Legatum Homeopathicum

You've loaded an old revision of the document! If you save it, you will create a new version with this data.

====== CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS ON LACHESIS.======

{{anchor:s2}}BY T. F. ALLEN, M. D., NEW YORK.

{{anchor:s3}}CASE I. R. H., a boy ten years old, in good circumstances. {{anchor:s4}}December 17th, six o'clock, p.m., I was called in great haste, the child was said to be "swelling all up.{{anchor:s5}}" I found the boy lying stupid, only moving his head when spoken to. {{anchor:s6}}The first thing noticed was a large sore about the center of his forehead, covered with a hard black scab, the tissue all around hard and inflamed, a puffy swelling extended down on both sides of his nose to his neck which was very much swollen, as were his lips. {{anchor:s7}}When he took a swallow of water, he grasped his throat with his hand and evinced the greatest pain. {{anchor:s8}}His face was very red but mottled white (looked singular), his ears were burning hot to the touch, yet his pulse was only 85, irregular and softish. {{anchor:s9}}He continually picked at his hair, saying, "tangled and in my eyes," every few minutes he had twitchings of the arms. {{anchor:s10}}I was told that in the morning he seemed perfectly well except that he was less lively than usual, that then there was only a small pimple on his forehead, that he had torn the skin between the fingers a little the day before, where now it was filled with dirty matter and much swollen; during the forenoon he talked strangely at times. {{anchor:s11}}The throat was internally much swollen and very red. {{anchor:s12}}Lachesis200 dissolved in an ounce of water, a teaspoonful every thirty minutes. {{anchor:s13}}Ten, p.m., same; moans when called to take medicine, twitchings only once since.

{{anchor:s14}}18th, eight, a.m. {{anchor:s15}}He had a very restless night, he kept pulling his hair, could hardly speak in a squeaky voice, throat much swollen and tonsils covered with a dirty white membrane, breath very offensive, hands, arms and neck very red. {{anchor:s16}}Gave the same with beef tea. {{anchor:s17}}In the evening, pulse rapid, hard and full; was covered all over with abundant scarlet rash, as red as a boiled lobster; throat is very bad, membrane extended across the uvula and up into the nose, had been bleeding from the nose and mouth dark blood, could hardly swallow, saliva constantly ran from the mouth. {{anchor:s18}}Un-wisely. gave Belladonna every thirty minutes.

{{anchor:s19}}19th, eight, a.m. {{anchor:s20}}Has had a very bad night, delirious, pulling his hair and trying to get out of bed; throat the same, bleeding at intervals, pulse irregular, rapid and weak. {{anchor:s21}}Gave Lachesis. {{anchor:s22}}One, p.m. {{anchor:s23}}Decidedly better, the " last medicine took right hold of him," said his mother; he swallowed more easily; pulse more regular. {{anchor:s24}}Eight, p.m., toward night had taken a whole cup of beef tea and cried for more; throat less swollen and less membrane. {{anchor:s25}}Lachesis every two hours.

{{anchor:s26}}20th. {{anchor:s27}}Child rested some, not at all delirious; rash much paler though still very thick. {{anchor:s28}}Lachesis every four hours.

{{anchor:s29}}21st. {{anchor:s30}}At night was taken with severe sharp pain in the bowels with a very dark stool. {{anchor:s31}}Arsenic200, one dose.

{{anchor:s32}}22d. {{anchor:s33}}Pain gone and improving. {{anchor:s34}}On the 24th was playing about the house.

{{anchor:s35}}II. A younger brother of the last was taken on December 20th with red and swollen neck, pain on swallowing, with considerable membrane extending from one tonsil to the other, "drooping.{{anchor:s36}}" One dose of Lachesis seemed to check any further development and in two days he was quite smart.

