Homœopathic
prophylaxis.
By Arthur Hill Grimmer, M. D.
Presented by Sylvain Cazalet
Dr Arthur H.
GrimmerPreventive medicines
occupies a prominent place today and it is logical that it should,
because prevention makes cure unnecessary.As the Law of Similars
excels in the power to cure, it excels more forcibly and certainly in
the art of disease prevention.Especially in the realm
of children’s diseases have the attempts at prophylaxis been chiefly
directed and with some degree of apparent success. I say apparent
because there is need for refinements in the technique of administration
and in the preparation of the therapeutic agents employed, as there is
still much to be desired in results obtained by present methods.It is true that the
agents employed bear a crude similarity to, the homœopathic principle
but because of this crudity of preparation and administration we meet
with much disappointment and considerable consequential evil effects
following their use.Homœopathic
prophylaxis never causes anaphylaxis or shock, never results in
secondary infection, never leaves in its wake serum or vaccine disease
or any other severe reaction ; it simply protects surely and
gently.While the homœopathic
law provides specific remedies for specific disease condition, such as Belladonna
for scarlet fever, Diphtherinum and Merc. cyan.
for diphtheria, Carb. veg. and
Cupr. met. for whooping cough. Lath
sat and Gels for
poliomyelitis, Variolinum for small
pox, etc., it reaches a much higher degree of efficiency when the
epidemic remedy is given for protection than is obtained by the disease
specific.To illustrate : an
epidemic of scarlet fever may have more cases with a rough or a purplish
rash than those having the typical smooth, shining, red rash for which
Belladonna is specific. Where the typical rough, darker rash prevails
remedies like Allan- thus and Phytolacca
and Sulphur will give more certain
protection, but after the single epidemic remedy is found it brings the
highest protection of any other.In diphtheria
protection the remedy Diphterinum is
the leading prophylactic, but in some severe epidemics of the past Merc.
cyanide has proved to be very effective as well as curative
in this disease.In whooping cough Carb.
veg. has been a reliable protection in hundreds of cases of
young children and infants. But some epidemics require like Drosera and
Cup. met. and then they afford the most certain protection.The remedy Lath.
sat. has given the most certain protection in thousands of
cases exposed to polio through many epidemics over the last forty years.
It easily heads the list of homœopathic remedies for protection against
that dreaded disease. This remedy has the same affinity to the same
centres in the spinal cord and brain as the polio virus and acts as
the-most perfect antidote both for protection and cure. This single
instrument in Homœopathy citadel of power should command world-wide
recognition both from the medical profession and the laity at large.Against small pox Variolinum
is an effective weapon, but we have others that have proved curative and
effective prophylactic agents in many epidemics of the past, such as Sarracenia
purpurea. Ant. tart., Vaccinimum and Malandrinum, Ant. tart.,
in the third trituration rubbed on an abrasion of the skin produces a
typical vaccination scar.
Malandrinum
is the most potent antidote to the dangerous Septicemia sometimes
following vaccination and Thuja is
the best antidote against the chronic effects following vaccination.It is strange so little
has been said by homœopathic doctors familiar with the wide spread
possibilities of homœopathic prophylaxis, especially in the face of the
so many harmful and even deadly accidents that have followed the
application of the prevailing methods of protection against acute
epidemic diseases.As true healers and
educators in progressive medicine it is our duty to give to the world
this knowledge for its protection and well-being.It is also our duty to
invite physicians of all schools of healing to test fully the homœopathic
art of protection against epidemic diseases. If such tests were honestly
made by sincere men of all schools of healing. Homœopathy would reach
its place in the sun.
DISCUSSION.
Dr. Roger Schmidt (San Francisco, California) :
I thank Dr. Grimmer very much for this very enlightening paper. I think
it is a very important subject. I would like to ask him two questions.What about Pertussin in
whooping cough as a preventive ? And secondly, do you in your
practice give routinely some of those remedies just as, allopathically
they have a set programme to give at a certain age. I mean the family
will come, or the mother will come to you, and say, “well at school
they ask for this vaccination or this type of immunization.”Then how do you handle
this practically ?
