From

distress for breath. She was most relieved by the open air. protracted suffering and inability to take food, she was completely worn out. Nux vomica 200th relieved her speedily.

DR. J. H. P. FROST, Hoynes Therapeutics.

Delirium Tremens.-A young man came to me on the verge of delirium tremens, he was trembling so he could hardly stand; his face was pale and swollen, and he could not answer questions intelligibly. Of late his stomach rejected everything taken. I gave him medicine which he failed to take; a few hours later he was found running around the streets in a violent delirium, at this time he had developed a diarrhoea. He was brought home and I found him in a drenching sweat, with all the above symptoms augmented. I gave him nux vomica 24th which checked the vomiting and diarrhoea quickly, in four hours his reason had returned, and the next day he was well enough to rise from his bed.

DR. HARTMANN, Beauvais, 898 Intermittent Epilepsy.-A stout woman had complained for two months of feeling weary and tired without cause, accompanied by frequent though slight chills. With this condition there soon developed loss of appetite, pain in abdomen and constipation. She was finally taken with a violent chill, with prostration followed by severe pains in the dorsal region extending to the right hypochondrium, attended by a feeling of suffocation. The slightest pressure on the painful side was intolerable. After one hour the chill abated and was followed by heat and sweat, the least movement at any time caused a return of the chill; towards evening the pains in back and side abated, and a stupefying headache set in. The fever continued until 2 a.m. The next day she felt very weak, the pains in her side returned moderately, but the headache was severe

On the afternoon of the second day there was another attack like the first: headache coming on during the chill and attended by formication; finally she became unconscious, breathing almost ceased, her jaws and hands became rigid; she remained in this condition for some time when suddenly the pains in hypochondria returned respiration began again with twitching of facial muscles, finally consciousness. returned without recollection, and she complained of being very weak and prostrated.

On the fifth day a third paroxysm of similar character occurred, except that instead of one she had three epileptiform attacks followed by extreme exhaustion. She was at this time first visited by me. I found her suffering frightfully. There was great tenderness in the spinal region and intercostal spaces, her skin was jaundiced, the liver enlarged and sensitive, spleen swollen, pulse eighty-two, her tongue was heavily coated. Nux vomica 3d was given with speedy relief of the headache and pain in her side. The next paroxysm was much lighter with no epileptiform seizure. A genuine catarrhal icterus then developed with the usual gastro-enteric symptoms, the same remedy was continued and on the 16th day she visited me at my office. DR. F. GERAN, N. A. Journal Homœopathy, Vol. X.

Intermittent Fever.-John W. has usually enjoyed good health, but recently he has suffered from a tertian intermittent, and finally came to me. The time of his chill was very irregular. Sometimes the chills predominated and sometimes the heat. In either case there was extreme prostration from the beginning. With the chill or heat there was a violent headache; bitter taste and eructations, loss of appetite, thirst was marked during and after the heat. He had become jaundiced since having the chills and was quite constipated. Three doses of nux vomica cured permanently

DR. SEIDEL, Beauvais, 1466. Spermatorrhoea.-A man of delicate and sensitive organization complained of having this trouble for some time. He has a constant feeling of lassitude, is soon exhausted by any effort, his sight and hearing are dull and mental application is impossible. Besides these nervous symptoms he has nausea and bitter eructations. After eating there is pain in his stomach and bowels, his stools are alternately loose and costive. Of late he has suffered from frequent emissions at night without erections, and whenever these occurred he was much worse on the day following. Nux vomica 12th soon cured him. DR. GROSS, Beauvais, 1091.

At

Chronic Eczema.-Inspector H. had been subject to eczema since childhood. Otherwise he had enjoyed excellent health. the age of sixty-two, this skin disease became more severe so that he resorted to a water cure for relief. It then disappeared and for a time he was well. A few weeks later he began to complain of pains and weakness in the back, indications of curvature of the spine developed, which symptoms increased until there was almost complete paraplegia. Gradually there developed in addition, symptoms of dyspepsia with occasional severe pains in the bowels; these conditions continued to increase until the case seemed hopeless. Nux vomica 30th relieved the bowels and stomach very soon. On the 8th day the eczema reappeared, after this, the paralysis and curvature gradually subsided. DR. SCHULER,

Beauvais' Clinique Medicale, No. 1372.

PHYSICS AND MEDICINE-HOMOEOPATHY, ISOPATHY

D

AND IMMUNITY.*

BY R. F. LICORISH, M.D.

Barbados, West Indies.

PART II.

ISEASE then, being a wave of disturbance in the body, which

once started, continues until the course is run, how are we homœopaths going to modify the wave? Now, homoeopathy is the giving of a remedy in disease, which remedy, when given to a

* Written especially for the NORTH AMERICAN.

