Today I would like to share an important article on ” Can Homoeopathy Build Up Feeble Child ? “By Dr. Ives M.D. which is quite relevant today and may be a source of building a strategy to establish Homoeopathy as a Mainstream treatment acceptable to all system of recognised treatments at a time when we are facing criticism for increasing Trend of depending on polypharmacy, specific and combined patent medicines manufacturing by GMP Certified Pharmaceuticals.Published in The Homoeopathic Recorder of Boericke and Tafel in the Year 1930.
Dr. Nirmal Kumar Maity
And added the section of POINTERS of the Month.”CAN HOMEOPATHY BUILD UP THE FEEBLECHILD?8. MARY IVES, M. D.In these days of so-called “modern medicine”, with the con gested traffic due to the various swift moving vehicles of highly specialized methods, one almost hesitates to come out in the open with the dear old “one horse shay”! And yet, looking back along the vista of thirty-six years’ travel, with the tried and true old nag, one feels the courage to jerk the reins and start off along the well-beaten path!Starting with the crowded children’s clinics at Seventh and Spring Garden streets, in Philadelphia in 1894, under the able guidance of Dr. James Tyler Kent, and his associates, one learned to study the “feeble child”. The pale, puny babies car ried in, in the mother’s arms, fretful and uneasy, only quiet as long as the mother walked back and forth, back and forth, whilst giving the symptom picture. Sitting down to rest her poor tired limbs a minute, then would the child begin to scream again. A pitiful wailing sound calling forth all one’s sympathy for the suffering baby, made us give the child Pulsatilla a snarling, spunky scream so that one felt a desire to spank the poor infant, made us hurry for a dose of Chamomilla, and so on. It might be a summer diarrhoea; it might be an irritated brain from teething; it might be a bronchial condition; it might be hunger from lack of proper feeding, but the child and his symptom picture was the indication for the remedy needed, rather than the physical state.Perhaps tugging at the mother’s skirts would be another small offspring, grimy and ill kept: poor little face broken out with sore places; nose unattended to and very red-looking where: the discharge had accumulated; fretting and teasing for “candy”. A dose of Sulphur was the crying reed there. Maybe another child would be brought in-pale, thin, almost to emaciation, “always hungry”, the mother says, “never satisfied”; the child devouring a pretzel such as Philadelphia only can offer; loaded with saltPresented to the I. H. A., Bureau of Obstetrics and Pediatrics, June, 1930. crystals, and with each mouthful the child smacks its lips, so plump, good is the salty taste. Here is a Natrum muriaticum case, The babies are not all thin and puny; here comes a waxy faced child, heavy looking and listless: perspiring freely and very sour smelling. How about Calcarea carb. for this one And so on through the crowded afternoon, day after day. week after week, month after month until a year swells into many years. There is no gratitude quite so fervent as that of the tired mother who finds her sickly baby relieved of its discom forts; its fretting turned into crowing: its wakeful, restless nights turned into quiet restful sleep. And she realizes that her child is on the road to health!But it is a slow process, this building up the feeble child; it takes much patience on the part of parents and physician (to say nothing of the poor child itself). There are many handicaps to overcome. It is a little easier if one has had a free hand from the time of the birth of the child, or even before that, in the care of the mother during her time of pregnancy. One gets to know what to expect, so to speak, and as symptoms develop one is prepared to read the symptom picture more understandingly and to perceive clearly the indicated remedy. But constructive work may be done even though the child first comes to our attention when i he or she is seven or eight years old. How about the tall, lanky, dark haired boy brought to the office by his father, who is greatly distressed by his son’s long lasting bronchial cough; the boy is seven years of age: very thin and underweight; craving sweet things in preference to all other food. He has been under the care of the family physician for some time, an alloeopath, who has prescribed cough mixtures and cod liver oil for this stubborn catarrhal cough. But nothing for the boy! The father says he has “heard of me” and in desperation brings his boy. A close study of the case reveals Sulphur as the needed remedy. It is given and in a very short time the cough disappears, the appetite be comes more normal and the boy gains gradually in strength and health. From that time on, and it is some twenty-four years ago, that family have been loyal to homoeopathy. And homeopathic prescribing carried many members of the family through serious illnesses. Only