Homoeopathic medicine West of England

in the

D O R O T H Y C O O P E R , r~.R.C.I' . , M.a .C.S . , D.C.rI . , M.F.HOM.

When I heard that the late Dr. W. O. Spence, President of the Homceopathic Physicians, had chosen as the title of his talk at the Symposium in Birmingham, lqovember last year, "Why so few?" there came into my mind immediately the corol lary--"Why so many?" that is, "Why are an increasing number of people seeking homceopathic treatment?" And in one way, this question is an answer to the first.

Dr. Spence spoke as he did in Birmingham because those of us practising homceopathy in the West of England have been faced in recent years with a n

ever-increasing number of patients seeking homceopathic treatment for the first time and, as Dr. Spenee himself said, although there are many cases for which the correct homceopathic remedy is immediately discernible, the more one practises homoeopathy the more one realizes its potential for dealing with the difficult and obsure medical problems which take so much time in both case history and prescription, and may be why some physicians hesitate to extend, or even embark on, homceopathic prescribing.

Many new patients who have been referred to me in the past six years have not come from a homceopathic background; although some of them have known of the long tradition of homceopathy in Bath.

The Bath Homceopathic Dispensary first opened in 1849; by 1860 there was an in-patient department so that it could offer, in the words of the Charity Title Deeds, "both indoor and outdoor relief to the poor of this City, who prefer the homceopathic system of treatment". In 1880 the hospital moved to new and larger premises, and a second homceopathic dispensary opened. In 1893 the Lansdown Grove Nursing Insitution, under the management of the committee of the Bath Homceopathic Hospital, was founded. In 1906 this Nursing Home was extended and endowed, largely owing to the efforts of one of my predeces- sors, Dr. Percy Wilde. I t became known as the Lansdown Grove Hospital, and the in-patient department of the Homceopathic Dispensary was moved there. In fact, it was possible for me to claim free beds there for Dispensary patients until 1962, when the then Trustees sold the entire establishment to the Nuffield Nursing Homes Trust. I t is still the one hospital in Bath in which patients can ask for, and receive, homceopathic treatment.

Until the coming of the Health Service in 1948, nurses were trained for State l~egistration at the Lansdown Grove and the Bristol Homceopathie Hospital, with a regular interchange between the two.

By 1906, the outpatients' department was in new premises where patients were seen daily, and later three times a week, until the entire building and its records were destroyed by enemy action in 1942. After a few weeks, the Dis- pensary reopened in rented premises and continued in this way until 1971, when a steep increase in rental led to a withdrawal from accommodation on "neutral"

A paper read to the British Homoeopathie Congress in Bristol on 11 Juue 1977.

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ground. Nevertheless, I still see Clinic patients on the basis of the old ChariSy, as well as those referred to me for consultation by m y colleagues.

Until 1973, there were two homceopathie chemists in Bath and our present homceopathie chemists, Messrs. Alick and Guy Wilson, are the second and third generation in their family business which, in 1904, was asked by Dr. Percy Wilde to extend their work to include homceopathic dispensing for the Homceo- pathic Hospital. Because of their personal interest, this pharmacy is open for dispensing on 365 days in the year--366 in Leap Year!

The cases I am presenting cover the field of the original type of "Clinic" patient, as well as the "new" homceopathic patients.

The first case is an example of the latter. Mrs. M.M., aged 59 years, came to me in May 1976'with a history of 25 years of recurring at tacks of redness and rash of the left leg and pain in the left groin with fever and a feeling of severe illness. The at tacks had always responded to bed rest and penicillin, but this a t tack had lasted six weeks, and each t ime she began to move around her symptoms recurred. So, having read Dr. Blackie's book The Patient, Not the Cure, she came, with her general practitioner 's approval, to see whether homceo- pa thy could benefit her.

One of the chief problems with this patient is a long-standing history of sepsis; from an ear abscess at five years through severe measles and scarlet fever, and also tonsillectomy for septic tonsils in childhood, to a recurrence of quinsy with removal of tonsillar remains at 33. At the age of 56, a culture of the skin, toe nails, etc., at St. Thomas' Hospital proved negative and a diagnosis of infectious crythema or erysipelas was made and my examination confirmed this diagnosis; there was, in addition, evidence of diminished arterial supply to the left leg.

