Some Criticisms by a Homeopath. Editor MEDICAL WORLD:-I read in the WORLD, page 142 of the April number, an article by W. C. Cooper, M. D., on Therapeutic Philosophy and Hypermedication, in which the doctor says some very good things, especially on hypermedication. The doctor lays down nine propositions which he calls axioms, some of which I wish to examine and see if they are axioms. Webster defines an axiom, "a self evident truth, or a proposition whose truth is so evident at first sight that no process of reasoning or demonstration can make it plainer.' . Axiom 1: "No morbid effect can be dissipated except by removal of its cause.” Now let us examine Axiom No. 1 and see if it is a self evident truth. Case No. 1: A horse kicked A. on the abdomen; the morbid effect was peritonitis. Removal of the horse's feet did not cure the morbid effect. Hot applications with appropriate medication did cure. CASE 2: B. was in perfect health. He was working very hard one very warm day, so that his clothes became wet with perspiration. A visitor came and he was called from his work. He sat under a large live oak tree which made a good shade, for an hour. While there, a chilly coast wind began to blow and he took cold. Two hours later he had a chill and the morbid effect was pneumonia. The conditions around the patient (the cause) were removed, but this did not remove the morbid condition of the patient. Aconite and bryonia dissipated the morbid effect. Therefore Axiom 1 is not a self evident truth. Axiom No. 2. "What will make or tend to make a well man sick will make a sick man sicker." Now if this be true all medication is not only useless, but injurious, for there is no drug which will not make a well man sick. In fact all that we as homeopaths know about the curative power of drugs we have learned by observing the sick-making power of drugs, i. e., by noting the morbid symptoms which drugs produce on healthy people. Similia similibus curantur is our infallible law of cure. If a person is sick he has a certain class of morbid symptoms. If we can find a drug which will produce in a healthy person a totality of symptoms exactly similar to the morbid symptoms of the patient, that drug, given in minute doses, will surely cure him. Some healthy people are made sick by coming in contact with rhus toxicodendron, but a billionth part of a drop of the tincture of rhus tox, taken into the stomach, will remove all of the morbid symptoms of rhus poisoning in 24 to 48 hours. Arsenic, ipecacuanha, antimonium tart. or lobelia will produce vomiting, yet there is seldom a case of vomiting that one of these remedies will not cure when given in minute doses. Therefore Axiom No. 2 is not a self evident truth. Axiom 6. "A drug's capacity for doing good when indicated is invariably less than its capacity for doing harm when not indicated." Perhaps this is true. Now if the doctor can give us some rules for finding the indicated remedy, and tell us how many remedies may be indicated at the same time in any given case, we will be greatly obliged to him. In order that you may understand what I mean, let us turn over to page 150 of THE WORLD above quoted, to Dr. C. Lowell's favorite prescriptions for neuralgia. In regard to the first favorite prescription I will only say that I never heard of a homeopathic tincture of cimicifuga before. I don't know what it is, and I thought I was well up in homeopathy. The third favorite prescription is the one to which I wish to call attention. Ꭱ Phenacetin Green tinct. bryonia grs. 80 ǎā grs. 160 gtt. viij . gtt. j 3iij q. s. 3iv Now what I want is a rule by which I may know that all of these seven remedies are indicated at the same time and in just these quantities. If some doctor don't answer this question to my satisfaction, I shall just go on prescribing my single remedy which is similar to the symptoms of the patient. I am glad to agree with the doctor on Axiom No. 8. There is no such thing as a drug tonic. What is usually given to a patient as a tonic is to the patient just what a whip is to a tired horse; nothing more. Yet the professors proclaim and the books teach tonics, and the people demand tonics. W. E. ALUMBAUGH, M.D. Vacaville, Cal. More Obstetric Experience. Editor MEDICAL WORLD:-While thanking the brethren for their criticisms of my "obstetrical experience", publisht some months ago, I want to speak of two cases I have had since then. The pains, rigid os, etc., she gave birth to a dead child, but which had not been dead more than forty-eight hours, judging from its appearance and her statements. placenta was adherent, and when peeled off, it was almost impossible to get the uterus to contract. I don't know why she did not die; nor do I know that any medication had much effect. I could not enumerate everything given her, but I depended more on strychnin than anything else. She was attending to household duties in three weeks. H. C. SANDERS, M. D. Stantonville, Tenn. No. 1. Colored, apparently healthy, five or six para, had been in labor so long that the colored midwife in attendance had gotten scared. Upon careful examination I found the vaginal canal absolutely closed, about two inches from the orifice. I could get nothing from the history as to how long it had been