Editorial


First menses at fourteen years with uneventful establishment. Menses every twenty-eight days, copious for four days, last six days in all. Sadness before the menses and spells of weeping; feels better after onset of flow. Appetite is fickle, is very fond of pickles, but has no other marked cravings. Bowels constipated unless some mineral oil preparation is taken. Late in falling asleep, legs jerk; talks and cries during sleep and wakes terrified; frequent nightmares. Skin cold and clammy; sensitive to cold in general; no abnormal sweats; as an infant perspired freely on the head.


Natrum Muriaticum and Nightmares.–Miss S., age eighteen years, presented the following symptoms: History of enteritis during first year of infancy; later had all the eruptive diseases except scarlet-fever. At twelve years both tonsils were removed. First menses at fourteen years with uneventful establishment. Menses every twenty-eight days, copious for four days, last six days in all. Sadness before the menses and spells of weeping; feels better after onset of flow. Appetite is fickle, is very fond of pickles, but has no other marked cravings. Bowels constipated unless some mineral oil preparation is taken. Late in falling asleep, legs jerk; talks and cries during sleep and wakes terrified; frequent nightmares. Skin cold and clammy; sensitive to cold in general; no abnormal sweats; as an infant perspired freely on the head.

Sep. 8, 1925. Natrum mur. 30; q. 24 hours, 10 doses.

Oct. 13–A cough demanded Sanguinaria 30.

Oct. 20.–No mental depression before the last menstrual period, but nightmares have been more frequent of late.

Natrum mur. 1000; q. 24 hrs., 10 doses.

Nov. 5–General state is >; appetite >. Nightmares still occur; though less frequently. S. 1. q. 24 hrs.

Nov. 18–Natrum mur. 10 m. sk.; s. 1. q. 24 hrs.

Dec. 7–Has had but two nightmares. Natrum mur. 50 m. sk., s. 1. q. 24 hrs.

Jan. 15, 1926–General health good; appetite >. Nightmares less severe. Mental depression >. Natrum mur. cm. sk.; s. 1. q. 24 hrs.

Jan. 15, 1926–General health good; appetite >. Nightmares less severe. Mental depression >. Natrum mur. cm. sk.; s. 1. q. 24 hrs.

Feb. 10–Has had but one nightmare; general health is decidedly >. Appetite good and she is gaining in weight. Mental state normal. S. 1. q. 24 hrs.

In Jahrs Symptomen Codex we find under Natrum mur. sleep symptoms “Frightful dreams of murder, fire.” “He rises at night from anxious dreams, and walks about the room.” “Talking while asleep and restless night.” “Moaning while asleep.” The Chronic Diseases of Hahnemann, present the same symptoms, so also does Allens Encyclopaedia of Pure Materia Medica.

As a possible causative factor in the case presented, is the fact, that the girls mother divorced her first husband, the father of the girl and then married a second time. The circumstance appeared to affect the child deeply and aroused in her an attitude of partially suppressed resentment toward her mother. Psychic shock may often require Ignatia in the beginning, followed by Natrum mur. later on.

Stramonium in Chorea.–J. B., age 9 years, presented the following:

Strong and healthy as a baby; about sixteen months ago his tonsils were removed on account of enlargement; previous to their removal he had suffered from occasional sore throat attacks, but with the exception of measles and an attack of influenza his past history is negative. About six months ago choreic jerkings began, but diminished somewhat during the summer, only to increase again in the fall.

His parents were obliged to take him out of school. His appetite is good, he sleeps well and his bowel action is normal; of late his speech has been difficult and he has sudden irregular jerking motions of the limbs; the right arm frequently seems to hang perfectly flaccid. The head jerks at times, but the facial muscles are not involved. Examination discloses a mitral regurgitant murmur. After the examination his mother stated, that shortly after the tonsillectomy he fell from a second-story window, but picked himself up apparently unharmed and none the worse for his adventure. Is hurried in his movements, wants to do things quickly.

October 27, 1925–Stramonium 1000; s. 1. q. 24 hrs.

