BY B. FINCKE, M. D., BROOKLYN

SECOND SERIES.

The possibility of communicating medical properties to an indifferent body without the medium of a liquid, without trituration, without conmixtion, nay, without material division, is a fact new in Homoeopathy and highly important for theory and practice. — Korsakoff, 1831.

My first report on High Potencies contains cases of treatment with High Dilation Potencies.

The following presents a series of cases in which I administered High Potencies of another and different kind and preparation. They were made in the dry way, ten years since, and in this manner: I took one or more globules of the thirtieth centesimal dilation potency (medicated in the ratio of Gtt. i. Gr. X.) pat them into a 3 ii vial containing about 2,000 unmedicated globules (70 to Gr. i), and shook them moderately and in every direction, some by means of a little sand-mill constructed for the purpose, some by the hand only, long enough to have every globule brought in contact with the others.

This mode of preparing potencies, it will be perceived, is similar to

Korsakoff's medicating globules without dilution, but it differs from Korsakoff's method in the ratio of medication, and in the mode of succussion, also probably in the size of the globules. Korsakoff medicated 1,000 globules with one globule of the fifteen hundredth centigrade dilution of Sulphur with manual succussion for one minute, and 13,500 globules with one globule of the thirtieth centigrade dilution of Sulphur, with manual succussion for five minutes. Hahnemann at the time approved of this method of Korsakoff's in emphatic terms.

In order to distinguish this kind of potencies from the dilution and other potencies, I propose for them the name of Contact Potencies and a Notation by the tangential sign (/0), with the potency number above (1/0), as adopted in the report to the American Institute of Homoeopathy, where the fractional figure gives the number of globules of a centesimal dilution-potency, from which the contact-potency (/0) is made. Thus, Puls. 2/30 1/0, means, two globules of the first (bimillesimal) contact-potency from the thirtieth centesimal dilution-potency out of one drop of the tinctura fortis of Pulsatilla.

I. Lactatio Nimia. — Mrs. C, of Frankfort on Main, Germany, dark complexioned, small stature, mother of ten children, the youngest of whom is nursing yet.

July 30th, 1851. Presents the following symptoms: general weakness, from prolonged lactation, especially in the back; violent pressing out pains in the forehead, as if the eyes would fall out, especially at night; scalp painful to the touch; yellowish face; on taking a full breath, the breath seems to remain suspended in the chest, with long stitches through the middle of the chest as far as the back; appetite good; abdomen meteoristic and painful to the touch; violent diarrhea; heaviness of the legs; chilliness of the whole body, especially in the back; restless sleep and frightful dreams, talking during sleep; irritability, vexatiousness; great prostration. Patient has menstruated for sons time past, and had suffered on several previous occasions in her life from considerable loss of blood. China 2/30 1/0.

A few hours after the medicine, the menses made their appearance, three days too soon, and as copious as a hemorrhage of the womb, of normal blood, lasting for six days when the patient felt better.

July 9th. Nine days after taking the medicine, the dyspnea increased to such a degree, that it was feared her breath would stop entirely; when in suck agony, she would take hold of anything she could reach with her hands. The breathing was very deep and accompanied with long stitches through her chest into her back.

July 14th (fourteen days after taking the medicine). The asthmatic attacks are renewed. The child was weaned eight days after taking the medicine without any difficulty about the breast. Bry. 2/30 1/0.

July 15th. The patient had lost her appetite, which however soon returned.

Breathing was laborious and deep, accompanied with short stitches proceeding from the interior of the right side of the chest as far as the left shoulder.

July 16th, at midnight, exactly twenty-four hours after taking the last medicine, the patient had headache, and noticed a-sudden appearance of milk in the mamma which was already dried up; at the same time felt drawing in one of her calves as if from fatigue. After that she rallied in a short time.

II. Otalgia. — O. N, American girl of German descent, aged seven years, blonde hair, blue eyes, very lively.

March 29th, 1857. — In the forenoon felt violent pains in her right ear, probably caused by exposure to draught of air. Her father had given her Bell. 1/30

One, p. m. The pains continue unchanged and seem to be worse, because she is now screaming, which is quite unusual with her on similar occasions. Cham. 1/30. This dose first aggravated still more and then brought some relief, but the pains soon returned. Cham. v. 1/30 1/0 did nothing. About two, p.m., Puls. 12/30 1/0. After that the pains were aggravated again and the patient rolled about on the sofa crying aloud. I then advised her to sit up. She did so, and a few moments after the pains subsided permanently, proving beyond doubt, that this was the effect of the Pulsatilla (cf. Hahnemann's Reine Arznei-mittellehre 3d edition, Vol. II., sympt. 646 and Note).

