Case1 by BIDWELL
Case 3. -Boy, age 14;
epileptic attacks for three years. First attack followed fright caused by other
boys make-believe to hang him. Attacks increasing in
frequency until at this time they occur every two weeks. The following symptoms
were given : Attacks begin by
running around in circle, then falls down unconscious. Attacks are more
frequent in cold dry weather and during new moon. Involuntary urination during
the attack. Boy complains of always being cold; wants to keep warm both summer
and winter. He is very touchy; everything makes him cry; seems depressed all
the time. Appetite either ravenous or wanting. Aversion
to all kinds of sweets, of which he was previously very fond.
Repertory Analysis.-Under complaint caused by fright we find thirty-six remedies. Of these the following twenty-one have the symptoms on the first and second grade : Acon., Apis, Arg. n., Art. v., Aur., Bell., Caust., Coff., Cupr., Gels., Glon., Hyos., Ign., Lach., Lyc., Nat. m., Nux v., Op., Plat., Puls., Rhus t.
Sadness and depressed.-Acon., Arg. n., aur., Bell., Caust., Gels., Ign., Lach;, Nat. m., Plat., Puls.
Worse cold dry weather.-Acon., Caust.
Aversion to sweets-Causticum.
We have arrived at the solution of the case by four steps and have used all general symptoms. Now you may ask, why did we start with the rubric complaints caused by fright? First : This is a general symptom and we are working from the generals to particulars.
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Second : This condition was caused in this boy by fright. This mental shock was so profound that it caused the whole condition of this patient to be changed. It not only produced the epileptic seizure, but affected his desires as well. Some one of the remedies found under this rubric will be the one which will cover the totality of the case. The second symptoms we will take is another general-sadness and depression. We take this rubric from the fact that it is a mental condition produced by a derangement of the patient's most internal condition, the mind. Now if we hope to cure this case, we must have a remedy which has produced this symptoms in the provers; so among our first twenty-one we find eleven with this symptom in the first and second grade. Another general condition is the modality that the attacks are worse in cold dry weather. Among the eleven remedies found in the first two rubrics we find only two which are worse in cold dry weather. In order to decide which of these two will cover our case we will take the general aversion to sweets. Here we find that Causticum is the only remedy which covers our rubrics. If our reasoning has been correct, if the technique of selection is without a flaw, Causticum must be the mathematically correct remedy, and turning to our materia medica we find that the pathogenesis of Causticum not only contains the rubrics we have used in our analysis, but the remaining symptoms of our case as well. Therefore, Causticum is the remedy we will give. Our records show that two doses of this remedy were administered with the following results : The attacks lessened during the first month to one; the second attack, a very slight one, did not follow for even weeks, and now, after an interval of a year and a half, there has been no sign of a return. So we may safely say, the boy is cured.
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- The differential
diagnosis between Causticum and Nux
vomica is really difficult.
- Both are easily angry but the big difference
is what?
- Answer :
"Sympathy."
- A : Yes, sympathy.
- They are so sympathetic that they cannot
withhold their tears, for example, when they go to a funeral and they see a
member of the family weeping; weeping from sympathy with others.
- Look in your Repertory, it is an important
rubric, "weeping, sympathy with others" on page 94.
- There you see
Carlsbad, a mineral water, and Causticum.
- They cannot see
other people weeping.
- Causticum also has
the aggravation by cold, dry wind, eastern wind.
ANOTHER CASE
- There is another remedy which learned to walk late, which
all of us always forget, and this is Causticum.
- It is important to
know that Causticum learns to walk late, because it
is not so easy to recognize Causticum in children.
- Which is the biggest
anxiety in Causticum children?
- Anxiety for dogs.
- And how do they
look, the Causticum children? What kind of colour of hair do they normally have?
- Dark.
- In these children from
birth on you see a kind of paralysis on the right side, the upper lid is a
little bit lower and there is a kind of disproportion of the face.
- Besides, often they
are left-handed.
- In general the right
side of these children is not so well developed.
Another case
- Besides you
always hear that they like pork and another kind of meat, together with Causticum and Calcarea phosphorica, namely, smoked meat.
Long effects of burns is which remedy? Causticum
If you hear this story, the bed-wetting, the
punishment, the fact that he reacts to this in a very sensitive way, that the
teacher treats rich children differently than the poor, of which remedy does
this remind you?
Audience: Causticum.
Which other remedy also has a dry mouth and
apparently doesn't have the force to bring up the mucus?
Audience: Causticum
A : Yes, Causticum.
I had many reasons to give Causticum: on the right side, slowly appearing paralysis.
Aversion to sweets now, previously he had desire for sweets. Stumbling while
walking, numbness of the right hand and so on. I had quite a lot of reasons for
Causticum, but Causticum did
not work.