Abstract/Excerpt
Summary: Case taking is the process of collecting all the facts about the patient, using various tools like observation, perception, [...]
Summary:
Case taking is the process of collecting all the facts about the patient, using various tools like observation, perception, history-taking – given by the patient/attenant, clinical e!amination etc. in orer to fin a remey for the patient – using our kno"lege of #omeopathic $ateria $eica, %rganon of $eicine, an &eparatory. Index
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An Overview of Case-Takin !
"efinition
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Ob#ectives
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"r$ S$ S$ %a %a&nemann's (u (uide)ines *a *ap&$ +, +, to to . .0
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A 1road Sc&eme of Case-Takin
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(ist of Case-Takin
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%omeopat&ic Case-Takin and 2at&o)oica) "ianosis 34iews of "r$ "r$ Stuart Stuart C)ose
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A 5ote on Tota)ity of Symptoms 34iews of "r$ "r$ Stuart Stuart C)ose 3(uide)ines 3(uide) ines of "r$ Samue) Samue) %a&nemnn %a&nemnn
An Overview of Case Takin "efinition: Case taking is the process of collecting all the facts about the patient, using various tools like observation, perception, history-taking – given by the patient/attenant, clinical e!amination etc. in orer to fin a remey for the patient – using our kno"lege of #omeopathic $ateria $eica, %rganon of $eicine, an &eparatory.
)ccoring to *r. Stuart Close: +he purpose of homeopathic e!amination is to bring out the symptoms of the patient in such a "ay as to permit their comparison "ith the symptoms of the materia meica for the purpose of selecting the similar or #omeopathic remey. Ob#ective of Case-Takin: Collection of all the facts pertaining to the patient, "hich may help in reaching to the totality of the patient an thereby help in fining the correct similimum. t is also sai that a case we)) taken is a case &a)f cured . "r$ Samue) %a&nemenn's uide)ines reardin t&e art of case-takin
*r. #ahnemann in his %rganon of o f $eicine, aphorisms 01-234, has given the follo"ing instructions regaring the metho of case-taking: 501: his iniviuali6ing e!amination of a case of isease, for "hich shall only give g ive in this place general irections, of "hich the practitioner "ill bear in min only "hat is applicable for each iniviuali6ing case, emans of the physician nothing but freeom from pre7uice an soun senses, attention to observing an fielity in tracing the picture of the isease. 504: he patient etails the history of his sufferings8 those about him tell "hat hear him complain, of ho" he has behave an "hat they have notice in him, the physician sees, hears, an remarks by his other senses "hat there is of an altere or unusual character about him. #e "rites o"n accurately all that the patients an his friens have tol him in the very e!pressions use by them. 9eeping silence himself he allo"s them to say all a ll they have to say, an refrains from interrupting them unless they "aner off to other matters. he physician avises them at the beginning b eginning of the e!amination to speak slo"ly, in orer that he may take o"n in "riting the important parts of "hat the speakers say. 50: #e begins a fresh line "ith every ne" circumstance mentione by the patient or his friens, so that the symptoms shall be all arrange separately one belo" the other. #e can thus a to any one, that may at first have been relate in too vague a manner, but subse;uently more e!plicitly e!plaine. 50<: =hen the narrators have finishe "hat they "oul say of their o"n accor, the physician then reverts to each particular symptom an elicits more precise information information respecting it in the follo"ing manner8 he reas over the symptoms as they "ere relate to him one by one, an about each of them he in;uires for further particulars8 e.g., at "hat perio i his symptom occur> =hat is previous to taking the meicine he ha hitherto been using> =hilst taking the meicine> %r only some ays after leaving off the meicine> =hat kin of pain, "hat sensation e!actly, "as it that occurre on the spot> =hat "as the precise spot> *i the pain occur in fits an by itself, at various times> #o" long i it last> )t "hat time of the ay or night, an in "hat position of the boy "as it "orst, or cease entirely> =hat "as the e!act nature of this or that event or circumstances mentione-escribing in plain "ors.
50?: )n thus the physician phy sician obtains more precise information respecting each particular etail, but "ithout ever framing his ;uestions so as to suggest the ans"er to the patient, so that he "ill be misle to ans"er yes or no8 else he "ill be misle to ans"er in the affirmative or negative something untrue, half true, or not strictly correct, either from inolence or in orer to please his interrogator, from "hich a false picture of the isease an an unsuitable moe of treatment may result. 500: f in these voluntary etails nothing has h as been mentione respecting several parts or functions of the boy or his mental state, the physician asks "hat more can he be hol in regar to these parts an these functions, or the state of his isposition or min8 but in oing this he only makes use of general e!pression, in orer that this informants may be be oblige to enter into special etails concerning them. 50@: =hen a patient has by these etails given of his o"n accor an in ans"er to in;uiries, furnishe the re;uisite information an trace a tolerably perfect p icture of the isease, the physician is at liberty an oblige to ask more precise, more special ;uestions. =hat sort of taste has he in his mouth> =hat kin of foo an rink are most relishe> =hat are most repugnant to him> #as # as each its full natural taste, or some other unusual taste> #o" oes he feel after rinking or eating> #as he anything to tell about the hea, the limbs, or the abomen> 5@3: =hen the physician has finishe "riting o"n these particulars, he then makes a note of "hat he himself observes in the patient, an ascertains ho" much of that "as peculiar to the patient in his healthy state.
"r$ Samue) %a&nemenn's uide)ines reardin t&e art of case-takin 5@2: he symptoms an feelings of the patient uring a previous course of o f meicine o not furnish the pure picture of the isease8 but, on the other han, those symptoms an ailments "hich he suffere from before the use of meicines or after they have been iscontinue for several ays, give the true funamental iea of the original form of the isease, an these especially the physician ph ysician must take note of. =hen the isease is of a chronic character, an the patient has been taking meicine up to the time he is seen, the physician may "ith avantage leave him some ays ;uite "ithout meicine, or in the meantime aminister something of an unmeicinal nature an efer to a subse;uent perio the more precise scrutiny of the morbi symptoms, in orer to be able to grasp in their purity the permanent uncontaminate symptoms of the ol affection an to form a faithful picture of the isease. 5@A: But if it be a isease of a rapi course, an if its serious character amit of no elay, the physician must content himself "ith observing the morbi conitions, altere though it may be by meicines, if he cannot ascertain "hat symptoms "ere present before the
employment of meicine, – in orer that he may at least form a 7ust apprehension of the complete picture of the isease in its actual conition, that is to say, of the con7oint co n7oint malay forme by the meicinal an original isease, "hich from the use of inappropriate rugs is generally more serious an angerous ange rous than "as the original isease, an hence emans prompt an efficient ai, an by thus tracing out the complete picture of the isease he "ill be enable to combat it "ith a suitable homeopathic remey, so that the patient shall not fall a sacrifice to the in7urious rugs he has s"allo"e. 5@1: f the isease has been brought on a short time, or, in the case of a chronic affection, a consierable time previously, by some obvious cause, then the patient-or his friens "hen ;uestione privately-"ill mention it either spontaneously or "hen carefully interrogate. 5@4: =hen in;uiring into the state of chronic iseases, the particular circumstances of the patient "ith regar to his orinary occupation, his usual moe of living an iet, his omestic situation, an forth, must be "ell consiere an scrutini6e, to ascertain "hat there is in them that may ten to prouce or to manifest isease, in orer that by their removal the recovery may be promote. 5@: n chronic iseases the investigation of the signs of isease above mentione, an of all others, must be pursue as carefully an circumstantially, as possible, an the uni;ue peculiarities may be attene to, partly because in these iseases these are the most characteristic an least resemble those of acute iseases, an if a cure is tom be affecte they cannot be too accurately note8 partly because the patients become so use to their long sufferings that they pay little or no hee to the lesser accessory symptoms, "hich are often very pregnant "ith meaning-often very useful in etermining the choice of the remey-an regar them as almost a necessary part of their conition, almost as health, the real meaning of "hich they have "ell-nigh forgotten in their sometimes fifteen or t"enty years of suffering, an they can scarcely bring themselves to believe that these accessory symptoms, these greater or lesser eviation from the healthy state, can have any connection "ith the principal malay. 5@<: Besies this, the patients themselves iffer so much in their ispositions, the some, especially the so-calle hypochonriacs an other persons of great sensitiveness an impatient of suffering, portray, their symptoms in too vivi colours an, in orer to inuce the physician to give g ive them relief, escribe their ailments in e!aggerate e!pressions. 5@?: %ther iniviuals of an opposite character, ch aracter, ho"ever, partly from false moesty, partly from a kin of milness of isposition isposition or "eakness of min, refrain from mentioning a number of their symptoms, escribing them in vague terms, or allege some of them to be of no conse;uence. 5@0: o", as certainly as "e shoul listen particularly to the patients escription of his sufferings an sensations, an attach creence especially to his o"n e!pressions
"here"ith he eneavors to make us unerstan his ailments-because in the mouth of his friens an attenants they are usually altere an erroneously state-so certainly on the other han, in all iseases, but especially in the chronic ones, the investigation of the true, complete picture an its peculiarities eman special circumspection, tact, kno"lege of human nature, caution in conucting the in;uiry an patience in an imminent egree. 5@@: %n the "hole, the investigation of acute isease, or of such as have e!iste but a short time, is much the easiest for the physician, because all the phenomena an eviations from the health that has been recently lost are still fresh in the memory of the patients an his friens, still continue to be novel an striking. he physician certainly re;uires to kno" everything in such cases also8 but he has much less to in;uire into8 they are for the most part spontaneously etaile on him. 5233: n investigating the totality of the symptoms of epiemic an sporaic iseases it is ;uite immaterial "hether or not something similar has ever appeare in the "orl before uner the same or any other name. he novelty or peculiarity of a isease of that kin makes on ifference either in the moe of e!amining or of treating it, as the physician in any "ay regar the pure picture of every prevailing isease as if it "ere something ne" an unkno"n an investigate it thoroughly for itself, if he esires to practice meicine in a real an raical manner, never substituting con7uncture for actual observation, never taking for grante that the case of isease before him is alreay "holly or partially kno"n, but al"ays carefully e!amining it in all its phases8 an this moe of proceure is all the more re;uisite in such cases, as a careful e!amination "ill sho" that every prevailing isease in many respects a phenomena of a uni;ue character iffering vastly from all previous epiemics, to "hich certain names have been falsely applie"ith the e!ception of those epiemics resulting from a contagious principle that al"ays remain the same, such as small-po!, measles, Dc. 5232: t may easily happen that in the first case of an epiemic isease that presents itself to the physicians notice he oes not at once obtain a kno"lege of its complete picture, as it is only by a close observation of several cases of every such collective isease that he becomes conversant, "ith the totality of its signs an symptoms. he carefully observing physician can, ho"ever, from the e!amination of even the first or secon patients, often arrives so nearly at the kno"lege of the true state as to have in his min a characteristic portrait of it, an even to succee in fining a suitable, homeopathically aapte remey for it. 523A: n the course of "riting o"n the symptoms of several cases of this kin the sketch of the isease becomes even more an more complete, no more spun out an verbose but more significant, an incluing more of the peculiarities of this collective isease8 on the one han the general symptoms become precisely efine as to their peculiarities an on the other, the more marke an special symptoms "hich are peculiar but to fe" iseases an of rarer occurrence, at least in the same combination, become more prominent an constitute "hat is characteristic of this malay. )ll those affecte "ith the isease prevailing at a given time have certainly contracte it from one an the same source an hence are suffering from the same isease8 but the "hole e!tent of such an epiemic
isease an the totality of its symptoms can not be learne from one single patient, but is only to be perfectly euce an ascertaine from the sufferings of several patients of ifferent constitutions. 5231: n the same manner as has here been taught relative to the epiemic isease, "hich are generally of an acute nature, the miasmatic chronic malaies, "hich, as have sho"n, al"ays remain the same in their essential nature, especially the Esora, must be investigate, as to the "hole sphere of symptoms, in a much more minute manner than has ever been one before, for in them also one patient e!hibits a portion of their symptoms, a secon an thir, an so on, present some other symptoms, "hich also are but a portion of the totality of the symptoms "hich constitute the entire e!tent of this malay, so that the "hole array of the symptoms belonging to such a miasmatic, chronic isease, an especially to the Esora, can only be ascertaine from the observation of very many single patients affecte "ith such a chronic isease an "ithout a complete survey an collective picture of these symptoms, the meicines capable of curing the "hole malay homeopathically cannot be iscovere8 an these meicines are, at the same time, the true remeies of the several patients suffering from such chronic affections. 5234: =hen the totality of the symptoms that especially mark an istinguish the case of isease or, in other "ors, "hen the picture of the isease, "hatever be its kin, is once accurately sketche, the most ifficult part of the task is accomplishe. he physician has then the picture of the isease, especially if it be a chronic one, al"ays before him to guie him in his treatment8 he can investigate it in all its parts an can pick out the characteristic symptoms in orer to oppose to these, that is to say, to the "hole malay itself, a very similar artificial morbific force, in the shape of a homeopathically chosen meicinal substance, selecte from the list of all the symptoms of the meicines "hose pure effects have been ascertaine. )n "hen, uring the treatment, he "ishes to ascertain "hat has been the effect of the meicine, an "hat change has taken place in the patients state8 at this fresh e!amination of the patient he only nees to strike out of the list of the symptoms note o"n at the first visit those that have been ameliorate, to mark "hat still remains, an a any ne" symptoms that may have supervene.
