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livelier after the remedy. She is now able to tolerate many more foodstuffs, so there has been no need for such strict diet control.
In July 1995 she had an episode of mucoid vaginal discharge post-season which failed to respond to antibiotic therapy but subsided rapidly after 2 Pulstatilla 30c tablets.
Discussion
Bramble is a very sensitive dog, and the owner is a very energetic woman, so I think the recurrences could be related to mental upset. There has been no need to give any acute remedies for abdominal pain or diarrhoea since the Pulsatilla was first given, so it seems the Pulsatilla is able to correct the imbalance before it reaches the stage of significant local problems.
Pulsatilla clearly seemed to suit the patient well. Some aspects of the drug which fitted the picture but were not taken into account with the repertorisation include the recurrent upper respiratory tract disorders, which have abated since the remedy; the relief of the pain by gentle movement; the creamy discharge noted from the nostrils; and the recurrent false pregnancies with lactation.
Reflections from 2024
I now understand that there is nothing remarkable about a case of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel bitch responding to Pulsatilla, so what value does presenting such a patient have? I believe we can sometimes get lost in the maze of new remedies and new ideas, thereby potentially
overlooking the time-trusted classical medicines. Some time reflecting on the polycrests and their ever-present value in our patients is not wasted. In addition, looking back on our approach in the earlier years, and musing over what other steps we might now take from a position of more experience, can also be a useful exercise.
Let’s look at the source. We are well used to seeing pictures of the pretty, seemingly diminutive little blossom, bending her demure head in obedience to the elements, and this is the drug picture we carry with us. But is this such a reticent, unassuming patient? What can we see from the source which is born out in practice? Certainly, my experience of Pulsatilla patients changed over the years. The repertory also supports the idea that this is, perhaps, not quite such an easy touch after all.
The images shown of the remedy generally concentrate on the flower – quite understandable because it is a very quietly attractive one, one which draws the attention towards it. Even the common name, “Pasque flower” concentrates on the flower itself. A curious, yet relevant, fact about this flower, however, is that it produces no nectar. It attracts the insects in under the false pretence that they will receive something in return, while all the time it is a trap to get the pollen transported. There is a selfishness about this. Prisma Materia Medica lists in the Mind symptoms “Sympathetic, but gives to receive”.
MIND: Selfish (2); yet MIND: Selfless (1).