the other night was I called to see the wife of one of the boys of this family who had developed a sore throat tonsillitis. The husband took that occasion to remind me of the serious time he had had as a boy of twelve years with diphtheria and how well he responded to the remedies, all of which I re membered.A child is born to highly nervous, sensitive people, and pret ty soon one is asked to prescribe for distressing times of colic. The indicated remedy relieves promptly the acute condition and a study of the baby brings to light a much needed “constitutional” remedy. Disturbed digestion responds to treatment; the child’s weight which has been unsatisfactory increases, showing better assimilation of food, and in general the baby is pronounced as “much better”. It is a perfect waste of time to torture a child by experimenting with first one food and then another. Find out the child’s indicated remedy, which puts in order the “disturbed vital force” responsible for the painful exhibition of symptoms, and in due course of time, the restored vitality will enable the child to digest and assimilate a well planned formula of food. It is the child, one is after; the sick child; prescribe for that and the food will take care of itself. Over and over again has this truth been borne in upon one.And so it is all along the line of childhood ills; the baby? covered with the distressing and hideous eruption called “eczema” is presented to our view. “Specialists” have been consulted, all manner of treatment resorted to, local and otherwise, and the external manifestation goes gaily on tormenting the child’s peace of mind. What does this child need? A well chosen homeo pathic remedy given internally and “hands off”. Probably at first there is a flare up, an aggravation, that we rejoice to see and then gradually does the eruption disappear, the last lesions dis appearing first, until by degrees that child is relieved of its grievous ailment. As I said before, this takes patience and understanding on the part of the parents and physician. But it can be done, and such a child grow up into healthy womanhood, a brilliant scholar, and now a happy wife. Several such cases stand out before me at this writing. How about your child born of parents with a tubercular diathesis? Your pale, anaemic child, listless, perspiring freely, especially at night; developing enlarged lymph glands; tonsils enormous with frequent sore throat; craving abnormal foods to eat, refusing wholesome diet. We all know the type. What can homeopathy do for such as these? A well selected series of remedies will change that child by degrees into a healthy, hearty being. The whole economy responds to the impetus given by the remedy most similar to the case, and in due course of time the outward manifestations of the internal disorder disappear. Do we operate on those enlarged glands, remove them? A thou sand times “no”; we cure them “from within, outward”, or rather we cure the child and the glands come to terms.”Modern medicine” may be a wonderful thing and to be “up to date” very important. But the old fashioned laws laid down by Samuel Hahnemann prove very satisfying when it comes to curative measures as applied to sick folks. “Safety first” is a good motto.Homoeopathy is also called into action to meet the disturbed condition with children known as “nervousness”, “trying temperament”, “difficult behaviour” and so on. Probe down until you know such a child and can read the symptom picture clearly, or as clearly as you can; then match your symptom picture with the picture of the indicated remedy, and the result is amazing. The nervous, irritable, impossible child, after a while, becomes reason able, sunny and carefree. Much easier to manage many times, il the child can be removed from unwholesome home influence, butgood results can be obtained after the application of the right remedy even amid baneful influences. The field is big, and the effort well worth while. What more valuable work than this the building up of the feeble child” into healthy manhood?MIDDLETOWN, CONN. POINTERS The following are abstracts from a letter from Dr. Charles E. Johnson (deceased) to Dr. W. D. Gordon (deceased) con cerning some grafts of Sol which the latter had sent to Dr. John son.A case of heat stroke with symptoms of aphasia, agraphia,and erysipelatous appearance of the hand as though sunburned,responded promptly to Sol 30th, after other remedies had beentried without effect. A woman had erythema on the back of the hand extending up the forearm to a well defined line of demarcation. The tongue had a raw appearance, was bright red and looked as if the blood would flow from it. Pellagra was suspected. Sol 500th acted like magic.A woman, greatly emaciated, had a disordered stomach; thin, watery, yellow stools, forcibly expelled, often involuntary, alter nating with constipation; no stool for a week, then large, hard and incomplete; a dreadful eruption on the hands; and arms