THE ELEVENTH DR. N.M. JAISOORYA MEMORIAL

THE ELEVENTH DR. N.M. JAISOORYA MEMORIAL ORATION

30 SEPTEMBER, 1990

THE ANDHRA PRADESH HOMŒOPATHIC ASSOCIATION,

HYDERABAD- 500 029.

“WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT HOMŒOPATHIC THERAPY?” – Lecture delivered by Dr.K.S. SRINIVASAN

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I thank you very much for this opportunity to be with you and celebrate Dr. N.M. JAISOORYA`s birthday.

I am not fortunate to have had occasion to meet Dr. JAISOORYA. His name and fame is familiar to Homœopaths. It is unfortunate that he did not live longer. I invoke his spirit to be with us today and make bold to talk on the subject of the day `What is special about Homœopathic Therapy?’

The very first `special` is that the founder of Homœopathy Dr. Samuel HAHNEMANN broke away from the traditionally held views of Health, Disease and Therapeutics. It takes much courage to break away from ideas held unquestionably for centuries and publish openly new ideas after repeated experiments so that the idea stands the test by everyone. This courage based on facts, HAHNEMANN had. In Homœopathy he found the ‘truth’ he was searching for earnestly. He took `the path not tread` by any medical school till then. This road took him farther and farther from the conventional Therapeutics and landed him in the benevolent land of Homœopathy.

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was greasy and wanted wear

Though as for that, the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black,

Oh! I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing, how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence;

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –

I took the less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference. – Robert FROST

The Road not taken by edited by Edward Connery Lathern Holt, Reineheart and towisdom, New York, 1969.

Yes, HAHNEMANN took the road not taken by others and that has made the difference and surely for ages and ages hence the world will be talking of it benefiting by it. Thus begins the first ‘special’ about Homœopathy..

To speak on what is `special` about Homœopathic therapy, one must necessarily compare Homœopathy with other schools of Medicine and their therapeutic methods particularly with the dominant school, Allopathy.

Among all the different schools, Homœopathy stands out at one end while all the others at the other.

How Homœopathy differs from the others right from the concepts of Life, Health, Sickness and Cure to the Therapeutics in its entirety, have been well delineated by HAHNEMANN himself in various articles of his e.g.Aesculapius in the Balance(1805), The Medicine of Experience(1805), On the Speculative systems of Medicine (1808), The Three current Methods of Treatment(1801) Spirit of the Homœopathic Doctrine of Medicine(1813), Examination of the sources of the common Materia Medica (1817), etc., etc. – which are all found in his `Lesser writings`.

Concepts are behind the Laws and Rules governing the Therapy. Before going into what is `special` about Homœopathic therapy, let us therefore see what is `special` about Homœopathy.

Homœopathy is special, distinctive in its

i. Concept of health

ii. Concept of illness

iii. Concept of medicine

iv. Concept of cure

v. Concept of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutics

“What life is can only be known empirically from its phenomenon and manifestations, but no conception of it can be formed by any metaphysical speculations a priori; what life is, in its actual essential nature, can never be ascertained nor even guessed at, by mortals. To the explanation of human life, as also its two fold conditions, health and disease, the principles by which we explain other phenomena are quite inapplicable. With naught in the world can we compare it save with itself alone; ….in short with nothing destitute of `life'. Human life is in no respect regulated by physical laws, which obtain among inorganic substances. The material substances of which the human organism is composed no longer follows, in this vital combination, the laws to which material substances in the inanimate condition are subject; they are regulated by the laws peculiar to vitality alone, they are themselves animated just as the whole system is animated. Here a nameless fundamental power reigns omnipotent, which suspends all the tendency of the component parts of the body to obey the laws of gravitation, of momentum of the vis inertias, of fermentation, of putrefaction, etc. and brings them under the wonderful laws of life alone, - in other words, maintains them in the condition of sensibility and activity necessary to the preservation of the living whole, a condition almost spiritually dynamic”. (‘The Spirit of the Homœopathic Doctrine’ – 1813. S. HAHNEMANN). This having been clearly told, attempts to explain Homœopathy by chemical and physical and law of mass action etc., are all futile.

This is the concept of Life according to HAHNEMANN, which as you all know is different from the bio-reductionist views of the other school and is thus `special` to Homœopathy.

The bio-reductionist school says: the object of the experimental method and the limit of every scientific research is the same for living as for inanimate bodies. It consists in finding the relations which connect every phenomenon with the immediate cause, or putting it differently, in defining the conditions necessary for the appearance of the phenomena. When the experiment succeeds in having the necessary causes of a phenomena he is, in a sense its, master. He can predict its course and appearance, he can promote or present it. As a controller to the above, neither physiologies nor their physicians must imagine it their task to seek the carrels of life or the of disease. That would be entirely wasting one`s time in pursuing. The words `life’, `death`, `health`, and ‘disease’ have no inspective reality. Only the vital phenomenon with its material conditions.

