Kent's - Classical Homeopathy Online

entirely removed, but an inflammatory condition starts up. Hepar if indicated by the general symptomsof the patient hastens the suppuration and heals up the finger, for it has all such things. Silica is anotherremedy capable of establishing inflammation and suppuration and removes little foreign bodies thatcannot be located. Of course it is understood that if the physician knows the location of a splinter, hewill take such steps as are necessary to remove it, and not wait for the action of a remedy. But at timesa needle point breaks off against the bone of the finger of a seamstress, or small portions of the needlemay exist where they cannot be found without an immense amount of slashing which the patientrefuses. Hepar or Silica will remove it. A little abscess will form, and the little mite will be discharged.Knowing that these two remedies have-this tendency to establish a suppuration wherever there areforeign bodies, it is well to be reminded that if a bullet were encysted in the lungs it would be well, ifthe symptoms called for Hepar or Silica, to consider whether it might not be injurious to give a remedythat would establish a suppuration. It might be that the bullet is resting in a vital place, in a net-work ofarteries, and it would be well not to establish suppuration in this vital region. Deposits of a tubercularcharacter are often located in a place that they can easily tie suppurated out, and the action of theremedy on them would be the same as a foreign body. Hence it is that Hepar, after its administration,will very often abolish a crop of boils all over the economy because in the skin there are smallaccumulations of sebaceous matter and these will be suppurated out. Sulfur also does this, so that itmay be well to be careful and not give Silica or Sulfur, or Hepar too often, or too high, in patients thathave encysted tubercle in the lungs. Rokitansky in his numerous post-mortems found a large number ofencysted caseous deposits in the lungs, in cases that had lived and out grown these troubles; they hadbecome encysted and therefore perfectly safe and the patient had died of something else. It might bedangerous to administer these medicines that have a tendency to cause suppuration in such, and youshould at least proceed cautiously in using them. After you have seen a great many cases you will findthat you have killed some of them. If our medicines were not powerful enough to kill folks, they wouldnot be powerful enough to cure sick folks. It is well for you to realize that you are dealing with razorswhen dealing with high potencies. I would rather be in a room with a dozen negroes slashing withrazors than in the hands of an ignorant prescriber of high potencies. They are means of tremendousharm, as well as of tremendous good.In contrast with Hepar (although Hepar is a form of Calcarea), Calc. carb. has no such tearingdown nature in it. It does not establish inflammation around foreign bodies and tend to suppurate themout, but causes a fibrous deposit around bullets and other foreign substances in the flesh. It causestubercular deposits to harden and contract and become encysted.Many excellent homeopathic physicians have said to me, "I do not agree with you as to thedanger of Sulfur in phthisical cases. I have cured cases of phthisis with Sulfur". So have I many ofthem. But I did not refer to curable cases, but to those cases which are well developed and have gravesymptoms. It is well to know all the elements in the case; then if you have administered a remedy andkilled your patient, you know at least what you have done. It is better to know what you have done ifyou have killed your patient, than to be ignorant of it and go on and kill some more in the same way.HYDRASTIS CANADENSIS [hydr] [Kent’s]Hydrastis is a slow, deep acting remedy, required in many trophic disturbances where there isemaciation, catarrhal conditions and ulceration, even malignant ulceration. Defective assimilation.When it is noticed that the stomach is the center of most of the symptom complex. The desires andaversions often give the key to a very complex totality of symptoms. In this remedy the sinking emptyhunger with loathing of food is striking, strange, rare, and therefore peculiar. It is characteristic becauseit is a general of the remedy, and is predicated of the patient. Great weakness prevails at all times.Catarrhal symptoms with thick, viscid, ropy, yellow mucus, sometimes white, from any mucousmembrane, with or without ulceration. Deep eating spreading ulcers upon the skin or mucousmembrane, with thick, viscid, yellow pus. Induration in gland, in base of ulcers. False granulations thatbleed much and easily, on the slightest touch. This remedy has been very useful in the treatment ofmalignant ulcers. In such ulcers it is often a great comfort to the patient, even when it does not cure, asit removes the offensiveness, modifies the pain and restrains the destructiveness. The burning socommonly found in such ulcers is a strong symptom of Hydrastis. When the weakness and emaciationhave progressed together for months and years in chronic stomach disease, fainting comes on, and thisis also found in Hydrastis.In chronic cases, when the tissues have suffered and not the mind. The astonishing absence ofmental symptoms except the general discouragement incidental to long suffering and weakness isstriking. If it were carefully proved, most likely the mental loves and hates would come out. Thesymptoms are better during rest. Small wounds bleed and suppurate.