Kent's cases 12: Asthmatic and dropsical Tarentula cubensis

Mrs. S, age 76, Also an inmate of the Memorial
Home came to my charge the same time as Mrs. F.
She was dropsical and asthmatic.
The urine was loaded with albumin, and
apparently, she was progressing to a fatal termination without interruption.
She took Ars., Apis., Apocyn. Lach., with some
relief.
The latter seemed to give the only relief; finally,
she was becoming very large; hands, face, limbs and abdomen all
oedematous, while Lach. afforded relief I had decided not to tap.
Though she had taken medicine at proper
intervals, when there seemed a demand for a repetition, yet the time came
when she seemed to get no benefit from the remedy.
The suffocation after sleep was the special
symptom guiding to Lach. 41m. was the preparation used.
Early one morning I was advised as to her
condition.
She had suffered greatly during the night with
pains in the feet and legs, and her feet were getting black.
The matron thinking that she was about to die,
gave her some whiskey without relief.
31
The great pain in feet and legs, skin turning
black, perhaps threatening gangrene.
Ars. and Lach. had failed, guided me to Tarantula
cubensis, which was given, 12x one dose.
The pain subsided immediately, the dark color of
the skin on legs became bright-red and in a general way, she felt improved
and got up.
Next night she slept well until toward morning,
when pain in lower limbs returned, Tarent. cub. 12x was repeated, with
perfect relief.
The medicine has been repeated by necessity
about every day since November 20th.
December 1.
There is now a fiery redness of the skin below the
knee to the ankles on both legs, tender to the touch and covered with small
blisters.
Everybody that looked at it thought it was
erysipelas. A serious transudation is going on from the surface of both
limbs from the feet to about six inches above the knees, which runs down
and drips from the heels and also saturates the absorbent dressings in a few
minutes.
A sheet placed on the limbs as an outer covering
must be taken off every hour and another put on as the serum is so great in
quantity. A sheet dried shows very little discoloration but is pungent to the
smell. There has been no perspiration from any part of the body. The
oedema appears to be going clown.
December 15th.
The oedema has gone from the face, hands and
thighs. The abdomen has become nearly natural in size, and albumin has
not been noticed in the urine since December 1 Urine has been very scanty.
The legs are covered from knees to ankles with a profusion of flat ulcers
which secrete a serous flow, and large yellow crusts are forming.
December 20.
32
Oedema gone out of feet and ulcers are still flat
with red, and in the places blue margins and red and bluish interspaces on
the skin. Yellow scales are forming. The patient is somewhat prostrated,
but says she is more comfortable with ulcers than with the "bloat" as she
nearly suffocated before. Since December 1, she has had an occasional
dose of the medicine, as the pain in the legs became severe.
January 1, 1883.
She shows signs of sinking, though she says she
is feeling comfortable except the occasional sharp pain in the ulcers.
It is evident she is going to die, but will she die of
exhaustion or will the dropsy return and death occur as usual from such
condition? Such was my query.
January 9.
She died of exhaustion