(First Article).
AT the close of one of my clinics at the New York Homoeopathic Medical College a visiting English physician said to me.” This is interesting. Can you cure cancer ?” Here is my answer :.
I have seen my modest share of cancer. None of the cases have I treated by name, or pathologically. Each case has been individualized and prescribed for homoeopathically, according to its peculiar needs, to the best of my ability. Every case has been helped thereby, far more, I am sure,than would have been possible by any other means. Every year I operate less than before; and when I operate it is upon the ground of expediency. My sole reliance for cure is upon Homoeopathy.
The statistics improve correspondingly. I never operate primarily. medicine precedes and follows the knife. Excluding a few cases of carcinoma and sarcoma thus treated, which have got well (excepting for the mutilation of course) and remained well, I will now give the histories of a few cases cured by homoeopathy alone, the only means I believe, that is able to cure.
CASE I. FUNGUS HAEMATODES OF THE FOREHEAD.
A little, slender, shrivelled, feeble old woman, with trembling voice, was referred to me by her physician, who expected me to excise a cancer from her forehead. It was an open sore with regular edges, which had started from the bone, situated slightly to the right of the centre of the forehead, measuring two inches vertically and an inch and a half laterally, and presenting a corrugated surface which was suffused with dark, grumous blood and pus, and which bled freely under slight provocation. She complained of boring, tearing, burning pains in the affected part.
The patients figure, the location of the growth, the character of the pains in it and its disposition to bleed, all pointed to Phosphorus,. The well-known ability of phosphorus to disorganize bone and its reputation in the treatment of fungus haematodes corroborated the choice.
The homoeopathic remedy was plainly indicated. This fact was explained to the patient, also the fact that the cancer was not a thing which could be cut away and thus end the trouble; but was the visible expression of a diseased organism, which would disappear as soon as the organism should be cured by the similar medicine, and not before. She gladly consented to have internal medication in place of local interference; and we went to work, February 9th 1897.
She took phosphorus, two hundredth centesimal potency, for times a day with little interruption for about one year. When improvement was well under way, medication was correspondingly abated. On two occasions, a change of symptoms and a lack of progress led to the temporary abandonment of phosphorus and the substitution of, first, Hepar sulphuris calcareum, and, in the last instance, Nitric acid; but each of these movements was soon found to be mistaken, and, therefore, was stopped.
In September, 1898, she w as discharged cured, the forehead being normal and her health in other respects good. The contest had lasted nineteen months. She remained well a number of years and then died of pneumonia.
CASE.2 EPITHELIOMA OF THE NOSE.
A widow,70 years of age, exhibited a sore on the end of her nose, which destroyed one- third of that member before it could be brought under control. Specialists declared it to be epithelioma. The management of the case developed upon me. She received three remedies at my hands. When local burning heat predominated, with dryness of the skin, thirst, restlessness, then Arsenicum two hundredth was given.
When that phase yielded and was replaced by pricking pain and some gnawing, then Nitric acid two hundredth ruled. When the sore experienced sensations like “bed bug bites”, she took Kali bichromicum two hundredth. These three remedies shared pretty evenly and were given in the order of succession named. She was cured in about three years, and so remained the rest of her life, reaching the age of 84.
CASE 3. EPITHELIOMA OF THE NOSE.
A woman, 62 years of age. The malady first appeared as a scale or scab devoid of sensation. The scab fell off, leaving a raw place which increased in size and again scabbed. This process was repeated many times. Eventually the raw surface became an elevated, red, fungating, easily bleeding sore which could be made to scab with difficulty. Sensations : Burning, pricking, stinging with itching, which was sometimes felt at the tip of the nose.
As the morbid process yielded to medicine, the steps, which have been described, were retraced in the inverse order of their development and ended in complete cure. Over four years of time were required to do this. During that period four principal remedies were used, namely, Arsenicum, Nitric acid, Causticum and Apis, according to the prevalence of the burning, pricking,itching or stinging.
At long intervals this order was interrupted, once by Sepia when a yellow saddle bestrode the nose; again by Lachesis for left-sided sore throat accompanied by hot flashes and intolerance of clothing about the neck, and again with Zincum when she was exhausted by the care of an invalid, and nervous, with fidgety feet. These remedies were all given in the 100,000th potency of Fincke, a dose about every two months or when improvement ceased. She is perfectly well. Two pictorial illustrations in my volume Homoeopathy in Medicine and Surgery, Boericke & Tafel, 1913, give some idea of the original and present appearances of the nose.
