congested. I resorted to the Allopathic treatment without affording any
relief; and, as he was steadily getting worse, I consulted my homoeopathic
works and gave him Aconite, a drop of the tincture in a glass of water; of
the solution thus made I directed a teaspoonful to be given every hour;
this gave prompt relief to the active symptoms of congestion. For a cough
which remained I gave a few doses of belladonna prepared in the same
manner, and all of the symptoms soon disappeared. I reported this case to
the New York Journal of Medicine, and it was transferred, even to the
homoeopathic prescriptions, to the American edition of Velpeau's great work
on surgery.

I found when I went to Grand Rapids that the intermittent, remittent, and
pernicious fevers, which prevailed in that place and in the surrounding
country, were generally treated by the resident physicians with mercurial
or other cathartic remedies, followed or accompanied by Quinine and brandy
or fermented drinks containing Alcohol, and opiates where they were
supposed to be necessary. As I began to look into homoeopathy, I first
prescribed Ipecac for the vomiting which sometimes attended these fevers,
one drop of the tincture in a glass of water, and giving a teaspoonful from
the glass for a dose. For watery diarrhoeas I gave Fowler's solution of
Arsenic in the same manner, and in both instances generally with very
satisfactory results. As my confidence in the homoeopathic treatment of
diseases increased, I sent to New York and obtained an assortment of the
remedies and more books, and was then much better prepared to prescribe
successfully. I soon found that by their use I could dispense with
cathartic remedies and thus avoid the danger of causing a medicinal
irritation of the bowels, which it is sometimes difficult to control. I
also found that I could do much better without Alcohol in any form, in the
treatment of these fevers, than with it; and I soon ceased to use brandy,
wine, beer, etc.