Caries of bone

- BENERJEE.P,

Caries of bone 

 Case no. 13
 24. 12. 1920.
 Mr.-; a dealer in spices; had some agricultural business too. Age 40 or 41. Was suffering from caries of the right toe and of two of the adjacent fingers for the last 10 or 12 years. It began at first as a small blister, and this gradually burst and began to exude a bloody discharge. Various kinds of ointments were used, and when these failed, some ointment was obtained from the hospital, but this too could not do anything. And at last he had to undergo an operation. This however kept him well for some time. But after two or three months, there was a similar blister again, and the same kind of discharge came out. A second operation was proposed by the surgeon and gone through. He was quite well for two or three months this time too. But the same blister appeared again. A third operation was undergone and as an additional measure some blood purifier was prescribed by the doctors this time. But there was no permanent cure even after this, and when the blister appeared again for the fourth time and burst out in the shape of a regular ulcer, the patient was advised to have a course of Homœopathic treatment, as this might give him permanent relief as also save him the troubles of further operations by the surgeon. When however, the patient applied to me for treatment on 24. 12. 20, I recorded the following symptoms, in respect of the ulcer:-
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 Fetid smelling; white and dirty-looking pus; terrible burning and pricking pain aggravated by application of cold water or cold in any form, and better from warmth; excessive sensitiveness in the ulcer; it pained on the slightest touch and pained even from a cold blast blowing against it. Kept it wrapped up with a piece of warm rag, and felt comfortable on it. Exuding continually and profusely, so that the warm rag was soaked with pus. This much about the ulcer. And as to the constitutional symptoms of the patient, there were-an extreme susceptibility to cold, so much so that the very bones used to feel the chill in winter; a tendency of the skin in the face and hands cracking; temper extremely irritable, passionate and obstinate. On being questioned the patient, admitted that the urine was highly fetid smelling.
 There was no difficulty in selecting Nitric Acid, and it was given in the 30th potency ( 24. 12. 20. ) at the rate of one dose daily. The ulcer was washed and cleaned with water so as to make it completely free from those allopathic applications. Any kind of external application was prohibited; but if the patient could not at all do without any, he was allowed only to apply the oil which he was used to using on his person. The medicine was stopped on 3. 1. 21. i. e., after a week.
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 11. 1. 21. The burning was very severe, and the patient had grown very restless. No medicine.
 14. 1. 21. Information was received that the burning was still severer and the patient still more restless. Ars. Album-200, two doses were given at an interval of 8 hours, just to relieve the burning. This gave him some relief.
 20. 1. 21. There was no change in the ulcer. It was running as profusely and badly as before. Nitric Acid-200. One dose every alternate day. Three such doses, and plenty of placebo.
 5. 2. 21. The pus seemed to be a bit less and no other change. No medicine.
 20. 2. 21. No improvement, and Nitric Acid-200 was repeated, three doses only as on 20. 1. 21.
 6. 3. 21. No change. Sulphur-200, one dose only.
 20. 3. 21. No change yet. Nitric Acid-500, one dose only.
 8. 4. 21. The pus and the pain and burning were much less. And the smell was less fetid. Placebo.
 24. 4. 21. The ulcer was much improved, but, as such improvement was nothing new, no conclusion was possible.
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 11. 10. 21. Six long months elapsed and a similar blister appeared on the same spot. And as I wanted to see with what symptoms it developed, no medicine was given.
 19. 10. 21. Report was received that the blister had not gone far and had dried up in the meantime. Nitric Acid-1000, one dose was given and no more medicine was required. Treatment was then discontinued after the healing up of the ulcer, as the patient did not agree to a full course of miasmatic treatment.
 The patient suffered from no loss of limb. Only the fingers that were affected got slightly curved, but this was entirely due to the surgical operations that were undergone.
 Remarks:-
 (1) Without the characteristic smell in the urine, one might miss Nitric Acid in this case and think of Hepar Sulphur, but Hepar pus is comparatively thicker and less fetid. If the urinary symptom was not there in the case, and if Nitric Acid had not been selected on that account, it would have been wrong.
 (2) Caries or necrosis is a deep seated malady, and it is the effect of combination of Psora and Syphilis. The knot in such cases, is often made harder still, by abuse of mercury. In the present case, there was no response, below the 500th potency, and this shows how very deep in the interior, the malady was.
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 (3) In this case, it was only the effect of the disease that was removed and the patient was not cured. The cure of the patient meant a 3 to 4 year course of anti-Psoric and anti-Syphilitic treatment, but the patient was not agreeable to it.