A 1road Sc&eme of Case Takin $
%istory or interroation of t&e patient
Fa.G Earticulars of the patient Fb.G Eresent complaints Fc.G Eersonal history F.G East history Fe.G Hamily history
Ff.G
#omeopathic generalities
6$
2&ysica) examination
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2rovisiona) dianosis
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Specia) investiation
7$
C)inica) dianosis
8$
9iasmatic dianosis
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"ianosis of t&e patient-Individua)i;ation
+$ T&erapeutic dianosis-by tota)ity of symptoms t&rou& t&e process of eva)uation after interpretation and ana)ysis$
(ist of Case-Takin F)apte from +) Brief Stuy Course in #omeopathyI by *r. Jli6abeth =right.G I$ T&e patient's story$ II$ 9oda)ities as app)ied to eac& of t&e above symptoms in t&e fo))owin order:
Fa.G Cause Fb.G Eroorme, onset, pace, se;uence, uration Fc.G Character, location, laterality, e!tension an raiation of pain or sensations. F.G Concomitants an alterations Fe.G )ggravation or amelioration. 2. ime Fhour, ay, night, before or after minightG8 perioicity8 seasons8 moon phases. A. emperature an "eather8 chilly or "arm blooe usually, chilly or "arm blooe in present illness8 "et, ry, col or hot "eather changes8 sno" storm, thuner storm8 hot sun, "in, fog, sno"8 open air, "arm room, changes from one to another, stuffy cro"e places, raughts, "armth of be, heat of stove, uncovering. 1.
Bathing Fhot, col, or seaG, local applications Fhot, col, "et, or ryG.
4. &est or motion Fslo", rapi, ascening, or escening, turning in be, e!ertion, "alking, on first motion, after moving a "hile, "hile moving, after moving, car an seasicknessG. . Eosition: staning, sitting Fknee-crosse, rising from sittingG, stooping Frising from stoopingG, lying Fon painful sie, back, right or left sie, abomen, hea high or lo", rising from lyingG, leaning hea back"ar, for"ar, sie-"ise, closing or opening eyes, any unusual position such as knee-chest. <. J!ternal stimuli: touch Fhar or lightG, pressure, rubbing, constriction Fclothing etc.G, 7ar, riing, stepping, light, noise, music, conversation, oours. ?. Jating: in general Fbefore, uring, after hot or col foo or rinkG, s"allo"ing Fsolis, li;uis, emptyG, acis, fats, salt, salty foo, starches, sugar an s"eet8 green vegetables, milk, eggs, meat, fish, oysters, onions, beer, li;uor, "ine, coffee, tea, tobacco, rugs etc. 0.
hirst: ;uantity, fre;uency, hot, col, or ice, sours, bitter, etc.
@.
Sleep: in general Fbefore, uring, on falling asleep, in first sleep, after, on "akingG
23. $enses: before, uring, after, or suppresse. 22. S"eat: hot or col, foot s"eat, partial or suppresse. 2A. %ther ischarges: bleeing, cory6a, iarrhoea, vomiting, urine, emissions, leucorrhoea, etc., suppression of the same. Ff.G Strange, rare, an peculiar symptoms. III$ T&e patient as a w&o)e: 2&ysica) (enera)s and 9enta) (enera)s$ 2%
A=S
Fa.G he constitutional type of the patient. Fb.G )ilments from emotions: Suppressions Femotion ischarges such as menses, s"eat, leucorrhoea, catarrh, iarrhoea, etc.8 eruptions8 iseases e.g. malaria, rheumatic fever, syphilis, gonorrhea, etc8 of pathology e.g. haemorrhois, fistulae, ulcers, tonsils, tumors, other surgical conitions etc.G8 from e!posure of co, "et, hot, sun, etc. from mechanical conitions e.g., overeating, in7ury, etc.G Fc.G $enses: ate of establishment, regularity Fearly or lateG, uration, colour, consistency, oour, amount, clots, consistency, aggravation or amelioration before, uring, or after Fboth physically an mentallyG, menopause Fsymptoms ofG.
F.G %ther ischarges: cause, colour, consistency, oour, acri, or blan, symptoms from suppression of, symptoms alternating "ith8 hot or col, partial ischarges as of s"eat, laterality, better or "orse from ischarges Fbefore, uring, or afterG. Fe.G Sleep: better or "orse from, position in aggravation after, ifficulty in getting to sleep, "aking fre;uently or early, at "hat hour, somnambulism, talking in sleep, reams, restless uring. Ff.G
&estlessness: prostration, "eakness, trembling, chill, fever, etc.
Fg.G )ggravations an )meliorations referring to patient as a "hole. Fh.G %b7ective symptoms e.g., reness of orifices, superfluous hair, applying to the patient as a "hole. Fi.G Eathology, "hich applies to the patient as a "hole, e.g., tenency to tumors, "ens, cysts, polyps, "arts, moles-iniviuals an family tenency to certain isease or "eakness of specific organs of tissues Falso relate to Fa.G above an to physician e!aminationG, fre;uency of catching col. 9E5TA= (E5E>A=S
Fa.G =ill: loves, hates an emotions Fsuicial, loathing of lifeG8 lasciviousness, revulsion to se!, se!ual perversions8 fears8 gree, eating, honey, emotionality. Smoking, rinking, rugs8 reams8 homicial tenencies, esire or aversion to company, family, friens8 7ealousy, suspicion, obstinacy, contrariness, epression, lo;uacity, impatience, conscientiousness. Fb.G Knerstaning: elusions, elirium, hallucinations, mental confusions, loss of time sense. Fc.G ntellect: memory, concentration, mistakes in "riting an speaking. I4$ ?uick review of conditions of every system and oran beinnin wit& &ead to foot$ 4$ 2ast &istory of t&e patient$ 4I$ @ami)y &istory$
2&ysica) Examination T&is inc)udes enera) survey )oca) examination and enera) examination$ *A$0 (enera) Survey:
F2.G
Leneral assessment of illness
FA.G
$ental state an intelligence
F1.G
Built an state of nutrition
F4.G
)ttitue
F.G
Lait
F<.G
Hacies:- look at the face
F?.G
*ecubitus:- position of patient in be
F0.G
Colour of skin
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Eallor
F23.G
Skin eruptions
F22.G
Eulse
F2A.G
&espiration
F21.G
emperature
*1$0 =oca) Examination:
his is the most important part of physical e!amination, as a careful local e!amination "ill give a efinite clue to arrive at a iagnosis. By local e!amination, "e mean e!amination of the affecte region. t shoul be one using follo"ing clinical methos of e!amination: F2.G nspection – looking at the affecte part of the boy. t shoul be carrie out after complete e!posure of the affecte part. t shoul be compare "ith the corresponing normal appearance, "henever possible. FA.G Ealpation – feeling the affecte part by hans. t "ill not only corroborate the finings seen in inspection but also ae information an "ith traine hans may not re;uire any further e!amination to come to a iagnosis. F1.G Eercussion – listening to the tapping note of a finger place over another finger or a percussion hammer. F4.G )uscultation – listening to the souns prouce "ithin the boy "ith the help of a stethoscope.
F.G $ovements an $easurements – movements of the 7oint concerne an measurements of the affecte part are important in orthopeic cases an cases of nerve in7uries an trauma. F<.G J!amination of the Mymph oes – helps in clinical iagnosis of many acute an chronic inflammatory conitions an also the nature of any neoplastic gro"th i.e. "hether benign or malignant, an the e!tent of metastasis. *1$0 (enera) Examination:
t is re;uire to e!clue any systemic isease in a patient coming "ith a locali6e problem. t is also helpful in fining the real cause of a symptom occurring in a particular organ "hen the cause of the locali6e symptoms lies some "here else in the boy. Hor e. g8 pain in shouler can be ue to pressure on iaphragm by some abominal pathology.
