carefully  chosen  remedies  for  the  catarrhal  se- 
quels, which  had  afflicted  me  for  years,  dried  up  in  the  vials. 
Phosphorus  may  be  the  remedy  for  yellow  blood  stained  mucus. 
Hydrastis,  for  that  which  clots  where  the  nasal  passages  enter 
the  throat  and  dropping  down  causes  a  strangling  cough.  Graph- 
ites may  relieve  nasal  crusts,  but  I  do  not  know. 

I  have  given  to  many  of  my  friends  little  domestic  outfits,  a 
few,  ten  or  twelve,  polychrests  and  elementary  literature,  often 
only  the  little  "Medical  Index,"  given  gratis  by  Boericke  & 
Tafel,  and  urge  them  to  study  and  profit.  I  tell  them  to  use 
their  brains  and  that  one  reason  Homceopathy  is  not  more  pop- 
ular is  that  it  requires  some  intelligence.  My  "sphere  of  in- 
fluence" is  continually  widening,  it  extends  west  to  Chicago, 
south  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  east  to  Belgium  and  France. 
I  have  designs  on  San  Francisco,  to  reach  the  Pacific.  I  hear 
from  these  outfits  and  I  may,  in  other  articles,  tell  of  some  of 
the  things  I  hear. 

Many  of  my  friends  have  learned  to  stop  colds  with  Aconite, 
which  they  follow  with  different  remedies.  Two  have  found 
that  Mercurius  works  wonders  for  them.  One  when  his  son 
was  going  to  France  in  the  American  Field  Service  demanded 
that  his  outfit  should  include  "a  peck"  of  Mercurius  pellets.  "I 
want  him  to  have  enough,  he  can  keep  them  in  Paris,  get  him  a 
peck,"  were  the  instructions  he  gave  to  his  brother  who  was 
purchasing  the  outfit  in  New  York.  "He  used  to  use  two  hand- 
kerchiefs a  day,  for  years,  those  little  Mercurius  pills  cured  him, 
get  him  a  PECKl"  With  difficulty  he  was  persuaded  to  yield 
to  an  outfit  of  2,000  tablets  with  the  assurance  that  fresh  sup- 
plies could  be  sent  from  time  to  time. 

Different  people  may  need  different  treatment  and  all  colds 
are  not  the  same  cold.  There  is  one  specially  vicious  one  that 
attacks  me  at  once  in  a  while.  It  is  insidious,  beginning  generally 
late  in  the  evening.    You  feel  a  little  scratchiness  in  the  throat, 


Adventures  of  an  Amateur.  497 

which  may  mean  nothing.  Next  morning  you  wake  with  a  de- 
fined soreness  where  the  nasal  passages  enter  the  throat,  gen- 
erally one-sided.  I  at  once  prepare  twelve  doses  of  Aconite  3X — 
dilution,  I  have  no  faith  in  the  pellets,  as  they  dry  out — and  I 
take  this,  as  a  rule,  all  day.  The  next  day  I  take  a  few  doses 
of  Nux  vomica. 

Before  I  had  recourse  to  Homoeopathy  that  sort  of  a  cold  has 
driven  me  out  of  bed  to  sit  up  the  rest  of  the  night  treating  the 
painful  inflammation  of  the  facial  bones  with  mustard  plasters 
and  turpentine  liniment. 

The  best  literature  on  this  subject  that  I  have  encountered  is 
"Catarrh,  Colds  and  Grippe,"  by  Dr.  John  H.  Clarke ;  also  I  no- 
ticed in  Dr.  Stacy  Jones'  "Medical  Genius,"  p.  193,  his  "hobby 
for  a  cold"  and,  later,  found  that  Boericke  &  Tafel  had  a  com- 
pound cold  tablet  which  was  virtually  the  same  thing. 

As  a  rifle-man  I  had  but  scant  respect  for  shot-gun  marks- 
manship and  I  have  felt  somewhat  the  same  way  as  to  compound 
tablets,  but  I  was  tempted  to  try  these  {Aconite  2x,  Gelsemium 
$,  Nux  vom.  ix).  It  is  not  always  convenient  or  even  possible 
to  take  the  dilutions  and  these  tablets  are  very  convenient. 

I  have  given  them  to  a  number  of  people  to  experiment  and 
have  had  favorable  reports  from  one  old  school  physician,  one 
trained  nurse  and  several  laymen.  They  retain  their  efficacy  for 
at  least  six  months.  Further,  they  appeal  to  the  uninitiated  as 
having  a  bitter  taste  so  that  they  feel  they  are  taking  something. 
In  six  months  I  have  only  tested  them  once  myself,  with  very 
satisfactory  results.  I  find  that  not  only  has  Homoeopathy  cut 
my  colds  short,  but  has  probably  checked  the  tendency  to  take 
them. 

I  can  tell  of  much  more  remarkable  things  than  this  coryza 
therapy,  but  I  have  noticed  that  my  account  of  it  has  made  more 
impression  on  my  friends  who  are  allopathic  physicians  than 
some  of  the  other  cures  which  they  blithely  attribute  to  chance. 
I  have  one  friend,  a  surgeon,  who  is  a  therapeutic  nihilist.  I 
have  told  him  of  various  remarkable  cures  without  producing 
the  slightest  impression,  but  I  finally  made  a  dent  in  his  armor 
by  telling  him  of  my  catarrhal  history  and  relief.     I  concluded 


498  Sleep  and  Some  of  Its  Disorders. 

by  saying,  "I  have  not  had  a  cold  in  my  head  for  thirteen  years. 
In  view  of  the  history  of  my  case,  do-  you  not  think  that  is  very 
remarkable?"     He  said  simply,  "It  is,"  and  he  meant  it. 

Alexander  Renshaw  DeWitt. 
St.  James'  Rectory,  Muncy,  Pa., 
Oct.  20,  1917. 


SLEEP  AND  SOME  OF  ITS   DISORDERS* 
By  Dr.  John  Gaston,  Beaver  Falls,  Pa. 

Natural  sleep  is  that  condition  of  physiological  repose  in 
which  the  molecular  movements  of  the  brain  are  no  longer 
fully  and  clearly  projected  upon  the  field  of  consciousness; 
in  other  words,  sleep  is  a  regularly  recurring,  physiological 
depression  of  the  functional  activity  of  the  brain,  during  which 
the  exhausted  tissues  of  the  body  may  recuperate. 

Unconsciousness  is  not  necessarily  sleep.  H.  C.  Wood  dis- 
tinguishes as  follows :  Sleep  is  that  condition  of  unconscious- 
ness in  which  the  subject  is  readily  aroused,  and  when  aroused 
is  easily  kept  awake  by  external  stimulations  or  by  his  will- 
power; Stupor,  that  condition  in  which  the  subject  is  aroused 
with  great  difficulty  and.  when  left  to  himself,  relapse  into  un- 
consciousness ;  Coma,  that  state  in  which  it  is  impossible  by  ex- 
ternal irritation  to  restore  consciousness. 

Sleep  is  preceded  by  a  stage  of  weariness,  which  is  an  ex- 
pression of  the  failing  energy  of  the  brain ;  there  is  heaviness 
of  the  body  and  mind,  thoughts  flow  slowly  and  often  with  ap- 
preciable lack  of  clearness,  the  special  senses  are  dulled,  mus- 
cular fatigue  is  felt,  the  eyes  are  kept  open  with  difficulty,  and 
it  requires  a  strong  effort  of  will  to  overcome  evident  indis- 
position to  further  activity. 

The  hypnogogic  state,  the  stage  of  transition  from  waking  to 
sleeping,  is  characterized  by  a  consciousness  of  approaching 
rest ;  the  body  settles  into  a  position  of  comfortable  relaxation, 
the  eyelids  close,  the  special  senses  are  lulled 


*Read  before  the  Beaver  County  Homoeopathic  Medical   Society,  Aug. 
30,    1 91 7- 


Sleep  and  Some  of  Its  Disorders.  499 

There  is  at  first  an  exaltation  of  the  reflex  energy-  of  the 
spinal  cord,  as  shown  by  the  sudden  muscular  jerkings  in  per- 
sons who  are  exceedingly  tired  ;  soon  this  disappears. 

Of  the  special  senses,  that  of  hearing  remains  active  longest, 
in  part,  probably,  because  the  external  portion  of  the  organ  of 
hearing  remains  exposed  to  external  stimili.  Soon  the  power 
of  volition  ceases,  the  logical  association  of  ideas  is  temporarily 
lost,  as  are  also  the  reasoning  faculty  and  judgment,  and  the 
profound  unconsciousness  of  natural  sleep  prevails.  The  aver- 
age duration  of  sleep  is  about  eight  hours.  It  is  heaviest  dur- 
ing the  first  hour,  reaching  its  maximum  at  the  end  of  that  time ; 
during  the  next  hour  it  diminishes  rapidly;  during  the  next  five 
hours  it  constantly  grows  lighter,  and  vanishes  at  the  expiration 
of  about  eight  hours. 

Xot  only  have  scientific  experiments  (Kohlschuetter)  proven 
this,  but  universal  experience  emphasizes  the  statement  that  the 
first  sleep  is  the  heaviest  and  that  wakefulness  and  dreams  pre- 
vail during  the  early  hours  of  the  morning.  During  sleep  the 
respiratory  movements  are  reduced  nearly  one-fourth  in  fre- 
quency ;  they  are  more  largely  costal  than  diaphragmatic,  and 
the  act  of  inspiration  is  prolonged.  The  pulsations  of  the  heart 
are  reduced  ten  or  more  beats  to  the  minute  in  the  adults  and 
from  twelve  to  sixteen  or  more  beats  per  minute  in  children. 
The  temperature  is  lowered :  an  elevated  temperature  during 
sleep  always  indicates  a  pathological  condition  (Demme).  The 
secretions  are  diminished,  as  shown  in  the  comparative  dry- 
ness of  the  eyes  and  mouth  and  the  lessened  pathological  secre- 
tion of  nasal  catarrh :  the  amount  of  urine  and  other  excremen- 
titious  matter  is  also  much  less  during  sleep  than  during  waking 
hours.  There  is  a  lessening  of  the  amount  of  oxygen  absorbed 
and  of  carbonic  acid  gas  exhaled.  Whether  or  not,  the  brain  is 
ever  to  all  intents  and  purposes  fully  asleep,  without  a  single 
manifestation  of  intellectual  activity,  so  that  there  is  an  abso- 
lutely dreamless  sleep  is  still  an  open  question.  Some  high 
authorities  affirm  the  contrary  and  maintain  that  the  brain  is 
always  on  the  alert;  if  this  be  so,  the  profound  unconsciousness 
of  sleep  is  unreal  and  arises  simply  from  failure  of  memory. 
The  reduction  of  function  is  not  uniform  throughout;  the  func- 


500  Sleep  and  Some  of  Its  Disorders. 

tional  activity  of  one  organ  may  be  wholly  suspended,  while 
elsewhere  there  is  only  partial  cessation  of  function;  actual  in- 
crease beyond  that  which  characterizes  a  state  of  waking  may 
exist  in  some  part  of  the  body,  hence  the  phenomena  of  dreams 
and  somnambulism. 

Insomnia,  or  abnormal  wakefulness,  may  arise  from  irritation 
of  the  peripheral  portion  of  the  sensory  apparatus  or  from  cen- 
tral causes.  To  the  former  belong  irritation  of  the  organs  of 
special  sense,  which,  in  the  milder  and  transient  form,  rarely 
cause  more  than  passing  wakefulness.  Thus  the  action  of  light 
upon  the  eyes  disturbs  sleep.  This  is  easily  demonstrated  by 
the  inability  of  infants  to  sleep  when  exposed  to  a  bright 
light  and  the  readiness  with  which  adults  will  awaken  from 
sound  sleep  when  the  room  is  suddenly  illuminated  by  the  re- 
flection from  a  fire.  We  all  know  when  there  is  a  total  eclipse 
at  any  time  of  day,  the  whole  animal  world  to  compose  itself  to 
sleep.  The  sense  of  hearing  remains  comparatively  active  dur- 
ing sleep,  and  often  persons  who  are  otherwise  heavy  sleepers 
are  quickly  roused  by  noise. 

Heat,  especially  humid  heat,  is  an  enemy  of  sleep ;  witness  the 
hot,  exhausting,  sleepless  mid-summer  nights,  especially  with  a 
southern  wind. 

Cold,  if  extreme,  produces  stupor  and  death ;  if  severe,  it  ex- 
cites wakefulness;  if  pleasing,  it  favors  sleep.  All  people  nat- 
urally seek,  a  moderately  cool  room  for  a  sleeping  chamber ;  they 
are,  however,  kept  awake  by  cold  feet. 

Pain  is  a  very  common  cause  for  insomnia,  peripheral  or  cen- 
tral. The  former,  as  a  sting  of  insect,  etc.,  painful  itching  or 
neuralgia,  etc.  Colic,  respiratory  disturbances  are  examples  of 
the  latter. 

Treatment  of  Insomnia. — The  following  are  the  most  im- 
portant agents  used  in  the  treatment  of  insomnia:  Hot  baths, 
comfortable  to  patients,  not  to  exceed  ten  minutes :  Turkish 
baths,  with  shower  baths  and  massage,  are  excellent. 

Food. — Hot,  nourishing  food  in  cases  caused  by  exhaustion. 
Milk,  heated,  salted,  and  partly  predigested.  Koumyss.  Egg- 
noggs,  meat  juices. 

Should  not  take  tea,  coffee,  at  noon  or  night. 


Sleep  and  Some  of  Its  Disorders.  501 

Cold  Sitz  baths  are  sedative,  900  to  6o°  temperature,  grad- 
ually decreased  to  6o°. 

Remedies. — Aconite,  Bryoina,  Cham.,  Coifea  crud.,  Cyclamen, 
Gel.,  Hyos.,  Ignaiia,  Kali  carb.,  Nux,  Opium,  Phos.,  Plat.,  Puis., 
Kali  phos. 

Hypnotics. — No  other  class  of  drugs  is  so  abused  by  medi- 
cal men  who  are  ever  ready  to  humor  the  whims  of  a  patient  re- 
gardless of  their  real  interests.  In  cases  where  their  employ- 
ment is  based  upon  actual  necessity  they  prove  a  blessing. 

Paraldehyde,  45  to  160  grs.,  is  one  of  the  most  reliable  hyp- 
notics when  insomnia  arises  from  cerebral  hyperemia  not  from 
pain.  It  neither  causes  primary  excitement  nor  cardiac  de- 
pression. On  account  of  its  disagreeable  taste  the  following 
is  a  good  formula  :  Paraldehyde,  grs.  20 ;  spts.  100 ;  Simple  Syrup, 
75  ;  Tincture  Vanilla  5.  Of  this  mixture  each  ounce  contains 
45  grs.  of  Paraldehyde,  this  can  be  dissolved  still  further  by 
sweetened  water. 

Chloral  Hydrate — from  exhaustion  of  nerve  centers,  20-30  grs. 
in  water,  preferably  peppermint  water,  followed  in  one  hour  by 
20  grs.  more,  if  necessary. 

Opium. — When  due  to  pain.  Morphia  sulph.,  better  with  ad- 
dition of  Atropin  1-120  to  1-100  to  T/\  gr. 

From  over-excitement,  etc. — Bromides. 

Lithium  Bromide.  20  grs.,  every  1  to  2  hours. 

Sodium  Bromide,  30-40  grs.,  every  2  hours. 

Calcium  Bromide,  20  grs.,  every  1  to  2  hours. 

Potassium  Bromide,  30-40  grs.,  every  2  hours. 

Narcolepsy  is  a  neurosis  characterized  by  an  overwhelming  de- 
sire to  sleep,  of  short  duration,  and  occurring  at  irregular  in- 
tervals. 

Somnambulism  is  a  condition  of  sleep  and  unconsciousness  in 
which  the  subject  performs  acts  which  seem  to  involve  the  ex- 
ercise of  consciousness  and  volition ;  in  other  words,  it  is  a  dream 
carried  into  action.  Unlike  dreams  this  occurs  in  the  early  sleep, 
when  sleep  is  most  profound.  This  undoubtedly  explains  why  the 
memory  takes  no  cognizance  whatever  of  the  occurrence. 

The  most  important  forms  are  somnambulistic  lethargy — a  con- 
dition which  outwardly  resembles  deep  sleep,  lasting  from  hours 


•-- 


502  Sleep  and  Some  of  Its  Disorders. 

to  weeks  and  months.  May  have  lucid  intervals.  Complete  un- 
consciousness. 

Somnambulic  dreams  are  more  common,  and  differ  from  the 
ordinary  dreams  in  that  they  are  acted  out.  The  night  terrors 
of  children  belong  here. 

Acts  of  violence  are  often  done  when  in  this  state.  May  get 
up  out  of  bed,  hears  a  noise,  grasps  a  gun,  and  may  prove  fatal 
to  anyone  in  the  house.  When  fully  awake  he  knows  nothing 
of  the  occurrence.  In  other  cases  he  may  get  out  of  bed,  walk 
about  as  though  perfectly  conscious  of  his  acts,  often  performs 
startling  feats,  climbing,  writing,  sewing,  playing  musical  in- 
struments, etc.  The  eyes  may  be  closed  or  opened.  He  may 
obey  a  command  to  go  back  to  bed  or  he  may  not,  but,  after 
a  time,  obeys. 

Somnambulic  life  is  a  rare  condition  in  which  our  subject  ap- 
pears like  any  other  person.  Seemingly  in  possession  of  all  his 
faculties,  but  has  periods  during  which  he  lives  an  existence 
wholly  distinct  from  his  normal  life,  these  states  being  divided 
from  each  other  by  a  more  or  less  complete  break  in  the  chain 
of  memory.  To  this  class  belong  the  cases  of  individuals  who 
get  lost  and  are  found  at  great  distances  from  home  or  who  re- 
turn home  after  having  traveled  over  extensive  territory,  hav- 
ing done  business  with  experienced  men  who  saw  nothing  ab- 
normal in  their  appearance  or  actions.  Who  in  every  way  be- 
haved like  persons  who  knew  what  they  were  about  and  yet  re- 
membered absolutely  nothing  of  what  occurred  during  the  en- 
tire period. 

One  case  of  a  young  lady  falling  into  a  long  and  profound 
sleep  without  any  warning.  When  she  awakened  from  the  sleep 
it  was  found  she  had  lost  every  trace  of  acquired  knowledge. 
It  became  necessary  for  her  to  begin  learning  all  over  ag*ain, 
reading,  spelling,  etc.  She  gradually  improved.  When  she, 
after  a  few  months,  had  a  second  fit  and,  on  arousing  from  it, 
she  found  herself  restored  to  the  state  in  which  she  was  before 
the  first  paroxysm. 

The  hypnotic  state  in  somnambulism  is  artificially  produced. 

Arndt,  Nash,  Pierce. 


Operation  Not  Needed  in   These  Two  Cases.  503 

OPERATION    NOT   NEEDED   IN  THESE 
TWO   CASES. 

Editor  of   the  Homoeopathic   Recorder. 

Three  weeks  ago  a  woman  whose  hair  is  frosted  with  over  63 
winters  was  referred  to  me.  Around  the  nipple  of  her  left 
mamma  was  a  cake  which  seemed,  from  palpation,  to  be  half  an 
inch  in  depth  and  one  inch  in  diameter,  a  doughnut,  so  to  speak, 
encircling  the  nipple  (which  was  decidedly  retracted),  while  there 
was  no  actual  pain  there  was  a  decided  discomfort.  I  could 
not  find  any  lymphatic  enlargements  and  otherwise  than  a  mus- 
cular discomfort  in  the  left  hip  and  an  obstinate  constipation 
with  a  white,  flabby  tongue,  she  seemed  all  right.  She  had  no 
use  for  the  homoeopathic  doctors  and  had  appealed  to  a  real  reg- 
ular, who  referred  her  promptly  to  a  surgical  friend,  who,  in 
turn,  advised  ablation  of  the  breast  at  once.  My  friend  recom- 
mended me  as  a  specialist  on  tumors  and  so  she  came  to  me. 
Introducing  Elix.  of  Gentian  I  put  one  ounce  of  Tr.  Phytolacca 
and  directed  her  to  take  a  tablespoonful  three  times  a  day.  Saw 
her  in  two  weeks,  the  induration  almost  entirely  gone,  nipple 
retraction  much  improved,  bowels  moving  without  her  accus- 
tomed pills,  hip  pains  better,  a  delighted  and  grateful  patient 
and  another  triumph  for  the  pokeberry. 

By  the  way,  I  wish  to  supplement  my  article  on  Bry.  in  ap- 
pendicitis by  the  following  case,  to  wit :  Was  called  to  see 
Helen,  a  lass  of  fourteen,  who  had  been  suffering  for  three  or 
four  days  with  severe  pains  in  abdomen.  Attending  physician 
had  given  Bry.  3d  for  two  days  (every  two  hours)  and  then 
changed  to  Bell.  Temperature  had  been  1040  and  persisted 
around  102°.  Bryonia  seemed  indicated,  I  found  the  right  rec- 
tus abdomen  very  hard  and  tense  around  McBurney's  point,  was 
a  perceptible  elevation  and  a  decided  tumor,  irregularly  circular 
and  two  inches  in  diameter. 

I  put  a  powder  of  Bry.  200  on  her  tongue.  Diagnosed  ap- 
pendicitis, and  expressed  the  opinion  that  an  operation  would 
be  imperative  the  next  day  if  there  was  no  improvement.  She 
had  several  paroxysms  of  severe  pain  in  the  next  two  hours  and 
then  went  to  sleep,  and  slept  well  into  the  next  morning.  \\ "hen 
I  arrived  after  10  A.  M.,  twenty  miles  away,  I  found  her  tem- 
perature 99,   but  I   could  not  find  the   periappendix   induration 


504  A  New  Indian  Homoeopathic  Journal. 

and  she  did  not  wince  upon  deep  and  firm  pressure,  her  tem- 
perature was  normal  by  evening  and  she  was  up  and  around  the 
next  day.  The  attending  physician  had  the  right  remedy,  but 
not  the  right  potency,  was  in  error  when  changed  to  Bell.,  and 
this  case  illustrates  an  important  point  in  prescribing,  viz.,  change 
your  potency  and  not  your  remedy  when  patient  fails  to  respond 
to  the  apparently  indicated  drug. 

In  my  first  case  I  do  not  claim  to  have  cured  a  cancer,  but  I 
did  dispose  of  a  condition  for  which  the  surgeons  would  have 
performed  an  operation,  mutilated  the  patient  and  made  claims 
to  another  victory  for  early  extirpation,  or  else  (if  she  has  the 
cancerous  taint)  they  would  unanimously  have  fanned  the  car- 
cinomatous spark  into  a  raging  pathological  flame.     Selah. 

Joseph  E.  Wright,  M.  D. 

Westfield,  N.  J. 


A  NEW  INDIAN   HOMCEOPATHIC  JOURNAL. 

Editor  of  the  Homozopathic  Recorder. 

The  Recorder  is  a  blessing  to  me.     I  am  anxiously  awaiting 

the  mail  every  month.  I  have  been  taking  some  of  the  articles 
for  my  own  vernacular  journal,  which  is  yet  only  four  months 
old.  Homoeopathy  here  is  in  the  beginning,  but  we  expect  a  good 
and  prosperous  future,  as  Bengal  is  sending  out  learned  and  sound 
Homoeopaths  every  year.  As  a  whole,  India  is  more  suitable  soil 
for  this  system,  as  the  poverty  of  the  masses  does  not  allow  them 
to  go  to  the  old  school,  which  is  too  dear,  and  that  especially  in 
these  days  of  war.  The  public,  both  lay  and  professional,  ad- 
mires Homoeopathy  in  Bengal  and  there  it  is  very  hard  to  prac- 
tice the  other  system.  Punjab  is  very  backwards  and  yet  only 
a  start  is  made.  There  are  only  a  few  charitable  dispensaries 
and  a  small  number  of  the  physicians  who  are  practicing  this 
science.  Besides  this  all,  we  have  got  a  bright  future  and  quite 
recently  a  society  under  the  name  of  the  Punjab  Homoeopathic 
Society  has  been  organized.  May  it  prove  a  representative  body 
of  the  whole  profession.  If  possible,  please  take  the  trouble  of 
mentioning  these  facts  in  any  corner  of  your  esteemed  monthly. 

Sewah  Gingh, 
Editor  "The  Homoeopathic  Doctor," 
New  Street,  Rawalpindi,  Punjab,  India. 


A  Chorea  Case.  505 


A  CHOREA  CASE. 

Editor  of  the  Homeopathic  Recorder. 

A  short,  slender,  mildly  disposed,  newly  married  brunette,  set. 
17,  with  irregular  catamenia,  had  been  attacked  with  slight  fever 
the  second  day  of  her  honeymoon,  which  subsided  the  next  day, 
giving  place  to  violent  chorea.  Regulars  had  treated  her  for 
twelve  days  without  being  able  to  give  her  any  relief — even  to 
induce  sleep  when  absolutely  necessary  by  injecting  Morphia  or 
giving  sleeping  draughts.  An  Homoeopath,  it  is  said,  cured  her 
afterwards  with  Stram.  and  Ars. 

After  three  months  the  girl,  with  her  father,  left  her  hus- 
band's place  for  her  paternal  home.  On  the  way  she  felt  fever- 
ish, the  same  day  and  took  Quinine.  The  fever  subsided  in  the 
next  morning  and  chorea  in  a  very  violent  form  developed.  As 
she  could  not  proceed  further,  she  halted  here  at  the  house  of  a 
relative.  Her  father  gave  her  Bell.,  Stram.  and,  Ars..  but  with- 
out any  effect. 

When  I  was  called  in,  I  found  her  thus :  "Lying  on  back  with 
eyes  shut,  but  opened  spasmodically  with  the  jerking  of  the 
body;  very  restless;  constant  twitching  and  jerking  of  the  whole 
body,  especially  the  right  side;  rubbing  her  head  occasionally 
against  the  pillow ;  blue  circles  round  the  eyes ;  face  pale  and 
earthy;  uterus  and  right  ovary  enlarged  and  sensitive  to  press- 
ure; unwilling  or  incapable  to  answer  when  questioned;  <  by 
pressure  on  both  the  toes ;  >  by  rubbing  the  head,  especially  the 
forehead  with  the  hand." 

Tarent.  Hisp.  30  was  given  and  she  fell  asleep  within  half  an 
hour.  She  slept  the  whole  night,  but  with  occasional  twitching 
of  the  limbs.  Choreic  movements  appeared  again  as  soon  as  she 
woke  up  the  next  morning.  When  I  saw  her  again  the  follow- 
ing symptoms  were  present: 

"Extensive  jerking  and  twitching  of  muscles;  quivering  and 
trembling  of  every  part  of  the  body  and  limbs ;  chilliness ;  un- 
willingness to  be  uncovered;  jerking  and  twitching  of  the  eyes 
like  pendulum ;  constant  attempt  to  rub  the  right  nose  with  the 
hand ;  back  and  neck  sensitive  to  touch."  Agar,  was  given,  but 
without  any  improvement.    Her  father  and  the  relative  gave  her 


506  A  Chorea  Case. 

Bell.,  Am.  and  Cina,  which  also  made  no  impression  and  she 
passed  a  sleepless  night. 

Next  morning  the  following  symptoms  were  noticed:  "Con- 
vulsive movements  of  the  eyelids ;  twitching  of  the  corners  of 
the  face ;  constant  attempt  to  rub  the  right  nose  with  the  hand ; 
face  pale  and  cold  with  a  fixed,  staring  look ;  tongue,  when  put 
out  on  request,  was  not  caught  between  the  teeth ;  >  when  walk- 
ing and  eating ;  around  the  mouth  pale  and  bluish ;  cheeks  red ; 
feverish ;  whole  body  seemed  bruised ;  twitchings  began  mostly 
in  the  fingers."  Cup.  met.  and  Ign.  werq  given,  but  she  passed 
the  night  without  sleep. 

Next  day  the  following  symptoms  were  prominent :  "Men- 
tal state  timid,  nervous  and  anxious ;  anxious  for  reaching  home ; 
itching  of  the  nose  increased ;  around  the  mouth  pale  and  bluish ; 
words  seemed  to  be  jerked  out;  started  with  jerking  of  mus- 
cles and  continued  day  and  night ;  chorea  even  at  night ;  drink- 
ing and  eating  arrested  the  spasms  to  some  extent ;  muscles  of 
the  body  sore ;  yellowness  of  the  forehead  ;  head  feverish  and 
coldness  of  hands  and  feet;  chorea  even  at  night;  <  morning 
and  evening  and  in  open  air;  <  on  waking;  <  from  walking; 
chilliness  ;  unwilling  to  be  uncovered."  Canst.  30  was  given  and 
she  was  found  better.  Shei  left  for  her  destination  in  the  after- 
noon. As  I  w7as  going  out  of  the  town,  we  traveled  together. 
After  the  administration  of  two  doses  of  Canst,  she  fell  asleep 
She  slept  soundly  up  to  12:30  in  the  night  with  no  occasional 
starting,  jerking  or  twitching  as  before.  The  jolting  and  jerk- 
ing of  the  train  did  not  rouse  her.     At   12:30.   when  she   was 

roused  at  the  station  of  L for  changing  the  train,  choreic 

movements  appeared,  but  in  a  very  mild  form.  She  was  then 
left  in  charge  of  her  father  with  three  doses  of  Canst.,  to  be 
given  next  day  and  we  were  separated. 

I  heard  nothing  of  her  till  her  father  wrote  the  following  let- 
ter to  her  relative  here : 

"At  L up  to  1  A.  M.  she  had  no  sleep,  so  at  that  time 

I  gave  her  the  sleeping  draught  (  ?)  I  had  brought  with  me. 
Under  its  influence  she  slept  soundly  up  to  the  next  morning. 

Form  L to  C she  had  the  spasm  again.     And  on 

our  arrival  at  our  lodging,   she  became   cheerful   although   the 


A  Call  for  Help.  507 

spasms  continued.     In  the  evening  Dr.  M (a  regular)  was 

called  in.  As  he  was  to  leave  the  station  for  three  days  he  ad- 
vised me  to  have  her  under  homoeopathic  ( ?)  treatment  till  his 
return.  Therefore  after  consulting  my  medical  books  I  gave 
her  a  dose  of  Cup.  m.  3  at  8  P.  M.  At  about  8:30  P.  M.  she 
fell  asleep  and  did  not  wake  up  before  3  A.  M.  On  her  waking 
she  had  the  spasm  again  in  a  very  violent  form ;  so  another  dose 
of  Cup.  m.  was  given  at  about  3  :3c  She  again  fell  asleep.  In 
the  morning,  you  will  be  surprised  to  hear,  she  had  no  complaints 
at  all.  So  I  myself  have  been  astonished  at  the  wonderful  ef- 
fect of  this  medicine.  And  even  now  I  am  not  certain  whether 
the  cure  was  really  due  to  the  effect  of  the  medicine  or  to  the 
exhilarating  company  of  her  mother  and  sisters  on  to  the  com- 
bined effects  of  both." 

Now,  Air.  Editor,  I  shall  be  glad  to  know  the  opinions  of  you 
and  the  readers  of  the  Recorder  as  to  whether  chorea  in  this 
case  got  well  of  itself,  or  by  Cup.  m.  or  Canst.  As  for  myself 
I  am  of  opinion  that  Jahr  is  vindicated  and  so  think  with  him 
that  it  is,  at  all  events,  remarkable  that  such  an  accidental  nat- 
ural cure  should  always  take  place  a  short  time  after  the  ad- 
ministration of  Canst. 


G.  Rave. 


Gauhati,  Assam,  India,  Dec.  14,  1915. 


A  CALL  FOR  HELP. 

Editor  of  the  Homceopathic   Recorder. 

Please  inform  me  what  drugs  have  the  symptoms  : 

Feeling  as  of  water  trickling  down  the  back  of  his  head. 

Upon  slightest  exertion  a  creeping  sensation  of  the  scalp,  or 
in  the  scalp,  accompanied  by  extreme  bodily  exhaustion. 

Great,  extreme  exhaustion,  can't  walk  a  block :  ditto  mental 
exhaustion,  can't  think  at  all. 

All  in  a  man  of  35,  well  nourished,  stout  and  apparently  in 
good  health. 

No  organic  trouble  anywhere.  All  this  has  been  coming  on 
gradually  for  ten  years  or  more.  Intellect  not  impaired.  No 
blood  disease. 

Information  would  be  greatly  appreciated. 


508     Why  the  "Irregular"  Is  the  Real  Scientific  Physician. 

Second  Case. — Woman  of  about  30,  constant  heavy  pain  on 
top  of  head  with  spots  of  soreness  on  scalp,  pain  often  extends 
to  forehead.     Six  years  standing,  never  entirely  free  from  pain. 

Belladonna  helped  a  trifle,  nothing  else  of  benefit.  No  dis- 
ease of  any  kind,  possibly  some  trifling  womb  trouble  without 
discomfort. 

Advice  greatly  appreciated. 

Fraternally, 

A.  R.  Wittke,  M.  D. 

170  Broadway,  Denver,  Colo. 


INFINITESIMALS. 

Editor  of  the  Homceopathic  Recorder. 

Your  editorial,  "Infinitesimals,"  in  the  current  number  of  The 

Homceopathic  Recorder,  ought  to  be  printed  in  pamphlet  form 
and  sent  to  every  physician  in  the  country.  Too  little  is  known 
of  the  fundamental  principle  of  our  school  even  by  many  claim- 
ing to  belong  to  it.  You  are  absolutely  right  in  every  particular. 
Sincerely, 

Wm.  Jefferson  Guernsey,  M.  D. 
Frankford,  Phila.,  Pa. 


WHY  THE   "IRREGULAR"  IS  THE  REAL 
SCIENTIFIC  PHYSICIAN. 

The  following  is  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Geo.  L.  Servoss,  edi- 
tor of  the  Western  Medical  Times,  a  clipping  from  a  longer 
article : 

"We  of  the  regular  school  have  been  too  hide-bound  in  our 
ideas  relative  to  drugs,  their  actions,  uses  and  applications. 
We  have  formed  too  much  of  a  habit  of  going  about  with  our 
noses  so  elevated  as  to  be  unable  to  see  that  which  has  been 
at  our  feet.  We  have  formed  a  mental  corporosity  which  has 
interfered  with  our  seeing  our  toes,  and  in  consequence  we 
have  tripped  over  the  unnoticed  in  a  good  many  instances. 
In  our  treatment  of  things  therapeutic  we  have  relied  upon 
the  laboratory  and  not  upon  real  common  sense  to  too  great 
an  extent.     We  have  been   destructive,    rather   than   construe- 


Why  the  "Irregular"  Is  the  Real  Scientific  Physician.     509 

tive,  both  in  our  ideas  and  actions.  We  have  been  too  prone 
to  find  fault  without  any  real  scientific  foundation  upon  which 
to  base  such  fault.  We  have  been  too  prone  to  listen  to  others 
rather  than  to  make  investigations  on  our  own  initiative.  In 
fact,  in  some  quarters,  the  individual  initiative  would  be  wiped 
out  completely  and  we  would,  if  they  would  have  their  way,  carry 
on  our  practice  upon  the  basis  of  their  thoughts,  rather  than 
upon  our  own.  We  would,  in  other  words,  be  the  'office  boys' 
of  the  self-constituted  authorities.  We  would  do  nothing  un- 
less they  said  so,  and  then  only  as  they  said. 

"It  has  been  the  lack  of  the  scientific  (complete)  knowledge 
which  has,  within  recent  years,  played  havoc  with  the  pro- 
fession as  a  whole.  We  have  been  told  we  were  know  nothings 
until  we  have  about  concluded  that  such  is  the  truth.  That 
is,  some  of  us  have.  We  have,  following  the  foot-steps  of  the 
self-constituted  censors  and  authorities,  gone  on  and  on  in 
our  career  of  therapeutic  destruction  until  now  chaos  reigns. 
That  this  is  true  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  one  of  our  leading 
medical  schools  has  determined  to  drop  the  department  of  ma- 
teria medica  and  therapeutics  from  its  curriculum,  saying  that 
nothing  is  of  avail,  or  words  to  that  effect,  other  than  surgery. 
It  tells  us,  in  almost  as  many  words,  that  drugs  are  of  no  avail 
and  that  our  patient  will  either  recover  or  die,  no  matter  what 
effort  may  be  made  by  us  through  the  use  of  drugs.  In  other 
words,  this  school  would  destroy  the  very  foundation  of  the  prac- 
tice of  internal  medicine,  the  relief  of  the  sick.  It  is  not  a  diag- 
nosis of  his  condition  that  interests  the  sick  individual,  as  a  rule, 
but  that  something  which  will  bring  him  back  to  normal,  and 
in  the  quickest  possible  manner.  He  is  not  particularly  inter- 
ested in  the  etiologic  factors  of  his  disease,  but  in  that  which 
will  wipe  out  the  cause  and  make  him  a  well  man.  He  is  not 
going  to  be  satisfied  with  being  told  what  ails  him  and  then  al- 
lowed to  lie  quietly  and  allow  nature  to  take  her  course,  good  or 
bad.  Not  by  any  manner  of  means.  He  is  going  to  insist  upon 
attention  '  from  the  scientific  physician,  the  man  who  can  not 
only  make  a  diagnosis  through  recognition  of  the  cause  and 
pathology,  but  one  who  knows  how  to  apply  those  remedies 
which  will  meet  the  indications  in  the  case.     He  will  have  no 


510  The  Art  of  Prescribing. 

use,  absolutely  no  use,  for  the  destructive  physician,  the  man 
who  would  let  him  lie  and  die  because  of  lack  of  proper  thera- 
peutic knowledge/' 


THE   ART  OF   PRESCRIBING. 

Xo  greater  fallacy  exists  than  that  ''keynote''  prescribing 
so-called  is  careless.  It  requires  far  greater  insight  into  our 
materia  medica  to  have  at  our  finger  ends  the  characteristic 
symptoms  of  our  important  remedies  than  to  mechanically  work 
out  nearly  every  case  which  presents  itself.  As  the  violinist 
practices  daily  upon  his  chosen  instrument,  repeating  and  re- 
peating the  same  exercises,  so  should  the  prescriber  study  ma- 
teria medica.  While  it  is  admitted  that  the  picture  of  a  drug's 
general  action  should  be  thoroughly  impressed,  the  character- 
istics must  be  committed  to  memory.  Frequent  self-quizzing 
is  essential  to  the  attainment  of  this. 

Failure  to  appreciate  the  great  importance  of  characteristics 
often  leads  to  failure  in  selecting  the  proper  remedy.  I  remem- 
ber a  cardio-nephritic  case  which  had  been  worked  out  at  great 
length  by  an  excellent  materia  medicist  without  the  proper  rem- 
edy having  been  selected.  The  symptoms  were  as  follows :  Great 
weakness  and  exhaustion,  dyspnoea,  scanty  albuminous  urine, 
aggravation  about  midnight,  fear,  restlessness  and  relief  from 
heat.    Arsenicum  album  was  indicated  and  helped  much. 

Several  weeks  ago  I  had  a  female  patient  in  my  office  and 
after  long  questioning  I  had  not  arrived  at  a  conclusion  as 
to  the  remedy.  I  was  becoming  discouraged,  when  she  emitted 
a  deep  sigh.  This  led  to  the  consideration  of  Ignatia.  This 
single  keynote  pointed  to  the  remedy  which  covered  the  case 
in  its  totality,  and  the  result  proved  the  remedy  to  be  correct. 
This  indicates  how  necessary  it  is  that  we  obtain  (7//  the  symp- 
toms from  a  patient,  otherwise  the  characteristics  may  be  missed. 
Nothing  is  more  foreign  to  my  mind  than  approval  of  snap- 
shot prescribing  without  due  consideration  of  the  totality  of  the 
symptoms.  ,  If  it  were  not  for  characteristics  or  keynotes,  how- 
ever, to  guide  the  way  as  the  signs  along  the  road  point  to  the 
direction  of  an  objective  point,  the  task  of  the  homoeopathic 
prescriber  would  be  hopeless  and  Homoeopathy  would  crumble 
by  weight  of  its  own  inadaptability. 


The  Art  of  Prescribing.  511 

Ordinarily  the  modalities  rank  first  in  importance,  next  sen- 
sations, and  then  location.  This  relation  was  impressed  on  my 
mind  when  I  was  a  student.  It  was  the  custom  of  the  late  Dr. 
Henry  M.  Dearborn,  that  great  dermatologist,  to  assign  stu- 
dents to  cases  appearing  at  the  dispensary.  We  were  supposed 
to  diagnose  and  suggest  remedies.  A  fellow-student  and  my- 
self were  sent  out  of  the  lecture  room  with  a  patient.  We  diag- 
nosed her  case  as  herpes  zoster,  but  were  undecided  as  to  the 
remedy.  The  character  of  the  lesions,  vesicular,  suggested  Rhus 
to.v.,  but  the  modality,  relief  of  burning  and  itching  by  appli- 
cation of  heat,  pointed  to  Arsenicum.  We  concluded  to  let  Dr. 
Dearborn  decide.  That  keen  observer,  quick  and  accurate  pre- 
scriber,  selected  Arsenicum  because  of  the  amelioration  of  heat. 
The  case  progressed  more  rapidly  than  any  he  had  ev^  seen. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  in  some  cases  the  characteristics 
ir ay  be  found  under  sensation,  as  the  feeling  of  hard  boiled  egg 
in  the  stomach  of  Abies  niger,  or  under  location,  as  the  purple, 
protruding  piles  (P.  P.  P.)  of  JEsculus,  or  the  triangular  red 
tip  of  the  tongue  of  Rhus  tax.,  etc.  The  last  symptom  is  a  pure 
keynote.  Red  tip  of  tongue  is  found  under  a  number  of  rem- 
edies, but  triangular  red  tip  under  Rhus  to.v.  alone.  I  have  ob- 
served this  symptom  many  times,  but  the  great  modalities  of 
this  remedy  ;  relef  from  motion,  aggravation  on  first  beginning 
to  move  with  relief  from  continued  motion,  aggravation  in  damp 
weather  or  a  low  form  of  restless  delirium  were  present.  As 
the  cases  improved  in  their  totality  so  would  the  red  triangle 
proportionately  diminish,  but  would  not  fade  entirely  until  all 
the  symptoms.,  had  disappeared.  The  relief  from  exercising  in 
the  cool,  open  air  of  Pulsatilla,  the  aggravation  from  motion  of 
Bryonia,  the  aggravation  of  the  cough  and  dyspncea  on  sitting 
up  of  Laurocerasus,  the  aggravation  of  the  skin  symptoms  from 
the  heat  of  the  bed  and  from  washing  of  Sulphur  are  familiar 
examples  of  the  great  importance  of  the  modalities  in  prescrib- 
ing.— Extract  from  D.  E.  S.  Coleman's  paper,  read  at  A.  I.  H., 
Rochester. 


512  The  Dietetics  of  Sound  Wine. 


THE   DIETETICS  OF   SOUND  WINE. 

"Since  the  recent  death  of  Professor  Landouzy  there  has  ap- 
peared in  the  Journal  de  Medicine  de  Bordeaux  a  letter  from 
him  addressed  privately  to  a  colleague  who  has  written  in  the 
first  year  of  the  war  asking  advice  on  the  attitude  that  should 
be  taken  by  medical  men  to  the  public  discussion  concerning  the 
use  of  wine  by  the  troops.  The  Academy  of  Medicine  was  then 
about  to  issue  a  resolution  to  the  effect  that  the  fighting  men 
should  receive  daily  a  ration  of  wine,  but  high  authorities  and 
public  opinion  alike  were  disturbed  by  fears  of  alcoholism,  which 
were  set  forth  in  a  number  of  speeches  and  letters,  and  in  dili- 
gently compiled  statistics.  Landouzy,  in  his  letter,  stated  that 
he  haxl  been  suspect  on  account  of  his  consistent  refusal  to 
marcrr  under  the  banner  of  the  abstainers.  'Abstention  is  every- 
where, particularly  under  the  sky  of  France,'  he  wrote,  'a  scien- 
tific, economic,  and  historical  heresy.'  He  deprecated  the  con- 
fusion between  the  'alcoholism'  of  the  northern  countries  of 
Europe  and  the  metabolic  effect  of  a  quantum  of  French  wine 
supplied  pure  and  unadulterated,  adding  his  opinion  that  'nat- 
ural wine  ought  to  be  given  its  place  in  the  alimentary  hygienic 
and  economic  ration ;  the  ration  of  wine  must  be  measured  out  in 
doses  in  the  same  way  that  albumin,  carbohydrates,  sugar,  and 
fats  are  measured.'  To  Landouzy  the  best  way  of  teaching  the 
nation  to  beware  of  alcoholism  was  to  instruct  the  children  in 
rational  alimentation.  He  thought  that  every  Frenchman  could, 
with  advantage,  drink  daily  with  his  meals  a  litre  of  natural 
wine,  which,  at  the  price  of  30  or  40  centimes,  would  supply  him 
with  50  calories  daily  at  a  price  seven  times  less  than  that  of  the 
same  number  of  calories  from  the  butcher.  This  would  be  of 
benefit  to  the  Frenchman  individually  and  to  the  country  at  large 
commercially,  although  he  deprecated  too  close  a  connection  be- 
tween commercialism  and  wine  production.  Through  indus- 
trialism the  pure-wine  merchant  was  too  often  replaced  by  the 
'liquoriste'  and  the  vender  of  'vin  maquille.'  The  correspond- 
ence thus  started  continued  for  some  time,  with  the  result  that 
the  Academy  of  Medicine  passed  unanimously  their  resolution 
approving  of  the  introduction  into  the  regulation  ration  of  the 


Some  Therapeutic  Uses  of  Carduus  Mariae.  513 

soldier  of  the  same  quantity  of  natural  wine  as  sanctioned  in  the 
Navy.,  with  the  precaution  that  where  the  authorities  provided 
wine  for  the  soldier  he  should  not  be  able  to  obtain  it  elsewhere." 
— Lancet. 


SOME  THERAPEUTIC  USES  OF 
CARDUUS   MARIAE. 

By  J.  Aebly,  M.  D.,  Zurich,  Switzerland. 

Carduus  mariae,  according  to  Rademacher,  is  a  remedy  that 
acts  on  both  the  liver  and  the  spleen  equally  well.  It  will,  there- 
fore, heal  many  diseases  dependent  on  primary  diseases  of  one 
or  both  of  these  organs.  It  was  Rademacher's  great  abdominal- 
remedy,  with  which  he  cured  many  obscure  diseases  resulting 
from  primary  abdominal  derangements,  especially  congestions 
of  the  vena  portse  and  viscerae  belonging  to  it. 

There  is  especially  one  condition  where  Rademacher  and  many 
other  physicians  since  his  time  have  used  the  remedy  with  very 
good  success,  i.  e..  in  gallstone-colic.  Concerning  this,  R.  says : 
"No  remedy  equals  it  in  relieving  the  acute  exacerbations  of 
gallstones."  He  gives  no  special  symptoms  indicating  the  rem- 
edy in  preference  to  other  remedies.  It  might  seem  too  wide 
and  undefined  an  indication.  I  think,  however,  that  it  might  be 
given  a  fair  trial  in  cases  where  no  other  remedy  seems  clearly 
indicated,  for  R.  was  a  very  good  and  critical  observer,  who 
would  not  have  given  such  an  indication,  if  he  had  not  found  it 
reliable  in  his  practice. 

I  have  seen  it  work  very  well  on  several  occasions,  and  I  would 
rely  on  it  again  if  I  had  not  very  clear  indications  for  another 
remedy  such  as,  e.  g.,  Chelidonium,  Magnesia  phos.  or  other, 
which  work  well,  too,  if  they  are  indicated.  The  dose  is  5  to 
10  drops  frequently  repeated  (every  quarter  hour  to  half  hour) 
until  the  pains  lessen.    Then  it  should  be  given  less  frequently. 

J.  C.  Burnett,  the  famous  Homceopathist,  advised  Hydrastis 
as  the  very  best  remedy  for  gallstone-colic  he  had  found,  hav- 
ing succeeded  with  it  where  every  other  remedy  failed.  He  gave 
ten-drop  doses  of  the  strong  tincture  of  Hydrastis  in  very  warm 
water  every  half  hour.  I  have  not  used  this  remedy,  having 
been  satisfied  with  Carduus  and  preferring  an  indigenous  rem- 


514  Notes  By  the  Way. 

edy  to  an  imported  one,  as  being  more  easily  accessible.  But 
speaking  of  gallstone-colic,  I  thought  it  good  to  give  the  opin- 
ion of  such  a  man  with  great  experience  as  was  Burnett. — El- 
lingwood's  Therapeutist. 


NOTES   BY  THE   WAY 
By  Eli  G.  Jones,  M.  D.,  1404  Main  St.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

In  my  journey  from  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  to  Chattanooga,  Tenn., 
I  met  a  man  on  the  train  from  New  Orleans,  La.  His  face 
looked  like  a  "War  Map"  of  France.  It  seems  that  he  had  suf- 
fered fearfully  with  neuralgia  of  the  face ;  as  fast  as  one  nerve 
would  become  affected  the  doctors  would  cut  it  out,  until  his 
face  was  all  scarred  up. 

What  a  pity  it  is,  with  all  the  remedies  in  the  Materia  Medica 
for  neuralgia,  that  a  man  has  to  be  mal  treated  in  this  way! 
I  had  a  letter  from  Dr.  Wallace  McGeorge,  Camden,  N.  J. 
In  thanking  me  for  my  article  on  "The  Hand  as  an  Instrument 
of  Diagnosis"  in  The  Recorder,  he  says : 

"I  have  educated  my  sense  of  touch,  and  the  lighter  you  touch, 
the  more  you  will  find  in  many  cases.  I  have  tried  to  impress 
on  my  nurses  and  the  internes  that  the  hand  is  the  best  ther- 
mometer. Frequently  I  have  demonstrated  to  the  nurses  that 
when  the  thermometer  indicates  1010  or  1030  the  limbs  and 
feet  would  be  very  cold  and  clammy.  I  try  to  get  the  internes 
to  use  their  ears  to  get  natural  sounds  in  the  chest,  and  not  the 
stethoscope,  which  accentuates  the  sounds  too  much." 

The  above  paragraph  is  worthy  the  attention  of  all  our  phy- 
sicians, for  it  is  the  candid  opinion  of  one,  the  most  eminent 
physician  in  N.  J.,  a  Visiting  Physician  to  the  hospital  in  Cam- 
den, N.  J. 

When  we  find  that  the  doctors  in  our  large  hospitals  are  only 
right  half  the  time  in  their  diagnosis,  what  can  you  expect 
of  the  rank  and  file  of  the  profession?  The  hospitals  in  our 
metropolitan  cities  are  supposed  to  be  the  place  where  a 
medical  student  can  go  and  learn  how  to  diagnose  dis- 
ease and  how  to  heal  the  sick !  The  five  senses,  seeing,  hearing, 
touching,  smelling  and  tasting,  were  all  given  us  by  the  Creator 


Notes  By  the  Way.  515 

to  help  us  diagnose  diseases,  but  the  average  physician  has 
never  been  taught  how  to  use  these  senses.  "He  has  ears  to 
hear,  but  he  hears  not ;  eyes  to  see,  but  he  sees  not." 

The  human  hand  is  the  most  delicate,  the  most  sensitive  in- 
strument for  diagnosis  that  can  be  devised  by  the  mind  of  man, 
when  it  has  been  educated,  and  it  should  be  the  business  of  every 
doctor  to  educate  his  hands,  have  his  eyes  at  his  finger's  end, 
then  he  can  by  this  sensitive  touch  detect  the  slightest  variation 
in  the  pulse,  and  be  able  to  tell  what  it  means.  When  you  can 
do  that,  dear  reader,  you  will  lead  all  the  other  doctors  in  your 
locality. 

Dr.  T.  L.  Brown,  Galion,  O.,  writes  me  about  a  case  of  "Cancer 
of  the  breast  in  an  old  lady,  aged  82  years.  A  large  scirrhus 
cancer;  it  was  ulcerated  and  measured  six  inches  in  its  shortest 
diameter.  Several  physicians  had  examined  the  patient  and  re- 
fused to  touch  the  case,  because  they  called  it  past  cure.  Dr. 
Brown  treated  the  case  with  the  treatment  in  my  Cancer  book 
and  cured  it." 

In  reading  the  pulse  of  a  patient,  it  gave  me  the  impression 
of  considerable  weakness,  and  it  would  intermit  about  every 
third  beat.  I  said  to  her,  "You  feel  all  tired  out,  you  are  all 
in."    She  said,  "That  is  just  the  way  I  feel." 

That  condition  of  the  pulse  in  a  middle-aged  person,  or  one 
passed  the  middle  age,  calls  for  Strychnia  sulph.,  gr.  1-40,  be- 
fore each  meal. 

Remember  there  are  about  fifty  diseases  that  will  have  a 
pulse  weak,  either  too  fast  or  too  slow,  showing  weakened  vital- 
ity and  weak  nerve  power.  If  you  raise  the  "nerve  power."  the 
vitality  of  the  patient,  so  that  the  pulse  beats  with  a  normal 
stroke,  you  have  got  a  strong  hold  on  the  disease  and  the  sick 
person  is  on  the  road  to  recovery.  This  may  not  be  Homoe- 
opathy, but  it  is  plain,  common  sense.  When  you  examine  a  pa- 
tient don't  try  to  think  of  all  the  diseases  that  your  patient  might 
have,  but  read  the  pulse  and  it  will  not  only  tell  you  of  the  con- 
dition of  your  patient,  but  also  what  remedy  is  indicated.  I  have 
had  patients  that  appeared  to  be  drifting  into  consumption.  They 
had  profuse  greenish  expectoration  from  down  low  in  the  chest, 
as  if  it  came  from  midsternum,  pain  through  to  the  shoulders, 


5J6  Notes  By  the  Way. 

with  exhausting  night-sweats  and  great  weakness.  I  put  four 
grains  Iodide  Potash  in  four  ounces  water,  give  one  teaspoon- 
ful  once  in  three  hours. 

The  above  remedy,  when  given  in  the  above  condition,  can 
be  depended  upon.  In  chronic  enlargement  of  the  testicles  (one 
or  both)  if  there  is  pain  in  cord  and  testicle,  worse  at  night 
and  on  the  right  side,  Aurum  met.  4x  is  the  remedy,  three  tab- 
lets three  times  a  day. 

A  headache  that  begins  at  nape  of  neck,  extends  over  to  ver- 
tex, more  on  right  side,  aggravated  by  cold  air,  noise,  light 
and  study,  relieved  by  being  wrapped  up,  warm,  calls  for  Silicea 
6x,  three  tablets  once  in  three  hours. 

In  that  form  of  vomiting,  where  the  patient  vomits  undigested 
food  soon  after  eating,  don't  forget  Ferri  phos.  3X,  three  tab- 
lets once  an  hour. 

In  reading  some  of  the  newspapers  published  in  our  large 
cities,  you  will  read  letters  from  the  people  asking  for  a  cure 
for  rheumatism,  neuralgia,  catarrh,  stomachache,  and  many  of 
the  most  common  ailments.  These  papers  are  published  in  cities 
where  there  are  medical  colleges  that  are  supposed  to  teach 
young  men  and  women  how  to  heal  the  sick.  Yet  we  find  that 
the  people  have  to  appeal  to  the  daily  press  for  help  to  cure 
the  most  common  diseases.  This  is  no  credit  to  our  profession, 
but  should  make  every  honest  physician  blush  for  shame  that 
such  a  condition  exists. 

I  read  an  editorial  not  long  ago  in  the  Journal  of  the  A.  M.  A. 
It  said,  "We  are  the  scientific  school  of  medicine  and  it  is  for 
us  to  dictate  what  remedies  the  people  shall  have."  Well  if 
that  day  ever  comes  that  the  people  have  to  depend  upon  the 
remedies  of  the  regular  school  when  they  are  sick,  then  I  say, 
"God  help  the  people!" 

Dr.  Lydston,  a  regular  physician,  has  sounded  a  warning  to 
the  profession  as  well  as  the  public,  when  he  says,  'The  attempt 
by  certain  medical  monopolists  to  'corner'  everything  pertaining 
to  medicine  and  surgery  in  the  U.  S.  is  so  flagrant  that  it  is 
marvelous  that  the  rank  and  file  of  the  profession  does  not  wake 
up.  Medical  schools,  health  boards,  medical  journalism,  medical 
publishing,    medical    advertising,    medical    appointments    of    all 


Notes  By  the  Way.  51/ 

kinds,  the  medical  octopus  is  after  them  all  and  is  likely  to  get 
them  all  while  the  profession  sleeps." 

Did  you  ever  go  shopping  with  your  wife?  A  wise  man 
stayeth  at  home,  but  the  "foolish  man  goeth  where  she  listeth." 
Manv  a  man  has  been  railroaded  to  the  insane  asylum  by  mis- 
take, when  he  had  only  been  shopping  with  his  wife.  It  was 
"Bargain  Day"  in  the  5  and  10  cent  store,  everything  marked 
down  to  98  cents ! 

Did  you  ever  look  over  the  file  of  Recorders  for  the  year? 
If  not,  you  will  be  surprised  how  many  good  things  you  can 
glean  from  the  twelve  numbers.  The  Homoeopathic  Recorder 
is  a  practical  journal,  progressive,  ''up  to  date."  You  get  articles 
everv  month  from  men  who  are  doing  things  in  their  profession. 

I  like  the  Editorials  in  The  Recorder.  Dr.  Anshutz  is  one 
of  the  most  able  writers  we  have,  his  Editorials  are  right  to  the 
point,  he  is  not  afraid  to  write  just  what  he  thinks  in  plain,  sim- 
ple language,  that  "he  who  runs  may  read."  Our  relations 
as  Editor  and  Contributor  have  been  exceedingly  pleasant  to  me. 


Enlargement  of  the  prostate  in  old  men  is  supposed  to  almost 
invariably  result  in  the  later  stages  in  so  retarding  the  passage 
of  urine,  as  to  be  constantly  accompanied  with  residual  urine  of 
sufficient  irritating  properties  from  its  decomposition,  to  result 
if  time  be  sufficient,  in  purulent  cystitis.  Good  authorities  are 
claiming  that  very  much  of  this  result,  if  not  all  of  it,  is  due  to 
the  carelessness  of  the  old  man  himself.  He  does  not  take  pains 
to  thoroughly  evacuate  his  bladder.  It  takes  a  little  extra  effort 
which  he  will  not  exercise,  and  he  allows  himself  to  be  satisfied 
with  an  only  partial  discharge  of  the  urine.  By  this  means,  the 
inability  is  increased.  A  paresis  results,  the  fluid  naturally  de- 
composes, and  serious  results  follow.  Every  man  of  sixty  or 
above  should  be  informed  on  this  subject  and  take  pains  by 
careful  effort  to  keep  his  bladder  free  from  urine,  in  accordance 
with  nature's  demands. — EIHngzvood's  Therapeutist. 


518  Specialists'  Department. 

THE  SPECIALISTS1  DEPARTMENT. 


EDITED   BY  CLIFFORD  MITCHELL,   M.   D. 
25  East  Washington  St.,  Chicago,  111. 

Pernicious  Vomiting  in  Molar  Pregnancy. — A  remarkable  case 
of  pernicious  vomiting  has  recently  come  under  the  observation 
of  the  writer.  The  patient  was  in  her  second  pregnancy,  at  the 
age  of  27,  and  began  vomiting  in  the  third  month,  coming  under 
observation  for  persistent  vomiting  in  the  fourth  month. 

On  the  13th  of  September  a  specimen  of  the  patient's  urine 
being  forwarded  to  the  writer  it  was  found  that  she  was  passing 
only  500  c.c.  in  24  hours,  of  a  deep  red  color,  of  specific  gravity 
1024,  and  of  acid  reaction,  70  degrees. 

A  singular  feature  of  the  case  was  that  in  spite  of  the  presence 
of  acetone  and  diacetic  acid  in  abundance,  the  ratio  of  urea  to 
ammonia  was  normal,  31  to  one.  Albumin  was  present,  in  plain 
traces,  not  enough  to  measure  in  the  Esbach  tube  and  there  were 
many  long  straight  tube  casts  of  the  coarsely  granular  variety. 

The  writer  made  a  diagnosis  of  pernicious  vomiting  and  ad- 
vised that  the  patient  be  put  in  a  hospital  and  kept  under  care- 
ful observation  and  treatment. 

This  was  done  and  two  weeks  later  another  specimen  of  urine 
was  obtained  from  her,  the  analysis  of  which  was  remarkable 
for  the  great  variety  of  pathological  findings,  the  most,  so  far 
as  I  can  recall,  ever  found  in  one  specimen  of  urine  by  me. 

The  quantity  in  24  hours  was  500  c.c.  as  before,  but  the  color 
was  a  lighter,  brighter  red  and  the  appearance  cloudy  with  a 
copious  sediment.  When  shaken  the  foam  was  distinctly  yel- 
low from  traces  of  bile.  The  urobilin  reaction  was  also  positive 
with  zinc  acetate.  Albumin  was  still  present  as  before,  and  there 
were  a  moderate  number  of  tube  casts  as  before.  But  in  addi- 
tion there  was  present,  this  time,  hemoglobin,  and  red  blood  cor- 
puscles in  fair  quantity.  The  acetone  bodies  were  plenty  as  be- 
fore. Urea  was  normal,  but  creatinine  greatly  increased  in  per- 
centage. In  spite  of  the  acidosis  the  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia 
was  2i  to  t,  the  favorable  ratio  beins:  largely  due  to  the  normal 


Specialists'  Department.  519 

percentage  of  urea.  The  titration  acidity  was  also  better,  being 
only  38  degrees. 

By  way  of  treatment  the  patient,  on  the  advice  of  Dr.  Fitz 
Patrick,  was  given  three  times  daily  a  pint  of  an  alkaline  solu- 
tion by  rectal  injection,  with  the  hips  raised,  so  as  to  permit  the 
solution  to  flow  into  the  colon.  The  alkaline  solution  contained 
in  each  pint  one  drachm  each  of  the  sulphate  of  soda,  phosphate 
of  soda,  and  bicarbonate  of  soda. 

A  few  days  later  the  analysis  showed  320  c.c.  of  urine  in  24 
hours,  of  alkaline  reaction,  containing  a  slight  trace  of  albumin, 
a  few  casts,  a  slight  acetone  reaction,  a  moderate  ferric  chloride 
reaction,  urea  and  creatinine  diminished,  and  ammonia  very  low, 
the  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  being  130  to  1.  Bile  and  urobilin 
were  still  slightly  in  evidence,  but  no  blood. 

A  day  or  two  later  the  patient  expelled  an  hydatidiform  mole, 
the  mass  of  villi  cysts  being  about  one  quart  in  volume. 

This  interesting  case  goes  to  show  that  pernicious  vomiting 
may  take  place  in  molar  pregnancy,  but  that  the  acidosis  is  not 
necessarily  accompanied  by  a  low  urea-ammonia  ratio,  the  per 
cent,  of  urea  being  relatively  high  in  this  case  right  along. 

This  case  was  also  interesting  for  the  presence  of  bile  products 
in  the  urine,  and  for  the  large  number  of  tube  casts,  possibly  due 
to  irritation  of  the  kidneys  by  the  bile  though  they  were  dis- 
covered in  number  before  the  bile  was  in  evidence. 

The  alkaline  treatment  seemed  to  affect  favorably  the  acetone 
bodies,  bile,  urobilin,  albumin,  and  casts  and  also  to  diminish 
the  concentration  of  the  urine. 

The  blood  in  the  urine  appeared  to  come  from  the  uterus,  as 
the  patient  was  flowing  at  times. 

Toren's  Deduction. — Dr.  J.  A.  Toren,  of  Chicago,  in  discussing 
this  case  of  molar  pregnancy  with  the  writer  holds  that  a  plausi- 
ble deduction  from  this  observation  of  the  normal  urea-ammonia 
ratio  would  be  that  possibly  the  end  product  of  protein  meta- 
bolism in  the  fetus  is  ammonia  rather  than  urea.  He  thinks  also 
that  it  would  be  interesting  to  study  some  cases  where  the  fetus 
is  known  to  be  dead  with  view  to  ascertaining  whether  the  ratio 
of  urea  to  ammonia  rises,  or  not,  from  the  level  ascertained  be- 
fore the  death  of  the  fetus.  It  is  even  possible  that  the  ratio 
might  be  of  some  diagnostic  value  in  cases  of  fetal  death. 


520  Specialists'  Department. 

The  Glycosuria  of  Pregnancy. — In  our  studies  of  the  toxemia 
of  pregnancy  in  connection  with  a  low  urea-ammonia  ratio  we 
have  often  discovered  sugar  in  the  urine,  fermentable  by  yeast, 
sometimes  in  amount  enough  to  measure  with  the  Einhorn  sac- 
charimeter.  This  sugar  disappears  after,  the  child  is  born,  and 
is  not  affected  necessarily  by  diet,  nor  is  it  advisable  to  pay  any 
attention  to  it,  if  it  remains  small  in  amount. 

We  notice]  that  Addis,  in  his  article  on  the  early  recognition 
of  diabetes,  regards  this  sugar  found  in  the  urine  of  pregnancy 
as  indicating  renal  diabetes  and  he  is  strongly  opposed  to  dieting 
the  pregnant  patient. 

Our  Test  for  Diabetic  Toxines. — In  a  previous  number  of  the 
Recorder  we  made  the  claim  to  the  discovery  of  a  chemical  test 
which  would  enable  us  to  detect  approaching  death  in  diabetes. 
In  three  cases  death  took  place  in  a  few  days  from  the  time  in 
which  the  peculiar  reaction  was  obtained.  In  the  fourth  case  the 
patient  lived  a  year,  but  was  always  in  bad  condition  in  spite  of 
the  Allen  treatment  and  that  of  various  hospitals  and  sani- 
tariums. The  test  would  appear  therefore  to  show  that  a  case 
is  a  severe  one  of  a  refractory  nature,  fatal  in  a  short  time 
though  not  so  short  as  appeared  from  our  experience  with  the 
first  three  cases  in  which  the  test  was  positive.  All  the  patients 
who  have  not  yet  manifested  the  peculiar  reaction  in  the  urine 
are  doing  well.  We  think,  therefore,  that  the  test  is  of  prog- 
nostic value,  inasmuch  as  we  would  not  extend  the  hope  of  many 
years  of  life  to  any  one  in1  whose  urine  it  was  positive.  The  re- 
action is  rarely  positive,  hence  we  claim  it  to  be  significant  from  . 
our  clinical  experience  with  it. 

Detection  and  Estimation  of  a  Small  Quantity  of  Sugar  in 
Urine. — We  are  much  interested  in  discovering  the  cause  of  the 
numerous  positive  reactions  with  Benedict's  test  liquid  which 
we  encounter.  Our  per  cent,  of  positive  reactions  is  very  much 
greater  than  that  of  Addis,  who  has  recently  reported  his  find- 
ings in  the  American  Medical  Association  journal.  This  we 
attribute  to  our  technique  which  is  a  modification  of  the  orig- 
inal, based  upon  experience  with  diabetic  urines  especially  of 
those  patients  from  whose  urine  the  sugar  is  disappearing  under 
the  Allen  treatment.     We  follow  the  sugar  with  a  new  technic 


Specialists'  Department.  521 

which  makes  the  Benedict  solution  more  delicate  than  the  orig- 
inal^technic,  namely,  using  the  water  bath.  The  Einhorn  fermen- 
tation saccharimeter  seems  to  measure  small  quantities  of  sugar 
fermentable  by  yeast  more  promptly  and  definitely  than  other 
means.  The  polariscope  is  of  no  value  in  our  hands  in  most 
urines  containing  a  small  fraction  of  one  per  cent,  of  sugar. 
Benedict's  quantitative  solution  fails  to  show  the  characteristic 
chalk-white  precipitate  in  urines  of  normal  color  containing  a 
fraction  of  one  per  cent,  of  sugar  leaving  the  end  reaction  a 
dirty  whitish  brown,  which  grows  browner  as  more  urine  is 
added,  hence  if  the  end  reaction  presupposes  a  chalk-white  pre- 
cipitate this  is  not  possible  to  obtain.  In  a  specimen  recently 
received  we  found  0.53  per  cent,  at  the  end  of  24  hours'  fermen- 
tation with  the  Einhorn  saccharimeter,  0.33  per  cent,  with  the 
Weidenkaff  mercury  saccharimeter,  0.7  per  cent,  with  the 
Roberts'  differential  density  fermentation  method,  0.83  per  cent, 
with  Benedict's  quantitative  (assuming  the  first  appearance  of 
the  dirty  whitish  brown  to  be  the  end  reaction),  and  no  rotation 
whatever  with  the  polariscope.  The  urine  was  from  a  diabetic 
who  not  long  ago  had  two  per  cent,  of  sugar  in  his  urine. 

The  polariscope,  however,  helped  us  in  one  case  in  which  for 
several  years  we  had  obtained  plain  traces  of  sugar  and  which 
we  had  thought  to  be  glucose,  but  the  polariscope  showed  a 
laevo-rotatory  reducing  body. 

The  Ratio  of  Urea  to  Ammonia. — Continuing  our  studies  of 
the  clinical  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  we  find  in  our  card  index 
cases,  T  to  Z,  inclusive,  that  there  were  37  patients  in  whose 
urine  we  calculated  this  ratio,  making  in  all  55  analyses.  There 
were  20  males  and  17  females.  The  ratio  was  below  20  to  1  in 
only  9  analyses,  that  is  in  only  16  per  cent.,  substantiating  our 
constant  claim  that  a  ratio  below  20  to  1  is  relatively  rare  and 
worth  investigation. 

%  The  ratios  between  20  and  30  to  1  were  17  in  all,  or  31  per 
cent.  Above  30  to  1  there  were  29  in  all,  or  52  per  cent.  Below 
15  to  1  there  were  3  and  the  lowest  ratio  found  was  11  to  I. 

Of  the  17  women  whose  urine  was  examined  6  were  known 
to  be  pregnant,  9  not  pregnant  and  the  rest  unknown  as  to  con- 
dition. 


522  Specialists'  Department. 

Of  the  urine  of  the  pregnant  women,  6  in  number.  14  analyses 
were  made,  of  which  the  greater  number  showed  a  ratio  of  urea 
to  ammonia  between  20  and  30  to  1,  namely,  8,  or  57  per  cent. 

Between  15  and  20  to  1  there  were  3.  and  also  3  below  15  to 
1,  making  43  per  cent,  of  those  below  20  to  I  in  the  case  of 
pregnant  women.  In  the  case  of  non-pregnant  women  there 
were  9  patients  and  13  analyses.  Above  30  to  1  there  were  9,  or 
70  per  cent.  Between  20  and  30  to  1  there  were  only  3,  and 
below  20  to  1  only  1. 

Hence  our  often  reiterated  statement  that  if  in  the  urine  of  a 
young  and  healthy  woman  the  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  is  per- 
sistently below  20  to  1,  the  suspicion  of  pregnancy  is  raised. 

In  the  case  of  20  males  whose  urine  was  examined  the  ratios 
ran  higher  than  in  the  case  of  the  women,  as  is  usually  found. 
The  highest  ratio  found  was  200  to  1  in  the  case  of  a  neuras- 
thenic man  who  drank  freely  of  water.  Only  8  out  of  2j  analy- 
ses of  the  men's  urine  showed  ratios  below  30  to  1,  and  only 
three  below  20  to  1,  these  three  being  19  to  1  each. 

Therapeutic  Deductions  From  the  Physiology  of  Digestion. — 
In  a  paper  read  at  Rockford,  111.,  before  the  Northwestern  Ho- 
moeopathic Medical  Society,  Dr.  Julius  A.  Toren,  of  Chicago, 
reasoned  as  follows :  We  must  consider  that  it  is  the  free  acid 
in  the  chyme  which  (1)  liberates  secretin,  thus  starting  pan- 
creatic secretion  and  which  (2)  starts  intestinal  secretion, 
thereby  (3)  liberating  enterokinase  necessary  for  activation  of 
trypsinogen  and  which  (4)  causes  the  ejaculation  of  bile. 

From  these  considerations  wre  make  the  following  deductions : 
a  normal  acidity  of  the  gastric  juice  is  absolutely  essential  to 
proper  digestion  not  only  in  the  stomach,  but  also  throughout 
the  gastro-intestinal  tract  as  well.  Without  normal  acidity  we 
have  impaired  digestion  of  one  or  more  classes  of  foodstuffs  with 
consequent  putrefaction  of  undigested  proteins  and  accompany- 
ing train  of  symptoms :  gaseous  disturbances  and  accompanying 
pain  and  discomfort,  interference  with  respiration,  rumbling,  pas- 
sage of  flatus,  and  other  forms  of  embarrassment. 

There  are  two  common  forms  of  indigestion :  carbohydrate 
and  protein.  Carbohydrate  indigestion  is  commonly  due  either 
to  (1)  retention  of  acid  in  stomach  from  previous  meal  (which 


Specialists'  Department.  523 

consequently  kills  ptyalin)  in  which  form  stomach  symptoms 
predominate  or  else  (2)  it  is  due  to  the  intimate  admixture  of 
fat  with  carbohydrate  (e.  g.,  buttered  toast)  in  which  case  the 
ptyalin  is  unable  to  reach  the  starch  because  the  fatty  envelope 
has  not  been  digested  (since  this  digestion  can  not  take  place 
in  the  stomach)  on  account  of  the  inability  of  gastric  steapsin 
to  digest  any  but  emulsified  fats.  In  this  latter  case  intestinal 
symptoms  predominate. 

Carbohydrate  indigestion  is  the  usual  cause  of  gaseous  dis- 
tention of  the  gastro-intestinal  tract. 

The  prime  essential  to  proper  protein  digestion  is  secretion 
of  an  ample  amount  of  HC1. 

Given  a  normal  HC1  content  of  the  chyme  and  we  have  not 
only  normal  gastric  proteolysis,  but  also  normal  intestinal  pro- 
teolysis, because  of  the  fact  that  the  excess  of  acid  in  the  chyme 
starts  the  secretion  of  the  other  juices  essential  to  complete 
proteolysis. 

In  the  case  of  starch  indigestion  the  gas  producing  organisms 
are  yeasts  and  moulds.  In  protein  indigestion  gas  forming  bac- 
teria are  the  offending  agents  and  none  of  these  micro-organ- 
isms can  multiply  in  the  gastro-intestinal  tract  of  an  individual 
who  has  a  normal  HC1  chyme. 

The  only  circumstances  under  which  a  person  with  a  normal 
acid  chyme  can  have  gas  is  in  the  case  of  retention  of  chyme 
from  a  previous  meal  (pyloric  stenosis,  gastroptosis,  dilatation 
of  the  stomach,  etc.),  in  which  case  ptyalin  being  killed  by  re- 
tained acid  the  carbohydrates  are  free  to  ferment. 

If  we  have  an  arm  which  is  weaker  than  its  mate  we  do  not 
put  it  in  a  sling  to  make  it  stronger,  yet  practically  this  is  what 
nine  out  of  every  ten  persons  who  have  deficient  protein  diges- 
tion to  to  their  stomachs.  That  is  to  say,  they  drop  protein 
foods :  this  is  just  what  they  should  not  do.  The  stomach  is  an 
organ  with  selective  secretion  and  its  secretion  is  stimulated  by 
certain  special  constituents  of  protein  foods,  e.  g.,  extractives  of 
meat.     The  more  protein  the  more  HC1,  and  conversely. 

