UTERINE HAEMORRHAGE TREATED BY INTERNAL
REMEDIES
BY HENRY N. GUERNSEY, M.D.
www.dynamis-schule.de[Taken from: Transactions of the twenty-third session of the American
Institute of Homoeopathy, held in Chicago, June 7, 8, 9, and 10, 1870, Chicago 1871, pp.
161-163.]
Introduction:
The following text illustrates two
interesting points: First we see, with which difficult conditions the Homoeopaths of the 19th
century were confronted. Nevertheless we should be aware of the age of this text: nowadays
such conditions are seldom met with in homoeopathic practice. The second point concerns the
value of the so-called key-notes. Very much has been written against them, but, correctly
used, they are most reliable hints to the indicated remedy. Moreover, they can make the
solution of a case much easier than some modern trend giving attention only to the mentals,
dreams or delusions. But it has to be born in mind, that a key-note is never more than one
indication and that the totality of the symptoms must also be similar to the probable remedy.
See also “The key-note system”, by Henry N. Guernsey.Stefan Reis
www.dynamis-schule.de
The pressure of professional
business would have prevented the preparation of an elaborate report on Obstetrics, or any of
its kindred subjects, even had anything new occurred to me worthy of statement. I desire,
however, to avail myself of the presenting opportunitiy to reiterate former statements
regarding the superior efficacy of strictly and purely homoeopathic treatment in obstetrics,
and in all diseases peculiar to women, and to make a still more urgent appeal in behalf of
that method of procedure. In the treatment of uterine displacements, uterine ulcerations,
leucorrhoea, uterine haemorrhage, and retained placenta, after natural labor or abortion –
cases in which so many homoeopathic physicians seem to lose sight of the, to them, otherwise efficient law of cure, and to have no faith in the
efficacy of medicines applied under its guidance in this direction – I still rely solely on
the homoeopathic medicament, and this with increasing confidence, as case after case yields to
the curative powers of the well-selected remedy. It not unfrequently happens that the patients
fall into my hands, reduced almost to “death’s door”, the vaunted paraphernalia of
the Old School having miserably failed to cure. I shall illustrate the result, by the citation
of a case that will prove very instructive to those who are blessed with “common sense”, provided they likewise have a tolerably fair
knowledge of the drug pathogeneses which make up our Materia Medica.A few months since I was called to a lady who
had aborted, at the fourth month, a week before, and who was in a very critical condition from
uterine haemorrhage, with retained placenta. The celebrated “tampon” had been
applied by the attending physician, according to the nicest rules of “common sense”;
but no matter how nicely applied it would be invariably pushed out of the vagina. I proceeded
to the examination. Whilst the woman lay quietly in bed, but very little blood would escape
from the vulva, what did escape forming itself into black strings.
After a time she would feel that she must rise to the chamber, whereupon a large quantity of dark blood would escape. On making a particular examination of this
blood, it was found to form, not a congealing mass, as ordinary, but the resemblance of an
aggregation of black strings, or of long, black angle-worms, with some of their heads and
tails matted together. Here, then, was the well-known characteristic of Crocus sativus
presenting unmistakably, and it was found that the balance of the patient’s symptoms
corresponded with the pathogenesis of that drug, also. Crocus 200 was given, in water, every
half-hour at first, and subsequently at longer intervals, as signs of improvement manifested
themselves. She lost no more blood and rapidly improved. After forty-eight hours had elapsed,
a sensation was experinced as though the bowels must move, and as if a portion of faeces were
already in the rectum, troubling my patient very much. This, of course, pointed to Nux vomica,
and the correspondence of her then symptoms with those of that drug led to the selection of
that medicine. Accordingly, Nux vomica 2000, in water, was ordered to be taken every two hours
until improved. Soon after the second dose had been taken, a spontaneous discharge from the
vagina occured, which proved, upon examination, to be composed of the entire placental mass,
etc. The bowels at once became comfortable, and were moved some hours later.Nux vomica was not given to this woman for
the mere purpose of moving her bowels. But the sensation she experienced in the rectum was, at
that time, the most prominent and most characteristic of the case, and it pointed very plainly
to Nux, and further comparison showed that medicine “covered” the whole condition,
as Crocus had done in the first instance; it was given, therefore, as the most rational means
of curing the patient, and, consequently, of discharging
the placenta; and the result in this case was but another illustration of the entire
reliability, in all cases and under all circumstances, of the law
of cure, as enunciated and as practiced by Hahnemann. If the guidance of that law is followed,
aided by “common sense” and good judgment, there is no occasion to “throw
over” Homoeopathy, and grope in the dark for tampons, pesseries, bandages, ice-plugs, or
other bungling, old-fashioned, uncertain and unscientific means. In the case above recorded,
the woman aborted, retained the placenta, and flowed, because she was
not well. It was her physician’s place to restore order, to
cure the patient; and there was but one “common sense” way of doing it,
and that was under the guidance of the homoeopathic law of cure. What was thought of a man
who, some years ago, proposed to plug the anus as a cure for cholera. He stands about as high
in the esteem of the profession as, ten or twenty years hence, the man will stand who
advocates or uses a plug for arresting uterine haemorrhage.Henry N. GUERNSEY
Copyright © Stefan Reis1999
Mise en page Copyright © Sylvain Cazalet 1999