Attributes for Case Takin he case recor shoul be analy6e for the follo"ing attributes: F2.G Jach of the symptoms must be complete "ith regar to the sensation, location, moality, an concomitant. FA.G he symptoms shoul have a chronological orer of evelopment an progress. F1.G hey must be ivisible into sub7ective an ob7ective ones. F4.G he symptoms must be ivisible into generals an particulars. F.G Jach of the general or particular symptoms must be ifferentiate as common or uncommon. F<.G he grae of each symptom must be carefully note. F?.G he peculiar combinations, or concomitance, or alteration of certain symptoms, if present, must be clearly note. F0.G Jnvironmental, occupational an other e!ogenous influences on the case must be epicte. [email protected] he past history an the family history of the case shoul be given ue attention. F23.G he case recor shoul be neat, orerly, comprehensible, an complete in all respects
%omeopat&ic Case Takin and 2at&o)oica) "ianosis
3 4iews of "r$ Stuart C)ose
+ he iagnosis of the isease by moern methos is base largely upon physical signs, tests, an reactions, involving the use of many instruments of precision, in "hich the patient takes no active part, an of "hich he has kno"lege. he selection of the homeopathic remey on the other han, is base very largely an sometimes entirely on the phenomena, or euctions ra"n from the phenomena, of sub7ective, conscious e!perience, perceive only by the patient an state by him to the e!aminer. early all of the ob7ective phenomena possessing value from the stanpoint of homeopathic therapeutics are of such a character that they re;uire the e!ercise of only the physical senses an orinary po"ers of observation by the patient, his friens, or the physician himself. his istinction shoul be kept clearly in min. J!amination for the purpose of pathological stuy an for iagnosis are necessary an important in their several fiels8 but from the stan point of homeopathic pharmaco-therapeutics, their importance is relative, not absolute. )sie from the physical an organic locali6ation of isease, they furnish comparatively little that is of value to the homeopathic prescriber in his special "ork of selecting the symptomatically similar meicine.I +NN.n this spirit "e may all cooperate for the best interests of our profession an our patients, an agree "ith #ahnemann in the postulate of the first paragraph of the +%rganonI: +he highest an only mission of the physician is to heal the sick.I Jvery meical specialty is suborinate to that ieal. he "ork of the homeopathic prescriber, ealing "ith specifically "ith the application of meicines to isease accoring to a efinite principle for the purpose of curing such conitions as are amenable to meicines, must ever remain one of the most important of the functions fulfille by the physician.I
A 5ote on t&e BTota)ity of Symptoms 34iews of "r$ Stuart C)ose
+ he totality of the symptoms means, first, the totality of each iniviual symptom. ) single symptom is more than a single fact8 it is a fact "ith its history, its origin, its location, its progress or irection, an its conitions.I +NN.he totality of symptoms means all the symptoms of the case "hich are capable of being logically combine into a harmonious an consistent "hole, having form, coherency, an iniviuality. echnically, the totality is more than the mere numerical totality of the symptoms. t inclues the +concomittanceI or form in "hich the symptoms are groupe.I +NNhe +totalityI is not, therefore, a mere hapha6ar, fortuitous 7umble of symptoms thro"n together "ithout rhyme or reason, any more than a similar hapha6ar collection of pathogenetic symptoms in a proving constitutes $ateria $eica. he totality means the sum of the aggregates of the symptoms: not mere the numerical aggregates'the entire number of the symptoms as particulars or single symptoms'but
their sum total, their organic "hole as an iniviuality. )s a machine set up complete an in perfect orer is more than a numerical aggregate of its single issociate parts, so the totality is more than the mere aggregate of its constituent symptoms. t is the iea or plan, "hich unites them in a special manner to give them its characteristic form. )s the parts of a machine cannot be thro"n together in any hapha6ar manner, but each part must be fitte to each other art in a certain efinite relation accoring to a preconceive plan or esign'+assembleI, as the mechanics say'so the symptoms of a case must be +assembleI in such a manner that they constitute an ientity, an iniviuality, "hich may be seen an recogni6e as "e recogni6e the personality of a frienI 3(uide)ines by "r$ Samue) %a&nemann in &is BOranon of 9edicine:
5<: he unpre7uice observer'"ell a"are of the futility of the transcenental speculations "hich can receive on confirmation from e!perience'be his po"ers f penetration ever so great takes note of nothing in every iniviual e!cept the changes in the health of the boy an of the min "hich can be perceive e!ternally by means of the senses8 that is to say, he notes only eviations from the former healthy state of the no" isease iniviual, "hich are felt by the patient himself, remarke by those aroun him an observe by the physician. )ll these perceptible signs represent the isease as a "hole e!tent8 that is, together they form the true an only conceivable portrait of the isease. 52: he affection of the morbily erange, spirit like ynamis that animates our boy in the invisible interior, an the totality of the out"arly cogni6able symptoms prouce by it in the organism an representing the e!isting malay constitutes a "hole8 they are one an the same. 52?: o", as in the cure effecte by the removal of the "hole of the perceptible signs an symptoms of the isease the internal alteration of the vital force to "hich the isease is ue'conse;uently the "hole of the isease'is at the same time remove, it follo"s that the physician has only to remove the "hole of the symptoms in orer, at the same, to abrogate an annihilate the internal change, that is to say, the morbi erangement of the vital force'conse;uently the totality of the isease, the isease itself. 520: Hrom the inubitable truth, that besies the totality of the symptoms nothing can be by any means iscovere in isease "here "ith they coul e!press their nee of ai, it follo"s uneniably that the sum of all the symptoms in each iniviual case of isease must be the sole inication, the sole guie to irect us in the choice of a remey.
Abstract/Excerpt
Misten o he )uio Mecture for )phorism A< to A? F$E1/@.0mbG ime fliesO =hen last "rote a lecture on the aphorisms, ha promise the ne!t lecture
the follo"ing month. kne" my lecture "as overue, but "hen starte "riting toay, it struck me that nearly seven months have passe since thenO But better [...]
=isten To T&e Audio =ecture for Ap&orism 68 to 6 *92,/D$+7mb0
ime fliesO =hen last "rote a lecture on the aphorisms, ha promise the ne!t lecture the follo"ing month. kne" my lecture "as overue, but "hen starte "riting toay, it struck me that nearly seven months have passe since thenO But better late than neverO "oul like to begin this lecture by summari6ing "hat "e stuie in our previous lecture that iscusse aphorisms 2@ to A. n those aphorisms "e iscusse the curative po"er of meicine an ho" to ascertain it. n summary, "e ha iscusse: •
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*isease is an altere state of health. So the curative po"er of a meicine must lie in its po"er to alter the altere state of health. he curative po"er of meicines can only be ascertaine by e!perience, by testing them on healthy human beings. Since the effect of a meicinal substance on the healthy human boy is manifest only in the form of symptoms, this ability to alter the healthy state of a human being, must be the curative property of the meicines too. $eicines can alter the human state in t"o "ays – by proucing similar or opposite symptoms. J!perience has sho"n that meicine o not give curative results in chronic iseases, if they prouce opposite symptoms. Symptoms "hen suppresse by allopathic treatment, after an initial phase of amelioration, reboun more strongly. herefore "e can affect a cure only by giving a meicine "hich prouces the most similar symptoms Fartificial iseaseG "hen given to a healthy iniviual. he greater the similarity in symptom picture an ose, the more raical an permanent is the cure.
)fter elaborating on "hat is the curative property of our meicines an ho" to ascertain it, #ahnemann moves on to e!plain "hy the similar remey is able to affect a cure. Mets rea "hat he has sai: 68
his epens on the follo"ing homoeopathic la" of nature "hich "as sometimes, inee, vaguely surmise but not hitherto fully recogni6e, an to "hich is ue every real cure that has ever taken place: ) "eaker ynamic affection is permanently e!tinguishe in the living organism by a stronger one, if the latter F"hilst iffering in kinG is very similar to the former in its manifestations.2
So he says that the similar remey is able to cure the patient because in nature too it has been observe that a "eaker isease is automatically remove if the patient contracts a similar but stronger isease. #e calls this phenomenon – The Homeopathic Law of Nature or The Nature’s Law of Cure. he conitions for this la" to become applicable are: 2. Both the affections shoul be ynamic in nature. A. hey both shoul be similar in their manifestations. 1. But they shoul iffer in kin. 4. he later one shoul be stronger than the former one. #ere it is necessary to unerstan "hat is meant by dynamic in nature an differing in kind . ) ynamic affection is one, "hich primarily starts as a erangement of the vital force or a isturbance in the thermoynamic e;uilibrium of our boy. Sickness arising from in7ury or accients may nee allopathic or antipathic intervention. ake this statement "ith a pinch of salt. t oes not mean that homeopathic remeies "ill not "ork in ailments arising from in7uries. hey "ill often o but in many cases non-homeopathic primary intervention may be re;uire. othing "rong "ith thatO Jven #ahnemann has clearly "ritten in the %rganon that sometimes surgery an antipathic measures are re;uire to save the life of a person. #ahnemann has ;ualifie the nee for similarity "ith whilst differing in kind to ifferentiate #omeopathy from sopathy. n isopathy the substance that prouces an ailment is sai to cure it too. t is the use of same influence an not similar. #omeopathy is base on the similarity of the ynamic affect an the symptoms. #ahnemann has "ritten at length about the ifference bet"een sopathy an #omeopathy in the introuction of %rganon of $eicine. )t one point he has given a very interesting e!ample about this ifference: So, to give another e!ample from physical action, the in7ury resulting from a blo" on the forehea "ith a har substance Fa painful lumpG is soon iminishe in pain an s"elling by pressing on the spot for a consierable time "ith the ball of the thumb strongly at first, an then graually less forcibly, homoeopathically but not by an e;ually har blo" "ith an e;ually har boy, "hich "oul increase the evil isopathically. his is a mechanical e!ample to give a broa unerstaning of the concept. #e has basically ;ualifie his e!pression to stress on the fact that the effect of the meicine shoul be similar to the effect of the isease but it shoul be erive from a ifferent source. %nly then it "ill "ork accoring to the Nature’s Law of Cure. o" t"o ;uestions nee further e!planation: 2. =hy the t"o ynamic influences nee to be similar> A. =hy the later one has to be stronger>
have alreay ans"ere the first ;uestion in part an "e "ill iscuss both these ;uestions in etail "hen "e stuy aphorism 44 to 4<. So in aphorism A<, he is basically saying that homeopathic meicines are able to cure because they "ork the "ay nature "orks. But oes it really happen in nature> =here are the e!amples> ll come to that soon but let us first rea the footnote to this aphorism: 2 hus are cure both physical affections an moral malaies. #o" is it that in the early a"n the brilliant Pupiter vanishes from the ga6e of the beholer> By a stronger very similar po"er acting on his optic nerve, the brightness of approaching ayO – n situations replete "ith foeti oors, "here"ith is it usual to soothe effectually the offene olfactory nerves> =ith snuff, that affects the sense of smell in a similar but stronger mannerO o music, no sugare cake, "hich act on the nerves of other senses, can cure this olfactory isgust. #o" oes the solier cunningly stifle the piteous cries of him "ho runs the gauntlet from the ears of the compassionate bystaners> By the shrill notes of the fife commingle "ith the roll of the noisy rumO )n the istant roar of the enemys cannon that inspires his army "ith fear> By the lou boom of the big rumO Hor neither the one nor the other "oul the istribution of a brilliant piece of uniform nor a repriman to the regiment suffice. n like manner, mourning an sorro" "ill be efface from the min by the account of another an still greater cause for sorro" happening to another, even though it be a mere fiction. he in7urious conse;uences of too great 7oy "ill be remove by rinking coffee, "hich prouces an e!cessive 7oyous state of min. ations like the Lermans, "ho have for centuries been graually sinking eeper an eeper in soulless apathy an egraing serfom, must first be troen still eeper in the ust by the =estern Con;ueror, until their situation became intolerable8 their mean opinion of themselves "as thereby over-straine an remove8 they again became alive to their ignity as men, an then, for the first time, they raise their heas as Lermans. n this footnote #ahnemann has trie to e!plain the concept of ho" a strong similar affection overshao"s or annihilates a "eaker similar affection. #e has given e!amples of bright Pupiter isappearing "hen the sun shines an ho" a strong snuff makes the ba oours in surrouning atmosphere isappear. %ne may argue that although Pupiter is not visible "hen the sun shines, it is still there. Similarly, you cannot perceive the ba oour "hen you take a snuff, but the oour is still there. Qes, agreeO hese are not perfect e!amples. hese are 7ust similes to make one unerstan the concept in a very basic an simple "ay. #ahnemann probably i it kno"ingly because it is easy to unerstan a more comple! similar relationship among iseases, if one unerstans the basic concepts of similarity an ho" strength plays a role in perception. he actual e!amples of the homeopathic la" of nature are given in aphorism 4< of the Organon of Medicine: 8
