Prescribing For Infants And Children

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Today morning

I am glad to share an invaluable article on ” Prescribing For Infants And Children ” by Dr. Eugene Underhill, M.D. again for better reading, learning and applications in the days to come to strengthen our legacy, authenticity and unique efficacy in correcting the morbid sussceptibilies, predisposition & chronic ailments where Modern Physicians are not at all satisfied with the results of their treatment due to Iatrogenesis, Drug resistance, Polypharmacy, Patent, crud & combined medicines .Courtesy : Ramakrishna Mission Charitable Dispensary, Bankura, West Bengal, India.Collected & Preserved by Dr Maheswaranandaji Maharaj, L.M.F., Converted Renowned Homoeopathic Physician, Direct Desciple of our Holy Mother.Published in The Homoeopathic Recorder of Boericke & Tafel in the year 1930.

  • —-Dr. Nirmal Kumar Maity

PRESCRIBING FOR INFANTS AND CHILDREN

EUGENE UNDERHILL, M. D..This question should be considered under two headings, first,constitutional treatment, and, second, treatment of acute ailments.Without doubt the more correct the constitutional treatment the less frequently will the physician be called upon to prescribe for acute illnesses. Now what percentage of children really re quire antipsoric or constitutional treatment? Probably 100% or nearly so.When should the first antipsoric prescription be made? At the earliest moment the physician is sure he has found the simillimum. In what percentage of cases will the physician be given the opportunity to prescribe for infants and children when there is apparently nothing the matter with them? This will depend almost entirely upon the individual doctor and the degree of con fidence the family have in him. The late Dr. George H. Thacher of Philadelphia, told me that often he has known the remedy a child required long before he was asked by the parents to pre scribe for the child. On frequent occasions he has given the rem edy as a “treat” to the little one, no one but the doctor knowing of the good work. Scarcely any of us but have had a like opportunity.

Let us not withhold the remedy, if we know it is the simillimum, and having given the medicine let us keep a record of it and of the general symptoms on which the remedy was pre scribed. Such data may prove of immense value in after years.

It occasionally happens that the same constitutional remedy may remain indicated over many years. Sometimes the clear pic ture of the remedy fades as years go by and only by going back, as Kent suggested, and getting the original symptom picture present in childhood can the true similar be found. Of course, some patients will not maintain their remedy identity for any great period of time. Particularly does this seem to be true of tuberculosis patients.Since his death, one of Dr. Thacher’s patients, a young wom an of 24, consulted me for nose bleed associated with amenorRead before the I. H. A., Bureau of Obstetrics and Pediatrics, June 1930.

THE HOMEOPATHIC RECORDER

. She had been under the doctor’s care at intervals since babyhood. Her constitutional remedy had always been Phos phorus-only in a few instances had an intercurrent remedy been prescribed for some acute condition. Dr. Thacher’s first prescrip tion in this case was Phos. 6th. This was given in February 1907, when the baby was less than a year old. The last prescription had been Phos. 50M, given in October 1928 and she had remained well until about six weeks ago. I repeated Phos. 50M with marked improvement in the patient’s general condition, showing she was still true to her remedy type. There is in this case the family his tory of tuberculosis. The patient, however, would not impress one as tuberculous and is more plethoric by far than the so-called Phosphorus type. The remedy has evidently spared her much sickness and suffering these many years.It has been my observation that when both parents have come under homoeopathic treatment after having had one or two children, children subsequently born are definitely stronger, more resistant, and less psoric. I was first impressed by this fact in the case of my own children and this I have subsequently confirmed in a number of other families. Observations along these lines over a period of years should convince any homeopathic physi cian of the unquestioned value of pre-conceptional and pre-natal antipsoric treatment of both parents.The children who have had the benefit of correct homeo pathic constitutional treatment will seldom require remedies for acute conditions, simply because they will, as a rule, rarely suffer from acute illnesses, with the exception of the exanthemata, and even these will appear much less frequently in those under anti psoric treatment. I am quite sure all Hahnemannians will agree on this point. But where they may not agree is in the matter of treating acute illness in general and the exanthemata in pare ticular.Hahnemann maintained that many acute conditions were violent expressions of latent psora, a flare-up of latent psora or perhaps an acute exacerbation of an otherwise quiescent consti tutional disorder for it is not my intention to provoke any dis cussion as to what psora was, is, may or might be. It seems to me that it is a very serious question and sometimes a real PRESCRIBING FOR INFANTS AND CHILDREN

