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Treatment of Diabetes with Asclepias vincetoxicum.*
By Dr. GALLAVARDIN.

The Bibliothèque Homœopathique of Geneva, VIII. 288, republished the following information regarding Asclepias vincetoxicum, (called in French Dompte-venin) supplied by Doctor Gentzke in the Allgemeine Homöopathische Zeitung, VII. 216.

"This plant which was formerly officinal, but which has now fallen into oblivion, deserves, I think, most serious attention on the part of homoeopathic practitioners, as promising to possess great activity in certain morbid conditions. Pending a complete analysis of it, I will give an abridged account of the symptoms which it is capable of producing in the healthy organization of animals.

"In a murrain of a kind of diabetes amongst the woolly animals, which has prevailed for some years in a part of Austria, the principal cause of the disease was considered to be the fact of the animals feeding on several kinds of wild plants amongst which grew a great quantity of asclepias. To make the question clear, experiments were instituted in the Veterinary School at Vienna, and the result changed conjecture into certainty. Every day, several ounces of juice extracted from the leaves of this plant were given to some sheep, and the following were the symptoms observed:

"Stupifying vertigo, sensibility in the region of the kidneys; awkward manner of going, the hinder legs straddling unnaturally wide apart. The evacuation of urine is frequent and copious; the liquid is clear as water and without smell; thirst violent; but, however great the quantity drunk, the quantity of urine exceeded it. The mucous membrane of the mouth and the conjunctiva are pale.

"On inspecting a carcase, the kidneys were found to be soft; the pelvis was filled with a reddish serum, the mucous membrane of the ureters and of the bladder was much thickened, the bladder itself was very large and distended with urine.

"As there is much affinity in the action of remedies on men and beasts, there is reason to believe that this plant, after sufficient experiments, would manifest a notable curative power in

*From L'Art Medical, t. xxii, p. 288.

many maladies affecting the organs secreting urine, especially in diabetes, where the exhibition of squills or mercury has been inefficacious."

The conjectures of Dr. Gentzke have been confirmed by clinical experiment. Indeed, one of our members has greatly relieved five persons attacked with diabetes mellitus by prescribing for them Asclepias, 6th dilution.

One of them, whose urine contained 60 grammes of sugar to the litre, found the quantity of sugar reduced to 60 centigrammes per litre under the influence of this remedy-th of the original quantity.

The Asclepias speedily relieved these patients by reducing their thirst, and also by removing a very severe sciatic pain which affected some of them.

These five patients were all, more or less, evidently affected with gout. I think it necessary to point out this, the better to define the indication for Asclepias, and also to recall the fact that there are several kinds of diabetes, viz., symptomatic diabetes (glucosuria), idiopathic or true diabetes, just as there are symptomatic albuminuria, and true albuminuria.* I would remark further, that either kind of diabetes may supervene, the first as a symptom in the course of complaints of quite a different nature; the second as any other cachexia, at the latter period of a dyscrasic state, or even may attack a person hitherto enjoying good health.

These considerations will exonerate me from any intention of crying up the Asclepias as a specific in diabetes. Various remedies will be indicated for diabetes, according as it appears symptomatically, or as a disease; according as it affects gouty, scrofulous, or consumptive persons; in short, according to the symptoms of each individual case. But a specific for diabetes will never be precisely found, because of the diversity of symptoms in each case, and above all because of the diversity of constitutional conditions in which it is met with.

The preceding reflections lead us to think that other remedies suitable to the different constitutional conditions of diabetic patients might be prescribed with benefit in alternation with Asclepias or some other remedy possessing a direct action on the sugar-secreting function. And these conjectures have been

* See three interesting articles by Dr. Fredault, On Diabetes,' in the Art Médical, vol. iii, pp. 83, 176, and 265.

already confirmed by results, for Natrum muriaticum administered internally to some of our five gouty patients with diabetes seemed to assist the curative action of Asclepias.

In the existing want of remedies plainly indicated for diabetes, I have thought it a duty to point out Asclepias, although it did not completely cure either of the five patients above referred to, but it at least relieved them all. Now this is in itself a very satisfactory result in so serious a complaint. In such cases to relieve the patient is to abate the disease, and prolong life for months, perhaps for years. Sometimes the physician should not attempt more; and indeed many patients suffering from diabetes would not expect more, knowing the incurable nature of their complaint.

A German physician states that he has often found sugar in the urine of very aged persons, although they appeared in other respects healthy. If this be true, the administration of Asclepias or of some other analogous remedy might retard their end or ward off their senile infirmities. According to Dr. Claude Bernard, the use of sugar in the system is to contribute to the caloric so often deficient in old people; which defect to a certain extent might thus be supplied.

