I began to try both the preparations--drop doses of the tincture and grain doses of 1x, 2x and sometimes 3x, 3 or 4 times daily when there was no fit and almost every fifteen minutes or half hourly during the severity of a fit. Both preparations began to answer well and I was getting daily more and more encouraged about the efficacy of this new drug. I had the opportunity of trying quite a number of cases of asthma within this short time, the reports of which I wish to publish in the future, but for the present I am glad to say in many cases it acted almost specifically, that is, the whole trouble cleared away within a fortnight or so without recurrence. In some cases the severity of the paroxysm was lessened and the recurrence of the fits took place at a longer interval; in others again only temporary benefit was observed. This failure to benefit all cases alike I attribute to many circumstances. Some people did not, rather could not, take the medicine regularly according to my directions owing to their untoward circumstances; some persons were suffering from other complications along with asthma; some again got temporary relief and in the meantime discontinued the medicine and came back again when there was a recurrence of the fits, that is, they did not continue the drug for sufficient length of time. Some cases again, not having derived immediate benefit, got impatient and discontinued the medicine without proper trial.
Besides all these, I think individual idiosyncrasy has a great deal to do. The season of the year has some influence. It is usually observed in this country that those who are subject to periodical attacks of asthmatic fits are more prone to an attack either during the full or the new moon, or at both the times. I believe if it is properly watched this fact will be evident all over the world. Same is true of some other diseases, as chronic cough, chronic fevers, rheumatism, either acute or chronic, gout, elephantiasis, other glandular enlargements, etc., get aggravated or are prone to aggravation during such changes of the moon. Then some people get more severe and frequent fits during the winter than the summer and the others more during the summer than the winter. Let me here tell you that the Indian summer is very different from either the English or the American. Some part of the Indian summer season is quite rainy and the atmosphere is saturated with moisture and other irritating ingredients, consequently a class of asthmatic people suffer more during this season. I noticed to this class of cases _Blatta orientalis_ will prove most efficacious. I have used it in bronchial and nervous asthma with better success than the stomachæ.