CLINICAL CASES


CLINICAL CASES. A six or seven years fell down a hay chute, the cover coming down on top of him. Later a chair was pulled from under him; this followed by headache and nausea; had headache every Monday for a long while. Over twenty years ago, could not stand artificial light, this gone later and now for years been working with figures.


To Bring Out Point in Philosophy.

1. Causticum: two cases.

2. Hypericum: three cases; Arnica and Hypericum: one case.

3. Zinc followed by Thuja: one case.

Causticum.

1. Feb. 26, 1951, a married lady called me for a bad attack of Flu. It began four days before with severe pain over the eyes and in them. Photophobia was marked. Later this pain extended to occiput and nape. > cold water on it. Left this pain extended to occiput and nape.> cold water on it. Left face much congested. There was high fever, flushed face, on chilliness, much prostration, could hardly get out of bed. Pain lower back at first, gone by the 26th. Nose stopped tight; also coryza free, watery; hoarseness. Cough very persistent, hacking, mostly dry, < on rising, lying down, talking much. > a little cold water. Expectoration scanty, hard to get; bloody once.

Caust. 1M in 4 glass water; one tsp. every 15 minutes for four doses cured like magic and the patient was almost well by next morning.

Now the epidemic “Flu” remedy here in Washington as been Kali bi. in the last several epidemics. There were strong symptoms pointing to Kali bi. Her chronic remedy had been Phosphorus. I hesitated but finally chose Caust. on account of the hacking cough, > a little cold water, the scanty expectoration hard to reach and amounting to almost nothing when it was reached, and the great prostration. The very prompt result surprised me almost as much as the patient.

2. A short but very large woman of eighty years came for treatment in April, 1950, an optimistic, sensible person. Her weight climbed to 290 lbs. at one time, now 183. She has had arthritis for twenty years, began in knees, worse left. She has had diabetes for the last ten years.

Warm blooded, easily heated. Perspiration profuse, general, except hands and feet. Skin cold with internal heat. Appetite large but curbs it. Craves bread. Cannot diet to reduce weight for this produces weakness even to faintness. Sleep very poor, awake from 2 to 5 and soon again. < A.M.,> later in the day.

The patient had had much strong medication and had been taking cathartics regularly.

After two remedies given to try to clear the picture, she came into my office Nov.2, 1950, hobbling along with assistance from her daughter. She had just arrived here from other treatment in Ohio.

She complained of sleepiness most of the time, wanting to lie down frequently. She looked rather stupid; presently she was all but asleep in her chair with head hanging forward, then she began to slip as if about to fall to the floor, caught herself and lifted her head revealing right corner mouth drawn down, no speech on trying to talk, left arm hanging limp, falling to left so had to he held. She was so very heavy, I did not want her to fall to the floor and have to be picked up.

It isnt often one sees a paralytic stroke come on in ones office. I left her with the daughter supporting her, went to my medicine cabinet for Caust. 1M which I placed on her tongue. In a very few minutes, she braced up, gave me a silly kind of smile, began moving her left arm. Soon she could sit alone leaning back in her chair. IN ten more minutes she was walking out of the office, supported on both sides and dragging left foot slightly.

She needed Caust. 1M twice more when slipping back into the same state but recovery was general, not only in the threatening paralysis. She has had Caust. 10M twice and 50M once since that day and now she can get out for rides, and live in comfort expect for the bad knee.

I doubt if I should have found Caust. for this patient except for her exhibition of symptoms right before my eyes!. Hypericum

With a tribute to Dr. Dixon for his paper revealing large uses for this remedy. – J.M.G.

2. 1951 – Feb. 23 : a three-year-old boy was taken by his grandmother to an aunts house in Philadelphia at Christmas time while mother was in hospital after childbirth; was kept there nearly two months until father could go after him. The aunt had a new baby of her own; surroundings were strange; he had lived in deep country sparsely populated and was not used to a big city.

By nature happy, friendly, talkative, calm, this chubby boy conformed so well that the aunt did not suspect what was going on inside his small brain and heart.

Home again with his parents, older brother and new baby he looked solemn, could not smile, did not talk at all or if he tried to talk a little, words were all jumbled and the effort seemed to scare him. food did not attract as it did before he left. He did not play or take any interest, just stood where he was put.

