Organon – The Art of Healing
§ 234
Those apparently non-febrile, typical, periodically recurring morbid states just alluded to observed in one single patient at a time (they do not usually appear sporadically or epidemically) always belong to the chronic diseases, mostly to those that are purely psoric, are but seldom complicated with syphilis, and are successfully treated by the same means; yet it is sometimes necessary to employ as an intermediate remedy a small dose of a potentized solution of cinchona bark, in order to extinguish completely their intermittent type.
This class of diseases is not sporadic or epidemic. Those which have no fevers are chronic diseases, relating to Psora and have no relation with syphilis. The treatment should be in the same manner as above explained; but here is a peculiarity. Along with other medicines, a high dose of Cinchona bark tincture should be used in between as an inter-current agent. The periodicity would then be broken and extinguished.
Explanation
Cinchona means quinine. In homoeopathy, it is called “China”. If this is used in high potency once or twice, the periodicity is cut off and the cure is made easy. Here the disease may not have any relation with the similarity of the symptoms of “China”. The main drug that is used for curing the disease is different which should be an anti-psoric drug bearing similitude with the disease. In between the dosages of the main drug, high potency of “China” in 10M, 50M, CM doses as may be suitable should be used.
A doubt may arise how China can be used without similarity. Here, not similar means no similarity with unimportant and small symptoms. It has definite similitude with the main and the primary symptom i.e. periodicity, as the disease produced by China has the quality of periodicity.
§ 235
With regard to the intermittent fevers,1 that prevail sporadically or epidemically (not those endemically located in marshy districts), we often find every paroxysm likewise composed of two opposite alternating states (cold, heat – heat, cold), more frequently still of three (cold, heat, sweat). Therefore the remedy selected for them from the general class of proved (common, not antipsoric) medicines must either (and remedies of this sort are the surest) be able likewise to produce in the healthy body two (or all three) similar alternating states, or else must correspond by similarity of symptoms, in the most homœopathic manner possible, to the strongest, best marked, and most peculiar alternating state (either to the cold stage, or to the hot stage, or to the sweating state, each with its accessory symptoms, according as the one or other alternating state is the strongest and most peculiar); but the symptoms of the patient’s health during the intervals when he is free from fever must be the chief guide to the most appropriate homœopathic remedy.2
1 The pathology hitherto in vogue, which is still in the stage of irrational infancy, recognizes but one single intermittent fever, which it likewise termed ague, and admits of no varieties but such as are constituted by the different intervals at which the paroxysms recur, quotidian, tertian, quartan etc. But there are much more important differences among them than what are marked by the periods of their recurrence; there are innumerable varieties of these fevers, some of which cannot even be denominated ague, as their fits consist solely of heat; others, again, are characterised by cold alone, with or without subsequent perspiration; yet others which exhibit general coldness of the surface, with a sensation on the patient’s part, or whilst the body feels externally hot, the patient feels cold; others, again, in which one paroxysm consists entirely of a rigor or simple chilliness followed by an interval of health, while the next consists of heat alone, followed or not by perspiration; others, again, in which the heat comes first and the cold stage not till that is gone; others, again, wherein after a cold or hot stage apyrexia ensues, and then perspiration comes on like a second fit, often many hours subsequently; others, again, in which no perspiration at all comes on, and yet others in which the whole attack consists of perspiration alone, without any cold or hot stage, or in which the perspiration is only present during the heat; and there are innumerable other differences, especially in regard to the accessory symptoms, such as headache of a peculiar kind, bad taste of the mouth, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, want of or excessive thirst, peculiar pains in the body or limbs, disturbed sleep, deliria, alterations of temper, spasms, etc., before, during or after the sweating stage, and countless other varieties. All these are manifestly intermittent fevers of very different kinds, each of which, as might naturally be supposed, requires a special (homœopathic) treatment. It must be confessed that they can almost all be suppressed (as is often done) by enormous doses of bark and of its pharmaceutical preparation, the sulphate of quinine; that is to say, their periodical recurrence (their typus) may be extinguished by it, but the patients who suffered from intermittent fevers for which cinchona bark is not suitable, as is the case with all those epidemic intermittent fevers that traverse whole countries and even mountainous districts, are not restored to health by the extinction of the typus; on the contrary, they now remain ill in another manner, and worse, often much worse, than before; they are affected by peculiar, chronic bark dyscrasias, and can scarcely be restored to health even by a prolonged treatment by the true system of medicine – and yet that is what is called curing, forsooth!
