Preparation.—There are two kinds of renal calculi, the phosphatic and the uric, which should be triturated as separate preparations.
(The Homœopathric Examiner, 1846, contained the following paper, by Dr. Bredenoll. We may add that the remedy is reported to be peculiarly beneficial in Rigg's disease of the teeth.)
My professional engagements do not permit me to spend much time in writing; the following case, however, I deem worthy of note.
Born of healthy parents, I remained quite healthy until my twenty-third year. I had no trouble in getting over the diseases to which children are generally liable. Some of them, scarlet fever and measles, attacked me when I was already engaged in my professional career. I am now fifty-seven years old.
In the year 1808, while vaccinating children, I caught the itch from one of them. Although I washed myself with soap water immediately, yet a pustule made its appearance in about eight days, between the little finger and ring finger of the left hand; afterwards a few more came on at the same place and some others between the ring and middle finger. I hastened to repel this eruption as fast as possible, which I unfortunately succeeded in doing within the period of eight days.
This suppression of the eruption was followed by a host of diseases: Liability to catching cold; frequent catarrh; rheumatic complaints; toothache; attacks of hemicrania, with vomiting; continual heartburn; hæmorrhoidal complaints, at times tumors, at times fluent; excessive emaciation; afterwards a pustulous eruption over the whole body; painful swelling of the joints, arthritic nodosities in different places; a copper-colored eruption in the face, especially on and about the nose, which made me look like a confirmed drunkard, etc., etc.
These affections tormented me more or less, until in the year 1833 I visited Hahnemann at Coethen, for the purpose of studying homœopathia with him. Hahnemann treated me for three weeks, and I continued the treatment at my native place. My health improved steadily, and at the end of a year I considered myself cured. This lasted until October, 1836, when I was attacked with violent colic in one night. The pain was felt in the region of the left kidney, lancinating, pinching, sore; retching ensued, resulting in vomiting of mucus, and lastly bile. I took a few pellets of Nux v. x; after this the pain disappeared gradually, and the vomiting ceased. Next day I was well again. Two days afterwards I discovered gravel in the urine, and my sufferings had vanished.
One year elapsed in this way; however, I occasionally experienced an uncomfortable sensation in the region of the left kidney, especially when riding on horseback, driving in a carriage, or walking fast; I took at times Lycopod., at times Nux v., in proportion as one or the other of these two remedies appeared indicated.
In November, 1837, I was suddenly attacked with vomiting, accompanied with violent lancinating, sore or pinching pains in the region of the left kidney. The horrible anguish and pain which I experienced extorted from me involuntary screams; I was writhing like a worm in the dust. A calculus had descended into the ureter and had become incarcerated in it. Repeated doses of Nux relieved the incarceration, and I distinctly felt that the calculus was descending towards the bladder. After twenty-four hours of horrible suffering the vomiting ceased, the pain became duller and was felt in the region where the ureter dips into and becomes interwoven with the tissue of the bladder: it continued for three days and then disappeared all of a sudden (the stone had not got into the bladder). Thirty-six hours afterwards the calculus entered the bulb of the urethra. I felt a frequent desire to urinate; the urine was turbid and bloody, until at last a calculus of four grains made its appearance in the urine. After this I frequently passed gravel and calculi, at times with slight, at times violent pains, sometimes accompanied with vomiting; I kept the larger calculi, with a view of using them hereafter as a curative agent.
Professor Nasse, of Bonn, where my son studied medicine at the time, has analyzed the calculi, and has found them to be urate of lime. He advised me to take Merc. dulcis and the Sulphate of Soda for some time; it is scarcely necessary for me to say that I did not follow his advice.