CONTINUING HOMŒOPATHIC MEDICAL EDUCATION SERVICES

QUARTERLY HOMŒOPATHIC DIGEST

VOL. XXXIII, 1 – 4, 2016

Part I Current Literature Listing

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Part I of the journal lists the current literature in Homœopathy drawn from the well-known

homœopathic journals published world-over - India, England, Germany, France, Brazil, USA, etc.,

- discipline-wise, with brief abstracts/extracts. Readers may refer to the original articles for detailed

study. The full names and addresses of the journals covered by this compilation are given at the

end of Part I. Part II contains selected essays/articles/extracts, while Part III carries original articles

for this journal, Book Reviews, etc.

______________________________________________________________________________

I. PHILOSOPHY

1. Case Totality, Idiosyncrasy and Vitalism

MORRELL, Peter (AH. 21/2015)

The learned author is well-known. He says

“The best fit remedy always matches not just the

broad symptoms but also the rare and peculiar

idiosyncrasies of the patient.” [I agree of course.

The remedy is to be selected on the rare and peculiar

idiosyncrasies, that is the teaching of the Organon.

Please read the full article in Part II of this QHD. =

KSS].

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II. MATERIA MEDICA

1. Fallbericht trigeminus-neuralgie: Spigelia

(Case Report Trigeminus neuralgia: Spigelia)

GYPSER, K.-H. (ZKH. 58, 1/2014)

A Prosopalgia of nearly 30 years standing yields

to a prescription of Spigelia. The selection of the

remedy is well supported with the aid of Materia

Medica Revisa Homœopathiae.

2. Staphisagria und Sepia bei Burn-out Syndrome

(Staphisagria and Sepia in Burn-out Syndrome)

GNAIGER-RATHMANNER, Jutta

(ZKH. 58, 1/2014)

A lady 43 years, 1 child. Weeps sighs; feels

over- whelmed by work and scorned, her divorce

still pains her, conformity was always the highest

commandment. All these led to a ‘burn-out’ she now

experiences. Staphisagria, helped quickly. Later on

new symptoms refer to Sepia.

3. Vergleichende Materia Medica: Hyoscyamus

und Stramonium

(Comparative Materia Medica: Hyoscyamus

and Stramonium)

MINDER, Peter (ZKH. 58, 1/2014)

The reliability of comparative study of remedies

with the aid of the MMRH monographs is

demonstrated. The comparison of the two

Solanaceae Hyoscyamus and Stramonium shows that

known aspects can be recognized but also, that well

assumed aspects cannot always be confirmed;

instead, new aspects can be found to encourage

verification.

4. Die Schwierigkeit mit Bacillinum

(The difficulty with Bacillinum)

ZAUNER, Bernhard (ZKH. 58, 3/2014)

There are many Tuberculin preparations:

Bacillinum Burnett, Tuberculinum Koch,

Tuberculinum bovinum, Tuberculinum Denys,

Tuberculinum marmorak, Tuberculinum aviare and

Bacillinum.

The author details with a practical case, how

Bacillinum can be distinguished. Bacillinum is

preparted from maceration of a tuberculus lung

tissue.

Boy, born 2003: First Anamnesis 2009. Reason

for consultation:a massive allergic reaction.

A paediatrician has diagnosed as early Asthma.

The ailments were worsening each year. He is

already on Inhaler. The complaints begin an hour or

two hours of sleep, he is awakened by attacks of

cough. After taking the whole case, the rubrics

selected were:Cough, lying agg. night agg.

Mind, Sympathetic, Compassionate

Head, Perspiration, scalp

Perspiration; exertion agg., during at night

Generalities: Food and drinks, Vinegar, desire.

Bacillinum 200c.

With a repetition after sometime, the patient

remained well.

5. Materia Medica Revision: Alumina

NICKLAS, Jürgen (ZKH. 58, 4/2014)

The Project Materia Medica Revisa

Homӧopathiae (MMRH) has the aim to collect all

published symptoms of single remedies from

available primary sources. In this article the results

of the revision of Alumina are given showing also

less known but characteristic symptoms of Alumina.

The revision of the Materia Medica allows

reproducible statements about the action of a

remedy. This will help improve homœopathic

prescriptions well, reliable.

A picture of Alumina has been built from the

reliable, verifiable in practice, symptoms in the

Alumina Monograph of the MMRH.

6. Hekla tephra und Hekla lava

PӦTTERS Hedwig (ZKH. 58, 4/2014)

Hecla tephra is the fine ash from the Volcano

whereas Hecla lava is the hot, Liquid magma. For

therapeutic purposes we should use Hecla tephra

which contains Fluoride.

7. The Spirit of Fidelity: A Proving of White-tailed

Deer (odocoileus virginianus borealis sanguis)

HUENECKE, Jason-Aeric (AH. 21/2015)

This Proving was carried out for the

Northwestern Academy of Homœopathy in Winter

2014. The proving Remedy was prepared by Helios

Homœopathy, London.

Blood from the animal was collected and was

run up to 3c. This was used for ‘Proving’. The

article runs to 19 pages out of which 9 are suggested

rubrics “not in the Synthesis but recommended”.

[Already the Synthesis is to me at least an Amazon

forest, still I do not know where to look for in it; now

one more in that, there are several ‘themes’, etc.

Why no ‘reproving’ of our old remedies like Bryonia

or Cina or Calcarea etc. are not thought of for

confirmation of some symptoms not yet confirmed?

That would be of practical use rather than add to the

thousands already there, many of them not used even

once in the years. = KSS].

8. Lining in a Crustacean World

DRURY, Susan (AH. 21/2015)

Crustaceans releases thousands of eggs carried

under the tail, they hatch into larvae floating in the

vast expanse water. They are attractive food to just

every living creature in the ocean including their

own cannibalistic mother, siblings and ultimately as

far as one percent survive to mature. They moth

annually.

The author narrates a case to point out as

‘signature’ of the Crustacae in a female in her mid

40s. the remedy Astacus 200 was given.

Differentiation between Astacus and Homarus

is given; ref. Sea Remedies by Jo EVANS and

Massimo MANGIALAVORI case/Seminar Notes.

9. Die Symptomenverzeichnisse der 2. Auflage

der Chronischen Krankheiten

(The Symptoms list in 2nd edition of the Chronic

Diseases)

KRITZENBERGER, Irmgard (ZKH. 59,

1/2015)

This is a detailed and in-depth scholarly study

of the Symptoms in the Second Edition (which is the

edition in use) of the Chronic Diseases vis-à-vis the

symptoms as given in the ‘sources’ (JAHR, STOPF,

GROSS, CASPARI, GERSDORF, etc.) the

wordings, the structure of symptoms, etc.

Earlier Dr. C. LUCAE has opened this subject

with his presentation of a paper in the ICE, followed

by some more papers published in the ZKH during

the years 2007 - 2012.

The conclusion of the author is that while

drawing the symptoms from their sources for his

Materia Medica of Chronic Diseases

HAHNEMANN has chosen to use words and

construction of sentences different from the source

versions and to that extent it has to be examined as

to why Hahnemann chose to do so, evidently in the

light of his experience. These changes cannot yet be

viewed as arbitrary and hence in need of correction,

as they are based on a systematic arrangement

following distinct principles. These principles can

be found both in distinct patterns of the changes and

in comments by Hahnemann. As the rearrangement

of the tools and then process, the revision of

Hahnemann’s latest Materia medica should restrict

itself to the identification of doubtless mistakes.

Individual ideas to set standards should be resisted.

There is need to define criteria for the evaluation of

the contents of the primary Materia Medica.

A very well researched article.

10. MMPP – Eine mühsame, aber mehr als

lohnende Tätigkeit – am Beispiel von Sanicula

aqua

(Materia Medica Pura Project – a tiresome but

rewarding occupation – with the example of

Sanicula aqua)

BREIG, Clemens (ZKH. 59, 1/2015)

There are two or three different groups of

Homœopaths who have undertaken the long and

laborious task of creating a reliable Pure Materia

Medica recalling to the sources. The work may take

several years. In this article the author refers to the

work of André Saine. As part of this project the

author created a Monograph about Sanicula aqua. In

the first part of the article the author demonstrates

with the remedy Sanicula aqua to singular aspects of

the MMPP like searching for the Provings and cases,

developing a genius and making additions to the

Repertory. In the second part of the article a case

demonstration shows important characteristics of the

remedy.

11. The Glees Academy of Homœopathic

Physicians and the Revision of a Homœopathic

Materia Medica (MMRH)

GOLDMAN, Robert (AJHM. 108, 2/2015)

About 12 years ago the Glees Academy of

Homœopathic Physicians, with Dr. Klaus-Henning

GYPSER, MD as its Founder and Director has set to

bring out most reliable Homœopathic Materia

Medica by referring to the sources and then weed out

the doubtful entries and keep the reliable. This is a

daunting work which requires a large team of

dedicated Homœopathy scholars, much patience and

many, many hours of work. Lot of ‘ground work’

precedes which meant collection of the source

material, sifting them, cataloguing them so as to

have ready access.

It goes to the credit of the team and its head that

such work undertaken with the aim of serving

mankind, thereby Homœopathy and not for any

personal gains would draw like-minded and see the

task through.

Ten years have passed since the inception of this

work, so far about 60 remedies have been made

available: work is going on. It is for the homœopaths

that more dedicated among them offer their labour

and become blessed up Samuel Hahnemann.

The Glees Academy is also a ‘Learning Center’.

it has probably the largest Homœopathic Library,

most rare.

The homœopathic community is greatful to Dr.

Gypser and his team for this great and grand work.

The best way that we can express our gratitude is

using this revised and reliable work in our day to day

practice.

12. Introduction to the Materia Medica Pura Project

FIOR, Tim (AJHM. 108, 2/2015)

This is another Materia Medica Project by

Andre SAINE.

Over the past 125 years much clinical

information has been reported in the journals. An

internationals team of homœopaths from Europe

have joined together and collected these material and

indexed them. The purpose of this indexing is partly

to find interesting articles, but the most important

aim is to sort out Provings, toxicological reports, and

cases and clinical experiences from reliable sources.

A monograph is prepared, detailing the substance

used to make that remedy, its history, any anecdotes.

The symptoms are analysed to make repertory

additions. So far, tens of thousands of reliable

addition to the Repertory for just one hundred

remedies.

A position of the remedy Asafoetida is featured

in this issue of AJHM. (Given in Part II of this

QHD].

13. A Modern-day Mad Hatter

DUNN, Dale and FIRO, Timothy

(AJHM. 107, 1/2014)

Mercury is ubiquitous in our environment. This

has produced a disease of modernity which is a result

of the gradual bioaccumulation of mercury from

dental amalgams, vaccines and other medicines,

cosmetics, foods, industrial and natural sources.

Chronic mercury exposure can produce significant

multi-system morbidity in susceptible humans,

though diagnosis of chronic mercury intoxication

remains controversial. The case that follows depicts

that of a “modern-day mad hatter” who, despite the

use of well-indicated homœopathic medicines and

careful attention to homœopathic case management,

failed to progress to cure. The eventual diagnosis of

chronic mercury toxicity and subsequent oral

Chelation Therapy helped to significantly improve

some chronic neurologic symptoms which were

only temporarily palliated by a series of well chosen

homœopathic remedies. Homœopaths are reminded

that any/all exciting and maintaining cause(s) of

disease are impediments that must be accurately

ascertained and removed before homœopathic cure

is possible. [Here, at home on Kodaikanal near

Madurai there is problem with the Mercury that has

been left after the Thermometer manufacturing

foreign company folded up some years ago. We do

not know what is being done to remove the Mercury

from the environment. Certainly the risk is lurking.

= KSS].

14. A Great Sciatica Remedy

Mac ADAM E. Wallace (AJHM. 107, 1/2014)

Gnaphalium polycephalum, the common ‘Life

everlasting’, has been of value in many cases of

Sciatica, but the modalities as given in our textbooks

are open to criticism and may safely be ignored.

These modalities are:

Aggravation from lying down and stepping;

Amelioration from sitting on a chair.

15. The Facts About Variolinum

EATON, Charles Woodhull

(AJHM. 107, 2/2014)

The basis, use, and efficacy, of Variolinum in

preventing Smallpox during an era of Smallpox

epidemics in America is described, with cases and

statistics from lowa. Reports of inadvertent proving

symptoms are given. In the closing Discussion, Dr.

KORNDOERFER describes the work of his teacher

Constantin HERING when an incidental laboratory

finding preceded a case of Smallpox.

(This article originally appeared in Transactions

of the AIH 63rd Annual Session Norfolk, Va., June

17-22, 1907).

16. Carbo vegetabilis

SHEVIN, William (AJHM. 107, 1/2014)

Three cases of clinical presentations that have

not yet reached the well-known state of profound

weakness, respiratory distress, and collapse of

Carbo vegetabilis are presented.

[Dr.SHEVIN writes on Rajan Sankaran’s

‘Schema for Plant families’, compensation and

decompensation; etc. All these are

incomprehensible to me – I have found in my nearly

60 years of homœopathic practice, the teachings of

the past Masters are sufficient. The new

‘Innovators’ – Rajan Sankaran’s ideas, Sehgal’s

‘Mind’ only method, Banerjee’s protocols,

Vijaykar’s ‘Predictive’ and some other which will

come up in future are beyond me; I do not doubt that

all these are different methodologies and give

‘satisfactory’ results. Generally all of us present our

succeeses, but do not present failures. When there is

failure, you turn to a new methodology and find the

new gives successful results. But sometime later you

experience failure and you will turn to another ‘new’

method. That is what is happening. From what I

have read Homœopathy in the days of LIPPE,

GUERNSEY, WELLS, etc. was giving better results

and it is because of that Homœopathy survived.

Anyway the article by Dr. SHEVIN is certainly

interesting and worth reading. = KSS]

17. Homarus gammarus – Eine Kasuistic

(Homarus gammarus – A case)

KOLLER-WILMKING, Anna

(AHZ. 253, 2/2008)

Homarus gammarus was proved in 1888 by

CUSHING but has rarely been used. However, this

Sea remedy has been brought to light by Massimo

MANGIALAVORI. Allergy to milk and need for

super human protection are mentioned as

characteristic of this remedy.

A infant 4 months, girl, was suffering from

colic without clear modalities. The mother feeds,

she throws out mother’s milk.

Calcarea carbonica 200 and then M after long

interval. Inspite of this she developed cough, crying

at nights. Grandfather suffered Tuberculosis and

father Asthma and chronic Pneumonia.

Tuberculinum M and then XM. She improved, but

then no further. The mother said that the child had

colic from milk which she loved. Homarus

gammarus 200. Cured.

In brief Homarus gammarus = Calcarea

carbonica + need for great human protection and

allergy to milk.

Homarus gammarus – Reference Work by

von Massimo MANGIALAVORI:

 MIND, ANXIETY, money matters, about,

 MIND, DELUSIONS, imaginations, shadow,

he is protected by a,

 MIND, HORRIBLE things, sad stories affect

her profoundly,

 MIND, TIMIDITY,

 HEAD PAIN, GENERAL, milk, after drinking,

 RECTUM, CONSTIPATION, milk, after,

 EXTERNAL THROAT, SWELLING, cervical

glands,

 SKIN, ERUPTIONS, eczema, chronic,

 SKIN, ERUPTIONS, urticaria, fish agg., shell-

fish,

 GENERALITIES, CLOTHING, tight, as if too,

 GENERALITIES, FOOD and drinks, milk, agg.

 GENERALITIES, FOOD and drinks, milk,

desires,

 GENERALITIES, FOOD and drinks, shell-fish

agg.

 GENERALITIES, FOOD and drinks, shrimps,

desire for.

18. Alternating Symptoms in the Homœopathic

Treatment of Bipolar Disorder: Platinum

metallicum: A Case Report

WHEELER, Miriam; OSKIN, Jamie;

LANGLAND, Jeffry (AJHM. 108, 4/2015)

Due to the oscillating nature of the symptoms

within rapid cycling or cyclothymic Bipolar

disorder, an accurate homœopathic prescription

must produce alternating symptoms within the

drug’s primary action in order to most similarly

match the disease state of the patient. By example,

this case report presents the homœopathic treatment

of a patient with diagnoses of Bipolar disorder,

attention deficit disorder, and anxiety. The patient

previously underwent conventional treatment for

several years, but was dissatisfied with the outcome

and sought alternative treatment. The patient was

prescribed Platinum metallicum because of its

similarity to the distinctive (characteristic) syptoms

of the “case of disease,” (Organon, §153). Within

two months of treatment, episodes of mania,

depression, and anxiety had stopped. After one year,

the patient demonstrated continued improvement

without relapses in Bipolar episodes. This case

presents an important example of Platinum

metallicum’s alternating symptoms within its

primary action, which makes it a valuable remedy in

the homœopathic treatment of Bipolar disorder.

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III. THERAPEUTICS

1. Die Zeichen der Besserung nach einer

homӧopa-thischen Verordnung

(The signs of amelioration after a homœopathic

remedy)

GYPSER, K.-H. (ZKH. 58, 1/2014)

The signs of amelioration or relief of the

sufferings of a patient are in ways different from

what the allopathic school holds, whereas the

objective signs and symptoms are reckoned in

Allopathy, Homœopathy reckons the subjective &

objective, both.

The author discusses under three groups. Group

A: Here the relief of the main symptoms, the

complaint for which the patient consulted, is

considered alongwith the patient’s mental

disposition, his social relationship, the sleep, the

general look, etc.

Group B: the main symptoms, how several or

less so, how acute, periodicity., etc.

Group C: The development of the symptoms in

the order of Centre to the Periphery; the state of

nails, skin, evacuations, the hair, the countenance,

urine/stool abnormalities etc.

Group D: The observation of H.C. ALLEN that

an acute disease will surely arise in the course of

treatment of a chronic disease which is a good sign.

BOGER has said that “it is a mistake to get a

reaction from but one or two organs; it savors too

much of stimulation as we see it in crude prescribing

and always leaves undesirable after effects …”

2. Homӧopathie im Franzӧssischen Krankenhaus

(Homœopathy in French Hospitals)

DINGES, Martin (ZKH. 58, 2/2014)

Hospitals meant a strategic significances for the

spread of Homœopathy. In the beginning, French

homœopaths followed the German example. Later

they temporarily managed to establish homœopathic

departments in the bigger hospitals and to take over

smaller houses. Comparison of treatment of patients

strictly selected at random showed good results in

the late eighteenforties. From the eighteen seventies

on, they have to found hospitals of their own in order

to represent Homœopathy in clinical context. Yet

more important for the spread of Homœopathy were

apparently the ambulances, which prevailed in the

largest French cities.

3. Die Spanische grippe und ihre

Behandlungserfolge durch Homӧopaten

weltweit

(The Spanish Flu and its treatment successes

through Homœopathy Worldwide)

JAHN, Stefannie (ZKH. 58, 3/2014)

The “Spanish Influenza” was the most,

devastating pandemic so far in the history of

mankind. The disease was also treated by

homœopaths worldwide. Even today the apparent

success of the treatment is referred to. Unfortunately

the data is often imprecise, although the discrepancy

between cases of treated patients – outpatients or

inpatients – is clear. Also there was no unity of

Homœopathy. The homœopaths were rather poly-

therapeutic. The assessment of such therapy and its

success is complex and must accommodate various

criteria. A pure reporting is wanting for

contemporary evaluation.