Dr Elizabeth Wright
HubbardDr. Elizabeth Wright Hubbard
(New York City) :Mr. Chairman, I have found that regular
medicine knows that if you feed kids a lot of salt when there is a polio
epidemic around, they are much, less likely to get it. That is a very
interesting suggested thought, and when children in my practice are
going to beaches where polio is rife in the summer. < tell their parents to feed them salt pills.I don’t know whether
homœopathic Natrum muriaticum would
have any effect.I am interested to know
that the doctor uses Carb. veg. also that he prefers Belladonna
to Scarletinum. I believe that it
does children good to have the exanthematous diseases. I am sure that
those children who have never had mumps, chicken pox, etc, in childhood
are far more likely to have serious diseases in later life and are less
healthy, because they have had no opportunity to throw off their
inherited psora. Therefore, in answer to Dr. Schmidt, I would say I
never give a child in my practice a preventive on general principles
against any of those diseases, except such as are required by the local
board of health.Children are not
accepted in nursery school in New York without immunization of some sort
against diphtheria. I therefore give them Diphtherinum
1M, three doses twelve hours apart, and a certificate saying
they have been protected against diphtheria. I don’t say how.One other thing that is
required by all summer camps in New York State is the giving to children
of tetanus protection, in which case I give Hypericum
in the 1M, three doses, and a
certificate that they have had their protection. I don’t believe that
those things hurt the children. I do believe, although I can’t prove it,
unfortunately, that they do immunize them against the liability to
contract those diseases.
Dr. Schmidt :
May I ask Dr. Hubbard
about the question she arises there which is controversia believe, about
the merit of having those diseases during childhood or not ? One
edict would be that if you raise your natural immunity by having the
disease when you are a child under a suitable condition, then you avoid
them later on in life.That question of
eliminating psora is another point which is very interesting indeed but
both are theoretical, of course. By giving the homœopathic preventive,
you raise the immunity to diphtheria. For example, it has been proved by
the Shick test to raise that immunity.
Dr. Hubbard
: I have heard it said
that you even do for the child the same thing in the release of psora
that would be done by having the disease. For instance, if you gave a
child Morbillinum and it doesn’t get the measles in the measles
epidemic. I have heard it said that Morbillinum does for the child what
having the measles would do for the child.That I find it
difficult to believe, but I would like to hear the opinion of some of my
elders and betters on that subject.
Dr. Schmidt :
I can answer that
question. A homœopath in Paris has conducted an experiment along that
line for many years. I don’t know his very recent results, but he has
published a full book on that, and he has brought out the very
interesting fact that the higher he goes in potency, the longer immunity
is proved by the Shick test. I could not give you the exact data now
because I don’t have it in my memory, but I remember, at least, that he
said that the 9,000th potency would give an immunity of about eight
years. Therefore, 1,000th would give approximately only 2 1/2 years
protection and a lower one, a 30th, would give protection only to a few
months.
Dr Arthur H.
GrimmerDr. A. H. Grimmer :
Dr. Schmidt asked
about Pertussin. That was one remedy I did intend to put in but omitted
it. I wrote that paper at the last minute and hurriedly. That is a very
valuable and good protection. It is also a remedy where they come to you
and haven’t been well since a bad case of whooping cough. Pertussin will
then come in and help you very effectively. Thank you very much. Doctor,
for that suggestion.As to how I employ the
remedies, I generally give a dose of the 10M in most cases. The 10M is a
protective potency and the reaction is good at least for the epidemic.
If there comes another epidemic and they want further protection, I
repeat the process, only for the epidemic. That holds good in all the
protections that I have given polios and all.During the epidemic, a
1,000th will surely take them through. I tell the patients if they get a
cold or treat themselves during that time, their protection is very much
impaired.Dr. Hubbard asked about
why I employed Belladonna rather than Scarletinum.
