Proteus bacillus
PROTEUS - Vermulen Monera
Sources
[1] Summarised drug picture by John Paterson in The Bowel Nosodes.
[2] Symptoms collected from 13 cases [5 females, 8 males] and described by Elizabeth Paterson in A Survey of the Nosodes. British Hom. Journal, July 1960.
[3] Clinical pathogenesis by Sevaux, 1965; symptoms recorded by Julian in Materia Medica of the New Homoeopathic Remedies.
[4] Proving British School of Homoeopathy [Anthony Bickley], 2003; 11 provers [10 females, 1 male], 30c [5 provers], 200c [3 provers], and 1M [3 provers]; three doses. Extracts/summaries of symptoms by Lisa Mansell and Debbie Schofield.
[5] Massimo Mangialavori, Repertory Additions.
SYMPTOMS
Mind
Brain Storm [keynote to indicate "the sudden and violent upset of the nervous system!.
Outbursts of violent temper, especially if opposed in anyway; will throw any missile which is at hand; kick or strike; the child objecting to parental control will lie on the floor and kick and scream. 1
Could commit a murder if crossed. 2
There is considerable want of mental balance, great irritability and fits of violent outbursts of temper; very quarrelsome, hypersensitive both mentally and physically, with definite solar plexus symptoms. Anxiety and agitation and excitement felt in the stomach. There is metastasis and great changeableness in the symptoms. [Dishington]
Anger.
It is said that "Nux vomica on a bad day is Proteus on a good day."
Several provers reported feeling in a Nux vomica state. 4
Anger, which feels uncomfortable because I have not been angry for years.
The things I want to say involve swearing and are very aggressive.
Exceedingly bad tempered, very angry. Flipped over something I was furious about. Reaction was over the top.
Had a customer who seemed to be trying to make me hit her.
Need a discharge of anger. At any time feel I could blow my top. 4
Destructiveness. Children like to play making accidents, destroying their toys. 5
Aversion to company. Wants to be left alone, but wants to be taken notice of.
Inflexibility, both of body and mind.
The patients are mentally stubborn and unresponsive, and amongst the most difficult to treat, not only because of their mental attitude but also because of the intractable nature of their ailments. Often fixed ideas. [Schmidtl
If you think of Nux vomica on a bad day, then you have a mild Proteus fit. They throw things harder and more often. Easily irritable, averse to company, can’t bear difficulties or confrontations or contradictions.
These individuals lose control. You might say that in Proteus their level of control is minimal: it doesn’t require much to tip them over the edge…. Proteus people are very definitely capable of murder; these are not nice people! They tend to be unyielding, stubborn, and unable to see someone else’s point of view. They often have fixed ideas, usually relating to their own abilities and importance. You might even call this a delusion of importance. They tend to keep to themselves, but like to be respected from a distance. They are not social creatures since they consider most people not worth the trouble.
… Unlike Phosphorus, where you get the thunderstorm but the sky clears quickly, with Proteus, you get the sudden storm, which doesn’t abate and lingers on for days - like a volcanic explosion, rather than a thunderstorm. The best thing to do with a Proteus when they are ready to explode is to feed them. They usually stop to eat - its tiring having temper tantrums, so ifthey lose their tempers, the best thing you can do is to put some food in front of them.
[Anthony Bickley, The Bowel Nosodes: The American Homeopath, Vol. 9 - 2003]Inflation of ego.
The original picture (by Paterson] has large ego, superiority and self-importance and there were elements of this recorded by the provers. They mentioned feeling aloof and detached and felt that others could not do things properly or as well as them. 4
No longer care about others. Own desires more important, want to take things for myself.
Felt very frustrated at work - as if everyone was doing things wrongly, or too slowly.
Felt distant and separated from others … very tall.
Felt separated and much taller than others and older - as if I was their parent.
I feel very tall and looking out of my bedroom window I thought, "I'm on top of the world here. I seem to be higher than everywhere." 4
Stress
An important place in the Proteus picture is occupied by what Paterson calls "nerve strain’ and what now would be termed "stress". Julian speaks of "a feeling of extreme nervous tension and over-exertion."
Based on the case of a salesman with migraine attacks, the "Proteus personality’ is typified by Mount as follows: "He works under moderate pressure and in his own words 'has to conceal aggression in his work.' He feels generally apprehensive and most significantly of all he volunteers that he never feels better than when tearing an audience apart.' He is an amateur entertainer, it unwinds him and gives vent to his explosive temperament. His headaches are a safety valve and an important release factor.’a
Stress can be defined as a challenging event that requires physiological, cognitive, or behavioural adaptation. Traumatic stress is caused by exposure to an event that involves actual orthreatened death or serious injury to oneself or others and induces intense fear, helplessness, or horror.