so, but the adhesion would not yield to strong force used by the examining finger. The external part of the vagina was normal in appearance. I sent for two white men, and while one of them administered chloroform, and the other assisted me, I separated the adhered walls, using such instruments as needed. Several ounces of thick dark dark colored fluid escaped as soon as an opening went thru, proving that the closure had been complete. Labor ter- An early settlement is requested. minated favorably in a short while. membranes seemed to be unusually tough, having to be torn after labor was far advanced. were The In spite of all precautions in the way of tampons, etc., but which I could not superintend myself, when last examined the cervix had adhered to the raw surfaces of the vagina, and the uterine cavity was continuous with the vaginal canal, and the upper portion of the vagina was very much contracted, and the walls thickened. So far as general health is concerned, recovery good. No. 2. White woman about thirty-five; had several children; large, somewhat fleshy; had till lately enjoyed excellent health. Had menstruated regularly and had no idea she was pregnant till she felt movements of the child. Saw her first some weeks before delivery, when there was some swelling of limbs and face, and an anemic appearance. Of course I expected to find the urine loaded with albumin, but there was not a particle, nor anything else abnormal with it that I could discover. The general condition grew worse and worse till she could not lie down only for a few minutes. The anasarca and palor increast till it was alarming to look at her. When labor begun the pulse was a hundred and thirtyfive, the temperature below normal, and breathing bad from the edema of the lungs. After much delay, owing to inefective Mr. John Smith, To date July 12, '99 UOME **Twenty ** Dollars. Dr. W. T. S. Vincent. The above has proven a good collector for me. I got it up some time since and it has become popular here. They don't have to look twice at it to know what it DR. W. T. S. VINCENT. means. Jacksonville, Fla. Pain in Wrist.-Case for Diagnosis. Editor MEDICAL WORLD:-A young lady, age about twenty years, tall, spare, and of nervous temperament; occupation, dressmaker. A few years ago her right wrist commenced to trouble her, feeling as tho she had sprained it, altho she had no knowledge of injuring it. Later a severe pain developt on the ulnar side just anterior to styloid process. Usually it did not extend more than an inch or so up the wrist or toward the little finger. Occasionally the whole arm will ache. The painful spot near the process is very tender to the touch. For perhaps two years these attacks of pain would occur only at menstrual periods, lasting a few days. She also suffered a great deal from dysmenorrhea; otherwise her health was very good. A few months ago she came into my hands, and the two last monthly periods have been nearly painless; but the writs pain is as bad as ever, and is constant between menstrual periods. Treatment has never seemed to benefit it in the least. Is it neuritis? and what will be best treatment? A bandage snugly applied seems to give greatest relief. Case II: May 17th, I was called to see a married woman, mother of two children, one a babe a few months old. Two weeks previous to my visit she had an attack of sore throat for which another physician was called once. Since that illness she had not felt as well as usual, but kept about her work. I found throat inflamed, tonsils enlarged, and partly covered with exudate. Deglutition was painful. Temp. 1021°, pulse 130, severe pain in head. Bowels loose and stools very offensive. These symptoms continued to increase in severity for three days, when they began to subside. The exudate appeared only on the tonsils, and there was no bad odor to the breath at any time. Without giving final out-come of this case, I wish the Editor and other members of the WORLD family would diagnose this case as they would do if called to treat it. Whitehall, Mich. DR. L. W. KEYES. [A tight bandage giving relief to the wrist suggests a localized inflammation, to which rest gives relief. There was probably a local injury, and complete rest, perhaps with counter irritation, is indicated. If this does not lead to recovery, perhaps there may be local pressure. If so, recovery cannot come until this is removed. The character of the exudate would determine the diagnosis of the throat case. -ED.] The Injection Method for the Cure of Hernia, Editor MEDICAL WORLD:-There appears to be a general impression among physicians that the injection method is only applicable to recent and small hernias. To show that such is erroneous and also to show its special adaptation to persons advanced in years, a few cases of patients over 65 years of age, who were treated in 1893, will be mentioned. Furthermore, all had the worst form of direct scrotal hernia, and none had been able to secure a truss that would retain the rupture previous to undergoing treatment. Mr. B., age 70, ruptured on both sides since birth. The hernial rings were over two inches in diameter. He had become so discouraged in his efforts to secure a satisfactory truss that he had not worn any for years, altho he suffered