Google
Uber dieses Buch
Dies ist ein digitales Exemplar eines Buches, das seit Generationen in den Regalen der Bibliotheken aufbewahrt wurde, bevor es von Google im
Rahmen eines Projekts, mit dem die Bucher dieser Welt online verfligbar gemacht werden sollen, sorgfaltig gescannt wurde.
Das Buch hat das Urheberrecht uberdauert und kann nun offentlich zuganglich gemacht werden. Ein offentlich zugangliches Buch ist ein Buch,
das niemals Urheberrechten unterlag oder bei dem die Schutzfrist des Urheberrechts abgelaufen ist. Ob ein Buch offentlich zuganglich ist, kann
von Land zu Land unterschiedlich sein. Offentlich zugangliche Bucher sind unser Tor zur Vergangenheit und stellen ein geschichtliches, kulturelles
und wissenschaftliches Vermogen dar, das haufig nur schwierig zu entdecken ist.
Gebrauchsspuren, Anmerkungen und andere Randbemerkungen, die im Originalband enthalten sind, finden sich auch in dieser Datei - eine Erin-
nerung an die lange Reise, die das Buch vom Verleger zu einer Bibliothek und weiter zu Ihnen hinter sich gebracht hat.
Nutzungsrichtlinien
Google ist stolz, mit Bibliotheken in partnerschaftlicher Zusammenarbeit offentlich zugangliches Material zu digitalisieren und einer breiten Masse
zuganglich zu machen. Offentlich zugangliche Bucher gehoren der Offentlichkeit, und wir sind nur ihre Hiiter. Nichtsdestotrotz ist diese
Arbeit kostspielig. Um diese Ressource weiterhin zur Verfugung stellen zu konnen, haben wir Schritte unternommen, um den Missbrauch durch
kommerzielle Parteien zu verhindern. Dazu gehoren technische Einschrankungen fur automatisierte Abfragen.
Wir bitten Sie um Einhaltung folgender Richtlinien:
+ Nutzung der Dateien zu nichtkommerziellen Zwecken Wir haben Google Buchsuche flir Endanwender konzipiert und mochten, dass Sie diese
Dateien nur fur personliche, nichtkommerzielle Zwecke verwenden.
+ Keine automatisierten Abfragen Senden Sie keine automatisierten Abfragen irgendwelcher Art an das Google-System. Wenn Sie Recherchen
liber maschinelle Ubersetzung, optische Zeichenerkennung oder andere Bereiche durchfiihren, in denen der Zugang zu Text in groBen Mengen
niitzlich ist, wenden Sie sich bitte an uns. Wir fordern die Nutzung des offentlich zuganglichen Materials fur diese Zwecke und konnen Ihnen
unter Umstanden helfen.
+ Beibehaltung von Google-Markenelementen Das "Wasserzeichen" von Google, das Sie in jeder Datei finden, ist wichtig zur Information liber
dieses Projekt und hilft den Anwendern weiteres Material liber Google Buchsuche zu finden. Bitte entfemen Sie das Wasserzeichen nicht.
+ Bewegen Sie sich innerhalb der Legalitdt Unabhangig von Ihrem Verwendungszweck miissen Sie sich Ihrer Verantwortung bewusst sein,
sicherzustellen, dass Ihre Nutzung legal ist. Gehen Sie nicht davon aus, dass ein Buch, das nach unserem Dafiirhalten flir Nutzer in den USA
offentlich zuganglich ist, auch flir Nutzer in anderen Landem offentlich zuganglich ist. Ob ein Buch noch dem Urheberrecht unterliegt, ist
von Land zu Land verschieden. Wir konnen keine Beratung leisten, ob eine bestimmte Nutzung eines bestimmten Buches gesetzlich zulassig
ist. Gehen Sie nicht davon aus, dass das Erscheinen eines Buchs in Google Buchsuche bedeutet, dass es in jeder Form und iiberall auf der
Welt verwendet werden kann. Eine Urheberrechtsverletzung kann schwerwiegende Folgen haben.
Uber Google Buchsuche
Das Ziel von Google besteht darin, die weltweiten Informationen zu organisieren und allgemein nutzbar und zuganglich zu machen. Google
Buchsuche hilft Lesern dabei, die Biicher dieser We lt zu entdecken, und unterstiitzt Au toren und Verleger dabei, neue Zielgruppen zu erreichen.
Den gesamten Buchtext konnen Sie im Internet unter http : //books . google . com durchsuchen.
This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized
by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the
information in books and make it universally accessible.
Google books
https://books.google.com
n 6 ' I 6 > ¥
- ^ V H
Digitized "by
Google
Digitized by LjOOQle
^/oc>
The Medical Advance
..AND..
Journal of Homeopathics
Vol. XLII. Chicago, January, 1904. No. 1.
Pathologic Versus Symptomatic Prescribing.*
'MAURICE WORCESTER TURNER, M. D., BROOKLINE, MASS. ASSOCIATE
PROFESSOR OF PATHOLOGY AND THERAPEUTICS, BOSTON UNI¬
VERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE.
It was only since I returned home this fall that I was asked
to prepare a paper on this subjedt, and, consequently, on account
of the limited time, I feel that I can offer but a fragmentary
study of a most important and many-sided question.
The title of this paper is a clear and succinct statement of the
true position of the two great schools of medicine in relation to
therapeutics,— on the one hand the pathologic (allopathy), on the
other the symptomatic prescription (homoeopathy).
It may be a$Jced here if the allopaths do not also treat cases
symptomatically. To which I reply that while they institute, often¬
times, what they call symptomatic treatment, it is not what we
would designate by that term, being rather the treatment of sin¬
gle symptoms,— as pain by Morphia, rise in temperature with the
coal-tar derivatives, etc.,— and, besides, they follow the expect¬
ant plan, in treating some cases, which leads ultimately to thera¬
peutic nihilism; but whether symptomatic, expectant, or path¬
ologic, their therapeutics has as its central idea, prerequisite to
treatment, the finding out what the disease is that affects the
patient, or failing that, the building, from such data as can be
obtained, of a hypothetical disease upon which to base their thera¬
peutic procedures.
* Read before the Boston Homoeopathic Medical Society, >{ov. 5, 1903.
148916
Digitized by LjOOQle
2
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
But it is not my wish to weary you with a recital of details
with which you are acquainted, nevertheless, a synopsis of this
part of the subject is absolutely necessary for even its partial con¬
sideration.
Treatment of cases from the standpoint of the prerequisite diag¬
nosis always reminds me of the joke I came across in an old copy
of London Punch , in which an American physician, speaking to
an English colleague, says, “ Now in Vienna they're first rate at
diagnosis; but then, you see, they always make a point of con¬
firming it by post mortem."
This is the outline, as I understand it, of pathologic prescribing,
pure and simple. From this it shades off, with many gradations,
until we come to the method of those who set pathologic prescrib¬
ing aside as valueless and who, therefore, prescribe symptomat¬
ically, i.e., obtaining “ the totality of symptoms ” and using them,
for the purpose of selecting the similimum, according to their
“ rank of value," as Hering expressed it.
And now will come the question. Is not every symptom, in a
case, of equal value in prescribing? For example, the bronchial
rales, the symptoms of the cough and expectoration, the times of
aggravation and amelioration, the desires and aversions, the men¬
tal symptoms, the physical signs and even the microscopic exam¬
ination of the sputum, for by these last especially do we know
what we are treating, whether tubercular disease or not.
In reply let me follow what has been considered a character¬
istic Yankee habit and ask a question.
What are we to do in a case before a definite disease can be
recognized? For there is such a time, in most chronic and in
some acute cases, and many patients present themselves or ask
for treatment then. At this time the symptoms, being indefinite,
point neither to the brain, thorax, abdomen, nor any other part in
particular and yet the patient is sick.
We can attempt to turn this question aside by saying, Oh! these
cases are functional. Perhaps they are, but some of them, at any
rate, will later develop organic lesions.
How shall they be treated? Must we formulate a hypothesis
before we can prescribe for such a case, or shall we wait until a
positive diagnosis can be made? The latter alternative would be
Digitized by LjOOQle
PATHOLOGIC VS. SYMPTOMATIC PRESCRIBING. 3
the logical procedure from the standpoint of the pathologic pre¬
scription.
It is evident that the pathologic prescriber is here between the
two horns of a dilemma, either he'must prescribe early without
the aid of a diagnosis, and so it will not be a pathologic prescrip¬
tion, or allow the patient to drift along for months and even years,
without treatment, until a diagnosis can be made, speaking, of
course, particularly of chronic cases.
Under such circumstances why not cut the Gordian knot and
prescribe symptomatically ? And, if the symptomatic prescription
be useful in such an indefinite state, when a diagnosis cannot be
made, the question naturally follows, “ What is the need, in any
case, of a diagnosis for the purpose of selecting the curative rem¬
edy ? ” Do not misunderstand, I do not say a diagnosis is not nec¬
essary nor useful for other purposes when it can be attained. I
am only questioning its utility as applied to the actual purposes of
prescribing.
And, if symptomatic prescribing is of value in cases where the
diagnosis is impossible — and it has time and time again proved
so — why not go a step farther and use it when the disease has
advanced to a definite lesion?
It is evident, from what has been said, that the diagnostic symp¬
toms may be set aside as useless in making a homoeopathic pre¬
scription, for if the diagnosis is of doubtful aid, in prescribing,
it follows that the symptoms by which the diagnosis is made are
similarly valueless.
Having eliminated the diagnostic symptoms, the question arises
again, which of the remaining ones are most useful in making a
symptomatic prescription.
Hahnemann tells us, and all acknowledge, that the “ totality of
the symptoms ” is the basis of the prescription.
Hahnemann tells us, and all acknowledge, that the more prom¬
inent, uncommon and peculiar features of the case are especially
to be taken into account in making the prescription.
Are these prominent, uncommon and peculiar features freak
symptoms? It does not seem reasonable to think so. In fact
there is nothing in paragraph 153 of the Organon to warrant such
Digitized by LjOOQle
4
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
an assumption, and furthermore, it would seem that the ques¬
tion is fully answered in this paragraph. Let me read it:
" This search for a homoeopathic, specific remedy consists in
the comparison of the totality of the symptoms of the natural dis¬
ease with the lists of symptoms of our tested drugs, among which
a morbific potency is to be found, corresponding in similitude
with the disease to be cured. In making this comparison, the
more prominent, uncommon and peculiar (characteristic) fea¬
tures of the case are especially, and almost exclusively, considered
and noted; for these, in particular, should bear the closest simili¬
tude to the symptoms of the desired medicine, if that is to accom¬
plish the cure. ,,
We must note here what is said as to the more prominent, un¬
common and peculiar features of the case being the ones to be
especially and almost exclusively considered.
Which ones are they? The answer, which is a negative one,
comes in the last part of the paragraph ; it reads:
“ The more general and indefinite symptoms, such as want of
appetite, headache, weakness, restless sleep, distress, etc., unless
more clearly defined, deserve but little notice on account of their
vagueness, and also because generalities of this kind are common
to every disease, and almost to every drug.”
Not the more general and indefinite symptoms which are com¬
mon to diseases and drugs, but the symptoms which are uncom¬
mon, peculiar and characteristic, in disease and also in drugs.
What is the element that is present in this, that and the other
case which makes them vary, ever so slightly, as to the peculiar
symptoms, one from the other?
What can it be but those inherited or developed peculiarities,
mental and physical, which are the expression of the true man,
of the part which never dies.
To quote the golden words of Edmund Spenser, in his “ Hymne
in Honour of Beautie: ”
So every Spirit as it is most pure,
And hath in it the more of heavenly light
So it the fairer body doth procure
To habit in, and it more fairly dight
With cheerful grace and amiable sight.
For of the Soul the body form doth take;
For Soul is form and doth the body make.
Digitized by LjOOQle
PATHOLOGIC VS. SYMPTOMATIC PRESCRIBING. 5
It seems reasonable to conclude that this is what Hahnemann
had in mind when he wrote of the prominent, uncommon and
peculiar features of the case which were to be almost exclusively
considered in selecting the remedy if a cure was to be accom¬
plished.
To repeat the trite sentence, we must treat the patient and not
the disease, avoiding hypothesis and using the facts that are
present.
I have a case to report which illustrates the effective work of
the similimum in pre-diagnostic states and also the fact that some¬
times, in chronic diseases, we have to wait until an “ acute ex¬
acerbation ” of the chronic miasm occurs before we can obtain
the symptoms which point to the remedy.
Early in August, 1901, I was consulted by Mr. -. He
was then fifty-nine years old, of medium height, weight usually
one hundred ninety-five pounds, complexion dark, but skin and
sclerae of good color. He is a moderate user of alcohol. No spe¬
cific history.
In the army (civil war) he had malaria with quinine ad infi¬
nitum, but has since been well, until five or six years ago when
he began to have some gastric irritability at irregular times, with
attacks of gradually increasing distress, the sensation of a ball
in the stomach, and, finally, after four or five days’ vomitirig of
much partly digested food and relief. No history of blood in the
vomitus was obtained. During these attacks some vertigo. With
some of the early ones he was jaundiced.
He has pains about the right shoulder blade, more or less,
with aggravation from moving the hands or arms and relief from
pressure and lying on that side. He can generally lie on either
side or on the back with comfort, except that when an attack is
on, he feels as he turns over in bed, as if the “ ball” rolled from
side to side. «
At times pains in the liver region also, without particular refer¬
ence to the stomach disturbances, not relieved by lying on the
right side.
Stool every day, generally normal in character, sometimes gray
and dry, but usually the color is light yellow to brown. He has
been lately developing more of a tendency to constipation.
Digitized by LjOOQle
6
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Urine often red and even brown, but for days at a time micro¬
scopically normal. Urinalyses usually negative, except solids de¬
creased, specific gravity high, and once bile pigment was found.
He had lost from thirty-five to forty pounds in the last six
months, and is now very sensitive to cold.
Tongue clean except mucous streak at edges. Mentally de¬
pressed and worried and sensitive to noises.
Physical examination: Chest, lungs negative, no cough. Heart,
first sound somewhat valvular, impulse good; pulse fifty to fifty-
five, full and regular. Abdomen, also negative, neither swollen
nor retracted, no ascites and no tumor nor thickening to be felt.
Liver normal. Spleen not palpable.
As he had been taking much old-school medicine, among which
were several drugs which are antidoted by Nux vomica, he was
given that remedy at first, and, some three or four weeks later,
when a few symptoms seemed to indicate it, and also because it
follows Nux vomica well, Sulphur was exhibited.
His condition slowly changed, no marked improvement, and
yet he was better, but still the symptoms were so chaotic that no
other prescription was hazarded. At the end of two months or
so, there was very little progress, on the whole less pain, but he
was not able to attend to business the whole day.
The state of things was such that I felt like Mr. Micawber
when he was “ waiting for something to turn up,” but I did not
have to wait long for there came on a series of attacks of abdom¬
inal pain which finally suggested the similimum.
At first the pain was moderate and was relieved after taking
food, so he had to eat every three hours to be comfortable, but
after two days this failed. The pain then gradually became more
violent.
Such remedies as Sepia, Nux vomica, Colocynthis, Lycopodium,
Rhus toxicodendron, Dioscorea and Cuprum metallicum seemed
indicated, at various times, but all failed to give more than tem¬
porary respite. For hours there would be entire freedom from
pain, and then it would return as bad as ever. It was worse at
irregular times in the twenty-four hours, one morning at eleven
o'clock, then free till the next day in the afternoon, at which time
lasting well into the night, and then followed by a free interval.
Digitized by LjOOQle
PATHOLOGIC VS. SYMPTOMATIC PRESCRIBING.
7
The attacks developed slowly and the abdomen was slightly
bloated. The pain was a sense of pressure beginning at the scro-
biculum and extending to the cardiac end of the stomach and
from thence through the chest to the left shoulder blade.
At times relief from bending backward and at others relief
from bending forward. Usually he was helped by pressure and
especially by pressure with a hot water bottle. Temporary ame¬
lioration from warm drinks; skin dry, extremities cold, tongue
coated, and breath offensive; constipation and vomiting with the
intense pain.
Having at last obtained the foregoing symptom-complex it
seemed very suggestive of lead poisoning, and on examination
of the gums there, sure enough, was the blue line. But not be¬
ing able to find any reason why poisoning should have occurred,
I gave him Plumbum metallicum 3X with the result that the pain
gradually left him, and the next day he was free and so remained.
Not only was the colic cured, but all the old indefinite symptoms
became less, and finally disappeared.
The remedy was repeated a month later and again three months
after that, in higher potency each time. He has been well since.
I forgot to say that at no time while he was under my care
was there any icterus.
Proceedings of the Central New York Homeopathic
Medical Society.
ROCHESTER CLUB.
Rochester, N. Y., June n, 1903.
The quarterly meeting of the Central New York Homeopathic
Medical Society was called to order by the Chairman, Dr. V. A.
Hoard, at 2 P. M.
Members present Drs. V. A. Hoard, M. E. Graham, W. W.
Johnson, J. Howland, A. C. Hermance, S. L. G. Leggett.
The minutes of March, 1903 were read and approved.
There was no report from the Board of Censors.
Dr. Johnson read Sections IX and X of the Organon, and Dr.
Hoard presented the following paper upon this subject:
Digitized by ^ooQle
8
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
ORGANON. SECTIONS IX AND X.
When your president asked me to open the discussion on Sec¬
tions IX and X of the Organon, my first thought was, that the
vital force being the very ground work of homeopathic therapeu¬
tics, and as much a part of our belief as the law of cure itself, it
would be no difficult task that was assigned me. But, on care¬
fully reading them, I am convinced that they fully express all
that can be said, and that so much can be expressed so well, in
so few words, is indeed a marvel.
In his first edition of the Organon, Hahnemann said, “ There
must exist in the medicine a healing principle, the understanding
has a presentiment of it.” It was not however until the Organon
had gone through a number of editions that he called this some¬
thing the vital force, this was in the edition of 1833. In these
few words he expressed a fact which is the fundamental principle
of life.
The section reads: “ During the healthy condition of man this
spirit-like force animating the material body, rules supreme as
dynamis.” The definition of dynamis is, faculty, force, power,
and as applied to biology, it is that which relates to the vital
forces, to the organism in action.
The influences of agents on the organism which are ascribable
to neither mechanical nor chemical causes are termed dynamic.
In these few words of the text is suggested the pathology of
disturbed vital force, which stands today, as it stood then, pre¬
eminently above all others, and in our day is unaffected by bacte¬
riology, or cellular pathology; these latter being a great advance
in the science of preventive medicine, and of themselves, conflict
in no way with the pathology as expressed by Hahnemann in
the Organon; this I believe time will demonstrate.
By the action of the vital force we are able to comprehend the
action of drugs on diseased conditions, and I believe this should
teach us, that as this force in the organism is disturbed, in a
higher or lower degree we should exhibit our remedies in varying
potencies to meet such degree of disturbance, and not pin our
faith to any one potency, or say we will neither go above nor be¬
low such a mark, in the exhibition of the remedy.
Digitized by LjOOQle
CENTRAL NEW YORK HOMEOPATHIC SOCIETY.
9
The vital force is upbuilding and constructive and maintains the
co-ordination of all the organs and functions of the body. As
the text says: “ Maintain all its parts in the most perfect order
and harmony.”
Without it we have destruction and decay and the body it once
dominated returns to its constituent elements. Again the text
says, “ So that our indwelling, rational spirit may fully employ
these living healthy organs for the superior purpose of our exist¬
ence.”
What is the superior purpose of our existence ? What a field
is here opened for our thought.
Let us ask ourselves the question as physicians. In everyday
work we meet and endeavor to relieve those conditions of disease,
which usually come to us in a well-developed stage, diseases,
many of them, that are without doubt due to some chronic miasm,
which, perhaps, has been with the patient since birth; conditions
which, had they been treated properly during the period of intra¬
uterine life, or in the formative period of infancy and childhood,
would have been cured, or so nearly so, that the individual would
pass through the allotted time of life, subject only to those dis¬
eases due to accident or exposure.
Gentlemen, I believe that preventing disease, on this line, is
one of the highest duties of the physician. By studying the con¬
stitutions of the parents, and giving the constitutional remedy of
both parents, to the mother during her pregnancy, and later to
the child as its condition indicates, makes it possible for us to do
great things on this line. W. A. Hoard, M. D.
discussion.
The subject being presented for discussion: ' *
Dr. Howland stated she had treated the mother, during preg¬
nancy, with the result of an easy labor, in most instances. She
said every prospective mother should have homeopathic treat¬
ment during pregnancy, if she had symptoms calling for a remedy;
that the puerperal period would be shortened, the child better de¬
veloped and healthier. In one case, so treated by Dr. Howland,
labor lasted but one and one-half hours, and the patient was de-
Digitized by LjOOQle
10
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
livered of a ten-pound boy. In another, the patient improved
much during pregnancy, but, because of small pelvis was deliv¬
ered, instrumentally. Yet, like the first, the recovery was rapid
and uneventful.
Discussion concerning the action of the remedies, and appro¬
priate remedies in these conditions, and their influence upon the
after life of the child, was animated and in accord.
Dr. Hoard believed that the painful symptoms in incurable dis¬
eases were best relieved by the indicated remedy.
Dr. A. C. Hermance then read the following paper upon
ECHINACEA ANGUSTIFOLIA IN BLOOD POISONING:
My knowledge and use of this drug is of necessity empirical.
However, from reports read of its action and my own clinical
experience, I am inclined to think it destined to take a prominent
place in our materia medica. Particularly will it be indicated in
diseases arising from a depraved state of the blood; in poisoned
wounds, stings and bites of poisonous animals or reptiles; in
erysipelatous conditions, septic infections and blood poisoning
generally.
From my limited source of information I can only say that this
remedy is obtained from an American plant indigenous to our
Western prairies, the common name of which I do not know.
However, my purpose in this paper is not to discuss the botanic
characteristics of this remedy, but in a few clinical cases to relate
its action and the general results obtained by its administration.
Case I.— Mr. C., aged sixty-five years, a paper box maker by
occupation, while working with some colored paper, cut his right
thumb slightly on edge of the paper. The injury caused him lit¬
tle inconvenience until next day, when the finger began swelling
rapidly, accompanied by intense lancinating pain, and much discol¬
oration, purple in character. The day following I was called and
found the following conditions:
Finger greatly swollen, dark blue or purple in color.
Lancinating, burning pain, running up the arm arterially.
Veins distended and swollen; arteries like red streaks running
up arm, and very painful to touch.
Digitized by LjOOQle
CENTRAL NEW YORK HOMEOPATHIC SOCIETY. 11
Axillary gland swollen and very painful.
General muscular soreness, “ seems as if pounded.”
Vertigo with deathly sick feeling all over.
Trembling of lower limbs, cannot walk.
Dull, stupefying headache, with sense of weight on vertex.
General and extreme prostration.
Face drawn, haggard, deathly pallor, cold moisture on fore¬
head.
Nausea and vomiting.
Diarrhea with frequent, offensive stools.
Throat swollen, fauces dark and purplish in color, with ulcer¬
ated patches.
Inability to swallow. Raises bloody mucus when coughing.
Tongue swollen, bluish color, very sore to touch.
Temp. 103°. Pulse ioo.
Lach. 200, in solution, was given every two hours. This was
at 9 A. M.; at 8 P. M. there was no improvement. Hand and arm
swelling rapidly; profuse watery diarrhea; stool every hour, very
offensive; cannot retain nourishment. Flaxseed fomentations or¬
dered applied to hand every half hour. Lach. continued, n P.
M. condition was unchanged. ^ Ars. cm, one dose.
9 A. M. next morning. Patient had a very bad night. Heart
action is now irregular. Hand and arm terribly swollen. Diar¬
rhea, pain and prostration marked. Slight delirium. Temp.
103 2-5 0 . Pulse no. Echinacea, 4> twenty drops in half a glass
of water, a teaspoonful every hour. Dressing, same remedy, i dr.
to pint warm water.
4: 30 P. M. Diarrhea lessened. Hot milk retained, other symp¬
toms unchanged. Echinacea continued.
9 A. M. Following morning. Pulse regular, Temp. ioi° much
less pain, purplish color fading. Had two hours’ sleep during
night, nourishment retained. Echinacea continued.
4:30 P. M. Continued improvement; tongue moist and better
color; throat clean and swelling reduced.
9 A. M. Third day. Patient rested well, temperature and pulse
normal, Diarrhea ceased, swelling gradually subsiding, purplish
color not so marked, pain much better. Echinacea continued.
The patient continued to improve daily. In one week from the
Digitized by CjOOQle
12
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
time he went under treatment the glandular involvement had dis¬
appeared. The hand and arm had assumed a healthful color, pain
and swelling almost entirely disappeared. Taking regular nour¬
ishment, and gaining strength rapidly. In ten days he was prac¬
tically well, with the exception of some muscular soreness.
Case II.— Mrs. C., aged twenty-two years, while breaking up
some boxes, accidently ran a rusty nail in the palm of her hand.
The next day after the accident, she presented the following
conditions:
Hand much swollen.
Purplish areola around wound.
Red streaks running up forearm, muscular soreness, continued
burning pain shooting up arm, swelling in axillary gland, severe
frontal headache; nausea and vomiting. Tempt 102°, Pulse ioi.
Echinacea ix in solution every hour.
In twenty-four hours there was marked improvement, the 3X
was then given every three hours for two days, with continued
and rapid improvement. In five days patient was discharged cured.
Case III.— Mr. M., aged fifty years, scratched his leg just above
the knee with a rusty nail while packing some furniture. This
was followed next day with swelling, burning, lancinating pains
through wound, nausea, vomiting, and offensive diarrhea, frontal
headache, rise of temperature, purplish areola around wound, gen¬
eral prostration, marked thirst. Arsenicum was given in different
potencies without results. This was followed by Lachesis with¬
out improvement. The wound began sloughing badly, pains so
severe patient could not rest day or night. A marked symptom
in this case was sensitiveness to touch of the affected part, he be¬
ing unable to bear the least pressure. Echinacea, 4> twenty drops
in half a glass of water, a teaspoonful every hour was given and
a dressing of the same applied externally. The result being im¬
mediate improvement, and* complete recovery in two weeks.
The special sphere of action of this drug seems to be upon the
fluids of the body. It might be termed an internal antiseptic. We
have records of it as greatly relieving the pains of carcinoma, and
in malignant carbuncles its action has been quick and curative;
also in septic diarrheas, and septic peritonitis from retained pla¬
centa, we have clinical evidence of its great efficacy.
Digitized by CjOOQle
CENTRAL NEW YORK HOMEOPATHIC SOCIETY. 13
Among the drugs whose pathogensis correspond more closely
to the symptoms exhibited in these cases are perhaps: Arsenicum,
Arnica, Crotalis, Pyrogen, and Lachesis. The latter remedy, as
I have stated, was given by me with the result here given; also
the Arsenicum.
Under Lachesis, we have the swollen, purplish, ulcerated throat,
the marked systemic weakness, with offensive diarrhea, the burn¬
ing lancinating pains, and purplish areola at seat of injury. Af¬
fected parts are bluish in color. Carbuncles with purplish sur¬
roundings, gangrenous ulceration with purplish areolae.
Crotalus Hor: With its purplish erysipelatous inflammations.
Stings of insects turning blue, felons and abscesses when parts are
bluish, septic poisoning, purpura hemorrhagica, etc.
Arsenicum: With its burning pain, malignant pustules with
livid areola, septic diarrhea and glandular affections
Arnica: With is muscular soreness, echymosed spots, and septic
states generally. Whether or not I should have accomplished the
same results with one or the other of these remedies I do not
know, but my desire to prove the efficacy of Echinacea, led to its
exhibition with the results here recorded. I would suggest, when,
in these cases of septic origin, our well-selected remedies fail, that
we do not forget Echinacea Augustifolia.
Dr. Alexander C. Hermance.
[Anthracinum and Pyrogen may also be compared in carbuncles,
malignant pustules, septic poisoning, etc., with purple or bluish areola
and intense burning pain.—E d.]
Dr. Hermance’s paper was presented for discussion.
Dr. Howland thought the case suggested Natrum sulph.
Dr. Graham was inclined to believe that one of several remedies
might have cured the case.
Dr. Leggett thought that from the standpoint of a treatment of
the disease, the last assertion might be true, but from the stand¬
point of the individual expression of the sickness, the one remedy
only had power to complete the cure; else, why so many partial
cures ?
Dr. Graham had used Echinacea in wounds and injuries, with
success, when indicated by the symptoms.
Dr. Hermance related a case of blood poisoning following the
Digitized by LjOOQle
14
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
extraction of a tooth with a local anesthetic, that had exhibited,
the color, sensitiveness, etc., and yielded quickly to the prescrip¬
tion of Echinacea.
Dr. Leggett asked if the extreme sensitiveness was a strong
indication. Dr. Hermance said, “Yes.”
Dr. Graham recommended the remedy in puerperal sepsis.
Dr. Johnson then read some cases sent by Dr. Alliaume, Utica,
N. Y.
CLINICAL CASES.
Case I.— Mrs. W. L. T., July 30, 1902. A lady about fifty-five,
well nourished and about equally balanced in the sanguine and
bilious-mental temperament, had had her back broken in the dorso-
lumbar region by being shut in a folding bed.
The physician who had cared for her did not replace the frag¬
ments of vertebrae in their normal position, but simply put her
in a plaster cast. About a year before coming to me, she had
fallen upon a slippery walk, striking the back of the head very
forcibly, and she had suffered with the following symptoms ever
since:
Mental: Everything seems like a great effort; does not want to
have company. Desires to be alone. Despondent. Wants to
stay at home all the time.
Head: Incessant ringing in head. Very heavy pressure on ver¬
tex. Back of head and parietal regions felt like a metallic cap
under the skull. Pain and lame feeling in occiput every morning.
Throbbing in temples.
Nerves: Spells of complete exhaustion; can hardly move. In¬
ternal trembling; crawling of flesh over surface of body.
Chest: Much pain in left side, < lying on it.
Breathing: Some dyspnea at night. Must lie with head high.
Extremities: Very weak, left arm the worst.
Ears: Aching in left.
Nose: Bleeds frequently.
Sleep: Always late in getting asleep.
Heat and Cold: Heat prostrates. Cold water with meals nau¬
seates. Glonoin 10m.
August 9. Less ringing in head, pressure on vertex, pain in
Digitized by LjOOQle
CLINICAL CASES.
15
occiput. Exhaustion about the same. Pain in left side of chest
when lies on right side. Dyspnea. Weak feeling about heart.
Arms and hands less weak. One slight nose bleed. Less desire
to be alone. Late in getting asleep. Placebo.
August 25. Less pressure on vertex. Aching in occiput severe
in morning. Ringing in head. Less exhaustion. Pain in left
chest better. Some palpitation.. No nose bleed. Sleepless by
spells. Weakness of arms and hands by spells. Less earache.
Legs ache. Glonoin 10m.
September 29. Kept her supplied with Placebo until now.
Generally better. Some pain in occiput; must sleep with head
high. Does not sleep well. Pain about heart when lies on left side.
Gelsemium 200.
October 4. Nape of neck more lame. Pain in occiput, <,
comes over vertex and extends down shoulders. Placebo.
October 14. Had bilious attack. Neck very stiff in morning,
and feels as if occiput were in an iron frame. Aching of back in
lumbar region. Late in getting asleep. Sharp, quick pains about
heart. Pressure on vertex. Crawling, prickling of flesh. Glon¬
oin 10m.
November 18. I have kept patient on Glonoin, and she is
surely getting well. Believing she was not doing as well as she
might and that she was somewhat psoric, I gave a powder of
Sulphur 2m and it helped her, especially in the crawling and
prickling of the flesh.
February 17, 1903. On this date I discharged the patient as
cured. All of her symptoms had gone, except some times she was
late in getting asleep, and would get nervous. This I attributed
to the spinal irritation, where the back was broken, and believe
this irritation will always exist.
I believe I made a mistake when I gave her the Qelsemium.
I wanted to hurry things. Dr. C. E. Alliaume.
The subject of Dr. Alliaume’s paper was discussed, and the
author complimented upon the cure of a difficult case.
Dr. Howland suggested Natrum sul. for Dr. Alliaume’s case
as one of the most prominent remedies for concussion of the brain,
when the patient in a fall strikes the back of his head.
Digitized by LjOOQle
16
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Under miscellaneous business the secretary presented the bill
for publishing the transactions of March, 1901, $56. She reported
$38 in the treasury, and asked for instruction.
A member mentioned that Dr. Gwynn had thought many fam¬
ilies of deceased members would be interested in the publication
and willing to contribute.
Dr. Johnson made a motion which was seconded and carried,
that Dr. Gwynn should be requested to do what was possible in
this matter.
Dr. Graham made a motion which was seconded and carried
that the treasurer be empowered to pay such funds as .were in
the treasury at once, and promise the balance as soon as available.
Upon further discussion of ways and means, the secretary was
requested to send out notifications to members, of unpaid dues,
payment of which would more than cover the indebtedness.
The meeting then adjourned to meet in Syracuse, Sept. 10, 1903.
S. L. Guild-Leggett,
Secretary .
Thought Force and Nerve Impingment.*
E. N. CHANEY, M. D., PASADENA, CAL.
Physicians, who depend upon the single potenized remedy, as
well as others who do not, neglect to a greater extent than is al¬
ways practical, the removal of orificial irritation. Hahnemann
drew our attention in his Organon in notes under Section 7 to
pelvic troubles.
Removing adhesions and tumors, having their origin in sup¬
pressed disease, by the use of a drug potency, is a common oc¬
currence ; so also is the curing of chronic miasms and acute dis¬
eases in the same manner.
Wonderful it seems, when we place the anatomy in a condition
that will make it almost impossible to take on disease until old
age or accident supervenes. This fact has, however, been demon¬
strated by many physicians during the past fifteen years. AJ1
physicians know, or should know, that the sympathetic nerves
♦Read before the Southern California Homeopathic Association, Los
Angeles, Oct. 15, 1903.
Digitized by LjOOQle
THOUGHT FORCE AND NERVE IMPINGMENT.
17
(which bear the mentality of the body, regulate the blood circu¬
lation, the glandular and mucous secretions, and the peristaltic
action of every tube in the body) present their terminals to the
mucous surfaces of all the orifices, and especially to the sphincters
and strictured portions of the last five feet of the large intestine.
This afflicted locality is not usually felt by the cerebro-spinal sys¬
tem, which bears the mentality of our sensing and reasoning fac¬
ulties. Finally, physicians are discovering trouble in the pelvic
cavity that has disabled our organism indefinitely, and which has
existed unrecognized.
The membranous folds of the orifices, that were congested in
the parents during pregnancy, are not well reproduced in the
offspring. As a result the tissues that should be duplicated in the
infant appear undeveloped, and the membranous folds in the bowel,
urethra, etc., are adhered and their caliber constricted, producing
a state of nervous prostration all through life, unless the adhe¬
sions are forced open. One may possess the adhesion all through
this earthly existence without knowing pain or sickness, if he is
careful to limit the expression of human energy, and if he is for¬
tunate enough to receive no chemical or traumatic injury to the
impinged nerve terminals.
A foreign dynamic force can only enter our economy when in¬
vited thdre by a nerve irritation or vibration, which resembles
the vibration expended upon the tissues by the proving of some
drug. The inviting vibration is always produced by a congestion
set up by a chemical, traumatic or bacterial agency. The tubes
and glands are not all able to carry off the toxins fast enough
to suit the emergency, because the activities of the sympathetic
nerves are embarrassed by impingments and congestion soon in¬
volves the terminals and reflexes with their adjoining tissues.
Let us consider nerve vibrations as manifestations of a spirit
force personified. If our tissues are in a normal state, we know
that the nerve vibration comes from our own dynamic spirit force,
but when symptoms abound, we observe the results of a drug
spirit force utilizing our dynamic force. Every symptom is the
expression of thought common to some drug's proving; its mental¬
ity is acquired during an individualizing physical existence.
The spirit force of a drug can be dealt with dynamically on
Digitized by LjOOQle
18
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
the physico-mental plane by potenizing the drug; that is, the in¬
fluence of a remedy when potentized can act upon the mentality
of the body, not necessarily on the reason; also the spirit force
of a drug will enter our being and produce a manifestation when
the mind of our body becomes emotional from auto distress.
As we register the hundreds of symptoms that individualize
each drug during its proving, truly we can say, it is the thought
or mentality of a drug that we deal with, and until the physician
recognizes the bodily mentality per se of his patients his success
must necessarily be limited. Having determined upon dynamic
force as a thought problem, the action of potencies on the body
is easily solved.
Psychology teaches us that all thought desires manifestation;
also, like thought is attracted to like thought . The whole creation
is formed by each and every thought finding a physical expression,
according as^ each preceding thought has produced its manifesta¬
tion and created a desire for the next thought in order.
We know that no one can hold our attention better than the
person whose desires and expressions are like our own, and then
when we are satisfied, quietude reigns supreme over our ambitions
of expression. This is true of the spirit forces of disease and its
remedy. If one’s dynamic force is occupied with the foreign spirit
force of a drug, we call it disease. It can be divested of its power
to influence our dynamic force by introducing into the system, in
water or on pellets a few drops of the potency having a like spirit
force. This will re-establish our own dynamic force, which is a
condition of health. Foreign spirit forces and the seemingly in¬
nocent membranous adhesions are both pernicious, therefore we
must count it impracticable to relieve one and not the other.
It is not necessary to inflict, in most cases, a radical operation
nor even to cut, cauterize or ligate the orificial pathological ac¬
cumulations but gently resort to freeing the adhesions with probes,
forceps, dilators and other instruments devised for this primary
orificial work, together with the assistance of lubricants and non¬
toxic antiseptics and with the indicated remedy in a high potency;
although at times in a low potency; the result will be, many so-
called incurables will find health.
It may seem absurd upon first thought to speak of all pelvic
Digitized by LjOOQle
CURE OF A TUMOR RESEMBLING CARCINOMA. 19
congestion as being caused by bowel disturbances; but when we
remember that adhesion must have congestion in order to pull on
the impinged nerves and cause pain locally or reflexly, and that
congestion can only be aroused by a traumatic or chemical injury;
and whereas no organ .but the bowel can produce a traumatic or
chemical irritation within itself, it stands to reason that the origin
of all pelvic congestion is located in the undeveloped mucous mem¬
branes and the excreta of the large intestine.
This pathology exists almost entirely upon sympathetic nerves
and ultimately may reflex the disturbance to the spinal cord, which
in turn produces within humanity a disposition to mental agita¬
tion and crime against their reason. Therefore by removing pelvic
irritations, we give to our fellowman a better circulation, a
stronger mentality, a more forceful vitality and a happier dis¬
position.
Cure of a Tumor Resembling Carcinoma.
FROM DIE ALLG. HOM. ZIETUNG. TRANSLATED BY A. MCNEIL, M. D.,
SAN FRANCISCO.
My father-in-law, the notary, Herr W. A. C., residing in Hel-
voit, Province of North Brabant, Holland, became ill in his sixty-
third year of a disease of the stomach. He descended from a re¬
markably powerful family. He himself was in the fullest sense
of the word of Bismarckian stature. Carcinoma, however, very
frequently occurred in his family. His father died of carcinoma
ventriculi; mother and sister, of carcinoma mammae. His sister
I have myself known. She without doubt had carcinoma mammae,
ulceration, edema of the. left arm, etc.
The notary became ill in 1900 of a disease of the stomach. For
years he had occasionally complained after eating, never when the
stomach was empty. In a few months his Bismarckian stature
had become that of Moltke, but not so sound as he. Herr C. was
miserable. Icterus, copious hemorrhages of the stomach, nausea
and vomiting of what he had eaten, and pains in the stomach. He
had gone privately to different allopathic physicians in the neigh-
Digitized by OQle
20
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
boring city of Hertogenbosch. Later, I learned that they had all
pronounced his disease cancer of the stomach.
With two other physicians I examined him in his bed. We
discovered a painful tumor in the region of the pylorus. The
lymphatic glands in both axillae and on the right side above the
clavicle had all the properties of carcinomatous lymphatic glands.
We all agreed that it was carcinoma ventriculi. The question
arose, operate or not? We, therefore, sent him to the University
of Utrecht. Prof. P. Talma with his assistant, Dr. B., examined
him in April, 1901. His written opinion to me was a sad one.
He would decide as to the advisability of operating when Herr
C. returned in May. In the meantime the stomach was to be
washed out daily with the stomach tube.
In May Herr C. returned to the St. Andrews Hospital, in
Utrecht. Professor Talma several times examined him in April,
washed out his stomach, examined his blood, etc. In May the
professor again carefully examined the patient. I received Pro¬
fessor T/s decision, which was as follows:
Utrecht, May 7, 1901.
Honored Colleague : I have examined notary C. once more. He has rap¬
idly lost strength. Achlorhydria, lactic acid, large bacilli, hypoxanthines in
the contents of the stomach. Great motor insufficiency (of the stomach?),
emaciation and the beginning of cachexia. My diagnosis is rapidly devel¬
oping carcinoma of the pylorus. Inoperable. Therapeutics M. See that
there are good stools with enemas of glycerine. Wash out the stomach
every morning. Decoction of Cundurango. Diet: must keep his bed.
Collegially yours,
(W. G.) Prof. S. T.
(Translated literally from the Dutch.)
The examination of the blood in April had shown: 5.1 millions
erythrocyten; 10.500 millions leucocyten: 1,470 hemoglobulin, 83
to 90 per cent; polyneuclein 58.3 per cent, lymphocyten 30 per cent,
comuphile 3 per cent.
Herr C. also had cirrhosis hepatis, perhaps arising from the
absorption of injurious matter from the stomach. The liver large
and hard.
If I am not mistaken, the professor in April referred especially
to the swelling of the axillary and right supra-clavicular lymphatic
glands as a demonstration of the malignant character of the dis-
Digitized by CjOOQle
CURE OF A TUMOR RESEMBLING CARCINOMA.
21
ease of. the stomach. The notary could not in the meantime attend
to his official duties. The peasants had seen him vomiting.
Enemas were not used. He was always cold and he had coffee-
ground stools. He took the Cundarango which caused nausea
and disordered his stomach so that he could not drink milk even.
Then he turned to Homeopathy. The village physician retired in
anger. The stomach tube was employed daily for a month first
by myself and then by one of his daughters whom I taught. Hd
took Arsenicum for months, exclusively and regularly twice a
day, io drops of the 6th dilution. Occasionally I gave Opium 30
by which I regulated his bowels.
Now a peculiar period began. The North Brabant Bank in
Hertogenbosch failed suddenly and unexpectedly. The failure
caused a great sensation in the Netherlands. Herr C. lost his en¬
tire property. He was honorably discharged from his notarial
office by the queen of the Netherlands. Now ensued a year of
horrible pecuniary and domestic cares. And yet he improved more
and more. In the last months of service in his office he again
held the periodical sales in the open air and in the fields. He
played cards every evening with the peasants for months in the
village tavern and drank water only. He had never used alco¬
holic drinks, and was indeed the founder of the anti-alcoholic
Paulus verein in Brabant. As a specialist in agriculture, celebrated
in all of Holland, he delivered lectures at the meeting of the na¬
tional agricultural society to which the queen appointed him. He
then lived in an institute on a pension which he received as a
teacher in the real school before he became a notary.
The allopathic physician in Grave, director of the hospital in
that city wrote to me:
Grave, Sept. 18, 1902.
Dear Friend : The report of the examination for the life insurance com¬
pany, of your father-in-law, Herr C., was really very good, at least very
satisfactory. With my warmest greeting,
Dr. H.
What had happened? He had to be examined by the society
“ Nederland.” He still takes the Arsenicum. In the late autumn
of 1902 and in the first half of 1903 he was thoroughly healthy.
He was once more a Bismarck. His clothes were too small, etc.
Digitized by LjOOQle
22
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
He was cheerful; he ate as formerly, that is as an epicure: he
never vomited: he sang and danced for hours: he went to The
Hague: he visited me in Gouda and sat in my pew in the Catholic
church at Gouda. “ What a big fellow! ” the people said. He
was judicial co-laborator in the newspapers. The swelling of the
' glands had entirely disappeared. And all this improvement oc¬
curred during the most horrible sorrows which caused the hearts
of his children to ache almost to breaking and would have made
a well man ill.
June 19, 1903, he was taken ill suddenly in the open fields and
had an attack of classical pneumonia. The allopath, Dr. H., vis¬
ited him as physician for the first time. Herr C. died on the
critical day of paralysis of the heart. Neither the doctor nor I
found the slightest trace of his former illness on his body. All
the papers of Holland wrote articles on the life and work of Herr
C., my dear father-in-law. He was a well-known man in all
Holland. Was his case carcinoma? — I do not know. At all
events it was very much like that disease. If he had been oper¬
ated on with the same result, I would have been compelled to
shout, “ Long live modern surgery.”
The case could not have been one of psychogenetic dyspepsia.
He was the greatest and most decided optimist I ever saw. When
the stage of psychical depression suddenly and unexpectedly af¬
flicted him by the loss of his property by the bank failure, the
cure had already begun.
Dr. H., of Grave, considered the case one of pseudo-leucemia.
The spontaneous cure even of carcinoma is possible. (See the
case of Frau Koenig Verh. de Deutcsh Gesellschaft fur Chirg.
1899.)
At the beginning of 1903 the above-mentioned Professor Talma
lectured in The Hague at the scientific congress on carcinoma.
He said that the last fifty years had produced no essential changes
in our knowledge of cancer. Did the above-mentioned case float
before his eyes? I do not know.
PAROXYSMAL PARALYSIS: CURARE.
The following is concerning a case of paroxysmal complete pa¬
ralysis of motion with unimpaired consciousness reported by the
Digitized by CjOOQle
IS APPENDICITIS A MEDICAL OR SURGICAL DISEASE. 23
one who relates the above case, cured by Curare, which I trans¬
lated for the Advocate. Trans.
June 9, 1903 Fraulein von H. wrote me that she remained well
all the time. She says no trace remains of her horrible perfectly
regular recurring sufferings, which had afflicted her for years.
This was a similimum case, such as I have not seen such another
and perhaps never will again, in confirmation of the law of
similars. ' Dr. A. C. A. Hoffmann,
Physician at Gouda, Holland.
Is Appendicitis a Medical or Surgical Disease?*
E. G. FREYERMUTH, M. D., SOUTH BEND, IND.
Early last spring I received a telephonic message from a sister-
in-law, asking what she could do for a terrible pain she had in
her bowels. It had troubled her more or less since she was
awakened by it in the night. She had almost fainted from its
severity just before telephoning. I deemed it important to see
her at once. A diagnosis of appendicitis was easily and quickly
made. The indicated remedy was prescribed and directions for
cleansing the alimentary tract were immediately followed. In a
short time relief came. Mag. phos., Bry., Nux vom. and China,
as indicated, brought the patient safely through the attack in a
few-days.
Subsequent to her recovery ( ?) she was carefully watched. The
appendix was frequently palpated and a progressive decrease in
its tenderness was gratifyingly observed until quite firm pressure
failed to elicit signs of disease. Her symptoms called for China,
which she received in a high potency. The lady, a frail and deli¬
cate little body, had always been regarded “ sickly ” because of
an anemic appearance, but under the China and an occasional in¬
tercurrent remedy, as called for, she made such improvements in
health, strength and general appearance as to call forth remarks
from friends and neighbors. But lo! Without^ moment's warn-
1 *Read before the Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan Homeo¬
pathic Medical Association, Nov. 4, 1903.
Digitized by LjOOQle
24
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
ing and like a bolt from a clear sky, she had another acute attack
in July, more severe than the first. She finally recovered from this
second siege much emaciated and in a very weakened condition.
The question of a third attack was now considered. The patient
and her family readily agreed with me that a recurrence of the
trouble was far more dangerous to her life than an operation as
soon as her strength permitted surgical treatment.
Early in September she was taken to Hahnemanri Hospital, Chi¬
cago, where Dr. Chislett excised the appendix, which was found
to be cystic and enormously distended, and turned so that it was
adherent to the caecum by its upper surface. The patient returned
to her home on the twentieth day after the operation and has made
an uneventful recovery, and rejoices today because of the assur-
NATURAL SIZE
1. Tip of Appendix 4. Meso-appendix
2 and 3. Cysts 5. Line of Adhesion to Caecum
Digitized by C.ooQle
IS APPENDICITIS A MEDICAL OR SURGICAL DISEASE. 25
ance of a non-recurrence of the disease and the enjoyment of
better health and digestion than she had had for years.
My object in reporting this case is to propound the following
questions:
“ Is appendicitis a medical disease ? or, is the surgeon right in
claiming it to be a surgical disease ? What remedy in the materia
medica could have assured the patient against another attack that
would in all probability have been fatal ? ” In the light of the
case reported how will the unbiased, prudent and conservative
practitioner answer these queries ? An increasing experience with
this affection and my observation, persuades me to decide in favor
of the surgical side of the question. I do not take this view from
the standpoint of a surgeon, but from the position of a general
practitioner who firmly believes in the efficacy of the homeopathic
remedy, who finds that the more closely he “ hews to the line ”
of similia similibus curantur the more chips fall to the side of
success and who always aims to conserve the best interests of his
patients.
But I also agree with Dr. J. B. S. King when he says “ Homeo¬
pathy is not all of medical science.” The law of similars has its
limitations. No system of drug therapeutics can offer as much
for the patient suffering with appendicitis as a timely appendec¬
tomy does. Some of my Denver colleagues who may learn of the
views here expressed will think I have undergone a radical change
in opinion concerning the treatment of appendicitis.
An acute attack of appendicitis may be caused by a foreign body
in the organ — pins have been found in it; by a constriction of
its lumen preventing the escape of appendoliths, fecal matter or
mucus and consequent formation of abscess; to an interference
in its circulation, causing gangrene; to cystic degeneration,
etc., all conditions demanding surgical attention, and each of
which is a menace to life as long as it remains uncorrected.
The idiopathic form of the disease, and which, by the way is dif¬
ficult, and often impossible, to diagnose from the other varieties,
may be amenable to medicinal cure, but in process of cure (?) may
develop a pathologic surgical condition that will predispose to
recurrence of attacks. Recurrence in fact is the rule. Subsequent
attacks are generally more severe and serious and may come on
Digitized by LjOOQle
26
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
at a time when or place where skillful treatment cannot be ob¬
tained. So the idiopathic form, though apparently cured, may
also become a menace to life. Life insurance companies appre¬
ciate this fact and reject all applicants who have had an attack of
appendicitis unless the offending organ has been removed.
In exceptional cases one attack is all there is to a case of appen¬
dicitis. But the possibility of an erroneous diagnosis must not
be lost sight of here. It is well enough to admit that appendec¬
tomy is often needlessly performed through error in diagnosis.
The well being of the largest number of appendicitis patients de¬
mand operative procedure, sooner or later. This is clearly shown
in the case cited in this paper. Many others could have been re¬
ported, but this particular case is selected by way of illustration,
because the patient being a near relative, placed the writer in a
trying position in advising a radical measure.
The question, sometimes most difficult to decide, is when to
operate. If the surgeon can select the time, the best moment for
the operation is after the subsidence of the symptom of an acute
attack — when the patient is himself again — and before the re¬
currence of another attack which almost always “ comes like a
thief in the night.” Aseptically done, the operation at the time is
practically free from danger. The next best time for successful
surgical work is during the first twenty-four hours of the attack.
The mortality of the operation during this stage is low, but in¬
creases with each hour of advance of the disease beyond the first
day. There is sometimes a time in'the history of an appendicitis
when it is well-nigh impossible for the medical attendant and con¬
sulting surgeon to decide upon a line of treatment. Both fully
realizing the gravity of the case either would gladly give way to
the other's judgment. To operate seems like hastening the end;
not to operate seems like depriving the patient of the only chance
for recovery. In this predicament the patient, his relatives or
friends decide the question and either the physician or surgeon
signs the burial certificate when a timely operation would have
saved the patient's life.
I imagine some will regard the views expressed in this paper
as extreme and will urge a greater reliance upon indicated rem¬
edies, especially the anti-psorics, in the treatment of the affection
Digitized by LjOOQle
IS APPENDICITIS A MEDICAL OR SURGICAL DISEASE. 27
under consideration. Let me ask my critics how we may know
whether the disease has been cured or is only in a quiescent state ?
The case reported in this paper seemed cured when it broke out
again with alarming fury. In the September number of the Med¬
ical Advance, Dr. C. E. Fisher gives the history of two surgical
cases that had, for a long time, been under the professional care
of that careful and successful prescribes Dr. H. C. Allen, yet
both had to have the scalpel applied before a cure was accom¬
plished. An unsuspected abscess of appendix was found in the
one operated upon for uterine fibroid. How long this “ abscess
distended, almost to bursting, with pus ” existed cannot be
guessed, but that it developed under the careful attention of Dr.'
Allen cannot be doubted, for the patient had been “ under his care
for three years or more.”
One can readily understand how the gross symptoms of an
appendicitis could be disguised or overlooked in a patient afflicted
as this one was. Still the remedies given must have included the
appendical trouble, for the “ totality of symptoms ” covers all the
morbid conditions of a case. Theoretically the inflammation in
the appendix in Dr. Allen’s case should have been cured in its in-
cipiency; actually it developed into an extremely dangerous con¬
dition. Query: Does not this case further prove that appendicitis
is a surgical disease f
Since writing the above, I have read the discussion of Dr. Wie-
land’s paper, “ The Knife and the Remedy in Appendicitis ” in the
October Advance. The paper carries with it the conviction that
its author has been taught some lessons in the treatment of ap¬
pendicitis. It was logical, forcible and conservative and should
have been better received by those who heard it read. The state¬
ment made by one of the speakers that he had practiced forty years
and during that time had had a good many cases of appendicitis
and never lost one is a twin sister to the statement sometimes
heard that a “ tom perineum has never occurred in my practice
which covers an extensive obstetrical experience of many years.”
The writer once met the latter assertion with “ such a one either
makes no ocular inspection of the parts after delivery, cannot
recognize an injury or -.” It would be interesting to know
how many deaths from inflammation of the bowels, peritonitis, ob-
Digitized by LjOOQle
28
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
struction of the bowels or obscure abdominal complaints occurred
in the practice of these forty years. I do not question the honesty
and sincerity of the speaker, but only suggest the probability of
errors in diagnoses.
Not long ago a young lady of this city consulted a prominent
and well-known prescriber in Chicago for relief from a chronic
appendicitis, so pronounced by a number of able physicians in dif¬
ferent cities who attended her during acute attacks. Each referred
the case to the surgeon. She is now being treated with high po¬
tencies for a tender and enlarged lymphatic gland in the region of
McBurney’s point.
Another patient of this city consulted the same physician, and,
without making a physical examination, assured the young man
that it was impossible for him to have had appendicitis because
the attack was accompanied with diarrhea.
The Philadelphia surgeon of large experience whom one of the
speakers reported, “ never operated for appendicitis until pus had
formed ” practices a system of surgery that is unique and must be
original because it is at variance with the best surgical thought
of the age, which holds that the best time to operate during an
attack of appendicitis is in the first twenty-four hours of the par¬
oxysm and before pus has formed so clean work can be done and
the abdomen closed without drainage.
It is this delay in operating that is very largely responsible for
the existing prejudice for surgical treatment of appendicitis. An
appendical abscess is always dangerous and operative measures for
its removal are attended with great mortality. Such an abscess
may burst before the patient can be prepared for an operation, and
cause death or a protracted and lingering convalescence and sub¬
sequent operation for the removal of an appendicular slump, ven¬
tral hernia or some other complication. It is the bad results of
delayed operation the opponents to surgical treatment always refer
to and magnify, ignoring the practically universal good results
of early operation.
Digitized by CjOOQle
HOMEOPATHIC THERAPEUTICS OF SPINAL SCLEROSIS. 29
Homeopathic Therapeutics of Spinal Sclerosis.
CLARENCE C. HOWARD, M. D., NEW YORK.
Lender the head of Spinal Sclerosis I have included Locomotor
Ataxia, Spastic Paraplegia or Lateral Sclerosis, Ataxic Paraplegia
and Friedruck’s Ataxia, diseases characterized by a process of
connective tissue proliferation supplanting the normal or injured
parenchyma, and although differing in their symptoms vary con¬
siderably according to the locality of the injury to the cord from
a therapeutic standpoint they can be grouped under one head. I
believe there is no remedy in our materia medica which might
not be the similar of some of these diseases during their course,
but I have selected only drugs the symptoms of which I have veri¬
fied, having found in them a cure, a relief to the distressing symp¬
toms. When these cases are diagnosed early,, my experience has
been that the progress of the disease can be arrested and practically
cured as the healthy or less-affected portion of the cord will per¬
form the normal functions of the whole.
ALUMINA.
The pains of Alumina are sudden, sharp, stabbing, gnawing and
throbbing, coming on at intervals, accompanied bv a sensation at
times as if the limbs were being squeezed in a vise; these pains are
felt through the body. Again, there is pain mostly confined to the
lower vertebrae, as if a hot iron were being thrust through the tis¬
sues ; stiffness, numbness and insensibility of lower limbs, tearing
in all parts of the lower limbs.
Drawing pains in the knees on ascending stairs; cramp in calves
on crossing legs and on resting toes on ground ; on stepping the
soles of the feet are painful, as if swollen or too soft; there is great
lassitude of both arms and legs; heaviness, the arms and legs feel
heavy like lead; itching, tingling, prickling of the legs.
Pains as if burnt by hot iron are felt in the elbow and fingers.
The toes and fingers become red and swollen, with a tendency
to ulcerate.
Sensation of constriction along the esophagus when eating; liver
sensitive, with stitching pains ; flatulent colic ; sharp stitching pains
Digitized by U.ooQle
30
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
with dyspnea; pains ascend to cardiac region; sensation as if ab¬
domen hung down heavy as lead.
The symptoms are generally < while sitting and better from
walking; < after dinner and from potatoes, are characteristic.
When acting well, the change of feeling, “better after dinner/*
will be noticed.
The constipation of Alumina is due to an inactive or paralyzed
state of the rectum; even a soft stool requires much straining.
The stool may be large, hard and dry. Great tenesmus. These
patients will complain of distended abdomens which is loud rum¬
blings of flatus with emissions of large quantities.
Dizziness, objects turn in a circle; ptosis, diplopia or strabismus;
unable to walk with the eyes closed, or in the dark; sensation as
if walking on cushions. Formication as if ants were crawling
back of legs. Nates go to sleep when sitting; heels become numb
when walking; sensation on the face as of a cobweb or the white
of an egg had dried upon it; the urine is slow in passing.
The sexual desire is increased at first, later suppressed; at first
frequent nocturnal erections with pollutions.
ARGENTUM NITRICUM.
The character of the pains of Argentum Nitricum are tearing,
squeezing, drawing, sticking as if sprained. The digging pains
in the back are < at night and on rising from sitting and > by
walking; there is a sensation at times as if the body were expand¬
ing. There is a general feeling of lassitude in lower limbs, legs
insensible to touch, diminished warmth of legs, sudden contrac¬
tion of the knees at night, jerking of toes.
Formication of arms and legs.
Convulsive motions of arms and legs, working outward and up¬
ward.
Rigidity of the muscles, especially the calves of the leg.
Feeling as if a band of iron were around chest or waist.
Sensation as if splinters were sticking in arms and legs. Ver¬
tigo when attempting to walk with the eyes closed, with a tend¬
ency to fall sidewise, staggering when walking in the dark. De¬
bility of the limbs, they tremble; calves are weary as after a long
journey.
Digitized by CjOOQle
HOMEOPATHIC THERAPEUTICS OF SPINAL SCLEROSIS. 31
Legs feel as if made of wood; staggering gait. The hands
tremble. Eyesight worse by candle-light; right pupil dilated;
right pupil contracted, loss of light reflex.
Loss of sexual functions, organs shriveled. Only partial erec¬
tions failing on attempting coition. Incontinence of urine. Reten¬
tion of urine, urine dribbles.
BELLADONNA.
Inco-ordination; weak and tottering gait with trembling in all
the limbs; when walking, the legs are raised high and slowly, and
put down forcibly. The pains are sudden, lightning like, throb¬
bing, burning, stabbing lasting a longer or shorter period and com¬
ing and going quickly, leaving no pain in the interval excepting
a soreness. Heaviness of the thighs and legs with stiffness of the
knees. Pains sometimes in the leg as if jammed; a sensation of
crawling in the feet, stiffness and heaviness of hands, rigid fingers,
sharp stitches, pains through hands.
Pupils contracted or dilated immovable; the eyes and hands are
in a constant spasmodic motion.
Obstinate constipation, spasmodic contraction of the anus pre¬
venting stool.
Inability to retain the urine; the urine is frequent and copious
and of a pale straw color. Sensation of a worm twisting and turn¬
ing in the bladder.
Sexual instinct seems extinguished in his fancy, complete loss
of power.
The Belladonna patient is chilly and very sensitive to changes
from warm to cold, from draught of air in damp weather, better
from wrapping up warmly and in a room symptoms are < in the
afternoon and after midnight > in the morning.
GELSEMIUM.
Has an unsteady gait, staggering on attempting to walk. Dif¬
ficulty of walking due to lack of control of the muscles, inco¬
ordination with the loss of voluntary muscular movement; the
limbs are heavy. There are paroxysms of shooting, drawing,
Digitized by LjOOQle
32
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
contracting and cramping pains in the legs. Coldness of the legs;
the feet feel as if they were in cold water; the calves feel bruised;
the thighs are sore to touch. The legs tremble; there are neuralgic
pains with deep-seated aching and numbness. Great lassitude,
listless and languid; tires easily.
Ptosis, the eyes are almost closed with loss of vision; can't read
or write; unable to recognize any one across the room.
Constipated from paralysis of the rectum.
The urine is involuntary with a very frequent desire < from
excitement.
Sexual power completely exhausted; slightest excitement causes
emission without an erection. Coldness of the genitals.
HYOSCYAMUS.
Inability to rise from a chair, walk without assistance, or with¬
out the eyes fixed upon the ground; when walking in the open air
with heat and trembling of the whole body ; a staggering gait,
weariness and languor; extreme coldness of the lower extremities
both to touch and sensation.
The extensors of the limbs jerk and twitch so as to advance the
leg and foot; the pains are sharp and mostly in the joints ; gan¬
grenous spots are apt to appear on the buttox and thighs.
The toes are spasmodically contracted while walking or going
upstairs.
The hands are painfully numb with tingling and prickling;
swelling of both hands and feet.
The pupils are contracted with dimness of the sight as from a
gauze before eyes.
The urine is retained; urgent desire to urinate the discharge of
a feeble dribbling stream, followed by copious micturition with
rumbling in the abdomen involuntary day and night.
Impotence.
NUX MOSCHATA.
The lower limbs are painful and languid, with great uneasiness;
the back feels weak and painful as if broken or bruised from a
blow < on riding in a carriage.
Digitized by CjOOQle
HOMEOPATHIC THERAPEUTICS OF SPINAL SCLEROSIS. 33
The muscles of the neck are so weak the head drops forward
on the chest.
The knees feel weak with pains in them, especially on going
upstairs.
On the dorsum of the foot there is a pain as if a hard body had
fallen upon it.
Pains in both legs as if the bones were being smashed to pieces;
feeling in calves as from a blow; cramps in calves before going to
sleep.
The pains come all over the body, occupying but a small space,
continue but a few moments, but soon return, passing from place
to place; they are digging and pressing, < from cold damp air.
The feet pain as if bruised from jumping; soles are always wet
from perspiration.
The odor of the perspiration in the axillae is offensive.
There are pains of a steady drawing character from fingers to
shoulder with a sensation as of a string tied about the arm.
In the toes and fingers there is a buzzing sensation as if frost
bitten.
The chest feels as if in a vise.
The characteristics are drowsiness, chilliness and listlessness,
with dry mouth.
The bowels are distended with flatus; even soft stools are evac¬
uated with difficulty, the constipation being from inactivity. All
symptoms are < by emotional excitement.
The genital organs are relaxed with inclination.
The eyelids droop and feel heavy and stiff; pupils dilated or
contracted.
There is an < from cold, damp air and in repose an > from
warmth.
NUX VOMICA.
When walking, the legs tremble; unsteady gait, staggering;
drags feet; stiffness and rigidity of muscles and numbness; can
only walk with the aid of a cane or holding on to the wall for
support.
Exaggeration of all the reflexes (or complete loss of patella) —
Digitized by ^ OQle
34
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
tapping the patella reflex the leg is violently extended followed by
alternate contraction; must be firmly held to control the spasm.
Great reflexed excitability, chilliness of backs of limbs in morn¬
ing with pain as if from freezing cold.
Drawing, tearing pains, mostly from below upward < from
light touch > from heat and firm pressure, beaten and bruised
sensation < during motion and at night.
Great weariness after being in open air. Inclined to boils*and
sores on nates; sharp pain as from an electric shock; shooting,
jerking, tearing and drawing pains on posterior part of thighs.
Crawling feeling over affected parts with sensation of heat; the
arms and hands go to sleep, having a numb and stiff feeling <
in dry, generally > in wet weather, < from cold air and being
in open air, < of all symptoms from external impressions.
Incontinence of urine, nocturnal enuresis, constant dribbling
with an overloaded bladder; great tenesmus with great burning
and tearing pain. Constant desire for stool and urine, great strain¬
ing.
Ineffectual urging to stool, or passing but small quantities of
feces at an attempt; stools in large hard masses, frequently blood
streaked; after stool exhaustion with trembling, especially of the
hands < of symptoms during and after stool.
Sexual desire on slightest provocation at first, soon followed by
complete loss of sexual functions.
< in moving, after waking, after mental exertion.
PHOSPHORUS.
The lower limbs are heavy with great weakness, especially on
ascending steps; complete insensibility of lower extremities and
body as far up as the chest. The gait is unsteady and stumbling;
lowering temperature of the parts; formication from back to legs.
Drawing, tearing pains from exposure to cold.
Excessively troubled with nightly attacks of fidgets in the legs
and hips preventing sleep; must get up and move about; knees feel
weak and stiff, very much swollen (a charcot joint) legs heavy
and weary. Feet icy cold. Pains in soles as if bruised after a
long walk as if feet were asleep. Inclined to have blisters and
sores on the feet, especially heels. Drawing pains in back of leg.
Digitized by LjOOQle
# HOMEOPATHIC THERAPEUTICS OF SPINAL SCLEROSIS. 35
Heaviness of both hands and feet; the hands feel numb and
clumsy and bum; the arms are weak; can hardly move them, they
tremble and become numb.
Drawing, tearing pains in joints of elbow, hands and fingers at
night; hands fall asleep; fingers are all thumbs; numbness and in¬
sensibility, crawling, burning of hands, icy cold palms, clammy.
Hot burning spots on spine, burning along spine; intense heat run¬
ning up back, feeling as if a band were all around body. Speech
embarrassed.
Pupils contracted.
At first excessive sexual desire accompanied with lascivious
thoughts followed by complete loss of functions.
The hunger of Phosphorus is very marked, right after or soon
after a meal, must eat again; almost faints without food.
Constipated stools, long narrow, voided with difficulty.
PICRIC ACID.
Profound prostration, both physical and mental; any attempt
to study or work brings on exhaustion and burning along the
spine, with great weakness of the legs, and increases the pains in
the limbs. The lower extremities are weak and heavy and
tremble; can only be lifted with difficulty; numbness and crawl¬
ing with trembling and prickling with a sensation as if encircled
in elastic stockings, or a band around the chest as of ants crawl¬
ing over surface.
Weakness of the fingers, inability to grasp objects unless eyes
are fixed upon them; rigidity and spasticity of fingers.
Over excitement of the sexual organs; great sexual desire with
violent long lasting erections, later impotence, penis relaxed and
shrunken, coldness of* the genitals, wet weather <, the pains >
from cold air and water; chilliness predominates.
RHUS TOXICODENDRON.
The pains are of a lame, stiff, sore and bruised aching character
as if the parts had been strained < by rest, sitting or lying for any
length of time brings on the aching and pain; when first attempt-
Digitized by U.ooQle
36
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
ing to move there is an < but continued motion > which soon
produces exhaustion necessitating resting again only to have a
repetition of the suffering.
Worse always in damp weather, especially when cold and damp
in the morning on first arising and from prolonged bodily effort;
great restlessness is a very marked feature of the remedy due to
the pains on resting.
Weariness and exhaustion* from any physical effort. There are
drawing, darting, cutting, tearing pains as w r ell as the lameness.
There is ptosis as well as paralysis of the muscles of eyeballs
with a tendency to edematous swelling of the upper lids.
Urine involuntary at night during damp cold weather.
SULPHUR.
The pains of Sulphur are generally made worse by heat and at
night and extend from above downward ; they are of an aching,
drawing, tearing, burning character w'hich forces the patient out
of bed to find a cool place: the soles of the feet burn so that
they keep the sufferer awake hunting about for a cool place. The
limbs are heavy and weak when walking. Cramps take place in
the calves at night, drawing up the limbs ; tingling in limbs ; sen¬
sation in the middle of the thigh as if broken. Torpor and numb¬
ness of the legs, pains commence in thighs, extend down the leg,
causing contraction. Sensation of icv coldness of the feet which
are not cold. The soles are cold and damp. The gait is unsteady,
the limbs tremble; there is great weariness and prostration. The
legs go to sleep, especially when lying down.
The perspiration in the axillae smells like garlic. The hands
tremble, the fingers feel dead in the morning; the palms burn.
Jerking in the arm and fingers, sharp pains, cramps in the arms at
night; the hands feel w r eak as if paralyzed. Involuntary con¬
traction of the hands when about to grasp anything; dead feel of
the fingers. (Excessively sensitive to open air and washing.)
Eyes: Impaired vision, unable to recognize any one on the
street; letters run together when attempting to read as if looking
through a thick veil or fog and has a dead look; complains of
heaviness of eyelids ; eyes burn; pupils contracted.
Digitized by U.ooQle
ELECTRO-MAGNETIC AFFINITY OF DRUGS.
37
Constipated stool, hard, knotty and dry as if burnt.
Urine involuntary, especially at night, excorating parts.
Irritability of the bladder; must hurry to urinate day and night.
Sexual functions entirely lost; organs cold; testicles relaxed;
soreness and moisture with offensive sweat on genitals.
A Cure Made by Picric Acid.
J. T. KENT, M. D., CHICAGO.
The patient is a woman passing through the climacteric period.
Burning heat in the back, coming in paroxysms like flushes,
brought on or made worse by mental exertion or excitement.
Cold extremities.
Face cold and pale.
Heat in the head.
Violent occipital headache.
Heaviness of the limbs, especially the lower limbs.
Picric acid iom (F. C.) produced a marvelous constitutional
improvement in the case.
Electro-Magnetic Affinity of Drugs.
J. D. GRAYBILL, M. D., NEW ORLEANS.
Washington, D. C., Sept. 8, 1903.
Dr. J. D. Gray bill,
Dear Doctor: At the meeting of the Institute last June, Dr. Charles
Gatchell, of Chicago, read a paper which endeavored to explain the law of
similars by that law which separates substances into ions, etc. I said that
a physician wrote an article in one of our journals twenty years ago, on
the positive and negative action of drugs, but that I could not remember
who. I find that it is you; but I find that you do not belong to the Insti¬
tute any more, for which I am sorry, as we need your help. I thought
that I had seen the article in some journal, but I cannot find it. If you
will write to Dr. Gatchell, I am sure that he will send you a copy, or tell
you where you can find it.
I should very much like to know what you think of the idea, and would
like to read your thoughts in the Advance. I do not remember reading
anything from you for some time.
I know you were here at the meeting of the Institute, and should like
to see you next year not only at Niagara, where the Institute will be. but
also at Rochester where the International Hahnemannian Association will
meet. Sincerely and truly,
Chas. B. Gilbert.
While Dr. Gatchell and I may differ on some minor points, the
final deduction is the same.
Digitized by U.ooQle
38
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
A solution, or dilution, of any substance does not convert it into
Ions, unless that solution is- capable of producing a change in the
polarity of one or more of the elements of that substance.
Ions are not atoms, but elements, and are, therefore, the prod¬
uct of electrical or chemical decomposition.
A substance may be composed of a dozen elements, in perfect
harmony, and remain so for years; but disturb the equilibrium of
any one of its primary elements, and immediately chemical de¬
composition begins, and you have elements looking around for
other elements with which to unite themselves.
In other words, the primary elements of a substance are its
Ions. There may be six Anions and six Kathions, but one thing
is certain,— they are not all Anions, neither are they all Kathions.
When you destroy the equilibrium of an organ in the body, by
administering a crude drug, chemical decomposition takes place
and Ions are the product.
Fluids circulating through an organ are a chemical compound;
so also is the organ itself. Therefore, both are subject to chemical
decomposition or electrolysis.
Nearly all metals, so far as is known, are Kathions. Iodin, Bro-
min, Chlorin and Oxygen are Anions.
The introduction of an element, or Ion, into any part of the
body by cataphoresis, is an electrolytic process, and can be nicely
illustrated as follows:
Iodin, being an Anion, is an electro-negative element, and has a
strong affinity for the positive poles; therefore, when treating,
for instance, an enlarged thyroid gland with a solution of potas¬
sium iodide, we must use the solution on the negative pole if we
wish to utilize the resolvent effects of the Iodin. If then we put
a solution of potassium iodide on the positive pole and complete
the circuit through some conducting medium, the potassium hy¬
drate, being a metal and a Kathion, will be transferred through
the medium to the negative pole, while the Iodin, being an Anion,
will remain at the positive pole, for which it has an affinity, and
we would not even have a local application of the Iodin, because
all of it would remain on the electrode. (Thanks to Professor
Neiswanger for the above illustration.)
This also illustrates the fact that an electric current, and a cur-
Digitized by CjOOQle
ELECTROMAGNETIC AFFINITY OF DRUGS.
39
rent of a magnetic affinity can and do travel over the same nerves
in opposite directions. This also accounts for reflex action in an
organ remote from the organ diseased.
In order to understand this action of electricity and chemical
affinity, we must thoroughly understand polarities.
In an electric battery where there are zinc and carbon immersed
in a solution of acid, the generation of electricity begins at the sur¬
face of the zinc below the fluid. Here the zinc is the positive ele¬
ment because the current flows from the zinc to the carbon; the
carbon is then the negative element.
Outside of this fluid, the order is reversed, and you then speak
of poles, and the carbon is called the positive pole, the zinc the
negative. Each of these poles have peculiar properties which are
in direct opposition to each other.
In 1886 I wrote two papers on the Electro-Magnetic Properties
of Drugs. In one of these papers, I mentioned the fact that where
an electric current enters a fluid or organ, oxygen and the acids
are then thrown down; and where it leaves, hydrogen and the alka-
lines are thrown down.
Any person can demonstrate this fact as follows: Take a bent
tube of glass, fill it two-thirds full of distilled water, make the
connections with a galvanic current, stop the ends of the tube,
making them air tight, and then turn on the current. Hydrogen
wil be thrown down at the negative pole and oxygen at the posi¬
tive, and the quantity of water will diminish. Reverse the current
and the deposits are reversed.
Oxygen and hydrogen are evolved by decomposition of the sub¬
stance (water) by electricity, and oxygen thrown down at the
positive pole is called Anion, and hydrogen thrown down at the
negative pole is called Kathion.
Anions, which are the product of the negative pole, whose po¬
tentials are the same as that pole, are repelled by the negative pole
and deposited at the positive pole.
Kathions, which are the product of the positive pole, whose po¬
tentials are the same as that pole, are, in like manner, repelled by
the positive pole, and deposited at the negative pole.
I also said that diseases are produced by chemical changes tak¬
ing place in the fluids circulating through an organ, these chemical
v-"
Digitized by LjOOQle
40
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
changes being normal in themselves, but abnormal to the organ.
I certainly need not feel ashamed of what I said seventeen years
ago, when I take up the latest, and what I consider the best, work
on Electro-Therapeutic Practice, in the United States, and read
the following:
In speaking of inflammation, the author says: “ We almost fear
to state how we believe this pathological condition is brought
about, lest we be charged with being too ultra in our deduction;
but a few years hence a writer may not be considered a * crank '
who advocates that it is due to a disturbance of the normal elec¬
trical currents traversing the body; and we are glad to quote, in
this connection, from such eminent authority as Dr. J. Mount
Bleyer, who says, ‘ Yet all this points to one conclusion and one
deduction, that animal electricity comes first, that it is the prime
factor in all the processes of change, of chemical action, or other¬
wise, within the living body: that without its stimulus of polar¬
ization, no chemical action can be called into life, consequently
none can go on, and tissue metamorphosis, which is life itself,
must cease/ ”
The body is a complete chemical laboratory fitted up with elec¬
tric wires (nerves), upon the principle of the Marconi telegraphy.
In health these nerves are all in a state of vibration, and are capa¬
ble of assimilating all vibrations from without, that harmonize
with them, be they sound, light, heat, magnetism or electricity.
When a nerve loses this vibratory power, its function is destroyed
and degeneration commences, and we have an acid condition of
the nerve. We all know that a nerve that supplies an organ, or
any part of the human anatomy,’ is covered with its neurilemma.
Within this, and surrounding the nerve filaments, is a myeline
sheath; this sheath is nothing more nor less than an insulator
which protects these nerve fibers up to the point where they enter
the organ, muscle or tissue they are intended to supply. When
this myeline sheath disappears, the nerve filaments spread out, al¬
lowing free transmission of the current.
The clearest demonstration we have of this is the optic nerve
where it passes into the eye, and is spread out as the retina. The
retina furnishes the eye with the power of receiving the waves
of light, which are transmitted to the brain, and we see.
The motor oculi gives sensation and motion. The sympathetic
Digitized by L.ooQle
ELECTRO-MAGNETIC AFFINITY OF DRUGS.
41
nerve gives the eye, or organ, the power to supply itself with nu¬
triment. Every part of the human anatomy is supplied in a sim¬
ilar manner.
This is enough to show that the body is a living, chemical lab¬
oratory, and each nerve is capable of assimilating any vibration
that harmonizes with it, and each organ is capable of assimilating
elements that have a chemical affinity for the substance circulating
in and through that organ.
Now, how about plants and other substances?
Every substance, plant or mineral, absorbs in its formation
heat, light, magnetism and electricity, in addition to its solid ele¬
ments. Let us examine Pulsatilla. In its formation, heat,'light,
magnetism and electricity are taken from the atmosphere; potash,
phosphorus, lime, sulphur, albumen, starch and sugar from the
earth. Analyze Pulsatilla and the above chemical constituents will
be found.
In developing, by succusion, the dynamic force of a drug, you
are simply setting at liberty the latent force or energy stored there
during its development. Hahnemann does not say that it is ab¬
solutely necessary, in order to get the beneficial effects of a thir¬
tieth potency, that you must make thirty triturations, or dilutions,
of the same, and we have no reason to doubt his statement when
he 'said, “ I dissolved one grain of soda in half an ounce of water
mixed with a little alcohol contained in a vial, two-thirds of which
it filled ; after shaking this solution uninterruptedly for half an
hour, it was equal in potentation and efficacy to the thirtieth devel¬
opment of strength.” Here we have the power developed by fric¬
tion.
Drugs act on the human system in three wa's:
First. By mechanical irritation,
Second. Through their electrical properties,
Third. By magnetic affinity.
The two former are disease producing, and correspond to the
primary action of drugs. The third is health restoring, and cor¬
responds to the secondary action of drugs.
First. By mechanical irritation, we produce an increased cir¬
culation in a part, thereby increasing the secretions. This is best
illustrated by taking castor-oil for a cathartic.
Second. Through their electrical properties, drugs cause chem-
Digitized by U.ooQle
42
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE,
ical decomposition in the fluids of an organ, change the polarity
of an organ, and, if carried to extremes, produce pathological
changes of the organs and all the tissues of the body.
Third. The force or power in a plant or substance, that turns
the plane of polarization to the right or left, is magnetic affinity,
or mutual liking or attraction. This liking, or attraction, does not
consist of the gases or elements, but is a power that renders the
plant or substance capable of appropriating from its surroundings,
material for building up its own individuality.
One woflld imagine it is a very weak force that holds these ele¬
ments together, but when we take into consideration the fact that,
in the unions of the atoms of a pound of carbon with those of
oxygen, they fall down the chemical precipice with a force suf¬
ficient to raise a thousand weights of a thousand pounds each a
foot high, we get an idea of the magnetic force contained within
a plant.
The primary action of a drug consists in the chemical change
it is capable of producing in a body.
The secondary action consists in its power of restoring the sys¬
tem to health.
When does the primary action of a drug end, and the secondary
action begin ?
As long as a particle of a drug or substance remains, it is sub¬
ject to chemical decomposition, or polarity changes, and drug ac¬
tion continues. When a drug, or a portion of it, ceases to be a fluid
or gas, then it is capable of propagating itself indefinitely without
loss.
This force may be illustrated as follows:
A man who is thoroughly educated on all subjects has power,
force and magnetism. Suppose he removes to a community com¬
posed of people who, while fairly well educated, are not up to his
standard of knowledge. He calls them together, and imparts to
them his knowledge. One assimilates this subject, another ab¬
sorbs a different branch. This continues until all the knowledge
possessed by the teacher is imparted to the community. What
is the result? He has added to the knowledge of each one he
taught, thereby increasing the power, force and magnetism of each
one, yet he has not lost one atom of his knowledge, but instead,
has emphasized his power and magnetic force.
Digitized by LjOOQle
NOTES FROM PRACTICE. 43
The curative action of a drug begins, then, as soon as there is
a development of this magnetic force or affinity.
This ought to be sufficient to prove to any mind that drugs act
on the human system according to the established law of polarities,
chemical affinity and magnetic affinity. f
An allopathic physician might say that this is according to the
law of contraries. As well might you say that Hamlet furnished
the missing link when he said, “ I could a tale (tail) unfold.”
The manner in which a drug acts on the human system has
nothing whatever to do with the law Similia Similibus Curantur;
Hahnemann established the fact that any drug, taken in large
doses, capable of producing pathological changes in a healthy sys¬
tem, is capable of removing similar symptoms in a diseased sys¬
tem, said symptoms being brought about by natural phenomena.
The law of similars holds good only in the selection of the rem¬
edies. They must be selected according to their power of produc¬
ing similar symptoms.
This teaches us that the high potency man can make the most
direct cures, and with the least danger to his patient, while the low
potency man, although he makes cures, does it at the risk of pro¬
ducing a chemical disease.
In other words, if this latent force (magnetic affinity of a drug)
is developed by trituration, we get a more direct action than if
that development must take place within the body.
Notes from Practice.
MARGARET E. BURGESS, M. D., PHILADELPHIA.
MUSHROOM POISONING.
Case I.— Two hours after eating intense constrictive feeling at
bridge of nose and through frontal sinus.
Violent congestive headache < in occiput, < by lying down.
Nausea, vomiting; heart depressed; finally fainting and imper¬
ceptible pulse.
Relief after emetics and stimulation.
Remote effects; erratic rheumatic pains — cured by Pulsatilla
cm.
Digitized by LjOOQle
44
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Case II.— Four hours after eating, nausea and vomiting of
large quantities of ropy mucus. Emesis gave prompt relief. Re¬
mote effects; rheumatic pains, to which she had been subject, dis¬
appeared, also arthritic nodule on index finger.
VERIFICATIONS-CINA J BORAX
Suppression of urine of forty-eight hours' duration in a baby
fourteen months old due to cold, the only other symptoms being
drowsiness and intense irritability; insisted upon being carried —
but cried if touched or looked at. Cina cm caused a free flow of
urine inside of an hour. On examination with HNO a — albumin
was found which finally disappeared under Silica 8m and later
Calcarca cm. At no time during attack was there fever.
Borax 3m relieved following symptoms at once: Mrs. W. aet.
35.— (light hair, blue eyes), painful shortness of breath and gasp¬
ing on assuming recumbent position. The manifestation was
purely hysterical; improvement when first prescribed was so im¬
mediate that when symptoms returned in a few weeks I prescribed
other remedies, thinking the first effect merely a coincidence.
Three or four remedies were given without success ; then Borax
again with almost miraculous results.
Tuberculinum 200 has become my sheet anchor — in colds with
a persistent temperature. Phosphorus seems indicated, but fails.
Tuberculinum has also done good work in colds beginning in
throat and going both ways.
What in the World Is It?
G. E. DIENST, M. D., NAPERVILLE, ILL.
I mean the multiplied forms of the theory and practice of'med¬
icine. I am at a loss to understand why so noble a profession as
medicine, with so many noble men in its ranks, is so distorted and
so full of divergent theories. Sometimes I am almost persuaded
to think it is due to ignorance rather than to learning, to jealousy
rather than a love for the truth, to commercialism rather than
Digitized by V.ooQle
WHAT IN THE WORLD IS IT.
45
the good one can do, to an effort to gain fame rather than honor,
to infidelity, rather than faith in the healing virtues of medicines.
Polypharmacy, combination tablets and alternation of remedies
repeatedly during the day in acute dieases, and constant changing
of remedies in chronic cases to meet (?) the constant morbid
changes that occur or seem to occur, are all things that seem so
strange to me. It appears, at times, like the psychological mys¬
teries of Buddhism which teaches that man has a soul or has no
soul according to the likes or fancies of the man seeking informa¬
tion on these points.
Take, for instance, the matter of alternation of remedies as I
have had occasion to see for myself — and I am sure that my ob¬
servations are not exceptional — but common. And I ask in all
candor, why give Quinine in three-grain doses, or greater per¬
haps, every three hours until there is humming in the ears, and
an expectorant of crude Ammonia mur. and Ammonia carb. in
equal parts in Syrup Simplex every two or three hours, a mustard
plaster over the chest and a saline cathartic every second or third
day in a simple case of pneumonia? If the Quinine is indicated
in the fever and the cough, why give an expectorant at all ? Does
the ammoniated expectorant stimulate the action of Quinine, or
is it to throw off the exudate resulting from the diseased lungs and
which the Quinine could not relieve? Is it because the chemical
affinity between the Quinine and ammonias is so intimate that the
one remedy is useless without the other? If the Quinine is to
reduce the fever, and the expectorant to throw of the accumulation
of mucus in the bronchii or lungs, why put a mustard plaster on
the chest ? Is it to aid the other two agents used, by counter irri¬
tation and thus accomplish something they could not do, or is it
simply to be “ fussy,” to make it appear that you are doing some¬
thing, or is it because some local “ grandma ” has seen it used
with effect?
Suppose the bowels are reasonably active, as in the case in mind,
why give the saline draught ? Does it stimulate the healing prop¬
erties of the other agents when used as described, and would they
not accomplish a cure of the case without the saline evacuant?
Or was it given on general principles to remove effete matter from
the bowels that might result in serious toxemia, evidences of
Digitized by CjOOQle
46
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
which, however, are wanting? I think these questions perfectly
legitimate and I ask for information.
I have lying before me a catalogue of a homeopathic pharmacy
that boasts the purest remedies made. This catalogue gives a long
list of combination tablets of which this house makes a specialty,
and I was favored with some for trial. I find one tablet for
“ cough, hoarseness and bronchitis.” ‘ This must be a good tablet,
for the agent told me so, and he ought to know; but when I asked
some why’s and wherefore’s,— for I am a trifle inquisitive when
new things come out,— he could give me no answer, but said the
“ house found them to be just the thing,” and named a number of
physicians whom I know, and who, he said, bought them and dis¬
pensed them by the thousand. On looking at the formula, my
inquisitiveness got the better of me and we were both soon in the
mysteries of science so deeply that I have not found my way out
yet.
The formula of this combination tablet is as follows:
Bryonia .
.3 X -
Quantity not given,
Phosphorus .
.3 X -
«
u u
Causticum .
. 6 x.
M
u a
Now here are some of the things that the agent could not make
clear to me, and which I cannot solve myself. For instance, you
have a Bryonia case or Bryonia conditions, by what law should I
give Phosphorus or any other remedy until it ceases to be a Bry¬
onia case and the symptoms call for something else? Was this
tablet prepared for such cases or for such conditions where the
three remedies stand out in a bold, clear and unmistakable manner ?
Or do morbid changes occur in “ cough, hoarseness and bron¬
chitis ” to such an extent as to demand these three remedies in this
particular combination? Or are the dynamic disturbances such
as to make either remedy useless unless combined in just this
proportion? What injury to the vital forces in a “ cough, hoarse¬
ness and bronchitis ” demands just this form of combination and
none other? What chemical affinity in the 3 X of two and 6 x of
the third strengthens their physiological or therapeutic value ?
Suppose my patient needs Phosphorus for his cough and hoarse¬
ness by what law should I give Bryonia and Causticum, also as
here combined? Is it because Bryonia is for cough and Phos-
Digitized by CjOOQle
WHAT IN THE WORLD IS IT.
47
phorus for hoarseness and Causticum for “ bronchitis ” ? Sup¬
pose my patient has “ bronchitis ” only, should I give him the tab¬
let to prevent “ cough ” and “ hoarseness ” ? You see I am badly
“muddled,” and must have light on these things.
Then again, am I to infer that Bryonia and Phosphorus in the
3x are of no therapeutic value unless aided by Causticum 6x?
Suppose I would prefer Bryonia and Phosphorus in 6x and Caus¬
ticum in the 3x, what would the result be?
Besides, Hahnemann and Hering tell us that Causticum and
Phosphorus are inimical, incompatible; and one should never be
used before or after the other. But I presume the good of the
pharmacy, not the cure of the patient, is the objective.
Brethren, if the law of similars is true — even old-school physi¬
cians, colleges and journals admit this much in fact and often in
practice — by^what method of reasoning do so-called homeopathic
pharmacies make and sell such combination tablets, and upon what
law of cure do physicians dispense them. Do these tablets cure
more speedily than the indicated simple, single remedy in a potency
suited to the case or the conditions ? And do they place the life
and health of the patient in less jeopardy than the indicated single
remedy, and are their cures more lasting, and do they appeal more
ardently to rational and intelligent and educated manhood than
does the indicated remedy? What do you say to this? Yes, I
will admit it takes less study and, indeed, very much less thinking
than does a study of the totality of symptoms, and the indicated
remedy. Here comes a patient, he has a cough (no matter what
kind) he is hoarse, (no matter when nor to what extent) and if he
or I can see bronchitis, I need but look at the labels on my bottles
and here is the remedy. But suppose he has the cough and hoarse¬
ness and no bronchitis f then what will I do?
To be frank, I think the whole question of alternation of rem¬
edies and compound tablets is without law, without intelligence;
founded upon ignorance, laziness, and inability to understand the
laws of health and disease and the law of therapeutics; that it is
pernicious, degrading, unworthy the notice of thinking men and
women; that it is infernal, damnable, and those who practice it —
well, brethren, did you say it was time for me to say Amen ? Very
well, you may hear from me again.
Digitized by CjOOQle
48
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Phosphorus Cases.
DR. SAMUEL J. HENDERSON, BAD AXE, MICH.
Case I.— Mrs. L., aged 61 years, a tall woman has been com¬
plaining for several years. Father died of apoplexy.
Vertigo on rising in the morning and after lying down, as if
turning.
Fear in walking alone, desires to take hold of some one.
Fear as if something would happen.
Fear of losing consciousness.
Confusion at times in base of brain extending over head.
Rushing in head.
Full, slow pulse.
Losing flesh.
Always better walking out doors and worse in the forenoon.
Phosphorus 19m cured the above symptoms and reproduced an
eruption on the elbows that had been suppressed with ointments
many years ago. Another dose of Phosphorus 19m cured erup¬
tion, all in about one hundred days.
Case II.— Mr. S., ag* 60 years.
Dry cough for several months, worse lying on the back.
Shortness of breath, worse riding, walking.
Great tightness of chest as if bound by a band.
Vertigo, worse riding, and after riding.
Blindness after riding.
Sharp pain in heart and left shoulder.
Pressure around heart, cannot lie on left side or back.
Aching pain at angle of left scapula, worse bv motion.
Abdomen bloated.
Pulse accelerated by raising the arms.
Numbness of arms and fingers.
Great weakness, worse forenoo^.
Dreams all night about the dead.
Phosphorus im, 19m and 50m at long intervals cured.
Case III.— Oct. 3, 1903. Mr. B., aged 40, an athletic fellow,
straight as an arrow.
Pneumonia lower right lobe tending to left side.
Digitized by C.ooQle
PHOSPHORUS — BAPTISIA.
49
Soporus condition.
Dry cough.
Tightness of chest, as if bound by a band, around lower part of
chest.
Respiration difficult, short, quick.
Cannot lie on left side or back.
Great weakness. Phosphorus 19m.
From a relapse on the 13th due to his own indiscretion, Phos¬
phorus was repeated. It produced a vesicular eruption on body,
burning like fire.
Was doing business again in a month, but had lost forty pounds
in weight.
Had the second dose been given soon after the first, the relapse
and violent burning eruption might not have occurred.
Case IV.— Mrs. S. A, tall slim stoop-shouldered woman 69
years old.
Fluttering around the heart, as if going to die, worse morning
after rising.
Feeling as if she wanted to get away somewhere.
Fear as if something is going to happen.
Dizziness, staggering, swimming as if on water.
Cannot lie on left side.
Chilliness toward evening.
Phosphorus 19m cured in a short time.
The repertory work begins with, fear as if something would
happen, in Mrs. L-, and Mrs. S-, and constriction as
if by a band around chest, in Mr. B-and Mr. S-.
[If every reader would mark these symptoms as verified in his
materia medica it would prove a valuable addition. That was
the first thing Hering did after reading such cures and was the
beginning of that magnificent work, “ The Guiding Symptoms/’
-<p-i
Baptisia Tinctoria.
PROF. J. T. KENT, M. D.. CHICAGO.
Today we will take up the study of Baptisia, which is a short
acting medicine, suitable in complaints that are not very long
lasting. As far as we know, it is not an antipsoric, it does not
Digitized by U.ooQle
50
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
go deeply into the life of the patient, yet it is capable of producing
violent changes in the economy with all the appearance of zymosis,
such as scarlet fever, diphtheria, typhoid fever, puerperal fever
and gangrenous conditions. And, what is unusual, this septic
state develops more rapidly than that of most other remedies. The
zymotic complaints of Arsenicum, Phosphorus, Rhus and Bryonia
are much slower in their pace. The Baptisia typhoid comes on
rapidly, hence this remedy is not so frequently indicated in the typ¬
ical or the idiopathic case. When an individual has been made
sick by cold, malaria, by drinking poisonous water or any zymotic
or septic cause and is hurried into bed in a few days instead of
keeping about for four, five or six weeks, that is like the Baptisia
typhoid. The patient comes down suddenly with fever, perhaps
an intermittent, which all at once changes to a continued fever
and takes an a septic aspect. An individual who has been down
in the mines, in the swamp, or in the sewers, who has been in¬
haling poisonous gases, goes to bed in a sort of stupor. His
remedy is Baptisia. From the very beginning he is stupid and
prostrated; his face becomes mottled, sordes form on the teeth;
the abdomen becomes distended much earlier than we expect in
ordinary typhoid. By the third day the mouth is bleeding, the
odors from the body may be horribly putrid and there is marked
delirium. One who is familiar with such things knows that they
do not usually appear so soon. This patient is going down toward
death rapidly; it is not a gradual decline of days and weeks:
Every medicine should be studied as to its pace or velocity. Bap¬
tisia suits diseases that run a rapid course.
The patient goes rapidly into stupor. When aroused and
made to realize that you have something to say to him, he at¬
tempts to utter a word or two, but all ideas seem to flit away and
he drops back into his stupor again. His mind seems to be gone,
he is confused. His countenance is besotted, it is bloated, purple
and mottled and he gives you the impression that he has been
on a drunk. That is the first thought you will have on looking
at a Baptisia case. No matter what the disease is, no matter
what organ is affected, if this state of the mind is present, the
remedy is most surely Baptisia.
Digitized by LjOOQle
BAPTISIA TINCTORIA.
51
Now there is a strange thing about this mental confusion. The
patient seems to realize a dual existence, he imagines that there
are two of him and when aroused he will begin talking about
“ the other one ” in the bed with him. He thinks that his great
toe is in a controversy with his thumb, that one leg is talking
with the other or that he is scattered around over the bed, and
he fumbles and fumbles; and when you ask him what he is trying
to do, he will answer that he is trying to get “ those pieces ” to¬
gether. These are only examples of the one idea of duality.
Every time you get a new case you will see a new phase of it.
“ Confused ideas. Confused as if intoxicated.” Most of the
time the patient is unconscious except when aroused. Sometimes
he mutters,— you will see his lips going. You will generally find
him upon one side, curled up like a dog with his knees clear up
to his face, and he does not want to be disturbed. But there may
be intervals when the stupor is not quite so great; then he is
restless and turns and tosses about trying to get the parts of
his body together. He feels that, if he could only get them to¬
gether, he could go to sleep. Sometimes he thinks that they are
talking to each other and keep him awake. “ His gouty toe is
holding a confab with his gouty thumb.”
The mind wanders as soon as the eyes are closed. Dullness
especially at night. Indisposition to think. The mind is weak.
Now you have the whole picture of the mental state in all com¬
plaints in which Baptisia is indicated. But they all come on
rapidly they are all low forms of zymotic and malignant dis¬
eases such as scarlet and typhoid fever. These patients, if let
alone, would die in ten or twelve days, • whereas the ordinary
typhoid may run on for weeks.
The putridity is marked. All the discharges have a cadaverous,
pungent, penetrating odor that fills the whole house and may be
detected as you enter the front door. The perspiration, if there
is any, is sour, fetid and pungent. And even when it is absent,
the body gives off an odor that is unaccountable. The oozings
from nose, mouth and throat are bloody and putrid. The dis¬
charges from the bowels are bloody and putrid. The typical ty¬
phoid stool is soft and papy, and of about the consistency of corn
Digitized by LjOOQle
52
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
meal mush. Baptisia has this, but a black or brown, watery stool
is more common in cases where it is indicated.
In treating a large number of cases of typhoid fever, it was
n^y good fortune to observe clinically, a good many Baptisia
cases in which the remedy cured promptly. It did the best serv¬
ice where the stools was like ground slate, colored brownish. I
have also seen this medicine cure when the stool was slate-colored,
thin, watery, smelling like decayed meat and accompanied with
great prostration. I have seen it cure that “ typhoidal diarrhea ”
when none of the other elements of typhoid fever were present;
simply a prostrating form of diarrhea.
The headaches are nondescript. Baptisia is not a remedy that
we would single out to treat headaches with, excepting the violent
congestive pains in the head that are associated with this low form
of fever. Violent pains especially in the occiput.
The eye symptoms are scarcely more characteristic. Congestion
and redness of the sclerotic; pains in the eyes and back of the
eves. So with the symptoms of the ears and the nose: they are
only such as are associated with fevers. But when we come to
the face, we see the besotted expression of Baptisia. “ Dark red
with besotted appearance. Hot and perceptibly flushed. Dusky.”
That tells the whole story. “ Burning heat in the face. Critical
sweat on the forehead and face. Anxious, frightened look. On
rousing from sleep, looks as if he had had a horrible dream.”
The mouth, teeth, tongue and throat, all show Baptisia features.
Sordes form rapidly on the teeth.
The tongue is swollen, painful, raw, denuded and covered with
black blood. It is stiff and dry as leather, sometimes described
as feeling as if it were made of wood or burnt leather. It is
ulcerated,— and, by the way, ulceration runs all through the
remedy. Aphthous patches. Little ulcers no larger than a pin¬
head on the tongue and mucous membrane of the mouth, become
black and offensive, spread and run together so that the whole
surface of the mouth becomes raw. The throat also ulcerates
and becomes raw and bleeding. There may be diphtheritic exuda¬
tion, but round about it are these dark, offensive ulcers. Th t
throat is greatly swollen and swallowing is difficult. Baptisia is
a useful remedy in gangrenous sore mouth and sore throat.
Digitized by
Google
BAPTISIA TINCTORIA.
53
Bleeding from the mouth, nose and throat. Oozing of thick,
black, putrid blood. After a few hours of stupor, this blood dries
in thick ridges on the lips and about the corners of the mouth.
“ Tongue red and dry in the middle. The roof of the mouth
swollen and feels numb. Foul or bitter, nauseous taste in the
mouth. Tongue of a dark hue; dry and brown down the center;
covered with a thick, brown crust; yellowish white, deeply furred.”
Baptisia has cured the ulcerated sore mouth of young mothers
and nursing infants when the parts are dusky; the ulcers spread,
the mouth is putrid and prostration comes on rapidly. There is
usually no fever. Indeed, it seems sometimes as though there was
not life enough to get up a fever. With these symptoms there
is profuse salivation. The saliva is thick and ropy and runs out
all over the pillow, like Mercurius.
A strong feature of the ulceration is that it is often painless;
the part feels as if numb and without sefisation. This is true of
the sore throat, though Baptisia also has painful sore throat.
“ Fauces dark red; dark, putrid ulcers; tonsils and parotids swol¬
len. Putrid sore throat: tonsils and soft palate swollen, not ac¬
companied by pain.”. Great swelling of a purplish color. The
darker it is, the more would I think of Baptisia. I have never
seen the Baptisia mental state associated with a bright red appear¬
ance of the throat. It is always found with blood decomposition
and duskiness of the skin and mucous membranes, never with the
bright red such as we see in Belladonna. Although the latter may
have duskiness, it is not nearly so marked as that of Baptisia, nor
is there anything like the amount of putridity.
“ Esophagus feels as if constricted from above down to stom¬
ach.”
Now we come to another phase of the trouble. From the throat
it extends into the esophagus. At first there is a spasmodic con¬
dition. Later there is paralysis. At first fluids will go down the
esophagus but when a bolus of solid food enters the upper part of
the esophagus, it lodges there and the patient chokes and struggles
and gags until it is thrown back. He can swallow fluids, but the
least particle of solid food gags. Natrum muriaticum and many
other remedies have spasm of the esophagus coming on with
nervous complaints, but I know of no other medicine besides Bap-
Digitized by
Google
54
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
tisia, that has the spasmodic condition and the paralysis in con¬
junction with tfiis low zymotic state.
“ Constrictive feeling causing frequent efforts at deglutition;
throat sore, feels constricted. Can swallow only liquids. Chil¬
dren cannot swallow solids. The smallest particle of solid sub¬
stance causes gagging, thus they cannot use anything but milk;
sometimes thin, watery offensive passages day and night,” asso¬
ciated with putridity, with duskiness and prostration. The fact
that it is diphtheria, scarlet fever or typhoid will make no differ¬
ence.
Tympanitic abdomen will be associated with the diseases I have
mentioned. Great sensitiveness in the right iliac fossa, in a spot
no larger than a fist. But all this putridity would point to Baptisia
which, I am sure, would prevent you from using the knife on that
little appendix.
“ Fetid, exhausting diarrhea. Aphthous diarrhea ”— wjiich
that the parts of the rectum that prolapse show little aphthous
patches, and these probably extend all through the canal.
“ Involuntary diarrhea.” Involuntary passage of urine and
stool is commonly associated with the Baptisia type of sickness.
“ Dark brown, mucous and bloody stools. Fetid stools.” Dysen¬
tery.
After confinement, the lochia stops, the abdomen becomes very
sensitive to touch,— the signs of blood decomposition, the appear¬
ance of the face, the sudden prostration, the rapidly increasing
stupor and other mental symptoms are all indications for Bap¬
tisia in puerperal fever.
With the progress of these fevers, a paralytic weakness de¬
velops; the tongue quivers when protruded, the limbs become
helpless and tremulous; the hand trembles when raised, there is
quivering of the whole body. The patient huddles down in the
bed, feels as if sinking. As the prostration increases, the jaw
drops, he lies back unconscious with mouth open and gradually
slides down toward the foot of the bed. “ Lies in a semi-con¬
scious condition, when she appeared dying.” “ Excessive drowsi¬
ness. Delirious stupor. Lies in a semi-comatose state. Dis¬
charges and exhalations fetid; ” the breath, urine, stool, ulcers.
Baptisia, if indicated, will stop the progress of this low fever and
carry the patient on to recovery.
Digitized by CjOOQle
The Medical Advance
and
JOURNAL OF HOMEOPATHICS.
A Monthly Journal of Hahnemannian Homeopathy
When we have to do with an art whose end is the saving of human
life any neglect to make ourselves thoroughly masters of it becomes a
crimeH ahnem ann .
Subscription ... Two Dollars per Annum
The editor is responsible for the dignity and courtesy of the magazine , but not for the
opinions of contributors.
The Advance does not send sample copies unless asked for , and has no free list. It is
published for the medical profession in the interests of a purer homeopathy , of scientific
therapeutics.
To accommodate both reader and publisher this journal will be sent until arrears are
paid and it is ordered discontinued.
Contributions , Exchanges . Books for Review , and all Communications should be ad -
dressed to the Editor. 5142 Washington Avenue , Chicago.
Communications regarding Subscriptions and Advertisements should be sent to Battle
Creek, Mich., or 5142 Washington Ave., Chicago.
JANUARY, 1904
Cbitortal.
The “Three Mistakes.”
If the weight of a word is determined by the size of the brain
behind it, the value of an opinion on a therapeutic question may
be estimated by the ability of the man who gives it, his practical
experience and the opportunities he may have had that would
enable him to express an opinion. But before such an opinion is
entitled to serious or even respectful consideration, he must at
least have demonstrated his familiarity with the subject under
discussion.
For instance, when an allopathic practician who never has had
any practical experience in the use of the homeopathic remedy in
the cure of the sick and who does not claim to have even given
the similar remedy a trial at the bed side, expresses the opinion
that there can be no possible curative power in the third potency
Digitized by
Google
56
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
of any remedy, we cannot be blamed for declining to accept his
conclusions or for placing our own estimate upon the value of
his opinion. Without the clinical experience necessary to form
an opinion of any practical worth we may either question his sin¬
cerity or ask him what he knows of it experimentally. How often
has he used the third potency at the bed side when it was actually
the similimum ? Has he ever used the third or any other potency
of a homeopathic remedy? Would he think it fair or just to
have his own system of therapeutics judged by such experience?
But with Hahnemann it was very different. He was perhaps
the ablest medical man of his time in Germany, if not in Europe,
with both a theoretical and practical knowledge of the best there
was in allopathy — the medicine of his time. When he pub¬
lished his discovery of a law of cure, all that he requested of his
medical brethren was to put his experiments — both in testing
remedies on the healthy and in the cure of the sick — to a prac¬
tical test, following his rules, and publish the failures to the
medical world. The challenge has neither been accepted nor the
failures published.
The following rules were formulated by Hahnemann after
years' of experimental work based on careful and accurate obser¬
vation, with complete written anamnesis of the patient; and no
greater mistake can be made by the homeopathist than their
neglect:
There are three mistakes which the physician cannot t,oo carefully avoid;
the first is to suppose that the doses which I have indicated as the proper
ones in the treatment of chronic diseases, and which long experience and
close observation have induced me to adopt, are too small; the second
great mistake is the improper use of a remedy; and the third mistake con¬
sists in not letting a remedy act a sufficient length of time.
Nothing is lost by giving even smaller doses than those which I have
indicated. The doses can scarcely be too much reduced, provided the ef¬
fects of the remedy are not disturbed by improper food. The remedial
agent will act even in its smallest quantity, provided it corresponds per¬
fectly to all the symptoms of the disease and its action is not interfered
with by dietetic transgressions. The advantage of giving the smallest
doses is this, that it is an easy matter to neutralize their effect in case the
medicine should not have been chosen with the necessary exactitude. This
being done, a more suitable antipsoric may then be exhibited.— Chronic
Diseases.
Very few homeopaths, we venture to say, have ever even heard
of these “three mistakes,’’ for the simple reason that few have
Digitized by e.ooQle
EDITORIAL.
57
ever read or studied the Chronic Diseases. We see from this that
Hahnemann does not insist upon the use of a specified potency,
although in the Organon he says that the thirtieth centesimal is
the most useful, according to his observation and experience in
both acute and chronic diseases. Hence, we infer that this is
the potency or dose to which he refers as the dose “ I have in¬
dicated/’ But this was the thirtieth centesimal, and his experience
extended over many years of accurate clinical observation in both
acute and chronic diseases, and was based on a written anamnesis.
Let us enumerate these mistakes:
First: To suppose that the doses (30th cent.) are too small.
Second: The improper use of a remedy.
Third: Not letting a remedy act a sufficient length of time.
The second mistake is generally due to carelessness, laziness and levity.
Many homeopathic physicians, alas! remain guilty of these trespasses to
the end of their lives; they understand nothing of the homeopathic doctrine.
The first duty of the homeopathic physician who appreciates the dignity
of his profession and the value of human life, is to enquire into the whole
condition of his patient, the cause of the disease as far as the patient re¬
members it, his mode of life, the nature of his mind, the tone and character
of his sentiments, his physical constitution, and especially the symptoms
of the disease. The enquiry is made according to the rules laid down,
in the Ogranon [Section 83 et. seq.]. This being done, the physician then
tries to discover the true homeopathic remedy. He may avail himself of
the use of existing repertories. But, inasmuch as these repertories only
/ontain general indications, it is necessary that the remedies should after¬
ward be carefully studied in the materia medica. A physician who is not
willing to take this trouble, but who contents himself with the general
indications of the repertories, and who by means of these general indica¬
tions, dispatches one patient after another, deserves not the name of a true
homeopathist. He is a mere quack, changing his remedies every moment,
until the poor patient loses his temper and leaves this homicidal dabbler.
It is by such levity as this that true homeopathy is injured.
How many of our professed homeopaths use the remedy prop¬
erly? Even when the similimum has been found, the case is often
spoiled by too frequent repetition. And this “ improper use of
the remedy ” has little or nothing to do with the potency or
strength of the remedy used. The motto appears to be: “ If a
little be good, more will be ( better,” and it is repeated irrespective
of the improvement of the condition for which it was given.
In the selection of the remedy too, how many follow the instruc¬
tions laid down in the Organon, Section 80 et seq., of carefully
writing out in full the anamnesis of the patient, as a basis for the
selection of the remedy. Once the symptoms are properly taken
Digitized by CjOOQle
58
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
we may refer to the repertory to find what remedy to study, but
we can rarely be certain of the selection without referring to the
pathogenesis of the medicine. Many homeopaths think it beneath
them to write out the symptoms, or use a repertory in the search
for the similimum and then find fault with a cumbrous materia
medica, filled with unreliable symptoms. These are the men who
clamor for a reproving of the remedial agents of our materia
medica, little dreaming perhaps that similar methods in the se¬
lection or use of the remedy will yield similar results.
The third great mistake which the homeopathic physician cannot too
carefully avoid in the treatment of chronic diseases, is the too hasty repe¬
tition of the dose. This haste is highly indiscreet. Superficial observers
are very apt to suppose that a remedy, after having favorably acted eight
or ten days, can act no more; this delusion is strenghtened by the sup¬
position that the morbid symptoms would have shown themselves again on
such or such a day, if the dose had not been renewed.
If the medicine which the patient has taken, produces a good effect in
the first eight or ten days, it is a sure sign that the medicine is strictly
homeopathic. If, under these circumstances, an aggravation should occur,
the patient need not feel uneasy about it; the desired result will be ulti¬
mately obtained though it may take 20 or 30 days. It takes 40 and even
50 days before the medicine has completed its action. To give another
remedy before the lapse of this period would be the height of folly. Let
no physician suppose that, as soon as the time fixed for the duration of
the action of the remedy shall have elapsed, another remedy must at once
he administered with a view of hastening the cure. This is contrary to
experience. The surest and safest way of hastening the cure is to let the
medicine act as long as the improvement of the patient continues , were it
even far beyond the period which is set down as the probable period of
the duration of that action. He who observes this rule with the greatest
care will be the most successful homeopathic practitioner.— Chronic Dis¬
eases.
The too frequent repetition of the remedy has been the most
difficult lesson we have had to learn in the practice of pure home¬
opathy. Graduating from a college in which the principles of the
Organon inculcated by Hahnemann were unknown or untaught,
it required years of study and experience to overcome the first
impressions of “ the slip-shod ” methods expounded in the col¬
lege clinic. A repertory was never used. How to select the
'remedy, when to administer it or how often to repeat it, was
never heard at college, as it is taught by Hahnemann. Hence,
we have a fraternal sympathy with the great majority of the
homeopathic profession who were never taught to pay any at¬
tention to this all-important, yet vital injunction of Hahnemann
Digitized by CjOOQle
NEWS NOTES AND ITEMS.
59
against the “ too-hasty repetition of the remedy.” This is not a
question of potency but of principle. It applies with almost
equal force to all potencies, all remedies and all patients, especially
those suffering from chronic disease; and it is nearly or quite as
disastrous to the patient under the 3X as under the thirtieth, one
thousandth or one millionth. These principles, vital to the life
of homeopathy and the well being of its patients and not “ the
high potency craze ” are what the true followers of Hahnemann
are trying to perpetuate. Some professed homeopaths would
seem unable to distinguish between a principle and a potency.
News Notes and Items.
Our Hahnemannian Directory, we regret to say, will be dis¬
continued for the present, chiefly for the reason that while many
recognize its convenience and aid to their traveling patients in this
country and in Europe, few care to pay the extra charge for type¬
setting and advertising space. Perhaps it may be published quar¬
terly.
The Medical Forum is the name of the new journal, the organ
we presume of the Kansas City Hahnemann College; and if we
may judge from its able editorial corps, the future is full of prom¬
ise for both the Forum and the college. The editorial announces
that it “ will be a liberal journal.”
The January Supplement of the Medical Register, of the
Illinois State Board of Health, contains the following notice:
Dr. Charles S. Owen, Wheaton, Ill., died Jan. i, 1904, in Chi-
cago, from injuries received in the burning of the Iroquois Theater,
Dec. 30, 1903. Dr. Owen's wife and only son and the three sis¬
ters of Mrs. Owen and their six children, eleven persons in all,
also perished in this terrible holocaust.”
Dr. A. P. Hanchett, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, has been ap¬
pointed a member of the State Board of Health by Governor
Cummins. This is an illustration of the office seeking the man,
instead of the man the office. Dr. Hanchett is a fine operator, has
been surgeon-in-chief of the W. C. A. Hospital for several years
and as a single remedy homeopath has few equals and no superior
in Iowa. The state has honored itself this time, -
Digitized by U.ooQle
60
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
COMMENT AND CRITICISM.
A Pertinent Enquiry.
E. M. HARRISON, M. D., PERRY, OKLAHOMA.
Editors Medical Advance:
I am of the old school of homeopathy, the school of Hahne¬
mann and Hering, not the modern liberal ( ?) kind of homeopathy.
I am looking for an old-school homeopathic journal, but I fear
they have all followed our master Hahnemann, for I have written
seventeen enquiries like the following to so-called homeopathic
journals. I have received only three sample copies and they did
not read my enquiry or they would never have sent me their hybrid
journals.
ENQUIRY.
“ I wish to subscribe for a homeopathic journal that sticks to
the Law of Similia Similibus Curantur. That and that alone
being the policy of its executive head, a journal that discourages
the use of unproved combinations or drugs.
“ A * you show me ’ before sending forth a theory to poison the
life stream of homeopathy, in preference to holding aloft the God-
given law of cure.
“ If your journal teaches this law in its purity and honesty,
send me a sample copy, otherwise do not ”
Yours truly, etc.
I have not sent the above enquiry, as yet, to the Medical Ad¬
vance, Critique or Recorder and possibly two or three others,
but will, for if Hahnemann has a friend left to advocate the cause
he loved and died for, I must find it and help support it. Yes!
I prefer several, but they must be pure in heart.
I do not care three cents about the dose or potency; whatever
the symptoms, whatever the remedy; that is the keynote.
I do not care very much as to the advertisements, if only the
homeopathy it indorsed be true and helpful; but I do desire the
journal I take to stand firmly for the purity of the law of Similia.
Digitized by LjOOQle
COMMENT AND CRITICISM.
61
I can regulate my dose and potency and as for the patent of
proprietary mixtures, no self-respecting physician will patronize
them.
It has been a long time since I have received a prospectus of
the old-school of homeopathy and I take it for granted, the “ mod¬
em school ” with the assistance of the allopathic doctors and their
laws, have driven them all into oblivion.
There seems to be no place for the followers of Hahnemann to
send their students or even for the doctor to go for a few months
to renew his faith and praise the law of positive cure.
I went into a great city a few years ago intending to take a
postgraduate course; but the first lecture was enough for me.
The worthy professor with a great flourish of oratory gave us the
etiology, diagnosis and prognosis of a case and it looked as if I
was in the right place indeed, but lo! the treatment, it was a
combination tablet in alternation with another combination tablet.
God forbid. I had taken that course many years before in the
old (irregular) school, before the advent of tablets; the regular
( ?) then gave rhubarb and jalop, which did not deceive the pre-
scriber or the patient, it made them both sick.
Some of my correspondents have told me that tolerance and lib¬
erality was the tendency. Yes! and others have said, the schools
were gradually coming together, that not many years hence amal¬
gamation would take place. Has it not already taken place ? All
except dropping the old and supposed obsolete word homeopathy.
Now, dear doctor, you must excuse me for writing this long
letter of distress. I would not have worried you, but for three
reasons:
First.— I, as an old-time homeopath, am at sea and desire a
safe haven in which to anchor.
Second.— I wrote a letter similar to this to Dr. Wm. L. Mor¬
gan, of Baltimore, and he requested me to write to you.
Third.— You are not unknown to me, as I have your work on
“ Intermittent Fever ” and with it, I have cured our Southern
malaria without the use of Quinine or combination tablets.
Would you mind turning to page 21 of “ Allen's Intermittent
Fever," published 1884 and read the article on Similimum. That
is my sentiment; a journal like that is what I want. Yes! I would
Digitized by CjOOQle
62
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
like to take two or three journals that advocate the law as here
set forth.
I would not trade this old book, and I have had it nearly twenty
years, for all the new revised editions put together, for fear it
might have been “ modernized.”
If you can help me, very good, here is a stamp for reply. If
you can’t, just pardon this long letter and its longings.
I am yours truly,
E. M. Harrison, M. D.
Comment. — To some of our readers this may seem to be the
plea of an unwise, an ancient old-time homeopath, “ a back num¬
ber,” gone to “ the wild and woolly West,” the back wopds of
Oklahoma, to spend his last days in peace, free from the impor¬
tunities of the traveling agents of proprietary remedies and. com¬
bination tablets. But there may be more truth in this enquiry
than seems apparent at a casual reading. A graduate of the
dominant school, familiar with its inconsistencies and its empirical
and irregular practice, guided only by the ipse dixit it indexes,
without any claims to scientific accuracy in practice, is it to be
wondered at that he should rebel when he hears the same fallacies
taught from a homeopathic rostrum and proclaimed in the homeo¬
pathic journals ?
But, doctor, do not be discouraged. The darkest hour of the
night is just before the morning dawns. There is one journal
and one college devoted to the teachings of Hahnemann — the
“ old and pure homeopathy ” of the pioneers. And the seed they
have sown and are sowing will eventually leaven the whole loaf.
One by one, since the organization of Hering College, tl\e Or¬
ganon has been introduced into other colleges — even for one year
to the freshman or sophomore class — and has been gradually
followed by a course of materia medica by a Hahnemannian. In
Boston, Defriez and Turner; in New York, Nash and Austin; in
Baltimore, Custis, but he should be in meteria medica instead of
obstetrics; in Pulte, Buger has given a few lectures this year;
in St. Louis, Reed and Schott; in Kansas City, Crutcher, Edger-
ton and Lyon, in Iowa City, Johnston; in San Francisco, Rice and
Martin; and there is a prospect for a college in London with some
good homeopathic teachers, Clarke, Searson and perhaps others.
Digitized by LjOOQle
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
63
For the encouragement of our brother in Oklahoma, let us
point to the fact that there are more Hahnemannians, more who
use and rely on the single remedy today than at any time in the
history of the school. More converts are being made from allo¬
pathy than ever before, and they begin with the single potentized
remedy.
Watchman tell us of the night,
What its signs of promise are.
New Publications.
Syllabus of Lectures on Physiology. By William H. Bigler,
A. M., M. D., Professor of Physiology and Pediatrics, Hahne¬
mann Medical College, Philadelphia, Pa. Second edition, re¬
vised and enlarged; 205 pages, flexible; interleaved, $1.50; post¬
age, 10 cents; not interleaved, $1.25; postage, 7 cents. Phila¬
delphia, Boericke & Tafel. 1903.
Notwithstanding the objections from many teachers to the use
of compends of Anatomy, Chemistry, Physiology, etc., we sin¬
cerely thank the author for this Syllabus of Lectures. Our stu¬
dents, and for that matter all medical students, do not study Phys¬
iology to become masters of the subject or scientists, but to obtain
a practical knowledge of a very necessary branch, a foundation
stone for the study of medicine.
But there are only twenty-four hours in a day, six working days
in a week and twenty-eight weeks in a course of lectures, so that
it is practically impossible for any student to keep pace with the
lectures of the freshman and sophomore years if compelled to study
the voluminous text-books. The student should have a compend
or Syllabus on Anatomy, Chemistry, Bacteriology, Physiology,
Materia Medica, etc., by which with the aid of lectures he can
follow the teacher and practically master the subject. In the
college library, the student has access to the voluminous text¬
books for reference, but this compend is large enough for practical
work. It is interleaved for the notes and additions needed in each
individual case. Besides filling a want in the armamentarium of
the student it is the work of a homeopath, a teacher in a homeo¬
pathic college, and published by a homeopathic publishing house
Digitized by LjOOQle
64
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
and should be prized accordingly. Thus one by one we are se¬
curing text-books of our own in every department of the medical
curriculum and we trust soon to be independent. Again we thank
both author and publisher for “ breaking the ice ” in the text¬
books of the fundamental branches.
How to Attract and Hold an Audience. A popular treatise
on the nature, preparation and delivery of public discourse. By
J. B. Esenwein, A. M. Hinds & Noble, New York; 272
pages; $1.00 postpaid. 1902.
Every physician is liable to be called upon in the capacity of
a public speaker on various occasions. For obvious reasons, he is
very desirous of making a good impression upon the people before
whom he speaks. One who makes a profound impress upon the
minds of an intelligent audience, controlling their thoughts and
guiding them in the direction of his own, can never be entirely
forgotten. How very necessary it is for teachers in our medical
colleges to be not only imbued with the true spirit of the profes¬
sional teacher and a thorough knowledge of the subject, but he
should be able to hold his audience and impress the student. A
few hundred of our professors should procure a copy and profit
by its teaching.
We have never seen a work which gave the real help to a timid
speaken or the finishing touches of improvement to a natural ora¬
tor, that this book gives.
A Model Cure.
A nervous hysterical mood, sensitive to the least noise; voice
tremulous; fear she is going to die; general chlorotic appearance;
amenorrhea for five months; constipation; scanty, frequent and
dark urine; face and legs edematous: Xanthoxlyon cured. Reutsch .
WOODSIDE COTTAGE
FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.
For the care and treatment of chronic cases under strictly Homeo¬
pathic regimen. Especially adapted to conditions of neuraesthenic or
psychologic origin. Insane cases not received.
FRANK W. PATCH, M. D.
Digitized by C.ooQle
The Medical Advance
.. AND ..
Journal of Homeopathics
Vol. XLIL, Chicago, February, 1904. No. 2.
Symptoms that Distinguish a Case: That Sketch the
Image of .the Disease in a Patient.
JULIA C. LOOS, M. D., H. M., HARRISBURG, PA.
The only basis for study of disease is the record of symptoms
of sick people. No better method has been devised than that of
Hahnemann for bringing symptoms into a comprehensive form
for study and making acquaintance with the image of any individ¬
ual miasm. As a preparation for dealing with diseases the first
essential is familiarity with their natural expression when their
course has no interference.
Every miasm (disease), whether acute or chronic, so acts upon
the economy that the orderly functions are disturbed; not properly
performed. In every disease, however, these disturbances occur
in a definite course, each maintains its own order of disturbance,
following the period of invasion, progressing through prodrome
and active period to a period of decline, in acute miasms, but in
never-ending progression throughout the life of the individual in
chronic miasm.
Each disease is characterized by special symptoms by which it
may be recognized, but in various beings these characteristics of
the disease appear in a variety of forms. No individual of the
human race is complete, hence no one is capable of exhibiting in
entirety either the virtues or the vices of its nature. Hence any
disease in an individual is shown only as a fragment of the whole
image, the full nature portrayed by a large number. This indi-
Digitized by LjOOQle
66
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
vidual fragment is yet a sufficient part of the whole to represent
its nature and is recognized as a form of this or that miasm by the
characteristic combination of symptoms characterizing the miasm.
Many symptoms are so common to different sorts of disturb¬
ances of the vital force that they are characteristic of nothing.
Headache, skin eruptions, loss of appetite, rise of temperature,
vomiting, pain in the abdomen, disturbed bowel evacuations are
common symptoms of sickness; but a certain combination of some
of these common symptoms occurring in definite form character¬
ize the miasms.
A particular form of fever, with a definite kind of pain in a
certain part of the abdomen with diarrhea of a particular type,
a sluggish, stupid, malaise and peculiar kind of eruption form the
characteristics of typhoid fever.
So each miasm is imaged by a characteristic combination of
symptoms, any one of which is common to many miasms.
From a clear comprehension of the natural functions of all
parts and the control of functions in health, we judge the condi¬
tion of each part by the disorder symptoms. No one symptom is
diagnostic of a local condition nor of a disease. All things must
be considered together. The expression of weak heart action may
include symptoms all over the body, each of which, with different
associations would signify a different derangement. A tumor of
moderate firmness in the epigastrium might be a feature of aortic
aneurism which it would be fatal to have ruptured, but the physi¬
cian should be prepared to see a later softening of the tumor with
discharge of pus when the history of the case shows that the tumor
develops after a severe blow at this point and examination shows
superficial tissues involved. To determine the condition giving
rise to functional disturbances sometimes requires careful dis¬
crimination, but should not be neglected, if full accurate knowledge
is desired.
GENERAL SYMPTOMS.
General symptoms of the patient are frequently deduced from
many particulars. We recognize a general catarrhal condition
from the discharges here and there, or a nervous depression from
Digitized by LjOOQle
SYMPTOMS THAT DISTINGUISH A CASE.
67
sluggish response in several functions or a tendency to wandering
pains or alternation of similar symptoms in different parts or alter¬
nation of wholly different symptoms. Local changes lead to the
summing up —“ general glandular enlargements ” or “ indura¬
tions ” or “ deficient nutrition ” or “ congestions ” or “ zymotic
state.” The broad conception of the symptoms must be considered
in estimating from the record the true state of the case.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PATIENT.
The records of the sick people contain another class of symp¬
toms, viz., those that characterize the patient, an important class
in each case. Our standard of measurement is the normal healthy
man who naturally at night is prepared to sleep and when day re¬
turns, awakes and desires to enter into activity according to his
affections. At regular periods he grows hungry, eats, feels re¬
freshed and is ready for action again, grows tired from long, con¬
tinued exertion and by a shtfrt cessation is rested from fatigue.
He feels good, enjoys his activity, the society of friends, is un¬
conscious of the action of internal organs, even of their existence.
He appreciates himself as a unit in mind and body, thinking, will¬
ing, acting a harmonious individual.
But when he is sick, these things are changed. He becomes sen¬
sitive to all sorts of circumstances that ordinarily, in normal state,
are unnoticed; sensitive to the very things which contribute to his
life: light, temperature changes, winds, motion, noise, touch, to
articles of food, etc. He has definite periods of time when he feels
bad, certain hours of the day or parts of the month or year. He
has definite aggravations associated with the natural functions of
the organs, digestion, defecation, respiration, etc. Those things
which normally refresh, now aggravate him. He is comfortable
only under certain limited conditions. He desires queer things.
His natural affections are perverted, he loathes friends, food, activ¬
ity, his very life, and desires things ordinarily repulsive. He
scolds or becomes violent or taciturn. He dwells on trifles that vex
him, entertains morbid fancies, loses control of memory, of
thought, of feelings. In endless variety the individual himself is
Digitized by
Goog
68
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
disturbed in sickness irrespective of the way the bodily functions
are performed.
These then are the characterizing symptoms of the patient. To
understand the sick man all these things must be perceived. A
full record of symptoms must include these symptoms that mark
the patient as well as the common symptoms, and the symptoms
that characterize the miasm which afflicts him.
MORBID TISSUE SYMPTOMS.
One other class of symptoms is worthy of distinction. Mention
has been made of functions disordered by disease, i. e., by disorder
of the vital force. When disease action has continued under con¬
ditions favoring its progress, functions become so far disturbed
that tissue repair is interfered with and normal tissue formation
is replaced by degenerative tissue formation or increased produc¬
tion, developing so-called pathological growth. These things
(overgrowths and deficiencies then destruction), by their actual
presence in the particular locality wliere they occur, in their inter¬
ference, give rise to symptoms of disturbed function. Symptoms
of disease results must be distinguished from others of all kinds.
Pressure on a part of the brain, on the spinal cord, on the liver,
on the bowels, will be followed by a line of symptoms in accord¬
ance with the natural function of the part, not necessarily limited
to the area receiving the pressure but extending where the dis¬
turbed function is in control. Scar tissue on a sensitive nerve,
growths on the valves of the heart, destruction of the tubules of
the kidney, each produces its mechanical symptoms according to
the function disturbed. These are symptoms of disease results.
Such discrimination of all the symptoms in a full record of dis¬
order is the rational method of perceiving the image of sickness
for practical use in treating individual cases. Thus we are enabled
to reach definite conclusions of what is going on within, following
the history step by step.
By our philosophy, now proved beyond doubt, the patient is to
be cured most promptly, mildly and permanently by the use of a
remedy most similar in its effects upon the economy to the effects
of the miasm in this particular case, as revealed by the symptoms.
Digitized by LjOOQle
SYMPTOMS THAT DISTINGUISH A CASE.
69
SECTION 104 OF THE ORGANON.
When the totality of the symptoms that specially mark and distinguish
the case of disease or in other words, when the picture of the disease, what¬
ever be its kind, is once accurately sketched, the most difficult part of the
task is accomplished. The physician has then the picture of the disease,
especially if it be a chronic one, always before him, etc.
Every phrase in this first sentence is important in its meaning.
Read it again:
Among all the symptoms in the record of our patient, which are to be
of use in the selection of the remedy? Those symptoms that accurately
sketch the image of the disease, the totality of the symptoms that specially
mark and distinguish the case.
From the foregoing discriminating study of symptoms it is clear
that not all the symptoms in the case belong to this class. All
symptoms that do not specially mark and distinguish the case
(i. e., the patient under consideration) are not to be included here.
Some of the symptoms in our record are those common to many
kinds of sickness. Some symptoms are common to the disease af¬
fecting the patient, they distinguish the disease. Some symptoms
may be evidences of the results of disease. But those that specially
mark the case are the symptoms of the patient himself. The char¬
acteristics of the patient under consideration, those peculiar aggra¬
vations and ameliorations that are not an essential element in the
pathology of the disease but distinguish one case from another
afflicted with the same miasm.
The characteristic symptoms of the miasm give an image of
miasm but the characteristics of the patient produce an image of
the man as he is disturbed by the miasm. The common symptoms
and symptoms of disease results may be ignored in sketching the
image of the disease in this particular case but those that char¬
acterize the disease and most of all those that characterize the par¬
ticular patient affected constitute the totality of the symptoms that
specially mark and distinguish the case of disease. When the
symptoms have been clearly distinguished in the record and the
image of the disease in this patient thus accurately sketched, then
the most difficult part of the task is accomplished.
Until this is done by the physician, he is not ready to take any
steps in administering remedies for the correction of the disorder.
Digitized by LjOOQle
70
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
no matter how long he must study the record, no matter how long
he must wait and watch and question and search, until the case is
thus sketched, he is not prepared to proceed with a prescription.
The curative remedy is the one capable of producing in the econ¬
omy such an image of disorder as this disease has produced in this
patient. How can it be determined what remedy will do that if
we do not perceive the image here portrayed. The characteristics
of this sick patient are to be the guide points to the curative
remedy, the remedy which is characterized by the same or the
most closely resembling symptoms. Evidently then we cannot
proceed until we determine the characteristic symptoms of the
patient in his sick state.
With this aim, to restore the patient to health, ever in view, hav¬
ing determined what are the symptoms that characterize this pa¬
tient and in their combination keeping the image before us — we
seek the remedy which most closely resembles in its effects — or its
image, this image of disorder. This should take the whole at¬
tention of the physician until it is accomplished. The intensity of
the patient’s sufferings, the anxiety of friends, the social position
of the sick person, the possible financial returns to the physician,
the possible contagion of others,— each and all of these must give
way in the physician’s mind to the paramount problem — deter¬
mining the image of the disease in this patient and the remedy
whose image is most similar. To concentrate the attention on this
matter it is often necessary for the physician to go entirely out of
the environment of the patient and the patient’s associates. More
frequently than not in a case of profound sickness it is necessary
to resort to repertories and records of provings to determine what
remedy is most similar.
When we realize the importance of determining in each case to
be treated what are the characteristic symptoms that sketched the
image of disease in the case, when we realize that when this is
done the most difficult part of the task is accomplished, we must
be impressed with the fact that no student who has not been
thoroughly grounded in this discrimination, no matter how many
years’ preparation he has had, is not qualified to practice in the
name of Homeopathy.
What must we say, then of the colleges throughout the land
Digitized by LjOOQle
SYMPTOMS THAT DISTINGUISH A CASE. 71
offering to train students in Homeopathy ? Do we find their grad¬
uates well trained in this line? Do we find the professors in the
departments of Medicine, Clinical Medicine and Therapeutics drill¬
ing the students in the discrimination of symptoms to determine in
each case the characteristics that sketch the image of disease in
each patient ? Let the graduates of the colleges testify. Let them
show how much was their attention directed to this and how much
it was directed to bacteria annihilation and treatment of disease
results. When these graduates in course of time realize that
“ symptoms of disease,” “ symptoms of the patient,” “ general
symptoms,” “ common symptoms,” — “ disease-result symptoms ”
are meaningless terms to them and yet are important in the homeo¬
pathic application of drugs to disease, how shall the college with¬
stand the reproof of these who were taught in their halls ? How
shall they repudiate the anathemas?
“ Woe unto you hypocrites, Pharisees, blind guides, for ye pay
tithes of mint and anise and cummin and have omitted the weight¬
ier matters of the law. Even so ye also outwardly appear right¬
eous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity,
wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children
of them which killed the prophets, while ye build tombs of the
prophets and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous.”
CURE IS FROM WITHIN OUT.
Mr. I. C. L., 27 years of age, medium height, blonde, with blue
eyes and light brown hair, cheeks sunken, reported first on
December 1. He preceded the report of his own case by stating
that there was a family history of stomach troubles and he him¬
self had had indigestion for three years or so. Recently has been
emadating. Weight reduced from one hundred thirty-five or one
hundred thirty pounds to one hundred fifteen. As a child he was
thin until seven years of age but grew stout after that and only
of late years has lost flesh.
Weak, draggy, languid; legs weak, used to be in forenoon but
now continues all day.
Sleep generally good until 4 or 5 A. M. Never can sleep late,
and feels unrefreshed in morning.
Digitized by LjOOQle
72
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Feverish in evening after 5 P. M.; face hot, hands and feet
cold; < by excitement.
Indigestion: hungry always, not > by eating. Has had a diet
of eggs, until he has a distaste for them. By direction has used
malted-milk tablets and Wyeth’s malt nerve tonic, and still grow¬
ing thin, craves sweets, vegetables, meat (latter, disagrees?) ; used
to crave sour things. Wants hot food. Averse to fat.
Thirstless, except about every two weeks has a spell of un¬
quenchable thirst.
Mputh offensive odor: slimy, greasy tasting coating. Tongue
dirty, dry, red tip.
Eructations sour; heartburn.
Eyes yellow.
Constipation, may have no stool for two days at a time.
Colds settle in head from drafts. Had a severe cold four or
five weeks ago.
Skin: Eczema six or seven years ago, “ itch,” on arms (outer
side) and thighs, vesicles forming yellow lumps that can be rubbed
off. Itching, bleeding or scratching, < warm in bed, > warm
bathing (lard and sulphur). Now dry skin, peels up when shaves;
almost cracks. Color yellow, red blotches on forehead. Pricking,
itching, recently after bathing. (Cuticura soap.)
Perspiration little more of late, since he is weak.
Hair falling after eruption.
Chills slight, first, in summer of 1901, last summer doctored a
month or more (Quinine) ; tertian, 9-10 P. M.
Fever next day, all forenoon. During heat, diarrhea.
Sweat after fever began, continued after the fever.
Thirst absent. Intermediate day, weakness.
This continued until after he left the neighborhood.
Tonsilitis in 1899 at college; > in open air; > in warm room
70° to 72 0 comfortable, 65° is chilly.
. Feet cold in morning, though well wrapped. Can’t fall asleep
unless they are warm; one leg or one arm, sometimes middle of
back, cold, on waking; perspiration feet offensive < when cold.
Disposition variable; > company, < alone.
Dreads cold morning bath, past six weeks.
A few days later he reports cold in larynx. Hoarseness, cough
Digitized by
Google
SYMPTOMS THAT DISTINGUISH A CASE.
73
with rattling but difficult expectoration of yellow mucus, soreness
and tightness in chest, pain in back, lumbar region, coldness from
feet to knees and sore lameness all over.
The very clear and interesting sequence of things in this history
was emphasized to the young man. He admitted that he had
about concluded that driving off the eruption was really at the
beginning of his indigestion and was ready to accept the statement
that the skin trouble would return as well as some sign of chills.
Sulphur 55m. The prescription was made after careful study
which brought Sulphur, Pulsatilla and Lycopodium most prom¬
inently related to the case.
One week later he reported the cold improved immediately.
Diarrhea began shortly after last visit and for two days occurred
at 5 A. M. but not later in the day. Since that, bowels were reg¬
ular. He reported also that he was vaccinated at fifteen years of
age and had a running sore for six months. The proud flesh was
burned three times a week and bathing was prohibited. Healing
began after free bathing in warm water. A year later for a month
there existed a running sore on left side of lower lip. This left
a red scar which grows bright when he gets heated.
At the first visit his diet of eggs was discontinued and he was
told to eat reasonably of ordinary substantial food. This he did
from the first. In three weeks weight increased three and a half
pounds.
Chills came on the 19th, and each evening until the 29th, after
supper. At first they were followed by little fever and some thirst.
Later heat and perspiration followed.
Diarrhea again on 30th and for three days, beginning at 5 A. M.
Griping pain before and chilliness during stool; no straining,
stools yellow, brown, watery, with flatus.
Eruption on face before diarrhea; sore pustules; a few on back,
sensitive to pressure.
Rheumatism in shin muscles and ankles came at same time, later
persisted in right ankle only.
January 26. Sulphur 55m.
During next two months the eruption continued on face, neck
and shoulders in successive crops of pustules with redness and
itching. Eyes continued yellow, then vision became blurred and
Digitized by LjOOQle
74
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
lids agglutinated in mornings with yellow discharge. By the 20th
of March the following record was obtained:
Sleepless for two weeks; wakens often, falls asleep late and
wakens within fifteen minutes of 3 A. M. On waking feels active,
wide awake.
Loss of weight nine pounds in two weeks.
Bowels irregular, at times flatus from rectum.
Languid < evening 4:30 or 5 P. M. until 8 P. M., then feels
bright.
Feverish spells in evening. '
Perspiration copious all over. Feet soles sore as if boiled; of¬
fensive.
Warm, feels excessively warm in moderately warm weather.
Appetite good. Thirsty for large drinks.
Headache dull, feels large. Eyes heavy. On shaking feels as
if something goes from one side to other < left side.
Eyes blood shot, pricking like splinters, on rising, morning, and
in evening after riding in the wind; > bathing cold water; lachy-
mation from light, from touch.
Cough for a week, from tickling in trachea, spasmodic, dry >
by lying; sense of contraction in upper trachea.
Mouth: ulcers on inner side of lip. When seven to eight years
old had several for which yellowish-white powder was used. Old
ones used to burn. These are sensitive to acid.
Depression of spirits comes suddenly in evening. Thoughts
wander when he tries to work mentally.
March 20th. Argentum nit. 40m.
This was followed by a week of skin activity. The eruption
was much < on face and “ every little scratch became a running
sore. ,, Then it was “ better than it ever was.”
By the middle of April he reported that a gain of two pounds
in weight that week brought him to 121 pounds.
A return of symptoms, especially mental symptoms was the
occasion of a repitition of Arg. nit. on April 24.
After an absence of two months he reported himself better than
be had been for years; and we can readily believe it.
Here is a good verification of the doctrine set forth by Hahne¬
mann, in which the course of disease action in progress and under
Digitized by LjOOQLe
SYMPTOMS THAT DISTINGUISH A CASE.
75
curative measures is well displayed. The young man applied for
treatment to relieve him of indigestion but that was only one chap¬
ter in the history and the treatment that cured that brought out to
the surface all the disorder from his early childhood and when
order was restored, he, the man, was better in every way, and the
physician was minus a patient. But the physician's duty in this
case was accomplished with satisfaction.
SYMPTOMS THAT CHARACTERIZE A CASE OF ERUPTION.
Maud K., aged 16 years, came to the office about the middle of
July, complaining of an eruption which had troubled her for about
two weeks. She could give no history of its origin but said several
girls working in the same place, a candy factory, had been affected
similarly.
The eruption consisted of groups of small vesicles with dull red
areola, slightly hardened at base. Itching, at night in bed, <
when gets warm. After scratching, bums and breaks open contin¬
uing to ooze yellow water. Areola spreads after first appearance.
Eruption began on abdomen, later developed on outer side of
right thigh, on back, back of neck and in axillae.
Leg stiff (on walking) about the eruption; soreness on walking.
Face on left side frequently has pimples under the skin. Is
swollen beneath the eyes on waking in the morning some days.
In attempting to pick out the most peculiar, unusual, striking
things about this eruption, the first selection was the place of its
first appearance.
Abdomen eruption : given in “ Kent's Repertory " with the list:
Agar., Anac., Apis., Ars., Bar. m., Bry., Calc., Kali, bi., Kali, c., -
Merc. Nat. c., Nat. m., Phos., Rhus, Sul.
The following distinguishing features were then noted with
the remedies found in each of the preceding lists:
Eruption vesicles: Anac., Ars., Bry., Calc., Kali, bi., Kali, c.,
Merc., Merc, c., Nat. c., Nat. m., Phos., Rhus., Sul.; itching, Anac,
Bry., Calc., Nat. c., Rhus, Sul.; red areola, Anac, Nat. c., Sul.;
discharging, Anac., Nat. c., Sul.; vesicles in groups, Sul; in¬
flamed, Anac; itching becoming warm in bed, Anac., Sul.
Digitized by LjOOQle
76
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Because the eruption with its peculiarities presented so unfa¬
miliar an image and that remedy seemed a little out of the ordinary
for eruptions, Anacardium was first consulted in “ Hemig’s Guid-
ings Symptoms.” How beautiful seemed the words of the text:
Skin. — Bright scarlet eruptions of the whole body, especially of the
thighs in contact with the nut and of the abdomen.
Destruction of the epidermis, leaving an inflamed surface covered with
small miliary pustules, with unbearable itching and discharging a yellow
liquid forming crusts.
Chest, neck, axillae, upper arms, abdomen, scrotum and thighs were not
only covered with raised crusts, discharging a thick yellowish liquid, but
these had partly changed into wart-like excrescences, with thickened epi¬
dermis, the whole intermediate skin being of an erythematous redness and
the itching fearful. Itching worse in evening and when he went to bed.
Here was a better description of the thing than I had made even
on seeing it. So, although the case presented a wholly unfamiliar
image at the beginning, here in the materia medica album I found
its photograph and had no doubt of the effects of Anacardium in
this case.
It was administered with the warning that the eruption might
come out more for a few days but would then grow better and
nothing was to be put on but olive oil and water.
Much later I learned that the eruption came out in large, close,
red spots on thighs and legs but occasioned little pain after a day
or two and the whole skin was cleared in about one week. The
other girls had a much longer siege, even to three months. Then
indeed was breathed again a prayer of thankfulness for means of
discriminating symptoms and the possession of a logical repertory.
A short time ago a friend of the allopathic persuasion, or, call
it what you will, remarked that he had rheumatism, and added
that “ Salicylate is good enough for patients but I don't want any
of it; ” and we wondered if he knew that homeopathic physicians
were not afraid to take what they prescribed; and if he had any
idea of the number of them who took Perfection Liquid Food —
which they find so good for their patients — “ when a little run
down.”
Digitized by LjOOQle
HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES IN TUBERCULOSIS.
77
Homeopathic Remedies in Tuberculosis.
J. HENRY HALLOCK, M. D., SARANAC LAKE, ADIRONDACK MOUN¬
TAINS, N. Y.
There is no place among the whole list of diseases where
homeopathy today shows itself so superior to old-school medica¬
tion as in that class of patients who are predisposed to consump¬
tion. We sometimes call them scrofulous or psoric. Bumett # calls
it consumptiveness.
Whoever has watched the brilliant results of Calcarea, Calcarea
phos., Hydrastis, Iodin, Bacillinum, Psorinum, etc., in a typi¬
cal case must have been thankful that he was not of a school
dependent upon laxatives, tonics and cough mixtures.
Two years ago a young lady, twenty-two years of age, came
to me after having been the rounds of such medication. She was
a tall, slim blonde, with a family history of scrofula and tuber¬
culosis, her own mother dying of cancer. She was weak, anemic,
with enlargement of the lymphatics, especially the cervical. She
had a stomach which would hardly digest the simplest food; was
discouraged and tearful. Her bowels were constipated and she
had a dry, hacking cough with a slight evening temperature. Her
chest was long and lean with prominent ribs and scapula.
There was no consolidation, though there was a suspicious
prolonged expiratory murmur over the lower lobe of the left lung.
There was no expectoration for the microscopist, and I was not
then familiar with the diagnostic value of tuberculin. But had
the case not yielded promptly I should have considered it one of
tuberculosis and have treated it accordingly. She proved, how¬
ever, to be in the pre-tubercular state, and Pulsatilla, Phosphorus
and Bacillinum made such a change in her condition that in two
months I discharged her cured. She had gained ten pounds in
weight and was to all appearances in perfect health. She has
since married and is the mother of a healthy child.
But we, as homeopaths, must bear in mind that consumptive¬
ness and consumption, though different stages of the same dis¬
ease, are very different as far as results from medical treatment
are concerned.
Digitized by CjOOQle
78
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Eight years ago this spring, after battling for some weeks with
a cough seemingly from laryngeal irritation, I was induced to
send some of my sputa to a microscopist, who reported that it
contained, not only tubercle bacilli, but elastic lung fibers and
pus. Then I remembered that I had had a hemorrhage a year
before, and, though I had been attending to my business, was far
from my normal weight and strength. A physical examination
showed both lungs involved, and I realized that I was in the
second stage of tuberculosis.
I had already taken the indicated remedies with but slight-re¬
sults, and knew that something more heroic must be done at
once. With a complete change of environment, in a proper
climate, I believed the remedies would receive the aid necessary,
and so it proved, Iodine being the one I depended on most.
Some of the mistakes I made upon first coming to the Adiron¬
dack Mountains may be of help to others, as it has since been to
me, in guiding myself and the cases that have been placed under
my care. The place I first chose was entirely too damp, though
no large body of water was near. The forest was dense to within
a few rods of the camp, and in such a place the ground never
becomes dry. Next, in looking for elevation in a clearing suffi¬
ciently large to insure dryness, I lost sight of the fact that such
elevation was not of sufficient benefit to counteract the effect
of exposure from hard winds and storms that are sure to con e
at certain times of the year, and that a place to be of much benefit
must get its elevation of 1,500 or 2,000 feet without being on the
top of some high exposed knoll. It must be surrounded with
higher mountain peaks and sheltered in all directions from which
hard winds may blow.
Then with a porous soil and an air loaded with oxygen from
blowing over many miles of surrounding forests one has an ideal
air in which a consumptive has a chance to regain his health.
Three years ago I was full of the old idea that exercise made
strength, and I usually started the day with a little run of twenty
rods and in the afternoon would take a long walk, or, being fond
of fishing, I would spend the day along a trout stream, and later
in the season I killed my two deer and a fair number of partrjdges.
All this after ten years in general practice, where I had treated
Digitized by LjOOQle
HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES IN TUBERCULOSIS.
79
the usual number of consumptives. And since coming here I
have met many another trying to guide himself, and while they
may not have made the same mistakes I did they frequently make
worse ones, and I have come to the conclusion that it is nearly
an impossibility for one sent into a strange climate to get the
full benefit without the occasional advice of one familiar with
their needs. For several months I hardly held my own. A physi¬
cian who visited me during the summer of 1896 took back a very
unfavorable report to friends in the city, and with the amount of
purulent matter I was expectorating my chances were not good.
My gain commenced soon after I stopped all exercises and be¬
gan sitting out quietly on a sheltered porch from five to eight
hours a day. And by watching many cases since, I am con¬
vinced that exercise of any violent kind, while active processes
are present in the lungs, by rushing the blood into the weakened,
diseased parts increases the fever and hastens the breaking down
process.
Gentle exercise should be begun after the disease is arrested,
and increased as the strength and symptoms of the patient will
permit.
With warm blankets on a sheltered porch one can be comfort¬
able at all seasons of the year. I have never known such a pa¬
tient to catch cold, nor did I have, during the past winter, a
single case of la grippe among patients thus spending their time
out of doors, yet the disease was prevalent enough among those
living shut up. By the above methods I have not only been able
to regain my own health and vigor, but have been instrumental
in aiding a good number of others to do the same.
One case was of especial interest to me, as he was among the
earlier cases sent me, and was my companion on many a pleas¬
ant occasion.
Mr. G., aged 38, sent me, November, 1896, by Dr. May, city
bacteriologist, of Syracuse. He was a heavily built man of
healthy German parentage, and not one in whom we would usually
expect tuberculosis.
He had la grippe during the summer preceding. Had suffered
from catarrhal troubles, lost weight and strength, and after sev¬
eral physicians had failed to benefit him he sent a specimen of
Digitized by
Google
80
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
his sputa to Dr. May, who found that it contained tubercle bacilli.
About this time he began to raise a little blood, which had the
effect to hurry him to the woods. My own previous experience,
and the reports and treatment followed at several of the German
sanitariums, had convinced me of the proper course, but Mr. G.,
who had gained nicely during his first two weeks could not resist
the temptation of attending a country dance “just to break the
monotony.” He danced and otherwise enjoyed himself until a
late hour, caught cold and from that time on till spring I had
to fight a very active tubercular trouble with repeated hemorrhages
and all the usual accompanying symptoms.
He was given in about the order named Aconite, Phosphorus,
Hepar, Bacillinum 200th (B. &. T.’s, by Burnett), with the result
that by March, 1897, he had made a perceptible gain which con¬
tinued until he was quite well.
During the summer of 1897, all active disease having left him,
he was able to hunt, fish and enjoy himself generally, but of
course under advice. The consolidation had cleared up, tem¬
perature was normal, and he was fast gaining his weight and
strength.
In this case, as in many others since, I know that the cure was
aided by homeopathic remedies, but these must have failed with¬
out the aid of proper climatic treatment.
It is so important that such patients should eat and digest large
quantities of nourishing food that the digestive organs, which
are almost always weakened, require attention, and here again
the results from our remedies are conspicuous.
Mr. G. spent the winter of 1897 here to give his disease a
chance for thorough arrestment.
When he left for home the following spring he was so fleshy
he could hardly wear any of the clothes he came with, and was
an absolutely well man, and though jumping at once into hard
work, as proprietor of two city hotels, he has kept well without
one sign of his original disease.
Digitized by ^ooQle
VAEIOLINUM — THE NEW VACCINATION.
81
VarioKnum—The New Vaccination.
A. M. LINN, M. D., DES MOINES, IOWA.
Since the generous spread of smallpox in many sections of the
United States incident to our becoming a world power, the ques¬
tion of vaccination is once more paramount.
Jenner’s great discovery is generally accepted as the adequate
and only means of protection from this dreadful plague. Its use
is rooted and grounded in the traditions of our professional faith,
and has been esteemed the sine qua non in combating smallpox.
This is, however, no longer a universal verdict. Vaccination has
always been esteemed a necessary evil — a choice of two evils.
It has not held its present place without protest. Indeed, the
pathway of vaccination has been strewn with as many thorns as
the fabled “course of true love.” Anti-vaccination societies in
England and upon the continent have made persistent and vigor¬
ous protest against compulsory vaccination. In our own country
a respectable minority proclaim a determined opposition to its
use, and strenuously insist that other safe and effective methods
of immunization may be used.
DANGERS FROM SCARIFICATION.
Inoculation of one individual by the scab taken from the cica¬
trix on the arm of another is no longer tolerated. This barbarous
practice is not now in vogue, and no longer are the sins of the
vicious visited upon- the innocent by this means. Nevertheless,
inoculation by scarification is open to serious and well-grounded
protest.
Infection of the wound is not an infrequent occurrence. The
ugly ulcerations occur in every community. Impure vaccine is
the legitimate product of the commercialism which produces it.
The strife for the " almighty dollar ” glosses over the production
of questionable virus and obscures the paramount interest, i. e.,
the public safety. It will continue to be so till the products of
the vaccine farm are required to pass the crucial test of govern¬
ment inspection.
Digitized by LjOOQle
82
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
In the Ohio Sanitary Bulletin, the official organ of the Ohio
State Board of Health, Dr. Friedrich, the health officer of Cleve¬
land during the smallpox epidemic, said he “ stopped vaccination
on coming into office because he had found evidence that impure
vaccine virus had been productive of some very bad results; that
he expected to resume vaccination when he found virus free from
pathogenetic organisms, but that up to that time (June 28, 1902)
such vaccine virus as he had examined in the Board of Health
laboratory had been shown to be impure or inert. ,, On August 11,
1902, he further writes: “ Last summer I stopped vaccination, for
the clinical facts showed that the virus used was not pure. The
first point examined produced 2200 oolonies of pathogenic germs.
One-fourth c.c. of a bullion culture injected into a guinea pig killed
it in twenty-four hours. Such horrible stuff was advertised as
pure vaccine virus and used on human arms.”
What occurred in Cleveland occurs elsewhere, and the experi¬
ence of the city on the lake is no isolated exception; other commu¬
nities have learned the same sorrowful lesson. Moreover, auto¬
infection of wounds from soiled clothing and other sources often
occurs. Friction of clothing, scratching the wound with the nails
while asleep or chafing the itching arm thoughtlessly may pro¬
voke the same evil result. These cases occur in every parish in
the land, and the enforcement of compulsory vaccination awakens
some vigorous protests even among the most intelligent people.
VARIOLINUM.
Only the pessimist fails to acknowledge the rapid medical ad¬
vancement of our day. Progress is the watchword everywhere.
If in other lines, why not in methods of immunizing against small¬
pox ? Vaccination is good — immensely better than nothing — but
it is open to serious objections. Is the ultimate step in immuniza¬
tion. yet attained ?
It is to the credit of homeopathy that it offers a better method,
a safe and effective means of immunizing against smallpox.
Variolinum is not a new remedy, but its scope and action are not
well understood and not half appreciated in our own fraternity.
This is due to the fact that vaccination bv scarification is “ ours
Digitized by LjOOQle
VARIOLINUM — THE NEW VACCINATION.
83
"by right of inheritance,” and for the further reason that it has
fallen to the lot of few of us to treat smallpox. We have con¬
tented ourselves with scarification and overlooked a safe and
more effective means of attaining the same end.
Variolinum, like vaccine, is a product of the smallpox poison. It
is the clear serum of the smallpox vesicle just prior to its becom¬
ing pustular. Some pharmacists prefer the contents of the
ripened pustule. It is evident from the symptoms that' the same
toxine which provokes the systemic storm in vaccination by scari¬
fication does so on imunization by Variolinum. The symptoms
awakened aside from the local inflammation at point of scarifica¬
tion are identical.
Those who have had experience can testify that the remedy is
a potent one. It is used in any potency from the 3X upward, and
will awaken its characteristic effects with equal readiness. From
three to four doses of a two-grain powder daily is the usual
method of exhibition. Its effect is especially manifest in non-im-
munized persons in from three to ten days by the development of
a majority of the following symptoms: viz., chilliness, backache,
headache, fever, nausea, prostration, diarrhea and dizziness. The
writer has records of several scores of cases thus immunized by
the 3x, 6x and 200 of Variolinum.
One of my patients thus accosted me: “ Doctor, I am afraid to
take any more of that medicine. It has made me so sick and weak
I can scarcely attend to business. I had a severe headache, chills,
nausea, and am now having a high fever, backache, and am much
prostrated.”
Our Des Moines fraternity has records of several hundred cases
which read like the following:
“ No. 65.
“ The symptoms produced by inoculating Charles Wickersham,
West 20th Street, on 2d day of Sept., 1902, are as follows:
Chilliness, headache, general aching (over the body), prostration.
Impaired appetite, diarrhea, marked fever and restlessness. Out
of school for three days.” Signed Rev. L. B. Wickersham.
Address 1168 20th St.
We issue no certificate of successful immunization unless a ma¬
jority of the characteristic symptoms are provoked by the rem-
Digitized by CjOOQle
84
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
edy. A rule was adopted by our Des Moines Society requiring
that a record be kept of each case supplied with the remedy, and
the patient certifies over his own signature or by his parent to the
effect produced. With singular unanimity non-immunized per¬
sons after taking Variolinum a short time experienced the above
symptoms.
The systemic storm provoked by Variolinum covers a period of
from three to seven days; when it subsides the patient is immune
to smallpox .
HOW DO WE KNOW IT?
During the past two years smallpox prevailed in many dis¬
tricts in Iowa and during a part of that time in Des Moines. It
afforded our physicians ample opportunity to test the merits of
Variolinum. It has.stood the test and more than vindicated our
claim that it immunizes against the smallpox contagion. Re¬
cently in an effort to secure recognition for this method before our
State Board of Health, the writer presented to his colleagues a
large number of duly attested statements like the following:
To Whom It May Concern.
“ This is to certify that my son, Mr Harry Willis, was taken
sick with smallpox June 2, 1901, and died on June 18, 1901, from
complications. About June 5, 1901, my husband, Mr. John Willis,
my sons Clyde and Clifford and I took Variolinum, furnished
(through our own physician) by Dr. Linn. All of us were in
the house all the time my son Harry was sick and none of us
contracted the smallpox as a result of our exposure. In Decem¬
ber another son, who was absent during the former quarantine,
had smallpox. Again we took the Variolinum and we did not
take the disease. My husband was vaccinated in 1863; no other
member of the family had ever been vaccinated.”
[Signed] Hannah Willis,
John Willis.
. Subscribed and sworn to before
A. J. Mathis, Notary Public.
My colleague, Dr. C. B. Adams, read the following interesting
history:
Digitized by LjOOQle
VARIOLINUM — THE NEW VACCINATION. 85
“ This is to certify that I attended the family of Mr. J. H. S.
during an attack of smallpox in January, 1902. In this family of
seven, consisting of father, mother and five children, three children
were suffering with the disease in a very severe form. None had
previously been protected by vaccination. All refused to be vac¬
cinated, desiring a long period of quarantine for the county sup¬
port. The father requested me to give all members of the family
not suffering with the disease, medicine to fortify their systems so
that they might not suffer from a severe attack of the disease. I
gave them all Variolinum for a period of ten days, with the result
that not a single remaining member of the family contracted the
disease, although they all mingled freely with the diseased mem¬
bers of the family for a period of forty days.”
C. B. Adams,
Member of the State Board of Health.
Numbers of persons who had been immunized by this method
only were subsequently employed as nurses, or were quarantined
for weeks at a time with smallpox patients without contracting the
disease. Indeed, no authenticated instance has yet come to my
notice where a patient thus immunized has subsequently con¬
tracted smallpox. Furthermore, as if to furnish conclusive proof
of the efficiency of this method, no one thus immunized can be
successfully vaccinated. It h^is been demonstrated again and
again. Neither will any one showing a recent characteristic scar
of successful vaccination be affected by Variolinum.
Dr. Edwin Schenk, in his capacity as smallpox physician, was
directed by the city physician during the recent epidemic to study
the results of the use of Variolinum. He reports as follows: “I
continued to keep track of all cases under treatment and,,together
with cases previously treated, I found the results quite as effective
as through vaccination by scarification.”
Of the two methods of immunizing, that by Variolinum appeals
to the thoughtful as the most complete and effective. The remedy
is continued through the period of the disturbance excited by it,
the systemic storm is maintained at its maximum, every dose of
Variolinum is so much added fuel to the flames; they feed upon
the dross of susceptibility and when it is effectually consumed the
Digitized by CjOOQle
THE UEDICAL ADVANCE.
86
\
storm abates leaving the patient thoroughly immune to smallpox.;
No less important than its power to immunize against smallpox
is its power to abort the disease. In this sphere, indeed, it is a
ne plus ultra. It may be depended upon with absolute confidence
and it will not betray that confidence. It is a priceless remedy
in the hands of physicians treating this dread disease. The
writer makes no fanciful claim for the remedy beyond what it has
again and again accomplished.
Does it seem like a flight of the fancy to claim that this remedy
when exhibited from the date of exposure to smallpox will check
it before it reaches the eruptive stage? It is none the less true.
Does it appeal to you as little less than miraculous that Variolinum
given continuously from the time of the initial chill, will abort the
disease before it reaches the vesicular stage? Verily, it is true.
Does it seem a Utopian dream to maintain that if given from
the date of the appearance of the eruption, Variolinum will check
smallpox by the time it reaches the pustular stage ? It does it.
An able article on this subject from the facile pen of that vet¬
eran Dr. H. M. Bishop of Los Angeles, appeared in September,
1901, in the Pacific Coast Journal of Homeopathy, which every
one interested in the study of Variolinum should read. From
this article I quote the following interesting account:
THE CARE AND CURE OF SMALLPOX.
41 A man called at my office in the chilly stage of fever, having
the aspect of one severely ill. He complained bitterly of a dis¬
tressing ache in the lumbar region, and of great nausea and
headache. On inquiry I learned that he was a general sewing-
machine agent, and had been introducing his machines in the
surrounding manufacturing villages where variola had been pre¬
vailing. I felt sure that he was coming down with the disease,
and sent him to his room which was on the top floor of a boarding
house in the center of the city opposite the postoffice. I prescribed
Variolinum every two hours, taking a dose myself, and gave such
other remedies as the various symptoms indicated. For three
days the fever raged. On the evening of the third day a most pro¬
fuse papular eruption appeared, accompanied with a subsidence
Digitized by LjOOQle
VARIOLINUM—THE NEW VACCINATION.
87
of the fever. At this juncture I reported the case to the health
officer, a physician of extensive experience in the old school. He
visited the patient with me, and after carefully examining the case
and feeling the shot-like hardness of the papules, so unlike any
other eruption, he hesitatingly pronounced it a severe type of
smallpox. The next day he called with me again and we found
the eruption assuming the vesicular form, so that the merest tyro
in diagnosis could have named the disease. He then said that he
had been fixing up the pest-house, and would be ready on the
morrow to take the patient thither. Now, it was mid-winter; the
ground was covered with melting snow and ice, and the so-called
4 pest-house 9 was seven miles away — a bam-like structure that
could not be made comfortably habitable even for well people.
I therefore strongly objected to the contemplated change fear¬
ing a complicating pneumonia. My protest was overruled, and
the next morning an improvised ambulance with helpers arrived
in front of my patient’s abode. When the health officer entered
the room, the astonished look on his countenance was only
equaled by the change that had come over the aspect of my
patient, for the eruption on the latter had ceased to develop and
was shrinking away. He was not carried to the pest-house, but
in a few days was up and around. This was no case of varioloid,
but a most pronounced case of variola vera , with the eruption as
thick as possible without being confluent, and no symptom lacking
to make a complete picture of this formidable disease up to the
fifth day of its development, when it suddenly receded under the
use of the Variolinum.”*
Our efforts to secure recognition before our State Board of
Health failed pro tem. The defeat is only temporary. We were
overcome by the splendid voting ability of the non-medical mem¬
bers of the Board — a veterinary surgeon and a civil engineer.
Next time — and there will be a next time — we shall hope for
better success. The writer believes in vaccination; it has served
the human family well and saved its millions. Indeed, we are
in a measure immune today because our fathers were vaccinated.
Smallpox is milder now than formerly because people are meas¬
urably immune. Vaccination is good; Variolinum is better.
The writer is somewhat familiar with the regular practice as it
Digitized by LjOOQle
88
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
is exemplified in this state. Vaccination is their chief and, prac¬
tically, their only weapon against smallpox. When vaccination
fails, they have absolutely no effective means with which to stay
the progress of the disease. It must run its entire hideous, repul¬
sive course unchecked. The stages of invasion, eruption, vesicula-
tion and pustulation regularly follow in regular sequence under
the regular administration of our irregular friends. Some of our
own people as well as they, attend their cases blissfully uncon¬
scious of the fact that Variolinum will check the disease in from
three to six days. To those unfamiliar with its use these claims
may seem extravagant. In truth, they are only what have been
demonstrated in competent hands again and again.
Vaccination is only effective as a preventive. Variolinum not
only prevents but will check the disease in all stages. Vaccination
is good; Variolinum is better.
At a recent meeting the Iowa Homeopathic Medical Society adopted
the following definition:
“ Vaccination is the introduction of a virus into the system for the
prevention of smallpox, and is accomplished either by the administration
of a proper preparation of the virus of smallpox through the mouth or
by introducing into the circulation the virus of* cowpox by applying it to
a freshly made scarification of the skin.”
— North Am . Jour . of Homeopathy .
ADDITIONAL FACTS.— THE LEGAL STATUS OF VACCINATION IN IOWA.
Iowa State Board of Health,
Des Moines, Iowa, Feb. 6, 1904.
Editor Medical Advance. •
In Iowa the courts have decided that we are entitled to use
Variolinum as a means of vaccination. Its legal status is some¬
thing like this. No school of medicine has any legal or moral
right to interfere with the accepted practice of any other school.
Our State Medical Society, by resolution, defined vaccination in
such form as to include the proper use of Variolinum. Our local
society provided rules for its demonstration, and no certificate of
successful immunization is accorded in any case unless the proper
symptoms are developed.
Every additional day that passes by gives added proof of the
efficiency of this method of vaccination. In our practice we do
Digitized by ^ooQle
VARIOLINUM — THE NEW VACCINATION.
89
not need the testimony of added experience that Sulphur or Cal-
carea is a useful remedy in its proper sphere. When we exhibit
such a remedy, we know what it will accomplish. Among crude
drugs, we know that Ipecac will produce nausea, and Colocynth
will provoke cramps. Their sphere of action is known and dem¬
onstrated. We entertain not a shadow of doubt what the result
will be when we exhibit Variolinum to unvaccinated patients.
The symptoms are developed with remarkable regularity. They
are not uniform in every case, neither are the symptoms provoked
by vaccination the same uniformly. In some there will be a
marked degree of fever with a high degree of inflammation about
the point of inoculation. In the use of Variolinum the symptoms
are the same within a limited range. Added experience with the
remedy extending over a period of some two years gives uniform
results. The remedy is used in many parts of the country, and
used successfully.
Herewith additional records which are quite interesting and
which are duly attested before a Notary Public:
The son of Mr. R. was taken ill with a mild but typical case of small¬
pox, on Jan. 26, 1901. No attention was given save the care of the mother.
About twelve days later the mother was taken ill with nausea and chills,
severe pain in the back and all over the body. The chilliness was followed
by fever. I was called and administered Variolinum at hourly intervals,
and the following day she was better. No eruption appeared and no fur¬
ther symptoms of smallpox. Two or three days later, I was called to see
the daughter, a girl of ten years, and found her with a temperature of
103 2-5 degrees. This fever had been preceded by nausea, chilliness, severe
pains in the back and all the muscles of the body. She began taking
Variolinum when I made my first visit some three days before. I con¬
tinued the remedy, and when I called the next day I found three or four
small red spots on the face and neck. Continued giving Variolinum. On
the following day, the fifth during which the remedy had been given, the
papules had entirely disappeared, the child was well and has continued
so from that time. None of these people had ever been vaccinated and
since that day have been released from quarantine.
(Signed) Alice Humphrey-Hatch, M. D.
The following, also duly attested, is further evidence:
‘‘ I, M. L. Purdy, being first duly sworn do depose and say, that my
father, Mr. A. Purdy; my sister, Miss Nancy Purdy; my brother, M. L.
Purdy and I took medicine internally (Variolinum) for the purpose of in¬
ternal vaccination, and we did not contract smallpox although exposed
a number of times. My sister and father nursed my mother through an
Digitized by ^ooQle
90
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
attack of smallpox. My sister was never vaccinated. My brother and I
were vaccinated twenty-two years ago. My mother, who had the smallpox,,
was vaccinated when a girl.
“ Duly subscribed and sworn to.”
These are only examples of scores of duly attested affidavits
now in my possession, all of which attest the immunizing power
of Variolinum.
In the face of evidence like this, it seems strange that the mem¬
bers of our school, or for that matter any other school of practice,
would consent to inoculate the system with infective material,
which may lay the foundation for years of subsequent ill health.
In all of our experience with the remedy we have never found a
single instance in which any harm has resulted from its use. Oc¬
casionally a child may be affected by the use of the remedy suf¬
ficiently to require him to remain out of school for three or four
days. The effect amounts to nothing more than a slight indis¬
position, and the average school boy will delight in having suffi¬
cient excuse to take a short vacation. But in no instance has any
after effect followed the use of the remedy. At a more conven¬
ient date, I shall be pleased to give you my theory of its action.
Trusting that this information may awaken in the minds of
your readers enough interest to induce them to investigate the
merits of Variolinum as a prophylactic, I am,
Very truly yours,
A. M. Linn.
[This paper is logical, practical, homeopathic and convincing
and if distributed among the profession, the school boards and
your patients may so change public opinion as to secure a better
and safer prophylaxis — prevention as well as cure — and do away
with the odious compulsory vaccination rules. Reprints will be
furnished at cost of paper and presswork. How many do you
want? — ed.]
A Model Cure. Headache after a fall on occiput, in a robust
young lady, was combined with a sensation as if being lifted up
high into the air; she was tormented by the greatest anxiety, that
the slightest touch or motion would make her fall down from the
height: Hypericum cured. Hering.
Digitized by LjOOQle
A CASE OF CANCER OF THE BREAST.
91
A Case of Cancer of the Breast.
CURED BY X-RAYS.
TRANSLATED FROM l’aRT MEDICAL, BY HORACE P. HOLMES, M. D.
Case. — Mrs. X., fifty-six years of age; she belonged to a family
of arthritics (grandfather, father and brother gouty). Her
mother died at the age of fifty-six years of uterine cancer.
As personal antecedents, we may note a chronic coryza begin¬
ning at the age of twelve years, typhoid fever at twenty, a peri¬
tonitis at thirty-five, and lastly frequent attacks of asthma accom¬
panied by bronchitis. The patient, twice married, has had two
children and two false conceptions; always menstruated regularly;
she had her menopause at the age of fifty-three years.
It was about that epoch, August, 1900, that she perceived that
her left breast had slightly increased in volume and became harder
than the right; a small depression appeared at the left of the
nipple. Being then at Saint Die, she consulted a physician who
diagnosed chronic mastitis and ordered a pomade.
In 1901, there was occasionally a sero-purulent drop from the
nipple, and the patient having no suffering continued her pomade
in all security!
At the beginning of 1902, she went to live in Havre.
In June, a redness appeared beneath the nipple, soon followed
by an ulceration with a flow of a serosity of a sweetish odor. Al¬
though Mrs. X-did not suffer, she consulted a surgeon, how¬
ever, who judged an operation impossible and made applications
of Commander balsam.*
A second ulceratfon showed itself above the nipple followed by
a third a little to the right.
At the end of August, she consulted Professor Troisier who
* Commander balsam.— An alcoholic composition, of which olibanum,
myrrh, balsam tolu, benzoin, cape aloes, angelica root, the tops of the
flowers of hypericum, makes the base. This balsam is stimulating: it is
given internally in the dose of 10 to 40 drops; externally, it is used as
Arceus* balsam.— Dicttonnaire de MSdecine, etc., par Littr6. H. P. H.