2 Dr. von Bonninghausen, who has rendered more services to our beneficent system of medicine than any other of my disciples, has best elucidated this subject, which demands so much care, and has facilitated the choice of the efficient remedy for the various epidemics of fever, in his work entitled Versuch einer homoopathischen Therapie der Wechselfieber, 1833, Munster bei Regensberg.
In sporadic and intermittent diseases, there are two distinct stages opposite to each other, coming and going, e.g. chill and heat or heat and chill. In other words, each attack of malaria produces pairs of symptoms opposite to each other. These opposite pairs form their succession, in a regular or irregular order. First chill comes, thereafter heat; when that affection recedes, heat comes and thereafter chill. In the same way, the three stages of chill, heat and sweats occur. The drug that is selected should possess similitude with the above order. That means, the order of chill and heat or heat and chill or all the three qualities of chill, heat and sweats. The drug that fulfills the same order is required. This is one variety of similarity. The second variety of similarity is that out of the above stages, the prominent and most peculiar stage should be observed. Similarity is to be achieved based on the peculiar stage as said above and the collateral symptoms. The medicine selected should be one of non-anti-psoric drugs from general class of remedies. There is another important aspect. The condition of the patient during the period of intermission should chiefly be taken in selecting the most striking homoeopathic remedy.
§ 236
The most appropriate and efficacious time for administering the medicine in these cases is immediately or very soon after the termination of the paroxysm, as soon as the patient has in some degree recovered from its effects; it has then time to effect all the changes in the organism requisite for the restoration of health, without any great disturbance or violent commotion; whereas the action of a medicine, be it ever so specifically appropriate, if given immediately before the paroxysm, coincides with the natural recurrence of the disease and causes such a reaction in the organism, such a violent contention, that an attack of that nature produces at the very least a great loss of strength, if it do not endanger life.1 But if the medicine be given immediately after the termination of the fit, that is to say, at the period when the apyretic interval has commenced and a long time before there are any preparations for the next paroxysm, then the vital force of the organism is in the best possible condition to allow itself to be quietly altered by the remedy, and thus restored to the healthy state.
1 This is observed in the fatal cases, by no means rare, in which a moderate dose of opium given during the cold stage quickly deprived the patients of life.
In these diseases, a convenient time suitable for administering the drug should be selected. The drug should be used during the period of remission, i.e. after the violence of the fever is reduced, after sweats also receded and during the period of regaining health. This is a state when all the disease symptoms are re-treating from a violent stage to normalcy. That is the time when the disturbance created in the body vanishes. Then the artificial disease of the drug administered would also coincide with the periodicity of the next paroxysm of the natural disease. Since sometime is allowed before renewal of the disease, the vital force is in a most favourable position to receive the additional strength of the medicine and restore health.
Explanation
A homoeopathic remedy is to be used within next few minutes after termination oft the acute condition of the disease like malaria. The advantages of such usage are:
When the medicine is used after termination of the turmoil of the natural disease, the body and mind are well prepared to receive the medicinal effect in a state of repose better than during acute conditions.
Since there is similarity between the natural disease and the artificial disease produced by medicine, similarity in respect of periodicity is also achieved. Both these two diseases appear simultaneously on a third das. The effect of the artificial disease needs not be experienced separatedly.
Before the next paroxysm, much time is in hand so that the vital force rearranges the bodily condition as much as possible with the help of the medicine.
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