IV. WOUNDS

      The homœopathic remedy given does not just relieve the shock, or the pain only - it is not just a ‘sedation’ or ‘anaesthetic’ but works ‘wholistically’ in the sense that the healing process itself begins with these remedies and the pain relieved rapidly.  The action is total.

      In cases of bleeding the administration of homœopathic remedies besides the mechanical haemorrhage control will be of much great help.  Remedies like:  Arnica, Ipecacuanha, Phosphorus, China, Lachesis, Bothrops lanceolatus, Hamamelis, Helleborus,Hypericum, Millefolium, Erigeron, Secale cornutum, Trillium pendulum and Hirudo officinalis are some from our armamentarium.  A surgeon has to see for himself the wonderful action of these remedies.  The quality of the bleeding must be taken note of.

      For pains and bleeding during dental work, quick healing may be had from Aconite, Arnica, Hypericum.  (Refer to the rubrics in the Repertory  ….. “Ailment from Loss of Blood, Loss of vital fluids”, also Mouth, Bleeding, Gums KR.398)

      Arsenicum Album when sepsis or gangrene is threatened (“Black blood” – KR.398); foul secretion, burning, etc. (recall HERING’s conversion to Homœopathy).

      Calendula officinalis for lacerated wounds; (M.L. TYLER recommends potentised Calendula); externally also would help.

      Read Petrie HOYLE’s excellent article of his experience in World War I:  (Calendula was the sheet anchor in  all of war wounds). [129]

      Hepar sulphuris  if splinter is imbedded and pain is much; it would bring out the foreign material.  (Compare Silicea and Anagallis arvensis).

      Hypericum  for injuries to nerves.  (Compare Anantherum and Artemisia vulgaris for splitter injuries), Allium cepa for amputation neuralgia.

      For Hypericum the sensitivity to pain is more relevant.

      Convulsions from wounds:  compare Arnica, Cicuta virosa, Natrum sulphuricum, etc.

      Lachesis: dark, non-coagulating blood from the wound.  Blood dark (Chin.) or blue.

      Gangrenous: Anthracinum, Arsenicum, Carbo vegetabilis, China, Crotalus horridus, Secale cornutum, etc.

      Ledum palustre: wound from pointed things, punctured wounds, stings (Bee, Scorpion, Insects, bites of animals – cat, rats, etc.), soles of feet injured by nail; abscesses from infections.  Generally there is a cold sensation around the wound; also may be cold to touch.  Better by cold application.

      “When the tenderness in a perforated wound is worse than the appearance would suggest think of Hypericum rather than Ledum” [130]

      Neuralgia of punctures: Plantago. [131]

      Bad consequences of neglected punctured wounds, Chelidonium majus [132]

      Punctured wounds – Aranea diadema [133]

A Case of Rupture Spleen

      MASTER Farokh J.

     36 year-old male suffered a car accident on 17 July 1992 and was immediately hospitalised.  Remained unconscious for four hours.   Contused lacerated wounds on both  knees and hands which were sutured and analgesics and antibiotics administered . Next day:ecchymotic patch on left side of the chest; unbearable pain in the injured parts.  Arnica XM three hourly and Bellis perennis30 three hourly. on 20th July x-ray: #left 4/5/6 ribs; accumulation of haemorrhagic blood in the left pleural sac; Hb. 8 gms%.   Ceanothusamericanusmother tinct.5 drops t.d.s.  Arnica CM three hourly.   Ceanothus  was continued for 12 days and during this period no antibiotics/analgesics.  24 August 1992  X Ray:  # and effusion less by 50%; HB. 15 gms%. [134]

A red-tailed Hawk

LEDERMAN Jeff  

      The author rescued an injured  red-tailed hawk.   Soon after capture of the bird, it was administered a dose of Aconite and on reaching the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, it was tube-fed an electrolyte solution, and then another dose of Aconite (for the mental stress) and Arnica 200 for physical trauma. 

