By H. B. Fellows, M. D., Sennet, N. Y.

July 4th, l864. Took five pellets of Lachesis³⁰ about nine, a. m., for a cough.

Soon after noon I began to feel great heaviness and lassitude all through the body, but particularly through the back and legs.

At 3.30 p. m., the feeling of lassitude had increased and walking tired me much more than usual. After supper this feeling partially passed off.

Retired soon after nine, p. m. Legs ached all through but the pain was the most severe about the knees.

July 5th. Slept well. Coughed less this morning than yesterday. All well until after breakfast.

Soon after eight, a. m. my legs began to ache again, aching all through, but the pain, as on the day before, was most about the knees. Legs felt very heavy. The same feelings extended through the shoulders and arms, but in a less degree.

The general lassitude was more marked than yesterday. Felt better after dinner.

In the evening whilst walking, had a pain deep in the left ear or between the ear and the throat, which was made more severe while putting the temporal and masseter muscles on tension. This pain disappeared in a short time and one appeared just above the left external malleolus, which would increase as the contiguous muscles were put upon the stretch in stepping.

This pain lasted for some time.

July 6th. Felt well with the exception of the lassitude.

July 7th. More of the lassitude. Increased sexual excitement. This excitement lasted several days.

July 10th. No more symptoms noticed.

Any pathogenetic symptom is reliable; it must be so, or the science of Homoeopathy falls to the ground. The pathogenesis of a drug may be confirmed either by reproving it, or by its curative effects when prescribed according to the homoeopathic formula. The former is the better way, and is more in accordance with the teachings of the master, if any doubt exists as to the symptoms ascribed to the drug. There can be no better way to settle the question of the reliability of Lachesis than by a reproving of it; the addition of other symptoms, equally characteristic as those now known, would also be likely to follow the reproving. The curative effects also confirm the provings, and are the final tests to be applied to every proving.

The following case of diphtheria is offered as confirming the above proving and as showing quite clearly the type of cases in which Lachesis will prove of the greatest value; a type which has been of frequent occurrence in this vicinity for the past few months.

Miss S. aged 18, had been feeling unwell for several days. On October 25th she was obliged to take to the bed. On the evening of that day I found her with a severe pain in the forehead, which became a beating pain in the vertex on assuming the upright position. On fixing her eyes on any spot on the wall she would feel dizzy. (I have seen this symptom produced from a high potency. “During the day looking at any object closely would produce vertigo, and in the evening looking at the clouds not more than 30° or 40° above the horizon, would immediately produce the same sensation.”) Severe pain in the limbs, principally about the knees and elbows; the flesh felt very sore, and moving the limbs aggravated the pain for the time being. Much lassitude; she nearly fainted on rising from the bed at noon. Tenderness and pain in the epigastric region, nausea, anorexia, tongue coated with a dirty yellow fur, very unpleasant taste in the mouth. The tonsils were swollen and showed patches of a diphtheritic membrane about half an inch wide, of a dirty gray color, and extending down out of sight. Submaxillary and parotid glands swollen. The soreness of the throat began on the left side, and this side was still the most painful; throat was more painful after sleeping or talking. Pulse upwards of ninety; the skin at times hot and dry, at other times moist. Gave Lachesis³⁰ in aqueous solution every two hours. Next morning I found the patient with the headache, pain in the limbs, and nausea removed and less soreness about the throat; pulse natural or nearly so, strength increased. Continued Lachesis ³⁰.

Oct. 27. Symptoms improving; diphtheritic membrane disappearing. Lachesis²⁰⁰ every three hours.

October 28th. Did not sleep as well as on previous night. Diphtheritic membrane nearly gone. Lachesis³⁰. After this the patient got no more medicine for the day.

About twenty months previous, I treated this patient for an attack of diphtheria, using the lower potencies of Aconite Belladonna and Mercurius iod., and during the disease a troublesome asthmatic cough set in and lasted for some days after the throat was healed. During the last attack a slight cough appeared having the same characteristics, but required no other remedy, and disappeared before the throat healed.

From the above proving we get some of the most marked symptoms of this case; and a complete picture of the disease as it often appears in its initiatory stage. As this stage frequently lasts from one to several days, it will in many cases enable us to avert a serious attack by the use of this remedy.