Nov. 5–Slight >. Stramonium 48 m. F.; s. 1. q. 24 hrs.

Nov. 24–General >; is inclined to be hurried in his movements and wants to do things in a hurry.

Dec. 16–Rarely has any choreic twitchings. Speech in no longer difficult. Stramonium cm. F., s. 1. q. 24 hrs.

Feb. 9, 1926. No signs of chorea and general condition is normal. Stramonium cm. F.; s. 1. q. 24 hrs.

The mitral murmur was no doubt the result of an undetected endocarditis, itself the result of tonsil infection, let loose, possibly after the extirpation of the tonsils. This we have no means of knowing, as we did not see the patient until sixteen months after the operation. The irregular, convulsive motions and the symptom of hurry, led to the selection of Stramonium.

Pain in the Head from Drafts of Cold Air.–Under this rubric, we find in Kents Repertory the following remedies, omitting those of the lowest rank: Acon., Bell., Calc. c., China, Hepar, Merc. sol., Nux vom., Sanicula aqua., Selen., SILICEA, and Sulphur.

Of these we find that Acon., Calc. c., China, NUX VOM., Silicea and Sulphur affect the occiput more particularly.

Under aggravation from drafts of air, in general, without special reference to the head, the prominent remedies are: BELL., CALC. C., CALC. PHOS., Caps., Caust., Cham., China, Cistus, Hepar, Ignatia, Kali c., Lach., Lyc., Merc. sol., Nit. ac., Nux mos., Nux vom., Phos., RHUS TOX., Selen., SILICEA, SULPHUR and Zinc.

Many people are extremely sensitive to drafts of cold air upon the back of the head and neck. In one such case, automobiling invariably caused severe neuralgic pains in the occiput, extending over the vertex. Silicea greatly relieved these attacks for a long time, but finally failed to help; we then found the following symptom complex: Pain in occiput and nape of neck, excited by a draft of cold air and worse from any alcoholic liquor, or after coition. Sneezing will invariably relieve the pain. This curious modality is possessed by three remedies only, viz.: Calc. c., Lil. tig. and Muriatic acid. Of the three, Calcarea was obviously the remedy and has relieved this patient greatly. Incidentally, Calcarea follows Silicea well.

Can It Be Done?–A middle-aged man of robust health, but sedentary occupation, has been in the habit of taking small doses of bicarbonate of soda for his stomachs sake. On a recent occasion he inadvertently took washing soda by mistake; this was followed by some epigastric burning and distress and later by hiccough, which persisted in spite of cathartics and other measures resorted to by his O. S. adviser.

After two days of this persistent singultus, he was unceremoniously dragged in to see us by materia familias, who had some years previously: Almost constant hiccough, for two days past. Abuse of cathartics, including castor cough, for two days past. Abuse of cathartics, including castor oil. Frequent inclination for stool, irritable state of the rectum (not surprising). Hiccough wakes him at 3 A. M., or at least, is worse at this hour.

We gave him a few powders of Nux vomica 30th, with instructions to take one every two hours. After the second powder the hiccough stopped and did not return.

Allan D. Sutherland
Dr. Sutherland graduated from the Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia and was editor of the Homeopathic Recorder and the Journal of the American Institute of Homeopathy.
Allan D. Sutherland was born in Northfield, Vermont in 1897, delivered by the local homeopathic physician. The son of a Canadian Episcopalian minister, his father had arrived there to lead the local parish five years earlier and met his mother, who was the daughter of the president of the University of Norwich. Four years after Allan’s birth, ministerial work lead the family first to North Carolina and then to Connecticut a few years afterward.
Starting in 1920, Sutherland began his premedical studies and a year later, he began his medical education at Hahnemann Medical School in Philadelphia.
Sutherland graduated in 1925 and went on to intern at both Children’s Homeopathic Hospital and St. Luke’s Homeopathic Hospital. He then was appointed the chief resident at Children’s. With the conclusion of his residency and 2 years of clinical experience under his belt, Sutherland opened his own practice in Philadelphia while retaining a position at Children’s in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department.
In 1928, Sutherland decided to set up practice in Brattleboro.