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Bacillinum-Experiences and Study [Bacillinum Experiences & Study]
INDIAN JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICINE By Praful Barvalia
Volume: 1995 Vol 30 No 3
Author: Nimish Mehta
Subject: Cases / Materia Medica
Remedy: Calc-p / Thuj / Ars / Kali-c / Bac
Dr. Nimish V. Mehta, LCEH Bom. MICR

[*Lecture, Dept. of Organon - CMP Homoeopathic Medical College. *Hon Homoeo Physician, Mumbadevi
Homoeopathic Hospital Mumbai- *Gen. + Rheumat OPD, Dr. M.L. Dhawale, Homoeopathic Research Centre-
Asthma OPD]

Bacillinum had come up for a few cases of Chronic Respiratory Diseases like Asthma, COPD, Recurrent
infections etc. We also had a few cases of children with above complaints. With Bacillinum we often had climax
followed with an Anticlimax! Cases which were in a bad turbulent phases improved great deal with Bacillinum and
then we had a backlash of non improvement stage!

This led us to study Bacillinum in depth esp. studying original sources on Bacillinum i.e. Burnette, Cartiere,
John Clarke, Swan etc. The study was somewhere illuminating and hence we decided to share it. Let us first
study one of such cases which lead us through these travels.

"STEP LADDER" Phase: Asthma

My colleague received this patient a 12 years old boy, with a poetically written Urdu note by his father. This
letter stressed on the "Great need to rescue the severely suffering child the only son of a 52 years old Asthmatic
father; which was his only support and the hope for a stable future life!"

The note writer enlisted the cures made by Dr. Kapse in great details, and pleaded him to cure his beloved
son, bestowed upon him some Urdu poem and great wishes. It described that patient has reduced to a skeleton
now! Patient has turned extremely weak with long chronic exacerbations of Asthma, with breathlessness an
cough in severe paroxysm+++.

It began with an episode of 8 month long severe cough (?Pertusis; ?Sec infection over Allergic Bronchitis)
which began when he was 22 days old. He is always having colds since then perennially.

Even while being on Allopathic treatment including periodical injections (?steroids) he gets recurrence every
15-30 days gap; infact he recovers partly and another exacerbation occurs.

Each exacerbation manifests with increasing severity of cough and breathlessness; weakness+++ as if of
several months illness right on 1st / 2nd day of breathlessness, and severe asthma episodes with orthopnea
occur with gasping reaction all these with rapid increase in severity. The whole cycle is getting more severe,
longer and continuous with every such cycle. Newer episodes are more rapid.

Standardized Case Record (Notes)

Master: R. Failed in 4th Std.

Date of Birth: 6th June, 1984. Age-10 years.

Male: Single, Muslim, Non-Veg.

Father: 52 yrs. Service Mother: 40-42 years.

 Brother: Nil. Sisters: 2

CHIEF COMPLAINTS

R.S. since childhood often since 3-4 years, once / 15 days, days for 8-10 days Hardly any asymptomatic
period

Coryza

Cough

breathlessness++ cough difficult to bring out sputum sens. of something sticking in throat.

< Change of Weather

< Ice cream

< Cold drink

< Cold food

> LYING DOWN

> SITTING UP

< Fan

< 12-2 A.M.

< fried food

< chocolate

Evolutionary Picture As Above mentioned in written history)

PATIENT AS A PERSON

Failure to gain weight, lean, thin, fair.

No suppuration. Persp scanty, no odour. Appetite Normal Cr. chocolate, COLD DRINK, COLD FOOD, ICE
CREAM, fruits, sweets, FRIED Fish (Bombil)

Stool- N. Urine - N.

Birth- Normal. Development -Normal.

Dentition 6 month, aggr. loose stool. sitting 6mth, walking 1 yr.

THE MENTAL STATE

Father- ANXIOUS, OVER PROTECTIVE, poor financial status. IRRITABLE only at home, Rarely throws objects,
throws tantrum if beaten.

Fear of ghosts.

OBSTINATE, PAMPERED

Scholastic Failed in 2nd Std. and 4th Std. Likes TV, pictures, horror movies.

Sleep Deep

Dreams: Frightful, Ghosts, Religious (Darga)

 Thermal Modalities:

Fan-S-Wants W- slow, Averse during attack. Covering keeps Bath- likes tepid C3H2

PAST HISTORY- FAMILY HISTORY

Alcohol- MGF Pertussis 22 days of age.??

