A Case of Osteosarcoma
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 2003 May / Jun VOL V NO 3.
Prof Dr L M Khan
'Thyroidinum

A 14 year-old girl, thin built, wheatish complexion and limping gait was brought to me by her parents for pain and swelling in right leg just below the knee since 2½ years. The swelling was reddish and shiny (ANGRY APPEARANCE). With my poor knowledge of clinical medicine I asked them is it a case of cancer. The parents replied that it had been diagnosed as a case of Osteosarcoma of Rt Upper Tibia.

The pain was constant and the girl could not give any character of the pain. Pains < exertion.

No Trauma. On repeated questioning, parents disclosed that she was very fond of dancing (Trauma all the same). She was very fond of fast paced music. Now she could not dance due to her complaints. (We can deduce that she must have suffered from minor traumas repeatedly due to dancing to fast paced music).

Althrough this time the child looked aloof and when I questioned about her behaviour, the parents replied that she was very irritable and rude to both of them and was very dominating.
Craving: sweets ³
Both past and family history were not contributory. The intra-uterine history revealed that the mother had been under stress throughout 9 months of pregnancy and had nausea and vomiting till the end of pregnancy.
X-ray revealed multiple fractures in the affected bone.

Analysis
Looking back and reflecting, we can see that there is a split at the psyche level (Conceptually speaking: she was split from her family - as evidenced from her rude and irritable behaviour towards her parents) and at the same time we find fractures in the bone, splitting lesions themselves. This is a case showing a beautiful reflection of the Psychopathology. She was also very domineering.
We can find a lot of stress in the intra-uterine time, which resulted in the constant feeling of nausea and vomiting.
A very marked concomitant in the case is her intense craving for sweets.

PRESCRIPTION
Satisfied now that the drug picture had clearly emerged. I prescribed in this case
Rx : Thyroidinum 30, TDS for 3 days followed by placebo

DISCUSSION
When we look up the drug Thyroidinum in the Boger’s "A Synoptic Key of Materia Medica’, then the very first line reads thus "splitting sensation; chest; ensiform appendix spine". I would like to point out here what I learnt from Dr J N Majumdar that the first line of every drug in this priceless book is the soul (essence) of the drug. This splitting was evident in the case from psyche to the soma/pathology.

Though in the book Boger does not mention bones as an important sphere of action of Thyroidinum but when he mentions chest, ensiform appendix (or xiphoid process) and spine, we can see that they are all bony areas. So we can deduce that ‘the bones’ are also important sphere of action of the drug.

The knowledge of physiology shows that the thyroid is the prime gland to be affected under all the states of stress (right from conception through intra-uterine life.) We also know that this gland strongly controls the BMR of the entire body. Though we do not find in the scanty provings of this drug any mention of domineering attitude of the Thyroidinum personality. (If we conduct intense provings of this drug then this symptom will manifest along with many others, so for the time being we may call such symptoms as ornamental symptoms).

Craving for sweets is known to be a key feature of Thyroidinum.
So this is the drug which covers the patient in all levels.

Follow Up
I have been following the case now for a couple of months and she is still on Placebo. The intensity of pain and the swelling has decreased and she can move much more comfortably than before. The x-rays show that there has not been any increase in the size or number of fractures, which previously had been increasing steadily every month.

When we have prescribed thus (w)holistically in any case then all we have to do is to sit back and enjoy the pleasure of Prescribing for a long time as the patient marches on the path of recovery....