A Case of Purpura Haemorrhagica

From: Therapeutic Guide: The Most Important Results of More Than Forty Years’ Practice – Personal Observations Regarding the Truly-Reliable and Practically-Verified Curative Indications in Actual Cases of Disease. (1869) by Dr. G. H. G. Jahr.

In the treatment of purpura, I may be permitted to relate a case which is one of the most desperate cases I ever heard of . One evening I was called to a young lady who had been living in extreme indigence for some six weeks, and had only had a very scanty supply of nourishment on three or four days in the week. One of her relatives conducted me to her to relieve her of a terrible menorrhagia that had weakened her to such an extent that she was unable to leave her bed. I prescribed China 30th, two globules in a few tablespoonfuls of water, a teaspoonful of which solution was to be taken every half hour until I should see her again early next morning. Next morning the menorrhagia was not only not improved, but haemorrhages from the nose and mouth had supervened ; on the skin generally no spots could as yet be perceived. I now prescribed Phosphorus 30th, two globules in water, to be taken in the same manner as the China and, in case of improvement, to be continued every hour until my evening visit.

During the day I received a written message that the haemorrhage continued to increase all the time, and that the patient fell from one syncope into another. Not being at home when this message arrived, I did not see my patient again until evening, when I found her in a most desperate condition. With the haemorrhages from the uterus, mouth and nose, spots and blisters of the size of a dollar had become associated in the mouth and on the skin of the whole body ; pure blood oozed from these spots and the patient, who still retained her full consciousness, lay like a corpse, with death-like pallor of the hippocratic countenance, dull, lustreless eyes, and icy-coldness of the whole body, as if perfectly inanimate. Although I had not a ray of hope of saving her, yet I placed two globules of Arsenicum 30th, dry on her tongue, leaving at the same time a watery solution of the same dose with instructions to administer it in the same manner as either of the other remedies, and, if anything untoward should happen, to send for me in the night.

I was not sent for, but next morning at seven o’clock I received a note that had been written the evening previous shortly after my departure, and wherein I was requested not to trouble myself with any further visits, and that an old-school physician had been sent for. I heard nothing further of my patient and thought her in her grave, when six months afterwards a young couple walked into my office and I was asked by the young man, who was a stranger to me, whether I remembered a dying young woman whom I had been treating for haemorrhage. I replied, Yes, and said moreover that if no other physician had been sent for, and my last prescription had been continued, she would probably still be in the land of the living.

“She did continue your medicine,” now interrupted the pale young woman but who otherwise seemed to enjoy good health. “She continued your medicine, and the medicine of the other doctor was poured out of the window, and this is the reason why she now stands here before you restored to life and health, and married, and wishes to know how much she owes you.”

When I heard these words, I was scarcely able to believe my senses. Nevertheless, she was the identical person. The more I looked at her and heard her talk, the better I recognized the voice and features of my former patient, and I now heard for the first time that the physician whom one of her relatives had sent for, had told the family that nothing could be done for the young lady and that she would certainly die over night; nevertheless he was willing to leave a prescription and to call again the following morning. Before his prescription arrived from the pharmacy, the two globules of Arsenicum had already effected a considerable decrease of the haemorrhage, and the family concluded to continue my watery solution of Arsenicum and, the improvement progressing all the time, to have it renewed by the apothecary, so that eight days after my last visit, the patient was completely restored.

Such miracles are performed even by the smallest doses of appropriately selected remedies.