What is meant by the Hahnemannian schema?
The arrangement of the symptoms in anatomical order, beginning with head, then nose, eyes, face, etc.
What is the relation of Homoeopathy to all forms of local treatment?
The ideal Homoeopathist does not recognize that local treatment has any important value. Indeed all such accessory treatment is held as harmful to the action of a remedy. But practically and clinically it has been found that in many cases a mild local treatment is not only harmless but beneficial. But the homoeopathicity of the remedy employed should be recognized here as when given internally.
What is the relation of Homoeopathy to surgery?
There are many conditions in which the knife alone is indicated, but Homoeopathy possesses remedies and measures that frequently make its use unnecessary. Tumors are sometimes permanently cured by a course of homoeopathic remedies. Shock is also prevented by the timely administration of the similar remedy.
What is isopathy and wherein does it differ from Homoeopathy?
Isopathy is giving a product of a disease for the disease itself, thus administering the same thing in an attenuated form, whereas Homoeopathy is the administering of similar wholly foreign agents to diseased conditions.
Give example of isopathy.
Tuberculinum as a remedy for tuberculosis.
Syphilinum as a remedy for syphilis.
Hydrophobinum for rabies.
can these isopathic remedies be used legitimately as homoeopathic remedies?
Only when they are properly proven. For instance, Psorinum has been proven and found to be a valuable homoeopathic remedy.
When was isopathic medication introduced into Homoeopathy?
By Dr. Lux, in 1823. Drs. Lux and Hering taught that the toxins formed in the body, properly attenuated, are capable of curing the very diseases that give rise to them.
When were these teachings revived?
Half a century later, by Pasteur and Koch.
What is meant by Serum Therapy?
Medication by curative or protective serums or antitoxins obtained from men or animals sick with a similar disease. They are dynamic in action and in accord with the laws of similars.
What is meant by a prophylactic? Give an example of a prophylactic remedy?
A preventive or preservative remedy. Belladonna as a preventive of Scarlet Fever has achieved considerable reputation.
What is a placebo?
From the Latin-to please. An inert preparation, usually sugar of milk, given the patient while watching a case for the development of symptoms, or while permitting a previously administered drug to act undisturbed. It is also sometimes necessary in impatient cases coming from allopathic hands.
What is a palliative?
A remedy that is given for a single symptom or condition; usually an antipathic remedy given in a physiological dose.
What is the relation of Homoeopathy to palliation?
Palliation of prominent symptoms ought to be discarded, for it provides only in part for a single symptoms; it may bring partial relief, but this is usually soon followed by a perceptible aggravation of the entire disease.
Mention some of the palliatives very generally employed.
Morphine, for relief of pain and to stupefy. Quinine, in febrile conditions, and the modern coal tar preparations like Phenacetine, Antipyrine, Sulphonal, etc.
Mention some palliatives that are in harmony with homoeopathic medication.
All non-medicinal palliatives such as heat, cold, demulcents, and food-like principles.
What is the accepted definition of a homoeopathic physician?
One who adds to his knowledge of medicine a special knowledge of homoeopathic therapeutics and observes the law of similia. All that pertains to the great field of medicinal learning is his by tradition, by inheritance, by right.
What relation do drugs bear to each other?
Antidotal, concordant, complementary, inimical and family.
What is an antidote?
It is a substance which modifies or opposes the effects of a remedy.
What are concordant remedies?
Drugs whose actions are similar, but of dissimilar origin, are said to be concordant, and they follow each other well.
Give examples of concordant remedies.
China and Calcarea. Pulsatilla and Sepia. Nitric acid and Thuja. Belladonna and Mercurius.
What are inimical remedies?
Drugs which have a relation of enmity towards each other and therefore do not follow each other well.
Give three examples of inimical relation?
Apis and Rhus. Phosphorus and Causticum. Silicea and Mercurius.
What is meant by family relation?
The relation existing between drugs whose origin is similar
Give examples of family relation.
The Halogens: Bromine, Chlorine and Iodine. Lachesis and Crot.. Ignatia and Nux vomica. The Ranunculaceae family.
Give examples of antidotal relation.
Nux vomica and Coffea. Belladonna and Opium. Bryonia and Rhus. Hepar and Mercurius.
What is meant by complementary relation?
A relative wherein one drug completes the cure which was commenced by another drug.
Give examples of complementary relations.
