My first experience with the homoeopathic remedy in asthma case soon after my attention and interest had been drawn away from traditional medicine to the teachings of Hahnemann. My father-in-law had for many years been a sufferer from winter asthma. The attacks came rather periodically, were always worse at night and invariably aggravated by a cold change in the weather and by exposure to cold air. Over-eating would been often being on an attack. He had tried everything but without relief and the attacks were becoming more frequent and more severe. The first remedy I earnestly studied from a homoeopathic standpoint was Nux vomica.
Naturally a good many people began to look like Nux, my father-in-law among them. Fortunately for him he was a Nux case and I have never in my experience seen any better results from a remedy. Incidentally this was one of the first homoeopathic prescriptions. I made without consulting with or seeking advice from my friend and preceptor, the later Dr.George H. Teacher. This was in the winter of 1917-18. Nux vomica 200th was prescribed. The remedy produced almost magical effect.
It stopped the attacks, sweetened up the disposition, made him active and better in every possible way. It was a clincher for me as far as homoeopathy was concerned. Everything went sailing for one month when bang-one night he had the worst attack he had ever had in his life. Said he thought sure he was going to die. I promptly gave him Nux vomica 100th. He never experienced even the slightest attack again for years and remained in all around good health.
In the winter of 1926-27 a severe attack of grippe put him to bed. He took home remedies for a couple of days and then sent for me. It was Nux vomica plain as day and I prescribed the 1000th potency. Improvement set in promptly but only held three days when he slipped out from under. I then gave the 10M and that pulled him through. Recovery was complete and not the slightest recurrence of asthma complicated or followed the influenzal attack.
No more trouble of any kind until January 1929-another very severe chest cold with influenzal symptoms and threatening pneumonia. This time it was Phosphorus and not Nux. One dose of Phosphorus 200th was all that was required. The reaction was prompt, complete and in all respects satisfactory.
Two months later, however, the asthmatic attacks returned, rather frequent but at first mild. I did nothing for a while as the patients general condition appeared good. After about three weeks a very severe attack decided me to give Nux vomica 50M. No medicine of any kind has since been required.
I will leave the question open as to what relation there was, if any, between the exhibition of Phosphorus and the return the particular acute attack but Nux vomica has been the constitutional similimum first, last and all the time. This raises a few questions: Could the Nux have handled the acute condition in the presence of definite symptomatic indications for Phosphorus?
Can the call for an acute remedy the satisfied by the exhibition of the chronic remedy? How much can an acute remedy upset a chronic case? To be sure an old symptom-the asthma-came back after Phosphorus but the return of old symptoms under certain conditions does not mean curative action. Discrimination is necessary when unlike causes produce similar phenomena such as the return of old symptoms.
The relation between sycosis, especially congenital sycosis, and asthma has been repeatedly stressed. There is also a relation between tuberculous conditions and asthma. Protein sensitivity, serum sensitively, etc., are often observed in asthmatic sufferers. Hay fever, rose cold and various neurosis are more or less related to the asthmatic complex. The relation between asthma and urticaria, food rashes, eczema and psoriasis has been observed.
Suppression of chronic skin eruptions has been followed by asthma. Conversely, under homoeopathic treatment amelioration of asthma has been followed by skin eruptions especially eczema and urticarias. Asthma, therefore, seems especially related to conditions manifesting on or through the skin and mucous membranes.
Disturbances of the end organs of the peripheral nerves are in some way tied in with the asthmatic complex. A hyperaesthesia, a hyper-sensitively, an idiosyncrasy, call it what you will, of the terminal nerve filaments, in the skin and mucous surfaces.
In my own experience the three remedies most often indicated in the asthma of children have been Medorrhinum, Natrum sulph. and Silicea, every on in adult life many remedies have been called for, nor do I think any two or three stand out so prominently as in the case of children or what might be termed congenital asthma. The antisycotics and antipsorics always rank high but any remedy in the materia medica may be indicated. The best results to be had by forgetting the asthma per se and prescribing for the patient. The asthmatic attack, however, may be legitimately considered as a general aggravation of the patient.
