On October 1st, 1928, Miss E.M.R. wrote to me from Kings Lynn, Norfolk:.
“Can you help me with psoriasis? I am now thirty-one and the disease first made its appearance when I was eighteen. It has recurred annually, culminating this year in an extremely bad attack. I was treated by my doctor with medicine containing Arsenic, following a few bottles of medicine containing Iodide of potassium, which gave me a bad rash. Previously I had spent nearly on light treatment, which had only temporary benefit, and I am kept poor with constant expense of useless treatments.
Modern medicine foolishly treats diseases according to their names, not individuals according to their needs. According to the text-books Arsenic, Potassium iodide and ray treatment “may be tried” for psoriasis. Hence doctors mechanically prescribe these poisons, even if they are convinced that, as the text-books say, psoriasis is incurable.
I saw her on October 13th and discovered that she was terribly toxic and was a butchers daughter. She ate meat three times a day. I wrote in my directions:.
“You are well made, and suffer from psoriasis, apparently hereditary, aggravated undoubtedly by a far more serious trouble, namely auto-intoxication, which is apparent in your complexion, in the colour and texture of your skin and in various other ways. These toxins are not eliminated by a freely working bowel, nor by perspiration, nor by a vaginal discharge, but are accumulating. Your circulation is bad, your nerves are affected, your memory and power of concentration have weakened, and there is ominous discomfort in the appendix region”.
She had been given medicines by her doctors, but none of them had endeavoured to deal with the foulness of her system. An evil smell filled the room after she had gone. I forbade flesh, fish, fowl and everything made of them, all medicines and ointments, and told her that for itching she could employ unmedicated vaseline, lanoline, cold cream, hazeline snow, or olive oil.
As she could not stand heat she was given Sulphur 3x night and morning which would also antidote the poisonous medicines she had received and stimulated skin action. She was given liquid paraffin for her bowel, but was to rely principally on brain for its regulation.
On October 28th, a fortnight after the treatment started, she wrote: “The feeling of giddiness is less, and the perspiration seems much freer. The psoriasis is much as before.” On November 4th she wrote: “I am told my eyes are brighter and the texture of my skin and complexion has improved. Also my tongue is clearer. I have now irritation in new places, but there is no psoriasis, and I presume this is due to the cleansing of my system”.
To add to the internal cleansing, I told her to drink nettle tea between meals, and I set her some Psorinum 30, a dose every Sunday. Psorinum splendidly assists Sulphur. On November 11th she wrote: “I am sure that I have benefited in general health since I changed my diet on you advice, for I sleep more soundly, and feel much more energetic, am quite fit. The psoriasis on my legs and arms appears to be redder than usual but is less scaley and causing less irritation.” On November 18th she wrote: “I perspire much more. I think the psoriasis on my arms is disappearing. My bowels work well.” I sent her more Sulphur 3x and Thyroid 2x to assist the Sulphur.
She was kept on Sulphur, Thyroid and Psorinum. On December 30th she told me:.
“The large patches of psoriasis have gone completely and the crusted mass on my knees is also dying. The appearance of fresh spots is becoming less general. On Christmas day I sinned to the extent of having a portion of turkey with some gravy on my vegetables. I had but a small portion, yet in the evening I was troubled with severe indigestion which will certainly act as a deterrent to resume meat-eating”.
I have put a large number of butchers, butchers wives and butchers daughters on a fleshless diet, and have frequently found that a single deviation after months of vegetarianism caused indigestion, resembling poisoning. Many people take daily doses of poison by eating meat without knowing it.
On April 2nd, 1929, she wrote: “I am getting on fine and am more than ever determined not to go back to the old diet of food which was of no use to me. I am very, very grateful to you for teaching me how to live and I shall continue in that way. The psoriasis has practically gone.” She came to London and I told her: “I was amazed with your wonderful improvement and congratulate you upon having rebuilt your body. You have been an ideal patient.” She was now able to go for long tramps, her skin was clear, had a beautiful complexion, had changed completely.
I have met dozens of people who have been poisoned through and through by lengthy courses of Arsenic, who had not lost their psoriasis but had been injured for life. In the treatment of skin diseases it is not permissible to use a “specific” mentioned in the ridiculous text-books. Each case must be treated individually.
If one finds out that there has been much gout in the family one may have to treat for gout, if there has been tuberculosis, one must try tuberculosis treatment, if there has been cancer one may treat for cancer. The possibility of inherited syphilis, gonorrhoea, vaccinial poisoning, has to be considered. With penny-in-the-slot treatment “for psoriasis, give Arsenic”, a doctor may make a certain amount of money without using his brains, but he will have the uncomfortable consciousness that he is not entitled.
On June 18th, 1929, I was visited by a gentleman 52 years old, a tea taster, who had contracted a skin disease in February. It started on breast and back and had spread all over th body which was covered with brownish scales. He had been told by his doctors that he had psoriasis, but the treatment he had received had been useless. The irritation was severe, worst at night, aggravated by warmth, and scratching caused the itching to appear elsewhere.
I put him on a fleshless diet rich in mineral elements and vitamins, gave him an abundance of bran, told him to leave off his ointments and replace them by cod liver oil, rubbed into the skin every night. As he felt worse in hot weather, I gave him Sulphur 6x, to be alternated with Thuja 3x, Thuja being an antidote to the effect of tea poisoning.
On June 28th I received his first report: “There is a slight improvement in the colour of the skin, and less irritation. The bowels have acted more freely.” His next report of July 23rd said: “During the last two weeks I have gained 5 lbs. and the irritation is practically gone. The appearance of face and eyes is certainly more healthy.” His next letter of August 7th said: “I am feeling much better, the spots disappear but return in a milder form.
My complexion is much clearer.” On August 6th he said: “The irritation is almost gone.” In October 19th he told me: “I am leased to say that I am still improving. I think the Thuja pills suited me best.” Later on he called on me, and I not only found that the skin complaint had completely gone, but that he was marvellously improved in general health.
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.