Asthma- F, PGM, MGM, M in childhood.

Physical Examination:

Nails white spots, Glands + R. S.: NAD

Under nourished child.

FOLLOW UP STUDY:

Demonstrated that he responded very poorly between 31 / 5 / 94 to 19 / 9 / 94

He was given Calc phos 200 infrequent Doses--> Thuja 200 1 infrequent Doses--> Thuja 200 1 dose followed
by Ars alb. 30 4 hourly Doses--> Thuja 200 1 dose followed by Calc phos 200 1 daily dose---> Thuja 1m 1 dose
followed by Kali Carb 200 BD. But Practically everything remained same; no new characteristic evolved i.e.
flickers of response was seen but improvement did not hold when fresh "Cycle" of symptoms arose.

At this phase, on 26 / 9 / 94, Approach was taken to view the following:

Poor reaction to indicated medicines background of pertusis, hardly useful characteristics in acute asthma
picture, chronic picture, characteristics not differential.

Miasmatic block to action of the Drugs

Severely suppressed case with bronchodilators and steroids.

Continuous chronic Inflammation with Spasms (applied updated clinical Medicine on for asthma 1994 up
dates)

Evolution of syco-Tubercular type of manifestation in continuous exacerbation of ever increasing severity of

step ladder type.

Prostration out of proportion in 102 days of Asthma

Poorly thriving constitution - "skeleton" The patient was given Bacillinum 200 1 dose on 26 / 9 / 94.

He responded very well.

In next 9 month of followup, he never needed any bronchodilators, or steroids with altogether 4 doses of
Bacillinum 200 and 5 doses of 1M in 9 months, he remained quite well. Doses were repeated whenever cold
cough episode come up with / without mild breathlessness.

He was given Kali carb 200 TDS in July 95 episode, looking at postural modality, he responded upto 60-70
percent. But ultimately needed Bacillinum 1M.

Between 21 / 8 / 95 and Sept. 96 he had very minor, 2-3 episodes.

PAUSE

The presentation raised many question, Is Bacillinum chronic remedy of the case? Acute? or antimiasmatic?
or constitutional? Anticlimax. After 2 years of such a good response, the case had recurrence again is 1996 Dec-
Jan 1997 and he could not be relieved then with posology changes made.

WHAT LESSONS WE LEARN FROM THE EXPERIENCE

 Was Bacillinum also wrong as a simillimum in this case? But then it would not have given so much
amelioration for 1 1 / 2 years, when no other nearly indicated drug worked!

Was it then the Bacillinum which was just acute but not the constitutional? It may be possibly a perfect acute
picture similarity drug and thus gave all the response? Or then was it just an antimiasmatic force? Or it was a
chronic remedy for that chronic phase of the case which would no complete the case but pave way for the next
remedy?

**Learning from case presented by my colleague Dr. A.R. Kapse the Asst. Director, Ed. Research, ICR,
Mumbai, at the ICR symposium, Sept. 1996 on Nosodes. Dr. Dilip B. Dikshit was consulted for advice on case
management at the crucial stages.

Q: Above questions lead us to search and we came across some of the statements of the original contributors
which we are putting below with out thoughts respectively.

*Dr. Burnett appears to be the first person who thought of and acted upon to use products of Tuberculosis as
a medicine termed earlier by him as Tuberculinum but later on better known as Bacillinum. Burnett Bacillinum
was first prepared, applied in proving and practice under Burnette, many years before discovery of
Mycobacterinum by Dr. Koch.

*Bacillinum was prepared from lung tissue of a person who died of severe Tuberculosis.

*Dr. Burnett conceptualized about Bacillinum as an extension of Dr. Hahnemanns idea about Sulphur for
Psoric Diseases (probably he also used Psorinum as per some of the sources). It was to treat severe diseases
"with its own virus" (as per the language- terminology of those days) to solve non responding deeper diseases
state with deeper acting medicine prepared from products of disease.

*Dr. Nebel was a revolutionary thinker. He defied his contemporaries on issues of Tuberculinum and
Bacillinum. He treated group of patients with similar indications with positive results with both Tuberculinum and
Bacillinum.