4. Psorinum bei Heuschnupfen

(Psorinum in Hay fever)

SCHREIER, Thomas (ZKH. 58, 3/2014)

A 24-year female student complained

telephonically of constant sneezing with

accompanying ‘allergic’ symptoms. There were

good repertoriable symptoms. Pulsatilla C30.

Though there was amelioration of her complaint she

reported cough.

Many of her complaints including a revival of

energy were revived; however cough was bothering.

Whereas she felt worse in warm and better in cool,

now she felt the opposite; she felt worse in cool air.

Psorin 200c.

Cough and the agg. from cool air were all

relieved and her natural state of amel. in cool air, etc.

returned. A dose of Pulsatilla 200c and all her

complaints were relieved.

Refer to Kent with reg. to Puls. and Psorin. The

author has also quoted CLARKE (“Psorinum has

cured more cases of hay fever in my practice than

any other single remedy.”)

5. Optimierungsmöglichkeiten bei der

Polaritätsanalyse nach Heiner FREI mit dem

Computer programm and jRep.

(Possibility of optimisation by polarity analysis

according to Heiner FREI with the computer

Programme jRep.)

STEGEMANN, Thorsten (ZKH. 58, 4/2014)

Ways to optimize the polarity analysis by

Heiner FREI by a hybrid grading – and on-line-

questionnaire and a prospect to a possibility of

integration of the analysis of polarities into the polar

rubrics are presented.

[Personally, I feel that the computer plays a major

role and there is less Art. I don’t know whether I

will improve my knowledge of Materia Medica in

this way. Of course there is no question that Dr.

FREI’s method is welcome = KSS].

6. Zur Frage der Mobilisation von Arsen durch die

Einnahma von Arsenicum album D6.

(Accumulation of Arsenic due to continued

intake of Arsenicum album D6, Questioned)

BUCHHEIM-SCHMIDT, Susan and RIGSEL,

Roger (ZKH. 58, 4/2014)

In the ZKH, 46, 1/2002 there was an article

titled “uncontrolled intake of low potency with lethal

result” wherein the authors – Christian REITER and

Christoph ABERMANN – have said that the patient

had indications of Arsenic intoxication in blood and

urine, and she died as a result. This patient was on

Arsenicum album D6 as well as some other

‘homœopathic’ medicines in low potencies.

There were discussions following this. Now

these authors also conclude that it cannot be said or

proved that the intoxication which has led to the

death of the patient was due to uncontrolled intake

of low potency Arsenicum.

7. Stellungnahme zum Artikel: Zur Frage der

Mobilisation von Arsen durch die Einnahme

von Arsenicum album D6

(On the article on the question of collection of

Arsenic from taking Arsenicum album D6)

REITER Christian von (ZKH. 58, 4/2014)

Has argued further and concludes that the

explanation by BUCHHEIM-SCHMIDT, is not

convincing enough.

Very stimulating discussion.

8. Behandlung einer seltenen Hauterkrankung mit

Silicea

(Treatment of a rare skin disease with Silicea)

LUCAE, Christian (ZKH. 58, 4/2014)

In this case report the therapy with Silicea of a

rare skin disorder, Lichen spinulosus in a 9 yr. old

girl is described. The rubric “symmetrical

eruptions” played an important role in finding the

remedy. The relevant literature is carefully read

through in different Repertories and Materia

Medicas.

Silicea 200 cured the patient.

9. Fallbericht Zystitis: Mercurius

(Case Report Cystitis: Mercurius)

GYPSER Klaus-Henning (ZKH. 58, 4/2014)

24 Year-old female suffered from acute Cystitis.

The remedies Bryonia and Mercurius are carefully

compared and Mercurius cured. Materia Medica

comparisons were made with Materia Medica Pura

of HAHNEMANN.

10. Case of a boy with Nephrotic Syndrome

OWENS, Sujata (AH. 21/2015)

6-year boy with Focal Segmental

Glomerulosclerosis after a Kidney Biopsy. This

disease is considered incurable and relapses are

expected once medications are stopped. The boy

was on Steroids and Diuretics.

OWENS has repertorized 20 or more rubrics –

all ‘characteristics’! she found 4 remedies which

have to be differentiated: Phosphorus, Lycopodium,

Silica and Aranea. OWENS writes “I knew from

the strong focus on spider drawings, fear of spiders,

spider story, dreams of animals, that the remedy had

to be a spider.”

And Aranea diadema in LM potencies. Starting

with LM 3 and going up to LM 8 over July 2012 to

July 2013. All Lab. Reports are normal.

[While many of the symptoms are found in Aranea

diadema, justifying the choice, the author says that

the choice was due to her knowledge of the

‘Spiders’and the boy’s drawings of spiders! Such

arguments have no place in the Homœopathy that I

have read. In the past decade there was rush of such

ideas put out by many ‘leading’ teachers of

Homœopathy. One of them said that he gave a

Spider remedy because the patient loved knitting and

climbing! And who amongst us can analyse with 15

– 20 rubrics said as ‘characteristic’. [Characteristics

are only few that one can analyse on a paper – say 5

or 6 only. Comments welcome = KSS].

12. Directions for Homœopathy: What do eminent

homœopaths see?

SPERLING, Vatsala (AH. 21/2015)

This is a record of the Interview Kim ELIA had

with Dr. Praful VIJAYKAR, with regard to the

therapeutic techniques he recommends, ‘Predictive

Homœopathy’. Dr. Peter FISHER of U.K. also joins

in this. [As many Practitioners, so many variations

all swearing by HAHNEMANN! Perhaps it is the

‘freedom’ Homœopathy gives to one. Are these new

teachniques each of which claims to be better than

what was Hahnemann’s or his true followers like

Bœnninghausen, Guernsey, Wells, et al? whose

beacons are still enlightening enough. Have these

new techniques better one LIPPE, for example. No,

to my knowledge which of course is little. But if it

has I will be grateful to know. = KSS].

13. The Joshis’ Method: A case of Recurrent

Nosebleed

SPERLING, Vatsala (AH. 21/2015)

A eleven-year old girl’s Nosebleed cured over a

period of twenty months and it has taken nearly 5

pages, to narrate this! Discussing ‘ Kingdoms’ and

the ‘mind’ etc., the remedy is justified. [In our

regular daily practice, we have had Nosebleeds and

treated them successfully. We know only one

method. Cases like this may be seen in Erastus

Cases Report, hardly one third of a page. How many

cases we have read of Ad. LIPPE putting his remedy

succinctly and clearly! And C.M. BOGER, so brief

and clear. One can learn from these giants. Those

of us who stick to them are blessed! = KSS].

14. Working with Trauma in Homœopathy: Trauma

Informed Interviewing

BUTEHORN, Loretta (AH. 21/2015)

This is with referece to Trauma-related Stress

Disorder. Short and simple method is how to be

sympathetic and relate to the patient.

15. Behandlung der Streptokokken-Angina

(Treatment of Streptococal Angina)

LUCAE, Christian (ZKH. 59, 1/2015)

Group A Streptococcal Tonsillopharyngitis is a

common disease in Paediatrics, but also in the

General Practice and in ENT. The guidelines for

therapy have changed during the last years: in the

meantime the general prescription of Antibiotics is

not encouraged any more and more sophisticated

therapy regimes should be applied. The recurrent

therapy lines are discussed in relation to the

scientific literature.

Therapeutic options with homœopathic

remedies are discussed with acute and chronic

reports taking into account the relevant

homœopathic literature.

16. Wirksamkeit homöopathischer Arzneien bei der

akuten Höhenkrankheit

(Action of homœopathic remedies in acute

altitude sicknesses)

STEINER Urs (ZKH. 59, 2/2015)

Ambitious tours in ice and snow upto altitudes

of 6500m and also hikes to the summit of Mount

Kilimanjaro with 5893m or through the valley of

Kali Gandaki upto 3000m (Johnson) in Nepal fall

under the term ‘trekking’- always if the luggage is

just carried by some others.

The generalized term ‘Trekking’ misleads many

more and more untrained hikers to tours into

mountains without knowledge of the inherent risks.

In acute mountain sickness the conventional

treatment is with Nifedepine or Dexamethasone.

There are realiable homœopathic treatments which

require good knowledge of the symptoms.

The author recommends 5 remedies plus Arnica

(and as prophylactic substitution Magnesium) for a

Trekker.

[von BOENNINGHAUSEN has, for intense

thirst of a mountaineer 2-3 pills of Natrum

muriaticum immediately helps. = KSS].

17. Hyoscyamus in Seasickness – Therapieerfolge

von Christoph Hartung

(Hyoscyamus in Seasickness – Therapy

successes by Christoph Hartung)

LUCAE, Christian (ZKH, 59, 2/2015)

Homœopathic physician Christoph

HARTUNG (1779 – 1853) has published a case

series which is not known to all and seems to have

been lost.

Christoph HARTUNG was a field Surgeon in

the Austrian army and later as Chief Physician in

several Military hospitals. From 1819 he was

engaged with Homœopathy and was in Hahnemann

Students association for medicinal provings.

His main work was Fragmenta aus den

hinterlassenen Schriften des Hofraths

Hahnemann von 1848. HAHNEMANN received

the manuscript of this work shortly before his

passing in 1843. Later MELANIE wrote to

HARTUNG on 30.7.1843 from Paris that these

papers would be in HAHNEMANN’s memoirs and

Case Register and published soon, since

HAHNEMANN had read some excerpts and was

very much impressed.

HARTUNG’s book contains several case

histories including GRAF’s treatment of GRAF

RADETZKY who suffered from a serious Eye

Tumor which was cured with Homœopathy.

HARTUNG found that Hyoscyamus produced

symptoms similar to the severe nausea experienced

while travelling in a rough sea. He gave the remedy

in the 12 potency and had excellent results.

However, in our repertories it is rarely found for

this condition. Neither do the several books on

Therapeutics. [Again this reminds that we should go

to the source and it is the symptoms that are similar

and should be compared for selection of the curative

remedy. = KSS].

18. Scheinmodalitäten (Fake modalities)

ROHRER, Anton (ZKH. 59, 2/2015)

Modalities play an important role in the

selection of a remedy, i.e. they became a specific

method known as Polarity Analysis by Heiner FREI.

But to recognize a modality of aggravation there

must be determinable also the opposite amelioration.

These opposite amelioration frequently are not direct

effects of a remedy but are only expressions of the

languages to indicate the suspension of the

modalities of aggravation (fake modalities). That

can be presented wonderfully by the

Symptomenlexikon by UWE PLATE.

19. Acute cases of Women’s Illness Treated in

Homœopathic OPD.

MASTER, Farokh (HH. 41, 1/2015)

Two cases of (1) a young College girl and

another (2) a middle-aged woman, both eruptions on

the genitals recurrent. The first one was given

Causticum 30, then 200 and in the second case Borax

200.

20. The change of Life in Women: Role of

Homœopathy.

THOMAS, Rekha (HH. 41, 1/2015)

The article gives list of Rubrics relevant to

‘Change of Life in Women’.

21. A Meditative Approach of Case Taking: A case

of PCOS at the Delusion Level

SHAH, Devang, SHAH, Jayesh

(HH. 41, 1/2015)

The learned authors say of their approach to

cases that may be called as ‘Process approach’ or

‘Life Force Approach’. This is based on a simple

phenomenon that the ‘Life Force’ has an inherent

tendency to resonate with the similar. The method

involves getting the patient into a state of experience

rather than into talking about the issues. Anything

expressed spontaneously or intensely has the change

to guide the patient to move the patient into deeper

levels of experience. This is done by a gentle

suggestion from the physician to the client to close

their eyes and experience the symptom, sensation or

the emotion that is experienced or experienced with

intensity. This resonance creates imagery or a

dream-like state within the patient. As if the person

has started seeing and experience a dream right in

your presence. In feels like she/he is in a kind of

trance or non-ordinary reality. Once the person

closes the eyes it is amazing to see the surfacing of

parallel realities.

A case is narrated in which Alumina silicata

200 was given. [“The remedy has both the confusion

of Alumina and fixity of Silica”! These

“approaches” make me dizzy and I do not find any

connection with HAHNEMANN, HERING, KENT,

SCHMIDT and such others who are the beacon

lights. None of these forefathers are any where in

this ‘novel’ therapy = KSS].

22. Managing pain with Homœopathy – A

collection of Cases

SANKARAN, Rajan, et al. (HH. 41, 2/2015)

When managing acute and chronic pain with

Homœopathy there are a variety of approaches one

can use. Some practitioners use the pathological and

physical symptoms as the key, and others use Key

Notes and Mind symptoms in combination with the

Generals. Throughout this article, we will look at

four cases by various doctors at the ‘other song’

clinic which utilize different approaches to illustrate

the efficacy of using homœopathic medicine in pain

management. [This Abstract is as given in the

journal. I do not know why the word ‘management’

is used and not ‘cure’ which is used in the Organon

and in later works of the Masters HERING,

BŒNNINGHAUSEN, ALLEN, CLOSE, et al. I do

not know why the ‘modern Masters’ in Homœopathy

use this words ‘management’: ‘approach’, instead of

‘cure’. Could it be due to the fact that a ‘cure’is not

achieved but one ‘approaches’ the patient and

‘manages’ him? = KSS].

23. Pain Management with Homœopathy

MASTER, Farokh (HH. 41, 2/2015)

The learned author says that his focus in this

article is on Chronic pain Syndrome.

Two cases are briefly discussed. In one case he

gave Sumbul 30, several doses. In the second case,

it was Allium cepa 30 several doses followed by

Natrum muriaticum 30 once a week for 8 weeks.

24. Reflections of Pain in Infancy and Healing with

Homœopathy

SHIVA PRASAD, Jyoshua (HH. 41, 2/2015)

This is more a theoretical article using pain

assessment scales in Infants based on behavior

changes; based on combination of physiological and

behavioral changes, pain Types and Classification in

Infants, etc. all appearing scholarly.

The learned author has given the references in

Knerr’s Repertory and BBCR with regard to Infants

and children Sections.

[My earliest Practice in the early 1960s were infants

and children. And with Bell’s Diarrhoea, Allen’s

Key Notes and Clarke’s Prescriber, almost all

cases were treated one or two doses only; especially

with no hospitals around except one or two Mission

hospitals. It was this Practice which helped me to

reinforce strongly the greatness of Homœopathy as

the Science of Therapeutics. Quick relief of

suffering Infants will bring whole families into

Homœopathy. I can assure = KSS].

25. Disorders of Digestion

MASTER, Farokh (HH.41, 3/2015)

Two cases are narrated. In each case several

doses were given, e.g. three doses a day for 15 days

(!), Rhus tox 30 daily for a week, then 200 once a

week for 2 months (!).

26. Digestive ailments: An approach with

homœopathic Facial Analysis

BORTON, Louise; KIRE, Ellen

(HH. 41, 3/2015)

Again an ‘approach’ with a new method – study

of the face of the patient (HFA method). The author

also refers to ‘Complete Dynamis Software’. Sepia

30 (Sycotic remedy) daily dose from 2 Dec. 2010 to

15 October 2011!

[What can one comment on such doses? Where is

Homœopathy in this? How could a journal publish

such cases which would mislead younger

homœopaths? = KSS].

27. Colocynthis, Loxosceles reclusa and Patient

made Isodes in Cancer: Case Reports

RICHARDSON-BOEDLER, Cornelia

(AJHM. 108, 2/2015)

The homœopathic Plant remedy Colocynthis is

demonstrated in two Case Reports have presented to

effectively treat Cancer of the Liver and Carcinoid

rectal growth. In a third case, the effects of the

patient-made Isodes in chronic diarrhea and multiple

Myeloma are discussed. Broader applicability of

these healing agents in cancerous conditions is

suggested. The remedy Loxosceles reclusa is

recommended for patients seeking transplantation

after surgical loss. The bite of this spider is known

to cause a delayed hypersensitivity in victims,

similar to that which occur in patients rejecting

Organ transplantation. Hence, the homœopathic

preparation acts preventively.

28. Chronic Illness and the Human Microbiome

WHITMONT, Ron (AJHM. 108, 3/2015)

The Human Microbiome Project

(http://hmpdacc.org) (HMP), launched in 2008, used

genetic sequencing technology to determine that

there are upwards of 10,000 different microbial

species and more than one hundred trillion different

individual organisms colonizing the average healthy

human body. This diverse amalgamation organisms

participation in every essential aspect of life

including immunity, digestion, respiration, social

interaction and reproduction. The discovery of the

human microbiome shifts the conventional paradigm

of health and redefines acute infection as crucial in

establishing long-term health. more importantly, the

human microbiome brings to light the need for

environmentally sustainable approaches to health

case, such as Homœopathy, and provides a larger

context within which to judge the long-term benefits

and risks of medical intervention.

29. Retrospective Analysis of usage of a Polychrest

Homœopathic Remedy – Lachesis muta – in a

Primary Health Center

WADHWANI, Gyandas G

(AJHM. 108, 3/2015)

The author says that in the light of his practice

Lachesis muta has been less often used since the

clinical conditions in the HERING’s Guiding

Symptom, H.C. ALLEN’s Key Notes and

CLARKE’s Dictionary, do not come up in the

present times. However, an analysis has been made

by the author of the conditions that came up in the

Primary Health Centre (PHC) at the Delhi Govt.

Homœopathic Dispensary in which Lachesis has

been found to be of relevance. Several symptoms

mentioned in the Key Notes, Guiding Symptoms

and Dictionary have been verified. Detailed charts

have been given. [It would be of great value if other

Hospitals undertake such a study. This would be

possible only if we have central association which

would collect material from the Govt. Homœopathic

Hospitals as well as private Practitioners. In fact

because the practitioners during Herings era did so.

[Unfortunately we do not have a towering figure

who would command such work. = KSS].

30. Homœopathic Treatment of Lumbar

Spondylosis: An Observational Study

RAJ, Praveen and BABU, Bayula

(AJHM. 108, 3/2015)

Between February and December 2013 patients

with Lumbar Spondylosis attending the outpatient

department of the Father Muller Homœopathic

Medical College and Hospital in Mangalore, India

were considered for the study. Patients younger than

30 and older than 70 years of age were excluded.

Medical diagnosis was based on clinical

symptomatology before and after treatment using a

Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The duration of

improvement was noted.

All cases improved substantially most within

one month. No case longer than 2 months to

experience benefit.

Conclusion: “Homœopathy appears to be

effective in treating Lumbar Spondylosis. Larger

more rigorous trials are justified. [I am unable to

appreciate the ‘Cautions’ statement of Dr. Praveen

Raj. Homœopathic Physician “Homœopathy

appears to be effective in treating Lumbar

Spondylosis…” Does he have doubts about

Homœopathy’s effectiveness? We in our practice of

nearly 60 yrs. treating all sorts of ailments including

Lumbar Spondylosis never doubted Homœopathy’s

effectiveness. If it fails, it is the mistake of the

Physician who did not select the homœopathic

remedy. With his first experience of restoration of

his finger – which was about to be amputated – by a

single dose of Arsenicum album 30, HERING had

no doubt ever. How much ‘larger more rigorous

trials’will satisfy Dr. Prakash Raj, Dr. Bayula Babu?

