Today I am glad to share again an important timely article for better reading, application & observations in tackling the Acute Diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, fungus successfully when Modern Physicians are quite dissatisfied with the results of their treatment due to Iatrogenesis, Polypharmacy, crud drugging, too much dependence on sophisticated instruments ignoring the art of the treatment which is remained intrude in socio cultural context of the patients.Let’s strengthen our legacy, authenticity and rationality by correct perception of each and every case judging the key characteristics with modalities, justified etiology & Miasmatic background concentrating on the discussion on the topic by the Masterminds of the 19 th Century.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.
Dr.Nirmal Kumar Maity
THE RELATION OF ACUTE DISEASES TO THE CHRONIC MIASM Dr H. A. ROBERTS, M.D.
It seems to be the universal tendency for Hahnemannian to fall into the work of treating chronic diseases almost to the exclusion of acute work. There is hardly a Hahnemannian in prac. tice thirty years who has not succumbed to the spell of chronic work, for the record of cures of the seemingly incurable dis. eases has been brilliant. This in itself is but a natural outgrowth of the consciousness that underneath all our chronic diseases is the miasmatic taint or tendency, whichever way we may wish to express it, which is the mainspring and the main instrument undermining the health of all people.
This tendency for how mæopathic physicians to largely ignore the acute manifestations is one we may well deplore, for there is no class of cases which loans itself to such brilliant results and leads the way to per manent cures of miasmatic tendencies as does the care of acute diseases.The idea that the Hahnemannian does not care for acute diseases and must therefore be inadequately prepared to meet them is very prevalent among honest (but misguided) observers of the two systems of medicine.
To illustrate: One of my patients was once told by an alleopathic physician, in all earnest ness, that the homeopathic physician could not cure acute dis. eases, but their strong point was in the care of chronic diseases because anybody could cure those. It is this idea that I wish to emphasize and combat in every particular, for this same physi cian, when we came to investigate the vital statistics of the city in which he resides and practises, had signed forty-one death certificates of those who had succumbed during the course of acute diseases within twelve months, whereas the two Hahne mannian homæopaths who had large practices, both acute and chronic, had signed but one death certificate between them for acute disease, and that was a case of malignant scarlet fever.First we should understand and comprehend the character *Read before the I. H. A., Bureau of Homeopathic Philosophy, June 1931.
THE RELATION OF ACUTE DISEASES TO THE CHRONIC MIASM
Characteristic differences between acute diseases and chronic states. I might give as a definition of acute disease that it is one that is self-limiting in its nature, either in the way of entire eradication or by overwhelming the constitution to the point where it is de Structive of life itself ; therefore it is limited in its sphere of ac tion. The cardinal point of chronic disease, on the other hand, is that it never is self-limited, and can only be cured and com pletely eradicated by the administration of the dynamic similar remedy.We all observe the tendencies in certain families and in certain individuals to be forever and constantly coming down with certain types of troubles, acute in their manifestations. One family is subject to bronchial troubles, another to disturbances of the upper air chambers and nasal passages. The members of another family have exceedingly delicate digestive powers, and on the slightest provocation develop acute manifestations, while another group are subject to sore throats. Later in life some of these groups show their peculiar propensities toward acute mani festations of the kidneys or the heart. Why is it that these ten dencies to acute manifestations, which almost always follow the same course, constantly spring up in individuals and in individual families? Whatever these acute manifestations may be, they show their peculiar relationship to an underlying miasmatic con dition in the inner recesses of the individual.Usually the treatment of these acute disturbances requires a simillitude, or complementary remedy, to that called for in the chronic miasmatic manifestations. Seldom do they require the same remedy as the chronic manifestations, but rather one com plementary to it. For instance, the patient whose chronic indi cations call for Silicia will often show strong indications for Pulsatilla in his acute disturbances. The patient who requires Gra in his chronic manifestations may often call for Pul satilla in the acute conditions. One might point out many such instances where the deeper acting remedies are aided and abetted in the acute manifestations by remedies which are complementary. In our study of the acute manifestations of disease we real ize that these are an effort on the part of Nature to assist in
