Diabetic Gangrene

-- C. M. Boger, 1908

Although the apparition of diabetes is not reassuring, the power of the similimum is so great that we must not despair too soon as the recognition of individualities and their ground work often enables us to cure very advanced cases. In 1872 Jahr gave carb. veg., ledum., nat. mur. and phos. ac. the first place, and aurum., bary mur., conium, mag. carb., mercur., mur. ac., nit. ac., phosphorus and sulphur the second in its treatment. Bönninghausen's Aphorisms of Hippocrates mentions argent., arsen., carb. veg., coloc., kreo., nat. mur., phos. ac., ran. b., scil., sep., sulph. and thuja. Both of these gifted men, who stood so close to Hahnemann, placed carb. veg., nat. mur., phos. ac. and sulphur in their lists.

It has been my good fortune to see diabetes insipidus cured with nat. sul. 30, a somewhat rare occurrence, but the still more gratifying experience of seeing a case of diabetic gangrene get entirely well is most remarkable.

On May 4th I was requested to see Mrs. C., age 67, who had been under treatment about five months; her last attendant had discovered 2.5% of sugar in the urine about two months previously. During the last six weeks gangrene had set in, first in the left toe but latterly there were six blotches on each lower leg, three about the size of a silver dollar and three smaller ones. The husband had consulted a specialist, who offered little hope but gave a very accurate chemical and microscopic diagnosis, all of which determined him to try Homeopathy. Although the case looked most forbidding, it did not take long to discover that the overwhelming apathy of the patient came from a long continued worry, and this combined with the greenish discolorations of the smaller gangrenous spots and the profound prostration made me think of conium at once. She therefore got one powder of the 200 every night and morning for three days, then one every morning for a like period, then one every other day for three doses, and lastly placebo for ten days. The anti-diabetic diet was gradually enlarged a little and in three weeks I had the satisfaction of finding the urine free of sugar, but faint traces of gangrene on the legs and the little toe was half well. She now was not quite so well for a few days, but Conium 200 every other day soon set everything right, part of the toe sloughed off and it healed up. The patient is now up and about looking very well.

DISCUSSION

R. F. Rabe: How long has that case of diabetes been cured?

C. M. Boger: About three weeks.

R. F. Rabe: I have had diabetic patients cured apparently for several months at a time but have always found that the disease was not really cured but came back again. With natrum sulph. I have removed all signs of sugar from the urine, but after a while she came back with the sugar there just the same.

A. P. Bowie: I can report a case of diabetic gangrene cured with the use of silicea. There was no swelling of the tissues in the case but the remedy was clearly indicated by the general symptoms. I also restricted the diet at the same time, but only to a small degree. I allowed many articles usually forbidden. The remedy was used in several potencies from 6th to 30th in the form of trituration. It looked at one time as if she was going to lose her foot. The odour was very offensive. It all healed up however and she has been walking around for eight months. The sugar is still present but not in as marked degree.

Martha Kuznik: About five years ago I treated a case of diabetes complicated with erysipelas. There was nothing characteristic about the objective symptoms, but I found that when she slept the saliva ran out of her mouth and that the mouth was dry notwithstanding; I gave her merc. corros., and she has now very good health with a good appetite.

C. M. Boger: Diabetes insipidus is a little more manageable than the sugar diabetes, as I have seen quite a number of cases of that get well and remain well. I believe that the case reported in this paper is a permanent cure. There is no sugar in the urine now. The remova1 of sugar from the urine is a very definite thing and can certainly be effected by our remedies. Some years ago I cured a case of diabetes in an infant with arum triphyllum 200th. Infantile diabetes is said to be very fatal, and yet that child is living today. I am inclined to think that we are too quick to give up because pathological authorities give a fata1 prognosis to certain diseases and consequently we do not do our best.

E. F. Edgar: Dr. Boger says that he cured diabetic gangrene. I wish that our Hahnemannians would express themselves better and say that it was the patient who was cured of diabetic gangrene.