Six clinical
cases.
By Frederick H. Lutze, M. D.
Presented by Sylvain Cazalet
Dr Frederick H.
Lutze
I. Headache.
Miss H—.,
æt. Seventeen years, robust, sanguine temperament, suffered from severe
headache, worse in the morning, face red and bloated ; no other
symptoms. Had been treated in Illinois by an old-school doctor without
any benefit.
Nux-vom,
a powder every third day till three were taken, and S. L. as
she did not return, I called at her residence three weeks later, and
heard that the headache had been entirely relieved at first, but later
returned worse than ever ; thought there was no use taking any more
medicine. From her aunt I received the following additional
symptoms : Miss H—. had been suffering in the West from chorea,
but had been cured by the old-school doctor there ; then the
headache came on, which he could not cure. She was afraid in the dark,
when going to bed had to look with the light under the bed, in the
closets and dark corners, before she could go to sleep. If free from
headache, it would begin at any time on being startled or frightened. On
attempting to set a plate on a high shelf yesterday the plate slipped,
and though she cough it again without damage, a most terrible headache
was the result. She cannot think quick enough when speaking, which
causes stammering. Menses regular, no pain, but flow rather watery.
Stram. and S. L. She never had another headache, no fear in the dark, no
stammering ; menses normal, in short, feels better in every respect
than ever before.There
is no doubt that the whole diseased condition resulted from the
suppressed chorea, Nux-v. antidoting
the effects to some extent, at least ; the aggravation followed,
yet it required but one dose of the proper remedy in high potency to
cure.
II. Backache.
Miss
T—., a school-teacher, has been suffering for years from a pain in the
sacrum, with constant nausea. She is never free from it ; feels it
at night on awaking from sleep. She has been under old-school treatment
now and then, but without any benefit ; she can give no other
symptoms, and looks apparently healthy. She received S. L. with
instructions how to observe symptoms, and to call again in a week. Then
she reported the following additional symptoms :Backache
worse riding in a carriage ; always with nausea. Fullness to
bursting on the left side of the spine ; all these symptoms are
worse since taking the medicine Sac-Lac. (This is no doubt due to trying
to observe new symptoms, whereby the attention was drawn more to the
suffering.) Does not urinate from morning till night on going to bed,
and even then the urine is scanty. On repeated trials the quantity for
the twenty-four hours less than a pint of urine ; color and
specific gravity normal ; reaction nearly neutral, tests showed
only some phosphates. Every morning on arising the tongue has thickly
yellow coat on the base. Kali-bichrom., one powder, and S. L.After
a week she wrote : “I feel a great deal better in every
respect, please sent some more of the same medicine.” I sent S. L.Three
weeks later she reported not quite so well. Headache in forehead and
temples, affecting the vision, sometimes awakens with it in the
morning ; again does not come till the afternoon. Flushes of
heat ; hands and feet cold. Kali-bichrom one powder and S. L.Three
months later I met her ; she looked very much improved, and said
she was perfectly well.
Colocynthis,
Psorinum, Pulsatilla, Physostigma and Zingiberare the only
remedies I could find, having the peculiar symptom : “Backache
with Nausea.” Had I given either of these remedies this symptom
might have been cured, and perhaps not, but certainly not the patient,
and the case would no doubt have been complicated thereby. The symptom
worse by riding in a carriage is sometimes cured by a remedy having
worse from motion or jarring. I have seen disappear under Bell. Yet Bœnninghausen
gives Kali-carb. among the remedies covering the symptom, and
Kali-bichrom. has no doubt the same.
III. Headache.
Miss Hattie
P—. came about a year ago to be cured of her headache. She said it was
a constant companion, she had it day and night ; occupied the whole
head, was more severe now and then, but she could give no time or
conditions of aggravation or amelioration. Menses regular, but always
accompanied with pains in the uterine region for the first two or three
days, which were often so severe that she had to go to bed. Between the
periods a constant heavy pressing-down pain in the sacrum.
Objective
symptoms :The red color of the hands and face had a
decided bluish tinge, and the skin was very rough. The whites of the
eyes appeared as if painted with yellow ochre. She had been under
old-school treatment some, but with no benefit ; had been examined
by an oculist, who said her trouble was due to astigmatism,
and prescribed spectacle, these ameliorated the headache for a time, but
had no influence upon backache or menstrual pains. Bell. One powder, and
another powder on month later, which cured all the disease symptoms, so
that she even found no more use for her spectacles.
Lippe’s Repertory
mentions
about thirty-five remedies having yellowness of the conjunctiva ;
but the other symptoms pointed unerringly to Bell. As the simillimum,
and the result proved the correctness of the choice, and it required but
two doses to cure the entire diseased condition, which had existed for
many years, and which allopathic drugging had not benefited in the
least. I am also convinced that even Bell. In a lower potency, and often
repeated, would only have produced an aggravation, not a cure.
