CASE I.—Patient, a tall thin woman; dark hair and eyes. Badly
nourished as a result of mal-assimilation of food. Troubled with
frequent attacks of styes on the upper right eyelid. Patient anæmic.
Complained of frequent chilliness; chilly on least exposure.
Physically and mentally patient was exhausted.
Some improvement was secured by correcting an eye trouble with
glasses. Nux vomica, psorinum, and hepar of course acted
indifferently. On a later visit the case was cleared up by the
mention of the chilly sensation and the exhaustion. Kali carbonicum
began an improvement and carried the case on to a point where diet
did the rest.
The woman’s means were limited, but she was able to carry out the
diet direction, because her principal articles of diet had been meat
and eggs. She was getting too much nitrogen. A generous supply of
the carbo-hydrates; a direction to drink plenty of water, but not at
meal times; and more exercise in the open air changed the conditions
to healthful ones.
CASE II.—A young woman, well nourished, but not muscularly strong.
Catches cold easily and is readily exhausted by muscular exertion.
Sensation of a lump in the throat, with stitching sensation at each
cold. With each cold has some cough, due largely to an elongated
uvula. With each cold must “hawk” a great deal in the mornings to
“clear the throat.” The patient was a vocalist and suffered
frequently from these acute colds and hoarseness.
The case had been prescribed for by several physicians. A study of
the case brought out the kali carbonicum picture of “coryza with
hoarseness; catches cold at least exposure to fresh air, and with
each cold there is a stitching pain in the pharynx,” and kali
carbonicum 6x trituration cured the case, including the relaxed
uvula. The patient has frequently presented this picture and each
time kali carb. did the work.
Some additional benefit, in lessening the liability to these
attacks, has been secured by the cold sponge bath each morning. Deep
inhalation of fresh air three times a day, to aid in the oxidation
of the food stuffs; and by inculcating the habit of daily attending
to Nature’s demands, whether there is any desire or urging in that
direction or not.
CASE III.—Patient a nervous woman. Suffering from mixed astigmatism
and pronounced insufficiency of the internal recti muscles, which we
oculists denominate an exophoria. Patient suffered terribly from
headaches, almost daily in their occurrence, frequently with nausea.
The muscular trouble was cured by the use of prisms, the mixed
astigmatism corrected by a glass, and there remained a severe
backache. It was located in the small of the back as if there were a
heavy weight pressing there; worse during menses, with bearing-down
pain; patient was obliged to sit down frequently, on account of the
ache. Her physician had prescribed sepia, cimicifuga, and natrum
muriaticum—and in response to a question, “Could the eye treatment
have had anything to do with apparently aggravating the backache?” I
replied, “No; I think the relief of the headache has simply allowed
the attention to be drawn to the backache.” I asked for other
symptoms and one day received a little line stating that the
“backache was worse after eating, and the patient could not walk
much on account of the backache, was obliged to sit down
frequently,” and kali carbonicum was advised. It cured the case.