She is a cheerfully, optimistic patient, thick-set and fair-skinned. In view of the chronic nature of the condition, I s tarted her on Graphites 6. On the second day, she had a slight aggravation with fever but did not feel ill

and improved steadily for the next three weeks, at the end of which time, Sac. Lac. was prescribed for a further three weeks.

Graphites 1M, one dose, was then given. This was again followed by an aggravation and then steady improvement.

I have a note that , twelve weeks later, the ankle was normal, leg skin cool though still shiny, but less tense, and the patient was able to work, standing two to three hours at a time.

She then had Graphites 10M and, by September, she reported tha t the tinea infection between her toes had gone, the skin was healed and she had no further symptoms in her leg. She felt really well and full of energy.

In November she complained of slight recurrence of symptoms, so Graphites 10M was again prescribed and, as the response was slow and the skin was less comfortable in bed and worse after bathing, she had, on 6 December 1976, a dose of Sulphur 10M with immediate improvement, reporting that even her toe-nails were beginning to grow. By the middle of J anua ry this year, she was still making progress but again so slowly tha t Graphites 1M was repeated.

I saw her last on 9 May, when she reported that she was feeling really well. There was no evidence of redness or swelling and, once again, the left big toe- nail was beginning to grow and the tinea infection had almost gone, but in view of the early history of sepsis, I suspect tha t a deeper-acting remedy may be needed at a later stage.

My second case in this group is Mrs. J.W., age 53 years, a housewife whom I

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saw first on 24 June 1976, when she was recommended to seek my advice by our Senior Consultant Dental Surgeon, whose patient she is.

In 1969, she had complained to him of ulceration of mouth with glandular enlargement, but failed to attend for the dental treatment recommended, and in March 1976 when he saw her again, he had to advise extraction of all her teeth, but the gums did not heal and ulceration of the mouth persisted. Her dental surgeon then discovered that she had been using steroids on her skin for more than 17 years and that additional steroids by mouth were being ordered for her. So he phoned me and asked whether homceopathy could help.

Meanwhile the patient had become frightened and had discontinued the steroids of her own volition 24 hours before I saw her.

She had a history of eczema for nearly 30 years, since her first marriage had broken up. The condition had been kept under until five to six years previously but, since that time, it had spread to the right arm, both buttocks, her neck, and even, in the last six months, to her face. She used to heal normally, now just does not heal. She complained above all of listlessness and lack of energy, but none the less was obviously a very determined woman.

Indicative and interesting symptoms of aggravation and amelioration were as follows:

Worse Better cold warmth bathing--she smothered herself with bland cream drinking coffee

and, in half an hour, was more comfortable again

at night in bed in sun heat worry

There were areas of brown discoloration on the left face and forehead. Both upper arms, left neck, both buttocks, crutch, thighs and legs were covered with large eczematous areas the size of a hand, some confluent. These were raw and red and contained areas of sepsis. In the mouth, there were many ulcers and cervical glands were enlarged. Her blood pressure was 114/70. Routine in- vestigations were negative.

In view of the long-standing use of cortisone and history of chest disease, she was given Tuberculinum bovinum 1M, one solitary dose to be followed by Sulphur 6, and Cremor Calendula.

l~ext day, she developed an upper respiratory infection with fever, cough and yellow sputum, but she responded well to Kali bichrom. 6. Her temperature settled in 24 hours and her skin began to improve.

At the end of three weeks and without further prescribing or allopathie treatment, she was very much better and even the mouth ulcers had healed; but she was much too hot and irritation still troubled her at night, so I gave her a solitary dose of Sulphur llVi and later repeated Sulphur 6, on which she con- tinued to make steady progress in all ways.

By 3 August 1976, her blood pressure had risen to 130/80, no further septic areas had developed and the whole skin was looking very much more normal. There was only occasional irritation by day and, although still tired, she was beginning to take an interest in things.