Homœopathy is (w)holistic school and therefore its idea of what is health is also(w)holistic: “In the state of health the spirit-like Vital Force (dynamis) animating the material human organism reigns in supreme sovereignty. It maintains the sensations and activities of all the parts of the living organism in a harmony that obliges wonderment,. The reasoning spirit who inhabits the organism can thus freely use this healthy living instrument to reach the lofty goal of human existence”.(Organon para 9).

Instead of the Vital Force as a single unity according to Homœopathy, the dominant school reckon only the measurable unity of the disease processes on the basis of demonstrable matrices like bacillus, elevated blood pressure, etc.

Disharmony with the environment or quarrelling with it, inability to overcome the common day-to-day `stresses`, hypersensitivities are all indicators of ill-health. It is not just `nerves` or just `blood pressure` but illness. The term Disease is dis-ease, not being at ease; Health is being at ease. Illness is nothing but being at dis-ease, it is not just a pathology. This view is also `special` to Homœopathy; although other schools(s) have since veered round to this view but not totally.

Diseases are not attributable solely to ‘germs’, `hostile environment’, or just `modern day`s disorders` (cancer, heart disease). Homœopathic philosophy does not attempt to find fault with these viz., the germs, the environment, the specific etiology as the sole cause of disease. It does not resort to bio-reductionist analysis and come down to a single cell or part of a cell as the mischief maker. Homœopathy looks at the cell as a part of the whole, working in unison with the whole under the control of the Vital Force.

Homœopathy is `special` because it does not hold the parts of the anatomy alone as specifically and exclusively sick. It is not `impure blood` or an `excess of bile or phlegm` a malignant cell which cause the sickness; these are the products of disease. The whole person is sick and not just his parts. Help the Vital Force, the Governor of this life, to set right the disease and unless rottenness has gone too deep the disease is removed. For helping the Vital Force power from outside is added in the form of medicine in least quantity, but very potent and disease is removed leaving nothing but health.

The Homœopathic therapy is thus `special` when it attempts to help the Vital Force set itself aright. The individual plays the greatest part in the curative process. The patient is not depersonalized and inter-personal responsiveness to patient needs, is a value. Homœopathy does not deal with the Body and Mind of the patient separately. The psyche and soma the Mind and Body are not exclusive of each other or separate entities but they are one although for easy comprehension we speak of it in separate terms (Organon, para.15). The potential power of the mind over the body, the matter, is demonstrated every day in practice. Hence the `Mind` symptoms receive the highest value in the homœopathic therapeutic approach.

Just a few days ago a child of 2½yrs., normally very active, suddenly one evening became ill and rapidly developed high temperature. He was brought lying limp in his mother’s arms, not responding to his name and not opening his eyes. The mother with her two children had just come from her home town a day ago. This child had been talking since that afternoon of going to his grandmother at their home and developed this high fever; dry fever; burning. Quietly lying down during high fever and ‘wanting to go home’ helped choose Bryonia and given in 200 potency. Within an hour the mother came and the child was sitting in her arms with a packet of biscuits in his hand. The mother said she brought him just to show that the child had become normal already. I do not know what pathology was behind this and what explanation the material school could offer to this. Something `special` to homœopathic therapy.

Another case: A lady of 27 years came for treatment of allergic rhinitis, sinusitis. Had much allopathic medication which gave some palliation. Felt that there is no `cure` for this. She had a lot of mental stress; suppressed anger, vexation about her husband who was demanding, jealous, miserly, possessive, suspicious, intolerant, throwing temper tantrums, quarrelling, shouting, screaming, threatening to kill himself at the same time loving her such and wants her never to leave him, and so on. This lady was at her wits` end and just poured out all these. She had so much vexation, she said. “I have a child and so, I have to keep the marriage”. She was given Staphysagria M and her allergies began to improve! Power of the Mind over Body demonstrated. A `special` of homœopathic therapy.

The analytical, bio-reductionist schools holding the germ, the special aetiology, promotes capital accumulation and commodification of health and health needs; creates a health industry, not just the pharmaceutical industry but many others which thrive on this orientation of health and sickness; helping to create commodity fetish “use this soap and get rid of bad sweat odour; use this tooth paste and get rid of bad breath, tartar, caries; use this whenever there is a cut or injury to kill `dangerous` germs which otherwise would kill you if not just cripple you; get rid of pimples by applying this,” `your child does not eat properly? Give him this `complete food` for his nourishment`. Showing the child pushing away a plate with vegetables etc. but on seeing the glass of formula drink eager and extends his hands, and the mother’s face shows so much joy! People have become hooked on to this commodity fetish from which I am afraid they cannot at all be weaned away. A fear psychosis has been created of anything and everything in the environment is hostile to one`s health and the individual is not to be blamed! `It`s my liver, it`s my kidney, it’s my uterus, it’s virus’. So, kill the germs, eradicate the `pests`, transplant the organs, remove totally the uterus when you find it a bother - a mechanistic view of health as a commodity-available-in the-market view. We all know only too well the quantity of Paracetamol sold across the counter, the Lasix, the Valium, the cough syrup, the headache tablets, the pain relieving sprays, the digestives (`eat all junk food and take this and then you can eat more junk`), vitamins to make you look and feel younger the Health(?) Industry thrives, and it `funds` further research on these lines. Brilliant brains are charmed into these research instead of putting their brain to appropriate research.