My  method  of  handling  these  cases  of  protein  indigestion  is 
to  increase  the  protein  food,  thereby  calling  on  the  stomach  to 
increase  its  activity,  meanwhile  augmenting  the  individual's  en- 


524  Specialists'  Department. 

feebled  secretion  by  the  necessary  amount,  mathematically  cal- 
culated, of  HC1  to  give  him  a  normally  acid  chyme ;  then  the 
protein  is  gradually  increased  and  the  acid  gradually  withdrawn. 
The  concomitant  admixture  of  excess  of  Na  CI  furnishes  an 
abundance  of  CI  for  the  manufacture  of  HC1.  All  fats  must 
be  reomved  from  the  dietary  because  they  inhibit  gastric  secretion. 
Carbohydrate  indigestion  is  to  be  attacked  from  the  stand- 
point of  etiology.  Prohibition  of  admixture  of  fat  with  carbo- 
hydrate is  essential  in  many  cases.  If  the  carbohydrate  indiges- 
tion is  due  to  retained  chyme  in  the  stomach  (as  shown  by  analy- 
sis, the  x-ray,  physical  examination,  etc.)  this  factor  must  be 
eliminated:  (pyloric  stenosis,  operation;  gastroptosis,  properly 
fitted  abdominal  support;  dilatation  of  stomach;  operation). 


"That  much-abused  man,  the  family  practitioner  and  the  gen- 
eral medical  man  has  been  told  in  no  uncertain  terms  that  he  is 
entirely  unfitted  to  manage  a  case  of  syphilis,  medical  or  genital. 
It  has  been  proposed  seriously  that  medical  colleges  shall  ap- 
point a  special  professor  of  syphilis,  and,  wonderful  to  state, 
that  professor  should  also  be  the  professor  of  dermatology.  And 
yet  if  syphilis  is  so  intimately  associated  with  the  lesions  of  the 
various  vital  organs  of  the  body,  as  the  heart  and  arteries,  if  the 
earliest  manifestation  of  disease  is  found  in  functional  incapacity 
of  an  organ,  how  on  earth  can  such  cases  be  handled  intelligently 
by  anyone  but  a  man  well  versed  in  general  medicine.  It  is  said 
by  one  syphilographer  arguing  this  question  for  himself  and  col- 
leagues that  'syphilis  in  our  hospitals  is  forced  to  take  its  chance 
in  the  medical  wards.'  In  my  opinion,  that  is  just  where  they 
should  be,  for  that  is  the  part  of  a  well-conducted  hospital  where 
examinations  of  patients  are  most  thoroughly  conducted." — Dr. 
Clarence  Bartlett. 


Gaucher  (Bull,  dc  VAcad.  de  Med.)  describes  a  number  of 
shallow  fissures  on  the  tongue  the  result  of  a  mild  poisoning  by 
syphilitic  toxins.  The  characteristic  tongue  fissures  are  best 
seen  when  the  papillae  are  smoothed  down  to  the  lingual  surface. 
As  a  whole,  they  run  longitudinally  but  many  run  transversely 
or  obliquely.  The  fissures  at  the  margin  of  the  tongue  are  usu- 
ally the  deepest. 


Homoeopathic    Recorder 

PUBLISHED  MONTHLY  AT  LANCASTER,  P±- 

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E.  P.  ANSHUTZ,  M.D.,1011  Arch  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

EDITORIAL   NOTES   AND    COMMENTS. 

Is  There  a  Fatigue  Toxin? — So  queries  the  Journal  of  the 
A.  M.  A.  Every  reader  of  current  medical  literature  knows  that 
some  of  the  modern  wise  men  of  medicine  have  said  that  there 
is  a  "f atigue  toxin ;"  in  fact,  very  learned  articles  have  been 
written  on  it.  Current  medicine  is  founded  on  antitoxins.  Find 
the  toxin,  make  an  antitoxin  and,  behold !  the  ultima  thule  of 
the  curative  art.  So  runs  the  logic.  But,  it  seems,  from  the 
Journal  A.  M.  A,  this  is  now  questioned.  Of  course  every  one 
knew  the  truth  before,  all  but  the  wise  men,  but  no  one  dared 
say  nay.  The  episode  recalls  a  child's  story  we  once,  and  still, 
admire.  There  was  a  great  king.  In  the  modern  slang  he  was 
IT.  Certain  shrewTd  weavers  came  along  and  told  the  king  that 
they  could  weave  him  garments  the  like  of  which  was  never 
seen  before.  The  king  ordered  the  garments.  They  who  looked 
and  could  not  see  were  the  ignorant.  The  weavers  went  to 
work.  The  court  was  agog.  The  weavers  weaved.  They  said 
their  work  was  beautiful.  So  did  the  king,  so  did  the  court. 
Still  the  weavers  weaved  on  until  the  garments  were  finished. 
The  king  was  clothed  in  them.  The  court  applauded  and  the 
whole  of  them,  headed  by  the  king,  went  in  a  procession  to  show 
the  king's  wonderful  new  clothes  to  his  loyal  subjects.  The 
subjects  who  had  heard  of  the  garments  also  applauded  until  a 
little  child  exclaimed,  "Why,  mamma,  the  king  is  naked!" 

A  Boil  Specific?— The   following  extract  from  a  letter   reads 


526  Editorial. 

like  an  old-fashioned  patent  medicine  advertisement,  but  as 
Echiarra  is  a  standard  tincture  it  is  a  legitimate  comment  on 
that  drug.  The  writer  is  an  Episcopalian  clergyman,  but  as  his 
letter  was  not  addressed  to  the  Recorder,  we  merely  copy  it 
for  the  l.enefit  of  ail : 

"Please  send  me  two  ounces  of  Echinacea  angustifolia.  For 
the  past  eight  years  I  have  suffered  much  with  boils.  I  have 
tried  all  medicines ;  have  been  inoculated  three  times ;  the  boils 
continued,  many  of  them  serious  enough  to  put  me  in  the  hos- 
pital.    Finally  the  Rev.  ,  of  ,   advised  the  above 

medicine  and  got  me  two  ounces.  I  have  been  taking  it  for 
four  weeks,  and  have  had  three  little  boils,  so  small,  in  fact,  that 
in  comparison  with  the  others  that  they  can  hardly  be  dignified 
with  that  name.  I  believe  that  two  more  ounces  will  make  the 
cure." 

It  may  be  inferred  from  this  that  Echinacea  should  be  taken 
in  material  doses,  5  to  io  drop::  of  the  tincture,  2  or  3  times  a 
day,  or  continued  for  several  week's.  There  is  no  doubt  but  that 
Echinacea  is  a  great  remedy  for  septic  conditions.  It  might  be 
even  a  wonderful  prophylactic  if  we  knew  more. 

"The  Bulletin."— The  Recorder  welcomes  "The  Bulletin,  pub- 
lished by  the  Chicago  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society.  Vol.  1. 
No.  1.  October,  1917."  Our  esteemed  friend,  Doctor  Clifford 
Mitchell,  is  Editor-in-Chief,  assisted  by  an  Editorial  Committee 
of  Four.  This  number  contains  16  pages,  7^x5.  No  subscrip- 
tion price  is  given.  We  hope  the  little  journal  will  not  be  like 
"The  Flowers  That  Bloom  in  the  Spring,  tra !  la !"  but  will  out- 
grow its  present  limit  of  the  Chicago  Society  and  become  a 
stout  homoeopathic  journal   for  all. 

A  New  Book. — The  final  forms  of  the  second  edition  of  New, 
Old  and  Forgotten  Remedies  are  now  on  press  and  the  bound 
volume  ought  to  be,  out  by  the  time  this  Recorder  reaches  its 
readers.  The  second  edition  runs  somewhere  near  608  pages, 
full  of  interesting  and  useful  matter.  The  price  will  be  $3.50, 
post-paid  on  receipt  of  price,  by  the  publishers,  Boericke  & 
Tafel. 


Editorial.  527 

A  New  Contributor. — We  print  the  first  of  "Adventures  of  an 
Amateur,"  by  the  Rev.  Alexander  R.  DeWitt,  in  this  issue  of 
the  Recorder,  with  the  promise  of  more  to  follow.  This  one  is 
interesting  and  may  be  useful  to  those  who  are  not  past  masters 
in  homoeopathies.  Homoeopathy  is  not  so  firmly  established  that 
it  can  afford  to  ignore  the  help  of  intelligent  and  scholarly  men 
like  Mr.  DeWitt.  We  hope  our  readers  will  give  the  new  con- 
tributor a  hearty  welcome. 

Inaccurate  Physicians. — Public  Health  Reports  quotes  Dr. 
Haven  Emerson,  Health  Commissioner  of  New  York  City,  as 
follows:  "If  the  189  titles  of  the  International  List  are  studied 
in  the  light  of  present-day  knowledge  of  clinical  and  pathologi- 
cal experience,  it  will  appear  that  there  is  no  plausible  guarantee 
of  accuracy  in  at  least  41  per  cent,  of  the  certificates  as  now 
presented  to  the  registrar  of  records  of  the  New  York  City 
Health  Department."  It  is  doubtful  if  there  is  any  doctor  who 
could  accurately  distinguish  each  of  these  189  legal  causes  of 
death.  Also,  after  the  man  is  dead  what  boots  it  to  exactly  spot, 
say,  the  internal  cancer,  or  what  not  that,  killed  him  ?  Looks  as 
if  each  of  these  189  causes  can  be  immensely  increased  and  thus 
also  the  ration  of  errors.    Take  these  for  example: 

28.  Tuberculosis   of  the  lungs. 

29.  Acute  miliary   tuberculosis. 

30.  Tuberculous  meningitis. 

31.  Abdominal  tuberculosis. 

32.  Pott's  dsease. 

33.  White   swellings. 

34.  Tuberculosis  of  other  organs. 

35.  Disseminated  tuberculosis. 

36.  Rickets. 

If  it  is  insisted  that  No.  34  be  fully  detailed  "errors"  must 
multiply,  and  the  same  is  true  of  many  other  numbers,  as,  for 
example,  "145.    Other  diseases  of  the  skin  and  annexia." 

Several  very  prevalent  causes  of  death  are  not  given  in  the 
list,  as,  for  instance,  over-work,  bad  living,  under-feeding,  bum 
doctors,  old  age.  want  of  breath,  and  the  like.  Taken  as  a  whole, 
it  looks  like  an  increase  of  rather  useless  red  tape  to  insist  ex- 
act answers  as  to  the  cause  of  the  death  of  any  one  who  dies 
with  his  boots  off. 


PERSONAL. 


Musical  experts  will  have  it  that  some  music  is  better  than  it  sounds 
to  us. 

A  critic  said  of  a  certain  book,  "Its  covers  are  too  far  apart.'' 

Man  insured  contents  of  his  cellar  and  when  coal  was  burned  up  put  in 
a  claim.     Company  arrested  him  for  arson. 

How  we  used  to  rage,  by  letters  to  "the  paper"  and  otherwise,  against 
the  poor  little  bicycle  "scorcher." 

"Wild  oats !"  said  Claude,  "was  not  everything  wild  once,  even  tame 
oats?" 

An  Inspector  is  "one.  who  inspects ;"  to  inspect  is  "to  look  at."  Dead 
easy  job! 

The  man  in  the  ranks^  is  the  real  hero  though  he  doesn't  seem  to 
know  it. 

Are  you  unlucky  because  you  broke  your  arm  and  lucky  because  it 
wasn't  you  neck? 

"Trailing  the  crime  germ  to  its  lair''  is,  the  heading  of  a  paper  in  the 
Joliet  Prison  Post.    Well,  why  not?     All  is  germs. 

Because  you  believe  a  certain  thing  is  true  beyond  doubt  does  that 
justify  you   in  putting   others   in  your   strait-jacket? 

The  /.  A.  M.  A.  prints  one  of  Hershberg's  "A.  B.,  M.  A.,  M.  D.  (John 
Hopkins),"  newspaper  prescriptions  in  its  "J°ke  Column.'' 

Some   family  trees   need   spraying. 

Mary  remarked  of  her  friend,  Sally:  "She  keeps  her  age — keeps  it 
at  25." 

Better  a  wooden  leg  than  a  wooden  head. 

Men  have  lots  of  trouble,  lots  of  fun,  an  unhappy  lot,  corner  lots,  lots 
of  the  "long  green"  and  so  on,  is  the  lot  of  man. 

Some  men  think  their  minds  are  so  broad  that  they  seek  to  cover  their 
neighbors  with  it. 

We  are  all  men  of  many  parts  barring  an  occasional  absence  of  an 
appendix. 

"The  paths  of  glory  lead  but  to  the  grave,"  just  like  the  others. 

"Front!"  is  the  European  cry  today. 

The  man  who  can  follow,  "Do  it  yourself,"  is  the  really  independent 
man. 

Mary  wants  to  know  if  billiard  "balls"  got  their  name  from  certain 
middle  aged  gentlemen's  heads. 

Calves  are  much  in  evidence  this  year. 


THE 

Homeopathic  Recorder 

Vol.  XXXI      Lancaster,  Pa.,  December  15,  1916.     No.  12 

NEW  VS.  OLD. 

A  paper  on  the  A.  M.  A.'s  Council  on  Pharmacy  and  Chemistry, 
by  Dr.  Robert  A.  Hatcher,  of  New  York,  occupies  the  place  of 
honor  in  the  A.  M.  A.'s  journal,  Nov.  4.  The  following"  is 
clipped  from  it: 

Therapeutics  was  in  a  condition  termed  chaotic  at  the  time  that  the 
Council  was  formed  about  eleven  years  ago,  and  though  there  has  been  a 
great  improvement,  this  is  incomparably  less  than  it  would  have  been  if 
teachers  in  medical  schools  had  taken  a  more  serious  interest  in  its  work. 

And  further  on: 

It  would  seem  almost  self-evident  that  the  exposure  of  the  fraudulent 
nature  of  a  preparation  would  result  in  its  disappearance  from  the  ad- 
vertising pages  of  reputable  medical  journals,  but  a  perusal  of  the  ad- 
vertising pages  of  many  of  the  leading  medical  journals  will  show  that 
there  has  been  little  change  as  the  result  of  the  exposures  by  the  Council, 
and  useless,  dangerous  and  fraudulent  preparations  are  still  advertised  as 
before. 

Having  learned  that  the  Council  of  Pharmacy  and  Chemistry 
have  made  a  beginning  of  bringing  order  out  of  chaos,  that  the 
journals  (outside  of  the  Journal  of  the  A.  M.  A.  and  a  few 
others)  and  the  medical  profession  (outside  of  the  elect)  have 
but  little  changed  on  account  of  the  Council's  labors,  one  wonders 
what  it  is  that  the  Council  has  substituted  instead  of  the  old 
frauds,  or  foolish  pharmaceuticals  that  once  held  the  medical 
stage.  Turning  to  the  advertising  pages  of  the  A.  M.  A.'s  official 
journal,  in  which,  presumably,  everything  advertised  has  the 
Council's  endorsement,  else  there  is  a  spot  on  the  journalistic 
robe  that  should  be  spotless,  we  find,  advertised,  "Luetin  Tablets 


532  The  Initial  Habit. 

— Corpus  Luteum  of  the  Sow,"  "Enteric  Glycotauro,"  "Purified 
Standardized  Bile,"  "vaccines"  of  nearly  every  disease  known, 
antiseptics  which  are  presumably  designed  to  counteract  the  afore- 
said germs  or  vaccines,  "Red  Bone  Marrow,"  "Gal  actenzyeme," 
"Coagulin  Ciba"  (give  it  up),  "Dimazon"  (ach  himmel),  and.  we 
will  close  with  the  suggestive  "Helmitol,"  whose  name  seems  to 
be  quite  fitting  as  a  final. 

The  Council  of  Pharmacy  and  Chemistry  may  be  leading  their 
followers  out  of  chaos  but  what  are  they  leading  them  into? 

Just  here  let  it  be  stated  for  the  benefit  of  the  obtuse  that  the 
Recorder  is  not  defending  the  advertised  things  the  Council 
has  condemned,  it  is  merely  pointing  out  a  few  of  the  queer 
things  that  it  endorses  as  substitutes  for  the  old,  leaving  to  the 
reader  the  task  of  judging  between  them,  or,  better,  turning 
them  all  down. 


THE   INITIAL   HABIT. 
By  C.  M. 

A  "mixup"  in  the  Clinique  recently,  as  a  result  of  which  our 
good  friend,  Dr.  C.  A.  Weirick  was  confounded  with  a  relative 
of  his  by  the  name  of  Dr.  G.  A.  Weirick,  brings  to  our  mind  the 
desirability  of  getting  away  from  habit  and  of  taking  the  time 
to  write  our  names  in  full.  If  Dr.  C.  A.  Weirick  had,  in  the  past, 
impressed  upon  our  minds  that  he  was  Dr.  Clement  Albert 
Weirick,  we  could  not  possibly  confound  him  with  Dr.  George 
A.  Weirick.  The  desirability  of  registering  our  full  names  at 
society  meetings  is  obvious  and  especially  at  Institute  meetings, 
where  several  of  the  same  family  name  are  almost  sure  to  be 
present.  We  object  also  to  the  habit  the  women  physicians  have 
of  registering  by  initials  and  not  by  the  distinctive  given  names 
of  the  female  sex.  We  deem  a  feminine  given  name,  as.  for 
example,  in  the  case  of  Dr.  Florence  Ward,  a  title  of  no  little 
distinction  when  one.  like  Dr.  Florence,  makes  it  distinguished 
by  her  achievements,  and  we  object  to  her  registering  herself  as 
"F.  Ward,"  which  "F."  might  suggest  Fred,  or  Frank,  or  some 
other  and  less  eminent  W^ard,  whose  presence  at  the  Institute 
might  be  of  much  less  interest  to  that  body. 


Is  Hecla  Lava  Useful  in  Treatment  of  Osseous  Growths?  533 


IS    HECLA   LAVA  USEFUL  IN   THE  TREATMENT 
OF   OSSEOUS  GROWTHS' 

A  Query  Presented  to  The  Hahnemann  Club  of  Philadel- 
phia, by  O.  S.  Haines,  M.  D. 

A  woman  past  seventy  years  whom  I  have  attended  for  many 
years.  She  has  been  a  diabetic  since  her  fiftieth  year,  and  during 
the  past  five  years  she  has  shown  the  usual  physical  signs  of 
fatty  heart  and  chronic  nephritis.  Her  urine  always  contains 
large  amounts  of  sugar,  granular  casts  and  albumen.  On  two 
occasions  we  supposed  that  she  had  diabetic  coma.  Once  she 
had  convulsions  in  such  an  attack,  so  it  might  have  been  ursemic, 
although  acetonuria  was  present.  During  the  past  three  years 
she  became  dropsical.  Enormous  anasarca  with  cardiac  dyspnoea 
made  life  a  burden. 

Last  year  the  dropsy  disappeared  and  at  the  beginning  of  the 
summer  of  1916  we  find  her  better  in  every  way  than  for  a  long 
time  previously.  Now  begins  her  interesting  feature,  which  I 
have  thought  worth  while  mentioning. 

She  noticed  a  swelling  upon  the  lower  jaw  just  in  front  of  its 
angle  upon  the  right  side.  Ulceration  about  the  last  molar  upon 
that  side  advised  the  extraction  of  the  tooth,  but  the  patient 
would  not  consent.  After  one  month  the  tooth  was  pulled  against 
her  wishes.  The  dentist  who  extracted  the  tooth  informed  me 
that  she  probably  had  a  sarcoma  of  the  lower  jaw.  I  thought  so, 
too.  After  the  extraction  of  the  tooth,  the  swelling  increased 
steadily.  Her  pains  were  atrocious.  The  right  side  of  the  tongue 
and  the  right  cheek  became  deeply  ulcerated  and  of  a  bluish 
color.  The  odor  was  most  offensive  in  spite  of  our  care.  The 
right  side  of  the  face  was  deformed  as  it  would  be  by  a  jaw 
tumor  as  large  as  an  orange.    Her  right  eyelid  closed  by  oedema. 

Of  course,  I  felt  quite  helpless,  and  prescribed  half  a  grain  of 
morphia  at  bed  time  each  night,  which  in  some  measure  mitigated 
the  pain  and  afforded  some  hours  of  sleep. 

Xow  it  has  frequently  been  my  experience  that  when  one  feels 
helpless  in  the  face  of  apparently  insurmountable  obstacles,  some- 
where in  homoeopathic  literature  there  may  be  found  a  suggestion 
that  may  prove  helpful.  So  I  read  assiduously  hoping  to  find 
some  suggestion  for  this  case. 


534  Selecting  the  Remedy. 

In  my  Encyclopaedia  of  Materia  Medica,  under  Hecla  lava,  I 
found  a  penciled  note  to  the  effect  that  this  remedy  would  re- 
lieve atrocious  pains  following  the  extraction  of  a  molar  tooth. 
I  had  had  such  an  experience  years  before.  I  also  found  that 
Hecla  lava  had  produced  necrosis  and  enlargement  of  the  right 
jaw  bone  in  cattle. 

At  all  events,  this  patient  was  put  upon  Hecla  3x,  and  kept 
upon  it  for  months.  I  wish  to  report  that  I  have  examined  the 
patient  to-day  (Oct.  18th,  191 6)  and  I  cannot  find  any  evidences 
of  tumor.  The  jaw  seems  normal  save  for  a  slight  irregular 
thickening  just  in  front  of  the  angle. 

I  might  also  mention  that  a  surgeon  declined  to  operate  on  ac- 
count of  age,  diabetes  and  general  condition. 

I  would  not  pretend  to  say  that  this  was  an  osteo-scarcoma. 
It  looked  like  one,  as  there  was  but  slight  rise  in  temperature  at 
any  time.  But  the  influence  of  the  Hecla  was,  apparently,  very 
helpful.  My  friend,  Prof.  Weaver,  informed  me  that  on  several 
occasions  he  has  derived  much  help  from  Hecla  in  necrosis  and 
sinus  after  mastoid  operation,  as  well  as  in  other  bone  necroses. 


SELECTING  THE   REMEDY. 
By  M.  W.  Vandenburg,  Mt.  Vernon,  N.  Y. 

The  case  was  an  ordinary  cold  taken  from  sitting  in  a  room 
just  a  little  too  cool.  A  window  was  down  at  the  top  an  inch 
or  two,  but  not  noticed.  It  began  about  two  hours  later  with 
frequent  strong  sneezing,  recurring  about  every  five  minutes; 
slightly  chilly,  voice  a  little  rough,  with  irritation  of  the  roof  of 
the  mouth.  Ac.  3X,  every  one-half  hour,  three  times.  Went  to 
bed. 

Next  morning  the  roof  of  the  mouth  was  burning,  the  uvula 
and  soft  palate  inflamed  and  itching,  the  tongue  slightly  ting- 
ling, the  nose  freely  running  clear  water,  not,  acrid,  and  the 
sneezing  still  much  in  evidence.  During  the  past  night  was 
only  troubled  by  an  occasional  sneeze,  no  cough  at  all.  Ac.  3X 
was  again  used,  and  continued  one  hour  up  to  noon,  when  not 
much  improvement  was  manifested,  and  the  burning  of  the 
roof  of  the  mouth  was  more  pronounced.  A  review  of  the 
prescription   seemed  desirable. 


Selecting  the  Remedy.  535; 

There  are  very  few  remedies  having  "burning  in  the  roof  of 
the  mouth"  in  connection  with  an  influenza  cold. 

The  repertory  gives  the  following.  The  Index  gives  pp.  229, 
257,  269,  under  Roof  of  Mouth. 

Page  229,  "Roof  of  Mouth  Irritated :"  ''Soreness,  dryness  and 
pain  in  soft  palate,  roof  of  mouth  and  throat :  burning  and  stiff- 
ness of  throat;  inhaled  air  seems  cold,  /Esc.  hip.  (Air  not  cold, 
Gymnoc.y 

"Dry,  spasmodic;  irritation  of  trachea  and  roof  of  mouth; 
dry  morning,  loose  and  difficult  in  the  evening,  Digital." 

Page  257,  under  Peculiar  Sensations,  again  mentions  Digit,  as 
affecting  "trachea  and  roof  of  mouth,"  but  no  other  remedy  has. 
the  same  combination  or  even  mentions  "roof  of  mouth." 

Page  269,  under  "Roof  of  Mouth  Irritated,"  again  gives  Digit. 
and  also  "Roof  of  mouth  burns  and  feels  scraped ;  sensation  ex- 
tends to  throat  and  uvula;  dry,  hard,  racking  cough,  begins  in 
the  morning  and  increases  during  the  day,  Gymnoc,  Can. 
(JEsc  )." 

I  had  never  used  the  remedy  in  so  far  as  I  remember,  but 
found  the  2x  liquid  in  its  place. 

About  15  to  20  drops  in  one-third  glass  water,  a  teaspoOnful 
one-half  hour  twice,  then  one  hour. 

Before  the  end  of  the  first  half  hour  the  burning  in  the  roof 
of  mouth  was  less,  the  irritation  to  sneeze  ceased,  but  the  nose 
ran  like  an  eaves'  spout,  and  quite  as  clear. 

The  remedy  was  continued  from  one  to  three  hours  for  the 
next  three  days. 

A  cough  developed,  coming  on  by  day  only,  with  very  thick, 
very  scanty,  and  very  seldom  mucus,  mostly  in  morning,  when 
it  was  a  dirty  grayish  color ;  during  the  day  whitish  and  semi- 
transparent;  the  nose  and  throat  became  normal  in  two  days,  the 
discharge  never  assuming  any  but  transparent  color. 

The  "materia  medica"  part  of  the  Repertory  gives,  under 
Gymnocladus,  the  following: 

"Frequent  violent  sneezing,  from  tingling  high  up  in  the  nose."*" 

"No  cough  at  night." 

It  omits  mention  of  the  burning  of  the  roof  of  the  mouth, 
which,  however,  found  its  way  into  the  Repertory.  It  seems 
so    inconsequential.      Indeed,   the   whole    remedy.    Gymnocladus, 


536  An  Unusual  Whooping  Cough  Remedy. 

seems  quite  insignificant  from  comparison  with  other  remedies 
affecting  the  respiratory  system,  but  the  symptoms  it  has  are 
pronounced  and  positive. 

No  better  illustration  is  likely  to  be  found  in  many  a  day  of 
Hahnemann's  maxim  regarding  the  value  of  uncommon  and 
peculiar  symptoms  in  choosing  the  remedy. 

107  Union  Ave.,  Mt.  Vernon,  N.  Y. 


AN   UNUSUAL   WHOOPING  COUGH   REMEDY— 
SAMBUCUS   NIGRA. 

Reported  by  Russel  C.  Markham,  M.  D.,  Marquette,  Mich. 

I  have  been  in  the  practice  of  medicine  since  1881,  and  dur- 
ing all  this  time  I  have  never  had  occasion  to  use  the  remedy  I 
am  about  to  report  for  whooping  cough. 

Just  when  I  gained  the  knowledge  of  the  remedy,  filed  it  away 
in  a  memory  cell,  indexed  and  cross-indexed  it,  I  cannot  say. 

But  when  I  sat  by  the  bedside  of  a  little  five-year-old  boy  and 
saw  him  struggle  for  breath,  throwing  himself  from  side  to  side 
on  the  bed,  face  dark  purple,  bathed  in  sweat,  labored  asthmatic 
breathing,  with  intense  dyspnoea,  wheezy,  dry  spasmodic  cough, 
evidently  painful,  for  he  resisted  it  all  he  could,  the  remedy  that 
matched  these  symptoms  flashed  itself  before  my  consciousness, 
and  the  sickest  little  chap  I  have  ever  seen  with  whooping  cough 
is  to-day  (the  fourth  day)  up  and  dressed  and  playing  with 
only  an  occasional  cough,  no  whoop. 

I  hardly  need  tell  the  careful  prescriber  that  Sambucus  nig. 
was  the  remedy. 

During  the  three  days,  while  under  observation,  he  had  but  five 
doses  all  told  of  the  2  c.  potency,  Dunham. 

He  desired  nothing  to  eat  during  the  three  days  until  the  close 
of  the  third  day,  when  he  was  given  half  a  glass  of  milk  and  a 
small  piece  of  toast,  which  he  ate  with  a  relish. 

(We  have  learned  not  to  urge  food  until  there  is  a  demand  for 
it  in  the  critically  ill.) 

The  case  was  seen  for  the  first  time  the  night  previous  to  giv- 
ing Sambucus,  though  he  had  been  sick  for  two  weeks.  At  this' 
time  he  had  a  croup,  tight  cough  and  was  restless.     Aconite  was 


All  Along  the  Line.  537 

given  but  did  little  if  any  good,  for  the  reason  that  a  more  careful 
taking  of  the  case  in  the  morning  showed  Sambucus  to  be  the  only- 
remedy  that  covered  the  totality  of  symptoms. 

Within  an  hour  after  getting  the  Sambucus  he  was  better  in 
every  way,  and  gradually  the  symptoms  disappeared  as  reported 
above. 

From  a  very  dangerous  condition  this  child  passed  safely, 
speedily,  pleasantly  into  comparative  health  within  four  days, 
thanks  of  Sambucus  and  our  most  wonderful  law. 

This  case  is  not  reported  to  champion  Sambucus  as  a  remedy 
that  will  often  be  indicated  for  whooping  cough,  but  rather  to 
illustrate  that  the  "indicated  remedy"  will  cure  desperate  cases 
when  prescribed  homceopathically. 


ALL  ALONG  THE   LINE. 

By  Eli  G.  Jones,  M.  D.,  1404  Main  St.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

The  morphine  and  opium  fiend  we  have  always  with  us,  and  we 
can  cure  them  if  we  go  the  right  way  about  it.  The  imagination 
of  these  people  is  very  vivid ;  what  they  see  seems  real  to  them, 
therefore  it  is  impossible  to  believe  anything  that  they  tell  you. 
The  reason  why  so  many  physicians  fail  to  cure  this  "drug  habit" 
is  because  they  fail  to  overcome  the  extreme  prostration  of  the 
nervous  system,  which  may  amount  to  almost  total  collapse. 
When  the  patient  goes  without  the  drug,  if  only  for  a  short  time, 
the  nerves  are  "shaky"  hands  tremble^  wild  staring  eyes,  rapid 
feeble  pulse,  intense  headache,  sleeplessness.  The  tongue  is  dry 
and  brown,  and  that  horrible  sinking,  "all  gone"  sensation.  If 
you  can  get  them  to  make  up  their  minds  to  quit  the  habit,  and 
agree  to  stick  to  your  remedies,  you  can  help  them  in  the  greatest 
battle  of  their  lives.  The  above  symptoms  point  to  one  remedy, 
Kali  phos.  3d  x,  three  tablets  in  teaspoonful  hot  water  once  in  15 
minutes.  If  you  will  give  them  also  Tr.  Avena  sativa,  15  drops  in 
half  a  wineglass  of  hot  water,  four  times  a  day,  it  will  calm  and 
strengthen  their  nerves,  and  it  will  help  to  overcome  that  disagree- 
able all  gone  sensation.  If  patients  are  taking  four  or  five  grains 
of  morphine  a  day,  it  is  best  to  gradually  lessen  the  dose,  and 
stick  to  the  above  remedies.  If  you  have  a  patient  that  is  taking 
a  larger  dose  than  5  grains  a  day  mix  quinine  and  morphine  half 


53^  All  Along  the  Line. 

and  half  in  a  morphine  bottle.  The  next  week,  or  when  the  bottle 
is  about  half  used  up,  fill  it  up  with  quinine,  and  thus  every  time 
bottle  is  half  empty  fill  it  up  with  quinine.  In  the  course  of  four 
or  five  weeks  the  patient  will  be  feeling  so  much  better  that  he 
will  leave  it  off  and  never  know  the  "tortures  of  the  withdrawal 
period." 

Dr.  L.  G.  Wilberton,  Winona,  Minnesota,  is  one  of  our  bright 
men  who  is  doing  things  in  his  town.  He  writes  me  that  "In 
Minnesota  the  past  year  it  has  been  one  of  greatest  heat,  seldom 
ever  like  it.  From  this  overheating  of  the  body  and  chilling  at 
night  we  had  the  epidemic  poliomyelitis.  I  had  thirty-two  fam- 
ilies that  had  one  case  in  each  family  (this  don't  show  that  it  is 
contagious).  In  every  instance  in  my  cases  it  was  over-exertion 
in  the  hot  sun  or  exertion  in  the  hot  sun  or  extra  heat,  and  there 
were  no  special  symptoms,  simply  the  patient  became  hot  quickly, 
with  continuous  fever,  night  and  day.  Not  boasting,  I  cured  all 
•of  those  patients,  and  no  paralysis  left  to  tell  the  story.  Under 
regular  treatment  they  have  either  paralysis  or  death.  Belladonna 
is  a  very  good  prophylactic,  and  the  Gelsemium,  all  through  the 
fever  stage  of  the  disease,  alternating  day  and  night.  For  the 
toxins  left  in  the  system  as  the  disease  abates  I  took  a  hint  from 
Dr.  Eli  G.  Jones,  and  gave  Echinacea  to  prevent  degeneration  of 
the  cells  of  the  cornua,  and  Kali  phos.  for  the  paralysis,  and  it 
was  easily  and  quickly  cured."  In  my  judgment  the  doctor  is 
right  as  to  the  course  of  the  disease,  and  I  have  never  thought 
it  was  contagious. 

In  the  second  stag'e  of  pneumonia,  the  stage  of  hepatization, 
we  have  one  remedy  that  can  be  depended  on,  it  is  Kali  mur.  3d  x. 
Put  ten  grains  in  cup  of  warm  water,  give  one  teaspoon ful  once 
in  half  an  hour.  It  will  absorb  the  croupour  exudation.  It  acts 
as  a  thermal  sedative.  It  keeps  the  cough  loose.  I  have  used 
this  remedy  for  twenty-five  years  and  it  has  never  failed  me.  I 
would  not  care  to  treat  a  case  of  this  disease  without  it.  Dr.  H. 
T.  Webster,  Oakland,  California,  one  of  the  most  eminent  physi- 
cians on  the  Pacific  Coast,  in  speaking  of  this  remedy  in  his 
"Medical  Practice,"  page  47,  he  says :  "If  I  were  to  depend  upon 
one  remedy  alone  in  all  cases  of  pneumonia  and  expect  to  be 
universally  successful,  provided  treatment  was  begun  reasonably 
early,  it  would  be  upon  this  agent.    It  requires  considerable  cour- 


All  Along  the  Line.  539 

age  for  one  who  has  not  observed  its  marvelous  effects  in  the 
removal  of  plastic  exudation  repeatedly  to  wait  its  action  with 
confidence  where  life  seems  to  depend  upon  so  insignificant  a 
remedy  as  an  attenuation  of  this  drug,  but  fifteen  years  of  care- 
ful observation  of  its  action  has  given  me  unfounded  faith  in  its 
efficiency."  By  experiments  on  animals  it  has  been  found  that 
Veratrum  vir.  will  produce  congestion  of  the  lungs.  It  is  the 
remedy  indicated  in  the  first  or  congestive  stage  of  pneumonia 
when  there  is  a  full  bounding  pulse  with  tension,  respiration 
rapid,  difficulty  of  breathing,  dry  cough,  feeling  of  heavy  weight 
on  the  chest.  Into  a  four  ounce  vial  drop  10  drops  Tr.  Veratrum 
vir.  and  one  ounce  Tr.  Asclepias  tub.,  fill  up  the  vial  with  water, 
give  one  teaspoonful  once  an  hour  for  an  adult.  When  the  pulse 
becomes  soft,  skin  moist,  tongue  moist  and  cleaning,  give  two 
grains  of  quinine  with  one-fourth  grain  of  Ipecac,  once  in  three 
hours.  Onions  are  the  best  local  application  you  can  use,  they 
draw  all  morbific  matter  to  them.  The  onion  poultice  should 
be  changed  every  half  hour.  One  doctor  in  Conn,  practiced 
for  fifty  years,  and  always  used  the  above  poultice  in  pneumonia 
and  never  lost  a  patient.  I  have  used  it  in  my  practice  for  forty- 
six  years  and  only  lost  one  case,  and  that  was  the  time  I  did  not 
use  it. 

A  lady  wrote  me  from  Boston,  Mass.,  that  she  was  taken  sick, 
her  doctor  was  called,  and  he  diagnosed  her  case  as  pneumonia, 
and  prescribed  the  usual  remedies  the  regular  school  give.  After 
he  left  she  told  her  husband  to  prepare  an  onion  poultice  as  I 
had  told  her.  She  applied  it  to  her  chest  and  with  simple  domestic: 
remedies  got  well'.  I  have  them  slice  up  the  onions,  heat  them: 
over  a  hot  fire,  then  make  two  bags  large  enough  to  cover  the 
lungs.  Use  one  bag  for  half  an  hour,  then  change  for  another; 
keep  them  hot  on  the  stove.  To  show  you  the  value  of  the 
onion :  "During  an  epidemic  of  cholera  in  England  it  puzzled  the 
sanitary  inspector  why  the  tenants  of  one  house  in  the  infected 
row  of  houses  were  not  touched  by  the  disease.  At  last  he 
noticed  a  string  of  onions  hanging  in  the  fortunate  house,  and  on 
examining  them  they  proved  to  have  become  putrid  with  dis- 
ease!" Some  doctors  say  that  they  always  give  Bryonia  in 
pneumonia.  I  don't  give  it  unless  it  is  indicated.  When  patient 
lies  in  one  position  on  the  affected  side,  and  is  "afraid  to  move 


54°  All  Along  the  Line. 

for  fear  it  will  hurt/3  that  indicates  Bryonia.  Where  the  face  is 
pale,  cyanotic,  tongue  red,  dry  through  the  center,  pulse  rapid, 
fluttering,  great  accumulation  of  mucus  with  coarse  rattling,  but 
cannot  raise  it  up;  patient  feels  some  nausea,  is  afraid  to  cough 
for  fear  he  will  vomit.  The  above  symptoms  call  for  one  remedy, 
Antimonium  tart.  Add  one  grain  to  four  ounces  of  water,  give 
one  teaspoonful  once  an  hour.  In  the  above  treatment  we  are 
working  in  harmony  with  nature,  nothing  is  being  done  to  weaken 
the  vitality  of  the  patient.  Contrast  this  with  the  so-called 
scientific  treatment  of  the  regular  school.  Morphine,  quinine  (in 
big  doses  to  lower  the  temperature),  Digitalis,  calomel  and  coal 
tar  products,  packing  the  chest  in  ice,  with  a  mortality  of  40  per 
cent.!  In  the  above  treatment  everything  done  for  the  patient  is 
pulling  down  the  vitality  of  the  victim.  Is  it  any  wonder  that 
so  many  doctors  and  the  public  are  afraid  of  pneumonia,  and 
that  one  hundred  thousand  die  of  the  disease  every  year?  It  is  a 
disgrace  to  our  profession  that  so  many  of  them  cant  cure  this 
disease,  and  it  is  because  they  have  not  been  taught  how  to  cure 
it  in  the  medical  colleges.  If  medical  colleges  of  this  country  or 
any  other  country  cant  teach  their  students  how  to  cure  the  dis- 
eases common  to  the  country,  then  of  what  earthly  use  are  they? 
We  have  all  the  way  from  twenty-five  to  one  hundred  and 
fifty  professors  in  the  medical  colleges ;  a  medical  faculty 
is  like  an  omnibus,  there  "is  always  room  for  one  more." 
They  are  supposed  to  teach  about  all  the  "ologies"  in  the  diction- 
ary. Now  I  often  think  that  it  would  be  a  good  idea  to  add  just 
one  more  chair  to  the  faculty,  on  "How  to  Heal  the  Sick." 
There  is  a  crying  need  for  such  a  prof essorship !  The  average 
physician  of  all  schools  of  medicine  is  weak  on  materia  medica, 
he  has  not  been  taught  definitely  what  to  do  for  a  sick  person. 
For  this  reason  he  has  a  lack  of  confidence  in  himself  and  in  his 
remedies.  No  one  knows  this  fact  better  than  /  do,  for  I  have 
been  teaching  physicians  from  all  schools  of  medicine  for  twenty- 
five  years,  and  I  know  their  weak  points  and  where  they  need 
help.  I  give  them  the  kind  of  teaching  they  don't  get  in  the 
medical  colleges. 

When  this  number  of  The  Recorder  reaches  many  of  our 
readers  it  will  be  the  dawn  of  the  "New  Year" — may  it  be  a 
Happy  and   prosperous   year   for  the   "Grand   Brotherhood"   of 


All  Along  the  Line.  541 

Recorder  readers.  May  He  who  governs  in  the  affairs  of  men 
help  you  to  do  your  whole  duty  by  your  patients,  leaving  no  stone 
unturned  to  cure  them. 

"Ring  out  the  old  Year,  its  sin  and  its  shame, 
His  love  and  His  mercy  are  ever  the  same ; 
Forward  and  fear  not,  don't  dwell  on  the  past, 
For  the  clouds  they  are  breaking,  the  danger  is  passed. 
Ring  out  the  old  Year,  what  should  we  fear  ? 
God  and  His  angels  are  hovering  near." 

I  have  just  been  reading  over  "New,  Old  and  Forgotten  Reme- 
dies," by  Anshutz.  "He  has  the  pen  of  a  ready  writer."  I  have 
to  read  this  book  over  about  so  often  so  that  I  won't  forget  all 
the  good  things  in  it,  for  it  contains  a  gold  mine  of  valuable 
information.  It  ought  to  be  revised  and  brought  up-to-date. 
There  is  so  much  valuable  information  in  our  medical  journals 
that  will  be  lost  and  forgotten  by  the  busy  doctor  unless  it  is 
gathered  up  and  put  in  shape  to  be  read  and  treasured  up  for 
daily  reference. 

During  the  past  thirty  days  I  have  had  twelve  doctors  of  differ- 
ent schools  of  medicine  visit  me  from  various  parts  of  the  U.  S. 
to  consult  me  about  their  own  case  or  some  near  relative.  It 
shows  me  that  I  have  the  respect  and  confidence  of  physicians  of 
all  schools  of  medicine. 

A  doctor  remarked  to  me,  in  speaking  of  another  physician,. 
"Oh,  he  is  always  lucky  with  his  patients."  "No,  my  friend,"  I 
said,  "there  is  no  such  a  thing  as  luck  in  medicine,  it  is  brains,  not 
luck,  that  helps  a  physician  to  'win  out'  and  cure  his  cases."  It 
means  the  study  of  materia  medica  in  every  spare  moment.  When 
a  doctor  thinks  he  knows  all  the  books  can  teach  him,  is  the  very 
time  when  he  is  very  apt  to  run  up  against  the  real  thing  that 
will  show  him  how  little  he  really  knows  about  medicine.  I 
realize  that  life  is  short,  and  that  there  is  so  much  that  I  want  to 
know  and  don't  know,  that  it  keeps  me  very  humble,  and  makes 
me  study  all  the  harder.  Every  physician,  some  time  in  his  life, 
must  pass  through  the  supreme  test,  the  acid  test  of  what  he 
really  knows  about  healing  of  the  sick.  It  came  to  me  when  my 
hair  was  white.     I  met  two  doctors  in  consultation.     They  were 


542  The  Optomistic  Profession. 

men,  older  than  I,  good  physicians,  skillful  men,  but  they  had 
exhausted  their  skill  and  they  appealed  to  me  for  help.  I  knew 
that  I  just  had  to  make  good,  but  I  had  to  draw  upon  all  my  past 
experience  and  my  knowledge  of  the  materia  medica  of  the  five 
schools  of  medicine.  With  the  help  of  Providence  I  "won  out," 
but  it  made  me  sweat  drops  of  blood  (figuratively  speaking)  be- 
fore I  got  through  with  the  case ;  but  it  was  the  best  thing  that 
ever  happened  to  me,  for  it  gave  me  more  confidence  in  myself, 
for  it  showed  me  how  much  I  really  knew  about  medicine.  If 
you,  dear  reader,  ever  have  to  pass  this  acid  test,  may  God  help 
you  to  pass  it  successfully.    It  will  come  when  you  least  expect  it. 


THE  OPTIMISTIC   PROFESSION. 

By  H.  Becker,  M.  D.,  Toronto,  Ontario. 

An  optimist  has  been  defined  as  one  who  bears  the  misfortunes 
of  others  with  the  greatest  cheerfulness.  According  to  this  defini- 
tion it  will  be  but  natural  to  infer  that  the  medical  profession  is 
highly  optimistic  in  view  of  the  fact  that  its  existence  depends 
on  the  calamities  of  its  clients. 

Of  course,  we  deny  the  premises,  and  so  the  inference  falls  to 
the  ground. 

The  medical  profession  is  optimistic,  but  for  other  reasons 
than  that  of  self-interest. 

The  beneficial  effects  of  a  hopeful  and  cheerful  sphere  radiating 
from  a  placid  temperament  is  nowhere  more  noticeable  than  in 
dealing  with  the  sick,  who  are  profoundly  influenced  by  the  ex- 
pressed opinions  and  the  manner  of  the  physician.  The  great 
majority  of  those  seeking  professional  advice  are  not  threatened 
with  immediate  dissolution,  though  the  patient's  ignorance  sug- 
gests a  serious  issue  in  the  near,  rather  than  in  the  remote,  future. 

Many  medical  men  are  full  of  unreasonable  anxiety  while  in 
charge  of  the  more  grave  forms  of  sickness,  and  they  often  lose 
rest  because  of  their  inability  to  refrain  from  worry  over  the 
possibility  of  the  premature  loss  of  a  patient,  and  when  we  know 
that  there  are  very  few  physicians  who  have  not  at  least  one  seri- 
ous case  in  their  care  at  all  times  the  state  of  the  apprehensive 
medical  man  is  one  to  be  profoundly  pitied.     Not  for  him  is  the 


Pertinent  Facts  Regarding  the  Homoeopathic  Profession.  543 

soothing  and  rejuvenating  effects  of  refreshing  dalliance  through 
the  hours  of  darkness,  with  his  comfortable  pillow,  but  rather  a 
restless  intolerance  of  the  gloomy  night  which  feeds  the  fear  of 
undesirable  news  likely  to  be  supplied  in  the  morning  message. 

Many  of  such  pessimistic  temperaments  gradually  improve 
from  the  experience  of  long  practice  giving  a  perception  of  the 
groundlessness  of  many  gloomy  surmises,  but  as  they  never  be- 
come real  optimists  their  usefulness  is  to  a  great  extent  impaired 
and  their  peace  of  mind  largely  circumscribed. 

Happily  such  are  in  a  small  minority,  and  the  resilience  of  the 
optimistic  mind  carries  most  of  us  through  the  depressing  effects 
of  almost  constant  association  with  those  whose  every  expression 
is  of  a  mournful  character. 

But  what  has  this  to  do  with  clinical  medicine?  It  has  much 
to  do  with  it.  The  man  is  more  than  his  medicine.  Placebo  and 
a  cheerful  reassurance  will  out-distance  the  results  of  serious, 
skillful  prescribing,  not  that  I  esteem  the  latter  less,  but  I  esteem 
the  former  more.  The  ideal  state  is  a  happy  combination  of  the 
necessary  skill  and  the  still  more  necessary  optimistic  quality  of 
mind. 

This  is  my  suggestion  of  a  message  to  the  Southern  Homceo- 
pathic  Medical  Association,  with  best  wishes  for  a  most  useful 
and  happy  session. 


PERTINENT    FACTS    REGARDING    MATTERS   OF 

IMPORTANCE  TO  THE   HOMCEOPATHIC 

PROFESSION. 

In  accordance  with  the  revised  Constitution  and  By-Laws  of 
the  American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy  and  the  new  plan  of  re- 
organization and  operation  adopted  by  the  American  Institute  at 
Baltimore,  the  Executive  Committee,  consisting  of  J.  P.  Cobb, 
F.  M.  Dearborn  and  C.  E.  Sawyer,  to  whom  the  matter  of  in- 
stallation of  the  new  plan  was  assigned,  have  secured  a  suite  of 
eight  rooms  in  the  Marshall  Field  Bldg.,  Chicago,  in  which  have 
been  opened  the  administrative  offices  of  the  American  Institute 
of  Homoeopathy. 

The  section  of  publication  directed  by  Sarah  M.  Hobson ;  the 
accounting  and  recording  section  by  the  newly  employed  secre- 


544  Pertinent  Facts  Regarding  the  Homoeopathic  Prof 


esswn. 


tary-treasurer,  T.  E.  Costain  ;  the  supervision  section  under  the 
direction  of  the  Executive  Committee,  all  find  commodious 
quarters  in  which  to  pursue  their  work. 

With  a  corps  of  capable  assistants  for  each  division  in  offices 
with  equipment  with  which  to  work  efficiently  and  promptly,  the 
business  affairs  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy  are 
now  really  ready  to  proceed. 

With  a  definite  systematized  plan  for  the  conduct  and  con- 
sideration of  all  matters  pertaining  to  all  homoeopathic  interests ; 
with  the  centralizing-  of  all  forces,  with  a  definite  fixed  purpose, 
with  paid  assistants  to  carry  on  the  work,  all  that  is  now  required 
to  promote  Homoeopathy  is  the  hearty  co-operation  of  the  pro- 
fession. 

Homoeopathy  has  been  at  a  great  disadvantage  because  it  has 
had  no  central  office  in  which  to  operate,  no  place  from  which  to 
direct,,  no  specific  management,  no  fixed  plan  of  operation.  All  of 
this  is  now  changed,  and  the  work  of  the  American  Institute  of 
Homoeopathy  will  be  pushed  with  energy  and  enthusiasm. 

Among  the  matters  to  which  especial  and  immediate  attention 
will  be  given  by  the  administrative  department  is  a  complete  and 
reliable  list  of  all  homoeopathic  practitioners  throughout  the 
United  States.  We  wish  to  know  just  who  the  active  homoeo- 
paths of  the  country  are  and  where  they  are  located.  We  believe 
that  it  is  better  to  have  a  few  thousand  of  real  workers  who  are 
ready  and  willing  to  assist  than  thousands  of  nominal  members 
indifferent  to  homoeopathic  interests. 

So  it  shall  be  our  aim  to  enlist  in  the  reorganization  only  those 
who  are  ready  and  in  earnest  in  promoting  things  homoeopathic. 

No  body  of  professional  men  ever  had  more  which  is  worthy  of 
presentment  than  the  homoeopathic  profession,  none  with  better 
prospect  of  accomplishment.  As  proof  of  these  assertions  let  us 
take  an  inventory  of  what  we  have  found,  then  we  will  be  the 
better  able  to  conclude  whether  the  required  effort  is  justifiable. 

From  the  recent  report  of  the  Council  on  Medical  Education 
we  find  there  are  in  the  United  States  101  accredited  homoeopathic 
hospitals,  representing  20,092  beds. 

During  the  past  fiscal  year  there  were  treated  in  these  hos- 
pitals 109,527  hospital  patients,  with  an  average  mortality  rate 
of  4.  r  per  cent. 


Pertinent  Facts  Regarding  the  Homoeopathic  Profession.  545 

It  requires  annually  248  internes  to  properly  house-staff  these 
hospitals. 

The  property  value  of  these  strictly  homoeopathic  institutions 
is  $36,819,452.  In  the  out-door,  or  dispensary  departments  of 
these  institutions,  there  were  treated  during  the  last  fiscal  year 
287.887  patients. 

In  the  training  schools  for  nurses  connected  with  the  purely 
homoeopathic  institutions  there  were  enrolled  last  year  1,849 
pupils.     In  addition  to  this  we  have : 

10  National  Medical  Societies. 

31   State  Medical  Societies. 

y=,  Local  Medical  Societies. 

34  Medical   Clubs. 
6  Homoeopathic  Alumni  Associations. 

29  Homoeopathic  Dispensaries. 

10  Homoeopathic  Colleges. 

18  Homoeopathic  Journals. 

And  with  ten  thousand  active  practitioners  throughout  the 
country,  serving  an  intellectual  people,  35  per  cent,  of  which  em- 
ploy homoeopaths,  it  is  only  reasonable  to  assume  that  a  business 
organization  is  necessary,  and  only  reasonable  to  presume  that  a 
well  organized  and  conducted  business  administration  will  elevate 
medical  standards,  increase  patronage,  develop  interest  and  force 
recognition. 

That  is  all  possible  by  a  combined  effort  which  will  be  brought 
about  by  federation  and  affiliation  of  all  medical  societies,  col- 
leges, hospitals,  training  schools,  clubs,  fraternities  and  indi- 
viduals. In  union  there  is  strength,  and  it  is  the  determination 
of  those  in  charge  to  bring  about  a  hearty  co-operation  of  the 
profession.  This  is  only  one  of  many  things  already  on  the 
way  to  establish  Homoeopathy  in  the  front  rank'  of  medical 
fraternities. 

All  can  assist  in  this  undertaking  and  each  will  become  one  of 
the  direct  beneficiaries.  Are  you  ready  and  willing  to  help?  If 
you  are,  and  if  you  have  not  already  done  so,  please  sign  and  mail 
the  attached  coupon,  which  will  not  only  aid  us  in  getting  a 
corrected  list  of  homoeopathic  doctors,  but  it  will  encourage  us 
in  our  efforts  to  put  Homoeopathy  in  the  high  place  to  which  all 
homoeopaths  aspire. 


546  Poliomyelitis — Infantile  Paralysis. 


THE  AMERICAN  INSTITUTE  OF  HOMOEOPATHY, 

Supervision  Division, 

No.  829  Marshall  Field  Bldg.,  Chicago,  111. 

I  do  Wish  to  be  enrolled  as  a  Homoeopath. 

I  do  not 

I  do  Wish  to  receive  literature  pertaining  to  homoeopathic 

I  do  not  matters. 

I  am  Willing  to  aid  in  reorganization,  federation,  co-opera- 

I  am  not         tion  and  affiliation  as  recommended  by  the  American 
Institute  of  Homoeopathy. 

(Indicate  your  position  by  marking  with  a  star.) 

My  address  is : 

Name   

City 

State 


POLIOMYELITIS— INFANTILE  PARALYSIS. 

Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 

What  is  it?  Where  does  it  originate,  and  what  will  cure  or 
control  it? 

In  the  present  epidemic  in  New  York  and  other  States,  where 
the  most  learned  men,  with  all  the  scientific  resources  that  money 
and  skill  could  furnish,  have  not  been  able  to  discover  any  solu- 
tion of  the  subject  satisfactory  to  themselves  or  of  benefit  to  the 
sufferers.  The  serum  treatment,  which  is  recommended  as  a 
preventor,  is  of  very  doubtful  propriety,  and,  in  many  cases,  is 
well  known  to  be  very  injurious  to  the  child  receiving  it. 

With  these  facts  that  have  been  extensively  published  in  the 
newspapers  during  the  past  few  months,  a  little  reference  to  some 
ancient  history  might  be  of  some  interest  to  the  reading  people,  if 
not  to  the  scientific  researchers. 

In  ancient  times  Greece,  Rome  and  Gaul  were  troubled  with  a 
very  serious  epidemic,  and  their  philosophers  and  scientists  could 
not  find  the  cause  or  where  it  came  from,  and  they  called  it  "in- 


Poliomyelitis — Infantile  Paralysis.  547 

fluence"  (influenza),  which  name  was  used  by  the  Greeks,  Ro- 
mans, Germans,  English  and  Americans,  but  the  Gauls  and 
French  called  it  "la  grippe." 

Up  to  the  year  1842,  when  it  had  not  been  known  in  this 
country  for  some  time,  and  made  its  appearance  in  Washington, 
the  President,  John  Tyler,  was  one  of  its  first  victims,  and  I,  the 
writer,  three  hundred  miles  west  in  Virginia,  in  the  country,  took 
it  at  the  same  hour,  and  the  same  day  it  made  its  appearance  in 
Missouri  and  other  Western  States.  Some  French  doctor  in 
Washington  called  it  "la  grippe,"  the  French  name,  and  it  was 
then  called  Tyler's  grippe  till  Tyler  died  in  1852,  when  it  lost  the 
Tyler  .but  held  on  to  the  grippe.  It  is  the  same  disease  all  the 
time,  with  the  same  distinguishing  characteristics,  and  has  symp- 
toms like  every  other  disease,  and  among  them  has  always  had 
occasional  cases  of  paralysis,  mostly  with  infants,  hence  it  is 
called  infantile  paralysis.  During  the  recent  very  serious  epi- 
demic in  New  York,  as  in  ancient  Greece,  the  scientists  could 
find  no  cause  or  where  it  came  from,  but  must  find  a  name  and 
so  they  named  it,  scientifically,  poliomyelitis.  WTith  this  history 
the  reader  may  see,  by  its  relation  with  la  grippe  and  the  many 
similar  symptoms,  that  it  is  one  of  the  many  form-  of  that 
disease  and  the  most  to  be  dreaded. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  neither  the  ancient  nor  modern  scien- 
tist, without  long  personal  experience  in  treating  it,  will  get  a 
correct  understanding  of  the  true  conditions  in  the  case.  It  is  not 
at  all  strange  that  the  ancients  should  fail  to  find  the  cause,  or 
prevention,  at  a  time  when  so  little  was  known  about  electricity 
and  the  part  it  takes  in  the  growth  and  life  of  vegetation  and  ani- 
mals, in  the  circulation  of  blood  through  the  nerves  and  vital 
force,  and  its  furnishing  motor  force  to  circulate  the  blood  and 
the  active  motions  of  all  the  muscular  system.  The  electro-vital 
force  is  furnished  from  the  air  passages.  The  nose,  pharynx 
and  lungs  in  every  species  of  animal  and  vegetation  has  a  vital- 
electro  force  of  its  own,  so  that  there  is  infinite  mixture  of  differ- 
ent influences  in  each  breath  inhaled  by  every  individual. 

Then,  can  it  be  a  strange  thing  with  the  great  number  that 
at  times  they  are  supplied  with  incompatible  forces  of  such  power- 
ful agents,  should  produce  irritation  of  the  mucous  membrane, 
derange  the  functions  of  the  life  forces  and  cause  particular  con- 
ditions in  the  nerves  which  we  call  disease. 


548  Poliomyelitis — Infantile  Paralysis. 

Then  come  the  advantages  of  the  teachings  of  Samuel  Hahne- 
mann's Qrganon,  that  the  symptoms  in  the  case  known  but  to  the 
patient  are  the  true  guide  to  find  the  remedy  that  will  cure  the 
patient  by  finding  a  remedy  that,  in  proving  by  a  healthy  person, 
produced  the  same  symptoms  as  in  the  present  case. 

The  proving  is  made  by  selecting  healthy  people  of  different 
ages,  sexes  and  conditions  in  life,  with  the  intelligence  and 
capacity  to  understand  and  write  their  symptoms,  and  each  one  is 
to  take  the  drug  selected  in  the  official  dose  as  commonly  used 
in  sickness,  till  it  produces  sick  symptoms,  which  the  prover 
records  as  they  occur,  and  as  the  prover  feels  them,  and  these 
records  of  symptoms  are  carefully  incorporated  in  the  materia 
medica  for  the  benefit  of  the  physician  who,  after  examining  a 
patient,  finds  all  the  symptoms  of  the  drug  which  he  finds  in  the 
materia  medica.  He  then  knows  that  he  has  the  remedy  that  is 
curative  in  the  case,  if  properly  applied  in  potency,  viz.,  dilute 
with  pure  water  or  alcohol  one  part  to  ten  or  to  one  hundred 
consecutively  to  ten,  thirty,  two  hundred  or  higher  till  there  is 
no  demonstrative  presence  of  the  material  of  the  drug  in  it,  and 
the  vitality  of  the  drug  is  so  attenuated  that  it  penetrates  the 
vital  force  of  the  entire  system  and  eliminates  the  vitality  of  its 
own  kind  that  is  irritating  the  natural  life  forces  of  the  patient, 
and  causing  the  sickness. 

It  leaves  the  nerves  unobstructed  and  they  do  their  normal  duty 
and  restore  order  and  health  to  the  patient  with  little  danger  of 
the  return  of  the  same  trouble. 

It  has  been  discovered  that  the  laboratory  diagnoses  of  diseases 
scientifically  made  in  the  hospitals,  when  tested  by  autopsy,  are 
sixty  per  cent,  mistakes,  and  that  the  medical  treatment  used  for 
such  cases  serves  to  hasten  the  preparation  for  the  autopsy. 

Another  very  valuable  discovery  has  been  made  by  Dr.  John 
B.  Fraser,  of  Toronto,  Ontario,  Canada,  who  contributes  a 
paper  on  germs,  after  ten  years'  experimenting,  to  the  Canada 
Lancet,  which  gives  positive  proof  that  there  is  no  evidence  of 
truth  in  the  germ  theory  of  disease.  He  shows  that  the  bacilli  is 
never  found  in  the  early  stages  of  the  sickness,  but  come  in  later 
after  several  days,  and,  with  many  years  of  observation,  shows 
that  the  disease — poliomyelitis — cannot  be  contagious,  but  is 
strictly  epidemic,  generates  the  microbes  and  not  the  microbes 
generate  the  disease. 


Treatment  of  Diphtheria.  549 

We  claim  that  there  is  no  specific  to  be  found  that  will  cure 
all  cases  or  prevent  its  coming,  but  that  it  is  not  necessary  to 
diagnose  the  disease  by  name  alone,  but  direct  attention  to  the 
individual,  the  patient,  and  be  governed  by  the  totality  of  the 
symptoms  in  the  case,  which  is  the  way  that  all  sickness  should 
be  treated.  First,  find  the  most  prominent  symptom  the  patient 
has,  then,  by  repertory,  find  the  remedy  that  has  produced  the 
same,  when  used  in  material  doses,  then  find  the  next  most 
prominent  symptom  and  see  that  the  same  remedy  in  material 
doses  produced  one  just  like  it,  then  another  and  another,  till 
it  is  found  that  the  symptoms  the  patient  has  have  all  been  pro- 
duced by  this  same  remedy  when  used  in  material  doses  by  healthy 
provers.  Then  you  have  the  remedy  that  is  naturally  curative 
in  the  case,  if  properly  used  in  the  30th,  200th  or  higher  poten- 
cies, so  as  to  get  the  most  active  dynamic  effect  on  the  life  forces 
and  nerves  of  the  sufferer,  and  the  reverse  of  the  material  dose, 
the  curative  and  not  the  toxic  or  disease-producing  effects  as  is 
often  seen  where  large  doses  of  material  medicines  are  given  in 
cases  of  sickness. 

W.  L.  Morgan,  M.  D., 

Baltimore,  Md. 


TREATMENT  OF  DIPHTHERIA. 

Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 

As  to  antitoxin  in  diphtheria  I  have  seen  too  many  bad  results 
following  its  use,  and,  therefore,  I  don't  use  it.  I  have  not  lost  a 
case  now  in  fifteen  years. 

For  the  most  part  I  give  Cyanide  of  mercury  6x  and  Baptisia 
0  in  alternation,  twenty  drops  of  the  tincture  in  half  a  glass  of 
water,  as  often  as  seems  best. 

I  also  give  alcohol,  and  vary  the  strength  according  to  the 
condition,  usually  about  one-quarter  strength. 

A  young  woman,  about  twenty,  was  very  sick.  I  thought  sure 
she  would  die  one  night.  Well  that  night  she  got  an  ounce  of 
alcohol  in  an  ounce  of  water  every  hour  all  night  long,  and  did 
not  know  until  morning  that  she  had  taken  anything  stronger 
than  water.     She  made  an  elegant  recovery,  and  no  bad  effects 


55°  Some  Free  Advice. 

followed  the  use  of  the  alcohol.  I  never  treat  a  case  of  diph- 
theria without  using  the  alcohol,  and  regard  it  as  my  sheet  anchor. 

Chas.  C.  Curtis,  M.  D. 

1204  Pacific  Ave.,  San  Pedro,  Calif. 

Oct.  28,  1916. 


SHORTCOMINGS  OF  MEDICAL  COLLEGES. 

Editor  6i  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 

What  to  do  with  the  Medical  Colleges  of  the  day  when  we  find 
that  through  imperfect  equipment,  careless  teaching  and  short 
periods  of  application,  not  one  graduate  in  a  dozen — nay,  in  a 
hundred — is  fitted  to  write  a  health  certificate,  or  a  permit?  What 
to  do  when  all  the  noted  physicians  in  active  practice  for  years,  in 
the  great  cities,  are  unfitted  to  perform  these  duties  for  their 
trusting  clients? 

Can  it  be  true  that  a  health  officer,  in  political  activity,  with  his 
mind  on  such  matters  as  give  him  a  ''pull,"  is  better  equipped  as 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  state  of  a  man's  health,  or  of  the  dangers 
of  given  environments,  than  the  trusted  family  physician  who 
has  assisted  him  out  of  the  many  difficulties  which  have  sur- 
rounded him,  more  or  less,  all  his  lifetime?  Is  one  disease — so- 
called — so  much  harder  to  grapple  with  than  another :  and  has  the 
quarantine  and  strictness  of  health  officers  and  board  diminished 
by  one  iota  the  frequency  and  number  of  epidemics,  except 
through  hygiene  and  sanitation,  which  is  supposed  to  be  the  equip- 
ment of  every  well  educated  man  and  woman,  and  certainly  every 
physician? 

Is  it  not  time  that  the  medical  colleges  of  New  York,  Phila- 
delphia, Baltimore,  etc.,  etc.,  look  to  their  laurels,  also  extend  a 
helping  hand  to  their  much  ''badgered"  clientele? 

S.  L.  Guild-Leggett,  M.  D. 

Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  23,  1916. 


SOME   FREE  ADVICE. 

When  you  write  a  paper  to  be  read  before  a  medical  society  and 
afterwards  to  be  printed,  there  are  several  things  you  ought  to 
observe  in  order  to  prevent  medical  editors  from  tearing  their 
hair  and  compositors  from  making  the  atmosphere  blue — if  the 


Some  Free  Advice.  551 

editor  is  lazy  and  refrains  from  doctoring  up  your  manuscript. 
In  a  broad  sense  the  advice  is  this:  Do  not  write  your  paper  as 
you  would  a  prescription  to  a  druggist  who,  after  years  of  suffer- 
ing, has  learned  to  make  a  shrewd,  and  innocuous,  guess  at  your 
meaning.  If  you  are  to  read  the  paper  yourself  and  that  is  to  be 
the  end  of  it,  the  hieroglyphics  are  all  right — if  you  can  under- 
stand them — but  if  it  is  to  go  forth  to  the  world  it  should  be 
written  so  that  the  world,  the  medical  world,  can  understand  it 
without  doubt.  Remember  that  the  medical  world  is  made  up  of 
many  men  from  many  schools.-  That  what  is  plain  to  one  is 
darkness  to  another.  That  if  a  paper  is  worth  reading  it  is  worth 
publishing.  That  if  it  is  worth  publishing  is  worth  being  writ- 
ten so  that  type-men  can  set  it  properly,  so  that  every  medical 
man  can  understand  it.  Let  us  illustrate  the  point  by  a  few  mild 
examples : 

"Diagnosis,  Pul.  Tub."  Why  not  write  "Diagnosis,  pulmonary 
tuberculosis  ?" 

"With  4  cups  of Why  not  write,  "With  four  cups  of," 

etc. 

"Symptoms  of  T.  B."  Suppose  a  reader  not  knowing  "T.  B." 
were  to  turn  to  the  dictionary? 

"Hosp."    Why  not  "hospital.?" 

"R.  S.,"  "R.  L."    Why  not  "right  side"  and  "right  lung." 

">  from"  and  "<  from."  Why  not  "better  from"  and  "worse 
from"  if  you  want  to  enlighten  the  inquiring  and  open-minded 
allopath  ? 

"H20  and  milk."    Why  not  "water  and  milk?" 

"Br  am  3  1  hr.?"     Ay? 

"Temp.  103."     Why  not  "temperature  103?" 

"1$.  Tub."  Why  not  "prescribed  Tuber culinum"  or  "tuber- 
culin?" 

S.  L.  continued."  Why  not  "Sac.  lac.  continued,"  or,  better, 
"Saccharum  lactis  continued?" 

"Pat."    Why  not  "patient?" 

"K.  bich."  Why  not  "Kali  bichromicumf"  And  this  is  true 
of  all  our  remedies,  for  what  does  the  outside  know  of  "Pul.," 
"Asa,"  "Bad,"  "Bap,"  "Con,"  "Cro,"  "Doli,"  "Dig," 
"Led,"  "Mill,"  "Pet,"  "Zing,"  or  -of  others  that  could  be 
-quoted?     These  abbreviations  are  all  right  in  text-books  which 


552  What  Ailed  Him. 

furnish  a  key,  but  a  published  paper  goes  forth  to  the  great 
world,  compared  with  which  the  homceopathic  world  is  very 
small,  so  why  not  write  so  that  the  great  world  can  understand 
you,  at  least  when  you  mention  a  remedy? 

You  write  a  good  paper,  one  free  from  the  defects  first  men- 
tioned, and  then  you  say  that  you  gave  the  patient,  let  us  say, 
"bry."  Now  how  many  men  in  the  great  majority  know  what 
"bry."  means?  Very  few.  Why  not  fat  the  risk  of  shocking 
some  of  our  puristts)  write  you  prescribed  "Bryonia?'' 

Among  other  minor  things  that  worry  editors  and  type-setters 
is  writing  on  both  sides  of  the  paper ;  crowding  the  lines  so  close 
that  you  cannot  get  a  pin  point  between  them  ;  typewriting  with  no 
spacing  between  the  lines,  or  typewriting  with  so  pale  a  ribbon 
that  the  letters  at  times  are  illegible ;  not  paging  the  manuscript, 
and  so  on.  Small  things,  yet  but  life  is  mostly  made  up  of  small 
things,  and  to  do  them  well  makes  steps  toward  success.  Also 
we  believe  the  messages  of  our  physicians  are  needed  by  the 
world,  needed  now  more  than  ever,  and  deserve  fitting  dress. 


"WHAT  AILED   HIM." 

The  Journal  of  the,  American  Medical  Association  runs  a  de- 
partment headed,  "The  Propaganda  for  Reform."  In  this  section 
recently  was  an  item  headed,  "What  Ailed  Him  ?"  It  opened  as 
follows : 

A  druggist,  who  prefers  that  his  name  and  address  be  withheld,  writes 
that  he  was  called  on  to  fill  the  following  prescription: 

^.     Hydrarg.   chlor.   mite    gr.  j. 

Pottassi   iodidi    3iv. 

Pottassi    bromidi    Siij  • 

Pottassi   cit 3v. 

Tr.    aconit 3h\ 

Vini   ipecac    ^j. 

Aqua  chloroform  q.  s.  ad  giij. 

M.  et  sig. :  Teaspoonful  in  water  three  times  a  day  after  meals,  and,  if 
necessary,  at  bedtime. 

The  druggist  writes  further :  "We  should  be  glad  to  have  you  guess  what 
was  wrong  with  the  patient.  We  should  not  like  to  go  down  as  criticising 
our  physicians,  but  would  like  for  you  to  have  a  shot  at  them.  I  have  now 
Had  about  twelve  years'  experience  behind  the  counter,  and  am  just  getting 


Breathing  Stops  When  Falling  Asleep.  553 

to  where  I  am  afraid  to  turn  them  loose.  There  are  times  when  I  feel  that 
the  patient  is  not  only  wasting  his  money  but  ruining  his  stomach  also. 
But  what  can  the  poor  country  druggist  do.  He  is  dependent  on  the  phy- 
sician for  his  prescription  work.  I  sometimes  fear  that  we  don't  have  the 
backbone  that  we  should  have." 

It  is  quite  evident  that  the  good  editor  is  stumped. 


"BREATHING  STOPS   WHEN   FALLING 
ASLEEP.'' 

Editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder. 

In  Dr.  Hallman's  article  in  the  November  Recorder  is  given 
a  case  of  "'respiration  ceasing  in  sleep"  that  reminds  me  of  a 
similar  case. 

Returning  in  the  first  week  in  August,  19 14,  from  my  vaca- 
tion. I  found  one  of  my  patients,  an  old  gentleman  in  his  ninety- 
second  year,  in  a  critical  state,  both  the  physicians  in  whose 
charge  I  had  left  him  and  his  family  having  given  him  up.  He 
had  nearly  recovered  from  an  attack  of  lobar  pneumonia  when  I 
left,  and  no  apparent  reason  for  alarm  appeared.  This  was  now 
four  weeks  later. 

He  lay  on  his  back,  his  eyes  closed,  mouth  open,  breathing 
snoring  and  slow,  pulse  nearly  imperceptible  at  wrist,  skin  cool 
and  rather  moist. 

When  awakened  he  made  feeble  efforts  to  speak,  mumbling 
only  a  syllable  or  two,  and  looking  vacant  and  semi-conscious. 

He  would  soon  relapse  into  a  doze,  and  in  the  space  of  two  or 
three  minutes  his  breathing  would  entirely  cease.  Then,  after 
what  seemed  a  very  long  time,  but  probably  from  a  minute  to  a 
minute  and  a  half,  he  would  give  a  gasp,  and  slowly  resume 
breathing,  at  first  in  half  breaths,  then  in  a  few  natural  breaths,  as 
he  partially  roused.  This  had  been  going  on  for  about  twelve 
hours.  At  first  the  intervals  were  longer,  five  to  ten  minutes  or 
so.  Xow  they  occurred  as  often  as  three  or  four  minutes. 
Moving  him  a  little  or  touching  him  restored  his  breathing.  I 
remembered  that  my  repertory  had  a  section  on  loss  of  breath 
when  falling  asleep. 

On  page  480,  under  "Worse,  Sleep,  Suffocation,  Falling 
Asleep/'  we  read : 


554  ^  Plea  for  Unity. 

"Breathing  stops  when  falling  asleep ;  must  be  moved  to  restore 
breathing,  Badiaga. 

"Suffocation  on  falling  asleep ;  the  suffocative  paroxysm 
wakens  him  out  of  sleep;  he  must  jump  out  of  bed  and  hold 
himself  firmly,  Graphites. 

"Loss  of  breath  awakens  him  from  sleep ;  chronic,  difficult 
loose  cough;  abundant  sputa,  Grindelia." 

On  the  previous  page,  479,  we  find  "Worse,  Sleep,  Suffocation." 

"Nightmare;  afraid  to  go  to  sleep  on  account  of  suffocation; 
difficult  breathing  without  constriction  of  chest;  wants  fresh  air, 
Baptisia." 

My  patient  got  Grindelia  3X,  30  drops  in  one-fourth  glass  water 
(about  3  ounces),  a  teaspoonful  every  ten  min'utes  until  im- 
provement began,  then  one-half  hour  until  breathing  became 
natural. 

At  the  end  of  two  hours  the  medicine  was  discontinued,  and 
there  has  been  no  call  for  its  use  to  this  day. 

The  patient  is  still  living  and  has  no  respiratory  trouble  of  any 
kind. 

The  four  drugs  named  are  all  the  drugs  I  know  of  having  this 
very  peculiar  symptom.  They  are  at  least  the  only  drugs  in  the 
two  hundred  and  ninety-two  given  in  my  "Repertory  of  Respira- 
tory Symptoms."    See  Therapeutics  of  the  Respiratory  System. 

In  case  anyone  finds  this  symptom  in  any  other  drug  I  would 
be  glad  to  hear  from  him. 

Any  one  with  the  "repertory"  at  hand  could  have  learned  all 
this  inside  of  five  minutes  as  easily  as  he  could  find  a  word  in  the 
Century  Dictionary. 

M.  W.  Vandenburg. 

107  Union  Ave.,  Mt.  Verson,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  17,  1916. 


A  PLEA  FOR  UNITY. 

