An Epitome of Homeopathic Healing Art by B. L. Hill (read after TXT) 📕

young females, of several months duration, I have used, with much success, Podophyllin and Macrotin, one at night, the other in the morning, giving them for two or three weeks before the proper time for a return, and a day or two prior to the time, give also Pulsatilla, and give the three in rotation, a dose every six hours.

This practice has been successful with me in cases of long standing and apparently obstinate character. Where there is other disease, as an affection of the liver, lungs or stomach, this must be treated and cured, or the menses will not probably return. Great care should be exercised to keep the patient's feet and limbs warm, as upon this may depend her future health.

Dysmenorrhœa.—Painful Menstruation.

For this disorder, I know of no one remedy so valuable as the Caulophyllin, but Pulsatilla in many cases is efficacious, and as they do not prevent each other's action, I prescribe them in alternation, giving a dose every half hour, for a short time during the paroxysm, or until the pain abates to some extent, then every hour.

If there is pain in the head, sickness at the stomach, a kind of sick headache, as is often the case, with painful menstruation, Macrotin should be used with the others; Ipecac is the Specific for an excessive flow of the menses with great pain, especially if the stomach is nauseated. It should be given as low as the first dilution, and the tincture, in water, in the proportion of thirty drops to half a pint, injected into the vagina quite warm.

The application of extract of Belladonna to the neck of the uterus will often produce immediate and perfect relief. After the patient is relieved from the painful paroxysm, she should be treated so as to prevent a return of the pains at the next monthly period. Pulsatilla, Caulophyllin and Podophyllin are the three medicines that are most certain to effect this object. They are to be given, one medicine each day, a dose at night for three weeks, then morning, noon and night, until the time for the return of the menses, when they should be used oftener if there is pain. If the patient is inclined to be costive, Nux should be given at night for a few days before the menstrual period, in place of Pulsatilla.

Menorrhagia—Profuse Menses—Flowing.

For this affection, Ipecac and Hamamelis are the specifics. They should be taken alternately, at intervals of from half an hour to two hours apart, according to the urgency of the symptoms, and the Hamamelis injected into the vagina. These will nearly always arrest the flooding immediately. Secale should be used either alone or with the above medicines, if there are bearing down pains like labor pains, and sickness at the stomach in spite of the Ipecac. Ipecac alone is often sufficient.

Nursing Sore Mouth.

Sore mouth of nursing women, as the name of the disease indicates, is peculiar to women who are suckling children. It is an inflammation of the mouth, tongue and fauces, which sometimes comes on during pregnancy, several months or but a few days before the birth of the child. It generally, however, makes its first appearance when the child is a few weeks old, and sometimes not till after the lapse of several months. In some cases the tongue and inside of the mouth ulcerate, and the irritation extends to the stomach and bowels, producing distressing and dangerous inflammation of these parts, with severe and obstinate diarrhœa.

For the sore mouth, before diarrhœa begins, give Eupatorium Aro. and Hydrastin, in alternation, a dose once in three hours, and wash the mouth with the same, each time. After the diarrhœa occurs, use Podophyllin with the other medicines, giving them in rotation, three hours apart. It is best to give a dose of Podophyllin night and morning.

I have treated very bad cases of this disease that had been running for more than a year, and been treated with the ordinary remedies directed in the Homœopathic authorities without any permanent benefit, curing them perfectly in ten days with Podophyllin and Leptandrin, giving them in alternation at the 1st attenuation in half grain doses, at intervals of from four to eight hours according to the frequency of the evacuations. These two remedies are almost certain to arrest Chronic Dysentery where there is ulceration of the lower portion of the rectum, a peculiar distress felt at the stomach just before stool, with sudden rush of the evacuations and inability to control the inclination even for a few minutes, with a feeling of faintness after the stool.

Leptandrin is the specific for the Dysentery that often succeeds cholera, and these two, Pod. and Lept., are almost certain to relieve the "Mexican Diarrhœa," as well as that connected with the fevers along the Mississippi river.

Mammary Abscess,

(Ague in the breast—Inflamed breast.)

This is a disease peculiar to nursing women. The first symptom is a slight pain or soreness in some part of the "breast," which continues to increase for a day or two, when a chill, more or less severe, sets in, followed by high fever and quick pulse, headache and great restlessness. The gland swells and becomes very painful. This is generally a disease of rather slow progress, running eight or ten days and sometimes two or three weeks before abscess forms and "points" to the surface.

TREATMENT.

