The
choice of the remedy.
By C. M. F. von Bœnninghausen
Presented by Dr. Sayeed Ahmad D. I. Hom. (London)The choice of the remedy in any concrete case of
disease can not be made too carefully or too cautiously.No less in the healing art than in morals, the motto
holds good: “Bonum ex omni parte, malum ex quorumque
defectu.” Many failures occur, especially with unpracticed
beginners, because in examining the symptoms the one or the other was
overlooked. Even with older and more experienced homœopathic
physicians, especially such as are very busy, such an occurrence
occasionally takes place.This cannot, however, prove either the insufficiency
of Homœopathy in general nor the inadequacy of the small and rare
doses, and the experienced practitioner, who always looks with suspicion
on such excuses, will in such cases first of all subject the image of
the disease which he has formed to a new revision, and look for the lack
of his success in his medication first in this direction.It is not, indeed, my intention to offer anything new
here to the practiced and experienced physician. But it does seem to me
as if an incidental warning to such as are about to enter on this field
might not be altogether superfluous, and I consider it on that account
allowable to introduce a case that happened lately, and which will put
what I desire to say into its proper light. I do not intend to speak
here of curing merely by the name of the disease, the so-called “Medicina
nominalis,” which is altogether a different matter, and which
is still doing untold mischief, for such a treatment is the very acme of
irrational and unconscionable routine, and warning against such a
practice would justly be considered an insult even by the youngest of
our colleagues.Merchant Ph. M., thirty years of age, had caught a
cold last winter while traveling; he did not at first pay any attention
to it, but the increasing ailments demanded medical assistance.
Treatment by an allopath had remained without effect; in fact, during
this treatment, lasting three months, nearly all the symptoms had grown
considerably worse, so that now, as is so frequently done, the
homœopath was called on for aid. The following symptoms formed the
image of the disease.For the last three to four weeks there has been a
hollow, dry cough with hoarseness and much toughness in the larynx, most
violent during the night. Constriction of the chest with stitches in the
left side while lying on that side. Internal heat, without thirst.
Severe exhausting perspirations. Striking timidity. Great drowsiness,
but restless sleep, waking up frequently, while an internal anxiety
prevents his going to sleep again. The face pale and collapsed, with a
circumscribed redness of the cheeks. Pressure in the stomach after
eating, especially after milk, often with vomiting, first of the ingesta
and then of gall. Augmented, watery urine. Extraordinary emaciation. He
prefers warmth, and it agrees best with him. He feels better in moderate
motion than in continuous rest. He had never been unwell much, and had
never been actually sick. He could take a deep breath without any
trouble, and frequently he felt impelled thereto. I could not find out
anything about the allopathic remedies which he had used.After careful consideration and a protracted
comparison of all the symptoms present with our Materia Medica, every
homœopath will agree with me that Phosphorus seemed most indicated of
all the remedies, and this so decidedly that none of the other remedies
could at all compete with it. I, therefore, felt no hesitation at all to
give to the patient my usual dose (a high potency) of this very
efficient remedy, and to direct its administration in the usual manner
(disscolved in water), recommending to him the usual diet, and directing
him to report to me in person in two weeks.But I was cruelly and painfully disappointed when the
patient after this period appeared before me, for he was not improved in
any respect; on the contrary, his sickly appearance and the threatening
redness of the cheeks had increased and the feverish symptoms had been
suspiciously augmented. In the meantime the remedy had been used exactly
according to my directions, and nothing had been overlooked either in
diet or in his mode of life. What then had been the reason of my total
failure? Under such circumstances the only reason could be the defective
or incorrect examination of the symptoms, so I went over them again
carefully, one by one. The mistake then appeared in the feverish
symptoms, which were only superficially indicated, and which in the
patient had an unusual and, therefore, unrecognized form, which was at
the same time very characteristic. For while sleeping he was
suffering continually from a dry, burning heat, which on his waking up
immediately passed into a very profuse perspiration, which continued
without interruption while he was awake, until he fell asleep
again, when at once the dry heat reappeared. Thus the conundrum was
solved. This symptom is found only in Sambucus, while in Phosphorus just
the opposite is found. Since all the other symptoms coincided my patient
received at once a dose of the high potency I usually employ, and the
result was then so complete that in two weeks he was freed from all his
ailments and felt as well as ever before.Copyright © Dr. Sayeed Ahmad
2004