I don’t know. I found Belladonna so useful in a typical Belladonna
type of that disease-it has been perfect for me, and I suppose that was
the reason it was Hahnemann’s remedy.I don’t know but that Scarletinum
would be a good remedy. I think it would, but I have obtained perfect
results with the smooth variety. In epidemics of the type that has the
coarse rash, you will have to go to the epidemic remedy. Belladonna will
not protect. Scarletinum might in
those cases. I don’t know ; I haven’t used it.One year in Chicago, we
had a very, very malignant type of epidemic. Phytolacca
was the remedy and Phytolacca was
the perfect protection.Dr. Codd, a child
specialist teaching at Hahnemann had the habit of alternating Belladonna
and another remedy. He lost a-lot of his cases. I had several hundred
cases. I did not lose any even before I got into the epidemic run. But
afterwards, I had no trouble. We got a very quick result with Phytolacca.
Dr. Hubbard :
I would like to ask one
question. I am confronted by people going to Africa or Palestine who
have to have prophylaxis against typhus and cholera and yellow fever.
What is the homœopathic prophylaxis against any of those.
Dr. Grimmer :
Baptisia
against typhus and typhoid. Arsenicum against yellow fever. Cuprum
metallicum or Veratrum album or Camphor against cholera.
Dr. Smith :
We have cases going to
the South Pacific and before they are able to go, they require ten or
fifteen vaccinations. If they give them internally, one will antidote
the other, won’t it ? How are you going to do it ?
Dr. Grimmer :
I think there is a lot
of confusion that sets in with all those numerous vaccinations at one
time. I do think there is some interference. I don’t think there is a
perfect protection from that. I generally antidote that with a dose of Pyrogenium.
I did that in World War I, I found Pyrogenium
to be very effective.
Dr. Willber K. Bond
(Greensfork,
Indiana) : What is … this going to lead to ?
There are so many mothers bringing their cards in from the school. The
child before he enters the school has to have his tetanus shots,
smallpox vaccination, diphtheria shots, and then on top of that, they
have to have their booster doses.
Dr. Grimmer :
I give them what I
think is needed-the protection for the epidemic prevailing-and give them
a certificate that they are protected against all things. If they are on
a good strong antipsoric and doing well on the constitutional remedy
that is all the protection I give them and given them a written
certificate that they are protected.
Dr. Hubbard :
Dr. Bond, in my
practice, I ask the mothers to bring in their children if they are going
to camp -to bring them in the spring. I give them the homœopathic
tetanus and then their homœopathic something else in another two weeks,
so that they are not together. If they are going to school in the fall,
I do it during the summer.
Dr. H. A. Neiswander :
Dr. Hubbard,
might I ask you one question ? When you fill out the reports the
powers that be in the embarkation camp, do they accept your immunization
in that method ?
Dr. Hubbard :
They don’t know what
they are accepting. I always buy the current orthodox thing for instance
of the cholera vaccine, Indian strains, if somebody is going to India,
or east Asiatic strains, if they are going somewhere else, or the typhus
or the typhoid. On all those there are biological numbers. The passport
slips require you to put down the maker and the number of the
biological. They do riot say used “They just say make and number of
biological.” I put down the make and the number and the date, put
the thing away for record somewhere, and give my Baptisia
and give them a certificate and have the darned thing notarized, which
impresses people in Suez or some other place, and so far I have had no
kick and nobody knows I don’t do it the conventional way ; but I am
careful, believe me.Dr. Grimmer shamed me.
He made me feel. I ought to stand up in the middle of Broadway and say
“Hi, hi you are not doing right in the board of health.” I
believe that but I don’t believe for a single doctor it is really
worthwhile to battle with them alone. I think we ought to battle with
them as a group ; alone, I aim to keep out of trouble.A wise old lady once
said to me, “Never pick a bone unless you know you are going to get
what you want off it.” That has saved me a lot of trouble.
Source :
I. H. A., June 1949.
Copyright © Sylvain
Cazalet 2001
