Smarting pains in the eyes: Carb. vegetab. , Causticum , China , Clematis , Euphrasia , Graphites , Kali carb. , Kali hydriod;, Lycopodium , Mercurius , Nux vom. , Ol., Petr. , Rheum. , Rhus , Sabad. , Sepia. , Silicea , Stannum , Staphisagria , Sulphur , Sulph. Acid. , Tab. , Teucrium , Thuja , Valerium, [Viola tricolor], Zinc.
Smarting under the eyes when rubbed: Conium.
Smarting in the eyelids; Clem. , Lyc. , Rhus , Sepia , Spigelia , Sulph. , Zinc.
Smarting in the angles of the eye: Carb. veg. , Conium , Mezereum , Mur. acid , Ranunculus sc., Ruta , Silic. , Staph. , Tart., Teucr. , Zinc.
Smarting, giving the sensation of dust: Rheum.
Dread of light: Acon. , Amm., Mur. , Anac. , Ant., Bor. , Bell. , Bry. , Camph. , Castor., Caust. , Chin. , Cic. , Cina , Clem. , Euphr. , Graph. , Helleb. , Hep. , Ign. , Kali hydriod., Magn., Sulp., Mer. , Nat. , Nat. Sulph. , Nitr. , Nux vom. , Phos. , Phos. ac. , Psor. , Puls. , Senega , Sepia , Sil. , Sulph. , Sulph. ac. , Tab. , Tar.
Dread of candle-light: Cast., Hep. , Phos.
Dread of morning light: Amm. m., Amm., Nat. sul. , Nux vom.
Dread of sunshine: Cast.
Dread of daylight: Ant., Graph. , Helleb. , Hep. , Nux vom. , Phos. , Phos. ac. , Sep. , Sil.
What I have just quoted will be more than enough to show with what intention the book is written; for what has been said about the eyes is equally applicable to every other organ. The repertory of Jahr is therefore extremely serviceable in pointing out the symptoms required.
All, however, that this work effects is to give the symptoms in a simple form; there are no details; not do I hesitate to say, that it would be impossible to practice homoeopathy with the single assistance of Jahr, for the reasons above mentioned. Its real use consists in fixing the physician's attention on a limited number of remedies.
After that preliminary step, the practitioner must have recourse to Ruckert's Repertory, in which he will find the symptoms extended, and observe them in their true state. Even in Ruckert, there is only a skeleton, since it is from symptom to symptom that we proceed.
Repertories, indeed, never disclose the complete knowledge of a medicine, never afford a full view of it, which can be obtained only from the materia medica of Hahnemann. As soon, therefore, as the works of Jahr and Ruckert have enabled the practitioner to confine his choice to a small number of medicines, he must abandon repertories, and return to the materia medica of the founder of Homoeopathy. This last alone, if constantly perused, and studied in the medicines which it describes, dispels every difficulty, nay every hazard induced by repertories, which, if always relied on, would prevent the administrator from acting according to any real acquaintance with medicine.
The physician need have no false scruples in consulting the materia medica, no dread of showing to his patients that he possesses the means of determining the proper medicament, even if his memory were bad; his patients will not do him the injustice to suppose that he gathers from books his knowledge of the disease. Let him, if he please, explain to his patients that, whenever he has recourse to the materia medica, he does no more than the lawyer does when he consults his code: he is merely surveying the formulae of the written law.
I have already shown that the physician who, in studying diseases, rests satisfied with summing up in an accurate manner all the phenomena of a complaint, has merely collected an unmeaning mass of symptoms, and that these symptoms ought to be appreciated and classified, as the only way to obtain a genuine notion of the disease. These remarks, which are applicable to the symptoms prevailing in each natural disease, are also applicable to the symptoms prevailing in the corresponding medicinal affection. Let us not, therefore, in considering a curative, limit our view to a mere mass of symptoms, but let us attach a signification to the symptoms by arranging and classing them. And nothing can effect this object but the reading of the materia medica.
When the physician shall have entirely mastered the exact and scrupulous method taught by Hahnemann, for summing up a case of disease, he will have advanced a considerable way, because he will know what he has to contend with; for the moment he knows what are the characteristic symptoms, which may be said to put a distinct stamp on the disease, his future conduct will be marked out for him.
He must similarly commence his investigation of the proper remedy, by the characteristic symptoms; for the medicine given to the patient ought to possess the same characteristic symptoms as those which distinguish the disease itself.
As soon as the characteristic symptoms of the medicine have been discovered by the aid of the repertory, the physician pursues his search for the symptoms which follow in the second and third order.
