Translated from 'Medical Proof of the Miraculous', by E. Le Bac [former President of the Bureau des Constatations at Lourdes]
PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS WITH CAVITATION
Notes of Dr. La Neele, of Lisieux:
Amelie Hebert, born at St. Denis-in-Lisieux. Family history: father suffered from chronic bronchitis, died at 63 years of age of pulmonary congestion and sudden haemorrhage. A paternal cousin died of pulmonary tuberculosis at 18. Mother died at 62 of chronic bronchitis; both maternal parents died of pulmonary tuberculosis. Maternal cousins, five died of phthisis between the ages of 18 and 23.
Personal antecedents: Enteritis and measles in infancy. Weak health until the age of 12. Was treated with cod-liver oil every winter, was anaemic and had frequent attacks of bronchitis between the ages of 12 and 15. Menstruated at 20 years. Married at 18. Before she was 23 three children were born, one of whom died of tuberculous meningitis. Between 21 and 23 the patient passed each winter in hospital. After her 29th year she had four children, one of whom died at 2 months of inanition, another at 3 years of tuberculous peritonitis. At 33 years of age two months were spent in a hospital on account of bronchitis. At 38 there was bronchitis and haemoptysis, the patient was under treatment for four years but there was no improvement.
In August, at the age of 42, the following was her condition: she was pale, feeble, and extremely thin, there was frequent haemoptysis, and the expectoration was very abundant, amounting to 250 grammes during the day. This sputum contained numerous tubercle bacilli. Vomiting was very frequent, and there was complete loss of appetite. Auscultation.--At both apices there was diminution of breath sounds. On the right there was a large cavity with prolonged breathing and moist sounds.
In 1900 the patient set out for Lourdes. During the journey there were several attacks of haemoptysis accompanied with extreme faintness. On arriving at Lourdes, on the 21st of August, the patient was medically examined; the condition of the lungs was unchanged; on account, however, of her extreme feebleness the patient was advised not to bathe. At this time, in addition to her tuberculous trouble, the patient had a sore on one hip following a carbuncle.
She insisted, however, on bathing in the piscine. At the commencement of the bath she felt an intolerable pain throughout her body; this was followed by a feeling of well-being, and the impression that she was cured. The wound on the hip was cured at the same time; there remained only a reddish scar. The cough disappeared completely, the expectoration and the vomiting ceased and appetite returned.
On her return to Lisieux she was carefully examined by Dr. La Neele. He could only discover some slight indications of consolidation indicated by the respiration being somewhat harsh and blowing in character. All these signs completely disappeared at the end of a few weeks. There was no bronchial secretion. It was only at the end of six weeks that it was possible to obtain any sputum, and this did not contain any tubercle bacilli.
Amelie Hebert regained her strength and weight very quickly. Her work was again resumed. Despite a life of poverty, continual fatigue, and living constantly with tuberculous children, one of whom died after some months of illness, there was no relapse.
In September 1907, Dr. La Neele tested her reaction with tuberculin I centigramme (ancienne), and two days after with 205 [or 2.05? text unclear here] centigrammes tuberculin. There was no local reaction nor rise of temperature, although the patient continued at her work of carrying stones throughout the day.
In November 1910, ten years after the cure, Amelie Hebert showed no abnormal signs in the lungs and her general health was excellent.
Here is a true medical description of a typical case of a supernatural cure. It is described in clinical form as we are accustomed to see in our medical treatises. It is very complete, since it covers a large period of the life of the patient, and we are considerably indebted to Dr. La Neele for the accuracy and precision of his notes. Doubt cannot be thrown upon this case without casting suspicion on the whole of medical science.
I have only to emphasize certain details of the case:
The patient was obviously attacked with a fatal form of pulmonary tuberculosis. We are accustomed to see in hospitals these unfortunate cases, which have been called " the pillars of the hospital," come to winter in the wards, when the progress of the disease makes it impossible to get about outside. This case was characteristic of the course of the disease met with amongst poor patients.
The scientific side was not neglected by Dr. La Neele. The bacteriological examination of the sputum confirmed the diagnosis, and the abundance of the bacilli at the time of the patient's departure for Lourdes testified to the gravity of the illness.
At Lourdes, it must be admitted that something very extraordinary occurred. During the journey the patient had several attacks of haemoptysis accompanied with fainting, and her state was such that there was some hesitation about bathing her.
It is absolutely certain that in his own private practice a doctor would hesitate to bathe a case of advanced tuberculosis in water at a temperature of 14° C. At Lourdes, however, human prudence counts for little, because trust is put in Divine Power. The patient was bathed. She experienced the extreme nervous shock of which I spoke when discussing the physiology of the miraculous, a shock which is very much stronger than could be caused by the simple contact of cold water. Immediately afterwards she experienced a feeling of complete well-being, and was certain that she was cured. I mention the fact again, for it is characteristic of the supernatural cures of Lourdes, and we never meet with these sudden changes in our natural cures. The patient then departed from Lourdes cured.
When she arrived at Lisieux, Dr. La Neele stated that the sputum had disappeared, the general health was excellent, and examination with the stethoscope showed that the lungs were returning to a normal condition. He noted only that the respiration was a little harsh and blowing, showing that there still remained a certain amount of consolidation. All these signs cleared up after a few weeks, and the respiration everywhere became normal.
When Dr. La Neele could obtain some sputum, which was very difficult, examination showed that there were no tubercle bacilli. The case was cured. The doctor, however, did more; being quite au courant with medical science, he tested the reaction to tuberculin, which was negative, and this confirmed the radical cure of the disease. Ten years later the patient, at the age of fifty-two, was in excellent health, and working in the fields to gain her livelihood. I do not deny that in this case it might be said that she was not completely cured, since, on her return, there were some signs of her old trouble, showing that there was still some consolidation, and these signs persisted for some weeks.
This is a definite fact, and Dr. La Neele did not conceal it, but when discussing the question of the time factor, I quoted the words of Pope Benedict XIV, who said that every supernatural cure was not necessarily instantaneous, but it was sufficient if it was effected in a shorter time than would be possible in the case of a natural cure. This is exactly what took place here. The lungs of the patient were full of cavities abounding in bacilli, and secreting as much as a quarter of a litre of pus a day.
All this pulmonary suppuration ceased suddenly, the bacilli disappeared, the complete cure being effected some days later. It may well be that the transformation of these cavities into cicatricial tissue, left a certain amount of thickening, because there was not a re-formation of the pulmonary alveoli; we see an analogous process taking place in the case of external wounds. There is nothing illogical in thinking that something of this sort took place in the case of the lungs. We know perfectly that autopsies on cases of healed phthisis show us fibrous cicatrices of the lungs. We know also that these cicatrices are only formed very slowly.
What is very interesting here is that all the signs of induration disappeared after a few weeks. The patient also continued to live at home in tuberculous surroundings, and she remained absolutely free from any new infection. The cure was most certainly complete. Dr. La Neele is therefore perfectly justified in presenting this patient as one who has been granted the grace of a supernatural cure.