Swan appears to have taken his hint from Burnett’s work and potentized the remedy, using a gall-stone for his preparations.
Like many of the rest of the nosodes originally introduced by Swan, the work was necessarily empirical, yet he affirms after much experience that it is “almost a specific from gall-stone colic; relieves the distress at once. ” And this after failure with Nux, Cinchona, Carduus.
Podophyllum and other apparently well-selected remedies. Yingling reports some curses of gall- stone colic and other diseases of the liver in the Medical Advance, page 549, August, 1908.
Clarke says, it is found in the blood, in the brain, the yolk of eggs, seeds and buds of plants, but is most abundant in the bile and biliary calculi. It occurs in the form of crystals with a mother-of-pearl lustre, and is fatty to the touch. It is soluble in both alcohol and ether.
Ameke claimed to have derived great advantage from its use in cases diagnosed as cancer of the liver, or in such obstinate engorgements that malignancy was suspected. Burnett claims to twice cured cancer of the liver with it, and “in hepatic engorgements that by reason of their intractable and slow yielding to well-selected remedies make one think interrogationally of cancer. ” In such conditions, where the diagnosis is in doubt, especially if the patient has been subjected to repeated attacks of biliary colic,
Cholesterinum, he claims, is very satisfactory and at times its action even striking. Yingling reports the following cases:1st case Attacks come suddenly and cease suddenly. pain in pushing is region of gall duct. Marked acidity of stomach since last attack. No appetite; food nauseates.
Region of liver sore, sensitive to touch or jar, (<) lying on the sides. 2nd case Vomits bile and become very yellow. Liver very sensitive and sore; pressure in front or behind very painful, worse in region of gall duct. Bending or any sudden motion aggravates. Cholesterinum 2m. not only promptly relieved acute attacks, but has effected a practical cure.