and neck raw as if badly sunburned. This latter condition, after hav ing been red quite a while, turned brown, became thickened, cracked and peeled off. The process was repeated, each time worse than the time before. Sol 200th was given and in two weeks the skin was normal.The following sayings from Phineas P. Wells, M. D., were noted down by the late Stuart Close, M. D. It is better to do nothing than to do wrong.If you don’t know what to do, wait.When in doubt about changing a carefully selected remedy, don’t. Don’t alternate remedies. There can be only one proper remedy. Any other is less proper-hence wrong. The best remedy for rapidly maturing abscesses, without regard to location, is Lachesis in rapidly repeated doses. (Note, he recommends the 200th potency, in solution, a dose every two hours).The neatest and simplest and most effective “poultice” is made by dipping cotton batting in hot water, wringing sufficient ly not to drip, applying to the part, and covering with oiled silk. Pains of prominent bones, such as the malar bones, suggest Rhus tox-E. WRIGHT.Zinc phos. is the deepest acting of all the zinc preparations, it is “the” Zinc.-G. ROYAL. Phytolacca, Stillingia and Phos. acid have marked periosteal,tibial pain in syphilis. c. M. BOGER. A deep red, wine colored scar makes one think of Sepia C. M. BOGER.Bell., Arn., and Ferrum have hot head and cold hands-w.B. GRIGGS. Bell, is one of our best remedies for children.-W. B. GRIGGS.A toxicological symptom of Arsenicum is uneven contracture. of the abdominal muscles.-c. M. BOGER.Remember that exophthalmos may signify chronic nephritis, that heterophoria is a frequent accompaniment of intractable headache, that early presence of tubercle bacilli may be found in the larynx with a cotton swab before it is found in the sputum.-C. A. BLUME. “Stony hardness” is a strong characteristic of Phytolacca.R. E. S. HAYES. Painful aggravation of connective tissue and nerve conditions after 3 a. m. is characteristic of Phytolacca.-R. E. S. HAYES. Scleroderma is related to the tubercular influence.-5. REINES.The functional or anæmic heart sound is a dilatation sound. The dilatation is usually in proportion to the intensity of the sound.-s. E. HENSCHEN.Pyrogen (Swan’s) is useful for eczema when it takes on the pustular form, with intense itching, burning, throbbing, and can not bear the part covered.-H. F. MORROW.Syphilinum may clear up old skin troubles when Sulphur and Psorinum have failed.-H. C. MORROW. Dr. Morrow finds the Swah potencies very reliable and his Pyrogen wonderfully efficient.Nosebleed may be stopped by packing the nose with linen dipped in hot vinegar.-E. KRAMBRISCH.
Today I am glad to share some brilliant cure of Children’s Diseases by Stalwarts of Homoeopathy which is quite inspiring and thought provoking .Let’s explore ourselves in the days to come by our dedication, determination and commitment through legitimate application of the law of similia.
- 1. Unmanageable child.
A dramatic case was that of a miserable little boy of three who was underdeveloped, constantly angry, brutal to other children and completely unmanageable. His head was so misshapen that it looked like a dish of mashed potatoes. History revealed that his paternal grandfather had suffered from syphilis and that his father had had a positive Wassermann from birth. Syphilinum was given to the boy in ascending doses over the next few years, and his head became normal in size, his disposition became sweet and manageable. He is now an outstandingly attractive, intelligent and talented boy of eight.-J. Stephenson.
2. ‘No brains‘.
A boy nearly four; vacant eyes; cannot say two words together; very dirty; puts everything in his mouth, even a dog’s faeces. His mother was told “you cannot replace brains; he will never be normal”. His mother was desperately ill before he was born; he had unsuccessful vaccinations; and we gave Thuja three doses in three different high potencies on succeeding days; and in four weeks, when next seen, there was a veritable resurrection, which had to be seen to be believed. The boy was running about; talking, noticing everything, asking questions. He has never looked back. -M. L. Tyler.
3. child.
A tiny baby, 3 months old, microcephalic; just alive and breathing; practically never moves hand or foot; hardly cries; never even lifts or turns its head, or takes notice of anything; has ‘gasping attacks’. For the first few months Calc. ph. 6 and 12, then Sulphur 12 were given. Slight improvement, gain in weight; jubilation when it began moving its feet. At 7 months Calc. c. was given in ascending potencies from the 6th to CM, first more frequently, then at longer intervals. Results: steady improve ment, in cutting teeth, weight gain: plays, cries; smiles; eats eggs, bread and butter at 18 months, and at 22 months puts on her mother’s glove and takes it off her own hand. Is not going to be what one feared, a mongolian idiot, though still flabby.-Dorothy Shepherd.