continually. He remained here a month, and when last seen, the openings were entirely closed. Mr. C., age 68, ruptured on both sides for 35 years. The left ring was 14 inch and the right 2 inches in diameter. He received 14 treatments on each side, less than a week apart. He has remained practically cured, but wears a light support when doing hard work. Mr. S., age 66, ruptured on right side 17 years, left side 3 years. Right ring was 2 inches, left ring 1 inch in diameter. The hernia caused him so much trouble that he had given up business entirely. At the beginning of treatment his health was so poor, and the structures so weak and flabby, that it did not appear possible to more than give him relief. Fortunately, the hernias were entirely cured, his health improved, and he continued to dispense with a support or truss till the time of his death, last winter, of pneumonia. They were all able to continue their usual pursuits during treatment, but quicker results could be secured by having patients remain quiet for a day or so after each treatment; but the majority of people prefer to continue at business, even tho it may require a longer time. The fluid used in the above cases has been discarded, as it requires too many injections. Am now using the following formulæ, which require from 1 to 10 treatments, all depending on the variety and size of hernia, and fluid used, the former being the stronger: Ꭱ podermic syringe with a strong 1 to 14 in. needle is all that is required. Press left fore finger directly over external ring, into ring and canal if it be indirect. With syringe in right hand, penetrate integument directly under left forefinger into canal and follow canal, depositing fluid while withdrawing needle, taking care not to strike the cord. If direct, deposit fluid along edge of ring. Afterwards distribute fluid by gentle rubbing. The addition of a hot water bag will hasten absorption and allay any discomfiture produced. There is no danger of general peritonitis, as many suppose, when the treatment is properly given. I again state that the results in 95 per cent. of all cases of reducible hernia can be included under one of the following divisions: 1st. Cases in which the hernial rings can be entirely closed, but require an occasional treatment afterwards to retain them in that condition. This class is composed of persons debilitated by age principally. 2d. Cases in which the hernia can be permanently cured, but requires a bandage or light support to be worn afterwards. 3d. Cases that can be permanently cured and all support may be dispensed with afterwards. Hernia and trusses frequently cause serious disturbances and unaccountable complaints Most people enjoy better health after being cured. The pressure required to retain most hernia causes absorption and weakness of the underlying structures; hence the advantage of being cured. In cases in which it is advisable to wear a support after treatment, pressure is not required for retention, but only a support, to protect when those parts are brought into violent action. C. FLETCHER SOUDER, M. D. Philadelphia. The Decadence of Calomel. Editor MEDICAL WORLD:-Last November THE WORLD publisht my contribution on calomel in typhoid fever. It seems fitting to follow it with the following extracts from the Charlotte Medical Journal on the Decadence of Calomel : "Anyone who has kept notice of the progress of therapeutics during the past fifty years cannot fail to have remarkt that many remedies once much in vogue have largely gone out of use. This is to a certain extent true of calomel. "It was formerly the custom to give small doses of this mercurial frequently in nearly all the inflammatory affections. So greatly does the pathology of the present day differ from that of the past; so completely are we now dominated by the damaged tissue theory of inflammation, and by the new views as to the rôle of microbes in most inflammatory diseases; so fully are we persuaded of the truth of the modern doctrin of the natural evolution and selflimited nature of all acute diseases, and of the necessity of husbanding the vital resources, that the very idea of antiphlogistic treatment belongs almost with that of witchcraft to the superannuated notions of the past; while the true antiphlogistics are recognized to be such means, medical and surgical, as restore the damaged vital properties of the inflamed part of the organism generally, and antagonize and combat microbes and ptomains. From this point of view, the belief of our predecessors were not justified by the facts. They saw patients get well from grave inflammations and fevers, and they attributed the recovery to medicines which they had prescribed-a —an unwarrantable post hoc ergo propter hoc conclusion. They, in short, ascribed to the bleeding, the antimony and the calomel the favorable changes which belonged to the natural course of the disease itself. "There seems to be no proof that calomel, when given in minute doses, whether to oppose the formation and organization of plastic exudations, or to stimulate the secretive organs and promote elimination, or to arouse the absorbents to greater activity in removing inflammatory products, ever serves any real good antiphlogistic purpose. It