Young lady 36 yrs., married, with one child, complained of chronic `bad breath`; has been using mouth washes; since years; has consulted a dental surgeon who found nothing wrong; ENT surgeon opined, may be sinusitis. From childhood chronic colds; head aches; pain in eyes, maxillary regions; face swelling; lot of antibiotics.”A cold may last more than 15 days for me”. PMS: Weepy, sad, touchy, about three days before menses, cramps legs, face dull; all amel. On appearance of menses; generally well after menses. Based on other symptoms of the patient Pulsatilla XM was given and her bad breath began to disappear! Of course her PMS also was improving well, what avail mouth washes? The mouth washes have only helped the cosmetics industry and the patient had become poorer. What the Homœopathic therapy could do on the basis of the totality of the symptoms of the patient, mouth washes cannot do.

There is also a so-called `hi-tech` health care. One shudders when one sees such hi-tech, being promoted and proliferated all around – health under corporate sectors while sick humanity sighs.

That `health` is an Industry helping capital accumulation and `big business` has been said already. Homœopathy is a potential threat to this `big business` and this also is our `special`. No `hi-tech`, no costly procedures are needed in homoepathic therapy. No compounding, no mixtures, no tonics are promoted by genuine Homœopathy. It’s technique is simple `easily comprehensible principles’ and it does not depend upon the laboratories for its diagnosis. Thus Homœopathy is `special`, distinctive, in non-promotion of capital accumulation and big business. Technological requirement being almost `nil` Homœopathic practice requires no investment worth saying. Only sound knowledge of the principles, Materia Medica and Repertory and of course the basic knowledge of Anatomy, Physiology etc.

The concept of dilution, succussion and thus potentise or make the medicine dynamically powerful are all exclusively distinctive features of Homœopathy. It is by this process that even inert substances are made medicinal.

One of the most special to Homœopathy is the minimum dose. It is not just the potentised remedy alone but even in that just only one dose generally or a few doses sometimes, that is required to cure.

With a vial containing hundreds of tiny pills one can treat as many patients as the number of pills in the vial! A small carton that can be put into one’s pocket can carry almost all the most important medicines to meet emergencies or epidemics. No costly, hard to obtain medicines, or injections, or medicines which have to be kept in sub-zero temperature which otherwise would be ineffective and may even turn dangerous.

A well qualified Gynecologist and Obstetrician who took up active work among the down trodden and tribals found that in the camps organized for treatment of the women she and her colleagues found that they were unable to work without sterilized gloves, examination table, running water etc. all which were not available in the dry, parched and poor rural area. The physicians and the patient women looked at each other with sorrow. These patients needed medical help. So this Gynecologist decided to find out a way; and she found it in Homœopathy. She attached herself to a well experienced senior Homœopath and learnt Homœopathy. And without the equipment just by listening to the patients she was able to relieve much of their sufferings – joy to the doctor and joy to the patient. Soon she picked up a handful of just literate women from among these rural folks and taught primary health care with homœopathic medicines and these primary health workers were able to render help in simple women’s ailments in the tribal area. Thus, this Gynecologist did what HAHNEMANN exhorted us all to do to stop theorizing and act to relieve the sufferings of sick people. This is `special` to Homœopathic therapy. Where is another like this?

R.H.GROSS has said: “Withal there remains this advantage in Homœopathy that the learned and the ignorant, the honest worker and the indolent, can all participate in its blessings. Homœopathy is that individualizing art which, like all her true disciples, seeks to exclude more and more all accident and chance”.

Homœopathic therapy is generally directed to correct the terrain, through the patient`s Vital Force. Once the terrain or the host, namely the patient, is restored to health the so-called pathogens do not produce sickness.

To the homœopath therefore every case is ‘individual’ and not just ‘another case of sinusitis’, or ‘another case of IHD’. HAHNEMANN has warned that even if a homœopath had earlier treated successfully a similar case, he should not have a prejudice or inclination to use the same remedy in another seemingly similar case but should take it up as if it were a case the like of which had never before been seen! This indeed is very `special` to Homœopathy.

Homœopathic therapy being individual patient-oriented it demands self-restraint by the patient. If the patient has been or continues to overindulge, Homœopathy does not promote such indulgence.

Rene DUBOS says that PASTEUR and KOCH`s conceptualization of germ theory created experimental conditions that were sufficient to bring the host and parasite together to produce disease and minimized the influence of the other factors (i.e. environmental factors controlled - an unnatural situation existing only in the laboratories).

