Materia medica assumes a different aspect to him who approaches it from without, intent upon taking the fortress. The study of natural history occupied me from my earliest years, and having learned the importance of signs and characteristics, the desire grew within me to see the whole brought into an orderly system. It was therefore quite natural that my first private undertaking in homoeopathy (in the fall of 1821) was the making of a synopsis of proved remedies in tabular form showing their classification according to natural orders and indicating the important gaps and omissions. To fill some of these gaps I introduced new remedies, collected symptoms from poisonings, and began to make provings.
The aim of my society of provers was to contribute original material, and preference was given to such remedies as were intended for publication; three in each issue, one from each of the kingdoms. The Cryptogamia, of which we had none, were chosen, also the animal products, Moschus, at that time, being the sole example; this being done to make the series more complete. It was not so much the effects from individual drugs that I was after, but a knowledge of the different kingdoms, classes and families. This course I have pursued hitherto, as my contributions to the Archives will show.
All provings were particularly intended to place our materia medica on a level with the natural sciences; to furnish a new side to minerals, plants and animals, a matter which belongs to natural history as much as do form, color, habits, etc. For this reason I desired always, and with all remedies, to have an eye to their origin, and to where they belong. Of course many others
have done the same; in other ways I merely make mention of this for the benefit of those who have not followed the same course, that they may understand this departure.
It naturally follows that one who devoted more time to study than to general practice, aimed to get a grasp on materia medica in a diagnostic way. In natural history all is done by comparison of similarities and differences, the purpose being to become acquainted with peculiarities. Like minerals are arranged in steps for comparison, plants laid side by side to ascertain their genus and their species by comparing their greater or lesser features. So we can, and must do, with remedies, which of course is far more difficult, at least now, but the hard work must be done to make it easier in the future.
I remember with great satisfaction the time when I saw Hartlaubs comparative study of Nux vomica, Ignatia and Pulsatilla in manuscript, and remarked: “If Nux and Ignatia are similar in action this is quite natural because they belong to the Strychniae, but if both resemble Pulsatilla, which belongs to the Ranunculaceae, to which the other two do not bear the least resemblance, is this then unnatural?” It would appear that I then picked up a rough stone, without, at the time, attempting to polish it. But I kept it in my pocket. Years passed before I reached the conclusion that it must be that in the first two the differences are of most importance, and in the latter the agreement. Years passed before I placed myself before the grindstone to polish my stone.
Let us concentrate upon the law of sequences as it is to be observed in practice. If remedies follow better the more similar they are, not only to the case, but among one another, we should not hesitate to prescribe such, if at all suitable to the case. Under like circumstances I promptly, and with a light heart, prescribed one mineral acid, one base, one metal, and one of the Solanaceae after the other; the same with the Ranunculaceae, Colchicum, Veratrum and Sabadilla were found to make splendid following, likewise Nux vomica and Ignatia; for all their similarity these often seemed indicated in the same case, of course to be prescribed only when symptoms fully corresponded.
In a large number of cases, for all my painstaking, I had poor success and had to look lively for other remedies. In nearly all instances the symptoms were decidedly aggravated, or the case spoiled. This, to say the least, was annoying. It put one in mind of one, who trying to start a fire by heaping wet leaves upon a bed of live coals, blows and blows until the biting smoke fill his eyes and lungs, coughs, chokes and he has to run for fresh air.
I had made a collection of real antidotes for my own use. Camphor and Spiritus nitri dulcis I did not consider to be proper antidotes. I also made a list of such remedies as were known to follow well. I then saw that but very few remedies that bore a close resemblance were to be found contiguous in nature (natural order). On the contrary the most general antidotes and the best following remedies came from sources far apart. I was in the position of one camping out, who, turning to his fire and finding the little flames crackling and leaping from between dry leaves and fagots quickly makes preparation for roasting his potatoes for which the keen mountain air has sharpened his appetite.
The discovery, with the best of intentions, was promptly communicated, but totally disregarded or misunderstood, and by some contradicted. It might have been that my potatoes were underdone, burned on the outside, since no one wished to partake of them. Believing the fault to have been mine, I, for several years, zealously continued my experiments, to find the rule to be true and constant, without an exception. All depends upon how the rule is conceived and applied. I could not possibly have overlooked the fact that, often antidotes are found in close natural relation, as for instance with Belladonna and Hyoscyamus which also follow well, also Mercurius and Aurum, and some others.
Some years ago, attention was called (in the Archives) to the nearness (closeness) of antidotes, the plant acting against the poison obtained from its fruit or leaves, bile against saliva, etc. It was this antidotal variation running through all nature that gave the impulse to my investigations and led to the discovery of the law by which medicinal forces in nature are distributed.
The best antidotes stand widely apart in the natural order of things, which experience will readily teach, even from a superficial examination of a table of antidotes. Some few antidotes stand very close, close as possible. This, to some, might have the appearance of a contradiction. Should we, on this account, no longer believe in rues? That would be stupidity. The problem must be solved.
I am not surprised when practitioners become hopeless in the face of such obstacles and express themselves in favor of selecting remedies according to the old plan, taking what seems most similar to them while believing that subtleties are confusing and that the future of homoeopathy will be assured when we have grown sufficiently in age, wisdom and experience – that it has always been the same with all new doctrines, etc., etc. It would be absurd to regard some close antidotes as exceptions and others as coming under the rule. It is a poor rule that swarms and creeps with exceptions, as we all know.
There are experiences cited where there is a similarity between remedies called antidotes, and another similarity by which they are not antidotes, where the similar remedy causes an aggravation. If, however, there exists a two fold similarity, one in which the remedies mutually wipe out one another, and another in which they do not efface, but strengthen one another, the case might, indeed must, be that the same thing can happen between symptoms of the drug and symptoms of the disease. Hence there may be a similarity by which the remedy for the disease is wrongly chosen and will aggravate instead of relieve. Such cases every practitioner has known; I confess to having met many in former years, and it was but poor comfort to say that the remedy was wrongly chosen. Wherein lay the mistake?.
It is to be hoped that everyone will clearly see that all attempts to raise homoeopathy to the ranks of a real science must depend upon the manner by which the fundamental principle similia similibus is defined. That this principle is lacking in scientific accuracy can readily be seen. Our learned opponents, to be sure, did not make mention of this, nor did anyone else as far as I know; and if they had they would not have put it to practical use.
Anyhow they were blinded, and like poor finches kept whistling the same tune over and over, for it was still night for them in the forest. The only exception, one Comfort by name, dilated somewhat upon the subject, but to cover his speculation he denied having read the Archives, reminding one of the poor fellow who confessed to having taken money, but declared upon his honour that he had not removed any from the middle drawer of the till.
Before proceeding any further with our research we must finish with those who dubbed it “mere dealing in words while trying to define what is similar”. These, to be sure, must have held a quite different opinion of science, if any at all. The point in question amounts to no less than the foundation of all therapeutics. I am, of course, well aware that we practising physicians have found, do find, and, it is to be hoped, will find the right remedy many times more in the future, each in his own way of looking for the similimum. All of which, however, does not satisfy science, which deals with sound reasons only. Should we not then apply a bit more of printers ink, by way of a lubricant, to our creaky door hinges to make them work smoother?.
