Three butterfly cases
by Enna Stellinga
Case 1: Apeira syringaria – Lilac beauty
The patient is a five year old girl who, ever since her birth, catches cold easily, which develop into bronchitis, constricted breathing, and a wet cough if she does not take Flixotide. She also has headaches and painful eyes. She is susceptible to worm infestations since she was 8 months old, which often bring on abdominal pain. Her mother says that she has an abnormal desire for sweets. At the end of a school day, she is grumpy, and her mood improves if she eats a sandwich with sweet filling. She wears glasses, and is seen by an optometrist. She has severe concentration problems at school.
Pregnancy
Her mother had recurrent cystitis and often had a hard belly. Labour was induced at 40 weeks because growth was stagnating. The child was in a face-down position. Fortunately, she had a small head; her birth weight was 3000 grams. Her mother immediately felt a bond with her. This pregnancy was postponed because the mother’s mother had been very ill and died shortly beforehand; a few months after her death, the mother became pregnant with this child, her second.
Generals
Food: poor appetite; she only started to eat when she was given bread with chocolate
Desires: sweet+++, soft food, cauliflower, meat
Aversions: lumpy food, milk products, eggs, unfamiliar food
She does not eat much fruit or vegetables
< Sun, warmth; she becomes weak and sweaty +++ (head, armpits)
Easily bruised, even when just holding her firmly
Clammy, cold hands and feet
Urine incontinence at night
Vaginal discharge when immune system is low
Mind
She is highly sensitive. She is childish in many things, and is the smallest of the class. When her mother is tense, she imitates her facial expressions; mother sees how she empathises. She is slow and needs time to process information, to allow it in and to do something with it. She loves to learn.
If there is any conflict between her brother and her parents she somewhat panics. She can become inconsolable if she is even mildly criticised, as though she has done something wrong. She is very sensitive to pain and if her brother hurts himself, she busies herself with him; she loves to work with band-aids and finds them interesting. She is caring and gentle, and is very sensitive to sounds and noise.
Her mother notices that she is preoccupied with her own cleanliness, and she loves new clothes. She is creative. She has a strong will of her own. At school, it is a real drama if demands are placed on her; she becomes angry and wants to do things at her own tempo.
Medical history
Buccal thrush from 3 weeks until 18 months
11 months: atypical fever convulsion; she was unconscious for 45 minutes and had blue lips. After that, she did not talk for one year, although she already knew some words.
2 years: pneumonia, 41 degree C fever, deadly ill
Observation
During the whole consultation, she sat and played with the doll house, and did not say a word, even when she was asked questions. She has a very frail build and is small for her age. She is dressed in pink and purple, and she has a hair band with butterflies on it. I ask her mother what her hobbies are. “Butterflies, flowers, and rainbows”. She loves pink and purple, and she loves glitters.
Prescription: Apeira syringaria (Lilac beauty).
This butterfly has a tinge of violet in it. Lilac flowers are purple. The Apeira syringaria is a night butterfly and lives on the nectar of lilacs, honeysuckle, elderberry, and (liguster). The themes of Apeira are cited in Jean Pierre Jansen's beautiful case:
Beautiful-looking woman
Closed person
Intense look, as if eager to learn
Vaginitis
Catching colds easily
Sunny, warm weather <
Desire sweets
Cold feet
Profuse prostration
RADAR: Apeir-s (Proving K.J. Muller: Sieben Schmetterlinge)
Only mind symptoms: making mistakes, speaking
Dreams: he had committed a crime!
Themes from the proving of Muller
Powerless in wanting to help
Feeling responsible as a guide to her parents
Beauty, aversion to wear jewellery (patient loved glitters)
Dreams he only gets attention from others when he presents himself well
Butterfly themes in this case:
Fine, light build
Small, childish Strong desire for sweets, hypoglycaemia
Aversion to lumps in food (butterflies have a hollow tongue; they only eat fluid food) (Food) allergies
Theme of death: Mother’s mother had died shortly beforehand. This grandmother loved butterflies
Sensitive to smog
Aversion to noises, hard sounds
Follow-up
She is full of energy. Her teacher approached her mother saying: “She is so changed. She understands things much better, and is more resilient.” She has become less childish and does not cry as easily. She has less desire for sweets and starts to ask for cheese. She is more demanding at school and dares to talk with strangers. She has become very talkative, even in the consultation room. Her nightly enuresis has stopped. She loves school and after school, she has the tendency to do her own things. She still has tummy aches from time to time, and then she has worms. After one year, she is doing very well and is never ill anymore. She is not as preoccupied by her appearance, and is much more resilient.