A CAUSTICUM CASE

Originally Published in "THE Homoeopathic Recorder,Vol. XXVI Lancaster, Pa., February, 1911 No. 3"

By R. F. Rabe, M. D., New York. 

The case to be recited presents nothing unusual or new, but is 

reported from the standpoint of the materia medicist or pre- 

server rather than from that of the gynecologist. Hence, to a 

certain extent at least, the criticism of the latter concerning the 

omission of exact diagnosis is disarmed, although technically 

entirely justifiable. 

Mrs. X, age 22, married three years. Before marriage had 

always had very profuse and prolonged menstrual periods, 

although these were invariably on time. Careful homoeopathic 

treatment seems never to have corrected this Menorrhagia. 

Shortly after her marriage at 19 years, a miscarriage, or rather 

an abortion, occurred at the end of her first month of pregnancy. 

So far as known, this was not artificially induced. She subse- 

quently became pregnant again and went to term, giving birth to 

a healthy child. 

After the abortion, as well as after the birth of her baby later 

on, the menorrhagia continued in spite of careful homoeopathic 

prescribing at the hands of good men, together with local treat- 

ment and curettage. The baby was nursed for three months, 

but since the menstrual periods continued during lactation, the 

latter was abandoned. 

The condition of the patient as noted at the time of my first 

examination of the case was as follows : Menses usually four 

to five days late, lasting eight to nine days and very profuse. 

The patient is irritable, apprehensive, fearful, and will not go 

to the theatre for fear of fire or something happening. Sleep is 

unrefreshing. No appetite, but craves acids. Perspires easily, 

formerly was troubled by offensive foot-sweat. Axillary sweat 

of an offensive odor. Sweaty palms. Attacks of mental de- 

pression, coming at no particular time. Is inclined to constipa- 

tion. After the abortion had symptoms of uterine prolapse, that 

is to say, bearing down sensations, but has had nothing of this 

since the birth of the baby. Has occasional waves of heat through 

the body. Face pale, yellowish, sickly in appearance. Patient 

maintains that she always feels better in rainy weather. 

It will be observed that in addition to the menorrhagia we have 

also a pronounced neurasthenia of the common type to deal with. 

It will be further noted that the taking of the case reveals numer- 

ous symptoms which have absolutely nothing to do with the 

menorrhagia per se. For example, the general amelioration of 

the patient in w r et weather seems absurdly irrelevant to the gyne- 

cologist, but to the materia medicist offers the open sesame to 

the cure of the patient. Unfortunately for the prescriber, a 

bimanual examination was not made, so that he is deprived of 

any corroborative evidence which such an investigation may have 

afforded. This is the weak point in the presentation of the case. 

Although the needful remedy was at once apparent, to prove the 

correctness of choice a rapid repertory analysis was made. 

By taking the most obvious as well as the most characteristic symp- 

tom of the case, we find that fourteen remedies are credited in 

the repertory with the production of cure of late and profuse 

menstruation, Of these, six are especially important. They are 

carbolic acid, causticum, kali carbonicum, kali iodatum, phos- 

phorus and silicea. 

Of the entire fourteen, twelve produce the symptom of mental 

depression, another characteristic of the patient. 

Of these twelve, eleven are especially to be noted, and of these 

again, but two, causticum and phosphorus have the further peculiarity of causing a state of apprehension or fear. 

Of these remaining two candidates for selection, but one, causti- 

cum, is credited with the modality, general amelioration in wet 

weather. 

Hence, if the logic of the analysis be correct, if the technique 

of selection be without flaw, the choice of remedy must be mathe- 

matically certain. A reference to and study of the pathogenesis 

of causticum shows the contention to be justified. 

Since the administration of this remedy in two single doses, 

at an interval of about three weeks, the patient has improved in 

clear general health, the fear and apprehensiveness have been 

almost overcome, and the menstrual periods are more nearly 

normal in amount than they have ever been. Cure seems assured. 

Repertory Analysis 

Menses late and profuse (Kent, p. 724, 2d Ed.) — Carb. ac, caust., 

chol., cur., dulc, ferr, Kali c, kali iod., lach., nit. ac, phos., 

sil., staph., vib. 

Mental depression (p. 75) — Caust., chel., dulc, ferr., kali c., kali 

iod., lach., nit. ac, phos., sil., staph., vib. 

