Part 98

My first case of child birth in which I used Mistletoe (Viscum album) was May 30, 1897. Was called to see Mrs. C.; second confinement; there was but little advancement; I sent the husband to my office, three blocks away, for some Mistletoe, and I gave the lady half a teaspoonful with a swallow of water every twenty minutes, and before one hour had passed labor was on in good shape, and in half an hour longer all was over.

I returned to my office, and in less than half an hour I was called to see a colored woman, much of a lady, mother of two children; on examination I found only a slight advancement of the child, mouth of the womb but little dilated. I learned that she had been just about the same for twelve hours. I prepared a mixture and ordered a teaspoonful every twenty minutes; this dose contained 30 drops of the Mistletoe. I was not well, and returned to my office, leaving instructions to notify me when labor was well on; my office was four blocks from her residence. I reclined on a lounge, intending to return in about an hour, but dropped into a doze, and in about one and a half hours the husband came on the run, notwithstanding they had sent a little girl for me. He reached my office panting, and exclaimed: 'For God's sake, hurry, for her insides have all come out.' On my arrival, I found the child and afterbirth all in a pile. The confusion was soon calmed down by the assurance that all was well.

Soon after this I was called to see Mrs. M., the mother of seven children. I had been with her in six of the seven confinements, and knowing that she had always been tedious I gave the messenger a small vial of the same mixture and same dose, labelled it teaspoonful every twenty minutes, stating that I would be there in an hour or two, and I was; but the child was born about fifteen minutes before.

On the 14th day of July of the present year I was called to attend Mrs. B. in her third labor, some two miles in the country. I left home at 3:30 A.M. When I arrived at the house I found nothing to indicate that I would be permitted to return home sooner than--I will say a number of hours. I found presentation all right, some dilatation, but there was but little advancement. The pains seemed to be of excruciating character, but not the kind to do more than wear the patient out. She told me that the same kind of pains had been on for a day and night, so I continued with the Mistletoe in half-teaspoonful doses every twenty minutes. Pains came on; in just one hour her extreme agony ceased. Labor came on, and in half an hour more the child was born.

In all these cases the placenta came readily and everything progressed well after birth. I said I left my office at 3:30 A.M., and I was at home again by 7 A.M. It may be that four cases are not sufficient to decide on the merits of a remedy, but the change was so decided and prompt that I am satisfactorily convinced that in Mistletoe we have an oxytocic that is superior to all remedies hitherto tried.

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After the foregoing was compiled, Dr. George Black's exceedingly interesting brochure of 79 pages, Viscum album, the Common Mistletoe, etc., etc., appeared, and anyone wanting a complete history of the drug should procure a copy.

Dr. Black (Torquay, England) publishes all the known provings, and in addition some very thorough ones conducted by himself; from these we select the following striking symptoms:

Proll experienced a sensation as if a large spider were crawling over his hands; a glow rising from feet to head, and he seemed to be on fire, though his face was pale, this repeatedly; also violent aching pain in right foot recurring frequently. Proving with the tincture in increasing doses up to 40 drops.

Two women took the drug to produce abortion; every muscle of the body was paralyzed, including bowels, save those of the eye, and both died on the 8th and 9th day, starved to death.

The provings by Dr. Black. A well-built woman, aged twenty, took repeated doses of the drug from [Greek: theta] up to 30th. The most striking symptoms were: Sudden, severe thumps of the heart that then went on beating at a tremendous rate; it slowed down and was followed by trembling in the limbs; after this was very marked jerking of the limbs, and twitching; hot feeling, though not actually hot. "A feeling as if I should bite some one if I did not keep my teeth clenched. A wretched feeling as if I should do something awfully wrong if I did not keep myself under control." Several months later the effect of the drug was still strongly in evidence; "thinks she will go out of her mind, feels as if she would have an epileptic fit, says she would feel far happier in an asylum."

A second prover, Mrs.---- aet 37, experienced jerking and twitchings of the muscles, shooting pains in left ovarian region, and, on movement, lumbar pain and stiffness. Proving made with 3d dilution.