III. Croup. — N., American girl, fourteen months old, scrofulous, dark-com plexioned.

March 27th, 1857. — After a catarrhal stadium which lasted two days, during a dry, harsh, and cold wind, started from her sleep, at about eleven, p.m., with a sudden violent coughing-spell, resembling precisely the barking of a hoarse dog; there was high fever, drowsiness, dread to cough, putting the forefinger into the mouth, hard and short breathing, restlessness. After Spong. t. 4/30, she became quiet for some time, though the hard and short breathing continued. In about half an hour, she coughed again. Some catarrhal sound was now mixed with the croupy one. Spong. t. 1/30. After that she was somewhat relieved and fell into a doze. Twenty minutes later she had another and more severe attack. The breathing was short, hard and loud; she pushed the head backwards; eyes half shut, face red with a blueish tint, involuntary motion of the left hand and of the feet, throwing herself on her mother's bosom for help-She then had a slighter cough than before, which however was more harassing and threatened to suffocate her. I now gave her some globules of Spong. t. 30 1/0, prepared in the afternoon of that day. After this dose she became easier, and having repeated the dose twenty minutes later, I left the little patient sleeping quietly on her mother's lap. Next morning the cough was loose. The croup disappeared and did not come on again.

IV. Colica. — Miss N., an American lady, a sensitive invalid, 26 years old, of fine cerebral development, suffering for years from a spinal disease, resulting from external injury.

March, 1857. Complains of colic A medical friend of her's had given her several remedies without effect. After the administration of one dose of Nux vom. 2/30 1/0, the colic yielded readily without producing the homoeopathic aggravation of Nux. vom., which with her is invariably brought on when given in lower potencies, even a high as 100 (centos.), vis.: constant disagreeable urging to urinate, with frequent and copious micturition, and prostration. Front the following it appears that even the six hundredth centesimal dilation of Arson. s. was too low to prevent serious aggravation, which, however, subsided promptly after the use of Nux vom. 5000. •

September 20th, 1857. Prescribed for scorbutic affection of the month, throat and stomach of a high degree, Ars. 1/600, to be dissolved in one gill of water and only one teaspoonful to be taken.

September 21st, 10, a.m. Fifteen minutes after taking the first dose, the patient began to pass watery urine every ten or fifteen minutes, and in consequence a pain, which she describes as bearing resemblance to a toothache, came on in a place of the coccygeal region, where she was hurt; at tan same time bearing down in the genital region. Nux vem. 1/5000 The urinary difficulty ceased immediately, and the patient was relieved of bar other complaints.

V. Stomatitis. — The same patient.

April 11th, 1857. Complains of cankers at the root and left side of her tongue, which presented deeply excavated sores of pea-size, covered with a whitish secretion. These were removed within two days by the use of Ars. 3/30 1/0., every three hours.

VI. Croup. — C. N., three and a half years old, American boy, of German descent, dark blonde, hazel eyes, good-natured, of fine nervous organization.

January 14th, 1858, at 10:80, p.m. Awoke suddenly with a rough, deep, hollow, barking cough. Spong. t. 30, 1100, 1500. Some globules of each of these potencies dissolved in one gill of water, one tea-spoonful to be taken after every coughing spell. The cough did not moderate, but the patient began to perspire about the throat and chest. Hoarseness came on gradually and increased until 11:80, p.m., when the cough presented a hoarse stifled sound, in addition to the deep-metallic barking tone. The inspiration was laborious with a whistling noise, and the speech was broken from the impending hoarseness; at the same time, cheeks red and hot, forehead cool, hands hot, pulse not accelerated, perspiration. Bell. 30 1/0 relieved the hoarseness in half an hour and diminished the cough which assumed again the hollow metallic barking sound, but was less frequent. After another dose of Bell. 6 1/0 profuse perspiration broke out; the patient yawned much and sneezed three times.

January 15th, at 12:30, a.m. — I left him quietly sleeping. The croup was gone.

VII. Coffeismus. — Mrs. D., of Frankfort on Main, Germany, 32 years old, blonde, blue eyes, was in the habit of sitting much and drinking strong coffee.

October 27th, 1850. — Reported, violent headache with peevishness and vezatiousness, want of sleep, short dry cough, and nervousness in general. Nux vom. 2/30 1/0. After that, all the symptoms subsided.

VIII. Inoontinentia Urinae Noct. — Charles M., American, of German descent, two and three quarters years old.

October 14th, 1856. — Wet his bed for the last two nights; somewhat loose in his bowels; looks thin; sometimes dark around the eyes; no worms observed. Cina 1/30 1/0. Wet his bed no more.

IX. Dysenteria. — Mrs. N., 52 years old, of English descent, tall and stout, with dark hair and blue eyes, and a syphilitic taint in her system, caught cold whilst perspiring and was taken with dysentery. March 27th, 1867. The following symptoms were reported:

March 31st, 1857. — Awful pains in her bowels and across her back like labor-pains; incessant straining and slight bloody discharges every half-hour. Starch was taken several times without avail. The patient had the cholera in the summer, six years ago. Nux vom. 0/5000, to be taken in one gill of water one tea spoonful every two hours.

April 3d. — Discharges once an hour, containing less blood, more white fleshlike inodorous substance and streaks of bright blood with tenesmus; incessant straining without effect; tenderness of the abdomen, grumbling in the bowels; dreadful pains across the bowels and in the back, like labor-pains; urine scanty, very hot and red with sediment; pain in the head,“ as if it would come apart;” pale face. Colch. aut. 1/30 1/0, prepared on the spot, three globules to be taken dry after every passage.

