Vitamin is a term used to indicated something unknown, invisible and elusive; something that can be recognized only by its effects according to whether its exists or does not exist in foods. Hence it is asserted that nourishing foods contain vitamines and non-nourishing foods lack vitamines. Vitamines are sc incomprehensible, and their chemical formulae is so hopeless that they are alphabetically distinguished; thus we have Vitamin A. B. C. D. E. etc., to start with, waiting for other to be announced. As Cartier remarks:- “Without these imponderable vitamines life would be impossible.” Such is, as a whole, the importance of the discovery of vitamines. Its reminds of Hahnemann’s “spirit-like force” which he applied to the action of remedies. Vitamines are of special interest to the homoeopathic physician. First, they offer positive evidence of the curative power of imponderables and infinitesimal, and smuriaticum.
+ Vitamin is a term used to indicated something unknown, invisible and elusive; something that can be recognized only by its effects according to whether its exists or does not exist in foods. Hence it is asserted that nourishing foods contain vitamines and non-nourishing foods lack vitamines.
Vitamines are sc incomprehensible, and their chemical formulae is so hopeless that they are alphabetically distinguished; thus we have Vitamin A. B. C. D. E. etc., to start with, waiting for other to be announced. As Cartier remarks:- “Without these imponderable vitamines life would be impossible.” Such is, as a whole, the importance of the discovery of vitamines. Its reminds of Hahnemann’s “spirit-like force” which he applied to the action of remedies.
Vitamines are of special interest to the homoeopathic physician. First, they offer positive evidence of the curative power of imponderables and infinitesimal, and second, they are analogous practically to the Tissue Remedy Therapy of Schuessler introduced by Hering and practiced by our physicians all over the world.
It was pointed out by Schuessler and verified first by Hering and then by the physicians of our school, that the deficiency conditions due to a lack of a mineral salt would not necessarily be remedied by giving foods rich in the deficient salt, and that the deficiency disease would continue quite frequently no matter how much was taken into the system in foods. In many cases, perhaps all, to lack of a mineral salt as was due to the system’s inability to appropriate the same from the foods, which condition could be removed only by giving the deficient mineral salt in an extremely attenuated preparation, usually not lower than the 6x attenuation. This is well known and has been practiced and verified by the Homoeopathic school for more than a half century. (This is illustrated in the famous case, related by Hering of a fractured bone where no callus had been formed, and no attempt on the part of nature to knit the bones. It was not due to a deficiency of lime in the system, for the patient was eating foods especially rich in the lime slats, but due to a lack of some function in the system which prevented its appropriation. Calcarea phosphorica speedily removed the difficulty, calls formed, the fracture healed and the surgeons who had advised the operation of cutting down and rubbing the ends of the bones together “marvelled” or were “amazed”).
This is the case in all deficiency diseases; there is a lack in the system of a power to enable wheat are now known as vitamines to function in a physiological way. Giving these vitamines in food rich in the same is the prevailing custom at present. It will be found that this is a crude and uncertain way, for the condition may not be altogether due to a lack of them in the food, but also, and perhaps preponderately, to the lack of power of the system to appropriate them.
Therefore we must find remedies to restore this Vitamin function of the system that is lacking or deranged, and this can be done in the homoeopathic way by attenuating remedies (vitamines if you please) so that the system will absorb them and restore the lost function. The study of the tissue remedies which we known are so useful in the deficiency diseases will aid greatly in placing Vitamin therapy where it belongs.
Biochemists have made a common cause with Homoeopaths to the action of the twelve tissue, remedies, thus:-
Nerve cells contain Magnesia phosphorica, Kali phosphoricum, and a small quantity of Calcarea phosphorica. Muscle cells contain the same with the addition of Kali muriaticum.
Connective tissue cells have to add to their specific, Silicea.
Elastic tissue cells have Calcarea fluorica as their specific. Bones cells contain Calcarea phosphorica, Calcarea fluorica, Magnesia phosphorica and Silica.
Cartilage and mucous cells have for their specific Natrum muriaticum, which occurs also in all the solid and fluid tissues of the body.
Hair and crystalline lens contain also Ferrum phosphoricum.
The three sulphates complete the list.
The vitamines are directed to deficiency diseases, thus A. is suitable to Epidemic hemeralopia, B. to Beri-beri and Pellagra C. and D. to Rickets. Here the biochemic remedies such as the phosphates and silicea are our standbys, also in scorbutus, and E. for sterility for which the tissue remedy in Natrum muriaticum.
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.