CASE 4. EPITHELIOMA OF THE LIP.
The responsibility for the cure of the following case is divided between three physicians.
In 1886, a gentleman, 63 years of age, was obliged to relinquish to a considerable extent his active literary pursuits on account of neurasthenia. His sleep was poor, he could not concentrate his thoughts without headache, beginning in the nape of the neck and extending upwards to the top, with coldness across shoulders and vertigo, which was increased by looking up and around.
He had an indolent ulcer upon the outer surface of the left leg, flat, shallow, with bluish-white base and clearly-cut edges. Every tyro in homoeopathic practice knows that the prescription was bound to be Silica in high potency, and believes my statement that at the end of two years of medical treatment his strength was nearly restored. It ought to be but probably is not superfluous to add that no medicated applications were made to the ulcer. Sole reliance was placed upon internal medicine. He lived in Boston, and much prescribing was done by means of correspondence.
Then it was headaches gone, ulcer healed, vigour in great measure restored and work resumed that a hard, rough, cracked, sensitive,painful, slightly discoloured tumour developed in the border of the left side of the lower lip. Epithelioma stared me in the face. I turned to page 379 of Vol. IX of Herings Guiding Symptoms, and read, among much other relevant and interesting text, “Swelling of lower lip.” “Cancer of lower lip.” Silica continued to be the remedy. I gave a dose very high.
It relieved the situation somewhat. Relatives and friends took alarm and held anxious conferences. Excision, plasters, escharotics, and nostrums were discussed and urged. It seemed that control of the case could be maintained better by closer personal contact between physician and patient. I therefore asked to have Dr. William P. Wesselhoeft, of Boston, take on the case. He did so; and now kindly consents to let me quote him. After consulting his books, he writes :.
“I find that in 1888 he received, February 18th, Silica 100,000th potency one dose.” During his absence from home, which soon followed, Dr. Wesselhoeft assigned the case to his colleague, Dr. James B. Bell, who writes :.
” I have no doubt of the diagnosis from the macroscopic appearance. I treated him from June 18th, 1888,to December 29th, 1891, and the remedies were Clematis and Dulcamara, at long intervals and in the highest potencies. The indications for Clematis were simply “Cancer on the lip”. and for Dulcamara, the warty character of the growth.
I do not remember that there were any modalities. He had occasional interruption of the treatment for more or less acute conditions, but there was gradual progress toward a cure and the remedies were not repeated as long as progress, was discernible. As I remember, the cure was complete and continued until his death.”.
Dr. Bells recollection is good. The subject remained well until 1896, when he died suddenly of cerebral haemorrhage.
CASE 5. CANCER OF THE STOMACH.
Mrs., nurse, multipara, fifty years of age. Hard, irregular tumour at pylorus, the opening of the stomach towards the bowel, sensitive to manipulation, the seat of burning pain; thirst, water producing an indescribable, nauseating effect; inability to retain food, which returned partially digested; vomiting of slime and blood; bloody ejections. Yellow scrawny and emaciated.
The staff of the Bond Street Dispensary confirmation my diagnosis of cancer of the stomach. Arsenicum two hundredth, in water every two hours brought amelioration. Then the doses were placed farther apart; expedited when exacerbations ensued, and so in. In not quite two years she was well, and so remained for the rest of her life. No trace of cancer could ever after be discovered. One remedy cured. She finally perished with pneumonia a number of years after the cure of the cancer.
In 1888, Dr. Carleton founded a local study group with Wells, Bayard and Butler, the New York Homeopathic Union, "for the study of homeopathy both in respect to its philosophy as a science and its practice as an art."
Dr. Carleton was known to be a first class surgeon. Much ahead of his time, he performed delicate plastic surgeries with great perfection.
Dr. Carleton was a dedicated and much appreciated teacher. For more than twenty-five years he was professor of surgery in the New York Medical College and Hospital for Women. He was also professor of homeopathic philosophy with its clinical application in the New York Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital. He was president of IHA in 1894. He was also the author of Homeopathy in Medicine and Surgery, published by Boericke & Tafel.