Digitized by ^ooQle
92
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
declared to the husband that it was a very grave affection likely
to prove fatal in a few months.
They continued the applications of the Commander balsam,
Meanwhile the ulceration progressed rapidly, and, in October,
pains made their appearance and at the same time a fetid liquor
issued from the wound.
I was called to see the patient the nth of January, 1903. I
noticed the presence of an ulcer of an oval shape with a large
transverse diameter of twelve centimeters and a small diameter of
eight centimeters; the depth was about five centimeters; the bor¬
ders were scalloped and the center reddish; I noticed at the same
time that the nipple was covered with a sphacelus of a blackish
color. A foul sanies flows from the wound. The axillary and
sub-clavicular, glands enlarged.
The patient does not sleep at night, although the pains are still
supportable; the general state is quite good, although the appe¬
tite is diminished.
Dufing a month and a half, I tried every means to deodorize
the putrid cavity (Hydrastis canadensis, Anidol, Chlorate of soda,
Oxygenated water, etc., etc.).
The pains later became intolerable. I advised the application of
the X-rays.
A radiotherapeutist, M. le Dr. Marion, came to locate in Havre.
After some hesitation, for he had never treated nor seen a can¬
cer treated, he agreed to make the application to my patient under
the cover of my responsibility.
The outfit of my colleague consisted of a coil of thirty-five-hun-
dred alternating spark, discharged from an alternator with a
Nodon valve and Ducretet accumulator.
The flask which was used was a new chemical regenerator (Pot¬
ash) and consequently very mild. The same flask served for
all the applications.
We had nothing for measuring the degree of penetration of the
rays, no spark-meter, nor Boist’s radiochronometer, instruments
which I would have afterward appreciated for valuing and veri
fying in order to make accurate work.
The treatment was begun the nth of March.
Digitized by LjOOQle
A CASE OF CANCER OF THE BREAST. 93
SITTINGS
DATES
DURATION OF APPLICATION
DISTANCE OF FLASK
I
March 11
7 minutes
30 centimeters
11
March 12
10 minutes
25 centimeters
III
March 13
10 minutes
20 centimeters
IV
March 14
10 minutes
20 centimeters
V
March 15
10 minutes
20 centimeters
VI
March 16
10 minutes
20 centimeters
From the second sitting, we noticed a diminution of the pain
which continued to decrease to a complete cessation after the sixth
sitting. The sanious flow also diminished and upon the borders
of the ulcer appeared a commencement of cicatrization.
The general appearance is better. £
The applications were continued.
SITTINGS
DATES
DURATION OF APPLICATION
DISTANCE OF FLASK
VII
March 17
10 minutes
18 centimeters
VIII
March 18
10 minutes
18 centimeters
IX
March 19
10 minutes
18 centimeters
X
March 20
10 minutes
18 centimeters
XI
March 21
10 minutes
18 centimeters
XII
March 22
10 minutes
18 centimeters
During
these* six
new sittings, the ulcer is
filled with granula-
tions and two centimeters of cicatrical tissue formed on the bor¬
ders; the odor has completely disappeared and the central, fun¬
gous excrescence is in the way of resorption.
From the 24th of March to the 1st of April inclusive, nine new
applications were made at twenty centimeters and of ten minutes’
duration.
After the twenty-first sitting, an intense, scarlet erythema ap¬
peared in the pectoral region, on the face and neck, and a partial
falling out of the hair on the left temple was observed; the ulcer
has considerably diminished and the cavity remains filled with
granulations; there is no longer any discharge nor odor.
From the second to the fifteenth of April inclusive, seven appli¬
cations of eight minutes with the tube at twenty centimeters were
made.
In place of the erythema, there is a furfuraceous desquamation;
the ulcer is filled with granulations, and the fungous excrescence
has notably diminished.
Digitized by ^ooQle
94
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
From the fifteenth to the eighteenth of April inclusive, there
were six new sittings of eight minutes, with the tube at twenty-
five centimeters.
The twenty-eighth of April, the thirty-fourth day of the treat¬
ment pursued, a magnificent blossoming of phlyctenular blebs,
accompanied by a considerable flow of a pungent odor. We de¬
cided to suspend the treatment. But soon, the sanious odor re¬
appeared and the applications were recommenced the fourth of
May.
The tube was then placed at forty centimeters from the patient,
and the duration of the sittings was eight minutes.
After two applications the odor and the pains disappeared and
the twenty-fifth of May, the thirty-ninth day of the treatment, the
cicatrization was complete and the ulcer was replaced by a fine
skin covered with furfuraceous scales.
During June and July some sittings were given, first twice a
week, then only once, the tube always at forty centimeters and
during five minutes only.
At this actual moment, in place of the ulcer, there is a rosy
skin of good material. The axillary and subclavian enlarged
glands no longer exist and the patient has returned to her cheer¬
fulness and ordinary life.
Reflections. — Am I going to declare after that case that the
X-rays should always cure cancer? Assuredly not. But I may
conclude, with many others who, moreover, are more competent
than I am in the matter, that it is, at this time, the preferred
method in the treatment of cancer, more superior in effect than
the surgical method, since it preserves the affected organ, and
acts not only upon the local condition, but also on the general
nutrition.
One might offer the objection that a relapse is possible; I do
not contradict that. But then, have we not always at hand the
curative means which acted so well from the first ?
I believe that by using care, by employing only rays of a deter¬
mined degree of penetration, bv protecting the patient with lead
screens, one may have recourse to the X-rays with serious chances
of success, and that without' any species of danger.
Havre. Dr. Mondain.
Digitized by ^ooQle
carbuncle: two cases compared.
95
[Hahnemann says that the cure of chronic diseases occurs from
within out, and his observation is verified by the experience of
Hering, Lippe,^ Bayard, Wells, Dunham, Raue, Guernsey and
many others. Is such a cure as this permanent when made from
without in? Are these X-ray cures lasting?— ed.]
Carbuncle: Two Cases Compared.
A. W. VINCENT, M. D., UNION, ORE.
Case I.— W. H. had, what he called a large boil, and I was
foolish enough to let that diagnosis stand instead of calling it a
carbuncle, for it was a large affair situated at one side of the
point of the coccyx and through its various openings could be
seen a large “ core; ” foreign substance that should be removed
no doubt.
I gave a few powders to correct that vital disturbance which
had permitted it to accumulate and nature, restored to normal
activity, proceeded to remove it. He was out directing the work
on his ranch every day, practically lost no time and was well in
about a week. He paid me two dollars.
Case II.— G. H., a brother to the above had ah almost identical
condition. His doctor decided to assist nature in getting rid of
all that foul matter. The brother, my patient, protested and told
of his own case which he insisted was just as bad.
Nevertheless I was called in to give an anesthetic and so am in
position to tell the tale out of school. It was no worse than my
patient’s case. It was thoroughly cut and scraped out and packed
with iodoform gauze. His secretions were encouraged with mod¬
erate (?) doses of calomel and all the minor points attended to.
He paid me five dollars and the other doctor is not cheap, and
I saw him limping to his office to have it dressed nearly three
weeks later and he told me it was still in a bad shape. A few
days ago he told me what an immense deep scar he has there
and he guessed that showed that it was a pretty bad case, some¬
thing more than an ordinary boil. And he is one of the bright¬
est business men I know.
Digitized by ^ooQle
96
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
The law of similars is an absolute law for the treatment of
actual disease, i. e.; disturbances of the vital force.
There are other things for a physician to do in managing the
body to which rules may apply. We use chloroform and similar
drugs in a way not according to law. But they do not cure
disease.
Surgery attains a mechanical end; it removes causes, it re¬
moves results; products which nature has allowed to accumulate.
But it does not treat the vital disturbance which permitted the
accumulation. Yes, my dear allopathic brother, of course, you
use calomel to attain a mechanical end, to remove foreign matter
from the body. Well, neither is that treating disease; and the
most extravagant surgery of the knife is far less evil than the
surgery of calomel, et ol. which accomplish a mechanical effect
upon certain organs at the expense of poisoning the whole system
as even the laity well knows. And neither way is justifiable when
by correcting the vital disturbance we can prompt nature to ac¬
complish better results with no disturbance, as in my case above
cited.
Unique Surgical Operation.
A MOST PECULIAR AND INTERESTING CASE OF “ LAPAROTOMY.”
R. H. VON KOTSH, M. D., CHICAGO.
A few weeks ago a female patient boarded a fast train at Free¬
dom, Minnesota, bound for Chicago, with a view of having one of
the most serious surgical operations performed, commonly known
at “ Laparotomy.” No operation of this peculiar nature has been
successful, as far as the saving of the life of the patient is con¬
cerned. Arriving at Chicago, a short rest was given the patient,
in which time a number of prominent men inspected her, but
strange to say could not find any symptoms indicating distress
or ill health.
After different consultations, operation was decided upon and
after due preparations was performed in the usual manner. Ab-
Digitized by ^ooQle
CURE OF COLOR BLINDNESS.
97
dominal incision brought the stomach into the field of operation
and after incising 4 he wall of the organ, lo! and behold, a hard
solid mass, covered with a slight coat of a mucus nature, was
found in the stomach. After close inspection of the mass which
was the shape of a cricket ball and weighing about fourteen ounces,
it was found that the ball consisted of particles of grass, hair and
no less than a thousand ordinary pins; in addition to this, two
good-size nails were enclosed in the same mass. The pins were
all bent in a most peculiar way, points inward and heads toward
outer surface of ball.
To go no further, it must be added that the subject was a
domestic animal, or to be more definite a common Minnesota Cow;
while the surgeon was a meat dresser in the great Chicago pack¬
ing house of Swift and Company. Conjecture is rife as to the pres¬
ence of the metal ball. A plausible theory is that the bovine while
grazing contentedly near the farm house, inadvertently picked
up a package of pins, perhaps two or three packages. Somehow
or other these succeeded in reaching the stomach; and, in the
mysterious processes of bovine digestion, collected*into a spherical
mass, which naturally brought astonishment and wonder to the
packing house people.
Cure of Color Blindness.*
DR. JNO. F. EDGAR, EL PASO, TEXAS.
Secretary Dr. Julia H. Bass, solicits a paper upon the above
subject, owing to the hint in August, 1903 Medical World, page
371, “that Hahnemannian homeopaths can cure color blindness.”
Homeopathy is a law of cure. I do not “ believe ” in it. I leave
the “believing” to the uneducated, the .superstitious, the preju¬
diced class. Homeopathy will cure any ill, every ill, the human
organism may have, if the physician obtains a complete picture
of the whole symptoms, and selects the remedy according to the
provings on the healthy. Then use the minimum dose, accord¬
ing to the law of dynamization, administered and repeated only
*Read at Texas Homeopathic Medical Association.
Digitized by C.ooQLe
98
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
as needed. If the person is violating nature’s laws of life, those
violations must be observed and corrected. Hygienic laws must
also be observed; not the fad ones, but the natural ones.
Facts are found in our true copies of materia medica. Do
not give away your ignorance and want of study and compre¬
hension by crying out for “ a reproving of our materia medica,”
along the present fad and theoretical lines of the irregular schools.
The X-ray observation might help a little, but the bug and sefum
theories are absurd, and most of us will live long enough to see
them absolutely shelved: An author, writing upon any scientific
subject, must be first, well educated and well informed, then be
absolutely honest. When buying medical books be sure and
get those by such authors as will prove always reliable, and will
continue to be reliable many years hence. Not like those of the
irregular (allopathic) school, “ have to be changed every decade,”
“ to keep up to date.” I mention a few of our absolutely pure
honest works: Hahnemann’s, Hering’s, Raue, Allen’s, Bell, Lippe,
Guernsey’s Obstetrics, Eggert, and a few others. Don’t buy
those semi-homeopathic books, no matter how much advertised
(for pay). Buy only honest, true ones, and read your Organon
over and over again. The truth is there; you will receive more
light each time you read it. I often think Hahnemann, even with
his immense non-bigoted brain, wrote truer to the absolute truths
than he comprehended at the time. At least history, thousands
of years hence, besides our one hundred years of confirmation,
will confirm his true conception of the Creator’s laws.
Now to the subject. Take the color that is the most prom¬
inent in your patient’s vision as your keynote to guide in the
selection of the remedy, then add as complete a picture of your
patient’s abnormal condition as you can. The illusion color also,
as well as the ones seen and described correctly. From that bring
the concomitant symptoms in to make the picture complete. The
following are therapeutic hints only, to aid the prescriber. Pa¬
tients should be warned upon the harm of crude drugs — allo¬
pathic or drug-store prescribing — as worm powders, liquids, digi¬
talis, alkaline theory prescriptions, headache powders, etc.
The following is compiled from “Hering’s Guiding Symp¬
toms,” which is an absolutely scientific, honest and reliable work.
Digitized by ^ooQle
CURE OF COLOR BLINDNESS.
99
In “ Allen’s General Symptom Register,” you may find some
more, but I have given you only the thoroughly verified ones
of Hering.
See Santonine for nearly every vagary of colors.
Atro. sul., Cycl., Chin, sul., Chloralum, Dig. and Santonine are
the most prominent and show the ill results of drug dosing.
I give one illustration: A railroad brakeman aged thirty-one
had scarlet fever two years ago, has never felt well since. Is
weak and exhausted all the time; feet are tender. Palpitation,
worse at night. His privates swell occasionally; feels very amor¬
ous mentally, but is physically incompetent. Noise in his ears
like boiling water. Cannot distinguish colors clearly, and is afraid
if it is found out, he will lose his situation. Nearly everything
looks green; some days yellowish though green is most constant.
His eyelids often look and feel puffed. Has a poor appetite,
tongue coated white, feces light color. Feels sleepy, yet sleep
does not refresh him. Digitalis 30 brought this man out on every
point. It happened to be a clear cut case. #
Blurred Vision or as from Mist: Aeon., Agar., Ail., Amm. c.,
Amm. m., Ammoniac, Arum., Arun., Ars., Asaf., Bar., Bell.,
Berb., Bis. Buf., Cainca., Cal., Cal. fl., Cal. p., Camph., Carbo.
Caust., Ced., Cepa., Chel., Cina., Croc., Cund., Cycl., Diad.,
Dros., Dul., Euphr., Gels., Graph., Grat., Hyos., Ind., Iod., Jab.,
Kali, c., Kali, i., Kobt., Kreos., Lach., Lachn., Lac. ac., Lact.
Laur., Lil., Lyc., Mer., Mill., Morph., Mosch., Nat. ars., Nat.
m., Nat. p., Nat. s., Nice., Nux, Ol. an., Ox. ac., Petr., Phos.,
Phys.,'Pic. ac., Plb., Psor., Puls., Ran. b., Rhus, Ruta., Sars.,
Sec., Sil., Spig., Stram., Sulph., Tab., Tart., Ther., Vinca., Znc.
Fiery Colors or Sparks of Light: Aeon., Alum., Ammoniac,
Amm. c., Amm. m., Anath., Arun., Astac., Aur., Bar., Bell.,
Bor., Brom., Bry., Cal., Cal. fl., Cal. p., Camph., Carbo., Caust.,
Ced., Cepa., Chel., Chin, s., Cic., Cina., Cinch., Coca., Coff.,
Con., Croc., Cup. ars., Cycl., Dul., Elaps., Fer. i., Gels., Glon.,
Graph., Ign., Iod., Ipec., Kali, bi., Kali, c., Kali, ch., Lac. c.,
Lach., Lyc., Lys., Mag. p., Mer., Nat. c., Nat. m., Nic., Naph.,
Nux, Op., Petr., Phos. ac., Phos, Pic. ac., Plat., Psor., Puls.,
Digitized by ^ooQle
100
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Sec., Sep., Sil., Spig., Spong., Staph., Strom., Stron. c., Ther.,
Thuja., Val., Viol., Znc.
Black, Including Muscae Volitantes: Aeon., Act. r., Act. s.,
Agar., Amm. c., Amm. m., Anac., Ammoniac, Anath., Arg. n.,
Am., Ascl. t., (with slow pulse), Astac., Asaf., Aur., Bar., Cac.,
Cal., Cal. p., Camph. Caps., Carb. ac., Caust., Chel., Chin. s M
Chlor., Cic., Cina., Cinch., Coca., Coc., Con., Cund., Cup. ars.,
Cura., Cycl., Daph., Doryph., Elaps., Fer., Form., FI. ac.,
Gels., Glon., Graph., Kali, c., Kalm., Lac. c., Lach., Lachn.,
Lact., Lil., Lith. c., Lyc., Mag. c., Med., Meny., Mer. pr.,
Mer. v., Nat. c., Nat. m., Nit. s. d., Nit. ac., Nux, Nux m.,
Petr., Phos., Phys., Psor., Puls., Sar., Sep., Sil., Sul., Syph.,
Tereb, Thuja., Val., Ver., Znc.
Darkness After Eating: Cal.
- siesta: Lyc.
- when nauseated: Kalm.
Blue : Act. s., Amm. b., Amyl, n., Ars. h., Aur., Bry., Cina., Coff.,
Crot. Cycl., Hyppo:, Ipec., Kali, c., Lach., Nice., Sec.,
Stront, ®Znc.
Brown: Agar., Atr. s., (bugs.) Lac. c., Med.
Gray : Ammoniac., Arg. n., Brom., Cal. p., Elaps., Guar., Lachn.,
Nux, Phos., Sep., Stram., Sil.
Green: Amyl, n., Ars., Bry., Caust., Cina. (looks green), Cycl.,
Dig., Hep., Kali, c., Lac. c., Mer., Phos, Ruta., Sep.,
Stram., Stront., Sul., Ver., Znc.
Red: Atr. s., Bel., Bry., Cac., Ced. (night), Comoc., Con., Croc.,
Cund., Dig., Elaps., FI. ac., Hep., Hyos., Iodof., Ipec.,
Lac. c., Nux m., Phos., Sars., Stront., Stram., Ver., Znc.
Violet: Cannot be recognized: Santonine.
White: Alum. Amm. c., Apis., Ars., Caust., Chloral, Coca., Dig.,
Elaps., Grat. (green looks white), Sul., Thuja., Ust.
- Specks: Ratanhia, Ustilajo.
- Spots: Sulphur.
- Stars: Alum., Cal.
- Flies: Atrop. s., Dig.
- Serpents: Ign.
- Water, like bottles of: Thuja.
Digitized by ^ooQle
A CASE OF PARALYSIS CURED.
101
Yellow : Agar., Aloe., Alum., Amm. c., Amm. m., Amyl, n.,
Aur., Bry., Canth., Ced. (daytime), Cina., Coff., Cycl.,
Dig., Irid., Kali, bi., Lac. c.
Halo Around the Candle or Light : Ammoniac, Anac., Anag.,
Atrop. s., Bell., Cic., Caust., Cinch., Como., Cycl., Nat. p.,
Phos., Puls., Sars., Staph., Sul.
Radiating Lights: Bell., Con., Ign., Phos. ac.
Rainbow : Bry., Cal., Cic., Con., Dig., Nice., Osmium, Phos. ac.,
Stan.
Striped Lights: Bell., Con., Sep., Sol. n., Sul.
As if Feathers : Alum., Cal., Lyc., Nat. c., Nat. m., Spig. (on
the lashes), Sul. (black).
Flickering Objects : Aesc., Aloe., Agar., Amyl, n., Anac., Am.,
Ars., Bor., Bry., Camph., Caust., Cham., Chel., Cycl., Diad.,
Lach., Mer., Nat. p., Phos., Sars., Seneg., Sep., Sul., Thuja.
Colored Lights: Make him dizzy: Artemesia vul. «
Cannot Walk in the Dark, without reeling: Alum., Arg. n.,
Pic. ac.
Can See in the Dark : Ferrum.
Hemeralopia: Cal. s., Cinch., Hyos., Lyc., Ran. b. (during preg¬
nancy), Stram., Ver.
All Awry: Colors added to the one he recognizes: Nux. m.,
Stram.
- Crooked or up side down: Bell.
Nyctalopia: Sil., Sul.
Animals: Cats, dogs, rats, etc.: Stram.
Serpents: Arg. n., Cund. (black) Gels., Ign. (white), PhySos.
A Case of Paralysis Cured.
WILLIAM A. GLASGOW, M. D., MISSOULA, MONT.
Mr. J. J., age 24, has been paralyzed since December, 1902.
Previous History: Is a locomotive fireman and has always
had splendid health until the time above mentioned, when he was
admitted to the railroad company’s hospital for treatment. They
treated him for several months when he was discharged as in¬
curable.
Digitized by ^ooQle
102
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Present Condition: When called to the case the following
symptoms were noted:
Violent tearing pains in frontal region, < at night, < by motion
and bright lamp light.
Profuse perspiration about the head which stains the linen
yellow and also, has a very strong odor not unlike garlic.
Breathing: irregular, short, spasmodic; pulse average about 95.
Appetite almost gone, no desire for any kinds of food, the odor
of cooking nauseates.
Very constipated during early part of sickness, but now stools
are involuntary.
Urine: scanty, high colored, odor like cat’s urine; albumen in
variable quantities, urates increased.
Sleep: restless, tosses about and cannot get to sleep although
sleepy. Sleeps better during the day than at night.
9 Profuse perspiration which aggravates all the symptoms, espe¬
cially worse at night. He feels exhausted upon wakening.
A macular eruption was discovered over back, arms and face,
but no itching.
There is complete loss of all the voluntary muscles of the body.
The patient cannot even move his head.
A few other symptoms illicited and (by the way the ones that
indicate the remedy) ; are < in cold, wet, cloudy weather; sore¬
ness of teeth with salivation, teeth feel too long; sore throat and,
former mucus patches in the mouth all characteristic of syphilis
which he confessed had been contracted eight months ago.
Mercurius vivus, 3X, was given twice a day for three weeks,
under which he improved rapidly for a while and then came to
a standstill, when he was given one powder of Mercurius vivus
im (B. &. T.) and placebo, quantum sufficit.
That is all the medicine he has had and today he is up, working
on the railroad without any symptoms of his former illness re¬
maining. This is a case that a freshman in a homeopathic col¬
lege could have cured but was considered incurable by some good
old-school physicians.
Digitized by ^ooQle
THE dose: what is it? 103
The Dose: What Is It?
W. L. MORGAN, M. D., BALTIMORE, MD.
From the earliest history of Homeopathy down to the pres¬
ent time, the question of dose has been a stumbling-block and a
mystery. Even the physician who studied the Organon and fol¬
lowed the law in prescribing, understood no more about the
dose or how the remedy performs a cure, than the chemist does
about chemical affinity. Yet, from many demonstrations he knew
that the potentized drug would work when properly used, while
those who had never tried it could not believe. A knowledge of the
method of preparing, and the many futile attempts at chemical an¬
alysis of the potencies were sufficient to convince superficial think¬
ers that it was all a deception and they at once attributed the
cures to imagination, faith or delusion. Such men treat home¬
opathy and her friends with derision and contempt; they never
study the Organon or the philosophy of homeopathy, and they
spurn the idea of inductive reasoning on the subject as a thing
too small for their superior learning. These tactics well played by
the old school have had their effect on the large mass of physicians
who joined the homeopathic ranks, seeking an easy road to emin¬
ence, but who were tender-footed, weak-kneed and unprepared
with ammunition to withstand the sharp fire of the front and had
to fall back to a pla^e of supposed safety and prepare other means
of defense against the withering sarcasms. These, together with
another class ambitious to be reformers, instituted a general “ re¬
form ” under the name of homeopathy, leaving out the Organon,
the vital force, the infinitesimal dose, the potency, and the individ¬
ualization of the case, producing a system as imperfect as mathe¬
matics without arithmetic or language without grammar.
And now, of the twenty homeopathic colleges in this counfry,
eighteen teach none of the above branches which are so essential
to homeopathy, a large percentage of so-called homeopaths know
little or nothing of the Organon, spurn the idea of the vital force
and ridicule the potencies and those who use them; they substi¬
tute microbes for vital force, tinctures and combination tablets for
potentized remedies and generalizing the name of the disease for
the individualization of cases.
Digitized by ^ooQle
104
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
When asked what all this has to do with the subject of dose,
we answer that it is the apparent diminutiveness of the dose, in
its effect on the weak knees and weaker energy of these skeptics
that has caused all this trouble. But, we are happy to state, we
now have remarkable confirmations of the doctrine of the potency
in the researches of physical scientists, in the recent discoveries
of the radio-active properties of Radium, Thorium, Barium, etc.;
the further discovery of the divisibility of matter beyond the atom,
of the fact that fragments of broken atoms, becoming electrons and
ions, radiate with the velocity of light and form the basis of elec¬
tric force; also the discovery by Dr. Kenyon, that triturating in
liquid air splits the molecules and lets out the “ intercellular juice ”
which is the same as Hahnemann’s vital force, or the curative
agent.
With these additions to our knowledge of physical science of
older times, we can examine, by inductive reasoning, the process
of potentiation by trituration in crystalized sugar or milk, and see
how the fragments of broken atoms become electrons and ions
which radiate and are caught up and held loosely in the men¬
struum, which then is transformed into a storage battery having
the peculiar properties of the drug from which it was prepared,
corked up in a non-conductor vial and ready for use. It is now
possible for scientists to analyze and make comparisons and to
understand how the infinitesimal dose can bq an entity of great
force and utility when used in its proper place, according to the
instructions given in the Organon.
We now see how matter is changed into electricity and that the
potentiated remedy is in the form of a storage-battery. We have
only reached the beginning of the deeper consideration of this
subject. Consider that about 800 remedies have been proved and
are in use, and that each one has characteristics, differing more
or less, from those of every other. Each species of matter, organic
or inorganic, has its general characteristics as a species. (Com¬
pare general symptoms necessary in diagnosis of disease with
general characteristics of the various species of matter.) It is
well known that each individual has or may have characteristics
derived from the influence of surroundings, in addition to those
of the species to which it belongs. These are the individualizing
Digitized by C^ooQLe
THE dose: what is it? 105
symptoms, recognized by all true homeopaths, and not at all by
allopaths.
The physical scientist, who, up to the past few years contended
that homeopathy was a deception, since he was unable to demon¬
strate that there was anything in potentized remedies, has now
furnished the means for showing that it is the drug reduced to its
actual life-force, which is the electricity of the broken atoms,
well known to every homeopathist in its characteristic effects upon
the sensitive animal vitality, when properly used, from the crude
drug to the very highest potencies.
Now since every species of matter has characteristics of its own,
differing from those of every other species, it must be admitted
that when such matter is reduced to electrons and ions, the electric
force so formed must possess the same or very nearly the same
characteristics as the original matter. It must be equally as rea¬
sonable and logical to conclude that there are as many kinds or
species, of electricity with as many different characteristics as there
are kinds or species of organic or inorganic forms of matter.
Hence, allow me to say, that the dose is static electricity plus
the characteristic vital element of the drug, held loosely in the
menstruum as an electric storage battery, ready for use at the
will of the prescriber.
Life and Work of James Compton Burnett, M. D., with
portrait. Compiled by Dr. J. H. Clarke.
To the indefatigable labor of this busy man, the profession is
indebted for a brief biography of Compton Burnett who has left
an indelible footprint on British homeopathy.
• This work is divided into three parts — Part I is mainly Bio¬
graphical. Part II is entitled “Critical,” and gives an account
of Dr. Burnett's lines of thought and methods of work, especially
the original developments he worked out in homeopathic practice.
Part III gives an account of the Memorial which has been initiated
in his honor.
Digitized by ^ooQle
106
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Appendicitis?
S. L. GUILD-LEGGETT, M. D., SYRACUSE, N. Y.
May 31, 1899, Miss P-, about 21 years of age, typewriter
and bookkeeper in a down-town office, and usually in excellent
health, applied for a prescription
The previous morning she had been well, but at 1 P. M. be¬
gan to complain of pains in the abdomen, which became so severe
that she returned to her home in tears. She claimed to have suf¬
fered somewhat in the same manner ten days previously, but had
attributed it to a glass of cold ginger ale.
She had had a stool the day before at noon, that was normal,
but had been uneasy and restless all night, > for a little while
by a change of position.
The pain extended from the right groin up over the right hip;
and the region of the appendix extending to the umbilicus was
extremely tender to touch, or to straightening out the body. The
patient was easily made to weep from touch or pressure.
Questioned as to diet, thirst, etc, she said the abdomen had felt
badly from the quantity of cold water she had drunk, the day
before, so she had since refrained.
The region affected, the relief from change of position, the
distress from cold drink, gave the necessary indications, and she
received one dose of Rhus 45m (F.)
I saw the patient, June 1, 2, 3, when she had so improved as
to walk to the office, but, the walk was too much, so she did not
return to business until the fifth of June. She has never shown
symptoms of the same kind of disturbance since.
Digitized by C^ooQLe
The Medical Advance
AND
JOURNAL OF HOMEOPATHICS.
A Monthly Journal of Hahnemannian Homeopathy
When we have to do with an art whose end is the saving of human
life any neglect to make ourselves thoroughly masters of it becomesja
crime. —Hahnemann .
Subscription ... Two Dollars per Annum
The editor is responsible for the dignity and courtesy of the magazine , but not for the
opinions of contributors.
The Advance does not send sample copies unless asked for, and has no free list. It is
published for the medical profession in the interests of a purer homeopathy , of scientific
therapeutics .
To accommodate both reader and publisher this Journal will be sent until arrears are
paid and it is ordered discontinued. ■ :fir*l
Contributions , Exchanges, Books for Review , and all Communications should be ad -
dressed to the Editor. 5142 Washington Avenue , Chicago. '
Communications regarding Subscriptions and Advertisements should be sent to Battle ’
Creek , Mich., or 5142 Washington Ave., Chicago.
FEBRUARY, 1904
Ctrttortal.
The Ontario Medical Act.
In our editorial for December, we were in error in saying that
a graduate from an American college must attend one year in
some Canadian school before he can be admitted to examination.
Dr. Leonard Luton, of St. Thomas, calls our attention to the mis¬
take, which we gladly correct by publishing the requirements for
homeopathists. The following clauses from the Ontario Medical
Act fully explain:
Until a homeopathic medical college for teaching purposes is estab¬
lished in Ontario, candidates wishing to be registered as homeopathists
shall pass the matriculation examination established under this Act, as
the preliminary examination for all students in medicine, and shall pre-
' sent evidence of having spent the full period of study required by the
curriculum of the Council, under the supervision of a duly registered
homeopathic practitioner.
Digitized by CjOOQle
108
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Such candidates must also have complied with the full curriculum of
studies, prescribed from time to time by the Council for all medical stu¬
dents, but the full time of attendance upon lectures and hospitals required
by the curriculum of the Council may be spent in such homeopathic med¬
ical colleges in the United States or Europe as may be recognized by a
majority of the homeopathic members of the Council; but in all homeo¬
pathic colleges, where the winter course of lectures is only of four
months* duration, certified tickets of attendance on one such course shall
be held to be equivalent to two-thirds of one six month's course, as re¬
quired by the Council; and when such teaching body has been established
in Ontario, it shall be optional for such candidates to pursue in part or
in full the required curriculum in Ontario. R. S. O. 1887, c. 148, s. 17.
From this it will be seen, that until a medical college is estab¬
lished in Ontario, students may attend homeopathic colleges in
the United States that are recognized by the majority of the
homeopathic members of the Council. This only emphasizes what
we said in our editorial of the necessity for establishing a homeo¬
pathic college in Ontario. The sooner it is done the better for
the cause and the profession.
Therapeutic Poverty.
At a recent meeting of the Chicago Medical Society, Dr. Arthur
B. Bevan read a paper on pneumonia, which created a sharp dis¬
cussion and attracted public attention to the almost unheard of
statement, that “ there is no known cure for pneumonia.” The
Doctor claims that:
The study of medicine has reached that point as an exact science where
physicians know accurately the limitations of drugs. They recognize that
there is no known cure for pneumonia. It is time they acknowledged
this to the public. When this is understood by all, I believe assistance
will be offered from every side to help any attempts made to solve the
problem.
Of course there is no remedy that will cure pneumonia. This
was commented on and explained by Hahnemann a hundred years
ago. He published it to the world, and his followers have been
reiterating it ever since, that drugs do not cure diseases but
patients. Of course, there is no remedy for pneumonia any more
than there is for diphtheria, appendicitis or consumption. We
Digitized by ^ooQle
EDITORIAL.
109
should treat the patient, not the pneumonia; for no two patients
require the same remedy, although suffering from the same
disease.
About sixty years ago Dr. Fleischmann made his celebrated
test in a hospital in Vienna, in which every case of pneumonia, as
soon as the disease was diagnosed, was treated with Phosphorus,
because Phosphorus had produced engorgement of lungs in both
men and animals when given in lethal doses. His percentage
of cures was vastly better than under his previous empirical
treatment; but every case did not call for Phosphorus, and many
patients died who might have been saved had they received the
similimum. The patient, suffering from pneumonia, the totality
of whose symptoms called for Bryonia, Iodine or Sulphur, could
never be cured by Phosphorus. Under correct homeopathic treat¬
ment, pneumonia is neither a serious nor a fatal disease. The
mortality is very low, perhaps not more than five per cent, but
the vital force of the patient must be conserved. Overfeeding
should be avoided, and the absolutely similar remedy should be
properly selected and then properly administered. Under these
conditions recovery would take place rapidly, and the engorged
lungs relieved in a short time.
Dr. Bevan further claimed, that what the profession needed
more than anything else, just now, was the endowment of an
institution for special research in this disease. Here are the
Doctor's remarks:
The sweeping inroads recently made on human life by this disease
afford an opportunity for men of wealth with the welfare of the human
race at heart to establish a fund of $400,000 to $500,000 as an endowment
for research work along this line. We want some man or group of men
in this community to devote $25,000 a year to such a movement. I do
not believe that in this country or elsewhere there has been any special
research.
The study of the etiology, cause and prophylaxis of pneumonia,
might possibly be conducted in an institution especially endowed
for the purpose, but that would not facilitate the cure, which
never can be effected by treating the disease instead of the patient.
To treat pneumonia homeopathically, the instructions of Hahne¬
mann must be implicitly followed. The symptoms of the patient
should be carefully selected, and no matter to what remedy they
Digitized by ^ooQle
no
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
point, that should be given, irrespective of diagnosis or pathology.
What a furor was created several years ago in the homeopathic
ranks, when Dr. W. E. Payne, of Bath, Me., reported the cure of
two cases of pneumonia with Podophyllum, because this remedy
had never been known to produce pneumonia in the healthy. But,
the symptoms of Dr. Payne’s patient called for Podophyllum; and
whether it had ever been given for pneumonia, or had, like Phos¬
phorus, ever produced engorgement of lungs on the healthy he
had nothing to do. His duty to his patient was simply to follow
the law.
The New Vaccination.
We republish from the North Anterical Journal of Homeopathy
the admirable article of Dr. A. M. Linn., of Des Moines, Iowa,, on
“ Variolinum, the New Vaccination.” As the homeopathic rep¬
resentative of the Iowa State Board of Health, it has been the
business of Dr. Linn, during the numerous epidemics of variola
which occurred in Iowa during the last few years, to investigate
the best prophylactic means of prevention as well as the best
method of treatment. In this paper, Dr. Linn furnishes us with
the ablest arguments and what is better, clinical proof, which
have yet appeared in favor of modern scientific prophylaxis. He
furnishes us a substitute for the old and antiquated method,
against which so much has been written. There is no doubt that
vaccination, as at present known, has done and is doing much
more harm than good; and however much we may believe in
the evils left in its train, before we can convince the people and
the medical profession that there is a better way, we must pro¬
duce the evidence. In this, Dr. Linn has succeeded. He has
demonstrated by affidavits from numerous sources in every part
of the state, that Variolinum is a much better preventive than
crude vaccination, and that it not only serves as a superior
prophylaxis, but it cuts short the acute attack of smallpox, converts
a confluent or malignant case into a mild one, and almost always
prevents that much dreaded result, the pitting of the patient.
This article of Dr. Linn’s is eminently fair, argumentative and
Digitized by ^ooQle
EDITORIAL.
Ill
scientific, and he offers what has never been offered before,
proof that the new method, superior in every way to the old, may
be substituted with advantage to the patient and humanity. Every
one, who has had an extended experience with crude vaccination,
admits the possibility of an impure vaccine virus. No matter how
careful the manufacturer may be, occasionally a diseased or tuber¬
culous animal may be used in the propagation of the virus. The
Doctor is innocent of any attempt to injure the person, yet the
constitutional effects of the impure virus may follow the child
through life.
Dr. Linn is perfectly willing to admit that vaccination is im¬
mensely better than nothing, but he does not believe we have
reached the highest immunization by such means. He demon¬
strates that the internal administration of Variolinum in the poten-
tized form is safer, more potent, and hence much more desirable
an agent in obtaining complete immunization. Persons receiving
the Variolinum present similar symptoms, although in a milder
form, than from crude vaccination. In from three to ten days,
after administration, the symptoms of vaccinal fever: chilliness,
backache, headache, fever, nausea, prostration, diarrhea and
vertigo are found. The author furnishes evidence that seems in¬
disputable, that Variolinum renders the patient immune to small¬
pox, and this evidence is of a different character than much we
have on the subject.
Dr. Edwin Schenk, in his capacity as smallpox physician, was
directed by the city physician of Des Moines, during the recent
epidemic, to study the results of Variolinum immunization. The
following is his report:
“ I continued to keep track of all cases under treatment, and
together with cases previously treated I find the result quite as
effective as vaccination through scarification.”
Dr. Linn further proves by sworn affidavits, and these are sup¬
ported by his colleagues, that Variolinum has the power, not
only to prevent but to abort smallpox. If administered from the
date of exposure it will check the disease before it reaches the
eruptive stage. These statements have been demonstrated by com¬
petent observers, and at a recent meeting of the Iowa Homeopathic
Medical Society a resolution was adopted defining vaccination to
Digitized by ^ooQle
112
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
be, “the introduction of a cow-pox virus into the system either
by the mouth or through the circulation by scarification of the
skin.” The facts here presented by Dr. Linn have recently been
verified by Dr. Munger, of Hart, Mich., and Dr. Vincent, of
Union, Ore., Ipoth of whom recently weffe compelled to grapple
with an epidemic of variola. We have used it in our practice
for fifteen years, and have found it affording a better protection
than crude vaccination. Why should the homeopathist be com¬
pelled to adopt the old dangerous and unsatisfactory form of vac¬
cination when he has something far superior both safe and scien¬
tific of his own? Why not treat smallpox both in prophylaxis
and cure as we do scarlet fever, measles and diphtheria? Why
make smallpox an exception to the. law, because our colleagues of
other schools are strangers to natural law in the medical world?
COMMENT AND CRITICISM.
Transcendental Mathematics.
Dallas, Texas, Dec. 9, 1903.
Editor Medical Advance.
In The Medical Age of the twenty-fifth ult., under the caption
“ Transcendental Mathematics, An Infinitude of Nothingness,”
appears an editorial containing the following allegations:
The method of preparation of homeopathic dilutions, as directed in the
manuals of the cult, is to take one drop of the strong or mother tincture
and add it to 100 drops of alcohol for the first dilution or attenuation; one
drop from this in a second 100 drops of alcohol for the second dilution,
and so on to the thirtieth dilution, which was Hahnemann’s “ favorite
prescription,” though even higher dilutions have been used. It is inter¬
esting to note what relation the original drop or grain of medicinal sub¬
stance bears to the menstruum when the higher dilutions are reached:
The first dilution, as stated, is one drop in one and a half teaspoonfuls
of alcohol.
The second, one drop in twenty-one fluid ounces.
The third, one drop in 104 pints.
The sixth, one drop in 206,000 hogsheads.
The ninth, one drop in a lake of alcohol, fifty fathoms deep, with
250 square miles of surface area.
The twelfth, one drop in a sea of the same depth, six times the size
of the Mediterranean.
The fifteenth, one drop in fourteen billion cubic miles of alcohol, an
ocean 46,000 times greater than all the oceans of the earth.
Digitized by ^ooQle
COMMENT AND CRITICISM.
113
The twenty-fourth, one drop in fourteen quintillion cubic miles of alco¬
hol, equal to 140 masses extending from limit to limit of the orbit of
Neptune.
The thirtieth dilution, Hahnemann’s “ favorite,” equals one drop in
fourteen septillion cubic miles of alcohol, a quantity equal to many hun¬
dred spheres, each with a semidiameter extending from the earth to the
nearest fixed star.
It seems to be giving undue publicity to such malicious drivel
to quote it, but ? unfortunately, it is believed by, possibly, the ma¬
jority of those to whom it is addressed, who retail it with extra
coloring, of course, to the laity. The article was brought to
my attention by the unquestionably best trained allopathic physi¬
cian in Dallas, and probably in Texas, a graduate of two European
and one Canadion Medical college and who nevertheless firmly
believed the assertions to be true, until I had labored with him.
I have been confined to my bed since October 30, as the result
of a serious operation, but I could not let such a libel on home¬
opathy go unchallenged. Accordingly I wrote the editor of The
Medical Age (a senile “age” apparently) as follows:
Frederick W. Mann, M. D.
Sir: In the interest of truth, which we all profess to seek, let
me protest against the statements contained in your article entitled
“ Transcendental Mathematics ” in the November issue of the
Medical Age .
The homeopath who wants to attenuate a drop of the tincture
of a drug to the thirtieth centesimal potency will get thirty vials,
containing one and a half teaspoonfuls, ninety-nine drops, of al¬
cohol in each. He then takes one drop of the tincture and adds
it to the contents of the first vial, for the first attenuation, or
potency, one drop of this is added to the contents of the second
vial for the second potency and so on to the thirtieth. Is this
“one drop in fourteen septillion cubic miles of alcohol?”
I have always noticed that such statements as are made in your
article come from the pens of men who have never studied their
subject, even for the purpose of intelligent abuse. They smack
of the same old bigotry that sought to encourage the burning of
innocent women by alleging that the latter claimed to be able to
fly round the moon or influence the Devil.
At a time when the American Medical Association is extending
Digitized by C^ooQLe
114
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
the olive branch to all legalized schools of medicine, your article
is peculiarly mischievous.
If you have the sense of justice a man of education should
have, you will publish this letter.
Dunham, 1902 . Vere V. Hunt, M. D.
Dr. Vere V. Hunt ,
Dallas, Texas.
Mv Dear Sir: Your communication of the 9th inst. is at hand. Thank
you for your explanation of the method of preparing attenuations. You
plainly follow the same method described in the article you criticize so
freely and by your own statement corroborate the truth of that article.
In your letter you do not state what becomes of the other 99 drops in
the vial of the first dilution. In the estimate furnished in the article pub¬
lished, we follow your method to the letter, except that we use enough
alcohol to make a menstruum for the original drop of tincture carried
through each dilution successively to the thirtieth. If you care to verify
the figures given, you will find that the result will be approximately “one
drop in fourteen septillion cubic miles of alcohol,” and allowing for any
error you may make in such a computation, we are quite willing to allow
an ocean or two of alcohol either way. F. W. Mann.
Comments: There are none so blind as those who will not see.
And when these blind editors become leaders of the blind, it be¬
comes both ludicrous and ridiculous. And this entire problem in
mathematics hinges on the small word “ if.” “ If ” the entire
menstruum were used ? Or as Dr. Mann puts it, “ what becomes
of the other ninety-nine drops in the vial of the first dilution ? ”
It may be kept as the first potency.
Let Hahnemann explain this complex problem:
• Thus two drops of the fresh vegetable juice (tincture) mingled with
equal parts of alcohol are diluted with 98 drops of alcohol and potentized
by means of two succussions, whereby the first development of power is
formed, and this process is repeated through twenty-nine more vials, each
of which is filled three-quarters full with ninety-nine drops of alcohol, and
each succeeding vial is to be provided with one drop from the preceding
vial, and in its turn twice shaken, and in the same manner at last the
thirtieth development of power (potentized decillionth dilution) which is
the one most generally used.
If the entire mentruum were used? If the moon were made
of green cheese? If Dr. Mann were honest enough to investigate
for himself instead of using worn-out statement of Simpson, of
Edinburgh, made fifty years ago and copied and used in their lec r
tures by Palmer in U. of M., Holmes in Harvard and Quine in
Digitized by C^ooQLe
COMMENT AND CRITICISM.
115
Chicago. Thirty one-dram vials contain all the alcohol necessary
to make the thirtieth potency instead of the “ fourteen septillion
cubic miles of alcohol,” of Dr. Mann’s fiction. Put Hahnemann’s
statement to the test and publish the failure in the Medical Age .
Ridicule has no place in science. Hundreds of allopaths
equally as learned, honest, scientific and skilful as Dr. Mann have
made the thirtieth potency, and more than that have put it to the
test both in private and hospital practice and have praised its
wonderful curative efficacy in acute and chronic disease after the
crude drug had failed completely.
Besides, many drugs which are wholly inert in their crude
form — Alumina, Carbo., Chalk, Graphite, Lycopodium, Salt,
Sepia, Silica, the metals, etc.,— become when potentized to the
thirtieth, active health deranging and health restoring agents.
Try them and publish the failures in the Medical Age .
But why should this question of dose be such a stumbling-
block? Dr. Mann and his readers meet it daily, for many mor¬
bific as well as medicinal agents derange health by olfaction. Con¬
tagious, infectious and malarial diseases — measles, pertussis, scar¬
latina, variola, varicella and perhaps diphtheria, hay fever, yellow
fever, etc., are received by olfaction. The effects of Amyl Nitrite,
Glonoin, Ipecac, Chloroform, Chlorin, Lead, Phosphorus, Ar¬
senic, Mercury, Rhus, Cactus, Melilotus, etc., are well known ex¬
amples where disease-producing agents act by olfaction, and by
olfaction they are equally curative. Many of these remedies too
are forceful examples of the effects of a single dose in causing
and curing disease. Try Glonoin on yourself, Dr. Mann, and pub¬
lish the result in the Medical Age .
Chronic Appendicitis: Curable and Incurable.
Associate Editor of The Medical Advance.
No less an authority in pathology and post-mortem anatomy
than the great Austin Flint believed that even so grave a suppura¬
tive disease as tubercular consumption could sometimes be cured,
even without the help of medicine, so that the sufferer would no
longer be in any danger of dying of it, though sadly marred and
Digitized by C.ooQLe
116
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
wanting inside. It certainly is not then absurd to suppose that the
same may be true of even appendicitis, with all its dangers, es¬
pecially when rightly chosen homeopathic remedies are added to
nature’s struggles, in a person of strong or at least very persistent
vitality.
And yet in an able and extremely thought-stirring article in
your January number, Dr. E. G. Freyermuth seems to ignore
these facts, or at least to imply, that the chances of cure and the
possibility of telling whether there has been a cure and of prevent¬
ing relapses, grave ones I mean, are so utterly incalculable that
the best way is to always operate after the first acute attack has
subsided and the patient is himself again.
But this point he has utterly failed to prove, though he has
thrown a flood of important light on the problem. Will you then
allow me to briefly analyze his argument ? for surely the problem
is one of most far reaching importance, for it involves the whole
problem of the true spheres of both homeopathy and surgery
AND HOW TO FIND THE DIVIDING LINE.
Evidently, Dr. Freyermuth means to be fair in the argument;
for he starts in with a case in his own practice and family which
he thought was cured, and yet got, nevertheless, a dangerous re¬
lapse. But when he comes to speak of Dr. Allen’s two cases, re¬
ported by Dr. Fisher in the Advance for September, 1903, he un¬
intentionally misrepresents the facts, and in the heat of honest
but too hasty argument does grave injustice to that noble veteran
of true homeopathy. For, if he will turn once more to Dr.
Fisher’s article, he will see that both the cases to which he refers
were cases in which there was very little hope of real cure; and
the whole point of Dr. Fisher’s article is to prove that even in
incurable cases, careful, searching homeopathic treatment greatly
lessens the dangers of a grave surgical operation. And yet these
two cases of unmistakable surgical appendicitis do clearly prove,
so far as proof is possible in such matters,, that there are some
cases of appendicitis in which it is wiser to call in the assistance
of that wonderful palliative, surgery.
But since the relapses are oftentimes so dangerous, Dr. Freyer¬
muth will doubtless claim that this admission in connection with
his own experience and the sad experiences of many others proves
Digitized by ^ooQle
COMMENT AND CRITICISM.
117
that the wisest way is to always operate in order to escape all
possibility of relapse. This again, it seems to me, he has not
proved; for it is possible for one who studies the deeper facts of
health and disease closely enough to tell beforehand in which
cases a serious relapse is apt to occur, and in which it is not likely
to occur at all. The dividing line seems to be this; if you have
studied your patient’s past and present life as well, and after using
the deepest, most searching chronic remedies which our materia
medica offers, and using them with the utmost care, you still find
that there is in his life an element of incurable, chronic discord,
then you should most assuredly advise that appendicitic patient to
commit himself to the surgeon’s care, for a relapse is almost sure
to come, and it is almost sure to be a serious one. In cases like
these, surgery is doubtless a most potent, and legitimate, and wel¬
come palliative; for it does not cure any more than our medicines
do in a case like that. But it simply proves that there are some
people whose chronic disorders and discords are so inveterate,
organic and deepseated that there is at present no cure for them,
even in homeopathy. This certainly is not a startling discovery,
although it does seem to be one of which some enthusiastic homeo¬
paths have utterly lost sight, fancying that anything and every¬
thing under the sun can be cured by our magic globules.
But now let us turn for a moment to Dr. Freyermuth’s own
case; for here the patient does not seem to have had any of those
obstinately, malignantly organic disorders which were evidently
present in the other two cases. Why then, did he fail ? Of course,
I do not wish to dogmatize, and yet it seems to me, judging by his
frank confession, that the reason was his own mistaken choice of
remedies. The very fact that he did not choose a single one of our
deeper chronics, like Sulphur, Psorinum, Calcarea, and Silica
and others equally potent, when well indicated , is to my mind
proof positive that in spite of his evident ability, he had through
an oversight failed to study deeply and minutely enough the
details of his patient's whole past life . Had he but studied these,
I, for one. feel sure that he would not have placed his main re¬
liance on China, as he did, simply using other remedies as occa¬
sional inter-currents ; for though China is a most potent remedy in
facing certain acute conditions sometimes due to a chronic dis-
Digitized by CjOOQle
118
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
ease and sometimes not, it is not, so far as I am able to learn, a
medicine that is at all likely to meet and remedy the deeper, slower
and more dangerous disorders of which appendicitis is but one
symptom.
How happens it then that the lady in question seemed to im¬
prove so wonderfully under China, so that the doctor himself and
all her friends were apparently enthusiastic over the completeness
of Her cure ? Ah! there is to me one of the most deeply interesting
and terrifically important lessons of Dr. Freyermuth's paper which
is this; that it is possible for us to use our homeopathic remedies
in a way which will simply cover up and put wholly out of sight,
for a While, the patient's real disease, without in the least lessen¬
ing its more vital dangers. We are wont to speak in terms of
keen disapproval of the palliatives which our good friends the allo¬
paths are wont to use. But, it seems to me that we too often for¬
get that our own treatment is at times simply palliative and self-
deceptive, instead of being really curative. That lady's pale face
doubtless looked healthier; that lady's step was doubtless quicker;
her heart more cheery; her eye more bright; but I do not believe
that the good doctor’s medicine had really touched her deeper ills
as potently as it might have done had he prescribed differently.
And yet, he evidently believes heartily in giving what we s6
vaguely call “ similimums.” If, then, in spite of such careful treat¬
ment as his, a grave relapse occurs in a case so apparently healthy
in its general outlines, of what earthly use is our similimum ?
I have already admitted that there are cases of grave chronic
discord so deep that a similimum is of use only as a palliative,
even as Dr. Allen so patiently prepared his Paris patient for the
surgeon's knife and the days and weeks and years of suffering
that doubtless lie before her still. He was not dreaming of a cure
in a case like that, however fondly he may have hoped at times
that cure would come. But in Dr. Freyermuth’s case, and in
thousands of others in our daily practice, the situation is wholly
different and our mistake is this; we forget that there are two
kinds of similimums, one medicine may be a true similimum to a
small group of symptoms which have developed within the last
two or three months, but not be at all the true similimum to your
patients life-long, hereditary, inborn, constitutional defects.
Digitized by C^ooQLe
COMMENT AND CRITICISM.
119
These two are wholly different. I have not gone wild on constitu¬
tional treatment; I do not claim that we would ignore the symp¬
toms which our patient has had within the last few weeks in our
blind zeal to give him some deep-acting, anti-psoric remedy; but
T do claim that if we make a sufficiently minute and searching
study of the past life we are sure to find that there is in the
circle of our materia medica some deep-acting remedy, one of a
small group of remedies to which that life history points, and is
at the same time thoroughly similar (70, 80 or 90 per cent similar)
to the patient’s recent symptoms. It is one of the commonplaces
of medicine that when a group of symptoms are rather vague and
sometimes, even in more serious cases, it is possible to get what
seems to be a cure with any one of several remedies which are
similar to the vague, unfinished and faulty symptom picture which
we have copied from our patient’s life, ignoring its deeper, for the
time unseen, elements. But such medicines though truly similar
to this small group of symptoms are never truly similar to the
deeper needs of our patient and do not cure his deeper ills. The
medicine given is a true similimum to our incomplete life-picture
on paper, but is not a true similimum to the real bent and build
and temperament and life of our patient.
If Dr. Freyermuth’s earnest plea for surgical operation in ap¬
pendicitis cases teaches us to frankly admit that there are certain
clearly recognizable cases in which we need the surgeon’s help and
should not wait until our patient is gravely sick before asking it,
it will have done us a great kindness. But the deepest lesson of
his paper, is one which he did not mean to teach, namely: that
in cases where cure is possible and probable there is no real safety
but only a most dangerous “ quiescence of disease ”— only that,
and nothing more — when we prescribe hastily or superficially
with similar acute remedies instead of chronic and without a most
searching comparison of the patient’s whole past life in all its
many-sidedness. If we are not willing to prescribe thus search-
ingly in an appendicitis case after the first acute attack is past, or
if perchance we do not know how to do it as yet, then we certainly
ought to recommend the surgeon’s help; for as Dr. Freyermuth
has well said, a surgical operation is by all odds the less dangerous
of the two alternatives, and is far more likely to save our patient’s
life.
Digitized by CjOOQle
120
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
But fortunately, the number of men who are willing to patiently
study the past life of their sick friends and clients is steadily in¬
creasing, and slowly but surely we are becoming a little more skil¬
ful in really finding the remedies best suited to the deeper needs
of the men and women whom we try to help. As the number of
such really skilful whole-life prescribes increases, the necessity
for surgical interference in appendicitis will slowly grow less,
though there will still be some hopelessly discordant cases in which
it will be our safest recourse. But in a fairly healthy life, one that
has been blessed and helped soon enough with the wonderful
remedies which God has given us, death does not come as a terri¬
ble explosion of some terrible disease, but rather as a simple, grad¬
ual wearing-out and laying down of burdens one by one. And
when a person who has orce had appendicitis is sufficiently healthy
to live and work and die in this way, the danger of a grave relapse
is probably not great. The disease in its buried, unseen, but al¬
most harmless hidden form will still be there. The deformed ap¬
pendix will never do its work, whatever that work may be, quite
as well as it should have done, but it will not be a source of dis¬
cord or of danger, but only a slight chronic defect.
Comments: W. H. Wheeler.
Dr. Allen’s case was not under continuous homeopathic treat¬
ment, for during a tour in Europe she became ill and was sub¬
ject for months,to the drug and palliative treatment of allopathy.
In Dr. Freyermuth’s case, the patient never received the deep act¬
ing antipsoric which corresponded with “ the patient’s whole past
life.” China was not and could not have been the similimum for
“ the deeper needs ” of the patient, and could not prevent a re¬
lapsing tendency of chronic appendicitis. These relapsing cases
are psoric, sycotic or tubercular and the similimum must embrace
the basic element of the constitutional diathesis.— ed.
The So-called Homeopathic College.
Editor Medical Advance. Kansas City, Mo., Jan., 1904.
I have read your editorial in the December Advance about
founding foreign homeopathic colleges, but I do not see what you
hope to accomplish in foreign countries when our cause is being
betrayed in this, our stronghold.
Digitized by ^ooQle
COMMENT AND CRITICISM.
121
There is one college, advertised as homeopathic, to which I sent
a student last fall; when some weeks later he wrote me that he
had registered at an allopathic institution, because he had found
that the faculty of this so-called homeopathic college “ had turned
allopaths.”
In looking up the matter for myself I find that my student is
about right. The professor of diseases of women has one son,
registered as a regular, a graduate of a regular college. The pro¬
fessor of obstetrics has two sons, both regulars. The professor
of diseases of children has a son, a regular. The professor of
surgery has a son, a regular. One of the trustees, and a member
of the faculty, is a regular. Several members of the faculty have
recently resigned and are now registered as regulars. Another
member of this faculty published a book and did not dare put on
the title page the fact that he is connected with a homeopathic
college.
I have investigated these facts and I give them to you for what
they are worth. Do you blame my student for going to an allo¬
pathic school that seems to be so popular with the professors to
whom I recommended him? The so-called homeopathic (?) col¬
lege is east of the Mississippi River. Do you dare publish these
facts. J. S. Hemenway.
Comments:
Yes, we dare publish any facts that are in the interest of the
homeopathic profession and for the welfare, present and future,
of homeopathy. Now if Dr. Hemenway will “ dare ” give us the
name of “the so-called homeopathic college ” and thus protect
the innocent student, which as preceptor he is in honor bound to
do, we will also give the college and the members of the faculty
a little free advertising.— ed.
/
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
The Practical Care of the Baby. By Theron Wendell Kilmer,
M. D., Associate Professor of Diseases of Children in the New
York School of Clinical Medicine: Assistant Physician to the
Out-Patient Department of the Babies’ Hospital, New York;
Digitized by VL.ooQle
122
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Attending Physician to the Children’s Department of the West
Side German Dispensary, New York. i2mo; pages xiv-158,
with 68 illustrations; extra cloth, $1.00, net, delivered; Philadel¬
phia, F. A. Davis Company, 1914-1916, Cherry St., Publishers.
The aim and object of this book is very tersely set forth
in the preface:
How easy it is for an experienced nurse to say, “The infant’s napkins
should be changed as soon as they become damp,” never once thinking
of the necessity of explaining to the young mother how to change them.
Fancy a book on “ Emergencies ” to read; “ When one finds himself sud¬
denly thrown into the water he should swim.” It sounds easy.
This gives the key to the work and accounts for the numerous
illustrations. He not only tells the reader how to “ care for the
baby.” but he shows how, by an excellent illustration, and these il¬
lustrations extend to the minute details, even the “ correct ” and
“ incorrect ’ method of placing the nipple on the nursing bottle.
“ If anything is worth doing, it is worth doing well,” appears to be
the motto of the author, and this thoroughness is found on every
page. Here the reader will find “ a correct way to lift a baby,”
from which he may infer there is an incorrect way. But read it
and find how much you have forgotten.
Care of the Expectant Mother during Pregnancy and
Childbirth and Care of the Child from Birth until
Puberty. By W. L. Howe, M. D., 12 mo, 65 pages, Philadel¬
phia; F. A. Davis, Company. 1903.
This pocket manual is intended for nurse and expectant mother,
to furnish common-sense rules for their guidance during preg¬
nancy and the care of mother and child after birth, and the care
of the child until puberty. It simply gives the normal conditions
and causes of illness which may be avoided by care in diet, cloth¬
ing, sleep, exercise, bathing, when to consult the doctor, etc., etc.,
How to fix the time of labor is an example of its practical value:
Take the last day of menses, subtract three months from that date
and add seven days. It would be well if every nurse carried a
copy of this practical hand-book in her pocket.
Example:
Last day of menses, January 2nd.
Less three months, equals October 2nd.
Add seven days, .equals October 9th.
Digitized by ^ooQle
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
123
A Manual of Obstetrics, iiii pages and 1221 illustrations,
by J. Gifton Edgar, M. D. Published by P. Blakiston, Son &
Company, Philadelphia. 1903.
An unusually practical work; far better than is usually compiled
by any member of the irregular (allopathic) school. The author’s
style is easy, plain and teachable; and the work gives an exhaust¬
ive diagnosis, relating to family history and medico-legal reports.
With H. N. Guernsey’s work on obstetrics to accompany it, to
teach the true physiology, how to aid nature to correct abnormal¬
ities according to a law of cure, it should be bought by every sin¬
cere, up-to-date practitioner. He covers all subjects except ad¬
vanced therapeutics.
Pages 17 to 20: Ovulation and cause, more or less correct, and
impregnation very cleverly shown.
Page 18: External and internal migration of ovum not clearly
proved.
Page 38: Straps to hold corset up should be added because it is
right.
Pages 43 to 85: Embryology is hardly necessary, but it is there
to study, and may help a true M. D. to keep from committing
abortion.
Pages 86 to 90: Determination of sex is not proved.
Page 118: Does not recognize that nausea can be produced by
a contracted cervix.
Pages 144, 145: Difference between twins, triplets, quadrupli¬
cate births, and multiple births not as clear as might be.
Page 132: Examination and cleanliness of patients is excellent,
but there, and all through, is the tendency to the fad of asepsis,
and makes exposure more than is necessary.
Pago* 160 to 173: External palpation and pelvimetry is well
illustrated.
Pages 173 to 190: Internal pelvimetry, pelvigraphy, cliseometry
and cephalometry also, well illustrated.
Pages 191 to 196: Hygiene and management of pregnancy is
fair, outside of the suggestions for drug forcings and douches,
instead of remedial helps, that a truly educated regular (Hahne¬
mann homeopathist) can do.
Digitized by ^ooQle
124
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Part 3: Pathological pregnancy; anomalies of decidua; amnion;
placenta; cord, ante-natal pathology in general.
Pages 284 to 305: Ante-natal diseases of fetus and death of
fetus; there is where a regular homeopathic physician could give
correct aid.
Pages 306 to 322: Diseases of genitalia and displacements, and
abnormal conditions, that interfere with normal pregnancy.
Pages 323 to 364: Diseases of other parts; urinary, alimentary,
circulatory, respiratory and nervous systems.
Pages 363 to 370: Diseases of infection; skin and osseous parts.
Pages 371 to 387: Abortion and miscarriage.
Pages 388 to 401: Ectopic and abnormal gestation.
Pages 402 to 404: Metrorraghia during pregnancy; that a true
regular physician can relieve scientifically.
Pages 407 to 503: Physiological labor very well described and
illustrated.
Page 475: He uses a very apt expression: “ The passages, the
passenger, and the forces.”
Page 508: He recognizes a portion of truth, that vaginal secre¬
tions are aseptic of themselves, and when all physicians recognize
such truths, and live truths, there will be less call for fads.
Pages 499 to 533: Management of labor is quite plain; but cov¬
ers an excess of manipulations, even to giving expression to his
theoretical fads again as on pages 153 and 313, on vaginal ex¬
aminations; when it is the necessity that calls' for examination,
not theories that occur in hospitals, and may be demanded in some
wealthy families. To read Guernsey afterward, upon same sub¬
jects, shows finer distinctions and less exposure.
Page 531: His suggestion to use ergot is wrong, and all stu¬
dents (and that includes every practitioner) should study Guern¬
sey’s suggestions, which are scientific and true! Same about use
of nitrate of silver to the infant’s eyes.
Page 532: Post-partum douche is also wrong, and abdominal
binder much worse.
Pages 535 to 706: Pathological labor; description and mechan¬
ical suggestions are good, but study Guernsey’s book and know
how to aid nature by nature’s law of cure. Every possible path¬
ological condition is considered and well described.
Digitized by ^ooQle
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
125
Pages 707 to 805: The puerperium, normal and pathological, is
much better than is generally given, and Guernsey’s therapeutic
hints will here come in as invaluable aids. His suggestion of an
abdominal binder is not rational or scientific. The pelvic binder
and perineal support might be useful in some cases.
Page 780: He is afraid of his own therapeutics, and says, “ He
relies upon hydrotherapy.” The surgical treatment cited is still
worse. His suggestion as to treatment of diseased conditions of
the mammae are crude and common, in comparison to that of the
regular school practice. The use of the knife into a woman’s
breast is absolutely irrational, when there is a much better treat¬
ment. Treatment of blood (?), nervous and skin troubles, is also
very unscientific.
Pages 807 to 823: Care of the new bom physiologically, is fairly
treated and illustrated.
Pages 825 to 844: Pathology of new bom; description is good
but treatment horrible and crude. Intra-partum affections are
well described. Treatment of ophthalmia neonatorium is crude.
Chapter V on bacteria and fungi will be out of fashion in ten
or fifteen years.
Pages 887 to 1056: Obstetric surgery. Knowledge of Guernsey’s
therapeutic hints will obviate the need of saline injections and most
of the surgery. Nearly all positions, including Wacher’s, are well
illustrated. The use of instruments well illustrated and described.
Irrigation might be synonomous with irritation. Yet it is a fine
book, well-printed and bound, unusually well proof read; well
worth the cost, but don’t forget to add Guernsey’s work after you
have read this, if you are an honest man and practitioner.
El Paso, Texas. January, 1904. John F. Edgar.
The Pathogenic Microbes. By M. Le Dr. P. Jousset, Physician
to the Hospital St. Jacques, Paris. Authorized translation by
Horace P. Holmes, M. D. 192 pages. Cloth, $1.00. Postage,
8 cents. Philadelphia: Boericke & Tafel, 1903.
The profession is indebted to Dr. Horace P. Holmes for an
admirable translation of the latest work of this talented author,
and every one may read it with profit irrespective of the school
of practice with which he is affiliated. The pathogenic microbe
Digitized by ^ooQle
'126
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
here is demonstrated as being present in a latent state in the
mouth* or digestive tract of many persons in apparent health.
The pneumococcus exists in the mouths of most people, even in
those who have never had pneumonia. Eberth's bacillus exists in
the intestine of man in a latent state, even for years. Koch's bacil¬
lus, after many years, has been found in the walls of cicatrized
cavities in people cured of phthisis at Davos. Hence he concludes,
“ the pathogenic bacillus may exist in the latent state in the organ¬
ism, wholly conserving its virulence."
In his “ Resume," page 175 the author says: “ We have dem¬
onstrated that the faculty of producing a morbid state, which is
called the pathogenic function, the virulence, was in the microbes
an accidental state and not a necessary character. That the pneu¬
mococcus and the streptococcus in the mouth and throat, Koch's
bacillus in the lymphatic glands, and the bacillus coli, the typhoid
bacillus and the cholera bacillus may exist in the intestine without
any virulence."
“ Antitoxin, or rather the immunizing and therapeutic serums,
are always new products, resulting from the work of the living
cell upon the microbe or upon its toxin."
On all that pertains to the pathogenic microbe, this to the busy
man, is a veritable gold mine in a condensation that is admirable.
It should be in every homeopathic library.
Surgical Asepsis. Especially Adapted to Operations in
the Home of the Patient. By Henry R Palmer, M. D.,
Consulting Surgeon to the Central Maine General Hospital,
Lewiston, Me. Illustrated with 80 engravings, four of them
full-page half-tone plates. Over 200 pages. Large i2mo.
Price, $1.25, net. F. A. Davis Co., Philadelphia. 1903.
This work is well illustrated and aims to demonstrate practi¬
cally how to convert a home into an operating room, in which sur¬
gical work can be safely performed. This is often both desirable
and imperative, and if the home be a good one and the same
surgical skill and nursing can be obtained the home treatment
offers many advantages over the hospital in the care of surgical
cases. The fact that the patient is among his friends and sur¬
rounded by home comforts and under the care of his family
Digitized by C^ooQLe
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
127
physician, especially during a tardy convalescence, removes a
source of anxiety and hastens recovery. Aseptic wound treat¬
ment, pathogenic bacteria, sources of infection and the application
o# the means of sterilization, etc., are well treated in special chap¬
ters and both surgeon and physician will find here many a prac¬
tical and valuable hint.
Model Cures.
Kali Carbonicum : Irascible, passionate, irritable; peevish,
frets and worries about everything; in constant antagonistic
moods; the week before menses has to restrain herself, else she
would injure her sister whom she dearly loves. Labor pains in
the occiput instead of the uterus.
Arsenicum : A young man has cramp-like pain in the chest;
comes in stormy, cloudy weather; when walking fast; from warm,
tight clothing; change of temperature and violent laughing; has
to stand still when walking against the wind. Oppression of the
chest,' anxiety, alternately cold and hot; raises white slimy mucus,
which relieves; coming into a warm room makes him worse.
Sepia: A lady, aged 49, stout and fleshy, had catarrh every
winter with violent coughing. After being in a draft, the cough
was tormenting and dry; she had to sit straight up day and night,
with horrible anxiety about the rattling in chest, with soreness
as if raw in the chest; fears she will suffocate. Sepia 3d pro¬
duced an aggravation, great orgasm of the chest, sensation as if
the throat was being laced; when a slight expectoration com-
anenced and all her symptoms disappeared.
Badaigo: Since a nervous attack five months ago, a kind of
insanity with ecstacy and despair of salvation; his heart troubles
him. Any exciting or elating thought causes palpitation more
than emotions. Indescribable bad feelings about and below his
heart with soreness and pains, flying stitches all over.
Spongia: In rheumatic endocarditis valvular insufficiency; at¬
tacks of severe oppression and pain in the region of the heart; all
the symptoms are aggravated by lying with the head low or an
inability to lie down at all.
Digitized by ^ooQle
128
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Lachesis: A French milliner had a jealous quarrel with her
lover. With the words: “ Oh, my heart! ” putting both her
hands to it she fell down and was nearly twenty-four hours in an
asphyctic state; no pulse could be felt, breathing was hardly per¬
ceptible ; was laid out on her back. Lachesis 30 was followed in
a few minutes by a light sighing, turning on her side and recovery.
NEWS NOTES AND ITEMS.
Dr. S. E. Chapman, Watsonville, Cal., has just received a pat¬
ent on an “ Individual Ventilator.” It is so named because each
person in a public audience takes just the quantity he wishes of
fresh air without, in the least, interfering with his neighbor. It
is applicable for theater, hospital, church, school, sleeping or living
room, day or sleeping cars, berths of ships, etc. Not only the
quantity but quality and temperature of air is under perfect con¬
trol. Experts have pronounced it “ the only system of ventilation
worth anything.” An admirable prophylaxis of tuberculosis, and
no hospital can afford to be without it. Let us see it at work at
St. Louis exposition this summer.
The Illinois State Board of Health and the Texas Homeo¬
pathic State Board are acting on the reciprocity basis for license,
Dr. Vere V. Hunt, of Dallas, being the first Texas physician to
secure the Illinois license. Texas has three medical boards, the
allopathic, homeopathic and eclectic and the homeopathic is the
first to get into line.
Dr. James Searson who recently paid us a friendly visit as
the traveling scholar of the British Homeopathic Association to
see “ how we do it in America,” removes from 27 Harley Street
to 86 Wimpole Street, W., the location formerly occupied by the
late Dr. Compton Burnett.
In future his practice will be confined solely to London. We pre¬
dict for Dr. Searson a successful career, especially if he follows
the footsteps of his predecessor in his strict individualization and
the use of the single dynamic remedy.
Digitized by ^ooQle
The Medical Advance
.. AND ..
Journal of Homeopathics
Vol. XLII. Chicago, March, 1904 . No. 3 .
Dietetic Considerations.
DR. J. B. S. KING, CHICAGO.
The composition of various foods, their chemical constituents
and proximate principles, is a very important and useful, though
somewhat neglected branch of medical knowledge.
Depending largely upon very general ideas about food, not
infrequently upon personal prejudices, and sometimes upon
pseudo-scientific advertisements, physicians may recommend very
inappropriate articles of food for their various cases. Cock sure
statements about diet made in a newspaper corner or advertisement
is apt to be adopted by the uninformed reader and forthwith be¬
comes part of a mass of confused and conflicting notions, which
make up his dietary ideas, and which he inflicts at intervals upon
his friends for the rest of his natural career.
One considerable grievance, resulting from the inattention of
the profession, to dietary matters, is the infliction upon the public,
by the aid of physicians of a host of proprietary foods. Dishes
for the sick, the delicate and the young, that should be properly
made at home, the preparation of which should be part of the
knowledge of every housekeeper, are made by commercial firms,
and by means of insistent flamboyant advertisements, forced upon
the notice and into the use of the public.
Vast fortunes are being made in this way out of the ignorance
of the public and the complacency of the doctors. Foods, as
good for the sick and as nourishing for the infant as these vaunted
Digitized by LjOOQle
130
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
proprietary articles, may be prepared in the home at a saving of
from one hundred to three hundred per cent in the cost.
Milk. — Notwithstanding the frequent mention made of milk
in the dietetics of disease, its advantages and disadvantages do
not seem to be well understood, if the general tenor of discus¬
sion in medical societies may be taken as a guide. It is some¬
times indiscriminately recommended and at other times indis¬
criminately condemned, and both positions are generally based
upon particular experiences, rather than upon rational grounds.
Milk has long been exploited as a perfect food, because it is fur¬
nished as a complete nutriment by nature and because by analysis
it is shown to contain all the elements and compounds needed in
nutrition.
A due reverence for the wisdom of nature and her processes
would lead us to affirm that milk is a perfect food for the infant.
But because it is especially adapted to the infant, it does not
follow that it is a perfect food for adults. It does contain all
the elements necessary for the growth of an infant, but these
elements are not in the proper proportion for the maintenance
of the bodily integrity of the adult.
In the first place it is too bulky for an ideal food. An average¬
sized man, performing moderate work, would have to consume
about eight and a half to nine pints in order to get sufficient car¬
bon for his needs. This would load the body with a considerable
surplus of water. The amount of nitrogen would also be con¬
siderably in excess of his needs, and to eliminate both of these
excesses would require an extra amount of work for the kidneys.
This makes an exclusive milk diet particularly inappropriate in
acute or sub-acute inflammations of the kidneys, when the kid¬
neys should have as little to do as possible.
The large amount of citric acid in milk is often overlooked.
The daily yield of milk from an ordinary cow probably contains
as much citric acid as three lemons. As it is combined with lime
in a neutral salt, the acidity does not appear. The gritty sediment
in condensed milk consists chiefly of this salt. Both pasteuriza¬
tion and sterilization tend to throw this salt out of solution, and
this may have something to do with the marasmus and rickets
that has been noticed in babies fed upon such milk. It is far
Digitized by ^ooQle
dietetic considerations. 131
better to keep a baby strong and thus able to resist morbific germs
than to weaken it in the endeavor to avoid them.
Milk is more completely and more rapidly absorbed in infants
than in adults for the reason that the need of the infantile system
for lime and minerals causes the salts to be absorbed eagerly and
thus prevents the formation of more difficult lime soaps.
On the other hand milk when taken as an exclusive diet by an
adult is worse absorbed than any other animal food and a con¬
siderable per cent of the proteid is wasted. This must be due
to the excessive amount of water and proteid consumed in con¬
junction with that diet, for both the proteid of milk and the fat
of milk, considered in themselves, are among the most readily
digested members of their respective classes.
Milk is very deficient in iron, and an exclusive milk diet in
adults tends to produce chlorosis. It takes all of the eight pints
to furnish the daily need of an adult in iron.
It would be a great boon to diabetics suffering as they do from
a restricted and monotonous diet, if they could drink some milk.
With a little trouble, milk may be so prepared as to give agreeable
variety and valuable nutriment to such patients, without in the
least increasing the sugar in the urine.
The proteid, with a fair proportion of the fat, may be precipi¬
tated from a quart of milk by two drams of lactic or three
drams of acetic acid. This should be strained off and well washed
with water. This precipitated casein, on being mixed in one
quart of a proper proportion of cream, gelatin and water, sweet¬
ened with saccharin and made slightly alkaline with caustic pot¬
ash, makes an agreeable fluid scarcely distinguishable from or¬
dinary milk in taste or effect, but free from any milk sugar.
Cereals. — The cereal business has been taken hold of by large
firms and trusts formed, for the most part, in disregard of the
law, for the purpose of making money. Cunning misrepresenta¬
tions, false scientific statements and virtuous devotion to pure
food and a false education of newspaper readers to the admira¬
tion for and use of those trust preparations are the principles
and plans of that dishonest business scheme.
Such tactics have succeeded in placing the Quaker Oats so
Digitized by ^ooQle
132
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
firmly in demand that every other form of rolled oats has been
practically driven out of the market.
The retail price is ten cents for two pounds, minus the weight
of the carton. The same weight of rolled oats of exactly the same
quality, absolutely as good in every respect, can be bought at
retail for five cents. In other words of every thousand dollars
paid by the public for Quaker Oats, five hundred dollars is an
overcharge, which goes as profit to the bank account of the trust.
The public thought and attention being so largely formed and
directed by advertisements, the few cereals upon which the trust
desires to make money are used to the almost complete exclusion
of other desirable products.
Barley, the most ancient grain, and a most valuable and eco¬
nomical food, has dropped into the abyss of oblivion as far as
domestic use is concerned, chiefly owing to the picture of a coarse,
disgusting-looking Quaker which covers fences and walls all over
the land.
Barley is fairly rich in minerals and fat, nearly equals wheat
or oats in nitrogen, and stands better than oats in carbohydrates.
It is easily digested, easily cooked, agreeable and characteristic in
flavor, and economical in price. It never irritates the skin as
does oats. Why, then, has it given way to Quaker Oats at twice
the price? (Quaker Oats, five and one eighth cents a pound; bar¬
ley, three cents.) Simply because the gentlemen interested in
selling cereals at a fancy price to the dear public, being shrewd
in business and greedy for money, determined of their own good
pleasure, that oats is what the dear public should use. Then ap¬
peared that gross-looking Quaker in flamboyant colors and the
waste fences and dead walls blossomed like a purple cabbage,
with odious pictures.
There is no denying that oats is a very nutritious grain far richer
in fat and nitrogen than wheat: therefore use rolled oats as much
as you like, but buy it in bulk at three- quarters or one-half the
price of the Quaker brand.
Turnips are of low nutritive value, but their flavor is much
liked by a great many people and they are rich in minerals. As
they contain neither starch nor sugar, they offer a valuable relief
to the monotonous diet of the diabetic.
Digitized by
Google
HOW TO BECOME A HOMEOPATH.
133
Cottage cheese made from fresh milk is high in nitrogen and
free from carbohydrates. Eaten with cream it is digestible, grate¬
ful and strengthening. It is made by adding 12 cc Acetic acid
to one quart of milk heated to 90° F., straining the cheese from
the whey, washing in plenty of water, and salting to taste.
Radishes are a very ancient food, and form an excellent relish.
They are rich in sulphur and lime.
Gum Arabic, although so mild and demulcent in taste, is ex¬
tremely rich in lime and forms an excellent non-irritating food for
babies during teething.
The subject of diet has not been studied yet in the homeopathic
way. There has been too much generalizing and too many theories
based on chemical analysis, with too little close observation. The
whole subject needs a thorough going over, from a scientific
homeopathic standpoint.
How to Become a Homeopath.
EMIL KOBER, M. D., NEW YORK.
From the first stage of a subscriber to your valuable paper,
I wish to advance to the second degree of an inscriber in the hope
to be of some benefit to those who intend to travel the thorny path
from allopathic darkness to the light of homeopathy; for those
that are willing to tear down the house built upon quicksand and
to rebuild upon the rock, that never shifts, upon the eternal law,
“ Similia Similibus. ,,
Why did I go in search of light regarding the art of healing
the sick ? Simply because I am one of those peculiarly constituted
fellows that constantly ask:
Why, why shall Potassium acetate, a renal irritant, be able to
relieve an already irritated kidney?
Why shall a bronchial irritant cure bronchitis?
Why shall Phenacetine cure a headache by its sedative action?
Why does every one of my fellow practitioners have his favorite
remedies and these only as long as one wears a suit?
Digitized by C^ooQLe
134
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Thus I asked and no satisfactory answer could I find by any
process of reasoning. Prejudice I never knew, then is my back¬
bone so constructed as to bend easily and arch in graceful curves
before the so-called grand authorities " The Story of My Life ”
is my witness:
First, a student in a German gymnasium, and a German Uni¬
versity than tabulirasa or a clean sweep and dash for liberty,
two years on a farm near Chicago, back to the academic fold,
three years* study in New York, four years of allopathic practice,
three years of homeopathic study, while at the same time en¬
gaged in active practice, these facts I think will amply bear out
my contention of being independent of prejudice and authority,
which is not real but assumed. On the other side I humbly bow
to the laws of nature, to the facts borne out by results, the laws
of psychology and science in general.
I took up homeopathy because I knew it was based on a “ law ”
and if I can save some of my readers a part of the weary jour¬
ney which I have traveled and incidentally time and money, I
am amply repaid for my work.
If you contemplate to become a homeopath, you must be willing
to work hard and give every day of your life a few hours to the
study of your cases and of the materia medica. Unless you study
both you will never be successful. I gave about three hours daily
to this work and never went out without a book to read while
I was riding in cars.
Next comes the great question, What shall I study? For a
beginner especially from the allopathic school, I would not ad¬
vise Hahnemann’s “ Organon ” for the same reason for which
you do not give meat to a baby, but milk. A beginner shall begin
with R. G. Miller’s “ Synopsis of Homeopathic Philosophy.”
Journal of Homeopathics, Aug., 1900 and I believe also published
in pamphlet form. After the careful perusal of this most ex¬
cellent synopsis he may begin the study of materia medica with
Nash’s “ Leaders ” the best work ever published in the line of con¬
centrated works. Let every beginner, every advanced homeopath¬
ist read this work till he knows it by heart, every symptom and
symptom combination is pure gold. After he has mastered this
work and by its aid cured some cases he will find many that
Digitized by CjOOQle
HOW TO BECOME A HOMEOPATH.
135
can be cured by only knowing Nash's work, then let him take
up Farrington's “ Clinical Materia Medica ” a mine of symptoms,
comparisons and therapeutic hints. Miller, Nash and Farring¬
ton will take up a year or two to be mastered and by that time
the mind will be ripe for deeper work and Hahnemann's “ Or¬
ganon " may be read and digested without trouble or misunder¬
standing.
Next I would advise a perusal of H. C. Allen’s “ Keynotes.”
Hughes' “ Pharmacodynamics " are for the man firm in the saddle
or he may be misled to a too narrow conception of our grand
remedies or an erroneous idea as to the dose.
After these studies you will know your materia medica pretty
well but never forget: Reptilio est mater studiorum. If you are
able to do it, take up next the introductions to each remedy in
J. H. Clarke, the introductory remarks in Hahnemann's “ Materia
Medica Pura ” and “ Chronic Diseases " and later pass on to a
study of Hering's “ Guiding Symptoms."
The repertories I would recommend are: Knerr's “ Repertory
to Guiding Symptoms," difficult to use but invaluable, Kent's
“ Repertory," very full, easy of access after you have learned its
method. Last but not least, Bonninghausen's immortal repertory,
my dearest friend and steady companion on my daily rounds, be¬
cause I am not ashamed to use a book at the bedside if necessary.
“ Allen's Encyclopedia" is almost indispensable for reference;
neither would I like to be without Hahnemann's works and Jahr's
“ Symptomen Codex."
There are many other works, lesser lights as I may call them,
it will be good for any physician to have those books especially
monographs as Minton's “ Uterine Therapeutics," H. C. Allen's
“ Fevers," etc.; then a few good journals and we are well fitted
for the work as far as externals go and if we have well perused
the works mentioned above, the inner man then ought also to be
well trained. But still we must always be on the guard not to lend
our ears to false prophets or seek the easy road. “ Keynotes " are
well and good, but not to prescribe on; never prescribe on a key¬
note or a single symptom, it is a deadly snare; always take down
your materia medica or use your Bonninghausen and look up
several symptoms and make thus sure of your choice.
Digitized by ^ooQle
136
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Beware of habits formed by the frequent use of a drug; sup¬
puration most often points to Hepar, Mercury or Silica, but not
always. Rhus, Ammonium carb. and others often are the simili-
mum in their stead.
Causation is another snare. Injury — Arnica is the usual idea
association but any other drug might be the similimum as well
as Arnica. Put causation “ way down at the end of your list”
and use it last.
Start all your prescriptions on Bonninghausen’s four points:
location, sensation, aggravation and amelioration and con¬
comitants and then prove it by its fitness to particular and if pos¬
sible peculiar symptoms. I hope I have given at least a few points
of value to the reader and beg to be pardoned for positive manner.
I have worked according to the system above and it has given me
satisfaction. My motto has become “ Symptoms from the first
to the last.” I try never to look at the disease. If I have a
suppurating ulcer, I overlook that until last and seek for all other
symptoms, past or present first before I take the symptoms of the
ulcer as burning, stinging, sensitive and what not; generally I
have found the remedy on the other symptoms and when I look
over its symptoms in regard to the ulcer it is only to find that
it fits and fit is does, nine times out of ten.
Let me conclude with the request of an answer from some other
quarter.
The Evolution of a Hahnemannian with Illustrative
Cases.
DR. E. J. BEARDSLEY, DECATUR, IND.
I suppose that most high potency prescribes were once low
potency prescribes. The reason and the method of the transition
has always been to me a very interesting story. I wish in this
article to tell my own story and to give some cases which I believe
will be of interest.
When I was in college I heard no lectures on the Organon,
the philosophy of homeopathy and so far as I remember we had
no high potency prescribes. In the clinics it was diagnosis and
Digitized by C.ooQle
THE EVOLUTION OF A HAHNEMANNIAN.
137
•e-, ix, 2x and 3X, and I remember distinctly that once at the
opening of the college, Dr. H. C. Allen was present by invitation
and delivered an address. In that address he pictured a Bella¬
donna case of scarlet fever and said if I find these symptoms pres¬
ent I give one dose of Belladonna 200 and expect with great
certainty to find the patient better at my next visit. At the close
of the lecture I heard one of the faculty, who at that time was
my ideal of a professor say things that would not look well in
print. So Dr. Allen with his 200th did not stand well in my esti¬
mation— what a fool I was not to believe it enough to test it
for myself soon as I began practice; but I did not and for ten
years, I groped on with and 3X.
About five years ago I met Dr. G. P. Waring in his office in
Chicago and he called my attention to Dr. Kent’s lectures on
materia medica and interested me in the high potencies. I se¬
cured Dr Kent’s lectures and read them carefully. I also read
his lectures on the philosophy of homeopathy. I got Dr. Allen’s
“ Keynotes ” and at his suggestions the “ Guiding Symptoms ”
and a lot of B. and T’s im potencies.
Among my first cases were:
Case I.— A young farmer 19, always well and vigorous who
contracted mumps. Before the inflammation had subsided their
barn burned and the young man got out of bed and suffered a
severe exposure to cold and wet, with the result that a severe
orchitis followed. He was under treatment of old-school medi¬
cine for nearly a year, run down, anemic and in general ill
health. He told me one doctor wanted to perform an operation
on the scrotum though just what operation I do not know.
I gave him Pulsatilla im (B. &T.) three doses. He began im¬
provement at once and with a few doses of the Pulsatilla he gained
twenty pounds in weight and was a picture of health. I felt
sure then that Pulsatilla im could do something.
Case II.— Miss M. H., aged 24: thin, anemic, menstruated first
at thirteen, got wet and cold — was quite sick, never well since.
Had a peculiar dread of being alone with men.
Terrible headaches after teaching Sunday-school class, play¬
ing organ or anything that taxed the nervous system.
Had given up school and settled down as an invalid.
Digitized by
Google
138
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Tendency to weep.
I thought this was a Pulsatilla case and so she got Pulsatilla
im (B. & T.), one dose. After a few days she reported no bet¬
ter and had a severe headache. She then received Natrum mur.
200 (B. & T.), one dose. Headache soon disappeared and she
Seemed better in every way.
After a few weeks headache returned and she received Natrum
mur. im (B. & T.). Better for many weeks and returned to
school.
After some months headache returned and I sent her Natrum
mur. 45m (Fincke) and since there has been no return of trouble.
She graduated with honor and has been a great worker ever
since. Then I felt sure there was something in high potencies.
Case III.— Miss M. E., stenographer, age 23: Large, plump, al¬
ways in splendid health. In going to and from her work she rode
a bicycle over a short stretch of railroad and bruised labia;
abscess resulted; old-school doctor poulticed and treated it for
three or four weeks; no better.
When patient came to me and I gave Arnica 45m, one dose,
and placebo. Next day, I was summoned to see her and found her
with flushed face, bounding pulse, temperature 104°, abdomen
tympanitic and very tender to touch. I thought I had a case of
septic peritonitis and the picture was so like Belladonna that I
gave Belladonna 6x (B. & T.). In twenty-four hours these symp¬
toms all disappeared and in two days she was back at her
work and has had no trouble since. I wish the editor or some¬
body would tell me whether that was an aggravation of Arnica or
a pretty cure with Belladonna 6x, I have given Arnica the credit.
Case IV.— Mrs. A F., age 39: Large, phlegmatic, slow. A
regular picture of Calcarea. Married eighteen years and no chil¬
dren, but wanted a baby very much. Came to see me for an ear
trouble. I explained to her that it would be necessary to put her
on a constitutional treatment and suggested to her that as the
entire system underwent a change the ear would not only get well
but that the pelvic organs would also take up their functions and
she might find herself in a way to become a mother. In three
months’ time “ the gig was up ” and in due time there came the
typical Calcarea baby. She is now more than a year old and is
Digitized by ^ooQle
VERIFICATIONS OF CAJAPUT. 139
altogether the finest baby in town. The constitutional treatment
consisted of five or six doses of Calcarea 45m and placebo.
I have now made so many cures with the im, 45m and cm that
I am not only convinced of the effectiveness of high potencies
but of their immense superiority over the low. However, I have
not abandoned the low potencies, but range anywhere from 3X
to cm.
How to use a repertory was one of the hardest things I had
to learn.
How to take a case so as to have a case after it was taken
I also found difficult. The symptoms of real value are not al¬
ways easy to find.
I want to advise every doctor who is in the transition period,
or likely to be, to read Dr. Kent's lectures on homopathic philos¬
ophy; Allen's “Keynotes" and The Medical Advance (all the
back numbers he can get) ; Nash's “ Leaders," and get for ref¬
erence Hering’s “ Guiding Symptoms " and Clark's “ Dictionary
of Materia Medica," and start in with a good repertory with a
full determination to master it. Then get B. & T.'s im's and try
them. No doctor will ever be convinced until he tries it for himself,
and if he does try it he will be convinced and will do better work
than he has ever done before.
Verifications of Cajaput.
A. L. FISHER, M. D., ELKHART, IND.
A re-hash of well-known symptoms of our materia medica will
poorly repay a practitioner for time and expense in attending a
medical meeting. A theoretical discourse on the selection of rem¬
edies according to their primary and secondary symptoms, or the
sequence of symptoms in provings, while interesting to some, es¬
pecially the author, will really help but little at the bedside of the
sick. Per contra, a brief, pointed paper giving something new in
verifications of prominent symptoms that are liable to be met with
in cases incurable by other means is alone worth the expense many
Digitized by ^ooQle
140
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
times over. Two cases have come into my hands for treatment
that had baffled the efforts of several physicians, one for weeks,
the other for months and both were cured promptly by a remedy
of which I can find no record of clinical use in our school of
practice and none of real instruction in the old school. A descrip¬
tion of one of these cases will answer for both, as they differed in
essentials only in degree and duration.
Mr. X. about fifty years old comes from a neighboring town.
General health is good but he cannot eat solid nor semi-solid
food without experiencing severe cramping or constricting pain in
the esophagus. So severe is the pain that for many weeks he has
lived on liquid diet almost exclusively and has become so weak
that he is obliged to quit work. More recently liquids have caused
this pain, though in less degree than solids.
Allen's “ Symptomen Register ” gives, under constriction of the
esophagus, several remedies; but aggravation after eating and
worse while trying to swallow solid foods, only under Cajaput.
The sensation of swelling and soreness in esophagus, of which
patient also complains, is found under the same remedy, Cajaput,
3x, cured the case promptly, as it did the other similar case.
What was the diagnosis? False stenosis or spasmodic con¬
striction of the esophagus.
The cause ? Sabe dios .— perhaps a slight, superficial ulceration.
To students of materia medica, I put the questions: Of what
practical use is it to physicians to be told that Cajaput is stimulant,
carminative, stomachic, anti-spasmodic, anthelmintic, and anti-
parasitic and may be useful in non-inflammatory disturbances of
the intestines ? When should it be given instead of another one of a
score or more of drugs having the same string of descriptive
epithets ?
There is but one wav to learn the therapeutic value of a drug:
prove it on the healthy and apply in accordance with the law of
similars.
[Cajaput also has many nervous reflexes from the female sex¬
ual organs, especially after cervical lacerations.
There is the persistent choking sensation of hysteria similar to
Asafoetida: nervous dyspnoea and nervous distension of abdomen.
— ED. ]
Digitized by
Google
ACONITE IN DYSENTERY.
141
Aconite in Dysentery.
DR. B. B. SHABA, CALCUTTA, INDIA.
The indubitable effects of Aconite in the first stage of fevers
go without the saying. It is known to homeopaths that extreme
restlessness is its sure indication. It has also a predominant action
upon the mucous membranes, feut its effects in curing dysentery
is not generally marked. Recently, I came across a case in which
there was high fever accompanied with dysentery and by the onlv
administration of Aconite not only the fever subsided but the
dysentery also disappeared without any other special medicines
given therefor.
A Hindu male aged about fourteen years was suffering from high
fever rising up to io6°. He was extremely restless, thirst intense,
drinking a large quantity of water every time, had a cutting, grip¬
ping and lancinating pain in the umbilical region. Stool fetid,
bloody and frequent with tenesmus, passing scantily about 30 to
40 times within twenty-four hours. The patient was tossing about
in extreme agony. He came under my treatment on the third day
when I gave him six doses of Aconite, 3X, to be taken every three
hours. On the next day the temperature lowered to ioi° and the
frequency of stool much decreased. The medicine was repeated
three times a day for the next two days with the result that both
fever and dystenterv disappeared.
PHTHISIS PULMONATIS.
Age 22, dark complexion, thin, slender person. Saw him in
October at the beginning of winter in India. High fever rising to
105 0 in the evening every day, then remission after a profuse sweat
at about 3 A. M. when the patient could rise from his bed and
felt a little relief. Fever low in the morning but rising with the
day, reaching the maximum in the evening. Intense thirst, rest¬
lessness, violent cough, difficulty in expectoration, constipation,
pain in both lungs. He was given at first a few doses of Ferrum
phos., 3X, and Kali mur., 6x, alternately. The next day though
the fever abated a little, the maximum being 106° F., other svmp-
Digitized by C^ooQLe
142
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
toms remained as before. The same medicines continued for the
next three days without any sign of further improvement. On the
fifth day though fever abated a great deal, the symptoms of phthi¬
sis became apparent. Night sweats began to be profuse, offensive
foot sweat, great constipation, paroxysms of cough at night, blood
streaked expectoration, great prostration and other pulmonary con¬
gestions. Three doses of Silica 30 were administered during the
course of the next day with the marked result that there was no
fever in the evening as was expected and signs of improvement
observed. The next day dawned with the complete disappearance
of other symptoms, only a little cough remained. A few more
doses of Silica and a few doses of Sac. lac. restored the patient
to his normal condition and proclaimed trumpet tongued the vir¬
tues of the systems of remedies recommended by Dr. Schussler
and of Silica in cases of phthisis and other pulmonary congestions.
Tried It on a Horse, After Everything Had Failed.
C. EDWARD SAYRE, M. D., CHICAGO.
As many of our allopathic friends claim that the cures of the
homeopath are due to faith in the physician, or suggestion, I will
relate a few of my early experiences with homeopathy which con¬
vinced me that it was a therapeutic law.
For about ten years, I was a veterinarian and finally decided that
I would take a course at a medical school. A peculiar incident
turned me from an 'allopathic to a homeopathic school. I was
attending a horse for a'homeopathic physician, who asked if I
had ever used homeopathic remedies in the treatment of animals.
I said: “ No! that when animals were sick, they needed medi¬
cine, you cannot give them a nice talk, tell them to eat less and
exercise more, and send them home with some sugar pills, they do
not imagine that they are sick like most people, but are sick when
they exhibit symptoms, and need medicine.”
He replied, “ That is true of many cases, but we can cure sick
people with homeopathic remedies, and quicker and better than
the allopath could.”
Digitized by CjOOQle
TRIED IT ON A HORSE. 143
I expressed some doubt about it, and he then asked: “ What do
you know about homeopathy ? ”
I replied, “ Nothing.”
“ That is the trouble; if you knew anything about it you would
not talk so,” was his reply.
This set me to thinking. Have I a right to condemn that of
which I know nothing? The more I thought the matter over,
the more I became convinced of the injustice of the majority of
allopaths, for very few know anything about homeopathy, except
“ little doses.” This finally decided me to attend a homeopathic,
instead of an allopathic medical college. Fortunately, I entered
Hering College, being one of its first students, as it was just
opening. I must confess that my credulity was stretched to the
limit, and I was tempted to quit; but I had paid my fees, so
thought that I might as well get my money’s worth.
About six or eight weeks after entering, I was called to see a
gray mare sick with pneumonia, that had been given up to die by
one of our prominent veterinarians, and found a desperate case of
double pneumonia. I could not see much chance for her, but
thought that possibly by stimulating her, I could carry her along
for a few days and give nature a chance to effect a cure, and if she
died, I could say “ You should have called me sooner.” She did
not improve, but if anything got worse. I then called on Dr. H. C.
Allen, and described the case as best I could, for at that time I
did not know the value of the symptoms peculiar to the individual
case. He gave me a powder of Bryonia cm. and told me to give
it to her and let her alone. I said, “ I don’t dare, I must give
her something to keep the stable men quiet.” He replied, “ Give
her water from a bottle every hour if you must keep them busy.”
I did so, and on calling again that evening was met with the cheer¬
ful greeting, “ Dot vas besser medicine dot you left dis morning ”
(he was an old German). I could see no change, pulse, tempera¬
ture and respiration were the same, but he was with her constantly
and she had seemed brighter to him. The following morning a
great change had taken place. Pulse, temperature and respiration
falling, eating better and much stronger. She made a rapid re¬
covery with no other medicine.
Digitized by CjOOQle
144
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
This case made me think that there was something in homeop¬
athy after all, but I was still very skeptical.
Soon after this, I had another case of pneumonia which grad¬
ually grew worse in spite of my best efforts, the horse becoming
weaker while being stimulated as much as possible. I began to
think that I was going to lose him, and was tempted to try homeop¬
athy, but did not feel competent. Finally I received a telephone
message that the horse was down and dying, and to come at once.
I hurried to my patient, feeling very much worried, as the owner
had paid $700.00 for him. The owner was there, and very angry.
I asked for counsel, and he replied, “ What is the use? You all do
the same thing. If there was a homeopathic veterinarian in the
city, he would save him.” I then told him that I was studying
homeopathy, but did not know enough yet to prescribe, that I
thought that I could get Dr. Allen to see the case, as it was only
a few blocks from his office, but I did not know whether he
would visit an animal or not. I called him to see the horse and
gave him the symptoms: bloody discharge from nose, great pros¬
tration, rapid breathing and the anus open and protruding.
He gave me Phosphorus im, a single dose dry on the tongue,
and said, “ I will see him in a few minutes,” and he then gave me
another powder of the cm potency for the evening. I did as I
was directed, and in twenty minutes the horse got up and began
to eat hay. When Dr. Allen called, he said, “ Let him alone,
and he will get well.” I gave Placebo and the other dose in the
evening and he did get well very promptly.
From then on, nearly all of my cases were treated homeopath-
ically. I carried my allopathic case for several months, but before
my first session closed, I discarded it entirely, and sold my supply
of drugs for what I could get.
I could cite many other cases in animals, and I must say that
mv most remarkable cures have been in the lower animals. I
presume it is because there are no drug habits to combat, and
what svmptoms they exhibit are pure disease symptoms.
Such cures as these ought to dispose of the question of faith
both in the law of cure and the dynamic power of the potentized
remedy. They demonstrate likewise the follv of treating a dy¬
namic derangement even in a horse, with massive doses of crude
drugs.
Digitized by CjOOQle
TRYING IT ON THE DOG.
145
“Trying It on the Dog.”
LEWIS GREGORY COLE, M. D., NEW YORK.
There are few men who are more radically opposed to home¬
opathy than I was; although after graduating from one of the
best allopathic schools in the country and serving my time in one
of the large hospitals of this city, I was compelled to start in prac¬
tice still feeling an “ aching void ” so far as therapeutics were
concerned; but all the talk and argument of one of the most emi¬
nent homeopathic physicians in the city was of no avail to make
me investigate homeopathy, in fact it made me the more opposed
to it. In spite of this fact, however, he gave me a fox terrier of
which I had become very fond and one day when the dog was
traveling at an illegal rate of speed he collided with an auto¬
mobile traveling, equally fast in the opposite direction. The front
axle struck him on the top of the head and he dropped back ap¬
parently dead. I carried him into a near-by drug stpre and did
artificial respiration on him for fifteen minutes, and pumped him
full of hypodermatic injection of Atropine before he showed any
signs of life; finally he began to breathe and I felt that I could
lay my finger on one case where I had saved a life, even if it
was only a dog's life. But I found he was paralyzed from head
to tail, his hind legs were limp, his front ones in tonic convulsions,
his head thrown back till it was at right angles to his body, his
body is opisthotonus, pupils dilated, and he was howling and
moaning continually.
I could not make out any depressed fracture of the skull and I
searched all my old-school books to find something I could do for
concussion of the brain. There were elaborate classifications and
theories as to what it was, but nothing to do for it, so I decided to
operate and sent for my homeopathic friend who had given me
the dog to administer the ether. After looking the dog over and
not finding any depression he said:
“ You are man enough to call me to see the pup, are you man
enough to give him some sugar pills?”
There was not much else to do, so I said “ yes,” and he left him
some Arnica 30 which I gave him every three hours: glad of a
Digitized by ^ooQle
146
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
chance to prove that homeopathy was a humbug. Much to my
surprise the dog began to improve steadily and a few days later
I wanted to know why he had given Arnica, so he left me a
copy of Nash's “ Leaders " with certain 44 raps ” at the old school
underlined, but instead of simply reading those paragraphs, I
started in at the beginning with Nux vomica and read it like a
novel which indeed it was to me. In the meantime, the dog had
improved for a while and then began to fail more rapidly than
he had gained, until he had refused to eat or drink for five days.
Although I hated to lose the dog, I was glad to see him fail so
that I might prove that there was nothing in homeopathy.
By this time, I had read half through the book and ran across
the description of Cicuta virosa and it came like a flash of light¬
ning out of a clear sky; and I said to myself if there is anything
in homeopathy, that is the drug, so I went down to B. & T.'s on
Forty-second Street, pulled my hat down over my face, looked up
and down the street to be sure no one I knew would see me and
made a rush, and when I got in I could not think of the drug I
wanted so I borrowed a copy of Nash's “ Leaders " and looked it
up and when Mr. Tafel asked me what potency I wanted, I
was equal to the occasion and told him the thirtieth; because I
had seen that number on the Arnica bottle; but I did not know
a 3x from a cm.
I began giving the Cicuta in the morning and that evening when
I returned home the dog dragged himself to the door and asked
to go out. It was the first he had moved that day and he still
refused to eat or drink. I let him out and he went to a near-by
drug store where he was very fond of the druggist and when I
went to get him the druggist said: “ If you would feed your dog
he would get well," and then informed me that he had fed him
two boiled eggs, several slices of bread and half a quart of milk.
I expected to see the dog die, but he improved by leaps and bounds
from that minute and went on to complete recovery, leaving me in
my astonishment to find out where I was at.
Here was a dying dog.
There was a well one.
Here were a set of symptoms said to be caused by taking Cicuta.
There were the identical symptoms in the dog. *
Digitized by C^ooQLe
TRYING IT ON THE DOG.
147
The psychological effect was eliminated, and the cure had been
made with the thirtieth potency and the remedy administered by
a man who hoped it would fail.
These are some simple facts that caused me much thought; but
they have helped me over some rough places since then. About a
year and a half before this time a patient had come to me with
symptoms of pressure on the bladder, frequent and painful mic¬
turition having to urinate every five to fifteen minutes for five
years.
The uterus was anti-flexed and she had a salpingo ovaritis on
the right side, the left ovary having been previously removed.
I told her that the only thing that would cure her was on operation
which she readily consented to, and I did a total hysterectomy
with relief of the symptoms so that within a month she could hold
her urine for two hours and she had very little dysuria.
The “ operation was successful ” but about one year later the
symptoms began to return and were more severe than before the
operation, and accompanied by terrific headaches beginning in the
morning and lasting all day, worse on left side.
The husband came to me and said: “You told me my wife’s
trouble was caused by the uterus pressing on the bladder ? ”
I said, “Yes.”
“You told me that you removed the uterus, etc?”
I assured him they were on the shelf in a fruit jar.
Then he wanted to know why she had the same symptoms, and
what pressed on the bladder this time and what could I do to
relieve them.
I left the first part unanswered and told him about the dog epi¬
sode and asked him if he wanted me to try homeopathy on his
wife. They again consented and I spent thirty-six solid hours
working her case out by Bonninghausen’s method and gave her
the 200 potency of Sepia three times a day and she never had a
headache after the first dose and within two weeks the “ pressure
on her bladder ” was relieved so that she could hold her urine
for four hours, and she never has been as well since she had
her first child as she has been since she had her first Sepia.
♦
Digitized by Google
148
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Tubercular Meningitis: A Case.*
W. D. GORTON, M. D., AUSTIN, TEXAS.
Dec. 5, 1902.— Mamie H., blonde, aet. 5; nervous child.
Eczema capitis since infancy. Mother insane. Family history
tubercular on mother's side.
I was called to a neighboring city to see this child, making
three visits. During the course of her attack I received two tele¬
phone reports daily from the father.
Patient had been ailing for a week before going to bed.
Temperature ranges from ioi° to 104°.
Every fifteen minutes, day and night, child rouses from sleep
as though frightened, crying, moaning, throwing arms about.
Right thumb is kept in mouth except during the spasms.
Thirst for large quantities, often.
Involuntary stools. Feet cold.
December 7.— Spasms are growing worse. As soon as spasm
is over patient falls asleep.
Delirium, picking at clothes and nose.
Eruptions at corners of mouth; blisters filled with blood on
upper lip.
Tongue and mouth dry. Carotids throb.
Holds hands to neck or behind ears during spasm.
Chews tongue and runs it out of mouth.
Picks the lips; grinds the teeth constantly.
Tongue coated white, red edges, red streak in center, feels sore.
Refuses food; begs for candy and sweet potatoes.
Moans in sleep; talks in sleep before attacks; wants to lie on
the floor. Water gurgles all the way to stomach. Stool fetid.
Rolls head during the attacks.
Is > after drinking and urinating: < from 4 to 5 P. M., and
at night.
Keeps arms above head; throws hands during spasm. Rattling
of mucus in throat.
Belladonna, Phosphorus and Hellebore have only palliated for a
* Read before Texas Homeopathic Medical Association, Dallas, Oct.
7, 1903.
Digitized by
Google
TUBERCULAR MENINGITIS.
149
few hours at a time. Phosphorus put an end to the gurgling.
The patient had not been violent. I left Stramonium 200 to be
given if Hellebore did not relieve by midnight.
December 8.— Telephone report that Stramonium was given
at 2 A. M., patient sleeping two and a half hours after the dose.
Involuntary stool continues.
December 9.— Hard convulsions between 10 and 11 A. M.
Last night rash appeared all over body, resembled heat rash.
Light spasms from 4 to 8 P. M. Stools >.
December 10.— Telephone message that patient had one three-
hours' sleep last night, and several shorter ones. Temperature
ioi° to 102 0 . Hungry this morning. Eruptions on lips >;
tongue cleaning off. Keeps thumb in mouth less.
December 11.— Picks lips and frets. Temperature ioi°.
Mucus in throat causes choking on coughing. Bites finger nails
and eats crusts from lips.
December 13.— Temperature 100 2-5 0 to 102 2-5 0 . Spasms
light. Appetite >. Sleeps well. Stramonium cm (F.) had been
given when spasms increased for several days.
December 14.— Temperature 101 4-5 0 . Slight headache. Chest
and stomach tender to pressure. Irritable all day.
December 15.— Lips all scabbed over, lower lip is > and get¬
ting >on right side. Picks eruptions until they bleed. No spasm.
Thirst for little and often when temperature is rising, but none
when fever is highest. Whining; calls for candy, sweet potatoes,
chewing gum and watermelon. Pain in ear.
December 16.—Abscess in ear broke last night. Soreness
around ear. Stools have been > under Stramonium. Tempera¬
ture 101 2-5 0 .
December 17.— Rested well last night. Temperature 103 3-5 0
December 19.— Restless yesterday and last night. Wants to be
waited upon constantly this evening; fidgety, desires first one
thing and then another. Unsatisfactory attempts to urinate.
Wants feet warmed although they are warm to the touch. Calls
for water and before the cup has been put down wants it again.
Temperature 103°. A repetition of Stramonium did not >.
December 20.— Cina 200.
December 21.— Much >, resting well. Rarely asks for anv-
Digitized by ^ooQle
150
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
thing today, but when she does, it must appear at once. Does not
want to be left alone. Temperature ioi 1-5° to 102 2-5 0 . Ema¬
ciated.
December 24.— Restless last night; not doing so well.
Flushed cheeks for several days.
Pain in stomach after eating.
Still eats crusts from lips. Temperature ioi° to 102°.
December 27.— During the night would rise up every two
minutes and whine or cry. Thirst for little and often. Desired
to be moved to another bed but not satisfied with the change.
Arsenicum 200.
December 28.— Sleep of two hours after medicine; except for
this interval no relief from crying. Says the crusts from lips are
good and persists in eating them. Is gaining strength and cries
for everything desired, and if it does not come at once, crying
is increased. Will not be left alone. Temperature ioi° to 102°.
Hellebore 200.
December 29 and 30.— Telephone messages that patient is >.
Good sleep, but throws off cover. Crying spells getting lighter
and farther apart.
Hellebore 33 m (F.) to be given when <.
January 1, 1903.— Doing well. Hunger. Restlessness or pain
becomes > after giving a single powder.
January 4.— Constipated, stools large and hard. Appetite good.
Cough and soreness in chest for several days. Feet get cold easily.
January 5.— Rests well; cannot get enough to eat.
January 8.— Was dressed today for first time. Was too weak
to stand. Cold feet and hands; no cough; so hungry must have
food during the night.
January 11.— Gaining strength; can sit up in bed and play.
Lips healed. Ear still sore. Walked a little one day but today
cannot stand. Hellebore, cm (F.).
Convalescence progressed rapidly. Mercurius sol, and Pulsatilla
were required for discharge from ear.
An old-school physician pronounced this case tuberculai
meningitis before Stramonium was given. I had stated to the
father that it was doubtless of a tubercular nature, and held out
no hopes for recovery.
Digitized by CjOOQle
THE USE AND ABUSE OF OPIATES.
151
The Use and Abuse of Opiates.
DR. J. FITZ-MATHEW, WEST SOUND, WASH.
Under what circumstances is a homeopathist justified in using
opiates or cardiac stimulants?
As a supplement to Dr. J. B. S. King’s views upon the use and
abuse of opiates, I submit the following:
1. When a patient is moribund: to relieve ante-mortem suf¬
ferings when the homeopathic remedy is insufficient, and at the
request of the friends or patient.
2. In cases of acute pain from traumatic causes and you can¬
not otherwise relieve.
3. In acute suffering from injuries and shock, when immediate
drug action is called for.
4. During the passage of a gall stone when the homeopathic
remedy is insufficient.
In the last case we can no more expect entire relief of pain,
without an opiate, than that we could perform a painless stretch¬
ing of the sphincter ani without an anesthetic. I have sat up
all night in conjunction with a veteran homeopathist, in a case of
gall stone and it took all we could do with the remedy and moral
suasion to induce the patient to submit with any sort of equanim¬
ity to the ordeal; meanwhile the doctor who gives a full dose of
morphine and applies a hot water bag goes home to his bed, as
far as this case is concerned.
We get few thanks, and frequently none, for abstaining from
morphine. “ Every case must stand on its own legs.” Much
depends upon the temperament of the patient and the condition
of the gall stone. There is undoubtedly much abuse in the use
of opiates, the temptation is great to the young practician when
a patient is howling with pain and he can neither find nor apply
the indicated remedy, and here may be his justification: but there
is no excuse for the homeopath who habitually substitutes mor¬
phine.
I have recently had a case in which a “ regular,” after failing to
relieve a very bad congestive headache which occurred with sup¬
pression of milk in a young primipara, tried to inject morphine.
Digitized by CjOOQle
152
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Fortunately for her she refused and came to me and “ the head¬
ache at once yielded to China 200.” It is a grave offense for any
doctor to administer morphine when it has to be repeated and
thus induce the morphine habit in any case in which the end
of life is not in view.
We who have, so often in our years of practice, seen again and
again the wonderful and beneficent action of our remedies in re¬
lieving all sufferings within their sphere of action know that when
they fail it is not the failure of homeopathy but of the practician.
The common practice in surgery of preparing a patient by
a full dose of morphine and afterward giving repeated doses
of strychnine to sustain the patient from shock of operation, I
believe to be both unnecessary and injurious. The cumulative
drug action exhausts reactive power and conduces to the very
thing it is given to prevent, viz., collapse. If a patient is properly
prepared by a competent prescriber before operation and stimulated
only by saline solutions and nutritive enemata, his chances of
recovery from shock are much greater. If the patient survives
both the shock of operation and the effects of the drugs, it is
proof to me that he did not need the latter.
Obstetrical Notes.*
R. DEL MAS, PH. D., M. D., CENTERVILLE, MINN.
The Word of God will always be true. We physicians see every
day that our parturient sisters still bear on their heads the an¬
athema of the Creator: “ Thou shalt have labor pains.” The ques¬
tion comes to my mind as to whether Eve suffered as do her
daughters of the twentieth century. They are heirs to the faults
of their ancestors. Moral deviation, luxurious living and erro¬
neous therapeutics, combined or acting separately, have given man¬
kind the heritage of disease and death. Through sin, death
entered this world of ours; and we may sin either morally or
physically. No wonder then that we rarely find a woman giving
♦Read before the Minnesota Institute of Homeopathy, 1903.
Digitized by
Google
OBSTETRICAL NOTES.
153
birth to a child without a certain amount of pain, or carrying it
through the period of gestation without a certain amount of phys¬
iological disturbance, for the viciousness of mankind is great.
Can we not come to the rescue of the parturient woman who
suffers ? Homeopathy can cure “ everybody ” but not “ every¬
thing.” It can remove susceptibility to disease but as to the “ ulti-
mates ” of disease it frequently fails. Thus a cancerous patient
may be cured, but his cancer often will remain and carry him off.
But homeopathy has a great field in obstetrics, for here we deal
with the past in the mother and the future in the child. Here we
remodel and reform: for, let me say, a homeopathic accoucheur
who loves mankind, and knows his remedies, never leaves the bed¬
side without having made the woman “ better ” and the child
“ new.” I will explain further on.
We are told that we must “ rest on our oars ” when we find
the presentation of the child and the diameters of the pelvis nor¬
mal. A “ pachyderm ” might take such advice and put it into
practice, but when we reflect that women are more delicate than
men, that their nerves can vibrate to a higher pitch than we can
imagine and that it is our duty to help suffering humanity, then
and there we must perform the office of the Good Samaritan.
It goes without saying that instrumental means should be used
in the right place. But skill and an eye to “ business ” will often
lead a man to use the forceps where science, patience, charity and
conscience would be better for the woman. If a physician has
not a good heart, an honest soul and an unselfish mind, if he
loves not the sick in order to do them good and nothing but good,
he may become rich and sometimes “ celebre,” but he will never
endear himself to his patrons; and his conscience (if he has one)
will never know what pure love is, nor feel the happy thrill of
an unselfish heart that propels the blood through the veins for
the bettering of the human race.
Thus, at a confinement, one will show whether he can handle
his remedies as well as his instruments.
A good accoucheur must understand and respect women. He
must be proud to see her bear children the fruits of maternity. He
must be fond of children; he must be kind and patient, or success
will not be his; he must go to his case with a knowledge of all
Digitized by CjOOQle
154
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
the whims and fancies of woman and previous to making the ex¬
amination, he must gain the confidence of the patient and family
as well — not by displaying his instruments and making a show
of his knowledge,— a kind word, a smiling face and plain man¬
ners will do better. After examining the case to ascertain “ how
things are,” he must study the woman, scrutinize her, and often
do it very rapidly, especially in miscarriage or hemorrhage. He
needs the power of observation as well as knowledge, —a sound
judgment coupled with calmness. He must be able to readily
differentiate one remedy from another — for only one is necessary
at a time — and when he has found that one, let him give it with
confidence, for our law is eternal and consequently immutable and
infallible. The law never fails, though the prescriber often does.
Our patient may need Cimic., Nux vom., Puls., Cham., Aeon.,
Bell., Gels., Sep., Caul., Lyc., Kali c., Sec., Camph., Ipec., China,
Phos., Sulph., Pyrogen, etc., but only one of them, for we have
but one patient. Our success will depend on our ability to individ¬
ualize. Keynotes rarely succeed in bringing about good results.
They do not belong to homeopathy. For instance, take a patient
— blonde or brunette, it matters not — who has short, ineffectual
pains, who is discouraged and weeps and moans, seems to be bash¬
ful and timid, throws the covers off and refuses a drink of cold
water. She needs Pulsatilla. Give it to her and you will see how
differently her labor will progress.
Perhaps we have a brunette, lean, nervous and irritable, snap¬
pish, who faints from the pains or has urging to stool. Nux
vomica will put a stop to her sufferings or greatly ameliorate them.
Six or eight months ago I was called to see a patient who was
very “ touchy ” and irritable; any pain was intolerable to her; she
became angry at everybody, though her husband would laugh
she would whine and cry. She would not let me talk to her but
sent me into another room, saying that if I didn’t know my busi¬
ness I had better go home. She received Chamomilla and in half
an hour a girl baby was born. It started out as a dry labor, but
the Chamomilla “ wetted ” it.
Sometimes the woman is flooding. This may be due to pla¬
centa prsevia, or to a tear, and mechanical means must be resorted
to. In other cases it can be accounted for only bv the relaxed
Digitized by CjOOQle
OBSTETRICAL NOTES.
155
state of the uterus. Then we study the patient and find that
Bell., Camph., Phos., Sec., Sab., Ipec., or some other remedy fits
the case and we give it. Some will resort to the fluid extract of
Ergot. If it works, well and good, if not, they will try something
else. The allopath does the same. With us it ought not to be
a case of “ trial ” and “ experiment,” but of sure prescribing. We
only need to study the individuality of the woman and give the
similar remedy.
[The fluid extract of Ergot is not safe and should not be used
in massive doses for the parturient patient. It may help control
a hemorrhage, but it may ruin the patient for life.— ed.]
Experience has taught me that when the woman has been treated
early in the case, confinement is in every respect normal and
hemorrhage never occurs. If the constitutional remedy has been
prescribed during gestation, the woman will hardly ever have
trouble at confinement.
It is to be regretted, that homeopathy, as taught by Hahnemann,
is not practiced in its purity by all those who have enrolled their
names under its banner. The greatest monument that we could
erect to the discoverer of true therapeutics would be to honor
him by faithfully following the precepts laid down in the Or¬
ganon. Until we do, we may consider ourselves as men whose
moral energy stands on the same level as that of traitors. You
will pardon this digression.
I do not believe it expedient to tell you what potencies I use
nor how I use them. Some believe in high, others in the low
potencies. Some repeat the dose, others do not. I would say,
that I have always obtained the best results from the single dose
of the high, even in obstetrics.
You will undoubtedly ask me, if I know what puerperal sep¬
ticemia is, and I will reply, that, as a homeopath, I would never
have known what it is if I had never treated cases that had been
under the care of some one else during confinement or miscarriage.
Here again our remedies are mighty levers. Instruments are too
often used. If we treat these conditions from a surgical point of
view, we will often meet with failures. In septicemia, I have found
that Puls., Phos., Ars., Pyr., Sulph., Ferr., Crot. hor. and a few
other remedies will cover the cases most often met with. It is
Digitized by ^ooQle
156
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
tempting to use the curette and get a good fee for it. But let us
not forget our patients; septicemia is not a local trouble. Germs
will never be the cause of disease unless susceptibility to their
influence is prior to or favors their entrance into the economy.
So it is with septicemia. So soon as susceptibility is removed, the
germs “ clear out.” Let us re-establish order in our patient from
center to circumference and not from circumference to center.
Our allopathic brethren teach — and perhaps believe — that germs
have no action upon the economy until its vitality is lowered to
the point where it is no longer able to resist their deadly influence;
and still they aim at the germ alone, forgetting the patient. Do
you wish to be “ germiciders ” or homeopaths ? I hold that it
is more logical to stick to the patient.
At the beginning of this paper, I said that a homeopathic ac¬
coucheur will never leave the bedside without having made the
woman better and the child 44 new.” It often happens that during
labor we have to give an 44 unconstitutional ” remedy, something
that is suited to the woman only for the time. In such a case,
during and after labor, I study the woman from top to bottom in
order to ascertain whether she needs a constitutional remedy or
not. This practice has, up to now, given me the best results and
saved a lot of trouble. If a woman needs Fer., Puls., Cal., or
some other deep-acting remedy. I must give it to her in order to
make her “ better.”
And the baby? Look at him. He is either sycotic, syphilitic,
psoric or drugged. Keep your eyes open, ask questions, study
that new creature. He is so delicate; he may die in less than
twenty-four hours, he mav die in three months or in two years.
Can you not do something for him? Be human. He may need
Bor., Cal., Sulph., Mer., Puls., Nat. mur., Syph., Psor., or Kali
jod. Ask him, he will tell you. I know of some physicians who,
after they have placed the baby in the hands of the nurse, never
look at him again. They are not men. They go to the case to
make their fee and are anxious to get back to the club-house to
their drink and cigars. If you do not love mothers and children,
please let some one else take care of them. When we have “ bet¬
tered ” a mother and made a child 44 new,” our hearts should be
full of joy. I love to see a child live and grow, mentally well-
Digitized by ^ooQle
HERING COLLEGE CLINICS.
157
balanced and bodily vigorous. He never asked to see this world
of misery and deception, and since the physician received him, let
the physician welcome him and make him “ new ” through the
medium of homeopathy.
Hering College Clinics.,
AN OBSTINATE CASE CURED WITH A SINGLE DOSE.
J. A. TOM HAGEN, M. D.
Mrs. O. N., aged 42; married; no children. A bilious, mental,
vital organization; or in other words a bright stout brunette. The
former term is preferable and not only more euphemistic but more
technical. However, it is only a name, typical of the patient and
partially diagnostic, but has fiothing differentiating therapeutically.
The selection of the remedy is entirely symptomatic.
The following symptoms were given:
Backache; sacral and interscapular; sometimes stinging, burn¬
ing and again a chilliness, moving from side to side.
Stinging pain in hepatic region.
Fluttering around the heart; worse after sleep, lying on left
side and when hurried.
Menses: sometimes every two weeks; continue three or four
days but always scanty.
Leucorrhea: slight, milky-white.
Urination: frequent and little at a time, sometimes painful, burn¬
ing worse in morning.
Choked sensation in morning forces her to cough but cannot
raise anything till she has made repeated efforts, when a little
sputa is loosened, which >.
Throat feels dry.
Two years ago had diphtheria worse on the left side.
Wakens frightened at 2 A. M., and finds herself lying on left
side; heart begins to flutter and compels her to turn over or sit up.
Cold feet habitually.
Constipated habitually and habitually takes physic, therefore
habitually constipated.
Digitized by ^ooQle
158
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Nov. 22, 1895.— Lachesis cm.
November 29.— Fluttering of heart less often.
Urinary symptoms better.
Constipation same. Placebo.
December 6.—Had headache twice last week but feels > in
general. Placebo.
December 13.— Had headache yesterday.
Flushes of heat as soon as she goes into house ,
Leucorrhea much better.
Pains during urination better.
“ I don’t waken frightened the past two weeks.” Placebo.
December 20.—“ Pain worse in my thighs and wrists and much
less in my back.”
“ Feels better generally.” Placebo.
December 27.—“ Pain like rheumatism from right hip down the
thigh.” “ Also pain from lower angle of scapula to left breast.”
“ This is a stinging pain.”
Leucorrhea more albuminous.
Urine now frequent and quite profuse.
Bowels still constipated. Placebo.
Jan. 3, 1896.— Backache much better.
Burning between shoulders is gone.
Fluttering of heart rarely.
Menses now every three weeks.
Leucorrhea better.
Throat still dry.
Pains shifting from back down the right thigh. Placebo.
January 17.—Fluttering about heart twice the past week be¬
tween 12 and 2 A. M. but very slight.
Frequent urination but painless.
“ Rheumatic pain now in sole of right foot, but pain in
right wrist is gone.” Placebo.
Patient continued to improve till the end of term, when we
lost track of her for some months.
February, 1904.
Was surprised to see her walk into my office two weeks
ago and hear her say the little pills she had received at the
college years ago cured her rheumatism, which had never troubled
Digitized by C^ooQLe
A CURE BY FORMIC ACID. 159
her since. She desired to get some more for the Grippe at the
present time.
Lach. cm was selected according to the totality of peculiar
symptoms;
Aggravation after sleep.
Scanty menses.
Cough > by raising a little mucus.
Diphtheria two years ago, < on left side.
Wakens frightened at 2 A. M.
This totality of peculiar symptoms constitutes a concrete image
which is fixed, and must be discerned in the symptom whole
as given by the patient.
Those who endeavor to cover all the symptoms with the hope
of including the peculiar ones, fail as a rule. Many symptoms are
incidental and outside of the image .
The next step is the remedy. How high or how low? This
has never troubled me in the least and only in this way. The
lower the potency, the oftener it requires repetition. I prefer the
high and highest potencies since they produce the most enduring
results, and having used them for twenty years, and never found
them wanting, I continue in their administration with increased
confidence.
The order in which these rheumatic pains disappeared, from
the center to the periphery, and from above downward is the
natural order of recovery, a most valuable observation of Hahne¬
mann which has been verified in the cure of many chronic ail¬
ments.
A Cure by Formic Acid.
P. L. BARNES, AVONDALE, CINCINNATI.
The patient is a woman 40 years of age, single, stenographer,
dark complexion, and rather nervous, giving symptoms as fol¬
lows :
After a warm bath there is intense itching over body and ex-
Digitized by C.ooQLe
160
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
tremities, more marked on right side, accompanied by smooth,
red spots, size of a dime, which disappear in a few hours.
As she says, “ there is a cold burning like flakes of snow fall¬
ing on the parts.”
All itching and burning greatly relieved by scratching and
rubbing.
Formic acid, 30 centesimal potency, one dose, relieved all symp¬
toms in four days.
A Chronic Belladonna Case.
J. C. WHITE, M. D., PORT CHESTER, NEW YORK.
W. B.— retired sea captain, heavy weight, aged fifty; nervous
sanguine temperament; complained of pain in left shoulder, ex¬
tending down arm to palm of hand < by exposure to drafts, low
temperature and lying down, especially at night.
Burning sensation in palm of hand; skin of the hand and palm
frequently exfoliated.
Thirteen years previous, after severe exposure, he had suffered
severe pain in left shoulder and arm < by motion, jar and by
recumbent position, had not been able to lie down for a period
of two months, even hypodermic of morphine and the application
of anodyne liniments did not ease him so that he could lie down
with any sense of comfort.
Ever since this acute attack, he has suffered the burning sen¬
sation in the palm of the hand, and any exposure would renew
with the pain in the shoulder and arm. I said to him, that any
able homeopathic physician would have cured him in three days!
I gave him six powders of Belladonna 50m. with directions to
take one each evening until relieved, then wait until again re¬
quired, and at some future time to tell me how many powders he
found it necessary to take. Several weeks after this visit he had
required but two powders. The pain, discomfort and burning
had entirely disappeared.
Digitized by
Google
The Medical Advance
AND
JOURNAL OF HOMEOPATHICS.
A Monthly Journal of Hahnemannian Homeopathy
When we have to do with an art whose end is the saving of human
life any neglect to make ourselves thoroughly masters of it becomes a
crime.— Hahnemann .
Subscription ... Two Dollars per Annum
The editor is responsible for the dignity and courtesy of the magazine, but not for the
opinions of contributors.
The Advance does not send sample copies unless asked for, and has no free list. It is
published for the medical profession in the interests of a purer homeopathy, of scientific
therapeutics.
To accommodate both reader and publisher this journal will be sent until arrears are
paid and it is ordered discontinued.
Contributions, Exchanges, Books for Review, and all Communications should be ad¬
dressed to the Editor. 5142 Washington Avenue, Chicago.
Communications regarding Subscriptions and Advertisements should be sent to Battle
Creek, Mich., or 5142 Washington Ave., Chicago.
MARCH, 1904
CMtortaL
The New Vaccination.
Here is an opportunity for the homeopathic profession to drive
home an entering wedge for the propagation of the blessings of
homeopathy in preventive medicine. If our readers would cir¬
culate broadcast among their clientele reprints of Dr. Linn’s
paper on Variolinum in the February number, then put the new
system into practice, and thus obtain new and added statistics
of its value, in a few years the old, antiquated, unreliable and
unsatisfactory method of Jenner would be substituted by a mod¬
ern, up-to-date, safe and much more reliable, and what is better,
homeopathic prophylaxis as much superior to the old system as
the homeopathic treatment of diseases. Thus far we have had
only three calls for reprints. If they are not wanted and if our
readers do not care to help themselves and thus benefit homeop-
Digitized by CjOOQle
162
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
athy, we shall not reprint very many. If our school would give
hearty endorsement to the new method, it would be one of the
best means ever yet devised for the propagation of homeopathy.
Let the people know for the benefit of posterity that homeopathic
prophylaxis is superior to every other, it would very soon follow
that homeopathic practice would be known as superior to every
other in every department of medicine.
In Hawaii, Dr. Milton Rice is about to demonstrate, officially,
that leprosy can be cured by pure homeopathy as well as Asiatic
cholera, which Hahnemann demonstrated was not such a scourge
as the irregular practice would lead us to infer from the mortality
attending their treatment. The mortality under irregular treat¬
ment was from sixty to seventy per cent, and even after Dr.
Koch had discovered the comma bacillus and proceeded to kill
the germs scientifically, the mortality was not materially affected.
Yet Drs. Pulte and Ehrman in Cincinnati reduced the fatalities
to ten or eleven per cent. Why not embrace the opportunity to
demonstrate that the homeopathic treatment and prophylaxis of
smallpox is equally superior and at the same time pleasant, safe
and effective. It will also prevent unsightly pitting.
Single Remedy.
Neither Hahnemann, his colleagues nor any of the pioneer
homeopaths, apparently, ever thought of anything but the single
remedy in the cure of the sick. They hailed with delight the dis¬
covery of natural law in the world of therapeutics, the dynamic
theory of disease and the use of one single, simple, medicinal force
in contradistinction to the polypharmacy to which they had been
accustomed. The old method was as unsatisfactory then as it is
now, and they gladly embraced the new therapeutics. Individ¬
ually they assisted in making the original provings, and realized
that each remedy was tested singly on the healthy and should be
thus used in practice. They could not conceive how a mixture of
drugs or the alternation of remedies could ever be called for in
the system of practice under natural law. Polypharmacy did not
Digitized by CjOOQle
EDITORIAL.
163
fulfil the requirements of similia and for them that was sufficient.
It was clinical results and complete restoration to health of the
sick, a better, surer and more scientific method for which they had
abandoned the uncertain methods of the schools. While their
materia medica was limited, what they had yielded results hitherto
unknown and they willingly contributed by provings to the patho¬
genesis of new remedies.
Hahnemann's dictum is found in the Organon and has been
verified by practically every homeopathic practician, now and
then, and a little work would enable them to do it every time.
How easy it seems when we read reports of some of these cures
and yet any one may do it who will work. The following is
Hahnemann’s view of it:
272. —In no case is it requisite to administer more than one single,
simple medicinal substance at one time.
273. —It is not conceivable how the slightest doubt could exist as to
whether it was more consistent with nature and more rational to prescribe
a single, well-known medicine at one time in a disease, or a mixture of
several differently acting drugs.
274. —As the true physician finds in simple medicines, administered
singly and uncombined, all that he can possibly desire, he will, mindful
of the wise maxim that w it is wrong to attempt to employ complex means
when simple means will suffice,” never think of giving as a remedy any
but a single, simple medicinal substance; for these reasons also, because
even though the simple medicines were thoroughly proved with respect to
their peculiar effects on the unimpaired healthy state of man, it is yet
impossible to foresee how two and more medicinal substances might,
when compounded, hinder and alter each other’s actions on the human
body.
Requirements for College Matriculants.
Miss Annah May Soule, instructor in Mount Holyoke College,
expresses the opinion that colleges should have physical as well as
mental entrance requirements. An article by her in the last issue
of the School Review, published by the University of Chicago
press, says:
“ Our stores and factories are demanding well-proportioned,
healthy workers. It would seem that our schools could demand
no less. Factories and railroads are refusing to employ men
whose fingers show the yellow stain of the habitual cigarette
Digitized by C.ooQLe
164
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
smoker, deeming such too enfeebled in mind and body to be of
service; yet our colleges are taking no account of yellow fingers,
and make little attempt to teach the morality or economy of vig¬
orous health.”
“ Entrance to college should be opened only to those in good
health. The physically unprepared should be excluded, as well
as the mentally unprepared.”
Responsibility for Criminals.
“ Society alone is responsible for its criminals.”—Dr. G. Frank
Lydston in The Chicago Sunday Inter Ocean, maintains this view
of the responsibility for our criminals. Many others of our noted
medical men hold different views. That our marriage laws are
lax or even altogether wanting. That we cannot regulate matri¬
mony by law, hence society cannot be held responsible for what
it cannot cure. Dr. E. H. Pratt on the other hand claims that:
The individual is responsible for his own crimes and for his own
vicious habits. Society is often blamed for all the wrongs that afflict it,
but it is the individual that is to blame. Human beings are born with a
predisposition to crime, to vice, to insanity, to inebriaty; but it is his own
fault and not the fault of other people if he becomes the victim of him¬
self. A man can make of himself anything that he chooses. He can be
a criminal or he can be the most upright man in the community in which
he lives. It all depends upon himself.
If there is something lacking in a person’s nature, it does not stand
that sense is entirely gone from him. A person may be born without an
ear for music, but he can be trained to distinguish musical tones and can
be taught to have the finest kind of an appreciation of music. These
" folded” senses, as in the instance of the musically dull, can be developed
and made acute. The person who is born with a predisposition to
insanity may become insane if certain conditions surround and affect him,
but he can prevent himself from becoming insane if he will train himself,
get out of the element in which he was born, so to speak, and develop
that side of his mind which defies insanity. You know that the evil
things of this world are the result of nothing but the lack of the good
things. As darkness is only the absence of light, so hatred is only the
absence of love, vice is only the absence of goodness. If we have any
of the secondly named qualities, we will have none of the first named.
It is not necessary to makg it our duty to see that the child is well
born. The child that is not well born may have a predisposition to be
evil in many ways, and it depends upon himself whether he will be.
Human beings are not born with evil traits that they cannot put down and
out. There are no criminals that could be nothing else. There are no
vicious people who could be nothing else but vice ridden. Society has its
diseases, but they are the diseases of the individuals in society, who are
their own victims, not the victims of the multitude.
Digitized by ^ooQle
COMMENT AND CRITICISM.
165
COMMENT AND CRITICISM.
The Curability of Leprosy.
MILTON RICE, M. D.
About two years ago, we asked Dr. Rice to give the readers
of the Advance his experience in the treatment of leprosy. He
replied that he found it curable, but was not ready to report any
cures until the diagnosis could be verified by bacteriological ex¬
amination and the treatment and cure be made under official su¬
pervision. His work has apparently been recognized by the Board
of Health and we predict the same success in leprosy that we
have had in Asiatic cholera, yellow fever and the bubonic plague.
Hilo, Hawaii, Feb. 13, 1904.
Editors Medical Advance.
Knowing your intense interest for all things pertaining to the
welfare of our school, I take the liberty to send you a copy,
under separate cover, one of our papers, containing an announce¬
ment of what is going on in this part of our country.
The concession therein mentioned, you may be assured, was not
obtained without a long and determined struggle. The laws gov¬
erning the treatment of leprosy are so stringent, as to consti¬
tute a criminal offense if detected in treating these people with¬
out permission from the Board of Health, a permission I believe,
they have never before granted to a member of our school. But
despite this fact, I have managed to treat a sufficient number of
these cases to demonstrate to my satisfaction, that by straight
homeopathic means this disease can be cured. The people here
are with me, and with the endorsement of an official body, such
as the Board of Health, homeopathy will receive an impetus, such
as in my esteem it has seldom had. It will take another year
or two, however, to put this matter in such shape as to compel
its universal acceptance; but when this is accomplished, you may
sav to the coming doctors, that there will be room for all that
Hering College can produce in the treatment of leprosy alone,
as none but the genuine homeopath can do anything with this
Digitized by L^ooQle
166
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
disease. No mixers need attempt it; they have already brought
discredit on homeopathy by their failures.
A more complete knowledge of leprosy is going to be the most
thorough exemplification of Hahnemann’s teaching that we have
yet had. During my investigation of this subject, I am daily
made to feel the necessity of a close adherence to those teachings,
that during our college life we are often disposed to pass over
lightly; namely, the homeopathic law and its philosophy as laid
down by the founder of scientific medicine. Yours sincerely,
Milton Rice.
The following, from the Hilo Tribune, is self-explanatory:
TO TEST REMEDY.
Board of Health Gives Dr. Rice a Chance to Prove Leprosy Cure.
While Governor Carter and Dr. C. B. Cooper were in the city a de¬
cision was reached with reference to the matter of treating lepers which
may be of far-reaching importance. Dr. Milton Rice of this city has been
studying this disease and believes that he may have found a cure. After
canvassing the subject in all its bearings it was decided to give his claim
an official trial.
Dr. Cooper, President of the Board of Health, gave the Tribune the
following official statement:
“Dr. Rice claims to have a cure for leprosy. No one can have a
greater interest in these claims than the members of the Board of Health,
and Dr. Rice may rest assured that if there is merit in his claims he will
have the hearty backing of the Board in every way.
“We have arranged for a committee, composed of physicians outside
of the Board of Health employ, in Hilo, consisting of Dr. Grace, Dr. Hayes
and Dr. McDonald, bacteriologist for the Board of Health. The Territo¬
rial bacteriologist will be up at an early date to examine certain suspects
with the committee, and should any of them prove to be lepers arrange¬
ments will be made for Dr. Rice to treat them at the detention hospital
in Waiakea, where they will be kept under surveillance. An ample op¬
portunity will be given for a trial as to whether his claims of a cure are
well founded.
“ It is not intended to make this a lazaretto by any means, but the
claims made by Dr. Rice and the firm belief of a large number of Hawaii-
ans that a cure can be effected by him is such as to demand the attention of
the Executive and the Board of Health. Three options were presented
to Dr. Rice: First, accommodations would be provided for himself and
family at the Settlement, where every facility w^ould be afforded to treat
the disease in any stage that he might wish to select for experiment.
Digitized by ^ooQle
COMMENT AND CRITICISM.
167
“ Secondly, that the same accommodations would be provided for himself
and family at the Kalihi camp detention hospital and cases sent there for
his treatment
“Thirdly, to permit him to have three or four cases at the Hilo de¬
tention camp.
“Dr. Rice chose the latter. The gentlemen composing the committee
above named, with Dr. Grace as chairman, will keep track of the progress
of the treatment. Notes will be kept of the progress of the cases under
treatment until a satisfactory determination of the matter is arrived at.
“I am recommending this course as a member of the Board of Health.
I shall recommend the same before a full meeting of the members of
the Board of Health for a vote. If my recommendation is not overruled,
the test of the treatment will be made as outlined.”
Comments: Dr. Cooper and the members of the committee
are laboring under delusion that Dr. Rice has a remedy for lep¬
rosy, and this is an official opportunity given by the Board of
Health to test " his remedy.” But homeopathy is not “ built that
way.” Dr. Rice will test a system of cure — the science of thera¬
peutics — in the cure of this so-called incurable disease under the
practice of the irregular schools. A hundred cases may be bac-
teriologically verified as leprosy, but a strict individualization may
prove that the law demands a different remedy for each patient.
It is the patient that has the leprosy that must be cured. The
pathological change is not the disease, merely the effect of dis¬
eased vitality, of deranged physiological forces or as Hahnemann
puts it; "when a person falls ill it is only this self-acting vital
force that is primarily deranged by a dynamic influence.” Or
as Sir Andrew Gark said: "The structural change is not dis¬
ease; it is not co-extensive with disease, and even in those cases
where the alliance appears the closest the anatomical relation is
but one of other effects of physiological forces, which acting
under unphysiological conditions, constitute by this new depart¬
ure the essential and true disease. For disease in its primary
conditions and intimate nature is dynamic; it precedes, under¬
lies, evolves, determines, embraces, transcends and rules the ana¬
tomical state.”
It is these "primary conditions,” these preceding, underlying,
constitutional causes, the dyscrasia or psoric or syphilitic miasms
of Hahnemann that are overlooked and that must be taken into
Digitized by ^ooQle
168
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
account in treating patients suffering with leprosy. Hitherto,
this loathsome disease has been dealt with as a local manifesta¬
tion, a disease of the skin, by all schools of medicine and the pro¬
fession has been slow to learn that we should treat “ the patient,
not his parts; the tenant, not his house.” A careful anamnesis,
a strict individualization and the similimum given in a strong
dynamis will rob this ancient bug-bear of much of its horror.
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
Pocket Manual of Homeopathic Materia Medica; Com¬
prising the characteristic and cardinal symptoms of all remedies.
By William Boericke, M. D., Professor of Materia Medica and
Therapeutics, Hahnemann College, San Francisco. Second
edition, revised and enlarged; 12 mo, pp., 682; flexible cover;
price $3.50. Boericke & Runyon: New York and San
Francisco. 1903.
This edition of 682 pages includes every medicine introduced
into homeopathic practice, together with a therapeutic index. It
is an admirable condensation, a pocket encyclopedia of homeo¬
pathic materia medica. It includes verifications that have been
brought to the author’s notice by practitioners all over the world
and have been recorded in the leading journals of our school. The
author has liberally availed himself of Dr. Garke’s invaluable
“ Dictionary of Materia Medica.” The addition of the index to
the complete list of remedies materially adds to the practical value
of the hand-book, and while the symptoms of many of the less
known remedies are condensed, the practician will find many val¬
uable hints that are not to be found in many works of materia
medica. Here he will find many remedies, also, to which he is a
total stranger, and will be astonished to find that we have a partial
proving or verification of previous clinical records of so many
remedies.
The Worth of Words. By Ralcey Husted Bell, with an intro¬
duction by Dr. W. C. Cooper. Hinds & Noble: New York,
33 West 15th Street.
Digitized by
Google
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
169
Herbert Spencer says: “ Men ought to regard their language
as an inheritance to be conserved, and improved so far as that
is possible, and ought not to degrade it by reversion to lower
types.”
In the introduction, the author strikes the key to his charming
book: “ To me there is nothing in the world quite so charming
as elegant diction.”
This book will be found very useful to all who would speak and
write good English, and who should not assay to be a good Eng¬
lish scholar ? This is especially true of a professional man. There
are very few who will not find on every page of this work some
word that might or should be used in a different sense, the study
of which will be found both useful and practical. Here is a prac¬
tical illustration of the word whole:
Whole, entire, complete, total should not be used indiscrimin¬
ately one for the other.
Whole implies that from which nothing has been taken.
Entire, that which has not been divided.
Complete, that which has all of its parts.
Total, the aggregate of these parts.
Books like this should be read from time to time, for few of
us are in danger of becoming too pure, and almost all of us
employ certain words incorrectly, both in speaking and writing.
We heartily commend the book.
Annual Report of the Surgeon General of the Public
Health and Marine-Hospital Service of the U. S. for the
Year 1902.
This health report of the Marine-Hospital Service contains a
complete list of the work done by this Department of the govern¬
ment, both in the states and territories, including our recently
acquired Pacific islands. It is an able compilation of the work of
the department in sanitation and will be found valuable as a work
of reference both for physicians and laymen.
Infant-Feeding in Its Relation to Health and Disease. A
modem book on all methods of feeding. For students, prac¬
titioners and nurses. By Louis Fischer, M. D., visiting physi-
Digitized by ^ooQle
170
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
cian to the Willard Parker and Riverside Hospitals, of New
York City; attending physician to the children’s service of
the New York German Poliklinik; former instructor in dis¬
eases of children at the New York Post-Graduate Medical
School and Hospital; fellow of the New York Academy of
Medicine, etc. Third edition, thoroughly revised and largely
re-written. Containing 54 illustrations, with 24 charts and
tables, mostly original. 357 pages, extra cloth. $2.00, net. F.
A. Davis Company, Publishers, 1914 Cherry Street, Philadel¬
phia, Pa.
This work of Dr. Fischer has been completely revised and al¬
most entirely re-written. Many changes of value to the general
practitioner in the formulae for home modification of milk have
been made.
A new chapter, entitled “ Milk Idiosyncrasies in Children,”
showing how children were fed who could not tolerate milk, is
added. Also another chapter entitled “ Buttermilk Feeding,”
treating of the method of feeding in vogue in Foundling asylums.
Much attention has been given in another part to modified milk.
What has been given as authority in a previous edition is now
left out or greatly modified. The author’s conclusions that ac¬
curacy at the laboratory, plus clean utensils, is almost invaluable,
and he cites a successful modified milk feeding that practically
will not need revision for some time to come. Nevertheless, the
success in the feeding of infants will eventually be found in n
strict individualization: fit the baby for the food, instead of fit
the food for the baby.
Sally of Missouri. A novel of the Ozark Mountains. By
Rose E. Young. New York: McClure, Phillips & Co. 1903.
The author of this work, Miss Rose E. Young, late business
manager of the Medical Advance, at one time manager, pub¬
lisher and whilom editor of the Medical Century, for very often
Miss Young was compelled to not only edit but manage the Medi¬
cal Century during the absence of its chief editor.
The scene of the novel is laid in the zinc mining region of Mis¬
souri. The heroine of the book is Salome (not Sarah) and is a
Digitized by ^ooQle
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
171
fine specimen of a Missouri girl, educated at Vassar, with all the
dash and energy of a Western girl. The hero is a New York
man, a graduate of Yale, who inherited a portion of the Ozark
Mountains from his ancestors. In a spirit of adventure, and in
order to see the country, he goes to Missouri, and there, like
many another young man just fresh from college, meets his fate.
Sally's father was an enterprising man of affairs, and through
his business acumen as a manufacturer, farmer, banker, etc.,
built up a town in the Ozark Hills and became the “ Lord of the
Manor." Eventually he falls upon evil ways, became financially
involved and dies just before bankruptcy overtakes him.
There is some charming description of Missouri scenery, Mis¬
souri dialect and Western character. The author has succeeded
in implanting love for Missouri in all the characters, the simplic¬
ity and naturalness of whom induces an intense interest in the
work. There is not a dull page or prosy chapter in the book.
We congratulate the author on her literary success, and the only
suggestion we should make would be she ought to have chosen
a more taking name. While there is not much in a name it is
all we have to criticise.
Kent’s Materia Medica. The publication of Dr. J. T. Kent’s
“ Materia Medica ” will, we feel assured, mark an epoch in
that much-discussed subject. It is different from anything
that has yet appeared. While going into minute details and
covering almost as much space for each remedy as does Hahne¬
mann’s “ Materia Medica Pura,’’ yet it is not a list of symptoms,
but the list of symptoms and all that pertains to them put into
clear and readable form.
Here is a specimen, selected at random, that will illustrate our
meaning and give you an idea of a book that every homeopathic
physician should possess. It is clipped from the proofs of Allium
cepa:
“ It is not strange that the old ladies used to bind onions on
the ear for earache and around the neck for sore throats, for onion
is very frequently indicated in almost every climate for the effects
of cold. Cold, damp, penetrating winds, in any climate, are likely
Digitized by CjOOQle
172
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
to bring on Allium cepa complaints — coryza, la grippe, influenza
or whatever they may be called, and usually there is a great deal
of congestive headache. Rawness in nose, copious flow of water
from the eyes, which is always bland; copious watery discharge
from the nose, which is always excoriating. Rawness in the
larynx and throat, extending down into the chest. Rawness in
the nose. In twenty-four hours it reaches the larynx. Cough,
excited bv tickling in the larynx and when lying down at night
in a warm room. On going to bed in the evening Allium has its
most troublesome aggravation. I have heard patients describe the
pain in the larynx on coughing, saying that it felt as if some one
was reaching down with a hook at every cough. Tearing in the
larynx with every cough. Sneezing, rawness of all the mucous
membranes and that tearing cough, all symptoms worse in a warm
room and in the evening; it is astonishing how quickly the onion
will break up that ‘-cold.’ ” — Jottings .
[This is the reason why these lectures do not appear in the
Advance, much to the regret of both editors and readers.— eh.]
Model Cures.
H. C. ALLEN. M. D.
Pulsatilla: Mr. McM., aged fifty, small, compact, energetic,
light complexion, has had hemorrhoids for several years, with
only partial relief from all kinds of treatment.
For three or four months symptoms are:
Backache: small of back, before stool.
Back < on beginning to move, but > bv continued motion.
Bright red blood with stool, from one to two pints every morn¬
ing ; prostrates, weakens.
Mental exertion or excitement <.
Despondent: fears he will not recover.
Fulness after eating: flatulence.
Thirstless: > outdoors, wants to live in open air.
Pulsatilla M. gave prompt and permanent relief.
Digitized by C.ooQLe
NEWS NOTES AND ITEMS.
173
Tub^rculinum. — Mrs. G., age 36; father died of consump¬
tion; eczema when a child; married at 19: has had four children;
one baby died of eczema.
The typical tubercular head; full, large, protruding eyes. Irri¬
table, despondent; easily annoyed or angered.
Hard goitre; been treated locally, no result.
Menses: early, or at times delayed for months; now two and
a half months since last period and she fears pregnancy.
Terrible pruritus vulva during last months of pregnancy; itch¬
ing intolerable, < at night.
Hungry; persistent craving for meat.
Craves open air in all kinds of weather.
Diarrhea: frequent attacks of; stool profuse, watery, offensive,
undigested; sudden, imperative, driving out of bed from 3 to 5
A. M., which Sulphur failed to cure.
General emaciation and drenching night sweats.
Under Tuberculinum cm, menses and bowels became normal
and she was rapidly restored to health.
NEWS NOTES AND ITEMS.
Dr. Julia C. Loos will remove her office, April 1st, to 705
North Second Street, Harrisburg, Pa.
Her valuable article, “ Symptoms that Distinguish a Case,” in
the February issue, was greatly appreciated by many readers, who
express the wish that she may become a frequent contributor.
Dr. S. A. Kimball, formerly at 124 Commonwealth Avenue,
will, in the future, have his office in the Warren Chambers, 419
Boylston Street, Boston, Mass.
Dr. Edmund Carleton teaches the Organon in the New York
Homeopathic College. His name was accidentally omitted in our
January editorial, with Drs. Nash and Austin. He demonstrates
Digitized by CjOOQle
174
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
the philosophy of Hahnemann and holds a medical clinic Satur 1
day afternoon for illustrative purposes. These clinics, we under¬
stand, are well attended by the students.
Dr. Conrad Wesselhoeft celebrates his seventieth birthdav,
March 23d, and some of his friends have planned a banquet and
the presentation of a Loving Cup on the evening of that day, and
have invited the profession to join them in showing the high ap¬
preciation in which he is held for the valuable work he has ac¬
complished. The occasion promises to be a red-letter day in the
history of our cause in New England.
Dr. Bukk G. Carleton announces the competitive examination
open to all graduates in medicine for twenty-two resident physi¬
cians in the Metropolitan Hospital of New York, containing over
one thousand beds. The period of service is eighteen months,
occurring in June and December. The examinations will be held
April 29, 1904. For particulars, address 75 West Fiftieth Street,
New York.
Boericke a Runyon, Homeopathic publishers, have just issued
a catalogue of their books. It contains some excellent portraits of
the authors, notably a splendid picture of the late Dr. Dearborn.
This handsome little booklet will be mailed to any physician or
student, on request.
The Missouri Institute of Homeopathy will meet at the
Southern Hotel, St. Louis, April 27, 28 and 29. The officers ex¬
tend a cordial invitation to all physicians interested in homeopathy.
We recommend our readers to attend the session, if possible, and
take with them a chapter of their experience.
The Kentucky State Society will meet in Lexington, May
25th and 26th. Kentucky always has a good meeting, and its
members know how to extend a royal welcome to visiting brethren.
Digitized by ^ooQle
NEWS NOTES AND ITEMS. 175
Dr. Frank Wieland, Chicago, has taken office from 3 to 5
P. M. at 70 State Street.
The Catalogue of the Practitioner’s Course, New York
Homeopathic College, is just at hand. It presents a very enticing
bill of fare for all who can possibly take in two or three weeks’
work in May. It certainly will pay to attend such a course every
year.
Dr. Rudolph F. Rabe announces, that, at a recent meeting of
the New York Homeopathic Materia Medica Society, a paper by
Dr. Nash, on the subject of pneumonia was very poorly attended
It seems strange that so well-known a man as Dr. Nash, and so
important and timely a topic as pneumonia, failed to bring out
more than a baker’s dozen of physicians. The members of the
society missed a treat, and perhaps the opportunity of acquiring
some useful information.
Dr. Royal E. S. Hayes, of Hazardville, Conn., writes: “ I at¬
tended the meeting of the I. H. A. in Boston, last June, and
became an associate member. The time spent there was one of
the happiest of my life. I felt that I was among congenial spirits,
and was, at last, where I belonged.” These meetings are very
helpful, and frequently are the source of inspiration and renewed
zeal in the cause. The doctor caught the spirit of the meeting,
for he adds: “ If there is ever any way in which I can be of serv¬
ice to the cause of homeopathy, aside from the daily routine, even
if it involves sacrifice, I shall be happy to take advantage of it.
It seems that there is a great work needed to bring the knowledge
of true homeopathy to suffering humanity, so that there may be
a demand for physicians who practice it. It seems that the cry¬
ing need of the time is that people should have, at least, an ele¬
mentary knowledge of the principles of homeopathy. Then this
abuse of using patent medicines, home drugging and allopathic
treatment would be greatly lessened.” How may it be accom¬
plished ?
Digitized by ^ooQle
176
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
The New York State Society held its fifty-second annual
meeting in Albany, February 9th and 10th. During the last six
years, 270 candidates have passed the state examinations for
medical license.
The following officers were elected:
President, Dr. B. G. Carleton.
First Vice-President, Dr. Martin Brewer.
Second Vice-President, Dr. Ermina C. Eddy.
Third Vice-President, Dr. F. D. Buchanan.
Secretary, Dr. De Witt G. Wilcox.
Treasurer, Dr. C. T. Haines.
Perhaps the most important matter presented at the meeting was
the report of the committee for the defense of alleged malpractice
suits. The following conclusions were reached:
First, We find it desirable to form a protective association to be
composed of the members of this society.
Second, That a committee be appointed for the purpose of as¬
certaining how many in the society would be willing to join such
association; that the membership fee therein shall not exceed $3.00
per annum, which fund shall be used to defray all the expense
attending the defense of alleged malpractice suits against members
of the association.
Third, The membership in this protective association shall be
confined to the members of this society.
RESOLVED, That the president appoint a committee of three,
with full power to act, to be known as the Committee of De¬
fense Litigation, whose duty it shall be to take in charge the fur¬
nishing to the members of this society, under a plan to be adopted
by said committee, protection from the expense incurred in the
defense of alleged malpractice suits brought against the members
of this society.
In our long list of remedies for entire loss of appetite there are
none more efficacious than Podophyllum, Lycopodium and Fer-
rum, which have a satiety on attempting to eat. Keep them well
in mind when studying cases presenting this symptom. You can
readily remember them by recalling the fact that their initials,
P. L. and F., are the same as those of Perfection Liquid Food.
Digitized by ^ooQle
The Medical Advance
.. AND ..
Journal of Homeopathics
Vol. XLII. Chicago, April, 1904 . No. 4 .
Transactions of the Central New York Homeopathic
Medical Society.
Rochester, N. Y., Dec. io, 1903.
The quarterly meeting of the society was called to order by the
President, Dr. R. C. Grant, at 2: 30 P. M.
Members present: Drs. Ross, Grant, Hussey, Graham, Leggett,
Hoard, Follett, Tretton, Dake.
The minutes of the September meeting were read and approved.
There was no report from the Board of Censors.
The reading and discussion of Organon, § II, was omitted.
The subject of the “ Relative Value of the Medical and Surgi¬
cal Treatment of Appendicitis ” was presented for discussion.
Dr. Graham, surgeon, said that many cases of appendicitis were
amenable to medical treatment, and that he had cured patients so
attacked, remedially, especially in the acute stage of the disease.
He especially urged caution when the patient did not show signs
of amendment within twenty-four hours, and censured that prac¬
tice which delayed operation until it was too late. He considered
that two-thirds of the fatalities, occurring after surgical treat¬
ment, were due to delayed operations. He referred to a late case
of his own, whom he, at that time, believed would recover without
operation. He said its history pointed to recurrent appendicitis;
that two previous attacks of soreness in the appendicular region,
following a cold, with frequent occurrence of nausea and faint¬
ness, had been reported. He considered many cases of appendici¬
tis to be catarrhal, caused by colds, and that recurrent cases should
Digitized by LjOOQle
178
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
be operated upon between attacks. He reiterated the statement
that the acute, sharp pain of the attack should be modified by the
remedies within twenty-four hours, and cautioned against a sud¬
den rise in temperature. Noting the rapid progress of the disease
in some cases, he cited one to which he had been called at night,
and had operated upon the next morning, in which was found a
ruptured abscess. The operation was followed by prompt re¬
covery. He had found Aconite, Belladonna, Plumbum, Rhus and
occasionally Baptisia useful in these conditions.
Dr. Follett had had an unusual opportunity for observation of
the efficacy of the treatment of appendicitis, both remedially and
surgically. This observation of methods had been made of two
towns, situated side by side, Seneca Falls and Waterloo. The
former, town of seven thousand, whose physicians of both schools
disbelieve in surgery, and the latter, a town of five thousand,
whose physicians believe in surgery, and whose inhabitants, with
rare exceptions, have received the benefit of that belief, with a
result in the death-rate, greatly in favor of Seneca Falls.
Personally, with the usual average of cases, Dr. Follett had
but once used the knife, and that case ended fatally. He found
such remedies as Bryonia, Rhus, and once Lachesis, most curative;
not because it was appendicitis, but because some one of those
remedies was often indicated in the individual case. He said that
the need for surgery was eliminated by the timely prescription.
Dr. Ross recalled a case in which the active symptoms of ap¬
pendicitis disappeared under the remedy, leaving a tumor. Opera¬
tion showed some pus, but, also, conditions that were obviously
improving.
Dr. Hussey inquired if there was anything in blood examina¬
tion that pointed to a diagnosis of pus. Dr. Graham said not.
Dr. Hoard believed that recurrent cases should be treated
remedially between attacks; that the condition, often catarrhal,
was as curable as catarrh of any region. He said that he had had
but two cases for the surgeon. He thought that the most frequently
indicated remedies in his experience were Lycopodium and Rhus,
although he had some cases which Aconite and Belladonna had
cured. He said Lycopodium had been most often indicated in
recurrent cases.
Digitized by ejOOQie
CENTRAL NEW YORK HOMEOPATHIC SOCIETY. 179
Dr. Follett, referring to the class of people most apt to develop
appendicitis, said that in his experience the disease was not found
among those people actively employed, i. e., farmers, or .others
engaged in the physical activities, but in those of the upper and
middle classes, those leading a sedentary life. He quoted the
saying of a surgeon who had told him that ninety per cent of
his cases died.
Dr. Hussey said that a surgeon of his acquaintance, of large
experience, had attributed the prevalence of the disease to the
practice of eating such quantities of pre-digested foods, and their
presence in the appendix. He thought that in those days of
“ spectacular ” surgical experiments it was necessary to be fully
equipped for prescribing. He had never had one of his own cases
operated upon, nor a qase die. He had been told by his confreres
that it was luck, and his time would come. He had had one case
in which he had had a surgeon as counsel, and in which both had
visited the patient two or three times a day, for three days, with¬
out a resort to operation, with a cure, and without a recurrence,
even though the attack was very severe. He, usually, in those
cases, as in recurrent tonsillitis, or other and like conditions, found
a remedy necessary, after the acute conditions subsided, and which
eventually prevented further trouble.
Dr. Grant recalled two cases in which Chamomilla worked
wonders. One of these had had two previous attacks, and was
sent by a priest to him at the hospital. A tumor in region of the
appendix was easily detected. The condition was cured by two
doses of Chamomilla. The second was a boy of twelve whom
the doctor had watched two or three hours each day, for two days,
and had finally decided must be operated upon the next morning.
He saw the patient at midnight, studied awhile, and finally gave
a dose of Chamomilla cm. At 5 A. M., the doctor was called to
an obstetrical case, so telephoned to Dr. Ross, who was to operate,
to go ahead, he could not come. Dr. Ross answered that there
was no reason for operation, patient was all right, the Cham¬
omilla had done the work.
Dr. Grant had found Arsenicum. Lycopodium, etc., frequently
indicated in appendicitis.
Dr. Hoard recalled a case in one of his families, first treated
Digitized by ejOOQle
180
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
for a day by an old-school physician, and whom he found on the
second day with tumor, size of his fist, in appendicular region and
in awful pain, that yielded perfectly to three doses of Lycopodium
200. Referring to Dr. Hussey's remark upon predigested foods,
he said the cereal habit, in which food was bolted without chew¬
ing, was a great source of intestinal indigestion.
Dr. Tretton recalled the case of an old lady treated many years
ago: no stool, vomiting, excruciating pain, and so weak she had
been sent to the hospital. Plumbum administered twenty-four
hours without >. The excessive exhaustion led to the prescrip¬
tion of two doses of Opium, with the result of improvement the
following morning, and a discharge from the hospital in ten days.
Dr. Gwynn, unable to be present, enclosed the gist of his expe¬
rience in a letter to the president, saying: I know but little of it,
and in the midst of conflicting testimony hardly know “ where I
am at." In thirty years of busy work I saw but one case of gen¬
uine appendicitis — perityphlitis — as we then called it. It was
in an allopathic family, and they, fearing that the case promised
little, and I thought it promised less, was glad to have them send
for one of another school. The case went on from bad to worse
and soon died. Long years after, I lost a lad seven years of age
— the other was a strong man of twenty-five — of what I now
think was appendicitis. Aside from these two in which I had a
hand in their death, though I do distinctly remember that I have
had many cases of peritonitis that now would be termed appen¬
dicitis. There is not a day that I live but what brings thoughts of
the marvelous cures wrought by homeopathy alone, for then I
knew nothing else; only we were allowed to apply clothes wet in
hot or cold water as most agreeable to the patient, to be changed
when they became hot or cold as the case might be.
Looking back over long years, I do not see but we had better
success than they have now with the more heroic practice. I want
to say, but dare not, that appendicitis, like the ubicquitous mi¬
crobe, is a prodigious fad and will die the death it so richly
deserves. That both exist is not to be denied :— that either exerts
half the influence credited to it may be denied without fear of
successful contradiction. As I wrote you some time ago I would
Digitized by C.ooQLe
CENTRAL NEW YORK HOMEOPATHIC SOCIETY. 181
advise treating the patient and let the appendix “ go to the dogs,”
or some other bad place.
The president closed the discussion of appendicitis and opened
that of
CALCAREA.
Dr. Gwvnn had sent hearty endorsement of this remedy in the
following words:
Calcarea is now familiar and more definite. I do not know
of a remedy in the whole materia medica that less often disap¬
points you than this, nor one that from start to finish has a more
satisfactory record. When and where the start is who shall say.
It has been well said that to bring up a child well, “ begin a
year before it is born.” To start well with Calcarea you may start
even farther back than that. The history of the case before you
may begin with the grandparents, and come down along with
marked lines.
Dr. Nash quotes Henry N. Guernsey’s saying, that the general
temperament is “ leucophlegmatic ” and this is only saying, a
pallid, flabby state of the body, including every part of the or¬
ganism, only the mental faculties often escaping, and even more
richly developed.
As I said before these strange conditions may have pertained
to generations back as witnessed in a case seen two days ago.
Was sent for to see a child seven years old in an adjoining vil¬
lage. The mother met me at the door, a soft, spongy woman, fleshy
yet pallid. The child looked like the mother, and not a bit like
the father, a stout, firm, wiry man; a fat baby, full abdomen,
slow dentition, small bones, sweating to wet the pillow, sweating
to wet the stockings so they dried through the night; took cold
easily; always took cold easily; had a glass of hot milk before
breakfast and “ vomited a chunk as long as his hand looking like
dough; ” “ vomiting of milk like curds ” with a bronchitis of ten
days’ standing and a characteristic cough. This is no fancy sketch
and no light case, for he had been carefully attended bv a physician
of standing and experience, who had treated the case as he would
Digitized by CjOOQle
182
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
have treated a case in any other child, not seeing anything in
this case out of the ordinary.
I gave the child Calcarea from a vial that I got from my pre¬
ceptor in 1863 and have used it ever since, and it has never, never ,
never failed me when it was indicated; and Calcarea is a remedy
so clear cut that you may always know you are right. What
potency it is I know not, and care less so that it does not fail me,
and it will not. I left, saying, “ It will not be necessary to call
again,” nor will it be.
I ought to say that the mother was greatly exercised to know
where the “ chunk ” came from, that this child vomited, forgetting
that curdled milk and white bread, if well mixed, closely resemble
dough.
Dr. Ross recalled a case in which Dr. Julius G. Schmitt had
helped him to see that Calcarea was the remedy. It was that of a
child with brain trouble, whose constant cry was: “ Ma! Ma!
Ma!”
Dr. Follett had verified the symptoms of Calcarea, in the case of
an injured knee, by a fall, with possible penetration by a nail. The
accident had caused contraction, swelling and doughiness, whi oh
the old-school physician in charge had decided could only be cured
by operation. The leading indication fbr its use was the fact that
the child would eat “ nothing but eggs.” He considered Calcarea,
especially in the thirtieth potency, the prize remedy in the consti¬
pation of infants.
Dr. Tretton related a case of “ milk crust ” with incessant cry¬
ing, convulsions, etc., cured bv Calcarea 30. The convulsions
stopped after circumcision.
dr. leggett’s calcarea cases.
April 6, 1896.
Case I.— Mrs. B., laundress; short, fair, red hair, about fifty
years old, during an attack of la grippe had the following symp¬
toms :
Discharge from right ear and nostril; profuse, fetid, purulent;
which she described as “ coming with a sudden rush of almost a
handful of matter,” and saturating a quarter of a sheet, placed
under her head at night for protection. She was almost insensible
Digitized by C.ooQLe
1
CENTRAL NEW YORK HOMEOPATHIC SOCIETY. 183
of the flow, it came before she could prepare for it, and was ex¬
ceedingly annoying when occurring during her household duties.
She also complained of bewilderment from blowing the nose, scant
discharge on blowing the nose; < from cold; and she, of course,
worked in water. One dose of Calcarea 6 m cured permanently
and quickly.
Case II.— March 18, 1898, Bertha R., age 14, weight 130.
Menses: Too soon, too profuse, lasting too long.
- Color, bright, no clots.
- Frequency, two and three weeks.
- During, chilly.
- Backache when standing.
- Pallor, unable to study.
- Condition has been of several months' standing.
Repertory Work :
Menses: Chilly during; too soon, too profuse.
- Amm. c., Calc., Castor, Cycl., Ipec., Mag. c., Puls., Zinc.
- Pains in back, during.
- Pains < standing.
- Amm. c., Calc., Puls., Lyc.
Calcarea 6 m. No further need of medicine.
Case III.— Mrs. C., 69 years of age; chronic rheumatoid con¬
ditions of many years' standing. During the year had been tor¬
mented with the thought and fear of “ snakes." She imagined
them coming in the window, if left open at night, and dared not
put her slippers under the bed at night, for fear she should find
snakes in them, etc., etc.
This symptom reported in June, 1903, with those of “ headache
from drinking milk," and “ wandering, shooting pains here and
there," led to a prescription of Lac Caninum cm (F.) on the 22d.
July 13, 1903, she reported relief from thoughts of snakes, until
within the week, when she awakened, “ cuddling snakes in her
bosom."
She had a return of rheumatic lameness in the knees for three
days.
She received Lac Caninum mm. (F.).
Sept. 28, 1903, she reported that she had not been troubled with
rheumatism, but had had much diarrhea during her absence in
Digitized by LjOO ie
184
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
the Adirondack region. She had but little trouble about snakes.
The stools were frequent mornings and forenoons and get her
“ out of bed,” though less early than Psorinum, Sulphur, Aloe, etc.
This condition was increased at every cold change; she also com¬
plained of perspiration on chest.
Calcarea 6 m.
March n, 1903.— She came with this complaint, that she could
not use her arms. If she sewed, if she washed, even the few
dishes which herself and daughter used for breakfast, she must
rest, unbutton her clothing, and the stomach would seem to swell,
and she was wretched. She coughed from a recent cold, which
jarred her head frightfully. She described the stools as first hard,
then softer, and next thin. She again complained of occasionally
thinking of snakes. It was then that I astonished myself by
finding that Calcarea was one of the remedies that produced “ im¬
agination of snakes about,” and found that remedy covered the
following symptoms:
“ Imagines snakes.”—Arg. n., Calc., Lac. can.
“ Pressing pain in stomach < motion.” Calc.
“ Stools, first hard, then pasty, then thin.” Calc.
“ Stomach < clothing, pressure.” Calc.
“ Cough with shocks in the head and headache.” Calc.
Calcarea cm. (H. S.).
Dec. 9, 1903.— I called to inquire the result and learned that
she had no relief from fatigue of the arms until all the Placebo
had been taken (several powders) but was now herself again.
Case IV.— July 21, 1898, Mrs. F., aged 34, mother of four
children, tall, finely developed, medium blonde, had procured an
abortion in April of the same year, and had suffered from met¬
rorrhagia since that time. She had submitted to curettement
without avail, and had come to me for remedial measures.
The second day of the flow had drenched five napkins one yard
square, and during three hours at cards had saturated her clothing.
She had no pain, and had always been able to fulfil her regular
duties at that period. She received one dose of Calcarea 83 m,
and the next month reported but one day of excessive flow.
Improvement continued until December 14, when she reported
“ over-work.” “ ear$ of sick child ” and “ undone.” Examination
Digitized by CjOOQle
CENTRAL NEW YORK HOMEOPATHIC SOCIETY. 185
by local physician had shown 44 swelling, inflammation and dis¬
placement backward of the uterus, with flabby ligaments and mus¬
cles. ” He had told her she would need a support after reduction
of the inflammation. She also reported a tendency of the uterus
to bleed at the slightest touch; a constant, acrid, yellowish dis¬
charge ; poor appetite, nervous, low spirited. Calcarea an. (H. S.).
Jan. 3, 1899.— Much better; discharge almost entirely gone.
Feb. 1, 1899.—“ Real well again/’ not nervous, looks better, etc.
No further sickness of any kind until an eruption of boils in
spring of 1903, which were not cured until she received Hepar.
Dr. Grant recalled a case in which the 44 crop of boils ” was
about the knee, and was cured with Nux vom.
Dr. Hoard recalled the case of a young girl who went in bath¬
ing soon after her first menses, which suppressed the menses and
brought on a profuse, acrid, offensive leucorrhea, which obliged
her to wear napkins. She was naturally of feeble construction,
having loose joints, weak ankles, etc., but was almost 44 made
over ” by Calcarea.
Dr. Dake thought Calcarea frequently indicated in enlarged
tonsils.
