The finding of the
homoeopathic remedy in heart conditions.
By Herbert
Alfred Roberts, M.D.
Presented by Sylvain Cazalet(Read before the I. H. A., Bureau of
Clinical Medicine, June, 9-11-1932.)
Dr H. A. Roberts
Certain organs of the
human body are important because of the vital connection with every part
of the human economy. Man is a most highly developed unity, in which
each part functions and synchronizes with the other parts in a smooth
harmonious working. In fact, perfect health is perfect harmony in all of
the parts. However much we may realize that every organ is but a part of
the-unity, in our study and in our clinical relationship we are prone
to-place our observation and emphasis of the expression of in
harmonious, functioning on certain organs or sets of organ to such an
extent that we thus lose sight of the more vital complete picture.
However much more we may look upon the individual organ as the offending
member, it is necessary for us to bear in mind its relationship to
the-whole, and the power of expression of the whole sickness is not
related to the individual organ but to the man himself.There is no class of
diseases as known by name that illustrates this so markedly as do the
disturbances arising from what we call heart troubles, because the heart
represents a dynamo of the body, and when its function is impaired, the
health of the whole individual’ is affected in every part of his
organism.It has been said that
we prescribe accurately for heart conditions in just that proportion as
we forget or ignore the diagnosis. This is true, for if there is any
condition where the symptomatology should be the guiding principle of
our selection it is in heart difficulties.It is well to bear in
mind that in heart conditions we are dealing with psoric manifestations,
or perhaps a syphilitic miasm grafted on to a psoric base ; but
where there is a heart condition one may be sure of finding a psoric
base, either complicated or uncomplicated Many, many times we find this
manifested as a result of a suppressed expression of the miasm, and when
the miasm is apparently latent ; and unless the fundamental cause
of our disturbance is recognized and considered we will be apt to fail
in our prescription.In heart conditions
where the disturbance is caused by suppressed psoric manifestations we
will find a symptomatology resembling very closely the conditions
following inflammatory rheumatism or the eruptive diseases.It is in these
conditions that we must analyze our symptomatology very carefully and
remember the basis of all symptom analysis : Every symptom has its
location ; it has likewise its sensation, and it has its
limitations as expressed in the aggravations and ameliorations, as well
as the concomitants, which are often found in the aggravations, or in
some apparently unrelated symptom in a different part of the body.
To illustrate :
A little girl of twelve years of age had had scarlet fever, followed by
rheumatic fever. When she finally came into my hands (and how many times
our heart cases come to us from other forms of treatment) she was
suffering with a mitral regurgitant murmur and a heart that was weakened
by acute dilatation. In seeking the symptomatology upon which to base
the remedy selection the heart was considered as one symptom. Then there
was the oppressed respiration with the sensation of suffocation,
markedly in the afternoon and markedly from exertion. There was violent
dilation of the alæ nasi. These symptoms give the location, the
sensation (of suffocation) and the aggravations of time and from
exertion. There was also fever associated with thirst, flushed redness
of the cheeks, the late afternoon aggravation of the fever ; the
coldness of one foot and the burning of the other, all of which are
concomitants. Another marked and peculiar symptom with no possible
pathological relation to the case was the sensation as if she were
breathing in fumes that were oppressive.This picture shows
exactly what we must always look for in the symptomatology :
the location, the sensations, modalities and concomitants. With such a
clear symptom-picture it was not difficult of severe scraping of the
throat all the time ; there were frequent nosebleeds ;
exceedingly ravenous hunger and thirst ; the heart action was very
rapid, agg. on exertion ; a sensation of pressure in the diaphragm
and œsophagus ; a sensation as if the bowels did not work ;
œdema of the legs. With these symptoms there was great fear of death.
Iodine very greatly improved her in every way. There is another
illustration of the necessity for taking the whole condition into
consideration and prescribing for the patient on the basis of finding
the remedy from the complete symptoms with the concomitants, and not
from the diagnosis.These illustrations are
a few out of many that might be produced from our files. Heart symptoms
and heart diseases should be treated as we treat any other disease
condition, worked out by the standard of symptom analysis of the whole
individual ; and whether acute or chronic, the conditions
themselves offer a way of salvation from the physical suffering in their
symptomatology. By these considerations we avoid the physiological
action and drugging that is so generally and persistently administered
simply because when heart troubles are mentioned panic sets in the seat
of reason, and may a man will forget his anchorage and give what the
diagnosis, rather than the symptomatology, indicates. But when these
simple directions for symptom analysis are followed, and coupled with a
knowledge of our remedies, curative effects of the whole individual will
become manifest to take the place of palliation, and the patient will
rise up and call homœopathy blessed.
DERBY, CONN.
DISCUSSION.
Dr C.
M. Boger
Dr.
BOGER : Heart cases are always interesting, as Dr.
Roberts has pointed out, and, if you are an allopath, you are likely to
give digitalis and about 98 per cent of the time you give the wrong
thing. If you are a homœopath of the ordinary stripe, you will give
Cactus, and in about 90 per cent of the cases you are wrong, too, and
not a few cases under either category meet with sudden death after
administration of the remedy.I had that very
forcible brought to my mind in the impression case of a friend who died
a short while after he thought he had taken the right remedy when he had
taken Cactus. It was not the right remedy.This thing of
prescribing for the seat of the trouble, the location, as Bœnninghausen
points out, is important enough, but I have gradually come to the
conclusion that it is not quite as important as Bœnninghausen makes
out, or as some of the rest of us have thought in the past. It is only
very important when the localized symptoms are strange and peculiar,
otherwise the other symptoms, the general constitutional symptoms,
should far outweigh the localized symptoms.Speaking specifically
of heart trouble reminds me of an experience I had when I was a beginner
in Homœopathy. As beginners we often have experiences which last
through our lives. In other words, we do work just as good in the second
year of our practice as we do after we have practices for forty years.The case was a man
about middle age, who had chronic mitral regurgitation with some
dilation. He was on a visit to our town and being rather distressed, he
sent for me and why I did it then I don’t known, but I gave him a few
doses of Baryta carb. 200. An old suppressed foots sweat that he had
many years before, which had left him, in a short time functioned almost
normal. That man is still living and in pretty good health.That prescription is
hard to beat for a novice and I don’t claim any great credit for it
because then the homœopathic school taught in materia medica the way to
do tricks like that every once in a while.
Dr A.
H. GrimmerDR.
GRIMMER : This is an excellent paper and it stresses
the necessity of prescribing for a patient regardless of the disease or
the sickness and it is fairly consistent with every homœopathic teacher
from Hahnemann down. There is no question that when we adhere to this
method we can cure cases that are seemingly incurable cases, which we
all have to meet) we will get more satisfaction for the patient and for
ourselves by adhering to that rule that Dr. Roberts has so excellently
laid down.
DR. ROBERTS :
I want to mention just one thing that Dr. Boger brought out. Bœnninghausen,
if I understand him correctly, put down the three points of location,
sensation, and limitation, and the concomitants, but he stressed over
and over again that the choice of the remedy was almost universally
found in the aggravations and ameliorations, and in the concomitants. He
emphasized that part of it, as I understand it, and I have found it true
that gives the best picture for your remedy.Copyright © Sylvain
Cazalet 2001
