Gonorrhoea and syphilis are also essentially psoric, because they become chronic only if their early manifestations on the surface of the body are suppressed, resulting in their metastasis to more important organs. Leprosy of the cutaneous variety is less deadly than when the nerves get involved. And this gives a better explanation of the statement of Kent that there would be no chronic disease if there were no Psora. Hahnemann makes a clear distinction between sycotic or chronic gonorrhoea and acute gonorrhoea.
He says: “The miasm of other common gonorrhoea seems not to penetrate the whole organism, but only to locally stimulate the urinary organs. They yield to a dose of parsley juice, or a small dose of Cannabis or Cantharides or Copaiva Balm unless a Psora slumbering in the body of the patient has been developed by means of a strongly affecting, irritating or weakening treatment by allopathic physicians. In such a case frequently secondary gonorrhoeas remain, which can only be cured by an anti-psoric treatment”.
Now, about the anti-psoric treatment. Here again our definition and theory of Psora make our task easier. If we look at the symptomatology of the anti-psorics, and the mode of their action on the body, we find that the real difference between these and the acute remedies is their capacity to help the vital force to throw out onto the surface all the hidden and suppressed conditions within.
Any remedy that could bring back a suppressed discharge or an eruption or a sweat or even an old fever would be an anti-psoric. Can we think of any anti-psoric of Hahnemann without this capacity? And the anti-psoric remedy must have the power to help the vital force to cure the disease from within outwards, from centre to circumference and from above downwards.
This idea of Psora also guides us in the case of skin diseases, which have been always a bugbear to the majority of homoeopaths. After all, there are local cutaneous infections like the acarus, the barbers itch and some other fungus growths on the skin, which can be treated locally without any evil effects on the internal organs. This also helps us in case-taking, because we find in the case history of the patient, not only suppressed itch, but also various other suppressions, and wrongly treated acute diseases, which unless taken into account will not allow the indicated remedies to act.
In the latest treatment of Tuberculosis by Bourneville and Nebel, the greatest stress is laid on the proper “drainage” or “elimination” in the body. If at all naturopaths succeed in curing diseases, it is because they, too, take great pains to regulate the excretory functions of the body by which the majority of toxins get eliminated. We too, in treatment of chronic diseases must see it that the various discharges of the body, stools, urine, sweat and so on, are properly excreted. We may fail to cure the deep-seated chronic disease even with the best selected remedies if we neglect these cleansing processes.
In conclusion, I may say that by tagging Psora with cutaneous eruptions only, we are restricting the scope of the anti-psoric treatment. But on the other hand, if we accept Psora to mean the driving in of diseases into different tissues and parts of the body due to any obstruction in the normal working of the curative process, we get a clear and more comprehensive view of this, the most misunderstood disease.
MADRAS, INDIA.
A Gold Medalist from Bengal Allen Homoeopathic Medical College, Calcutta, Dr Koppikar was instrumental in getting homoeopathy recognized in Tamil Nadu and also establishing homoeopathic Medical colleges. He held various positions as President of Tamil Nadu Homoeopathy Medical Council, Member – Central Council of Homoeopathy, Government of India, Scientific Advisory Committee member of Central Council of Research in Homoeopathy. Served as Chief Editor Homoeopathic Heritage International, New Delhi.
He wrote a book titled " Koppikar's clinical experiences of 70 years in homoeopathy" and also “Serendipity” an Autobiography which was published in Oct 2007.