A case, son of a tuberculous mother, had enlarged tonsils, and
sweat of the head since birth. The first prescription of Calcarea
cm. had improved the patient for three months. He had now
placed the patient upon Calcarea 1 m every third night, and
looked for complete cure.
Dr. Grant cited a case of hydrocephalus in a child probably ten
months old, that had been pronounced hopeless. The wide open
fontanelles, the bulging membranes, the sweating head, with thin
arms and legs, pot-belly, called for Calcarea c.; two or three
doses of the remedy, at long intervals, not only cured this child
but made him bright, strong and active; now about three years old.
Unable to be present, the distance being so great from her
Brooklyn office. Dr. Josephine Howland sent the following illus¬
tration of the use of Calcarea in deeply chronic conditions:
Miss K., age 35, dark blue eves. When five years of age had
measles, with asthma as a sequel which through mind cure, ceased
at nineteen.
Digitized by CjOOQle
186
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
When nine years old had pertussis followed by enlargement and
suppuration of cervical glands that discharged for four or five
years; had nineteen surgical operations before they healed.
Diphtheria six years ago; cervical glands badly swollen.
Stomach deranged two years ago; vomited at once after eat¬
ing; this lasted six weeks.
External genitals so sore can scarcely sit; raw and burning.
Leucorrhea, milky-white, since last autumn, > pain in r.
ovarian region.
Double femoral hernia when sixteen years old, from alight¬
ing from a horse.
Bearing down pain in abdomen and rectum; > lying on back;
> crossing the limbs when standing.
Burning during and after urination, producing faintness and
perspiration.
Takes cold easily; affects throat and chest.
Dark circles under eyes most of the time.
Formerly happy disposition; now sensitive, despondent, sad
and weeping.
Aversion to fats; ice cream causes sore throat.
Mercurius sol. 6 m.
April 5.— Better; bowels >, two stools this week; backache >
Urine still painful; profuse, milk-white leucorrhea; weakness in
stomach and back < standing; weary, unrefreshed in morning.
Calcarea 13 m.
April 10.— Better. Urination painless; bearing down >,
walked two miles today; backache > ; bowels more normal.
Placebo.
May 1.— Felt well until today. Menses appeared two days
early; profuse, painful, but generally much improved. Placebo.
May 9.— Quite well past week; but now suffering from grief,
death of brother. Ignatia 34 m.
May 18.— Marked general improvement. Placebo.
June 1.— Same old pains in r. abdomen returned; otherwise
>. Calcarea 13 m.
She had been under the care of a New York physician when
she came to me. The bearing down pains were so severe she
could neither walk nor stand with comfort, and was told to stay
Digitized by CjOOQle
CENTRAL NEW YORK HOMEOPATHIC SOCIETY. 187
in her room and if not better he would make a local examination.
This staying in her room alone did not improve her mentally or
physically as she was a stranger in a strange hotel. She accidently
saw my sign on the door, came in for advice, not treatment; it was
with great difficulty I could persuade her there was a better way
and a probable cure for her in homeopathy. She is now one of
my best friends and an enthusiastic advocate of my treatment and
of homeopathy.
The discussion of Calcarea was closed and miscellaneous busi¬
ness opened for debate.
Dr. Hussey, whose motion for the addition of a Topic Com¬
mittee to the offices of the society, was tabled at the September
meeting for discussion by a larger assemblage of members than
were then present, said his suggestion was based upon his experi¬
ence in the Buffalo Medical Society, and that he would again move
that each year the president appoint a Topic Committee of one,
if the distance from other members was too great; of two, if the
committee was appointed from one city, so that subjects for future
meetings might be arranged at early date; men of known ability
invited to be present and speak before the society, and such ways
and means considered as experience taught would add to the in¬
terest of the meetings. The motion was seconded, discussed, put
to vote and carried.
The president appointed Dr. Hussey, who asked to be excused
because of the great amount of work in which he was already
engaged.
The president then appointed Drs. Ross and Dake.
Adjourned.
S. L. Guild-Leggett,
Secretary.
The Old, Old Story. — “The delight with which tetanus
antitoxin was welcomed has given way to bitter disappointment,
for the reports now coming in are decidedly detrimental to the
use of the serum. The mortality rate is proving as high, or
higher, under its use than under the old methods of treatment.”
—Medical Summary .
Digitized by C^ooQLe
188
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
A Reminiscence of Dr. A. R. Morgan.
T. DWIGHT STOW, M. D., MEXICO, N. Y.
My acquaintance with our old friend, Dr. A. R. Morgan, began
in 1856. He was then a young and enthusiastic homeopathician,
having an office on the east side of Warren Street, Syracuse, a
street noted for the number of pioneer homeopathic physicians
that then, and since, trod its pavements. Some of us recall the
names and lineaments of Drs. Loomis, Richardson, Lyman Clary,
Frank Bigelow, J. G. Bigelow, Wm. H. Hoyt, H. H. Cator, Wm.
A. Hawley, H. V. Miller, G. H. Greeley and A. R. Morgan. All
of these did valiant work in their day, and all have passed on.
and joined the majority.
Ah! how vividly loom up the forms and deeds of those dear old
friends, and many others, of the dead and living, who were active
and loved members of the Central New York Society; and the
many, many interesting and instructive sessions held quarterly in
the office of Dr. Clary, and Dr. Wm. A. Hawley.
When I made the acquaintance of Dr. Morgan, my tent was
pitched in Fulton, N. Y., and I had occasion to consult him from
time to time in troublesome cases, and found him a conscientious,
careful, reliable prescriber. He was a fine looking man; tall,
straight, and before the accident that impaired his usefulness,
weighed about one hundred eighty pounds. He was always pleas¬
ant, was of a jocose disposition, yet often grave, and generally
dignified. He was loved and respected by his colleagues; had the
love and complete confidence of his friends and patrons, and the
respect of the community. If memory serves me aright, he was
in company with Dr. H. H. Cator for a time. They remodeled
their office, and put on a new roof. One day in attempting to
suggest a plan to one of the mechanics he fell astride a joist, and
severely injured one of his testicles. Active inflammation fol¬
lowed by abscess, supervened, and in a short time a fistula con¬
necting with the bladder, was the outcome. For years — two or
more — he had to wear a rubber guard and reservoir, to direct
and store the urine and muco-purulent discharges. For some
time after the injury, he was confined to his house, but prescribed
Digitized by CjOOQle
A REMINISCENCE OF DR. A. R. MORGAN. 189
for patrons daily, to the extent of his physical ability. At length,
he was obliged to leave Syracuse, for New York City, where he
practiced some, lectured in the New York Medical College. Prior
to this, in 1867, he occupied the Chair of Theory and Practice in
the Homeopathic Medical College of Pennsylvania.
Before he attempted to practice again, after he left Syracuse,
he entered into partnership for the manufacture of an open-grate
coal stove — a ventilating stove. But the firm lost in the venture,
and sold out. I called on Dr. Morgan at his place of business,
one day, and bought one of the stoves, shipped it to Fall River
and used it in my office some three years. Dr. and Mrs. Morgan
had one son, who had heart hypertrophy, with dilatation. I met
the doctor in Boston, in answer to a letter wishing me to see his
son at the Parker House, as he was taking him from some place
in Maine, to their home in New York, there to die. His death
was a very severe shock to the loving parents, and they never
recovered from it. They had no other child.
In 1862, after the army of the Potomac had retreated from
before Richmond, and was reorganizing at Harrison’s Landing on
the James River, Dr. Morgan visited me in the camp of the 81st
N. Y. Vols., and we had a very enjoyable time. He had been sent
there by citizens of Syracuse, to get Major Bamum, who was
wounded in one of the battles fought on the line of retreat, and
was taken prisoner by the Confederates. I think his mission was
successful, in that it brought about an exchange of prisoners. Dr.
Morgan traveled extensively, and stored much valuable informa¬
tion as a result.
After courses of lectures at Geneva Medical College, New
York, and at the Homeopathic Medical College of Philadelphia,
from which he graduated in 1851-2, he went to Paris to complete
his course of study. He was city physician; Onondaga County
Orphan Asylum physician; surgeon of the 51st New York State
Militia, all of which places he filled with credit to his profession
and satisfaction to the people. He was obliged to leave the pro¬
fession in 1871. Some ten or twelve years ago, he resumed prac¬
tice in Waterbury, Conn., where he remained until shortly before
his death. For the last three years his health failed, and himself
and wife went to several watering places to recuperate, among
Digitized by G.ooQLe
190
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
them Mt. Pelee, which place they left just three weeks before the
terrible eruption.
Dr. Morgan died in 1903 in the Hospital at Boston after an op¬
eration to relieve the old cystic or prostatic trouble, that it seems,
had returned. He was a strong, forceful writer on medical sub¬
jects and contributed much to medical and homeopathic literature.
In defending homeopathy he was a strong advocate as many of
his articles plainly show. He has published some of his produc¬
tions, the last being his very valuable “ Repertory of Urinary Or¬
gans.”
Mrs. Morgan, his wife, is a true, loving and lovable woman,
who shared the doctor's joys, sorrows, fortune and misfortune
without murmur. She deserves the respect and sympathy of this
society.
Lac Vaccinum de Floratum (Skimmed Cows’ Milk).
A Neglected Remedy.
We venture to say that net one homeopathic physician in a
hundred has ever used this invaluable and neglected remedy, and
yet, we have a better proving of it and more clinical data veri¬
fied, much more reliable than some of Schussler’s Biochemic reme¬
dies, which they use every day without reference to pathogenesy.
We have found it an invaluable aid in the treatment of many ob¬
stinate chronic diseases, and republish from Hering and Clark
some of the pathogenesis that our readers may, at least, investigate
it or put it to the clinical test and publish the failures.
The first idea of potentizing skimmed milk originated with the
late Dr. Swan, upon reading Donkin’s skimmed milk treatment
for diabetes and Bright’s disease. The first proving was made
bv a lady in New York, in whose case the headache and nausea
with constipation were strongly marked. A subsequent and more
extended proving was made by Dr. Laura Morgan.
With a few exceptions, the symptoms of the following scheme
have received repeated clinical verification. The idiosyncrasies of
Digitized by C.ooQLe
LAC VACCINUM DE FLORATUM.
191
many people are strongly marked, especially in regard to various
articles of diet. Some are unable to use milk, cream, oysters,
lobsters and many different kinds of vegetables without being
made sick. The symptoms set up by milk in many sensitive per¬
sons, especially the violent headache and the constipation, are a
matter of common knowledge and it is in these affections that the
remedy has especially distinguished itself. Scarcely a physician
of a few years’ experience can be found, who has not met many
patients who could not use milk on account of its producing con¬
stipation. Like many of Schussler’s Biochemic remedies, milk
contains within it an epitome of all the tissues and salts of the
animal which secretes it, hence it is natural to expect of it a wide
range of action in the potencies; for instance, Natrum muriaticum
is a prominent ingredient and it is not surprising that symptoms
of this remedy are found in the pathogenesis; for example:
“ Thirst for large quantities and often ; ” “ nausea and vomiting; ”
“ depression with weeping and palpitation.”
Burnett maintains that an excess of milk in the dietary of chil¬
dren, after they have cut their first teeth, renders them susceptible
to colds; and in this connection it may be well to recall that milk
is one of the articles forbidden to hydrogenoid or chilly patients.
It is especially indicated in chronic diseases with faulty defective
nutrition with reflex action of the nervous senses, also in that
large class of troubles in which elimination is indifferently per¬
formed.
There is marked periodicity in the symptoms. Like Sulphur,
they are prone to occur every seven or eight days. Most symp¬
toms occur in the morning. The headaches begin in early morn¬
ing, increase during the day and cease at sunset, like Natrum
muriaticum.
The typical Lac de floratum patient is one in whom the processes
of excretion and elimination have been, for years, growing more
and more marked,— the morbid products of metabolism are evi¬
dent— the scanty menstrual flow, the tardy, scanty constipated
bowel movement, and the marked repugnance to or aggravation
from milk or cream in any form.
Mind. — Loss of memory; listlessness and disinclination for
either bodily or mental exertion.
Digitized by CjOOQle
192
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Depression of spirits; don't care to live; question as to quietest
and most certain way of hastening one’s death.
During conversation, headache and depression of spirits.
Depression with crying and palpitation. Fainting spells.
Imagines that all her friends will die and that she must go to a
convent.
Does not want to see or talk to any one.
Can remember what has been read only by a strong effort of
will.
Vacillation of mind.
Great despondency on account of the disease, is sure he is going
to die in twenty-four hours.
Has no fear of death but is sure he is going to die.
Sensorium.— Head light, with throbbing in temples.
Vertigo: on moving head from pillow; lying down and espe¬
cially turning while lying, obliging to sit up (Conium).
Head feels heavy with marked tendency to fall to right side.
Faintness and nausea when stepping upon floor in morning.
At first a sharp pain at apex of heart, as though a knife was
cutting up and down; this lasts a few seconds and is followed by
strange feeling in head; forehead feels extremely heavy, with dull
sensation over eyes, and considerable throbbing, most marked on
each side of head; rest of head feels very light; dimness of vision;
can only distinguish light, not objects; at same time great loss of
strength; cannot stand, but falls backward, and remains entirely
unconscious for two or three minutes; weakness passes off grad¬
ually, and is followed by weeping, palpitation of the heart and
great depression of spirits; imagines that all her friends will soon
die, and that she must go to a convent; she can produce an attack
at any time by extending arms high above head, or by pressure
around waist; spells came on at 7: 30 P. M. Fainting spells.
For the periodical headaches which occur before, during or
after the menstrual period, especially with constantlv decreasing
menstrual flow, it may be compared to Cocculus and Sepia. The
general prostration and colic pains are not so marked as with
Cocculus, and the well-known pelvic phenomenon of Sepia are
absent; but the headaches are probably more severe than either
of these remedies and patients will often say, if you could only
Digitized by CjOOQle
LAC VACCINUM DE FLORATUM.
193
give me a remedy to take during the headache to palliate the sever¬
ity of the pain and make it bearable, I will be very grateful. Many
patients in this condition are driven to the use of morphine and
other palliatives who might be promptly relieved by the similar
remedy, and Lac de floratum deserves a trial. This meets the
symptom totality of many of these so-called incurable headaches
occurring at this time, and with a corrected diet will benefit.
Many a patient has told me at the next visit: “ Your headache
remedy worked like a charm. Its severity was modified in an
hour and before noon I was entirely free from pain.”
When the remedy ceases to benefit, Psorinum, Sulphur or the
antipsoric called for by the totality of new symptoms may so
change the character of the case that marked progress will be
made in the cure.
Head. — American sick headache: begins in forehead, extend¬
ing to occiput, in morning on rising (Bry.) ; intense throbbing,
with nausea, vomiting, blindness and obstinate constipation
(Epig., Iris, Sang.) ; <[ noise, light, motion (Mag. m., Sil.) ;
during menses (Kreos., Sep.); great prostration; > pressure,
by bandaging head tightly (Arg. n., Puls.) ; copious, pale urine.
Dimness of vision, as of cloud before eves; profuse urination;
full feeling in head; slight nausea at pit of stomach; face pale;
feet cold; coldness in back.
Pain commencing in and above inner end of right eyebrow; be¬
fore rising in morning: soon after rising pain passed into eyeball;
until afternoon, at which time it became unbearable; < by walk¬
ing and particularly by sitting down, though done carefully, also
by heat radiated from fire or stooping, > on pressure; pressure
on temples disclosed strong pulsation of artery; pain ceased en¬
tirely at sunset and did not return until next day.
Intense pain at point of exit of supraorbital nerve, diffused
thence over forehead; attack commences with chill, quickened
pulse, flushed face and discharges of wind from stomach.
Pains so severe that she would bury her eyes in her hands and
press them into pillow.
Severe headache for years ; severe pain over eyes; intense throb¬
bing in temples.
General sore pain of head, produced bv coughing.
Digitized by L.ooQLe
194
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Severe headache with a sensation as if top of her head was lifted
off and was raised about five inches, and brains were coming out;
head feels very hot and motion increases pain; face felt as if flesh
was off bones and edges were separated and sticking out.
Pain first in forehead, extending through occiput, making her
nearly frantic.
Intense headache in forehead and through head, in vertex,
afterward head felt bruised.
HEADACHES CURED BY LAC DE FL0RATUM.
Head.— Pain first in forehead, then extending to occiput, very
intense, distracting and unbearable; great photophobia, even to
light of candle; deathly sickness all over, with nausea and vomit¬
ing, < by movement or sitting up; very chilly, and external heat
does not > ; frequent and profuse urination of very pale urine.
After light breakfast, pain in forehead, with nausea; very pale
face, even lips looked white; vomiting of ingesta and afterward
of mucus and bitter water; deathly sick feeling in pit of stomach,
< rising up in bed; profuse urination every half hour; urine
colorless as water; great thirst; intense throbbing pain in vertex.
After injury subject to distress in head; severe pain in fore¬
head just above eyes; breath offensive; appetite poor, nausea; at
times sleeps for hours during attack; great distress across back;
urine dark and thick.
Nausea, and sometimes vomiting, which > ; pain in forehead
as if head would burst with blindness; pain is > by bandaging
head tightly; < by light and noise; constipation, stools large;
hands and feet cold.
Periodical pain in forehead, as if head would burst, accom¬
panied by violent efforts to vomit, and more rarely vomiting;
hands and feet cold; diarrhea alternating with constipation, the
latter predominating; loss of appetite; smell or thought of food
causes nausea; tongue moist, coated white; thirstlessness; always
< at menstrual period ; menses scanty and accompanied with colic.
Attacks come every eight days; during attack can neither eat
nor drink, nor endure light or noise; does not even like to speak;
great prostration, < during menstruation ; when pains subside, in-
Digitized by CjOOQle
LAC VACCINUM DE FLORATUM. 195
flammation of tonsils appears; tongue white and no relish for
food.
Throbbing frontal headache, nausea, vomiting and obstinate
constipation; especially in anemic women.
Severe frontal headache; nausea and sometimes vomiting upon
rising in morning, or from recumbent position at any time, or
upon moving; great constipation; constant chilliness even when
near fire; urine profuse and watery, or scanty and high colored;
intense pain throughout whole spinal column; excessive thirst for
large quantities; great depression of spirits; sudden prostration
of strength at 5 P. M.; skin color of red rose, with swelling of
face, neck, arms and body, generally in morning and during day
and evening.
Severe pains over eyes, with intense throbbing in both temples;
eyes feel as if full of little stones; eyeballs intensely painful, and
on shutting eyes, pressure of lids increases pain; edges of lids feel
contracted, and convey sensation as of a narrow band drawn
tightly across eyeball; pain over left hip; constipation and pro¬
fuse urination during paroxysm.
In morning nausea and sensation of a round ball of pain in cen¬
ter of forehead.
Throbbing in temples.
Head feels large as if growing externally.
Head heavy, falling to right side.
General sore pain of head produced by coughing.
Sight and Eyes. — Dimness of vision; can only see lights, not
objects; preceding headache.
Sensation as if eyes were full of little stones.
Great photophobia, even candle light unbearable.
Intense vertigo when opening eyes while lying, when rising
up; objects appeared to move swiftly from left to right, at other
times moving as if tossed up from below in every direction.
Great pain in eyes on first going into light, soon passed off; on
closing eyes on account of light, pain was felt in eyeballs as if
from pressure of lids.
Pain in and above eyes.
On closing eyelids painful pressure as if lids were short later¬
ally, causing sensation of band pressing upon balls.
Digitized by ejOOQie
196
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Upper eyelids feel very heavy: sleepy all day.
Pain in head, most marked over left eye and in temple, extend¬
ing into eyes, and causing profuse lachrymation.
The dim vision preceding headache is similar to that of Kali
bichromicum and Psorinum, and this type of chronic headache is
usually of a psoric character and very obstinate. It marks a pro¬
found nervous weakness that few remedies will control. Lac de
floratum is one of the few.
Eating and Drinking. — Could not drink milk without its
causing sick headache.
Many patients complain of inability to use milk in any form,
not a recent trouble, but an idiosyncrasy which has followed them
from infancy. Eating or drinking milk may cause nausea, vom¬
iting, diarrhea, sick headache or obstinate constipation. Many are
unable to bear the sight or odor of milk. Many cannot eat food
in which milk forms an ingredient; and many are equally sus¬
ceptible to the use of cream in any form. We have found that
these persons, who are so susceptible to milk, very frequently
present symptoms which call for Lac de floratum as their constitu¬
tional remedy, and many a cure of an obstinate chronic disease
has followed its use. Sometimes a strong dynamic potency of
Lac de floratum will not only relieve the inability to use milk but
will cure the constipation produced bv it. For the persistent
nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, this remedy will relieve as
many cases perhaps as Lactic acid, for it will be as frequently
called for by the symptom totality of the patient.
Hiccough, Belching, Nausea and Vomiting. — Sour eruc¬
tation.
Nausea in morning.
Nausea from a recumbent position at any time during day or
evening, or upon moving or rising in morning.
Deathly nausea, cannot vomit, with groans and cries and great
distress; great restlessness with sensation of coldness; although
skin was hot, pulse was normal.
Nausea and vomiting and a sensation of deathly sickness, from
movement or rising up in bed.
Vomiting first of undigested food, intensely acid, then of bitter
Digitized by C.ooQLe
LAC VACCINUM DE FLORATUM. 197
water and lastly of a brownish clot, which in water separated and
looked like coffee grounds; no smell; bitter taste.
Incessant vomiting, which had no relation to her meals.
Few remedies have a better picture of the “ morning sickness ”
— the nausea and vomiting of pregnancy — than Lac de floratum.
It is also a signific fact that Lactic acid is another valuable remedy
in this condition, and that many patients are greatly benefited by
the use of buttermilk when nothing else can be retained.
If obstinate constipation be present during pregnancy, th$
bowels being normal at other times, Lac de floratum is still better
indicated.
Scrobiculum and Stomach. — Violent pain in pit of stomach,
seldom lower, brought on by fatigue.
A good deal of wind and acid stomach, no tenderness.
Bloating in epigastric region, with attacks of asthma; he could
scarcely breathe; hard pressive pain at about fourth cervical
vertebra.
Abdomen. — Abdomen sore and sensitive to touch.
Severe pain across umbilicus with headache.
Great fatigue from walking, on account of heaviness as of a
stone in abdomen.
Constant pain in frontal region; nausea in morning, deathly
paleness of face on rising in morning; aching pains in wrists and
ankles; puffy swelling under malleoli; drawing pains, with heat,
across lower abdomen and bearing down; frequent, scanty, pale
urine; pressive bearing down in both ovarian regions; cannot bear
pressure of arm or hand on abdomen ; slight yellowish leucorrhea;
great lassitude and disinclination to exertion; depression of
spirits: does not care to live; questions as to quickest and most
certain mode of hastening one’s death ; great fatigue from walk¬
ing on account of heaviness, as of a stone in abdomen.
Drawing pain across lower part of abdomen, with heat and
pressing; bearing down in pelvic region, both sides; cannot bear
pressure of hand or arm on abdomen. Flatulence.
Chronic gastro-enteritis, symptoms of chronic diarrhea and
vomiting.
Stool and Rectiwi. — Frontal headache ; deathly sickness, with
Digitized by CjOOQle
198
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
or without vomiting; pale face in morning, also lips and tips of
fingers white; coldness over whole body.
Is generally constipated, and when it is most persistent very
chilly; cannot get warm.
Frequent but ineffectual urging to stool.
Constipation: with chronic headache; most powerful purgative?
were of no avail; feces dry and hard; diarrhea; stool large and
hard, passed with great straining, lacerating anus, extorting cries
and passing considerable blood; chronic.
Continual persistent constipation; > only by cathartics and
enemas, with violent attacks of sick headache; pain first in fore¬
head then extending to occiput, very intense, distracting and un¬
bearable; great photophobia, even to light of a candle; deathly
sickness all over, with nausea and vomiting < by movement or
sitting up; chilly, and external heat does not relieve her; frequent
and profuse urination of very pale urine.
Urinary Organs. — Frequent but scanty urination.
Profuse, pale urine.
Albuminuria.
Constant pain in region of kidneys, passing around each side
above hips to region of bladder, also downward from sacral region
gluteal, and from thence down back of thighs; pain burning, not
> in any position, < by lying down.
Urine very dark and thick.
Urine very pale; cannot retain it.
Urine comes away drop by drop, or else gushes out with a sen¬
sation of very hot water passing over parts; wetting bed at night.
Female Sexual Organs.— Pressive bearing down in ovarian
region.
Drawing pain across uterine region, with heat and pressive
bearing down in both ovarian regions; cannot bear pressure of
hand or arm on abdomen, intense distress in lower part of ab¬
domen during menstruation, not > by any position; violent in¬
flammation in ileo-cecal region, with intense pain, swelling, ten¬
derness, fecal accumulation and violent vomiting.
Menses delayed a week with congestion of blood to head; cold¬
ness of hands, nausea and vertigo; flow commenced next morning
Digitized by e.ooQle
LAC VACCINUM DE FLORATUM. 199
after taking Lac de floratum, scanty with pain in back; sensa¬
tion of weight and dragging in left ovarian region.
After putting hands in cold water sudden suppression of
menses; pains all over, especially in head.
Drinking a glass of milk during menstruation will promptly
check the flow until next menstrual period.
Irregular menstruation, sometimes very dark and scanty, some¬
times colorless water.
Slight yellowish leucorrhea.
Nerves. — Great lassitude and disinclination to exertion.
Great restlessness and extreme and protracted suffering from
loss of sleep at night.
Feels completely tired out and exhausted, whether she does
anything or not; great fatigue from walking.
Great loss of strength, commencing with a sharp, cutting pain
in apex of heart; forehead feels heavy, with a dull sensation over
eyes and throbbing, principally in temples, rest of head feels light.
Pregnancy. Parturition. Lactation. — Morning sickness
during pregnancy: deathly sickness at stomach on waking; ver¬
tigo and waterbrash on rising; constipation.
Decrease in size of breasts.
Has never failed to bring back the milk in from twelve to
twenty-four hours.
Diminished secretion of milk.
It is a well-known fact that the large majority of American
mothers are unable to nurse their babies. In from two weeks to
two or three months, if there be a lacteal supply, it rapidly dimin¬
ishes and they resort to the bottle, and artificial feeding is the
result.
Within the last five years this remedy has enabled us to correct
this weakness and the mother has gone on with healthy, normal
lactation. We first began to use it in cases in which no symptoms
were obtained or given us. Many cases in which we did not see
the patient but guided by others to the well-known symptom “ has
never failed to bring back the milk in from twelve to twenty-four
hours,” we have given this remedy with almost universal success.
We call the attention to this fact and would be pleased if our
readers would give it a trial and publish the failures to the world.
Digitized by CjOOQle
200
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
In the pathogenesis here presented they will find sufficient indica¬
tions for the selection of the remedy if they have an opportunity
to examine the patient.
The morning sickness and other gastric troubles during preg¬
nancy with obstinate constipation and perhaps the intolerance of
milk may be characteristics found in the majority of patients
calling for this remedy.
A Class Room Talk.
EDMUND CARLETON, M. D., NEW YORK.
We will take a few moments of our limited time to consider
the questions you have submitted.
Dunham calls “ Homeopathy, the Science of Therapeutics,” be¬
cause it is founded upon the Law of Similars. To understand this
great, natural law is indeed a scientific attainment.
Hahnemann says (Organon, § I) : “ The first and sole duty of
the physician is to restore health to the sick. This is the true
art of healing. ,, To practice homeopathy is unmistakably an art.
We are dealing with a science and an art.
“ Shall we pay no attention to Pathology ? ” We shall study it.
Virchow’s Cellular Pathology has proved to be a well-working
theory; it has stood an unusually long time; and it may be a
good while before some wise man upsets it. A knowledge of
the natural courses of diseases is necessary. It will not do to send
the typhoid fever patient down town to business, or to encourage
his belief that he will go next week. The physician should know
all this and more of the disease — how to feed, nurse and all that
— but will such knowledge influence the course of the disease?
No!
What will? The prescription.
Will all the knowledge of Pathology in the world affect his
selection of the remedy? No, never. The healing art requires
a medicine similar to all the symptoms.
Digitized by C.ooQLe
A CLASS ROOM TALK. 201
“ Nevertheless, will it not be right to heed the germ theory ? ”
“ If we kill the germs, will not the patient be well? ”
Let us briefly consider these questions that you may become
better enabled to overcome error.
Practically, the so-called germ theory means bugs. Does a
specified kind of bug produce a specified form of disease? My
answer is, not proved. Each of you has, undoubtedly, at the
present moment bugs in the mouth. Are you sick? No! Your
vitality is unimpaired; the soil is hostile; no bug thrives there;
but let your vitality be impaired, then you are sick. I leave it
to you to decide whether the bug is cause or coincidence. The
bug advocates themselves admit that some forms of disease are
produced, not by bugs, but by their toxins. This seems to me to
be a fatal admission. From one, judge others.
The sting in the tail of this scheme is the intention to treat dis¬
eases zvith a generalization. If a man is sick detect the criminal
bug, and then inject the modified carcasses of more of the same
kind of bugs into the patient. Cheap and nasty! Dilute bugs
versus a colony of live bugs. The sublime arrogance of this
scheme is many sided. It puts a premium upon laziness. Drop
a nickel in the slot and find your bug; drop another nickel in the
adjacent slot and receive your bug-juice; squirt. No physician
required. A clerk can put the case through. Remember, the
juice is put in pickle to keep it from decay. The pickle is often
Carbolic acid. Of course, both juice and pickle have their effects
upon the human system, although the bug man ignores that fact.
(Cf. Organon, § 32.*)
The result may be good or bad — often the latter. Who can
say which agent did it? If there is a recovery, a victory is claimed
for the juice. Just as likely it should be credited to the pickle.
Arrogance personified! There is to be no attempt whatever at
individualization; the patient must be fitted to the garment, not
the garment to the patient. In fact, no consideration whatever is
shown to the patient; it fs to kill bugs; it does not matter what
* f»* * * Every real medicine will, at all times and under every circumstance,
work upon every living individual, and excite in him the symptoms that are peculiar to
it (so as to be clearly manifest to the senses when the dose is powerful enough), to such
a degree that the whole of the system is always (unconditionally) attacked, and.
in a manner, infected by the medicinal disease, which, as I have before said. Is not at all
the case in natural diseases ”
Digitized by 0.ooQLe
202
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
effect the injection has upon the sick person; § 18, of the Or¬
ganon, is flouted, f Demand to know the symptoms produced
upon the healthy by it before consenting to use any antitoxin. If
they correspond with the symptoms of the sick, and the agent has
been fit by potentiation, then it may be given by the mouth or
otherwise, like any other homeopathic medicine.
One might not care who believed or disbelieved the bug theory,
except for the fact that the believer wants to start on a crusade
against bugs, as we have shown, instead of prescribing for the
sick man. No consideration of the soil. Any dairy man can tell
you that only the richest cheeses have “ skippers.” Bugs of many
kinds are widely distributed; but they do not distress healthy peo¬
ple ; the sickly are the prey. Do not confound cause and effect.
Let the horse precede the cart. By the way, those gentlemen who
talk so glibly about preventive medicine, and persuade multi-mil¬
lionaires to set up shop for them, have for their end and aim the
syringe. In order to prevent sickness they plan to poison well
people! It is time to oppose this abominable plan.
So you see that the question: “ Do we not know the direct
causes of many diseases formerly attributed to psora ? ” has to go
into the cart behind the horse. We do not admit that bugs are
the cause.
A good example of squirtative prevention is vaccination; and
that brings us to the question: “If vaccinia is homeopathic to
variola, why are not the various antitoxins homeopathic to their
respective diseases ? ”
Vaccinia is not properly homeopathic to variola. It lacks power
and intensity. Read the introduction to the Organon, page 75,
a little more carefully. Cleveland, Ohio, has recently favored us
with an object lesson. Smallpox flourished mightily there, just
in proportion as the health officials most strenuously practiced
vaccination. At length they gave it up, stopped Vaccinating,
cleaned up the city and encouraged calmness and hygiene among
the inhabitants. No more smallpox! * But do you fancy for a
t” From this Incontrovertible truth, that beyond the totality of the symptoms there is
nothing: discernible in diseases by which they could make known the nature of the medi¬
cines they stand in need of, we ought naturally to conclude that there can be no othbr
indication whatever than the ensemble of the symptoms in each individual case to
guide us in the choice of a remedy.”
Digitized by ^ooQle
EXCITEMENT FROM INGESTION OF MEAT.
203
moment that the vaccinia insane would allow such a state of
things to last long? 0 , temporal 0 , mores! that would never
do. A flourishing industry was endangered. The Knights of the
Lancet rallied in force, and compelled their subjects to vaccinate
more fiercely and industriously than ever. Immediately they had
a huge epidemic of smallpox on their hands. Vaccinia has little
power to stop variola; it is often an agent of evil. Throw vac¬
cine virus and the mass of antitoxins upon the rubbish heap,
where they belong.
[Our colleague has our sympathy and our encouragement. It
is a most difficult task to help a student unlearn the false doctrines
and useless theories of the empirical schools. He can confer no
greater good upon the student than help him to master the prin¬
ciples of the Organon, the corner stone in the homeopathic fabric.
— Ed.]
Extraordinary Case of Excitement from the Ingestion
of Meat. Cured by Camine, cm (Swan).
THOMAS SKINNER, M. D., LONDON, ENG.
For the following unique and interesting case, I am indebted
to my friend Dr. Edward Mahony of-Liverpool:
I have never seen the boy, consequently the case has been con¬
ducted solely by correspondence.
In October, 1902, I was consulted by Dr. Mahony about a boy
of four and a half years of age, John G. W., born in India. He
arrived in this country in November, 1900.
During December, 1900, he occasionally had given to him at
meals a little meat, and this was always followed by symptoms
of extreme nervous excitement, but the exact symptoms then
produced are not now obtainable. Meat was, however, stopped
on the advice of a physician to whom an account of the attack was
given.
On the fifteenth of October, 1902, he was given a small piece of
steak along with his usual vegetables and gravy. Within fifteen
Digitized by C.ooQLe
204
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
minutes of his rising from the table, he began to show signs of
unusual frolicksomeness and activity, jumping on to and off
furniture, throwing caps into the air and hanging them on all
sorts of absurd positions, pulling keys out of locks and throwing
them all over the rooms, and even pushing them out under the
doors. He then started to play a game of “ Horses,” careering
wildly in and out through rooms and lobby backward and forward.
His manner and method of play was quite different from his
usual. His expression was aaiimal-like, cheeks flushed, eyes
bright, mouth wide open; the lower jaw being dropped with an
ugly retraction of the lower lip, exposing all his lower teeth and
cavity of the mouth, or occasionally the lower jaw was worked
up and down with a chewing motion.
He kept this up for fully fifteen minutes, and during most of
that time was shouting at the top of his voice and generally mak¬
ing a great din; at one end of his course, hitting a double thun¬
dering knock on a door before turning to race back again.
He carried on in this way in presence of his mother and the
writer, and though checked on several occasions to keep his mouth
shut, — the expression was so animal-like as to remind one of
cases of acute mania and suggestive of hydrophobia — the old
expression and manner of behavior promptly reasserted them¬
selves.
Later on, he toned down somewhat, but even in his next game,
playing at “ Ships,” he showed great muscular excitement, lug¬
ging about bits of furniture by way of “ Cargo,” which he had
never been known to attempt to move, and all this was done in the
most excited and hurried manner possible.
His nervous temperament is constantly in evidence; an incident
which occurred eighteen months ago will show to what extent it
affects him. He was invited to view, along with some other
small children, the local cyclist parade. The party were seated
on an open-iron-work veranda, and for some reason he was diffi¬
dent about joining them. He ultimately did so, but trembled
visibly the whole time, so much so, that one member of the party
remarked upon his extreme nervousness.
When the parade was passed, his mother grasped him by the
two wrists to help him from the veranda into the room, and she
Digitized by
Google
EXCITEMENT FROM INGESTION OF MEAT. 205
was surprised to feel a distinct thrill transmitted from his wrists,
the feeling comparable only to a slight shock from a galvanic
battery.
On Friday, the twenty-fourth of October, 1902, one powder of
Camine supplied by and prescribed by Dr. Skinner was given the
boy dry in his tongue at bedtime. The following day he was
excited, kept talking constantly and at times sillily, but there was
no evidence of any unusual muscular excitement or exuberance
of spirits. He was still talkative from time to time upon Sunday,
the 26th of October. Up to Thursday, the 30th, there was nothing
to note beyond the fact that he was more wakeful in the early
night, would waken three or five times between the hours of 6: 30
and 11 P. M., but this happens frequently at other times, e. g., it
happened upon the evening of the 23d of October, i. e., the night
before he was given the powder.
On Thursday, the 30th of October, he had for his dinner a
piece of rump-steak prepared in exactly the same way as on the
last occasion. He took it and enjoyed it. The afternoon and
evening passed without the least sign of unusual excitement.
On Thursday, the 13th of November, 1902, the rump-steak was
again given, and again there was not the slightest evidence of
any ill effects.
I have much pleasure in stating that Dr. Mahony and I are in¬
debted for the close and excellent notes of this remarkable case
to Dr. James Watson, Honorable Assistant Physician of the
Hahnemann Hospital, Liverpool.
Let me add, that Dr. Mahony has kindly supplied me with his
journal of the previous history of this remarkable patient, and he
informs me that the child’s mother was greatly benefited by the
same class of medicines.
March 14, 1901.— Great fright nearly two years ago; now cries
out in his first sleep. Bell. 200.
March 29.—Stools very offensive (used to be pale when in
India). Easily startled. Ankles bend. Organ of comparison
large. Sil. 200.
April 12.— Greatly improved. Sil. 50 m.
July 9.— Loose stools after fruit. All symptoms returned.
Sil. cm.
Digitized by CjOOQle
206
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
October 22.— Spot on left cheek, said to be ringworm. Face
changes color. Stools light colored and food undigested. Calc. 500.
November 5.— Sleep disturbed, long in getting to sleep. Cir¬
cular spot on left chest. Sepia 800.
December 6.— Above cured, now large stools with frontal
headache. General > by keeping still. Stool is first constipated,
then light-colored. Bry. 200.
December 7.—General sensitiveness. Bell. 200.
December 8.— Sensitiveness especially to light. Stram. 200.
December 9.—Reported practically cured.
December 10.— Very irritable, one cheek flushed, tongue white,
Cham. 200.
December 19.— Must be in company while awake; complains of
legs being weak; appetite remains after eating. Lycopodium 200.
December 23.— Inability to use one leg, stools very offensive;
had probably a chill when out in his perambulator some days ago.
N. B.— No medicine entered, but most probably he received Rhus
200.
Jan. 2, 1902.— Skins of prunes found in the stools, which were
very offensive, some days ago. Speaking generally, greatly im¬
proved. Puls. 400.
January 28.— Face flushed, mostly on right side, head hot.
hands and feet cold. Sulph. 200.
July 22.— Nervous when alone; at periodic times, Lycop. 30.
Nota Bene. — John G. W. returned to India in November,
1903. In a letter received February, 1904, he is reported to be
taking meat almost daily without any ill effects. His general
health is also stated to be excellent.
A Study of Xanthoxylum.*
DR. A. S. RUFFE, GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
Materia medica, to the most of us, is a dull subject; and were
it not for the marked and startling results, following the proper
application of the homeopathic remedy to diseased conditions, it
would be still less interesting.
•West Michigan Homeopathic Society.
Digitized by CjOOQle
A STUDY OF XANTHOXYLUM.
207
There is no royal road to it. I have often wished there were,
for the everlasting boning that is required to apply it with any de¬
gree of accuracy is a weariness to the flesh.
I have endeavored to make the following presentation of Xan-
thoxylum Americanum as brief and concise as possible but if
you are wearied with it, console yourselves with the thought, that
many others have suffered in the same way, and that although
the malady is distressing it is not dangerous.
In the mental sphere Xanthoxylum has a feeling of depression
and weakness, a terrible nervous and frightened feeling.
Both Aconite and Arsenic have similar conditions; but the
great restlessness of Aconite and the despair of Arsenicum are
absent.
Head feels full; throbbing headache over right eye with nau¬
sea ; an achy feeling in the upper part of the cranium, accompanied
by flashes of throb-like pains, as if the top of the head were about
to be torn off.
Pain and bewildered sensations in back of head.
Pain in lid of right eye; watering of eyes and nose.
Discharge of dry and bloody scales of mucus from nose.
A dull headache in a space not larger than half a dollar over the
nose.
The last two symptoms are very similar to Kali bich.
A dull pain in right ear, seeming to affect the jaw socket; the
kinds of pain one has when he doesn’t know whether his tooth or
ear aches. Pain in the lower jaw. It would appear from the
symptoms that this might be a good remedy for toothache, as
indeed it has proved itself many times.
Strong peppery sensation, with burning and dry feeling in the
mouth and tongue.
. This symptom is often accompanied by a feeling of extreme
prostration and utter helplessness. This is like Capsicum and
will often help when that remedy fails.
A feeling of enlargement of the throat.
Soreness of the throat and expectoration of tough mucus.
A feeling as if a bunch were on the left side of the throat when
swallowing: later shifting to the right side. This symptom is
Digitized by C.ooQLe
208
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
like Lachesis where the soreness begins on the left side and goes
over to the right.
Anorexia, could eat but a few mouthfuls for breakfast and
could drink but half a cup of coffee, which was vomited soon
afterward. This would suggest a possible remedy in the nau¬
sea of pregnancy.
Nausea accompanied with frequent chills.
Feeling of fulness or pressure at epigastrium.
Pain in right side below ribs; flatulency, rumbling in the ab¬
domen with soreness on pressure.
Griping pain on waking in the morning, continued at intervals
through the day.
Severe griping abdominal pains.
These abdominal symptoms are similar to Lycopodium and Bel¬
ladonna, and it would be well to keep the remedy in mind when
treating cases of congestion of the liver, gall-stone colic, duo'den-
itis and appendicitis.
Urine scanty and high colored.
Profuse light colored urine.
In this apparent contradiction of urinary symptoms, doubtless
one was primary and the other secondary, although the time of
their occurrence is not given.
On the female sexual organs, the symptoms were marked and
characteristic.
Flow too early, very profuse, and pain baffling description.
Here we have a combination of menorrhagia and dysmenorrhea,
a condition not found under any other remedy with which I am
familiar.
In Murex Purpura, menses early, very profuse but painless.
Sepia, early, scanty, very dark; pain ceasing when flow begins.
Pulsatilla, late, scanty or profuse, tight and watery, painful
first day.
Lachesis, flow very profuse, spasmodic, dark or almost black,
very litle pain, worse after sleep or during sleep.
Nux vomica, spasmodic, small in quantity, early and painful.
Secale, passive flow, as if the womb stood open, dark in color
and painless.
Digitized by ^ooQle
A STUDY OF XANTHOXYLUM. 209
Ipecac, frightful hemorrhage, bright red blood with large clots
and constant nausea.
Belladonna, gushes of hot, bright red blood.
This does not complete the list of remedies affecting these or¬
gans by any means; but each has its own peculiar sphere and if
properly selected, will, in my opinion, always produce the desired
effect.
On the respiratory organs, have been noted, hoarseness, with
slight hacking cough; but the most marked symptom was a con¬
stant desire to take a long breath.
Sharp shooting pains in the right side extending through to
the shoulder blade, with a constant desire to take a long breath
(Bry.).
The chest symptoms are like those of Bry onia, Belladonna and
Kali carb. But it has not-the aggravation from motion and the
relief from lying on the painful side of Bryonia, nor has it the
excessive tenderness of Belladonna where the patient could not
lie on affected side, neither has it in the same degree the sharp
shooting pains of Kali carb., that come at any time whether mov¬
ing or not; and none of these last-named remedies have the feel¬
ing of suffocation and compelling desire for a long breath of Xan-
thoxylum.
Pulse is at first increased in pressure and rapidity; but later
becomes weak, thready and intermittent.
In the extremities, we note dull pain in left knee; also in left
elbow extending to the hand.
Dull pains in left side and top of left foot.
The whole left arm and shoulder numb.
Pain in both feet shooting up to the knees.
I have found the remedy curative in muscular rheumatism, es¬
pecially of the shoulders and arms.
Feeling of numbness through whole left side of body from
head to foot.
Frequent chills or rigors with pain in extremities.
Sensation of heat all through veins.
Flashes of heat from head to foot.
These last named symptoms, as indeed many others running
Digitized by ^ooQle
210
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
all through the remedy are very much like Lachesis and I have
made several cures with it where I had prescribed Lachesis and
failed.
The Appendicitis Craze.
We need hardly say we have a sincere respect for the medical
profession, whose earnest labors for the alleviation of human suf¬
fering and the prolongation of human life cannot be esteemed too
highly. Yet, like the rest of us, they are liable to err in individual
instances, and although doctors are proverbially said to differ
there is always an element of cocksureness in the constitution of
the young medico in particular which may lead to disastrous re¬
sults, especially in the domain of surgery. As an illustration, we
refer to appendicitis, in which resort is almost invariably to the
knife. It is needless to say we are willing to admit that it may be
indispensable in cases when the diagnosis admits of no doubt.
There is too much reason to fear, however, that in many instances
the diagnosis is entirely wrong, and that the administration of
simple remedies would of itself suffice. What we hear from
America in this connection is of such grave importance that we
make special allusion to it. Dr. O’Hanlon, of New York, is a man
of wide experience and reputation, being employed in connection
with the coroner’s office in that city in making autopsies. This
is what he says respecting it:
Appendicitis belongs to a class of diseases which we often read about
but seldom see in autopsy. Again and again I know of cases where a
diagnosis was made upon the strength of pain in the right iliac region
and some gastro-intestinal symptoms, all of which promptly disappeared
after a dose of castor oil. Among 3,000 autopsies made by me during
the past seven years, I have seen only ten cases of appendicitis. I had
forty-two cases sent me for autopsy which had been diagnosed as appen¬
dicitis; in ten of them I found a greatly distended colon, but no lesion of
the appendix, either gross or microscopical, could be discovered, and in
the remaining thirty-two even the distention of the colon was absent and
the appendix normal.
Now it should be remembered that the disease is one affecting
an internal organ: that the absolute removal of that organ, in¬
volving an abdominal section, is the only recognized remedy, and
Digitized by CjOOQle
AN INOPERABLE CASE.
211
that, under such operation, the patient is quite as likely to suc¬
cumb as he is to survive. Dr. O’Hanlon's experience is with the
corpses of those who have succumbed; and when he tells us that
out of forty-two cases in which appendicitis had been diagnosed
there was absolutely no indication of the existence of that disease,
we are brought in sight of a series of ghastly blunders, which, for
the honor of our professional skill, we trust has no counterpart in
this country.— London Finance Chronicle.
An Inoperable Case.*
JOSEPH HASBROUCK, M. D., DOBBS FERRY, N. Y.
The study of materia medica includes a wide range, from the
toxic effects of the crude drug to the finer provings of the atten¬
uated medicine.
How far this attenuation may be carried, with profit, is still a
mooted question and will be long in being decided. But this
much is firmly settled in my mind at least. In the application of
drugs for the relief and cure of the sick, according to the homeo¬
pathic law of cure, the confirmed symptoms from the provings
of the potentized drug, carried at least to the 30th, are the most
reliable.
While many drugs produce similar effects on the human econ¬
omy, in semi-crude doses, the reliable characteristics are shown
only by the provings of the higher attenuations, and happy is the
man who hath his quiver full of them. They are guiding stars
in the firmament.
To the uninitiated, all stars are similar and bright, but to the
mind educated and the eye trained, each has an individuality and
relationship; and chaos becomes an orderly arrangement of plan¬
etary systems.
In like manner may the mazes of homeopathic provings become
a revelation to him who will give them systematic study.
We gain some knowledge of anatomy by reading, more from
the study of the manikin, but he only who dissects the human
body gets an understanding that approaches perfection.
*Read before the New York Homeopathic Materia Medica Society
Digitized by ^ooQle
212
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE,
He who would learn the homeopathic materia medica must be
converted. Certain great truths were taught more than 2,000
years ago, which were to the “Jews a stumbling block and to
the Greeks foolishness,” and yet these great principles now dom¬
inate the world.
How shall this be accomplished?
First by mastering the principles laid down by our founder,
Hahnemann, and amplified, exemplified and proven by his disci¬
ples.
The student of law does not first read the revised statutes, but
lays the foundation in the basic principles of the science as taught
by Blackstone, Story, Marshall.
There have been many examples of those who, in the event of
an unlooked for recovery, by the application of the Hahnemann-
ian law of cure, that have suddenly seen the light as did Saul of
Tarsus, and have been eminent and enthusiastic apostles of the
faith; but the fact still remains true, that the great mass of
workers will come from those, who have been trained in the
homeopathic faith. Just as it is true that the great body of
Christian workers comes from those who have been instructed in
the tenets and principles of Christianity.
Now after conversion is accomplished, it is also important that
it be permanent.
How shall this be assured? What do you think would be¬
come of the Christian convert who gave most of his reading to
Voltaire, Paine and Ingersoll? Just exactly what happens to
those homeopaths who ape old school and so-called scientific medi¬
cine, ridicule Hahnemannian provings and read almost exclu¬
sively allopathic journals.
They discard the simples, practice polypharmacy and prescribe
and dispense combination tablets, and finally are homeopaths only
in name, if they do not go over bag and baggage to the old school.
Now do not understand me to prize lightly the collateral
sciences — chemistry, bacteriology, etc. Get all you can, but in
the application of medicine for curing the sick homeopathy fur¬
nishes the only law , sufficient, definite and with a certainty com¬
mensurate only with our knowledge of the means employed.
Therapeutics, that is the use of medicine for the cure of the
Digitized by CjOOQle
AN INOPERABLE CASE. 213
sick, cannot be learned in the laboratory because you have, in
this case, the important factor of the living body to deal with.
Take for example a case diagnosed albuminuria. Chemistry
and the microscope have confirmed it. It will not do to give
Arsenic or Apis or any one, or a combination of many other
drugs, because they have been curative or beneficial in other cases;
but we must individualize the drug and the patient.
And not to be prolix I will give a resume of:
AN INOPERABLE CASE; ITS TREAtMENT AND RESULT. A STUDY IN
MATERIA MEDICA.
On Sept, i, 1903, Mrs. K., a ward patient in the Dobbs Ferry
Hospital, came under my care as visiting physician for that
month. She commenced to suffer from dyspeptic symptoms
about a year ago — vomiting, constipation, wasting due to star¬
vation— and during the last two months general dropsy worse
in the abdomen.
The fluid had been drawn off by paracentesis about two weeks
previous but was rapidly reaccumulating.
The disease was diagnosed by a New York expert and also
her attending physician as cancer of the stomach, inoperable.
She was taken into the hospital on a stretcher to await the
inevitable, which was considered near at hand. She got sleep
and surcease of pain only from hypodermics of morphine.
As I never accept the verdict of doom without examining for
myself, I disregarded the diagnosis and prognosis and made my
own examination.
Found a lump at the lower border of the stomach and the drop¬
sical abdomen which appeared like a woman's in the last month
of pregnancy. She was bloodless in appearance and the extrem¬
ities greatly emaciated. (Skin and bones.) She vomited all in-
gesta. Bowels moved only from injections, a saltish saliva ran
constantly from the mouth, but her mind was entirely clear, and
she believed her condition to be hopeless. There was much sen¬
sitiveness over the stomach and abdomen. I took a few more
notes, but as they will appear later I omit them for sake of brevity.
My first thought was Carbo Animalis. In Herings “ Guiding
#
Digitized by
Google
214
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Symptoms,” I found the following emphasized pointers which
were particularly marked in her case.
Unclouded consciousness with great anguish and sinking of
the vital forces.
Vertigo increased when sitting up and worse when reclining.
Cachetic appearance of the face (indurated pancreas and
uterus, carcinoma).
Saltish water from the stomach and runs out of the mouth
(cancer of the stomach, indurated pancreas).
Eating causes fatigue and distress and burning in the stom¬
ach, inflation, long-lasting nausea, vomiting.
Hiccough after meals, eructations, saltish water runs from
the mouth, retching, cold feet. (Cancer of the stomach.)
Oppression, sore feeling in the pit of the stomach (indurated
pancreas).
Heartburn; saltish water rises from the stomach (cancer).
Unsuccessful desire for stool.
No expulsive power.
Difficult micturition; scanty offensive urine. (Indurated pan¬
creas.)
These symptoms were nearly all marked with the double heavy
lines indicating verified by cures .
I had now diagnosed my patient, but not her disease, and
gave Carbo Animalis of the 7th Centesimal — one medicated disk
once in two hours and awaited the result with confidence. Or¬
dered nurse to give half the quantity of morphine and to give
the white of egg and water to drink. The morphine was reduced
each day in the same ratio and discontinued entirely in less than
a week.
No more enemas were needed and the urine flowed plenteously
and painlessly.
About the third day gave a teaspoonful of Bovinine in milk
once in three hours. There was no more vomiting of ingesta,
but she vomited more or less mucus once a day for two or three
weeks.
Water brash and eructations much less in a week and not
saltish.
Within two weeks ate poached eggs, lamb chop and dried bread,
%
Digitized by CjOOQle
AN INOPERABLE CASE.
215
cereals and milk, was helped into a wheel-chair and sat on the
piazza.
In three weeks was up and dressed, and attended to nature's
calls in the bath room.
In six weeks the calves of the legs had increased markedly in
good solid muscle.
She returned to her home and housekeeping duties not a well
woman, but bright, hopeful and cheerful.
The dropsical abdomen is still larger than normal, but is di¬
minishing.
She has had one setback from eating fish. Gastritis and diar¬
rhea supervened, which yielded quickly to Bryonia 200. At my
visit November 15, she was vomiting ingesta — more of regurgi¬
tation , mouthful at a time — without nausea. Prescribed Phos¬
phorus 30.
November 17.— Vomiting has ceased.
November 22.— No vomiting, but abdomen larger. Prescribed
Carbo Animalis 30th.
With the above noted exceptions she has had only Carbo Ani¬
malis and never two medicines at the same time.
As the autopsy has been indefinitely and unexpectedly post¬
poned, I am unable to name the disease.
Whether cancer of the stomach or indurated pancreas, I care
not. I firmly believed on September 2, even as I know now, that
Carbo Animalis was her only hope.
In inoperable cases, at least, give the homeopathic remedy a
chance.— North American Journal.
“ Peruna ” and Other Forms of Alcoholism have been
looked into by Mrs. Martha M. Allen, the energetic worker of
the W. C. T. U. In an advertisement of this nostrum a state¬
ment was made that “ Peruna has among its friends many of the
leading temperance workers in this country who give it unstinted
praise, and do not hesitate to endorse it by the use of the most
extravagant language." The chemist found it contained 23.46 per
cent, by weight, of alcohol. The Massachusetts board found
1 5*33 P er cent of alcohol in Vinol; 16.77 P er cent in Lydia Pink-
ham’s Vegetable Compound; in Orangeine there were found ace-
tanilid, caffein, and sodium bicarbonate.
Digitized by C.ooQLe
216
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
The “Manual of Pharmacodynamics,” by Dr. Hughes,
as a Text-book for Students.*
B. G. CLARK, M. D., NEW YORK.
This work is known wherever homeopathy has been studied —
by some highly praised, by others condemned. That it has not
occupied its rightful place in our literature is the opinion of the
writer, and it will be his endeavor to explain why it should not
be used as a text-book for students in our colleges.
I believe a book can be best understood by grasping the motives
and intentions of the author, or the ends sought to be accom¬
plished by him. This brings us to a glimpse of the personal char¬
acter of Dr. Hughes. I shall not attempt to speak of all this
great man's work for the cause of homeopathy, nor of his beau¬
tiful homelife and pleasing personality, for that has been done
by abler pens than mine; and in drawing attention to his deep
religious convictions I do so only in order to explain more fully
the noble aspirations of the man as a Christian and as a physi¬
cian.
As a churchman, Dr. Hughes was, I believe, a member of that
body of Christians known as the “ Irvingites,” or the “ Catholic
Apostolic Church,” and held that all Catholics, if not all Chris¬
tians, could be reunited on the lines laid down and the doctrines
taught bv this branch of the Catholic Church; and to this end he
labored is season and out of season. The reunion of Christians
became part of the life work of this good man, and I believe his
last efforts were put forth in this cause.
Now when this strong, Christian character became a believer
in the law of homeopathy, is it any wonder that he should want
to go back to the “ day-book ” of the provers and examine care¬
fully each symptom, also to study attentively the writings of
Hahnemann and his immediate followers? No! we should ex¬
pect as much from such a man. That he was a firm believer in
the law of Similia Similibus Curantur, there can be no question;
but in his critical way he found same symptoms in the provings
*Read before N. Y. Co. Society at meeting in March, 1904. '
Digitized by L.ooQLe
MANUAL OF PHARMACODYNAMICS.
217
made with potencies above the 12th, and as these symptoms were
not confirmed by the provers using the tinctures, he reasonably
felt there was room for doubt. And doubt must have no room
in a work of such responsibility: a physician in his duty to his
patient, carrying out this great, God-given law, must not be led
aside by any doubt but must have the best results obtainable for
his work. The “ Cyclopedia of Drug Pathogenesy ” was largely
the result of this idea and of Dr. Hughes' labors. That it is the
most reliable materia medica we have today is generally conceded;
but that it is largely a work of reference and not a good working
materia medica must also be conceded.
A review, however brief, of a man’s life work must precede
any reference to a particular line of work, in order that one may
the better understand that special line under consideration. We
have called your attention to Dr. Hughes’ work as a churchman,
to his belief in and some of his work in connection with the cause
of homeopathy. Now, this sincere and devout man, believing so
firmly, as a physician, in our law of cure, saw a way by which all
physicians might, and by the grace of God could be brought to¬
gether and made into one united profession, laboring for the good
of mankind under the banner of Similia Similibus Curantur.
Surely, a noble idea! In the reuniting of the Catholic Church,
minor differences must be adjusted, and perhaps some compro¬
mise in matters of ceremonies must be made, but none in the
essential doctrines of Christianity: so in reuniting the medical
profession, minor differences must be dropped and what to some
seem impossibilities must not be brought into the foreground —
like the pathogenetic symptoms given by the potencies above the
12th, for instance — and in writing to the old-school physician he
must be approached on the lines of his former teaching. It was
from this point of view that Dr. Hughes wrote and published,
“ Letters to an Enquiring Friend,” in 1867, a second edition ap¬
pearing in 1870. Some of you are doubtless familiar with these
“ Letters; ” to those who are not, I will say that each letter dealt
with usually one remedy; they were addressed to a supposed
friend, an “ old-school ” physician, telling him how he could use
the drug for conditions which the writer described, and begging
him to try it in his next case with the indications given and note
Digitized by
Google
218 the medical advance.
the results. Dr. Hughes speaks of the physiological action of the
drug, and then turns to the conditions under which it will be
called for. It was the condition that was to be acted upon.
There is no doubt that even at this time Dr. Hughes was conver¬
sant with all of Hahnemann's writings, and from his quotations,
it is evident that the “ Materia Medica Pura ” was ever before
him; yet, it is always the disease that the drug will cure. Why ?
Because it was the old-school physician to whom he was writing,
with the object of bringing him to his (Hughes) mode of think¬
ing, and interesting him in this new and, to him, untried thera¬
peutic field; and he must speak to him in as familiar terms as pos¬
sible. When Dr. Hughes was asked to deliver a course of lec¬
tures before the British Homeopathic Society in 1875, these
“ Letters to a Friend ” were taken as a basis, were much ampli¬
fied, and, as he says, were delivered substantially as published;
they are known as “ Hughes’ Pharmacodynamics.” In this work,
the same methods obtain as in the smaller book published in 1867
and 1870. The “ Pharmacodynamics ” was bought chiefly by
physicians, and it made interesting reading for one looking for
something better than was usually found in old-school works on
materia medica; it opened up a wider field, and to one just be¬
ginning the practice of homeopathy, and yet a graduate of the old
school, it was more than interesting — it seemed to be the real
object of his search. No wonder that it was hailed with delight.
.When a doctor is satisfied with himself and thinks that his
knowledge of his profession is about complete, he has arrived at
a pitiable stage of his career. Not so with the author of “ Phar¬
macodynamics.” He knew before he began this work what home¬
opathy was. A hard student himself, he thought he could lead
others on to study more of homeopathy by introducing them to
as much of it as he could under this head. But no! he had told
us in his convincing way what to expect, and some of us felt
that there was therefore no need of studying the Organon, or the
“ Chronic Diseases;” we had it all with much less labor. Not
until after the “ Manual of Pharmacodynamics ” was published
had Dr. Hughes’ writings been brought to the attention of the
undergraduate; the book was not written for him; it was not
adapted to kindergarten instruction. Furthermore, homeopathy
Digitized by ^ooQle
MANUAL OF PHARMACODYNAMICS.
219
was not built in that yay; and to give such a book to the stu¬
dent switches him off the homeopathic track to the empirical road,
and even perverts the teachings and frustrates the object of the
book itself. When the tendencies of the man (Dr. Hughes) are
taken into account, and the object and intention of the writer —
to convert the old-school physicians to homeopathy — are under¬
stood, it does not seem possible that any physician could recom¬
mend the work to a student in a homeopathic college.
In conversation with Dr. Hughes at one time, I took occasion to
thank him for publishing “ Letters to an Enquiring Friend; ” I
told him it was through their influence that I had concluded to
study homeopathy, and that when the “ Pharmacodynamics ”
appeared I had read every word of it; that I had been profoundly
grateful to him for what seemed to me to be a complete guide for
the homeopathic treatment of diseases; but that after a year or
so in practice, failing to cure where a cure seemed possible, I began
to look about for help, and turning to the Organon for guidance,
I was directed to a different manner of selecting the remedy —
that it was the living man I was to treat and not the disease; and
thereupon my success was much greater. “ And now that I know
you, ” I added, “ I feel that you are a much better homeopath
than could be made through the teachings of the ‘ Pharmacody¬
namics ' alone.”
He replied: “ I am glad to hear what you say, and I hope that
all who have read my work as well as you, have been led to pur¬
sue the same path. You know that those ‘ Letters ’ were written
with a purpose, which they accomplished; the further fulfilment
of that purpose in your case is very different from what you say,
and I am pleased to know of it. That I could not, with that
purpose in mind, write all there was to know in homeopathy is
also evident, and the * Pharmacodynamics 9 was really an elabora¬
tion of those ‘ Letters.' I hope others have not stopped in their
study of homeopathy with the reading of that book, but like you
have passed to a fuller and more complete study of all the truths
covered by our great law.”
I believe Dr. Hughes was thankful in the same spirit that the
Great Physician is thankful when some poor sinner repents.
These are some of the reasons why I think the “ Pharmacodv-
Digitized by
Google
220
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
namics " should not be given to the student as a text-bode, and
why, when it is given to an old-school physician, he should be
told of its place and limited value, and that it should be supple¬
mented by other reading tending to a better understanding of the
law and practice of homeopathy; remembering, as Dr. Hughes
once said, that we are priests in the one Catholic Church of medi¬
cine, although some may deny our orders and attempt to invali¬
date our sacraments.
A Layman’s Experience with Homeopathy.
E. F. S. DARBY, WAUKOMIS, O. T.
I am not an M. D.— only a layman. However, I have studied
medicine more or less ever since I was twelve years old. During
the past twelve years, I have had considerable experience with
homeopathy. I was brought up under the allopathic system.
Homeopathy was first brought to my notice twelve years ago.
I was at once favorably impressed with it, and purchased a book
and medicine case. The first experience I had was in a case
of croup. The Aconite symptoms were present. I confess that
I was skeptical about the size of the dose prescribed by my book.
I was not entirely freed from the old way under which I had
been trained. I decided though to follow the directions laid
down in my book. A dose of Aconite was given and repeated
at the end of thirty minutes. The results were perfectly satis¬
factory and my confidence in homeopathy was strengthened.
I have used Aconite a great many times in croup, and always,
when indicated, with good success. Of course it will not cure
every case of croup; yet it is perfectly astonishing how quickly
Aconite does its work and it does it so well.
Digitized by CjOOQle
A layman’s experience with homeopathy. 221
A woman who had suffered for years with facial neuralgia on
learning that I had the homeopathic medicines wanted to try it
for her neuralgia. She had been treated with quinine by an allo-
pathist who told her that there was nothing else for it. Her neu¬
ralgia continued. I was at that time a beginner in homeopathy.
I let her have Belladonna and Colocynthis. These two remedies
together seemed to cover the case pretty well. I was unable to
determine which was the similimum. She took them alternately
and in a few days her neuralgia disappeared and never returned.
The woman was happy and became a strong believer in home¬
opathy.
I have had good success in constipation. I allude to two cases;
the first, a child less than a year old, had suffered all its life from
constipation. The bowels never operated without the use of ca¬
thartics. Nux was clearly indicated and therefore given. In less
than twenty-four hours after the first dose there was a natural
movement of the bowels. Nux did its work thoroughly.
The second case was a man seventy-five years old; no move¬
ment of the bowels without the use of cathartics; would go a
week without an operation and then resort to cathartics. Natrum
muriaticum 6x was used and the cure was effected in a few days.
The first case of fever that I had any experience with was
of the intermittent type. It was in my early days as a homeopath¬
ist. I gave Aconite for a week with no results except the patient
was growing worse. I had an idea that as Aconite was a fever
remedy that it ought to cure every case of fever. I have since
learned by experience that this is a mistake. We must treat the
patient instead of the disease. After the failure of Aconite to
do the work for me, I studied the case more carefully and found
that Gelsemium was the indicated remedy. In less than three
hours after the first dose there was a perceptible improvement.
Gelsemium did not entirely cure the patient, but modified the
fever and turned it into such a clear picture of Natrum muriati¬
cum that a few doses of that remedy completed the cure.
I recall another case of fever which I tried to cure with Acon¬
ite. It was a case of simple fever, that had not as yet assumed
any particular type. Aconite did no good because not indicated.
I saw that Pulsatilla was indicated but thought it was not a fever
Digitized by e^ooQLe
222
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
remedy and could therefore do no good. I tried it, however, and
it required only a few doses to complete the cure.
Thus I have learned by experience that the indicated remedy
does the work thoroughly and satisfactorily while a remedy that
is not indicated does no good.
Homeopathy has given me excellent results in dysentery. One
summer I had an attack of dysentery. I took different remedies
without any benefit. There was pain in the bowels; severe strain¬
ing; passing of mucus and blood. I changed the treatment to
Mercurius cor. 3X. It required only three or four doses to effect
a cure. Within four hours after the first dose the movement of
the bowels was almost natural. Such a marvelous change in so
short a time seems almost incredible, but it is a fact nevertheless.
Homeopathy is also a success in throat troubles. A few years
ago I had a severe sore throat. It was on right side. Saturday
afternoon came and thought I would be unable to occupy my pul¬
pit the next day. Had used different remedies with but little
if any benefit. I thought that I would try Lycopodium as it
seemed to be the similimum. I took a few doses and my throat
was so nearly well the next day that I had no difficulty in speaking.
Homeopathy has not failed me in urinary troubles. I wish to
speak of one case, a child four years old. On going to sleep,
whether day or night and whether he slept a long or short time,
he would invariably wet the bed. This was the case even if he
slept only a few minutes. Ferrum phos. 6x cured this case in
about two weeks.
Allopathists may sneer at homeopathy as much as they please.
I know that there is something in it. I speak from experience. I
consider homeopathy a gracious boon to the human family. I
would not give up its use and what little I know about it for any
amount of money. More people would become homeopathists if
it were only brought to their notice. To my mind, but very few’
people can witness its marvelous results without becoming con¬
verts.
I have received great help from the medical journals and espe¬
cially from The Medical Advance. I believe the editor of the
Advance is right in advocating the single remedy.
Digitized by C.ooQLe
The Medical Advance
AND
JOURNAL OF HOMEOPATHICS.
A Monthly Journal of Hahnemannian Homeopathy
When we have to do with an art whose end is the saving of human
life any neglect to make ourselves thoroughly masters of it becomes a
crime Hahnemann .
Subscription - - - Two Dollars per Annum
The editor is responsible for the dignity and courtesy of the magazine » but not for the
opinions of contributors.
The Advance does not send sample copies unless asked for, and has no free list. It is
published for the medical profession in the interests of a purer homeopathy , of scientific
therapeutics.
To accommodate both reader and publisher this journal will be sent until arrears are
paid and it is ordered discontinued.
Contributions , Exchanges . Books for >Review , and all Communications should be ad¬
dressed to the Editor. 5142 Washington Avenue , Chicago.
Communications regarding Subscriptions and Advertisements should be sent to Battle
Creek , Mich., or 5142 Washington Ave ., Chicago.
APRIL, 1004
eattotfai.
The War on Tuberculosis.
In an able address recently delivered before the Progressive
Health Club of Chicago, Dr. George W. Webster, President of
the Illinois State Board of Health, presented statistical data and
from them deduced hygienic and prophylactic conclusions that de¬
serve more than a passing notice. The figures here given are
doubtless correct; are the facts and deductions warranted from
the experimental standpoint:
There are as many deaths from consumption in the State of Illinois
every thirty days as there were in that horror, the Iroquois Theater fire,
and, strange to say, these figures bring forth little comment from press
or public. There are 125,000 deaths in the United States every year from
this dread disease.
I have with me a set of statistical tables just completed by the state
board of health, showing that the number of deaths in Illinois from con-
Digitized by CjOOQle
224
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
sumption during the year 1903 were 7,026, while pneumonia claimed
nearly as many, 6,830. The greatest source of infection from consump¬
tion is through the medium of the sputum, and if the sputum of every
consumptive could be destroyed the disease could be banished from the
face of the earth.
Experience has shown consumption is a preventable disease, and in 70
per cent of the cases a curable one, if taken in time. What is needed in
every state in the Union is a sanatorium for the treatment of consump¬
tives. The stamping out of this dread disease is a matter of education
and evolution. It depends upon right living, cleanliness, sunlight, tem¬
perance, good food and fresh air, and proper care.
Although given with the weight of official authority — and with¬
out doubt it represents the honest opinions of the author — yet is
it true that this is all that is required? No one will deny that
“ right living, cleanliness, sunlight, temperance, good food and
fresh air ” are indispensable to good health for all, as well as for
the tuberculous. But will “ the destruction of the sputum of every
consumptive banish this disease from the face of the earth ” ? We
think this a legitimate question and every effort should be made
to solve the problem, for there are many able diagnosticians and
up-to-date pathologists who hold views and opinions diametrically
opposite and who think they can demonstrate that the bacillus in
the sputum of the consumptive is the effect, not the cause.
They have not forgotten the labors of Koch and his corps of
able assistants on the banks of the Ganges, in their prolonged
search for the cause, or germ, of Asiatic cholera. He found the
comma bacillus and his discovery was hailed by scientific medi¬
cine as a notable triumph in therapeutics, for all that was now re¬
quired was a germ destroyer and the scourge of cholera would
soon be unknown. He tested it on the epidemic at Marseilles; but
the germs appeared to thrive on carbolic acid and the mortality
was little affected.
That tuberculosis is neither contagious nor infectious is held by
many able observers of all schools of medicine, and that something
deeper, more radical and constitutional than the destruction of the
sputum is necessary to eradicate this srourge of modern civiliza¬
tion. Hahnemann’s teachings would lead us to infer that both
sporodic la grippe and pneumonia are simply acute explosions or
outbursts of the latent psoric or tubercular diathesis and that
Digitized by V.ooQLe
EDITORIAL.
225
this dvscrasia must first be eradicated ere we can destroy the seeds
of consumption or successfully cope with “ the great white plague/ 1
We must strike at the root, not lop off the branches.
Some Experience in the Prophylaxis of Variola.
\
J. J. DAVIS, M. D., RACINE, WIS.
The recent epidemic of smallpox in Racine has given me opportu¬
nities to test the prophylactic power of Variolinum. In all families to
which I was called because of the presence of one or more cases of variola
I have given the remaining members, and others exposed, Variolinum,
and in no instance was there an additional case of the disease after
beginning its use. I am therefore led to believe that it is an efficient
prophylactic and that it has advantages over vaccination in greater
certainty and rapidity of action, as well as in not producing any illness
or lesion with attendant or subsequent dangers.
There are two questions, however, which should be definitely settled
and regarding which the profession should furnish data as soon as pos¬
sible. The first is in regard to dosage. I used only Variolinum 30th.
In the earlier cases I gave a daily dose during the period of exposure.
Very soon, however, I decreased this to three successive daily, followed
by semi-weekly, and in the later cases by weekly doses.
As susceptibility to smallpox and to Variolinum should be proportional,
it ought to be possible to attain a definite dosage for all cases. If this
could be a single dose, it would have manifest advantages.
The second point is as to the duration of the prophylaxis. In this
important matter my observation has, as yet, given me no data, and I am
not aware of any published observations that would assist in determining
the length of time immunity produced in this way remains, although the
matter is a very important one.
In regard to the effect of Variolinum upon subsequent vaccinasis I
learned nothing definite, but received the impression that it has little or
no effect, which I take to indicate that vaccinasis is not a class similar to
variola.
Comments: The experience of Dr. Davis only corroborates that
of Drs. Linn, Vincent, Guernsey, M linger and many others who
have put Variolinum to the test in the treatment of variola, and
is an additional verification of its reliability as a homeoprophylaxis.
Hut the old stumbling block of dose of potency appears to dis-
Digitized by CjOOQle
226
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
turb Dr. Davis. Yet this is not new. It has disturbed every allo¬
path, eclectic and homeopath from Hahnemann's time to the pres¬
ent ; and there is only one way to settle it — the way proposed by
Hahnemann nearly a century ago — put it to the bed-side test and
publish the failures. The dose of smallpox, the contagious princi¬
ple which is propagated by olfaction, is dynamic in character. It
has never been weighed or measured, not even detected by the
microscope, and yet whether we believe it or not it is effective if
the soil be suitable or the patient susceptible. Organon § 16 ex¬
plains this mystery of potency, or why we potentize our remedies.
Hahnemann says: “ Our vital force or dynamic force cannot be
affected by injurious agents that disturb the harmony of life or
health except in a spirit-like or dynamic way; and in like man¬
ner diseased conditions cannot be removed by the physician in
any other way than by a similar dynamic power or force of the
medicinal agent.”
The curative action of Variolinum in the treatment or prevention
of variola is subject to natural law and a similar verification in
clinical experiences, the same as Aconite in croup, Belladonna in
scarlet fever or Lachesis in diphtheria. It cures or prevents by its
symptoms similarity just as any other remedy in our homeopathic
armamentorium. Like the crude virus, it produces a mild vac¬
cinia, the febrile reaction which occurs in the organism after
vaccination — but never leaves a constitutional dyscrasia, the vac-
cinosis of Burnett, in its wake.
There is this exception, however, common to all the nosodes,
that both their therapeutic and prophylactic force is vastly in¬
creased in direct proportion that the dynamic force is removed
from the crude drug. Also, like all other remedies, the stronger
(higher) the potency or the dynamis, the less frequently it requires
repetition, and the longer its curative action continues. This is
just as true of Variolinum as of all other remedies. The repeti¬
tion of the dose and the prophylactic action of Variolinum are
yet to be settled. And if we may judge from the practice of
“ the powers that be ” it is on the same basis as crude vaccine
virus in this respect, for is not every one required to be vac¬
cinated anew on every new exposure ? How long does vaccination
protect? How often should the crude virus be repeated? Whv
Digitized by CjOOQle
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
227
not, if there be no law of dose, no fixed rule for repetition of the
remedy accept clinical experience, and place them both on the same
plane. We do not vaccinate daily as a prophylactic measure; then
why give Variolinum “ daily during the period of exposure ” ?
For years we have used Variolinum in our practice as a prophy¬
lactic, as .we formerly used the crude virus and as it is used today,
— we vaccinated at every exposure —just as we use the prophy¬
lactic for scarlatina or diphtheria, and we know no better rule. In
children under five years of age we give a dose of Variolinum
m. or cm., (B. & T.) ; in older children and adults a dose of cm.
or 3 cm. (Fincke) and allow it to act just as we allowed the
crude vaccine virus to act. Variolinum, like the virus, enters the
circulation, either through the skin or the mucous membrane and
a daily repetition is no more necessary in one case than in the
other, and its protective or prophylactic action is much greater
and will last longer in the potentized than in the crude form.
It is as much superior to the old system of crude vaccination as
law is to empiricism, as homeopathy is to all other systems of
therapeutics, yet it will neither cure every case of variola, nor pro¬
tect every person vaccinated, for it is not the invariable similimum.
The preparations of Variolinum are clean, safe, aseptic, uniform
and reliable. The “ Pure Vaccine Virus ” is not uniform, is un¬
safe and unreliable, for no man or woman knows what it is or
what he uses when he vaccinates an innocent child. Homeo-
prophvlaxis is as successful in scarlatina and all eruptive diseases
as in variola and its scientific claims should be universally recog¬
nized.
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
International Medical Annual. Twenty-second year. Pages
707. New York: E. B. Treat & Company. Cloth, $3.00.
Treat’s- annual volume, containing a resume of medical literature
for the past year, is becoming very popular. The record appears
to be impartially given, and, in our estimation, there is no more
valuable annual published than Treat’s. It is well illustrated, and
this year a new departure has been made by the introduction of
Digitized by U.ooQLe
228
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
stereoscopic views, a method which greatly facilitates the study
of structures, which otherwise would be very difficult to illustrate.
It contains a series of plates illustrating the nature and distribu¬
tion of the eruption in smallpox and other infectious diseases, thus
enabling the practitioner to detect the disease in its earlier stages.
It is a practical annual digest of medical and surgical thought
and progress and, like all of Treat’s publications, well printed.
A Non-Surgical Treatise on Diseases of the Prostate
Gland and Adnexa. By G. W. Overall, M. D. Formerly
Professor of Physiology in the Memphis Medical College. Chi¬
cago: Roe Publishing Company.
After more than twenty years of clinical experiences, this book
is intended to give the non-surgical method of the treatment of
these diseases. The author tells us, that after following surgical
methods for many years with very unsatisfactory results, his at¬
tention has been turned to other methods, and in the line of his
♦experience he quotes Dr. Jacobi, who says: “The relative im¬
punity of operative interference accomplished by modern asepsis
and antisepsis has developed an undue tendency to and rashness
in handling the knife; the hands take, too frequently, the place of
brains.” Also he quotes Sir William Hingston, Montreal, in his
celebrated warning, that the surgeon’s knife may be used too
frequently. The immunity with which formidable operations are
now performed has given confidence, might I not say reckless¬
ness, practically, which renders the staying hand of the physician
of priceless value. Especially is this true when it sometimes hap¬
pens the inexperienced surgeon hurriedly resorts to a tentative
operation to establish a diagnosis where one more experienced
would see no reason for the procedure. I have more than once
observed the meddlesomeness of a surgeon to be in direct ratio
to the measure of his inexperience.” The author continues in
conclusion, ‘ Better bear the ills we have, than fly to those we
know not of ’.” This is especially true, for those organs once in¬
jured by a useless operation become irreparably damaged. This
is the advice of Hahnemann a hundred years ago, and we are
more than pleased to chronicle the fact that our friends of other
schools are finding it to be true.
Digitized by CjOOQle
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
229
Manual of Clinical Microscopy and Chemistry, for both
students and practitioners. By Dr. Hermann Lenhartz, Pro¬
fessor of Medicine and Director of Hospital at Hamburg, etc.
Authorized translation from the fourth and last German edition,
with Notes and Additions, by Henry T. Brooks, M. D., Pro¬
fessor of Histology and Pathology at the New York Post-Grad¬
uate Medical School and Hospital. With 148 illustrations in the
text and 9 colored plates. Pp. 412; cloth, $3.00, net. F. A.
Davis Company, 1914 Cherry Street, Philadelphia.
Dr. Brooks, the translator of Lenhartz’s Manual of Clinical
Microscopy, has conferred a boon on the medical profession
which we trust it will not be slow to recognize. That this work
should have met with such favor as to call for a third edition,
is the highest recommendation which can be given. The extensive
experience of the author and his well-known reputation, not only
in Germany but throughout Europe, as an expert with the micro¬
scope is a sufficient guarantee of the accuracy of the work, and
its up-to-date character. It has been thoroughly revised to ac¬
cord with the present status of microscopical science. Several of
the illustrations of the previous editions have been replaced by
new ones, embracing the later experience in microscopy. Four
new illustrations of leukemia and malaria have been added to its
previous numerous colored plates.
The particulars offered in the clinic of Wagner and Kurschman
renders this book one of the most valuable on the subject ever
presented to the American profession. In chemical analysis of
blood, sputum and urine it is particularly rich in its practical illus¬
trations. We heartily recommend the volume.
A Syllabus of Diagnosis. Being a series of questions based
upon Clinical Medicine by Dr. Clarence Bartlett, and a Course
of Lectures in Physical Diagnosis by Dr. E. R. Snader. Pre¬
pared by Wiliam F. Baker, A. M., M. D., Clinical Instructor
of Medicine in the Hahnemann Medical College of Philadelphia.
107 pages ; paper, 25 cents. Philadelphia. Boericke & Tafel. 1904.
This pocket Syllabus of Diagnosis is a series of questions based
upon Bartlett’s word on Clinical Medicine and the lectures on
Physical Diagnosis of Dr. Snader. It is especially intended for
Digitized by U.ooQLe
230
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
the student who frequently finds difficulty in obtaining the proper
knowledge of diagnosis, often forgetting that it is almost a life
study. Students very frequently complain that they scarcely know
where to begin, the subject is so vast. This little hand-book will
aid them very much, for it is made up almost wholly of pointed
questions on the subject of diagnosis. It should be found in the
breast pocket of every medical student.
Howe’s Hand-Book of Parliamentary Usage. Hinds & Noble,
35 West Fifteenth Street, New York. Price fifty cents.
The feature of this new hand-book is an ingenious arrange¬
ment of the subject-matter of practical parliamentary law in such
order that when the book is opened in the middle, the chairman,
the speaker or any one else, has before his eyes a complete sum¬
mary of every rule needed in the conduct of any business meeting.
With the book opened in the middle, every leaf is trimmed
shorter than the next leaf, so that the titles on twenty-six pages
are visible at one glance . Each of these pages is instantly reached
by simply lifting the title with the index finger. This brings to
view all the rules, exceptions and quotations bearing on the par¬
ticular motion under consideration.
In only fifty-six pages it gives a digest of the whole subject of
Parliamentary Law; and designates important verifications in the
authoritative manuals of Cushing, Robert, Reed and Palmer. In
its mechanical arrangement for instantaneous reference it is be¬
yond comparison with any other book or device.
Transactions of the American Institute of Homoepathy.
Fifty-ninth session held in Boston, June, 1903.
This volume is notable as the first in the history of homeopathy
which contains the report of “ The Bureau of Homeopathy,” the
first chairman of which was the late lamented Dr. Theodore Y.
Kinne. It also contains the chairman’s address and several papers
on the Philosophy of Homeopathy and inaugurates what we trust
will be a practical innovation in the working methods of the In¬
stitute. Although late in its appearance the volume is no less
welcome.
Digitized by CjOOQle
NEWS NOTES AND ITEMS.
231
NEWS NOTES AND ITEMS-
The American Institute of Homeopathy meets at Niagara
Falls, June 20 to 25. We were in hopes that this meeting would
furnish an opportunity for the members to attend a session for
their interest in professional work and not for the social entertain¬
ments. Here is an opportunity, certainly, where the old institute
ought to be able to stand on its merits and entertain itself, without
imposing the burden of entertainment upon a few physicians. We
think it is time that members of the Institute attend its sessions
for the benefit they may confer and receive in their professional
work rather than for the good time they may have in social enter¬
tainment or daily excursions for sight-seeing.
The International Hahnemannian Association will meet
in the Chamber of Commerce Assembly Hall, Rochester, N. Y.,
June 27, 28 and 29, the week following the Institute meeting at
Niagara Falls. Hotel accommodations may be had at the Powers,
The Whitcomb House or the New Osborne. Everything promises
a large and enthusiastic meeting. The papers and discussions,
usually, are very instructive and few ever regret attending. It is
as instructive as a post-graduate course in homeopathic therapeu¬
tics. You can’t afford to miss it; for it is an inspiration for the
entire year.
Hering Medical College held its commencement exercises on
April 11, the anniversary of Hahnemann’s birth, in Handel Hall,
Chicago. There were twenty-one members in the graduating class
and eight post-graduates, on whom were conferred the degree
of Master of Homeopathics. A full account of the exercises will
be given in the May number.
“ The Medical Advance for February which seems not yet
to have learned that one of its editors has gone over to a rival
homeopathic school .”—American Physician.
The Medical Advance is published in the interest of the
homeopathic profession, and is trying, to the best of its ability,
to elucidate the principles of Hahnemann, in their purity. Its
Digitized by C.ooQLe
232
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
editors are not bound to teach in any special school; they are
working for homeopathy.
The Post-Graduate Summer Course, given at the London
Homeopathic Post-graduate Hospital, during the months of May,
June and July, is a step in the right direction, and certainly a very
desirable innovation. It is especially intended that American tour¬
ists may attend and be benefited by the teachings, and if we may
judge by the splendid corps of teachers, his expectations will be
fully justified. We trust the next step will be the foundation of a
graduating college, for the medical and surgical staff of the hos¬
pital here published demonstrates that they have the material, if
they will only utilize it, for a magnificent faculty.
P. Blakiston’s Son & Co. sold, during last year, 15,487 copies
of Gould’s Medical Dictionaries, making the total sales to date
166,083. We doubt if this can be said of any other medical dic¬
tionary.
Do Physicians Really Appreciate the Value of Sac-
charum Lactis? We do not mean the potenc} thereof but its
use as a placebo. How frequently does the average physician pre¬
scribe a remedy because he thinks that he ought to give something,
rather than to let the patient wait a few hours on blank powders
until he can look up the remedy that alone can be homeopathic to
the case? Let the invalid feel that you have his interests at heart
bv all means and that nothing will be left undone that is for his
good ; take time to study the symptoms ; and while doing this build
him up on Perfection Liquid Food.
Mr. V. E. Baldwin, a senior student in Hering Medical Col¬
lege, won the second prize offered by the Medical Century for the
best essay on “ Why Students of Medicine Should Select the
Homeopathic School.” Such work by the student is an ernest
of what the full-blown M. D. can and will do.
Nota Bene. On the address of the wrapper will be found the
date to which your subscription is paid. If in arrears remember
the printer.
Digitized by C.ooQLe
The Medical Advance
..AND..
Journal of Homeopathics
Vol. XLII. Chicago, May, 1904. No. 5.
Important Changes in The Advance.
Dear Friends of Samuel Hahnemann,
For a long, long time my heart has been with you in the God-
given science which you are so slowly but surely perfecting. But
now, at last, it is my privilege, in one sense, to be one of you; for I
take pleasure in announcing that Dr. H. C. Allen has invited me
to help him in the good work to which he has been so long de¬
voted, of trying to make it a little easier for a physician to find
in each case the really best remedy.
I take pleasure then in announcing, as publisher of the Ad¬
vance one or two new features which I am sure will interest
many.
First, and most important of all, we hope to have frequent
editorial articles and paragraphs, both long and short, by several
of our foremost writers in both America and England; thus giv¬
ing that department a much wider scope than it is possible for
it to take when it has to rely solely on the meditations of only two
busy practitioners.
Secondly, we have arranged for a so-called THOUGHT EX¬
CHANGE, in which we wish to give the utmost freedom of dis¬
cussion, allowing every one to advocate the views, wise or un¬
wise, friendly or hostile, of Homeopathy in general and Hahne-
mannianism in particular, which seem to him the best, provided
he can do it in a way that will set people to thinking earnestly
along these lines and can say it briefly; for, of course, it would
be folly and worse than folly to load our pages down with long
essays on lines which we cannot endorse, or which our readers
Digitized by C.ooQLe
240
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
have not time to read. But if you have an honest hobby, and
can state briefly and pithily, and without any sneers, we shall
be glad to give you a hearing and furnish you with a very select
audience, of some of the best physicians in the world, and a
steadily increasing audience of medical students and beginners as
well.
Thirdly, we take pleasure in announcing a still further im¬
provement along practical lines, namely this: the editorial com¬
ments on published articles, which have in the past been so char¬
acteristic a feature of the Advance, are to be made still more
prominent, with special reference to showing beginners just why
the writer of the article probably chose dog-root or skunks-tail
in preference to hosts of other remedies, which to a beginner seem
equally well indicated. This we believe is a most important
feature; for alas too ofen, after reading about some remarkable
cure, we are left utterly in the dark as to how the writer ever
happened to pounce on that particular remedy — as if it were all
a matter of mere magic and pure luck. Yet close examination
of the article itself, or else a lively cross questioning of the
writer, in private, often show's as plainly as day why that par¬
ticular medicine was chosen; thus greatly increasing the helpful¬
ness of the narrative.
Then too, when our friends, the heretics and independent
thinkers, have honored us with some of the best of their medita¬
tions, and we have politely published them, we shall, of course,
claim the right to gently trip them up, If We Can. For
though we don't believe in football or prize fights or long-winded
discussions, which no live man ever stops to read; we do believe
in boxing matches where no one is allowed to draw blood or in
any way abuse his antagonist. For even the Lord Jesus seems
to have had a real fondness for debating and asking of unan¬
swerable questions, though never sneering ones. So please be
ready for a lively, friendly rap, when you run off the track; and
please give us the same in return (whenever we give you a
chance), for it is a poor rule that won't work both ways.
AS TO ANONYMOUS ARTICLES, we are convinced, from
past experience in other lines of journalism, that many a strong
man will give us some of his very best thoughts to publish
Digitized by ^ooQle
IMPORTANT CHANGES IN THE ADVANCE.
241
anonymously, when he does not feel like taking the time to sit
down and write a polished article “ worthy of his great name; ”
and so we announce that we shall be glad at any time to publish
all or a part of your articles anonymously, or over some simple
nom de plume. But, for our own use, your name must, of course,
accompany the manuscript. Uuless your thoughts are signed
“ Anonymous ” or with some simple nom de plume, we shall feel
justified in using your name.
AS TO FAILURES. In our anonymous corner, we wish to
hear a little oftener of your failures; for when we hear only of
success and triumph, we are at times sorely tempted to think
that some of the writers in a magazine must need a dose of soft
soap (similia similibus curantur) and a few of them perchance
even a dose of opium, for dreaming. Then too failures are often¬
times more interesting than success, as the daily papers plainly
show; and if names and gruesome details are left out, they are
profitable reading. So, leaving out all unnecessary names (ex¬
cept your own for the publisher's private use) and all morbid
details, you are invited to contribute occasionally to our Gossip
Corner, though we shall not, of course, dare to call it by
that name, lest perchance we should get too many subscribers,
which would indeed be a misfortune (if they came from wrong
motives).
Of first-class articles on pathology, surgery, electro-thera¬
peutics and many other such themes our magazine literature is
full; but of articles written to help the reader in becoming daily
more skilful in selecting the best homeopathic remedy for a given
case (what the ancient Romans used to call the similimum) there
is a most surprising scarcity. And yet, it is not surprising; for
there has been dawning on us homeopaths a slowly deepening
conviction that some of our old-fashioned ways of going to work
to find the similimum were a little too complex and cumbersome,
while others — the keynote methods — were mighty risky; so be¬
twixt and between, we have got into the way of keeping silent a
little too much in regard to some of the things that we believe
most heartily. But we believe the tide is turning and the whole
world is slowly finding out that homeopathy is almost right;
while we insiders are learning that all honest ways of finding
Digitized by CjOOQle
242
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
the similimum have in them some important fragment of truth;
— and, with the help of Mother Nature, are being slowly grafted
together into something more beautiful and simple than we have
ever known before. To help in finding and more clearly defining
this better way, the dear old way improved a little , we invite your
help. Not long articles (which students are too restless to read
and practitioners too busy), but simply short, unfinished ones,
which will set men to thinking and make them wish for more.
In behalf of a cause we love and in behalf of thousands of
young men, both new school and old, who would read a maga¬
zine like this. We remain yours truly,
The Better Way Publishing Co.
W. H. Wheeler, Manager .
For further important details see Publishers’ Corner.
Routine Prescribing of Variolinum.
A CRITICISM OF THE ADVANCE.
S. L. GUILD-LEGGETT, SYRACUSE, N. Y.
Editors of Advance:
I am somewhat amazed at a seeming discrepancy in the prin¬
ciples laid down in some of your recent editorials; particularly
those recommending the universal use of Variolinum, as the
best preventive of smallpox.
Now why pursue the old method of making people sick to
get them well; “ giving them fits ” because one is “ death on
fits ? ” Is that a homeopathic law ? Surely it would be far
better to spread abroad the fact that Homeopathy can prevent
smallpox, and then teach students that diseases, of whatever kind,
can be prevented by placing the subject under the influence of
the medicine indicated and so restoring him to perfect health;
or in other words that perfect health, or progress in that di¬
rection, is the best protection from contagious diseases. Surely,
you believe, that if a medicine such as Sulphur, Hepar, Silica,
Thuja, etc., were found indicated in a given case, and subse-
Digitized by ^ooQle
ROUTINE PRESCRIBING OF VARIOLINUM. 243
quently prescribed there would be no further need of preventive
medicine, except perfect sanitation which is but another name for
perfect cleanliness. Then why not teach that Homeopathy can
prevent smallpox and all other contagious diseases, and simply
show homeopathists how to do it?
Even the old school admits that a man cannot be attacked by
infection (or as they put it, germs) except when his vital forces
are low. While we know that the entire organism, or its parts,
are out of harmony when we find sick symptoms; and, further¬
more that, in such cases, the vital force has lost control. Why,
then, not harmonize these discordant forces and restore the con¬
trol of that vital dynamic; thus permitting it to exercise the best
and highest form of prophylaxis.
I confess to being unable to see why this wholesale feeding
of Variolinum will not, eventually, cause more sickness than it
prevents. Its very potentization gives it a power unknown to
the crude; and though probably avoiding the fault of cross mix¬
tures of other poisonous substances, it is quite capable of more
insiduous work. Teach, then, that Homeopathy holds the best
means of preventive medicine , but do not try to fix these means .
Remember that there are “ no specifics ” for disease, and I much
doubt whether there are for prophylaxis — except perfect health
or progress toward that much desired bourne.
As to your later editorial, relating to the cure of leprosy, I
believe that is all that it should be in relation to the true prin¬
ciple of healing all such diseases which, however much the cases
may resemble one another, must be treated individually. I think
you know how, when you try.
Comments: We are glad that Dr. Leggett has criticised the
Advance so frankly, for her article brings up for discussion a
most important truth; one in regard to which we believe she will
agree with us, in the main, in spite of the “ seeming discrep¬
ancy ” of some of our utterances. First of all, she objects to
our recommending the “ old-fashioned ” way of “ making people
sick to get them well/' In reply to this, we can only say that
it is God’s way, not ours. It was God who turned Adam and
Eve out of Paradise into a less comfortable place, in order that
Digitized by ^ooQle
244
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
he might make them better; and though we believe that our
friends, the allopaths, have misunderstood God’s ways of work¬
ing and make people a great deal sicker than they need to, in
trying to make them well and comfortable, we still believe that
there are times that the only way to help a man get well is to
make him feel a little sicker for a while. Nor is this heresy
for if there is one thing more notorious than any other, in re¬
gard to high-potency prescribing, it is that in dealing with chronic
diseases, deep-rooted and obstinate ailments, it sometimes pro¬
duces a very severe though temporary aggravation before its
curative work begins. So in pleading as we have for homeo¬
pathic vaccination, we are simply suggesting that those who are
exposed to smallpox, and are sickly enough to really be in dan¬
ger of taking it, should for a little while be made to suffer pain
to protect them against still more serious ills.
We heartily agree with Dr. Leggett when she says that “ per¬
fect health or progress in that direction is our best protection.”
But is seems to us that she overlooks the fact that vaccination
with Variolinum would itself help in bringing about just that
progress toward a more perfect health of which she speaks; for
the medicine would, doubtless, take very little effect except on
those patients, who were, to some extent, in need of the stirring
up which homeopathic vaccination would give them. But Dr.
Leggett, evidently realizing that we might dodge the accusation
which she has made, has asked a further question, which is
exceedingly full of interest, for she says: “ Surely you believe
that if a medicine like Sulphur, Hepar, Silica, Thuja, etc., were
indicated in a given case, there would be no further need of pre¬
ventive medicine ? ” Here it seems to us that she is most em¬
phatically right, for we believe that there are many cases in
which some one of our polychrests, those which have a deep con¬
stitutional power, would protect even more perfectly and for a
much longer period of time than Variolinum, and we believe
the time will come when our most invaluable and omniscient
t
boards of health will give to each competent physician the power
to protect his patients in such a way as seems to him most fitting.
But that time has not yet come; and so we are foolish enough
to believe that it is better to accept a half-loaf than none, and
Digitized by e^ooQLe
ROUTINE PRESCRIBING OF VARIOLINUM. 245
internal vaccination is certainly a step in the right direction, even
if it is not ideally perfect. Variolinum may not be in most
cases the true smilimum that is needed to protect every one but
we venture to say that in many cases it is just as truly homeo¬
pathic as a large portion of our so-called good and successful
prescriptions. It is not the best way, always, this we freely
admit, but it is better than old-fashioned vaccination, a thousand¬
fold, and so is worthy of commendation, since the fact is well
known that most physicians have not the patience or the skill to
find a true similimum, even if the board of health would let them.
Nor is this all. There is yet another factor to be taken into
consideration, which is the fact that the finding of a similimum
takes time and brains and money, and most people are not will-
iny to pay the money, nor are most doctors willing to sacri¬
fice their time arid health, gratis, simply for the sake of
giving to every one an ideal vaccination, for which they are not
willing to pay. And yet we do most profoundly believe that when
the public finds that Variolinum does protect, and that it works
by the law of similia, they will be sure to look with a more
friendly eye on all forms of homeopathic treatment, and thus
will be more and more likely to come to us for assistance.
We, ourselves, would rather be protected by some remedy still
more homeopathic to our own individual temperament and frailty
than even Variolinum, but we are trying to look upon this matter
in a charitable light; and yet Dr. Leggett, having for the moment
convinced herself that we have turned traitor to our Hahne-
mannian principles, is very earnest in pleading with us to re¬
pent, and so she gives yet another reason why we should hesitate
to use Variolinum. She writes: “ Its very potentization gives it
a power for [mischief] unknown to the crude.” Here we can¬
not help thinking that she is slightly mistaken; for the history
Of provings with high potencies seems to show that though they
may for a while create a great deal of discomfort and some very
obstinate aches and pains, they seldom, if ever, do real injury;
and, Hahnemann says, often improve the health of the prover.
So it seems to us that this objection is not well taken. But we
agree with her, when she says that it is not best to try to fix,
once for all, the truest and best prophylactic for smallpox or any
Digitized by ^ooQle
246
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
other disease. For all that we have tried to do is to point out
the fact that there is a remedy, which (in a somewhat imperfect
way) is so really prophylactic in thousands of cases, for a short
time, at least, that it is worth remembering, and is likely to
become an entering wedge # by which state boards of health will
be induced to look upon Homeopathy with even greater respect
than they have regarded it hitherto.
To her closing words about leprosy, we say a most hearty
“ Amen; ” and may God grant to us the privilege of hastening
the day when hosts of busy workmen from one end of this great
land to the other, shall be searching out the really best remedy
for each of their patients and trying to individualize every case.
But the world moves slowly, and as some one has said, “ God
is for some unknown reason an evolutionist in his dealings with
the world/’ and so we cheerfully bid Godspeed to any movement
which is bringing men a little nearer to the ideals which we love.
In this connection it is very pertinent to mention the fact that
Hahnemann in his Organon, Par. ioo, definitely calls attention
to the fact that smallpox, measles, etc., are epidemics in which
the contagious principle always remains the same, and even though
some of our readers may be inclined to challenge this statement,
and claim that even here the poison varies from one epidemic to
another quite markedly, there is certainly a very important truth
in what he says.— HAMLET.
Agaricus Muscarius.*
J. T. KENT, M. D., CHICAGO, ILL.
Many of our readers will find these elaborate symptom studies doubly interesting if
read aloud rather slowly, pen in hand.— Ed.
The most striking symptoms running through this medicine are
twitchings and tremblings. Jerking of the muscles and trembling
of the limbs; quivering and tremors; everywhere these two fea¬
tures are present, in all parts of the body and limbs. The twitch¬
ing of the muscles becomes so extensive that it is sometimes a
*Read before the Illinois Homeopathic Medical Association, May, 1904.
Digitized by CjOOQle
AGARICUS MUSCARIUS.
247
well-developed case of Chorea. It has in its nature all that is
found in Chorea, and has cured many cases. This is a general,
belonging to all parts, to all muscles. Throughout the body there
is a sensation of creeping and crawling. It is hardly confined
to the skin; it is felt as if in the flesh, a sensation as if of ants.
Itching of the skin all over, which changes place from scratching.
No place is exempt. There are strange sensations here and there
upon the skin or in the parts, cold sensations, sensations of
cold needles and hot needles; stinging and burning where the
circulation is feeble (about the ears, nose, back of hands and
fingers and toes) ; red spots with itching and burning, as if frost¬
bitten. It is a great remedy for chilblains. The patient is ex¬
tremely nervous and sensitive to cold. Itching, pricking, tingling,
etc., come on from mental exertion and are relieved by physical
exertion. All the symptoms of Agaricus are also aggravated
after sexual intercourse, especially the symptoms of the spinal
cord. It is useful for symptoms which come on after coition in
young, nervous married women; hysterical fainting after coition.
The mental symptoms are such as you would expect. Great
changeability, irritability, mental depression, and complaints
which come from overexertion of the mind and prolonged study.
The brain seems to be developed tardily. Children are late in
learning to talk and walk; so that it combines the features of two
remedies, Natrum muriaticum, which has the symptom “ late in
learning to talk, and Calcarea Carb., which has the symptom “ late
in learning to walk.” It will be noticed in Calcarea that this is due
to a defect or bone weakness. But in Agaricus it is a mental
defect, a slowly developing mind. Children with twitching and
early fainting; nervous girls, prior to puberty; who have convul¬
sions from being scolded, from excitement and shock; late in
mental development. Children who cannot remember, make mis¬
takes and are slow in learning. Nervous patients, who on going
over their manuscripts find mistakes in writing and spelling. The
condition of the mind is one in which they are slow to grasp
ideas; wrong words float in kaleidoscopically. When we read
in the book “ the whole psychological sphere is as if paralyzed,”
we must read between the lines. The whole mind and sensorium
seem paralyzed; the patient is sluggish, stupid, at times even
Digitized by CjOOQle
248
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
seems to be delirious; there is confusion of mind, so nearly like
delirium that it is not unlike intoxication, a delirium such as is
produced by alcohol. He also becomes silly, says foolish, silly
things; sings and whistles at inopportune times; makes verses
and prophesies; or he lapses into an opposite state, and becomes
indifferent to his surroundings. One who is mild and placid
becomes self-willed, obstinate and conceited.
There is difficulty in co-ordinating the movements of the mus^
cles of the body. Inco-ordination of brain and spinal cord.
Clumsy motion of the fingers and hands. In handling things
she drops them. Fingers fly open spasmodically while holding
things. You can sometimes cure Bridget in the kitchen with
Agaricus or Apis, when the trouble is that she is continually
breaking the dishes by letting them fall. Yet these two reme¬
dies are opposites, Agaricus must stay near the fire, while with
Apis she wants to get out of the kitchen. The awkwardness,
clumsiness, etc., are both mental and bodily. Every sort of
change is rung on the patient and the doctor. At times the pa¬
tient is stupid, awkward clumsy; at other times quick and poeti¬
cal, can run off poetry without the least effort, especially at night .
But in the morning he is tired and sluggish, and this may last
till noon. The mental symptoms are worse in the morning and
are relieved toward evening. In the morning he is dumb, slug¬
gish, stupid, tired, but when evening comes he brightens up,
becomes warmed up, becomes excited, poetical and prophetical,
wants to sit up late at night, is brilliant, wants to play games.
All the jerkings and twitchings subside during sleep. There is
vertigo when walking in the open air. He is always chilly. On
undertaking to do something he does the opposite. Vertigo and
confusion of mind are mixed up.
It is a common feature for the headaches of this remedy to
be associated with the spinal symptoms, the quivering and jerk¬
ing. Headaches in spinal patients. Pain as though sharp ice
touched the head, or as if from cold needles. That is general;
we find it in other parts. Pain in the head, as if from a nail.
There is some bleeding in the morning; the blood is thick, black
and will hardly drop. Coldness in the head. In the scalp there
are all sorts or queer sensations; icy coldness after itching or
Digitized by C^ooQLe
AGARICUS MUSCARIUS.
249
scratching. That runs all through the body. There is itching,
although no eruption is visible; he can’t let it alone, and after
scratching there is a sensation of icy coldness in the part or as
if the wind was blowing on it. The head is in constant motion,
as in Chorea. Itching of the scalp, especially in the morning
on rising. Here again we have the general aggravation in the
morning. There are marked eruptions on the scalp. Eczema
with crusts.
Eyes. Twitching and jerking. You will observe this about
the Agaricus eyes; as the patient looks at you there is a pendu-
lum-like action of the eyes, they go back and forth all the time;
they oscillate, though he tries his best to fix his look upon you.
This stops only during sleep; all the motions subside during sleep.
A few other medicines have cured this eye symptom, Cicuta, Ar¬
senicum, Sulphur, Pulsatilla; but Agaricus also produces and
cures it. There is every conceivable kind of deception in colors
and vision. Flickering before the eyes; he reads with difficulty.
Objects seem to be what they are not. Black flies are floating
before the eyes; and black motes. He sees double. There is mus¬
cular weakness of the eyes. Irregularity of the motions of the
eyes; pupils dilated; pupils contracted. Sensation as of a mist
or cobweb before the eyes. Spasmodic twitching and jerking.
The jerkings and twitchings are the most marked symptoms, as
also the choreic movements about the eyes, and the deceptions in
colors and figures, before the eyes.
Ears. Redness, burning and itching, as if they had been frost¬
bitten. The sensation as of chilblains, the same sensation as
found throughout; the same itching and tingling as of the remedy-
in general. Dulness of hearing, deafness, or hearing too acute.
Nose. Nosebleed of profuse, fetid discharge from nose.
Agaricus will cure the most inveterate chronic catarrhs with dry¬
ness and crusts in tubercular constitutions, so deep-seated is it.
It has cured many cases of incipient phthisis. It cures old coughs
and catarrhs. A red nose, as if frost-bitten. It is as good as
Ledum and Lachesis for the red-tipped nose in old drunkards.
Face. From what we have already seen, we expect twitch¬
ing of the muscles of the face, and itching and redness and burn •
ing as if frost-bitten, paralytic weakness, etc.: because these are
Digitized by C.ooQLe
250
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
general features of Agaricus; and just as we expected we find
these things in the text of the provers. Choreic spasms; an ex¬
pression as of idiocy. Now notice this: Some patients when
going on with their own usual vocation are pretty smart, but if
you put some new idea before them, something not in the routine
of their work, they are perfectly idiotic. This is especially notice¬
able in the morning. He can’t take in anything new in the morn¬
ing; but he is ^ble to take in new ideas and is bright in the
evening; like the effect produced by tea and coffee and alcoholic
beverages. This remedy is a great antidote to alcoholic bever¬
ages. In this remedy and in Zincum the spine is affected and
both of these have aggravation from stimulants.
Agaricus has cured a good many cases of epileptiform con¬
vulsions, more commonly of the hysfcerio-epileptic type, with
frothing of the mouth, opisthotonos, and drawing of the muscles
of the face. The Agaricus patient has spells in which a little
muscle of the face or a few fibers of a muscle will quiver for a
few minutes and then stop; and then in another part of the face
the same thing begins; an eyelid will quiver, and then another
set of fibers, sometimes so badly as to nearly drive him crazy.
This is an Agaricus state, as well as Nux vomica.
The teeth feel too long and are sensitive to touch. The tongue
quivers, twitches, jerks and causes disorderly speech; the man
articulates violently. His tongue is dry and tremulous. He
learns to speak with difficulty. Spasms of the tongue, inarticulate
speech. A phagedenic ulcer on the fraenum of the tongue eats
it away. Soreness of the tongue. Mercurial aphthae in roof of
mouth. Little white blisters like nursing sore mouth. Chronic
sore throat. Induration of tonsils. Burning thirst, ravenous appe¬
tite. Gnawing in stomach as if from hunger, without any desire
for food.
Flatus: distressing belching; great tympanitis; rumbling, tur¬
moil in the abdomen; offensive flatus; great gurgling; rumbling
and gurgling in the belly. Everything ferments; full of colic:
of rumbling and loud rolling; with pinching colic. Horribly fetid
discharges. Tympanitic condition marked in typhoid: a low type
of typhoid; trembling and jerking of muscles; paralytic weakness :
emaciation; mental symptoms.
Digitized by
Google
AGARICUS MU SCAR I US.
251
Morning diarrhea, a great deal of hot flatus (Aloe), with burn¬
ing in the rectum; soft stool, great tenesmus; urging to stool,
violent; involuntary straining before, during and after stool.
Sensation as if rectum would burst, even after stool (Merc, and
Sul.). Violent, sudden pains; can’t wait; distressing, bursting sen¬
sation. Before stool, cutting and pinching in abdomen; urgent
tenesmus; painful straining in rectum. During stool, colic and
passing of flatus; burning, soreness, smarting and cutting in
anus; sweat; pain in loins to legs, continuing after stool.
After stool, headache is relieved; biting in anus; straining in
rectum; cutting pains in anus; griping in hypogastrium; disten¬
sion in abdomen; heaviness in abdomen and around navel; pain
in chest. Emphasize the tenesmus after stool .
Spinal Symptoms. — Tingling up and down the back, with
morning diarrhea; trembling, with weakness of the lower ex¬
tremities, making it difficult to step up stairs. A paresis which
will increase into a paralysis of the lower extremities. May have
constipation and paralytic feelings of the rectum; stool hard;
straining at stool as if life depended on it, and yet no stool.
Beginning paralysis of the lower limbs, with twitching of the mus¬
cles and burning up and down the spine. In one case, after
straining had been given up as unsuccessful he would pass stool
involuntarily. This symptom only was known in Arg-n. (stool
and urine). Desire to urinate as urgent as the desire for stool.
Dribbling of urine. A peculiar feature of this remedy is that the
urine feels cold on passing; while the urine dribbles, he can
count the cold drops along the urethra. “ Urine passes slowly in
a stream or in drops, he has to press to promote the flow.”
“ Urine watery, clear, lemon-colored, bright yellow; dark yellow
and hot; red, flocculent, a powdery sediment; watery in the fore¬
noon, in the afternoon milky, like whey, with a red or white
sediment (Phosphate of magnesia) ; iridizing on surface.” Phos¬
phates; milky urine. Oily surface, iridescent surface, greasy-
like pellicle on urine, like petroleum. Scanty urine in rheumatic,
gouty, hysterical subjects. Persons, cold, feeble, pale, going into
phthisis. Urine becomes scanty and a headache comes on. Goes
many days and is constipated, and headache is relieved by stool.
In Fluoric acid, if he does not attend to the desire to urinate , a
headache comes on.
Digitized by U.ooQLe
252
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Transformation takes place. The milk ceases in one day; con¬
gestion of the brain or spine comes on. Metastasis, especially if
milk ceases and complaints come on.
The genital organs are cold and shrunken. A comparative
examination of the symptoms of the male and female organs
shows that the proving has not been extensively made on the
female, but in the male there are many symptoms which have an
analogous condition in the female. In the male, symptoms are
worse after coition, but just as markedly so in the female. Com¬
plaints after sexual excitement, debauch, etc.; in the woman,
fainting; in the man, weakness. The trembling and twitching,
or any of the Agaricus symptoms may be worse after coition, be¬
cause the sexual functions are related to the cord. Those suffer¬
ing from spinal affections have distress after this act.
In the male , burning in the urethra during coition comes from
excoriation or a sense of hotness of the seminal fluid, while be¬
ing ejected; hence it can only be a symptom of the male. There
is also burning in the prostate during ejaculation. Violent sexual
excitement, before and during, but at the time of ejaculation
the orgasm is wanting, it is a passive and pleasureless ejacula¬
tion. This occurs in men with spinal weakness, nervous men who
have tingling and crawling all over. It comes in the cure of old
catarrhal discharges from the urethra, chronic gonorrhea, greet,
after all sorts of local treatment have been used. The penis
is cold and shrunken; there is ah excessively painful retraction
in testes. In old gleety discharge where there is a continued
itching and tingling in the urethra, and the last drop will remain
discharging for a long time. There are two remedies better for
this than many others, Petroleum and Agaricus.
Female Sexual Organs. The routine prescriber always
thinks of Puls., Sep., etc., for bearing down pains: but in a
woman with spinal irritation, etc., with a dragging down sensa¬
tion as if the parts would drop into the world (she must wear
a napkin) this medicine is the best. Slender, nervous, restless
women, with tingling and creeping, must have Agaricus. Dur¬
ing menses, there are headache, toothache, etc. All the general
symptoms are worse during the menstrual period; but not to
any great extent before or after. There is also aggravation cf
Digitized by ejOOQie
AGARICUS MUSCARIUS.
253
the heart symptoms and prolapsus just at the dose of the menses.
The Leucorrhea is very profuse, dark, bloody, acrid, excoriat¬
ing the parts. This remedy has been mentioned in relation to
Flouric acid. There are many points of relation. They are like
each other in the Leucorrhea especially; copious and acrid, so acrid
that it keeps the parts raw and irritated around the genitals and
the patient can't walk. In Fluoric acid there is, with the nerv¬
ous symptoms, headache ameliorated by passing urine, or head¬
ache if urination is not immediately attended to, with copious,
acrid excoriating Leucorrhea.
Agaricus is a great medicine in chest troubles, though seldom
thought of. It has cured what seemed to be consumption. A
catarrhal condition of the chest, with night sweats and history of
the nervous symptoms. Violent cough in isolated attacks ending
in sneezing. Convulsive cough, with sweat toward evening, with
frequent pulse, expectoration of pus-like mucus, worse in the
morning and when lying on the back. Add to this the symptoms
of Agaricus as described, and Agaricus will take hold of that
case. Cases of incipient phthisis. It closely relates to the tuber¬
cular diathesis. I remember starting out to prove Tuberculinum
on an individual I suspected would be sensitive to it from his
history and symptoms. The first dose almost killed him and
considering the use that that substance is put to in diagnosing
the disease in cattle, it seemed to stir him up. He became ema¬
ciated and looked as if he would die. I let it alone and watched
and waited patiently and the symptoms of Agaricus came up
and established the relationship between these two remedies, and
confirmed Hering’s observation of the relationship of Agaricus
to the tubercular diathesis. Later on, Agaricus cured him and
fattened him up.
The remedy is full of nervous palpitation. Palpitation worse
in the evening. On the outer chest there is tingling and creeping
as in general.
The back has many peculiar and general guiding symptoms.
Stiffness of the whole spine. Feeling as if it would break when
he tries to bend it. Feels as if there is something so tight that it
will break, when he stoops. Tightness in the muscles of the back.
Tingling, deep in. Violent shooting, burning pains. Pain along
Digitized by ^ooQle
254
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
the spine, worse by stooping. Pains of all sorts in the spine.
Pains go up the back and down the back. Sensitiveness of the
spine to touch, especially in the back of the neck and dorsal re¬
gion between the scapulae. Sensation as if cold air were spreading
along the back like an aura epileptica. Sensation of ice touch¬
ing the body. Cold spots. Chilliness over the back, crawling,
creeping and formication. Numbness of skin over the back.
The most of the pains are in the back of the neck and the
lumbo-sacral region. Pains in this region in connection with
coition. Pain in the lumbar region and sacral region, expecially
during exertion, sitting, etc. Pain in the sacrum as if beaten,
as if it would break. Pains below the waist, in women.
Limbs. In the limbs, in general, there are twitchings; they
are numb, choreic; there is burning here and there; a cold feeling
in spots, paralzyed. Trembling of limbs, of hands; awkwardness
in all his movements. Rheumatism and gout of the joints.
Burning itching of the hands, as if frozen. In the smaller
joints, where the circulation is feeble, there are frost-bite symp¬
toms. The toes and fingers are stiff.
Bones feel as if they would break, especially in the lower limbs.
Feeling as if the tibia would break. Aching in the tibia. Grow¬
ing pains in children; they must sit at the fire or the extremities
will get cold. Pains in the bones. Weight in the legs.
Paralytic weakness in the lower limbs soon after becoming
pregnant. This comes with every pregnancy and she must go
to bed. These symptoms may lead to Agaricus. Weight in the
legs. Legs feel heavy. Trembling and jerking motion, in the
lower limbs.
A Word as to Repertories, Past, Present and Future.
At the close of his interesting article in the March number of
the Advance, Dr. Kober asks for responses along the same line;
and, in hopes of drawing out still others, I am going to venture
a word of most hearty assent, mixed with a wee bit of dissent.
For it seems to me a great mistake the way we have of discuss¬
ing a book more or less briefly when it first comes out and then
Digitized by C.ooQLe
A WORD AS TO REPERTORIES,
255
saying almost nothing about it till it is lucky enough to reach a
second edition, when our comments are apt to be even more vague
and general than before. Allow me then to tell you briefly what
I think of repertories; hoping that some wiser man will arise to
call me down, in case I am mistaken.
As to Knerr’s “ Repertory ” to Hering’s “ Guiding Symptoms,”
I most emphatically agree with Dr. Kober in calling it “ diffi¬
cult,” since I for one found it so difficult to consult that I soon
stopped consulting it almost entirely; and if any man has any
lazy bones in him (as I have), I most emphatically advise him
not to buy Knerr till he has seen a few sample pages and has
had a chance to see for himself how hard it is to consult. Yet,
I am glad to see that Dr. Kober has been plucky enough to use
it; for Hering’s “ Guiding Symptoms ” of which it is the index
is certainly one of our most precious storehouses of facts, in re¬
gard to materia medica.
Next comes Dr. T. F. Allen's “ Repertory ” issued in 1880 to
accompany his wonderful “ Cyclopedia.” This is far superior to
Knerr in arrangement, but not being anywhere near as full as
Dr. Kent’s “ Repertory ” issued seventeen years later, it has never
found a place on my shelves. Then, too, there is in the arrange¬
ment of Allen’s “ Repertory ” one serious defect, which seems to
me most unfortunate — and that is the reckless way in which he
tears the body all to pieces, for the sake of keeping a purely
alphabetical arrangement; for when in a leisure moment we re
studying some case in which the head or eye or mind symptoms
are very prominent it is both pleasant and helpful to find the head
and eye and mind symptoms all in a comer by themselves, with¬
out having to go hopping along from one end of the book to
the other.
This difficulty Dr. Kent avoids ; for in his repertory the mind
symptoms are all by themselves, the eye symptoms by themselves,
etc., making it almost like a story book, when I feel like sitting
down to glance over its pages. Then, too, Dr. Kent’s is the most
complete repertory now in existence, which I count a most im¬
portant help. But most important of all is the remarkable skill
with which the matter is arranged on the page, so that even
friends who have never seen the book before can often take it
Digitized by ^ooQle
256
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
up in my little inner sanctum and find symptoms for themselves,
though, of course, no one can make use of all its vast store of
treasure till he gets a little used to its plan in detail and has added
a few hundred cross references to the thousands which Dr. Kent
ha$ given.
Often I get to dreaming over this book and wondering just how
the repertories of the future will differ from this one issued in
1897. I then find a vast and interesting field opening before
me in regard to which I hope to some day say a word; but per¬
haps the most startling fact of all, that stands out on every page,
is the amazing difference in the relative value of the different
symptom lists here given. For some are probably quite fairly
complete, so far as our present materia medica goes, while others
are merest fragments, precious as far as they go, and yet so evi¬
dently incomplete that they will not help you in your choice more
than one time in twenty while others give you a lift almost every
time you consult them; for it is very noticeable that there are
some details in every proving which the average prover is much
more likely to overlook than others; just as in every sick man's
life there are hosts of symptoms that he never notices or is
very loth to speak of, even if he happens to notice them. These,
then, are naturally the lists in a repertory which are most likely to
be exceedingly incomplete, and are sure to be sadly misleading,
if for a single moment you forget that they are probably mere
fragments. Yet in a very hard case, even these sometimes supply
some sadly needed hint, while in our hurried, everyday practice
we soon learn to instinctively pass them by as easily as we do
the thousands of words in Webster's dictionary which we have
never seen and never care to see. Yet since we are all -of us
sometimes misled by thinking for the moment that a given list
is more complete than our more sober thought later on shows
to be true, I cannot help hoping that the repertory of the future
will in some way point out which of these tens of thousands of
symptom lists are the safest guides in first tentatively selecting
a remedy; for right here is it that the successful prescriber and
the unsuccessful one oftenest part company, one to patiently fol¬
low out a false scent, the other a true one, often with equal care,
but not with equal success. And yet there are tests by which the
Digitized by
Google
A WORD AS TO REPERTORIES.
257
relative guide post value of different symptom lists can be quite
accurately determined in a general way (when you are not in
too much of a hurry), and then even the most incomplete list in
the book acquires a vastly increased value, for it has lost its
power to deceive without losing its power to help. But I am
dreaming now about the repertory which is not; and must quit
my dreaming and turn back once more to plain history, the more
homely but equally lovely sister of Dreamland.
And lo, I find before me a host of smaller repertories, of which
I surely must not speak today. Yet since some one of my readers
may this very moment be writing a repertory, and be fool enough
to steal just a thought or two from me, I cannot resist the tempta¬
tion to say just a word. The two smaller repertories that inter¬
est me most (of those that I have seen) are Lippe’s and Winter-
burn’s, of which my thought is this — to a man of large experi¬
ence and courage they would be and are invaluable, when he has
no more complete work at hand to consult; but to a beginner
who dreads fearfully to make a prescription without a definite
backing from some book, for nearly every symptom, they are
painfully disappointing, for sometimes the very medicine you need
for some dangerous, worry-causing symptom is left out, simply
because it has not yet been clinically confirmed so far as the
writer of your repertory knows. Hence it seems to me that a
better way would be not to try to mention so many different
symptoms in these smaller repertories, but to give a much more
complete list for some of those that are reported, especially when
they are extremely worry-causing symptoms or else of more than
ordinary distinctive value, like a green scar on a man’s face.
And now we come to the most famous repertory ever written
the father and forerunner of them all, Bonninghausen’s much
loved repertory, and well worthy of such love: for it has been
the boon companion and helpmeet of many of the most skilful
homeopathic prescribes that ever lived. And yet, I hesitate not
to say that I consider it one of the most unsatisfactory books ever
written for the use of ordinary, average men and women (M.
D.’s I mean), and I am firmly convinced that the vast and laby-
rinthinely vague generalizations which it has encouraged and
over-emphasized are largely responsible for the way in which
Digitized by CjOOQle
258
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE,
thousands have deserted all hopes of ever finding a true similimum
and have settled down to simpler if not more successful ways of
prescribing. It is as if we should go into some very fine picture
gallery in which our friends were all catalogued by the length
of their fingers and the thickness of their heads; I freely admit
that modem science has amply demonstrated that* such a method
carefully carried out would be very reliable; but oh how terri¬
bly uninteresting and soulless for a beginner or even for a vet¬
eran who had not a most lively imagination. I, for one, would
far rather recognize most of my friends by the way they smile
and talk and laugh and cry and the food they eat and don't eat
and can't eat, and by intensely commonplace but rather rare
symptoms than by the more common and grave symptoms which
Bonninghausen makes so prominent. My way — H. N. Guern¬
sey's way, only improved by time and many loving workmen —
makes enthusiasts of even little men. His appeals only to schol¬
ars and book worms. Both are legitimate; both are needed; and
in time each will find its place as a complement to the other; but
this much I can say, that my early interest in Homeopathy would
have soon died out, if I had not discovered after a while that
there was a more tempting way than his for such as me, the men
who are gifted with poor memories and a strong antipathy to
too much learning in my own small head, like, Beecher, who was
said to have been the laziest man in his class.
And now that I have talked so long about repertories, I must
cut very short what I had hoped to say about the other good books
mentioned by Dr. Kober. Allen's “ Encyclopedia" is indeed a
gold mine, when you become interested in some one medicine and
wish to get intimately acquainted with all its wonderful twists and
turns; while H. C. Allen's “ Keynotes" is my great standby
when in busy daily life I find myself rusty in regard to some
medicine and wish to get a bird's-eye view of it before plunging
in at full length. Nash’s “ Leaders " I have not read, as yet;
but if it is as clear cut as his tiny book on “ Typhoid,” it must
be indeed a treasure. Farrington — ahd J. H. Clarke's Dictionary
I also look on with eyes of eager longing; but being as yet
only a beginner, and a very busy one, I have not had time to
learn much of them as yet. As to Hughes I, too, am glad that
Digitized by C^ooQLe
THREE IMPORTANT THUJA SYMPTOMS.
259
I did not get too much under the influence of the slight vein of
skepticism and explaining away of facts which runs through his
works. But I shall owe to him an everlasting debt of gratitude;
for it was he who first made me an enthusiastic homeopath.
And now, last but not least, comes the most shocking part of
this my long confessional; that though I consider Hahnemann
one of the greatest and most God-blessed men that ever lived.
I have never yet succeeded in plucking up courage to read through
his Organon. It makes me mad, it brings out with such startling
clearness the fact that he was grappling with a discovery which
was too vast and startling for even his great brain; and oh how
often I have wished that he had simply stated facts without any at¬
tempt to explain them. Then too his book is so sadly pugnacious.
True, I also was such, once upon a time; but I did not write a
book, and so I escaped. ’Tis true that many of his antagonists
were fools and rascals; but oh how much better it would have
been if he had not said it so often. Yet it is to him we owe this
wonderful science; and God remembers longest the good things
a man has done; so surely we can do the same. Now for an¬
other rejoinder from some one else; for such talks are interesting
and helpful.— H. H.
Three Important Thuja Symptoms.
In the North American Journal of Homeopathy for April, 1904,
is an article by Dr. Wallace McGeorge, of Camden, N. J., call¬
ing attention to an important Thuja symptom, viz., that the un¬
covered parts of the body were bathed in sweat while the cov¬
ered parts were dry and warm. This symptom was pointed out
by Bcenninghausen in one of his books, since it once saved him
from great danger. It is also given in black-faced type on page
367 of Allen’s “ Therapeutics of Fevers,” although, doubtless
through oversight, Kent’s “ Repertory ” (page 1236) gives it
only in common type. Of this symptom, Dr. McGeorge says:
“ Thuja has helped me in ten or twelve cases of ileus, or ob¬
struction (or appendicitis, as it is the proper thing to call it now)
Digitized by C^ooQLe
260
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
and in nearly every case I was guided by this characteristic symp¬
tom.” He then gives several illustrative cases, of which we take
pleasure in quoting two:
"Case first came to me in April, 1875. The patient was suffering from
colic and obstinate constipation, the latter aggravated by neighborly
prescriptions of various purgatives. For days he had been in a quadru¬
pedal position, that is, on his hands and knees in bed, and I was called
an obstinate fellow, and was allowing a good man to be taken from his
family, by my refusal to allow more castor oil to be given. But I felt I was
right; my patient trusted me, and continued taking my medicine and
following my directions. In another day he got easier, could lie down in
bed, had a natural stool that same night, got well in a week, and lived
twenty-five years afterward, and never had another attack. Whenever
he had any of the old pain, he used to take some of the medicine which
cured him first, and he never went anywhere for years without a little
bottle of Thuja in his pocket. I gave him Thuja because of Boenning-
hausen’s characteristic symptom. He sweat on his face, neck and hands,
and was hot and dry on the covered parts.”
The other case was one he treated in 1884:
" This time it was in consultation with a fellow homeopath who prac¬
ticed in the southern part of Philadelphia. The patient had an obstinate
attack of constipation, so-called, which had for seven days resisted pills,
castor oil, croton oil, injections, and a rectal bougie made of wood, the
biggest I ever saw. The man was frantic with pain and didn’t know
what was going to be done next. The pain was in the lower portion of
the umbilical region, where the iliac region lapped, and was intense in all
the lower parts of the abdomen. The man’s face was covered with sweat,
his hands were moist, but his body was dry. I advised Thuja. The
doctor gave me a quizzical look, and not knowing what else to suggest,
assented. I can remember even now, twenty years after, the look he gave
me, when I put a few pellets out of may high potency case, on the
patient’s tongue and told him he would be better on the morrow.
"The man felt relieved to know that the bougie would have a rest, and
lay down in bed. I went back to my office leaving doubting Thomas
behind. The other doctor went home, taking the bougie with him.
Next day I saw the patient again, with this doctor, and, where the day
before all was confusion and despair, there was now quiet and happiness.
The man felt good because his pain was gone; the wife felt happy because
the medicine had ‘worked’ in the night; his employer, who paid the bill,
was jubilant, because his skilled foreman could soon return to the
factory,” and so this interesting story ends, to be continued somewhere
else.
[To this report we should like to add two other Thuja symp¬
toms, which we have found so helpful ourselves that we believe
others will be interested in seeing them. One is a disposition to
leave sentences unfinished in conversation. It is given in Allen’s
“Cyclopedia” (Symptom 4) as follows: “Commences every
sentence anew, without ability to finish in spite of every effort.”
though I have not yet seen it in any repertory. It seems to be
Digitized by CjOOQle
THREE IMPORTANT THUJA SYMPTOMS.
261
equally well indicated, when the person simply stops short and
does not make any attempt at all to finish the sentence. The
natural place to index this in the repertory would seem to be;
Mind, Speech, unfinished sentences — Thuja.
A third symptom which seems to be highly characteristic of
Thuja is: “spasmodic restlessness of the wings of the nose.”
This is purely clinical, from two very striking cases where Thuja
gave marked relief, but it seems to be confirmed by the fact that
Thuja has a strong affinity for the wings of the nose, as is shown
by its being black-faced in the list given on page 323 of Kent’s
“ Repertory.”
There is also one other clue which will often be found helpful
in recognizing a Thuja case, viz., the important fact mentioned
by H. C. Allen’s “ Keynotes ” and by Hering, that it is com¬
plementary to Silica; so that when we have a clean-cut Silica
case, we should keep a sharp look-out for possible Thuja symp¬
toms. Believing, as I do, that Thuja is a remedy that should be
used a good deal oftener than it is, and yet one whose symptoms,
many of them, are apparently covered by other more frequently
called-for remedies, I believe these four clues are worth keeping
carefully in mind and, perchance, indexing with a question mark
in your repertory.
From the clinics of Hering College, we learn that stools re¬
ceding after having been partially expelled, also quite often in¬
dicate Thuja. (See K. 590.) While Dr. Lamson Allen, of Wor¬
cester, Mass., reports orally a very interesting case of prolonged,
bed-ridden Neurasthenia, cured by Nitric acid, in which the dis¬
position to go on all fours was marked, thus throwing an in¬
teresting side light on Dr. McGeorge’s first case. The patient
had been bedridden for nearly a year. Further information in
regard to somewhat rare and striking, or fairly distinctive Thuja
symptoms will be welcome.— Ed.]
The Secretary of the Ohio State Board of Health is a
homeopath. We hope he will be just to the allopaths and so
set a good example for his similars in other states who are not
of the same persuasion as he.
Digitized by C.ooQLe
262
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Is Hahnemann’s Theory of Chronic Diseases Tenable
in the Light of Present Scientific Knowledge?
A. W. HOLCOMBE, M. D., KOKOMO, IND.
A theory,* says the “ Standard Dictionary,” is a plan or scheme,
subsisting in the mind, but based on principles verifiable by experi¬
ment or observation — a rational explanation that agrees with
all the facts and disagrees with none.
Hahnemann’s theory of chronic diseases is a rational explana¬
tion of the observed facts relating to the nature and cause of
chronic diseases.
This theory was given to the medical world after twelve years
of as careful study, as diligent research and as discriminating ob¬
servation as is rarely given a subject in these days of fads and
fancies.
Hahnemann and his co-laborers observed that many diseases
after having been seemingly cured by the appropriate homeopathic
remedy, would return periodically, or from some slight indiscre¬
tion on the part of the patient. Confident that homeopathy was
based on an immutable law of nature, he believed that this ap¬
parent failure could be reasonably explained if he could discover
the cause of the recurrence.
He says, in Chronic Diseases: “ It was a continually repeated
fact, that the non-venereal chronic diseases, after being time and
again removed homeopathically by the remedies fully proved up
to the present time, always returned in a more or less varied form
and with new symptoms, or returned annually with an increase
of complaints. This fact gave me the first clue that the homeo¬
pathic physician, with such a case, yea, all chronic diseases, has
not only to combat the disease presented before his eyes, and must
not view and treat it as if it were a well-defined disease to be
•The definition of the word n Theory” which is given above, seems to U9 a very faulty
one, for it ignores the fact that there are such things in existence as false theories, and
others which are only eighty or ninety per cent and yet exceedingly helpful, so far as
they are correct. But if any of our readers are 90 built that they can enjoy a great
truth, even if obliged to reject a part of what the writer says, they will certainly find this
restatement of Hahnemann’s great discovery, in regard to chronic diseases, both inter¬
esting and helpful.— Ed.
Digitized by ^ooQle
is Hahnemann’s theory tenable.
263
speedily and permanently destroyed, but that he has always to en¬
counter some separate fragment of a more deep-seated original
disease. That this original malady sought for must be also of
a chronic miasmcetic nature, clearly appeared to me from this cir¬
cumstance, that after it had once advanced and developed to a
certain degree, it can never be removed by the strength of any
robust constitution, it can never be removed by the most whole¬
some diet and order of life, nor will it die out of itself, but is
evermore aggravated from year to year through a transition into
other and more serious symptoms.”
After enumerating a great many of the symptoms as evidences
of this chronic miasm, he says, “ I was thus instructed by my con¬
tinued observations, comparisons and experiments in the last years,
that the ailments and infirmities of body and mind, which in their
manifest complaints differ so radically, and which with different
patients, appear so very unlike, are but partial manifestations of
the ancient miasma of leprosy and itch, that is, merely descendants
of the one vast and original malady, the almost innumerable symp¬
toms of which form but one whole.”
The truth of this is substantiated by the observation of over
one hundred deaths following the suppression or violent removal
of the itch and itching eruptions by the local use of Sulphur, Lead
and Mercurial ointments, also many cases of alarming illness fol¬
lowing such treatment, where the alarming symptoms promptly
subsided upon the reappearance of the suppressed eruption. Sim¬
ilar observations were made by physicians unacquainted with
homeopathy or with Hahnemann’s theory of chronic disease.
In further corroboration of this testimony, Hahnemann says
that in almost every case of non-venereal chronic disease, he was
able to trace the beginning of the ailment to an itching eruption
suppressed by some external means, and that in all cured cases,
the suppressed eruption reappeared during the homeopathic cure.
He further says, Psora, the chronic disease which lays at the
foundation of the eruption of itch, is that most ancient, most uni¬
versal, most destructive and yet most misapprehended chronic
miasmatic disease, which for many thousands of years has dis¬
figured and tortured mankind and which, during the last cen¬
turies, has become the mother of all the incredibly various acute
Digitized by
Google
264
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
and chronic (non-venereal) diseases, by which the whole world
is more and more afflicted.
The earliest manifestation of psora, of which we have any his¬
torical account, was, as leprosy, mentioned by Moses in Leviticus,
and so long as the disease was allowed to remain on the external
parts, the organism was singularly free from any other disease
and lepers lived many years, even to old age.
During the succeeding twenty or thirty centuries, through the
persistent efforts to remove the disease from the surface of the
body by means of drugs and medicaments applied locally, together
with the gradual refinement in food, the changed mode of living,
climatic conditions and general environment incident to progress¬
ing civilization, the external manifestations of this chronic miasm
in modern times has been reduced to a simple itching eruption
which is very easily suppressed; but mankind has scarcely been
benefited by these changed expressions of disease, for, as Hahne¬
mann says, “ It is only during the last few centuries that so great
a flood of numberless nervous troubles, insanity, painful com¬
plaints, spasms, ulcers, cancers, adventitious formations, paralysis,
consumption and cripplings of body and mind, has come upon us.”
The mental and physical condition of civilized mankind bears
melancholy and convincing evidence of the enervating and de¬
structive results of these centuries of suppressive measures, each
generation bequeathing to the succeeding generation its heritage
of disease and reduced average length of life.
Whatever attitude the medical profession may have assumed
toward Hahnemann’s theory of chronic disease, his fundamental
idea has forced a universal recognition, as evidenced by the terms
diathesis, dyscrasia, cachexia, idiopathic, constitutional tendency,
predisposition, etc., which express nothing more definite or tangi¬
ble than the words, “ Psoric miasm.”
The transference of a disease manifestation from the surface
of the skin to the internal vital organs, following the use of local
medicines and applications for such external symptoms is well
known by all men, and who of us has not seen the similar remedy
cause the reappearance of a long suppressed and supposedly cured
eruption, to be followed immediately by the subsidence and dis¬
appearance of the internal disturbance?
Digitized by
Google
is hahnemann's theory tenable.
265
Another evidence of this underlying fundamental cause of so
many acute and chronic diseases, exists in the fact, that so many
different, so-called diseases may find their similar in one remedy,
that is one remedy may be homeopathic to the totality of the
symptoms of a dozen so-called diseases, each differing from the
others in its pathology and external manifestations — for example
— Bryonia may be the similimum for the complex of symptoms
commonly called neuralgia, rheumatism, pleurisy, pneumonia, la
grippe, meningitis, catarrh, diphtheria, measles, whooping cough,
typhoid fever, intermittent fever, peritonitis, hemorrhoids, eczema
and a score of other diseases. How can this be ? What other ex¬
planation is so rational or reasonable, as, that the homeopathic
remedies having been proved on organisms in which the psoric
miasm was at the time quiescent, each drug, in a manner peculiar
to itself, stirred into activity this latent miasm and developed a
pathogenesis characteristic of itself, so that all acute or chronic
disease arising from this same miasm might find a similar in any
proved remedy.
The observations of Hahnemann during the twelve years of
his investigations, have been corroborated since that time by all
physicians who have given this most important subject the same
painstaking study, and this theory of the chronic diseases has
been strengthened by its practical demonstration during the past
century; not only so, but in the advancement of scientific knowl¬
edge, every new fact and truth in the science of medicine, that
has stood the test of experience and demonstration has added evi¬
dence as to the soundness of this once revolutionary theory.
Even the mono-mania of bacteriology has furnished a further
demonstration of this great truth. Many thought, and some even
hoped, that with the advent of the bacteriologist and his troop of
trained and performing microbes, homeopathy with its philosophy
of life, disease and cure, would be annihilated; nor is it strange
that, to the superficial observer, this new theory, the bacterial
origin of disease, would appeal very strongly.
Thousands upon thousands of guinea pigs and rabbits have
been sacrificed, tons upon tons of good soup and broth have been
utterly ruined in order to identify, classify and multiply the myr¬
iads of microbes, and to fortify humanity against their ravages.
Digitized by ^ooQle
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
ctn
To such an extent, have the destructive abilities of these micro¬
organisms been advertised, that death seems to lurk in every cor¬
ner of the universe with microbes in what we eat and drink, and
swarming in the air we breathe, life has become one long night¬
mare. Yet, for all this, there is one thing the most radical or
absurd microbist must and does acknowledge, unless the human
organism possesses the receptivity, unless it contains a soil favor¬
able for bacterial development, these war-like microbes are as
harmless as the proverbial “ suckling dove.”
Yea, verily! So there must be a preceding preparing cause be¬
fore these micro-organisms can begin operations, otherwise the
human family could not withstand the assaults of the bacterial
hordes a fortnight.
Hahnemann says: “ All chronic diseases must have for their
foundation and origin some constant chronic miasm, whereby their
parasitical existence in the human organism is enabled to contin¬
ually rise and grow.”
To our mind the most convincing demonstration of the truth
of this theory of chronic diseases, is seen in the every-day practice
of homeopathy — erysipelas, diphtheria, septicemia and gangrene
are diseases unquestionably of bacterial origin, according to
present-day science, and the malignant nature of which all recog¬
nize. Notwithstanding their malignancy, a very few doses of
the highly potentized homeopathic remedy suffices, in a very few
hours, to change these life-destroying conditions into an orderly
and harmonious movement toward health. Upon what other
theory than that of the chronic miasms, can this phenomenon be
explained, and indeed, upon what other theory, can the homeo¬
pathic cure of any zymotic disease be explained?
If the time, energy and intelligence that are devoted to spur¬
ious science, fads and medical fancies were devoted to the ad¬
vancement of our noble profession according to the natural laws
of disease and cure, what a prestige our healing art would have
and what a boon, not only to present suffering humanity but also
to generations yet unborn.
It Is All Right to be pretty provided you don't find it out.—
George Ade.
Digitized by ^ooQle
HOW WE PRESCRIBE.
267
How We Prescribe.*
R. DEL MAS, PH. D., M. D., CENTERVILLE, MINN.
We well remember the days of Ions: ago, when in a little college town, we used to
fight most sturdily over just one little stick or a stovepipe hat, which the sophomores
thought we had no right to use; and now that Dr. Del Mas has given us an article full to
overflowing of things about which we can " fight,” we look forward with keen pleasure to
seeing his article picked to pieces by some of our subscribers, both low and high potency;
and even we ourselves would like to pick a few flaws In this most inspiring article some
day. But we cannot allow any one reader to criticise the whole article in detail. Just pick
out the two or three things which seem to you most precious or most nonsensical and tell
as briefly as possible what you think of them. Friendly discussion in a cause we all love
so deeply will do us good.—P. D.
Organon § 17.— In effecting a cure, the inner change of vital
force, forming the basis of disease, that is the totality of disease, is
always cancelled by removing the entire complex of the per¬
ceptible signs and disturbances of the disease. Hence it fol¬
lows that the physician has only to remove this entire com¬
plex of symptoms, in order to cancel and obliterate simulta¬
neously the internal change ; that is, the morbidly altered vital
force, the totality of the disease, in fact the disease itself. But
disease obliterated is health restored, the highest and only object
of the physician who is impressed with the significance of his
calling — which does not consist in the use of learned phrases,
but in bringing relief.
So spoke the master ; and his true followers, having assimi¬
lated his thoughts, are perpetually verifying at the bedside the
law of cure that he so clearly and boldly formulated after many
faithful and painstaking experiments.
Our notion of disease is diametrically opposed to that which
the allopathic school entertains and hence our mode of apply¬
ing remedial agents must also diverge entirely from theirs.
For while we too study diagnosis, it is not as the basis of
prescribing; we base our prescription upon the totality of the
symptoms. Still, we must not reject morbid anatomy, for it
teaches us many a good thing, when we come down to business,
and have to give the diagnosis as well as the prognosis of our
cases and it also warns us of the futile and treacherous attempt
to cure the ultimates of disease, such as advanced tuberculosis or
*Read before the Minnesota Institute of Homeopathy, May, 1904.
Digitized by C^ooQLe
268
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
cases in which some foreign body has become encysted near a
vital organ.* After we have “ cured ” the patient, the knife may
be called upon to remove tumors or to break down the adhesions
formed about an ankyloid joint. But remember well that I
said after the patient was “ cured ” because homeopathy is able to
“ cure everybody,” but not everything. ”•)• We always can remove
susceptibility to diseases; but, as to their ultimates, we often fail.
Then again, to nourish the idea that a torn perineum and a
broken bone can be ” fixed ” with medicine is absurd per se.
Let us then discriminate between things that are external and
things that are internal, between the various causes of tissue
changes. Troubles brought about by violence, by physical
causes are treated by mechanical means, but dynamical agents are
to be resorted to, when the innermost of man is disturbed.
This paper will only embrace the way we prescribe our dy¬
namical remedies. It will undoubtedly give rise to severe criti¬
cism ; for we do not all think along the same lines, not because
we are not able to, but because our training at school was dif¬
ferent. Still it will strictly adhere to the thoughts of Hahne¬
mann ; and, should not every homeopath bear the colors of his
master? If, I then can give a little food for thought to some
and excite in others the curiosity to go and put the “ thing ” to
a test and “ publish its failures,” I shall be paid more than a
thousandfold for my trouble.
A competent prescriber of our school may be defined as one
who is competent to examine a patient; for the homeopathic
remedy cannot be found, unless we obtain a perfect disease image;
and the image is made up of the totality of the symptoms. Thus,
we see that the remedy and the patient go hand in hand; and,
he who masters his materia medica without knowing his patients
“totally,” will always meet with failures. Still the law itself
never fails, but the man only; he did not know how to apply it.
*In this connection the footnote to Organon § 7 is of much interest.— Ed.
t We like better the following statement of this thought, which we take
from a recent issue of the North Pole Gazette: w Homeopathy wisely used
can greatly help every one and can actually cure many diseases now
considered incurable, but it cannot cure everything.” For, if you cannot
cure the tumor, it is hardly fair to claim that you have cured the man,
though you may have lessened a thousandfold the chances of his ever
having another tumor.—E d.
Digitized by ^ooQle
HOW WE PRESCRIBE.
269
The homeopathic prescriber must go to a case without preju¬
dices ; his own theories, whims and fancies must be laid aside that
he may act like an impartial judge on the bench. But how can he
rid himself of prejudices? Let him go to the bottom of the
truth with a pure heart and humble mind. Let him try to
understand the principles of Hahnemann concerning the origin
of disease and the law of therapeutics. He will then be able to
examine the patient successfully and prescribe for him. It is
no easy task to abandon cherished ideas, to become honest in pur¬
pose and humble in mind, to acknowledge that there are others
that know more than we do, and to accept in its entirety the
teaching of Hahnemann; but it is very noble.
We, as therapeutists, aim at the patient not at the organ; at
dynamical disturbances and not at pathological changes in the
body. We raise ourselves above the level of materialism; we feel
there is something back of matter beyond and above it.
The physiology of this century teaches that life is the result of
all the activities of the organic cells. This sounds very well to
an allopathic ear; for he believes that when the cells do not work
harmoniously, we have a disease; so that the disease seems to lie
primarily in the cells; and, if we can remodel, shape anew or
regulate these revolutionary cells, right then and there we have
health again in all its beauty; and life is once more as it must
be, that is, correct. Now, a cell is what? under the microscope
and in the test tube? Nothing but organic matter. It is matter;
and, what will act upon matter? Nothing but matter; for life is
matter put into activity. There, then we have the allopathic
theory of disease and its therapeutics. And to a good many men
of our own ranks this is the truth, and nothing but the truth:
and they act accordingly. I do not blame them for sticking to
their principles. But I do blame them for criticising Hahne¬
mann, for getting money under false pretenses, while prescrib¬
ing like allopaths under the shield of homeopathy. I blame them
for accepting all the theories that come along, without being sure
that they are right. Four years ago I still used to act so; but
then I was an allopath. Today, I think and act differently; I
am a homeopath.
Let us go back to the theory of life formulated above, and
Digitized by
Google
270
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
see whether it is true intrinsically. If life be the result of all
the activities of the organic cells, kindly tell me where lies the
principle, the factor that sets those cells into activity; for there
is no effect without a cause, and matter per se and in se is far
from being active and intelligent. That active principle that
sets the cells to work must be quite intimately united with them;
the steam that propels the sucker is not very far from it.
What Hahnemann calls vital force is nothing but that which sets
the organic cell into activity. He was far ahead of his time;
he was not a crude philosopher; he knew how to differentiate
between the necessary being and the contingent being, between
the principle and the incidental, between cause and effect, be¬
tween the life force and the organic cell. His notion of disease
was true; his therapeutic law is based on facts.
And in sickness, is it the abnormally active cells that are at
fault, or rather the factor that presides over their action? Is
it the organ that is sick, or the patient? Which is it? This
vital force is a unit; it is harmony in itself; it is a simple sub¬
stance; it is intelligent, for its actions bear the stamp of intelli¬
gence. Nothing but simple substances will disturb it or re¬
establish its lost equilibrium. Trauma and crude poisons, act¬
ing on the physical plane, may crush out life, so to speak; but
they will never be able to affect the vital force in its deeper
essence, and will merely stop its manifestations through the or¬
ganic cell. Well said Hahnemann when he spoke of the “ spirit-
like force ” that governs the body. And no wonder that, through
potentization, he tried to raise the crude drug to the level of the
force that presides over our bodily activities. Here we may say
that in the “ regular ” school, as well as in ours, etiology and
therapy go hand in hand; a material dose for a material dis¬
turbance, and a dynamical agent to remove a dynamical derange¬
ment.
In every case to be prescribed for, we must take the totality
of the symptoms, in order to secure a perfect disease image; we
must embrace all of the abnormal manifestations of the disturbed
vital energy; we must let the patient relate his own story, for he
is conscious of his symptoms; we must also question him and
his friends and observe for ourselves, endeavoring to avoid a
Digitized by ^ooQle
HOW WE PRESCRIBE.
271
direct “ yes,” or “ no.” Then we should confide to paper his
symptoms, that we may refer to them later and see the direction
of our treatment. Of all the symptoms, there will be some that
Will characterize the disease and will make it entitled to a pre¬
scription ; for without “ features ” the artist cannot paint faces,
and without “ characters ” the homeopath cannot prescribe suc¬
cessfully. The remedy will then be called “ homeopathic to the
case,” when that which characterizes it is most similar to that
which characterizes the disease. In only that trend of thought
can we say that we have any “ specific remedies.” We have no
remedies for names, but only for symptoms. Let us remember
that in pneumonia we treat the patient and not simply, his lungs;
and so on with any other “ disease name.”
At times symptoms are confusing. We very often find pa¬
tients, suffering from acute diseases, telling us of symptoms re¬
lated to their chronic ailments. Then we give a remedy covering
the acute symptoms; and, when these are over, we select the one
that the chronic dyscrasia calls for. A patient under a “ consti¬
tutional ” remedy will, once in a while, have little disturbances
that must be let alone; but, if the acute disease is severe, the
remedy must be given in a potency suitable to the case in hand.
This will lead us sometimes to change later on the remedy for the
chronic ailment,, because owing to the acute disease or else the
acute remedy, the chronic disease has been modified.
The truly homeopathic prescriber compares, individualizes and
differentiates. But he never substitutes. Two remedies may be
almost identical in their particulars, but never in their generals;
and it is the generals that lead us to the “ homeopathic ” remedy.
Some give Apis, others Apocynum for dropsy; and, if they hit
the nail on the head, well and good; if not, they hunt up some¬
thing else for the dropsy. But in what do these men differ from
their allopathic confreres ? They know how to alternate and give
compound tablets; but, if they are pinned down to writing out
symptoms and to finding the remedy most similar to the case,
they will confess that is too prosaic, and that we must be “ lib¬
eral and independent,” even in homeopathy. “ And, who knows
whether Hahnemann was right or wrong? After all,” the germ
never lurked before his eyes; “ and had he seen it, he undoubtedly
Digitized by
Google
272
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
would have come down from his ethereal abode ” and yet
we all know that germs have no effect upon die economy till the
latter is lowered to the point where they can take effect, not as
“ dynamical ” agents, but as mere “ physical ” causes instead.
The germ theory well fits the brow of the allopath; but we have
a more glorious nimbus encircling our heads. Let us honor our
cradle, our father, our birthright; let us not tear from off our
coats the motto: Similia Similibus Curantur.
Disease symptoms are classed under three heads: general, com¬
mon and particular. A general symptom is one which is predi¬
cated of the ego or whole man; as when the patient says: “I
feel so and so. . . . I’m worse after sleep and in cold damp
weather,” or “ I must constantly move.” But anything that
is pathognomonic is common; it belongs to the disease every¬
where. To see a rash in scarlet fever is surely quite common;
but anything that is not pathognomonic is peculiar to the patient,
and is not inherent or essential to the disease. It is a common
thing to cough during bronchitis ; but, if the coughing spells
should end in sneezing, that would be peculiar (that is, character¬
istic). To see the Ledum patient keep his rheumatic limbs in
ice cold water is peculiar ; the dread of downward motion is pe¬
culiar in the Borax constitution.
But any symptom predicated only of some one organ is called
particular; though certain symptoms running through the par¬
ticulars of every organ are generals, as well as particulars, for,
affecting the whole organism, they are related to the general state.
Mere physical diognosis is not reliable for the homeopath. He
must listen to the deeper voices of nature.
The generals that reveal the mental state of the patient are in
the very first line. His affections, aversions and desires, his
fears and hopes are of the innermost man. They precede ulti-
mates; they are the forerunners of pathological changes. Sleep
and dreams, menstruation, cravings and aversions in regard to
food, all clearly reveal this deeper general condition of the patient
Then again, we have still other symptoms that, at first sight,
would be classed under the particulars, which are nevertheless
related closely to the generals. This occurs when some of the
special senses come into play, like music aggravating the Nat. m.,
Digitized by ^ooQle
HOW WE PRESCRIBE.
273
through hearing; the sight of blood making the Nux m. patient
faint; while Colch. cannot smell food; and Cham, is averse to
being touched. These perversions may very properly be classed
under the generals, for they plainly reveal the deeper life of the
patient. But in nasal catarrh mere perversions of smell are par¬
ticulars ; the light that aggravates a sore eye is also a particular
and any symptom related to mere anatomical structures is a par¬
ticular.
When we set out to prescribe for a given case, the remedy
selected must cover all of the generals; and we very rarely have
to go beyond this remedy; for the particulars usually fall in line
with the generals. The remedy covering most perfectly all the
generals is the most “ homeopathic ” remedy to the case; and the
only one that will cure it. We never can prescribe successfully,
if we leave out even one general; but only one good general symp¬
tom may overrule all the particulars of a case *
Who ever thought of giving Lachesis when amelioration fol¬
lowed sleep, or Creosote to the tearful woman having bland dis¬
charges? or Apis to the dropsical patient that was always chilly
to the bones? Accurate prescribing is a matter of discrimina¬
tion; and the characteristics of the case are not what some peo¬
ple understand by “ keynotes/' yet they are the “ key ” to the
case, and the “ notes ” which we must strike to play the right
tune: for just a few peculiar symptoms will form the character¬
istic features of the whole case.
But if we only had common symptoms, that is, symptoms
pathognomonic of the disease, we could not make a good pre¬
scription. In phthisis we find weakness, emaciation, night sweats,
anorexia, cough and expectoration. This is natural; it would
be very uncommon, were it not so. But can we prescribe suc¬
cessfully on those symptoms alone? Indeed not. And we know
that when a patient gives us such a series of symptoms his case
is far advanced as to ultimates. We hardly need to make a
*This looks to us too much like a bit of unintentional exaggeration, a
mere imaginary case, for in a vague and imperfectly understood, and
so very misleading, way even particulars do often point to the deeper cen¬
tral man, while at other times they may point almost wholly to some inci¬
dental and secondary phases of this man's life and character, and so are
sure to make us forget the main source of all our hope and danger, if we
let them fill too large a place in our thought.— Ed.
Digitized by
Google
274
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
physical examination to confirm our opinion and give a prog¬
nosis. Still it ofen happens that even a grave “ pathological ”
case has “ striking ” features enough to make possible a good pre¬
scription ; but if an antipsoric is the indicated similar, we give it in
a very low potency, and sometimes try only to palliate; lest the
“ homeopathic ” remedy give rise to such a turmoil that destruc¬
tion would only be hastened. For the “ homeopathic ” aggra¬
vation is favorable and curative only when the patient can suc¬
cessfully reach under it.* Yet, even in such cases, we never
find an aggravation, unless the remedy is very similar to the case,
or the dose so often repeated that it gives rise to provings. It
seems as though some of the doses or potencies of Hahnemann,
— and still more so those of the very high-potency man,— con¬
tained nothing to perform a cure; and yet we have in our litera¬
ture and in our own practice the most conclusive evidence that
they do have power to cure and bless, when rightly used. But
it is a hard question to answer — that which relates to the best
potencies to use in a given case. But, if we merely bear in mind
that similarity comes first and dose last; and if we then experi¬
ment with different potencies, instead of sticking blindly to some
mere theory, we are sure to come slowly nearer and nearer to
the right way.
Our therapeutic law is of no “ material stuff; ” disease in its
origin is not a mere cellular trouble, except in its manifestations
and ultimate results and a dynamical disorder can be corrected
only through dynamical agents. Disease causes and their counter
causes must work on the same plane in order to annihilate each
other. Then the two forces of equal strength will destroy each
other and result in a healthy inertia or nihility, whenever they
are confronted and set at work on the same plane. This is the
teaching of reason; and Hahnemann simply brought therapeu-
*He must cure himself; we cannot cure him. We only supply the
missing link, we only tip the balance, we only complete the circuit. Yes,
there are some things that even Homeopathy cannot do, and yet the
picture is not as dark as it seems, for the dear old truth still remains that
even death is but a new beginning with an increase of spirit power; and we
also believe that for those thus gravely sick, who would like to live a little
longer in this hard world so-called palliative Homeopathy is capable of
triumphs of which as yet we hardly dream. Here lies a vast field for
research, but let us first of all master more fully the deeper and more vital
problems of curative and preventive Homeopathy.— Ed.
Digitized by ^ooQle
HOW WE PRESCRIBE.
275
tics down to common sense. Let us be mindful of his teachings;
and, since we have enrolled under his banner, let us be true fol¬
lowers. Let us verify with ever-increasing skill the law of cure
that works from within outward from above downward, driving
before its triumphant march the symptoms of disease, in the re¬
verse order to that in which they appeared. Let us live the life
of men, without fear and without reproach,— men who pass by,
sowing good deeds, and reap, in the fall, a harvest of virtue and
truth and joy.
A Typical Carbo. Veg. Case in Real Life.
DR. R. P. VIVIAN, BARRIE, ONT.
Mrs. C., a woman about forty-seven, very thin. Looks much
older than she really is. Has been bothered for last four months,
during climacteric, with profuse hemorrhages (uterine) which
have almost exsanguinated her. Has had treatment but been
going steadily down hill.
June 2, 1902—Was lying in bed absolutely quiet. Hippocratic
face, daughter fanning her constantly. Wanted more air; her
breath felt cold. Pulse was small, weak and irregular. Abdo¬
men distended and very tympanitic. Steadily passive hemorrhage
from the uterus, dark in color, not much clotted. Was sure she
was dying but not alarmed .
Carbo. veg., 1 M., in water every half hour. That evening hem¬
orrhage almost stopped and circulation and general vitality very
much better.
Carbo. veg., cm., one dose, and Sac. lac. hourly. Saw her daily
for a week; steady improvement till eighth day.
Cinchona 200, four times a day, for two weeks. Patient has
had no return of hemorrhages since.
Digitized by C.ooQLe
276
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
The Food We Eat—Two Illustrative Cases.
W. A. MCFALL, M. D., PETERSBORO, ONT.
Daily we consume large quantities of so-called food obtained
from the mineral, animal and vegetable kingdoms; yet many
of these foodstuffs do not act simply upon the nutritive plane,
but have an influence upon our dynamics, as well, and so it is
important that while our patients are under the influence of a
given remedy, we should advise them what to eat and what to
avoid eating. And very important it is to the homeopathic pre-
scriber to observe in his patients any peculiar susceptibility to
certain articles of food which may exist there, since susceptibility
along such lines is often a strong keynote to the patient's life,
and a clear indication or confirmation for some one remedy. In
the following cases the prescriptions were based in part upon
a susceptibility to certain articles of food. Hence their interest.
Case I.— Sept. 6, 1900. Mrs. A. R. T., age 39, stout, dark
haired mother of ten children, five of them living. Came to be
treated for rheumatism. Has had attacks of it off and on for
the last year. Pain and stiffness across the back and down the
left limb, relieved by motion, aggravated by rest.
Gave the following history: Five years ago, following a mis¬
carriage, she noticed that oysters made her sick, although pre¬
vious to that time she had eaten them with pleasure. Later on
she tried them again, cooked in various ways, but noticed that
they always had the same bad effects, only more and more severe;
so that the last time she ate them they fairly acted like poison
(Lyc., Sul, Ac. Brom., Bry.) producing the following symptoms:
Great distension of stomach and abdomen, diarrhea, nausea
and vomiting, a feeling of sinking throughout the body, severe
splitting headache and frequent micturition of dark-colored
urine. Her nose was so stopped up that she felt that if she could
not breathe through her mouth, she would smother. There was
also tightness across the chest. Another remarkable symptom is
that during the last five years she has given birth to four chil¬
dren which were either still-born or died soon after birth. (See
Abortion for possible meanings. — Ed.)
Digitized by CjOOQle
THE FOOD WE EAT — TWO ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 277
Lyc. i M. was given, a single dose.
Within twenty-four hours the rheumatism had completely dis¬
appeared; and one month later she could even eat oysters with
impunity.
Case II.— Dec. 8, 1903. Mrs. P. M., tall, dark, rather thin.
Has been troubled for years with what she calls nervous dys¬
pepsia. Pain and bloating in stomach immediately after eating,
the pain extending to her back, between the shoulders. (K. 509.)
Headaches about twice a week, beginning in occipital region and
extending up over the head, aggravated by the least noise.
Flashes of heat; and upon least excitement her face gets very
red and bums. Menstruation every nine days lasting about two
weeks. (How can this be?— Ed.)
Feet And hands were cold.
Always after eating eggs (Colch., Fer., Puls., Chin., Lyss,.
Sul.) severe pain and bloating in the stomach, followed by vom¬
iting and prostration.
Gave Ferrum 45 M. one dose, followed by improvement in
every way.
(Face getting very red from least excitement reminds us of
two other marked Ferrum symptoms: face is very red in least
pain; and red face accompanied with profuse perspiration; for
we remember hearing of a famous case of Dr. A. Lippe’s, where
the patient had been sick for many years and was cured by Fer¬
rum, these two symptoms being very marked. Allen’s “ Thera¬
peutics of Fevers ” gives this condition in black-faced type. But
some of our best repertories do not even refer to it.— P. D.)
An Unfinished Repertory of Diagnosis and Diseases.
For the following w lines” the Editors of this Magazine are in no way
responsible, nor is the writer sure that in every point the statements made
are wholly correct; but they have been taken during the last few months
from standard books and magazines and will certainly help to stir up
much helpful thought and prepare the way for something better; hence
he takes pleasure in publishing them. Of course, they are mere frag¬
ments, yet some of them may be worth entering on the margins of your
Digitized by ^ooQle
278
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
repertory or mind. The time is coming when our repertories under all
highly distinctive symptoms will indicate the disease which it suggests, as
well as the remedies, thus killing two birds with one stone.
The Editors inform me that there is in this number a short editorial on
diagnosis, to which I take pleasure in referring the reader, for though
diagnosis can never take the place of careful symptomatic prescribing, it
may greatly help us in that study. For meaning of abbreviations see
Publishers’ Department. X. X.
Mind. Aimlessness, very marked.—m. p. i. incipient dementia,
despair, intense congestion, mere temporary exhaustion,
etc.
- Exaggeration,— s. i. hysteria.
- Hysteria, may indicate hereditary syphilis, genito-urinary
disease or a host of other causes.
- Insanity, eyes: — When the pupils are unequal or ex¬
ceedingly small or above all do not respond to light and
dark the case is almost certainly one of general paralysis
(cerebral).
- Mannerisms; may indicate mental standstill or even actual
dementia.
- Nervous Exhaustion; very persistent may possibly indicate
syphilis, hereditary or acquired.
- Noisiness; always indicates an overactive brain, although
it may be a rambling, useless activity.
- Reading; impossible or difficult, from some mental cause.
Sometimes indicates syphilis, hereditary or acquired.
- Screaming; when nursing — s. i. ear trouble.
- Sighing; with fever — often indicates incipient exan¬
themata.
- Talking; never speaking at all — m. i. dementia, deaf-mut-
ism or aphasia, etc.
- Treacherous; Sometimes indicates epilepsy.
—— Writing; upstroke is irregular like the edge of a saw —
sometimes indicates general paralysis.
As I have referred several times In these little notes to syphilis, it may
not be out of place to remind the reader that when syphilis markedly
affects the brain, Thuja (K 156 a) seems to be the remedy oftenest
indicated, though by no means the only one. X.
Digitized by ^ooQle
THREE INTERESTING CASES OF INTERMITTENT.FEVER. 279
Three Interesting Cases of Intermittent Fever.
ROYAL E. S. HAYES, M. D., HAZARDVILLE, CONN.
Case I.— Everett K., aet. 4; fair, plump, blonde. Had chills
and fever every other day. After two weeks of cathartics and
Quinine the chills had ceased, but only to return again two
weeks later. *
Type: Tertian, Ars., Puls., chill predominates.
Time: 2 p. m., Ars., Puls., (formerly 10 a. m., Ars., Puls.).
Prodrome: Pallor.
Chill: Lasts one hour.
Shivering, Ars., Puls.
No thirst, Ars., Puls.
Pain in stomach, Ars., Sil.
Vomiting during or just before chill, Puls.
Head hot, hands cold.
Cross, weeping, Ars., Puls.
Fever: Short. Thirst for cold drinks, Ars., Puls.
Sweat: Short, copious, ceases on waking, Phos., Ars., Puls.
On upper part of body only.
Apyrexia: Pallor.
Tongue, sallow.
Smells sour. Ars., Puls.
Medicine: Puls. 50 M. (Skinner) one dose.
Results: No chills thereafter.
Case II.— Harold McA., aet. 10 years; black hair, gray eyes,
slender, active, wiry.
Had had three paroxysms of chills and fevers, besides Quinine
and cathartics, of course.
Type: Quotidian.
Time: 3 p. m.
*We have added below the indications for Ars. and Puls., not because we believe that
Dr. Hayes was mistaken in his choice of Puls., but because it furnishes a most interest¬
ing: study for beginners, some of whom would doubtless be much perplexed over such a
case, where several symptoms strongly suggest Ars. What doubtless tipped the
balance absolutely and conclusively In favor of Pulsatilla was probably the plump body
and absence of intensely gloomy mental symptoms, and the fact that the little boy
probably felt worse when the room was too warm. These are far-reaching generals,
which would tend to strongly exclude Ars. And yet it is highly probable that he has in
his make-up an Arsenic vein, inherited from one or the other of his parents, which at
some later point in his life will show itself.
Digitized by ^ooQle
280
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Chill: Absent. (Were shaking chills previously.) Instead, sud¬
den weakness and pallor, vomiting bile.
Fever: Hot skin, red face, dry lips, thirst for small quantities
often. Moans constantly from severe frontal headache. Sleep¬
less all previous night.
Sweat : Profuse.
Apyrexia: Pain in abdomen > passing flatus.
Flatus very offensive.
One would hardly know there was a boy in the bed, he keeps
so tightly buried in the bedclothes in all stages to escape the
chilliness which attends the least motion (K. 1201).
Perhaps I erred in the time of giving medicine; but the head¬
ache seemed so intense when I called that I administered Nux
vom. 30, one dose, during the fever.
Profuse sweat followed with prompt disappearance of pain in
head. He slept all night; was nearly well next morning and
has been well ever since.
[In cases where the symptoms have so little distinctive value,
as most of those in this case, we may succeed in curing, but we
can hardly be sure that we have found, as yet, the remedy which
will most effectively and permanently counteract the tendency to
these chills. To do this, we would have to go back farther into
the past life of our patient or else wait for future developments.
— Ed.]
Case III.— Mr. Blank; aet 43; medium build, yellow hair,
blue eyes, dirtv, lazy, shiftless.
Had chills and fever for two months last summer, lasting until
cold weather came.
Has not been able to work all this spring. Had an attack of
bronchitis in the early spring which still continues.
Has become weak, pale, emaciated — has night sweats.
The fever seems to be taking away all his vitality and his
neighbors say he has “ consumption.”
Chill: Absent.
Fever : Begins every day at 10 a. m. and continues until evening.
Emptiness and gone sensation in stomach.
Strength gives out at least exertion.
Is faint and hungry, but cannot eat < at 10 a. m.
Digitized by C.ooQLe
MALANDRINUM IN VACCINATION.
281
Abdomen looks hollowed out, as though the viscera had col¬
lapsed. Has attacks of faintness.
Tongue is coated, edges red.
These and many other symptoms.
Sul. 50 M. (Skinner), one dose.
He went to work in less than a week with no return of malarial
symptoms to date.
A Remarkably Sudden Cure.
PHILIP RICE, M. D., SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.
Mrs. K., aged seventy-two; general health good. For eight
years past, she has suffered a good deal with fulness, ringing
and roaring in both ears. Hearing about one-fourth of normal in
right ear and one-half of normal in left. Objectively the drum
membranes, except for a slight thickening, were normal. Areal
conduction much in excess over bone conduction.
For a number of months past has had frequent attacks of ver¬
tigo, so severe that she would fall to the floor and be utterly un¬
able to move. The oncome ivas like a Hash or shock so sudden
was it. The noises in the head and ears almost maddening.
Nausea and bilious vomiting were intense, and kept up from
ten to twelve hours. And with all this, flickering before the eyes,
so severe that she was unable to recognize even her nearest
friends. This flickering she described as like a bead curtain hung
before her eyes, and the beads running up and down on the
strings with lightning rapidity. The last attack came on in
church two weeks ago so suddenly that she fell to the floor where
she was standing and had to be carried home, and not until the
next morning did she recover sufficiently to even speak.
Any other symptoms I could not get, though I tried my best
for over half an hour. On this I prescribed Iris 30th, giving
altogether about ten disks in one week's time. On the eleventh
day after her visit to my office, while doing her house work,
suddenly the noises in her head ceased.
Digitized by U.ooQLe
282
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
"Two years have now passed and she has had no return of them
nor of the attacks of vertigo. Her hearing has improved almost
to normal.
[In studying this remarkable case we turned first to the rather
rare symptom, sudden vertigo; and then remembering that per¬
sistent nausea is far more significant than mere vomiting, we also
turned to the rubric for nausea, and compared the leading reme¬
dies for that condition with all the remedies for sudden vertigo.
This gave us a list of only three remedies: Iris, Sepia and Sul¬
phur. Just how Dr. Rice further narrowed the case down to a
single remedy is not evident, though it is evident that he did it
successfully, for the case was one of eight years’ standing, and
has now remained cured for two years.— Ed.]
Malandrinum in Vaccination.
[This article throws an interesting side-light on Dr. Leggett’s suggestion that Vari-
olinum is not our only prophylactic; though Variolinum and Malandrinum are quite
close akin.— Ed.]
Editor Medical Advance.
In the July number, 1903, of the Advance, I asked for informa¬
tion on “ internal vaccination ” which was fully answered in the
same issue. I have been very much interested in that method
and a short time ago I put it to test. In a family of eight per¬
sons none of whom had been vaccinated, the oldest boy took small¬
pox. One of his brothers slept with him and broke out all over;
the mother expecting to be confined in a few days, we sent him
away and I at once put the rest of the family on Malandrinum 200,
with the result that none of them took smallpox. The boy that
slept with his brother had a light fever the twelfth day, but that
passed off without any further trouble. There were others in the
community that contracted smallpox from the same boy but they
did not have any of the remedy.
I report this to do justice to Homeopathy as it looks as if it
was the Malandrinum that prevented the rest of the family from
contracting the disease. F. V. Bryant.
Hammond, Okla.
Digitized by ^ooQle
The Medical Advance
AND
JOURNAL OF HOMEOPATHICS.
A Monthly Journal of Hahnemannian Homeopathy
When we have to do with an art whose end is the saving of human
life, any neglect to make ourselves thorough masters of it becomes a
crime.— Hahnemann .
Subscription Price - - - Two Dollars a Year.
We believe that Homeopathy , well understood and faithfully practiced , has power to save more
lives and relieve more pain than any other method of treatment ever invented or discovered by
man; but that to be a first-clpss homeopathic prescriber is one of the hardest things under
Heaven. Yet we also believe that by patient care it can be made a little plainer and easier than
it now is. To explain and define and in all practical ways simplify, it is therefore our chosen
work. In this good work we ask your help.
w— Further details will be found in the Publisher's Corner.
To accommodate both readers and publisher this journal will be sent until arrears are paid
and it is ordered discontinued.