Belladonna and Calcarea. Sulphur and Nux vomica. Apis and Natrum muriaticum.
What is meant by a polychrest?
[From the Greek words iio v 5 many and Xpnoio 5 uses.] A drug that is very frequently used; one whose range of applicability is extensive; an every day remedy?
What is meant by the differentiation of remedies?
It is the pointing out of differences in the action of related remedies.
What is meant by alternation of remedies?
The administration of two or more remedies successively, first one then the other, which appear to correspond with the morbid state.
Give five reasons why the alternation of remedies is a reprehensible practice.
1. The totality of the symptoms which should form the basis of every homoeopathic prescription cannot be found under more than one remedy at a time.
2. It leads to polypharmacy, a slovenly mode of practice, and does not advance accurate and definite knowledge of drug action.
3. Prescribing a second remedy before the action of the first is exhausted will interfere with its action. By such mismanagement remedies seem to lose their power.
4. Remedies which antidote each other or hold inimical relation to each other may be alternated.
5. Statistics prove that diseases treated with the single remedy recover more rapidly.
What is meant by the elective affinity of drugs? Give examples.
It is the affinity that certain drugs have for certain parts or organs of the body. Podophyllum is especially a liver remedy. Cantharis elects the urinary organs for its action, Strychnia, the spinal cord, Tellurium, the tympanum, Ergot, the uterus, etc. A more modern term that is sometimes used is tissue proclivity and it is probably more exact.
What is Hahnemann’s doctrine of chronic diseases?
It is based upon the theory that there are three times distinct miasms underlying all forms of chronic disease, namely: the psoric, the syphilitic and the sycotic. They may exist alone or combined in the system, and are characterized by distinct groups of symptoms, for which Hahnemann had distinct groups of corresponding remedies.
Is Hahnemann’s doctrine of the three miasms accepted by the entire homoeopathic school?
It is not. In regard to syphilis there is no difference of opinion, and the chronic miasm due to this poison, as pointed out by Hahnemann, is literally true. But there is much difference of opinion in regard to psora and sycosis.
What is psora?
In Hahnemann’s pathology psora is the miasm that is developed from the suppression of the itch, some cutaneous or other external manifestations of disease. In modern pathology the term tubercular is analogous to the term psoric used by Hahnemann.
Is there any basis for this belief to be observed in practice?
It is a fact that frequently a rapid disappearance of a skin disease, whether spontaneous or brought about by injudicious external medication, is followed by grave symptoms, due probably to its changing from an external to an internal and more vital location.
What is an antipsoric remedy?
A remedy especially adapted to the treatment of chronic diseases, so called because Hahnemann considered them special remedies for psora.
The following is Hahnemann’s list of antipsoric remedies:
Agaricus, Conium, Muriatic acid,
Alumina, Cuprum met., Natrum carb.,
Ammonium carb., Digitalis purpurea, Natrum mur.,
Ammonium mur Dulcamara, Nitric acid,
Anacardium, Euphorbium, Petroleum,
Antimonium crud., Graphites, Phosphorus,
Arsenic, Guaiacum, Phosphoric acid,
Aurum met., Hepar sulph., Platina,
Baryta carb., Iodine, Sarsaparilla,
Borax, Kali carb., Sepia,
Calcarea carb., Kali nitricum, Silicea,
Carbo anim., Lycopodium, Stannum,
Carbo veg., Magnesia carb., Sulphur,
Causticum, Magnesia mur., Sulphuric acid,
Clematis, Manganese, Zincum.
Colocynth, Mezereum,
What is the value of antipsoric remedies?
They have the greatest value especially in the treatment of chronic disease; and their great clinical success prove more of the essential correctness of Hahnemann’s doctrine of chronic diseases than theoretical speculation.
Why is it that psoric and sycotic miasms are not recognized by the old school?
One reason, undoubtedly, is the fact that they are characterized by groups of symptoms and conditions that are not valued greatly by that school. They do not recognize them as having any connection with the ordinary diseases they treat.
Professor of Materia Medica in the University of Michigan Homeopathic Medical College. Member of American Institute of Homeopathy. In addition to his editoral work he authored or collaborated on: Boericke and Dewey's Twelve Tissue Remedies, Essentials of Homeopathic Materia Medica, Essentials of Homeopathic Therapeutics and Practical Homeopathic Therapeutics.