While the analytical bio-reductionist model of medicine tries to locate the single biological entity responsible for the sickness, Homœopathy on the contrary takes the `General` the patient`s reactions to environmental stimuli. This is also `special`. Homœopathy does not merely say ‘it’s your hyper-acidity’ and give some medicine to just antidote it. It goes behind this hyper acidity to enquire as to how this person took to such eating habits as to bring about this hyper acidity; what anxieties, what losses etc. brought on this unhealthy food habits which aroused hyper-acidity. This again is `special` to Homœopathy.

Since homœopathic therapy is guided by the symptoms manifested by the sick person and which are perceptible to the careful medical observer, it is able to render effective curative aid even in acute and serious conditions without the necessity of knowledge of the so-called pathogen. There are many conditions in which the laboratory tests involve time, running to a few days, while the patient`s condition declines. Only very recently was it mentioned that it takes about 4 days to indentify Botulism. The `specificity` of a homœopathic remedy is with reference to the symptoms (which include the signs) alone and hence remedy selection is made as soon as the homœopathic physician and the patient meet.

Young scholar, 28 yrs., unmarried, traveled at night in a lorry overnight to his place Trivandrum. The next morning on reaching the place he found on his abdomen on the left side a small cluster of 3 or 4 vesicles, Soon he found that similar vesicles appeared on the lower end of his upper left arm. He presumed that it was because of contact of the part of the arm with the abdomen. The vesicles began to spread and so he contacted an Ayurvedic physician well known as `Visha Vaidyar`. The physician opined that it was due to `spider poison’ and gave an oil, a kashayam and ointment. After about 38 hours the patient had returned to Madras and found that the vesicles had become worser; they had become larger cluster, into loops etc. Itching was very minimal. The lesions were red. A dose of Rhus tox 200 and the very next day great relief was seen and within four days the arms and abdomen had become smooth.

We see what is `special` about homœopathic therapy.

Since the homœopathic remedies have been tested singly on healthy humans in their natural surroundings (and not laboratory controlled conditions which do not obtain in real life) and their curative powers thus observed, prognosis is clear. Certainty of a rapid restoration of health is assured. In acute cases, the commonly understood acute `infections`, `viral` conditions, the rapidity with which the sickness is removed is something which would make a non-Homœopath wonder while it is no wonder to a homœopath. This is `special` in homœopathic therapy.

While the Laws of the other therapeutic schools are based on the Natural Sciences the homœopathic law transcends the Natural Sciences. We have already seen that every living organism is subject to its own non-material laws which are different from the laws of Chemistry, Physics or other Natural Sciences. This law as also the phenomenon observed in the homœopathic therapy of the direction of cure which is opposite direction of the sickness in the particular individual is also `special` to Homœopathy.

A 14 year old girl had sore throat, cough, hoarseness of voice, pain in the larynx, which had traveled down from above in the throat to the larynx. She was given by her mother

Phosphorus one dose. While she improved in 24 hours Phosphorus was repeated and the next day the pain went further downward. Since this was not a good progress and was an aggravation of Phosphorus a dose of Nux Vomica was given to antidore; the next day the pain had moved upward and not anymore downward. This was positive improvement; No further medicine was needed.

I do not know how the science of Pathology, Chemistry etc. would explain these phenomenon but Homœopathy is practical therapeutics and not theoretical. Is this not `special` to homœopathic therapy?

Again, the symptoms in the homœopathic Materia Medica being actual experiences and noted down in their actual expressions they are permanently reliable, irrespective of the time span. The Materia Medica Pura of HAHNEMANN of over 200 years is as much dependable today as if observed only yesterday on contemporary humans. If a group of peculiar symptoms in a patient had been cured 50 or 100 years ago anywhere in the world, similar group of symptoms occurring in a person today would be cured by the same medicine. Thus the earliest medicine in the homœopathic Materia Medica viz. China officinalis experimented by HAHNEMANN, 200 years ago is still relevant. Neither the symptoms complex observed many, many years ago nor the remedy become obsolete; it will be relevant and modern even many years hence.

A young lady of about 28 years suffered from sleeplessness for over 6 months. Had undergone treatment from the dominant school and later other systems which all did not help. Enquiry revealed that she had severe bleeding after a D & C and bled so much that transfusion and hospitalization had to be done. Sleeplessness after that. China officinalis XM made her sleep well and peacefully soon.

This `permanence` of the symptoms in the Materia Medica is `special` to Homœopathy.

In the homœopathic practice the greatest value is given to the patient’s story narrated spontaneously. The homœopathic physician places the greatest credibility to the patient’s statements and then only to what he (the physician) observes; he does not ignore the patient’s story and depend only upon the physical examination and laboratory treats.

A very great `special` about Homœopathic therapy is that it does not, while relieving a patient of certain sickness, impose another one, either of more or less suffering, upon the patient which are known as iatrogenic diseases. We see very frequently patients who come with sufferings which are the results of doctor’s activities, medical interventions medical as well as surgical procedures used in diagnosis/treatment. Does it not sound paradoxical? Homœopathic therapy is safe and does not produce iatrogenic diseases.

