II.
In my previous article I have discussed that the primary cause of Consumption is a “loss of albumen from the blood and a consequent disproportion into which such loss must necessarily throw all the other constituents of the blood,” and the terrible bacillus is nothing but “a softening or suppuration of the tubercle, a simple rod of fibrin”. Again deficient supply of albumen, instead of a loss of it, may bring similar results. Deficient feeding or poor food both cause a too watery blood, which always decolorizes the red corpuscles too rapidly, and changes them into leucocytes or tubercular corpuscles. Poor people living on stale vegetables or other poor food may and do have tubercles developed in the aforesaid manner. Now I shall discuss as follows:
The stages of Consumption.
We have the purely catarrhal stage of phthisis running all the way from a few weeks only, in some cases, to many years in others wherein the disease is confined to catarrhal or mucous discharges, with debility, irritations and other disturbances that flow directly from the cause. Next we have the stage of deposit of tubercles and the commencement of their suppuration or the breaking down of the tissues in which they remain embedded. Third and lastly,we have the suppurative stage extending from the time suppuration begins, in or around the tubercle in mass, to the end of life. In this last stage, there is extensive destruction of one or both lungs. In this stage we also frequently find the mesenteric glands of the intestines partly or wholly destroyed by the deposit of tubercles in them and their consequent ulceration.
Sources of Phthisis
It is a well known fact that phthisis immediately follows, or dares its beginning, soon after an attack of pneumonia, and, in many cases, apparently as a more or less direct result of it, where the latter does not prove fatal at the time. Chronic Bronchitis, Broncho-pneumonia, Pleurisy or pleuropneumonia are the disease which predispose a person to attack of Phthisis.
There are many other sources of phthisis besides direct inheritance, e.g. suppressed skin eruption, suppression of other forms of disease from eruption, suppression of other forms of disease from various other organs. To illustrate: of great numbers of women daily treated locally for diseases peculiar to their sex, a large portion soon or within a year or two after removal of their primary disease, begin to manifest nasal or Bronchial catarrh, chronic sore throat, dry cough, pains in the chest or other pulmonary symptoms, either one or all or which, sooner or later, develop into Phthisis.
In no case is the removal of female disease by local treatment a curative process. The chief cause of such complaints is almost invariably a scrofulous or tuberculous taint inherited from one or both parent; or it may be an inherited humor of the blood, as that of psoriasis, herpes, eczema and the like. How it is possible, then, to suppose that local treatment can cure, that is, eradicate a cause that its beginning in the preceding generation and permeates the entire constitution of the patient? It is simply absurd.
Another fruitful source of phthisis is in suppressed stomach diseases. The majority of confirmed dyspeptics ultimately die of consumption.
Again, Consumption may, and often does, have its origin in suppressed chronic diarrhoea, suppressed Haemorrhoids, suppressed Fistula in ano, etc. The physician can be guilty of nothing more criminal in his profession than to treat any disease locally and thereby suppress it.
Curability of Consumption.
What the world needs to know more than all else in this connection is, the cause of consumption, so as to avoid the disease where possible; and whether it can be cured, or what reason there is to hope for this in any of its stages, when it is actually upon one.
Even were the loss of albumen not the cause of tubercle, it must be conceded by all, that stopping the waste of so highly nutritious and necessary an element of the blood for the nutrition of most of the soft tissues, would, never-the-less, be of the utmost importance, to arrest this cause of emaciation and debility, and would, let its cause be what it may, leave the patient with so much more strength and vigor to combat the progress tubercle.
After the production and deposit of tubercle, there are two most importance purposes to be accomplished before the patient can be cured, namely: the mucous membrane must not only be healed, but the tubercle, or tubercles must be absorbed before health can be restored.
In the third stage of consumption, little, if any, hope is to be entertained of its cure, and especially if a tubercular mass of any considerable size has suppurated and broken down a corresponding amount of lung substance, in either lung. The breaking down of several small tubercles, even if quite small but destroying and carrying away lung tissue, is equally hopeless. It is not, however, regarded as impossible that some patients may be cured wherein there has been a softening of one or two small tubercles and the leaving of small cavities in the lungs, but no certain reliance can be placed upon permanent relief being given in such cases.
On thing imperatively demanded, if we wish to cure Consumption, is, that all harsh, strong or irritating medicines must be scrupulously avoided.
Our experience in the treatment of phthisis is that it is not so much a change of climate that is needed as life in the open air.
The best climate for the tubercular patient is that in which is obtained the greatest freedom from mental and physical suffering [ Refer to p.30, Vol III., Homoeopathic Herald, for H.E. Lady Linlithgows advice.-Ed.], a climate that is adopted to the peculiarities of each individual case. Climate to be either preventive or curative must be carefully individualised; must be selected, not for Consumption, but to meet the needs of the patient.
Personal Hygiene
Catarrhal affections are rarely found in persons who do not suffer from impaired digestion, hence perfect digestion is one of the first objects to be attained in the prevention or cure of Consumption.
Treatment of Consumption
After 25 years of careful study and investigation of the etiology, pathology and treatment of Consumption, I indulge in no wild hopes for myself nor offer indiscriminate encouragement to mislead others in the curability of Consumption in its advanced stage. But I assert with emphasis that a far greater proportion of cases in the first stage ought to be cured than ever has been. The patient must forego all exhausting mental and physical labour, care and anxiety as far as possible; he must also avoid all injurious habits that may have had to do with the causing of his disease.
In the second stage of phthisis or that of tubercular deposit, before the suppurative process process begins,a much smaller proportion of cases is curable; and yet here, under favourable circumstances, many have been cured. The exact simillimum, carefully selected and rightly administered, will often surprise the physician with its beautiful curative action, even in this stage.
In the 3rd stage of phthisis, that is, after tubercles of large size have softened, broken down the lung tissue and large cavities formed, very few are curable.
The limits of the curable and incurable are not represented by any fixed lines: what is curable today may be incurable to- morrow, and what we of this generation doom incurable, may be considered very amenable to treatment in the next generation.
The skillful application of the simillimum (Homoeopathy) will often correct the constitutional ailments and prevent the development of phthisis. Many methods of treatment based upon the supposed etiology or pathology of the affection can seldom succeed. It is the patient that is to be cured; and as not two patients are alike, it is worse than useless to subject all patients to the same treatment. Hence, neither change of climate, closed establishments, special diet, the movement cure, oxygen treatment, electricity, calcium and gold injection, nor personal hygiene in any form will alone suffice. Each of these in its individual sphere will accomplish something, for each has more or less effect on the activity of cell-life.
But by the judicious individualisation of all these agents, combined with the correcting of the underlying psoric diathesis by the exactly similar remedy we may be able to control and eventually eradicate not only phthisis but its malignant allies, Cancer and Brights disease.
