New, Old, and Forgotten Remedies Part 14

Not sleeping at 11 P.M., mind disturbed (fourth day).

Dreamed of dogs (fifth day).

Dream of a fracas which caused great excitement in the dreamer.

Drowsiness at 11 P.M. (sixth day).

Drowsiness (third day).

Slept pretty well (fifth day).

Awakes at 5 A.M. (sixth day).

Awakes at 9 A.M. (seventh day, Sunday).

Recurrence of old dreams of years ago.

Yawning (second day).

_Generalities._--Feeling miserably on retiring.

Throws himself on bed without undressing.

Great yawning fit (third day).

Feels not pleasant.

Feels half sick.

Very dull in the morning, all morning.

Feels very badly, has an ill-defined bad feeling in the evening and at night.

Easily chilled in a room; better on disrobing for bed.

Alternations of symptoms of mind and bodily pains. When pains of the body are noticed, symptoms affecting the mind are suspended. The mind loses its characteristics, is clear, and one feels better.

REMARKS.--In looking over the above proving we find a number of ill.u.s.trations of the alternate action of the drug. But perhaps what strikes the reader most forcibly is the way the symptoms follow Reuter's series. The most prominent symptoms early developed, catarrhal and gastric, have come and gone within three or four days, while those affecting the chest, heart, sensorium, eyes, brain, and nerves are more slowly developed, and are the ones that persist. Another thing to be noticed is the long duration of its action. The high-water mark in regard to its action was not reached (I mean its action on the nervous system) until nearly ten days after discontinuing to take it. It is an _antipsoric_ of remarkable power. Some skin symptoms developed by it persisted off and on for years, two or three of which I will mention.

"Itching of the right popliteal s.p.a.ce," this after continuing for eight or nine years disappeared. I think some _Sepia_ [Greek: Ip] I took had something to do with its disappearance. Another: "Itching with roughness of the skin, like eczema, above the left knee anteriorly." This still persists. I still have "Itching, with an eruption resembling at times herpes zoster below the left scapula." This is still present, although annoying. I have done nothing to cause its disappearance.

In regard to _verifications_ I could report a goodly number. One of the first I ever had was a case of eczema of both hands, extending as far as the elbows. Cured in six weeks. The provings point in the direction of kidney troubles, and I have seen it speedily cause the disappearance of deposits in the urine that were giving much inconvenience. In a case of dropsy of cardiac and renal origin (alb.u.minuria) in which there was great oedema, cured in two or three weeks. Sleeplessness, peculiar in its nature, corresponding to the proving, is relieved by it. Intercostal neuralgia, especially on left side. Anterior crural neuralgia, an aggravated case, promptly relieved. I need not say that the symptoms strongly point to rheumatism. I could say much on that part of the subject, and there is the sphere in which it has seemed to have been useful by the professional friend to whom I have furnished the medicine for trial. In a monograph by Dr. R. E. Kunge, of New York, and the writer, I ventured the prediction that _Cereus bonplandii_ would prove of value in the treatment of insanity. I send you the report of two cases. I have one other still under treatment. A patient for fourteen years in the Middletown Insane Hospital, improving, called to see Ida Reamer, a young woman of eighteen, living in New Scotland, on what is called the Heldeberg Mountain or hill, on the evening of April 19th, 1884. For some time previously she had been living with a relative in Albany, attending school and a.s.sisting in household labor. Had studied hard and probably overtaxed her strength. Her friends noticing that she was not her former self, and that though usually amiable and cheerful, she had become gloomy and taciturn, brought her home. Rest did her no good, and I was called after she had been home for some time. On my visit I noticed she would not answer questions; was wandering aimlessly about the house; could not sit still, if seated, more than a few minutes. During my visit I think she changed her position a dozen or fifteen times. She would go to the water pail and get a drink, then in a minute or two would get up and go to the door. After standing a minute or two she would come in and sit down, only to rise up and repeat her restless wanderings. I could elicit nothing from the mother of anything wrong in regard to the menstrual function. Prescribed _Cereus bonplandii_, fourth decimal. Did not call again, but was informed by her friend that she soon regained her health. Was requested to call again to see Ida R. on November 29th of the same year. This time there was considerable mental disturbance; she had attended some entertainment which she had considered of a questionable nature, and had been worrying over it. Although living out at service, it did not appear that she had overworked. I found her sitting still; she would sit for hours. If any one disturbed her, she would curse, swear, throw boots and shoes or anything that came in her way, resisted attempts made by her friends to remove her to her home. Prescribed _Cer. bon._ 4. Saw her December 3d, 7th, 10th, at the end of which time she was entirely free from any mental manifestations, and although under observation has never experienced a return of them to the present date.