By  Alexander  C.  Hermance,  M.  D.,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Homoeopathic  physicians  of  to-day  are  divided  into  three 
classes,  first,  the  Hahnemannian,  usually  designated  as  the  high 
potency  wing,  who  believes  in  the  single  remedy  and  the  minimum 
dose;  second,  the  low  potency  adherents,  who  usually  believe  in 
alternation  and  combination  of  remedies,  called  the  low  potency 


A  Plea  for  Unity.  555 

wing,  and  between  these  two  extremes,  the  pathological  pre- 
scribes, better  known  as  the  liberal  homoeopaths,  who  use  any- 
thing and  everything  regardless  of  the  law.  This  was  not  the 
case  in  the  earlier  days  of  our  school  when  such  men  as  Hering, 
Dunham  and  others  taught  and  exemplified  the  great  truth  of 
homoeopathy.  There  was  but  one  Homoeopathy  then,  and  but  one 
purpose,  and  that  was  by  united  effort  to  advance  the  cause  in 
which- they  so  thoroughly  believed.  Why  should  there  be  such  a 
division  in  the  practice  now  ?  There  is  but  one  interpretation  of 
the  law,  and  it  is  only  by  our  united  efforts  that  we  can  maintain 
the  distinctive  position  we  should  before  the  public.  In  unity 
there  is  strength,  in  division,  failure.  If  there  is  any  one  thing 
more  than  another  that  has  hurt  our  school  among  the  laity  it  is 
the  lack  of  harmony  in  our  own  ranks.  This  fact  has  been  used 
greatly  to  our  detriment  by  the  old  school  to  weaken  our  prestige 
bef<  >re  the  public.  That  is  one  of  the  reasons  why  to-day  most  of 
the  government  positions  to  which  physicians  are  eligible  are 
occupied  by  allopaths.  They  are  aggressive,  politically,  as  well  as 
socially,  when  the  good  of  their  school  is  at  stake,  working 
harmoniously  and  in  unity,  individually  and  collectively.  This  is 
not  so  with  us,  and  there  is  no  good  and  sufficient  reason  why  it 
should  not  be  so.  If  we  can  not  agree  among  ourselves  we  must 
not  expect  others  to  consider  us  seriously. 

Xow,  what  is  it  that  constitutes  a  homoeopathic  physician0 
Just  two  things.  First,  a  belief  in  the  law  of  similars ;  second,  a 
conscientious  effort  to  apply  that  law  to  the  best  of  his  ability. 
There  is  no  modification  of  its  principles.  It  is  either  true  or  it  is 
not  true.  We  must  accept  or  reject  it  as  a  whole.  Therefore,  as 
homoeopathic  physicians,  believing  as  we  do,  are  we  not  in  duty 
bound  to  practice  according  to  its  tenets?  If  we  make  a  pro- 
fession we  ought  at  least  to  make  an  honest  effort  to  prove  its 
truthfulness  or  else  withdraw  from  associations.  We  have  a 
privilege,  as  physicians,  to  practice  what  we  think  best,  but  we 
have  no  right  to  call  ourselves  homoeopathic  and  make  no  effort 
to  uphold  its  -principles. 

We  must,  however,  admit  in  these  days  of  advanced  medical 
thought  and  investigation,  much  of  which,  by  the  way,  simply 
confirms  the  discovery  made  by  Samuel  Hahnemann  one  hundred 
years  ago,  that  there  have  been  many  scientific  truths  demonstrated 


556  A  Plea  for  Unity. 

in  the  domain  of  therapeutics  since  Hahnemann's  time,  which  the 
progressive  physician  must  accept  or  be  considered  hide-bound 
or  blindly  ignorant,  and  which  may  be  used  at  times  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  indicated  remedy  to  help  cure  our  patients.  Sur- 
gery, electricity,  hydropathy  and  even  osteopathy  have  their  legiti- 
mate sphere,  and  even  these,  when  studied  individually  will  be 
found  to  be  in  harmony  with  the  law  of  similars  in  their  curative 
action.  But  there  are  certain  fundamental  truths  and  natural 
laws  which  can  never  be  modified,  and  among  them  is  the  law  of 
similars.  As  Professor  Rabe  has  said,  in  speaking  upon  this 
subject,  "It  may  not  be  universal,  yet  so  far  as  medical  thera- 
peutics is  concerned,  it  is  supreme  in  its  application."  "Truth  is 
mighty  and  will  prevail."  This  is  an  old  and  familiar  adage.  The 
truth  of  the  law  of  similars  has  prevailed  for  many  years  and  is 
in  harmony  with  all  nature,  and  is,  therefore,  a  natural  law.  For 
as  Hudson  says  in  his  essay  on  Homoeopathy,  "Like  begets  like; 
a  smile  begets  a  smile ;  a  frown  begets  a  frown ;  like  sounds  pro- 
duce harmony ;  unlike  sounds  produce  discord,  and  harmony,  not 
discord,  bring  sweet  temper,  appetite  and  good  digestion."  But 
the  public,  like  the  proverbial  gentleman  from  Missouri,  has  got 
to  be  shown,  and  this  can  not  be  done  by  a  divided  and  inharmoni- 
ous organization.  Therefore,  let  us  be  charitable  with  each  other 
and  not  smile  and  say  "moonshine"  when  some  member  reports 
a  case  cured  by  a  45  m.  potency,  or  holler  "mongrel"  because  he 
does  not  use  the  higher  potencies  in  infrequent  doses,  or,  perhaps, 
resorts  to  some  other  therapeutic  measure  in  treating  his  patient 
If  he  is  doing  the  best  he  knows  how  according  to  the  light  he  has 
secured  to  practice  Homoeopathy,  it  is  all  that  we  can  expect.  But 
this  does  not  excuse  the  pretender  who  has  not  the  principle  at 
heart  or  the  ambition  to  work. 

It  has  been  said  that  homoeopathic  therapeutics  is  a  specialty 
requiring  a  special  adaptability  of  gift  of  mind  and  temperament 
to  excel  in  its  application.  This  may  be  so  to  some  extent,  but  to 
me  it  seems  a  matter  of  systematic  work  that  may  be  accom- 
plished by  any  physician. 

The  prescribing  of  homoeopathic  drugs  does  not  make  a  ho- 
moeopath. It  is  the  principle  involved.  There  is  but  one  Ho- 
moeopathy and  but  one  way  to  practice  it.  There  should  be  no 
high  or  low  potency  faction.     The  potency  question  has  nothing 


A  Medico-Tragical  Romance 


r?/ 


to  do  with  a  man  being  a  homoeopath.  That  is  simply  a  matter 
of  individual  experience  as  is  the  repetition  of  the  dose.  The 
question  is,  do  we  believe  in  the  law  of  similars,  and  are  we  to  the 
best  of  our  ability  endeavoring  to  practice  according  to  its  pre- 
cepts ?  As  for  liberal  Homoeopathy  there  is  no  such  thing.  It  is 
simply  a  subterfuge  used  by  weak-kneed  practitioners  to  allow 
them  to  use  the  numerous  empirical  preparations  foisted  upon  the 
profession  by  manufacturing  pharmacists  and  which  appeal  to  the 
material  mind  unable  to  appreciate  or  understand  the  more  potent 
curative  power  developed  by  potentization. 

Another  phase  of  the  question  is,  does  it  pay  to  practice  good 
Homoeopathy,  and  I  would  answer  this  question  by  saying,  "If  a 
thing  is  worth  doing  at  all,  it  is  worth  doing  well."  The  ten- 
dency of  the  present  day  to  commercialize  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine has  made  it  more  of  a  business  than  a  profession.  The 
doctor  who  was  formerly  looked  up  to  and  respected  for  his  knowl- 
edge and  professional  attainments  is  now  often  considered  a 
"grafter,"  and  justly  so  in  many  cases,  for  he  is  simply  "selling 
medicine"  of  which  he  knows  little  about.  Some  writer,  before 
the  birth  of  Homoeopathy  in  the  19th  century,  has  said,  "If  all  the 
drugs  were  cast  into  the  sea  it  would  be  so  much  better  for  man 
and  so  much  worse  for  the  fish,"  and  I  think  the  same  is  true  to- 
day outside  of  the  practice  of  pure  Homoeopathy.  If  we  are  to 
exist  as  a  school  we  must  work  harmoniously  and  energetically 
for  our  principles,  discussing  our  points  of  difference  in  our 
societies  and  organizations  without  malice  and  for  the  common 
good. 


A   MEDICO-TRAGICAL  ROMANCE. 
By  A.  Pulford,*M.  D.,  Toledo,  O. 

Miss  "Atropa  Belladonna,"  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a 
"beautiful  lady"  from  Spain.  Once  the  "pride  of  China"  she  now 
had  consented  to  grace  America.  On  her  arrival  she  was  met 
at  the  pier  by  Messrs.  "Black-Sampson,"  "St.  Johns- Wort"  and 
that  "man, — Drake."  These  gentlemen  were  attired  in  the  height 
of  fashion,  but  instead  of  the  conventional  headpieces,  they  wore 
"skull-caps,"  while  she  wore  her  "maiden  hair"  neatly  enclosed  in 
a  "monk's  hood."     Her  cheeks  wore  the  bloom  of  the  "rose." 


558  A  Medico-Tragical  Romance. 

Her  "eye,  bright"  as  the  "sun  dew,"  shone  from  beneath  beauti- 
fully arched  brows,  and  her  "tulips"  were  as  red  as  the  luscious 
cherry.  Her  tiny  feet  were  encased  in  a  pair  of  beautiful  "lady 
slippers."  On  her  hands  she  wore  a  pair  of  elegant  "fox  gloves." 
She  carried,  in  her  hands,  besides  a  "shepherd's  purse,"  a  bouquet 
of  "pansies"  and  "lilies  of  the  valley."  Her  maids  were  "Rosa 
Centifolia"  and  "Rose-Mary,"  who  wore  hats  of  "hair  cap  moss" 
in  place  of  the  usual  head  piece.  Her  charming  existence  hereto- 
fore had  been  such  that  she  dreamed  of  "life  everlasting." 

On  account  of  an  accident  she  had  to  walk,  and  as  she  had 
"chamomile"  on  foot  she  was  consequently  tired  and  ill.  She 
soon  recovered  after  a  dose  of  "Indian  physic"  and  a  rest  on  a 
bed  of  "conch  grass."  She  was  then  given  a  "four  o'clock"  tea, 
at  which  were  served  "asparagus,"  "Indian  turnip,"  "bear's 
foot,"  and  "deer  tongue"  flavored  with  "mountain  sage,"  and  as 
a  beverage  "Jersey  tea"  was  served. 

After  tea  she  put  on  her  "lark-spur"  and  her  "colt's  foot" 
charm,  and  with  her  escort,  went  out  for  a  ride.  At  her  request 
her  escort,  who  was  easily  the  "dandi-lion"  of  their  set,  wore  a 
bouttonier,  a  beautiful  "blue  flag."  She  was  very  proud  of  her 
mount,  guiding  it  with  reins  of  "gold  thread"  and  ruling  it  with  a 
"golden  rod."  She  had  just  gotten  her  steed  to  "speed  well" 
when  he  got  upon  "nettles"  and  threw  her  to  the  ground.  Her 
escort  immediately  picked  her  up  and  carried  her  to  the  nearest 
doctor,  who  found  that  she  had  to  have  a  "bone-set.'1  As  evening 
came  on  her  fever  and  delirium  ran  high,  giving  every  evidence  of 
a  "night-blooming  cereus,"  but  next  morning  she  rallied. 

After  she  recovered  they  went  out  to  gather  "evening  prim- 
roses." On  their  arrival  home  he  purposely  led  her  under  the 
"mistletoe,",  where  he  proposed  and  was  accepted,  being  a  multi- 
millionaire. 

She  had  always  said  that  she  would  not  marry  for  love,  but 
would  "marigold."  After  much  persuasion  she  was  induced  to 
climb  "Jacob's  ladder"  to  "Jack-in-the-pulpit"  who,  by  the  aid  of 
"Elder  Flower,"  pronounced  them  man  and  wife. 

Her  apartments  had  all  been  arranged  in  conformity  to  the 
"carpenter's  square,"  and  were  complete  in  every  detail. 

After  a  brief,  but  brilliant  career  of  a  beautiful  butterfly  life, 
surrounded  by  everything  that  heart  could  wish  or  that  money 


Fleas.  559 

could  buy,  she  soon  tired  of  gold  and  decided  to  commit  suicide. 
To  this  end  she  chose  "wolf's  bane,"  but  to  make  more  sure  of 
the  attempt  she  made  a  cord  of  "Indian  hemp,''  and  now  lies 
sleeping  in  the  "deadly  night-shade." 


FLEAS. 

The  following  review  of  a  book,  or  pamphlet,  in  the  British 
Medical  Journal  is  rather  interesting,  and  may  be  useful.  This 
is  the  title: 

Fleas  as  a  Menace  to  Man  and  Domestic  Animals:  Their  Life 
History,  Habits  and  Control.  British  Museum  (Natural  His- 
tory), Economic  Series,  No.  3.  London:  The#  British  (Natural 
History)  Museum.  B.  Quaritch  and  Dulau  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  1916. 
(Demy,  8vo,  pp.  22 ;  6  figures.) 

The  B.  M.  J.'s  review  now  follows : 

"Mr.  J.  Waterston  has  contributed  to  the  Natural  History 
Museum's  series  of  economic  pamphlets  an  extremely  readable 
account  of  the  Fleas,  a  group  of  insects  with  which  he  is  fully 
qualified  to  deal.  The  external  anatomy  is  described  in  some 
detail,  in  order  to  give  the  reader  an  understanding  of  the  char- 
acteristics on  which  fleas  are  classified.  This  is  followed  by  an  ac- 
count of  the  internal  anatomy,  and  of  the  mechanism  whereby  the 
flea  transmits  the  plague  bacillus.  The  view  is  adopted  that  in- 
jection does  not  usually  take  place  by  contamination  with  the 
faeces  of  the  flea,  but  that  it  is  produced  because  the  flea's  stomach 
is  blocked  completely  by  a  plug  of  multiplying  bacilli ;  when, 
therefore,  the  flea  sucks  the  blood  of  an  uninfected  man  or  rat 
the  blood  is  regurgitated  into  the  wound  because  it  cannot  pass 
beyond  the  gizzard;  it  is  this  regurgitated  blood  which  produces 
infection.  The  Bacillus  pestis  has  never  been  found  in  the  sali- 
vary glands  of  the  flea.  The  life  history  and  habits  are  dealt 
with  at  some  length  because  a  knowledge  of  these  is  the  only 
rational  basis  for  efforts  at  control.  The  eggs  are  deposited  quite 
loose  among  dust  and  organic  refuse,  and  it  is  in  such  sur- 
roundings that  the  larva  lives.  The  larvae,  which  are  very  small 
and  difficult  to  detect,  can  be  found  in. the  baskets  of  not  a  few 
dogs  and  cats  moving  in  very  high  circles.  The  larva  passes 
into  the  pupal  stage  within  a  minute  silken  cocoon  which  it  >pins. 


560  Our  Materia  Medic  a. 

It  would  appear  that  powdered  naphthalene  is  noxious  to  fleas 
over  a  considerable  area;  that  its  odor  is  only  repellant  to  lice 
when  they  are  in  immediate  proximity  to  it  has  lately  been  shown 
by  Mr.  A.  Bacot." 


"OUR  MATERIA  MEDICA." 

The  following  is  taken  from  a  paper  by  Dr.  W.  E.  Payne,  pub- 
lished in  1859.  It  has  a  familiar  sound,  just  as  if  we  had  not 
"advanced"  since  that,  to  us,  remote  period : 

The  imperfect  condition  of  our  Materia  Medica  seems  to  be  clearly  ap- 
prehended; and  earnest  and  praiseworthy  efforts  are  being  made  to  remedy 
the  defect.  The  worfder  is  not  that  we  accomplish  so  little,  with  the  law  of 
cure  at  our  command, -but  rather  that  we  accomplish  so  much,  with  so 
imperfect  an  instrument,  by  which  to  command  the  law,  as  the  Materia 
Medica  is,  in  its  present  condition.  This  fact  is,  of  itself,  strong  pre- 
sumptive evidence  of  the  truth  of  the  law. 

That  statement  would  go  to-day,  namely,  that  the  fault  lies  in 
the  materia  medica.  May  it  not  be  in  men's  lack  of  a  full  com- 
prehension of  that  much  abused  work?  All  say  it  is  a  magnifi- 
cent work  and  then  turn  around  and  point  out  its  imperfections 
or  weak  points,  which,  when  collected  as  a  whole,  condemn  the 
"magnificent  work."  May  not  this  arise  from  the  fact,  ap- 
parently not  comprehended,  that  the  materia  medica  is  many 
sided — has  many  approaches — has  differing-  uses  or  ways  of 
being  used? 

Some  cherish  every  symptom  of  the  vast  multitude,  collect 
every  minute  symptom  of  the  patient,  and  then  by  repertories 
and  various  ingenious  contrivances  match  the  "totality"  of  the 
patient  with  the  "totality"  of  the  materia  medica.  That  is  one  ap- 
proach, a  good  one  that  has  done  fine  work.  Others  brush  aside 
the  numerous  symptoms  and  look  to  the  "key-notes,"  the  strik- 
ing characteristics  of  each  drug.  Any  drug  that  does  not  show 
individuality  of  this  sort  falls  into  obscurity.  This  is  another  ap- 
proach and  a  useful  one. 

Others  trace  the  physiological  action  of  each  drug  and,  while 
largely  ignoring  symptoms,  yet  usefully  apply  the  law  of  simi- 
lars by  this  approach. 

Akin  to  the  last  named  are  those  who  seek  "organ  remedies," 


Our  Materia  Medica.  561 

claiming-  that  certain  drugs  act  only  on  a  given  organ  while 
others  are  general  in  their  action.  These  men,  as  witness  Burnett, 
have  done  fine  work  by  this  path  to  the  mighty  materia  medica. 

There  are  many  other  paths  or  approaches.  Those  who 
largely  center  on  the  mentality  of  the  patient.  Those  who  seek 
the  cause  and  treat  it  rather  than  the  present  symptoms.  Those 
who  insist  that  in  very  many  cases  no  one  drug  can  meet  the 
disease  and  so  use  several. 

All  of  these  are  means  of  practicing  according  to  the  law  of 
similars  and,  to  us  at  least,  it  seems  that  each  has  its  place,  but 
too  often  the  men  familiar  with  one  refuse  to  acknowledge  any 
other  method  or  path,  and,  again,  too  often  reproach  those  who 
apply  the  law  by  any  other  means  than  their  own.  The  broad 
man,  we  fancy  will  deny  the  use  of  none  of  the  methods  cited 
above,  or  of  others  that  might  be  mentioned,  of  applying  a  law 
that  is  universal  in  its  scope. 


OLD  VERIFICATIONS. 

Natrum  mur.:  Scabby  eruption  with  great  itching;  lice  dis- 
ease, in  pale,  debilitated  children ;  hair  dull  looking,  deficient  in 
glossiness,  and  of  a  dry  and  inferior  quality. 

Petroleum:  Eczema  on  hands,  arms,  scalp,  genitals;  bloody 
rhagades  with  scanty  discharge  and  thick  crusts,  accompanied  by 
much  irritation. 

Staphisagria:  Whole  skin  dry  and  itching,  detaching  on 
scratching'  quantities  of  fine  brassy  scales. 

Arnica:   Great  vertigo,  even  when  lying  down. 

Ferrum  sulph.:  Persistent  incontinence  of  urine,  could  not  go 
into  company  or  be  long  from  home. 

Argentum  nitr.:  Excruciating  pain  in  gastric  region,  imme- 
diately after  eating,  only  ceasing  after  vomiting.  Great  tender- 
ness over  epigastrium ;  pressure  there  produces  nausea  and  retch- 
ing. 

Nitric  acid:  Flow  of  yellow,  purulent  mucus  from  the  mouth 
at  night,  staining  linen  so  that  it  could  scarcely  be  removed  by 
washing ;  much  saliva  at  night :  whitish  coating  on  tongue. 


562  Specialists'  Department. 

THE  SPECIALISTS'  DEPARTMENT. 


EDITED   BY  CLIFFORD   MITCHELL,   M.   D. 

25  East  Washington  St.,  Chicago,  111. 

Research  Work  in  Clinical  Urinology  for  1916. — During  1916 
we  have  given  our  attention  chiefly  to  three  subjects  of  research, 
namely,  the  staining  of  urinary  sediments,  the  diagnosis  of  the 
toxemia  of  pregnancy,  and  the  prognosis  in  the  acetonemia  of 
diabetics. 

We  have  succeeded  in  devising  a  stain  for  urine  sediments 
which  prevents  the  drop  of  sediment  from  drying  quickly  on  the 
slide,  as  in  a  warm  room  in  the  winter,  which  helps  clear  away 
phosphatic  debris  without  dissolving  casts,  which  brings  out 
the  character  of  epithelium,  which  makes  connective  tissue  shreds 
more  easily  found,  which  differentiates  a  very  few  red  cells  in  a 
specimen  from  a  very  few  yeast  spores,  also  in  the  same  specimen 
which  emphasizes  the  character  of  leucocytes  (whether  lympho- 
cytes or  not,  and  also  whether  degenerated  or  not),  and  which 
stains  casts  without  destroying  the  identity  of  the  particular 
variety  present.  The  stain  is  particularly  valuable  in  the  study  of 
the  sediment  of  the  urine  of  women  as  it  serves  to  distinguish 
the  really  important  elements  from  the  mass  of  heterogeneous 
and  accidental  substances  often  present.  We  are  still  employing 
our  original  formula  for  the  preparation  of  the  stain  but  on 
account  of  the  high  price  of  certain  materials,  are  observing 
economy  in  the  use  of  it. 

Our  methods  of  diagnosis  of  the  toxemia  of  pregnancy  and 
of  prognosis  as  to  the  severity  of  this  condition  has  been  tested 
over  and  over  again  in  the  course  of  the  year.  We  have  become 
sufficiently  familiar  with  the  condition  to  be  able  to  identify  cer- 
tain complications,  as,  for  example,  a  real  nephritis  of  pregnancy 
complicated  by  a  toxemia  of  origin  elsewhere  than  in  the  kidney, 
a  dangerous  and  not  infrequent  complication.  We  believe  that 
by  combining  the  clinical  observation  of  the  obstetrician  with  the 
discoveries  we  have  made  in  urinology  that  there  are  but  few 
cases  in  which  both  mother  and  child  can  not  be  saved.  We  are 
.still  annoyed  and  hindered  in  our  work  by  the  difficulty  of  mak- 


Specialists'  Department.  563 

ing  the  patient  realize  what  is  going  on  in  the  body,  and  by  the 
tendency  of  many  women,  even  when  pregnant,  to  overdo,  so- 
cially or  politically,  or  in  both  ways. 

One  of  our  patients  who  worried  her  attending  physician  by 
low  ratios  of  urea  to  ammonia  in  the  eighth  month  of  her  preg- 
nancy insisted  upon  taking  part  in  the  recent  political  campaign, 
but  later,  after  a  week  of  rest  and  careful  diet,  the  ratio  of  urea 
to  ammonia  rose  from  ten  to  one  to  twenty  to  one. 

Our  method  of  determining  the  seriousness  of  a  condition  of 
acetonemia  in  diabetes  mellitus  has,  we  think,  held  its  own  during 
the  year,  and  we  are  only  awaiting  more  extensive  experience  to 
give  it  further  publicity.  In  the  urine  of  normal  persons  and 
also  in  that  of  mild  cases  of  diabetes  mellitus  there  is  a  substance 
which  is  present  in  such  a  small  quantity  as  to  require  from  15 
to  20  c.c.  of  the  urine  to  decolorize  a  given  quantity  of  the 
reagent.  But  in  serious  cases  of  diabetes  mellitus  with  acetonemia 
the  substance  increases  to  a  great  degree  until  only  one  or  two 
c.c.  of  the  urine  are  necessary  for  the  decolorization  test.  Out  of 
four  cases  in  which  the  number  of  c.c.  of  urine  necessary  for 
the  decolorization  ranged  from  one  to  ten,  two  are  dead,  one  is  not 
heard  from  and  one  is  in  a  precarious  condition.  The  two  who 
died  passed  urine,  shortly  before  death,  one  c.c.  of  which  would 
bring  about  the  decolorization.  Another  one  of  this  set  of  pa- 
tients at  one  time  voided  urine  two  c.c.  of  which  decolorized  the 
reagent,  but  on  being  fasted  the  number  of  c.c.  required  rose  to 
eight.  He  is  the  one  now  in  a  serious  condition,  but  these  tests 
were  made  before  he  was  apparently  so  badly  off. 

A  Case  of  Cystitis  "Cured.'' — We  have  recently  derived  benefit 
from  use  of  echtisia  in  a  case  of  cystitis.  Patient  was  a  young 
man  voiding  only  700  c.c.  of  urine  in  24  hours,  of  an  acidity  of 
fifty  degrees  and  of  specific  gravity  of  1024.  There  was  a  plain 
trace  of  albumin  in  the  urine  and  a  sediment  of  pus  in  moderate 
amount  with  also  oxalate  crystals.  The  pus  cells  were  degen- 
erated, as  if  the  process  was  an  old  one.  In  other  respects,  the 
urine  was  not  of  interest.  On  account  of  the  urine  being  frankly 
acid  in  reaction  and  no  evidence  of  kidney  trouble  being  present 
we  prescribed  urotropin  and  echtisia.  In  a  letter  received  from 
the  patient's  attending  physician  we  learn  that  after  a  few  months' 
treatment  the  condition  improved  to  such  an  extent  that  the  urine 


564  Specialists'  Department. 

became  normal.  In  the  words  of  the  attending  physician  "the 
patient  is  cured."  (We  hope  he  will  ''stay  cured,"  as  bladder 
troubles  are  obstinate  and  tend  to  recur  from  various  causes. ) 

The  ''Heart  Case"  and  the  "Kidney  Case." — It  must  be  remem- 
bered that  primary  chronic  interstitial  kidney  cases  are  compara- 
tively rare,  but  cases  of  disease  in  which  the  kidney  circulation  is 
sooner  or  later  affected  are  fairly  numerous.  The  fact  that  albu- 
min and  casts  are  found  in  urine  does  not  necessarily  signify  that 
the  kidney  is  the  most  important  organ  affected  in  any  particular 
case.  This  observation  has  an  important  bearing  upon  the  prog- 
nosis, as  cases  of  primary  kidney  trouble  present  conditions  in 
which  the  prognosis  should  be  more  guarded  by  far  than  when 
the  kidney  is  only  secondarily  affected.  Much  that  goes  by  the 
name  of  chronic  interstitial  nephritis  is  not  really  that  condition 
at  all  but  more  commonly  the  cardio-vascular-renal  complex  in 
which  as  long  as  the  heart  and  vascular  system  hold  up  the 
kidneys  do  fairly  well.  In  a  true  kidney  lesion  of  primary  origin 
we  are  confronted  with  an  obstinate  and  usually  unmanageable 
condition,  whereas  in  the  cardio-vascular-renal  complex  there  is 
at  least  some  opportunity  for  therapeutic  results  even  though  they 
may  be,  relatively  speaking,  temporary.  We  have  never  been  able 
to  agree  with  those  clinicians  who  insist  that  the  arterio-sclerotic 
kidney  can  not  be  differentiated  from  the  chronic  interstitial 
kidney  and  that  there  is  no  clinical  necessity  for  the  differentia- 
tion. The  differentiation  can  be  made  by  examination  of  the 
urine  but  not  by  observation  of  the  blood  pressure  alone. 

A  Case  of  Primary  Chronic  Interstitial  Nephritis. — Patient,  47 
years  of  age,  married,  engaged  in  indoor  business  for  fifteen 
years,  a  hearty  eater,  and  heavy  user  of  tobacco,  without  history 
of  previous  illness,  a  few  months  ago  began  to  notice  that  he  was 
becoming  weak,  and  passing  a  good  deal  of  urine,  especially  at 
night,  when  he  would  pass  several  quarts  from  eight  p.  m.  to 
seven  a.  m.  He  was  thirsty  and  craved  acids.  He  lost  weight 
from  190  pounds  to  160 ;  complained  of  stomach  trouble,  and  in 
present  condition  showed  edema  of  the  feet,  ankles,  legs,  part  of 
the  thighs  and  scrotum.  His  eyesight  was  affected  to  such  an 
extent  that  he  could  read  only  the  largest  print.  He  had 
dyspnea,  a  hacking  cough,  and  was  weak  and  exhausted.  The 
volume  of  urine  began  to  decrease  not  long  before  I  saw  him, 


Specialists'  Department.  565 

and  coincident  with  it  came  on  the  edema  and  the  difficulty  of 
breathing.  His  systolic  pressure  was  240,  and  his  diastolic  180,  his 
pulse  93,  his  left  heart  enlarged  not  only  outward  but  apparently 
downward.  He  had  gallop  rhythm  and  jugular  pulsations.  The 
edema  of  his  legs  had  increased  their  circumference  at  the  calf 
by  two  inches  in  the  last  ten  days.  The  urine  in  this  case  was, 
when  examined,  said  to  be  about  normal  in  volume  per  24  hours. 
The  specimen  examined  was  of  a  specific  gravity  1010,  containing 
less  than  one  per  cent,  of  urea,  one-tenth  of  one  per  cent,  of 
albumin,  and  a  moderate  number  of  casts  which  were  all  coarsely 
granular  and  waxy,  the  waxy  casts  being  fewer  in  number  than 
the  granular. 

The  clinical  history  of  a  great  polyuria  followed  by  a  gradual 
decrease  in  the  volume  of  urine  with  onset  of  edema  and  dyspnea, 
neither  of  which  were  noticed  as  severe  before  the  decrease  in 
amount  of  urine,  together  with  the  finding  of  numerous  dark 
coarsely  granular  and  waxy  casts  seemed  to  us  to  be  sufficient 
for  a  differentiation  of  primary  chronic  interstitial  nephritis  from 
the  cardio-vascular- renal  complex. 

In  this  case  we  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  it  would  progress 
unfavorably,  and  that  our  efforts  to  retard  its  progress  would  be 
of  little  avail. 

Treatment  of  the  Cardio- Vascular-Renal  Complex. — In  the  con- 
dition in  which  general  arteriosclerosis  is  accompanied  by  arterio- 
sclerotic kidney,  every  now  and  then  an  exacerbation  or  crisis 
occurs  in  which  there  is  plenty  of  albumen  in  the  urine  and  numer- 
ous casts'  are  found,  the  volume  of  urine  decreasing  and  uremic 
phenomena  being  more  or  less  in  evidence.  The  patient  appears, 
however,  to  yield  more  or  less  readily  to  the  action  of  diuretics 
and  recovers  from  the  uremic  condition  to  go  on  for  another 
period  of  more  or  less  kidney  relief.  But  in  the  true  chronic 
interstitial  nephritis  the  progress  downward  is  more  likely  to  be 
steady  and  crises  with  relief  not  so  common,  if  any. 

In  the  cardio-vascular-renal  complex  we  may  obtain  relief  so 
far  as  the  kidneys  are  concerned  from  Digitalis  (English  leaves), 
hydragogin,  Epsom  salt,  eustenine,  anasarcin,  anedemin,  etc.,  but 
in  true  primary  chronic  interstitial  nephritis  the  action  of  these 
powerful  drugs  may  be  but  slight  and  sometimes  nil  in  increasing 
the  amount  of  urine. 


566  Specialists'  Department. 

In  the  differentiation  of  the  cardio-vascular  cases  from  the  true 
renal  ones  the  obstinacy  of  the  dropsy  is  a  valuable  diagnostic  sign, 
for  in  the  true  renal  cases  the  dropsy  is  there  to  stay  and  is  but 
little  affected  by  drugs. 

The  Hacking  Cough  in  Kidney  Disease. — Barach,  of  Pittsburgh, 
says  he  has  obtained  more  relief  from  use  of  soda  bicarb,  for  the 
troublesome  tracheitis  of  kidney  disease  than  from  use  of  mor- 
phine. He  regards  the  tracheitis  as  a  manifestation  of  acidosis, 
and  hence  gives  the  soda.  This  observation,  especially  if  con- 
firmed is,  in  our  opinion,  one  of  great  value,  as  the  hacking  cough 
of  the  kidney  condition  makes  life  still  more  miserable  for  the 
sufferer,  and  morphine  or  codeine  at  night  relieves  the  cough  only 
at  the  expense  of  the  nervous  system  the  next  day.  We  hope  that 
this  simple  remedy  suggested  by  Barach  may  be  given  a  thorough 
trial,  and  that  physicians  will  be  as  ready  to  report  relief  from 
use  of  it  as  are  always  the  manufacturers  of  complex  or  ex- 
pensive formulas  from  results  obtained  by  various  physicians. 

Mercury  in  the  Toxemia  of  Pregnancy. — We  are  warned  against 
the  use  of  mercury  in  the  toxemia  of  pregnancy  by  Dr.  Herbert 
Williamson,  who  says,  do  not  use  calomel  as  an  aperient  nor 
douches  of  mercurial  antiseptics  as  the  mercurial  lesions  in  the 
liver  and  kidneys  are  of  the  same  nature  as  those  of  the  preg- 
nancy toxemia.  This  is  in  line  with  our  own  experience,  inasmuch 
as  we  have  had  sufficiently  good  results  from  podophyllin  not  to 
feel  inclined  to  use  the  mercurials  except  strictly  in  accordance 
with  homeopathic  indications. 

According  to  Williamson  whenever  a  patient  with  the  chronic 
nephritis  of  pregnancy  also  shows  signs  of  acidosis  then  is  the 
time  to  evacuate  the  contents  of  the  uterus.  We  claim  that  for 
evidence  of  this  acidosis  our  ratio  of  urea  to  ammonia  in  the 
urine  is  a  help. 

Buffum's  Treatment  of  Ethmoiditis. — Inasmuch  as  the  season 
for  colds  is  now  upon  us  we  recommend  all  who  can  to  read  the 
able  article  of  Dr.  J.  H.  Buffum,  in  the  Pacific  Coast  Journal  of 
Homeopathy,  on  the  treatment  of  ethmoiditis.  According  to 
Buffum  the  remedies  most  frequently  indicated  are  the  following : 
With  Aconite  there  is  dryness  of  the  mucous  membrane  and  pain 
at  the  root  of  the  nose;  later  there  may  be  a  slight  watery  dis- 
charge or  hemorrhage.     Geisemium  often  follows  aconite  in  these 


*  Specialists'  Department.  ^J 

cases  and  presents  sneezing  with  fullness  at  root  of  nose,  the 
secretion  becoming  watery  and  excoriating.  X  at  rum  miir.:  The 
discharge  is  watery  with  much  soreness  of  nose  internally  and 
externally ;  sneezing,  with  alternation  of  dryness  and  moisture  in 
the  nose  (Calc.  phos.).  It  is,  however,  much  less  frequently  indi- 
cated than  is  Arsenicum  iodatum,  where  the  tissues  of  the  nose 
are  greatly  swollen,  red  in  color,  with  burning  pain,  while  the 
discharge  is  slight,  watery  and  acrid.  Belladonna,  like  Aconite, 
is  not  often  indicated,  but  may  be  profitably  used  when  there  is  a 
perversion  of  the  sense  of  smell,  the  patient  often  complaining  of 
a  variety  of  imaginary  odors.  The  discharge,  usually  mucus,  some- 
what thick,  bland  and  often  bloody.  Ferrum  phos.  is  the  remedy 
more  often  called  for  in  this  particular  affection  in  its  acute  stages. 
Its  indications  are  those  that  might  be  covered  by  both  Bell, 
and  Mercurius  and  we  may  find  it  seemingly  well  indicated  but 
fail  us,  only  to  find  that  Mercurius  was  the  curative  remedy.  It 
is  of  particular  value  in  the  early  stages  of  all  forms  of  rhinitis, 
the  discharge  is  usually  excoriating,  with  a  tendency  to  the  forma- 
tion of  crusts.  Mercurius  has  free  discharge  of  thick  corroding 
mucus,  with  much  sneezing,  with  sore  or  smarting  sensation  in 
the  nose.  Hepar  sulph.  is  not  infrequently  indicated  in  the  puru- 
lent forms  where  there  is  that  extreme  sensitiveness  to  pain  on 
touch,  or  even  look  of  the  attendant.  Silicea  is  also  of  value  in 
clearing  up  conditions  left  from  the  acute  attack,  and  in  this  con- 
nection it  is  well  to  keep  in  mind  such  remedies  as  Argent,  nit., 
Aurum  mur.j  Hydrastis,  Kali  iod.,  and  Sulphur. 


Everybody  knows  that  gout  is  essentially  a  time-lasting  or 
chronic  disease,  and  that  we  have  an  internal  as  well  as  an 
external  gout,  and  we  consider  Ledum  far  more  indicated  for 
the  symptoms  of  chronic  gout  with  its  deposits  and  alterations 
which  occur  in  and  around  the  joints,  whereas  from  time  im- 
memorial, Colchicum  was  the  representative  to  battle  with  the 
acute  paroxysm.  This  chronic  state  is  also  characterized  by 
general  feebleness,  sometimes  from  the  very  start,  which  rapidly 
tends  to  various  organic  degenerations ;  not  unlike  those  usually 
seen  in  old  age,  doubtless  due  to  the  constant  condition  in  which 
the  blood  is  found. — Lilicnthal. 


568  Book  Reviews. 

BOOK  REVIEWS. 


Diseases  of  the  Nervous  System.     By  John  Eastman  Wilson, 
A.  B.,  M.  D.    Second  edition.     Illustrated.    682  pages.     Large 
8vo.     Cloth,  $6.00,  net.    Philadelphia:  Boericke  &  Tafel,  1916. 
Though  this  book  bears  the  legend  "Second  Edition"  on  its 
title  page,  in  reality  it  is  a  new  book.    The  old  work  contained  465 
pages,  while  this  one  has  682  fine,  large  and  beautifully  printed 
pages.     Everything  of  value  pertaining  to  nervous  diseases,  all 
that  science  has  discovered,  together  with  full  therapeutics  and 
remedial  measures  are  to  be  found  within  its  covers.     To  give 
the  reader  an  idea  of  its  scope  and  contents  we  here  give  the  head- 
ing of  the  eighteen  chapters  that  make  up  this  great  text-book : 
I.     Architecture  of  the  Nervous  System. 
II.     General  Symptoms  of  the  Nervous  System. 

III.  Peripheral   Nerves. 

IV.  Diseases  of  the  Spinal  Cord. 

V.     Inflammatory  Diseases  of  the  Spinal  Cord. 
VI.     Degenerative  Diseases  of  the  Spinal  Cord. 
VII.     The  Progressive  Muscular  Atrophies  and  Dystrophies. 
VIII.     Tumors  and  Cavities  of  the  Cord. 

IX.     Diseases  of  the  Brain  and  Its  Membranes. 
X.     Inflammation  of  the  Brain. 
XL     The  Apoplexies. 

XII.  Tumor  of  the  Brain. 

XIII.  Syphilis  of  the  Nervous  System. 
XIV.     Functional  Nervous  Diseases. 

XV.     Spasmodic  Diseases. 
XVI.     Neurasthenia. 
XVII.    Occupational  Diseases. 
XVIII.     Paralysis  Agitans. 

That  seems  to  be  a  pretty  good  bill-of-fare.  Under  these  gen- 
eral headings  you  get  about  all  there  is  in  "nervous  diseases,"  and, 
curiously,  according  to  some  philosophers,  the  nerves  are  about 
the  whole  thing,  for  do  not  dentists  "kill  the  nerve"  in  a  tooth, 
after  which  the  tooth,  so  far  as  pain  is  concerned,  ceases  to  be. 
Rather  curiously  no  one  has  ever  defined  the  word  "nerve."  If 
you  doubt  this  just  take  a  look  at  any  or  every  dictionary.     Yet, 


Book  Revieius.  569 

though  the  nerves  are  undefinable,  every  son  and  daughter  of  Eve 
feels  quite  sure  that  he  or  she  knows  all  about  them  when  even 
the  Century  Dictionary  doesn't.  When  a  man's  "nerve  is  all 
gone"  he  is  a  helpless  creature  waiting  for  what  happens.  Looks 
as  if  we  had  run  the  meaning  down  pretty  close  to  "life" — and 
yet  the  nerve  is  not  "life,"  though  apparently  very  close  to  it. 
At  any  rate,  the  nerve  occupies  a  high  place,  perhaps  the  highest, 
barring  probably  the  brain,  in  man's  make-up,  and  so  a  book  on 
it  is  more  advanced  than  any  other.  There  is  not  a  disease 
known  in  which  the  nerves  do  not  play  a  part,  so  that  a  knowledge 
of  them  is  of  value  even  if  the  patient  does  not  belong  to  the 
nerve  specialist. 

Every  disease  is  fully  described  in  all  of  its  phases,  and  the 
same  is  true  of  the  treatment.  Homoeopathic  remedies  are  given 
in  the  good  old  way  and  profusely,  and  so  is  "the  latest,"  even 
including  salvarsan.  Also  electricity,  hydropathy,  diet,  etc.,  etc., 
are  fully  considered.    In  short,  this  is  a  model,  modern  text -book. 


HOMCEOPATHIC  THERAPEUTICS  IN  OPHTHALMOLOGY.      By  John  L. 

Moffat,  B.  S.,  M.  D.,  O.  et  A.  Chir.     166  pages.    Cloth,  $1.25, 

net.     Philadelphia:  Boericke  &  Tafel,  1916. 

It  seems  to  the  reviewer  that  this  little  book  will  take  its  place 
among  standard  books.  Its  subject,  homoeopathic  therapeutics 
of  the  eye,  is  one  that,  like  the  laws  of  the  Medes  and  Persians, 
changeth  not.  In  the  Preface  we  read :  "The  author  has  con- 
fined himself  to  the  facts  of  our  homoeopathic  materia  medica, 
the  pathogenetic  symptoms  of  drugs  and  clinical  experience  of 
their  curative  action.  These  will  be  of  practical  value  genera- 
tions hence,  as  they  are  now  and  have  been  for  generations  in  the 
past.  The  systematic  arrangement  of  the  materia  medica  will 
facilitate  ready  reference.  Drug  characteristics  are  given  because 
with  their  aid  a  much  more  successful  prescription  may  be 
made." 

Chapter  I.  gives  a  short  sketch  of  Hahnemann. 

Chapter  II.  is  devoted  to  the  fundamentals  of  Homoeopathy. 

Chapter  III.  is  concerned  with  materia  medica.  Take  Bella- 
donna as  a  sample.  First  comes  the  "objective"  followed  by  the 
"subjective,"  "vision,"  "characteristics,"  and  finally,  "clinical." 
Here,  in  a  little  over  two  pages  you  have  a  very  complete  grasp 


570  Book  Re i- lews. 

of  this  eye  drug.  There  are  about  135  drugs  given;  some  like 
Belladonna,  Sulphur,  and  the  eye  polychrests  take  up  two  or  more 
pages  which  goes  on  down  to  Bothrops  lanceolatus,  the  smallest, 
which  takes  up  but  two  lines,  as  its  only  use,  a  rare  one,  is  "day- 
blindness." 

Chapter  IV.  is  a  well  arranged  Repertory  and  Clinical  Index. 

The  first  section  covers  diseases  by  name,  then  follows  "ob- 
jective symptoms,"  ''subjective  symptoms,"  "vision,"  "aggrava- 
tion," "ameliorations,"  "conditions,"  and  "characteristics." 

As  a  whole  the  book  contains  a  big  amount  of  information, 
clearly  arranged,  clearly  put  and  all  compacted  into  a  reasonable 
space.  There  isn't  a  physician  in  active  practice  who  will  not 
find  it  a  useful  book  of  reference,  for  every  one  has  patients 
with  eye  troubles  consult,  and  not  every  eye  case  needs  instru- 
ments. 


OLD   VERIFICATIONS. 

Berberis  vulg.:  Fixed,  tense,  unyielding  pain  in  the  region  of 
the  right  kidney  and  a  little  below ;  pain  comes  in  waves  with 
sensation  of  nerve-stretching. — G.  Ar.  Brigham,  Horn  Phys., 
December,  1882. 

Platina:  Periodical  sick  headache  every  two  weeks. 

Cocculus:  Feeling  of  numbness  in  right  arm  and  right  leg,  as 
Is  fallen  asleep,  could  not  move  them.  A  good  remedy  for  hemi- 
plegia. 

Hypericum  perf.:  In  concussion  of  the  brain  or  of  the  spinal 
cord,  the  indications  hint  strongly  to  Hypericum,  if  we  read  be- 
tween the  lines. 

Lycopodium:  Chronic  constipation.  Colicky,  cutting  pains 
from  right  to  left  across  the  abdomen,  worse  after  eating,  great 
bloating  and  sense  of  fermentation,  cannot  touch  meat  of  any- 
kind,  lives  on  crackers  and  tea. — C.  IV.  Butler,  Horn.  Phys.,  Nov. 


Homoeopathic    Recorder 

PUBLISHED  MONTHLY  AT  LANCASTER,  PA. 

By  BOERICKE    &  TAFEL 
Subscription  $1.00,  To  Foreign  Countries  $1.24,  Per  Annum 

Address  commuaicationa,  books  for  reriew,  exchanges,  etc.. 
tor  the  editor,  to 

E.  P.  ANSHUTZ,  M.  D.,  lOll  Arch  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

EDITORIAL   NOTES   AND    COMMENTS 

With  this,  the  December  number  ends  the  Homoeopathic 
Recorder's  31st  year.  The  number  of  subscribers  exceeds  any  of 
the  past  years,  and  is  steadily  growing.  The  new  names  do  not 
all  come  from  the  homoeopaths,  but  many  from  the  liberal  men 
of  other  schools,  men  who  are  not  afraid  to  look  over  their  own 
orthodox  fence.  The  general  aim  of  the  journal  is  to  help  satisfy 
the  cry  of  all  patients :  "I  want  something  to  cure  me."  Learned 
men  may  talk  as  they  please  about  the  "uselessness  of  drugs,"  but 
the  patients  want  them,  believe  in  them,  and  in  this  the  people 
are  right.  Even  the  scoffers  want  them  when  they  are  ill.  This 
belief  is  inborn  in  the  human  race,  and  medical  scientists  cannot 
eradicate  it  nor  is  it  well  that  they  should,  for  medicine  can  and 
does  cure  disease,  if  you  know  how  to  use  it. 

That  "know  how"  is  the  quest  of  the  Recorder.  In  this  our 
goodly  contributors  mightily  assist,  in  fact,  furnish  the  material, 
and  it  is  the  hope  of  the  management  that  they  will  not  slacken 
in  the  good  work.  While  therapeutics  and  materia  medica  are  the 
central  idea  of  the  Recorder,  its  pages  are  by  no  means  con- 
fined to  them  alone,  as  all  readers  know,  but  roam  over  a  wide 
field  in  the  effort  to  make  the  journal  interesting  and  readable  as 
well  as  instructive.  Send  in  your  papers  and  letters  on  any 
subject. 

Well,  next  January,  D.  V.,  we  begin  the  thirty-second  year 
with  the  hope  of  retaining  old  subscribers  and  contributors  and 
of  obtaining  many  new  ones. 

A  Merry  Christmas  and  a  Happy  New  Year  to  all ! 


572  Editorial. 

Therapy. — Remarks  a  recent  writer :  'Therapy  is  not  a  suffi- 
ciently studied  subject."  Therapy  is  defined  in  medical  diction- 
aries as  "the  treatment  of  disease." 

Hahnemann — Philadelphia. — The  Hahn.  Monthly  quotes  the 
following,  among  other  things,  from  "Students'  Notes :"  "We 
have  forty  (40)  students  in  the  Senior  Class;  ten  (10)  in  the 
Junior  Class;  thirty-three  (33)  in  the  Sophomore  Class;  thirty- 
one  (31)  in  the  Freshman  Class;  and  fifty-five  (55)  in  the  Pre- 
medical  Class ;  making  a  total  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-nine 
(169)  enrolled — and  they're  all  first-class  material,  too."  Surely 
"Old  Hahnemann"  is  coming  right  up — modern  equipment,  able 
professors  and  growing  class  of  students — and  the  Recorder  is 
mighty  glad  to  hear  it. 

The  Status  of  Homoeopathy. — Some  of  our  good  men  seem  to 
find  joy  in  statements  like  the  following:  "The  great  contribu- 
tion of  Homoeopathy  seems  to  the  scientific  men  to  have  been  its 
influence  upon  the  development  of  modern  medicine."  Also: 
"It  has  served  a  large  and  useful  purpose,  but  its  purpose  seems 
in  the  main  to  have  been  accomplished."  So  under  the  faded 
old  flag  of  "Modern  Medicine,"  which  has  been  "modern"  from 
the  days  of  Hippocrates — for,  remember,  each  passing  "to-day" 
is  "modern" — Homoeopathy  is  put  subservient  to  the  latest  medi- 
cal fad.  There  is  nothing  to  rejoice  at  in  this.  Indeed  it  is  rather 
a  case  of  "it  is  to  laugh." 

Too  Much  Treatment. — A  correspondent  of  an  exchange  writes 
to  the  editor: 

I  have  a  patient  whom  I  have  been  giving  the  tuberculin  treatment  for 
more  than  a  year.  About  two  months  ago  this  patient  developed  a  severe 
attack  of  autointoxication.  Following  this  attack,  the  patient,  who  is  a 
man  about  fifty  years  old,  claims  to  have  lost  his  taste.  He  says  "nothing 
tastes  natural."  Otherwise,  he  is  doing  well.  I  would  be  glad  to  receive 
any  suggestion  relative  to  the  lost  taste. 

Though  not  asked,  we  should  say  that  the  patient  is  making  a 
proving  of  Tuberculin. 

"Optochin." — Another  modern  drug  gone  wrong!  The  follow- 
ing is  the  Jour.  A.  M.  A!s  abstract  of  Adler's  paper,  "Amauro- 
sis," Therapeutische  Monasthefte,  Berlin,  Sept. : 


Editorial.  573 

Adler  warns  that  even  the  therapeutic  dose  of  optochin  is  liable  to  seri- 
ously impair  vision.  In  the  first  of  the  three  cases  he  reports  the  amauro- 
sis lasted  for  twelve  hours  but  then  subsided,  leaving  permanent  severe 
changes  in  the  retina.  In  the  second  case  the  impairment  of  vision  kept 
up  for  several  months  and  vision  is  not  completely  normal  even  nearly  a 
year  later.  The  drug  was  suspended  at  the  first  signs  of  trouble  but  the 
condition  grew  worse  to  complete  amaurosis  the  following  day.  These 
patients  were  young  women.  In  the  third  case  the  patient  was  a  child  under 
two,  and  the  amaurosis  was  complete  and  persisted  for  a  week  after  sus- 
pension of  the  optochin.  In  the  seven  cases  on  record  in  which  the 
ophthalmoscopic  findings  are  reported,  the  findings  were  closely  similar  to 
those  in  Adler's  three  cases.  They  suggest  that  the  amaurosis  is  a 
quinin  amaurosis.  With  the  latter  drug,  however,  it  develops  only  when 
large  doses  are  given,  while  relatively  small  doses  of  the  optochin  have 
sufficed  to  bring  it  on.  in  one  case  only  two  0.25  gm.  doses.  The  visual 
disturbances  occur  in  a  far  larger  proportion  of  the  patients  using  optochin 
than  with  quinin.  In  conclusion,  he  states  that  he  will  not  feel  justified 
henceforth  in  using  or  in  recommending  optochin  until  further  study  of 
the  subject.  It  may  be  possible  to  obtain  equally  good  results  with  smaller 
doses  or  to  eliminate  from  the  drug  the  special  constituent  which  acts  on 
the  apparatus  of  vision. 

Poliomyelitis  in  France. — The  Paris  Letter  of  the  Journal  of 
the  A.  M.  A.  says  that  the  question  of  poliomyelitis  came  before 
the  Council  of  Hygiene.  Presumably  this  was  because  of  the  up- 
roar made  over  the  disease  by  American  health  boards.  The 
Council  decided  that  there  is  no  reason  to  fear  the  disease  becom- 
ing epidemic,  as  it  has  long  been  known  in  France.  Neverthe- 
less the  Academy  of  Medicine  asked  that  the  disease  be  placed 
on  the  notifiable  list.  England,  France  and  Germany  all  refuse  to 
quarantine  paralysis. 

Infantile  Paralysis. — This  comes  to  us  via  a  neighbor.  A 
child  died  of  "poliomyelitis."  The  father  told  the  neighbor,  who 
told  us,  who  relate  it  in  a  few  words,  a  little  boy  of  about  eight 
got  hold  of  a  bag  of  peanuts.  He  ate  them.  He  was  taken  ill — 
fever,  diarrhcea  and  the  usual  train.  The  conscientious  "regular" 
called  in  the  "health  board."  A  spinal  puncture  was  made, 
something  was  injected  to  replace  nature's  fluid  drawn  off,  the 
child  became  paralyzed — and  the  undertaker  did  the  rest.  That 
neighborhood  is  ripe  for  Christian  Science. 

A  Fountain  of  Virtue. — "The  great  American  Osteopathic  As- 


574  Editorial. 

sociation  of  the  country  has  been  invited  to  do  its  part.  We  must 
hail  it,  for  osteopathy  must  go  hand  in  hand  with  orificial  sur- 
gery. In  our  City  on  the  Hill  'we  shall  prove  all  things  and  hold 
fast  to  that  which  is  good.'  And  radiate  virtue  to  all  the  world.'' 
■ — From  the  Journal  of  the  American  Association  of  Orificial  Sur- 
geons. (Just  here  be  it  observed  that  the  radiating  italics  are  the 
Journal's.) 

First  Things. — Every  good  homoeopath  knows  that  Bryonia  has 
"worse  from  motion,"  pains  in  the  joints  and  the  like;  that 
Aconite  has  restlessness,  fear,  fever,  and  so  on;  that  Arsenicum 
has  burning,  restlessness,  great  thirst,  profound  exhaustion,  and 
so  on ;  that  Hepar  sulph.  has  its  unhealthy  skin ;  Mercurius  its 
foul  breath  and  sweat,  and  so  on  through  the  list,  but  apparently, 
every  good  homoeopath  does  not  know  that  these,  the  A,  B,  C's 
of  Homoeopathy,  are  not  generally  known.  If  he  realized  this 
fact  he  would  devote  less  space  to  the  rare  disease  and  more  to 
the  common,  every-day  ills,  in  his  papers.  Really  an  every-day 
paper,  one  dealing  with  90  per  cent,  of  the  ills  daily  presented  to 
the  general  practitioner,  attracts  more  attention  and  is  more 
valued  by  90  per  cent,  of  the  readers  than  is  the  most  erudite 
paper  on  a  disease  that  90  per  cent,  of  the  readers  never  meet. 
Just  remember  that  not  everyone  is  familiar  with  Bryonia, 
Aconite,  Arsenicum  and  the  other  polychrests  and  give  the  world 
through  your  homoeopathic  journals  records  of  cases  that  "every 
one  knows,"  but  which  in  reality  few  do  know. 

Johnny  X  has  a  "cold."  Now  what  all,  including  your  brother 
physicians,  want  to  know  is,  What  restored  Johnny  to  his  posi- 
tion of  stone  throwing,  yelling  and  other  characteristics  that  made 
him  a  neighborhood  pest?  His  blood  pressure,  his  leucocyte 
count,  his  ever-varying  temperature  and  all  the  other  incidentals 
are  not  so  important  as  the  remedy  that  once  more  made  Johnny 
a  neighborhood  nuisance. 

Hay  Fever. — If  the  following  from  the  N.  Y  Medical  Journal 
is  true  hay  fever  rather  belongs  to  the  nerve  men  than  to  the  nose 
men: 

Since  the  first  description  of  hay  fever,  in  1819,  humanity  has  been 
climbing  to  a  pitch  of  nervous  stress  and  strain  which  cannot  from  any 
point  of  view  be  called  normal,  and  it  is  from  those  that  ride  the  crest 


Editorial.  575 

of  the  wave  of  culture  and  strenuosity  that  the  ha)7  fever  army  is  recruited. 
Hay  fever  is,  therefore,  more  common  among  women  than  men,  among 
city  than  country  dwellers,  and  among  the  educated  and  highly  nervous 
than  other  classes.  For  the  individual  physician  the  combating  of  the 
tendencies  of  life  which  make  for  hay  fever  is  certainly,  in  the  language 
of  Artemus  Ward,  "2  mutch,"  and  yet  the  physician  is  frowned  upon  for 
his  helplessness  in  the  matter.  Here  is  another  problem,  or  rather  a  part 
of  a  more  general  problem,  for  a  national  department  of  health. 

Whether  such  a  department  would  be  wiser  than  the  physicians 
is  another  problem. 

An  Ancient  Fallacy. — "The  hair  of  the  dog  that  bit  you"  is  an 
ancient  error  often  associated  with  Homoeopathy.  In  the  year 
404  B.  C.  Antiphanes  wrote  the  following  lines : 

"Take  the  hair,  it  is  well  written, 
Of  the  dog  by  which  you're  bitten; 
Work  off  one  wine  by  his  brother, 
And  one  labor  with  another; 
Horn?  with  horns,  and  noise  with  noise; 
One  crier  with  his  fellow's  voice ; 
Insult  with  insult,  war  with  war ; 
Faction  with  faction,  care  with  care; 
Cook  with  cook,  and  strife  with  strife ; 
Business  with  business,  and  wife  with  wife." 

Antiphanes'  satirical  lines  apply  to  modern  allopathy,  not  to 
Homoeopathy,  for  the  fever,  fear  and  restlessness  that  Aconite 
will  cure  is  not  the  dog  that  bit  you.  It  is  the  serums,  vaccines 
and  the  like  that  follow  your  lines,  O  Antiphanes ! 

Tuberculosis. — Our  energetic  contemporary,  Illinois  Health 
News,  issued  by  the  health  board,  in  its  last  issue  prints,  as  a 
frontispiece,  a  cartoon  showing  a  wretched  looking  man  in  the 
poorhouse.  Under  it  is  the  text,  "His  only  crime  is  illness.  His 
illness  is  one  which  society  could  prevent.  His  plight  is  one 
which  society  can  remedy."  Presumably  this  means  that  so- 
ciety should  give  more  money.  According  to  reports  in  one 
year,  through  private  and  public  sources,  twenty-one  million 
dollars  were  expended  in  "fighting"  the  disease.  The  results 
were  not  startling.  The  children  of  the  rich,  with  all  that  lavish 
expenditure  of  money  can  do  for  them,  die  of  the  disease. 
Something  more  than  lavish  appropriations  is  needed. 


576  Editorial. 

Independent  Journalism. — In  his  President's  Address  (Am. 
Therap.  Soc),  containing  "some  observations  of  the  present 
status  of  American  Medical  Journalism,"  Dr.  F.  M.  Pottenger, 
among  other  things,  said : 

American  medicine,  while  no  less  interested  in  the  fundamental  prin- 
ciples of  our  science,  has  always  aimed  at  improving  its  therapeutic  meas- 
ures. This  is  the  principles  upon  which  the  American  Therapeutic  Society 
is  based.  Therapeutic  nihilism  is  neither  acceptable  to  the  American  public 
nor  the  American  profession.  Our  profession  refuses  to  occupy  the  posi- 
tion as  coroner  to  the  public  and  to  recognize  that  its  chief  role  is  to 
determine  the  cause  of  death.  Its  aim  is  to  alleviate  suffering  and  apply 
curative  measures.  If  it  cannot  do  this  it  has  no  claim  to  the  condition 
of  the  public  except  in  its  efforts  to  prevent  disease.  In  its  effort  to  teach 
therapeutics  it  needs  and  must  have  an  efficient,  independent  journalism. 

The  American  Therapeutic  Society  has  a  hard  row  to  hoe.  The 
A.  M.  A.'s  "Council"  condemns  practically  every  known  drug,  so 
how  is  a  therapeutist  to  exist  before  the  frowning  Jove  of 
Dearborn  St.? 

Heredity. — The  prevailing  belief  is  that  diseases  are  not  heredi- 
tary, a  belief  contrary  to  the  teachings  of  Hahnemann  and  of  the 
physicians  of  other  days.  The  Archives  of  Medicine  for  Chil- 
dren, Paris,  prints  a  paper  by  Babonneix  and  Villette,  on  "Mon- 
golian Idiocy."  There  are  four  children,  girls,  all  idiots.  The 
mother  died  of  tuberculosis.  She  had  two  abortions  and  bore  ten 
children,  six  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  the  others  being  the  four 
idiots.  Both  mother  and  father  seem  to  have  been  syphilitic. 
The  writers  of  the  paper  put  up  this:  "The  question  arises 
whether  inherited  syphilis  is  responsible  for  the  idiocy  of  these 
children?" 

"Itching." — This  extract  from  a  letter  from  an  Oklahoma  sub- 
scriber is  the  text:  "The  articles  by  Dr.  Eli  G.  Jones  are  worth 
more  than  the  subscription."  (This,  however,  is  an  "aside,"  as 
the  theatre  people  say.)  "I  wish  we  could  hear  from  some  one 
on  the  'itch.'  There  are  hundreds  of  cases  around  here.  What 
works  like  a  charm  in  some  seems  useless  in  others.  Sulphur, 
Hepar  sulp.  and  Calcarea  carb.,  I  find  to  be  the  best." 


Editorial.  577 

Another  Raid  on  the  Tonsils. — Drs.  Ruh,  Miller  and  Perkins, 
of  the  Western  Reserve  Medical  School  (Jour.  A.  M.  A.,  Mar. 
25),  in  a  paper  on  "Diphtheria  Carriers,"  write,  among  other 
things : 

Various  biologic  products  have  been  used  in  numerous  series  of  cases 
with  indifferent  results.  The  diphtheria  antitoxin,  of  course,  should  not 
be  considered,  as  it  has  no  effect  on  the  organism.  It  might  be  noted 
in  passing  that  it  is  remarkable  how  long  the  idea  obtains  in  the  minds 
of  many  physicians  that  antitoxins  can  in  some  way  affect  Bacillus  diph- 
theria in  the  body.     Toxin-antitoxin  mixtures  are  also  useless.       *     *     * 

Direct  local  treatment  by  chemical  substances  has  been  a  failure  in  the 
hands  of  the  great  majority  of  men.  In  a  limited  number  of  cases  there 
have  been  apparently  successful  results,  but  the  number  is  not  such  as  to 
show  that  these  cases  would  not  have  become  free  from,  the  organisms 
without  treatment.  Indeed,  as  a  result  of  our  own  observations  and  in 
agreement  with  those  of  Park  and  others,  we  are  inclined  to  believe 
that  undue  handling  of  the  mucosa  in  the  nose  and  throat  tends  to  stimu- 
late the  persistence  of  the  organisms  rather  than  their  disappearance. 

Their  contention  is  that  the  only  true  method  of  treating 
"diphtheria  carriers"  is  to  cut  out  the  tonsils.  This  knocks  over 
much  science  as,  in  another  paper  in  the  same  issue  of  the  Jour- 
nal, another  writer  tells  of  great  things  done  for  "carriers"  by 
the  means  pronounced  useless  in  this  paper. 

It  is  a  bit  curious  that  none  of  these  bright  men  ever  think 
of  reviewing  their  premise,  that  the  bacilli  are  the  cause  of  the 
disease.  They  would  not  entertain  the  idea  that  the  pus  in  it 
is  the  cause  of  a  boil,  that  mucus  is  the  cause  of  catarrh,  or  a  scab 
the  cause  of  the  injury  it  has  grown  over. 

In  certain  states  of  mind  learned  men  will  declare  that  they  are 
but  children  paddling  on  the  edge  of  the  illimitable  ocean  of 
knowledge,  while  in  other  states  one  would  think  they  could  give 
pointers  to  Neptune  himself. 

"Respectable." — An  English  physician  as  reported  in  British 
Medical  Journal  waxes  indignant  over  the  phrase  "any  respect- 
able medical  man"  may  sign  a  certain  certificate.  Certainly  the 
blank  form  does  imply  that  there  may  be  medical  men  who  are 
not  "respectable,"  and  so  the  problem  of  the  truth  of  this  im- 
plication is  presented.  If  every  one  of  them  is  trustworthy  the 
blank  is  an  insult,  but  if  there  be  those  who  are,  let  it  be  said, 
"Shady,"  the  clause  is  a  just  precaution. 


PERSONAL. 


"Girls'  feet."  Title  of  medical  paper.  Tell  'em  roomy  shoes  will  cure— 
and  you  will  lose  their  patronage. 

"Truthfulness  prevents  discord." — Ex.  Try  it  in  your  editorials  and 
note  the  row  that'  will  follow. 

Too  often  the  Mrs.  isn't  satisfied  to  be  the  better  half,  but  wants  to  be 
the  whole  show.     Don't  be  greedy,  girls !     • 

The  N.  Y.  Court  of  Appeals  decides  that  it  is  not  unlawful  to  offer 
"prayer  for  the  healing  of  disease." 

"Hell  is  not  getting  what  you  want,"  remarks  Binks,  who  is  no  the- 
ologian. 

"Revolution  rarely  means  progress." — Old  Paper. 

Hering  once  referred  a  man  to  "a  certain,  to  him,  unknown  book," 
namely,  the  dictionary. 

Man  and  wife  a-fishing.  "I  must  go,  dear."  "Why?"  "I  forgot  to 
order   the  fish   for   dinner." 

"Man  wants  but  little  here  below" — only  our  little  earth. 

"Your  medicine  is  wonderful !  The  patient  will  never  take  anything 
else." 

You  cannot  get  a  "biological  product,"  such  as  is  usually  administered, 
out  of  a  healthy  animal. 

"As  a  physician  I  condemn  alcoholic  drinks,  but  as  a  man  with  a  thirst,  I 
take  them."    Adapted.—/.  A.  M.  A. 

Why  do  we  have  "clergymen's  sore  throat"  and  not  lawyer's?  They  both 
talk  much. 

"Last  night  I  saw  Jennie  getting  out  of  her  Chalmers "     It  was  a 

moment  before  the  tension  relaxed. 

The  P.  A.  G.  Q.  remarks  that  of  five  new  officers  of  the  A.  I.  H.  three 
are  good  looking.    All  hats  off,  you  new  ones ! 

"Bionergy."     Why  not  spring  it? 

Surgical  cases  like  to  be  well  sewed  up. 

Penna.  had  a  dog  quarantine,  but  a  quarantine  on  flies  and  skeets  would 
have  been  more  popular. 

Professor  Carey,  of  Chicago  University,  says  there  is  no  "startling 
danger"  in  sausages,  for  which  many  thanks ! 

Women  think  they  ought  to  have  a  man's  pay,  and  they  generally  get 
most  of  it. 

An  ex.  remarks  that  "the  cost  of  paper,  the  chief  element  of  a  peri- 
odical," etc.     Hard  on  the  editor. 

"Who's  dead?"  asked  the  looker-on  at  a  funeral.  "That  man  in  the 
hearse,"  replied  Patrick. 

"Do  you  know  that  sickness  lowers  earning  capacity?"  U.  S.  P.  H.  S. 
Sure,   everybody  knows  that. 

Colored  person  at  the  door:  "Is  de  woman  in  dat  wants  to  hire  a  scrub 
lady?" 


THE   HOMCEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 


XI 


"THeir  medicines  are  He  Best." 

BOERICKE  &  TAFEL, 

Homoeopathic  Pharmacists,  Importers  and  Publishers. 

PHILADELPHIA,  ion  Arch  St. 

PHILADELPHIA,  125  South  nth  St. 
PHILADELPHIA,  15  North  6th  St. 
NEW  YORK,  145  Grand  St. 

NEW  YORK,  145  West  43d  St. 

NEW  YORK,  634  Columbus  Ave. 
CHICAGO,  156  N.  Wabash  Ave. 
PITTSBURGH,  702  Penn  Ave. 

BALTIMORE,  326  North  Howard  St. 
CINCINNATI,  213  West  4th  St. 

Etuslnau  Established  in  1835. 


Here  is  something  clinical  or  personal.  A  good  many  readers 
or,  at  least,  some,  know  what  "running  the  furnace"  means  when 
hard  coal  is  used.  You  men  who  use  natural  gas  are  spared  a 
lot  that  the  hard  coal  user  must  suffer.  Two  or  three  times  a 
day  you  must  go  down-cellar  and  "rake"  that  fire,  or  "shake," 
get  out  clinkers  and  so  on.  T.  W.  has  this  job  in  his  home,  and 
one  day  proved  to  his  own  satisfaction  that  "as  a  rule  man's  a 
fool,"  for  he  has  a  pair  of  heavy  gloves  for  this  work  but  did 
not  put  them  on,  on  this  occasion.  The  result  was  that  when  a 
particularly  vicious  clinker  needed  an  extra  hard  shake  of  the 
shaker  the  handle  slipped  off  and  a  rusty  iron  heater  received  a 
John  L.  Sullivan  punch  from  the  bare  fist.  First  round  for  the 
heater,  which  gave  T.  W.  a  gash  over  an  inch  long  right  down 


Xll  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

to  the  bone.  At  first  dioxygen  was  applied,  but  it  merely  foamed  ; 
then  Hamamelis,  but  no  good ;  then  the  hurt  was  bound  up  in 
bandages,  soused  with  Succus  Calendula  and  kept  wet  with  it. 
After  four  days,  when  the  hurt  became  sticky,  Calendula  cerate 
was  applied.  At  the  end  of  ten  days  everything  was  healed,  and 
to-day,  two  weeks  later,  only  a  slight  scar,  hardly  visible,  remains. 
During  the  first  week,  ever  and  anon,  a  creepy  little  pain  would 
run  up  the  arm  and  a  feeling  that  a  chill  was  hovering  in  the 
background  lurked  about.  Hypericum  3  was  taken  and  noth- 
ing happened.  It  isn't  much  of  a  "case,"  but  surely  all  the 
methods  of  modern  medical  science  couldn't  have  produced  better 
and  quicker  results. 


A  Scotch  country  doctor  assiduously  attended  a  Scotch  country 
minister  through  his  illness.  Afterwards  he  sent  in  a  goodly 
bill  for  medicine  and  visits.  The  minister  promptly  paid  the  bill 
for  medicine,  but  said  he  would  return  the  visits. 


FOR  SALE.     Physician's  Adjustable  Operating  Chair— a  "Per- 
fection"— in  good  condition.    Very  cheap,  for  want  of  use. 

Albra  W.  Baker,  M.  D., 

1433  Market  St., 
Harrisburg,  Pa. 


FOR  SALE.  On  account  of  removing  to  Colorado  will  sell 
office  fixtures,  medicines,  books  and  automobile  (a  Kline  coupe 
in  splendid  condition)  for  $500,  and  will  introduce  my  successor. 
Good  city,  good  people,  and  this  a  splendid  opening  to  step  into 
a  good  paying  practice.    Address, 

Dr.  Julia  T.  Hill  Crawford, 

139  E.  Market  St., 
York,  Pa. 


Mr.  W.  G.  Smith,  of  Thompsontown,  writes  that  "Mifflintown, 
Pa.,  would  be  a  fine  place  for  a  veterinary  surgeon,"  as  the  man 
there  has  departed  this  life.  Mr.  Smith  also  asks,  "Why  do  your 
leading  homoeopaths  allow  Homoeopathy  to  die  out,  or  be  killed 
by  damaging  laws.  The  homoeopaths  should  have  their  own 
examining  board." 


THE    HOMCEOPATHIC    RECORDER  Xlll 

WANTED.  An  associate  in  office,  later  as  successor  to  the  prac- 
tice. Everything  first  class.  A  rare  chance  for  a  lady  practi- 
tioner. Full  information  given  on  request.  Xo  expense.  Sub- 
scriber soon  to  retire.  Address, 

Henry  Neville,  M.  D., 

Jamestown,  N.  Y. 


Dr.  G.  W.  Harvey,  of  Filmore,  Calif.,  writes  us  that  he  wants 
a  partner.  Anyone  with  an  inclination  towards  the  Golden  State 
can  write  Harvey  for  particulars. 


A  'Tegular"  wrote  Dr.  Eli  J.  Jones:  "Since  I  became  ac- 
quainted with  Homoeopathy  I  have  acquired  more  practice  than 
I  can  attend  to. 


Dr.  W.  W.  Sherwood  has  removed  from  S.  Hovey  St.,  to  5939 
Calumet  Ave.,  Chicago,  111. 

Dr.  L.  Carl  Smith  has  removed  from  Madeline  to  Adin,  Calif. 

Dr.  Edith  Xeel  Parsons  has  removed  from  Eeffner  to  Santa 
Rosa,  Fla. 


The  following  paragraph  is  lifted  from  an  editorial  in  the 
Hahnemannian  Monthly  of  November  last,  headed  "Homoeopathic 
Propagandism :'' 

"We  were  favorably  impressed  with  the  very  practical  form  of 
homoeopathic  propagandism  in  the  form  of  a  commercial  adver- 
tisement of  a  work,  entitled  The  Elements  of  Homoeopathic 
Theory,  Practice,  Materia  Medica  and  Pharmacy,  recently  in- 
serted by  our  oldest  homoeopathic  publishing  house  in  a  prominent 
old  school  journal.  We  do  not  doubt  that  such  an  advertisement 
will  prove  profitable  to  the  publishers ;  we  believe  that  it  will  be 
advantageous  to  physicians  of  the  old  school  who  will  purchase 
this  book,  and  we  feel  satisfied  that  it  will  prove  a  very  practical 
method  of  homoeopathic  propagandism." 

The  book  referred  to  is  now  in  its  third  edition  (not  much 
changed  from  the  first),  and  is  still  among  the  "best  sellers."  It 
outlines  Homoeopathy  from  the  historical  to  the  practical,  and 
has  proved  to  be  immensely  popular  as  the  actual  sales,  at  least, 
seem  to  show.  It  was  written  for  the  allopathic  doctors  more 
than  for  the  laity,  and  is  about  the  best  "missionary"  extant. 


XIV  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

The  Hahnemannian  Monthly  has  added  "Hahnemann  College 
Notes"  to  its  make-up.  These  appear  in  the  "News  and  Adver- 
tiser" section.  Editor  of  "Notes,"  Thomas  B.  Mills,  'iy.  The 
first  appearance  covers  over  seven  pages  in  good  8  point  type. 
Describes  "Dr.  Clarence  Bartlett's  Banquet  to  the  Senior  Class" 
at  the  Union  League,  the  "Senior  Trip  to  Allentown,"  besides 
gossip  from  the  college  and  the  various  classes,  including  the 
"pre-meds."  T.  W.  congratulates  Editor  Mills  on  his  depart- 
ment, and  "G.  H.  W."  on  an  interesting  addition  to  his  journal. 

"H.  V.  H."  and  "C.  M."  ought  to  stir  up  The  Clinique  to  do 
likewise,  and,  if  we  dare,  would  hint  that  such  a  feature  might 
even  be  added  to  the  New  England  Medical  Gazette.  New  York 
has  its  Chironian,  while  Ann  Arbor  and  Columbus  are  represented 
by  the  Observer  and  the  Poly chr est.  It  is  no  easy  matter  to  run 
exclusive  student  journals  as  the  long  list  of  those  that  have 
come  and  gone  proves,  but  a  department  in  one  of  our  established 
journals  will  answer  the  same  useful  purpose,  can  be  flexible  as 
to  size  and  stopped,  if  needs  be,  during  vacation  time,  or  when 
the  student  editor,  after  receiving  his  "sheep  skin,"  sallies  forth, 
like  St.  George,  to  slay  the  Dragon  of  disease — by  whom  he  must 
live.  However,  dear  boys,  do  not  let  that  mild  jibe  affect  you 
for,  indeed,  that  ancient  Dragon  is  a  tough  nut  and  will  rampage 
up  and  down  the  land  long  after  he  has  sent  you,  do  your  best, 
to  where  your  toes  are  turned  up  to  the  snowy  daisies,  and  after 
the  newspapers  have  printed  obituaries  telling  what  a  fine  man 
you  were,  and,  no  doubt,  telling  the  truth — at  least  we  hope  such 
will  be  the  case,  i.  e.,  the  telling  the  truth,  for,  in  sooth,  we  do  not 
like  subscribers  to  die. 


Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  Dec.  4,  1916. 
Dear  Doctor  Wilson: 

Have  just  spent  about  two  hours  going  over  your  book  (Dis- 
eases of  the  Nervous  System),  and  I  want  to  thank  you  for  the 
fine  and  complete  book  you  have  given  us.  I  am  one  who  has 
always  believed  in  loyalty  to  our  authors,  and  in  my  classes  I 
have  always  recommended  your  (first  edition)  book,  but  I  con- 
fess to  a  dissatisfaction  with  the  arrangement  of  the  former 
edition,  which  made  it  an  unreadable  volume.  I  am  very  glad 
that  this  new  edition  is  not  only  free  from  the  objection  (possibly 


THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER.  XV 

BOERICKE  &  TAFEL'S 

Fine  Toilet  Articles 


We  have  a  very  complete  line  of  fine  toilet  articles  that  it  is 
well  to  bear  in  mind  when  ordering  goods.    These  embrace : 

Genuine  Imported  Bay  Rum,  which  has  the  reputation  of  be- 
ing the  best  in  the  market.  Prices:  25,  45  and  75  cents  a  bottle, 
as  to  size. 