Contributions , Exchanges. Books for Review, and all other communications should be
addressed to the Editor , 5142 Washington Avenue , Chicago.
Communications regarding Subscriptions and Advertisements may be sent to either editor
or publisher.
MAY, 1904
e&ttorfal.
Pleaao raad and pondor our oraad, givan abova.
Our readers have doubtless noticed that for the present we are
finding it more convenient to publish our paper the latter part
of the month. Later on we shall hope to return to the old-fash¬
ioned way of publishing it earlier. But patience is a virtue, so
we hope you will practice it and you shall have your reward.
The response to our recent request for articles has been a cheer¬
ing one, and we have already on hand far more than we can use
this month. You will hear from us later. Many, many thanks —
Now help us in getting more readers, and ere long you shall have
a larger paper. ’Twill help the cause we love. P. D. is a nerv-
Digitized by C^ooQLe
284
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
ous old “ Devil,” such as printers often keep; and he needs your
help, if he is to do his best. For it isn't easy work; though it
is very pleasant, so please help promptly, in every way you can.
A Picture of Hahnemann.— We feel sure that doctors and
medical students who read these pages will be interested in a
picture of Hahnemann and his life work, which we publish in our
advertising department under the title “ A Word to Advertisers.”
It was first found in a fifty-cent copy of Jahr’s Repertory,
which we once found in the worthless book corner of a second ¬
hand book-store; but has since been retouched quite a little, and
is said to be quite life-like. Do not fail to see it.
The Importance of a Correct Diagnosis. — The reason
why a careful diagnosis is oftentimes so important and helpful
is not that it takes the place of careful symptomatic prescribing,
but that it makes us realize more fully the importance of studying
very closely certain groups of symptoms and parts of the body
which we might otherwise be inclined to pass by as of only sec¬
ondary importance. For although we all know that ideally our
chosen medicine should cover the totality of symptoms, in real
practice we nearly always feel justified in ignoring some symp¬
toms which seem to us of minor importance or at least distinctive
value. Here it is that a careful diagnosis comes to our rescue to
make us search more closely for symptoms that will guide us to a
right choice.
And yet, we wish to say most emphatically that a rambling, care¬
less diagnosis, or even a careful one which causes us to forget
that twenty different cases of typhoid fever may require twenty
different remedies, is most misleading. But this is a misuse of
diagnosis, though we are sorry to say a very common one. But
in its proper place, rightly understood, diagnosis will make us
stronger and wiser.
Reasons for Preferring Homeopathy.— Dr. Joseph Buch¬
ner, quoted in the March Century , gives some familiar, but in¬
teresting statistics, showing the hospital death rate for a period
of five years under allopathic vs. homeopathic treatment. The
figures -are as follows and indicate the per cent:
Digitized by ^ooQle
EDITORIAL.
285
DISEASE.
ALLOP.
HOM,
Erysipelas,
23
8
Diarrhea,
21
9
Fevers,
5
1
Typhus,
16
13
Pleurisy,
15
11
Inflammation of the bowels,
41
6
Pneumonia,
29
6
Dysentery,
26
7
Heart affections,
5 i
15
Apoplexy,
48
28
Consumption,
48
38
He also quotes the late Dr. Rush, of Chicago, as saying: “ In¬
stead of modern medicine limiting disease it has been instrumental
in complicating and increasing it.” This at first sight seems
hardly credible, and yet when we remember how blindly, wildly
anxious most physicians are to ignore the leadings of nature, and
simply crush her and silence her, so as to give the man complete
and sudden relief from pain, we can hardly wonder that it is so,
for we believe that oftentimes pain is a messenger from heaven
to accomplish some good purpose, and unless we can relieve it
by working in harmony with nature it is far better that we should
suffer for a while. Homeopathy skilfully used often brings sud¬
den and wonderful relief, but it does it by simply helping nature
to do the very thing she is trying to do, wisely but unsuccessfully;
just as the skilful engineer will break the dam by opening the
flood-gates so as to save it from a more serious break; just as
the successful mother sends her restless child half a mile to get
a spool of thread instead of simply compelling him to sit still.
For the writer believes that all nature’s afches and pains are at
bottom legitimate ways of trying to throw off some poison, only
that unaided she is sometimes too weak to carry out her plan
successfully. We should not then resist her, but simply find out
what she is trying to do and help her in doing it. This to my.
mind is Homeopathy.— H. P. C.
A Curious Medicine. —The British Medical Journal men¬
tions the fact that atrophy of the retina, choroiditis and other
Digitized by ^ooQle
286
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
eye diseases can sometimes be relieved by good, big doses of
Retinae. The only trouble which the writer has observed, as yet
being “ the cost of the medicine,” “ since a person needs to take
the equivalent of six to ten Retinae a day.” Evidently modem
science is going to prove that our savage ancestors were not
quite such absolute fools, as we sometimes think, when they in
their cannibalism would eat the heart of a brave man in hopes of
becoming a little more like him, for some of these strange drugs,
such for example as Thyroid preparations, certainly do seem to
have an occult power, which is very marked. Yet evidently their
real value will never be clearly defined until they have been tested
in accordance with Hahnemann’s good old law of first making a
proving on some well person. But we do believe that they arc
well worth'proving; for the unmistakable power which they show
to help some people and injure others, shows that there is some¬
thing in them well worth exploring. Who will be the first to
give us an extensive proving of Thyroid and of Retinae with at
least eight or ten provers for each drug? In proving Thyroid,
the mental symptoms should be noted with the greatest possible
care, for it seems to have great power in the mental sphere.
How to Use a Repertory Wisely.
We are fully aware that a repertory wrongly used may be one
of the most misleading, perplexing and discouraging books ever
written; but rightly used it makes it possible for us to do first-
class work in many a case, which otherwise would be almost
hopelessly perplexing, especially to a beginner. We take pleas¬
ure then in announcing that ere long we shall publish a series of
articles on this most important subject, and already have the
promise of an article from Dr. J. A. Tomhagen, Professor of
Materia Medica in Hering College, and also one from Dr. J. T.
Kent, who has done so much to make repertories more complete
and reliable, and has successfully taught so many of us how to
use a repertory, although we believe that sometimes even he does
not make it quite as plain and simple as it will be made in the
year 2904. W. H. Wheeler, Publisher of Advance.
Digitized by ^ooQle
EDITORIAL.
287
Frequency of Dose and the Lessons It Teaches.
From one of our most careful and successful prescribes, we
have received a long report of a perplexing case of incipient phthi¬
sis, in which Kali carb. helped slightly, and Lycopodium and Nat-
rum finally brought about quite a rapid cure. The case is too
long and complicated for publication, since its complexity would
only puzzle beginners without really helping any large number of
those who have been long in practice; for such obscure and per¬
plexing cases even when cured, are apt to be misleading, if stud¬
ied at all hastily.
But, after having gone over the entire case ourselves very fully,
we should like to point out to the writer and to our readers one
or two lessons which it seems to teach.
One is, that when a medicine as high as the thousandth potency
has to be repeated over and over again at frequent intervals in a
chronic case, the suspicion is very strong that you have not found
the similimum.
We find Dr. Blank giving Kali carb., one-thousandth on the
sixth of July, four doses; the twenty-seventh, one dose; the fourth
of August, one dose (40 M.) ; then, only five days after, five
doses of Lycopodium M. while on the third of September he for¬
sook Lycopodium and gave Nat rum muriaticum (50 M.), one
dose, followed by a second dose of the same potency on the twelfth
of October.
This certainly looks suspicious, and we believe that if our read¬
ers will closely watch their own experience in dealing with high
potencies, and also reports of cases in the Advance, they will
find that when a remedy is well indicated in a given case, there
is no need of such frequent repetition. This, to our mind, is
one of the most helpful tests we have by which to find out whether
we are working in fullest harmony with nature or not.
The old-school practitioner has to give his medicines in mas¬
sive doses; the homeopath, who simply uses low potencies, has
to repeat them many times a day, and the high potency man,
who has not found quite the best remedy for his case, has to
repeat them every four or five or ten days. But when that very
Digitized by L^ooQle
288
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
same man has done his very best, he generally finds that his
remedies are more long acting and need not be oft repeated.
It is indisputable that in this case the man was cured with the
help of Kali carb.; but what helped most in curing him was
probably the Natrum especially and the Lycopodium. For
we are inclined to think that Lycopodium helped more than Dr.
Blank realizes, since some of the symptoms which disappeared
after Natrum mur. was taken, were still Lycopodium symptoms,
and the improvement was more rapid after Lycopodium was
taken than it had been before.
We freely admit that we may be mistaken in thinking that Dr.
Blank was misled by his excessive love for Kali carb . But
whether we are mistaken in this, or not; it is certain that fre¬
quency of dose is oftentimes an evidence of successful or un¬
successful selection of a remedy, and skilful physicians will take
a long step toward protecting the public against less skilful rivals
when they frankly admit that they give only one dose every two
or three weeks. For when a physician can cure by such infre¬
quent doses it is proof positive that he is not using harmful anti¬
pathic drugs. So that people, without knowing anything about
medicine in detail, will be able to easily distinguish the man who
is a full-fledged homeopath from the one who oftentimes resorts
to harmful palliatives which must be repeated more often.
The writer well remembers an incident in his own life, before
he began the systematic study of Homeopathy. He had called
a so-called homeopath to prescribe for his only child in a dan¬
gerous sickness, and called him because he supposed he was a
homeopath. But one day he got exceedingly angry, because cer¬
tain suspiciously big pills were not given quite as often as he
wished. I immediately suspected that they were not really homeo¬
pathic, and challenged him; whereupon he admitted that they
were Opium. The physician was dismissed and one tiny dose of
Nitric acid cured the constipation accompanied with a violent
cough (Dr. Dyce Brown) which five doses of Opium had failed
to cure.
Let us not use Placebo quite so often, for by doing it we only
make it easier for our old-school rivals to injure themselves and
others with Opium and other harmful drugs which have no real
Digitized by CjOOQle
EDITORIAL.
289
curative power, but do seem for a while to help the patient, if
repeated often enough. When your watch is hair-bound, the re¬
moval of a single hair will set it right. One little hole in a tin
dipper will slowly drain the whole, and does not need a second
blow until the first tiny hole gets clogged or rusty. So is it with
our medicines, when rightly used;—they are only a connecting
link, they simply complete the circuit and nature does the rest,
until by some mishap the circuit is broken, and needs renewing.
And I have found that a frank admission of this fact that many
doses are not necessary, only increases the confidence of my pa¬
tients in the few doses that I give; and makes them realize that
Homeopathy, with its exceedingly small doses, instead of being
something ridiculous is really something exquisitively beautiful
and sensible..—P. D.
A Newsboy's Knee.— The Lessons It Teaches.— One of
our correspondents, after telling how he himself was crippled
for nine years through having -fallen and injured his knee, tells
of a single dose of Arnica, qne thousandth, that rapidly cured a
similar case, when a newsboy, who brought him his daily paper,
was for a while laid up, “ so that he could hardly walk,” after a
similar accident. This case is of interest, because it suggests what
is probably very true and worth keeping in mind, viz., that in
such cases, Arnica one thousandth, is even stronger and quicker
in its curative power than Arnica thirthieth or tincture, with
which we are all so familiar. He is probably right in his love
for the one thousandth potency.
But he is not quite just to the allopaths, for a very close ex¬
amination might show that the two cases were not really parallel;
either because the newsboy was hysterical and had not really
hurt his knee as much as he thought he had; or, secondly,
because there was, years ago, in the doctor's own life, some con¬
stitutional weakness which made a simple concussion of the knee
a much more serious accident than it would be in ordinary cases.
The more careful we are to do strictest justice to our dear old-
school friends, the sooner we will convert them to our ways of
thinking.—P. D.
Digitized by CjOOQle
290
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
Standing Requests.
We should like a few articles on the following subjects:
1. Needless and Necessary Aggravations.
2. Why I never use High Potencies.
3. Why I never use Low Potencies.
4. Do you ever use a Repertory at the bedside?
5. Do you ever use Repertories at all?
6 . Does your Repertory ever fool you? If so, whose fault is
it? and how do you save yourself next time?
7. Do you ever make mistakes?
8. What do you mean by inimicals, and can you illustrate?
9. How do you go to work to clear up an obscure case?
Odd Symptoms. — In a fragmentary proving of Beilis Peren-
nis, given in the Homeopathic World , for April, 1904, we find
the following symptoms;
I felt as if impelled to run .
Later on, we read: “ The state of my face is such that I have
to explain ‘to people whence the boils and blotches arise.” No
wonder the Daily Graphic speaks of physicians as “martyrs”
when they fall into the hands of a drug like this, and yet even
this is not the worst. — But it is in a good cause that we suf¬
fer and so we hope that those whose health will permit it will
devote themselves more and more enthusiastically to the careful
proving and re-proving of drugs, both old and new, wherever it
seems to them that their help is most needed. This proving
was by the late Dr. J. C. Burnett.
Buying Cheap Drugs. — A writer in one of our exchanges
calls attention to a familiar fact, that even the most powerful
medicines and toxic drugs may be so prepared, either in the
form of tinctures or extracts, as to lose a large part of their
power.— This is a fact of which young physicians some¬
times lose sight in their eagerness to save a little money by
buying in the cheapest market, a most unprofitable piece of econ-
Digitized by ^ooQle
THOUGHT EXCHANCE.
291
omy. We well remember one successful physician, who told us
that twice in his early practice he got fooled in this way. Once
he bought a cheaper quality of diluting alcohol. The other time,
abandoning houses of well and established reliability, he pur¬
chased quite a large stock of medicines (low potencies) of a
less costly rival house; but both times, much to his surprise, he
found that his death rate was increasing and that many of his
patients all over town were not getting well as fast as usual.
But after making a clean sweep of the medicines in which he
had used these cheaper grades and beginning over again, he
found that his pristine skill in prescribing was still at his com¬
mand. We have no doubt that many a physician, who has slowly
failed in practice and gone higher, into insurance or real estate
or clerical work, was really, unbeknown to himself, driven out of
Homeopathy for this very same reason, surely a most unprofitable
economy.
Picric Acid. — Dr. J. T. Kent informs us that in his Picric
acid case, reported in the January number of the Advance, the
symptom which first suggested Picric acid was “ burning pain
in the spine, < by mental exertion.” (K. 893.) He also adds
that Silica has the same symptom and is often needed to com¬
plete the cure and make it permanent.
Homeopathy in England. — The Homeopathic World de¬
clares that Great Britain has not done anything like its proper
share in advancing the cause of Therapeutic progress, but that
now she is shaking off her lethargy and preparing to take her
proper place in the advancing line. This little item, coming as it
does from Dr. J. H. Garke, one of the most kindly, industrious
and successful of English homeopaths, is all the more interest¬
ing and amusing, for we all like to hear of what our neighbors
have not done. But evidently Dr. Garke is not a mere inveterate
scold, for in the very same paragraph he goes on to make an
earnest plea for the Burnett memorial, adding “I shall take it as
a mark of personal confidence in myself, if my readers will re¬
spond heartily to this appeal,” reminding us that Dr. J. C. Bur¬
nett was a man who had many friends all over the world, both
Digitized by ^ooQle
292
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
east and west, north and south. Contributions may be sent to
Dr. J. H. Clarke, 8 Bolton Street, Piccadilly, London, West.
It is rather odd that we should find in the very same number
of the World another paragraph from the British Medical Jour¬
nal handsomely abusing ALL homeopaths, both in England and
elsewhere; for the writer asserts that “ Homeopathy is a sub¬
ject, which in England, at any rate, is so thoroughly dead that
it might safely be buried without fear of rebuke. ,, A statement
which Dr. Clarke very properly resents, in spite of the fact that
he himself, in a more friendly way, has been criticising his friends
only a few pages back.
The Many-Sided Action of Most Drugs. — A recent num¬
ber of the Homeopathic World calls our attention once more to
the well-known fact that it is not possible to make a drug do the
one little thing that you have planned for it, without its also doing
a good many other things in other parts of the body, for which
you have not planned, and that this is the reason why medicine
given in large doses, and even in comparatively small ones, some¬
times does such untold mischief.
Yet there is a bright side to this fact as well, which is, that
when you are trying to cure some serious ailment in one part of
the body, and are in doubt as to just what remedy will best do
the work, you are sure to find some precious hint, if you will
but stop a moment and study briefly some less important parts
of the same body. In other words, to do your best as a special¬
ist ypu must take a genuine, fairly intelligent interest in other
parts of the body as well, although it is not necessary that your
knowledge of these other parts should be as detailed as it is along
your chosen line.
Hellebore Poisoning. — This same magazine, which seems to
be full of interesting matter, mentions two cases of Hellebore
poisoning, which will, we believe, interest our readers. In the
first case the medicine was taken by mistake at 6:30 p. m. At
7: 30 the man, having found out his mistake, was walking quietly
away in search of a doctor, “ acting as if nothing were the mat¬
ter with him,” but soon after was found helpless by the road-
Digitized by ^ooQle
THOUGHT RXCHANCE.
293
side, and after a few moments of violent pain and a convulsion
died at a quarter past eight, less than two hours from the time the
poison was taken.
In the other case death did not occur until sixteen hours after
a half dram of the drug had been taken. The symptoms were
active purgation, vomiting and abdominal pain, after which he
lay down for a few hours and died quietly, the impressive things
in both these deaths being the strange quietness which marked
both cases; in one case just before death, in the other case when
the poison was first taking its deadly hold. Yet the writer states
that cases of Hellebore poisoning are extremely rare, which fact
gives to these cases an added interest.
One other interesting fact in regard to Hellebore, mentioned in
the same article, is that it is the first recorded purgative, and
that Melampus used it 1400 years b. c. to save the daughters of
Praetus from madness.
Guinea-Pigs and Doctors. — A recent issue of the London
Daily Graphic has a leading article on the subject of “ provings,”
evidently borrowed from homeopathic sources, although the word
“ Homeopathy ” does not occur once in the entire article. As
the article is one of much interest, we take pleasure in reproduc¬
ing a part of it, for which we are once more indebted to the editor
of the Homeopathic World.
In this country, when it is desired to ascertain the effects of some
untried drug, it is commonly administered to a guinea-pig or a rabbit.
In the United States, according to a leading New York newspaper, the
practice has become established of administering it to a group of young
doctors. Individual experiments of this kind have, of course, been
known in every country, but our American friends seem to have organ¬
ised them on a larger scale, with characteristic thoroughness. A guinea-
pig cannot communicate its sensations, or co-operate in any way, except
passively, in an experiment. A dozen young physicians, trained in exact
scientific methods of observation, and armed with note-books in which to
enumerate their symptoms, are able to supply valuable data on which to
base calculations in practice. Hence the practical American intellect pre¬
fers the physician to the guinea-pig, and establishes societies for the
purpose of utilizing his self-denying and often heroic services to the best
advantage. So far, it is said, the tests made have not led to a single
death.
Genito-Urinary Diseases. — In the North American Journal
of Homeopathy , Dr. E. H. Noble, of Elmira, N. Y., calls at-
Digitized by ^ooQle
294
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
tention to the fact that there is perhaps no department of medical
practice in which medical men more urgently need a broader out¬
look and an awakened sense of duty than they do in regard to
genito-urinary diseases; pointing out the fact that though syphilis
has been recognized as a dangerous disease, because of its un¬
mistakable constitutional symptoms, gonorrhea has been often¬
times ignored and neglected, simply because its poison works
more subtly, so that oftentimes the hurried physician fails utterly
to recognize the real cause of the vague but crippling nervous¬
ness which it is apt to produce; a noteworthy fact in regard to
gonorrhea being that oftentimes, when its poison is still present
and is working sad mischief in the man's life, and bringing life¬
long invalidism and £ven death to the wife he loves, he and his
doctor both suppose that he is wholly cured, simply because the
local symptoms have subsided. He tells us that he has found
that in some cases of most unmistakable gonorrhea, the only
noticeable symptoms were unaccountable nervousness, frequent
urination, slight pain in urinating along with other obscure uri¬
nary symptoms and an undoubted stricture of the urethra, all of
which passed unnoticed (or, at least, unexplained) until a proper
local examination was made. Such diseases are, undoubtedly,
disagreeable to treat, but where our patient comes to us for help,
we have no right to ignore this corner of his life, especially as
the life and welfare of the man's wife and children may depend
on a proper understanding of the case, and we are much less
likely to prescribe the best remedies if we utterly ignore their
cause.
To my mind, the fact that the awful penalty of gonorrhea falls
so often on the innocent wife rather than on the guilty husband
is one of the saddest features of this strange disease, and one of
the facts which should make us more willing to face it bravely.
We are glad to learn from Dr. Noble's article that there is a
slowly increasing number of men in different parts of the country
who are devoting themselves to a more careful study of this
whole group of disagreeable diseases. We shall hope some day
to hear how Dr. Noble himself treats such cases; since in this
article he makes only incidental reference to methods of treat¬
ment.
Digitized by ^ooQle
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
295
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
Proceedings of the Thirty-ninth Annual Session of the
Homeopathic Medical Society of Ohio. Edited by the Sec¬
retary.
This is the record of the practical work of the Ohio State So¬
ciety and contains many valuable papers fresh from the every-day
experience of its working members, for it is the working mem¬
ber of the society which makes its transactions valuable. The
drones rarely contribute; like a sponge, they apparently absorb and
pass through life without observing or communicating their ob¬
servations to their colleagues. Two papers, one an Abrotanum and
the other on Ambrosia, are worth, to any homeopathic practitioner,
ten times his membership fees of the society. This is one way to
look at the value of the book.
Transactions International Hahnemannian Association.
Held at Boston, June, 1903. Pages, 186; published by the
Association.
As usual, this volume contains many valuable clinical papers
by some of our ablest authors and writers in the homeopathic
school. One paper especially notable on “ Drug Diseases and
Compulsory Medicine,” by Dr. Stewart Close, of Brooklyn, is
alone worth a year’s dues and the time of attendance at the annual
meeting. The volume is not nearly so large as some of the pre¬
vious volumes, but the material probably is quite as good.
The Blues, Their Cause and Cure. By Albert Abrams. Pub¬
lished by E. B. Treat & Co., New York. Price $1.50.
Like many other medical works of the present day, this book
is too rambling to be worth reading through in order. But it is
full of helpful suggestions, and is magnificently indexed in clear
coarse type, so that if the reader will simply glance at the index
and then read only the parts which especially attract him, he will
Digitized by
Google
296
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
find it well worth reading, for the individual paragraphs are pithy
and vital.
The special form of Blues, which the book discusses most, is
what the writer calls splanchnic or abdominal neurasthenia. The
remedies suggested are various forms of abdominal massage, ab¬
dominal gymnastics, respiratory exercises, electricity, etc. Purga¬
tives the writer believes to be generally injurious, but does not
seem to have heard of Homeopathy. In addition to these reme¬
dies we would suggest, in scientific phrase, bi-pedal perambu-
latory sociability, by which we mean, coax yourself and your
friends out into the open air and do your thinking and your talk¬
ing, more of it, on your legs and in the sunshine; then abdominal
massage will not be necessary. We are trying this prescription
ourselves and find it very satisfactory.
International Homeopathic Medical Directory. This little
book, issued by the Homeopathic Publishing Company, of Lon¬
don, once a year, is beautifully bound in red cloth, costs only
fifty cents, and makes you feel every time you look at it as if
you had recently taken a journey across the sea to Australia,
England and China and got acquainted with some of the good
folks here mentioned. We are glad to see that the publishers
believe in using good, clear type that catches the eye.
Page 90 would look a little better if leaded. The more at¬
tractive such books are, the more helpful they will be.
It is rather amusing to see that there is a protective tariff
against American physicians, fifty cents a head extra, if they
wish their names entered, so that although Tasmania and New
Zealand are fairly well respresented, America, The Land of the
Free, is left out in the cold, and has only twenty-seven names.
There are other funny things in the book which you will have to
find for your self. If you are a dreamer, the book is well worth
having. Small enough to be cheap, full enough to be very sug¬
gestive, and restful.
We are surprised to find that in Japan, where we thought all
homeopaths were tabooed, there are, at least, two.
Digitized by
Google
AMERICAN INSTITUTE MEETING.
297
The American Institute.
The American Institute meets at Niagara Falls, June 20
to 25 . Headquarters at the International Hotel, Where so
many medical societies have met and have received such a
royal welcome. Sectional meetings will also be held in the
Cataract House, so there will be abundant room for every
Bureau. Reduced rates on the certificate plan, one and one-
third for the round trip, will make the expense from Chicago
$ 17 . 40 . When buying your ticket, take a certificate which will be
validated by the Special Agent at the Falls, and good to re¬
turn until 12 P. M., June 29 , thus enabling those attending the
I. H. A. at Rochester, June 27 , 28 and 29 , to take advantage of
the reduction.
Members from the West may leave Chicago on Saturday,
June 18 , at 3 P. M. and spend Sunday at the Falls, or the Sun¬
day 3 P. M. train will bring them there Monday morning in
time for breakfast. As Eastern travel is heavy in June, in
order to secure accommodation required members should write
direct to Mr. L. D. Heusner, Gen. West. Pass. Agent, 119
Adams St., Chicago, indicating the train and sleeping-car ac¬
commodation required and the reservation will be made. Any
further enquiries will be cheerfully and promptly answered by
Mr. Heusner or The Medical Advance.
The Chairman of the Transportation Committee has selected
The Niagara Falls Route of the Michigan Central, one of the
best and most popular trains leaving Chicago, and members
may rely on receiving every attention which courteous officials
can bestow. Join the party and become acquainted before you
reach the field.
The Critic and Guide reminds us that it was the Druggists of
America, in convention assembled, who started the present wave
for restricting the sale of poisonous drugs; but it also informs us
that many individual druggists bitterly oppose the restriction.
Clearly then their National Society needs and deserves the hearty
co-operation of the general public.
Digitized by
Google
SAMUEL L EATON M D. Newton Highlands, Mass.
THE. NEWTON HIGHLANDS NERVINE
This enterprise has grown out of an effort to provide a quiet Home for a few cases
of Neurasthenia, where the patients can be treated under circumstances most favor¬
able for recovery- Starting: in 1895 with one house, it has been found necessary to
increase the equipment by another building. which Is admirably adapted to the pur¬
pose. It stands on high ground, with a southern exposure, steam heat, and modern
plumbing. The number of guests is limited to seven or eight, distributed between the
two houses; thus giving ample space for all. and making it possible carefully to individ¬
ualize each case. No effort is spared in making the place homelike as well as health¬
giving. When not so ill as to be confined to their rooms, patients enter into the cheer
and comfort of family life.
The location is most desirable. It is very accessible, being less than half an hour
by rail from Boston, but the surroundings have the rural attractions of more remote
regions. Lake and river, hills and groves, are within easy walking distance, while the
roads and scenery invite to drives in all directions.
Newton Highlands Is an exceptionally healthy place, with a subsoil of sand and
gravel, and a noticeable absence of those diseases which are associated with defective
drainage. The air is pure and invigorating, the water supply perfect. In fact, the con¬
ditions are ideal for the restoration of those suffering from nervous prostration, or of
those whose health has been impaired by the exactions of modern life. Harmful
measures, tending to promote a fictitious appearance of well-being, have no place in the
scheme of treatment. The patient’s health is built up from the foundation by a con¬
servative medical treatment, aided by rest, nutritious food, good nursing, and whole¬
some surroundings.
The terms are made as moderate as is consistent with the quality of service rendered.
Newton Highlands is eight miles from Boston, on the Boston & Albany railroad.
Those who prefer coming by the electric cars can have a ride through beautiful scenery
by taking a Newton Boulevard car at the subway in Boston.
Address, S. L. EATON, M. D. v
Telephone Number 3, Lake Avenue, Newton Highlands, Mass.
7
Digitized by ^ooQle
The Medical Advance
..AND..
Journal of Homeopathics
Vol. XLII. Chicago, June, 1904 . No. 6.
Improperly Treated Measles and Suppressed Eruption.
F. H. LUTZE, M. D., BROOKLYN, N. Y.
Gussie M.— Aet, two years, six months, came to me for treat¬
ment with the following history : When about six months old
she had an attack of measles. An old-school doctor was called,
who prescribed and after several weeks of his treatment, the
child recovered, apparently—, for the eyes were still lachry¬
mose, inflamed and agglutinated every morning. The doctor
said nothing could be done for it, but she would get well in
time. After several weeks an eruption appeared on the scalp,
which formed thick, yellowish green, dirty-looking crusts, dis¬
figuring the child very much, wherefore {he mother called an¬
other old-school doctor who prescribed an ointment to be applied
thickly all over the scalp several times daily, after a thorough
washing with hot water and castile soap. Under this treatment
the eruption healed , but the eyes become worse and for two
years she could not or would not open her eyelids and spent her
life in a dark room with eyes bandaged, to which a shade over
the bandaged eyes had to be added, if she left the dark room
for even a short time, on account of the great photophobia; and
thus she came to me.
I attempted to open the eyelids forcibly, but she resisted and
frustrated my attempt. I could not see the eyeball or conjunctiva
of the lids, though the latter seemed to be healthy externally. I
therefore advised the mother to consult an oculist but she wished
me to treat the case.
Digitized by ^ooQle
298
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
On account of the history and a few symptoms present, she
received Bry., Puls, and Euphr.— and finally, at the end of
about three months, Sulph. cm., one powder; without any change
apparently. The mother then took Gussie to a very celebrated
oculist of the old school, “ because he had been so very highly
recommended,” and there was no improvement with my treat¬
ment. But after a month's absence she returned telling me the
oculist told her nothing whatever could be done for the child,
and when told that a homeopath had promised a cure, he advised
her to take the child back to the homeopath; and if she were
cured, which, however, he knew was impossible, he would like
to see the child again.
Seeing some improvement after a month's absence, the mother
concluded to consult me again; for as the child had no other
treatment during the interval, she concluded that this improve¬
ment must be due to mine.
Sulphur, M., one powder.
After two weeks, I was called again and found the child sick
with a perfectly developed attack of measles for which she re¬
ceived Bryonia and later on Pulsatilla, according to the indica¬
tions. She recovered fully in five days when, after several doses
of Sac. lac, I gave her another dose of Sulphur M. A few
weeks later she came to the office, the old eruption again appear¬
ing on the scalp; massive, yellowish-green, dirty-looking crusts,
very tender to touch, and matting the hair together.
There was great photophobia, < toward evening, eyelids still
tightly closed; with pain in the eyes, worse evenings.
Graphites 200, 4 powders.
Scalp much worse, but eyes are improving, less pain and
photophobia. She received now an occasional dose of Graphites
(200, 1 m., and finally 50 m.) and at the expiration of a month
Gussie came actually to “ See ” me, her eyes wide open, clear
and healthy. Shortly after her scalp was in a healthy state leav¬
ing no vestige of the former eczema.
In response to a request for further details in regard to this
interesting case Dr. Lutze states that the following additional
symptoms were present and helped to confirm Graphites, though
he believes that the symptoms first reported were sufficient to
Digitized by ^ooQle
APIS MELLIFICA IN MENINGITIS.
299
clearly indicate that remedy. But, realizing that some of us
cannot find the similimum quite as easily as men like Dr. Lutze
do, we are very glad that he has consented to give further details.
The following symptoms led me to select Graphites:
First. The massive, dry, dirty, yellowish-green crusts, form¬
ing more especially on the vertex and behind the ears, tender to
touch and matting hair together. No other remedy has such
an eczema capitis.
Second. Photophobia, worse from sunlight or daylight; but
toward evening the eyes opened a little, with fiery zigzags at the
edge of the field of vision and greatly increased pain.
Third. Eczema following or alternating with internal affec¬
tions. These symptoms are only found under Graphites.
Arsenicum has chronic eruption on scalp, pustules or vesicles
filled with pus or silvery-white scales.
Calcarea has thick scales with yellow pus.
Mercurius has fetid pustules with yellow crusts.
Mezereum has head covered with thick leathery crusts, under
which pus collects, and if the crusts are disturbed, the yellow
pus oozes out, matting the hair.— Or; Elevated white chalk¬
like scales with ichorous pus beneath, breeding vermin.
Staphisagria: fetid eruption on occiput, sides of head and
behind ears, itching, which changes place on scratching and in¬
creases the oozing.
Several other cases reported by Dr. Lutze we reserve for a subsequent number.
Apis Mellifica in Meningitis.
ARTHUR B. FERGUSON, M. D., SALEM, MASS.
In response to your request for short paragraphs, I submit the
following, which shows under what trying conditions Homeop¬
athy will often bring a severe illness to a satisfactory conclusion.
The patient (E. C.) aet. 4 years., developed an acute meningitis,
with the following symptoms: face flushed, bright red cheeks,
Digitized by LjOOQLe
300
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
throbbing carotids, dilated pupils, delirium, violent tossing about
on the bed; occasional screams and sudden jumping up, then
throwing himself down on all four , burying the face in the pillow.
Under Bell, there was no improvement; and at the end of three
days the symptoms changed for the worse and his life hung in
the balance. The intense congestion changed to a pallor, delirium
gave place to a sopor, the pupils contracted, urine was almost sup¬
pressed and a state of coma supervened, broken by an occasional
start and accompanied by an excruciating brain cry . (Kent 84.)
It seemed to me that Apis was now the only remedy that could
bring about a favorable reaction and it was given in repeated
doses for twenty-four hours with no apparent change for the
better. But during the next twenty-four hours there was an in¬
creased flow of urine and this marked the beginning of an im¬
provement which steadily progressed and resulted in an uninter¬
rupted convalescence. Why Bell, did not abort the congestive
stage I failed to see. The symptoms were well marked and the
remedy apparently closely indicated; but it remained for Apis
to clear up a still more dangerous condition and bring back to
health one who was on the very brink of the grave.
If Dr. Ferguson had given Calcarea as soon as he found that
Belladonna was not working, he might perhaps have avoided the
use of Apis, for oftentimes Calcarea seems to act as if it were
simply a deeper form of Belladonna by covering very similar
conditions when their roots are very deep down. This is a fact
well worth remembering. But certainly his success with Apis
was one to be proud of, although we wish he would tell us a little
more fully what made him think of Apis in these conditions. It
will make it a little easier for some one else to make a wise
selection later on. Most of the symptoms he mentions are ones
which might suggest any one of three or four remedies.— Ed.
Seed Thoughts from Many Sources. —“ If Homeopathy has
anything to boast of, it is in the treatment of Intermittent Fever.”
So writes an India homeopath, Dr. A. W. K. Choudbury, of Cal¬
cutta, and he ought to know, for the climate of India makes cases
like these exceedingly common and hard to treat.
Digitized by ^ooQle
THE NOSODES AND THEIR USES.
301
The Nosodes and Their Uses.
The Critique, for April, 1904, contains an interesting article on
this subject, by Dr. Edwin Jay Clark, and though we have not
room to quote the entire article, we take pleasure in giving a
part of it:
“ Psorinum, while an excellent antipsoric, is not always homeo¬
pathic to psora. Pyrogen is not indicated in every case of septic
fever. Syphilinum is indicated in but a minority of the cases of
syphilis. Diphtherinum is not to be prescribed a la ignorant anti¬
toxin methods for every case of diphtheria, but only for selected
cases, and so we might go down the list. Each remedy must
be given only when indicated by the complete picture of the case.
The man who prescribes Hydrophobinum simply because there
is an aggravation on seeing water is not necessarily making a
homeopathic prescription. The man who gives Psorinum be¬
cause the stools smell like rotten eggs, has forgotten that Scilla
and a dozen or more other remedies cover that same condition
any one of which may be more homeopathic to the case.
The fragmentary character of the proving of some of these
remedies makes it exceptionally hard to use them at all homeo-
pathically. They will, therefore, have to be kept among the re¬
serves, for occasional use only, until such time as our knowledge
of their action may be more fully developed.
“In studying these remedies we notice a red line running
through almost all of them, marked despondency. We notice
that many recommend them ‘when the indicated remedy fails/
We have learned that often when we have a one-sided case,
drawing slowly along, symptoms mixed, nothing well indicated,
and when that which appears to be indicated does not produce its
favorable action, that then the nosode coming the nearest to the
dyscrasia of the patient will often stir up the case and bring out
and develop a picture that will lead to the selection of the homeo¬
pathic remedy.
“ Ambra grisea shows marked aggravation from the pres¬
ence of strangers and others. There is also aggravation from
any little thing unusual, as straining at stool or walking fur¬
ther than usual or business embarrassments. But Farrington
Digitized by ^ooQle
302
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
says 4 that unless there are some nervous symptoms present in
a case, you can hardly expect it to do good service/
44 Anthracinum shows a markedly septic and malignant con¬
dition. Marked prostration with subnormal temperature. In¬
tense burning pain. It has many symptoms that might call to
your mind such remedies as Arsenicum, Carbolic acid, Crotalus,
Lachesis, Pyrogen or Secale. In the terrible pains of cancer,
carbuncle or erysipelas it should be thought of in comparison
with Arsenicum or Euphorbium.
“Diphtherinum deserves to be well proved. H. C. Allen, in
his 4 Keynotes/ gives a page of 4 cured symptoms, verifications
which the author has found guiding and reliable for twenty-five
years/ 4 When the patient seems doomed and the most carefully
selected remedies fail to relieve or permanently improve/ There
is a malignancy about its symptoms that reminds us of Lac can.,
Merc, cy., Bapt., Apis and others. The throat symptoms are
not marked but the constitutional symptoms are decided.
44 Hydrophobinum or Lyssin shows a marked aggravation at
the sight or sound of running water. Bell says: 4 Hydropho-
binum adds an interesting and well-confirmed symptom to our
repertory in the aggravation which with other symptoms makes
it applicable in dysentery. Those who have scruples about using
a remedy of this character are at liberty to cure cases having
this distinctive condition with some other remedy, if they can/
The remedy can be compared with Bell., Capth., Hyos., Stram.,
etc. Its other aggravations are from the heat of the sun; from
bright, dazzling light, from carriage riding.
44 Medorrhinum has many symptoms that occur after the so-
called cures of specific urethritis made by many who call them¬
selves doctors. The cases were not cured; they were suppressed.
The aggravations are from thinking of the condition; heat; cov¬
ering; sweets, thunder storm; from daylight to sunset. Amelio¬
rations are at the seashore; damp weather; lying on the stomach.
44 Psorinum is probably our most often used nosode, and it
is our best proved one. Dr. James T. Bell, in that work of his
so indispensible to the true physician, gives Psorinum this well-
deserved commendation: ‘Whether derived from purest gold
or purest filth, our gratitude for its excellent services forbids
Digitized by ^ooQle
THE NOSODES AND THEIR USES.
303
us to inquire or care/ Psorinum has complete despair of re¬
covery. Patient perspires profusely from the least exertion and
at night. Has a dirty, unhealthy, greasy skin, with great tend¬
ency to suppuration. Offensiveness is marked — the odor of
the body, eructations, flatulency, stool, discharge from the ear,
expectoration, leucorrhea, menstrual flow, etc., are all offensive.
It needs to be differentiated from Sul. and in many of its
conditions from Arn., Ant. t., Cham., Graph., China, Laur.,
Caps, and others, T. F. Allen, in his Handbook, devotes three
and one-half pages to its symptoms. H. C. Allen, in speaking of
its use in fevers, says: 4 Psorinum will often clear up a case
where there is lack of vital reaction .after severe attacks when
other remedies often well chosen fail to relieve or permanently
improve/ In his 4 Keynotes/ he truly says that, 4 Psorinum should
not be given for psora or the psoric diathesis, but, like every
other remedy, upon a strict individualization — the totality of
the symptoms. Then we realize its wonderful work/
“Pyrogen, Kent says, 4 has the anxiety of Arsenicum the rest¬
lessness of Rhus, the soreness of Arnica, the aching of Eupator-
ium and the rattling in the chest of Ant. tart/
“ Svphilinum, like Murcurius, shows marked aggravation at
night. You will remember that this is the opposite of Medor-
rhinum.
“Tuberculinum or Baccilinum, while especially adapted to
the class of patients in whom you would look for tubercular con¬
ditions, is never to be prescribed for that condition only. H. C.
Allen says: 4 Adapted to persons of light complexion, blue eyes,
blonde in preference to brunette, tall, slim, flat narrow chest,
active and precocious mentality, weak physically. Symptoms
ever-changing. Takes cold easily without knowing how or
where. Emaciation rapid and pronounced/ are some of its more
marked symptoms.
“ Variolinum has only a fragmentary proving, but has won
laurels as a prophylactic against smallpox superior in all re¬
spects to that of vaccination/'
The world never retrogrades, except in spots. The average
is always slowly onward and upward.
Digitized by ^ooQle
304
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Constant Thirst in Intermittent.
Dr. H. E. Maynard, of Winchester, Mass., reports an inter¬
esting case of intermittent fever, in which there was thirst dur¬
ing the prodrome, the chill, the fever and the sweat (all four),
which was cured by a single dose of Natrum mufiaticum i m.
Some of the other symptoms were type; tertian and a chill which
began at 8:40 a. m., and lasted until noon; aching all over, chill
commenced in chest and shoulders, and was accompanied by dys¬
pnoea and needle-like pains all over the body.
The patient was much emaciated, had yellow face and body,
was very nervous, cried easily, wanted to be alone and felt much
worse when her friends were trying to comfort her. She had
had a cough for several months.
Dr. Maynard calls attention to the fact that the occurrence of
thirst in all stages of an intermittent is not common. So far
as he is aware there are only three remedies that have this
condition: Bry., Eup, perf., and Nat. mur. Can any of our
readers suggest still others, illustrating by a case from their
own experience?
Involuntary Barking: A Case of Chorea.
Leaves from the Records of the General Clinic College of Homeopathic
Medicine and Surgery, University of Minnesota.
REPORTED BY PROF. G. E. CLARK.
Case 19522.— Boy age 12, colored.
Diagnosis: Chorea.
Long before his number was called Johnny made known his
presence by sharp and frequently repeated cries that could be
heard all over the building. It was not a cry of pain, but rather
a sudden contraction of the respiratory muscles, that made a
short, sharp bark, like that of a diminutive cur. This was en¬
tirely involuntary. Three months ago when it began, it occurred
very seldom; but now is heard every few minutes and is much
louder than formerly, especially when the boy is excited. That
his condition is growing much worse is shown by the production
Digitized by C.ooQLe
INVOLUNTARY BARKING: A CASE OF CHOREA. 305
of this noise even in his sleep, which has been the case during
the last three nights. Formerly the child had a very happy dis¬
position, but now is cross and irritable. No assignable cause can
be discovered for this unusual train of symptoms. The lad has
had no previous sickness and appears fairly well nourished. Like
many of the poor of our large cities, however, he leads a very
rough life, surrounded by very unhygienic conditions.
This affection is essentially a disease of childhood; is not com¬
mon in the colored race and is found more frequently in girls
than in boys. No hereditary tendencies can be elicited. The
heart shows no organic lesion and besides being slightly acceler¬
ated presents no feature of interest.
The examination having established the diagnosis, there is
danger of its influencing too largely the selection of the remedy.
Too often the question is asked: What are the usual remedies
for chorea and from this list we are apt to select the remedy most
frequently used.
Many a case has failed of a cure by establishing the remedy on
such a pathological basis. No doubt we shall similarly fail in this
case, if we do not go deeper into the systemic disturbance.
Hahnemann has plainly indicated that the curative remedy will
be discovered by a comparison of the entire symptoms of the
individual sick person. Our first and most important duty then
is to find all the sick symptoms presented by this boy.
First of all we learn from the mother that he was a very large
and fleshy child, when a babe; that dentition was late and diffi¬
cult ; that his feet now sweat profusely, so that his stockings are
damp at night. That the urine, is very strong smelling and oc¬
casionally passes involuntarily; also that he takes cold easily.
Calcarea was clearly the remedy demanded — not by the name
of the affection — but by the constitutional disturbance that was
back of it. It was accordingly given in the 30th potency every
three hours till better.
The following week the mother stated that the boy was much
improved. He seldom cries out now and not at all in his
sleep, which is now quiet and restful. He is not as cross and irri¬
table and rarely cries as he did formerly.
Digitized by ^ooQle
306
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Having made this very favorable impression, Sac. lac. was
given next.
On the following week — fourteen days from the time of first
taking the remedy, the mother reports that not more than once or
twice a week does the lad now cry out, that he can control
himself when he tries and is otherwise quite like his former self.
No more was seen of the patient for four weeks when the
mother reported that Johnny had lost a little brother to whom he
was much attached and that following this bereavement there had
been a slight return of his former nervous symptoms.
This incident well illustrates the important part that depressing
emotions have in the production of this class of diseases and
should be borne in mind in the treatment of such cases. The
same remedy in a higher potency was given; with speedy re-
' moval of all nervous disturbances.
[The next case in this series will be a clinical comparison of Phos¬
phorus and Tuberculinum. Ed.]
Carbo. Veg. vs. Salt Solution.
DR. MARY A. SEYMOUR, CHICAGO, ILL.
The “ irregulars ” announce to the world a “ Great Discovery
that salt solution is a savior to those in a state of collapse from
hemorrhage or any exhausting disease; that is to say to prevent
death coming in and claiming the victim. I maintain that it
cannot even be classed in the same category as a restorative with
Carbo. veg. 30th. I would rather have five drops of the 30th
than a pailful of salt solution.
Let me illustrate. I had a patient that had been ill for months
suffering with excessive hemorrhages. When death was mo¬
mentarily expected, I came in. The pulse was hardly perceptible;
the limbs were cold; mind hardly conscious of environments. I
gave five drops Carbo. veg. 30th. I knew this was a test for
homeopathy; therefore I gave what I thought a large dose. I
watched with the rest. First a little trembling of the closed eye-
Digitized by CjOOQle
A CASE OF ABDOMINAL TUMOR.
307
lids, a little color to the lips next; soon consciousness returned,
warmth followed and the sequel is, that patient is alive today.
A new lease of life of more than twenty years all owing to the
application Of the affiliated remedy.
Yes, Carbo. ve?. is better , if you know when to five it and when to five somethin?
else. But some folks don’t; though I suppose they can learn. P. D.
A Case of Abdominal Tumor.
Dr. Julia C. Loos, of Harrisburg, Pa., reports the following
ca$e: Miss R. H., aged 70, had, in August, 1902, a large cystic
tumor, which filled the anterior part of the abdomen, from pubes
and ilia to the diaphragm, extending from the right wall to the
left. The circumference of her waist just above the unbilicus
was forty-two and a half inches, although she was only a little
over five feet. For the first year after being put under treat¬
ment there seemed to be no improvement, and the tumor had
even increased a little in size.
In July, 1903, she complained of pressure symptoms of lungs,
heart and liver; also pressure of ribs into the skin and pressure
on the thighs when sitting. She was failing perceptibly; was
weak, nervous and indifferent though remedies had been ad¬
justed as they seemed indicated. At this time Calcarea 13 m.
was given. Soon the return of old symptoms of years before,
together with general improvement, gave its testimony to a
proper selection.
In December, Colocynth was called for by its characteristic
abdominal pain. When this pain subsided, under the use of
Colocynth a profuse, painless, watery diarrhea commenced and
continued for several weeks. Thus was the tumor relieved.
In two weeks’ time, the circumference measurements were
reduced from thirty-two and a half to thirty-one inches (for the
hypochondria) and from forty-two and a half to thirty-six inches
(ilio-umbilical) and the spirits and delight of patient rose ac¬
cordingly though she was very weak for a while. But gradually
she gained her strength and equilibrium.
Digitized by
Google
308
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
By February, 1904, the waist measure was still further re¬
duced, though tumor could be outlined in the right iliac region
extending upward to the left, just beyond the umbilical lines. In
April, 1904, diarrhea again began and with other symptoms
called for Sulphur. This, in potency 55 m., gave so much
strength and comfort, that in one week, the patient was at work
in her garden and about the house with joy and ease.
Dr. Loos also reports a case of tumor located in the upper
part of the mammary gland, involving the deeper rather than the
superficial tissues, and not freely movable, which was greatly
lessened in size by Conium. She does not give any further de¬
tails of this case.
An Enthusiast on the Rio Grande.
Dr. J. F. Edgar, of El Paso, Texas, reports three interesting
cases, though we are sorry to see that he feels obliged to abuse
the “ irregulars ” quite so often since the only way to cure a
man who is badly off the track, is to hit him occasionally but be
careful not to do it too often. Dr. Edgar writes:
I found a strong man, bound hand and foot in bed, he was
so violent. Of water, he was so much afraid, that the very
mention of it set him to barking and snapping like a dog. He
would even bite his own hands, if loosened, while his eyes were
wild and vicious. I gave a dose of Belladonna 200 and in a
few hours that man could drink as well as others, and was no
longer a source of danger to his friends.
ANOTHER BITING CASE.
/
Again, not long ago, I traveled several hundred miles to help
one of nature’s noble-women, who, in the latter months of preg¬
nancy, suffered unduly. For she and her sisters have suffered
cruelly at such times, both at the hands of nature and of skilful
(?) surgeons.
I found her hands and feet badly swollen, which was soon
relieved by Apis 30. Later, as the pains came on, she was by
Digitized by
Google
AN ENTHUSIAST ON THE RIO GRANDE.
309
turns unconscious, with a flushed, hot face, and then snapping
like a dog at her husband, who was holding her hands. Then
she would fall asleep for a while.
I watched her through several of these paroxysms, then gave
her one dose of Belladonna 200, and in a short time she revived,
looked up at her husband and smilingly, sweetly said: “I dreamed
that I had left you, I am so glad that you are here.” The baby
was bom soon after, and there was no further trouble. No
nervousness, no fear, no need of a consultation, no chloroform or
forceps or tom perineum or injured woman or large bill; and
all simply because I was fortunate enough to know of a better
way. Not my knowledge, but simply a pure, sweet knowledge
of God. Is it any wonder that things like these make me glad?
GURGLING NOISES DURING SPASM.
Now, just one more case: A woman in the third month of
pregnancy had suffered so much from three young doctors, who
did not understand her, and from nausea with excessive nervous¬
ness, that at last she went into spasms, and was thought to be
dying. The most characteristic symptom that I noticed was gur¬
gling in the stomach and abdomen during the spasm, which
seemed to call for Zincum. I gave it in the 200th potency, and
the spasms soon ceased.
It makes me tired to hear people say that all was done that
skilful physicians could do in cases like these, for it seems to me
we hardly have a right to call a man skilful, who deliberately
refuses even to investigate a method of treatment which produces
some such wonderful results as does Homeopathy. If they would
only honestly investigate, and then reject it, I might feel differ¬
ently. We on our part admit that their methods do sometimes
at least relieve pain; they, apparently, will admit nothing in re¬
gard to the merits of our way.
It seems to me again, that we are too prone to say in cases of
failure: “The best homeopathic remedies were administered, but
without relief;” for no medicine can be called the best, unless
you are perfectly sure that it was just the right remedy, suited
to this particular case , and oftentimes this is just what the un-
Digitized by ^ooQle
310
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
successful physician is not sure of at all. But, if I have selected
my remedy carefully, and it does not take effect, I for one have
found that the best way is simply to give a higher potency of
the same remedy, which is then almost sure to do the work.
In a more recent letter Dr. Edgar gives a few more details. He points
out the fact that the hydrophobia of Lyssin differs from that of Bella¬
donna in that it has not the peculiar flushed hot face, which is so charac¬
teristic of Belladonna; while frothy, sticky saliva is much more promi¬
nent. Then going on to compare Stramonium and Belladonna, he says:
"The Stramonium patient seems to be simply stirred up by hallucina¬
tions or some bright object without; while m Belladonna cases any one
can see that the main causes are strictly from within.
In regard to his Zincum case, he tells us that the more distinctive
symptoms which suggested Zincum, were the fact that the woman be¬
came blind before her spasms came on; secondly, that there was notice¬
able sexual irritability; and thirdly, the fact that in Hering’s Guiding
Symptoms, on page 507, Vol. 10, gurgling is especially mentioned in con¬
nection with menstrual spasm.
Is Surgery a Profession by Itself?
A writer in the North Pole Gazette has a most interesting
article on this subject, from which we borrow a few thoughts.
He points out the fact that, because of its rapid growth of late
years, surgery has already become a specialty which no man can
hope to master, so as to do his best in it, without devoting him¬
self to it, to the exclusion of general practice; and on the other
hand that there is a steadily growing number of men who, though
enthusiastic general practitioners, carefully avoid all sorts of
major surgery, and even minor surgery as well, except in emer¬
gency cases and such as require almost no special skill at all but
only a knowledge of the A B Cs of surgery. Then he turns to
obstetrics and boldly asserts that many a life might be saved,
which is not, if the habit of having lyin-in hospitals were more
widely encouraged; for here there would not be so much time
wasted in waiting for nature, and so a very small number of
skilled specialists in obstetrics could be at the service of a very
large number of women, the most experienced among them al¬
ways ready to take the most difficult case. Incidentally the sug-
Digitized by ^ooQle
IS SURGERY A PROFESSION BY ITSELF.
311
gestion is also made that such hospitals should furnish at cost
a much larger number of private rooms, where all ordinary at¬
tendance and nursing may be done by the patient's own friends,
thus greatly lessening the present cost and needless publicity of
hospital confinements.
Then comes the strongest part of the article; for he turns and
asks, Since no one man can ever really do his best in all these
branches and since an ever-increasing number do not even care
to try their hand at both surgery and general practice, what
earthly sense is there in compelling every medical student to go
through a course of lectures and examinations which are Sup¬
posed to fit him for successful and intelligent practice in both;
and then this writer from the land of bears and gulls is actually
so stupid as to claim that this excess of undigested learning, so
called, is one important reason for the world's being so full of
third-rate, good-for-nothing doctors. For, says he, after a man
has spent four years learning a lot of stuff for which he has no
love and no use, he naturally gets lazy and dyspeptic (mentally)
and then waxing hot, this writer actually says (out of school,
where folks will hear him) that many a poor man dies and some
rich ones as well, needlessly simply because the doctor in charge
was such an everlasting sophomore, pretending all his life to
know a thousand things which he does not know and even has
no real desire to know; for he has found that a discouraged doc¬
tor, who has half lost his self-respect and almost thinks his call¬
ing a humbug, is of all men the laziest and least likely to ever
make it anything better in his own wee comer.
We are glad to say that in spite of all this bigotry, the writer's
bigotry we mean, not ours, he is actually honest enough to admit
that country doctors and cranks and a few others who hope in
that way to make more money, should be allowed to partially
combine the two branches of surgery and general practice, though
plainly told that so long as they do this, they can never hope to
go to the top of the ladder; and so he coolly asserts that in every
medical college there ought to be three different diplomas offered,
one for surgery, both major and minor, one for minor surgery,
including real and unavoidable emergency cases, plus a knowl¬
edge of the A B C's of the art of curing diseases in general;
Digitized by ^ooQle
312
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
and lastly a diploma for “ specialists in the art of medicinal heal¬
ing.” Of course, like all humbugs, this sounds fine, but where
he is going to pick up millionaires enough to properly endow his
medical colleges he doesn’t say. Such men never do. But even
then this man of ours, this Esquimau of the long tongue, is not
satisfied; but frankly says that the state board of health of No-
mansland ought to be compelled by law to issue separate licenses
to these three, though even he is frank enough to admit that he
does not remember Latin enough to find a name for three so
similar professions.
But evidently there are a few sensible people even in Nomans-
land; for he goes on to admit that some one has objected that
for nine months before confinement your patient needs a com¬
mon doctor and not a surgeon and also for nine days after; and
that even at the moment of having his leg cut off a man may
need medical help as well as surgical. All of which he dodges
by simply admitting that there are a few things in regard to
medicine which even a surgeon needs to know, and that surely
this does not prove that he ought also to know the proper treat¬
ment for every other disease in heaven or earth or hell. This is
a poser, and we don’t see yet how to answer it; but if truth is
on our side, it is sure to win in the end. It always does out
of court But even yet our critic is not satisfied; like most other
homeopaths, he wants the whole pig or none; and so he has
thought out a beautiful way to keep the surgeon in ignorance, as
far as nature will permit, and that is that the practicing physi¬
cian should care for a woman’s general health all through confine¬
ment, except when his consulting partner, the surgeon, by occa¬
sional visits, discovers that his help is needed, he to be the boss
in such cases. Why he didn’t propose having one doctor for the
first three months and another for the last, and one for a man’s
right leg and another for his left we can’t say. But we have at
least tried to be just and gentlemanly and have freely aired his
wild dreams — because we thought they would at least interest
our readers — and so our duty is done; but probably before we
are fairly round the corner some one will turn up to say that he
is right. But we don’t mean to worry; for we are sure truth will
win, and only one can see which side that’s on.— I. G.
Digitized by ^ooQle
GONORRHEA AND ITS AFTER-EFFECTS.
313
Gonorrhea and Its After-Effects.
Dr. H. Peterman, of Ardmore, I. T., reports the following
case: “A young man recently came to me who had a very pain¬
ful swelling in the right knee, being obliged to walk on crutches,
his right hand also showing signs of approaching paralysis. Va¬
rious remedies had been suggested; two prominent physicians
advising amputation; but it seemed to me that the case was cura¬
ble by internal remedies. So I simply asked the young man how
long it was since he had gonorrhea, immediately suspecting that
this was the probable cause of his condition. He replied that he
had had it about a year ago and had been “ cured ” by a reliable
physician; but was now all over it. I simply told him that the
gonorrhea was the first cause of his present state, and that his
good friend, the physician, who had treated the case with injec¬
tions, was the second cause. Of course, he was somewhat sur¬
prised, but was willing to put himself under my care.
I gave Merc., i. r., 6, followed by Lycopodium and he is im¬
proving steadily, and in three months’ time will probably be able
to go back to work. I can speak with assurance, because I had
a similar case fifteen years ago which was successfully cured
without any relapse.
Dr. Schott, of the St. Louis Homeopathic Medical College,
once said in one of his lectures, that it is an easy thing to cure
a man, if we only know how. I laughed then, but I now realize
that what he said is often true, and I believe that Homeopathy
will live and prosper in spite of all the kicking that it gets, and
all the unfortunate blunders that we make.
[Dr. Peterman then closes with some German, which, unfortunately, we
are unable to read. In another part of the same letter he says: "For
forty-six years I have been a homeopath, and I see to the joy of my heart
that our noblest men are still pleading for Homeopathy just as it was
taught nearly fifty years ago, when I was a student.”]
[Yes, Dr. Peterman, only it is just a little broader and deeper and
richer in some ways, though the kernel is the same; but we ought also in
justice to say that some who call themselves homeopaths have sadly back¬
slidden and are such only half and half; yet even these believe in our ideal ,
and in course of time will help us in perfecting it. P. D.]
Another interesting remark in the same letter is the following:
“The true homeopath need not spend his time hunting for mi-
Digitized by ^ooQle
314
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
crobes. ,He cures his patient with the indicated remedy and the
microbe disappears, if the case has not been too long neglected.”
Evidently Dr. Peterman believes in putting on the boxing
gloves occasionally.
Prescribing for an Old Indian Squaw.
DR. J. FITZ-MATHEW, WEST SOUND, WASH.
I was asked by a French half-breed to visit his wife, an old
Indian woman (Kleuchman he called her), who was supposed to
be dying of consumption. No one who has not seen a home like
this, can imagine the utterly unsanitary conditions under which
people of this class live on the Pacific coast. For years all the
slops and refuse had been simply thrown out around the house,
including a choice assortment of fish heads and fish tails and
bones. I could not even find a clean place to sit down. Prob¬
ably there were germs enough on these premises to stock all the
laboratories in the country and there were also fleas ad libitum.
The patient had a cough which was racking and painful, expec¬
toration of pus tinged with blood; night sweats and great weak¬
ness. I found her respiration accompanied by moist rales; but
the percussion note was normal . (Diagnosis chronic bronchitis.)
It is very difficult to get subjective symptoms from an Indian,
for she can hardly speak our language and her mind is far from
clear. But at last she said, placing her hands on her chest,
“ like ice.” I gave a dose of Sulph. 200 (Dun), left two more, one
to be given at bedtime and one in the morning with Placebo ad
libitum. She improved rapidly and entirely recovered under
these three doses of Sulphur, two of which might have been left
out, had I been able to note the re-action which followed the
first dose. You may find all the general symptoms of phthisis
in chronic (plastic) bronchitis; but the percussion note is nor¬
mal and there is no profuse hemoptysis.
Digitized by ^ooQle
A FRAGMENTARY PROVING OF VARIOLINUM.
315
A Fragmentary Proving of Variolinum.
DR. PAUL B. WALLACE, GREELEY, COLO.
I have been using Variolinum c. m., instead of vaccination and
out of seven cases, five have had pronounced symptoms.
Pimples beginning with red spots on forehead, having a
shotty feeling; some of them dry up, others have a little pus from
about the third to the fifth day.
Symptoms appear from the tenth to the fifteenth day after tak¬
ing a single powder. There is a feeling of utter collapse < n
A. M.
Empty feeling in hands and fingers, as though blood had
been drawn off.
Weakness through abdomen and back.
Headache, continuous, for three days, of a dull character day
and night < on top and in frontal region.
My First Case of Winter Asthma.
MR. D. C. PIERCE, ST. LOUIS, MO.
Having read many very interesting cases in The Medical Ad¬
vance, cured by the single remedy, I send the details of a case
that seems to me interesting; but as I am only a senior student
perhaps you may not care to publish it.
On Jan. 24, 1903, was called to see a young man, Mr. C. K.,
aged 16. Family history: grandfather on mother’s side died of
tuberculosis; mother has had enlarged tonsils all her life, also
one sister age six years has enlarged tonsils for which 1 gave at
one time Baccillinum 1 M. with marked improvement.
On reaching there I found that he had a severe cough, worse
on lying down, but could not elicit any other symptoms, so I
gave Drosera 200, and went home, telling them to call me again
if necessary. About 9 p. m., they reported no improvement; so
I called a second time. This time I found the patient sitting by
Digitized by C.ooQLe
316
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
the table and asked him to lie down. On doing so he was
seized with a severe attack of asthma, and on further questioning
him I found that these attacks of asthma had followed him since
having the whooping-cough as a child. The mother informed
me that these attacks came on every winter, as soon as it com¬
menced to get cold and left off as soon as it got warm again
in the spring. This reminded me of Allen’s “Keynotes,” under
“ Carbo. veg.” “Persons who have never fully recovered from
the exhausting effects of some previous illness; asthma, dating
from measles or pertussis in childhood.”
I then gave Carbo. veg., 200 with more hope of success and
secured relief inside of a few minutes. He slept fairly well the
rest of the night and in three or four days the attacks of asthma
had wholly ceased.
[Your only mistake was in giving Drosera at all, for if on your first
visit you had stopped to ask in regard to the boy’s past life, you would
have found out very easily that Carbo. veg. was the medicine; for when¬
ever in a seemingly acute disease you find a great scarcity of symptoms,
you may be perfectly sure that it is really only the breaking out of a
deeper chronic ailment which your patient has had for years. But I am
heartily glad that you knew what to give, when you got a glimpse of that
past life. We shall hope to hear from you again.— Ed.]
A Curious Case.
ABOUT WHICH INFORMATION IS WANTED.
Dr. Bray, of Dubuque, la., reports the following, which he
cured by Phos. ac., Ign., Bella, and Gels. Can any one suggest
some one remedy which might have covered the entire case?
The symptoms were as follows:
B. C., a boy of thirteen, blonde, hopeful, cheerful, mischiev¬
ous and quite fleshy, had been failing for six weeks. Trouble
first brought on through excessive grief over the loss of a pet
horse. Seemed to be totally oblivious to everything and every¬
body. Had lost interest in everything. Was worse mornings.
When partly dressed he would undress and begin over again.
He paid no attention to advice or reproof. At times when walk¬
ing he would stop and go backward, until reminded what he was
doing, when he would go on again. When standing still he was
Digitized by C.ooQLe
A FAT FACE BUT AN EMACIATED BODY.
317
nervous, snapping his fingers and working his knees. Later
on, after partial treatment, a disposition to escape and hide de¬
veloped themselves.
Kent’s “ Repertory ” under “ Gestures, Plays with Fingers,”
gives Bell., Calc., Hyos.
Restless knees, gives Alumn., Anac., Asar., Lach., Lyc., Spig.,
Rhus., Staph.
Grief, bad effects of, seems to confirm Anac., Lach., Lyc.
or else Staph. Some other symptoms seem to likewise con¬
firm Bell, or Lach ; but we should be glad to have more definite
information in regard to some of these odd symptoms, your own
clinical experience and also references to books.
A Fat Face but an Emaciated Body.
DR. A. A. POM PE, VANCOUVER, WASH.
A mother brought her little girl, Dorothy, who had been suf¬
fering for two years with a greenish, offensive, excoriating leu-
corrhea, < when walking. She has a fat face but was emaciated
in arms, body and legs; looked rosy and of light complexion.
Looking in Kent’s “ Repertory,” I found under Leucorrhea in
children, Cal., Can. s., Caul., Mer., Puls., Sen., Sep. But the
child had the marasmus symptoms of Natrum m., as well as the
Leucorrhea symptoms of a Natrum m woman . I decided to
give the Natrum 200, one dose. The mother reported a week
later that the entire trouble had ceased.
The only criticism P. D. can find to make of this cure is that evi¬
dently Natrum coveted the entire case beautifully, for we have gone
over it all in detail, and Dr. Pompe's rapid cure of so chronic a trouble is
certainly evidence in his favor. And yet it is barely possible that Sepia
would have worked just as well, for if he had looked a little further in
Dr. Kent's”Repertory,”under”greenish,” ”offensive,” ”acid” and ”walk¬
ing,” he would have found that Sepia is black-faced in all but one of
them. But we cannot find ”fat or normal face with emaciated body,
legs, and arms anywhere.” So we hope Dr. Pompe will tell us sometime
where it is, for he is probably right. Please give page and author.
These complex symptoms are easy to overlook and hard to find,—also
N. B., Nat. m. and Sep. are complementary and later on you may need
Digitized by ^ooQle
318
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Sepia as well. Sometimes these complementary medicines seem to work
equally well in either order AB or BA. Dr. Pompe’s cases, are of special
interest because he tries to explain why he chose the medicine. This gives
P. D. a chance to scold, but it also makes them far more helpful to our
readers. We shall hope to hear from him often. [For fuller details see
Thought Exchange.]
CHRONIC PNEUMONIA.
Dr. Pompe also reports the following:
A brother of the above, nine years old, had pneumonia live
years ago and ever since has not been well.
Looks thin, coughs and his nose is always stopped up at
night (K 340) so he cannot breathe through it, which makes
him restless and very mad . He had no more trouble after one
dose of Lycopodium 200, and slept all night without waking.
This was the family's first experience with Homeopathy and
I do not think they will ever go back to the old way.
[A long time ago Dr. Meyhoffer, in his work on lung diseases, pointed
out tne fact that Lycopodium is very often indicated in chronic pneumo¬
nia, although this fact does not seem to have been reported by recent
writers. This case is an interesting confirmation of it. The first case
that P. D. ever treated homeopathically was also a case of chronic pneu¬
monia cured by Lycopodium, but it took me two weeks of hard work,
six or eight hours a day, to find my remedy. Hurrah for patience! But
one of the doctors who lent me his books, but could not cure my girlie,
swore at me a little though I think he admired my courage.]
Healthy Lungs.
A recent editorial in the Hahnemannian Monthly gives some
interesting advice to those who are anxious to have healthy lungs
for the old folks, the young folks, and themselves. We give a
few of the points, with additions of our own, for the article was
one to set us to thinking.
1. See that the winter's snow does not lie melting in your
streets too long, where walls and fences and frequent tramping
prevent it from melting as fast as it does out in Mother Nature’s
pasture lots.
2. Don't have any needless puddles of standing water in your
streets or near your house.
Digitized by
Google
OUR QUESTION DRAWER.
319
3. Breathe as little impure air as possible in your town, your
church, your theaters, your parlor and your bedroom and also in
the street cars; for each whiff of impure air lessens a little the
vitality of the lungs you are hoping to protect and thus makes
it easier for disease to obtain a foothold. Or as the writer stuns
it up, “ Do not work or sleep or play in hot or poorly ventilated
rooms.”
4. Avoid, as far as possible, going too suddenly from a hot
room into the cold air. First see to it that the room does not
get too hot; and, second, wait a few minutes in the hall or cor¬
ridor before going out still farther on a cold winter's day.
5. Be very careful not to get chilled in any way when over¬
tired, a suggestion which old people and their friends should very
specially remember. For then it is that we catch some of our
worst colds that lead on to pneumonia and death.
6. Wear light, warm undergarments and wraps; but don't
wrap up too warm, it only cripples your lungs and entire body.
7. Keep your feet warm and dry.
8. Learn to think and dream and talk on your feet OUT IN
THE OPEN AIR; that lungs and brain may grow strong to¬
gether, instead of growing weaker because you are so busy.
9. Be careful what you eat, for the lungs have to help get
rid of all that you eat to excess, and so are weakened by it.
And lastly go to sleep, when nature asks you to; so lungs and
heart and brain may not give out too soon.
OUR QUESTION DRAWER.
CASE I. (Virginia.)
. My Dear Doctor: The case on which you ask an opinion is
an interesting one, and probably points to Silica, Sulphur or
Thuja, for these are our three most often needed remedies for the
bad effects of vaccination (K. 1337), and several other symp-,
toms in your case point strongly in the same direction. I notice
Digitized by VjOOQle
320
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
you finished off with Silica. It is quite probable your results
would have been even more satisfactory, if you had begun with
it or with Sulphur. Of the symptoms which you report, aggrava¬
tion by vaccination, ulcers at the root of finger nails and toe nails
and inflammation of the toes, are the most distinctive (see reper¬
tory), but to be at all sure of your case, you should study a
little more closely the past life of your little patient; for a lot
of skin symptoms (taken alone) are very apt to be puzzling and
misleading; then supplement by a look at other parts of the body
both past and present, and at the way in which life in general
invigorates or annoys your patient, now and always has (off and
on) ever since he was bom, for these are the roots that run
deepest (what the books call Generals, though the word is an
unfortunate one). For in one sense backache is general, and
yet it is of far less distinctive value than aggravation in a warm
room, or after sleep or at n a. m., for it is far less universal.
It does not reveal the whole man as strongly as fear, hurry and
aversion to bathing do; so that it seems to me that we might call
these last symptoms universals; for in one sense every man is
a sort of universe in himself, so many sided, so different from
other men and yet so surely a united whole. I think you will
find that the more carefully you hunt for the rather rare symp¬
toms in each case (Organon 153) plus these vague and omni¬
present universals of your patient’s life and character (see “ Ma¬
teria Medica Pura”), the more intensely interesting and satis-
fying your daily work will become. Yours very truly. H. P. C.
CASE II. A Tearful Woman . Dear Doctor: The case, in
regard to which you asked my opinion, is, as you frankly admit,
not described fully enough to make it wholly certain what is the
very best remedy for your Boston patient, for whom you are pre¬
scribing by mail. Yet the two symptoms, “ Burst into tears when
telling of her symptoms, and when spoken to kindly ” are highly
characteristic of Puls., Nat. m., Sep. and Sil. (K. 97 a) while
the other symptoms of the case tend quite strongly to indicate that
Puls, and Sil. are the remedies, with the possible addition of Sul¬
phur. This much is almost certain, that Pulsatilla 200 would
help her and make life much easier. You could then slowly go
Digitized by ^ooQle
A FEW QUESTIONS FOR BEGINNERS.
321
higher, or change the remedy, if the symptoms require it. But
you ought to teach your correspondent to report a little more in
detail. I enclose a tiny little* blank, which you can send her,
which will help her in doing this.
As Pulsatilla women (and men) are often highly hysterical, it
would hardly be wise for you to go higher than the two hun¬
dredth in the first dose. The curative aggravation might be so
severe as to frighten her.
A Few Questions for Beginners.
Write your answers on a slip of paper, then look in Editorial
Corner for replies.
1. When a cough is relieved almost like magic by lying down,
what medicines does it suggest most especially ?
2. Are these the only medicines suggested by that symptom?
3. What other medicines might it suggest?
4. What other symptoms are there that would strongly con¬
firm Mangaimm ?
5. Do you know any remedy for miserliness or for people
who are a little too economical?
6. Is laziness a disease ? arid is it curable by medicine ? Where
woufd you look in your repertory for the indicated remedies?
7. Can bad spelling be partially cured by medicine? If so,
where shall I look for the remedies?
8. Do different forms of suicidal tendency, shooting, drown¬
ing, cutting, etc., point to the same remedies?
9. What would you give to a man who talks too fast?
10. How about the man who talks too much and never
knows when to stop?
11. Will an exceptionally small nose help in the selection of
remedies for chronic diseases ? If so, what does it suggest ?
Digitized by ^ooQle
322
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
12. What is the remedy which seems to be oftenest indicated
for exceptionally big noses (chronic) ? I do not mean a swollen
nose.
13. n Can you mention two medicines that have a very marked
affinity for the wings of the nose?
14. When, in a case of post-nasal catarrh, the mucus hangs
in strings, where can I find the most likely remedies ?
15. How are Arsenic and Pulsatilla affected by a warm room?
16. What is the quickest way to help a beginner in under¬
standing Silica?
17. And how can we best explain to him the action of
Alumina ?
We believe in asking hard questions; trying to answer them is
often helpful and makes us more quick witted But they care not
a true test of scholarship, for the man with the best memory is
not necessarily the best prescf-iber.— P. D.
The Early Recognition of Measles. The Medical Press
for Jan. 20, 1904, calls the attention once more to the importance
of Koplik's spots as a help in the early recognition of measles.
These spots are described by different observers as white, bluish-
white and bright red. The truth seems to be that they are all
three colors at different stages. As to their site, there is no dis¬
pute. Most commonly they are found in the buccal mucous mem¬
brane, opposite the molar teeth, but they may also occur on the
inside of the lips and on the palate.. The area covered varies
from a mere pin point to the size of a silver penny. Their im¬
portance clinically is due to the fact that these spots are seen, as
a rule, inside of twenty-four hours after the first catarrhal symp¬
toms show themselves, and clearly demonstrate a case of measles
two or three days before the appearance of the rash; for most
writers concur in saying that there is no other disease in which
they are found, and they can be easily differentiated from thrush
stomatitis and adherent milk-curd. They are found in about
nine cases out of ten.
Digitized by ^ooQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
Homeopathy in Nebraska. —Dr. Martha E. Clark informs
us that at the recent Nebraska State Homeopathic Medical So¬
ciety Meeting the papers read before the Bureau of Materia Med-
ica were most delightfully practical and homeopathic.
Hahnemann’s Birthday. — On the tenth of April, 1904, a
goodly number of the friends of Hahnemann, in far-away India,
met at the home of Dr. P. C. Majumdar to celebrate our leader’s
birthday. The gathering was so pleasant that arrangements have
been made for a similar one next year at the home of Dr. Ray.
Homeopathy in Japan. — Notwithstanding the known fact
that the Japanese turned down all homeopathists in their empire,
we still find our sympathies on their side of the fence in their
present scrimmage with Russia.— Exchange .
A Great Increase in Typhoid. — Ten years ago most of us
saw cases of typhoid fever very seldom; today it is as common
as whooping cough or measles. But in that older time we treated
many cases of bilious fever, malarial fever, continued fevers, in¬
termittent fever, lung fever and various other sorts of fevers,
which, strange to say, have utterly disappeared since. Another
curious fact is that typhoid fever nowadays is not as fatal as
it used to be, and is often cured inside of a week. This is cer¬
tainly encouraging.— Selected .
“ Fat Face with Emaciated Body, Legs and Arms.”— This
symptom is not found under any remedy, expressed in this
language by any prover, but it has been often verified in clinical
work. The emaciation of Natrum begins in the neck and grad¬
ually extends over the body, while the face alone would not
show it.
In this particular it differs from Abrotanum, in which, gen¬
erally speaking, the emaciation begins in the extremities and
extends upward.
Digitized by ^ooQle
324
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Again the emaciation of Iodin, Tuberculinum and some other
remedies, is general, including all organs and tissues. Many
remedies, as Stannum, Tabacum, Causticum and Baryta have
emaciation of affected parts, single parts of the body, and these
various phases of constitutional action of different remedies must
be studied carefully, and often the prescriber will be compelled to
“read between the lines ” in order to find the true action of the
remedy.
Is Bathing a Good Thing?— Dr. J. D. Robertson, of Chi¬
cago, has come out in the daily papers with a series of articles,
declaring very emphatically that for some people, and apparently
he thinks a good many people, bathing, instead of being a source
of strength, is only a source of weakness. There doubtless are
some cases where the skin can really be kept more healthy with¬
out use of so much water, provided the clothes are changed fre¬
quently, and the skin occasionally stimulated with brisk rubbing.
Just how often such cases occur, we shall have to leave Dr. Rob¬
ertson and our readers to decide for themselves, and the chances
are they will not quite agree.
But it is rather curious to see the name and address given of
a Boston physician who says over his own signature: “I have
not been in a bathtub for a dozen years ; and though we have
a family of five of the healthiest children you ever saw, none of
them is ever tubbed” We have heard of anti-vaccination, in
fact, we believe in it; up to a certain point, for compulsory old-
school vaccination certainly does sometimes do needless harm,
which homeopathic prophylaxis would avoid, but we never yet
heard of anti-bathing as a hobby among people who made a boast
of being clean. But even here there is doubtless food for helpful
thought, though it is a great pity that men who have a new
idea generally run it into the ground.
Dr. Robertson’s address is County Hospital, Chicago, so wc
refer our readers to him for further details. One thing is dead
certain, God has not made all men alike. Many a thing that is
most helpful and invigorating to one person may be utterly ex¬
haustive and harmful to another. This much is worth remem¬
bering.
Digitized by ^ooQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
325
Rhus Tox for Heart Strain. — It is interesting to hear of
a railroad conductor who was caught in a wreck, and brought
on heart trouble by almost superhuman efforts to release him¬
self; but was afterward helped markedly by Rhus tox., showing
that it is good for a strained heart, just as it is good for strains
elsewhere. The man finally died five years later of heart fail¬
ure, following pneumonia. But he had not received Rhus any
higher than the sixth decimal potency.— We cannot help won¬
dering if a higher potency would not have prevented this failure.
—- Case reported by Dr . G. Royal, in the N. A. J. H.
Water in the Sick Room.— The good effects of bathing
in many cases of grave sickness are well known, but Dr. E. C.
White, in the Homeopathic World, calls attention to the fact
that there are some cases where it simply makes a patient worse,
and that we should not disregard a patient’s involuntary protest
in mere blind obedience to a theory. He says that by excluding
air and sponging he has saved many cases. While, on the other
hand, an even slightly injudicious use of these ordinarily helpful
adjuvants has helped on toward a fatal termination, or else has
sadly complicated and prolonged the case. We should not for¬
get that truths generally go in couplets. They are not bom
singly but as twins, and for nearly every merely didactic rule
there is some corresponding rule to qualify and seemingly con¬
tradict it, though the contradiction is only due to our having
slightly misrepresented one side of the truth or the other.
A Wise Old Soldier.— We met not long ago a veteran of
the war of 1861, who had carried his high potency ideas to such
glorious heights that he did not even use the cm. potency, but
got along without any medicine at all. And, as we heard him
tell how he used to fool the doctors in war times, and slyly give
a dose of medicine each hour to the spittoon, instead of giving
it to himself, while he ate apples on the sly, we could not help
thinking that the apples had wrought a most wonderful cure,
and deprived him of a good fat pension ; for he is still hard at
work, poor fellow, in spite of his sixty odd years and an ex¬
soldier at that.
Digitized by CjOOQle
326
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
But how about his philosophy? Is it really true that no medi¬
cine at all is better than the cm. potency? No, it is not We
cannot explain the action of these higher potencies. Neither can
any one explain the action of radium or electricity. And although
we believe that there are times when God heals the sick in an¬
swer to prayer, it is a grave mistake to assume, once for all,
that He has no other ways of doing it. We know that He has
sometimes fed vast multitudes with only a few small fishes; but
we also know that even Christ very seldom used these extreme
methods. God is not a hobbyist; He has many ways of blessing
us; He has many ways of working; and any man who will pa¬
tiently watch a large number of his Faith-Cure and Divine-Heal¬
ing friends, will find that a good many of them are slowly going
downhill, and getting sicker and sicker, in spite of their so-called
cures. For there are certain slowly-advancing diseases common
to many of us, which even Homeopathy cannot wholly eradicate.
But it is an indisputable fact that these good people, who make
a hobby of Divine Healing, go downhill a good deal faster than
those of us who are willing to occasionally use a little medicine.
And out of our genuine respect for our friend, the soldier, we
would remind him that the night sweats and slight fever, of
which he complained next day, were not due to the hot car, but
to some weakness in his own life which is progressing a little
faster than it need to, because of his assumption that God is a
hobbyist and cures men always in the same way.
#
The Mental Symptoms of Aurum.— Dr. H. R. Arndt,
states that the Aurum patient, even in his gloomiest and most
suicidal moods, is characterized by a deep sense of humility and
self-depreciation which is markedly different from the reckless,
heartless selfishness which sometimes goes with a suicidal tend¬
ency.
Mental Symptoms of Chamomilla. — The same writer,
after referring to the notorious irritability of Chamomilla, gives
it as his opinion that extreme intolerance of pain is even more
characteristic of the remedy than is a vicious temperament. He
then mentions a Chamomilla case, which, at first sight, would
Digitized by ^ooQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
327
not have been thought of as such, although he admits that the
man was one of the most inveterate faultfinders he has ever
seen. The symptom which suggested Chamomilla in this case
was the man's assurance that unless something was done to re¬
lieve his pain, he would do something rash, “ and he acted as
though he really meant it." Says Dr. Arndt, “ I gave Cham¬
omilla purely on the strength of these mental symptoms and had
surprisingly prompt relief."
A Case of Phosphorus Poisoning, Simulating Diphthe¬
ria of the Hard Palate. — The following case of poisoning is
quoted by one of our exchanges from the Laryngoscope , for
March, 1903: “ A girl three or four years old was sent to the
hospital. The house doctor was puzzled with regard to the
case, and asked Dr. Chapin to see her. The child was weak,
pale and in a low condition, with a very bad breath. Upon ex¬
amining the throat and mouth a large pseudo-membrane was
observed upon the hard palate and extending to the base of the
uvula. It did not involve the pillars of the fauces or the tonsils.
The picture presented was one of a bad septic case of diphtheria.
He told the house doctor that he had never seen a case of diph¬
theria with the membrane situated exclusively in such a place,
but refused to admit the child and sent her home. On the fol¬
lowing day, a doctor was sent to investigate and take a culture,
which proved negative; he then learned that the child was suf¬
fering from phosphorus poisoning, contracted by sucking
matches. The child recovered.
Using High Potencies. — Our friend. W. G.. is much dis¬
gusted at the frequency with which the Advance makes^ men-.
tion of the single remedy and high potencies; it actually makes
him mad, and he asks us: “ Why. in the name of all that is
lovely and sensible, don't you let alone the potency question ? "
To which we simply must reply: “ Because we believe that
it makes a great difference, oftentimes , though not always, which
potency you use: and our readers would be sadly misled and dis¬
appointed if they imagined that with a single dose of the 3X
potency of Graphites, or some other medicine, they could accom-
Digitized by C.ooQLe
328
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
plish as much as can be accomplished with Graphites m. or cm.
We freely admit that low potencies often cure, but any one can
easily prove for himself that they cannot cure with one, two. or
three doses, at long intervals, as high potencies often do. Why
this is so we need not say, in fact, we do not know. It is simply
a scientific fact that should not be overlooked, if we wish to, do
pur best in medicine.
Running It Up for Forty Years. — “Forty years ago I
got this bottle of ‘ B 9 from my preceptor and have been run¬
ning it up ever since. It is probably now, at least, as high as
the thirtieth potency, and is still doing business at the old stand,
going higher and higher.”
No wonder the druggists do not take much stock in Homeop¬
athy, if this is the way our doctors are doing. And yet we ven¬
ture to suggest, that if Dr. G., instead of starting with the third
potency and running it up to the thirtieth, had started with the
two-hundredth and slowly run it up to the three-hundredth, he
would have obtained still better results. We should also like to
remind him of the curious fact that some medicines when they
get to about the thirtieth potency, seem to reach a turning point
where they neither have the curative power of the two-hundredth,
nor the stimulating power of the third; and so he had better keep
a sharp lookout on that bottle of medicine, for it may get him
into trouble.
Making Too Many Visits. — One of our correspondents, Dr.
Gwynn of Auburn N. Y., reports the following interesting pic¬
ture:
“I was called out into the country some miles not long ago,
to see a sick child. It did not take long to find out that it was
a clean-cut Calcarea case, though, for appearances* sake, I had to
avoid seeming to decide too soon. But when I came to leave,
the question was asked, “Doctor, when are you coming again?”
To which I replied: “I am not coming again; he has all the
medicine he needs, but if anything unexpected should happen,
you can let me know.” A month later the grandfather called
and told me that much to his surprise the bov was better than
he had been for years.
Digitized by ^ooQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
329
Later on, in the same letter, Dr. Gwynn tells us of a beautiful
child of only six years who had fallen into the hands of physi¬
cians who were giving her elaborate, costly local treatment for
vaginitis, and making it so costly, and accomplishing so little,
that the family, in despair, appealed to him. Here again, with
a single visit, he was able to understand his case so well that he
cured the child with a single dose, followed as usual with sugar
powders, thus saving the poor working man a cruelly unjust
and unnecessary doctor's bill and the dear child much unneces¬
sary lowering of her vital powers.
How sad it is that those who fall into the hands of the least
competent physician, and once in a while into the hands of the
least honorable, are always the ones who have to pay the biggest
bills, in spite of the fact that they get the least good from their
treatment.
In one way this physician, by his frankness, lessened his finan¬
cial income, but I am sure there must be in his heart-life a com¬
pensation that is worth it all, and I do not believe that in the
long run even his money income will be any the less for it. Yet
what we most need is a self-respecting heart and not money,
and money won by even the least loss of self-respect grows
more and more bitter as it increases.
The Benefits of Physiological Prescribing. — The rea¬
son why a vast majority of homeopathic physicians today pre¬
fer, in many cases, low potencies homeopathically used, and still
lower potencies physiologically used, is undoubtedly, that it is
much easier to give temporary relief in this way, without any
very close study of your case. But if we wish to do our tip-top
best for our patients, we ought always to take time enough to
study the case in detail, except when hopelessly caught in some
emergency case, though even here a little delay will often save
your patient when a hasty prescription would only make trouble
— and cure impossible. So give your Placebo first; and then sit
down to quietly watch your patient and some very sweet dis¬
coveries will generally reward your search. Then after such a
study we are sure to get better, quicker and more lasting fesults
with the two-hundredth potency than with the third. The thir-
Digitized by ^ooQle
330
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
tieth, strange to say, is sometimes Nil.; though in very high-
strung patients it is safer to use it before you try die two-
hundredth.
Re-reading Old Magazines. —“ I have been re-reading some
of my old magazine articles, and find them even more interest¬
ing than those published recently. Can you tell me why it is ? ”
So writes a correspondent from New York state. Can any one
answer this question for us? Is it true? and if so, why? (There
is truth on both sides of this question, both yes and no; we
should like to hear it discussed.)
First Prescriptions. — Your whole success in a case largely
depends on your first prescription. If that is careslessly made,
you will find it very, very difficult to get back onto the right
track again and do yourself and your profession justice.— b. f.
Misusing a Repertory. — If you make haste to prescribe the
very first medicine that a repertory seems to suggest , you will
find it a most useless bdok. The only way to use it properly is
to let each important symptom suggest its own, independent pos¬
sibilities, as if there were no other symptoms in the case at all.
Then see which way these convergent lines seem to point; for
after a while they are sure to converge in most cases, if you have
studied carefully enough the deeper, broader symptoms of your
case, and the rare, odd ones which are often so characteristic of
some one temperament.
Has Lost Faith in Lachesis. — A correspondent, whose let¬
ter was full of interesting seed thoughts, declares that he has
lost faith in Lachesis, and does not know of any really good
Lachesis cures, except some which he read in the magazine many
years ago. We are mightily afraid that our good friend is prej¬
udiced against Lachesis, and so has carefully avoided reading
every case in which it was used, for certainly many wonderful
Lachesis cases have been reported. As to his own failures in
using it, we would suggest that he quietly keep an eye on it
and yet let it alone for a while, until he comes to some cases
Digitized by ^ooQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
331
where he feels fairly compelled to use it, then will he find out
that, like many another medicine, it is full of power in its true
place.
It is also quite possible that in some cases, where it was really
helping the patient, he may have lost faith in it simply because
he misunderstood its initial curative aggravation, which is often
quite severe. For in some chronic cases you can never get a
curative reaction of the best sort, without first seeming, for a
little while, to make your patient worse, though close watching
always shows, even then, that the improvement has already
commenced.
Carduus Marianus for Varicose Veins. — Dr. Windelband,
of Berlin, narrates a case of enlarged and inflamed liver in which
he gave Carduus marianus in decoction. The remedy cured the
case completely in a few weeks, and in addition entirely cured
some varicose veins with which the patient had been afflicted
for some five or six years. He afterward tried the remedy in
cases of varicose veins, uncomplicated with liver and spleen dis¬
eases, and seldom failed to cure. He states that he has records
of one hundred and ninety-six cases of varicose veins treated
with this remedy, of which one hundred and forty-five were bona
fide cures. The large majority of the cases were of many
months’, and most of them of many years’, standing, in women
over thirty years of age. He afterwards discontinued the decoc¬
tion and gave the remedy in the ix or tincture, five drops three
times a day.— Washington Epps, in American Physician.
•
Mental Diseases. — It is a great mistake for any homeopath
to think for a single moment that he can become a first-class pre-
scriber, if he does not carefully notice and compare the mental
symptoms of his patients. Of course mental disease, in its deeper
and more perplexing forms, must often be left to the specialist
or the man who has a life-long enthusiasm for mental science
and pathology. But modem civilized life is so pervaded from
first to last, from top to bottom, with diseases (nervous, dys¬
peptic and others), which are due in large part to nervous over¬
work and an exhausted brain, or worse still, a diseased brain,
Digitized by ^ooQle
332
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
that we must make ourselves very familiar with this part of
our materia medica, and with this part of our patient’s life, if
we wish to do our best.
We do not claim that you can prescribe simply on mental
symptoms. Those who attempt to do it are sure to go astray .
But taking symptoms as they come, there are few that will help
us toward a successful prescription oftener than a minute study
of mental oddities. Simple kindliness, calmness, temper, anx¬
iety, laziness are not enough ; we must study more in detaiL
The man who thinks that all Chinamen look alike would not
make a good Chinese doctor. And the man who simply pre¬
scribes for temper or calmness, without realizing that there are
a dozen different kinds of temper and a dozen different kinds of
calm, is sure to be a second-rate practitioner.
Extremists. —A writer in one of our exchanges, after say¬
ing that there are fewer extremists in the world now than there
were formerly, goes on to add, that every doctor should be will¬
ing to try all the various remedies and methods of cure that have
been most widely recommended; as if this were the inevitable
result of not being an extremist. We are glad to say that it is
true that there are not so many extremists today as formerly.
Men are more tolerant, more charitable, more willing to admit
that all men are slowly coming a little nearer to the truth; but
that is no reason why a man should try them all. This is an age
of specialists and if we are to do our best, we must select our line
of work, the method of cure which seems to us the best and stick
\
to it very persistently, simply passing on to some one higher the
cases we cannot touch. Otherwise while trying to ride two
horses, we are sure not to ride either one successfully.
Zizia Aurea in Chorea. — Dr. U. A. Shautts in Progress,
February, 1904, tells of a sixteen-year-old girl who had been
benefited by Weir Mitchell. But Arsenic was continued until
poisoning symptoms developed. After six weeks of rest cure
had also proved unavailing, Dr. Shautts was asked to take charge
of the case, and called on New Year’s day. “.I found her to be
a tall, thin, pale, anemic, poorly nourished girl with choreic move-
Digitized by ^ooQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
333
ments of the arms and at times of the legs, also drawing and
twitching of the muscles of the face. The latter movements some¬
times played about the eyes and forehead, at other times about
the cheeks or mouth. These spasmodic movements gave the face
a strained appearance bordering somewhat on the sardonic occa¬
sionally. She was quite sensitive about these symptoms, therefore
rather shy and retiring in manner.
“ Careful inquiry brought out the fact that these movements
continued in some measure during sleep.
“ In the provings of Zizia aurea, as recorded in ‘ Allen's Hand-
Book ’ and other works on homeopathic materia medica, are to
be found symptoms like the following: Chorea, especially during
sleep, fidgety legs, twitching of muscles of face and upper limbs,
etc. I therefore prescribed Zizia.
“ Within forty-eight hours the patient showed signs of improve¬
ment and went rapidly on to complete recovery, and that in a
very few weeks.
“ The following summer the young lady was sent to Germany
to school and was absent two years.
“ Some time during the second year there was a slight return
of the facial symptoms. On being again appealed to I sent her
a prescription for the remedy. The apothecaries whom she con¬
sulted knew nothing of such a drug so she sent to London for it,
and received a dark liquid which no way resembled that which
I had given her. She took it but obtained no benefit.
“ L T pon her return home, I gave her a supply of the genuine
remedy and she was promptly cured. Shortly after this she
married and now has two children and is perfectly well.
“ It is perhaps needless to add that the family continued to use
homeopathic medicine thereafter."— N. A. /. H., April, 1904.
An Ovarian Cyst Cured by Lachesis.— Dr. Kuznik, of
Chicago, reports the following: Mrs. M. S., aged 47, dark com¬
plexion, vital temperament and extremely slow (Phos., Puls.,
Lach., ? ?), she came to me complaining of flashes of heat,
menorrhagia, dysmenorrhea and other marked Lachesis symp¬
toms, of which the most important was a left ovarian cyst of the
Digitized by ^ooQle
334
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
size of a cocoanut, generally ameliorated by coffee. I gave her
Lach. c.c. In two months her symptoms had all disappeared; and
fourteen days later the cyst itself ruptured into the vagina. Since
then she has been perfectly well.
[This case reminds us of an ovarian tumor which was cured
some ten or fifteen years ago by Dr. Allen, of Worcester, with
the use of Acetic acid. In that case also the cure was completed
by a rupture of the cyst and a discharge of three or four quarts
of liquid, followed by good health later on. Unfortunately, he
has wholly forgotten what the detailed symptoms were which
suggested Acetic acid. We hope our readers will report cases
like this, for it seems probable that cystic tumors might be cured
by a proper use of medicines far oftener than they are.
Another odd fact about Lachesis, well worth keeping in mind,
is the fact that it seems to be at times equally well indicated for
some of the quickest people living and some of the very slowest,
although the two states do not seem to ordinarily alternate in the
same person.— Ed.]
Borax and Baldness. — A writer in the British Medical Jour¬
nal, for Oct. 5, 1895, states that under the persistent use of Borax
the hair often becomes dry and may even fall out, causing com¬
plete baldness. But the most dangerous results from the use of
Borax are said to be its power of producing kidney diseases, or
of converting a slight disorder of the kidneys into a fatal malady.
Obstetrical Uses of Gelsemium.— The Medical Visitor
quoted by the American Physician gives the following facts in
regard to Gelsemium in obstetrical cases: “ To say that Gelse¬
mium is only a fever remedy is a slander.” The jasmine is one
of the best helpers that the obstetrician possesses. It is a cross be¬
tween Belladonna and Cimicifuga, just as Ferrum phosphoricum
is a cross between Aconite and Gelsemium in fevers. Its sphere
is both relaxation and dilatation. It relaxes the cervix and di¬
lates the os as no other drug I have used, except in cases in
which the indications for some other remedy are of the most
positive kind. If I had but one lying-in-helper, it would not be
Belladonna, nor Pulsatilla, nor Cimicifuga, nor Chamomilla, but
Digitized by ^ooQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
335
Gelsemium. It is as much the pronounced absence of a type that
calls for it as anything else. The back aches, the patient squeezes
the obstetrician’s hand in the vise of a Methodist, and she writhes
and twists on the bed in a fashion suggesting bodily effort at in¬
duction of the rotation of the fetal head. In delayed advance,
with the characteristic movement which has been described as
the corkscrew motion of the head in its effort to engage, the at¬
tempts of the womb in this direction amounting to almost a uterine
intelligence, Gelsemium has no equal. Look out for it and be
ready to help. For mote than once has its effect been so prompt
in my practice that I have almost been caught off my guard. I
have given it both high and low, and with apparently equally good
results. By preference, I use the 30th now, but cannot condemn
the second and third, both of which have served me well.
C. E. Fisher.
A Case of Exophthalmic Goiter.—Dr. Martha Kuznik,
of Chicago, reports the following case: Miss P. G., of medium
height, dark hair and eyes, had ringworm in 1897, which was
cured (?) by mercurial ointment, but later on she developed a
typical case of exophthalmic goiter. When she came to me in
July, 1900, she weighed forty pounds, pulse 180, vomited from
fifteen to twenty times a day,—- could not eat anything without
vomiting,— had constant nausea; wanted to be fanned constantly
(K. 741) and had spasms all over her body.
I gave Ipecac and after eight days the vomiting had wholly
ceased.
In August, her symptoms seemed to call for Nitric acid which
was accordingly given. She began to improve rapidly in every
way. Later on she received two more doses of Nitric acid at
intervals of four months.
In April, 1902, the goiter had disappeared; but she now com¬
plained of profuse sweating about her head and lower extrem¬
ities, had from one to four “ falling fits ” a day and was very
absent-minded.
After this, her symptoms gradually subsided and finally dis¬
appeared. At present she seems perfectly well and weighs 138
pounds.
Digitized by ^ooQle
336
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
[We should like to ask Dr. Kuznik why she preferred Ipecac
to Carbo. veg. in her first prescription, since the symptoms would
seem to point to Carbo. even more strongly than to Ipecac?— Ed.]
A Good Use for Twelve Cents.— Just take ten postal cards,
then pick out ten of your best friends and tell them that you
wish they would take a peek at The Advance. Then send us
their names along with five or ten other wide-awake physicians
to whom you do not quite dare to write, and we should be much
obliged. There are no lists obtainable of homeopathic physicians
in most parts of the country, and if there were, we would not
know who were the wide-awake ones that are really worth writ¬
ing to, so you see your help would be doubly precious in the good
cause for which we are pleading. We need your help and we
don't ask much. Only a word of friendly introduction.
W. H. Wheeler.
Eupotorium Perfoliatum. — Dr. A. A. Pompe, of Van¬
couver, Wash., reports a case of persistent fever and cough cured
by Eup, perf. 200. The more important symptoms were:
Puts hands on chest when coughing (K 769).
Is worse from cold.
Wants ice-cold water and cold milk.
Is hungry after the fever .
Sinapis Nigra. — Dr. Pompe also reports a case of nasal
catarrh cured by Sinapis. The symptoms were:
Left side of nose stopped up.
Lachrymation of left eye, and a sudden warmth in the eye with
stitching pain.
The first two symptoms given above are found in Kent, and
seem to have suggested Sinapis, a remedy which he says herhad
never used before, and could not even get in Portland. The
third symptom he found word for word in Bering's “ Guiding
Symptoms," under Sinapis.
Probably our readers will remember another Sinapis case re¬
ported in The Advance where breath smelling like onions was
the keynote which led on to a cure. Keynotes are dangerous and
Digitized by ^ooQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
337
should not be used recklessly; but they certainly are helpful when
you have no other sufficient clews and cannot get them even after
careful inquiry into the patient’s life both past and present.
Patent Medicines. — Edward Bok, in the Ladies' Home Jour -
nal for May, has a’very earnest, impressive article on this subject,
in which he states that he believes the “ Patent-Medicine ” habit
to be one of the greatest curses of our country, undermining as it
does the life and health of millions of people from infancy down
to old age. He gives in plain English a list of some thirty well-
known patent medicines, pointing out in part the harm that they
are capable of doing. Also calls attention to the fact that slowly
but surely the best magazines of the country are falling in line
in their refusal to accept patent-medicine advertisements of any
kind; even insurance companies are beginning to reject all people
who are known to have the “ patent-medicine ” habit.
In just one point we disagree with him. We freely admit that
it would be very unwise for most physicians to start in on a
wholesale attack on patent medicines, for their motives would
certainly be misunderstood. But we do believe that among his
more trusted and intelligent patients a physician can do a great
deal by pointing out the dangers of the “ patent-medicine ” habit,
for in such cases there is no danger of his motives being seriously
misunderstood; so that there is no need of your waiting until
your patient definitely asks your opinion. Nor should we forget
that every time that we use medicine too freely, or even give a
needlessly large dose of Placebo, we encourage just a little the
popular superstition that the more medicine you take the better
it is. Why not frankly tell our more intelligent patients that the
medicine simply supplies a missing link and that nature does all
the rest; so a large dose is not needed. That’s the way to kill
out quacks.
Killing Skunks. — Dr. Charles W. Becker, of La Grange,
Ill., writes: “ I am willing to acknowledge that in some cases
antitoxin does lessen the immediate danger from diphtheria, but
what about its effects on the system after it has been used?"
These, he suggests, are often so serious that it is a great pity
Digitized by ^ooQle
338
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
that homeopathists should ever resort to antitoxin, when by a
more patient and skilful study of their own materia medica they
could meet these same dangers just as effectively without these
sad sequellae. The antitoxin cure is, he says, a little too much
like the man who found a very effective way of killing skunks,
but, nevertheless, after a while abandoned it.
Expectoration, Salt Tasting and Greenish. — Both these
conditions are quite common, each having been reported, of at
least fifty medicines. But Dr. Becker states that when the two
conditions are combined they strongly suggest Natrum carb. He
mentions a case of long standing goiter, which was greatly re¬
duced by this remedy, the symptoms being a saltish, greenish
expectoration, and a dry cough, which was worse on entering a
warm room.
Natrum Cafb. and Sepia. — In the functional disorders of
women, it is often hard to differentiate these two remedies by
their local symptoms. But if we make a study of other parts of
the body, especially the mental symptoms, the differentiation be¬
comes more easy* Suggested by Dr. Chas. W. Becker.
[Since Natrum and Sepia are often complementary, we may often find that both
medicines are needed, but the test given above would even then show which should be
given first, and there doubtless are many cases where both are not needed. Ed.]
Dear Mr. Editor Down East : A recent writer in your maga¬
zine seems to think that the Medical Advance, in publishing
“ selected ” cases, as it does, is trying to demonstrate that high
potencies are the best. Will you kindly tell him that this is not
true. We do not expect to demonstrate anything. It would take
more time and money and patience than we can spare, to do that,
and it would not be quite as easy as the writer thinks, nor would
it be quite fair to the sick people in the hospitals who were made
the subjects of our experiments. And, furthermore, we remem¬
ber the words of Holy Writ, where Christ implied that when
people are very much prejudiced against a thought, they will not
be convinced even if some one should rise from the dead and tell
them so. We are not then trying to demonstrate, but simply to
illustrate and explain, and we are sure that some of our readers
Digitized by ^ooQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
339
will be glad to go and find out for themselves. It does not need
a long argument to convince any man that high potencies have
power, if he will only try them a few times in cases where he has
selected his remedy with utmost care, just as he tried his low
potencies. Although the curative aggravation, which sometimes
results for a little while, may cause him to abandon them and
think, at first, that they have only done harm. This does not
prove that we are right, but it does point out the way in which
hundreds, yes, thousands, are being slowly converted to a belief
in high potencies.
The Misfortunes of a Good Prescriber.—A correspondent
points out the curious fact that if you cure a patient too sud¬
denly, he will sometimes give the credit to himself, and not to
you, by supposing that he was not as sick as he thought he was.
This is rather disheartening; but I am sure that if that same
person gets sick again, he will come to you a second time, no
matter how sure he is that it was not your medicine that cured
him. But where our medicines produce a temporary curative ag¬
gravation, we are in real danger of losing our patient, if we have
not told him beforehand just why such an aggravation is a cause
for rejoicing and not for surprise or regret.
Swelling in the Region of the Appendix.— Dr. A. W.
Vincent, of Union, Ore., reports a case of the “ most pronounced
enlargement in the region of the appendix that he has ever seen,”
accompanied with high fever, 103 ° or 104° but not preceded bv
any marked chill or other indications of suppuration. Cathartics
had been used in vain. Surgical operation was suggested and va¬
rious other means. Meanwhile, Brvonia was given, which re¬
lieved the pains but did not lessen the fever, which went on for
three or four days; when a chance remark made by the woman
herself revealed the fact that she was a Sulphur patient. “ I
asked a few more questions, and gave Sulphur, one dose 81 m.
and in twelve hours the enlargement was all gone, and her tem¬
perature had fallen below ioo°, soon becoming normal, a few
rather large stools occurring at this time.”
This case is interesting as suggesting one possible cause in
Digitized by CjOOQle
340
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
some cases for swelling of these parts; and still more so as em¬
phasizing the importance of looking more carefully into the past
life of our patients, when we are at all perplexed in regard to a
condition which we suppose to be wholly acute. Such examina¬
tion would doubtless prevent many mistakes.
Reproving Our Materia Medica. — In a recent editorial
article on this subject, Dr. W. A. Dewey, of Ann Arbor,'Mich.,
expresses his hearty approval of a reproving of our materia
medica with the help of all discoverable, modern methods of pre¬
cise and close observation of the symptoms produced. But in¬
cidentally he points out that such reproving will never make it
possible for a specialist to do good work by simply studying his
one little corner of the body, and ignoring all others, and says
that the tendency to do this “ is the great reason why so many
of our specialists fail in their application of the homeopathic
remedy and resort to makeshifts ” which are not half as effective
as careful homeopathic prescribing.
Dr. Dewey then expresses the curious opionion that unless we
do thus reprove our materia medica, first thing we know we shall
find our friends, the enemy, undertaking the work for us, and
claiming results as their own. Well, Dr. Dewey, in case the
enemy are plucky enough to do this, we shall be heartily glad,
and shall feel sure that they have taken a long step toward Home¬
opathy, and shall, moreover, be glad to steal their provings, pro¬
vided we are satisfied that they were carefully made. But we
are not quite as hopeful at this point as Dr. Dewey seems to be;
and although we consider a more skilful and careful use of our
present materia medica far more important than a lot of reprov¬
ings, we feel sure that much good will come from reproving.
H. P. C.
Diabetes. — Dr. C. Mitchell calls attention to the fact that you
cannot hope to do your best in diabetes, if you fail to carefully
inspect and regulate your patient’s diet, but says that it is not
always necessary to exclude all carbohydrates from the diet in
mild cases, the more important point in such cases being to find
out by inquiry just what articles of diet cause an increase of
Digitized by CjOOQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
341
sugar in a given case and exclude only these. For it sometimes
happens that food that will injure one person will not injure
another.
We are always pleased to see any statement coming from one
of large experience which emphasizes this fundamental fact that
men differ widely, even when they have the same disease; and
must be studied one by one, if we are to do our best. And prob¬
ably there are no four parts of the body that reveal the man and
his individual character more quickly and clearly than mind,
stomach, menstruation and skin. Other parts are not to be neg¬
lected. but these four will be found helpful in a much larger num¬
ber of cases.
Dr. Mitchell, of course, speaks wisely when he emphasizes the
importance of keeping up the general health of the patient by
pleasant outdoor exercise, but when he strongly recommends min¬
eral waters, it rather seems to us as though he Were running into
physiological treatment, which may, at times, prevent homeo¬
pathic remedies from doing their best and deepest work.
Cottage Cheese is a highly nitrogenous food, and has the
advantage over meat of not adding to our uric acid burdens.
It is readily made from the sour milk which accumulates in every
household in warm weather. The milk should be heated a little
short of the boiling point and then strained. If allowed to boil
it becomes tough and tasteless. It is a very useful article of diet
for diabetics and does much toward relieving their monotonous
diet; for exhausted people who need strength; for convalescent
people reduced by wasting disease.
Flavored with caraway seed, it makes a delicious sandwich
with rye bread. It also serves as a nitrogenous balance, to figs,
oranges, dates, rice and white bread. A Friend.
Best Books of Reference. For descriptions of some of
these and some other fresh items see page sixteen of our
advertising department. And don’t forget we need some
good readers to take place of patent medicine ads we
exclude.
Digitized by ^ooQle
342
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Arrests for Criminal Negligence frequently bring into con¬
flict medical principles and transcendental faith. While a new
Elijah is in full career, a Court of Appeals decides that a father
by adoption must go to jail or pay a fine because a child died
of pneumonia without medical attendance. The Courts have an
easy time of it, since they merely interpret the intention of the
Legislatures and the meaning of the Constitution. Freedom of
belief does not imply freedom in act. The Courts hold that, al¬
though any may think polygamy right, none may practice it, if
the laws forbid. Any may hold medicine evil, but all must be
vaccinated, and even regularly treated by licensed doctors, if the
State so orders. The situation in which this leaves fervent disci¬
ples of Christian Science, Mental Science, Dowieism, faith cure,
and all the allied branches of spiritual as opposed to physiological
healing, is a trying one. As their belief has its meaning primarily
in practice, when* we tell them to believe but not to act upon their
faith, we essentially deprive them of their freedom. No scientific
observer today denies altogether the power of mind states to in¬
fluence the body. If hypnotism can tell a patient about a scar
and thus make that scar appear, skepticism about mental healing
as a conceivable principle would be absurd, whether in practice
it be successful often or only sporadically. The practical dif¬
ficulty is that such curing methods seldom limit themselves to co¬
operation with medicine, but put themselves into opposition with
it. This forces the Legislatures either to impede the faith of
some or endanger the safety of all.— Exchange.
Tumors of the Breast.— The American Recorder, Aug. 15.
1903, quoted by the Hahnemannian Monthly, states that of ninety-
seven cases of Breast Tumor, forty-one were found to be cases of
mere mammary cyst. Cysts may be localized in any part of the
gland. But scirrhus tumors are almost exclusively located be¬
tween the nipple and the axilla. A tumor in the lower half of
the gland is probably a cyst. A cyst, furthermore, is usually
deeply placed and never dimples the skin or draws the nipple.
These facts, indexed in your card catalogue, may sometime save
you from a false diagnosis, and save yourself and your patient
much needless worry.
Digitized by U.ooQLe
The Medical Advance
AND
JOURNAL OF HOMEOPATHICS.
A Monthly Journal of Hahnemannian Homeopathy
When we have to do with an art whose end is the saving of human
life, any neglect to make ourselves thorough masters of it becomes a
crime.— Hahnemann.
Subscription Price - - - Two Dollars a Year.
We believe that Homeopathy , well understood and faithfully practiced , has power to save more
lives and relieve more pain than any other method of treatment ever invented or discovered by
man; bat that to be a first-class homeopathic prescriber is one of the hardest things under
Heaven. Yet we also believe that by patient care it can be made a little plainer and easier than
it now is. To explain and define and in all practical ways simplify, it is therefore our chosen
work. In this good work we ask your help.
Further details will be found in the Publisher's Corner.
To accommodate both readers and publisher this journal will be sent until arrears are paid
and it is ordered discontinued.
Contributions , Exchanges , Books for Review , and all other communications should be
addressed to the Editor , 5142 Washington Avenue , Chicago.
Communications regarding Subscriptions and Advertisements may be sent to either editor
or publisher.
JUNE, 1004
ciritoriai.
Please read and ponder our creed, given above.
Danger Ahead.
One Reason Why We Have So Many Poor Doctors. — No
one doubts that it was a good thing when the Medical Colleges
of the country, with the help and under the compulsion of State
Boards of Health, began to lengthen their medical courses and
advance their standards for admission. But we cannot help feel¬
ing that the time has come when there is grave danger of this
il improvement ” going too far and proving a curse to the pro¬
fession. It is certainly desirable that physicians should be men
of well-trained minds, and mental training cannot be acquired
in a hurry; nor can the kind of training which is required in
the medical profession be acquired by simply working faithfully
Digitized by 0.ooQLe
344
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
on a farm or in a machine shop, even though these latter require
just as much ability as do any of the professions; and so we
heartily .approve of this move for a higher, broader, longer
medical education.
But there is such a thing as crippling a man with too much
learning. There is such a thing as killing enthusiasm and get¬
ting a man into the habit of simply cramming himself for exam¬
inations, year in, year out, in a way that makes true scholarship
impossible for the average man, and more difficult for the born
enthusiast.
All through our schools of learning, especially after we reach
the high school, it is an admitted fact that there is danger of
simply cultivating slavish memory, to the disregard of enthu¬
siastic manhood. For though a man’s mind seems to be almost
infinitely receptive of things it loves, the things which appeal
to its higher manhood, he soon becomes an automaton, a coward,
a careless workman, when he is obliged to learn in detail too
many things for which he has no natural fondness. This diffi¬
culty is, of course, greatly lessened when an intelligent elective
system is introduced into any school, allowing each man, under
the guidance of loving teachers, to slowly plan out his own
future for himself, and to study the things for which his soul
is hungry. But, unfortunately, in medical schools this elective
element seems to be almost totally ignored. It is assumed that
when we come to medicine every man needs to know the same
things. Twenty specialists after years of specializing, compel
the poor student to make a foolhardy attempt to pass a good
examination, in regard to each man’s specialty. Of course he
fails; of course the teacher has to be satisfied with third-rate
examination papers from the majority of his pupils. But, mean¬
while, the man’s manhood has been lowered. We wish, then,
to enter a most earnest plea for the introduction of the elective
element into medical schools.
But there is yet one -more point in which medical schools dif¬
fer very radically from high schools and colleges, which is this,
the absolute requirement that practically everything that the
student has learned for the last four years should be fresh in
mind when he graduates, in order that he may successfully pass
Digitized by o.ooQLe
EDITORIAL.
345
a State Board examination in his own or some rival state. This
makes the bad effects of an artificial, uncongenial course of study
tenfold more disastrous. For in college it is a well-known fact
that many a man by the time he reaches his senior year has
almost forgotten a great deal of the trash which he learned
in freshman year. I call it trash, advisedly not because it is
intrinsically worthless, but because it is something for which
Tom Jones has no earthly use. To me it is gold, to him it is ,
poison. Why then should he be compelled to study it? And
why, for pity’s sake, should the poor man be obliged four years
after to remember it all and pass a second examination?
There was a time when the seeing of so many third-rate doc¬
tors roused in me the utmost scorn; today, it simply fills my
heart with pity for the man whose manhood is being choked out
by the stupidity of.law, and for the public who are obliged to
pay the penalty. For such men never can be experts or enthu¬
siasts, unless they have more than ordinary ability and elasticity,
in order to save themselves from the dwarfing effects of such
examinations.
I well remember the story of a good old washer-woman, who
had heard her minister preach a learned and doubtless helpful
sermon, which, nevertheless, probably was not just exactly what
the dear old lady needed; and yet, having found in that sermon
some things that were really helpful, some things that % had set
her to thinking and loving more deeply, she thanked the minister
one day for having preached it. Whereupon he turned and
asked her: “Well, let me see, can you tell me what my text
was? Can you tell me what I said first and last?” And the
good woman rebuked him justly by simply pointing to the clean
white clothes upon the clothes line, and said: “ Those clothes
are clean, the water did it, and yet the water is all gone. The
fact that I cannot repeat your sermon, or any part of it, is no
proof that it has not helped me.” Here lies a moral for you
and me. Let us ponder it and use our utmost influence, we and
our old-school friends, hand in hand, to compel State Boards
of Health to deal with this matter more wisely. We should be
glad to hear the opinions on this subject of our exchanges and
our readers; for it is a most vital one.
Digitized by e.ooQle
346
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
A Word as to Insanity.
A prominent Chicago specialist has recently asserted in court
that Dr. Dowie and Mary Baker Eddy are both paranoiacs. We
are not an admirer of either of these noted personages, and yet,
in the interests of simple justice, and with a view to helping to
define a little more clearly our ideas of insanity, we should like
to challenge what the good doctor has said, for it seems to us
that the two cases are not at all parallel. That Dr. Dowie is
insane seems highly probable. I freely admit that the fact that
they, both of them, have displayed a good deal of business ability
does not, in any way disprove his statements, but their ability
has been displayed along utterly different channels. Dr. Dowie
has succeeded in getting a remarkably large following; but it is
made up almost wholly of cranks and of some of the most un¬
balanced, unintelligent people in the community; nor can we find
that there is any really helpful truth back of all his wild, fierce
utterances.
Mary Baker Eddy, on the other hand, has obtained her noto¬
riety by pleading very earnestly for one of the greatest truths
of all modern thought, viz., the power of mind over matter.
True, in addition to this, she has allowed herself to run into
some strange vagaries ; but they are not as utterly strange as
they seem, for many of the world’s most famous philosophers
have been idealists who believed that matter was an illusion,
simply a misrepresentation of something deeper and more spir¬
itual, and if Mary Baker Eddy has been wise enough, or foolish
enough, to borrow their thoughts and give them a few additional
twists, this certainly is not evidence of insanity. For the delu¬
sions of an insane man are generally marked by a certain amount
of disorderly originality; they are delusions which he has worked
out for himself. They are not borrowed from a book; in other
words, credulity and insanity, although often related, are not
the same.
We do not deny that Mary Baker Eddy is frightfully con¬
ceited : but must we call every conceited man in America insane?
We do not deny that she is more or less unbalanced, but so is
every man, woman and child living, only some are more so than
Digitized by
Google
EDITORIAL.
347
others, and it is hardly fair to call any one insane until their
misconceptions become so numerous, or so extreme, that they
have lost their power to be safe and helpful members of society.
We believe that Mary Baker Eddy has sadly misrepresented
some parts of the truth. We believe that Christian Science,
though helpful to a good many simply hysterical people, is a
curse to thousands of others; for like opium and whisky it simply
covers up their aches and pains for a while, and gives disease a
chance to work on, unnoticed, with its fatal power,— so that,
later on, it only breaks out again with redoubled force.
We do not believe in suppressive medicines, whether that sup¬
pression be drugs, such as the old-school physician uses, or a
mere misuse of mind power, such as Mrs. Eddy recommends.
We believe in fighting error by denial, but we do not believe in
trying to convince men by mere denial unaccompanied by proof.
We do not wish for a moment to endorse Mrs. Eddy, and yet
we do wish to protest against the injustice of calling her insane.
As a still further evidence of this injustice, allow us to point
to her following. Surely a woman who was insane could not
have drawn into her ranks thousands of the most intelligent and
thoughtful and well-informed people in America. True they are
generally somewhat narrow, sadly lacking, oftentimes, in the
scientific instinct, the power to weigh evidence, altogether too
much given to dogmatism and mere assertion, but, nevertheless,
many of them are true, strong, helpful members of society.
Surely the leader of such a host, even though sadly mistaken,
cannot be a mere paranoiac. She may, perchance, end her life
in the insane asylum, through excess of strain or overwork, but
to claim that from the first she is, and was, and has been insane,
seems to us a grave injustice.
Scissors, Paste and Greatness.
One of the strongest magazines published in this country, the
Review of Reviews, edited bv Dr. Albert Shaw, makes its boast
that it brings to its readers in brief the best thought of all our
current literature; and since its summaries plainly show that
Digitized by CjOOQle
348
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
this is not done simply with a pair of scissors and a little paste,
but that they really have sifted and selected with utmost care,
they have reason to be proud of this department of their paper.
And now that the Medical Advance has a larger corps of work¬
ers than it has had for a long time past, to help in this good
work, we take pleasure in announcing that we hope to make a
carefully condensed presentation of the cream of our current lit¬
erature in Homeopathy, a leading feature of the magazine. We
hope, like the editor of the Review of Reviews, to be able to con¬
vince you that it is not a dodge for laziness, but that much hard
work has been put into these summaries. And if any time in
your readings you come across anything exceptionally helpful
to a homeopath, which we have overlooked, we should be much
pleased if you would remind us of the fact. For homeopathic
literature is getting to be so extensive that it is no easy task to
go through it carefully, month by month.
It is a curious fact that in writing for print we are all inclined
to spin things out, and use a good many more words than is
necessary; so that we believe that oftentimes our condensed state¬
ment of some strong man’s best thought will be just as helpful
to our readers as the original article would have been,— at least,
this is our ideal.
Saving Defective Children.
The value of Homeopathy in defective development is known
to many of our physicians, yet the extent of its usefulness can
hardly be believed by the majority. The prevention of crime is a
study for many public-spirited men and women but Homeopathy
applied in infancy and youth has not been mentioned. Homeop¬
athy will, when properly applied greatly help in developing the
defective side of the brain or a defective limb, or in removing
congenital astigmatism. It will plump up belated mammary
glands, hasten tardy puberty, diminish amazingly the degrees of
idiocy. It will often change the defective mind and body, es¬
tablishing order.
The milder forms of idiocy are amenable to treatment and the
child rounds out and is saved from the dependency of inheritance,
Digitized by C.ooQLe
EDITORIAL.
349
the almshouse or the penitentiary. Fanaticism would seldom
come to the human mind if the youth could be watchfully guarded
by faithful homeopathic physicians.
Divorce has often come from physical defects in the woman
that should have been diverted at puberty. I recall such a case:
A beautiful nineteen-year-old girl-wife was found to be defective
physically and was abandoned by her husband. She consulted
me with what seemed to be her very innocent mother. The young
woman was fair and good to look upon, but child-like in manners
. and speech. She had no mammary development; scarcely any
hair upon the genitals. Her vagina admitted only a small probe
about two inches. She had never menstruated, she was anaemic
and her skin and lips were pale, but she had a flushed face that
her mother said was marked during any excitement.
She took Ferrum in high potencies at long intervals for three
years and seemed to be in excellent health but no menstruation
occurred; yet hair had grown upon the genitals and the mammae
had developed. It was now thought she would never menstruate
and treatment was abandoned. But two years later, five years
from the beginning of treatment, her mother wrote me that the
daughter was a fully-developed woman, menstruating regularly
though she had not taken any treatment since my last powders.
This .case should have been treated in infancy or at puberty and
a divorce would have been unnecessary. If such a woman can be
developed by a homeopathic remedy so late in life, who can say
what overt conduct might be prevented by constitutional treat¬
ment ?
It is well known that we can greatly help children who are late
in learning to talk and late in learning to ivalk.
I once cured a dog of a similar belated intelligence. A high¬
bred beautiful setter lacked intelligence. He could not be house-
broken, he dropped his feces and urine on the carpet instead of
whining at the door as a house-broken dog will soon learn to do.
When strangers came in, he would crawl under the furniture and
come out after they had gone, just as some children are known
to do. But after Baryta carbonica he soon became intelligent and
house-broke himself, I was told.
When children cannot be cured of lying, stealing or destructive-
Digitized by CjOOQle
350
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
ness, and fail to imitate well-disposed adults, it is because they
are belated or distorted in development. While a whipping is
worth much for some of these boys and girls, parents should also
be taught the value and need of Homeopathy if the child is to be
really cured; and our physicians should know what power we
can have for the good of mankind. We are far too much inclined
to wait until the child grows up instead of studying it from in¬
fancy when a much more perfect cure is possible.
It should be clearly understood that the miasms are fixed upon
the human race and that they are the fundamental cause of the •
physical defects, therefore it is every physician’s duty to search
for these signs and symptoms in every infant, child and youth, in
order to discover a remedy, to the end that all may grow up bet¬
ter, wiser and stronger.— Kent.
The Absurdity of High Potency Prescribing.
AN OPEN LETTER TO DR. CONRAD WBSSELHOEFT.
My Dear Doctor Wesselhoeft:
Some years ago, at the suggestion of a friend, I entered
your office in hopes of getting a little help in my studies of
Homeopathy. You were very kind to me, As Kind as Kind
Could Be, and yet through the things you spoke there ran such
a vein of perplexing and discouraging skepticism that I post¬
poned for a long time the dreams with which I entered your
office.
For i( it really is true that a very large part of the best work
that has been done in the name of Homeopathy is a humbug, a
blunder, a delusion, then I for one, at least, have not the cour¬
age or the physical strength, to try to set things right, or even
to help in doing it.
I am well aware that all through our books on materia med-
ica, the larger ones, I mean, like Allen’s Cyclopedia, there are,
and inevitably must be, a great many false symptoms. Symp¬
toms that were never produced by the medicine given, but are
due either to some doctor’s blunder, or some printer’s blunder,
or some prover’s blunder. And in using books like these, the
man who allows himself to prescribe on a single symptom or
Digitized by U.ooQLe
EDITORIAL. 351
on two symptoms, or three symptoms, runs an enormous risk
of going astray.
But truth is convergent, while error, except when it is cold¬
blooded and deliberate, is alway more or less scattering and
divergent, and so in spite of the fact that some of these symp¬
toms which we so cherish are trash, it is possible for a careful
workman to keep from being badly misled by them.
It makes me sad that one who has done so much good work
with high potencies as you have done should in his old age
abandon and ridicule them. And, if I mistake not, it is not a
sign that you are in all things growing wiser, but that age and
sickness are making you a little less clear-sighted in some things
than you were years ago.
For if you must condemn high potencies because you cannot
find them under the microscope and in the chemical laboratory,
would it not be just as sensible to doubt the deeper workings
of radium and electricity and the beautiful flowers that God
has made from homely, worthless seeds? All these are absurd
when we try to explain them theoretically. Why should a
magnet and a little steam make electricity? How happens it
that radium has such startling mystic power? How happens it
that modern science is demonstrating beyond the possibility of
intelligent denial the fact that there is such a thing as mind¬
reading? These things are facts. The proof that they are
true rests not on the fact that we can explain them, but on the
fact that we can prove them by experiment.
Hahnemann’s greatness is not due chiefly to the fact that he
was a speculative philosopher, but to the fact that he was a
scientist in an age when science was hardly known. The world
has never seen a greater scientist than Hahnemann, nor has it
ever seen a more successful physician; but when it comes to
his philosophy, I mean the more intricate parts of his philos¬
ophy, even his own followers, many of them, reject it.
And if Homeopathy is to triumph, as it doubtless will, it
will not be because we have succeeded in explaining it theo¬
retically. but because we have succeeded in proving it scientif¬
ically by thousands upon thousands of marvelous cures.
When you are rich enough to experiment wholesale in some
hospital, I certainly hope you will do it, with only one qualifica-
Digitized by C.ooQLe
352
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
tion, that each patient shall be allowed to choose for himself
which treatment he shall take. But whether you do that or not
Homeopathy will triumph, for, little by little the world is find¬
ing out that ordinarily we are more successful in curing
diseases than our old-school brethren.
We are not infallible; we are sometimes sadly mistaken; we
are sometimes careless and sometimes hasty; but in spite of
all these things, clinical experience is slowly proving that
Homeopathy is better, and in course of time it will also prove
that high potencies have more curative power than low
potencies.
The Advance is willing to wait for time to prove these
things. We do not ask you or any one to take it simply on
our assertion, nor do we expect to convince the world in a
hurry; for we fully realize that high potencies cannot do their
best work until the physician is willing and able to select them
with a fair amount of patient skill; and even then they have
such an odd way of sometimes making trouble for a little
while, that their triumph is sure to be rather slow.
Low potency prescribers are, oftentimes, just as faithful and
skilful as we are. We do not claim for a single moment that
they are our inferiors in ability; but, unfortunately they have
poorer tools to work with, and so it is impossible for them to
accomplish as much, in spite of their care.
Yours truly, in behalf of a cause which we both love,
W. H. Wheeler.
Replies to Questions for Beginners.
1. Manganum and Euphrasia.
2. No.
3. Sul., Bry., Thuja, Lyc. and others. (See K 773 and 1298.)
4. Anemia accompanied with marked fear and anxiety; a
passion for lying down; crazy to stay in bed; Always feels
better when lying down. This medicine is often helpful in chronic
diseases.
5. Ars., Lyc. and Puls, are the leaders, but about ten others
have been reported thus far. (See K 18 b.) But don’t forget
Digitized by C.ooQLe
EDITORIAL. 353
that the Puls, man often needs Sil.; and the Ars. man often needs
Phos. (Allen’s Keynotes.)
6. Laziness is certainly a symptom of disease, and is often
curable, in part at least, by medicine. Look in your Repertory
under the titles “ Indolence ” and “ Weariness; ” for a man who
is always tired can hardly help being lazy and shiftless, un¬
less he is born of the very finest working stock. For in that
case he will work in spite of his tiredness and simply break down.
7. For remedies for bad spelling of various sorts, see “ Mind,
Mistakes — Writing.” I have often seen this symptom verified
and partially cured.
8. An inclination to drown one’s self or shoot one’s self or
cut one’s throat is apt to point to quite different remedies. For
details see K. 88 though, of course, the lists there given are not
as yet complete.
9. If one of my friends, who was a very fast talker should
get sick, slowly and deeply, I should certainly think of Sul.,
Lach., Mer., Hyos, or Hepar. (K. 85 and 59.) Sul. seems to
have been the remedy which might have prolonged the life of
the late Philips Brooks, who was such a notoriously fast talker.
10. For the friend who talks too much, Sul. or Lach are
probably oftenest needed; but there are many other remedies as
well.
11. An exceptionally small nose often suggests that your
friend had snuffles in infancy, and had it very badly. It some¬
times indicates Aur., Hep., Sil. (See K. 351.)
12. People who have very large noses oftentimes need Cal-
carea. We should be glad to have our readers suggest other
remedies as well.
13. So far as I know the medicines which have the strong¬
est affinity for the wings of the nose are Thuja, Tub., Aut. t.
and Lye. (See K. 323 and G. S.)
14. Look under “ Throat, Mucus Hanging Down.”
T5. A hot room makes Puls, very uncomfortable, but Ars.
likes to be in a hot place.
Digitized by CjOOQle
354
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
16. If you wish to give a beginner the keynote of Silica, tell
him that it is oftentimes but a still deeper form of Puls. (See
Allen’s Keynotes.)
17. If you wish to explain Alumina, tell your friend that it
is the chronic of Bryonia. (See Allen’s Keynotes.)
You are sure to forget many of these things after reading
them; but you are sure to remember some. They are all worth
noting in the margin of your repertory, provided they are not
already there. We should be glad to hear reports of odd symp¬
toms or extremely marked ones which you have found helpful in
suggesting tentatively the right remedy. Yours truly. P. D.
The Medical Century for April, in a very interesting article
by Dr. John E. White, of Colorado Springs, Colo., calls attention
to the fact that if a change of climate is to accomplish much in
arresting tuberculosis, it must not be too long delayed, other¬
wise climate can accomplish but very little. The article is well
worth reading, and we should like very much to see in print
a little booklet by Dr. White, for circulation among the laity. He
is a most hearty advocate of open-air treatment. He does not
tell us just how far he has been successful in using internal reme¬
dies in curing and relieving his cases.
It Is a Curious Fact that while there are about 15,000 homeo¬
pathic physicians in the United States, Germany, the land of its
birth, has, as yet, only about 400, while we are told that in
France and Italy it actually seems to be losing ground. We
should be glad to know if these statements are correct, and if
so, why? We should have added, that in addition to. the 400
professed homeopaths in Germany there are an equal number who
practice it quietly without venturing to say so in public. This
is one of the most interesting phases of modern medicine, for we
know that there are thousands in this land who are doing the
same. It is better that Nicodemus should come to Christ after
dark than that he should not come at all. Cowardice is a weak¬
ness, but it is not a crime.
Digitized by C.ooQLe
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
355
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
A Text-book of Physiology. By Isaac Ott, A. M., M. D.,
Professor of Physiology in the Medico-Chirurgical College
of Philadelphia. With 137 illustrations, 563 pages. Cloth,
$ 3 . 00 . F. A. Davis Co., Publishers, 1914 Cherry St., Phila¬
delphia.
This volume is just from the press. The work is an ele¬
mentary treatise on the subject. The aim of the author is to
furnish to the student a complete manual, so as to lay the basis
for the study and practice of medicine. Much of the detail and
complication of the larger works has been omitted. It is con¬
veniently divided into chapters. It is up-to-date in the latest
facts in the science, devoting special attention to mechanical,
anatomical and histological foundation of functionings.
The author begins with a discussion of the elementary and
fundamental phenomena of the cell as the unit of structure and
also of function. The vital theory of the cell life and its origin
is set forth, while the chemical and physical sides of life phe¬
nomena are not overlooked. "No cell exists but that had its
origin in some pre-existing cell.” The author brings out
clearly the chemical side as well as the mechanical side of the
life processes.
For example, in digestion, the living characteristic of the
glands' cells in the intestinal walls, etc., underlies all function¬
ing in this important field. He does not overlook, however,
the fact that physics cannot of itself account for these. Ab¬
sorption, for example, implies "that the living epithelial cells
of the living mucous membrane of the small intestine possess
in themselves, as living beings, the power to exert a selective
action during absorption. The physical circulation of the
blood is modified and governed by the living tubes , these liv¬
ing tubes and the heart being kept in a very delicate balance
by the vasomotor mechanism.”
The work as a whole deserves commendation for the com¬
pactness of the material, condensation in expression and clear¬
ness of presentation. As a class-room manual it possesses
special value because it is not overburdened with details, leav-
Digitized by ^ooQle
356
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
ing the student to fill in the minute details from the larger
reference works on Physiology.
J. Martin Littlejohn, M. D.
The American Homeopathic Pharmacopceia. Seventh edi¬
tion. Enlarged by the addition of a supplement containing
the more important remedies added to the materia medica
since the third revised edition. Philadelphia and Chicago:
Boericke 6 c Tafel. 538 pages. Cloth, $ 2 . 50 ; postage 25
cents. 1904 . '
This standard work has been revised and brought up to date
by the addition of remedies which have been proved since the
third edition went to press. This addition comprises 32 reme¬
dies with index, and is printed as an appendix.
The work follows the description of the various remedies
given by the original pro vers, and the rules laid down by
Hahnemann in the Materia Medica Pura and Chronic Diseases
for the preparation of drugs. These rules harmonize with
those now used by the leading German homeopathic pharma¬
cists from which necessarily come many of the tinctures of such
polychrests as Aconite, Belladonna, Bryonia, Chamomilla, etc.
It is also very essential that our remedial agents should be pre¬
pared as they were by those who made the original provings,
irrespective of the modern view of uniformity in the prepara¬
tion of drugs. Calcarea ostrearum, Causticum, Hepar, Sulphur
and Mercurius solubis stand as examples of Hahnemann’s un¬
rivaled knowledge of chemistry and his preparation of many
plant tinctures also bear witness to his analytical wisdom.
Taken all in all this Pharmacopceia is by far the best which has
yet been produced in the hqmeopathic school.
Here Is a Child that invites your pity: She is scrawny, pot¬
bellied, has a sunken face, peaked nose and deep-set eyes sur¬
rounded by many styes and a dark blue ring. Such a child is
almost sure to need Staphisagria.— Medical Forum .
Digitized by ^ooQle
ITEMS OF INTEREST.
357
Better No Filters at All than unclean, neglected ones.
He Who Cannot keep silence has no right to speak.— Ex¬
change.
One of the Besetting Sins of the homeopath, which we need
to guard against most carefully, is the habit of excessive isolation.
If You Can Get your Pulsatilla patient out of doors for a
walk, which is sometimes hard to do, her ailments will often van¬
ish like the wind.— Exchange.
Miss Bell's pains are all made worse by stooping, but her sis¬
ter, Miss Hyos, will often stoop to ease the pain in her head.
This is an interesting difference.— Medical Forum.
Our Early Ancestors had greatest need of distant vison, but
for us near vision is more important, though we have not yet
successfully adapted ourselves to our changed surroundings.—
Selected.
Miss Josie A. Wanous is the sole owner and manager of one
of the most prosperous Pharmacies in Minneapolis. She is as¬
sisted by three women pharmacists, and handles neither cigars
nor patent medicines. Such a woman deserves praise. May her
followers increase in number.
It Is Interesting to Know that there are at present in the
United States about seventy-six homeopathic hospitals and 250
private hospitals and sanitariums devoted to treatment of patients
by the homeopathic method, more than twice as many as there
were twenty years ago. Facts like this are encouraging, the only
danger being that as our school becomes more popular we will
be in danger for a while of not doing as good work as we have
done in the past. Yet, even such backsliding is sure to be only
temporary, for we believe that in the long run the truest Home¬
opathy will live and prosper and slowly triumph.
Digitized by C.ooQLe
358
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Dear Doctor : We should like to see one or two of your best
thoughts in print or else two or three of your most boast-worthv
cases, provided you can tell them to us briefly enough, and give
some good reason for using the remedy you did. But if you
have not time to write a short article, just write a long one, and
our tailor (P. D.) can easily cut it down, for he has a long
tongue and very sharp shears and really likes the work of cutting
things to pieces, when there is something worth cutting.
Dr. H. W. Champlin, of Bloomsburg, Pa., reports in the
Medical Century an interesting case of rheumatic backache so
severe at night that the man could not sleep which was cured by
Rhus tox. in high potency, followed by Sac. lac. This backache
was always more severe just before the outbreak of malaria. He
states that it is now more than two years since the case was
treated, and yet no malaria or rheumatism has since returned.
Other details are not given.
A Case of Acetic Acid Poisoning. — The North American
Journal of Homeopathy , for April, mentions a case of Acetic acid
poisoning, the acid having been taken with suicidal intent. There
was a frequent and feeble pulse and a slightly elevated tempera¬
ture, a persistent and violent cough, with very abundant purulent
expectoration,— a veritable bronchorrhea,—and occasional efforts
at vomiting which were not successful. The urine was black
and smoky, like that of Carbolic acid poisoning, and contained
one per cent of albumin.
A Very Learned Cat. — A few days ago Dr. C. E. Fisher
of Chicago, Dr. Lewis Sherman and myself were sitting
in the pharmacy, when we observed a cat coming leisurely, yet
eagerly, from the back office, some forty feet away. She quietly
passed by us, jumped upon the window sill, from there to the
show' cases, and then over to a shelf that contained about three
hundred bottles of different tinctures. She passed to one of them
Digitized by C^ooQLe
ITEMS OF INTEREST.
359
and began to lick the stopper. The bottle contained the tincture
of Nepeta Cataria, or Catnip. The contents of the bottle were
carefully sealed, and we could detect no odor therefrom. At the
suggestion of Dr. Fisher, the cat was given a small dose in water,
which she eagerly devoured. Why did the cat go to that bot¬
tle, and pick it out, among three hundred others ? — Dr. J. W.
Dryer, in The Medical Monthly.
Says One of Our Exchanges, “ The deduction follows, as
the day the night, that no drug will make a sick man well that
will not make a well man sick.” This is undoubtedly true, and
yet it seems to us misleading, since it does not call attention to
the fact that the dose which will make a well man sick may have
to be thousands of times as strong as the one that makes him well
For we remember that so great a man even* as T. F. Allen, when
disease had dimmed his powerful brain actually lost faith to some
extent in high potencies because ordinarily he could not make
people sick with them. To which another veteran justly replied
that this world would indeed be a most awful place to live in
if the poison that swarms around us could make us sick as easily
as the same poison rightly used can make us well; for no one
then would live to tell the tale.
How to Get Live Articles.— A writer in the Medical Forum
suggests that if you wish to get live articles for your Medical
Societies you must be careful to select as chairmen for the differ¬
ent Bureaus, men who are enthusiastically interested in such bu¬
reaus; and that the writers of the articles must also be enthu¬
siasts ; and if you will inquire carefully enough, you will find
that every man who is worth hearing from is enthusiastic over
something, although it may be rather hard to get him started.
The Forum also points out the fact that rotation in office, simply
for the sake of giving every one a chance, is stupidity; for suc¬
cessful colleges and mercantile houses select men for their spe¬
cial fitness, and do not rotate so as to give everybody a chance.
He next points out the fact that men who make a perfect fail-
Digitized by C.ooQLe
360
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
ure at the head of one bureau are often markedly successful at
the head of another. His fourth suggestion is that if you try to
exhaust your subject, you will be sure to end off by simply ex¬
hausting your audience; and don’t even try to say all you know
about a subject. Keep something for next time.
These suggestions are both interesting and practical; and we
hope that every one of our readers will consider himself ap¬
pointed chairman of some committee, and forthwith set to work
to give us results.
Dr. Orville B. Blackman, Dixon, Ill., sends the following as
a dressing for bums. It is from Ludlam’s
“ Diseases of Women,
1872, page 334:
Ether Sulph.
. .400 grams.
Alcohol .
.. 100
Gun Cotton... ..
••35
Ol. Ricini.
••35 “
Mix the first three ingredients thoroughly, and when dissolved,
add the castor oil. Apply with camel’s-hair brush.
Have used this for twenty-five years with perfect reliance in
burns of all degrees. It is the ideal dressing in burns of the
third degree. When suppuration supervenes, with scissors snip
out a small piece of the artificial skin, cleanse the pocket with any
aseptic solution you may prefer and when dried, repaint and
you seal up the wound in a few moments as well as it was in
the beginning. When applied, it stops the pain so far as any¬
thing will in a severe burn and your artificial skin can be made
as thick or thin as you desire, according to number of times you
paint the surface. It excludes the air, immediately, keeps out all
danger of future infection from external sources and permits
the outward application of anything you may desire to facilitate
the comfort of your patient.
Digitized by C.ooQLe
The Medical Advance
.. AND ..
Journal of Homeopathics
Vol. XLII. Chicago, July, 1904 . No. 7 .
A New Beginning.
Ao address delivered before the Graduating Class of Hering: College. May, 1904, by
B. A. Mungrer, Esq., Chicagro, Ill.
The significance of this day is one that must last through¬
out all the rest of your career. It is upon this day that you
mark the attainment of your professional majority. In a very
real sense today marks your graduation from the study of ab¬
stract things to the infinite study of man. The life history of
the professional man holds no day of such vast import and con¬
sciousness of responsibility as that upon which he turns from
his books and his professors. From a study of theories and the
acquirement of book knowledge, and, setting himself in the
stream of events, offers for sale in the great merciless market of
the world the skill and knowledge, the attainment of which has
been marked by days and nights of labor, and not infrequently
by years of self-denying sacrifice. The efforts and trials of
these years are happily never anticipated and yet more happily
swiftly disappear in the mists of time which mercifully dim the
recollection of the struggle and the trial and retain for our view
the softened outlines of pleasant associations and the memories
of friendships to last so long as life itself.
The first plunge into an unadvised and unhelped application
of professional knowledge is accomplished with a shock and
mental effort which all the care of your teachers and all your
years of preparation cannot lessen. It is when the pupil finds
himself for the first time in the position of the master, that the
weight of responsibility falls heaviest. Especially is this true
when upon the issue of an untried skill depends not only your
Digitized by ^ooQle
362
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
own professional standing and material welfare, but the relief
of human suffering and the possible continuance of human life.
I would not have you think that life in itself is of such infinite
value as will outweigh all other considerations; nor that other
things and other interests may not be of greater value to the
possessors. It is, however, your duty to recognize in it the most
important thing which you have to deal with; the one jewel en¬
trusted to your keeping, and your every act will be as though
this were your only aim.
In dealing with the delicate mechanism of the human bodv,
mistakes are irretrievable; and while the gratification of suc¬
cess is great, there is always in mind the fact that the error
of a single moment may become the torturing memory of years.
There is no other such mechanism as that of the human body in
which we live. It is incomparably the most wondrous machine
within the knowledge of man; and it is your province, your duty
and your responsibility to deal with this delicate mechanism.
You must grope in the half light of past experience for the
causes of its derangement and for the remedy which will con¬
tinue its operation, for after all, the science which has been
learned from books and the experience of others, even in these
opening days of the twentieth century, is but the faint glim¬
mering of early dawn giving but a hint of the brilliant sun of
complete knowledge which only later ages may fully reveal.
Yours it is to thus discover and as best you may to remove
with all the skill you possess the impediments to life and to
health.
The machinist with the most carefully adjusted of man-made
machinery seeing that something is amiss may watch, stop,
separate the parts, reassemble and start again and again his
metals and his chemicals and may turn off. and on at will the
electric current which gives vitality to the machine under his
charge. This mechanism, given in your charge, may be stopped
but once. Once interrupted, the vitalizing current of life itself
may never again be set in motion. Your repairs must be made,
your adjustments rearranged with the machinery in full opera¬
tion. The simile has been often used and is perhaps the best
that we can make, though confessedly poor and incomplete as
Digitized by ^ooQle
A NEW BEGINNING.
363
must any simile be wherein are contrasted even the supremest
effort of man and the mighty working out of the designs of
Divine Providence. There are sciences known as exact sciences,
and the men who study these have knowledge, but you homeo¬
paths must go farther than this, you have not only a science,
but a faith. Knowledge you must have, but with your knowl¬
edge you also have understanding, which passes the realm of
exact scientific proof and deals with the unclassified, uncata¬
logued and unmeasurable world of mental and spiritual phe¬
nomena.
For century upon century those moved by human compassion
or by interest in science or both, devoting themselves to the cure
of physical ills, followed the mechanical analogy closely. They
saw that the human machine did not work perfectly at all times,
and knowing that it was constructed of many ingredients sought
to find a reason for its disturbance in a supposed mal-adjustment
of these ingredients. If the blood lacked salt, they tried to in¬
ject the salt. If is lacked iron, they tried to inject the iron;
if it lacked acid, they sought to add the acid, and at times they
even sought by altering the quantity of the blood to effectuate
a change in its quality. It was for the homeopath to discover
that these things were effects and not causes; that they were
guide posts and not obstructions in the highway; that they were
symptoms not diseases, and that mechanical drugs could hide
for a time, but could not dispossess the mysterious malefic in¬
fluence which was the cause. The true principle of healing and
the true spirit of Homeopathy lies in the thought expressed by
the poet of the past century, who builded better than he knew
and adopted by the great Dr. John Garth Wilkinson as a title to
one of his volumes: “ The Soul Is Form and Doth the Body
Make.”
In his search for the causes of things, it was the homeopathist
who first learned the great truth that the cause of disease is to
be found in the finer essences of matter in the ultra-physical or
spiritual part of man. This is not an unreal or impersonal part
of the man, but is the real vital essence of all his being,— unseen,
unidentified, but giving life and vitality to all that is seen and
known. As the ultra-violet rays of light are known only by their
Digitized by ^ooQle
364
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
action, so these ultra-physical attributes of man are known only
by their manifestations. Homeopathy then marks a great and
distinct advance because it goes nearer to the source in its search
for causes, and in its efforts for relief.
In the more ancient days, relief was sought through prayers
and priestly offices alone, the ill being assumed to be infilled
with demons or possessed of devils; then the field was trans¬
ferred to the most external form, leeches, cupping, the most dras¬
tic medicines, reaching only the external matter on the natural
plane and affecting not at all that finer essence, the derangement
of which was the cause of trouble. The more nearly any remedy
approximates the restoration of perfect physical conditions, the
more chance there is for the orderly inflow of that life-giving
current which carries the seeds of healing and is the very
essence of order in itself. The bony skeleton in the human
form, the muscular and the nervous system neither able to oper¬
ate alone but set in motion and acting in unison through the
great life current give play to all the activities of man and pro¬
duce the phenomena of life. The great claim to your interest
and the love of your profession is that your field lies in that
ultra-physical, which, while more complex, more delicate, more
easily deranged by spiritual conditions, yet more corresponds
to the human ideal and more quickly responds to the physician's
adjustments.
The old practitioner could see that something was wrong and
he tried to correct it by administering the palpably opposite;
the homeopath knows that the initial derangement is not of the
coarse machinery but of the finer essence which forms the point
of contact through which the life current flows in. Or, to re¬
turn to our mechanical simile, the machine is not at fault in
the first instance, but the transmission of the electric current is
interferred with. And the homeopath also knows that it is part
of the plan by which this delicate instrument is made that it will
re-adjust itself and correct its own evils if only the current can
flow unimpeded and uninterrupted, carrying its vitalizing es¬
sence into every part of the organism.
To teach Homeopathy should be a delight, for it deals with
all that is deepest, most intricate and most elevating in man.
Digitized by ^ooQle
A NEW BEGINNING.
365
But to argue Homeopathy is a bane. It is as useless as it is
to urge the existence of the Creator on the man who prefers to
be in ignorance of Him. The quiet application of principles .‘n
daily life is more convincing than the most ingenious argument
ever devised.
Volumes have been written, and uncounted volumes have yet
to be written upon the duty of the physician, the sacredness of
his charge and the high place which the true physician holds
in the esteem of a people. Yet with each new opportunity anil
each new class of graduates, it is not vain repetition to direct
attention once more to the character of the calling and the re¬
sponsibility of the work to which you have dedicated your lives.
Remember then at all times that although this body is a human
body, it is the great culminating natural work of a Divine
Creator, in whose likeness and image it has been made.
Men be of many faiths and worship in many forms a com¬
mon Deity. They rear monuments, temples and cathedrals,
mosques and minarets wherein they pay their homage to the
Most High, but to all men everywhere in any state the true liv¬
ing temple of the Lord is the human body, and the physician is
its ministrant and priest of the temple.
To you belong its cleansing, its purification and the keeping of
it in serviceable order for the high uses of humanity and this
involves a spiritual duty no less exacting than the natural one,
for which you receive your pay. The physician has then a duty
and an opportunity than which the world holds no greater. And
this duty and this opportunity pursued with the thoughtful un¬
selfishness of motive which actuates the true physician cannot
fail to bring its due result in elevated thought and purpose and
an enlarged mental and spiritual vision to those who follow it.
The ideal is not new to you, but the thought should be deeply
impressed now, that in the hurry of active professional life, this
ideal may never wholly disappear but may remain in ever-pres¬
ent subconscious motive in all your professional labors. Your
battles are many and the reward is not as it is to the hero of
an outward strife. Yours is no eager plunge into the turmoil
of conflict with a stimulating sense of numbers and the sound
of fife and drum to guide your steps and stir the blood until
Digitized by ^ooQle
366
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
the moment of danger is forgotten in the contemplation of the
moment of opportunity. Yours is not to the encouragement that
comes from the lurid flow of the hot contagion of excitement
In the play of the red lightning of human passion, the spirit of
man is carried with a rush through trial and temptation through
dangers upon which he has no time to think into the self-forget¬
ting deeds of glory and renown.
This life is not the physician’s life. No such advantitious
aids to the accomplishment of great things are his. His life
is strenuous, but his brain must be cool. With the sound of
battle raging round about him, without the encouragement of
arms or the share in possible success, he must maintain his self-
l>ossession and his poise. He hears the call of danger, but he
must answer not with passion, not with excitement, but coolly,
deliberately, unflinchingly and with all his faculties in perfect
control, with no thought of himself and no possibility of retreat.
When you go forth, then, go with courage, with faith, with
self-confidence and with hope, and with a real humility, keeping
ever in mind that while opportunity misused turns its blessing
into a curse and its reward into lasting condemnation, oppor¬
tunity improved brings with it mastery of fate and of fortune.
So conduct yourselves in the years before you that your col¬
lege and your professors, your classmates and your friends may
always say with pride, “ He is one of us.” • That when for the
last time upon earth you have responded to the call of your
suffering fellowman, the struggle is ended and life’s history
rolled together as a scroll, you may stand with a clean conscience
in the presence of the Great Physician to say, “Master, it is
done, and it was my best.”
A Dr. Donovan, of Illinois, has seven sons. Four of these
are already practicing physicians and five are at present in col¬
lege preparing to follow in the footsteps of their father. This
interesting clipping is going the rounds. Just where the mis¬
take in addition started we do not know. Perhaps it is a fish
story.
Digitized by ^ooQle
THE VITAL FORCE THEORY OF HAHNEMANN.
367
The Vital Force Theory of Hahnemann.
W. A. DEWEY, M. D., ANN ARBOR, MICH.
Ilf those of our readers who do not believe in Hahnemann’s theory will read this article
of Dr. Dewey’s, trying to see how much there is in it that they can agree with, instead of
dwelling on the parts that they cannot accept, we believe that they will find it both
interesting and helpful. For we all believe that in some way or other back of every cure
there Is something larger and more mysterious than the mere action qf a few drugs: and
Hahnemann’s theory, whether wholly right or not, was certainly a vigorous and
stimulating attempt to call attention to this deeper fact.]
Of the numerous theories promulgated by Hahnemann, none,
it would seem, is less understood or has had more ridicule heaped
upon it than what is commonly known as his vital force theory.
This theory first appears in the fourth edition of his Organon
which was published in 1829 and may be substantially stated as
follows:
The vita] force is a power which, in health, maintains harmony
in all parts of the body. Without vital force the organism is
dead.
In disease, this vital force is deranged by agencies which im¬
pede or destroy life — in other words disease is a dynamic dis¬
turbance of this vital force and cure consists in restoring the
vital force to the normal. And lastly that homeopathic remedies
act dynamically in restoring the vital force.*
This, then, is all there is to the vital force theory of Hahne¬
mann stated in practically his own words. He believed that dis¬
ease and its cure by homeopathic remedies could only be ex¬
plained by the acceptance of a vital principle animating the body
and a similar vital principle or force embodied in every medicinal
substance.
This conception was a protest against materialism, against
chemico-physiological ideas, against pathological, bacterial, anti¬
toxic theories and discoveries and facts as a Basis for Ther¬
apeutics. For he regarded that such insecure foundations
could not support a true science of therapeutics; and the his¬
tory of medicine justifies his position.
* Some of our readers will understand the above statement a little better if they sim¬
ply leave out the word "dynamic,” which is used twice. In fact, P. D. believes that all
such discussions would arouse less prejudice if that great big Latin word were always
left out. We believe in vis medicatkix natuejb, the power of nature to cure herself, if
we but help her, just a little; but we don’t like Latin, in spite of the fact that we studied it
for so many years. Perhaps we got an overdose and have never quite got over it.
Digitized by ^ooQle
368
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Hahnemann’s choice of terms was perhaps unfortunate, he
speaks of a “spirit-like dynamis.” It is this fact that has led
many to regard vital force as a sort of theological conception,
some ghost, something akin to spiritualism, or Swedenborgianisrn
or to some other phase of religion, something to do with the
theological “soul.”
His conception of vital force, however, did not look to this
interpretation but is to be explained rather in the light of the
vis medicatrix naturae of Paracelsus. He did not consider it
theologically any more than did Newton, when he spoke of the
spirit of attraction.
If we can divest ourselves of this interpretation of vital force
and lode at it as a real thing, we will find that it is in harmony
with the latest conceptions of disease, and that Hahnemann was
as far ahead of his time in his ideas as to the nature of disease
as he was in his therapeutic methods.
The term dynamic, a new one in the dominant school, is being
used not infrequently. Sir Andrew Clark, before the Clinical
Society of London, said: “ Disease in its primary condition and
intimate nature is in strict language dynamic, it precedes, under¬
lies, evolves, transcends and rules the anatomical state.” Dr.
Baradat before the British Tuberculosis Congress in 1901 speaks
of natural serum being “both dynamic and bactericidal.”
The dynamic conception of disease and its cure by dynamic
measures is nothing but a reversion to the vital force theory of
Hahnemann.
In the light of the modern trend of medical thought what is
meant by vital force? How are we to explain its existence? It
seems to be a restatement or rather a pre-statement of what we
now term the natural resistance of the body. It is that something
which pervades the organism t not only one part of it but the en¬
tire organism . It is that principle which preserves health. It
distinguishes the living from the dead. In the dead not an atom
is gone but the force that holds them together is extinguished.
The vital force is capable [up to a certain point] of being
shocked, depressed and disturbed, and yet no disease result; for
it possesses the property of always returning to its original state.
It is in these depressed and disturbed conditions of the vital force
Digitized by
Google
THE VITAL FORCE THEORY OF HAHNEMANN. 369
that a soil is prepared for germ invasion, for it is a well-estab¬
lished fact that there must always be a soil for the nourishment
of the germ else it is harmless. This will explain why two or
five people in a family of ten will be overpowered by the tuber¬
cular germs when exposed thereto and the rest escape. The bars
are down in those who take the infection, the vital force is weak¬
ened it may be by unnatural stimulation. It will explain such
manifestations as otorrhea following scarlet fever in one per¬
son while another escapes, though in both instances the vital
force has been disturbed to admit the germ infection, yet on the
one hand it is some simple depression at the time of infection
which allowed it, and on the other hand a more profound dis¬
turbance from which it more difficulty recovers and we term this
a latent or psoric diathesis.
Note the fact that the vital force pervades the whole organism,
and so disorders of it must pervade the whole organism as well.
Disease starts primarily in the dynamic disturbance of this force
and efforts to cure the same must be directed to this force and
since it pervades the entire body it becomes necessary to treat
the entire body, to treat the patient instead of the disease. Restore
the vital force to the normal and we will cause a disappearance
of the symptoms which are but the efforts of Nature to restore
the vital force. Let us aid nature. It seems from this that it
would be folly to suppress symptoms since they are nature's
efforts to restore this vital force. It does not seem scientific
and it certainly therefore is not homeopathic.
Hahnemann's pathology, physiology and philosophy of heal¬
ing was built on this doctrine and it is being accepted by many
thinkers in the field of medicine today. Drugs make men sick;
vital force tends always toward health, to aid the vital force in
this, its work, our medicines must be used not as drugs (in doses
to suppress symptoms and therefore the vital energy as well) but
dynamically so as to aid in restoring this force to normal. As
to the modus operandi of this vital force even Hahnemann cau¬
tioned us about speculations thereto.
In conclusion, it seems to us therefore, if we regard the vital
force not as the soul or mind, but as the natural bodily resistance
against the invasion of disease, a dynamic disturbance of which
Digitized by ^ooQle
370
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
lets down the bars to all sorts of germ infections, we will not
only be in harmony with the trend of modern thought but have
a practical working hypothesis for the betterment of our homeo¬
pathic prescribing. We will prescribe more for the whole patient
and less for the disease; thus becoming more truly homeopathic
in both thought and application.
COMMENTS ON DR. DEWEY’S ARTICLE.
We wish to heartily thank Dr. Dewey for this article, so full
of truth and food for thought, and yet, in Hahnemann’s funda¬
mental theory as we understand it, there are two elements: one
an assertion of the fact that there is a vital principle animating
the body, and secondly that there is a similar vital principle ani¬
mating each and every medicinal substance. Now, Dr. Dewey
has shown most helpfully the great importance of believing in
the first of these two assertions; namely, that there is in every
man a living force which cures or kills, that he is not cured
by drugs, but must cure himself, if he hopes to be cured at
all. This we believe to be fundamental to all the more successful
forms of medical practice, and to all true cures.
But, in regard to Hahnemann’s second theory, that in every
medicinal substance there is a similar vital principle, it seems to
us that Dr. Dewey has been somewhat silent, perhaps he believes
that if we accept the existence of the vital force in man as the
ruling factor, we must inevitably presuppose the same in every
homeopathic medicine; and, as a matter of fact, the writer is
inclined to believe that there is in every medicine some spirit
force, which is but an expression of the love and truth and kindli¬
ness that pervades the universe; but we are not willing to admit
that this thought is a necessary, or, at least, a very clear corollary
from the other great thought.
For surely when the electrician tells us that the touching of a
single button was enough to cause an explosion in Hell Gate,
and shake the city of New York from end to end, we are not
obliged to assume that there was in that electric current any sort
of spirit force. There may have been, but the mere fact of its
Digitized by ^ooQle
COMMENTS ON DR. DEWBY’S ARTICLE.
371
tremendous potency does not prove it, at least to ordinary mor¬
tals. And so, though we agree with Hahnemann in believing
that in each drug there is a spirit force, we are perfectly will¬
ing that most of our readers should reject this thought as purest
nonsense, provided they will be wise enough to welcome and to
use the deeper, larger thought that every life is one great whole
and that every man must cure himself,— the doctor and the drug¬
gist and the homeopathic pill simply coming in to tip the balance,
and complete the circuit. We cannot all agree in theory, but let
us try to agree in practice, and in those parts of our theory
which are most inspiring and most closely connected with prac¬
tical success in daily life. Then if we disagree in things abstruse,
no harm will come of it to us or others.
Did My Medicines Do Any Good? And If So, Why
Didn’t They Do More Good?
In response to otir request for difficult and perplexing cases, which might be helpful
to our readers, we have received the following, which is certainly full of Interest. We
hope our readers will read it through carefully, and then see whether they agree with
us in the comments which we have made at the close.
J. L.— a well-built, muscular boy of 14, who had “ never been
sick a day in his life,” was attacked in February, 1903 with a
most violent inflammatory rheumatism. Stiffness and pain in
the right shoulder and knee were relieved by Rhus m., but the
following week I was called to the house again, as he was suffer¬
ing very much in the left shoulder and knee and down the tibia.
The leg was swollen and hot to the touch; the boy was chillv
and sitting close to the fire, although his temperature was 101.3 0 .
He was thirsty, but water made him cold.
I again gave him Rhus, expecting it to act as well as before,
but the next day he was worse in every way; he had a terrible
night, could not lie still a minute, although motion aggravated the
pains, which had by this time extended once more to the joints
of the right side and to the abdomen. His temperature was
J03.4 0 . Aconite 200 gave him a little sleep. But Bryonia and
Sulphur failed utterly, and the boy suffered intensely, particularly
at night, when he would moan for hours. He was now unable
Digitized by ^ooQle
372
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
to even move himself although extremely restless. During the
day there were a few short periods of quiet, but generally he
begged to be turned every few minutes. There was consid¬
erable perspiration, chiefly at night and the delirium was also
more marked at that time.
Fearing involvement of the heart and noticing the moving
of pain from joint to joint, I gave Kalmia m. Improvement
was satisfactory for three days, the fever lessened, the tongue
cleared, his appetite returned, and the pains and stiffness dimin¬
ished so that he could move himself in bed. He received in all
six doses of Kalmia; then it ceased to act, and upon studying
the case again it seemed that Phytolacca ought to help; I sus¬
pected a specific hereditary taint; since he was so restless, yet
motion did not relieve the pain; and the aggravation was always
at night; it was also noticeable that the pains shifted about and
the periosteum was affected, particularly in the left tibia, where
the suffering was most intense. Emaciation and prostration were
also marked.
For four days Phytolacca 500 was of benefit and we rejoiced;
but it failed and another selection became necessary. Mercurius
10 m gave one good night of sleep, but the sweating continued
at intervals, also the aching and soreness in one shoulder or the
other, also in the right knee or foot but always worse in the left
knee and leg.
A diarrhea started at this time, which was watery and brown¬
ish, with pain and sudden urging; the boy was hungry, he “ felt
so empty,” was always begging for cakes and pie or fish and salty
things. The temperature rose again to 102.2 0 ; and the fact that
each remedy helped for a little while and then ceased helping
made me uneasy as to the outcome; yet as a last resort I hoped
that a nosode might reach the bottom of the trouble; therefore,
Syphilinum was given, and again there was temporary improve¬
ment: better sleep, bowels better, joints all more easy, fever
only 99.2 0 .
But the condition of the left leg was growing steadily worse
and worse, the whole trouble having centered there. It was swol¬
len to double the size of the right leg, ankle and foot also, and the
knee was stiff and held flexed, the tendons underneath seeming to
Digitized by ^ooQle
DID MY MEDICINES DO ANY GOOD?
373
be shortened so that extension was impossible. On passing the
finger over the tibia lumps and ridges could be felt, and at one
spot softening as of a pointing abscess. The heat, redness and
sensitiveness of this part of the leg were extreme; there was
intense itching, also a sudden pricking as of needles, eitln r
sensation causing the patient to cry out suddenly.
This seemed a fairly good picture of Mezereum, which I gave
in the io m potency on March 13.
At that time I concluded that if something did not happen in¬
side of twenty-four hours a knife would have to be used to relieve
the tension and pain. But the knife was not necessary. Sixteen
hours after Mezereum was given the boy’s small brother was sent
to my office to announce, breathlessly, “ J’s leg has busted! ”
It was astonishing what a quantity of pus poured from the two
little openings over the tibia for the next two days. The whole
leg seemed to be one bag of pus. Passing the hand from the
ankle upward caused it to gush out in streams, and it felt as if
the skin covered no muscles at all but only a bone surrounded
by a bag of pus. Soon the swelling of the foot, the stiffness of
the knee and the contraction of the flexors disappeared. The
tibia continued sensitive to pressure for several days but the
bone was intact; the openings were healthy and soon began to
heal. The leg looked as if it might be useless for months, and
yet in ten days from the breaking of the abscess he was walking
up and down stairs.
His left shoulder was not well yet; some soreness continuing
for several weeks. The bowels soon became normal, but a sort
of diarrhea returned later on, while a loose cough hung on for
a while and the boy seemed dull and listless. But Psorinum cm
started him on the right track and he was soon gaining flesh
and able to work and enjoy life once more.
This was in April—just two months from the first attack. In
May, 1903 (a year ago) he reported some aching and soreness
here and there, moving from side to side, also diarrhea once
more and received Lac caninum cm. Since then I have seen him
but once (for a cold) ; but his mother reports that he is all right,
works and seems as well as ever, and I rejoice to say that his
heart is as sound as it was before his long illness.
Digitized by CjOOQle
374
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Editorial Comments:
In reply to the question, whether Dr. Blank’s medicines did any
good in the case, we wish to say most emphatically that we
believe they did do good by relieving from time to time the pain,
and quite likely by also preventing the final abscess from being
more serious in its consequences than it was. But, on the other
hand, we cannot help thinking that the good doctor did not
succeed in finding the best remedies, and that in case he had done
this, the case might, in all probability, have been prevented from
going as far as it did.
Our reasons for so thinking are based on a simple examination
of the testimony which he himself gives. For though he doubt¬
less saw in the case many symptoms which are not reported on
paper, it is fair to assume that those which are not reported
did not seem to him especially important, whereas we are inclined
to think that some exceedingly vital matters were overlooked in
making some of the earlier prescriptions, for, when he found
that Rhus which seemed indicated, was not taking effect, he
should at once have instituted a most searching and detailed
study of the child’s past life and family history.
We are well aware that the friends claimed that this boy had
never been sick a day in his life, but we have found that in all
such cases where a seemingly perfectly healthy life is followed
by a severe sickness a detailed cross-questioning (taking the body
all to pieces — eye, ear, nose, mouth, etc., from one end of the
materia medica to the other), is sure to reveal a great many ins
and outs which show that the child instead of never being sick,
has really never been well, although utterly oblivious to the fact
that these simple, petty ups and downs had any pathological
significance.
And so we believe that if Dr. Blank had made such a careful
cross-examination in detail of every part of that boy’s body and
past life, he would have found many hints which would have
enabled him to select some deep-acting constitutional remedy
which was clearly fitted to the case, and would have given
marked relief. For these people who have never been really
well, and yet do not know it, are generally highly amenable to
treatment, when their real needs are clearly understood and a
highly appropriate constitutional remedy administered.
Digitized by ^ooQle
DID MY MEDICINES DO ANY GOOD?
375
In fact, we think that even in the symptoms here reported
there is enough to indicate what that constitutional remedy prob¬
ably was, and yet we do not feel at all sure of this point; since
symptoms which have not been reported on paper may have
so completely changed the picture as to point elsewhere. But
this much is certain, that as reported on paper, this case in its
earlier stages had a most surprisingly large number of leading,
black-faced Arsenic symptoms.
First of all we notice the tendency to sit closely hugging the
fire (K 1340).
Next, the fact that drinking water made the patient feel cold.
Third, the curious fact that the patient was very restless and
wanted to be frequently moved, and yet was made worse by being
moved, strongly suggests Arsenic (see K 1301 “after pioving ”),
for the Arsenic patient often feels better for a very little while
if moved, although unable to move himself.
Delirium at night (K 26) is also another very marked Arsenic
symptom. While on page 1004 of Dr. Kent's Repertory, we are
told that pains in many different parts of the extremities are
strongly confirmatory of Arsenic.
And yet right here we wish to state that pain symptoms, ex¬
cept when they are very clearly defined and somewhat rare in
type, are very misleading in most cases, since there are so many
medicines that have similar pains. But though they are, or¬
dinarily, of no use as guiding symptoms, they are highly im¬
portant pathologically, and often help in confirming a medicine
which has been first selected tentatively by a comparison of symp¬
toms which seem much less important; for our readers will notice
that the symptoms which we first quoted as suggesting Arsenic
are nearly all, apparently , trifling ones.
Of the more general symptoms, the fact that this attack of
rheumatism came on in winter time, when it was cold weather,
strongly confirms Arsenic. Wandering pains, which were so
marked a feature in this case are also found under Arsenic, al¬
though they do not seem to occur often enough to have attracted
special attention.
Naturally, as the case went on, other rotten veins in the same
life would come to the front, so that the fact that the disease
Digitized by ^ooQle
376
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
finally settled in the lower left leg may, perhaps, be an indication
that there was, back of the Arsenic vein in this boy’s life, a
Sulphur vein as well. In fact, the pains starting as they did
first of all in the right side, then going to the left, is highly con¬
firmatory of this suspicion. But we cannot help thinking that
the leading remedy in this case may have been Arsenic; but
whether it was or not, it certainly was a pity that Dr. Blank did
not stop to make a searching study of the past life, when lie
found his medicines were not taking effect.
We thank him most heartily for reporting this case. If phy¬
sicians would put their pride in their pocket and report their
failures a little oftener, and a little more in detail, we believe
that the medical profession at large, especially the skeptical wing,
would have more respect for our medical magazines, and for the
clinical cases which we publish, for when a magazine even seems
to imply that its contributors are infallible and always hit the
nail on the head, always curing with the first dose, it gives the
impression that their reports are colored with an undertone of
brag, and, possibly, even falsified, though this last charge seems
to us, in most cases, utterly unjust and uncalled for. But that
failures, carefully studied, are oftentimes even more instructive
clinically and in the class-room than successes we most heartily
admit.
A Clinical Comparison of Phosphorus and Tubercu-
linum.
Leaves from the records of the General Clinic of the College of Homeopathic Med¬
icine and Surgery of the University of Minnesota.
REPORTED BY PROF. GEORGE E. CLARK.
Case 19353.— Mr. B., age 64, Swede. Appearance, tall and
slim; light complexion, blue eves, poorly nourished.
By occupation a preacher, but now retired. For several years
he complained of a dry tickling cough worse in the morning
and from any undue exertion or cold.
Two years ago had an attack of la grippe, since which time
Digitized by C.ooQLe
COMPARISON OF PHOSPHORUS AND TUBERCULINUM 377
he has been much worse. The sputa is mainly light colored;
at times yellow arid very sticky and difficult to expectorate.
Is much annoyed by his efforts to raise this sputa in the
morning.
The throat is rough and sore and quite hoarse at times.
The cough does not trouble him much at night, but is markedly
worse in the morning, as soon as he is awake.
He is very nervous and tires easily.
Takes cold frequently at which times the cough is much
aggravated.
Passes urine often and rises at night several times for this
purpose. Some smarting micturition.
The family history is bad. The mother and a brother died
of consumption and a sister of pneumonia. Twenty years ago
the patient had night sweats freely and coughed severely for
a whole year.
Inspection shows the chest walls to be narrow and deeply de¬
pressed in the clavicular region while the respiratory motions
are feeble and imperfect.
Percussion shows an area of dulness at the apex of both
lungs, worse on the left side.
Auscultation reveals coarse rales in the lower portion of the
lungs and imperfect expansion in the upper third. There is no
pain, nor has there been. There is a very slight elevation of
temperature.
Phosphorus was given.
The following week he reported no improvement yet it seemed
best to continue the remedy every three hours.
The following week he reported some improvement, did not
cough as often or as severely but before his next visit he toolc
an additional .cold and was much worse.
Feeling that there was a strong tubercular tendency which
was the real factor in the case, Tuberculinum in the cm potencv
was given, one powder dry on the tongue.
The improvement from this time on was slow but pronounced
and continuous. At the end of a month the cough had nearly
ceased and the catarrhal secretion was slight and easily raised*
Two months later, examination showed the lungs in a much bet-
Digitized by CjOOQle
378
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE,
ter condition and the dulness very largely cleared up and the
patient is in better health than for years.
That one dose of the Tuberculinum brought about such a
happy change that the suggestion is pertinent of the propriety
of having given this remedy in the first instance, although the
Phosphorus seemed to be the indicated remedy.
The action of Tuberculinum in this case suggests an analogy
to Sulphur in its power to arouse the vital energies and throw
off an imposed miasm.