healthy person produces symptoms similar to the symptoms for which it is given. Now, similar symptoms produced in the healthy, would undoubtedly mean the production in the body of molecular motions very like those which the disease has given rise to. When we give the similar remedy therefore, we evidently reinforce the disease, or rather, give a remedy which from known physical laws must traverse the course taken by the disease. It is to this fact, I believe, that the energy of the infinitesimal remedy is due. But, not only does the remedy enter at the portal of entrance of the disease and traverse such a course, it makes a path for itself through the system beyond the diseased action, which path, being that of least resistance, because the motions of both remedy and disease coincide, the disease in turn follows. Now, as least resistance, means less disruption of normal albuminoids, the disease, by this use of the similar remedy is not only modified, but also shortened. But it may happen that in the course of the remedy, a point may be reached which through the action of both disease and remedy, an aggravation of the symptoms may take place. This, however, must be very transient-we thus see, therefore, that by this theory, not only is a reason given for the apparent power of the infinitesimal dose in disease, but the question of medicinal aggravation would apparently be answered, apart from the main contention of the theory, i.e., the explanation of the modus operandi of the similar remedy. But, it may happen, that a remedy finding an entrance into the body, may follow a course meeting the course of the disease through the body; when this happens, and where the molecular waves of each coincide, an immediate cure may take place. This contrary or opposite course, I believe, however, rarely happens. It is seen perhaps, when severe pains or acute conditions are immediately relieved with the similar remedy, not in a definite disease. This assumed action of the homœopathic remedy is considered to be the real one by Mr. Picken in his paper, "The Science of Homœopathy." I, however, as already stated, regard it as taking place very exceptionally. Looking at the theory of the homoeopathic remedy as making a path for the disease, we can on the like theory explain, not only isopathy and serum therapeutics, in which of course I firmly believe, but also the means by which disease immunity is secured.

Isopathy means, the giving in a modified state as a remedy the poison to which the disease under treatment is said to be due, as when we treat diphtheria by the modified diphtheritic germ. Now, it must be plain to my readers by this, that a modified poison acting in the same disease, would be really a remedy acting with

the increased precision of the similar remedy, i.e., it enters through the entrance of the disease, traverses the same course, and by reason, probably, of its modification, is enabled to push its way to the front; thus making a course of least resistance for the disease. It would thus appear, that Isopathy and Homœopathy are so closely related as to really constitute one method of cure.

Let us now consider the subject of immunity, acquired and natural. A person has an attack of one of the infectious diseases as typhoid fever, or small-pox; experience teaches us that in all probability, however exposed he may be to the poison again, he will escape a second attack. McLaughlin in his work, explains this as due to the fact that the disease in its course through the body, so disturbs the normal molecular motions-that for an indefinite time afterwards the molecular vibrations of the body are so at variance with the vibrations of the germ in question, that no hold, as it were, can be taken of the body. This is the theory of opposition already mentioned. My theory, however, that of accommodation, maintains that the disease in its course through the system, so powerfully impresses on the albuminoids of the body its own peculiar motions, that a path for that particular germ is not only formed in the system, but remains there indefinitely, so that should that germ, subsequently, enter the body, its course being already there, it, or rather its peculiar waves, traverse the body harmlessly. Now, why should this course through the body remain indefinitely? For this reason I believe-Because vital action has always a strong tendency to repeat itself. Man, himself, is a strong testimony of this, as regards almost every function of the body. Evolution, itself, is directly due to this tendency of repetition. Change in environment modifies and repetition strengthens. Disease, itself, is often a mere vicious habit. We know, as a matter of experience, that one who suffers from an infectious disease in a severe form, is less likely to contract it a second time than one who has had the disease in a mild form. This is, undoubtedly, due to the fact that the more pronounced the attack the greater the impression on the system, and so on this theory the more defined the path through the system. Infectious diseases, as a rule, have a definite length of time in which they run their course, To me, however, it has always been a very significant fact, that although by means of perfect rest and fasting, I have been able in most cases of typhoid fever seen early, to so modify the disease that a normal temperature has been reached in many cases, as early as the seventh to the fourteenth day, yet the disease could not be said to be cured, for the slightest excess in eat

ing or movement, would give rise to an abnormal temperature and other symptoms of the disease. So that a real convalescence could not be said to have occurred, until the definite period for the disease course had elapsed. The cause of this, I could never understand. Now, however, it is quite plain. It is well-known or ought to be, that the germs of typhoid breed or multiply in the intestines; if, therefore, the patient be deprived of nourishment, or it is only given him in such a limited quantity that the enfeebled digestive organs can deal with it, the supply of nourishment, in the shape of undigested milk, is cut off from the germs, hence they must cease to multiply or decrease in numbers. As a consequence, the effect on the system is lessened also, fresh and repeated impressions on the albuminoids ceasing, without, however, the disease being actually cured, as the progress of the disease is still taking place in a modified form through the system, and this progress continues until the course through the system is duly traversed. Then, and only then, does true convalescence take place.

In this way then, do I explain immunity secured by previous disease, i. e., by the impression on the system made by the disease, a path for subsequent impressions by the same germ is established, a path through which it can traverse the system without setting up any symptoms, it being only by means of symptoms that the presence of disease can be known.

Quite recently great advances have been made in serum therapeutics. Serum therapeutics consists in introducing into the system the serum of an animal rendered immune either naturally, or artificially, with the object either of protecting from that disease, or curing, when the disease is present in the system. This latter aspect I have considered already under the term Isopathy. In accordance with this theory, it must be plain, that the serum introduced contains within its molecules, the peculiar vibrations possessed by the disease germ, against which we seek protection. As experience teaches us that such protection is conferred, we can only conclude that the molecular vibrations thus introduced with the serum, impress themselves on the albuminoids, so that a path is established for the passage of the disease should it gain entrance.

Racial immunity. This now becomes plain to us. It is undoubtedly due to the hereditary transmission of certain peculiar structural conditions. This aspect of it is dwelt on by Coates, the pathologist, in a series of lectures published in the London Lancet for 1888. This structural condition, on the theory now advanced, appears to be a condition of the tissues in which the peculiar molecular motions