Third prover, aet 27, a woman. First marked symptom was a shooting pain in left ovary; then pain and twitching in leg, when aching stopped it felt very hot; aching repeated, and only relief was shifting the position of the leg to a cool place in the bed; again a dreadful pain in the region of the left ovary--"a fearful aching" "it was a pain you couldn't have put up with long without doing something;" later: "I have had no pain, but a great twitching in my hands and legs for a long time, just like a person with chorea--first my left hand jumped, then both legs, my heart seemed to beat very fast." "When hands were held it seemed to alleviate the jerking and twitching." The pain in ovaries, also in other parts of the body at times, the twitchings and jerkings, and the frequent hot feeling continued during all the proving. It was made with the 3d and [Greek: theta].

The fourth proving was made by Dr. Black himself, chiefly with the 3x and [Greek: theta].

This proving is quite long. From it we note the following symptoms: Severe pain in right shoulder joint. Muscular twitching in right leg. Dull pain under left false ribs. Neuralgic pain in sciatic nerve. Back, lumbar region, stiff and weak. Pain in right knee joint, painful to move and tender to the touch. Weight and oppression of the heart, with gripping feeling as if a hand were squeezing it; the load seemed to lift, with great relief, but came back again. A curious sensation of tickling about the heart. Twinges of pain in the great toes. The last record some days after ceasing the proving reads as follows: "I think it was the same night as the previously recorded symptoms that I went to bed between 12 and 1 o'clock, and after lying down experienced a curious general tremor through my body, as if all the muscles were in a state of fibrillary contraction; not a single involuntary jerk, nor the continued twitching of the muscle or a portion of one, but a general state affecting the whole body. It lasted until I fell asleep."

Therapeutically the drug has been used for palsy, "incompetency and tumultuous distressing cardiac action," mitral disease, chorea, epilepsy, retention of placenta, catarrhal deafness, menorrhagia, sciatica, rheumatism, periostitis, hydrothorax, and transient deafness.

The Druids sweepingly asserted that it would "heal all diseases."

WYETHIA HELENIOIDES.

NAT. ORD., Compositae.

COMMON NAME, Californian compass plant.

PREPARATION.--One part of the fresh root is macerated in two parts by weight of alcohol.

(The following, by Dr. J. M. Selfridge, Oakland, Cal., was published in Pacific Coast Journal of Homoeopathy, April, 1899:)

There is probably no State in the Union where there is a greater number of valuable remedies to be found than in the State of California. These remedies are waiting to be proved by those of us who have sufficient enthusiasm and who are willing to take the trouble and make what sacrifice is necessary to accomplish so desirable a result. I know it has been said that we have too many remedies which have not been properly proven. While this is doubtless true, it is equally true that many of the new remedies which have been introduced within the memory of some of us are absolutely indispensable in the treatment of certain forms of disease.

There is another reason why these California remedies should become a part of our armamentarium. It is claimed by Teste and others that where certain forms of disease prevail there, or in that vicinity, the curative remedy may be found.

Again, it has been said that there is a remedy somewhere in nature for every ill to which flesh is heir.

Whether this be true or not, we know there are certain diseases, which, so far as we are aware, are incurable, for the simple reason that we know of no remedy that will control the abnormal conditions. This being true, the incentive ought to be sufficiently great to urge us forward in the line of knowing more than we now know of the wealth of those remedies that lie at our very doors. All we know of these drugs, so far, are mere hints which have been given us by the older inhabitants of the Coast.

Thus, the Eriodictyon Californicum or "Yerba Santa," has been suggested for the cure of "poison oak" and for certain bronchial affections. A partial proving of it was made some years ago under the supervision of the late Dr. Pease, which can be found in "Allen's Encyclopaedia," Vol. iv., page 218.

The Micromeria Douglassi, or "Yerba Bueno," is another plant which should be proved. Many years ago a friend of mine was suffering with a series of boils, when an old "Spanish woman" directed him to make a tea of this plant. This he did, and cured his boils; but, as the tea had an agreeable taste, he continued to drink it, believing, as some do, "that if little was good, more was better," until finally he became so weak he could not continue his work.