[The fact mentioned by Professor Clark, that in this case there was mmrktd mhtmct of
pmi* i" which, ordinarily, is looked upon as strona confirmation for Phosphorus,
may. possibly, prove equally strong: confirmation for Tuberculinum, in cases where
Phosphorus alone seems insufficient; but this would not of itself, even if verified, exclude
Tuberculinum from cases where there was pain.—P. D.]
A Study of Some of Our Cold Remedies.
J. C. FAHNESTOCK, M. D., PIQUA, OHIO.
From a long and interesting article in the Medical and Sur¬
gical Reporter, we take pleasure in quoting the following ex¬
tracts :
(i) A Veratrum Picture. — Cold sweat on the forehead ,
is one of the conditions that runs all through a Veratrum case.
This is one of the cold remedies . The skin is cold, but wrinkled
and remains in folds when pinched with cold sweat on the fore¬
head. All complaints in Veratrum are attended more or less with
this cold sweat on the forehead.
The mental symptoms are also marked. Twenty-three years
ago I had a patient in charge who had mental alienation, due to
religious excitement. She was very violent for two years , dur¬
ing which time she was in an institution in Indiana. At the
end of that time the superintendent pronounced her incurable.
Her relatives then had her transferred to an institution in this
state, and at the expiration of one year there was no change
for the better. In fact, she was worse; as she had become very
pale, weak and melancholy, sitting and looking at the floor the
entire day without saying scarcely a word, unless spoken to,
Digitized by ^ooQle
A STUDY OF SOME OF OUR COLD REMEDIES. 379
when she would say that she was forever lost, as she had com¬
mitted the unpardonable sin. Her bowels were badly consti¬
pated, only moving when given a cathartic or an enema. But
her symptoms pointed to Veratrum, and by giving a few doses
at long intervals, she was entirely cured, in the short space of
six months. She is now living in Georgia. I heard from her
a short time ago and she was perfectly well.
(2) A Comparison of Veratrum. Camphor and Cuprum.
— The Camphor patient has comparatively little sweat accom¬
panying his cofdness, and the discharges from the stomach and
bowels are not at all profuse, but when discharges from the
bowels become more copious, and the sweating and vomiting
more marked, especially the cold sweat on the forehead, Vera¬
trum comes to the front.
While in the case of Cuprum, it is the convulsive symptoms
which attract attention, and suggest the remedy: great nervous
excitability, convulsive cramps all over the body. Whenever I
think of Cuprum, these horrible cramps, twitching, jerking and
trembling present themselves to my mind, for all the actions of
Cuprum are convulsive and spasmodic.
In regard to Camphor, he also points out the fact that the
Camphor patient wants to be covered during the heat and pains,
but that when he gets cold he seems to find relief in being un¬
covered and wants to be still more cold.
Arsenicum is another cold remedy, of which six words tell
us a great deal: anxiety, restlessness, burning, cadaverous odors,
prostration and coldness. The skin, at first, may be hot and
dry, but later on it is icy cold, covered with clammy sweat; and
yet the patient complains of intense, burning heat within.
( 3 ) Carbo Veg., the Sluggard. — In many ways we might
call this remedy the sluggard; sluggishness is the state we find
running through all its symptomatology. Here is another rem¬
edy, some features of which resemble Arsenic. A burning runs
through this remedy; burning in the veins, burning in the capil¬
laries, burning in the head, burning of the skin, burning in every
inflamed part. An internal burning and an external coldness is
Digitized by ^ooQle
380
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
also noted. The feet and knees are cold as ice; the face is cold,
the nose is cold, the ears are cold, the tongue is cold, the breath
is cold; coldness with fainting spells, covered all over with a
cold sweat in collapse, but in spite of all the coldness he wants
to be constantly fanned.
Pneumonia, Its Cause and Treatment.
In an article by Dr. W. J. Hawkes, of Los Angeles, Cal., we
find many little seed thoughts, some of which we should like to
quote for our readers, mostly in Dr. Hawkes’ own words, al¬
though sometimes paraphrasing what he says for the sake of
condensation. Any one who wishes to see the entire article can
doubtless do so by sending to Dr. Hawkes himself; as it was
originally published in the Pacific Coast Journal of Homeopathy .
We quote:
“ The largest mortality from pneumonia is always among those
who are weaklings, either because of infancy or old age. It is
also markedly fatal among hard drinkers.
“ The most potent factor of all in the causation of pneumonia
is hereditary predisposition, a cause for which the individual is
not responsible, but one which he can partially control and min¬
imize — by correcting, as far as possible — these hereditary mor¬
bid conditions and tendencies.
“ When treating the child, you will usually find symptoms m
the mother which will help in making your prescription.”
He then speaks of a child, who was bom sickly, of sickly
parents, who, improved wonderfully under treatment. The most
remarkable and significant fact in the case being that the child
who does not seem to have had any eruptive disease since
birth, was not cured until Lycopodium had brought out the
worst-looking crop of eczema that Dr. Hawkes has ever seen in
his long and varied experience; for the child was literally cov¬
ered from the crown of its head to the soles of its feet with an
eruption which lasted for months, but, under homeopathic treat¬
ment all through resulted finally in greatly improved health.
Digitized by <^.ooQLe
PNEUMONIA, ITS CAUSE AND TREATMENT.
381
Of cold water. Dr. Hawkes says:
44 Be sure and let your pneumonia patient drink all the pure
cold water he desires. I, for one, am well satisfied if he takes
nothing but cold water during the first four or five days, es¬
pecially if the fever is high and the thirst great.”
Here we most heartily agree with the doctor, for it seems
to us a sad mistake, this notion that sick people must always be
fed. But Dr. Hawkes can plead his own case, and we simply
wish to say, Amen.
He goes on to say: My rule is to give no food, whatever,
while the fever is high, the tongue coated, and there is an ab¬
sence of appetite; for there is always more to be feared from
the patient eating too much than too little; and it is a sadly
mistaken notion, both among physicians and the laity, that ab¬
stinence from food, under such circumstances, is a cause of
weakness. They seem to labor under the erroneous impression
that if food is only gotten into the stomach, an increase of
strength will necessarily result. But on the other hand, food in
the stomach, when it cannot digest it, is only a source of weak¬
ness, not of strength, and a patient, who has great difficulty in
properly digesting his food, gains more strength from too little
food than too much — to all of which P. D. most emphatically
says, Hurrah! Bears sometimes live all winter without eat¬
ing; and I believe that babies can sometimes do the same, for a
few days at least.
Next we are reminded that heart failure is our greatest source
of danger in pneumonia, and that this is why stimulants should
very, very seldom be given, since the reaction which follows the
first stimulation may prove fatal.
Speaking of individualizing our cases, and remembering that
two persons sick with the same disease may need very different
medicines, he (Dr. H.) says: 44 1 am convinced with a firm and
increasing conviction of the truth and importance of this propo¬
sition.”
Of Arsenicum, he reminds us that it is characterized by a most
extreme weakness, accompanied at the very same time by a
most distressing and extraordinary restlessness.
Of Lycopodium, he says: This remedy is very reliable when
Digitized by
Google
382
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
indicated and is too often overlooked in pneumonia, as well as
in other ailments, but adds that he has never been successful
with it when used below the thirtieth, which reminds us of a
statement we once saw, to the effect that when you find any
physician enthusiastic over Lycopodium, you will nearly always
find that he is one who uses it in the higher potencies.
He also reminds us that Sulphur and Sepia are often indicated
in this and other diseases, when even the most careful inquiry
seems to furnish no clear indications for any one remedy, or
when the apparently indicated remedy does not help the patient.
N. B.— He does not say simply Sulphur but Sulphur and
Sepia, one or the other. Of Sepia he further mentions the fact
that it sometimes has a pinkish sediment in the urine.
We shall hope to hear again from Dr. Hawkes, and hope he
will not forget that the Advance is hungry for clinical cases,
which will illustrate in detail his way of using remedies .
To long discussions on pathology, prognosis, etc., we must
not give room; but for clinical cases which will encourage vet¬
erans or help beginners in finding the best remedy, we are
always grateful.
[We should also like to add that one of the most helpful and frequently indicated rcm-
©dies, yet often overlooked or forgotten, is Iodine. It is called for m the stage of hepati¬
zation when Bryonia is so often hastily or carelessly given and the physician wonders
why he obtains no results. Look up the symptoms now while you think of it, and keep
it in mind next time the season for pneumonia comes around.— Ed.]
i
Good and Bad Effects of Colorado Climate on Con¬
sumption and Heart Diseases.
(In a paper read before the local society, and published in the
February number of the Denver Critique , Dr. Ralph D. P.
Brown, of Denver, discusses the above question very ably. We
are well aware that the article has been widely quoted and that
some critics have severely blamed Dr. Brown for saying the
things he has, accusing him of disloyalty to his own state, as
if loyalty were more precious than truth. But we are satisfied
that Dr. Brown cannot be wholly mistaken, and is amply able
to defend himself. And if you will subscribe for the wide-awake
Digitized by C.ooQle
EFFECTS OF COLORADO CLIMATE ON CONSUMPTION. 383
magazine for which he writes and then pester him with hard
questions, we feel sure that ere long you will find out for your¬
self whether he is right or wrong, provided you or any of your
near friends are troubled with consumption, and so are personally
interested in this subject. We take especial pleasure in giving
these selections; for a man who can see both sides of the truth
is always a man worth watching and trusting, though there is
no need of trusting any man blindly, not even a good homeo¬
path. P. D.)
The careful observer will have noticed, however, that a majority of
tubercular patients not only do not recover in Colorado, but are hurried
toward the grave much more rapidly than would have been the case had
they remained at home, or had they sought some section less near the
Heavens, with a climate more warm even if more damp, and less subject
to the rapid and extreme changes in temperature so constantly experi¬
enced within the limits of this state; while at the same time, in spite of
the altitude, or because of it, the majority of heart affections, excepting
only dilatation, and such as are brought on or aggravated by the use of
quinine, are greatly benefited by a residence among us. . . .
If, however, they are capable of overcoming this first depression, they
may recover, but the recovery is much more slow than it would be in a
warm, damp climate, and at the best is extremely doubtful.
Directly opposed to this class are the Calcarea patients, who revel in
all the characteristics for which this state is famous, and who are so braced
from the start that under proper conditions of living they generally
recover. ...
The majority of tubercular patients require Kali and it therefore
follows that a majority are not benefited by the Colorado climate, which
deduction is supported by facts. . . .
We have a different story to tell of heart affections, for in spite of the
popular belief to the contrary, it is clearly noticeable that with the excep¬
tions heretofore mentioned, heart troubles are greatly relieved in a compar¬
atively short time, provided the patients are not sent directly from sea-
level to so high an altitude.
When there is a marked heart weakness, the approach should be grad¬
ual, covering, say, five weeks, making one week for each one thousand
feet. ...
We are not prepared at this time to discuss causes, but we feel safe in
stating as a fact beyond dispute that the quinine patient has no place in
Colorado. It is a perfect location for those afflicted with malarial condi¬
tions provided they have not been treated by appreciable doses of
quinine. If they have been so treated, they should never be advised to
locate here until the quinine has been surely eliminated from the system,
for observation teaches that not only are such patients very liable to a
Ion % and severe illness of the malarial type, but that they are quite likely
to sink into a tubercular state. . . .
We would warn physicians then:
First.— Never to send a Kali patient to Colorado except in the very
early stages, before ulceration has become marked, and not then if there
is sufficient weakness present to prevent activity.
Send them to the Sunny South even though it be damp.
Second. —Always send a Calcarea patient to Colorado, whatever stage
Digitized by ^ooQle
384
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
of the disease may be present. Never send them where dampness
prevails.
Third.— Never send a quinine patient to Colorado until the drug has
been eliminated by proper homeopathic treatment.
Fourth. —Send all heart cases to Colorado, excepting those which
show a tendency to dilatation, those suffering from quinine poisoning, and
those where the heart affection is associated with a tubercular condition,
the symptomatology of which is shown in a picture of the potash remedies.
A Problem in Therapeutics.
One day, when P. D. was out in the woods, he discovered in
one of our exchanges, the North American Journal of Homeop¬
athy, an article by one of the editors of the Advance, in which
he tells us how a certain consumptive was greatly helped by only
four doses of a certain homeopathic remedy.
Incidentally, the writer, Dr. Harvey Farrington, remarks, that
any tyro would have known what medicine to give, and that the
case is of interest simply because of the wonderful light it throws
on the power of homeopathic treatment. But we are very
strongly inclined to think that many tyros would find it quite
difficult to know what remedy was indicated by the group of
symptoms here reported, and so we venture to publish all the
earlier symptoms of the case, with the medicine left out, so that
our younger readers may have a chance to guess for themselves
what medicine would cure the case. Then, by turning to our
Thought Exchange (first page), they will find just what medi¬
cine was actually used in curing the case.
The symptoms reported are as follows:
Aleck M. McIntyre, aet. 38, had for a year and a half com¬
plained of cough, night sweats, and the usual symptoms of pul¬
monary tuberculosis, diagnosed as such, first by Drs. Gustin
and Lawrence, of St. Thomas, his native town in Ontario, Can¬
ada, and later by Dr. Harvey, of Harvey, Illinois, who had
treated the patient for about a year, the sputum was examined
for bacteria, once every week, and these were invariably found.
The patient was steadily failing, he was ordered South as his
only chance to live.
tie went to New Mexico, leaving his family behind. In four
Digitized by ^ooQle
A PROBLEM IN THERAPEUTICS.
385
or five months, he seemed better. The cough was lighter, the
night sweats had ceased, and he had gained slightly in strength
and weight. But his money gave out, and he was obliged to
return to Chicago and resume his duties as engineer on the Illi¬
nois Central Railroad.
He had not made many trips before the old symptoms began
to come back. The climax being reached about June first, when
he was seized with a violent chill while riding on his engine.
June 13, he had headache, right side of head and behind eye¬
balls. Cough, hard and racking, worse in the morning after
waking. Expectoration thick, yellowish and heavy, “seems to
come from the stomach.” Soreness and aching in muscles and
joints since chill, two weeks previous. Had malaria for about
five years, suppressed two years ago with quinine.
Until thus suppressed, the chills returned every spring, were
quotidian in type, appeared at 4 p. m., and were accompanied
with dull, frontal headache and thirst. He could recall no fur¬
ther particulars, except that all the sufferings were relieved by
the sweat.
Weak, all-gone sensation in the stomach, in the morning on
waking at 10 a. m., and at 4 p. m. Poor appetite; thirst
for cold water. Desire for salt; is very fond of it. Pain in the
right chest. Physical examination reveals an area of consolida¬
tion about as large as the palm of the hand, on the outer side of
the nipple, surrounded by mucous rales, and some suspicious
areAs near the right apex. Extreme nervousness; is easily
startled; trembles. Suffers from a good deal of palpitation. Is
melancholy; irritable; when once aroused, his temper becomes
uncontrollable. Weighs only 119 pounds, and has been rapidly
losing since his return from New Mexico.— See Thought Ex¬
change.
Probably there is no more effective way of lessening pauper¬
ism, insanity and crime than is found in the rational kindly care
of mentally deficient children, until such time as they are able
to care for themselves, and find a helpful, pleasant niche in life.
— Suggested by the Medical Critic.
Digitized by ^ooQle
386
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Some Lycopodium Cases.
W. H. FREEMAN, M. D., BROOKLYN, N. Y.
Case i. Boy aged 6, blonde, blue eyes. Had been ailing for
six months; for the last two weeks had been growing rapidly
worse.
Two other children in the same family had died of a similar
disease, the cause of death having been given as tubercular men¬
ingitis. A third child died of marasmus when six months old.
The mother is of a tubercular diathesis; she has had seven
children in nine years and is an invalid.
The father has had atrophic rhinitis four years; had gonorrhea
twice before marriage; and is a reformed drunkard who admits
having had delirium tremens twice.
During the first week of treatment Ars. 200, Bry. 200 and
Bell. 200, each gave temporary relief, but the patient has con¬
tinued to grow worse.
The temperature now reached 106 0 F. in spite of sponging
which had no appreciable effect.
He was either in a stupor with eyes and mouth half open (K.
362) or he was screaming with all his might.*
The pupils were dilated and there was great photophobia.
General hyperesthesia was marked and the least noise or touch
or jarring of the floor was almost unendurable.
There is marked rigidity of the muscles of the neck and re¬
traction of the head.
Frequent propulsive vomiting.
Intense thirst for cold drinks, would swallow a glassful in two
or three gulps and screech for more.
Spasmodic action of aloe nasi which probably first suggested
Lyc. to be confirmed later by a study of the other symptoms.
Lyc. 200, four doses, one every hour, gave considerable relief
and he passed a comparatively easy night.
The next forenoon there being a return of violent symptoms
with flushed face and warm sweat, three doses of Opium 200
•Dr. Kent’s Repertory gives this in common type only (K-83), but he informs us that
it ought to be black-faced. P. D.
Digitized by
Google
SOME LYCOPODIUM CASES.
387
were given at hourly intervals with benefit. That evening
Lycopodium was repeated and thereafter a few doses "in the
m potency every afternoon for about a week. He made a good
recovery and has continued well up to date (eighteen months).
[If Lyc. 1,000 had been tried before Opium (homeopathic,
was resorted to, the clinical value of this case would rank much
higher. But even now it is one of exceptional interest and will
well repay study.]
Case II. A baby brother of the preceding, aged one year,
developed bronchopneumonia while teething. The symptoms
were those common to the disease plus the following:
Stupor — mouth and eyes half open — eyes turned upward; or
shrill crying with jerking of head about and boring same into
pillow.
Pronounced fan-like motion of aloe nasi.
Aggravation 4 to 8 P. M.
Belching and flatus.
Great photophobia; and < from light or noise.
Voracious thirst for cold drinks; grabs glass and drains same
in a few gulps and begs for more.
^ Lyc. 200, every two hours until relieved and thereafter a
dose whenever necessary. After every dose there quickly fol¬
lowed profuse sweat with a dropping of temperature and de¬
cided relief of suffering. Recovery was perfect.
The mother was afraid of the medicine; it made the baby close
his eyes and sleep so quietly. “ She was sure it must be mor¬
phine.”
The peculiar thirst noted in these two cases was quickly re¬
lieved by Lycopodium, although I could not find it in the patho¬
genesis of the drug.
Case III. Girl aged three, well formed, rosy cheeked, blue
eyed, blonde.
Loud bubbling rales over entire chest with marked dulness
and tubular breathing over most of the right side. Examina¬
tion was very difficult owing to screaming, kicking, etc., but
case was diagnosed as bronchopneumonia with lobar consolida-
Digitized by ^ooQle
388
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
tion on right side. Condition began several days before with a
bad cough.
Though gasping for breath she screams and strikes at every
one near her; wants to get out of crib and go down stairs. Bry¬
onia failed to relieve; and on calling again in the evening found
her much worse. T. 106 2-5, P. 180+, R. 92.-
Icy coldness of ears, chin and extremities.
Stupor: lies on back with mouth and eyes partly open, but
is still ugly if disturbed.
Shallow breathing and rattling in throat.
Gave Lyc. 200, four doses with hourly intervals. This was
followed by a marked change for the better.
During the four or five days which followed, tepid spongings
were given by a trained nurse with practically no effect on the
afternoon temperature. But a dose of Lycopodium would at
once check the rise in temperature and its repetition hourly for
a few times would bring same down and keep it in the neighbor¬
hood of 103°.
Recovery was perfect and uneventful.
Case IV. Woman aged 28, slender, sallow, blonde. Had been
ill for six days. T. 99 3-5, P. 120 to 128 and very irregular;
R. 28 and entirely costal.
The surgeon whom I at once called in diagnosed it as sup¬
purative appendicitis; but advised against operation as useless,
owing to the poor condition of the patient.
He said I might try medication, if I wished, and he would
operate later if the patient improved.
She was at once sent to the hospital and as she presented
typical Lycopodium symptoms the drug was given every two
hours in the 200th potency, though with but slight hope of
benefit.
The improvement, however, was quick and pronounced, and
continued for several days, when her condition became station¬
ary. There was now a well-marked and increasing area of
dulness in the right hypogastrium and further delay was deemed
inadvisable.
The abdomen was opened, disclosing a large mass of gan¬
grenous omentum and bowel, matted together and surrounding
Digitized by ^ooQle
SOME LYCOPODIUM CASES. 389
cavities from which pus and feces were evacuated. The appen¬
dix and a part of the caput coli had sloughed away.
The gangrenous tissues were removed and the operation com¬
pleted in good surgical style, but the surgeon still gave a bad
prognosis, saying, “You know these cases usually die.”
The patient was certainly in a very bad condition right after
and for several days following the operation; but with the
best of nursing and more Lycopodium 200, she made a perfect
recovery.
Now it might be said in criticism that recovery in these few
cases does not prove that the remedy and potency had anything
to do with it — they might have recovered without, etc., etc.
Admitting the wonderful curative powers of nature, is it not
a fact that cases of this character reach such a state only through
an overwhelming of the vital forces; and that recovery is rare,
even with the best of nursing and with or without the best of
the so-called scientific treatment of the day?—But I believe it
is not exaggerating to say, that a very large percentage of such
cases do recover when nature is aided by careful homeopathic
prescribing. The superabundance of similar testimony from the
life-long experience of hundreds of conscientious and well-in¬
formed homeopaths cannot fail to convince any unprejudiced
truth seeker.
Seems to me the testimony of those who succeed in a difficult
undertaking should be of greater value than the mere opinions
and theories of those who fail or never try.
[We cannot help thinking that in all these cases, except the one of
appendicitis, Dr. Freeman’s most encouraging cures would have been
still more rapid if he had gone just one step higher and used the 1000th
potency, as the 200th seems to have been a little too fchort-lived in its
grip.
In regard to the proper explanation of such cures, we should like to
add just a word: The man who sneeringly calls it Christian Science is
doubtless mistaken in his explanation and to be pitied for the spirit of
littleness, which makes him sneer; and yet he is not so utterly off (as we
are at times inclined to think); for Christian Science is but mental science
misused, while Homeopathy is but mental science used rightly. I do not
remember to have often seen this remark, but what else can be the true
meaning of Hahnemann’s teaching when he speaks of a * spirit-like force”
that cures the sick? Is it not the man’s own spirit, which, by the help of
Digitized by ^ooQle
390
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
our little pills, is brought in touch with the body which needs its help? It
certainly is not our medicine that cures, but the vis medicatrix naturae,
which is but another name for the vis medicatrix of the spirit.
But let not any one claim that we have put Christian Science and
Homeopathy in the some box; for Christian Science is the allopathic,
antipatnic soul-repressing use of mental science, while Homeopathy
simply gives the soul within a better chance to show its power.]
Memories of Long Ago.
S. J. QUINBY, M. D., OMAHA, NEB.
Away back in the fifties, I was a boy at school in the little
town of North Scituate, nine miles west of Providence, R. I.,
where my father was conducting what is now known as the
Lapham Institute.
Our family physician was a bright, ambitious young man of
the dominant school. My general health was being seriously
undermined by frequent and copious loss of blood from hem¬
orrhoids and though the doctor devoted his best energies to the
case and I was an equally loyal patient, he told me at the end
of a year’s effort that he could not help me and advised to place
myself under the care of Dr. Parsons, of Providence, R. I., who
was then the leading old-school physician of the state. I called
on the doctor, described my condition, and related what had
been done for me.
He ordered cold water injections, > large-sized rectal bou¬
gies and so on. But after three or four days of this treatment
the pain became so great and parts so tender I was obliged to
desist.
About this time I happened to mention my condition to the
pastor of our church who was an ardent disciple of Homeopathy.
What interested me especially was the fact that he claimed to
have been permanently cured of a condition similar to mine in
a very short time by the use of homeopathic remedies. I, there¬
fore, reasoned that even if these remedies acted entirely through
faith and still effected a cure of piles, it was far better than what
I was doing and decidedly more comfortable and I would look
Digitized by CjOOQle
MEMORIES OF LONG AGO.
391
into the matter. So learning that Dr. Barrows and Dr. Okey
were then doing valiant service for the cause of Homeopathy in
Providence and vicinity, I called on Dr. Barrows, stated my con¬
dition and after close questioning he made some notations in his
case book and handed me two small phials, one containing a clear
liquid and the other pellets about the size of a pin's head. The
directions were to take four pellets every morning and two drops
of the liquid in a teaspoonful of water every night at bedtime.
Without any hesitation, he assured me of a complete cure. I re¬
turned home, took the medicine and in three months was a well
boy and no return of hemorrhoids to date nearly fifty years.
The remedies used were Sulphur third and Hamamelis third.
I then began to think of becoming a homeopathic physician my¬
self, but my friends advised me to first acquire a thorough med¬
ical education, in an old-school college, which I finally did grad¬
uating from the University Medical College of New York in
i860.
The stormy times of 1862 found me an army surgeon. I well
remember how on one of those bright days I was unwittingly
the cause of an involuntary proving of Ipecac upon the respira¬
tory apparatus of one of our surgeons. I spilled a small quan¬
tity of the powder in his haversack; next day he had occasion to
use it and seeing on the inside what he supposed to be dust,
turned the haversack over and shook it. He instantly began
to gasp with one of the severest attacks of asthma I had ever
seen and one I shall not soon forget.
When the war was over, I settled in Memphis, Tenn., and here
in 1870, ten years after my graduation, I began to carry out mv
original intention of practicing Homeopathy by the purchase of
homeopathic books and a study of the Organon. In two years
I had acquired sufficient confidence in my ability to handle the
remedies to announce myself a homeopathic physician.
Late one night I was called on to help a woman whom I
found sitting by the side of her bed with both hands tightlv
grasping the rail and rocking her body backward and forward,
exclaiming, “ Oh Lord, Oh Lord! ” with every gasp of breath.
Her face was livid and it seemed as though she would momen¬
tarily expire from suffocation. But it was such a vivid reminder
Digitized by
Google
392
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
of my army experience that I felt sure Ipecac must be the remedy,
if there was any truth in the homeopathic theory; so I took a
dean flask, filled it nearly full of water, put in two grains of
powdered Ipecac and then thoroughly shook it.
I gave her two teaspoonfuls of this mixture and in fifteen
minutes repeated the dose. I then ordered her placed in bed
and given the same dose every half hour until she felt easy. But
before it was time for the next dose she went to sleep and did
not awake again till morning. Medicine was continued next day,
but no further remedies were needed. This was experiment No.
one.
I was naturally somewhat elated at such prompt results and
when the next asthma case came in all confidence I gave Ipecac
again; but this time I failed. And so I discovered that I must
begin to differentiate more closely.
Dr. Quinby also mentions the fact that he was on duty for ninety-three
days fighting yellow fever during the epidemic of 1879, he being the only
homeopathic physician in Memphis, who was asked to serve in this
capacity by the Howard Association. He tells us that he treated five hun¬
dred twenty-five cases, most of them complicated by malarial poison, thus
making them more complex. His losses were thirty-two per cent among
the white, and twelve per cent among his colored cases; while the average
losses reported by the eleven regular physicians on the commission were
forty-three per cent among the whites, and fifteen per cent among the
colored.
Homeopathy in Diseases of the Lower Animals.
ALEXANDER C. HERMANCE, M. D., ROCHESTER, N. Y.
I wish to add my experience with pure Homeopathy in the
lower animals by citing several cases which I think fully dem¬
onstrate the fact that we can cure sick animals as well as sick
people quicker and better with Hahnemannian methods than by
any other.
Case I.— Being an admirer of thoroughbred dogs, the Scotch
collie in particular, I have been the owner of several fine speci¬
mens of this breed. About two years ago my dog “Don,” a
male pup one year old, had a severe attack of distemper and’
Digitized by CjOOQle
HOMEOPATHY IN DISEASES OF THE LOWER ANIMALS. 393
presented the following symptoms: loss of appetite, chills and
fever, running at the nose, cough, gagging, vomiting and chorea.
A veterinary whom I called said he was very sick and would
probably die. He ordered one ounce of castor oil every twenty-
four hours and Quinine every three hours. After several days
of this treatment with no improvement I concluded to try a
little Homeopathy on him. I had noticed that the saliva and
the discharges from the nose were stringy, the saliva hanging
in long tenacious strings to the ground. [See K. Saliva — vis¬
cid.] I put a powder of Kali bich. 200 dry on his tongue and
repeated it in three hours. The result was that in twenty-four
hours the discharge had almost ceased, the vomiting was relieved,
the cough better and appetite returned with rapid recovery.
Case II.— A Scotch collie pup nine months old was taken
with convulsions, the beginning of distemper. He rushed wildly
through the house, running against objects as though partially
blind, yelping as if in much pain. After he had quieted a little,
he seemed to want to lap water, but could not swallow it.
Pupils greatly dilated, conjunctiva congested, nervous trembling.
1 put one powder of Belladonna cm dry on his tongue. In an
hour he was quiet, without return of pain and able to drink,
made a good recovery and did not have distemper.
Case III.— This spring one of my horses took cold and
developed a severe attack of influenza; would not eat; had
fluent discharge from the nose and eyes; loose, rattling cough
and was very weak and thin.
Under the care of the veterinary and stable man he got “no
better very fast,” especially his cough, which was very loose and
rattling and sounded like soapsuds.
From my pocket case I prepared twelve powders of Anti-
monium carb. 200 to be given three times daily in hot bran
mash. The horse improved rapidly and I was able to drive
him in three days.
The proprietor of the stables wanted to know what on earth
was in those “ little powders.” They must have been “ very
powerful.” And I said yes they were.
Let us have more Hahnemannian veterinarians.
Digitized by CjOOQle
394
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Hemorrhage During Labor.
From an article in the Medical Visitor, by Dr. C. E. Fisher,
we clip the following helpful suggestions:
Ergot [used physiologically] is the standby of many an ob¬
stetrician, to his patient’s detriment and his own discomfiture.
Given in appreciable doses it contracts the womb, it is true; but
it contracts the sinuses upon many a clot, these afterward to l>e
carried into the circulation,— phlebitis, thrombi and abscesses
resulting. It, likewise, induces hour-glass contraction and re¬
tains within the upper segment clots and debris to induce infec¬
tion and dismay. But Sabina will do all that Ergot does, and
do it safely.
In Sabina, the blood pours away in a torrent, hot, bright red,
arterial, by spurts. Its field is not limited to abortion, as too
many assume, but covers the entire obstetric domain.
Of Ipecac, Dr. Fisher says that when there is sighing, qualm¬
ishness and great faintness, a picture of utter relaxation, then
Ipecac will beat both Ergot and Sabina, the Ipecac hemorrhage
being one in which the blood pours forth without effort and
without spurting, a veritable pool of blood, which seems to come
away by mere gravitation.
Nitric acid and Phosphorus .— He also mentions as two of
the best remedies in our materia medica for hemorrhage, yet
medicines rarely thought of in obstetrics. The type of the sub¬
ject is the key to the prescription. We all know the lean, lank,
lethargic, sallow stoop-shouldered, sandy-haired and freckled '
Phosphorus; but we often forget the fiery, florid, fervent and
furious Nitric acid.
The Nitric acid hemorrhagic has been irritable all through
labor, her tissue did not relax readily, her face is almost as red
as that of the Belladonna woman. Now she bleeds hot, crimson
blood in spurts, will not do as bid, and chafes under efforts
for her relief.
Regularity in nursing is not only better for the child, but
is also more likely to, result in a sufficient supply of milk.
Digitized by L^ooQle
WEANING THE BABY TOO SOON. 395
Weaning the Baby Too Soon.
In the Medical and Surgical Reporter, for January, Dr. Z. W.
Shepherd, of Toledo, Ohio, states that in his experience the pro¬
portion of deaths among artificially fed children, as distinguished
from those who are fed at the breast, is more than six to one
against the artificially fed. If physicians will only keep in mind
more constantly sad facts like these, and gently, but plainly,
would speak of them, as they go from house to house, telling
the mothers that the chance of losing their children are six times
as great, if that child is brought up on the bottle, we believe that
many a mother would reluctantly, and yet gladly* take up the
burden of feeding her child, and that under careful medical
treatment the mother who had made this self-denial would find
herself happier and stronger than the one, who thinking herself
too weak had yielded to what seemed the inevitable and weaned
her child too soon.
In this same article, Dr. Shepherd speaks of the fact that some
physicians claim that the child will be in danger of nursing dis¬
ease from the mother, but points out the fact that unless the
mother is gravely diseased, the chances of that child being killed
through inability to digest artificial foods is far greater than
the danger of its being injured greatly by its mother’s milk; for
even when the mother’s milk is not quite as good as it should
be, it is oftentimes better for her own child than the best of
artificial foods; for mother nature ordinarily knows better than
we do what kind of food our children need, and she prepared
the breast, and not the bottle.
Dr. Nash’s Summer School at Cortland, N. Y.
We are sorry that our attention was not called to Dr. Nash’s
Summer School of Homeopathy in season to refer to it in our
June number. We are heartily glad of every move that makes
it any easier for practitioners to come nearer to the ideal which
we all love, but sometimes find so hard to practice, and we are
Digitized by C.ooQle
396
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
glad to see that little by little more emphasis is being laid on
the necessity of studying more closely the more characteristic
parts of our materia medica, and pointing out more clearly ways
in which different medicines Differ from Each Other; since
there is so much that is true, which, nevertheless no ordinarv
man can ever expect to remember; while the more strikingly
distinctive peculiarities of any medicine are, oftentimes, easy to
remember, when they have been once definitely pointed out and
emphasized.
As we look over that blessed book, Her mg's so-called, “ Con¬
densed ” Materia Medica, we cannot help smiling at the fright¬
ful difficulty of making a good prescription, with only that
book to guide one, since symptoms which are common to
scores of different medicines, are mingled so inextricably with
others that are of the highest distinctive value.
For it seems to us that a book on elementary materia medica
should never try to fully describe any medicine, or even its lead¬
ing uses (except in finer type) or to indicate its full range of
power, except in merest outline, but rather should confine itself
to seemingly trifling, but highly distinctive peculiarities, which
will help the learner in recognizing the medicine almost at first
sight, when he meets it in real life. Then will be the time for him
to refer to some more extended work for confirmation of his
tentative choice or else to the finer printed details referred to
above.
The Indicated Remedy.
A remarkable cure.
In May, ’89, a lady called at my office with a huge ulcer on
the dorsum of her nose, which had resisted treatment for over
two years. After examining her carefully, I failed to see just
what the indicated remedy was, and so simply gave her a fair
allowance of sugar and sent her away, telling her to call again
next week. Then I buckled down for hard, careful study of
her case. But the indicated remedy was not found; and so a
Digitized by C^ooQLe
THE INDICATED REMEDY.
397
second time, after still further inquiry, I sent her away with
nothing but Placebo, though very carefully charging her both
times not to use any of the medicines which she had been using
so faithfully. After a while she came a third time, and To My
Surprise and gratification I found that the ulcer was actually
getting better, and so did not give anything but Placebo this
time either. At the end of six weeks that ulcer had healed with
nothing but Placebo to heal it. Will you please tell me what
lesson this case teaches?
[Our friend is evidently a little bit disgusted at his success in curing that ulcer, in spite
of the fact that in six weeks he cured a two years’ ulcer, which was certainly doing
pretty well. The lesson he drew from the case later on in the same conversation was
that the reporting of cases in our journals is all a humbug, for, says he: n If I had
prescribed Aconite or Zizia, everybody would have said: ‘Now, wasn’t that a triumph
for Zizia!' whereas really all the woman needed was to give nature a fair chance to cure
herself.”
Now, my dear Doctor, you were very wise in giving nature a chance to do her work,
and in not prescribing hastily, but, since you have the reputation of being one of the
best prescriber in North Town College, I for one am satisfied that there were not any
urgent indications in the case for any remedy. But if thtrt bad b«t* imduatiam that clearly
pointed to Zlzzia or Aconite or Jewsharp, your Sac Lac would never have cured her.
I fully admit that cases reported in the journals may easily mislead, and I believe it is
an editor’s duty to reject or challenge a great many of the reported cases, provided he
detects In them any reason for suspecting that the cure was really due to some other
cause, or that it was not as complete as the writer believes. But if we take these clinical
cases mat at pr—f, but simply as tentative Hints, as a means of getting our eyes opened. I
feel sure we shall often find them helpful.
And if any one should ask whether you earned your fee, I should say most emphat¬
ically yes. for you saved the woman from the dangerous salve which she was using so
plentifully, and like a good policeman, stood ready and able to give further help, if
needed. I therefore congratulate you most heartily. Your friend. P. D.]
Rhus Tox. and Bryonia in Low Fevers.
R. P. VIVIAN, M. D., BARRIE, ONT.
A boy of sixteen was ill with “ something of a typhoid nature/'
so his doctor thought for some two weeks. Was taking Gelsc-
mium, Baptisia, Antimonium tart, Sweet spirits of niter, Turpen¬
tine, Morphine, Strychnine, Epsom salts. Had been sinking
steadily for the past seventy-two hours. I was called in at 3
a. m., November, 3.
Present condition: Lies now on one side and then on the other;
low muttering delirium; wants to be moved from his bed into
the next room and then back again; cries if left alone during
any of his conscious moments; mouth dry; tongue coated yel¬
lowish-brown, is soft and flabby, with the end clean and dry and
Digitized by
Google
398
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
red; stools very frequent, involuntary, is unconscious of their
passage, horribly offensive, pasty, yellowish-brown, with some
blood; abdomen tympanitic; is thirsty; pulse is weak and soft.
Low fever with great debility; a little sleep relieves.
Rhus tox. 200 in water, every half hour till morning.
November 3, 8 A. M .— Patient improved in every way, more
quiet, sleeps more and better. Stools less offensive and no
longer involuntary.
Kept patient on Rhus for five days with steady improvement,
when as the result of carelessness he caught cold while having
his clothes changed. This resulted in compelling him to lie flat
on his back; intense pain in both iliac regions < on the slightest
movement (K. 549.) On palpation and percussion lower por¬
tion of abdomen and contents seemed soggy.
Bryonia 200, hourly, straightened this out, and gave absolute
relief from pain in about three hours.
Patient progressed steadily from then on. Cinchona and later
Sulphur cm. finished the case.
North American Clinical Notes.
Diphtheria and Tonsilitis. —Apply a small rubber bag filled
with finely crushed ice to the throat and keep it there until the
patient feels the discomfort of the cold, which will not be as long
as any inflammation exists. We have never seen the membrane
advance in any case after the ice bag has been applied.
Tuberculosis. — One of the most important symptoms of
tuberculosis is a rapid low tension pulse (80 to 100), especially
with a small heart and in people from twenty to forty years old.
A daily rise of temperature above 99 is confirmatory.
Diabetes. — Total exclusion of carbohydrates from a diabetic’s
diet is dangerous as well as unnecessary. If suddenly withdrawn,
diabetic coma may ensue.
Digitized by C.ooQLe
The Medical Advance
AND
JOURNAL OF HOMEOPATHICS.
A Monthly Journal of Hahnemannian Homeopathy
When we have to do with an art whose end is the saving of human
life, any neglect to make ourselves thorough masters of it becomes a
crime.— Hahnemann.
Subscription Price - - - Two Dollars a Year.
We believe that Homeopathy, well understood and faithfully practiced, has power to save more
lives and relieve more pain than any other method of treatment ever invented or discovered by
man; but that to be a first-class homeopathic prescriber is one of the hardest things under
Heaven. Yet we also believe that by patient care it can be made a little plainer and easier than
it now is. To explain and define and in all practical ways simplify, it is therefore our chosen
work. In this good work we ask your help.
Further details will be found in the Publisher’s Comer.
To accommodate both readers and publisher this Journal will be sent until arrears are paid
and it is ordered discontinued.
Communications regarding Subscriptions and Advertisements may be sent to the publisher.
Pilgrim Office, Battle Creek, Mich.
Contributions, Exchanges, Books for Review, and all other communications should be
addressed to the Editor, 5142 Washington Avenue, Chicago.
JULY, 1904
CDitorfal.
Please reed and ponder our creed, given above.
Beautiful Children But Not Really Healthy.
Quite often children are brought to us who seem perfectly
well, and even the physician will say to the mother, “ You have
a remarkably healthy child. ,, But it seems to me, in cases like
these, we are sometimes badly deceived. For the fair, beautiful,
somewhat excessive plumpness and quietness of that child, may
both of them indicate a torpid, unnatural condition of the sys¬
tem, due to slight, but unmistakable scrofula, which later on
in life may seriously lessen that child’s usefulness and happiness
and may even develop into serious sickness.
If then we were to say, in cases like this, you have a beautiful
child, instead of saying you have a healthy one, our words would
Digitized by ^ooQle
400
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
be much nearer the truth, and we would not lose our power to
help in lessening, ere it is too late, the undertone of scrofula in
that child’s life, which is likely to seriously impair its usefulness
later on. For, though many of the most beautiful and intelli¬
gent men and women living are markedly tainted with scrofula
(since it seems to be almost inseparable from genius), it none the
less is true that these very same people would be happier and
more successful than they are, if this scrofulous undertone were
brought under better control, so as to become a source of
strength without being a source of such frequent weakness and
over-sensitiveness to disease and pain.
Consulting a Repertory at the Bedside.
In response to a number of questions published in our May
number, we are glad to learn that there are some physicians who
are wise enough and brave enough to consult a repertory at the
bedside, in cases that are at all puzzling or out of the ordinary.
We are well aware that the common objection to so doing is
that people will assume that you are an ignoramus; and not as
well informed as other doctors, who make their boast of never
needing any such helps.
But, as a matter of fact, you will really gain by so doing, if
you will face the issue and tell your patients plainly why it is
that the other man never needs a repertory; simply because he
selects his remedies more carelessly, and they fit like ready¬
made clothes and ready-made ladies* dresses, which so often
adorn the fronts of third-rate stores. Do this and they will
quickly see the point.
And secondly, be sure to remind them that the physician who
always knows at once just what to give, and seems to have such
a wonderful memory, is very apt to be a man who in a serious
case falls back on Opium and other sedatives, cathartics and
suppressants. Do this, and, meanwhile, be true to your own
ideal, prescribe with care, and your little pocket repertory, instead
of being a thing at which your patients will take offense, will
Digitized by CjOOQle
EDITORIAL. 401
be with them but an evidence that you are a long way ahead
of most of your rivals.
Of course, if unluckily, you are yourself a lazy or third-rate
doctor, and your rival is industrious and an able man, using a
repertory will not save you. But if you are doing your best and
qualified for the work you have chosen, the repertory will only
add to your laurels and help in winning others to your side.
Such is the testimony of some of our correspondents, and we
believe that the number of such witnesses is bound to steadily in¬
crease, as the American people understand more fully the funda¬
mental difference between prescribing by very close similars
and simply prescribing stimulants and opiates and superficial
r emedies.
The Dangers and Benefits of Specializing.
“ Shut your eyes and open your mouth and ask no questions,
then swallow my medicine like a nest of young crows, and the
more you swallow the better. ,, Such is one of the opening
thoughts of an article by Dr. A. B. Grant in the Medical Cen¬
tury, in which he refers incidentally to the fact that we are prone
to go it blind in medicine, and assume that Osteopathy or Nerve
Therapeutics or Electricity or Hydropathy or Mental Science
or Orificial Surgery or Patent Medicines are going to lessen
all our ills at one grand jump.
Dr. Grant is a most hearty believer in many of these methods
of cure, and especially in orificial surgery, which he has tested
“ with the most satisfactory results ” for the past fifteen years.
But he believes that it is a great mistake to tie ourselves down
to some one hobby, and try to explain everything by that alone.
In which opinion we heartily concur, since the strong man is
he who has his hobbies, his specialty, about which he writes
and talks oftenest, but one who in his daily routine practice
makes careful use of many different methods, so long as they
are consistent with one another. He is not an omnibus ; he is
not a hash-bag; he is not a jack at all trades, but he is careful
to use a goodly variety of tools in dealing with a difficult case,
Digitized by ^ooQle
402
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
and is also careful to choose the best tools for an easy case and
the ones best fitted to that particular condition.
One other thought along these lines is also worth quoting:
‘This time will come, is already coming, when our best physi¬
cians, instead of trying to dabble in many different ways of cure,
will simply be careful to clearly locate each case, and find out
what sort of treatment it requires, and then pass on to some
competent specialist the cases which are not properly within die
worker's own sphere." This tendency will, doubtless, go too far
for a while, for even now we are apt to be a little hasty in send¬
ing people to eye and ear specialists, when what they really most
need is just the constitutional treatment which we might give
them. But, nevertheless, it is true that there are cases which the
eye and ear specialist can treat vastly better than we can, and
we only save our self-respect, and the respect of our patients,
if we are careful to pass along such cases as these before they
become chronic and incurable, for then even the specialist can¬
not cure them. So we have injured our own reputation and the
reputation of the specialist as well.
It certainly reveals a most deplorable ignorance, or else a most
short-sighted conceit among general practitioners when special¬
ists tell us, as they sometimes do, that most of the cases which
come to them are incurable from the very start.
Let us not have a blind respect for specialists. They are
human like the rest of us, and through excessive specializing and
neglecting of the body at large, make some sad mistakes. And,
as a class, they are more in danger than the rest of us, of using
mere palliative treatment. But, nevertheless, there are some
things which a really careful, clear-headed specialist knows vastly
better than we do and the sooner we recognize this fact, and
co-operate with him, by promptly committing to his care cases
which puzzle us, the better it will be for our own reputation and
for the welfare of our patients. But, if you are unfortunate
enough to know of no competent really homeopathic specialist
within gunshot of your town, you should certainly devote a’
little extra time to the study of each hard case, so as to do the
best you can. For a second-rate specialist, who deals persist*-
ently in mere palliatives, and neglects true Homeopathy, can
Digitized by ^ooQle
EDITORIAL.
403
never do as good work as a general practitioner who is true to
his colors and is not afraid to burn midnight oil, when face to
face with some hard case.
Using Physiological Remedies.
The question has been asked whether a homeopathic journal
can consistently advertise proprietary medicines? To which we
reply, that if the editor believes in using, them or in tacitly rec¬
ommending them, he can, of course, consistently advertise them
in his journal. So that the whole question turns upon the deeper
problem as to whether it is wise for a homeopath to try to com¬
bine both methods of treatment, the old school and the new. For
the sake of argument we will frankly admit that there may be
times when having given up all hope of really curing a case, a
homeopathic physician might be justified in using antipathic rem¬
edies, provided he was not sufficiently acquainted with his own
materia medica to find homeopathic remedies which would just
as truly relieve the pain by simple homeopathic palliation. But
the question still remains. Do such cases occur often enough
to justify our trying to master both methods of treatment?
We reply most emphatically, No. For if a physician allows
his brain and memory to be loaded down with old-school prescrip¬
tions, the temptation will be very strong to use these prescrip¬
tions ten, yes a hundred times oftener than there is any just ex¬
cuse for using them; and thus, though he will succeed in sooth¬
ing one case in a hundred more perfectly, because of his knowl¬
edge of allopathic drugs, he will be sure to treat ninety-nine other
cases much less successfully than he would have done, if he had
known nothing of these dangerous drugs, and their so-called
medicinal uses. For we are all human, and it is a great deal
easier to prescribe in old-school ways than it is to prescribe
homeopathically. Let us not then put ourselves in temptation
by learning both methods of treatment.
44 Lead us not into temptation ” was the prayer Christ taught
his followers, and we cannot help thinking that it is a good reason
• for letting alone old-school therapeutics; since we and our pa-
. Digitized by
Google
404
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
tients are sure to lose far more than we gain by meddling with
them.
Is the General Practitioner a Thing of the Past?
This question has been often asked, and often answered in
the affirmative. But we are satisfied that such an answer is a
mistake. We are often told that this is an age of specialists.
Profoundly true; but back of the specializing of the nineteenth
century, and of the twentieth, there looms one other feature,
the general manager of vast interests, the single man whose
many-sided brain controls the hands and fingers, and to some
extent the life and destiny of the hundreds and thousands of spe¬
cialists who work under his lead. Surely he is not a specialist
in any correct use of that word; he is a general practitioner, a
Jack at all trades, but a successful Jack . Sometimes, we freely
admit, he is not successful; sometimes the power that is put into
his hands drives him to gambling and speculation, and the vast
interests which he controls suffer sadly; yet if there is one thing
absolutely sure to be present in the life of the future it is the
successful Jack at all trades. The man who as an editor, as a
manager, as a doctor, as a lawyer or as the head of some great
trust advises and commands his fellow men in matters which
do not pertain to any one specialty, but require an intelligent,
accurate though not a finished knowledge of the fundamental
workings of a great many different specialties.
And so we are more and more convinced that the general prac¬
titioner, though, just at present, looked upon as a back number,
is destined to really have more influence in the near future than
the average specialist. To be successful he will have to be a
man of larger ability than most of his colleagues; for his work
will require much greater versatility, and much greater ability to
easily remember and forget; to select and reject; and to know
how to get the cream of a subject without too much of its detail.
Of course, the successful specialist, the first-class specialist, will
always need just as much real ability as the successful general
practitioner. But he never can take his place. The world
needs both.
Digitized by ^ooQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
A Problem in Therapeutics Continued from Page 384.—
The remedy which Dr. Farrington used in helping this case was
Natrum muriaticum, three doses of the m. potency followed by
one dose of the cm. potency. But so long as he relied simply
on the m. potency, the case would keep improving and then
backsliding again. But after cm. was given, he tells us that
“this last dose picked him right up.” Inside of three months
he was feeling as well as ever he did. There was still some
pain in the right mammary region, but no dulness on percussion.
The rales had also disappeared. His weight had gone up from
119 to 150 pounds. The bacilli had also entirely disappeared.
So far as the statement here given is concerned, we cannot
agree with Dr. Farrington when he speaks of the man as being
“entirely restored to health and vigor;” but it was, none the
less, a most unmistakable triumph for Homeopathy, and for high
potency as well. “ One swallow doesn’t make a summer,” but
one swallow may set doctor? thinking.
An interesting feature of the case was, that while curing the
lung trouble an ear discharge of long ago had to be awakened
again, and at the time of writing had not yet been cured, yet
its very reappearance gives hope of still further improvement
in the man’s health later on.
I^et us turn for a moment to Kent’s Repertory, which, as
usual, we consult, in such cases, because it is the latest, fullest
and simplest, and see just how the perplexed beginner might
go to work to simplify this complex case: the four safest symp¬
toms to take in selecting a tentative remedy seemed to be the
following, for each of which we will copy simply the leading
black-faced remedies given by Dr. Kent:
Perspiration gave relief: Gels., Cham., Nat. m., Rhus.
A craving for salt: Arg, n., Carbo veg., Nat. m.,Phos. and
Verat.
Craving for cold water: Aeon., Ars., Bry., Cham., Chin.,
Cina., Eup. per., Nat. s., Phos., Verat.
Thirst during chill: Apis, Caps., Cina, Eup. per., Ign., Nat.
m., Nux v., Sep., Sil., Verat.
Digitized by ^ooQle
406
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Evidently these four symptoms give the key to the case, and
further study would easily make a final choice possible, even
for a very inexperienced workman; but P. D. still feels that
the case is not quite as simple as Dr. Farrington seems to think,
and it would not be at all strange if many of us, in our first
guess at a remedy have guessed wrong. For where there are
so many symptoms it is very easy to get off onto a false scent
and very hard to get back.
The Long Lasting Effects of Radium.— Both physicians
and laymen (but especially the former) are often skeptical when
told that a single dose of medicine can keep on working in the
system for several weeks or months. To such we would recom¬
mend a careful study of the following statement, quoted from
the Pall Mall Gazette, by our enterprising contemporary, the
Medical Gazette . It is taken from an interview with Monsieur
Pierre Curie. Monsieur Curie had been asked what he thought
of the probable value of radium; he replied:
“ The doctors think that they can cure lupus and polypus —
perhaps cancer — with it; but I know nothing about that — it
is their business, not mine. But it will burn, I can testify to that.
I put a tiny bit of salt of radium in an india-rubber capsule,
fastened it on my arm, and left it there ten hours. When I
took it off, the skin was red, and the place soon turned into a
wound, which took four months to heal.” He pulled up his
sleeve and showed a white cicatrix the size of a shilling, with
the skin round it puckered and discolored. “ Another time I
tried it for half an hour only. A wound appeared at the end of
a fortnight, and took another fortnight to heal. On a third
occasion I tried it for eight minutes only. Two months later
the skin became red and a bit sore, but it soon passed off.
The Pulse.—Intermittence and irregularity often exist in
the same patient. Irregularity is for the most part graver ns
a sign of disease than intermittence. It is often found in valv¬
ular disease, in chorea, in cerebral diseases and in some other
grave conditions. Yet there are cases of habitual irregularitv
in which no other fault can be discovered.
Digitized by CjOOQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
407
But intermittence is alarming in suspected cerebral disease,
and is serious in any acute disease and especially so in pulmonary
affections in elderly people. In cardiac disease it is a less grave
indication than irregularity. It is common especially in smok¬
ers, in dyspepsia and in gout, but is also found in persons who
are otherwise in excellent health.
Perhaps no one gets through life without an occasional sense
of intermission. This sense of intermission is sometimes de¬
scribed as a sudden feeling of goneness and sometimes as a
jar or a bump of the heart. It is said that an intermission that
does not reach the consciousness of the patient is of graver sig¬
nificance.— F. C. Waiters, M . D., in the Hospital Bulletin .
Heart Disease and Insanity. — The Caledonian Medical
Journal, quoted by the New England Medical Gazette, states
that heart disease occurs more frequently among the insane than
the sane, often developing after the patient has been admitted
to the asylum. Hypertrophy occurs oftener in mania than other
forms of insanity. Those found with lesions of the right side
of the heart suffer from restlessness and excitement, while those
with the left side affected have suspiciousness followed by de¬
pression and dementia.
Early Recognition of Pulmonary Tuberculosis. —Dr. J.
C. Johnston, quoted in the North American, for May, gives the
following symptoms, which may be considered highly suspicious.
They are given'in the order of their probable importance:
(1) A slight hacking, persistent cough, which is evidently
not referable to the larynx or upper trachea, and is worse at
night or on lying down, with very little or no expectoration.
[The laryngeal cough of consumption comes after the lungs are
affected.]
(2) A failing appetite, with marked repugnance for fatty
food.
(3) The patient is losing weight.
(4) After lying down, by day or night, the patient wakens
with neck and upper chest bathed in sweat.
Digitized by
Google
408
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
(5) Accelerated pulse of from 90° to ioo°, quick, irritable
and ill-sustained.
(6) Elevation of temperature, an unobtrusive symptom, but
one of the highest importance. A temperature elevation of one
degree is a symptom that must be accounted for unmistakably
by some other condition, or tuberculosis suspected.
(7) Fistula in ano also very strongly suggests either tuber¬
culosis or syphilis. [And if relieved by surgical methods is
quite apt to be followed by some still more serious pulmonary
affection.] These things are well worth remembering.
Uterine Polypus and Blindness.— In the Medical Brief
for April, 1904, page 321, Dr. Esleban Hammond, of La Nona
Sinaloa, Mexico, reports a case of blindness where the eyes were
perfectly bright and clear, which was cured inside of twenty-
four hours by the removal of a small uterine polypus, much to
the doctor’s surprise. The woman had also been very deaf pre¬
vious to the removal of the polypus; the deafness disappeared as
suddenly as did the blindness. The case is described quite fully
and is a very interesting one; for though my good friend, D. D. r
sneeringly remarks that it was nothing but hysteria, it seems to
me that he has forgotten that even hysteria doesn’t break out
without some cause somewhere, and that when we try to cure
it with simply a bucket of cold water, we do not cure it at all*
we simply suppress it; and in some more subtle and more fatal
way that very same hysteria will break out again some day and
will darken your patient’s life, in spite of the fact that you*
think you have cured it. Hysteria is just as surely a disease
as diphtheria. It is not ordinarily what it seems to be; the real
trouble is not where the woman thinks it is, but there is real
trouble somewhere; trouble which a kindly, skilful hand can
greatly lessen, and it seems to me a cruel wrong to try to con¬
trol it by the cold-water method.— I. G.
Psycho-Therapeutics. — Somewhere upon British soil there
is a young doctor who has within the last few days learned a
lesson which should be invaluable to him in his future practice.
Having accompanied his betrothed to a theater, while the
Digitized by CjOOQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
409
house was in semi-darkness she suddenly complained of feeling
faint. The doctor took something out of his pocket and whis¬
pered to her to keep the “ tabloid ” in her mouth, but not to
swallow it.
She did as she was told and soon felt all right again. The
tablet, however, showed no signs of dissolving, and in the end,
being curious to discover what the tasteless, indissoluble sub¬
stance that had proved so efficacious could be, she slipped the
undiminished substance into her glove for future inspection.
When she got home, she took it out of her glove again and
examined it. It was a bone glove-button. Quoted from The
London Leader by the New England Medical Gazette.
A Case of Antipyrin Poisoning. — K. reports two cases.
The first patient had been accustomed to the use of antipyrin,
which he took in large doses, frequently, for headache. But this
time he took two grams (one-half dram) at one dose. An hour
later a violent burning and itching of the skin was noticed, fn
the course of the next day he suffered with free perspiration,
nausea, vomiting, jaundice, palpitation and sensation as of im¬
pending death, swelling of the lips and visible mucous mem¬
brane. Almost the entire body was covered with a reddish
maculo-papular eruption, which later became a dirty blue and
finally yielded to a brownish pigmentation. The heart was dis¬
tinctly enlarged and two murmurs were audible. The urine
showed the antipyrin reaction. The eruption became vesicular
and then dried up in crusts. The patient was two weeks in re¬
covering. The second patient took one gram (fifteen grains)
of the drug; the entire body was covered with a measly rash,
showing here and there large erythematous patches and over
lips, buccal mucous membrane, and penis some vesicles. This
patient recovered within eighteen hours.— Therapeutic Reviezv ,
May, 1904.
Arnica After Delivery. — Arnica is a wonderful remedy,
symptoms agreeing , in obstetrical cases. The parts are more
or less bruised, often lacerated, and the patient complains of
great soreness, 'and with it she may have severe after-pains
Digitized by CjOOQle
410
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
always complaining of the soreness. Arnica is then her friend,
coming to her rescue and clearing up the entire trouble.— Cleve¬
land Reporter.
Lillium Tigrinum in Ovarian Diseases. — Lillium is one
of our most important and often indicated remedies for the
treatment of left-sided ovarian diseases. The pains are sharp,
cutting, and extend straight across the abdomen and down the
left thigh. Should the flowing continue while the patient is lying
down, it will contraindicate Lillium. Its leucorrhea is brownish,
excoriating and often very fetid.— Pacific Coast Journal of
Homeopathy .
Melilotus in Neuralgic Complaints. — The remarkable
effects of melilotus, or sweet clover, in neuralgic complaints
prompted me to order some for a case which had bothered me
not a little for several years. The gentleman had been subject
to attacks of neuralgia for fifteen or twenty years, affecting
the right side of head, and which had been the cause of the
almost complete destruction of sight in that eye. The attacks
were caused by fatigue, cold, or derangement of the stomach.
The pain centered about the eye, and extended over the right
side of head and neck, and left the scalp sore and tender to
the touch. The pain during some of the attacks was agoniz¬
ing in the extreme, and the patient would become wild and
furious with its severity. I had used all the usual remedies,
including morphine, at different times, but Aconite and Bella¬
donna had generally rendered the best service. I first used the
Melilotus last fall, with the effect to completely control the
attack, and since that time, when taken soon enough, it has al¬
ways checked or controlled it.— American Physician.
The Spelling School. — The ancient Greeks, when abusing
Homeopathy, used to pronounce it homoi-opathy. We have kept
the name, or rather stolen it, though using it very differently, and
we have also changed the pronunciation, so that it seems to me it
would be more sensible, instead of the word homoe-opathy, to
print it more nearly as we pronounce it. Homeopathy. I can-
Digitized by CjOOQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
411
not see that we gain anything by holding on to an utterly antique,
meaningless spelling, which only tends to make people think of
Homeopathy as something that is behind the times, a relic of
days gone by, when men did not know how to spell. Is it not
sufficiently well known to become anglicized ?
Rest Treatment in Chorea. — The Therapeutic Gazette
points out that in cases of chorea perfect rest is exceedingly im¬
portant. We are well aware that rest, in such cases, cannot be
really curative, but, on the other hand, the best of treatment is
sure to be less effective, if the patient is not taught to live more
quietly. Total abstinence from stimulants of all kinds will also
give the nervous system a rest most desirable and often curative.
Jumping at Conclusions. — It is a curious fact that some¬
times physicians, after having studied their case most elabo¬
rately, make the final prescription very hastily. They have, as
it were, used up all their time and energy in the preliminary
examination, and all their patience as well. This is unfortunate,
and the mere pointing out of the danger will oftentimes help us
to guard against it, as there is such a thing as examining into a
case more minutely than is necessary. But probably the real
remedy is, that after taking our case down in writing, we ought
to glance it over and study Hrst the most distinctive symptoms,
not the most worryful ones, for worryful symptoms only puzzle
us but keynotes rightly used are like a little key that opens a
great door and are apt to soon suggest some forgotten remedy
so delightfully and evidently appropriate, that there is no further
need of our consulting books any longer, since memory once
started on the right track, gives us the picture of our drug so
vividly as to make further inquiry unnecessary.
Syphilis of the Fingers. — The Medical Era, quoted by the
Medical Gazette, states that primarily, syphilis of the fingers and
hands occurs more frequently among physicians than any other
class of people, surely a reason for being exceedingly careful
to thoroughly disinfect our hands, whenever we have been ex¬
amining cases that are at all suspicious.
Digitized by CjOOQle
412
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
A Physician Who Never Used Lycopodium. — The Pa¬
cific Coast Journal of Homeopathy mentions a homeopathic
physician, who actually did not have Lycopodium among his
medicines. Just how any man, who pretends to study homeo¬
pathic materia medica can get along without occasionally using
Lycopodium, we cannot see. We are well aware that those who
use it in potencies below the thirtieth very often fail to get as
good results from this medicine as those who use it in the
thirtieth or two-hundredth or higher; but the idea of any hom¬
eopathic physician getting along wholly without it is certainly
odd and not very complimentary.
A Bold Prophecy. — Dr. W. J. Hawkes in a recent article
prophesies that many men now living will see the day when
educated physicians the world over, will admit, at least in part,
the homeopathic law, and practice [openly] in accordance with
it. We are not quite as hopeful as Dr. Hawkes; in fact, we
feel that such a sudden popularity would be almost a misfor¬
tune; but that some day, sooner or later, our law will be ac¬
knowledged and honored by physicians of every school, is cer¬
tainly true.
How to Convince the Jury. — Honorable Moorfield Story,
in the Medical Gazette , for January, reminds us that when we
are talking to a Frenchman, we generally talk French, provided
we can, and that if we really wish to convince a jury, we should
have sense enough to talk to them in plain untechnical English,
which they can understand. You are not testifying to a lot of
doctors, but to a lot of plain men who are not interested in
vour technicalities; and if you wish them to respect you, and
understand you, and believe what you say, the more you stick to
plain every-day English in explaining your case, the more suc¬
cessful you will be.
We have not quoted Mr. Story’s exact words, but the thought
is his.
The True Specialist. — The true specialist is one who
keeps an eye on every corner of the body, and on every form
Digitized by
Google
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
413
of knowledge which can, in any way, help him in better under¬
standing his case, but devotes himself to some one branch more
fully than to any other. He is not then a narrow man or a
blind man, but simply one who recognizes the fact that there
are some things which he can do better than others; and some
things which others can do better than he can; and yet is well
enough informed in regard to medicine at large, and especially
in regard to diagnosis and Homeopathy to be able to know
just when a case should be passed over to brother B., and when
it should not. How few specialists there are today who are as
broad and deep as this; and yet the number of such specialists
is steadily increasing.
Pleurisy. — (A Few Familiar Hints) Bryonia: has stitching
pain, aggravated by the least motion, or even by breathing
(everybody knows that, and yet sometimes it is forgotten) also
> by lying on the painful side.
In Kali carb. the shooting pains are especially in the right side,
and are likely to be worse at 3 a. m. and patient cannot lie on
painful side.
In Arnica the pains are worse on the left side, but the char¬
acteristic symptom is a persistent bruised feeling and the com¬
plaint that the bed is so hard .
While in Mercury persistent sweating, which brings no re¬
lief, is highly suggestive, together with the fact that all symp¬
toms are worse at night.
For Phosphorus two striking hints are difficult breathing and
a sense of tightness across the chest.— F. E. Stoaks, in Medical
Century .
Very Severe Chorea. — The North American, page 170, tells
us that Cimicifuga is often indicated in chorea when it is so
violent that the patient cannot walk without falling down.
Treatment of Detached Retina. — The Medical Gazette,
for January (page 34), speaks of the fact that a German physi¬
cian has succeeded in curing thirty-eight cases of detached retina
by injecting into the vitreous chamber the vitreous humor of a
Digitized by C^ooQLe
414
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
dog. The total number of cases on which this operation was
tried was one, hundred and sixty-two, thus giving a successful
cure in twenty-four per cent of the cases.
In one case, which was operated on in 1892, the patient was
absolutely blind, but for the past eight years has been able to go
on with his usual occupation as an officer of a vessel without
any disturbance of vision. This is certainly very interesting,
and we are much obliged to the Gazette for having reported the
case.
Ignoramuses and Rascals. — One of our exchanges tells of
a surgeon who had nineteen deaths in nineteen operations. But
this does not prove that surgery is a humbug, but simply that
some men need watching, and that there ought to be some way
of forcing an incompetent man out of practice, even after he
has received his license. Nor are malpractice suits the best
way to do it; it should be done by the State Board of Health,
after proper examination of the man's clinical record, not of his
knowledge of the names and shapes of bones and muscles and
microbes. We owe it to ourselves to defend ourselves as a pre¬
vention against so-called physicians and surgeons who are evi¬
dently and unmistakably incompetent or unprincipled. Rivalry
is contemptible; self-protection is manly.
Our Clinical Department. — Dr. N. Bray, Dubuque, la.,
writes that he considers our Clinical Department one of the
most profitable chapters of the Medical Advance; for, says he,
this sort of teaching enables us to use our knowledge more
effectively, since I have found that a person may have more
knowledge than he can use, and success comes only from know¬
ing how to use the things we have learned. Hence the neces¬
sity for clinical training schools like yours.
Alternating Remedies. — The trouble with alternating
remedies is that it makes it altogether too easy for a physician
to lop off single symptoms and seem to cure a case when, in
reality, he has not touched the root of the matter at all. A
single remedy which covers the whole case is sure to cover it
Digitized by C.ooQLe
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
415
deeply, but two remedies, each of which covers only half the
case, are almost equally sure not to cover it deeply at all; so that
in opposing the alternation of remedies, we are not pleading for
a mere hobby, but for a most important truth.
The Calcutta School of Homeopathy reopened their new
year on the first of June. May the Lord bless them in the good
work they are doing. God’s ways are strangely slow; but his
sweetest and most satisfying blessings are all reserved for good
men and true, and not for lucky rascals.
Cholera in I n d i a. — A writer in the Indian Homeopathic
Reviezv states that there have been several marked changes in
the type of cholera during the last one hundred years. He
states that even within the lifetime of a single physician some
epidemics have been extremely malignant, others very light.
Oddly enough the physician being far more successful when He
first faced cholera than he was in later epidemics. He also
states that, once in a while, you come across cases of real
cholera, where Psorinum or Sulphur are the indicated remedies
that will save the patient ; but, of course, this is the exception,
not the rule.
Spigelia Heart Pains. — A writer in the London Homeo¬
pathic Review calls attention to the fact that the neuralgic heart
pains of Spigelia are highly characteristic, but not very severe,
and that it is markedly the remedy for weak, poorly nourished
hearts, and is oftenest indicated in women.
Giving Nature Time to Do Her Work Properly. — Another
writer in the same magazine calls attention to the fact that often¬
times, though the actual cure of the disease is much more rapid
and perfect under homeopathic treatment than under allopahic,
the duration of some of the acute symptoms is longer under our
treatment than under allopathic. This certainly seems to be
true in some cases; since they simply silence nature, whereas we
try to help her in successfully working out the problem with
which she is wrestling, and so cannot always get mere relief
Digitized by ^ooQle
416
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
from pain quite as soon. Opium and whisky are both good for
covering up pain and disease; one in the doctor’s hands, the other
in a saloon keeper’s; but nine hundred and ninety-nine times
out of a thousand Homeopathy is better with its angelic higher
potencies! [Some one please criticise.]
Skilful in Diagnosis. — The reason why they are so skilful
in Vienna in diagnosis, is that they always make a point of con¬
firming their diagnosis by a post-mortem examination.— Lon¬
don Punch, quoted in New England Medical Gazette.
Hypertrophy. — Hypertrophy of the prostate gland in men
past fifty is the rule rather than the exception.— A. B . Grant,
Albion, Mich.
Sex of Children. — A writer in the Wisconsin Medical Re¬
corder for December, 1903, asserts that oftentimes the sex of
children is that of the weaker parent, and that the same is true
of animals. But that where parents are almost equally mated
the sex naturally varies, now one way, now the other. Is this
true?
The Climacteric in Men and Women. — A writer in the
London Lancet calls attention to the fact that kleptomania, a
passion for stealing, quite often develops at the climacteric
period. An inclination to drown one’s self may also appear;
while in still other cases lust and passion blaze out furiously at
the very time when the reproductive functions are dying. Mas¬
turbation is also common. The same writer reminds us that
men, as well as women, suffer a climacteric change, which
should be kept in mind, since it may materially affect a person’s
health.
A Physician’s Personal Influence. — Speaking of the in¬
fluence which a physician can have in shaping men’s opinion on
matters of great public importance, both political and social,
one of our exchanges, The Medical Critic, says, that we are not
orators, most of us. The gift of oratory is rare. Nor can we
Digitized by
Google
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
417
hope to change men’s opinion much by argument or debate.
But the quiet utterance of an honest, well-grounded opinion
among those who look up to us as their wisest and most trusted
helpers, will, oftentimes, carry great weight and do great good.
With this suggestion we agree most heartily; for we believe
that there are few men in the community whose opinion carries
more weight than that of an honored, skilful physician; and we
are even inclined to think that, in course of time, many of the
duties now committed to the clergy will, little by little, fall into
the hands of truly Christian and trustworthy physicians, who
can at the same time advise for both mind and body, since the
two are so exceedingly close akin.
Nosebleed and Emaciation. — Harry K., aged 26, tall, dark
hair, dark eyes, smooth skin, pale yellowish complexion came in
and wanted something for nosebleed. Said he had nosebleed
four or five times a week, probably two ounces each time, thin,
pale blood, not an active flow and not bright red in color. Also
had a hard dry cough, and was losing flesh so that his friends
told him he was going into consumption. I gave him Carbo
veg. 200, twice a day for two days, then Placebo.
There was no more nosebleed after the first dose; the cough
stopped and he gained twenty pounds in weight in two months.
(Worth noting in margin of K. 1287 with question mark.) F.
A. Benham, Ligonier, Indiana.
A Syphilitic Sore Throat. —J. C., aged 32, wanted some¬
thing for sore throat, which he had had for three months. Had
taken medicine from four or five doctors without relief. Could
not swallow water without great pain. Is always worse at night.
Pain seemed to be on both sides and everywhere in the throat.
Throat simply looked red and inflamed. After two days' use
of other medicines without benefit patient mentioned a history
of syphilitic infection twelve years previous. I then prescribed
Nitric acid 200 with relief after the very first dose and no
return of the pain for a year. Dr. F. A. Benham.
[But he gives no hint as to just why he gave Nitric acid the
preference over other anti-syphilitic remedies. We hope he will
Digitized by
Google
418
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
do this later on, for our different anti-syphilitics are not always
easy to distinguish at first glance, except for veterans and sopho¬
mores.— Ed.]
Deaths from Tuberculosis. —The North American Journal
of Homeopathy informs us that the Department of Health in
New York City has during the last twelve years reduced the
mortality of consumption forty per cent, which we are heartily
glad to hear. If this can be done in New York, why not in
every other city in the Union?
Danger of Neglecting Ear Symptoms. — A writer, in the
Medical Review of Reviews, reminds us of the oft-forgotten fact
that the ear is one of the most sensitive and delicate parts of
the human body, and yet that oftentimes the most serious dis¬
eases may develop there, without any symptoms which seem
to the patient or the physician at all worthy of special notice,
and that this disease may go on to the point where the ear is
hopelessly crippled, before either patient or doctor realizes that
anything particular is the matter. We ought certainly to keep
these facts in mind, and speak of them oftener in the homes we
visit, and however slight the ear symptoms in a given case may
be either make haste to effectually remove them, ourselves by
careful treatment or else advise our patient to go at once to
some one who can. For it is a disgrace to the medical profession
that specialists should be so often compelled to say that many
of those who come to them for treatment are incurable before
they even see the case.
Afraid of Draughts. — People who are very much afraid
of draughts, and easily catch cold in them, are oftentimes the
very ones who need a great deal more exercise in the open air,
to help in curing them of this abnormal sensitiveness, for a
draught simply reveals how abnormally sensitive they have be¬
come by sitting indoors too much. But even with the most vig¬
orous outdoor exercise the constitutional symptoms of these sen¬
sitive persons always call for Psorinum, Calcarea, Tuberculinum,
Kali carb., Hepar, Sulphur or some other deep-acting remedy
Digitized by CjOOQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
419
and will rarely be cured without it. Neither diet nor exercise
alone can ever effectually control the psoric or tubercular miasm
upon which this sensitiveness depends.
How to Get the Best Results from Your Medicines.—
The best results are often denied us because we give our medi¬
cines in too low a potency. Not only that, but I feel sure that
most of us are apt to repeat the doses too frequently and con¬
tinue medication too long. Normal reaction on the part of the
organism is interfered with, and the even development of the
curative action foiled and delayed. No general rule is truer
for the homeopathist than to stop medication when improvement
shows itself. Hahnemann’s rule of the single dose and allowing
it to act has much logic on its side, and whether carried out lit¬
erally or not, every successful prescriber must guard against
too frequent repetition of dose after improvement has shown
itself.— Prof . Wm. Boericke, in Medical Century .
How to Teach Common Sense in Matters of Diet. —It is
fortunate that in every group of earnest workers there are a few
cynics who see the ridiculous side of everything and the incon¬
sistencies of their neighbors. One of these suggests that when
you find that a man is eating the wrong kind of food and ruin¬
ing his digestion, his kidneys, his lungs, his heart, his ears and
his brains in consequence, the proper thing to do is not to
swear at him, or preach at him, or give him good advice, but
simply select with great care some remedy of which the leading
symptom is a morbid craving for that particular article of diet,
and you will cure the man of his morbid appetite without advice,
or rather with but very little of it, whereas good advice alone
would never cure him.
A Long Drawn-Out Cure. — Every physician soon finds out
about how long his medicines work in a given class of cases;
how long the thirtieth ordinarily works; how long the one-thou¬
sandth : how long the ten-thousandth : and when we find that
in a given case our medicines seem to lose their power much
sooner than usual, careful study will generally show that the
Digitized by CjOOQle
420
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
reason is that we were not as successful as usual in selecting
our remedy; for even a poorly chosen remedy may give relief
for a few hours or days. But such short-lived relief is not a
cure; nor is it even the first step toward a cure; for the real
root cause of all the trouble remains untouched.
• Calcarea Phosphorica for Broken Bones. — Another con¬
dition where Calcarea phos. is useful is in traumatism, where
fractured bones are slow in uniting; the temperature is slightly
elevated; the patient complains of a dull pain, the fracture seems
weak and not firmly united, or if it has been a flesh wound, anti
the wound has healed, but continues tender arid sensitive then
Calcarea phos. will do good service.— D. Clapper, in N'. A. J. H.
Tea Drinking Among the Children of the Poor. —Dr.
Matthias Nicoll, Jr., of the Children’s Out Hospital (Bellevue),
New York, states that the habit of tea drinking among the chil¬
dren of the poor is sadly prevalent and most disastrous in its
consequences; many children less than two years old being given
it as a substitute for milk. He gives it as his opinion, that one
of the foremost duties of any physician, who is working among
the poor, should be to make careful inquiry as to the dietary of
the children who are brought to him for treatment, instead of
simply prescribing a bottle of medicine; and tells us that he
has found that most mothers are very grateful for suggestions
along this line, when the suggestions are kindly given. May God
bless those who do a work like this, for they are sure to bring
blessings to many lives.
Dr. Nicoll is not a homeopath, but we wish him Godspeed,
and cannot help hoping that if he ever looks into Homeopathy
as carefully as he seems to look into other things he will some
day feel justified in using some of our remedies, in cases where
diet alone is insufficient. His address is 124 East 60th Street,
New York City.
The Doctor’s Visits. — It is not only for the sick man, but
for the sick man’s friends that the doctor comes. His presence
is as good for them as for the patient and they long for him
Digitized by ^ooQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
421
even more eagerly. How we have all sometimes watched for
him. What a thrill the sound of his carriage wheels has sent
through us. How eagerly we have watched his face and hung
upon his words; and oh how glad we have been when he could
vouchsafe us a smile of hope, and assurance that all was well.
For the doctor who never smiles, who seems not to care a cent
for us or for the sick one, may be a dread necessity but he is
not our welcome friend or confidant or helper. Suggested by
an article of Dr. Ruddock's in the American Observer, for Feb¬
ruary, 1874.
A Dentist’s Sorrows. — Recent investigations show that four
dentists out of five have more or less weakness of the right eye,
generally consisting of divergence, diminished sensibility of the
retina to light, a scarcely detectable intraocular tension and less
ened sharpness of vision. The cause assigned for the right
eye being most affected is that it has to battle with that serious
obstacle, the nose, in doing its daily work. It is hoped that
some enterprising surgeon will discover a remedy ere long;
but in case no remedy is found, we hope some one of our read¬
ers will find out what diseases are most common among homeo¬
pathic physicians, so that the medical students of the future
may know how to choose more wisely between the two profes¬
sions. It is also barely possible that the practice of doing a part
of their work from the patient's left side; would remedy this one¬
sided blindness and make both eyes equally blind and would also
result in a more symmetrical development of the muscles of the
arms. The matter is evidently a serious one; for we are told
that in some cases, where a dentist has been in service for ten
years or more there develops a downright “ squint,” evidently a
reason why dentists should marry young, if they ever hope to
marry at all, which some of them seem to have forgotten.
An Unjust Judge. — Dr. Hannah T. Wilcox tells us that
Homeopathy is taking on new life in Missouri, which ,we are
heartily glad to hear. In the same letter she speaks of a man
who tried to dodge his doctor's bill, because those little sugar
pills were not worth paying for, bringing in a learned old-school
Digitized by ^ooQle
422
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
doctor to prove the point. But, unfortunately, the judge was a
homeopath, and so “ he got left.”
A Word as to Isopathy. — Dr. E. M. Harrison, of Perry,
Okla., asks if vaccination with Variolinum is not isopathy rather
that Homeopathy. In reply we would say that Hahnemann
(Chronic Diseases, Vol I, last page) teaches that when any drug
or poison has been properly potentized the very act of potentiz-
ing, in some unknown way, changes it so that it is no longer iso-
pathic. If we vaccinated with crude vaccine virus, it would be
isopathy; but when the virus has been properly potentized, it be¬
comes a source of blessing instead of danger and injury. It is
a well-known fact that Rhus tox. poisoning has been antidoted
by high potency of Rhus, which illustrates this same point.
He also asks if the fact that Malandrinum is a similar to Va¬
riola does not exclude Variolinum. No, it does not; because
Variola is probably not always the same; and secondly, two
different medicines may, from slightly different points of view,
be equally similar to a given condition. Hence it is that differ¬
ent physicians with quite different remedies can often cure the
same disease, so far as we can see, equally well. This is not an
excuse for careless prescribing, but simply a frank acknowledg¬
ment that nature is not quite as narrow as we are sometimes in¬
clined to think.
The Curability of Tuberculosis. —It is pleasant to see
how many writers agree now days in declaring that tuberculosis
of the lungs is a curable disease. But we should remember that
it is only when it is discovered soon enough that there is much
hope and the longer it goes the less the hope.
A Serious Drawback. —We do not deny that high potencies
have tended very strongly to make some men skeptical in regard
to Homeopathy. But, so long as their magic power is a fact,
and so long as without them it is impossible for us to do our
very best, we certainly should not abandon them. For it is bet¬
ter to make progress slowly toward a very high ideal than to
lower our ideal, in hopes of finding success more quickly. “ Woe
Digitized by ^ooQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
423
unto you when all men speak well of you.” Such were the
words of Christ, yet even he told us not to argue too much and
not to argue bitterly.
A Crafty Physician. — If you wish a patient to believe what
you say, do not tell him that he will kill himself by overwork;
but that he will make himself a lifelong invalid. He will then
be ten times as likely to get scared and behave properly.
The Importance of Enthusiasm. —When you teach any
young man or woman a trade or a profession which does not
waken in them some sort of genuine enthusiasm, you are only
lessening their chances of success in life as compared with what
they might have been had you switched them on to a different
track.
Sterility. — The Pacific Journal of Homeopathy (February)
states that out of forty cases of matrimonial sterility fourteen
were found to be due to the man, not the woman, he often having
a prostatic discharge supposedly normal, but no spermatozoa,
this absence of spermatozoa being oftenest due to an obliteration
of the spermatic duct by gonorrhea.
Tuberculosis Germs. — Osier, in the Medical Neu*s, says
that few people reach maturity, and none reach old age, without
having had a focus of tuberculosis somewhere. The germ is
ubiquitous and none escape: but the resisting power of the aver¬
age human being is very great, hence it is that most are not
vanquished.
Dropsy. — The initial dropsy of Bright’s diseases is usually
in the eyelids, and worse in the morning. In heart disease and
in disease of the lungs and blood it makes its appearance about
the ankles, and gets worse and worse as the day goes on.
Selected Cases. — We freely admit that selected cases prove
nothing: but, “A word to the wise is sufficient,” and if the se¬
lected case is really true to nature, kindred spirits are sure l)
Digitized by CjOOQle
424
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
find in it many a valued hint which they can use for themselves.
For in things in which we are ourselves well informed, we do
not ask for proof, but only for a helpful pointer. We can easily
verify it for ourselves by a careful study of similar cases in our
own experience.
Appendicitis. — Many surgeons emphasize the fact that there
is a marked difference between catarrhal and suppurative appen¬
dicitis; a distinction which is often overlooked by those of us
who wish to operate every time, and also those who say, never
operate.
Buttermilk is said to be especially good for old folks, one
writer even claiming that it will postpone senile decay ten or
twenty years, if taken freely enough. This looks a little like
exaggeration, but for people who crave something sour, butter¬
milk or ordinary artificially soured milk, of which we spoke in
a recent number, doubtless is a most helpful article of diet
The Secret of Success. — The secret of success is to know
the best that is in you, and then express that best with all your
might and main. It may not bring you wealth, but it will
bring you a sense of satisfied self-respect and happiness which
is more precious than wealth.
Some of us are economic misfits; we cannot make money; we
may have valuable talents, but they go for a song, simply be¬
cause we do not know how to make people pay for our services.
I hope you will never be able to retire from business; but that
the end of life will find you then, as now, in the harness, cheerily,
uncomplainingly devoting your time to making life brighter for
yourself and for others. Always thinking first of the other man,
and yet not neglecting self. Such is a brief summary of the
central thought of an exceedingly interesting article in the
Pacific Coast Journal of Homeopathy. “A Survey of Some
Professional Problems,” bv Brooks Palmer, LL. B., San Fran¬
cisco.
Digitized by ^ooQle
The Medical Advance
..AND..
Journal of Homeopathics
Vojl. XLII. Chicago, August, 1904 . No. 8.
Onosmodium Virginianum.
H. C. ALLEN, M. D., CHICAGO.
For the introduction and proving of this valuable remedy the
profession is indebted to a homeopathic surgeon, Dr. W. E.
Green, of Little Rock, for which he will be remembered when
his surgical work is forgotten.
In response to a number of enquiries as to what it is and
where its symptomatology can be found, we publish its patho¬
genesis from Clarke's “ Materia Medica.” It is a member of the
Borage family, Boraginaceae; common name, False Cromwell,
and it deserves and will repay not only a careful study but a
reproving.
An esteemed correspondent writes:
I have a case of pregnancy advanced six months, whom I have zig¬
zagged thus far and who is well enough except some persistent symptoms
that I cannot >, or have not relieved. These are:
Nausea when turning upon the left side; can only lie there a few
moments.
Leucorrhea; itching, profuse, running down the legs, when first stand¬
ing on feet in morning.
Has craved salty and sour food.
Dark circles under eyes.
Is a primipara, about twenty-two, married into a homeopathic family.
Has been subject to headaches all her life for which she has taken some
of the coal-tar preparations with usual results. This much to learn if
Onosmodium is the remedy.
Alumina, Syphilinum and Onosmodium have profuse leucor¬
rhea running down to the heels. Alumina is acrid < in the day¬
time and > by cold bathing. Syphilinum, profuse, soaking nap¬
kin through and running down to the heels but neither acrid nor
itching. While Onosmodium has acrid, offensive, itching and
profuse running down the legs. But the totality of symptoms.
Digitized by LjOOQle
426
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
as here given, especially the < of the nausea from lying on the
left side, is covered by Pulsatilla.
Symptoms.
Mind. — Talkative, but in a disconnected way.— Irritable.—Ir¬
resolute.— Minutes seem like hours.— Feeling as if something
terrible was going to happen and that she was powerless to help
it.— Fear: To look down lest she might fall downstairs; that she
might fall into a fire when walking by it, and in spite of all her
will-power she did stagger into the fire.— Wants to think and not
move, and thinks until she forgets everything and where she is.
—Writes very fast, but cannot keep pace with thoughts, omits
words and letters, cannot concentrate her thoughts on the subject.
— Listless and pathetic. Forgetful that she is reading, and she
drops the book in vague and listless thought.
[The most peculiar and characteristic feature of the mental
symptoms is want of comprehension, of power to concentrate
the mind; defective mental co-ordination; forgetful. This con¬
dition crops out in other rubrics; writes fast, but cannot keep
pace with the thoughts; unable to concentrate thought, to focus
vision, to co-ordinate muscles; to determine height or distance
in walking in which it may be compared with Gelsemium or
Curare. The entire train of mental symptoms while not very
numerous are often met in our daily practice.]
Head. — Fulness; > by eating and sleep.—Heaviness.— Light¬
ness.— Frontal pain: over eyes; < over left eye; over bridge of
nose; in left eminence; in right eminence, changing to left, where
it remained; running back into neck; heavy, and the same pain
in temples and mastoid region.— Pain in left temple; sharp, dart¬
ing in left temple; darting, throbbing in left temple.— Dull head¬
ache over left eye and in left temple: at times so sharp as to
be unendurable, < in dark and on lying down.— Pain in mastoid.
Dull, heavy pains in left side and over left eye, extending around
to back of head and neck, < movement and jar, forcing her to
go to bed, when they were > by sleep, but returned soon after
waking. Occipito-frontal pain in morning on waking. Dull,
heavy pain pressing upward in occiput, with dizziness.
[Like Gelsemium these paretic symptoms-are noted in sensations
Digitized by CjOOQle
ONOSMODIUM VIRGIN IAN UM.
427
of numbness and general muscular prostration with pronounced
vertigo. . The neuralgic pains apparently follow as a sequence,
beginning in the base of the brain and extending to the sacrum,
especially affecting the cervical and pelvic nerves, and the left
side of the body.]
Eyes. — Pain in and over left eye.— Feeling in eyes as if she
had lost much sleep.— Feeling of tension, as when straining eyes
to read small print.— Desire to keep eyes wide open.— Feeling
as if eyes were very wide open, and feels as if he wanted to look
at objects far away; distant objects look large; it is disagreeable
tc look at near objects, tense, drawing and tired feeling in ocular
muscles.— Optic disc hyperemic.— Retinal vessels engorged, <
in left.— Aching in upper part of balls.— Dull, heavy p'dns in
balls, with soreness.— Lids heavy.— Pain in upper part of 1 ?ft
orbit, with feeling of expansion.— Vision impaired ;— blurred.—
(Amblyopia of alcoholism, or from overdosing with Bromide of
Potassium; hallucinations: sees beautifully dressed people in the
streets and in a room.— Color-blindness for red and green.)
[Since it was proved in 1885 it has probably cured more cases
of headache due to eye strain than any other remedy in the ma¬
teria medica, in fact its paretic effect on the muscles of accommo¬
dation is a characteristic of its action.
“ Sensation of tension in the eyes, as from straining them to
read small print.”
“ Desire to have things far off to look at them: marked in¬
ability to focus.”
For the hallucinations of vision in alcoholism and abuse of
Bromide of Potash, and for color-blindness for red and green
it has proved effective in many cases in our practice. It vies with
Conium in defective vision from use of artificial light, student's
eye troubles; but it is farsighted, while Conium is nearsighted.
Compare Lil. in (astigmatism) ; Nat. s. and Pic. ac. in (my¬
opia) : Nat., Lil., Ruta and Gels, (eye strain).]
Ears. — Fulness in ears.— Hearing impaired.— Singing as
> from Quinine. Roaring, hissing in the ears with dull pain in the
occiput, and constant vertigo, attending neurasthenic headache.
Its clinical results may suggest it as a remedy that may be of
service in some cases of Meniere’s disease.
Digitized by ^ooQle
428
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Nose. — Dryness of nose; with feeling as from taking cold.—
Pain in nasal bones.— Sneezing*much in morning; and left side
of nose and left eye seems affected; on first getting up.
Face. — Face flushed: < least motion or excitement; with >
of headache with full 4 feeling.— Pain in right malar bone, with
numbness.
Mouth. — Dryness of mouth and of lips, without thirst; >
cold water, with scanty saliva.— Clammy, sticky feeling in mouth.
— Bitter, clammy taste.
Throat. — Whitish, sticky discharges from posterior nares,
causing constant hawking.— Raw scraping in throat.— Soreness:
lasting longer on left side: it hurts to swallow or speak; momen¬
tarily > drinking, with scraping.— Constriction of pharynx when
swallowing.— Stuffed feeling in posterior nares.— Dryness: in
pharynx and posterior nares; in pharynx, ivith soreness .— Throat
perfectly dry and stiff. — All symptoms > by cold drinks and
eating.
Appetite. — Appetite increased.— Hunger after siesta; nerv¬
ous, all day.— Appetite and thirst diminished.— Thirst for cold
drinks, often.— Distaste for water. *
Stomach. —Eructations : after eating: nauseous.— Nausea:
with bitter, clammy taste; in mornings, as in pregnancy.
Abdomen. — Distended feeling; > removing clothing; with
griping and grumbling.— Colic: > bending backward; below
navel; in lower part, > undressing or lying on back; in lower
part, as from ice-water. Uneasy in hypogastrium as if diarrhea
would come on.— Soreness in hypogastrium.
Stool.— Stool : shining, bloody and stringy , with tenesmus ;
yellow, mushy; hurrying him out of bed in the morning.
Urinary Organs. — Burning in male urethra, with itching.—
Pain in prostatic urethra before and after micturition.— Seldom
any desire to urinate.— Micturition frequent, scanty.— Urine:
scanty, high-colored, very acid, sp. gr. high, also of balsamic odor
and heavily loaded with urea.
[Tormenting tenesmus in women, with soreness in ovaries and
uterus was promptly > in one case. In another urine was fre¬
quent. irritating, profuse, watery, sp. gr. i.oio, with marked mus¬
cular prostration. Such cases frequently occur at the climacteric
Digitized by CjOOQle
I
ONOSMODIUM VIRGINIANUM. 429
or in neurasthenic conditions when Lachesis, Lilium or Sepia
seemed called for but fail.]
Male Sexual Organs. — Cold feeling in glans.— : Desire di¬
minished or entirely lost. Complete loss of sexual desire.
[This has been repeatedly verified where sexual desire has been
lost from masturbation or sexual excesses, or where it results
from organic lesions of ttte cord. Here it may be compared with
Picric acid and Phosphorus and Staphysagrin with which it is
very similar.]
Female Sexual Organs. — Desire destroyed .— Itching of
vulva, < scratching and contact of leucorrhea.— Constant feel¬
ing as if menses would appear.— Pain in ovaries; < pressure;
cutting and throbbing.— Heavy aching, and slowly pulsating
pains beginning in one ovary and passing over to the other, leav¬
ing a soreness that lasts until the pains return.— Uterine and
ovarian pains that had not been felt for years were re-excited.—
Uterine cramps as from taking cold during menstruation.— Uter¬
ine pains, > undressing and lying on back; bearing down.—
Soreness in uterine region, < clothing and pressure.— Leucor-
1 hea: light-yellowish, offensive, excoriating and profuse, running
down the legs.— Menstruation too early and too prolonged, the
two next periods anticipating and profuse. Breasts painful and
sore before menses.
[Complete loss of sexual desire is very marked and with it the
bearing down which denotes a relaxation of the pelvic organs,
like Sepia. Murex has bearing down like Onosmodium and
Sepia, but with violent sexual desire, which is differentiating.
Origanum, Raphanus and Zinc have violent sexual desire with
or without the bearing down.]
Respiratory Organs. — Voice husky.—backing cough, with
tough, sticky, white expectoration.— Laryngeal cough, > drink¬
ing cold water, with expectoration of whitish, sticky, gluey sputa.
Chest. — Soreness of chest.— Aching in breasts, < left; from
left nipple through breast; sharp, under left breast.— Bruised
feeling in left breast, with pain on pressure.— Breasts feel swollen
and engorged; feel swollen and sore, with itching about nipples.
Heart and Pulse. — Pain: in heart, causing apprehension of
death ; in region of apex.— Oppression of heart.— Depressed feel-
Digitized by
Google
430
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
ing in heart as if it would stop beating.— Heart action rapid,
pulse full and strong.
Pulse: rapid, irregular and weak; and slow.— With every third
or fourth beat the diastole is prolonged almost to intermittence.
Neck and Back. — Pain: in neck; in a (linear) spot in left
scapular region; in lumbar region; over crest of left illium; in
lumbar region in morning on waking, > about noon; low down
when walking; across lumbar region, with stiffness; bearing down
in lumbar region.— Sore, lame feeling in lumbar region.— Tired
feeling in lower part of back.
[The profound effect of Onosmodium on the brain and cerebro¬
spinal nervous system which appears in the inability to concen¬
trate thought, to co-ordinate muscles and focus the eyes, followed
by paretic numbness and muscular prostration has been fre¬
quently verified in our practice in obstinate cases of spinal irri¬
tation in both sexes resulting from sexual excesses and aggra¬
vated or maintained by the use of coffee, tobacco, quinine and
drugging. It may be compared with Gelsemium, Phosphorus,
Picric acid and Silica. I have used it only in the cm potency.]
Upper Limbs. —Trembling of arms and hands.— Aching in
biceps, elbows and wrists.— Numbness of left forearm.— She
cannot write nor use the hands well in eating, because she cannot
properly co-ordinate the movements.— Shooting in joints of left
fingers.— Pains in joints of fingers.
Lower Limbs. — Staggering.— Disturbance of gait, with sen¬
sation of insecurity in the step.— The sidewalk seems too high,
which causes him to step very high, this jars him and < head¬
ache.— Numbness mostly below knees.
Pain: in left hip; in knees; in knees and tendons about them.
— Weariness and numb feeling in knees and legs; in popliteal
spaces, < left.—Tremulousness of legs.— Tingling in calves and
feet, > left.— Weariness of legs; in evening when walking, with
unsteadiness.— Edematous swelling of ankles.— Heavy pain in
left instep.— Numb tingling pain in outer side of both little toes.
Limbs in General. — Weariness; of legs, knees and hands,
with numbness of arms and hands. Soreness and stiffness of the
calves and tendo Achilles.
Generalities.— Tremulousness from least exertion. — Nerv-
Digitized by C^ooQLe
ONOSMODIUM VIRGIN IANUM.
431
ous, trembling feeling, as from hunger.— Nervous and shaky
feeling that physically and mentally unfits her for any duty.—
Muscles feel unsteady and treacherous.— Inability to lie on left
side.— General distress and full feeling.— Light feeling, some¬
what like that caused by chloroform.— Weakness: in morning,
with stiffness; with aching, stretching, gaping and disagreeable
feeling.
Skin.— Formication in calves.
Sleep. — Sleeplessness.— Sleep; uneasy and interrupted; rest¬
less and waking early.— Dreams many, varied.
Fever. — Every day about twelve or one o'clock feeling as It
I would have a chill.— Flushed feeling over whole body.— No
perspiration in very warm weather.
Aggravation. — Headache in left temple and over left eye,
< in the dark and on lying down; but not < by noise, light or
using eyes; < from tight clothing and jar; < clothing and
pressure.
Amelioration. — From cold drinks and from eating. The
uterine pains -> from undressing and lying on the back (except
the headache) ; from sleep (temporarily) : colic > by bending
backward (like Dioscorea).
Variolinum, a Prophylaxis Against Smallpox.
A. M. LINN, M. D., DES MOINES, IOWA.
We are told to prove all things and hold fast that which is
good. This admonition is manifestly as useful in medicine as
in morals. Daily evidence appears convincing, us that medicine
is not yet an exact science, nor its application an exact art. The
theory of treatment changes with advancing knowledge; surgical
methods keep pace with the varying seasons: and the accepted
remedy of yesterday is discarded for the new one of today.
But in all this inconstancy and change it is gratifying to note
that the polychrests of the Master are today as stable as any fact
crystalized in history. They are parts of unchanging truth.
The doctrine of prophylaxis is a new one. It has had a gen-
Digitized by CjOOQle
432
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
erous place in the hearts of the profession for centuries past. In
our own day it is receiving more considerate attention than ever
before. It is distinctly jnculcated in the teachings of medicine,
and if the present trend of study is an earnest of whal is yet to
come, preventive medicine will indeed accomplish much in future
years; all readily concede that it is nobler to prevent disease than
to cure it. It argues well for the human race when the chief
duty of the physician shall be to prevent rather than cure life’s ills.
It may justly be asserted that the use of Variolinum is vac¬
cination in a new and harmless form. By its use the bad re¬
sults of vaccination by scarification are avoided. It offers no
occasion for the ugly infected wound so often resulting from
vaccination. It carries with it no liability to infect the human
system with either a local or a constitutional disease worse than
smallpox itself. These objections to vaccination are not relieved
altQgether by the use of animal virus. Every community has
again and again witnessed the ugly ulcerations of the vaccinal
wound due to impure vaccine. The bacteriological laboratory
confirms the clinical evidence that virus sold as pure is often
not only unfit for use but is absolutely dangerous to human life.
Besides this, auto-infection of the vaccinal wound by soiled cloth¬
ing, by thoughtlessly chafing the wound or scratching it during
sleep is a frequent occurrence. These objections are of serious
moment in the minds of parents and should weigh heavily against
the use of vaccination by scarification; so that wherever vaccina¬
tion is compulsory, there are intelligent people in every commu¬
nity who submit only under protest. Not infrequently the courts
are invoked to prevent the enforcement of compulsory vaccination
by zealous and well-meaning health boards.
Now the writer grants, without argument, that it is better to
vaccinate with pure virus, tinder aseptic precautions, than not
to be protected at all. If, however, as is stoutly maintained, the
same end can be accomplished by the use of Variolinum, then *t
is immensely better to use Variolinum than to vaccinate. Vac¬
cination protects against smallpox, but so long as such loud and
vigorous protests arise against its use there is urgent need for
something better. It is evidently not the ne plus ultra for which
the world is hungering.
Digitized by ^ooQle
VARIOLINUM, A PROPHYLAXIS AGAINST SMALLPOX. 433
Variojinum is a product of the smallpox infection. Its source
is the same practically as the virus for vaccination. The serum
is taken for vaccination from the abraded surface of the infected
animal. Variolinum is the clear serum of the smallpox vesicle,
or, as preferred by some, the contents of the ripened pustule
potentized. The period of incubation is the same — from three
to eight days — whether introduced as vaccine by scarification
or by the mouth as VariQlinum. The symptoms provoked by the
two methods are identical aside from the local inflammation at
the point of scarification. The initial chill is followed by aching,
fever, nausea, thirst, loss of appetite, diarrhea and marked pros¬
tration. These are constant symptoms. They follow vaccination
and variolinum alike and in similar order. The results also are
the same whether given in the form of Variolinum or vaccination,
namely: immunity against smallpox. Vaccination repeated until
it no longer “ takes ” is a prophylaxis against smallpox. When
you reflect that Variolinum is from the same source, and after a
like period of incubation awakens a like series of symptoms in a
similar order, you are prepared to accept upon proper^ proof the
logical conclusion that it also must immunize against smallpox.
Nor is the proof wanting; indeed it is rather abundant. The
testimony is from a variety of sources and from a multitude of
witnesses, yet the skepticism which makes us conservative has
prevented many of our physicians from accepting, for the bene¬
fit of their patients, the advantages offered by Variolinum.
The proof of -the value of Variolinum is of a dual character.
First ,— The effect it awakens when administered to the unvac¬
cinated person.
Second ,— The protection it has actually afforded against small¬
pox.
The first proposition is easily and readily demonstrated. Any
one can determine for himself the effects of Variolinum upon the
unvaccinated; for this remedy, given in any potency from the
third to the thirtieth, repeated at intervals of from two to four
hours and continued for a week, will awaken the characteristic
symptoms spoken of above. Perhaps not every symptom will be
developed, but the majority of them will be sure to appear.
When vaccinated by scarification some patients evince marked
Digitized by L.ooQLe
434
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
systemic disturbance; others show comparatively little. The
same is true when immunized by Variolinum. The severity of
the systemic storm depends upon the degree of susceptibility of
the patient. You have all noticed that a second vaccination, if
it “ takes ” at all, does so in a very mild form; the susceptibility
is less than at first.
One advantage in the use of Variolinum is its continuous ex¬
hibition through the period of systemic disturbance; for there
is a constant addition of fuel to the flames, and the systemic storm
is kept at its height by this added fuel. The element of suscepti¬
bility is thus completely consumed, the factor of contagion is
burned out, and when the combustion is complete the symptoms
subside and the patient is immune.
The two following records duly subscribed to by the parents
are taken from a large number on file in my office:
"I hereby certify that George Folsom took the remedy provided as
stated above according to directions and the symptoms produced are as
follows: Chilly, j>ale, sick at stomach, refused to eat, vomited, face
swollen, had considerable fever, restless at night, irrational, irritable,
pain in stomach, diarrhea—out of school one day.”
Signed, H. R. Folsom,
On 8th day of September, 1904. 1220 Mulberry St.
"I hereby certify that Elizabeth Chambers took the remedy provided
as stated above according to directions and the symptoms produced are
as follows: Headache, petulant, restless, aching all over body, high
fever, flushed face, eyes dull, nausea, marked prostration, diarrhea, rest¬
less sleep, very thirsty—ill four days.
Signed, Wm. Chambers,
On 7th day of June, 1904 . S59j4 15th St.
But control experiments with Variolinum should be made in
institutions where patients can be kept under observation. Iso¬
lated individuals are somewhat difficult to keep under surveil¬
lance, and the results are always more open to question.
It would be difficult to cite cases where vaccination was more
effective in immunizing against smallpox than the following, in
which the only protection was afforded bv Variolinum:
"To Whom It May Concern:
"This is to certify that my son, Mr. Harry Willis, was taken sick with
smallpox June 2, 1901, and died on June 18, 1901, from complications.
About June 5, 1901, my husband, Mr. John Willis, my sons Clyde and
Clifford and I myself all took Variolinum, furnished, through our own
physician, by Dr. Linn. All of us were in the house all the time my son
Harry was sick, but none of us contracted the smallpox as a result of
Digitized by C.ooQLe
VARIOLINUM, A PROPHYLAXIS AGAINST SMALLPOX. 435
our exposure. In December another son, who was absent during the
former quarantine, had smallpox. Again we took the Variolinum and
we did not take the disease. My husband was vaccinated in 1863; no
other member of the family had ever been vaccinated.”
Subscribed and sworn to before Signed, Hannah Willis,
A. J. Mathis, Notary Public. John Willis.
"This is to certify that about the middle of January, 1902, one of my
daughters was afflicted with smallpox. We called the city physician who
said it was no use to vaccinate the rest of the family as we would all have
it. I sent at once to our family doctor who sent us a remedy to take
internally with the result that none of us took the disease, though my
wife and the other four children were with the sick one in her room all
the time and none had ever been vaccinated except my wife in early
childhood.” Signed, O. H. Brunbr.
Subscribed and sworn to by O. H. Bruner before me this 12th day of
May, 1902. Gbo. W. Harter, Notary Public,
Polk Co., Iowa.
The following decisive test is from the experience of Dr.
Bishop of Los Angeles, Cal.:
"An infant of three years was affected with a virulent form of conflu¬
ent smallpox. I was called to the case on the evening of the fifth day of
the disease and second day of the eruption. The child had been sleeping in
the same bed with its mother who was in the seventh month of gestation,
and none of the family had ever been vaccinated. The patient made a
speedy and favorable recovery, despite the adverse prognosis of the offi¬
cials. Powders of Variolinum were left daily for the father and mother.
The father neglected to take his, and consequently came down with the
disease in a severe form just as his little son was convalescing. But the
mother who slept with her sick boy and her unborn babe were both per- '
fectly protected; for I attended at her labor in due time and delivered her
of a sound healthy baby, free from all marks or blemishes of any kind.”
These are but striking instances selected from a large num¬
ber of duly attested records on file in my office. In the light of
such testimony only a confirmed “ doubting Thomas ” could ques¬
tion the effectiveness of Variolinum immunizing against smallpox.
But assuming that the remedy will accomplish all that is claimed
for it by its advocates an important question presents itself, i. e..
For what period is this protection effective? Does its prophylac¬
tic effect extend beyond the time it is being administered? Must
one be constantly using it to keep immune?
The period of immunity afforded by vaccination is undeter
mined. It depends much upon the susceptibility of the individual.
The writer has not been successfully vaccinated in twenty-five
years and yet has examined, without infection, more than a hun-
Digitized by ejOOQie
436
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
dred smallpox cases, in a single day, some of them fatal ones.
But others I have known to be infected within a single year after
a successful vaccination.
As to Variolinum, it has been observed that vaccination will
not affect persons immunized by Variolinum, and conversely that
Variolinum provokes no symptoms in persons recently vaccinated;
and since vaccine virus and Variolinum are derived from like
sources, are followed after introduction into the system for an
equal period,. by similar symptoms, in the same order, with a
like prophylactic effect, it is a fair assumption that the immunity
conferred is of equal duration. The following statement, duly
attested, tends to confirm this conclusion:
"This is to certify that my four children, ranging from ten to three
years of age, were given a remedy (vaccination pills) in March, 1902, to
prevent them from having the smallpox. My husband and I did not take
the remedy. About April 20, 1904, my husband contracted smallpox and
on May 1 I developed the disease, and in a day or two my baby less than
two years of age. But the four children who had used the vaccination
pills did not have the disease, although they were quarantined with us all
the time and slept in the same room. None of the children have ever
been vaccinated by scarification, nor taken any medicine to immunize
them save that taken in March, 1902.”
Signed, Mrs. Sue Yanser.
"The foregoing statement is true in all respects.” Jas. Yanser.
317 E. 15th St.
Subscribed and sworn to by Sue Yanser and Jas. Yanser before me
this 9th day of June, 1904. H. B. Noland, Notary Public,
Polk Co., Iowa.
Little additional evidence is at hand to aid in determining the
duration of immunity afforded by variolinum. However, as the
remedy is readily obtainable, the inconvenience resulting is of
no moment, and as no evils are entailed upon the system by its
use, one can well afford to be immunized at frequent intervals.
Indeed the important fact that no evil consequences follow its
use makes it vastly to be preferred to vaccination.
Added study of this drug is needed to define more accurately
its sphere of usefulness. While additional testimony is also
needed to make conclusive to skeptical minds its value as a
prophylaxis in smallpox: and when once its sphere of usefulness
is accurately defined, it will doubtless be very highly esteemed an
indispensable remedy in our precious armamentarium.
Digitized by ^ooQle
A BRIEF STUDY OF COMMON THINGS.
437
A Brief Study of Common Things.
ARANEA TELA-ONLY A SPIDER'S WEB.
W. A. YINGLING, M. D., EMPORIA, KANS.
When a man says tjiat he does not believe a thing, it is often¬
times not his great wisdom that makes him say so, but his ig¬
norance and blindness. The people of Galileo's time were sure
that the world did not move. The people of our day are some¬
times equally sure that other things cannot be true, simply be¬
cause they are unwilling to try them, and unwilling to be con¬
vinced by evidence, even when it is furnished them.
Agassiz could not believe that a certain congressional fisher¬
man had caught a trout weighing nine pounds because he had
never seen one, and the books made no mention of such large trout.
When the fisherman sent him a trout weighing ten pounds, he
gracefully accepted the fact and said that actual observation and
experience were better than scientific speculation (even his own)
or the assertion of books. But the opponents of pure Homeop¬
athy are not quite so honest and reasonable. They will not be¬
lieve even their own eyes and refuse to credit even their own
observation. What fools we mortals are!
Can there be any medicinal virtue in a spider's web? It is
surely a very common thing, seen upon every hand and apparently
entirely inert. Clearly there can be no medicinal properties! Yet
Silica is a common thing and even more inert to all appearances
than a spider’s web. Put we have tried it and it is today one
of our polvchrests, a jewel without price to the entire homeopathic
profession. Evidently appearances do not count in such matters;
experience is everything, and experience is on the side of Silica.
And so it is with Tela Aranea, the common spider's web. All
spider poisons powerfully affect the human nervous system, so
also does the web. •
It has cured the most obstinate intermittents; it has wonderful
results in some febrile paroxysms, relieving them abruptly, with
their concomitants of tremors, starting, spasms and deliriums and
Digitized by CjOOQle
438
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
producing a calm and most refreshing sleep. “ In spasmodic af¬
fections of various kinds, periodic headaches, restlessness, mus¬
cular irritability, its good effects are often signal.” “ The cob¬
web gives sleep, but not by narcotic power;—tranquillity and
sleep here appear to be the simple consequences of release from
pain and irritation.” “ Spasmodic affections, dry, irritating
coughs, nervous coughs, the advanced stages of consumption, trou¬
blesome hiccough, sleeplessness from nervous agitation and ex¬
citement, also asthma, and other diseases have all been relieved by
this wonderful Tela Aranea, the common cobweb. A lady wrote
me some time ago from Colorado that her physicians thought her
doomed by that dread disease, tubercular consumption; she was ia
extreme of nervous agitation; she could not sleep or rest, and was
weary and all tired out; she had severe cough; was hysterical
and at night had great nervous jerkings or agitation. I sent her
Tela Aranea 2 m (Y). In two weeks she replied: “I am ever
so much better. I feel more like my old self than for eighteen
months. I sleep nicely and though not as well as of old; I am
improving right along and am so hopeful”
In other cases where uterine trouble caused the same nervous
sleeplessness the potentized Tela had the same beneficent results.
A short resume of the remedy can be found in “ New, Old and
Forgotten Remedies,” by our genial friend, Aushutz, f of the Ho¬
meopathic Recorder .
(to be continued.)
Homeopathy in Veterinary Practice.
Judging by an article written by Dr. C. E. Savre, to which
our attention was recently called, it would look as though Home¬
opathy in veterinary practice reduced mortality even more mark¬
edly than it does among men: probably because in the treatment
of animals, physicians have been in the habit .of using powerful
drugs, even more recklessly than they do among men. So far
as his reported cases go, covering thirteen years and about 1.500
horses, the mortality under homeopathic treatment was less than
Digitized by C.ooQLe
HOMEOPATHY IN VETERINARY PRACTICE. 439
a third what it was under old-school treatment. We take pleas¬
ure in reporting two interesting cases in detail:
The first is that of a dog which for five months had been suf¬
fering from sciatic rheumatism of the right leg, accompanied
with great atrophy of the entire limb. Not noticing any distinc¬
tive symptoms at all at first, Dr. Savre simply gave placebo, and
went home to carefully study up everything he could find in
regard to sciatica, which resulted in his prescribing Dioscorea
on the following indications: “ Pain in the right leg from point
of exit of sciatic nerve, felt only on moving.” Under this treat¬
ment the dog improved rapidly, and was soon perfectly well.
Even the atrophied muscles once more regained their natural size.
Another interesting case was that of a dog that always vomited
after drinking water: Arsenic was given, as apparently the in¬
dicated remedy, but took no effect. But a more careful inquiry
showed that the vomiting always came about fifteen minutes after
the water was taken, and remembering the Phosphorus symptom,
“ he vomits water as soon as it gets warm in the stomach,” the
prescription was changed to Phosphorus, and the cure accom¬
plished.
For a colicky horse Dr. Sayre informs us that Colocynth will re¬
lieve nine cases out of ten very, very quickly.
For flatulence of the stomach, with persistent retching and eruc¬
tations, we are not surprised to hear that Carbo veg. is often
effective.
One very interesting suggestion is the remark that it will be
well worth while to prove some of our more important remedies
on “ all the different animals.” We do not know whether he
means to include lions and tigers or not, since he believes that
such provings would develop a few valuable symptoms which are
not found when the medicines are proved on man, or, at least,
have not been reported as definitely as they should be. When
Belladonna is proved, we should rather like to he present to see
some of the odd symptoms, for they certainly would be interesting.
N. B.— If the date on the address to which your subscription
is paid is not correct, let us know. Tt should be Jan. 1905.
Digitized by CjOOQle
440
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
A Boy Who Could Not Run and Had Forgotten How
to Smile.
Leaves from the record of the General Clinic of’the College of Homeopathic Med¬
icine and Surgery of the University of Minnesota.
/
REPORTED BY PROFESSOR GEORGE E. CLARK, M. D.
Case 19463. —Boy, aged 9, Swede, pale, sickly looking and very
light weight: Complains of pain in stomach and chest, worse
after eating and at night. He is accompanied only by a little
girl who can give but little accurate information in regard to
the case. He says that he has had a pain, more or less, for
the last two or three months; not always in the same place nor
constant in character. Generally a dull ache or hurt, but very
sharp at times, so that he cries out in distress. He says no
relief has come from the various things done and that he is
steadily growing worse.
This case illustrates the uselessness of hasty prescribing and
the fallacy of selecting a remedy on one or two symptoms, that
happen to be prominent or are more loudly complained of by the
patient. For the boy had applied for relief before the regular
clinic day.
The interne taking it to be a case of indigestion, had pre¬
scribed Nux. Yet three days later the suffering was still present
and in no way relieved.
But a more careful examination revealed the real trouble as
well as the similar remedy.
The heart was found to be slightly hypertrophied and showed
a louder and strongly accentuated second sound, heard at the
pulmonary cartilage on the left of the sternum.
The boy states that he cannot run and play as he used to
do because he tires so easily. He also perspires freely during
pain and on any exertion.
From the attendant we learned that he had been a very sickly
child. Two years ago was very ill with diphtheria; last summer
punctured his foot and was many weeks in the hospital from
septic infection. But we cannot learn of the family history; the
girl at least knows of no heart trouble.
Digitized by CjOOQle
A BOY WHO COULD NOT RUN.
441
However, sufficient had been gleaned to make it highly prob¬
able that mitral trouble was the exciting cause. Directions were
accordingly given as to rest, fresh air and a nutritious diet. But
though the diagnosis had been settled the greater task of select¬
ing the curative remedy remained.
Accordingly we made further inquiries and elicited the fact that
as a babe he was very large and fleshy; the girl had also heard
the mother say that he had trouble in getting his teeth. While the
lad himself stated that his stockings are damp with perspiration
when he removes them at night. These symptoms completed
the drug picture and made Calcarea a certainty.
One dose of the cm. potency was given at the time and Sac.
lac. regularly thereafter.
The relief of the pain was very prompt, for it appeared but
seldom after that and was not as severe as before.
On his second visit to the Clinic the heart sounds were much
improved so that those of the class who had not examined the
patient on the former visit scarcely discovered any abnormal
features at all. But better still was the smile on the boy’s face
as he replied, Yes doctor I am lots better.
Notes from Rochester.
REPORTED BY DR. JULIA C. LOOS.
If we do not heal the sick better than or as well as Hahnemann
and his early followers did, it is because we do not know how to
use our tools, thereby we lose our enthusiasm and fall into a rut.
Students in the colleges are asking for bread and we are giv¬
ing them stones.
Get a complete record of facts in the language of the patient
to be practical.
Enlarged prostate in old men is a result of sexual perversion
in young and middle-aged men.
Digitized by ^ooQle
442
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
It is a strange thing that old-school physicians see no con¬
nection in effects of suppressing eruptions of different kinds.
They persistently refuse to note any analogy between symptoms
of suppressed erup/tions in acute disease and suppression of
eruption in chronic disease.
Any force which disturbs the vital force leads an eruption to
go from without inward. So long as it is first in order of ap¬
pearance an eruption does no harm.
The old school is coming now to a recognition of the fact
that symptoms of sickness precede objective changes.
Lycopus in Exophthalmic Goiter.
Dr. A. C. Cowperthwaite, in the College Bulletin, tells of six
cases of exophthalmic goiter, which he has treated within thirty-
five years. The first three, in his early practice, proved fatal.
The last three have resulted in recovery, complete or partial. In
two of the three successful cases, Lycopus was the only remedy,
or the one that did the most good.
The first case was treated in 1897. The patient, a lady fifty
years of age. The protrusion of both eyes was extreme; the
cardiac impulse violent; the goiter very prominent; muscular
tremors and symptoms of neurasthenia were also present. Ly¬
copus tincture in water was given and was continued off and
on for a year or more. Has had no other medicine since, yet
considers herself cured. There is still some bulging of the eyes,
and a slight enlargement of the glands, but the heart's action is
in every way normal, and the patient seems to be enjoying per¬
fect health, after an interval of seven years.
The second case has been under treatment about six months,
and though improving steadily, is, of course, less interesting.
In the third case, the fact that other remedies were also used,
makes it less significant.
We congratulate Dr. Cowperthwaite on his success, and on
his frankness in admitting that he did not cure every case which
Digitized by ^ooQle
LYCOPUS IN EXOPHTHALMIC GOITER. 443
was to be expected, for neither Lycopus nor any other remedy
will cure this disease, if not the similimum for the patient.
Tobacco and Alcoholic Amblyopia.
JOHN STORER, M. D., CHICAGO, ILL.
A number of cases of amblyopia from tobacco and alcohol,
where the cause was not suspected by the patient, has led me
to present briefly the above subject. The person too often neg¬
lects the gradual failing of vision, and many times from one
cause or another, months elapse without an accurate diagnosis,
being made. In such cases there must be excluded, the amblyopia
of hysteria, epilepsy, ptomaine poisoning, malaria, whooping
cough, pregnancy, traumatism, drug poisoning (as by quinine,
lead, arsenic, mercury, etc.), uremia, diabetes, brain diseases and
congenitalism. Frequently a little questioning in conjunction
with the ophthalmoscope will enable us to arrive at the cause.
In other cases, it may be most obscure.
Fortunately absolute blindness from alcohol or tobacco alone,
is rare and it may be many months before any abnormal condi¬
tions and atrophy can be noticed at the disc. A careful examina¬
tion with a knowledge of all bad habits, and a complete history,
is imperative, before one is able to decide upon the cause, and
advise intelligently. Where alcohol or tobacco is to blame, and
too often they go together, the vision fails slowly and as a rule
unaccompanied by other eye symptoms. Of the two causes, in
some countries, tobacco is more often the one, in others, alcohol.
After years of indulgence, a slight neuritis may develop; after
which some atrophy. A helpful diagnostic point is the blindness,
especially for red and green. Usually both eyes are affected
and if the patient can be made to discontinue permanently the
use of the tobacco or alcohol, a slow but gratifying improvement
of vision may be hoped for. But I have never been able to hold
the patient long enough to obtain anywhere near normal vision.
As a rule, the patient promises to abstain; but as his vision grad-,
ually improves under the abstinence and with the assistance of
Digitized by ^ooQle
444
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
the indicated homeopathic remedies, a decided craving, to resume
his old habits, shows itself, and for a time at least, no lessening
of vision seems to follow; but before many weeks have passed,
we may expect a rapid change for the worse in vision. It is
then more difficult and takes much longer to bring about im¬
provement a second time. It has been almost impossible in my
experience, to keep patients under control. Of course, our diag¬
nosis must often be made largely by exclusion, the presence' of
color blindness, and every other cause eliminated, besides the
history of tobacco or alcohol, even without noticeable ophthal¬
moscopic lesions. Refractive errors and muscular trouble, of
necessity, should be corrected.
A brief history of a single typical case may be of interest.
R. L., a saloon keeper, age thirty-five, consulted me nearly a year
ago, because of rapidly failing vision, especially of late, both
for distance and near. There was flickering before the eyes,
which were prominent and bleary. Appetite poor, history of ex¬
cessive use of tobacco and alcohol for years. The ophthalmo¬
scope showed a slight anemic condition of the disc, but otherwise,
normal. Color blindness for green and red were present. Test
showed no refractive or muscular errors. Vision not improved
by any lenses. Right eye, vision, one half of normal. Left eye,
vision one tenth. Here was a case where no other cause but
tobacco and alcohol could be found, and they in themselves, were
sufficient. A plain talk with the man, after the dangers were
pointed out, finally led him to sorrowfully promise to abstain
from each. He called again May 27, the eyes were looking better.
Vision each eye, but slightly improved, appetite better. Had
taken no alcohol, and but little tobacco. June 1st, vision slightlv
better. June 4th, vision right eye two-thirds; left eye, one-fourth
of normal. There was a constant slight gain at each call there¬
after. June 29th, vision better than June 4th. Physically, in
much better health. Vision thus far, R. E. improved from one-
half to two-thirds plus, and vision L. E. from one-tenth to one-
fourth plus, a most excellent gain in five weeks.
July 6th, vision less in each eye. He then acknowledged he had
never given up tobacco entirely; and of late, because of feel¬
ing so well and the vision constantly improving, he had slowly
Digitized by C^ooQLe
TOBACCO AND ALCOHOLIC AMBLYOPIA. 445
taken up alcohol and been smoking oftener . And this last call,
July 6th, plainly showed the bad effects.
It is unnecessary to say that rather forcible arguments were
produced against his backsliding and the inevitable results pointed
out should it continue. The gentleman left my office much de¬
pressed and I have never seen or heard of him since.
It is to be hoped that he came to his senses before it was too
late; and today is enjoying vision which is at least as good as
when I last saw him. But I am afraid he is not.
Chronic Dislocation of the Hip Cured by a Dose
of Silica 3d.
In the American Physician, for February, 1904, we find the
following interesting case. We are sorry to say the physician s
name is not given:
Last summer I was called to see an Irish woman suffering from dys¬
entery, and after giving the necessary medicine, a little boy about five
years old came on crutches into the room. He attracted my attention,
having a very interesting face and lively appearance. I asked the mother
what was the matter with the child, and was informed that the boy was
lame for three years, suffering sometimes great pain. Examining the
child and asking if they had ever done any.thing for him, they informed
me that several physicians had tried their skill, but none succeeded and
declared the case incurable. On examination I found it was a case of
coxarthocace of a very aggravated kind, the head of right femur gushing
out of its socket behind, while the spinal column had a corresponding
side curvature. It struck my mind to try the single dose cure, so I gave
the boy right at the time one grain of Silica 3d and told the mother to
wait patiently for two months, and if no improvement set in, to come and
get another dose.
It was altogether a charity case and I never heard anything more till
today, when two ladies came to my office with a lame girl three years old,
with exactly the same complexion as the boy. The mother, a young
woman of twenty-three or four, a resident of Petersburg, where I prac¬
ticed many years. The other woman was the mother of the boy who got
the single dose of Silica eight or nine months ago; and it was she who
brought the other mother to me. I was rather agreeably surprised to
hear that the boy was entirely well, straight as a candle and not a trace
of his former ailment remaining. This speaks volumes for Homeopathy,
and is certainly worth publishing, as it confirms the long acting proper¬
ties of even a single dose. I now have two more cases on hand, this girl
and a little boy about four years old, which will be treated alike, and I
hope with equal success.
Digitized by ^ooQle
446
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
But he may fail in these cases, for the doctor evidently his
not yet learned to adapt his potencies to the vitality of his patient.
Besides Silica is not always the remedy for chronic hip joint
disease. It is the patient not the disease that determines both
remedy and potency. It may be Calcarea, Kali carb. or Sulphur
and not Silica that the symptoms call for, but the single dose
often cures even chronic diseases.
There is something intensely interesting in the fact that a
cure like this should have been accomplished by a single dose
of a low potency. But let us not hastily assume that, therefore,
the third is just as good in such cases as a much higher potency
would be; such, for example, as the 200 or 1,000, for a careful
study of hundreds of reported cases, and cases in private prac¬
tice, seems to indicate very clearly that, Ordinarily, the Chances
of recovery are much better with a higher potency, though cer¬
tainly a case like this does prove conclusively that under favor¬
able conditions even the lower potencies can work wonders.
A Few Snapshots: The Beauty of Truth.
BY DR. F. M. EVANS, B^LLAIRE, OHIO.
A young man entered my office; his face flushed a deep crim¬
son ; his eyes brilliant, his* pupils dilated widely and the arteries
of his neck and temples throbbing violently while he was almost
insane from the pain in his head. I simply took one small vial
from my desk and dropped a few sugar pellets on his tongue,
and in five minutes the patient left my office in almost a normal
condition. Yet I had not given him Opium or Caffeine or an/
other poisonous drug, nor had I treated him by mere Christian
Science; but by that curious half-way house between mind and
matter a few pills of homeopathic Belladonna.
Next came a young lady;— the anguish expressed on her face
was intense; her stomach burned as from a coal of fire; she
feared she was going to die; a few pellets from another vial
(Arsenic) and in a few minutes her expression changed from
one of agony to quiet ease and she too smilingly departed.
Digitized by ^ooQle
A FEW snapshots: the beauty of truth. 447
Next came a hurried call to number 40 West Street, announced
by the office boy. “ Come along,” said the doctor to the re¬
porter standing by his side, who, by the by, was a medical stu¬
dent, and so we went. On our arrival we found the patient, a
woman of middle age, rapidly sinking with a hemorrhage from
the uterus. There was a.profuse flow of bright red blood, with
rapid breathing and constant nausea, most distressing to the
patient, but one dose from another magic vial called “ Ipecac ”
and the hemorrhage had ceased, the nausea was gone and that
suffering woman soon fell into a restful sleep.
“ Such are some of the workings of the 100,000th potency.”
So said the man of medicine, smiling brightly, as we drove home
together. Acute diseases rapidly terminated without dangerous
complications and sequelae; large tumors often literally melting
away; the terrible sufferings of cancer and tuberculosis greatly
relieved. These and many others.
[Dr. Evans' pictures are so beautiful in their simplicity and
truth that we could not resist the temptation to make just one
editorial comment. Then too, when Dr. Evans remembers that
even great men like Kipling sometimes let others write a story
on shares with them, we feel sure he will not resent the help of
ev£n a Printer's Devil, and shall hope to hear from him again
soon.]
What is the Difference Between the Third and the
Thirtieth or Two Hundredth ?
Occasionally we hear of grave acute conditions, such as per¬
sistent post-typhoidal expistaxis, where the thirtieth fails utterly,
but the third or the two-hundredth will either of them give
prompt relief. What is the significance of this seeming contra¬
diction? A brief examination of the facts will explain.
It is quite generally admitted, even by those who ordinarily use
the lower potencies, that when you get hold of an obstinate case
where tinctures and thirds and sixths will not give relief, the
best way is to go higher and try the thirtieth; in other words,
that in an unmistakably chronic and deep-rooted disorder the
Digitized by ^ooQle
448
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
higher potencies, “ within reasonable limits/’ are better and more
likely to cure. Those who have ever used the thirtieth with any
care at all also generally admit that you do not need to repeat
your dose as often as you do when using mother tinctures and
the lower dilutions; and it is a notorious, though as yet inexpli¬
cable fact that many of our finest pre§cribers, men whose cures
are almost magical, do often cure with one, two or three doses
of some high potency (200th, 1,000th, 10,oooth or 100,000th cm)
when the rest of us have to give ten, twenty or a hundred doses
before we can cure our case. This certainly looks like an ar¬
gument in favor of the higher potencies; and it probably is.
But how happens it then that the vast majority of our pro¬
fession prefer low potencies and mother tinctures, and some¬
times, alas too often, even abandon Homeopathy utterly, and
give allopathic drugs, with all their health-destroying power?
Of course, the off-hand answer, which has been often given,
too often it seems to me, is that most men are fools and simply
looking out for the almighty dollar, which can be earned more
easily by a very free use of Opium and Alcohol and other less
harmful stimulants and palliatives.
But this reply does not suit me; so let us try for a moment
to find some other. Is it then that the lower potencies are gen¬
erally or even often better, at least in acute diseases, than the'
higher? Yes, says Dr. Richard Hughes, that grand good man
who has so long been one of the foremost leaders of the low-
potency branch of our school; and yes say thousands of other
strong men, men who have added not a little to the success and
growing popularity of our school. And yet I believe they are
mistaken; and without calling them fools, or even thinking them
such, I will try to prove my point.
I will begin my argument by simply telling you what first
convinced me. I found that Dr. Hughes hirnself, though frankly
saying that he never felt inclined to go above the thirtieth, and
was heartily sorry that we had to use even those mysterious
potencies, added that, nevertheless, his dear and wonderfully suc¬
cessful friend, Dr. Carroll Dunham, never used anything lower
than the 200th and that somehow or other these high-potency
men did seem to have more confidence in their medicines. Who
Digitized by ^ooQle
THIRD, THIRTIETH OR TWO HUNDREDTH.
449
Carroll Dunham was I knew not then, though since I have
learned to love him so dearly. But when Dr. Hughes whom !
did know spoke of him so highly I felt sure there must be a
great truth back of Dunham's higher potencies, though I knew
not what and prefeired, like Dr. Hughes, to stick to thirds and
thirtieths till I could find out from somewhere a little more about
Dunham and his methods.
Well, I did find out; for I soon discovered that even
among the admirers of Dunham and his school the impression
was very strong that no one but a very smart man, with a won¬
derful memory, could ever make much of a success in prescrib¬
ing high potencies, and being myself a mere beginner, with a
very poor memory for endless details, I gave up for the time
being all hope of ever prescribing high potencies at all freely,
as Dunham had done. But as time passed on, my courage slowly
waxed greater and I actually ventured to prescribe high potencies
in a few cases and began to grow glad. But then it was that 1
got my knock-down blow. For in two important cases I got
that mysterious thing, “ the high potency aggravation." I had
heard of it vaguely; but I knew not how to explain it clearly
to my patients. I knew not how to avoid it, in its graver forms
or how to minimize it in all its more helpful and hope-giving
forms. And so for two more long and weary years I let high
potencies alone. Weary, I say; for I had heard of a way of se¬
curing more perfect, More Lasting cures, but knew not how
to successfully use it myself.
And right here I take it is the reason why most of our phy¬
sicians seldom think of using anything higher than the thirtieth,
and oftentimes do not even dare to go as high as that; for even
the thirtieth quite often makes your patient feel worse (in some
ways) before he feels better, and will not take hold at all strongly
or satisfactorily, unless you have struck somewhere within six
inches of the bull's eye, which is a very hard thing to do with
the needlessly complex and man-puzzling tools which we have
to use now days.
Some day our tools will be simplified, along truly homeopathic
lines, so that we can find a seventy or eighty per cent similimum
without being as smart as Caesar or as patient as Job, and
Digitized by ^ooQle
450
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
then the number of highly, deeply, broadly, grandly homeo¬
pathic physicians will slowly increase. But having only two rem¬
edies for dysmenorrhea and three for constipation and five for
vertigo will never do it. We must learn to prescribe mostly by
symptoms which are more distinctive and rare than these are,
making our first tentative Choice Group by rarer symptoms and
only our final choice by a study of the common ones. But this
is no easy thing to do as yet, for keynotes so-called, are a
snare and a delusion when used carelessly or hastily; and so I
do not think that the millennium is coming quite yet, but I
am sure it is coming sometime and the beginnings of it are
already upon us.
But this was not my subject, for I set out to explain why it
was that the third and two hundredth will sometimes cure where
the thirtieth fails. The reason why the two hundredth often
succeeds where the thirtieth fails has already been made evi¬
dent by what I have said. It is because the two hundredth is a
deeper acting medicine than the thirtieth in cases where it is
really well indicated; and clinical experience also shows that
it is not only deeper and gifted with higher curative power,
but that it also acts more quickly,— a very curious and inexpli¬
cable fact, and yet a fact none the less, as clinical experience has
abundantly shown.
So I should like to say incidentally if in any acute disease
which you have studied carefully enough to be sure that your
chosen medicine is really a many-sided similis to the case in
hand, you find that low potencies are not working satisfactorily
and wish to try something higher, I should advise you to try the
two hundredth rather than the thirtieth; for it will be far more
likely to save your patient. But if you have simply guessed at
your remedy by studying a few very common symptoms which
might point to any one of a hundred medicines or one or two
keynotes which might point to any one of fi ye or ten medicines,
then I advise you to let alone high potencies and stick to the low
potencies which you understand fairly well. But if you wish to
experiment in chronic diseases, you had better start in with the
thirtieth (the thirtieth in chronic, the two hundredth in acute),
for it is in the chronic cases and not in the acute that you arc
Digitized by CjOOQle
THIRD, THIRTIETH OR TWO HUNDREDTH. 451
most likely to get a temporary curative aggravation, which will
frighten you and your patient. But the aggravation of the thir¬
tieth will generally be much milder than that of the two hun¬
dredth which can be given after the thirtieth has done all the
good that it can and will not then kick up such a row as it
would if it had been given earlier. But in the chronic case your
single dose of the thirtieth should be allowed to run a week
or two, two weeks seeming to be the average time, while in the
acute case you should not repeat the dose till you are perfectly
sure that the first dose has entirely lost its hold and done all
it can.
I believe then that I have explained satisfactorily why it is
that the two hundredth is oftentimes better in a dangerous acute
disease than the thirtieth, although you will notice that I have
explained it scientifically, by an appeal to well-established clin¬
ical experience, and have not attempted to explain it philosoph¬
ically, since I frankly admit that the whole matter is to me as
yet utterly inexplicable.
But how, pray, happens it that jumping down to the third
potency seems to have exactly the same effect as jumping up to
the two hundredth ? This certainly seems ridiculous; but this
also will become clear if we study carefully the real difference
between low potencies arid high.
The difference may, in general, be stated thus: Mother tinc¬
tures and low potencies are ordinarily stimulant in their action,
even in cases where we think and speak of them as depressant;
for the depressing influence comes either as a reaction after a
previous state of evident stimulation or as the result of some
part of the body being stimulated so suddenly and so power¬
fully as to cripple us instantly without the overstimulation show¬
ing itself in any other way. This explains why it is that a care¬
less prescriber can get results from the third potency, the sixth
and tenth, when he cannot get any results at all from the thir¬
tieth and two hundredth: for stimulants ahvays take hold more
easily than do medicines which are really and deeply curative,
and a curative medicine must be a much more perfect similimum,
if is it to give relief.
And now one of our riddles is explained. The thirtieth is a
Digitized by C^ooQLe
452
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
sort of half-way house between the third and two hundredth;
it has lost the unmistakable stimulating power of the third but
it has not gained the wonderful curative power of the 200th,
and so in the case of nose bleed of which we have spoken, where
quick relief of some sort is indispensable, the poor thirtieth fails
utterly and both its rivals come out ahead.
The riddle is explained, but let us not hastily jump at con¬
clusions and assume that a case like this proves that the third
and the two hundredth are equally praiseworthy medicines; for
this is not true. Both will save your patient’s life many and
many a time, but in the days and weeks to come the patient who
has been cured with the 200th will be a healthier, stronger man
than the one who has been cured with the third, and will be less
likely to get sick again next time some gigantic microbe goes
jumping down his throat.
But, as I have said, if you cannot spare time to study up your
patients carefully, don’t expect to get satisfactory results from
the 200th, i,oooth, or 50m potency; for you are sure to be often
disappointed. But when you are sure of your remedy, the 200th
and 200,000th will do vastly deeper, better work than the third.
God only knows why. I am simply stating facts.— Hamlet
[With due deference to Hamlet’s enthusiasm we must remind him that
assertion alone is not proof, for in our humble opinion he has neither
proved nor explained why the third or thirtieth is better than the two
hundredth or vice versa. Hahnemann’s test for Homeopathy, the court
of last resort, is the bedside test of clinical experience. So here the dy¬
namic plane of both patient and remedy, not physics, must be the guide.
Try them and publish the failures. Ed.]
Milk Poisoning.
DR. A. J. WHITMAN, BEAUFORT, S. C.
Dr. Whitman tells us that his hobby is Hygiene and Diet, and
that he is satisfied that in a great many cases milk is not a
healthy food in its natural state, producing as it does the con¬
dition which the laity call biliousness; but he adds, that the
same milk if taken after it has become clabbered may often be
indulged in freely* without any physical disturbance. He then
Digitized by C^ooQLe
MILK POISONING. 453
gives a case in his own practice illustrating the bad effects of a
milk diet in some cases:
“An acquaintance of mine told me not long ago that he was
living on milk and drank three quarts a day. I told him I
doubted whether he could digest it. And sure enough a few
weeks later he sent for me, telling me that he was all used/ up
with what he called la grippe. I gave him some relief, but he
was not satisfied, thinking he ought to have a dose of calomel to
cure his biliousness.
It then occurred to me what was the real trouble, and I told
him it was milk poisoning, and that I wished him to leave off all
forms of milk diet for one week, and wait and see what the re¬
sults would be without, taking any more medicine. At the end
of the week he informed me that he was well.
It seems to me that whenever a patient complains of being
bilious, it is well to stop and ask of what his diet consists, as
this may be the one main cause of the trouble.
In fever cases I believe more patients die from a milk diet
and unnecessary food than from the simple disease itself.
Ask a physician whether he would be willing to let his patients
eat cheese. How quickly he will say, No. Yet what is the dif¬
ference between giving milk and cheese, so long as the milk is
going to be made into cheese in the stomach. It is certainly
cheese just the same. But give your fever patients nothing but
water and see how quickly they will commence to improve. “ A
word to the wise is sufficient.”
USES OF SOURED MILK.
[This reminds us of an interesting case where a lady, who was almost
at death’s door, craved sour milk, but her physician did not dare to give
it. But the craving being a very strong but quiet one, the lady ventured
to take matters into her own hands, and told her little girl to go down
stairs and get the milk. Next day she was wonderfully better, and told
the doctor that it seemed as though the soured milk was like a soothing
ointment to her suffering stomach. Prom that day on her cure progressed
rapidly. We fully realize that simple restless stomach cravings, or tongue
cravings, or brain cravings for food are not reliable, but sadly misleading;
but when a patient craves some article of food in a quiet, sober, persist¬
ent way, may it not be that it is a real craving of nature, and that the
food craved is just what they need ?
In one part of the above article, Dr. Whitman has referred to clabbered
milk. We should like to mention the fact, that oftentimes clabbered
Digitized by ^ooQle
454
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
milk will be more palatable if warmed slightly and then soured artificially
by dropping in some simple acid. Then wrap up in a towel and lay
away. The first one or two times the taste may be a little peculiar, but
by souring it later on with the soured milk itself, you will get, after a
while, a most delightfully palatable dish for those who crave something
sour. All through the Orient this simple " soured milk” under many
different names is a favorite article of diet, both for the sick and for the
well It is well worth trying in all cases, where there is a strong craving
for something sour. Ed.]
Broncho-Pneumonia with Escape of Fetid Air from
the Bronchi.
F. H. LUTZE, M. D., BROOKLYN, N. Y.
Mrs. G. aet. 48 years, has high fever 104°; broncho-pneumonia,
with every symptom calling for Ars., except that she had an in¬
voluntary discharge of a loose fecal stool, and urine with each
cough. Arsenicum cured her in one week, but the cough with
the involuntary stool and urine still continued, with the following
additional symptom:
Before and with the cough (and at no other time) a volume
of pungent fetid air rises from the bronchiae and escapes from the
mouth and nose, tasting very offensive to the patient; she actually
dreads the cough on this account. Capsicum cured all!
The symptom: Involuntary, loose fecal stool with cough. I
am unable to find in any materia medica; it therefore needs veri¬
fication.
The symptom: Involuntary urine with cough is found in Lee
and Clark's “ Repertory of Cough and Expectoration ” and in
Hering’s “ Guiding Symptoms.”
The symptom: Escape of a fetid, pungent air with the cough
is contained in Allen's “ Encyclopedia ” and also Hering’s “ Guid¬
ing Symptoms,” but I was unable to find it in Lee and Clark's
“ Cough Repertory.” As it has been found in the proving of Cap¬
sicum, it needs no further verification so those who have a Rep¬
ertory may safely write it in. [Chest — Eructations fetid, etc.—
Ed.]
Lycopodium Swallowing. — In tonsillitis or diphtheria, Lyc.
has aggravation from swalloging cold drinks, cold milk, etc., but
Digitized by ^ooQle
BRONCHO-PNEUMONIA. ‘ 455
also at times aggravation from swallowing saliva 'or empty swal¬
lowing. I have verified this symptom frequently.
Stools Green. — Belladonna has frequently cured in cases
of dysmenorrhea or during the later stage of pneumonia or bron¬
chitis all the remaining symptoms, when the stool was normal in
every respect, except that the stool was of a decidedly green color
through and through .
Stools Red. — Mercurius vivus has a stool of a brick-red
color throughout, the red color not being due to the presence
of blood.
Umbilical Fulness. — A stuffed or distended feeling or a
sensation of fulness, or deadness and inactivity in the small intes¬
tines, felt in the umbilical region, is most often promptly relieved
and cured by Bryonia or Tabacum, in a potency from the 200th
upward.
A Beautiful Cure.
A. F. SWAN, M. D., BRIGHTON, COLO.
M. W., primipara, aet. 25; began to have rise in temperature
on second day after confinement; not over ioo° at any time until
the fifth day, when it rose steadily and gradually from ninety-
nine degrees at 8 a. m., to 102 3-5 at 1 p. m., with these symp¬
toms :
Dull pain in temples; drowsy, but unable to sleep; face flushed,
and hot to touch; very sensitive to jar of bed, even from walk¬
ing across room.
Abdomen sensitive to a sudden or light touch, but hard pres¬
sure caused no pain; lochia almost entirely ceased.
Apparently a case for surgical interference and curettement.
However, having some small taith in homeopathic remedies,
Belladonna 45 m. (F.) was given, one dose.
In an hour the temperature was reduced one degree; a sweat
started, and at 9 p. m., the temperature was ninety-nine degrees,
the lochia was restored and the patient was comfortable. In
her own words, “It is wonderful how so little can do so much.’
Digitized by C.ooQLe
456
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Was not that better, surer and easier than curetting? A
true similimum, a single remedy, a minimum dose. But the
greatest of these is similia.— Denver Critique .
[Yes! It is better, but not easier; for many physicians would have failed to see
that it was a Belladonna case, and those who did see would most of them have given 3x,
which would never have savbd thb woman. But as soon as we learn to select the
best remedy, and are brave enough to give it in high potency in times of grave danger,
where very prompt action is needed, the homeopathic way is certainly best. P. D.l
Some Clinical Cases.
R. DEL MAS, PH.. D., M. D., CENTERVILLE, MINN.
July 27, i903.- t -T. T., aet. 48, has, for the iast eigteen years,
been suffering from periodic attacks of diarrhea . Today reports:
Diarrhea for a week; stool watery, splashing, foul. Urgent stool
on or before getting up.
Sulph. 1 m, four powders.
Diarrhea stopped at once and has not returned since. Of the
four powders given him to use, if needed, he took but one.
Dec. 28, 1903.— Mrs. J. P., aet. 31; married, sterile. Has been
off and on, for the last five or six years, troubled with aching pain
in small of back; < standing, walking, turning in bed; > lying on
back.
Lancinating pains in both ovaries, < walking, standing; jar¬
ring ; lying on side; > rest on back.
Pain in left ovary <.
Pain in ovaries wakes her up nights.
Constipation; stool hard; ineffectual urging to stool; two or
three days before menses goes to stool two or three times daily.
General < after sleep.
Cannot wear anything tight about neck or body.
Lach. 50 m, one powder.
Patient reported on January 23, that she was well.
N. B.— If the date on the address to which your subscription
is paid is not up-to-date, please correct it. It should be Jan. 1905.
Digitized by ^ooQle
The Medical Advance
AND
JOURNAL OF HOMEOPATHICS.
A Monthly Journal of Hahnemannian Homeopathy
When we have to do with an art whose end is the saving of human
life, any neglect to make ourselves thorough masters of it becomes a
crime.— Hahnemann.
Subscription Price - - - Two Dollars a Year.
We believe that Homeopathy, well understood and faithfully practiced, has power to save more
lives and relieve more pain than any other method of treatment ever invented or discovered by
man; but to be a first-class homeopathic prescriber requires careful study of both patient
and remedy. Yet we also believe that by patient care it can be made a little plainer and easier
than it now is. To explain and define and in all practical ways simplify it is therefore our
chosen work. In this good work we ask your help.
Further details will be found i\the Publishers Corner.
To accommodate both readers and publisher this journal will be sent until arrears are paid
and it is ordered discontinued.
Communications regarding Subscriptions and Advertisements may be sent to the publisher,
Pilgrim Office, Battle Creek, Mich.
Contributions, Exchanges, Books for Review, and all other communications should be
addressed to the Editor, 5142 Washington Avenue, Chicago.
AUGUST, 1904
eaitorial.
Please read and ponder our oread, given above.
The Medical Laws of Minnesota.
A Most Important Decision. — In a letter recently published,
Dean E. L. Mann, of the Homeopathic Department of Minnesota
University, mentions the curious fact that when the regents ot
that university discovered that by a sudden raising of the stand¬
ard for admission to the medical department of the university,
they had lessened the number of students in the Homeopathic
Department, they immediately reversed their decision and allowed
the standard for admission to the Homeopathic College to remam
the same as it had been (for a while, at least) thus making the
Digitized by ^ooQle
458
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
standard for admission to the Old School College higher than
the standard for admission to the Homeopathic College.
This is a most curious and interesting state of affairs. For it
is an acknowledgment of a great and fundamental truth; namely,
that, though we are all called doctors, and are all trying to
relieve pain and suffering, we are doing it in such different ways,
that, regulations which would help one school would only injure
the other.
Evidently the regents of the university of Minnesota are, as
a body, exceptionally large-hearted and clear-headed men or
they never would have made such a ruling.
Doubtless some, both in the old school and the new, will sneer,
and say that this is an admission that Homeopathy is willing to
take a lower place than Allopathy, and is willing to accept and
recommend second-rate men. We do not care to argue with such
critics as these; for so long as there are thousands of communities
in which there is not even a third-class homeopathic doctor, it is
certainly better that we should give tjiem a fairly good one, in¬
stead of none at all — provided he loves his work and has had
a four-years’ medical training, and a high school course, even if
he has not had quite as much book learning as his allopathic
rivals. Half a loaf is better than none, provided it is a half
loaf of true bread.
We do not wonder that our old-school brethren feel that the
time has come when the number of physicians of their school
should be limited. We do not say this as a sneer, we say it in
genuine respect for a method of treatment which we consider
sadly faulty, and in the hands of a dishonest practitioner often
fatal, and yet one which we believe to be a blessing to the world,
though not as great a blessing as Homeopathy.
But we agree with out brethren in feeling that they have made
it a little too easy for men to enter the profession and play with
human life. The handling of powerful drugs, such as second-
rate physicians always have a passionate fondness for, is alto¬
gether too easy; and so we heartily approve of the attempt to
shut out second-rate men.
Of course, some first-class men will also be shut out, but this
is inevitable in all reforms, and will not be permanent; because.
Digitized by ^ooQle
EDITORIAL.
459
after a while, our best physicians will learn to keep a sharp look¬
out for poor men who are worthy of special encouragement, and
out of their own pockets, and out of the scholarship pockets of
rich men, will find help for men like these.
But, as we have stated above, we believe that the time has not
yet come when the number of homeopathic physicians turned out
year by year needs to be checked in any such way. Doubtless
it will come in time. Restrictive legislation, though subject to
grave abuses, is by no means inherently bad. It is dangerous;
it may easily be carried too far; but it is helpful We believe
that in some parts of the country it has been carried too *ar
already. We believe that in some places it has been used simply
as a dodge to try to handicap some rival school; but these are
abuses, and not necessary results of such restriction.
We shall watch the further progress of the University of Min¬
nesota with deep interest, wishing them Godspeed in all they
do, both in the homeopathic and the so-called regular depart¬
ments.
Importance of Clinical Experience.
We are glad to see that the medical colleges of the country are
laying more and more stress on the student coming in personal
contact with the sick during the last two years of his course.
The only criticism we would make is that instead of saying the
last two years, it should be the last four years; in other words,
through the entire course, for we believe it is a sad mistake to
waste so much of our time in studying the endless minutiae of
dead bodies, and not begin the study of live ones until the last
year or two of the course, and even then do it mostly at long
range, or, perchance, simply sit still and listen while the professor
does it for us.
It is very well to assume that in watching the professor ex¬
amine a case we will instinctively learn how to do it ourselves,
but as a matter of fact it is not true. No man can become skilful
in any line of work by simply watching another workman.
Instead of allowing students to sit passive, or largely passive,
Digitized by C.ooQLe
460
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
in the class-room or clinic, while the professor or some student
makes an examination, with only occasional interruption from
others, let the classes be divided into groups of three or four,
as now done in some colleges, each group to contain one fresh¬
man, one sophomore and one upper classman, and that nearly
every case that is brought into our clinics be first of all examined
with utmost care in private by one of these groups, they being
required to make a written statement of the symptoms they have
found, and of the prescription they would suggest. Then the
professor in open class criticizes their report and, if necessary,
makes a second examination and reverses their verdict.
The baby does not learn to walk simply by seeing others walk.
He learns to walk by tumbling down himself. And until our
medical students are given more chances to make slow, careful,
blundering prescriptions on paper, without in any way injuring
the sick one, we do not believe that the average medical student
will ever become as enthusiastic and skilful in taking a case as
he might.
We have heard a great deal about the importance of giving the
indicated remedy, but as a matter of fact a large majority of
the cases which are reported in our journals have been examined
in such a faulty way that no remedy is indicated. The symptoms
reported might point to any one of ten or fifteen remedies, which
is another way of saying that they do not point to anything,
because the more distinctive features of the case are left out or
were not taken in the anamnesis.
We are well aware that students are often asked to make ex¬
aminations in a class-room, and that they are often asked to sug¬
gest a prescription, but, unfortunately, it is impossible for a learner
to do his best in such a public hurried gathering. You must al¬
low him to work more slowly, by himself, if you wish him to
learn to do his best.
For surgeons, the study of the dead body, in its endless minu¬
tiae, is a matter of fundamental importance, but we believe that
the medical colleges of the near future will, ere long, awaken to
the fact that for most of us daily practice for four long years
in studying the living man is vastly more important than so
much study of dead men and of books.
Digitized by ^ooQle
EDITORIAL.
461
We are well aware, that in spite of their defects, our medical
colleges turn out hundreds of useful men, but we are also well
aware that the percentage of truly successful genuinely homeo¬
pathic physicians, which might be turned out is vastly greater
than that which we now have. Hence the importance of friendly
criticism.
Needed, a Journal of Homeopathic Surgery.
Our readers are doubtless aware that the Advance makes no
pretense of publishing surgical articles. And yet we believe that
there are times when the help of a successful surgeon is greatly
needed, and so it has seemed to us that it would be a most op¬
portune step in the right direction if some enterprising publisher
or college could start a Journal of Homeopathic Surgery. We
already have an enterprising Journal of Obstetrics, but a journal
of surgery, in its wider aspects, seems as yet to be a desideratum.
All through our magazine literature of both schools, we find hosts
of articles on surgical subjects, but they are sadly scattered. No
one man in busy practice could find time to look through so
many magazines, and even if he did, he would soon discover that
the surgical writers of today have a most marked tendency to
write articles that are too long for practical, every-day helpfulness.
They seem to forget that a magazine article should not be a
learned treatise, but simply a wide-awake reminder of those parts
of surgical lore which the busy practitioner needs oftenest, or is
most in danger of forgetting.
And if some one, with a little leisure at command, were to
devote himself to a surgical magazine which avoided publication
of very long or learned articles, and give in pithy, condensed form
the most vital parts of all articles that are published from month
to month, together with original contributions almost equally con¬
densed, we believe that it would receive a hearty and wide-spread
welcome.
It is no secret that the Advance believes that we are today in
danger of resorting to surgery altogether too often, and that
many a surgical operation might have been prevented by a skil-
Digitized by C.ooQLe
462
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
ful use of our deeper remedies; and furthermore we believe that
even after an operation the liability to a reappearance of similar
surgical symptoms can be greatly lessened by the intelligent use
of the deeper Homeopathy. But in spite of all these things we
believe in surgery and we believe it has a most important place
to fill, even though we cannot concede to it quite as much as
some of its followers and hence we muchly hope that some one
will be found enterprising enough, and skilful enough, to start
such a magazine as we have suggested, one devoted to the best
of surgery along with the best of Homeopathy since in all such
cases internal treatment is also needed.
Comparing Notes with Our Neighbors.
The central law of Homeopathy is exceedingly simple, and the
general outlines of our materia medica are quite familiar to
most of us, and yet, when it comes to applying the law in detail
in real life, it is far from simple. Hence the importance of,
oftentimes, comparing notes with others, that we may see our¬
selves as others see us, and that by the successes and failures
of ourselves and others we may learn wisdom. This we believe
to be one of the main advantages of the clinical department of
the Advance. It is not full of startling cures, or marvelous new
discoveries in either therapeutics or materia medica, but it is
full of food for thought of real live cases on which to test our
skill, and criticize the skill of others.
And even when the writer of an article shows plainly that he
is not as well informed as you are, and cannot prescribe as suc¬
cessfully, a comparison of notes will, nevertheless, be helpful.
For the very attempt to find out just where and why a given
prescription is faulty, will, of itself, broaden our own knowledge
of the art of prescribing and also show us better how to explain
our own best thoughts to others, for some men who can pre¬
scribe very successfully themselves, are exceedingly lame when
it . comes to explaining their methods. While, on the other hand.
Digitized by ejOOQie
EDITORIAL. 463
some who seem to have a fine theoretical knowledge, are really
poor prescribes, when it comes down to actual practice.
Of course, consultations in real life are, at times, exceedingly
helpful, because of the interchange of experience which they make
possible. But nevertheless such consultations are too costly, and,
oftentimes, too hurried to be of much practical value from an
educational point of view. They satisfy the patient's friends,
they greatly lessen the likelihood of malpractice suits, and they
sometimes throw new light on the proper treatment of a case.
But they are very seldom elaborate and slow and deep enough to
teach either one of the consultants very much that is new. But
a consultation on paper, with the help of a wide-awake magazine
as a go-between, can, oftentimes, escape all of these disadvan¬
tages, and become a source of daily inspiration and strength.
Two Restless Boys.
There were two restless boys, who lived on the street where I
was born. They were not brothers, but both were restless, and
had very different mothers, and so it came to pass that when one
of them was restless, his mother simply told him to keep still
or he would get a whipping, and finding that he really did get
the whipping, if he did not keep still, the poor boy was really
quite saintly to outward appearances and yet the restlessness
within was never cured, and slowly increased till at last it be¬
came a source of life-long injury to my dear friend.
As I have told you, the other boy was also restless. I was the
one, but, luckily for me, my mother had a different way of curing
restless boys. She always gave me some pleasant work to do,
some pleasant childish work. She would set me to picking up
threads on the floor; she would set me to sorting buttons; she
would set me to stringing beans; she would send me a running
a half-mile to do some little errand, and strange to say the rest¬
lessness disappeared by the wayside, and I came back content
and happy.
Now this mother of mine had never heard of Homeopathy.
Digitized by ^ooQle
464
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
and yet, unwittingly, she taught her boy to love it, for she prac¬
ticed it over and over again, and cured* or at least half cured my
restless, nervousness, by the patient persistency with which she
helped me to let off steam in a healthy, harmless way.
Such is the difference between old-school and new-school meth¬
ods, and though I have read many a good book, and found in
them many helpful things, I do not remember to have ever seen
anything which illustrated better than this little story the funda¬
mental difference between allopathic suppression of nature's
moods and homeopathic obedience to her restless but healthy crav¬
ings. For even nature's seeming blunders are a step in the right
direction , a crude, unfinished hint of what we ought to do to get
relief and cure. She Seldom Finishes the Cure, for if she
did it would make us lazy and more reckless in wrong-doing.
But she can show us how to cure ourselves when we are willing
to listen and obey.— Hamlet .
Saying Thank You.
From far and near we have been gathering the choicest bits
that we could find in homeopathic periodical literature to help
you in using your homeopathic remedies more successfully, more
enthusiastically and more easily. If you believe that we have
succeeded fairly well, and if you find our pages helpful and in¬
spiring, please remember that it takes hard work and a great
deal of it to edit and publish a magazine like this, and help us
if you can. We would suggest four ways in which you can do
it. Please choose the one which seems to you the most appro¬
priate, the true similimum for your own case:
(1) You can help us by sending in a report of some perplex¬
ing or inspiring case.
(2) You can help us by sending in a few little seed thoughts
for our Thought Exchange . A friendly hit at some neighbor
of yours, or at yourself , but never an unfriendly one.
(3) You can help us by sending in a little money, in case
your subscription is not paid up. Most medical journals live
Digitized by ^ooQle
EDITORIAL.
465
quite largely by advertising proprietary medicines, the use of
which slowly lowers the vitality of those to whom we recom¬
mend them. The Advance cannot do this. We would rather
die in the poor-farm than attempt it.
And last, but not least, you can help us by sending in the
names of two or three of the most wide-awake physicians in your
state, to whom you would like to have us send sample copies.
We, too, are human; without help we are in danger of getting
discouraged and can never do our best; and so we hope that in
same way you will say thank you quite often, just as you say
good morning to your best friends and make them glad so easily.
Forgetting the Polychrests.
There is a marked tendency in homeopathic books and articles
to assume that everybody knows about polychrests and when they
are indicated, and that all we need to do is to stop and explain
the less common remedies. This, we believe, is a serious mistake,
for though some physicians are doubtless well acquainted with
the polychrests and know just when to use them, and others,
are too well acquainted with them in a blundering way, and use
them too often, we believe that, oftentimes, a polychrest is indi¬
cated in a given case, where the average physician fails utter ly
to recognize the fact, and gives some medicine which is far less
potent and in consequence, fails to reach the deeper roots of
the difficulty in hand.
And yet there is one caution well worth observing: when giv¬
ing the indications for a polychrest we shoulcf try to be more
concise than when talking of less familiar medicines; in other
words, do not try to describe your case in all its many-sided
totality, but simply give the most distinctive symptoms, which in
that particular case strongly suggest this one particular poly¬
chrest in preference to all others; for, one of the most unfor¬
tunate diseases of doctors and books is the temptation to ramble
and describe the entire case, so that the reader is left in perfect
chaos through not knowing which of the reported symptoms are
Digitized by ^ooQle
466
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
fairly distinctive, and which are simply confirmatory. Of course,
the indicated remedy should cover the totality of symptoms. But
there is no need of noting all of them in a well-written article
or prescription. The chances are your reader knows these com¬
mon symptoms by heart, whereas the rarer ones he may never
have noticed.
Unpublished Articles.
Except in the case of very short paragraphs, we try, as far
as possible, to publish articles in the order in which we receive
them, never departing from this plan, except when it is necessary
' for the sake of getting greater variety, or of publishing promptly
an article which refers to some event of special passing
interest. Hence we hope our readers will keep on sending in
reports, even if they do not hear from them right away, for a
good, fat pigeon-hole, full of interesting articles always makes
it easier for an editor to do his best and keep up courage.
Preventive Treatment.
The best treatment for the diseases of childhood is preventive,
and the best time to begin applying the prevention is long
before the child is bom. We should like very much to hear of
some doctor who is paid a regular monthly salary for keeping
people from being sick; for toning up the health when they do
not call themselves sick, and yet are not as well as they might
be. This cannot be done by tonics like iron and phosphites,
which are sure to be followed by a reaction, but it can be done by
patient, enthusiastic, homeopathic practice and we hope that
some of our readers will make it a point to get a few families
under such preventive treatment, agreeing (unless the people are
rich enough) not to make any charge for visits at your office,
except when you find that medicine is needed. In this way you
Digitized by <^.ooQle
EDITORIAL.
467
will get them positively enthusiastic in helping you to do your
best, without frightening them aw<ty by making their visits too
costly; and you yourself will be richly paid for the time it takes
in the deeper, broader, more beautiful insight into life, health
and disease, that you will get by this kind of practice.
It looks as though rapid transportation, which is becoming
cheaper and cheaper every year, was going to help very largely
in simplifying, though not in solving, the problem of an over¬
crowded population in our larger cities. For the time is coming
when for a penny or two any one can leave the heart of the
city and ride far out to the suburbs and find the ride a really
restful one; and although those who have to work nine and
ten hours a day will hardly care to go so far, the going away
of others will make room for those who are left behind.— Sug¬
gested.
Nursing Mothers. — The best nursing mothers are those
who eat good, substantial food, have abundant sleep, love to work,
and are frequently out in the open air, and above all love their
children more than they do society and excitement; for children
are but God’s way of training us for happy, contented useful
living.— Selected.
Amenorrhea of Fifteen Years’ Standing. —In a woman of
forty-two, following suppression of the menses fifteen years pre¬
viously after a severe drenching in a rainstorm. Had tried
many remedies without avail. A characteristic symptom, nearly
always present, was fear of death with great anxiety. Aconite
was prescribed and she was soon cured.— N. A. J. H.
Catching Cold. — Many houses are kept at summer tempera¬
ture in winter, yet we wear winter clothing in those houses; no
wonder colds are prevalent. Many houses are dangerous because
of the great disparity between temperature of the halls and the
rooms.— North American.
Digitized by CjOOQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
Ficus Religosa. — A New Remedy for Bloodiness .— The
Homeopathic Recorder for April has a long and interesting article
in regard to the use of this new remedy. There are also several
provings made by Dr. Serat Chandra Ghose, of Calcutta, India:
one on himself, one on his poor wife and one on a favorite dog.
It is a curious fact that in two of these provings minute doses
of the very same remedy effectually antidoted the symptoms when
they went too far.
But Dr. Ghose has for some time been using this medicine:
he was the original prover and he gives a long list of its leading
uses:
There is blood in the urine.
There is bloody dysentery;
Vomiting of blood;
Spitting of blood;
Vaginal hemorrhage;
Bleeding piles;
Nosebleed; and profuse bleeding from even the slightest wound.
Apparently these varied hemorrhages are nearly always ac¬
companied with a sad and melancholy mood. The face is apt
to be yellow, the sight dim, the breathing difficult and the hem¬
orrhage itself bright red.
In one of the provings there was dysentery accompanied with
menorrhagia; while in one of the clinical cases given there was
nosebleed, preceded by nausea, a curious combination. The cure
was a marked and rapid one.
The Cynic Once More. —The cynic is loose in the land, and
this time his great fear is that, ere long, the germ craze and the
craze for all sorts of vaccination and antitoxins will go so far
that we will have to vaccinate regularly once a month; one month
for smallpox, the next for scarlet fever, the next for consumption,
the next for pneumonia, the next for diphtheria; then a month
later for typhoid, and still later for measles, and so on down
through an ever-growing list of “ preventable diseases.”
Well, brother, it is rather alarming, but there is a bright side
Digitized by ^ooQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
469
even to the germ craze, and to modern methods of vaccination
and antitoxin, for in a very crude, dangerous way, they are all
simply expressions of the deep truth for which Homeopathy is
pleading, and you may rest assured, that when the doctors fully
find this out, as they are sure to do ere long, they will either
drop them all like hot cakes, or else, they will have a larger faith
in Homeopathy, and will rise to less crude and harmful ways
of applying its fundamental law.
I once had some apples so green that even the pigs would not
eat them, but I simply put them back on the tree again and,
after a while, they turned to beautiful baldwins and pippins. The
same will be true, in time, of the germ craze and all its cousins.
Cream as an Article of Diet. —* “ The very cream ” of any¬
thing is an expression signifying the very best of it; yet few seem
to appreciate the value of cream as an article of diet, most people
preferring to use “ milk-fat ” in the form of butter. Good and
properly made butter may fairly be conceded to be the best and
most wholesome solid fat in use, but it is quite inferior to cream
in respect to both economy and wealth.
People who cannot take cod-liver oil can take good fresh cream,
enjoy it, and thrive on it. In many run-down and \rtak consti¬
tutions where there is emaciation, cream is often very beneficial.
One reason why cream is not an article of universal use at
almost every meal, like butter, is because it is difficult to keep
in good condition, to transport. For, in many households, the
morning's cream is a bit off flavo.r before night, in hot weather.
Fortunate are those who can secure fresh cream and plenty of ;t.
— Iowa Bulletin S, B. of H .
Medical Library of the County of Kings. —The Brook¬
lyn Medical Journal tells us that the medical library of the County
of Kings (N. Y.) has been largely founded, and the necessary
building furnished through the liberality of a comparatively small
number of persons, and that arrangements are now being made
to abundantly supply it with the best books and magazines,
through the help of a comparatively small number of physi¬
cians who have been long enough in practice to easily spare the
Digitized by CjOOQle
470
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
necessary $10 a year, thus making it possible for younger prac¬
titioners to have easy access to a first-class library, without being
burdened with its support. The editor also expresses the be¬
lief that there are many busy experienced practitioners (too busy
to care to use such a library themselves) who would be glad to
help in endowing it for the use of younger men, whose libraries
are smaller, and whose leisure hours are more abundant.
This thought of fellowship in starting medical libraries, not
simply for our own use, but for the use of our younger fellows,
seems to us an exquisite and beautiful one, which is sure to
be copied some day by libraries in many parts of the world.
Inexperienced Surgeons. — An inexperienced surgeon shows
his inexperience by working too slow at the beginning of an op¬
eration, when rapid work would do no harm, and then working
too rapidly later on, when rapid work is likely to do serious
harm. It is true that a surgical operation should never be made
any longer than is absolutely necessary, but the time to hurry,
or rather to work rapidly, is in the first part, when rapid work is
not likely to do harm. Long rapid strokes at first, shorter and
slower ones later on.— Suggested by the New England Gazette.
Too Much Electricity. —Elsewhere we have spoken of the
limitations of electrical treatment (since it is a mere stimulant).
But since many of our readers are using electricity quite freely,
we should like to quote the following sentence from a recent
article bv an enthusiastic believer in electricity. He says:
It is a great mistake to give your patient all the electricity he can stand,
for by so doing you will often do irreparable harm. It is much better to
begin with a light current and increase gradually to the point where you
get your desired effect, and even then do not try to get an effect too soon,
since the safer treatment may require months of slow work, instead of six
weeks of rapid work.
We like these words of caution, only we feel sure that often¬
times even when the treatment is slow and cautious, harm is
done, though it is done so slowly that it is not recognized. But,
as a last resort, in incurable cases, it may be beneficial. But for
successful, enthusiastic, clear-headed homeopaths, who are not
afraid to use strong potencies, and yet use them cautiously, not
Digitized by ^ooQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE. 471
giving the cm. potency where 50 m. would do the work more
gently. We still believe that Homeopathy is better.
Memories of Long Ago. — There was a time, in my memory,
when there was only one surgeon in northern Ohio; then, after¬
ward, there were just two in the city of Cleveland.— Dr. Biggar .
in Medical Reporter.
Helping on the Truth. — If chemists and allopaths go on
piling up facts, as they have been doing of late, in their chase
after bacteria and serums, they will wake up some day to find
much to their own surprise that they have proved the truth cf
Homeopathy, and will doubtless be wise and true enough to
frankly admit it after a few angry words.— Selected.
Periodic Convulsions. — The Medical and Surgical Reporter ,
for January, reports an interesting case of periodic convulsions,
beginning every Sunday, and lasting off and on until Wednes¬
day, when they would disappear and return again the next Sab¬
bath. This continued for several weeks, until the child became
idiotic. Later on Quinine (given apparently in allopathic doses)
stopped the convulsions, but did not save the child’s mind. This
curious symptom, periodic convulsion, is found under Agar.,
Chin, s., Nat. m. and Sulph, but, probably, other medicines which
have the two symptoms periodicity and convulsions might also be
indicated in some cases.
His First Prescription. — Progress, for April, 1904, contains
a beautiful picture of a little boy and girl sitting on the fence
stile while the boy is finding out what is the matter with the little
girl’s eye. The look of triumphant pleasure on the boy’s face
together with the trustfulness of the little girl, along with other
details, making it a truly beautiful and artistic work, which will
be sure to remind the reader of many of his own first prescriptions.
The True Conception of Narrowness. —The man who de¬
votes himself exclusively to surgery, obstetrics, Homeopathy,
electricity, otology or some other one line of work, is not narrow,
Digitized by ^ooQle
472
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
unless his devotion to a specialty makes him despise all other
specialties. But it is not necessary that he should try occasionally
the methods which they all recommend, though he may at times
willingly pass over a case to some so-called rival.
Let us not be dabblers in too many forms of learning in our
attempts to be broad. He who tries to ride two fine horses at
once is worse off that he who rides one poor one. Better do
one thing well. The world's great men have always been men
who were just a little narrow rather than just a little too broad.
But in their seeming narrowness, there has always been an end¬
less broadness and largeness of heart and willingness to learn
which compensated, a thousandfold, for what some of their critics
called littleness.
Eucalyptus in Nasal Catarrh. — The following indications
for Eucalyptus are taken from the Pacific Coast Journal of Hom¬
eopathy : In the treatment of subacute and chronic catarrhs, Euca¬
lyptus is one of our greatest remedies. With increased mucous
secretion, excessive secretion of saliva, throat relaxed, constant
sensation of phlegm, posterior nares inflamed and smarting, pura-
lent and fetid discharge, and a cough accompanying this catarrh,
it is a remedy that will speedily give relief. It has cured cases
where there was continual profuse mucopurulent discharge from
both anterior and posterior nares with consequent mouth breath¬
ing. It acts best in cases where the catarrhal state is worse in
damp weather and in winter, and better in hot weather and in
dry cold weather.
The use of Eucalyptus for catarrh is also recommended highly
by Dr. Wm. Boericke. The potencies used (from the tincture to
the 6x) clearly show that its action is homeopathic and not anti¬
pathic.
Homeopathic Department, U. of M. — We are glad to see
that Ann Arbor University is instituting the practice of occasion¬
ally inviting physicians from other homeopathic colleges to come
and lecture to its students. We believe that such interchanges of
inspiration and experience only tend to make a college broader
and more helpful.
Digitized by ejOOQie
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
473
Apis and Urtica Urens. — The fact that both of these reme¬
dies belong to the Formic acid group is of interest. Hence it is
that they both cause stinging, burning, nettle rash. Such coup¬
ling of remedies is always a little risky, and yet, when not assumed
to mean too much, it is always inspiring and helpful, making it
easier to remember the endless complexities of our materia medica.
Six Grand Keynotes of Apis. — Stinging pains; absence of
thirst, even when fever is highest; intolerance of heat, which
even aggravates the chill; right-sided affections, or else such as
move from right to left; rosy redness and edema, including
dropsy; and lastly, very sudden onset in acute diseases.— Dr. C.
M. Boger, in Homeopathic Recorder.
Free Treatment for the Poor. — One of our exchanges de¬
clares that there is no class of people who are more willing to
freely help the deserving poor than are physicians as a class.
This we frankly admit; and yet we are inclined to think that
sometimes physicians impose a very heavy and unjust burden oil
these very same poor people by their thoughtlessness; for instead
of inquiring quietly to find out who is poor and who is not and
then making a large discount unasked, or, perchance, entirely
canceling the bill, they oftentimes make no discounts unless defi¬
nitely asked to do so in some way, directly or indirectly, and the
result is that some poor people who are too proud to admit their
poverty will spend their very last cent of long-earned savings
to pay the doctor, who, in his thoughtlessness, has rendered a
bill that never should have been presented. We have known of
such cases, where within a very few weeks of paying a heavy
doctor’s bill to a kind-hearted doctor, sickly men and women have
been forced into receiving open charity from the church and
town, when a little more thoughtfulness on the doctor's part
might have at least postponed the evil day.
