DEAR MR. BARKER, I have in the past few months had a few cases interesting to me, at least, though probably not particularly instructive or out of the ordinary, one of which succeeded when I didnt really expect it would, and, of course, that gives one some satisfaction and encouragement in trying to get quick results.
Mr. A., short, stocky, strong, active, about 38 years old, had been feeling run down for some time, was away from work for a few weeks, and finally came back to the office saying how weak he felt after what appeared to have been an influenza disease. However, Arsenicum album 3x seemed to have an immediate effect, though Mr. A. attributed his improvement to having once more got back to work and having something to do. Which, of course, it might have been.
However, on May 22nd, he complained again how bad he was feeling, from rheumatism he said, with aches and pains across the right shoulder and right arm, which was better moving about, worse after rest, worse at night, was fairly thirsty, restless, had occasional dreams of falling, had had malaria and had taken a good deal of quinine. The pain kept him awake at night and nothing seemed to relieve it to any extent. This sounded to me like Arsenicum album, Rhus tox and Thuja, which he took with absolutely no result.
In fact, he said his arm seemed worse, the pain extending farther down and very stiff in the morning. To tell you the t ruth, I didnt know what to do and felt it a bit difficult, as he seemed to be one of the type who like getting well quickly; but I had an idea and changed the medicine rather as a forlorn hope. He took a dose and was sitting beside me in the office talking business, when suddenly he sat up and said, “That medicine may arm is better”, and started waving it about, and bending it forwards and backwards. Next morning it seemed to be quite well. The answer to the riddle was Sanguinaria 3x.
A young man I know was very anxious to go into the Royal Marines and was very worried, as he had great doubt whether he would pass the Medical owing to his eyes. His mother said he had quite got the wind up. He talked to me about it on May 5th, 1939, one month before the examination, and as there was obviously no time to lose I took him round to an optician friend of mine, a very clever fellow with no hidebound ideas, who told him that the glasses he had been given by someone else were no good and must be altered so as to help his eyes to relax.
At the same time he took homoeopathic treatment. Medium height, brown hair, delicate complexion, slim and well-built, perhaps inclined to stoop slightly, preferred warmth, but disliked sitting in the sun, disliked draughts, standing about, a little restless, liked being made a fuss of, caught cold easily, had had operation in tonsils and adenoids, occasional dreams of falling. Guided by your teaching, I gave him Calc. phos. 3x, Sulphur 6x, Bacillinum 200, and Thuja 200.
In a we the optician pronounced a very definite improvement and he passed successfully when the time came. Well, of course, the question is what did it : faith, glasses or medicine, and who can say ? My friend, the optician, very nicely says that he thinks that while his glasses would have done the trick in time, it is quite probable that it would not have been in the necessary time.
At the end of December, 1938, Mr. B., a young man, tall, dark, brown eyes, inclined to be thin, came along as he had severe boils on his neck which were very painful, but in addition he looked far from well, had very bad catarrh, pains across the back, and after sleeping heavily, woke up every morning feeling tired and irritable. Perspired very little indeed and always felt cold. As a child of ten months, he had had a very bad attack of scarlet fever and two years ago a badly poisoned arm. Ate a good deal of salt.
To deal with the boils he had Graphites 3x and Bacillinum 200, which had an immediate effect, after which he had Silica 12x first thing, Natrum muriaticum 30 last thing, and Nux vomica 3x during the evening. The result of this was that on January 9th he felt much better in himself and had started perspiring more or less continually, which, however, after a month or so settled down to normal.
He now changed to Phosphorus 3 and Scarlatinum 200, but as he found that Phos. 3 seemed to make him restless at night, took it in the morning. On January 27th, the pains in the back seemed to have practically gone, but I didnt hear from him for about a fortnight when he said that he had been down with flu which resulted in aches and pains in his ankles, which Eupatorium perfoliatum 1x promptly relieved.
He proceeded to improve steadily, and on March 9th said he felt fine. He then said, “I can tell you something that is very interesting. When I was at school my eyes were tested, and in fact I could see hardly at all through my right eye. Going home on the bus the other night, I suddenly discovered that it was much better. They told me at school I ought to ear glasses, but I dont like them and never have done so”.
This was indeed interesting and I asked why he had not told me about his eyes before, to which he replied that he thought that no good could be done. However, the vision has improved from a state when if he covered his left eye, he could not have found his way about, to what is now some very good percentage of normal, and this improvement seems to be steady and continuous.
What seemed to please him particularly was the colour his face now was, for he said, “If you knew the amount of stuff my mother had given me for years to get some colour in my cheeks, you would be surprised, and now Ive got it”.
Of course, these I see are mild cases compared with the frightful ones which come to you and for whom you do so much good, but any success, however small, gives one a lot of satisfaction and encouragement, and on principle I always quite firmly advise any bad cases which look serious to come to you.
With best wishes,
Yours sincerely,
F.J.C. ALLEN.