= KSS].

31. Fifteen years Experience with

Homœoprophylaxis

HILTNER, Richard (AJHM. 107, 2/2014)

Over a fifteen-year period, 184 children

between ages two months and twelve years were

given potentized Polio, trivalent Diphtheria, Pertusin

and Tetans (DPT) and Measles, Mumps and Rubella

(MMR) vaccines. None of the children developed

those diseases over the course of the study. There

was one episode of a minor skin eruption.

If one adds his information to the results of the

study by Isaac Golden on 1305 children thirteen

years, almost 1,500 children receiving homœopathic

immunization obtained excellent results.

In a letter to the Editor (AJHM. 107, 4/2014) Dr.

Rodney SCHAFFER, MD, DHt concludes “Dr.

Hiltner’s patient population was 184. This falls for

short of the 16,000 that would be needed to discern

a protective effect. “If we, as homœopaths, are to

fight against the ‘half-truths’ or untruths” that

“shroud” our Science’ which is so often dismissed,

we must start at home. We must interpret any data

we present rationally and objectively and not draw

specious conclusions from meaningless data.” [The

critic should first understand that Homœopathic

cures cannot be so ‘objective’ as the dominant

medicine nor in the light of the hitherto known

physical/chemical Sciences. Sir Jagdis Chandra

Bose who is renowned for his experiments and

invention of wireless communication – before

Marconi as universally accepted – concluded that

“the more he pushes his experiments forward, the

line demarcating the material from immaterial

vanishes.” In my more than half century of

Homœopathy practice and as a regular reader of the

British, American and German homœopathic

Literature, I have clearly concluded that

Homœopathy or its Medical actions, cannot be

explained-as yet-in the light of the physical

sciences and every explanation given will be

rejected by the Mainstream Medicine or those

who want to judge in that manner HAHNEMANN

has said that Homœopathy and Allopathy are like

East and West. Unfortunately many of our ‘Learned

Colleagues’ think it will be ‘scienific’ only if one

does not come in a conclusion ever.

I would like to draw the attention that as early

as 1957, there was a careful study of Homœopathic

Preventive Medicine in Polio, and Dr. Henry

EISFELDER presented the paper titled Oral

immunization of Anterior poliomyelitis – A

Preliminary Report which appeared in the

‘Hahnemannian Gleanings’ Vol. XXXIV, August

1967. The conclusion was:

That settles the futile attempts to convince the

critics. The relief that one feels cannot be explained

by any one however ‘scientific’ one may be; it is that

one individual’s ‘subjective’ experience.”

[In the past one or more decades the British Journal

has been carrying whole issues full of ‘researches’

and almost all have concluded that ‘further

researches are required.’ = KSS].

32. Judging Homœopathic Evidence in the Court of

Medical Opinion

MALERBA, Larry (AJHM. 108, 3/2015)

The empirical evidence produced by

homœopathic practice should be sufficient in the

court of medical opinion to legitimize the art and

science of Homœopathy. Firsthand clinical

experience, in the author’s opinion, not only

measures upto the evidence produced by clinical

trials, it is superior. Homœopaths should embrace

this basic truth and not accept scientistic demands

for proof made by skeptics or by the medical

mainstream. In fact, homœopaths should advocate

for a significant change in standards of evidence—

one that restores credibility to medical empiricism

and elevates the value of clinical case studies to at

least that of research studies. This is the type of

evidence most relevant to individualized patient

care. [I would draw the attention of the interested to

a four part series of ‘Oral Immunization of Anterior

Poliomyelitis’ by Dr. Henry W. EISFELDER, MD,

FACS, New York, published in the Journal of the

American Institute of Homœopathy, May 1958,

Sept.-Oct. 1961. In the 60th – a Final Report, Dr.

EISFELDER concludes: “Perhaps we are too

optimistic, but on the strength of what has been

reported upto now we are satisfied that in Lathyrus

sativa, we have a safe and sure method of

Poliomyelitis prevention. We rest our case.”

So, you see, for decades Homœopathy has been

attempting to show the efficacy of Homœopathy in

Preventive Medicine and the dominant School has

been determining it without ever having tried in the

Clinic and they are not wanting their supported from

amongst homœopathic. It is high time that we do not

waste our energy in trying to convince the

inconvincible. Poor- GALILEO and in our own

times poor BENVENISTE, who was virtually killed

by these inconvincibles who ridicule. = KSS].

33. Miasmatic Doctrine: A Short History

GALASSI, Renzo (AJHM. 107, 1/2014)

The development of the homœopathic idea of a

Miasm at the base of a disease which torment a

person for long is presented here through the

statements of its illustrious and important thinkers

from HAHNEMANN, Von BOENNINGHAUSEN

to MASI-ELIZALDE and Proceso Sanchez

ORTEGA, with a case treated using the teachings of

ORTEGA.

The idea as it developed over the one and half

centuries is briefly explained. The lineage is:

i) Samuel HAHNEMANN (1755-1843)

ii) Von BOENNINGHAUSEN (1785-1864)

iii) GHG JAHR (1800-1875)

iv) James Tyler KENT (1849 – 1916)

v) JH. ALLEN (1854 – 1925)

vi) HA. ROBERTS (1868 – 194O

vii) N. GHATAK

viii) Pierre SCHMIDT (1894 – 1986)

ix) TP PASCHERO (1904 – 1986)

x) Alfons MASI-ELIZALDE (1932 – 2003)

xi) Proceso SANCHEZ ORTEGA (1919 –

2005)

This indeed is a comprehensive list.

Dr. GALASSI presents a case analysed and

prescribed according to the classification of

SANCHEZ-ORTEGA.

[It is very difficult to comprehend the Miasm in

practice; only one who is gifted with sound thinking

and extensive and deep study of Philosophy can

grasp it. In the early 1960s I came to read the essay

of PASCHERO ‘Psora, the Idiosyncrasy

Fundamental of Pathology’ and was fascinated and

set me thinking for long, long time. However, in the

din of a large number of patients in a day, one has to

do very quick thinking for which one has to grasp the

Miasm Theory well. Strangely we do not come

across even one case which has verified the so-called

HERING’s Law of Cure. I enquired through a letter

to some of the well-known Homœopathy

practitioners whether in their experience there

appeared a skin eruption towards the end of the Cure

process as clearly told by HERING. The answer was

‘no’except in one or two cases! Did it mean that

HERING and the theory is wrong, or the ‘cure’was

not a true ‘cure’ as defined by HAHNEMANN and

von BOENNINGHAUSEN? Or the teaching of

Homœopathy is so poor? I felt baffled and let it

remain so; theory of Chronic Miasms is now more

an ‘enigma’. = KSS.]

34. Symptomarme Fälle in der Kinderheilkunde

NICHOFF, Klaus (AHZ. 253, 2/2008)

Three cases of children which presented too

little symptoms to prescribe upon. The author

demonstrates how in such cases we can with careful

observation pick up indications for successful

prescription.

--------------------------------------------------------------

IV. PHARMACOLOGY

1. Definition und Reproduzierbarkeit

homӧopathisches Medikamente

Definition reproducibility homœopathic

medicines

PӦTTERS, Hedwig (ZKH. 58, 1/2014)

Wrong names, confusion of names, adoption of

antiquated and thus wrong nomenclature, the use of

differing parts of a plant or labeling of different

species as a source of a remedy even from official

drug authorities, may lead to doubt concerning the

optimum effectiveness of different substances.

Medicines manufacturers must beware of wrong

medicine.

The author has given several examples:

Anthrakokali; Bothrops lanceolatus; Gaultheria

aetheroleum; Hekla tephra; Hippomanes;

Hippozaenium; Hydrastis canadensis; Hydrocotyle

asiatica; Ipomoea purga; Lapis albus; Lithium

benzoicum; Mercurius vivus; Micrurus corallines;

Naja naja; Pulsatilla pratensis nigricans;

Pyrogenium; Rhus radicans; Stannum; Ulmus

campestris.

2. Die Nosoden – Problematik und Perspektiven in

der Schweiz

(The Nosodes – Problems and Perspectives in

Switzerland)

RYFEL, Jacqueline (ZKH. 58, 3/2014)

The term ‘Nosode’ was first introduced by

Constantin HERING. With regard to Psorinum he

wrote that Psorinum and such other medicines out of

disease products may be called Nosode because of

the active salt contained in them. (1852 – see

Vol.III, p.1078 of Herings Med. Schriften, Gypser.)

Nosodes obtained from disease products have to

me problems with regard to the original materials,

manufacturing, registration and distribution in the

light of todays requirements in Switzerland, we

outlined.

3. High-dilution effects revisited. 1.

Physicochemical aspects

BELLAVITE, Paolo; MARZOTTO, Marta et

al. (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

See in RESEARCH in this QHD.

4. High-dilution effects revisited. 2.

Pharmacodynamic mechanisms

BELLAVITE, Paolo; MARZOTTO, Marta et

al.

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

See in RESEARCH in this QHD.

5. Homœopathic Product Regulation: Evaluating

the Food and Drug Administration’s Regulatory

Framework after a Quarter Century – A Public

Hearing: JOHNSON, Christopher, Editor-in-

Chief, AJHM. 108, 2/2015)

On April 20th and 21st, the United States Food

and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted historic

hearings concerning to regulatory framework around

homœopathic drug products. these hearings were

held as the first step of broader review process ….

In total forty- five people were allotted time to speak,

either as individuals or as part of a group. Speakers

represented a broad array of stakeholder groups,

including manufacturers, practitioners and public

advocacy groups…..

Here we are publishing the testimony given at

these hearings on behalf of the American Institute of

Homœopathy. …. Four presenters spoke

successively – Ronald Whitmont, MD, Bernardo

Merizalde, MD, David Riley, MD and Michelle

Dossett, MD, PhD, MPH. In addition the testimony

of Karl Robinson, MD is included. Finally, the

testimony of Alvin J Lorman, a Food and Drug

Attorney who has represented homœopathic industry

groups in FDA regulatory matters.

[The Testimony is given in full; well worth

reading by all = KSS].

--------------------------------------------------------------

V. RESEARCH

1. Homœopathy Research Institute conference in

Barcelona: the first event of its kind in a decade

TOURNIER, Alexander; ROBERTS, E. Rachel

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

31st May to 2nd June 2013 saw the first

Homœopathy Research Conference organized by the

newly created Homœopathy Research Institute

(HRI). This event, held in Barcelona, was a timely

opportunity for many Homœopathy researchers from

around the world to meet and share their findings.

To put this event in context, 2005 saw the

publication of the Shang et al. meta-analysis

published in The Lancet and heralded by its editor as

‘the end of Homœopathy’.1, 2 The negative

conclusions drawn by this study were subsequently

shown to be due to poor methodology.3 Despite this,

the effects of The Lancet study continue to be seen

far and wide; the ‘Evidence Check 2’4 report by the

UK Parliament’s Science & Technology Committee

in 2010 stated that Homœopathy is placebo, an

assertion repeated by the UK Chief Medical Officer

in January 2013,5 both based primarily on this one

flawed study.

The continuing influence of the 2005 Lancet

publication highlights the need for objective,

accurate reporting of the existing literature, as well

as new high-quality Homœopathy research to

answer key questions such as what conditions can

Homœopathy treat and how do homœopathic

medicines work? Founded in 2007, the HRI is a

charity dedicated to addressing these needs

(www.homeoinst.org).

Thriving scientific enquiry

The HRI conference demonstrated that

Homœopathy research is a thriving field of scientific

enquiry and was a compelling reminder that high

caliber teams are carrying out robust projects in

respected academic institutions around the world.

The event attracted 180 delegates from over 30

countries, representing all sectors of the

homœopathic profession – clinicians, academics,

political representatives, manufacturers and

pharmacies. A full report on the conference along

with the presentation abstracts is included in this

edition of Homœopathy.

Prior to Barcelona, a full-scale international

conference dedicated solely to high quality research

in Homœopathy had not been seen on the conference

calendar for almost a decade. Dr. Peter Fisher and

Robbert van Haselen ran five ‘Improving the

success of Homœopathy’ research conferences at the

then Royal London Homœopathic Hospital, starting

in 1997, but the last of these was held in January

2006.

Regular focus

Following the resounding success of HRI

Barcelona 2013, HRI is now planning to hold an

international Homœopathy research conference

every two years. This will provide a regular focus

for the specialist field of Homœopathy research,

alongside broader-themed annual events such as the

Liga Medicorum Homœopathica Internationalis

Congress and International Congress for

Complementary Medicine Research (ICCMR), or

more specialist symposia such as the meetings of

Groupe International de Recherche sur

l’Infinitesimal (GIRI).

The field of Homœopathy research is growing

and evolving rapidly. As momentum builds within

this scientific discipline, we look forward to making

the HRI conference an ongoing highlight of the

academic calendar for years to come.

References:

1. Shang A, Huwiler-Müntener K, Nartey L, et al.

Are the clinical effects of Homœopathy placebo

effects? Comparative study of placebo-

controlled trials of Homœopathy and Allopathy.

Lancet 2005; 366:726-732.

2. The Lancet. The end of Homœopathy. The

Lancet 2005;366: 690.

3. Llüdtke R, Rutten ALB. The conclusions on the

effectiveness of Homœopathy highly depend on

the set of analyzed trials. J Clin Epidemiol

2008;61: 1197-1204.

4. Science and Technology Committee ‘Evidence

Check 2: Homœopathy’ HC 45, 22nd February

2010.

5. Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical

Officer, Departmemt of Health. Oral Evidence

taken before the Science and Technology

Committee, Wednesday 23 January 2013.

2. High-dilution effects revisited. 1.

Physicochemical aspects

BELLAVITE Paolo; MARZOTTO Marta et

al.

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Several lines of evidence suggest that

homœopathic high dilutions (HDs) can effectively

have a pharmacological action, and so cannot be

consider merely placebos. However, until now there

has been no unified explanation for these

observations within the dominant paradigm of the

dose-response effect. Here the possible scenarios for

the physico-chemical nature of HDs are reviewed. A

number of theoretical and experimental approaches,

including Quantum Physics, Conductometric and

Spectroscopic measurements, Thermoluminescence,

and Model simulations investigated the peculiar

features of diluted/succussed solutions. The

heterogeneous composition of water could be

affected by interactive phenomena such as

coherence, epitaxy and formation of colloidal

nanobubbles containing gaseous inclusions of

Oxygen, Nitrogen, Carbon dioxide, Silica and,

possibly, the original material of the remedy. It is

likely that the molecules of active substance act as

nucleation centres, amplifying the formation of

supramolecular structures and imparting order to the

solvent. Three major models for how this happens

are currently being investigated: the water clusters or

clathrates, the coherent domains postulated by

Quantum Electrodynamics, and the formation of

Nanoparticles from the original solute plus Solvent

components. Other theoretical approaches based on

Quantum Entanglement and on Fractal-type self-

organization of water clusters are more speculative

and hypothetical. The problem of the

physicochemical nature of HDs is still far from to be

clarified but current evidence strongly supports the

notion that the structuring of water and its solutes at

the nanoscale can play a key role.

3. High-dilution effects revisited. 2.

Pharmacodynamic mechanisms

BELLAVITE Paolo; MARZOTTO Marta et

al.

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

The pharmacodynamics aspects of

homœopathic remedies are appraised by laboratory

studies on the biological effects at various levels

(cellular, molecular and systemic). The major

question is how these medicines may work in the

body. The possible answers concern the

identification of biological targets, the means of

drug-receptor interactions, the mechanisms of signal

transmission and amplification, and the models of

inversion of effects according to the traditional

‘simile’ rule. These problems are handled by two

experimental and theoretical lines, according to the

doses or dilutions considered (low-medium versus

high dilutions). Homœopathic formulations in low-

medium dilutions, containing molecules in the range

of ultra-low doses, exploit the extreme sensitivity of

biological systems to exogenous and endogenous

signals. Their effects are interpreted in the

framework of hormesis theories and paradoxical

pharmacology. The hypotheses regarding the action

mechanisms of highly diluted/dynamized solutions

(beyond Avogadro-Loschmidt limit) variously

invoke sensitivity to bioelectromagnetic

information, participation of water chains in

signaling, and regulation of bifurcation points of

systemic networks. High-dilution Pharmacology is

emerging as a pioneering subject in the domain of

nanomedicine and is providing greater plausibility to

the puzzling claims of Homœopathy.

4. Experimental evidence of stable water

nanostructures in extremely dilute solutions, at

standard pressure and temperature

ELIA, Vittorio; AUSANIO, Giovanni et al.

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

This paper presents the results of several

experiomental methods (FT-IR spectroscopy, UV-

vis spectroscopy, fluorescence microscopy (FM),

Atomic Force Microscopy(AFM)) evidencing

structural changes induced in extremely diluted

solutions (EDS), which are prepared by an iterated

process of centesimal (1:100) dilution and

succussion (shaking). The iteration is repeated until

an extremely high dilution is reached, so that the

composition of the solution becomes identical to that

of the solvent—in this case water—used to prepare

it.

The experimental observations reveal the

presence of supramolecular aggregates hundreds of

nanometers in size in EDS at ambient pressure and

temperature, and in the solid state. These findings

confirm the hypothesis—developed thanks to

previous physico-chemical investigations—that

formation of water aggregates occurs in EDS. The

experimental data can be analyzed and interpreted

with reference to the thermodynamics of far-from-

equilibrium systems and irreversible processes.

5. HRI Barcelona 2013: inaugural conference

brings Homœopathy research into the spotlight

(Conference Report) E. ROBERTS, Rachel;

BAUMGARTNER, Stephan

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Barcelona, 31st May – 2nd June, 2013 was the

setting for the Homœopathy Research Institute’s

first research conference – ‘Cutting Edge Research

in Homœopathy’. attended by 180 people from 33

countries, this event brought together researchers

from around the world to present and discuss their

latest findings. With 36 oral presentations from

leaders in the field, the scientific quality of the

programme was high and the content diverse.

This report summarises some of the key findings

reported during the conference, which demonstrated

the sound progress being made in the field.

Following the success of Barcelona 2013, the

HRI intends to hold similar conferences, dedicated

solely to Homœopathy research, on a bi-annual

basis, furthering the generation of new high quality

research through ever stronger international

collaborations.

6. Abstracts – Oral presentations:

1. In vitro testing of highly diluted cytokines and

specific nucleotide acid sequences applied in

micro-immunotherapy for rheumatoid Arthritis

ALSALEH, Ghada; CAPIEAUX, Etinne et al.

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Background: TNF-α and IL-6 are key inflammatory

factors in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and constitute

targets for the development of anti-inflammatory

drugs. Rather than apply antagonist strategies, the

micro-immunotherapy approach is based on the use

of very low doses and highly diluted cytokines and

specific nucleotide acid sequences (SNA®) which,

administered sequentially, are intended to reduce

synovial inflammation and to regulate auto-immune

disorders associated with RA.

