Kent's case 16: Bright's disease Nitricum Acidum

Child of C. N., a sprightly little girl two years old;
symptoms; yellowish white discharge from left ear, profuse lachrymation
from right eye, and some white, clear mucus flowing over the eye-lid and
cheek that seemed to be blood.
The under lid of right eye appeared like a water-
bag and the whole face was puffed and rather transparent; the right was
much the worse of the two.
The child looked sickly and cried much. The
mother stated that it had not been well for several weeks.
While thinking over Apis and Ars. I began to
look for agg. by warmth, etc., when I was informed that the child could not
endure any covering, and she was absolutely thirstless, which excluded
Arsenic from further consideration.



The mother believed the urine to be scanty but
she was not quite certain, but says she,
"Her water smells strong, like that of a horse."
Nit-ac. 1200, and we soon cured the case, ear
discharge and all, in the surprisingly short time of a few days.
This was not a case of acute Bright's disease
following scarlet fever, but much like it.
40
Every physician living in this malarial climate
must have observed the same anasarca and otorrhoea following malaria
attacks, home treated or neglected.
The dropsical condition follows all kinds of
malarial attacks, and particularly this ear complication, associated with
kidney disease.
But will some astute pathologist inform me why
nitric acid cured this case so promptly if on other grounds than that it was
the similimum.?
These cases all die when not properly treated.
They all recover promptly on a few doses of the
appropriate remedy.
41