One night in September 1913, coming from a moving picture show, when a cold wind was blowing in the streets, I caught a cold, but did not pay any attention to it. The following day, however I suffered from a neuralgic pain at the right side of my face, which lasted until one oclock in the afternoon. This same pain caused the loosening of the lower row of teeth of the same side, to such an extent that the tears ran down my cheeks and I could not work and it would only leave off hurting by heating my handkerchief and pressing it against the aching face.
As this nuisance presented itself with the regularity of clockwork at eleven oclock in the morning and would retire at one oclock in the afternoon, the first days I had hopes that it would vanish by itself and I stood the pain for about fifteen days. Convinced, however, that it would be necessary to take some medicine, I asked for the services of an allopath which had no good effect on me; I consulted another one and yet others but did not obtain any benefit from them.
Greatly discouraged by these failures and fearing that my illness could be incurable, I passed one day by the office of the late homoeopath Lizama; I related my case and he gave me a little wooden box containing some tablets to be taken every two hours, each time two of them.
Some minutes before eleven oclock the next day, I felt as if the pain would begin; at eleven I had a feeling of expectation but soon I was favorably disappointed, it was only my imagination. The neuralgia did not begin at eleven, not at twelve nor at any other hour. For the first time I was free from its disagreeable visit since a month and a half or two months since its first visitation.
Three or four months later the pain came back, I did not know what Dr. Lizama had prescribed for me, but since then I had read a little homoeopathic guide, which lately had well recommended Magnesia phos. 6th. for facial neuralgia; I bought a little tube of this substance in tablets and began to take them every hour. Like the former time, the neuralgia stopped annoying me the following day.
This cure surprised me so much that since then I started the study of some elementary works on homoeopathy and without doubt that influenced me so that some time after I made my career as a homoeopath.
During the practice of the profession we had opportunity to try out the value of Magnesia phos. as a valuable anti-neuralgic and one of the cases which we remember with our best satisfaction is the following This case we referred, though with less detail, in our recent book “Curso Practico de Terapeutica y Repertorization”.:.
Record No. V-562 of Lawyer F.A.V., of regular complexion, dark eyes and hair, fair skin, 32 years old, married. For about fifteen years he had been suffering of stings, “as if someone were pricking him with a needle” inside of the right eye and outside of the orbit, accompanied by sweat, nausea, paleness of the face, despairing, a strange feeling in the brain as “if it were hollow or getting soft”, and in the stomach as “if food were wanting”; he found some improvement with hot applications; the pains would then leave him sometimes even for six months, but if the pain would come they stayed for at least three months.
They started in the left eye, but in the course of the time go over to the right eye and stay there. He says that he consulted the best specialists of this city and New York without result. To remedy his ailments he took aspirins until even that failed him in spite of the fact that he took astonishing quantities. He became irritable, violent, easily excited. He passed several days without bowel movements. With all his sincerity he tells us that he does not believe in the efficacy of homoeopathy and that his consultation is due only to the recommendation of one of his friends and companions, Lawyer F.F., but he states that if we are able to effect a cure he will erect a “monument” to us and another to homoeopathy.
July 27, 1933. Magnesia phos. 30c., 6 pellets once and placebo for eight days.
August 17, 1934. The neuralgia did not appear again until three days ago, first in the right eye and then in the left one. Magnesia phos. 30c., 6 pellets once and placebo for a week.
September 1, 1935. The neuralgia came back, but this time appears about four oclock in the afternoon, around the left eye accompanied by vomiting, showing a betterment by it. Lycopodium 30c., 6 pellets once, which made the illness disappear until now (March 21, 1941).
Doctor and system have not received the least esteem or the promised “monuments”, but we know well enough that patients are ungrateful in general.
Record No. F-212 of Mrs. A.F. de L., tall, hair and eyes dark, fair skin, 22 years of age, married three years. For three months metrorrhagia scarce eight days before and eight days after the menses, which is normal in quantity and duration, but accompanied by pain in the hypogastrium. For two months: wanting of frequent urinating during the day; necessary of urinating once at midnight; mucous settlement in urine.
