Part 50

On the 23d of December, reported herself much better; tongue not so coated; heart less disturbed; no indigestion or diarrhoea.

Nose not perfectly clear, but no unpleasant smell or taste as she used to have, and throat no longer dry or uncomfortable. Instead of waking up with a dirty mouth, it feels clean and her taste pure.

4. A man, aged forty-seven, who suffered from old-standing vascular deafness and who specially complained of snoring a great deal, was given Lemna minor, and next day a rumbling and disturbance in the bowels set in and he felt as if he had taken medicine of a searching character. This lasted for three days, bowels acting during this time freely with much heat in the passage (anus); but was not bilious, nor were the motions diarrhoeic; the snoring went away, and he ceased to dream unpleasantly when asleep. Hearing, too, seemed somewhat improved.

5. In another case, after a similar dose, diarrhoea came on next day, with pains across the bowels as from flatus; worse after eating, and a very putrid taste with an improvement at the same time in a stuffiness of the nose from which he was suffering.

6. Crusts form in the right nostril and pain like a string extends from the right nostril to the ear of the same side and right ear is deaf. (In a woman, aged twenty-six, great relief.)

It is with great pleasure that I have now to bring forward, not my own observations, but those of two valued colleagues. Dr. J. H. Clarke sends me the following:

Lemna minor, CASE I. A lady, aged forty-seven, two years previously met with an accident; a sign board fell on her head when out walking in the street. Seven days after that was taken with sneezing attacks, suffered from nasal catarrh with little intermission until March, 1893, when she came under my care. Psorinum 30 soon put a different complexion on the case, and she became so far relieved of her trouble (which has made her life almost unbearable, as she never dared make an appointment for fear of an attack coming on) that she discontinued treatment. Last Christmas a sharp attack of influenza brought back the catarrh, and this time it proved less amenable to treatment.

Fears of polypus distressed the patient, though I could not discover any.

However, she again made progress, but scarcely as rapid as I could have wished, when I thought of giving her Lemna on indications given by Dr. Cooper.

On February 15, 1894, I gave it in the 3x, one tablet four times a day.

February 22, very much better; has felt freer in the head than at any time during the last ten years; has felt very much better generally; spirits braced up.

She steadily progressed to cure, and by March 15th could endure the smell of strong scented flowers, which before was impossible.

CASE II. Captain B., aged forty-four, consulted me on February 29, 1894, for violent neuralgia on the right side of the neck, the part being exquisitely sensitive to touch. He had cough and cold for a month. On getting up in the morning he filled two pocket handkerchiefs with yellow deflusion before he got his nose clear. I gave him Bell. 12 to take till the neuralgia was better, and then told him to take Lemna 3x gtt. j. three times a day.

On March 9th he reported that the Bell. speedily took away the neuralgia, and that then the Lemna cleared off the catarrh in a most astonishing fashion. He never had a medicine to act so magically before.

30 Clarges street, Piccadilly, W., April 21, 1894.

The next communication that I have to bring forward is one from Dr. J. C. Burnett:

Dr. Cooper told me that he had relieved a case of nasal polypus with Lemna minor, and having several cases of the kind that had long been under my observation I thought it my duty to give them the benefit of Lemna.

CASE I. A gentleman of sixty years of age, with nasal polypus only moderately developed, yet of many years' duration, was much troubled by the chronic nasal obstruction which was markedly worse in wet weather.

I gave him Lemna 3x, five drops in water, night and morning. Returning in a month, he exclaimed: "That is the best tonic I have ever taken; I have never taken any medicine in my life that has done me so much good. I feel quite comfortable in my nose and can breathe through it quite well."

CASE II. A lady, about forty-five years of age, mother of a large family and whom I had formerly cured of an uterine tumor, was so troubled with nasal polypi that her life was very distressful; moreover, the polypi had swelled so much that they hung out of the nostrils and compelled the patient to remain within doors. This was notably the case in wet weather. Why not have them removed chirurgically?

"Oh, I have had them operated on over and over again, but it's no good; they only come again worse than ever."

I have tried many things to cure these polypi, but in vain; they would get temporarily better, but the first rainy weather brought them back worse than ever; hence Dr. Cooper's recommendation of Lemna is very welcome to me.

I ordered, as in the last case, with the result that the polypi very greatly diminished in size, and the patient could again take her place in society.

I have used Lemna in many other similar cases, and with the like result. In no case is the polypus really cured, but greatly diminished in size, and the patient rendered relatively comfortable. Clearly the Lemna does not either kill, cure or otherwise get rid of the polypi, but it rids them of much of their succulence and thus reduces their volume, and also diminishes the influence of wet weather to which such patients are so prone. And this is no small boon; is itself in every way superior to any operative interference. The tincture I made use of was made by Dr. Alfred Heath. The first prescription only being of Dr. Cooper's own make. Both acted alike well.

86 Wimpole street, June 4, 1894.

From these remarks of Dr. J. H. Clarke and Dr. J. Compton Burnett, as well as from my own, I think there can be no doubt, whatever, that the Lemna exercises a powerful influence upon the Schneiderian mucous membrane. How far it is capable by its specific action of removing large groups of polypi remains, as yet, an open question.

My own experience of the treatment of nasal polypi is that we have very few remedies that can at all be depended upon for giving even temporary relief. Even from Calcarea carbonica and Teucrium marum verum I have not had the effects that some practitioners testify to their possessing.

Lemna has so far given relief in my hands to cases of nasal polypi and to cases where the nostrils were plugged by swollen turbinates and other causes in a matter far surpassing the effect I have obtained from any other remedy.