COMMUNICATIONS


COMMUNICATIONS. In the cradle of Homoeopathy, Germany, the Homoeopathic physicians designated a SIMILIMUM a medicine, drug, remedy, (1) the sick-making characteristics of which closely COINCIDE with (2) the characteristics of the feelings and behaviour of the sick person and his organs. It is this COINCIDE which MAY make a remedy, drug, medicine (Arzenimittel) a SIMILIMUM; nothing else can.


Dear Dr. Sutherland:

Please accept my sincere thanks for the publication of the article by Dr.Jacob Genis, M.D., named “Homoeopathist and Homoeopathy” in the April, 1953 issue of The Homoeopathic Recorder.

I am glad to find that Dr.Genis has hit at the root of the problem of the growth and spread of HOMOEOPATHY in U.S.A and U.K. or, as a matter of fact, anywhere in the world. Especially, I am thankful to him for supporting our stand in the matter of state recognition of HOMOEOPATHY by the Government of India. we in India are for completely separate Homoeopathic institutions for undergraduate and post-graduate courses in the teaching of Homoeopathy. We do hold that any compromise on the fundamentals injures our cause and degrades our soul.

Unless we can turn out complete Homoeopathic physicians by hundreds from, our own institutions, HOMOEOPATHY will never attain its full stature and will never spread to its desired extent in any country.

Our demand for a completely separate Homoeopathic institution (recovering a period of teaching of 4 or 5 years for the under-graduate course and another two years for the post- graduate course) is based on the following reasons:

1.A demand for a separate institution for the teaching of

HOMOEOPATHY does not imply denial of limitation in the scope and sphere of Homoeopathy. This demand arises out of a desire to afford an all-out opportunity to HOMOEOPATHY to evolve according to his genius.

2.Though HOMOEOPATHY starts as a specialized system of drug therapy, it wash developed in to a distinctive school of medical thought as the viewpoints of homoeopathic philosophy, the Homoeopathic materia medica, etc., are so fundamentally different from that of the parallel subject in the so-called allopathic system of medicine.

3.Many of us seem to labour under a misconception as regards the subject mater of medicine and its subjects satellite to medicine, e.g., anatomy,. physiology, pathology,. etc. Properly speaking the subject matter f medicine is concerned with the study of life, health and disease and methods of cure of diseases. It is the distinctive approach to the study of life, health and disease that constitutes the individually of a system of medicine. These auxiliary subjects are independent sciences- they are no monopoly of any particular medical system.

These studies supply us with a multitude of scientific facts but each system of medicine has its own interpretations and its own way of utilizing and applying the principles evolved out of these facts for the purpose of healing the sick. Hence it is clear that the mode of pedagogy in a homoeopathic institution regarding medicine proper, as well as auxiliary subjects, must be different from that in an institution of the allopathic system of medicine.

4.Homoeopathy is not a subject for post-graduate training for students of Allopathy. The post-graduate course in any subject implies a more intensive study of the said subject in continuation and in furtherance of the course of study which a candidate has already undergone to obtain his degree. “HOMOEOPATHY is not an extension of he modern medicine but a supplantation of it”-as very aptly remarked by George Bernard Show.

After passing through the full course of studies in an allopathic institution, certain viewpoints regarding diseases and drug actions are so indelibly stamped in the mind of average students that it proves very difficult to shed these in favour of the Homoeopathic viewpoints of which women are exactly opposite to those held by the other school. It is more difficult to unlearn a thing that to learn a new thing and to adapt oneself to the methods and mental make-up which are indispensable for a successful Homoeopathic prescriber. So we insist on completely separate institutions where the students, from the beginning. will move, live and have their being in the atmosphere of the Homoeopathic philosophy.

The introduction of the teaching of Homoeopathy only at a so-called post graduate level is impracticable psychologically, physiologically and economically. This arrangement will surely lead to rapid strangling of the Homoeopathic profession and eventual extinction of its practice in the country, due to shortage of human materials. Of course, we do advocate the teaching of auxiliary subjects to turn out a complete physician and not merely a Homoeopathic prescriber-but only after framing she syllabus of studies of the other subjects.-“mutatis mutandi” for the need of a Homoeopathic physician.

5.No profession can thrive on chance converts recruited from the members of the rival orthodox school As long as there is no attempt at starting separate Homoeopathic institutions,the turn- out of fully qualified homoeopaths sufficient to supply any country will never be possible.

6.We do strongly protest against h idea of the Central Government of India to have only one system of medicine officially recognized in the country. We are of opinion that the days for one system of medicine are still far off as it has got to be a synthetic system of medicine which ill accommodate and rightly assess the different methods of approach to the study of diseases hand drug actions which have resulted in the evolution and practice of different systems of medicine, the therapeutic efficacy of each of which has been firmly acknowledged by the professionals and the laity and well, and the existence of each of which system is un-mistakably justified by the popular demand inspite of modern medical-system ridden State apathy, and in many ways, active antagonism.

