In other words, the evolving power reacts from the whole upon the parts, making them subservient to its own plan or idea and thus raises itself into being the life of the organism. Therefore, life is both the beginning and resultant of the organism. It is its beginning because it is the power which evolves it from the primordial cell onwards. It is the resultant, because the organism is the system of means by which it completes and perfects itself and makes itself to be concrete life. As there is a central life – mechanism corresponding to the whole, there is life in the parts, tissues or organs and there is life in every cell.
Life is a scale of energy forming a sort of hierarchy from cell – life to collective or central life. Disease is disorder in any plane – material, vital or mental – as a whole or as a part constituting or conforming to the whole. In acute diseases, the disorder starts from lower scale of life in the tissues or organs and this disorder acts on the whole or central life – here the disease process is the resultant of the action of the part and the reaction of the whole to it. Here the disease process seems to start from outside to within or in the ascending order in the hierarchy of life.
The central life – mechanism is disturbed eventually but the change is of more a superficial nature analogous somewhat to the condition of “induced magnetism”. Whereas in Chronic cases, the whole or central life is attacked and disturbed first by some morbific agent of a miasmatic nature; this central disturbance leads to disturbance in the life of tissues, organs or cells. Here the disease process seems to start from within outwards or in the descending or in the hierarchy of life.
That is why, in Chronic diseases, constitutional symptoms (i.e. symptoms indicative of the disturbance of the central life – mechanism) are more marked; whereas in acute cases, the structural and functional changes of the tissues and organs overshadow the constitutional symptoms. Herein we get a clue for evaluation of symptoms in case – taking treat a patient homoeopathically. Hahnemanns description of symptoms corresponding to what he calls as Latent psora, secondary psora and tertiary psora, becomes intelligible if we bear in mind the course of evolution of the disease – process from the centre to the periphery or from the whole to the parts.
At first we find the disturbance located in the central like – mechanism, which is manifested through perceptible sensorial and functional changes of the body as a whole; here nosology fails to be applied as the symptoms do not refer to any particular organ or tissue; and the man, though showing deviations from the perfectly healthy state, is not termed as specifically diseased. This is the stage of Latent Psora. In course of time the disharmony of the whole or central life is reflected on to the disharmony of life in the tissues or organs; and the disorder is manifested more on the functional plane related to tissues or organs.
This is the stage of secondary psora – when the disease is predominantly functional in nature without proportionate structural changes in the tissues and organs. This is followed by the tertiary stage of Psora where the gross structural changes in the tissues or organs appear – the domain of pathology proper and nosology. Central functional changes – functional changes of individual tissues or organs – gross anatomico – pathological changes of individual tissues or organs; this seems to be the order of progression in Chronic diseases.
Here the disease process starts in a simple way and ultimately develops into multilateral directions according as different tissues or organs (though originating from a primordial cell) are affected simultaneously or successively in course of time.
Hahnemann contends that the miasms responsible for psora, syphilis and sycosis are of such a nature as they attack the central life – force at the outset and the primary derangement of the central life – force thus produced, makes the organism susceptible to many other agents to develop functional and structural changes in individual tissues or organs – thus providing occasions for diverse naming or labelling of diseased conditions corresponding to diverse tissues or organs damaged.
So in Chronic cases the central life – force is primarily disturbed from within (notwithstanding the cause being exogenous) similar to the condition of a permanently magnetised piece of soft – iron rod. Hahnemann further maintains that there are three fundamental ways in which the central life – force may be deranged – psoric, syphilitic and sycotic; and there are three specific miasms corresponding to each of them.
The idea delineated above is corroborated by Hahnemann himself in section 72 of Organon (Sixth Edition) wherein he describes acute and Chronic diseases as follows: “The diseases to which man is liable are either rapid morbid processes of the abnormally deranged vital force, which have a tendency to finish their course more or less quickly, but always in a moderate time, these are termed acute diseases; or
They are diseases of such character that, with small, often imperceptible beginnings, dynamically derange the living organism, each in its own peculiar manner, and cause it gradually to deviate from the healthy condition, in such a way that the automatic life – energy called vital force, whose office is to preserve the health, only opposes to them at the commencement and during their progress imperfect, unsuitable, useless resistance, but is unable to itself to extinguish them, but must helplessly suffer (them to spread and) itself to be ever more and more abnormally deranged, until at length the organism is destroyed; these are termed Chronic diseases.
Thus we see the difference in the evolution of symptoms in acute and Chronic diseases. It is the difference in the mode of development of symptoms that distinguishes an acute case from a Chronic one. This difference cannot be explained unless we assume the existence of the central life – mechanism and the life – mechanism in every tissue – cell. In other words in acute diseases it is the tissue – cells which are deranged first (of course through their cell – life) and the life – force inherent in each tissue cell reacts on the central life – mechanism; whereas in Chronic cases the central life mechanism is affected first and the tissue – cell affections follow later.
It is difficult to distinguish an acute case from a Chronic one when full pathology is established in either case but here the history of case, anamnesis as it is called, will put us into the right track.
We, also find corroboration of these ideas in the ancient Indian Ayurvedic system of Medicine. According to the Ayurvedic text – books e.g. “Charak and Sushruta Sanhitas,” there are two modes or forms in which the causes of disease may exist in relation to diseased – conditions e.g.
(1) In Naja” or “Samanyaja” form (endogenous) the extrinsic cause first sets up abnormality of Dhatu – equilibrium (Vaya, Pitta and Kapha) which results in the painful condition called disease.
(2) In the Agantuja form (exogenous) the painful condition is first produced and is followed later by the manifestation of abnormal Dhatu – equilibrium. Injury, poisoning, parasitic germs etc. come under the latter heading.
Though diseases are first classified as Nija and Agantuja, yet after disease is manifested, they are similar in their clinical manifestations, for unless agantuja causes set up abnormality in Dhatu – equilibrium, the disease cannot have any real or continued existence. It is not every injury (even though painful for the time) that produces disease; some may be quite ephimeral and pass off without eventuating any disease; it is only when body conditions are such that the agantuja cause actually produces the manifestations of the Dhatu – morbidity that it can be spoken of as being the cause of disease. Hence it follows that abnormality of Dhatu-equilibrium is the essential feature of both Nija and agantuja diseases.
Thus we find that Hahnemann re – discovered the truth which was long known in ancient India. Herein we also find explanation of the fact as to why the recent discoveries of so – called wonder drugs of modern medicine, though efficacious in many acute diseases, fail to radically cure the Chronic ones. In acute cases, where the central life – mechanism is not primarily affected, these drugs serve to remove the obstacles to recovery (to talk in Hahnemannian language) and indirectly give the central life – force a chance to re – adjust itself to the original normal condition.
So the treatment with these drugs are at best indirect medications more against the offending morbific agents than against the diseased conditions of the human organism. This procedure is fraught with dangers and uncertainties as the specific reactions of the human organism to these drugs cannot be predicted before hand. These Chemo – therapeutic and antibiotic measures seem to be of great help in certain cases but they have certainly complicated matters which the allopathic physicians are slowly but surely on the way to realisation much at the cost of the patient.