4. Mongol.
(a) A mongolian idiot, 21 months old. Head round, microcephalic; short ‘suggestive’ nose; small, slinty eyes, very high palate. Can only say, da-da, ta-ta but understands a lot. Father has epileptic fits since the war. She got Sulphur CM. Various other remedies given (Lueticum, Medorrhinum, Calc. sulph. etc.) with very slow improvement. After Tuber. bov. she was walking several steps alone. Then Drosera 1M started an amazing change. Within a month, walking about the room, going for everything; notices every thing; always in a hurry. In another two months “helps her mother to wash up”. Dros. CM in a few months “more like a normal child”. -Elizabeth Hubbard.(b) A fat and flabby boy of ten years had all the features of a mongol-the eyes met obliquely, mouth open, etc. He was restless, tripping and falling easily, had involuntary micturition; he could not talk; desired salty food; slept on abdomen; was very thirsty and desired ice-cold drinks; desired to be fondled and caressed and was very affectionate. He was given Phosphorus 200 four doses, hourly. Report a month later ‘much better’. At this stage, Medorrhinum 200, four doses hourly were given. In the next 15 days the boy was able to speak; could say ‘daddy’; was more intelligent in behaviour. Medorrhinum was repeated only once, and the boy improved steadily. Havewalla.
5. Unnaturally dark complexion.
The eldest boy who was in the L.A.S. was getting more and more deaf. When the whole family came to see the doctor, he was amazed to see a peculiar dark dis colouration in various stages in the family, which I have learnt to associate with mercurialisation, no matter how old. The mother of the boy had irregular streaks of black discolouration on face, hands. Two elder children were unnaturally black like the father. Three children born long after the first two were fair like the mother, but showed dark patches in various gradations. Father testified he had been given quantities of mercury, but could not remember for what. Like vaccinosis, could mercury be transmitted to wife and children? Nitric acid IM one dose was given to all. By the time of the next call a month later, there was a dramatic disappearance of discoloura tion in all of them, including the extremely black father; the eldest son’s deafness too disappeared.-N. M. Jaisoorya.
6. Post-diphtheric paralysis in a boy aged six.
Solids were swal lowed with comparative case, but liquids were thrown out even through the nose. Snoring respiration; speech nasal, almost unintelligible. Difficult breathing, worse during sleep. Lachesis brought this boy to full health, saving him from contemplated operation, or worse!
7. Defective speech.
A boy aged 11 was brought by his mother with the complaint of ‘defective speech. The mother had a bad attack of flue when three months pregnant. Was late in walking and talking: could only say ‘no’ and ‘right’. Causticum and Sulphur were given with some benefit for a month, after which Influenzinum 200 was given. From this time onward there was steady progress. four months later the boy was showing great interest in figures and writing. Speech had improved a little and he can now get about on buses by himself.-D. M. Foubister..
8. Lack of confidence.
A boy with an exceeedingly good mind was difficult to manage at school because he was so absent-minded. It was difficult for him to concentrate. With a decided inferiority complex, he was apt to be cross and fussy, teasing his younger sisters and even grown-ups in the family. The inferiority complex and lack of confidence led me to give Lycopodium with very satis factory results in his behaviour G. Stevens.
9. Mental deficiency.
K. C. at 11 years of age was dumb and deaf, spiteful, when irritated, would throw a knife at anyone in the room. They were planning to send her to a special school for imbeciles. She was undersized, late in walking. After a two-year course of Baryta carb. 6th, three times a day, every one of these symptoms was removed. At 16 she was a tall, well-developed intelligent girl. Now works in a laundry, goes to the pictures alone, eager to help in the housework and relieve her mother, can hear and speak fairly well. Quite a transformation and the wonder of the neighbourhood. -W. A. Davidson.
