High Fever, Severe Cough, Loose Bowels

ARTICLE

I was called at 11 p. m. to this little patient, who had been hoarse for a few days. Tonight he had a high fever and severe cough. Respirations forty per minute, moaning with respirations. Bowels had run off every half hour during the day. Fan-like motion of the alae nasi (Antimonium Tart., Bromium, Baptisia, Phosphorus). I gave him one dose of Lycopodium 30, and Sac Lac every half hour. Called next day to find cough much better, not so much fever, bowels just about the same, moving about as often. Stools, green mucus, streaked with blood ; coughs some, but not so hoarse. Fever came up in the afternoon of each day for several days. The case kept getting worse, especially the bowels.

I gave several remedies from the second to the fifth day. Each day the child became more emaciated and weak, losing flesh rapidly. Outside friends began to interfere with the case—” the child ought to have wine, whisky, tonics of some kind.” The mother wanted the child to have something more than I was doing. She said to give blackberry root. “If we could only get the bowels checked, the child would be all right.” I told her we might as well give Opium, and if she wanted anything in that line she would have to call an old school doctor. At the same time I pointed to my buggy case holding 253 remedies, remarking I knew that case, and those remedies will be my judge at the last day.

Here was a chance to find out which was the stronger, the love of money or the love of similia similibus curantur. I assured the mother that if she would watch the symptoms well and be patient her child would be healed. On the evening of the fifth day, I obtained the following symptoms : Aggravation at 4 p. m.; that was the time it commenced to get worse every evening, then worse after 2 p, m.; worse in the morning, very cross and irritable; seems to be worse after stool and on waking up; rumbling in the bowels before stool ; gets restless before stool. I asked the mother if she had noticed any sediment on the napkin. She said she had noticed something and told the father about it, but he thought it was burnt flour, but she had not used any that day. Our trouble was that the bowels and urine generally passed at the same time that day. There was a fan-like motion of the alae nasi.

I gave a dose of Lycopodium. c. m. When I called the next morning the baby was better. It rested well last night, and this morning was found lots of red sand on the diaper, and he only had two passages last night. He was brighter every way. It is easily to be seen that Lycopodium would have cured this case quickly if I had not changed to other remedies, but when the child improved and the fan-like motion of the nose had left I thought I must select a new remedy, which I did, and instead of which it should have had another dose. I discharged the case on the morning of the eighth day.

From: The Southern Journal of Homeopathy- January 1888