Richard Lazarus, in 1966, offered the leading definition of stress as the combination of a difficult event plus the appraisal of the event as being potentially harmful and exceeding the individual's coping resources. The American physiologist Walter Cannon [1871-1945] viewed stress in terms of evolutionary psychology as the activation of the fight or flight response. Cannon related this response to the adrenals, calling them "the glands of emergency." The glands of emergency energy, the Glands of Combat, the glands of preparedness, such are the adrenal glands when viewed from the evolutionary scheme of struggle and survival. Cannon suggested, however, that the evolution of stress in the human environment has outpaced the evolution of our biologically based reactions to a threat, resulting in maladaptive reaction to much stress.b
John Paterson has pointed out that increased [traumatic] stress leads to an increase of Proteus in the intestinal flora: "It may be of interest to know that in Great Britain since the war years, there has been a marked increase in the frequency with which one has been able to isolate B. Proteus, and this I associate with long continued "nerve strain" - a factor of considerable importance of the pathogenesis of this hoe of bowel organism."
Stress activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, leading to the secretion of a variety of hormones, of which two are particularly influential: adre-nalin, secreted by the adrenal medulla, and the steroid hormone cortisol, secreted by the adrenal cortex. In particular fear and rage will trigger the adrenal secretions which, bytheir entry into the blood, cause a tremendous heightening of the tone, a tensing of the nervous system.
A greatly increased supply of energy is released immediately, which, if not fully utilised for its emergency purpose, produces after-effects known as "nervous shock" or, alternatively, as "shell shock" or "neurasthenia". Outlets for frustration, whether directed at the stressor itself or indirectly in the form of physical activity, have direct physical benefits. For example, rats secrete less cortisol if they can attack another rat or run on a running wheel after exposure to great stress. Attempts to release frustration in the Proteus fashion result in the keynote symptoms "brain storm" and "suddenness".
The size of the adrenal cortex has been demonstrated to vary directly with the sexuality and pugnacity of the animal. The charging bull possesses a most generous supply of cortical substance, the timid deer but a trace. Wild animals, for example, have more cortex than the domesticated.
Excess adrenalin in the blood displays all the classic manifestations of fear, whereas with an overwhelming amount of cortisol secreted from the first in the blood there will be no fear, but anger immediately. Excess of the cortical response in humanswill lead to a liability to go off the handle at the slightest provocation.
Proteus infections have a marked propensity to affect the urinary tract and the kidneys. Twentyman takes this one step further with the suggestion that "Proteus and its remedies, including Nat-mur., find the basis of their action in the kidney and suprarenal system." He writes:
I think the empirical findings of modern research justify taking kidney and suprarenal as parts of a common function.
Their closely interrelated actions in the renin-angiotensin mechanisms of hypertension, the peculiar kidney phenomena in the adaptation syndrome, the role of the kidney in maintaining electrolyte balance and homeostasis, and the suprarenal influence on sodium and potassium do, I think, give a basis for thinking of these organs together…. Embryologically, both the kidney and the suprarenal gland are formed by a combination of polarforces and systems. The kidney originates in the pronephros at the cephalic pole which, as it were, calls forth the metanephros from the sacral pole. The adrenal gland also combines a nervous medullary with a metabolic cortical portion.
From this innertension of origin and function arise the rhythmic phenomena of the kidney and suprarenal function. I would draw attention particularly to the rhythmic changes in cortisol level. This level rises during the morning and there is a corresponding fall in the number of eosinophils in the peripheral blood. By 10 to 11 a.m. these have reached a minimum, the cortisol a maximum, and this is maintained over noon-tide. In the afternoon reversal begins, and by 10 p.m. eosinophils are nearing a maximum, cortisol a minimum. Now Natrum mur. is characterised homeopathically by a 10 a.m. aggravation and Chamomilla by a 10 p.m. aggravation.
I suggest that the depressed, often hypotensive, fatigued, wasting picture of Natrum mur. lies in the direction of hypoadrenalism, as has often been suggested before, but also I suggest that the strong, angry, flushed, screaming Chamomilla who by contrast wants to be held, points rather to the hyper-adrenal side of the balance.
[L.R. Twentyman, Natrum muriaticum and our convulsive age: Br. Hom. Journal, July 1973]Suddenness [keynote]
о Sudden outbursts oftemper.
о Sudden vertigo.
о Sudden onset of headache.
о Sudden [cardiovascular] spasms; sudden cardiac attacks - at rest or walking. 2
о Duodenal ulcer caused by prolonged nerve strain; no prodromal symptoms, hence "sudden perforation and sudden haemorrhage resulting in a sudden crisis." [Kennedy]
Sun and light
о Marked sensitivity to exposure to ultra-violet light. 1 о Sensitivity to the sun.
The internal secretion of the adrenal cortex acts upon the pigment cells of the skin, blunting their sensitiveness to light. In hypofunction of the cortex the sensitivity of the pigment cells in the skin to light is increased, which results in darkening of the skin, i.e. in Addison's disease. [Berman]
Aggravation 3
о In morning on waking, о Wine.
о Stormy weather.
о Heat.
о Winter; cold.
о At night.
о Lying down.
Amelioration 3
о Moderate temperature.
о Lying down.
о Stretching.
о Eating.
о One hour after rising. [Cortisol levels are maximum by 10 to 11 a.m.] о In the mountains.