THE HOMEOPATHIC RECORDER
throwing off some of the chronic miasms. It is an effort similar to that of the mill-pond or reservoir which foments and stir it. self to the bottom at intervals in its saprophytic action to purify itself. The acute disturbances are a saprophytic action on the part of Nature to stir the system in an effort to cleanse itself. It is at such times that the system is most susceptible to the action of the simillimum, and it is at such times also that the most care ful selection of the remedy should be made. If it is possible, one should avoid giving much medicine during the acute manifesta tions, but the close of an acute attack is the time when the con stitutional remedy can be made most effective, and will soon clear up very completely the miasmatic disturbances.In these acute attacks, when a remedy is necessary, care should be exercised not to select a remedy that will suppress the disturbance. One should carefully avoid administering the co stitutional remedy until the acute attack has subsided, but”: complementary remedy may be used with good effect. However, following the acute attack, when the disturbance is completely ended, and the first indication of the constitutional symptoms appears, at that particular juncture the constitutional remedy should be administered. Practically, I have found that it is much better to use the complementary remedy in a lower potency than the constitutional remedy, the reason being that it is not on thesame plane of activity. I wish to urge the keener observation of these acute mani- festations as giving us the clue and the opportunity to eradicate permanently the fundamental miasmatic basis in each individual case.DERBY, CONNDISCUSSIONDR. E. UNDERHILL, JR.: Dr. Roberts! excellent paper contains a good num ber of important points for our thoughtful consideration. Probably over seventy-five per cent of all physicians gradually come to prefer a relatively large office practice and a comparatively small outside calling list. Chronic work is much less subject to epidemic and seasonal fluctuations and is therefore more steady and dependable than the acute portion of one’s practice. 10 more chronic work a physician has, the better able is he to arrange bis t ule and apportion his time. The more acute cases he has, the more s DE the mercy of the unexpected. Time, energy, economic considerations all favor the drift toward chronic cases.THE RELATION OF ACUTE DISEASES TO THE CHRONIC MIASM 25There is however, in good homæopathic practice, another very large and legitimate factor ever at work. Acute diseases, as Dr. Roberts has pointed out, are efforts on the part of nature to rid the system of a portion of the chronic miasm. Correct. homeopathy can eliminate so much of the psoric or miasmatic dyscrasia as to no longer make acute flare-ups necessary. Every correct ho- homeopathic prescription lessens the chances of the physician being called to take care of acute cases, If any one prefers acute cases to chronic he is per- fectly welcome to specialize along such lines. If he is a good Hahnemannian his success is assured, but unless he fight them off, the old chronics will soon adorning his reception room.The directional and family tendencies in acute disease were very well brought out. The acute colds, throat troubles and respiratory ailments are the tendency with some, stomach and bowel disturbance in others, and so on, the acute manifestations showing the direction, to a large extent, of the un- derlying miasmatic disorder. The chronic remedy should have affinity for the region generally attacked by the acute diseases.on heartily agree with Dr. Roberts that “if it is possible, one should avoid much medicine during the acute manifestations”. Why? Because of danger of suppressing or perhaps diverting and partially defeating an Eliminative effort on the part of the constitution. I also agree with him that the best time to ste in with the constitutional simillimum is just after an the manifestation has subsided, when there is greater cleanliness in the organism than is the case under average or ordinary conditions of so-calledhealth In closing this discussion allow me to especially emphasize the conclud ing paragraph in Dr. Roberts paper in which he urges the keener observa tion of these acute manifestations as giving us the clue and the opportunity to eradicate permanently the fundamental miasmatic basis in each individual case”DR. P. L. BENTHACK: I agree with Dr. Roberts very much in this. In the old