The Science of Therapeutics - Classical Homeopathy Online

Full text of "The Science of Therapeutics: According to the Principles of Homeopath...Page 380 of 653frame.At times the aftection commences very suddenly, at other timesthe pain arises gradually from sensations that resemble a slightattack of rheumatism. The pain is generally located between theischium and knee, so that the course of the nerve can be determinvery exactly by the pain. It is very seldom that the pain radiateupwards, more generally downwards below the knee as far as thefoot, on the internal or external surface of the leg. We distingutwo kinds of pain ; either the pain is constant, somewhat remittebut never entirely intermittent, and usually following very exactthe tract of the nerve without the patient being able to define tquality of the pain; or else peculiar tearing-darting pains maysupervene, resembling electric shocks, setting in paroxysmally anbeing excited by motion or by making a wrong step, sneezing orcoughing. At the same time one or more places in the course ofthe nerve are generally sensitive to pressure. Although the paindoes not seem to exacerbate at definite periods, yet all patientscomplain that it is worse in bed, and that this exacerbation issometimes so great that they dare not go to bed. Inasmuch as thepains are very much increased by an extension of the leg, by presure or by the nerve being put on the stretch, the patients generakeep the limb slightly flexed, using it as little as possible durwalk or for the performance of any other motion. This is generallthe cause why the diseased limb, after the ischias has lasted forsome time, grows thin, although the emaciation may likewise becaused by a gradually-developing paralysis. The diagnosis beingsometimes extremely difiicult, it is important to know that ischialways attacks only one limb.In ischias antica the pain follows the tract of the crural nerve;this form of ischiadic neuralgia is very scarce, nor is the painas acute as in ischias postica.This disorder runs a chronic course. The attack is supposed toat first set in with a fever, but these are exceptional cases. Aspontaneous cure only takes place with a gradual abatement of thepains, but not till mouths have elapsed. The general health is veIschias. 449mncli disturbed by the constancy of the severe pains and by thesleeplessness; the appetite becomes inoipaired and the bowels aretorpid.The treatment of this affection constitutes one of the shiningfeatures of Homceopathy, not so much because we cure every caseof this kind as because our opponents admit that they have nomeans of doing anything for this disease and have to let the patisufier for months; whereas we homoeopaths never fail of a cure inthe course of a week or two at latest. Yet even we ought not toboast of being absolutely certain of success, for the reason thatthis aflfection has but few symptoms, and only a few of them areentirely local; hence the selection of a remedy is always investewith difficulties, and a successful result is often defeated on taccount. However, in order not to wrong Homoeopathy, if no cureis effected, or is effected very slowly, we call attention to thethat ischias sometimes depends upon causes that cannot be removedhttp://www.archive.org/stream/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog_djvu.txt