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Her dental surgeon reported to me he was "thrilled", he had "never seen her look so well".

By 20 October 1976, that is four months after commencing homceopathie treatment, the eczema had largely healed and no new areas had developed.

To ensure that progress was maintained, Tuberculinum bovinum 1M one dose was repeated. She was not seen again until 2 February this year, when she complained of tiredness and that the skin on her shoulders was oversensitive to the rub of her shoulder straps. Also she said she had some ulcers in her mouth, but that the gums were comfortable. On examination, I found all areas healed though, in some places, the skin appeared to be paper thin. Sulphur 10M, one dose, was given.

She failed to keep her next appointment, but phoned to say her skin was "good" and needed no further treatment.

The third skin case, a baby aged 6�89 months, whom I first saw on 9 September 1974, is typical of those seeking help through the Clinic.

She had developed severe eczema at 2�89 weeks and in spite of the care of a first-class paediatrician and various treatments, including cortisone, she made no progress but remained a very sick and demanding child, crying constantly and screaming most of the time. The mother, who was observant and careful, having done all she could on a practical level, sought homoeopathic treatment on the advice of a student nurse friend.

The mother reported the following facts: Sweat was offensive, "smells like burnt pig when on cows' milk". Eczema ~ hot days

water salt baths cows' milk eggs - , colic constipated

cold, but body must be covered movement caressing, must be centre of attraction seaside

bowels open There was severe eczema over the head, face and entire body and limbs with

much subcutaneous swelling. The legs and feet were blue -~ d-. She was given a solitary dose of Sulphur 1M and Calendula Cream was

supplied. After an aggravation on the fifth day, there was steady progress and by the

end of three weeks, she was a happy baby, crying very much less. Her scalp was almost completely normal, and her back very much better. Extensor surfaces were healing, but flexor creases still had some cracks. Feet were more pink and warmer to the touch.

At the end of November, after nearly three months of treatment, she was well and happy, no longer jealous of her sister and had survived moving to a new locality without disturbance. She was developing normally and a second dose of Sulphur was given, this time in 12th potency, to deal with the few remaining patches of rough skin and redness.

Progress was maintained and a third dose of Sulphur was given in February 1975, six months after the first dose.

At thirteen months she started to walk and was developing a forceful but friendly personality. The mother was beginning to introduce milk, cheese and other foods very slowly, and considered that the skin was "perfect", but I found the hands and feet were sweaty, although the skin was less dry, so Sulphur 1M, one dose, was repeated--the fourth dose.

In May 1975, she had a mild attack of hay-fever which responded fully to

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Arseuicum album 6. Since then, she has required only an occasional dose of Sulphur, and progress has been maintained.

I have chosen these three skin cases to reassure ourselves that it is never too late or too early to commence homceopathic treatment, even after long-standing cortisone treatment.

I now turn to another problem, that of Mrs. C.M., age 28 years, a housewife, who came to see me on 9 December 1971 with a diagnosis of ankylosing spondy- litis since 17 years, and iritis of the right eye for the previous four years.

She was recommended to consult a homceopathic physician by another patient who had found relief in early rheumatoid arthritis from homceopathic treatment.

The ankylosing spondylitis had developed following an accident when she was thrown from her bicyle and landed on her back on her satchel. Pain had commenced in the lower dorsal area and had spread to neck and shoulder, ribs and low back. The left knee had been swollen more recently and the right knee was painful. She said the pain was much affected by the weather--

cold when rain coming ~ when rain has fallen at night when it wakens her warm damp

Prefers hot weather. Dislikes thunder. She is intensely sensitive to other people's suffering. Investigations showed ESR over 50 mm. At that time, she was taking aspirin gr. V, 9-12 tablets daily. She had been

on butazolidine which had given blood dyscrasia so had been discontinued. She stood with a severe kypho-lordosis with the head protruding forward.

All spine and neck movements were greatly limited by pain. She could only flex her hips to a right angle. The left knee was swollen and puffy and movements were painful. There were marked changes in the right eye.

In view of the severity of the neck pain and her hypersensitivity, Causticum 12 was prescribed with some immediate relief.

