HERING'S" LAW OF CURE" WITH PRACTICAL ILLUSTRATIONS."

First Case: A forester of about 40 years of age went for a consultation
because he was suffering from a high left lumbarischias with painful irradiations
which had begun some six months previously.  His condition, which had worsened
inspite of the recent administration of some very active anti-inflammatory and
anti-neuralgic allopathic medication, had reached the point where the pain was
unbearable.
Neither examinations nor X-rays revealed an osteo-articular lesion and
locally there was such a severe and painful contracture that vertebral manipulation
and reposition were out of the question.
All of the patient’s symptoms were crying out for Rhus toxicodendron so
that no doubt could be entertained as to the choice of remedy. He was given a
single dose of Rhus tox. XM to the exclusion of any other therapeutic treatment.
Eight days later, alas! he was still suffering, but with a certain change.
My back is all right “, he said “but you have displaced my trouble and I am
now suffering with pain in the calf of my leg so that I am unable to walk. ”
The characteristics were still the same and again he was given Rhus. tox “.
The following week he came back again, with a big smile, saying: “If
you will please give me a few more of those pills I think I shall be cured.: I have
more pain in the calf but it has gone down to my ankle. ”
And, true enough, one more dose of the remedy had the desired result,
pains disappeared completely, so that in no time he was able to make his
rounds through the forest unimpeded.
This was a typical example of the evolution of the pain from above down.
AIready at the time of the second consultation it was possible to predict the
favourable course of the treatment and the cure which was to follow.
However, as a rule this aspect of the Law of Hering, from above down,
usually observed in conjunction with the other two.
Second Case: A little girl of 9 years, by the name of Francoise, was an
invalid who had been confined to her bed for a year and half. Her father a leading
businessman in Paris, had asked Dr. Casez to her bedside.
She had developed some small fleshy masses, orange in colour, on the
lower gums called granulations. These symptoms had followed some months
after multiple immunizations and, in particular, following the injection of a new
American vaccine against scarlet fever, from which she was not suffering! Her
condition had been treated for many months as an actiynomycosis.
As the condition persisted, a deep biopsy was made and the histological
result, bearing the signatures of two of the leading anatomo-pathologists of Paris,
formally revealed the existence of a malignant tumour, in fact a reticulo-sarcoma
with myelocatar tendency.          .
The evolution of the disease rapidly confirmed this terrible diagnosis;
eighteen months after its commencement, in spite of deep radiotherapy, trans-
fusions, antibiotics, and every possible kind of heroic modern therapy, the
practitioners had to witness its extension. There were pains in the elbow and Ieft
ankle and new X-ray plates revealed the existence of geodes invading the cortical
part of the bones.
Many eminent specialists were consulted but, alas! they could only confirm
a fatal prognosis of a fairly short term.
Thanks to a phytotherapeutic treatment which greatly helped the poor girl,
the end of 1950 arrived and the prognosis made 3 months before, proved not to
right.
At the time of his first visit in October 1951, Dr. Casez found that under
the influence of treatment solely by plants, no new manifestations were to be found
in the bones. The extension was stopped and the gums were healed, although
they remained spongy and quite sensitive. There was no evolution about the
elbow and the tibio-tarsian articulations
It was heart-reaking to see the poor child who was suffering agony in spite
ofthe soothing effects of the quitening drugs which she was being given night and
day. Indeed one could ask how this small being, in such an advanced state of
emaciation, could continue to live. The face was of a waxy pallor and only the
brilliance of the eyes gave an indication of the spark of life. She was being
nourished by means of a pippette, with infinite precautions, and most of the time
she lay curled up, like a small dog, withher slender extremities deformed and
and distorted by swollen elbows and ankles.
It was more from humanitarian considerations than from conviction that
he examined this truly desperate case.
He was able, nevertheless, to elicit some valuable symptoms and
they are:
1.       Ailments from vaccination.
2.       Constitutional irritability in a child.
3.       Pressure-relieves.
4.       Jar-aggravates.
5.       Motion of the affected parts aggravates.
6.       Waxy face ( with blood count normal ).
In the Repertory of Kent we have:

 
As you see, Silica came in first place and was shown to be the true remedy which was called for.
However, having given due consideration to the case he decided that he would first try to diminish her constant pain and eliminate the continuous drugging to which she was being exposed. Also, not losing sight of the fact in a serious case we always start with a remedy from the vegetable kingdom if this is possible, he prescribed Bryonia 30th. He confessed later how very astonished he was at the patient’s reactions.