Phosphorus is to be taken internally, and the first dilution put in water, twenty drops to one gill, and applied to the surface by means of cloths wet in the mixture, as hot as it can be borne, and laid over the whole breast. If this is done and the medicine given internally every hour, as early as the first and frequently as late as the second or third day, it is quite sure to remove the disease and prevent an abscess. It is best to use it even much later. In fact it often succeeds as late as the fifth or sixth day, and if it does not prevent the abscess, it so far palliates the severe symptoms as to render the pain but slight and keep the patient comfortable.

An application of the Tincture of Cantharides diluted with water and applied to the breast by cloths wet in it, to the extent of producing considerable redness and even eruptions, and the second dilution of the same taken in drop doses every three hours, has proved successful in subduing the inflammation after Phos. had failed, and it was supposed an abscess would form in spite of any treatment.

I recently succeeded in giving perfect relief with Apis Mel. internally, applying it externally after the pain and swelling was very great. I am of opinion that the Apis is a valuable remedy.

After abscess forms as soon as the pus can be felt at any point, soft and fluctuating under the skin, puncture and let it out, then poultice it for a few days until it heals, giving Phosphorus and applying it to the sore. In puncturing, always be very particular to have the lancet or knife enter so that the edge will look towards the point of the nipple, so as not to cut across the milk ducts, which all run toward that point, and if cut off will close up so that the milk which may be secreted at any future time cannot get out, and swelling, pain and severe inflammation, abscess and ulceration will be the consequence; whereas, if the cut is made lengthwise of the ducts, very few, if any will be cut off, and all future danger will be avoided. Apply an elm poultice from the beginning to the end of treatment. For malignant ulcers of the breasts, the Cornus Sericea is a most potent remedy. It is to be taken internally at the first dilution, and applied in strong infusion or diluted Tr. of the bark to the sore.

Sore Nipples.

This affection of nursing women frequently comes on before the birth of the child, but generally does not make its appearance until after the suckling has continued for a week or more. It seems in some cases to be connected with the aphthæ (sore mouth) of the child, or at least to be aggravated by contact with the sore mouth; on the other hand it sometimes seems as though the sore nipples produced the sore mouth of the child.

TREATMENT.

I treat both the nipple and the child's mouth with the same remedy Eupatorium aro., applied at the strength of 6 drops of the tincture, to a teaspoonful of water, the application being made by a soft cloth, wet and laid over the nipple; give drop doses of the same strength internally every three hours, which will, in nearly all cases effect a cure in one or two days. The child's mouth should be wet with the same each time just before nursing. The oil from the pit of the butter nut, (Juglan's Cinerea,) obtained by heating the pit and pressing out the oil, applied to the nipple, will generally cure it after 3 or 4 applications about six hours apart. The child may take hold when the oil is on, without danger. This remedy is sufficient in nearly all cases.

Leucorrhœa and Prolapsus Uteri—Whites, Female Weakness.

The disease depends in all cases upon inflammation of the uterus, or vagina, or both.

The inflammation may be simply in the neck of the uterus extending to the posterior surface of the vagina, or the latter may not be affected; or it may extend to the whole internal surface of the uterus, producing swelling of that organ, both the fundus and neck.

The swelling may be confined mostly to the fundus, causing it to be too large for the space it ordinarily fills, hence there will be more or less displacement of the womb, and crowding upon other parts, as the bladder or rectum. In some cases, the swelling is more on one side than on the other, so that it will be crowded over to the opposite side. These displacements are often called prolapsus uteri, or "falling of the womb," carrying the idea that the difficulty depends upon a morbid relaxation of the ligaments that support the organ. Not one case in a hundred is of this latter character, but nearly, if not all, depend upon the inflammation and swelling above mentioned. How futile then, not to say hurtful, must be all instruments for, and all attempts at replacing and supporting it by force! All such mechanical meddling is injurious, and should, with all the "supporters," be condemned and discarded.

They may afford temporary relief, but this is at the expense of future health. Cure the disease, relieve the inflammation, and nature will replace the organ. Leucorrhœa is always present where there is ulceration of the neck of the womb, and this ulcerated condition exists to a greater or less extent, in many cases where it is not suspected by the patient. It is vastly more prevalent than is generally supposed. The symptoms are numerous. Among the more prominent are a sense of weight and bearing down in the pelvis, pains extending down the limbs, aching and weakness of the small of the back, headache, more or less gastric disturbance, dyspepsia, the food souring on the stomach. There is often, especially when there are ulcers on the parts, a distressing sense of heat or a smarting sensation. The menstrual function is frequently deranged, the bowels costive, the urethra, by being pressed, becomes irritable and burns and smarts whenever the urine is evacuated. The sleep is disturbed and unrefreshing, and the whole nervous system is unstrung.

The discharge from the diseased surfaces, in an ordinary case without ulceration, is of a mucous or muco-purulent character, not unlike an ordinary catarrhal secretion. When ulceration exists