Neuro-sensory aspects of malignant disease^{[ * ]}

Summary

Migraine has been characterized as cephalic dysmenorrhoea, and dysmenorrhoea as uterine migraine. Conception can occur in the head or uterus, and in the legend of the birth of Pallas Athene, Zeus' migranious headache or labour pains is relieved by her delivery from his head.

In the migraine attack, substantial processes push up into the head which is properly the place of insubstantial images or reproduction. Substantial reproduction belongs properly to the uterus.

In migraine, sclerotic tendencies in the head are healed to some extent by the inflammatory processes from the blood, but of course these may themselves go too far. There are correspondences between gout and migraine.

The unilateral component in the migraine points to the metabolic origin, and in the drug pictures of Chelidonium, Sanguinaria and Spigelia, for instance, we can trace the dynamic process further.

Six cases (five with malignant tumours) are reported which suggest a migrainous process manifesting as inflammation in the limbs. These cases further illustrate the idea of a tumour as a displaced sense organ and the reactive, potentially healing process arising from the blood.

The importance of Hahnemann's concept of one-sided disease is related to the Bahnson's spectrum of disease and to Steiner's concept of the polarity between cancer and inflammation and insanity, and the polarity between cancer and migraine.

^* Part I is the paper originally entitled “Changing patterns of disease—the cancer problem” which was presented at the 32nd International Congress of the IHL held in October 1977 in Delhi.