HOMEOPATHIC RESEARCH

-GEORGE VITHOULKAS
22. July 9th, 1867. Wm. G., born, apparently healthy. July 19. The nurse noticed an increased size of scrotum a couple of days after birth of child, but made no mention of it until the tenth day. On making an examination, found scrotum much distended with fluid, being several times its normal size. It had a translucent appearance, and the testicle was situated at the upper part; the right side was distended the most. The child had little fever, was fretful, desired the breast often, but after drawing very small quantity, refused to take any more. There was a slight miliary eruption on body. During sleep child moaned continually, and was quiet when covered warmly.
Gave two globules Arsenicum 30 on tongue; on second day swelling began to decrease, and at end of one week had entirely disappeared.
March 1st, 1868. Child is still well, and is cutting three teeth, it having cut the two central lower incisors and one upper incisor several weeks back.
23. On the15th day of September last, I was applied to by a woman suffering from intermittent fever. She told me that she was sick with it during the month of June previous, and was cured by taking a four dollar bottle of fever and ague medicine. On the10th of September she was taken again; her symptoms were as follows:
Very severe pains all over the head, in small of back and all her limbs, so as to make her unable to stand up, with nausea. Attack every other day, 4 P.M.
I gave her four doses of Arsenicum 200 [L.] and two days after I was told that she was much worse and that the attack came on every day. I then gave her Arsenicum 1400 [J.] as it was the only next higher potency that I had. After that she had two more attacks; about two months after she had another attack, when I gave her Arsenicum 1400 [J.] as before, and since that time I have heard no complaint. I have treated her husband with the same remedy with like success.
24. M., a blacksmith, aged forty-three, of robust constitution, had suffered for three-quarters of a year from a most troublesome skin disease, which had come on after a violent shivering fit. He had sought aid, in vain, from various physicians; his disease had rather grown worse under all the different modes of treatment. He came to me on the 14th of April, 1823, when, on careful examination, I found the following symptoms: The whole face, not excepting the forehead, the neck, the breast, and forearms and hands were covered with sanious ulcers, which gave insupportable burning pain, like red-hot coals. They began as small red pimples, which soon filled with a clear fluid at the point, then burst, discharging a corrosive fluid, then formed crusts, from under which the matter continued to ooze. These ulcers became confluent. He was often seized with horripilation, especially in the parts affected with the eruption. He could scarcely get any sleep from the continued pain; dislike to smoking tobacco; salt taste in the mouth; little thirst; dirty yellow coated tongue; turbid yellow urine; lassitude and ill-humor.
Treatment. - There was no change to be made in the diet of this patient; and as he had taken no medicine for some time, he could begin the Homeopathic treatment at once. As no medicine suited so well the insupportable burning pain, the nightly restlessness, and the salt taste, as Arsenic, I gave him on the same day a dose of the 30th dilution.
Results. - In four days the patient came to me again, and even then his whole state had improved amazingly. The formerly sanious ulcers were now dry; the burning pain was very much lessened, and no new pimples made their appearance. He seldom had shivering, and at night, he slept quietly for several hours at a time. The other symptoms persisted, but in a milder degree. The improvement advanced steadily, and in the course of ten days the eruption was quite dry and all the other symptoms gone.
25. C. H. - a woman about sixty, had suffered for several months from an eruption which had resisted all the efforts of the physicians to cure it and threatened to undermine her vital powers. On the 4th of October my advice was asked, and the following symptoms were observed on minute examination: The whole body, except the face, was covered with small sanious ulcerations, which were excessively painful and occasioned a sharp burning pain when the patient was exposed to cold. This burning caused her to scratch, which always aggravated it. She was most comfortable when warm. The ulcers were so sensitive that she could not bear the mildest ointment. They healed here and there, but new ones always formed again. The patient grew daily thinner. Digestion was disturbed, and every morsel of food caused pressure in the gullet, as if it stuck there. She was so weak that she could scarcely walk across the room; sleep restless. She had a febrile attack daily; first, shivering, with increased burning in the eruption; then heat followed by perspiration; her spirits were depressed and desponding.
Treatment. - After leaving off the former medicines for eight days, and forbidding the use of coffee, in place of which she was allowed light beer, I administered on the13th of October, Arsenic [30], as the whole peculiarity of the eruption, the daily fever, and most of the other sufferings, corresponded to the primary action of that powerful medicine.
Result. - On the 28th of October it was reported to me, that since the administration of the medicine all the symptoms had gradually diminished and I satisfied myself, by personal examination, that the eruption was then quite gone, as well as the other symptoms. The patient has never since suffered from skin disease.