Tertiary Lesions


J.H.Allen in his book chronic miasm, described when tertiary lesion does not manifest itself on skin can cause malignancies….


Usually the first tertiary lesions to manifest themselves are skin symptoms, and this is in agreement with Hahnemann’s theory of disease,”that disease is evolved from above downwards, and form within outwards.” This is the natural order of things, which is co-operative with the saving of life and the protection and relief of the internal organism. When tertiary developments do not come out as skin lesions malignancies are almost certain to follow, as there is no other was (except by reflexes through the nervous system) of preventing the centralization of the tertiary forces upon the internal organs, When I speak of malignancies I refer to cancer, carcinoma, lupus, epithelioma and a tendency toward diabetes mellitus, Bright’s disease and tuberculosis; all of these may be developments from the sycotic taint, for fibrous changes are quite often malignant in their outcome, especially if internal organs like the uterus, kidneys, liver, or heart are involved.

The first skin lesions that we meet with are warty eruptions or warty growths. These appear in the form of verruca filiformis, verruca vulgarius and verruca plana. The acuminate form belongs to the condylamotos family, and therefore no doubt partake of both the venereal miasms, Syphilis and Sycosis.

Warts are of diagnostic value to us in distinguishing between he different stages of he diseases. The verruca vulgaris is found in children who are suffering with hereditary Sycosis; they appear at or about the second dentition. The verruca filiformis comes as a tertiary lesion in an acquired form of sycosis. The verruca plana juveniles is another hereditary form found more or less upon the backs of the hands and faces of children and young people. They are usually pigmented, disseminated, and in irregular unilateral groups.

The filiform variety appears in adults, who have acquired Sycosis, and who have had the disease suppressed in some way, although they may appear after secondary in some way, although they may appear after secondary inflammations have subsided. I have met with them frequently after operations upon internal organs, especially after extirpation of organs such as the ovaries, or uterus. They are more apt to appear on the about the sexual organs, or on the trunk of the body, quite frequently in groups of a dozen or two, closely run together in fields or patches. They re small in diameter, often an eighth or patches. they are small indiameter, of an inch long, although frequently much shorter, slightly colored, brownish or grayish brown, pointed at the end with spindle-like attachments; when they appear in children or young people we find them about the eyelids and on the neck. Occasionally these disappear spontaneously and some other tertiary lesion takes their place. I recall now three cases where they made their appearance of after operations. Case I. May B., married, two children, was suffering with Sycosis for many years in the he form of a secondary inflammation for the uterus. There was a marked subinvolution of the organ with severe catarrh of the cervix. The cervix was severely lacerated and it was thought best to repair it, which as done. The surgeon who performed the operation, curetted the uterus also. She got immediate relief from her womb troubles, but in about thirty days the whole trunk of her body was covered with little pendulous warts which were cured with Thuja.

Case 2. Mrs. R., age 31, was compelled to have the uterus removed at the fourth month of pregnancy on account of cystic growths and sycotic changes of a fibrous character. After recovery, or about the fourth week after the operation, the same warty eruption appeared. No treatment was given in her case and they disappeared in about one year. She died about give years later of diabetes.

Case 3. Mr. Chas. B., contracted gonorrhoea, which as treated with injections; within a year a sycotic eruption of warts appeared on the sexual organs and on different parts of the body. He was treated for them for over a year, before they disappeared.

