The Science of Therapeutics - Classical Homeopathy Online

Full text of "The Science of Therapeutics: According to the Principles of Homeopath...Page 233 of 653statements we have to direct attention to another indication, wemean pneumonia complicated with bronchitis, for which we recommended Belladonna in a previous paragraph. As we said before,pneumonias of this kind are generally epidemic, with the characteof adynamia and typhoid appearances, without, on that account,taking a decidedly unfavorable turn, and are more particularlydistinguished by the presence of a marked gastric catarrh. InHanover we are just now in the midst of such an epidemic, andwe become every day more and more convinced by experience whata splendid remedy Bryonia is, which has proved such an indispensable resource to the homoeopathic physician in so many other epidemic diseases. If, guided by more recent observations, we haveto deny in opposition to Hartmann, that dry and cold weathercauses the kind of pneumonia to which Bryonia corresponds, wefeel on the other hand bound to give prominence to another ofhis indications, namely the rheumatic and bruising pains in themuscles of the chest and back. In conclusion we wish to state, asevidence of the healing powers of this drug, that we scarcely evenotice under its administration a copious secretion of the sosputa cocta, and that the re-absorption of the infiltration takesplace with very little, or perhaps without any expectoration, or,judging from the stand point of pathology , taking place in its mperfect form.Mercurius is one of those remedies that is much more recommended than employed in pneumonia; we opine that this is anoversight. It is true an uncomplicated pneumonia has scarcely eveindications pointing to Mercurius; but they occur so much morefrequently in complicated oases. We will not endeavor to showthat Mercurius causes inflammation of the lungs in the healthy,and what special symptoms point to pneumonia. This can belearned from the Materia Medica. We are acquainted with onemercurial preparation which, in a case of poisoning, caused a fuldeveloped pneumonia, we mean Mercurius corrosivus^ to which wedesire to call attention, thinking that a similar case may occursome time as a natural disease where this agent may prove curative. If, in addition to the existing physiological symptoms, weconsider the whole manner in which Mercury affects the organism,its recommendation as a remedy for pneumonia seems perfectlyjustified. We cannot, however, agree with Muller, if he assignsMercurius to the more chronic forms of pneumonia after the diaPneumonia. 271ease lias run beyond the properly inflammatory stages. The thirdstage is undoubtedly adapted to Mercurius, but it is not the onlyone. Miiller has the following more special indication for the thstage: The hepathization of a portion of lung continues and thecritical sputa are entirely wanting; the cough is dry, not frequeand very rough and fatiguing, with violent irritation and urgingto cough , the dyspnoea remains unaltered, the fever is rather cotinuous and lentpscent, with profuse and exhausting sweats, theurine is scanty and dim, the color of the skin sallow, grayish ;patient is troubled with gastro-intestinal catarrh. Under these ccumstances Mercurius is indicated so much more, if the disease isseated in a scrofulous, or generally dyscrasic organism. Nor canwe agree with Miiller when he asserts, in contrasting Mercurius aSulphur, that the latter is indicated under similar circumstanceshttp://www.archive.org/stream/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog_djvu.txt