Objectives: the aim of these in vitro studies was

double: i) asses on various cellular models the

biological activities of serial homœopathic dilutions

of cytokines and SNA developed for a new Micro-

Immunotherapy medication (2L®PR) and ii)

investigate their mechanism of action by using

biomolecular tools.

Methods: a first set of experiments was performed

on human fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS)

isolated from RA patients and cultured in

standardized conditions. Different protocols of

treatment were applied to examine the potential anti-

inflammatory effect of major Cytokines (IL-1, IL-2,

IL-6, IL-10, IFN-ɤ, TNF-α) administered in a large

range of dilutions (3CH to 27 CH). Homœopathic

solutions were tested alone or in association on FLS

activated with various concentrations of TN-α (0.1,

1 and 5 ng/ml). Preliminary test were carried out on

non-activated FLS. IL-6 release was determined in

cell supernatants by ELISA. In addition, the anti-

inflammatory effect of TNF-alpha 5CH formulated

in homœopathic pellets was controlled on this FLS

model. In a second set of experiments, high dilutions

(HD) of SNA sequences designed to target the gene

of two major proteins involved in RA (TNF-α and its

receptor p55) were investigated on a LPS-stimulated

macrophage (THP1)model. TNF-α synthesis and

release were determined by RT-PCR (mRNA) and

ELISA (protein), after stimulation by LPS (1μg/ml).

Results: in the first set of experiments, we observed

that priming of cells with TNF-α and IL-6dilutions

down regulated IL-6 release by TNF-α activated

FLS. The same result was obtained with pellets of

TNF-ɤ 5CH. This effect was not obtained with other

major cytokines such as IL-1, IL-Ra, IL-2, IL-10,

and IFN-ɤ. In the second set of experiments, we

demonstrated that HD of both SNA significantly

down-regulated TNF-α synthesis and release. This

biological activity was showed to be specific (no

effect of HD scramble SNA) and related to the level

of dilution (maximal effect with higher dilutions).

Unexpectedly, a reproducible stimulation effect of

HD water was obtained in the LPS-stimulated THP1

model. This biological activity of agitated water

(negative control) was not detected in TNF-α

activated FLS model.

Conclusion: these findings indicate that

homœopathic dilutions of TNF-α and IL-6 can

regulate IL-6 release by synoviocytes and that highly

diluted SNA RA can regulate TNF-α synthesis and

release by LPS-stimulated THP1. This exploratory

work supports the hypothesis that micro-

immunotherapy may represent an alternative

therapeutic approach for RA and that high dilutions

act in modulating mRNA expression of the targeted

genes.

This project was supported by the Walloon

Region (General Direction for Technologies,

Research and Energy) Grant nº5899 and Labo’Life

Belgium.

2. Homœopathic basic research: state of research

and quests for the future

BAUMGARTNER, Stephan

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Homœopathy relies on two basic tenets: the

simile principle and the potentisation procedure.

The validity of the presumptions is being questioned

since there seems to be no obvious scientific basis

supporting justifiable application in pharmacy and

medicine. Nevertheless, Homœopathy is being

practiced and many patients as well as practitioners

are quite satisfied with clinical outcome in daily

practice. However, the lacking understanding does

lead not only to problems with legal recognition,

integration into public healthcare and reimbursement

by health insurances, but also hampers further

development and optimization of homœopathic

therapy. Therefore, development of a deeper

understanding of the two basic tenets of

Homœopathy is of ultimate importance.

Only few basic research projects seem to have

been performed to investigate the simile principle.

The fundamental pioneering work of van Wijk and

Wiegant so far has not been taken up by any other

research team. Determination of the areas of

applicability of the simile principle is an important

task, as is the elucidation of the mode of action.

Comparably more research has been carried out

to investigate the potentisation procedure. However,

I currently do not know any laboratory model that

reproducibly yields specific effects of highly diluted

homœopathic potencies in different laboratories, and

I do not know any theory that would satisfyingly

explain any such specific effects of ultramolecular

potencies. Thus I think that the following two main

topics have to be addressed in the next years:

development of optimal laboratory models to

identify specificity and reproducibility of

homœopathic effects, and identification of the long-

sought-for mode of action of highly diluted

potencies.

Are there any experimental laboratory systems

that reliably yield reproducible evidence for specific

effects of homœopathic potencies? To resolve this

question, it will be necessary to investigate various

model systems in parallel in different laboratories to

determine any necessary and sufficient conditions

for successful reproducibility; until now, according

to my knowledge, corresponding parameters could

be identified for three model systems only.

Optimization of the laboratory models does involve

the choice of the test organism in a defined

physiological state, an adapted potentised substance

in an adequate potency level applied in an optimal

route and dosage as well as optimal outcome

measures. Furthermore, it will be necessary to

develop model systems that not only demonstrate

empirical effects of single homœopathic remedies,

but also differentiate effects of different potentised

substances. Thus, model systems have to be simple

and cost-effective to enable easy implementation in

other laboratories, and to allow multiple parameters

to be tested in parallel (e.g. different substances

and/or potency levels). Finally, stability of any

experimental system used must be demonstrated by

systematic negative control (SNC) experiments on a

routine basis.

Identification of the mode of action of highly

diluted homœopathic remedies is the ultimate goal

of homœopathic basic research. This involves

determination of the general type of interaction

present between homœopathic potency and test

organism: local material-like, force-like, or non-

local entanglement-like. This not only implies

precise investigations of homœopathic preparations

by sophisticated physicochemical methods, but also

experimental approaches to test Hahnemann’s

premise of force-like effects of homœopathic

potencies. Furthermore, the general nature of the

effects of homœopathic potencies has to be

determined: reproducibly deterministic, chaotic or

inherently indeterministic. Solid experimental data

regarding these questions will enable development

of a precise theoretical frame-work, ultimately

resulting in a thorough understanding of

homœopathic effects.

3. Integrative nanomedicine: homœopathic

remedies as source and silica nanoparticles

acting as danger signals for nonlinear complex

adaptive systems

R. BELL, Iris (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

The alleged “implausibility” of homœopathic

medicines is a foundation for attacks on

Homœopathy. Skeptics insist that homœopathic

medicines are too dilute to contain any residual

material from their mineral, plant, or animal sources

or exert effects. Nonetheless, multiple studies on

cells, animals, plants, and human subjects have

demonstrated biological effects of remedies.

Research laboratories have shown that 6

different metal remedies and 3 different plant

remedies contain persistent remedy source

nanoparticles (NPs) from low to high potencies

beyond Avogadro’s number for bulk form materials.

Multiple laboratories also have documented the

ability of succussion in glass containers to release

measurable amounts of silicon and silica into

solution. Chikramane et al. (2012) showed that

succussion can generate heterogeneous

accumulation and layers of remedy source

nanoparticles that lead to physical transfer carryover

of nanoparticles from container to container during

the “serial dilution” procedures, even though bulk

form source materials may be diluted away. In

addition, Das et al. (2013) demonstrated that

homœopathic plant mother tinctures can

biosynthesize silver nanoparticles from precursors,

just as plant extracts can biosynthesize silica

nanoparticles from silica precursors.

Nanoparticles could explain many puzzling

observations and variability from study to study in

homœopathic research. Elia et al. have found aging-

related effects in homœopathically-prepared

remedies in terms of heat release and electrical

conductivity changes after storage – observations

that overlap nanoparticle phenomena of aging and

Ostwald ripening. Some homœopathically prepared

materials, e.g., specific bacteria nanoparticulates,

also emit detectable electromagnetic signals after

certain dilution-succussion processes. Certain

spectroscopy studies showed unique patterns for

homœopathically-prepared remedies compared with

control solvents (succussed and nonsuccussed).

Some investigators have also interpreted findings

from proving studies as indications of quantum

mechanical properties of remedies. NPs have

enhanced bioavailability, adsorptive capabilities,

adjuvant reactivity, electromagnetic, optical,

thermal, biochemical, and quantum properties

compared with their bulk forms. Different

concentrations of ethanol, variations in pH,

temperature, and glassware, as well as dilution

sampling and succussions (or sonication, vortexing)

will lead to different sizes, shapes, surface charges,

and properties of the resultant nanostructures. Even

minor variations in the latter variables could

contribute variability to remedy actions.

This talk discusses implications of the

homœopathic nanoparticulate findings for a

biological signaling model of the homœopathic

remedy nanostructures in initiating a cascade of

endogenously amplified adaptations and cross-

adaptations across the organism as a whole.

Homœopathic remedy manufacturing probably

generates NPs by a crude “top-down” mechanical

grinding in lactose and/or succussions in room

temperature ethanolic solutions within borosilicate

glass containers. Silica nanostructures could serve

as remedy source NP drug delivery vehicles and

nonspecific biological amplifiers. Nanoparticles

induce self-organized adaptive changes in the

organism at nontoxic doses (hormesis), serving as

salient, low level danger signals to the biological

stress response networks. Release of exosomes and

activation of stress response effectors, including heat

shock proteins, inflammasomes, cytokines and

neuroendocrine networks, would initiate and

progressively amplify beneficial compensatory

reactions. Thus, Homœopathy may represent the

earliest practical development of “integrative

nanomedicine” for using pulsed doses of

nanoparticles from natural source materials safely

and effectively in treating a wide range of acute and

chronic clinical conditions.

4. Modulation of chronic inflammation response

to Leishmania (L.) amazonensis by Thymulin

5cH in mice

SANTANA, Fabiana Rodrigues, PAULA,

Cideli De; et al.

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

In previous studies, we observed that thymulin

5CH could modulate the chronic inflammation

response to BCG in an experimental infection, by

increasing peritoneal B1 stem cells differentiation

into phagocytes and improving bacilli phagocytosis

efficiency into the infection site. Herein, the same

protocol was used to study the effects of thymulin

5CH in a protozoan experimental infection. Male

Balb/c mice were orally treated with thymulin 5CH

or vehicle during 60 days after the subcutaneous

inoculation of 2 x 105 units of Leishmania (L)

amazonensis into the footpad. Then, washing

inflammatory cell suspension from peritoneal cavity

and spleen were harvested to be identified and

quantified by flow cytometry and the tissue of

infection site, as well as the local lymph node were

harvested for histological examination and

quantification. Treated mice presented increase in

B1 stem cells percentage iun peritoneal washing

fluid and in spleen (p=0.0001), in relation to other

cell types, and more organized and exuberant

inflammation response in the infection site, with

decrease in the number of parasites per field

(p=0.05). No difference was seen in local lymph

node histology. The results show that thymulin 5CH

is able to improve B1 stem cell activation and

Leishmania (L) amazonensis phagocytosis

efficiency in mice, similarly to that observed

previously in BCG experimental infection.

5. Homœoprophylaxis: evidence from basic

research and practical applications

BRACHO, Gustavo; CALLICO, Adriana et al.

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Homœo-Prophylaxis (HP), has been one of the

more questioned application of Homœopathy

despite it also could be considered one of the most

revolutionary uses in terms of benefits for health

quality. Although the protection effects and impact

(effectiveness and efficacy) are frequently difficult

to demonstrate, the lack of scientific research,

among other factors, hinder the acceptance and

implementation of HP but also limits the possibility

of running proper clinical studies. In order to break

down this close circle, in vitro experiment, animal’s

models and clinical evaluation should be combined

with the current knowledge and evaluation

methodologies of the immune system.

A summary of unpublished results from basic

research experiments on the effects of

homœopathically diluted biological material as

prophylactic formulations on in vitro and animal

models will be presented. According to the results,

an approach to underlying immune mechanism

could be proposed and discussed.

Results from 5 years follow up of large scale

Leptospirosis HP intervention will be complemented

and analysed. Further clinical evaluation of HP on

other epidemic diseases at large scale could be

presented.

A integral analysis of evidence coming from

experimental model and clinical testing suggest that

HP could be consider in fact as a very promising and

potent tool to face infectious diseases in the context

of current global situation.

6. Research involving animals: the case for cutting

edge ethics

BRITTON, Delny (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Research into Homœopathy is undergoing a

welcome period of growth driven by the increasing

need to provide evidence for the therapy’s

effectiveness and mode of action.

In mainstream medicine animal-based research

has become integral to the development of new

drugs and medical procedures, despite only modest

success in extrapolating findings in animals to

humans. Homœopathy, based on provings

conducted on human volunteers and on clinical

confirmation of the similia principle, is not subject

to such shortcomings. Nevertheless animals with

artificially induced disease are being used in

homœopathic research in order to supplement

existing knowledge and to demonstrate that

Homœopathy ‘works’ under laboratory conditions.

To date such research has encompassed a wide

range of physical and psychological conditions and

involved procedures that have caused suffering –

often severe – in experimental animals. Whilst the

rights, dignity and welfare of humans participating

in homœopathic studies are safeguarded in line with

standards laid down in the Declaration of Helsinki,

international standards of protection for

experimental animals vary widely and are markedly

less stringent. Growing interest in Homœopathy

(and funding for research in this field) could lead to

a rise in animal-based studies at a time when public

trust in the regulations governing animal use in

medical research is falling – and calls for more

ethical and scientifically relevant alternatives are on

the increase.

This presentation examines some of the

scientific, political and legal issues relating to the

use of animals in homœopathic research. It

addresses the relative value of animal studies in

evidence bases; societal drivers in the development

of alternatives to animal experiments and the new

EU directive on the protection of animals in

scientific research. It also considers the

implications for homœopathy’s reputation as an

ethical profession and highlights opportunities to

demonstrate cutting edge ethics in the advancement

of homœopathic knowledge.

7. Pyridinium-N-phenolates as molecular probes

of serially diluted and agitated solutions:

preliminary results

CARTWRIGHT, Steven

(HOM. 103, 1/2017)

A systematic approach to the design of a

simple, chemical system for investigating the

fundamental nature of homœopathic medicines has

led to an experimental protocol for the use of

solvatochromic pyridinium-N-phenolate dyes as

molecular probes of serially diluted and agitated

solutions.

Preliminary results using this molecular probe

technology indicate that homœopathic potencies

affect the degree of self association between

zwitterionic dye molecules and between dye

molecules and a range of cations in solution under

non-equilibrium conditions. Reactions have been

monitored by following the loss of the characteristic

charge transfer band of a representative dye ET30 at

600nm in ethanol using standard quartz or

polystyrene cuvettes. The effect of homœopathic

potencies is seen with quart cuvettes, whereas no

difference is seen between controls and samples in

polystyrene cuvettes. Results are interpreted as

indicating

1. A greater level of dynamic ordering occurs in

solution in the presence of potencies, favouring

both dye-dye and dye-cation interactions.

2. Quartz appears to be essential in propagating

and/or amplifying the homœopathic signal- and

hence the effects described- whereas

polystyrene lacks this ability.

3. High levels of bulk water are not essential for

the observed action of potencies. Assays are

carried out in ethanol with only low (<0.1%)

levels of water. In the assays reported therefore

either ethanol is able to substitute for water in

any long-range potency induced solvent

ordering or the primary focus of ordering lies

with quartz itself.

The implications of these results, together with

future directions for research in this field, are

discussed.

8. Use and knowledge of hompathic drugs by the

general population in spain

MORENO, Gemma; GUALBERTO, Diaz-saez

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Introduction: Homœopathy is already considered

as a reality in the daily health practice. More

patients and healthcare professionals use it on a

daily basis as an effective therapeutic alternative. A

pioneer investigation, conducted by Boiron in

Spain, has developed the 1st Study on Use and

Knowledge of Homœopathy in Spain. Further than

the academic value of this study, it has proven to be

a useful tool for institutional relationships and media

awareness purposes.

Objective: To show the degree of knowledge, use

and satisfaction about the use of the homœopathic

medicines in the Spanish population.

Material and methods: The study was performed

during 2010 and 2011 throughout an online

questionnaire applied on a sample of 3,344 people

over 18 years old coming from all of the Spanish

Regions.

Results: Homœopathy has shown to be a more and

more demanded therapeutic alternative; thus, one

out of three Spanish people(33%) have already used

it to relieve or treat several health problems, and

27% use it on an occasional or regular basis.

Navarra, Aragόn, Cataluña, Murcia and País Vasco

stand out as the Autonomieswith a higher

percentage of occasional and regular users.

According to the collected data, the word

Homœopathy is recognized by almost all the sample

and 75% of it spontaneously identify the

homœopathic treatments as a natural medical

therapy. Women stand out for a better knowledge

on this therapy than men, and the main female users

of Homœopathy are between 30 and 50 year old.

The lack of adverse events and effectiveness are the

main reasons for the Spanish users to start using

homœopathic medicines. Flu, cold, cough, sore

throat (52%), bronchitis and ear infection (12%) are

the most frequently Homœopathy treated

pathologies.

Conclusions: Eight out of ten (82%) people using

Homœopathy are satisfied or very satisfied with the

outcome of their treatments, and this figure grows

up to 99% in regular patients. In addition, if we take

into account that 87% of the users would

recommend it to relatives and friends, future can’t

be any brighter.

9. Effects of homœopathic treatments on the

cellular metabolism of wheat: validation of

microarrays data by quantitative real-time PCR

(qPCR)

GIOVANNI, Dinelli; ILLARIA, Marotti et al.

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Plant-based models appear to be an useful

approach for basic research in Homœopathy in order

to fill gaps concerning theoretical models and

scientific basis. Such models make it possible to

overcome some of the inconveniences of clinical

trials for instance placebo effect, ethical issues,

duration and high costs; moreover they constitute a

vast and cheap source of biological material,

essential to perform a large number of experimental

repetition.

The main objective of the research was to give

novel insights on the not yet clarified mode of action

of homœopathic treatments and to provide reliable

information on their efficacy.

The plant-based model considered was the

“wheat growth model”. A total of 560 common

wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seeds were used to

carry out the study; part of the seeds were stressed

with As2O3 0.1% to reduce germination and amplify

the effect of homœopathic treatment. The seeds

were been equally subdivided into four

experimental groups: control (non-stressed seeds

grown in distilled water); treated control (non-

stressed seeds grown in As2O3 45x); poisoned

(stressed seeds grown in distilled water); poisoned-

treated (stressed seeds grown in As2O3 45x). After 7

days of incubation seedlings were collected for

molecular analysis. Total RNA isolated from

seedling samples were used for microarray analysis

in order to study changes in gene expression over

different treatments. Subsequently, statistical and

bioinformatic analyses were performed to classify

genes in “induced” or “repressed” and to assign

them a supposed function. Comparative analyses

highlighted the particular effect of As2O3 45xin

stressed seeds. Real time PCR was performed to

validate gene expression profiles: data obtained with

microarray and real time PCR were found to be well

correlated.

This research provided novel insights on the

mode of action of homœopathic potencies and

constitute an important breakthrough in the study of

the molecular responses triggered in wheat by ultra-

high diluted treatments.

10. Sensitivity and likelihood ratio of symptoms in

patients with good therapeutic response to

Lycopodium, compared to patients with good

response to treatment with other homœopathic

medicines. Retrospective study

EIZAYAGA, José Enrique and CANAN María

Clara (HOM. 103, 1/2013)

Background and aims: Availability of reliable

guiding symptoms in order to accurately prescribe

homœopathic medicines is a matter of critical

importance. Recent published work has highlighted

the likelihood ratio (LR) of symptoms as an

objective manner of addressing the question. The

aim of the present study is to establish the sensitivity

and LR of 35 common symptoms attributed to

Lycopodium, comparing good respondents to this

medicine to good respondents to other medicines.