A month later she was moving less awkwardly and her knees were less painful, as was the neck, and all movements were freer, so it seemed the right time to give ~Vux vom. 1OiVI, worked out after the first consultation as being the appro- priate remedy.

By 3 February 1972, the worst pain area in the back was very much better and she had still more movement. She was already taking less asprin (4-6 daily). The N u x vom. 10M was repeated and, by 1 March, the pain had almost gone. She was standing more upright and all movements were freer. The eye had been very much better for two months.

By 4 May, the sedimentation rate had fallen to 46 mm, and by 6 November to 35 mm.

The eye seemed to respond well to N u x vom. but Rhus tox. and Causticum had their place in treatment.

She remained under the Orthopaedic Department at Oxford and the Ophthal- mic Deparment at Swindon and, in 1973, felt so well that they encouraged her to go ahead with a second pregnancy.

There was the usual diminution of symptoms during pregnancy and the usual increase in symptoms following a normal parturition (13 November 1974). I t took some 18 months to stabilize her again; the iritis being very troublesome.

Now once more, she is well on occasional doses of high potency N u x vom. and/

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or Rhus tox. and only needs an occasional morning dose of aspirin. Even the iritis is quiescent. When I saw her on 4 March last, she said "I am feeling better than before I had the children."

I t may be that the disease is "burning itself out", but she has remained active throughout, and certainly her orthopaedic surgeon and ophthalmic physician have felt it worthwhile to encourage her to continue with homceopathic treat- ment.

I am not reporting on any other of the many rheumatic problems which come to the Clinic or are referred to me, as we have already had so much interesting and profitable material in this field.

But I will go on to another exciting, because unusual, medical challenge-- SCLERODERMA.

Miss J.H., age 53 years, a chiropodist, was referred to me on 7 October 1975 by her general practitioner. She herself had first heard of homceopthy through a Clinic patient.

The diagnosis of scleroderma had been made 24 years previously. I t began in a heat wave with symptoms of cyanosis and Raynaud's disease, commencing in the feet and spreading to the ankles. I t had developed slowly but steadily, until legs, thighs, shoulders, face, arms and hands were involved, l~heumatic type pains had preceded skin changes. The hands had become distorted and ulcers had developed on the fingers and the left ankle.

She was an optimist and never worried but, in February and May that year, 1975, had been admitted to hospital for two four-week periods because the severity of pain in her hands and ankles had prevented her from working and she could not walk even 100 yards.

Her pain was < sunshine < great heat yet > warmth < cold, yet she stuck feet out of bed < coffee

She likes travelling and has a strong streak of obstinacy. She is a tall, very thin woman with every evidence of an advanced degree of

scleroderma, and the appearance of skin stretched over bone. The facial skin was much affected, she could not draw her lips together to whistle or drink. Sensory changes were marked. There were minute areas of raised redness all over the face, arms, forearms and hands. The neck and shoulders were not so grossly involved. The legs were thin, like beanpoles, with wasting of muscle, and the skin was hard and stretched.

The worst changes were around the right ankle where there were deep ulcers medially and laterally approximately 2�89 •189 in (5 • cm), and a heavily scabbed area over the flexor tendons.

In view of the miliary appearance of the skin generally, I gave her first Tuberculinum bovinum 10M followed by the mixture of Sulphur 6, Ham- amelis 6 and Acid fluor. 6 which is very useful in healing varicose ulcers.

She soon began to feel less tired and looked better. In one month, her facial skin appeared less blotchy and the ulcers had ceased to increase in size and looked drier.

She continued to improve slowly, but the pain in the ulcers persisted so Sulphur 6 alone was prescribed. Four months later, the Tuberculinum bovinum 10M was repeated and by May 1976, the dorsum of the foot had healed and I have a note "all skin looks healthier and hands feel warmer, co]our has improved and agonizing pain is less severe".

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During the great heat last summer, the ulcers made little progress. They looked bluish and she became very talkative--so Lachesis 1M was prescribed with some benefit. Tuberculiuum bovinum 10M was repeated in July and again in November, but Sulphur in varying potencies has done much for this patient.