$any e!amples might be auce of isease "hich, in the course of nature, have been homoeopathically cure by other iseases presenting similar symptoms, "ere it not necessary, as our ob7ect is to speak about something eterminate an inubitable, to
confine our attention solely to those Ffe"G isease "hich are invariably the same, arise from a fi!e miasm, an hence merit a istinct name. )mong these the smallpo!, so reae on account of the great number of its serious symptoms, occupies a prominent position, an it has remove an cure a number of malaies "ith similar symptoms. #o" fre;uently oes smallpo! prouce violent ophthalmia, sometimes even causing blinnessO )n seeO By its inoculation *e6oteu!2 cure a chronic ophthalmia permanently, an MeroyA another. )n amaurosis of t"o years uration, conse;uent on suppresse scal hea, "as perfectly cure by it, accoring to 9lein.1 #o" often oes smallpo! cause eafness an yspnoeaO )n both these chronic iseases it remove on reaching its acme, as P. Hr. Closs4 observe. S"elling of the testicle, even of a very severe character, is a fre;uent symptom of small po!, an on this account it "as enable, as 9lein observe, to cure, by virtue of similarity, a large har s"elling of the left testicle, conse;uently on a bruise. )n another observer< sa" a similar s"elling of the testicle cure by it. )mong the troublesome symptoms of small-po! is a ysenteric state of the bo"els8 an it subue, as Hr. =ent? observe, a case of ysentery, as a similar morbific agent. Smallpo! coming on after vaccination, as "ell on account of its greater strength as its great similarity, at once removes entirely the co"-po! homoeopathically, an oes not permit it to come to maturity8 but, on the other han, the co"-po! "hen near maturity oes, on account of its great similarity, homoeopathically iminish very much the supervening smallpo! an make it much miler0, as $uhry@ an many others testify. he inoculate co"-po!, "hose lymph, besies the protective matter, contains the contagion of a general cutaneous eruption of another nature, consisting of usually small, ry Frarely large, pustularG pimples, resting on a small re areola, fre;uently con7oine "ith roun re cutaneous spots an often accompanie by the most violent itching, "hich rash appears in not a fe" chilren several ays before, more fre;uently, ho"ever, after the re areola of the co"-pock, an goes off in a fe" ays, leaving behin small, re, har spots on the skin8 – the inoculate co"-po!, say, after it has taken, cures perfectly an permanently, in a homoeopathic manner, by the similarity of this accessory miasm, analogous cutaneous eruptions of chilren, often of very long staning an of a very troublesome character, as a number of observers assert.23 he co"-po!, a peculiar symptom of "hich is to cause tumefaction of the arm22, cure, after it broke out, a s"ollen half-paraly6e arm.2A he fever accompanying co"-po!, "hich occurs at the time of the prouction of the re areola, cure homoeopathically intermittent fever in t"o iniviuals, as the younger #arege21 reports, confirming "hat P. #unter24 ha alreay observe, that t"o fevers Fsimilar iseasesG cannot co-e!ist in the same boy. he measles bear a strong resemblance in the character of its fever an cough to the "hooping-cough, an hence it "as that Bos;uillon2 notice, in an epiemic "here both these affections prevaile, that many chilren "ho then took measles remaine free from
"hooping-cough uring that epiemic. hey "oul all have been protecte from, an renere incapable of being infecte by, the "hooping-cough in that an all subse;uent epiemics, by the measles, if the "hooping-cough "ere not a isease that has only a partial similarity to the measles, that is to say, if it ha also a cutaneous eruption similar to "hat the latter possesses. )s it is, ho"ever, the measles can but preserve a large number from "hooping-cough homoeopathically, an that only in the epiemic prevailing at the time. f, ho"ever, the measles come in contact "ith a isease resembling it in its chief symptom, the eruption, it can inisputably remove, an effect a homoeopathic cure of the latter. hus a chronic herpetic eruption "as entirely an permanently FhomoeopathicallyG cure2< by the breaking out of the measles, as 9ortum2? observe. )n e!cessively burning miliary rash on the face, neck, an arms, that ha laste si! years, an "as aggravate by every change of "eather, on the invasion of measles assume the form of a s"elling of the surface of the skin8 after the measles ha run its course the e!anthema "as cure, an returne no more.20 So you can see "hy #ahnemann "as so confient about his finings. #e ha e!cellent kno"lege of many historical meical te!ts an he "as able to relate the cures seen in nature "ith the phenomena relate to the similarity of symptoms that he ha observe through provings. =e o not see such e!amples in nature very often because there are very fe" iseases in nature that have very similar symptomatology. hen it "oul be highly coinciental that t"o iseases that are similar, meet in an iniviual at the same time an the later one is stronger tooO )lso, the e!amples given by #ahnemann are historical Fsmallpo! oesnt even e!ist toayOG an very ifficult to verify uring our times. )re you a"are of any such moern ay e!amples> f yes, please share them "ith me at eitorRhpathy.com =hile nature has sho"n us the "ay, it has its limitations too. )part from the rarity of natural similar cures taking place, the natural phenomena also has many ra"backs. n a natural isplay of this la", the later isease might remove the former isease, but that isease can be more angerous than the former one. he boy cannot regulate the later isease for its benefit. t has to 7ust "ait for it to go. )n that is "here homeopathic meicines fill the voi. =e can prouce similar artificial states an "e can regulate their strength through manipulation of ose. Elus, the secon ynamic isease also passes a"ay more s"iftly, "ithout causing any pathological abnormalities. So "e put into use the gift of nature more effectively than nature itselfO #ahnemann has also mentione in this aphorism that this la" of nature "as kno"n to many people before him, but it "as not given a formal shape an "as not put into practice systematically. #ahnemann has given many e!amples of the historical a"areness of simila in the introuction to his %rganon of $eicine. )fter stating that nature also cures by the la" of similia, #ahnemann reasserts in aphorism A? that the curative po"er of meicines epens solely on their ability to
prouce similar, but stronger symptoms an by giving such a remey in a case, the isease is remove permanently, rapily an totally – the ieal cureO 6
he curative po"er of meicines, therefore, epens on their symptoms, similar to the isease but superior to it in strength F 2A – A
Abstract/Excerpt
Misten o he )uio Mecture for )phorism 2@ to A F$E1/@.0mbG 9no"lege of $eicine *o you remember my lecture on the thir aphorism> Met us recollect [...]
=isten To T&e Audio =ecture for Ap&orism D to 67 *92,/D$+7mb0
Fnow)ede of 9edicine
*o you remember my lecture on the thir aphorism> Met us recollect a little about it. he thir aphorism states: 'f the physician clearly perceives what is to &e cured in diseases( that is to say( in every individual case of disease )knowledge of disease( indication*( if he clearly perceives what is curative in medicines( that is to say( in each individual medicine )knowledge of medical powers*( and if he knows how to adapt( according to clearly defined principles( what is curative in medicines to what he has discovered to &e undou&tedly mor&id in the patient( so that the recovery must ensue+
n the first aphorism "e iscusse the mission of a physician, in the secon "e iscusse the highest ieal of cure an in the thir, "e iscusse "hat kno"lege is re;uire by a physician to effect a cure. Hrom aphorism 4 to 20, "e iscusse the first re;uirement – kno"lege of "hat is to be cure in isease. f you remember, in those aphorisms #ahnemann talke about the importance of symptoms an ho" they reflect the internal essence of the isease. he aphorisms 2@ to 14 elaborate the secon form of kno"lege, that is, "hat is curative in meicines an from 1 to <@, "e "ill iscuss ho" to aapt our kno"lege of meicine to cure sick patients. o unerstan "hat is curative in meicine, "e "ill e!plore aphorisms 2@ to 14 an "ill try to unerstan "hat #ahnemann sai about fining the curative po"ers of meicines. =e "ill o this in 1 parts: 2. Knerstan "hat is the curative po"er of a meicine F2@-AG A. atures Ma" of Cure FA<-A?G 1. Knerstan "hy "e react more to meicines in the isease state. FA0-14G T&e Curative 2ower of 9edicine
#ahnemann iscusse the curative po"ers or our meicines in aphorisms 2@ to A. n the 2@th aphorism he says that isease is nothing but an altere state of health an to affect a cure, "e nee to change the isease state back to the healthy conition. So the meicines must have the po"er to alter our state of health an inee their curative po"er arises solely from their ability to alter our state of health. Met us rea the aphorism no". t says: D 3 o", as iseases are nothing more than alterations in the state of health of the healthy iniviual "hich e!press themselves by morbi signs, an the cure is also only possible by a change to the healthy conition of the state of health of the isease iniviual, it is very evient that meicines coul never cure isease if they i not possess the po"er of altering mans state of health "hich epens on sensations an
functions8 inee, that their curative po"er must be o"ing solely to this po"er they possess of altering mans state of health. he aphorism looks very simplistic but it lays o"n the first characteristic for a meicine – it shoul not be inert. t shoul have the potential to alter the health of a living being. o" some of you might say that many homeopathic meicines are erive from inert substances like Mycopoium an Silica. he source of these meicines coul be inert but the form Fpotenti6eG in "hich they are use is not inert. #o" po"erful the effect of these meicines coul be, can only be learne through e!perience. ll share a small incient here. evelope premature graying of hair after a bout of yphoi at age 23. =hen "as a first year meical stuent, rea that Mycopoium is inicate for premature graying of hairs. =ithout thinking much took a ose of Mycopoium 2$. ) couple of ays later starte getting a sensation as if ha a s"elling in my right inguinal region. "as frightene by the thought of having inguinal hernia. "oul check the area repeately, o the cough-test for hernia repeately but the s"elling "as never there. But the sensation "as al"ays thereO later reali6e that "as proving Mycopoium an it took more than one year for the sensation to go. hat "as my first lesson in unerstaning the po"er of the potenti6e meicines, their ability to alter a mans state of healthO So coming back to the aphorism, the form in "hich "e inten to use a meicinal substance shoul not be inert. t shoul have the po"er to alter a mans state of health. o" let us move on to the ne!t aphorism, "hich states: 6. 3 his spirit-like po"er to alter mans state of health Fan hence to cure iseasesG "hich lies hien in the inner nature of meicines can in itself never be iscovere by us by a mere effort of reason8 it is only by e!perience of the phenomena it isplays "hen acting on the state of health of man that "e can become clearly cogni6ant of it.
So after saying that a meicine shoul have the po"er to alter our health, #ahnemann tells us ho" to ientify or iscover the meicinal po"ers of a substance. #e says that "e can only fin out about the effectiveness of a meicine by unerstaning its effect on human boy. =e nee to stuy ho" a meicine alters the state of health to unerstan its sphere of action. #e further says that the po"er of meicines to alter mans state of health is spirit-like. #ere again the spirit-like 7ust stans for something that is invisible an has no religious or spiritual connotations. he first line of this aphorism is actually targeting those conventional meicine contemporaries of #ahnemann, "ho use to proclaim the meicinal effect of various substances, "ithout actually testing them. o such people #ahnemann says that the meicinal properties of a substance are hien in its interior, they cannot be seen by e!amining the substance or by making theoretical assumptions. he only "ay to fin the curative po"ers of a substance is to fin out its effect on healthy human beings.
o" in the ne!t aphorism, that is aphorism number A2, #ahnemann goes ahea further an tells us that the effect that the meicinal substances have on our boy, can be perceive through the signs an symptoms that they prouce. Met us rea "hat he sai: 6 3 o", as it is uneniable that the curative principle in meicines is not in itself perceptible, an as in pure e!periments "ith meicines conucte by the most accurate observers, nothing can be observe that can constitute them meicines or remeies e!cept that po"er of causing istinct alterations in the state of h ealth of the human boy, an particularly in that of the healthy iniviual, an of e!citing in him various efinite morbi symptoms8 so it follo"s that when medicines act as remedies, they can only bring their curative property into play by means of this their po"er of altering mans state of health by the prouction of peculiar symptoms8 an that, therefore, "e have only to rely on the morbi phenomena "hich the meicines prouce in the healthy boy as the sole possible revelation of their in-"elling curative po"er, in orer to learn "hat isease proucing po"er, an at the same time "hat isease-curing po"er, each iniviual meicine possesses.
