unmistakeable. He had a dull squinting look, the pupils were much dilated, insensible to light and oval-shaped; the cornea were transparent, and there was no trace of inflammation or redness. He had not the faintest perception of light, was much depressed in spirits, and talked much about dying.

On the 17th April, 1807, I prescribed Phosphorus, gr. iv; Etheris, 3ss. Mix. From twenty-five to thirty drops every two hours, and alcoholic embrocations.

On the 27th April he got out of bed for the first time, he was cheerful and animated, the headache had not returned, the trembling of the arm was quite gone, but the eyes were not altered. Owing to nausea and burning in the stomach in the beginning of May the Phosphorus had to be discontinued for some days, but was again taken until the 9th of June, and an ethereal solution of Phosphorus was rubbed on the eyelids and forehead.

On the 10th June the patient was dismissed perfectly and permanently cured. He could never, however, read again, although he saw pretty well, and nothing abnormal could be observed in his eyes.

In spite of the meagreness of the details of the case it seems to have been one of fully-developed glaucoma. Several other cases of a similar character are recorded which seem to show the power of Phosphorus for the cure of this disease. We may give in this place a very striking one from the practice of the same physician. It is given in full in FRANK'S Magazin.

A poor fellow, the usher in a village school, after great exertions and over-heating himself in the autumn of 1805, contracted an inflammation in his eyes with almost unbearable headache and photophobia, which were sadly aggravated by his occupation of teaching and unsuitable domestic remedies. In the autumn of 1806, after the battle of Jena, he had to pass eight days and nights in a wood in the open air with insufficient clothing and scanty food, whereby his malady was much increased, and the exposure he had undergone brought on diarrhoea and a low fever that came on every day about 4 p.m. In this miserable condition he was brought to Dr. L on the 10th November, 1806. The tarsi were swollen, red, and very

painful, the eyelashes had almost all fallen out from ulceration, the conjunctiva was studded over with small ulcers, the whole eye resembled a lump of flesh sprinkled over with white spots, neither pupil nor iris could be seen. The patient complained of violent burning pains in the eyes; he could not distinguish any object, he could only distinguish light from darkness. From the eyes there flowed a clear acrid water that caused a kind of herpetic eruption on the cheek. In addition there was great general debility, anorexia, pains in the bowels, especially in the umbilical region; constant diarrhoea with hectic fever, pulse small, contracted, scarcely to be felt; body emaciated and miserable; voice trembling; tongue clean in the centre, bluish stripes on its sides that extend to the root of the tongue. At first the general health was restored by a generous diet and appropriate medicines, the herpetic eruption on the cheeks and the chronic ophthalmia were also removed, chiefly by local remedies, such as Precipitate ointment, &c. By the 9th of December the sclerotic was quite clean and white as alabaster, the cornea no longer dim but clear as crystal; in short, the eyes were completely freed from inflammation, and the iris and pupil were distinctly visible. All the structures of the eye appeared to be perfectly normal. The pupil had a brownish-black appearance, but there was no trace of milkiness or whitish appearance in it. Many remedies, both internal or external, were administered, but without doing any good. On the 27th March he got the following prescription -Phosph., gr. iii, solve in Naphth. Vitriol. (Ether), 388, add Ol. Valer. dest., 9ss, d. s., from twenty-five to sixty drops every three hours, the dose being increased by three drops every three days. At the same time the forehead, eyelids, and cheeks were rubbed three times a day with an embrocation of Balsam. Vit. Hoff, 388; Spir. Sal. Ammon. Caust. 3j; Ol. Chamomil. dest., j; Spir. Vin. rect., 388. But this embrocation could not be considered as of much avail, as similar and even stronger embrocations had been used during the whole treatment. Neither is much importance to be attached to the medicated warm baths that were used at first every other day and afterwards every day. After using the Phosphorus for twelve days it had to be left off for some days on account of nausea. patient declared that the light appeared bright and he could see the sun shining better, but he could not distinguish any object.

The

Soon after this he often felt a painless itching on the eyelids and eyeball. Some days later the doctor visited his patient, who of his own accord had, since last report, been taking the medicine in the dose of from seventy to seventy-five drops every three hours. He now could actually see, though not very clearly. Objects appeared to him as if enveloped in a black veil, and he could not distinguish colours; the pupils, that were previously immovable, now contracted as in healthy eyes, and the previous inanimate look was quite gone. From this time he got daily seventy-five drops of the phosphorus solution three times a day, besides the embrocation and a daily bath. After twelve days the patient came to the doctor alone; he could now see perfectly and could distinguish colours accurately, only objects appeared larger than natural. The Phosphorus was now left off and some mild stimulants administered for a short time, particularly Valerian in combination with aromatics. In May the patient was again able to take a situation as schoolmaster.