I reasoned that this child had had a tremendous nervous shock at a tender age when he could not know whether he ever would be transported home again. The time away was long enough to increase his fear of desertion.

So I gave him s dose of Hypericum 1M and left another with the mother. He had his medicine in mid-afternoon. Next morning he got out of bed his normal self, went to play as usual, ate a good breakfast, seemed glad to be with his family, prattled happily at day, apparently had no memory of his abnormal behavior.

There has been no hint of a return of the peculiar symptoms.

2. 1951 – Feb. 5: a thirty-four-year-old married man had a bad automobile accident Jan. 27, 1949, and did not work for eighteen months; injury to back from nape of neck to coccyx. In hospital, with weights pulling head up and end of spine down, for seven months. Injury to right knee; cannot flex it to right- angle. Some bladder pain soon after accident, then gone. Now back all right, can work again.

For a week pain in hypogastrium and at root of penis causing urging to urinate so cannot control urine part of time, says seems as if something prevents urine from passing into urethra, like a stone; can feel it go back, releasing the stream.

Healthy before the accident; nervous since the accident; concentration poor, memory poor; shaking all over if must meet an appointment or go through some ordeal; tendency to numbness arms and legs since the accident.

I reasoned that this man had had a serious shock to his nerves, plenty of time to develop effects of it and not time to recover fully from it. I gave him a dose of Hypericum 1M on the above data. He reported that soon after two stones passed from the bladder with relief of all the local symptoms connected with them; none since.

On April 16th reported continuation of nervousness, trembling all over internally, especially the abdomen, trembling of hands somewhat; hard to write naturally. I gave him a dose of Hypericum 10M. A few days ago he came in again because same symptoms returning. he received a second dose of the 10M.

3. 1949 – Feb. 28 : a fifty-nine-year-old man came into my office, medium, height, rather light complexion, a very calm face, an apparent victim of paralysis agitans.

A six or seven years fell down a hay chute, the cover coming down on top of him. Later a chair was pulled from under him; this followed by headache and nausea; had headache every Monday for a long while. Over twenty years ago, could not stand artificial light, this gone later and now for years been working with figures.

Twenty years ago trouble with his wife and they separated. In 1940 his mother, who was living with him and to whom he was devoted, died. In 1943 a truck ran into his car form the rear shaking him up very badly. Soon after his mothers death began to shake, hands, arms, feet, legs.

At the time he came to me in 1949, he had had several doctors who told him he was incurable. There was the spastic state all down right side and some on the left; speech hesitating and jerky. < and excitement especially emotional. < when tired. Sleeps well and wakens shaking. One spot to left of spine very tender to touch.

Looking over these symptoms plus others which had less to do with the results of treatment, it seemed to me the central idea was shock, emotional and physical; repeated shocks in both realms.

I gave him Hypericum 1M on Feb. 28. March 7, his (second) wife reported that he looked better the evening of the day of the first dose. By March 7 she could see that he was quieter. By March 14 speech was much > and he had quiet spells oftener. April 19 he walked into my office quite quietly.

By Sep. he was going to church twice on Sunday, going to movies occasionally and sitting quietly. All this time he went to his office regularly, could do his work with figures without enough shaking to interfere. Relaxation came gradually. For a long period of months feet shuffled along in walking, sometimes

causing a fall.

I have kept this patient on Hypericum, going up the scale of potencies, increasing the interval between doses, going back to a low potency again when the top had been reached.

He still shakes but is free longer intervals; he is enough better so he reports only half as often. He may never recover fully, he may need another remedy to cure him.

The case is reported principally to show another use for Hypericum.

Arnica Plus Hypericum.

April 20, 1951, a middle-aged lady from Buenos Aries, Argentina, had accompanied her husband to California on a business trip. They were in a taxi in the evening driving to the airport to take a plane back to Washington when there was something of a collision. The patient was thrown from the taxi when its door flew open, striking right side of face, head, shoulder, hip on rough ground and bouncing along hitting same places several times before she came to a stop. She was picked up and taken to the hospital room in the airport where she was given “dope.” She was offered a “shot” she refused, being a good homoeopathic patient.

Julia M. Green