#ere initially he repeats "hat he sai in the last aphorism that the meicinal po"er of a substance is its potential to alter the state of health. o" things become interesting here. #e further clarifies +particularly in that of the healthy iniviualI. his clarification is important. Conventional meicines are often teste on the sick to fin out their therapeutic sphere. )n in such tests meicines often o not reveal their full effect on the human boy because the sick boy is alreay "orking in a compromise state. So he stresses that the stuy of alterations that are prouce on a healthy boy are most useful to fin out the therapeutic sphere of a meicine. But the point to note here is that he has use the "or particularly an not only or e!clusively. his implies that "hile the proving symptoms are most important, the clinical symptoms may be of some use as "ell. =hat he has also sai here is that the meicines are able to cure symptoms because of their ability to prouce similar symptoms. o" theoretically speaking this is a corollary, a kin of assumption similar to: )TC an BTC therefore )TB F) meicine prouces C symptoms. B isease prouces C symptoms. herefore ) meicines removes C symptoms in isease B.G #a this been a purely theoretical construct, this "oul have faile or receive more criticism. But #ahnemann "as "riting from his e!perience. #e ha teste the meicines Flike salts of $ercury an Silver, Bora!, an China etcG "ith kno"n therapeutic action an ha observe that meicines often prouce symptoms in healthy iniviuals, "hich they are kno"n to cure in sick. So the above construct "as reverse engineere from something like this:
) meicine cures B isease. B prouces C symptoms. ) also prouces C symptoms. herefore the ability in ) to prouce the C symptoms must be the property "hich helps it to cure isease B. o" in the ne!t aphorism, he tells us ho" this ability to prouce symptoms, helps to remove symptoms or to cure isease an "hich type of meicine "e shoul choose to treat the sick. Mets rea itO. 66 - But as nothing is to be observe in iseases that must be remove in orer to change them into health besies the totality of their signs an symptoms, an like"ise meicines can sho" nothing curative besies their tenency to prouce morbi symptoms in healthy persons an to remove them in isease persons8 it follo"s, on the one han, that meicines only become remeies an capable of annihilating isease, because the medicinal su&stance( &y e"citing certain effects and symptoms( that is to say( &y producing a certain artificial mor&id state( removes and a&rogates the symptoms already present , to "it, the natural morbi state "e "ish to cure. %n the other han, it follo"s that, for the totality of the symptoms of the isease to be cure, a meicine must be sought "hich Faccoring as e!perience shall prove "hether the morbi symptoms are most reaily, certainly, an permanently remove an change into health by similar or opposite meicinal symptoms2G have the greatest tenency to prouce similar or opposite symptoms. 2
he other possible moe of employing meicines for iseases besies these t"o is the allopathic metho, in "hich meicines are given, "hose symptoms have no irect pathological relation to the morbi state, neither similar nor opposite, but ;uite heterogeneous to the symptoms of the isease. his proceure plays, as have sho"n else"here, an irresponsible murerous game "ith the life of the patient by means of angerous, violent meicines, "hose action is unkno"n an "hich are chosen on mere con7ectures an given in large an fre;uent oses. )gain, by means of painful operations, intene to lea the isease to other regions an taking the strength an vital 7uices of the patient, through evacuations above an belo", s"eat or salivation, but especially through s;uanering the irreplaceable bloo, as is one by the reigning routine practice, use blinly an relentlessly, usually "ith the prete!t that the physician shoul imitate an further the sick nature in its efforts to help itself, "ithout consiering ho" irrational it is, to imitate an further these very imperfect, mostly inappropriate efforts of the instinctive unintelligent vital energy "hich is implante in our organism, so long as it is healthy to carry on life in harmonious evelopment, but not to heal itself in isease. Hor, "ere it possesse of such a moel ability, it "oul never have allo"e the organism to get sick. =hen mae ill by no!ious agents, our life principle cannot o anything else than e!press its epression cause by isturbance of the regularity of its life, by symptoms, by means of "hich the intelligent physician is aske for ai. f this is not given, it strives to save by increasing the ailment, especially through violent evacuations, no matter "hat this entails, often "ith the largest sacrifices or estruction of life itself. Hor the purpose of cure, the morbily epresse vital energy possesses so little ability "orthy of imitation since all changes an symptoms prouce by it in the organism are
the isease itself. =hat intelligent physician "oul "ant to imitate it "ith the intention to heal if he i not thereby sacrifice his patient> he AAn aphorism states t"o basic things. Hirst, if a isease becomes evient through signs an symptoms an the only manifest action of meicines on human beings is their ability to prouce symptoms, it is therefore euce that the ability of a meicine to prouce symptoms is "hat cures the sick. o" the symptoms that a meicine can prouce coul be similar or opposite to the symptoms of isease. he secon thing that #ahnemann says is that a remey must be chosen "hich has the greatest tenency to prouce similar or opposite symptoms. #e further says that e!perience "ill teach us "hether the meicines that prouce similar symptoms are able to cure ;uickly an permanently or the meicines that prouce opposite symptoms are more effective in proviing a rapi an permanent cure. think time has certainly sho"n that conventional meicine is not able to cure the isease. he antipathic moe can only palliate or suppress symptoms. hat is "hy "e have so many anti- things in the conventional meicine – antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, anti-epressants, anti-hypertensive, anti-pyretics etc. n a long foot-note to aphorism AA, #ahnemann iscusses a thir form of treatment, "hich he calle allopathic. he application of meicines that have similar effect "as calle #omeopathy an the application of meicines that have opposite action "as calle )ntipathy. he application of meicines or treatment that ha neither similar nor opposite action, "as calle )llopathy. he conventional meicine of his time "as full of such methos an meicines, like using iuretics, iaphoretics, meicines use for purging the alimentary canal an proceures like bloo-letting as treatment for nearly every possible isease. #ahnemann "as strongly against the use of such unteste meicines an methos an even calle their application murerous. Jven toay the conventional meicine is kno"n as )llopathy in many parts of the "orl. But toays conventional meicine is primarily antipathic. here is no separate antipathic school toay. )ntipathy an )llopathy have merge to form one entity, "hich is either calle allopathy or conventional meicine toay. f you rea the footnote more carefully, you "ill observe one more important thing. #ahnemann says +,hen made ill &y no"ious agents( our life principle cannot do anything else than e"press its depression caused &y distur&ance of the regularity of its life-..I his means Fan is very obvious tooG that "hen "e are sick, our vital force or life principle or the thermoynamic energy system is epresse. #e further says that the use of allopathic meicines ecreases the vitality further. his is something that yo u can e!perience very easily, even toay. t is so common to e!perience lo" energy, ba taste an inigestion after a roun of antibiotics use for any acute illness. he infection goes a"ay but the boy oes not feel fit an it often takes many more ays an sometimes
"eeks for the boy to recover its lost vitality. Compare this to the homeopathic meicines, "here "e look for an notice a change in vitality as the first sign of cureO o" in the ne!t aphorism, #ahnemann says e!perience has sho"n that meicines that prouce opposite symptoms usually o not cure permanently. n fact after the symptoms are palliate "ith some antipathic meicines, they often reboun "ith greater intensity. ry "ithra"ing the pain-killer of an arthritis patient or the anti-hypertensive of a hypertensive patient an see ho" the pain an B.E. shoot up. Met us rea the A1r aphorism. t says: 6, - )ll pure e!perience, ho"ever, an all accurate research convince us that persistent symptoms of isease are far from being remove an annihilate by opposite symptoms of meicines Fas in the antipathic, enantiopathic or palliative methoG, that, on the contrary, after transient, apparent alleviation, they break forth again, only "ith increase intensity, an become manifestly aggravate Fsee > 0 –
=e have alreay iscusse the essence of this aphorism but "oul like to point your attention to"ars the use of the phrase persistent symptoms of isease. his is significant because #ahnemann is clearly stating that the antipathic metho "ill al"ays fail in curing the persistent symptoms, that is, the chronic iseases. n treatment of chronic iseases the symptoms often persist or reboun after an initial amelioration, "hen the allopathic meicines are use, but the same is not true for acute iseases. n acute iseases, the cause of the symptoms, "hich is commonly some form of infection, is often remove by the antipathic measures an you usually o not see a relapse unless the patient has very lo" vitality or the acute is actually an acute e!acerbation of an unerlying chronic complaint. hat is "hy "e often o not see a reboun of iarrhea or fever after a course of antibiotic. But o not assume that the antipathic moe is goo for treating acute conitions. =e might not see a reboun phenomenon in acute iseases but "e often see lo"ere vitality as mentione in the last aphorism. =e also see increase susceptibility, more suppressions an increase tenency for chronic iseases. =hen moern meicine "as not moern enough, the epiemics "ere usually of acute iseases but "ith the avent of all the anti-meicines, the acute iseases an epiemics might have gone o"n but the chronic iseases have blo"n out to panemic proportions. So the antipathc moe may be useful at times but it shoul not be the preferre first line of treatment in most conitions. n the ne!t aphorism, #ahnemann erives the conclusion that only a similar remey is able to affect a cure. Met us rea "hat he says: A4 – here remains, therefore, no other moe of employing meicines in iseases that promises to be of service besies the homoeopathic, by means of "hich "e seek, for the totality of the symptoms of the case of isease, a meicine "hich among all meicines F"hose pathogenetic effects are kno"n from having been teste in healthy iniviualsG has the po"er an the tenency to prouce an artificial morbi state most similar to that of the case of isease in ;uestion.
n aphorism AAn, #ahnemann state that only those meicines shoul be use "hich have a kno"n similar or opposite action on the isease conition. n the A1r aphorism, he then e!poses the failure of antipathic moe in treating chronic iseases. So in this aphorism he lays o"n his conclusion that the only acceptable moe of employing meicines on sick is the homeopathic metho. )n only those meicines shoul be applie "hose action has been ocumente by testing on healthy iniviuals. )part from this, "oul like to ra" your attention to a phrase that #ahnemann has use in this aphorism. #e use the "ors the case of disease t"ice in this aphorism. his is significant because many moern teachers teach to ignore the nosological isease "hile focusing entirely on the mental an emotional symptoms or the EU&S symptoms. #ahnemann has no"here sai so. #e i ask us to iniviuali6e each case of a isease an he i say that the mental an emotional symptoms an EU&S symptoms are often more important. But no"here has he sai not to use the information an kno"lege about the isease. Eeople think that thinking about the isease in classical homeopathy is a crime. hey only have to think about the case. hey forget that ha there been no isease an no isease, there "oul be no caseO o" in the ne!t aphorism, #ahnemann reiterates the importance of symptom-similarity an also lays o"n the fact that the potency an ilution are also very important. Met us rea "hat he says: 67 - o", ho"ever, in all careful trials, pure e!perience,2 the sole an infallible oracle of the healing art, teaches us that actually that meicine "hich, in its action on the healthy human boy, has emonstrate its po"er of proucing the greatest number of symptoms similar to those observable in the case of isease uner treatment, oes also, in oses of suitable potency an attenuation, rapily, raically an permanently remove the totality of the symptoms of this morbi state, that is to say F> < – 2
o not mean that sort of e!perience of "hich the orinary practitioners of the ol school boast, after they have for years "orke a"ay "ith a lot of comple! prescriptions on a number of iseases "hich they never carefully investigate, but "hich, faithful to their school, they consier as alreay escribe in "orks of systematic pathology, an reame that they coul etect in them some imaginary morbific matter, or ascribe to them some other hypothetical internal abnormality. hey al"ays sa" something in them, but kne" not "hat it "as they sa", an they got results, from the comple! forces acting on an unkno"n ob7ect, that no human being but only a Lo coul have unravele – results from "hich nothing can be learne, no e!perience gaine. Hifty years of e!perience of this sort is like fifty years of looking into a kaleioscope fille "ith unkno"n colore ob7ects, an perpetually turning roun8 thousans of ever changing figures an no accounting for themO #ahnemann makes a couple of very important statements in this aphorism.
