suffocation, but exceedingly annoying both day and night. Sulphur in the third trituration was given daily for a week, at the close of which he was in all respects better, with improved strength and a good appetite; and with exercise in the open air, and great care to keep himself well clothed, he passed the cold season with but little cough, in comparative ease and comfort, and the following season he was able to attend to business. By the employment of homeopathic remedies to ward off approaching attacks, he passed the succeeding winter in the same comfortable way. This man was an esteemed member of the Society of Friends, and in all respects a model of temperance. For four years he braved the storms of winter, and ultimately regained his health so perfectly that he went out in all weathers without experiencing the slightest injury; and he maintained that the Sulphur was the curative remedy in his case. * * * * * CASE 4.-A clergyman of the Unitarian denomination was the victim of a congenital bronchial cough, with little or no expectoration until he had reached adult age. Coughing apparently was so fixed in his constitution that it made a part of it. Whether this cough depended on a chronic congenital inflammation or not we are unable to say; but one thing was evident, that the cough was a necessity, and with this gentleman was a standard of health, so often did this cough excite the sympathy of friends, that from week to week anodyne cough preparations were pressed upon him to repress it. But whenever a measure of the kind was brought to bear to suspend the cough he invariably became sick, and suffered much until his cough returned. After he attained the age of twenty-one years, and while yet a pupil at the university, he for the first time coughed up some mucus streaked with blood, but this was after violent exercise in the gymnasium. We prescribed Arnica for his relief, and were not disappointed. After taking the remedy one or two days he was cured of the expectoration, but the cough was what it had been up to that event. The cough could be temporarily suppressed by an effort of the will. At the age of twenty-three he left the university and was trained for the pulpit; at the age of twenty-five he was installed as pastor of the first Unitarian Society of S-, and preached regularly every Sunday for seven years. By an effort of the will he could, in the main, control his cough when speaking, but he was compelled to indulge in a complete paroxysm a short time after each effort. At the conclusion of the seven years it was found that his health remained much the same, and he neither grew better nor worse from the exercise of his voice in elocution; and every time an attempt was made to smother his cough, or suspend it by the action of a sedative, he was made sick, and remained so until his cough returned, and then he invariably found himself in a normal state of health for him. From the age of thirty-two he began to expectorate freely. At first mucus from the membranous lining of the bronchial tubes, and this pre-expectoration attended every effort of coughing. Phosphorus 3rd was given in drop doses several times a day. This remedy, like those taken by him before, did not palliate his cough, but it seemed to diminish the expectoration for a time, and then it returned in another form. The sputum was tinged and streaked with blood, and appeared to be a mixture of mucus and blood. He at the same time looked pale and was exceedingly debilitated. China was now given in the 3rd dilution in water, ten drops to a gill, and a dessert-spoonful every two hours, which gave temporary relief to all the symptoms except the cough. After taking the China his cough seemed to assume an asthmatic character, for which Ipecac. was prescribed, and relief of the asthma was followed by the same old cough, purulent expectoration, which was very copious and exhausting to vitality. He rallied again under the use of Calcarea, and afterwards Ferrum met., and was able to labour quite regularly until thirty-seven years of age, coughing and expectorating moderately all the time, when a sudden development of worse features of the disease, in the form of quick consumption, terminated his life. The interesting features of this case are the imperative necessity for the cough, and the action of remedies in changing the character of the expectoration. CASE 5.-A cure of chronic bronchitis after an attack of measles. The subject was seventeen years of age when she was attacked with measles of a severe type, with excessively severe cough, which manifested itself several days before the eruption appeared. The cough, in a great measure, subsided when the eruption was the most marked. It is worthy of mention, however, that the eruption was unusually tardy in making its appear ance. After recovery from the measles, a bronchial cough remained as a sequel. She coughed most when lying down, and expectorated considerably; complained of chilliness and rigors down the back, and also of pain in the head, with more or less fever every day. Belladonna 6th was prescribed, with satisfactory results; the pain in the head ceased, the chilliness and rigors disappeared, and the cough was less painful; expectoration of mucus continued. Observing that the cough was aggravated on lying, and better when sitting up, gave Hyoscyamus 6th, at intervals of two hours, and continued the remedy for several days, but with little benefit. Changed to Ipecac., and afterwards to Pulsatilla, but little change for the better. Gave Phosphorus 6th and 30th for several days, and the cough changed from its humid character to a racking cough, and considerable soreness of the chest. After this change, gave Dioscorea 6th in drop doses in water, repeated at intervals of two hours, and she began immediately to improve from day to day until the cough disappeared entirely, and she was able to lie down with ease. She soon recovered her normal health and strength. CASE 6.