Methods: In order to select which symptoms to be

evaluated, a survey was conducted with 110

homœopaths-47 from Argentina and 63 from other

countries- inquiring on the 10 most important

symptoms they use to prescribe Lycopodium in their

clinical practice. In a second phase of the study, the

presence of selected symptoms was retrospectively

assessed in the clinical records of the first visit of

patients to the Homœopathic Outpatient Clinic of

the Faculty of Medicine of Maimόnides University.

Patients with one only visit, no homœopathic

prescription or more than one prescription, less than

18 or more than 65 years old or acute complaints

were excluded. Only patients with good response

attributable to the homœopathic treatment were

included for analysis. Sensitivity (S) -or prevalence

in Lycopodium responding cases- Likelihood Ratio

(LR) and their 95% Confidence Intervals were

calculated for each symptom.

Results: Twenty-five homœopaths answered the

survey and 35 symptoms were selected for the study,

875 records were assessed -about one fourth of the

archive- and 564 excluded for different reasons. Of

the remaining 311, 76.6% were females and 28.6%

were prescribed Lycopodium. Females were more

frequently prescribed Lycopodium than males

(32.8% vs. 15.1%, P 0.003). Good response was

seen more frequently in Lycopodium cases than in

other medicines cases (75% vs. 62%, P <0.027).

205 good responding cases were included for

symptoms analysis. LR of symptoms’ prevalence

were calculated between Lycopodium (n=67) and

other medicines (n=138) good responding cases.

A group of symptoms emerged as being

important pointers to Lycopodium prescription,

having high sensitivity and higher than 1 statistically

significant LR; anger from (or intolerant of)

contradiction (S 50.7%, LR 2.7), dictatorial (S

40.3%, LR 7.9), lack of self-confidence (S 32.8%,

LR 3.2), irritability on waking (S 20.9%, LR 4.1),

irritability before menses (S 28.2%, LR 3.9),

helplessness (S 20.9%, LR 2.2), haughty (S 10.4%,

LR 4.8), anticipation (S 31.3%, LR 2.1),

conscientious (S 32.8%, LR 1.6), desire of

chocolate (S 22.4%, LR 2.1), desire of sweets (S

46.3%, LR 1.6) and abdominal distention after

eating (S 34.3%, LR 2.2). the symptom

contemptuous had a sensitivity of 7.5%, and it was

only found in Lycopodium cases.

A second group of symptoms had a sensitivity

between 3 and 12% and LR higher than 1, but

statistically non significant: reproaches, egotism,

contrary, critical, fear of failure, suspicious,

constipation alternating with diarrhea, lack of vital

heat and sensitive to clothing in abdomen.

A third group of symptoms had very low

sensitivity (S 1.5); flatterer, hurry, nose obstruction

during night, aversion to onions, past or present

gallstones and sleeps on abdomen.

Two symptoms had good sensitivity but LR

lower than one, though statistically non significant,

probably indicating a contraindication of

Lycopodium: reserved (S 11.9%, LR 0.7) and desire

for open air (S.7.5%, LR 0.4). Finally five

symptoms were not recorded in Lycopodium cases

but in one or two of the other medicines cases:

contemptuous-hard with subordinates and agreeable

to superiors-, past or present renal calculi, fear of

narrow places, easy satiety and worse at 4 pm.

Conclusions:Retrospective asses of symptoms’

sensitivity and LR could have an important place

before performing more accurate prospective

research about the same matter.

11. Highland amphibians and extremely diluted

thyroxine

ENDLER, PC.; PONGRATZ – Scherer,W.

et al.

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Introduction: After more than two decades of

experimental work on a model with amphibians and

extremely diluted thyroxine, we now can refer to an

independent meta-analysis by B.Harrer from Berlin

on the international replication record of that model.

A detailed account of the difficulties of this line of

research has been published previously. One

experiment found to be reproducible both by

ourselves (i.e. the initial team) and by independent

researchers inquires into the effect of thyroxine

(T30x) (an ultra-high dilution obtained by 30

successive steps of tenfold dilution according to

instructions of Homœopathy) v analogously

prepared water (W 30x) in amphibians from

highland biotopes. The purpose of Harrer’s study

was to replicate this experiment and to perform a

metaanalysis reanalyzing the results reported by the

initial team and by the independent researchers

between 1991 and 2012.

Methods: (A): The experiment was replicated by

Harrer himself. Rana temporaria were taken from

an alpine biotope and were treated with T30x or

W30x from the 2-legged stage on by adding 3 micro

L of probe dilutions per animal to the basin water at

intervals of 48h. Two end-points were considered;

first, entry into the 4-legged stage, and second, tail

reduction. The experiment was performed blind.

(B): A reanalysis was performed of the results

reported by the initial team (based at that time at

Graz University and the Graz Boltzmann Institute)

and the independent researchers including Harrer

himself (R. van Wijk from Utrect University, H.

Lassnig from the Federal Institute of Veterinary

Medical Investigation Graz, C. Zausner-Lukitsch

from Vienna University, G. Bach, at the suggestion

of KIKOM, Bern University, Harrer from

patienteninformation fuer Naturheilkunde Berlin).

Results: (A) As in previous experiments, a clear

trend was found of T30x animals developing more

slowly (i.e. up to 6h within 3 days) than W30x

animals. Due to the small number of animals, the

differences were not statistically significant (p >

0.05). The effect size, however, was large (d > 0.8).

(B) A total of 22 experiments were performed

between 1991 and 2012, 15 by the initial team and 7

by altogether 5 independent researchers. In most of

these experiments (the sole exception being two

performed and reported by ourselves) a trend was

found of T30x-animals being slower than W30x-

animals. The differences in the individual sub-

experiments, each involving 60-100 animals per

group, were mostly not statistically significant (p >

0.05). The pooled results of the initial team and

those of the independent researchers did show

significant differences (p < 0.01 in either case).

Pooled T30x values obtained by the initial team

were 10.1% smaller than W30x values (100%) (p <

0.01 and d > 0.8). Analogously, the number of

animals entering the juvenile stage with reduced tail

was smaller for T30x than for W40x.

Conclusion: A metamorphosis hormone diluted

beyond Avogadro’s limit using a process derived

from Homœopathy produced a clear trend of

metamorphosis inhibition. This was observed by 7

researchers from Austria, Germany, Switzerland

and the Netherlands.

12. Amelioration of pain and distress in tail-ringed

lambs using Homœopathy

DAVID, Eyles (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Introduction: To reduce the incidence of blowfly

strike in dirty fleece, lowland lambs in England

usually have their tails docked at between 1 and 7

days old. A small and very tight rubber ring is

applied to the tail 35 to 50mm from the base of the

tail, thereby constricting the blood supply. The

distal part of the tail falls off 2 or 3 weeks afterwards.

Whilst it is in the long term welfare interests of the

sheep, this routine operation results in short term

pain and discomfort for between 15 and 30 minutes.

This experiment was conducted to see if

Homœopathy could be used to ameliorate the

discomfort.

Methods: This triple blind controlled trial

randomized 54 Dorset Down lambs into equal

groups of both sexes. The verum group received a

homœopathic complex of Aconite, Arnica and

Hypericum, all at 200c, administered by mouth from

a further diluted preparation in a spray bottle. The

placebo group received an apparently similar

preparation.

The behavior of each lamb was recorded on a

standardized form, every minute for 20 minutes.

Every movement was categorized and counted using

check marks, each time that type of movement

occurred in each minute.

At the end of the study, the recording sheets

were transferred onto a spreadsheet via a scoring

system of 0 to 3, where 0 is “no stress” and 3 is

“maximum stress”. For example, standing, or lying

down with head up would score 0 for “no stress”;

whilst lying down on its side and thrashing four legs

would score 3 for “maximum stress”. Other

categories of movement scored intermediate values.

Results: The spreadsheet for each lamb was scored

for each movement and each minute. The scores for

each minute were then totalled to give a score for the

whole 20 minutes of study, to give the Area Under

the Curve. This is an assessment of the total distress

experienced by each of the lambs under study.

Frequency histograms were plotted for both

groups; mean AUC scores for the verum group were

228.3 and for the placebo group were 320.7; giving

an effect size score of 92.4 (c.i. 66.15 to 118.65; P <

0.001). This amounts to a reduction in distress

(reduced score) of 29% for the verum group.

Mean Distress Scores for each minute were also

plotted for both groups. The peak distress for the

verum lambs occurred about 3 minutes earlier than

the placebo lambs and was 28% lower than the peak

score for the placebo group. At the end of the 20

minute recording period, the final distress scores for

the verum group were about 35% lower than the

placebo group.

Conclusions: A reduction of approximately one

third in total distress was achieved using

homœopathic Aconite, Arnica and Hypericum 200c

and is a practical and cost effective means of

improving animal welfare on the farm.

13. Is homœopathic treatment as an effective

intervention for children with a diagnosis of

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity

Disorder(ADHD)?

PHILIPPA, Fibert (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

How to demonstrate Homœopathic

effectiveness is an ongoing question. Pragmatic

trials have high external validity, representing

homœopathic treatment as it is practiced in real life,

and may provide a solution. Two studies provide

examples.

A consecutive case series investigated whether

homœopathic treatment is effective for children with

ADHD. Twenty children received adjunctive

homœopathic treatment and were compared with ten

children not receiving homœopathic treatment at

baseline and after 24 weeks, on DSMIV

characteristics (Conner’s Parent Rating Scale –

CPRS) and a self-selected-item scale (Measure Your

Own Medical Outcome Profile – MYMOP).

An analysis of variance (ANOVA) found a

significant interaction between time and the

treatment received. A long term analysis of treated

children after one year found that they continued to

improve, with half the participants registering

improvement in their DSMIV scores of over 10

points. Different methodologies were explored to

ascertain optimum treatment protocols, and CEASE

methodology proved especially effective for these

children. It was found that remedies often needed

repeating to retain effectiveness. This suggested

obstacles to cure. CEASE proved effective at

removing obstacles after which constitutional

remedies needed repeating less often, and their

effectiveness was enhanced. Despite the small

sample size, this study suggests that homœopathic

treatment is an effective intervention for children

with ADHD. However limitations such as lack of

randomization, blinding and unequal sample sizes

mean results have limited generalizability.

A Pragmatic Randomised Controlled Clinical

Trial is being designed to enhance and develop the

findings of the above Case Series and provide more

powerful and robust evidence. The aim of the trial

is to evaluate the comparative clinical and cost

effectiveness of adjunctive treatment provided by

homœopaths for children with a diagnosis of ADHD,

in comparison to standard care alone.

Key elements of the design include the retention

of the totality of homœopathic treatment; a control

group receiving standard care; equal sample sizes of

adequate power; random distribution of groups;

groups representative of the ADHD population;

homœopathic treatment undertaken by several

homœopaths in several locations; evaluation of

clinical and cost effectiveness using appropriate

outcome measurements reflecting the requirements

of stakeholders; and allowance of sufficient trial

time to detect results. These studies into

homœopathic effectiveness for ADHD are the first

pragmatic studies comparing the totality of the

homœopathic intervention with usual care. They

build on the work of Frei (2005) and Lamont (1997)

who demonstrated the effectiveness of

Homœopathic remedies for children with ADHD;

Jacobs (2005) who demonstrated the effectiveness of

remedies and the clinical intervention. A systematic

review recommended studies of Homœopathy as it

is practiced by homœopaths i.e. pragmatic trials.

14. Cutting edge to clinical effectiveness: the

implications of recent theoretical and research

findings in Homœopathy

FISHER, Peter (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Much recent progress in research in

Homœopathy has been at polar ends of the spectrum:

in theory and basic science and clinical effectiveness

studies. I will review the implications for research

in Homœopathy.

‘Weak quantum theory’ hypotheses for

Homœopathy have been proposed by Walach and

Milgrom. These hypothesise nonlocal action and

‘entanglement’ so that treatment and control groups

in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). These

hypotheses have been criticized for not suggesting

an experimental test. Beauvais has applied a

quantum-like statistical model to RCTs of

Homœopathy. This gives rise to a remarkable

prediction: that the difference between between

placebo and Homœopathy groups vanishes in

centralized blind trials due to ‘smearing’ (effects of

Homœopathy occurring in the placebo group). This

could be overcome by in situ

randomization/unblinding: the observables are

measured and all operations from randomization to

unblinding are performed locally in a defined order,

without central supervision. Similarly Almirantis

notes that if non-local factors are involved, there will

be resistance to reproducibility, so effect sizes will

be larger if control treatments were randomly

selected homœopathic medicines, rather than blank,

since this introduces uncertainty. These theories are

testable and have important practical implications if

verified.

Recent empirical findings in basic science

include evidence on the role of nanoparticles of

original substances, silica and gas. Bell’s NPCAS

model hypothesizes that homœopathic medicines

consist of nanoparticles, low level stressors cross-

adapted to allostatic overload (allostasis is the

physiological process of restoring homœostasis,

allostatic overload occurs when these mechanisms

are overwhelmed). Implications for research include

that outcomes should be multivariate and measured

over time. These predictions are congruent with

those made by nonlocal theories.

Nonlocal theories have not been tested, let alone

verified. There are alternative explanations for the

alleged lack of positive findings in RCTs of

Homœopathy. These include that there is nothing to

explain. The results of meta-analyses are disputed

and, as Mathie et al.’s recent bibliometric study

showed, the literature has not been adequately

searched: 30 eligible RCTs not listed by previous

meta-analyses were found. Another possible

explanation for false-negative results is the quality

of Homœopathy. Mathie has led the development

of a method to evaluate the model validity of

Homœopathy in clinical trials.

There is a growing number of veterinary

RCTs and animal experiments of relatively simple

design with positive results. These include

replication of the effects of highly dilute thyroxine

on amphibian metamorphosis, nosodes for

diarrhea in piglets and an Homœopathic complex

in fish farming. These seem not to be in line with

nonlocal hypotheses.

EPI-3 is a large scale comparative

effectiveness study comparing GPs using

Homœopathy, mixed practice and conventional

medicine in France. Upper respiratory tract

infections, sleep disorders, anxiety and depression

and musculoskeletal disorders were studied in

terms of clinical benefit, medical care and

medication consumption, adverse effects and loss

of therapeutic opportunity. Patients seeking

treatment from homœopathic GPs were similar to

those attending conventional physicians.

Homœopathy had advantages in at least one

domain for each disease category.

15. Bridging the gap between the homœopathic

world and the conservative medical world – test

case in rats

FREED, Yakov and ZUBEDAT, Salman et al.

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Sleep is an essential physiological process that

underlies crucial cognitive functions as well as

emotional reactivity. Thus, Sleep Deprivation (SD)

may exert various deleterious effect.

In this study, we aimed to examine the adverse

behavioral and hormonal effects of SD and a

potential treatment with Cocculus indicus 30c (cocc.

30C) – a homœopathic remedy.

SD was induced by using the Multiple Platform

Method for 48 hours. The effects of SD were

evaluated behaviorally (Pre-pulse inhibition, startle

response, plus-maze and rotor-rod) at baseline as

well as at 6, 12, 24 hours, and 14 days post

deprivation. Cocc 30c treatment was administrated

Per Os every three hours starting immediately after

baseline tests and for a period of 24 hours. On day

14, blood samples were taken and serum levels of

corticosterone, testosterone, serotonin and leptin

were tested. We found that Cocc 30c improved Pre-

pulse inhibition 12 and 24 hours post deprivation.

Likewise, Cocc 30C improved motor learning

independently from locomotor activity. On day 14

though no behavioral effects were observed, SD led

to increased levels of corticosterone and serotonin

while decreasing testosterone and leptin.

Interestingly, Cocc 30C treatment has moderated

these hormonal alterations. We conclude that the

treatment with Cocc 30c recovers both short-term

behavioral and the long-term hormonal modulations

following SD.

16. Harnessing the un-mined data rich resources of

homœopathic provings: an overview of

replicated provings, creating a common

language and a method forward.

GRAY, Alastair (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Generally conducted by Homœopathy

practitioners and advocates rather than scientists, the

emphasis of provings has always focused on

determining accurate symptom profiles. These are

then applied homœopathically in clinical practice –

according to the Law of Similars. But significant

questions arise as to their quality, and the

inconsistencies in approach and method remains at

issue for 19th, 20th and 21st century provings. For the

vast majority of these experiments the fundamental

hypothesis has been, ‘what symptoms and conditions

might this substance be useful for’? but what about

re-provings? Comparative evaluation of the data

extracted from old and modern provings can reveal

significant similarities. This paper explores a model

of comparing subjective symptoms from provings

which if robust enough challenges the idea that

homœopathic responses are placebo. For example, a

significant overlap of symptoms from a proving of

Culex was noted compared to a previous one.

Conducted in 2004 with sound design and method,

the data is compared to a proving of Culex conducted

in the 1800’s, more than 100 years apart. Repeated

improved provings with better design, ethics

approval and method have subsequently been

conducted on substances from Chamomilla,

Tuberculinum, Blatta orientalis to Kangaroos milk.

This paper explores four different points.

1. The findings of these trials are examined and

analyzed discussing the implications for

Homœopathy as a whole. How is it possible that

homœopathic preparation, often dismissed as

placebo, creates a statistically significant mirror of

symptoms, especially conducted after such a passage

of time? Further, how can placebo create clear

affinities with clusters of symptoms in specific

locations?

2. In addition, it explores the inherent difficulties

in comparing symptoms between trials. How can

accurate comparisons be made when a symptom is

not a simple objective number per se, but rather a

description of an experience by a healthy person

involved in the trial? It can involve objective and

subject perspectives, involve different parts of the

body and above all is descriptive. This paper

suggests a method and design around these

challenges as we move forward.

3. It examines the challenges confronting

scientists faced with poor proving protocols from the

body of homœopathic literature and proposes a new

model of conducting provings to directly address the

contention that Homœopathy a placebo response.

4. Further, it outlines the direction for further

studies to be conducted to ensure reliable data. In

terms of design – there are a number of variables at

play, the quality of the trial, ethics, inclusion and

exclusion criteria, randomization, control,

information on the relative health of provers and the

method of extraction of reliable symptoms to ensure

that provings meet the expectations of clinicians,

academics and scientists.

17. Comparative study of two bioassays with

weakened duckweed and yeast treated with

homœopathic preparations

JÄGER, Tim; SCHERR, Claudia; et al.

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

In homœopathic basic research, the question as

to the most adequate test systems and apt

methodology is still open.

This investigation examined the hypothesis that

more complex organisms show stronger reactions to

homœopathic remedies than less complex ones.

We compared two Arsenic (As5+) stressed

bioassays with duckweed (Lenna gibba, a multi-

cellular autotrophic organism) and yeast

(Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a single-cellular

heterotrophic organism) regarding their response to

homœopathic preparations.