Digestion & Food
о Acidity: heartburn: sourness. 2
о Hunger pain not better with eating. 2
о Craves fat: sweets; salt; butter; eggs. 2
о Aversion to butter; pork; butcher meat; eggs [esp. boiled], 2
о Aversion to green beans; salads; cucumber; garlic; onions; chocolate [which he cannot digest], 3
о Cystitis after eating pork. 3
They have a very high metabolic rate-you don’t see many fat’proteans’. These are the people who wake up at 2 a.m., go downstairs and raid the fridge; they eat a meal and go backupstairs to bed. Then they have a full cooked breakfast the next morning. They eat phenomenal amounts of food, but use it up. They are also known for food fads so can be averse to almost anything, but most commonly to greens and beans. [Bickley]
Energy from food
"Someone in a Proteus state is using up a huge amount of energy which needs replacing. Nearly all proversfelt hungry immediately after taking the substance, and several noted a huge increase in appetite during the proving, but not an increase in weight. A Proteus keynote is getting up in the middle of the night to eat and some provers experienced this. Others ate breakfast when they normally wouldn’t, because they were ravenous. Some got up early so they could eat. One prover who had been a vegetarian for most of her life suddenly craved some sausages that were at the family's house. The craving went on for a couple of hours until she finally ate them.
Eggs - craving / aversion / aggravation - keynote of Proteus. Other provers were craving boiled eggs, egg and bacon etc.
Food and its effect on blood sugar was an important factor. Provers "had" to eat, were > or < for eating and one prover with diagnosed hypoglycaemia felt the substance had acted curativelyforthe duration of the proving.
Alcohol: Several provers had severe cravings for beer, wine, spirits, butthey paid for it. Alcohol effects and hangover symptoms were out of proportion to the amount of alcohol drunk. This was a symptom experienced by most of the provers." 4
Feminine
"One of the reasons for choosing Proteus as the proving substance was because the known picture was a very masculine one and we felt that it would be interesting to see if the remedy could be found to have a more female side. Something that has been particularly interesting for us is that the remedy has a strong hormonal connection and is capable of producing very striking symptoms relating to The Feminine.
With the anger we saw that there was a very confrontational aspect and this sense of confrontation can also be seen here. Proteus seems to make women confront their femininity - both on the emotional and on the physical levels. These are not subtle, mild symptoms, but symptoms that make you take notice of them - they cannot be ignored. There is a constant reminder of the feminine.
On the physical side, this gave symptoms such as protracted, more noticeable ovulation, ovulation pain, strong ovulation symptoms such as spotting and increased leucorrhoea. Menses were heavy, clotted and flooding or in contrast, one prover’s periods stopped for the entire duration of the proving, previously she had had very heavy intermittent flow, when her periods did return they were entirely normal. A cured symptom.
On the emotional side there were some very powerful experiences relating to "the feminine". One prover, for example, found herself confronting the issue of wanting to have children - obviously the most fundamental aspect of The Feminine. In a relationship where she wanted children buther partner did not, she found herself thinking about it all over again, having thought that the issue had been resolved. She described experiencing during the proving feelings of "inadequacy as a woman", "a discomfort with being female”. She described having difficulty in "coming to terms with the feminine as a part of me because I don’t have children. I married someone who didn’t and I squashed my desire down. These feelings led to her wanting to withdraw from her partner, not wanting to be touched. This same prover also described getting angry "in an hysterical, womanly way".
Another prover who said that she had been thinking more about pregnancy and feeling "gushy" about it during the proving found herself experiencing breakthrough bleeding at mid-cycle although she was on the pill - as if her body was drawing her attention to the possibility or the need to have a child and not wanting to have that suppressed by the pill.
In both these examples, the provers appearto have experienced a strong reaction againstthe suppression of The Feminine - in the first prover, againstthe suppression of her natural feminine instinct to have children and in the second, againstthe physical suppression through the use of the pill.
Proteus had a marked effect on libido. Some experienced a much higher libido than usual. They described wanting sex all the time, thinking about it all day. They referred to having a "heightened desire” and being "more passionate" and "more playful”. The polarity to this was a reduced libido with some provers not wanting sex at all or describing feeling unsexual. Some took longer than usual to reach orgasm or were unable to reach orgasm at all. For some provers, this lack of desire could be put down to the physical symptoms. Sex felt uncomfortable because of symptoms such as vaginal soreness and itching or the sensation of the vagina being bruised. The sexual theme continued in the dreams. There were several sexual and erotic dreams and interestingly, provers made the comment that it felt strange to have such strongly sexual dreams when physically they felt unsexual.
The provers likened some oftheir symptoms to those of puberty, pregnancy, lactation and PMT. There was nausea on waking - similar to morning sickness and also some urinary symptoms which brought pregnancy to mind. Some provers - and also supervisors - experienced the "letdown” reflex sensation of breastfeeding." 4
Circulatory
Spasm of the peripheral circulation.
