To write a homoeopathic prescription one has to get the symptoms. A symptom must include (1) Sensation (2) Location and (3) Modality. Symptoms are classified as (a) Mental-emotions e.g. impulse to jump or steal or murder, etc. Memory changers are of secondary importance. (b) General symptoms i.e., symptoms which are common to all the parts of the body, e.g. < beginning of motion is a general symptom for Rhus. Symptoms expressing I, e.g., I like this or I dislike that is a general symptom. < or > before, during or after menses will be a general symptom. (c) Particular symptoms – these are of the part affected; these are helpful in diagnosing the disease and are placed last.
It is not possible to get a complete record of the symptoms from the patients who are ignorant or are not able to observe their symptoms carefully. It is for the physician to cross-examine the patient and get the symptoms in such a way as to form a clear image of the disease to be compared with that of the drug. It must be remembered that the symptoms which appeared last are of great importance. It is not possible to memorise the picture of all drugs. By constant reading one may get acquainted with the main features of some of the drugs. It is not possible to practise Homoeopathy without the help of a homeopathic book which gives drugs for the symptoms as noticed in the patient. Such books are called repertories e.g. Kents, Bogers Synoptic Key, Boenninghausens Therapeutic Pocket Book. I am using Kents Repertory and Bogers Synoptic Key.
I take first the case report as given by the patient who is afterwards cross-examined to get a complete idea of the symptoms. I then examine the patient and note my observations. Then the symptoms are arranged in the following order :- (1) Mentals, of available. (2) Generals and (3) Particular symptoms, with their modalities, locations and sensations. The different rubrics in Kents repertory for these symptoms are taken down. Finally, a few drugs which cover all or most of the rubrics come for consideration.
It must be remembered that a drug may get highest number of marks but may not be the indicated remedy. Here the Materia Medica must be consulted and the disease-picture compared with the drug-picture. The drug that covers the totality of symptoms will be the right drug. It is necessary to know if the particular drug has any action on the anatomical part and disease, e.g., Ars. is useful in pneumonia for mental symptoms only and it will fail to act further in the disease as it does not cause hepatization and therefore it will have to be followed by an indicated complementary drug, e.g., Lyc., Phos. or Sul. It is also necessary to know the constitution and the miasm, e.g., Psoric, Sycotic or Syphilitic, as this knowledge will help the selection of the indicated drug.
I shall now give a case to illustrate.
I was called to see a slim woman, aged about 24 years. 3rd para, 8 months gravid. She had fever for 5 days. She was anxious, complained of stitching pain in the left side of the chest, < lying on left side; she could not lie on the right side or on the back. She had tightness in the chest; feeling of heavy weight on the chest; thirst, for ice-cold water; burning in stomach, > drinking cold water, pain in the left side of the chest, < coughing; expectoration, frothy, with bright red blood; T. 103.8 F.; P. 140; R. 64; alae nasi, fan like motion. On further examination, the right lower and middle lobe were found to be affected Bronchial breathing and dullness were present. On the left, upper lobe showed evidence of consolidation. I referred to Bogers Synoptic Key. I took the following rubrics:
91) Anxious, 32-1; (2) Tightness in chest, 69-1; (3) Aggravated, lying on left side; 8; (4) Pressure-weight, on chest 69-1; (5) Thirst, for ice-cold water, 53-1; (6) Pneumonia 98-2; (7) Expectoration, bloody; Kent, 813-2; (8) Nose-motion, fan-like Kent, 340.
Acon 3+0+1+0+1+2+3+ =10/5
Arsenic alb 3+1+0+0+3+0+1+2 = 10/5
Bryonia 1+0+2+1+1+2+1=8/6
Calc. c 2+0+0+0+
Carb. veg 2+0+0+0+0+0+2
Ignatia 2+0+0+0+0+0
Nux vom 2+2+0+2
Opium 2+0+0+0
Phos. 3+3+3+1+3+2+2+2 = 19/8
Pulsatilla 2+1+3+0
Verat alb. 2+0+0+0+3.
Thus, Phos. was the only drug that covered the picture of the patient.
Acon., Ars., Bry., and Phos. came for consideration.
Aconite – has fear, anxiety, fear of death, Physical restlessness.
Boericke says in his Materia Medica “When prescribing Aconite remember Aconite causes only functional disturbance, no evidence that it can produce tissue change -its action is brief and shows no periodicity. Its sphere is in the beginning of an acute disease and not to be continued after pathological change comes. In Hyperaemia, congestion, not after exudation has set in. The case under consideration was well advanced and was beyond the stage when Aconite could work.
Arsenicum – This is a remedy of great use in pneumonia – but the mental restlessness so characteristic of the drug was not present the important modality, < lying left side, is absent in Arsenicum.
Bryonia – Is a great remedy for pneumonia, it has pain and bloody sputum. It has stitching pain but not the tight feeling in the chest as in this case. Besides, Bry. is > lying on the affected side, but it was the reverse here.
Phos. – This was the only remedy that had all the features of the case and fitted in with the disease image and hence was given in the 30th potency, 3 doses, every 2 hours. By the second dose the temperature came down. The patient delivered and made an uneventful recovery.