Rosol  Cold  Cream,  a  cold  cream  that  will  not  turn  rancid ;  very 
elegant.  Prices:  20,  30  and  50  cents  per  jar,  as  to  size.  25  cents 
per  tube,  collapsible. 

Rosol  Tooth  Powder,  about  the  best  you  can  find.  Price:  25 
cents,  in  patent  top  container. 

Rosol  Talcum  Powder,  very  elegantly  put  up  and  of  fine  qual- 
ity.   Price:  15  cents  per  can,  sprinkler. 

Rosol  Dental  Cream,  elegant  for  the  teeth.  Price:  20  cents,  in 
tubes. 

Rosol  Hand  Lotion.  Best  thing  for  chapped  hands  and  rough 
skin.     Price,  50  cents. 

Laneo.  "It  stayeth  the  falling  of  the  hair."  Price:  50  cents 
per  bottle.    Sprinkler  top. 

B.  &  T.  Hygienic  Toilet  Soap.  A  fine  toilet  soap.  Price:  10 
cents  per  cake,  or  3  cakes  in  a  box  for  25  cents. 

B.  &  T.  Calendulated  Soap.  Has  the  healing  qualities  of 
Calendula.    25  cents  per  cake. 


XVI  THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


only  mine),  but  on  the  contrary  is  not  only  exceedingly  readable 
but  is  splendidly  arranged  and  presented.  You  may  be  sure  that 
I 'shall  not  only  recommend  it  to  my  classes,  but  insist  on  their 
procuring  and  using  it.    It  is  already  adopted  as  a  text  book. 

Very  truly, 

W.  A.  Dewey. 


Boericke  &  Tafel.  Columbus,  November  29,  1916. 

Gentlemen: 

I  have  just  received,  with  your  compliments,  copy  of  Dr.  T.  E. 
Wilson's  "Diseases  of  the  Nervous  System."  I  thank  you  very 
much  for  your  kindness  in  this  matter,  and  I  shall  most  certainly 
recommend  this  work  to  our  students,  both  as  a  text  book  and  as 
an  addition  to  their  private  library. 

I  am  acquainted  with  Doctor  Wilson  himself,  and  know  that 
he  is  thoroughly  qualified  to  furnish  an  instructive  and  represen- 
tative work  on  such  an  important  subject.  I  was  acquainted 
with  the  first  edition,  and  an  examination  of  the  recent  publica- 
tion convinces  me  that,  for  the  homoeopath,  Doctor  Wilson's  book 
is  the  best  publication. 

Very  truly  yours, 

W.  B.  Carpenter. 


The  following  is  from  a  paper  by  Dr.  John  Aulde.  of  Philadel- 
phia, contributed  to  the  Medical  Times — the  tabulation  referred 
to  being  omitted.  Let  it  be  premised  that  Hensel  in  his  Macro- 
biotic and  other  writings  teaches  the  same  thing,  and  his  "Physi- 
ological Preparations"  are  designed  to  supply  them.  Here  is  what 
Aulde  writes: 

"Popular  interest  has  been  aroused  by  the  current  report  that 
the  British  commissary  department  has  recently  closed  a  contract 
for  six  hundred  million  cans  of  beef  stew.  Allowing  each  man  a 
can  per  day,  this  would  supply  an  army  of  three  million  men  for 
a  period  of  nearly  two  years,  so  it  appears  there  is  no  prospect  of 
an  early  cessation  of  hostilities. 

"It  has  occurred  to  the  writer  that  a  study  of  the  nutrient  value 
of  this  combination  would  prove  of  special  interest  to  a  large 
number  of  persons  engaged  in  advancing  domestic  science,  as  well 
as  the  general  public. 

"The  accompanying  tabulation  gives  the  name  and  amount  of 


THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER.  XV11 


Diseases  of  the  Skin 

Including  the   Exanthemata. 

BY  FREDERICK  M.  DEARBORN,  A.  B.,  M.  D. 

New  York  City 


200  original  illustrations,  photographs  from  actual 
cases. 

551  large  8vo.  pages.  Cloth,  $5.00,  net,  sent  on  re- 
ceipt of  price  by  any  homoeopathic  book  dealers. 

This  book  is  not  printed  from  plates,  is  new,  from 
cover  to  cover,  the  latest,  the  least  padded  and  most  help- 
ful book  on  the  skin  extant. 


For  Sale  at  all  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies. 


PRACTICAL  HOMOEOPATHIC 
THERAPEUTICS 

By  W.  A.  DEWEY,  M.  D. 
Second  Edition  426 pages.     Cloth,  $2.50  net. 

"The  book  strikes  me  as  being  about  the  most  satisfactory  work 
of  the  kind  I  ever  saw." — C,  Medical  Gleaner. 

"He  has  done  for  therapeutics  what  Farrington  did  for  Materia 
Medica." — Homoeopathic  World. 

"If  you  want  a  book  of  homoeopathic  therapeutics,  pure,  simple, 
straight,  clean  and  up-to-date  Homoeopathy,  here  you  are.  It  is  one 
of  the  books  you  want.  You  want  it  handy.  Right  on  the  nearest 
corner  of  the  middle  shelf  of  your  bookcase." — The  Clinic. 


XV111  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

each  of  the  various  food  materials  employed  together  with  the 
nutrient  values  in  protein,  fat  and  carbohydrate,  also  the  caloric 
value,  or  heat  and  energy  equivalent.  In  addition,  this  study  has 
been  extended  to  include  certain  essential  mineral  constituents, 
calcium  or  lime,  and  magnesium,  since  the  medical  profession  is 
gradually  awakening  to  the  fact  that  mineral  deficiency  in  the 
dietary,  especially  a  deficiency  of  calcium,  is  directly  responsible 
for  many  disorders,  both  acute  and  chronic.  Thus,  we  know 
positively,  that  it  is  the  pivot  or  turning  point  in  the  production 
of  rickets  and  'summer  complaint'  in  children;  that  it  is  the 
deciding  factor  in  creating  susceptibility  to  tubercular  infection 
in  both  adults  and  children;  and  that  it  is  a  demonstrable  condi- 
tion in  Bright's  disease  and  diabetes.  Recent  investigations  by 
the  United  States  Public  Health  Service  prove  beyond  question 
that  the  loss  of  lime  salts  is  the  sole  cause  of  pellagra,  a  disorder 
which  has  baffled  the  medical  profession  for  two  centuries. 

"Examination  of  the  blood  in  all  these  disorders  will  show 
calcium  deficiency,  and  besides,  the  administration  of  calcium, 
or  reorganization  of  the  dietary  to  include  a  larger  percentage  of 
calcium  in  the  food  materials,  is  followed  by  immediate  and 
marked  improvement. 

"Professor  Langworthy,  of  the  United  States  Department  of 
Agriculture,  after  a  careful  study  of  the  food  problem  in  Ameri- 
can homes,  estimates  that  the  average  dietary  carries  10.5  to  15 
grains  of  calcium  and  about  half  the  quantity  of  magnesium. 
When  these  proportions  are  reversed,  susceptibility  to  illness 
follows." 


"The  hand  that  rocks  the  cradle"— but  there  is  no  such  hand, 

It  is  bad  to  rock  the  baby,  they  would  have  us  understand; 

So  the  cradle's  but  a  relic  of  the  former  foolish  days, 

When  mothers  reared  their  children  in  unscientific  ways; 

When  they  jounced  them,  and  they  bounced  them,  those  poor  dwarfs  of 

long  ago — 
The  Washingtons  and  Jeffersons  and  Adamses,  you  know. 

— Bishop  Doane. 


San  Francisco,  Calif.,  November  24,  1916. 
Messrs.  Boericke  &  Tafel. 
Dear  Sirs: 

The  copy  of   Moffat's  "Homoeopathic  Therapeutics  in  Oph- 


THE    HOMOEOPATHIC   RECORDER.  X13 

How  to  use  the  Repertory 

With  a  Practical  Analysis  of 
Forty  Homoeopathic  Remedies 

By  GLENN  IRVING  BIDWELL  M.  D. 

156  Pages.  Cloth  $1.00  net.  Mailed  post  paid  on 
receipt  of  price. 

Many  want  to  know  "how  to  use  the  reper- 
tory". Dr.  Bidwell,  an  expert  in  the  art,  tells 
how  in  this  book.  Also  how  to  compare  rem- 
edies. 

At  All  Homoeopathic  Book  Dealers 

TRBATCDBNT 

By  CLARENCE  BARTLETT,  M.D. 

1223  pages.     Large  8vo.     Strong  Cloth,  $8.00,  ?iet. 

Delivered  by  parcel  post,  free  to  any  part  of  the 
United  States  on  receipt  of  the  price,  $8.00. 

This  book,  worthy  of  being  termed  an  Encyclopedia 
of  Treatment,  will  pay  its  way  in  any  physicians  library 
who  is  in  active  practice.  The  Medical  World  put  its 
character  in  a  nut  shell  when  it  wrote:  "It  covers  well 
every  part  of  the  domain  of  modern  general  medical 
practice  as  mirrored  by  the  consensus  of  the  opinion  of 
the  best  men  of  all  schools." 


At  all  pharmacies  and  book  dealers. 


XX  THE    HOMOEOPATHIC    RECORDER. 

thalmology"  which  you  sent  me  has  been  very  carefully  scanned, 
and  I  am  greatly  pleased  with  it.  I  keep  it  right  at  hand  on  my 
desk  and  refer  to  it  very  often  every  day.  It  is  concise,  and  we 
know  it  is  accurate  since  it  comes  from  Moffat.  I  want  to  thank 
you  for  it. 

Very  sincerely, 

Philip  Rice. 
Physicians'  Building. 


The  following  ironical  squib  is  taken  from  the  editorial  page 
of  the  Bulletin-Journal: 

"A  drug  enthusiast  would  be  about  as  welcome  in  the  councils 
of  the  presiding  elders  of  medicine  as  an  apostate  in  the  delibera- 
tions of  an  orthodox  synod.  Any  kind  of  a  treatment  optimist 
is  a  suspicious  character,  the  freedom  of  the  medical  press  is  a 
relic,  and  the  verb  'to  cure'  is  taboo.  Unnecessary  hazards  on  the 
links  of  progress." 

Over  the  Temple  of  the  Medicine  High-brows  should  be  writ- 
ten : 

"Ye  who  enter  here  leave  Cure  behind." 

No  wonder  that  practical  little  books  like  Elements  of  Ho- 
moeopathic Practice,  Materia  Medica,  etc.,  and  Therapeutic  By- 
zuays  sell  by  the  thousand  copies  to  the  therapeutically  starved. 


The  patient  advised  the  doctor  that  he  needed  something  to 
arouse  him.  When  the  doctor  sent  in  his  bill  the  patient  came 
around  in  a  wrathful  state.  But  the  doctor  calmly  told  him,  "You 
asked  for  something  to  arouse  you,  and  the  treatment  seems  to 
have  been  successful,  so  why  all  this  fuss?" 


Once  upon  a  time  Professor  Wilson  (not  our  John  E.  Wilson, 
author  of  Nervous  Diseases)  wrote  on  the  blackboard,  used  for 
announcements  of  the  Edinburgh  University:  ''Professor  Wilson 
informs  his  students  that  he  has  this  day  been  appointed  honorary 
physician  to  the  Queen."  Under  this  a  loyal  student  wrote, 
"God  save  the  Oueen !" 


Dr.  J.  W.  Unger,  of  West  Point,  Miss.,  writes: 
"I  am  enclosing  you  my  subscription  for  The  Homceopathic 
Recorder  for  191 7.     I  have  learned  to  enjoy  your  journal  very 


THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


XXI 


Crow  Motor  Car  Company 


Main  and  Simonton  Streets 

ft 


ELKHART,  IND. 


The  Car  for  Satisfaction  and  Service! 

What  More  Can  You  Ask? 
For  Particulars,  Prices,  etc.,  address  as  above. 


Homoeopathic 
Department 

of  the 

University  of 
Michigan 

Stands  for  Thoroughness 

Offers  six  salaried  positions  an- 
nually for  Assistantships  and  Hospi- 
tal Physicians. 

A  five-year  Optional  Course 
affords  great  opportunity  for  spe- 
cialization. 

Address 

W.  B.  HINDSDALE,   M.   D.,  Dean 
ANN  ARBOR,  MICH. 


College  of 
Homoeopathic 

Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 

i.     One  of  the  eleven  colleges  of  a 
great  State  University. 
Located    in    a   city    of    250,000 
population. 

College  and   University  Hospi- 
tal on  campus.     All  hospital  pa- 
tients are  for  the  clinics. 
All   faculty  members,   all   time 
salaried  men. 


2. 


4. 


ADDRESS 

CLAUDE  A.  BURRETT,  Ph.B.  M.D. 

DEAN 

College  of  Homoeopathic  Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 

Columbus,  Ohio 


XX11  THE    HOMCEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 


much,  and  feel  that  I  do  not  want  to  do  without  it.  Wishing  you 
a  happy  and  a  prosperous  New  Year,  I  am.  cordially  and 
fraternally." 


This  goes  in  without  comment  or  comprehension  on  T.  W.'s 
part. 

A    PRESCRIPTION. 

Give  an  Allopathic  scolding  to  your  husband  and  daughter 
when  the  symptoms  seem  to  indicate  the  remedy,  so  that  each  may 
triturate  the  dose  to  suit  the  individual  case.  Observe  the  bene- 
ficial results. 

Frank  A.  Palmer, 

3819  Ellis  Ave., 
Chicago,  Ills. 
If  the  above  prescription  is  within  the  confines  of  Homceop- 
athy,  print  same  with  my  compliments  and  let  me  know  the  date 
of  issue. 

Dated,  Chicago,  Dec.  11,  1916. 


Dr.  H.  A.  Bates,  New  York,  opens  a  paper  in  Medical  Pick- 
wick on  "Medical  Big  Game  Hunting,"  as  follows: 

"Yea,  brethren,  there  is  some  medical  'Big  Game'  left,  but  it's 
durned  scarce!  You  and  I,  dearly  beloved,  have  about  as  much 
chance  of  landing  a  $10,000  operation,  or  a  $5,000  per  year  re- 
tainer from  some  plutocrat,  to  keep  Mors  at  a  respectable  dis- 
tance, as  we  would  to  go  for  Ursus  horribilis  or  Bison  Americanus 
with  a  pop-gun!  Medical  big  game  is  getting  rare  because  it's 
getting  wise.  Shy  it  is  and  wary  'cause  the  sense  most  acutely 
developed  is  its  money  sense  and,  sine  simoleons,  it  ceases  to  be 
the  big  game.    See?" 


This  is  quoted  from  a  letter  from  Dr.  H.  P.  Bellows,  Boston, 
Mass.,  concerning  Dr.  John  L.  Moffat's  Therapeutics  in  Oph- 
thalmology: 

"On  Sunday  I  went  carefully  through  your  choice  little  book 
from  cover  to  cover.  When  I  was  in  general  practice  there 
was  no  book  in  my  library  that  I  held  of  higher  value  in  its 
sphere,  or  to  which  I  turned  with  greater  confidence,  than  Bell 
on   Diarrhoea,   which   has   so   long   been    a   little   classic.      This 


THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


XX111 


The  Eclectic  Medical  College 

OF  CINCINNATI,  OHIO 


Located   in   one  of  America's   greatest   Medical    Centers — The   oldest    (1845)    and 
Leading  Eclectic  Medical  College,  Conducted  on  High  Standards. 


New  modern  building,  well  equipped 
laboratories,  six  whole-time  salaried  in- 
structors. 

Entrance — Completion  of  first  grade, 
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equivalent,  plus  one  year  of  work  of 
college  grade  in  Physics,  Chemistry, 
Biology  and  a  modern  language.  All 
credentials  must  be  approved  by  the 
Ohio  State  Medical  Board. 

A  pre-medical  course  in  Physics, 
Chemistry,  Biology  and  a  modern  lan- 
guage is  given  by  the  Ohio  Mechanics' 
Institute,  Cincinnati,  complying  with  the 
standards  of  State  boards  generally  and 
the  A.  M.  A. 


The  course  in  Medicine  comprises 
four  graded  sessions  of  eight  months 
each.  Fees,  $120  per  year;  Matricula- 
tion, $5.00   (payable  once). 

Juniors  in  co-operative  courses  in  City 
Health  Department  and  Tuberculosis 
Hospital  (320  beds),  and  Seton  Hospital 
Clinics;  senior  interneship  in  Seton 
Hospital.  Seniors  in  clinical  and  bed- 
side instruction  in  new  Municipal  Hos- 
pital, costing  $4,000,000  (850  beds)  ;  also 
special  lectures  in  Longview  Insane 
Asylum. 

Seventy-:  econd  year  opens  September 
14,  1916.  For  bulletins  and  detailed 
information  address 


JOHN  K.  SCUDDER,  M.D.,  Secretary 
630  West  Sixth  Street  -:-  CINCINNATI,  OHIO 


ALFALCO 

AN  ALFALFA  TONIC. 

"Repeat"  orders  are  the  true  evidence  of  its  merit. 
"Gained  in  weight."  "Feel  better  than  for  years."  "I 
think  it  is  a  good  thing."  These  are  the  burden  of  the 
letters  from  those  who  have  used  it.  For  sale  at  all  of 
Boericke  &  Tafel's  pharmacies.  The  best  tonic  that  is 
offered  today.  Sample  and  prices  on  request,  to  phy- 
sicians only. 

BOERICKE  &  TAFEL. 


XXIV  THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

little  book  of  yours  will  be  a  running  mate  to  that  one  if  my 
judgment  is  correct.    It  is  not  in  my  line  of  work,  to  be  sure,  but 
the  simplicity  and  directness  of  it  appeal  to  me,  and  for  quick 
reference  it  must  be  invaluable  to  the  man  in  general  practice. " 
(Dr.  Bellows  does  ear  work  only  today.) 


Contagious,  Constitutional  and  Blood  Diseases.     By  A.  L. 

Blackwood,  M.  D.    367  pages.    Cloth,  $1.75. 

There  is  always  a  place  for  a  homoeopathic  work,  as  our  bibli- 
ography is  not  so  overrun  that  we  are  suffering  from  a  congestion 
thereof,  and  there  is  surely  a  place  for  this  volume. 

It  is  one  of  a  set  of  six,  being  the  fifth  in  order,  which  will  in 
reality  form  a  complete  practice.  It  is  a  hand-book  mainly  on 
contagious  diseases,  and  yet  it  contains  a  number  of  diseases  not 
found  in  much  more  pretentious  works.  It  is  moreover  a  work 
that  will  be  referred  to  more  frequently  than  any  of  the  other 
volumes,  as  the  very  subject  of  infectious  and  constitutionl  dis- 
eases gives  it  a  place  in  everyday  general  practice.  The  greater 
part  of  the  work  is  taken  up  with  infectious  and  contagious  dis- 
eases and  includes  all  the  way  from  mumps  to  syphilis  under  the 
first  caption,  and  from  influenza  to  the  plague  under  the  second. 
We  are  so  accustomed,  as  a  rule,  to  classify  gonorrhoea  and  syph- 
ilis under  surgery  that  at  first  thought  they  might  seem  out  of 
place  in  a  purely  medical  work,  and  yet  considered  from  the  idea 
of  contagiousness  they  most  surely  would  become  part  of  this 
class,  and  the  homoeopath  can  find  a  place  for  his  medical  treat- 
ment and  can  make  the  surgical  treatment  an  accessory  means 
thereto. 

The  homoeopathic  treatment  all  through  this  work  is  of  the  best, 
and  naturally  so  as  coming  from  such  a  source,  but  the  author  is 
not  behind  in  augmenting  the  materia  medica  with  auxiliary 
treatment, — dietetic,  hygienic,  eclectic  and  local. — Pacific  Coast 
Journal  of  Homoeopathy. 


T.  W.'s  poets  are  singularly  silent  of  late,  whether  to  the  relief 
of  the  reader  or  not  is  A  Problem. 


Alligator  skins  have  become  so  scarce  and  high  in  price  that 
alligator  leather  cases  are  almost  unattainable. 


THE   HOMOEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 


XI 


"Heif  medicines  arc  me  Best." 

BOERICKE  &  TAFEL, 

Homoeopathic  Pharmacists,  Importers  and  Publishers. 

PHILADELPHIA,  ion  Arch  St. 

PHILADELPHIA,  125  South  nth  St. 
PHILADELPHIA,  15  North  6th  St. 
NEW  YORK.  145  Grand  St. 

NEW  YORK,  145  West  43d  St. 

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CHICAGO,  156  N.  Wabash  Ave. 
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BALTIMORE,  326  North  Howard  St. 
CINCINNATI,  213  West  4th  St. 

»*»!*•■«  Established  in  1*86. 


Dear  Reader: 

This  is  neither  business,  advertising,  nor  medical,  save  in  spots. 
It  is  merely  a  free  and  easy  letter  to  each  reader,  who  can  read  it 
or  not  as  he  pleases  for  T.  W.  has  put  in  two  weeks  at  Atlantic 
City,  and  feels  like  inflicting  something  of  that  mid-winter  visit 
on  you,  knowing  that  "you  all,"  as  our  Southern  friends  say,  have 
been  there,  or  will  visit  "the  biggest  little  city  in  the  world" 
some  day. 

It  is  the  same  old  place  as  of  yore  only  a  bit  bigger  and  brighter. 
Starting  from  Heinz's  Pier,  it  may  be  noted  that  the  old  Hotel 
Rudolf  has  been  rebuilt  and  is  now  an  imposing  sky-scraping  steel 
building,  that  is,  the  ocean  front  half  is  and,  presumably,  the 
other  part  will  follow  suit  in  the  near  future.     One  block  down 


Xll  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

the  St.  Charles  has  also  made  a  similar  change.  The  huge  and 
Moorish,  fortress  like,  new  Traymore,  has  secured  ground  for  an 
addition  that  will  be  almost  as  big  as  the  main  building  now  is. 
The  Shelburne  has  made  arrangements,  they  say,  to  tear  down 
the  present  structure  and  replace  it  with  a  towering  steel  build- 
ing. "The  Bowery"  is  doomed,  a  company  having  bought  the 
three  or  four  blocks  entire,  and  have  a  big  sign  up  that  they  in- 
tend to  clear  away  all  the  old  buildings  and  make  it  a  first-class 
hotel  district.  One  wonders  where  all  the  people  come  from  to 
fill  up  this  numberless  aggregation  of  big  and  little  hotels.  But 
they  do,  and  the  cry  is  always  for  more.  The  fine,  big  Chalfonte, 
where  the  Institute  met,  seemed  to  be  full  to  the  top  judging  from 
the  lighted  windows  and  the  number  of  well-to-do  people  in  its 
spacious  rooms  and  corridors.  It  is  big,  fire-proof  and  comfort- 
able.   A  good  place  to  go. 

At  night  the  boardwalk  seems  to  be  just  as  brilliantly  lighted 
from  stores  and  big  electric  signs  as  in  mid-summer.  The  electric 
signs  are  more  numerous  than  ever,  even  the  Du  Ponts,  the 
powder  people,  who  have  demoralized  the  eastern  labor  market 
by  drawing  of  many  thousands  of  men  at  very  high  prices,  have 
a  regular  "movie"  display  over  the  "Million  Dollar  Pier."  Struck 
us  as  queer  that  they  should  have  this  elaborate  display  when  they 
can  hardly  fill  their  orders  to-day.  Perhaps  they  scent  the  closing 
of  the  big  war. 

One  cold  day,  with  the  thermometer  several  degrees  below 
freezing,  and  a  keen  wind  blowing,  we  stopped  and  rubbed  our 
eyes  to  make  sure,  for  out  beyond  the  Garden  Pier  was  a  man 
swimming  and  diving.  Don't  know  how  long  he  had  been  in 
but  we  watched  him  for  about  five  minutes  when  he  came  ashore 
and  nonchalantly  strolled  up  to  the  bath-house  clad  in  as  skimpy 
a  bathing  suit  as  the  law  allows.  Asked  him,  "How's  the  water 
to-day?"    "A  little  cool,"  was  the  reply,  "but  fine." 

This  brings  up  the  fact  that  one  day  we  concluded  to  have  a 
"shine."  Fell  to  talking  with  the  old  darkey  boot-black.  He 
said,  "Boss,  if  you  don't  want  your  hand  to  chap  don't  wear 
gloves."  Said  he  used  to  carry  grips  and  things  to  the  station 
and  his  hands  were  always  bad ;  then  he  threw  away  his  "mitts" 
and  his  hands  never  bothered  him  since.  Later  we  wandered 
up  to  "The  Inlet"  and  chinned   (as  usual)   with  a  lot  of  "cap- 


THE    HOMOEOPATHIC    RECORDER  Xlll 

tains"  who  were  lounging  around  there — they  are  all  captains 
who  own  a  boat.  Told  what  the  boot-black  had  said  and  one 
replied,  "The  coon  is  right.  I've  known  that  for  years."  Im- 
pressed with  this  and  being  bothered  (as  every  winter)  with 
chapped  hands,  we  discarded  gloves  and,  no  matter  how  cold 
it  was,  depended  solely  on  overcoat  pockets.  The  result  was  that 
the  cracks  all  healed  up.  Whether  the  cure  will  be  permanent 
remains  to  be  seen,  but  it  has  so  far.  Good  doctor,  you  can  take 
this  pointer  as  you  please,  but  T.  W.  intends  to  give  it  a  thorough 
test. 

This  therapeutic  pointer  leads  to  the  smoking  room  where 
men  gather  to  smoke  and  swap  yarns.  We  had  a  goodly  crowd 
of  well-to-do  men  in  that  room  at  our  hotel.  Here  are  some  of 
the  near-medical  items  picked  up : 

One  gentleman  had  a  shade  over  his  right  eye.     Asked  him 

"What  is  the  trouble?"     He  replied  that  "Doctor says  it 

is  neuritis.  Has  been  treating  it  for  four  months.  It  doesn't 
get  any  better,  but  is,  if  anything,  worse."  "WTiat  does  he  do 
for  you?"  "Oh,  he  treats  me."  "Give  you  any  medicine." 
"None  whatever."  Felt  like  telling  him  to  go  to  a  homoeopathic 
physician,  but  concluded  it  best  not  to  interfere.  Surely  the 
world  needs  Homoeopathy! 

This  led  another  man  to  spin  this  yarn.  His  brother  was  not 
feeling  right  and  consulted  an  eminent  physician  (allopathic) 
who  made  a  thorough  physical  examination,  told  him  to  cut  out 
alcoholic  drinks,  not  to  smoke  over  three  cigars  a  day,  and  come 
back  in  two  weeks.  That  was  all.  "Brother"  said  nothing  but 
went  back  in  two  weeks.  Was  cut  down  to  one  cigar.  Called  a 
third  time,  was  pronounced  cured,  and  told  he  would  stay  cured 
if  he  followed  the  advice.  At  this  the  patient  broke  out  and  told 
the  doctor  that  he  had  never  drank  liquor  or  used  tobacco  in  all 
his  life.  The  doctor  was  taken  aback  and  weakly  said:  "Well, 
the  best  of  us  are  fooled  at  times."  Now,  whether  Brother  was 
a  dry  joker,  or  the  relator  an  archer,  using  the  long-bow,  is  un- 
certain. He  declared  the  story  to  be  true,  and  he  looked  like 
a  prosperous  and  responsible  business  man.  Also  the  physician 
was  a  personal  friend. 

After  this  a  man,  well  groomed,  representing  one  of  the  big 
life  insurance  companies,  took  up  the  burden.     His  story,  if  true, 


XIV  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

was  rather  interesting.  It  ran  this  way :  He  insured  a  man  for 
$10,000  in  an  accident  policy.  Evidently,  as  the  sequel  will 
show,  the  man  was  pretty  well  placed  financially.  Within  a  few 
months  the  insured  man  met  a  pretty  severe  accident,  though 
the  details  were  not  related.  He  was  rushed  to  a  hospital  and,  so 
the  story  went,  while  laid  open  the  surgeon  remarked,  "While 
he  is  open  we  might  as  well  take  out  his  appendix,"  which  was 
done.  Why  this  was  done  is  not  clear  but,  apparently,  the  sur- 
geon thought  the  appendix  is  a  useless  appendage  that  is  better 
out  than  in.  However,  let  that  pass.  When  the  insured  man 
came  out  of  the  hospital  he  went  to  his  friend  who  had  insured 
him  and  told  that  insurance  agent  what  had  been  done.  The 
insurance  man  replied  that  probably  the  surgeons  knew  what  was 
best,  to  which  the  insured,  in  turn,  replied,  "That  is  all  right, 

I'm  not  kicking,  but  three  years  ago  I   paid  Dr.  one 

thousand  dollars  for  an  operation  for  appendicitis."  The  name 
is  left  blank,  but  the  man  who  told  the  story  gave  it,  and  it  is 
not  altogether  unknown. 

There  was  a  lot  more  of  this  stuff,  as,  for  instance,  the  man 
who  said  that  thirty  years  ago  his  then  doctor  told  him  to  start 
his  day's  eating  on  stewed  prunes,  baked  apples,  or  fruit,  and  he 
would  never  be  constipated,  and  who  never  was  in  consequence 
of  following  the  advice,  but,  probably,  you  have  had  enough  of 
this  smoking  gossip  of  the  laymen.  Sometimes  it  is  well  to  hear 
what  men  say  of  such  matters. 

One  day  realizing  the  need  of  some  tonsorial  work  we  stepped 
into  a  barber  shop.  Was  put  into  a  chair  next  to  Senor  Vessella, 
who  leads  the  band  on  the  Steel  Pier,  and  is  noted  for  his  seem- 
ing indifference  to  his  audience.  In  the  shop  he  was  as  talka- 
tive as  the  traditional  barber,  just  kept  up  a  running  fire  even 
when  the  razor  was  on  his  face.  Nothing  remarkable  in  this,  but 
one  thing  he  related  interested  the  idle  writer  of  this  letter.  In 
strong  Italian  accents  and  idiom  the  incident  ran  about  as  follows : 
"You  know  my  composition,  my  most  popular  one?"  mention- 
ing its  name,  which  is  forgotten.  "Well,  I  would  write  a  piece  of 
music.  Inspiration  would  not  come.  No  theme.  I  was  in  de- 
spair. One  night  I  lay  wakeful.  In  next  room  was  my  piano, 
open,  and  my  cat.  It  was  dark.  Certainly  the  cat  jump  on  the 
keyboard  and  frisk  about.    In  a  flash  come  my  inspiration!    My 


THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER.  XV 

BOERICKE  &  TjVFEL'S 

Fine  Toilet  Articles 


We  have  a  very  complete  line  of  fine  toilet  articles  that  it  is 
well  to  bear  in  mind  when  ordering  goods.    These  embrace : 

Genuine  Imported  Bay  Rnm,  which  has  the  reputation  of  be- 
ing the  best  in  the  market.  Prices :  25,  45  and  75  cents  a  bottle, 
as  to  size. 

Rosol  Cold  Cream,  a  cold  cream  that  will  not  turn  rancid ;  very 
elegant.  Prices :  20,  30  and  50  cents  per  jar,  as  to  size.  25  cents 
per  tube,  collapsible. 

Rosol  Tooth  Powder,  about  the  best  you  can  find.  Price:  25 
cents,  in  patent  top  container. 

Rosol  Talcum  Powder,  very  elegantly  put  up  and  of  fine  qual- 
ity.   Price:  15  cents  per  can,  sprinkler. 

Rosol  Dental  Cream,  elegant  for  the  teeth.  Price:  20  cents,  in 
tubes. 

Rosol  Hand  Lotion.  Best  thing  for  chapped  hands  and  rough 
skin.    Price,  50  cents. 

Laneo.  "It  stayeth  the  falling  of  the  hair."  Price:  50  cents 
per  bottle.    Sprinkler  top. 

B.  &  T.  Hygienic  Toilet  Soap.  A  fine  toilet  soap.  Price:  10 
cents  per  cake,  or  3  cakes  in  a  box  for  25  cents. 

B.  &  T.  Calendnlated  Soap.  Has  the  healing  qualities  of 
Calendula.    25  cents  per  cake. 


XVI  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


most  successful  composition !    My  'Cat  piece'  I  call  it  to  myself ." 

One  evening  two  parties  arrived  at  our  hotel.  Met  in  the 
lobby,  and  before  registering  let  loose  a  torrent  of  words.  One 
lady  told  how  the  steam  heater  in  her  cellar  had  blown  out  that 
morning,  and  how  desperate  she  was.  "But,"  said  she,  "I  thought 
the  plumber  could  fix  it  as  well  as  I  could,  so  I  just  left  it  to 
him  and  came  on  down  here."  Sounded  funny  then  but  when 
said  so  seriously  perhaps  it  isn't. 

A  little  psychology.  Met  a  fine  old  gentleman,  retired  New 
York  importer,  who  wanders  along  the  coast  from  Florida  to 
New  England.  Said  he,  "I'm  tired  of  it.  Wish  I  had  something1 
to  do."    A  hint  for  those  who  want  to  retire  and  "enjoy  life." 

One  balmy,  sunshiny  day  (we  had  all  sorts  of  weather)  a  fine 
Airdale  dog  sat  on  his  haunches  in  the  doorway  of  one  of  the 
boardwalk  shops.  He  was  clothed  in  a  red  coat  and  trousers. 
Stopped  and  looked  at  him.  After  a  moment  he  slowly 
raised  a  pair  of  fine  dog-eyes  and  returned  the  gaze.  It 
was  a  look  of  melancholy  tinged  with  cynicism,  which  seemed  to 
say,  "What  fools  you  mortals  be."  Abashed,  our  gaze  fell  and 
behold  on  his  left  fore  paw  was  a  wrist  watch.  Mentally  we 
remarked,  "You  are  right,  old  chap,"  and  so  passed  on. 

But  perhaps,  friend  reader,  you  are  getting  tired  of  this.  So 
we  close  with  best  wishes  from 

T.  W. 


Here  is  a  bit  from  a  letter  by  an  allopathic  physician,  a  man. 
in  very  good  standing.  It  needs  no  comment:  "So  far,  my 
adventure  into  Homoeopathy  has  been  very  satisfactory,  and  I 
have  had  in  the  majority  of  instances  nothing  but  the  most 
brilliant  results." 

The  old  order  has  shaken  drugs  but  the  patients  know  better, 
consequently  many  good  men,  like  the  one  quoted,  are  coming 
to  Homoeopathy  with  most  satisfactory  results.  The  indicated 
remedy  beats  mere  advice  out  of  sight  every  time. 


Here  is  a  nice  little  addenda  to  a  letter  from  Dr.  H.  D.  Baldwin, 
of  Elyria,  Ohio:  "Have  always  considered  it  (Recorder)  the 
most  valuable  journal  that  I  take  and  shall  continue  to  sub- 
scribe for  it  as  long  as  I  remain  in  the  world." 

May  your  life  be  a  long  one,  doctor! 


THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER.  XV11 


Diseases  of  the  Skin 

Including  the   Exanthemata. 

BY  FREDERICK  M.  DEARBORN,  A.  B.,  M.  D. 
New  York  City 


200  original  illustrations,  photographs  from  actual 
cases. 

551  large  8vo.  pages.  Cloth,  $5.00,  net,  sent  on  re- 
ceipt of  price  by  any  homoeopathic  book  dealer. 

This  book  is  not  printed  from  plates,  is  new,  from 
cover  to  cover,  the  latest,  the  least  padded  and  most  help- 
ful book  on  the  skin  extant. 


For  Sale  at  all  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies. 


PRACTICAL  HOMCEOPATHIC 
THERAPEUTICS 

By  W.  A.  DEWEY,  M.  D. 

Second  Edition  426 pages.     Cloth,  $2.50  net. 

"The  book  strikes  me  as  being  about  the  most  satisfactory  work 
of  the  kind  I  ever  saw." — C,  Medical  Gleaner. 

"He  has  done  for  therapeutics  what  Farrington  did  for  Materia 
Mt&ic&."—//otnosopathic  World. 

"If  you  want  a  book  of  homoeopathic  therapeutics,  pure,  simple, 
straight,  clean  and  up-to-date  Homoeopathy,  here  you  are.  It  is  one 
of  the  books  you  want.  You  want  it  handy.  Right  on  the  nearest 
corner  of  the  middle  shelf  of  your  bookcase." — The  Clinic. 


XVI 11  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

Dr.  C.  F.  Barker,  of  Reno,  Nev.,  writes:  "Inclosed  find  $1.00 
for  subscription  for  191 7.  May  you  have  many  returns  of  the 
subscription  dates." 

Many  thanks,  doctor! 

Dr.  C.  C.  Curtis,  San  Pedro,  Calif. :  "The  Recorder  continues 
to  arrive  regularly,  is  full  of  information  and  gives  continued 
pleasure.     Inclosed  find,"  etc. 

On  its  part  the  journal  is  indebted  to  its  many  subscribers  for 
contents  that  fill  its  varied  pages. 


Dr.  Royal  S.  Copeland — you  all  know  who  he  is — writes 
Moffat  concerning  his  recently  published  Homoeopathic  Thera- 
peutics in  Ophthalmology:  "I  bought  a  copy  of  your  little  book 
on  homoeopathic  therapeutics  and  am  waiting  to  express  my  ap- 
preciation of  your  splendid  effort.  It  is  very  valuable,  not  only  to 
ophthalmology  but  to  the  homoeopathic  profession." 

Copeland  himself  is  no  novice  in  eye  work  as  is  proved  by 
that  fine  book,  Refraction,  written  by  him  and  Ibershoff,  of  Cleve- 
land. The  illustrations  in  Refraction  were  the  most  artistic  and 
the  best  drawn  "copy"  that  ever  came  T.  W.'s  way. 

Dr.  Howard  Barlow  writes  Moffat:  "I  think  you  did  well  to 
give  a  concise  sketch  of  Hahnemann  and  of  the  principles  and 
practice  of  Homoeopathy  in  the  opening  chapters  of  your  book, 
and  you  certainly  did  it  well  for  the  purpose  you  had  in  mind." 

As  we  have  been  rifling  Moffat's  mail,  might  as  well  go  on. 
Dr.  Philip  Rice,  who  looks  after  things  ophthalmologic  in  the 
Pacific  Coast  Journal  of  Homoeopathy,  writes  of  the  new  book: 
"It  has  been  kept  at  hand  on  my  desk  and  referred  to  very  fre- 
quently. That  I  shall  continue  to  make  good  use  of  it,  shall 
profit  by  its  use,  I  am  sure.  The  book  has  one  very  distinct  ad- 
vantage— it  is  concise.    It  is  concise  and,  I  am  sure,  accurate." 


That  journal,  known  to  the  U.  S.  A.'s  P.  O.  Dept.  as  the 
Phi  Alpha  Gamma  Quarterly,  is  always  interesting  to  T.  W., 
probably  because  it  is  always  boyish,  even  though  we  happen  to 
have  known  many  of  its  members  since  we  might,  with  a  bit 
of  a  stretch,  aided  by  good  humored  friends,  almost  have  been 
ranked  as  "one  of  the  boys."    For  example,  the  dignified  Presi- 


THE   HOMCEOPATHIC   RECORDER.  XIX 

How  to  use  the  Repertory 

With  a  Practical  Analysis  of 
Forty  Homoeopathic  Remedies 

By  GLENN  IRVING  BIDWELL  M.  D. 

156  Pages.  Cloth  $1.00  net.  Mailed  post  paid  on 
receipt  of  price. 

Many  want  to  know  "how  to  use  the  reper- 
tory". Dr.  Bidwell,  an  expert  in  the  art,  tells 
how  in  this  book.  Also  how  to  compare  rem- 
edies. 

At  All  Homoeopathic  Book  Dealers 

TRBATCDBNT 

By  CLARENCE  BARTLETT,  M.D. 

1223  pages.     Large  8vo.     Strong  Cloth,  $8.00,  net. 

Delivered  by  parcel  post,  free  to  any  part  of  the 
United  States  on  receipt  of  the  price,  $8.00. 

This  book,  worthy  of  being  termed  an  Encyclopedia 
of  Treatment,  will  pay  its  way  in  any  physicians  library 
who  is  in  active  practice.  The  Medical  World  put  its 
character  in  a  nut  shell  when  it  wrote:  "It  covers  well 
every  part  of  the  domain  of  modern  general  medical 
practice  as  mirrored  by  the  consensus  of  the  opinion  of 
the  best  men  of  all  schools." 


At  all  pharmacies  and  book  dealers. 


XX  THE    HOMCEOPATHIC    RECORDER. 

dent  of  one  of  the  letters  we  once  knew  as  "Benny,"  in  fact, 
attended  a  certain  farewell  to  single  cussedness  banquet,  where 
the  Queen's  Toast  was  drunk  in  orthodox  and  royal  fashion,  the 
champagne  glasses  being  smashed  into  the  old  "fireplace,"  never 
to  be  used  for  other  purposes  again.  As  for  the  king  on  this 
occasion?  Welf,  he  was  just  the  same  old  friend  of  humanity — 
"Ben" — he  is  to-day. 

Our  co-worker,  Dr.  Clifford  Mitchell,  reports  the  doings,  in 
last  issue,  in  a  manner  that  makes  one  think  that  if  he  hadn't 
been  a  great  specialist  he  might  have  gathered  more  "dust"  as  a 
newspaper  man.  But  if  we  were  not  what  we  are  what  would 
we  be?    It  is  a  Problem. 

Our  tall  N.  Y.  friend  is  given  a  "write-up"  in  the  last  number, 
in  which  he  is  termed  "Frederick  Mygad  Dearborn,"  in  which  he 
is  given  a  full  page  cartoon  as  a  "Beauty  Specialist."  Why  not? 
The  skin  is  beauty's  most  outward  emblem,  and  what  F.  M.  D. 
doesn't  know  about  the  skin  (See  his  Book)  is  not  worth  know- 
ing— in  a  scientific  way,  at  least. 

Dr.  Richard  H.  Street,  the  Xew  Grand  President  of  the  or- 
ganization, occupies  the  front  position  in  the  last  issue,  in  a 
half-tone.  "'E's  not  arfbad  looking,''  and  when,  as  the  writer-up 
says,  he  has  had  time  to  "orient"  himself  no  doubt  things  will 
hum.  That  he  doesn't  Occident  too  soon  is  our  hope.  However ! 
and  Well !  Be  good  homoeopaths,  gentlemen,  and  you  will  be 
happy  and  also  useful  citizens. 


Still  things  go  up.  Vanilla  beans  up  a  dollar  a  pound.  Also 
stopped  in  the  shoe  man's  place  for  a  pair  of  shoe  strings.  He 
said,  "Ten  cents."  T.  W.  politely  conveyed  the  information  to 
him,  in  euphonious  words,  that  he,  the  shoe  man,  was  ahighway- 
man  and  an  unprincipled  monopolist.  He  politely  conveyed  the 
return  impression,  "take  'em  or  leave  'em."  Doctor,  cannot  you 
do  a  little  in  the  way  of  advancing  your  prices?  Some  of  you,  no 
doubt,  are  up  enough  already,  but  not  all  by  any  means. 


American  Medicine  has  an  article  on  Crataegus,  a  remedy  that 
was  really  introduced  through  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder,  and 
has  now  attained  world  wide  fame.  The  first  mention  of  the 
drug  was  in  the  N.   Y.  Medical  Journal,  but  no  attention  was 


THE   HOMCEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 


XXI 


Crow  Motor  Car  Company 


Main  and  Simonton  Streets 


ELKHART,  IND. 


The  Car  for  Satisfaction  and  Service! 

What  More  Can  tou  Ask? 
For  Particulars,  Prices,  etc.,  address  as  above. 


Homoeopathic 
Department 

of  the 

University  of 
Michigan 

Stands  for  Thoroughness 

Offers  six  salaried  positions  an- 
nually for  Assistantships  and  Hospi- 
tal Physicians. 

A  five-year  Optional  Course 
affords  great  opportunity  for  spe- 
cialization. 

Address 

W.  B.  HINDSDALE,   M.   D.,  Dean 
ANN  ARBOR,    MICH. 


College  of 
Homoeopathic 

Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 

i.  One  of  the  eleven  colleges  of  a 
great  State  University. 

2.  Located  in  a  city  of  250,000 
population. 

3.  College  and  University  Hospi- 
tal on  campus.  All  hospital  pa- 
tients are  for  the  clinics. 

4.  All  faculty  members,  all  time 
salaried  men. 

ADDRESS 

CLAUDE  A.  BURRETT,  Ph.B.  M.D. 

DEAN 

College  of  Homoeopathic  Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 

Columbus,  Ohio 


XX11  THE   HOMCEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 

paid  to  it  until  the  editor  of  the  Recorder  suggested  to  Boericke 
&  Tafel  that  they  secure  a  supply,  which,  after  a  year's  necessary 
delay  to  obtain  the  ripe  berries,  they  did,  a  tincture  was  made  of 
the  fresh  and  ripe  berries.  It  was  two  years  later  before  other 
tinctures  appeared.  In  the  meantime  the  drug  had  obtained  a 
remarkable  vogue,  being  praised  on  all  sides.  The  late  Dr.  T.  C. 
Duncan,  thought  it  was  the  greatest  heart  remedy  in  the  world. 
Some  of  the  tinctures  offered  by  the  later  houses  were  rather 
peculiar,  as  one  of  them  was  advertised  as  "the  tincture  made  from 
the  fresh  whole  plant."  The  true  tincture  is  made  from  the 
berries  of  the  white  hawthorne,  which  grows  to  be  a  goodly  tree. 
Here  is  the  extract  from  American  Medicine: 

"As  Dr.  Reilly  [Dr.  Thomas  F.  Reilly,  professor  of  applied 
therapeutics,  Fordham  University  Medical  College,  who  has  also 
highly  commended  Cratcegus]  has  stated  'its  action  is  non-poison- 
ous/ and  it  can  be  given  without  fear  of  digestive  disturbance,  as 
it  is  very  agreeable  to  the  taste.  The  action  of  the  drug  is  slow 
unless  given  in  large  doses ;  but  I  think  it  wiser  to  give  the  drug 
in  steadily  increasing  dosage  until  the  desired  effect  is  obtained, 
and  to  maintain  that  dose  for  an  extended  period,  which  should 
be  determined  by  the  results. 

"It  is  well  to  note  that  occasional  doses  of  Digitalis  in  com- 
bination with  the  Crataegus  adds  to  the  efficiency  of  both  drugs ; 
especially  is  this  true  if  there  is  any  nephritic  involvement,  or  con- 
siderable cardiac  dilatation.  Transient  albuminuria  is  a  frequent 
concomitant  of  the  symptom-complex  of  angina  pectoris,  and  in 
all  cases  this  has  either  disappeared  entirely,  or  has  been  greatly 
lessened  after  the  exhibition  of  Crataegus." 


T.  W.  doesn't  care  to  give  free  advertisements  but  cannot  re- 
frain from  quoting  the  following  from  an  advertisement  of  Dr. 
Sherman,  who  seems  to  think  that  his  "bacterial  vaccines"  are 
very  good.  Here  is  one  of  three  verses  he  pays  for  printing 
in  a  contemporary: 

Colds  can  be  cured  and  prevented 

With  bacterial  vaccines,  'tis  true, 
So  don't  neglect  being  protected. 

Be  immunized ;  'twill  cure  that  cold  too. 


THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


XX111 


The  Eclectic  Medical  College 

OF  CINCINNATI,  OHIO 


Located   in  one  of  America's   greatest   Medical   Centers — The   oldest    (1845)    and 
Leading  Eclectic  Medical  College,  Conducted  on  High  Standards. 


New  modern  building,  well  equipped 
laboratories,  six  whole-time  salaried  in- 
structors. 

Entrance — Completion  of  first  grade, 
four  years'  high  school  course  or  its 
equivalent,  plus  one  year  of  work  of 
college  grade  in  Physics,  Chemistry, 
Biology  and  a  modern  language.  All 
credentials  must  be  approved  by  the 
Ohio  State  Medical  Board. 

A  pre-medical  course  in  Physics, 
Chemistry,  Biology  and  a  modern  lan- 
guage is  given  by  the  Ohio  Mechanics' 
Institute,  Cincinnati,  complying  with  the 
standards  of  State  boards  generally  and 
the  A.  M.  A. 


The  course  in  Medicine  comprises 
four  graded  sessions  of  eight  months 
each.  Fees,  $120  per  year;  Matricula- 
tion, $5.00   (payable  once  J. 

Juniors  in  co-operative  courses  in  City 
Health  Department  and  Tuberculosis 
Hospital  (320  beds),  and  Seton  Hospital 
Clinics;  senior  interneship  in  Seton 
Hospital.  Seniors  in  clinical  and  bed- 
side instruction  in  new  Municipal  Hos- 
pital, costing  $4,000,000  (850  beds)  :  also 
special  lectures  in  Longview  Insane 
Asylum. 

Seventy-: ccond  year  opens  September 
K  1916.  For  bulletins  and  detailed 
information  address 


JOHN  K.  SCUDDER,  M.D.,  Secretary 
630  West  Sixth  Street  -:-  CINCINNATI,  OHIO 


ALFALCO 

AN  ALFALFA  TONIC. 

"Repeat"  orders  are  the  true  evidence  of  its  merit. 
"Gained  in  weight."  "Feel  better  than  for  years."  "I 
think  it  is  a  good  thing."  These  are  the  burden  of  the 
letters  from  those  who  have  used  it.  For  sale  at  all  of 
Boericke  &  Tafel's  pharmacies.  The  best  tonic  that  is 
offered  today.  Sample  and  prices  on  request,  to  phy- 
sicians only. 

BOERICKE  &  TAFEL. 


XXIV  THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

This  is  probably  the  poetical  apotheosis  of  modern  scientific 
therapy.  And  yet  the  great  Journal  of  the  A.  M.  A.  points  the 
slow  moving  finger  of  scorn  at  the  old  patent  medicine  almanacs ! 
Tut !  tut !  brother,  have  a  little  charity — also  write  a  little  better 
verse ! 


Some  years  ago  the  press  of  B.  &  T.  brought  out  an  abridged 
translation  of  Rademacher's  famous  book  under  the  title  Uni- 
versal and  Organ  Remedies  (104  pages,  $1.00),  covering  Rade- 
macher's peculiar  therapeutics.  Hering  wrote:  "The  author," 
Rademacher,  "was  an  old,  experienced,  well-read,  scientific, 
benevolent  and  truthful  physician,"  condemns  his  doctrine,  yet 
adds  that  nevertheless  it  "became  one  of  the  most  important  in- 
struments in  the  further  development  of  medical  science,  on  ac- 
count of  his  purity  and  sincerity."  Hering  sums  up  the  doctrine  as 
follows : 

"1.  There  are  those  primeval  affections,  diseases  of  the  whole 
body  in  its  totality  (Ur-Affectionen,  Gesamtkrankheiten)  ;  all 
the  rest  are  organic  affections. 

"2.  For  the  first  class  there  are  three  universal  remedies: 
Ferrum]  Cuprum,  and  Natrum  nitricum  (the  cubic  saltpetre). 

"3.  All'  other  remedies  are  organ  remedies  for  all  other 
affections. 

"4.  Only  experiments  on  sick  persons  can  teach  us  on  which 
organ  a  remedy  possesses  a  curative  influence. 

"5.  When  epidemics  are  about,  we  look  for  remedies,  first 
among  the  universal  remedies  and  then  among  the  organ  reme- 
dies ;  we  experiment  with  all  of  them  in  their  turn,  and  the  right 
one  will  then  cure  every  case. 

"6.  In  relation  to  the  dose,  everything  remains  in  Statu  quo, 
the  more  the  better,  but  with  the  precaution,  valuable  also  in 
fattening  animals,  never  to  give  more  than  they  can  well  bear." 

Burnett  was  a  firm  believer  in  the  "organ  remedies''  as  his  many 
small  books  show,  as,  for  instance,  Chelidonium  for  the  liver, 
Ccanothus  Americana  for  the  spleen,  and  so  on.  Universal  and 
Organ  Remedies  deserves  a  place  in  every  good  medical  library. 


THE    HOMOEOPATHIC    RECORDER. 


XI 


"T|elr  medicines  are  tie  Best." 

BOERICKE   &  TAFEL, 

Homoeopathic  Pharmacists,  Importers  and  Publishers. 

PHILADELPHIA,  ion  Arch  St. 

PHILADELPHIA,  125  South  nth  St. 
PHILADELPHIA,  15  North  6th  St. 
NEW  YORK,  145  Grand  St. 

NEW  YORK,  145  West  43d  St. 

NEW  YORK,  634  Columbus  Ave. 
CHICAGO,  156  N.  Wabash  Ave. 
PITTSBURGH,  702  Penn  Ave. 

BALTIMORE,  326  North  Howard  St. 
CINCINNATI,  213  West  4th   St. 

Ba«tn««B  Established  In  1SS5. 


T.  W.  doesn't,  as  a  rule,  indulge  in  health  hints  believing  that 
they  are  for  the  most  part  perfunctory  punk.  But  here  is  one  that 
is  so  remarkable  that  it  is  given,  though  the  reader  must  judge 
it  for  himself — as  he  will  at  any  rate.  It  is  lifted  from  the 
Journal  of  the  American  Medical  Association. 

"The  city's  health  is  good,  but  we  advise  caution  during  holi- 
day season,  especially  in  regard  to  water  drinking." — Health 
Bulletin. 

Xot  as  a  comment  on  this,  but  on  its  own  hook,  the  Journal 
remarks :  "The  board  of  health  consists  of  three  square  meals  a 
day."  In  a  multitude  of  "health  hints"  there  is  much  business  for 
the  doctor. 


Xll  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

A  canny  medical  editor  discussing  the  long  haired  bill  before 
Congress  to  exclude  from  the  mails  any  newspaper  or  periodical 
that  carries  any  liquor  advertisement,  suggests  that  it  be  amended 
so  as  to  permit  these  wicked  advertisers  to  appear  in  medical 
journals  only.     Medical  editors  are  notably  philanthropic. 


One  of  the  things  that  adds  to  the  general  gaiety  and  cynicism 
of  the  world  is  a  "homoeopathic"  pharmacy  selling  "imported 
tinctures  that  we  received  on  the  U-boat  Deutschland."  Very 
likely  they  would  cheerfully  supply  the  10  millionth,  "strictly 
hand-made  potency,"  of  the  midnight  moonbeams  secured  at  the 
North  Pole,  should  anyone  ask  for  it.  The  reason  of  this  sure- 
ness  (concerning  the  Deutschland)  is  that  inquiry  at  Treasury 
Department  shows  that  no  tinctures  were  imported  on  either 
trip  of  that  under-sea  boat. 


Dr.  Geo.  H.  Irwin,  of  Orville,  O.,  Secretary  of  the  Eastern 
Ohio  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society,  tells  us  that  Dr.  Eli  G. 
Jones,  who  has  been  writing  for  the  Recorder  during  the  past 
year  or  so,  will  be  the  speaker  of  the  occasion  of  the  semi- 
annual meeting  of  that  society  to  be  held  at  Akron,  O.,  April  18th. 


Anshutz,  who  has  editorial  charge  of  the  Recorder,  has  be- 
come a  "union  man."  In  other  words,  he  was  recently  elected 
a  member  of  the  Author's  League  of  America  of  which  body 
Winston  Churchill  is  president,  and  Theodore  Roosevelt,  of  whom 
you  may  have  heard,  vice-president.  So  far  as  T.  W.  can  make 
it  out  the  object  of  the  League  is  practically  the  same  as  that 
of  the  bricklayers'  and  other  unions,  namely,  to  help  the  morals 
of  the  members,  and  also  their  financial  affairs,  to  protect  their 
rights,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing.  Do  not  think  there  will  be  any 
strike  on  part  of  the  authors  or  lockouts  by  the  publishers,  though 
it  is  too  much  to  hope  that  there  will  be  no  more  scrapping  be- 
tween them.  T.  W.  would  like  to  see  his  poets,  "Ken,"  "Alfalfa" 
and,  when  seasoned,  "Office  Boy,"  join  the  union.  For  his  part 
T.  W.  would  be  willing  to  become  a  "walking  delegate,"  and  thus 
boss  the  whole  bunch,  from  T.  R.  down  to  his  "office  boy."  But 
vain  aspiration !  Authors  are  no  more  amenable  to  reason  than 
are  bricklayers,  in  fact,  not  so  much,  for  in  the  last  named  union 
an  arf-brick  can  be  used  as  a  most  potent  argument. 


THE    HOMOEOPATHIC    RECORDER  Xlll 


Here  is  a  bit  of  a  letter,  name  of  writer  not  given,  because 
the  writer  might  not  like  it : 

"I  think  I  owe  you  for  your  valuable  journal  Homoeopathic 
Recorder,  for  another  year.  Any  way,  I  like  your  journal  very 
much,  even  if  I  am  a  regular  physician." 


Splendid  opening  for  a  physician  at  Reedsburg,  Wis.     Estab- 
lished practice.    Address,  Mrs.  W.  R.  Churchill,  Reedsburg,  Wis. 


Mrs.  H.  M.  Robertson,  Middleport,  N.  Y.,  writes  that  she  has 
about  16  volumes  of  the  back  numbers  of  the  Homoeopathic 
Recorder,  for  any  one  who  wants  them.  Hope  some  one,  or 
institution,  wants  them.     They  are  not  altogether  bad. 


"Queer  how  things  go,"  commented  the  book-room  stock  man 
recently.  "Here  is  Fernie's  Herbalist,  'Herbal  Simples'  it's  called, 
that  laid  practically  dead  for  years,  then  order  after  order  came 
in,  and  the  stock  went  down  rapidly.  Wonder  why?"  T.  W. 
didn't  know,  in  fact  books  are  queer  things  as  all  publishers 
know.  They  bring  out  a  book  with  high  hopes  and  it  falls  flat, 
they  reluctantly  bring  out  another  and  it  goes  like  buckwheat 
cakes  on  a  frosty  morning.  Critics  and  advertising  cannot  make 
a  book  go,  nor  can  the  lack  of  either  kill  one  that  has  "go"  in  it. 
Again  and  again,  like  Fernie,  certain  apparently  defunct  books 
will  come  into  vigorous  life.  The  way  things  look  in  Europe  this 
is  a  book,  Fernie,  that  will  never  appear  again  when  once  sold 
out,  and,  also,  the  2nd  edition  sold  too  slowly.  Time  was  when  no 
gentleman's  library  was  considered  complete  without  a  "herbal," 
and  this,  we  believe,  is  the  last  of  its  race.  T.  W.  wrote  this,  or 
something  akin,  about  Allen's  Encyclopedia,  and  certain  ones 
with  worldly  knowing  said,  "He's  trying  to  sell  the  book."  Well, 
the  Encyclopedia  is  out  of  print — more's  the  pity,  for  it  is  a  grand 
work.  Hahnemann's  Materia  Medica  Pura  may  not  be  out  of 
print,  but  we  are  told  that  there  are  no  more  sheets  at  the  bind- 
ery, and  not  many  copies  left.  The  Cyclopedia  of  Drug  Pathogen- 
esy  may  be  obtainable,  but  unless  there  are  some  left  in  Europe  it 
is  very  scarce.  Allen's  Handbook  and  Hahnemann's  Chronic  Dis- 
eases are  available  but  getting  low  in  stock.  These  were  grand 
BOOKS.     What  is  to  take  the  place  of  these  foundation  stones 


XIV  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

of  Homoeopathy?  This  is  not  "advertising"  even  if  T.  W.  does 
pen  it,  but  a  serious  proposition  that,  in  a  very  few  decades,  will 
confront  the  American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy,  if  it,  and  Ho- 
moeopathy are  to  live,  for  without  its  fixed  Materia  Medica  all 
will  drift  about  iust  as  the  A.  M.  A.  does. 


The  following  is  not  by  one  of  T.  W.'s  poets,  but  was  sent  in 
by  a  very  reputable  physician  whose  head  is  silvered  o'er  by  time : 

There  is  a  man  who  never  drinks. 
Nor  chews,  nor  smokes,  nor  swears ; 
Never  gambles,  never  flirts,  and  shuns 
All  sinful  snares — lie's  paralyzed. 

There  is  a  man  who  never  does  a  thing 
That's  not  right.  His  wife  can  tell  you 
Where  he  is  morning,  noon  and  night — he's  dead. 

If  we  didn't  know  him  we  would  think  that  the  physician  who 
sent  that  in  was  an  old  sinner. 


-Flavel  B.  Tiffany,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  is  pub- 
lishing a  book,  "A  Journey  Around  the  World  by  an  Oculist," 
which,  as  it  tells  of  eye  clinics  in  all  countries,  ought  to  be  in- 
teresting. Wonder  our  own  Norton,  who  is  a  great  pilgrim,  never 
wrote  his  experiences. 


Here  follows  what  "J.  C.  R."  has  to  say  of  Moffat's  Ho- 
moeopathic Therapeutics  in  Ophthalmology  in  the  Medical  World: 

"The  author  realizes  that  ophthalmic  science  is  advancing  so 
rapidly  that  text-books  are  soon  obsolete.  He  believes  the  reme- 
dies offered,  however,  will  be  useful  for  many  years.  They  are 
the  ones  he  has  used  for  a  long  period.  It  is  written  strictly 
from  the  homoeopathic  point  of  view  and  would  not  be  easily  un- 
derstood by  the  other  members  of  the  profession.  The  author 
does  not  give  methods  of  administration  of  dosage.  The  drugs 
are  considered  under  sub-headings  of  Objective,  Subjective, 
Vision,  Characteristic,  and  Clinical.  A  splendid  repertory,  includ- 
ing Clinical  Index,  Objective  Symptoms,  Subjective  Symptoms, 
Vision,  Aggravations.  Ameliorations,  Conditions,  and  Character- 
istics, concludes  the  book.    It  is  well  worthy  of  careful  study." 


THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER.  XV 

BOERICKE  &  TAFEL'S 

Fine  Toilet  Articles 


We  have  a  very  complete  line  of  fine  toilet  articles  that  it  is 
well  to  bear  in  mind  when  ordering  goods.    These  embrace : 

Genuine  Imported  Bay  Rum,  which  has  the  reputation  of  be- 
ing the  best  in  the  market.  Prices :  25,  45  and  75  cents  a  bottle, 
as  to  size. 

Rosol  Cold  Cream,  a  cold  cream  that  will  not  turn  rancid ;  very 
elegant.  Prices:  20,  30  and  50  cents  per  jar,  as  to  size.  25  cents 
per  tube,  collapsible. 

Rosol  Tooth  Powder,  about  the  best  you  can  find.  Price:  25 
cents,  in  patent  top  container. 

Rosol  Talcum  Powder,  very  elegantly  put  up  and  of  fine  qual- 
ity.   Price:  15  cents  per  can,  sprinkler. 

Rosol  Dental  Cream,  elegant  for  the  teeth.  Price :  20  cents,  in 
tubes. 

Rosol  Hand  Lotion.  Best  thing  for  chapped  hands  and  rough 
skin.     Price,  50  cents. 

Laneo.  "It  stayeth  the  falling  of  the  hair."  Price,  60  cents 
per  bottle.    Sprinkler  top. 

B.  ft  T.  Hygienic  Toilet  Soap.  A  fine  toilet  soap.  Price:  10 
cents  per  cake,  or  3  cakes  in  a  box  for  25  cents. 

B.  &  T.  Calendnlated  Soap.  Has  the  healing  qualities  of 
Calendula.    25  cents  per  cake. 


XVI  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

Here  is  how  the  Buffalo  Medical  Journal  treats  Dr.  John  E. 
Wilson's  Diseases  of  the  Nervous  System: 

Anatomic  considerations  are  first  presented,  under  the  general 
title  of  "Architecture  of  the  Nervous  System."  Physiology  is  dis- 
cussed under  the  discussion  of  general  symptoms,  including  the 
localization  of  lesions  in  the  brain  and  cord.  The  classification 
adopted  for  the  detailed  discussion  of  diseases  is  mainly  ana- 
tomic, but  some  of  the  groupings  necessarily  depart  from  this 
method,  as :  progressive  muscular  atrophies  and  dystrophies ;  the 
apoplexies  (including  thrombosis  and  embolism)  ;  functional  nerv- 
ous diseases  (epilepsy  and  hysteria)  ;  spasmodic  diseases,  etc.  By 
the  use  of  paragraph  headings  as  of  age,  definition,  etiology,  prog- 
nosis, etc.,  both  clearness  and  brevity  are  served.  The  author  may 
be  criticised  for  distinguishing  between  "treatment"  and  "therapy" 
and  for  using  the  latter  term  mainly  in  the  sense  of  drugs  but  the 
distinction  of  meaning  is  practically  well  taken,  especially  as  the 
drugs  used,  mentioned  only  in  general  terms,  might  in  some  in- 
stances be  open  to  conflict  of  opinion.  The  book  is  comprehensive 
and  scholarly. 


Here  follow  some  honey  hints  in  the  shape  of  a  letter  written 
to  B.  &  T.  which  T.  W.  thinks  worth  printing  though,  indeed,  it 
might  more  properly  be  up  front  in  the  Recorder.  However, 
we  are  conceited  enough  to  think  that  it  has  more  chance  to  be 
read  here  than — up  front : 

In  making  a  recent  purchase  at  your  branch  on  N.  Howard 
street  I  was  given  a  circular  of  uses  for  honey.  Looking  over 
them  I  fail  to  find  any  mention  of  it  for  the  eye.  I  have  g'veri  it 
to  hundreds  for  cinders  in  eye,  inflation  of  lids,  redness  from 
colds,  dust,  dirt,  swollen  from  stings  near  or  under  the  eye.  In 
fact,  in  its  uses  for  the  eye  for  more  than  fifty  years  past  have 
found  none  to  equal  it.  Will  remove  the  films  coming  over  the 
eye  in  first  stages  of  blindness.  This  have  proven  in  quite  a  few 
cases,  both  human  and  animal.  A  small  quantity  applied  to  inner 
corner  eye  till  it  smarts  sufficient.  The  greater  irritation,  even  it 
will  hurt,  but  never  any  danger,  injuring  the  eye.  I  trust  you 
may  be  able  to  let  people  know  of  its  good  effects  and  curative 
qualities.  These  days  of  rapid  auto  travel,  when  hundreds  suffer 
from  dust,  etc.,  no  one  should  be  without  it.     Usually  apply  at 


THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER.  XV11 


Diseases  of  the  Skin 

Including"  the   Exanthemata. 

BY  FREDERICK  M.  DEARBORN,  A.  B.,  M.  D. 

New  York  City 


200  original  illustrations,  photographs  from  actual 
cases. 

551  large  8vo.  pages.  Cloth,  $5.00,  net,  sent  on  re- 
ceipt of  price  by  any  homoeopathic  book  dealer. 

This  book  is  not  printed  from  plates,  is  new,  from 
cover  to  cover,  the  latest,  the  least  padded  and  most  help- 
ful book  on  the  skin  extant. 


For  Sale  at  all  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies. 


PRACTICAL  HOMOEOPATHIC 
THERAPEUTICS 

By  W.  A.  DEWEY,  M.  D. 

Second  Edition  426 pages.     Cloth,  $2.50  net. 

"The  book  strikes  me  as  being  about  the  most  satisfactory  work 
of  the  kind  I  ever  saw." — C,  Medical  Gleaner. 

"He  has  done  for  therapeutics  what  Farrington  did  for  Materia 
Medica." — Homosopathic  World. 

"If  you  want  a  book  of  homoeopathic  therapeutics,  pure,  simple, 
straight,  clean  and  up-to-date  Homoeopathy,  here  you  are.  It  is  one 
of  the  books  you  want.  You  want  it  handy.  Right  on  the  nearest 
corner  of  the  middle  shelf  of  your  bookcase." — The  Clinic. 


XV111  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


night,  but  in  severe  cases,  party  suffering  from  cinder,  apply  at 
once  and  cover  eye  with  bandage ;  allow  it  (eye)  to  rest  and  honey 
to  heal  and  remove  cinder.  I  was  ten  years  in  Philadelphia  and 
always  bought  my  honey  from  one  of  your  branches. 

"Very  truly  yours, 

"Jas.  T.  Bartlett. 
"122  W.  Franklin  St.,  Baltimore,  Md." 


New  York,  Nov.  24,  191 6. 
Boericke  &  Tafel. 
Dear  Sirs: 

Wilson's  neurology  received,  for  which  please  accept  my 
thanks.  During  the  several  years  that  I  have  lectured  on  nervous 
and  mental  diseases  I  have  recommended  Dr.  Wilson's  book. 

Yours  truly, 

Reeve  Turner. 


Here  is  a  clipping  from  the  Buffalo  Medical  Journal  for  De- 
cember : 

"Dr.  E.  P.  Anshutz,  editor  of  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder,  in 
quoting  from  this  journal,  calls  us  brother,  and  speaks  of  the 
publication  as  'that  fine  old  journal.'  We  reciprocate  the  fraternal 
greeting.  There  is  more  real  ethics  in  a  cordiality  of  this  kind 
than  in  the  whole  of  the  old  code  that  emphasized  the  differences 
between  methods  of  practice  and  that  ignored  the  essentials  of 
professional  life  and  aspirations.  Be  it  remembered,  too,  that  the 
Recorder  is  homoeopathic  in  belief  as  well  as  in  name,  and  that 
the  respective  editorial  brethren  disagree  as  to  medical  theory  and 
practice  about  as  thoroughly  as  could  be  imagined.  Friendly  dis- 
agreement coupled  with  mutual  respect  is  a  strong  factor  in 
ultimate  agreement  as  to  fact." 

Sure  thing,  the  Buffalo  M.  J.  didn't  make  allopathy  or  any  of 
the  multitudinous  things  that  sail  under  that  objectionable  name. 
Neither  did  the  Recorder,  nor  any  one  connected  with  it,  make 
Homoeopathy.  Where  did  the  things  "we  all"  scrap  about  come 
from?  None  of  us,  saints  or  sinners,  started  'em.  Hey,  you  I 
Philosophers  get  busy. 


THE    HOMCEOPATHIC   RECORDER.  XIX 

How  to  use  the  Repertory 

With  a  Practical  Analysis  of 
Forty  Homoeopathic  Remedies 

By  GLENN  IRVING  BIDWELL  M.  D. 

156  Pages.  Cloth  $1.00  net.  Mailed  post  paid  on 
receipt  of  price. 

Many  want  to  know  uhow  to  use  the  reper- 
tory". Dr.  Bidwell,  an  expert  in  the  art,  tells 
how  in  this  book.  Also  how  to  compare  rem- 
edies. 

At  All  Homoeopathic  Book  Dealers 

TRBATCDBNT 

By  CLARENCE  BARTLETT,  M.D. 

1223  pages.     Large  8vo.     Strong  Cloth,  $8.00,  net. 

Delivered  by  parcel  post,  free  to  any  part  of  the 
United  States  on  receipt  of  the  price,  $8.00. 

This  book,  worthy  of  being  termed  an  Encyclopedia 
of  Treatment,  will  pay  its  way  in  any  physicians  library 
who  is  in  active  practice.  The  Medical  World  put  its 
character  in  a  nut  shell  when  it  wrote:  "It  covers  well 
every  part  of  the  domain  of  modern  general  medical 
practice  as  mirrored  by  the  consensus  of  the  opinion  of 
the  best  men  of  all  schools." 


At  all  pharmacies  and  book  dealers. 


XX  THE    HOMOEOPATHIC    RECORDER. 

POPULAR  TEACHING.* 

In  earlier  days  there  could  be  little  doubt  concerning  the  use- 
fulness of  such  popular  manuals  as  this  little  work,  because  the 
profession  would  not  have  Homoeopathy  in  any  guise,  and  the 
world  sadly  needed  some  better  methods  o'f  treatment  than  those 
in  vogue  a  century  ago.  But  times  have  changed,  and  Homoeop- 
athy is  no  longer  a  new  thing,  its  reputation  for  better  or  worse 
having  been  built  up  according  to  the  practice  of  its  exponents. 
Moreover,  in  order  to  obtain  its  best  results  our  method  neces- 
sitates accurate  remedial  selections,  and,  therefore,  it  is  a  moot 
question  whether  amateur  practice  tends  on  the  whole  to  render 
Homoeopathy  more  popular.  For  whilst  it  may  be  true,  as  the 
author  of  this  manual  remarks,  that  the  medicinal  treatment  of  the 
class  of  cases  dealt  with  does  not  call  for  any  unusually  profound 
knowledge,  yet  it  would  hardly  be  claimed  that  in  the  majority, 
any  real  cure  is  obtainable  without  considerable  skill.  In  dealing, 
for  example,  with  the  protean  manifestations  of  the  gonorrhoeal 
or  syphilitic  virus,  it  will  surely  be  admitted  that  a  somewhat 
deep  knowledge  of  the  homoeopathic  materia  medica  is  essential. 
While  advising  the  patient  in  any  difficulty  to  consult  the  "family 
physician,"  the  author  fails  to  point  out  that  delay  in  resorting 
to  professional  aid  is  frequently  attended  with  serious  risks.  As 
a  popular  handbook,  however,  this  little  volume  may  be  found 
useful,  the  general  advice  given  to  young  people  being  thor- 
oughly sound  and  trustworthy  so  far  as  it  goes.  There  can  be 
no  doubt  that  such  teaching  is  of  value  in  many  cases,  the  lapse 
into  genesial  errors  being  more  frequently  traceable  to  ignorance 
than  innate  depravity. — Homoeopathic   World. 

(When  the  first  edition  of  this  book  appeared  in  1896  the  news- 
papers were  full  of  "lost  manhood"  advertisements  and  all  that 
sort  of  thing.  This  sort  of  stuff  is  still  freely  circulated  carrying 
dismay  to  many  a  youth  who  is  ashamed  to  consult  his  family 
physician,  if  he  happens  to  have  one.  The  advice  is  plain  and 
honest.  The  therapeutics  are  purely  homoeopathic,  gleaned  from 
text-books.  Homoeopathic  physicians  are  not  so  numerous  to-day, 
nor  Homoeopathy  so  well  known,  that  books  of  this  sort,  or  others 


*"Sexual  Ills  and  Diseases."    By  E.  P.  Anshutz,  M.  D.     Second  edition, 
revised  and  enlarged. 


THE    HOMOEOPATHIC    RECORDER. 


XXI 


Crow  Motor  Car  Company 


Main  and  Simonton  Streets 


ELKHART,  IND. 


The  Car  for  Satisfaction  and  Service! 

What  More  Can  Ifou  Ask? 
For  Particulars,  Prices,  etc.,  address  as  above. 


Homoeopathic 
Department 

of  the 

University  of 
Michigan 

Stands  for  Thoroughness 

Offers  six  salaried  positions  an- 
nually for  Assistantships  and  Hospi- 
tal Physicians. 

A  five-year  Optional  Course 
affords  great  opportunity  for  spe- 
cialization. 

Address 

W.  B.  HINDSDALE,    M.   D.,  Dean 
ANN   ARBOR,  MICH. 


College  of 
Homoeopathic 

Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 

i.     One  of  the  eleven  colleges  of  a 
great  State  University. 
Located    in    a   city    of    250,000 
population. 

College  and   University  Hospi- 
tal on  campus.     All  hospital  pa- 
tients are  for  the  clinics. 
All   faculty  members,    all    time 
salaried  men. 


2. 


4. 


ADDRESS 

CLAUDE  A.  BURRETT,  Ph.B.  M.D. 

