A review on therapeutics of intermittent fevers by HC Allen

Dr Ashna S

This book was written by DR H C ALLEN to tackle all kinds of fever. The author was very much affected by the fact that quinine ( the Peruvian bark) which was mostly used for fevers gives injurious effects and sometimes it only suppresses the symptoms and thereby leads to the increased sufferings of the patients. This book includes the therapeutics of typhoid, typhus and fevers of all the intensities and names.

KEYWORDS– Therapeutics of fevers,  typhus,  typhid,  the malarial theory.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR–

• HENRY C ALLEN M D (1836-1909)
• Born in London
• Studied Medicine in College of Physicians & Surgeons in Ontario
• Western Homoeopathic college in Cleveland
• After Graduation – worked as Army Surgeon
• Later Hahnemannian  Homoeopathic Mdical College
• Appointed as Materia Medica Professor at University of Michigan

WORKS

• Keynotes of Materia Medica with nosodes
• The Materia Medica of nosodes
• The Homoeopathic Therapeutics of Intermitent fever
• The Homoeopathic Therapeutics of Fever

Therapeutics of Tuberculous affections

THE THERAPEUTICS OF FEVER–

  EDITIONS

• 1^st edition – 1879
• 2^nd edition – 1884
• Reprint  edition – 1998

 PARTS1

• 2 parts – Materia  Medica and Repertory part.

PREFACE-

• • Include therapeutics of typhoid, typhus, fevers of every grade and name from acute sporadic ,epidemic , intermittent to malignant type of malarial fevers.
  • Have to consider patient as a whole not only fever stage.
  • His/ her idiosyncracies & constitutional inheritance.
  • Family history .
  • Miasm.
  • Authors own experience- remedy selection from totality ( objective, subjective and  miasmatic).
  • Expressed obligation……….

INTRODUCTION TO FEVER-
THE CAUSE

• • Homoeopathy gives importance to objective & subjective symptoms
  • Allopaths – intermittent fever cant cure without quinine as it’s the antidote of marsh miasm which is the cause of intermittent fever
  • Many theories by different stalwarts.

THE MALARIAL THEORY
(MARSH MIASM)

• • Epidemics occur
  • As a result of decaying substance
  • Should know the internal cause that is the miasm and treat

THE PSORIC DIATHESIS

• • Another cause for intermittents –inherited – psoric or tubercular diathesis
  • In Hahnemann’s chronic disease – more deeply psoric more malignant the attack
  • This is true for all continued fevers

SIMILIA – A NEVER FAILING GUIDE

• • IF attack due to miasmatic must wait till disease show its true picture
  • Physician should sure about with symptoms and which remedy to select
  • Consider the objective and subjective symptom
  • s

EXAMINATION OF THE PATIENT

• • Case taking
  • History of disease
  • Knowledge of MM
  • Symptoms during different stages of fever
  • Time of occurrence of paroxysm
  • Degree or absence of thirst
  • Contitutional ailments aroused by fever
  • Individualising peculiarities must be noted
  • Treating with quinine only suppress or destroy the disease

                                                                     THE GENUS EPIDEMICUS

• • In seaside intermittents – ars alb, gels , natr mur
  • After outflow of a river – baptisia , bry , capsicum , rhustox
  • Epidemic dysentery – cinchona , eucalyptus , ipecac ,malaria officinalis
  • Observe symptom peculiar to all patients n select remedy

WHEN TO ADMINISTER REMEDY

• • In aphrsm 236 – administration of remedy after termination of paroxysm
  • In aphrsm 237 – if interver is too short give medicine when perspiration decline / subsequent stage of paroxysm decline
  • In aphrsm 238 – one dose of properly indicated remedy  may prevent many attacks
  • In aprsm 245 – during improvement never repeat the remedy

THE SIMILLIMUM

• • More perfect similimum , the quicker and surer the cure
  • Remedy should be proper whatever the potency is otherwise case wil b utter failure
  • Eg; ars, cinchona can never cure a nux fever
  • Dunham says ; we seek a parallelism between drug symptom and symptom of patients

                                                                     To cure an intermittent fever

• • Study the patient during apyrexia
  • Observe all symptoms of pyrexia in three stages of cold , heat and sweat
  • Note if a stage is absent & which among them is marked
  • Give importance to first rank symptoms to which drug must correspond in order to cure

ANALYSIS OF A CASE

• • Time
  • Prodrome
  • Chill
  • Heat
  • Sweat

                                                                           THE POTENCY

• • Must use all potencies
  • Every case of intermittent fever can must be cured with potentised remedy
  • If cure takes place for patient he will surely have faith on physician and his methods

                                                                    CHARACTERISTIC

• • General action & constitutional action of remedy to be give importance
  • Both objective & subjective symptoms has to be considered
  • In aprsm 153 – characteristic symptm
  • Drug based on constitutional symptoms their conditions and concomitants

                                                 TYPHOID TYPHUS & CONTINUED FEVERS-

• • This is the disease which Homoeopath  gave more careful investigation.