Spots on cheeks. Pain inside the rectum when sitting down or standing up. Pains in sacral region when doing housework. Sometimes she cries while sleeping. Worse at the agglomerations. Lacks of vital heat. Has had no children. One year after marriage: abundant and intermittent metrorrhagia during a year, then diminished in quantity thanks to a midwife and since then leucorrhoea appeared, “like the white of an egg” which flows during two or three days after the menses. Uterus inclined to the left side.
October 28, 1939. Natrum mur. 12x., 3 pellets after each meal during one day and placebo for one week.
November 8, 1939. Has improved greatly. Placebo. November 22, 1939. She says that she is much better. Placebo.
January 20, 1940. Very much improved to date.
Record No. 1-246 of girl Martha Ibarra, six years old, living at Honduras 14 St. of this city. For several days has had temperatures of 37.5 to 38 degrees, very hot from the stomach up, with cold hands. Since several months: palpitation of the heart very strong; in four or five beats one misses out; much gas in abdomen; sleeps on her back with hands on chest or on her stomach with hands under the pillow. Urine very yellow. Tongue with coffee colored covering. Wants to drink very much water after getting up. Very sad, does not want to play or talk. Very irritable, touchy and cries at anything.
The principal of the school which the girl attends advised the mother to put her in the care of a cardiologist, as the official doctors which attended to her found that she suffered from the heart. But the mother of little Martha has more confidence in us than in a cardiologist and put the girl blindly into our care.
August 18, 1939. Natrum mur. 12x., three doses of three pellets every two hours and placebo for one week.
August 25, 1939. Better in general, less sad, cough for the past three days, nostrils reddish, wants to eat dry bread in the afternoons, pulse normal. Placebo.
September 6, 1939. General condition improved greatly. Placebo.
February 20, 1940. Entirely well to date.
Record No. V-536 of Col. J. V., 31 years of age, married, living at C. 218-A of this City. Cannot digest anything greasy, neither milk nor eggs; milk turns acid, vomits and disturbs his eyesight; vomiting and headache half an hour after breakfast; feeling of swelling in bend of elbow; stinging on fingers; swelling of hands and feet since about four months; rents on his feet and little blisters which contain a yellow liquid and causes itching; sweat of feet; red spots on forearm and black with itching; stinging in all parts of the body; bitter taste in the morning; sometimes wakes up around 3 or 5 in the morning; seminal discharge too quick; all his troubles get worse after coitus; sexual abuses; weak memory. Irritable, gets angry easily; has to read one paragraph several times to understand it; has tendencies to commit suicide, but lacks in courage; anxiety; worse for cigarettes; worse for eating bananas; very much gas in the abdomen; white spots on loins; worse when damp, acids, cold which retards very much the digestion; inclined to suffer of inflammation of tonsils and cold in winter; colds attack his chest; his hair is falling; vomits driving in cars; feels very weak; suffocates climbing stairs; stings near his heart; burning in back, worse at night; sweat at night, more so on the forehead; heat waves when a meal is late; passes several days without evacuation of the bowels; gonorrhoea in 1923 and five years ago.
February 2, 1933. Considering the sycotic taint of the patient we prescribed six pellets of Thuja 30c. once and Placebo for various days.
February 8, 1933. On the fourth day he got worse with: headache, stings, depression and nervousness. Got better with: taste and state of mind after. Stings lessen and are not so intense and frequent. Pains in liver (old symptom). The bowels are functioning nearly normal after a loose evacuation which he had. Pain in right chest (they had not occurred since twenty days). Burning in superior part of throat and tonsils inflamed. Sleep disturbed and rare dreams. Dry nose which wakes him up at about 5 a.m. Swelling of hands and feet has gone down. Has feeling as if someone was pressing tip of his nose (old symptom). Placebo.