problem to decide when to and when not to intervene in an acute illness, be the patient a child or an adult. It depends somewhat upon what the physician’s essential motive and purpose is. If that purpose is to sell homoeopathy and himself to his patients and their relatives and friends he will then, of course, endeavor to correctly prescribe for every case of acute sickness be it mild or severe. There is nothing more striking than the manner in which the homeopathic remedy can wipe out acute troubles. When a new patient comes under the care of a homoeopathic physician, and many times it is for some immediate acute condition, then is the physician fully justified and it is his duty to prescribe for the immediate symptom picture and another family is won over to homeopathy.But the case may be very different after deep constitutional therapy has been undertaken. What then? If the case is mild and progressing normally and favorably allow the constitutional rem edy to continue its work without interference, this I believe holds true for simple colds, digestive disturbances and even mild cases of measles, chicken-pox, mumps and whooping cough. Allow these conditions a chance to work themselves out of the system. It is surprising how mild some cases are especially where the child has been under careful antipsoric treatment. More than once I have been convinced that I have spoiled or warped a chronic case by stepping in with an acute remedy even when that remedy was correct and actually took hold and cleaned up the acute ail ment. No doubt some will say that if the remedy is really homoeo pathic to the case it can do no harm-can only do good and should therefore always be given for every cold, every sore throat, every stomach ache and for every ache or pain that flesh is heir to.Particularly in infants and children are these apt to be oc casional and sometimes even frequent little disturbances, efforts on the part of nature to establish equilibrium. To cover all or even several of these troubles with an acute remedy may even defeat the purpose of nature, may, in fact, be suppressive, smoothing over the surface and yet not touching the underlying miasm which continues to smoulder within.

THE HOMEOPATHIC RECORDER

In conclusion:1. Begin constitutional treatment at the earliest possible moment: begin with the parents and grandparents, that unborn generations may inherit stronger, cleaner constitutions. 2. Give infants and children the benefit of early constitstional treatment.3. Be conservative in cases of acute illness. Give Sac. loc. and wait. If an acute condition is in no way alarming why in terfere? Let nature make the necessary adjustments. Even if the child is suffering from a mild attack of measles, chicken-pox, or, scarlet give Sac. lac. and don’t worry. If the case is severe by all means give the indicated remedy. If you do not see the remedy give more Sac. lac., and study the case further. If after careful study the remedy is still obscure then call a consultant and if possible get someone who can really help you, one who knows his materia medica and his philosophy, for a serious acute condition is sometimes a matter of life and death and requires a physician’s best and most earnest effort.4. After an acute illness has passed watch carefully for the symptom picture to unfold for those hydraheaded miasms are prone to rouse themselves to action after the storm has subsided and it is often at just such a point that the physician has the best possible opportunity to correct some of the deepest consti tutional disorders once and for all. Treat the children with the correct homeopathic constitutional remedy, it is their best in surance for a long, healthy and happy life.PHILADELPHIA, PA.DISCUSSION.DR. A. II. GRIMMER: We owe Dr. Underhill a real debt for presenting the paper in the concise form in which it is presented, giving us the philoso and the splendid following of homeopathic doctrine. I believe that our est opportunity really lies in the prevention of these deep-seated conditions such as tuberculosis and even cancer. I think we can control cancer more in little children than we can in any other way.Peculiar, unusual, unexpected or unaccountable symptoms are of rare importance if not in conflict with the modalities of the mentals and generals.-RAY W. SPALDING, M. D., before the Eastern, 1929.

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