      X-ray revealed fracture in the mid-shaft area of the left ulna.  Next day surgery (applying of splint to the fracture) was done after anaesthesia.  Halfway through the surgery the hawk had stopped breathing and the surgeon decided that it was ‘gone’.  However LEDERMAN did mouth-to-mouth respiration and the surgeon gave respiratory stimulant and the hawk came on after about 15 minutes of such revival.  Another dose of Arnica was given.  Next day it was given Symphytum 30 twice a day alternating with Calcareaphosphorica 6x twice a day. Day after the surgery the hawk was hungry and alert. 

      Six weeks after surgery the radiographs revealed a strong union where there was once a fracture.  The external splints were removed, and a dose of Arnica was administered.  The hawk was rehabilitated soon in the free sky.

      The entire procedure and the final phase of rehabilitation in which the bird is day-by-day allowed to fly some distance until it became totally strong to fly high, is fascinating. Great work indeed. [135]

      Cat fight

A horrid abscess and a remedy to remember

CASTRO, Mirando

      Noodle, 5 year-old cat had a large gash and puncture wound on his ear which was swollen within a day.  Developed fever  and was eating and drinking little. Hepar sulphand then Silicea did not help.  Myristica sebifera30 two doses hourly.   Within  an hour of the second dose, started draining and thereafter Noodle got up and snacked.  Within  few days healed up.

      Nito, 10 year old whippet (dog) was bitten in leg by a cat and copious amounts of blood from the wound. Calendula 30c mixed in water and applied over the wound.  The bleeding stopped immediately.  Next day the wound was bright red, but no swelling and pain but she did not want to be alone and asked for much more affection than usual.  Hamamelis 30 and Phosphorus 30 in the dog’s water bowl.  A day later, 50% of ulcer size decreased  and the rest turned purple.  Arnica 30 and she was running next day. [136]

Myristica gives reader “a leg up”

      On a family trip to Hawaii, the husband cut his legs on coral.  The deepest cut got infected.  Hepar sulph. 30 and then 200 and topical Calendula  did not help.  It started to swell and become red, hot to touch and oozing.  Remembering a recent article in HT (Autumn 2009) Myristica was given. [137]  Next morning swelling had gone down.  With additional doses, redness reduced and oozing stopped.  The reader thanks HT for printing such useful articles.

       A man suffered a pierce by a long thorn in a point in his chest while moving through some tall bushes.  The thorn was pulled out but he did not know that a piece remained in.   Few months later he felt irritation and distress in the cardiac region.  Tests revealed that the broken part of the thorn was there indeed and a costly surgery was proposed.  However, a lay homoeopath looked at the affected spot and found that there was callosity there.  Antimonium crudum 200 was given and soon a suppurative eruption like a boil came up on the part and the foreign body was ejected out!   It was wonderful that the homoeopath did not prescribe in the routine manner, Silica. [138]

Gunpowder

      Little-known remedy packs a wallop against wounds

      CASEY, Shirley J.             

      Gunpowder  is of tremendous help in the treatment of wounds of wild animals and their rehabilitation, as they get wounded in a variety of ways.

      J.H. CLARKE’s assertion that Gunpowder was helpful to both obvious existing infections and that were expected due to the nature of the wound, created an enthusiasm among Wildlife Rehabiliators and Veterinarians as there are increasing concerns about problems related to antibiotics.

      Gunpowder has been used successfully in hundreds of cases of wounded animals.  Few cases are given.

      A Golden Eagle with a few day’s old Gunshot wound in it’s wing was given Aconite 1M.  The wound was thoroughly cleaned and bandaged and conventional protocol followed.  Arnica 1M to address the trauma.  6 hours after this Gunpowder 1M.  The eagle ate well and improved.  The veterinarians were amazed by the rapidity of healing. [139]

      It took more than a year of care in rehabilitation for the eagle to molt and new feathers to grow back and was released back into the wild = KSS].

A squirrel’s stubborn abscess

      A juvenile Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel with three deep punctures on shoulder and left leg, was cleaned and antibiotics given.  Two days later wounds inflamed and swollen.  In the next four days, leg became hard and swollen and painful.  By eighth day serious inspite of antibiotics.

