No. 1.– A little girl of eight months has been constipated since birth. Castor oil and enemas produced stools, but with great difficulty, much unsuccessful urging and great urging with the stool. She had a white scanty leucorrhoea. Sepia was given without apparent result, followed by Sulph. 200, 1 m. and 40 m. at long intervals. The first dose of Sulph. produced natural movements, and at the present time the young lady, who is now nineteen, has never been obliged to take a laxative.
In this connection I wish to express the opinion that castor oil given frequently, as if often is, the first few months of life causes a very large number of cases of chronic constipation.
No.2.–A fellow physician called me to see his infant daughter who had been suffering from an otitis media for twenty-four hours. He had given all the codeine and morphine he dared without any relief. She had been crying and screaming for hours. The drum was acutely congested without any bulging. Fifteen minutes after Puls. 1000, 1 dose, she was asleep and the case was ended.
No. 3.– An infant has been very restless and uneasy for several days with frequent urination. When urinating he screams with pain His diaper shows a pink edge around the area soiled by the urine. Lyc. 1 m. relieved quickly.
No. 4.– This little girl is about a year old. When she was ten days old eczema appeared on her hips and genitals, extending down toward the ankles, upwards to the waist, then around the shoulders, neck, face, scalp and behind the ears. At the present time it is on the scalp, behind the ears, around the arms and in the folds of all the joints. There is a scanty, watery discharge. Little itching. Her head sweats much. She is plump and well nourished. No teeth have appeared. Very constipated with much unsuccessful urging for stool. Does not walk or creep. Is good natured. Catches cold easily. One grandfather and one aunt died of tuberculosis.
The child has been treated with many different ointments, has taken cathartics ad lib., and has had numerous modified milk formulas. The eczema will clear up in one area and appear in another region.
Under calc. carb. from the 1 m. to the c. m. with a few intercurrent remedies needed from time to time, the eczema and constipation were cured in six months, and the little girl had the normal number of teeth.
