CONSTIPATION. 203 



to enable one to prescribe successful!}' in man}' cases which sorely 

 perplex the ordinary allopathic practitioner ; at first sight, one 

 who has not made a study of the action of drugs from a homoe- 

 opathist's standpoint, would very naturally conclude that Alumina, 

 known by many as the Oxide of Aluviiniinn, was a peculiar agent 

 to use as a remedy at all, and the conjecture would follow that if 

 administered, the physiological result such a procedure would en- 

 tail, would be, that constipation must necessarily ensue; or at all 

 events a drying up of the ingesta and faeces involving great diflS- 

 culty in the performance of the function of evacuation; we may 

 state in passing that this deduction is an absolutely correct one, 

 when the agent is administered in sufficient quantity to the healthy 

 subject; hence its utility in one form of constipation as based 

 upon Hahnemann's law of selection. In contradistinction to many 

 remedies that are useful in other forms of constipation, Ahunina 

 may be selected on evidence that is obtainable from the character- 

 istic condition of the faeces, namely, dryness, amounting to a 

 crumbling condition, and paleness of color; but in addition to this 

 we almost invariably find that the mucous membrane of the 

 pharynx is in sympathy with that of the colon and rectum and a 

 dry cough is experienced in consequence; dryness of the mucous 

 membranes with some irritation is a characteristic feature indicat- 

 ing this remedy. (Hughes). The same author mentions that a 

 frequent desire to urinate during the night, especially in old 

 patients, suggests the utility of Aliinmia in conjunction with the 

 before-mentioned symptoms; this observation we can corroborate; 

 in one case of a horse that had long been the subject of a dry 

 cough and constipation, the faeces dry, pale and crumbling, all the 

 symptoms yielded to a few doses oi Alumina, and the owner was 

 so struck by the marvelous rapidity with which the cure was 

 effected — for the animal had been under ordinary treatment for 

 many months — that it seemed too good to be true, and he enter- 

 tained doubts as to its permanency-; he was, however, ultimately 

 satisfied that the horse was thoroughly restored to health, as he 

 thereafter rapidly put on flesh and stood the work of the hunting 

 field in his usual form. 



Bryonia alba 3X for constipation that is due to indigestion and 

 eating unwholesome, vmdigestible food; there is no inclination for 

 evacuation of faeces; when passed the stool is black and dry and 



