The Science of Therapeutics - Classical Homeopathy Online

Full text of "The Science of Therapeutics: According to the Principles of Homeopath...Page 358 of 653Of inflammationB of muscles this is the only one that is proportionally of frequent occurrence, and is of very great importance.If psoitis sets in as a primary disease, its causes are involvedgreat obscurity ; excessive exertions, a cold, rheumatism, etc.,assigned as probable causes, most likely because no better causesare known. Mechanical injuries seldom result in psoitis. Secondarily psoitis may supervene during inflammation and caries of thelumbar vertebrse.At first, the disease is often quite painless and develops itselfvery slowly ; sometimes, however, it sets in in an acute form. Insuch a case the patient experiences a sudden or rapidly increasinviolent pain in the lumbar region, which he finds it difficult todefine; it often radiates upwards or downwards; as soon as thepain is felt, the motion of the limb is interfered with, especialflexion and rotation inwards. Under such circumstances a violentfever is always present, the pulse being remarkably rapid. Thepatients lie with their thighs semi-flexed and somewhat turnedinwards. Pus forms sometimes rapidly, and at other times slowly,and sometimes in such profuse quantity that its. first appearanceindicated by creeping chills. The fully-formed abscess can be reasorbed, which is, however, seldom the case ; or else, it bursts ilumbar region, the pus escaping inwardly and immediately threatening life ; or the pus burrows downwards following the course ofthe psoas-muscle until it finds an x)utlet, generally on the antesurface of the thigh, rarely posteriorly by the side of the vertecolunm. The pus thus forms a fistulous canal, which is always thecase if the lumbar vertebrae are carious.If suppuration sets in, the couree of the disease is always slow;it is only in rare cases that the inflammation does not terminatesuppuration; the organism may become involved in consequenceof a profuse suppuration gradually consuming the patient'sstrength, or in consequence of the escape of the pus into the *abdominal cavity, or of the inflammation communicating itself tothe vertebrsB. For these reasons the prognosis is always doubtfulThe treatment is not surgical, except in so far as it may benecessary to open the abscess. Homoeopathic physicians have ahigher duty to perform. In the first place we have to try toscatter the inflammation before suppuration sets in ; even if thi422 Diseases of the Bones, Muscles, and Articulations.cannot be accomplished in all cases, it is at all events certainthe spread of the inflammation can be prevented by appropriateinternal treatment. For this purpose we commence the treatmentif a violent and continuous fever is present, with Belladonna^ escially if the fever is accompanied by copious perspiration and evmotion aggravates the pain extremely. Rhus should be given ifthe fever consists of a burning, dry heat, with intense thirst, itrouble seems to have originated in a cold and the pains are worsat night, and when the patient is lying down. If these two remedies do not effect an improvement, and the fever is mingled withchilly creepings, the pulse becomes very much accelerated, and thskin is at times burning-hot and at other times drenched in perspiration, we should at once give MercuriuSy which is the onlyhttp://www.archive.org/stream/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog_djvu.txt