Homœopathic medicines used in the therapy are also `special`. They are prepared in a process which is peculiar and exclusive to Homœopathy (Organon, para.269) Their storage life is unbelievably long – nay, infinite! The experience of Karl Julius AEGIDI (1795-1894), a famous student of HAHNEMANN was reported in the Allgemeine Homœopathische Zeitung, 1860, in this regard:

“Some years ago at Königsburg, Prussia, there occurred a very virulent epidemic of scarlet fever, to which many children and even adults, succumbed. My practice was so extensive that the short, wintry days scarce sufficed to visit all seeking my aid, to the partial neglect of my other patients; On December 24, I had to make so many visits that after a hasty breakfast I drove uninterruptedly from house to house, not taking time for dinner, until late that evening, when I finally entered the house of a friend, who was ready to sit down, with his numerous family, to supper. Although very hungry, I could not swallow a morsel; even the smell of food became so repugnant that I became quite ill, and my condition grew so much worse from minute to minute that I was compelled to go home and take to bed. Here a veritable case of an intense procto-colitis soon developed. Violent evacuations from the bowels, with tenesmus, occurred in quick succession, powerful colicky pains with exhaustions and faintness, set in; the faecal discharges were thin at first, then watery; reddish masses mixed with pseudo-membranous blood were voided. During the night more than fifty such dejects occurred, accompanied by horrible pains. During the first hours of the night, I was able to make use of the closet nearby but soon the general weakness had increased to such an extent that I had to use the bed-pan. Toward morning even that was impossible and soft spreads had to be changed about every five minutes. The discharge was at last small in quantity, about as much and of the looks of a bruised cherry. The pulse became smaller and smaller, hands and feet were cold as ice, and my face sunken. I still retained consciousness. I don`t recollect any more what remedies I took, but without effect. Dr. SCHMIDT and GISERIUS consulted and prescribed remedies, but with as little effect. Toward noon they came again; seemed to be very much concerned, consulted for a long time, gave another remedy, but alas! Without better result. After their departure, thoroughly disheartened, I ceased taking medicine for several hours. The attacks grew in intensity, the faintness increased, and I could not possibly wait for their coming till evening; something had to be done; the true specific remedy had not yet been found. All at once Cantharis occurred to my memory. I had not yet received that and I asked my wife to bring it to me. But in whatever cases they searched for it, it could not be found, and I was too weak to get up and look for it myself. Now I proposed a small pocket case which HAHNEMANN himself had presented to me in the year 1831; it contained 144 tiny vials filled with pellets the size of poppy seeds. This I cherished highly as a remembrance of the old master, the more so as some of the vials still contained the remedies potentised by himself even the names on the little corks were written by his own hand, neat and legible. For many years I had not made use of the case, thinking that the old pellets had long ceased to be effective. But now I was in articulo mortis and the case contained the desired remedy. Although a messenger had at once been dispatched to the pharmacy, I concluded that it would not hurt to take a few of the old pellets, so I took two of them in a teaspoonful of water.

My friendly readers surely have often made the observation that after giving a correctly indicated homœopathic remedy in the intense neuralgic accesses of the trigeminus and its ramification of the ischiadicus, etc. the moaning of the tortured patient would suddenly cease and the ailment vanish. To experience such a curative effect on one`s self, to be transformed and saved in one moment from the most intense distress and peril to a feeling of unutterable bliss, affords a vaster surprise, a feeling of deep veneration for such wonderful forces, inherent for so many years in two dried up apparently worthless sugar pellets, out of which the curative power will develop with lightning rapidity under suitable circumstances.

Within one minute all pains had ceased as if by magic. I had but one more evacuation then sank into a deep refreshing sleep, out of which I awoke after several hours with a sensation of great weakness, it is true, but entirely free from pain or indisposition. Three days after I was enabled to take up my practice again; I will add that I did not use the remedy brought from the pharmacy; the two tiny pellets of HAHNEMANN`s preparation sufficed to thoroughly relieve a very acute attack of sickness.”

While the other medical schools diagnose the disease by their common symptoms observed in many patients e.g., Pneumonia, Influenza, Typhoid, Diabetes, Eczema etc. etc., and prescribes medicines for these no nosologically fixed conditions, Homœopathy differs radically. Homœopathy ignores the symptoms which are common to the many patients and looks out for the symptoms peculiar, queer, rare, strange, unexplainable, in the individual patient. The patient himself would say sometimes, “I am unable to explain why I am getting this feeling or this peculiar condition in the early morning only”, etc. A high fever without thirst, pulse abnormally rapid and out of proportion to temperature, undue reaction to least thermal changes are all peculiar symptoms which the homœopath would take definite note of.

