Apparently both were acute in a gentleman seventy-three years of age. Etiology undiscovered. “Palpitation” and distress in cardiac region first called his attention to the fact that he was not well. Rapid development. Soon obliged to lie down. Heart sounds muffled and distorted , leaky mitral valve, entire action of a bubbling or rippling character, as if heart were moving in liquid, resonance under percussion, local soreness, tension and weight, obliged to lie upon back , shallow respiration, any attempt at full breathing causing acute pain, shuddering all over, and a sudden stop when inspiration was half accomplished. Pulse 32, full, even, hard, temperature 103.
My first prescription was a failure — digitalis, largely on account of the peculiar breathing. Ignatia next palliated only. By that time the analysis of urine was completed by an expert and read thus: — “quantity, fl ʒ xiv in 12 hours; color, light; acid; specific gravity, 1.024; urea, .0350 p. c. ; urobilin diminished ; indican, increased ; earthy phosphates, diminished; alkaline phosphates, increased; albumin, trace. Sediment, profuse, white. Casts, numerous hyaline, coarse granular, fine granular.”
I then made a study of the whole case, received excellent advice from a medical friend who had not been retained by the family, and put a few pellets of Pulsatilla in potency on the patient’s tongue. Counsel arrived soon after, confirmed my diagnosis, and pronounced grave prognosis. In compliance with my earnest request, the medicine was allowed to act undisturbed until our next meeting, unless the patient should meanwhile become worse.
“What in the world do you want to give Pulsatilla for?” “Because all his life he has wanted to be in the open air. When he was cautioned not to attempt to drive with his wife, he wept. He is thirstless, has white, tenacious mucus on tongue, has oppression of the chest; has shallow breathing, each partial inspiration ending abruptly with a shiver, has anguish in region of heart, must lie upon his back, cannot urinate without standing, has tremulous hands, which did not tremble before. Pulsatilla meets all these requirements and no other medicine does.”
Immediate and uninterrupted improvement followed. Nineteen days after my first prescription, nothing wrong could be found with heart or kidneys. Doctor and nurse ended their ministrations. The patient felt and seemed well, though weak, and was allowed increasing liberty.
Pulsatilla was not given “for” endocarditis (Homeopathy For Endocarditis) nor “for” nephritis. It was given for the entire individual need, and consequently all ailments disappeared.
Edmund Carleton, M. D. – 1913 – Homoeopathy in Medicine and Surgery
First I must say thank you for this extraordinary case. But sir the case is not clear enough to understand. What potency of pulsatilla and how many doses were given is not clear. How the doses were given in which pattern is not clear. It could have been an educative article with the explation.