Mr,D, musician age 59 , some what m below medium height , of weekly constitution , sallow skin , emaciated ; so weakly constitution ,, sallowq skin , emaciated ; so weak he can scarely walk and greatly depressed in mind
Had the diseases of child hood with out any Sequa=elae ; remained well to his thirtieth year , when he came under allopathic treatment , for a fever . Twelve years ago he had tertian intermittent , which was successfully treated by Dr,Hartman , homoeopath , since then his health has been tolerably good , but he began to drink hard during the last months , since when his present symptoms have made their appearance
He complains principally of mental weakness ; loss of appetite ; had a whitish , dry tongue ; feeling of fullness and pressure in the epigastrium ; great tension and dropsical , swelling of abdomen ; tardy , infrequent , and hard stool ; scanty , dark red urine , painful in passing . He has a hydrocele the size of an S , at least four inches in circumference , swollen , the produce oedemateous to such a degree as to hide the orifice . short , frequent cough , mostly dry ; occasionally whitish , frothy mucus ; great dysponea ,; has to be propped up in bed , anxiety ; sleeps little and seldom ; great and unquenchable thirst ; craves refreshing drinks . legs oedematous as far up as the abdomen , very ill humoured ; small , frequent pulse ; dry skin and weak voice
Physical examination revealed enlargement and induration of the liver , particularly of the left lobe
Prescribed Arsenicum , carbo veg , and zincum with out the slightest benefit . The disease made rapid progress ; the ascites and hydrocele , increased , the latter to a degree which threatened gangrene , There was now suppression of stool and urine , when when night the patient suddenly and involuntarily passed a large quantity of urine , and was attacked by fear of death , with great prostration
Tartar emetic was prescribed in alternation with aconite . Two days latter his condition was as bad as ever .
Flouric acid 6, in water , a teaspoonful every four hours .. this remedy worked such a rapid and remarkable change as I have never before witnessed in similar chronic cases , his forces rallied , the swellings decreased and entirely disappeared with in eight days , stool became regular , urine passed copiously and with out pain , appetite , sleep and pulse in a short time became normal . in two weeks he was well enough to work ; continued his medicine , for two weeks more and had no relapse during the next year – DR,CARL HAUBOLD , ALLG . HOM . ZEITTUNG ,
The fluoric acid was prescribed in this case according to Dr. Jeans’s statement . in two cases of of incurable hydro thorax , Flouric acid 3rd gave much relief
Note -1 ; every physician in a large practice , will have observed cases in which younger or older men , mostly in the prime of life , got an irresistible desire for strong drink after having passed through a typhoid or intermittent fever , or some gastric disturbance of a bilious nature . since this is not regarded as a distinct disease , nor as a possible sequel of an enteritis , either by a patient , his family or his physician , if he happened to be a fanatical temperance man , no attempt at a cure is made . These good people resort to what is called moral suasion , by which we know the error is only increased , it is the same gross error as to suppose that hysteria may be removed by calling the patient “nervous “ or “hipped” in the belief that such patients could over come their symptoms if they only showed a firm will
As regards the effects of alcololism , our homoeopathic art has made greater advancement in the curing of this horribly ruinous disease than it has in many other serious troubles , our repertories abound in symptoms peculiar to this morbid desire
Note-2; my dear sanguine old friend Haubold , a candid . upright and amiable man tries to excuse himself for making an experiment in a public hospital , before the eyes of many witnesses , on this particular case . he says he was primarily led to prescribe led to prescribe fluoric acid by the great prostration of strength of the patient and next by the remark of Dr. Jeans quoted above . We clearly see that it was in truth a very lucky but after all , an accidental cure . The prostration , great as it was , could be considered a leading symptom since it depended on other conditions and is not peculiar to the remedy . it is true , We find other symptoms 594to 599 a few remarks relating to weariness , but increased muscular action and greater ability to stand exertion , predominates
There can be no doubt that it was the remark of jeans that lead to the choice of the remedy
What may have induced jeans , who never makes experiments on patients , fluoric acid in the hopeless case of hydrothorax ? it may have been the observation that the aggravation observed in his patient came an hour earlier each day , since same symptoms of the remedy had the decided peculiarity of appearing every day , or every other day , at a later hour . in conversations with Dr. jeans we have dwelled upon the necessity of giving remedies with postponing symptoms for diseases which antedate and vice versa
It is to be hoped that by attempting to explain this remarkable accidental cure , that none in expectation of a similar lucky accident , will prescribe Flouric acid with out sufficient similarity of symptoms . A sudden running discharge of fluid secretions i.e., tears from the eyes water , water in dropsy , ichor from ulcers etc., has been observed in a number of cases after receiving Flouric acid , making this one of the most charecterstic symptoms of the remedy
The old lady had running of slimmy purulent water from the eyes , in a stream down the cheeks .
Flouric acid , given for supporting glands , increased the discharge even in cases in which there was no curative result ; it caused ears to run and feel as if a stream of air was running from them . might not the quite unusual of air was running from them . might not the quite unusual sudden discharge from them of quantities of urine observed in the case quoted be taken for an indication belonging to Flouric acid ?might it be taken for a useful hint in cases where we have no other leading symptom ?
What Haubold mentions about induration of the liver , and a specific influence of the remedy upon this condition , is worthless . The cause of the dropsy in the case could not be attributed to amyloid degeneration of that organ , in which case there could not have been so speedy , complete and permanent a recovery . Besides Flouric acid , among its 725 symptoms obtained from more than seventy provers , most of whom were physicians , while having eight symptoms from the region of the spleen , has not a single one from the liver
The lucky accident of this remarkable cure proved of little use of the doctor who reported it , who even complained of the wordiness of the provings – a sure sign that he did not study them . as reasons had been given and the uses of the remedy stated under diagnostic remarks .