Further indication for the use of this nosode is disturbance of the peripheral nervous system, evidenced by spasm of the peripheral circulation, e.g. "dead fingers”; intermittent claudication in the circulation of the lower limbs; anginal attacks due to spasm of the coronary capillaries. There are two well known diseases associated with capillary spasm where the nosode Proteus has been found useful in treatment - Raynaud's Disease, where there is spasm of the capillary circulation of the extremities, and Мйтиге'э Disease where spasm of the brain circulation results in vertigo attacks. 1
о Numbness of hands in morning; hands dead at night. 2
о Cramps leg, calf; icy cold feet, as if frozen, < cold atmosphere. 2
о Angioneurotic oedema. 1
о Bruised appearance leg. 2
о Palpitation when lying down; from the slightest emotion. 3
о Proteus is used therapeutically as a specific for Raynaud’s Syndrome,
о Repetitive Strain Injury, Intermittent Claudication. Our results confirmed these symptoms. There were icy and numb hands and feet, writer's cramp and inability to type, cramps in calves < cycling and running. 4
LOCALS
Headache. 2
Frontal with sense of weight.
< Before menstrual period for one week. Coming on in morning. & Visual disturbances [with migraine], & Diarrhoea and furred tongue. 3 о Much clearer and brighter in head, and more efficient, after urination. 4 о Head [brain] feels dry, dehydrated. 4 о Vertigo with feeling that the ground is coming up to meet him. 3 о Vertigo after breakfast, & nausea, < standing. 4 о Pains in eyes > pressure. 3
о Stopped nose - worse indoors. 2
о Feeling of numbness around face and left ear. 4
о Face feels more congested on the right side. 4
о Pain right side face in sinus cavity, from right eye to just above teeth < moving head, sudden movement, pressure, stooping down, lying on left side; sore, shooting electric nerve pain. 4
о Constant feeling of puffiness below the right eye. 4
о Salty taste in mouth. 2
о Cracks corners of mouth - resistant. 2
о Vomits at the slightest exertion. 3
о Urine turbid and fetid. Violent burning pain in urethra._3
о Fibrous blood clots at end of menses. 3
о Vagina and innerthighs suddenly ice cold, almost painful, as if ice had been placed on it, numbness. 4
о Sensation as if heart were doing summersaults. 4
о Sensation of heaviness around the heart. 4
о Copious perspiration axillae, falling in large drops: clammy hands. 3
о Slipped disc. 2
о Nails split; hair falls out. 3
о Functional or professional contracture. Writer's cramp, pianists cramp, dancers cramp. Flexor contraction of the little finger. Cannot close the hand. (Murphy]
о Skin.
'Herpetic eruptions were already in the existing picture. Several provers developed cold sores or felt as if one were developing. This was also one of the cured symptoms of the proving. Very interestingly, one prover who had been seriously ill with chickenpox in recent years and had 'Never been well since' had the experience of the old chickenpox scars itching and spots then forming again in those places. At the end of the proving she felt that she had regained her'Pre-chickenpox state'.
Notably, in view of the 're-activation' of the chickenpox scars, other provers noticed changes in surgical scars, eg caesarian and episiotomy scars and scars from the removal of varicose veins.
Provers experienced severe itching - in all parts of the body, but particular in and around the genitals.' 4
Associated remedies
Ammonium muriaticum. Aurum muriaticum. Apis. Baryta muriatica. Borax. Conium. Cuprum. Calcarea muriatica. Ferrum muriaticum. Ignatia. Kali muriaticum. Magnesia muriatica. Muriaticum acidum. Natrum muria-ticum. Secale.
a. S.J.L. Mount. On the genesis, nature and control of migraine: Br. Hom. Journal, July 1973.
b. T.F. Oltmanns & R.E. Emery, Abnormal Psychology; Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 2004.
c. Louis Berman, The Glands Regulating Personality; Garden City, New York, 1928.
CASES
Rheumatism
Researchers have long postulated that some forms of arthritis, especially rheumatoid arthritis, may be related to bacterial Streptococcus infection. New evidence suggests that several other bacteria may also be implicated, two of which are Proteus vulgaris and Klebsiella pneumoniae. It is thought that antibodies are produced to neutralize antigens produced by bacteria. These antibody-antigen complexes may be absorbed through the intestinal lining and thus enter the bloodstream. Normally, these complexes are eliminated by the liver, kidneys, and lymphatic systems, but in some individuals these filters function insufficiently.
With Klebsiella pneumoniae, this reaction usually occurs in the spinal column, causing a condition known as ankylosing spondylitis, resulting in immobilization of segments of the spinal column, and subsequently in drastic loss of flexibility and consequent problems.
In the case of Proteus vulgaris complexes, inflammatory responses can occur in any joint. Left unchecked, this can produce the swelling, pain, deformity, and other signs of rheumatoid arthritis.
The bowel nosode Proteus has been found curative in cases of chronic arthritis, fibrositis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteo-arthritis. The three cases below, by Roger A. Schmidt*, of "chronic, advanced, incurable spinal arthritis” demonstrate "the typical - almost miraculous - response to the nosode Proteus." The cases moreover seem to exemplify an affinity of Proteus for the spinal column, an affinity it shares with the closely related enterobacterium Klebsiella.
- R. A. Schmidt. Proteus-A Bach Nosode: Journal of the American Institute of Homeopathy, September-October 1965.
