The Use of Nosodes in Children
by Elizabeth Wright Hubbard, M.D.
The theme of this bureau is the unique contribution of Homoeopathy to Pediatrics. In usual medicine, great care is taken of diet and hygiene, acute diseases are swiftly coped with, but, in the field of chronic constitutional therapy, very little is done save in difficulties of the internal glandular organs or in certain specific diseases such as diabetes, kidney trouble, etc.
The majority of the children born inherit various tendencies to illness or at least certain trends of constitution. Constitutional administration of a similar remedy can and does work in wiping out these inherited difficulties and promotes a healthier future for the child and its descendants.
Work for the newborn child should be begun on the parents Although one may not do the actual obstetrics, the doctor should make the patient realize the importance of the mother's receiving proper constitutional treatment during pregnancy. In case there have been grave difficulties with a' previous child, the father also should undergo treatment before the conception of the Subsequent child. A thorough study in case taking of the disease trends even in grandparents, aunts and uncles and the present generation gives a picture of the family stream which is especially helpful in guiding the doctor toward the nosode most profoundly suitable. For in nosodes we have remedies applicable to long range tendencies even several generations back.
For example, a little child was brought to me some twenty years ago with ears poorly set, high narrow, palate, Hutchinson's teeth, a typical product of a syphilitic taint in her father's family. Being ignorant people, the parents did not recognize these implications and brought the child for minor annoyances such as catarrh and because it seemed "not quite bright," as they said. The opening gambit was a (dose of Syphilinum 10M which was followed at intervals of several months by Mercurius and other remedies as the symptomology called for them. The child developed splendidly and is. now a healthy and competent nurse.
You all know the list of nosodes in the precious fourth volume of Clarke's Dictionary called the Clinical Repertory. Of these, the most basic ones which tie in with the classification of chronic diseases suggested by Hahnemann are Syphilinum, Medorrhinium, Tuberculinum, Bacillinum and Psorinum. No proper practice of homoeopathic pediatrics can develop its best results without the frequent use of these resolvers of the past.
Take the gassy baby who screams with colic frequently during the day, who has a snuffly nose, mucus obstructing the throat, perhaps mucus in the stool. It shows few distinctive symptoms for any remedy chosen according to the law of similars. Then you notice that its colic is immediately eased when it is turned over on its abdomen and that it does not lie stretched out but draws its knees up under it almost in the kneechest position. This baby needs a dose of Medorrhinum, even though no immediate history of gonorrhea be forthcoming or even suspected. The taint may be further back in the family.
Look at the angel infant or small child of whom the friends say, "It is too beautiful to be long for this world," with alabaster skin, tendency to frequent colds and coughs. If there is any family history of lung trouble or tuberculosis think of Tuberculinum bovinum, in a single dose, two hundredth potency, or higher, according to the vitality of the child (Bacillinum is used more in actual cases of tuberculosis or where there is secondary infection). The Tuberculinum bovinum is used in the inherited tendency cases, the listless, weak child or those who have had glandular difficulties. Also those with violent temper, tantrums, kicking and screaming on the floor, and those who have no perseverance or concentration.
Your child that needs Psorinum may be allergic and, like the Medorrhinum baby, have a tendency to asthma but in the Psorinum infant this usually is combined with, or alternating with, skin difficulties; dirty, smelly, itchy, sweating, whining little darlings!
In all constitutional homoeopathic work, one selects not only the similar remedy at the moment but jots down the top ranging half dozen remedies, their acute collaterals, and the nosode or nosodes most strongly permeating the case. Get your nosode in early in children. They are the "stitch in time that saves nine."
In speaking above about what usual medicine does for children, I purposely postponed one of the graver aspects. The new idea is to prevent the infant having what used to be considered normal childhood diseases, the exanthemata. The modern baby is shot full of "anti" everything, from small pox vaccines through diphtheria, whooping cough, scarlatina, measles, even colds. Basically, children should have the childhood diseases. They throw off certain inherited impurities and clarify the constitution. Cases properly handled should leave the child with no sequelae and in better health. The patients who come to the doctor in adulthood or in middle life, saying they had never been ill and boasting how they had no childhood diseases, are often those ,with serious or incurable troubles: for instance, many cancer patients and many who die suddenly from heart ailments and who were in apparent vigorous health give no history of childhood diseases. Aside from the fact that one should have the childhood diseases, another point in preventing or suppressing them at an early age when they are suitable is that, if skipped in childhood, they often occur later on in a far more serious form, such as mumps in grown men involving the testicles, etc. Furthermore, these preventatives, given in good faith in the name of perfect health, introduce through the normal protective skin covering elements completely foreign to the human body, such as horse serum and calf lymph.