For duckweed, growth rates of leaf area and leaf

number were evaluated. For yeast, growth kinetics

were determined by measuring slope, yield and

Et50(point in time when yield was half maximum) of

the sigmoid growth curve. The experiments with

duckweed and yeast were performed in parallel

(same day, same location and identical homœopathic

preparations).

After screening 17 substances, three

homœopathic preparations (Arsenicum album,

nosode, gibberellic acid) were chosen for repeated

experimental series. Five independent experiments

were conducted for each remedy with both

organisms in parallel. Potency levels used were in

the range of 17x-33x for duckweed and 17x-30x for

yeast. To control for test system stability, systematic

negative control experiments were conducted over

the complete experimentation period. All

experiments were blinded and randomized.

The systematic negative control experiments

did not yield any significant effects. Application of

potentized Arsenicum album in the duckweed

bioassay yielded the largest effects compared to

water controls without remedies for the parameters

leaf area and leaf number (p<0.001). potentized

nosode preparations also had significant effects on

duckweed’s leaf area and leaf number (p<0.01).

growth was enhanced across all potency levels. In

the yeast system the three homœopathic remedies

did not show any significant effects on any growth

curve parameter.

The results obtained are in line with the

hypothesis, that more complex organisms show

stronger reactions to homœopathic remedies than

less complex organisms. The test system with

Lemna gibba, the stressor arsenic (As5+) and the

homœopathic preparation Arsenicum album is

suitable to further investigate factors influencing the

quality and effects of potentized substances.

18. Effectiveness of complex homœopathic

medicinal products in the treatment of children

with painful teething

JONG, C. Miek (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Background: Complex homœopathic medicinal

products are sold over the counter for self-limiting

diseases in children such as painful teething. The

possible effectiveness of these complex products is

predominantly based on the clinical experience with

each of the individual homœopathic active

substances in the product. So far, only a few clinical

studies in children have been performed to

investigate the effectiveness of complex

homœopathic products as a whole.

Objective: To investigate the comparative

effectiveness and tolerability of two complex

homœopathic medicinal products, Dentokind versus

Viburcol, in the treatment of children with painful

teething.

Design: A multicenter, randomized comparative

clinical study with two parallel groups. One group

received Centokind (tablets), containing five

homœopathic active substances: Belladonna D6,

Chamomilla D6, Ferrum phorsphoricum D6, Hepar

sulfuris D12 and Pulsatilla D6. The other group

received Viburcol (suppositories), containing six

homœopathic active substances: Chamomilla D1,

Belladonna D2, Solanum D4, Plantago D3, Pulsatilla

D3 and Calcium carbonicum D8. Children in the age

of ≤ 6 years with symptoms of painful dentation

were included in the study. Exclusion criteria were

fever of ≥ 38⁰ C, severe comorbidity and/or

oncological diseases. The main outcome parameter

was total scores of subjective complaints and clinical

symptoms as assessed by parents and physicians

after 3 and 7 days of treatment. Other outcome

parameters were parent satisfaction and the number

of reported adverse events.

Results and Conclusions: At (outpatient) paediatric

clinics in Russia, 200 children with symptoms of

painful teething were included in the study, 100 in

the Dentokind group and another 100 children in the

Viburcol group. Demographics and outcome data

are currently being analysed. Results and

conclusions will therefore be presented at the

conference.

19. The influence of Aconitum napellus versus

placebo, on anxiety and salivary cortisol, in

stress induced by intense and short term

physical effort

JURCĂU, Ramona and JURCĂU, Loana

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Background: Intense and short term physical effort

is a stress factor for sedentary persons. The correctly

chosen homœopathic remedy, in other words the

simillimum, modulates physical, emotional and

mental level of the person to whom it was given,

therefore also the psycho-emotional state stress-

induced. Aconium napellus (AN) is characterized by

a state of anxiety, anguish of mind and body, fear,

physical and mental restlessness.

Aims: The objective of the study is to highlight the

AN influence on the dynamic of two parameters,

anxiety and salivary cortisol, in peri-stress changes

induced by intense and short term physical effort, on

sedentary subjects.

Methods: All chosen subjects (n=30) had AN

recommendation and had voluntary participated,

according to the requirements of the study. Stress

was represented by an intense and short term

physcial effort, made with a Monark Ergomedic

839E cycle ergometer. Three groups of subjects

were selected the first, the control group (C), who

was not given anything; the second, who received

placebo (P); and the third who received AN. Test

was made the days after taking P and AN. Analyzed

indicators were anxiety and salivary cortisol.

Statistical evaluation was made on the basis of

Student test.

Results: Although the values for anxiety and

salivary cortisol were slightly higher on C compared

with P, differences between them were not

significant. At all peri-stress times, anxiety and

salivary cortisol values in C and P were higher than

in AN, significant differences being: immediately

pre-stress for anxiety; immediately pre-stress and

immediately post-stress for salivary cortisol.

Conclusions: 1) Influence on anxiety and salivary

cortisol was significantly more intense in AN

compared to P. 2) Under AN influence, anxiety and

salivary cortisol were significantly reduced

immediately pre- and post effort. 3) AN

significantly influenced more anxiety than salivary

cortisol, immediately pre- and post-stress times. 4)

AN may be an effective, safe and accessible moulion

path for stress caused by intense and short term

physical effort, on AN constitutional sedentary

persons.

20. Towards an evidence-based homœopathic

treatment for PMS

KLEIN-LAANSMA, Christien; et al.

(HOM. 103, 1/2015)

Objective: Homœopathy could offer safe and

effective treatment for women with premenstrual

syndrome/symptoms (PMS/S). A research program

on effectiveness and efficacy was initiated to

evaluate a semi-standarised individualized

homœopathic treatment of women with PMS/S.

Methods/Results: The first step of our research

program was to standardize individualized

homœopathic treatment, to facilitate clinical

research. Therefore, a semi-standardsed

computerized algorithm was developed and

validated for homœopathic treatment of women with

PMS/S with 11 medicines. A questionnaire was

used to collect the women’s keynote symptoms and

characteristics for the 11 medicines. The first

homœopathic prescription had to be according to the

algorithm outcome. At follow-up, the prescription

could be changed according to the analysis of the

doctor. This semi-standarisation of the treatment

minimized variability in prescription between the

participating doctors, enabled optimum

reproducibility of the treatment, yet respected the

individualized approach.

Secondly, the use of this algorithm was

evaluated in Dutch homœopathic practice in 38

women with 3 months follow-up. In an extension of

this feasibility study, with 9 months follow-up and in

a sample of 77 women suffering standardized

algorithm, measured changes in premenstrual

symptom scores and detected possible predictive

characteristics. This research was conducted in

practices of 20 homœopathic doctors in the

Netherlands between 2007 – 2011. Recruitment in

this study proved difficult and the dropout rate was

considerable. The algorithm proved useful and

effective in daily homœopathic practice. We

detected a significant decline in mean PMS-

symptom scores over time, especially in women with

moderate to severe PMS.

Next, in October 2012 we started an

international pragmatic trial to evaluate the

feasibility of a larger trial to establish the added

value of this homœopathic treatment compared with

usual care only. This project is a collaboration

between research groups at the Louis Bolk Institute,

Driebergen, the Netherlands, the Mid-Sweden

University, Sundsvall, Sweden and the Women’s

Hospital, University of Heidelberg, Germany.

Previously, a double blind randomized placebo

controlled pilot study was conducted in Israel on

Individualised homœopathic treatment for PMS with

5 homœopathic medicines. The homœopathic

treatment proved superior to placebo, with

significant results. For the homœopathic medicine

selection, the ‘symptom-cluster’ approach was used:

women first completed a questionnaire with

symptoms representing keynotes of the

homœopathic medicines. Women, whose symptom

cluster matched the remedy picture of one of the

homœopathic medicines were included in the trial.

Other women were assigned to a parallel trial.

Conclusions: so far, positive clinical data have been

obtained for the effectiveness and efficacy of

homœopathic treatment in PMS. This line of

research can act as an example on how to build up

evidence for individualized homœopathic treatment

in specific clinical conditions.

21. Treatment of nervous complaints and

exhaustion with the homœopathic medicinal

product Manuia – results of a cohort study

WILKENS, J. and KLEMENT, P.

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Background: Ehaustion, nervousness and

decreased physical and mental capability are

recurrent challenges in GPs’ daily routine. They are

often resulting from overexertion, or disturbed sleep.

Nowadays people feel exhausted and weak due to

continuously increasing professional demands and

rising challenges in daily life. The approved

homœopathic medicinal product Manuia is used in

the mentioned therapeutic area. It contains four

single active substances: Damiana, Panax ginseng,

Acidum phosphoricum and Ambra. So far,

effectiveness and tolerability was confirmed by

clinical experience, but systematically collected data

were lacking.

Patients and methods: Between January and June

2011 the clinical effectiveness and tolerability of

Manuia was systematically investigated in a

prospective, multicenter, non-interventional cohort

study. A total of 420 patients were observed by 76

German physicians in private practices. Median

observation period was 24 days, median duration of

symptoms since diagnosis 5 months.

As main outcome measure severity course of 20

symptoms (nervousness, irritability, sleep

disturbances, hyperactivity, impaired concentration,

listlessness, frustration, moroseness, exhaustion,

dispiritedness, decreased capability, feeling of

heteronomy, feeling lonely, feeling pressure to

perform, feeling excessive demands, forgetfulness,

gastrointestinal complaints, cardiovascular

complaints, muscle tension, headache) was

evaluated with a 5-item score (0 = not present; 4 =

very severe). In addition physicians’ Clinical Global

Impression (CGI), patiens’ quality of life and ability

to actively attend different domains of daily’s life,

and tolerability of Manuia were documented.

Results: The sum score as well as the severity of

each single symptom decreased significantly during

the observations’ period (p<0.01, paired t-test).

Illness severity measured by CGI 4-7: 71.7% to

35.2%). Ability to work and to attend social and

family life improved significantly (p<0.01,

McNemar test). In 77.1% (n=324 out of 420) of the

patients quality of life was good, very good or

excellent during control visit, compared to

15.8%(n=66 out of 420) at baseline. 92.4% of the

patients rated their condition as improved, 64.1% as

much or very much improved. Median duration until

onset of action was 7 days. Tolerability was good or

very good in 98.1% of all cases.

Conclusion: the study data underlined the existing

good clinical experience with Manuia and suggests

Manuia as a therapeutic option in the treatment of

nervous complaints and exhaustion. Further

controlled studies are necessary to confirm these

findings.

22. Might evaporation-induced droplet patterns

serve in agro-homœopathic research and

support experimental trials?

KOKORNACZYK, Maria Olga and

DINELLII, Giovanni and BETTI, Lucietta

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Agro-Homœopathy provides numerous

solutions for a sustainable agricultural production,

like for instance cost-saving and residue-free

treatments for yield improvement and management

of diseases and pests. However, one of the main

difficulties in this approach is the right treatment

choice (i.e. the curative principle and its dilution

level) that often requires numerous time & cost

consuming experimental trials.

In the present experiment we applied the droplet

evaporation method, previously developed by our

research team for wheat quality analysis, to test the

influence of hightly diluted homœopathic

treatments(HD) of Arsenicum album on both healthy

and previously arsenic trioxide stressed wheat seeds

(isopathic model). The pattern evaluation of the

resulting polycrystalline structures consisted in (i)

the calculation of their local connected fractal

dimension, known to reflect the pattern complexity,

and (ii) in the fluctuating asymmetry measurement,

known to be inversely correlated with the symmetry

exactness of the structures, and thus also the vitality

of the sample. In polycrystalline structures formed

under the same conditions these two measurements

have been found to reflect the sample health.

Additionally, in order to support the crystallographic

data with traditional analysis methods for seed

viability, we performed the seed germination test

and measured the shoot lengths: our results show

that the complexity and symmetry of polycrystalline

structures correlates with the viability of non-

stressed and stressed wheat seeds following

Arsenicum album HD with respect to control.

These first results indicate that the droplet

evaporation method might constitute a support for

experimental trials and/or a pre-screening method

for treatment test, since it shows to be sensitive to

the sample vitality.

23. Model validity of randomized placebo-

controlled trials of individualized homœopathic

treatment

MATHIE, T. Robert, et al. (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Purpose: A new programme of systematic reviews

of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of

Homœopathy distinguishes several key attributes of

study design and quality: placebo controlled cf.

placebo controlled cf. other-than-placebo

controlled; individualized cf. non-individualised

Homœopathy; treatment cf. prophylaxis; internal

validity cf. model validity. The present phase of the

review programme focuses on assessing the model

validity (MV) of peer-viewed, placebo controlled,

RCTs of individualized homœopathic treatment.

Methods: A systematic literature search and

subsequent reappraisal of retrieved records

identified 31 RCTs that satisfied the inclusion

criteria for the present study. MV of the eligible

RCTs was appraised using a novel criterion-based

method. Assessment domains address: (i) the

rationale for the choice of the particular

homœopathic intervention; (ii) the homœopathic

principles reflected in the intervention; (iii) the

extent of homœopathic practitioner input; (iv) the

relevance of the main outcome measure; (v) the

capability of the main outcome measure to detect

change; (vi) the length of follow-up to the endpoint

of the study. These six MV domains per RCT were

categorized by each of three independent assessors

as ‘acceptable’, ‘unclear’ or ‘unacceptable’,

disparities of opinion being resolved by consensus

discussion.

Results: Domain-specific and overall ratings of MV

per RCT await the outcome of ongoing consensus

discussions. A full set of findings will be presented

at conference.

Conclusions: MV data contribute importantly to the

appraisal of RCT quality in systematic reviews of

Homœopathy.

24. Study of Gelsemium sempervirens in a

neurocyte model. An update

OLIOSO, Debora & et al.

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Previous investigations showed significant

anxiolytic-like activites of Gelsemium sempervirens

L. (Gelsemium s.) in mice models. To provide new

insights into the neural substrates of anxiety and to

identify drug targets, we decided to investigate the

Gelsemium s. mechanism of action in neuronal

models by assessing the genome expression changes.

The SH-SY5Y and IMR-32 human neuroblastoma

cells were used since are widely employed in

neuropharmacology and well characterized. The

drugs were produced by Boiron Laboratories (Lyon).

Starting from a whole-plant-hydroalcoholic extract

and the cells were treated with 6 increasing dilutions

2c, 3c, 4c, 5c, 9c, 30c. we compared the drug effects

with those of control solutions prepared by the same

procedure, but with the solvent vehicle without the

plant extract. All dilution steps were followed by

strong succussions. Final ethanol concentration was

0.03% v/v. After having ruled out possible toxic

effects of any test solution on cell viability, we

evaluated gene expression firstly by using a

microarray designed for the whole human

transcriptome (Niblegen, Roche). We used the

Limma statistics approach (n=4 biological

replicates) to select a set of differentially expressed

genes and Friedman test followed by Wilcoxon

signed-rank test to check the null hypothesis that

high dilutions have no effect in this model. The

exposure to 2c dilution promoted a small (fold

changes between 0.5 and 1.0) but significant down

expression of 49 genes as compared with untreated

controls. With higher dilutions, most of the genes

down-regulated in the 2c-treated samples were also

under expressed in 3c and, to a varying extent, even

in higher dilutions. No changes of housekeeping

genes were recorded, confirming the specificity of

drug action. The changes in the 49 selected genes of

SH-SY5Y cells were in the same direction in the

IMR32 cells, showing that the expression of the

same gene set was also modified in a second type of

neurocyte. Afterward we performed the RT-qPCR

on a subgroup of relevant genes modulated in 2c

treatment (i.e. transcription factors, G-protein

coupled receptors or neuropeptides) and we

confirmed the down-regulation for the genes DDI1,

EN2, GALR2, GPR25, OR5C1, Klkb14 and TAC4.

In the Wilcoxon analysis, applied to the 49 genes,

the number of down-regulated ones was

systematically higher than the number of genes with

positive fold change over all dilutions (p,0.0001).

No significant differences between treatments and

controls in a randomly chosen gene set of 49 genes

were observed, suggesting that the Gelsemium s.

effects are not due to chance. In parallel we adopted,

for the dilutions 2c and 9c, an RT-PCR Array

approach (SABioscience, Qiagen) containing 84

genes, including receptors and regulators of neuronal

function. In this further investigation we observed a

trend to down-regulation for DRD2, CHRN4B,

CHRNG, PROKR2 and PHOX2A genes in 2c and

BRS3, GRPR genes in 9c dilution. In particular the

down-regulation of DRD2 and PROKR2, effective

in the inhibition of Gabaergic neuro-transmission,

suggests a specific effect of Gelsemium s. in

increasing the endogenous GABA activity. Overall,

the genes modulated in this experimental model

outline new working hypotheses on the anxiolytic

and analgesic action of this plant. In conclusion this

study provides evidence that Gelsemium s. exerts a

prevalently inhibitory effect on a series of genes, in

particular involved in G-protein coupled

transduction systems, in olfactory transduction, in

calcium signaling and in neurotransmission.

Furthermore the whole genome expression analysis

(microarray and real-time PCR), indicates that the

“omics” molecular biology is a suitable approach to

study the effects of highly diluted natural

compounds.

25. In-vitro experiments to investigate the effects of

homœopathic drugs for chronic aggressive

periodontitis by lymphocyte migration activity

GASSAMANN, G; RAAK, C; BÜCHEL, K.

et al. (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Background: Several homœopathic drugs are

applied in the treatment of periodontal inflammation.

However less is known about the basic working

principles of highly diluted remedies in such chronic

inflammatory conditions. We therefore aimed at

investigating the effects of homœopathic drugs in

periodontal inflammation by observing lymphocyte

migration activity.

Material and Methods: Lymphocytes from blood

samples of three patients suffering on chronic

aggressive periodontitis and three matched healthy

volunteers were extracted and embedded in a collage

matrix migration assays together with highly diluted

(D12 and C200) acquaetous extract from Mercurius

solubilis, Silicea, Sulfur, Tuberculinum, or placebo.

Activity and speed of lymphocytes were observed in

a 60 min time frame using flow cytometry.

Statistical analysis was performed using univariate

statistics and SiZer time series analysis.

Results: A significantly reduced migration activity

and speed was observed in lymphocytes extracted

from the patients suffering on chronic aggressive

periodontitis compared to those of healthy

volunteers (mean activity: 12.5% vs. 26.3%). While

C-potencies did not reveal strong differences

between placebo and substances some meaningful

effects were observed in D-potencies compared with

placebo; moderate but not significant inhibiting

effects with regards to activity were observed in

lymphocytes treated with Silicea extract (mean

activity: 13.3% vs. 11.9% in patients’ and 26.2%

vs. 22.2% in healthy samples). The strongest and

most specific effects were observed in Sulphur D12

which showed an activating effect in lymphocytes of

patients (mean activity; 11.1% vs. 23.8%) but not in

those of healthy volunteers (25.8% vs. 25.6%).

SiZer analysis confirmed this effect to be significant.

Conclusion: Discussion about the basic working

principles of highly diluted substances is still vital

and leads to controversies in the scientific

discussion. Although conclusions are limited due to

low sample size, our pilot study was able to

reproduce former results on lymphocyte migration

activity and thus proves model validity. Results

from our pilot study might encourage further

investigations on the role of highly diluted Sulphur

in the treatment of periodontitis.