When he has, by this means, obtained a certain number of medicaments, including within their range of action the characteristic symptoms and a certain number of secondary one, the use of the repertory is suspended, and recourse is had to the abridgements of the materia medica, by Jahr, Boenninghausen and Ruckert; and these authorities soon enable him, out of the few medicines cited in the repertories, to select the one which is best adapted to the case in hand.
If these abridgements of materia medica should not prove sufficient, the physician must eventually consult the materia medica of Hahnemann, which contains the greater number of medicinal symptoms observed up to the present time.
That which guides most surely to a right choice of the remedy, is the fact that the medicine includes within its range of action the fundamental characteristic symptoms, and as great a number of possible of sympathetic symptoms, especially those amongst them which are extraordinary.
I here say as great a number as possible, because it frequently happens that it is impossible to trace all the particulars of a disease in the symptoms presented by the medicine. If the missing symptoms are not fundamental and characteristic, the remedy may nevertheless be considered as well chosen. If otherwise, it will often require the successive administration of several medicines to bring about a cure. This subject will be enlarged upon in speaking of the repetition of doses.
Nevertheless, we may lay it down as a rule, that the most rapid cures are observable in these cases, wherein the remedies present every symptom of the complaint; and that cures are more difficultly effected when the remedies do not entirely comprehend all the symptoms.
That part of the method which directs practitioners to take notes in writing of every distinct case may have been deemed severe and troublesome by practitioners; and it will be deemed still more troublesome that, in every case, we now recommend them to consult the materia medica. I shall not endeavour to dissemble the difficulties and exigencies of so searching a system, but shall only observe that the present question is not to ascertain whether all this is painful or not, but whether it is the best of all methods, and consequently the most beneficial to the patient.
But, after all, this mode of procedure is not so wearisome as it may be accounted at first; for when once the features of the complaint have been recognized, and the disease fully investigated, the progress of the treatment gives no further trouble, and the more one advances in practice, the more easy all this becomes.
It is only after a long course of experience, that the physician will be able to dispense with this strictness in slight acute diseases.
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In the routine mode of administering drugs, besides their violent and injurious action on healthy organs, and the utter uncertainty of their curative effects, every one can testify as to the disgust and nausea invariably excited in the individual doomed to be the subject of their influence; and especially is this the case in children and delicate females, who indeed constitute the great majority of medicine-takers.
Who, without a shudder, can contemplate the powders, the drops, the pills, the draughts in a thousand nauseous forms, causing the poor patient to dread the arrival of the moment when he is to swallow them, even though he believes they are to restore him to health?
Add to this the painful consequences ever attendant on taking these health-destroying doses - the reaching and straining caused by emetics, the griping by purgatives, the salivation and emaciation by mercury, the lassitude, fainting and weakness caused by leeches or the lancet, the smarting, burning and intolerable itching produced by blisters, the running sores by setons, the torment by caustics. Nor is this all; still greater torture is reserved for the poor patient who may unfortunately be afflicted with disease of the chest or spine, for which moxa or red hot iron is applied.
It would be easy to draw a frightful yet faithful picture of the consequences resulting from the medicinal and other curative means resorted to by the common practice. That, however, is not my object: it is sufficient for my purpose to show that, by the rational and scientific doctrines here recommended, the human race will be delivered from the torments of such cruel, unnecessary and dangerous treatment.
In its vast resources, homoeopathy is not restricted to its immutable law, which directs the choice of curatives; neither is it restricted to an immense materia medica from which to select. Independently of these great advantages, it possesses others which arise from the mode of preparing the medicines, and from the excessively minute doses in which they are prescribed; thus wholly exempting the patient from the dreadful consequences we have just detailed, as accompanying the old prescriptions.
As an advantage of no small importance, it supersedes, and consequently abolishes, bloodletting, whether by the lancet, by cupping, or by leeches; as well as the employment of blisters, cauteries, setons, moxae, and every other process which produces pain or debility. It abolishes, also, pills, draughts and disgusting poisons.
The homoeopathic physician, in the place of all these, substitutes doses of medicine, minute, tasteless, but efficacious - in efficacy, indeed, over disease, far surpassing the violent means enumerated above; and so minute and tasteless, that it may be administered to the youngest infant without exciting repugnance. Those doses do not consist of compound medicines, for the homoeopathic principle does not admit of them: they invariably contain but one simple ingredient; and they are all, as I have shown in my first work, reduced to a liquid state, viz., to an alcoholic tincture.
In this state, medicines may be administered, giving the patient either a single drop of pure tincture, or diluting this drop in a certain quantity, 2, 4, 8, or 12 ounces, of water.
This way of giving homoeopathic medicines is frequently employed; but it seldom happens that an entire drop of tincture, even in the highest dilutions, as the 24th or 30th, is dispensed at one time, because experience daily proves that this is too strong a dose when correctly chosen.