There was a relapse in November 1976, with increase in pain at a time when increased activity was thrust upon her, but since December she has again made progress.

She is now well in herself and able to walk two miles without resting. She is sleeping at night and rarely disturbed by pain. The deformities remain, but the dorsum of the left foot has normal skin and the two large ulcers are healing and both feet feel warm to touch. When I saw her on 7 March she said she was feeling extremely well, the first time for more than four years. Her own doctor was "thrilled with her progress".

Here is another disease where allopathy can offer little but it would seem that there is something we can do to alter its course and alleviate symptoms.

I will pass on to one of several patients who came to me because operation had been recommended and they wished first to t ry homceopathic treatment and, if surgery ultimately proved necessary, to have it under the care and treatment of a homceopathie physician.

Mrs. J.V., age 49 years, was referred to me on 22 May 1974 with a diagnosis of gall bladder trouble with X-ray evidence of a non-functioning gall bladder. The surgeon of her area hospital had declined to operate because the patient refused on religious grounds to give written consent for a blood transfusion.

Her symptoms and general health improved on homoeopathie treatment and, a year later, she was fit for the operation. I asked Mr. Gordon Ramsay of the Royal London Homceopathic Hospital to see her. l ie admitted her and operated, removing a small, thickened gall bladder containing several nodular calculi. Also a eholecyst-duodenal fistula was extracted and excised and the duodenum closed. She made an uninterrupted recovery and returned to her home in South Somerset 14 days later, very grateful for the care she had received.

This is another example, whatever one's personal opinion of this kind of problem may be, of "the patient and not the cure" since, thanks to homceopathy and the Royal London Homceopathic Hospital, this patient was able to have the surgery she needed without violating her religious scruples.

This case takes me on to the pre- and post-operative use of Arnica for injury and shock.

Miss N.H., age 79 years, retired to Bath in order to have homceopathic treatment available.

On 1 March this year, she reported a swelling in the right groin and a right femoral hernia was diagnosed. She was admitted to ~he Lansdown Grove Hospital under our senior general surgeon three weeks later, and was given one dose of Arnica 10M an hour before we operated to repair the hernia, and she continued on Arnica 10M post-operatively for six days. The surgeon decided she was fit to go home on the sixth day and wrote to me saying, "She really has made a remarkable recovery and I find it difficult to keep her in the Lansdown any longer."

Many of you have read the ease history of Miss C.B., a former patient of Dr. Twentyman, who also retired to this area as she wished to continue with a homceopathic physician.

Since her homceopathic treatment for acute cervical and temporal arteritis she has remained sympton-free for eight years, but in January of this year,

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then aged 79, she fell and fractured her femur. She took Arnica 6 before phoning for help and I gave Arnica 10M as soon as I saw her and had her moved to the Lansdown Grove Hospital, where X-ray confirmed an inter-trochanteric fracture of the left femur which was pinned and plated at 8 p.m. the same evening.

There was virtually no shock from the accident or the operation and from the very first, the patient moved around with ease, but complained of some dis- comfort when the interval for Arnica 10M was increased, so she remained on Arnica 10M while she was in hospital. She returned home alone to her bungalow at the end of the fifth week, only using one stick to steady herself on uneven surfaces, and has continued to make excellent progress.

One wonders how successful orthopaedic surgery could have been if this patient had been treated with cortisone instead of homceopathic remedies for the cervical arteritis.

These two cases occurred within days of each other and the nursing staff were much impressed by the speed of recovery of both patients.

Long-standing problems are as urgently in need of treatment as the patient with a fractured femur is in need of Arnica 10iV[. The remedies I have found as dramatic in result in this kind of situation are Carcinosin, sometimes preceded by Folliculinum, and frequently followed by the specific constitutional remedy. The first two are the remedies on which Dr. Foubister, Dr. Bon Hoa and others have done so much useful work of recent years; and the following are three cases in which these remedies have brought great benefit to the patients concerned.