{{anchor:s37}}III. J. C, aged thirty years, laborer. {{anchor:s38}}February 9th, one week ago the corner of a heavy box struck the inner side of the leg, making a large wound extending from the anterior surface of the tibia (from which it seemed to glance) down into the calf. {{anchor:s39}}A high degree of inflammation set in, a doctor was called who applied two leeches and a hop poultice and neglected to attend to him. {{anchor:s40}}On the 6th he was taken with a very severe chill, his teeth chattered which Continued far into the night; and since the chill not a teaspoonful of any thing has remained on his stomach. {{anchor:s41}}On the 8th very severe pains set in the leg, and on the 9th I found three spots of gangrene (the whole of the wound and each leech bite), he vomited every thing, the least drop or morsel; very severe headache, breath very fetid, had had no sleep since Thursday, was very restless; his shining eyes constantly in motion, his tongue trembling, pulse 110, very small and irregular. {{anchor:s42}}Gave Lach.200 in an ounce of water, a dose every half hour.

{{anchor:s43}}10th. {{anchor:s44}}Has taken and retained a little beef tea, but has had no sleep, there is a profuse discharge from the wound instead of its being dry as yesterday. {{anchor:s45}}The same every two hours.

{{anchor:s46}}11th. {{anchor:s47}}Improving rapidly, can eat a little at a time and take some wine, slept about four hours through the day and as much more at night.

{{anchor:s48}}12th. {{anchor:s49}}The black gangrene peeled off today, leaving healthy looking sores, with the exception of the bruise over the bone which discharges thin watery matter; the Lachesis sphere of action is past, and the sore was now treated as one resulting from injury to the bone, which of necessity could not heal until the bone had become sound. {{anchor:s50}}From the first I kept warm applications on the wound; at first flax seed, then simple water. {{anchor:s51}}A similar treatment had been pursued before with hops but the Lachesis saved the man's life, for I believe he would have died in a very short time. {{anchor:s52}}Lachesis immediately changed his condition.

{{anchor:s53}}IV. A laborer, forty years old, came to the Central Dispensary, in Eleventh street, with a most discouraging looking hand, which he said he had not hurt in any way. {{anchor:s54}}Three days before he had been working among lumber and thought he must have been poisoned. {{anchor:s55}}It commenced swelling very rapidly two days ago, until it is now three times the size of the well hand; very red, and pits on pressure, between the first and second knuckle is an opening as large as a three cent piece, looking like (precisely) dirty softy soap; I never saw any thing just like it; around this and along the first three knuckles the skin was bluish black and inflated by gas (one could see little gas bubbles under the skin), the skin under this black cuticle looked rotten. {{anchor:s56}}I separated the fingers (first and second) a little, and the skin cracked right open exposing this dirty soft soap appearance underneath; it seemed absolutely rotten. {{anchor:s57}}He said it burnt horridly all over his hand, deep in, not on the surface, and he felt some pain in the red streaks that ran up beyond his wrist He had had no chill, his pulse was not rapid but soft, he had constant thirst. {{anchor:s58}}I directed him to sprinkle it with corn meal and keep it wrapped in a dry cloth, and gave Lachesis200 every hour.

{{anchor:s59}}His hand improved day by day from the first dose of Lachesis and in ten days was quite healed up, he had no discharging from it, the open sore and the place I split open granulated and closed very rapidly. {{anchor:s60}}Was it spontaneous gangrene? {{anchor:s61}}It certainly got well and I gave
 Lachesis the credit.

----

====== DOCUMENT DESCRIPTOR ======

^ Source: | The American Homoeopathic Review Vol. 04 No. 12, 1864, pages 556-559 |

^ Description: | Clinical Observations on Lachesis. |

^ Remedies: | Lachesis |

^ Author: | Allen, T.F. |

^ Year: | 1864 |

^ Editing: | errors only; interlinks; formatting |

^ Attribution: | Legatum Homeopathicum |

Please fill all the letters into the box to prove you're human.

Please keep this field empty:

Edit summary

Note: By editing this page you agree to license your content under the following license: CC Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

Legatum Homeopathicum

User Tools

Site Tools

Page Tools