26. Use of Homœopathy for prophylaxis of urinary

tract infections in patients with neurogenic

bladder dysfunction

PANNEK, Jürgen and et al.

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Background: patients with neurogenic bladder

dysfunction are prone to various urologic disorders

which sometimes cannot be appropriately treated.

Especially recurrent urinary tract infections (UTI) in

patients with spinal cord injury are a frequent

clinical problem. Often, conventional preventive

measures are not successful. We present our initial

results of collaboration between homœopaths and

urologists in these patients.

Materials and Methods: After exclusion of

morphologic abnormalities and initiation of a

standard regime for prophylasix, all patients with a

neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction

(NLUTD) due to spinal cord injury (SCI) with more

than 3 symptomatic UTI/year were offered

additional homœopathic care (classical

Homœopathy with an individualized approach).

UTI symptoms were fever, incontinence, increased

spasticity, decreased bladder capacity or

pain/decreased general health combined with

significant bacteriuria.

Results: Five of seven patients opted for

homœopathic treatment. The bacterial strains

detected in urinalysis were E. coli, proteus mirabilis

and Klebsiella pneumonia, respectively.

Morphologic and functional reasons for recurrent

UTI were excluded by sonography, cystoscopy and

urodynamics. After treatment, with a median

follow-up of 15 months, 3 of these patients remained

free of UTI, whereas UTI frequency was reduced in

the other 2 patients. In three patients, standard

prophylactic treatment could be reduced. No side

effects were encountered.

Conclusion: Our initial experience with

homœopathic prevention of UTI is encouraging.

Keys for a fruitful cooperation are well-qualified

partners, mutual respect and the motivation to

cooperate closely. For an evidence-based evaluation

of this concept, prospective studies are required.

27. Homœopathy in the public health system: the

experience in Lucca Hospital (1998-2011)

ROSSI, Elio (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

The Homœopathic Clinic in Lucca, funded by

the Region of Tuscany, was originally set up in 1998

as part of a pilot project designed to evaluate the

possibility of including complementary medicine

(CM) in to the public health care system.

The following are the main activities in the field

of clinics, research and education carried out in these

years.

Outcome: The data have been updated with those

collected from September 1998 to December 2010:

2,592 patients visited for a total of 6,812 consecutive

visits. The results were assessed using the Glasgow

Homœopathic Hospital Outcome Score (GHHOS).

Paediatric patients: An observational longitudinal

study was carried out on 551 paediatric patients

below or equal to the age of 14 years (mean age 5.9

years), that is 25.7% of 2,141 patients consecutively

examined from 1998 to 2008.

Adverse effects: In order to assess the possible risk

arising from the use of Homœopathy a prospective

study was carried out to investigate the adverse drug

reactions related to homœopathic medicines. Out of

335 homœopathic consecutive follow-up visits, nine

adverse reactions were reported (2.68%).

Clinical risk management: A training course for

the health professionals of Tuscan public centres of

CM, including Homœopathy, was conducted. The

aim was to develop a plan for the management of

clinical risk starting from the analysis of the

activities in the clinics of CM, and a systematic

approach aiming at identifying and preventing risks.

Homœopathic aggravation: To evaluate the type,

intensity and frequency of homœopathic

aggravation, in particular with Quintamillesimal

dilutions (LM or Q), and its prognostic value, a

retrospective study was realized on the basis of

clinical data. The study examines 1,108 patients

consecutively visited, and 441 cases with follow-up.

Sixty-three of them (14%) reported a homœopathic

aggravation.

Compliance: In order to understand why the

patients did not return for follow-up consultations

(drop-out) a telephone survey was carried out on

each patient visited from 6/1,2002 to 5/31, 2003,

who did not return for a follow-up visit. 37 patients

out of 73 referred to the effectiveness of the

treatment and the improvement in their state of

health as the reason why they did not return.

Long term outcome of atopic patients: To study

the outcome of atopic diseases (AD) in paediatric

patients homœopathically treated and the clinical

evaluation of 213 (38.6%) with atopic diseases out

of 551 children consecutively examined from 1998

to 2008. After 5 years from the first visit, all the

children were contacted for long-term evaluation of

the disease.

Anti-cancer treatment: An outpatient Clinic of

integrative medicine applied to Oncology was set up

in October 2010. In the preliminary stage of

activities, 97 patients were visited, with various

types of cancer.

Cost-benefit evaluation: A study of the

Homœopathic Clinic of Lucca demonstrated

cost/effectiveness of Homœopathy in respiratory

diseases. Cost variation for the specific

chemical/therapeutic subgroup recorded a decrease

in the first and second year of – 46.29% (p < 0.01, n

= 105) and – 47.45% (n = 72) respectively.

All these data demonstrate the validity of the

integration carried out in Tuscany and the need to

strengthen and consolidate the activities of

complementary medicine in public healthcare

structures.

28. Will this medicine work for me?

Towards a scientific answer

RUTTEN, Lex (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Which answer would you prefer: 1. “This

medicine works better than a placebo”, or: 2. I

estimate the chance that this medicine will work in

your case to be 60%”?

These two answers reflect a two and a half

century lasting dispute between two statistical

methods, ‘classical’(frequentist) and Bayesian. The

first is regarded to be more scientific, the latter

played a major part in solving many of history’s

most important problems, like deciphering coded

messages in WO II and predicting disasters.

Nowadays many computer programs incorporate

Bayes’ theorem to handle experiential knowledge.

Because RCT evidence does not allow other

conclusions, the patient can only expect a yes-or-no

statement about efficacy of conventional medicines.

But this answer might still be false in his particular

case. Other factors, like correct diagnosis, genetic

susceptibility and comorbidity, also determine if the

medicine works. The diagnostic process preceding

the prescription is Bayesian and renders the

probability of a specific diagnosis.

Bayesian philosophy is about learning from past

experience, e.g. about characteristics of patients

responding well to specific medicines. Like a

medical diagnosis, the choice of a homœopathic

medicine is a Bayesian process. Different personal

characteristics add up, stepwise increasing the

chance that a specific homœopathic medicine will

work.

Hitherto homœopathic doctors have been using

Bayesian statistics implicitly: characteristic

symptoms pointing towards a specific medicine

occur more frequently in patients responding well to

that medicine than in patiens responding to other

medicines. It is a small step to make this rule explicit

in various types of research and data collection. All

we need to know is the prevalence of a symptom in

the population responding well to a specific

symptom and in the remainder of the population.

The ratio between these two is called the Likelihood

Ratio (LR).

The research we need is accepted in

conventional diagnosis research. Like all kinds of

research we will have to deal with possible bias; like

our reference standard: what is a good result?

Symptoms should be defined more accurately,

etcetera. These problems have been neglected in the

past. We must realise that this research is meant to

improve Homœopathy, not to prove it. However,

improved homœopathy will render better proof.

Several methods for Bayesian assessment of

symptoms are demonstrated. The most valid and

time-consuming method is prospective research of a

small set of symptoms, but even with this method we

can achieve a tremendous scientific improvement of

Homœopathy within a limited amount of time.

Within ten years we could know LRs of

characteristic symptoms for our most frequently

prescribed homœopathic medicines. Applying the

formula that goes with Bayesian theory we will be

able to tell the patient: “Based on the symptoms you

gave me I expect the chance that medicine A works

for you to be x%”.

29. Protocol for prevention and treatment of dengue

fever and its complications

SALLES, Sandra Abrahão Chaim and et al.

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Background: Dengue virus (DENV) currently

infects 50-100 million people/year causing about

500,000 cases of severe complications (dengue

haemorrhagic fever; dengue shock syndrome) and

20-25,000 deaths. From USD 1.35 billions/year

Brazil spends in dengue, USD one billion is

allocated to the vector control programme. All

attempts at control of the mosquito vector have

systematically failed, and there is no specific

treatment or vaccine currently available.

Homœopathy has a long record of success in the

treatment of epidemic diseases. Although recent

experiences pointed to the possible efficacy of

homœopathic prophylaxis and treatment in dengue,

with low cost, satisfactory acceptance by the

targeted population, and lack of adverse events,

clinical trials reported controversial results.

Aim: To assess the effectiveness of homœopatic

intervention in the prevention and treatment of

dengue fever.

Study design: Multicentre study including Brazilian

countries with high incidence and prevalence of

DENV infection, and where primary healthcare staff

include homœopathic doctors. Stage 1: Training of

multi-professional staff and preparation of

infrastructure. Stage 2: Selection of the epidemic

medication by an expert panel based on the signs and

symptoms exhibited by 20 confirmed cases. Stage

3—Prophylaxis: will include all 18-60 year-old

individuals spontaneously visiting the participating

centres; sample size: 500/group to detect minimum

difference of 132 with α=.05, power =.8, 1:1

randomisation. Stage 4-Treatment: will include 18-

60 year-old individuals with notified dengue,

presenting with muscle pain and headache until

disease day 3, and available for blood sample

collection at the beginning and end of the study;

sample size: 120/group; α= .05, power 8, 1:1

randomisation. Stage 4-Treatment: will include 18-

60 year-old individuals with notified dengue,

presenting with muscle pain and headache until

disease day 3, and available for blood sample

collection at the beginning and end of the study;

sample size: 120/group; α=05, power =.8; estimated

effect = 20%, 1:1 randomisation. Exclusion criteria:

mental disorders, pregnancy. Exit criteria: disease

complications. In Stages 3 and 4, the epidemic

medication will be randomly administered to 50% of

the exposed population; the other 50% will be given

a placebo. Stage 3: 1 single dose of dilution 30cH.

Stage 4: medication/placebo in dilution 30cH every

4h for 2 days and every 8h for 5 days. Both staff and

volunteers will be blinded as to the treatment given.

Variables: clinical; laboratory (CBC: NS1 antigen;

IgM/IgG).

Outcomes: Stage3: reduction of the number of

dengue cases in the exposed population according to

the study records and reports by governmental

sanitary surveillance agencies. Stage 4:reduction of

the intensity and duration of muscle pain and

headache; use of analgesics (type and amount);

number of days off work/other activities; end of

fever; changes in risk grade (A to D).

30. Do homœopathic pathogenetic trials produce

consistent and recognizable symptom pictures?

Results from a pilot pathogenetic trial study?

SHERR, Jeremy et al. (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Background: Homœopathc Pathogenetic Trials

(HPTs) are a key foundation of homœopathic

treatment as they provide the set of symptoms

characteristic of a particular homœopathic medicine,

commonly referred to as a ‘remedy picture’. The

ability of a practitioner to identify a homœopathic

medicine suitable for the patient, based on these

remedy pictures, underpins the successful clinical

practice of Homœopathy. In modern times,

protocols for administrating HPTs have been

established, influencing most trials conducted since

1994. Researchers have used HPTs to explore

whether participants can identify symptoms of a

known homœopathic medicine and are able to

differentiate symptoms from placebo and other

known homœopathic medicines. A meaningful and

relatively unexplored question is whether multiple

HPTs of the same homœopathic medicine produce

consistent sets of symptoms.

Objective: to test whether HPTs generate consistent

and recognizable set of symptoms in consecutive

trials.

Design: Practising homœopaths, blinded to the

homœopathic medicine under investigation, were

given the set of symptoms generated during an

unpublished HPT and asked to identify the

homœopathic medicine used.

Homœopathic trial substance: Ozone, prepared by

homœopathic method to the ultramolecular dilution

of 30c (equivalent to a 1 in 1060 dilution), was chosen

at randonm from twenty potential medicines.

Results: Seven practicing homœopaths were asked

to make three guesses as to the identity of the

remedy. Initially, they were asked to make their

guesses out of the full list of possible remedies (N =

2372). Two out of the seven homœopaths guessed

the identity of the remedy correctly, corresponding

to a highly significant result (p < 0.0001).

Subsequently, when their choice of possible

medicines was restricted to a list of 20, the same two

practising homœopaths selected the correct

medicine, however none of the other practicing

homœopaths did, resulting in a non-significant result

(p = 0.2).

Discussion: The selection of the correct

homœopathic medicine from the unrestricted list (N

= 2372 medicines) by two practicing homœopathic

medicine used during the HPT was diluted well

beyond Avogadro’s number and would, as such, not

be expected to produce any detectable – let alone

recognizable – symptomatology. Possible reasons

why the remaining five homœopaths did not guess

correctly are explored in the paper.

Conclusion: The results show that practicing

homœopaths are able to correctly identify a

homœopathic medicine from the set of symptoms it

generated during a HPT. This demonstrates that

such symptom pictures generated by taking an

ultramolecular homœopathic medicine are

recognizable and specific to the substance taken,

unlike the random symptoms generated by a

placebo. Furthermore, since identification of the

remedy was based on past HPT information held in

the Materia Medica, this demonstrates that HPT-

generated symptom pictures are consistent over

time, thus validating the HPT methodology.

These promising preliminary findings warrant

replication; possible improvements to the trial

design were identified and should be incorporated

into future studies.

31. An open observational study on efficacy of

miasmatic prescription in the prevention of

Japanese Encephalitis

GADUGU, Srinivasulu and et al.

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

The recurrence, resistance to vaccines and

medicines and the rise of infectious diseases is quite

alarming in India. One among them is Japanese

Encephalitis (J.E.), an endemo-epidemic acute

encephalomyelitis accompanying a viral infection.

The first case of J.E. was detected in 1979 in Andhra

Pradesh state. Initially Belladonna was administered

in a small way with good results, but the Government

did not take any effective steps. Since 1990 it had

become an unmanageable problem. Between 1993

and 1999 recorded J.E. cases were 5308, and 1511

children died. In spite of vaccination it continued

unabated. The Government sought the help of

homœopaths in combating this epidemic in 1999.

As prophylactic drugs, Belladonna 200 on 1, 2,

3 days one dose each, Calcarea carb. 200 on 10th day

and Tuberculinum 10M on 25th day were

administered in a phased manner to all children in

the age group of 0-15 years in the month of August

every year for three consecutive years. Symptom

similarity, complementary relationship, virulence

and underlying miasms were taken into

consideration while selecting these drugs. This

project was named B.C.T. After its commencement

in 1999 the mortality and morbidity rates of J.E. fell

drastically. 343 cases were reported in 2000 with 72

deaths, in 2001 only 30 cases with reported in 2000

with with 72 details, in 2001 only 30 cases with 4

deaths, in 2002 only in 2003 and 2004 no cases were

recorded. The Government had officially published

the statistics and acknowledged the efficacy of

Homœopathy. This is the first major involvement

of Homœopathy in the field of prevention of

epidemic diseases in our country. Neighbouring

states which have not adopted this method continued

to show higher incidence of J.E. cases. After

witnessing the decline in India other nations are

showing keen interest in this innovative method.

Subsequently the Virologists of the Institute of

Tropical Diseases, Kolkata conducted experiments

on Belladonna’s antiviral effects on Chorionic

Allantoic Membrane and ascertained the efficacy of

these drugs. The findings were published in

American Journal of Infectious Diseases. Endemics

and epidemics should be studied from the miasmatic

viewpoint to understand their virulence, change of

patterns and recurrence. This work has been carried

out under the personal supervision of Dr.G.L.N.

Sastry.

32. Economic evaluation of the Bristol

Homœopathic Hospital: final results of the

BISCUIT feasibility study

THOMPSON, Elizabeth et al.

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

AIM: NHS commissioners need to know if services

reduce NHS costs such as GP consultations, hospital

visits and medications to inform their funding

decisions. The aim of the BISCUIT study was to test

the feasibility of economic evaluation of

homœopathic packages of care from the Bristol

Homœopathic Hospital.

Methods: Using a prospective matched controlled

cohort design, 15 case participants from the Bristol

Homœopathic Hospital and 19 community controls

were matched for GP practice, condition, age and

sex. We collected data on personal and NHS costs,

wellbeing and quality of life five times over 15

months. GP medical record data were extracted on

NHS resource use for all 34 BISCUIT participants.

Descriptive analyses from a NHS cost and societal

cost perspective were carried out by an independent

statistician. To identify key attributes of value for a

Discrete Choice model, we interviewed Bristol

Homœopathic Hospital patients. Interview data

were analysed using a framework approach.

Results: To be presented.

Conclusion: Results should be taken with caution.

However, findings suggest that homœopathic

packages of care offered by the Bristol

Homœopathic Hospital may have an impact on

quality of life and wellbeing. But further work is

needed to devise methodologies to robustly test

resource usage, especially given the substantial

variation in resource usage amongst individuals.

33. Quantum coherence domains and nanoparticles

– one and the samething?

TOURNIER, Alexander (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Understanding the physics behind the action of

homœopathic dilutions has recently gathered

momentum with the new links that have being drawn

between Homœopathy and the burgeoning field of

nanoparticles. The advantages of such a connection

are clear in that this relation brings Homœopathy

research into the fold of conventional material

sciences. And it is all the more attractive in that

nano-pharmacology is an emerging field of research

which is currently drawing a lot of attention and

consequently research funding. On the other hand

we have theories such as the Quantum Coherence

Domains (QCDs), which have previously been put

forward to explain homœopathic dilutios,

immediately begging the question as to whether

these quantum domains have anything to do with

conventional nanoparticles.

In this presentation I will offer an overview of

Quantum Coherence Domains and how they differ

and contrast from nano-particles. I will then put

forward the idea that QCDs are to be considered as

nano-particles themselves, albeit of a different types

entirely from those that have been studied until now.

I will present the way in which these quantum-nano-

domain are formed and how they are able to record

specific information. The way this information is

then fed back to the patient will be presented,

showing how it can modulate the complex sets of

biochemical interactions as the basis of homeostasis.

I will present evidence that quantum-nano-

domains offer greater explanative power than

conventional nanoparticles in a number of

experimental settings. The evidence for these

quantum-nano-domains will be reviewed, high-

lighting areas which remain problematic, and those

open to further investigation and replication.

In the end we are still faced with a very complex

problem, we are only slowly unravelling. At the

present time many indications point towards the idea

that nanoparticles of some type are involved in

homœopathic dilutions. These ideas need to be

verified experimentally, confirming or infirming the

different hypotheses, furthering and bringing needed

clarity to this crucial field of research.

38. Economic evaluations of Homœopathy: a

review

P.VIKSVEEN, Z. DYMITR and S. SIMOENS

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Context: Economic evaluations of Homœopathy are

needed as part of the overall evidence-base of

Homœopathy. Such evaluations are of importance

for patients, practitioners, policy makers and other

stakeholders. Only limited evidence has been

provided in previous reviews. There is a need to

assess current research evidence of economic

evaluations of Homœopathy and to discuss

recommendations for future research.

Objectives: To review and assess existing economic

evaluations of Homœopathy.

Methods: A review based on articles retrieved

through databases and other sources. Databases

used: AMED, Coherence LIBRARY, CRD (DARE,

NHAS EED, HTA), EMBASE, MEDLINE. Other

sources: Homœopathy (the journal), reference lists

and contact with other authors.

Results: Sixteen economic evaluations of

Homœopathy fulfilling the inclusion criteria were

identified. Studies included a total of 3,700 patients

who received homœopathic treatment. Ten studies

reported on controlgroup participants. Ten out of 16

studies identified cost savings and health

improvements. Four studies found improvements

comparable to control group participants, at similar

costs; and two studies at higher costs. Studies were

highly heterogeneous and had several

methodological weaknesses.

