The case I am relating here commonly belongs to the realin of Midwifery and Gynaecology. Hardly do such cases come to the care of a Homoeopathic practitioner for treatment, for the greater section of the public is yet predominently allopathy-minded.
The patient, a Hindu lady, age about 22 years, mother of one child, residing at Raja Rajballav Street, Calcutta. On the 13th. May 1945 I was called to treat her.
HISTORY:
She was supposed to be pregnant, carrying about six months. For the last one month she was having rise of temperature and had been feeling very weak. On my visiting her the following conditions were immediately reported to me by the patient: (1) Persistent nausea, (2) Occasional vomiting, (3) Headache, (4) Fever, worse afternoon and evening, (5) General weakness.
Her most distressing symptom was persistent nausea, with occasional vomiting for the last one month, so much so that the smell and even the thought of food provoked deathly nausea, for which she was practically starving; the progressive weakness was probably due to this starvation. And there was that heaviness of head.
ON EXAMINATION:
The size of her abdomen was what it should be at the fifth month of a gravid uterus, but I found no foetal movement, nor the foetal heart-sound; neither did the patient ever feel any quickening. She was very anemic. Tongue fairly clean. Urine, scanty and highcoloured. Stool, constipated. Appetite, nil, Thirst, present.
She had been recently examined by an eminent Obstetrician, attached to the Eden Hospital, Calcutta Medical College, who diagnosed it to be a case of MOLAR PREGNANCY and advised surgical treatment. But one side of the family who were my advocates, preferred Homoeopathic treatment; their opinion prevailed and I was asked to undertake the case. Meanwhile and under the advice of the said Obstetrician a local homoeopath was giving Glucose injection 50cc twice daily.
MY PRESCRIPTIONS WERE:
13the, May : Colchicum (6) – 4 doses, every 4 hours. No improvement was noticed.
14th, May : Ipecac (30) – 4 doses, every 4 hours.
15th. May : Nausea greatly diminished, but vomiting increased. She was absolutely on liquid diet, yet as soon as she took the least quantity she vomited it out. Arsenic (30) – 2 doses, every 6 hours.
16th. May : She improved. No nausea. After Arsenic she vomited only twice. Phytum-every 4 hours.
17th, May : Halt of improvement. Arsenic (2c) – 1 dose and Sac lac. Now I banned the Glucose injection.
18th. & 19th May, May : Patient continued better, Sac lac.
20th. May : Since vomiting and nausea stopped the patient could now take and retain a little food.
A new symptom, however, developed now, viz: an occasional pain over the abdomen. Temp: higher than previously, worse afternoon. And marked acidity and heart-burn.
The patient now very earnestly implored me to do something for evacuating the uterine content as she greatly dreaded that her old symptoms might relapse. Fully conscious as I am that no local interference in such a condition is permissible in the Hahnemannian school of medicine, I soothed her fears and assured her that now it is my time to get on to her uterine contents.
I examined her again, and this time the following symptoms elicited ad the salient features in her present condition : (1) Acidity and heart-burn. (2) Rise of temp. worse 4.8 P.M. (3) Tympanitis, (4) Urine of reddish colour. (5) Hungry, yet one or two monthfuls filled her up and she felt much oppressed after meal. (6) She preferred hot food and drink, while at the same time felt hot and craved for open air.
These six rubrics strongly pointed to LYCOPODIUM. On the morning of the 20th May I gave her a dose of Lyc. (2c), and supplied plenty of Sac lac to be taken every three hours. I may mention here that I do not remember to have read in any Homoeopathic Materia Medica on Lycopodium being indicated in molar pregnancy, and I shall be grateful to be referred to where this might be found. [ Yinglings Accoucheurs Emergency Manual (1895), page, 135, under Lycopodium we read : “Expels moles”. Dr. De scored success in this case inspite of his missing this rubric in his Materia Medica, because he prescribed on true Hahnemannian principle, Ed., N.C.B.].
About 11 P.M. on the night of the 23th May, started an almost unbearably severe pain in the abdomen, followed by a frightful bleeding per vaginum. A local dai was immediately brought in, who declared that it was labour pain, the passage was 2 fingers dilated and that a solid mass could be felt. This pain and bleeding continued through the night with occasional intermission.
Next morning at 6 A.M. they sent a messenger to report that there was no further dilatation of the passage, although the bleeding continued with severe abdominal pain coming and going with suddenness. I gave a few globules Belladonna (6) and advised to give the patient on globule every 20 minutes until I came there in about an hours time.
I arrived at the patients place about 7 A.M. and was informed that after the second dose of Bell (6) a terrific shock of pain was excited, the patient feeling that he life was going to end, followed by A GUSH OF A LARGE BLOOD-CLOT WITH NUMEROUS GRAPE-LIKE STUFF ADHERING TO ITS SIDES. The patient felt immensely relieved, no pains, better in all respects except for a little oozing of blood. Thus the BLOOD MOLE was evacuated. For the next two days I kept her on Arnica (6) twice daily, followed by China (30) for three days. The improvement steadily progressed, no pain, no fever no other symptoms except weakness. The recovery since then was uneventful.
In this not a radiant verification of the Hahnemannian principle.