Note well the rhythm or periodicity if any be present, the time of day or night the attacks usually come on, the immediate exciting factors, in short all the aggravations, ameliorations and other modalities associated with the paroxysm. Used in this way the attack itself may aid in the selection of the constitutional similimum. Only that remedy which can correct the constitutional disorder can really cure the asthma. Anything short of this will at best only palliate for a time.
PHILADELPHIA, PA.
DISCUSSION.
DR. H.A.ROBERTS: Dr. Underhill has presented in this paper some very searching questions which have to do very largely with the homoeopathic physicians reactions and the groundwork of his philosophy.
He asks the question why, when this case was purely a Nux type, that the acute symptoms should suddenly appear as Phosphorus indications; and whether Nux vomica could have handled this case as this time with the definite symptoms of Phosphorus.
When definite and positive symptoms of a remedy are presented, it is the similimum for the time being; remedy or no chronic remedy will not do what the similimum will. In fact, I am inclined to belittle the feeling that each patient, has an unchangeable chronic remedy; and I feel that it leads us into all kinds of trouble; because there is, in the exfoliation of disease, and especially where acute diseases run across the line, and well up from the bottom of the miasmatic trouble, a remedy complementary to the chronic which is usually needed. I do not mean to suggest the frequent or unnecessary changing of remedies, but only wen a remedy is definitely called for.
Then Dr.Underhill asks. “Can the call for an acute remedy be satisfied by the exhibition of the chronic remedy” I fear that he has missed his point here, in that he has used the phrase “the chronic remedy” in contradistinction to the patients chronic condition or manifestations. It is always well in using a remedy in acute conditions, to use a lower potency of a remedy complementary to the constitutional remedy, always insisting, of course, that the complementary remedy that is selected be selected solely on the basis of symptom similarity; then await the results at the close of the acute attack for the first indication that the patient is manifesting his chronic his chronic condition.
In this case Phosphorus is complementary to Nux vomica. Boenninghausen ranks the complementary relationship of these two remedies in the fourth and fifth relative values, which are the highest and the next to the highest in his evaluation.
Asthmatic symptoms, as Dr.Underhill, says, manifest themselves frequently in sycotic patients. It is well to remember that congenital sycosis, where asthma is manifested in children, arises almost universally from the fact the thymus gland is enlarged and does not retrograde in the normal Natrum sulph. and Silicea. These indeed are antipsorics, but I would place in the forefront for this condition and for your consideration Calcarea fluorica, Iodine, Natrum carb., Natrum mur., Natrum sulph., Silicea, Spongia and Sulphur. Iodine, Natrum carb., Natrum mur., Natrum sulph., Silicea, Spongia and Sulphur. However, any remedy in the materia have a direct action in reducing asthmatic conditions where the thymus glands are involved.
In the treating of asthma it is true that we find the whole gamut of sensitively in the skin and mucous membrane that is often present and paramount in sycosis, many times associated with neurosis of the nose, skin, eczema and psoriasis, as Dr.Underhill says.
Therefore too great stress cannot be laid on the necessity for the greatest care in taking the case-more so than in almost any other manifestation of disease conditions-if we would be successful in its treatment. Especially the early history, as well as the present, the modalities-in fact, everything pertaining to the patient himself-must be considered and then the case carefully analyzed to get the generals as the skeleton on which to hang the particulars of each case, separately and individually.
Eugene passed away at his country home on Spring Hill, Tuscarora Township, Bradford County, PA. He had been in ill health for several months. His wife, the former Caroline Davis, whom he had married in Philadelphia in 1910, had passed away in 1961. They spent most of their marriage lives in Swarthmore, PA.
Dr. Underhill was a member of the United Lodge of Theosophy, a member of the Philadelphia County Medical Society, and the Pennsylvania Medical Society. He was also the editor of the Homœopathic Recorder.