days I believed that pneumonia was only an outbreak of sleeping or latent tuberculosis, and that in families where there was a little tubercular condition, you could expect lots of pneumonia.The higher the potency the stronger the remedy, but sometimes it is best careful, if the potency is too strong. We will say we have a case of to be pneumonia after the acute symptoms are over, it does not clear up, and we give Sulphur. We can kill the patient if we give it too high. Start it lower. T once killed a woman with 200th potency. She might have lived had I started with a lower potency. Higher potency means more power. What is true about pneumonia and tuberculosis is true about cancer. We must use the high potency. Sometimes if we want to do good work we often need the lower potency to prepare for the higher.DR. R. E. S. HAYES: I would like to make one exception–I might call it an addition to Dr. Roberts’ statements. We do not usually give the consti tutional remedy in acute diseases, but there are cases of acute disease, where the constitutional symptoms are quite prominent and the constitutional remedy will act and act better than at any other time. There will be no other remedy needed afterwards either.DR. E. UNDERHILL, JR.: I wish to endorse that statement DR. C. M. BOGER: It has been mentioned this morning that we are told to remove all the external influences, outside causes, and so on, and then treat the causes with the indicated remedy. In that, Hahnemann does not differ in any sense from our modern allocopathic friends at all, only after the causes are removed, they allow nature to finish the cure, and we try to help nature by giving the indicated remedy for the remaining symptoms. These remaining symptoms, distinct and left after the causes have been removed, bear a HOMEOPATHIC RECORDER26Distinct relationship to the constitution of the patient, and therefore are likely to correspond to one of Hahnemann’s remedies, That brings us down to the crux of what I want to say. The patient who is under a chronically editing constitutional remedy and is taken down with an acute disease is not being affected by your constitutional treatment. In other words, he has not gottenhis indicated remedy, because if the constitutional remedy does anything, it so stabilizes the vital force so that one will not be subject to acute diseases. go down before our How far we may allow the patient to apparently eyes before resorting to the complementary remedy is sometimes a difficult question to answer, but by being patient, waiting for yourreaction, watching the concomitant symptoms very carefully, and not being in too great a hurry, you will see your reaction come in due time without the interference of the acute remedy, even in low potency. When we look back and think demonstration made in the Vienna Hospital, by ney comparing the with the homeopaths in homæopathic treatment of pneumonia homeopathic death rate 16 per cent, allæopathic 25 to 40 results of the allopathie, per cent, we hardly have a more conclusive evidence of the truth of this statement In own work in pneumonia, I have frequently seen a case of pneumonia entirely through without giving a single remedy. And the same has been true with is better off after patient is typhoid fever. It requires close attention, but the wards, much better off. Your remedy, if chronic afterward, goes right along doing the work you are not able to do beforehand. In other words, the acute disease was simply a new exposition of a disordered vital forceDR. A. IL. GRIMMER: I am in accord with what Dr. Boger has just stated providing we are all as competent to select the deep constitutional remedy as Dr. Boger is. Some of these cases with acute conditions really are alarming to patients friends and even to the doctor himself. Unless you are absolutely certain that you have that patient’s constitutional remedy, it might prove dangerous to leave some acute condition, such as pneumonia, untreated and you may have to interfere with the best indicated acute remedy at that time. I believe that in those vicious cases, with this exposition of psora, we have indications for a remedy that will aid nature in her attempt, but as has been stated by other essayists and commentators, there is danger of suppression if the exact remedy isn’t given. It is a hard question, a question that will make us all think. Dr. Boger’s idea is really the ideal Hahnemannian way, whetever you are certain of the constitutional remedy Dn. J. M. OVERPECK: A question comes to my mind. If you have a case o pneumonia or some other acute trouble, and a good, thorough prescriber PDF homeopathic remedies finds symptoms pointing to a chronic remedy, w not give it?DN. C. M. nACER: This question opens up a whole new subject. I dont he to start talking on it. The acute disease is still demonstratively caused ‘s reacting constitutional