New, Old, and Forgotten Remedies Part 17

These clinical hints have been given place as naturally following report of the proving and also because of their coming from a closely observant h.o.m.oeopathist. It is unnecessary at this time to review in detail the alleged field of usefulness of _Echinacea_. All are familiar with the published testimonials and indications, some of which would lead one to think that little else is to be desired with which to combat degenerative processes in mankind.

On the other hand are those, who, having tried the drug without satisfactory results, are willing to cast it aside as worthless. To such it may be well to make these suggestions: 1, to ascertain whether they have used a reliable preparation, and 2, to refrain from hasty judgment until guides for prescribing, more accurate than perchance the label on a bottle, shall have been found and consulted.

My own limited experience would throw no particular light on the subject. It has, however, served to impress me with confidence in the remedy and its future. The gist of trustworthy clinical findings may be stated in two words, antiseptic and alterative.

(From an article by Dr. H. W. Feller, in the _Eclectic Medical Journal_, we quote the following generalities concerning this remedy):

If any single statement were to be made concerning the virtues of _Echinacea_ it would read something like this: "A corrector of the deprivation of the body fluids;" and even this does not sufficiently cover the ground. Its extraordinary powers--combining essentially that formerly included under the terms antiseptic, antifermentative, and antizymotic--are well shown in its power over changes produced in the fluids of the body, whether from internal causes or from external introductions. The changes may be manifested in a disturbed balance of the fluids resulting in such tissue alterations as are exhibited in boils, carbuncles, abscesses, or cellular glandular inflammations. They may be from the introduction of serpent or insect venom, or they may be due to such fearful poisons as give rise to malignant diphtheria, cerebro-spinal meningitis, or puerperal and other forms of septicaemia.

Such changes, whether they be septic or of devitalized morbid acc.u.mulations, or alterations in the fluids themselves, appear to have met their Richmond in _Echinacea_. "Bad blood" so called, asthenia and adynamia, and particularly a tendency to malignancy in acute and sub-acute disorders, seem to be special indicators for the use of _Echinacea_.

(The _North American Journal of h.o.m.oeopathy_, December, 1896, contains a paper on the drug by Dr. Charles F.

Otis, from which we quote the following):

I doubt if there are many physicians here a.s.sembled, who are general pract.i.tioners, who have not, at some period of their professional lives, come in contact with one or both of these diseases either in an epidemic form or isolated cases, and in instances, have met more than their match; have seen their patients with tongue so swollen that it protruded from the mouth; with membrane gradually extending from the throat into the posterior nares, possibly protruding from the nostrils, with the awful odor so characteristic; with a respiratory sound that told you too plainly that membrane was extending into the air pa.s.sages and that the misery of your patient would soon cease, not because of your ability to afford relief, but because death would close the scene.

I need not complete the picture by mentioning the enormously high temperature, the thread-like pulse, the cessation of the action of the kidneys, the awful agonizing expression of the face, and, perhaps, in your efforts, intubation had been practiced without good results. It is in just this cla.s.s of cases that _Echinacea_ is king. So reliable has been its action in my hands that I am inclined to give a favorable prognosis, and if I am so fortunate as to be called early the application of the drug in question does not permit of the symptoms just enumerated. The whole case will usually be changed to one of a mild form followed by a quick recovery.

(This from a paper by Dr. W. H. Ramey in _Medical Gleaner_):

It is a specific, I think, for the condition of the system which sets up the boil habit. I never have found a case so bad, and I've had some very severe ones, that an ounce and a half of _Echinacea_, taken in ten-drop doses four times a day, would not cure. Try it in your cases of stomat.i.tis with depraved conditions of the system, both internally and locally. It has done me valuable service in cases of old ulcers and unhealthy sores, both as local and internal treatment. Then in your typhoid cases, with the characteristic indication, it is simply a wonderful remedy. I have seen it step in and restore normal conditions when it seemed impossible for remedies to act quick enough to prevent a fatal termination.

(Dr. S. J. Hogan in _Chicago Medical Times_):

One other thing I would like to tell about it: I had a case I was treating. Among other things, the patient had on the scalp and at the margin of the hair on the back of the head a number of wen-like tumors; since taking _Echinacea_ they have been entirely absorbed.

(Dr. Joseph Adolphus in _Medical Gleaner_):

I have seen its very beneficial action in two epidemics of smallpox. The remedy did certainly modify the severity of the disease, restrain suppuration, check the severity of the symptoms, and promote convalescence. I knew of several very desperate cases, which I think would have terminated fatally but for the timely use of _Echinacea_. I frequently saw cases of severe confluent type, wherein the symptoms were of a very serious kind, high fever, delirium; some with coma, abominably offensive odor of body and breath, urine nearly suppressed, eruption confluent, exceedingly abundant pus, steadily improve under _Echinacea_ tea taken internally and used locally over the entire body. One of the very striking effects of the _Echinacea_ was to abate the dreadfully offensive odor of the body and breath and modify the acute severity of the eruption.

(The following proving of _Echinacea_, conducted by Dr.

J. C. Fahnestock, of Piqua, Ohio, was read before the American Inst.i.tute of h.o.m.oeopathy, at Atlantic City, 1899):

It becomes my pleasant duty to place before the American Inst.i.tute of h.o.m.oeopathy a collection of provings of _Echinacea angustifolia_.

Four species of this genus are recognized. Two of them, _E. d.i.c.ksoni_ and _E. dubia_, are native in Mexico.