*Clarke Dictionary of Materia Medica (i.e. views of Dr. Clarke, Dr. Cooper and the group then), Dr. Kent and
Dr. N.M. Chaudhary etc. do not distinguish between Tuberculinum and Bacillinum.

*Dr. Cartier was one of the prominent physicians who presented most documented scientific facts in his
paper at an international conference (SEE ARCHIVES IN LAST ISSUE)

He draws attention to glaring differences in the source materials of various types of Tuberculosis e.g. lung
tissues of a sickman with Tuberculosis also have multibacillary involvement. Secondary infection, debris, etc. in
contrast to Tubercular bacilli grown on a medium and Tuberculinum prepared from these) He also draws
attention to the fact that the Tuberculosis as a disease is different in different regions; therefore the drugs made
from bovine or avian group will necessarily differ from other drugs.

Eg. Avian Tuberculosis shows mild lung lesion and a massive rapid wasting and emaciation with easy death?
will Aviax be not closer?

*Dr. Cartier Bacillinum cases:

A. Post influenzal bronchopneumonia which almosts simulates Kochs in manifestation.

B. Severe low resp tract case (but not kochs per se): According to him these cases improve very well
including such bronchial, asthma, chronic bronchitis etc. case.

C. Old people suffering from lower resp. tract affection of long standing or whose lungs are rendered so old
by diseases.

D. Severe mucopurulent expectoration with profile expectorations viz. humid asthma, Bronchorrheal states,
catarrh; dyspnea.

E. Enfeebled pulmonary circulation.

F. Patients in whom a single cold leads to pulmonary congestion in no time.

 Dr.Burnetts provings tell us that

1. Headache as far in, with fixedness

2. Expectoration non viscid easy cough much later hardly any almost cough only to throw out the secretions.

3. Windy dyspepsia

4. Pain head, chest Deep Inside

5. Tartar on the teeth in flakes.

Dr.Clarkes provings give us

1. Pain in the glands of the neck < turning the neck or stretch as the neck on

2. Pains deep in the head

3. Aching tooty < cold air esp at roots

4. Sharp pains of short duration in chest

5. Pains Lt. Knee < walking while > continuous walking.

6. Nose catarrh throat catarrhal

*Dr. Bernoville says Bacillinum is syco, tubercular.

*Dr. Burnette says Bacillinum has a specific sphere of action; affects only the tubercule part and nothing
else. It will not act where vaccinosis is to be treated with Thuja separately.

*Ringworms and Bacillinum are so associated in clinical results cases of insanity reported with concomitant
Ringworm was treated positively with Bacillinum.

*Cases as diseases as severe as lupus of 12 years; severe. Tuberculous ophthalmia, etc. are reported to be
cured by bacillinum their only indications overall constitution matching with the description of Bacillinum.

Doses, Posology and Action:

*Burnette says: "Although used for chronic cases, what it does not do soon and promptly, it does not do at
all." It is Acute, I mean begins at once."

*As per Dr. Nebel, Dr. Vannier, Dr. Rony, Dr. Fortiere- Bernoville. Dr. O. A. Julian, etc. (Ref. Treatise on
Dynamised Immunotherapy): There is always a necessity of practising at first the technique of cleansing or
drainage by homoeotherapeutics in lower dilution for general complaints.

*Burnette often uses the term "Organopathy" and "Organopathic indications" for Bacillinum while taking
about its application as a cure for Tuberculosis. But he later on clarifies at many places that Homoeopathy
actually engulfs Organopathy; infact it is much more because of law of similars being applied not only at the
organ, tissue, disease levels also but at the level of individualization. He writes, also that as an organopathic
prescriber matures, his prescription becomes smaller and smaller!

*Dr. Burnette advocates a few infrequent doses of bacillinum in long standing cases.

*Dr. Kent in his lectures had advocated to procure experiment and use Burnettes original Bacillinum for more
pronounced results in Tuberculosis of lungs, brain and also in suitable Rheumatoid Arthritis cases.

*Dr. Cartier talks of infrequent doses in respiratory infective conditions etc. as well as frequent doses in
lower suspectibility status.