DEAN 

College  of  Homoeopathic  Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 

Columbus,  Ohio 


XX11  THE    HOMOEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 

of  a  popular  nature,  can  be  done  away  with.  It  was  the  popular 
books  and  pamphlets  that  blazed  the  path  for  our  colleges  and 
made  it  possible  for  the  homoeopathic  physician  to  live.  Seems 
to  T.  W.  from  his  considerable  experience  with  men  and  the 
world  that  the  Egyptian  darkness  prevailing  about  Homoeopathy 
is  about  as  dense  with  the  average  man  as  ever,  and  that  more,  not 
fewer,  popular  books  are  needed.) 


SHE  HAD  TO  BE  HEALTHY. 

Irene's  mother  is  a  woman  of  advanced  ideas.  A  few  days  ago 
when  there  came  a  change  to  colder  weather  Irene  went  onto 
a  neighbor's  porch  and  looked  through  the  inviting  window 
where  Reggie  was  comfortably  engaged  with  his  playthings. 
"Why  don't  you  come  in?  I'm  just  having  a  dandy  time  with  my 
Nose  ark."  "No,"  sobbed  Irene,  "I've  got  to  stay  outside  and  be 
healthy." — Chicago  Tribune. 


In  her  book,  "The  White  Road  to  Vero-un,"  Kathleen  Burke 
gives  the  following  litany  of  the  French  soldier.  Each  regiment 
has  a  little  different  version,  but  all  contain  the  same  philosophy : 

Of  two  things  one  is  certain, 

Either  you're  mobilized  or  you're  not  mobilized, 

If  you're  not  mobilized,  why  there  is  no  need  to  worry. 

If  you  are  mobilized,  of  two  things  you  are  certain. 

Either  you're  behind  the  lines  or  on  the  front. 

If  you're  behind  the  lines  there  is  no  need  to  worry; 

If  you're  on  the  front  of  two  things  one  is  certain, 

Either  you're  resting  in  a  safe  place,  or  you're  on  the  front. 

If  you're  behind  the  lines  why  worry; 

If  you're  exposed  to  danger,  of  two  things  one  is  certain, 

Either  you're  wounded  serious,  or  you're  wounded  slightly. 

If  you're  wounded  slightly  there  is  no  need  to  worry. 

And  if  you're  wounded  seriously  of  two  things  one  is  certain, 

Either  you  recover  or  you  die. 

If  you  recover  there  is  no  need  to  worry ; 

If  you  die  you  can't  worry. 


THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


xxii: 


The  Eclectic  Medical  College 

OF  CINCINNATI,  OHIO 


Located   in   one  of  America's   greatest   Medical   Centers — The   oldest    (1845)    and 
Leading  Eclectic  Medical  College,  Conducted  on  High  Standards. 


New  modern  building,  well  equipped 
laboratories,  six  whole-time  salaried  in- 
structors. 

Entrance — Completion  of  first  grade, 
four  years'  high  school  course  or  its 
equivalent,  plus  one  year  of  work  of 
college  grade  in  Physics,  Chemistry, 
Biology  and  a  modern  language.  All 
credentials  must  be  approved  by  the 
Ohio  State  Medical  Board. 

A  pre-medical  course  in  Physics, 
Chemistry,  Biology  and  a  modern  lan- 
guage is  given  by  the  Ohio  Mechanics' 
Institute.  Cincinnati,  complying  with  the 
standards  of  State  boards  generally  and 
the  A.  M.  A. 


The  course  in  Medicine  comprises 
four  graded  sessions  of  eight  months 
each.  Fees,  $120  per  year ;  Matricula- 
tion, $5.00   (payable  once;. 

Juniors  in  co-operative  courses  in  City 
Health  Department  and  Tuberculosis 
Hospital  (320  beds),  and  Seton  Hospital 
Clinics;  senior  interneship  in  Seton 
Hospital.  Seniors  in  clinical  and  bed- 
side instruction  in  new  Municipal  Hos- 
pital, costing  $4,000,000  (850  beds)  :  also 
special  lectures  in  Longview  Insane 
Asylum. 

Seventy-: ccond  year  opens  September 
14.  1916.  For  bulletins  and  detailed 
information  address 


JOHN  K.  SCUDDER,  M.D.,  Secretary 
630  West  Sixth  Street  -:-  CINCINNATI,  OHIO 


ALFALCO 

AN  ALFALFA  TONIC. 

''Repeat"  orders  are  the  true  evidence  of  its  merit. 
''Gained  in  weight."  "Feel  better  than  for  years."  "I 
think  it  is  a  good  thing."  These  are  the  burden  of  the 
letters  from  those  who  have  used  it.  For  sale  at  all  of 
Boericke  &  Tafel's  pharmacies.  The  best  tonic  that  is 
offered  today.  Sample  and  prices  on  request,  to  phy- 
sicians only. 

BOERICKE  &  TAFEL. 


XXIV  THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

The  Medical  World  is  always  first  with  its  book  reviews.    Here 
is  the  first  of  Wood's  Clinical  Gynecology,  and  it  appears  in  the 
World: 
Clinical  Gynecology.     By  James  C.   Wood,  A.   M.,   M.   D., 

F.  A.  C.  S.,  etc.    236  pages.    Price,  $2.00,  net. 

This  is  not  a  text-book  on  gynecology,  but  a  gynecologic  clinic 
or  series  of  clinics,  in  which  the  author  presents  cases,  describes 
them,  their  symptoms,  appearance,  diagnostic  points,  prognosis 
and  the  treatment  of  these  women.  He  also  includes  in  each 
chapter  a  discussion  of  the  various  types  of  the  disease  therein 
considered,  of  the  various  homoeopathic  remedies  therefor,  and 
gives  his  personal  conclusions.  The  book  is  so  well  written  that 
the  regular  profession  can  utilize  the  treatment  given  as  easily 
as  can  the  homoeopathic  physicians.  It  is  a  good  book  on  office 
gynecology,  although  many  operative  cases  and  conditions  are 
included.  The  author  treats  leucorrhea  due  to  vaginal  catarrh 
with  the  same  solutions  and  in  the  same  way  as  are  used  in  nose 
and  throat  treatment,  using  sprays.  He  gives  the  details  of  his 
method,  which  will  be  welcome  information  to  the  profession. — 
/.  C.  R. 


It  is  a  bit  amusing  to  see  page  after  page  in  the  official  British 
Medical  Journal  and  the  Lancet  taken  up  with  advertisements  of 
American  pharmaceuticals  that  our  own  /.  A.  M.  A.  condemns 
and,  if  it  could,  would  excommunicate  every  journal  taking  them. 
Jama's  virtue  is  amazing  to  poor  sinners. 


Our  able  and  estimable  contemporary,  the  Journal  of  the 
American  Medical  Association,  editorially  remarks  anent  adver- 
tising: "Ten  or  fifteen  years  ago  the  testimonial  industry  was 
at  its  height,  especially  as  it  applied  to  medicinal  products."  The 
inference  is  that  it  is  very  wicked  to  have  such  things.  In  the 
same  issue,  in  the  most  prominent  place,  is  a  most  excellent 
oblique  testimonial  of  a  proprietory  owned  by  one  of  the  best 
advertisers  in  the  country.  Certainly  no  one  objects  to  the  Jour- 
nal printing  it  or  the  house  using  it,  but  why  throw  stones  at 
others?  False  or  paid  testimonials  are  an  abomination,  but  T.  W. 
could  never  see  why  the  honest  opinion  of  a  physician,  volun- 
tarily given  should,  should  be  regarded  unfit  for  publication  even 
by  the  unco  ethical. 


THE   H0MCE0PATH1C   RECORDER. 


XI 


"Tleii  [Micines  are  me  Best." 

BOERICKE  &  TAFEL, 

Homoeopathic  Pharmacists,  Importers  and  Publishers. 

PHILADELPHIA,  ion  Arch  St. 

PHILADELPHIA,  125  South  nth  St. 
PHILADELPHIA,  15  North  6th  St. 
NEW  YORK,  145  Grand  St. 

NEW  YORK,  145  West  43d  St. 

NEW  YORK,  634  Columbus  Ave. 
CHICAGO,  156  N.  Wabash  Ave. 
PITTSBURGH,  702  Penn  Ave. 

BALTIMORE,  326  North  Howard  St. 
CINCINNATI,  213  West  4th  St. 

»as  }n«»a  Established  in  1SS5. 


Sometimes  the  scribe  of  this  end  of  the  Recorder  feels  that 
having  no  money  to  speak  of  has  its  compensations,  a  feeling  en- 
gendered when  he  hears  the  trials  and  tribulations  his  moneyed 
friends  undergo  from  the  army  of  officials  who,  one  and  all,  of- 
ficially, assume  that  the  truth  isn't  in  any  man.  If  you  (who 
have  bonds)  attempt  to  collect  even  a  two  dollar  coupon  you  have 
to  fill  out  formidable  blanks  but,  fortunately,  do  not,  as  yet,  have 
to  go  before  the  magistrates  and  pay  for  taking  an  oath,  that 
you  are  not  a  prevaricator.  When  your  business  year  is  up,  some 
of  you,  at  least,  have  to  engage  a  lawyer  to  steer  you  through  the 
intricacies  of  the  official  requirements,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
mountain  of  clerical  labor  required.    City,  State  and  U.  S.  Gov- 


Xll  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

ernment  all  have  a  shy  at  you  and  all  assume  that  you  are  a 
latent  swindler.  At  times  the  cost  of  proving  that  you  are  an 
honest  business  man  is  greater  than  the  taxes  collected.  After 
the  income  army  has  trampled  you  into  the  dust,  comes  another 
and  bigger  army  of  inspectors,  supervisors  and  the  like  who  se- 
verely require  that  you  prove  that  you  are  not  a  crook,  that  the 
labels  on  your  goods  are  not  deep  laid  schemes  to  defraud  and 
your  business  is  not  utterly  corrupt  and  nefarious,  and  the  worst 
of  it  is  that  at  every  session  of  State  or  national  Legislature,  a 
host  of  new  bills  to  "regulate,"  "restrict,"  "prohibit,"  and  other- 
wise- tie  you  up  in  more  red  tape,  are  hotly  advocated  by  office- 
hungry  men  and  women.  The  government  is  of,  from  and  by  the 
people,  but  it  assumes  that  the  people  are  a  bad  lot  who  need  the 
legislative  knout.  Yes,  T.  W.  isn't  so  sorry  that,  having  noth- 
ing, he  can  sit  back  and  make  comments  on  men  and  things. 
But  even  this  comparative  freedom  may  not  last  long  and  it  is 
not  at  all  unlikely  that  a  bunch  of  reformers  in  the  future  will 
demand  that  all  printed  matter  be  first  passed  by  inspectors  be- 
fore it  is  sent  out.  The  good  old  days  when  the  American  Eagle 
screamed  "Liberty !"  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  when  man  paid  his 
share  of  the  taxes  and  was  then  free  to  go  his  way  so  long  as 
he  did  not  encroach  on  his  fellow's  liberty,  are  things  of  the 
past  and  red  tape  ties  us  all  tighter  every  year. 


Dr.  Harold  H.  Briggs  has  removed  from  Pennsville,  Ind.,  to 
228  Carroll  St.,  Akron,  Ohio. 

Dr.  H.  W.  Sherwood  has  removed  from  Calumet  Ave.,  to  349 
E.  58th  St.,  Chicago. 

Dr.  A.  H.  Collins  has  removed  from  Tulsa  to  Turley,  Okla. 

Dr.  O.  F.  Miller  has  removed  from  Vine  Grove  to  1304  Owens- 
boro,  Ky 

That  good  veteran.  Dr.  H.  K.  Brouse,  has  been  elected  Presi- 
dent of  The  Texas  Homoeopathic  Association.  The  Doctor  re- 
sides at  457  Laurel  St.,  Baton  Rouge,  La.,  but  spends  much  of 
his  time  in  Texas.  He  has  retired  from  active  practice  save  for 
those  of  his  old  families,  who  want  his  ministrations.  Hope  to 
have  a  paper  from  him  for  our  May  issue. 

Dr.  O.  H.  Crandall,  of  Quincy.  in  renewing  his  subscription, 


THE    HOMOEOPATHIC    RECORDER  Xlll 


writes  :  "I  have  retired  from  the  practice  of  medicine,  having 
practiced  over  fifty-eight  years.  Was  a  surgeon  in  the  Civil  War. 
I  am  still  here  and  cannot  do  without  the  Recorder.''  Surely 
our  good  friend  has  lived  a  long  and  useful  life. 

Dr.  Wm.  H.  Hills  writes  us  that  with  the  opening  of  the  spring 
season  he  will  return  from  Modello,  Fla.,  to  Chelmsford,  Mass 


If  interested  in  summer  camps  for  boys  please  take  a  look  at  the 
card  of  Camp  Beacon,  on  page  XIX.  It  looks  like  a  good  propo- 
sition. 


Dr.  John  L.  Moffat's  Homoeopathic  Therapeutics  receives  the 
following  commendatory  notice  from  the  Hahnemannian 
Monthly: 

-'No  one  is  better  qualified  than  the  author  to  write  on  this 
subject;  his  staunch  advocacy  of  the  value  of  homoeopathic  rem- 
edies in  the  practice  of  ophthalmology  is  well  known.  A  short 
review  of  homoeopathy  and  its  action  in  disease  is  followed  by  a 
materia  medica  comprising  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  rem- 
edies, the  symptoms  being  divided  into  objective,  subjective  and 
visual,  in  addition  to  the  characteristics  of  each  remedy  and  its 
clinical  application,  are  given.  The  repertory  and  clinical  index 
are  of  exceptional  value. 

"This  book  ably  refutes  the  charge  that  ophthalmologists  use 
only  local  remedies  (not  one  is  mentioned)  ;  and  should  be  well 
studied  by  general  practitioners  as  well  as  specialists." 


A  Missouri  editor  gives  a  sort  of  biography  of  an  editor.  It 
concludes :  "At  35  he  was  a  corpse  in  a  cheap  pine  coffin  and  his 
five  hundred  delinquent  subscribers  file  past  his  bier  and  are  heard 
to  say,  'He  was  a  good  fellow,  but  he  couldn't  save  his  money.'  ' 


The  Illinois  Medical  Journal  has  the  following  to  say  of  Wood's 
Clinical  Gynecology: 

"The  author  in  the  foreword  states  that  the  book  is  a  series 
of  clinical  lectures  delivered  to  a  senior  medical  class,  the  lectures 
being  later  revised,  added  to  and  generally  edited. 

"The  author  has  a  strong  tendency  toward  Homoeopathy,  and 


XIV  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

he  makes  an  earnest  appeal  for  a  better  medical  gynecology. 
While  he  is  a  surgeon  first,  he  condemns  a  too  radical  surgery  in 
gynecologic  practice.  Although  these  lectures  were  delivered  as 
clinical  gynecological  lectures,  the  author  does  not  confine  him- 
self to  strictly  speaking  gynecologic  subjects.  This  takes  us  back 
again  to  his  foreword,  where  he  emphasizes  the  opinion  that  a 
surgeon  should  first  be  a  general  practitioner,  and  thus  be  able 
to  analyze  the  entire  body  and  its  ailments,  and  note  more  care- 
fully the  co-relationship  between  the  afflicted  or  pathologic  organ 
and  the  rest  of  the  body,  than  can  a  man  who  has  devoted  his 
time  to  one  specialty. 

'There  is  much  in  this  book  which  appeals  to  us." 


The  following  review  of  Dr.  John  E.  Wilson's  Diseases  of  the 
Nervous  System  is  by  "W.  O."  in  the  New  England  Medical 
Gazette: 

"The  student  or  practitioner  will  find  in  Dr.  Wilson's  book  an 
excellent  treatise  on  nervous  diseases  and  their  treatment.  The 
anatomy  and  physiology  of  the  central  nervous  system  are  taken 
up  first,  then  a  few  general  considerations  of  symptoms.  Next 
follow  chapters  on  the  peripheral  nerves  and  on  the  various  af- 
fections of  the  spinal  cord  and  brain.  Separate  chapters  are  de- 
voted to  syphilis  of  the  central  nervous  system,  functional  nerv- 
ous diseases,  neurasthenia,  occupation  neuroses,  and  paralysis  agi- 
tans.  The  arrangement  of  the  material  in  each  chapter  is  as 
systematic  and  logical  as  is  that  of  the  chapters  themselves. 

"Especially  to  be  commended  are  the  paragraphs  on  diagnosis, 
differential  diagnosis,  and  treatment.  Under  the  latter  caption  the 
author  enumerates  useful  homoeopathic  remedies,  giving  a  few 
significant  indications  for  each. 

"The  chapter  on  anterior  poliomyelitis  is  exceptionally  good, 
and  of  especial  interest  in  view  of  the  recent  epidemic.  The  use 
of  electricity,  preferably  static  or  sinusoidal,  is  highly  recom- 
mended as  having  a  deeper  action  than  massage.  The  latter, 
nevertheless,  is  advised  in  addition  to  the  electricity. 

'The  author's  statements  are,  as  a  rule,  unexceptionable.  One 
can  hardly  agree  fully,  however,  that  'loss  of  faradic  and  lowered 
response  to  galvanic  is  a  sign  of  multiple  neuritis.'     (P.  112.) 


THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER.  XV 

BOERICKE  &  TAFEL'S 

Fine  Toilet  Articles 


We  have  a  very  complete  line  of  fine  toilet  articles  that  it  is 
well  to  bear  in  mind  when  ordering  goods.    These  embrace: 

Genuine  Imported  Bay  Rnm,  which  has  the  reputation  of  be- 
ing the  best  in  the  market.  Prices :  25,  45  and  75  cents  a  bottle, 
as  to  size. 

Rosol  Gold  Cream,  a  cold  cream  that  will  not  turn  rancid ;  very 
elegant.  Prices :  20,  30  and  50  cents  per  jar,  as  to  size.  25  cents 
per  tube,  collapsible. 

Rosol  Tooth  Powder,  about  the  best  you  can  find.  Price:  25 
cents,  in  patent  top  container. 

Rosol  Talcnm  Powder,  very  elegantly  put  up  and  of  fine  qual- 
ity.   Price:  15  cents  per  can,  sprinkler. 

Rosol  Dental  Cream,  elegant  for  the  teeth.  Price :  20  cents,  in 
tubes. 

Rosol  Hand  Lotion.  Best  thing  for  chapped  hands  and  rough 
skin.    Price,  50  cents. 

Laneo.  "It  stayeth  the  falling  of  the  hair."  Price,  60  cents 
per  bottle.    Sprinkler  top. 

B.  &  T.  Hyfienie  Toilet  Soap.  A  fine  toilet  soap.  Price:  10 
cents  per  cake,  or  3  cakes  in  a  box  for  25  cents. 

B.  k  T.  Calendnlated  Soap.  Has  the  healing  qualities  of 
Calendula.    25  cents  per  cake. 


XVI  THE  HOMdOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

"A  larger  number  of  illustrations  might,  perhaps,  have  en- 
hanced the  value  of  the  book.  The  general  excellence  of  the 
text,  however,  does  its  share  to  overcome  this  objection. 

"The  book  is  worthy  of  hearty  recommendation  to  one  in  search 
of  a  general  work  on  Nervous  Diseases.  Dr.  Wilson,  by  this,  his 
latest  production,  reflects  credit  not  only  on  himself,  but  on  the 
whole  homoeopathic  school." 


Our  big  brother  in  drug  tribulation,  Professor  John  Uri  Lloyd, 
contributes  an  interesting  historical  paper  to  Dr.  Finley  Elling- 
wood's  Therapeutist  on  Echinacea  Angustifolia,  the  text  being 
taken  mostly  from  Lloyd's  famous  Library.  It  seems  that  the 
world  is  indebted  to  Dr.  H.  C.  F.  Meyer,  of  Pawnee  City,  Neb., 
for  the  drug.  "Dr.  Meyer,"  according  to  Dr.  King,  who  lives 
in  his  King's  Dispensatory,  "was  an  illiterate  empirist.  I  do  not 
know  whether  he  ever  graduated  in  medicine,  nor  whether  he 
practiced  other  than  in  the  sale  of  his  preparation  of  Echinacea/* 
namely,  "Meyer's  Blood  Purifier."'  But  whether  empiricist  or  not 
he  certainly  made  no  secret  of  his  discovery,  which,  it  is  believed, 
he  learned  from  the  Indians,  but  urged  it  on  King  and  sent  him 
specimens  of  the  plant.  King  made  pharmaceutical  preparations 
of  the  specimens  sent  him  and,  "In  this  direction,  he  employed 
it  in  the  treatment  of  Mrs.  King,  who  was  then  afflicted  with  an 
aggressive  cancer,  of  a  seemingly  incurable  type.  The  adminis- 
tration of  the  remedy  gave  to  Mrs.  King  the  first  relief  she  had 
experienced  for  a  long  time,  and  there  is  little  doubt  that  this  per- 
sonal experience  with  Echinacea  largely  influenced  Dr.  King  in 
continuing  his  studies  of  the  drug,  aside  from  his  more  compre- 
hensive views  concerning  problems  such  as  this." 

After  this  the  drug  came  gradually  into  general  use,  but  accord- 
ing to  Prof.  Lloyd,  was  hurt  by  the  ignorance  of  many  pharma- 
cists who  were  possessed  of  a  greater  commercial  instinct  than  of 
botanical  knowledge.  He  mentions  one  lot  of  6,000  pounds  that 
was  absorbed  by  the  market  that  was  not  Echinacea.  Possibly 
(and  charitably)  that  was  the  lot  the  Council  of  the  A.  M.  A. 
examined  and  condemned.  But,  also,  possibly  not,  for  the  Coun- 
cil seems  to  think  that  the  sick  room  and  the  biological  laboratory 
are  synonymous,  which  accounts  for  many  of  the  queer  things 


THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER.  XV11 


Diseases  of  the  Skin 

Including  the   Exanthemata. 

BY  FREDERICK  M.  DEARBORN,  A.  B.,  M.  D. 
New  York  City 


200  original  illustrations,  photographs  from  actual 
cases. 

551  large  8vo.  pages.  Goth,  $5.00,  net,  sent  on  re- 
ceipt of  price  by  any  homoeopathic  book  dealer. 

This  book  is  not  printed  from  plates,  is  new,  from 
cover  to  cover,  the  latest,  the  least  padded  and  most  help- 
ful book  on  the  skin  extant. 


For  Sale  at  all  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies. 


PRACTICAL  HOMCBOPATHIC 
THERAPEUTICS 

By  W.  A.  DBWEY,  M.  D. 

Second  Edition  426 pages.     Cloth,  $2.50  net. 

"The  book  strikes  me  as  being  about  the  most  satisfactory  work 
of  the  kind  I  ever  saw." — C.,  Medical  Gleaner. 

"He  has  done  for  therapeutics  what  Farrington  did  for  Materia 
Medica."— Homoeopathic  World. 

"If  you  want  a  book  of  homoeopathic  therapeutics,  pure,  simple, 
straight,  clean  and  up-to-date  Homoeopathy,  here  you  are.  It  is  one 
of  the  books  you  want.  You  want  it  handy.  Right  on  the  nearest 
corner  of  the  middle  shelf  of  your  bookcase." — The  Clinic. 


JCV111  THE  HOilOOPATHlC  RECOBDEt. 

1        ■■■  ■  "■>*■  '  •     mil         i       L^m.        .  j  ■  '  m  » 

they  enunciate.  Professor  Felter  is  quoted  to  the  effect  that  the 
drug's  reputation  is  hurt  by  the  worthless  tinctures  put  on  the 
market.  Also  that,  "None  of  the  Echinacea  growing  east  of  the 
Mississippi  river  will  give  a  reliable  product,  and  yet  this  is  the 
material  that  is  being  largely  sold,  and  will  prejudice  one  against 
good  Echinacea." 


Drugs,  like  men,  have  their  troubles,  partly  from  man's  ignor- 
ance, but  largely  from  the  desire  of  buyers  to  get  a  $5  bill  for 
$2,  and  the  willingness  of  some  dealers  to  accommodate  them. 


An  Indian  journal  (Wealth  of  India)  in  stirring  up  its  delin- 
quent subscribers  tells  the  following  anecdote,  which  it  picks  up 
from  a  Colombo  journal.  Sounds  as  if  Colombo  must  have  im- 
ported it  from  the  U.  S.  A. : 

"A  clergyman  sent  round  his  hat  for  collection  among  his 
congregation  after  preaching  a  very  learned  sermon.  The  hat 
went  round  among  all  present,  and  came  back  to  'the  servant  of 
God'  as  empty  as  it  left  him.  When  he  saw  this,  he  went  on  his 
knees  and  praised  God  for  having  given  him  back  his  hat." 


The  Journal  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy  re- 
views Dr.  Wilson's  fine  work  on  Nervous  Diseases  as  follows : 

"Doctor  Wilson  has  brought  his  book  up  to  date.  He  has  taken 
advantage  of  his  proximity  to  the  great  research  laboratories  in 
New  York  City  and  has  incorporated  the  most  recent  data  obtain- 
able. He  has  been  particularly  fortunate  in  his  study  of  the  epi- 
demics of  meningitis,  infantile  paralysis  and  parasyphilitic  dis- 
eases. 

"We  have  always  felt  that  Dr.  Wilson's  book  is  a  classic  and 
this  second  edition  simply  intensifies  that  impression.  It  is  with- 
out doubt  the  only  book  of  its  kind  in  our  school  which  can  be 
used  as  a  textbook.,, — J.  R.  H. 


A  good  many  editor  chaps  have  quoted  with  a  feeling  of  wis- 
dom like  this : 

"Laugh   and  the  world  laughs  with  you, 
Knock  and  you  go  alone ; 
For  a  cheerful  grin  will  pass  you  in 
Where  a  knocker  never  was  known." 


THE    HOMCEOPATHIC    RECORDER.  XIX 


CAMP     BEACON 


Gentlemen  of  the  Homoeopathic  Profession  : 

This  Camp  is  owned  and  managed  by  a  Homoeopathic  Ph\'si" 
cian  in  good  standing  — Dr.  S.  S.  JacquElix,  of  Los  Angeles  (N- 
Y.  H.  M.  C,  1904)— and  endorsed  by  Prof.  Eugene  B.  Nash  and 
many  other  physicians  of  both  schools.  If  you  or  your  patients 
desire  a  high  class  summer  camp-school,  for  boys,  please  investi- 
gate ours.  wl  $£i  £3M  m    .  M    - 

Gentleman's  private  reserve — 5000  acres.    Long  Lake  ~>4SJ 
Adirondack  Mts.,  N.  Y.         Heart  of  the  Wilderness.  US 

Exceptional  camp  for  healthy,  refined  boys  of  particular  parents 
only.  Character  development,  tutoring  and  rational  outdoor 
sports  under  experienced  physicians  and  university  graduates. 
Pure  spring  water,  milk  and  cream  from  estate;  plenty  wholesome 
food.  Fine  buildings,  tents  and  equipment.  Handsome  booklet 
on  request.     Rates  absolutely  inclusive.     No  extras.      References. 


LOUIS  C.  WOODRUFF,  A.  M. 

107  W.  76th  Street,  Apartment  15,  New  York 


TRBATCDBNT 

By  CLARENCE  BARTLETT,  M.D. 

1223  pages.     Large  8vo.     Strong  Cloth,  $8.00,  net. 

Delivered  by  parcel  post,  free  to  any  part  of  the 
United  States  on  receipt  of  the  price,  $8.00. 

This  book,  worthy  of  being  termed  an  Encyclopedia 
of  Treatment,  will  pay  its  way  in  any  physicians  library 
who  is  in  active  practice.  The  Medical  World  put  its 
character  in  a  nut  shell  when  it  wrote:  "It  covers  well 
every  part  of  the  domain  of  modern  general  medical 
practice  as  mirrored  by  the  consensus  of  the  opinion  of 
the  best  men  of  all  schools." 


At  all  pharmacies  and  book  dealers. 


XX  THE    HOM(EOPATHIC    RECORDER. 

Up  to  this  point  T.  W.  felt  like  knocking,  followed  by  a  boost- 
ing feeling  and  this  by  blankness.  When  the  A.  M.  A.'s  Coun- 
cil says  that  Pulsatilla,  Cactus  grand.,  Echinacea  and  the  like  are 
"worthless"  should  we  boost,  knock,  cuss,  or  laugh?  After  all 
it  seems  to  us  that  the  knocker  has  been  abused,  knocked  by  the 
self-righteous.  Old  Dr.  S.  Hahnemann  was  a  prince  of  knockers, 
else  today  we  would  still  be  fed  mercury  and  bled.  Some1  of  us 
are  still  bled,  but  we  have  escaped  the  tooth  killing  mercury  of 
medical  science — as  she  was  once  spake. 


The  following  is  clipped  from  a  paper  by  Dr.  Daniel  Bohn,  of 
Altoona,  Pa.,  read  at  the  last  meeting  of  the  Penna.  State  Homoeo- 
pathic Society  and  printed  in  Hahnemannian  Monthly  for  Febru- 
ary: 

"It  was  my  privilege,  last  fall,  while  spending  some  time  with 
my  good  friend,  Dr.  Eli  G.  Jones,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  to  read 
some  of  the  many  letters  that  he  had  received  from  physicians 
of  all  schools  of  medicine,  and  from  all  parts  of  the  country, 
stating  that  from  their  experiences  they  had  lost  all  faith  in 
drugs,  but  that  after  reading  Dr.  Jones'  articles  in  the  Homoeo- 
pathic Recorder,  and  seeing  some  of  the  brilliant  cures  the 
doctor  had  made,  they  had  become  interested  again  and  were  ask- 
ing for  information  regarding  the  medicines  used,  and  were  in- 
quiring for  books  to  study  that  would  help  them  to  learn  to  cure 
their  patients  in  a  like  manner,  showing  the  need  of  some  method 
or  rule  whereby  they  may  be  able  to  cure  or  relieve  their  patients 
in  a  satisfactory  manner." 


THE  EDITOR  GUY. 

0  the  editor  sits  in  his  swivel  chair. 
And  watches  the  world  go  by; 

With  scissors  and  paste  and  lead  of  blue 
He  mixes  the  journalistic  stew. 

The  first  mail  brings  him  a  letter  rare, 
To  the  heart  of  all  editors  dear ; 
"Please  find  enclosed  two  iron  men. 

1  can't  do  without  it,  so  send  it  again." 

The  next  from  a  reader  as  mad  as  can  be 
And  several  years  in  arrears ; 
"I  received  the  bill  for  your  mangy  sheet. 
Stop  sending  at  once,  I  think  it  a  cheat." 


THE   HOMOEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 


XXI 


Crow  Motor  Car  Company 


Main  and  Simonton  Streets 


ELKHART,  IND. 


The  Car  for  Satisfaction  and  Service! 

What  More  Can  tou  Ask? 
For  Particulars,  Prices,  etc.,  address  as  above. 


Homoeopathic 
Department 

of  the 

University  of 
Michigan 

Stands  for  Thoroughness 

Offer*  six  salaried  positions  an- 
nually for  Assistantships  and  Hospi- 
tal Physicians. 

A  five-year  Optional  Course 
affords  great  opportunity  for  spe- 
cialization. 

Address 

W.  B.  HINDSDALE,   M.   D.(  Dean 
ANN  ARBOR,  MICH. 


College  of 
Homoeopathic 

Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 

i.  One  of  the  eleven  colleges  of  a 
great  State  University. 

2.  Located  in  a  city  of  250,000 
population. 

3.  College  and  University  Hospi- 
tal on  campus.  All  hospital  pa- 
tients are  for  the  clinics. 

4.  All  faculty  members,  all  time 
salaried  men. 

ADDRESS 

CLAUDE  A.  BURRETT,  Ph.B.  M.D. 

DEAN 

College  of  Homoeopathic  Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 

Columbus,  Ohio 


XXH  THE   HOMCEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 

The  next  from  a  guy  full  of  wisdom  and  words 
To  help  run  the  journal  he'd  like; 
•    He'd  double  the  sale  and  bring  in  more  kale. 
He'd  swap  you  his  brains  for  some  pelf. 

The  editor  grins  as  he  reads  them  all 
And  gets  out  his  pad  and  his  quill, 
He'll  use  them  all  on  his  personal  page 
And  make  them  grind  grist  for  his  mill. 

— Alfalfa. 

(Just  here  T.  W.  would  remark  that  though  "Alfalfa's"  verses 
smack  of  the  wild  and  woolly  one  batch  of  them  was  given  a  full 
page  recently  in  a  foreign  jornal.) 


Modern  medical  Egyptian  darkness  is  "darkness  that  can  be 
felt/'  as  in  the  days  of  Pharaoh.  The  reason  for  this  comment 
is  a  conversation  we  were  mixed  up  in  the  other  day.  There  were 
five  business  men  present,  not  great  Captains  of  Industry,  but 
fairly  able  Lieutenants,  Corporals,  etc.,  in  the  Industrial  Army. 
Time :  Lunch  hour,  consequently  much  talk.  Knowing  T.  W.'s 
proclivities  the  others  baited  him,  but  this  is  not  to  the  point. 
Finally  one  gentleman  in  a  broad,  liberal  spirit,  said  that  he  be- 
lieved in  Homoeopathy  for  his  children  "because,"  he  said,  "they 

will  willingly  take  that  medicine,  but  will  raise  h if  they 

have  to  take  real  medicine."  This  reminded  us  of  the  African 
parent  who  chose  a  medicine  man  with  a  soft  drum  in  preference 
to  one  with  a  harsh  drum,  to  drive  away  the  disease  devils,  other- 
wise germs,  from  his  children,  but  thought  he  needed  the  savage 
drum  for  his  own  germs.  N.  B. — As  Artemus  Ward  was  wont  to 
add,  this  is  not  a  joak.  but  a  happening  in  "real"  life. 


Ye  homoeopathic  physician  and  ye  man  of  finance  started  on  a 
buying  expedition.  Homoeopath  wanted  medicine  and  man  of 
finance  garments.  Ye  man  of  finance  naturally  went  first  in  his 
quest.  He  entered  an  old  house,  admitted  the  goods  and  work- 
manship were  first-class,  but  said  he  would  look  further,  as  he 
did  not  like  the  price  and  thought  he  could  do  better.  The  next 
house  was  much  better,  in  price.     The  third  went  under  it  in 


THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


XX1U 


The  Eclectic  Medical  College 

OF  CINCINNATI,  OHIO 

Located   in   one  of  America's  greatest   Medical   Centers — The   oldest    (1845)    and 
Leading  Eclectic  Medical  College,  Conducted  on  High  Standards. 


New  modern  building,  well  equipped 
laboratories,  six  whole-time  salaried  in- 
structors. 

Entrance — Completion  of  first  grade, 
four  years'  high  school  course  or  its 
equivalent,  plus_  one  year  of  work  of 
college  grade  in  Physics,  Chemistry, 
Biology  and  a  modern  language.  All 
credentials  must  be  approved  by  the 
Ohio  State  Medical  Board. 

A  pre-medical  course  in  Physics, 
Chemistry,  Biology  and  a  modern  lan- 
guage is  given  by  the  Ohio  Mechanics' 
Institute,  Cincinnati,  complying  with  the 
standards  of  State  boards  generally  and 
the  A.  M.  A. 


The  course  in  Medicine  comprises 
four  graded  sessions  of  eight  months 
each.  Fees,  $120  per  year;  Matricula- 
tion, $5.00   (payable  once  J. 

Juniors  in  co-operative  courses  in  City 
Health  Department  and  Tuberculosis 
Hospital  (320  beds),  and  Seton  Hospital 
Clinics;  senior  interneship  in  Seton 
Hospital.  Seniors  in  clinical  and  bed- 
side instruction  in  new  Municipal  Hos- 
pital, costing  $4,000,000  (850  beds)  :  also 
special  lectures  in  Longview  Insane 
Asylum. 

Seventy-cecond  year  opens  September 
J4.  1916.  For  bulletins  and  detailed 
information  address 


JOHN  K.  SCUDDER,  M.D.,  Secretary 

530  West  Sixth  Street  -:■  CINCINNATI.  OHIO 


ALFALCO 

AN  ALFALFA  TONIC. 

"Repeat"  orders  are  the  true  evidence  of  its  merit. 
"Gained  in  weight."  "Feel  better  than  for  years."  "I 
think  it  is  a  good  thing."  These  are  the  burden  of  the 
letters  from  those  who  have  used  it.  For  sale  at  all  of 
Boericke  &  Tafel's  pharmacies.  The  best  tonic  that  is 
offered  today.  Sample  and  prices  on  request,  to  phy- 
sicians only. 

BOERICKE  &  TAFEL. 


XXIV  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

price  and  the  fourth  went  still  lower  and  so  got  the  contract,  "fit 
and  quality  guaranteed."  Finally,  when  the  contract  was  com- 
pleted, ye  financial  man  went  forth  and  looked  and  felt  like  a 
man  from  Skeedunk  in  his  Sunday  clothes.  Ye  homoeopathic 
physician  looked  at  his  friend  and  pondered,  for  he  beheld  ye 
financial  man's  competitor  who  had  much  less  finance,  but  was 
clothed  in  ye  top  house's  clothes,  looking  like  a  real  man  of 
finance.  Then  he  reflected  that  ancient  Shakespeare  had  remarked 
"for  the  clothes  oft  make  the  man.'*  And  he  followed  this  up 
with  a  recollection  of  crusty  auld  Tammas  Carlyle's  essay  on  the 
Philosophy  of  Clothes,  vulgarly  known  as  Sartor  Resartus  and 
meditated  that  clothes  hath  a  wide  meaning,  even  including  in- 
struments and  medicines,  and  that  he,  a  learned  physician,  might 
clothe  his  knowledge  even  as  did  his  friend,  ye  financier,  his  cor- 
pus. "Yea,"  he  reflected,  "results  follow  all  things,  good  and 
bad,  even  as  they  have  followed  the  financier's  clothes  on  which 
he  saved  money."  Then  he  pondered,  "Shall  I  go  and  do  like- 
wise '" 


Samuel  Lilienthal,  in  his  valedictory  to  the  old  quarterly,  North 
American  Journal  of  Homoeopathy,  writes  : 

We  have  asked  for  contributions,  but  somehow  the  laborers  are  so  few 
and  journals  too  many,  that  every  editor  is  obliged  to  fill  up  most  of  his 
pages  with  his  own  mental  and  manual  work.  Carroll  Dunham  thus  got 
tired,  and  that  excellent  journal,  the  American  Homoeopathic  Review, 
ceased  to  exist.  Look  at  LArt  Medical,  and  Jousset  pere  et  fils  are  its 
editors  and  chief  contributors  In  Germany,  the  old  AUgemeine  still  strug- 
gles bravely  on  and  begs  for  contributions,  and  is  nearly  the  only  journal 
in  the  Fatherland  which  survives. 

This  also  holds  true  of  many  other  homoeopathic  and  other 
medical  journals,  since  good  old  S.  L.  laid  down  his  pen.  In 
Bradford's  Bibliography,  down  to  the  year  1892,  there  are  given 
175  American  homoeopathic  journals.  In  the  24  years  since  then 
man}-  others  have  seen  the  light  of  day  and  then  gone  the  way  of 
all  flesh  (if  it  may  be  put  that  way  of  journals).  Today  there 
are  about  10  remaining,  and  the  editors  of  some  of  these,  like 
Carroll  Dunham,  all  getting  tired.  It  is  a  big  and  somewhat 
melancholy  mortuary  list,  but  Homoeopathy  will  live  on  into  the 
ages,  and  so  will  its  journals.  Some  may  die,  but  others  will  re- 
place them.  They  need  your  support  for,  at  best,  none  of  them 
are  much  more  than  self-sustaining. 


THE    HOMCEOPATHIC   RECORDS*. 


XI 


"Heir  medicines  are  lie  Best." 

BOERICKE  &  TAFEL, 

Homoeopathic  Pharmacists,  Importers  and  Publishers. 

PHILADELPHIA,  ion  Arch  St 

PHILADELPHIA,  125  South  nth  St. 
PHILADELPHIA,  15  North  6th  St. 
NEW  YORK,  145  Grand  St. 

NEW  YORK,  145  West  43d  St. 

NEW  YORK,  634  Columbus  Ave. 
CHICAGO,  156  N.  Wabash  Ave. 
PITTSBURGH,  702  Penn  Ave. 

BALTIMORE,  326  North  Howard  St. 
CINCINNATI,  213  West  4th  St. 

BulDtii  E»tabUshf<d  In  1S85. 


The  Journal  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy  is  get- 
ting to  be  some  pumpkins,  the  last  issue  containing  about  138 
pages  of  text,  much  of  it,  of  course,  official  matter  of  the  Insti- 
tute. Among  other  matter  was  the  following  concerning  Wood's 
Clinical  Gynecology: 

"One  is  apt  to  linger  long  on  Dr.  Wood's  Foreword.  It  is  full 
of  convincing  argument  put  in  Dr.  Wood's  attractive  style,  at- 
tractive because  of  the  choice  English  and  the  clear  forcible  argu- 
ment. One  wishes  that  the  Foreword  might  be  used  in  propa- 
gandistic  effort  and  carried  directly  to  the  Dominant  School  ad- 
herents. Surely  antagonistic  thought  would  be  modified  and 
friendly  tolerance  would  be  encouraged. 


Xll  THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

"Each  chapter  contains  something  practical  and  new.  Dr. 
Wood's  direct  method  and  his  clear  elaboration  of  the  case  go 
hand-in-hand.  The  adjuvant  measures  employed  are  at  once 
original  and  adaptable.  The  reader  says  to  himself  T  can  apply 
that  to  Mrs.  X,'  or  'That  is  the  very  thing  I've  been  hunting  for.' 
There  is  a  personal  appeal  throughout  the  book. 

"Another  thing  is  striking.  To  find  a  surgeon  of  national  fame 
showing  such  an  intimate  working  knowledge  of  homoeopathic 
materia  medica  and  therapeutics  is  so  rare  and  so  laudable  that 
it  calls  for  an  extra  paragraph  in  this  review.  One  feels  that 
if  it  were  within  the  possibilities  the  homoeopathic  profession 
should  give  to  Dr.  Wood  still  higher  honors.  A  man  who  can  see 
so  clearly  the  'other  fellow's  side'  is  a  man  whose  vision  is  ac- 
curate and  whose  conclusions  are  worth  while.  Dr.  Wood  out- 
interns  the  internist.  The  conservatism  in  Dr.  Wood's  book  is 
the  direct  result  of  the  larger  view,  the  more  judicial  view  that 
he  is  capable  of  taking.  He  employs  the/  best  in  medicine — the 
best  in  any  school  of  medicine — before  he  urges  surgery.  And 
yet  no  man  has  ever  accused  Dr.  Wood  of  dangerous  delay. 

"In  the  treatment  of  Dysmenorrhea,  for  instance,  he  does  not 
invariably  dilate  and  curette.  He  differentiates,  he  palliates  with 
adjuvant  measures  and  even  cures  with  his  homoeopathic  remedy. 
Dr.  Wood's  indications  for  the  different  remedies  are  worth 
studying  and  teaching. 

"With  this  working  knowledge  of  conservative,  curative 
methods  it  is  a  safe  conjecture  that  Dr.  Wood  mutilated  a  less 
number  of  women  than  the  average  surgeon.  Therefore  a  greater 
number  'will  rise  up  and  call  him  blessed/ 

"The  chapters  on  Gastric  and  Duodenal  Ulcer,  Gastro-intestinal 
Auto-intoxication  and  Mucous  Enterocolitis,  Exophthalmic 
Goitre,  Reflex  and  Toxic  Epilepsy  are  probably  to  be  included 
for  generous  measure  and  because  of  the  need  for  a  broader 
knowledge  of  these  subjects. 

"As  we  close  the  book  a  sense  of  hunger  for  a  full  meal  is 
blended  with  the  good  taste  of  that  already  served.  We  wonder 
why  Dr.  Wood  did  not  keep  on,  because  a  full-grown  text  book 
is  what  he  owes  to  his  friends  and  admirers." — M.  E.  H. 


THE    HOMOEOPATHIC    RECORDER  XH1 


Dean  Pearson,  of  Hahnemann  Medical  College,  Philadelphia, 
writes  us :  "We  have  recently  been  granted  a  new  charter  which 
practically  makes  us  a  university  and  permits  us  to  give  the  de- 
gree of  Bachelor  of  Science  at  the  end  of  four  years  of  study, 
namely,  at  the  end  of  the  sophomore  medical  year,  and  the  de- 
gree of  Doctor  of  Medicine  and  Doctor  of  Homoeopathic  Medi- 
cine after  six  years  of  study.  We  have  a  very  splendid  two-year 
pre-medical  course." 

Good  for  the  mother  homoeopathic  college !  It  has  turned  out  a 
host  of  able  men  in  the  past,  and  there  is  no  reason  why  the  good 
work  should  not  continue  on  down  the  corridors  of  Time. 


Blessed  be !     We  have  a  new  poet.     The   following  is   self- 
explanatory  : 
Editor  Homoeopathic  Recorder  (he  means  T.  W.)  : 

The  couplet  published  on  page  14,  of  March  "Trade  Winds," 
was  originally  published  under  the  title,  "The  Perfect  Man.'' 
This  was  sent  to  me  some  years  ago  as  a  wall  ornament  and 
elicited  the  following  response : 

THE  PERFECT   WOMAN. 

There  is  a  woman,  round  and  fair, 

With  kindly  heart  unfagged, 
She  brings  no  trouble,  nor  a  care, 

Has  ne'er  her  husband  nagged. 
She's  UNWED. 

There  is  a  woman,  wondrous  one. 

Seen  by  the  poet's  eye. 
She  ne'er  will  hear  the  words,  ,,Well  done,'' 

For  she  will  never  die. 
She's  UNBORN. 

My  "head  is  silvered  o'er  by  time"  and  you  do  not  know  me,  but 
would  you  think  me  to  be  an  old  cynic ? 

Yours  very  truly, 

Chas.  E.  Walton. 
8th  and  John,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

We  thank  our  estimable  friend,  Dr.  Walton,  for  clearing  up  a 
literary  problem  that  might  in  time  have  rivaled  the  famous  prob- 


XIV  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

lem,  Who  wrote  the  Beautiful  Snow?    Incidentally,  it  is  said  by 
some,  that  we  do  not  know  even  ourselves. 


Dr.  L.  C.  McElwee,  surgeon  and  homoeopath,  of  S.  Louis,  Mo., 
writes  that  the  next  meeting  of  the  Missouri  Institute  of  Ho- 
moeopathy will  be  held  in  St.  Louis,  May  29-31.  Also  that  Dr. 
F.  F.  Netherton,  who  was  elected  secretary  at  the  last  session,  hav- 
ing moved  from  the  State,  he,  Dr.  McElwee,  has  been  appointed 
secretary,  pro  tern.  We  add,  for  the  benefit  of  our  many  Mis- 
souri subscribers  that  Dr.  McEl wee's  address  is  1221  N.  Grand 
Ave.,  St.  Louis,  Mo.  So  get  busy,  you  Missourians,  and  join 
your  State  organization.  (If  you  have  any  homoeopathic  papers 
send  them  on  to  the  Recorder.  ) 


''Inclosed  please  find  subscription  for  Old  Faithful,"  is  the  way 
Dr.  B.  A.  Fick,  of  Boston,  opens  his  letter,  renewing  his  subscrip- 
tion to  the  Recorder.  Also  wants  to  know  if  there  is  a  remedy 
for  lenticular  cataract. 


Dr.  W.  A.  Franklin,  Magnolia,  111.,  in  remitting  for  Recorder, 
writes  concerning  the  journal,  "It  has  become  like  a  letter  from 
home." 


Dr.  Farrand  B.  Pierson  has  removed  to  837  Park  place,  at 
Nostrand  Ave.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 


According  to  the  elegant,  but  jocular  Christian  Register,  a  man 
bought  a  car  with  a  guarantee  that  anything  broken  would  be 
replaced.  He  soon  returned  and  wanted  two  deltoid  muscles,  a 
couple  of  knee-caps,  one  elbow  and  about  half  a  yard  of  cuticle. 


Our  good  old  friend,  Dr.  E.  B.  Nash,  author  of  many  leaders, 
writes : 

"I  desire  to  call  your  attention  to  a  boys'  camp  in  the  Adiron- 
dack Mountains  in  which  I  am,  from  a  fraternal  standpoint,  very 
much  interested.  A  personal  friend  of  mine — Dr.  Sidney  S. 
Jacquelin — for  whom  I  can  vouch  in  every  particular,  is  the 
owner  and  director.  He  has  had  an  experience  of  years  in  this 
line,  and  I  expect  to  be  with  him  during  the  two  months   (July 


THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER.  XV 


Glandular    Therapy 
Biological     Triturations 


List 

CORPUS    LUTEUM 

DUODENUM 

MARROW 

PANCREAS 

PITUITARY 

SUPRARENALS 

THYMUS 

THYROID 

BRAIN 

ORCHIC 

MAMMARY 

PINEAL 

PROSTATE 


PRICE  LIST 
Tablets,  1  m.  .50;     5  m.  $2.00 


The  material  for  these  triturations  was  obtained  from  standard 
laboratories,  for  these  products.  A  leaflet,  giving  clinical  scope, 
will  be  sent  on  request.  These  triturations  are  made  with  the 
pure  sugar  of  milk  crystals  (not  powdered  milk  sugar).  The  ix 
receives  four  hours  triturating,  and  each  succeeding  x  two  hours. 
This  line  was  made  because  many  physicians  were  asking  for 
these  glandular  products  in  triturations. 

Obtainable  at  any  of  our  pharmacies. 

BOERICKE   &   TAFEL. 


XVI  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

and  August)  of  the  camp's  session.'' 

If  interested  take  a  look  at  advertising  page. 


An  announcement  of,  "The  Chicago  Post-Graduate  School  of 
Homoeopathy"  comes  to  hand.  Any  one  wanting  particulars  of 
the  course  can  obtain  them  by  addressing  the  president,  Dr.  G.  E. 
Dienst,  Aurora,  111.,  or  the  secretary,  Dr.  E.  B.  Beckwith,  25  E. 
Washington  St.,  Chicago,  111. 


Dr.  Chas.  A.  Walton  announces  his  removal  from  1230  to  1208 
E.  63d  St.,  Woodland  Trust  and  Saving  Bank  Building,  Chicago, 
111.  Dr.  Walton  is  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Regular  Ho- 
moeopathic Medical  Society,  and  the  Regular  is  not  put  in  quota- 
tion marks  either. 


In  a  letter  from  Dr.  Frank  W.  Stewart,  Colfax,  Iowa,  occurs 
the  following:  "This  letter  affords  me  the  opportunity  to  offer 
a  word  of  commendation  for  the  helpful  pointers  found  from 
time  to  time  in  the  Recorder,  and  especially  the  practical  appli- 
cation of  definite  therapeutics  by  Dr.  Eli  G.  Jones."  This  was 
written  after  a  personal  acquaintance  with  Dr.  Jones,  and  Dr. 
Stewart  adds,  further  along:  "It  is  a  sort  of  mental  exhilaration 
to  meet  a  physician,  in  these  days  of  therapeutic  nihilism,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  medical  profession,  who  has  such  a  storehouse  of 
knowledge  and  positive  belief  in  the  efficacy  of  the  remedies  of 
Hahnemann,  Schuessler  and  the  old  botanists.  Really  Jones  is  a 
therapeutic  tonic  to  the  failing  ones." 


That  very  estimable  weekly,  The  Journal  of  the  American 
Medical  Association,  tells  the  following  story  and,  as  it  is  not 
credited,  presume  it  must  be  original.  Condensed  it  runs :  A 
barkeeper  was  elected  magistrate.  The  first  prisoner  brought  be- 
fore him  was  charged  with  being  drunk.  "Guilty  or  not  guilty?" 
"I  never  drink  a  drop,"  pleaded  the  prisoner.  "Then  have  a 
cigar,"  replied  his  honor,  as  he  absently  wiped  the  top  of  his  desk 
with  his  handkerchief. 


Dr.  W.  J.  Hawkes,  now  of  Los  Angeles,  Calif.,  but  once  of 
Chicago,  also  "Hawkes'  Characteristics,"  concludes  a  letter,  "I 
like  the  Recorder  very  much,  it  is  homoeopathic." 


THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER.  XVU 


Diseases  of  the  Skin 

Including  the  Exanthemata. 

BY  FREDERICK  M.  DEARBORN,  A.  B.,  M.  D. 

New  York  City. 


200  original  illustrations,  photographs  from  actual 
cases. 

551  large  8vo.  pages.  Cloth,  $5.00,  net.  sent  on  re- 
ceipt of  price  by  any  homoeopathic  book  dealer. 

This  book  is  not  printed  from  plates,  is  new,  from 
cover  to  cover,  the  latest,  the  least  padded  and  most  help- 
ful book  on  the  skin  extant. 


For  Sale  at  All  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies. 


PRACTICAL  HOMCEOPATHIC 
THERAPEUTICS 

By  W.  A.  DEWEY,  M.  D. 

Second  Edition  426 pages.     Cloth,  $2.50  net. 

"The  book  strikes  me  as  being  about  the  most  satisfactory  work 
of  the  kind  I  ever  saw." — C,  Medical  Gleaner. 

"He  has  done  for  therapeutics  what  Farrington  did,  for  Materia 
Medica." — Homoeopathic  World. 

"If  you  want  a  book  of  homoeopathic  therapeutics,  pure,  simple, 
straight,  clean  and  up-to-date  Homoeopathy,  here  you  are.  It  is  one 
of  the  books  you  want.  You  want  it  handy.  Right  on  the  nearest 
corner  of  the  middle  shelf  of  your  bookcase." — The  Clinic. 


XV111  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

Dr.  Jesse  A.  Rice,  Odd  Fellows'  Building,  Sacramento,  Cali- 
fornia, writes:  "Upon  renewing  my  subscription  I  want  to  take 
occasion  to  express  my  appreciation  of  the  Recorder.  I  read  a 
half  a  dozen  or  more  medical  journals,  none  of  which  are  so 
eagerly  read  and  highly  esteemed  as  the  Homoeopathic  Re- 
corder/' 


Our  brother  sinner,  the  Lima,  O.,  Recorder,  gets  off  the  fol- 
lowing philological  study : 

"Someone  wants  to  know  the  origin  of  the  phrase,  'He  isn't  in 
it.'  It  was  first  used  by  an  editor  who  went  to  heaven,  and  looked 
around  for  the  man  who  took  his  paper  for  two  or  three  years 
without  paying  for  it,  and  then  left  it  in  the  post  office  marked 
'refused.'  " 


"C.  A.  H."  writes  as  follows  in  the  April  Clinique — these 
Clinique  men  are  modest,  or,  at  least,  run  to  initials  such  as 
"H.  V.  H.,"  "C.  M.,"  "R.  H.  S.,"  "C.  A.  H.,"  and  so  on: 

Therapeutic  By-ways.  By  E.  P.  Anshutz,  M.  D.,  editor  of 
the  Recorder,  published  by  the  house  of  Boericke  &  Tafel.  This 
little  book  has  recently  been  published  by  the  firm  above  men- 
tioned. To  appreciate  it  you  must  read  it.  It  is  full  of  practical 
suggestions.  As  the  editor  says  it  contains  the  things  not  found 
in  text-books.  He  has  collected  most  of  his  material  from  the 
various  magazines  that  he  has  come  in  contact  with  in  his  editorial 
capacity,  so  he  says.  The  book  shows  much  reading  and  much 
work  in  compilation.  Written  as  only  Dr.  Anshutz  can  write 
things,  the  book  is  a  gem.  It  will  bring  many  a  smile  to  some  of 
the  ultra-scientific  but  to  the  real  man  it  will  be  of  great  help.  It 
has  given  us  much  pleasure  to  read  it,  and,  we  believe,  has  awak- 
ened in  us  a  desire  to  practice  with  at  least  a  small  degree  of 
common  sense.  We  advise  every  one  of  our  readers  to  buy  the 
book  and  read  is  carefully  and  with  an  open  mind. — C.  A.  H. 


Peggy — Daddy,  what  did  the  Dead  Sea  die  of? 

Daddy — Oh,  I  don't  know,  dear. 

Peggy — Daddy,  where  do  the  Zeppelins  start  from? 

Daddy — I  don't  know. 

Peggy — Daddy,  when  will  the  war  end  ? 


THE    HOMCEOPATHIC    RECORDER.  XIX 


CAMP     BEACON 


Gentlemen  of  the  Homoeopathic  Profession: 

This  Camp  is  owned  and  managed  by  a  Homoeopathic  Physr 
cian  in  good  standing  —  Dr.  S.  S.  JacquElin,  of  Los  Angeles  (N- 
Y.  H.  M.  C,  1904)— and  endorsed  by  Prof.  Eugene  B.  Nash  and 
many  other  physicians  of  both  schools.  If  you  or  your  patients 
desire  a  high  class  summer  camp-school,  for  boys,  please  investi- 
gate ours. 

Gentleman's  private  reserve — 5000  acres.    Long  Lake 
Adirondack  Mts.,  N.  Y.j        Heart  of  the  Wilderness. 

Exceptional  camp  for  healthy,  refined  boys  of  particular  parents 
only.  Character  development,  tutoring  and  rational  outdoor 
sports  under  experienced  physicians  and  university  graduates. 
Pure  spring  water,  milk  and  cream  from  estate;  plenty  wholesome 
food.  Fine  buildings,  tents  and  equipment.  Handsome  booklet 
on  request.     Rates  absolutely  inclusive.     No  extras.      References. 


LOUIS  C.  WOODRUFF,  A.  M. 

107  W.  76th  Street,  Apartment  15,  New  York 


TRBATCDBNT 

By  CLARENCE  BARTLETT,  M.D. 

1223  pages.     Large  8vo.     Strong  Cloth,  $8.00,  net. 

Delivered  by  parcel  post,  free  to  any  part  of  the 
United  States  on  receipt  of  the  price,  $8.00. 

This  book,  worthy  of  being  termed  an  Encyclopedia 
of  Treatment,  will  pay  its  way  in  any  physicians  library 
who  is  in  active  practice.  The  Medical  World  put  its 
character  in  a  nut  shell  when  it  wrote:  "It  covers  well 
every  part  of  the  domain  of  modern  general  medical 
practice  as  mirrored  by  the  consensus  of  the  opinion  of 
the  best  men  of  all  schools." 


At  all  pharmacies  and  book  dealers. 


XX  THE    HOMOEOPATHIC    RECORDER. 

Daddy — I  don't  know. 

Peggy — I  say,  daddy,  who  made  you  an  editor? — The  Sketch. 


Here  is  "H.  V.  H."  in  the  Clinique: 

Diseases  of  the  Nervous  System.  By  John  Eastman  Wilson, 
A.  B.,  M.  D.  Second  edition.  682  pages,  large  8vo.  Cloth, 
$6.00,  net. 

The  second  edition  of  this  book  certainly  surpasses  the  first. 
The  author  has  made  many  timely  and  valuable  additions.  Much 
is  made  of  the  anatomy  and  physiology  of  the  nervous  system 
wThich  is  a  necessity  for  correct  study.  The  author  handles  the 
diseases  precisely  and  yet  concisely  so  that  a  hurried  physician 
may  understand  it.  His  treatment  is  the  best  part  of  the  treatise : 
that  is  what  a  doctor  looks  for  every  time ;  it  is  fortunate  that  it 
gives  much  from  the  homoeopathic  list.  We  keep  it  on  our  desk 
because  it  is  helpful. — H.  V.  H. 


Dr.  C.  P.  Read,  of  Hampshire,  111.,  writes  Ellingwood's  Thera- 
peutist: "I  have,  during  the  past  two  or  three  years,  treated  many 
cases  of  heart  disorder,  especially  in  older  people  and  those  asso- 
ciated with  dropsy,  by  the  use  of  Cratcegus,  in  both  large  and  small 
doses.  This,  when  correctly  adjusted,  has  not  only  controlled  the 
dropsy,  but  has  removed  the  albumin  from  the  urine.  I  think  this 
has  a  specific  influence  in  promoting  this  important  result."  As 
this,  now  very  widely  used  drug,  was  introduced  through  the 
Recorder  to  the  American  medical  world  at  least,  T.  W.  feels  a 
sort  of  step-fatherly  interest  in  it.  Dr.  Read  writes,  "large  and 
small  doses."  Now  the  dosage  runs  from  5  to  60  drops,  or  even 
higher,  not  being  poisonous,  as  children  eat  the  hawthorn  berries 
freely,  and  Cratcegus  is  a  tincture  of  them.  It  is  best  to  feel  your 
way  cautiously,  start  with  the  low  dose  and  even  less  may  be 
better.  Some  years  ago  we  knew  a  doctor,  an  old  graduate  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  His  practice  didn't  amount  to 
much,  as  he  was  too  much  of  a  patient  himself.  One  day  he  was 
"going  on"  about  his  heart  and  we  suggested  Cratcegus.  He'd 
never  heard  of  it,  but  like  all  men,  whether  learned  or  unlearned, 
wrho  are  chronically  ill,  was  ready  to  "try"  anything.  Told  him 
to  take  5  drop  doses.  Some  weeks  later  met  him  again,  and,  in 
effect,  he  said  that  it  was  a  srreat  heart  remedy,  but  the  tincture 


THE   HOMCEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 


XXI 


Crow  Motor  Car  Company 


Main  and  Simonton  Streets 


ELKHART,  IND. 


The  Car  for  Satisfaction  and  Service! 

What  More  Can  Ifou  Ask? 
For  Particulars,  Prices,  etc.,  address  as  above. 


Homoeopathic 
Department 

of  the 

University  of 
Michigan 

Stands  for  Thoroughness 

Offers  six  salaried  positions  an- 
nually for  Assistantships  and  Hospi- 
tal Physicians. 

A  five-year  Optional  Course 
affords  great  opportunity  for  spe- 
cialization. 

Address 

W.  B.  HINDSDALE,   M.  D.,  Dean 
ANN  ARBOR,  MICH.  , 


College  of 
Homoeopathic 

Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 

1.  One  of  the  eleven  colleges  of  a 
great  State  University. 

2.  Located  in  a  city  of  250,000 
population. 

3.  College  and  University  Hospi- 
tal on  campus.  All  hospital  pa- 
tients are  for  the  clinics. 

4.  All  faculty  members,  all  time 
salaried  men. 

ADDRESS 

CLAUDE  A.  BURRETT,  Ph.B.  M.D. 

DEAN 

College  of  Homoeopathic  Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 

Columbus,  Ohio 


XX11  THE    HOMOEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 


was  too  strong  for  him,  so  he  saturated  tablets  with  it  and  carried 
a  vial  of  them  in  his  vest  pocket.  Other  men  say  the  drug  acts 
best  in  material  doses.  Suppose  it  depends  on  the  idiosyncrasies 
of  patient. 


Not  long  ago  struck  some  glass  men — the  men  were  not  made 
of  glass,  of  course,  but  they  sold  glass.  Their  prices  were  up,  and 
up,  and  still  reaching  that  way  with  the  end  nowhere  in  human 
sight.  Threw  in  the  suggestion  that  they  were  skinning  the 
public.  This  caused  indignation.  "See  here,"  said  one  man,  "our 
three  plants  normally  require  twenty-one  car  loads  of  coal  a  week 
besides  an  almost  equal  amount  of  crude  petroleum.  To-day  we 
could  use  thirty  car  loads  a  week  if  we  could  get  them,  and  the 
men  and  boys  to  man  our  plants.  We  have  to  skirmish  around 
to  get  ten  car  loads  weekly.  The  munition  makers  have  drafted 
off  all  our  best  men  and  those  remaining  want  wages  that  would 
have  been  absurd  four  years  ago.  An  old  customer  the  other 
day  wanted  fourteen  thousand  gross  of  bottles,  and  I  had  to  turn 
him  down.  Orders?  We  are  hunting  cover  to  dodge  them!" 
Another  man  said,  "I  can  place  on  the  instant  orders  for  one 
hundred  and  seventy  thousand  gross  of  bottles  if  I  could  find  any 
one  to  take  them."  The  fact  that  this  wasn't  altogether  mere 
"talk"  was  proved  by  the  fact  that  there  were  buyers  present  who 
would  gladly  have  taken  several  hundred  gross,  but  were  only 
given  parts  of  their  wants  even  at  advanced  prices. 

T.  W.,  who  is  no  business  man,  here  mildly  asked  why,  if  glass- 
ware was  in  such  demand,  the  people  didn't  save  up  old  bottles 
and  sell  them?  The  reply  was  a  bit  startling — Whether  true,  or 
not,  cannot  be  vouched  for.  It  was  that  to-day  in  London  a  cer- 
tain number  of  bottles,  any  shape,  will  be  taken  as  admission  to 
the  movies.  This,  broadly  reported,  is  what  T.  W.,  who  has  no 
personal  interest  in  the  matter,  heard  and  has  faithfully  reported 
to  his  readers. 


T.  W.  isn't  much  of  a  knocker,  but  our  beloved  /.  A.  M.  A.  is 
a  knocker  of  knockers,  when  it  comes  to  advertising,  and,  for  that 
matter,  everything  else  medical.  If  /.  A.  M.  A.  doesn't  (for  any 
reason)  believe  in  a  thing  it  is  free  to  knock,  and  does.    There  is 


THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


XXU1 


The  Eclectic  Medical  College 

OF  CINCINNATI,  OHIO 


Located   in   one  of  America's   greatest   Medical   Centers — The   oldest    (1845)    and 
Leading  Eclectic  Medical  College,  Conducted  on  High  Standards. 


New  modern  building,  well  equipped 
laboratories,  six  whole-time  salaried  in- 
structors. 

Entrance — Completion  of  first  grade, 
four  years'  high  school  course  or  its 
equivalent,  plus  one  year  of  work  of 
college  grade  in  Physics,  Chemistry, 
Biology  and  a  modern  language.  All 
credentials  must  be  approved  by  the 
Ohio  State  Medical  Board. 

A  jpre-medical  course  in  Physics, 
Chemistry,  Biology  and  a  modern  lan- 
guage is  given  by  the  Ohio  Mechanics' 
Institute,  Cincinnati,  complying  with  the 
standards  of  State  boards  generally  and 
the  A.  M.  A. 


The  course  in  Medicine  comprises 
four  graded  sessions  of  eight  months 
each.  Fees,  $120  per  year;  Matricula- 
tion, $5.00   (payable  once). 

Juniors  in  co-operative  courses  in  City 
Health  Department  and  Tuberculosis 
Hospital  (320  beds),  and  Seton  Hospital 
Clinics;  senior  interneship  in  Seton 
Hospital.  Seniors  in  clinical  and  bed- 
side instruction  in  new  Municipal  Hos- 
pital, costing  $4,000,000  (850  beds)  ;  also 
special  lectures  in  Longview  Insane 
Asylum. 

Seventy-cccond  year  opens  September 
14,  1916.  For  bulletins  and  detailed 
information  address 


JOHN  K.  SCUDDER,  M.D.,  Secretary 

630  West  Sixth  Street  -:-  CINCINNATI,  OHIO 


ALFALCO 

AN  ALFALFA  TONIC. 

"Repeat"  orders  are  the  true  evidence  of  its  merit. 
"Gained  in  weight."  "Feel  better  than  for  years."  "I 
think  it  is  a  good  thing."  These  are  the  burden  of  the 
letters  from  those  who  have  used  it.  For  sale  at  all  of 
Boericke  &  Tafel's  pharmacies.  The  best  tonic  that  is 
offered  today.  Sample  and  prices  on  request,  to  phy- 
sicians only. 

BOERICKE  &  TAFEL. 


XXIV  THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

no  question  but  that  much  of  the  stuff  that  it  lands  on  with  both 
of  its  delicate  feet  deserves  all  it  gets,  and  even  worse,  but  when 
we  read  that  something  has  been  "accepted"'  by  "the  Council" 
of  the  A.  M.  A.,  which  is  no  better  than  the  condemned  stuff,  we 
idly  wonder,  not  being  very  deep  in  the  advertising  game  ( as 
witness  our  skinny  pages  in  this  respect),  whether  "the  Council*' 
is  like  Caesar's  wife.  In  other  words,  why  should  "X"  be  damned 
by  "the  Council"  while  "Y,"  which  every  one  conversant  with 
pharmaceuticals  knows  is  practically  and  therapeutically  (for  good 
or  for  bad)  the  same  thing,  be  "admitted"  among  the  elect?  The 
advertising  pages  of  /.  A.  M.  A.  are  a  wonder  to  philosophers 
who  turn  from  the  pages,  filled  with  the  supreme  court-like  de- 
cisions of  "the  Council"  to  the  editorial  and  the  "answer  to  corre- 
spondent" pages,  and  then  to  the  advertising  pages.  It  is  con- 
fusion !  The  advertising  pages  are  much  occupied  by  private  sani- 
tariums, very  useful  concerns  yet  ever  and  anon  some  honest 
(presumably)  doctor  lashes  out  against  them.  "The  Council" 
judiciously  damns  a  certain  formula,  sailing  under  a  pseudo- 
scientific  name,  and  then  the  "answers  to  correspondents"  editor 
recommends  the  same  formula  to  an  innocent  inquiring  doctor. 
The  editorial  Jove  roars  out  against  a  certain  "chemical  Co.." 
and  the  advertising  editor  (if  "ad"  men  can  be  so  dignified,  which 
is  doubtful)  takes  a  full  page  from  the  wicked  one.  Far  be  it 
from  us  to  say  that  /.  A.  M.  A.  is  perfect,  though  we  will  say 
that  typographically  and  linguistically  it  is  a  fine  model,  but  to  at- 
tain its  high  editorial  ideals  it  should  eliminate  its  advertising 
pages.  Those  who  occupy  the  seats  of  the  mighty  in  the  A.  M. 
A.,  whose  organ  /.  A.  M.  A.  is,  say  that  no  one  now  prescribes 
medicine  but  ignoramuses,  or  quacks,  yet  /.  A.  M.  A.  advertises 
quite  a  number  of  things  that  the  some;  one  must  use,  else  the 
manufacturers  could  not  afford  to  pay  the  very  princely  prices 
asked  for  the  advertising  space. 

"Vanities  of  vanities,  all  is  vanity,"  saith  the  preacher.  It  looks 
as  if  about  the  best  thing  a  doctor  could  do  is  to  turn  from  the 
mess  of  pottage  that  /.  A.  M.  A.  soddens,  and  take  up  again  with 
sane  old  Homoeopathy.  Yea,  all  men  are  mortal  and  they  will  die 
under  Homoeopathy — but  under  Homoeopathy  they  probably  will 
have  a  longer  time  to  repent  of  their  sins  in  this  vale  of  tears. 


THE   HOMOEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 


"THeir  meiiciqes  arc  itie  Best." 

BOERICKE  &  TAFEL, 

Homoeopathic  Pharmacists,  Importers  and  Publishers. 

PHILADELPHIA,  ion  Arch  St. 

PHILADELPHIA.  125  South  nth  St. 
PHILADELPHIA,  15  North  6th  St. 
NEW  YORK,  145  Grand  St. 

NEW  YORK,  145  West  43d  St. 

NEW  YORK,  634  Columbus  Ave. 
CHICAGO,  156  N.  Wabash  Ave. 
PITTSBURGH,  702  Penn  Ave. 

BALTIMORE,  326  North  Howard  St. 
CINCINNATI,  213  West  4th  St. 

Bailn«t>»  established  In  1835. 


Judging  from  the  Polychrcst  T.  W.  thinks  they  must  have  had 
a  great  time  at  the  dedication  of  the  new  University  Homoeopathic 
Hospital,  at  Columbus,  O.  After  the  ceremonies  there  was  a 
dinner  to  which  300  sat  down  to  eat,  talk  or  listen.  The  formal 
toasts,  to  quote,  ran  as  follows : 

"Homoeopathy  in  Ohio,  James  C.  Wood  ;  Homoeopathic  Pa- 
trons, George  H.  Miller :  The  Relations  of  the  University  Hos- 
pital to  the  State,  A.  E.  Hinsdale ;  The  College  and  the  Univer- 
sity, President  William  O.  Thompson :  Women  in  Homoeopathy, 
Anna  Johnston ;  Medical  Legislation,  Lester  E.  Siemon :  Ho- 
moeopathic Side  Lines,  Lincoln  Phillips ;  Student  Propagandism. 
George  H.  Quay." 


Xll  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

There  must  have  been  other  speeches,  though  whether  at  the 
dinner  is  not  stated,  probably  not,  but  they  must  have  sounded 
good  to  the  Homoeopathic  University  trustees.  One  was  by  Dr. 
A.  B.  Schneider  on  behalf  of  the  "Cleveland  Homoeopathic  Trus- 
tees," presenting  $15,000,  and  one  by  Dr.  C.  E.  Walton,  with  a 
"Message  from  Pulte"  and  $15,000.  Walton  also  gave  a  sort 
of  Knickerbockerian  history,  sketch,  rather,  of  Pulte.  That 
college  was  started  by  two  Cleveland  men,  Buck  and  Beckwith, 
who  had  been  with  the  Cleveland  College.  Coming  to  Cincinnati 
they  felt  lonesome  without  a  college  and  so  started  one.  "An 
old  practitioner  of  that  place,"  Cincinnati,  "by  the  name  of 
Pulte  said  if  we  would  give  the  'Child'  his  name  he  would  see 
that  it  did  not  lack  proper  clothing."  Just  here  things  seemed 
to  become  a  little  politely  misty  for  the  speaker  added,  "We 
wrorked  for  years,  and  years,  to  pay  for  the  clothes  that  we  fur- 
nished for  our  lone  'Baby.' '  Here  is  another  bit  from  the  same 
history : 

"We  had  grown — our  classes  had  grown — considerably  less,  and 
in  the  last  few  years  had  become  fewer  in  number  though  very 
good  in  quality.  I  always  take  pride  in  saying  that  of  all  the 
students — of  all  the  classes  sent  out  of  Pulte  College  not  one 
student  ever  failed  before  the  State  Board  in  examinations.  I 
can  account  for  that  in  the  early  days  of  this  Board,  because 
some  of  the  members  of  the  Board  did  not  know  enough  to 
write  their  own  questions,  but  half  of  them  were  written  by 
somebody  else  and  the  members  could  not  answer  them,  them- 
selves. Possibly  that  is  one  reason  why  there  never  was  a 
failure  on  the  part  of  any  of  our  students.  However,  they  did 
good  work,  and  I  understand  that  the  Board  has  improved 
somewhat  since." 

Also  read  this,  ponder  and  reflect : 

"We  wish  you  every  success  in  this  hospital.  You  cannot  run 
a  college  without  one,  and  we  do  hope  that  you  will  not  be 
afraid  to  teach  homoeopathy.  Do  not  teach  altogether  surgery, 
or  altogether  biology,  or  altogether  chemistry,  but  teach  homoe- 
opathy, and  as  an  inspiration  in  that  direction  I  have  taken  the 
liberty  of  bringing  here  to  present  to  you  a  picture  which  some 
of  you  may  recognize.     There  are  a  lot  of  homoeopaths  in  this 


THE    HOMCEOPATHIC    RECORDER  Xlll 


State,  however,  who  never  mention  the  name  of  this  person,  and 
yet  without  him  we  would  never  have  known  what  homoeopathy 
was.  The  picture  is  painted  on  porcelain  which  is  very  appro- 
priate, for  Hahnemann  was  a  porcelain  painter's  son.  This 
picture' is  a  copy  of  the  one  which  Mrs.  Hahnemann  had  in 
Paris.  A  Dr.  Blake,  of  Baltimore,  went  over  to  Paris  and  saw 
this  beautiful  picture,  which  was  pronounced  by  Mrs.  Hahne- 
mann to  be  the  very  best  one  ever  made.  He  got  permission  to 
have  it  copied,  and  this  was  done  so  faithfully  that  Mrs.  Hahne- 
mann exclaimed  when  seeing  it :  'Why,  your  picture  is  the 
original.'  This  is  a  copy  taken  from  that  picture.  The  picture 
itself  is  in  possession  of  the  Homoeopathic  College  in  Philadel- 
phia. This  was  painted  by  a  patron  of  mine,  and  presented  to 
me  as  a  Christmas  gift  nearly  twenty  years  ago.  I  thought 
possibly  the  trustees  of  this  college  and  hospital  might  find  a 
place  for  the  hanging  of  this  picture,  so  it  is  here  for  you." 

