Enjoy learning about Tuberculinum Homeopathic Remedy

Tuberculinum

The Tragedy of A. F. B. Bull

Welcome to
Dr John Englishs Homeopathic Poems

This poem and its cartoons introduce you to the

homeopathic remedy Tuberculinum
This poem contains over 100 rubrics (symptoms characteristic of
the Tuberculinum constitution). Can you spot them?
For the answers and much more see:

www.enjoylearninghomeopathy.co.uk

Text Dr John English, 2014

Illustrations Cecil Holden, 2014

The Tragedy of A. F. B. Bull

Dr John English

Why do you give us so much pain and woe?

A child should be a source of love and joy.
We welcome you, and give the best we know,
And every expert help seek to employ.

When we look back it seems as if the stress

Has always been there, constantly eroding
The warmth and comfort we seek to express.
Even your birth we presaged with foreboding.

2 3

Had we but known! The babe whom then we met

Responded there and then with angry cries,
As if a pattern were already set
To last for years, no matter what one tries.

4 5

Pneumonia at birth; could that be cause

Of all your troubles? Special Baby Care
Unfortunately had to be, or worse
Your tenuous hold on life might fare.

6 7

We wish we knew what makes you always ail

With ear infections, coughs and colds, catarrh.
Is it gainst this with ceaseless rage you rail?
Your ills are many, and are so bizarre.

8 9

I hurt, I hurt, I cant abide

The caseating rot inside
The palisade that you have tried
To build.

One moment full of energy and purpose,

The next, exhausted on your bed you lie,
With diarrhoea, or burning fever, a surfeit
Of perspiration, you are never dry!

10 11

What is it makes you always discontented?

Not pleased with what you have, not satisfied?
Denied a wish, you act as if demented,
Then, getting what you want, toss it aside.

Another child might show a little pleasure

When given that on which hed set his heart,
And if he later broke his little treasure,
Twas curiousness made him tear it apart.

12

13

The harm you do is predetermined malice,

Destructive acts for you are acts of hate.
We tried to make our home a little palace.
You wrecked it. Why, oh why is that our fate?

14 15

Of course Im angry, Dad and Mam

Its you who made me what I am.
Just look at all those feeble genes,
Cant you image what it means?

Forebears afflicted with TB,

Chest diseases, you and he,
Retarded aunts you cannot cope
Congenitally warped! No hope
For me!

16 17

Vain asking you to do a job in friendly manner,

Or speak sharp, shout, or even give a smack.
Whichever way, you never give a tanner1,
As like as not youll turn and hit me back!

A tanner was common English slang for the old sixpenny piece, equivalent to 2.5p in
modern British decimal coinage
1

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Sure, every child needs to be admonished

In the course of learning right from wrong.
But your vehement reaction leaves astonished
Any visitor, wholl not stay with us long.

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It can seem as if youre begging to be beaten,

That blows and pain might satisfy your needs,
Picking fights with every friend you meet, on
Slightest pretext. Many other deeds

Will point the way to early self-destruction,

From an infant when youd rock and bang your head,
With amazing force, despite our best construction
To keep you safe from harm and in your bed.

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Again: why is it you are always picking

Upon the animals? What is it that
The cringing dog does to deserve such kicking?
Why torture thus the poor demented cat?

Gives me a thrill, you stupid duffer,

To make some other creature suffer
Make their lives a little rougher
See?

24

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Demons beasts and monsters fill your nights,

Wake you in terror, hot and bathed in sweat.
You grind your teeth, as cattle do by right,
And enuretic, you are always wet.

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Quite early we were filled with consternation,

As later we were forced to look askance,
First at your over-youthful masturbation,
Then sexual adventures and romance.

Youve always craved perpetual entertainment,

Never tolerant to think yourself ignored,
Your hungry restlessness brooks no detainment
Preferring to be beaten than be bored!

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We holidayed once high in the mountains,

Long walks alone there seemed to suit you fine;
Not so the sea, nor Rome with all her fountains
Should we live high, in forests dark with pines?