Miss P.W., age 62 years, was born in Malaya of missionary parents. At 17 years of age, she started helping in a large orphanage for girls and, by the time she was in her early twenties, was entirely responsible for the running of the institution.

For 45 years, she had only brief periods free from responsibility, by the end of which time she was so exhausted she was sent to England for a long furlough and treatment.

Various drugs had been prescribed, but she made no progress when she was sent to see me in November 1975. She had shrunk into herself, could hardly speak for tears and was utterly ashamed of her weeping. She was not moody or depressed, but acutely conscious of the fact she was not worried that she could not fulfil her responsibilities.

She had had amoebic dysentry in 1938 and 1952 (present tests negative). Relevant points were:

Her dislike of milk or rich cream or curry Inability to take too much fat Adds salt d- d- Feels the cold. Likes the heat but not too hot. On examination, I found derangement of the occipito-atlantal joint and

failure of alignment of the third cervical and second dorsal vertebrae, sub- sequently corrected by osteopathy. The blood pressure was 180/100--this fell to 164/86 in three months on her constitutional remedy.

In view of the length of time under extreme and constant pressure, and also the profound effects of amoebic dysentry, Folliculinum 30 was given, followed by Carcinosin 30 on the sixth day, and then Sepia 12 three weeks later.

She started to improve at once and continued to do so, slowly but steadily, over a period of one year, by which time she was fit to return to her work in Malaysia. She had by then had five doses of Folliculinum 30 and Carcinosin 30, and two doses of Sepia in the 18 months under treatment. A letter from her

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received recently reported tha t she was "feeling fine and enjoying her work". Mrs. D.M., age 52 years, came to me complaining of recurring depression since

her husband had started farming ten years previously. As a trained veterinary surgeon, he had heard of homceopathy and so brought his wife to see me. He preferred the freedom of self-employment and never really worried concerning finance. His wife, a science graduate, bore the burden of the book-keeping and the financial reponsibility of the farm. This worried her and she became de- pressed. She was letting the house go and was getting untidy in her person. She knew this was happening but had the curious non-reaction of no desire to correct it. She almost hated her husband.

She hates the cold; hates grey days. Dislikes curry Craves coffee Is exhausted by people, yet comes to life with them. In view of the history of pressure, this patient received a dose of Folliculinum

30 followed by Carcinosin 30. In four weeks, she was feeling very much better, had taken a part-t ime job

to add to the family income and felt she "could even like her husband again". She had some "black days" but fewer. She had lost her craving for coffee. She was then given Sepia 1M.

In two months, she had improved still further with only an occasional grey day and no black days. She was much more optimistic and sleeping very much better, and the house was running smoothly; although unable to keep her next appointment, she phoned to say she was back to normal.

S.B., age 12 years, was referred to me on 11 May 1976 (by an osteopathic physician) with a history of severe migraine-type headaches since five years of age. These headaches had become worse and more frequent and had lasted two to three weeks for the past two years, during which time he had been growing rapidly. They always occurred following physical exertion (swimming, bad- minton) and were preceded by one to one-and-a-half hours of extreme tiredness. There was no visual disturbance.

He had been fully investigated by a paediatric physician. The headaches were ~ for thunder

heavy weather He likes sweet things; adds salt-~ Jr. On examination he was a tall, well-built lad with a sallow skin and blue

sclerotics; he appeared heavy and slow. Carcinosin 30 followed three weeks later by Sepia 1M gave considerable

relief and by the end of the summer term, he had had only two slight headaches, was no longer depressed, beginning to enjoy work and play, and did well in his e x a m s .

At the end of July, he had a further dose of Carcinosin 30 and, in September, Sepia 1M. During the au tumn term, he had two half days away from school. Carcinosin and Sepia were repeated in the Christmas holiday.

I heard from him on 23 March. He had had no headaches at all that term and was taking a full part in all school activities, plays and games.

I t has been very difficult to select which cases it would be most useful to present but I hope the var ie ty of these has been helpful in providing further evidence tha t homceopathy is a very worthwhile specialization in medicine, based on scientific observation and study, and proven success, not, as the popular press still tends to call it, "a branch of fringe medicine".