The individual`s other peculiarities or idiosyncrasies like cravings and aversions for food and beverages, warmth and cold are carefully enquired for and noted for individualizing the patients. The desire for company of preference for solitude, the disposition to be extremely cheerful or sad, talkativeness or taciturnity, peculiar phobias, anxieties, arrogance or timidity, cleanliness or dirtiness are some of the other qualities carefully ascertained to help further individualize. These are all distinctive for Homœopathy alone and to the best of my knowledge no other school of Medicine gives any importance to these. This is exclusively Homœopathic. In the process of cure of the particular ailment for which the patient first applied to the homœopath the excessive aberrations of any of the qualities mentioned above are cleared. I need only draw your attention to the excellent therapeutic success of Dr.J.P.GALLAVARDIN. No other system of medical therapy has even the least idea that these propensities can be corrected by remedies without any harm.

Certain material which are considered generally as non-material, inert and some which are consumed in food- Silica, Lycopodium, Natrum mur. are all very great medicines, in Homœopathy. By the processing and developing of the hidden material powers in these they have become extremely useful powers in homœopathic therapy. Similarly, most potent poisons like the deadly venoms of some snakes and other creatures, the toxins such asHydrophobinum, Tuberculins, are all very powerful but benevolent medicines in homœopathic therapy. Energies such as Electricity, X-Ray, Radium are all in the homœopathic therapy. Even the saccharum lactis used as vehicle for dispensing the homœopathic medicines, itself becomes a medicine when it is potentised. In short there is nothing which is useless or injurious, destructive and which do not have medicinal powers. We should not reject anything as poison.. In short there is nothing which is useless or injurious, destructive and which do not have medicinal powers. We should not reject anything as poison. In 1806 HAHNEMANN wrote in the Hufeland`s journal “What are Poisons? What are Medicines?”. Here he said: “No reasonable man, laying claim to the dignity of a scientific, unprejudiced physician, should ever again so far forget himself as to label as poison, substances of which the effect on the human organism is notorious and of which, therefore, the medicinal value is beyond doubt… where the public sees only object of abhorrence, the wise man beholds objects worthy of the deepest veneration and avails himself of them whilst adoring the eternal fountain of love. Sapere aude”.

All that is required is to develop this inherent, hidden power by the potentisation process which is special to Homœopathy. When we think for a moment that such materials like Silicea, Natrum mur the common salt,Lycopodium the plant considered totally inert and without medicinal value have all become, by the potentisation or dynamisation as HAHNEMANN said, such useful remedies in Homœopathy that no practitioner can do without them in day-to-day practice whether in acute or chronic diseases, surely this is also very special to homœopathic therapy.

Speaking of day-to-day events, the accidents, injuries that occur are amenable to homœopathic therapy and relief obtained is rapid, much more than in conventional therapies. There is no case as such that cannot find a homœopathic medicine, of course provided the Vital Force in still there.

A lady, 40 yrs, had a fall on her bottom with such a force that she developed severe pain in the Coccyx. In the next 2-3 days the pain became very severe and she could not sit, or stand, etc. The surgeon to whom she went said that he could give her only pain killers and nothing else could be done and she may have to live with the pain and pain-killers until time, may be a few years, may heal. This lady was given a dose of Mezereum 200, and she experienced no more pain.

Surely homœopathic therapy is `special`.

Homœopathic therapy is `tailored to the person` when tailored so it will score a bull`s eye.

Young man, 20 yrs., unmarried; suffering for 2½ yrs. from allergic bouts of sneezing, mucoid nasal discharge, itching palate, itching ears. Has had consultations with ENT specialist. A dose of Natrum muriaticum M gave him such a relief as never before and he remains well when last heard. The patient said, “Your medicine is like ‘Ram Bhann!’: it has gone straight to the point and no more problem for me”.

We have all read that Ram Bhann (Sri Rama’s arrow shall never fail; it will go and hit the target) never failed to hit the target. Homœopathic therapy is a Rama Bhann and thus unique therapy. The aim of every Homœopathic prescription is to select such a sharp Homœopathic medicine aimed at the root of evil.

Homœopathic therapy is ‘special’ in that there are no external applications like balms, or injections; the medicines are administered orally; rarely by olfaction.

Because only the phenomenon of the illness is perceived by the Homœopathic physician and the therapy is based on the symptoms noted down and the permanent law of ‘Let Likes cure Likes’ is applied in therapeutics, the Homœopath is not baffled when a nosologically ‘new’ disease comes up. Every disease, every sick person is, as told earlier, new and unique. This is our ‘special’. Even such pathologies where surgery alone is the answer Homœopathic remedies do help to maintain until the surgery is performed. Even here it is the symptoms on which the therapy is based:

A child of about 5 months was brought in 1987. It was suffering from Cyanosis right from birth. Echogram etc. had revealed that the great vessels, the pulmonary artery and pulmonary vein were in transposition. Only surgery could alter this. However, surgery was to be done later for various reasons. This child had many complications; vomiting milk, unable to take full feed, crying when fed and crying naturally increased the cyanosis, frequent colds, catarrhs, coughs, fevers and other so-called infections. The opinion of the hospital when the child was about 5 months was that the child may not survive to cross the first year or so. This child has just celebrated this month his fourth birthday – thanks to Homœopathic therapy – remedies given on the basis of symptoms.