Let us deal more roughly than we do with the selfish poor,
who never care to pay; who never try to pay. But let us be
more hasty to make an unasked discount to those whom we know
to be self-respecting, but jiot financially able; for if we frankly
ask them, and are really anxious to know, we can generally find
Digitized by e.ooQle
474
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
out how they stand, and they will not resent our inquiries, though
they may try at first to dodge them.
Too Much Excitement. — I do not advocate the strenuous
life for my girl patients, as a class, but instead am continually
preaching the law of laziness, for the young women of today do
not need to be lashed into a frenzy of excitement, but rather to
. be urged to lead more quiet lives and take more healthy exer¬
cise in the open air. So writes Dr. E. A. Sears, of Waltham,
Mass., in the New England Medical Gazette, and we think he
is right, for too much excitement and too little quiet is
ruining thousands of lives in our great land today. Dr. Sears
also adds that when there is less needless expenditure of nerve
.force in the daily life of most women there will be less dysmen¬
orrhea.
Seventy-three Cases of Diphtheria. — Dr. A. P. Hanchett,
of Council Bluffs, Iowa, states that within the last five weeks he
has treated seventy-three cases of diphtheria, many of them very
malignant, with only two deaths. These were from paralysis
of the heart after recovery seemed almost complete. Four of
his patients, for whom he could not find the similimum received
antitoxin, but sixty-nine received only the single similar remedy
in the minimum dose. There was no local treatment, whatever,
in any of the cases. It is interesting to see that Dr. Hanchett,
though wise enough to use antitoxin, when he knew not what else
to use, was nevertheless skilful enough to find a better, safer
remedy in nearly all his cases. This is a better record than has
ever been made with antitoxin and we congratulate ,him on his
success made on objective symptoms solely as the patients were
deaf mutes.
Tabacum. — Dr. J. C. Fahnestock, in a recent article, reminds
us that the Tabacum patient has dreadful nausea and vomiting,
caused by the slightest motion, and yet seems to positively enjov
the nausea; that he also likes to lie on his back with abdomen
uncovered, breathing cold air, apparently the abdomen being the
only part of the body which he is anxious to have uncovered
Digitized by ^ooQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE. 475
[Child wants abdomen uncovered; relieves nausea and vomiting.
See the modalities of Tabacum.]
Magazines vs. Books. — It is a curious fact that in a maga¬
zine we will often read with interest the very things that have
lain on our shelves unread for years. We are inclined to think
that some editors forget this fact, and assume that their pages
should contain only things which are not given in our standard
books. But of our books, with their endless fulness, we often
weary, and if some editor or fellow doctor can give us the same
truth in a briefer, more fragmentary form, he often does us a
real kindness, and make us turn once more to our forgotten books
with added interest to see whether he is right or not.
Eyelashes All Gone. — (A New Use for Natrum muriati-
cum.) The American Homeopathist, for March, 1883, reports
the case of a tall, curly-haired young man, who for six long years
had been almost totally devoid of eyelashes, due to a chronic in¬
flammation of the eyelids, without much swelling or thickening.
In response to Natrum muriaticum the right eye improved rapidly,
and in three weeks a good straight row of strong healthy eye¬
lashes had grown all along the upper lid, the first of the kind
that he ha<j had for six years. All previous growths during this
period, having been stunted and sickly. The left eye was also
improving, although slowly, but the patient was satisfied and
was never seen again.
A True Homeopath. — The true homeopath is born not
made, for it takes a good memory, a fine sense of discrimination,
delicacy of perception, and above all things a conscience that
shrinks with unutterable dread from simply giving drugs that
will relieve a little pain today, at the cost of still greater pain in
years to come. This constitutes the ideal of a true homeopathic
physician, and every man cannot attain it, hence the number of
those who deal in physiological medicine is sure to always out¬
number the true homeopaths. And yet we believe that slowly
and surely the truest Homeopathy is going to triumph, in spite
of all its blunders and the contentions of its leaders, which are,
Digitized by ^ooQle
476
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
at times, so disheartening. Such is the central thought of a
letter just received from Dr. V. V. Hunt, of Cordell, Okla. And
although we do not agree with him in his belief that the physio¬
logical school will always outnumber the true homeopathic school,
we do believe that it will take a great deal of patient, careful
work ere we can hope to so master and simplify our wonderful
art as to bring it within the reach of the great majority. But we
believe it will be done in time.
Using Sulphur Wisely and Unwisely. — The question has
been asked whether using Sulphur to “ clear up ” an obscure
case is not simply empiricism. We are sorry to say it often¬
times is, and in such cases often does very little good, and may
even do real harm. But the proper time to use Sulphur for
clearing up an obscure case is when the person’s present ailment
is obscure, but a study of his past life or family history reveals
a Sulphur undertone, i. e., a train of Sulphur symptoms. No
homeopath should make an empirical prescription for such a pur¬
pose; for a more careful study generally reveals the fact that
such a case calls for some other remedy, not Sulphur.
Homeopathy in Germany. —A recent correspondent of the
North American states that the reason why Homeopathy is so
backward in Germany is that it has been so persistently perse¬
cuted by the laws which have prohibited physicians from dispens¬
ing their own remedies or from designating any one pharmacist
to whom their prescriptions shall be taken, thus leaving them
helpless in the hands of a host of hostile druggists. But the writer
states that a vigorous movement is on foot toward overcoming
these difficulties, though he does not clearly indicate just how
much has been accomplishel thus far. This " druggist law ” was
the bane of Hahnemann’s life and its enforcement was intended to
strangle Homeopathy in its infancy.
Making Written Reports. — When you have a patient who
is inclined to worry too much about his symptoms, and wishes
to take up too much of your time be sure and make him present
a daily report in writing, though allowing him to hand in his
Digitized by ^ooQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
477
reports less often, if he chooses to. It is delightful to see how
such written reports check the historical tendency and do really
enable your talkative repetitious sick one to tell you facts that are
well worth knowing, and to tell them with very little expenditure
of your own time. Of course you must impress upon him the
necessity of reporting in his written statement even the most
trifling symptoms, otherwise there will be no point to them.
But perhaps some one will object, that such a plan as this
simply encourages his hypochondriac mood. As a matter of fact
this is not true. The man requires a safety valve. Writing it
down gives him one, and makes it much easier for him to forget
the symptoms and stop worrying. We have often admired the
wisdom of the Quaker, for when he heard a man swearing, said:
“ If thee has all that bad stuff in thee, thee better spit it out,
only do not do it on the public street.” And experience shows
that many a foolish thought can be rendered harmless by honestly
writing it down on paper and then tearing it up.
Training Schools for Nurses. —To any of our readers, who
are interested in this subject, and, perchance, are not regular
readers of the North American Journal of Homeopathy, we wish
to say that the January number of the magazine contains one of
the finest articles on the proper conception of such schools that
we have ever seen. The article is by Dr. Frank W. Patch, of
Framingham, Mass., and emphasizes strongly the fact that nurses
should not be mere half-grown doctors, but need a distinct train¬
ing of their own, much of which should come, not from physi¬
cians, but from experienced nurses, who know so much more of
the real details of nursing than even the most painstaking doc¬
tor. And they should be taught to think and observe homeopath-
ically to be of greatest help to both patient and physician.
Pulsatilla and Silica. — It is well known that the presence
in a person’s life of marked Pulsatilla symptoms confirms the
likelihood of his needing Silica, either now or later, and that
vice versa the occurrence of marked Silica symptoms suggests
the possibility of his needing Pulsatilla, at some time. And yet
when it comes to deciding which of these shall be given first,
Digitized by ^ooQle
478
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
which is really needed now, we should remember that there are
many points in which they differ strikingly; as, for example, the
Silica patient is thirsty; the Pulsatilla patient is not. The Silica
patient prefers warm food; the Pulsatilla patient is quite apt to
prefer cold food. Pulsatilla feels very uncomfortable with too
many wraps: the more you wrap up the Silica patient the happier
he is, and so on. And this is always true whenever speaking of
complementaries. Each suggests the other and confirms it. But,
in a final decision, as to which to give first, we should search for
points wherein they differ. But the present symptoms of the
patient always call for the remedy; Pulsatilla the acute, Silica
the chronic.
Smokeless Powder. — A writer that in the Clinique points
out that one drawback in smokeless powder is that when the
wind brings the gases back upon the gunners, they sometimes
have convulsions, labored respiration, small, irregular pulse,
feeble and tremulous heart, headache, loss of sensation, etc.;
these effects being attributable largely to the nitric and nitrous
products created by the combustion. Hei^ce ventilation becomes
an important part of the problem of modem warfare. And they
may find that when the wind is in the wrong direction they will
have to quit using smokeless powder.
The Wholesale Dispensing of Poisons. — We are glad to
see that physicians and the public at large, are waking up to
the necessity of compelling drug stores to be decent and abstain
from the sale of unmistakably harmful preparations. Doubtless
such laws will be, to a certain extent, abused, as a means of
enriching unprincipled doctors; but in the end we feel sure that
good will come of them.
Painless and Odorless Uterine Cancer. — Dr. E. A. Sears,
of Waltham, Mass., reports in the Medical Gazette for February,
three cases of climacteric or post-climacteric clear, watery and
odorless discharge from the vagina, all of which proved later
on to be cancerous, showing that we should not be too sure
that such discharges are nonmalignant simply because of their
Digitized by ^ooQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
479
being odorless. He also mentions the fact that an odorless and
painless though slightly bloody post-climacteric discharge from
the vagina may be cancerous in spite of the absence of both pain
and odor. We should then in all such cases be ready for the
worst so as to not delay proper treatment through hastily as¬
suming that nothing is the matter.
Inimicals (Information Wanted). —A subscriber wishes to
know whether in order to steer clear of inimicals we are obliged
to disregard the law of similars or is the confusion which they
create simply due to the fact that they are never well indicated
in the given order? This is a tough question; to which we
should like to receive several answers, both confidentially and
for print. Please tell us all you know about it, provided you
know anything at all; for inimicals are certainly one of the bug¬
bears of young practitioners, who are anxious to do their best,
and we should be glad to lessen their worries and increase their
safety.
Belladonna and Veratrum in Puerperal Insanity.—
Belladonna grows violently red in the face; fights, bites and
scratches.
Veratrum sings, scolds, laughs and is furious. But the Vera¬
trum maniac is cold, blue, depressed and collapsed.— C. E. Fisher,
in Medical Visitor .
Cicuta in Puerperal Convulsions. — The violent jactitations
of Cicuta, its clenched teeth, clenched thumbs, contorted limbs
and distorted eyes need to be seen but once ever to be remem¬
bered.— C. E. Fisher, in Medical Visitor .
Puerperal Sepsis. — We find in one of our exchanges the
statement, that since puerperal sepsis is due to the presence in the
uterus of extraneous poisonous substances it can only be treated
locally by surgical and antiseptic methods. We admit that the
argument is plausible and are not at all surprised that many phy¬
sicians have been convinced bv it. We also freely admit that the
careless homeopath is often powerless at such times and that
Digitized by ^ooQle
480
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
low potencies often fail, but experience seems to show, with
overwhelming clearness, that if the true similimum is found in
such cases, and given in the higher potencies, nature herself is
often strong enough to throw off the poison without surgical inter¬
ference or local antisepsis in its more dangerous and common
forms. It is not easy always to find the leadings of nature, but
when we do succeed in finding them, and in working in harmony
with her—clinical experience certainly seems to show that she
is capable of doing many things for herself far better than we
can do them for her.
Four Kinds of Medicine. — There are four kinds of medicine:
mere stimulants, mere suppressants, which drive the trouble from
the external parts where we can feel it to the internal parts where
it can do more mischief, but lies for a while unnoticed; thirdly,
mere harmless homeopathic palliatives, which really relieve pain,
without doing any harm, that is to say, without suppressing any¬
thing and yet do very little lasting good; and fourthly, really
curative medicines or rather we should say curative treatment,
for oftentimes the medicine used in all four methods of treatment
is the same, in name at least.
We frankly admit that even the wisest homeopathic treatment
is ordinarily, not .absolutely curative. The weakened lung, the
weakened blood-vessels and weakened brain do still remain a
little weaker than they should have been, but the improvement is
so great and lasting that we are certainly justified in applying to
such treatment the word curative, far more than to any other
form of treatment. It should be stated in this connection that a
proper regard for health is also really curative, in this sense, in
all cases where the disease has not advanced too far; for hygiene
and Homeopathy have one thing in common: they both rest for
their results on the vis medicatrix naturae, and not at all on the
power of drugs to silence nature.
The Prevalence of Gonorrhea. — According to Professor
Neisser, gonorrhea is, next to measles, the most wide-spread of
all diseases. How sad it is that this should be true, and how
plainly it shows that the physician of the future should be not
Digitized by <^.ooQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE. 481
simply a doctor but an educator and a savior of men, and espe¬
cially young men.
The Plague in India. — The English government is said to
have at last abandoned its attempts to prevent the plague in In¬
dia by compulsory use of serum injections. The opposition
among the people was so violent that the enforcement of the
law has always been extremely difficult, and it has also been
feared that it would only weaken the hold of the government on
the people, thus ultimately doing more harm than good.
Is Malaria of Psoric Origin? — A writer in the Indian
Homeopathic Review states that he has long believed that ma¬
laria is a latent outburst of psora, and gives a curious confirmation
of his belief, for he tells us that in an Indian village, where
malaria has always abounded, this year there has been a curious
change, for the town is markedly free from malaria, but almost
every one has been attacked with the itch, the suffering in some
cases being very great. This certainly looks like a genuine con¬
firmation of his theory.
Restless Babies. — A writer in the Medical Talk reminds us
that we should be very careful not to fondle babies too much,
otherwise in relieving our own nervousness, we simply make
them more nervous and deprive them of their power to entertain
themselves. A healthy baby, who has not been meddled with too
much by thoughtless mothers, cousins, aunts and sisters, will lie
for hours entertaining itself. But if it once gets into the habit
of always expecting some one to play with it, the habit will be
hard to cure. Perhaps the writer has slightly exaggerated this
danger, but nevertheless we believe it is a real one, and worth
keeping in mind.
Argentum Nitricum in Polyuria. —Dr. K. W. Higgins, in
the Critique , reports an interesting case: A girl, seven years old,
dark, thin and irritable, had to pass urine four or five times every
night in large quantities, and could not attend school because she
had to urinate so often during the daytime. Has always been
Digitized by ^ooQle
482
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
troubled this way; and her mother, before the child was born,
was not even expected to live, because of kidney trouble. The
child had a strong craving for salt and sweets. She was cured
by five doses of Argentum nitricum 30, taken successive nights.
Her health has markedly improved, and she is now able to go
to school.
Sterilized Milk. —When some five or ten years ago the germ
theory came in like a flood upon us, it was decided that all milk
to be fed to infants must be either pasteurized or sterilized. Pedi¬
atrists are now receding from this position, there being a wide
and increasing impression, based upon observation, that a diet of
milk that has been subjected to heat in this manner is liable to
produce rickets, pot-belly, sweating, flabby muscles, craniotabes
and restlessness at night. Fresh, pure, raw cow’s milk is once
more in the ascendant as the best substitute for mother’s milk.—
North American Journal of Homeopathy .
Harmless Bacteria. — While many thousands of bacilli and
bacteria of various kinds have been recognized, less than thirty of
them are disease producing, and most of the others are either
directly harmful to the growth of the disease-producing bacilli,
or are actually helpful to man in other ways by important fer¬
mentations which they set up.— Quoted by Medical Gazette.
The Lion and the Lamb. — If, as some seem inclined to be¬
lieve, there is to be an ultimate amalgamation of the old and the
new schools of medical practice — if the lion and the lamb are
to lie down together — let us take every precaution, gentlemen, to
make sure that the right one lies inside.— E. H. Walcott, M. D .,
of Rochester N. Y., in Hahnemannian Monthly. •
A Comparison of Ether and Chloroform. — We take the
following suggestions from an article in the Hahnemann Peri¬
scope, by Dr. Alice M. Gross: Ether is by far the safer of these
two anesthetics, especially in inexperienced hands, and should be
used in the majority of cases, but in high temperatures and dis¬
eases of the upper ear passages, lungs, pleura and nervous system.
Digitized by C^ooQLe
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
483
Chloroform is better, at least to begin with. As a rule, children,
old people and alcoholics should also take Chloroform; but in
heart diseases and in anemic people with an extremely slow pulse
Chloroform is very dangerous and Ether should always be, used
instead.
Speaking of Chlorofoim, she says:
When the eyeballs become stationary, and complete narcosis is
nearing, I remove the cone from the face for a moment, because
the residue of Chloroform remaining in the lung,s will cause the
anesthesia to deepen still more, and that is the time dangerous
symptoms from Chloroform are liable to occur.
The rolling eyeball shows too little anesthetic, while the non¬
reacting pupil indicates too much.
I think a patient with relaxed and flabby eyelids need special
watching, as such are apt to develop grave symptoms suddenly,
and react from the anesthetic slowly.
A Defense of Lachesis. — In response to a recent item in
which one of our best helpers confesses that he had a blind spot
for Lachesis: Dr. J. C. Holloway reports briefly a Lachesis case,
where a man who had had rheumatism for three years, so badly
that he had to be turned on a sheet, was cured by Lachesis. For
the sake of those of our readers who take offense at high poten¬
cies, we are sorry to say that the cure was apparently brought
about by only two doses of a high potency. Of course, you are
free to say that it was a mere coincidence, and that the man
would have got well about that time without Lachesis; or that
it was a case of Christian Science cure (for we care not how you
explain it) only you will find that the man who has studied his
materia medica most carefully, is strange to say, the one who
has the largest number of such wonderful coincidences.
Oxide of Zinc. — The Hahnemannian Monthly for April
states that Oxide of Zinc in homeopathic doses has been found
helpful in cases of diarrhea, complicating whooping-cough . Al¬
though we know very little of this oxide, this certainly seems to
give a helpful keynote for its use in some perplexing cases. For
further confirmation, we should expect to find in the same patient
Digitized by ^ooQle
484
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
other Zincum symptoms, since the Oxide of Zinc and Zincum it¬
self are sure to have many symptoms in common.
And while we are speaking of whooping-cough, it may not be
amiss to mention the fact that where constipation occurs markedly
in connection with whooping-cough, or any other highly spas¬
modic cough, Nitric acid is oftentimes wonderfully effective. We
have this on the authority of Dr. Dyce Brown, but for ourselves
have had a chance to verify it only once, when we used the ix
potency, having at that time never heard of higher potencies
enough to believe in them. It worked beautifully.
Malpractice Suits.— It has been suggested that when a sur¬
geon is kind enough to undertake a case, in which the chances of
perfect recovery are rather small, he should always, in self-de¬
fense, associate some other consulting surgeon with him, since
we hear, occasionally, of some very unfair malpractice suits in
cases like these; as, for exanlple, where there has been a fracture
very close to a joint.
Tuberculosis in Illinois. — We have just received from the
State Board of Health a circular on this subject, which states,
“As a result of careful investigation it has been found that in
this state consumption was responsible for more deaths than ty¬
phoid fever, scarlet fever, diphtheria, all forms of bronchitis,
influenza, whooping-cough, measles and smallpox combined. It
was also found that those dying from consumption were usually
in the prime of life and of ages at which men are most valuable
to themselves, their families and the state.”
The same report also states that it has been demonstrated in
their estimation that the disease can be cured right here in Illi¬
nois, and that a special climate is not essential to its cure. This
we believe to be true in many cases, though we cannot help be¬
lieving that some cases will be found in which a change of climate
would greatly increase the hopes of final recovery, provided you
do not send people to Colorado who ought to go South, and vice
versa. And provided they are not so poor as to starve when
they reach the new climate, since work is often hard to find for an
unwelcome stranger who comes with nothing but weak lungs
Digitized by ^ooQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE. 485
to recommend him to the community who wish that he had not
come at all.
When Doctors Disagree. — When doctors disagree in regard
to the true sphere of some medicine, or the true diagnosis of a
case, the temptation is strong to take sides one way or another,
and assume that the other side is necessarily wrong. But as^a
matter of fact in such cases, it seems quite generally to be true,
that both sides are substantially right in what they assume, and
simply partially wrong in what they deny. The person has more
or less of both diseases, and the medicine which they are discuss¬
ing has a wider range than either one of them has yet fully rec¬
ognized. Of course, one may be a little nearer right than the
other, but nearly always both will be found to have really grasped
some part of the truth which the other side has overlooked.
BOOK REVIEWS.
The Chronic Diseases. Their Peculiar Nature and Their
Homeopathic Cure. (Theoretical part only.) By Dr. Samuel
Hahnemann. Translated from the second enlarged German
edition of 1835, by Prof. Louis H. Tafel. 269 pages. Cloth,
$1.25. Postage, 10 cents. Philadelphia and Chicago. Boericke
& Tafel. 1904.
The publishers’ preface assures us that this part of the “Chronic
Diseases ” has been brought out “ at the urgent request of several
professors in homeopathic colleges who wish to use it as a col¬
lege text-book.” In this they have initiated, let us hope, an ad¬
vance in the therapeutics of our school which, we trust, is
the beginning of better and brighter days for our beloved
science. “ The Chronic Diseases ” is a companion volume of the
Organon and should be studied, not merely read, by every homeo¬
path ere he can hope to do his best work for the sick whose wel¬
fare is entrusted to his care. The profession has been calling
for light, and no doubt it is in response to this call that the
Digitized by CjOOQle
486
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
“ urgent request ” of several professors in homeopathic colleges
has been made.
In the preface, Hahnemann explains a previous explanation of
the modus operandi of a homeopathic cure given in the Organon,
as follows:
It is, therefore, quite natural that in presenting the Homeopathic
Therapeutics I did not venture to explain how the cure of disease is affect¬
ed by operating on the patient with substances possessing the power to
excite very similar morbid symptoms in healthy persons. I furnished
indeed a conjecture about it, but I did not desire to call it an explana¬
tion, i. e., a definite explanation of the modus operandi. . . .
Physicians have made many objections to the explanation I have given,
and they would have preferred to reject the whole homeopathic method of
curing, merely because they were not satisfied with my efforts at explain¬
ing the mode of procedure which takes place in the interiors of man
during a homeopathic cure.
Fortunately for the cure of suffering humanity an explanation
is not necessary. The remedy once properly selected will do its
work, whether we can correctly explain its modus operandi or not.
Many physicians will be surprised to learn how much they have
forgotten of some of the basic principles of the science, when
they read this work. For instance; the definitions of dilutions,
solutions, attenuations, dynamizations, the meanings of which
appear to be so confused if we may judge by the use of these
terms in current literature. Hahnemann thus wrote in the pref¬
ace dated, Paris, Dec. 19, 1838:
Dilutions, properly so-called, exist almost solely in objects of taste and
color. A solution of salty and bitter substances becomes continually
more deprived of its taste the more water is added, and eventually it has
hardly any taste, no matter how much ft may be shaken. So also a solu¬
tion of coloring matter, by the admixture of more and more water
becomes at last almost colorless, and any amount of shaking will not
increase its color.
These are, and will continue to be, real attenuations or dilutions, but
not dynamizations.
Every homeopath should have a copy of this book in his office,
not merely for reference, but for study; for as the years roll by
we will surely learn by investigation and experiment in the treat¬
ment of chronic disease that Hahnemann’s theory is by far the
most precious legacy bequeathed us by the great reformer.
The Chronic Miasms, Psora and Pseudo-Psora. By J. Henry
Allen, M. D., Author of “ Diseases and Therapeutics of the
Digitized by ^ooQle
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
487
Skin; ” Professor of Diseases of the skin in Hering Medical
College, Chicago. Pp. 286; cloth, $2.50. Published by the
author, 1904.
Hahnemann's psoric theory has been less understood, and in
consequence more unjustly and severely criticised than any other
part of his immortal work. And yet the most original observer
in the history of medicine says that he “ spent twelve years in the
investigation of the source of this incredibly large number of
chronic affections." To those who have any conception of what
twelve years of such work by such a worker means, or have ex¬
perimentally verified the truth and value of his teachings, these
Theories are pregnant with great possibilities for the cure of the
sick and the regeneration of the race. The author has been a
close student of Hahnemann's writings for many years and this
work, on Psora and Pseudo*Psora, with the numerous clinical
illustrations scattered through its pages, is not only instructive
but intensely interesting and practical. This is the first attempt
in our school to define and explain the perplexing subject of Psora,
and in his own way the author has cleared up many doubtful
points. The following are among the topics discussed: Bacillus,
an appendage to the schools of Pathology: Bacteria, medium of
conveying disease; Bacteria, knowledge of, does not lessen mor¬
tality; Dr. Hughes' Pathological Homeopathy; Homeopathic
remedy covers all phenomena in disease; Idiosyncrasy, its rela¬
tionship to electro-thermal changes; to miasms, music, predispo¬
sition. Suppression: cases illustrating; dependent upon miasms
present; nothing can be suppressed but miasms; Syphilis and
Psora the parents of the tubercular diathesis. We can all learn
much from its study, yet we note many typographical errors.
Self-Cure of Consumption without Medicine, together with
a chapter on the Prevention of Consumption and other Dis¬
eases.— If instead of self-cure the title of this little book had
been Nature's Cure of Consumption, it would have been still
more appropriate, for it is full to overflowing of helpful sug¬
gestions to show* us how we ought to give consumptives the
kind of food, the kind of air, the kind of protection from sud¬
den change of temperature Which Nature Craves. Unless
Digitized by ^ooQle
488
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
your shelves are fairly loaded down with books on this subject,
you could hardly fail to find something here that is both help¬
ful and interesting. The glimpse that it gives us of sanitarium
life, the cautions that it gives us in regard to diet, the state¬
ments in regard to effect of climate, the list of consumption re¬
sorts in different parts of the country, and the relative benefits
and defects of each are all most precious. It is published by
E. B. Treat & Co., of New York City, and costs seventy-five
cents.
Editor Medical Advance: I note that some of your journal¬
istic friends are raising the question of good faith in regard to
vour recent publication cpnceming the name and the teaching
of a certain homeopathic college.
Quoting from authoritative sources, all easily accessible, I sub¬
mit the following:
In its annual announcement this college is called the Chicago
Homeopathic Medical College. Professors Adams, Willard and
Roberts have recently left the faculty and are now/regulars. The
late Prof. R. N. Tooker has a son now in the faculty, a regular
graduate and registered as a regular as well as a homeopath.
Prof. A. G. Beebe has a son in the faculty, a regular. Professor
Streeter has a son in the faculty, a regular. Professor Grosvenor
has two sons, both regulars. Professor Fitzpatrick calls himself
regular and homeopathic. Perhaps a closer study by one more
familiar with the local conditions would show more radical
changes than those noted. J. S. Hemingway.
[Nearly all of these regulars (?) are now out of the faculty,
perhaps because they were too regular .— Ed.]
N. B.— Please note the date on address to which your subscrip¬
tion is paid. Many readers dislike to receive “ duns ” as much
as the publisher dislikes to send them. The time, the expense and
the annoyance can be minimized by attention to this while you
.hink of it.
Digitized by CjOOQle
The Medical Advance
.. AND ..
Journal of Homeopathics
Vol. XLII. Chicago, September, 1904 . No. 9 .
Can the Leper Change His Spots?
A CASE, BY MILTON RICE, M. D., HILO, HAWAII.
I
Dec. 25, 1903.— Male, age 40, nationality, three-fourths Ha¬
waiian, one-fourth white; married.
Family History. — Father 60, well; mother 58, a leper.
Brothers, three, 42, 38, 30, well. Two died on Molokai as lepers.
Sisters, five living and well, and one dead, cause not known.
Twenty years ago mother nursed a leper boy, a relative of her
husband, for two years before being sent to Molokai.
The father of this man is a stalwart, fine-appearing half white, *
supposed to be the illegitimate son of an English naval officer,
and appears to be in perfect health. The mother shows a psoric
history throughout her entire life. As far back as she can re¬
member, she has had a skin trouble of an itch nature.
In pursuing the study of this class of cases, I am more and
more forced to the conclusion, that as an etiological factor,
psora is uppermost. While my experience is comparatively lim¬
ited, I have found this invariably to be the case. In investi¬
gating this subject, I have tried to do so conscientiously and
without prejudice, and no matter how much the effort to trace
its etiology to a micro-organism, so far have failed to do so.
I hope I may be pardoned, if I dwell upon this phase of the
question a little; but in my esteem, the degree of failure or suc¬
cess with which we meet in the handling of this disease, hinges
almost entirely upon this one point. Before we can hope for
much progress we must forever settle the question as to whether
it is depended upon a constitutional condition, such as psora,
Digitized by LjOOQle
490
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
sycosis or syphilis, or a combination of all of these, or whether
its etiology depends upon a biological factor. If it is the former,
its treatment must of necessity assume onfe cours^ and if the
latter, it must take another, diametrically opposed; hence, the
importance of the question. The latter position, I think we can
all safely admit, has been proved faulty.
This, however, I feel is the rock upon which the efforts of
our brethren of the other school have been wrecked, and which
some of the more progressive of that school are beginning to
admit. I take the liberty here to quote from an editorial, pub¬
lished in the Medical Record of New York, which I feel shows
the beginning of a new era in the practice of medicine.
To the unprejudiced mind it is evident that the mere hystological dem¬
onstration of a micro-organism in malignant tissue is small proof of their
etiological relation thereto. Recent advances in biology force this conclu¬
sion. . . I think that it is safe to say that if this is true in Cancer,
which is referred to above, that it is only logical that it should also be
true in all other forms of malignant disease. being the case, the
disease of leprosy looses much of its horror, and puts it alongside of all
other forms of severe chronic, deep-seated, constitutional disorders, not
as specific disease perhaps, but rather is a manifestation of a disordered
or disarranged constitution.
Previous History. — Nine years ago saw little white spots on
right foot ; seven years ago had a nail wound on right foot,
took eight months to heal.
Over a year ago noticed loss of strength and wasting of right
hand. Last joints of fingers on right hand began to be perma¬
nently flexed, and since then left hand began to waste away
and become weak.
About a year* ago had a raised swollen rash come over chest,
face and legs; itching severely. Been losing flesh for one year.
Rough and raised dark bluish patch on left foot and calf for
over twenty years.
Lost feeling on left foot one year ago.
White spots on feet due to bums one year ago, parts an¬
esthetic.
Small toe right foot drawn up, due to nail wound.
Present Objective Symptoms.— Face: Thickened skin be
tween eyebrows; patches of erythematous skin on cheeks and
forehead.
Neck: Four pigmented spots behind; muscles wasted.
Digitized by ^ooQle
CAN THE LEPER CHANGE HIS SPOTS?
491
Abdomen : One patch, covering entire surface.
Back: Large patch, raised, rough and scaly around left lumbar
region and both buttocks; convex margin darker.
Arms: Four similar patches on right, three on left; one large
one around elbow; one on long head of triceps muscle.
Thighs: Five circular patches on right thigh, and three »on
left;' two large, one small.
Legs : General discoloration; three separate patches* one large on
calf and foot, left.
Hands: Atrophied; right most, and contracted and helpless;
wasting of little finger of left first, and little finger of right.
Toes: Right little toe atrophied and drawn up.
Subjective Symptoms. — Anesthesia: Both feet and hands,
and all patches on body, except on chest and neck.
Much itching on body, particularly on patches; < getting
heated and at night.
Feels cold most of the time with burning of soles of feet.
Pain in both hands and right foot, coming in paroxysms, <
at night.
Diagnosis. — Leprosy, Maculo-anesthetic type.
This case was proved a leper by microscopic test.
Sulphur 45m one dose, and Placebo four times a day.
Dec. 29, 1903.— Much improved in every way. Fingers begin¬
ning to straighten, and itching over body less. Placebo.
Jan. 22, 1904.— Continued improvement. Fingers almost
straight and no longer helpless.
Redness and thickening of skin of face almost gone, and itch¬
ing still getting better.
Sensation in some of the anesthetic parts returning. Placebo.
March 6, 1904.— Still improving. Itch slightly returning.
Fingers straight. Sulphur 45m one dose, and Placebo.
March 17, 1904.— Less anesthesia on feet and hands and
spots on back and neck.
During past week complained of pain in left ear, which ended
two days ago with perforation of timpanum and a discharge of
a dirty watery pus and a disappearance of the pain and a re¬
turn in measure of the hearing. Placebo.
March 26, 1904.— Discharge of the ear continues, no pain.
Digitized by ^ooQle
492
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Corneal ulcer left eye, Conjunctivitis same eye. Eye very
sensitive. Phosphorus 30, four times a day.
April 4, 1904.— Patches on body better color.
Sensation continues to return in hands and feet and spots on
body.
No more discharges from ear and hears better.
Corneal ulcer gone, slight infiltration remaining.
Skin of face cleared up. Feels well. Phosphorus.
April 29, 1904.— Better in every way; skin on face clean and
patches on body better color.
Muscles of hands still atrophied, but hands not so helpless.
Some of the muscles on body still atrophied. Plumbum met.
cm.
May 20, 1904.— Anesthesia nearly all gone, and discolored
spots disappearing. 9
Scaly condition of skin of body all gone, except a very thin
scale on legs.
General improvement. Feels entirely well.
Atrophy of muscles of hands disappearing, can use hands;
action almost normal. Improving in flesh.
I might here say, that this man is tall, lean and stooped, and
considering his race, is quite light in color.
In my experience, I have frequently found corneal ulcers to
appear in these leper cases after the application of the proper
remedy, which as a rule happens to be an anti-psoric; but in
every instance the eye has cleared up without damage to the
sight. Troubles of the middle ear are not uncommon; this is
also sooner or later relieved; but in some instances is a little
troublesome. Severe pains are not as a rule present in these
troubles, which is really a great blessing. Itching, however, is
a pest and a torment; the parts in most cases being more or
less anesthetic, the patients are prone to scratch and irritate the
parts to gain relief, until a raw surface is produced, which again
adds to the troubles.
The four remedies most often indicated in these troubles, arc,
first and foremost, Sulphur; second in order. Arsenic; third,
Mezereum, a very important remedy to bear in mind; and fourth
Phosphorus. In enumerating these, I do not wish to be under
Digitized by CjOOQle
CAN THE LEPER CHANGE HIS SPOTS?
493
stood as attempting to convey the impression that these are the
only ones ever indicated in this trouble; this question varies
as much in leprosy as in any other chronic disease.
The most difficult task I had to accomplish in my earlier ex¬
perience in treating leprosy, was to overcome the habit of con¬
fining myself to pet remedies, or to attempt to make the symp¬
toms of the case fit the remedy I chanced to have in mind.
I believe this is in a measure due to the fact that it is difficult
for us to eliminate from our mind the ancient idea that this is
a disease per se, one that will only respond to specific medication.
The Art of Waiting.
E. A. P. HARDY, M. D., TORONTO, ONT.
We all realize, theoretically, that when a case, either acute
or chronic, is plainly improving, it is better to let nature alone,
and not interfere with more medicine. Getting a correct picture
of your patient’s life and sickness is no easy task, but knowing
just when to give a second dose and when not to give one, Is
oftentimes even more difficult, and probably more mistakes are
made by really careful physicians in administering the second
prescription than at any other point during the course of a disease.
In many cases there is no difficulty at all in deciding, for the
properly selected remedy plainly needs no repetition or change,
the vital force having been sufficiently aroused to cure the whole
disease. But this is not always the case, and sometimes, espe¬
cially in the severer forms of sickness, the physician is called
upon to decide what to do next; for the improvement is not as
rapid or progressive as it should be and then it is that the ques¬
tion arises: “ Shall I repeat, or change or wait ? ” While any im¬
provement, however slight, is noticed, it seems to me it is most
unwise to either repeat or change . But if only a veiv slight im¬
provement follows the first administration of the remedy and
the patient soon after returns to his former state, repeated doses,
even of very high potencies, may be necessary to put him on
the road to recovery.
Digitized by ^ooQle
494
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
An interesting case illustrating the need of repetition in some
cases was that of a young girl of fifteen who was suffering with
laryngeal diphtheria, accompanied with great prostration and
cyanosis; Lycopodium c m seemed to be indicated, and recovery
followed, but it took six doses at intervals of ten minutes to bring
about the change.
If the remedy is repeated too seldom, the best results cannot
be obtained, but, on the other hand, a needless or too frequent
repetition may do most serious harm, and when in doubt it is
far better to wait and watch for more light.
Oftentimes the family history of the patient will help us In
deciding, for to thoroughly know the child you must know the
parents.
It has frequently been the writer’s experience that parents who
are slow to react to remedies have children with similar peculiar¬
ities, and in such cases repeated doses are more likely to be
needed. And in some acute cases, where the disease grows more
severe very rapidly, several different remedies may even be called
for within a few hours of* each other.
But perhaps some of the most puzzling cases are the chronic
ones, especially those that come to us from other schools, where
the physician has to use his utmost influence to make the sick
one wait patiently, and must use with utmost care his own knowl¬
edge cf the action of remedies, if he is to save himself and his
patient from serious mistakes. In all such cases the second pre¬
scription after the case has cleared up a little is often the most
important one — the turning point in the patient's whole condi¬
tion — and any mistake at this time may be followed by months
or even years of distress for both patient and doctor.
If old, obscure symptoms, complained of perhaps months or
years before the first prescription was made, reappear and trouble
the patient, they should be carefully noted, and their course ob¬
served but these symptoms should not be hastily prescribed for
until a picture of the proper remedy is presented, for such con¬
ditions frequently appear and then disappear of themselves never
to return.
When the remedy first given has been acting over a consid¬
erable period, but at last improvement seems to have ceased,
Digitized by CjOOQle
THE ART OF WAITING.
495
many mistakes are made. For too often the remedy first given is
utterly overlooked and a wild search is begun for some new
remedy to “ hurry things up.” But in the majority of such cases
the writer believes that the first remedy should be simply re¬
peated, in higher potency. Then later on, if the symptoms and
conditions clearly demand it, a new remedy may be selected.
It is just here that a knowledge of complementary remedies is
of the greatest value. A case may call for a remedy which is not
very deep acting; and improvement may follow its administration,
for a time, and yet a complementary remedy be needed to wholly
clear up the case and remove all the symptoms. Silica often
follows Pulsatilla. Sulphur often follows Nux vomica and there
are many other such complementary remedies, not to speak of
the nosodes. A few cases may help to bring out the points to
which I have attempted to call attention.
Case I.— ^oy: 16 months old; sanguine lymphatic tempera¬
ment, had spasmodic croup with bronchitis. Had received Ac¬
onite 30 and Hepar 30 in repeated doses for twenty-fiour hours
before the writer was called. The following symptoms were
present :
Cough : dry, qroupy, barking.
- < by lying, sugar, cold drinks, after sleep, inspiration
- > sitting erect, drinking tepid water.
Face: Ecchymosed, turning purple during and after cough.
Practically all the muscles of the body were called into use
to aid in respiration.
Spongia 200, three doses relieved for a few hours and Spongia
cm was given that night with no results. Forty-eight hours after
seeing the case, I gave Spongia 30 every ten minutes for four
doses. Distress was promptly relieved and recovery followed.
While the same symptoms present, change the potency but not the
remedy.
Case II.— “ Cold in the head.”
Nose: Tickling; loss of smell.
Coryza: Thick, yellow, profuse, not viscid.
- < in warm room; < in evening.
- > in open air. and in daytime.
Thirstless; appetite diminished.
Digitized by ^ooQle
496
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Eyes watery, congested. Pulsatilla cm.
Next morning no better. Pulsatilla cm.
No improvement; symptoms unchanged, Pulsatilla M.
Practically well twenty-four hours after last dose.
Case III.— January, 1903. A woman aged 30, sanguine-vital
temperament.
Two years ago had psoriasis which appeared on knees and el¬
bows and was promptly suppressed with Zinc ointment. It re¬
appeared this month.
Head was covered with thick crusts, causing much dandruff.
Right leg has six spots or patches on it ranging from one-
half to one and a half inches in diameter.
Left shoulder and arm had several large and small areas of
eruption.
Very few symptoms could be obtained.
Head: itching, < in warm room; < at night in bed and from
becoming overheated; > in cool open air.
Great tea drinker and pork eater. Diet was corrected and Sul¬
phur cm, one dose, given.
February.— Seemingly much worse. Placebo.
March.—No apparent improvement and feeling “ very poorly
but some of the patches that appeared last have disappeared first,
v/hich marks improvement in the line of cure. Placebo.
May.— Feeling much better; head clean and all the patches
gone.
A repetition of the dose in February or March would prob¬
ably have made trouble, from which the following practical de¬
ductions may be drawn, verifying the observations of Hahnemann
in the " Art of Waiting.”
When in doubt, wait and study.
While improvement, however slight, continues, do not repeat
or change.
Do not overlook the remedy first given.
Do not be impatient to be “ doing something.”
In examining the chest do not forget to pay special atten¬
tion to the apex of the lungs.— Clinical Repertory.
Digitized by ^ooQle
HOW I LEARNED TO CURE DIPHTHERIA.
497
How I Learned to Cure Diphtheria.
I. DEVER, M. D., CLINTON, N. Y.
If we are to credit the numerous reports which come from all
sections of the country, we can but believe that from the preva¬
lence of diphtheria it should be the best understood by the pro¬
fession of all contagious or infectious diseases both as to its
symptoms and treatment. That such is not true may readily be
inferred from reading the clinical reports which appear in the
medical journals of all schools.
Who has not asked: Why such a discrepancy of opinion among
well-informed medical men and why are we presented with such
a heterogeneous conglomeration of unscientific prescriptions for
so common a disease? Surely the question is a pertinent one
which can only find a partial answer in the chaotic confusion of
allopathic therapeutics.
But admitting the above statement, what are we to say
for ourselves as homeopathic physicians ? How are we to come
to an understanding of diphtheria, or, for that matter, any other
group of symptoms which may present themselves to us for
our treatment and cure? I have no desire to exploit myself as
a physician who never lost a case of diphtheria. Far be it from
me; but as I have had more experience with the “ genuine simon
pure article ” than comes to the majority of practitioners, I have
thought it might not be out of place to give my first experience
with homeopathic remedies in this the most intractable of all
diseases, with which we in this climate come in contact.
I had been treating diphtheria with indifferent success when
there came a homeopathic physician to Troy, Ohio, who not only
cured his cases, but had more than ordinary success with old
and abandoned cases, having cured several of such to my per¬
sonal knowledge. Therefore, believe me,when I tell you that
I was not a little chagrined, when the hated exponent of small
pills became so popular in all of the first and best streets in the
city. I was young then, consequently had nothing to lose and
all to gain, so I called on the man of all others whom the
average allopathic physician loved to hate in those days of ir¬
regular dosing.
Digitized by c.ooQLe
498
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
I found him busy in his back room playing cards, where
with all of the humble submission of a young man seeking the
truth, I made a bold and open request that he teach me how
to cure diphtheria. He looked me over and then exclaimed:
“Young man, you are a curiosity. Out of all the physicians
in this county you are the first to call on me, and you come
with an especial request to learn how I treat diphtheria — you
will have to read Hahnemann’s Organon and study well the
Symptomen Codex.”
Would he loan them to me? Those he did not have * but he
thought he could teach me how to treat diphtheria, providing I
would follow his directions which I promised to do and did
do to the letter. After filling a two-dram vial of Mer. sub.
cor. 3d he gave me a short lecture which was in these words.
“You will find all of those cases alike — they all demand Mer.
sub. cor. Give one pill to a teaspoonful of water, a dose every
two hours.” I followed his directions and, notwithstanding the
epidemic was a virulent orre, and I treated many cases all with
the Mercury sub. cor., I never lost a case during that epidemic.’
while my allopathic friends lost many. What was my surprise
on better acquaintance to learn that my teacher in the truths of
Hahnemann was not even a graduate of medicine.
But we still had a lesson to learn which came later by a study
of the Organon and the Symptomen Codex as my benefactor in
medicine had first instructed me.
I was not prepared for the next epidemic of diphtheria, neither
was I competent to treat any sporadic case until I learned that
any remedy was good for any case providing the symptoms of
the remedy known, and only known by provings as instituted by
Hahnemann, corresponded with the disease or symptoms of the
disease which we wish to cure. (See Hahnemann’s Organon
§ I 47 -)
I have cured diphtheria with Mer. sub. cor., Mer. bin. iod.,
Nux vom., Kali bich., Lachesis, Lac can., Lycopodium. Crotalus,
Sulphur and Hepar sulph., when the symptoms were in accord
with both the remedy and the disease.
•Yet evidently he had read them or heard of them; though we are not told whether in
later epidemics he hit the nail on the head as well as his truth-loving pupil.
Digitized
by Google
HOW I LEARNED TO CURE DIPHTHERIA.
499
Therefore it is both reasonable and just to believe that while
we are called on to treat a class of cases demanding, from the
symptoms Mercurius some other physician may be obtaining
equal success in some other section of the country with some
other remedy, whose symptoms are demanded by the symptoms
which he finds indicated in the case or class of cases. Hence
as so often stated by Dr. Hering, “ Any remedy is good for any
disease providing the totality of the symptoms of disease and
remedy can be expressed by the formula Similia Similibus Cu-
rantur which law of cure is fully expressed in the Organon and
is the only safe and certain guide to the selection of the curative
remedy in any ailments of the sick.
The Internal Remedy in Gynecological Practice.
From an intensely interesting article on the above subject, in
the Pacific Coast Journal of Homeopathy, for March, we take
pleasure in giving the following selections. The whole article
is well worth very careful study, but all we feel justified in
giving our readers is some of the parts which have interested
us most deeply. What we especially like about this article is
the emphasis that is laid on seemingly commonplace details
that help in selecting just the right remedy; for very evidently
in God's workshop seemingly unimportant and little things are
fully as significant as the ones which we call important. We
quote in part:
The remedies most often indicated in right-sided ovarian trou¬
ble are Apis, Belladonna, Bryonia and Lycopodium.
Apis has cutting, stinging, burning pains, radiating in various
directions, and may extend to the left pectoral region or to the
left ovary. The pains of Belladonna increase to the limit of
endurance and then gradually subside, only to repeat the proc¬
ess. Aggravation from the least jar of bed is very marked
with Belladonna, it has no meaning with Apis. The Belladonna
patient may be very thirsty. The Apis patient is practically
without thirst.
Digitized by G.ooQLe
500
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
When hemorrhoids appear during the menstrual period, there
is no remedy that will take the place of Collinsonia.
Lillium tigrinum is one of our most important and most often
indicated remedies for the treatment of left-sided ovarian dis¬
eases. The pains extend straight across the abdomen and down
the left thigh. The flow is worse during the day and when
moving about. Should the flowing continue while the patient
is lying down, it will contraindicate Lillium. Its leucorrhea is
brownish.
Ustilago is another left-sided remedy of importance. The
left ovarian region is swollen hard and is very sore. The flow
is dark, fluid and mixed with small clots. The cervix is soft
and tumified and the os patulous; almost the opposite condition
to that which is found under Secale. I have had occasion sev¬
eral times to use this remedy after the patient had been drugged
with Lydia Pinkham’s compound. •
Cimicifuga, Sepia and Pulsatilla are the polychrests of the
gynecological remedies. They do not act on either side from
preference, but come to the attack from any direction whence
the storm arises. But there will be very little trouble in recog¬
nizing which is prince for the time being, for most of the time
when either of these remedies is indicated you will find plenty
of distinctive symptoms everywhere.
Speaking more in detail, he next reminds us that Cimicifuga
has a dark coagulated flow, with crampy distressing pains in
the region of the uterus resembling colic and causing the patient
to bend double; but that cramping pain of the left ovary may
also indicate Colocynthis.
The flow of Sepia may be either dark or light, while the pa¬
tient feels compelled to cross her limbs to keep the parts from
being forced out through the vagina.
The flow of Pulsatilla is also dark, but changeable and inter¬
mittent.
Bromine and Helonias seem to be more often indicated in
membranous dysmenorrhea than any other of the remedies men¬
tioned.
Cramping pains, so often mentioned by patients, will usually
find relief in one of two remedies — either Caulophyllum or
Digitized by C^ooQLe
THE INTERNAL REMEDY IN GYNECOLOGICAL PRACTICE. 501
Viburnum opulus. Caulophyllum belongs to the same family
as does Cimicifuga, hence one would naturally expect that many
of their symptoms would be similar, which is the case.
The cramping pains of Caulophyllum are, for the most part,
confined to the abdomen and adjacent organs; the cramps of
Viburnum almost always extend to the thighs.
When thinking of Viburnum, it is well to keep in mind the
fact that it is one of the principal remedies in the Lydia Pink-
ham compound.
Aside from the remedies already mentioned, there are sev¬
eral others that are very useful and deserve a place in your ar¬
mamentarium.
Calcarea carbon, represents the chronic trouble, and is very
often useful in first starting the patient aright.
The conditions that would lead to the use of Sabina are the
result of many and oft-repeated abortions, or such other troubles
as would leave an enlarged and congested uterus.
Trillium has menstruation that Is premature and profuse ;
shortness of breath, vertigo and palpitation. There is also a
painful sinking feeling at the pit of the stomach. The flow is
generally bright, but there are often dark clots with it. At the
same time there may be epistaxis and hemorrhage from other
mucous surfaces. So far as the actual pain of Trillium is con¬
cerned, it is less severe than the pains of Viburnum but the flow¬
ing and the general weakness are much greater in Trillium.
Most, if not all, the remedies already mentioned, have their
greatest aggravation either at the beginning or during the men¬
strual period. With Zincum met. the condition is just opposite
— the amelioration is always during the menstrual period.
Take this symptom in connection with restlessness of the lower
extremities and you have a pretty strong indication for Zinc.
The various cervical lesions met with in general practice are
the most intractable cases that one is called upon to treat.
Of these the most common are the erosions and follicular en¬
largements following lacerations during labor. These may be
treated with success by general constitutional medication. But
cervical troubles that are of a specific origin are much more
troublesome and usually require a remedy finding its indication
mostly in the local manifestation.
Digitized by ^ooQle
502
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Of such remedies, Kreosote and Mercury are the most com¬
monly indicated. The flow of Kreosote is dark and offensive, in
large clots, or it may be thin, watery and excoriating. This
flow, like that of Pulsatilla, may be intermittent. This may
also be the case with the leucorrhea, which is yellowish-white,
acrid, and leaves a yellow stain on linen. During the period
there may be humming and buzzing in the head and chilliness
over the body.
Mercury has a very similar action on the cervix, but under
Mercury you will find more constitutional symptoms. The
mouth and throat has more or less subacute inflammation, when
Mercury is indicated. There will nearly always be an aggrava¬
tion whenever the weather changes. The cervix is irregular in
outline and bleeds on the slightest touch.
Thuja and Medorrhinum will very often be found useful
in these troubles. They are suggested by the possibility of in¬
fection from gonorrheal virus.
Some of the most important considerations in the selection
of a medicine are to be found in its modalities. People are very
fond of doing something themselves to assist the doctor. Often
before the doctor arrives the friends [with the patient's consent
or without it] will be applying hot compresses or hot flaxseed
poultices, with a view of relieving the patient as soon as possi¬
ble, and oftentimes, these adjuvants are a great source of relief
to the patient and sometimes not. “ And thereby hangs a tale.”
Hot compresses, or heat of any kind, would be as suicidal to
an Apis or Pulsatilla patient as cold compresses would be to
the Rhus or Nux vomica patient. Bryonia might stand heat
applied, but the heat of the sun is intolerant to a Bryonia patient
— in fact it is one of our best remedies for partial sunstroke.
A cold compress will very often relieve a Belladonna headache,
and in children it will very often materially relieve the fever
accompanying it.
The Homeopathic Envoy tells us that Kalmia is often good
for the tobacco heart. Details are not given. But it can only
occur when the heart symptoms are similar to those of Kalmia.
Digitized by C^ooQLe
WHAT DOES YOUR PATIENT EAT.'
503
What Does Your Patient Eat?
Most physicians do not study carefully enough the question
of diet: What does a man eat? What does he like best?
What does he dislike? and what kinds of food are most likely
to upset him in some way or other? These three questions often
throw a perfect flood of light upon your patient’s past life and
general constitutional make-up. And so we wish to publish
two or three articles calling attention to this important group
of symptoms, for they will enable you, oftentimes, to get clues
from the past life, which your patient’s present sickness fails
utterly to furnish, provided you will ask this question: What
kinds of food did you like, or dislike, or have to let alone even
before you got sick? Since the little oddities of your patient’s
appetite, previous to getting sick, will furnish many a clue
toward explaining the graver symptoms which he now pre¬
sents. For the weakness which has now cropped out so gravely
was there in part, even when he thought himself perfectly well,
only it was not marked enough for him to take much notice
of it; so that these food tests are helpful, even in cases where
the patient says that just at present he has no appetite at all.
Let us briefly study some of the more frequently indicated
remedies. For a more complete list, the reader is, of course,
referred to some standard repertory.
Some of the leading remedies are the following:
Great fondness for bread and butter, Mercurius.
Great fondness for crackers, Silica.
Likes to eat dirt, Alum, Calc., Cic., Nit. ac., Nux, Psor.
Likes eggs, very often indicates Calcarea.
Likes highly-seasoned food, Chin., Phos. and Sul.
Great liking for ice cream, Calc., Phos.
Likes to eat chalk, slate-pencils and the like, often points to
Nitric acid, though Calc, and Alum have the same symptoms.
Passionate fondness for meat, Mag. c. Sulph, Tub.
Great fondness for smoked meats, Causticum.
Liking for milk is seldom distinctive, but will be found very
marked in some Rhus tox. cases.
Great liking for raw food, often points to Sulphur and Tarant.
Digitized by CjOOQle
504
f
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Great liking for salt suggests, oftentimes, Arg. n., Carbo v.,
Calc., Nat. m., Phos. and Verat.
Wants to eat sand, often points to Tarentula.
For great liking for sour things, the leading remedies seem
to be Sul., Hep., Verat., Puls and Cor. r.
While great liking for sour drinks often indicates, Bell., Cham,
and Ars. and probably most of the remedies in the list just
given.
Excessive love of sweet things strongly suggests Sul., Lyc.,
Arg. n., Chin., Tub.
A curious love for vinegar has often pointed to Hepar.
All of these lists are, of course, incomplete, and even when
you turn to your repertory you will find that the lists there
given are very evidently not complete, and yet in a great many
cases this group of symptoms will be helpful, especially as you
can generally get from the same person four or five replies which
will tend to converge. In our next number we will take up dis¬
likes.
Feeding Babies at the Breast.
We take pleasure in abridging the following suggestions
from an article by Wm. A. Northbridge, M. D., in the Brooklyn
Journal:
Nature's intention surely is that the mother should suckle
her young, and we should be very slow to recommend the wean¬
ing of an infant under eight months of age, especially in the
summertime, for its life may be the forfeit.
The mother also must pay a price, if she thus breaks the laws
of nature, for she will be more prone to uterine diseases, to dis¬
eases of the breast, to cancer, and to frequent child bearing,
besides losing the pleasures of nursing her child.
Nor is the mere fact that the child $oes not thrive at the breast
a sufficient reason for weaning it. Perhaps it is fed too sel¬
dom, or too often, or else the cause may be one which can
easily be remedied with a little care; so that weaning should
not be recommended until we are sure that the cause cannot
Digitized by C^ooQLe
FEEDING BABIES AT THE BREAST.
505
be so removed. Even if the mother is nervous, or frail, or
given to having fits of anger or gloom, or worst of all, does not
wish to nurse her child, it may still be possible, with care, to
remedy these defects. For my own experience is that earnest
effort will result in many mothers nursing their babes, who
aforetime deemed themselves incapable of so doing.
He then .goes on to say how many supposed causes for wean¬
ing are preventable ones, though frankly admitting that there
are cases where weaning is the only wise course. But, in re¬
gard to these details, the profession, at least, are not ignorant,
though we are, perhaps, in danger of not gently urging mothers
to feed their children as often as we should, considering the
fact that to mother and to child alike an unnecessary weaning
is a serious evil and yet oftentimes the mother knows it not
till it is too late. Only don't rely on good advice alone. Let
careful study of her past life go with a very few well-chosen
globules, then will your advice go much further.
Antimonium Crudum for Split Hoof.
A. A. POMPE, M. D., VANCOUVER, WASH.
Sometime last August a man drove up to my office for some
medicine. I noticed his horse had a split hoof, the crack starting
from within one inch of the crown and extending to the base.
I was told that the horse had had this crack for six years. It
was so wide that a knife blade could be easily stuck into it.
I told the man I thought I could cure that crack with one dose
of medicine and proceeded to give the horse one small powder
of Antimonium Crudum 200 (B. & T.). In the evening I men¬
tioned what I had done to a veterinarian friend, telling him I
would show him the results later on.
About four months later the owner of the horse drove up to
my office for a second prescription, but on my inquiring in regard
to the horse’s hoof he said he did not know anything about it,
evidently having dismissed as ridiculous the thought of my ever
Digitized by ^ooQle
506
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
curing that hoof with one dose of medicine. But we went to¬
gether and examined the hoof and found that it had entirely
healed, all except three-fourths of an inch at the lower borderi At
my request he then drove over to the veterinarian’s who also
admitted that it was cured.
A Curious Pulsatilla Exception.
In a recent address in Washington, D. C., Dr. E. B. Nash,
of Cortland, N. Y., reports the following Pulsatilla case, an ap¬
parent exception to ordinary Pulsatilla conditions. In looking
for the central symptom it is worth while remembering that
your repertory may mention it either under Bladder Pains or
Bladder Urging, since both conditions were present.
It is quite possible that this is not a real exception to Pulsa¬
tilla conditions, but that the urging to urinate, though some¬
what painful, really relieves an abnormal condition of the bladder,
which would have become serious, if the patient had not lain on
his back; thus becoming in reality an amelioration, though ap¬
parently an aggravation.
Mr. H., aged forty-five years, stout and well built, light brown hair and
eyes. Symptoms, impossibifity of voiding the urine, although there is
frequent and urgent desire to do so. The pain and tenesmus is greatly
aggravated when lying, and especially on the back. Is much ameliorated
when sitting upright. Bladder greatly distended. Has passed no urine
in twenty-four hours. For the first time in fifteen years I was unable
to enter the bladder with any kind of a catheter, though I tried several.
I excused my failure by saying that the urethra was so closed by inflam¬
mation that we would have to give something to reduce it, when we
would try again with a still different kind of catheter. Believing in the
power of remedies, when we could cover the symptoms, I came home to
my office for a hunt for the similiraum. Referring to Allen’s Symptom
Register (which, by the way, has guided me to many a success), I was
led to the only remedy having just that condition. Symptom 683 reads:
"The urine presses only while lying upon the back and he is soon obliged
to urinate, not when lying on the side.” This is an exception to the gen¬
eral modalities of Pulsatilla, which is ameliorated by lying on the back
and aggravated by lying on the side. Well, that was pretty close, but it
had never been recorded as verified, so I gave it not with the greatest
confidence. Two hours afterward I called to make another attempt to
catheterize and the patient lay upon his back smiling and happy. He
had passed a vessel nearly full of urine within a half hour after the first
dose. Of course one swallow does not make a summer, and I still had
Digitized by ^ooQle
A CURIOUS PULSATILLA EXCEPTION.
507
doubts as to whether this remedy did it; but about a month later he had
a similar attack and the same remedy promptly relieved. I reported this
case to several societies, and to several physicians personally, and not one
of them could name the remedy; but the next time I met Dr. Ad Lippe,
I told him of the case and said, "What did I give, Doctor?” "You gave
te Pulsatilla, py Gott!” he answered. He was right, and I have since
used this remedy on the same indications in hypertrophied prostate with
great relief and long-lasting benefit.—American Physician.
Lycopus Virginicus, an Aggravation.
Dr. Grace A. B. Carter, of Rochester, N. Y., reports, in the
Medical Century, a curious case of aggravation by* Lycopus,
even after it had begun to cure.
About six months after an attack of scarlet-fever, the patient
found that her neck was increasing in circumference, the en¬
largement being most marked on the right side, in the region
of the thyroid gland. Six months later she began to feel faint
and nauseated in the morning and also when going upstairs.
At times the faintness was accompanied by a sudden and rapid
increase in the size of the neck, usually most pronounced upon
the left side. But this gradually disappeared, and was usually
gone inside of twenty-four hours.
Two years after the first increase in the size of her neck It
was noticed that her eyeballs had become unusually prominent,
and from that time on there developed a case of typical exophthal¬
mic goiter, with constant pain in the stomach, aversion to vege¬
tables, and especially beets (all of which she had been previously
fond) and a disposition to easily get excited when talking.
Lycopus Virginicus was prescribed; at first the third dilution, then the
second and later the tincture. Relief of several prominent symptoms was
soon seen. The pulse rate lowered; nausea and vomiting ceased,
dizziness and headache nearly so.
But upon increasing the size of the dose of the tincture, a number of
the prominent symptoms of the drug was observed. These became so
severe that it was stopped, and either Gelsemium 3x, Nux 3x or Ipecac 3x
were given for one or two days. This was tried a number of times until
THE AGGRAVATIONS WEfRE SO PRONOUNCED THAT THE TINCTURE WAS
DISCONTINUED.
We are not told whether any higher potencies were then tried.
We certainly hope they were.
Digitized by CjOOQle
508
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
The Experiences of a Prover.
In the Homeopathic Recorder, for January, 1904, Dr. A. M.
Cushing relates some of his experiences as a prover. He says:
"My proving of Rhatany produced almost unbearable itching of the
rectum; our best remedy for pin worms, and many physicians are using
it successfully for diseased rectums.”
Of Discorea, he says: “ One symptom, which I noticed several
times, was colic, better by bending backward — just the oppo¬
site of Colycinth. ,, - He also states that
" When taken in doses of a few drops of the tincture to three thousand
drops of dilutions at a dose, prepared with pure water, it produced noc¬
turnal emissions of semen, and in the hands of others as well as myself
has cured cases that were almost idiotic from the disease. One case was
readily cured after following other kinds of treatment for fifteen years.”
While of Phaseolus, he says:
"The proving of phaseolus nana affected the kidneys quite noticeably,
but before I began to record the symptoms (I never record the first ones)
it nearly stopped the action of my heart and certainly stopped the prov¬
ing. For disease of the heart or kidneys, even ‘Bright’s disease,’ it has
been more helpful to me than any other remedy I ever used. Other doc¬
tors have reported to me cases of valvular disease of the heart cured, and
one case said to be fatty degeneration of the heart, given up to die, was
soon relieved by taking the fifteenth decimal attenuation and recently
wrote me is a well man. I never saw him, and fear there was a mistake
in the diagnosis, but hope not.”
We all of us have some opinions which are the product of our
previous education and environment, rather than the results of
independent thought and experience. Such opinions are often
highly valuable, and we can’t get along without them, yet we
should not be discouraged or surprised if once in a while we
are forced to abandon or else modify some of them, which
simply proves that our ancestors were fallible, but does not for
a moment prove that their opinions are worthless.
In all cases it is nature that cures, and the physician only
helps. His work is to tip the balance, she does the rest.
Digitized by C^ooQLe
OVININE: DISEASE CURED BY AN INFINITESIMAL DOSE. 509
Ovinine: Disease Cured by an Infinitesimal Dose of.
THOMAS SKINNER, M. D., LONDON, ENG.
I declared myself a homeopathic physician in July, 1874, hav¬
ing practiced incognito for about two years before. Three years
before 1874 when practicing in Liverpool as an allopath, I met
a young lady from the United States at dinner who told me she
could not eat anything in the shape of “sheep” (sic!). If her
aunt with whom she was living was ordering mutton or lamb
for lunch or dinner for the family, she would have to order beef
for her niece. Her aunt told me it was very inconvenient, and she
asked me if I could remedy the matter. Being an allopath at
that time, I knew of only one remedy and that was to send her
back to her friends in America. Although it was very hard lines,
she had to go, and she did go. So much for moribund Al¬
lopathy.
On Nov. 3, 1903, I was consulted by the parlor maid of a
lady patient of mine in consequence of violent attacks of migraine
or. prosopalgia of the left eye and upper face, worse by day,
but sometimes at night preventing sleep. The pains were in¬
cisive, like a knife, and also as of a horrid pressure on the back
of the left eyeball. The pains come and go suddenly; cold her
friend. The above symptoms were speedily cured with Spigelia,
5m. (F. C.).
On November 12, the maid called as requested to report prog¬
ress, and she stated that she had only taken one dose of the
remedy and has felt no trace of the terrible pain since. I asked
her if she had anything else the matter with her.
“Yes, doctor, but I fear nothing can be done for it, at least,
I have always been told so. I cannot eat anything in the form
of 4 sheep,”— mutton or lamb in any form; it makes me sick —
the very smell of the cooking severely tries me — but when wait¬
ing the table and lamb or mutton is being served I am positively
ill.
“ I feel faint and nauseated, and if it were not from fear of
losing an excellent situation, I should have to give in. I can
Digitized by CjOOQle
510
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
eat beef and veal with impunity and the smell of the .cooking
in no way affects me unpleasantly.”
On Nov. 12, 1903, I gave her one dose of Ovinine, 50 (F. C.)
to be taken at bedtime, dry on her tongue, and ever since she has
been able to dine on mutton or lamb, and the smell of the cook¬
ing has no unpleasant effect upon her, and waiting at table when
lamb or mutton is being served, in no way inconveniences her.
The cook in the same family, who is also a patient of mine,
and whose case will be given the readers of the Advance soon,
was in my consulting rooms so lately as the third of May, and
on being asked how the parlor maid is as regards “ sheep,” she
replied, “ She is the wonder of her mistress, of the whole house,
and of herself in particular — and what is more, up to this date
(May 3, 1904), she thoroughly enjoys a dinner of mutton or
lamb, as much as beef or veal and knows of no difference! ”
Case II.— Mrs. -, a charming lady who suffers from a
goiter, large enough, especially at the M. P. to mar her appear¬
ance; at the same time she has always had dysmenia. This was
for a few years completely cured with Thyroidine 2m (F. C.)
once a week for about three months. She called on me lately,
and told me that she had heard from a lady friend that I had
cured a parlor maid of an infirmity from which she had suffered
for a lifetime, namely, she could not eat “ sheep ” and she was
of opinion that it was a very common complaint, " because she
had it "
On April 12, 1904, I gave her one powder of Ovinine, 50
(F. C.) to take at bedtime dry on her tongue: On May 2, this
year, I received a post-card as follows: “ I will be glad to see
you any day after Tuesday next, that may suit you. I can eat
mutton !!! ”
This lady told me she felt her infirmity to be a great misery
to her, because, if shfe ordered mutton or lamb for her husband
and domestics, she had to order beef for herself — and if she
was in a strange house, and there was only mutton or lamb served
she now could eat it, without feeling or being actually sick, and
have to leave the table.
July 28, 1904.— She continues in the same happy state as
regards “ sheep.”
Digitized by C^ooQLe
ovinine: disease cured by an infinitesimal dose. 511
Case III.— A Dutch gentleman whom I have known for years,
and, for the first time I found that he could not endure the taste
of anything in the form of “ sheep.” His appetite, digestion and
all else was in excellent condition, but mutton or lamb was more
than a match for him, whether he was residing in Holland or
Britain. He is here at present, and on Thursday, May 5, he
received one powder of Ovinine 50 (F. C.). On May 7, I dined
with him at a friend’s house, and I saw him eat a mutton cutlet
with great relish, and I have seen him since and there were no
bad effects, and he thanked me most cordially.
By and by, I shall have some interesting observations to make
on these cases et cetera.
The Ovinine is made by myself, that is (F. C.), as follows:
The muscular fiber from the hind leg of a recently killed sheep
( mutton) has the juice crushed out of it and one drop of it is
mixed with ninety-nine drops of water; this is repeated fifty times
by hand , and one drop of this is all that these three patients got.
In conclusion, I find that there is being sold in London what is
said to be “ a pure mutton essence ” called “ Hipi,” Hipi being
the native New Zealand word for “ sheep.” In the advertisement
there is a representation of Little Bo-Peep, with the following
doggerel lines:
“ Poor Bo-Peep!
We have taken her sheep, and turned them into Hipi.”
My preparation is not made from “ Hipi.”
COMMENTS.
In the “ Chronic Diseases,” Hahnemann says:
In the subsequent list of anti-psoric remedies no isopathic medicines
are mentioned, for the reason that their effects upon the healthy organism
have not been sufficiently tested. Even the itch miasm (psorin), in its
various degrees of potency, comes under this objection. I call psorin a
homeopathic anti-psoric, because if the preparation (potentizing) of
psorin did not alter its nature to that of a homeopathic remedy, it never
could have any effect upon an organism tainted with that same identical
virus. The psoric virus, by undergoing the processes of trituration and
shaking (potentizing), becomes just as much altered in its nature as
gold does, the homeopathic preparations of which are not inert sub¬
stances in the animal economy, but powerfully acting agents.
Thus potentized and modified also, the itch virus (psorin) when taken
is no more an idem (the same) with the crude original itch virus, but only
a similimum (most similar thing). For between idem and similimum
Digitized by U.ooQLe
512
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
there is no intermediate for any one who can think; or in other words,
between idem and simile only similimum can be intermediate. Iso-
pathic and aequale are equivocal expressions, which if they should signify
anything reliable can only signify similimum, because they are not idem.
These cases of Dr. Skinner demonstrate the wonderful effi¬
ciency of potentization and opens a new world of therapeutics for
the relief of some of the distressing and annoying idiosyncrasies
of the psoric, sycotic, syphilitic, tubercular and other diatheses.
All the nosodes, nearly all the animal, insect and serpent poisons
are examples of the power of the dynamic remedy. Homulus,
Fragaria, Avena, etc., etc., have proved valuable aids in the
cure of these so-called “ nervous affections ” and now comes Car-
nine and Ovinine, thanks to our English colleague.— Ed.
A Deeply Psoric Case.
F. E. GLADWIN, M. D., H. M., PHILADELPHIA.
Woman sixty-five years old.
Had erysipelas of the hand and two fingers; had black spots
or rather deep purple spots on them as if gangrene were about
to appear; hand painful; worse at night; chilly.
Gave Hepar, and the erysipelas disappeared like magic.
Severe cold two weeks afterward; cough; could not lie down
in bed; severe pain in abdomen.
Has had suffocating spells, which she calls heart spells, for
years, of which the last two were controlled by Arsenicum.
Dr. Medley gave her Kali carb. 200 and she improved for a
few days when suddenly the heart gave out; feet and legs drop -
sical; heart weak; respiration labored; thought she would not
live through the night and gave Naja. After this the breathing
became easier and she remained about the same for days except
that the dropsy was increasing and red shining spots were on skin.
Grew worse; gave Lycopodium; relieved suffocating and the
< at 4 p. m. for a while then let go; always worse at night;
was called at night, the legs seemed so full they would burst:
abdomen distended, not only the cavity but the abdominal wall
seemed dropsical: could hardly breathe; lips blue.
Digitized by C.ooQle
A DEEPLY PSORIC CASE.
513
Throat would expand with every inhalation; heart beats
scarcely felt; .would beat faintly then intermit several beats;
would go on rapid to faint and then intermit; could not lean
back. Gave Lycopodium without result.
Was advised to give Apis after which she could breathe again.
Apis held for over a week then she grew worse and Apis was
repeated only higher but held for a shorter time; repeated the
next time with no result; in the meantime the dropsical condition
was extending; she completely filled a Morris chair; abdomen
so large that she could not lean forward at all; even her hands
were dropsical; right leg denuded from ankle to garter all the
way around excepting about the space of an inch in front; the
left leg from ankle to garter space about half w^y around; fluid
showing alkaline reaction was trickling down legs constantly
so that a pan had to be arranged for them to drip in; collected
nearly a tumbler full in two hours; urination scanty; not more
than a pint in twenty-four hours. If she stepped from the chair
to the commode, a distance of about two steps, she could scarcely
get her breath; always worse at night; respiration so painful that
it was distressing to watch her.
Appetite ravenous all through; cough hacking, retching, and
finally vomiting frothy mucus; empty eructations; heart beat
weak, irregular, intermittent, rapid; great purple spots in groins,
under thighs and across sacral region which were oozing mois¬
ture ; perspiration at night; legs so large above knees that they
looked and felt like wax; no pain anywhere; white offensive
slough on the denuded places below the knee.
Gave Kali carb. cm. Improvement; each time she was visited
sould see the dropsy was disappearing; this continued two weeks
when improvement ceased; repeated and action took place for
about two weeks; repeated again and it took up the work; under
Kali carb. the dropsy all disappeared excepting the feet which
lessened; purple spots on the body dried and disappeared; the
slough and odor disappeared after each dose of Kali; legs be¬
gan to heal front the top and front and continued until about
half way healed.
There has been no more dyspnea and the heart beat has been
strong, less irregular and intermittent, and slower. As she phys-
Digitized by ^ooQle
514
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
ically grew better mental symptoms appeared; hilarious spells at
first; toward evening would have regular Methodist camp-meet¬
ings, singing and pounding with her fists; as she improved she
had weeping spells, trembling, nervous; legs smarted, pain in
heel; the nervous spells grew worse and she would wring her
hands and cry; she was sure she never would get well while she
never had a doubt about her recovery when she was the worst;
anxious, distressed expresion on the face; “ she looked one hun¬
dred years old ” during the paroxysm; great restlessness; could
not keep still; said she felt very bad but could not describe her
bad feelings or tell where they were; whimpers, irritable, exact¬
ing, can stop in the midst of the worst spell and order a large
dinner; the urine had not increased nor the water from the legs
decreased; mental symptoms were growing more frequent and
longer lasting; thought she was going insane.
Studied the case again and could find no remedy but Zincum
that had weeping, anxiety, irritability, thoughts of death, restless¬
ness, enormous appetite; all through sickness she had eaten
enough solid food to nourish two healthy, hard-working men;
chilliness; cold hands and feet; scanty urination; irregular pulse
and the dropsy. Gave Zincum August 31, and saw her October
3, and she was looking more like herself than since her sickness
began; mental symptoms gone; discharge from the legs which
looks like urine is leaving; urine more; denuded places on legs
extended toward the front and downward but have now begun
to heal from the top; the feet are more dropsical and look as if
they would open on the instep; the open place now is only about
three to four inches wide where it has been from garter space to
heel; no pain or distress anywhere; stronger; appetite enormous
but enjoys everything she eats and wants solid food; bowels nor¬
mal all through; can lie down now but will not go to bed because
of the discharge from legs; nappy; skin getting a healthy color.
As the mental symptoms improved, she physically grew worse
after the Zincum, but then improved all around and is still
gaining although it has been five weeks since taking last dose; no
other remedy has held her over two weeks.
The urine was examined and found to be normal.
Other doctors said she could not get well. I am very grateful
Digitized by CjOOQle
A DEEPLY PSORIC CASE.
515
for the teaching of true Homeopathy. The more I come in con¬
tact with other physicians and the work of other physicians the
more I am impressed with the crudity of their work. When true
Homeopathy does so much better work than any part-way kind,
why cannot physicians learn the true and stick to it?
Preparation of Hands for Operation.
Murphy's method of preparing the surgeons’ hands for opera¬
tion is as follows: Scrub for five to seven minutes with spirits of
green soap (five per cent) and running hot water. Three min¬
utes’ washing in alcohol. Dry thoroughly and pour over the
hands a four-per-cent solution of gutta percha in benzine. Allow
this to dry without rubbing. The coating is very thin and will
resist water and antiseptic solution. It is very easily removed
by benzine. Its advantages over rubber gloves are perfect fit, can¬
not be torn, less interference with tactile sensation. Besides it
causes a temporary cessation of perspiration of the skin which
it covers and prevents the rubbing off of epithelia into the wound.
The skin surface to be operated is prepared by five miuntes’
scrubbing with five-per-cent Spts. Sap. Vir. then washing with
ether, followed by alcohol and is finally swabbed with the ben¬
zine rubber solution:
A Tumor Removed Without the Knife.
DR. V. E. BALDWIN, GREENTOWN, IND.
Mrs. T-, 34 years old; married; called at the office June
4, 1904, to know if a homeopath could remove a tumor on the
gum of the superior maxilla. It was about one and one-half
inches long and three-fourths of an inch in diameter and had
grown in the cavity formed by the removal of the upper left
canine and first pre-molar. It was spongy, full and red with
Digitized by ^ooQle
516
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
blood, painless, bled very easily, and sometimes profusely. It
was cleft by the teeth below and one part raised the lip in front
and the other protruded within the oval cavity.
The gums generally were inflamed, easily bleeding and irritated.
Constipated; no urging; stool receded when partly expelled.
Thirsty; easily chilled; very sleepy all the time.
Had been vaccinated several times and never took. History of
sycosis.
June 4.— She received Thuja m.
June 12.— Constipation better. Tumor nil. Placebo.
June 18.— No change. Thuja cm.
July 9.— Gums bleeding profusely; tumor red and fiery. Con¬
stipation > but more tenesmus. Mer. cor. cm.
July 15.— Tumor dropped into her mouth, feeling quite well
in every way ; case dismissed.
A Lachesis Case.
RUDOLPH F. RABE, M. D., HOBOKEN, N. J.
On May first, I was called to see Mrs. M., age 53 years, who
had been sick for five days with erysipelas of the face. She had
first noticed a small red spot on the left cheek which burned some¬
what, and rapidly grew larger until the entire left side of the face,
part of the scalp and the left ear became involved. The eruption
spread over the nose to the right cheek, into the scalp and over
the right ear. It was of a dusky red color but smooth. Both
eyes were almost closed from edema of the lids and there was
considerable stinging and burning pain. Temp. 103.2°, pulse,
no, thirst for small quantities but often. Little sleep or rest at
night and a feeling of confusion in the brain on waking. The
patient is going through her climacteric period, is always too hot
and has frequent flushes of heat, during which she wants doors
and windows open. Is plethoric and fleshy. I gave one dose
of Lachesis 900, Fincke. The following morning, May 2, the
pulse had come down to 80, the temperature to 100.3 °, and the
Digitized by C.ooQLe
A LACHESIS CASE.
517
patient correspondingly better. The edema about the eyes was
less and the eruption paler. On May 3, the temperature and
pulse were both normal, the eruption rapidly fading and the skin
scaling off all over the face. The ears were almost normal in
appearance. On May 5, the case was discharged entirely well.
This patient had had a similar attack of erysipelas some years
ago, which, under old-school treatment with various local ap¬
plications had lasted for three weeks. The superiority of the
similimum and the power of the single dose, in this infectious
disease, needs no better demonstration. During the course of
the illness Sac. lac., in water, was given as usual, every two hours,
though this harmless subterfuge is omitted by me with some pa¬
tients who understand. There is nothing wonderful about this
cure. Any Hahnemannian can duplicate it and recite many more;
but why will the majority of our homeopathic physicians resort
to unhomeopathic measures in this disease, as aids so-called, to
their internal remedies, when the latter alone are so plainly able
to do the work in so prompt and efficacious a manner ?
Noises in the Maxillary Joint During Mastication.
OLIN M. DRAKE, M. D., WARREN CHAMBERS, BOSTON, MASS.
This is a more or less frequent symptom occurring in the course
of one's practice, and perhaps it may instruct some of my col¬
leagues of the Hahnemannian “make-up” or persuasion to pe¬
ruse a repertory which I have prepared for my own use. But
previously, I wish to give two cases which came under my care
some few years ago.
Case I.— Mr. C. has been troubled, for a year or more, with
a cracking, grating or snapping in the right jaw joint, and at
times in the left: the cracking sounds to him like when a tooth
is being extracted. He cannot chew his meat, at times, it pains
him so, and when first troubled, the noise could be heard by those
near him. I could obtain no other symptoms. I gave one dose
of Am, carb. 200 (D) and Sac. lac. for a month.
Digitized by ^ooQle
518
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
A month later he reported: the right side entirely well but
the left side continued to trouble him, but much less. Am. carb.
200 (D), four doses and Sac. lac.
Some months after, he informed me that his trouble ceased
soon after taking his second medicine.
Case II.— Nine years ago Mr. H.'s jaw began troubling him,
pain and cracking during mastication, on the left side. In about
a week a swelling came under the left ear which prevented chew¬
ing his food for three days, and then the swelling commenced to
decrease. A month later the Swelling began again, nearly the
size of a pullet's egg; it did not suppurate, but would disappear
and reappear again from time to time, sometimes within twenty-
four hours. The soreness under the jaw persisted. In chewing
his food, there was pain in the left jaw joint which also prevented
his opening his mouth fully. In addition, there was some deaf¬
ness in left ear with noises, such as whistling, the sound of a
distant horn or a moving carriage, or a buzzing like a fly. The
left half of his head ached more or less the whole time, with
occasional darting pain from the swelling near the left ear to
the frontal eminence of the same side. He complained also of a
pain across his back which made him sick at the stomach: in the
morning his back felt as though broken in two and aggravated
on first moving his hips and legs; this last symptom he had had
for months. In winter, would suffer from an eruption of vesicles
appearing on inside of knees and sometimes in bend of the arms;
the itching was worse in the evening when near a fire; after
scratching, burning and smarting.
This patient had received treatment from different allopaths,
internally and locally without any relief.
I gave him Am. carb. 200 (D), four doses, followed by Sac. lac.
I did not see him for some months, when he told me that he
was well. The improvement began at once after my prescription.
This case seemed to call for Rhus but my experience with die
previous patient made me administer Am. carb., which proved
to be the similimum.
I append a short repertory of the particular symptom which
heads this brief article.
Digitized by CjOOQle
NOISES IN THE MAXILLARY JOINT DURING MASTICATION. 519
Cracking of the Maxillary Joint :
Aloe, Am. carb., Brom., Chin, s., Cor. c., Gran., Lac c.,
Lach., Meny., Mez., Nit, ac., Ol. an., Rhus, Sabad,
(Sep?)„ (Sel?), Spong. (Kent’s Rep.), Strych., Sul.,
Thuja.
- Painful: Coc. c., Gran., Lach., Mepy., Strych.
- As if dislocated: Gran.
- With spontaneous dislocation: Mez.
-- With swelling of the joint: Brom.
- Left: Am. carb., Brom., Coc. c., Ol. an.
- Right: Aloe, Am. carb.
- When chewing: Am. carb., Brom., Gran., Lac c., Meny.,
Nit. ac., Spong, Sul.
- When moving jaw: Aloe, Rhus. ,
-7 When opening mouth: Chin, s., Lach., Ol. an.
- - - Wide: Sabad.
- When reading aloud: Aloe.
- When swallowing: Coc. c., Rhus (drinking).
- When yawning: Thuja.
- Rattling of maxillary joint when opening the mouth:
Sabad.
At times, I have had trouble in having the patient precise,
whether the cracking was in the maxillary joint or ear, but gen¬
erally it is easy to make the distinction.
Suppressed Menstruation: Natrum Mur.
B. B. SHABA, M. D., CALCUTTA, INDIA.
A Mohammedan female; age about eighteen or twenty years.
For the last two years menstruation stopped altogether. At first
she was thought to be pregnant inasmuch as she lost her appe¬
tite and had a vomiting tendency; no medical advice was sought
for a few months. Several months silently passed without any
development in the supposed pregnancy, though the patient be¬
gan to be more and more emaciated, resulting in an absolute loss
Digitized by ^ooQle
520
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
of health. Her guardians began to be apprehensive, when the
patient complained of a slight pain in her umbilical regions in¬
dicating some abnormity in her sexual system. The pain com¬
menced at about eleven in the forenoon after the meal and the
patient felt that the pain rolled about her abdomen, subsiding after
an hour or two. She was not well off and very poorly accommo¬
dated. At that stage medical advice was sought and she came
to me for treatment.
After carefully examining her and her guardian as to the other
particulars, and her husband also, I had no hesitation in adminis¬
tering six doses of Natrum muriaticum, thirtieth, to be taken
thrice a day. No improvement was observed the next two
days after which a slight abatement in the pain was noticed. She
was then advised to continue the medicine for the next two days.
On the sixth day began a copious discharge, black at first, then
changed to ruby red, attended with fever, rising to 106 in the
evening. The medicine was then discontinued and the morning
dawned with a great lowering of the fever. The quantity of
discharge was reduced one-half; no more medicine needed and
in the course of the three following days fever and discharge
simultaneously diminished. The next day she was perfectly
cured.
I had some misgivings about the recurrence of the disease in
the next month; but to my astonishment I was informed that
there was a full and healthy discharge without fever or pain.
Thereafter she had no more troubles in her menstrual system.
The prominent symptom, I may add here, which prompted the
administration of Natrum muriaticum was the aggravation of the
pain before the noon.
Tuberculosis Among the Jews.
Some years ago a correspondent in the Medical Advance asked
what relation there was between pork eating and consumption,
and made the significant statement that in his practice, extending
over many years, he had never treated a case of pulmonary tu¬
berculosis in a member of that nationality. The statement was
Digitized by C. 00 Q :
TUBERCULOSIS AMONG THE JEWS.
521
verified by subsequent correspondence from many physicians.
But the late Dr. Lilienthal refuted this and said that he had
met a number of cases in his practice.
In an article in The Journal of the American Medical Associa¬
tion of August 6, Dr. Theodore B. Sachs, Chicago, has a very
instructive paper on this question.
He says the Jewish population of Chicago can be estimated
at 75,000. That they are not as homogeneous as other nation¬
alities found in the city; their ideas, customs and mode of life
differ according to their place of nativity or length of residence
in this country. Also that the immunity of the Jewish race from
certain diseases varies in degree according to the economic and
hygienic conditions of life; tuberculosis, for instance, may be
comparatively rare among the well-to-do, but is very common
among the poor, the same as among all other nationalities.
These statistics furnished by the doctor are taken from a popu¬
lation of a district on the West Side of Chicago, in a densely popu¬
lated part of the city. The population of this district can be esti¬
mated at 31,000, of which 22*500 are Jews. The Russian Jew
represents the predominant element: Jews from Austro-Hungary,
German Poland, Roumania and other European countries are in
the minority.
All trades are represented. But this part of the city is envel¬
oped in dust and smoke, and perhaps is one of the least sanitary
to be fr - 1 in Chicago.
MORTALITY FROM TUBERCULOSIS.
“ Jhrom May 1, 1902, till Nov. 1, 1903, 51 Jews died from tuber¬
culosis in the Jewish district of Chicago. This represents an an¬
nual death rate of 1.51 per 1,000 living, or 138.5 deaths from this
disease in 1,000 mortality from all causes. The corresponding
death rate from tuberculosis in the central block was 2.81 per
1,000 living, or 228.5 deaths from this disease in a total mortality
of 1,000. During the same period of time the annual mortality
from tuberculosis among the non-Jewish population of the Jew¬
ish district was 5.02 per 1,000 living, or 179.7 deaths from tuber¬
culosis in a total mortality of t,ooo.
Digitized by C.ooQLe
522
XHE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
“ The annual death rate, from tuberculosis in die city of Chi¬
cago, according to the United States census for 1900, is 1.78
per 1,000 living, or 110.2 deaths from tuberculosis in a total mor¬
tality of 1,000.
" These figures would naturally lead to the conclusion that
mortality from tuberculosis among Jews is comparatively low
and that Jews enjoy a certain immunity from this disease. State¬
ments of this nature are found in nearly every text-book and
apparently conform with the experience of the most careful ob¬
servers in the profession of this country and Europe.
“ No deductions on this subject could be drawn from the fed¬
eral census as the population is classified only according to the
place of nativity. A very large amount of statistical material is
found in one of the most extensive investigations of this subject
made by Dr. J. S. Billing$, who, in Bulletin 19, Federal Census
1890, presents the results of a census of 60,630 Jews. The bulle¬
tin gives an astoundingly low annual rate of mortality from tu¬
berculosis among Jews, namely, .22 per 1,000 living, or 70.59
deaths from this disease in a total mortality of 1,000. All the
data in this census were obtained through special inquiries di¬
rected to heads of Jewish families living in widely different
parts of this country. The decision as to the cause of death in
each case was left to the judgment and fairness of heads of these
families. Their economic status was far above the average, judg¬
ing from their occupations and the fact that out of 10,618 fami¬
lies, 6,622 employed from one to three servants or more.
“ While this bulletin contains, an enormous amount of material
collected by experienced statisticians and its value is enhanced by
commentaries from one of the foremost medical men in this
country, the conclusions concerning rarity of tuberculosis among
Jews cannot be accepted for the following reasons: 1, the defec¬
tive method of inquiry; 2, the high economic status of the fam¬
ilies investigated, and 3, the prevailing tendency to conceal tu¬
berculosis as a cause of death.
“ An extensive study of tuberculosis among the poor and mid¬
dle-class Jews of New York was recently made by Dr. Maurice
Fishberg. He presents the results of a comparative study of the
mortality statistics in the different wards of New York City.
» CjOOQle
TUBERCULOSIS AMONG THE JEWS.
523
“ Seventh, tenth, eleventh and thirteenth wards, to a greater
extent inhabited by Jews, showed in the years 1897-98 and ’99
a smaller number of deaths from tuberculosis than any other sec¬
tion of the city. The annual mortality per 1,000 living for each
of these wards was 2, 14, 1.72, 1.55 and 1.11 respectively, while
the ratio for the fourth ward, inhabited by Irish and Italian labor¬
ing people, was 5.65, the highest in the city. Returns next to
the highest came from the twenty-third ward, inhabited by Irish,
Germans and Americans (4.95 per 1,000).
“ Any medical man who was brought into close contact with
the Jewish poor of large cities will bear witness to the fact that
only a certain proportion of Jewish tuberculosis population die
in the district in which they have contracted the disease. Their
fear of consumption is much greater than among any other na¬
tionality and the belief in climate as the only cure for pulmonary
disease is so firmly rooted that the first suggestion of anything
abnormal with the lungs leads them to immediate preparation for
a change to better climatic conditions. Men and women in very
destitute circumstances will sell all their belongings and without
second thought start on a journey to some of the distant West¬
ern states. If for some reason they fail to secure financial assist¬
ance from some Jewish charity organization, their relatives and
friends come to their rescue.
“ The idea of proper climate as the only cure for any chrome
cough is so widespread that plans for change of residence are fre¬
quently made without consulting a physician, and at times against
his advice. A large number will remove to more healthful quar¬
ters of the same citv. This constant emigration of tuberculous
population from the poor districts of the city results in the er¬
roneous conclusion that mortality from tuberculosis even among
poor Jews is very low. From my experience as examining phy¬
sician for the United Hebrew Charities and National Jewish Hos¬
pital for Consumptives I am certain that only a fraction of the
Jewish tuberculous poor die in the districts in which they con¬
tracted the disease, and consequently any conclusions concerning
prevalence of tuberculosis among Jews, based only on the rate
of mortality, are necessarily erroneous to a considerable extent.”
Digitized by CjOOQle
524
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Some Confirmations of a Few Familiar Remedies.*
S. H. SPARHAWK, M. D., ST. JOHNSBURY, VT.
The saying that, “ Nothing succeeds like success,” is amply il¬
lustrated by the prompt response of nature to the well-selected
homeopathic remedy for a given case of disease; and those who
profess to prescribe homeopathically for their cases cannot be too
pains-taking in selecting their remedy to insure prompt and per¬
manent results.
Don’t be in too great a hurry to make your prescription until
you can feel sure you have found the right remedy to cover your
case. A little time spent in the careful study of your case is
worth much more to your patient than any number of shotgun
prescriptions fired at random in a hurry.
A few cases will perhaps illustrate the point I wish to em¬
phasize.
Case I.— Hazel H., five years old; healthy otherwise — has had
nocturnal enuresis during first sleep for the past year. Remedies:
Benz, ac., Canst Cina, Kreos ., Phos. ac., Sepia. Sepia being the
most prominent, she received that remedy in various potencies
without benefit. Why? It was not the indicated remedy; and
on more careful questioning elicited the following symptoms:
Burning and smarting of pudenda during and after urinating.
Urine flows during first sleep, from which child is roused with
difficulty.
Kreosote is the remedy called for there, and a few doses of the
200th nightly promptly and permanently cured her.
Case II.— Miss B. took cold and had sore throat for a week
before she presented herself for treatment, saying:
“ Doctor, I’ve done everything I can think of for my throat,
but it gets worse instead of better ”
“Describe how it feels.”
“Well, it began to be sore on the right side; felt raw and
sore, with almost constant inclination to swallow, with sharp
pains shooting up into the ear when I swallow.” (Hepar sul.
has this symptom very prominently.) It will be that way for
♦Homeopathic Medical Society of Vermont.
Digitized by C^ooQLe
SOME CONFIRMATIONS OF A FEW FAMILIAR REMEDIES. 525
perhaps half a day; when it will leave the right side and go into
the left; and so it has been shifting back and forth for a week.”
“ Any other trouble ? ”
“ None whatever.”
Symptoms alternating from side to side is a very prominent
condition of Lac caninum. Patient received a powder of this
remedy in the 45 m (Fincke) immediately, to be followed by an¬
other in three hours if not improved; but no repetition so long
as improvement continued. She reported afterward that she ex¬
perienced marked relief within an hour of the first dose, and was
well in twenty-four hours. She took but the one powder.
Case III.— Guy H. was a very similar case. Had what he
called a “ grip cold; ” and took what he called the indicated reme¬
dies: Bell., Bry. and Phos., but, after a two-weeks’ experience
with it, he came into my office one evening and said:
“ Doctor, I’ve brought this sore throat of mine down with me
tonight, to let you see it; and see if you can tell me why it
don’t get better.”
“ How does it feel ? ”
“ It feels raw and sore, and about chokes me to swallow; and
it has been bobbing back and forth from one side to the other
for two weeks now, and I am tired of it.”
He got a powder of Lac caninum 45m (Fincke) on his tongue
on the spot; and a second one to take the next morning if he
thought he needed it. He reported in a few days, “ That powder
you gave me did the business; never had anything work so ‘ like
a charm ’ on me in my life; I did not need to take the other
powder.
Case IV.— Susan B.— School-teacher of thirty-five. • Sciatica
of right side beginning in the right hip. Could not move or be
moved an inch without screaming — numb pricking pain in right
ankle > by extereme heat. Must change position often to try to
get an easier place in bed with > for short time only by move¬
ment. Rhus 200.
The next day I said to her: “ I thought it was your right side.”
She replied, “ It was yesterday, but now it is my left one.” Symp¬
toms practically the same only changed sides. Continued Rhus
200. The third day she greeted me with: “ Doctor, why don’t
Digitized by C^ooQLe
526
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
you give me something to cure me ? I must get back into school
again. Besides, I don't want to pay you for driving this pain
back and $prth from one leg to the other; today it is my right
one again."
Well, surely Rhus is not the remedy for this case; but what
ts? Consulting my repertory, I found that Lac caninum covered
the case completely, and I gave her a dose of Fincke's 45m then
and there, remarking to her that “ this medicine will drive the
pain so far away that it will not come back; and will drive you
back to the schoolhouse again." Ar\d surely enough; she was
back in school again in four days, and the pain has never re¬
turned; now five years, and no second dose needed.
Was called in consultation to a case of gallstone disease in the
person of Mr. B., an old soldier fifty-seven years of age. He had
been suffering from attacks of gallstone colic, so-called, about
once in two months for the past year and a half, gradually grow¬
ing worse each attack. Found him in the midst of an attack;
agony plainly depicted on his countenance, the cold sweat stand¬
ing in large drops wherever his skin was visible. The attend¬
ing physician had painted the region of his liver and gall-bladder
with iodine; he had hot fomentations of hops around him and
had taken laudanum, morphine and whisky freely; and yet, he
was not happy.
During the intervals between the severe paroxysms of pain,
a little of his past history was secured.
A thick-set, fleshy man, of lymphatic temperament, lax fiber;
always sensitive to cold or draft of cool air; feet and lower limbs
always cold and damp, even during the extreme heat of summer;
he had formerly worked much in water; had strong desire for
eggs, acids, salt or sweet things; sugar disagrees with him.
Constipation of long standing; stools frequently white and
undigested.
From these symptoms, after carefully discussing the case with
the attending physician, who allowed that the present course of
treatment was of no benefit to him, we selected Calcarea as being
the similimum; and agreed to use that remedy alone; watching
closely the case together for a while; I being sanguine of success,
while he was very skeptical as to the result. The remedy being
Digitized by
Google
SOME CONFIRMATIONS OF A FEW FAMILIAR REMEDIES. 527
decided upon, however, I gave him on his tongue a few pellets
of Fincke’s 45,000th, with the suggestion that his pain and gall¬
stones would soon be “ gone where the woodbine twineth.” What
was the result? He had no more severe pain; and that attack
followed by less jaundice than former ones. He made a good
recovery, and his general health was much improved permanently.
He has never had another attack of gallstone colic, and has
remained well to the present time, now twelve years, and the
attending physician admits that, if he had not seen it done he
could not have believed that so little medicine could accomplish
so much. Query: Did the suggestion influence the result ?
A Condensed Repertory.
G. E. DIENST, M. D., NAPERVILLE, ILL.
Writing a repertory is a colossal task. The use, of repertories,
however, cannot be too highly recommended. It seems to me
impossible to find the indicated remedy in some complaints with¬
out such help. Of all the repertories I have used, none equal in
clearness and beauty of arrangement, Kent’s recent work, but
in a busy life, such as many of us lead who are often at the
bedside, we want something that will lead us to the principal
remedies indicated by the symptoms we learn. I take the liberty,
therefore, to give the readers of the Advance, one that we can
carry in an inside coat pocket. I use no remedies nor symptoms
except those that are leading and confirmed by the most careful
provings.
Let us take the subject of vertigo, for the limitations of this
paper forbid any other subject. If this me^ts the approval of
the readers, I ask, as did a certain comedian I once heard, “ please
say so.”
VERTIGO.
Leading Remedies: Aeon., Ail., Apis, Bap., Bell., Bry., Cab,
Cann. i., Chel., Coc., Con., Cvc., Dig., Lvc., Nat. m.,
Nux, Onos., Op., Phos., Puls., Rhus, Sang., Sec., Sil.,
Sul. Tab.
Digitized by C^ooQLe
528 THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Worse in the Morning: Carbo an. Lach., Lyc.
- - - compelling one to lie down. Puls.
Worse on Rising : Bell., Bry., Lyc., Nat. m., Phos., Puls., Rhus.
- after rising: Lyc., Phos.
Forenoon : < closing eyes. Lach.
- < in open air. Phos.
Evening: Puls.
- < after eating. Sul.
- < stooping. Sul.
- < while walking, especially in the open air. Puls.
Night: so that it wakens one from sleep. Nux.
Air: > open air. Tab.
Alcoholic Liquors: < Cal., Nat. m., Nux.
Ascending < Cal.
Chills during. Cal., Nux.
Chronic Vertigo: especially in old people. Phos.
Closing the Eyes : Am., Chel., Lach., Tab.
Coffee: < after drinking. Nat. m.
Descending: stairs etc., Bor., Ferr.
Dinner: after. Nux.
Eating: during. Grat.
- after. Grat., Nux., Puls.
Exertion: exerting the eyes <. Nat. m., Phos., Nux.
Faintness: with. Nat. m.
Fall: tendency to, on looking down especially from some emi¬
nence. Spig.
- - - on rising from bed. Rhus.
- - - backward or forward. Rhus.
- - - forward only. Nat. m.
- - - to the left. Nat. m.
- - - sidewise, right or left. Cal., Cocc., Nux.
Fullness: within vertex. Cim.
Headache: during. Apis, Bell., Cal., Nux., Sil.
Head: turning to the left. Col.
Intoxicated: as if. Cocc., Nux, Puls.
Kneeling : when. Sep.
Lifting: a weight. Puls.
Looking: on turning eyes suddenly. Spig.
Digitized by C.ooQLe
A CONDENSED REPERTORY.
529
Looking: on turning eyes downward. Phos., Spig., Sul.
- steadily at some object. Nat. m., Spig.
- upward, or out of a window. Nat. m., Phos., Puls.
Loss: from fluids. Phos.
Lying: necessary to. Cocc., Phos., Puls.
- while. Con.
- as if one did not touch the bed. Lac c.
- as if sinking through the bed. Bry.
Menses: before. Puls.
- suppressed. Cyc., Puls.
Mental: exertion from. Chel.
Motion : < from. Bry.
Moving: < from moving the head. Bry., Con.
- < from moving the head quickly. Cal.
Nausea: with. Aeon., Chin, s., Cocc., Ferr., Petr.
- periodical. Nat. m.
- on rising from a recumbent position. Cocc.
Odors: < from flowers. Nux, Phos.
Objects : seem to turn in a circle. Chel., Cyc., Nat. m., or where
the room seems to whirl. Nux v.
Occipital. Gels., Zinc.
Periodical Attack of Vertigo. Nat. m., Phos.
Raising : especially the head. Bry.
Rising: on, Aeon., Bry., Nat. m., Phos., Rhus. Tab.
- from a recumbent position. Chel., Cocc., Nat. m., Nux,
Phos., Phyt., Tab.
- from a sitting posture. Brv., Nux, Phos., Puls., Rhus.
- from stooping posture. Bell.
Sitting: while. Phos., Puls.
- up in bed. Chel., Cocc.
Sleep: < after. Lach. Nux.
Smoking Tobacco: Nat. m., Nux.
Staggering: with. Gels., Nux, Phos.
Stooping: on, forward. Bell., Brv., Nux, Puls., Sul.
Studying: while, or writing. Nat. m.
Syncope: with. Nux.
Tea: after drinking. Nat. m., Sep.
Turned: as if turned about in bed. Con.
Digitized by C.ooQLe
530 THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Turning: on. Bry., Con., Cyc., Puls.
- if suddenly. Bry., Cal.
Vision: with observation of. Cyc., Ferr., Gels., Nux.
Vomiting: with. Ver.
Walking: while. Nat. m., Nux, Phos., Puls.
- in the open air, while. Puls., Sul.
- sensation of gliding in the air as if feet did not touch
the ground. Cal. a., Lac c.
Watching, and loss of sleep. Cocc., Nux.
You will observe that but few remedies cover the whole range
of Vertigo. It is no very great task to master these symptoms,
and since they are well proved ones, each and every one is re¬
liable. “ Boil this down,” as each studious physician is capable
of doing, and one can prescribe readily and very accurately for
Vertigo. In case of chronic diseases, where vertigo is but one
symptom among many, the larger repertory is necessary. Had
I space sufficient, I would indicate to you how to simplify this
matter even more than already done.
I claim no originality in this paper and give it to show how
easily a repertory may be used. Notice, for instance, that vertigo
caused by strong or steady use of the eyes is covered'by Spigelia,
and this remedy is found nowhere else indicated as a first-class
proving in vertigo. You will notice also that vertigo caused by
motion is covered, in most part, by Bryonia; and that caused by
ascending a stairway, building, mountain or going up any height
is covered bv Calcarea. I repeat, if this receives a hearty encore,
you will hear from me again.
Dr. Fitz-Mathew reports: “It is astonishing the liberties one
may take with one’s digestive apparatus when it happens to be
in a good humor. A woman in a state of mania, after trying to
cut Ifer throat, swallowed a two-dram bottle of her husband’s
toothache cure, then a large safety pin. The bottle passed first
intact, then in fifteen days, the safety-pin, point down and open,
stuck a little in the rectum but was easily removed.
Digitized by CjOOQle
The Medical Advance
AND
JOURNAL OF HOMEOPATHICS.
A Monthly Journal of Hahnemannian Homeopathy
When we have to do with an art whose end is the saving of human
life, any neglect to make ourselves thorough masters of it becomes a
crime.— Hahnemann.
Subscription Price - Two Dollars a Year.
We believe that Homeopathy , well understood and faithfully practiced, has power to save more
lives and relieve more pain than any other method of treatment ever invented or discovered by
man; but to be a first-class homeopathic prescriber requires careful study of both patient
and remedy. Yet we also believe that by patient care it can be made a little plainer and easier
than it now is. To explain and define and in all practical ways simplify it is therefore our
chosen work. In this good work we ask your help.
Further details will be found in the Publisher's Corner.
To accommodate both readers and publisher this journal will be sent until arrears are paid
and it is ordered discontinued.
Communications regarding Subscriptions and Advertisements may be sent to the publisher.
Pilgrim Office , Battle Creek , Mich.
Contributions , Exchanges , Books for Review , and all other communications should be
addressed to the Editor , 5142 Washington Avenue , Chicago.
SEPTEMBER, 1004
Cfcitorfal.
Pltaao road and pondar our oraad, o»
The Pathologist and Symptomatologist.
•
The strife between the pathologists and the symptomatologists,
that appears in some form at almost every meeting of homeopathic
physicians, seems to be due to an inveterate antagonism between
the two kinds of knowledge.
Pathology furnishes us with general knowledge only ; no mat¬
ter how minute it may be or how deeply it may go into partic¬
ulars, it is only general knowledge because applicable to a class.
It does not, therefore, furnish us with the kind of knowledge nec¬
essary to the selection of the homeopathic remedy, which refers
to individuals only. It puts the patient in a class with other
Digitized by CjOOQle
532
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
patients and points perhaps to a group of remedies, not to a
single remedy.
Symptomatology, on the other hand, in the usual meaning of the
term does not furnish us with the kind of knowledge necessary
to diagnosis or prognosis, nor for the determining of the divid¬
ing line between therapeutics and surgery or other mechanical
means. It furnishes us rather with the particular characteristics
of the individual case and hence points out the particular remedy
to be used.
Unfortunately a thorough knowledge of either of these sub¬
jects seems to create a kind of antagonism to the other. The
pathologist, depending upon physical signs and the material evi¬
dences of disease, is loathe to acknowledge that such an incon¬
siderable detail as the direction of a pain, or the aggravation or
amelioration produced by the position of the patient should have
any weight as compared with those certain phenomena which his
senses aided by instruments of precision can objectively demon¬
strate.
The symptomatologist, on the other hand, having entire confi¬
dence in the art that has served him so well, in so many critical
. cases, is apt to neglect those major signs, which require some
special training to observe, and then only show the generalities
common to all cases of the disease in question.
An exclusive pathologist is apt to let nature fight out the dis¬
ease, unaided by the true remedy, combating its inroads only by
the most general measures.
The extreme symptomatologist, conversely, is in danger of treat¬
ing cases entirely with remedies, ignorant of the true condition
of the patient, and perhaps allowing a case to drift to a fatal ter¬
mination that might have been saved by a timely resort to surgi¬
cal or other mechanical modes of treatment.
Of the two classes the symptomatologist undoubtedly has the
better of it when it comes to general practice, for the reason
that a large majority of the cases of ill-health that come to the
notice of the average practitioner are of a nature that pathology
has nothing to work on while the symptomatologist is in his glory.
I refer to the innumerable trifling ailments, which however annoy¬
ing and dangerous to the patient, are not well-defined diseases
Digitized by ^ooQle
EDITORIAL.
533
or morbid states of the organs. Here pathology can only guess;
but the symptomatologist is furnished with the very knowledge
necessary for the selection of the remedy.
In such cases, the pathologist is either compelled to acknowl¬
edge his ignorance or more commonly to force a construction
upon the case, which the symptoms are not in all fairness capable
of supporting. The best physician, other things being equal, is
the one who combines both kinds of knowledge in as large a
measure as possible.
The following cases illustrate the necessity for both kinds of
knowledge:
Professor B-, a large, robust German, came to me com¬
plaining of a peculiar pain in the lower part of the abdomen that
had annoyed him for several weeks, notwithstanding a variety
of treatment that had been tried. The pain was between dull
and sharp, in the left inguinal region a little above Poupart’s liga¬
ment and toward the median line. It occurred daily, was worse
when straightening out and better when bending over, and was
of an intermittent character, beginning lightly and gradually in¬
creasing to a height and then as gradually dying away. There
was no tenderness on pressure, no tumor or growth perceptible
to deep pressure, the urine, appetite and sleep were normal in
every respect, as were the bowel movements. Pathology was at
fault in such a case. It could not determine the nature of the
complaint; no organ presented an abnormal condition which could
fairly be held responsible for the pain. The trouble had been
persistent enough, through osteopathic, vibratory and laxative
treatments to assure the doctor of its genuineness. The symptoms
clearly called for Stannum, a few doses of which permanently
cured.
Arthur K-, a boy of seven, was taken suddenly with a
chill followed by the usual physical signs and symptoms of pneu¬
monia. Pleuritic pains and effusion followed and notwithstand¬
ing remedies prescribed according to the symptomatic indications,
the state went on from bad to worse and led from the persistence
of fever and irregular chills to the suspicion that the effusion was
purulent as it generally is in children of that age. The hypoder¬
mic needle made the suspicion a certainty and resection of the rib
Digitized by CjOOQle
534
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
and free drainage saved the life of the child. These two cases
are types, the one of cases that baffle the pathologist and are the
glory of the symptomatologist, the other of a class that crown the
pathologist with the wreath of victory and leave the mere symp¬
tomatologist stranded or worse, wrecked upon the shallow ground
of the limitations of his specialty.
It seems plain that the two extremists should come together
and acknowledge that neither has the whole truth. It is the
essence of bigotry to refuse to look at a question from any but
vour own view-point. Neither pathology nor symptomatology
can be dispensed with nor ignored. The one has to do with the
finding of a remedy for the case in question and is very generally
applicable. The other has to do with the diagnosis, prognosis
and the application of mechanical remedies, and is not of such
general application nor of such wide usefulness, but is, in its
field, indispensible to the saving of human life.
J. B. S. King.
The Scientific Physician and the Hayseed.
In his paper in the Bureau of Clinical Medicine of the A. I. H.
at Niagara, Dr. Goodno asks the question: Is there a better wav
than the homeopathic for treating diseases of accepted bacterial
origin? Can we aid the phagocytic function of the blood in
overthrowing the micro-organisms and thus restore a healthy
equilibrium, e. g., by the toxines and kindred agents?
Dr. Goodno illustrated his proposition by reporting three cases
of pneumonia in which he was called in consultation and recom¬
mended Guiacol carbonate in massive doses, with the result of
one death in the three cases, a mortality of thirty-three per cent.
To these clinical statistics several members offered their own
experience with the dynamic dose of the single homeopathic rem¬
edy in 30, 200 or 1,000 potency, with a mortality of from one to
five per cent. In closing the discussion, Dr. Goodno said in part :
If there had been any doubt in my mind of the necessity of the paper,
it has been dispelled by this discussion. When prejudices are aroused,
the memory is short, and most of those who took part in the discussion
Digitized by CjOOQle
EDITORIAL.
535
had forgotten what the paper said before they began to speak. They
have been fighting men of straw. I know something abcfut Homeopathy
and about pneumonia; I have been practicing Homeopathy for thirty
years. I stated that I believed that the homeopathic treatment of pneu¬
monia was the best.
I simply asked the question if Homeopathy might not be put out of
action by agents that attack the cause of the disease. The trouble is that
if anything is said that does not savor strictly of Homeopathy, certain
people here think that Allopathy is being brought in. You are behind
the times; there are no longer homeopaths and allopaths; there are now
simply scientific physicians and hayseeds.
My paper is a plea for proof. How long you have been in practice,
how many cases you have had, how many you have saved, have no bear¬
ing on the subject. It is necessary for us to put ourselves on a scientific
foundation. Our very existence, whether you know it or not, depends
upon it. I hope that every year the hospital physicians, who have the
best opportunities, will furnish us with the sort of evidence that is so
necessary to establish us on a scientific basis. We get together in these
meetings and the most absurd statements are made and allowed to stand
uncontradicted. Only last evening there was one in regard to the use of
Variolinum as a substitute for vaccination. Now when a man asserts that
a high potency of Variolinum acts certainly, on all cases, as a preventive
of smallpox without offering a single proof of his assertion and that goes
out all over this country as the position of the American Institute, I say
it is time to call a halt on that sort of thing.
All that I have asked is that we prove our position; it is not sufficient
to stand here and congratulate each other on our successes. We must
put something in print that will convince scientific men of the truth of
our position.
We do not think Dr. Goodno’s position either logical or ten
able or “ scientific.” He reported clinical results of the action of
Guiacol carbonate, unsupported by evidence, and yet objects to
similar reports of the action of the dynamic remedy by other
members. He certainly did not prove his assertion.
In Dr. Linn's report on the effect of Variolinum as a sub¬
stitute for crude vaccination, he read numerous affidavits from
many parts of Iowa in verification of the effectiveness of the
prophylactic power of the remedy. What better proof could be
asked ? Dr. Goodno could not have heard the paper, or “ had
forgotten what the paper said before he began to speak.” Many
homeopaths sincerely regretted to hear a well-known homeopathic
author and teacher advocating the use of an empirical fad even
though it had been introduced by so-called scientific (?) medi¬
cine. Homeopathy may be “ behind the times,” but it does not
change its methods with every changing moon. Neither do we
think our allopathic colleagues will feel flattered bv the antiquated
term of “ hayseeds.” Will Dr. Goodno’s suggested method place
Digitized by CjOOQle
536
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
us “ on a scientific foundation? ” If we may judge by this paper
and his work on “ Practice of Medicine,” the author, like the
rest of us, may yet learn something of Homeopathy.
The Demonstrable Divisibility of Drug-Matter.
The Bureau of Materia Medica and its D. D. D.’s attracted
much attention at the recent session of the American Institute at
Niagara. The papers and leading discussions were by some
of the ablest writers of the Institute, and prepared with great
care; while the discussions were significant of the change of
thought and practice among the leading members and teachers
of our school. The following are the titles: '
Does there exist real and positive evidence that a drug attentuated
beyond its demonstrable divisibility of drug-matter, has remedial power?
By John W. Hayward, M. D., Birkenhead, England.
Discussion opened by Conrad Wesselhoeft, M. D., Boston.
Granted the remedial power of a drug attentuated beyond its demon¬
strable divisibility of drug-matter, wherein and why is the remedial action
of such attentuated drug superior or more effective than the action of a
drug attentuated, but not beyond this degree? By Royal S. Copeland,
M. D., Ann Arbor, Mich.
Discussion opened by Ch. Gatchell, M. D., Chicago.
To what extent has the contention, that a drug has remedial power
and more effective action when attentuated beyond its demonstrable
divisibility of drug-matter, influenced the old-school profession and those
of the laity not in sympathy with us in rejecting the Homeopathic school
of medicine? By De Witt G. Wilcox, M. D., Buffalo.
Discussion opened by Oliver S. Haines, M. D., Philadelphia.
If a drug has not remedial power beyond its demonstrable divisibility
of drug-matter; or, granting such power, if its action is not more effect¬
ive than when it is not so attentuated; and if our contention for such
power and action of a drug so attentuated does prevent the acceptance
of our law of cure; what should be the attitude of the American Institute
of Homeopathy concerning homeopathic posology? By J. Herbert
Moore, M. D., Brookline, Mass.
Discussion opened by Eldridge C. Price, M. D., Baltimore.
The vital objective of the papers and the leading discussions,
which were in the same vein evidently intended to strengthen
the arguments of the writers, was the following resolution intro¬
duced by the chairman, Dr. J. Herbert Moore, of Brookline, Mass.
It was proposed that it should be acted upon as a standing reso¬
lution at the business session the following morning.
Digitized by ^ooQle
EDITORIAL.
537
Resolved, That the American Institute of Homeopathy officially
recognize as the proper territory of homeopathic posology, the prescrib¬
ing of only such drug strengths as lie within the demonstrable divisibility
of drug-matter.
After a spirited discussion which has not been excelled in in¬
terest for many years, the resolution was lost by a decided ma¬
jority. We believe this the first time in many years when such
a vote was possible, and we trust it will be the last time such
a thing will be attempted. It was injudicious and ill-advised,
entirely unworthy the spirit of fair play and manly honest dif¬
ference of opinion which generally prevails in the discussion of
subjects universally acknowledged to be sub judice. Dr. Watzke
and colleagues, the Austrian provers, entertained similar opinions
regarding the dynamic symptom-power of Natrum muriaticum
in the thirtieth centesimal potency. But instead of attempting
by dogmatic resolution to stifle experimental and clinical investi¬
gation and rivet their prejudices upon the profession, they deter¬
mined to verify or disprove Hahnemann's experiments. Every
student of the homeopathic materia m^dica knows of the result.
After months of experiments upon themselves, with massive doses
of crude drug arid various potencies of their own make, they
frankly acknowledged, though greatly to their regret, the superior
power of the dynamic remedy to derange the healthy man. Let
Drs. Moore, Wesselhoeft and colleagues repeat Dr. Watzke’s ex¬
periments and publish the test to the world.
How would it have seemed to the chairman of the Bureau if
a resolution like the following should have followed his:
Resolved, That the American Institute officially recognize as the
proper territory of homeopathic posology the use of remedial agents» the
dynamic strength of which shall not be below the two hundredth centes¬
imal potency.
We think this resolution would have met with the same recep¬
tion that the other did, for the members of the American Insti¬
tute are disposed to be fair and not compel any one to use any
fixed rule of drug power or potency, in their practice. This is
a matter which must be left to the individual experience of every
member, and that individual experience should be based upon in¬
dividual succcess, for it is a condition, not a theory, that con¬
fronts the physician at the bedside.
Digitized by ^ooQle
COMMENT AND CRITICISM.
Treatment of Bums.
Editor Advance.
In the June number of your valuable periodical, page 360, a
dressing for burns is given, composed of four ingredients. I am
reminded of a case of most severe burn from alkalies in a worker
in such factory, where the entire front arm from just below shoul¬
der to wrist was one raw, red, pulpy mass, the man writhing in
agony. I at once gently dabbed over the entire surface with Can-
tharis 4 >, which produced immediate relief. This was followed
by a dressing daily of Calendula cerate, and the part healed more
rapidly, more pleasantly and with less scar than had occurred
with any of his other limbs, legs and arm, which had, on previous
occasions, been similarly injured and treated variously by allo¬
pathic measures. Homeopathy in this case showed marked tri¬
umph over combined application.
[Every homeopath should always be delighted to receive such
comments as this on such a practical subject, but the author did
not sign his paper, hence cannot give him credit.— Ed.]
A Response from Dr. Leggett.
Editors Medical Advance.
Of your comments upon my letter concerning your position upon
the question of the homeopathicity of Variolinum as a prophylaxis
in smallpox, I have only to say:
If the Advance simply means to say that Variolinum, in re¬
peated doses, of high potency, is better than Vaccination as ap¬
plied by the old school, I have no fault to find. But so also are
osteopathy, massage, Swedish movement, Christian Science, hyp¬
notism, better, in most cases, than unlimited drugging. But, if
the Advance proposes it as a homeopathic measure, I disagree.
It is no more homeopathic than is Tuberculinum for tuberculosis,
Psorinum for psora, or Diphtherinum for diphtheria, although
we may find it to be quite as much so.
Digitized by C.ooQLe
COMMENT AND CRITICISM.
539
The truth is/ we look to the Advance to disseminate the truths
of a pure Homeopathy, and although we recognize some truths in
our environment, as represented in other methods, we look for
those truths in other journals; just as we look for results obtained
by the X-ray, by electricity, osteopathy, etc., in other hospitals
than the one which professes to represent pure homeopathic treat¬
ment, and “ publish its results to the world.”
Referring to your “ Comments ” upon my letter, once more —
to me, “ the making of a man sick to get him well ” is not “ God's
way ” at all, even though the man may be able to withstand the
strain. It is only the destructive agencies of the universe that
create noise and unusual disturbance; the agencies of rehabili¬
tation and renovation are like the “ still small voice,” the gentle
power of sunshine, the breeze and shower, each of which, in¬
creased beyond a certain point, becomes a destructive agent of
fire and sword and of the thunders of annihilation.
Sincerely,
S. L. Guild-Leggett.
The “Stagnant” Homeopath.
DR. J. FITZ-MATHEW, WEST SOUND, WASH.
This furnishes a sensational text for the editor of the Visitor
(April and August numbers'). A while ago two pseudo-homeo¬
paths — one of whom was admitted to the allopathic fold and as¬
signed to a back seat,— asserted that the scientific investigation
and treatment of disease was limited by the term “ homeopath.”
There are others. We who still persist, in practicing Home¬
opathy, in the true acceptation of that term, are considered, unpro¬
gressive, “ stagnant,” by those who, unsuccessful in their experi¬
ence with homeopathic remedies, require something else to help
them out. It is not necessary for us as homeopaths to experiment
upon our patients with the many new modes of treatment intro¬
duced by the “ irregulars.” That is done for us. But we read,
mark, learn and inwardly digest to the extent of our capacity the
Digitized by U.ooQLe
540
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
kaleidoscopic and ephemeral pharmacy of the period. As Arte-
mus Ward said when he tried to count the stockings hanging in
Brigham’s back yard, it makes us dizzy. We note that not a
month passes in which some vaunted specific is not discarded
for another. In the words of an “ irregular ” it would take a
band-wagon to carry the various modes of treatment advocated
for pneumonia. Meanwhile our clinical experience with Home¬
opathy intelligently applied in our daily practice, compared with
the results of other treatments, justifies us in remaining “stag¬
nant ” until the “ irregulars ” have demonstrated that they have
discovered a better and safer way of curing morbid conditions :
not metastasis and mere palliation. It is the pseudo-homeopath,
lacking both the ability to teach or practice, who is grasping at
every therapeutic novelty and flirting with the “ antis ” of the
irregulars/’ who is the worst enemy we have to contend with;
demoralizing students by sedulously promulgating the doctrine
that Homeopathy has been found wanting in the light of modern
medical science.
Hahnemann’s observations Organon, § 138: “Every symptom,
every deviation from health occurring in a prover while taking
a drug must be attributed to that drug even though such prover
may have previously experienced the same symptoms from other
causes.”
The editor of the Visitor calls this a paradox. Now a paradox
is a proposition seemingly absurd, but true in fact; which was
not what he wanted to say about it. It simply means that symp¬
toms, the result of some latent dyscrasia, experienced before, are
reproduced during the action of the drug and appear with those
of the drug itself.
Reply to an “Open Letter” by Mr. Wheeler, Ad¬
dressed to Dr. C. Wesselhoeft.
My Dear Mr. Wheeler :—As I cannot subscribe to or read
all the periodicals of our, school, your open letter in the June
number of The Advance escaped my attention until very re-
Digitized by C.ooQle
COMMENT AND CRITICISM.
541
cently. You say that some years ago you called on me and that
I spoke to you of Homeopathy “ in such a vein of perplexing and
discouraging skepticism ” that you postponed for a long time the
dreams with which you entered my office.
In the next sentence your words imply that I had denounced
Homeopathy as a “ humbug, a blunder, a delusion,” etc.
I regret that I do not recall that visit or what I said on that
occasion; but I do remember that occasionally students and
graduates have called on me in regard to studying materia medica,
who have then gone out and given very distorted accounts of
what was said. I regret to say that I must count you among
that number. Their questions haVe mostly pertained to the best
method of studying materia medica. In my replies I have always
pointed out how to avoid the errors of provers by comparing
provings and keeping that in which provers agree. I know that
this has been considered gross heresy and has brought me much
unkind criticism.
I have also spoken to callers upon the need of reforming our
pharmacy, the errors of which I have studied and dilated upon
for many years, and which are now being corrected. For de¬
tails, I refer you to the Trans, of the A. I. H. since 1879.
Thirdly, I have laid stress in my admonitions upon the necessity
of placing the law or maxim of S. S. C. of our school upon a
basis which would compel its recognition by other schools. This
also is condemned as a heresy.
In the course of these conversations, I may have called cer¬
tain directions taken by certain doctors a humbug; I may have
done so at the interview to which you refer, and you distinctly
place yourself among those whom I have criticised as distort¬
ing my words.
Now as to your remark that Hahnemann had lived “ in an age
when science was hardly known; ” here I would suggest that
you study the history of science in the 19th century in order to
wean you from such erroneous impressions. The age of a Hum¬
boldt, Laplace, Kant and the list of great names which adorn
that century should warn vou against such utterances, and should
lead you to the conviction that had Hahnemann lived during
the last half of the last century, he would have continued to
Digitized by ^ooQle
542
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
stand abreast of the progress of that age in physics and chemistry
as he stood abreast of it during the first half of that century, and
would not only have adopted what was known concerning the con¬
stitution of matter, but would himself have been irresistibly com¬
pelled to adopt both the limit of divisibility, of matter and to have
unhesitatingly assisted in finding it. Hahnemann says himself,
“ This thing (potentiation) must stop somewhere.” There is no
doubt at all that, eminent chemist and physicist as he was, he would
not have left that “ somewhere ” indefinite, but that he would
have taken the ground upon which the leaders of science stand
today, that chemistry and physics rest upon the atomic nature
of matter. That this was the case was held since the time of
Aristotle, but the discovery of its limits was reserved for the end
of last century. Let a dotard give you a little advice: Do as
Hahnemann did,— keep abreast of scientific progress.
You feelingly allude to my “ age and sickness as having made
me a little less clear sighted.” It may be that I am in my dot¬
age, but let me assure you that it would require a stronger hand
than yours to successfully dispute the arguments I have ad¬
vanced for the past twenty-five years. In fact, no one has at¬
tempted it except by resorting to personalities.
Now to the main point. I challenge you or any one else to
point to a single word or utterance by which I have denounced
Homeopathy as a humbug, blunder or delusion. I have prac¬
tised it for over forty years, purely and simply, using one remedy
at a time, selected carefully. I do not alternate or commit other
extravagances, and thus have taught for twenty-five years at the
Boston LTniversity School of Medicine. I have avoided the po¬
tency question as much as possible, only here and there pointing
out its limit as considerably below the thirtieth centesimal. This
is really the head and front of my offending. I now deem it a
sign of the weakness of certain sects within our ranks when
they have to resort to calumniation which your remarks, not¬
withstanding their velvety words, must be considered.
Yours sincerely,
August 79, 1904. C. Wesselhoeft.
Digitized by ^ooQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
A Doctor’s Pay.— One of our exchanges suggests that the
world will somtime realize that it takes just as much brains to
give pills just right — yes, even homeopathic pills — as it does
to cut off a man's leg or perform some delicate surgical opera¬
tion ; and that consequently rich folks will have to pay their
doctor just as good a fee as they now pay their surgeon. P. D.
thinks it would be fun to be a doctor then.
•v
Cramping After Pains.—Dr. W. A. Yingling, in Critique,
reports the case of a woman who had cramps in the womb and
hips, and worst of all in the legs, so severe that it seemed to
her she could not live much longer. In a previous parturition
she had had similar cramping pains which had lasted for three
entire days. The physician himself testifies that these after pains
were the most severe that he has ever seen, and yet a single
dose of Cuprum metalicum cm (F) brought relief inside of a
very few moments.
Calc. vs. Calc. Phos. — In Nash's “ Leaders " we find men¬
tion made of the fact that while the Calc, patient is ordinarily
very fleshy, the Calc. phos. patient is apt to be thin and not at
all troubled with obesity. Doubtless most of our readers knew
this long ago, but to some of the younger ones it will be of
special interest. We certainly hope that if any of our readers
have not read this little book, they will make haste to do it,
for it is, a veritable treasure house of far-reaching guiding
symptoms.
Some Interesting Lachesis Symptoms.— Dr. R. del Mas,
of Centerville, Minn., reports a case of backache of six years'
standing, which was accompanied by pain in the ovaries, so
severe as to keep the woman awake nights. Both the backache
and the ovarian pain (the pain being in both ovaries) hav¬
ing been relieved bv lying on the back. All these symptoms
were relieved, and seem to have been cured by Lachesis. One
swallow does not make a summer and yet all of these symptoms
Digitized by ^ooQle
544
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
are worth adding, parenthetically, in the margin of your reper
tory, as they may prove very valuable;— a simple parenthesis —
serving to remind you that though probably helpful it has not
been verified often enough to make it decisive.
Thyroidin for Chronic Nocturnal Enuresis. — The Ho¬
meopathic World, for July, reports several interesting cases of
chronic, nocturnal enuresis cured by Thyroidin, which certainly
seems to show that this medicine has a marked affinity for this
difficulty. One case in particular is of special interest: It
was that of a sixteen-year-old boy, pale, very nervous and irri¬
table, who had been troubled with nocturnal enuresis from in¬
fancy— always worse in winter time. Thyroidin cured him, so
that in spite of cold winter weather there was no untimely flow
of urine.
In commenting on these cases, Dr. Clarke calls attention to
the fact that they are all cases of weakly, nervous, irritable chil¬
dren, and expresses the belief that Thyroidin will in time be
found helpful in many other diseases, which are markedly char¬
acterized by imperfect development, a condition which seems
to be so markedly characteristic of Thyroidin.
Rheumatism and Cancer.— In the preface to a new edi¬
tion of his work on rheumatism and sciatica, Dr. J. H. Clarke
says, “ Prolonged experience confirms me in the opinion that
rheumatism may be and often is the outcome of the different
chronic dyscrasia, and especially of the consumptive diathesis; ”
and adds that almost'the same may be said of the. cancerous
diathesis. For patients whose parents have died of cancer often
have rheumatism jp some form or other, but if this inclination
be properly treated, the tendency to cancer may be cured. But
if it is not properly treated in its earlier stages the chances are
that cancer will sooner or later develop. He also speaks of a
case in which severe rheumatic pains of the right hip were sup¬
pressed by Salicylate of Soda, only to be followed soon after
by cancer of the axilla, which he very properly believes might
have been long delayed, or even prevented, if the rheumatism
had been properly treated.
Digitized by C^ooQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
545
Just a Little Too Much Medicine. — The doctor told her
to take a bottle of Iron. It seemed to help her, so she went on
and took a second, and a third, and came down sick with what
seemed to be bronchitis, but was really iron poisoning. This
was an allopath. But the same thing often happens in Homeop¬
athy, for we well remember a case, which was reported to us
sometime ago, when a man was told to take two or three doses ‘
of Sulphur 30 for some boils, and kindly given a bottle of pel¬
lets to keep for future use. He, finding that the first two or
three doses made him feel finely, decided to keep on taking it,
and much to his dismay ere long found his body fairly covered
with boils. So we are inclined to think that one of our cor¬
respondents is right when he says that more cases are spoiled
by taking too much medicine than in any other single wa\.
You can have too much of a good thing.
Blindness during Child Birth. — The Critique quotes
from Dr. Kent the following interesting cases of blindness after
child birth:
Labor began naturally. There was no apparent reason for
suspecting trouble, but all of a sudden the pains ceased, and she
looked around and said, “ Why don’t you light the gas ? ” though
it was bright daylight, thus plainly showing that she had be¬
come blind. An hour or two later convulsions like those pro¬
duced by Cuprum made their appearance. One dose of Cup¬
rum stopped the convulsions: next cured the blindness, and last
of all brought back the labor pains. Following just the reverse
order to that in which the troubles first appeared.
Puerperal convulsions as a Cuprum symptom are familiar.
But blindness under those circumstances is not given in our
Repertory, and is well worth indexing, since the blindness came
on an hour or two before the convulsions made their appearance.
Specialists vs. General Practitioners. —Where the symp¬
toms of a local disease require more or less surgical interfer¬
ence, it should always be left to the specialist. Diseases in which
the symptoms are almost wholly local and hard to detect; dis-
diseases on which the person’s past life and other parts of his
Digitized by CjOOQle
546
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
body throw almost no light, apparently, should also be left to
specialists. But, nevertheless, we believe that as medical science
advances it will be found more and more that many seemingly
local diseases are merely the outcropping of some constitutional
taint, which has been showing itself in that man’s life for years,
now in one part of the body, now in another, and that in all such
cases the skilful general practitioner, who really understands con¬
stitutional treatment, is by all odds the best man to treat the case.
We are glad to see that little by little general practitioners are
coming to have more respect for specialists and mirabile dictu ,
that some of our most successful specialists are coming to have
more and more respect for the general practitioner, and are
cheerfully committing to his care some diseases which, appar¬
ently, are simply local in character.
Working hand in hand, the specialist and the general prac¬
titioner can greatly further the cause of health, but so long as
they work as jealous rivals, they simply cripple themselves and
cruelly wrong their clientele.
Two Typical Cases of Palsatilla.—Dr. W. J. Hawkes,
in Progress, reports two interesting cases of Pulsatilla. Inter¬
esting not because of their difficulty, but because they are so
strikingly, picturesquely characteristic.
The first case was that of a little girl about twelve years of
age, who had had catarrh for three years. There was a dis¬
charge dropping from the posterior nares; strong desire for acid
food; intense dislike for meat, especially fat meat. She was
worse in a warm room. You could hardly speak to her with¬
out making her cry. The 200th potency of Pulsatilla, followed
by the 1,oooth, so nearly cured her that she did not report any
further. The dropping from the posterior nares and the marked
aversion to meat are worth adding parenthetically to your rep¬
ertory, the parenthesis indicating that it is not yet fully proved
whether they are Pulsatilla symptoms, as a single case never
proves a point like this.
The second case referred to was one of rheumatic pains in
the joints of a year's standing, in a young lady of twenty, the
pains being relieved by motion; worse in hot weather and in a
Digitized by CjOOQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
547
warm room, and shifting rapidly from one part of the body to
another. She also had suppression of the menses for the last
four months and was inclined to cry while telling her symptoms.
Under Pulsatilla i m, three doses, all these symptoms gradually
disappeared, except the non-appearance of the menses. But
the patient was satisfied and did not report again.
Feeding in Fevers. — Dr. Clyde E. Barton, of Philadelphia,
says: I wish to endorse and corroborate the views expressed by
Dr. Hawkes in the article quoted in the July number of your
excellent journal, which is more helpful than ever, concerning
the feeding of cases of pneumonia, and I might add all other
acute and some chronic cases. I find it universally true that
food in such cases as he describes, where there is high fever,
coated tongue, and NO APPETITE, is always useless and al¬
most always deleterious. In pneumonia, I do not give food
until the temperature is normal and the appetite returns.
In addition to this, I am a strong believer in treating such
cases in the open air if possible, even with the mercury hovering
around zero. One such case last winter, a typical Arsenic case
of fully developed pneumonia, with temperature 104.2 when I
first saw her, was treated with two windows in her room open
as far as possible top and bottom and absolutely no food for
five days; on the ninth day she walked to a carriage and drove
several miles to her sister’s home. I believe that cases treated
thus convalesce much more rapidly than under the old way of
forced feeding and fixed temperature, even with good homeo¬
pathic prescribing. Of course, patients must be kept well covered
with the lightest weight bedclothes possible, but let them have
the benefit of good, fresh, oxygen-laden air, so the available por¬
tion of the lungs will not have to do any more work than is abso¬
lutely necessary to aerate the blood, thus giving the respiratory
system as nearly perfect rest as possible, and giving nature a
chance to turn all her attention to the restoration of harmony
in the system.
Incidentally, I would like to combat the idea that rectal alimen¬
tation or nutritive enemata, so-called, is neither rational nor ef¬
fective, as advocated bv Dr. Fitz-Mathew in the March num-
Digitized by ^ooQle
548
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
ber of your journal. The rectum is an excretory, not an absorb¬
ent organ, and I thoroughly believe that a patient will live longer
without food entirely than when such an organ is asked to re¬
verse its processes and absorb substances which have not been
prepared in a natural way and which have been unnaturally forced
within its folds. The patient loses from the shock of such a
process much more than he gains by any conceivable grain of
nutrition which he might get by it.
Involuntary Barking. — Dr. D. Albert Hiller, of San Fran¬
cisco, writes: I have been much interested in the case of “ invol¬
untary barking,” as noted on page 304 of the June Advance ; this
case recalls to memory one of the worst cases of “ involuntary
barking ” which has ever come under my notice. It was some¬
time in the seventies and was reported in the Medical Investi¬
gator of that time. It was cured by the administration of Lac
Caninum, cm (Fincke), a powder taken at each attack. These
barkings came on regularly each day, in the forenoon, but each
time fifteen minutes earlier than on the preceding day, and so
on, for a week, when the cure was affected.
Gonorrhea and Blindness. — As one among the many sad
consequences of the prevalence of gonorrhea, the American Jour¬
nal of Obstetrics mentions the fact that there are every year ten
or fifteen thousand cases of infantile blindness due to this dease.
The blindness beginning with what is called ophthalmia neona¬
torum. Evidently then, any weakness of the eyes in infancy
should be noted promptly and treated with the utmost care.
A Comparison of Aloe and Aesculus. — The Aloe pa¬
tient is always hungry and hot; the ^Esculus patient suffers from
loss of appetite and is always too cold. And again Aloe causes
eczema, but .Esculus has no action on the skin.— Dr. Laird, in
Clinique.
Nystagmus. — The importance of Nystagmus, or a constant
moving of the eyes, vertical, oblique or rotary, lies in the fact
that it always indicates some disturbance which is more than
merely functional.— Hahnemann Monthly.
Digitized by C^ooQLe
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
549
The Red Stools of Mercury. —Dr. F. H. Lutze, of
Brooklyn, tells us that the red stool of Mercury, which is a brick -
red color, is not always due to the presence of blood. He also
mentions the fact that he has oftentimes verified in practice the
following Hypericum symptom: shuddering before urination.
Pneumonia in Children.-^ The one ever-present symptom
which should always rouse suspicion is that a child who is fever¬
ish begins to breathe more rapidly. Cough is not always present.
It is a curious fact that in children this disease occasionally sim¬
ulates appendicitis, since they act as if the pain was in the ab¬
domen, rather than in the chest. It should also be borne in
mind that little children do not react well to cold, and that a
sponge bath with luke-warm water or a wet pack at 85° is safer
than more vigorous measures.— Condensed from the Archives of
Pediatrics .
Ocular Headaches.— The Medical Review of Reviews states
that a headache may be due to some form of eye trouble, even
when the vision is normal, and there is no manifest astigmatism,
also that under ordinary treatment ten per cent of all ocular
headaches are incurable. But what per cent are curable under
homeopathic treatment no one has told us. In our experience,
the removal of the cause and the dynamic similimum cures nearly
every case.
Eucalyptus: (A Curious Key-note).— The Homeopathic
World reports a case of oft-recurring attacks of cold in the head,
of many years’ standing, which was greatly relieved by the use
of Eucalyptus, the indication for the remedy being the curious
fact that the patient was extremely sensitive to the faintest whiff
of Eucalyptus in its natural form. This is certainly very inter¬
esting, and we would suggest to Mr. Stacey that very likely he
will get a still more perfect cure if he will use Eucalyptus in a
stronger potency at long intervals.
The Looks of the Patient. — A subscriber speaks of a
case in which the real key-note, the thing which clinched the case,
was the looks of the patient. One of the rewards of studying
Digitized by ejOOQle
550
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
our cases very closely, is that after a while, almost unconsciously,
the looks of the patient reveal a great deal as to the indicated
remedy. But those of us who are beginners should never swear
bv looks alone, until our first impression has been fully verified
by a more commonplace study of the case in its detail, otherwise
prescribing by looks, wholly or in part, will become a snare and
a delusion.
Don't allow your pregnant patients to omit sending the urine
for examination every two weeks and oftener if defective elimi¬
nation of urea is noticed and
Don't fail to warn them to consult you immediately if head¬
aches, disturbed vision, vertigo, edema of face or extremities
appear.— Dr. Florence N. Ward.
Cow’s milk taken by nursing mothers in such quantities as
they can digest often greatly improves both the quantity and
quality of their milk.
Do your own thinking, if you wish to succeed, but you must
learn to think straight, or you won’t succeed even then.
The progress of the world is retarded by those who refuse
to think. So says a recent writer; to which we say Amen; but
would add that it is also retarded, even more, by those who
think unwisely and too much.
Old errors do not die because they have been refuted, but
because they have been simply crowded out by something better,
and, oftentimes, the less you say about them, in detail, the sooner
they die.
No man is useless who feels true friendship for any other
living man, nor is it possible for such a man to be wholly un¬
happy.
He had been under the care of many physicians, both wise
and otherwise. — Exchange.
Digitized by CjOOQle
HERING MEDICAL COLLEGE
REGULAR COURSE OPENS SEPT. 6, 1904
■jrZ OMEOPATHY appeals to all her friends
10 for a vigorous and loyal support of her
JL* 1 colleges. There never was a time in the
H history of the school when true repre-
_ sentatives were more needed than they
are today; never a time when so many urgent calls
for Hahnemannian practitioners were made as to¬
day. The colleges deserve the support for which
they appeal. They are prepared to give instruc¬
tion equal to any in the land. In Anatomy, His¬
tology, Pathology, Physiology no better teachers
or more thorough courses can be had than are
given; and in Minor Surgery no more practical
course is to be had anywhere than in Hering Col¬
lege. Thus there is no excuse for sending stu¬
dents to colleges of other schools for “ a solid
foundation” on which to build a practical knowl¬
edge of homeopathic therapeutics. They may
learn all that is known of medical science, ex¬
cept how to cure the sick, in other schools; but
in our own colleges alone is taught the science of
therapeutics, the true Healing Art. Let each
alumnus send a student and fill our class rooms.
If homeopaths do not support homeopathic col¬
leges, who will ? Make homeopaths of the fresh¬
men, “as the twig is bent the tree’s inclined.”
FACULTY OF HERING MEDICAL
COLLEGE AND HOSPITAL
Homeopathlcs (The Organon)
H. C. Allen, M. D., Prof.809-103 State St.
A. Eugene Austin, M. D., Associate Prof.
Materia Med lea
H. C. Allen, M. D., Prof.103 State St.
J. A. Tomhagen, M. D., Prof.55 State St.
E. A. Taylor, M. D., Prof.55 State St.
Bessie A. Beatty, M. D., Lecturer.4135 Indiana Ave.
Practice of Medici ne{
J. B. S. King, M. D., Prof.70 State St.
R. N. Morris, M. D., Prof.103 State St.
E. A. Taylor, M. D’., Prof.55 State St.
E. M. Harrison, M. D., Prof.2059 Clarendon Ave.
Hubert Straten, M. D., Prof.421 Cleveland Ave.
E. Sylvester Fish, M. D., Prof.394 N. State St.
Mental and Nervous Disease
Paul Pollock, M. D., Prof. 585 W. North Ave.
Diseases of Children
T. G. Roberts, M. D., Prof.99 E. 37th St.
Ernest Cadwell, M. D., Associate Prof_2452 Wentworth Ave.
Dermatology
J. H. Allen, M. D., Prof.905-92 State St.
Genlto-Urlnary Diseases
Frank C. Wieland, B. A., M. D., Prof.3000 Michigan Ave.
Diseases of the Chest and Life Insurance Examination
R. N. Morris, M. D., Prof.103 State St.
Clinical and Physical Diagnosis
Max Kuznik, M. D., Prof.429 Oak St.
Gynecology
Mark M. Thompson, M. D., Prof.55 State St.
Pauline E. Lauge, M. D., Lecturer.596 W. Madison St.
Manual Therapeutics
Nils Bergman, M. D., Prof.314 Winthrop Ave.
Obstetrics
Rhoda Pike-Barstow, M. D., Prof.2415 N. 42nd Ave.
Margaret S. McNiff, M. D., Associate Prof., 7453 Cottage Grove
Mary Van Alston Maxon, M. D., Lecturer, 1132 Washington Bl.
Albina M. Norris, M. D., Lecturer.
10
Digitized by
Google
The Medical Advance
. .AND...
Journal of Homeopathics.
Vol. XL1I. BATAVIA, ILL., OCTOBER, 1904. No. 10
Transactions Central New York Homeopathic Society.
Hotel Warner, Syracuse, March 10, 1904.
The quarterly meeting of the Society was called to
order by the President, Dr. R. C. Grant, at 1:3d P. M.
Members present: Drs. Bresee, Dever, Follett, Grant,
Graham, Gwynn, Hoard, Howland, Johnson, Keese.Leggett,
Martin and Stow.
There was no report from the Board of Censors.
§ XII, of the Organon, and the paper of the same, by
Dr. Dever, was read by Dr. W. W. Johnson.
It has been my habit to read the Organon from cover to
cover, as often as once a year, for some years past, and
some of the sections I have read much oftener. While I
think that I understand the Jesson which the author intends
to teach, sufficiently to make the application in practice, it
is quite a different problem when I attempt to explain what
I understand of § XII in an intelligent and comprehen¬
sive manner to others.
Hahnemann speaksof the vital principle as a spiritual,
self-moved, vital power. The vital force is a self-adjusting
principle which is automatic and can accommodate itself
to various changes and yet suffer no serious conse¬
quences.
It has reference to those changes which we observe
during sickness, and which we think accounts for their
cause in the only rational way compatible with advanced
thought; all theory of disease to the contrary notwithstand¬
ing.
Digitized by LjOOQle
552
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
It is the morbidly affected vital forca alone that producis diseases,
so that the morbid phenomena perceptible to our senses express at the
same time all the internal change; that is to say. the whole morbid de¬
rangement of the internal dynamis; in a word, they reveal the whole
disease; consequently, also, the disappearence under treatment of all the
morbid phenomena and of all the morbid alterations that differ from
the healthy vital operations, certainly affects and necessarily implies
the restoration of the integrity of the vital force and, therefore, the re¬
covered health of the whole organism.
I am not inclined to the thought that any explanation
which I might give of this self-moved, vital power, which
preserves and keeps the animal economy in its harmonious
order, and is alike responsible for all changes during disease
would be more fully comprehended were I to multiply pages
upon the subject, therefore I will say that my understand¬
ing of § XII is, that it is the active, spiritual vital force put
upon self defense, which is alone responsible for those
morbid changes which we regard as disease. Furthermore,
that symptoms are only the result of vital activity, and that
a cessation of the symptoms are the only indication of re¬
storation to health. The vital force is alone active, which
is self-evident, as where there is no vitality there can be no
symptoms other than those to which dead matter is subject.
When we speak of the action of medicines we convey a
wrong impression, as medicines do not and cannot act but
are acted upon by the vital force, and an effort to expel
them produces symptoms which are wrongfully attributed to
the medicines as active agents in the cure of disease.
But as I have before intimated that anything which
I could say would not improve the original text, I will leave
the subject for your discussion.
The President :
The subject is opsn for discussion.
Dr. Leggett said that in the face of the many “beliefs”
constantly presented to the intelligence of the human race,
it seemed well to carefully define the meaning of the word
cure as used by the profession. A man restored to the
use of his natural capacities, comfortable, without suffering,
minus a leg, an arm or even certain organs or parts of
Digitized by ^ooQle
CENTRAL NEW YORK HOMEOPATHIC SOCIETY.
553
organs must certainly endure the result of that destruction
the rest of his life. Cure, therefore, in one sense means
perfect restoration, in another, this restoration of function¬
al activity must be comparative. The suffering relieved,
the activities restored, in many cases the comparative health
judged by the patient to be perfect, must be received by
the profession with a mental reservation, and, in reports of
cure, properly recognized. This being especially necessary
during the popularity of the many and various cults of
Healers.
It is true that Homeopathy, together with observance
of the laws of right living, according to individual strength
early applied, does much to restore to man that which was
lost through disease or neglect, even the loss or defects
acquired in preceding generations. But, Homeopathy is
not creative, it is restorative; it can not create that which
has never been present, only restore to man that which
was his own by right of possession, minus that destroyed.
Dr. Grant: I was much amused and interested, a few
days previous, to see one of the most prominent Mental
Healers in Rochester alight from a street car with crutch
and staff and hobble away in a manner suggestive of great
pain.
Dr. Johnson: The word “cure”, in many cases, must be
used comparatively, although in many others it might be
used absolutely. He believed, that when sickness had a
miasmatic base,the patient relieved for long periods of time
by the homeopathic remedy, would eventually develop new
crops of symptoms, or a return of the old ones upon slight
digression from the usual.
Dr. Howland said it was her habit to tell her patients
that they would remain well from one to twenty years; that
she had had patients relieved from suffering eleven months
and knew that Dr. Kent had one who was not again sick in
twenty years.
Dr. Stow regarded § XII of the Organon as a truism.
Like the authors of the Declaration of Independence he
Tthought the statement therein contained a self-evident pro-
Digitized by ^ooQle
554
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
position. It was the clearest and most important state¬
ment in the Organon, as it clearly pointed out that which
constitutes both health and disease. That in case of ulcers
healing with scars, the signs and symptoms of disturbed
lorce subsiding, the suffering gone, a restoration of natural
strength taking place, we had the right to pronounce it a
“cure.” Concerning sickness with miasmatic base he cited a
case to which he was called some three years previously. It
was a case of pneumonia; temperature 104° or 105°; full hard
pulse; sordes; dry tongue: desire to move about but greatly
hurt by motion which yielded promptly to Bryonia. The
patient recovered to the extent of discharging his physician
saying he would send for him if needed, all that was neces¬
sary being to recover his strength. Four days later the doc¬
tor was sent for. Called counsel who said the patient would
die. The latter had risen from his bed, gone to the wood¬
shed to superintend the piling of some wood. Result, death*
Dr.Stow was convinced that after the superficial symptoms
of a case had disappeared, the patient might still be in
danger from the miasmatic base underlying the acute distur¬
bance; that“cure”could not be pronounced until the recovery
of strength, appetite and weight.
The discussion of § XII of the Organon being closed.
TYPHOID, ITS TREATMENT, ITS SEQUELAE AND
ITS COMPLICATIONS,
was presented for discussion;
Dr. Johnson considered that there was no doubt but that
typhoid was homeopathically aborted, and said that there
was no one diagnostic symptom of this disease always
present.
Dr. Stow thought it about time theories relating to
typhoid were exploded. He said it was a zymotic disease,
which could be propagated by contact or inoculation, and
much less so by air and water than was currently be¬
lieved. He said that the worst cases of typhoid he had ever-
attended had had the most excellent supply of both air and
water. He said the disease was due to a condition latent in the
organism which certain adverse circumstances brought to-
Digitized by ^ooQle
CENTRAL NEW YORK HOMEOPAEHIC SOCIEEY.
555
iihe surface, and that this typhoid bacillus must be looked
upon as result and not cause.
Several members brought arguments in evidence of the
spread of contagion by contaminated water supply, recount¬
ing instances of epidemics such as Plymouth, Ithaca, etc.
when the source of supply had been condemned, forgetting
that the theory of inoculation advanced by Dr. Stow, was
in no way defeated by the facts cited, as inoculation through
an irritated mucous membrance of the intestine was still
the probable cause.
Most members agreed to the statement that the typhoid
bacillus was a result, not a cause, a scavenger and not a
destroyer. All believed in the proper care of all excreta
and of the best hygienic measures.
Dr. Martin presented a case which he had named:
A Victory for Homeophathy! Nervous Fever-
(Cerebral type).
Wm. O’B., aet.9, Baldwinsville, N. Y., began to be sick
May 14, 1903. He was of a nervous temperament, light
hair, light blond complexion, blue eyes, weight 64 lbs. The
mother had borne four healthy children.
The mother said: “At about three months old this child’s
eyes became unsteady, and he cried much until he was a
year old. The left eye of the oldest brother turned to the
left, but this one’s turned to the right.”
Dr. H— was called first in the case, and said it was scar¬
let fever. Dr. W— oalled in consultation, said symptoms
were like scarlet fever; medicines were given, the patient
grew worse rapidly, and in about two hours they called it
spinal trouble. The first, day and night was without relief,
patient growing rapidly worse. Friday, about 2 A.M. Drs.
B— and S— were called in consultation.
Before last counsel had arrived his bowels moved un
consciously. At this stage all agreed that it was some
spinal trouble, and that not much could be done in the case;
all agreed he must die, Drs. H— and W— were in attend¬
ance Friday night until 6 A. M. On Saturday they made fre¬
quent visits, and Saturday afternoon they put him in a cold
Digitized by
Google
556
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
wet pack. Saturday, 4 P. M. he was sick, dizzy and tried
to vomit. Dr. H— said: “If he vomits he will surely die”
His vomit had been coffee colored, of a very bad odor, and,
when Dr. H— came at evening he said to the mother: “I have
been consulting with Dr. W— over the telephone, and he
agreed, because of the extreme restlessness, etc. to admit?
ister chloroform to quiet and let him die easy”.
To this advice from Drs. H— and W— the mother
would not consent, and positively refused to let them use
chloroform ; for she said, “if there should be any change
in the condition how should we know?”
At 10 P. M. all medicines were discontinued. Dr. S -
came at 10 P M. and remained the rest of the night. The
mother said that the doctor fell asleep in his chair, then
roused and lay down upon the couch and slept soundly.
Because of the great restlessness, one of the attendants
woke him and asked if he could not do something to quiet
the child. The mother said the doctor rose, went into the
room, sat down in a chair and watched the boy a few min¬
utes, did nothing and said nothing could be done, after
which he fell asleep in his chair.
This the mother and the relatives did not like. The
mother said: the boy would grasp his head with both hands
and say: ‘Oh! my head, my head!’ and moan ‘Oh! dear, Ob 1
dear!”.
About 2 A. M. the mother ordered a neighbor to tele
phone Dr. A. H. Martin to come promptly. In his ex
citement, the neighbor telephoned to Dr. B—, one o.
the consultants, who, on receiving the call, asked whc
was in attendance. Receiving the reply that Dr. S—, was
at the house, Dr. B—, replied he would not come. The
neighbor reported this answer to the mother, who, suppos¬
ing Dr. Martin had refused to come, was greatly shocked,,
wept bitterly and said to the neighbor: “I though Dr.Martin
had more kindness than that.” The man then saw his mis¬
take and said. I called Dr. B—, did you ask me to call Dr.
Martin?” He then called Dr. Martin, who responded prompt¬
ly. When Dr. Martin arrived at the bedside he quickly
Digitized by ^ooQle
CENTRAL NEW YORK HOMEOPATHIC SOCIETY.
557
saw that the case was of a serious nature, the house full of
anxious relatives and friends, urgent in their appeals for
help, and, learning that four physicians had agreed that
there was no help, and that Dr.S—, one of those physicians
was still there, asleep on the couch, he decided against tak¬
ing so desperate a case alone.
Dr. Martin said to the family that he did not wish to
prescribe for so serious a case without the counsel of
his father, an old man, who had seen and treated many
such desperate cases. He then left, went to his father’s
office nearby and called him to visit the case.
They saw the patient about 3:30 A. M. All that could
be observed was the extreme restlessness and jactitation,
which was so great that it required three or four attendants
to keep him on the bed, ora sheet over him; there was some
vomiting of green mucus. The attendants would try to
hold him to keep him quiet. This they were told not to do
for the time as it was necessary to watch carefully all his
expressions, movements of limbs and positions, and care¬
fully to observe every expression of eyes and face. The doc¬
tors sat by the bedside about one half hour, watching care
fully. During that time they were frequently urged by the
attendants to give something to quiet and put him to sleep.
The doctors said “No”, for as long as he could make all
those movements it showed tha", he was living and bis vital
forces might produce symptoms upon which to prescribe:
that if he was rendered stupid or put to sleep, he would
sleep into eternity, as this condition was all that was left
upon which to make the prescription—all others having
been masked by the severe drugging of his counsel.
The statement fully satisfied the family, and the doc¬
tors were allowed to watch the case in peace Had the
mother consented to chloroform the child, there had not
been even this objective symptom of restlessness upon
which to base a prescription.
At this stage the pupils were dilated, three or four
bright scarlet spots the size of a dime were upon the left
temple and cheek, and the whole chin was of an intense
Digitized by C.ooQLe
558
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
scarlet red. Because of the intense jactitation neither the
temperature nor pulse could be taken. On inspection it
was found that the doctors had blistered nearly the entire
abdomen, calves and soles of feet, had put ice on his head
and had vomited and purged him so thoroughly tha the
emesis was of a dark coffee color. This proved to have
been produced by the drugs of the counsel.
Because of the extreme restlessness and jactitation,
Arsenic 200 was given , two doses, with an interval of half
an hour, and was followed by Sac. lac. Pour hours later
the father appeared at the office and announced that the
“boy acted better.” He was visited by both physicians
several times that day and by evening it could be readily
seen that he was better.
There was no nurse, the care of the patient depended
upon the family. Just then a trained nurse, , Miss L— ,was
visiting the family of Dr. A. H. Martin, and her services
were secured. From this date May 17th, the third day of
the disease, this report is taken from the nurse’s chart:
Nine P. M , Temp. 104, p 180. Stomach: nothing re¬
tained; incessant tossing; sleeps four minutes at a time; deli¬
rious since preceding Friday; moves body in circles; head
toss from side to side; eyes, violent muscular twitching;
constant cry, “Oh! my head”; during night slept 10 or 15
m i n u tes. PI acebo.
May in, 10 A. M., Temp. 104, p. 1-*; stomach better;
tepid alcohol sponge; cheeks intensely flushed; restless
moving: urine scant, bad oder. Placebo.
May 19, 7 A. M., Temp. 101. p.94, resp. 85; less tossing;
treated back to olive oil; asked for vessel; small, brown,
mucus stool at 12 M; urine same. Placebo.
May 20, temperature not given; Perfection Liquid Food
retained; pulse very small; stools, thin, frothy, dark brown,
very offensive; nervous; eyes exceedinglp sensitive to light:
pain, head, controlled; lies more quiet; moans in sleep; urine
voided. Arsenic 200, one dose, and Placebo.
May 21, 9 A. M., Temp, 108.4; p. 110; resp. 36; takes
water freely and retains it; sharp pain in stomach; patient
Digitized by C.ooQLe
CENTRAL NEW YORK HOMEOPATHIC SOCIETY. 559
in terror; applied cloths wrung from hot water and hot dry
cloths; no rest till 8:30 P. M., then short intervals of sleep;
urine voided three times. 6 P. M. Temp. 101; p. 94;resp. 40.
9. P. M., Temp. 103; p. 116; resp. 40; urine better. Because
of high temperature, one dose Arsenic 40 m.
May 22, 6 A. M. Temp. 102; p. 100; resp. 36. At 12:30
P. M. Temp. 101; p. 98; resp. 34. Bright during the morn¬
ing; slept less; without pain; fairly good day. Placebo.
May 23, 6:15 A. M. Temp, 102; p. 108: resp. 38. 9 P. M.
Temp. 101.6; p. 112; resp. 34. Restless; pulse slightly in¬
termittent: right cheek flushed; eyes extremely sensitive to
light; urine free and better; Arsenic 40m. not having the
desired effect the 200, one dose, was given.
May 24, 6 A. M. Temp. 101; p. 110; resp. 38; tongue
badly swollen; lips swollen; urine more free. Placebo.
May 25, 6 A. M., Temp. 99; p. 93; resp.32; very sensi¬
tive; lids and tongue less swollen; urine better. Placebo.
May 26, 5:45 A. M., Temp. 98; p 96; resp. 32; much bet¬
ter; tongue bad: urine voided freely and better. Placebo.
May 27, 7 A. M., Temp. 98.4; p. 90; resp.30; long sleep;
cheeks a little flushed on waking; enema of hot water,
small result; urine better. Placebo.
May 28, 5 A. M., Temp. 98.1; p. 98; resp. 30. Colon
flushed, solid contents passed freely: felt gcod; very bright;
slept well; interested in all things; uring free and better
odor; result of flushing colon (?). Placebo.
May 29, 6 A. M , Temp. 98; p. 94; resp. 30. Takes
boiled rice in milk; good night;hunger,eats but little;enema,
hot water, good results; right cheek very flushed. Placebo.
May 30, 7:30 A. M., Temp. 9*.4; p. 94; resp. 32. Slept
well; had some food; urine voided freely. Placebo.
May 31, 6:45 A. M., Temp. 9s. 5; p, 90; resp. 32. Break¬
fast, banana and cream; dinner, crackers, chicken and cocoa
jelly: good night; enema, hot water, good result; hectic flush,
both cheeks at noon; enjoyed dinner; slept 2^ hours; urine
better. Placebo.
June 1, 6 A. M., Temp. 98; resp. 32. Food: crackers,
custard, malted milk during the day; drank freely; good
Digitized by C.ooQLe
60
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
night; enema, small results; lies on left side; when lies on
right difficulty of breathing; good deal of urine; no appetite
for supper; malted milk three times during night; nervous;
less flush of cheeks; slept at 9:30 P. M.; urine free, better
odor and color. Placebo. Cold sponge, evening, without
order.
June2, 8 A. M., Temp. 100; p. 102; resp. 34. Breakfast:
grapenuts and cream; orangeade; supper, wafer crackers
and orangeade; quiet; no pain; enjoyed evening meal; less
nervous; drank water freely; slept till midnight, urine nor¬
mal. Arsenic 200.
Lavage of colon; hot water alternate days.
June 3, 6:20 A. M., Temp. 99; p. 100; resp. 32. Diet:
cream and malted milk, orange, wafer alternate during day;
slept very well; urine normal in color and odor; enema,
small quantity of solids; cheeks flushed; coughs some.
Because of cold bath, too free feeding, rise of temperature.
Sulphur 200, one dose.
The nurse ceased attendance and the mother had charge
of case for the next six weeks. The cough and flushed cheeks
remained after the cold sponge, and the temperature con¬
tinued at 99.5. These all disappeared under one dose of
Baccilinum 200, and at the end of twelve weeks the patient
was restored to health, and remains in good health to this
day, March 10th, 1904.
Leslie Martin, M. D.
Baldwinsville, N. Y.
Dr. Stow read the following:
A FEW CASES IN PRACTICE.
Case 1 . Erysipelatic Erythema: H.V.B., aged 71,farmer,
called for a prescription Jan. 27: face and wrists firy red,
swollen; no papules nor any vesicles, but there was white
scaling of cuticle, and intense itching and burning, aggra¬
vated by heat, worse in bed at night, and relieved by-
scratching; much thirst for cold water. Sulphur cm. three
doses, improved the case in a week;euredhim in two weeks*
Used all kinds of much lauded, up-to-date lotions previously*
Digitized by ^ooQle
CENTRAL NEW YORK HOMEOPATHIC SOCIETY.
5P1
Case II. J.S—, farmer, aged 81: anasarca arising from
cardiac lesion. Has been an invalid some three years.
(Edema of the extremities, scanty urine, dysp nea, frequent
epistaxis of dark blood easily brought on; bleeds from
mouth also. Complexion: grayish, sallow. Bleeds from
nose: worse at 2 or 3 A.M. and night, after dinner. Pulse:
doughy, irregular. Tongue: clean, red, glossy. Respira¬
tion: short, quick, 24 to 30 per minute. Nose sure to bleed
when he gets warm, or if he puts his feet in warm water.
He looks cold, pinched, hands and feet cold most of the
time, but he also has flushes of heat, followed by nosebleed.
As Carbojveg covered so many symtoms, I gave it in the
30th potency, and he has greatly improved under its action.
Nosebleed and great debility now but rarely recurring.
Cardiac murmur, indicative of valvular trouble, with
regurgitation.
Case III. N.W.W., aged 56, grocer: had had an erup¬
tion on wrists and legs, of mixed form and trend for six
weeks prior to calling on me. That on the wrists was insig¬
nificant, only its exposure touched his pride, and it was
aggravated by cold, and the irritation of his shirt and coat
cuffs.
His right leg was worse: it was firy red, inclined to
crack, become scaly, and towards the last excreted a thin,
sticky serum, that dried into greenish yellow scales, which
when washed off left the surface raw and inclined to bleed.
This eruption was on the outer side of calf of leg, from knee
to ankle. On the outer surface of left leg were three annu¬
lar spots the size of a half dollar, and otherwise exhibiting
about the same objective signs as the right leg.
The subjective symptoms were about the same in both
legs, and were as follows: Intense itching and burning, > by
scratching; < at night, when going to bed; when in bed;
after walking; > by cold; <from heat. As he was a tall
spare man, with stooping shoulders, easily fatigued, easy
to perspire, I gave him Sulphur 200. This mitigated the
condition for a short time, but was not satisfactory. Place¬
bo for a week, then three powders of Sulphur cm. (Skinner’s).
Digitized by ^ooQle
562
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
This did the worR, and he now has simple dry scaling, with
slight itching when he undresses.
This winter many cases of this sort among men have
come to hand, and all have readily yielded to homeopa¬
thic treatment.
Dr. Stow’s cases were accepted with thanks, and the
subject presented for discussion was:
SILICEA
Dr. Follett had cured a ganglion of the wrist, that had
been broken several times, with one dose of Slicea cm.
There were no symptoms.
Dr. Stow had found Silicea 200 useful in the cure of in¬
growing toe-nails. He had also used it successfully in pro¬
fuse, offensive foot-sweat, parboiling the toes. He said it
was one of the most useful remedies in rectal fistula, and
had marked influence in sweat of the head in children.
Dr. Leggett described a case of drenching foot-sweat,
so foul that other servants of the house could not endure
the presence of the patient, and that blistered the heals,
cured in two weeks with Silicea 30. She had also found that
the constipation of young children, with sweat about the
head while eating and sleeping, sometimes called for Silicea
instead of Calcarea.
Dr. Grant called attention to the close resemblance of
the Belladonna and Silicea headaches, and said that one
would-be most likely to give Belladonna for such an head¬
ache, in off hand prescription, given without the totality of
symptoms.
Dr. Graham had found it most useful in caries.
Dr. Grant recalled a case of horribly offensive foot-
sweat, treated by many exellent homeopathic prescribers,
for which he prescribed Silicea, as had others, with but tem¬
porary relief. The man was perfectly well, had not a symp¬
tom, and had been frequently warned not to suppress that
foot sweat. He finally learned that the skin of the foot,
from the sweat, turned perfectly white. He found that con¬
dition expressed under Secale, and that remedy held the
case a long time. Finally the patient became tired of fre-
Digitized by C.ooQLe
CENTRAL NEW YORK HOMEOPATHIC SOCIETY. 563
quent return of the trouble, and reported that he had found
a wash that had stopped ‘ ‘that odor”. But this man died
of Brigth's dicease in less than one year.
- Dr. Howland reported a case of Bright’s disease, a per¬
fect cure with one dose of Cantharis.
Dr. Martin reported many successful cures of homeo¬
pathic “maids-knee” with Silicea. He had never known
it to fail, and used it in potencies from 200 to 50m, and con¬
sidered the latter potency the best.
Dr. Howland presented the following:
ILLUSTRATION OF SILICEA.
March 9, 1899. Miss. A. W., aged 23, light hair, blue
eyes, slim face; not well since six years of age when she
had malaria. Takes cold easily, settles in head and neck
swelling behind ears, latter would form abscesses which
ruptured and discharged.
Ears: Left ear began to ache a few days ago; discharge
thin, watery; thick discharge at times.
Mouth: Sordes on teeth every morning.
Neck: Glands enlarged, suppurating; thick, yellow dis¬
charge at first, then thin and watery; odor offensive.
Limbs: Swelling of left ankle inside; came on three
years ago; would come and go; finally terminated in an ab-
cess which ruptured and discharged thin, watery fluid.
These abscesses increased on both sides of ankle until now
there are sixteen openings from which exudes a watery dis¬
charge. Sprained ankle before this came on. Aches be¬
fore a storm, and if air strikes it.
Skin: Ringworms appeared before neck began to swell,
started over left hip, passed around waist down left side,
down left leg and left an!<le, about two hundred of them.
Catarrh always bad; dropping into posterior narest
thick, green discharge. Nose obstructed; cannot breathe
unless she lies on back; voice, nasal sound. Sweats on the
slightest exertion; palms of hands, head and hair will be wet.
Night sweats all over body; last summer could shake it off
the hands.
Feet: Nails used to crumble easily. Cold, dry.
Digitized by L.ooQLe
564
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Sleep: Restless; talks in; walked in, when a child.
Eyes: Inflammation before this trouble came on. La*
ehrymation, excoriating; sensation of sand in.
Throat: When swellings subsided from external throat,
swelling appeared internal; had it burned out.
Hands: Cold, moist.
I recognized this as a Siliea case. Fearing an unpleasant
aggravation, which I have observed in some cases, I decided
to give Pulsatilla 10 m. to lead up to it. This was given
March 14th. There seemed to be some slight improvement
in a general way, and less pain until March 28th, when she
complained of no sleep one night for pain in ankle; I, there¬
fore, gave her Siliea 6 m. From this time there was a
gradual improvement. As symptoms returned the potency
was repeated or raised, until I reached the millionth. She
had two doses of the millionth, the last one was given
January 2,1901, nearly two years from the beginning of the
treatment. The patient increased in weight, the ankle grew
smaller, the ulcers began to heal from the outside towards
the centre. Some of the openings healed entirely. The
neck improved; a gland which hung down like an egg dis¬
appeared. The complexion was better. The hair turned a
beau tiful brown. The patient felt much better in every way.
As the father was a sporting man and spent his money
in a riotous way, neglecting his family, I sued him for the
balance of my bill, and was not allowed to carry the case to
completion. It was evident that the patient was on the
road to cure, as she had the millionth of the indicated re¬
medy, and still uncured, the question arises: Was this dis¬
ease too deep seated for an absolute cure? What think you?
Why was Silicea perscribed in this case? I found upon con¬
sulting Knerr’s Repertory:
“Glands of neck, swelling with suppuration,” Silicea
the only remedy double marked.
Watery discharges from the ear. Silicea double marked.
Abscess on ankle joint—Kent’s Repertory, only three
remedies given: Oleum jec- Sil.<from draft of air.
While other remedies have this symptom, Silicea is
Digitized by ^ooQle
CENTRAL NEW YORK HOMEOPATHIC SOCIETY.
565
double marked. I conclude, therefore, that Silicea is the
remedy, and the improvement in the patient proved it.
Dr.Bresee called attention to a statement made in the
November Advance, p. 600, by Dr. Stuart Close, to-wit:
“We must not attempt to cover all the symptoms of a
chronic case with a single remedy as we would in an acute
case. If we try we shall not only*f ail to cure, but do great and
irreparable barm. No case of chronic disease can be cured
with a single remedy, although some prescribers seem to set
that before them as an ideal in making their first and every
prescription fora chronic case; they endeavor to cover all
the symptoms of the patient with a single remedy, as if it
were a case of acute, uncomplicated disease.”
Dr.Bresee desired an explanation to this statement as
to totality of symptoms.
Dr. Stow, always ready to defend the principles of Home¬
opathy, said that the statement that “ it was impossible to
cure a chronic disease with the single remedy” might be true
to a great extent, but that there were many exceptions to it.
Hecitedbut one,as a“representative cas e”: ex uno disce omnes.
Early in the fifties, there lived in Petersboro, Madison Co.,
N.Y., a man named Niel, about 45 years old, a grocer by
occupation. For some years he suffered from autumnal
intermittent fever, tertian type, and had it suppressed time
after time, but it would return again in spite of quinine,
Fowler’s solution and 'other anti-periodies. He lost flesh,
vigor, hope, and, in fact he became a physical and mental
wreck. Dr. Stow’s parents then lived in Petersboro. His
father, being much interested in Homeopathy advised the
sick man to try that method of treatment. The result was
that the patient consented. Dr.Stow’s father took his case,
• submitted the record of it to Drs. Richardson and Loomis, of
Syracuse, who prescribed Arsenicum album 800. Two pre¬
scriptions cured the patient. He had no more paroxysms,
steadily regained his weight, digestive power and strength,
and at the time Dr.Stow’s parents left Petersboro, some two
.years later, the man had no return of the malady. “Now”
Digitized by C.ooQLe
566
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
said Dr. Stow, “why was that not a cure of a chronic disease-
by a single remedy, on the totality of symptoms”?
[Was this not a suppressed acute disease? Did it depend
on a chronic miasm? Was it strictly speaking a chronic dis¬
ease? Ed.]
Dr. Grant much wondered at such a statement from Dr.
Close.
Dr. Johnson thought any homeopathic physician who
had had experience could controvert that statement.
Dr. Leggett, wonders what Dr. Close would do in the
case of a uterine fibroid which was cured by the late Dr.
Wm. A. Hawley, and which during the two years and a half
of treatment, had neither called for, nor received, any re¬
medy but Lycopodium. This case, unoperable, as large as
a pregnancy at eight months, given up to die by five of the
greatest allopathic physicians in New York, among whom
was Dr. G. Marvin Sims, was surely chronic, and as surely
Dr. Hawley had no other idea than to cover the totality of
symptoms, which cured the case.