*BURNETTE says that the "Phthisic virus" only acts within its own sphere.
 *"Other remedies are needed for the non consumptive part of the case"

*In his conclusion to the cure of the consumption, Burnette declares, "Use high, higher the higher potencies
"for cases of phthisis and tubercular diseases. In 2nd edition he has clarified that late or complicated cases might
yield to medicines other than Bacillinum but early or uncomplicated cases will respond completely; If there are
vaccinosis, cancerous, or syphilitic parts, give respective forces Because Bacillinum touches the bacillary part of
the case only."

Dr. H.C. Allen (Hom Recorder July 28) says; "I repeat Tuberculinum etc. as I repeat Aconite, Ars, Sulphur. In
deep seated long standing cases, e.g. constitutional affection of psoric / tub miasm of 40-50 years, the only way
I have been able to control it or master it has been by frequent repetition in some cases, not in all In chronic
cases or in many of these cases I prepare a powder in six teaspoonfuls of water a dose every hour till finished
and then placebo until result is obtained; never repeat at long as improvement continues. If paroxysms repeat,
or return every week, I frequently give one of the powder every week a day before paroxysm for a month or time
till I get my response.

Clinical Conditions (Other Applications): *Dr. Burnette, Dr. Thatcher and Dr. Dewey suggest Bacillinum for
Tonsillitis and Adenoids.

*Dr. Walter Sands Mills recommends Bacillinum in "Grippy colds or in bronchitis when a cough has persisted
despite the usual treatment, you get an astonishing fast result."

*Dr. C.E. Wheeler says Bacillinum becomes a good choice in old chronic bronchitis cases, as it is a nosode
from mixed infection Tuberculous lung. He adds sweating on the slightest exertion sweat stains the linen yellow.

*Dr. Burnette had documented several cases of threatened and incipient phthisis with Bacillinum (Dr. N.M.
Chaudhari) (But a lot of authors differ about Dr. Burnettes claims about cure of all Established Tuberculosis cases
e.g. Dr. Cartier, Dr. Boericke, etc.).

*Dr. E. Wallace Mac Adam suggest Bacillinum for chronic cough resulting from neglected cold and when no
other remedy seem indicated; also for lung infections resulting from influenza.

*Dr. Swan says "Here we have provings readymade by nature for us on human beings. When you have found
same in the sick, administer the potentized"

*Dr. Tyler suggest Bacillinum for acute Rheumatism cases as cured by her as indicated by F / H of
Tuberculosis.

*Dr. C. E. Wheeler recommends Bacillinum for skin complaint in patients who have done well on
Tuberculinum viz. vague eruptions, itching< scratching, ringworms or resembling it, Erythema nodosum or
resembling Tinea versicolor, etc.

*Dr. M. L. Tyler uses Bacillinum as almost a specific for Ulceration in cornea.

*Dr. Anschutz: Bacillinum acts best in humid climates.

*Dr. Hayes R.E.S.: Prefer Tuberculinum when the patient present with more pronounced localization with
meninges, abdomen, skin, gland or joints and prefer Tub-Avian when you see a more violent depreciation of the
quality of the entire person as after flu.

*Dr. John Clarke quotes Bacillinum to be immensely useful in inflammatory condition of eyelids promptly and
curatively it acts."

*Dr. P. I. Tarkas mentions Bacillinum to be useful for Mitral stenosis, Breast cancer, suffocating hoarseness,
spine troubles with Sensation of "A wet cloth on back", feeling of chilliness or freezing in back." Aching and
rheumatic pains, and stiffness resembling for Eczema on tarsi, cretinism (supplemented with Thyroidinum).

We are sure these contributory remarks of various clinicians must have been quite thought provoking. Are
we not using much less of the Bacillinum?

One must extract and learn these remarks after filtering out the overtones related to factors like the
particular period of Medical history, the prominent contemporaries, the difficulties of these times, etc. And then
of course many of these facets of Bacillinum will arrange and get integrated, as we apply them in corresponding
cases.

CONCLUSION

Lastly we would like to conclude: "Clinical conjectures when carefully constructed from the whole retrospect
of medical literature, are guides to the successful use of our materia medica" (Dr. John F. Gray)

Time was created by God so that everything would not happen all at once."

No doctor is a good doctor who has not been ill himself." Confucius

Opportunities are never lost. The other fellow takes them."

Nowadays a man goes into politics with a wonderful future and comes out with a terrible past."

Some people laugh at a joke three times; when its is told to them, when it is explained to them, and when
they understand it."

Insanity is hereditary you get if from your children".

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