Our five diabetic patients only took the Asclepias at the 6th dilution. Would they have derived more benefit, perhaps been cured altogether, if they had taken the remedy at higher or lower dilutions, the mother tincture for instance? The answer to the question must be learnt by clinical experiment.

To prepare the mother tincture of asclepias given to these patients, the entire plant (leaves, flowers, stems, and root) was put into the alcohol, contrary to the advice of homoeopathic pharmacopoeias, which direct that the tincture should be prepared exclusively from the roots of this plant.

Dr. Gentzke has just told us that the sheep showed symptoms of a sort of diabetes after having taken each day several ounces of the extracted juice of the leaves of the Asclepias. To treat this disease therefore in man, it would be more consistent to administer that part of the plant which produced the disease amongst animals, namely, the juice extracted from fresh leaves of the plant. This extract might be used to experiment on the patients, giving them successively, diluted doses, medium doses, and then large doses. The clinical results would indicate the preferable

dose.

Will physicians have frequent opportunities of administering Asclepias? Certainly, if persons affected with diabetes occur as often as Dr. Marchal de Calvi asserts they do in his "Researches into the circumstances of Diabetes and an attempt at a general theory of the disease."

"Diabetes," writes the old professor of the Val-de-Grâce, "is very common, and as insidious as common; most frequently it has been, and is still misunderstood, because generally those persons whom it attacks are of vigorous constitutions and preserve their activity and good looks for a long time. Every fat and robust man, who eats and drinks well, who is subject to boils, especially one who has had a carbuncle, who is of changeable character, who has spongy gums, who has suffered from gravel, lumbago, or sciatica, may be suspected of having diabetes; and the sooner the question is set at rest the better, especially if the person begins to grow thin and weak. In every malady with ill-defined symptoms, one should think of diabetes. In no disease are appearances so deceitful as in diabetes; in none is death more skilful in disguising his attacks."

Dr. Marchal does well to call the attention of medical practitioners so earnestly to the frequency of diabetes. For too often the existence of this complaint is neither sought for, nor discovered until many months, or even years after its commencement. Consequently the treatment is commenced too late, when the system already imperceptibly exhausted, can no longer furnish stamina to support the curative process.

Esculus and Hamamelis in Anal troubles.
By Dr. RICHARD HUGHES.

Miss W., æt. 40, consulted me on September 26th of last year. She had been suffering for two months with hemorrhage and pain after stool. The bowels were moved every other morning; the bleeding was considerable and the pain intense; gradually subsiding afterwards, but not leaving her until evening. She felt much weakened, and was beginning to suffer from neuralgic pain in the face.

Regarding the hæmorrhage as the more important symptom, I prescribed Hamamelis 2, a drop three times a day.

September 30th.-The bowels had been twice moved without

any bleeding, but the pain was as severe as ever.

drop three times a day.

Esculus 2, a

October 3rd. The last evacuation was painless, as well as bloodless. Continue.

7th. No pain or bleeding since; the neuralgia troublesome. Arsenicum 6, twice a day.

14th. The neuralgia much better, and no pain after stool, but some return of bleeding. Hamamelis 2, twice daily.

21st. No bleeding since the 16th; much better and stronger. I left her some Hamamelis to take should the hæmorrhage recur; and have not heard from her since.

MISCELLANEOUS.

Case of Acute Fatty Degeneration of the Liver.

Elizabeth W, æet. 28, was in the Lock Hospital from April 28th to May 29th, 1865, suffering from sloughing phagedæna of labia majora, with suppurating bubo in groin, and slight vaginal discharge. Recovered perfectly under the use of tonics and local applications. No specific treatment. Since May has been an inmate of the Lock Asylum. After feeling unwell for several days, complaining of lassitude, pains in the head, &c., on July 20th, discoloration of skin, yellowness of conjunctiva and nails were noticed; vomited several times; slight pain over abdomen, but not in right hypochondrium especially; no tenderness; region of hepatic dulness very small; bowels constipated; urine contains large quantities of bile; tongue dirty white; pulse normal. Ordered senna draught at once, and warm bath.

21st.-Appearance as yesterday; skin of light-yellow colour. Patient complains of restlessness and want of sleep; the vomiting continues; bowels have moved once, but not freely; fæces claycoloured. Repeat bath. To have five grains of blue-pill at bedtime.

23rd.-Had been delirious during the night and is now only half conscious; tongue brown and dry; lips covered with dark

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