My interest and study of homoeopathy began in 1963, when my father, an asthmatic, reached a stage of resistance to almost all the routine allopathic medicines then in use. From 1966 till 1976 — after which I left the General Hospital at Solapur — I had ten years to try out various homoeopathic medicines, at times singly and at times in combination, for all the cases in my unit. I had under my supervision about a hundred surgical beds, male, female and pediatric, plus about twenty beds for burn cases, during those years. One of my earliest cases was a case of pyocele. This was in a male of about 50 years who was admitted in the ward at night with high fever, toxic condition and a huge fluctuating scrotal swelling. He was to be operated the next morning and was on supportive I.V. therapy meanwhile. My housemen and registrar were all watching eagerly to see what my little pills would do. I remember the dilemma I was in. I had not given the routine antibiotics (penicillin, in those days) and did not know whether the homoeopathic pills would cause the abscess to burst open or get absorbed.
The choice was between Hepar Sulphuricum and Silicea. Since in those days I had mainly biochemics to help me, I asked my housemen to give Silicea 6x, every hour, regularly. After about six to seven doses the whole pyocele evacuated itself and the patient's temperature and toxemia dramatically subsided. Silicea, I remember, was continued four times daily for a week or more and the patient went home with a minimally discharging sinus. This created a lot of interest in my house staff and nurses for this new way of treatment.
That there was a considerable opposition from some of my own surgical colleagues is a different story altogether. My unit was dealing with traumas of all sorts and most of the operations and emergencies were due to head injuries. It was not possible for me to individualise the remedy in such a large set-up — moreover the housemen were frequently changing. How could I continuously explain as to what to look for and ask them to tell me the changing symptoms needed for acute cases? I therefore evolved my own preoperative and post-operative mixtures for clean cases. It involved Arnica, Rhus Tox, Hypericum and Calendula, all in either 3x or 30C potency. This was kept in the ward for all cases that were to be operated. Four doses were given twenty-four hours prior to operation and then continued post-operatively four to six hourly till the stitches were removed. Though this is not classical homeopathy, the circumstances were such that I had to show that the homoeopathic remedies were better if not equal to the routine of Penicillin and Streptomycin. At least 80% of my operated cases went smoothly only on this, much to the surprise of my loyal house staff and nurses. When there was infection or when I had operated on an infected case, like say, a perforated ulcer, a leaking appendix or a traumatic abdomen, I prepared another combination called KHARP: Kali phos, Hepar, Arnica, Rhus tox and Pyrogen. This given repeatedly, reduced pyrexia, made wounds cleaner and only on rare occasions did I need to use supplementary antibiotics. All infected wounds were dressed by diluted Calendula, at times with dilute Hypericum QT (mother tincture). During those days, surgeons were still enucleating prostates through the bladder and in all such cases the empty prostatic cavity was packed with gauze strips dipped in Calendula solution. This pack was removed after twenty-four hours and I don’t recollect a single case of the residual prostatic cavity causing trouble later. Some of my housemen later utilised the same packing of Calendula in E.N.T., when they packed the tonsillar bed. In fact even after I left the General Hospital, the fame of Calendula dressing for infected wounds resistant to antibiotics, was such that many registrars secretly utilised Calendula for such cases. Here is a brief account of the various remedies I had occasion to use.
(1) Pre-operative anxiety
(a) Aconite ‘M’ the previous night and morning of operation.
(b) Fright and anxiety especially in children Aconite with Phosphorus, either combined or Aconite at night and Phosphorus next morning. Where general anaesthesia of a longer duration was expected, at least two to three doses of Phosphorus ‘M’ or 200 C were given.
(2) During the operation
On those patients who were operated under spinal or local anaesthesia, globules of Arnica 30 were put on the tongue throughout the operation, if the patient was not heavily sedated.
(3) Post-operatively
(a) For nausea or vomiting we gave Ipecac 200. When the patient took long to come out of anaesthesia, I would repeat Phosphorus. Retching, vomiting and gagging, demand for cold or ice cold water, needed Phosphorus; if the patient was better by hot tea, Arsenicum Album was given.
(b) Shock
In all such cases we had the usual noradrenaline drip going. If the blood pressure was borderline 90/60mm Hg, I would in addition give Carbo vegetabilis 200 or ‘M’ repeatedly. In those days I was not aware of Strontium Carbonicum. Carbo vegetabilis certainly helped to raise and establish blood pressure. At times I have ventured to push it through the I. V. tubing, to notice a dramatic rise of blood pressure by 10 to 15 mm of Hg.
(c) After the patient came out of shock the homoeopathic remedies were continued throughout the stay till the patient was discharged.
(d) If the wounds became infected post-operatively KHARP globules were given. When the infection was heavy, as for example in faecal contamination of the peritoneal cavity, a routine antibiotic cover was administered for a few days in addition to KHARP globules.
(5) Post-operative distension
(6) Stitch abcess
(7) Appendicitis
(8) Prostate problems
(10) Head Injuries
(12) Lymph Node Enlargement
I feel the reader of this article would by now have had enough of remedies so I venture into the vexing question of surgery and suppression. I have always asked this question to myself whether we as surgeons are aware of the possibility of the suppression of disease through surgery? I must say that such a question would not enter the brain of a pure allopathically trained surgeon. Only a surgeon knowing the principles of homoeopathy would ruminate on this. Many times surgery deals with what I call ‘grey areas’. Cases where the surgeon steps in because medicine has failed or has no adequate ‘curative answer’: the cyst, thyroid nodule, appendix, fibroid uterus, gall bladder and kidney stones, tonsils and adenoids; representing the terminal aspect of the individual’s diseased status. Such cases have had a bad miasmatic background and no constitutional (immunity-raising) therapy which homeopathic medicines are capable of doing if given properly, carefully, and at the right time. Operations in such cases carry the risk of suppression. For example, an appendix unnecessarily removed may later on cause the patient to come down with colitis or an ulcer. Gall bladders removed can cause vague and intractable dyspeptic symptoms or reflex heart problems later. Benign cysts or tumours could be safely watched and left alone. If removed prematurely they may lead to further cyst formations in the same organ or elsewhere. As Dr. Kothari in one of his articles has said - in case of ‘Dysis’ don’t touch the lesion, in case of ‘disease’ interfere to an extent sufficient to ease the patient; not create further disease.
Most hysterectomies are done, as I say, prematurely with or without adequate reasons. Invariably I have seen such women coming to me with arthritis and backache. Would this be suppression or not? How many tonsillectomies and adenectomies come back with chronic bad throats, bronchitis and even asthma nobody knows. Would this be suppression according to the homoeopath or would it be a new disease according to the allopath?
I recollect two of my friends whose warts were cauterised and both of them developed severe diabetes. Would they have developed this had the warts been left alone and treated by constitutional treatment?
Dr. D.E. Mistry, M.S., is an ex-Professor of Surgery at V.M.M. Medical College, Solapur, with an interest in homoeopathy.
