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Um homem de mais ou menos 50 anos, vigoroso,
geralmente afetuoso, mas durante seus mais
violentos paroxismos apresenta uma tendência a
explosões de raiva com marcada excitação nervosa,
vem sofrendo nos últimos meses de uma dor violenta
na perna direita, depois de um tratamento alopático
para um suposto reumatismo (que não foi confirmado)
na órbita direita, com medicamentos tópicos.
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Esta última dor atacou a parte posterior da perna,
especialmente da panturrilha até o calcanhar, mas
não envolveu o calcanhar ou o tornozelo.
O paciente descreve a dor como extremamente
aguda, como câimbra, repuxando, freqüentemente
interrompida por espetadas de dentro para fora;
mas pela manhã, quando a dor era mais suportável,
era uma dor como se estivesse machucado.
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A dor piorava ao entardecer e durante o repouso,
especialmente após movimento, enquanto sentado ou
de pé, principalmente após ter andado ao ar livre.
Enquanto andava, a dor passava da panturrilha direita
para o braço esquerdo se ele colocasse a mão no
bolso ou no peito e o deixasse imóvel, mas passava
tão logo ele movimentasse o braço, e a dor retornava
para a panturrilha direita.
O maior alívio se dava ao ficar andando no quarto e
esfregando a parte dolorida.
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Os sintomas concomitantes eram
insônia antes da meia-noite,
ataques recorrentes freqüentes de súbitas
ondas de calor ao entardecer com sede sem
calafrio prévio,
um gosto desagradável de gordura na boca
com náusea,
e uma dor pressiva quase constante na parte
inferior do tórax e epigástrio como se houvesse
alguma coisa pressionando de dentro para fora.
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No skilful homœopathist, who is perfectly familiar with
the action of his remedies, will long remain in doubt as
to the correct remedy in this case, with so complete
and accurate a picture of the disease,
for all these symptoms together
correspond to a single one,
which is thoroughly homœopathic;
but the beginner will be obliged to look for nearly every
symptom and only after long search will he find the
one most fit among the concurrent remedies. Between
these two extremes of knowing and not knowing, lie
many degrees of partial knowledge, which require a
more or less frequent consultation of the book.
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One person, for example, knows that the pains
repeatedly changing from place to place, worse
towards evening and during rest, together with the
fatty taste in the mouth, the sleeplessness before
midnight and others of the symptoms mentioned,
belong especially to the action of Pulsatilla,
but he is not sure whether the remaining symptoms
also belong to it, and he will not, if be acts
conscientiously, spare the trouble to compare these
latter;
but he will soon see that pulsatilla is not the correct
homœopathic remedy, because, in addition to the
mental symptoms, there are others which are not
similar, but, indeed, are directly, contradictory to it.
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Another person who has studied more the peculiarities
of the pains and distinctly remembers that china
corresponds to the paralytic and bruised pains as well
as to the jerking tearings and the stitches from within
outward and to the pains jumping from place to place.
In addition, he believes that also symptoms, like
sleeplessness before midnight, the aggravation during
rest, as well as the relief from motion and rubbing,
together with the flushes of heat with thirst,
correspond to this drug,
but because he does not know
he also must consult the books;
so he will soon meet with contradictions, just as the
previous one did, and he will see clearly the unfitness
of china for the case.
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Neither of these two, however, will think of
administering to the patient a remedy whose
curative power in this case is so improbable,
but as conscientious homœopathic physicians,
they will look farther and compare,
and by the help of this hand-book
they will soon find, without great difficulty, the
only really homœopathically indicated remedy.
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But even a third physician, educated in homœopathy,
one who recognizes the contra-indications of
pulsatilla, china and other concurrent remedies, does
not know sufficiently that VALERIANA corresponds to
the chief symptoms,
and in order to be perfectly sure about this rather
infrequently used remedy, he will quickly look up the
few doubtful symptoms, and convince himself that this
drug, among all the known medicines, is the best
adapted to this case, as was proved in the result;
for, after a single very small dose exhibited in a high
potency in water,
the whole trouble,
with all the concomitant symptoms,
was completely removed within three days.
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The half-educated physician, however,
who consults only the original sources and discards every sort
of repertory will not easily think of looking for this drug, which is
seldom used for similar complaints, in the second vol of Archiv.,
and before doing it, he will expend much time and trouble,
which might have been more usefully employed, in comparing
other and more frequently used remedies;
and if, at last, he should consult it, he will even here meet with
difficulties and doubts, which are not easily overcome by the
unskilled without other help,
since most of the symptoms which must be considered here,
must be more or less completed by the characteristics of the
remedy, in order to be found suitable,
and besides many errors in the notes, many secondary effects
which are not marked as such and hence are not easily
recognized, increase the uncertainty.