Apprehensive (p. 45), fear that something will happen — Caust., 

phos. 

Amelioration in rainy weather (aggravation in dry weather), 

p. 13 19 — Caust. 

Epilepsy of Long Standing By Dr. H. Gouixon

This Case Orginally published in "Allg. Hom. Ztg,, vol. Lxix.
Vol. xxm, No. xci.—January, 1865" and same year published in "THE BRITISH JOURNAL OF HOMEOPATHY VOL 23"

                                                 ---------------------------

August E—, of T—, aet. 28, at present of stout appearance and well-formed; when one looks at the shape of his skull he gives the idea of a good-natured man of limited intellect. When he was ten years old he had, one day in school, without appreciable cause, a violent epileptic attack. He lost consciousness completely, and nearly twenty-four hours elapsed ere he recovered from the paroxysm. At that time he was of quite a different character of body from what he is now. In fact, his acquaintances described him as a wretched, withered-looking little fellow. He was put apprentice to a tailor for some years, and afterward became servant to a landed proprietor. Suddenly, about fourteen years after the first single attack, he had again a violent outbreak of epilepsy. Curiously enough the fits now came on periodically, one occurring every Saturday, or at latest Sunday. The fits seldom kept off for a fortnight. On the 15th April, 1864, he sought my advice. He had a curious appearance. His face covered with small and large, old and fresh scars, like that of a warrior, all reminiscences of fits of epilepsy he had had, these fits taking him so suddenly that he fell to the ground as if struck down. On this account he had been obliged to give up his place as servant long since. His tongue presents not only several scars from wounds inflicted by biting, but the anterior third is, in fact, only connected with the remainder of the tongue at one side, whilst the middle of this third is still further removed from the rest of the tongue by a complete fissure. The patient asserts that he has an attack now once a week. Previous to the fit he experiences peculiar jerks in the body, and hears distinct voices, saying in rapid succession,  "Ja, ja, ja, ja," or else he has roaring noises in the head. The premonitory symptom, known as "aura epileptica," is absent. Although, in general, as is often the case, the fit is followed by great prostration and sleep; still, occasionally, he is cheerful, and quite himself immediately after the fit. The fits are not connected with any particular time of the day. Sometimes they come on in bed in the morning, sometimes while he is at work, fetching water, &c. The complexion intimates fullness of blood and congestion. The conjunctiva are very red. Speech is difficult for him (perhaps partly owing to the split tongue); he betrays a certain amount of laziness, and a constant smile gives him the appearance of a great amount of good humour or commencing moria. He confesses that in former years he used to masturbate excessively, and this circumstance I regard as of much more importance in an anamnestic point of view, since other possible causes, such as hereditary tendency, wounds, mental affection, excesses of other kinds, &c., are wanting.

In consideration of the present physical and psychical state, of the existing plethora, the attacks of giddiness depending thereon, the illusions of hearing, which amount to actual hallucinations, the difficulty of speaking and thinking, I considered Causticum to be the most appropriate remedy. I moistened sugar of milk with three drops of the 3rd dilution and divided it into eight powders, one to be taken every night at bed-time.

A fortnight afterwards the patient reported, with visible joy, that a fit had occurred, but that it was much milder than usual. I did not attach much importance to this. After the continued use of this remedy (waiting always a week without medicine) the attacks became not only always milder, so that the fourth and fifth (since commencing the medicine) consisted only of a transient "jerk" and at length they went off completely. Whereas, formerly, an attack occurred every eight days, the patient has now been a quarter of a year without one, a result certainly deserving of notice.

That there cannot be here a question of a cure by nature is very evident. There may be many self-deceptions among the records of homoeopathic cases, many pneumonias, many acute catarrhs of the stomach, cured in an equally short time without Aconite and Pulsatilla, but all the more striking are cases like the above, of which it would be absurd to allege, after the epileptic fits had occurred regularly every week for six years, that left to themselves they should rapidly decline in intensity from the 15th April, 1864, and after about five weeks quite disappear. It is not requisite to be an adherent of the post hoc ergo propter hoc, still where the facts are so, then the favorable issue of the disease must be solely ascribed to the remedy employed. In similar cases Causticum has already been useful. Perhaps in course of time we may be able to determine with precision, the whole series of epilepsies for which Causticum may be universally acknowledged and employed as the specific.