does, doubtless, disturb the nutritive processes, and deglobulize the blood; it may even render the blood 'aplastic.' Whether, however, this be a good thing in inflammatory disease, is not proved. Nor can we even invoke the help of the known microbicide properties of the mercurial, for there is no evidence that calomel, when given internally in fractional doses, has any such microbicide action." C. TEAL, M.D. Linville, N. C. Dr. Roy Granbery, of Somerville, Tenn., wishes to know what, in the opinion of the WORLD readers, is the best treatment, both internal and local, for gonorrhea. Dr. W. P. Brickley, of Anderson, Ind., writes: "I like your progressive, aggressive, and open door style- a free-forall 'think'." Case of Tetanus. Editor MEDICAL WORLD:-On the 13th of June I was called to see a female child of five years, who was suffering with a swelling of the left arm, neck and jaw. She had been vaccinated two or three weeks previous, and had fallen on the arm off a stoop the 10th of June; the result was acute tetanus poisoning. In the first place I cleaned the wound antiseptically and applied iodoform dressing. Then I prescribed camphor oil, to rub the affected part, and a laxative. On the following day the symptoms grew worse. Lock-jaw had set in, the child was unable to move, and secretion had stopt. On the evening of the same day the temperature rose from 103° to 107°, and was followed by convulsions. When I found her in this situation I prescribed chloral hydrate with bromids, and applied ice to the head, and gave her an injection of tetanic serum. The convulsions thereupon stopt, but death followed the next day, June 15th. Moral.-Mothers should take care of children after vaccination and protect the wound, and not leave it open, as in this H. ROSAHNSKY, M.D. case. Brooklyn, N. Y. Evils of the Corset. Editor MEDICAL WORLD:-Of all existing vices at the present time, there is none which affects the general health of an individual as does the one useless wearing apparel of civilized women, the corset. It matters not whether it is worn tight or loose, as it has the same injurious effects, differing only in degree. Even before puberty the young girl is clad in a "child's corset." This garment is short, but fits snugly around her thorax, and thus interferes with the beginning development of the breasts at puberty. The very many poorly-developt breasts in women always remind me of the barbarous custom of the Chinese, who delight in small and deformed feet. The "child's corset" is later followed by a tight, rigid and unyielding garment, extending from the middle of the thorax to a point midway between the umbilicus and the symphysis pubis. This rigid garment This rigid garment prevents the proper development of the muscles of the thorax and abdomen; in strength they resemble the muscles in an arm which had been splinted and carried in a sling for an indefinit period of time. On removing the splints from the arm, the muscles are so weak that it is almost impossible to move the arm. During parturition what can we expect from these dormant muscles? Is it any wonder that forceps are so frequently needed to aid these weakened and undevelopt muscles? The apartment of the corset which is made for the reception of the mammary glands is quite roomy, and in order to fill this vacant space pads are often inserted, which in youth still continue to prevent the development of the breasts. The result of this, if the woman becomes a mother, is artificial food as a whole or in part for the infant's diet. The injurious effects of which I have spoken are slight as compared to the one I am about to consider. When in youth the waist is clad in a rigid and non-elastic garment, it interferes with the normal development of all of the inclosed organs. These organs are so restricted or crowded, one upon another, that it even interferes with their proper functions. We frequently see women, whose lung capacity is interfered with by corsets, faint in a close, illventilated room. The liver and stomach encroach upon the intestines, which are forced down upon the uterus and its appendages, pushing them down and restricting their movements. Constipation also is caused. The ultimatum : The woman imagines she is suffering from some serious female complaint. She now seeks a physician, relates her case. Often from undue modesty or for fear of offending his patient, the diagnosis coincides with the patient's imagination. Many an unnecessary examination of young girls is made by the too aspiring gynecologist. His digital examination affirms that she has a vagina and uterus ; then inspection thru a speculum reveals the fact that the columnar mucous membrane of the cervical canal is slightly different in color from the pavement epithelium of the vaginal surface of the cervix. Diagnosis: Ulceration. Treatment: Local medication thru a speculum twice a week. Final treatment: Oophorectomy. I have no doubt that every reader can recall similar cases, altho none, I hope, have witnessed the final treatment. I have had several young girls who had received local treatment, some wearing uterine supports, with no apparent benefit, and if any difference, growing worse. I removed the support, prescribed a nerve tonic combined with a laxative, advised |