There are two native in this country, _E. purpurea_, _Moench_. Leaves rough, often serrate; the lowest ovate, five nerved, veiny, long petioled; the other ovate-lanceolate; involucre imbricated in three to five rows; stem smooth, or in one form rough, bristly, as well as the leaves. Prairies and banks, from western Pennsylvania and Virginia to Iowa, and southward; occasionally advancing eastward. July--Rays fifteen to twenty, dull purple (rarely whitish), one to two feet long or more. Root thick, black, very pungent to the taste, used in popular medicine under the name of Black Sampson. Very variable, and probably connects with _E. angustifolia_, described as follows: Leaves, as well as the slender, simple stem, bristly, hairy, lanceolate and linear lanceolate, attenuate at base, three nerved, entire; involucre less imbricated and heads often smaller; rays twelve to fifteen inches, (2) long, rose color or red. Plains from Illinois and Wisconsin southward--June to August. This is a brief description of the botany of the plant under consideration.

Your chairman, T. L. Hazard, in his usual characteristic manner, went vigorously to work and secured all the provers possible. I was also fortunate enough to secure a number of provers, besides proving and reproving it myself. The results of all these provings were handed over to me to present to you in such form as seemed best.

I must tarry just long enough to preface this collection and tell you that explicit printed directions were sent to all the superintendents of these provings. This being of too great length, I will give you the most important points in these directions, viz.: Let each prover be furnished with a small blank book, in which shall be written date, name, s.e.x, residence, height, weight, temperament, color of eyes, color of hair, complexion; describe former ailments and present physical condition. In concluding give pulse in different positions, respiration, temperature, function of digestion, a.n.a.lysis of excretions, especially the urine; a.n.a.lysis of the blood, family history, habits, idiosyncrasy, etc.

The different colleges and universities were called upon to a.s.sist on these provings. The following inst.i.tutions responded to the call: Cleveland, St. Louis, Minneapolis, the Chicago, Iowa City, and Ann Arbor. None of the eastern inst.i.tutions responded; don't know whether dead or just hibernating.

I wish to publicly express my thanks to all who have taken part in these provings. I think it but just to state that the University of Michigan furnished the best provings. Thanks also are extended to Boericke & Tafel for remedy furnished in the [Greek: theta], 3x, 30x, which were also used in the provings. One lady, who commenced the proving and had begun to develop valuable provings, contracted a severe cold and stopped, for which I am very sorry. All the rest of the provers were males; medical students or physicians. Only a very few symptoms were produced by the use of the 30x attenuation, a greater number of provers not recording any at all.

The symptoms here compiled were produced by the 3x attenuation and the tincture, using from one drop to thirty drops at a dose. In proving and then compiling the symptoms produced by this drug, I am fully aware of the many difficulties to be met on every side.

The one great trouble that I find is that those who are unaccustomed to proving do not observe what really is going on while attempting to make a proving, and are not capable of expressing the conditions so produced.

I find that there are few who can take drugs and accurately define their effects. In selecting and discriminating the effects of drugs there must exist a mental superiority, and no man had this genius so highly developed as Hahnemann.

After making three different provings upon myself, I have undertaken to select those symptoms which to the best of my ability were found in all of these different provings.

I have taken special care not to omit any symptoms, even though it may have been noticed by but one prover; but in the majority of cases you will notice the symptoms occurred two or more times in different individuals, thus confirming the genuineness of the symptoms.

Not giving you the day-book records of these provers, a few remarks, showing its general action, may not be out of place. As stated before, only two recorded symptoms after the use of the 30x attenuation.

After taking the tincture, there is soon produced a biting, tingling sensation of the tongue, lips and fauces, not very much unlike the sensation produced by _Aconite_. In these provers there soon followed a sense of fear, with pain about the heart, and accelerated pulse. In a short time there was noticed a dull pain in both temples, a pressing pain; then shooting pains, which followed the fifth pair of nerves.

The next symptom produced was an acc.u.mulation of sticky mucus in mouth and fauces. Then a general languor and weakness followed, always worse in the afternoon. All the limbs felt weak and indisposed to make any motion, and this was accompanied by sharp, shooting, s.h.i.+fting pains. In quite a number of cases the appet.i.te was not affected.

Those using sufficient quant.i.ty of the tincture had loss of appet.i.te, with belching of tasteless gas, weakness in the stomach, pain in the right hypochondriac region, accompanied with gas in the bowels; griping pains followed by pa.s.sing offensive flatus, or a loose, yellowish stool, which always produced great exhaustion. After using the drug several days the face becomes pale, the pulse very much lessened in frequency, and a general exhaustion follows like after a severe and long spell of sickness.

The tongue will then indicate slow digestion, accompanied with belching of tasteless gas. In most of the provers, however, there was a pa.s.sing of very offensive gas and offensive stools.

You will observe that the remedy exerts quite an effect on the kidneys and bladder, but I am very sorry to say that the urinary a.n.a.lysis made did not show anything but the variations generally observed in ordinary health.

I must say that the provers did not go into the details as much as was desirable. Likewise, I may say the same of the blood tests made, but what was given is very valuable.

I could give you an expression of its special action, but will merely give you the symptoms collected and then you can make your own deductions.

ECHINACEA ANGUSTIFOLIA.

A collection of symptoms from twenty-five different provers, anatomically arranged:

MIND.

3 Dullness in head, with cross, irritable feeling.

2 So nervous could not study.

3 Confused feeling of the brain.

2 Felt depressed and much out of sorts.

3 Felt a mental depression in afternoons.

1 Senses seem to be numbed.

5 Drowsy, could not read, drowsiness.

2 Vertigo when changing position of head.

3 Drowsy condition with yawning.

2 Becomes angry when corrected, does not wish to be contradicted.

SENSORIUM.

5 General depression, with weakness.

8 General dullness and drowsiness.

4 General dullness, unable to apply the mind.

5 Does not wish to think or study.

3 Restless, wakes often in the night.

2 Dull headache, felt as if brain was too large, with every beat of heart.

5 Sleep full of dreams.