|
 |
|||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
Forums
Courses
Shop
Diseases
Articles
Journal
Directory|
|
||||
Homeopathic Archives |
||||
|
|
||||
| Hpathy Ezine, March 2004 | ||||
|
Do Homeopathy Medicines Make Functional Changes? -- E. A. Farrington |
||||
|
DISCUSSION Dr.Jeanes agreed with Dr.Farrington, that in order to understand that which is abnormal, it is necessary to be acquainted with what is normal; and with Dr. Dudley, that disgusting remedies should not be introduced into our Materia Medica. The individual physician may experiment with them if he wishes, but they need not be put into our works. He had no doubt that many uncertain symptoms had crept into our materia medica, but he thought these could generally be traced to the recording of clinical symptoms with the results of provings; especially in the case of alterations in nutrition. Graphites, for example, was said to exert an influence on cicatricial tissue, but it had never produced it. As to the twelve tissue remedies, he was opposed to them as being against the priniciples of Homoeopathy. Dr. Korndoerfer would not like to go without the (potentized) bed bug in his pocket-case. He had once succeeded in removing the symptom, “violent shooting pain along from vagina up towards left ovary, which had lasted six months”, within one hour by one dose of Cimex 30. Ought we to be willing to sacrifice a remedy that can produce such a result? We already use the Spanish fly and Musk, which are hardly less disgusting than the Cimex. He did not approve of searching for new remedies of this kind, but we ought not to give up a good thing because it seems dirty. We should not be hypersensitive; if such things are real curative agents, that fact, and that only, should govern our action towards them. Dr.Farrington said, in answer to Dr. Jeanes remark in reference to Graphites, that of course it could never caused cicatricial tissue, but it had caused induration of cellular tissue, which so nearly resembles it that it gave the basis of comparison. He was sorry to have to disagree entirely with Dr. Dudley. He would not be willing to throw Psorinum to dogs, his own experience with it had been too valuable; nor yet Variolinum, however disgusting their origin may appear. Nor would he wish to abandon the Cimex. In his opinion, the laity had nothing at all to do with the names of our remedies, nor with the substances used; and when potentized these all taste alike. As to the unreliability of reported verifications of acute symptoms, spoken of by Dr. Dudley in his paper, we have no means of testing whether a group of symptoms has disappeared of it, or has been removed by our remedy. If left to nature, the symptoms run a certain known course, and disappear in a certain order; whereas, the proper Homoeopathic remedy will prevent this course, and cause the symptoms to disappear in a contrary order. For example, in a case of poisoning by Rhus, the vesicular eruption will spread in a certain direction. If, after the use of Croton Tig, we find that the course is stopped, and the advanced stages begin to fade first; not those that first appeared, as would be the case it left to nature we may be sure that our remedy has done the work and not nature. Dr, Dudley used to think himself a sort of pariah, a medical outcast, who agreed with no one, and with whom no one agreed except in adopting the law of similars; but he was glad to find that at least in one other point he could agree with Drs.Farrington and Korndoerfer. Dr. Korndoerfer, in his paper last month, has said that the Homoeopathic remedy is not that one whose symptoms can be patched together, so as to agree with the symptoms of disease. He certainly is correct in that. This evening, Dr. Farrington had carried same idea a step further, and has maintained that an acquaintance with the functional changes produced by our remedies is not possible, but necessary to an intelligent use of them. The use of Spanish fly and of Musk does not, in his opinion, justify the use of Cimex, and the other disgusting remedies to which he referred in his paper. His argument against them is based upon the popular disgust; whereas, in the case of other substances mentioned by Dr, Korndoerfer, there is no popular disgust; fashion has sanctioned their use. What can we think of that physician who goes to the lowest cesspools in search of his remedies? He, for his part, would not judge such a man worthy of credence. If driven by necessity, and there was nothing else left, he supposed he would use such remedies too, but only as a last resort. Dr. Korndoerfer did not wish to be understood as advocating these lowest remedies; and yet, why they should not be used? No doubt many others and we have madeinvoluntry provings of Cimex;but Dr.Wahle of Rome felt warranted in making a voluntary proving of it, which has certainly been productive of some good. What can be nastier than Psorinum; and yet he would not wish to be without it. In the case of a little child with a dirty looking eruption of its scalp, and an indescribably disagreeable smell from the person in spite of the greatest care, Psorinum cured in a week; and the same remedy also removed ugly pustules from around the finger nails of the mother, within the same time. Such an experience certainly ought to induce us to hold fast to the remedy. Dr. Farrington would like to ask two questions; (1) What would Dr. Dudley do, if driven by necessity, he really wanted such a remedy? Ought he not to be able to find it somewhere, for example, in just a work as Allen’s Encyclopaedia? (2) Does anybody know any remedy that had horribly offensive black waterly stools at night? He had met stools of such a kind in many cases of cholera infantum, and the children had been cured by Psorinum, Should they have been sacrificed, because Psorinum is nasty? Dr. Dudley answered the first question by saying, that if Cimex were not recorded, probably some better drug would be; and, if a case occurred in which this other drug could not help, there would be many others where it would, and Cimex would not. Dr. Korndoerfer reminded him by the proving of Cimex, one remedy was added, and it did not interfere with the introduction of another. Dr. Jeanes: In olden times the Homoeopathic physician was contended with about 80 remedies; and now from 800 to 1000 have been experimented with; and this is not the one-millionth part of the substances which can operate upon the human system to change its action. Dr. Dudley said chemistry could furnish any number of drugs, and potent ones, if we were in need of new remedies. Dr. Farrington: True; but we must not forget that there exist differences between substances of the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms, which are not represented by a difference in their chemical formulae. Dr. Korndoerfer stated an incidence that proved there was a difference between the action of the Phosphate of lime, derived from the mineral kingdom,and taken from the animal. Dr. A.R.Thomos had seen in the journal of the College of Pharmacy, some five years ago, a detailed method for the preparation and administration of the “ measuring worm”, and a method for extracting therefrom a crystalline substance. He did not think, then, that the old school could sneer at us on account of some substances found in our materia medica, as they are in the habit of doing. The Society then adjourned. |
||||
| <-- Previous -- | ||||
|
||||