The pain vanished rightaway, so it was no longer necessary to use toxic
drugs to quieten it. Then a very fetid perspiration began, always an encouraging
sign-and the patient’s general condition improved progressively each days
symptomatic evolution here being from within out.
Francoise then remained under Bryonia, prescribed according to Kent’s
scaIe, for three months.
In 1952 the pain seemed to be returning again and the doctor then prescribed
one dose of Silica M. This produced a short, but not too sharp aggravation
of the pains and was followed by the appearance of a purple-coloured
painful tumefaction over the left ankle. Very soon this sweIling burst leaving a
brownish fungus proliferation, over which a black crust rapidly formed which
was large as a toe.
The histological examination of this proliferation showed; “Inflammatory
telangiectasic. granulosic. Presence of cocci like staphylococci. Some large
histocytes. No giant cells and mitosis” . .
The only anomaly was the presence of some young cells with clear protolasm
containing some compact chromatine. These cells were considered as
bound to the pathological reticular proliferation” .
After each dose of Silica, 2 or 3 proliferations grew and even’. began to
suppurate, accompanied on each occasion by an amelioration of the general state
and lessening of the pains, so that the child was able to move her joints
slightly. But what was most encouraging was the amelioration of the deep
lesions with a recalcification of the former geodes as evidenced by the x-ray
picture.
What was most unexpected, however was the direction which the granulations
were taking, They had began at the elbows and the ankles but following each high
dynamisation of Silica the proliferation was diminished and then cicatrised
leaving space for a new, more distal sprouting which ultimately appeared on the
end of extremities; the fingers and toes. Now the direction was from above
downwards.
Two years of homoeopathic treatment had kept Francoise among the Iiving
and had ameliorated her condition to such an extent that not only could she quite
her sick bed but she was able to travel. She then left Paris and went to live
not far from Dr. Casez’s practce which is over 300 miles from Paris,
The malignant evolution was completly arrested. Unfortunately the
deformities which had been acquired in the course of the disease remained and
they rendered the future quite dark for this girl who was then 14; it seemed obvious
that she would always remain an invalid.
However, an end to her sufferings came when she died suddenly as the
result of an accident.
 
The observation of the results of this patient’s treatment by Homoeopathy
“have repaid all my efforts in the name of this discipline” remarked Dr. Casez
For he had been able to see the remarkable action of very tiny doses of a
homoeopathic remedy, in the course of which the evolution of the symptoms went
from within out and from above downwards in a case which had been considered
completely lost.
What Homoeopathy can achieve is indeed remarkable! In this case we
see the evolution from the root of a member towards its extremity; this also is an
instance of the evolution from within out.
These two actions: from within out and from above downwards, in
accordance with the law of Hering, are two indications which express the centrifugal
evolution given to the morbid processes when a true cure, is taking place.
The interdependence of the actions which take place in accordance with
the law of Hering, and their common character which is the centrifugal direction
of cure, accounts for the fact that they are so often intricated.
Third case: When I saw Bernard for the first time in the consulting rooms
of  Schmidt, he was a man of 17.
He complained of painful stiffness in the lumbar region, a sharp pain
percussion of L2-L3 and left sciatica which had previously been diagnosed
chrooic tetanus. X-rays which had been made a short time before persuaded
radiologists and specialists to confirm the clinical diagnosis: lumber pott’s disease
with a left vertebral abscess.
The treatment given by .Dr. Schmidt : phosphoric acid. XM in high dyna-
misation had an immediate and spectacular result which was proved both clinically
and radiologically, In view of this, the surgeon concerned with the case, having
observed the excellent calcification which. appeared in subsequent X rays and
having examined the patient carefully, decided to postpone the classic surgery
normally carried out in such a case.          .
Within a few months all pain and stiffness had completely disappeared and a
solid callus had formed on the site of the vertebral erosions thus a graft proved to
be useless.
Bernard was able to resume his work as painter-plasterer and he took up
skiing again in the winter.
Then he broke one of his legs but fortunatly the consoldation which followed
was perfect and it took place very quickly; in brief, it seemed that everything was
going well. But four years later the patient suffered a convulsive crisis for which
Dr. Schmidt prescribed Silica in high potency. This case was then confided to my
care by Dr. Schmidt since Bernard was not living in Switzerland but close to me in
Prance.
