OUTLINE ON SUBJECTS OF HOMOEOPATHY by

Dr SANOOP.K.K, B.H.M.S, M.s.c ND, DNHE 

Pillar on which homoeopathy is built  is mainly on  four subject which include organon, materia medica, pharmacy and repertory. How ever Homeopathic physician must be thorough with all medical  subjects of medicine such as gynaecology, surgery, pathology, social and preventive medicines, practice of medicine, forensic medicine and others which he or she studies in homoeopathic curriculum, such as graduation in homoeopathy or can take as specialization of various subjects in post graduations (mainly in india). Our discussions here is related to only pillars on which homoeopathy is built that is organon, materia medica only.

Organon

               The basics principles of  Homoeopathy is based on book called organon which was published by Samuel Hahnemann in six editions. Most popular  was last two edition which still form the basis of most of the principles of Homoeopathy. Hahnemann coined the word organon from organum which means "device of knowledge or instrument of knowledge." The word organon was first used by Greek Philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC) for his pact on logic. Later Franics Bacon  (1561-1626), the English philosopher and solon whose treaties on logic termed 'Novum Organum' in Latin. In this Novum Organum Franics Bacon urged his fellow men to follow inductive method of reasoning. These works of both Aristotle  and Franics Bacon gave direction to Hahnemannn to name his book organon. organon was published in six editions.Each editions of organon has its own importance. Last edition was published only after death of Hahnemann.

HISTORY OF ORGANON

The one we follow are mainly fifth and sixth editions of organon. Fifth edition contain 294 aphorisms. Sixth contain 291 aphorism.Organon is divided into two parts.

-Doctrinal part  which forms the theoretical part of Organon. Aphorisms  from one to seventy one forms  the doctrinal part

-The Practical Part which form practical part of Organon. All the remaining aphorism from seventy one forms the practical part

Homeopathic Materia Medica is a main depot house  of information of homeopathic remedies, is an aid, which is used in the process of arriving at a  remedy ,needed to do a prescription . The term  Materia medica is a Latin medical term for the body of collected knowledge    about the curative properties of any substance used for healing, what we call a drug. The term was used from the period of the Roman Empire until the twentieth century, but has now been generally substituted in medical parlance by term ' pharmacology' ,  describing  the therapeutic properties of allopathic drugs. In Latin the term literally means "medical matters". One of the most well-known early uses of the term was as the title of a work by the Greek pharmaco-botanist Dioscoridesin the first century A.D, entitled de materia medica libri quinque (concerning medical matter in five volumes). This famous commentary covered about 600 plant drugs plus a number of therapeutically useful animal and mineral products.

  The term materia medica or  is still used in homeopathy. " HOMEOPATHIC MATERIA MEDICA is a reference book of various homoepathic medicine from the plant, mineral, animal, or chemical kingdoms etc. In materia medica  remedies are pictured in their symptoms, illustrated with cases. There are numerous  homeopathic materia medica, each materia medica contain remedies and follows its own  methods of  portraying symptoms.

                The fundamental basis of homeopathy, which was founded by Samuel Hahnemann is: "similia similibus curentur" (that like cures like). If taking a particular drug  induces a certain range of symptoms, in a healthy individual , that drug, can cure persons suffering from diseases, if the symptoms produced by the disease and that drug in healthy individuals are same,in homeopathic form, will  provide a cure. Classically, there will be a "homeopathic proving" of the effect of the substance on healthy volunteers.

                                         FORMATION OF MATERIA MEDICA

This is explained in the organon of medicine aphorism 143,144,145

APHORISM 143

"If we have thus tested on the healthy individual a considerable number of simple medicines and carefully and faithfully registered all the disease elements and symptoms they are capable of developing as artificial disease-producers, then only have we a true materia medica - a collection of real, pure, reliable¹ modes of action of simple medicinal substances, a volume of the book of nature, wherein is recorded a considerable array of the peculiar changes of the health and symptoms ascertained to belong to each of the powerful medicines, as they were revealed to the attention of the observer, in which the likeness of the (homœopathic) disease elements of many natural diseases to be hereafter cured by them are present, which, in a word, contain artificial morbid states, that furnish for the similar natural morbid states the only true, homœopathic, that is to say, specific, therapeutic instruments for effecting their certain and permanent cure"

