Part 46

HEAD.--Vertigo on rising after stooping, with momentary loss of sight, and sensation of heaviness in the forehead. Weakness of memory and inability to study.

EYES.--Pains and inflammation of the eyes, with redness more marked in the left eye. Sensation of sand in both eyes. Ophthalmia, which begins in the left eye, with lachrymation and night agglutination of the eyelids. Weakness of sight. Syphilitic-like ophthalmia.

STOOL.--Diarrhoea with dark mulberry-colored stools without pain or tenesmus, but with mucus.

URINARY AND SEXUAL ORGANS.--Increased secretion of the urine. Pain in the penis. Blennorrhagia with a discharge which stains the linen a dirty yellow color. Chancroids.

THROAT.--Pain and burning of the larynx, when laughing or reading aloud, and small vesicles in the pharynx.

BACK.--Weakness of the lumbar region.

These are not doubtful symptoms.

N. B.--This remedy acts on the head at first, afterwards on the intestines, and on the eyes last.

Please try it, and make it known to our colleagues. Should it prove to be there as good as here, I assure you it will be a valued remedy.

(Dr. J. S. Whittinghill contributed the following, Eclectic Medical Journal, concerning Jacaranda):

Let me give the results of my experience with Jacaranda. I believe it to be a true specific for certain kinds of rheumatism. Its first trial was given a patient suffering as follows: She had had rheumatism for about ten years--never became serious. Sometimes she was nearly relieved from it; again lost much rest and sleep from it. Her wrist would become painful and very weak from ordinary labor. She always suffered very much in the morning upon any motion, and complained of being stiff. Had to have assistance in dressing. Upon sudden motion, sensation in the muscles as of tearing and being bruised--even painful upon pressure.

I gave her different remedies as they seemed to be indicated, with no results towards removing the trouble. I thought there could be nothing lost by trying Jacaranda. It met with decided success. She was entirely relieved of muscular pains in a few days. Had the recurrence of some symptoms in about six weeks after; tried Jacaranda again with the same decided success. Some eight weeks have elapsed since, with no recurrence of muscular pains. I have tried it on three other patients with the same peculiar morning stiffness and soreness of muscles. All were relieved in a few days. They have no more muscular trouble. So I put morning soreness and stiffness of muscles as the guide in prescribing Jacaranda.

LAC CANINUM.

PREPARATION.--The fresh milk from a bitch is triturated in the usual way.

(The late Dr. Sam. Swan had a proving of this remedy, dog milk, in the Materia Medica he attempted to publish, but of which only one volume appeared. The work is now very rare. The following clinical cases were contributed by Dr. Philip Rice to the Medical Century, Vol. IX, No. 24):

Lac caninum is a remedy of undoubted value, though not very thoroughly understood and consequently not very extensively used in this dread disease. And since a proving has never been made, and since we have to depend entirely upon clinical reports I feel it my duty to report a few cases in which a clear demonstration of the value of this remedy was made.

CASE I.--Bruce McG., aet. 15, dark hair, gray eyes, spare habit, rigid fibre, nervous, quick, active, called at my office in the evening complaining of sore throat, worse on right side, and on swallowing. Headache dull and heavy, slight fever. Inspection revealed tonsils and fauces congested and angry looking. On right tonsil a patch of membrane the size of a split pea was seen.

Lycopodium 30x was given. The next morning the entire trouble seemed to have gone to the left side; with it had come, also, stiff neck and tongue; profuse flow of saliva; temperature 101 F. Membrane somewhat larger. Mercurius ruber 30x was given. In the evening the trouble was worse again on right side, the membrane now entirely covering both tonsils, temperature 102 F. Limbs ached, back ached, and patient was restless. Remembering the symptom, "membrane alternates between right and left sides," and this having been so characteristic, I gave Lac caninum in the 30th potency. Improvement began immediately and at the end of the third day the membrane was entirely gone and case discharged as far as medicine was concerned.

CASE II.--Louisa McG., aet. 13, in temperament exactly like her brother, the preceding case. Was irritable and listless for two days, but owing to the fact that the fair began in a few days, to which she was determined to go, she did not complain. The third day, however, her mother noticed that she was truly sick and, there being a number of cases of diphtheria in town, looked into her throat. She found both tonsils covered with a membrane. I was called and as no other symptoms could be elicited I gave Sulphur 30x and told them I would call again in the evening, which I did and found symptoms rapidly developing. Aching in all the limbs; headache; pain in the throat on swallowing; worse on the right side; neck and tongue stiff; membrane just the same. Temperature 101.5; same remedy continued.

Next morning the membrane was the same, pain now in left side, throat internally and externally oedematous, fauces and uvula glossy or varnished in appearance. Temperature 102, urine scanty, no thirst. Apis 30x was now given. In the evening pain back in right side again. Temperature 102.5. Membrane spreading; stiffness of neck and tongue more marked and saliva profuse. Not having seen the case till the membrane had quite generally formed, but the patient being in temperament like her brother and the pain shifting from side to side, as in his case, I decided to give her Lac caninum. Improvement began immediately and at the end of four days the membrane was entirely gone.

CASE III.--The servant girl in the family where cases one and two had been, Anna B., aet. 17. In temperament the very opposite to the other cases, being fat, fair and flabby. Complained of pain in right side of throat on swallowing, neck stiff, tonsil slightly congested. Felt as if she had a bad cold. Advised her to come to the office and get some medicine. She had, however, some "dope" on hand and said she guessed she would take that first. Next evening I was called and found her with throat much worse. Membrane covering left tonsil entirely, also a narrow strip of membrane on posterior wall of pharynx, pain in left tonsil on swallowing, neck and tongue stiff, saliva quite profuse. Temperature only slightly above normal. Lac caninum 30x was given. Patient never went to bed and at the end of the second day no trace of membrane could be seen.

Now, the symptoms common to all three cases and the only ones characteristic in each case were, first, both pain and membrane shifting from side to side; second, stiffness of neck and tongue; third, profuse saliva; fourth, aching in limbs marked; fifth, entire absence of prostration; sixth, character of pain was "as if throat was burned raw." Now, the question will arise in the bacteria man's mind, was this real diphtheria; were the German's bacteria present? I will answer candidly, I don't know; I never looked for them.

LAPIS ALBUS.

SYNONYM. Silico-Fluoride of Calcium.

PREPARATION.--The residue obtained by evaporation, from the waters of the mineral springs of Gastein, Germany, is triturated in the usual way.

(It was Von Grauvogl who first called attention to this drug, the product of certain mineral springs in Germany, that have reputation for curing ulcers, cancers, tumors, etc. In the Transactions of the American Institute of Homoeopathy, 1896, will be found the following by Dr. W. A. Dewey):

My experience with this remedy, and I have been somewhat interested in it, dates from about 1876. At that time a member of my own family had an enlargement of one of the cervical glands. It was nearly as large as a hen's egg, and had a soft, doughy feel. Under Lapis albus 6, prescribed, I believe, by Dr. G. E. E. Sparhawk, now of Burlington, Vt., the swelling speedily and completely disappeared. A peculiar and unusual symptom noticed by this patient while taking the medicine was a marked increase in the appetite; it became ravenous.

Since that time I have used the remedy in many cases of scrofulous enlargement of the cervical glands, and find that it is almost specific where the glands have a certain amount of elasticity and pliability about them, rather than a stony hardness, such as might call for Calcarea fluorica, Cistus or Carbo animalis.