      Hepar sulph 30 and Lachesis 200 too did not help.  Gun powder 200.  Within eight hours, the swelling softened and cream colored discharge started draining.  Improvement slowed at 48 hours.  Another dose was repeated and improvement continued steadily. In four days all signs of infection gone.  In another month released back into the wild.

Chimney Swift nabbed by a Cat

      A Chimney Swift was soaked during a rainstorm and was grabbed by cat.  He was cool, with shallow breathing and dull eyes – signs of shock.  Aconite 1M.  An hour later, he was warm, strong and alert.  As it was grabbed by a cat, likelihood of punctures.   Gun powder 30 as a prophylactic, within a day normal and after 14 days released into wild.

      Rubrics in which Gun powder is mentioned and the author’s additions are given.

      Cases of three rehabilitators helped by Gun powder after a bug bite, Squirrel bite and a laceration are given.

[The late Dr. S.P. KOPPIKAR who practiced until he was past 93 years age, used to say that in the first two decades of his practice (preantibiotic era)  Arnica and Gun powder accounted for more than 50% of his earnings.  Until ten years ago, we had occasion to useGun powder 3x trituration and rarely 30.  It is clear from the cases here, even if they are animals, that Gun powder in potencies of 200, M are all relevant even today; it must be given great ranking in Injury remedies = KSS]

      Punctured and other wounds – Apis mellificae. [140]

      Wound much tumified – Apis mellificae [141]

      Rhus toxicodendron; JAHR recommends for wound that has inflamed.

      Wounds and injuries especially caused by stabbing instruments – Apis mellificae. [142]

      Staphisagria: Clear cut wounds as during surgeries, from razor, glass pieces, etc., pain severe.  Affinity to sexual organs.

      Pierre SCHMIDT speaks of the effective prophylaxis for Tetanus: Arnica, Hypericum,  Ledum prevents development of tetanus. [143] (Yet many homœopaths themselves rush for TT injections and recommend to their patients too!)

      “Small wounds suppurate and do not heal; the wound is raw and inflamed, painful as if beaten.” – Calcarea ostrearum. [144]

      (Personally I would like to say that in all these decades of life I have as most of you too would have, had injuries, shaving cuts, deep cuts from knives, etc. and have not taken any injections – Tetanus or otherwise.  Neither my family members)  (See Petrie HOYLE’s article).

      For bites by rabid animals: HAHNEMANN says in the foot note to Belladonna [145] “The best preventive of Hydrophobia is the smallest dose of Belladonna, given at first every third or fourth day, and repeated at ever longer intervals.”

      Bites of mad animals: Spiraca ulmasia.

      W. BOERICKE, Materia Medica: Both Sepia, Spiraca are given as “Collateral’ remedies to Lyssinum. [146]

      [During the days of HAHNEMANN, the masters used homœopathic remedies really effective for Hydrophobia – for example Belladonna, Cantharis, Hyoscyamus, Lachesis, Lyssinum, Stramonium.  In fact we have a rubric in the repertory, in the ‘Mind’ section KR. p.52 – Hydrophobia: there are 23 remedies!  Has anyone ever used them?  Have we been taught this? = KSS]

      The master practitioner – von BOENNINGHAUSEN -  has reported cured cases of  Hydrophobia. [147]

      Wounds treated homœopathically seldom lead to sepsis or other infections.

      In rare cases of such sepsis an underlying chronic miasm may be located.

      “In Tetanus, traumatic or otherwise, when there is spasmodic twitching or jerking of the muscles” – Angustura vera. [148]

      With regard to Cicatrices and Keloids consequent upon the healing of some wounds, remedies like Thiosinamimum [149] Silica, Graphites, Fluoric acid, etc. are useful.  Repertory contains nearly 26 remedies. [150]

      Lachesis: Ankles injured; severe contusions and lacerations; Gangrene; bluish purple vesicles covering a dirty-looking ash grey ground. [151]