Homoeopathy in the truest sense means curing, if possible, by a single remedy, and surgery to a true homoeopath means that medicine is a failure. When we of the homoeopathic school are placed in absolute control of our patients welfare, and life and death rests on our every decision, we often find in an extreme emergency that some of our wonderful remedies surpass even our fondest expectations.
I have never claimed to be better than an average homoeopathic prescriber, but every day and every week I have sought to improve my ability in prescribing. Oftimes in an emergency I have found that my thirty-five years of experience and the late hours I have spent in extra study unexpectedly have given me wonderful returns and helped my patient to a speedy recovery. It is this satisfaction that has prompted me to accept even a small place on this program and report a surgical experience.
On the evening of January 22, this year, I closed my office at 4:30 and left with my wife to drive twenty miles to visit my father-in-law who was quite ill. When leaving we informed our nurse that we might not return until nearly midnight. About half an hour after our departure, one of my regular patients called for me to come immediately to see her husband who was seriously ill with an acute appendicitis. When the nurse informed her that I was out of the city for a few hours she continued to call at frequent intervals, hoping that I might have returned sooner than expected. Finally in desperation they decide to call and “old school”physician.
This doctor reported a temperature of 102.5x, pulse 98, terrible pain over McBurneys point, and an acute appendicitis that needed surgery at once. On being informed that the family physician was temporarily out of town and that they had called him for relief, this doctor hurriedly mixed two small white tablets in hot water, gave the solution hypodermically and left. About 4:30 a. m. I was urged to hurry to the sick mans home.
On examination I found a dangerously ill patient. The weather was 5x above zero, and the patient, in great pain and suffering, had gotten out of bed, lain down on the cold floor and rolled. His temperature was 104.4x, pulse 124 to 128. This man had suffered from a mitral insufficiency for over eight years, and a right inguinal hernia for over ten years. I diagnosed a severe acute appendicitis complicated with a bad case of bronchial pneumonia from exposure on the cold floor.
The tongue was very much coated, foul breath, and every cough caused the hernia to stand out very noticeably. I shall never forget the expression on his face. Fully aware of the condition of his heart and other complications, I asked for consultation and we agreed on the head surgeon of one of our hospitals, who happens to be president of our State Hospital Association this year.
When he arrived and examined the patient he promptly reported that an operation meant sure death. In fact, that if either surgery or medicine was decided upon, it meant death in twenty- four hours. The surgeon recommended that no other consultations be held as it was useless. When I left him at his home he informed me that he did not envy me my responsibility, for he doubted if my patient could last more than twenty-five to thirty hours. I hurriedly drove to my office, some twenty-two blocks, and all the way there I could think of nothing but pus, pus,pus- pus in the lungs from pneumonia, pus forming in the appendix, a typical pus tongue, with all the other pus “red flags” presenting themselves.
Like a wireless message, Pyrogen (or Pyrogenium) kept ringing in my ears. Time was precious and my patient was dangerously ill. I rushed to my office and got some pyrogen 200. It had never failed me. Upon opening my case I found I had no 200th; all I had was a bottle of 5M. Surely the totality of the symptoms called for Pyrogen, and I decided I would risk my patients life on Pyrogen 5M., one dose. I hurried back to him and I myself gave the one dose on the tongue. This was early in the morning. Again at 11:30 a.m. I called to see my complicated case; this was six to eight hours later. The temperature had receded from 104.4x to 101.6x, nearly three degrees. The abdominal pain especially was lessened, and breathing was less difficult, more regular, and, best of all, my patient had had nearly two hours rest at two different intervals.
That morning when I had prescribed the single dose I decided to remain with my patient for fifty or sixty minutes. I feel sure that the homoeopathic medicine given this boy caused an improvement in no more than twenty-five minutes. Even the patient informed me that he really could tell that it gave him more relief, and I was asked if there was a narcotic in the medicine.
The second morning, a little over twenty-four hours, my patient was still improved, temperature 101x, pulse 96, and more rational. On the fourth day the surgeon who had been in consultation on this case called me by phone, stating that he had not seen a death notice in the paper for my patient. When I replied that his temperature was down to 99.4x, and his pulse was 86, he replied that it seemed impossible. From that morning my patient went on to an uneventful recovery.
CHICKASHA, OKLA.