April 3d, 1857. — The patient took one dose once an hour, and in her own words reported: “after I had taken nine pills, it stopped the pain wonderfully.” She had yesterday a discharge every one or two hours, none in the night, which was passed in sound sleep; two bright yellow fecal discharges this morning with bearing-down pain in the bowels, the last one less severe; urine normal. Colch. aut., as above, to be continued.

April 4th, 1857. — Patient had yesterday about eight yellow fiscal discharges. This morning only two. The last one consisted of white flesh-like substance with a streak of blood and pale yellow matter without odor; five minutes before the passage pain in the bowels; slept all night; face natural; some cramp in the sole of the right foot for five minutes, a symptom which she never had before. Colch. aut., as above, to be continued, three globules, after every discharge.

April 11th, 1857. — Patient had now and then some pain in her bowels, which subsided after taking the globules. Bowels regular now. Had last evening giddiness, pain in the back of her head and a kind of a rheumatic pain in her back between the hinges, as she had two months ago when passing red gravel. All these symptoms disappeared in the morning when she took the last. Feels very weak yet. Appetite poor. China 2/30 1/0, two powders, one to be taken every night dry. After that she recovered.

OBSERVATIONS.

Even the smallest quantities become important when they get large co-efficients. — Herbart.

In conclusion I beg to submit the following observations:

1. High contact potencies prove efficacious and curative in single doses.

2. They sometimes present the phenomenon of homoeopathic aggravation.

3. They have not the aggravation which follows the use of lower and higher Dilution potencies — in the fourth case above reported.

4. They exert their action immediately as well as ten years after preparation.

5. The potentizing by contact is a mode of refining homoeopathic remedies by which a different degree of fineness is attained than by dilation.

6. Succussion does not seem to constitute an essential element in the preparation of high contact potencies.

7. Practically the action of high contact potencies presents the peculiar distinctness of the action of high potencies in general, and operates specifically to the point, clearly reflecting the pathogenetic characteristics of the homoeopathic remedy, precisely covering the individual and most important symptoms, and removing the same promptly.

8. Their action, by this specificness of character, avoids wasting any of the elements of the organism, and drawing any more on the same than is exactly required for the restoration of health.

9. They are great economizers of life and health, operating in subserviency to the general laws of nature, which always accomplishes the greatest good with the least expenditure of force.

10. Consequently, high contact potencies are most valuable and available for the purpose of meeting peculiar and special shades of susceptibility in the organism, which the close observer perceives in the given case by strict individualization.

11. Pharmacologically — potentization by dry contact proves to be another mode of propagating and successfully improving, reproducing and proportionally exalting the medical properties of homoeopathic drugs.

12. On this basis, whatever mathematical calculations may be required, they will have to be not mere arithmetical multiplications, or divisions, or formations of powers, but calculations of proportions and progressions, involving the law of the series and the higher branches of analysis, whilst for the present it is sufficient for all practical purposes to have the potencies numbered, that is, counted as often as the process of potentization by dry contact took place successively.

13. Scientifically — potentization by dry contact, appears to be effected by a bare bringing together of unmedicated globules with medicated ones without an intervening medium the only medium apparent being the air: Action in presence.

14. Therefore it may properly, with Korsakoff and Hahnemann, be regarded as similar or equivalent to medicating the globules by infection or contagion.

15. In this view an analogy, if not more, is presented with the action of the hypothetic poisons or nosopoesis of miasmatic and contagious character, which act as it were, as high contact potencies of matter prepared in Nature's own laboratory.

16. The fact being established, that medical properties are communicated by mere dry contact or action in presence, there is no reason, why we should not assume, that the organism can be medicated in like manner. Homoeopathization.

17. If so, this would give a satisfactory explanation of the fact, that homoeopathic high potencies do communicate their medical properties upon application to the organism by mere contact, and exert their remedial or curative action upon it directly, sometimes instantaneously, and independent of digestion and circulation.

18. Such decided affection of the organism through a high contact potency is not more wonderful, than the analogical fact, that a bar of polished metal, being indifferent in a horizontal position, becomes electrical merely by being placed vertically, as has recently been shown by Henry.

19. Here may be well applied, what Draper states in relation to allotropism: “does not all this show, that substances may be as it were in a quiescent state, and on the application of what may perhaps seem the most insignificant cause, may suddenly assume activity and forthwith satisfy their chemical affinities?”

20. Since mere contact of so refined a substance as a homoeopathic high potency, is certainly an infinitesimal or least possible quantity of action, clearly this medication by contact, as well as indeed every homoeopathic cure, is quantitatively governed, conditioned and explained by the universal principle of Maupertuis before alluded to.

21. On this principle, the least possible quantity of action being sufficient to cause a change, the curative properties and action of the homoeopathic remedy are actually and necessarily regulated and governed by its preparation and application, in other words, the quality of the action of the homoeopathic remedy is determined by its quantity.

22. Consequently the law of the least quantity of action (maxima minimis) will have to be acknowledged to be the posological principle of Homoeopathy.

---