Hahnemann’s conception of chronic disease. Supposed case of mental deficiency. – by Dr. Margaret L. Tyler

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Hahnemann’s
conception of chronic disease.
Supposed case of mental deficiency.
by Dr. Margaret Lucy Tyler
Presented by Sylvain Cazalet

Dr M. L. TYLER

David B—. 2 years and
11 months. First seen November 19, 1912. An 8 months Cæsarean baby.

Mother had an evil
discharge before the previous child was born.

When 7 months pregnant
with this child, began to have great pain. Admitted to Guy’s for a week.

Then, at Cottage
hospital they tried to induce labor ; and then did a Cæsarean
operation.

She was ill after this
for six months (septicæmia and peritonitis). Life despaired of for two
months.

David is a nice,
healthy-looking child, head rather large fair, curly hair. Always
healthy, and looks it… Only !

Now, at just 3 years
old, “knows his father and mother.” “Never says two words
together.” “Pathetic, vacant eyes.” “Only walked at
2 years.”

“Very dirty,
incontinence of stool and urine at night.”

“Has to be
watched, as everything goes into his mouth. The other day, ate a dog’s
fæces.

“Has seen three
different doctors-who all gave different diagnoses.”

“At the Children’s
hospital she was told that he had water on the brain. The doctor said,
“you can’t replace brains ! He will never be normal.”

Lies on his
“tummy,” knee-elbow position, and rocks himself… Will do
that for an hour ; makes such a noise with his cot and by banging
his head against the wall, that he may have to sleep on the floor, for
the sake of the neighbors-and his head.

At one year old, had
bronchitis, and (?) encephalitis, “Never moved for a week.”

Vaccinated !
“Yes. It did not take, so was done a second time at 3 months.”

His mother’s vile
discharge, she has it still, suggested Medorrhinum
(the virus of gonorrhœa), or Hahnemann’s Thuja.

The knee-elbow position
suggested Medorrhinum. His other
symptoms suggested Sulphur.

His vaccinations,
together with the mother’s discharge, gave the casting vote for
Thuja-just to start with ! and he got Thuja
1m, 10m, 50m, (the three doses given one each morning for 3
days).

Four weeks later (Dec.
15). Wonderfully Better !

“A treat to have
him now ! Wonderfully different. “Talks-says several words
straight off now.

“Understands what
do you say” used only to look vacantly, as if to say, “What do
you mean ?”

“Today said, By-by
dada, bus I”

Tells me, “Dada
gone office” and says his brother has “gone school.”

Notices things in the
room. Points, and describes. “Getting fatter. Sleeps better. Less
rocking.”

“Had a birthday
party four days ago and was as normal as anyone !”

(Is investigating the
fastening on his aunt’s bag. Can fasten in.)

“All the time,
when out. Says “What that ? What’s that ?”

“Now loves the
water tap and can’t be kept out of mischief.”

Mother says. The Great
Ormond Street doctor said, “You cannot replace brains. “But
you have”. And that was only two months before he came
here.

“Never
affectionate before : -he is now”.

Another month, Jan. 23,
1932.

“He could only say
a few single words, now says a lot, in sentences.

“Couldn’t lie on
his back-can now.” (Plays about the room here and chatters.) Very
observant.

(Goes to his aunt’s
bag, gets a pencil, and sticks it behind his ear.)

“There was a nun
in the train to-day. He pointed, “Mummy- what that ?” And
when she tried to stop him, he shook her, “Mummy -what’s
that ?” Chattered all the way up. When the nun got out, said,
“Man’s gone”.

(When his mother now
calls him, to have his coat on, being busy, he says, “Just a
minute, mummy”.)

David is now a charming
little child, full of animation and chatter.

Of course it was not a
case of mental deficiency, as supposed-merely a case of arrested
development-no longer arrested-thanks to Thuja.

They have not taken the
trouble to bring him a third time.

But, note how the homœopathic
remedy can turn a seemingly brainless idiot, in two months into a
charming, normal, child.

Dr E. B. Nash

But why go so high with
Thuja ! -when others- Burnett for Instance, have made such play
with it in the lower potencies.

Well-one only
works-consciously or unconsciously-within the range of one’s own
experience.

And this was an early
experiences with Thuja. Dr. Nash, when in England, finding a sympathetic
audience, used to come and sit by me, when I was working in the
children’s Clinic of Dr. Robertson Day.

A child came up with
large flat warts on tongue, besides warts on the inside of cheeks and
face. The tongue warts had been excised, and also cauterized at another
hospital-in vain. I had given Thuja 30,
a couple of months earlier with little or no effect. Then the child had
had whooping cough. Now it came again. Dr. Nash fished out his pocket
case, and put some globules of Thuja Cm
on the child’s tongue. Next time it was seen the warts were practically
gone ; and a dose still later, of Thuja
10m, (the highest I could get hold of) finished them. After
that I have preferred to give Thuja high. Dr. Nash was very good to me.
After he got back to America he sent me 144 of his CM potencies ;
all proved as to their value by him. And they are valuable remedies.

Dr J. H.
Clarke

Dr. Clarke once quoted
Herbert Spencer in regard to vaccination :

“When once you
interfere with order of Nature there is no knowing where the results
will end. Now, if the substances composing the body have been so
modified by vaccination as to leave them no longer liable to smallpox,
is the modification otherwise inoperative ?

“Will anyone dare
to say that it produces no further affect that that of shielding us from
a particular disease ? You cannot change the constitution in
relation to invading agent and leave it unchanged in regard to all other
invading agents…

“We have no means
of measuring alternations in resisting power, but measles is a severer
disease than it used to be, and as to influenza, sixty years ago, when
at long intervals an epidemic occurred, it seized but few was not
severe, and left no serious sequelæ ; now it is permanently
established, affects multitudes in extreme forms, and often leaves
damaged constitutions. The-disease is the same, but there is less
ability to withstand it.” (Homœopathic World, Jan. 1939.)

Perhaps it is absurd to
have tried to write such a paper-the subject being so : It beyond
one’s grasp. But as Brewing puts it :

“Ah, but a man’s
reach should exceed his grasp. Or what’s a heaven for ?”

To deal properly with
such a matter would need far more knowledge-far more study-far more
experience-far more time-than is possible with me.

Dr J. Burnett

And yet I if one waited
always to be able to do a thing creditably-far less perfectly-one would
have to wait. For, is it possible to know anything, without knowing
everything ? And is not better to advance ideas if they come one’s
way ? To put forth, however feebly, what seem to be truths
-tentatively, suggestively- in order that others, grasping the idea, may
improve upon it.

Machts nach, aber
machts besser, said Hahnemann, and Burnett after Hahnemann ; which
one might translate, “Follow on, but go one better.”

But what I do want to
plead for, is a stronger grasp of our Hahnemannian heritage -in its
fullness- and for the Old Pioneer’s glorious discontent with splendid
results, such as there were obvious failures. My incurable, and yours,
is only, after all, what you-and I-cannot cure.

Source :

British Homœopathic
Society, Nov. 3, 1932.

Copyright ©
Sylvain Cazalet 1999

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