In the summer of 1879 was consulted in the case of Mrs. D. V., afflicted with melancholia for a year or two. The disease had appeared just subsequent to her confinement with her last child. Prescribed wholesome advice in regard to mode of life, etc., and very little medicine. In a few months she was apparently as well as ever. June 5th, 1884, was called to see Mrs. D. V. She had quite recently given birth to a child and was developing delusions, most of which were those of a spiritual nature. She thought she had committed the unpardonable sin, or that she had offended some of her friends, and was constantly worrying. Appet.i.te very poor. Prescribed _Cer. bon._ 4, gave her nouris.h.i.+ng diet with Maltine and Pepsin to aid digestion. On July 11th she was about the house attending to her household duties.

CHEIRANTHUS CHEIRI.

NAT. ORD., Cruciferae.

COMMON NAME, Wall flower.

PREPARATION.--The fresh plant is pounded to a pulp and macerated in two parts by weight of alcohol.

(Dr. Robert T. Cooper, of London, contributed the following to the _Hahnemannian Monthly_, 1897):

A tincture is used made from a single dark-flowered plant. No proving of this remedy has come under my notice, yet I consider the following case worth reporting: T. T., age twenty, a clerk; admission date, 30th April, 1892; never heard well on the left side, but particularly deaf the last month, and deafness increases; watch, hearing contact only. History of much earache in childhood; left ear discharges, but the discharge does not run out. Wisdom teeth; left upper and right, lower and upper, breaking through. Gave _Cheiranthus cheiri_.

28th May, hears very much better; left, 3-1/2 inches. No medicine.

11th June, continues improving gradually; left, 15 inches.

25th June, continues to hear voices very fairly on the left side, but no improvement since last time; left, 15 inches. Gave _Cheiranthus cheiri_.

25th July, restoration of improving condition; left, 20 inches. No medicine.

CHIONANTHUS VIRGINICA.

NAT. ORD., Oleaceae.

COMMON NAME, Fringe Tree. Snow-flower.

PREPARATION.--The fresh bark is pounded to a pulp and macerated in two parts by weight of alcohol.

(The following is the only proving, we believe, ever made of this drug; it was the thesis of Dr. John W. Lawshe, Atlanta, Ga., on his graduation, and was published in _North American Journal of h.o.m.oeopathy_, May, 1883).

This being the first and only proving of this drug, Prof. Lilienthal requested a copy of it for publication, which I cheerfully agreed to give him.

Monday, July 10, 1882, 9:30 A.M., I took one drop of the tincture, after having taken the 12x and 6x potencies, one day each, without any effect. I continued taking the tincture each hour during the day, increasing each dose one drop till five were reached, then increased each dose five drops till twenty-five were reached, but without any effect whatever.

Tuesday, July 11th, I began with thirty drops at 9 o'clock A.M., and increased the dose five drops each hour till I reached one drachm, and took three doses of one drachm each. I retired at 10 o'clock feeling perfectly well.

I awoke at 4:10 A.M., Wednesday, July 12th, with a severe headache--chiefly in the forehead and just over the eyes--especially the left eye. Eyeb.a.l.l.s exceedingly painful, feel sore and bruised.

Cutting twisting pains all through my abdomen.

I turned over and lay with my face downward, which seemed to relieve the abdominal pains some, and after awhile I went to sleep. I awoke again at 8:20 feeling very sick and badly all over. Head feels very sore all over and through it; heavy dull feeling in forehead and a drawing or pressing at the root of my nose. I felt so weak I had to sit down awhile before I could finish dressing; _never_ before felt so sick at my stomach. Bitter eructations, great nausea and retching, with a desire for stool.

I finished dressing and looked at my tongue, which was heavily coated and of a dirty, greenish yellow color. I started down stairs and had a violent attack of nausea and a great deal of retching before I could vomit. It seemed as though there were a "_double suction_" in my abdomen, one trying to force something up and the other sucking it back, till finally, by quite an effort, I vomited a teacup full, or more, of _very dark green_ bile, rather ropy, _I think_, and exceedingly bitter.

The bile came up with a single gush and I was through. Immediately a cold perspiration broke out and stood in beads on my forehead, and I felt very weak. Desire for stool gone after vomiting.

I have a sore, weak, bruised feeling all over the small of my back; feels very weak when standing or moving about; better sitting or lying down.

No appet.i.te for breakfast, but my stomach felt so weak and empty that I drank a cup of coffee and ate half a biscuit, which relieved to some extent.

9 A.M., am so nervous I cannot keep still and can hardly write down my symptoms.

9:30 o'clock, my back in lumbar and sacral region is so sore and weak I could hardly walk from the car to the office, every step seemed to jar my whole body and made my headache worse.