ANAMNESIS

• • Case taking
  • Individualising patient
  • Record the  case
  • 1^st remedy palliates – constitutional miasm & family history should consider
  • Dr Carroll Dunham – once similar remedy found don’t change till change of symptoms form a new picture of disease
  • Typhoid – ailments from morbid influence – mental / physical

                                                    THE NAME : ITS USE & ABUSE

• • Typhoid – group of symptoms appear sporadically, endemically , epidemically n even annually
  • Typhus more contagious & malignant due to bad sanitation , ill treatment, live in crowded area
  • Remedy based on diagnostic based – on pathological
  • Based on therapeutic – characteristic of patient
  • Pathology needed for prognosis , sanitation, diets etc
  • Allen gave imprtnce to constitutional miasm

                                                      THE TRUE CAUSE OF TYPHOID

• • Cause lies in psoric and tubercular miasm
  • Psoric miasm more severe and fatal

                                                       THE TENDENCY TO RELAPSE

• • In typhoid typhus malarial fevers relapse assumes a weekly or monthly
  • Frst presscrption may restore health by removing symptoms but may produce fever again
  • In second prescription  the miasm inherited tendency and family history should consider
  • Eg : sulphur – remedy for relapsing
  • If sulphur fails , then psorinum or tuberculinum whch prevent future relapse

                                                      SANITATION – THE SICK ROOM–

• • Sanitary surroundings
  • Temperature should adapt for sick
  • Free ventilation
  • Fresh air and sunshine
  • Disinfectants should avoid
  • Bathing is essential especialy during fever exacerbation
  • Never use cold or ice bath
  • Never waken sleeping patient

                                                           DIET OF THE TYPHOID

• • Absolute rest for speedy recovery
  • Pure water and libitum
  • Hot water
  • Cracked ice or melted ice is injurious
  • Fruit juices – orange , grape, raspberry, strawberry, watermelon etc &  not lemon or vinegar
  • Rice water , dried apple allowed
  • Toasted bread
  • Barley cracked wheat oatmeal allowed laer
  • No extract or essence of beef
  • Abnormal craving has to be noted

MATERIA MEDICA-

• • In Material Medica part remedies are given in alphabetical order
  • Some remedies other than in Keynoyes also mentioned
  • Eg aranea, cimex, eucalyptus, malaria officianalis, robinia etc
  • No of medicines 147

                                                          ARRANGEMENT OF SECTION

• • Chracteristic
  • Agg & amel
  • Relations
  • Type
  • Time
  • Prodrome
  • Cause
  • Chill
  • Heat
  • Sweat
  • Tongue
  • Pulse
  • Apyrexia
  • Analysis
  • Chill
  • heat
  • sweat
  • First three section as in Allens Keynote
  • All sections remedy comparison is given in bracket
  • Aftre pyrexia comparison of remedies given in some remedies
  • Eg : antim crud, apis mell, arnica, ars etc
  • In some cases given as clinical
  • Eg: aranea,
  • Ars given long section with detailed about paroxysm of intermittent fever
  • In benzium in last section a letter to Dr Allen from St Clara Smith
  • Bryonia last section with clinical cases
  • Camphor apyrexia with cases
  • Cascrilla – after sweat section a symptom cant drink but hot drinks during fever by A.O. Hardenstein – wondergul result for above symptom
  • Chininum sulph after pyrexia comparison btwn cinchona and disuss clinical case
  • Malaria officinalis – about its prover& how it conducted… provings by Dr Yingling with 30 potency

REPERTORY-

                                                                        TYPOGRAPHY

• • 3 gradation as Kent
  • BOLD
  • Italics 
  • Roman
  • Rubrics arranged in alphabetical order

                                                             PLAN & CONSTRUCTION

• • 147 medicines
  • 31 chapters
  • 5 sections
  • chill
  • Heat
  • Sweat
  • Appetite taste tongue
  • apyrexia

                                                                       SUBSECTION

• • Type -389
  • Time -394
  • Cause – 400
  • Prodrome – 404
  • Commencement of chill – 410
  • Chill location of – 413
  • Chil aggravated- 418
  • Chill ameliorated – 420
  • Symptoms during chill – 421
  • Chill character of – 422
  • Chill symptoms during – 423
  • Chill followed by -440
  • Heat aggravated by – 443
  • Heat ameliorated by – 444
  • Heat absent – 445
  • Heat in general – 445
  • Heat symptoms during – 445
  • Heat followed by -463
  • Heat characteristics of – 464
  • Sweat aggravated – 470
  • Sweat ameliorated – 471
  • Sweat followed by – 472
  • Aggravates while sweating – 473
  • Ameliorates  while sweating – 473
  • Sweat absent – 473
  • Sweat in general – 473
  • Sweat predominates – 474
  • Sweat produced by – 474
  • Sweat character of – 475
  • Sweat time of – 480
  • Sweat location of – 482
  • Sweat symptoms during – 485
  • Sweat suppressed – 491
  • Ag after sweat – 491
  • Amel after sweat – 491
  • Appetite, taste, tongue etc- 491
  • Apyrexia symptoms during – 503
  • Typhod , typhus , prodromic stage – 519
  • Symptoms of mind – 519
  • Sensorium – 531
  • Head internal – 533
  • Head external – 535
  • Eyes & sight – 536
  • Hearing and ears – 538
  • Smell and nose -539
  • Face -541
  • Gastric – 549
  • Lastly index with remedies in alphabetical order
  • Index to repertory also given

MERITS-

• • No repetition of same rubrics
  • Contain many additional rubrics than othe  repertories
  • Different stages of febrile conditions
  • Each stages again subdivided
  • Eg : chill location
  • Eg: cause – mechanical injuries

DEMERITS-

• • No definite pattern for arrangement if chapters
  • Number of medicines less
  • Eventhough grading is given no information about its marks
  • Rubrics in some places alphabetical order not followed
  • Under section chill , two chapters with same heading with different rubrics
  • No index
  • Name of  chapter given only t beginning of each chapter not in subsequent page top.

SUMMARY- It gives the list of medicines under each type of fever and thus helps us to find the similimum for every intensity of fever. It doesnot overrule anywhere the Hahnemann’s law of similimum based on syptomatology,  but it only adds to the greater intensity of finding the similimum upto the physical symptoms.

Dr Ashna S.
MD Part- II
Dept. of Repertory
Father Muller Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital,Mangaluru