On April the 17th, was called to see Adele L., aged about two years; found her in a convulsive condition with twitching and spasmodic contraction of the muscles, great hyperaesthesia of the skin, photo-phobia, nausea and vomiting; temperature 1030 , great cerebral excitation; nervous temperament, prominent roundish forehead, small face and slightly downward look of the eyes. Bowels constipated, attacks of colic, grinding of the teeth, and terrible thirst for water; very slightly open fontanelles and sutures. With these symptoms and many others less prominent, my prognosis was, of course, very guarded, the chances of recovery being extremely slight, but with the powerful guns that Homoeopathic remedies furnish, I was not willing to announce to her loving parents that their only little one could not live, and I therefore mustered all the courage I possessed, and said that while I considered their little one very dangerously ill, still I had hopes that she might pull through, and went into the fight with a determination to win if possible. To make a long story short, my first prescription, on account of the intense thirst and small, rapid, tremulous and intermittent pulse, sensitiveness to touch about the head was Helleborus nig. 30; this remedy seemed to control the eagerness for water and the pulse, but stopped there.

My next prescription was Apis mcl. 30, dil. Continued this remedy 48 hours with improvement. I was then taken sick myself, and did not see the patient for four days, but recommended a physician who carried out my line of treatment, and when I again saw my little patient she had lost flesh so rapidly that it sent a shudder over me, as I viewed her tiny limbs and body. I prescribed at once Calc. Carb. 30, dil., and asked for a sample of urine which I received in 24 hours, and to my horror, it seemed to me almost solid albumen. I thought then my little patient was doomed. After thinking over the history of the case, and from what I know of the family history, and the prodromal symptoms, the irritableness, swollen abdomen and constipation, great and rapid loss of flesh, etc. I concluded to prescribe Boericke & Tafel’s 200 dilution, of Tuberculinum, one dose every three days, with placebo every hour.

From this day began rapid and permanent improvement. Oh, what a relief to mother, father, friends, my little patient and myself. I know that under any other treatment, and I might say remedy, this interesting little child could not have survived. Great credit is due to her mother, whose good judgment never forsook her for a moment. She said she believed a thousand people called to inquire after the patient; and of course all kinds of friendly advice was volunteered, both as to remedies and physicians, but the parents stood firm in the belief that it was not good policy or safe to “swap horses while crossing a stream,” and to-day they have their little one well, but weak, and feel well they go to Atlantic City with our little patient to enjoy the invigorating breezes of Old Ocean for a time.                                   CHAS. W. ROBERTS, M.D.