As so many of these so called protective measures are now legally required, Homoeopathy has also developed certain nosodes from and for each of these diseases which contain no gross foreign animal matter, and which should do for the body what the disease itself would do if it were undergone. By this I mean such substances as Diphtherinum, Morbillinum, Pertussin. or Coqueluchin, Scarletinum, Variolinum, etc.
Whether or not you use these nosodes with your children is relatively unimportant compared to the primary need of helping clear up the health of the race with the basic miasmatic nosodes. Train your patients to bring even relatively healthy children at least four times a year for a constitutional remedy. Remember somehow to give every child who comes under your care even briefly its suitable nosode, high potency, at least once. For instance, if you are called for an earache and give the acute remedy, take the time to find the symptoms which will lead you to the choice of a nosode and, if you know that the family are not likely to bring the child back for a chronic checkup, leave the nosode to be given at the end of the illness and ask the parent to at least telephone you after having done so.
Remember, also, that in many infants and small children symptoms are far to seek, at least those of a' constitutional nature, but that, if you give the correct nosode, it will bring out chronic symptoms for further prescribing.
If several nosodes are perceptibly lacking in the family stream, you will have to choose which one to give first and should be guided by the most recent symptoms and, when that layer is cleared away, you can give the nosodes for the deeper latent tendencies.
If all children could have constitutional prescribing, the race could be notably improved in two or three generations. Proper homoeopathic pediatrics can be the hope of the future.
DISCUSSION
DR. WILLIAM B. GRIGGS (Philadelphia, Pa.): We have heard a very excellent paper. There is no doubt that we need nosodes more today than we did years ago, with the young child today being filled full of antibiotics, such as terramycin, chloromycetin, aureomycin, penicillin, and so forth, and the sulfonamides. We must get to the bottom of these things, and frequently the nosodes will help to clean out the system. That has been my experience.
A NOSODE SAVES THE DAY*
ELIZABETH WRIGHT HUBBARD, M.D.
An infant boy, 9 months old, "always healthy," suddenly developed fever of 103' F. and drowsiness; wouldn't eat, little response, lying quiet, color rosy, occasional strange cry (piercing, single, brief). Upper eyelids swollen almost closed and reddish. No thirst, refused liquids. No twitching eye movements or apparent pain. Bowels moved. Urine sufficient. No throat or ear abnormalities. Pupils sluggish, equal. No abdominal tenderness. No vomiting. Rx Apis mellifica 10 M, I dose.
Six hours later, fever 101 F., lids less swollen, no cry, limbs flaccid, slight rigidity of nape of neck; no Kernig or other signs. Pediatrician called, who confirmed diagnosis of probable meningitis and rushed the baby to the hospital.
Parents finally recalled child had a sniffly cold three days before onset. Eye grounds negative. Lumbar puncture revealed typical hemorrhagic influenzal meningitis. Aureomycin and Chloromycetin given by pediatrician, oxygen tent, intravenous feeding and fluid by ankle vein. Child unconscious, didn't know parents, went from bad to worse.
City Health Department meningitis specialist called in consultation, confirmed diagnosis and took very dim view of survival. Baby began to twitch on right arm and leg. Now restless legs. Vomited twice, projectile. Pediatrician and staff gave T. W. a couple of hours to live, said they could do nothing more.
I asked permission to give the child a homoeopathic dose and the pediatrician said "nothing can harm, hinder or help, so go ahead if it will make you feel any better." Remembering that the baby's mother had T.B. in her family background and knowing its power over stubborn meningitis, I put one powder of Tuberculinum bovinum 200c on the little tongue, While two nurses and a couple of interns looked scornful and despairing. Within a quarter hour, while we watched, his color and breathing were better and restlessness stopped. One internee said, "It would be better if he didn't get well. He'd never be right. On looking up the statistics last night I found 98% of those who live are blind." But next day he followed me with his eyes, though' he still couldn't turn his head, and his neck was much less rigid. He improved steadily, moving all limbs freely, though his back was still weak. Temperature 99.2 F. In a week he was home, hearing, moving, sleeping, recognizing, playing, eating and drinking. He has recovered totally and is now (4 months later) walking and beginning to talk.
