Analysis of the Case

It was interesting for me to understand how these children got into such a state. I could perceive that the father seemed to be in a mild but similar state and the grand-father had an interesting story. He came to Bombay from his native village, all alone without a penny in his pocket.

He got involved in a gambling business (locally called `matka') Over a period of time he became very popular and made a lot of money in this illegal gambling business. Obviously in the process, he made many enemies who wanted to pull him down. It was an underworld gang-war kind of situation. He was often threatened of death by his rivals. The only way he could survive was to make his own group or gang to protect himself from the rival gang. It was amazing to see how the boys were in a state where they were behaving as if they are persecuted and are surrounded by enemies. This feeling of persecution was underlying the compulsion to collect knives. The boys also created and lived in a group-enmity kind of situation. The feeling of persecution comes through' very clearly when we try to understand the situations in their
lives. The feeling of doctor making him mental, the identification with the teacher being harassed, unjustly being scolded by parents getting remark without being at fault, being beaten up by a class-mate etc. are varied expressions of the same persecuted feeling in both the boys.

The  fear and anxiety when alone was another characteristic indication which led me to think of Drosera Rotundifolia as the remedy for these boys.

The characteristic symptoms and rubrics refereed:

• Del. persecuted
• Obstinacy, in execution of his plans.
• Pertinacity, plans carrying out insists on (Also refer sub-rubric under `Plans' in synthetic repertory).
• Anxiety, alone when
• Company desire for, alone while aggravation.
• Restlessness, cannot concentrate on one subject for long time.
• Courageous on are side and cowardice on the other (Drosera is mentioned in both these rubrics).
• Besides himself
• Deceitful

The exact feeling of the persecution of Drosera can be understand when we read the Drosera as mentioned by Hahnemann in his materia medica pura.

Symptoms as mentioned by Hahnemann in his materia medica pura.

"Very irritable, any small matter can upset him very much; is highly irritated by even mild criticism".

"Obstinately carries out decisions which he has thought over for long, in spite of opposition."

Extreme restlessness; cannot be bothered reading books, cannot stick to one subject for long, must always change his reading and his occupation.

"Full of great anxiety and mistrust, thought he was surrounded by none but false people, Uneasy, sad disposition.

" Full of imaginary ideas that he was being deceived by spiteful and envious people. Anxiety, as if his enemies would not leave him in peace, envied and persecuted him.

"Silent and reserved, with great anxiety; he feared that he was just about to receive unpleasant and disagreeable news.

"Anxiety and fears, especially about 7 or 8 p.m. as if he were compelled to jump into water to take his life by drowning; no other mode of death appealed to him.

"Great anxiety when he was alone; he always wished to have somebody round him or near him all the time was quieter when he could speak to somebody, could not sleep on account of his great anxiety.

"Very peevish, mere trifles upset him. Quite unimportant circumstances so upset him that he was beside himself with rage.

"Stupid and not disposed to work either with his hands or with his head."

One aspect that I learned from these cases was the blatant and increased sexuality. This case also highlights the idea of the states running in the family. Later on, when I reflected on the states of two other cousins who were also under my treatment and were given remedies like Hyoscyamus (for suffered wrong feeling and Lyssinum (for tormented feeling), the common feeling of persecution came through very clearly, I fell like pulling a drop of Drosera in the water tank supplying water to their family.

Also the idea of persecution of Drosera is very well described by Dorothy shepherd in her book, `Magic of the Minimum dose', where she has compared the state of Hitler with that of Drosera. I could follow-up these cases for more than one year. During this time, it was extremely difficult to deal with these boys. They would refuse to come for consultations and would not cooperate in doing their treatment.

The boy with leucoderma responded immediately to a close of Drosera on his white spots reduced by 50% in three months time. The response to the remedy was instant. The process of repigmentation started almost immediately and within the very first week there was a convincing
evidence of the spots disappearing. There was also a considerable improvement in his concomitant mental state. After 3 months he described himself as much more tolerant and easy as compared to before treatment.

Drosera in was repeated every month for the first five months. After each dose, the progress and rate of improvement would increase and his white spots would start getting better. But after the fifth dose the improvement was very slow. He was then put on Drosera for daily for 1 month, after which further improvement occurred. After this period, they were very irregular in follow-ups. Later I had to put him on Drosera 10 m (One dose) but no further improvement occurred. I have a feeling Drosera 200 would have done better! When I saw him last, on 8.9.93, he was better by 60% in his white spots. Also, no further new spots occurred during this time and he looked a lot more objective and tolerant. However, he was still in a clear Drosera state.

The follow-up of his brother was similar within a month of the dose, the compulsion and hobby of collecting knives was totally ameliorated. When I last saw him, there was a complete amelioration in the obsession and a marked increase in frequency of physical ailments like recurring coughs and respiratory infections. He was given a single dose of Drosera 10M,
repeated once after 3 months.

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