Paralysis – 1


This little volume is presented in two parts: The first part is a Homoeopathic Therapeutics of Paralysis, and the second contains a short but useful Repertory. The book begins with a brief description of paralysis for ready reference. It is my firm belief that this book will be of undoubted value in the treatment of paralysis from which so many people suffer in a state of utter helplessness. A physician must try his utmost to bring quickest possible relief to the unfortunate sufferers by his careful and infallible selections and I hope the present work will help him much in this direction.


Selection of appropriate remedies in the treatment of a disease like paralysis is not often an easy job. It puzzles not only the young in experienced beginners but also the most skilful physicians who have long years of experience behind them. It has often been noticed that the busy practitioners for want of time avoid the laborious task of searching over long pages of the different Repertories for small symptoms and consequently the patient remains uncured. If honest efforts be made, diseases, acute or chronic, will rarely resist the treatment and bring disappointment to the physician, unless they are far advanced and quite beyond the reach of medicines.

A hasty and careless prescriber may sometimes hit upon the right remedy in cases of acute diseases but when he is to make a selection of medicine in chronic and obstinate cases he is sure to fail in his attempts. The treatment of paralysis requires a through and most careful examination of each remedy before its exhibition or failure will be the result. In this monograph on paralysis I have made every endeavour to collect all available facts regarding this disease for an easy selection of medicine. It will be a matter of great satisfaction to me if this little work be of any help to the physicians young or old especially in the hours of extreme haste.

It is hoped that this little book will save much of their labour. In the preparation of this work I lay no claim to originality or to perfection. This little book is only a compilation and I have gleaned the symptoms from our Homoeopathic literature and have endeavoured to make it as accurate and complete as possible. I request the ablest men in the profession to bring the imperfections and errors or omissions, if there be any, to my notice for the future betterment of this work.

This little volume is presented in two parts: The first part is a Homoeopathic Therapeutics of Paralysis, and the second contains a short but useful Repertory. The book begins with a brief description of paralysis for ready reference. It is my firm belief that this book will be of undoubted value in the treatment of paralysis from which so many people suffer in a state of utter helplessness. A physician must try his utmost to bring quickest possible relief to the unfortunate sufferers by his careful and infallible selections and I hope the present work will help him much in this direction.

A SHORT DESCRIPTION OF PARALYSIS.

Paralysis or Palsy signifies loss of power of motion in the muscles of this body controlled by the will. Paresis denotes a mere diminution of voluntary motion together with a sense of fatigue. Paresis may gradually run into paralysis. The term Monoplegia is paralysis of single muscle or group of muscles. Hemiplegia is paralysis of one-half of the body. Paraplegia is paralysis over both halves of the body, it usually commences in the lower extremities and ascends to trunk and upper extremities. The traumatic paralysis is a paralysis as a result of an injury recent or old. Functional paralysis is a paralysis without any known pathological cause. Bells palsy is a paralysis of the facial muscles.

Causes of paralysis: (1) Disease of brain (2) Injury of brain. (3) Disease of spine. (4) Injury of spine. (5) Alcoholism or a immoderate use of spirituous liquors. (6) Lead. (7) Hysteria. (8) Wounds of peripheral nerves. (9) Diseases of part in the neighbourhood of nerves such as exostosis, caries, enlarged glands, tumours etc. (10) Disturbance of circulation such as embolism, thrombosis, venous stasis etc. (11) Poisoning of body by vegetable alkaloids such as ergotine, nicotine, camphor etc.

(12) Acute diseases such as Acute exanthemata, Erysipelas, Typhoid fever, Cholera, Dysentery, Rheumatism Diphtheria Malaria. (13) Chronic diseases such as Syphilis and Scrofulosis. (14) Catching cold. (15) Exhaustion of nervous system by forced marches, Masturbation, Pollutions, sexual excesses, night watching, excessive mental exertion. (16) Teething in children. (17) Presence of worms. (18) Fevers, malaria. (19) Herpes zoster and acute infections (20) Diseases of middle ear (Bells palsy) (21) Heredity (Multiple Sclerosis) (22) Shock (23) Cerebral embolus, cerebral hemorrhages. Thrombosis abscess or tumour (cerebral paralysis, cerebral apoplexy).

SYMPTOMS OF PARALYSIS.