(1)Mrs. S.B., a 70-year-old married woman, no children, came to see me on July 21,1964, complaining other back ever since a fall on her bottom in 1942. She was treated for coccvcodvnia for two years … could not sit… later, low back pains so severe that only cortisone, first in shots, then orally, for many months controlled them, but it had to be stopped for the last four years because of serious side effects. Between 1950-60, she had three rectal operations for bleeding haemorrhoids requiring several blood transfusions. Meanwhile the back was getting steadily worse to the point of not being able to walk without assistance and needing a wheelchair….
She was unable to get out of bed alone in the morning because of severe pains and stiffness of her back, sometimes lightning-type, sometimes like a hot poker on the sacral area. X-rays demonstrated degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and the sacro-iliac joints. Her husband, a lawyer, added that she was failing markedly in the last year and was often confused, apathetic, very depressed with laborious mentation and increasing senility; a pathetic contrast to her usual keen intelligence.
Physical examination revealed a 123-lb„ 5' 2", white-haired, well nourished female with a besotted, rigid and depressed expression, hardly able to stand and make a few hesitant steps without assistance. Blood pressure 170 / 90. pulse 90. nottoo regular. The lower extremities appeared wasted with flabby muscles, but exaggerated reflexes. Marked bilateral arcus senilis.
Because ofthe difficulty of the patientto express herself, due mostly to the abuse of sedatives, I gave her Nux-vom. 6x. bid., and asked herto stop as much as possible, all the other drugs as to give her homeopathic medication a chance to act. Nux definitely helped her for about three days so that she could sit without special cushions … then the pains came back. July 28,1964, Sulphur 200, two doses, six hours apart, then continue Nux-v.
August 4,1964. Steadier. Weight, 122 lbs., blood pressure 142/88, pulse 78. Was much better until the day before, but the bottom hurt so much that night that she "had to walk the floor." Lightning-like pains in lower back extending down the legs. I gave her that day Proteus 200. That dose worked like a miracle, she said, when she reported on August 14. She had gone these ten days without any of her pain or sleeping pills. Her appetite and digestion were much improved. She was now able to walk alone with a cane and rest more comfortably at night. August 31.1964. Weight, 124 lbs., blood pressure 160/88. Swollen legs - because ofthe hot weather, she said. Pains seemed to return the last few days, but not to the point of requiring her former pain pills. Proteus M. one dose.
September 17,1964. Looks like a new woman, ten years younger, smiles and jokes. Has been on a little trip with her husband - for the first time in many years. Pain like a hot poker at the base ofthe spine lately. Phos. 30. bld., six doses, relieved promptly. Octobers, 1964. Weight, 125 lbs., blood pressure 140/90. Up and around daily. Restless, aching, low back pains, extending to the heels, worse in bed. Can sleep only on the right side. Rhus-t. 6x, p.r.n. October 29,1964. Better, but not as well as a month ago. Proteus 30x. bld., for four days helped at once; eats better, sleeps better, walks better without cane or help, does household chores, cooks for herself and husband - which she was unable to do for years … thanks to Proteus, which needed to be repeated every three months or less since.
(2) Mrs. M.R.J., a 48-year-old mother of four children, waddled into my office with great difficulty from her wheelchair on February 4,1963, saying that she had been crippled with arthritis ofthe neck, back, and extremities for over two years. Presently, she can hardly stand without falling. She had a course of cortisone a year ago because she could not get out other bed. She is now taking from 15-20 aspirin tablets a day. She has suffered a longtime with her lungs: cough, expectoration of yellow sputum. X-ray demonstrates a fibrous scarring in the right lower lung field with an elevated diaphragm and pleuro-diaphragmatic adhesions antero-laterally. The hands are typically deformed by rheumatoid arthritis so that she is unable to make a fist.
Physical examination discloses further, an overweight -155 lbs. - brunette. 5ft.5 ins., with a blood pressure of 130 / 90. a good regular pulse, a 2+ oedema ofthe ankles. Feet and legs are icy cold and bluish.
Any motion aggravates, better by rest. February 4,1963, Bryonia 6x, b.i.d. February 11,1963. Better, has been able to cut down her aspirin intake to three tablets a day. Digestion much improved. Brv. 6x, b.i.d. February 21,1963. Lost eight lbs. Much improved, can move her head and neck easier. Pains in the legs and calves worse in bed. Brv. 30x, a.m. only. March 4,1963. Lost another 2.5 lbs. Can manage now with one ortwo aspirins a day. Feet burn and throb at night, has to stick them out ofthe covers. Poor sleep, very tired, ribs sore. Puls. 30x. b.i.d., six doses. March 14,1963.144 lbs. Diplopia looking up. due to strabismus divergence. Pain along the right sternocleido mastoid muscle. Feet very swollen, still burning at night. Sulph. 6x, b.i.d.
Exceptforthe loss ofweight until the end of July [131 lbs.] which enables herto walk better, the basic condition seems to have settled without lasting response, to the apparently indicated remedy, so on July 23,1 gave her Proteus 30x. at bedtime for a week, then every two orthree days. August 22,1963.133 lbs. "Is this last medicine a sleeping one?" she asks. "From that very day I saw you last, I have slept wonderfully.” She has such ambition and stamina now that she is doing a lot of housework.