2. Eure e!perience using prove meicines is the high an only source of kno"lege for the healing art. A. ) meicine that has prouce the ma!imum number of similar symptoms uring a rug proving on a healthy human being removes the totality of symptoms of a isease state. 1. he meicine has to be given in suitable potency an ilution to be most effective, that is, to be able to cure rapily, totally an permanently. his is again of great significance as many moern ay teachers claim that potency an ose is of little significance, it is the similarity alone that counts. here are people "ho treat every case "ith a 13C or a 2$. hese people shoul rea the %rganon again. 4. o" to make it clearer – #ahnemann has sai that a isease state "ill be remove ;uickly, totally an permanently – H the meicine selecte is kno"n to prouce very similar symptoms uring rug proving )* is given in suitable potentise an ilute oses. his implies that t&e more simi)ar t&e medicine t&e more rapid t&e cure . But similarity is a relative "or. here coul be many remeies "ith ifferent egrees of similarity to a given case. So t&is a)so imp)ies t&at t&e )ess t&e simi)arity t&e )ess rapid is t&e resu)t 3 but t&e resu)t cou)d sti)) be t&ereG %f course the remey shoul not be totally off-the-hook. %ther"ise there "ont be any results. his e!plains "hy "e are able to get ecent results even "ith partially similar remeies. )nother implication is that if the remey is less similar, the result may not be raical an permanent. Such a remey may only be able to palliate or remove some set of symptoms but "ill not be able to cure the patient in totality. So the result that "e get "ill epen upon the egree of similarity. f the remey is the simillimum, "e "ill see raical an rapi cure. f it is a very close simillimum, "e "ill still manage to cure, though not as rapily as is the ieal. )n if it is still less similar, "e "ill be only able to palliate or remove partial set of symptoms. . n this aphorism he also says that "hen the symptoms are remove in totality, no part of the isease remains an the health is restore. his line has been "ritten to counter the claims of some people, "ho use to say that by using homeopathic remeies, the symptoms may isappear but the isease remains "ithin. #ahnemann has mae it clear at many points that the symptoms are the language of the isease. he symptoms are inicators of the isharmony "ithin. f there are no symptoms, it only means that the isease has been cure in totality an the health of the iniviual has been restore. So "e see that #ahnemann has e!plaine in great etail about the kno"lege of meicine in these aphorisms. =e "ill continue this iscussion ne!t month "hen "e "ill e!plore Nature’s Law of Cure an "ill try to fin out "hy "e are more susceptible to our remeies in the isease state. ill then try to absorb this lecture. "ish you all a very #appy an #omeopathic e" QearO
Understanding Aphorism 28 to 29 – How Homeopathy Medicines Work? %ctober 2, A33@ by 9anis& 1&atia Hile uner %rganon D Ehilosophy V %pat&y E;ine October 6..D Erint his Eage V Meave a Comment
Abstract/Excerpt
Misten o he )uio Mecture for )phorism A0 to A@ F$E1/
=isten To T&e Audio =ecture for Ap&orism 6+ to 6D *92,/8mb0
n our last lecture "e stuie atures Ma" of Cure, "hich states: A weaker dynamic affection is permanently e"tinguished in the living organism &y a stronger one( if the latter )whilst differing in kind* is very similar to the former in its manifestations-
)fter e!plaining atures Ma" of Cure in aphorism A< an stating that homeopathy meicines also cure because they "ork accoring to natures la", it "as time to e!plain ho" an "hy homeopathic remeies cure iseases. his *r. #ahnemann oes in the ne!t t"o aphorisms. #ahnemann ha al"ays believe that it is better to focus on practical aspects of sickness "ith the help of the changes one can perceive through his senses an that empty theoretical speculation shoul be avoie. n the introuction to the %rganon of $eicine, he states:
The partisans of the old school of medicine flattered themselves that they could .ustly claim for it alone the title of rational medicine( & ecause they alone sought for and strove to remove the cause of disease( and followed the method employed &y nature in diseasesTolle causam/ They cried incessantly- 0ut they went no further than this empty e"clamation- They only fancied that they could discover the cause of disease1 they did not discover it( however( as it is not percepti&le and not discovera&le- 2or as far the greatest num&er of diseases are of dynamic origin and dynamic nature( their cause is therefore not percepti&le to the senses1 so they e"erted themselves to imagine one( and from a survey of the parts of the normal( inanimate human &ody )anatomy*( compared with the visi&le changes of the same internal parts in p ersons who had died of diseases )pathological anatomy*( as also from what they could deduce from a comparison of the phenomena and functions in healthy life )physiology* with their endless alterations in the innumera&le mor&id states )pathology( semeiotics*( to draw conclusions relative to the invisi&le process where&y the changes which take place in the inward &eing of man in diseases are affected 3 a dim picture of the imagination( which theoretical medicine regarded as its prima causa mor&i14
So you can see #ahnemann "as clearly against putting up theoretical constructs to e!plain ho" meicines "ork. #e "as more concerne about the practical application of the remeies to cure the sick. Qet, there "ere people "ho "ante to kno" ho" homeopathic remeies "orke. )n there still are lots of such people, "ho cannot believe their o"n senses till someboy comes up "ith a scientific e!planation of "hat they perceive. So #ahnemann i give an e!planation in aphorism A@. But before that he place a "arning in aphorism A0 for the kin of people mentione above. Mets see "hat he sai: 6+
As this natural law of cure manifests itself in every pure e"periment and every true o&servation in the world( the fact is conse5u ently esta&lished1 it matters little what may &e scientific e"planation of how it takes place1 and ' do not attach much importance to the attempts made to e"plain it- 0ut the following view seems to commend itself as the most pro&a&le one( as it is founded on premises derived from e"perience-
So he says that "hen the truth is so clearly visible to our senses, he oes not attach much importance to ho" the internal ynamics of the boy an the remey are "orking an interacting. #ahnemann kne" that creating empty speculations here "oul have opene up a Eanoras bo! – everyboy "oul have come up "ith his o"n hypothesis. #ahnemann "ante everyone to focus on the clinical application of the remeies. But times have change no". t has been nearly A33 years since #ahnemann "rote those lines an toay #omeopathy not only en7oys a "ie an gro"ing user base, but its clinical efficacy is also fairly "ell ocumente. he rational meicine FallopathyG of #ahnemanns time has also become much more sophisticate in this time, "ith a much
better unerstaning of the material tolle causam. personally feel that if #omeopathy has to take the ne!t big leap, "e "ill nee to ans"er t"o funamental ;uestions: 2. #o" is information store an transmitte in homeopathic remeies> A. #o" o the remeies interact "ith biological systems> Kntil "e o this, homeopathy "ill continue to remain on the fringes of meical science. he goo thing is that no" lot of people are making great efforts to fin out the ans"ers to these ;uestions. Meaing physicists an scientists like Erof. &ustom &oy, E rof. ris Bell, *r. )le! #ankey, *r. Mionel $ilgrom, *r, $artin Chaplin an many others have create an increasing kno"lege base to fin out the unerlying cause an effect of the homeopathic remeies. )lso, there is an ever-increasing group of people focusing on the clinical research. e!t month, that is ovember A33@, "e are going to publish a special issue of Homeopathy # $veryone that "ill focus on all these scientific evelopments. #aving sai that, must reiterate that #ahnemann "as very "ise in putting up this "arning. #e kne" "here his priorities lay an "hat "as in the best interest of this ne" system of meicine. So after giving this "arning, #ahnemann i give an e!planation to ans"er the people, "ho al"ays "ante to kno" ho" homeopathic remeies "orke. Met us rea aphorism A@ an fin out "hat #ahnemann sai: 6D
As every disease )not entirely surgical* consists only in a special( mor&id( dynamic alteration of our vital energy )of the principle of life* manifested in sensation and motion( so in every homoeopathic cure this principle of life dynamically altered &y natural disease is sei6ed through the administration of medicinal potency selected e"actly according to symptom!similarity &y a somewhat stronger( similar artificial disease! manifestation- 0y this the feeling of the natural )weaker* dynamic disease!manifestation ceases and disappears- This disease!manifestation no longer e"ists for the principle of life( which is now occupied and governed merely &y the stronger( artificial disease! manifestation- This artificial disease!manifestation has soon spent its force and leaves the patient free from disease( cured- The dynamis( thus freed( can now continue to carry life on in health- This most highly pro&a&le process rests upon the following propositions-
#ahnemann is saying that iseases are primarily of t"o types – surgical an ynamic. *ynamic iseases are those that start "ith the erangement of the vital force, or as "oul say, isturbance in the biological thermoynamic e;uilibrium. =e have alreay iscusse that the curative po"er of homeopathic meicines lies in their ability to prouce similar symptoms. So "hen a homeopathic remey is aministere, it prouces symptoms similar to the e!isting isease conition. #ahnemann says that "hen the boy is affecte by a similar but stringer ynamic isturbance, the "eaker ynamic isturbance ceases to have an effect on the boy an isappears. But ho" oes this happen> Met me try to give an e!planation.
Suppose a ynamic isturbance is affecting a boy to a level a. he boy is putting in ! resources to get the e;uilibrium back. %bviously the ! resources are not sufficient because the vital force is erange an it nees more effort to get ri of the isturbance a. #ence the isease state is persisting. o" "e give a homeopathic remey that prouces a similar but stronger state ) in the boy. he boy no" perceives this as a greater threat an mounts greater efense using its reserves. he ne" efenseW "oul be stronger than the previous one. f the ne" efense is sufficient to get ri of the isturbance a, a "oul cease to e!ist. o" "hat "oul happen to the artificial isturbance )> his being prouce by controlle application of meicines, is short live an isappears on its o"n an the boy is no" healthy once again. his is a basic e!planation for #ahnemanns "ors, but please remember that #ahnemanns "ors an my e!planation of them still constitute a hypothesis. =e o nee to prove it. But if you are a homeopath, ont feel restricte by the lack of scientific e!planations. Met the physicists "ork on these ;uestions an they "ill sure fin the ans"ers for us someay. )s a clinician put all your energies into e!periencing the truth of homeopathy. he proof of the puing, lies in its eatingO o", one last foo for thought before "e en this lecture. =hen "e prove a meicine, the meicine oes not seem to "ork unconitionally. t "ill prove on some an not on others, epening upon the sensitivity an the susceptibility of the person. But "hen a person is sick an in nee of a particular meicine, it nearly al"ays "orks – seemingly unconitionally. #ave you ever "onere "hy> =e "ill ans"er this ;uestion in our ne!t lecture. ill then, en7oy homeopathyO
Abstract/Excerpt
Summary: Case taking is the process of collecting all the facts about the patient, using various tools like observation, perception, [...]
Summary:
Case taking is the process of collecting all the facts about the patient, using various tools like observation, perception, history-taking – given by the patient/attenant, clinical e!amination etc. in orer to fin a remey for the patient – using our kno"lege of #omeopathic $ateria $eica, %rganon of $eicine, an &eparatory. Index
''''(
An Overview of Case-Takin !
"efinition
!
Ob#ectives
!
"r$ S$ %a&nemann's (uide)ines *ap&$ +, to .0
(
A 1road Sc&eme of Case-Takin
(
(ist of Case-Takin
(
%omeopat&ic Case-Takin and 2at&o)oica) "ianosis 34iews of "r$ Stuart C)ose
(
A 5ote on Tota)ity of Symptoms 34iews of "r$ Stuart C)ose 3(uide)ines of "r$ Samue) %a&nemnn
An Overview of Case Takin "efinition: Case taking is the process of collecting all the facts about the patient, using various tools like observation, perception, history-taking – given by the patient/attenant, clinical e!amination etc. in orer to fin a remey for the patient – using our kno"lege of #omeopathic $ateria $eica, %rganon of $eicine, an &eparatory.
)ccoring to *r. Stuart Close: +he purpose of homeopathic e!amination is to bring out the symptoms of the patient in such a "ay as to permit their comparison "ith the symptoms of the materia meica for the purpose of selecting the similar or #omeopathic remey. Ob#ective of Case-Takin: Collection of all the facts pertaining to the patient, "hich may help in reaching to the totality of the patient an thereby help in fining the correct similimum. t is also sai that a case we)) taken is a case &a)f cured . "r$ Samue) %a&nemenn's uide)ines reardin t&e art of case-takin
*r. #ahnemann in his %rganon of $eicine, aphorisms 01-234, has given the follo"ing instructions regaring the metho of case-taking: 501: his iniviuali6ing e!amination of a case of isease, for "hich shall only give in this place general irections, of "hich the practitioner "ill bear in min only "hat is applicable for each iniviuali6ing case, emans of the physician nothing but freeom from pre7uice an soun senses, attention to observing an fielity in tracing the picture of the isease. 504: he patient etails the history of his sufferings8 those about him tell "hat hear him complain, of ho" he has behave an "hat they have notice in him, the physician sees, hears, an remarks by his other senses "hat there is of an altere or unusual character about him. #e "rites o"n accurately all that the patients an his friens have tol him in the very e!pressions use by them. 9eeping silence himself he allo"s them to say all they have to say, an refrains from interrupting them unless they "aner off to other matters. he physician avises them at the beginning of the e!amination to speak slo"ly, in orer that he may take o"n in "riting the important parts of "hat the speakers say. 50: #e begins a fresh line "ith every ne" circumstance mentione by the patient or his friens, so that the symptoms shall be all arrange separately one belo" the other. #e can thus a to any one, that may at first have been relate in too vague a manner, but subse;uently more e!plicitly e!plaine. 50<: =hen the narrators have finishe "hat they "oul say of their o"n accor, the physician then reverts to each particular symptom an elicits more precise information respecting it in the follo"ing manner8 he reas over the symptoms as they "ere relate to him one by one, an about each of them he in;uires for further particulars8 e.g., at "hat perio i his symptom occur> =hat is previous to taking the meicine he ha hitherto been using> =hilst taking the meicine> %r only some ays after leaving off the meicine> =hat kin of pain, "hat sensation e!actly, "as it that occurre on the spot> =hat "as the precise spot> *i the pain occur in fits an by itself, at various times> #o" long i it last> )t "hat time of the ay or night, an in "hat position of the boy "as it "orst, or cease entirely> =hat "as the e!act nature of this or that event or circumstances mentione-escribing in plain "ors.
