C. W. Wolf - Apis Mellifica; or, The Poison of the Honey-Bee, Considered as a Therapeutic Agent

Every physician who has spent years of an active life in prescribing for large numbers of patients, is morally bound to publish his experience to the world, provided he is satisfied, in his interior conscience, that such a publication might be useful to the general interests of humanity.

In offering the following essay to my readers, I simply desire to fulfil an obligation recognised as valid by the inner sense. This essay contains every thing that an experience of forty years in the conscientious and philanthropic exercise of my profession has sanctioned and confirmed as truth. Nor have I adopted a single fact, suggested by my own observation, as correct, without contrasting it with the most approved records of medicine. To every true friend of man, and more particularly to every physician who considers the business of healing disease as the highest office of medical art, I offer this essay for further trial and examination. May the statements expressed in it either be confirmed or else corrected and improved by those who excel in more thorough knowledge and ability.

Berlin, Oct., 1857.

"The bee helps to heal all thy internal and external maladies, and is the best little friend whom man possesses in this world."—More in Cotton's Book of the Bee , p. 138.

Since Hahnemann's successful attempt to develop the medicinal nature of Aconite, no other discovery has been made in the domain of practical medicine, as comprehensive and universally useful as the discovery of the medicinal virtues of the poison of the bee. It is of the utmost importance to the interests of humanity to become as intimately acquainted with the efficacy of this poison as possible. It is the object of these papers to contribute my mite to this work.

As soon as Dr. Hering had published the provings of the bee poison, in his "American Provings," I at once submitted them to the test of experience in an extensive practice. I prepared the drug which I used for this purpose, by pouring half an ounce of alcohol on five living bees, and shaking them during the space of eight days, three times a-day, with one hundred vigorous strokes of the arm. From this preparation, which I used as the mother-tincture, I obtained attenuations up to the thirties centesimal scale. So far, the effects which I have obtained with this preparation, have been uniformly satisfactory. It has seemed to me that the lower potencies lose in power as they are kept for a longer period; hence, I consider it safer to prepare them fresh every year. As a general rule, I have found either the third or the thirtieth potency, sufficient.

Day after day I have obtained more satisfactory results, and now I look upon Apis mellifica as the greatest polychrest, next to Aconite, which we possess.

The introduction of this poison to the medical profession, will be looked upon as the most brilliant merit of one of the most deserving apostles of homœopathy, and will secure immortality to the honored name of Constantine Hering. The following statements will show how far this faith of a grateful heart is founded upon facts:

Apis mellifica is the most satisfactory remedy for acute hydrocephalus of children.

The more acute and dangerous the attack, the more readily will it yield to the action of Apis. Sudden convulsions, followed by general fever, loss of consciousness, delirium, sopor while the child is lying in bed, interrupted more or less by sudden cries; boring of the head into the pillow, with copious sweat about the head, having the odor of musk; inability to hold the head erect; squinting of one or both eyes; dilatation of the pupils; gritting of the teeth; protrusion of the tongue; desire to vomit; nausea, retching and vomiting; collapse of the abdominal walls; scanty urine, which is sometimes milky; costiveness; trembling of the limbs; occasional twitching of the limbs on one side of the body, and apparent paralysis of those of the other side; painful turning inwards of the big toes, extorting cries from the patient; accelerated pulse, which soon becomes slower, irregular, intermittent and rather hard; these symptoms inform us that life is in danger, the more so the more numerous they are grouped together.

In comparing with these symptoms the following symptoms from Hering's American Provings, Part I., 3d Num., p. 294: "40, 41, muttering during sleep; muttering and delirium during sleep; 83, 84, he had lost all consciousness of the things around him; he sank into a state of insensibility; 140, 144, sense of weight and fulness in the fore part of the head; heaviness and fulness in the vertex; dull pain in the occiput, aggravated by shaking the head; pressure, fulness and heaviness in the occiput; 170, her whole brain feels tired, as if gone to sleep; tingling; she experiences the same sensation in both arms, especially in the left, and from the left knee down to the foot; 175, 176, sensation as if the head were too large; swelling of the head; 391, when biting the teeth together, swallowing; after gaping or at other times, a sort of gritting the teeth; only a single, involuntary jerk frequently repeated; 501, nausea and vomiting; 506, nausea, as if one would vomit, with fainting; 512, vomiting of the ingesta; 619, retention of stool; 640, retention of urine; 665, scanty and dark-colored urine; 980, 984, 985, trembling, convulsions, starting during sleep as if in affright; 1020, sudden weakness, compelling him to lie down; he lost all recollection; 1032, great desire for sleep, he felt extremely drowsy." If we compare these effects of Apis to the above-mentioned symptoms of hydrocephalus, we shall find the homœopathicity of Apis to this disease more than superficially indicated. If we consider, moreover, that the known effects of Apis show that it possesses the power of exciting inflammatory irritation and œdematous swellings, we are justified, by our law of similarity, in expecting curative results from the use of Apis in all such diseases.

The experiments which I have instituted for the last four years, have convinced me of the correctness of this observation. Whenever I had an opportunity of giving Apis at the commencement of the diseases, it would produce within twelve to twenty-four hours quiet sleep; general perspiration, affording relief; the feverish and nervous symptoms, together with the delirium, would disappear from hour to hour, and on waking, the little patient's consciousness was lucid, the appetite good and recovery fully established. This is a triumph of art which inspires us with admiration for our science. Less surprising, but equally certain, is the relief, if Apis is given after the disease has lasted for some time. In such a case, the medicine first excites a combat between the morbific force and the conservative reaction. The greater the hostile force, the longer the struggle between momentary improvement and aggravation of the symptoms; it may sometimes continue for one, two, or three days. It is not until now, that a progressive and permanent improvement sets in. The desire to vomit is gone; the twitching, trembling, and the struggle, generally diminish from hour to hour; consciousness returns; the squinting and the dilatation of the pupils abate; gritting of the teeth and protrusion of the tongue cease; the position and movements of the head and limbs become more natural; the pulse becomes more regular; its slowness yields to a more normal frequency; the feverish heat terminates in sweat which affords great relief, and the retention of stool and urine is succeeded by a more copious action of both the bowels and bladder. The natural appetite returns; the reproductive process is restored; sleep is quiet and refreshing, and recovery is perfectly established in an incredibly short period. A cure of this kind generally requires five, seven, eleven, and fourteen days. This result is so favorable, that those who have not witnessed it, or who are too ignorant and egotistical to investigate the facts, may reject it as incredible.