Diplopia has almost disappeared. Better in every way than in years. Proteus 30x. twice a week, leads to further improvement and enables her to take a trip to Arizona. January 9.1964. Patient got very tired from Christmas shopping and New Year festivities, regained 14 lbs., now 147 lbs…. Proteus 10M. one dose brought prompt relief. She has taken NO aspirin for over six months. Proteus 10M was repeated October 16.1964, and maintained her remarkable progress until the present time.
(3) Mr. RAN., a pimply, stoop-shouldered, married engineer, consulted me in April, 1954, for a backache in the right lumbar region, better by walking and local warm applications, worse lying down. Rhus-t. 200, four doses relieved the symptoms promptly for over a month but recurred with the pains extending down to the left limb. He went to an osteopath who treated him for sciatica during the whole summer of 1954. By September, 1954, he had wandering pains, bouts offever, backache and pains in the limbs, especially the left ankle which is swollen. Kali-bi. 10M, one dose relieved the back at once, but the left ankle is unchanged afterten days. The end of October, 1954, the ankle is better but the left big toe is now swollen and painful, worse from heat ofthe bed, worse standing, moving, pressure. Led. 6 helped fairly well.
Novembers, 1954. X-ray ofthe spine disclosed a definite rheumatoid spondylitis, involving the cervical and lumbar spine with a right scoliosis and sacro-iliac involvement. The Rhus-t. modalities are again to the fore so that the 200, M and 10M potencies are prescribed with fairly good results forthe next six months. Then I did not see this patientfor the next five and a half years. He came back in February, 1961. Weight unchanged, 177 lbs., blood pressure 112/70, pulse 55. regular. His main complaint is his neck, which is stiff and painful, worse on the leftside. Pains in the right shoulder extending down the arm. Low back pains, worse on the right, worse sitting, evening, on waking at night and in the morning. His father died of cancer ofthe stomach, but had been treated for tuberculosis for a longtime. X-ray ofthe spine: Rheumatoid spondylitis much worse since 1954. Bacillinum M. one dose followed by occasional doses of Ruta 30x. Rhus-t. 12. Lvc., Chel., Puls., depending on the symptomatic variations and modalities, gave decided but momentary relief during 1961 and 1962.
Back from the A.I.H. Convention at Atlantic City, where I heard Dr. Benjamin Goldberg's impressive paper on Bach’s nosodes, I thought that this unyielding, progressive, inexorable disease of at leastten years' duration required a nosode with similar features, so on July 31.1963,1 prescribed Proteus 30x. 200, then M, one dose daily… The patient was most gratified, stating that the improvement was definitely noticeable in 48 hours, not only for the pains but also for the stiffness; he can move his head, neck and back much easier now.
These three doses controlled the condition for six weeks. September 6,1963. Proteus 30x. b.i.d., for five days promptly relieved a recent aggravation. Early in December. 1963, he suffered a bad cold with a temperature of 102o F which brought back the former miseries. Rhus-t. 12 improved the acute symptoms but Proteus 30x. 200, M and 10M was a great boon for two months and needed repetition at the end of April, 1964, followed by a good period until August, 1964. The sedimentation rate was then upto 36mm/h showing a definite reactivation. Proteus 30x failed and other medicines had to be prescribed, but it had given this patient a most welcome relief for over a year.
MORE CASES
(4)1 have never seen such a bag of nerves as the man R.B., aged 31, plumber, who walked into my consulting room on May 18,1928. During the War he had been torpedoed more than once, had gone through several bombardments and finally been shell-shocked. He had also had nine months in hospital with dysentery. Of course he had had a lot of nerve tonics. He took alcohol but notto excess, and smoked fifteen to twenty cigarettes a day. I stopped his alcohol and reduced his smoking to six cigarettes a day. He was trembling and could not sit still and said he could not face either people orthings. He got Proteus co. 12, that day, Proteus co. 13, on July 30, Proteus co. 14, on August 21, and Proteus co. 30, on October 9, improving all the time. After that he needed no more medicine till April, 9, when Proteus co. 35, was prescribed, and on August 16, Proteus co. 40. He is a different man now. Afew months ago he applied for and obtained a better job and is doing well at it. All prescriptions were single doses. [C. Gordon]
(5) Mrs. S„ aged 26, complained in May, 1925, of wandering rheumatic pains and stiffness, cold hands and feet, headaches. For two and a half years she was under treatment but never obtained anything more than temporary benefit. Silica and Natrum mur. were the remedies most used. At last, in December, 1927,1 gave Proteus co. 12, with very definite success. In March, 1928, Proteus co. 13, was given, after which I saw no more ofthe patient until July of this year, when she sought treatment for bursitis ofthe right knee. The rheumatism had practically disappeared. Al pescriptions were single doses.
