The most intimate and interior thing; the things that lie nearest to the heart of man; the things that touch and express the centers of life, are among the generals.
Statements or observations that reflect a man’s state of mind his moods, his passion, his fears his desire and aversion, are all generals because they express the man himself and not merely some part or organ. “The mind is the man.”
Symptoms that express the subconscious or involuntary actions of the mind, such as the manner of sleeping, peculiar or unusual positions assumed during sleep or disease, character of dreams or delirium are generals.
“Modalities or conditions of aggravation and amelioration applying to the case as a whole, or the patient himself, are generals of high rank.” (Kent.)
Particular symptoms, or those which express the suffering of some part, organ or function of the body have a two-fold use. They are the data from which the general symptoms are drawn; and they are sometimes the differentiating factors between two or more remedies arrived at by exclusion in the comparison of general symptoms.
“Particulars that are included in generals may be left out. Nothing in particulars can contradict or contra-indicate strongly marked generals, though they may appear to do so. `Aggravation from heat’ will exclude Arsenic from any case.” (Kent.) (Except a certain form of headache, which is relieved by a cold application.)
Negative General Symptoms.- Absence of certain striking or customary features of a disease may be a general symptom of a case.
Fever without thirst, coldness with aversion to being covered, hunger without appetite, exanthematous diseases without appearance of the eruption, are examples of these negative generals. Every one of the illustrative symptoms given has been determined by the logical process of generalization.
The materia medica is full of such generalizations. There, the work has already been completed and recorded. It is in the clinical cases, at the bedside, or in the office, that the physician must do his own generalizing. Hence the necessity for familiarizing himself with logic and the inductive method in Science.
Grading and Grouping.- Upon correct generalizing depends all successful work as a homoeopathic prescriber. Mere mechanical comparison of one particular symptom with another is but little better than “pathological prescribing.” The simillimum will but rarely be found by either method. As well might a general expect to win a battle by trying to direct each individual soldier in his army against each individual soldier in the enemies’ army. He must grade and group his men into companies, his companies into regiments, his regiments into brigades and the whole into a great army, and direct its movements as a whole. The individual soldier is the until of strength, but the units must be massed and graded and drilled according to scientific principles until they act as one man. This gives what the French significantly call *”esprit de corps.” The army of individuals then comes to have an individuality as an army one spirit and purpose permeating the whole.In like manner must the symptoms of a proving, or of a case of sickness, be graded and grouped and studied, until the individuality of the remedy or the case appears distinct and clear before the mind.
The study of materia medica and the study of disease are conducted in a similar manner, for they are counterparts. The materia medica is a *facsimile of the sickness of humanity in all its phases and features.
Memorizing Symptoms.- The attempt to obtain a practical grasp or working knowledge of the materia medica, or even of a single remedy by merely *memorizing details or single symptoms will always fail. The provings must be so studied as to impress upon the mind and memory an image, or concept of the *individuality of the drug as a whole, so that it may be recognized as we recognize any other individual or person. The memorizing of single symptoms, peculiar in themselves, has its place and value, but it is secondary in the larger scheme under discussion.
When a miscellaneous collection of data is submitted to the logically trained mind for comprehension, it immediately begins to compare phenomena according to some comprehensive plan, in order that it may discover general characteristics, if possible, which may again be grouped in such a manner as to develop from and individuality in the whole. This is generalizing, and is the method employed in the construction of materia medica from the provings. In this way “keynotes” or characteristic symptoms” are discovered. A “keynote: may be defined as a concise statement of a single characteristic feature of a drug deduced by a critical consideration of its symptoms as recorded in a proving. In other words it is a minor generalization based upon a study of particulars. It is not usually a single symptom as stated or observed by a prover in describing his sensation, for that which is characteristic in any large way of a drug is rarely shown in a single symptoms. Thus the statement that the Pulsatilla case is “worse in a close or warm room” is a generalization drawn from the observation of particular symptoms in numerous cases, both in provings and clinically. The same is true of nearly every condition of aggravation and amelioration contained in Boenninghausen’s Repertory, the greatest masterpiece of analysis comparison and generalization in our literature.Experience has shown that most of these “conditions” or modalities of Boenninghausen are *general in their relations. The attempt to limit the application of the modality to the particular symptom with which they were first observed has not led to success in prescribing. Boenninghausen did his work well, and he followed strictly the inductive method. Of these modalities he wrote: “All of these indications are so trustworthy, and have been verified by such manifold experience, that hardly any others can equal them in rank-to say nothing of surpassing them. But the most valuable fact respecting them is this: That this characteristic is not confined to one or another symptoms, *but like a red thread it runs through all the morbid symptoms of a given remedy, which are associated with any kind of pain whatever, or even with a sensation of discomfort, and hence it is available for both internal and external symptoms of the most varied character.” In other words they are general characteristics deduced by a critical study of particulars and verified in practice.