The method of giving homoeopathic medicines most generally pursued, is that of dispensing in globules. These consist of sugar and starch, substances without medicinal property (This is true for most persons; cf. one of the larger materia medicas - transcriber's comment), and perfectly calculated to absorb the alcoholic tincture and to retain for years the medicinal properties imparted to them. These minute bodies are about the size of a poppy seed, and are administered according to the greater or less susceptibility of patients, three being generally considered the maximum quantity.
It will be observed that, by means of these globules, it is easy to divide a drop of tincture very minutely, and therefore, no more need be given than the fraction intended. Moreover, as we possess various dilutions, or degrees of strength in tincture, we also possess globules imbibed with these different attenuations.
The globules are usually given in a very small quantity of sugar of milk, which contains no medicinal property. (This is true for most persons; cf. one of the larger materia medicas - transcriber's comment) This dry powder is either taken on the tongue, or dissolved in a little clear water, and taken at once, or at stated times, as the physician may see necessary.
Should the globules thus dissolved be required to last several days, it will be necessary, in order to keep the water fresh, to add a few drops of pure alcohol; or, still better, one or two small pieces of charcoal, after having first washed them thoroughly.
As Dr. Aegidi was the first to discover, or at least to announce, the advantage of dissolving the medicament in water, it is but justice to him that his name should be attached to this important improvement, which enables us to graduate the strength of a remedy at pleasure, and to repeat doses as often as we think proper, by observing the effects which arise.
In acute diseases, the most inestimable effects are, by this means, produced; and, in chronic disease, by repeating the remedy every day, in very small fractional doses, regularly continued, we obtain the most speedy cure. This cure is seldom delayed by strong aggravations, which induce the necessity of suspending the treatment, or of having recourse to antidotes.
There are also circumstances under which curatives may be administered by the smell. For this purpose, the patient places the phial, containing the suitable remedy, under his nostrils, and inspires the aura several times.
The applying of them exteriorly to affected parts, has hitherto been but rarely resorted to, having been almost entirely confined to Arnica , of which the tincture, mixed with water, is used to relieve contusions, wounds, &c., and to oil of turpentine, used to cure scalds and burns. But it is possible that analogy may induce practitioners to try other useful medicinal applications to the skin, in cases of local and external disease, taking care, at the same time, to give the internal remedy.
Footnote: When the use of the magnet is desired in diseases, a bar is taken, from eight to eighteen inches long, each end having an attractive power of about two ounces; after which, having chose the end best suited to the symptoms, it is put in contact, or nearly in contact, for one minute only, with the part affected, or with the extremity of one of the patient's fingers.
What is the proper dose to be dispensed of the curative? what is the best dilution? and which, among those we have named, is the preferable manner of dispensing it? - are very important questions.
In general, the curative should be administered in very minute dose; one, two, or three globules, according to the susceptibility of the patient. It will seldom occur that the larger doses will be required.
As to the fittest dilution, I shall state a few particulars on that subject, when I treat the repetition of doses, and shall at present merely observe, that the grand point is to make choice of a good remedy, because it will effect the cure at any degree of dilution. If small, instead of large dilutions are used, it is usually done to avoid too strong an operation of the remedy; the cure is similarly accomplished when the dilution is low, as I have very often witnessed in my own practice.
As to the modes of dispensing the curative, we may safely say that all are good; and that, hitherto, practice has not determined which is best. The grand object, as already said, is to choose the right remedy; for, when well chosen, it will cure in the state of diluted tincture - in the state of globules mixed with sugar - in the state of globules dissolved in water - and, finally, in sensitive patients, when inspired by smelling.
The more liable a patient is to be impressed, the more a medicine should be divided, and consequently that method which most facilitates this division should be adopted.
Smelling, therefore, should be had recourse to in the case of a person of so much sensibility that the slightest medical action would be painful. Patients less apt to be impressed should take the globules dissolved in water, a portion only of the solution begin given at one time. Other patients, still less sensible, may take the globules dry, or in sugar of milk, to the number of 2, 3 or 4. Those, on the other hand, who are far less susceptible of impressions under the influence of medicine, may take them in tincture; but, as already pointed out, they are very few persons and very few cases which will require or will bear such strong homoeopathic doses.
The dilutions made use of by most homoeopathic physicians are, the millionth, billionth, quadrillionth, octillionth, and decillionth. I am perfectly aware that physicians have exceeded, and lessened these proportions; but, generally speaking, this is not only useless but improper, since the above produce effects quite powerful enough.
But it is time to treat the that most interesting subject, the repetition of the doses.
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