The majority of readers wish to know how to cure everyday ailments, or very threatening ailments which strike people unprepared and which happen to be particularly prevalent at the moment. Of course it is not safe for laymen to treat themselves in serious cases when a good homoeopathic practitioner should be consulted, but for minor ailments and in sudden emergencies laymen may find it to their benefit to obtain knowledge which may render them invaluable services. At the moment there is much influenza about.
It strikes people down suddenly. Orthodox medicine has not been very lucky in treating influenza. a large number of articles, pamphlets, and books have been written on the subject, but they are not very helpful. While orthodox medicine is searching for the causative micro-organism, homoeopaths treat the disease with great success by acting according to the symptoms of the patient. We read in Dr. John H. Clarkes excellent volume, a Dictionary of Domestic Medicine, Published by the Homoeopathic Publishing Company:.
INFLUENZA (EPIDEMIC). This is an infectious and contagious disease, depending on blood-poisoning by a specific contagion. The symptoms are fever, pains all over the body, especially the head and eyes; foul tongue, disordered stomach and bowels, and great weakness; symptoms of cough and cold.
GENERAL TREATMENT. Rest in bed, warmth, support with nourishment in a digestible form, as long as the symptoms are acute. There is a modified form of the disease which requires care, but not necessarily either rest in bed or confinement to the house.
MEDICINES. (Every hour when the symptoms are urgent).
Baptisia 3x. This is the most generally useful medicine. The indication are: Fever, soreness all over, coated tongue, dull, heavy, drowsy appearance.
Aconite 3. High fever, restlessness, thirst, anxiety.
Phytolacca 3. Sore throat, headache, backache.
Bryonia 3. Rheumatic pains, patient cannot bear to move.
Mercurius solubilis 6. When sore throat is a prominent symptom. Symptoms worse at night, heavy perspiration which gives no relief.
Arsenicum 3. When there is much discharge, thirst, low, typhoid condition and prostration. (Arsenicum, if taken two or three times a day when an epidemic is present, will generally ward off an attack).
All the medicines mentioned can be obtained from homoeopathic chemists, whose names and addresses are to be found on the inside cover of this Journal.
Every homoeopathic drug has been fully “proved” or tested by numerous experimenters and the information obtained is to be found in bulky and expensive volumes which are out of print and somewhat difficult to obtain. Brief summaries of the characteristics of the various drugs are to be found in numerous popular books, such as Dr. Ruddocks Homoeopathic Vade Mecum. As an example of the way in which the characteristics of drugs given in Dr. P. W. Shedds clinic Repertory, are herewith given:.
Sulphur:.
Secretions and excretions acrid, excoriating-tears, running nose, catarrh, stool, urine, sweat, leucorrhoea, ulcer exudates, etc. and offensive.
Aggravation 11 a.m.; diarrhoea worse early morning, driving out of bed.
Amelioration in mild equable temperature, in dry open air, from cold.
Aggravation from water (bathing, etc.).
Aggravation from standing.
Skin rough, dirty, diseased, inclined to excoriations, heals slowly.
Mucosal borders, especially lips, have a peculiar vivid redness.
Hot head, cold feet.
Hunger at 11 a.m.
Weak spine, walks stooped.
Eats ravenously, stays thin, always dyspeptic.
Venous constitutions.
Worse from milk.
Filthy body-odour.
Burning sensation.
Does not catch cold easily.
Menses generally too late, short, difficult.
Of course a little summary is somewhat unsatisfactory. It is much better to get full information from larger books than the one mentioned. Every homoeopath must possess an adequate library if he wishes to study the wonderful science of healing, but he should begin with a popular book, which will gradually unfold to him the art of healing. A child has to spell and to read primers before the masterpieces of literature can be tackled.
James Ellis Barker wrote a very large number of books, both under the name James Ellis Barker and under his real German name Otto Julius Eltzbacher, The Truth about Homœopathy; Rough Notes on Remedies with William Murray; Chronic Constipation; The Story of My Eyes; Miracles Of Healing and How They are Done; Good Health and Happiness; New Lives for Old: How to Cure the Incurable; My Testament of Healing; Cancer, the Surgeon and the Researcher; Cancer, how it is Caused, how it Can be Prevented with a foreward by William Arbuthnot Lane; Cancer and the Black Man etc.