Dramatizing the Materia Medica.- “Personification” of remedies by artistic character delineation is an interesting form of materia medica study for those who have a highly developed imagination.
This attempts to bring before the mind’s eye the imagination, a picture of the drug in human form, as an individual, whose features we may recognize as we do those of a friend whom we meet on the street. The artist draws the symptom portrait of a man. or a woman, as the case may be. He introduces us to a personality. Taking the material furnished by the prover and following anatomical and physiological lines, he delineates a human figure, first in bold and sweeping outlines, then in finer and more characteristic touches which give individuality. Even the mental traits and pecularities are there. True a sick man is portrayed, but none the less does he possess the traits of humanity. We do not love our friends the less when they are sick. They may even possess additional elements of interest for us because they are sick. And so these ghostly forms which the materia medica wizard conjures up out of they “vasty deep” are friends of ours and allies; inhabitants of a “spirit-world” from whence they are ever ready to appear at our behest. Our knowledge of the law of cure and of potentiation gives us control over such spirits, and we may say, with disciples of old, “even the devils are subject to us,” for substances like Crot. or Lachesis, deadly serpent poisons, which in their crude state possess properties simply devilish in their terrible malignity, by dilution and potentiation become beneficent healing remedies full of blessing to suffering mankind.
Generalizing for Repertory Work.- In using repertories, notably “Boenninghausen,” which all Hahnemannian prescribers use, we constantly generalize. We bring together and correlate the partial, disconnected statements of the patient into complete and rounded wholes which may, perhaps be characterized by a single word corresponding to a rubric in the repertory. Take, for example, the word “maliciousness, classified by Boenninghausen under the general heading “mind.” At first thought that would seem to be a particular symptoms; but a little reflection will show it to be a generalization, drawn from a number of observations, Rarely will a patient state, or even admit on being directly questioned, that he is maliciously; disposed. If It is a fact it will be deduced by the discerning physician from a number of facts, learned directly by the inductive process. The same is a true of great number of mental states. We become aware of them in the course of our careful observation and study of the case, by piecing together detached bits of evidence.
Dr. Close was born November 24, 1860 and came to study homeopathy after the death of his father in 1879. His mother remarried a homoeopathic physician who turned Close's interests from law to medicine.
His stepfather helped him study the Organon and he attended medical school in California for two years. Finishing his studies at New York Homeopathic College he graduated in 1885. Completing his homeopathic education. Close preceptored with B. Fincke and P. P. Wells.
Setting up practice in Brooklyn, Dr. Close went on to found the Brooklyn Homoeopathic Union in 1897. This group devoted itself to the study of pure Hahnemannian homeopathy.
In 1905 Dr. Close was elected president of the International Hahnemannian Association. He was also the editor of the Department of Homeopathic Philosophy for the Homeopathic Recorder. Dr. Close taught homeopathic philosophy at New York Homeopathic Medical College from 1909-1913.
Dr. Close's lectures at New York Homeopathic were first published in the Homeopathic Recorder and later formed the basis for his masterpiece on homeopathic philosophy, The Genius of Homeopathy.
Dr. Close passed away on June 26, 1929 after a full and productive career in homeopathy.