IV. Worm Fever.
Arthur
H—., æt. three years, has been a pale, feeble child since
birth ; never had a normal stool, but always diarrhœa, generally
with prolapse of rectum. Awakened, or, at least, sits up at night in bed
screaming, and cannot be pacified ; wets the bed at night ;
also passes worms not and then. I had treated the child now and then,
giving Cina, which improved him very much, but finally the mother
brought him to me, saying he had the worst worm fever he had ever had,
though he had this every now and then. She could give no new symptoms.
The boy’s cheeks and tips of ears were a brilliant scarlet red, the
other parts of the face, especially around the mouth, white as
snow ; brilliant staring eyes, dilated pupils. Skin dry and hot
like fire. When I spoke to him coaxingly he flew in a rage, such as I
should have thought a child so young hardly capable of.
Bell.
One powder in water, a teaspoonful ever hour, produced such a
remarkable improvement in one day that he seemed almost well, but on the
third day there was some return of the fever and irritability, when I
gave a small does of Bell. Which cured in a week the whole condition,
and he has been well and healthy ever since.The
appearance of the face, as described above, I have often noticed in
children, and found this objective symptom always a good indication for
Bell. So that I never hesitate to give Bell. In the highest potencies,
and have always found It to act promptly.
Apis.
Has a somewhat similar objective symptom, which I have
verified several times, but here the color is not scarlet, but a bright
pinkish hue, often extending from one cheek downward across the chin,
more or less, and again upward on the other cheek. The ears are white
like the rest of the face, but do not appear as white as under Bell., on
account of the paler pinkish-red. I consider such objective symptoms
very valuable, especially in practice among the less intelligent classes
of people, who are less observant, and often even become irritated when
asked many questions. I gave Apis in two cases of hydrocephalus mainly
on these indications, with excellent results.
V. Sciatica.
Mr. H—.,
æt. Forty-two, has been all of nine months under treatment, first
allopathic, then with two eclectic physicians successively, for a pain
in the right leg and hip, which I called sciatica. When he came to see
me he presented the following symptoms :Pain
in right hip and lower extremity, better from continued exercise,
especially running, till tired, then better for a while by lying
still ; better from heat and rubbing ; worse in damp weather
and in the daytime ; at night in bed he can turn over and roll
around freely without suffering any pain. Rhus one powder, although it
does not correspond to the aggravation in the daytime, yet ever other
symptom seemed to correspond.The
next day I was sent for, as he was very much worse, yet the night had
been passed as comfortable as usual. He showed me some homœopathic
pellets the last eclectic doctor had given him, a one-half ounce vial
nearly full, with about a half drachm of a tincture looking very much
like Rhus-tox., and concluded that the symptoms presented the day before
were all due to this drug, for the Rhus had removed them all, except the
amelioration at night, which continued along with the following new
symptoms : Pain in the right hip and lower extremity of a drawing,
tearing cramping character, with a sensation of contraction or
shortening ; daytime and from slightest motion ; better from
lying perfectly still and at night ; can move and roll around in
bed at night freely, without any pain. Bowels constipated, has to urge a
great deal to expel the dry, hard stool, this as also coughing,
sneezing, or stooping forward, aggravates the pain. Colocynth, one
powder and S. L.After
a week there was only a slight improvement Colocynth., a powder daily
for a week. Now the improvement was marked. Coloc., a powder daily for
two weeks. Very much improved again S. L. for two weeks. Reports about
well, but the stool is still dry, requires much urging, and cause same
pain at anus on voiding. There is an oozing from the anus, keeping the
perineum and coccyx moist. Anus is surrounded with a pimply eruption.
Sepia completed the cure. I am inclined to think the daily repetition of
the dose would not have been necessary if I had had a higher potency of
Colocynth to give. The following case likewise shows the better action
of the higher potency.
VI. Facial Neuralgia.
Mrs. L—.
Neuralgia on left side of face, neck, and left shoulder : better
from warmth of fire, rubbing, and external hot applications and motion,
must move or rock, cannot keep still ; worse in the morning at nine
A. M., and evening from eight to twelve, from rest or cold. Picking or
pressing with a toothpick at and between the teeth on the left side also
relieves somewhat. Sleepy after the aggravation. Rhus and next day Rhus
no change. S. L. for three days but getting worse. On the sixth day I
gave in the morning Rhus, one dose in water, a spoonful every hour, and
a cure followed in four hours. The neuralgia returning a few days later,
another small dose of the same, Rhus was given, which put to the
trouble.DR. F. H. LUTZE, M. D.,
CHESHIRE, NEW YORK. (Brooklyn)
Source :
Homœopathic Physician, June 1891.
Copyright © Sylvain
Cazalet 2001
