In the printed cases this, of course, was not so, but all had the same material with which to pick the remedy. We realize that many elements enter into the correct choice of the similimum in a case not mixed and hidden by previous incorrect medication. These include the ability to observe correctly, the ability to properly get the patients story, the greater ability to evaluate the mass of descriptive symptoms, subjective and objective, and arrive at the true picture of the sick person, and finally the knowledge and ability to match this picture against the many, many thousands of symptoms listed in the provings of our numerous remedies which, in themselves, number several thousands. This can only be done by careful repertory, study, not only in the early days of formation of the individuals homoeopathic knowledge but all the way throughout his entire period of practice.
There are three general types of repertories:.
1. The Kent Repertory.
This repertory is a long list of symptoms compiled by Dr. Kent and his pupils from all the repertories existing at that time, and from clinical verifications from private practice. These are arranged according to a very definite schema. It is only after long and careful study that one is able to thoroughly master this marvellous book. And it well merits such study.
2. The Boenninghausen Repertory.
This repertory is based on the theory that every complete symptom consists of three parts, locality, sensation and conditions of aggravation and amelioration. Its great value is in theory of concomitants, that is, “the co-existence of other symptoms under the same circumstances”. Thus “symptoms which exist in an incomplete state in some part of a given case can be reliably completed by analogy, by observing the conditions of other parts of the case”. This method is used by many of the masters and proves very reliable and easy to master.
3. The Boger General Analysis and Synoptic Key of the Materia Medica.
These were complied from all existing repertories and from clinical verifications from the doctors private practice. “The General Analysis is an effort to facilitate assembling of essential symptom groups for comparison.” Many, many remedies appearing under rubrics from many sources were assembled and co- ordinated numerically according to the actual value given them by the different authors. The most prominent ones are found in this Analysis.
This method is an excellent one based on a solid foundation, but again it requires much study to thoroughly master it.
These are all excellent methods and should arrive at the same similimum if the physician properly evaluate the symptoms and knows how to search the maze of repertory symptoms to reach the goal of a perfect, or as near perfect as possible, matching of the symptoms of the sick patient with those of the prover.
Time and time again we have made a choice of a remedy from certain leading symptoms of a remedy, well known, only to find on referring to the repertory that other remedies, less well known, showed the same symptoms also in highest degree and on further search our first choice proved incorrect.
Intuitive prescribing, truly intuitive, is founded on careful repertory and materia medica study stored in the subconscious for future use. So-called intuitive prescribing. The failure is due to the suggestion in the paragraph immediately above.
We suggest that a more general repertory immediately by made of all cases and a comparison of the results before and after be compared. It may take a little more time but we are confident that the implication conveyed in the above mentioned article, who Are the Regulars? will be true in a much larger per cent of cases after such a study, and that the individual successes will increase for the glory of homoeopathy. E.B.L.