remedy, The most careíul evaluation of the pile vital force and strength and power of reaction whether you are justified in giving it or not. The examination and conclusion has to be very carefully made and weighed. enable you to decideDa. W. J. S. POWERS: There is one point that has not been emphasized enough, the constant recurrence of acute conditions, despite careful home pathic prescribing. Why is that? I believe, in a case of that kind, it is very essential that we go into the psychical relationship of the patients, the family relationship, the psychical atmosphere under which he is living. Very fre- quently by straightening out this outside cause, your homæopathic prescribing s much more effectiveDE. R. E. SPALDING: It seems to me that the discussion has really brought out two angles to the acute and chronic proposition, as I understand it. The discussion has mainly brought out the assumption that people who are comingTHE RELATION OF ACUTE DISEASES TO THE CHRONIC MIASM 27down with acute disorders are already under a constitutional remedy. whereas I think Dr. Roberts brings out, in bis last paragraph, particularly the point that these cases may first be seen by us as acute cases, not having previously been observed, and therefore great care is necessary in the obser- vation to later point out the proper constitutional remedy. GREEN: Let us remember that Hahnemann treated first acutepatients, and had one acute case after another, the same patient returning with DR. J. M. a different acute manifestation, which made Hahnemann puzzle as to the Cause. The very collection, for years and years, of these acute cases was what led him to his theory of chronic diseases. Therefore, chronic patient should, with good prescribing, not come down with an acute manifestation very often, and when he does, perhaps his chronic remedy is the one to be prescribed. At least we ought to think of that before giving a more acute or temporary remedyDR. R. E. S. HAVE: It seems there is one thing more that should be said The suppression of the acute disease with acute remedies is not always such thing in the end, if the patient is handled carefully afterwards I have found that where the acute condition is cleared up with an acute remedy and several prescriptions are given afterward of a constitutional nature, the pa csvread not have the best of health until he got around to the remedy that tied before the acute trouble. He goes right around in a vehicle But when sets the cycle completed, and get around to the original remedy, theremedy that he had before the acute trouble, he will be vastly improved CHAIRMAN DIXON: I have noticed so often, through the grippe epidemics, that the chronic cases do not come down with grippe for influenza, or if they do, it is so mild that I seldom find it necessary to take them off their chronic remedy. I suppose that has been the result with other men who have a list of chronic, but I thought, in connection with what Dr. Boger said, 1 would like to make that remark.DR. R. A. ROBERTS: I feel very pleased indeed to have had you discuss this paper as thoroughly as you have, because it is just what I wanted you to do, For that reason I did not write much myself. We should emphasize more and more the opportunity the homeopath has in observing acute diseases. By so doing we are going to learn much. If we only see them in the chronic state, we have missed out. I feel that very strongly.Now in regard to the carrying through, on the basis that we should never interfere with acute diseases, there are so many times when the system is 50 overwhelmed with acute manifestations that unless there is interference you are going to lose your patient. I think it takes a great deal of patience and agreat deal of judgment to know just where that point is. Above all, don’t forget that acute diseases give us the opportunity that we long have sought, of finding our constitutional remedy better, because it is more manifest. It will come out just at the close of the acute diseases. Very often we homeopaths, who treat only chronic cases, do not have the oppor tunity we ought to have. I beseech each one of you to take pains to courtthe acute diseases instead of confining yourselves entirely in your own officeto chronic work. DR. C. M. BOGER: In a neighboring city there is a family that nearly always heeds Mercurius. They are too far away for me to see them, except as chronic patients, One of the children was taken with a serious trouble with the mid dle ear, tonsils, and so on, and the homeopath, who was very good prescriber, did not seem to be able to get her over it. He finally brought her Back to me. I looked her over for a little while. I could not decide which one of the Mercurius group she needed. She had been broken down and was not coming back.
I finally concluded that she needed Mercurius cyan and the response came right away.