Just  one  more  bit  of  history  clipped  from  the  speech  of  Dr. 
T.  A.  McCann,  of  Dayton,  O. : 

"I  am  proud  to  be  here  to-day  because  this  institution  rep- 
resents to  us  the  liberal-mindedness  of  the  most  liberal  and  most 
broadminded  board  that  ever  graced  an  institution  of  this  kind 
in  the  United  States.  The  President  is  here.  I  am  proud  to  be 
here  because  this  institution  represents  the  completion  of  the 
promises  and  the  pledges  of  the  greatest  president  that  ever 
graced  the  halls  of  a  university.  Dr.  Thompson  stands  second 
to  no  one,  and  when  he  says,  'Boys,  I  will  stand  by  you,' — go 
home  and  go  to  bed,  and  go  to  sleep ;  you  do  not  need  to  worry 
any  more.  He  will  be  there  when  the  time  comes  with  the 
goods.  And,  last  of  all,  I  am  proud  to  be  here  to-day  because 
this  little  institution  has  been  made  possible  by  the  greatest  gov- 
ernor that  ever  graced  the  halls  of  any  State  in  this  Union,  and 
who  is  now  in  the  chair,  Governor  Cox.  When  he  says  he  will 
do  a  thing,  you  can  depend  upon  him  to  stand  by  until  the  last 
gun  is  fired." 


Dr.  T.  W.  Stephenson  has  changed  his  office  to  629  Union 
Arcade  Building,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 


XIV  THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

The  programme  of  the  International  Hahnemannian  Associa- 
tion comes  to  hand  a  little  late  for  an  early  announcement,  comes 
after  our  May  number  was  printed.  At  any  rate,  here  it  is :  The 
meeting  will  be  held  at  the  Hotel  Sherman,  Chicago,  June  25th- 
28th,  inclusive.  Seems  to  T.  W.  that  the  International  and  the 
Institute  ought  to  meet  at  the  same  place  each  year,  with  the 
International  just  ending  when  the  Institute  begins  as  happened 
at  Atlantic  City. 


The  following  is  clipped  from  a  letter  from  Dr.  Curtis  D. 
Pillsbury,  First  Lieutenant,  M.  R.  C.  U.  S.  A.,  published  in 
University  Homeopathic  Observer,  Dr.  Pillsbury  being  one  of 
the  Alumni  of  our  Ann  Arbor  College: 

"The  situation  here  is  as  bad  as  it  could  possibly  be,  short 
of  open  hostilities.  The  Mexicans  are  all  wrought  over  what 
they  believe  to  have  been  the  unwarranted  shooting  of  perfectly 
good  bandits.  The  business  of  returning  shot  for  shot  does  not 
appeal  to  their  aesthetic  sense  of  justice  at  all,  for  in  their  opin- 
ion American  soldiers  are  excellent  targets  and  should  behave  as 
such." 


Dr.  J.  E.  Heyser,  No.  2138  N.  12th  St.,  Philadelphia,  Pa., 
wants  a  set  of  Hering's  "Characteristic  Cards"  and  also  a  set 
of  Hering's  Guiding  Symptoms.  If  the  reader  has  either  write 
the  doctor,  stating  price. 


This  letter  belongs  up  front,  but  as  they  are  all  in  type  T.  W. 

gives  space  for  the  very  considerable  correction — glad  he  isn't 

a  proof  reader: 

^     ^     ^ 

Plymouth.  Mass..  May  18,  1917. 
Mr.  Editor: 

Any  value  which  my  article,  published  in  the  Recorder  of 
May  15th,  may  have  had  was  very  much  affected,  it  seems  to 
me,  by  the  error  of  the  compositor  in  the  sixth  line,  in  which 
he  makes  me  say  "for  five  years/'  when  it  should  have  been 
forty-five  (45)  years.  Quite  a  difference.  A  busy  experience 
of  45  years  can  hardly  be  compared  with  one  of  5  years. 

John  J.  Shaw. 


THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER.  XV 


Glandular    Therapy 
Biological     Triturations 


List 

CORPUS    LUTEUM 

DUODENUM 

MARROW 

PANCREAS 

PITUITARY 

SUPRARENALS 

THYMUS 

THYROID 

BRAIN 

ORCHIC 

MAMMARY 

PINEAL 

PROSTATE 


PRICE  LIST 

Tablets,  1  m.  .50;     5  m.  $2.00 
Supplied  in  6x  when  not  otherwise  specified 

The  material  for  these  triturations  was  obtained  from  standard 
laboratories,  for  these  products.  A  leaflet,  giving  clinical  scope, 
will  be  sent  on  request.  These  triturations  are  made  with  the 
pure  sugar  of  milk  crystals  (not  powdered  milk  sugar).  The  ix 
receives  four  hours  triturating,  and  each  succeeding  x  two  hours. 
This  line  was  made  because  many  physicians  were  asking  for 
these  glandular  products  in  triturations. 

Obtainable  at  any  of  our  pharmacies. 

BOERICKE  &  TaFEL. 


XVI  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

A  letter  to  the  business  end  of  the  Recorder  from  Dr.  A.  O. 
Reppeto,  of  Banks,  Oregon,  contains  some  good  points,  the  best 
of  the  lot  being  the  statement  that  T.  W.  is  a  "jewel."  (Ahem!) 
He  also  writes  some  mighty  nice  things  about  that  ''optimist," 
Dr.  Eli  G.  Jones,  who,  as  you  know,  runs  a  sort  of  all-to-himself 
department  of  anti-therapeutic-nihilism  up  front,  and  "believes 
in  the  curative  power  of  medicine."  Dr.  Reppeto  also  regrets 
that  "in  the  days  that  have  vanished"  he  had  not  given  more  at- 
tention to  Homoeopathy,  and  therapeutics.  There  sure  is  a 
tremendous  power  in  Homoeopathy — pleased  patients  and  an 
increasing  practice. 


Dr.  H.  M.  Stevenson,  1022  W.  Lafayette  Ave.,  Baltimore, 
Md.,  writes  us  that  'The  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Southern  Ho- 
moeopathic Medical  Association  will  be  held  at  Washington, 
D.  C,  on  October  24th-26th."  Dr.  Stevenson  is  President  of 
this  good  Association.  You,  reader,  ought  to  take  it  in  if  you 
can,  and  you  can  be  sure  of  a  warm  Southern  greeting. 


News  item.  According  to  Polk's  Directory,  just  out,  there  is 
not  one  homoeopathic  physician  in  Memphis,  Tenn.,  a  city  of 
250,000,  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  river. 


Far  be  it  from  T.  W.  to  start  opposition  to  Harper's 
"Drawer,"  so  famous  for  infantile  jokes.  However,  here  is  a 
"true  fact."  Our  friend,  a  grandpa,  told  it,  so  it  must  be  so,  like 
The  Sun's  news.  His  four-year-old  grandson,  accompanied  by 
his  supernumeraries,  papa  and  mamma,  visited  him.  Grandson, 
who  had  been  very  disobedient,  was  asked,  in  a  moment  of  re- 
pose, what  he  wanted  to  be.  "A  soldier!"  "But  soldiers  must 
obey  orders,  and  you  don't!"  "Soldiers  don't  have  mammas," 
was  the  kid's  clinching  reply. 


Dr.  A.  S.  Kester  has  bought  out  the  practice  of  Dr.  E.  A. 
Darby,  at  Wauseon,  Ohio.  He  writes  that  Homoeopathy  is 
firmly  established  there,  a  fact  that  speaks  well  for  the  mental 
calibre  of  the  people  of  Wauseon,  Ohio. 


THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER.  XV11 


Diseases  of  the  Skin 

Including  the  Exanthemata. 

BY  FREDERICK  M.  DEARBORN,  A.  B.,  M.  D. 

New  York  City. 


200  original  illustrations,  photographs  from  actual 
cases. 

551  large  8vo.  pages.  Cloth,  $5.00,  net.  sent  on  re- 
ceipt of  price  by  any  homoeopathic  book  dealer. 

This  book  is  not  printed  from  plates,  is  new,  from 
cover  to  cover,  the  latest,  the  least  padded  and  most  help- 
ful book  on  the  skin  extant. 


For  Sale  at  All  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies. 


PRACTICAL  HOMCEOPATHIC 
THERAPEUTICS 

By  W.  A.  DEWEY,  M.  D. 
Second  Edition  426 pages.     Cloth,  $2.50  net. 

"The  book  strikes  me  as  being  about  the  most  satisfactory  work 
of  the  kind  I  ever  saw." — C,  Medical  Gleaner. 

"He  has  done  for  therapeutics  what  Farrington  did  for  Materia 
Medica." — Homoeopathic  World. 

"If  you  want  a  book  of  homoeopathic  therapeutics,  pure,  simple 
straight,  clean  and  up-to-date  Homoeopathy,  here  you  are.  It  is  one 
of  the  books  you  want.  You  want  it  handy.  Right  on  the  nearest 
corner  of  the  middle  shelf  of  your  bookcase." — The  Clinic. 


XV111  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

— — — — —  ■  m  li         .         a  ■  ■ 

The  Medical  Summary,  in  reviewing  Wilson's  Diseases  of  the 
Nervous  System,  after  giving-  a  general  description  of  the  book, 
adds : 

"The  author  says  in  his  preface  that  it  has  seemed  to  him  that, 
in  a  branch  of  medicine  where  diseases  are  notoriously  atypical, 
and  tend  to  merge  into  one  another  to  all  degrees,  the  most  use- 
ful text-book  was  one  which  would  make  as  clear  as  possible  the 
pathological  basis  of  symptoms,  whenever  they  might  occur  in 
the  nervous  system,  and  then  the  character  of  the  atypical  symp- 
toms would  at  once  reveal  the  pathological  lesions  which  must 
be  responsible  for  the  appearance.  This  is,  of  course,  the  ideal, 
since  we  do  not  knowT  the  actual  basis  of  all  neurological  phe- 
nomena, but  it  has  been  adhered  to  so  far  as  has  been  found 
practicable.  The  medical  treatment  of  many  nervous  diseases 
is  at  present  considered  to  be  futile,  so  far  as  cure  is  concerned, 
and  the  physicians  of  all  schools  are  driven  to  symptomatologi- 
cal  prescription,  and  to  palliatives.'' 


Well !  Well !  An  estimable  and  innocent  "regular"  journal 
tells  its  readers  that  a  method  has  been  discovered  by  which 
the  "bee  sting  cure"  can  be  utilized  without  pain.  Macerate  the 
bee  stings !  W'onderful !  In  other  words,  make  the  homoeo- 
pathic Apis  6. 


Dr.  Miriam  A.  Swift,  of  824  Kansas  Ave.,  Topeka,  Kan.,  in 
renewing  subscription,  makes  the  following  comment,  which 
is  something  new  : 

"I  like  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder  as  a  medical  magazine, 
and  there  is  one  thing  about  it  that  I  am  proud  of  and  that  is, 
that  you  do  not  drop  the  "o"  before  the  "e"  in  the  beloved  word, 
"Homoeopathy."  I  believe  in  spelling  it  just  as  our  honored 
Hahnemann  spelled  it." 

So  does  our  cranky  proof-reader — who  is  not  T.  W. 


This  might  be  headed,  if  we  used  headings  in  this  free  and 
easy  place  in  the  Recorder,  "Medical  and  Pharmaceutical  Wit," 
with  a  sub-head  ''Bum  Puns." 

The   Freshman   Class   of   Hahnemann,   Philadelphia,    recently 


THE    HOMOEOPATHIC   RECORDER.  XIX 


CAMP     BEACON 


Gentlemen  of  the  Homoeopathic  Profession  : 

This  Camp  is  owned  and  managed  by  a  Homoeopathic  Physi 
cian  in  good  standing  —  Dr.  S.  S.  JacquElix,  of  Los  Angeles  N 
Y.  H.  M.  C,  1904)— and  endorsed  by  Prof.  Eugene  B.  Nash  and 
many  other  physicians  of  both  schools.  If  you  or  your  patients 
desire  a  high  class  summer  camp-school,  for  boys,  please  investi- 
gate ours. 

Gentleman's  private  reserve — 5000  acres.    Long  Lake 
Adirondack  Mts.,  N.  Y.  Heart  of  the  Wilderness. 

Exceptional  camp  for  healthy-,  refined  boys  of  particular  parents 
only.  Character  development,  tutoring  and  rational  outdoor 
sports  under  experienced  physicians  and  university  graduates. 
Pure  spring  water,  milk  and  cream  from  estate;  plenty  wholesome 
food.  Fine  buildings,  tents  and  equipment.  Handsome  booklet 
on  request.     Rates  absolutely  inclusive.     No  extras.      References. 


LOUIS  C.  WOODRUFF,  A.  M. 

107  W.  76th  Street,  Apartment  15,  New  York 


TRBATCDBNT 

By  CLARENCE  BARTLETT,  M.D. 

1223  pages.     Large  8vo.     Strong  Cloth,  $8.00,  net. 

Delivered  by  parcel  post,  free  to  any  part  of  the 
United  States  on  receipt  of  the  price,  $8.00. 

This  book,  worthy  of  being  termed  an  Encyclopedia 
of  Treatment,  will  pay  its  way  in  any  physicians  library 
who  is  in  active  practice.  The  Medical  World  put  its 
character  in  a  nut  shell  when  it  wrote:  "It  covers  well 
every  part  of  the  domain  of  modern  general  medical 
practice  as  mirrored  by  the  consensus  of  the  opinion  of 
the  best  men  of  all  schools." 


At  all  pharmacies  and  book  dealers. 


XX  THE    HOMOEOPATHIC    RECORDER. 

visited  the  B.  &  T.  establishment,  at  ion  Arch  St.  There  were 
nearly  40  of  them,  a  pretty  well  appearing  bunch.  They  were 
taken  in  charge  by  guides  and  conducted  over  the  big  establish- 
ment in  units  of  about  10.  When  one  party  arrived  at  what  is 
locally  known  as  the  "cork-room,"  where  medicine  cases  are 
fitted  out  with  corks,  vials  and  labels,  one  of  the  visitors,  as  he 
was  leaving  the  room,  remarked,  "This  is  a  corking  room !"  To 
which  the  guide  gravely  replied,  "Yes,  but  also  a  vial  one," 
slurring  over  the  "vial."  We  were  unable  to  ascertain  whether 
the  men  laughed  or  groaned.    They  should  have  sighed. 


With  his  third  liberal  order  for  books  and  medicine  a  very 
prominent  physician  writes  to  B.  &  T. — and  it  needs  no  com- 
ment: "Homoeopathy  looks  good  after  twenty  years  of  the  old, 
and  eclectic  school  practice."  Incidentally  it  may  be  mentioned 
that  about  a  year  ago  he  bought  a  copy  of  Boericke  &  Anshutz' 
Elements,  which  little  book  (now  in  third  edition)  gave  him 
the  proper  slant  for  the  most  successful  practice  in  medicine. 


If  any  good  man  and  true  has  a  second-hand  copy  of  Bur- 
nett's Essays  (Boericke  &  Tafel,  1882,  296  pages),  and  wants 
to  sell  it,  he  can  find  a  purchaser  by  addressing  the  publishers,  at 
ion   Arch   St.,   Philadelphia,   Pa. 


Dr.  Philip  Rice  (0.,  0.  and  L.  Journal)  gives  us  the  follow- 
ing concerning  Dr.  Moffat's  recently  published  Homoeopathic 
Therapeutics  in  Ophthalmology.  Seems  to  T.  Wr.  that  the  re- 
viewer is  a  bit  severe  on  our  recent  writers — just  run  your  eye 
down  the  Catalogue  opening  of  the  Recorder.  However,  here 
is  the  review : 

"There  are  few  things  more  rare  these  days  than  good  books 
published  by  homoeopathic  publishers;  and  especially  books  per- 
taining  strictly  to  homoeopathic  therapeutics. 

"How  different  were  things  in  olden  times !  Then  books  were 
written  by  homoeopathic  writers  on  materia  medica  and  thera- 
peutics. We  expected  them  to  be  written,  for  we  needed  them. 
And  they  were  written.  We  built  up  a  literature  in  those  days. 
We  made  headway.     To-day  we  are  doing  little  in  this  way ;  in- 


THE    HOMOEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 


XXI 


Crow  Motor  Car  Company 


Main  and  Simonton  Streets 


ELKHART,  IND. 


The  Car  for  Satisfaction  and  Service! 

What  More  Can  fou  Ask? 
For  Particulars,  Prices,  etc.,  address  as  above. 


Homoeopathic 
Department 

of  the 

University  of 
Michigan 

Stands  for  Thoroughness 

Offers  six  salaried  positions  an- 
nually for  Assistantships  and  Hospi- 
tal Physicians. 

A  five-year  Optional  Course 
affords  great  opportunity  for  spe- 
cialization. 

Address 

W.  B.  HINDSDALE,   M.   D.,  Dean 
ANN  ARBOR,   MICH. 


College  of 
Homoeopathic 

Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 

I.     One  of  the  eleven  colleges  of  a 
great  State  University. 
Located    in    a   city    of    250,000 
population. 

College  and   University  Hospi- 
tal on  campus.     All  hospital  pa- 
tients are  for  the  clinics. 
All   faculty  members,    all   time 
salaried  men. 


2. 


4- 


ADDRESS 

CLAUDE  A.  BURRETT,  Ph.B.  M.D. 

DEAN 

College  of  Homoeopathic  Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 

Columbus.  Ohio 


XX11  THE   HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

stead,  we  are  simply,  and  very  complacently  at  that,  'milking  the 
homoeopathic  cow.' 

"What  has  this  to  do  with  Dr.  John  L.  Moffat's  little  book, 
entitled  'Homoeopathic  Therapeutics  in  Ophthalmology?'  Noth- 
ing!? Except  that  this  little  book  shows  that  there  is  some  life 
left  in  the  School  yet.  It  shows  that  there  is  still  a  fellow  left 
who  is  staying  by  the  'Colors.'  And  there  is  encouragement  in 
this. 

'This  little  work  of  Dr.  Moffat's  is  concise,  comprehensive, 
convenient,  and  those  who  know  him,  know  that  it  is  accurate 
and  reliable.  A  copy  has  been  kept  right  handy  on  my  desk 
ever  since  it  came  and  referred  to  daily.  I  have  compared  it 
with  other  works  on  ophthalmic  therapeutics,  as  well  as  with 
larger  works  on  materia  medica,  and  I  am  convinced  that  it  is 
most  reliable.  The  repertory  or  clinical  index  section  is  most 
convenient. 

"My  sincere  hope  is  that  we  shall  have  the  pleasure,  in  the 
near  future,  of  welcoming  other  such  splendid  books." 

Philip  Rice. 


Recently  we  found  on  our  desk  a  copy  of  Burnett's  Delicate, 
Backivard,  Puny  and  Stunted  Children,  and  although  we  had  at- 
tended the  birth  of  this  book  about  eleven  years  ago,  still  it  seems 
almost  new.  No  one  who  knewT  that  great  and  real  doctor,  ever 
doubted  his  honesty.  To  those,  then,  what  a  revelation  of  thera- 
peutic possibilities  is  given  in  these  pages ;  of  what  can  be  done 
for  the  infantile  derelicts  by  a  physician  who  is  not  afraid  of 
going  aside  from  the  orthodox  books  of  both  allopathy  and 
Homoeopathy.  The  complaint  is  often  made  that  Burnett  doesn't 
give  the  symptoms  on  wheih  he  prescribed.  That  is  true,  he  does 
not,  as  a  rule,  and  indeed  very  many  of  his  remedies  have  never 
been  proved,  as  Hahnemann  proved,  say,  Aconite  and  Bryonia. 
Really,  Burnett  was  the  forerunner  of  the  prevailing  serum  and 
vaccine  therapy,  only  he  gave  the  nosodic  remedies  rationally 
while  the  allopaths  of  to-day  give  them,  too  often,  in  uncalled  for 
doses  and  hypodermically.  Why  does  he  give  an  eleven  year  old 
boy,  a  hunchback,  "frightfully  deformed,''  who  had  been  under  the 


THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


XX111 


The  Eclectic  Medical  College 

OF  CINCINNATI,  OHIO 


Located   in  one  of  America's   greatest   Medical   Centers — The   oldest    (1845)    and 
Leading  Eclectic  Medical  College,  Conducted  on  High  Standards. 


New  modern  building,  well  equipped 
laboratories,  six  whole-time  salaried  in- 
structors. 

Entrance — Completion  of  first  grade, 
four  years'  high  school  course  or  its 
equivalent,  plus  one  year  of  work  of 
college  grade  in  Physics,  Chemistry, 
Biology  and  a  modern  language.  All 
credentials  must  be  approved  by  the 
Ohio  State  Medical  Board. 

A  pre-medical  course  in  Physics, 
Chemistry,  ^  Biology  and  a  modern  lan- 
guage is  given  by  the  Ohio  Mechanics' 
Institute,  Cincinnati,  complying  with  the 
standards  of  State  boards  generally  and 
the  A.  M.  A. 


The  course  in  Medicine  comprises 
four  graded  sessions  of  eight  months 
each.  Fees,  $120  per  year;  Matricula- 
tion, $5.00   (payable  once). 

Juniors  in  co-operative  courses  in  City 
Health  Department  and  Tuberculosis 
Hospital  (320  beds),  and  Seton  Hospital 
Clinics;  senior  interneship  in  Seton 
Hospital.  Seniors  in  clinical  and  bed- 
side instruction  in  new  Municipal  Hos- 
pital, costing  $4,000,000  (850  beds)  ;  also 
special  lectures  in  Longview  Insane 
Asylum. 

Seventy-cecond  year  opens  September 
14,  1916.  For  bulletins  and  detailed 
information  address 


JOHN  K.  SCUDDER,  M.D.,  Secretary 
630  West  Sixth  Street  -:-  CINCINNATI,  OHIO 


ALFALCO 

AN  ALFALFA  TONIC. 

"Repeat"  orders  are  the  true  evidence  of  its  merit. 
"Gained  in  weight."  "Feel  better  than  for  years."  "I 
think  it  is  a  good  thing."  These  are  the  burden  of  the 
letters  from  those  who  have  used  it.  For  sale  at  all  of 
Boericke  &  Tafel's  pharmacies.  The  best  tonic  that  is 
offered  today.  Sample  and  prices  on  request,  to  phy- 
sicians only. 

BOERICKE  &  TAFEL. 


XXIV  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

care  of  very  many  of  the  greatest  physicians  and  surgeons  of 
England,  Lueticum.  Medorrliinum,  Psorinum,  Bacillnum.  be- 
sides other  remedies?  He  does  not  say,  he  tells  the  patient's  con- 
dition, and  that  is  all.  At  any  rate  this  apparently  hopeless  dere- 
lict brought  to  him  in  a  "formidable  and  efficient  iron  jacket'' 
finally  became,  not  a  straight  backed  person,  but  one  who  "is  now 
grown  up,  and  articled  to  a  professional  man  in  the  city,  and  a 
bright  future  seems  in  store  for  him."  There  is  a  mine  of  wealth 
in  the  many  little  books  of  Burnett  for  those  who  can  use  them 
with  brains.  Have  been  accused  of  being  a  whooper-up  for 
Burnett,  now  gone  to  his  reward.  Guess  it  is  true.  We  once  met 
a  man  condemned  to  death  by  a  consultation  of  physicians  of  no 
mean  standing.  As  he  was  under  treatment  we  suggested  a  rem- 
edy picked  up  from  much  reading  of  Burnett.  The  man  took  it 
and  o-ot  well. 


The  following  from  a  Kansas  newspaper  is  a  model  "reading 
notice :" 

"Glenn  Blue  our  undertaker,  went  over  to  conduct  the  funeral 
of  Uncle  Jim  Cowden,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  Arvonia  and 
Reading  communities,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Reading  at  the  age 
of  88.  That  was  the  third  funeral  Glenn  had  conducted  in  that 
little  city  that  week  and  from  the  favorable  remarks  we  heard, 
Reading  likes  him  and  his  work.'' 

Four  young  ladies  of  the  University  of  Toronto.  Ontario, 
graduates  of  medicine,  have  offered  their  services  to  the  Army 
Medical  Corps.  Among  them  is  Miss  X.  B.  Becker,  daughter 
of  Dr.  Henry  Becker,  who  last  year  was  President  of  the  In- 
ternational Hahnemannian  Association,  is  one  of  them.  Dr. 
Becker,  you  will  remember,  presided  at  the  meeting  of  the  I.  H. 
A.,  held  at  the  Aldine  Hotel  in  Philadelphia,  last  year. 

FOR  SALE!  Encyclopedia  Materia  Medica.  Allen.  10  Vols., 
index,  $15.00.  Lectures  on  Materia  Medica.  Dunham.  2  Vols., 
$5.00.  Dictionary  Materia  Medica.  Clarke.  3  Vols..  $10.00. 
Lippe's  Repertory.  2  Vols.,  $5.00,  and  others.  Mrs.  B.  L.  B. 
Baylies.  362  McDonough  St.,  Brooklyn.  X.  V. 


THE   HOMOEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 


XI 


"Heir  puaiiciiies  are  He  Best." 

BOERICKE   &  TAFEL, 

Homoeopathic  Pharmacists,  Importers  and  Publishers. 

PHILADELPHIA,  ion  Arch  St. 

PHILADELPHIA,  125  South  nth  St. 
PHILADELPHIA,  15  North  6th  St. 
NEW  YORK,  145  Grand  St. 

NEW  YORK,  145  West  43d  St. 

NEW  YORK,  634  Columbus  Ave. 
CHICAGO,  156  N.  Wabash  Ave. 
PITTSBURGH,  702  Penn  Ave. 

BALTIMORE,  326  North  Howard  St 
CINCINNATI,  213  West  4th  St. 

Ba«ia«a«  Kat»bll»h«d  in  1SSS. 


Far  be  it  from  T.  W.  to  accuse  his  bunch  of  fine  poets  from 
being  insane.  It  would  harry  us  to  think  that  "Ken,"  "Alfalfa," 
"Office  Boy,"  Walton,  and  our  minor  poets  are  in  that  category, 
yet  here  is  Democritus  (we  do  not  personally  know  him.  as  he 
lived  a  few  years  before  our  time)  who  tells  us  that  insanity  is 
an  essential  of  poetry.  Aristotle  seemed  to  think  that  poetry  was 
due  to  a  congestion  of  the  head.  Mirabeau,  who,  we  believe,  had 
something  to  do  with  the  French  Revolution,  of  which  we  seem  to 
be  having  a  second  and  enlarged  edition,  affirms  that  "common 
sense  is  the  absence  of  too  vivid  passion  ;  it  marches  by  beaten 
path?,  but  genius  never.  Only  men  with  great  passions  can  be 
great,"  which  is  a  sort  of  consolation  to  poets.     Schopenhauer 


Xll  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

once  remarked  that  men  of  genius  are  often  like  the  insane,  an 
accusation  which  all  of  us  must  meekly  bear,  for  is  not  every 
man  a  genius  in  his  own  mind  ? 

A  medical  man  remarked  that  genius  was  allied  to  some 
abnormal  condition  or  subjective  state,  which  reminds  us  of  what 
the  African  alienists  believe,  namely,  that  genius,  we  mean  the 
insane,  know  more  than  others,  consequently  the  "others"  should 
keep  hands  off.  This  wise  African  belief  has  guided  T.  W. 
with  his  poets  even  though  some  Philistine  readers  have  re- 
proached him. 

Now  let  the  men  of  genius  come  back !     Our  poets ! 


Two  new  advertisements  appear  in  this  issue,  "The  Chalfonte." 
page  x,  and  "Haddon  Hall,"  xiii,  both  of  the  famous  "beach 
front"  hotels  of  Atlantic  City,  which  is  "the  biggest  little  city  in 
the  world."  Nearly  every  homoeopath  knows  "The  Chalfonte," 
for  the  Institute  met  there  two  years  ago,  and  all  ought  to  know 
Haddon  Hall,  right  alongside,  where,  with  absolutely  safety  in 
all  respects,  you  can  make  reservations.  Both  are  scrupulously 
clean,  airy  and  on  the  beach  front.  T.  W.  knows  them  both  and 
can  vouch  for  their  excellence — summer,  fall,  winter  and  spring. 


Dr.  L.  C.  McElwee,  St.  Louis,  writes  the  editor  the  sub-joined 
note  and  the  last  named  asks  us  to  put  it  in  our  department  pre- 
sumably because  it  will  be  more  apt  to  be  read : 

St.  Louis.  June  13th,  1917. 
Dr.  E.  P.  Anshutz. 

Dear  Doctor: — This  is  primarily  to  thank  you  for  printing 
my  article,  "The  Early  Diagnosis  of  Tuberculosis,"  in  the  May 
number  and  to  ask  you  to  make  the  following  corrections  of 
typographical  errors  in  same. 

On  page  204,  17  lines  from  top,  should  read  Actinomycosis. 

On  page  205,  5  lines  from  the  bottom,  it  should  read  INEX- 
CUSABLE instead  of  EXCUSABLE. 

On  page  207,  15  lines  from  top,  the  word  "chilly"  should  be 
omitted,  making  it  read  a  "sharp  rise  of  temperature,"  etc. 

On  page  208,  11  lines  from  top,  it  should  read  "and  must  NOT 
repeat  it  even  in  that  quantity,"  etc. 


THE    HOMCEOPATHIC    RECORDER 


Xlll 


IIaddon  Hall 

ATLANTIC  CITY 

ALWAYS    OPEN 
RIGHT  ON  THE  BEACH  AND  THE  BOARDWALK 


Appeals  particularly  to  cultivated  people  who  seek 
rest  and  recreation  at  the  Sea  Shore,  Summer  or  Win- 
ter. From  every  section  of  the  country  such  guests 
have  come  to  Haddon  Hall  for  40  years — and  come 
back  again  and  again — it  is  so  satisfying,  so  free  from 
ostentation,  so  comfortable  and  sufficient.  Every 
facility  is  offered  young  and  old  for  enjoyment. 

A  step  and  you  are  in  the  surf.  Fascinating  shops 
and  a  thousand  amusements  are  offered  along  the 
famous  Boardwalk.  Privileges  of  fine  golf  and  yacht 
clubs.  Rooms  are  comfortable  and  attractive — there 
is  delightful  music — and  always  interesting  people. 

Make  reservations — write  for  illustrated  folder. 


,  LEEDS  &  LIPPINCOTT 


"w^r^r- 


wnn 


XIV  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


On  page  209,  Tablespoonful  and  place  are  improperly  spelled. 
Thanking  you  again  for  your  courtesies,  I  am 
Fraternally, 

L.  C.  McElwee. 
(Note. — E.  P.  A.  requests  to  add  "the  obligation  is  ours  in  the 
matter  of  printing  the  paper.") 

Dr.  E.  P.  Cuthbert,  Evans  City,  Pa.,  writes :  "I  am  getting  to 
like  the  Recorder,  and  wish  to  state  that  Dr.  L.  C.  McElwee's 
article  in  the  last  issue  (May)  was  most  practical  and  opened 
the  way  for  profound  thought." 


Dr.  Geo.  G.  Kelly,  of  Woodstock,  Vt,  writes  of  the  Recorder  : 
"The  best  Homoeopathy  in  any  magazine,  straight  and  without 
frills  or  pseudo-scientific  twaddle." 


Dr.  Eli  G.  Jones,  who  has  been  running  a  series  of  papers 
in  the  Recorder,  writes  that  he  will  be  at  "343  East  South  St., 
Galesburg,  111.,"  for  a  while.  So  if  any  one  has  anything  to 
say  to  the  old  medical  philosopher  there  is  the  place  to  say  it. 


Dr.  D.  F.  Shipley,  of  Westminster,  Md.,  renewing  his  sub- 
scription, writes:  "The  Recorder  is  of  more  use  to  me  than 
any  journal  that  comes  my  way."     Many  thanks,  Doctor! 


Here  is  something  picked  up  in  Brother  Ellingwood's  fine  lit- 
tle Therapeutist.  The  B.  &  T.  honey  boy  says  it  is  worth  know- 
ing and  also  that  he  has  the  "very  finest  honey  in  the  world." 
Here  it  is : 

"A  substitute  for  sugar  in  the  treatment  of  diabetes  is  con- 
'  stantly  looked  for.  It  has  been  suggested  a  number  of  times  that 
honey  be  used.  If  the  evidence  is  collected,  it  would  probably 
be  found  that  it  is  an  unusually  good  substitute.  One  patient 
using  honey  freely  found  that,  when  he  ceased,  the  percentage  of 
sugar  arose,  and  when  he  took  four  teaspoonfuls  of  strained 
honey  a  day,  the  amount  of  sugar  was  reduced.  A  number  of 
instances  are  reported  where  this  agent  was  found  satisfactory 
to  the  patient,  and  it  can,  without  doubt,  be  substituted,  at  least 
in  part." 


THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER.  XV 


Glandular    Therapy 
Biological     Triturations 


List 

CORPUS    LUTEUM 

DUODENUM 

MARROW 

PANCREAS 

PITUITARY 

SUPRARENALS 

THYMUS 

THYROID 

BRAIN 

ORCHIC 

MAMMARY 

PINEAL 

PROSTATE 


PRICE   LIST 

Tablets,  1  m.  $0.50;     5  m.  $2.00 

Supplied  in  6x  when  not  otherwise  specified 

The  material  for  these  triturations  was  obtained  from  standard 
laboratories,  for  these  products.  A  leaflet,  giving  clinical  scope, 
will  be  sent  on  request.  These  triturations  are  made  with  the 
pure  sugar  of  milk  crystals  (not  powdered  milk  sugar).  The  ix 
receives  four  hours  triturating,  and  each  succeeding  x  two  hours. 
This  line  was  made  because  many  physicians  were  asking  for 
these  glandular  products  in  triturations. 

Obtainable  at  any  of  our  pharmacies. 

BOERICKE  &  TaFKL. 


XVI  THE  HOMCEOIMTIIIC  RECORDER. 

Dr.  J.  E.  Heyser,  Highland  Park,  Llanarch,  Pa.,  wants  to  buy 
Burt's  Characteristics,  2d  edition ;  Hale's  New  Remedies.  2d 
edition ;  Burnett's  Essays  and  Hering's  Characteristics.  One 
copy  of  each  will  do.     State  price. 


Dr.  W.  T.  Taylor,  of  Robert  Lee,  Texas,  in  renewing  his  sub- 
scription to  the  Recorder,  adds  :  'These  are  hard  times,  but 
I  must  have  the  Recorder.  Cannot  get  along  without  it."  Many 
thanks !  The  journal  is  broad-gauged,  doesn't  try  to  dictate, 
lets  every  physician '  state  his  treatment  (gets  knocked  some- 
times for  publishing  certain  ones)  and  believes  that  its  readers 
are  the  better  for  the  broad  scope.  Man  cannot  thrive  on  one 
diet  only,  he  needs  some  ginger  occasionally. 


Sometimes  one  wonders  if  medical  editors  ought  not  to  take 
a  course  in  journalism.  For  illustrating  this  notion  or  whim 
take  the  following  pinched  from  a  recent  medical  editorial : 
"Also  it  is  quite  possible  for  prime  fruit  to  cause  trouble  par- 
ticularly when  eaten  in  excess.  Some — let  us  hope  many — of 
these  people  will  be  your  patients,"  etc.,  etc.  While  it  may  be 
quite  true  that  doctors  do  want  many  patients  it  is  not  good 
"business"  to  wish  for  "many"  of  those  whose  health  you  guard 
to  become  ill.     Perhaps  this  is  only  a  foolish  idea  of  T.  W.'s. 

Among  his  friends  T.  W.  numbers  many  learned  and  agree- 
able gentlemen  who  insist  that  they  are  "Regulars,"  which,  to 
his  limited  mind,  seems  to  be  a  misnomer  as  what  is  quoted  be- 
low in  a  manner  demonstrates.  It  was  picked  up  in  a  time- 
yellowed  journal  in  which  it  is  credited  to  Volume  I  of  the 
"Transactions  of  the  American  Medical  Association." 

Now  whether  the  gentlemen  of  the  A.  M.  A.  have  advanced 
or  back  slidden  since  that  volume  appeared — it  must  have  been 
in  the  "forties" — is  a  debatable  question,  for  in  their  latest  and 
authoritative  "Hand-book  of  Therapy"  you  will  not  find  Ha- 
mamelis  among  the  "Useful  Drugs"  which  "The  Council  on 
Pharmacy  and  Chemistry"  permit  the  orthodox  to  use.  How- 
ever that  may  be,  here  follows  what  one  of  their  forefathers 
wrote  at  the  beginning  of  the  A.  M.  A.  : 


THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER.  XV11 


Diseases  of  the  Skin 

Including  the  Exanthemata. 

BY  FREDERICK  M.  DEARBORN,  A.  B.,  M.  D. 

New  York  City. 


200  original  illustrations,  photographs  from  actual 
cases. 

551  large  8vo.  pages.  Cloth,  $5.00,  net.  sent  on  re- 
ceipt of  price  by  any  homoeopathic  book  dealer. 

This  book  is  not  printed  from  plates,  is  new,  from 
cover  to  cover,  the  latest,  the  least  padded  and  most  help- 
ful book  on  the  skin  extant. 


For  Sale  at  All  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies. 


PRACTICAL  HOMCEOPATHIC 
THERAPEUTICS 

By  W.  A.  DEWEY,  M.  D. 
Second  Edition  426 pages.     Cloth,  $2.50  net. 

"The  book  strikes  me  as  being  about  the  most  satisfactory  work 
of  the  kind  I  ever  saw." — C,  Medical  Gleaner. 

"He  has  done  for  therapeutics  what  Farrington  did  for  Materia 
Medica." — Homoeopathic  World. 

"If  you  want  a  book  of  homoeopathic  therapeutics,  pure,  simple 
straight,  clean  and  up-to-date  Homoeopathy,  here  you  are.  It  is  one 
of  the  books  you  want.  You  want  it  handy.  Right  on  the  nearest 
corner  of  the  middle  shelf  of  your  bookcase." — The  Clinic. 


XV111  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


" Hamamelis  Virginica.  Witch-hazel. — The  most  direct  and 
specific  account  we  have  of  its  virtues,  is  given  by  Dr.  James 
Fountain,  an  experienced  and  eminent  practitioner  of  Peekskill. 
He  has  used  it  for  more  than  thirty  years,  in  one  way  or  the 
other.  His  attention  was  first  called  to  it  by  the  country  people, 
who  use  it  for  all  manner  of  haemorrhages. 

"A  young  man  whose  father  and  mother  and  whole  family, 
no  less  than  eight  or  ten  in  number,  except  himself  and  a  younger 
brother  had  died  of  consumption ;  he,  too,  was  pale  and  emaci- 
ated, and  bade  fair  soon  to  follow  them  to  the  tomb ;  he  did  not 
dare  to  leave  home  without  the  witch-hazel  to  stop  his  spitting 
of  blood,  for  as  soon  as  this  appeared,  he  chewed  some  leaves 
and  swallowed  the  juice,  with  the  invariable  effect  of  stopping 
the  bleeding  at  once ;  he  has  ever  since  continued  to  use  the 
leaves,  or  a  decoction  of  the  bark,  either  of  which  will  arrest 
the  haemorrhage  and  relieve  the  pains  in  the  chest  promptly. 
He  has  since  lived  many  years  although  his  health  is  not  good ; 
but  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  he  owes  life  to  this  one  article. 

"It  does  not  arrest  diarrhoea  or  any  other  irorbid  secretions 
so  remarkably  as  moderate  haemorrhages,  especially  those  of  the 
lungs,  stomach  and  bowels.  In  haematemesis  it  has  been  found 
to  operate  like  a  charm.  It  appears  to§  be  especially  adapted  to 
young  and  irritable  subjects. 

"Dr.  Fountain  was  also  convinced  many  years  ago  that  it  pos- 
sessed an  ano'dync  power.  He  was  led  to  this  conclusion  from 
its  relieving  pain  in  cases  of  haemoptysis,  and  the  sudden  and 
decided  relief  it  affords  to  the  pain  and  soreness  of  piles. 

"About  ten  years  ago,  a  new  ointment  from  the  east,  some- 
where  in   the   neighborhood   of   Danbury,    Conn.,    was   peddled 
about  the  country  and  acquired-  great  fame  as  an  infallible  cure 
for  piles ;  and  in  truth  it  did  succeed  admirably ;  its  effects  as  an 
external  application  were  sometimes  truly  surprising.     Acciden- 
tally the  receipt  fell  into  Dr.  Fountain's  hands,  and  here  it  is : 
Witch-hazel  bark ; 
White-oak    bark,    innerpart ; 
Sweet-apple  tree  bark, 
of  each  three  handsfu'l ;  water  three  pints ;  boil  down  to  one  pint 
and  strain ;  add  lard  a  half  pound,  simmer  out  the  water,  stirring 
it  continually,  before  and  after  removing  it  from  the  fire,  till  it 


THE    HOMOEOPATHIC    RECORDER.  XIX 

THERAPEUTICS 

OF  THE 

RESPIRATORY  SYSTEM 

Coughs  and  Coryza,  Acute  and  Chronic.  Repertory 
with  Index.    Materia  Medica,  with  Index. 

By  W.  M.  Van  Denburg,  A.  M.,  M.  D.  "Similars 
can  be  cured  by  similars."  Proof:  An  intelligent  appli- 
cation of  the  drug-symptoms  in  this  book. 

782  pages.    Cloth,  $5.00,  net. 

This  is  a  genuine  therapeutic  text-book  on  the  "king- 
dom of  the  lungs/'  one  that  will  be  the  standard  for  all 
time  to  come.  It  is  complete.  Its  arrangement  is  such 
as  to  send  the  inquirer  straight  to  the  indicated  remedy 
with  a  minimum  of  searching.   Every  office  needs  a  copy. 


TRBATCDBNT 

By  CLARENCE  BARTLETT,  M.D. 

1223  pages.     Large  8vo.     Strong  Cloth,  $8.00,  net. 

Delivered  by  parcel  post,  free  to  any  part  of  the 
United  States  on  receipt  of  the  price,  $8.00. 

This  book,  worthy  of  being  termed  an  Encyclopedia 
of  Treatment,  will  pay  its  way  in  any  physicians  library 
who  is  in  active  practice.  The  Medical  World  put  its 
character  in  a  nut  shell  when  it  wrote:  "It  covers  well 
every  part  of  the  domain  of  modern  general  medical 
practice  as  mirrored  by  the  consensus  of  the  opinion  of 
the  best  men  of  all  schools." 


At  all  pharmacies  and  book  dealers. 


XX  THE    HOMCEOPATHIC    RECORDER. 

cools.  It  forms  a  brick-colored  anodyne,  and  astringent  oint- 
ment admirably  adapted  to  the  cure  of  hemorrhoidal'  tumors. 

"It  has  been  given  in  a  number  of  cases  of  diseases,  princi- 
pally in  chronic  coughs,  accompanied  by  that  irritable  condition 
of  the  system,  which  usually  marks  the  incipient  stage  of  phthi- 
sis ;  also  in  hemorrhoidal  affections ;  and  in  most  cases  with  de- 
cided benefit. 

"Its  action  very  closely  resembles  that  of  the  Bugle-weed, 
with  the  exception  that  the  witch-hazel  is  more  anodyne  or  nar- 
cotic, and  exerts  a  less  direct  control  over  the  action  of  the  heart 
and  arteries. 

"Dr.  Davis  hazards  the  opinion,  that  further  investigation  in 
regard  to  this  class  of  remedies,  may  enable  us  to  control  the 
early  stages  of  consumption  with  as  much  certainty  as  we  now 
control  the  common  forms  of  fever.  They  seem  to  fulfill  an  in- 
dication which  is  but  imperfectly  met  by  any  combination  of  the 
more  common  allopathic  remedies,  viz.,  -the  allaying  of  irri- 
tability both  in  the  nervous  and  vascular  systems,  without  in- 
ducing either  debility  or  derangement  of  the  digestive  functions. " 


There  is  intemperance  in  the  use  of  liquor  and  in  the  practice 
of  law,  in  the  eating  of  food  and  the  preaching  of  religion,  in 
the  drinking  of  tea  and  the  practice  of  medicine,  in  the  use  of 
coffee  and  in  the  temperance  cause ;  in  fact,  in  pretty  much  every 
thing  man  goes  in  for.  Men  (and  women)  are  intemperate  for  al- 
most as  many  reasons  as  there  are  forms  of  intemperance.  Some 
from  weakness,  some  from  cussedness,  many  because  they  are  sure 
they  are  better  than  others  and  ought  to  boss  the  sinners,  and  a 
goodly  number  for  the  sad  reason  that  they  are  not  very  sensible, 
inclining  foolward.  However,  T.  W.  mustn't  throw  dornicks,  for 
every  mother's  son  of  us  has  his  streak  of  intemperance.  So, 
instead  of  hurling  rocks  let's  tell  an  illustrative  story — maybe 
you've  heard  it  before,  for  it  isn't  youthful : 

Two  young  men  visited  a  Scotch  village  on  Sunday,  but  soon 
left  it  in  a  battered  condition  with  black  eyes  and  torn  clothes. 
A  grave  citizen  asked  other  severe  looking  men  of  the  village 
why  the  two  young  men  were  so  beaten  up  ?  The  reply  was  that 
they  came  into  the  town  looking  too  smiling  for  the  Sabbath 
day. 


THE    HOMOEOPATHIC    RECORDER. 


XXI 


Crow  Motor  Car  Company 


Main  and  Simonton  Streets 


ELKHART,  IND. 


The  Car  for  Satisfaction  and  Service! 

What  More  Can  fou  Ask? 
For  Particulars,  Prices,  etc.,  address  as  above. 


Homoeopathic 
Department 

of  the 

University  of 
Michigan 

Stands  for  Thoroughness 

Offers  six  salaried  positions  an- 
nually for  Assistantships  and  Hospi- 
tal Physicians. 

A  five-year  Optional  Course 
affords  great  opportunity  for  spe- 
cialization. 

Address 

W.   B.  HINDSDALE,   M.   D.,   Dean 
ANN  ARBOR,  MICH. 


College  of 
Homoeopathic 

Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 

1.  One  of  the  eleven  colleges  of  a 
great  State  University. 

2.  Located  in  a  city  of  250,000 
population. 

3.  College  and  University  Hospi- 
tal on  campus.  All  hospital  pa- 
tients are  for  the  clinics. 

4.  All  faculty  members,  all  time 
salaried  men. 

ADDRESS 

CLAUDE   A.   BURRETT,  Ph  B.  M.D. 


College  of  Homoeopathic  Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 

Columbus,  Ohio 


XX11  THE   HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

Yes,  intemperance  is  a  grave  error,  but  the  trouble  is  we  are 
apt  to  regard  our  own  form  of  it  as  a  virtue,  as,  for  instance, 
when  an  honest  homoeopath  denounces  every  allopath  as  a  sin- 
ful man  (or  worse)  or  an  allopath  jeers  the  homoeopath  as  a 
"quack"  or  a  fool.  The  big  majority  of  physicians,  whatever 
their  belief,  are  honest,  even  though  we  know  their  patients 
would  do  better  under  the  medicine  of  our  own  faith.  Yes, 
"faith,"  for,  indeed,  there  is  precious  little  Science  in  it,  for  has 
not  the  "science"  of  yesterday  "gone  where  the  woodbine  twin- 
eth,"  as  Jim  Fiske  once  put  it?  Homoeopathy  is  a  law,  but  it 
takes  the  highest  kind  of  art  to  apply  it. 

"Yea,  Susan,"  said  the  old  quaker  man  to  his  wife,"  all  the 
world  is  more  or  less  crazy  except  thee  and  me  and  I  sometimes 
think  that  thee  is  a  little  queer." 


The  following  is  what  Dr.  Finlay  Ellingwood  has  to  say  of 
Wood's  Clinical  Gynecology  in  his  journal,  Ellingwood's  Thera- 
peutist: 

"This  practical  work  is  based  upon  the  author's  personal  ob- 
servations in  the  treatment  of  the  diseases  of  women,  from  the 
Homoeopathic  standpoint.  However,  he  is  exceedingly'  broad- 
minded,  and  has  devoted  himself  to  acquiring  a  knowledge  of 
all  methods.  In  his  foreword,  he  makes  plain  many  facts  difficult 
of  comprehension  in  the  relation  of  Homoeopathic  physician, 
first,  to  his  own  patients,  then  to  the  profession  at  large.  He 
denies  that  their  school  is  a  sectarian  school. 

The  diseases  considered  are  arranged  in  alphabetical  order. 
The  first  is  Dysuria,  then  follows  Dysmenorrhea,  uterine  Hemor- 
rhage, Vaginal  discharges,  cancer,  myofibroma,  gastro-intestinal 
ulcers,  auto-intoxication  and  mucous  entero-colitis.  Then  ex- 
ophthalmic goitre,  reflex  epilepsy,  the  sex  impulse,  and  specific 
disease,  referred  pain,  conditions  following  surgical  operations 
preventing  convalescence,  facts  concerning  the  Homoeopathic 
treatment  of  these  conditions,  the  treatment  of  all  cases  of 
women's  diseases  from  a  post-operative  standpoint. 

"The  work  attracts  me,  and  I  think  I  am  justified  in  saying 
that  it  would  prove  to  any  physician,  a  very  useful  book.  It 
follows  the  lines  we  are  teaching  in  our  literature  very  closely, 


THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


XX111 


The  Eclectic  Medical  College 

OF  CINCINNATI,  OHIO 


Located   in   one  of  America's   greatest  Medical   Centers — The   oldest    (1845)    and 
Leading  Eclectic  Medical  College,  Conducted  on  High  Standards. 


New  modern  building,  well  equipped 
laboratories,  six  whole-time  salaried  in- 
structors. 

Entrance — Completion  of  first  grade, 
/our  years'  high  school  course  or  its 
equivalent,  plus  one  year  of  work  of 
college  grade  in  Physics,  Chemistry, 
Biology  and  a  modern  language.  All 
credentials  must  be  approved  by  the 
Ohio  State  Medical  Board. 

A  pre-medical  course  in  Physics, 
Chemistry,  Biology  and  a  modern  lan- 
guage is  given  by  the  Ohio  Mechanics' 
Institute,  Cincinnati,  complying  with  the 
Standards  of  State  boards  generally  and 
the  A.  M.  A. 


The  course  in  Medicine  comprises 
four  graded  sessions  of  eight  months 
each.  Fees,  $120  per  year;  Matricula- 
tion, $5.00   (payable  once). 

Juniors  in  co-operative  courses  in  City 
Health  Department  and  Tuberculosis 
Hospital  (320  beds),  and  Seton  Hospital 
Clinics;  senior  interneship  in  Seton 
Hospital.  Seniors  in  clinical  and  bed- 
side instruction  in  new  Municipal  Hos- 
pital, costing  $4,000,000  (850  beds)  ;  also 
special  lectures  in  Longview  Insane 
Asylum. 

Seventy-:econd  year  opens  September 
14,  1916.  For  bulletins  and  detailed 
information  address 


JOHN  K.  SCUDDER,  M.D.,  Secretary 
630  West  Sixth  Street  -:-  CINCINNATI,  OHIO 


ALFALCO 

AN  ALFALFA  TONIC. 

"Repeat''  orders  are  the  true  evidence  of  its  merit. 
'Gained  in  weight."  "Feel  better  than  for  years."  "I 
think  it  is  a  good  thing."  These  are  the  burden  of  the 
letters  from  those  who  have  used  it.  For  sale  at  all  of 
Boericke  &  Tafel's  pharmacies.  The  best  tonic  that  is 
offered  today.  Sample  and  prices  on  request,  to  phy- 
sicians only. 

BOERICKE  &  TAFEL. 


XXIV  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

adopting-  many  of  our  own  remedies.  a>  we  advise  them,  and 
broadening  the  field  by  the  addition  of  the  Homoeopathic  spe- 
cifics as  they  know  them  to  act.  We  can  advise  the  purchase 
of  this  book  with  pleasure." 


This  comes  from  the  Eclectic  Medical  Journal — Scudder's — 
concerning  Moffat's  recently  published  Homoeopathic  Therapeu- 
tics in  Ophthalmology: 

"A  concise  and  useful  manual  keeping  this  department  of 
medicine  up  to  date  homceopathically.  It  has  a  chapter  on 
Hahnemann,  one  on  homoeopathy,  while  the  bulk  of  the  work  in- 
cludes the  ophthalmic  materia  medica  and  a  full  repertory.  It 
should  be  useful  to  the  general  practitioner,  as  well  as  for  the 
specialist." 

This  little  Si. 25  book  will  save  the  general  practitioner  and 
the  specialist  much  trouble  in  looking  up  the  remedies  for  the 
eye  for  they  are  all  in  it  with  quick  guides  for  rinding  them. 


The  Illinois  Health  Newts  is  a  bit  slow,  as  the  Dec.  and  Jan. 
numbers  came  to  hand  on  May  1st,  but  is  always  welcome  and, 
to  T.  W.,  at  any  rate,  entertaining.  It  is  great  on  cartoons  and 
they  all  bear  the  legend  "Illinois  State  Board  of  Health  Car- 
toons'' and  are  numbered,  50  being  the  last  at  this  writing.  It 
represents  a  man  in  his  nighty,  with  shirt  a  flying  and  flapping 
around  his  legs  from  the  wintry  blast  coming  through  the  win- 
dows he  is  closing.  Perched  around  the  room  are  microbes, 
pneumonia,  tuberculosis,  diphtheria  and  others  resembling  some- 
thing that  is  a  cross  between  a  monkey  and  a  daddy-long-legs. 
From  the  comments  they  are  making  one  infers  they  are  very 
gleeful  over  the  man's  act.  and  also  that  the  learned  Board  con- 
siders disease  to  be  an  animal. 

Cartoon  49,  if  it  were  not  for  its  tenor,  would  be  first-class 
humor.  It  represents  something  like  a  Greek  temple,  over  the 
pillars  of  which  is  a  big  sign,  "Tuberculosis  Sanitarium,"  and 
over  the  door,  "Welcome." 


Boericke  &  Runyon  have  removed  to  200  6th  Ave.,  having  the 
2d  floor  of  the  Macy  building  and  retail  establishment  at  57  W. 
39th  St.,  New  York. 


THE    HOMCEOPATHIC    RECORDER. 


XI 


"Heir  medicines  are  lie  Best" 

BOERICKE   &  TAFEL, 

Homoeopathic  Pharmacists,  Importers  and  Publishers. 

PHILADELPHIA,  ion  Arch  St. 

PHILADELPHIA,  125  South  nth  St. 
PHILADELPHIA,  15  North  6th  St. 
NEW  YORK,  145  Grand  St. 

NEW  YORK,  145  West  43d  St. 

NEW  YORK,  634  Columbus  Ave. 
CHICAGO,  156  N.  Wabash  Ave. 
PITTSBURGH,  702  Penn  Ave. 

BALTIMORE,  326  North  Howard  St. 
CINCINNATI,  213  West  4th   St. 

fkattusat  £iUkbU«fa»d  In  1885. 


Our  energetic  friend  and  typical  Gothamite.  Dr.  F.  M.  Dear- 
born, sends  T.  W.  what  you  will  find  below,  but  will  first  let 
F.  M.  D.  speak : 

"The  enclosed  advertisement  of  the has  just 

come  to  my  notice  and  I  thought  the  introductory  paragraph  was 
so  eloquent  that  you  ought  to  read  it.  You  notice  these  tablets 
are  not  only  palatable,  but  actually  delicious.  Our  Allopathic 
friends  are  certainly  borrowing  liberally  from  us.  Make  any 
use  of  this  circular  you  see  fit,  but  do  not  return  it  to  me.'' 

Well,  here  it  is  : 

"CANDY  MEDICATION  is  a  departure  from  the  old  phar- 
maceutical line,  and  truly  worthy  of  consideration  by  the  con- 


Xll  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

scientious,  discriminating  practitioner.  These  tablets  are  not 
merely  palatable,  but  actually  delicious.  They  represent  the  re- 
sult of  a  study  on  rendering  the  administration  of  unpalatable 
drugs  to  children  not  only  palatable,  but  truly  delightful." 

Tempora  mutantur,  et  nos  mutamur  in  Mis!  (Look  in  the 
back  of  your  dictionary.)  And  yet  our  wandering  friends,  the 
allopaths,  wandering  in  the  therapeutic  wilderness,  notwithstand- 
ing candy,  are  still  blindly  groping  in  the  barren  desert,  and  will 
continue  to  do  so  until  they  learn  that  simple  primary  of  science, 
namely,  that  everything,  even  medicine,  acts  by  immutable  law, 
drugs,  of  course,  included.  The  true  law  was  made  known  over 
ioo  years  ago,  but  their  medical  ancestors  chose  to  turn'  it  down 
with  contumely  and  have  ever  since  been  too  proud  to  acknowl- 
edge their  error.  They  have  followed,  or,  rather,  indulged  in, 
all  sorts  of  wild  empiricism,  their  latest  pharmacal  products  re- 
sembling, in  a  manner,  the  pharmaceuticals  of  the  witches  that 
poor  old  Macbeth  consulted  when  he  was  in  trouble.  Their  one 
guiding  principle  seems  to  be  to  give  as  much  of  their  broth  as 
the  traffic — beg  pardon,  the  patient — will  bear.  If  a  little  is 
good  more  must  be  better,  was  their  old  calomel  doctrine,  but 
as  it  was  not  better  they  have  abandoned  it  and  turned  to  the 
witches'  broth  by  which  they  hope  to  physically  regenerate  the 
world.  Yet  in  spite  of  their  well  meant  efforts  the  really  deadly 
diseases  are  steadily  increasing.  Years  ago  they  were  full  of 
the  idea  that  all  that  was  needed  was  to  kill  the  germs,  and,  logic- 
ally, the  patient  would  become  sane  and  sound.  But  when  the 
germs  died,  if  they  did  die,  too  often  the  patient  departed  with 
them  to  the  great  unknown.  So  this  scientific  procedure  was 
given  up.  Then  the  idea  of  putting  good  germs  to  fighting  bad 
germs  came  into  the  limelight.  So  it  went,  one  fantastical  thing 
following  another  until  trie  idea  of  cure  was  given  up  as  being 
vulgarly  unscientific  among  the  leaders,  but  "candy  medication" 
shows  that  the  rank  and  file  still  hanker  after  medicine.  Let 
them  learn  how  to  use  medicine  by  taking  up  with  Homoeopathy, 
subscribe  for  the  Homoeopathic  Recorder,  join  the  Institute 
and  all  will  be  well  with  them. 


THE    HOMCEOPATHIC    RECORDER 


Xlll 


Haddon  Hall 

ATLANTIC  CITY 

ALWAYS    OPEN 

RIOHT  ON  THE  BEACH  AND  THE  BOARDWALK 


Appeals  particularly  to  cultivated  people  who  seek 
rest  and  recreation  at  the  Sea  Shore,  Summer  or  Win- 
ter. From  every  section  of  the  country  such  guests 
have  come  to  Haddon  Hall  for  40  years — and  come 
hack  again  and  again — it  is  so  satisfying,  so  free  from 
ostentation,  so  restful  and  sufficient.  Every  facility  is 
offered  young  and  old  for  enjoyment. 

A  step  and  you  are  in  the  surf.  Fascinating  shops 
and  d  tiiousand  amusements  are  offered  along  the 
famous  Boardwalk.  Privileges  of  fine  golf  and  yacht 
clubs.  Rooms  are  comfortable  and  attractive — there 
is  delightful  music — and  always  interesting  people. 

Make  reservations — write  for  illustrated  folder. 


LEEDS  &LIPPINCOTT 


P'i      ,  ;~ 


rtiJ 


XIV  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

MY  SECRETARY. 

BY    STUART    CLOSE,    M.    D. 

Who  always  smiles  and  looks  so  sweet, 
Each  friend  or  patient  quick  to  greet? 
Who  puts  them  at  their  ease  and  waits. 
Their  every  want  anticipates? 
My  Secretary. 

Who  takes  the  babies  in  her  arms 
And  soothes  their  crying  with  her  charms? 
Who  brings  the  children  blocks  and  toys, 
And  kindergarten  art  employs? 
My  Secretary. 

Who  notes  the  lady  with  a  frown, 
Admires  her  latest  hat  or  gown, 
Attends  her  with   solicitude, 
Beguiles  her  into  cheerful  mood? 
My  Secretary. 

Who  takes  the  "detail  man"  in  hand 
And  gently  makes  him  understand 
That  all  his  wiles  will  not  suffice 
To  captivate  the  man  of  ice? 
My  Secretary. 

Who  meets  the  patient  with  a  grouch 
And  strings  him  till  he  will  avouch 
That  all  his  blusterings  were  bunk 
And  everything  is  now  all  hunk? 
My  Secretary. 

Who  posts  my  books  and  mails  my  bills? 
Who  types  my  letters,  stores  my  pills? 
Who  neatly  files  each  magazine, 
(And  puts  them  where  they  can't  be  seen?) 
My  Secretary. 

Who  runs  delinquent  debtors  down, 
And  makes  them  wish  they'd  left  the  town? 
Who  calls  on  each  appointed  day, 
Relentless  till  she  makes  them  pay? 
My  Secretary. 


THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER.  XT 


Glandular   Therapy 
Biological     Triturations 


List 

CORPUS    LUTEUM 

DUODENUM 

PANCREAS 

PITUITARY 

SUPRARENALS 

THYMUS 

THYROID 

BRAIN 

ORCHIC 

MAMMARY 

PINEAL 

PROSTATE 


PRICE  LIST 

Tablets,  1  m.  $0.60;     5  m.  $2.25 
Supplied  in  6x  when  not  otherwise  specified 

The  material  for  these  triturations  was  obtained  from  standard 
laboratories,  for  these  products.  A  leaflet,  giving  clinical  scope, 
will  be  sent  on  request.  These  triturations  are  made  with  the 
pure  sugar  of  milk  crystals  (not  powdered  milk  sugar).  The  ix 
receives  four  hours  triturating,  and  each  succeeding  x  two  hours. 
This  line  was  made  because  many  physicians  were  asking  for 
these  glandular  products  in  triturations. 

Obtainable  at  any  of  our  pharmacies. 

Boericke  &  Tafel. 


XVI  THE  HOMCEOFATHIC  RECORDER. 

Who  praises  me   in   terms   discreet, 
To  friends  who  meet  her  on,  the  street? 
Who's  jolly  when  I'm  feeling  blue, 
Who's  always  loyal,  kind  and  true? 
My  Secretary. 

(Strikes  T.  W.  that  Dr.  Close  is  reckless,  for  it  may  be  some 
other  doctor  will  try  to  steal  his  secretary.  There  is  such  a 
thing  as  stealing  patients,  so  why  not  secretaries.) 


Off  and  on  inquiries  come  in  for  Iris  tenax,  but  no  pharma- 
cist, homoeopathic,  eclectic  or  allopathic,  had  it  or  knew  anything 
about  it.  At  last  B.  &  T.  have  secured  a  small  supply.  There 
is  scattered  mention  of  this  drug,  but  the  only  thing  at  hand  con- 
cerning it  is  in  a  letter  from  Dr.  W.  H.  Yingling,  of  Emporia, 
Kansas,  in  which  he  writes,  "I  have  verified,  a  number  of  times, 
Iris  tenax  for  pain  in  right  lower  abdomen,  region  of  the  ap- 
pendix." 

Yingling  also  gives  several  pointers  in  this  letter  so  we  might 
as  well  give  them  all  pro  bono  publico,  "I  have  also  verified 
Agraphis  for  occlusion  of  nose,  possible  adenoids,  especially 
when  tonsils  are  involved,  voice  thick  and  nose  all  closed  up. 

"A  case  of  severe  pain  in  stomach  coming  on  at  night  only 
found  relief  by  drinking  water  sweetened  with  sugar.  I  took 
the  hint  and  gave  Sacch.  alba  200  with  very  prompt  and  per- 
manent relief. 

"Several  cases  of  running  fistulous  sores,  discharging  freely, 
tender  and  sensitive,  were  cured  by  Calendula  12.  I  find 
Calendula  the  great  anti-pus  remedy.  I  mashed  my  finger,  crush- 
ing the  side  of  finger  and  breaking  the  skin.  I  poured  Calendula 
succus  on  the  wound  and  bound  it  up  with  cotton  saturated  with 
the  same.  Letting  it  go  for  several  days  I  found  the  wound 
healed  and  applied  court  plaster  to  protect  the  tender  skin.  It 
was  well  after  a  few  days  and  gave  no  trouble  and  not  a  drop 
of  pus.  A  man  cut  ends  of  two  fingers  nearly  off,  hanging  only 
by  the  skin.  I  applied  Calendula  freely,  held  the  fingers  in  place 
by  adhesive  plaster  and  kept  moist  with  same.  Results  was  per- 
fect fingers." 


THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER.  XVll 


Diseases  of  the  Skin 

Including  the  Exanthemata. 

BY  FREDERICK  M.  DEARBORN,  A.  B.,  M.  D. 

New  York  City. 


200  original  illustrations,  photographs  from  actual 
cases. 

551  large  8vo.  pages.  Cloth,  $5.00,  net,  sent  on  re- 
ceipt of  price  by  any  homceopathic  book  dealer. 

This  book  is  not  printed  from  plates,  is  new,  from 
cover  to  cover,  the  latest,  the  least  padded  and  most  help- 
ful book  on  the  skin  extant. 


For  Sale  at  All  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies. 


PRACTICAL  HOMCEOPATHIC 
THERAPEUTICS 

By  W.  A.  DEWEY,  M.  D. 
Second  Edition  426 pages.     Cloth,  $2.50  net. 

"The  book  strikes  me  as  being  about  the  most  satisfactory  work 
of  the  kind  I  ever  saw." — C,  Medical  Gleaner. 

"He  has  done  for  therapeutics  what  Farrington  did  for  Materia 
Medica. " — Homoeopathic  World. 

"If  you  want  a  book  of  homceopathic  therapeutics,  pure,  simple 
straight,  clean  and  up-to-date  Homoeopathy,  here  you  are.  It  is  one 
of  the  books  you  want.  You  want  it  handy.  Right  on  the  nearest 
corner  of  the  middle  shelf  of  your  bookcase." — The  Clinic. 


XV111  THE  HOMOOPATHIC 


I  AM  NOT  MAD. 

I  am  not  mad  and  loudly  I  deny 

That  I  am  bias  or  my  thoughts  awry, 

Voice  you  your  lines,  and  I  will  sure  repeat 

Word  after  word,  your  fanciful  conceit. 

My  thumps  are  not  outpointed,  nor  my  thought 

That  all  the  world  is  crazy  or  distraught. 

Nay,  nay,  T.  W.,  my  quibs  in  verse 

Came  from  no  frenzied  agony,  or  worse, 

But  fast  as  could  I  write,  they  faster  pressed — 

From  brain  to  finger  tip,  with  agile  zest. 

'Twas  fun,  just  fun  to  write,  I  did  not  tear 

From  an  erratic  head  the  silver  hair — 

But  calmly,  with  upon  my  face  a  smile, 
For  your  dear  sake  I  thus  sought  to  beguile 
From  thought  profound  the  medicals  who  read 
The  lofty  truths  in  your  Recorder  screed. 


—Ken. 


July  18,  1917. 


Dr.  G.  E.  Dienst  writes: 

"Our  Post-Graduate  is  progressing,  and  I  think  the  Kent 
controversy  is  at  an  end." 

"The  Society  of  Homceopathicians  has  been  merged  into  the 
I.  H.  A.,  hence  will  not  exist  as  a  separate  organization.  The 
next  meeting  will  be  held  at  Narragansett  Pier." 


Dr.  E.  B.  Nash,  author  of  the  many  "Leaders,"  writes  that  he 
spent  a  good  part  of  the  past  winter  in  California.  He  and  Dr. 
Jacquelin,  of  Los  Angeles,  amused  themselves  in  part,  at  least, 
in  studying  and  analyzing  a  number  of  our  old  remedies. 


The  following  notice  of  Wilson's  recently  published  Diseases 
of  the  Nervous  System  is  from  the  Hahnemannian  Monthly: 

"The  original  purpose  of  this  book  was  to  present  to  students 
and  the  general  practitioners  such  information  upon  nervous 
diseases  as  would  be  within  their  powers  of  comprehension  to 
the  needs  of  every-day  work. 

"The  first  edition  had  such  widespread  success  that  a  second 


THE    HOMCEOPATHIC   RECORDER.  XIX 

THERAPEUTICS 

OF  THE 

RESPIRATORY  SYSTEM 

Coughs  and  Coryza,  Acute  and  Chronic.  Repertory 
with  Index.    Materia  Medica,  with  Index. 

By  W.  M.  Van  Denburg,  A.  M.,  M.  D.  "Similars 
can  be  cured  by  similars."  Proof:  An  intelligent  appli- 
cation of  the  drug-symptoms  in  this  book. 

782  pages.    Cloth,  $5.00,  net. 

This  is  a  genuine  therapeutic  text-book  on  the  "king- 
dom of  the  lungs,"  one  that  will  be  the  standard  for  all 
time  to  come.  It  is  complete.  Its  arrangement  is  such 
as  to  send  the  inquirer  straight  to  the  indicated  remedy 
with  a  minimum  of  searching.   Every  office  needs  a  copy. 


TRBATCDBNT 

By  CLARENCE  BARTLETT,  M.D. 

1223  pages.     Large  8vo.     Strong  Cloth,  $8.00,  net. 

Delivered  by  parcel  post,  free  to  any  part  of  the 
United  States  on  receipt  of  the  price,  $8.00. 

This  book,  worthy  of  being  termed  an  Encyclopedia 
of  Treatment,  will  pay  its  way  in  any  physician's  library 
who  is  in  active  practice.  The  Medical  World  put  its 
character  in  a  nut  shell  when  it  wrote:  "It  covers  well 
every  part  of  the  domain  of  modern  general  medical 
practice  as  mirrored  by  the  consensus  of  the  opinion  of 
the  best  men  of  all  schools." 


At  all  pharmacies  and  book  dealers. 


XX  THE    HOMOEOPATHIC    RECORDER. 

one  has  now  been  called  for.  In  the  second  edition  the  author 
has  considerably  enlarged  upon  those  sections  dealing  with 
'Cerebro-Spinal  Meningitis'  and  'Poliomyelitis.'  The  scope  of 
the  work  covers  anatomy  of  the  nervous  system  with  a  considera- 
tion of  the  diagnosis  and  treatment  of  the  various  diseases  af- 
fecting the  nerve  tissue.  In  addition  to  the  general  treatment 
the  author  includes  a  resume  of  the  homoeopathic  remedies  ap- 
plicable to  the  various  diseased  conditions." 

The  thing  in  this  that  strikes  T.  W. — it  out-crops  in  many 
book  notices — is  the  rather  condescending  mention  of  the  "gen- 
eral practitioners"  and  "their  powers  of  comprehension."  With 
good  will  towards  all  and  malice  towards  none  T.  W.  sometimes 
thinks  that  many  specialists  could  sit  at  the  feet  of  the  general 
practitioner  and  learn  real  wisdom  for  the  human  machine  is 
made  up  of  many  parts  and  all  are  intimately  related.  Dr.  Har- 
vey King's  Medical  Union  No.  6  ought  to  be  a  sort  of  moral 
text-book  for  all  physicians.  It  is  worth  reading  about  once  a 
year  and  it  only  costs  50  cents. 

As  for  Wilson's  Diseases  of  the  Nervous  System  we  labored 
under  the  impression  that  it  about  covered  the  field  even  for  the 
specialist. 


Dr.  Henry  C.  Aldrich  announces  the  removal  of  his  office  to 
suite  1 132  in  the  Metropolitan  Bank  Building,  Cor.  of  6th  St. 
and  Second  Ave.,  South,  Minneapolis.  Needless  to  add  of  the 
State  of  Minnesota. 


Splendid  Practice  to  Give  Away. — I  have  been  thirty-five 
years  practicing  homoeopathic  medicine  in  Danville,  the  county 
seat  of  Hendricks  county,  Ind.  Twenty  miles  west  of  Indian- 
apolis, on  "Big  Four  R.  R."  Also  interurban  line.  Splendid 
pike  roads,  well-to-do  people,  six  churches,  grade  schools  and 
first-class  high  school.  Location  of  Central  Normal  College  for 
past  forty  years.  Best  artesian  water  and  a  healthy  little  city. 
I  am  seventy-seven  years  old  and  want  to  sell  my  home  and 
office  and  get  out  of  the  way  of  the  purchaser.  A  two-storied 
frame  dwelling  of  eight  rooms,  also  a  bath  room,  and  wood 
and  coal  rooms,  and  a  brick  office  of  three  rooms  on  the  same 


THE   HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


XXI 


Crow  Motor  Car  Company 


Main  and  Simonton  Streets 


ELKHART,  IND. 


The  Car  for  Satisfaction  and  Service! 

What  More  Can  Ifou  Ask? 
For  Particulars,  Prices,  etc.,  address  as  above. 


Homoeopathic 
Department 

of  the 

University  of 
Michigan 

Stands  for  Thoroughness 

Offers  six  salaried  positions  an- 
nually for  Assistantships  and  Hospi- 
tal Physicians. 

A  five-year  Optional  Course 
affords  great  opportunity  for  spe- 
cialization. 

Address 

W.  B.  HINDSDALE,   M.   D.,  Dean 
ANN  ARBOR,  MICH. 


College  of 
Homoeopathic 

Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 

i.  One  of  the  eleven  colleges  of  a 
great  State  University. 

2.  Located  in  a  city  of  250,000 
population. 

3.  College  and  University  Hospi- 
tal on  campus.  All  hospital  pa- 
tients are  for  the  clinics. 

4.  All  faculty  members,  all  time 
salaried  men. 

ADDRESS 

CLAUDE  A.   BIRRFTT,  Ph.B.  M.D. 

DEAN 

College  of  Homoeopathic  Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 

Columbus,  Ohio 


XMl  THE   HOMOEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 

lot.  All  for  $3,000.  Am  the  only  homoeopathic  physician  in  the 
town.  Come,  and  I  will  show  you,  or  address,  F.  H.  Huron, 
M.  D.,  Danville,  Ind. 


SANITATION  ON  THE  FARM. 

(Begging  the  pardon  of  somebody.) 
We've  bathed  the  bossie's  tootsies,  we've  cleaned  the  rooster's  ears, 
We've  trimmed  the  turkey's  wattles  with  antiseptic  shears. 
With  talcum  all  the  guinea-hens  are  beautiful  and  bright, 
And   Dobbin's  wreath   of   gleaming  teeth   we've  burnished  snowy  white. 
With  pungent  sachet  powder  we've  glorified  the  dog, 
And  when  we  have  the  leisure  we'll  manicure  the  hog. 
We've  done  all  in  our  power  to  have  a  barn  de  luxe  ; 
We've  soused  the  sheep  in  Kreso  Dip :  we've  sterilized  the  ducks. 
The  little  chicks  are  daily  fed  on  sanitated  worms, 
The  calves  and  colts  are  always  boiled  to  keep  them  free  from  germs. 
And  thoroughly  to  carry  out  our  prophylactic  plan, 
Next  week  wTith  Germicidal  Soap  we'll  wash  the  hired  man. — Cribbed. 


Dr.  M.  L.  Casselberry,  Morgantown,  W.  Va.,  writes:  "As 
you  already  know  my  eyesight  has  failed.  My  field  of  practice 
affords  an  excellent  opportunity  for  a  good  man.  If  you  know 
of  any  one  who  would  like  to  locate  here  kindly  have  him  write 
me  and  make  his  own  terms.  My  office  practice  alone  nets  me 
$100  per  month,  and  one  who  could  attend  to  outside  work  could 
make,  a  good  proposition.''  If  any  reader  is  interested  let  him 
write  direct  to  Dr.  Casselberry. 