10. Bad temper.
A child, bad-tempered even at one year’s age. Never a smile from her, she would play with anybody, gave vent to terrible tantrums of temper, kicking and howling. Tuberculinum 200 was given weekly, and the very first dose made a difference; in a few weeks the once sulky, bad-tempered child began to smile instead of frowning and even lashing out with her feet. Her parents were extremely grateful…. In the last ten years one has had many children from one to five years and over, with symptoms like those mentioned, and Tuberculinum invariably helped. In quite a goodly percentage I could discover tuberculosis in the family. These children with sudden brain storms, who react so well to Tuberculinum, may require other medicines later on… and some seem to require nothing but Tuberculinum to turn them into strong, healthy children, -D. Shepherd.
11. Traumatic paralysis.
A two-year old girl who fell from the second floor was rushed to the hospital with profuse bleeding and convulsions. Given essential first aid, glucose-saline, etc. she sur vived. After three days of unconsciousness, was found to have her entire right side paralysed, with loss of speech too. All that she was advised was sedatives and physiotherapy for a year. Given Arnica and Hypericum in repeated doses there was dramatic movement of her right leg in the first week, of her right hand in the second week. Later, Natrum sulph. and Glonoin turned her into a normal child all in the course of about six months.-Bhanu Desai.
12. Nervous child.
When a child is afraid to be left alone, is afraid of the dark, terrified by traffic, afraid of animals; has sleeplessness and night terrors, he is a misery to himself and a torture to his parents. Homoeopathy can take hold of such an unstable nervous system. It can control the immediate symptoms with ease, and what is infinitely more valuable, it can modify and strengthen the whole nervous system, so that all signs and symptoms of instability will disappear.-D. M. Borland.The remedies often found useful for such conditions are: Agaricus, Natrum mur., Kali phos., Lycopodium, Pulsatilla, Silicea, Zincum, Phosphorus, Calc. phos., Tuberculinum, etc. A very important keynote of Lycopodium is that the child worries intensely about his lessons; if, further, he hates mathematics, this remedy is probably still more positively indicated.-D. Shepherd.
13. Obstinacy.
For the excessively obstinate child, a few weekly doses of Tuberculinum in 200th is most often indicated.-D. M.Foubister. When a child is suspicious, always looks out for an insult, obsti nate in the extreme, and if she wants a thing will oppose it if suggested by someone else. think of Capsicum.-M. L. Tyler.When obstinacy and inclination to grow fat are found together,Calcarea carb. is most likely to help, while an obstinate child given57to violence or destructiveness, who calms down by soothing music, will be reformed by Tarantula hisp.-J. T. Kent.
14. Lying and stealing.
Opium is a drug, in homoeopathic potency,to be thought of for those abnormal children whose moral sense has never been developed, who lie and steal and are heading for a mental institution.-M. L. Tyler.
15. Criminal tendencies.
For juvenile delinquents and a lot of other things we see these days, Natrum mur. would probably be the most possible asset.-A. H. Grimmer.There is a type of child which, one fears, would develop in later years into the unemployable or the criminal adult. Under the action of Baryta carb., Natrum mur. or one or the other of the kindred drugs, in a very short time, these children become perfectly normal. -D. M. Borland.
I had a sweet remembrance of a Child , aged 5 months, Male suffering from right mandibular enlargement with tenderness after prior appointment attended our Homoeopathic O.P.D., Churabhander P.H.C. under Maynaguri Rural Hospital, Jalpaiguri with his mother and Grandfather, H.M., Maynaguri High school after Tiffin hours at 2 p. M. In a busy O.P.D. registering 4000 to 5 OOO patients every month.History of increasing right mandible with tenderness since 2 months was under a Child Specialist initially then a Paediatric Surgeon undergone X – Ray suggested surgery.A healthy boy under Scheduled Immunization showing some irritability , dribbling of saliva time to time, tenderness and intense desire to press the gum.Desire bathing & fanning. Dentition not started but gums hardened.Phytolacca D. – 200/ 4 doses in water / 1 dose daily.Reported after 2 weeks a dramatic change – on third day salivation almost stopped with diminished tenderness. After two weeks gradual diminishing of his mandible . After 1 month Phytolacca 200/ 4 doses by 10 succussion.After 3 months he is quite normal in all respects and expressed their great joy.
—– Dr.Nirmal kumar Maity
Read more on children’s types by Dr.Doglas m Borland here — childrens types by Dr.Douglas m Borland
read this book and enjoy learning.