The Science of Therapeutics - Classical Homeopathy Online

Full text of "The Science of Therapeutics: According to the Principles of Homeopath...Page 224 of 653as the arm and hand. This is very different at the present time,and since we only deal with the present, we shall content ourselvwith considering the modern developments of this question. "Wunderlich and Niemeyer are sufficiently authoritative to permit uspresent their views as the ruling opinions of their Schools.Niemeyer gives three indications for a course of general depletion. First' Appearance of the pneumonia in a vigorous, healthy,young man, the temperature being over 92 ° Fahr., and the pulseover 120 beats. — Second: Collateral hypereemia of the uninflamedportions of the lungs. — ^Third : Symptoms of pressure on the braaccompanying the pneumonia. Wunderlich gives the same indica*tions, except that he adds to number one, that the patient shouldbe bled on the first and second, or on the fourth and fifth day,on the third, rarely afte;* the fifth unless hypersemia should stexist. The effect of bleeding, according to Wunderlich, is as follows, Niemeyer not attributing to bleeding a positive influence opneumonia, but only a general influence or an influence over particular symptoms.In the first place, venesection is said to shorten the course ofdisease and to achieve the termination in recovery more rapidlyand more completely. We ask any physician who has ever watchedthe course of pneumonia treated with blood-letting, whether thistrue. We admit that immediately after the bleeding the feverabates quite considerably; but in twenty-four hours already thefever returns even worse than before. Every homoeopath knowsthat pneumonic patients who are treated with blood-letting, evenin accordance with the above indications, seldom finish their convalescence in a few days, but remain weak for several weeks. Evenif we admit that Wunderlich's favorable prognosis is sometimesrealized, yet, supported by our own experience, we cannot helpaffirming that the favorable change more frequently disappointsthan meets our expectations, and that it is very often illusory.Secondly, venesection affords the patient a sensation of relief.This is not always the case, but it is so commonly ; but we wouldwhether a mere sensation of the patient is more important than thregard for the general course of the- disease, and whether the phsician is not perpetrating a piece of quackery if he resorts to bing as a means to impress the patient with his power, when hemust be well aware that the effect of this remedy passes away infew hours, and the patient feels necessarily more exhausted thanbefore.260 Diseases of the Lungs.Thirdly, the pulse decreases in frequency after bleeding; this cabe accounted for, but it is not true that the former frequency donot return. It does return, but the quality of the pulse is alterthe pulse is feebler than it was.Fourthly, the temperature declines, but the same thing happensas with the pulse. This mania of depressing the chief febrile symtoms, has been commented upon by us in our review of the remedies that are used for such a purpose ; we need not repeat our crcism in this place.http://www.archive.org/stream/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog_djvu.txt