Add the particular to the general fraction and reduce your list to the three to five remedies which stand highest in their grand total. If one remedy totals 16/7 and another 15/8, the former is to be preferred. As you have taken your symptoms in the strict order of their importance according to the Kentian schema your first two or three symptoms should appear in the remedies that come high, and where they do not the remedy should be looked on with suspicion.
It is to be remembered that certain remedies, like Sulph., Calc., Nux, Puls., etc., almost always come out high numerically because they have been so thoroughly proved, and unless the beginner discounts this and bases his final judgment on materia medica and especially the mentals and the type of the patient, he will prescribe these well proved polychrests too often. Conversely, it must not be forgotten that some remedies, like Tub., have but a fragmentary part of their proving in the Repertory, and that only a little more than 500 remedies are mentioned in the Repertory, and very few of the nosodes and double slats are adequately stressed.
When the remedies have been reduced numerically to from three to five, these must be read in the materia medicas, especially their Mentals, and the original case as taken, reviewed and compared to each of the remedies. The miasmatic relationships of the patient and of the remedies that come out high must be considered. For future reference in treating the case, in acute as well as chronic prescribing, a list should be made on the chart of the constitutional remedies which come high, of the nosodes which most nearly apply, and of the acute remedies ranking highest. These or complements of these, will often be found to fit any illness of that patient in the future, unless an epidemic remedy be called for.
Ideally, on the repertorizing record each symptom should be stated in the words of the patient in the symptom column, restated in the exactly corresponding rubric in the rubric columns, and the page where this is found after it. There are repertorizing sheets [ These are obtainable from the American Foundation of Homoeopathy, 38. Elizabeth Street, Derby, Conn., for a reasonable sum.] on graph paper with the main remedies printed in, numbered places for writing in symptoms, etc., which are a great convenience and a time saver.
THE BOENNINGHAUSEN REPERTORY ;.
ITS CONSTRUCTION.
Boenninghausens Therapeutic Pocket Book, one of the earliest repertories is based largely on Hahnemanns Materia Medica Pura and the idea of it was approved by Hahnemann himself. The book falls into seven distinct parts. Although each of these is complete in itself, “yet each one gives but one portion of a symptom, which can be completed only in one or several others parts”. For example, the seat of pain is found in the second section, the kind of pain in the third, the aggravation or amelioration according to time or circumstances in the sixth, and the necessary concomitants in the various sections.
The seven sections are : 1. The Mind and Disposition ; 2. Parts of the body and organs : 3. Sensations and Complaints in alphabetical order, in general and then specially, of the glands of the bones and of the skin and exterior parts ; 4. Sleep and dreams ; 5. Fevers with chill Circulation and Sweat (the 2nd, 4th and 5th sections have concomitants) ; 6. Aggravations and Ameliorations from time and circumstance ; 7. Relationship of Remedies. In section seven under each drug the previous section headings, 1 through 6, are given and under each the remedies applying in that section which are related to the drug in question. At the end of each drug is given a list of other related remedies and the antidotes.
THE BOENNINGHAUSEN REPERTORY : ITS USE.
This Repertory is based on Generals even much more than the Kent. The rubrics in the different sections dealing with the different aspects of one symptom are used to eliminate all remedies but such as run through them all. This is a swifter, easier method than the Kent, but too general, and a great many symptoms can not be found in it at all. Also there are very few rubrics under Mind, only seven pages out of 482. Bogers General Analysis is based on this repertory and his unique method of working case by it is also deserving of study.
THE BOERICKE REPERTORY.
The Kent Repertory in its present form is unwieldy for the physician to carry with him to the bedside. Neither the Boenninghausen nor Kent repertories have any materia medica and repertory are handy in the pocket or medical bag. One of these is Bogers Synoptic Key of which his General Analysis is am abridged form, and the other is Boerickes Materia Medica with Repertory. The Boericke Repertory resembles the Kent rather than the Boenninghausen but Boericke has reclassified some of the anatomical sections.
For instance, vertigo appears under Head : sinuses are group together under Nose ; lips are under Mouth instead of Face ; tongue has a section to itself as have gums ; oesophagus is under Throat instead of Stomach ; foods that disagree are in Stomach with the cravings and aversions ; return and stool are under Abdomen ; all the Urinary system is together under that heading ; breasts are rightly classed under the Female sexual system ; there is an admirable section on Pregnancy. Labor and Lactation ; after Genitalia comes the section on the Circulatory system including pulse; then comes the Locomotor system including extremities, gait, neck, inflammatory rheumatism and arthritis, back and axillae ; then comes Respiratory system, including lungs, cough, expectoration, larynx, voice and respiration; following this is the Skin.
The Fever section includes chill and sweat, the exanthems and various fever such as influenza, typhoid malaria, etc. The Nervous system follows and includes epilepsy, paralysis, sleep, dreams, weakness, convulsions. goitre, sea sickness neuralgia, sciatica, spine, meningitis etc.
The Generalities section is much reduced and contains mainly diseases, tissues, poisonings, suppressions (under CHECKED discharges), glandular affections including mumps, goitre a very interesting section on COMPLAINTS from winds, damp places, sudden, gradual, injuries, prophylactics, and tumors. This section has been relieved of much misplaced matter and had added to it a great deal of interesting and valuable material. The last section is Modalities, first aggravations and then ameliorations, and time under these appears in alphabetical order morning, night periodicity, etc., instead of altogether at the beginning of the section as in Kent.
Under all extensive headings, such as Headache, appear definite captions in the following order : Cause, Type, Location, Character of Pain, Concomitants Modalities, i.e. Aggravations and Ameliorations.
This book is a clinical rather than a symptomatological index and has many technical terms as main headings. A tremendous number of remedies are given in the materia medica section, and well given, with plentiful mentals. Owing to its small size a great many symptoms have had to be omitted from the repertory. Its pretensions are not great but its usefulness within its sphere is tremendous.
This gives the beginner a birds eye view of three of the most usable general repertories. It is strongly advised that every student master the Kent method, as it will reward familiarity more than any other. To the advanced student it should be added that many strange and peculiar symptoms can not be found in these three repertories and must be searched for in Gentrys Concordance, Knerrs Repertory. Lippe, Jahr, or the special repertories.
Card repertories have not been mentioned. There is one by Field, based largely on the Kent, but inaccurate. It is useful for hurried acute prescribing in the office. A new card repertory exactly following Kent is now under construction by the Doctors Pulford of Toledo. Ohio. Bogers card closely follow his Synoptic Key.
These different methods of repertorizing will appeal to different type of cases, the Boger method suiting those with much pathology and few other symptoms ; the Kent method suiting those with marked mentals and an intricate anamnesis ; the Boenninghausen suiting conditions with acute pains and clear cut modalities, cases without subtleties. In closing this brief, suggestive method or repertory study we would reiterate, STUDY THE KENT METHOD FIRST, LAST, AND ALL THE TIME.