[C. Gordon, Auto-intoxication from the bowel and psora: RefWorks]
(6) A woman of 32 years of age; epileptic fits for seven years. She has had as many as twenty to thirty epileptic fits in a month. Always was nervous; throat gets dry with excitement and diarrhoea comes on; extremely sensitive to the sight of anything unpleasant, or to horrible stories. Weeps very readily, especially when talking of her complaints; very sensitive to the opinion of others; averse to meeting people, as she says herself, because they might know of her trouble; great depression and wants to be left alone; easily startled by noise and touch, and easily scared.
Great fear that something was going to happen; convulsions brought on if she became agitated, startled, orfrightened in anyway. Feels her head wooden; cannot think; gets dazed; loses the thread of what she is saying; great mental confusion; suddenly forgets what she was going to say. Drops things; twitchings ofthe hands.
Frequent sudden mental blanks while speaking. Memory is very poor; could not retain anything she had just heard; she had a great fear of insanity. While talking she branches off on to other subjects. Excitement felt very acutely in the epigastrium. Very irritable; very easily annoyed; takes offence readily. Dreams of dying and of dead people; great fear ofthe dark. Quarrelsome; the least little thing upsets; fancies slights; misinterprets what is said; vertigo is very frequent, especially so if she is in a car or in a train, or at the sight of any quickly moving object. All these mental symptoms have entirely disappeared under Proteus, and the number of epileptic fits are greatly reduced and seem only to take place at night while asleep; she has become placid and confident and reasonable and is in no sense so easily startled or excited. In this case the interval of repetition ofthe Proteus was three and a half months.
Apart from the mentals of Proteus I have observed that Proteus cases tend to fibrosis, hardening and piling up of inflamed tissues, and that they are liable to spasms and constrictions.
I have a case of a lady who has a pre-systolic murmur at apex. She had frequent attacks of great exhaustion, with pains across the left chest with constriction. If excited got palpitation and a gripping sensation and the fingers became dead and white. At times left dazed and did things mechanically. Left arm and left leg at times felt numb and contracted. Several times over a number of years she had what she called "dead’' turns in which she would lie in a perfectly conscious condition, but faint and unable to do anything. She is a woman of high intellectual attainments, brilliant, but very easily exhausted. She reacted at once and profoundly to Proteus, with mitigation of all her symptoms and a very marked increase of vitality.
[T.M. Dishington, The Autogenous Vaccines and their Relations to Chronic Disease: RefWorks](7) First visit on 8 July 1992
A mother brought her seven year old son to see me. His presenting complaint had been diagnosed as asthma, consisting of explosive sneezing fits, chronic nasal obstruction and nosebleeds. When the boy was two the family had moved from London to the country and the boy had developed hayfever symptoms, confined to the summer months, which appeared to be an allergic reaction to pollen and grass. When the boy was four the family moved to Hong Kong and the more humid climate aggravated the symptoms which then became continuous rather than seasonal and remained so when they moved back to England a year later. At this stage they consulted a doctor who diagnosed asthma and prescribed Bricanyl, Triludan and Rynacrom. The boy had been given these medications on a daily basis for the last two years with no effect.
At the first visit I made two observations about the boy: firstly, his complexion was a shiny yellow-green; secondly, he seemed very angry. He punched and shoved his mother and was generally belligerent throughout the session although I felt that the anger was in some way directed at me. On his appearance and behaviour and the respiratory symptoms I prescribed Medorrhinum 200, single dose, and advised his mother to leave the other medication unaltered for the time being.
Follow up on 3 August 1992
They came back four weeks later. Good and bad, the mother said. The good news was that within twenty four hours ofthe remedy the respiratory symptoms had completely cleared and that for the last four weeks there had been no sneezing fits, no nosebleeds and a noticeable improvement in the nasal obstruction. Indeed, in the last few days she had noticed that her son had started to breathe through his nose again during his sleep, something which he had been unable to do for several years. The improvement had been so dramatic that his mother had stopped the other medications on the second day and last week she had thrown them away.
The bad news was that his temper had attained unmanageable proportions over the last few weeks. At the first consultation the mother had seemed concerned to concentrate our discussion on the respiratory symptoms and it had been difficult to explore the emotional picture much beyond simple observation. Now she was keen to talk about his behaviour.
The mother explained that her son was prone to sudden violent tantrums where he would throw himself on the floor, kick, shout and scream and become abusive to his sister, his parents, his friends and even his friends’ parents. I asked what appeared to provoke the tantrums, expecting the standard response of 'not getting his own way1. The reply was rather different. He has a tantrum, she explained, when he sees somebody doing something the wrong way. What is the right way, I asked.
The way that he was first shown how to do it, she replied. I asked for examples. Almost anything, she said. If she showed her son how to make a cup of tea, putting the milk in the cup then the tea, and the next time reversed the procedure, there would be a tantrum. If she used a particular route to go to school and then, a week later, changed the route to avoid a jam, there would be a tantrum. It seemed that the boy had a great need for routine and I asked how long this had been apparent.
Since he was a baby, she said, when he was perfectly happy as long as he was fed every four hours precisely, otherwise there would be a tantrum. I asked if he was organised and she replied that every object in his bedroom had its place - every book, every toy, every record - and that there would be a tantrum if something was borrowed and not returned to its allotted place. I asked whether he was conscientious and she told me how, when they returned from Hong Kong, they had employed a personal tutor for a few months as their son's education was out of step with the English system. If the tutor was even five minutes late, the five year old boy would be sitting at his desk and studying. I now understood why he had been so furious at the first consultation. We had started five minutes late.