FOOT NOTE:Latterly it has been the habit to entrust the proving of medicines to unknown persons at a distance, who were paid for their work, and the formation so obtained was printed. But by so doing, the work which is of all others the most important, which is to form the basis of the only true healing art, and which demands the greatest moral certainty and trustworthiness seems to me, I regret to say, to become doubtful and uncertain in its results and to lose all value

COMMENTARY:  Symptom patterns associated with various remedies are determined by 'provings', in which healthy volunteers are given remedies, often in molecular doses, and the resulting physical, mental and spiritual symptoms are collected by observers into a 'Drug Picture'. The drug picture thus obtained is compiled systematically into a book  known as materia medica, that describe the symptom patterns associated with individual remedies.

§ 144

From such a materia medica everything that is conjectural, all that is mere assertion or imaginary should be strictly excluded; everything should be the pure language of nature carefully and honestly interrogated

COMMENTARY: such materia medica should be primary source of information about each of the medicine, which aid the physician, in selecting proper medicine. 

Qualities of good materia medica

-It should be primary source of information

-it should not contain imaginary symptoms which is common during proving. These imaginary symptoms can be excluded by reproving

-it should be in a pure language. Symptoms should written in the very words of prover, exactly as expressed by him.

§ 145 Fifth Edition

Of a truth, it is only by a very considerable store of medicines accurately known in respect of these their pure modes of action in altering the health of man, that we can be placed in a position to discover a homœopathic remedy, a suitable artificial (curative) morbific analogue for each of the infinitely numerous morbid states in nature, for every malady in the world.¹ In the meantime, even now - thanks to the truthful character of the symptoms, and to the abundance of disease elements which every one of the powerful medicinal substances has already shown in its action on the healthy body - but few disease remain, for which a tolerably suitable homœopathic remedy may not be met with among those now proved as to their pure action,² which, without much disturbance, restores health in a gentle, sure and permanent manner - infinitely more surely and safely than can be effected by all the general and special therapeutics of the old allopathic medical art with its unknown composite remedies, which do but alter and aggravate but cannot cure chronic diseases, and rather retard than promote recovery from acute diseases.

FOOT NOTE:At first, I was the only person who made the provings of the pure powders of medicines the most important of his occupations. Since then I have been assisted in this by some young men, who instituted experiments on themselves, and whose observations I have critically revised. Following these some genuine work of this kind was done by a few others. But what shall we not be able to effect in the way of curing in the whole extent of the infinitely large domain of disease, when numbers of accurate and trustworthy observers shall have rendered their services in enriching this, the only true materia medica, by careful experiments on themselves! The healing art will then come near the mathematical sciences in certainty.

COMMENTARY:

§ 145 Sixth Edition

Of a truth, it is only by a very considerable store of medicines accurately known in respect of these their pure modes of action in altering the health of man, that we can be placed in a position to discover a homœopathic remedy, a suitable artificial (curative) morbific analogue for each of the infinitely numerous morbid states in nature, for every malady in the world.¹ In the meantime, even now - thanks to the truthful character of the symptoms, and to the abundance of disease elements which every one of the powerful medicinal substances has already shown in its action on the healthy body - but few disease remain, for which a tolerably suitable homœopathic remedy may not be met with among those now proved as to their pure action,² which, without much disturbance, restores health in a gentle, sure and permanent manner - infinitely more surely and safely than can be effected by all the general and special therapeutics of the old allopathic medical art with its unknown composite remedies, which do but alter and aggravate but cannot cure chronic diseases, and rather retard than promote recovery from acute diseases and frequently endanger life.

FOOT NOTE:At first, about forty years ago, I was the only person who made the provings of the pure powders of medicines the most important of his occupations. Since then I have been assisted in this by some young men, who instituted experiments on themselves, and whose observations I have critically revised. Following these some genuine work of this kind was done by a few others. But what shall we not be able to effect in the way of curing in the whole extent of the infinitely large domain of disease, when numbers of accurate and trustworthyobservers shall have rendered their services in enriching this, the only true materia medica, by careful experiments on themselves! The healing art will then come near the mathematical sciences in certainty.

COMMENTARY: Every homoeopathic medicine has the power to alter mans health which aid homoeopathic physician to discover suitable artificial disease (medicine) producing agents analogue for each of the infinitely numerous disease states in nature.