1. A boy of fourteen, whose nose was completely blocked up for the last two years, and whose nostrils were full of polypi, the nose itself being broadened, and in whom the nose had been cleared out by operation a year ago at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, was sent to me by my colleague, Dr. J. H. Clarke. The boy never remembers having smelt anything, and the polypi can easily be seen blocking up both nostrils.
From the 26th of November, 1892, to the 4th of March, 1893, four doses of Lemna m. θA were given at regular intervals without much change, then Calcarea carbonica 200 was given, and two weeks after, as he had faceache, Mercurius 3d dec., and on the 8th of April following the faceache was better but the nose in no way improved.
Then Lemna was given again, and this time with the most pronounced relief; the nose became much clearer, and he went on taking it, and it alone with scarcely an exception, in fortnightly doses, till the 14th of March last, when his nose was quite clear, with none but a very small polypi visible; he could breathe freely and his sense of smell had completely returned.
The delay in the manifestation of remedial change from November to March arose from complete blockage of the nose, and until the space created by the subsidence in the size of the polypi sufficed for a passage of air the patient had no reason to acknowledge relief.
In the treatment, both of swollen tonsils and in that of nasal polypi, the prescriber will be led away at the onset who accepts the testimony of the patient alone; he should make careful inspection of the parts, and be guided by what is often but a slight local change, as well as by concomitant, and it may be remote, symptoms.
2. The next case I have to bring forward is one of ozœna in a girl of sixteen, who had been three years under the treatment of a colleague who kindly sent her on to me for treatment at the London Homœopathic Hospital. The girl, whose occupation was a teacher, has had ozœna since three or four years old. The odor complained of was horrid, and the discharge excessive; a most unpleasant smell in the nose and nasty taste in the mouth; she takes cold easily if out in the night air or damp, and her nose, at times, gets stuffed up; bowels irregular; catamenia only twice—once three months ago and two months before that.
On December 30, 1893, I prescribed Lemna minor, and she returned to me from the country, where she was living, on the 31st of the following March, imploring me for another powder, as she had been almost well for two weeks after the last and then had relapsed to her old state; breathing is short and is low spirited.
21st of April, very much better; odor not nearly so bad, discharge much less; unmedicated pilules, three times a day.
19th of May, 1894, kept better for a month; took cold two weeks ago, and since then throat has felt thick and nose has discharged with a horrid odor. Catamenia regular. Breathing is better; crusts coming from both, worse on the left side. To have Lemna minor.
This patient came from a distance which prevented frequent attendance, but the above is quite sufficient evidence of the power possessed by Lemna m. in acting upon the nasal mucous membrane.