A  lot  of  our  friends  got  into  a  hot  argument  the  other  day — 
they  are  always  scrapping  about  something.  One  said  the  money 
wasted  in  tobacco  every  year  would  buy  so  much  bread.  An- 
other said  the  grain  used  every  year  in  making  whiskey  and  beer 
would  make  so  much  bread.  But  then  came  from  the  opposi- 
tion, "Who  in  thunder  would  eat  all  that  bread?" 


The  "food  shortage''  and  "food  conservation"  topics  seem  to 
have  turned  loose  an  unlimited  supply  of  froth,  bunk  and  hys- 
teria on  the  country.  For  example,  a  doctor  who  owns  a  farm 
and  also  an  apparently  fine  city  practice,  which,  presumably,  sup- 
ports the  farm,  recently  told  T.  W.  that  he  had  thousands  of 


THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


XX111 


The  Eclectic  Medical  College 

OF  CINCINNATI,  OHIO 


Located   in   one  of  America's   greatest  Medical   Centers — The   oldest    (1845)    and 
Leading  Eclectic  Medical  College,  Conducted  on  High  Standards. 


New  modern  building,  well  equipped 
laboratories,  six  whole-time  salaried  in- 
structors. 

Entrance — Completion  of  first  grade, 
four  years'  high  school  course  or  its 
equivalent,  plus  one  year  of  work  of 
college  grade  in  Physics,  Chemistry, 
Biology  and  a  modern  language.  All 
credentials  must  be  approved  by  the 
Ohio  State  Medical  Board. 

A  pre-medical  course  in  Physics, 
Chemistry,  Biology  and  a  modern  lan- 
guage is  given  by  the  Ohio  Mechanics' 
Institute,  Cincinnati,  complying  with  the 
standards  of  State  boards  generally  and 
the  A.  M.  A. 


The  course  in  Medicine  comprises 
four  graded  sessions  of  eight  months 
each.  Fees,  $120  per  year;  Matricula- 
tion, $5.00   (payable  once;. 

Juniors  in  co-operative  courses  in  City 
Health  Department  and  Tuberculosis 
Hospital  (320  beds),  and  Seton  Hospital 
Clinics;  senior  interneship  in  Seton 
Hospital.  Seniors  in  clinical  and  bed- 
side instruction  in  new  Municipal  Hos- 
pital, costing  $4,000,000  (850  beds)  ;  also 
special  lectures  in  Longview  Insane 
Asylum. 

Seventy-third  year  opens  September 
14,  1917.  For  bulletins  and  detailed 
information  address 


JOHN  K.  SCUDDER,  M.D.,  Secretary 
630  West  Sixth  Street  -:■  CINCINNATI,  OHIO 


ALFALCO 

AN  ALFALFA  TONIC. 

"Repeat"  orders  are  the  true  evidence  of  its  merit. 
"Gained  in  weight."  "Feel  better  than  for  years."  "I 
think  it  is  a  good  thing."  These  are  the  burden  of  the 
letters  from  those  who  have  used  it.  For  sale  at  all  of 
Boericke  &  Tafel's  pharmacies.  The  best  tonic  that  is 
offered  today.  Sample  and  prices  on  request,  to  phy- 
sicians only. 

BOERICKE  &  TAFEL. 


XXIV  THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

quarts  of  fine  strawberries,  big  and  luscious,  but  as  he  could  not 
get  any  one  to  pick  them,  and  if  he  could  he  would  not  receive 
enough  from  them  to  pay  freight,  commission  and  boxes,  he 
turned  his  flock  of  geese  into  the  field  and  let  them  live  on 
the  berries,  while  they  lasted.  He  said  geese  like  strawberries 
and  presumably  he  wasn't  kidding.  A  Pennsylvania  farmer 
told  us  that  he  didn't  see  "why  you  city  people  are  planting  po- 
tatoes in  your  yards.  Up  our  way  we  have  more  in  the  ground 
than  we  can  get  men  to  dig  and  when  they  are  dug  I  don't  know 
who  will  buy  them."  These  are  two  samples  of  many  stories 
that  come  our  way — a  superabundance  of  produce,  but  a  great 
shortage  of  labor.    Well,  "it,  too,  will  pass,"  as  the  Greeks  say. 


Your  old  friend,  T.  W.,  isn't  a  full  blown  cosmopolitan,  only 
a  little  approach  to  one.  Xot  long  ago  he  was  at  a  modest 
"eats,"  where  the  talk  drifted  here,  yonder  and  thither.  One 
gentleman  present  was  a  member  of  an  association  that  is  not 
quite  local.  He  told  of  their  meetings.  Three  days  were  devoted 
to  what  an  unregenerate  might  term  "tongue  music."  At  the 
close  of  the  third  day  it  was  an  unwritten  law  that  the  men  had 
that  evening  to  themselves — free.  They  always  had  a  banquet, 
the  cost  of  which  was  at  a  figure  that  enabled  a  first-class  big 
hotel  to  furnish  anything  without  limit  in  the  way  of  eating  or 
drinking  that  a  member's  soul  might  lust  after.  Well,  outside  of 
one  banquet  hall  was  a  goodly  space,  almost  another  hall,  and 
there,  on  one  occasion,  assembled  papa's  ladies,  "his  sisters,  his 
cousins  and  his  aunts,"  to  say  nothing  of  his  wife,  daughters 
and  other  charming  members  of  the  Association.  Seeing  this, 
some  of  the  dignified,  but  unattached,  members  began  sending 
out  bottle  after  bottle  of  champagne  and  other  bottled  liquids, 
which  all  came  back  empty,  but  the  ladies  seemed  to  be  having 
a  good  time.  "After  that,"  he  concluded,  "we  had  ice  water  at 
our  other  meetings,  so  I  don't  go  to  them  any  more  and  the  other 
members  are  not  going  to  any  alarming  extent.  The  real  use  of 
these  yearly  meetings  was  for  the  men  to  get  acquainted  and  I'm 
hanged  if  you  can  do  it  really  on  ice  water." 

All  of  this  is  reported  apropos  of  nothing,  but,  probably,  be- 
cause the  dog-days  are  on  and  T.  W.  does  not  think  he  could  do 
justice  to  serious  themes. 


THE    HOMOEOPATHIC    RECORDER. 


XI 


"TQeir  jnedlGliiBS  are  lie  Best." 

BOERICKE   &  TAFEL, 

Homoeopathic  Pharmacists,  Importers  and  Publishers. 

PHILADELPHIA,  ion  Arch  St. 

PHILADELPHIA,  125  South  nth  St. 
PHILADELPHIA,  15  North  6th  St. 
NEW  YORK,  145  Grand  St. 

NEW  YORK,  145  West  43d  St. 

NEW  YORK,  634  Columbus  Ave. 
CHICAGO,  156  N.  Wabash  Ave. 
PITTSBURGH,  702  Penn  Ave. 

BALTIMORE,  326  North  Howard  St. 
CINCINNATI,  213  West  4th  St. 

Business  Established  in  1*85. 


Like  the  illustrious  editor  of  the  Institute's  Journal,  S.  M.  H., 
we,  T.  W.,  have  been  doing-  a  bit  of  vacationing-  down  at  old 
Cape  May.  Am  undecided  as  to  whether  the  proper  method  of 
taking  a  vacation  is  an  art,  science  or  gift.  If  we  had  the  nerve 
would  ask  S.  M.  H.  to  throw  some  scientific  light  on  the  prob- 
lem. You  see  there  are  some  who  do  nothing  but  complain  and 
find  fault  with  everything,  who  wonder  why  they  left  home 
and  will  be  "glad  to  get  back."  Others,  very  few  and  becom- 
ing scarcer,  for  which  let  us  all  be  thankful,  sit  for  hours  with 
their  feet  on  the  porch  railing  betraying  no  emotions.  These 
were  once  a  very  numerous  race,  as  was  noted  by  Mr.  Martin 
Chuzzlewit,  but  like  the  buflfalo,  seem  to  be  dvin^  out.     Others 


Xll  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

of  the  species  of  vacationists  have  come  down  for  a  rest  and  the 
sea  air,  and  stay  in  their  rooms  all  day,  not  caring  to  "mix 
with  the  herd.''  Some  take  occasion  to  quench  their  prohibition 
thirst,  and  do  not  work  on  the  eight  hour  law  in  doing  it.  Others 
want  to  talk,  and  when  two  or  more  of  them  meet  the  resulting 
flow  of  words  is  worthy  of  investigation  by  John  D.'s  Institute. 
The  excursionists  (round  trip  $1.00,  good  for  one  day)  come 
streaming  from  the  train  full  of  the  vacation  spirit,  cheerful 
children  and  smiling  mothers  and  fathers,  young  women  and 
men  and  those  who  are  hardly  young,  but  all  with  the  joys  of  the 
future  before  them.  In  the  afternoon  they  come  drifting  back, 
an  hour  or  an  hour  and  a  half  before  train  time,  and  an  im- 
pressionist would  say  that  they  were  the  embodiment  of  a  Song 
Without  Words,  but  meaning  "There's  no  Place  Like  Home." 

Still  this  is  but  a  surface  sketch.  Probably  the  fishermen  get 
more  out  of  a  vacation  than  any  others.  These  will  sit  in  boats 
or  stand  on  the  fishing  pier  from  early  morn  till  dewy  eve  in  per- 
fect contentment.  No  wonder,  or  is  it  something  deeper?  that 
the  first  Christians  were  fishermen.  Apropos  of  this  we  heard 
two  stories,  probably  apocryphal  because  they  wrere  essentially 
the  same,  of  two  men  who  fished  faithfully  for  a  week  and 
caught  nothing  until  the  last  day  when  each  landed  a  "channel 
bass,"  40  pounds,  and  said  they  were  amply  repaid  for  their 
week's  "sport."  This  leads  us  to  the  belief  that  the  fishers  have 
solved  the  vacation  problem. 

In  a  negative  manner  the  proposition  that  fishes  have  solved 
the  problem  is  demonstrated  by  the  fact  that  some  years  back  the 
whole  mind  of  the  average  vacationer,  the  "regulars,"  was  cen- 
tered on  "auction" — card  tables  everywhere,  and  no  end  of  dis- 
cussion as  to  the  proper  leads  and  all  that  sort  of  thing.  Then 
the  now  obsolete  tango  came  along,  and  all,  young  and  old, 
danced — or  tried  to.  Even  grandfathers  and  mothers  took  les- 
sons— but  the  fishermen  went  their  calm  way  undisturbed  by 
these  mutations. 

Last  year  an  epidemic  of  knitting  set  in  which  this  year  has 
reached  alarming  proportions.  Women,  young  and  old,  and 
little  girls,  knit,  knit,  knit,  reminding  one  of  the  stories  of  the 
French  Revolution  when  the  women  sat  knitting  as  they  calmly 


THE    HOMOEOPATHIC    RECORDER 


Xlll 


Haddon  Hall 

ATLANTIC  CITY 

ALWAYS    OPEN 
RIGHT  ON  THE  BEACH  AND  THE  BOARDWALK 


Appeals  particularly  to  cultivated  people  who  seek 
rest  and  recreation  at  the  Sea  Shore,  Summer  or  Win- 
ter. From  every  section  of  the  country  such  guests 
have  come  to  Haddon  Hall  for  40  years — and  come 
back  again  and  again — it  is  so  satisfying,  so  free  from 
ostentation,  so  restful  and  sufficient.  Every  facility  is 
offered  young  and  old  for  enjoyment. 

A  step  and  you  are  in  the  surf.  Fascinating  shops 
and  a  thousand  amusements  are  offered  along  the 
famous  Boardwalk.  Privileges  of  fine  golf  and  yacht 
clubs.  Rooms  are  comfortable  and  attractive — there 
is  delightful  music — and  always  interesting  people. 

Make  reservations — write  for  illustrated  folder. 


^-JLEEDS  &  LIPPINCOTT 


^Sm^^mm 


XIV  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

watched  head  after  head  drop  under  the  guillotine.  Sort  of  un- 
canny, isn't  it?  Have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  peanut  is 
the  plebeian  of  nuts,  unless  it  be  that  it  is  the  favorite  of  that  class 
of  humans.  The  peanut  cruncher  drops  the  shells  wherever  he 
may  be,  carpets  the  place  with  them,  esthetics  bothering  him  not. 
There  is  a  very  ancient  legend  that  one  year  the  crop  of  peanuts 
was  three  million  bushels.  When  told  this  the  janitor  of  the 
gallery  of  the  Allentown  Opera  House  said  he  could  account  for 
all  but  three  bushels. 

Cape  May  is  the  oldest  seaside  resort  in  this  country,  that  is  to 
say,  the  first  to  entertain  visitors  in  hotels  built  for  summer 
guests  only.  Heinrich  Hudson  visited  it  before  he  discovered 
New  York  and  the  Hudson.  It  was  settled  by  whalers  and 
pirates  in  the  year  1645  ;  that  is  what  the  local  county  history 
says,  and  it  ought  to  know.  One  old  mariner  took  sixty-six 
prizes  during  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  one  of  his  descendants 
told  me  that  he,  the  aforesaid  ancient  mariner,  was  the  third 
largest  contributor  of  money  to  the  revolution. 

Cape  May  is  the  southernmost  point  in  Xew  Jersey.  About  a 
mile  and  a  half  to  the  right,  facing  south,  is  Cape  May  Point 
where  the  Atlantic  and  Delaware  Bay  meet.  Fifteen  miles 
across  the  water  from  here  is  Delaware,  and  on  clear  nights  you 
can  see  the  steady  or  flashlights  at  Cape  Henlopen,  Lewes. 
Rehoboth,  and  the  break  water  around  which  rest  the  ribs  of 
many  an  old  vessel.  From  Maine  down  the  coast  and  around 
the  Gulf  to  the  Mexican  border  the  mariner  is  never  out  of  sight 
of  the  glare  or  flash  of  a  lighthouse.  They  are  watched,  too. 
An  artist  friend,  fond  of  prowling  around  places  off  the  high- 
ways, was  on  a  Virginia  coast  island  one  summer.  The  keeper 
of  the  lighthouse  told  him  that  one  night,  owing  to  an  accident, 
his  light  was  out  for  about  ten  minutes.  This  was  reported  by  a 
passing  vessel,  and  some  weeks  later  he  was  asked  from  Wash- 
ington why  his  light  was  out  on  a  certain  night,  naming  the 
hour  and  minute. 

Coming  back  to  Cape  May.  Two  miles  up  the  coast  is  Sewall's 
Point  where  the  Government  made  a  harbor  of  refuge  some 
years  ago,  and  an  optimist  built  an  amusement  place.  This  is 
now  inhabited  by  the  navy  men  in  training,  also  a  flying  school. 


THE   HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


XY 


Glandular   Therapy 
Biological     Triturations 


List 

CORPUS    LUTEUM 

DUODENUM 

PANCREAS 

PITUITARY 

SUPRARENALS 

THYMUS 

THYROID 

BRAIN 

ORCHIC 

MAMMARY 

PINEAL 

PROSTATE 


PRICE  LIST 

Tablets,  1  m.  S0.60;     5  m.  $2.25 
Supplied  in  6x  when  not  otherwise  specified 

The  material  for  these  triturations  was  obtained  from  standard 
laboratories,  for  these  products.  A  leaflet,  giving  clinical  scope, 
will  be  sent  on  request.  These  triturations  are  made  with  the 
pure  sugar  of  milk  crystals  (not  powdered  milk  sugar).  The  ix 
receives  four  hours  triturating,  and  each  succeeding  x  two  hours. 
This  line  was  made  because  many  physicians  were  asking  for 
these  glandular  products  in  triturations. 

Obtainable  at  any  of  our  pharmacies. 

Boericke  &  Tafel. 


XVI  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

while  the  harbor,  presumably,  is  full  of  submarines,  "chasers," 
destroyers,  etc. — they  do  not  welcome  casual  visitors.  Across 
the  harbor  and  about  a  mile  inland  is  the  farm  bought  by  Henry 
Ford  famous  as  the  builder  of  "flivers,"  or  ''Tin  Lizzies,''  and 
jokes.  On  this  the  Government  has  about  completed  a  military 
camp — water  works,  sewers,  electric  light  plant  and  all  that  sort 
of  thing.  There  is  also  an  aviation  field,  and  on  the  Delaware 
Bay  shore  a  proving  range  for  big  guns,  eight  or  more  miles 
long. 

The  town  now  swarms  with  navy  boys,  volunteers,  and  a  fine 
set  they  are,  many  of  them  college  men,  and  all  conduct  them- 
selves as  gentlemen  should.  Soon  the  soldiers  will  appear  at  the 
Ford  camp  and  then  old  Cape  May  will  become  a  real  military 
town  with  all  branches  of  the  force  represented. 

Made  the  rounds  several  times  with  a  local  doctor,  a  homoeo- 
path, who  has  the  cream  of  the  practice  and  takes  in  what  many 
a  city  doctor  might  envy.  He  certainly  is  hard  worked.  Re- 
porting from  memory :  "Yesterday  I  was  busy  from  half  past  six 
making  calls  and  attending  to  office  patients.  Snapped  out  the 
lights  at  10  o'clock  for  a  needed  rest  in  bed.  Telephone  bell 
rang  before  I  was  undressed;  a  rich  old  curmudgeon  wanted 
something,  and  he  got  it.  Then  undressed  and  was  just  off  to 
sleep  when  door  bell  violently  rang;  went  down  in  pajamas; 
woman  with  a  battered  foot,  dressed  it  and  again  went  to  bed. 
Soon  asleep.  Then  telephone  awoke  me.  Man  said  his  wife 
was  desperately  sick,  'come  at  once.'  Went  and  found  it  a  case 
of  too  much  corn,  crabs  and  melon — bellyache.  Came  home  and 
went  to  bed  again  and  again  was  awakened  by  the  telephone ; 
man  said  his  daughter  had  motored  over  to  Wildwood  and  it 
was  now  two  o'clock  and  she  was  not  home ;  would  I  not  go  out 
in  my  car  and  see  if  there  had  been  an  accident.  I  called  up 
Cape  May  Court  House,  where  the  accident  would  be  reported, 
found  there  had  been  none ;  was  about  to  call  up  the  father  when 
he  got  me  and  said  the  girl  was  home  all  right — 'been  having  a 
good  time.'  Then  I  went  to  bed  again.  Some  night!"  When 
the  summer  visitors  are  in  full  tide  and  mix  the  really  fine  fresh 
vegetables  and  fruit,  that  grow  so  abundantly  on  the  farms 
around  the  town,  with  fish,  lobsters,  clams  and  crabs,  the  doctors 
have  a  merry  time  with  night  calls  to  treat  the  resulting  belly- 
aches. 


THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


XV11 


Diseases  of  the  Skin 

Including  the  Exanthemata. 

BY  FREDERICK  M.  DEARBORN,  A.  B.,  M.  D. 

New  York  City. 


200  original  illustrations,  photographs  from  actual 
cases. 

551  large  8vo.  pages.  Cloth,  $5.00,  net,  sent  on  re- 
ceipt of  price  by  any  homoeopathic  book  dealer. 

This  book  is  not  printed  from  plates,  is  new,  from 
cover  to  cover,  the  latest,  the  least  padded  and  most  help- 
ful book  on  the  skin  extant. 


For  Sale  at  All  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies. 


PRACTICAL  HOMCEOPATHIC 
THERAPEUTICS 

By  W.  A.  DEWEY,  M.  D. 


Second  Edition 


426 pages.     Cloth,  $2.50  net. 


"The  book  strikes  me  as  being  about  the  most  satisfactory  work 
of  the  kind  I  ever  saw." — C,  Medical  Gleaner. 

"He  has  done  for  therapeutics  what  Farrington  did  for  Materia 
Medica. " — Homoeopathic  World. 

"If  you  want  a  book  of  homoeopathic  therapeutics,  pure,  simple 
straight,  clean  and  up-to-date  Homoeopathy,  here  you  are.  It  is  one 
of  the  books  you  want.  You  want  it  handy.  Right  on  the  nearest 
corner  of  the  middle  shelf  of  vour  bookcase."  —  The  Clinic. 


XV111  THE  HOMCXOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

Cape  May  is  remarkable  for  its  hydrangeas,  which  grow  along- 
side of  the  cottages  and  fences,  even  on  the  beach  front,  in  tropi- 
cal luxuriance,  with  many  blooms  as  big  as  a  man's  head. 

The  beach  seems  to  never  change,  what  it  was  in  1600  it  seems 
to  be  in  1900.  A  very  gradual  slope  of  clean  sand,  no  holes, 
scarcely  an  undertow  and  as  safe  as  a  pond.  Something  like 
that  may  be  said  of  the  town,  which,  as  a  friend  put  it,  is  "a 
quaint  old  southern  town,  and  I  hope  a  'boom'  will  never  strike 
it."  So  says  T.  YY.,  who  has  the  confirmed  Cape  May  habit — 
which  means,  you  do  not  want  to  go  anywhere  else  in  summer. 
But  winter!    Dead  so  far  as  the  outer  world  is  concerned. 


Virginia  went  bone  dry  recently,  but  at  the  last  primary  elec- 
tion the  bones  got  left.  Probably  the  cause  for  this  revulsion  is 
shown  in  a  manner  in  an  order-  for  goods  received  by  Boericke 
&  Tafel  from  that  State.  Among  the  list  of  things  required  was 
some  alcohol,  but  to  get  this  the  buyer  had  to  make  an  affidavit 
that  he  was  not  a  minor,  an  intemperate  person,  or  a  user  of 
narcotic  drugs,  and  to  "'solemnly  swear"  that  the  said  alcohol  is 
to  be  used  for  pharmaceutical  purposes  only.  There  is  such  a 
thing  as  intemperate  temperance. 


E.  P.  A.,  who  runs  things  up  front,  received  the  subjoined 
invitation  which  we  swiped  for  our  anthology.  It  came  from 
Dr.  Raymer.  1402  6th  Ave..  Beaver  Falls.  Pa.: 

CORN  ROAST. 

When  August  moons  are  round  and  bright. 
There's  sure  to  come  a  fated  night 
When  corn  roast  revels  swift  appear. 
And   round  each   smoking  "roasting  ear,'' 
All  buttered,  brown  and  piping  hot, 
The  feasters  seek  the  chosen  spot. 
So  please  to  come  and  lift  my  latch, 
And  eat  your  fill  of  my  corn  patch. 

Dr.  Yost's  country  home.   Thursday, 

August  1 6th.  from  9  p.  m.  to 

To  members  of  the  Beaver  County  Homoeopathic  Medical 
Society. 

Raymer,  Secretary. 


THE    HOMOEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 


XIX 


THERAPEUTICS 

OF  THE 

RESPIRATORY  SYSTEM 

Coughs  and  Coryza,  Acute  and  Chronic.  Repertory 
with  Index.    Materia  Medica,  with  Index. 

By  W.  M.  Van  Dexburg,  A.  M.,  M.  D.  "Similars 
can  be  cured  by  similars."  Proof:  An  intelligent  appli- 
cation of  the  drug-symptoms  in  this  book. 

782  pages.    Cloth,  $5.00,  net. 

This  is  a  genuine  therapeutic  text-book  on  the  "king- 
dom of  the  lungs,"  one  that  will  be  the  standard  for  all 
time  to  come.  It  is  complete.  Its  arrangement  is  such 
as  to  send  the  inquirer  straight  to  the  indicated  remedy 
with  a  minimum  of  searching.   Every  office  needs  a  copy. 


Practice  of  fledicine 

BY 

WALTER  SANDS  MILLS,  M.  D. 

NEW  YORK  CITY 

(705  Pages.     Buckram.     Gilt  Top.    $5.00,  net.     Mailed, 
Post-paid,  on  Receipt  of  Price.) 

This  work  will  help  any  man  in  active  practice.  It 
covers  more  ground  than  other  works  of  its  class,  but  is 
so  clearly  worded  that  less  space  is  required.  In  a  com- 
paratively few,  common  sense  words  the  author  gives 
you  the  substance  of  what  a  work  on  practice  should. 
It  assumes  that  you  are  a  physician  and  many  details  may 
be  omitted.  Reference  to  it  is  a  consultation  with  an 
experienced  physician  of  the  big  New  York  Hospitals. 

For  Sale  at  All  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies. 


XX  THE    HOMOEOPATHIC    RECORDER. 


Frank  Wieland  got  this  off  in  a  paper  in  The  Clinique: 
"A  woman  physician  told  me  that  she  makes  it  a  point  to  diag- 
nose all  skin  troubles  as  syphilis.  I  asked  her  what  her  system 
is.  Her  reply  was  that  she  knew  men,  and  if  they  didn't  have 
syphilis,  it  was  from  no  fault  of  theirs.  Her  late  husband  was 
an  artist;  he  painted  pictures  that  nobody  bought.  She  feels 
sore  at  the  world.    She,  in  revenge,  makes  all  men  syphilitic." 

Rather  tough  on  the  men !    Chicago  is  ever  the  place  for  big, 
new  or  wonderful  things. 


MOTHER  EVE. 

BY   ELI    G.    JONES,    M.    D. 

Oh,  Eve,  our  first  mother,  why  did  you  discover 
The  tree  where  the  apples  hung  temptingly  down? 
Had  you  only  kept  quiet,  let  Adam  go  by  it, 
Then  we  should  have  never  been  tempted  to  roam. 

Since  then  we've  been  tempted  and  often  repented, 
By  some  of  your  daughters  so  lovely  and  fair, 
Their  ways  are  so  winning,  that  I  am  beginning 
To  think  that  old  Adam  was  hardly  to  blame. 

He  ne'er  went  to  college,  he  had  little  knowledge 

Of  ways  that  are  dark  and  tricks  that  are  vain. 

He  knew  aught  of  women,  their  whims  and  their  follies, 

And  things  that  we  thought  to  be  under  the  ban. 

Of  course,  he  repented  in  sack  cloth  and  ashes, 
And  vowed  that  he  never  would  do  it  again; 
But  Eve  was  consoling,  she  said  in  the  gloaming: 
"I  know  of  an  apple  that's  sweeter  than  that." 

Fair  daughters  of  Eve,  we  can't  live  without  you, 

With  all  of  your  follies  and  all  of  your  whims, 

The  world  will  seem  brighter,  men's  hearts  will  grow  lighter, 

As  we  bask  in  the  light  of  your  beautiful  eyes. 

Have  no  comments  to  make  on  Dr.  Jones'  doing  the  Silas 
Wegg  act  of  "dropping  into  poetry."  Probably  the  readers  will 
forgive  him  because  of  his  interesting  articles  contributed  to  the 
Recorder. 


THE   HOMOEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 


XXJ 


Crow  Motor  Car  Company 


Main  and  Simonton  Streets 


ELKHART,  /NO. 


The  Car  for  Satisfaction  and  Service! 

What  More  Can  tou  Ask? 
For  Particulars,  Prices,  etc.,  address  as  above. 


Homoeopathic 
Department 

of  the 

University  of 
Michigan 

Stands  for  Thoroughness 

Offers  six  salaried  positions  an- 
nually for  Assistantships  and  Hospi- 
tal Physicians. 

A  five-year  Optional  Course 
affords  great  opportunity  for  spe- 
cialization. 

Address 

W.   B.  HINDSDALE,   M.   D.,  Dean 
ANN  ARBOR,  MICH. 


College  of 
Homoeopathic 

Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 

i.  One  of  the  eleven  colleges  of  a 
great  State  University. 

2.  Located  in  a  city  of  250,000 
population. 

3.  College  and  University  Hospi- 
tal on  campus.  All  hospital  pa- 
tients are  for  the  clinics. 

4.  All  faculty  members,  all  time 
salaried  men. 


CLAUDE  A. 


ADDRESS 

BURRETT,  Ph.B.  M.D. 

DEAN 


College  of  Homoeopathic  Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 

Columbus,  Ohio 


XX11  THE   HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

The  Medical  Record,  New  York,  makes  the  following  comment 
on  Dr.  Wood's  Clinical  Gynecology: 

This  book  comprises  a  series  of  clinical  lectures  delivered  by 
Dr.  Wood  to  the  senior  class  of  the  Cleveland-Pulte  Medical  Col- 
lege. One  of  the  objects  of  the  lectures  was  to  endeavor  to 
bridge  the  chasm,  the  gulf  between  the  regular  and  the  hom- 
oeopathic branches  of  the  medical  profession.  However,  in  these 
broad-minded  days  it  is  an  exaggeration  to  term  the  differences 
which  divide  the  two  a  gulf. 

However,  it  may  be  said  that  over  and  above  this  object  of  the 
lectures,  they  provide  very  good  reading  and  afford  valuable 
information  from  the  gynaecological  standpoint. 


The  Eugenical  News  contains  a  glooming  paragraph  headed 
"Society  of  Humorists."  Can  it  be  that  the  professional  humor- 
ist is  to  be  eugenically  studied  and  dissected?  They  say  he  is 
by  nature  a  sad  person.  If  this  Society  gets  after  him  it  may 
make  him  still  more  melancholy.  Here  followeth  the  paragraph 
from  the  News: 

"Humorists  are  born  and  not  made.  At  a  recent  meeting  of 
Press  Humorists  in  New  York  City  the  birth-rights  of  the  fol- 
lowing were  recognized :  President,  James  A.  Waldron,  editor  of 
Judge;  Vice-President,  J.  M.  Darling,  cartoonist;  Secretary, 
Douglas  Malloch,  of  Chicago,  the  'lumber-man-poet;'  Executive 
Committee,  E.  W.  Miller,  Chicago;  Edgar  A.  Guest,  Detroit; 
Ted  Robinson,  Cleveland;  Clare  Briggs,  New  York,  and  Charles 
A.  Leedy,  Youngstown,  Ohio." 

Isn't  that  portentous?  They  are  born,  not  made,  and  the 
Eugenical  Society  is  concerned  with  birth  control !  Will  it 
frown  on  humorists  or  endeavor  to  suppress  the  propagation 
of  the  race?  Will  it  regard  the  formation  of  a  Society  of  Humor- 
ists as  an  evidence  of  feeble-mindedness  or  as  a  joke?  Much  de- 
pends on  the  answer,  but  the  Eugenistician  gives  no  hint  by 
which  one  could  prognosticate  with  any  degree  of  certitude.  It 
is  enveloped  in  the  darkness  of  Erebus.  Another  complication 
in  this  gruesome  business  is  that  the  new  society  having  officers 
must  have  an  examining  board  for  new  members,  for,  and  this 
is  no  joke,  death  calls  humorists  as  it  does  men,  so  the  society 
must  have  new  members  or  be  as  ephemeral  as  a  violet  which 


THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


XX111 


The  Eclectic  Medical  College 

OF  CINCINNATI,  OHIO 


Located   in   one  of  America's   greatest   Medical   Centers — The   oldest    (1845)    and 
Leading  Eclectic  Medical  College,  Conducted  on  High  Standards. 


New  modern  building,  well  equipped 
laboratories,  six  whole-time  salaried  in- 
structors. 

Entrance — Completion  of  first  grade, 
four  years'  high  school  course  or  its 
equivalent,  plus  one  year  of  work  of 
college  grade  in  Physics,  Chemistry, 
Biology  and  a  modern  language.  All 
credentials  must  be  approved  by  the 
Ohio  State  Medical  Board. 

A  pre-medical  course  in  Physics, 
Chemistry,  Biology  and  a  modern  lan- 
guage is  given' by  the  Ohio  Mechanics' 
Institute,  Cincinnati,  complying  with  the 
standards  of  State  boards  generally  and 
the  A.  M.  A. 


The  course  in  Medicine  comprises 
four  graded  sessions  of  eight  months 
each.  Fees,  $120  per  year;  Matricula- 
tion, $5.00   (payable  once  J. 

Juniors  in  co-operative  courses  in  City 
Health  Department  and  Tuberculosis 
Hospital  (320  beds),  and  Seton  Hospital 
Clinics;  senior  interneship  in  Seton 
Hospital.  Seniors  in  clinical  and  bed- 
side instruction  in  new  Municipal  Hos- 
pital, costing  $4,000,000  (850  beds)  ;  also 
special  lectures  in  Longview  Insane 
Asylum. 

Seventy-third  year  opens  September 
14,  1917.  For  bulletins  and  detailed 
information  address 


JOHN  K.  SCUDDER,  M.D.,  Secretary 
630  West  Sixth  Street  •:-  CINCINNATI,  OHIO 


ALFALCO 

AN  ALFALFA  TONIC. 

"Repeat"  orders  are  the  true  evidence  of  its  merit. 
"Gained  in  weight."  "Feel  better  than  for  years."  "I 
think  it  is  a  good  thing."  These  are  the  burden  of  the 
letters  from  those  who  have  used  it.  For  sale  at  all  of 
Boericke  &  Tafel's  pharmacies.  The  best  tonic  that  is 
offered  today.  Sample  and  prices  on  request,  to  phy- 
sicians only. 

BOERICKE  &  TAFEL. 


XXIV  THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

to-day  is  and  to-morrow  is  not.  In  a  friendly  spirit  to  all  con- 
cerned T.  W.  would  suggest  that  the  sessions  of  the  Examining 
Boards  for  Humorists  be  attended  and  supervised  by  a  Commit- 
tee of  the  Society  of  Eugenists.  This  would  be  interesting,  in- 
structive and  make  for  the  elevation  of  the  human  race. 


Looking  over  the  T.  W.  part  of  the  /.  A.  M.  A.,  the  journal 
that  shudders  in  virtuous  horror  at  certain  proprietory  medicines 
and  warms  towards  others,  we  found  page  after  page  of,  to  the 
business  office,  lucious  ads.  Among  the  many  we  noted  these 
scientific  ones — if  you  doubt  just  look  at  the  terminations:  "Lip- 
oiodine,"  "Pollenin,"  "Parresine,"  "Purin,"  "Siomine,"  "Oval- 
tine,"  besides  others  terminating  in  "ene,"  "ol,"  "al,"  "an,"'  etc. 
It  is  sad  to  think  that  all  of  these  scientific  patent  medicines  that 
/.  A.  M.  A.  and  its  "Council"  endorse  will  wither  and  die  when 
their  proprietors  cease  to  pay  for  advertising  them ;  they  will  go 
just  as  their  wicked  brethren  went  on  whom  /.  A.  M.  A.  put  the 
kibosh. 


A  gentleman,  well  acquainted  with  the  medical  meetings  of 
County,  State  and  National  Medical  Societies,  remarked  to  T.  W. 
that  he  was  always  surprised  to  see  how  "bone  dry"  resolutions 
went  through  them  all  without  a  peep  from  anyone.  The  sur- 
prise, he  said,  arose  when  he  visited  "The  Buffet."  He  said  that 
it  seemed  to  him  that  one  virtuous  gentleman,  gifted  with  a 
tremulous  voice,  could  back  down  a  national  convention  in  these 
days,  but  added  that  "our  common  ancestor,  Noah,  would  have 
come  under  condemnation  to-day."  He  also  had  something  to 
say  of  Noah's  eldest  son,  Ham,  but — we  will  not  report  it. 


At  its  last  session  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  passed  a 
law  compelling  every  druggist  and  pharmacist  to  buy  a  copy  of 
the  latest  edition  of  the  National  Formulary  and  of  the  U.  S. 
Pharmacopoeia  no  matter  whether  they  had  those  two  books  on 
their  shelves  already.  Gee !  some  book-sellers  have  the  real 
genius  of  salesmanship.  Mrs.  Eddy  had  that  law  with  her 
Christian  science  practice,  Science  and  Health,  but  it  was  only 
an  unwritten  law. 


THE   HOMCEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 


Xi 


"Heir  medicines  ate  tie  Best." 

BOERICKE   &  TAFEL, 

Homoeopathic  Pharmacists,  Importers  and  Publishers. 

PHILADELPHIA,  ion  Arch  St. 

PHILADELPHIA,  125  South  nth  St. 
PHILADELPHIA,  15  North  6th  St. 
NEW  YORK,  145  Grand  St. 

NEW  YORK,  145  West  43d  St. 

NEW  YORK,  634  Columbus  Ave. 
CHICAGO,  156  N.  Wabash  Ave. 
PITTSBURGH,  702  Penn  Ave. 

BALTIMORE,  326  North  Howard  St 
CINCINNATI,  213  West  4th  St 

fiasiasis  Eot*blijh#d  In  1836. 


This  was  the  condition  of  things' in  Philadelphia  (and  doubt- 
less in  other  cities)  during  the  latter  part  of  September;  what  it 
will  be  when  this  number  of  the  Recorder  reaches  you  no  one 
can  foretell.  At  the  time  in  question,  with  in-coming  and  out- 
going freight  piled  up  mightily,  thousands  of  wagons  waiting 
to  be  unloaded  or  loaded,  miles  of  freight  cars  waiting  their 
turn  to  be  emptied,  the  railroads  put  on  the  brakes  and  refused 
to  accept  any  more  shipments.  There  was  a  rush  to  the  express 
companies,  but  things  were  even  worse  there.  Then  there  was 
the  parcel  post,  but  it  was  almost  submerged.  i\s  for  baggage, 
we  overheard  a  baggage  man  swear  by  his  gods  that  that  trunk 
will  wait  its  turn  and  be — "blessed  to  it."     In  the  general  con- 


Xll  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

servation  now  going  on  every  one  can  at  least  contribute  a  little 
''bit"  by  carrying  his  purchases  home  as  far  as  possible.  A  good 
many  of  the  stores  to-day  are  refusing  to  send  home  my  lady's 
spool  of  cotton,  and  the  old-time  market  basket  is  coming  into 
vogue  again  for  the  same  reason.  So,  if  you  conveniently  can, 
carry  your  purchases  home,  for  you  will  be  sure  of  getting 
them  then. 


Probably  few  read  "Transactions,"  those  good  old  books  that 
preceded  the  societies'  organs,  and  of  these  few  still  fewer  read 
the  "discussions."  They  miss  who  do  not,  for  often  the  dis- 
cussions beat  the  paper.  The  Ohio  Transactions  for  1914 
recently  came  T.  W.'s  way,  and  here  is  what  we  found  concern- 
ing one  of  our  poets,  namely,  Dr.  Charles  E.  Walton,  of  Cincin- 
nati,— sometimes  seen  at  the  Institute's  meetings.  He  had  read 
a  paper  and  the  discussion  opened  in  this  manner : 

"Dr.  Lincoln  Phillips,  Cincinnati :  I  want  to  express  my 
appreciation.  When  I  received  the  program,  I  was  delighted 
when  I  saw  Walton's  title,  'Some  Things  I  Have  Learned,'  for 
I  knew  his  paper  would  be  a  brief  one." 

You  can't  teach  our  poets  much ! 


Here  is  another  clipping  from  the  same  "Transactions,"  Dr. 
Chas.  E.  Walton  the  guilty  one : 

A  BORN  FOOL. 
A  certified  man  wooed  a  certified  maid, 

Was  wed  by  a  certified  preacher, 
In  certified  time — at  least  'twas  so  said, 

Became  Dad  of  a  certified  screecher. 
The  youngster  was  reared  on  certified  milk, 

Was  instructed  in  a  certified  school, 
His  body  was  clothed  in  certified  silk, 

But  he  grew  to  be  a  certified  fool. 
In  spite  of  the  fact  of  certified  blood 

(His  certified  Dad,   his  certified   Mam, 
And  ancestors  dating  before  the  flood). 

He  never  was  worth  a  certified  Damn. 
Although  he  was  given  certified  health. 

And  all  of  those  things  which  with  that  entrains, 
In  spite  of  his  blood,  in  spite  of  his  wealth, 

He  surely  was  short  on  certified  Brains. 


THE    HOMOEOPATHIC    RECORDER 


Xlll 


Haddon  Hall 

ATLANTIC  CITY 

ALWAYS    OPEN 

RIGHT  ON  THE  BEACH  AND  THE  BOARDWALK 


Appeals  particularly  to  cultivated  people  who  seek 
rest  and  recreation  at  the  Sea  Shore,  Summer  or  Win- 
ter. From  every  section  of  the  country  such  guests 
Have  come  to  Haddon  Hall  for  40  years — and  come 
back  again  and  again — it  is  so  satisfying,  so  free  from 
ostentation,  so  restful  and  sufficient.  Every  facility  is 
offered  young  and  old  for  enjoyment. 

A  step  and  you  are  in  the  surf.  Fascinating  shops 
and  a  thousand  amusements  are  offered  along  the 
famous  Boardwalk.  Privileges  of  fine  golf  and  yacht 
clubs.  Rooms  are  comfortable  and  attractive — there 
is  delightful  music — and  always  interesting  people. 

Make  reservations — write  for  illustrated  folder. 


~  LEEDS  &  LIPPINCOTT 


XIV  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

The  Medical  World  notices  Dr.  John  E.  Wilson's  new  work, 
Diseases  of  the  Nervous  System,  as  follows : 

"The  author  presents  a  large  volume  and  covers  his  subject 
thoroughly  and  in  a  clear  manner.  Anatomy,  histology  and 
physiology  are  given,  then  general  symptoms  of  diseases  of  the 
nervous  system,  the  peripheral  nerves,  spinal  cord  and  brain.  The 
author  goes  well  into  treatment  and  mentions  a  great  variety  of 
drugs  used.  It  is  a  g'ood  book  in  which  to  study  this  subject, 
and  will  lighten  the  labor  of  student  and  physician  in  acquiring 
a  knowledge  of  it. — J.  C.  R." 


Dr.  Byron  G.  Clark,  of  New  York  City,  has  removed  to  266 
West  94th  St.,  between  Broadway  and  West  End  Ave. 

Dr.  C.  H.  Meyers,  of  Cincinnati,  O.,  has  changed  his  address 
to  3455  Montgomery 'Ave. 


Here  is  a  real  book  review.  As  this  sort  is  rare  in  medicine, 
it  is  here  given  in  full.  It  is  from  the  British  Homoeopathic 
Journal: 

Clinical  Gynaecology.  By  James  C.  Wood,  A.  M.,  M.  D., 
F.  A.  C.  S.,  formerly  Professor  of  Obstetrics  and  Diseases  of 
Women  in  the  University  of  Michigan.  Philadelphia :  Boericke 
&  Tafel.     1917. 

The  author  of  this  work  is  well  known  in  this  country  as  a 
distinguished  gynaecological  surgeon,  and  as  the  author  of  a 
more  pretentious  systematic  work  on  Gynaecology.  On  this  oc- 
casion Dr.  Wood  has  presented  his  readers  with  a  refreshing 
departure  from  the  usual  cut-and-dried  systems  of  medical  and 
surgical  text-books,  and  in  this  reminds  one  of  the  classical 
lectures  of  Sir  James  Paget  in  this  country  and  of  W.  Goodell 
in  America. 

The  "foreword"  or  preface  of  nearly  twenty  pages  gives  an 
interesting  survey  of  the  recent  scientific  work,  conducted  in 
the  laboratories  of  American  medical  schools  or  hospitals,  to  as- 
certain the  mode  of  action  of  some  of  the  best  known  and  most 
specific  of  the  homoeopathic  remedies.  The  author  also  quotes 
a  very  apposite  sentence  from  Professor  von  Behring,  in  refer- 


THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


XV 


Glandular   Therapy 
Biological     Triturations 


List 

CORPUS    LUTEUM 

DUODENUM 

PANCREAS 

PITUITARY 

SUPRARENALS 

THYMUS 

THYROID 

BRAIN 

ORCHIC 

MAMMARY 

PINEAL 

PROSTATE 


PRICE  LIST 

Tablets,  1  m.  $0.60;     5  m.  $2.25 
Supplied  in  6x  when  not  otherwise  specified 

The  material  for  these  triturations  was  obtained  from  standard 
laboratories,  for  these  products.  A  leaflet,  giving  clinical  scope, 
will  be  sent  on  request.  These  triturations  are  made  with  the 
pure  sugar  of  milk  crystals  (not  powdered  milk  sugar).  The  ix 
receives  four  hours  triturating,  and  each  succeeding  x  two  hours. 
This  line  was  made  because  many  physicians  were  asking  for 
these  glandular  products  in  triturations. 

Obtainable  at  any  of  our  pharmacies. 

BOERICKE  &  TaFEL. 


XVI  THE  HOMEOPATHIC  RFXORDER. 

ence  to  the  immunizing  influence  of  an  anthrax  vaccine  against 
that  disease  as  occurring  in  sheep.  The  concluding  words  of  this 
passag'e  are:  "By  what  technical  term  could  we  more  appro- 
priately speak  of  this  influence,  exerted  by  a  similar  virus,  than 
by  Hahnemann's  word,  'Homoeopathy?'"  The  italics  are  ours. 
After  this  frank  statement  by  Von  Behring,  we  fail  to  see  why 
the  ''regular  school"  should  be  frightened  by  the  word  Ho- 
moeopathy. 

Dr.  Wood's  volume  consists  of  fifteen  chapters  in  the  form 
of  clinical  lectures.  In  some  of  them  he  wanders  outside  the 
strict  limits  of  gynaecology,  but  is  none  the  less  interesting  for 
that  reason.  Exophthalmic  goitre,  reflex  and  toxic  epilepsy, 
gastric  and  duodenal  ulcer,  are  notable  examples  of  this. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  sections  is  that  on  "The  Signifi- 
cance of  Pain" — in  various  localities  and  under  various  condi- 
tions. The  author  rightly  combats  the  old-fashioned  idea  that 
"pain  in  the  groin"  is  in  a  large  majority  of  cases  "due  to  ante- 
flexion," but  thinks  that  it  is  "usually  due  to  irrigation  or  inflam- 
mation of  the  ovary."  With  this  we  can  hardly  agree.  To  be- 
gin with,  ovaritis  seldom  exists  as  a  separate  entity.  It  is  usually 
part  of  a  more  general  pelvic  peritoneal  infection.  Moreover, 
gynaecological  surgeons  very  frequently  open  the  abdomen  in 
cases  which  have  pain  in  the  ovarian  or  iliac  region  or  "in  the 
groin,"  and  find  no  inflammation  in  the  ovary  to  account  for  it. 
Pain  in  the  left  iliac  region  is  one  of  the  commonest  of  pains  in 
neurasthenic  women ;  its  cause  is  as  obscure  as  its  cure  is  difficult. 

We  notice  another  little  point  which  shows  how  the  practice 
of  operators  differs.  In  the  case  of  a  myoma  patient  "so  ex- 
sanguinated that  her  haemoglobin  is  below  40,  and  her  red  blood 
count  below  2,500,000,"  Dr.  Wood  prefers  to  treat  the  patient  by 
"a  preliminary  curettage,"  tonic,  etc.,  until  "the  haemoglobin 
reaches  60,  and  the  red  blood  cells  4,000,000."  The  writer  has 
frequently  operated  successfully  with  a  haemoglobin  percentage 
of  only  30,  and  is  of  opinion  that  a  curettage  in  myoma  uteri, 
especially  of  the  submucous  variety  (which  is  the  variety  usually 
responsible  for  excessive  haemorrhage),  where  the  haemoglobin 
is  "below  40  per  cent."  of  the  normal  is  decidedly  risky,  indeed 
hardly  less  so  than  the  radical  operation.     The  red  blood  cells 


THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER.  XVU 


Diseases  of  the  Skin 

Including  the  Exanthemata. 

BY  FREDERICK  M.  DEARBORN,  A.  B.,  M.  D. 

New  York  City. 


200  original  illustrations,  photographs  from  actual 
cases. 

551  large  8vo.  pages.  Cloth,  $5.00,  net.  sent  on  re- 
ceipt of  price  by  any  homoeopathic  book  dealer. 

This  book  is  not  printed  from  plates,  is  new,  from 
cover  to  cover,  the  latest,  the  least  padded  and  most  help- 
ful book  on  the  skin  extant. 


For  Sale  at  All  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies. 


PRACTICAL  HOMCEOPATHIC 
THERAPEUTICS 

By  W.  A.  DEWEY,  M.  D. 
Second  Edition  426 pages.     Cloth,  $2.50  net. 

"The  book  strikes  me  as  being  about  the  most  satisfactory  work 
of  the  kind  I  ever  saw." — C,  Medical  G leafier. 

"He  has  done  for  therapeutics  what  Farrington  did  for  Materia 
Medica. " — Homoeopathic  World. 

"If  you  want  a  book  of  homoeopathic  therapeutics,  pure,  simple 
straight,  clean  and  up-to-date  Homoeopathy,  here  you  are.  It  is  one 
of  the  books  you  want.  You  want  it  handy.  Right  on  the  nearest 
corner  of  the  middle  shelf  of  your  bookcase." — The  Clinic. 


XY111  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

seldom  sink  so  low  as  2,500,000  from  uterine  haemorrhage.  We, 
therefore,  oppose  the  dual  anesthetization  and  operation,  and 
prefer  to  rely  upon  rest  and  an  easily  assimilated  preparation  of 
iron,  if  delay  is  essential.  There  are  doubtless  a  few  cases  where 
the  risk  of  hysterectomy  or  myomectomy  is  greater  than  that  of 
the  occurrence  of  another  menstrual  loss  of  the  nature  of  a 
"flooding,"  but  they  are  very  few. 

To  most  of  the  chapters  a  useful  list  of  homceopathic  reme- 
dies is  attached.  Indeed  in  this  volume  the  author  has  advocated 
the  judicious  combination  of  general  surgical  methods  and  ho- 
mceotherapeutics  in  a  way  which  should  be  most  fruitful  in 
results. 

If  comment  is  called  for  on  the  production  (or  "get-up")  of 
the  book  and  on  its  editing,  we  should  have  praise  for  the  light- 
ness of  the  volume,  which  makes  it  pleasant  handling,  in  con- 
trast with  so  many  of  the  heavily  milled  books  of  American 
origin.  That  the  paper  is  what  we  should  call  "War  paper" 
in  this  country  may  be  no  fault  of  author  or  publisher.  As  to 
the  editing,  Dr.  Wood  has  probably  been  the  victim  of  careless 
proof-readers,  when  in  large  type  at  the  head  of  chapter  eleven 
we  read  "inflamation"  (or  is  this  an  Americanism?),  while  at 
the  head  of  subsequent  pages  of  the  chapter  we  encounter  "in- 
flammation." In  the  case  of  some  foreign  names,  however,  the 
author  cannot  escape  some  responsibility  for  eccentricities  such 
as  "Griefsweld"  for  "Griefswald  (a  University  town  on  the 
Baltic  (p.  26))  ;  "Conheim"  for  Cohnheim  (p.  188),  and  Hewett 
for  Hewitt  (p.  192). 

We  are  interested  to  notice  that  usually  a  diphthong  can  be 
spared  for  "Homoeopathy"  and  its  adjective,  though  the  word 
is  sometimes  spelt  without  it,  even  on  the  same  page  as  with 
it  (p.  187).  However,  anyone  who  takes  the  trouble  to  read 
Dr.  Wood's  book,  enriched  as  it  is  by  much  important  clinical 
matter,  will  ignore  or  forgive  these  minor  blemishes.  We 
should  be  pleased  to  see  more  of  these  lectures  at  a  later  date, 
and  congratulate  the  author  on  his  originality. 


Among  standard  articles  that  have  not  enlisted  in  the  price 
aviation  corps  is  the  B.  &  T.  Pure  Unfermented  Grape  Juice. 


THE    HOMOEOPATHIC   RECORDER.  XIX 

THERAPEUTICS 

OF  THE 

RESPIRATORY  SYSTEM 

Coughs  and  Coryza,  Acute  and  Chronic.  Repertory 
with  Index.    Materia  Medica,  with  Index. 

By  W.  M.  Van  Denburg,  A.  M.,  M.  D.  "Similars 
can  be  cured  by  similars."  Proof:  An  intelligent  appli- 
cation of  the  drug-symptoms  in  this  book. 

782  pages.    Cloth,  $5.00,  net. 

This  is  a  genuine  therapeutic  text-book  on  the  "king- 
dom of  the  lungs,"  one  that  will  be  the  standard  for  all 
time  to  come.  It  is  complete.  Its  arrangement  is  such 
as  to  send  the  inquirer  straight  to  the  indicated  remedy 
with  a  minimum  of  searching.   Every  office  needs  a  copy. 


Practice  of  fledicine 

BY 

WALTER  SANDS  MILLS,  M.  D. 

NEW  YORK  CITY 

(705  Pages.     Buckram.     Gilt  Top.    $5.00,  net.     Mailed, 
Post-paid,  on  Receipt  of  Price.) 

This  work  will  help  any  man  in  active  practice.  It 
covers  more  ground  than  other  works  of  its  class,  but  is 
so  clearly  worded  that  less  space  is  required.  In  a  com- 
paratively few,  common  sense  words  the  author  gives 
you  the  substance  of  what  a  work  on  practice  should. 
It  assumes  that  you  are  a  physician  and  many  details  may 
be  omitted.  Reference  to  it  is  a  consultation  with  an 
experienced  physician  of  the  big  New  York  Hospitals. 

For  Sale  at  All  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies. 


XX  THE    HOMOEOPATHIC    RECORDER. 

It  remains  at  the  old  price,  and  is  fully  up  to  its  old  standard, 
which  is,  and  always  has  been,  the  highest  in  the  market.  It  is  a 
rich  heavy-bodied,  nutritious  and  palatable  food  and  drink  com- 
bined. The  firm  is  interested  in  a  large  tract  of  land  devoted  to 
vine  culture,  which  produces  in  good  years  almost  enough  of 
the  variety  of  grapes  best  adapted  to  making  a  rich  juice  to 
supply  their  trade.  Every  variety  of  grape  has  certain  good 
points,  but  not  all1  of  them  will  yield  un fermented  grape  juice 
of  a  prime  quality.  The  men  controlling  the  tract  just  mentioned 
think  they  have  solved  the  grape  juice  problem,  and  the  product 
seems  to  prove  it. 


The  Charlotte  Medical  Journal,  of  North  Carolina,  gives  the 
following  appreciative  comment  on  Dr.  James  C.  Wood's  Clini- 
cal Gynecology.  You  see  it  is  a  keen,  bright  and  able  book  and 
its  "pen  pictures''  of  cases  are  better  than  illustrations : 

"I  have  looked  over  this  volume  and  the  more  time  I  have 
given  to  it,  the  more  I  have  become  interested  in  it.  It  con- 
tains 236  pages,  and  is  thoroughly  and  accurately  indexed.  There 
is  one  thing  about  the  volume  that  the  reviewer  regrets,  and  that 
is  that  it  is  not  illustrated ;  at  the  same  time,  the  text  is  of  a  very 
high  order  of  literary  production.  The  first  chapter,  for  in- 
stance, 'Dysuria,'  is  one  of  the  best  illustrations  of  a  pen  picture 
of  cases,  aside  from  some  of  Dicken's  productions,  that  I  have 
ever  seen,  or  had  the  pleasure  of  studying. 

"I  do  not  hesitate  at  all  to  recommend  this  volume  to  anyone 
who  is  interested  in  gynaecology.  If  you  will  pardon  me,  how- 
ever, I  will  again  reiterate  that  I  regret  it  is  not  illustrated." 

You  can  see  by  the  catalogue  that  the  price  is  $2.00. 


Dr.  C.  St.  Clair  Drake,  Secretary  of  the  Illinois  State  Board 
of  Health,  occupies  the  bulk  of  a  recent  issue  of  the  Board's  pub- 
lication, Health  News.  Among  many  other  things  he  said  in 
his  Report  is  the  following:  "While  public  health  work  has 
unquestionably  progressed,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the 
presumably  secondary  function  of  the  board — the  examination 
and  licensure  of  physicians,  midwives  and  other  practitioners — 
has  grown  with  even  greater  strides  until,  finally,  it  has  come 
to  require  75  per  cent,  of  the  time  and  attention  of  the  members, 


THE   HOMCEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 


XXI 


Crow  Motor  Car  Company 


Main  and  Simonton  Streets 


ELKHART,  IND. 


The  Car  for  Satisfaction  and  Service! 

What  More  Can  You  Ask? 

For  Particulars,  Prices,  etc.,  address  as  above. 


Homoeopathic 
Department 

of  the 

University  of 
Michigan 

Stands  for  Thoroughness 

Offers  six  salaried  positions  an- 
nually for  Assistantships  and  Hospi- 
tal Physicians. 

A  five-year  Optional  Course 
affords  great  opportunity  for  spe- 
cialization. 

Address 

W.   B.  HINDSDALE,    M.   D.,   Dean 
ANN  ARBOR,  MICH. 


College  of 
Homoeopathic 

Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 


One  of  the  eleven  colleges  of  a 
great  State  University. 
Located    in    a   city    of    250,000 
population. 

College  and   University  Hospi- 
tal on  campus.     All  hospital  pa- 
tients are  for  the  clinics. 
All   faculty  members,    all   time 
salaried  men. 


2. 


4- 


ADDRESS 

CLAUDE  A.  BURRETT,  Ph  B.  M.D. 

DEAN 

College  of  Homoeopathic  Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 

Columbus,  Ohio 


XX11  THE   HOMCEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 

officers  and  the  employees  of  the  board."  Whether  the  board 
and  its  employees,  after  devoting  75  per  cent,  of  their  time  to 
examining  men  and  women  graduates,  know  any  more  about 
their  qualifications  than  they  did  before  is  a  debatable  question, 
as  is,  also,  the  further  one,  i.  c,  whether  the  board  and  its  em- 
ployees know  more  about  treating,  let  us  say,  by  way  of  illus- 
tration, a  case  of  bellyache  than  do  the  graduates  they  solemnly 
examine?  If  T.  W.  only  had  a  goodly  appropriation  he  would 
have  an  Examining  Board  for  poets  to  look  into  the  qualifica- 
tions to  write  poetry— "Ken,"  "Alfalfa,"  "Office  Boy,"  Walton, 
Close,  and  others.  Of  course  T.  W.  isn't  a  poet,  but  he  would 
know  how  to  cash  in  his  warrants  on  that  appropriation.  One's 
heart  bleeds  when  thinking  of  how  the  public  is  unprotected 
from  bum  poets ! 


The  following  comes  from  that  pert  "office  boy :" 

Say,  you  old  T.  W., 

You  think  you're  awful  smart, 
A  funning  at  us  poets 

Who  surely  do  our  part 
To  illuminate  your  section 

With  a  little  attic  wit. 
So  you're  sure  a  grouchy  sinner 

Roasting  us  who  do  our  bit. 


-Office  Boy 


Come  on,  son,  you  were  all  idle  and  you  know  (though  prob- 
ably you  do  not)  that  the  poet  Watts  wrote : 


For  Satan  finds  some  mischief  still 
For  idle  hands  to  do. 


Here  is  a  comment  on  Dr.  Wilson's  book  from  the  Pacific  Coast 
Journal  of  Homoeopathy: 


THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


XX111 


The  Eclectic  Medical  College 

OF  CINCINNATI,  OHIO 


Located   in   one   of  America's   greatest   Medical    Centers — The   oldest    (1845)    and 
Leading  Eclectic  Medical  College,  Conducted  on  High  Standards. 


New  modern  building,  well  equipped 
laboratories,  six  whole-time  salaried  in- 
structors. 

Entrance — Completion  of  first  grade, 
four  years'  high  school  course  or  its 
equivalent,  plus  one  year  of  work  of 
college  grade  in  Physics,  Chemistry, 
Biology  and  a  modern  language.  All 
credentials  must  be  approved  by  the 
Ohio  State  Medical  Board. 

A  pre-medical  course  in  Physics, 
Chemistry,  Biology  and  a  modern  lan- 
guage is  given  by  the  Ohio  Mechanics' 
Institute,  Cincinnati,  complying  with  the 
standards  of  State  boards  generally  and  « 
the  A.  M.  A.  '  ! 


The  course  in  Medicine  comprises 
four  graded  sessions  of  eight  months 
each.  Fees,  $120  per  year;  Matricula- 
tion, $5.00   (payable  once;. 

Juniors  in  co-operative  courses  in  City 
Health  Department  and  Tuberculosis 
Hospital  (320  beds),  and  Seton  Hospital 
Clinics;  senior  interneship  in  Seton 
Hospital.  Seniors  in  clinical  and  bed- 
side instruction  in  new  Municipal  Hos- 
pital, costing  $4,000,000  (850  beds)  ;  also 
special  lectures  in  Longview  Insane 
Asylum. 

Seventy-third  year  opens  September 
14,  1917".  For  bulletins  and  detailed 
information  address 


JOHN  K.  SCUDDER,  M.D.,  Secretary 
630  West  Sixth  Street  -:-  CINCINNATI,  OHIO 


ALFALCO 

AN  ALFALFA  TONIC. 

"Repeat"  orders  are  the  true  evidence  of  its  merit. 
"Gained  in  weight."  "Feel  better  than  for  years."  "I 
think  it  is  a  good  thing."  These  are  the  burden  of  the 
letters  from  those  who  have  used  it.  For  sale  at  all  of 
Boericke  &  Tafel's  pharmacies.  The  best  tonic  that  is 
offered  today.  Sample  and  prices  on  request,  to  phy- 
sicians only. 

BOERICKE  &  TAFEL. 


XXIV  THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

Diseases  of  the  Nervous  System.     By  John  Eastman  Wilson, 

A.  B.,  M.  D.     Second  edition.     682  pages,  large  8vo.     Cloth, 

$6.00,  net. 

New  books  are  always  interesting  to  review,  but  new  editions 
are  prima  facie  evidence  of  worth  and  such  is  the  case  with 
Wilson's  "Diseases  of  the  Nervous  System."  At  best  a  tedious 
subject  to  the  general  practitioner,  the  author  groups  his  material 
in  a  way  to  make  very  agreeable  reading. 

But  our  special  commendation  concerns  his  therapeutics. 
Neurologists  are  notoriously  pessimistic  in  prognosis  and  thera- 
peutic nihilists  in  treatment.  This  author,  however,  gives  very 
minute  instructions  as  to  the  carrying  out  of  the  regimes  whether 
dietetic,  electrical  or  medical. 

The  seventy-one  drugs  with  homoeopathic  indications,  enu- 
merated under  neurasthenia,  shows  how  difficult  is  the  treatment 
of  this  condition,  but  throughout  the  book  good  clear  symptoms 
for  prescribing  are  given  instead  of  an  alphabetical  listing  of 
possible  remedies. 

Many  good  homoeopaths  are  spoiled  by  recourse  to  old  school 
text-books,  principally  through  lack  of  knowledge  of  the  ex- 
istence of  such  excellent  books  as  the  above. 


The  following  hails  from  The  Journal  of  the  American  Insti- 
tute of  Homoeopathy: 

Diseases  of  the  Spleen.    By  J.  Compton  Burnett,  M.  D. 

A  clear  enthusiastic  presentation  of  a  diseased  condition  about  which  we 
know  too  little  and  its  ready  relief  by  homoeopathic  remedies.  Distinction 
is  given  to  a  comparatively  rarely-used  remedy,  Ceanothus  Americanus. — 
M.  F.  M. 


The  JLife  and  Letters  of  Dr.  Samuel  Hahnemann.    Bv  Thomas  Lindsley 

Bradford,  M.  D. 

A  new  copy  of  this  remarkable  biography,  published  more  than  twenty 
years  ago,  has  recently  come  to  the  reviewer's  hand.  For  the  sake  of  the 
younger  generation  it  is  here  set  forth  again.  Much  of  its  contents  may 
be  familiar  because  it  is  the  common  source  of  many  annual  addresses. 
Some  of  the  facts  related  here  are  often  overlooked  in  giving  emphasis  to 
the  strictly  therapeutic  data;  for  instance,  the  artistic  inheritance  and  in- 
tellectual tuition  from  the  porcelain  painter  father ;  the  keen  selective 
scientific  training  of  Hahnemann  the  student  of  chemistry  who.  when  he 
translated  Demachy's  "Art  of  Manufacturing  Chemical  Products,"  corrects 
errors  and  makes  additions  to  both  Demachy  and  a  contemporaneous  trans- 
lator. Struve.  It  is  a  scientific  record  which  should  have  place  in  the  his- 
tory of  medicine  of  the  eighteenth  century. — S.  M.  H. 


THE    HOMOEOPATHIC    RECORDER. 


"Tip  jMicines  are  M  Best." 

BOERICKE   &  TAFEL, 

Homoeopathic  Pharmacists,  Importers  and  Publishers. 

PHILADELPHIA,  ion  Arch  St. 

PHILADELPHIA,  125  South  nth  St. 
PHILADELPHIA,  15  North  6th  St. 
NEW  YORK,  145  Grand  St. 

NEW  YORK,  145  West  43d  St. 

NEW  YORK,  634  Columbus  Ave. 
CHICAGO,  156  N.  Wabash  Ave. 
PITTSBURGH,  702  Penn  Ave. 

BALTIMORE,  326  North  Howard  St. 
CINCINNATI,  213  West  4th   St. 

ffemineas  E»t*bli«h*d  In  1885. 


Readers,  contributors,  correspondents,  exchanges,  and  all 
others  who  have  occasion  to  communicate  with  the  Homceopathic 
Recorder,  should  know  that  this  journal  is  printed  and  mailed  at 
Lancaster,  Pa.,  but  that  the  editorial  and  business  office  is  at  ion 
Arch  St.,  Philadelphia,  Pa.  Consequently  any  mail  matter  ad- 
dressed to  Lancaster,  Pa.,  has  to  be  remailed,  or  sent  by  express 
(when  there  is  enough  of  it,  which  often  happens)  to  ion  Arch 
St.,  Philadelphia,  Pa.  If  our  friends,  subscribers,  exchanges, 
etc.,  will  change  their  address  books  (everyone  should  have  an 
address  book)  in  accordance  with  the  foregoing,  it  will  be  a  con- 
venience to  the  publishers,  and  insure  prompter  replies. 


Xll  THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

Echinacea  came  into  the  medical  world  about  fifty  years  ago 
via  a  Nebraska  druggist,  as  a  "blood  purifier,"  he,  they  say, 
getting  acquainted  with  its  virtues  by  means  of  the  Sioux  In- 
dians. Of  course,  a  blood  purifier  is  good  for  everything,  as  the 
blood  goes  to  all  parts  of  the  body.  However,  here  is  a  bit 
from  a  gentleman  in  an  interior  town.  T.  W.  was  in  a  manner 
responsible.  The  writer's  wife  had  been  "testing  Echinacea  on 
an  inflammation  of  the  throat  which  was  giving  us  serious  alarm. 
The  result  is  gratifying,  I  may  say,  assuring.  As  a  result  of  her 
commendation  of  the  tincture  many  have  reached  the  conclusion 
it  will  cure  anything,  including  an  insatiable  thirst  and  depraved 
morality,  and  some  are  not  sure  it  will  not  insure  the  eternal 
salvation  of  the  immortal  soul."  Be  that  as  it  may — there  is  none 
in  his  town  and  so  "please  send,"  etc.  Certainly  this  tincture  de- 
serves a  place  among  what  Rademacher  termed  the  "universal 
remedies."  It  seems  to  be  what  the  old  time  doctors  would  have 
termed  an  "alterative,"  or,  as  the  Nebraska  man  dubbed  it,  a 
"blood  purifier."  Rather  curiously  the  plant  of  this  species  found 
growing  east  of  the  Mississippi  river  does  not  possess  the  full 
virtues  of  the  same  species  gathered  from  the  States  lying  west 
of  that  great  river.  Why  this  is  no  one  seems  to  know,  and  in- 
deed not  every  one  is  aware  of  the  geographical  fact. 

Once  knew  a  country  flour  miller  who  depended  altogether  on 
the  farmers  for  his  grain,  as  no  carloads  could  reach  him.  He 
said  that  the  wheat  coming  from  a  certain  creek  region  made 
flour  that  pleased  every  one,  while  the  wheat  from  another 
"creek  bottom"  produced  a  flour  that  always  gave  him  trouble. 
4iI  don't  know  why  it  is,  for  the  darned  wheat  looked  the  same." 

Another  to  the  same  effect,  though  this  came  second  hand. 
Years  ago  there  was  a  Kentucky  distiller  whose  whiskey  was  so 
popular  that  he  could  not  produce  it  fast  enough  to  meet  the 
demand,  both  on  account  of  the  capacity  of  his  stills  and  be- 
cause there  was  not  enough  corn  available  in  his  neighborhood. 
He  moved  to  Illinois  where  corn  was  so  plentiful  that  in  a  pinch 
it  was  used  for  fuel.  But  he  could  not,  he  said,  produce  an  article 
that  in  any  way  came  up  to  the  product  of  his  Kentucky  stills. 
Whether  it  was  due  to  the  water  or  the  corn  he  did  not  know. 

There  is  a  good  deal  to  learn  in  the  matter  of  quality. 


THE    HOMOEOPATHIC    RECORDER 


Xlll 


Haddon  Hall 

ATLANTIC  CITY 

ALWAYS    OPEN 
RIOHT  ON  THE  BEACH  AND  THE  BOARDWALK 


1\ 


Appeals  particularly  to  cultivated  people  who  seek 
rest  and  recreation  at  the  Sea  Shore,  Summer  or  Win- 
ter. From  every  section  of  the  country  such  guests 
have  come  to  Haddon  Hall  for  40  years — and  come 
back  again  and  again — it  is  so  satisfying,  so  free  from 
ostentation,  so  restful  and  sufficient.  Every  facility  is 
offered  young  and  old  for  enjoyment. 

A  step  and  you  are  in  the  surf.  Fascinating  shops 
and  a  thousand  amusements  are  offered  along  the 
famous  Boardwalk.  Privileges  of  fine  golf  and  yacht 
clubs.  Rooms  are  comfortable  and  attractive — there 
is  delightful  music — and  always  interesting  people. 

Make  reservations — write  for  illustrated  folder. 


.-.  LEEDS  &LIPPINCOTT 


XIV  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

A  Good  Practice  for  Sale. — After  over  thirty  years  Dr. 
Wm.  Steinrauf  is  retiring  from  practice  and  wishes  a  successor. 
Address  or  call  at  "near  cor.  of  2nd  and  Adams  St.,  St.  Charles, 
Mo."  This  town  is  about  20  miles  from  St.  Louis  with  trolley 
service  between.  A  good  homoeopath  can  easily  take  up  a  good 
paying  practice  here. 


The  learned  brother  who  edits  the  Illinois  Health  News  lets 
loose  the  following:  "In  this  day  of  placid  war  and  rampant 
and  belligerent  pacifism,  do  you  say.  'can-fon-ment,'  with  the 
accent  on  the  second  syllable  ?  Neither  do  we ;  but  it  has  been 
done."  The  meaning  of  this  is  as  clear  as  that  of  the  average 
allopathic  prescription.  Webster  puts  the  accent  on  the  second 
syllable.  The  dodging  Standard  lets  you  put  it  where  you  please 
following  the  Century  in  this  liberality,  but  with  preference  for 
accent  on  second  syllable. 


Dr.  Albert  Parker  Hedges  has  removed  from  818  Wilson  Ave., 
to  1 124  Wilson  Ave.  Residence,  5733  Kenmore  Ave.,  Chicago, 
111. 

Dr.  C.  V.  Norcross  has  removed  from  Butte,  Montana,  to 
Elsinore,  California.  He  has  bought  the  hotel  and  springs  at 
that  place. 

Dr.  J.  W.  Chase  has  removed  from  Corry,  Pa.,  to  1220  Mon- 
terey  St.,    Pittsburgh,   Pa    (North    Side). 

Dr.  Harry  B.  Baker  sends  us  a  card  to  change  his  address 
from  Richmond,  Va.,  to  c/o  of  R.  I.  D.  V.  I.,  National  Bridge 
Station,  Va.,  from  which  it  may  be  inferred  that  the  doctor  has 
gone  in  to  "do  his  bit."     Good  luck! 

Dr.  E.  O.  Richberg,  author  of  Eat,  Drink  and  Live  Long,  has 
removed  from  2227  Calumet  Ave.,  to  5312  Kimbark  Ave.,  Chi- 
cago, 111. 


An  irate  Mississippi  doctor  gives  the  editor  of  the  Jour.  A.  M. 
A.  some  hot  shot.    Among  other  things  he  writes: 

"Why  not  insist  on  the  medical  student  learning  somethivg 
about  Materia  Medica?  I  consider  that  an  excellent  book  for 
the  doctor  and  incidentally  one  that  the  average  one  knows  the 


THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


XV 


Glandular   Therapy 
Biological     Triturations 


List 

CORPUS    LUTEUM 

DUODENUM 

PANCREAS 

PITUITARY 

SUPRARENALS 

THYMUS 

THYROID 

BRAIN 

ORCHIC 

MAMMARY 

PINEAL 

PROSTATE 


PRICE  LIST 

Tablets,  1  m.  $0.60;     5  m.  $2.25 
Supplied  in  6x  when  not  otherwise  specified 

The  material  for  these  triturations  was  obtained  from  standard 
laboratories,  for  these  products.  A  leaflet,  giving  clinical  scope, 
will  be  sent  on  request.  These  triturations  are  made  with  the 
pure  sugar  of  milk  crystals  (not  powdered  milk  sugar).  The  ix 
receives  four  hours  triturating,  and  each  succeeding  x  two  hours. 
This  line  was  made  because  many  physicians  were  asking  for 
these  glandular  products  in  triturations. 

Obtainable  at  any  of  our  pharmacies. 

Boericke  &  Tafkl. 


XVI  THE  HOMCEOFATHIC  RECORDER. 

least  about,  and  judging  from  the  Journal's  department  'Propa- 
ganda for  Reform,'  it  must  think  so  to.  At  any  rate  I  know  that 
many  doctors  do  prescribe  patent  nostrums  or  some  other  mess. 
Surely,  if  they  knew  how  to  write  their  own  prescriptions,  they 
would.  Perhaps  that  is  O.  K.  if  he  can  grunt  out  some  German 
though." 

And  in  another  letter  he  writes : 

"Well,  stick  to  your  Kaiser.  Don't  waste  any  more  ink  telling 
that  Illinois  was  the  home  of  Lincoln.  I  confess  that  it  is  a 
shock  to  learn  that  in  any  way,  directly  or  indirectly,  the  Journal 
should  not  support  things  American. 

"You  must  pardon  me  for  being  patriotic  as  my  great  grand- 
fathers fought  in  the  war  of  '76,  and  my  grandfathers  fought 
1812,  and  my  father,  uncles,  cousins,  etc.,  in  the  Mexican  war  for 
Uncle  Sam.  Naturally  I  feel  interested  in  the  upholding  of 
American  principles.  Possibly  your  ancestors  are  a  recent  im- 
portation of  a  'Kultur'  with  a  different  trademark. 

"Since  I  have  you  placed  I  will  know  how  to  read  your 
articles." 

They  say  when  a  Chinaman  wants  to  insult  a  man  he  refrains 
from  using  certain  capital  letters.  The  editor  of  /.  A.  M.  A.  did 
something  akin  by  printing  "Dr.  T.  E.  S.'s"  two  letters  in  his 
joke  department. 


Notwithstanding  the  spread  of  "bone  dry"  legislation  the  fine 
grain  alcohol,  the  only  kind  that  should  be  used  in  medicine,  is 
now  selling  at  $2.00  per  quart  due,  in  part,  to  food  conservation, 
but  chiefly  to  the  enormous  tax  levied  by  the  Government,  and 
the  fact  that  much  of  it  is  used  in  making  artillery  ammunition. 
A  good  many  earnest  but  rather  limited  men  and  women  think 
that  alcohol  and  "booze"  are  synonymous,  and  so  they  kick  around 
this  so  universal  element  in  nature  like  the  boys  used  to  kick 
Champ  Clark's  "houn  dawg  aroun'  the  town."  Yet  it  is  an 
essential  in  many  of  the  arts,  sciences  and  in  medicine.  How- 
ever, this  kicking  is  an  easy  way  to  display  one's  superior  virtue. 


"Rabbit-Foot  Therapy. — Few  but  ignorant  darkies  have  any 
great  faith  in  the  therapeutic  efficacy  of  the  left  hind  foot  of  a 


THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


xvu 


Diseases  of  the  Skin 

Including  the  Exanthemata. 