This was the first time that Bernard had suffered from convulsions land this
new symptom: down going upwards and from without in, augured something far
from pleasant. But further investigations proved negative and the X-ray pictures
till showed excellent consolidation of the original lesions. After treatment with
‘Silica and Tuberculinum bov. in high potencies there were one or two convulsive
crisis, then they went away and did not reappear.
Everything seemed to be going as it should when one day about a year
after, the patient again complained of lumbar pains. These were attributed to the
voluminous callus which had filled the pocket of the Pott’s abscess and was caus-
ing inflammatory reactions due to blocking in the L, – L3 region.
The pains became worse and it became daily more difficult for Bernard to
do his work. Then the permanent contraction affected his left side. In spite of
the medication which he was given, a day came when the necessity of looking
for local treatment first physiotherapic and then surgical had to be considered.
The surgeon made a brilliantly successful intervention in this case and was
able to remove without any nervous sequelae a callus as a first; immediately
afterwards all of the patient’s pain disappeared.
Everybody concerned was feeling greatly relieved until the report: “….
It is anything but tubercular ‘” it is an osteo-chondro-sarcoma”.
Alas! The evolution of the case quickly confirmed this sad diagnosis and
within a month the tumour had doubled in size. The famous Kobalt bomb and
possible antimitotic treatment notwithstanding the poor patient was dying.
The outcome of this sad case was foreshadowed with the direction which
symptomatic evolution had taken.
One could not claim that the homoeopathic remedy was not well chosen.
but the disease had gone beyond the resources of medical therapeutics. The best
remedy could only check the evolution of the disease and allow the: patient a few
more years of normal life.
One might ask what an operation some eight years earlier, if the exact
diagnostic could have been established, would have done, but assuredly the scalpel
would only have precipitated the evolution of the tumour.          ‘
Fourth Case: Dr. Casez was treating a lady who was suffering from
chronic headaches which had begun with cervicalgia with stiffness of the nape of
neck. Then contractions of the neck muscles with pains soon extended
towards the vertex, the forehead and the supra-orbital region.
This case was really a puzzle to the doctor since in spite of his most
Painstaking symptomatic research and every effort to help the patient who
cooperated fully, the results were most discouraging.
At last she had to resort to anti-neuralgic drugs to deaden the pain ( which
After two years, had in fact become permanent) and Dr. Casez was most
concerned about the toxic manifestations which such drugging would provoke.
The patient underwent every possible examination. Numerous local
treatments of the cervical column were carried out including locally applied
fango. manipulations, repositions and physiotherapy but all to no avail.
Some months ago, after failure of the homoeopathic treatment which had
been applied to this chronic condition for over two years, he decided to retake
the case completely just as though he had never seen the patient before.
After pondering at great length over the anamnesis and studying most
carefully, the results of the minute symptomatologic reasearch which he had
carried out, he decided to follow the excellent advice of Sir John Weir of London
‘To find the minimum symptoms of optimum value ‘.
These were:
( 1) Abnormal susceptibility ( Offended easily in the Repertory p. 69)
(2) Retropulsive vertigo ( p. 99 – Fall, tendency to backward)
(3) A typical night diarrhoea at varying hours, but always after
midnight (p. 610)
The patient was given a remedy, in the 200th potency which best covered
these three symptoms and which truly represented the minimum and most
characteristic symptoms of the patient i. e. :
One mental symptom.
One subjective symptom
One peculiar objective symptom coloured by the modality of time.
After several hours of typical aggravation of the neck and head pains
followed by a night diarrhoea much more copious than usual, she was entirely
freed from both the pains and the night evacuations.
But then, several days later the doctor was called by the patient who was
sufferring from pains in the lower part of the back andect of her suffering disappeared and she was able to leave
her tablets and suppositories in the drawer of her bedside table.
Here we witness a double expression of the same process of cure  with a
centrifugal direction, it is an association: of Hering’s law regarding the return to
symptoms in the reverse order of their coming and evolution from above down.”
The three remedies responding to this special  symptomatology we
order of importance.
Nux vomica
Sulphur latum and
China officinalis
Nux was given although considered as a typical remedy for constipation.
I believe that if we avoid all prejudice either in favour of or against a
particular remedy, we shall have no reason to regret it.
Source: Indian Journal of Homoeopathic Medicine.