I wondered what could make a young boy so fastidious and I suspected that it must be fear. I asked the mother what her son was afraid of and she mentioned several things of which the most prominent element seemed to be a fear of danger. ’He is always telling me to slow down when I'm driving,’ she said, and then recalled how, at a recent fair, he had gone up to the other children and tried to persuade them not to go on the rides which he felt were too dangerous.
I felt that the Medorrhinum had done good work in allowing us to get to the core ofthe problem, but I felt that this more complete symptom picture was no longer adequately covered by Medorrhinum. I had the sense of being faced with a picture of great clarity but one which I did not immediately recognise. I decided on Anacardium - the two very opposite natures, the fastidiousness and the violence - and gave Anacardium 200, single dose.
Analysis
Some days later I found myself mulling over this case and feeling unconvinced about Anacardium. To me, Anacardium violence has an air of revenge, a retaliation against an imposed and unwelcome straitjacket. In the boy, the violence seemed to be the release of a tremendous pent-up nervous tension that the least provocation was sufficient to unleash. I began to consider the bowel nosode Proteus, the brainstorm remedy, the explosive flip-side ofthe conscientious Natrum muriaticum, the remedy where the nervous tension builds and builds until it erupts in the most violent tantrums, migraines, spasms and cramps. The mother had described the boy's sneezing fits as explosive and I was intrigued to find that Julian made special mention ofthe other nasal symptoms, the nasal obstruction and the chronic rhinitis.
Follow up on 28 August 1992
Four weeks later the boy was unchanged. The respiratory symptoms were still lying low but the temper was, if anything, more explosive, more Protean than ever before. Rx: Proteus [Bach] 10M, single dose
Follow up on 25 September 1992
Four weeks later the boy came back. He was different, there was a serenity that I had not seen before, he had been unplugged from the mains. "He doesn't criticise my driving any more," said his mother with delight and went on to say that within a day ofthe Proteus there had been no more tantrums, that her son had become altogether much calmer. Two weeks after the Proteus he had gone back to school where, typically, the respiratory symptoms were more pronounced. For two days he had sneezing fits and nosebleeds of an unprecedented fervour and then it all calmed down.
Follow up on 20 November 1992
There have been no nosebleeds, no sneezing fits and the nasal obstruction has gone. He is altogether much happier. He is well.
Discussion
So, on one level, this is a well-defined Proteus case, where Medorrhinum clarified the picture and Proteus did the rest with a passing aggravation ofthe original physical symptoms as befitted the deeper prescription. But there is more.
Two things continued to puzzle me about this case. Firstly why should a boy of seven adopt a Proteus stance and indeed apparently adopt this stance from birth. This would suggest something of significance in the pregnancy and, at an early stage ofthe case-taking, I had tried to confirm this. The mother had replied that the pregnancy had been uncomplicated. Only sometime later, when the mother herself came for treatment, did I realise that this had been a somewhat literal answer.
The classic environment for the development of a Proteus picture is the tension of war, where fear becomes the emotional norm, where nothing is certain and where there will be a corresponding desperation to maintain some facade of normality and routine. During her own case-taking the mother had explained that although her son had been born in this country [which I already knew], he had been conceived in South Africa [which I did not know] and that the family had moved to England when she was seven months pregnant. I asked why. She replied that the political tension had become unbearable, that she and her husband had realised that this was no place to bring up a family and that in Johannesburg, where they were living at this time, there were bombs going off all around them in the street.
The final puzzle concerned a bizarre and enigmatic symptom which I have omitted from the case-notes so far and I am grateful to a fellow homeopath, Colin Griffith, for alerting me to the mythological resonances that would seem to be at play.
What led Bach and Paterson to ascribe the name Proteus to the third bowel flora they isolated is not clear. The word protean has come into the language to describe someone or something that can assume many shapes or guises. Perhaps this particular bacillus appeared in a variety of forms and thus suggested the name. In Greek legend the god Proteus possessed the ability to assume many shapes and guises as by this means he could evade capture. However the legend also explains that he was vulnerable whilst he slept for then his would-be captors could steal upon him and trap him before he could assume his disguise.
When the boy’s mother had described his liking for routines she had recounted a peculiar nocturnal ritual. Unlike his sister who threw her clothes in an untidy heap on the floor, the boy was most meticulous about undressing for bed. He would remove each piece of clothing in turn and lay it on the bed so that it retained the selfsame shape as when he had been wearing it - the pullover placed flat with the arms at the side, the shirt placed flat on top of it, then underneath the shorts and below that his socks - so that his clothes assumed his own shape and form beside him on the bed. Then, and only then, would be feel comfortable to don his pyjamas and go to sleep.
Each night, before this boy goes to bed, he lays out his disguise, his mantle, ready, in case they should come whilst he sleeps…
[Robert Bridge, 'In Case They Should Come Whilst He Sleeps': The Homoeopath, Vol. 13 No. 1,1994]