By T. C. Fanning, M. D., Tarrytown, N. Y.

March 6th, 1863. Mrs. A., called at my office for some medicine for her daughter Mrs. B., who was suffering from toothache. Gave her Chamomilla ²⁰⁰, to be dissolved in half a tumbler of water and a teaspoonful taken in one or two hours, according to the severity of the pain.

8th. I was called to see Mrs. B. and found that the Chamomilla had rather aggravated than relieved the pain. I found her a young woman, aged 26 years, with dark hair, dark eyes, rather dark complexion and lively, cheerful disposition. Some days previously she had had a number of teeth filled, which was followed by odontalgia and facial neuralgia, the pain being of an indescribable character, throughout the jaws and face, worse when lying down and at night, and only relieved by holding cold water in the mouth, the relief ceasing so soon as the water became warm. She had been similarly affected after having teeth filled, each year about the same season for three years. Prescribed Merc. Sol.²⁰⁰ to be taken in the same way that the Chamomilla was taken.

9th. No effect was observed from the Mercury. Gave Pulsatilla in the same manner. Mrs. A. asked me if I could not give her daughter something to make her sleep, as the pain prevented her from sleeping at all. Thinking that Coffea might relieve the nervous excitability which was present and enable her to sleep, especially as she did not use coffee as a beverage, I gave some pellets of Coffea²⁰⁰ to be dissolved as the others had been and a teaspoonful taken every half hour for two hours after going to bed, if the pain should not be relieved by the Pulsatilla before that time. No effect was observed from Pulsatilla, but after the second dose of Coffea she slept nearly twelve hours, awoke free from pain and had no return of it.

Surprised at the entire removal of the pain by Coffea, I searched the Materia Medica (Trinks) for any indications of relief of any symptom by cold applications, but found none either in the proving or clinical records of Coffea.

Fear of offering something to the profession which might be considered of no value, or, on the other hand, be known to everyone but myself, prevented me from sending a report of this case to the Review, until Dr. Hale's cases appeared. It then occurred to me that I might, without impropriety in reporting the case, urge others to learn wisdom from my experience and never hesitate to report a case in which a single remedy has evidently removed any well defined symptom or condition, which may or may not appear in the proving and has not already been abundantly verified clinically. As, in this instance, the first report will doubtless frequently elicit another to corroborate it. Such reports are especially desirable at this time when Dr. Hering is preparing his Materia Medica for publication, and every true Homoeopathician should consider it a duty, as well as privilege, to contribute anything in his power to the perfection of that work.

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