-A gentleman, aged thirty-one, had a severe attack of pneumonia, and was treated by an allopathic physician. A cough remained after the pneumonia passed off, which settled into a chronic form, and for six months he was treated with cough mixtures and expectorants, from which but little benefit was derived. A temporary palliation at best was all that could be claimed for this resort. Not deriving any permanent benefit from this treatment, he was induced to try homœopathy. The case presented the following symptoms :-A dry bronchial cough, which for most of the time was quiet during the night, but came on in the morning in paroxysms, and continued at frequent intervals during the day. Every time a paroxysm occurred the head would ache as if it would split. The coughing each time was attended with soreness and heat of the chest, but seldom with perceptible fever. Bryonia 3rd, ten drops in half a glass of water was given in teaspoonful doses, and repeated immediately after each paroxysm. The result of this prescription was decidedly favorable. The cough became less painful, and was unattended with the pain in the head, and more or less expectoration followed, which at first was frothy and white. Bryonia 30th was then given for three or four days, at intervals of two hours. The patient continued to cough and expectorate mucus, somewhat frothy and white, without further mitigation. Lycopodium was substituted for the Bryonia, a dose three times a day. After four days the expectoration changed to a thick yellow sputum, while the cough, not painful, continued, and evinced no signs of disappearing. Stannum 30th was substituted for the Lycopodium, and a drop to a dessert-spoonful of water was given half an hour before each meal. The cough became better under the use of this remedy, but there was a tendency to chilliness, and fever, and night sweats, for which Carbo vegetabilis was prescribed, and to be administered in the same form as directed for Stannum. The patient found great relief from this remedy, and seemed to be rapidly improving, until a fresh cold aggravated the cough to a degree that brought on hæmorrhage, from the rupture of a small vessel, and for this Hamamelis Virginica was prescribed with salutary effects; the hemorrhage ceased, the abrasion healed, and the consequent soreness was no longer felt. There was a gradual improvement from this time, and recovery was the result.-Dr. A. E. SMALL, United States Medical and Surgical Journal, January, 1874. Cancer of the Rectum. Mrs. G-, of Franklin, N. H.,, aged thirty-one, married, of nervo-bilious temperament, having formerly enjoyed good health, and belonging to a family free from scrofulous and hereditary diseases, became ill in March, 1873. The symptoms at first were pain in the stomach and lower portion of the abdomen, with obstinate nausea and considerable thirst. There was also present a constipated condition, and in one instance the patient fainted while at stool foom the severity of the pain during evacuation. An allopathic physician was called, and under his treatment the pain and nausea subsided at the end of a week, and the patient was comparatively comfortable for a fortnight, when they returned worse than ever, salivation being added to the list, and for two months the most "heroic " treatment failed to give relief. The pain again ceased for a short time, the salivary discharge continuing, and decided symptoms of debility presenting themselves. Again the pain and nausea appeared, which resisted treatment; emaciation rapidly progressed, the strength failed greatly, the patient becoming so weak as to require to be moved in bed by assistants, in the most careful manner. Meanwhile the bowels had become more regular, but thirst continued uninterruptedly. Up to this time she had been treated by several allopathic physicians, the treatment largely consisting of cathartic and narcotic medicines, and the diagnosis being intrauterine abscess, the regular attendant regaling the family each day with a minute description of the size the abscess had attained, and the probable quantity it would discharge when it burst. Among those who were called to the case was a professor of surgery in two different "regular" schools, and he agreed with both the diagnosis and treatment of the other physicians. Failing to find relief from the means employed, the patient at this time (August 14th) came under the care of Dr. E. L. Styles, a homœopathic physician of Hartford, Vt. The symptoms present were those above enumerated,-prostration, emaciation, thirst, distress and pain in lower portion of abdomen, nausea, profuse salivation, &c. The latter symptom, which was very troublesome, yielded promptly to Lobelia. During his first visit, Dr. S. examined the patient with a speculum, and failed to find any evidence of uterine disease, and hence the presumption was that the seat of trouble must be in the bowels. Arsenicum and Nux vomica were prescribed, and in four days' time the patient was again visited by Dr. Styles, and, while in the house, a profuse discharge of blood occurred, patient sinking at the time to the point of syncope, and grave doubts being felt as to her ability to rally. The hæmorrhage was very profuse,-about three quarts, with shreds and pieces of flesh-like material interspersed. Being summoned by telegraph, I visited the patient in consultation, and after examining the vessel my decided impression was that a miscarriage had occurred at some former time, and the placenta had now been expelled. A vaginal examination showed this opinion to be erroneous, when a digital exploration of the rectum revealed a ragged mass, some three or four inches above the anus, at least half as large as a hen's egg, quite sensitive to the touch, and from which the hæmorrhage had evidently proceeded, the profuse discharge having been checked by the administration of China, and the use of an injection of |
