H--, a young woman on the establishment of the Countess of --, was
suffering under hemiplegia, and it was resolved by Dr. Brulatour and
myself to try the effects of nux vomica. At this period the wonders of the
homoeopathic practice had been extolled to the skies by its advocates,
and we were resolved to give one of their supposed powerful preparations a
fair trial. The girl was told that the powder she was about to take was
simply a dose of calomel; and on calling upon her the following morning we
did not expect that the slightest effect could have been obtained by this
atomic dose, when, to our utter surprise, the patient told us that she had
passed a miserable night, and described to us most minutely all the
symptoms that usually follow the exhibition of a large dose of strychnine.
It is but fair to mention that the homoeopathic treatment did not cure
the disease; but the manifest operation of this fractional dose, that
could not possibly be denied, is a fact of considerable importance.