Laurocerasus, Ipecacuanha, Antimonium tartaricum, Lycopodium, Arsenicum album, Sulphur, Pulsatilla, Spigelia, Belladonna have been some of the remedies, in 30 to M potencies given from time to time that is maintaining this child. He is learning to read and write. Over these 4 years there have been many so-called ‘infectious’, ‘eruptive’ etc. diseases around his environment – Measles, Chicken pox, Encephalitis, Jaundice and so on. For all these only Homœopathic remedies have been given as prophylactic, and the child did not get any of these diseases. The parents/grand parents of the child have been repeatedly advised to take the child to the surgeon to fix up surgery, which alone would correct the condition. Since the chances of success of surgery in terms of the child surviving after the surgery is very low – in the opinion of a well-known surgeon, the parents say – they are still hesitating.

This case shows that even in such pathologies the symptoms and signs have been reliable and the name of the disease does not in any way influence or discourage therapy according to homœopathic laws.

Sometimes it even so happens that in spite of surgery, which the surgeon considered absolutely necessary, the patient continues to suffer. Removal of organs because they `give trouble` is quite common. The Appendix used to be the usual victim, but nowadays the Uterus- Hysterectomy is the fashion of the day. Dr. H.V.MULLER, cites a case of hysterectomy the patient suffering for a long time thereafter (Allgemeine Homœopathiesche Zeitung, No.1, 1985), which exemplifies this:

“1962: Lady, 66 yrs, hysterectomy for a Myoma, but the ovaries were spared. When she came to me her present complaints were already an year old. Slowly a pain in the hip region began to develop which extended to both sides anteriorly. She could not say whether it was/at the same time or after a short while, the pain developed in the entire abdomen; it could best be described as downward and dragging. She could not say exactly whether it was the pain radiating from back to front or the downward pressing in the abdomen, which radiated into the thigh, she could only explain the downward pressure as such and felt as if the internal organs would come out.

As the pains were bad she went to her family physician: and thus began her life of suffering. In the course of this one year she had gone through totally 10 physicians and I was the eleventh she sought.

The details were taken thus:

The family physician to whom she went first did not know much about the pains to begin the treatment because there was no uterus actually bearing down. So he told the patient that evidently it could be due to the healing process after her operation 20 years ago that these pains occurred and prescribed pain killers and suppositories to relieve cramps. As this did not relieve he referred her to the Internist.
The Internist carried out a series of laboratory tests and also ECG, an Endoscope and a Lung X-Ray. Since these did not reveal anything he sent the patient to the Urologist.
The urologist carried out an Endoscope of the Bladder, an X-Ray of KUB. He declared that the right kidney was encysted and that there was a small polyp in the urethra. An operation was in no way considered necessary because it could not be said that the pains came from the encysted kidney and the polyp was too small to be operated. If it developed then it could be removed. He prescribed pain killers. The patient went back to the Internist.
He treated her for some time with pain relieving injections and X-Rayed the Vertebrae. Since it showed wear and tear she was referred to an Orthopedist.
The Orthopedists decided that pressure on nerves caused this and gave an series of injections including in the gluteus and nerve roots. Since this did not produce any results he referred her to an Orthopedics unit of a Medical college hospital.
Here the pains were diagnosed as phantom pains due to the operation 20 years earlier. Acupressure treatment 8 sittings done. The patient felt worse still and so she was referred by the Ortho to Medical department of the hospital.
Here she was again thoroughly examined with many X-Rays including X-Ray abdomen. Nothing could be detected and so she was referred to the Neurologist.
Here the spinal region was again X-rayed, a myelography, an EEG were done but no useful results came out except that because of the reappearance of her haemorrhoids she was referred to a specialist.
This specialist prescribed for the haemorrhoids only an ointment. This made the pains worse. In desperation the patient now consulted two young lady practitioners in her area instead of her family physician. These two young lady practitioners already had reputation and so she consulted them.
The practitioners listened to her entire history and decided that only Homœopathy would help such a case. Since they did not have any knowledge of Homœopathy, the patient was sent to me.
The younger generation of physicians are more tolerant and not prejudiced against as like the older. I took up homœopathic anamnesis thoroughly and came to the following:

“Holding the abdomen with the hand”

“Agg. from standing”

“Agg. From sitting bent forward”

“Amel. Lying”

“Stitching in urethra when not urinating”

On repertorising, Sepia was found to be ranking high, with Belladonna, Lillium tig, and Murex following in rank. Sepia 200 was given. Within 4 weeks the patient was completely free from her sufferings.”

