Remedies following that medicine which had last been effective–
1. Mind, Phos., p. 436.
Location–
2. Affections of mind in general, p. 17.
Sensations–
3. Hopeless (despair), p. 18.
4. Tearful (sadness), p. 19.
Aggravations–
5. From excitement, p. 279.
6. From talking, p. 303.
Ameliorations–
7. Fasting, p. 313.
Concomitants–
8. Stomach, p. 77.
9. Abdomen, p. 78.
10. Emptiness, p. 157.
11. Diarrhoea, p. 85.
12. Agg. night, p. 270.
13. Agg. acids (sour things), p. 284.
14. Air, desire for open air, p. 143.
15. Amel. in open air, p. 317 (i.e., p. 286).
16. Globus hystericus (ball internally), p. 144.
17. Weakness, p. 195.
18. Agg. mental exertion, p. 280.
19. Agg. physical exertion, p. 280.
With the first two rubrics taken together there results the following:
1-2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Totals
Acon. 6 2 4 3 3
Aloe. 3
Aur. 5 4 4 1 3
Bell. 7 2 3 3 3 1 2 3 3 1 2
Bry. 4 2 2 3 3 3 4 3
Calc-c. 5 3 3 4 2 1 3 3
Can-i. 5 3 2
Cham. 4 1 3 3 3 4 4 4
Coff. 3 1 2 2 3
Con. 4 3 2 1 1 4 3 4
Gel. 5
Hell. 2
Hyos. 5
Ign. 5 4 4 2 4 1 2 3
Lach. 4
Laur. 2
Lyc. 5 3 3 2 3 2 2 3
Meli. 4
Merc. 4 2 3 2 2
Mos. 2
Nat-c. 4 3 4 4 1 2 2 2 1 1 1
Nat-m. 6 3 4 4 3 4 3 3 2 2 2 1 2 3 2 4 3 4 55
Nux-v. 7 1 3 2 4 2 2 3
Op. 5
Pho-ac. 5 1 1 4 4 3 4 2 2 1 2
Pic-ac. 5
Plat. 6
Puls. 8 3 3 1 4 1 4 4
Rhus. 4 3 4 4 3 1 4 4
Sep. 5 2 3 3 2 1 3 4 3 1 1 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 54
Sil. 5 2 3 3 2 3 3 4
Sul. 6 3 4 4 2 2 4 4 3 1 2 2 2 4 4 4 1 4 56
Valer. 3
Verat-a. 7 3 3 3 3 1 4 2
Zinc. 4
Here, again, the remedy–Nat-m. (50m., cm.)–is one of the high group, though not the highest. In this case it took hold promptly, was repeated several times, and carried the case through the health.
The principal reason why Sul. not uncommonly totals the highest, or is one of the highest group, in any study with Boenninghausen, is on account of its general applicability to disease (psora), and also because it is related sequentially to many remedies; but in each case reference to its pathogenesis will reveal whether it is suitable.
The tendency with many to prescribe directly from the repertory is fundamentally wrong for the proving is the essential thing upon which the prescription should be based. The repertory is only intended to be a guide to the appropriate remedy, the comparison of the symptoms of the patient with the provings being the test by which the ultimate choice of the remedy should be established.
This holds true regarding mental cases as with others, and the appeal to the materia medicas is inevitably the final solution in a one-sided, partially developed disease, or when the similimum must be picked from a group of remedies, as well as being confirmatory in a case which works our smoothly with the repertory.
The status of mental symptoms is high–necessarily so–but the manner of their employment in repertorial work must conform to the rules given.