Some little tricks weve learned, and lessons taken

To protect ourselves from constant whines and moans,
We leave you well alone when you awaken,
Nor touch you when you mope in peevish tones.

30 31

With weather change to wet, or wind, or thunder,

To keep you in, tho cold will make you ill,
Would move you more to tear the place asunder,
Or throw a teatime fever with a chill.

32 33

Your appetites another striking feature,

Your craving for enormous draughts of milk,
Salt, sweet or cheese, whatevers within reach, or
Salami, ham and sausage of that ilk.

But oddly, you dont get a whisker fatter,

Dairy products seem to do more harm than good,
More diarrhoea or wildness will shatter
Our homestead more than normally they would.

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As youve grown the pattern is unchanging,

Tho constant change for changes sake you seek,
Through jobs, friends, ideas, partners ranging,
Is there nothing that would give your soul relief?

You stupid, stupid, stupid cow!

Give me, give me, give me, now!
Something, something, anyhow.

36 37

The inner urge youre cursed with, to unravel

The knots that bind you in some hellish place,
Compels you, cosmopolitan, to travel
As if heavens somewhere on this planets face!

At your best youre very bright and charming,

Responsive to the world and family too,
Music, art, your talent is unending,
Paintings vivid in their shades of gold and blue.

38 39

With wondrous flights of fancy you expand,

Keats, Chopin, or a kingdom will suffice,
The crown upon your heads an iron band,
And energys constrained, as in a vice.

40 41

Was asthma masquerading, a deception?

Flushed face, a Belladonna hacking cough?
Or haemoptysis tubercular infection?
With those nodes the doctorll not be put off.

Arthritic pain now you are old and broken,

Severely limiting what you can do;
Sharp contrast to that restlessness a token
Retribution could it be for you to rue?

42 43

We gaze upon you now with grief and sadness,

Your life now spent in ever-increasing pain,
Despair and hopelessness has replaced madness,
And all the joy of life is on the wane.

A tragedy, to end up nearly blind,

Your life of battles bugles final call
Comes with life-weary failure of the mind,
So rest in peace at last, A. F. B. Bull.

44 45

Dr John Englishs Homeopathic Poems

Dr John English has written over thirty poems and
other creative learning materials for homeopaths.

www.EnjoyLearningHomeopathy.co.uk

Other titles
Sepia
The Confessions of Clara Cuttlefish
Rhus Toxicodendron
The Rhyme of Ivy Rusto
Gelsemium
No Joy for Jasmine!

About the Author

Dr John English FRCGP FF Hom Dip Med Ac, lives in
Salisbury with his wife, Wendy, and Jem the dog. They
are visited frequently by an ever increasing number of
grandchildren. He graduated in medicine in 1957, soon
discovering during national service in Nigeria that
general practice was where his heart lay. He developed
a thriving and unusual National Health Service practice,
introducing homeopathy and other complementary techniques to his
patients. For this innovative approach, he was awarded the Fellowship of
the Royal College of General Practitioners. He taught homoeopathy for over
forty years, developing his unique body of teaching materials as a lecturer at
Londons Royal Homoeopathic Hospital and as a guest speaker worldwide.
He was also rapporteur for an EC (EU) committee that met for three years
evaluating homeopathy, though its positive findings were never published.
Whilst most famous amongst his family for verses on annual birthday cards,
his homeopathic poems have been received with affection and sometimes
astonishment! by his pupils and colleagues. Accurate, yet engaging, the
remedy poems reflect his creative approach to passing on the wisdom of
homeopathy to new generations of homeopaths.

About the Artist

Cecil Holden (19192004) started sending cartoons to magazines as a
glider pilot during the Second World War. After demob he entered the
teachers training scheme eventually spending his working life in primary
schools in Sheffield. As well as watercolours and cartoons, he was an
accomplished musician, writing and arranging music and publishing poetry
and articles on a variety of subjects.

And plenty more!

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Did you spot the Tuberculinum rubrics

in the poem?
For the answers and much more, visit
www.enjoylearninghomeopathy.co.uk

Enjoy Learning Homeopathy