Homœopathic therapy is least based on speculation. The sensations the patient is practically experiencing are expressed by the patient himself; the other objective signs are observed by the physician himself. All these FACTS are taken into account and hence reliable. The two persons directly concerned, the patient (and those close to him) and the physician interact and understand clearly.

Homœopathy has special principle or theory about Chronic Diseases. This theory says that there are three basic `Miasms`; without any one or a combination of them, chronic diseases cannot occur. These three Miasms are specified as Psora, Sycosis and Syphilis. Out of these three Psora is considered the idiosyncrasy fundamental of pathology. It will be too much to say, at this place, anything more about this. This theory of Chronic Diseases which helps treat such diseases is also `special` to Homœopathy.

There are no `specialities` in Homœopathy. No ENT, Nephrologist, Cardiologist etc. It is the whole person who is ill and not just the part. There is an opinion among the general public that there is no surgery in Homœopathy. This opinion has grown because many conditions which are considered surgical have been healed by internal medication.

To sum up:

The `specials` in homœopathic therapy:

A positive view of health as `well-being`.
A vital Force which governs the Life.
Disease is nothing but disharmony, disequilibrum of the disturbed Vital Force.
The law of cure i.e. restoration of health is Similia Similibus Curentur - `Let Likes be cured by Likes`.
The curative properties in medicines are ascertained by proving them on healthy humans in their natural environment and not in controlled environment in the laboratories, on animals.
Remedy to be selected on the basis of closest symptoms similarity between the disease symptoms and remedy sympotoms, in all types of sicknesses.
Remedies are prepared by a serial process of dilution and succession which make the medicines dynamics, potentised.
The quantity of medicine, the dose required for curative action is the smallest but which is most powerful. `Die milde Macht ist Gross`.
Medicines are given singly, and mostly a single dose. Medicines are by their generic name only and not by `brands`.
The holistic view takes in the Mind and Body as a single indivisible unit and since it is the mind which governs highest rating is given to specific mental symptoms. The patient is considered in his totality and not in his parts.
Contrary to the analytical bio-reductionism of the dominant school, Homœopathy takes a unified view and takes in the general `patient`.
Since individualization of the patient and his remedy is the very core of homœopathic therapy, it looks out sharp for the individual idiosyncrasies – the peculiar, queer, rare, strange, the out of the ordinary, symptoms and use or as they key to open the door of medicine choice.
Chronic diseases are due to Chronic Miasms.
Cure take a place in the reverse order of the appearance of development of disease.
Does not impose iatrogenic disease; absolutely safe.
A pathological diagnosis is not a sine-qua-non for homœopathic therapy.
Many conditions considered `surgical` are cured homœopathically.
Even `new` diseases with hitherto `unknown` pathology can be treated homœopathically since it takes into consideration the `symptoms` (which include the `signs`).
Non invasive, low tech, or least tech, in opposition to high tech. Low cost of medicines.
A direct link between a disease and its remedy; no speculations.
Even virulent poisons are medicines; as also so-called inert things.
Individual susceptibility and not the germs or `specific a etiology`.
Very long storage life. No special storage procedures or technologies required. `Medicine` remains active for years.
No specialities.
Does not promote capital accumulation, bio-reductionism, industry promotion, co modification of health.
Closer to Nature’s law; does not fall within the known laws of Chemistry, Physics and other Natural Sciences.
Cure i.e. restoration of health, is gentle and rapid.
No injections, no balms, no tonics – all remedies administered gently, oral route.
The therapeutic law is applicable to all Life and hence all the foregoing apply to animal treatment also.
Any person with good intellect, willingness to work hard and learns to observe, can learn and apply this benevolent therapy.

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Subsequent to the above ‘lecture’ I came across Constantine HERING’s brief and grand summing up of what is ‘new’ in Homœopathy (April 2010).

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“Must we once again repeat, what is new in the Hahnemannian teaching?

New is to regard medicines as disease making potencies;

New is to prove medicines on the healthy, and demand it as essential;

New is to decide the specificity of a medicine from its indications, in a similar disease case;

New is to consider the fine characteristics of the diseases which has been totally and never seen so until HAHNEMANN;

New is, at last only one medicine, and always single and alone only one medicine to be given;

New is, this is to be given only once and not to be repeated but await the action;

New is, to develop the medicines through rubbing and succussing;

New is, to transform the otherwise completely powerless things into most useful medicines;

New is, thereby make the most harmful poisons into mild and harmless;

New is smelling of such medicines is so effective as taking in;

New is, that all spices and such things are also disease making potencies;

New is, that no local treatment is admissible because there are no local diseases;

New and wholly and entirely new and unforeseen before HAHNEMANN is, the entire, great world of his discoveries.”]

[HERING in “Archiv für die Homöopathische Heilkunst” Vol.XI, p.109.]

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Colleagues are requested to read HERING’s above averment and be ‘true to the salt’. Please keep in mind the stress in the last lines. Who can put it better than HERING! = KSS.