There was trouble in the Conium family, Grandfather Conium was one of those old smokers who was always found with a pipe in his mouth whether he was smoking or not, and the pressure of that pipe upon the lip had induced a carcinoma. Grandmother Conium’s mind had gradually become enfeebled. She was peevish and easily excited about trifles. No one had ever seen the two old people quarreling, but they each had ecchymosis spots that looked somewhat suspicious. The two needed attention which neither could give the other, so Mr. Conium brought them home for his wife to take care of.
Mr. Conium is one of the kind that cannot take the least thing alcoholic without becoming intoxicated. One evening shortly after bringing his parents home, he was out with some friends and took a little wine. As he came staggering home, he fell and struck his back against the curb stone. Ever since that night, if he laughs or sneezes he notices a sharp pain in the lower part of his back and at times there is tingling in the spine as though it had gone to sleep, and the hands and feet often become numb. He is much exhausted after a short walk, or excitement. Mr. Conium will gradually become paralyzed as a result of that fall.
One of the Conium boys in playing basket ball injured an eye and has been confined to a dark room ever since. There is little redness in the eye but the least bit of light causes him extreme pain. During the night the eye is painful even in the dark, severe pains waken him from his sleep.
Mrs. Conium had a child that had marasmus. He was a pale sickly looking baby, ravenous appetite, enlarged mesenteric glands, indurated cervical glands, distension of abdomen which was worse after drinking milk, sour eructations, worse at night. The little marasmus baby Mrs. Conium did not cure. Perhaps if she had called in her friend and co-worker, Mrs. Baryta muriatica, she might have saved it. Mrs. Baryta muriatica often completes the work that Mrs. Conium commences. Mrs. Conium took the death of her baby very much to heart. She was greatly depressed, did not want to be alone, yet did not want to be with strangers, she wandered about as though half asleep. There was loss of appetite, her hair began to fall out. She became forgetful, could not recall things. It will take Mrs. Conium a long time to recover from the shock of the death of that child.
One day when she was caring for her hydro-cephalus child, it accidentally kicked her in the breast. She didn’t think much about it at the time, but sometime afterwards she noticed an induration at the seat of the blow. As time went on, the induration slowly increased in size and hardness, until the whole gland was involved. It was as hard as cartilage, immovable and painful. The pains were burning, sharp, shooting, piercing, worse at night. The nipple was retracted, the axillary glands enlarged and sore. There was a lack of animal heat, she felt cold, wanted to sit in the sunshine, was aggravated in cold weather and snowy air. Appetite was poor, craved coffee, salt, sour things. She was drowsy during the daytime, but at night would lie awake until after midnight. As soon as she closed her eyes in sleep, the perspiration started out all over her, though most profuse about head and upper portions of the body. It seems hardly worthwhile for the Conium family to try to sleep, they are so likely to sleep into the aggravation. Pains, anxiety, fright, perspiration or dreams disturb their sleep, or waken them.
One of Mrs. Conium’s daughters was home from school. She had crammed for examination and it had been to much for her nerves. She is highly hysterical, laughs and cries, and even goes into hysterical convulsions.
CONIUM AND CANCER
1908 Nov. 8 Miss Ella came to me November 8, 1907 with the following history:
“Father died of consumption, had asthma for years and finally, went to the bowels”.
She had abscesses in ear when about eleven years old and “runarounds” on all her fingers one after another when about sixteen years old, followed by abscess just below the knee.
Before she got sick, she was a bright, joyous disposition, fond of work and fond of life in open air, full of sympathy. For seven years slept with a friend who had cancer in both breasts and took care of her. The friend was not a relative.
Two years ago she nursed a sister who died suddenly and unexpectedly. The shock was so great that she went around as one dazed, neither ate nor slept for four days. Shortly after the of sister, she noticed that her hair was coming out. This continued until one morning two months after the death of sister, she wakened and found all of her hair on her pillow. She couldn’t believe her eyes when she looked in the glass. She had no hair on her head, no eyebrows, no eyelashes, in fact, there wasn’t a hair left anywhere on her body. After petroleum shampoos and electric treatment, white hair appeared upon scalp, it afterwards turned brown, but there are still some bald spots, where she has had severe pain.
In Dec. 1906 she received a blow from a large heavy poker upon the right breast. Phenol sodique took soreness out first day. Hardness and a little swelling came in areola about nipple which continued until now the whole gland has become hard as cartilage and feels like it, the nipple is retracted; it and the whole areola is depressed. The gland is fastened to the skin for more than half its surface and very sensitive to touch. Pain, burning, drawing, extending to shoulder. Areola red, scaly, sore about nipple, itches, feels drawing from scapula as though the breast were fastened to it. Oozing about nipple, bloody and yellow watery discharge. There was swelling about nipple until antiflogistine was put upon it, then it became retracted. Glands in axilla enlarged and sore.
Hot flushes for five or six months, heat comes up back into head, followed by chilliness. Wants to get into open air.
Pains in feet drawing up the legs. Cramps draw toes under and a big lump comes in calf. Confused, can’t remember from pain in base of brain where the two bald spots are.
Melancholy for a month. Don’t want to be alone, yet don’t want to go into society or to meet folks. Leaves her work to go upstairs to be near her sister, and won’t go back to it until her sister goes downstairs again. Weeps, if anyone speaks to her, thinks they are finding fault with her and don’t love her.
Thinks of all the old sad things that ever came to her and broods over them.
Sleep poor at night, just lies there with no desire to sleep, but towards morning falls asleep, wakens tired. sleepiness during the day.
Fears to take a bath lest she take cold; used to take cold baths every night.
Perspires from top of head to waist from least exertion.
Dislikes cold weather, used to like it. Can’t bear to feel cold. Coldness across shoulders.
Everything tires her.
Thirst, can’t get enough to drink.
Craves coffee which stimulates her.
Constipation, stool difficult.
Urinates frequently.
Expectoration, black lumps.
Upper right lobe of thyroid enlarged, used to be the lower that was enlarged.
Tired across chest.
Con-XM one dose.
1909 March 28 – Tonight she is here to tell you that all of the mental symptoms have disappeared.
She hasn’t an ache or pain anywhere. The hardness is nearly an inch in diameter smaller. You will observe the mammary gland instead of being one hard large mass has divided into many small lumps; it is softening and loosening from the skin, the intense redness that was above the nipple is gone, the retraction of nipple and areola is less. The discharge has nearly ceased. The enlarged axillary glands are smaller, and the soreness nearly gone.
The mammary gland itself is not sore to the touch and she says there is no more pain in it.
Ladies and gentlemen, I have shown this case simply to show the action of Conium while it is acting. The disappearance of the mental symptoms and the pain and soreness, the division and dwindling of the tumor, and its beginning to loosen from the skin, the lessening of the retraction of nipple and areola, the decreasing of the dimension of the intense redness, the diminution of the quantity of the discharge, the improvement of the condition of the axillary glands, are what should be expected in the line of cure.
Ladies and gentlemen, will Conium cure this case? If not, what remedies will be likely to follow?.
She was one of the first students to graduate from the Philadelphia Post-Graduate School of Homeopathy and served at the school as Clinician, Professor of Children's Diseases and Professor of Repertory. She taught from 1933 until her health failed. She also taught Pierre Schmidt how to use the repertory.
Her accomplishments include being one of the founders of the American Foundation of Homeopath. She was a frequent contributor of articles, many of which are printed in the Homeopathic Recorder. She died on May 7, 1931.