Dr. Johnson recalled the fact of the power of Silicea to
expel foreign substances, and the danger of prescribing the
same, when a foreign substance was known to be present,
in or near the life organs. He quoted Dr. Kent as having
first drawn attention to the danger mentioned.
The metting was adjourned to Rochester, Chamber of
Commerce, the Thursday of the week in which the Interna¬
tional Hahnemannian Association should convene.
S. L. Guild-Leggett, Secretary.
How I Became A Convert to Similia.
A BELLADONNA CASE.
John A. Rendall, M. D,, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Some years ago, when I was a chemist’s apprentice and
had a supreme contempt for potencies—though I had to
prepare them—and looked on the whole process as so much
bottle washing. I was badly afflicted with constipation. For
many months, if I had two scanty motions a week I thought
Digitized by ^ooQle
HOW I BECAME A CONVERT TO SIMILIA.
567
myse^ very fortunate, the depressing effect of this on my
spirit was unbearable. I never had a headache, but I al¬
ways had a head. I had most fearful cramps mostly in my
small muscles, and fingers, never in abdomen or bowels.
I physicked myself with all the aperients I could think
of which only added to my misery,
*One day mentioning my troubles to an old homeo¬
pathic physician, he said take a dose of Belladonna every
night on going to bed, you are suffering from spinal irrita¬
tion, the result of onanism.
To my utter surprise the effect of three globules of Bella¬
donna 12 was to turn me out of bed twice in the small
hours of the morning, with copious, loose, almost diarrhceic
motions such as I had not seen for many a day. Thereafter
a nightly dose of Belladonna 12 ensured a natural evacuation
in the morning for some weeks, when it suddenly lost all
power. Belladonna 30 acted in a precisely similar manner,
and the cure was ultimately effected by Belladonna 200.
Since then Belladonna in any strength has never helped
me in constipation, but Plumbum 30, or better still Sulphur
30 always does.
AN IGNATIA CASE.
A young woman, daughter of a West Indian Negro by
a Scotch woman, lost command of her bladder on attaining
puberty. If she could relievejherself immediately on incli¬
nation, well and good, if not severe pain set in and she com¬
menced to dribble; this went on until night when she got to
6 leep, She never had any incontinence at night. This
went on for five years and was uneffected by marriage, ges¬
tation or parturition.
She had attended nearly all the dispensaries in this
medical centre without the slightest improvement. I treat¬
ed her for some weeks with the same want of effect, no other
symptom; bladder and urine quite healthy. At last in des¬
peration I said, this is simply nerves and gave Ignatia
*One day I asked this dear old man. How do these potencies act?
His reply was I do not know how; but knowing they do I thankfully use
them. He was a successful man using any potency up to 200.
Digitized by ^ooQle
568
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
ter die for a week; no effect. Ignatia 3 ter die for a week;
no effect. Ignatia 30 ter die for a week; Bcomplete cure that
has lasted.
Curiously enough her sister had nocturnal enuresis, but
had full command over her bladder during the day, except
when in an epileptic fit, which she had very frequently. I
failed to cure this case until once she had a fearful fit during
her confinement immediately on the expaltion of the pla¬
centa, everything else normal.”
A HINT TO THE SOPHOMORE.
The working of a homeopathic prescription is like that
of a simple equation in algebra; a-|-b—c is cancelled by
a—b-|-c, and that only x-f-y+c will not touch the case in
any but a bad way. If your a—b-f-c prescription has failed
and you are sure of your similimum, try a s —b s -J-c,.
“Tried It on a Cow.”
MY FIRST VETERINARY CASE.
V. E. Baldwin, A. B., M. D., Greentown, Ind.
Early on the morning of Aug. 8, 1904, Mr. W., a farmer
residing near the city, wakened me by pounding savagely
upon my office door. Before I could get the door opened he
spoke hastily and excitedly, saying, “he had a fine blooded
milch cow that was dying he feared from foundering. Come
quick and help him.” On arriving at the barn I saw a
beautiful animal stretched out upon the ground, bloated
tight as a drum, feet elevated in air, cold and stiff. Cow
apparently dying. Several farmers and veterinarians were
standing around shaking their heads and saying “too late,
they had done all that could be done.” Like a flash there
came to my mind a quotation from Kent’s Lecture on Col-
chicum, that, “when everybody had given np a foundered
cow for dead sometimes a few pellets of Colchicum cm.
might perform a miracle.” So I thought here is one of
those times. I pulled out my pocket case, and while the
farmers bulged out their eyes and whispered “the fool,” I
made a powder of Colchicum, dissolved it in water, pulled
Digitized by ^ooQle
LUXATIONS OF THE HUMBRTS.
56 9
■out the cow’s tongue, raised her head, and poured it down.
To make a long story short; the miracle happened to me. as
well as the most skeptical. Two remarkable things occurred
in that cow’s rapid recovery; first she vomited in a short time
several quarts of oats; and secondly, she never purged, her
first stool was a normal one, as were all the rest. In twelve
hours she was milked giving a gallon of milk.
A Simple Method for the Reduction of Luxations of the
Humerus.
By Eleanore Boulton, A. B., M. D.
Though the range of motion through movements of
the humerus is great, the scapula normally admits of but
little motion when the humerus is held in a fixed position.
In luxations of the joint however the range of passive
scapular motion is considerable, and it has been through stud¬
ies of the possibilities due to the fact that the following
methods have been evolved. They are, of course suscepti¬
ble to various modifications, according to the dexterity of
the surgeon. The studies have extended over a period of
four years, and include fifteen cases of the author’s and nine
cases which were referred to her;comprising only such cases
as were uncomplicated by fracture of the scapula or clavicle,
-or the neck of the humerus.
I. This method is applicable to subspinous dislocations,
as well as to downward and forward luxations.
The surgeon stands behind the patient, who may sit or
stand, as is convenient. In performing the manipulations
the writer uses the hand coresponding to the side upon which
the lesion exists. The hand of the operator is partially
-closed, the thumb extended,and the wrist pronated. The ball
of the thumb is placed below, against, and parallel to the
lower margin of the scapula on the axillary border, just ex¬
ternal to the inferior angle.
Firm pressure is exerted, and the wrist is slowly and stead¬
ily supinated, pressure upward and inward being exerted at
the same time. This manipulation, if properly performed,
Digitized by i^ooQle
570
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
pushes the lower angle of the scapula upward and toward
the median line, depressing the lower lip of the glenoid cav¬
ity, and usually results in the prompt reduction of any vari¬
ety, of humeral dislocation.
In the subspinous variety, should reduction not occur*
and*a repetition of the manipulations bring no better result*
pressure with the other thumb upon the head of the dislocat¬
ed humerus, in the direction, of the long axis of the bone,
should be added, inserting the digit as deeply upon the head
as is possible.
II. In subcoracoid or subglenoid dislocations, the ope¬
rator stands behind the patient, as before, and places his
hands on the patient’s shoulders, with the palm of the hand
at the base of the ring finger resting upon the acromion pro¬
cess of the scapula, the ball of the finger being placed be¬
low the clavicle, The ball of the middle finger is placed
just above the clavicle, and that of the thumb beneath the
spine of the scapula, as far toward the inner end of the spine
as is compatible with stability of position. The fingers
should be slightly flexed, but not enough so as to interfere
with firm pressure on the acromion process, nor so much so
as to substitute the tips for the balls of the digits. The
elbows should be extended. Quick but steady pressure
should then be exerted in a downward, inward, and back¬
ward direction, considerable force being used.
This method has proven prompt and efficacious, even in
cases in which the parts were greatly swollen from contu¬
sions sustained at the time of the injury.
The following advantages are claimed for both methods:
1 . There is little risk of further damage, since a short
lever is used instead of a long one.
2 . In cases in which fractures off the humerus or of the
bones of the forearm are present, the surgeon is enabled to
effect reduction in a manner which does not necessitate the
handling of the limb,
3. The patient does not suffer any great amount of pain
ing the procedure.
4. The patient is apt to be docile, since he does not expect
Digitized by LjOOQle
THE WRONG OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL.
571
reduction to be affected from the rear, and without manipu¬
lation of the arm.
Under the second method, if the patient offers resist¬
ance, he ordinarily starts forward, if sitting he attempts to
rise, thus assisting the surgeon .—The American Journal of
the Medical Sciences .
The Wrong of College Football as Now Played.
Up to date, Sept. 24, there has been two deaths record¬
ed from practice games, but how many more deaths and
how many with injuries for life the next few weeks will
bring forth can not be told. The college foot ball team
seems to be “the drawing card” for all students at all the
largest colleges. The following from Dr. C. F. Nichols, a
Harvard man, is taken from Our Dumb Animals of January,
1904:
Dear Sir: ‘ ‘Pollice verso, ’ ’ [with thumbs down turned] the vast assem¬
blages in the Roman gladiatorial arenas, nobles and high born ladies
alike, stretched furiously forward, every right thumb down-turned, the
sign that no quarter should be given.
Last year a president set the pace in a country servilely imitative of
those dressed in a little brief authority,”by leaving duty” to attend with
his cabinet a brutal football game. In that gams as Jin all “American
sport” of the sort, it is understood that each player of light weight shall
be slugged, if possible, with the hope of disabling him. In the course of
two of this season’s games, one of those consigned to slugging—abrilliant
student and president of his class—was waylaid,held down, thrice kicked
on the head with heavy boots, rendered entirely unconscious for two
hours, finally left with dangerous brain symptoms and sent home entirely
incapitated for study.
In a bull-fight quick judgment and skill must supplement the man’s
strength in his desperate struggle. Slugging checkmates such means of
defence. Legitimate athletics are not present in modern foot-ball. “A
burlesque of a fine game,” says the London Graphic “is football as con*
ducted in the United States.” “Lovers of Rugby football would not re¬
cognize the game as played in America, where it seems to be a thorough¬
ly brutal pastime played without skill and without science”
An apologist for football—Professor S. W. Patrick, in the American
Journal of Psychology says: “This game is more brutal—that is more
primitive than others,permitting us to revel for a time in long restricted
impulses!” To the writer it is shameful that authority in our great
universities should encourage a low and cowardly form of slugging con-
Digitized by LjOOQle
572
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
tests, costlier than those of the Roman amphitheatre or the professional
ring because of the meterial used to the detriment of scholarly rivalry.
It is to be regretted that proud sisters and thoughtless sweethearts
[if they do not turn down thumbs as in the gladiatoral shows of Rome] do-
have banners crimson, blue, parti-colored.
The past year shows twenty-one dead players of football, sixteen
more who have suffered grave injuries,and one insane. The injuries have
been skull-fracture, broken backs, a broken neck, ruptured hearts and
arteries, and “internal” injuries. And a very small proportion is this of
the general wreckage of a school or college course.
Betting and gambling come in for their full share, both at and after
the “season.” For 4 ‘Rulesof Football poker,which has now become the
rage with college students,” see a half-page of the Boston Post, Dec 27,
In other matters a prison or lasting self-reproach is the lightest pen¬
alty following death inflicted unless in self-defence,but yells and thumbs
in the stadium cannot deny that the football injuries which frequently
cause death are deliberately dealt. Law should rc quire the state to pun¬
ish every case of manslaughter, wherever committed.
One of the most insidious apd dangerous of drugs known in phar¬
macy is cocaine; the cocaine habit is an extreme danger, as evil as the
absinthe habit. The habit is readily foimed, for it gives pleasure and
stimulates flagging strength. Besides enormous doses of strychnine, co¬
caine is known to be employed by “professionals” in athletic games. I
have unquestioned evidence that in the last Harvard game one of the
eleven was drugged (I speak advisedly—the dose was small, but it acted
specifically) to force his supreme effort. The amazing excuse^was
given that it entered the boy’s heel only. As every medical man knows
it also entered his brain. The boy was a wreck when cocaine’s stimula¬
tion ended. And one downward step had been taken! There is hypo¬
crisy in “fearing to remonstrate against cocaine” on the ground that “in¬
nocent” college boys may learn to use such things.
The same surgeons who find football and cocaine “locally applied”
harmless, have found it neccessary to send this boy from study, an in¬
valid for the winter—one of the illustrations of the “invigorating-effects
of football training.”
The Prince of Darkness alone keeps a full list of football doses of
.strychnia, cocaine, etc.
To “overtraining” the surgeons now attribute boils, weak joints and
general football exhaustion, mental and physical. There seems to be a
deal of over-training in tiainirg. It is known professionally that “ath¬
letes,” so called, with the heart and other muscles over-developed and
strained, are apt to die suddtnly before middle-age.
College Boards “having investigated” report no interference by
football with study. The writer has seen students join the cartoonist in
smiling at this report.
Digitized by ejOOQle
THE WRONG OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL.
573
A generation ago Charles Reade denounced the wrong side of sports
ing life in England. And it is rather hopeful in the present record of
manslaughter that the humorist and the cartoonist [modern court-jest¬
ers privileged to tell the truth] have been able to discover flaws, even
in such padded armor as is worn on Soldiers’ Field, and have invariably
satirized the cruelty, the silliness and unsportsmanlike qualities of the
modern gladiatorial abortion.
The annual report of the Board of Education of the District of Col¬
umbia finds that the statistics of the game for the year show a startling
list of players killed* and the serious maimiDg of many more, and that
no self-respecting school organization should tolerate such manslaughter
in the name of athletics, and that the Board will not fail, if need be, to
prohibit the game.
The standard upheld at the Groton School'bas always been a high
one. Dr. Peabody, the dean of the school, himself an enthusiastic lover
of athletic sport, urges radical foottall reform, and in that mind lately
addressed the Faculty of Columbia University.
The writer is not willingly iconoclast or fault finder. Harvard is
his alma mater. Cherishing strong interest in its progressive life, I
speak as one of many who desire in its popular game a spirit and im¬
petus without fear yet without reproach.
Charles Fessenden Nichols.
PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS.
By C. M. Boger, M. D., Parkersburg, W. Va.
Today we assemble in this beautiful city of Rochester
and at the same time mark the quarter century of our exist¬
ence as a society; the vicissitudes thro’ which the Associa¬
tion has passed in these years have largely been those in¬
herent to young organizations and now that the storms have
been weathered we count it an uncommon privilege to be
able to do our duty toward you as an united body giving the
fairest promise of future usefulness in keeping and pro¬
pagating pure Homeopathy. The spirit bequeathed us by
the fathers of our science and their immediate successors
among whom we number many of the founders of this
associatiom is alive and active in our midst and will remain
so as long as we make the cure of the sick our chief aim;
should the day ever dawn when political preferment, honors
or the applause of the multitude appeals to us more than
♦Delivered at Rochester, N. Y., June, 1904.
Digitized by ^ooQle
574
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
*the cry of the distressed we will go into deserved oblivion.
The year just passed has been marked by gratifying
concessions on the part of some of onr colleges in adding
Hahnemannian teachers to their faculties; this step cannot
fail to do great good and we should avail ourselves of it
whenever practicable.
No open overtures for a union with the senior society
have been received; an amicable rivalry will do both bodies
good, especially as we do not feel constrained to agree that
we may cure homeopathically; Homeopathy is a science
resting upon the natural law of similia, the law of action
and reaction or it is nothing and one of the greatest delu>
sions that has ever taken hold of human mind; if it is a science
the word ?nay has no place in its nomenclature, if it is only
a tentative method the very term Homeopathy is indefen¬
sible. Unfortunately for all such weak-kneed enunciations
and their oracles the rapid advances of scientific investi¬
gation are about to make a laughing stock of them; to all
desirous of becoming more proficient in the application of
the law this society extends the right hand of welcome,
others will hardly here find a congenial atmosphere.
It is with gratification that we note a considerable in¬
crease in the number of converts from the old
school of practice especially cf late, and that these
men are usually satisfied with nothing less than pure
Homeopathy. This should bean object lesson to all inclined
toward amalgamation or liberalism, for it seems that many
are not yet able to distinguish between freedom and liberty
of practice.
I have elsewhere refuted the implication of the late
Dr. Hughes that part of Hahnemann's symptoms in the
Chronic Diseases were obtained ab usu in morbis as stated
on page VIII of Dr. Hughes* Prefatory note to the Chronic
Diseases, the Dr. Gross therein mentioned distincly states
on page 15 of Vol. 1. of the All. H. Z. that the pathogeneses
of the carbons, Lycopodium and some others were obtained
by provings of the high and highest potencies on healthy
persons; elsewhere he states that these potencies elicit
Digitized by LjOOQle
PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS.
575
primary symptoms almost exclusively and are therefore of
’highest value.
Bonninghausen in his Aphorisms of Hippocrates tells
-us that his first curative experiments with high potencies
were made upon animals, and Gross relates the effect of a
high potency of Veratrum alb upon flies at the same time
using control experiments with unmedicated pellets thus
bringing out the characteristic drug effect very fully.
Bonninghausen in the same work page 416 also points
out the fact that the best antidote to a drug disease is a
very high potency of the same remedy given in repeated
closes; but in order to avoid unpleasant results he found it
necessary to change the potency a little with each dose. He
does not however stop to discuss its homeopathicity. This
may be useful information to the isopathic antidotalists/who
have plagued us somewhat in the past.
It affords more than passing pleasure to note that the
«pirt of fairness and absence of bias in looking at all ques¬
tions has at last extended to and is gaining ground with
increasing momentum in the medical profession. Homeo¬
pathy has nothing to lose from such a movement and will
most assuredly gain much; the benefit derived must how¬
ever largely depended upon our ability to seize upon and
make the best of the opportunity. To the end that we may
meet the emergency fully equipped we should leave no stone
unturned to make our graduates equal to the best that may
be turned out by any school, plus Homeopathicians; for after
all we must bear in mind that breadth of knowledge will in
the end count for much and will help to attract the
thinkers to us. the others will come of their own volition
according to their light. It is better that most should come
from conviction, for then they will contain the seeds
•of progress and advance our sciences along lines
leading to final victory. To hasten this I would earnestly
recommend the study of the early fathers in Home¬
opathy. Beside the standard works of Hahnemann
those of Bonninghausen, especially his Aphorisms of
Hippocrates should be carefully read and studied;
Digitized by ^ooQle
576
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
it will help the young student over many a hard place and
put weapons of defense in his hands which no antagonist
will long despise. While on this subject I can not do better
than call attention to the grave deficiency in powers of ob¬
servation which many of our younger men display; thia
especially unfits them for taking the case properly, and thua
nullifies a very large part or their otherwise good instruc¬
tion. You that sit here before me will, I know, appreciate
the gravity of such a position keenly when you reflect upop
the time it has taken you to become proficient in this most
essential part of the physicians education. During our col¬
lege days little or no stress was laid upon this subject, in
fact I seriously doubt whether any of us had the matter
brought to our attention at all. With such instruction we
must cease to wonder that habits of generalization from
insufficient premises have fastened themselves upon the
profession. The wonder rather is that true inductive
reasoning has survived at all; in all probability it would
not have dons so had not scientific habits of thought per¬
colated into the homeopathic student body from the educa¬
tional world in general. To foster and develop such powers
I would particularly call your attention to the great benefit
to be derived from the study of botany which should be
encouraged in every way as it especially develops the power
of observation and has a many sided and definite relation to
the systematic study of Materia Medica.
Stuart Close, M. D.:—Are there any remarks on the
president’s address?
President:—Yes ladies and gentlemen, I hope that no
one will feel any hesitation in discussing this address; it is
what I want.
J. B. S. King, M. D.The President’s call for cultivat¬
ing the powers of observation of our students reminds me of
a story. Dr. Allen, has heard me tell it seventeen or eigh¬
teen times but no one else here has, and with permission I
will tell it the nineteenth time. A venerable,gray haired pro¬
fessor of Materia Medica in a college of pharmacy was tell¬
ing a class of students, much as Dr. Boger has just told us.
Digitized by ^ooQle
president’s address.
577
that they did not use their powers of observation enough.
1 ‘Things are different now” said he “from what they were
when I was a student on these benches. Then every mem¬
ber in the class was compelled to become personally acquaint¬
ed with every drug on the list. We exercised our powers of
observation by tasting, smelling and handling all these spec¬
imens. Now I want this class to emulate my example and
exercise each member’s powers of observation this morn¬
ing.” So saying the venerable scientist produced a jar oon-
taining some vile* smelling drug, and sticking his finger in
it, he put it in his mouth and smacked his lips as though he
enjoyed it, “Now,” said he, “let everybody here do the
same. ”
The jar was passed around, and with many wry faces
the unwilling students each took a taste of that unsavory
mass. “Now,” said the professor blithely, “I am convinced
that you do not use your observations as you should, for if
you had you would have observed that the finger that I put
in the jar, was not the finger that I put in my mouth.”
(Laughter.)
THE SCIENCE OF SYMPTOMATOLOGY.
By Dr. E. B. Nash, Cortland, N. Y.
Ever since Hahnemann inaugurated his methods of
proving drugs upon the human subject, making careful rec¬
ord of all the symptoms appearing while under the influ¬
ence of such drugs, there have been those who have sneered
at these records. This has been especially true of the prov¬
ings of these medicines or poisons in what he (Hahnemann)
termed potencies, and this, notwithstanding that by this
method substances hitherto supposed to be inert either for
active poisonous or curative results, were discoverod to be
capable of both. If these investigations had been conduct¬
ed along toxicological or pathological lines alone and mostly
on rabbits, cats, dogs and other animals, and only such
changes as could be readily observed by the eye assisted by
Digitized by <^.ooQle
578
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
the microscope, chemical action, reaction, etc., it would
have been more acceptable to those who are more materi¬
alistic in their demands. But, there are many who'are will¬
ing to receive the testimony of the sensations as to the ef¬
fects of drugs as well. Perhaps a few would decry
them altogether. But there are still those even in our own
school who after a hundred years of successful experimen¬
tation along the lines proposed by Hahnemann, either be¬
lieve little in his law of cure or. symptomatology, or are
seeking notoriety by an apparent attack upon them. I am
convinced that we, as a school, are suffering more from
such opposition from those who claim to be of us, than by
the more open and unrelenting opposition of the old school.
It is astonishing, but nevertheless true, that after the
unprecedented success in treatment of so-called disease by
our methods, according to the teachings Hahnemann, that
not only the old school still oppose us, but that here and
there will be found men who traduce Hahnemann, deny our
law of cure, whittle down our Materia Medica until it is as
meagre as that of the old school, and advocate throwing up
the sponge and affiliating with the old school, or in other
words—going over to the enemy, and thereby acknowledg¬
ing ourselves either the biggest fools or knaves—or both,
that ever posed as a school of medicine, I wonder that the
old school do not publish in their journals an article that
appeared in the New York State Transactions, for 1908.
Notice within the first half page the author in affect
calls Hahnemann by the following choice names: Transcend¬
entalism unscientific,dogmatist, Eddyist, emotional, illogical
and even charged upon him that he believed that God had
something to do with creating diseases and drugs for their
cure; that he even used God’s name frequently in his writ¬
ings. How such a man must feel as he looks upon the
statue of Hahnemann at Washington. Now I cannot stop
to answer this paper. It is not the object here. I do not
wonder that the first one who opened the discussion began
with the words, “If no one else cares to open a discussion
on that subject,” etc. I hope I may be pardoned for refer-
Digitized by ^ooQle
THE SCIENCE OF SYMPTOMATOLOGY.
579
ing to the paper at all, but not being at the meeting where
it was read, I wished for one to somewhere express my
utter condemnation of it, and I believe it should be the
duty and privilege to answer in short, or at length, sooner
or later, anything objectionable in our literature.
Now to return more directly to our subject. There
seems to be a persistent determination on the part of some
to confine the term Symptomatology to subjective symp¬
toms alone, and to range under the terms objective or
pathological all those symptoms that come under the power
of the microscope or chemical analysis to discern. Even
the term physiological is used in contradistinction to what
is supposed to be the homeopathic action of drugs. To
illustrate: I have heard practitioners talk of giving Ergot in
physiological doses to secure contraction of the uterus with¬
out regard to its homeopathicity to the case, as though the
action of the homeopathically indicated remedy securing
contraction also did not act physiologically.
Now I wish to make these points:
First: That those who decry or underestimate sub¬
jective symptoms, are not up with the old school on this
part or phase of diagnosis of either disease or so-called drug
action. One old school writer expressing himself upon the
relative value of the above mentioned objective or subjec¬
tive symptoms says: “As a genera) rule the objective are
much more valuable than the subjective symptoms; (here
we, as homeopaths beg leave to differ) but, he says, let it be
remembered that the importance of the latter (subjective) is
very widely variable, and that sometimes it may far exceed
anything that can be derived from direct observation. In
the earlier stages of some serious diseases of the heart or
brain, nothing may be presented to the practiced ear or eye;
and yet the patient tells of a deep unrest, or sudden horror,
which, although it has no objective sign, may be the herald
of a sudden or lingering disease, as true and as important—
although to others the mind seems clear and the heart beats
healthy— as any murmur we might hear with the stetho¬
scope, or any palsy we might measure with the hand.”
Digitized by C.ooQle
590
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
"We have to deal with man as a whole ; and to ignore or
undervalue what he tells us of his ideas, emotions or sensa¬
tions, because they may be termed "subjective symptoms. ”
and be held to be therefore unreliable, would be to shut out
from ourselves'tbat which egotistic and fearful, prejudiced
and ignorant as man may be, yet forms an integral part of
his life, and therefore of his disease. The distinction be*
tween "general” and "local” symptoms need not detain us,
since the terms are obvious in their meaning, and the differ*
ence between them is gradually dying out by the recogni¬
tion of the fact, that no one organ can have its functions or
structure changed without the existence of some relative
change in all the rest.”
Hahnemann himself could hardly have written more
strongly on the value of subjective symptoms. Now, to get
the thing clearly before our minds let us once more quote
the above author in his very good definition of the two kinds
of symptoms: "The really valuable element of distinction
between these two classes of phenomena is therefore that
which exists between ‘objective’ and ‘subjective’ symptoms;
meaning by the former word, all those elements of disease
which can be appreciated by the observer; and by the latter
those which can only be known through the statements of
the patient.”
In the beginning of our quotation we stated in paren¬
thesis, after the assertion of the author, that as a rule the
objective are much more valuable than the subjective symp¬
toms, that as homeopaths we must differ from him. Per¬
haps this ought to be qualified. If he means for the purpose
of diagnosis or naming the disease of which the patient
died, we agree with him. If he means for the purpose of
classifying the case under the name given it by men, he is
not perhaps entirely wide of the mark. But, if he means
for purposes of prescribing the curative remedies possible
in the case, we absolutely refuse our assent.
All the symptoms that appear in post-mortem and go
to make up the diagnosis, are found after the subjective
ones are beyond expression and all indications for remedies,
Digitized by LjOOQLe
THE SCIENCE OF SYMPTOMATOLOGY.
581
as voiced in the living subject, are hushed forever. Let tis
see about the comparative significance of symptoms in a
•common case of so called disease. Take a case of typhoid
fever. One of the latest and best authorities gives as diag¬
nostics the objective symptoms:
1. Peculiar temperature.
2. Rose rash.
3. Enlarged spleen.
4. Diazo Erlick reaction of urine.
5. Widel’s serum test, (of this Butler says) “A nega¬
tive result does not positively exclude typhoid;” again, “the
finding of typhoid bacilli in blood, urine or feces, may be
useful, but is clinically unsatisfactory and unavailable.
1 quote these old school authorities simply because some
of our number will estimate it more highly than they would
Kane or others, only homeopathic authority.
6. Epistaxis.
7. Early dicrotism of pulse.
8. Absence of leucocy tosis.
Here is the case from the objective standpoint: What
shall we prescribe on these symptoms as a guide?
Gatchell condenses the remedies from which to choose
to seventeen in number. This is certainly not a long list
when we consider the longer list of possible remedies that
may enter into the case.
Then, you will notice that in all this list of indications
for the choice of the remedy, the eight objectives, above
mentioned are very conspicuous for their absence . Why so?
Because we have learned with Charles G. Raue, that “The
symptoms that go to make the choice of the remedy, often
lie outside of those which go to make the pathology of the
case.”
The true homeopathic healer treats his case with Bap-
tisia, Bryonia, Rhus and Arsenicum or any other remedy
because the symptoms of the patient come within the range
of symptoms covered by the remedy in its pathogenesis.
No remedy ever in proving or poisoning produced
typhoid or scarlet fever. But they have and do cause sub-
Digitized by LjOOQle
582
THfe MEDICAL ADVANCE.
jective symptoms that simulate those occurring in so-
called disease; and this constitutes the similia of the form^
nla of Hahnemann, expressing our law of cure. If we da
not recognize this it is dishonest to lay any claim to being a
homeopath.
Do we not prescribe Bryonia in any stage when there
is delirium, especially at night, about the affairs of the
previous day or business matters; visions, especially when
closing the eyes; irritableness, splitting headache aggra¬
vated on motion, or on opening the eyes; great thirst for
large quantities with dry parched lips; bowels constipated,
great lassitude and weakness, wants to lie quiet,as movement
aggravates all the symptoms; turns pale or sick at the
stomach on rising; cough with stitching pains in chest
aggravated on motion, etc., rather than on any of tha
objective symptoms above mentioned? Kane does.
Gatchell says: “In the absence of complications this
remedy (for these symptoms) can be relied upon to the time
that diarrhea begins. ” I say, after forty years’ observa¬
tion, that in the majority of cases if the remedy is not given
too low, and too often repeated the diarrhea will never
begin. The testimony of all writers of note in homeopathic
therapeutics agree that these symptoms call for the exhibi¬
tion of that remedy, not only in typhoid fever but in any
other disease (so-called) where they occur.
We might go through a long list of remedies in this
way; showing that our remedies are generally chosen more
in accordance with subjective symptoms appearing in their
provings than with those corresponding to those which go
to make the pathology of the case.
Well, what does this prove? That the symptomatic in¬
dications are not founded upon scientific, physiological and
pathological grounds?
By no means. Here is just where the object of this
paper comes out, and I am fully persuaded, indeed cannot
see how it can be otherwise that every symptom produced by
a drug in proving, no matter how apparently trivial has its-
Digitized by ^ooQle
THE SCIEFCE OF SXMPTOMATOLOGY.
583
physiological or pathological interpretation whether we
can give it or not.
No one denies the utility of the objective symptoms
that form a part and portion of the patient’s condition; they
belong to him, they must be noted and receive all the con¬
sideration to which they are entitled; but objective symp¬
toms, or what is often understood by them, a changed path¬
ological condition of the organs or structures, are not
always present in ail cases, and it is often possible that the
most careful physician will so manage his cases as to
prevent such pathological condition. Wait for it to de¬
velop?
If a case of typhoid fever runs through ah unmitigated
course, with all its stages well developed, we may rest as¬
sured that we have been of no use to that patient, and
unless we have made it worse by our bungling, it would
have been just as well off under the expectant method of
treatment. Skoda may form his diagnosis by the objective
symptoms alone, and he may be all right in his own way,
but we, as homeopathists, are not bound by his mode of
forming a diagnosis, and as has been often said before, in
this particular, we differ from Skoda and the allopathic
school generally in that we treat patients and that our aim
is to obtain a full, correct picture of the abnormal condition
of th epatieni; that this is our diagnosis, while Skoda & Co.
must form a diagnosis by the objective symptoms alone and
then be guided by this diagnosis, by a mere name of a dis¬
ease, in their treatment.
Of what account would the symptoms of Bryonia we
have enumerated all aggravated by movement be to Skoda
A Co.? How would the triangular red tip of the tongue,
the intense restlessness, and aching pains ameliorated by
movement of Rhus, affect the choice of the remedy with the
allopathic physician?
Would (the objective symptoms all being present) the
presence of great prostration, burning pains, anguish, rest¬
lessness, thirst for small quantities, all aggravated at 1 to
3 a. m., weigh anything with the prescriber depending
Digitized by ^ooQle
584
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
upon objective or pathological conditions for his guide to
prescribing?
And how about the delirium in which the patient feels
scattered about, or in pieces which he cannot get together
of Baptisia, or the intensely loquacious delirium of Stram¬
onium? The nausea and faintness from the smell of cook¬
ing meat, of Colchicum, and we might go on to enumerate
hundreds of such characteristic symptoms which are sub¬
jective, having been produced in the provings, and which
are unexplainable from any pathological standpoint so far
as we yet understand pathology; and yet are well known
and stand out like beacon lights to guide every true disciple
of Hahnemann to the homeopathic prescription in any case,
no matter what the name of the so-called disease.
I am fully persuaded after long observation that those
who decry the science of symptomatology are not well
enough acquainted with it or do not apply it according to
the plain principles laid down in Hahnemann’s Organon.
Now, you will find just this class of physicians ques¬
tioning the truth of Hahnemann’s Homeopathy, and ever
and anon traducing Hahnemann himself. Pardon me for
again referring to the article which I briefly noticed in the
beginning of this paper.
In the discussion, he (the author) says: “Now in regard
to drugs producing lesions, to which Dr. Laidlaw referred:
I do not argue that drugs do not produce pathological
lesions. I agree in the main that they do not .” Why do
they not? No pathological lesion, the result of so-called
disease, ever existed but had its beginning in disturbances
so obscure that our methods for disclosing, so as to name
the lesion, are totally inadequate except it be in their mani¬
festations through so-called subjective symptoms. The
stinging pains producing the cri encephalique occurring in
meningeal troubles, may precede for days the effusion
which characterizes and gives the name hydrocephalus to
the case, and for which Apis is an excellent remedy. So
with Bryonia in hydrothorax. Drugs will always produce
pathological lesions if carried to their possible results, and
Digitized by ^ooQle
THE SCIENCE OF SYMPTOMATOLOGY.
585
it is not logical to infer that they cannot because they have
not. Then again we quote: “We must realize that in the
large majority of cases in which drugs give very good
and accurate results, practically all of them, not all\
(Thanks!) but practically all of them, are capable of spon¬
taneous recovery.”
“Now, if Homeopathy is worth anything it must meet
those things which are not capable of spontaneous re¬
covery. ” So much for that.
If the doctor had said: “The majority of acute diseases
can recover without medicine,” we would not deny that, but
it would have been more fair from our experience and
observation to have added that even here homeopathic
treatment is abundantly capable of alleviating suffering and
shortening the duration of disease. But the chief excel¬
lence of Homeopathy is that it does and can cure those cases
which cannot spontaneously recover. This is especially
true in those cases of chronic disease which do not, as a
rule, so recover. The way he handles it looks too much
like the old allopathic “gag” of, when a case gets well
under homeopathic treatment: “Well, it would have gotten
well, anyway.” Now, if the doctor had left out the little
extenuating “not all,” for which we thanked him, his testi¬
mony would have accorded with other allopathic author¬
ities which are forced to admit that it would have been
infinitely better for mankind and worse for the fish if all
drugs were cast into the sea.
. Now, let us take an instance illustrating the respective
value of subjective and objective symptoms, as they occur
in our Materia Medica.
“In Hahnemann’s Chronic Diseases we find, under uter¬
ine symptoms of Platfna, the provings Dr. Gross made on
his wife, furnishing the subjective symptoms; and all other
uterine symptoms appear to be the results of clinical obser¬
vations, and were incorporated into the Materia Medica by
Hahnemann himself.
We find symptom 286: “Painful bearing (pressing)
down as if the menses would appear, at times with pressure
Digitized by ^ooQle
586
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
to go to stool, drawing through the groins, over the hip s
towards the small of the back, where the pains continue for
a longer time/’
Symptom 287: ‘ ‘Painful sensitiveness and continuous
pressure on the mons veneris and in the genitals, with in¬
ternal, almost continuous chilliness and external coolness
(except on face).”
Symptom 289: The painful pressure, as if the menses
would appear, disappears when lying down in bed in the
evening, but returns as soon as she rises in the morning.”
Hahnemann now adds, evidently a clinical observation,
and incorporates an objective fact in the symptom 288:
“Spasms and stitches in the indurated uterus.” The sub¬
jective symptoms 286, 287 and 289 observed by Gross no
doubt induced Hahnemann to give Platina in uterine diseases
and he was enabled to add an objective symptom, “indurated
uterus;” but he takes good care not to give it alone, as then
it might be misconstrued into an assertion that Platina
would cure all cases of indurated uterus.
He couples it with the subjective symptoms, spasms
and stitches in the indurated uterus, and gives this clinical
observation a characteristic point, thereby enabling the
physician to determine under what circumstances Platina
will cure an indurated uterus.
This analysis of Hahnemann’s Platina provings estab¬
lishes two facts:
1st. The subjective symptoms indicated Platina in the
form of a disease in which an objective symptom and
changed pathological condition predominated, which Plat¬
ina had not caused in the prover.
2d. The objective symptom, as a result of a clinical
observation was incorporated into the Materia Medica, and
to it were added the guiding subjective symptoms, (Lippe,
Hahn. Monthly of 1867, page 531), traces out a similar case
under the provings of Apis made thirty years later.
What does this go to show? Why, simply this; that in
the science of symptomatology both the subjective symp
toms produced in the proving as well as the clinically
Digitized by ^ooQle
THE SCIENCE OF SYMPTOMATOLOGY.
587
observed objectives must be incorporated and heeded in our
use of the Materia Medica.
Some of the objectors to our symptomatology as record¬
ed in our Materia Medica, seem anxious that objective
symptoms only shall be recognized, and the subjective ones
set aside, thus reducing our Materia Medica to a patholog¬
ical picture-book. They seem to think it wrong to incor¬
porate objective symptoms, the result of clinical observa¬
tion, into the Materia Medica; and they insist on a re-prov¬
ing of our drugs to a point at which objective pathologica
structural changes are accomplished. This might be desir¬
able if it were possible. It would mean carrying the prov¬
ing of each drug to the death.
Where would you find persons willing to undertake
this work?
To use animals will not accomplish the object, for drugs
act differently upon animals and mankind. Belladonna has
no poisonous action whatever on goats and rabbits. On
carniverous animals it acts with only moderate intensity,
while on man it acts with highest intensity (Clark).
But suppose we could carry the proving of a remedy to
the production of hepatization of the lungs or effusions into
the serous sacs.
Might there not be a dozen or more drugs capable of
so doing?
How shall we decide for the one homeopathic to the
case? We very well know. There is no use talking.
Homeopathy cannot be squeezed into that pathological
livery.
No. With all the voluminousness of our symptomatology,
more and more must be added by re-proving of old
and additions of new remedies. Clinical or objective as
well as subjective symptoms, the latter taking precedence,
must be incorporated and the law Similia Similibus Curantur
must guide to the healing of the sick.
In conclusion: In the study and development of the
science of symptomatology we would suggest as follows:
1. All symptoms, subjective or objective, appearing
Digitized by ^ooQle
588
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
while under the influence of a drug, in proving, should be
faithfully recorded under the head of pathogenetic.
2. If any abnormal symptom, subjective or objective,
existing before the proving began, should disappear, that
should be recorded under the head of clinical.
3. As a guide to the selection of the remedy for the
cure of the sick, the subjective symptoms should take first
rank, not only because they accompany pathological condi¬
tions, but because they generally precede perceptible organ¬
ic changes, and if met then and removed these changes may
be prevented.
4. The work of verification requires as much pains¬
taking as that of proving, that the weeding process may
not uproot the wheat.
5. Provings of new remedies and re proving of old, of
not yet fully proven drugs, should be under the scrutiny
of the most particular and scientific observation.
6. These provings should be made upon mankind, not
animals.
7. All this is according to methods inaugurated by
Hahnemann and should simply be brought up to date with
the aid of such means of observation as he did not know of
n his time.
Discussion.—G. P. Waring, 'M. D. —The probability is
that no one here will object to the principle that the general
symptoms of the patient should predominate over the par¬
ticular symptoms of the part in our consideration on mak¬
ing a prescription. The general, tendency is to pay too
much attention to the suffering part and to leave the general
symptoms of the patient out of notice, which are more
characteristic and important than the particular aches and
pains of the parts most affected. If the particulars are in
accord with the general, there is no trouble in selecting a
remedy; where the general and the particular conflict, the
general must prevail and the particular stand aside; for in¬
stance where there is a general modality of “worse from cold”
and “better from heat” and the state of the part or locality
affected seems to be in conflict with this the general modality
Digitized by ^ooQle
THE SCIENCE OF SYMPTOMATOLOGY.
589
should have preference in the selection of the remedy. If
that point is kept in mind, it will be a help to all of us.
C. M. Boger,M; D:—The order or sequence of symptoms
lies at the basis of good prescribing. Different men have
followed different methods; some have laid too much stress
upon particular groups of symptoms. Such are the key¬
note prescribers. Key-note prescribing is only a little bit
better than pathological prescribing.
Probably both these methods have a grain of truth in
them; the key-note man will cure cases and the pathological
prescriber will do the same, but it is because the particular
symptoms happen to agree with the general state of the
patient. The life force is a unit and you are not going to
promote a cure by causing disunion, One of the greatest
pathological hits in the homeopathic school was made when
the French prescribers discovered that Drosera would cause
an effusion into the lower pleura. But this fact bare and
simple, gives no way of differentiating it from the pleurisy
caused and cured by Sulphur or Bryonia. We know how¬
ever that the pleurisy of Drosera is accompanied by a spas¬
modic cough and the suffering is relieved by holding the
chest tightly. The symptoms of the part are in harmony
with the general symptoms of the patient.
Drosera produces a different combination of symp¬
toms from Bryonia and the local symptoms are in harmony
with those of other parts and those of the general system.
Drosera cures tuberculosis when the symptoms agree
and the symptom-picture is a harmonious one. Under the
same conditions it will cure pleurisy, hydro-thorax, or any¬
thing else. I have, seen it cure a severe case of pleurisy
after the chest had been tapped. The point is that the
pathological state is only one symptom and the key-note
is only one symptom and that the totality must ■• be consid¬
ered, when it is S 9 considered both will be found to be
harmonious and not conflicting.
H. C. Allen,M. D:— Ido not like to hear too much said
against the key note. It may be and generally is * very
mportant factor in the subjective symptoms but we all
Digitized by ^ooQle
590
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
understand it cannot be made the basis of the prescription
any more than a stool can be made to stand on one leg.
The key-note is of immense value however when properly
used because when it occurs it calls our attention to a
certain remedy and thus narrows the field. It serves
as a guide.
There should be three key-notes to make the selection
of a remedy certain. In mathematics three points of sup¬
port are sufficient. The mistake that many make, is to pre¬
scribe for their diagnosis and to overlook the patient. In the
individual symptoms of the patient we find the subjective
symptoms of our materia medica and they are the guiding
symptoms always. I had a case the other day in which the
patient, a lady was not able, she said, to go up stairs. She
could go anywhere on the level or on the streets, but not
up stairs; then she got weak and had palpitation; had to
sit down before she reached the top.
Here was a very marked characteristic, a pivotal point
around which all minor symptoms revolved. It was the
unusual and the uncommon feature and immediatly called
to mind Calcarea. With this hint it scarcely took a minute,
to find out that she had profuse and protracted menstrua¬
tion, was anemic, easily flushed and excitement brought on
a flow. She also had peculiar headaches with good appetite
and good digestion. Now I am as certain that Calcarea
will cure her as I am that I am here. In a short time she
will be as able to go up stairs as to walk on the level. It is
a matter of impossibility* to memorize the homeopathic
materia mediea: we cannot do it, but we can hold in our
memory many of these valuable verified key-notes, together
with their modalities, and then we have a useful stock in
trade and something that is of the greatest practical value
in our every day practice because it can be grasped by an
ordinary mind. Lippe was the most rapid and correct pre-
scriber that our school has ever produced. He was a master
of the art of examining the patient and his mind was full of
key notes of remedies, especially the modalities, full of the
salient points of hundreds of remedies.
Digitized by ^ooQle
THE SCIENCE OF SYMPTOMATOLOGY.
591
W. L. Morgan,M. D:— I had a very similar case to that
related by Dr. Allen; the same symptom was present as the
utfaindisoomfort and was relieved by the same remedy.
E. B. Nash,M. D:— Before I left home a. physician said
to me “I don’t enjoy very much going to the I.H. A. because
you are all in accord so that it makes a dull meeting. At
the American Institute there is apt to be a lively time.”
That is true and the reason is because we subscribe to the
same principles and act in harmony, if any man was to get
on the wrong side of the law of cure, I think we would give
him a moderately lively time.
We do not differ very much, and then only on details.
Perhaps in my paper I did not make my main point promin¬
ent enough; it was that symptoms are sceintific, they ful¬
fill all the requirements of strict science. There is misappre
hension abroad that any method that takes cognizance of
bacilli is scientific and anything that does not is unscientific.
It is the method and the truth that make true science and
that we have. Dr. Boger says that key-notes are mislead¬
ing; that may be sometimes, but they are also far oftener
wonderful helpers or leaders to the understanding of a
remedy in toto. Ifyouwereto attempt to teach materia
medica without the use of key-notes our students would
give it up. They are the road to the understanding of the
materia medica. Dr. Waring spoke of the different values
of particular symptoms and those of the general constitu¬
tion. As a rule they correspond, but where they disagree
his rule is right. It is a rule, however for exceptional cases,
for if the patient is sensitive everywhere, then an injured or
diseased part will be also sensitive as we find in the proving
of Hepar sulphur.
C. M. Boger, M. D:—As to the value of the objective
symptoms, I had the misfortune to run into an epidemic of
cerebro-spinal meningitis which illustrates it. You all realize
that in that disease there are not a great many subjective
symptoms. The remedy in that epidemic was Cina, an
unusual one in the condition. I had three cases and saved
them all. One of the main symptoms of Cina ‘‘boring into
Digitized by ^ooQle
592
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
the nose” was present; also excessive peevishness, whining
and cramps in the extremities, mostly the lower. One case
exhibited rigidity of the spine below the scapula. It was
rigid as a board. There were blue circles under the eyes;
not much fever, highest at the first part of the attack. In
one case there was considerable delirium ai night. I regard
them as being a remarkable group of cases.
H. C. Allen, M. D:—I thank Dr. Boger sincerely for
giving us such an example of the great value of key-notes.
(Laughter) If he had not known the key-notes of Cina he
would not have thought of Cina in those cases nearly as
soon as he did.
Perhaps a year ago I saw a perculiar case of heart
trouble; there was muscular rheumatism; the joints were
swollen, sensitive and painful; the calves of the legs were
excessively painful. An officious nurse made an effort to
relieve the pain with hot Pond’s Extract. It did relieve the
pains very promptly but the next day the force of the
disease was located on the heart. The pulse became weak,
rapid, intermitting; patient unable to sit up. I spent an
hour studying his case. His constitutional modality always
better in the open air was now reversed; he could not bear
it, the least draft of air affected him unpleasantly. I gave
him Pulsatilla cm. and it relieved him very promptly. It
was from a key-note that I was led to a study of Pulsatilla.
E. B. Nash, M. D.:—I closed this discussion once and
now I will have to close it again. I was called to a case of
organic heart disease with dropsy * in which DaCosta had
given an unfavorable opinion; the patients doom had been
pronounced; he said he did not want to die if he could help
it, so he sent for me as a homeopath. He was sitting up
at an angle of 45°. On looking him over I noticed that his
feet were uncovered and asked why. The answer was that
he could not have his feet covered because they burn like
fire. There was a sense of heat all over but not all the
tipie like his feet. After some doses of Sulphur he got w^l
practically and went back to Dr. DaCosta whp did not re¬
cognize him. After examining him he said that his heart
Digitized by LjOOQle
CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS.
593
was all right. “But how about my heart disease? Don’t
you remember me when you saw me in consultation and
said that I could not possibly get well?” Mistake in diag¬
nosis!
CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS.
• Maximilian Kuznik, M. D., Chicago.
Under this heading the Advance will publish the es¬
sentials of Diagnosis, medical and surgical, as taught in
Hering Medical College.
It will embrace not only diagnosis, physical and
clinical, but what is so often helpful to the student as well
as the practitioner, an aid for the selection of the remedy.
We are certain these essentials, more complete than can be
found in any present work on the subject, will be studied
with pleasure and profit.
Frequently we find that an interrogation of the patient,
and a physical examination suffices, to make a diagnosis as
to the affliction, but is not sufficient for the selection of a
remedy. To combine bo^h factors the following system is
recommended:
I. After taxing the patient’s name and address we may
draw inferences as to the susceptibility and proclivity to
disease in considering:
a. Age, sex, nationality, race, occupation.
b. General mien, gait, motion, station, vocal express¬
ion.
c. Temperament, craniology, physiognomy, chirology.
II. The patient’s history as told by the patient.
III. The interrogation of the patient by the physician, to
clear doubtful points and inquire as to:
a. Time of onset of the symptoms, their duration, pro;
bable etiology as to exposure, suppression of symptoms,
emotional disturbances, etc. .
b. The diagnoses made and medicines taken.
IV. Patient’s previous history as to:
a. Diseases of childhood and their sequelae, vaccina¬
tion and its results.
Digitized by LjOOQle
594
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
b. Other diseases and their sequelae:
Pleurisy, pneumonia, typhoid, influenza, dysentery, ma¬
laria, gout, rheumatism, convulsions, delirium, paralysis,
injuries, operations, specific urethritis, syphilis, miscar¬
riages, menopause.
c. Family history:
Father, mother, brothers, sisters, wife, husband, chil¬
dren.
V. The general symptoms are of great value to decide
the remedial diagnosis, but of secondary value to a diag¬
nosis of the ailment.
The following symptoms will frequently point unmis-
tably to the indicated remedy, and this is the main reason
for grouping them together.
a. Weight; loss or gain.
b. Pain; its character, onset, duration, termination.
c. Sensations; internal trembling, cold, warmth and
burning; flushes, paresthesias, etc.
rf. Sensitiveness; to touch, pain, pressure, cold.
e. Taking cold readily or not.
/. Periodicity of symptoms; daily, nightly, morning
or evening.
g. Side mostly affected.
h. Alternating ailments.
i. Aggravations and ameliorations; as to time; weath¬
er, applications, positions and motions; miscellaneous.
The above .I-V will often constitute sufficient know’
ledge to enable the physician to select the indicated rem¬
edy. However to make the examination more complete
inquire as to the symptomatology of the various systems.
This will confirm your selection of the remedy or through it
you will gather more evidence for or against it. It will
also make it possible to infer from the data obtained the
probable diagnosis as to the disease, before the physical ex¬
amination has been made.
The following outline or system will serve both purpo-
OAC •
ww •
a. To confirm or select the remedy.
Digitized by
Google
CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS.
595
b. To make the routine physical examination in order
to ascertain the diagnosis or the pathological condition.
VI. Nervous system:
Motor: Gait, spasms, twitchings, external trembling,
paralysis, atrophy of muscles, co-ordination, reflexes,
electro-diagnosis.
Sensory: See V. The symptoms under this heading
are important generalities for the selection of the indicat¬
ed remedy, therefore they are classed with the other gen¬
eralities.
Brain and Mind:
a . Habits, disposition, sleep, dreams.
b. General mental symptoms.
VII. General objective symptoms about the thorax and
mammae.
VIII. Circulatory system:
a . Heart, topography, inspection, palpation, percus¬
sion, auscultation.
b . Pulse, feebleness, fulness, rapidity, irregularity, etc.
c. Blood, its quality, analysis, etc.
IX. Respiratory system;
a . Nose.
b. Larynx; voice and speech.
e . Cough; character, time, sputum, etc.
d . Lungs; topography, inspection, breathing, palpa¬
tion, percussion, auscultation. General objective symp¬
toms about the abdomen and pelvis.
X. Digestive system:
a. Lips, teeth and gums, breath, tongue, palate, ton¬
sils, buccal and pharyngeal cavities.
b. Esophagus, swallowing.
c. Stomach; topography, inspection, palpation, per¬
cussion, auscultation.
d. Taste, appetite, desires, aversions, thirst, eructa¬
tions, flatulence, vomitus.
c. Examination of vomitus and stomach contents.
/. Intestines; topography, inspection, palpation, per¬
cussion, gas.
Digitized by ^ooQle
596
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
g. Stools; character, color, odor, etc.
h. Liver and gall bladder; topography and examina¬
tion, jaundice.
i. Pancreas; topography, examinations, stools.
j\ Spleen; topography, palpation, percussion.
XI. Urinary system:
a . Kidney, ureter, bladder, urethra.
b. Urine; analysis, bacteriological, chemical, micro¬
scopical.
XII. Sexual system:
Female— a. Ovary, tube, uterus, vagina.
b. Menstruation; early, late, profuse, protracted,short,
acrid, offensive.
c. Leucorrhea; character, color, odor, time of appear¬
ance, etc.
d. Mental symptoms concomitant to menses and sexual
functions.
Male— a. Urethra, penis, discharges, scrotum, testicle.
XIII. Objective symptoms about back and extremities:
a. Mu scles, bones, joints.
XIV. Skin; color, sweat, odor, temperature, lymphatic
glands.
How to Avoid Consnmptiveness.
Cleanliness, externally, internally, eternally should be
the watchword for both physicians and patients.
Consumptive Don’ts from the Report of the Illinois
State Board of Health:
Don’t spit on the sidewalk, on the floor or any place
where the sputum will become dry and permit the dissemi¬
nation of the germs which it contains. No spit, no con¬
sumption.
Don’t wear chest protectors or porous plasters.
Don’t put in your mouth money or articles Jwhich have
be?n promiscuously handled by others.
Don’t neglect to wash your hands before you eat.
Don’t sleep or live, if it can beauoided, in a room with
a consumptive.
Digitized by ^ooQle
The Medical Advance
AND
JOURNAL OF HOMEOPATHICS
A Monthly Journal of Hahnemannian Homeopathy
When we have to do with an art whose end is the saving of human life any neglect to make
ourselves thorough masters of it becomes a crime.— Hahnemann.
Subscription Price - - - - Two Dollars a Year
We believe that Homeopathy, well understood and faithfully practiced, has power
to save more lives and relieve more pain than any other method of treatment ever invented
or discovered by man; but to be a first-class homeopathic prescriber requires careful study
of both patient and remedy. Yet by patient care it can be made a little plainer and
easier than it now is. To explain and define and in all practical ways simplify it is our
chosen work. In this good work we ask your help.
Further details will be found in the Publisher’s Corner.
To accommodate both readers and publisher this journal will be sent until arrears
are paid and it is ordered discontinued.
Communications regarding Subscriptions and Advertisements may be sent to the
publisher, The Forrest Press, Batavia, Illinois.
Contributions, Exchanges, Books for Review, and all other communications should
be addressed to the Editor, 5142 Washington Avenue, Chicago.
OCTOBER, 1904
EMtorial
The Curability of Consumption
The Illinois State Board of Health has issued a circular
on the cure and prevention of the Great White Plagtie. The
effort is timely and we trust practical, for this most deadly
of diseases, a scourge oft the human race can be not only
cured, but to a great extent prevented by proper treatment
and proper living. Compared with other acute and well-
Digitized by LjOOQle
598
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
known diseases the death rate from consumption in Illinois
is well illustrated in the following diagram:
DEATHS IN ILLINOIS, 1903
Typhoid Fever
Diphtheria
Whooping Gough
Measles
—Scarlet Fever
— Small Pox
Consumption.
In a recent address before the Chautauqua Assembly at
Ottawa, Ill., Dr. H M. Thomas, of Chicago, made the fol¬
lowing assertion.
“No medicine in a bottle ever cured tuberculosis. The
four basic principles on which rest salvation from tubercu¬
losis are: Pure air, pure water, pure food, pure thought, ,r
and we may add pure Homeopathy; for the Hahnemannian
treats the patient not tuberculosis and his dynamic remedies
and special hygiene cure many cases of this hydra headed
affection.
Dr Thomas has devoted much time studying the sta¬
tistics of tuberculous affections, and the conclusions which he
has reached, as given above, are certainly practical. That
drugs, in their crude form, have absolutely failed to cure
this scourge of modern civilization which is not confined to
any age,class, race or condition of men, is demonstrated by
the fact that ten per cent of the population of the United
States die annually from tuberculosis. Hence if we can
learn how to live so as to prevent the disease, it is infinitely
better than a cure even after the diagnosis is established.
When we consider that in the United States alone near¬
ly 9,000,000 will die of tuberculosis this year, and of these
500,000 will occur in Illinois, and perhaps 200,000 in Chicago,
it is time that the medical profession should follow the ex¬
ample of the Illinois State Board of Health and commence
an active, scientific warfare on this plague* Some of the
Digitized by LjOOQle
EEITORIAL
599
preventive measures are known to all. If we would only
live as well as we know how the lirst step in the great
march would be taken, an important, even a vital step in the
prevention. The use of alcoholic, narcotic and nervous
stimulants, in fact over*stimulation in every form, tend
directly to weaken and lower vitality and thus hasten infec¬
tion and develop the tubercular process. What excessive
use may mean is a question for the physician to decide for
each individual case coming under his care. Worry, over
work, over-exercise, lost of sleep, vitiated air, over*stimula¬
tion and the rapid eating of indigestible food improperly
masticated, are among some of the principal causes which
tend to lower vitality and hasten what we are trying to
prevent.
Change of climate is not necessary. Comsumption can
be cured as well in one climate as another. Life in the open
air, proper food, carefully disciplined exercise with judici¬
ous rest, can be had at home as well as in the mountain
regions of the west Here especially our homeopathic thera¬
peutics will render us efficient aid if properly applied, and
the application should begin early in life; but perhaps the
best of all is pre-natal treatment. However, no medical
treatment can be effective in this or any other chronic dis¬
ease unless the existing cause be removed, and no disease
perhaps is more amenable to treatment than the tubercular
if patients are only properly instructed, and than will live
up to their instructions in their daily life. If this is done
a revolution in the most fatal of all diseases can ‘be effected
and it can be done at home.
We must educate the people in correct, living. Diges¬
tion. assimilation, nutrition and elimination must not only
be rightly understood but put into practice in our daily life.
To sustain healthy life, food of proper quality and in proper
quantity must be had and it should be adopted to the real
not imaginary needs of the people, and more especially to
their occupations. It has been said that the Anglo-Saxon
race are a race of meat eaters. Is meat a necessary article
of diet? We inherit the idea that in order to acquire and
Digitized by C.ooQle
fiOO
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
maintain strength we must have a diet of fleshfoods, with¬
out reference »to sedentary brain-working accupations or
physical exertion. For the majority this strength getting
idea is a fallacy, for we overload the organs of elimination
-and then the trouble begins.
Mr. Arthur Brisbane, a brilliant writer on social ques¬
tions recently wrote: “We must eat meat—we must eat the
cow that eats the grass, leaving her to digest the grass,
since we have not the time or vitality to do it. ”
The idea that meat is a predigested plantfood ready to
be assimilated as soon as bolted is entirely erroneous from
a physiological standpoint. And the same is true of many
of the so called predigested foods on the market. Out of
these fallacious ideas and the vicious practice of rapid eat¬
ing—e. g. the quick lunch counters in all our large cities,
with a diet of meat, white bread, potatoes, pastry, tea, cof¬
fee and cigars—has grown one of the many causes of cou-
sumptiveness.
In the meantime instead of correcting the vicious and
deteriorating habits of living, the majority of the 100,000
physicians in America are on a still hunt after germs, thus
confounding effect with cause, in utter ignorance of com¬
plete neglect of the most common and wellknown facts of
chemistry and physiology. “What we need is not vaccine,
tuberculin, antitoxin, drugs, stimulants, narcotics, but nat¬
ural and wholesome food, pure water, fresh air and sun¬
shine which alone can give us health, strength, vitality and
supreme power of resistance,” writes Otto Carque. Evi¬
dently cooking is one of the lost arts among the American
people, for millions practically eat themselves sick every
year. The millions spent yearly by manufacturers of pat¬
ent medicines demonstrate that the people expect to find
health in the drug store and thus are rapidly becoming their
own physicians, From the few facts here given it is easy
to be seen that a campaign of popular education is sadly
needed ere the Great White Plague is stamped out. We
heartily commend the efforts of the Illinois State Board of
Health.
Digitized by e^ooQLe
EDITORIAL
601
Sulphur, Calcarea and Lycopodium.
There are so many people who at one time or another
need one, or perchance all three of these remedies, that
cases which point to them are always of interest, not be¬
cause of their difficulty, but because of their great impor¬
tance as reminders. We take pleasure in reporting the fol¬
lowing cases sent us by one of our contributors:
Miss H., aged fourteen, had been very poorly for over
three years; had recurrent attacks of tonsilitis; was un¬
naturally fleshy and the glands of her neck were swollen,
while from one of them there was a chronic, whitish, milky
discharge.
Her ankles were weak, so weak that she was unable to
go to school: there also was a tendency to weakness and dis¬
location of the joints so that she wore braces.
There was burning of the soles at night.
She had often been troubled with profuse sweat, es¬
pecially of the head.
After vaccination in childhood she had large pimples
every month which would leave large cicatrices behind them.
When cutting her teeth, she had convulsions, <when
she cut the teeth on the left side
When four months old she had pneumonia, from which
she never fully recovered, and has had more or less catarrh
ever since she can remember. I thought I saw a Sulphur
case, but as Sulphur did not seem to help as much as I hoped
it would, I gave her Silica; still the improvement was but
slow. I then gave Calcarea, after which the improvement
was very marked. Her ankles were stronger, so much so
that she was able to remove the braces, and began to be
more ambitious. But still some troublesome symptoms
remained, so I next gave her Calcaria/and the improvement
t hough slow was real.
Further details of the case are given, but not seeming
to converge at all clearly on the remedies that were used,
and the improvement being slow, we do not take time to re¬
port them, but should like instead to add a word of com-
Digitized by ^ooQle
602
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
ment, to the effect that in all probability the next remedy
after Calcarea should have been Lycopodium.
We do not believe in routine prescribing, nor in giving
any remedy on a single indication; but clinical experience
has often shown that Lycopodium is needed to complete
the cure in some Sulphur-Calcarea cases, and the doctor
would have found many Lycopodium symptoms if the case
had been retaken more fully at this point; even the incom¬
plete picture given would strongly suggest Lycopodium as
one of the constitutional remedies, especially if the sequence
of these remedies pointed out by Hahnemann and verified
by Heringand others had been studied.
But neither Hahnemann, BOnninghausen, Hering nor
Lippe knew anything of the wonderful clinical possibilities
of Tuberculinum. Cures of obstinate chronic patients
were then zig-zagged by Sulphur, Calcarea and Lyopodinm
guided by their sequential relation, which are now effected
by the direct action of Tuberculinum, selected largely upon
the symptom totality of constitutional diathesis. Sulphur,
Calcarea and Lycopodium each fitted and removed its in¬
dividual symptom picture, but Tuberculinum was the
similimum de nova. When we remember that pneumonia in
childhood must always be considered an acute outburst of
the chronic tubercular diathesis caused by exposure to some
exciting cause, we can easily see why she never
recovered from the illness when four months old. Tuber¬
culinum then would not only have relieved the acute attacks
but so changed her constitutional diathesis that the sub¬
sequent suffering would have been avoided. It would have
cured her.
Hahnemann the Founder of Christian Science.
An enthusiastic homeopath in Denver makes the aston¬
ishing claim that the true founder of Christian Science is
not Mrs. Eddy, but Hahnemann. This isa little too much in
justice to either Hahnemann or Mrs. Eddy, for while we*
believe that the corner stone of Christian Science and Hom-
Digitized by ^ooQle
EDITORIAL
603
eopathy in one respect is the same—they are both dynamic
—both are forms of “mind cure.” They are nevertheless
radically different, for Christian Science ignores nature and
nature’s laws; we, by our law of cure and its scientific ap¬
plication indicate our respect for it, and without our dynamic
medicinal agents we would be helpless,for the man who gives
the thousandth potency of Arsenic where he should have
given the thousandth potency of sulphur, will fail to cure,
thus showing that the right or indicated medicine, in spite
of its mysterious power, does make a difference, And this
is an extremely important difference between Christian
Science and Homeopathy. Christian Science is allopathic,
antipathic and empirical in its way of working,and assumes
that nature is a fool that needs repressing, resisting, defy¬
ing, whereas homeopaths, in all our best work, try to take
nature for our guide, to follow her laws implicitly in all our
efforts and simply help her in more fully and easily accomp¬
lishing the aims for which she is striving. The mental ele¬
ment in the pathogenesis of our remedial agents—the so-
called mind cure—is guided and controlled by law under
symptom-similarity. The mental symptoms to which Hahn¬
emann referred and on which he laid so much stress and
placed so much value in the cure of the sick, are under the
rule of law and far removed from the empiricism of “Sci¬
ence.”
There never has been the slightest effort made to place
so-called “Science” on a scientific,basis; never an attempt to
individualize the treatment as is done under law in the sci¬
ence of similars. It is no less crude, no less imperical, no
less generalizing in application -because mental instead of
physical. The mental symptoms*in »the pathogeneses of onr
remedies individualize them and consequently can be used
individually in the cure of the sick’under natural law. This
is the true art of healing and vies/in certainty with the math¬
ematical sciences.
Digitized by ^ooQle
COMMENT AND CRITICISM.
Reply to the “Pathologist and Symptomatologist.”
Editor Medical Advance:—
Dr. King’s article, I think, will do some good; but I
would like to make some comments that may help do more
good.
He alludes to “an antagonism between two kinds of
knowledge.” I would amend that to read lack of knowledge.
Everything in nature is good, is of God. The fault lies in
our lack of perfect understanding. Pathology has its place,.
its usefulness. Symptomatology, its place, its usefulness.
They are never antagonistic when comprehended perfectly.
The fault lies in trying to apply ones imperfect and in¬
complete knowledge of a certain science or law, to cover
things—say diseased conditions—when it is not the mode
that is best Pathology is the science of observing the re¬
sults of diseased conditions; the after results.
Homeopathy is absolutely the Creator’s law of cure.
Symptomatology is only one of its branches or adjuncts, a
corollary that can be improved upon. Dynamization is an¬
other corollary of the law. The rule or dose, for there is
no law of do6e, is still another. Animal magnetism, is
another. All these are aids to our better understanding of
and our capacity to successfully apply the law of cure. The
law is not to be improved upon, but our comprehension and
practical application of it should be our constant endeavor
to improve.
The true Symptomatologist should have a correct
knowledge of Pathology, Anatomy and Physiology to be a
successful homeopathic practician, and should not allow
fads or any other laek of knowledge to control him. All aids
should be utilized.
In this 20th Century, which is late enough to drop
superstition and all its ill concomitants, there should be no
Digitized by ^ooQle
COMMENT AND CRITICISM.
605
“extreme symptomatologists” as he calls some, no extreme
anything, but pure knowledge.
The Symptomatologist will not neglect mechanical aids,
or even surgical, but surgery outside of mechanical or
chemical destruction of tissue or continuity, is really a con¬
fession of ignorance. To cut out or off the result of disease
condition is, I repeat, purely and truthfully a confession of
ignorance.
The case of Arthur K—, 5th line from the bottom, page
533, should have inserted between the words “to” and “the”
these words “my comprehension of” so that it would read
truthfully. “Pleuritic pain and effusion followed, notwith¬
standing the remedies prescribed, according to my compre¬
hension of the symptomatic indications.” The correct
remedy would have cured the boy. None of the Creator's
laws are faulty. It is only in our not comprehending them.
We still have the inheritance of environment of superstition
and its ignorance to influence us, but only when we allow it
to do so. To his last section, page 534, I heartily agree with
Doctor King, and with true comprehension of the statement.
John F. Edgar, El Paso, Texas.
NEW PUBLLICATIONS.
The Practice of Obstetrics. By J. Clifton Edgar, M.D., Professor of
Obstetrics and Clinical Midwifery in the Cornell University Medi¬
cal College, etc., etc., Second Edition, Revised, with 1294 Illustra¬
tions, including five colored plates and 38 figures printed in colors.
Pp. 1153. Cloth $6. P. Blakiston’s Son & Co. 1904. Philadelphia
It is only a few months since we published a review of
the first edition of this work, and that a volume of over one^
thousand pages on the Practice of Obstetrics should be ex¬
hausted within four months of the date of its publication is
almost phenomenal. We think it by far the best illustrated
work on Obstetrics to be found. It is based upon fifteen
years’ work of the author in maternity hospital and in bed¬
side and didactic teaching. The mechanism of normal and
Digitized by
Google
606
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
abnormal labor in all its various steps and forms is so well
illustrated that “ he who runs may see.’ 7
The following important changes and additions have
been made in the present volume: The'author says:
1. Under Pathological Pregnancy will be found a section on “The
Toxemia of Pregnancy,” and under this latter subject I have placed,(1)
Nausea and Vomiting, (2) Icterus, (3)Convulsions and Coma,(4)Eclampsia.
2. The section on Fever in the Puerperium in Part VIII of the first
edition, which included Puerperal Sepsis, has been entirely rewritten
and brought up to date under the heading of Morbidity in the Puerperi¬
um.
3. All the colored plates of the first edition have been remade, and
three new ones have been added to the second edition.
4. It will be noticed that many of the illustrations of the first
edition have been withdrawn, and that forty-five new illustrations have
been added to the second edition. Some typographical errors have been
corrected and a number of minor changes made throughout the text.
5. I find it necessary in the present edition to restate my position
regarding the indications of Embryotomy and Caesarean section which
from the standpoint of laboratory and theoretical obstetrics were appar¬
ently misunderstood and therefore criticized.
In the second edition the relative amount of space devoted to Em¬
bryotomy and Caesarean section, namely, eighteen pages to the former
and eight to the latter; because Embryotomy comprises eight distinct
operations, many of them complicated, and some of them frequently per¬
formed upon the dead fetus, while Caesarean section, on the other hand,
is a single and simple operation and not so frequently made use of.
It is a far cry in obstetrics from the theoretical deductions of the
library and tbe laboratory to the clinical conditions we find at the
bedside.
Essential of Diseases of tbe Eye. By A. B. Norton, M. D., Pro¬
fessor of Ophthalmology in The New York Homeopathic Medical
College: author of “Ophthalmic Diseases and Therapeutics,” etc.
349 pages Cloth. $1.75, net. Postage, 10 cents. Philadelphia
and Chicago: Boericke & Tafel. 1904
This work is issued as a result of a demand for several
years for a condensed text-book upon the Eye which would
largely exclude all theories, technical terms and phrases,
and give in as concise a manner as possible the essential
Digitized by
Google
NEW PUBLICATIONS 607
features of the diseases of the Eye with their homeopathic
treatment.
The aim of the manual is to so simplify the study of the
eye diseases, that in a short time a practical knowledge of
the more common affections of the eye can be mastered by
the student and the practician. The author's effort evident¬
ly hasibeen to simplify the fundamental features ofiOphthal-
mology that the general practitioner is called upon to treat,
and yet make them sufficiently full to supply the demand
for an everyday working manual.
The author affirms, that in an experience of twenty-five
years he has seen many an eye lost that should have been
saved by correct treatment at the beginning. And he might
have added, that many an eye has been lost by paying too
much attention to the local conditions by an indiscriminate
use of topical applications and the neglect of the constitu¬
tional conditions of the patient.
This book will be hailed by the student world and the
busy man as a step in the right direction.
We regret to see in a homeopathic work mercurial oint¬
ment applied as “a favorite local application”in blepharitis.
There is not one case in a thousand, outside the domain of
surgery, that cannot be cured better and quicker by the
similimum.
A Text Book of Alkaloidal Therapeutics. A condensation of all
available literature on the subject of the Active Principles. By
W. F. Waugh, M. D. and W. C. Abbott, M. D., with the collabora¬
tion of E. M. Epstein, M. D., Chicago: The Clinic Publishing Co.
1904. Pp. 400. Price, $5.00.
Dedicated to those who believe in “The smallest possible
quantity of the best obtainable means to produce a desired
Therapeutic result. ,r
In this work both the homeopath and eclectic may find
valuable hints on the so-called physiological action of reme-
dies, which perhaps will enlarge bis knowledge of his own
remedial agents and enable him to see what is being done
Digitized by ^ooQle
608
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
in other fields of therapeutics. While there is nothing dis¬
tinctly new in the use of the active principles, there is a>
marked increase in the general unrest of physicians of the
dominant school and a vigorous protest against the massive
dosage of crude drugs. Hence thousands of physicians dis.
satisfied and disappointed with the “helplessness of Thera¬
peutics” are turning to the alkaloidal idea and the active
principle for something better. While the system of prac¬
tice is not changed in the least by a change in dose, these
new adherents are collecting data and creating a literature
which is the aim of this work to present in a form to be
utilized by the profession. About 150 different remedies
are more or less fully presented, making it the most
complete work on concentrated remedies at present
available to the general practician of the other schools.
We appeal to our alkaloidal colleagues to take another
step in Therapeutics. Now that they find better results
from a smaller and better dose—the 1-5, 1-10, 1-100 or 1-1000“
of a grain—let them make a test of these active principles
in these doses on the healthy and thus increase their knowl¬
edge of positive action of drugs; for some active principles,
Strychnin, for example, are found in more than one remedy.
Ignatia is far richer in, and contains a larger relative per¬
centage of Strychnin than Nux vomica. While Strychnin
is the supposed active principle of each, there is a vast dif¬
ference in the results obtained by a physical test on the
healthy. Hence there is an individual element in each
remedy just as there is in each patient which can only be as¬
certained by testing each remedy on persons in health. To
test them on the lower animals in not sufficient, for we only
learn of the objective symptoms or conditions. We may in
this manner study the tonic action of Strychnin, but there
are a hundred conditions peculiar to the remedy not included
in tonic spasms. We need the subjective action of Strych¬
nin also, because in patients we daily meet with subjective
phenomena that must be met. Here is a new world of prac¬
tical observation for some alkaloidal Columbus.
Digitized by
Google
NEW PUBLICATIONS
609
The Principles and Practice of Surgery, for Students and
Practicians, By George T. Vaughan, M. D. (University of Va.)
Professor of Surgery, Georgetown University, Washington, D. C.:
Assistant Surgeon General, Marine Hospital Service, etc. Pp. 570.
Cloth $3.50. Philadelphia and London, J. B. Lippincott Co, 1903.
This volume belongs to Lippincott’s new medical series
of practical works, edited by Dr. F. R. Packard. It is a clear-
cut and concise exposition of the principles and practice of
modern up-to-date surgery and proclaims its adaptability to
the wants of the student or the busy practician who needs
a work of ready reference, for a great many works of sur¬
gery are too large and too comprehensive for him. In this
volume lengthy discussions of theoretical subjects are omit¬
ted, as well as branches of special surgery, such as Laryngol-
ogy, Ophthalmology, Otology, etc., etc., each requiring a
separate text-book. The author is to be congratulated that
he has confined his work to general surgery, and every page
from beginning to end marks'him as a man of large clinical
experience as an operator. This in connection with his
many years of college work as a teacher has enabled him to
give a practical condensation of surgical technique admir¬
ably adapted to the busy man as well as the hard-worked
student, something which we think the profession will
appreciate.
Many of the illustrations for this volume are apparently
from the author’s own cases, and demonstrate his method
of work, which make them all the more valuable as surgical
illustrations. It should meet an extensive sale, for we think
it deserves it.
Treatment of Cholera. By Dr. Mahendra Lai Sircar,"C. I. £., M.
D., D. L., Second edition—Revised apd enlarged, Demy 146 pages.
Cloth Rs. 2. Postage 4 annas.
This work of 146 pages is the last tribute to the pro¬
fession by the late Dr. Sircar of Calcutta. To his tireless
energies we are indebted for the Calcutta Journal of Medi¬
cine, founded in 1868 and published monthly since; for the
Digitized by
Google
610
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Therapeutics of Plague, the third edition, and this second
edition on the Treatment of Cholera, which ran through
the Journal as a serial publication. It is perhaps the most
complete work on this disease to be had in the homeopathic
school.
It contains the nature of cholera, its etiology, bacterio¬
logy, morbid anatomy and pathology, diagnosis, prognosis
and treatment. Of the treatment, ten pages are devoted to
the allopathic treatment of cholera as portrayed by the best
writers of that school, nearly every one of whom proclaims
that some special treatment has been “tried and found
wanting”.
The homeopathic therapeutics from the date of Hahne¬
mann’s famous letter, Sept. 10, 1831, from Coethen; on the-
treatment and prevention of Asiatic Cholera to the present,
time, is practically the history of the therapeutics of this
disease by nearly every homeopathic author who has writ¬
ten on it. This work and the complete explanation of the
treatment of this disease should be in the library of every
hcmeopathic physician. The author quotes from the article
by the late Dr. J. P. Dake, in Arndt’s System of Medicine
as follows:
“The most successful practitioner will ever be one who
quickly recognizing the foe, selects and adheres to well tried
remedies nothing doubting as to good results. He who
takes time to search a repertory with the long lists of drugs,
each of which may have displayed some symptom similar to,
the one characteristic of cholera, will often find his patient
fatally collapsed before his individualizing pursuit is satis¬
factorily ended”. On which the author makes the follow¬
ing comment:
“The routine herewith recommended by Dr. Dake has
brought disgrace on Homeopathy often in the treatment of
cholera. It is not always the remedies tried in previous
cases that are successful in new cases, unless the' corres¬
pondence is close. We should be doing Hahnemaan a Wrong/
and indeed'it would be declaring Homeopathy incapable of
growth and development if we were to believe that the few
Digitized by LjOOQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
611
remedies recommended by the Master are all the remedies
for cholera. If we were to stick to them and search for no
newer remedies we would court signal failure”.
In this the author is entirely correct, for there is no
disease in which careful individualization gives better re¬
sults than in the treatment of this rapidly fatal affection of
the East. Hahnemann specified in particular that the indi¬
vidualization of the remedy should be as perfect as possible,
and this work will enable the homeopath to both find his
remedy and cure his patient.
THOUGHT EXCHANGE.
Radium Treatment of Cancer:— At the Cancer Hospi¬
tal, London, England, the results from the Radium treat¬
ment have been so disappointing that it has been entirely
abandoned. While in this hospital it was never viewed
hopefully, and a short time since the last experiments with
it were abandoned. Trials were made at the end with the
case containing five grains covered only with mica sheeting,
probably the largest morsel in any hospital in Europe, and
the effect was always the same , though it might vary in
degree. The surface of the skin was inflamed, a blister
formed and dried, and that was all. Sixteen cases have
been under treatment, the longest period of a single appli¬
cation having been three hours, and the longest total time
of application twenty-five hours, while the only favorable
result has been an occasional cessation of pain. On the
other hand, several patients have complained of an increase
of pain. The authorities of the Cancer Hospital are now
devoting all their money and time to the improvement of
the high frequency treatment, from which they hoped to
obtain better results.
[In this, however, they will be entirely disappionted,
for cancer is a chronic, constitutional disease, and a cure
must come from within outward, like all other chronic
Digitized by LjOOQle
612
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
diseases, in order to be permanent. This is in accordance
with theobservations of Hahnemann, in his Chronic Diseases,
in which he says: “The evidence of improvement is from
within out, from above downwards, from the center to the
periphery.” And these observations are just as true today
as when Hahnemann made them a century ago. Cancer
can neither be cut out nor cured by external treatment. Ed.]
A Common Misconception in Regard to Calcarea:— Any
one who has carefully read the mental picture of Calcarea, as
given in our various books on Materia Medica, cannot fail
to be struck with the fact that they all emphasize the fact
that the mental condition is torpid, and that the man’s move¬
ments are slow and heavy. Nevertheless, we find it also
stated, on first class authority, as for example in Hering’s
works, that Calcarea and Belladonna are complementary, or
as some writers put it, that Calcarea is the chronic of Bella¬
donna.
Evidently then the person who to-day needs Calcarea
may sometime be one who yesterday, or last week, or last
year was intensely energetic and quick in all his movements,
and probably has not wholly lost that quickness to day. So
that the common belief that energetic people never need
Calcarea is a radical mistake.
We freely admit that many people who need Calcarea,
who are not energetic, and have not been for a long time if
they ever were, but there are others who need it who in
their ordinary mood are highly energetic, and yet if the time
comes when Calcarea is needed, it will be found that they
are far less energetic than they have been, or may have
gone so far as to wholly cease to give any signs of strong
vitality.
The Calcarea vitality always seems to be more or less
weakened, but it certainly is not a medicine which can be
wisely limited only to those who are habitually and always
slow and torpid. Some of the most serious misapprehen-
Digitized by ^ooQle
THOUGHT EXCHANGE
613
^ions in medicine grow ont of this tendency to assume that
a medicine has only one sphere of actton, and is suited to only
one class of temperaments. It is true that a medicine is of-
tener indicated for one temperament than for another, but
it is seldom true that the second temperament positively ex¬
cludes it. A single symptom or a characteristic tempera¬
ment rarely if ever excludes a totality no matter how well
marked.
Remuneration in Medicine;— “Dr. N. S. Davis, who
died in Chicago in June, was one of the leading practi f
tioners of the old school; he was an advocate for higher
medical education and known as the ‘Father of the American
Medical Association.’ After an active professional career
of more than sixty-seven years it is sad to record that his
life’s work has yielded an estate valued at but $39,000.”
[And yet this is far above the average. Statistics of busi¬
ness and professional men in America, for the last fifty
years, show that only five or six in every hundred secure a
•competence; that 95 per cent die insolvent. And while an
estate of $39,000 is small compared with the millionaires on
the right and left, still he is one of the few who leaves any¬
thing. The proneness of business and professional men to
make money rapidly and get rich quickly often leads to in¬
vestments that are not secure, or speculations that are gen¬
erally misleading and unfortunate. Ed.]
Appendicitis and Typhoid:— Dr. Joseph Price, in the
American Journal of Obstetrics, tells us that some years ago
he pointed out the fact that cases of appendicitis were quite
often treated as typhoid, but that now he is almost sorry
that he did it, since a great many cases of typhoid are being
rashly operated upon as if they were appendicitis. [This is
•a legitimate illustration of the folly of treating the diag-
Digitized by ^ooQle
614
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
nosis and ignoring the dynamic derangements of the patient.
The eradicating of the symptoms by strict homeopathic
treatment would leave behind neither appendicitis nor typh¬
oid. Ed.]
Loss of Consciousness and Fainting: —These two are not
the same, for though in every case of fainting there is a loss
of consciousness, there are also many cases of loss of con¬
sciousness where the pulse-beat clearly shows that it is not
a faint. Nevertheless, the two are so close akin, or per
chance have been so often mistaken one for the other by our
provers that often-times the modalities given under uncon¬
sciousness in your repertory on “Mind/’ are equally appli¬
cable to cases of fainting, which you find under generalities,
and vice versa; for example, a medicine which has “faint¬
ing with nausea” is, quite often, apt to give the symptom
“unconsciousness preceded by nausea” and so on through
the entire list. Doubtless there are many exceptions to this
statement, but it is so often true that it is worth keepiag in
mind.
Incompetent Physicians and Surgeons:—When a phy
sicians or surgeon blunders sadly, it is easy enough to mis¬
lead the public by saying that the outcome was due to the
extreme gravity of the disease, but it would not be so easy
to mislead a competent jury of expert physicians. Hence,
in spite of the fact that Government regulation has its dan¬
gers, it seems that even physicians in active practice should
be watched by the State Board of Health, and occasionally
silenced even when there has been no “criminal malprac¬
tice,” which, so far as we know, is at present the only
ground for ever depriving a physician of his right to prac¬
tice.
Digitized by
Google
NEWS ITEMS.
A Brave Surgeon: —Dr. C. E. Fisher recently performed
the unusual feat of operating upon himself for blood poison¬
ing. For nearly a week he had been suffering a violent in¬
fection of the left foot, and it became alarming. Being
near Washington, he arranged to go there for surgical
attention, but was prevented by an accident. Seeing that
delay was becoming dangerous, and that he was in a fair
way to lose his foot and perhaps his life, the infection ex¬
tending rapidly as far as tha knee, with the assistance of his
hospital nurse, he operated upon himself, cutting from the
instep to the toes down to the bone, without an anesthetic,
scrapingand gouging among the diseased tissues for nearly
half an hour.
Reports from the hospital state that he is better now
than for a week, and by the promptness and thoroughness
of his self-operating, he is in a fair way to save not only his
leg and foot, but his life.—Baltimore American.
The Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan Homeo¬
pathic Society held its twenty-seventh semi-annual meeting
at Elkhart, Indiana, in September. Dr. F. G. Freyermuth,
President. There were present the fojlowing physicians;
Drs. Cook, W. B. and N. K. Kreider, Freyermuth, Thomas,
Herkimer, Fisher, Haywood, Washburne, Mu maw, Hen-
wood, Smith, Myers, Chase, A. Cook, W. Freyermuth,
Stauft.
Drs. W. E. Clark, J. O. Gorman, U. G. Reiff were elect¬
ed members.
The chair appointed A. L. Fisher general critic.
The following papers were read and fully discussed:
“Report of a Corneal Case,” W. B. Kreider; “Baptisia,”
A. L. Fisher; “Dropsy”, C. W. Haywood; “Care of the
Prospective Mother,” F.G. Freyermuth; “Report of Cases”
and “A Poetical Fantasia,” M.K. Kreider.
Digitized by ^ooQle
616
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Chairman for bureaus for the next meeting: Surgery,
M. K. Kreider; Materia Modica, C. W Haywood; Practice,
G. R. Herkimer; Gynecology, Obstetrics, P. G. Freyeymuth;
Ophthalmology and Otology, W.B. Kreider; Pediatrics, A.
L. Fisher.
The Colorado Homeopathic Society elected the follow¬
ing officers for the year of 1904-5 at the annual meeting
which convened in the city of Denver, September 13th,14oh
and 15th, 1904:
President, Leroy C. Hedges, M. D., Grand Junction; 1st
Vice-president, Grant S. Peck, M. D., Denver; 2nd Vice-
President, S. L. Blair, M. D., Trinidad; Treasurer, F. A.
Faust, M. D., Colorado Springs; Secretary, Giles P. How¬
ard, M. D., Denver.
Board of Censors, Drs. Stewart, Denver; Allen, Colorado
Springs; Burr, Denver; King, Golden; Greene, Arvada;
Clinton Enos, Denver.
Administrative Council, Walter Joel King, M. D., Gol¬
den; J. B. Brown, M. D., Denver; J. P. Willard, M.D., Den¬
ver; W. C. Allen, M. D., Colorado Springs; Genevieve
Tucker, M. D., Pueblo; S. L. Blair, M. D., Trinidad; E. P.
Greene, M. D,, Arvada.
A Timely Notice: The next annual meeting of the Wis¬
consin State Society will be held in Milwaukee, Tqesday,
Wednesday, and Thursday, May 23, 24, t and 25, 1905.
This notice is given thus early that the members may
have sufficient time to prepare good papers.
A, L. Burdick
Secretary.
The NewJVork Homeopathic College is to be congrat¬
ulated on the recent additions to its teaehing corps. Drs.
Edmund Carleton and Milton Powel on Homeopathic Phi¬
losophy; Drs. E. B. Nash, R. F. Rabe and John Hutchinson
on Materia Medica. This places this college far in advance
of any of our Eastern schools and raises the hopes of every
true follower of Hahnemann. And there is need of further
mprovement in this direction.
Digitized by ^ooQle
The Medical Advance
..:and...
Journal of Homeopathics.
Y©l. XL1I. BATAVIA, ILL., NOVEMBER, 1904. No. 11
THE DERNIER RESSORT.
F. E. Gladwin, M. D., H. M.
Not long ago a friend, voicing public opinion,said: “The
Dernier Ressort, I suppose, is Allopathy. ” Is public opinion
right? Is it true that Allopathy, which, in this case means
anything that is not based upon homeopathic principle,is so
infallible in its methods, so successful in its results, that it
remains a tower of strength to which the faltering homeo¬
path must turn for help? No, the real Dernier Ressort is
found within our ranks; he is the constant companion of
the homeopathic physician; he does his work gently, quick¬
ly, permanently, and is so quick about it all that no one ever
hears of him; no one excepting the grateful physician,
knows he is there. He has principle behind him, and he is
as true as the principle that he depends upon.
The Dernier Ressort pet of public opinion is a pretender;
he is a special envoy of his Satanic majesty, and if possible,
is more persistent thah his master. At every birth he is an
intruder, hoping to assist; at every death he is waiting to
offer a suggestion,' and all the way between he stands just
around the corner watching for a chance to appear to you.
He flaunts one banner, and the device upon it is the one
1 word “Necessity. In my early childhood I was taught that
the “DernierResiort” always killed or cured, i *ahd because it
caused the death of my father, T had ho faith in the “cured”
portion of its work.
. v . .. •> . } v ; . i . .. ' ■:
Digitized by LjOOQle
618
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
In the medical college I learned that the homeopathic
remedy was sufficient to tare all cases, bat the fallibility of
the physician in finding the remedy made it necessary, at
times, to resort to something else. Here again is the Der¬
nier Ressort of public opinion, but now his mission is to
cover up the ignorance of the physician.
In the daily routine of life one might also expect to be
permitted to forget him, but no, in comes the representa¬
tive of some chemical company to call attention to some¬
thing new, always something new, that will serve when the
homeopathic remedy fails, and something more is needed.
So the little demon, Dernier Rsssort, haunts us. It is
his ambition to march in the front rank of the army of phy¬
sicians and to lead the line, Then he would march that army
down every by path that had a chemical laboratory at the
other end.
For fourteen years I have been* trying to convince this
pretender that I will have none of him, but he haunts me
still. He does not, as formerly, say “kill or cure,” but,
omitting the “cure,” he lives up to the motto.
Shortly after I had graduated in medicine, a gentleman
told me that there was a homeopathic physician in bis town,
who, when asked if he wouldn’t give something besides the
homeopathic remedy, even to save a man’s life, had answered
“No;” and my informant added, “that is all I want to know
about him.” Why should a physician give anything but the
homeopathic remedy to save a life, when he can save it so
much better with the homeopathic remedy? Has the
homeopath, with principle to guide his every action, any
right to turn for help to a school that is continually rushing
from one fad to another, wasting its whole fenergy in trying
to keep abreast of the times?
We are told that if the patient is going to die, it can’t
matter what is given; but it does matter. What right haa
the physician to say that the patient is going to die; have
we not all seen the homeopathic remedy cure when failure
had been predicted?
We are told that “when the physician fails to find the
Digitized by ^ooQle
THE DERNIER RESSORT
m
correct remedy, he must resort to somethin? else to save
the patient.” Because a physician has not found the rem¬
edy homeopathic to the case, is that a reason why he should
give something unhomeopathic, when, by so doing, he masks
the case to the extent that he may never find the remedy? 1
Better let him watch and wait until he does see the correct
remedy.
A CASE IN ILLUSTRATION.
In February of 1903 I was called to a case of what ap¬
peared to be erysipelas of the face. The patient was in her
seventy-seventh year. The eruption began as a smooth, red,
shining, hot swelling upon the left side of the face, and ex¬
tended toward the right, itching and burning, which was
worse during the night. There was a history of going out
into the cold when overheated. I gave Rhus; the eruption
immediately began to heal, but continued spreading to the
right with equal rapidity, so that the healing and advance
kept even pace until it had crossed the right side of the
face, and involved the right ear, neck and scalp, the patient
growing weaker and more stupid all the time. It looked
like Rhus, but the eruption was not healing in the right
direction, and the patient was growing worse. Had the
homeopathic remedy failed? and should I resort to iodine
and all the other things that we hear recommended for ery¬
sipelas? No! a thousand times, no! I had failed; Rhus was
not the remedy that was homeopathic to the case. For days
I watched that patient, going in season and out of season
always with the question; *‘What can you tell me now,
nurse?” From observation and the nurse’s reports, I found
that the patient slept much, a stupid sort of sleep; she could
be aroused to answer a question, but as soon as the question
was answered she would fall asleep again. She recognized
no one.
The skin was hot; a growth, which had been for years
upon the left side of the face, had ceased discharging, and
had dwindled from about the size of a silver dollar almost to
the pedicle, which was about the size of a dime. She was
steadily growing weaker, imagined she was lying in a deep
Digitized by ^ooQle
620
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
hole and steam from a boiler was turned into it, begged
them not to burn her, to take her out of the hole, was worse
at night. One night I happened to rest my hand upon her
ankle, and, although the covers lay between, an expression
of pain crossed her face, and she uttered an exclamation.
Upon investigation I found that she was sore to the touch
all over, though there was neither swelling nor discolora¬
tion of the skin excepting upon the face; then I recognized
my remedy, the true Dernier Ressort. The soreness, the
nightly aggravation, the stupid sleep, rousing to answer and
immediately falling asleep again were alt Arnica. What
mattered it if Arnica,did not stand strong in erysipelas of
the face and head, the patient was Arnica.
The nurse, well trained in allopathic lore, but having
had no expeiience at all in Homeopathy asked if it wasn’t
“a case of blood poisoning from the cancer upon the face.”
To me it was just plain, simple Arnica. The next morning
the patient greeted me with her old-time smile, she was bet¬
ter in every way.' The advance gyard of the erysipelatous
eruption had halted, and on the day following was in full
retreat, healing from right to left; and, although it did not
go back over all the ground it had come, it went part way,
the patient continually improving. She will be seventy-
eight years old next September, is still keeping house for
her daughters, and is the sunshine of the household. Could
the pretender, Dernier Ressort, have given better re¬
sults?
The specialists tell us that we must not expect the
homeopathic remedy to cure eruptions, the parasites must
be killed, etc., etc. Then, Dernier Ressort, the pretender,
triumphantly presents a tube of the latest germicide, and
the patient “gives his note on demand to Dame Nature,” and
all goes well until the Dame demands payment, which she
always does as soon as the interest has accumulated to good
proportions. Oh! the payments that must be made for the
suppression of an eruption! They continue years, they may
involve any organ of the body, they may result in the in¬
curability of the patient. Has a physician the right to
Digitized by LjOOQle
THE DERNIER RESSORT.
621;
inflict such punishment upon his patient? Has he the right
to suppress an eruption when he can cure it?
AN ERUPTION CURED BY LACHESIS.
I had a case this winter which it took me months to
find the remedy. Other members of the family had the
same kind of an eruption, but Petroleum, Sepia or Sulphur
controlled them immediately. The eruption began upon the
shin in isolated vesicles, which came and went. It spread
to other parts of the body, being worse at the bend of the
large joints, and upon the hands, though there were many
coalesced patches and isolated vesicles upon the trunk and
limbs. As the eruption progressed, many of the vesicles
changed to pustules, dirty yellow crusts would pile up and
the pus exude from beneath. The hands became nearly cov*
ered, even between the fingers and upon the palms. She
could not bear to touch anything, or bend the fingers, which
she kept spread apart. The skin surrounding the patches
thickened and became red and slightly cracked, new vesicles
formed upon the scars of the old. Itching was intense
kept her awake all night, or if she did fall into a sleep it
wakened her immediately. The itching was relieved if she
ruptured the vesicles. The patient herself was emaciating
I could not find the remedy, until one day I noticed that her
collar was not so close as fashion demanded. I said nothing,
but leaned forward and slipped my finger beneath it. She
laughed, and volunteered the information that she took it
off and loosened the neck of her dress as soon as she
reached home, because it suffocated her. She took her cor¬
sets off also, because she could not bear to have anything
touch her about the waist. At last I had the picture of the
remedy. .Why had I not noticed before that the itching was
waking her out of her first sleep always? She was worse
for three days after taking the Lachesis, then improvement.
in every way began. She had been growing worse for over
six months before she received the Lachesis; in one month.
after taking it the eruption had nearly disappeared and the
patient Was well in every other way.
Dernier Ressort, the pretender, was omnipresent in this
Digitized by ^ooQle
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
case, suggesting onfe thing after another, expressing sur¬
prise that the patient had not been sent to a specialist, and
greater surprise that no local treatment had been advised
or permitted.
The cases that usually fall into the hands of the surgeon
are the heart’s delight of Dernier Ressort, the pretender. It
is “pain in the abdomen, appendicitis, hurrah J” Homeopathy
has failed. Get her on to the table quick, cut down, take
out the appendix, ovaries, uterus, something, everything, it
doesn’t matter what so long as you cut and remove.”
A patient of mine taken with sudden abdominal pains
stopped at a prominent hospital for medicine. The case was
diagnosed appendicitis. On the pretense of making a fur¬
ther examination, the patient was etherized, but when she
returned to consciousness she found that an operation had
been performed, the ovaries removed, and she must hence¬
forth be nothing but an it. When I saw her months after¬
ward she was still in a wretched condition. The pretender
was satisfied, he had wrecked a life.
A BELLADONNA APPENDICITIS.
How different the case of another patient, who fell into
the hands of Dernier Ressort, the True. The evening of
December 4, 1902, Mrs. D. came to my office for medicine for
her daughter, aged fifteen years. The girl had severe
pains in the abdomen. She had been menstruating for
three days, had stood in the cold vestibule a half hour the
day before talking to a friend. The pains were worse from
motion and heat. There was nausea and vomiting, and she
was sensitive to noise. 1 sent Bryonia and saw her the next
morning. She had been better after the Bryonia, but was
worse again. The pain, which had been all over the abdo-.
men, had settled in the eoecal region, where there was great
soreness. She lay upon the back, with knees drawn up and
did not want to move. I told the mother that it looked like
a case of appendicitis. She said in that case the family
would demand an operation, though she disapproved of it.
I told her I was not willing to take the responsibility of
making a diagnosis upon which an operation depended. An
Digitized by LjOOQle
Tip: DERNIER RESgOR?
623
allopath, one whose reputation reaches far beyond the limits
of Philadelphia, was called in to make a diagnosis. After a
careful examination, external and internal, to make sure that
it was not ovaritis, he pronounced it a serious case of appen¬
dicitis, and advised immediate operation. The mother asked
if they might wait until the father came from a neighboring
town, and the physician auswered; “A few hours would do
no harm, but you must not wait longer.” She told him that
1 had cured cases of appendicitis without operating, and he
said; “Then she has been very fortunate, but in this case
the pulse is rapid and the temperature low, and your doctor
must know what that means.” Dr.-made the diagnosis
at four p. m. I saw the child a little before 10:30 p. m.,and
found her much worse than in the morning. She had been
growing worse all day and rapidly worse since four p. m.
I took the case again. ,
There was great soreness in the coecal region, pain
constant, with agonizing paroxysms. The paroxysms came
suddenly and went suddenly, were brought on by the slight¬
est motion, a deep breath, a hacking cough, a jar, rumbling
in abdomen or a drink of cold water. She lay upon the
back, with arms extended and knees drawn up, could not
even move the feet because the motion brought on
paroxysms of pain. Face was pale, eyes bright, she was
sensitive to sounds, could hear what was said in the second
room from her though she was usually dull of bearing.
Was sensitive to a jar, could feel anyone walking in the room
below; could not bear the weight of the bed covers upon the
abdomen. 'During the paroxysms of pain, the hands were
clenched, and the arms drawn up as in a tonjc spasm of the
flexor muscles; the teeth were firmiy pressed together, as
though the jaws were locked. The paroxisms ended with a
moan and a relaxation of all the muscles.' Fingers and
hands were numb after the paroxysms. Pulse rapid, akin
hot, though the temperature was only }0O. Restlessness so
great could hardly keep from moving, but could not move,
because the least motion brought on those awful paroxisms
of pain; was much distressed by the aching in the muscles
Digitized by
Google
624
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
of the back, which she claimed was because she had lain
upon them so long. The first attack had come suddenly
about 4 p. m. the day before. At 10:30 p. m. I gave Bella¬
donna and stood) watch in hand, looking at my patient,
while every one else in the room watched me, I knew that
Belladonna was the real Dernier Ressort, but I knew that
Dernier Ressort, the'pretender, was waving his “Necessity”
banner before every eye in the room, excepting those of my
patient and mine; I knew he was shouting operation into
every ear but mine. I knew that the mother had given me
until morning, »but I believed that when morning came if
Carrie was not so much better that there would be no call
for the knife—she would be in a land where they do not use
knives. I gave the Belladonna and-waited, knowing that if
it failed I would be condemned by every one who ever heard
of the cash, and the condemnation would fall not upon me
alone, but upon Homeopathy. I felt that, for the time at
least, I stood alone with homeopathy, opposing the opinion
of the world; but I knew my remedy, I knew my case, and I
knew that the homeopathic remedy cures all curable dis¬
eases, so I waited and watched, believing all would be well.
For forty-five minutes she grew steadily worse; the
paroxysms became more frequent, coming every three to'
five minutes, they were longer lasting and more intense.
The eyes became sunken and surrounded by dark rings, she
became blue about the mouth and pinched about the nose.
At 10:30 p. m. she received the Belladonna, at 11:15 p. m. I
noticed that the pains began to come at longer intervals,
and were less severe. At 11:45 she began to scold an aunt
because she had such a solemn expression on her face.
Then I knew that Belladonna had triumphed, and suggested
that the family leave her alone with her mother. At 12 p.
m. the patient was asleep; at 1:30 a. m. she awakened, with
the desire to urinate, and unassisted lifted herself from feet
to shoulders, so that we might slip the bed pan under her;
when she discovered that the exertion caused no return of
the pain, the child exclaimed, “O, it's so good to move!’
She could then bear the weight of the bed covers upon the
Digitized by
Google
THE DERNIER RESSORT.
625
abdomen; her mother had been sitting for hours beside her,
holding up the covers so that they could not touch her. At
3:45 a. m. she turned upon her side; it was the first time that
she had moved from her back in twenty-four hours. She.'
then slept until 7 a. m., when she wakened, surprised to
find that she had “straightened her legs, and it did not
hurt.” The ccecal region was still very sore, but the pains
throughout the day were hours apart, and not at all severe.
The constant pain was gone, and she was smiling and happy.
Improvement continued until she was as well as she had
ever been. On December 18th I found her making clothes'
for a thirty-inch doll, and jolly as a sand piper in the work.
A careful examination could discover no trace of the sore¬
ness. There has been no return of the. trouble, though a
year and a half has elapsed since the attack.
Dernier Ressort, the True, did his work in this case so
quietly and so surely that the father and friends who did
not see the child during the attack would not believe that
she had had appendicitis, or that she had been seriously ill.
If Dernier Ressort, the Pretender, had had his chance they
would have believed it.
Having the remedy in hand that could cure, what right
had I to resort to the knife? Principle told me that the rem¬
edy would cure, but there is no principle that could tell me
that the knife would cure.
In my case of eruption, what right had I to resort to the
local application of some germicide, just because I had diffi¬
culty in discovering the homeopathic remedy? In my case
of erysipelas, when what seemed to be the indicated remedy
failed, what right had I to resort to something that was not
homeopathic to the case? Our principle is like cures like,'
not like, might, could, would or should cure like. There is
no room for doubt; the like remedy must cure all curable
cases. If the selected remedy does not cure either, it is not
the like remedy, or the case is incurable. If the case is in-'
curable, the like remedy is still the Dernier Ressort, for it
takes away the sting of death and permits the patient to
pass peacefully into the other world.
Digitized by ^ooQle
THU MEDICAL ADVANCE.
wBOb
Knowing as we do that the homeopathic remedy will
core all curable cases, and make, death easy in. all. incurable
cases, we are worse than: thieves if we deny our patients
that remedy:
No i the: Dernier Ressort is-aot the allopathic remedy, it
is the homeopathic remedy, first, last and every time be¬
tween. The sooner the homeopath finds out that Allopathy
does not stand behind him in time of need, the better it will
be for all the world.
So, when the representatives of chemical houses, in or¬
der to induce me to try their drugs, tell me that most
homeopaths are willing to use the things that serve them
best, I tell them that is exactly the kind of physician that I
am. The homeopathic remedy gives the best service always,
therefore I have no use for anything but the homeopathic
remedy. When they tell me that they only ask me to use
their drug when the homeopathic remedy fails, I tell them
when the homeopathic remedy fails there will be no use of
trying anything else, for the homeopathic remedy is so far
reaching in its effects that it cures long after all else has
failed.
Courts may exist from which au appeal may be taken,
hut from the homeopathic court there can be no appeal.
Discussion.
E. B. Nash, M. D:—It is strange. We often hear that
wonderful powerful plea made that takes so well with the
average layman, "I use anything that cures.” When that is
quoted to me I reply, “I will use the best thing to cure you.”
If this case had not been diagnosed by a celebrated surgeon,
they could say and would, say that it was a case of mistaken
diagnosis. Now all have to admit that the case was one of
appendicitis, and that the remedy Belladonna did cure it.
There are some physicians who pride themselves on being
qble to use the best of all schools. But Homeopathy has the
best and there is no other best.
President:—As I helped to draw that part of the consti¬
tution of this society which, relates to principles, I cannot
be charged with having any undue leaning towards sur-
Digitized by <^.ooQle
TJgS MONIES 3ti§SO»R£.
627
gery; but there are times and place# where geod, skilful
surgery is an absolute necessity. While the doctor’s paper
is inspiring and helpful and leans in the right direction, still
we mnejt acknowledge that we are finite and that we have
onr limitations. There are times when we cannot find the
remedy; there are cases and states that mark a limit as far
as apy doctor should go on his own judgment, with the in¬
ternal remedy alone; you must decide whether it is a surgi¬
cal case and call in a surgeon to help you. Do not ever
allow a patient to die on account of your inability to get the
right remedy, but call in a surgeon to help you.
A case comes to my mind as I talk. A year and a half
ago 1 treated a case of appendicitis with gratifying results.
Nine months after there was a relapse. Everything went
well under remedies for a number of days, when 1 was tele¬
phoned for and found that sudden violent pains and vomit¬
ing had set in. I examined the case and was satisfied that
rupture of the pus sac was imminent or had taken place.
The patient was a nine-year old child. We opened the ab¬
domen and took out a quantity of foul pus. As the opera¬
tion was finished the child was in collapse and the attending
surgeon said that she would die. ilJnder Carbo veg. she
rallied, but later symptoms of strangulation of the bowel
set in.
There was no doubt about the diagnosis nor prog¬
nosis either unless relief was quickly afforded. Another
operation was imperative; we went into the abdomen a sec¬
ond time and found a band of adhesions that had bound down
the bowel, closing it up.
Other adhesions over the gall bladder were found and
broken up and entire recovery followed. In the presence
of such complications we must not fall down; we must not
let our devotion to the effect of the remedy and to the cause
of true therapeutic science, allow us to expect effects in
•cases which belong to the domain of surgery. That is to the
detriment of the patient and of true science. On the other
hand, I do not doubt that all of you have been called to
cases where surgery had done its best, or where it was not
Digitized by V.ooQle
628*
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
indicated, and where the remedy was ail that was needed to*
effect a perfect cure.
M. E. Graham,M.D:—I enjoyed this paper and discussion
and I am quite surprised that it was favorable, in its ani¬
mus, toward surgery. I am glad that even among such ex¬
cellent prescribers there is room for the surgeon. In
regard to the particular case reported I have had similar
cases; cases where the inflammation, has been acute, the
pain great and the symptoms violent, which have been en¬
tirely cured by internal remedies. But suppose that this
patient had been just as bad by the next morning as she was
at night; by that time an abscess might have formed and
broken. The difficulty about these cases is the uncertainty
of their course. It might have been too late next morning.
I have known abscesses to form and break in six hours after
the first symptoms of ill-health. Here was a case where
there was no abscess formed and the remedy acted before
there was any pus formed and allayed the inflammation so
that none was formed. If, however, the pus had started be¬
fore the doctor got the case it would have had to come to
the surface or the patient would have died.
That is where the risk and the uncertainty of therapeu¬
tics and the judgment and knowledge of the surgeon comes
in. Of course, I understand that surgery is not of much use
to this society, but I am glad that it has received its true^
recognition this session.
Stuart Close, M. D:—Surgery has more to do in general*
and a more important function to perform, in this society in
particular, than our friend thinks. No member of this so¬
ciety would be so rash as to claim that there is no place for
surgery. This society stands for safe, conservative aseptic-
surgery, and we are glad to have a surgeon like Dr. Grahami
with us.
Digitized by ^ooQle
FALLOW FIELDS.
FALLOW FIELDS.
By A. E. Austin, M. D
Many are the fields growing up throug hout the world
i»hat were once fertile in the growth of the homeopathic
Materia Medica. ThejHahnemannian Masters worked early
and late. They fought long and well, though their souls
were tried, to dispel the great forests of unbelief and pre¬
judice. Many were the fields rich in homeopathic grain that
had been well worked up to the highest perfection. lean
see how happy were those fathers to leave these monuments
of symmetry behind them. No doubt they had in their
hearts that we who came after them would not allow one
shadow to darken this law of laws, given from the master to
worthy successors, that the nations might notask in vain for
the balm of Gilead.
Often have I lingered in the refreshing pictures so ef¬
fectively painted by Bradford’s pen of Samuel Hahnemann’s
life, so calm, so serene, so convincing, so strong. He was
as a great dam of positive force holding all before him.
Those who knew him best followed his pathways, overcome
in admiration. When he made up his mind to a procedure,
after careful analysis and much weighing, no opposition
could turn him aside. He could withstand an army—he
could starve with his family for truth and right. Wha,t an
example, members, to us, what a heritage from those mas¬
ters who have gone before. As I meditate over their lives,
and you must at times, for their minds formulated great
laws that have brought often the pleasures of success in
your treatment of disease, I feel ashamed to think how we
have treated Hahnemann, by allowing this fallow ground to
remain uncultivated.. Shame to us of the present age, who
have had their great forests of opposition cleared, after
years of hard work and self-sacrifice. I look over these
'fields for an explanation; I find that one of the most noxious
onemies of our school, and of our Materia Medica, is the
twisted scrub oak of unbelief in the Hahnemannian Law.
Digitized by LjOOQle
630
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
The Canadian thistle is lack of system in our Hospitals
andJColleges. The young men on the staff criticize the irsu-
perior officers—this would not be tolerated in the Old School
Hospitals—there they have system in the colleges and rule
with an arm of iron. No professor would dare criticize
another’s work before the student body; and this means har¬
mony and power in oneness of purpose. There is the birch
or white alder, no mean enemy of our fallow grounds; one
professor spends an hour building up to have another pro¬
fessor pull his work to pieces; this at least shows a lack of
medical courtesy. The field daisies that are crowding out
better things are papers read by some of our men unfavor¬
ably criticizing Hahnemann and his followers. Patients
have come to me saying they heard papers read at conven¬
tions open to the laity, and learned that some of the physi¬
cians could not have believed in Homeopathy and its laws,
as they criticized Hahnemann in a shocking manner. Other
destructive weeds are undue love for distinction; lack of ap¬
preciation of valuable unselfish service; influence of flatter¬
ing offers of affiliation from the other ranks; lack of the
knowledge and habit of persistent, painstaking research
for the similar; a towering weed of selfish lack of interest
in the advancement of Homeopathy. Such and like weeds
are not confined to our school, but we would have our fields
rid of them, that they may yield a hundred fold.
. I do not fear the Old School, but I do the men of our own
who do not know in which law to believe. These are danger¬
ous enemies, a negative word from them carries much weight
to the outside world. I think if we all realized that every
word we uttered created a far-reaching influence, we would
be more careful to always speak a clear strong word for our
school, and thus for homeopathic Materia Medica. When
we are false to the promises we made our Alma Mater, we
plant atrocious seeds in the fallow ground. We have what
no other school possesses, an exact law of cure, so true that
it can be mathematically proven. If we give up in a single
degree, the Materia Medica which Hahnemann declared was
God-given, we might as well strike our colors. This we wil
Digitized by ^ooQle
FALLOW EIBLDS.
9»i
never do; but as one of your younger members perhaps yen
will bear with me if you think I have been unkind.
I love you; I have not one unkind feeling for a man in (he
profession. Allow me to say right here, I hear the beating
of the enemy’s drums, and if we would live we must fight,
and I know there is not a nobler body of knight6 ready to
break a lance for Hahnemann, than sit here before me. >1
say, arise, and see to it that our school shall take its
honored place; let us break up the fallow grounds. How?
At the adjournment of this meeting, let us find our plaees
in the American Institute, ready to battle for pure Home¬
opathy and our Materia Medica. Let not even one errone¬
ous statement pass without a challenge. Tell the Deans of
your colleges throughout the country what you waut them
to give the men you send to them. Tell them you are
grieved when they allow the laws you ardently uphold to be
trampled upon. After all these years why are we not repre-
tented in the Army and Navy? Why is it we have few
places on the Municipal service? Was there ever a time so
ripe for our advancement to public positions? The Govern¬
ment has honored places for our young men. Think of the
possibilities before us. Public sentiment is favoring our
school; the press is writing against the large doses; the
trainers of our colleges have proven that to put the man in
perfect condition, only simple living and a small amount of
medicine is required. The physical culture magazines^ the
osteopaths are leaning our way. The scientific world is
evolving into Hahnemann’s thought. The sunshine of his
great law is driving the trees of knowledge into bud, arid
there will be a prolific fruitage. The new thoughts of orir
age are working in our directiqn —ours did I say, ours they
have been, but they will pass down the current and beyond
if we do not exert ourselves “to hold them fast and hold
them forth.” Think of agonies spared and of lives saved by
the right use of the Law of Similia. Shall we regard the
good done by Hahnemann by letting the world misjudge
him? Two miners were lost in the Western wilderness and
rescued by an old Indian Chief. He cared for them, kindly
Digitized by ^ooQle
682
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
sharing with them his fireside, his food, his blankets and
sending them away with one of his braves to direct them.
They rewarded him by giving a paper, knowing the fond¬
ness an Indian has for a paper written by a white man, on
which they wrote: “This old Indian Chief is the biggest
,.liar and rascal on the Pacific Coast.” This delightful old
man carried this for years, thinking they had written of him
in gratitude, assuring whoever read it of his kindness and
friendship for the white man. Are we too ingrates? Shall
we allow injustice to him who led us from Chaos into
sublime Law and Order. If each one here would this year
make a convert to true Homeopathy, and they did likewise,
in twenty-five years there would be few thinking men who
would not be followers of the great Hahnemann. Let us find
our impulse in the stretches of fallow fields. Lee every one
among us put his or her hands to the plough, not unworthily
looking back, till on every shore Hahnemannian Homeopathy
• flourishes as the tree of life in the Paradise of God, and its
leaves shall be for the healing of the nations.
Discussion.
President:—The subject of this paper and especially
. Its treatment strikes me with peculiar force. We all know
that the allopaths have long been making strenous efforts
, to subvert Homeopathy and they are meeting with success
and the reason is that our schools are not turning out homeo¬
pathic graduates; their Homeopathy is not wbrthy of the
. name. Men come from our colleges and in a few years they
. $re ashamed of their diplomas. I know one man who past-
f n ed a slip of white paper over the word “homeopathic” in his
. diploma. Another young graduate that I came across did
. npt know the first thing about the principles of Homeopathy;
not as much as the first year student should know and yet
he had had four year’s training at a homeopathic college.
. He knew many things but not how to prescribe; could not
, tell the difference between Nux and Pulsatilla. Such men
, are a disgrace tp the school and cause infinite harm.
This body of physicians should put forth every efiort
.that it is capable of towards raising the standard of Homeo-
Digitized by LjOOQle
FALLOW KIELDS.
633
pathy and towards a more rigid censorship of our colleges.
It is the colleges that are stabbing Homeopathy in the back.
It is the graduate of such colleges that are going from our
ranks into the allopathic societies and when they are once
there they are swept into the brush pile and after a time it
takes a pickax to get them out. They have no use for them
except to get them out of the way and thus make another
score toward the subversion of Homeopathy. Homeopathy
is as true to day as it was when Hahnemann discovered it;
why cannot we extend it over all the earth? It is time that
we wake up and see to this matter. If you will take the
trouble to go back over the old files and journals you will be
struck with suprise at the small advance that we have made.
Hahnemann’s earliest disciples were as far advanced as are
the best Hahnemannians of to day. They had .fewer rem¬
edies and less convenient books and repertories but they did
work that is the equal if not the superior to our best work
to day. We have not [advanced one step, notwithstanding
our new remedies. One trouble is that many of our new
remedies have never been fully proved; there have been too
many fragmentary provings. Why not take up a remedy
like Euphorbium and prove it over again and more fully.
There are plenty of remedies like Sulphate of Cadmium that
promise to be of immense benefit, that need proving. There
is plenty of work to do if we can only find workers.
A. E. Austin M. D:—There is one method that was for¬
merly used that has been of late neglected and that is the
printing and distribution of pamphlets and short articles in
the form of tracts advertising and exploiting Homeopathy.
I am afraid that the members of the society are not doing
their duty to themselves, to their patrons or to the cause of
Homeopathy, We should make up and cultivate these fall :
ow fields. We should unite our energies and prove new
rem ©dies, to support those who are doing the work. It is
true as Dr. Boger said, we are not ahead of those old timers
of 70 or 100 years ago. Read the old journals and you will
see that we shold support the Medical Advance better.
Stuart Close M. Di—I hope that the subscriptions for
Digitized by ^ooQle
634
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
the Medical Advance will grow like weeds in a garden but
I fail to see how the reproving of our materia medica will
advance the cause of Homeopathy When we consider that
no progress has been made in the power of healing the sick
since Hahnemann’s day and consider that in that day
they had so few remedies to what we have now it seems to
me that the emphasis should be laid where I laid it iu my
paper. Learn to use the remedies that we have rather than
get new ones. It simply must be that we do not know how
to use the tools that we have and not at all the lack of tools
that accounts for the lack of progress. Far be it from me to
criticize anybody who wants to prove a remedy; that is a
good work, but, I only want to emphasize that there in my
opinion our greatest weakness lies.
We should sustain the colleges that are teaching true
Homeopathy with far greater energy than we do and also the
journal that represents the Homeopathy of our society.
Frank Patch, M. D:—It might be well for the Associa¬
tion as a body to adopt some such tactics as have been
spoken of and put itself in touch with similar smaller socie¬
ties. In Boston we have a club of twenty-five members;
we are isolated so far as larger societies ace concerned. If
a plan could be formulated to connect us and put us in touch
with this Association I can see bow it might result in in¬
creased strength to all concerned.
Emma D. Wilcox, M. D:—The college with which I am
associated has only one Hahnemannian teacher. The stu¬
dents seem willing and anxious to learn Homeopathy, but
they do not get it. Time and again they have come to me
for some little article, and last year they appealed to the
faculty for some homeopathic teaching. The doctor who
gives them talks on remedies told them that he could give
them all that Hahnemann taught in one day. Some gradu¬
ates who have been practicing eight and ten years have
asked me questions as to how to use the repertory, and I was
asked to get up a class for study of the use of repertories.
That is the condition of things, and judging from the atti¬
tude of the students and doctors with whom I come in con-
Digitized by LjOOQle
FALLOW FIELDS.
635
tact, it seems to me that there is a good field for work.
President:—The turn that this discussion has taken
pleases me; it is true that the students are asking for bread
and the colleges are giving them a storle. The trouble is
not with the students, but largely with the faculties. We
must get out of the torpid condition that we are in. For the
first time in my life I am giving a short course on Materia
Medica in the Pulte College in Cincinnati. I found the same
condition there that Dr. Wilcox speaks of.
E. B. Nash, M. D:—The American Institute of Home¬
opathy is supposed to represent Homeopathy more than this
society in the popular mind. There is some grand work
being done there now. At the last meeting, when an effort
was made to limit the use of potencies to the demonstrable
divisibility of matter, when they tried to force that dictum
upon the Institute, how many members were there to take
up cudgels in the cause of true Homeopathy. That was an
encouraging sign to me. I had the good fortune to bring in
five young men to read papers which were homeopathic
papers and which were well received.
After they failed to pass that'resolution, restricting the
freedom of the members in the matter of potencies, they
went home; at least they did not show their face again; not
one of them was present the next day at the Bureau of
Homeopathics. If any one of them should after that, advo¬
cate some new theory we could brand them with the name of
hypocrite. Wherever we affiliate with the lesser clubs, as
was spoken of here, I would make it obligatory for them to
join the American Institute after a certain time. In that
way we could advocate Homeopathy and sustain it in such a
way that those fellows that want the loaves and fishes would
not dare to show their head. I would recommend that our
next meeting be held near the place selected by the Insti-
stitute a few days before their meeting, so that those who
want to attend both meetings may do so without extra ex¬
pense. You will find that they will be slow in introducing
measures that are derogatory to Homeopathy after their re¬
cent experience.
Digitized by ^ooQle
636
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE '
Stuart Close, M. D:—A good old preacher once said in
regard to music, that he did not want the devil to have all
the good music. I am not a member of the American Insti-
eut antd I fail to see how the success of Homeopathy is to be
advanced by pursuing the course marked out by Dr. Nash;
but I have a glimpse from what has been said of a plan by
which Homeopathy may be advanced through its normal
and legitimate representative, the International Hahneman-
nian Association.
If this society stands for anything, it stands for the
Homeopathy of Hahnemann/ Keep this before your minds
first and all the time. It is just twenty-five years since the
contemning of the vital principal of Homeopathy by the
members of the American Institute led to the formation of
this Association. Those principles are just as vital to-day as
they were then, and what led the old war horses of Home¬
opathy to rebel then might well keep us out of the Institute
now. The wisest men that our school has produced decided
twenty five years ago that they could not live in the Insti¬
tute and do their work, and there is no evidence that condi¬
tions have essentially changed since then. In regard to the
smaller societies affiliating with the I. H. A., I think I see
the outline of a plan that will conduce to the good of all
concerned.
President:—The best time to strike is when the iron is
hot. Dr. Close’s remarks are very much to the point. I
suggest that a committee be appointed to formulate the mat¬
ter and report to the association.
H. C. Allen, M. D:—I move that a committee of two,
consisting of Drs. Boger and Close, be and hereby are ap--
pointed to confer with the smaller societies, holding the
same principles as the I. H. A., with the idea of forming
some organic relation with this Association. Carried.
Presidents—Any remarks?
E. B. Nash, M. D:—Dr. Boger will find me one of the
first to: work ior the good of this society, but I think if we
were to get into some relationship with the American Insti*
Digitized by LjOOQle
FALLOW FIELDS.
637
tute, as well as with the smaller societies, we could hold
both in order.
E. P. Hussey, M. D:—I move that a third member in the
person of Dr. Nash be added to that committee.
Stuart Close, M. D:—I have no objection to the appoint¬
ment of a third member, but I do not like to have one not in
sympathy with the object for which this committee has been
proposed. If the idea is to have both sides of this question
presented then the wisest course would be to have two com¬
mittees, one for each side. The two reports could be handed
in and tne Association could then take its choice. But do
not disturb the action of a committee by having a discordant
element in it. I do not want to go into a committee to have
a discussion as to the advisability of doing what the com¬
mittee was appointed expressly to do.
E. B. Nash, M. D.:—In union there is strength; every
man and woman here has a certain amount of influence and
multiply that influence by the number of members here and
what is the result. It does not seem right to me to say that
we can have no influence on the American Institute; or that
pur opposition has no effect on the old school. All the old
school want us to do is to let them alone and they will gob
ble up every position and all the laity that they can. If we
cannot demolish the enemy at least we can weaken them and
show up their weak points, and thus limit their capacity for
doing harm We can put our opponents in the Institute in
such a position that if they bring up any of their obnoxious
principles we can brand them as hypocrites and they cannot
deny it.
During the recent meeting of the Institute, there were at
least a dozen men came to me and the purport of their re¬
marks was the same. It was that there was more Homeo¬
pathy in the American Institute than you dream of. All that
we want is leadership. Such men would come into this
society if they had a chance. I am not in favor of dissolving
or merging this body at all but I am in favor of this body
going into the American Institute as a whole, maintaining
our own by-laws,and our own officers but exerting an in-
Digitized by
Google
638
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
fluence such as it could not exert anywhere else in the world.
After I had been lecturing in the New York college for
a time, students came to me and said that they had never
heard that kind of teaching since the first day that they
entered the roll of students. This is what we are after. If
we can do that in the colleges, we can do it in the Institute.
Julia Loos, M. D.:—The way to gain the respect and the
following of the laity is to stick to your principles. Hahne¬
mann discovered certain principles; he was sure of them and
he stuck to them and the result was that he put forth more
influence than any other man of his time. That is the best
way that we can work individually for the good of Home-
pathy and incidentally for the good of ourselves.
A. E. Austin, M. D.:—If you wanted to see the good that
our members could do in the American Institute you should
have been at the meeting the other day when by a vote of
31 to 20, I think it was, that resolution was permanently put
down. It was one of the most glorious things that 1 ever
saw when Dr. Gilbert turned the tide in the other direction.
All the members of this Association helped those that were
there; they were the ones who won that fight for Homeo¬
pathy and if they had not been there it would have been lost
and the American Institute would have stultified itself be¬
fore the public. That is a specimen of the good work that
this society can do if they only will, in the American Insti¬
tute. This is the strongest society in principles that ever
existed in our school; it need fear no assaults. Let us join
hands with other societies in order to give them our
strength.
One of the reasons that we do not get more assistance
from rich men is because they find whenever they investi¬
gate, alack of harmony in our school. No business man
will have anything to do with a corporation that is not in
harmony, that does not pull in one direction. The best men
that I have ever met in our school, are right here in this
society and what a following they would have if they were
to go cn the floor of the American Institute and fight for the
truth. 1 know rich men who love Homeopathy and are
Digitized by
Google
FALLOW FIELDS.
639
willing to give for it, but I am not going to ask them to give
until we are working together better than at present.
Too many here seem to feel themselves hopeless and
helpless, but they do not know what they can do until they
try. Here in New York a single man Dr. Nash, changed
the whole feeling in one term; changed the whole atmos¬
phere. It was a suprise to everyone who knows about it
that he was able to effect so much in*a single month. I am
willing to give every thing I have and my life too to Homeop¬
athy, but I want to see our school working together against
the common enemy instead of wasting their strength in op¬
posing each other. The cause is too great for local feeling,
too inspiring for personal jealousy; we must get together
and sinking all such feeling, work harmoniously for the
common cause. If we only do that, Homeopathy will be rep¬
resented in every department of the United States. It is
our right and we will get it if we only work together.
President:—It seems to me that we are getting off the
question. The motion before the house is that Drs. Boger
and Close be appointed a committee to consider ways and
means of affiliating smaller societies holding similar princi¬
ples. All in favor of that motion say Aye. Those opposed
No. The ayes have it. The motion is passed.
B. LeB. Bayleis, M. D.:—I move that a committee be
appointed to consider the side of the question, represented
by Dr. Nash and Austin and to present a report to the society.
Seconded. Motion lost.
WHERE THE SIMILIMUM IS SUPREME.
John B. Campbell, M. D., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Some years ago, while discussing Homeopathy in gen¬
eral with a prominent Hahnemannian prescriber, I asked
whether he considered the truly homeopathic cure of fre
quent occurence. He declared that similimun center-shots
were rare. Another physician well versed in Homeopathy
insisted that real homeopathic cures were common.
Digitized by
Google
640
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
To decide the question, a consideration of what is meant
by homeopathic cure appears necessary. By this term is
not meant the relief of acute aches, pains or self-limited ail¬
ments, for many of these disturbances succumb to other
than recognized homeopathic measures; but by homeopathic
cure is meant that alteration of constitutional disposition
absolutely unattainable outside of Homeopathy, This sug¬
gests what we very well know, that every cure whatsoever,
is accomplished by getting in conscious or accidental touch
with the source of the homeopathically curative impulse;
and again, that the curative impulse is always homeopathic.
Certain^phenomena may be dissipated by force directed
according to the law of similars, as when nerve irritation
seeking relief in muscular movement is mitigated by riding
pn a rapidly moving train; or, when stormy, passionate mu¬
sic subdues similar nerve storms in the receptive subject.
But the distinctly homeopathic cure is wrought through
the tangible pellet, powder or solution.
If the second physician mentioned above understood
homeopathic cure to include the relief of various transitory
troubles perhaps remediable by other means, then homeo¬
pathic cures are frequently, and even easily accomplished;
but if by homeopathic cure is meant the relief of a condition
amenable to the similimum but not to any other known means,
the first physician is possibly right and homeopathic cures
may be rare.
Iu a recent London letter to the Medical Record Sir Oliver
Lodge has said: “Certain ideas cannot be made so childishly
simple as to be apprehended by the general average of so-
called educated men **** whose sense perceptions in the
direction of great and comprehensive ideas have not been
developed;” which abbreviated diatribe comprehends admir¬
ably those lop-sided intellects whose conclusions concerning
Homeopathy are based upon half digested premises. Never¬
theless through the conflict between progressive and retro¬
gressive medicine there is being liberated (we might say
potentiated) a spirit which tolerates fewer medical mistakes.
This, the spirit of truth, is to the Hahnemannian most wel-
Digitized by ^ooQle
WHERE THE SIMILIMUM IS SUPREME. 641
come, and is a reality with which medicine of the luture
must reckon. When the essence of Homeopathy has been
so emphasized that thinkers recognize truth in that essence,
much foolish and desultory contention will be at an end
As long as one treads debatable ground by tolerating tnon-
grelism so long will misunderstanding and dispute continue*
Both schools, and in fact, all schools and cults have, from
different sides and for over a hundred years, been chewing
the apple of discord, and on one side only, as yet, has the core
been reached. That core is the similimum, and in every sense
it is worth the contest. Yet, paradoxically enough, the simili-
mum needs no defence. The position it occupies is impreg¬
nable. and its indispensability in ills of the flesh must con¬
tinue as long as man is in the flesh. In view of its great
accomplishments, Homeopathy’s footing will, in the lesser
complaints, be firmly established; so that as a school its fu¬
ture is most bright. (I have refrained from using the
term “Hahnemannian Homeopathy” for although there are
many imitations there is, after all, but one Homeopathy,
and that is Hahnemannian.)
Some of the uninspired doubt the reality of the simili-
mum cure, which is taken to mean a quick return to health.
A homeopathic cure may not always occur with spectacular
suddenness, but it is none the less a cure for seeming slow.
In fact it is quite impossible to accomplish certain genuine
cures in any but a gradual manner, and as compared with
diseases tending deathward, any one will admit that the
slowest cure is exceedingly rapid.
It is folly to insist as do some, that mental suggestion
Accounts for the action of high potencies. No one compre¬
hending the nature and application of these agencies could
confound them. It is true that the process set up by the
homeopathic similimum baffles penetration, but mental sug¬
gestion is not the curative agent, as the administration of
saccharum lactis in cases needing a drug remedy will prove.
In physical disturbance suggestion does piecemeal, if it
does anything at all, what the similimum accomplishes at a
single stroke. It may not be amiss to compare this power-
Digitized by ^ooQle
642
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
ful therapeutic ally with Homeopathy, for it is essentially
an ally and apart from its own field, not a competitor. All
forms of mental suggestion act upon the body through the
mind, hence the name. The homeopathic remedy comes in
CONTACT with the body and acts, as you are well aware,
upon both mind and body. Mind and body in turn act and
re act upon each other, and the homeopathic remedy by its
similarity to the symptoms of both, impresses both. There
is thus imparted to the raird and tissues an impulse directly
concerned in metabolism. Whether this impulse originate
in the brain, the plexuses controlling the efferent nerves,
or be due to cellular mind, is of little consequence so long
as the case be properly “taken” and prescribed for. We
match drug genius against disease genius and the results do
the talking. They cannot fail in the face of a fair chance,
and a chance to be fair should exclude hopelessly prejudicial
conditions and impossible or incurable cases.
The physician who has not yet carefully observed the
similimum at work has an enviable experience in store.
Scant glimpses of the truth fall to the lot of all practition¬
ers, it being assumed that truth is the common goal. Having
passed the stage where all medicine seems little better than
a guessing game, to systematic Hahnemannian practice,
light must one day illumine the mind of the investigator.
What was but darkly visible becomes radiant with new mean¬
ing. Incoherent experiences assume sudden form and vital
significance, and in place of fragmentary evidence there is
revealed in a flash, truth’s complete fabric. Such revelation
means revolution. Enveloped by the great light of convic¬
tion one feels the pressure of new-born incentive. It is
always and increasingly so when truthidiscovers itself in the
soul of man. After witnessing one of similia’s triumphs en¬
deavor is straightway directed toward making every shot
tell for Homeopathy, and flickering belief is replaced by
fixed determination to succeed.
But to “err is human” and we reserve the right to be
human once in a while. After the best effort one may fail to
are, or be tempted to temporarily desert Homeopathy, but
Digitized by
Google
WHERE THE SIMILIMUM IS SUPREME.
643
sooner or later he is fairly certain to be shamed or fright¬
ened back into the fold.
When the ability to cure Homeopathically becomes
possible, achievement closely follows aspiration. Intimacy
with Hahnemannian principles, without which there can be
no great or continued homeopathic success, is eagerly culti¬
vated, and there is a growing sensibility of the fact that one
properly absorbed Hahnemannian aphorism is worth miles
of medical hodge-podge. Acquaintance with Homeopathy
and comparison of its field of usefulness with that of other
healing systems strengthens the impression that its posi¬
tion, because of the similimum, is unique. In a very large
class of serious conditions we combat it has absolutely no
rival. This assertion is made in full view of a number of
highly gratifying and some astounding results under drug¬
less treatment, effected by myself; yet the conclusion «is un¬
avoidable that all healing systems will ultimately be driven
to acknowledge the singular curative virtue residing in the
tangible homeopathic remedy. It does not cover the ground
to say that Homeopathy is milder than Allopathy; that it
has modified the bolus and clyster of ancient memory.
These vacuous inflictions indicate lack of information, and
in the eyes of the world represent Homeopathy as possessed
of what are at best but negative merits. If the positive,
individualized character of the similimum be emphasized,
the incidental advantages will swing into line.
Relative to the frequency of the Homeopathic cure is
the matter of remedy. As numerous as are the proven
remedies, failure to cure must occasionally be attributed to
want of medicines adapted to the peculiar needs of extraor¬
dinary cases. The increasing complexity of miasmatic
ebullition may demand, if we are to find the similimum, a
remedy having unusual nicety of application,for inexorable
law is decimating the ranks of unfortunates poisoned by
vaccination, venereal diseases, vicious treatment and en¬
vironment, and until nature annihilates these derelicts with
their multitudinous afflictions, they will continue to make
difficult, if not impossible, the selection of the similimum.
Digitized by
Google
644
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Dr. Carroll Dunham, properly classified Hygiene and
Dietetics as “general measures,” to be observed as a mat¬
ter of course; but no general measure, important though it
be in maintaining health, can, in certain disease conditions
supplant the similimum delivering its message of specific
salvation through Buirs-Eye Homeopathy. Treatment of
disease under any system is supposed to include a know¬
ledge of physiologic and hygienic requirements, yet, in
drugless practice we note now and then, negligence in this
particular with consequent failure. How much have gen¬
eral measures, by the way, to do with Homeopathy’s suc¬
cess? In some cases very little, for the similimum which is a
specific, and not a general measure, time and again ploughs its
way through filth as effectively as it overcomes other impedi¬
ments. We see by Psorinum in the case of the dirty patient
that Homeopathy has the power to rectify much without
aid. The Psorinum does not wash the patient’s face, but it
does infinitely more; it makes him WANT to wash his
face.
Along a somewhat different line it seems pertinent to
consider certain improvement which although hardly radi
cal, results in a state as near health as any of which the pa¬
tient interested may be capable. In this, and similar con¬
ditions, careful homeopathic prescribing may render in¬
valuable service by passing the organism along to a higher
grade of being, as specific aid is needed to turn the vital pro¬
cesses healthward. Here relief through the appropriate
remedy, which only Homeopathy can determine to a cer¬
tainty, will save time aud energy. Although such aid is
important, it can not always be said to end in cure. If, how¬
ever, the organism is denied the remedy which it has need¬
ed throughout a long series of pathological changes, the pa¬
tient may be “bound in shallows and in miseries” remediable
only in the distant future, if at all. This raises the question
as to whether in scoring Homeopathy’s successes, we are to
consider the radical cure deserving of most attention. As
before observed, it may be important to pass the patient on
to a somewhat higher physical or mental plane. Such
Digitized by
Google
WHERE THE SIMILIMUM IS SUPREME. 645
could not be considered a radical cure, but rather a meta¬
morphosis. It illustrates, nevertheless, one of the pro¬
foundly serviceable applications of Homeopathy, and as it
alters to an appreciable extent the disposition and the physi¬
cal effect of the disposition, we could well term it a limited
cure.
The position occupied by the prescription based on the
classified symptoms of the patient, “taken” and prescribed
upon according to Hahnemannian philosophy, is sharply de¬
fined. In a number of conditions its peculiar efficacy is un¬
approachable, hence in those conditions it has no competi¬
tors. AS A SCIENTIFIC PROPOSITION IN MEDICINE
IT HAS THE FIELD TO ITSELF. To investigate it intel¬
ligently is to become its advocate. Those uninitiated may
regard Homeopathy as of doubtful utility, but a signal hom¬
eopathic cure arfnihilates opposition.
There appear to be two classes of cures, the “zig-zags”
and the center-shots. Both well represent Hahnemannian
practice, as proven by the symptomatic sequence, hence are
homeopathic cures. But where the zig-zags are often debat¬
able, the center-shots are not. That is to say: the zig-zag
cure, especially in conditions not immediately ominous, can
perhaps be effected by recourse to other than homeopathic
therapeutics, but the vital center-shot never. It is in a
class by itself, and unchallengeable. Reference is not
made here to the similarity which every remedy, in what¬
ever degree indicated, must bear* to each stage of disease
manifestation. That is too well known to require touching
upon. Attention is drawn rather to the grand similimum be¬
fore which all symptoms, acute and chronic, small and great
go down like a house of cards. This is the paragon of
similia’s power.
To impress upon any mind the supremacy of Homeo¬
pathy, we must demonstrate its central idea. If we are to
show that Homeopathy has what exists in no other system,
we must emphasize the fact that this central idea is the
similimum. We must show that Hahnemanniaq philosophy
gathers up the loose ends of symptomatic facts which would
Digitized by ^ooQle
646
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
otherwise be lost, binds them together scientifically, and
upon the premises so constructed erects a prescription free
from conjecture.
As the years roll by, with Homeopathy still in the van,
we are impelled to analyze its vogue which continues
contemporaneously with many recently discovered
subtle and resourceful systems. But the most relentless
scrutiny only reveals the fact that there are features about
the homeopathic cure which elsewhere have no counterpart.
These are times when we are frequently compelled to dis¬
cuss and compare the results of other modern therapeutic
methods with those of Homeopathy. Right here is the chance
for decisive argument, for weconnot too emphatically direct
attention to the .fact that in the sphere where it is supreme,
the similimum produces results that no modern method
is able to approach. This sphere of. application is
hardly within human comprehension. We imagine we have
defined its limits when by some mistake of our own Homeo¬
pathy is thought to have failed. But by renewed experience
and advancing viewpoint we see that the vastness of similia
is as that of the universe. Perhaps what we called failure
was due to unreasonable expectation; a looking in the wrong
direction for developments. It is true that failure to cure
is sometimes due to fault in prescribing;or it may be that
similia has not been rightly apprehended. The familiar
state under Nux vomica in which the patient “cannot bear
the least, even suitable medicine’’ obviously contraindicates
all medicine, or else the condition is iilogically presented.
In a case of such exquisite irritability similia may be applied
psychologically with adherence to Hahnemannian principles,
for Hahnemann recognized therapeutic suggestion as psychic
Homeopathy. In the “Review of Physic” by examples of
the homeopathicity of frozen sauerkruati to frostbite, warmth
to burns and brandy in overheated conditions, Hahnemann
clearly pointa_ont--that similia is not confined to bottles.
'These instances indicate the more physical phase of this
curative principle
The infinitude of similia implies infinite curative re-
Digitized by ^ooQle
WHERE THE SIMILIMUM IS SUPREME.
647
sources but many failures are certainly due to choice of
means without sufficient regard for similarity of remedy
and disease. That is, the remedy does not approximate the
disturbance on the plane of its expression. It would be
futile, for instance, to mechanically give Ignatia for grief.
On a higher plane sympathy (and the word is strongly
homeopathic) would, in the beginning, operate more satis¬
factorily. Then for the results, Ignatia, or perhsps anoth¬
er remedy, would follow admirably. Just so in frostbite.
On the plane of invasion, frozen sauerkraut as Hahnemann
suggests, would be more efficacious than Agaricus, Pulsat¬
illa etc. which operate on an advanced plane. The relation
between sympathy and sauerkraut appears to be rather
strained until it is seen that each, under similia has an
equally important therapeutic application. How strikingly
homeopathic is Hahnemann’s suggestion to treat the insane
with tactfu}, even sympathetic consideration, which in many
similar instances prepares the way for homeopathic success.
Relative homeopathicity accounts for a large percent¬
age of allopathic results. By this partial relation to
disease, drugs may relieve suffering, or by lopping off symp¬
toms may spoil the case. If a remedy does not remodel the
case throughout by properly changing the disposition and its
effect on the body, it can not claim serious attention. In
short, the genuine cure is altogether a matter of beginning at
the inside and working out,and whatever remedy or measure
can take hold of the innermost man and work out the salva¬
tion of that man from the ego to the skin, can lay unassail¬
able claim to homeopathicity. The similimum starts at the
man himself, and this is the standard of progress. The
course of its selection proves the similimum to be strictly
within the realm of science, therefore, in a medical sense it
is peerless.
Homeopathy is either true or it is not. Because it is
true, it will never be usurped by any other curative
phase of truth for we cannot supplant one truth with anoth¬
er. The eternal verities are not at variance.
The degree of comprehension of similia compels corres-
Digitized by ^ooQle
648
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
ponding excellence in practice, for we demonstrate Homeo¬
pathy more completely as our ideal advances no less than by
the toil necessary in the pursuance of homeopathic perfec-
tion;and through progressive recognition of similia we appr©
hend the distinctly homeopathic cure with greater ease,
hence realize it with increasing frequency.
Discussion. —E. B. Nash, M. D.—If I should be ap¬
pointed to write a paper on any subject, I would like to en¬
gage Dr. Campbell to write it for me, for then I know it
would be clearly expressed. I will only speak of one point;
he mentions the zigzag course of treatment, and I want to say
that sometimes that course is necessary and for a very sim¬
ple reason. When we find the similimum we do not have to
zigzag. But suppose the simiMmum does not exist, or has not
been found. There are many cases which have a combina¬
tion of symptoms for which the similimum is-not known.
What would Hahnemann have done with a Cactus case or a
Gelsemium case? He could have done nothing e]se than zig¬
zag such cases back to health. Neither Cactus nor Gelsemi¬
um were proved in his day. It is the only way that a case
can be cured when the'similimum is not known. I make this
point particularly for the benefit of the younger men, who
are apt to get discouraged if they cannot find the similimum
and then think they cannot cure their cases.
W. L. Morgan, M, D.—I have found many cases of
chronic disease that resisted the action of what I was sure
was the proper remedy; they did not get along well until I
had selected a remedy for some acute symptoms that did
not belong to the chronic state. Then after a short time I
would give the same remedy for the chronic state and it
would yield. I started in to treat an old lady who had had,
for many years, a chronic diarrhea which plainly needed
Sulphur. Yet Sulphur did not seem to do any good. On re¬
examination I found acute symptoms indicating Arnica.
She had been under one of the best homeopathic physicians
in the world for a long time and had undoubtedly received
Sulphur, but nothing seemed to do her good. After taking
Digitized by ^ooQle
DISCUSSION.
649
the Arnica m. for four days, those symptoms disappeared
and then Sulphur in a high potency cured the diarrhea
-completely for two years; then it returned while she was in
another city and the most eminent physicians there failed to
-cure her. One of them wrote to me and I sent him a copy of
the treatment that I had given her. She came back to me
and I found «Sulphur symptoms again, but it failed. Now I
found Phosphorus indicated. It cleared up the acute symp¬
toms and Sulphur again completed the cure.
H. C. Allen, M. D.—Sulphur cannot remove symptoms
that call for Arnica or Phosphorus, and I think Dr. Morgan
zigzagged that cure. It was neither a Sulphur nor an
Arnica case. If you will study Pyrogen you will find
that it covers both sets of symptoms. It has almost the
same soreness of the tissues that Arnica has. We used to
zigzag or make many cures with Belladonna and Mercurius
because it was the best that we could do, until Apis was
proved. The Organon says that we are to select the rem¬
edy provided we can find the symptoms in the list of rem¬
edies that have been proved. Since that time we have en¬
riched the Materia Medica by several hundred remedies,
but the same proviso still applies.
E. E. Case, M. D.—Is it possible, where we have a case
of chronic disease with a drug disease added to it from al¬
lopathic treatment, to cure such a case with one remedy ?
In other words, is it possible to find a similimum for such a
complex of symptoms ? I do not think so.
I am loath to take the time of the Association, but
I will relate a case that may prove of interest and benefit.
The patient had been bed ridden for twenty years; she
came under my care seven years ago. There was a great
weakness of the heart ;could scarcely moi€ without fainting.
It was probably a Calcarea case in the beginning but Cal-
carea then would do nothing for her. I prescribed carefully
and followed the case up faithfully, but with no result. I
then took another course; I prescribed for the most recent
symptoms, the more acute ones; in that way I began to gain
.slowly. This was a very intelligent patient and with ac-
Digitized by ^ooQle
650
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
cess to our best literature she became better versed iu the*
philosophy of our art than I was myself. After some time
and while still under my treatment,appendicitis came on;her
condition was certainly desperate and I was in doubt as to-
the wisest course. She recovered without operation or
setback and is now in better condition than she has been
for years; now medicines act. Calcarea was indicated and
acted and later Lycopodium was indicated and did the work.
Data Obtained by the Examination of the Digestive System.
Maxmilian Kuznik, M. D., Chicago.
THE LIPS.
Malformations: Harelip; stenosis usually due to congenital
syphilis or burns; rhagades are suggestive of con¬
genital syphilis.
Size: Large, thick, rather moist: frequently denotes a tend¬
ency to alcoholism and sexual excesses.
Small, thin, rather dry: Tendency to digestive distur¬
bances due to non-assimilation.
Coarse, thick, parted: Suggestive oi myxedema and
cretenism.
Color: Red, plethora, pseudo plethora of hyphemia and
hectic fever.
Pale: Hyphemia, lack of general glandular action especi~
ally of the digestive system.
Alternating: Hyphemia, hectic fever, neurasthenia.
Bluish: Cyanosis, hyphemia, subnormal temperature,,
cold.
Capilliary pulse: Suggests aortic regurgitation, pro¬
longed hyphemia, hemorrhage.
Open lips: May be suggestive of idiocy, insanity, profound
relaxation and paralysis.
Obstruction to respiration: See chapter on dyspnea.
Trembling: Emotional disturbances, neurasthenia, palsy.
Lateral deviation: Suggests palsy, loss of teeth, contrac¬
tion by scars.
Affections:
Inflamations due to clean or infected wounds directly or
Digitized by ^ooQle
EXAMINATION OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS.
651
through contiguity of tissues. Corrosive poisons
taken by mouth.
Herpes: Suggestive of acute coryza, pneumonia and any
febrile condition in general.
Wounds: Bitten lips are suggestive of epilepsy.
Macrocheilia is due to hypertrophy and lymphedema,
the lips may be hard or wrinkled and baggy.
Angiomata or nevi.
Retention cysts of labial glands.
Angioneurotic edema, a periodical uniform edematous
swelling minus inflamatory reaction.
Abscess and carbuncle.
Mucous patches: Usually on interior of lower lip or as
fissures at angle.
Chancre; Either a single small ulcer with an indurated
base or it may be extensively indurated and infiltrated
Submental or submaxillary glands enlarged. The one
nearest the lesion first.
Epithelioma: The great majority are found on lower lip
near the angle. Usually in the male and after thirty,
sometimes before. Ulcer is irregular, has a tendency
to spread and become partly covered by a scab. Sub-
mental and submaxillary glands become involved
rather late.
GUMS.
Color: Pale is indicative of general hyphemia.
Red diffuse: Gingivitis.
Red along margin: Uncleanliness, tartar, pyorrhea
alveolaris, also generally in any cachectic condition.
Spongy, bleeding or ulcerated: Mercuncal stomatitis,
scurvy, purpura, phosphorus poisoning, digestive
disturbances, diabetes, the hyphemias, mercurial
fillings in very susceptible individuals.
Bluish line: Lead poisoning.
Bluish-green: Copper poisoning.
Red or blue: Mercurial stomatitis.
Purple: Scurvy and purpura.
Hypertrophy: Congenital or occuring in elderly individuals
Digitized by ^ooQle
652
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
Fibroma: Easily bleedin'g, sessile or pedunculated.
Papillomata: Soft tumor growing from the papillae of
mucosa.
Granulomata: Have a fungoid appearance springing either
from the pulp or the lining of the alveolus.
Angiomata: Usually in children found mostly on upper
gums.
Epitheliomata: Rarely primarily but secondary to epithe¬
lioma of the lips or cheek.
Sarcomata: Springs usually from the buccal surface of the
gums. Occurs in persons of middle age. It may be
hard or soft according to the amount of fibrous tissue.
May be sessile or pedunculated.
Pyorrhea alveolaris a progressive destruction of the dental
alveoli with suppuration and consequent death of the
teeth, which become loose and fall out.
Periostitis: alveolaris.
Alveolar abscess usually due to uncleanliness and infection
through a decayed tooth.
THE TEETH.
Malformations:
There may be no teeth or supernumerary teeth. Separa¬
tion of the central incisors may be due to “thumb
sucking,” or in adults to the accumulation of tartar.
An abnormal enlargement occurs usually in the inci¬
sors and molars.
Recession of the gums. Fracture and dislocation.
Caries: Gastro-intestinal disturbances, ill health, pregnancy,
bacteria?
Necrosis: Syphilis, mercury, scorbutis.
Erosion suggests syphilis.
Keep in mind odontomatous growth springing from any of
the tissues making up the tooth. Odontalgia.
Hemorrhage after extraction.
Sordes is an accumulation of fetid material along the teeth
and gums, found in conditions of extreme prostration
usually in the course of febrile diseases.
Eruption of the teeth.
Digitized by ^ooQle
EXAMINATION OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS.
653
The lower generally precede the upper. The central
incisors are the first to appear about the seventh
month, the second molars the last, about the twenty-
fifth month.
Child of one year: Six incisors.
Child of one and one-half years: Eight incisors and four
anterior molars.
Child of two years: The above plus four canine.
Child of two and one-half years: The above plus second
molars.
The permanent teeth appear about the sixth year, the
the first molars appear first, the last molars last.
First molars: 6th year.
Incisors: 8th. year.
Bicuspid: 10th. year.
Canines: 12th. year.
Second molars: 14th. year.
Third molar: 16th., 25th., or later.
General symptoms accompanying the eruption of the teeth
in the child.
Malaise, anorexia, pain, swelling, constipation, diarrhea,
gastro-intestinal troubles, fever, convulsions, trismus.
Trismus, pain, swelling of the cheek; fever may ac¬
company the eruption of the third molar or wisdom
tooth.
Grinding of the teeth is indicative of neurasthenia, incipient
nervous lesions, especially in children, gastro intes¬
tinal disturbances and worms.
Early dentition suggests a predisposition to tuberculosis
and hereditary syphilis.
Late dentition is indicative of cretenism, rhachitis, general
malnutrition.
Notched and irregularly situated teeth are suggestive of
hereditary syphilis (Hutchinson’s teeth.)
Dentated teeth frequently indicate general maJnutiition and
rhachitis.
Loose teeth may be due to pyorrhea alveolaris, mercury and
Digitized by LjOOQle
654
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
the various pathological conditions of the mouth and
gums.
THE TONGUE.
Manner of protruding and impairment of motion.
Deviation to one side suggests paralysis of one side.
Inability to protrude tongue: Bilateral paralysis, adynamic
stages of diseases, feigning disease.
Paralyses accompanied by atrophy are due to nuclear or
lesions of the lower neurons passing from the nucleus
to the periphery. Paralyses without atrophy are
due to lesions of the upper neurons, they are supra-
neuclear.
Lesions producing paralysis with or without atrophy:
Hemiplegia: Usually unilateral paralysis without
atrophy.
Pseudo bulbar paralysis: Due to a' symmetrical lesion in
cortex, very rare.
Paralysis plus more or less atrophy : Bulbar paralysis, gen¬
eral paralysis, progressive muscular atrophy, lead,
tumors of the brain or upper cord, direct lesions of
the twelfth nerve or lesions pressing upon the nerve
especially at its exit from the cranium, embolism and
thrombosis, meningitis, syphilis, last stages of loco¬
motor ataxia. _
Fine tremor suggests: Exophthalmic goitre, multiple
sclerosis, bulbar and general paralysis, neurasthenia
emotional disturbances.
Coarse tremor suggests paralysis agitans, bromism, alcoho¬
lism, adynamic conditions in general.
Spasms of the tongue may be due in general to emotional
disturbances in neurotic individuals, to melancholia
to local or general paralysis, to hypoglossal
irritation, chorea, epilepsy, hysteria, myotonia con¬
genita (speakers cramp).
Color and discolorations.
White: Ammonia, carbolic, sulphuric, oxalic acids, mer¬
curic chlorid.
Pale: Hyphemia. Bluish: Cyanosis.
Digitized by ^ooQle
EXAMINATION OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 655
Red: Scarlatina, glossitis, nitrate of mercury, sodium and
potassium hpdroxid, sepsis.
Dark reddish: Suggestive of adynamic stages and the
ingestion of fruits or wine, etc.
Black: Nigrities, a rare affection of the tongue due to
parasitic origin. Charcoal, bishmuth, iron,etc.
Yellow: Jaundice, nitric acid, chromic acid,etc.
Dark yellow or brown: Licorice, rhubarb, chocolate,
tobacco, tincture opium, etc.
Dark discolorations may be due to Addison’s disease, old
inflammations of the tongue.
Yellowish spots especially along the edges are called
xanthelasma and occur in hepatic disturbances, jaun¬
dice and chronic constipation.
Petechim and ecchymoses occure in purpura, adynamic and
the last stages of malignant or hemorrhagic types of
fevers.
Hemorrhagic infarcts are sometimes seen 9specially at the
tip of the tongue.
THE COATING OE FURRING OF THE TONGUE,
A slight whitish or yellowish coating is indicative of cat¬
arrhal conditions of the nose and catarrahal affections
of the pharynx, tonsils, gastro-intestinal catarrh
and affections of the stomach and intestines in general.
A more or less pronounced whitish or yellowish fur is
seen in the various forms of stomatitis.
in a general way the more pronounced the coating, the
more pronounced is the causative factor.
A narrow, heavily coated tongue, with raw edges and
tip, is indicative of asthenic conditions especially ty¬
phoid, in which it later on becomes dry, brown and
Assured.
The strawberry tongue has a fur through which are pro¬
jecting the papill®. It is seen typically in scarlatina
but may occur in any of the acute fevers and in Bella¬
donna or Carbolic acid poisoning. The raspberry
tongue is the strawberry tongue minus its fur.
Digitized by ^ooQle
656
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Unilateral coating is observed in paralysis and neural¬
gia-
Localized furring in local irritations and inflammations-
A White fur may be produced by milk diet.
Size. Smaller: Bi* or unilateral atrophy (see above); pro¬
fuse hemorrhages; in the last stages of typhoid fever.
Larger: Venous obstruction, glossitis, diseases of the
mouth, actinomycosis, myxedema, acromegally, true
hypertrophy or macroglossia a congenital hypertro¬
phy due to lymphatic obstruction.
Tbe tongue is moderately enlarged in hyphemic condi¬
tions, in asthenic fevers and gastro intestinal catarrh.
Most important miscellaneous affections.
Fissures and ulcers may be indicative of general bad
health and malnutrition, stomatitis, tuberculosis, and
syphilis (see below), chronic glossitis, diabetes, ery¬
sipelas, chronic hepatic and gastro-intestinal dis¬
orders,
Scars will suggest healed ulcers, epilepsy, accidental
wounds and healed glossitis.
Malformations: The two most common being the short¬
ened frenum or “tongue tie” and the adherent tongue
due to the growing of the mucosa of the tongue to the
floor of the mouth.
Inflammations: Acute glossitis. A uni- or bilateral inflam¬
mation of the tongue due to cold wounds, infection,,
bites and insect stings, corrosive poisons and mercury►
Chronic glossitis. A superficial inflammation character¬
ized by fissures or smooth, hardened patches due to
spices, tobacco, alcohol and miscellaneous irritants.
Stomatitis dessicans is characterized by the formation of
fissures at the bottom of which frequently ulcers are
found. The tongue frequently shrinks and becomes
dry.
Smokers patch is usually situated at the dorsum of the
tongue near the tip, it is slightly elevated, rather
smooth, somewhat reddish or yellow.
Leucoplakia, leucokeratitis, ichthyosis, leucoma, Usu-
Digitized by ^ooQle
EXAMINATION OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 657
ally situated along the sides of the tongue, also along
buccal surface of cheeks. It is produced by thick¬
ened epithelium and constitutes slightly elevated,
smooth and whitish patches.
Eczema or psoriasis of the tongue is characterized by
ring-shaped patches of denuded epithelium spreading
at the periphery and healing at the centre. Some of
the epithelium undergoes thickening. This affection
is recurrent and occurs mostly in children. The
patches are usually red and frequently itch. This af¬
fection is also known as the geographical tongue or
wandering rash or annulus migrans.
Syphilis may manifest itself in the tongue as the chan¬
cre, mucous patches, gummata, ulcers and fissures.
Chancre: Manifests itself as an ulcer, coming on rather
rapidly, situated usually upon the dorsum of the
tongue near the tip. There may be the characteris¬
tic induration or not. It may simulate a fissure. The
glandular involvement occurs early.
Gummata: A slowly growing nodule or tubercle, painless
and as ulceration sets in spreads rather rapidly. The
glands are usually not involved.
Tuberculosis usually appears as a superficial ulcer with
little induration. There is little pain, it grows slow¬
ly and the glands are usually not involved. It may
get covered with a false membrane.
Carcinoma occurs in smokers as a rule from forty to six¬
ty-five. It is usually situated along the side of the
tongue and its anterior half. It presents an ulcerated
ragged and excoriated surface. The lymphatics be¬
come involved early.
Nodes in the tongue are always tubercular or syphilitic.
The eruptions of variola, measles, erysipelas, are seen
on the tongue.
Other conditions to be kept in mind are the various tu¬
mors and cysts especially dermoid cy6ts, mucous and
blood cysts, ranula, the cysts of the echinococcus and
cyticercu6 cellulosae, herpes and aphthous ulcers.
Digitized by ^ooQle
§58
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Parasitic disease, especially thrush.
THE BREATH.
A moderately bad breath is noticed in all febrile condi¬
tions, various conditions of the mouth, rhinitis, tone-
sillitis, gastro-intestinal disturbances, constipation
uncleanliness, bad fitting crowns or artificialteeth.
A foul breath may be produced by the above mentioned
conditions, caries of teeth, necrosis of jaw, secretions
in the tonsils and miscellaneous affections of the buc¬
cal and pharyngeal cavities.
The “fetor oris” is due usually to ozena, cancer, gan¬
grene, pus cavity in the lungs communicating with a
bronchus, pulmonary actinomycosis.
The fruity breath suggests diabetes.
The urinous breath suggests uremia.
The ingestion of the following substances will produce
their peculiar odor: Hydrocyanic acid, phosphorus,
opium, mercury, alcohol, ether, chloroform, garlic,
onions, etc..
Lymphatic Aneemia (Hodgkin’s Disease.)
IODIDE OF ARSENIC.
E. V. Ross, M. D., Rochester, N. Y.
At the last meeting of the I. H. A. that ever genial
gentleman, Dr. J. B. S. King reported two cases of
Hodgkin’s Disease as having been cured with the Iodide of
Arsenic 30th, and although the guiding symptoms on which
the prescription was based, were unfortunately, not given,
one can readily see the similitude upon looking over the
pathogenesis of Arsenic.
This is fairly proven by the article of Dr. W. Broad-
bent, Hodgkin’s Disease and arsenical Poisoning as • given
in the British Medical Journal for May 16th, 1903; p. 1140.
Dr. Broadbent cites a case that was greatly benefited by the
administration of Arsenic. There was entire dissappearance
of. the glandular enlargements,with marked improvement in
the general health of the patient. He also mentions cases
of arsenical poisoning, calling attention to the great simi-
Digitized by LjOOQle
ASTHMA OF HORSES.
659
larity of these cases to Hodgkin’s Disease and cites other
writers to this effect. In fact the symptoms both objective
and subjective were so nearly identical that it was a
question with Dr. Broadbent if many of the cases reported
as Hodgkin’s Disease were not in reality cases of chronic
arsenical poisoning,
Extraordinary results in this respect have followed the
administration of Arsenic, and even recoveries have been
reported, says Tyson in his Practice of Medicine article on
Hodgkin’s Disease. Strange that such eminent physicians
of the old school who pride themselves on their acuteness
of observation should fail to see or recognize the natural
law of similars. Among the pathogenetic effects of
Arsenic as given in Dr. Broadbent’s article, is the following:
“Intense burning in the feet,chiefly in the soles;worse from
heat or warmth, must put them out from under the bed¬
clothes to cool them off.”
Asthma of Horses: Iodine.
By W. H. Freeman, M. D., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Heaves, Mare, 14 years old:—The condition has been
palliated and suppressed for months by oil of tar and other
drugs used by veterinarians and stable men.
On July 1st she gave out entirely. She was now sent
out to pasture but at the end of a month the farmer refused
1o keep her longer, “not wishing her to die on his place.”
It took the man nearly all day to bring her in.
Before shooting, I decided to try for the similimm again
though I had failed previously^ The following symptoms
were noted:
Stupid, dull, lying stretched out most of the time,
seemingly too weak to stand very long.
Very labored respiration, rapid and accompanied by
rapid wing motion of alae.
Kent. 389, Ant. tart., Brom., Iod., Lye., Sulphe.
Always< warm, wet weather,Kent.1340,Iod.only one of
:above.
Digitized by ^ooQle
660
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
Varacious appetite, with distension and flaius^
Drinks but little.
Cough dry and hacking <when in stable.
Respiratory sound, sawing, wheezing, harsh.
Retraction of interspaces of flanks during inspiration-
led. 56 tn., 1 dose. Has been repeated occasionally since.
I have been using her every day since September 1st.
and she gives no sign of her old trouble. Her wind is all
right now. Much to the surprise of the stable men and
some others.
He Lost His Bet.
A recent issue of the New York Herald contains the fol-
lowing incident:
A German druggist once bet $50 that he could take a certain Dum¬
ber of doses of it every day for a month, reasoning that in that time he
would not take as much salt as could be held on the extreme point of a
delicate penknife; but he did not calculate on the “power” o f the
dynamic homeopathic dose. Before the month was half passed he will-
ingly paid the bet. He had made a “proving’ , of Natrum muriaticum
and did not like it.
Natrum muriaticum, a homeopathic remedy, is common
table salt, a fact well known to every homeopath. It is
also one of the best known illustrations of the wonderful
power of dynamization, where the choride of sodium is so
generally used in our dietary at every meal, and yet when
potentized and given in its dynamic form, even to the daily
user of the crude drug, its effects are very pronounced.
Watzke and his Austrian provers held the same opin¬
ion of the dynamic power of Natrum muriaticum, the symp¬
toms of which Hahnemann had published, and in order to*
demonstrate that the provings of Hahnemann were mythi¬
cal. they instituted provings on thems Ives with various
preparations from massive doses of the crude drug to the
thirtieth potency—and after two or three years of hard
work and careful observation, they not only verified Hah¬
nemann's original observations, but gave us the best
contributions the school has over had to the pithogenesy of
Na trum. Our druggists had better be certain that the gum
is not loaded before they attempt to use it.
Digitized by ^ooQle
The Medical Advance
AND
JOURNAL OF HOMEOPATHICS
A Monthly Journal of Hahnemannian Homeopathy
When we have to do with an art whose end is the saving of human life any neglect to make
ourselves thorough misters of it becomes a crime.—H ahnemann.
Subscription Price .... Two Dollars a Year
We believe that Homeopathy, well understood and faithfully practiced, has power
to save more lives and relieve more pain than any other method of treatment ever invented
or discovered by man; but to be a first-class homeopathic prescriber requires careful study
of both patient and remedy. Yet by patient care it can be made a little plainer and
easier than it now is. To explain and define and in all practical ways simplify it is our
cfcosen work. In this good work we ask your help.
Further details will be found in the Publisher’s Corner.
To accommodate both readers and publisher this journal will be sent until arrears
are paid and it is ordered discontinued.
Communications regarding Subscriptions and Advertisements may be sent to the
publisher, The Forrest Press, Batavia, Illinois.
Contributions, Exchanges, Books for Review, and all other communications should
be addressed to the Editor, 5142 Washington Avenue, Chicago.
NOVEMBER, 1904
JEMtorial
The Single Remedy In Old School Practice.
In the Illinois Medical Journal for November is an arti¬
cle by Dr. Wm.F. Waugh of Chicago on “ Prescriptions vs.
Single Remedies,’’ in which those homeopaths who are in¬
clined to alternate or mix their remedies or use the combin¬
ation tablet may find something of interest. It is written
in the interest of the active principles or alkaloids, but at
the same time the*author urges “the selection of the single
remedies for single indications, 5 ' and adds:
Digitized by VjOOQle
662
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
To give two or more medicines for a single indication would need¬
lessly complicate matters, obscure their result, and hark back to the^
old, idle, vicious system of giving a number of remedies in hope that
some one among them might happen to meet the true indications which
is not really recognized but only guessed at by the prescriber.
The most popular work on therapeutics is that which contains most
prescriptions. The pocket case records are padded with prescriptions
that th s practician may turn to them and select a formula that he
guesses may fit the case, trusting neither his own knowledge nor his
memory. Possibly some retentive memory may hold the formulas for
brown mixture, compound cathartic pills and chlorodyne, but the writ¬
er does not believe one physician out of ten thousand who daily pre¬
scribe these can give the .formulas and tell what indications exists for
each of the ingredients, and how to ascertain whether the effect of each
has been secured, and just enough of the desired effect and no more.
We congratulate Dr. Waugh on his therapeutic pro¬
gress. In his advocation of the use of the single remedy and
of the inability of the practitioner to know the possible
action of compound prescriptions when he does not even
know the action of any of its ingredients' is just the moun¬
tain which Hahnemann encountered over one hundred yeara
ago. Read his scathing criticism of his school and its
therapeutics in the introduction to the Organon and the
Lesser Writings and it will not require very much study U>
see that Dr. Waugh has either done some hard thinking or
s ome good reading.
If the practician will learn the effect of each remedy singly, so that
he can thus recognize it when manifested, he will be an accomplished
therapeutist, far above the ordinary physician. He will not allow a pa¬
tient in a hospital, under trained nu-rses, to die of strychnine poison and
never suspect it until the victim is b uried. He will at once distinguish
between the phenomena attributabe to the disease and those due to
any drug that may have been taken. And this does not seem too much
to a9k of the man who has the lives of the sick in his hands.
Here again Dr. Waugh, apparently, sees the light of a
better way, at least a more scientific way, and he must
reach the goal through the same course followed by Hahne¬
mann if he reaches it at all.
The effects of each remedy singly can only be known
by testing the remedy on the healthy. Up to the time of
Hahnemann, no man in the history of medicine even thought
of so simple a method of ascertaining the pure effects of
Digitized by <^.ooQle
EDITORIAL
663
drugs, and when he once decided that it was the only way
by which we may know the positive action of the single
remedy, he did not hesitate to commence proving, or test¬
ing remedies upon himself and his friends. In this way he
erected the homeopathic Materia Medica Pura, and the ad¬
ditions made to our armamentarium by his colleagues and
his followers have given us the Homeopathic Materia Medica
of today. Each remedy is proven on the healthy, and if Dr.
Waugh, and his colleagues will either begin the work of
proving the alkaloidal remedies on the healthy, or take
the Homeopathic Materia Medica as their guide for the
selection of the single remedy, they will very soon find
themselves in a new land, a new world with therapeutic
possibilities hitherto never dreamed of, within their grasp.
And in the making of these tests perhaps they may recog¬
nize the fact that there is natural law in therapeuties.
DR. NICHOLAS SENN
Has resigned the chair of surgery at Rush Medical
College in the University of Chicago, to take effect 4i when
it becomes convenient.” In tendering his resignation, after
so many years of exceptional good college work, it is to be
regretted that he feels compelled to take this course. The
reason he gives might be a legitimate reason given by many
of our best teachers in all schools of medicine, for he says:
“I have been neglecting my private patients for fourteen
years, and I think it is about time I devoted some time to
them.” This is perhaps true of every college man as well
as Dr. Senn, and where a surgeon is so well equipped for a
teacher of surgery, it seems a great pity that he should
feel compelled to resign his position. The resignation has
not yet been accepted by the university trustees, and for the
sake of the profession we trust it will not be, and that Dr.
Senn may be induced to reconsider his determination; for
the profession, in Chicago at least, can ill afford to be de¬
prived of his services, #
Digitized by LjOOQle
COMMENT AND CRITICISM.
The Anamnesis of a Case.
Editor Medical Advance:—
‘ *1 come to you for a little help in a difficult problem . I
have a case that would mean much to me if I could cure, and
I do not know of any one vvhose prescriptions I should value
higher than yours. Here are some of the leading symptoms,
and if you can suggest a remedy that will cure the case, I
shall be much pleased.
A young woman, aged 22,tall,dark hair, yellow complexion,nervous,
especially during menstrual period. For a number of years her men¬
strual function has been regular as to time, but long continued, too
free, and dark and clotted for two or three days.
Pain is almost entirely in the lower abdomen, and on outside of lef fc
thigh.—no pain worth mentioning in back or pelvicx region,—but it is
very severe and almost unbearable making her intensely nervous.
Last period continued eleven days. The bowels are regular and she
has no other aliments that I can discover; no leucorrhea or rectal trouble
no tenderness of abdomen, but the anterior part of thigh is very sensi¬
tive for sevaral days after the period.
I know this is a meagre description on which to prescribe, but
possibly you can suggest the right remedy.
Comment:—This is a fair sample of many cases which
we meet in every day practice,and is one of the best illustra¬
tions to be found of the wisdom of Hahnemann’s advice in
taking the anamnesis. While he has given a very fine il*
lustration of the symptomatology of the disease, the doctor
has failed to give us the characteristics of the patient. The
peculiarities of the menstrual function could not perhaps be
more clearly described; but a remedy selected on the totality
of the symptoms given would practically be selected for the
cure of the disease, and nob the patient.
There is something more in this case which the family
history, if carefully studied, would certainly reveal; e. g.
from what disease has the family suffered in the past?
What ailments during childhood and up to the period of
puberty? Is there a history of eczema or other skin diseases
Digitized by ^.ooQle
COMMENT AND CRITICISM.
665
In the family? If so, is there a history of their suppression
by local medicated applications? Is there any history of
glandular swellings, catarrhal troubles, coughs, pneumonia
or other affections of the respiratory organs? Kas any
member of the family on either side of the house had quinsy,
hay fever, asthma, appendicitis? Is there a history of rheu¬
matism or gout, of psoricor tuberculous troubles?
In order to cure this patient, the constitutional diathe¬
sis must be found and included in the anamnesis, and the
remedy selected with reference to it. Then, when the pa¬
tient is cured the menstrual function will become normal.
Otherwise the “yellow complexion’’ we fear presages organ¬
ic disease.
Hahnemann assured us nearly a century ago that “the
totality of symptoms which characterize a given case—the
image of the disease -being once committed to writing, the
most difficult partis accomplished”. The first element of a
successful prescription is a complete and correct anamnesis
and this must include “the most significant points in the
history of the chronic disease,” and should always embrace
the constitutional or inherited diathesis of the patient. See
Organon § 5.
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
Tli 3 Physician’s Visiting List for 1905. Fifty-fourth year of its pub¬
lication. Philadelphia; P. Blakiston’s Son & Co., 1012 Walnut St.
Price $1.00.
Notwithstanding the numerous competitors in this
field, the old and reliable Visited List of this firm annually
appears and holds its place with the profession. It is ene
of the most convenient and best arranged on the market,
which accounts for its financial success and great popularity.
First Lessons in the Symptomatology of Leading Homeopathic
Remedies. By H. R Arndt. M. D. 271 pages. Cloth, $1.25,
net. Postage, 5 cents. Philadelphia and Chicago. Buericke <&
Tafel. 1904.
This pocket volume of 271 pages is a collection of path¬
ogenic and clinical symptoms intended for the first and sec-
Digitized by ^ooQle
666
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
ond year’s students, as a memorizer in the study of Materia.