BY  FREDERICK  M.  DEARBORN,  A.  B.,  M.  D. 

New  York  City. 


200    original    illustrations,    photographs    from    actual 


cases. 


551  large  8vo.  pages.  Cloth,  $5.00,  net,  sent  on  re- 
ceipt of  price  by  any  homoeopathic  book  dealer. 

This  book  is  not  printed  from  plates,  is  new,  from 
cover  to  cover,  the  latest,  the  least  padded  and  most  help- 
ful book  on  the  skin  extant. 


For  Sale  at  All  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies. 


PRACTICAL  HOMCEOPATHIC 
THERAPEUTICS 


By  W.JA.  DEWEY,  M.  D. 


Second  Edition 


426 pages.     Cloth, \$2. 50  net. 


"The  book  strikes  me  as  being  about  the  most  satisfactory  work 
of  the  kind  I  ever  saw." — C. ,  Medical  Gleaner. 

"He  has  done  for  therapeutics  what  Farrington  did  for  Materia 
Medica. " — Homoeopathic  World. 

"If  you  want  a  book  of  homoeopathic  therapeutics,  pure,  simple, 
straight,  clean  and  up-to-date  Homoeopathy,  here  you  are.  It  is  one 
of  the  books  you  want.  You  want  it  handy.  Right  on  the  nearest 
corner  of  the  middle  shelf  of  your  bookcase." — 1  he  Clinic. 


XV111  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

rabbit  caught  in  the  church  yard  in  the  dark  of  the  moon.  In 
the  light  of  modern  therapeutics  one  is  tempted  to  believe,  how- 
ever, that  had  some  one  person  or  firm  an  exclusive  proprietary 
right  to  this  particular  brand  of  rabbits'  feet,  there  would  be 
many  intelligent  people — and  not  all  of  them  laymen — ready  to 
swear  by  rabbit's  foot  therapy.  In  medical  journals  (whose  ad- 
vertising pages  set  forth  the  virtues  of  the  pedal  extremities  of 
Lepus  sylvaticus)  many  solemnly  scientific  articles  would  prob- 
ably appear  relating  the  success  that  the  writers  had  had  with 
this  form  of  therapy  in  the  treatment  of  some  distressingly  stub- 
born conditions  that  had  failed  to  respond  to  all  previous  efforts. 
Is  it  ubiquity  that  has  saved  the  homely  cotton-tail  from  being 
a  therapeutic  hero?" 

The  foregoing,  heading  included,  is  lifted  from  the  Jour.  A. 
M.  A.  We  are  inclined  to  believe  that  could  our  scientific  friends 
be  enticed  away  from  administering  dead  or  living  germs,  or 
germ  bouillon  or  germ  tainted  serum,  and  substitute  rabbit  foot 
therapy,  it  would  be  a  great  therapeutic  advance  for  them,  and 
a  relief  to  their  patients.  They  "agglutinate"  the  blood  and  then 
let  loose  a  barrage  of  high  powered  barbaric  words  to  keep  the 
ignorant  from  reflecting  as  to  whether  clogged  blood  is  a  good 
thing  for  the  man  whose  blood  has  been  thickened.  T.  W.  is 
enough  of  a  back  number  to  prefer  a  rabbit's  foot  to  "agglutina- 
tion" and  other  like  things  behind  the  barrage,  if  a  choice  must 
be  made  between  the  two. 


It  may  seem  like  musty  advice  to  suggest  that  when  writing 
for  publication  you  should  write  on  one  side  of  the  paper  only 
and  not  crowd  your  lines  too  closely.  Things  being  equal,  the 
well  prepared  manuscript  always  has  the  right  of  way. 


The  question  was  asked,  "What  is  the  meaning  of  the  signs 
found  in  old  German  journals  like  o/x,  oo/x,  ooo/vii,  oo/ii,  and 
others  with  more  or  less  of  the  Roman  numerals."  "They  mean 
the  same  as  the  x  in  the  decimal  scale,  I  suppose,"  glibly  replied 
T.  W.,  who  is  not  versed  in  the  German  language.  "I  don't 
want  your  guesses,"  was  the  come  back,  "if  you  don't  know  you 
ought  to  be  able  to  find  out."     The  matter  was  put  up  to  our 


THE    HOMCEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 


XIX 


THERAPEUTICS 

OF  THE 

RESPIRATORY  SYSTEM 

Coughs  and  Coryza,  Acute  and  Chronic.  Repertory 
with  Index.    Materia  Medica,  with  Index. 

By  W.  M.  Van  Denburg,  A.  M.,  M.  D.  "Similars 
can  be  cured  by  similars."  Proof:  An  intelligent  appli- 
cation of  the  drug-symptoms  in  this  book. 

782  pages.    Cloth,  $5.00,  net. 

This  is  a  genuine  therapeutic  text-book  on  the  "king- 
dom of  the  lungs,"  one  that  will  be  the  standard  for  all 
time  to  come.  It  is  complete.  Its  arrangement  is  such 
as  to  send  the  inquirer  straight  to  the  indicated  remedy 
with  a  minimum  of  searching.   Every  office  needs  a  copy. 


Practice  of  Hedicine 

BY 

WALTER  SANDS  MILLS,  M.  D. 

NEW  YORK  CITY 

(705  Pages.     Buckram.     Gilt  Top.    $5.00,  net.     Mailed, 
Post-paid,  on  Receipt  of  Price.) 

This  work  will  help  any  man  in  active  practice.  It 
covers  more  ground  than  other  works  of  its  class,  but  is 
so  clearly  worded  that  less  space  is  required.  In  a  com- 
paratively few,  common  sense  words  the  author  gives 
you  the  substance  of  what  a  work  on  practice  should. 
It  assumes  that  you  are  a  physician  and  many  details  may 
be  omitted.  Reference  to  it  is  a  consultation  with  an 
experienced  physician  of  the  big  New  York  Hospitals. 

For  Sale  at  All  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies. 


XX  THE    HOMCEOPATHIC    RECORDER. 

sage,  Dr.  T.  L.  Bradford,  but  he  shied  at  any  certain  answer,  so 
now  it  goes  up  to  the  readers  of  the  club,  who  would  be  sur- 
prised at  the  number  of  inquiries  that  come  into  this  journal  as  to 
the  meaning  of  0,  ix,  30X,  1,  2,  3,  >,  <,  M.,  D.  M.,  C.  M.  M., 
and  other  cabalistic  signs,  and  words.  Everything  of  this  sort 
appears  profound  or  mysterious  until  you  know  what  it  means 
and  then  it  takes  its  place  among  the  commonplace  things.  Who- 
ever heard  of  a  ghost  in  the  broad  daylight  ?  When  first  standing 
guard,  from  midnight  on,  the  whole  surroundings  seemed  to  us 
to  be  filled  with  creepy  mystery,  lurking  men,  animals  and  ghosts, 
but  when  day  dawned  everything  became  commonplace  trees 
and  bushes.  However,  that  is  but  babbling.  What  means 
000/x? 


J.  C.  R.,  in  Medical  World,  has  the  following  comments  to 
make  on  the  recently  published  Diseases  of  the  Spleen,  by  Dr. 
J.  C.  Burnett: 

"The  first  section  of  the  book  contains  a  series  of  case  records 
illustrating  the  effects  of  spleen  remedies,  mainly  Ceanothus 
Arnericanus,  which  the  author  has  found  curative  in  splenic  dis- 
eases, both  acute  and  chronic.  His  experience  leads  him  to  con- 
sider this  remedy  well-nigh  a  specific  in  these  diseases.  How- 
ever, when  it  fails  other  remedies  are  used,  and  he  mentions  them. 
The  case  reports  are  very  interesting.  The  next  section  consists 
of  Rademacher's  description  of  spleen  remedies  and  the  author's 
experiences  with  them  also.  Much  useful  information  on  the 
treatment  of  ague  and  other  diseases  is  contained.  Splenic  leu- 
kemia is  cured  by  it  also.  The  book  will  be  much  liked  by  all 
who  read  it,  particularly  physicians  in  malarial  districts." 

Yes,  and  there  isn't  a  Burnett  book  on  the  publisher's  list  that 
is  not  worth  far  more  than  its  price  to  any  physician,  no  matter 
in  what  medical  church  he  holds  a  pew.  Burnett  began  as  a 
"regular,"  and  a  rather  haughty  one  at  that.  He  was  mightily 
learned  in  all  sorts  of  medical  lore  in  his  later  life.  All  of  his 
books  are  full  of  meat. 


Quoting  from  an  editorial  in  the  London  Lancet  it  appears 
that  Dr.  John  E.  Wilson's  book  on  Nervous  Diseases  came  in  on. 


THE    HOMOEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 


Crow  Motor  Car  Company 


Ha  in  and  Simon  ton  Streets 


ELKHART,  IND. 


The  Car  for  Satisfaction  and  Service! 

What  More  Can  lou  Ask? 
For  Particulars,  Prices,  etc.,  address  as  above. 


Homoeopathic 
Department 

of  the 

University  of 
Michigan 

Stands  for  Thoroughness 

Offers  six  salaried  positions  an- 
nually for  Assistantships  and  Hospi- 
tal Physicians. 

A  five-year  Optional  Course 
affords  great  opportunity  for  spe- 
cialization. 

Address 

W.  B.  HINDSDALE,   M.   D.,  Dean 
ANN  ARBOR,  MICH. 


College  of 
Homoeopathic 

Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 

i.  One  of  the  eleven  colleges  of  a 
great  State  University. 

2.  Located  in  a  city  of  250,000 
population. 

3.  College  and  University  Hospi- 
tal on  campus.  All  hospital  pa- 
tients are  for  the  clinics. 

4.  All  faculty  members,  all  time 
salaried  men. 

ADDRESS 

CLAUDE  A.  BURRETT,  Ph.B.  M.D. 

DEAN 

College  of  Homoeopathic  Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 

Columbus,  Ohio 


XX11  THE   HOMOEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 

about  the  psychological  time.  Here  is  the  quotation,  the  opening 
of  the  editorial : 

"One  of  the  results  of  war  on  the  colossal  scale  of  to-day  has 
been  the  appearance  in  military  and  civilian  hospitals  and  analo- 
gous institutions  of  mental  and  nervous  cases  by,  literally,  thou- 
sands. The  welcome  sequel  has  been  a  quickening  of  interest 
on  the  part  of  the  medical  profession  as  a  whole  in  these  types  of 
case,  of  which  in  many  instances  the  medical  practitioner  was 
little  qualified  either  by  education  or  by  previous  experience 
to  take  cognizance." 

If  you  will  look  in  a  medical  dictionary — Steadman's,  for  in- 
stance,— you  will  find  about  six  and  a  half  pages  taken  up  with 
"nerve"  and  its  derivatives.  The  fact  that  all  feeling  comes  via 
the  nerves,  and  as  without  feeling  life  would  be  a  blank,  shows 
that  a  rather  big  branch  of  medicine  has  been  sadly  neglected. 
The  book  of  Wilson's  is  the  latest,  and  we  believe  very  thor- 
oughly covers  the  ground,  homoeopathically  and  otherwise,  show- 
ing where  medicine  is  useful  and  where  it  is  useless,  where  sur- 
gery comes  in — all  that  sort  of  thing.  It  is  very  well  written 
and  suitably  and  practically  illustrated.  You  make  no  mistake  in 
getting  it  if  you  want  a  book  on  nervous  disease.  (See  Cata- 
logue, p.  iii,  of  this  journal  for  price,  pages,  etc.) 


Here  is  what  the  Medical  Summary  has  to  say  of  Moffat's  Ho- 
rn a?o path  ic  Th erap eu tics  in  Op Hthahn ology: 

"Here  is  a  little  book  which  gives  exclusive  homceopathic  treat- 
ments for  all  forms  of  eye  troubles,  exclusive  of  those  cases  which 
actually  need  instruments  for  their  alleviation  or  cure.  The 
author  states  that  he  has  here  confined  himself  to  the  facts  of  the 
Homceopathic  Materia  Medica,  the  Pathogenic  Symptoms  of 
Drugs  and  clinical  experiences  of  their  curative  action.  There 
are  about  135  drugs  given.  The  book  contains  166  pages,  and 
its  contents  are  divided  into  four  chapters,  which  are  under  the 
following  heads  :  Hahnemann.  Materia  Medica,  Repertory.  This 
is  evidently  a  useful  book  for  the  homceopathic  physician." 


One  of  the  sad-eyed  funny  men  wrote  of  a  patient  who,  in  a 
period  of  depression,  requested  his  doctor  to  tell  him  the  "worst." 


THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


XX111 


The  Eclectic  Medical  College 

CINCINNATI,  OHIO 

ADMISSION:  Certificate  of  Ohio  State 
Medical  Board,  fifteen  units  plus  one  year  of 
college  work  in  physics,  inorganic  chemistry, 
biology  and  a  modern  language. 

SESSION?  The  74th  annual  session  begins 
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TUITION:  $120  per  year;  matriculation  fee, 
$5.00. 

BUILDING:  New  (1910)  six-story  building 
at  630  West  Sixth  Street. 

CLINICAL  INSTRUCTION:  Seton  Hospi- 
tal Dispensary,  Health  Department  and  Tuberculosis  Hospital,  Seton, 
Longview  and  Cincinnati  General  Hospital  (850  beds). 

For  bulletin  and  detailed  information  address 

JOHN  K.  SCUDDER,  M.  D., 

630  West  Sixth  Street,  Cincinnati,  Ohio 


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XXIV  THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

The  doctor  contemplated  him  musingly  murmuring,  "I  wonder 
if  you  can  stand  it."  "Yes,  I  am  resigned,"  moaned  the  patient. 
"Well,"  replied  the  doctor,  "my  bill  will  be  $900.00."  "The 
h — 11  it  will !"  shouted  the  aroused  patient  bouncing  out  of  bed. 


Men  are  but  kids  of  a  larger  growth.  If  a  big-wig  says  that 
"this  is  the  treatment"  they  all,  or  nearly  all,  believe  it,  "because 
teacher  says  so."  Pasteur  said  his  treatment  would  prevent 
hydrophobia,  the  world  fell  for  it,  yet  neither  Pasteur  nor  any  one 
else  has  proved  that  it  ever  prevented  a  single  case.  Then  look  at 
the  way  they  fall  for  poetry  because  it  jingles,  or  because  it  is  as 
cryptic  as  an  allopathic  prescription.  We  recently  saw  the  fol- 
lowing verses  quoted  in  a  medical  paper.  They  are  not  original 
as  is  shown  by  "internal  evidence"  (as  S.  M.  H.,  of  the  /.  A.  I. 
H.,  sometimes  remarks),  and,  incidentally,  by  the  copyright  law. 
Every  one  knows  who  wrote  them  ?    Here  they  are  : 

.» 
Lives  of  great  men  all  remind  us 

We  can  make  our  lives  sublime, 

And  departing,  leave  behind  us 

Footprints  on  the  sands  of  time. 

Footprints  that  perhaps  another 

Sailing  o'er  life's  solemn  main, 
A  forlorn  and  shipwrecked  brother, 

Seeing  may  take  heart  again. 

Our  cynical  office  boy  who  wants  to  be  a  poet  and  with  the 
poets  stand,  was  rather  taken  with  the  jingle  of  these  verses,  but 
at  last  asked  how  a  shipwrecked  brother  could  be  "out  sailing 
and  see  his  footprints  at  the  same  time."  Then  he  said,  "Guess 
poets  can't  jingle  and  tell  the  truth."  A  guess  that  T.  W.  can- 
not answer. 


We  hear  that  the  new  edition,  American,  of  Burnett's  Diseases 
of  the  Spleen,  has  "caught  on"  in  great  style.  Well,  T.  W. 
is  acquainted  with  two  physicians  who  made  remarkable  "hits" 
by  means  of  what  they  got  from  this  little  book. 


THE    HOMOEOPATHIC    RECORDER. 


XI 


"Heir  jliefliciues  are  me  Best" 

BOERICKE   &  TAFEL, 

Homoeopathic  Pharmacists,  Importers  and  Publishers. 

PHILADELPHIA,  ion  Arch  St. 

PHILADELPHIA,  125  South  nth  St. 
PHILADELPHIA,  15  North  6th  St. 
NEW  YORK,  145  Grand  St. 

NEW  YORK,  145  West  43d  St. 

NEW  YORK,  634  Columbus  Ave. 
CHICAGO,  156  N.  Wabash  Ave. 
PITTSBURGH,  702  Penn  Ave. 

BALTIMORE,  326  North  Howard  St. 
CINCINNATI,  213  West  4th   St. 

»nslo«s8  Established  in  1885. 


A  copy  of  the  North  American  Journal  of  Homoeopathy  for 
Sept.,  1885,  recently  came  T.  W.'s  way.  It  is  the  first  issue  of  the 
Journal  Publishing  Club's  management.  From  the  "Salutation" 
we  take  the  following: 

"Before  new  hands  take  up  the  pen  to  continue  the  work  of 
predecessors,  some  revered  among  the  departed,  all  held  in 
affectionate  esteem  by  reason  of  faithful  serving,  it  is  fitting  that 
they  who  have  to  prove  their  efficiency  should  turn  with  saluta- 
tion to  those  already  crowned.  From  the  lamented  Hering,  who, 
with  E.  E.  Marcv  and  J.  W.  Metcalfe,  launched  the  Journal  in 
1851,  to  Samuel  Lilienthal,  whose  'last  lay  of  an  old  worker* 
touched  many  a  chord  of  regret  in  the  last  number  of  the 
Quarterly,  extends  an  august  line  of  venerated  men.     None  are 


Xll  THE   HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

truly  dead,  for  all  live  inwrought  in  their  best  spirit  into  the 
pages  to  which  succeeding  editors  must  look  back  for  inspiration 
and  emulation." 

Also : 

"It  is  fitting,  too,  that  the  Journal  Publishing  Club,  which  now 
assumes  the  responsibility  of  publication,  should  recognize  the 
liberality  of  the  publishing  houses  which,  for  thirty-four  years, 
have  issued  the  North  American  Journal  of  Homoeopathy.  To 
Wm.  Radde,  to  Boericke  &  Tafel,  and  finally  to  F.  E.  Boericke, 
the  profession,  among  many  other  obligations,  owes  that  of  the 
existence  of  the  North  American,  through  which  it  has  prospered 
so  largely.  From  the  beginning  they  have  uniformly  clothed  the 
periodical  with  dignity  and  taste,  and  their  fidelity  to  its  interests 
deserve  this  slight  acknowledgment." 

The  following  appears  at  the  head  of  the  editorial  page  under 
"editors :" 

George  M.  Dillow,  M.  D.,  Editor-in-Chief,  Editorial  and  Book 
Reviews. 

Clarence  E.  Beebe,  M.  D.,  Original  Papers  in  Medicine. 

Sidney  F.  Wilcox,  M.  D.,  Original  Papers  in  Surgery. 

Charles  F.  Sterling,  M.  D.,  Reports  of  Societies  and  Hospitals. 

Malcolm  Leal,  M.  D.,  Progress  of  Medicine. 

Eugene  H.  Porter,  M.  D.,  News,  Personals  and  Original 
Miscellany. 

George  G.  Shelton,  M.  D.,  Business  Manager. 

This  bit  of  history  proving  interesting  to  T.  W. — hope  it  is  the 
same  to  the  reader — Bradford's  Bibliography  of  homoeopathic 
books,  journals,  colleges,  societies,  etc.,  was  consulted,  and  the 
additional  information  gleaned  that  the  first  title  of  the  North 
American  Journal  of  Homoeopathy  was  "The  North  American 
Homoeopathic  Journal,"  which  stopped  publication  at  the  end 
of  Vol.  III.  in  1853,  and  again  resumed  publication  in  Aug.,  1855, 
by  the  same  editors  and  publishers. 

Until  Vol.  30,  when  Lilienthal  became  sole  editor,  many  well 
known  men  were  on  the  editorial  staflf,  among  them  may  be 
noted,  as  being  authors  of  books,  J.  C.  Peters,  Wm.  H.  Hol- 
combe,  F.  G.  Snelling,  E.  M.  Hale,  R.  Ludlam,  E.  C.  Franklin, 
J.  P.  Dake,  Wm.  Tod  Helmuth,  C.  Neidhard,  W.  Williamson 
and  C.  J.  Hempel. 


THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


Xlll 


The  best  place   for    rest    and    recreation 
and  recuperation  is 

ATLANTIC    CITY 

AND 

CHALFONTE 

is  especially  well  equipped  to  supply  the 
wants  of  those  who  come  to  secure  them. 

Write  for  Illustrated  Folder  and  Rates  to 

THE  LEEDS  COMPANY 


Xiv  THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

( ilancing  through  Bradford's  pages  we  find  that  The  Ho- 
moeopathic News  was  published  by  Boericke  &  Tafel,  1854-5, 
C.  Hering  and  Ad.  Lippe  being  editors.  It  was  issued  "irregu- 
larly''— small  wonder  to  those  who  know  homoeopathic  history. 

The  Hahnemannian  Monthly  was  started  by  I.  H.  Frost  and 
Ad.  Lippe  in  1865.  With  Vol.  V,  A.  J.  Tafel  became  the  pub- 
lisher, and  with  Vol.  X  Boericke  &  Tafel  assumed  that  duty.  In 
1880  it  was  taken  over  by  the  Hahnemann  Club  of  Philadelphia. 

The  foregoing  historical  review  embraces,  together  with  the 
Homoeopathic  Recorder,  which  you  know,  and  the  Homoeo- 
pathic Envoy  (25  cents  a  year),  which  some  of  you  know,  about 
all  of  Boericke  &  Tafel's  ventures  in  the  journalistic  field. 

All  of  these  journals  with  which  that  house  has  been  con- 
nected, with  one  exception,  are  very  much  alive  to-day. 


Good  chance  for  a  hustling  homoeopath.  Established  business. 
Address,  Samuel  Eden,  M.  D.,  1340  Bushwick  Ave.,  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y. 


Dr.  J.  C.  Fahnestock,  who  for  years  has  held  the  fort  at 
Piqua,  O.,  now  holds  two  forts,  the  second  one  being  at  Palm 
Beach,  Fla.  In  other  words,  the  doctor  has  moved  to  his  winter 
home  at  Palm  Beach,  where  he  will  practice  good  Homoeopathy, 
returning  to  Piqua  when  the  northward  flight  of  the  birds  begins 
next  spring. 


A  note  from  Commander  Eva  Booth,  of  the  Salvation  Army, 
Headquarters  122  W.  24th  St.,  New  York  City,  tells  us  that  they 
want  a  qualified  medical  man  "who  is  in  sympathy  with  religious 
work"  to  go  to  India.  "Three  years'  agreement,  passage  paid  and 
small  monthly  allowance  made."     If  interested  address  as  above. 


Dr.  Eli  G.  Jones  is  at  present  at  104  Bradt  St.,  East  Chatta- 
nooga, Tenn.,  having  gone  there  on  the  invitation  of  a  number  of 
physicians.  Writes  that  he  has  met  a  number  of  fine  men  of  all 
schools.  Had  the  pleasure  of  a  call  from  him  before  he  went 
south.  First  interview.  He  looks  like  a  man  who  believes  and 
feels  what  he  writes. 


THE   HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER.  XV 

BOERICKE  &  TAFEL'S 

Fine  Toilet  Articles 


We  have  a  very  complete  line  of  fine  toilet  articles  that  it  is 
well  to  bear  in  mind  when  ordering  goods.    These  embrace : 

Genuine  Imported  Bay  Rum,  which  has  the  reputation  of  be- 
ing the  best  in  the  market.  Prices :  25,  45  and  75  cents  a  bottle, 
as  to  size. 

Rosol  Cold  Cream,  a  cold  cream  that  will  not  turn  rancid ;  very 
elegant.    Prices:  20,  30  and  50  cents  per  jar,  as  to  size.    25  cents 

per  tube,  collapsible. 

Rosol  Tooth  Powder,  about  the  best  you  can  find.  Price:  25 
cents,  in  patent  top  container. 

Rosol  Talcum  Powder,  very  elegantly  put  up  and  of  fine  qual- 
ity.   Price:  15  cents  per  can,  sprinkler. 

Rosol  Dental  Cream,  elegant  for  the  teeth.  Price :  20  cents,  in 
tubes. 

B.  &  T.  Antiseptic  Shaving  Stick,  a  fine,  free  lathering  shaving 
soap.    Price :  20  cents. 

Laneo.  "It  stayeth  the  falling  of  the  hair."  Price:  50  cents 
per  bottle.    Sprinkler  top. 

B.  A  T.  Hygienic  Toilet  Soap.  A  fine  toilet  soap.  Price:  10 
cents  per  cake,  or  3  cakes  in  a  box  for  25  cents. 

B.  &  T.  Calendulated  Soap.  Has  the  healing  qualities  of 
Calendula.    25  cents  per  cake. 


XVI  THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

President  Van  Baun  and  the  Executive  Committee,  in  con- 
ference with  the  local  committee  of  Rochester,  have  determined 
the  date  of  the  Institute,  June  17  to  23,  191 7,  at  the  Powers  Hotel, 
Rochester,  N.  Y. 


The  report  of  the  "Dinner  at  the  Baltimore  Club"  by  "Brother 
Geo.  P.  Alcott,  Jr.,"  in  the  last  issue  of  the  most  esteemed  Phi 
Alpha  Gamma  Quarterly,  is  a  literary  jewel.  Sorry  T.  W.  can- 
not quote  more  extensively.  The  dinner  started  with  mint  juleps, 
and  there  was  nothing  lacking  after  this  good  start.  There  were 
33  P.  A.  G.'s  present,  and  towards  the  end  of  the  banquet  each 
made  a  speech.  "And  as  this  final  round  went  on  (we  needed 
it,  we  must  confess)  we  got  some  very  good  advice  from  every 
part  of  these  U.  S.  Then  as  we  parted  at  the  gate  and  each 
went  to  his  virtuous  couch,  we  counted  all  of  the  thirty-three  and 
didn't  spot  one  single  grouch."  The  moral  of  all  this  is,  and  it  is 
not  Allcott's  but  humble  T.  W/s,  that  those  who  neither  belong  to, 
not  attend  the  mettings  of,  the  American  Institute  of  Homoeop- 
athy, miss  much.  There  is  something  there  on  the  side  to  suit 
all  tastes,  grave,  gay  or  philosophic,  and  throughout  all  runs  the 
golden  thread — Similia  Similibus  Curantur. 

Remember  Rochester  in  191 7! 


"By  the  bye,  buy  By-ways,"  remarked  an  alliteratur  friend. 
Therapeutic  By-ways  is  a  book  full  of  therapeutic  hints  gleaned 
from  all  sources,  from  "the  People,"  folk-lore,  botanies,  allopathy, 
the  eclectics,  homoeopaths  and  others.  Many  a  helpful  hint  in  it 
for  the  doctor,  and,  of  course,  according  to  your  lights,  some 
foolish  ones,  but  all  were  given  by  some  one,  in  good  faith.  The 
price  is  $1.00,  and  the  book  ranks  among  the  "best  sellers"  as 
medical  books  go. 


Dr.  John  E.  Wilson's  book,  Diseases  of  the  Nervous  System, 
is  out,  and  looks  to  T.  W.  like  a  beauty  so  far  as  make-up  goes. 
Its  contents  are  nervous  diseases  right  up  to  the  latest  known, 
including  full  homoeopathic  therapeutics,  and  also  many  things 
that  are  of  value  in  general  medicine.  So,  you  see,  it  is  a  book, 
a  real  text-book,  on  a  subject  too  little  known,  but  one  that  is 
receiving  more  and  more  attention  in  this  fast  age,  the  pace  of 
which  racks  men's  nerves  and  women's  also. 


THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


XV11 


Diseases  of  the  Skin 

Including  the   Exanthemata. 

BY  FREDERICK  M.  DEARBORN,  A.  B.f  M.  D. 
New  York  City 


200  original  illustrations,  photographs  from  actual 
cases. 

551  large  8vo.  pages.  Goth,  $5.00,  net,  sent  on  re- 
ceipt of  price  by  any  homoeopathic  book  dealers. 

This  book  is  not  printed  from  plates,  is  new,  from 
cover  to  cover,  the  latest,  the  least  padded  and  most  help- 
ful book  on  the  skin  extant. 


For  Sale  at  all  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies. 


PRACTICAL  HOMCEOPATHIC 
THERAPEUTICS 

Bv  W.  A.  DEWEY,  M.  D. 


Second  Edition 


426 pages.     Cloth,  $2.50  net. 


"The  book  strikes  me  as  being  about  the  most  satisfactory  work 
of  the  kind  I  ever  saw." — C,  Medical  Gleaner. 

"He  has  done  for  therapeutics  what  Farrington  did  for  Materia 
Medica. " — Homoeopathic  World. 

"If  you  want  a  book  of  homoeopathic  therapeutics,  pure,  simple, 
straight,  clean  and  up-to-date  Homoeopathy,  here  you  are.  It  is  one 
of  the  books  you  want.  You  want  it  handy.  Right  on  the  nearest 
corner  of  the  middle  shelf  of  your  bookcase.'' — The  Clinic. 


xviii  THE  HOMOEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


The  genial  author  is  Professor  of  Nervous  Diseases  at  the 
New  York  Homoeopathic  Medical  College  and  Flower  Hospital. 
Also  consulting  physician  and  neurologist  of  several  hospitals,  in- 
cluded among  which  is  the  big  State  hospital  for  the  insane  at 
Middletown,  N.  Y.  He  is  a  man  who  knows  the  world  and  its 
nerves  from  much  and  long  experience.  The  price  of  the  book 
is  $6.00,  to  be  had  at  all  dealers  in  homoeopathic  books. 


The  following  is  from  an  old  volume  of  poems,  Southern 
Voices,  by  W.  H.  Holcombe,  M.  D.,  better  known  by  his  famous 
"missionary"  pamphlet,  "How  I  Became  a  Homoeopath."  You 
should  know  that  he  was  a  graduate  of  "Jefferson,"  Philadelphia : 

I 

Thoughts  of  kindness  gently  uttered, 

Words  of  brotherhood  and  peace, 
Are  the  songs  that  live  for  ever, 

Down  the  surging  centuries. 

This  volume,  we  believe,  is  long  since  out  of  print.  It  was  pub- 
lished by  J.  B.  Lippincott  &  Co.,  Philadelphia,  1872.  Struck 
us  the  verse  quoted  is  a  gem. 


The  following  letter  is  self-explanatory : 

"Nov.  23,  1916. 
"Messrs.  Boericke  &  Tafel, 

"Philadelphia,  Penna. 
" Gentlemen: 

"Some  time  ago  you  were  kind  enough  to  send  me  a  copy  of 
Dr.  Moffat's  Homoeopathic  Therapeutics  in  Ophthalmology.  I 
have  had  an  opportunity  of  looking  over  this  book  rather  care- 
fully, and  I  want  to  commend  the  accuracy  of  the  symptoms  re- 
corded as  well  as  their  arrangement. 

"The  doctor  seems  to  have  given  enough  symptoms  to  enable 
one  to  determine  whether  the  eye  symptoms  are  those  that  would 
lead  one  to  select  any  remedy  for  an  eye  condition,  always,  of 
course,  bearing  in  mind  the  totality  of  the  symptoms  that  might 
modify  one's  choice  in  some  cases.  Undoubtedly  the  symptom- 
atology recorded  here  in  a  very  large  majority  of  cases  will  be 
all  sufficient  for  making  an  accurate  prescription. 


THE    HOMOEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 


XIX 


How  to  use  the  Repertory 

With  a  Practical  Analysis  of 
Forty  Homoeopathic  Remedies 

By  GLENN  IRVING  BIDWELL  M.   D. 

156  Pages.  Cloth  $1.00  net.  Mailed  post  paid  on 
receipt  of  price. 

Many  want  to  know  "how  to  use  the  reper- 
tory". Dr.  Bidwell,  an  expert  in  the  art,  tells 
howT  in  this  book.  Also  how  to  compare  rem- 
edies. 

At  All  Homoeopathic  Book  Dealers 


TREATCDENT 


By  CLARENCE  BARTLETT,  M.D. 

1223  pages.     Large  8vo.     Strong  Cloth,  $8.00,  net. 

Delivered  by  parcel  post,  free  to  any  part  of  the 
United  States  on  receipt  of  the  price,  $8.00. 

This  book,  worthy  of  being  termed  an  Encyclopedia 
of  Treatment,  will  pay  its  way  in  any  physicians  library 
who  is  in  active  practice.  The  Medical  World  put  its 
character  in  a  nut  shell  when  it  wrote:  "It  covers  well 
every  part  of  the  domain  of  modern  general  medical 
practice  as  mirrored  by  the  consensus  of  the  opinion  of 
the  best  men  of  all  schools." 


At  all  pharmacies  and  book  dealers. 


XX  THE    HOMOEOPATHIC    RECORDER. 

"I  want  to  thank  you  most  hearily  for  the  compliment  of  this 
book,  and  to  assure  you  that  it  will  be  directly  at  hand  in  selecting 
remedies  that  may  be  useful  for  the  conditions  that  arise  in  my 
daily  work. 

"Very  sincerely  yours, 

"Herbert  D.  Schenck,  M.  D. 
"75  Halsey  St.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y." 


N.  B.  The  following  is  not  T.  W.'s,  but  was  sent  in.  As  we 
have  no  "wad"  our  skirts  are  clear  of  everything  except  printing 
the  following: 

"A.  I.  H.  Our  idea  of  the  I.  O.  I.  C.  (Independent  Order  of 
Institute  Critics)  is  that  it  is  composed  of  medical  tight-wads 
who  have  their  mor  ry  in  dividend  payers,  necessarily  insignifi- 
cant." 

"Statistician  The  I.  O.  I.  C.  (Independent  Order  of  Institute 
Critics)  being  composed  solely  of  those  whose  money  is  invested 
in  dividend  payers  is  insignificant  as  to  numbers,  and,  on  the 
whole,  have  little  influence  upon  the  status  of  candidates." 

One  good  thing  is  apparent  in  the  "I.  O.  I.  C,"  namely,  they 
(whoever  they  be)  have  not  put  their  money  in  gold  mines,  oil 
wells,  pharmacy  stock  or  similar  things  that  give  your  riches  the 
wings  to  fly  away  from  you. 


The  Eclectic  Medical  Journal  gets  off  the  following  anent 
Anshutzs  Fables: 

"Entertaining,  instructive  and  full  of  counsel,  imparted  by  a 
master  of  fable.'' 

"Master  of  fable"  must  make  us  pause  a  moment  and  ponder. 


B.  &  T.'s  honey  buyer — perhaps  buyer  of  honey  would  be  better 
— is  a  crank  on  the  subject,  takes  bee  journals,  gloats  over  all  the 
honey  literature  he  can  get,  and  will  talk  honey  as  long  as  any- 
one will  listen.  His  quest  is  the  best  honey  the  bees. of  these 
United  States  can  turn  out.  Recently  he  came  at  T.  W.  about 
this  way :  "Say,  if  you  think  anyone  reads  your  department  in  the 
Recorder  you  might  put  this  in  for  ballast.'  The  "this"  was  a 
honey  item  to  the  effect  that  in  diabetes,  where  sugar  is  forbid- 
den, good  honey  can  be  substituted,  not  only  without  harm  but  to 
the  actual  advantage  of  the  patient. 


THE   HOMOEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 


XXI 


Crow  Motor  Car  Company 


Main  and  Simonton  Streets 


ELKHART,  IND. 


The  Car  for  Satisfaction  and  Service  ! 

What  More  Can  You  Ask? 
For  Particulars,  Prices,  etc.,  address  as  above. 


Homoeopathic 
Department 

of  the 

University  of 
Michigan 

Stands  for  Thoroughness 

Offers  six  salaried  positions  an- 
nually for  Assistantships  and  Hospi- 
tal Physicians. 

A  five-year  Optional  Course 
affords  great  opportunity  for  spe- 
cialization. 

Address 

W.  B.  HINDSDALE,    M.   D.,  Dean 
ANN  ARBOR,  MICH. 


College  of 
Homoeopathic 

Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 

i.  One  of  the  eleven  colleges  of  a 
great  State  University. 

2.  Located  in  a  city  of  250,000 
population. 

3.  College  and  University  Hospi- 
tal on  campus.  All  hospital  pa- 
tients are  for  the  clinics. 

4.  All   faculty  members,    all 
salaried  men. 


time 


ADDRESS 

CLAUDE  A.   BURRETT,  Ph.B.  M.D. 

DEAN 

College  of  Homoeopathic  Medicine 

Ohio  State  University 

Columbus.  Ohio 


XX11  THE    HOMCEOPATHIC   RECORDER. 


THE  UPLIFT. 


TO    SELLERS. 


You  may  hike,  and  hike,  and  hike, 
You  may  hike  up  to  the  top, 

Then,  you  bet,  as  sure  as  Mike ! 
Down  you'll  come  ker-flop ! 


TO   BUYERS. 


You  may  cuss,  and  cuss,  and  cuss, 
But  you'll  pay  up  just  the  same 

With  prices  up  and  gitten    wuss, 
And  the  war  alone  to  blame. 


— Office  Boy. 


(N.  B. — The  office  boy  is  not  a  member  of  the  Poet's  Union, 
but  aspires  to  be. — T.  W.) 


The  Indian  Homoeopathic  Review  had  the  following  to  say  of 
the  late  Edmund  Carleton's  book,  Homoeopathy  in  Medicine  and 
Surgery: 

In  these  days  of  many  useless  homoeopathic  publications  Dr. 
Carleton's  book  is  a  relief.  It  is  an  oasis  in  a  desert.  After  the 
great  fathers  of  Homoeopathy  are  in  their  resting  place,  very  few 
among  us  have  been  able  to  write  such  a  book. 

Though  it  is  a  small  book,  it  is  full  of  gems.  All  that  is  written 
here  is  of  immense  practical  value.  The  clinical  cases  written 
by  the  doctor  are  very  valuable  as  practical  hints  to  both  young 
and  old  physicians  and  surgeons  of  our  school. 

Dr.  Carleton  is  a  man  of  vast  experience  in  homoeopathic  thera- 
peutics and  he  is  also  a  great  surgeon  in  the  City  of  New  York 
in  the  United  States  of  America.  His  book  is  a  book  of  homoeo- 
pathic medicine  and  surgery.  Unlike  other  surgeons  of  our  rank 
who  invariably  indulge  in  surgical  operation  at  the  expense  of 
medical  treatment,  he  points  out  in  this  work  where  medicine 
can  do  better  than  surgery.  At  the  same  time  he  is  not  blind  to 
the  aid  surgery  can  give  where  medicine  fails  and  surgery  is  in- 
dicated. For  this  reason  also  we  are  charmed  with  this  valuable 
work. 


THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 


XX111 


The  Eclectic  Medical  College 

OF  CUSCI^NNATI,  OHIO 


Located    in   one   of  America's   greatest   Medical    Centers — The    oldest    (1843)    and 
Leading  Eclectic  Medical  College,  Conducted  on  High  Standards. 


New  modern  building,  well  equipped 
laboratories,  six  whole-time  salaried  in- 
structors. 

Entrance — Completion  of  first  grade, 
four  years'  high  school  course  or  its 
equivalent,  plus  one  year  of  work  of 
college  grade  in  Physics,  Chemistry, 
Biology  and  a  modern  language.  All 
credentials  must  be  approved  by  the 
Ohio  State   Medical  Board. 

A  pre-medical  course  in  Physic?, 
Chemistry,  Biology  and  a  modern  lan- 
guage is  given  by  the  Ohio  Mechanics' 
Institute,  Cincinnati,  complying  with  the 
standards  of  State  boards  generally  and 
the  A.  M.  A. 


The  course  in  Medicine  comprises 
four  graded  sessions  of  eight  months 
each.  Fees,  $120  per  year;  Matricula- 
tion, $5.00   (payable  once;. 

Juniors  in  co-operative  courses  in  City 
Health  Department  and  Tuberculosis 
Hospital  (320  beds),  and  Seton  Hospital 
Clinics ;  senior  interneship  in  Seton 
Hospital.  Seniors  in  clinical  and  bed- 
side instruction  in  new  Municipal  Hos- 
pital, costing  $4,000,000  (850  beds)  :  also 
special  lectures  in  Longview  Insane 
Asylum. 

Seventy-:econd  year  opens  September 
H  1916.  For  bulletins  and  detailed 
information  address 


JOHN  K.  SCUDDER,  M.D.,  Secretary 
630  West  Sixth  Street  -:-       ....  CINCINNATI,  OHIO 


AN  ALFALFA  TONIC. 

"Repeat"  orders  are  the  true  evidence  of  its  merit. 
"Gained  in  weight."  "Feel  better  than  for  years."  "I 
think  it  is  a  good  thing."  These  are  the  burden  of  the 
letters  from  those  who  have  used  it.  For  sale  at  all  of 
Boericke  &  Tafel's  pharmacies.  The  best  tonic  that  is 
offered  today.  Sample  and  prices  on  request,  to  phy- 
sicians only. 

BOERICKE  &  TAFEL. 


XXIV  THE  HOMCEOPATHIC  RECORDER. 

Various  complicated  diseases  are  treated  here  with  great  tact 
and  judiciousness.  Indications  of  most  important  remedies  of 
this  or  that  disease  are  given  in  full  and  often  capped  with  clinical 
cases  from  his  own  experience  and  sometimes  with  sound  prac- 
tical experience  of  other  prominent  physicians  and  surgeons  of 
our  school. 

This  is  undoubtedly  a  very  useful  book  for  busy  practitioners 
and  young  physicians,  and  we  hope  to  find  it  in  the  library  of  all 
homoeopathic  practitioners  all  the  world  over. 

The  get  up  is  nice  and  gives  credit  to  Messrs.  Boericke  & 
Tafel,  the  renowned  homoeopathic  publishers. 


The  same  journal,  Indian  Homoeopathic  Review,  reviewed  Dr. 
Myron  H.  Adams'  domestic  work,  A  Practical  Guide  to  Ho- 
moeopathic Treatment,  as  follows: 

It  is  a  work  for  families  and  students.  It  is  no  doubt  a  good 
book  for  them.  The  earlier  chapters  are  devoted  to  the  principles 
and  practice  of  the  homoeopathic  science  and  art — as,  for  instance, 
what  is  Homoeopathy.  The  Law  of  cure — How  discovered :  Ho- 
moeopathic M&t§n&  Medici,  how' termed,  single  remedy  and  small 
doses  and  selection  of  remedy.  These  are  the  subjects  which 
ever/  Homoeopathic  beVinner  and  student  ought  to  know  thor- 
oughly. 

'This  is  vihac.  m£ N%w*E<tfglaiid'fflvdica-l  Gazette  said  of  Shedd's 
Clinic  Repertory  when  it  appeared  in  1908 : 

The  author  of  this  book  has  during  the  last  few  years  become 
very  familiar  to  the  homoeopathic  medical  profession  through  his 
voluminous  writings  upon  materia  medica  subjects.  More  re- 
cently the  tone  of  these  articles  has  changed  to  the  repertorial. 

This  particular  book  is  particularly  inscribed  to  "Old  School 
Men,"  aiming  to  enable  them  to  better  understand  the  intricacies 
of  homoeopathic  prescribing  and  to  deliever  them  from  the  thera- 
peutic nihilism  now  rampant  in  their  school.  The  arrangement  of 
the  repertory  is  anatomic,  the  difference  in  value  of  the  various 
drugs  being  indicated  by  different  types. 

To  those  who  employ  a  repertory,  this  hand-book  will  come  as 
a  decided  boon,  as  it  is  compact,  neat,  easily  accessible  and  quite 
accurate. 


:> 


t^^eAZ: 


January  15,  1917. 


THE 


No.  1 


PUBLISHED  M£   VHLY. 

\ 

At  No.  9  North  Queen  Strt  \%\ xaster,   Pa. 

Devoted  to  the  introduction  of  new  ^  %°a  *es>  and  to  ad* 
vancing  our  knowledge  of  th    x>      §.  ones. 


SUBSCRIPTION    PRICE,    PER  Yi 


A 


si.00. 


H.    P.    ANSHUTZ,    M.  D.,  Kditor. 


Entered  at  the  Lancaster,  Pa.,  Post  Office  as  Second-Class  Matter. 


CONTENTS 


Old  Affair 1 

The  Questionaire  of  the  Chicago   Homoeo- 
pathic Medical  Society 2 

Two  Letters  and  Two  Papers 3 

A    Scientific  Symposium  from  the   Stand- 

t  point  of  a  Modern  Homoeopath  on  Acute 
Poliomyelitis  or  Infantile  Spinal  Paral- 
ysis        6 
tanus,  Its  Homoeopathic  Cure.     By  Bert 

Johnson,  M.  D 12 

Staphisagria.    By  Dr.  J.  C.  Fanestock.     .   .      18 
A  Definite  System  of  Therapeutics.     By  Eli 
G.  Jones,  M.  D 20 


Burns— How  to  Escape  Skin  Grafting,  in 
Burns,  Extensive  or  Otherwise,  What  to 
Use  and  How  to  Use  it.  By  Dr.  E.  B. 
Fanning.         

An  Awful  Dream.     By  G.  E.  Dienst,  M.D. 

Chronicles  of  the  Farm.     By  Dr.  Blanke.     . 

Obituary 

Homoeopathic  Remedies 

Advising  the  Doctors 34 

Again  the  Prostrate 35 

The  Specialists'  Department.  By  Clifford 
Mitchell,  M.  D 36 

The  Prevention  of  Gall  Stones 40 


BOOK  REVIEWS 

Fisher-Fiske.    How  to  Live 41 

Editorial  Notes  and  Comments 42 

Personals 4S 


The  Works  of  Dr.  E.  B.  Nash 

These  books  are  Strictly  Homoeopathic, 
Every  one  of  them. 


Leaders  in  Homoeopathic  Therapeutics 

4th  edition.    Cloth,  $2.50,  net.    Postage,  16  cents. 

Leaders  in  Typhoid  Fever 

135  pages.     Cloth,  75  cents,  net.     Postage,  5  cents. 

Leaders  for  the  use  of  Sulphur 

159  pages.     Cloth,  $1.00,  net.     Postage,  5  cents. 

Leaders  in  Respiratory  Organs 

188  pages.     Cloth,  $1.50,  net.     Postage,  8  cents. 

Regional  Leaders 

Second  edition,  enlarged.      315  pages.     Flexible  leather, 
$1.50,  net.     Postage,  7  cents. 

How  to  Take  the  Case  andFindthe  Simillimum 

55  pages.     Cloth,  50  cents,  net.     Postage,  3  cents. 

The  Testimony  of  the  Clinic 

209  pages.     Cloth,  $1.50  ,  net.     Postage,  6  cents. 


For  Sale  at  All  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies  and 
Book  Dealers 




y^  February  15,  1917. 

Vol.  XXXI, 


NO.  2 


THE 


PUBLISHED  MC*"     4  LY. 


Ill 


At  No.  9  North  Queen  Stree  gji$» "aster,  Pa. 

Devoted  to  the  introduction  of  new     X^K  «>  es,  and  to  ad- 
's*^ *> 
vancing  our  knowledge  of  tl   $*     •*•  ones. 


SUBSCRIPTION  PRICE,  PER 


\V 


2.00 


K.    F\    ANSHUTZ,    M.  E>.,  Kditor. 


Entered  at  the  Lancaster,  Pa.,  Post  Office  as  Second-Class  Matter. 


CONTENTS 


The  Latest  Obituary  of  Homoeopathy  ....  49 
Heritage  vs.   Homoeopathy.    By   Dr.  S.  M. 

Guild-Leggett .  52 

Warts.    Enlarged  Prostates.    By  P.  H.  Lutze  54 

Palm  Beach.    By  Dr.  J.  C.  Fahnestock  ....  57 

My  Southern  Trip.     By  Eli  G.  Jones,  M   D.  .  60 

Experience  vs.  Theory  ....       64 

Look  First  and  Reason 65 

The  "Sibboleth"  of  Reform 66 

Overdoing  It 67 


Grindelia  Robusta  in  Measles 6S 

A  Call  For  Help 70 

"  Respiration  Ceases  on  Palling  to  Sleep''  .  .  71 
Unauthorized  Use  of  Dr.  H.  C.  Allen's  Name 

as  a  Trademark 75 

Personal  Experiences 76 

Book  Reviews 80 

The  Specialists'   Department.     By  Clifford 

Mitchell,  M.  D 82 


Editorial  Notes  and  Comments ^£**~*£&  *PMVQ#/5^^t  •   - &9 

Personal 


The  Works  of  Dr.  E.  B.  Nash 

These  books  are  Strictly  Homoeopathic, 
Every  one  of  them. 


Leaders  in  Homoeopathic  Therapeutics 

4th  edition.    Cloth,  $2.50,  net.    Postage,  16  cents. 

Leaders  in  Typhoid  Fever 

135  pages.  Cloth,  75  cents,  net.     Postage,  5  cents. 

Leaders  for  the  use  of  Sulphur 

159  pages.     Cloth,  $1.00,  net.     Postage,  5  cents. 

Leaders  in  Respiratory  Organs 

188  pages.     Cloth,  $1.50,  net.     Postage,  8  cents. 

Regional  Leaders 

Second  edition,  enlarged.      315  pages.     Flexible  leather, 
$1.50,  net.     Postage,  7  cents. 

How  to  Take  the  Case  andFindthe  Simillimum 

55  pages.     Cloth,  50  cents,  net.     Postage,  3  cents. 

The  Testimony  of  the  Clinic 

209  pages.     Cloth,  $1.50  ,  net.     Postage,  6  cents. 


For  Sale  at  All  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies  and 
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y 


/I /PS 


Vol.  XXKI 


March  15,  1917, 


THE 


No.  3 


PUBLISHED  ^  „>1THLY. 


At  No.  9  North  Queen 
Devoted  to  the  introduction  o. 


„    •%    Lancaster,  Pa. 
*-"&?*  medies,  and  to  ad- 


vancingr  our  kno-wledgt     -^  °   older  ones. 


SUBSCRIPTION  PRICE,  \      _     A  ^R,  $2.00 

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Entered  at  the  Lancaster,  Pa.,  Post  Office  as  Second-Class  Matter. 


CONTENTS. 


'The  Burning  Bush" ..  97 

The  True  Homoeopathic  Spirit 99 

The  Million  Dollar  Research  Laboratory  .  .  100 

The  Physician  a  Public  Man 102 

Materia  Medica  and  Clinical  Therapeutics 
vs.  Serum  Therapy.    By  W.  J.  Hawkes, 

M.  D 104 

Palliation.    By  Daniel  E.  S.  Coleman.  M.  D.  in 

New  York  City  Notes 118 

Ferrum  Picrate  and  Hernia 121 

Editorial  Notes  and  Comments. 


A  Clinical  Proving  of  Methylene  Blue   ...  12a 

A  Letter  and  a  Paper 122 

The  Indicated   Remedy.    By  EH  G.Jones, 

M.  D ,24 

Suggests  Radium  Brom.  for  Burns 128 

A  Case   for  Skilled  Repertory  Men  or  the 

Surgeon? 12S 

The  Specialists'  Department.      By  Clifford 

Mitchell,  M.  D 132 


Personals 


The  Works  of  Dr.  E.  B.  Nash 

These  books  are  Strictly  Homoeopathic, 
Every  one  of  them. 


Leaders  in  Homoeopathic  Therapeutics 

4th  edition.     Cloth,  $2.50,  net. 

Leaders  in  Typhoid  Fever 

135  pages.    Cloth,  75  cents,  net. 

Leaders  for  the  use  of  Sulphur 

159  pages.    Cloth,  $1.00,  net. 

Leaders  in  Respiratory  Organs 

188  pages.    Cloth,  $1.50,  net. 

Regional  Leaders 

Second  edition,  enlarged.    315  pages.    Flexible  leather, 
$1.50,  net. 

How  to  Take  the  Case  and  Find  the  Simillimum 

55  pages.     Cloth,  50  cents,  net. 

The  Testimony  of  the  Clinic 

209  pages.     Cloth,  $1.50,  net. 


For  Sale  at  All  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies  and 
Book  Dealers 


^A 


April  15,  1917. 


Vol.  XXXIJ 


No.  4 


THE 


HoiioPATi  Recorder 

PUBLISHED  MONTHLY. 

At  No.  9  North  Queen  Street,  Lancaster,  Pa. 

Devoted  to  the  introductic  *,      -»w  remedies,  and  to  ad- 
vancing  our  knowl  *f  the  older  ones. 

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a  B 

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CONTENTS. 


Climate  and  Tuberculosis 145 

Homoeopathy.  By  Dr.  H.  G.  Glover  .  .  ?  .  147 
A  Plea  for  a  More  Scientific  Presentation  of 
Case  Reports,  as  An  Aid  in  the  Advance- 
ment of  the  Interests  of  Homoeopathy, 
With  An  Illustrative  Case  in  Demon- 
stration.   By  R.  F.  Rabe,  M.  D 155 

The  -'Natrums."  By  Elmer  Schwartz,  M  D.  160 
Some  interesting  Facts.    By  Eli  G.  Jones, 

M.  D 167 

Editorial  Notes  and  Comments 

Personal     


Single  Symptom.     By  Jas.  B.  Bell,  M.  D.  .    .  171 

Shall  We  Discard  the  Forceps  ? i74 

Ferrum  Picrate  in  Hernia 176 

A  Note  From  Old  Kentucky i-7 

Cyanide  of  Mercury 173 

Morphine  and  Opium  Habit 179 

The   Specialists'   Department.     By  Clifford 

Mitchell,  M.  D 181 


186 
192 


The  Works  of  Dr.  E.  B.  Nash 

These  books  are  Strictly  Homoeopathic, 
Mvery  one  of  them. 


Leaders  in  Homoeopathic  Therapeutics 

4th  edition.     Cloth,  $2.50,  net. 

Leaders  in  Typhoid  Fever 

135  pages.     Cloth,  75  cents,  net. 

Leaders  for  the  use  of  Sulphur 

159  pages.    Cloth,  $1.00,  net. 

Leaders  in  Respiratory  Organs 

188  pages.     Cloth,  $1.50,  net. 

Regional  Leaders 

Second  edition,  enlarged.    315  pages.     Flexible  leather, 
$1.50,  net. 

How  to  Take  the  Case  anclFindthe  Simillimum 

55  pages.     Cloth,  50  cents,  net. 

The  Testimony  of  the  Clinic 

209  pages.    Cloth,  $1.50,  net. 


For  Sale  at  All  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies  and 
Book  Dealers 


\p 


Vol.  XXXI.  I 


May  15,  1917 


THE 


No.  5 


PUBLISHED 


m  %THLY. 


At  No.  9  North  Queen  S\  &%^\.ancaster,  Pa. 

Devoted  to  the  introduction  of  n<    x.'£  ^gediee,  and  to  ad 
vancinff  our  knowledge  Oi  $■*     ^oier  ones. 

—      %° 

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h 


CONTENTS 


Vaccination 193 

Know  the  Homoeopathic  Remedy.    By  L.  E- 

Rauterbnrg,  M.  D 195 

The  Early  Diagnosis  of  Tuberculosis.     By 

Iv.  C.  McElwee,  M.  D 202 

Bxcerpt  Unintentional  Provings  of  Arsenic. 

By  W.  Franklin  Baker,  A.  M.,  M.  D.  .  .  211 
\  Case  of  Splenomyelogenous  Leukaemia. 

By  R.  S.  Paris,  M.  D 212 


Editorial  Notes  and  Comments. 


'ersonals 


Two  Cases  of  Acute  Mastoiditis.     By  W.  B. 

Boynton,  M.  D.,  P.  A.  C.  S 216 

On  the  Firing  Line.    By  Eli  G.  Jones,  M.  D.  217 

Obstetrics 321 

Homoeopathic  Remedies  in  Wounds  .  .  .  223 
Surgical  Dressings,  the  Kind  Not  to  Use  .   .    224 

Book  Reviews 228 

The   Specialists'    Department.     By   Clifford 

Mitchell,  M.  D 229 


232 
240 


The  Works  of  Dr.  E.  B.  Nash 

These  books  are  Strictly  Homoeopathic, 
Every  one  of  them. 


Leaders  in  Homoeopathic  Therapeutics 

4th  edition.     Cloth,  $2.50,  net. 

Leaders  in  Typhoid  Fever 

135  pages.    Cloth,  75  cents,  net. 

Leaders  for  the  use  of  Sulphur 

159  pages.    Cloth,  $1.00,  net. 

Leaders  in  Respiratory  Organs 

188  pages.    Cloth,  $1.50,  net. 

Regional  Leaders 

Second  edition,  enlarged.    315  pages.    Flexible  leather, 
$1.50,  net. 

How  to  Take  the  Case  and  Find  the  Simillimum 

55  pages.     Cloth,  50  cents,  net. 

The  Testimony  of  the  Clinic 

209  pages.    Cloth,  $1.50,  net. 


For  Sale  at  All  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies  and 
Book  Dealers 


_ 


»*  i 


Vol.  XXXI.  \ 


'b' 


June   15,  1917. 


No.  6 


THE 


Homeopati  Recorder 


PUBLISH         MONTHLY. 


At  No.  9  North  Qut  ^^*eet,  Lancaste 
Devoted  to  the  introductio.  ^/£  ^w  remedies 


vancing  our  knowlt  C* 


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; 


CONTENTS 


The  Hahnemannian  Doctrine  of  Attenua- 
tion " 241 

The  Lack  of    Homoeopathic  Publicity   in 

Illinois 243 

Medical  Treatment   of  Poliomyelitis.     By 

W.  J.  Hawkes,  M.  D 243 

Homoeopathy  Versus  Serum  and  Vaccine 

Treatment.    By  F.  H.  Lutze,  M.  D.  .  .    .    251 

Clinical  Cases  from  Washington.     By  Dr. 

A.  A.  Pompe 258 

Gastric  Affections.     Bv  Dr.  G.  L.  Barber  .   .    261 


Some  Facts  for  the  Reader  to  Think  About. 

By  Eli  G.  Jones,  M.  D 263 

Sixty-Fifth  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Homoeo- 
pathic  Medical   Society  of   the  State  of 

New  York 267 

Another  Atlantic  City  Meeting 26S 

The  Cause  of  Poliomyelitis 272 

Cancer  Needs  a  Constitutional  Remedv    .   .    273 
The   Specialists'   Department,     by  Clifford 

Mitchell,  M.  D 275 


Editorial  Notes  and  Comments 2S0 

Personal 2SS 


The  Works  of  Dr.  E.  B.  Nash 

These  books  are  Strictly  Homoeopathic ; 
Every  one  of  them. 


Leaders  in  Homoeopathic  Therapeutics 

4th  edition.     Cloth,  $2.50,  net. 

Leaders  in  Typhoid  Fever 

135  pages.     Cloth,  75  cents,  net. 

Leaders  for  the  use  of  Sulphur 

159  pages.    Cloth,  $1.00,  net. 

Leaders  in  Respiratory  Organs 

188  pages.    Cloth,  $1.50,  net. 

Regional  Leaders 

Second  edition,  enlarged.    315  pages.    Flexible  leather, 
$1.50,  net. 

How  to  Take  the  Case  and  Find  the  Simillimum 

55  pages.     Cloth,  50  cents,  net. 

The  Testimony  of  the  Clinic 

209  pages.    Cloth,  $1.50,  net. 


For  Sale  at  All  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies  and 
Book  Dealers 


July  is,  1917. 


Vol.  XXXII 


No.  7 


THE 


PUBLISHED  MON    %%&. 

At  No.  9  North  Queen  Street,  a    x^  £er, 


Devoted  to  the  introduction  of  new  rem    ^*    ;^n^W 

vancing  our  knowledge  of  the  oi    A^  *s.       U8ftAftY 


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CONTENTS 


The  A.  I.  H.  at  Rochester 289 

The  Treatment  of  Skin  Cancer.     By  Dr.  H. 

L.  Baker 299 

Another  Kali  Group.  By  Wallace  McGeorge, 
M.  D.  .  306 

Facts    Gleaned    from   Everyday   Practice. 

By  Eli  G.Jones,  M.  D 312 

The  Next  Meeting  of  the  Southern  Homoeo- 
pathic Medical  Association 3i5 


Editorial  Notes  and  Comments 
Personals 


Shall  We  Use  Anti-Toxin  in  Preference  to 
the  Indicated  Homoeopathic  Remedy  .  . 

Treatment  Wanted  for  the  Anti-Toxiu  Dis- 
ease   

Plantation  Medicine.     By  Dr.  Blanke  .... 

A  Stalwart  Iconoclast  on  Tuberculosis  .  .    . 

Book  Reviews 

The  Specialists'  Department.  By  Clifford 
Mitchell,  M.  D -,23 


316 


3i9 
320 
321 


The  Works  of  Dr.  E.  B.  Nash 

These  books  are  Strictly  Homoeopathic, 
Every  one  of  them. 


Leaders  in  Homoeopathic  Therapeutics 

4th  edition.     Goth,  $2.50,  net. 

Leaders  in  Typhoid  Fever 

135  pages.     Cloth,  75  cents,  net. 

Leaders  for  the  use  of  Sulphur 

159  pages.    Cloth,  $1.00,  net. 

Leaders  in  Respiratory  Organs 

188  pages.    Cloth,  $1.50,  net. 

Regional  Leaders 

Second  edition,  enlarged.    315  pages.    Flexible  leather, 
$1.50,  net. 

How  to  Take  the  Case  and  Find  the  Simillimum 

55  pages.     Cloth,  50  cents,  net. 

The  Testimony  of  the  Clinic 

209  pages.    Cloth,  $1.50,  net. 


For  Sale  at  All  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies  and 
Book  Dealers 


^ 


} 


August  15,  1917. 


Vol.  XXXII 


No.  8 


THE 


PUBLISHED  »"  WTHLY. 


*    \ 


At  No.  9  North  Queen  .^t,  Lancaster,   Pa. 

Devoted  to  the  introduction  c    .£.£.  remedies,  and  to  ad- 
vancing  our  knowledg        p  cs  older  ones. 


SUBSCRIPTION  PRICE 


E. 


o^IAR,  $2.00 


Entered 


ANSHUTZ,    \L  D.,  Editor. 

.,   -    — 

ister,  Fft.,  Past  Office  aft  Second-Clati  Matter. 


a»Se< 


CONTENTS 


Something  of  a  Problem 337 

The  Therapeutics  of  Gunpowder.    By  John 

H.  Clarke,  M.  D 339 

Some  Random  Thoughts.    By  W.  A.  Ying- 

lins,  M.  D -45 

The  Breasts.  By  Dr.  Mabelle  Park,  M.  D.  .  353 
And  Still  Homoeopathy  Leads.    By  Mary  B. 

Ray,  M.  D 358 


Homoeopathy  versus  Modern  Therapy.    By 

Dr.  Alexander  C.  Hermance 360 

Freak  Symptoms.     By  EH  G.  Jones  M.  D.    .    363 
A  Proving  of  Bismuth 369 


Calendula 

The  Specialists'  Department. 
Mitchell,  M.  D 


By  Clifford 


Editorial  Notes  and  Comments. 
Pergonals 


370 
372 
377 
JS4 


The  Works  of  Dr.  E.  B.  Nash 

These  books  are  Strictly  Homoeopathic, 
Every  one  of  them. 


Leaders  in  Homoeopathic  Therapeutics 

4th  edition.     Cloth,  $2.50,  net. 

Leaders  in  Typhoid  Fever 

135  pages.    Cloth,  75  cents,  net. 

Leaders  for  the  use  of  Sulphur 

159  pages.    Cloth,  $1.00,  net. 

Leaders  in  Respiratory  Organs 

188  pages.    Cloth,  $1.50,  net. 

Regional  Leaders 

Second  edition,  enlarged.    315  pages.    Flexible  leather, 
$1.50,  net. 

How  to  Take  the  Case  and  Find  the  Si  minimum 

55  pages.     Cloth,  50  cents,  net. 

The  Testimony  of  the  Clinic 

209  pages.     Cloth,  $1.50,  net. 


For  Sale  at  All  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies  and 
Book  Dealers 


September  15,  1917. 


Vol.  XXXII 


& 


f* 


No.  9 


THE  &** 
ft* 


PUBLISHED     \  ||tHLY. 

At  No.  9  North  Queen  S    ^'£  ^ancaster,  Pa. 

Devoted  to  the  introduction  of,     „     Aiedies,  and  to  ad- 
vancing our  knowledge      £         lder  ones. 

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CONTENTS. 


Infinitesimals 385 

"  Hahnemann"  —  The    Great.      By    W.    J. 

Hawkes,  M.  D.      387 

The  Essentials  of  Homoeopathic  Philoso- 
phy.    By  Dr.  A.  H.  Grimmer 392 

The  Power  of  High  Potencies— A  Reason- 
able Scientific  Fact.  By  M.  W.  Van  Den- 
burg,  A.  M.,  M.  D 397 

The  Mentality  of  the  Ophidia.  By  Dr.  G.  E- 
Dienst 400 


Appendicitis  Cured  by  Medicine.    By  Joseph 

E.  Wright,  M.  D 40S 

Fruit  and  Cancer 409 

Treatment  of  Antitoxin  Disease 410 

The  Red  Cross  and  Homoeopathy 4l0 

Heredity 411 

Book  Reviews 413 

Useful  Hints.     By  Eli  G.  Tones,  M.  D 414 

The  Laboratory  is  Not  All 419 

Specialists'      Department.         By      Clifford 

Mitchell,  M.  D 420 


Editorial  Notes  and  Comments 
Personal     


425 
432 


The  Works  of  Dr.  E.  B.  Nash 

These  books  are  Strictly  Homoeopathic, 
Every  one  of  them. 


Leaders  in  Homoeopathic  Therapeutics 

4th  edition.     Goth,  $2.50,  net. 

Leaders  in  Typhoid  Fever 

135  pages.    Cloth,  75  cents,  net. 

Leaders  for  the  use  of  Sulphur 

159  pages.    Cloth,  $1.00,  net. 

Leaders  in  Respiratory  Organs 

188  pages.    Cloth,  $1.50,  net. 

Regional  Leaders 

Second  edition,  enlarged.    315  pages.    Flexible  leather, 
$1.50,  net. 

How  to  Take  the  Case  and  Find  the  Simillimum 

55  pages.     Cloth,  50  cents,  net. 

The  Testimony  of  the  Clinic 

209  pages.    Goth,  $1.50,  net. 


For  Sale  at  All  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies  and 
Book  Dealers 


ol. 


// 


October  15,  1917, 


THE 


No.  10 


PUBLISHED  MONTHLY. 

At  No.  9  North  Queen  Street,  Lancaster,  Pa. 

Devoted  to  the  introduction  of  ne\   -*     \iies,  and  to  ad- 
vancing  our  knowledge  of  \  \^r  ones. 

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CONTENTS. 


The  Present  State  of  Allopathic  Medicine  .  433 

Our  Choice.    By  N.  Bergman,  A.  B.,  M.  D  .  435 

Why  Give  Medicine  ?    By  Dr.  G.  B.  Dienst.  447 

Aconite  in  a  Chronic  Case 453 

Prefixes  and  Terminations 456 

Southern  Homoeopathic  Medical  Associa- 
tion Annual  Meeting  Postponed  to  No- 
vember 14,  15,  16 457 


Book  Reviews 458 

Something  Else  Again.     By  Eli  G.  Jones; 

M.  D 460 

Help  Wanted 463 

The  Specialists'   Department.     By  Clifford 

Mitchell,  M.  D 464 


Editorial  Notes  and  Comments. 
Personals 


469 
480 


The  Works  of  Dr.  E.  B.  Nash 

These  books  are  Strictly  Homoeopathic, 
Every  one  of  them. 


Leaders  in  Homceopathic  Therapeutics 

4th  edition.     Goth,  $2.50,  net. 

Leaders  in  Typhoid  Fever 

135  pages.    Cloth,  75  cents,  net. 

Leaders  for  the  use  of  Sulphur 

159  pages.    Cloth,  $1.00,  net. 

Leaders  in  Respiratory  Organs 

188  pages.    Goth,  $1.50,  net. 

Regional  Leaders 

Second  edition,  enlarged.    315  pages.    Flexible  leather, 
$1.50,  net. 

How  to  Take  the  Case  and  Find  the  Simillimum 

55  pages.     Goth,  50  cents,  net. 

The  Testimony  of  the  Clinic 

209  pages.    Goth,  $1.50,  net. 


For  Sale  at  All  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies  and 
Book  Dealers 


November  15,  1917, 


No.  11 


PUBLISHED  MON'.*    If. 

At  No.  9  North  Queen  Street,  )  -S$£ter,  Pa. 

Devoted  to  the  introduction  of  new  rei    >>Jd*o    and  to  ad- 
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CONTENTS 


Remarkable  Vitality 481 

A  Symposium  On  a  Symposium 482 

Isopathy  485 

Treatment  of  Pneumonia.    By  W.  L.  Gross, 

M.  D 487 

Tuberculosis.     Fish   Poisoning.     By  Dr.  J. 

A.  Stefanski 490 

Prescribing  for  the  Baby.    By   Dr.  J.  H. 

Peterman ....    492 

Adventures  of  An  Amateur 493 

Sleep  and  Some  of  Its  Disorders.    By  Dr. 

John  Gaston 498 

Operation  Not  Needed  in  These  Two  Cases.  503 


A  New  Indian  Homoeopathic  Journal  ....  504 

A  Chorea  Case 505 

A  Call  For  Help 507 

Infinitesimals 508 

Why  the  "  Irregular'*  is  the  Real  Scientific 

Physician 5o8 

The  Art  of  Prescribing 510 

The  Dietetics  of  Sound  Wine 512 

Some  Therapeutic  Uses  of  Carduus  Mariae. 

By  J.  Aebly,  M.D 513 

Notes  By  the  Way.  By  Eli  G.  Jones,  M.  D.  514 
Specialists'      Department.         By      Clifford 

Mitchell,  M.  D 518 


Editorial  Notes  and  Comments 
Personal     


525 
538 


The  Works  of  Dr.  E.  B.  Nash 

These  books  are  Strictly  Homoeopathic, 
Every  one  of  them. 


Leaders  in  Homoeopathic  Therapeutics 

4th  edition.     Cloth,  $2.50,  net. 

Leaders  in  Typhoid  Fever 

135  pages.    Cloth,  75  cents,  net. 

Leaders  for  the  use  of  Sulphur 

159  pages.    Cloth,  $1.00,  net. 

Leaders  in  Respiratory  Organs 

188  pages.    Cloth,  $1.50,  net. 

Regional  Leaders 

Second  edition,  enlarged.    315  pages.    Flexible  leather, 
$1.50,  net. 

How  to  Take  the  Case  and  Find  the  Simillimum 

55  pages.     Goth,  50  cents,  net. 

The  Testimony  of  the  Clinic 

209  pages.    Goth,  $1.50,  net. 


For  Sale  at  All  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies  and 
Book  Dealers 


. 


December  15,  1916. 


Vol.  XXXI. 


No.  12 


THE 


Homeopathic 


s 


u5   rt  X 


PUBLISHED  MOI  BI£«Y, 


iJ  8. 


At  No.  9  North  Queen  Street  £     faster,  Pa 


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vancing  our  knowledge  of  t 


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B.    E».    ANSHUT^,    M.  D.,  Editor. 


DECW 


) 


Entered  at  the  Lancaster,  Pa.,  Post  Office  as  Second-Class  Matter. 


CONTENTS 


New  vs.  Old 531 

The  Initial  Habit.     By  C.  M 532 

Is  Hecla  Lava  Useful  in  the  Treatment  of 
Osseous  Growths?   By  O.  S.  Haines.  MD.  533 

Selecting  the  Remedy.  'By  M.  W.  Vanden- 
burg 534 

An  Unusual  Whooping  Cough  Remedy  — 
Sambucus  Nigra.  Reported  bv  Russel 
C.  Markham.  M.  D '.....    536 

All  Along  the  Line.     By  Eli  G.  Jones,  M.  D.  537 

The  Optimistic  Profession.  B\-  H.  Becker, 
M.  D 542 

Pertinent  Facts  Regarding  Matters  of  Im- 
portance to  the  Homoeopathic  Profession  543 

Poliomyelitis— Infantile  Paralysis  .   .       .   .    546 

BOOK  REVIEWS 
Wilson.    Diseases  of  the  Nervous  System  .  563 


Treatment  of  Diphtheria 54.Q. 

Shortcomings  of  Medical  Colleges  .    ...  550 

Some  Free  Advise 550 

"What  Ailed  Him" 55a 

"Breathing  Stops  when  Falling  Asleep" 

A   Plea   for  Unity.     By  Alexander  C.  Her- 

mance,  M.  D.  .    .    .           ...               ....  554 

A   Medico-Tragical   Romance.     By  A.  Pul- 

ford,  M.  D 

Pleas 559 

"Our  Materia  Medica'' 560 

Old  Verifications 5^1 

The  Specialists'  Department 562 


Editorial  Notes  and  Comments 
Personals 


Moffat.    Homoeopathic    Therapeutics  in 

Ophthalmology 569 


57S 


The  Works     Dr.  E.  B.  Nash 

These  books  are  Strictly  Homoeopathic, 
Every  one  of  them. 


Leaders  in  Homoeopathic  Therapeutics 

4th  edition.    Cloth,  $2.50,  net.    Postage,  16  cents. 

Leaders  in  Typhoid  Fever 

135  pages.     Cloth,  75  cents,  net.     Postage,  5  cents. 

Leaders  for  the  use  of  Sulphur 

159  pages.     Cloth,  $1.00,  net.     Postage,  5  cents. 

Leaders  in  Respiratory  Organs 

188  pages.     Cloth,  $1.50,  net.     Postage,  8  cents. 

Regional  Leaders 

Second  edition,  enlarged.      315  pages.     Flexible  leather, 
$1.50,  net.     Postage,  7  cents. 

How  to  Take  the  Case  andFindthe  Simillimum 

55  pages.     Cloth,  50  cents,  net.     Postage,  3  cents. 

The  Testimony  of  the  Clinic 

209  pages.     Cloth,  $1.50  ,  net.     Postage,  6  cents. 


For  Sale  at  All  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies  and 
Book  Dealer 3 


A  Handbook  of 

Materia  Medica  and 

Homoeopathic    Therapeutics 

By  Timothy  Field  Allen,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  LL.  0. 

1.16S  pag«,  quarto.  Half  morocco,  $12.00,  ntt..  Carriage  extra. 
This  is  the  only  modern  materia  med  ca  now  obtainable  that 
Jives  the  full  symptomatology  of  all  our  most  used  drugs.  It  con- 
tains 383  drugs  and  gives  their  reliable  and  verified  therapeutics. 
A  very  successful  physician  remarked  the  other  day:  "I  u«  the 
Handbook  oftener  than  any  book  in  my  library."  //  »  truly  • 
book  that  every  physician  needs. 


BCENNI  NO  H  AUSEN'S 

Therapeutic  Poeket-Book 

For  Homoeopathic  Physicians 

To  Use  at  the  Bedside  and  in  the  Study  of  Materia  Medica 

New  American  Edition 

By  TIMOTHY  FIELD  ALLEN,  M.  D. 

503  pages.    Flexible,  $3.25,  net.    25  cents. 


The  Repertory  of  the  "Old  Guard" 


For  Sale  at  All  Homoeopathic  Pharmacies 


THE  LATEST 

A  New  Text  Book 

DISEASES  OF  THE 

Nervous  System 

=====    ILLUSTRATED  = 

By  John  Eastman  Wilson,  A.  B.,  M.  D. 
682  pages.     Large  8  Vo.     Cloth  $6.00. 

This  book  is  the  latest  work  on  the 
nervous  system. 

The  nerves  are  the  live  wires  of  the 
human  body.  They,  perhaps,  have 
been  too  much  neglected  by  the  pro- 
fession. This  book  is  the  latest  and 
fullest  work  on  them  and  their  ills. 


For  sale  at  all  Dealers  in 
Homoeopathic  Books 


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