Paralysis from disease of the spine, known as progressive Locomotor Ataxia creeping paralysis or Tabes Dorsalis. The cause of this form of paralysis are Syphilis, exposure, traumatism, secondary to myelitis, sexual excesses, Onanism, bodily overexertion and hardships, emotional fits and passions, acute disease like Typhoid, rheumatism Pneumonia, abortions, loss of blood, diphtheria etc. The principal symptoms of the disease are loss of knee-jerks, inco-ordination of the legs. Argyll Robertson pupil, the pupils are small, do not respond to light but act during accommodation. The symptoms are gradual.

Lancinating neuralgic pains in various parts of the body but particularly in the thighs and legs. The pains are often described as boring, or as like electric shocks, lightning pains. These pains are between the joints but not at the joints. Feeling of fatigue in loins and legs, tingling in the feet, intense weariness and heaviness of the limbs. Sensations are very markedly disturbed, numbness, pithiness, formication in feet, legs, thighs and on trunk and in the ulnar domain of one or the other hand.

Sensation of tight on girdle on trunk, knee-joint or ankle-joint. Decrease of sexual desire and decrease of sexual power. Inability to retain urine, especially at night or slow and unsatisfactory urination. Considerable difficulty in walking in the dark. Patient loses control over his legs, staggers, particularly when commencing to walk, cannot walk firmly without support. He lifts his feet unnecessarily high, throws them forwards and outwards and brings heels down with a stamp.

He walks best when looking at his feet and if he shuts his eyes or walks in the dark, he probably falls. He feels as if he were standing in wool or sand. At length walking is impossible. Absence of one or both knee- jerks. Inability to stand steady with the eyes closed. Pupil reacts to accommodation but, not to light. Disordered vision. Ocular paralysis, Diplopia, amblyopia, amandosis. Ataxy of arms and hands. Writing, piano-playing, sewing etc. become difficult, awkward or impossible. Loss of muscular power. Inability to direct the muscles in the desired movements.

Loss of muscular Tonus. Delayed sensation. The sensation of pain is lost. Anesthesia or hyperesthesia, perforating ulcer of foot. Arthropathys, especially of knee. Joints become deformed. Fractures occur easily and without pain. General muscular emaciation. Hysteria. Reflex action of tendons is extinguished, a knock or blow upon patella-Tendon above the knee is not followed by a jerk of the leg upward. Age-middle life. More common in men and develops from ten to fifteen years after syphilis. It takes several years to be fully marked.

Acute ascending paralysis of Laundrys paralysis occurs between the ages of twenty and forty, some later, men are most frequently attacked. It begins in the lower extremities, spreads rapidly over the trunk to upper extremities and then other muscles. Sensibility remains intact; the reflexes are lost. The bladder and rectum are not affected. It begins with general malaise, more or less active fever (104*F) and pain in back and legs and after a few days or weeks paralysis suddenly appears first in one leg, then in other, then extends to arms, to trunk. It usually terminates fatally in a few days or weeks, by asphyxia of deglutition etc. Lighter cases may recover.

Paralysis agitans is characterised by frequent trembling of hand (right or left) then in the arm and leg of the same side. Mostly men are attacked at the middle age (40 to 60). The disease is incurable but does not kill. A progressive disease. Stooping attitude, tremor is always present. Chronic atrophic spinal paralysis or Infantile spinal paralysis, occurs mostly in children, is infectious in character. The young children between the ages of one and four years, both sexes, are generally attacked.

These cases usually appear in warm weather. The invasion commences with a sudden rise of temperature to 105* F. or more, headache, convulsions, sometimes retractions of hand. Vomiting or diarrhoea. These symptoms last for a week or so. Then paralysis attacks the legs and arms and the affected muscles, atrophy and permanent deformities result. The patient may die within a few days. Isolation of the patient and absolute rest must be enforced.

Cerebral paralysis or cerebral apoplexy is a disease of old age. Commences with paralysis of one side of the body. Traumatism or syphilis often are the exciting causes.

Paralysis from alcoholism has gradual onset, pain followed by numbness in feet and legs, weakness of knees, loss of power and uncertain gait. This paralysis begins in the ends of the nerves farthest away from the spinal cord. As the disease advances, the legs waste. The arms are rarely affected. Lead paralysis: Painters and others who work with lead are subject to paralysis of wrists and the hand drops.

N C Das
N C Das
Calcutta