Medica. It is practically another work on the characteris¬
tic or keynote system of our best known remedies. A pre¬
paratory study of this kind fits the student for the more
thorough work which he encounters in Materia Medica be¬
fore commencement day.
There is a “regional index” intended as reference or
comparative study for the student which makes the work
convenient. Perhaps it would have been more useful had
the most prominent symptoms been indicated by different
type, but this perhaps is a matter of opinion which the stu¬
dent can overcome by the pencil.
Lectures to General Practitioners on the Diseases of the
Stomach and Intestines and the Allied and Re sultant
Conditions with Modern Methods of Treatment. By
Boardmau Reed, M. D, Philadelphia. Professor of Diseases of the
GastroIntestinal Tract, Hygiene and Climatology in the Depart,
inent of Medicine of Temple College. Philadelphia, Etc, Pp.
1024, Illustrated. Cloth, $5.00 net. Now York: E. B. Treat &
Co., 241 West 23rd street, New York.
These lectures of Dr. Board man Reed constitute an oc¬
tavo volume of 1024 pages, and considering the recent ad¬
vance in methods of diagnosis, are certainly timely. The
method of examining the stomach contents, as well as the
recent investigations m metabolism combine to m*ke this
an up-to-date work. The subject of diet and the various
forms of electricity, X-ray, massage, osteopathy, vibratory
stimulants, hydrotherapy, gymnastics, liquid medication,
medical and surgical treatment are separately* considered.
The general practitioner, to whatever school of medicine he
may belong, must recognize the great advance in diagnostic
methods, in consequence avoiding humiliating mistakes in
diagnosis. The author has had an extended experience in
this special field both in private and dispensary practice,
and is especially adapted for bringing out such work.
In addition to an unusually large clinical experience in
this country, he has had the advantage of special study un-
Digitized by ^ooQle
NEW PUBLICATIONS
667
der the leading practitioners of Europe: Oser of Vienna;
Ewald and Kuttner of Berlin, as well as extensive Post¬
graduate study in this country.
As a teacher in this specialdepartment of medicine, the
diseases of the gastro intestinal tract, he has kept abreast
of the times in diagnosis, and his recent lectures with all
the improvements in methods are embodied in this work.
The work includes a thorough discussion of appendicitis,
both from its medical and surgical point of view, in which
are described the mofe useful non operative measures, and
implicit instructions when operative intervention is de¬
manded. This part of the work is so condensed and yet so
inclusive as to be a practical guide for the practitioner and
surgeon alike.
There is also an extended lecture on cne of the most in¬
sidious of chronic diseases, intestinal catarrh. In this much
that is new and promising good results in diagnosis is ex¬
plained and illustrated.
A special section is devoted to the symptom guide to
diagnosis, which will enable the practitioner to trace any
obscure or puzzling symptom to its possible causes, and thus
a correct diagnosis may often be reached; with an account
of relation of these diseases to numerous other affections,
such as neurasthenia, insomnia, heart disease, movable kid¬
ney, Bright’s disease, etc.
In these eighty-two lectures the work covers the etiol-
©gy, pathology,symptomatology and diagnosis of the various
diseases mentioned above in one large volume, which is
fully illustrated wiih 150 engravings.
Tfce Surgical Treatment of Bright’s Disease. By Geo. M.
Edebobls, A. M., M. D., LL. D., Professor of Diseases of Women in
the New York Post Graduate and Hospital, Etc. Pp. 327. New
York: Frank F. Lisiei, Publisher, 15 Murray street. 1901.
This we believe is the first work devoted exclusively to
the surgical treatment of Bright’s disease. About two-fifths of
the volume consists of the various contributions of the author
in current literature on the subject,and the remaining three-
Digitized by ^ooQle
8
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
fifths is entirely new matter never before published, dealing
almost wholly with the results of the treatment of 72 cases,
many of which after decapsulation and fixation, in one or
both cases, resulted in an ideal cure. The history of these
cases is fully given, the time when the operation was
decided upon, and the results obtained admirably tabulated
for reference.
While the time may not be ripe for a complete systema¬
tic work on this subject, this is certainly a step in the right
direction, and demonstrates that certain for ms of the disease
of which the reader must judge may be benefited by surgi¬
cal treatment, if the operation is not postponed too long. A
fairly complete bibliography is appended, and among the
authors given we find the names of the following well-known
homeopaths: ti. C. Aldrich, Minneapolis; A. P. Hanchett,
Council Bluffs; and Clifford Mitchell of Chicago,
Hand-Book of the Anatomy and Diseases of the Eye and
Ear. For Students and Practitioners. By D. B. St. John Roosa
M. D., LL. D., Professor of Diseases of the Eye and Ear in the
New Yoik Post Graduate Medical School, and A. E. Davis, A.
M., M. D., Professor of Diseases of the Eye in the New York,
Post Graduate. Medical School. 300 pages, 12 Mo. Price, cloth,
$1.00 net. F. Davis Company. 1914-16 Cherry street, Philadelphia.
This Hand Book of less than 300 pages is intended for
the under graduate and post-graduate student of the Eye
and Ear, where in a very short time they must master
various phases of the disease or amplify and corroborate
what they see in the clinic. As a reference book for the
busy practitioner it will be found quite as useful as for the
student in his dispensary'work.
Any work from the pen of that well known writer and
teacher, Dr. Roosa, needs no recommendation in a brief re¬
view. It is stamped with authority.
There is a very complete index to facilitate ready
reference. This occupies a similar position to the recent
work of Dr. Norton on the Essentials of the Disease of the
^e. We heartily commend it. to our readers, for no one can
disappointed in the work.
Digitized by ^ooQle
The Medical Advance
...AND...
Journal of Homeopathics.
Vol. XL1I. BATAVIA, ILL., DECEMBER, 1904. No 12
THE HAHNEMANNIAN AS A SPECIALIST.
By Stuart Close, M. D. Brooklyn, N. Y.
There exists in the homeopathic school today a state
of unrest, uncertainty and dissatisfaction. Many feel that
the school does not occupy the position of commanding in¬
fluence and power that it should. Observers and critics are
at variance as to both the cause of this condition and the
reined} 7 ; but as to the fact there is little diversity of opinion.
Viewing the general status of Homeopathy the verdict
seems to be that the school is progressing, but neither the
rate nor the direction of the progress appears to be satisfy¬
ing. Various are the forms of indictment brought by the
critics and loud are the murmurs and complaints of the dis¬
gruntled. The college courses are not long enough. The
instruction is not thorough. The students are not loyal to
colleges. The school is not recognized in the army and
navy. Its representatives are rarely appointed to official
positions. Insurance companies do not appoint homeo¬
pathic examiners. The materia medica is not scientific.
Physicians wiihnot unite in re proving the materia medica.
Physicians will not join the American Institute and work
for power and place. So runs the calendar.
Per contra, our colleges annually graduate severa
hundred more or less homeopathic physicians who quickly
Digitized by C.ooQLe
670
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
find their place and work in the community and go to swell
the large total of our numbers. Our clientele is rapidly
and constantly increasing, our societies are numerous
and active, our hospitals and sanitaria are prosperous, our
journals are thriving while our book publishers and pharm¬
acists are said to be contemplating the formation of a trust!
And still we are not happy!
The sources of these observations are numerous, and
illustrative quotations might easily be multiplied, but
extracts from the leading editorial in the North American
Journal of Homeopathy for June, 1904, may serve as a
representative illustration. “The most serious problem to¬
day confronting the homeopathic school is the re proving
of its materia medica.” This is the rather startling opening
sentence. A number of reasons are alleged; “the early
provings of drugs, though made by earnest and enthusiastic
men” ( note that point) “yet lacked the completeness,
precision and accuracy which modern methods demand;”
the provings have been “recklessly increased by the ad¬
dition of unverified and unreliable symptoms;” “many clinical
symptoms have been interpolated:” “wide and credulous
welcome has been given to all contributions, whether the
moon struck maunderings of the egotistical idealist or the
careful recital of facts warranted by long experience and
observation;’ so that “not only has confidence in our materia
medica been sorely shaken, but it is in its present condition
a serious obstacle to the progress and proper development
of the school.” Nevertheless, summing up, the writer goes
on to say; “we have a materia medica today, imperfect as it
is. in which we believe, and in which our patients believe,
because we have seen the result of homeopathic practice.
We have a materia medica which exemplifies a great thera¬
peutic principle, but”—! and here we pause a moment before
finishing the quotation.
If all these allegations can be substantiated the writer
has already proved his case and something should be done
about it. But having given a sufficiency of reasons, he
advances one more, which in his mind evidently outweighs
Digitized by ^ooQle
THE HAHNEMANNIAN AS A SPECIALIST.
671
all the rest. In fact all the preceding reasons are superflu¬
ous. Hear the conclusion of the whole matter; “But, we
have not a materia medica which appeals to the modern scientist.
Its method of construction has been such that it cannot do so. 1 '
The situation is much like that of the attorney who
appeared before the Court in the interest of a defendant who
was not present in response to a summons to appear. He
was called upon to show cause why his client should not be
punished for contempt of court. “Your Honor,” he said,
“there are seven reasons,” and proceeded at length and
with great particularity to set forth seriatim, six of them.
“Seventh and lastly, Your Honor, the defendant is dead!”
If the “modern scientist” is the ultimate authority, and
the materia medica was formed by a method which “does
not and cannot appeal to him,” what matters it that we and
our patients believe in it, that it exemplifies a great thera¬
peutic principle, that it heals the sick? There is nothing
for it! The materia medica must go!
Here then, in the opinion of the editor of this represent¬
ative journal, is the crucial point—the supreme test. With¬
out pausing to inquire who this “modern scientist” is, we
might ask'whether his approval is or could be of greater
worth than the approval of the thousands of able men who
have used and verified that materia medica which confes¬
sedly not ta only “exemplifies a great therapeutic principle,”
but is the^sole means by which the principle is made useful.
And as to*the method of its formation, it seems as if a
method which nas produced such an instrument and such
results as we know it to have produced should be worthy of
some consideration, even at the hands of a “modern scien¬
tist.”
When we stop to consider the situation and realize that
the method so contemptuously referred to and condemned
is thej basic method of homeopathy and that it involves
very vital principle of homeopathy, we are tempted to
think that we have before us an overt attack upon homoeop¬
athy* itself. - It is evident, however, that the anonymous
author of'this particular eiiloriil, hjts* not fully apprehend
Digitized by C.ooQLe
672
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
ed the real principles of the homeopathic method, nor the
methods of the genuine modern scientist, and it is probable
that he did not realize fully what he was saying.
There is a class of men in the school, unfortunately, to
whom homeopathy does not mean much. Recognition by
the dominant school, whose methods they imitate and a
share in the emoluments of official medicine are more de¬
sired by them than the therapeutic triumphs of Homeopa¬
thy, The real grievance of those who most loudly criticise
the materia medica and clamor for its re-proving, who slur
homeopathy and ridicule its founder and his conscientious
adherents, is that they are not “recognized” by the
“powers that be,” and are thus deprived, as they think, of
a share of the official plums. Seeking this, they would sac¬
rifice anything and everything vital to homepathy without
a pang. But the real workers in materia medica, whether
engaged in proving, reproving or clinical verification,either
in the American Institute of Homeopathy or out of it, do
not go out of their way to besmirch the reputation of good
men dead and gone to their reward, whose labors they have
profited by, nor do they “damn by faint praise” the works
bequeathed us by those men.
The “modern scientist” is doubtless a very respectable
person whose good opinion is to be properly valued. But
before we constitute him the final court of appeal in mat¬
ters homeopathic it would be well first .to indentify him
and then to look into his real attainments. St. Paul’s warn¬
ing to Timothy is as applicable to the followers of Hahne¬
mann in these days as it was to the followers of Jesus nine¬
teen centuries ago;—“O Timothy keep that which is com¬
mitted to thy trust, avoid profane and vain babblings, and
the oppositions of science falsely so called; which some profes¬
sing have erred concerning the faith.” Considered with
wise discrimination modern science and the “modern scien¬
tist” may be found to be two very different propositions.
We should all know whereto place the “modern scientist-,
whoso distinguishing trait is his aversion to the homeo
pathic materia medica. To be accurate we should say that
Digitized by o.ooQLe
THE HAHNEMANN1AN AS A SPECIALIST.
673
the only “modern scientist” to whom the homeopathic mat
eria medica “does not and cannot appeal” are the self-styled
“regular physician” who arrogates to himself all medical
wisdom, and the “liberal” homeopath, who dutifully
sneezes when his master takes snuff.
Judged by the canons of modern science, rightly so
called, Hahnemann and his co workers have nothing to fear
and nothing to hide. Perfect it is not, but in all essentials
their work conforms to the standards of the scientific method.
It was in fact one of the earliest, as it is one of the most not¬
able examples of the application of the scientific method in
a great department of human knowledge. Its publication
marked an epoch in the development of human thought.
For the first time in history medicine could be called sci¬
entific.
Homeopathy and its materia medica are both scientific
and modern, in the truest and best sense of the words.
They are as fresh and as true to-day as they were a century
ago. They are scientific because Hahnemann, like his great
philosophical progenitor, Lord Bacon, founded his system
in the principles of the inductive philosophy, which is the
basis of all modern science worthy the name. Its method
is the inductive or cumulative method of observation and
experience. It gathers all obtainable facts in its depart¬
ment, and formulates no theories until this has been done.
Its theories are deduced from its facts, include its facts,
and explain its facts. It proceeds from particulars to gen¬
erals logically and consistently, and verifies all its conclu¬
sions by the test of experience. This was the method by
which the homeopathic materia medica was formed, and by
which the practical work of examining and prescribing for
the sick is done to day by all its competent exponents.
In these fundamental considerations, and not in any
superficial likeness or unlikeness in terminology or special
processes, lie the claims of homoeopathy to recognition as
an integral part of the great modern temple of science.
Submitted to a critical review of its principles and
methods Homeopathy bears the tests and responds to the
Digitized by C.ooQLe
674
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
demands made upon it by modern science. Its tools are
adapted to its work. By their use its work has been done
and will continue to be done. Its materia medica, built up
with laborious and painstaking care by men specially train¬
ed for it and imbued with the true philosophic aud scientific
spirit, has been tested and verified in the healing of millions
of the sick. It stands today an enduring monument to the
genius and insight of its immortal founder, Samuel Hahne¬
mann. Work upon it, in its further development, has never
ceased, and never will cease. The materia medica will con¬
tinue to be the object of most faithful attention and study
by all true workers for Homeopathy and health. It will
continue to be constantly augmented, corrected and per¬
fected by those skilled workers whose special province it is,
along the unchangeable lines laid down by Hahnemann. Of
that we may be certain. It is by no means a problem of se¬
rious import. But there is, and always has been, a serious
problem before our school. Greater than the revision or
reproving of the materia medica, greater than the attain¬
ment of recognition by the dominant school of medicine, of
the securing of opportunities for public or private emolu¬
ment is the problem of how to make true homeopathic physi¬
cians. The materia medica, perfect or imperfect, becomes
effective only in the hands of able and accurate prescribers.
The trouble is not with the materia medica, but with the ig¬
norance and incompetence of the men who use it—or abuse
it. What we need more than anything else is men and
women thoroughly imbued with the Hahnemannian philoso¬
phy and principles, and competently instructed in the tech¬
nique of homeopathic prescribing. It is to the solution of
this problem that we should address ourselves, for upon
this, more than upon anything else, depends the progress
and triumph of Homeopathy.
It has come to pass that the designation “homeopathic
physician” or “homeopathist” has lost much of its original
significance. So many, professing to practice homeopathy,
show by their failures to cure, as well as by their public
and private utterances and theii* facile resort to allopathic
Digitized by ^ooQle
THE HAHNEMANNIAN AS A SPECIALIST.
675
expedients, that they are ignorant of the real principles and
methods of homeopathy, that the impression is current and
rapidly gaining ground among the laity that there is little,
if any, difference between a homceopathist and an allopa-
thist. Out of this has grown the idea, fostered by large
numbers in the profession, that the two schools are drawing
closer together, and that an amalgamation is imminent.
The well informed know that in reality the lines be¬
tween the two schools were never more sharply drawn than
they are now and that such statements are only true of that
blatant class already referred to
The existence of such a condition in our profession, as
in all other professions, is partly due to the inherent weak¬
ness of human nature, and partly, perhaps, to our national
inheritance; for it has been asserted that the American in¬
tellect is very agile rather than profound. It plays lightly,
sometimes brilliantly, over the surface of things, but does
not penetrate them with any great depth. Our national
life is too rapid, too strenuous, to give time for thought to
ripen into profundity. However it is to be accounted for,
- it is a fact that a large proportion of the professing mem¬
bers of our school hardly realize that there is such a thing
as a distinctly homeopathic philosophy which deals pro¬
foundly with the great problems of life, health and
disease, or out of this philosophy has been developed a
method and a technique for making it definitely practical.
As students in our colleges, with few exceptions, they have
not been taught the Organon nor the Chronic Diseases of
Hahnemann They have not been inducted into the litera¬
ture of our school which deals with these subjects nor told
where it can be found. The works of Hahnemann. BOn-
ninghousen, Lippe, Wells, Dunham, Joslin, Grauvogl, Kent,
are practically unknown to college students. Without such
knowledge there can be no true comprehension of Homeop¬
athy.
It is also true that they have not been instructed in the
technique of homeopathic prescribing, nor how to study
the materia medica. They have not been taught how to
Digitized by C.ooQLe
676
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
make a systematic examination of a patient, how to make
records, how to classify symptoms, how to accurately select
the remedy, nor how to use repertories and books of refer¬
ence. Anything like a systematic method of doing these
things they do not possess. They do not even know that
there is a method, developed and carried to a high degree
of efficiency by many workers in the field of homeopathics.
Ail this constitutes a special field of study of supreme
importance. Without this special knowledge no man is or
can be a homeopathician. Without this, medical education
is incomplete,and one is not fitted to take up the great work
of healing the sick in the best manuer.
With this he becomes not only a physician but a speci¬
alist, using the term in the broad sense of expertness in one
department of human learning. He is a therapeutic speci¬
alist, a master of materia medica. The whole field of thera¬
peutics is his, and his alone by right of conquest, for iu the
field of therapeutics Homeopathy is supreme. To the col¬
lateral sciences of anatomy, physiology, psychology, pa¬
thology. histology and chemistry; to a general knowledge
of the history, principles and practice of medicine and sur¬
gery, he adds a special knowledge of the principles and
practice of homeopathy and the science of materia medica,
without which all the rest are of little value.
The Homeopathician gains dignity and importance
when betakes his rightful place as a therapeutic specialist.
It crowns him master of the art of healing. The thought
is inspiring. It stimulates endeavor. It puts a high ideal
before us, the ideal of efficiency, of expertness, of technical
facility, of artistic accomplishment in a broad but definitely
limited field. It places us properly in the domain of gene¬
ral medicine. We know where we are and what we are
striving to attain. It shows us in what direction to look for
recognition and how to seek and obtain it.
Call a physician a specialist today and he may be any¬
thing from a corn doctor to a Christian scientist, The modern
fad for superficial organic specialization in medicine has
been carried to such a ridiculous extent that it is time to re-
Digitized by ^ooQle
THE HAHNEMANNIAN AS A SPECIALIST.
677
define the term and re-chart the field. Current methods
of specialization in medicine have not led to more accurate
therapeutic knowledge nor more thorough mastery of the
art of healing than before. On the contrary, the very
narrowness and superficiality of the popular technical
education has too oftenihidden from its students the great
vital principle, the central truth of Medicine. They have
wasted their time in learning what is not worth knowing.
Claiming to be scientific they have shown themselves to be
ignorant of the first principles of the Scientific Method.
President W. H. P. Faunce, has well said in a recent bac¬
calaureate sermon, “What the world needs is not more doc¬
tors but more doctor .”
The best way to demonstrate the truth and advance the
cause of homoeopathy is to heal the sick; hence to master
the principles and perfect the technique of homeopathic
prescribing. This is the basis of the only “recognition”
worth having. This is the most serious problem before us
today. The Hahnemannian Specialist, then, is a specialist
in therapeutics, an expert in materia medica. His first
duty is to recognize and clearly defiue his sphere of opera¬
tion. In order to do this he must be able to recognize and
exclude what does not come within the scope of his art.
As Hahnemann says in Section 3 of the Organon, he must
clearly perceive what is to be cured in diseases, he must
know what is curative in each medicine, and how to'adapt it
to needs of the individual case, and he must know the obstac¬
les to recovery in each case and how to remove them. This
he may do by calling to his aid the allied sciences of sur¬
gery, hygiene or pathology. He may select his cases, or he
may select his special field of action in each particular case,
subjecting other phases of the case to appropriate auxiliary
treatment psychical, surgical or hygienic, Here is where
knowledge of the collateral sciences of medicine comes into
play. He is not forbidden to practice these allied arts him¬
self but if he is wise, he will recognize that power comes
from concentration, and that the man who attemps to do
many things is not likely to become expert in anything.
Digitized by ^ooQle
678
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Just as the most successful surgeon is the man who devotes
himself exclusively «to surgery, so the most successful
prescriber will be the man who devotes himself exclusively
to that art. Theoretical and practical knowledge of the
allied arts of medicine must be his, but principally for neg¬
ative uses. He must know when to call to his aid and to
the aid of the patient, whose interest and welfare is always
supreme, the surgeon, the gynaecologist, the obstetrician,
the oculist and aurist, the alienist, the neuiologist, and to
be prompt about it. He must let no foolish pride, nor exag¬
gerated opinion of his own ability or of,the scope*of medicinal
means, lead him to jeopardize the safety and welfare of his
patient by neglect or delay. The honor and success of
homoeopathy is best upheld by a timely recognition of its
true limitations. There is need to emphasize this point,
because there has always existed in some of the more rigid
of the so called “Hahnemannians” a tendency to belittle the
importance or necessity of some of the allied arts, particul¬
arly diagnosis and pathology. Their enthusiasm for materia
medica is so absorbing that they neglect other important
subjects. A narrow view of the subject has sometimes led
them not only to neglect their plain duty to. their patients,
but by injudicious expressions to prejudice the minds of
many sincere seekers against homoeopathic truth.
As an example of this I recall, as many may easily do,
the strictures made some years ago by an eminent English
Hahnemannian upon physical exploration of the female sex¬
ual organs. He asserted substantially, that such examina¬
tions were not only unnecessary but demoralizing; that the
similimum, selected upon subjective and external objective
symptoms was sufficient, and complied with all the require¬
ments of good practice.
Another eminent Hahnemannian, holding similar views,
injured his reputation for practical wisdom by a public state¬
ment ridiculing the operation of repair of the lacerated,
cervix uteri, and the examination necessary to discover
it. He affirmed that in an attendance upon hundreds of con¬
finements he had never seen a case of lacerated cervix;
Digitized by ^ooQle
THE HAHNEMANNIAN AS A SPECIALIST.
679
whereupon a younger practitioner had the temerity to rise in
meeting and remark that“in that case the doctor had pro¬
bably not looked for it, or having looked, did not recognize
’t when he saw it,” which was undoubtedly true.
Consider the train of evils, easily remediable by surgical
means, attending the obstetric carear of this otherwise ad¬
mirable man. On a par with this was the advice of another
of these men to a badly ruptured patient to take off his truss
and be treated homeopathically and cured. Suffice to say
that, following this advice, the patient not only was not
cured, but nearly lost his life as a result.
Prom such incidents as these, which could doubtless be
duplicated from the experience of many who are here, we
should learn modesty and discretion.
They emphasize the need of a more careful limitation of
the sphere of our work, and jus ter views as to what comes
rightly within the scope of homeopathic medication, and
what must be referred to other departments of medicine.
In other words, there must be more intelligent specializa
tion.
When the homeopathic physician comes to regard him¬
self as a specialist in therapeutics,learns what his limitations
are, and systematically qualifies himself by perfecting his
technique as other specialist do, he will not only do better
work in his chosen field, but he will save himself many
mortifying failures and add luster to the glory of Homeo-
pathy.
Digitized by ^ooQle
680
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
FIVE DISTINCT PRINCIPLES OF HOMEOPATHY.
By W t L. Morgan, Baltimore, Md.
In the early days of homeopathy when persecution from
Allopathy waxed furious, the cry was that they could not
tolerate a distinctive sect in the medical profession*
They knew that the existence of Homeopathy was based
on fixed distinctive principles, which were popular
with the intelligent people and a strong force against the
dominant party. At that time many who had joined the
New School without thoroughly learning the distinctive
principles and wishing to please both parties, undertook to
work compromises and create a medium school, using the
name and but few of the principles of Homeopathy, until
many people say they cannot distinguish between Allopathy
and Homeopathy by the prescriptions or management of
cases. Students are leaving our colleges and going to Allo¬
pathic colleges, saying, “There is no distintive homeopathic
teaching, the only difference is that there is better teaching
in the same branches in allopathic colleges and it is more
popular.” The American Medical Association, seeing the
situation, has opened its doors to receive us, or those who do
not know of the distinctive basis of our school, and are
ready to join the victors: the American Institute has taken
warning and has re established the Bureau of the Organon
and "Homeopathic Philosophy to revive the study and use of
the Organon, the distinctive principles of the New School.
Now allow me to call your attention to the essential
distinguishing principles of Homeopathy by which it flourish¬
ed in earlier days and we hope will do so again in the future.
1. Vital Dynamics. 2. Potentiation of Drugs. 3. Similia
Similibus Curantur. 4. Drug Provings. 5. Individualization
of remedy and patient.
While we do not advise neglect of any of the other
branches, we do deplore the neglect of the study of the Or¬
ganon and the essential principles of the Healing Art.
It is in order here to make a brief review of these dis-
Digitized by ^ooQle
FIVE DISTINCT PRINCIPLES OF HOMEOPATHY.
681
tinctive and fundamental principles, without which, we
must remember, that Homeopathy would never have existed
and we would not be here as a distinctive society of physi¬
cians.
1. Vital Dynamics;Vital Force;Life and Dyuamis; Force.
“The effects of remedial agents on the human organism not
ascribable to either mechanical or chemical causes”. (Stand¬
ard Dictionary). The workings of the occult vital forces in
the government of the inert material organism in sickness
and in health. Sections 7 to 15.
Section 10. “The material organism without vital force is incapable
(6) of feeling, activity or self-preservation. This immaterial being(vital
force) alone, animating the organism in the state of sickness and of
health, imparts the faculty of feeliDg. and controls the functions of life.’
This tells us what is true in natureand known by all in
telligent people, yet seldom thought of when using drugs
in case of sickness; and the eleventh section tells how the
vital being is deranged by a morbid vital force from with¬
out, (also section 16) the disease causing symptoms which
are the signs of sickness.
Section 11. “In sickness this spirit-like, self-acting (automatic)
vital force, omnipresent in the organism, is alone primarily deranged
by the dynamic influence of some morbific agency inimical to life. Only
this abnormally modified vital force can excite morbid sensations in the
organism, and determine the abnormal functional activity which we call
disease. This force, itself invisible, beemes perceptible only through
its effects upon the organism, it mak^s known, and has no other way of
making kn#lfn its morbid disturbance to the observer and physician
than by manifestation of morbid feelings and functions: that is, by
symptoms of disease in the visible material organism.”
Thus we see this section teaches clearly, and gives in¬
contestable evidences that the germ of the disease is a vital
dyuamis from without, which creates a morbid disturbance
in the life force, and after it has made its impress on the
organism, by the life failing to perform its function of
eliminating worn out tissue and some dead organic matter
remaining too long in the system, decomposes, makes soil
from which vegetations sprout and grow, and are called
microbes, which are supposed by materialists to be the
germs of the diseases that produce the soil from which they
Digitized by C.ooQLe
682
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
grow. Hence the germ of disease is proved to be a vital
dynamis, and the micro organisms are the product and not
the germ or genesis of any disease; in fact, all agree that
microbes, may be present, but harmless, till the person
becomes susceptible, which means, must be sick before the
microbes can do harm. The vital disturbance first, and
microbes follow.
The vital germ is distinctively homeopathic, as oppos¬
ed to the organic germ theory, which is distinctly allop¬
athic.
2. Potentiation of Drugs—Sections 25, 128, 269, 270
and 271—is raising the vital powers of drugs, as in
algebra, with numbers, and teaches how to prepare remed¬
ies to get the most powerful curative effects.
The patient is a vital being, not material.
The disease is a vital dynamis inimical to life.
The remedy must be a similar vital-force. (Section 16.)
Three similar vital forces.
The disease forces produce sick symptoms.
Potentiation is the process of eliminating the material
matter of the drug by dividing the molecules and setting
free the intercellular vital-dynamis, the life of the drug,
which is retained in the menstruum and is the vital similar
ofdisease. The remedy has been proved by discoveries re¬
cently made by physical scientists, to be a storage battery
of the vital force of the drug. This is distinctively homeo¬
pathic.
3. Similia Similibus Curantur. The motto of the dis¬
tinctive principles of Homeopathy. The remedy must be a
vital force similar to the disease, and have a similar path¬
ogenesis when used in material doses, which is the third
similar, or with the disease is the second pair of similars
which mutually neutralize each other when properly used.
4. Drug Proving finds what sick symptoms a drug willpro-
duce in a healthy person, the records of which compose the
Materia Medica § 143. It is not in order at this time to say
what potency should be used, but to advise every one to
study the Organon and experiment with potencies exten-
Digitized by ^ooQle
FIVE DISTINCT PKINCIPLES OF HOMEOPATHY. 683
sively, as directed, and then choose from the results that
which is best
5. Individualization teaches how to examine a patient
to find all the symptoms that indicate a departure from nor¬
mal health, and how to find a remedy that is similar to all
the symptoms in the individual case in accord with the other
fundamental principles § § 82 to 104 and 272-4. Should be
carefully studied.
Frpm which we learn that Individualization is distin¬
ctively homeopathic.
When a youth, about the year 1850,living in the interior
of what is now West Virginia, where typhoid fever anddip-
theria were the prevailing diseases, reading medicine for
general information and visiting the sick as an assistant
and nurse; seeing that every case received the same medic¬
ine and that some recovered and more died, I asked Dr.E.—
a graduate of Edinburg University, for a book to instruct
how to find atreatment to suit each case individually; he
answered, there is no such thing. We have to diagnose
the disease and give medicine recommended by the best
authors and take chances.
A few months later I became acquainted with Dr. H.—
a man of general learning, and a homeopathist, who urged
me to study a thing so new to me. I told him the above
incident; he answered, that is correct in the light of All¬
opathy, but the New School is governed by law and
order, and individualization is one of its prominent disting¬
uishing features; that every patient gets a remedy suited to
his condition the physician is guided by the symptoms to the
curative remedy. The system; laws and methods, are much
more easily learned than arithmetic or grammar,but it is ne¬
cessary to learn all the other branches. He described to me
the distinctive principles much as I have given above, and
loaned me the Organon. I studied it and have verified
it in every part as all students should do. I taught
it to my patrons and they understand it; but I have
failed to get a physician whose education is finished
without it, to understand it. From experience I will say
Digitized by ^ooQle
684
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
these are not only distinguishing principles of Home*
epathy but they should be considered among the primary
elements of general education, and the first principles
of the science of health, and they should be a part of
the training of every child in the public schools, so that the
child can start in life with a proper comprehension of its
own being, and when advanced to adult life, could correctly
understand physiology, anatomy, pathology aud thera¬
peutics, without having to unlearn many fairy tails and
much useless fiction. But as that is impossible in this gen¬
eration, every physician should instil them into the minds
of all his patrons and his patients’ children, so that at some
future day the people would possess a fair degree of prim¬
ary truth, and then polypharmacy, tinctures, crude dosing,
patent medicines, and unnecessary surgical operations will
be assigned to a place in history along with the old pocket
lancet, fly blisters, ice baths, antitoxin and serum thera¬
peutics.
Example:—In 1877 two little girls,aged 5 and 6,had well
defined diptheria, in the same room, taken from the cess*
pool in the yard. Both were dangerously ill. One had thick
yellow membrane scattered all over the throat, with yellow
slimy mucus; the other a lead colored membrane with
copious watery saliva. They received the same remedy, Kali
bich. cm. The next day the one with the yellow membrane
was nearly well,the other nearly dead. After carefully com¬
paring symptoms of case with drug symptoms she was given
Merc. cyan. Next day she was much improved, and in six
days more both w T ere well.
If I had treated by the symptoms instead of the name I
would not have made the mistake. Had I stuck to the
name and not changed, the child would have died.
By frequently consulting the Organon the physician*
learns how to manage his bad cases,by first taking the case,
carefully making note of it, then comparing the symptoms
by a good repertory,individualizing and selecting a remedy;
then examining the provings in the Materia Medica and
seeing that every symptom and its characteristic modalities
Digitized by C.ooQLe
DEATH BY ECZEMA.
61
are expressed or implied in the proving, then prescribing
the remedy and repeating the dose or changing the remedy
as directed in § § 247 and 248 of the Organon. He will soon
learn how to find the remedy that can be depended upon
and will have but littie use for a surgeon. He will know
when he is right.
Discussion.
E. E. Nash, M. D,—I knew that that would be a good
paper, because all of Dr. Morgan’s papers are good. It will
bear reading when it appears in the proceedings.
C. B. Gilbert, M. D.—I am glad that Dr. Nash approves
of that paper because Dr. Morgan does not get much ap¬
preciation in Baltimore.*
Precocious Menstruation;
I was recently called to see a child who had swallowed
a baby pin and was at once struck with the unusual develop¬
ment of the child. It was two years and four months of age,
but had the body and limbs of a much older child.
The child was born May 13, 1902, and the mother no¬
ticed soon after its birth that the external genitals were en¬
larged. She asked her attendant about it and was told that
it was a little swelling, which would soon disappear. The
child was fretful and cried practically all the time when
awake, till it was six months old. Its sleep had never been
good, and it was always restless. When six months old the
mother noticed that the child was bleeding as if menstruat¬
ing. The flow became very free and the child sank into its
first peaceful sleep. The flow continued for 3 or 4 days, just
as mother, but she did not consult her physician. After 28
days the flow again made its appearance and continued for
the same time and in the same quantity. Since then the
child has menstruated every 28 days regularly for the same
number of days and showing the same quantity, soiling 2
napkins a day, except that on two occasions there was a
little delay, corrected by warm drinks and foot baths. The
child is of normal height and face for one of her age. The
breasts are well developed and of good size, as are the nip¬
ples. The trunk and legs show the development of a much
older child. The hips are broad and rounded, and the calves
well developed. The mons veneris is large and covered
with a good growth of long, silky hair, which is light in
color but beginning to change to a darker shade. The labia
are large and very prominent.
Digitized by ^ooQle
A CASE OF LEPROSY.
By Milton Rice, M. D. s Hilo, H. I.
February 27, 1904.
Mrs. M. K., age 25,
nationality, Hawaiian,
married.
Family history:—
Father, 46, healthy.
Mother, 45, healthy.
Brothers: one, age 16,
well. One dead, cause
unknown. Sisters:
five living and well,
and one died in infan¬
cy, cause unknown.
Grandmother on moth¬
er’s side and one broth¬
er of mother died on
Molokai as lepers. She
does not know of ever
having come in con¬
tact with these people.
It strikes m e that
the history of this
woman offers further
evidence of t h e cor¬
rectness of the posi¬
tion that the disease of
leprosy is not trans¬
mitted from parent to
child, but that the
necessary elements
only which compose
this disease are, and
remain in a dorment
state, responding to
the conditions neces¬
sary to bring them into
action at some stage
Digitized by ^ooQle
A CASE OF EPROSY.
687
of existence. The fac^
that not all children
born of leprous parents
develop the disease,
does not to me dis¬
prove the theory that
this disease, or at least
the elements spoken of
are hereditary. I will
go still farther and say,
that unless these ele¬
ments are present in
the system, i n m y
opinion contagion is
impossible. This can
also be said of tuber¬
culosis. It is univer¬
sally recognized that
this disease if present
in one or both parents,
means in all proba¬
bility that the offspring
will b e similarly af¬
flicted sooner or later,
but not necessarily so.
The question of the
cause o f leprosy, in
fact of all malignant
disease, is a very per¬
tinent one, and can not
be studied too closely.
11 determines very
largely the results of
our labors. Moreover,
the attitude of the op¬
posite school with
which we have to cope
is diametrically o p -
Digitized by ^ooQle
688
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
posed to this position and is misleading in the extreme. It
behooves us then to beemptratic upon this point.
Previous history:—Was well until about sixteen years
of age. Eight years ago noticed swelling of right arm and
right leg. She then left school, and has gotten worse ever
since. The swelling went down in less than a year, and then
sores came all over the body. Last December face swelled
and at times the swelling of arms and legs returned. Hands
have been distorted and paralyzed one month. Eyes have
' been inflamed and lower lids paralyzed since last December.
Has had two children; both dead, one at one year and
one at four months. About seven years ago this case came
under the care of Dr. Eleanor Beatty of Pana Ill., who was
then located here, and after a few months of treatment
greatly improved; but before a cure could be effected, she
moved to another part of the Island where she came under
the care of a physician of the other school, when she again
grew worse, until she came under the care of the writer.
While she presented a serious condition all these years, yet
I doubt whether she could have been called a leper until in
the last year or two. This case was examined microscopically
and formally declared a leper by the government bacteriolo¬
gist of this territory, February 24th of this year.
Below I will give in parallel columns, the condition as
she appeared February 17th and August 20th, 1904. This
examination and report was made by a commission appoint¬
ed by the board of health of this territory for that purpose.
CASE NO. 1. MARY KALANI.
Condition on admittance, March Condition at present, August
7th, 1904. 20th, 1904.
Face: With exception of fore- General appearence better. Node
head and chin whole face affected, on left superior maxillary. Neck
General thickening of the skin, most better; discoloration of face dis-
marked over supra-orbital ridges, appeared. Right cheek thickened
cheeks, nose, upper lip and over slightly. Discoloration of the neck
right superior maxillary. Nodes on gone,
right supra-orbtial ridge. Right eye
lid more affected than left. Thicken¬
ing extends to neck, especially on
eft side.
Digitized by C.ooQLe
A CASE OF LEPROSY.
68$
Eyebrows: Left thin; Ectropion Eyebrows: About same. Erup
both eyes; right worse. Conjunc- tion and discoloration cured. Para-
tivities right. Corneal opacity; lysis of orbicularis bettrr. No cor-
lachrymation. Discharge from nose, neal obacity. No coryza, no dis¬
charge from nose.
Ears: Lobes thickened. Ears: Much better; very little
thickening.
Pace: Left superior alaeque nasi Face; Paralysis not so marked,
and zygomaticu9 paralysed. Eyes Can now close eyes,
can not close owing to orbicularis
paralysis lower lids.
Neck: Continuation of thicken- Neck: Thickening disappeared,
ing from cheeks as referred to, un*
der left ear.
Chest: General macular erup- Chest. Clean,
tion extending to neck.
Abdomen: General eruption. Abdomen: No eruption.
Back: Macular eruption; rough. Back: Eruption clearing,
irregular discolored patches below
right scapula; also right lumbar
region; small patch left scapula.
(Maxilla form).
Arms: Patch over right deltoid, Arms: Both improving,
not raised. Large patch over biceps
and radial extensors. Irregular^
raised, dark, copper colored, dry,
scaly, glistening in places. Annular
extension around elbow; another
patch around wrist. Left arm: Fad¬
ing patch on trapezius and deltoid.
Other* patches similar to right In
position, but more faded, Wrist
similar to right.
Thighs: Right: general erup- Thighs: Ulcers healed. Dis-
tion; skin wrinkled over right but- coloration paler,
tock which is wasted. Two small
ulcers over femoral insertion of
gluteus.
Legs: Right; upper third of leg Legs: Ulcers healed. Nooedema,
dark line running outward, down¬
ward and backward from edge of
patella. Another (maxilla-form)
patch on upper third of leg in front;
another small patch at junction of x
Digitized by CjOOQle
690
.THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
lower middle third, outer aspect.
Ulcer,external malleolus. Oedema,
especially below. Left leg; general
eruption, serpiginous 9 raised and
scaly. Ulcers similar to right leg.
Less oedema than right.
Hands: Atrophied, right, hyper- Hands: Both conditions improv-
extended fingers. Eruption extend- ed. Good use of hands. Can straigh-
ng from wrists to hands, most pro- ten fingers,
nounced left. Left, main-en-griffe
and hand useless.
Fingers. Right thumb, nail mis- Fingers: Right thumb nail re¬
sing. Some absorption distal phalanx turned. Patch on knuckle gone,
right thumb. Thickened patch over Little finger all right. Ulcer, right
right index knuckle. Inflamed lit- index finger due to burn,
tie finger, left*
Feet: Plantar pedis ulcer. Feet; Plantar pedis ulcer gone.
Small patch dorsum. Right toes Toes better,
swollen and purple.
Anesthesia: All over hands, Anesthesia: Sensation much
forearms and arms, except patches improved,
free from eruption. Face, patches
anaesthetic; forehead also. General
except where skin is clear.
To the above report I must add, that she had a con¬
stant itching all over the body which was worse at night,
particularly on going to bed.
Febuary, 17th, 1904. Sulphur 30. March, 8th. 1904.
Improved in every way. Can now use her hands better; can
button her clothing, where she could neither feed nor dress
herself before. Swelling on hands and one foot much re¬
duced. Scabs on body dropped off and hands clearing up.
Bedness of face disappearing. Eyes not so much inflamed.
Feeling much better in every way.
The itching not having improved much, I prescribed
Sulphur 45m. From that time on the improvement was
gradual and continuous. On April 6th. she menstruated
for the first time in six months. May 10th. the itching
again became general, while otherwise she seemed to be
improving. I then prescribed Arsenicum. September 11th
a carious condition set up in one of the mentatarsal bones of
Digitized by ^ooQle
EXTRA THERAPEUTIC CONSIDERATIONS.
691
the right foot and through a fistulous opening discharged a
thin bloody pus. Silicea 40m. October 23th. 1904. Fis¬
tulous opening healed and no more discharge from foot. She
feels well.
EXTRA THERAPEUTIC CONSIDERATIONS IN THE
TREATMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASES.
By Frank W. Patch, M. D., Framingham, Mass.
Physicians who attempt to follow carefully the methods
set forth by Hahnemann are often accused of a certain one¬
sidedness in their attitude toward the treatment oi disease.
It is sometimes said that they neglect to give sufficient
thought to what might be termed the adjuvants of disease,
and, further, that they overlook the many recent scientific
discoveries which other men call to their aid. On the other
hand we who devote most of our energies to the study of
materia medica are prone to aver that others neglect the
greatest known factor in the treatment of disease through a
foolish waste of time in the consideration of non-essen¬
tials.
That there is a happy mean between these two extremes
is most probable; that any considerable number of men will
ever succeed in attaining such a desirable state of balance
is less to expected. This study of nature and humanity is so
many sided that no one party will ever have all the know
ledge, therefore let us have charity.
As Hahnemannians, there are, I am sure, some features
of the treatment of chronic diseases which many of us are
careless«about and sometimes we waste valuable time in the
administration of remedies that had better be spent in tak¬
ing a good common sense view of matters not especially
related to the materia medica and mending by wholesome
suggestion indiscretions which no remedy could be expected
to correct. It is far from my intention to discredit the
legitimate remedial means at our command for I am firmly
convinced that an intelligent study of the materia medica
Digitized by ^ooQle
692
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
repays the physician in - a hundred fold greater degree than
any other effort he can put forth. It is on account of this
very faith and knowledge of the chief means by which
we are enabled to restore health to the sick that we should
train ourselves to a correct understanding of its limitations
[for even the homeopathic materia medica has limitations]
and a better knowledge of the conditions under which it may
be used to the best advantage. Not long ago my attention
was called to an article in one of the popular magazines
by a well known medical writer of the opposite school
detailing in a most interesting manner the physical suffer¬
ing of quite a large group of literary workers. The history
of many of these cases has long been classic knowledge;
the varied distressing symptoms which we know to have
been endured by such man and women as Thomas Carlyle,
George Eliot, Parkman, Margaret Fuller, Whittier, Huxley
and many others this writer attributes to eye strain.
This broad statement may or may not be true, but the
fact is undeniable that eye strain is a most common disability
and one that is frequently unrecognized by the physician
from the fact that its symptoms are seldom wholly local and
often not at all so.
One oculist of my aquaintance who has made a deep
study of this subject states that the natural eye of men in
an earlier stage of development was hypermetropic and
that it has not yet accommodated itself to the more restrict
ed range of our present compact manner of living and the
greater use of the eye for near work. He claims that until
such accommodation comes about naturally rest must be
obtained artificially through the use of a proper glass.
Certainly in all cases where we have the slightest reason to
suspect trouble of this nature in those who use their eyes
even to a limited extent, and notwithstanding the fact that
no symptoms appear which are directly connected with the
organs of vision, a competent oculist should lend his aid
before we attempt to relieve by the use of remedies. Other¬
wise we may waste many valuable weeks and be obliged in
the end to report only failure. We cannot expect remedies to
Digitized by
Google
EXTRA-THERAPEUTIC CONSIDERATIONS.
693
accomplish results in the face of constant and illegimate
muscular strain any more than we can look for curative
action while the system is being slowly poisoned by the
amalgam tilling in our patient’s teeth. We must learn to
detect the various points of least resistance in the economy
of those with whom we have to deal. It is here that symp¬
toms will be most likely to appear, let the irritating cause
be what it will.
It seems to me that one of the most important duties of
the physician who undertakes to prescribe for chronic cases
before he thinks of undertaking the examination of his re¬
pertory and materia medica, is the regulation of his pa¬
tient’s daily life, the searching for possible hidden causes
that may have an important bearing on his conduct of the
case. We are often negligent, I fear, in assisting our pa¬
tients to carry out the simple mode of life which is enjoined
by Hahnemann in his work on chronic diseases.
This is especially true of the subjective side of life in
those highly sensitive men and women who are obliged to
live on year after year in the toils of financial disaster or,
what is worse, an uncongenial family life either of which
may prove a constant source of irritation to an already over¬
taxed nervous system.
With people of this type it is frequently impossible to
get good remedial action as long as the irritating cause re¬
mains unchanged, and on the other hand I am sure we have
all noted cases many times where the whole train of symp¬
toms has disappeared with the removal of the disturbing
element in the life of the individual, without medication. Of
course we all recognize the truth of Hahnemann’s words
when he says that neither strict diet nor other regimen will
of itself cure a chronic miasm, but we must not overlook his
equally potent words where he enjoins a strictly simple and
natural life on his patients if they are to expect recovery
through his ministrations.
Funtional states may be brought about and miasmatic
conditions aggravated by an inimical climate, improper
occupation, unsanitary surroundings, just as truly as
Digitized by ^ooQle
694
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
through the effect of tooth powders and proprietary drugs.
No aggravating circumstance is more important in its ef¬
fects than an inharmonious family life and especially a want
of proper sympathy between husband and wife. This is a
most insidious cause of trouble which is frequently very
difficult to trace. In many cases a knowledge of the true
state of affairs can only be ascertained by patient watching
and a careful comparison of the temperaments of the two
parties. Happiness in marriage is almost invariably found¬
ed on similarity of aim, kindred tastes and mutual enjoy-
ment. Where these incentives to happiness are not present
there results a want of harmony which is particularly liable
to augment the development of symptoms along some line
of slight resistance.
When such adverse conditions are present it would seem
too much to expect satisfactory results from the admini¬
stration of our medicines and we may find it of the. utmost
advantage to go into these preliminary matters with great
care before attempting to prescribe at all.
Then again the importance of an opportunity for the
observation of our patients over a considerable period of
time is a point not usually given sufficient emphysis in the
rather meagre literature of this subject.
We are surrounded by the promptings of haste on every
side and it is not easy for the physician to isolate himself
in the face of his importunate people and keep before his
mind a realizing sense of the fact that he cannot overturn
the processes of nature nor hasten her actions. His office is
that of the student who observes the phenomena he sees
about him and interprets it to the best advantage. This is
possible in the best sense only when working in harmony
with natural laws.
Nature does not hurry, but she always accomplishes her
ends. When we realize that we are living in eternity rather
than for a day we shall reach a higher standard in work. In
attempting to cover the symptoms of a given case before
making a homeopathic prescription, especially in chronic^
diseases, we should realize that the process must be some-
Digitized by
Google
EXTRA-THERAPEUTIC CONSIDERATIONS.
69o
thing more than a mere matching of symptom lists. This
is one of the stumbling blocks for beginners in our art and a
difficult point on which to instruct pupils. The process is
rather one of balancing the comparative merits of the sev¬
eral members of a group of remedies in order to determine
the especial fitness of some one for the casein hand.
We must first have a clear comprehension of what we
wish to accomplish and this implies a knowledge of the
individuality of the patient under treatment which can only
be obtained by observation over a period of time. Should
any one ask how long a time, I fear it would be difficult to
answer. Some individuals reveal themselves rapidly;
others are unmeaningly reticent, w ith some, motives are
easily apparent; with a larger number they are hidden from
the superficial observer.
We must not expect to prescribe successfully until we
have had opportunity, no matter how long it may take, of
getting down under surface conditions and simulations
where we may see with a discernment born of knowledge
and experience, the true characteristics of the individual
with whom we are dealing. In chronic diseases we have
to do with the highest and lowest extremes of human na¬
ture each being more or less the outcome of the conditions
under which we live, We really know very little about the
subject. Hahnemann is almost the only man who has
written comprehensively of it and since his death no one
has seemed inclined to develop his lines of thought any far¬
ther by the same methods. Indeed we may yet see Home¬
opathy rediscovered from an opposite direction, and through
an entirely different line of reasoning.
The ramifications of chronic disease have increased
since the time of Hahnemann; the growth of drug miasms
alone would be appaling but for insusceptibility and the law
of toleration which protect the majority. To shield our
people against the ills born of the development of a highly
sensitive nervous organism is, however, a difficult problem.
We are all involved in this maelstrom of growth which is
upon us and unless we recognize its dangers and adjust-
Digitized by ^ooQle
696
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
ourselves to them we shall be engulfed in the clutches of
chronic subjective ailments or disturbances of the higher
centers which ultimate in nervous or mental disease.
The study of chronic disease in its last analysis becomes
an inquiry into the character and scope of human individu¬
ality with a correspondent knowledge of drugs. In order
to fully understand any nature, drug or human, we must
watch it under varying conditions, in many moods and all
circumstances; we must enter into its harmonies with an
open mind. No nature reveals itself immediately; we must
be patient and take ample time .
It is but rarely that any sudden flash of penetration is
granted us in the investigation of disease whereby we may
by rapid photographic glance gain the knowledge we seek.
The instantaneous impression left on the mind of the
sensitive physician by the personality of his patient may
guide him in a vague way in discriminating between the
rougher aspects of his prospective group of remedies, but
he should beware of trusting this vision"of the subjective in
his closer analysis before it has been substantiated by ob¬
servation over a period of time. He will then have had op¬
portunity for carefully weighing the evidence before him
and giving proper value to each symptom noted and placing
it in an orderly relation to the whole case.
An intelligent understanding of che part which time
plays in the treatment of chronic disease is here of inestim¬
able value. The physician must have a chance to rightly
estimate the various conflicting symptoms that appear from
day to day or we6k to week. No act or word of his patient
is too trivial to come under his observation and he must re¬
member when investigating such conditions that he is deal¬
ing with processes that may have extended over the whole
scope of a life or even into previous generations, hence he
can afford to dispense with any undue haste in its contem¬
plation.
It is only through a full comprehension of the physical
and emotional causes leading up to the problem in hand,
ascertained through observation arid persistent questioning
Digitized by ^ooQle
EXTRA-THERAPEUTIC CONSIDERATIONS. 697
at different periods, that we can expect to understand any
disease picture that may be presented to our view.
Having such knowledge, we shall be less liable to attri¬
bute the whole difficulty to some recently developed phase
or complication to which attention is called by a patient
wholly absorbed in present discomfort.
In the golden future when the investigation of Human
Nature has become a more systematic procedure, when
something akin to the care now devoted to the immediate
and microscopic in medicine, is applied to the individual, we
may hope to develope a knowledge of the order in which a
given train of symptoms may be expected to succeed.
Until then we must still persue a plan of patient invest¬
igation. Not long since my attention was called to a fact
with which you are doubtless all familiar, that the time re¬
quired for recharging an electric storage battery is, ap¬
proximately, the same as that taken in running it out. The
motor which will use up its power in a run of three hours
must be given an equal time of rest in which to regain its
energy.
It is not wholly different with the human body which is
none the less a storehouse of energy. If more vital force
is used than is stored each day there comes, eventually, a
crisis beyond which the process cannot be carried. Expe¬
rience teaches us that the time required for full physical
regeneration may be nearly equal to that in which the run¬
ning out process has been going on and no remedial agent
seems to greatly hasten this change.
This applies, of course, more forcibly in the case of
functional breakdowns rather than in actual miasmatic chan¬
ges. The physician who recognizes his problems and fore¬
warns the patient or his friends of the probable outlook is
a benefactor. He will be able to handle the case more com¬
prehensively and will encourage his patient to adjust him¬
self as far as possible to the circumstances rather than ap¬
proach them in a spirit of combat.
If the patient’s mind can be kept at peace and in some
degree of understanding, he becomes more receptive of the
Digitized by ^ooQle
698
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
healing influence in 'whatever form it may be presented.
The wise physician here becomes not only an agent for the
judicious administration of drugs but the counsellor, as well,
who must endeavor to protect his patient from the wiles of
those who by the use of mystical “systems” would encour¬
age vain effort to unduly and unnaturally shorten his time
of trial. In the treatment of chronic miasmatic diseases the
element of time is an important factor and one but little un*
derstood.
Syphilis, it is true, is recognized as passing through a
more or less systematic development when uncomplicated,
so that one can predicate something of its probable course.
The development of the sycotic miasm is far less clear while
that of the psoric may extend through more than one gene¬
ration in a most indefinite manner as far as we know. It is
probable that it persists in some form until cured homeo-
pathically.
As far as one can understand from the experience of
men well qualified to judge, supprested miasms persist in the
system over an indefinite period of time until again brought
to the surface through action of the homeopathic principle.
This often means a lifetime of suffering for those who have
undergone suppression of miasmatic disease through the ac¬
tion of crude drugs or surgery.
The periods of time after suppression in which recrud¬
escence has taken place under the action*of the homeopathic
similar have varied in great d3gree, from a few weeks to
many years, so that one may feel that where the vital force
is sufficiently active, it is never too late to make the effort
to bring the suppressed miasm to the surface and thereby
effect a cure.
A full study of this subject should not neglect the anal-
agous consideration of remedies, This has been dealt with
quite extensively by Hahnemann but seldom touched upon
by later writers. It is, nevertheless of great interest and
worthy of extended investigation in some systematic man¬
ner.
Digitized by ^ooQle
TUBERCULOSIS.
699
TUBERCULOSIS—THE MEDICAL SIDE
OF THE QUESTION.
C. M. Boger, M. D.. Parkersburg, W. Va.
The treatment of the various phases of tuberculosis is
dependent upon so many factors direct and contingent, that
it embraces a large part of medical science. This paper
will not therefore attempt a general resume of the subject
but rather review some special considerations.
The prognosis in a given case is so closely bound up in
the anamnesis, the present «tate including the surrounding,
the reactive power of the organism and the treatmentthat a
just estimate of the outcome presents unusual difficulties.
In this connection it may be well to point out the great im¬
portance which necessarily attaches to the relative chest
capacity, for upon it depends the oxidising power of the
whole organism with all its metabolic changes.
That cases do get well with the aid or in spite of treat¬
ment, or with no attention at all seems well established;
but nature carries on her weeding out process most relent¬
lessly when left to herself or when help is clumsily applied.
Therefore it seems superfluous to say that all aid should take
the most enlightened form; its specific application from a
hygienic, climatic or dietetic point of view may well be left
to the experts in this line while this paper will look the
matter over from a therapeutic standpoint.
The curative power of remedies depends upon the very
same elements that go to make up the prognosis, the chief
one being vital reaction, closely followed by the nature and
character of the anamnesis. This being true, the drugs
curative in a given case must of necessity include in their
pathogeneses as a primary action a similitude to the latest
characteristic symptoms of the patient. Should it so happen
that the secondary drug symptoms of the remedy administ¬
ered also correspond to the earlier or dyscratic disease
manifestations of the case in hand its curative power will
Digitized by ^ooQle
700
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
extend along the entire line of disease effects and root them
out fundamentally, often uncovering the basic dyscrasia
upon the soil of which the tubercular process thrives. Most
cases for various reasons do not present a picture clear
enough for so sweeping a prescription. Then we are obliged
to remove successive groups until the same end is attained,
in fact for reasons into which we will not enter here this is
often the only safe procedure.
As will be seen from the above no one remedy can be
looked upon as specific for any one disease. The search
for specifics is for many reasons fundamentally fallacious;
the principal one being that they are supposed to cure dis¬
eases, while in reality it is necessray to cure patients and
not disease. It is no argument to say that certain medicines
have cured such affections, The very fact that percentage
is admitted into the discussion, vitiates all figures and puts
the matter without the pale of a true scientific demonstra¬
tion. This fact is very slowly but nevertheless surely find¬
ing its way among those that think and are not ruled by
preconceived ideas.
The factors which play the chief diagnostic role hold a
subordinate place in the choice of the curative remedy,altho
medicines whose pathogneses point to them, may be used as
a broad class from which those lacking the characteristics of
the patient, may be dropped by a process of elimination
until the symptom picture resembles that of the patient in a
greater or less degree. Thus, Kyphosis, often but not
necessarily due to tuberculosis, points toward Aeon., Asaf.,
Aur., Bar-c., Bell., Bry., Calc,, Caust., Cic., Clem., Col.,
Dul., Hep.,Ipec.Lach.,Lyc.,Mer., Mez., Phos ac.,Plb., Puls.,
Rhusu., Ruta., Sab. ‘ Sep., Sil., Staph., Sul,, and Thuja.
It is well known that sweats are apt to localize them¬
selves over the affected organ, and in the pulmonary form
they often show their presence quite early on the thorax. Of
the above remedies the following have chest sweats; Bell.,
Calc., Hep., Ipe., Lyc., Mer., Phos.. Phosac., Plb,, Rhus.,
Sep., Sil. This measurably reduces the number from which
the choice may be made, always bearing in mind that the
Digitized by ^ooQle
TUBERCULOSIS.
701
final resemblance between the drug effect and the disease
picture of the patient, must present certain points of har¬
mony called the “conditions” of the case, in which all kinds
of external influences such as heat, cold, light, dampness
otc., go to make up the differentiating shades in the final
analysis.
We also take into consideration the subjective symptoms;
resting as they do upon the comprehension and interpreta¬
tion of the patient as well as of the physician, [they require
the nicest judgment and most careful discrimination to strip
them of all superfluities and exuberances of expression on the
one hand, as well as proper amplification and interpretation
on the other. This is after all the crux of the art of pre¬
scribing and stamps the physician either as a rank empiric
or a painstaking scientist.
Whether the subjective phenomena express erethism or
depression is an important differentiating point and divides
the remedies of the materia into two great classes. Finally
the state of the mind gives the last cue for the selection of
the most suitable remedy, which if given in a single dose of
the appropriate potency will unfailingly bring about the
reaction so necessary for our purpose.
Following these lines the treatment of tubercular bone
disease, periostitis, especially of the ribs or maxill®, Pott’s
disease, etc., has yielded the most brilliant results and serv¬
ices of the surgeon have rarely been needed. The particular
remedies most in use for such conditions have been Silicea
and Aurum, especially when fistulous tendencies have
become manifest; Calcarea fluorica, where very hard
bony exostoses have been present, and Phosphorus
in rickety children. The list might be greatly extended
to cover special indications but that is unnecessary, the
main point being that the indications in each case be care¬
fully elicited after which the choice of the proper curative
remedy is not so difficult.
The meningeal has perhaps been justly regarded as the
most intractable form of tuberculosis, but even here we are
not without considerable hope and many cases have been
Digitized by ^ooQle
702 THE MEDINA h ADVANCE
pured with the indicated remedy; the choice will usually
lie between Apis, Bell., Calc., Calc, phos., Hell., Phos.,
Sulfur and Tuberculinum, all of which have a number of
cures to their credit, some of which I have personally wit¬
nessed. In this form it is always well to make the diagnosis
as certain as may be under the circumstances; in a suspect¬
ed case coming under my notice with somewhat equivocal'
symptoms a microscopical examination of the spinal fluid
cleared matters up by showing the presence of gonococci.
The glandular infections have most frequently called
for, Bell., Calc.fluor., Hep., Staph., Sil., and Sul. Ingrow¬
ing children they present little difficulty and very few cases
are incurable; in adults they are more intractable but many
brilliant successes attest the efficacy of this method.
The pulmonary type outnumbers all the others and is
for many reasons one of the hardest to control. Its victims
are notoriously inconstant, they do not readily submit them¬
selves unreservedly to the care of their physician and are
always willing to take all kinds of nostrums and apply the
most unheard of measures, which of necessity negatives
much if not all that the doctor may do. In a general way I
would lay down the rule that unless implicit obedience can
be exacted, the case had better be dismissed, not perhaps as
ihcurable but rather as intractable, therefor incurable. This
the predominant form calls for all the skill at our command
and I am very happy to say that our therapeutic method
often yields the most brilliant results when the law is care¬
fully and thoroughly applied. Among the remedies which
stand out most prominently in my mind’s eye, none excels
in results the effects which I have seen from the admini-
$tration of Iodide of Arsenic. But even here, it is to
be borne in mind that tuberculosis is a* complex dyscrasia
and Will hardly yield to a single remedy however closely
its symptomatology may fit the patient’s symptom com¬
plex; although admittedly such may occasionally be the
ca$e, for once I saw .a complete recovery and at another
tWe what seemed also a restoration of health from the
admini’sfration of Belladonna only. ' ’
Digitized by ^ooQle
KHUS RADICANS.
703 .
To review the general treatment would be to repeat
much that has already been said. /The patient’s condition
may call for any remedy in the materia medica and when a
medicine is thoroughly indicated it is not possible in the
present state of our knowledge to foretell just how much good
may come of it, as occasionally the most hopeless looking
cases have made very wonderful recoveries from the adminis¬
tration of the similimun. It does not therefore become us
to give up hope too soon but rather to cover every phase of
a given case with the.most careful and searching investiga¬
tion and from the information thus gleaned prescribe with
the full assurance that from a medicinal standpoint the very
best has been done.
RHUS RADICANS.
By H. C. Allen, M. D., Chicago.
Mr. E. E. A., about 40 years of age, of Norfolk, Neb.,
in early life was a great sufferer from functional derange¬
ments of the liver, stomach and spleen; and it was not until
the year 1890 or 1891 that he first obtained relief, when he
began taking homeopathic remedies, and since that time
has been a firm believer in our system of treatment.
In August. 1900, he first noticed the palms of his hands
and soles of his feet began to burn and itch. This lasted
for some weeks, becoming gradually worse, when vesicles
began to appear, which gradually extended over the whole
body. The vesicles were very small, almost rash-like,
burned and itched intensely, which after rubbing or scratch¬
ing would ooze a clear, sticky fluid and gradually spread to
new tissue. The vesicles gradually increased in size, and a^
they increased exfoliation became very marked. The scales
were dry, white, bran-like, and soon the entire body became
involved from the crown of the head to the soles of the
feet.
It was a marked case of dermatitis exfoliate. He con¬
sulted me first in July, 1902 The disease had been running
Digitized by ^ooQle
704
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
for some years and gradually increasing in severity. The
exfoliation was so profuse that in the morning from a pint
to a quart of dry bran like scales could be gathered from
the bed. The characteristic onset of the disease, its gradu¬
al extension from the extremities to the body, the intense
itching and burning aggravated by scratching or rubbing,
and the extensive exfoliation decided me to give him Rhus
Radicans, which he received in the M potency, one dose
dry on the tongue. He began to improve promptly, and in
three or four months the skin was normal and perfect health
restored. In that time he received four doses of medicine.
Dr. A. L. Macomber, who referred him to me, wrote:
“This patient has been in the midst of the eruptions, boils
and desquamation on head, face,forearms, hands, legs and
every part of the body. There were boils discharging yel¬
low, bloody exudate; patches of skin peeling off; under¬
neath. loose skin looked red, raw, angry, and no end to the
silvery white scales, large and small, stiff and dry from all
parts of the body. Some looked like fish scales in thick¬
ness. Nails of fingers and toes came off. I saw the finger
nails when the line of demarkation was about half down the
nail. It is one of the worst cases I have ever seen: in fact,
I never saw anything like it.”
April 6, 1904. A subsequent letter, received from the
doctor, says:
“It seems tome the most wonderful cure, and I shall
watch with much interest for the report of the case, that I
may also know the treatment.”
Mr. A-is now fully recovered, and is apparently a
well man.
' A simular case of dermatitis but, in a much older man,in
which I had the counsel and assistance of Drs. C. E. Fisher,
J. R. Kippax and E. R. Lindner, after nearly a year o
almost daily attendance, proved fatal. With that case
on our hands steadily progressing to a fatal issue, Dr.
Fisher advised sending Mr. A. to a specialist at once. But
even in such a desperate case the result showed that it is
our duty to stand by our colors, even if the prognosis be
grave:
Digitized by ^ooQle
The Medical Advance
AND
JOURNAL OF HOMEOPATHICS
A Monthly Journal of Hahnemannian Homeopathy
When we have to do with an art whose end is the savin* of human life any neglect to m*k
ourselves thorough masters of it becomes a crime.— Hahnemann.
Subscription Price - - - - Two Dollars a Year
We believe that Homeopathy, well understood and faithfully practiced, has power
to save more lives and relieve more pain than any other method of treatment ever invented
or discovered by man; but to be a first-class homeopathic prescriber requires careful study
of both patient and remedy. Yet by patient care it can be made a little plainer and
easier than it now is. To explain and define and in all practical ways simplify it is our
chosen work. In this good work we ask your help.
To accommodate both readers and publisher this journal will be sent until arrears
are paid and it is ordered discontinued.
Communications regarding Subscriptions and Advertisements may be sent to the
publisher, The Forrest Press, Batavia, Illinois.
Contributions, Exchanges, Books for Review, and all other communications should
be addressed to the Editor, 5142 Washington Avenue, Chicago.
DECEMBER, 1904
Editorial
Division of Fees.
The question of dividing fees between the surgeon and
the physician who calls him in consultation, has been before
the profession for some years, but it has recently been
brought into greater prominence by the president of the
Chicago Gynecological Society (who happens to be also
president of the Illinois State Board of Health). This gen¬
tleman, with the aid of the secretary of the said society,
set traps in the shape of decoy letters for a number of more
or less eminent surgeons and it seems that all of the more
or less eminent ones fell promptly into the trap. The sub-
Digitized by ^ooQle
706
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
sequent denials, explanations, apologies, etc., that they
made, were amusing but not convincing.
Presumably, the object of the attempt, was to condemn
the alleged reprehensible practice as “ unprofessional and
unethical ” and to punish those caught in the act, by a
species of excommunication. Then the whole matter was
to be officially settled.
The highly professional and ethical quality of the act of
sending out decoy letters, has not been noticed and we think
that some effective remarks might be made upon that point,
but we do not propose to do so now.
The main question is as to the morality or otherwise of
the practice of dividing fees in the case stated. We main¬
tain the opinion that, all things considered, it is eminently
right and proper that such a division of fees should be made.
There is nothing about it derogatory to professional dignity,
nothing provocative of danger to the patient and nothing
inconsistent with honesty and fair dealing. Let the facts
be fairly stated before a jury of intelligent men and the
verdict would certainly be for and not against the proposi¬
tion.
Here are the facts: the general practitioner works early
and late, bearing many heavy burdens of responsibility upon
a meager and generally insufficient income. This hard-
worked individual calls a surgeon in consultation; the sur¬
geon spends a few minutes in operating, pockets a fee of
from one to five hundred dollars, and disappears in the blue
distance, leaving his colleague the after-treatment, some
empty honors, and such monetary scraps as the impoverished
patient can muster. Is that just?
The pale faces of the preternaturally ethical doctors’
become suffused with a crimson glow of indignation as they
reply, “shame on you, for dragging our noble profession
down to the level of mere business. Ours is a humanitarian
and self-sacrificing profession, and should never be tainted
with the spirit of commercialism!” Truly it is a self sacri¬
ficing profession, and no one knows it better than the poor
devil of a practitioner, as he tramps sloppy streets on dark
Digitized by ^ooQle
1 1 r ■ ... , j
EDITORIAL “ 707
nights, to relieve some suffering patient upon the dubious ,
chance of a meager fee.
It is undoubtedly a self-sacrificing profession, but why,
should the self-sacrifice be all on one side? Gentlemen of
the decoy letters! You are straining yourselves in your at¬
tempt to reach an immaculate purity in this one respect.
Consider how the first citizens of Chicago, constituting tha
Beef Trust, have been detected in the act of stealing the
city water; a theft that cannot be considered anything but
cool and premeditated, for it involved the laying of surrep¬
titious pipes and mains. Consider the vast wealth that is
yearly accumulating into the private hands of so-called
respectable citizens by dishonest privileges: 13oz. loaves,
sugar, kerosene, coal and other necessaries at high, arbitrary,
trust-begotten prices, all manipulated by ethical, philan-
thropical citizens, high in social and civil circles, and then
consider the lofty and somewhat strained purity required of
the family doctor, and you will see that you are demanding
too much.
It is a pity that those who answered the underhanded
decoy letters favorably, had the weakness to apologize and
explain. Par better would it have been to maintain the
righteousness of the principle and thus veer the weather¬
cock of public scorn upon the contemptible concoctors of
these false and lying letters.—J. B. S. King.
To Dodge Appendicitis.
A writer in the current number of the National Review,
under the nom deplume of P. R. C. S., claims that ap¬
pendicitis may be avoided by careful eating. He claims that
we do not have to dodge cherry stones, grape 6eeds and such
things, but on the other hand care should be taken not to
bolt a meal, in other words, it is not so much what we eat as
how we eat it. The rapid eating and bolting of food with
the consequent necessity of drinking large quantities of
fluid while eating, is very frequently the cause not only of
appendicitis but many other affections of the digestive tract.
The writer explains how malevolent microbes accumulate
Digitized by ^ooQle
708
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
and thrive when improperly digested food is supplied them,
and how they swarm to the appendix and turn it into a rest¬
ing place until they are’sufficiently strong and numerous to
make a successful attack* all along the line. There is more
truth than poetry in his position. His advice “Do not bolt
heavy meais ” is good practically, and can be easily carried,
out. Every business man, even members of the Board of
Trade of Chicago, can follow this, if they will, and it is in¬
finitely better and safer to go without a lunch than it is to
bolt any kind ofjfood, and wash it down instead of thorough
mastication: P. R. C. S., is confident, and his confidence is
no doubt based upon experience, that if care is taken in eat¬
ing the modern business man will have a fighting chance for
life without the surgeon’s help.
_
Metallic Ferments.
Dr. Albert Robin, a member of the Academie] de Medicine
of Paris, has communicated what he thinks is an important
discovery in regard to the action of certain metals finely
subdivided and employed in infinitesimal doses. The sub¬
division is obtained by their electrical dissolution in water.
Dr. Robin claims that metals so treated acquire the property
of developing a force similar to that of a ferment, hence the
name of his discovery. “Metallic Ferments. ”
They are employed hypodermically, from five to ten
cubic centimeters of the solution containing from the 1 900
to 1-2000 of a milligram of gold, silver, platinum or other
metals produced a sudden end of the malady in six cases
out of ten before the seventh day, in pneumonia. Thirteen
cures were obtained in fourteen cases thus treated. It is
claimed there is a complete similarity between the natural
favorable crisis and that produced by metallic ferments,and
these ferments it is claimed are capable of producing, aid¬
ing or hastening this favorable crisis. The temperature
falls suddenly after one or two hypodermic injections.
This latest fad is verging closely on the domain of
homeopathic infinitesimals, so far as dose is concerned, and
the cure is apt to take place in the same way as antitoxin in
Digitized by isjOOQle
EDITORIAL.
709 *
diphtheria and other serum remedies. We fear that like
many similar discoveries it will go up like a rocket and
come down like the stick. It has no scientific foundation,
and probably will not be heard from, after the returns begin
to come in.
College Amalgamation.
The Chicago Homeopathic and Hahnemann Medical Col¬
leges have become one, and in future will be known as the
Hahnemann Medical College of Chicago.
The break in Hahnemann Medical College occurred in
1876, owing to a discussion between the younger and older
members of the faculty in regard to the disposition of
college funds, the majority of the faculty seceding, going to
the West Side and establishing the Chicago Homeopathic.
The following year there .appeared on the catalogue of
Hahnemann College the now noted expression of the late
Dr. Ludlam; “ A limited faculty and better teaching.” The
faculty was limited because in 1876 there were not so many
homeopaths in Chicago as there are to-day to engage in
college work, and the limited faculty was from necessity, not
choice.
The two colleges have engaged in a rivalry more or less
keen for many years; a rivalry which has perhaps done more
to increase the number of homeopaths and benefit the
homeopathic profession than could otherwise have been ac¬
complished, and the success of the Chicago Homeopathic
was no doubt ’the inspiration which led to the founding of
others.
For many years the profession, not only outside of
Chicago but in the city as well, has expressed the opinion
that it would be much better for the homeopathic school to
have one large well-equipped college rather than so many
small ones, and the union of these two colleges, if success¬
ful, may verify or disprove the prediction. But if we may
judge the future by the past, especially the result of amal¬
gamation in Cleveland and Kansas City, it is an experiment
that, to say the least, is doubtful. In Cleveland, each o£
Digitized by ^ooQle
710 THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
lie homeopathic colleges five years ago bad practically as
many students as the united college has to day. The en¬
thusiastic struggle for supremacy, for students and for the
good of the cause resulted in much better work and more of
it, both individually and collectively, among the various
members of the faculty than a single college without the
stimulant has produced. And this is not only true in the
homeopathic, but it is equally true in the other schools, both
literary and professional.
The board of trustees and the officers of the college re¬
main practically the same. The only difference is that Dr.
A. C. Cowperthwaite, the Dean of the Chicago Homeopathic
College is added to the board of trustees. The entire faculty
with the exception of Drs. E. H. Pratt, J. J. Thompson and
C. T. Hood it is rumored, is added to the present faculty of
Hahnemann Medical College; but naturally there will more
or less pruning needed to be done. The amalgamation will
give about 180 students to Hahnemann Medical College for
the rest of the term. How many more or how many less
they will have the coming session depends upon the efforts
of the faculty.
Whether the amalgamation means unification of the
profession in Chicago, and better and more thorough teach,
ing of Homeopathy is a question of the future.
Editoral Brevities.
Dr. Milton Rice, the enthusiastic Hahnemannian of
Hilo, H. I., bids fair to make a reputation for himself and
Homeopathy, by his published cures of genuine leprosy.
All his cases are examined and so pronounced by the official
bacteriologist of the Board of Health. The treatment does
not differ in any particular from that of ordinary Hahne¬
mannian treatment of so-called incurable skin diseases laid
down by Hahnemann in the Organon and Chronic Diseases.
The anamnesis is carefully taken, including the family his¬
tory, and the dynamic remedy selected for the patient, not
for leprosy. The doctor maintains that lepers are quite
amenable to Hahnemannian treatment, when the similimum
Digitized by ^ooQle
EDITORIAL.
711
lias been correctly selected and properly applied, and the
case reported on another page of this issue confirms his faith
in his principles.
Puerperal Eclampsia:— -Dr. Margaret E. Burgess, of
Philadelphia, was called in consultation to see a patient,
and found on her arrival that the patient had had twenty-
two consecutive convulsions. The attending physician bad
given Physostigmin sulp. 1-50 and 1-100 of a grain, and
Cuprum Arsenicosum 3x trituration every hour. At the end
of the next convulsion, while the patient was still uncon¬
scious, from some marked symptoms of the remedy, the
doctor gave Cicuta 200, a few pellets on the everted lip, with
the result that the convulsions stopped at once, and the
patient made a good recovery, in spite of the unfavorable
prognosis of two physicians. This shows the efficacy of
selecting the proper remedy, and giving it in the proper
dynamic strength. Even in the worst type of puerperal
convulsions the dynamic similar remedy is the best, both for
the patient and the doctor.
Dr. DeWitt G. Wilcox, Sec’y.of the N. Y. State Society,
announces the next annual meeting at the Ten Eyck Hotel,
Albany, Feb. 14, 15, 1905, and adds: “We are to give a ban¬
quet in honor of our esteemed and distinguished brother
Dr. William H. Watson, which will be equal to any ever held
at our state capital. ,, This will no doubt be a drawing card.
The Medical Advance extends its sincere thanks to both
readers and contributors for the assistance they have ren¬
dered during the year just closing; and if each reader will
promptly renew his or her subscription for 1905 and send in
with it the subscription of some friend or colleague we will
double our number of readers and increase the size of the
magazine. The journal belongs to the profession; and’ to
the profession it appeals for literary and financial support
with a confidence in the future verified by the support it has
received in the past.
Dr. Geo. A. Martin, of Boone, Iowa, relates a singular
experience in Serum Therapy: In a case of malignant
Diphtheria he used Antitoxin successfully. Three months
Digitized by ^ooQle
712
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
subsequently the same patient had another attack. He was
unable to secure the Antitoxin at that -time, and gave
Carbolic Acid 3x with prompt relief and a permanent cure.
Query:—Which did the cure-work in the first case,
Antitoxin or Carbolic Acid?
The Pennoyer Sanitarium, at Kenosha, Wisconsin, has
never been in better conditio!) for caring for patients, who
require change of environment and absolute rest, than at
present. After many years of persevering labor and good
work, Dr. Pennoyer has established a Sanitarium on a per¬
manent basis, viz.; the successful treatment of invalids.
No better illustration of this can be given than the gratify¬
ing note recently left by Bishop Hare, of South Dakota,
upon his departure, after several weeks of recreation at
Kenosha:
“I cannot leave without writing a line to say what a
happy success I think your Sanitarium is; a real Sanitarium,
and not a bit of a morbid-arium.”
This expresses the opinion of one grateful patient, who
like many others, on his return home, recommends his
friends to visit the Sanitarium,
Dr. 6. W. Roberts, the accomplished and efficient
Secretary of the New York Homeopathic Medical College
and Hospital, has resigned, as his increasing surgical
practice and professional work demand all his time and
energy. The New York .College and its interests have been
well cared for by Dr. Roberts, and it seems a misfortune
when the college has found a man who is so capable of fill¬
ing that difficult position that his services could not be
retained.
Dr. Frank W. Patch, issues a beautifully illustrated
leaflet explaining the advantage of the location on Indian
Head Hill, near Framingham, Mass., of his Sanitarium
“The Woodside Cottages”. It is located about twenty miles
from Boston, which is outside the suburban limit, and is
admirably adapted for the treatment of patients suffering
with nervous diseases. It is protected by a pine grove from
Digitized by i^ooQle
COMMENT AAD CRITICISM.
713
the severe winds of the north and west, but giving the
Sanitarium the full benefit of the southern sun.
The profession is to be congratulated that there are
springing up so many of these homes for invalids, where
the individual necessity of each patient can be carefully
studied, amd where they can obtain the much needed rest
while under good homeopathic treatment.
COMMENT AND CRITICISM
The Union of the Schools.
The Wayne County Medical Society, Detroit, Michigan,
in the earnest effort evidently to benefit their homeopathic
brethren, issued an invitation recently to the homeopaths
of Detroit to become members of their Society. Article
Third of the Constitution of the society says:
“Every physician residing and praotisingin Wayne Co. and legally
registering as such, who is in good professional standing who will agree
in writing, over his own signature, to practice non-sectarian medicine
only, and to sever all connection with sectarian colleges, societies and
institutions, shall be eligible for membership."
To this invitation Dr. T. P. Wilson, the founder and
first editor and publisher of the Medical Advance, makes
the following reply in the Tribune-.
My Dear Doctor: “What I desire to know is the mean¬
ing of the word ‘sectarian, ’ as applied to medical practice.
It is a word well understood as applied to theology, and
that without reproach. Pew religionists of any sort would
care to deny that they were sectarian. It is a condition
of honor among the churches. The dictionary, at least,
does not show that the meaning of this word is changed by
being applied to medical practice. It must be that, in the
vocabulary of certain doctors, there is a meaning not dis¬
coverable by the ordinary mind. It is a wonder that, long
ere this, the lexicon has not been subpoenaed to meet this
exigency. (I charge nothing for the suggestion.)
“Medical schools, colleges, societies and institutions
have for many years been classified as homeopathic, alio-
Digitized by ^ooQle
714
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
pathic and eclectic. You, sir, will not deny that the rating*
of the Wayne County Medical Society would bring it under
one of these heads. It is useless for either of these societies,
in this enlightened age, to put on airs of superiority.
Nevertheless, as is well known, certain doctors do indulge
in their vain conceit. But the smiles they evoke are rarely
heard. It is hoped that time will eradicate such puerilities-
from all sensible minds.
It is somewhat astounding, however, to note that the
members of this society are obliged to put themselves on
record by signing away their personal liberty. Of all
classes of truth seekers, medical men have found knowledge
in most unsuspected quarters. As accepted facts and theories
in the medical profession are well known to be empirical, it
cannot be told with certainty from where the next truth is
to come. The members of the Wayne County Medical Society
evidently do not grasp this fact. They deliberately shut
the door in their own faces. Do you think, doctor, that I
would be benefited by joining your society and allowing it
to muzzle me for all time to come?
I have all my life carried a free lance. I have tried to
dissect everything in which the truth might be hidden.
Must I give up my right of search and research in order to
have my name enrolled on your membership list? Is the
game worth the candle?”
‘‘Postscript—As I am about closing this letter I am in
receipt of a pamphlet, from a well known drug house, con¬
taining a long list of prescriptions for various
diseases. The following is for cough: White pine bark, 30
grains; wild cherry (what part not stated,)30 grains; Balsam
poplar buds, 4 grains; Spikenard root, 4 grains; Sanquinaria
(part not stated,) 34 grains; Sassafras (part not stated,) 2
grains; chloroform, 4 minims; Morphine acetate, 3-16 grain;
all constituting an ounce. These are all combined and
labeled. 4 'Anodyne Pine Expectorant.” And then, there
follows an explanation of the manner in which the several
ingredients act. The principle is exactly that of the colored
doctor who, having found that his patient was: suffering
Digitized by ^ooQle
COMMENT AND CRITICISM., 715
from rupture of the diaphragm, prescribed ‘alum a bur
gundy pitch* on the non-sectarian principle that the first
article would draw the wound together and the second would
stick its sides fast. I could cite you hundreds of similar
prescriptions, indorsed by thousands of medical men. Now,
what I want to know is, would it be sectarian to prescribe a
more simple medicine, say Aconite or Bryonia or Phos¬
phorus, each uncombined, and reach the same end, in a more
simple and rational manner?”
Prom this correspondence it will be seen that the
homeopaths of Detroit are alive iand prepared to defend^,
their principles. The Secretary of the Wayne County ,
Medical Society will find that the medical millenium is as
far off as ever, that with the dawn of the twentieth century
there is something in medicine to investigate beside its
sectarianism. Would the members of this and similar
societies care to enter homeopathic societies on the terms
proscribed? No! no honorable man or woman of either
school would entertain such a proposition, and this attempt
to mix oil and water will meet the fate it richly deserves. .
For instance, why do you invite us to join your society
and then put up bars which effectually exclude us? Why
do you make unwarranted use of the English language by
wresting the word “sectarian” from its legitimate meaning
in theology to serve the purpose of a medical society? Why
will you attempt to debase medical science and art, by
causing its members to wear the yoke of thraldom? Why
will you refuse us the hand of fellowship unless we agree i#
writing over our “own signature” to that which is meaning¬
less or else repugnant to our sense of medical honor? Why
do you prate of sectarian colleges, societies and institutions;
to which we belong and you do not? Do you think you can
boycott the medical profession outside of your lines, untiL
they surrender? Must we appeal from Phillip drunk to
Phillip sober? , .
Digitized by C.ooQLe
716
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
A Compound of Medical Latin. Designed for Elementary Train*
ing of Medical Students. By W. T. St. Clair. A. M., Professor of
the Latin Language in the Male High School of Louisville, Ky.
Second Edition, Revised. Philadelphia. P. Blakiston’s Son & Co
1904. Cloth, $1.00 net.
This hand-book is intended to present to the medical
student in a plain, practical way the fundamental principles
upon which the medical language is built. Students enter¬
ing upon the study of medicine must have a knowledge of
Latin equivalent to the high school course, and those who
do not have it are conditioned in that branch and required
to take it in the medical college during the Freshman year.
This work is intended to be a helpmate and a guide
for the student, if she or he attempt to master this
work without a teacher. Here will be found a limited
vocabulary of the most important medical words which can
be mastered by easy lessons, and careful explanation is
made of the special technical endings, their formation,
meaning and application. These are illustrated by numerous
examples which are intended to firmly fix them in the
students mind.
Characteristic Conditions of Aggravation and Amelioration.
After Bfinninghausen. Pp. 62. Paper, 50 cents.
This is a second edition of Dr. E. J. Lee’s work which
was originally published as a supplement to the Homeo •
pat hie Physician in 1884. It is in the form of a valuable
pocket manual, edited by Dr. Geo. A. Taber, Richmond, Va.
who says in the preface: ‘‘So many of my friends expressed
a desire for a copy, 1 make that an excuse for a reprint.”
The rubrics are arranged alphabetically. There is an
extended index which makes it very convenient, and the
work will be found an invaluable aid to the busy man to
carry in his pocket.
Diseases of the Lung, Bronchi and Plenra. By H. Worthing¬
ton Paige, M. D., Lecturer on Theory and Practice of Medioine in
the New York Homeopathio Medical College. 165 pages. Cloth,
Digitized by LjOOQLe
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
717
$1.00. Postage, 8 cents. Philadelphia, and Chicago. Boericke
& Tafel. 1904.
This small volume of 165 pages gives a brief resume of
the etiology, pathology, physical signs, diagnosis, symptoms
and general treatment of various Diseases of the Lungs,
Bronchi and Pleura. The author is a member of the Faculty
of the New York Homeopathic Medical College, and the
work evidently is a synopsis of a course of lectures on the
subject:
Some crude drugs are recommended as palliatives in
severe cases of cough. The ordinary remedies with their
special indications are recommended in an attempt to cure
the various diseases. Many of the most frequently indicated
by the condition of the patient-are overlooked or omitted
entirely. The weak point in the work is that it entirely
ignores the patient, paying special attention to the disease,
and we doubt very much if it will be found of much benefit
to either the student or the physician. As good disease
descriptive work can be found in Raue and much better
therapeutics hints.
On the Supposed Uncertainty in Medical Science. And on
the Relation Between Diseases and Their Remedial Agents, Being
the Address Read at The Fourth Annual Meeting of the Bengal
Branoh of the British Medical Association. By Mahendra Lai
Siroar, M. D., Calcutta. 1903.
This is a reprint, almost verbatim , of an address in
medicine which was delivered over thirty-five years ago,
and published in pamphlet form. The pamphlet is now out
of print, and many friends wished a copy without any alter¬
ation of the text. It contains an extract from Dr. Sharp’s
paper on the Physiological Action of Medicine. The Rule
of Sides by Dr. Hering; Liston’s cases of Erysipelas cured
by Aconite and Belladonna, with a number of extended
reviews by various medical and secular periodicals, includ¬
ing the Indian Medical Gazette, and the London Lancet. It
contains the interesting story of the conversion of the
author from Allopathy, graphically described in the inimi¬
table style of this able teacher. Like tiering, one of the
Digitized by LjOOQLe
718
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
chief factors which led to bis conversion to Homeopathy,
was the intention to write a review of it which forever
would “smash” Homeopathy. But the more he studied the
question, the more he became convinced of its truth, and
in the end, like Hering, not only became a convert but one
of its ablest advocates. Like Hahnemann he suffered per¬
secution when he began to practice the new system of
medicine. In fact, lost all his practice for a time, and for
six months no patient darkened his door. Every student
and practitioner of Homeopathy in America should read
this soul stirring description of his conversion from the
darkness of “Scientific Medicine” to the light and truth of
Simtlia as enunciated by Hahnemann.
Diseases of the Nose, Throat, and Ear and their Accessory
Cavities. By Seth Scott Bishop. M. D., D. C. L., LL. D., Author
of *‘The Ear and its Diseases”; Honorary President of the Faculty
and Professor of Diseases of the Nose, Throat, and Ear in the
Illinois Medical College; Professor in the Chicago Post-graduat-
Medical School and Hospital; Surgeon to the Post-graduate Hospital
and to the Illinois Hospital; Consulting Surgeon to the Mary Thomp.
son Hospital, to the Illinois Masonic Orphans’ Home, and to the
Silver Cross Hospital of Joliet, etc. Third Edition. Thoroughly
Revised, Rearranged and Enlarged. Illustrated with 94 Colored
Lithographs and 230 Additional Illustrations, 564 Pp. Cloth. $4.00,
net; Sheep or Half-Russia, $5.00, net. F. A. Davis Company,
Publishers, 1914-16 Cherry St., Philadelphia.
That a third edition of this classical work should be
called for so soon is perhaps the only excuse for calling at¬
tention to its practical excellence. But the introduction of
improved instruments and apparatus, new remedies and
methods of treatment in the ever changing current literature
demanded a recasting and rewriting of much of the work.
Several chapters have been condensed or amplified and
illustrated and partly or wholly rewritten to conform to re¬
cent discoveries imd make it thoroughly representative of
the more advanced work on the subject. The larger part
of the volume is devoted to the nose and throat and this part
especially is well and profusely illustrated. The arrange-
Digitized by e.ooQle
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
719
ment is concise~yefe admirable in- detail, and this feature in
particular appeals with much force to the busy American
specialist who has not time to wade through the prolixity
of some contemporaneous volumes on these diseases. The
Publishers have brought it out in a very attarctive dress.
International Clinics. A quarterly Illustrated Clinical Lectures
on Medicine, Surgery, Neurology, Pediatrics, Obstetrics, Pathology,
Etc., Embracing every field of Practical Medicine. Edited by A.
0. J. Kelly, M. D., Philadelphia and an able corps of collaborators,
Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Co., Pp. 300. Cloth $2.00 net. 1904.
Volume III of this splendid series, the fourteenth we be¬
lieve, contains a large number of plates illustrating various
forms of thesyphilide in the papular, varioliform, acneiforme
psoriasiform, eczematiform, scarlatiniform, lupiform, furun-
culiform, etc. These form admirable diagnostic views of
many of these diseases, and will help the practitioner great¬
ly in differentiating the most obstinate forms of skin diseases
which ho will be called to treat. It is often a more difficult
matter to make ^n accurate, scientific diagnosis in some of
these complicated forms of skin diseases than it is to cure
the patient.
In this volume of 300 pages there are grouped many in¬
teresting medical and surgical diseases treated by some of
the best diagnosticians and clinicians*in the profession.
This entire series should grace every medical library.
We congratulate the publishers on their enterprize and the
scientific character of the work.
The Physician’s Visiting List for 1905. Fifty-fourth year of its pub¬
lication. Philadelphia; P. Blakiston’s Son & Co., 1012 Walnut St.
Price $1.00.
Notwithstanding the numerous competitors in this
field, the old and reliable Visited List of this firm annually
appears and holds its place with the profession. It is ene
of the most convenient and best arranged on the market,
which accounts for its financial success and great popularity.
Digitized by ^ooQle
INDEX OF VOLUME XLII.
Acetic Acid Poisoning.359
Aconite, Amenorrhea.467
Aconite in Dysentery, B.B.Shaba. 141
Advance, The....,.634
. For 1905.711
Important Changes in.239
A Criticism of.242
Aesculus Compared with Aloe,...548
Afraid of Drafts.418
After-Pains, Cramping. 543
AgaricusMuscarius, J. T. Kent.,246
Allen, H. C., Onosmodium Vir-
ginianum.425
Rhus Radicans.703
Alliaume, C. E , Clinical Cases... 14
Aloe, Compared with Aesculus.. ..548
Alternating Remedies.414
Alumina, Spinal Sclerosis. 29
Amblyopia, Alcoholic and To¬
bacco. 443
Amenorrhea of Fifteen Years’
Standing, Aconite.467
American Homeopathic Pharma¬
copoeia.356
American Institute of Homeopa¬
thy.231, 297, 635
Antimonium Crudum for Split
Hoof. A. A. Pompe.505
Antiryrine Poisoning, Case of.... 409
Appendicitis? S. L. Guild-Leg-
gett. .106
Appendicitis, Chronic, Curable,
and Incurable. .115
Appendicitis a Medical or Surgi¬
cal Disease? E. C. Freyer-
mutb. 23
Appendicitis, Relative Value of
the Medical and Surgical
Treatment: of Discussion.177
Appendicitis. 424
Appendicitis, Belladoana.625
Appendicitis Craze, The.210
Appendicitis and Typhoid.613
Apis Mellifica in Meningitis, A.
B. Ferguson.299
Apis, Six Key-Notes of.473
Aranea Tela.437
Argentum Nitricum in Polyuria,481
Spinal Sclerosis.130
Arnica After Delivery.409
Pleurisy.413
Arsenicum, Coldness.379
Nervous Fever. .555
Arsenicum Iod., Hodgkin’s Dis¬
ease. 658
Art of Waiting, The, E. A. P.
Hardy. 493
Articles, How to get Live.359
Articles, Unpublished (Editorial)466
Asthma of Horses, Iodine, W. H.
Freeman.. .. 659
Asthma, Winter.315
Aurum, The Mental Symptoms of,326
Austin, A. E., Fallow Fields.629
A Tumor Removed Without the
Knife. 515
Babies, Feeding at the Breast... .504
Baldwin. V. A., Tried It on a Cow.568
Baptisia Tinctoria, J. T. Kent... 49
Barking; Involuntary.548
Barnes, P. L., A Cure by Formic
Acid.159
Bathing a Good Thing.324
Beardsley, E. J., The Evolution
of a Hahnemannian , with Il¬
lustrative Cases.136
Belladonna, Green Stools.445
Spinal Seierosis.31
Belladonna and Veratrum in Pu¬
erperal Insanity.479
Blindness During Child Birth.. ..545
Boger, C.M.,President’s Address573
Tuberculosis, the Med¬
ical Side of the Question... .699
Bold Prophecy, A.412
Borax and Baldness.334
Verifications of. 44
Boulton, Eleanore, A Simple
Method for the Reduction of
Luxations of the Humerus. ..569
Boy Who Could Not Run and Had
Forgotten How to Smile G. E.
Clark.440
Brave Surgeon A,.615
Brief Study of Common Things,
W. A. Yingling,.4
Broncho-Pneumonia with Escape
of Fetid Air from the Bron¬
chi, F. H. Lutze,.4
Digitized by ^ooQle
INDEX.
Bryonia, Pneumonia in a Horse, 143
Pleurisy,.413
Umbilical Fulness,.455
Burgess, Margaret, E., Puerperal
Eclamsia.711
Notes from Practice, 43
Burns, Dressing for,.360
Treatment of,.538
Buttermilk, .424
Buying Cheap Drugs, ....290
Cajaput, Verifications of, A. L.
Fisher, .139
Calcarea Carb., Gwynn,.151
Calcarea Cases, S. L. Guild-
Leggett, .182
Calcarea, A Common Misconcep¬
tion in Regard to, .612
Calc., Lyc.and Sulph.,(Editorial) 601
Calc, vs. Phos.,. 243
Calc.. Phos., for Broken Bones, 420
Calcutta School of Homeopathy* 415
Campbeil,J.B., Where the Sio.il-
limum is Supreme, . 639
Camphor, Veratrum and Cuprum,
in Coldness, .379
Cancer, Painless and Odorless
Uterine,.478
Cancer of the Breast, A Case of,
Cured by the X-Rays,
H. P. Holmes, .91
Can the Leper Change his Spots?
A case, Milton Rice, .489
Capsicum, Broncho-Pneumonia. 454
CarboVeg., Case in Real Life,
A Typical, R. P. Vivian, ....275
Carbo Veg., Nosebleed,.417
Carbo Veg. vs. Salt Solution, M.
A. Seymour.306
Cabgo Veg. the Sluggard, .379
Carcinoma, Cure of a Tumor Re¬
sembling. by A. McNeil. 19
Carduns Marianus for Varicose
Veins,.331
Carleton. Edmund, A Class Room
Talk,.200
Case of Abdominal Tumor, J. C.
Loos,.307
Case, The Anamnesis of a.664
Case, A Curious.316
Catching Cold, .467
Central N. Y. Horn. Med. Society
.7,177, 551
Chamomilla, Mental Symptoms of 326
Chaney,E. N.. Thought Force and
Nerve Impingement, . 16
Children, Beautiful but Not
Really Healthy, (Editorial)...399
Children. Saving Defective,
(Editorial).348
Cholera in India,.415
Ohorea, Calc. Carb.,.306
Rest Treatment for.411
Very Severe,.413
Zizia in.323
Chronic Belladonna Case, J. C.
White . 160
Chronic Cases, Treatment of, Dis¬
cussed.565
Chronic Diseases, Extra Therapeutic
Considerations in the Treat¬
ment of, F. W. Patch,.691
Chronic Diseases, is Hahnemann’s
Theory of, Tenable in the Light
of Present Scientific Knowledge.
A. W. Holcombe,.262
Chronic Dislocation of the Hip,
Cured by a Dose of Silica 3d, 445
Cicuta, Paralysis in a Dog..145
In Puerperal Convulsions,479
Cimicifuga, Chorea, .413
Cina, Verifications,... 44
Clark, B.G.,The Manual of Phar-
mcaodynamicsa Text-book for
Students,.216
Clas9 Room Talk, A, Edmund
Carleton. 200
Climacteric in Men and Women. 416
Clinical Cases, C. E. Alliaume,.. 14
Clinical Cases: Aconite, .467
Ammonium carb.,.517, 518
Anacardium.. 75
Apis.299
Aranea Tela.437
Argentum Nitricum, 74, 130 481
Arnica,.620
Arsenic, .22, 126, 555
Badiaga,. 127
Belladonna, 138, 160, 308, 446,
.455. 566, 622
Bryonia, .145, 398, 413,455
Borax,. 44
Gaiaput, . 139
Calcarea carb., 138, 181, 182, 307
. 440,526
Capsicum,. 454
Carbo An.,.211
Carbo Veg., . ...275, 315, 417, 561
Carduus Mar.., . 331
Carnine,.203
Cicuta,.711
Cina. 44
Colocynth,.307
Curare,. 22
Echinacea,.10
Digitized by
Google
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Eupatorium Perf.,.336
Ferrum,.677
Formic Acid,.159
Glonoine,. 14
Graphites,.296
Hellebore,.145
Hypericum,.90
Iris,.281
Ignatia,.567
Ipecac,.392
Kali Carb.,.127, 512
Kalmia, .502
Kreosote,.524
Lac. Can.,.524
Lachesis 128, 333, 456, 516, 621
Lycopodium, ...276, 313, 318, 386
Lycopus Virginicus. 442, 507
Mercurius.313, 549
Merc, cor.515
Merc. Viv.101
Natr. mur.138, 317, 474, 519
Nitric Ac.335, 417
Nux Vom..280
Ovinine.509
Phosphorus..48, 489
Picric Ac .37, 291
Pulsatilla.43,137,172,279,495,506
Rhus Tox.106, 325, 397, 619
Sepia.127, 147
Silicea. 445, 562, 563
Sinapis Nigr.336
Spongia.127, 495
Sulphur, 71, 280, 307, 456, 489,
.496, 560. 561, 686
Tuberculinum.172, 376
Variolinum. 87
Xanthox.64
Zincum.309
Zizia.332
Clinical Comparison of Phos¬
phorus and Tuberculinum.. .376
Clinical Department, Our.414
Clinical Diagnosis, M. Kuznik..,.593
Clinical Experience, Importance
of (Editorial).459
Close, Stuart,The Hahnemannian
Asa Specialist.669
Colchicum, Veterinary Case.568
Cole, Lewis G, “Trying it on the
Dog,”. 145
Coll eg e Amalgamations,
(Editorial).709
College Football, the Wrong of as
Now Played.571
College, the Hahnemannian ... .634
College, The So-Called Homeopa¬
thic .120
Colorado Climate, Good and Bad
Effects of on Consumption and
Heart Disease.382
Colorado Homeopathic Society...616
Color iBlindness, Cure of, J. F.
Edgar. 97
Comment and Criticism. 60, 112. 165,
.538, 604, 664, 712
Comparing Notes with our Neigh¬
bors, (Editorial). 462
Comparison of Aloe and Aesculus,548
of Chloroform and Ether.... 482
Condensed Repertory, A, G. E.
Dienst.527
Confirmations, Some, of a Few
Familiar Remedies, S. H.
Sparhawk.524
Constant Thirst in Intermittent 304
Consumption, The Curability of,
(Editorial).597
Good and Bad Dffects of Col¬
orado Climate on.382
Consumptiyeness, How to Avoid.596
Coryza, Puls.495
Cottage Cheese.341
Crafty Physician.423
Cramping After-Pains.543
Cream as an Article of Diet.469
Croup, Spongia.495
Cuprum, Veratrum and Camphor
in Coldness.379
Curability of Consumption, The
(Editorial).597
Cure by Formic Acid, A, P. L.
Barnes.159
Cure, A Beautiful, A. F. Swan...455
Curious Medicine, A, (Editorial.)285
Curious Pulsatilla Exception, E.
B. Nash.506
Cynic, The Once More.468
Danger Ahead. (Editorial).343
Darby, E. F. S., A Layman’s Ex.
perience with Homeopathy.. 220
Data Obtained by the Examina¬
tion of the Digestive System,
A. Kuznik.650
Davis, J. J., Some Experience in
the Prophylaxis of Variola...225
Dear Mr. Editor Down East.338
Deeply Psoric Case, A, F, E.
Gladwin.512
Del Mas, R., How we Prescribe..267
Some Clinical Cases.r.. .456
Obstetrical Notes.152
Demonstrable Divisibil i t y of
Drug-Matter, (Editorial)_536
Dentists’ Sorrows. 421
Digitized by
Google
INDEX.
Dermatitis Exfoliatia, Rhus rad.,703 Editorials:
Dernier Ressort, The. F. E. Glad- Beautiful Children. But Not
win.617
Dever. I, How 1 Learned to Cure
Diphtheria.497
Organon par. XCE.551
Dewey, W. A., The Vital Force
Theory of Hahnemann.467
Diabetes .340
Diagnosis, the Importance of a
Correct. (Editorial).284
Did My Medicines Do Any Good?
If So, Why Didn’t They Do
More Good?.371
Dienst, G. E . A Condensed Rep¬
ertory .527
What in the World Is it? 44
Diet, “What Does Your Patient
Eat?” ..503
Dietetic Considerations, J. B. S.
King.129
Dioscorea, Symptom.508
Diphtheria, How I Learned to
Cure, I. Dever.497
Diphtheria, Seventy-Three Cases
of, A. P. Hanchett.474
Discussion of Dr. Alliaume’s Pa¬
per. 15
of Dr. Austin’s Paper.632
of Dr. Campbell’s Paper.648
of Dr. Gladwin's Paper.626
of Dr. Hermance’s Paper_ 13
of Dr. Howard’s Paper. 9
of Dr. Nash’s Paper, The Sci¬
ence of Symptomatology....588
Healthy. 399
College Amalgamation.709
Comparing Notes with Our
Neighbors.462
Consulting a Repertory at
the Bedside.400
Curability of Consumption*
The. 597
Curious Medicine, A.285
Danger Ahead.343
Dangers and Benefits of Spe¬
cializing.401
Demonstrable Divisibility of
Drug-Matter.536
Division of Fees, J. B. S.
King.705
Forgetting the Polychrests...465
Hahnemann the Founder of
Christian Science.502
Importance of Clinical Expe¬
rience.459
Importance of a Correct Di¬
agnosis.284
Is the General Practitioner
a Thing of the Past ? .404
The Medical Laws of Minne¬
sota .457
Metallic Ferments.708
Needed, a Journal of Homeo¬
pathic Surgery.461
The New Vaccination....110, 161
The Ontario Medical Act... 107
Picture of Hahnemann.284
Division of Fees, (Editorial).705
Doctor’s Pay, A.543
Doctor’s Visits. The.420
Dose, Frequency of and the Les¬
son it Teaches .287
Dose, The, What Is It? W. L.
Morgan.103
Drake, O. M., Noises in the Max¬
illary Joint During Mastica¬
tion.517
Dropsy.423
Drug-Matter, The Demonstrable
Divisibility of (Editorial) ...536
Ear Symptoms, Danger of Neg¬
lecting..418
Echinacea Angustifolia in Blood
Poisoning, A. C. Hermance. 10
Edgar, J F., Cure of Color Blind¬
ness, . 97
Reply to the Pathologist and
Symptomatologist.604
Preventive Treatment.466
Reasons for Preferring Hom¬
eopathy.284
Requirements for College
Matriculates.163
Responsibility of Criminals..164
Saving Defective Children...348
Saying Thank You.464
Scientific Physician and the
Hayseed...534
Scissors, Paste and Great¬
ness.347
Single Remedy.162
The Single Remedy in Old
School Practice.661
Sulphur, Calcarea and Lyco¬
podium..601
Therapeutic Poverty.108
“The Three Mistakes”.55
To Dodge Appendicitis.707
Two Restless Boys.463
Unpublished Articles.. ... .466
Digitized by VjOOQle
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
Using Physiological Reme¬
dies.403
The War on Tuberculosis.223
A Word as to Insanity.346
Editorial Brevities.710
Electricity, Too Much.470
Electro-Magnetic Affinity of
Drugs, J. D. Graybill.37
Enthusiasm, Importance of.423
Enthusiasts on the Rio Grande...308
Enuresis, Chronic Nocturnal,
Thyroidin for.544
Enuresis, Kreosote.524
Eruption, Lachesis .621
Eruption, Suppressed by Rhus....612
Erythema, Erysipelatic, Sulphur.560
Ether and Chloroform, Compari¬
son of.482
Eucalyptus, a Curious Key-Note 549
In Nasal Catarrh.472
Eupatorium Perfoliatum, Cough.336
Evans, F. M., A Few Snapshots:
The Beauty of Truth.446
Evolution of a Hahnernannian,
with Illustrative Cases, E. J.
Beardsley.136
Excitement from the Ingestion of
Meat, Extraordinary Case of,
Cured by Carnine cm. Thos.
Skinner.203
Excitement, Too Much.474
Exophthalmic Goitre,Lycopus in.442
Evpectoration, Salt Tasting and
Greenish.338
Experiences of a Prover.508
Extremists.332
Eye-Lashes All Gone.475
Fahnestock, J. C., A Study of
Our Cold Remedies.378
Fallow Fields, A. E. Apstin.629
Fat Face but an Emaciated Body,
A. A. Pompe.317
Fat Face with Emaciated Body. .323
Feeding Babies at the Breast.504
Feeding in Fevers.547
Ferguson, A. B., Apis Mellifica
in Meningitis.299
Few Cases From Practice, T. D.
Stow. 560
Few Snapshots, A, The Beauty
of Truth, F. M. Evans.446
Ficu-i Religiosa.468
First Prescriptions.330
Fisher, A. L., Verifications of Ca-
japut. 139
Fitz-Mathew, J., Prescribing for
an Old Squaw...314
The Stagnant Homeopath... .539
The Use an Abuse of Opiates. 151
Five Distinct Principles of Hom¬
eopathy, W. L. Morgan.680
Food We Eat, Two Illustrative
Cases, W. A. McFall.276
Forgetting the Polychrests, (Edi¬
torial).465
Free Treatment for the Poor. ...473
Freeman, W. H., Asthma of
Horses; Iodine.659
Some Lycopodium Cases .. .386
Freyermnth, E. C., Is Appendi¬
citis a Medical or Surgical
Disease?.23
Gall St( nes, Calc. Carb..526
Gelsemium, Obstetrical Uses of...334
Spinal Sclerosis. 31
General Practitioner a Thing of
the Past? (Editorial).404
Genito-urinary Diseases.293
Giving Nature Time to Do Her
Work Properly.415
Gladwid, F. E., Dernire Ressort.617
A Deeply Psoric Case...'.512
Glasgow, W. A., A Case of Para¬
lysis Cured. .101
Goitre, A Case of Exophthalmic.335
Gonorrhea and Its After-Effects..313
and Blindness.548
The Prevalence of.480
Good Use for Twelve Cents.336
Gorton, W. D., Tubercular Men¬
ingitis, A Case . . .148
Graybill, J. D., Eletro-Magnetic
Affinity of Drugs.37
Grip. Lac can.,.525
Guild-Leggett, S. L., Appendi¬
citis? .106
Calcarea Cases.182
A Response from.538
Routine Prescribing of Vario
linum.242
Guinea Pigs and Doctors.293
Hahnemann’s Birthday.323
Hahnemann the Founder of
Christian Science. (Editorial) 602
Hahnemann, A Picture of, (Edi¬
torial).284
Hahnernannian. The, As a Spe¬
cialist, S. Close .669
Hallock, J. H , Homeopathic
Remedies in Tuberculosis.. 77
Hands,Preparation for Operation 515
Hardy, E. A. P., The Art of
Waiting.493
Harmless Bacteria—.482
Digitized by <^.ooQle
INDEX.
Has Lost Faith in Lachesis.330
Hasbrouk, Jos., An Inoperable
Case.211
He Lost His Bet.660
Hayes, R.E.S., Three Interesting
Cases of Intermittent Fever.279
Healthy Lungs.318
Heart Disease and Insanity.407
Heart Disease, Carbo Veg.561
Hellebore Poisoning.292
Helping on the Truth.471
Hemorrhage During Labor.394
Hering Medical College Com¬
mencement .231
Clinics, J. A. Tomhagen.157
Hermance, A. C., Echinacea in
Blood Poisoning .10
•‘High Potency Prescribing, The
Absurdity of”.350
His First Prescription .. ..471
Hodgkin‘s Disease, Ars. Jod. and
Ars.658
Holcombe, A. W., Is Hahne¬
mann’s Theory of Chronic
Diseases Tenable,etc,.282
Homeopath, A True.475
Homeopathic Colleges, Teaching
in,.488
Homeopathic Department, U. of
M.472
Homeopathic Therapeutics of
Spinal Sclerosis, C. C.
Howard.29
Homeopathy in England.291
in Germany.354, 476
in Japan.323
in Nebraska .323
Homeopathy in Diseases of the
Lower Animals. A. C. Her¬
mance.392
Homeopathy in Veterinary Prac¬
tice, C. E. Sayre.438
How to Become a Homeopath,
Emil Kober.. ... 133
How I Became a Convert to Sira-
lia, J. A. Rendall.566
How to Get the Best Results from
Your Medicines.419
How I Learned to Cure Diphthe¬
ria, I. Dever.497
How We Prescribe, R. Del Mas..267
How to Teach Common Sense in
Matters of Diet.419
Howard, C. C., Homeopathic
Therapeutics of Spinal Scle¬
rosis. 29
Howard, W. A., Organon par. IX
&X. ;v 8
Howland, J., Illustration of Sili-
cea.563
Hyoscyamus, Spinal Sclerosis.... 32
Hypericum, Urinary Symptom...549
Hypertrophy of Prostate.416
Incompetent Physicians and Sur¬
geons. 614
Indicated Remedy, The, A Re¬
markable Cure. 396
Inexperienced Surgeons..170
Infant Feeding in Relation to
Health and Disease, Fischer, 169
Ignoramuses and Rascals.414
Inimicals. 479
Insanity, A Word as to, (Editori¬
al).346
Intermittent Fever, Three Inter¬
esting cases of, R.E.S. Hayes. 279
Intermittent, Constant Thirst ln.304
Internal Remedy, The, in Gyne¬
cological Practice.499
Inoperable Case, An, J. Has¬
brouk.211
International Hahnemannian As¬
sociation.231
Involuntary Barking, A Case of
Chorea, G. E. Clark.304
Iodine, Asthma of Horses.659
Is the General Practitioner a
Thing of the Past?(Editorial)404
Is Surgery a Profession by ItselfV.310
Isopathy, A Word as to.422
Items of Interest.357
Jews, Tuberculosis Among the,. 520
Jumping at Conclusions.411
Jury, How to Convince the.412
Just a Little Too Much Medicine,545
Kali Carb., Pleurisy..413
Kalmia, Tobacco Heart.502
Kent, J. T. Agaricus Muse.249
Baptisia Tinct . 49
Cure Made by Picric Acid... 37
Kent’s Materia Medica.171
Kentucky State Society.174
Killing Skunks.337
King, J. B. S., The Pathologist
and Symptomatologist, (Edi¬
torial).531
Kober, Emil, How to Become a
Homeopath.133
Kuznik, Max, Data Obtained by
the Examination of the Di¬
gestive System. .650
Clinical Diagnosis. ...593
Lac Vacoin um Defloratum, A
Neglected Remedy.19
Digitized by
Google
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE
Lac Deflor., Headaches.194
Lachesis Case, R. F. Babe.516
Lachesis, A Defense of.483
Lachesis,Some Interesting Symp¬
toms.543
Layman's Experience with Hom¬
eopathy, A, E. F. 8. Darby...22u
Learned Cat.358
Leprosy, a case of M. Rice,.686
Leprosy, the Curability of, M.
Rice,.165
Leprosy, Cured by Sulph. and
Phos.489
Lilium Tig, in Ovarian Diseases.410
Linn, A. M., Variolinum a Pro¬
phylaxis Against Smallpox.. 431
Variolinum, The New Vacci¬
nation. 81
Lion and the Lamb, The.482
Look of the Patient, The.549
Long Drawn-Out Cure, A .419
s, Julia C., Symptoms that
Distinguish a Case, etc.65
Notes from Rochester.441
Loss of Consciousness and Faint¬
ing.614
Lutze. F. H.. Broncho-Pneumo¬
nia, with Escape of Fetid Air
from the Bronchi.454
Improperly Treated Measles
and Suppressed Eruption... .297
Luxations of the Humerus, A
Simple Method for the Re¬
duction of, E. Boulton..569
Lycopodium, Cases, Some, W. H.
Freeman.,.386
Lycopodium, Swallowing...454
Lyc., Calc, and Sulph.(Editorial) 601
Lycopus in Exophthalmic Goitre,
A. C. Cowperthwaite.442
Lycopus Virginicus, An Aggra-
tion.507
Lymphatic Anemia (Hodgkin’s
Disease). E. V. Ross__ . .658
Macomber, Dr. A. L. .704
Magazines vs. Books.475
Malandrinum in Vaccination.... 282
Malaria, Is It of Psoric Origin?.481
Malpractice Suits.484
Manual of Pharmacodynamics,
by Dr. Hughes, as a Text-
Book for Students, B. G.
Clark. 216
Manual of Obstetrics, J. C. Ed¬
gar . 123
Many Sided Action of Most
Drugs..292
Martin,Geo. A., Serum Therapy,711
Martin, Dr. L., A Victory for
Homeopathy, Nervous Fever.555
Materia Medica, Reproving Our,
... 340. 633
McFall, W. A., The Food We
Eat, Two Illustrative Cases.276
McNeil A., tr., Cure of a Tumor
Resembling Carcinoma .... 10
Measles and Suppressed Erup¬
tion Improperly Treated, F.
H. Lutze.297
Measles, The Early Recognition
of,.-.322
Graphites in,.297
Medical Act, The Ontario, (Edi¬
torial) .107
Medical Laws of Minnesota, (Ed¬
itorial) .457
Medical Library of the County
of Kings.469
Medicine, Four Kinds of,.480
Mercurius, Pleurisy.413
Merc, cor., Tumor.515
Merc. Viv., Red Stools.. . 45&
Melilotus in Neuralgic Com¬
plaints.410
Memories of Long Ago, S. J.
Quinby.. . . 390
Menstruation, Precocious.685
Suppressed, Natrum Mur. ..510
Mental Diseases.331
Metallic Ferments, (Editorial). .708
Milk Poisoning, A. J. Whitman. 452
Sterilized.482
Uses of Sour.453
Misfortunes of a Good Pres-
criber.339
Missouri Institute of Horn,.174
Model Cures.64, 90, 127, 172
Morgan, A. R., A Reminiscence
of....,..: . 188
Morgan, W. L.,The Dose: What
Is It?.108
Five Distinct Principles of
Homeopathy.680
Munger, E. A., Address Before
the Graduate Class, Hexing
Medical College.361
Digitized by
Google
INDEX.
My First Case of Winter Asthma
Mr. D. C. Pierce.315
Nasal Catarrh, Eucalyptus... .472
Nash,E.B. 9 A Curious Pulsatilla
Exception.506
The Science of Symptomato¬
logy. ..577
Natrum Carb., Expectoration.. .338
Natrum C&rb. and Sepia.338
Natrum Mur., Falling of Eye¬
lashes..475
Tuberculosis. *... .384, 405
Needed a Journal of Homeopa¬
thic Surgery, (Editorial).461
Nervous Fever, (Cerebral Type)
Arsenicum.555
Newsboy’s Knee, The Lesson It
Teaches. 289
A New Beginning, Address by
E. A. Munger.361
News Notes and Items...59, 128,
.,.....173,231,614
New York Homeopathic College. 616
New York Homeopathic Medical
Society Proceedings.. 7,174, 551
Noises in the Maxillary Joint
During Mastication, O. M.
Drake.517
North American Clinical Notes..398
Northern Indiana and Southern
Michigan Homeopathic So¬
ciety.615
Nosebleed and Emaciation, (Car-
bo Veg.).417
NoBodes, The,.301
Notes from Practice, M. E. Bur¬
gess . 43
Notes ffom Rochester,J. C. Loos. 441
Nurses, Training School for,... .477
Nursing Mothers. 467
Nux Mos., Spinal Sclerosis. 32
Nux Vom., Intermittent.280
Spinal Sclerosis... 33
Nystagmus.5^8
Obstetrical Notes, R. Del Mas... 152
Ocular Headaches.549
Odd Symptoms.290
Onosmodium Yirginianum, H.
C. Allen.425
Opiates, The Use and Abuse of,
J. Fitz-Mathew.151
Organon, par. IX and X, W. A.
Howard. 8
par. XII, I. Dever.551
Ovarian Cyst Cured by Lachesis, 338
Ovinine, Disease Cured by an
Infinitesimal Dose of, Thos.
Skinner.509
Oxide of Zinc.483
Painless and Odorless Uterine
Cancer.
Paralysis. A Case of Cured, W.
A. Glasgow.101
Paroxysmal Paralysis, Curare,.. 22
Patch, Dr. Frank W,.712
Extra Therapeutic Conside¬
rations in the Treatment of
Chronic Diseases.691
Patent Medicines.337
Pathogenetic Microbes, P. Jous-
set.125
Pathologic Versus Symptomatic
Prescribing, M. W. Turner. 1
Pathologist and Symptomatolo¬
gies The, (Editorial), J. B.
S. King.531
Pennoyer Sanitarium, The.712
Periodic Convulsions.471
Pertinent Inquiry, A. 60
Peruna, etc.*.215
Phaseolns, Proving.508
Phosphorus Cases, S. J. Hen¬
derson.48
Phosphorus, Pleurisy.413
Poisoning, A Case of Simulat¬
ing Diphtheria of the Hard
Palate. 327
Pneumonia in a Horse.744
Spinal Sclerosis.34
and Tuberculinum, A Clin¬
ical Comparison of.376
Physical Diagnosis, M. Kuznik. 650-
Physician’s .Personal Influence...416
Physician Who Never Used Ly¬
copodium ........ .412
Physiological Prescribing, The
Benefits of...329
Physiological Remedies, Using
(Editorial).403
Picric Acid, Spinal Sclerosis.... 35
Picric Acid, A Cure Made by, J.
T. Kent.. 37
Digitized by
Google
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE. 0
Pierce, Mr. D. 0., My First
Case of Winter Asthma... .316
Plague in India.481
Pleurisy, A Few Familiar Hints,412
Pneumonia, Its Cause and Treat¬
ment.380
in Children.549
Chronic Case.318
Poisons, The Wholesale Dispens¬
ing of. 478
Polyuria, Arg. nit., in.481
Pompe, A. A., Antimonium Cru-
dum for Slit Hoof..505
A Fat Face but an Emaci¬
ated Body..317
Post-Graduade Summer School,
London.231
Potencies,Using High.327
Prescribing for an Old Indian
Squaw, J. Fitz-Mathew-314
President’s Address, O. M.
Boger.573
Preventive Treatment. (Edito¬
rial) . 466
Problem in Therapeutics, A,374,405
Psycho-Therapeutics. 408
Puerperal Convulsions, Cicuta
in .479
Eclamsia, Cicuta,* M. E.
Burgess.711
Insanity, Bell, and Veratr.
in. ....479
Sepsis. 479
Pulsatilla, Intermittent.279
Mushroom Poisoning. 43
and Silica..477
Two Typical Cases of.546
Pulse, The. 406
Question Drawer, Our.319
Questions for Beginners, A Few, 321
Quinby, S. J., Memories of
Long Ago.. 390
Babe, R. F., A Lacbesis Case. ..516
Babies, Restless.481
Radium, The Long-lasting Ef¬
fects of,.406
Treatment of Cancer.611
Reasons for Preferring Homeop¬
athy, (Editorial).284
Remarkably Sudden Cure, I. P.
Rice.281
Reminiscence of Dr. A. R. Mor¬
gan, T. D. Stow ...188
Remuneration in medicine...... 613
Rendall, A., How I Became a
Convert to Similia.566
Repertory, A Condensed..527
Consulting at the Bedside,
(Editorial).— ... .400
of Diagnosis and Diseases,
An Unfinished.277
How to Use Wisely, W. H.
Wheeler....;..286
Misusing a.330
Repertories Past, Present and
Future, A Word as to.254
Replies to Questions of Begin¬
ners.352
Reply to the “Pathologist and
Symptomologist,” J. F. Ed¬
gar.604
Reply to An Open Letter by Mr.
Wheeler, Addressed to Dr.
O. Wesselhoeft.540
Re-reading Old Magazines.330
Requirements for College Matric¬
ulates, (Editorial).163
Response from Dr. Leggett,A,.. 538
Responsibility of Criminals,
(Editorial). 164
Retina, Treatment ef Detached.413
Rhatany, Symptoms.508
Rheumatism and Cancer.544
Rhus Tox. and Bryonia in Low
Fevers, R. P. Vivian.397
for Heart-Strain.325
Backache.258
Spinal Sclerosis. 35
Rhus Radicans, H. C. Allen... .703
Rice, Milton, Can the Leper
Change His Spots, A Case.489
A Case of Leprosy... .686,710
The Curability of Leprosy.. 165
Rice, Philip, A Remarkably Sud¬
den Cure.281
Roberts, Dr. Geo. W.712
Ross, E. V., Lymphatic Anemia,658
Ruffe, A. S., A Study of Xan-
thoxylum.206
Running It Up for Forty Tears..328
Saying Thank Ton, (Editorial)..464
Sayre, C. E., Tried It on a
Digitized by
Google
INDEX.
Horse After Everything Else
Had Failed.14
Sciatioa, Lao Can.525
Science of Symptomatology, E.
B. Nash.577
Scientific Physician and the Hay¬
seed , (Editorial).534
Scissors, Paste and Greatness,
(Editorial). ..347
Selected Cases.423
Self-Cure of Consumption With¬
out Medicine.487
Seun, Nicholas.663
Sepia and Natrum Carb.339
Serious Drawback.422
Serum Therapy...711
Sex of Children.416
Seymour, M. A., Carbo Yeg. vs
Salt Solution.306
Shaba, B. B., Aconite in Dysen¬
tery.141
Suppressed Menstruation,Natrum
Mur..519
Silicea, Discussion of.. 562
Chronic Dislocation of the
Hip... . 445
Illustration of, J. Howland. 563
Pulsatilla and,..477
Similimum is Supreme, Where
the, J. B. Campbell........639
Sinapif Nigra, Catarrh.336
Single Remedy, (Editorial).162
In Old School Practice,
(Editorial). 661
Skilful in Diagnosis.....416
Skinner, Thos., Extraordinary
Case of Excitment from the
Ingestion of Meat.203
Orinine: Disease Cured by
an Infinitesimal Dose of,..509
Smallpox, Variolinum a Prophy¬
laxis Against, A. M. Linn, 431
Smokeless Powder.478
Some Clinical Cases, R. Del.
Mas...456
Some Interesting L a c h e s i s
Symptoms. 543
Sore Throat, Lac. Can.524
Sparhawk, S. K., Some Confir¬
mations of a Few Familiar
Remedies.524
Specialist, The True.....412
Specialists vs General Practi¬
tioners. 545
Specializing, The Dangers and
Benefits of, (Editorial).401
Spelling School, The.410
Spider’s Web.487
Spigelia in Heart Pains...._415
Stagnant Homeopath, The, J.
Fitz-Mathew .. .539
Split Hoof, Ant. Crud, for A. A.
Pompe.505
Standing Requests.290
Staphysagria Child.356
Sterility. ....423
Storer, John, Tobacco and Alco-
halic Amblyopia. 443
Stow, T. D., A Few Cases from
Practice.560
A Reminiscence of Dr. A. R.
Morgan....188
Study of Our Cold Remedies, A,
J. C. Fahnestock.378
Success, The Secret of.424
Sulphur, Calarea and Lycopo¬
dium (Editorial).60
Erysipelacio Erythema.. ..560
Intermittent.280
Leprosy. 686
Spinal Sclerosis.36
Using Wisely and Unwisely,476
Summer School, Dr. Nash’s, at
Cortland. N, Y.,.395
Suppressed Menstruati on,
Natrum Mur., B.B. Shaba..519
Surgical Asepsis, H. B. Palmer...l26
Swan, A. F., A Beautiful Cure. .455
Swelling in the Region of the
Appendix.. 339
Symptoms That Distinguish a
Case: That Sketch the Image
of the Disease in a Patient,
J. C. Loos,.65
Syphilis of the Fingers.411
Syphilitic Sore Throat, A.417
Tabacum. 474
Umbilical Fulness. 455
Tea Drinking among Children of
the Poor.420
Therapeutic Poverty, (Editorial) 55
Thought Exchange 290, 311, 323
Digitized by
Google
THE MEDICAL ADVANCE.
.405, 468, 548
Thought Force and Nerve Im¬
pingement, E. N. Chaney.. 16
“Three Mistakes,” The, (Edito¬
rial) . 55
Thuja, Three Important Symp¬
toms of.259
To Dodge Appendicitis, (Edito¬
rial).707
Tobacco and Alcoholic Ambly¬
opia, J. Storer.443
Transcendental Mathematics... 112
Transactions of the American In¬
stitute of Homeopathy.230
Central New York Homeo¬
pathic Society.7,551
“Tried It on a Cow,” V. E.
Baldwin.568
Tried It on a Horse, After Every¬
thing Else Had Failed, C.
E. Sayre... 142
“Trying It on the Dog,” L. G.
Cole.1I&
True Conception of Narrowness.471
Tubercular Meningitis, A Case,
W. D. Gorton..148
Tuberculinum, A Clinical Com¬
parison, of with Phosphorus,376
for Colds. 44
Tuberculosis, Homeopathic Rem-
edies in, J. H. Halloek.... 77
Tuberculosis, The Medical Side
of the Question, C.M.Boger.699
Among the Jews.520
The Curability of..422
Change of Climate for.354
Deaths from. 418
Early Recognition of.407
Germs.423
in Illinois.484
Natrum Mur.384,405
The War on, (Editorial).. ..223
Tumor Removed Without the
Knife, Y. E. Baldwin.515
Tumors of the Breast.342
Turner, M. W., Pathologic versus
Symptomatic Prescribing.. 1
Two Restless Boys, (Editorial). .463
Typhoid, A Great Increase in . .323
Typhoid Fever, Its Treatment,
Its Sequelae, Its Complica¬
tions, Discussion..554
Typical Cases of Pulsatilla, Two,546
Thyroid in for Chronic Nocturnal
Enuresis.544
Union of the Schools, Wilcox. ..713
Unique Surgical Operation, R.
H. Yon Kotch ............ 96
University of Michigan, Homeo¬
pathic Department,.472
Unjust Judge..421
Urtica Urens, Apis and.473
Uterine Polypus and Blindness..408
Yaccination, The New, (Edito¬
rial).110, 161
Varicose Veins, Carduus Mar. ..331
Variola, Some Experience in the
Prophylaxis of, J. J. Davis,225
Variolinum, A Fragmentary
Proving of, P. B. Wallace. .315
Variolinum, a Prophylaxis
Against Spa all pox, A. M.
Linn. 431
Variolinum, The New Vaccina¬
tion, A. M. Linn.. 81
Variolinum, Routine Prescrib¬
ing of, S. L. Gulld-Leggett.242
Veratrum and Belladonna in Pu¬
erperal Insanity.479
Camphor and Cuprum in
Coldness.379
Verifications of Cajaput.139
Veterinary Practice, Homeopa¬
thy in.438
Victory for Homeopathy, Ner¬
vous Fever, L. Martin.55
Visits, Making Too Many.328
Vital Force Theory of Hahne¬
mann, The, W. A. Dewey,..467
Vivian, R. P., Rhus Tox. and
Bryonia in Low Fevers.397
A Typical Carbo Veg,. Case
in Real Life..275
Yon Kotch, R, HUnique Surgi¬
cal Operation.96
Wallace, P. B., A Fragmentary
Proving of Variolinum.315
Water in the Sick Room.325
Weaning the Baby Too Soon. ...395
Digitized by ^ooQle
INDEX.
Wesselhoeft, Oonrad, An Open
Letter to.350
Reply to an Open Letter by
Mr. Wheeler. Addressed to ,540
What in the World Is It ? G, E.
Dienst. 44
What Does Your Patient Eat?..503
What is the Difference Between
the Third and the Thirtieth
or the Two Hundreth?.447
Wheeler, W. H., “The Absurdi¬
ty of High Potency Pre¬
scribing, An Open'.Letter to
Dr. C. Wesselhoeft.350
How to Use a Repertory
Wisely.28G
Reply to an Open Letter by,
Addressed to Dr. Wessel¬
hoeft.540
When Doctors Disagree.485
White, J. C., A Chronic Bella¬
donna Case.160
Whitman, A. J., Milk Poisoning.452
Wilcox. Dr. De Witt G., A. N.
S. Society... .... 711
Wise Old Soldier, A. ....325
Written Reports, Making,.. ... .476
Wrong of College Football as
Now Played.571
Nantoxylum, A Study of, A. S.
Ruffe.206
X-Rays, Cancer Cured by. 91
Tingling. W. A., A Brief Study
of Common Things.437
Zizia Aurea in Chorea.332
BOOK REVIEWS.
Annual Report of the Surgeon
General of the Public Health
and Marine Hospital, etc. ..169
The Blues, Their Cause and Cure 295
Care of the Expectant Mother
During Pregnancy and of
the Child fram Birth Until
Puberty, Howe.122
The Chronic Diseases, Hahne¬
mann..485
The Chronic Miasms, Psora and
Pseudo Psora, Allen.486
Essentials of Diseases of the
Eye, Norton...606
First Lessons in the Symptoma¬
tology of Leading Homeo¬
pathic Remedies, Amt.665
Handbook of the Anatomy and
Diseases of Eye and Ear’
Roosa.668
How fo Attract and Hold an Au¬
dience, Esenwein. 64
Howe’s Hand-Cook of Parliamen¬
tary Usage....,.230
International Homeopathic Med¬
ical Directory.296
International Medical Annual . .227
lectures to the General Practi¬
tioner on the Diseases of the
Stomach, Intestines etc.
Reed..666
Life and Work of Jas. Compton
Burnett, Clarke.105
Manual of Clinical Microscopy
and Chemistry, Lenhartz . .229
A Non-Surgical Treatise on Dis¬
eases of the Prostate Gland
and Adnexa, Overall...... 228
Pathologist and Symptomatolo¬
gy...531
Physician’s Visiting List, 1905. .665
Pocket Manual of Homeopathic
Materia Medica, Boericke. .. 168
The Practical Care of the Baby,
Kilmer.121
The Practice of Obstetrics, Ed¬
gar....605
Principles and Practice of Sur¬
gery, Vaughan. 609
Proceedings of the Thirty Ninth
Annual Session of the Hom¬
eopathic Medical Society of
Ohio.295
Sally of Missouri, Young.170
Surgical Treatment of Bright’s
Disease, Edebohls.667
A Syllabus of Diagnosis, Bart¬
lett.229
Syllabus of Lectures on Physiol¬
ogy, Bigler. 63
Text Book of Physiology, Ott. .355
Text Book of Alkaloidal Thera¬
peutics. 607
Transactions International Hom¬
eopathic Association, 1903.. 295
Treatment of Cholera, Sircar... 609
Digitized by ^ooQle
THE MEDICAL DVCE.
Hahnemann assured us nearly a century ago that “the
totality of symptoms which characterize a given case—the
image of the disease—being once committed to writing, the
most difficult part is accomplished”. The first element of a
successful prescription is a complete and correct anamnesis
and this must include “the most significant points in the
history of the chronic disease,” and should always embrace
the constitutional or inherited diathesis of the patient. See
Organon § 5.
1 Thm Third Annual M
I PRACTITIONERS' COURSE |
of the New York Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital. 8
Teaching.—Clinical and practical. 5
Facilities and Material.—In over 1,300 beds, the hospitals a filiated with this »
college treat 50,000 patients annually. Last year the abundance o* m
material was demonstrated by the inability of many clinics to handle ft
J| all their cases within the allotted hours. A
M Homeopathic Therapeutics. —A special feature. X
ft Electro-Therapeutic*.—Greatly enlarged facilities for demonstration of the ft
W diagnostic and therapeutic use of the X-ray, Finsen Light and Radium. w
M Minor Operative Work in Surgery, Gynaecology and the specialties encouraged* X
ft but not to the exclusion of major operations. ft
W Practical Laboratory Work in Urinalysis, Urinary Sediments, blood examlna- W
M tion, and recognition, of the more important micro-organisms including X
ft tubercle bacilli, gonococci, streptococci, dtphtherla bacilli, etc., etc. ft
W Operations Upon the Cadaver by members of the class under competent in- W
M structors. X
ft Bedside Instruction in the College Hospieals. ft
W Fee, Including Certificate of Attendance, twenty dollars in advance. Opera- w
X tlve Surgery upon the cadavar (optional), twenty dollars extra. g
ft Class limited to 100. Seats assigned in order of receipt of check. Detailed ft
W Announcement issued about March 1st. w
M Edward 0. Tuttle. A. M., M. D., Secy. M
ft 61 West olst Street, NEW YORK CITY. V
WM. HABYEY KING, M. D., LL. D., Dean. 2^
Digitized by
Google
VOLUME XLII
DECEMBER. 1904
NUMBER 12
A STUDY OF METHODS AND RESULTS
Medical Advance
and
Journal of Homeopathic
A Monthly Journal of
Hahnemannian
Homeopathy
Subscription Price $2.00 a Year. Foreign $2.50. 25 cents a Copy
H. C. ALLEN, M. D., EDITOR
HARVEY FARRINGTON, ASSOCIATE EDITOR.
JAMES E. FORREST, PUBLISHER
16 ISLAND AVENUE, BATAVIA, ILL.
ENTERED AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER AT BATAVIA, ILL.
THIRTY-FIRST YEAR OF PUBLICATION
CONTENTS FOR DECEMBER
PAGE
The Hahnemannian as a Specialist, by Stuart Olose, M. D... -.669
Five Distinct Principles of Homeopathy, by W. L. Morgan, M. D.. 680
A Case of Leprosy, by Milton Bice, M. D.... 686
Extra Therapeutic Considerations in the Treatment of Ohronio
Diseases, by Frank W. Patch, M. D. 691
Rhus Badicans, by H. C. Allen. M. D. 703
Editorial: Division of Fees. 705
The Dodge Appendicitis.707
Metallic Ferments. 708
College Amalgamation.709
Editorial Brevities.. 710
Comment and Criticism: The Union of the Schools. 713
New Publications.. 716
Digitized by ^ooQle
Homeopathic Physicians, Surgeons and Other Specialists
to whom Patients may be Referred when Traveling or Removing to other Cities
DR. EDWARD ADAMS.
General Practice and Chronic Diseases.
557 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Hours: 10 to 11 A. M. and 2 to 4 P. M.
DR. H. E. BALLARD.
America’s only Homeopathic
Surgeon Chiropodist.
Orthop t die Specialties for Deformities
1013 55 State Street Chicago
JOHN R. 0YNT0N, M. D.
SURGEON.
CONSULTATIONS.
Hours: 1 to 3 P. M.
1201-103 State St., Chicago.
H.C ALLEN, M. 0.
Ohronic Diseases a Specialty.
Consultation by letter or in person will
receive prompt attention.
809—103 State Street. Hours: 1—3 P. M.
Residence: 3142 Washington Ave.
DR. J. H. ALLEN.
General Practice and Diseases of Skin.
Residence, 4712 Greenwood Ave.
Hours, 7 to 10 and 6 to 8 P. M.
Tel. 626 Drexel.
Office, 92 State Street, Chicago.
Hours, 3 to 5 P. M.
Tel. 1591 Central.
FRANK BRANEN, M, D.
Office, 900 Reliance Building,
100 State St., Chicago.
Hours, 12 o 1. Tel. Central 174.
Residence, 961 W. Monroe St.
Hours, 8 to 9 A. M.. 2 to 3 P. M., ~
6:30 to 7:30 P. M.
EARNEST CADWELL, M, D.
Special attention
given to Infant Feeding.
1153 East 67th Street, Chicago.
Telephone Normal 1773.
HUGH A. CAMERON, M. D.
237 Grand Street
Waterbury, Conn.
CHICAGO SCHOOL OF
OSTEOPHTY (Incorported)
Wm. A. McClelland. M. D.. D. O., Pres.
B. D. McClelland. D. O., Sec.,
3847 Langley Ave., Chicago.
Regular course, 20 months.
Physicians’ course, 10 months.
HARRY B. BAKER, M. D.
1 East Grace St.,
Richmond Va.
Office Hours: 9-11 A. M. 4-5 P. M. 7:30 P. M.
DR. B. LeBARON BAYL1ES.
General Practitioner,
418 Putnam Avenue,Brooklyn. N. Y.
Hours: 8 to 10 A. M. 5 30 to 6:30 P. M.
CHAS. W. BECKER, M. D.
24 Fifth Avenue.
Lagrange, - - - Illinois
Hours, 3 to 5. Phone 511
R. E. BELDING,m- D.
2141 Fifth Ave.. Troy, N. Y.
Hours: 8 to 10, 1 to 3, 5 to 7.
Ohronic Diseases a Specialty,
Consultations by letter or In person.
M. T. CLEOKLEY, M. D.
Homeopathic Physician.
457 Greene St., Augusta, Ga.
Special attention to Pulmonary Diseases
and Tourist Practice.
Bell Telephone 288.
Home Tel. West 120. Office Tel. Main 3871
OR. DAVID DUNCAN.
CHICAGO.
Residence: Masonic Temple, Suite 1209.
2159 Lexington Street Office:
Neat West 40th Ave. . Hours: 12 to 4 P. M.
1 curs: Mornings until9; evenings 6 to8.
WOMEN, CHILDREN AND CHRONIC DISEASES.
1
Digitized by C.ooQLe
Homeopathic Physician** Surgeons and Other Specialists
to whom Patieatfl may be Referred when Traveling or Removing to other Citlca
DR. STUART CLOSE.
509 Hancock St., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Hours: 8 to 10 A. M. and 1 to 2 P. M.
6 to 7:30 P. M.
Tel. Bedford 93 7
j. a. coMProN m. a
21 E. Ohio Si, Indianapolis, Tnd.
Hours: 7 to 9 A. M. and 1 to i P. M.
Chronic Diseases a Specialty.
Consultation by letter or in person will
receive prompt attention.
L. A. L. DAY, M. D. O. et A. Ohir.
Eye,Ear end Throat.
Hours: 9 to 12:30; 4 to 6
1320-55 State St., Masonic Temp*e,
Tel. Central 5255. Chicago.
W. P. DEFRIEZ, M. D.
Hours: 2 to 4 P. M.
537 Washington St., Brookline, Mass.
G. E. DIENST, M. D.
Physician and Surgeon.
Naperville, ----- Illinois.
T.M. D1LLINGHAN, M. D.
Absent until October, 1905.
HARVEY FARRINGTON, M. D.
Chronic Diseases a Specialty.
815 Marshall Field Building, Chicago.
Hours, 9 to 12 A. M.
Telephone Private Exchange No. 1.
Residence, 955 West Monroe 8t.
- Chicago
ANTOINETTE K. FELLOWS, M. D.
• Residence, 4958 Washingtou Ave.
Hours, 9 to 11 A. M., 5 to 8 P. M.
Telephone Gray 2834.
VOnI e. freeman, m. d,. d. d. s
Dental Surgeon.
1104 Masonic Temple Chicago.
Office Hours, 1 to 5 P. M.
Home Address, 9022 Cottage Grove Ave.
Hours, 8:30 to 11:30 A. M.
CHAS. B. GILBERT, M. D.
1444 Rhode Island Ave.,
Washington, D. C.
4
1 *■ ■ "
H HALLMAN,
( Homeopathist and Surgeon-)
Hours: 9 to 12 M. 3 to 5 P. M.
Arkansas National Bank Building,
Hot Springs, Arkansas.
E. A. P. HARDY, M. D.
021 Spadina Ave.,
Toronto, Ontario.
CLARENCE C. HOWARD, M. D.
Neurologist.
57 West 51st St., New York City.
Office hours: 11 to 1,5 to 6:30.
Telephone 573 Plaza.
Sundays by appointment.
E. P. iHUSSEY, M. D.
493 Porter Ave.,
Buffalo, N. Y.
W. i. HAWKES, M. D.
315 South Broadway,
Los Angeles, California
Special attention given to
Chronic Diseases.
ROYAL E. S. HAYES., m. D.
Hazardviile, Conn.,
Chronic Diseases.
J.T. KENT, A. M., M. D.
Consulting Physician-
62 State St. 10-2 P. M.
504 Stewart Building, Chicago.
J.B. r. KING, M D.
Office: 70 State Street.
Chicago.
Hours: 2:80 to 5 P. M.
Analyses made for the profession of
BLOOD, SPUTUM, URIttE, Etc.
2
Digitized by tjOOQle
Homeopathic Physicians, Surgenni and Other Spedaliat
to whoa Patients my be Referred when Traveling or Removing to other Cities
Dr. JOHN A- KIRKPATRICK.
Office: 4250 Cottage Grove Ave.
Telephone Oakland 450.
Residence, 397 E. Forty-Sixth St.
Telephone Oakland 75, Chicago.
Or.WM-C.A. LEIPOLD
Kenwood Hotel, Chicago
Hours, 8 to 9 A. M., 12 to 1:30 and 6 to
8 P. M. Sundays, 12 to 1:30 P. M.
Telephone Oakland 1062.
8ult 1400 Reliance Building, 100 State St.
Hours, 2 to 3 P. M. Phone Central 257.
F. H. LUTZE, M. D.
•21! KeapSfc., Brooklyn, N! Y.
Office Hours: until 9:30: 1—2:30- and 6—8
P.M.
Tel. 448 Williamsburg.
WILLIAM L. MORGAN, M. D.
Homeopathist.
Chronic and Difficult Cases.
202 West Franklin St.. Baltimore, Md.
Hours: 10 to 1 A. M. 7 to 8 P.M.
JOHN Me COLL, M. D.
Physician and Surgeon,
1203 Chapline St., Wheeling, W. Va.
Hours: 8:30 to 10 A. M. and 1:30 to 3 P.M.
6:30 to 8 P. M.
CHAS. C. JOHNSON, M. D.
HOMEOPATHIST
Rooms 16 and 18 Murphy Building
Sherman, Texas
MARTHA E. CLARK, M. D.
Omaha, ebraska
Suite, 334 and 336 Bee Building
Office Hours, 11:30 to 1; 2 to 4 p. m.
Telephone 1415
Residence. 4108 Lafayette Ave. Phone 600
3
A Me NEIL* M D.
611 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco.
CALIFORNIA.
Chronic Diseases a Specialty.
MARGARET S. McNIFF,M- D.
Office Hours, 8 to 9:30 A.M..
1:30 to 4:30 and 7 to 9 P. M.
7453 Cattage Grove Ave., Chicago.
Telephone 1768 Hyde Paok.
DR. ROBERT N. MORRIS.
1201-103 State Street.
Office Hours, 3 to 6 P. M.
Sunday, 4 too P. M.
Tel. Central 1960.
Resldeu:e,2‘T58 N. Winchester Ave.
Hours, before 10 A. M. after 7:30 P. M.
Telephone Sheridan 903.
THOMAS G. ROBERTS, M. D.
99 E. Thirty-Seventh St., Chicago.
Diseases of Children.
Hours: 8 to 10 A. M.; 6 to ; :30 P. M.
1320 Masonic Temple, 1 to 2 P. M.
Tel. Cent. 5255. Telephone Douglas 1508.
J D. ROBERTSON, M, D-, D. D. S.
Den 1st.
1018 Masonic Temple, Chicago.
Latest electrical equipment.
Hours, 9 to 5.
EDWARD RUSHMORE, M. D.
General Practice and
Consultations
Plainfield, New Jersey
RULDOLPH F. RABE. M. D.
56 Columbia Terrace, Weehawken, N- J.
P. S. Address: Station One.
Hoboken, N. J.
Hours: 1 to 3 P. M. and 7 to 8 P. M.
C. EDWARD SAYRE, M. D-
Surgeon.
3946Drexel Boul’d, Chicago.
Office Hours: 7 to 9 A. M.; 4 to 6 P. M
Digitized by C.ooQLe
Homeopathic Physicians, Surgeons and Other Specialists
to whom Patients may be Referred when Traveling or Removing to other Cities
LYDIA C. SCHOLES, M D.
475 South Leavitt St.
1330 Masonic Temple.
3-4:30 P. M.
DR. LAWRENCE M, STAN TON.
The Osborne, 205 W. 57th St.,
New York.
Hours: 9 to 11:30 A. M. and 5 to 6 P. M.
JOHN STORER. M. D.
SPECIALIST.
Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat.
92 Stata St., Chicago.
Suite 1106: Hours, 10 to 4.
Telephone 1718 Central.
Residence. Evanston, III.
EDWIN A- TAYLOR, M. D.
City Office, 1013 Masonic Temple.
Hours, 1 to 3 P. M. Phone Central 2285.
Englewood Office and Residence,
5102 Normal Ave.
Hours, 8 to 10 A. M.; 6 to 8 P. M.
Tel. Wentworth 1813.
J. J. THOMPSON, M. D.
SURGEON .
717 Marshall Field Building.
CHICAGO.
Hours: 3 to 5 P. M.
DR. FRANK C. TITZELL-
Surgeon and Gynaecologist.
Am prepared to go to any part of the
country for consultation or operation.
Private hospital accommodations.
6413 Kimbark Ave., Chicago.
Telephone 9143 Drexel.
DR. R. H. VON KOTSCH.
935 W. 63d St., Chicago.
Office Hours: 6:30 to 8 P. M.
Tel. Wentworth 5411.
Surgeon in change of works Swift & Co.‘
Libby, McNeil & Libby.
MARKM. THOMPSON, M. 0.
Surgeon and Gynaecologist.
805 West Monroe Street,
CHICAGO.
Office Hours: 2 to 4, at 55 State St.
1320 Masonic Temple.
Tel. Central 5255.
i. A T0MHA6EN, M. D.
Office: 1320, Masonic Temple.
55 State Street, Chicago.
Hours: 12 to 4. Tel. Central 5255.
DR. MAR0 F. UNDERWOOD.
808 S. hope St., Los Angeles Cal.
<
Appropriate climate elected for asth¬
matics and consumptives
GUERNSEY WARNING, M.D.
Residence 319 Church St. Evanston, Ill.
Hour a to 10:30 A. M. and 6 to 8 P. M.
Telephone 1513.
Chicago office, Suite 1206-55 State St.,
Hours, 12:30 to 3 P. M.
Tel. 1910 Central. 6461 Auto.
FLORA M. WATSON, M- D.
Homeopathic
436 Star King Bldg., San Francisco, Cal*
Hours, 10 A. M. to 1 P. M.
•Telephone Private Exchange 216. _
DR. THOMAS H. WINSLOW.
Eye. Ear, Nose and Throat.
MacDonough Building.
Oakland, California.
DR. W. P. WESSELH0EFT.
178 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, Mass.
Hours: 8:30 to 1 and 5 to 6,
Absent during Summer.
Digitized by ^ooQle
tlomeopfrthic Physicians, Surgeogs and Other Snecalists
to whta Patients nay be Referred when Traveling or 'Removing to other Cities
CHAS. E. ALLIAUME. M D.
tl 9 Genesee St., U tica, N. Y.
Chronic Diseases and General Practice.
Honrs: 9 to 11 A. M. 2 to 4 and 7 to 8 P. M.
Snndays 18 to 1.
Residence 40 Rutger St„
Telephones.
GEORGE J- AUGUR. M. D.
Homoeopathic Practitioner.
Office and Residence
431 and 436. Beretanla Ave,,
HONOLULU, T. H.
Office Hours.10 to 12 M. 3 to 4 and 7 to 8 P.M
Sundays 9:30 to 10:30 A. M.
Tel. 1853.
H. R. STOUT, M. D.
Jacksonville, Florida.
Special attention given to
Diseases requiring
Change of climate
FRANK 6. UIELAND, M. D.
3000 Michigan Avenue, Chicago.
Qualitative and Quantitative
Uro- Analysis.
A. E WICKINS B.A .M D.
130 South James St.,
Hamilton Ontario
Canada.
General Practice in Homeopathy.
CHANEY, E. N.. M. D-
High and low potencies with Minor
Orificial Surgery, for the cure of
Nervous and Chronic Diseases.
304, 306 Dod worth Blcok,
3 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena, Cal,
Hours: 9 to 11 A.M.
except Thursdays and Sundays,
Tel. Black 1511.
Residence: 914 B. Colorado St.
Home Tel. 914
Physicians course with instruments $150
Doctor JOHN F. EDGAR.
Hahnemannian Homeopath,
El Paso, Texas.
Office and residence 206 S. El Paso St.
P. O. Box 425.
Can give some patients personal atten¬
tion in my own home.
Besides a regular graduate of 1S77
graduated at special colleges of Women
and Children and the Bye and Ear, but
have avoided their ruts and learned to
apply the law of cure in their stead.
C. F. NICHOLS, M. D.
74 Boylston St., Boston, Mass.
Hours 10 to 1; 4 to 6.
H. BECKER, M. D,
1330 King Street West,
TORONTO. CAN.
Hours, 3 to 9 P. M.
Dr. ALICE B. CAMPBELL.
435 Putnam Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Office Hours:
9 to 11 A. M. and 6 to 7:30 P. M.
Except Saturday and Sunday evenings
Telephone 236 Bedford.
Dr. J. B. CAMPBELL.
435 Putnam Avenue
BROOKKYN, N. Y.
Office Hours:
9 to 11 A. M.. 6 to 7:30 P. M.
Telephone 236 Bedford.
S. L. GU1LD-LEGGETT, M. D.
352 West Onondaga Street
Syracuse, N. Y.
8 a. m to 1 p m.
F. A. PORTER, ML D. ^
411# N. Broadway,
Pittsburg, Kansas.
Office Hours—9-12 A. M. 2-5 P M.
DR. B.G. CLARK,
25 West 74th Street,
New York.
WANTFD.—An exceptional opening
is now offered. Address
SELLS ADVERTISING AGENCY,
167 Fleet Street, London, E. O.
Digitized by C.ooQLe
The Shedd-Smith
Guaranteed Potencies
HIGH OR LOW POTENCY OR BOTH
It Properly Prepared.
Smith’s Homeopathic Pharmacv now has a machine Invented by
Dp. P. W. Shedd In which simplicity of mechanism (allowing of perfect
cleaning and sterilization between each operation) Is combined with more
than human accuracy and enormous suceusslon effects.
In this machine the succusslon or release of dynamite atom power is
anything but a “jingling” process for the skill of the modern glass wor¬
ker and the dlrigable power of electricity have beeu called into play to
insure accuracy and thorough sue cuss ion , the two essential causesor the
well known power of the Dunham and Jenlchen potencies.
The liquid medicine from which the potency Is to be started is meas¬
ured into a fixed glass vessel, so made that only the exact amount of
menstruum can be added. The menstruum Distilled water and Alcohol
only is stored in a large glass chamber from which It is conducted into
the potentizlng vessel by a glass tube, the storage chamber being grad¬
uated to show by its contents what a degree of dilution is being made.
When the menstruum reaches the potentizlng vessel it is admitted at the
bottom and travels through to flow out at the top. During its passage
through the vessel it is subject to succusslon by the action of a double
set of glass beaters or screws which, through electric connection whirl
at the rate of one thousand times a minute. As each potency is retain¬
ed in the potentizlng vessel three minute seach drop of the liquid received
three thousand succussions.
By an Ingenious mechanism (again calling electricity into service) the
machine automatically announces when the operation is completed.&nd
can be so set that it cannot run beyond the potency desired, so that noth¬
ing is left to chance in the preparation of any potency from the first to
the highest. For example, the 200 of Silicea is absolutely the 200, for the
indicator cannot register 200 till that dilution is abont to run off, nor can
it run beyond the 200th when It is so arranged.
The value to homeopathic physicians of drug potencies which must
be mechanically correct as regards degree of potency; which are not run
up with tap water but with distilled water and alcohol from the beginn¬
ing; and in which such maximum succussion has been attained will be
apparent to the thoughtful physician.
Owing to this thoroughness of succussion it is our belief that the prep¬
aration we label 200 will contain the drug in a more minutely subdivided
and active form than any of the 1000 LM. or CM. potencies made by other
methods and as the time required to give each potency the length of suc¬
cusslon we intend it to have will be very considerable we shall at first on¬
ly attempt to run up a list of medicines to the 200th. When this is compl¬
eted if the demand warrant it we shall make higher potendies and a
larger list.
Such faith have we in the increased efficacy of these potencies over any"
thing heretofore made (not except Ing the present champions, Dunham's)
that as fast as possible we shall replace our entire stock of potencies with
new potencies made on the Shedd-Smith machine, and we firmly believe
that every physician who follows our example will be gratified, and re¬
paid many times over, by the more prompt and definite results he will
obtain from the potencies, be they high or low, made possible by the in¬
ventor of Mr P. W. Shedd,
For particulars, price, etc,, address
SMITH’S HOMEOPATHIC PHflRMflGY,
33 West 24th Street, NEW YORK CITY.
Digitized by C.ooQle
BEORICKE &TAEEL
Homeopathic
Pharmacists
Importers and
Publishers
BUSINESS ESTABLISHED IN 1885.
Oldest and Largest Homeopathic Pharmacy
HIGH-CLASS MEDICINES.
Besides the celebrated Tafel'a High Potencies, Made by
hand and run up with the finest grain alcohol, we have:
DESCHERE’S HKJH POTENCIES, Made on Deschere’s
potentizing machine.
JENICHEN’S HIGH POTENCIES, These are hand-made
potencies.
SKINNER’S HIGH POTENCIES, Made on Skinner’s machine.
SWAN’S HIGH POTENCIES, Made with Swans potentizer.
List of these remedies will be sent on appliaction.
ADDRESSES:
Philadelphia— 1011 Arch St.
Philadelphia— 15 N. 6th St.
New York— 129 West 42d St.
Chicago— 57 Wasbash Ave.
Baltimore— 228 N. Howard St.
Philadelphia 125 S. 11th St.
New York—145 Grand St.
New York— 634 Columbus Ave.
Pittsburg— 627 Smithfield St.
Cincinnati—2o4 W. 4th St
7
Digitized by L^ooQle
mmmmmttmmimmmmmmmmmmmmmrti
New York
Homeopathic Medical
College.
Broadest Didactic Course
Largest Clinical Facilities
Systematic Bedside Instruction
October 4tn. 1904 to May llth> 1905
Por Announcement Address
GEO. W. ROGERS, Ph. B., 1*1. D.
SECRETYRY OP THE FACULTY
i7o W. 95 th ST., NEW YORK CITY
W1LLIAN HARVEY KINO, M. D., LL. D. Dean
luiuuuuuiuuuumiammmuuimututuuiuuuui
Digitized by
Google
^muuuuimuuuiUiUimuiUiUiUiUiUiuutimmuiuuuuuuuiuuiuiuuuutiUiuiuiuiUR
Comparative Materia Medica
By E. A. FARRINGTON, M. D., Late Professor of Materia
Medica'Hahnemann Medical College, Philadelphia,
Pa., Author of Clinica Meteria Medica.
n N INVALUABLE supplement to Gross’ Comparativk Ma¬
teria Medica, comprising in all, over sixty remedies, many
of which, such as Myrica cer., Ailantus, Ptelea tri., Arum tri.,
are not to be found in the former work. The comparisons are also
more complete, including similarities in symptoms and clinical ap¬
plication as well as dissimilarities. The chapters on the Mercu
ries, the Principal Salts of Potash and the Halogens, are an im
portant feature. 152 pages. Thick paper covers. Price $1
postpaid. Address, 31 Washington St., Chicago
6L/ £&*vC
^ %d£4-
dtr&C*.
(?{< t
THE FITTING OF GLASSES
Why waste valuable tims
gittiDg glasses by the old
method, when the PRESBYO¬
PIC TEST CARD will do the
work for you? This is a re¬
liable method for testing the
eyes for Presbyopia, and
enables you to fit glasses with
precision. Make one
measurement, then give the
glass. Itsaves the patient the
annoyance of fitting on one
glass after another until a suit¬
able one is found, and givesl
him confidence in you. Tria
case not is needed, so simple
anyone can use it. Price $2.00
postpaid.
R. S. PIPER M. D.
Bloomington, Ill.
Characteristic Condition of Ag¬
gravation and Amelioration.
After Bonninghausan, 62
pages. Pocket edition. Ru¬
brics arranged alphabetically
withacompleteindex. Should
be on every office desk. Price
$ 1 . 00 .
GEORGE A. TUBER M. D.
Richmond Va
Digitized by ^ooQle
Digitized by ^ooQle
Green Gables
The Dr. Den 7 F. Dailey
Sanatorium
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
I S located in the suburbs of Lincoln on an electric traction
line, and overlooks a beautiful western valley. At an al¬
titude of twelve hundred feet, with an atmosphere dry
and bracing, an obsolute freedom from fogs, and a country that
is one of the garden spots of the earth, this location is benefici¬
al in nearly all chronic affections coming from mountain, lake
and ocean regions.
We desire to call the attention of the profession to the
perfect equipment of this institution, which is situated in a
locality having THE HIGHEST PER CENT OF HEALTH
AND THE LOWEST PER CENT OF MORTALITY in any
known place in the civilized world. We have every equipment
that other institutions have, and we have beside that a climate
and locality that is marvelous from a health point of view and
that no other institution has.
Especially do we desire to call your attention to our facili¬
ties for the treatment of cases of spinal curvature, mal-nutri-
tion, and to the remarkable results obtained in cases of youth¬
ful mal-nutrition coming to this climate.
We offer to the profession unique possibility in location
and equipment.
We invite correspondence and investigation.
11
Digitized by ^ooQle
Sanitarium
Between Chicago and Milwaukee on the
Northwestern RR;,faejng Lake Michigan.
/TVHE PENNOYER has for 47
years given satisfactory care
to many nervous invalids. All
cases of general invalidism will bo
cared for in the same careful and
painstaking manner as in the past.
Hereafter a select class of mild
mental cases, alcoholic and drug
habitues will be received. With
the main building and the four
outlying cottages a proper separa¬
tion can always be maintained
between the strictly nervous, the mental invalid and the drug habitue. Dr. George
F. Adams, recently resigned first assisant physician at Gowanda State (New York)
Hospital, has become .lolnt manager of the Sanitarium.
Both Dr. Pennoyerand Dr.Adams will reside in the hospital, thus assuring per¬
sonal attention to patients and costant supervision over all departments. Any
physician interested in a home like environment for a mental invalid is invited to
visit THE PENNOYER.
FOR ILLUSTRATED BOOKLET, ADDRESS THE MANAGERS
NELSON A. PENNOYER, M. . GEORGE F. ARAMS, M. D.
KENOSHA, WISCONSIN.
Chicago Office, 70 Street Long Distance Telephone
Tuesdays 2 to 4. Telephone Central 500. Kenosha, 109.
The Pennoyer
NOW READY. FIFTY-FOURTH YEAR
The Physician’s Visiting List For 1905
Will be sent by mail, postage prepaid, to any address
upon receipt of price, or may be ordered through any
Bookseller, News Agent, or Wholesale Druggist.
# Descriptive Circular Free Upon Application.
SIZES AND PRICES.
Bound In Strong Leather Covers, with Pocket and Pencil, Gilt Edges.
REGULAR EDITION
For 25 Patients weekly .$1.00
50 Patients weekly.1.25
50 Patients weekly. 2.00
O J January to June I
~ vois. ) July to December f
75 Patients weekly. 2.00
9 vnle J January to June
" v01s * 1 July to December
100 Patients weekly....
f
O l January to June
- vois. j July to December
2.25
Perpetual edition, without dates.
No. 1. Containing space for over 1300
names. Bound in red leather $1.25
No. 2. Same as No. 1. Containing space
for 2600 names $1.50
Monthly edition, without dates.
£3T“Requiring only one writing of
patient’s name for the whole month.
Plain bind ng, without flap or pencil.
75 cents; Leather cover, Pocket and
Pencil, $1.00.
A plain, systematic method of keeping physicians’ accounts,—pocket size, well printed
strongly bound, durable and convenient.
P. Blakiston’s Son & Co., 1013 Walnut St., Philadelphia.
Digitized by C.ooQLe
KENT’S REPERTORY
T HIS works represents many years of careful researeh throughout the
whole field of homeopathic literature by one of our best teachers of
materia medica. He has freely borrowed from other reliable reper¬
tories and has also added thousands of choice hints from other reli¬
able sources, provings and clinicals. It seems to us he has been just
a little too conservative rather than too liberal; but this only makes the
book more precious. It is arranged in chapters, (mind, vertigo, head,
eyes, vision, ears, etc.), with alphabetical sub-heads; thus making not
only a valuable reference book, bat an interesting reading book as well.
The type is marvelously clear and well arranged on the page, so that the
eye easily finds the list it wants and can't help seeing the leading
remedies (as sample pages will prove).
It has its defects; and will sadlv deceive a careless, hasty prescriber,
who assumes that any of the lists are complete or that some one of the
black faced meaicines given will of course cure his case. But to the
careful prescriber it will grow more and more precious every day.
Price, $16.00, Bound in Half Morocco.
We are hoping some day to coax Dr. Kent into issuing a five-dollar
abridgement for pocket use and/or allopaths (and some others), who are
scared by the size and costliness of this beautiful volume. But this is
the best for office me and for all perplexing or unusual cases.
Better Way Publishing Co.
6318 Lake Ave., Chicago
WOOD&IJDB COTTAGB
FRAMINGHAM , MASSACHUSETTS.
For the care and treatment of chronic cases under strictly homeo¬
pathic regimen. Especially adapted to conditions of neurasthenic or
psyehologic origin. Insane cases not received.
FRANK W. FATCH , M. U.
13
Digitized by ^ooQle
Hering Medical College.
TO THE HOMEOPATHIC PROFESSION.
H AHNEMANN flays: “The physician’s high and only mission
is to cure the sick.” His highest ambition should he to
perfect the Science of Therapeutics by which this end may be most
surely attained. Anatomy, Bacteriology, Chemistry, Histology,
Physiology, Pathology, arc much more thoroughly taught than
they were twenty-five years ago; why not teach a better Homeo¬
pathy and keep it abreast all sientific progress? Why not make it
in fact, as in name, the Science of Therapeutics?
Why not teach the student how to select the single remedy
and how to use it when selected, in both acute and chronic diseas¬
es, so that he need not alternate or use combination tablets? If
he is taught how to find the remedy he will never resort to poly¬
pharmacy; he can do much better with his own science.
Why not teach him how to cure appendicitis without surgery;
diphtheria without anti-toxin; ague without quinine; gonorrhea
and syphilis without constitutional sequellae; and consumption
without change of climate? Homeopathy, correctly applied, will not
only do all this in all curable cases, but it will greatly reduce pre¬
sent mortality rates in all diseases.
Why not teach the student how to eradicate the so-called in¬
heritances of tuberculosis, cancer, gout, etc., etc., and thus im¬
prove the health and increase the longevity of the race? Why
not teach true prophylaxis for all diseases, acute, epidemic, here¬
ditary?
Hering Medical College will teach your students how to do
this work and enable them to successfully take up the burden
when you lay it down.
The best there is in Homeopathy is none too good for your
students; they should begin where you leave off, not where you be-
v The Newton v
Highlands Nervine
HIS enterprise has grown out of an effort to provide
a quite Home for a few cases if Neurasthenia,
where the patients can be treated under circum¬
stances most favorable for recovery. Starting in 1885
with one horse, it has been found necessary to increase
the equipment by another building, which is admira¬
bly adopted to the purpose, It stands on high ground,
with a southern expos ure, steam heat, and modern
plumbing. The number of guests is limited to seven or
eight, distributed between the two houses, thus giving
ample space for all, and making it possible carefully to
individualize each case. No effort is spared in making
the place homelike as well as healthgiving. When not
so ill as to be confined to their rooms, patients enter
into the cheer and comfort of family life.
The location is most desirable, it is very accessible,
being less than half an hour by rail from Boston, but
the surroundings have the rural attractions of more
remote regions. Lake and river, hills aDd groves, are
within walking distance, while the roads and scenery
invite to drives in all directions.
Newton Highlands is an exceptionally healthy
place, with a subsoil of sand and gravel, ana a notice¬
able absence of those diseases which are associated with
defective drainage. The air is pure and invigorating,
the water supply perfect. In fact, the conditions are
ideal for the restoration of those suffering from nerv¬
ous prostration, or of those whose health has been im¬
paired by the exactions of modern life. Harmful mea¬
sures, tending to promote a fictitious appearance of
well-being, have no place in the scheme of treatment.
The patient's health is built up from the foundation by
a conservative medical treatment, aided by rest, nutri-.
tiousfood, good nursing, and wholesome surroundings.
The terms are made as moderate as is consistent
with the quality of service rendered.
Newton Hlghlanas is eight miles from Boston, on
the Boston and Albany railroad. Those who prefer
coming by the electric cars can have a ride through
beautiful sdenery by taking a Newton Boulevard car at
the subway in Boston. Address
S. L. EATON, M D.
Lake Avenue, Newton Highlam mi.
Digitized by tjOOQle
i nrnj £ til
!*• !•!>!!• »
(I t
= The Walter Sanitarium=
^ Walter's Park, Pa. ^
B UY your Railroad Tickets for Wernersville, Wernersville Station,P
Philadelphia and Reading R. R. Two hours from the Reading
Terminal Philadelphia. Four hours from New York.
For Natural Advantages it is unsurpassed, if indeed equaled; for ac¬
quired facilities it is second to none. Within a few years it has been nearly
doubled in size and greatly improved.
Mountain air, pure, soft water (purer than Poland), delightful scenery,
•wonderful mild climate for onr latitude.
As A Winter Health Resort it ie hardly equaled in the North. A new sys¬
tem of steam heating just introduced; electric light plant, greatls enlarged
and perfected.
Its system of treatment 14 original with its chief physician, who has
had forty-flqe years* experience with sanatory methods. Baths, Massage,
Swedish Movements Electricity (Galvanic, Faradic, Static); unexample
success.
For Neurasthenia, Insomnia and kindred aliments, our treatment has
proved unusually successful. Rheumatism, Gout, Paralysis, Bright’s Dis¬
ease have never found more complete relief. Tuberculosis, Epilepsy.
Insanity we do not treat.
Terms very moderate. Large selection of room's. Easy carriages meet
all trains. Illustrated catalog and full Information free by addressing.
Robert Walter, M. D.
Waiter’s Park Post Office, Pa.
16
Digitized by ^ooQle
LAKESIDE HOSPITAL
4148 LIKE IVENUE, CHICMO
The Lakeside Hospital is pleasantly situated and has abundant accom¬
modations. It has the means necessary for making a searching examina¬
tion of patients and accurate diagnosis of medical and surgical diseases.
These means include well-equipped chemical, pathological, bacteriological
and X-Ray laboratories.
Devices for bathing and other accessories are at the disposal of the
physician, while for the treatment of chronic diseases we are inaugurating
a systom eomprising electric light baths, medicated and electric baths,
showers, ealisthenics and massage, rest-cure and diet kitchens with
proper supervision of the quality and manner jf preparing foods to suit the
individual case.
A hospital, in short, where all means for accurate diagnosis and scien¬
tific treatment are afforded for the alleviation and cure of disease.
LAURA F. WHITE, R. M. JOHNSTONE, M. D.
Superintendent of Hospital Proprietor and Physician and Surgeon in
and Training School. charge with staff of consulting physicians
Digitized by ^ooQle
WRANGLING.
An Old Couples Troubles.
There is an old couple of Hillsdale.
Kansas, the husband 71 and the wife
67, who made a discovery late in life
that would have saved lots of their
troubles, something they learned
about diet.
The old gentleman says: “One day
the doctor told me my wife’s trouble
was not heart disease but her
stomach, but she thought he was
mistaken. As I had read several
statements in the papers about Pos-
tum Food Coffee my mind was soon
made up, and it was in the fall of
1901 that I got a package of Postum,
asking my wife to try it.
“She said she did not believe it
would help her, and so it was laid
aside and she suffered all the winter,
drinking coffee all the time until
about the first of May when she was
in terrible distress.
“One night about our bed time
she said she must have the doctor,
but before you go fix a little Postum
and I will try it.”
“ So 1 prepared half a pint of Pos¬
tum according to directions, and as
soon as she had drank it she felt
warm and nourished all over and in
a little while her pain was gone, it
was like magic. For a few meals
she used a little coffee and then a
wranglir g began in her stomach
each time, so finally she gave up
coffee altogether and used Postum
only. Better and better she got and
grew stronger and finally all the old
disease left.”
“Since that time we have used
nothing but Postum, nor have we
had any occasion to call for the doc¬
tor since, and I now advocate Pos¬
tum to everyone I meet.” Name
given by Postum Company, Battle
Creek, Mich.
Look in each package for the
famous book, “The Road to Well-
ville.”
TOO WELL FED.
Clergyman Not Entirely Sure Ou
That Point.
There is an inclination among the
ladies to rather overfeed the Dominie
sometimes, and while that indirectly
helps the sale of Grape-Nuts, it of¬
fers no suitable excuse for the mak¬
ers to encourage the practice.
A minister of Auburn, Ind., writes:
“ Whether it was from irregular
habits and more or less badly pre¬
pared food taken during some of my
travels, or whether I have been too
well cared for by my parishoners
does not seem entirely clear, how¬
ever, the fact remains that indiges¬
tion set in and after a period of hard
work I came down with a genuine
i case of nervous prostration,
i “It seems the trouble had been
| brewing for some years for several
• insurance companies had rejected
S me after careful examination by
i their physicians.
“I was urged to adopt Grape-Nuts
i and cream for my sole diet for break-
I fast and lunch. The request was
| urged so strongly that I concluded
i to follow the suggestion and to my
i surprise began to gain quickly in
| health and strength,
j “I persisted in the use of this re-
; markable food and a wonderful re-
i suit followed. I have eutirely le-
i gained my health, have been ex-
• amined by the physician of one of
: the most conserva .ive insurance
i companies in America and have been
j accepted. It seems sufficient evi-
i dence of the change that has taken
j place as a result of the use of Grape-
j Nuts.” Name given by Postum Co.,
j Battle Creek, Mich.
Get the book, “ The Road to Well-
| ville,” in each package.
Digitized by
Google
Digitized by ^ooQle
Digitized by
Google
m umajiy,
JULMIB06
*
Digitized by
Goo«
le