The Science of Therapeutics - Classical Homeopathy Online

Full text of "The Science of Therapeutics: According to the Principles of Homeopath...Page 109 of 653I>aryngotracheitis Crouposa* 121coagulable lymph is efixised in croup and that Mercury is a powerful antiplastic agent. But this agent alone has never yet removeda case of croup, but has occasioned such violent attacks of stomatitis that the jaws have united by ulceration. The other remedieswill be further dwelt upon by and by, especially the Sulphuret ofLime ; this agent which is a true specific in many cases of croupis only mentioned very cursorily in allopathic works, more like acuriosity than as an useful remedy.The want of internal remedies naturally led physicians to huntup external applications. The croup-membrane was to be destroyed,the subjacent mucous lining to be cauterized and the disease wasto be conquered. Strange fancy, as if we did not know that croupis a special form of inflammation resulting from, or determined bconstitutional susceptibilities. A glance at the results of the cterizing process in diphtheria ought to have discouraged the cauterizers of the croupy membrane. The mucous lining of the larynxlias been washed with the Nitrate of Silver, Muriatic acid. Alum,etc., causing the patient the most agonizing distress. The only avantage derived from such a proceeding may be that the irritatingaction of those agents may cause a violent coughing fit which maypromote the process of expectoration. The inhalations to whichwe shall refer hereafter, are not of very great importancie, northe application of ice or cold water. If we add to these means oftreatment the unavoidable blisters and sinapisms, we have the bespart of the medicinal apparatus of the Old School before us. Inspite of all these appliances, from 70 to 90 per cent, of all undcases of membranous croup perish. This result is certainly notriumph, nor has tracheotomy increased the chances of recovery.In opposition to these failures Homoeopathy can show a mostsuccessful treatment of croup to her opponents without inflictingupon the poor little patients the horrible tortures of Old Schoolpractice. We are not sanguine enough to add credence to those whoprofess to have treated hundreds of cases of croup during a practof thirty or forty years without losing a single patient; but weknow that by fiir the larger number of cases are saved underhomoeopathic treatment ; this is an amount of success to be proudof. We do not fall back upon statistical data which may be calledin doubt on account of diagnostic inaccuracies or uncertainties;single fact among many may prove more convincing to the mostinveterate sceptic than the most scientific statistical exhibit.the beginning of this year epidemic croup broke out on a heathen*122 Diseases of the Larynx and Trachea.about sixteen miles from this city. Several dozens of children haalready fallen victims to the above-described treatment. A younggentleman who happened to visit a merchant of the place, advisedhim to try homoeopathic treatment. The results of this treatmentwere so striking that the house of this merchant was from thatday besieged by persons seeking aid. With the aid of a simpledomestic manual, this merchant succeeded in saving a number ofhttp://www.archive.org/stream/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog_djvu.txt