The Science of Therapeutics - Classical Homeopathy Online

Full text of "The Science of Therapeutics: According to the Principles of Homeopath...Page 536 of 653ance of a fatiguing muscular effort. In such a case, Tartar emetivery soon brings relief. In acute articular rheumatism Tartaremetic is indicated by the following symptoms : Marked swellingof a number of joints, the pains are not very^great during rest,this rest is frequently interrupted by spontaneous, spasmodic, vepainful contractions of single bundles of muscles. There is notmuch fever ; the symptoms of digestive derangement, on the contrary, are very prominent. A condition marked by such symptoms,sometimes occurs during the subsequent course of articular rheumatism, scarcely ever at the commencement.Digitalis purpurea is, in our opinion, a most important remedy inacute articular rheumatism ; in the last few years we have oftenseen this remedy produce a striking effect and shorten the courseof the disease. We do not deem it necessary to demonstrate thesimilarity of Digitalis to rheumatism ; the physiological actionthis drug as recorded in the Materia Medica, explains this similaity beyond the possibility of cavil. We do not, however, feel ablto give the special indications of Digitalis in every particularfor the simple reason that we have not had sufficient opportunitito test it in practice. So far we have been guided in the exhibitof Digitalis by the following points : Hurried, small pulse easilaffected by motion ; increased strength of the beating of the heaRheuma. 639but the sounds are muffled and indistinct, mingled with arterialmurmurs ; hurried respiration, with ability to draw a long breathhurried, abrupt speech ; almost complete suspension of the urinarsecretion ; shining-white swelling of the joints, not very sensitto pressure; a number of joints are attacked at once; the wholebody is very pale. During the whole course of the disease we havegiven this medicine without any other drug, and in spite of theviolence of the symptoms, we have never been able to discover anysymptoms of cardiac inflammation, for which Digitalis might, however, likewise be indicated. In conclusion we desire to state thaDigitalis holds a high rank as a remedy for rheumatism among theRational physicians; there is undoubtedly a reason for this.Sulphur bears almost the same specific relation to the rheumaticprocess that Mercury does to syphilis. In an acute attack we woulnot think of giving Sulphur; on the other hand. Sulphur is indispensable to remove the remaining traces of acute rheumatism, uponwhich the extraordinary disposition to relapses generally dependsWhat this remedy ia capable of accomplishing in chronic rheumatism, is shown by the numerous cures which are every year wroughtby the use of Sulphur-springs, and which it is impossible to doubWe doubt, however, whether similar results can be obtained by giving Sulphur internally in small doses ; at any rate, we have nevebeen able to accomplish such a task. All we have been able to dohas been to improve the case, but we have never yet achieved aperfect cure with these small doses. This shows that there mustbe a something, a higher curative power in Sulphur-springs, whichsmall doses of Sulphur do not possess. Sulphur exerts a curativepower over arthritic rheumatism ; it arrests the progress of theease, and materially reduces the swelling of the joints.Ferram is applicable in primary chronic rheumatism as well ashttp://www.archive.org/stream/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog_djvu.txt