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Arnica Montana Caselet

Case II.-Miss Adele W-, aged 28, brunette. From her fourteenth year she had been troubled at each menstrual period with quinsy. Eight days before each period came on her throat would become sore, and about four days before the flow her tonsils would become so large, that the physician, who was an Allopath, would burn them. She said she had tried both Allopathy and Homoeopathy, and if the quinsy could be cured this time, it would be wonderful indeed.

She complained of frontal headache, worse on the left side, with occasional sharp, knife-like pains through the left temple; was sleepy and tired, but could not sleep on account of extreme nervousness; her head was hot and extremities cold; at intervals a sharp pain would dart through her heart, taking the breath from her. Her appetite was poor, very little making her feel as though she head eaten a hearty meal. Her whole body felt bruised, the softest mattress seemed hard; the bowels were inclined to be constipated, and the menses too soon, too profuse, and light colored. Gave Arnica cm., one dose, dry on tongue. I told her to come back in four days if she did not improve. I saw her again in a week and a half; she had passed through her period without having quinsy, for the first time in fourteen years. I have had to give the remedy three times since the patient has been under my care, which is five months.

[This as a brilliant prescription. The majority of homoeopathic physicians, however, would have shot at the quinsy instead of the patient, and of course missed the game.-Ed. (of Medical Advance ; this editor agrees!)]

(from Cases treated at the woman's homoeopathic association of Pennsylvania hospitals; Twentieth st and Susquehanna, ave., Philadelphia . Pa. [ J. Medley, Superintendent];

in Medical Advance , Vol.XXII, No.1, January 1889)

Analysis by Will Taylor , MD:

A “comprehensive” repertorization of this case might look like this:

A comparison of analysis-weighting strategies shows Arnica taking a lead in this analysis principally on the basis of its presence in some small rubrics:

The Striking, Exceptional, Unusual and Odd (Characterizing; see aph.153* in Hahnemann's Organon ) features of the case can be described in the small rubrics:

- which would be my repertorization of this case.

Arnica does not appear in the rubrics chosen to represent the patient's “Quinsy” symptoms. However, on reading the provings of Arnica in TF Allen's Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica , the following confirming symptoms can be found:

Burning in the back part of the throat, with a feeling of internal heat, or rather that sort of anguish which originates in heat (without any heat being perceptible externally), [1].

Violent burning in the throat when swallowing, [24].

Constriction in the throat, [35].

Stinging in the back part of the throat, between the acts of swallowing, [1]

The following relevant rubrics listing Arnica can be found in the Synthesis Repertory:

THROAT – SWELLING

THROAT - LUMP; sensation of a

THROAT - SWALLOWING - impeded

THROAT - SWALLOWING - difficult

THROAT - PAIN - stitching

THROAT - PAIN - pressing

THROAT - PAIN – burning

THROAT - INFLAMMATION - Tonsils

THROAT - INFLAMMATION - Tonsils - acute

THROAT - PAIN - sore - menses – during

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*From Samuel Hahnemann, Organon of the Medical Art (O'Reilly ed.)

§153

In the search for a homeopathically specific remedy, that is, in the comparison of the complex of the natural disease's signs with the symptom sets of the available medicines (in order to find among them an artificial disease potence that corresponds in similarity to the malady to be cured) the more striking, exceptional, unusual, and odd (characteristic) signs and symptoms 170 of the disease case are to be especially and almost solely kept in view. These, above all, must correspond to very similar ones in the symptom set of the medicine sought if it is to be the most fitting one for cure. The more common and indeterminate symptoms (lack of appetite, headache, lassitude, restless sleep, discomfort, etc.) are to be seen with almost every disease and medicine and thus deserve little attention unless they are more closely characterized.

§154

If the counter-image that is put together from the set of symptoms of the most apt medicine contains the characteristic signs (i.e. , those that are special, uncommon, odd, and distinguishing) of the disease to be cured, in the greatest number and in the greatest similarity, then this medicine is the most fitting, homeopathic, specific remedy for this disease state. If the disease is of not-too-long duration, it will be lifted and extinguished without significant ailment, usually by the first dose.