It is not very clear what was the precise character of the amaurosis in this case, but although details are wanting for establishing an exact diagnosis, it is probable that the real nature of the affection was glaucoma. The author himself calls it a weakness of the nerve of the eye, but some of the symptoms he enumerates point rather to the disease we have mentioned. The dilated insensible pupils of a brownish-black colour, with the perfectly transparent cornea and the previous inflammatory symptoms, all seem to point to a glaucomatous affection. We are the more confirmed in our opinion as to the power of Phosphorus in glaucoma by the following case, which is related in the Allg. hom. Zeitung, vol. xxii, by our old friend the late Dr. Weber, of Hanover. We make no apology for giving it at length here as it bears also upon the neuralgic question.

William M—, of Hanover, æt. 24, tall, thin, small-boned, palecomplexioned, of reflective disposition; especially disposed to dwell upon his malady; had suffered for two years almost uninterruptedly from headaches, often only one-sided, the character of which was aching in temples and forehead, unaltered by movement or rest. Sensation of ebullition in the head, with pale suffering expression of features. The pains in the head are increased by

the slightest pressure of the hat. Constant stuffed nose; continued burning in the eyes, which have a peculiar brightness; small appetite; after taking ever so little and digestible food, immediate diarrhoea. Four years ago had twice in succession the itch, which was rapidly cured by a grey ointment (Mercurial ?). Since that time the above-described malady has gradually developed itself. From the 21st August to the 14th September he got Tinct. sulph. 3 or 12, a dose every third night. On the latter date the report was, the burning in the eyes worse. Upon falling asleep at night, frequent deceptions of vision, sparks before the eyes, shooting pains through the eyes, appearance of flashes of lightning, the pain of head somewhat diminished. Prescrip. Bell. 6, two drops every other day. On the 28th September, I find, from my notes, that I prescribed Nux vom. 3, one drop per diem; but I have omitted to state my reason for so doing. 2nd October.-Very great weight of head, throbbing, beating and pressure, worst in the left temple, and almost intolerable; Calcar. carb. 6. 15th October.-Burning and great heat in eyes; pains in head somewhat less; Tinct. sulph. 16. 24th October.Somewhat better; he again got Tinct. sulph. 24 until the 25th November. He now complained of loose motions once or twice a day. This he had suffered from for upwards of a year. By day flickering before eyes. In the evening, when it was dark, flashes before the eyes, violent burning and transient shoots in them; sometimes it seemed to him as if he was looking—even when his eyes were shut-into a sea of fire, or into a large vessel full of glaring red molten iron. What led me for this to prescribe Petroleum 3 I cannot now remember. On the 3rd December the patient complained of more pain in the eye than ever; moreover, the deceptions of light were seen by day, though not so frequently as at night. The eyes were so sensitive to light that for several days he was unable to work. At the same time he was deathly pale. If he made his room dark the appearances of light became more pronounced, and they increased with the pains towards evening until far into the night, were of such intensity that he feared they would drive him mad. For several weeks past I had noticed in the eye, in addition to unusual brightness, a slight pale reddish colour of the sclerotic, especially in the external canthi. Being much concerned about the poor fellow, I read all the medical works and periodi

:

cals I could lay hands on; but I could not find any record of a similar case. I came upon a passage to this effect:"When the motions are pappy or constantly diarrhoeic, Phosphorus is indicated." This led me to the careful study of Phosphorus, and I found that it was capable of producing the other symptoms of my patient. I found in its pathogenesis the peculiar headache, the pains in the eyes, the congestions and ebullitions in the head; in short I found that if ever I had a patient who was precisely adapted for Phosphorus this was one. I gave Tinc. phosph. 4, gtt. xx, in 3j of Alcohol, and directed him to take six or eight drops of this every morning on an empty stomach. Under this the morbid condition improved rapidly, and in a fortnight or three weeks all the pains in the eyes, together with the photopsia and the headaches the last not entirely-were gone. I was unable to remove entirely the slight remains of the head pains by means of other remedies.

The above is a graphic description of the first stage of glaucoma, and the effects of Phosphorus in checking it are very satisfactory. It is worthy of remark that Hahnemann mentions glaucoma as one of the diseases for which Phos. is specially indicated (Ch. Kr., vol. ii).

But to return to our proper subject-the cure of neuralgia by Phosphorus. Our homœopathic literature, as might be expected, abounds in cases illustrative of the curative power of Phosphorus in neuralgia. An exquisite example of prosopalgia in a lady of thirty-five cured by Phosphorus 6 after several other remedies had been employed in vain, is related in vol. vii of this Journal, p. 490, by Dr. Ker.

The following cases are referred to in Sorge's work:

A farmer, æt. 44, accustomed to exposure to all kinds of wind and weather, got a severe chill two years previously, and since then has been a great sufferer. He suffers from severe pains in the head like a kind of stupefaction, with rush of blood and pulsation in the head. Pale, unhealthy, earthy complexion, shooting and drawing in the malar bones, now on one side, now on the other, especially violent after exposure to cold (a kind of prosopalgia). Blue borders round the eyes; eyes deeply sunk in the head. Frequent bleeding of the gums; toothache often; a chill