50?: )n thus the physician obtains more precise information respecting each particular etail, but "ithout ever framing his ;uestions so as to suggest the ans"er to the patient, so that he "ill be misle to ans"er yes or no8 else he "ill be misle to ans"er in the affirmative or negative something untrue, half true, or not strictly correct, either from inolence or in orer to please his interrogator, from "hich a false picture of the isease an an unsuitable moe of treatment may result. 500: f in these voluntary etails nothing has been mentione respecting several parts or functions of the boy or his mental state, the physician asks "hat more can he be hol in regar to these parts an these functions, or the state of his isposition or min8 but in oing this he only makes use of general e!pression, in orer that this informants may be oblige to enter into special etails concerning them. 50@: =hen a patient has by these etails given of his o"n accor an in ans"er to in;uiries, furnishe the re;uisite information an trace a tolerably perfect p icture of the isease, the physician is at liberty an oblige to ask more precise, more special ;uestions. =hat sort of taste has he in his mouth> =hat kin of foo an rink are most relishe> =hat are most repugnant to him> #as each its full natural taste, or some other unusual taste> #o" oes he feel after rinking or eating> #as he anything to tell about the hea, the limbs, or the abomen> 5@3: =hen the physician has finishe "riting o"n these particulars, he then makes a note of "hat he himself observes in the patient, an ascertains ho" much of that "as peculiar to the patient in his healthy state.
"r$ Samue) %a&nemenn's uide)ines reardin t&e art of case-takin 5@2: he symptoms an feelings of the patient uring a previous course of meicine o not furnish the pure picture of the isease8 but, on the other han, those symptoms an ailments "hich he suffere from before the use of meicines or after they have been iscontinue for several ays, give the true funamental iea of the original form of the isease, an these especially the physician must take note of. =hen the isease is of a chronic character, an the patient has been taking meicine up to the time he is seen, the physician may "ith avantage leave him some ays ;uite "ithout meicine, or in the meantime aminister something of an unmeicinal nature an efer to a subse;uent perio the more precise scrutiny of the morbi symptoms, in orer to be able to grasp in their purity the permanent uncontaminate symptoms of the ol affection an to form a faithful picture of the isease. 5@A: But if it be a isease of a rapi course, an if its serious character amit of no elay, the physician must content himself "ith observing the morbi conitions, altere though it may be by meicines, if he cannot ascertain "hat symptoms "ere present before the
employment of meicine, – in orer that he may at least form a 7ust apprehension of the complete picture of the isease in its actual conition, that is to say, of the con7oint malay forme by the meicinal an original isease, "hich from the use of inappropriate rugs is generally more serious an angerous than "as the original isease, an hence emans prompt an efficient ai, an by thus tracing out the complete picture of the isease he "ill be enable to combat it "ith a suitable homeopathic remey, so that the patient shall not fall a sacrifice to the in7urious rugs he has s"allo"e. 5@1: f the isease has been brought on a short time, or, in the case of a chronic affection, a consierable time previously, by some obvious cause, then the patient-or his friens "hen ;uestione privately-"ill mention it either spontaneously or "hen carefully interrogate. 5@4: =hen in;uiring into the state of chronic iseases, the particular circumstances of the patient "ith regar to his orinary occupation, his usual moe of living an iet, his omestic situation, an forth, must be "ell consiere an scrutini6e, to ascertain "hat there is in them that may ten to prouce or to manifest isease, in orer that by their removal the recovery may be promote. 5@: n chronic iseases the investigation of the signs of isease above mentione, an of all others, must be pursue as carefully an circumstantially, as possible, an the uni;ue peculiarities may be attene to, partly because in these iseases these are the most characteristic an least resemble those of acute iseases, an if a cure is tom be affecte they cannot be too accurately note8 partly because the patients become so use to their long sufferings that they pay little or no hee to the lesser accessory symptoms, "hich are often very pregnant "ith meaning-often very useful in etermining the choice of the remey-an regar them as almost a necessary part of their conition, almost as health, the real meaning of "hich they have "ell-nigh forgotten in their sometimes fifteen or t"enty years of suffering, an they can scarcely bring themselves to believe that these accessory symptoms, these greater or lesser eviation from the healthy state, can have any connection "ith the principal malay. 5@<: Besies this, the patients themselves iffer so much in their ispositions, the some, especially the so-calle hypochonriacs an other persons of great sensitiveness an impatient of suffering, portray, their symptoms in too vivi colours an, in orer to inuce the physician to give them relief, escribe their ailments in e!aggerate e!pressions. 5@?: %ther iniviuals of an opposite character, ho"ever, partly from false moesty, partly from a kin of milness of isposition or "eakness of min, refrain from mentioning a number of their symptoms, escribing them in vague terms, or allege some of them to be of no conse;uence. 5@0: o", as certainly as "e shoul listen particularly to the patients escription of his sufferings an sensations, an attach creence especially to his o"n e!pressions
"here"ith he eneavors to make us unerstan his ailments-because in the mouth of his friens an attenants they are usually altere an erroneously state-so certainly on the other han, in all iseases, but especially in the chronic ones, the investigation of the true, complete picture an its peculiarities eman special circumspection, tact, kno"lege of human nature, caution in conucting the in;uiry an patience in an imminent egree. 5@@: %n the "hole, the investigation of acute isease, or of such as have e!iste but a short time, is much the easiest for the physician, because all the phenomena an eviations from the health that has been recently lost are still fresh in the memory of the patients an his friens, still continue to be novel an striking. he physician certainly re;uires to kno" everything in such cases also8 but he has much less to in;uire into8 they are for the most part spontaneously etaile on him. 5233: n investigating the totality of the symptoms of epiemic an sporaic iseases it is ;uite immaterial "hether or not something similar has ever appeare in the "orl before uner the same or any other name. he novelty or peculiarity of a isease of that kin makes on ifference either in the moe of e!amining or of treating it, as the physician in any "ay regar the pure picture of every prevailing isease as if it "ere something ne" an unkno"n an investigate it thoroughly for itself, if he esires to practice meicine in a real an raical manner, never substituting con7uncture for actual observation, never taking for grante that the case of isease before him is alreay "holly or partially kno"n, but al"ays carefully e!amining it in all its phases8 an this moe of proceure is all the more re;uisite in such cases, as a careful e!amination "ill sho" that every prevailing isease in many respects a phenomena of a uni;ue character iffering vastly from all previous epiemics, to "hich certain names have been falsely applie"ith the e!ception of those epiemics resulting from a contagious principle that al"ays remain the same, such as small-po!, measles, Dc. 5232: t may easily happen that in the first case of an epiemic isease that presents itself to the physicians notice he oes not at once obtain a kno"lege of its complete picture, as it is only by a close observation of several cases of every such collective isease that he becomes conversant, "ith the totality of its signs an symptoms. he carefully observing physician can, ho"ever, from the e!amination of even the first or secon patients, often arrives so nearly at the kno"lege of the true state as to have in his min a characteristic portrait of it, an even to succee in fining a suitable, homeopathically aapte remey for it. 523A: n the course of "riting o"n the symptoms of several cases of this kin the sketch of the isease becomes even more an more complete, no more spun out an verbose but more significant, an incluing more of the peculiarities of this collective isease8 on the one han the general symptoms become precisely efine as to their peculiarities an on the other, the more marke an special symptoms "hich are peculiar but to fe" iseases an of rarer occurrence, at least in the same combination, become more prominent an constitute "hat is characteristic of this malay. )ll those affecte "ith the isease prevailing at a given time have certainly contracte it from one an the same source an hence are suffering from the same isease8 but the "hole e!tent of such an epiemic
isease an the totality of its symptoms can not be learne from one single patient, but is only to be perfectly euce an ascertaine from the sufferings of several patients of ifferent constitutions. 5231: n the same manner as has here been taught relative to the epiemic isease, "hich are generally of an acute nature, the miasmatic chronic malaies, "hich, as have sho"n, al"ays remain the same in their essential nature, especially the Esora, must be investigate, as to the "hole sphere of symptoms, in a much more minute manner than has ever been one before, for in them also one patient e!hibits a portion of their symptoms, a secon an thir, an so on, present some other symptoms, "hich also are but a portion of the totality of the symptoms "hich constitute the entire e!tent of this malay, so that the "hole array of the symptoms belonging to such a miasmatic, chronic isease, an especially to the Esora, can only be ascertaine from the observation of very many single patients affecte "ith such a chronic isease an "ithout a complete survey an collective picture of these symptoms, the meicines capable of curing the "hole malay homeopathically cannot be iscovere8 an these meicines are, at the same time, the true remeies of the several patients suffering from such chronic affections. 5234: =hen the totality of the symptoms that especially mark an istinguish the case of isease or, in other "ors, "hen the picture of the isease, "hatever be its kin, is once accurately sketche, the most ifficult part of the task is accomplishe. he physician has then the picture of the isease, especially if it be a chronic one, al"ays before him to guie him in his treatment8 he can investigate it in all its parts an can pick out the characteristic symptoms in orer to oppose to these, that is to say, to the "hole malay itself, a very similar artificial morbific force, in the shape of a homeopathically chosen meicinal substance, selecte from the list of all the symptoms of the meicines "hose pure effects have been ascertaine. )n "hen, uring the treatment, he "ishes to ascertain "hat has been the effect of the meicine, an "hat change has taken place in the patients state8 at this fresh e!amination of the patient he only nees to strike out of the list of the symptoms note o"n at the first visit those that have been ameliorate, to mark "hat still remains, an a any ne" symptoms that may have supervene.
A 1road Sc&eme of Case Takin $
%istory or interroation of t&e patient
Fa.G Earticulars of the patient Fb.G Eresent complaints Fc.G Eersonal history F.G East history Fe.G Hamily history
Ff.G
#omeopathic generalities
6$
2&ysica) examination
,$
2rovisiona) dianosis
$
Specia) investiation
7$
C)inica) dianosis
8$
9iasmatic dianosis
$
"ianosis of t&e patient-Individua)i;ation
+$ T&erapeutic dianosis-by tota)ity of symptoms t&rou& t&e process of eva)uation after interpretation and ana)ysis$
(ist of Case-Takin F)apte from +) Brief Stuy Course in #omeopathyI by *r. Jli6abeth =right.G I$ T&e patient's story$ II$ 9oda)ities as app)ied to eac& of t&e above symptoms in t&e fo))owin order:
Fa.G Cause Fb.G Eroorme, onset, pace, se;uence, uration Fc.G Character, location, laterality, e!tension an raiation of pain or sensations. F.G Concomitants an alterations Fe.G )ggravation or amelioration. 2. ime Fhour, ay, night, before or after minightG8 perioicity8 seasons8 moon phases. A. emperature an "eather8 chilly or "arm blooe usually, chilly or "arm blooe in present illness8 "et, ry, col or hot "eather changes8 sno" storm, thuner storm8 hot sun, "in, fog, sno"8 open air, "arm room, changes from one to another, stuffy cro"e places, raughts, "armth of be, heat of stove, uncovering. 1.