I believe it may be said with some certainty that when a tertiary eruption makes its appearance, that a suppressed discharge, in other words, a suppressed gonorrhoea, cannot be reproduced, so that the disease Sycosis then becomes a slow and difficult thing to cure, just as we find is the case in the tertiary state of Syphilis, which is so closely boned with he life force and with Psora, that it becomes very difficult to separate. As long as the disease is suppressed in the primary or secondary stage, and has remained in the latent state, we have very little difficulty in reproducing the discharge. With the use of such remedies as Medorrhinum, Nux vomica, Psorinum, Sulphur, Calcarea carb, and others of that class, we have an armamentarium at our command, that makes the treatment of the disease comparatively easy, if taken in the first and second stages of suppression. Malignancies coming after suppression are easily managed if we can reproduce the original gonorrhoeal discharge, but if we are unable to do this, our chances for the cure become very doubtful indeed. Often our only hope lies in reproducing the original disease, in order to cure any secondary disease, whether it be stomach trouble, indigestion, hemorrhoids, headaches, neuralgias, rheumatism or constipation. Even acute expressions of disease often depend on the same thing; for instance, it has been my experience in about fifty cases of cute arthritis following speedily after the suppression of the sycotic discharge in the first stage of gonorrhoea not to be able to relieve the pain fully, or to arrest the progress of the disease, unless the suppressed discharge returned. These are the unfortunate cases that linger along for months and finally drift away from you and try all sorts of treatment s in order to get relief-mineral baths, Hot springs, mud baths, hot air baths, electricity, and local measures of all kinds. Indeed it becomes a search for a panacea of health. They often follow a blind hope throughout the remainder for their natural life.

The importance of these verrucal eruptions will be more fully dealt with, as we take up the treatment of them. Their removably surgical, chemical, or electrical methods may be considered as a suppression, which is certain to be replaced by some other disturbance or manifestation of Sycosis. Occasionally, they reappear at the same point after remove, or appear in other parts. Such disturbance as headaches, neuralgia, rheumatism, stomach troubles, gouty states of the joints or organs, follow. We know that warts are a tertiary manifestation of Sycosis, and that all tertiary manifestations are the result of deep and profound action upon the organism. Although the secondary manifestations are more acute, and apparently more destructive in their immediate action, in the end we see that this is not so.

The tertiary manifestations of all the miasma, whether Psora, Syphilis, or Sycosis, though slower in action, often involve the more central organs, and the deeper structures of he organism. the malignancies arising from warts or warty growths are well known to the profession, more especially the flat smooth warty growth, known as the pearly papule, found frequently about the face and neck of patients having a tubercular or latent syphilitic taint and origin. Again, we notice this same condition, perhaps, in the ulcerating or degenerating wart, from which spring our epithelioma, or other malignancies. A sycotic element is found to be present in almost, if not every cases. Accompanying the above mentioned form of warts upon the skin, and almost always present, whether hereditary or acquired is the red mole, another tertiary symptoms which appears more frequently upon the chest or anterior portion of the body, although they may occur anywhere, varying in size from that of a pin-head to that of a pea, there is no other eruption like it. It is smooth, round, shiny, often red as blood and of the appearance a polka dot upon the skin.

This eruption is quite a positive sign that the one so affected has either acquired sycosis, or their parents have acquired it. It seldom appears on exposed portions of the body as thee face or hands, but occasionally they are found upon the neck. The spider spot, another specific sycotic lesion is generally found upon the upper portion of the face, usually about half an inch below the lower eyelid or over the center of the malar bone it consists of a little sprangle of dilated capillaries, resembling somewhat the meshes of a spider web. It is a little flag of distress, which the organism hangs out to tell that note enemy is within. It speaks volumes to those who understand it as a landmark. This is particularly a tertiary or hereditary lesion and is found in children about the period of second dentition, but may be there at birth. It increases in size upto puberty, when it remains stationary. At times it appears pale and bleached out, again it becomes quite red and prominent. How many times I noticed it upon young girls at an early age, whose mothers have consulted me concerning it, thinking it was a birth mark or something of that nature. It requires two or three years to cure one of these cases and only the highest potencies have any any effects upon it. I use Finck’s, Skinner’s and Swan’s remedies in the highest potencies, cm, dmm, and cmm.

John Henry Allen
Dr. John Henry Allen, MD (1854-1925)
J.H. Allen was a student of H.C. Allen. He was the president of the IHA in 1900. Dr. Allen taught at the Hering Medical College in Chicago. Dr. Allen died August 1, 1925
Books by John Henry Allen:
Diseases and Therapeutics of the Skin 1902
The Chronic Miasms: Psora and Pseudo Psora 1908
The Chronic Miasms: Sycosis 1908