The Indian Health Ministry always quotes the practice of HOMOEOPATHY in U.S.A. and U.K. as of post-graduate type, and it is eager to follow their footsteps without caring to be fully posted on the present situation of Homoeopathic teaching and practice in those countries., why should we not learn from others’ experience? I cannot thank Dr.Genis enough for the timely warning he gave to all who desire sincerely the growth and spread of HOMOEOPATHY; only I want him to go a bit further and utilize his talents for convincing his countrymen of the imperative need for the establishment of completely separate homoeopathic institutions.

The problem of finding adequate funds may be our handicap in India but this should not stand in the way of our American Colleagues (sic!).

I hope you will be good enough to publish this letter in your esteemed journal for which I thank you in anticipation. Yours truly,

B.K.SARKAR,

Dr.Sarkar is Principal of the D.N.De Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospitals,Calcutta; Chairman of the Examination Sub-Committee of The General Council and State Faculty of Homoeopathic Medicine, West Bengal-ED.

(Hom.State Faculty, W.Bengal).

86 Beltala Road,

P.O.Kalighat,

Calcutta 26,India.

Edit of the Recorder:

By very life work I am a faultfinder. While studying for my present profession, I was employed by a large city electrical company as a trouble-shooter; and now my profession is to do trouble shooting on people who come to me when they don’t feel well.

When I was reading Dr.H.L.Castro’s writing on “Non-calculus Chronic Cholecystitis” in the H.R.of August,1953, I found it very instructive. Between I came to the “CONCLUSION”, I stumbled on this: “Non-calculus chronic cholecystitis is susceptible to complete cure in 90% of the cases by Homoeopathic medication, WHEN THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TROUBLE FIT IN WITH THE SIMILIMUM OF THE REMEDY. . . .” (Capitalization mine.-K.K.).

In the cradle of Homoeopathy, Germany, the Homoeopathic physicians designated a SIMILIMUM a medicine, drug, remedy, (1) the sick-making characteristics of which closely COINCIDE with (2) the characteristics of the feelings and behaviour of the sick person and his organs. It is this COINCIDE which MAY make a remedy, drug, medicine (Arzenimittel) a SIMILIMUM; nothing else can.

I mean “MAY”, because on careful case-taking and repertorization a remedy is chosen and prescribed, but fails units expected performance. Why? Mostly because there apparently still are one or more features, either in the patient or the chosen remedy or both, which MAY be UN-known to the prescriber. Therefore, the chosen remedy, which seemed to be the SIMILIMUM, turned out to be perhaps a NEAR SIMILIMUM and not the SIMILIMUM. Sometimes in the course of further treatment,we stumble on some additional signs and symptoms and then find the true SIMILIMUM and cure the patient; and sometimes, perhaps in 10% of the cases, even the most skilled prescribers fail. /As w all know, we handle the WRECKS of the others.

Suppose I am 10% wrong in my faultfinding, would Dr.Castro, please, explain what he means by “the SIMILIMUM of the remedy”.

HANS KALM, M.D.

KALMIA HILL,AIKEN,S.C

Editor of The Recorder.

Dear Sir:

I received both copies of the “Recorder” for April and May yesterday and noticed that my subscription is exciting. as we are not allowed to send money out of the country and I have no U.S. bills with me, I am again asking my son to sent in the five dollars necessary to renew my subscription. I hope you will not stop sending the magazine. I get many useful thing out of it.

Allan D. Sutherland
Dr. Sutherland graduated from the Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia and was editor of the Homeopathic Recorder and the Journal of the American Institute of Homeopathy.
Allan D. Sutherland was born in Northfield, Vermont in 1897, delivered by the local homeopathic physician. The son of a Canadian Episcopalian minister, his father had arrived there to lead the local parish five years earlier and met his mother, who was the daughter of the president of the University of Norwich. Four years after Allan’s birth, ministerial work lead the family first to North Carolina and then to Connecticut a few years afterward.
Starting in 1920, Sutherland began his premedical studies and a year later, he began his medical education at Hahnemann Medical School in Philadelphia.
Sutherland graduated in 1925 and went on to intern at both Children’s Homeopathic Hospital and St. Luke’s Homeopathic Hospital. He then was appointed the chief resident at Children’s. With the conclusion of his residency and 2 years of clinical experience under his belt, Sutherland opened his own practice in Philadelphia while retaining a position at Children’s in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department.
In 1928, Sutherland decided to set up practice in Brattleboro.