Bathing Fhot, col, or seaG, local applications Fhot, col, "et, or ryG.
4. &est or motion Fslo", rapi, ascening, or escening, turning in be, e!ertion, "alking, on first motion, after moving a "hile, "hile moving, after moving, car an seasicknessG. . Eosition: staning, sitting Fknee-crosse, rising from sittingG, stooping Frising from stoopingG, lying Fon painful sie, back, right or left sie, abomen, hea high or lo", rising from lyingG, leaning hea back"ar, for"ar, sie-"ise, closing or opening eyes, any unusual position such as knee-chest. <. J!ternal stimuli: touch Fhar or lightG, pressure, rubbing, constriction Fclothing etc.G, 7ar, riing, stepping, light, noise, music, conversation, oours. ?. Jating: in general Fbefore, uring, after hot or col foo or rinkG, s"allo"ing Fsolis, li;uis, emptyG, acis, fats, salt, salty foo, starches, sugar an s"eet8 green vegetables, milk, eggs, meat, fish, oysters, onions, beer, li;uor, "ine, coffee, tea, tobacco, rugs etc. 0.
hirst: ;uantity, fre;uency, hot, col, or ice, sours, bitter, etc.
@.
Sleep: in general Fbefore, uring, on falling asleep, in first sleep, after, on "akingG
23. $enses: before, uring, after, or suppresse. 22. S"eat: hot or col, foot s"eat, partial or suppresse. 2A. %ther ischarges: bleeing, cory6a, iarrhoea, vomiting, urine, emissions, leucorrhoea, etc., suppression of the same. Ff.G Strange, rare, an peculiar symptoms. III$ T&e patient as a w&o)e: 2&ysica) (enera)s and 9enta) (enera)s$ 2%A=S
Fa.G he constitutional type of the patient. Fb.G )ilments from emotions: Suppressions Femotion ischarges such as menses, s"eat, leucorrhoea, catarrh, iarrhoea, etc.8 eruptions8 iseases e.g. malaria, rheumatic fever, syphilis, gonorrhea, etc8 of pathology e.g. haemorrhois, fistulae, ulcers, tonsils, tumors, other surgical conitions etc.G8 from e!posure of co, "et, hot, sun, etc. from mechanical conitions e.g., overeating, in7ury, etc.G Fc.G $enses: ate of establishment, regularity Fearly or lateG, uration, colour, consistency, oour, amount, clots, consistency, aggravation or amelioration before, uring, or after Fboth physically an mentallyG, menopause Fsymptoms ofG.
F.G %ther ischarges: cause, colour, consistency, oour, acri, or blan, symptoms from suppression of, symptoms alternating "ith8 hot or col, partial ischarges as of s"eat, laterality, better or "orse from ischarges Fbefore, uring, or afterG. Fe.G Sleep: better or "orse from, position in aggravation after, ifficulty in getting to sleep, "aking fre;uently or early, at "hat hour, somnambulism, talking in sleep, reams, restless uring. Ff.G
&estlessness: prostration, "eakness, trembling, chill, fever, etc.
Fg.G )ggravations an )meliorations referring to patient as a "hole. Fh.G %b7ective symptoms e.g., reness of orifices, superfluous hair, applying to the patient as a "hole. Fi.G Eathology, "hich applies to the patient as a "hole, e.g., tenency to tumors, "ens, cysts, polyps, "arts, moles-iniviuals an family tenency to certain isease or "eakness of specific organs of tissues Falso relate to Fa.G above an to physician e!aminationG, fre;uency of catching col. 9E5TA= (E5E>A=S
Fa.G =ill: loves, hates an emotions Fsuicial, loathing of lifeG8 lasciviousness, revulsion to se!, se!ual perversions8 fears8 gree, eating, honey, emotionality. Smoking, rinking, rugs8 reams8 homicial tenencies, esire or aversion to company, family, friens8 7ealousy, suspicion, obstinacy, contrariness, epression, lo;uacity, impatience, conscientiousness. Fb.G Knerstaning: elusions, elirium, hallucinations, mental confusions, loss of time sense. Fc.G ntellect: memory, concentration, mistakes in "riting an speaking. I4$ ?uick review of conditions of every system and oran beinnin wit& &ead to foot$ 4$ 2ast &istory of t&e patient$ 4I$ @ami)y &istory$
2&ysica) Examination T&is inc)udes enera) survey )oca) examination and enera) examination$ *A$0 (enera) Survey:
F2.G
Leneral assessment of illness
FA.G
$ental state an intelligence
F1.G
Built an state of nutrition
F4.G
)ttitue
F.G
Lait
F<.G
Hacies:- look at the face
F?.G
*ecubitus:- position of patient in be
F0.G
Colour of skin
[email protected]
Eallor
F23.G
Skin eruptions
F22.G
Eulse
F2A.G
&espiration
F21.G
emperature
*1$0 =oca) Examination:
his is the most important part of physical e!amination, as a careful local e!amination "ill give a efinite clue to arrive at a iagnosis. By local e!amination, "e mean e!amination of the affecte region. t shoul be one using follo"ing clinical methos of e!amination: F2.G nspection – looking at the affecte part of the boy. t shoul be carrie out after complete e!posure of the affecte part. t shoul be compare "ith the corresponing normal appearance, "henever possible. FA.G Ealpation – feeling the affecte part by hans. t "ill not only corroborate the finings seen in inspection but also ae information an "ith traine hans may not re;uire any further e!amination to come to a iagnosis. F1.G Eercussion – listening to the tapping note of a finger place over another finger or a percussion hammer. F4.G )uscultation – listening to the souns prouce "ithin the boy "ith the help of a stethoscope.
F.G $ovements an $easurements – movements of the 7oint concerne an measurements of the affecte part are important in orthopeic cases an cases of nerve in7uries an trauma. F<.G J!amination of the Mymph oes – helps in clinical iagnosis of many acute an chronic inflammatory conitions an also the nature of any neoplastic gro"th i.e. "hether benign or malignant, an the e!tent of metastasis. *1$0 (enera) Examination:
t is re;uire to e!clue any systemic isease in a patient coming "ith a locali6e problem. t is also helpful in fining the real cause of a symptom occurring in a particular organ "hen the cause of the locali6e symptoms lies some "here else in the boy. Hor e. g8 pain in shouler can be ue to pressure on iaphragm by some abominal pathology.
Attributes for Case Takin he case recor shoul be analy6e for the follo"ing attributes: F2.G Jach of the symptoms must be complete "ith regar to the sensation, location, moality, an concomitant. FA.G he symptoms shoul have a chronological orer of evelopment an progress. F1.G hey must be ivisible into sub7ective an ob7ective ones. F4.G he symptoms must be ivisible into generals an particulars. F.G Jach of the general or particular symptoms must be ifferentiate as common or uncommon. F<.G he grae of each symptom must be carefully note. F?.G he peculiar combinations, or concomitance, or alteration of certain symptoms, if present, must be clearly note. F0.G Jnvironmental, occupational an other e!ogenous influences on the case must be epicte. [email protected] he past history an the family history of the case shoul be given ue attention. F23.G he case recor shoul be neat, orerly, comprehensible, an complete in all respects
%omeopat&ic Case Takin and 2at&o)oica) "ianosis
3 4iews of "r$ Stuart C)ose
+ he iagnosis of the isease by moern methos is base largely upon physical signs, tests, an reactions, involving the use of many instruments of precision, in "hich the patient takes no active part, an of "hich he has kno"lege. he selection of the homeopathic remey on the other han, is base very largely an sometimes entirely on the phenomena, or euctions ra"n from the phenomena, of sub7ective, conscious e!perience, perceive only by the patient an state by him to the e!aminer. early all of the ob7ective phenomena possessing value from the stanpoint of homeopathic therapeutics are of such a character that they re;uire the e!ercise of only the physical senses an orinary po"ers of observation by the patient, his friens, or the physician himself. his istinction shoul be kept clearly in min. J!amination for the purpose of pathological stuy an for iagnosis are necessary an important in their several fiels8 but from the stan point of homeopathic pharmaco-therapeutics, their importance is relative, not absolute. )sie from the physical an organic locali6ation of isease, they furnish comparatively little that is of value to the homeopathic prescriber in his special "ork of selecting the symptomatically similar meicine.I +NN.n this spirit "e may all cooperate for the best interests of our profession an our patients, an agree "ith #ahnemann in the postulate of the first paragraph of the +%rganonI: +he highest an only mission of the physician is to heal the sick.I Jvery meical specialty is suborinate to that ieal. he "ork of the homeopathic prescriber, ealing "ith specifically "ith the application of meicines to isease accoring to a efinite principle for the purpose of curing such conitions as are amenable to meicines, must ever remain one of the most important of the functions fulfille by the physician.I
A 5ote on t&e BTota)ity of Symptoms 34iews of "r$ Stuart C)ose
+ he totality of the symptoms means, first, the totality of each iniviual symptom. ) single symptom is more than a single fact8 it is a fact "ith its history, its origin, its location, its progress or irection, an its conitions.I +NN.he totality of symptoms means all the symptoms of the case "hich are capable of being logically combine into a harmonious an consistent "hole, having form, coherency, an iniviuality. echnically, the totality is more than the mere numerical totality of the symptoms. t inclues the +concomittanceI or form in "hich the symptoms are groupe.I +NNhe +totalityI is not, therefore, a mere hapha6ar, fortuitous 7umble of symptoms thro"n together "ithout rhyme or reason, any more than a similar hapha6ar collection of pathogenetic symptoms in a proving constitutes $ateria $eica. he totality means the sum of the aggregates of the symptoms: not mere the numerical aggregates'the entire number of the symptoms as particulars or single symptoms'but
their sum total, their organic "hole as an iniviuality. )s a machine set up complete an in perfect orer is more than a numerical aggregate of its single issociate parts, so the totality is more than the mere aggregate of its constituent symptoms. t is the iea or plan, "hich unites them in a special manner to give them its characteristic form. )s the parts of a machine cannot be thro"n together in any hapha6ar manner, but each part must be fitte to each other art in a certain efinite relation accoring to a preconceive plan or esign'+assembleI, as the mechanics say'so the symptoms of a case must be +assembleI in such a manner that they constitute an ientity, an iniviuality, "hich may be seen an recogni6e as "e recogni6e the personality of a frienI 3(uide)ines by "r$ Samue) %a&nemann in &is BOranon of 9edicine:
5<: he unpre7uice observer'"ell a"are of the futility of the transcenental speculations "hich can receive on confirmation from e!perience'be his po"ers f penetration ever so great takes note of nothing in every iniviual e!cept the changes in the health of the boy an of the min "hich can be perceive e!ternally by means of the senses8 that is to say, he notes only eviations from the former healthy state of the no" isease iniviual, "hich are felt by the patient himself, remarke by those aroun him an observe by the physician. )ll these perceptible signs represent the isease as a "hole e!tent8 that is, together they form the true an only conceivable portrait of the isease. 52: he affection of the morbily erange, spirit like ynamis that animates our boy in the invisible interior, an the totality of the out"arly cogni6able symptoms prouce by it in the organism an representing the e!isting malay constitutes a "hole8 they are one an the same. 52?: o", as in the cure effecte by the removal of the "hole of the perceptible signs an symptoms of the isease the internal alteration of the vital force to "hich the isease is ue'conse;uently the "hole of the isease'is at the same time remove, it follo"s that the physician has only to remove the "hole of the symptoms in orer, at the same, to abrogate an annihilate the internal change, that is to say, the morbi erangement of the vital force'conse;uently the totality of the isease, the isease itself. 520: Hrom the inubitable truth, that besies the totality of the symptoms nothing can be by any means iscovere in isease "here "ith they coul e!press their nee of ai, it follo"s uneniably that the sum of all the symptoms in each iniviual case of isease must be the sole inication, the sole guie to irect us in the choice of a remey.