When you are scraping the bottom of the barrel think of one of the nosodes! Should it have been given first?
SOME UNUSUAL USES FOR THE NOSODES
By ELIZABETH WRIGHT HUBBARD, M.D.
That most fascinating of books, the dictionary, defines a nosode as “a disease product used as a remedy ". Many of our Homoeopathic doctors would describe nosodes in opprobrious terms ; some use one to open almost every chronic case; others give them where the miasmatic history is clear and the symptoms are mixed or obscure; certain prescribers put them in as "intercurrents"; the French school combine or alternate the suitable miasmatic nosode with the most similar remedy for the top layer, or recent symptoms. In cases where no drug stands out, after patient questioning and repertorizing, some give the nosode of the main miasm in order to stir up the depths and throw out indications for a curative prescription. We hear much of the role of the nosode when seemingly well chosen drugs fail to act or hold ; and in the clearing up of recalcitrant relapses. The strict Homoeopath uses the exanthem nosodes for immunization often, although Merc. cy., Bell. and Dros. prevail, too.
The list of nosodes in current usage in Homoeopathy is sizable in the precious fourth volume of Clarke's Dictionary of Materia Medica, the Clinical Repertory, we find mention of twenty two, including such a well-known remedy as Secale. In Great Britain, Bach developed a new group of the intestinal variety mostly. Certain ones from the exanthemata have been added, such as Scarletinum and Pertussin. Some are rare to many, as Melitagyinum, Skinner's nosode from eczema capitis, or Nectrianinum, the tree cancer remedy. The big three, corresponding to Hahnemann's miasms, Psorinum, Medorrhinum and Syphilinum, are well known to all, as is Tuberculinum or Bacillinum. H. C. Allen's book, The Nosodes, is a classic on these, but an adequate knowledge of them must be built up by study of J. H. Allen's books on two of the three miasms, as well as modern sources such as H. A. Roberts's masterly lectures to the American Foundation for Homoeopathy Summer School.
The best practice, I believe, gives the nosodes by their definite symptomatology, like any other remedy; and this truism has led me to make some brilliant results in acute cases. While driving on your rounds, ask yourselves the acute uses of Syphilinum or of Psorinum.
As an example let us take the case of Miss X., who was beside herself with agony at receiving an enema from a skilful nurse, Sensation of unbearable constriction at rectum, with pushing down pain, and actual prolapse of anus, clusters of hard tender piles With fissures and burning ; history of obstinate constipation for years; habitually took an enema twice a week, and dreaded the ordeal to the point of hysteria. Luetic family history. Fears the night, when she is worse, and the exhaustion of waking; and insanity. Such remedies as Aesculus and even Lachesis had been given without relief. Syphilinum 1M one dose; relaxation of the rectal spasm in a few minutes, followed by almost normal bowel action for the first time in her memory, with relief of depression, etc.
Or again, Mrs. M., in the kneechest position, cyanosed, gasping and wheezing, her coarse unruly hair standing out in all directions, muttering, "If I could get to the seashore if I only could." Medorrhinum 10M one dose, with relief in five minutes, while I watched. (Previous adrenalin in other attacks with no help.)
An eleven year old boy in bed with fever of 103', room stifling, but a woolly muffler wrapped around his head, pale, dirty skin, drenched in fetid sweat, slight thin discharge from ear which could be smelled on entering the room. No pain whatever unless his head was raised on a pillow, as I discovered on asking why the pillow was on the floor. History of running ear on and off since scarlet fever at four years of age. Psorinum 10M one dose. Fever dropped in two hours, ear discharged violently for a week; chilliness, sweat and odor gone. Three weeks later mother said boy was never so well; no ear discharge for ten months, when it became necessary to repeat dose.
From the Discussion:
DR. McLAREN: Variolinum will cure smallpox and it will prevent you from getting smallpox. I have tried it out. I was called to see a man suffering from smallpox and he had three children. This man had a beautiful case of smallpox and they lived in a very small house. The three children had never been vaccinated and they were exposed to the smallpox. I gave them all Variolinum. The eldest child had smallpox pustules without any pus in them and only one day of temperature; the second child had one day of temperature and one or two fleeting nodules or pink spots, and the third child didn't have anything at all.