Conclusions: The overall evidence suggested cost

savings and potential benefits of Homœopathy.

Studies did however have several methodological

weaknesses and were highly heterogenous, limiting

the possibility to draw firm conclusions. We present

recommendations for future research.

34. Homœopathic medication in pulmonary

tuberculosis treatment, clinical evolution, and

drug-resistance: a randomized, double blind

clinical Trial

J. BIOCHINI and S. WENNA

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious worldwide public

health problem, with high rates of incidence,

prevalence, and mortality. Nearly one third of the

world population is infected with Mycobacterium

tuberculosis. TB prevention and treatment represent

a considerable financial burden for society. Up to

2015 US$ 8 billion per year will be needed in the

most affected countries. Until the present day there

is no effective vaccine to prevent TB in adults.

Multi-drug resistance in TB treatment (MDR-TB) is

increasing worldwide. Globally, 3.7% of new cases

were estimated to have MDR-TB, as well as 20% of

previously treated cases. Besides, the average

proportion of MDR-TB cases with extremely drug-

resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) is 9.0%. A

significant effort is being addressed to develop both

new drugs to treat drug-sensitive or drug resistant

TB, and eleven vaccines to prevent TB. Globally,

the treatment success rate among all newly-

diagnosed cases has been 85%, and 87% among

patients with smear-positive pulmonary TB (the

most infectious cases). This figure reveals a rate of

about 15% unsuccessful treated cases, which poses

an impact on population treatment time, cost,

efficacy, and safety. Regimen for most patients with

MDR-TB takes 20 months. Cost of drugs alone for

treating the average MDR-TB patient is 50 to 200

times higher than for treating a drug-susceptible TB

patient. Besides, second-line anti-TB drugs can have

serious side-effects, while being less potent. In a

border perspective of the disease progress, these

consequences are major causes for treatment

abandonment, a factor that contributes to increasing

the number of new infected patients. The objective

of this study is to evaluate the influence of the

homœopathic medicine Tuberculinum bovinum in

patients treated for pulmonary tuberculosis, with

first-line anti-TB drugs RHZE (isoniazid,

rifampicin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol). A

prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double

blind trial is being conducted with 50 adult patients

at the tuberculosis control unit of the Hospital

Federal dos Servidores do Estado (Federal Hospital

of State Workers), in the city of Rio de Janeiro. All

patients met the following criteria for entry into the

trial: male or female, sputum smear-positive

pulmonary tuberculosis, beginning of anti-TB

treatment. Patients diagnosed either with extra-

pulmonary tuberculosis, or non-first-line RHZE

treatment, have been excluded. The rationale for this

last criterion was due to the fact that RHZE is the

most commonly used anti-TB drug scheme, has the

shortest duration, and yet could potentially have its

success rate improved. Data is collected in a regular

basis, along 6 months of treatment, by using

questionnaires for first consultation and follow-up.

Information analyzed includes clinical and

laboratorial features of the tuberculosis disease, and

individualized characteristic patterns of patient and

his/her evolution. Outcomes of the study include

difference between the homœopathic medication and

placebo in: clinical evolution of the disease, clinical

evolution of the disease, clinical evolution of patient

miasmatic pattern, antibiotic resistance

development, RHZE adverse effects, and

tuberculosis resulting sequelae.

7. ABSTRACTS – POSTER RESENTATIONS

1. Development and implementation of a research-

training program in Homœopathy within the

Master’s degree for medical doctors of the

University of Barcelona (UB)

ABANADES, Sergio; DURAN, Marta et al.

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Introduction: There is a growing offer of

homœopathic courses in Europe. Nevertheless,

there training in evidence-based research in

Homœopathy is not always available. The scientific

evidences of Homœopathy are crucial for the

integration of Homœopathy in public health. thus,

knowledge in this field is necessary for novel and

experimented homœopaths to understand evidence-

based medicine(EBM) and contribute to generate

valid scientific data.

Aims: The aim of this project was to design and

implement a clinical research training in

Homœopathy within the Master’s degree for medical

doctors (MDs) of the University of Barcelona (UB),

Spain.

Methods: The Master’s degree for medical doctors

of the University of Barcelona (UB) is a two-years

course based on the “Basic Teaching Standards in

Homœopathic Medicine”approved by the European

Committee of Homœopathy. A research programme

was designed by two MDs clinical researchers,

specialized in both clinical pharmacology and

Homœopathy. The program is divided in four major

areas: 1) Review of the scientific evidences of

Homœopathy following EBM standards (basic

science, effects of ultradilutions, effects in healthy

volunteers, clinical evidences) 2) Developing critical

reading skills in EBM and pertinent analysis of

relevant homœopathic research publications. 3)

Training in developing an EBM research protocol

and in planning, developing and publishing a

scientific paper. 4) Preparation and presentation of

the pertinent research dissertations work.

Results: Since 2010, 60 MDs and veterinary doctors

have been trained in this program enhancing their

knowledge of evidence-based Homœopathy and

their research-related skills. Dissertation’s work

comprise several different research areas including

veterinary research, design and execution of

“provings”, design of randomized and controlled

clinical trials, epidemiological studies, studies in

healthy humans, replication of previous published

work etc.

Conclusions: Training in homœopathic research

increases the awareness of the scientific evidences of

Homœopathy and can contribute to increase the

generation of valid scientific data in Homœopathy.

This can enhance the quality of clinical reports and

observational studies and promote adequate clinical

trials to answer clinical practice research questions.

2. Quality assessment and response to the Spanish

Health Minister’s report regarding the scientific

clinical evidence of Homœopathy

ABANADES, Sergio (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Introduction: On December 2011 the Spanish

Health Minister’s presented a report concerning the

situation of natural therapies in Spain. This report

included an analysis regarding the clinical scientific

evidences of Homœopathy.

Aims: To analyse the scientific basis of the report

and to perform a scientific update based on a

systematic review regarding the clinical scientific

evidences of Homœopathy.

Methods: A quality assessment of the report and a

systematic review of systematic reviews was

performed in Medline, Embase and Cochrane

Database of Systematic Reviews search date up to

December 2011. Search term used was

“Homœopathy” and hand search was also performed

for the main digital Homœopathy libraries.

Results: The Spanish Health Minister’s report is

limited by several methodological flaws which

prevent the generalization of its results 1)

Inclusion/exclusion criteria are not specified for the

9 studies included, therefore selection bias cannot be

excluded. 2) The flux of studies found and analysed

are also not specified 3) Scores and scales used to

evaluate the quality of the studies are not indicated

4) Studies were limited to some reviews in single

medical conditions; 5) The bibliographic research

was limited up to 2007, nonetheless conclusions

were generalized to 2011. In the review performed

by our team, 30 systematic reviews/and Meta-

analysis were found in addition to the 9 reviews

described in the report. These reviews analyse the

efficacy of Homœopathy in 23 clinical indications,

14 more than the ones included in the report. There

are convincing high quality scientific clinical

evidences in several indications as diarrhea in the

childhood, high respiratory track infections or

radiodermatitis.

Conclusions: The Spanish Health Minister’s report

is not a systematic review of the literature and is

limited by several methodological flaws, which

prevent the generalization of the results. There are

strong scientific evidences in some clinical

indications, which demonstrate measurable

significant clinical effects of Homœopathy beyond a

possible placebo effect.

3. Homœopathy in Tuberculosis

BATRA, Sudhir; S.CHAND, Kusum; et al.

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Background: Globally India accounts for one fifth

of new Tuberculosis (TB) cases. TB kills more

adults in India than any other infectious disease.

India has gone through two phases of TB control

after availability of effective chemotherapy for TB

namely: 1) National Tuberculosis Program (NTP)

and 2) Revised National Tuberculosis Control

Program (RNTCP)

TB treatment has seen different eras from only

supportive treatment through sanatoria,

monotherapy, combination therapy, domicillary

treatment, long term (conventional treatment), short

course treatment, intermittent and now finally to a

now-a-days popular Directly Observed Treatment –

Short Course (DOTS).

Methods: Tuberculosis (TB) has been known since

antiquity. In spite of effective antibiotic treatment,

it is still a major worldwide public health problem.

Endogenous factors are important in the

development of active disease. Homœopathic

medicines have the potential for immune-

modulation and hence to influence endogenous

factors in disease.

In India, patients with tubercular lymphadenitis

(TBLN) often consult homœopaths but such cases

are seldom documented. The objective of the

present study is to document such experience.

A retrosepective exploratory study of 25

positively diagnosed cases of TBLN has lead to the

development of a homœopathic regime consisting

of:

 A patient specific constitutional medicine,

 One disease specific biotherapy (Tuberculinum)

and

 Silicea 6x as supportive medicine.

Homœopathy can be used as a complement to

conventional anti tubercular treatment (ATT) with

beneficial results. Further validation in controlled

trials with immunological markers is required.

Conclusion: Homœopathy can be integrated as an

add-on/complementary medicine to conventional

anti-tubercular treatment of Tuberculosis for better

compliance and outcome ratio. Hence, a combined

approach (Allopathic and Homœopathic) could be

an answer in the prevention and treatment of

Tuberculosis.

4. Effectiveness of Homeoprophylaxis for

infectious disease prevention

BIRCH, Kate and WHATCOTT, Cilla

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Background: North America has the highest

Autism rate in children of anywhere in the world

with the current data (2013) revealing 1 in 50 being

afflicted. Chronic disease in children, including

allergies, asthma, skin conditions and various

development delays are also increasing. Currently

the US has the highest vaccination rate of any

country with legal pressures mounting to rescind

available vaccine exemptions. There is no viable

alternative to ever-increasing recommendations for

vaccines that are filled with toxic chemicals and

administered in methods deleterious to immature

immune systems. The development of a safe, green

and effective method of disease prevention will

support the healthy education of growing immune

systems and improve long-term health outcomes of

children. Homœopathic nososdes targeting eight

different diseases are administered to infants and

children by parents and caregivers over a span of 44

months and overseen by trained healthcare

practitioners. Data is collected at regular intervals to

assess health parameters while tracking the ongoing

health status of subjects over a period of five years.

Ongoing educational and support programs are in

place to facilitate effective implementation and

oversight of this low cost, easily adaptable program.

Results: This is ongoing research with data

collected from between 2009 and 2013 from

approximately 300 children at various stages in the

program. Results of effectiveness and efficacy

regarding disease incidence will be compared to that

of children who have undergone current state

vaccine schedules. General health outcomes

reflecting 5 different parameters, including

frequency and intensity of symptoms, as compared

to vaccinated children, will include: ear, nose, throat

pathology; asthma; allergies; skin conditions; and

behavioral/neurological pathology. Effectiveness

will be determined by patient/parent compliance

(parent compliance to administering to their

children) and long-term health outcomes compared

to data on the health status of vaccinated children as

collected by independent agencies. Based upon

preliminary studies by Isaac Golden. ND, PhD the

potential to implement a method of disease

prevention that is effective, safe, improves long term

health outcomes, and operates outside of the current

economic model of vaccine programs has far-

reaching effects for both global health and economic

sustainability.

5. A critical examination of evidence regarding the

use of individualized Homœopathy in the

treatment of bipolar spectrum disorders

BLYDEN-TAYLOR, Kimberlee

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Introduction: Diagnosis of bipolar spectrum

disorders (BSD) has substantially expanded in scope

due to changing diagnostic criteria. As a result, the

societal impact of these disorders has garnered

greater public awareness and concern. The aim of

this paper is to identify evidence in regards to

individualized homœopathic treatment of patients

with symptoms of BSD.

Method: A literature review was undertaken to

determine published evidence of the effect of

individualized homœopathic treatment for bipolar

spectrum disorders.

Results: Ten relevant articles were identified.

Claims for the effect of Homœopathy for BSD

exclusively include documentation of single cases

presented as informal abbreviated interviews or as

summaries. Strengths of single case reports include

detailed descriptions of patients’ symptom pictures

and length of follow-up periods. Weaknesses

include the varied quality of published case reports,

lack of diagnostic criteria, lack of triangulation for

content validation, and a lack of standardization

making cross case comparison unreliable. Case

reports are typically retrospective and generally do

not include rival explanations for positive changes.

To date, no clinical trials have been published.

Conclusion: Documentation of the successful effect

of individualized Homœopathy in treatment of

bipolar spectrum cannot reliably be said to exist at

this time. Informal single case reports are a

historical backbone of knowledge transfer in the

homœopathic community and have provided great

depth of insight into practitioners’ methodology as

well as patient experience. However, lack of

consistency in the style and quality of case reporting

and in the rigour of analysis limits cross-case

comparison and generalizability.

Thompson’s (2004) innovative Formal Case

Study (FCS) approach offers a viable alternative to

the standard case report. FCS is grounded in

established practices of qualitative research: it

utilizes grounded propositions which are tested by a

variety of analytic tools, focusing on identification

of deviant cases and rival explanations of outcomes.

Although it requires more work on the part of the

homœopath-author, the FCS offers the potential for

building a clinically useful database of cases

amenable to cross-case comparison and

generalizability. Whole Systems Resesrch (WSR)

offers further research potential into the synergistic

effects inherent in complex treatment systems.

6. Treatment of chemotherapy related fatigue: an

opportunity to use the n-of-1 trial design in

individualized Homœopathy

BRULÉ, David and SEELY, Dugald

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Background: Cancer-related fatigue has been

described as a subjective feeling of physical,

emotional, and/or cognitive tiredness. Fatigue has a

multidimensional component with correlations to

other symptoms such as pain, insomnia, anorexia,

nausea, vomiting, anxiety and depression.

Homœopathic treatments show some potential in

relieving cancer-related fatigue, are easy to deliver

and demonstrate strong compliance.

The n-of-1 trial design is a scientifically

rigourous method of studying particular clinical

conditions. The method involves the administration

of either verum or placebo according to a binary

randomization allocation sequence unknown to both

the clinician and participant. During the subsequent

treatment period the participant will be given the

other allocation (verum or placebo). The following

pairs of allocations will also be randomized with

treatment continuing for as long as the participant is

in the trial.

Using the n-of-1 design to test the efficacy of

homœopathy is challenging primarily due to the

unpredictability of the length of time of the effects

of homœopathic treatment. On the plus side, the

individualization of homœopathic treatment can be

harnessed by repeated testing in a singe participant.

This may be especially fruitful in an individual who

is sensitive to or who seems to respond actively to

homœopathic substances.

Methods/Design: An n-of-1 pilot trial of

individualized homœopathic treatment of fatigue in

a single adult who is undergoing any type of

Chemotherapy administered intermittently (i.e. not

continuously) will be performed. The participant

will have a homœopathic consultation within 3 days

of a round of Chemotherapy (“treatment period”)

and will be administered either verum or placebo

according to the n-of-1 design. The pairs of

allocations will continue for as long as the

participant is undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

Each round of chemotherapy will provide a

consistent washout thus reversing any of the prior

effects of the homœopathic remedy. The washout

and reversibility in this particular clinical context (in

which a highly toxic Chemotherapy and antidote is

given) will provide one of the key requirements for

effective application of the n-of-1 design.

The primary objective of the study is to establish

the feasibility of the n-of-1 design in studying

individualized homœopathic treatment in a cancer

patient experiencing fatigue as a result of their

chemotherapy treatment. We will track the

following:

1. The ability of the participant to stay with the

study and to fill out all of the questionnaires.

The time it takes to recruit a single eligible

patient and number of screens to find this

patient.

2. Clinical effect size via changes in scores

according to the Multi-dimensional Fatigue

Inventory (MFI) and the EORTC-QLQ-C30

based on use or not of the homœopathic agent to

establish potential benefit or lack thereof in one

individual.

Discussion: This pilot study is a critical step in order

to determine whether future n-of-1 trials of

individualized Homœopathy are feasible in

individuals undergoing Chemotherapy. Ultimately,

Homœopathy may be an effective treatment for

fatigue with minimal potential to interact with C

hemotherapy and affect anti-cancer activity and

potential for cure.

7. A research tool for homœopathic practice

CASTRO, Miranda (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Clinical outcomes studies are designed to

evaluate the effects and/or efficacy of a treatment or

modality. Clinical research is mostly carried out by

trained academics and is perceived to be beyond the

scope or capability of the general homœopathic

practitioner.

I believe that rigor in homeopathic practice is

just as important as in clinical trials. Homœopathic

educators present and publish mostly their best

cases. The realities of practice are often very

different from the perceived brilliance of their

teachers.

COMPASS is a software program with a

tremendous number of in-build audit tools designed

by homœopaths to help homœopathic practitioners

examine and evaluate many aspects of their work –

not just the effects of individual prescriptions.

Computers are brilliantly placed to help

homœopaths keep track of the myriad details of each

case and to calculate certain aspects of carefully

entered data.

COMPASS helps homœopaths in practice

evaluate the results of their work. It provides a way

for homœopathic practitioners to conduct a variety

of outcomes research without getting a degree in

statistics or research proper.

Session Goals

 To inspire educators to include outcomes

research instruction into their teaching

programs – especially their clinical training.

 To discuss how practitioners in general practice

can evaluate the results of their work on a

regular basis to describe some of the many

benefits of this practice.

 To illustrate the numerous audit features and

explain their purposes and values.

 To generate discussion around this area of grass

roots homœopathic clinical research.

 To solicit feedback regarding possible

improvements.

 To seek collaboration with others doing similar

research.

8. Epidemiology of anxiety disorders and drug

prescription in a primary care setting shows

high potential for Homœopathy

DIAZ-SAEZ, Gualberto and BALMY, Sylvaine

et al. (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Introduction: Anxiety disorders (AD) have

become the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in

the general population and the number of cases

coming to the primary care physician is increasing in

recent years. This study aims to determine the

clinical epidermiological profile of these patients

and to know the true of their management in the

Primary Care setting as well as the impact of the

different treatments on their short-term evolution.

Materials and methods: Epidemiological survey

completed by 15 investigators in the Primary Care

setting who had declared to be familiarized with

homœopathic drugs, with a total of 110 recruited

patients followed in three scheduled visits during 60

days of follow-up. The following data were

collected from patients: clinical-epidemiological

data, history of AD, information on pharmacological

and adjuvant treatments, assessment of the level of

anxiety (Hamilton-HAM anxiety scale), the anxiety

status perceived by the patient (Visual Analogue

Scale – VAS) and evolution of the general state of

well-being (using the Clinical Global Impression

Scale – CGIC).

Results: The mean age of the population studied

was 42.5 years (n = 108) and 70% were female.

Thirty seven percent (37%) of patients presented a

first-degree family history of AD. The most frequent

AD were, generalized anxiety disorder (32.7%) and

panic disorder (30%). Psychological comorbidity in

AD fluctuates from the initial 19% to 38.9% in the

bimonthly assessment, being the most frequent

association the generalized anxiety disorder with the

panic disorder. The use of combination treatments

was predominant over monotherapy and the most

frequent combination (27.3%) was selective

serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) in combination

with benzodiazepine (BZD) and Sedatif-PC (SPC),

the most common homœopathic treatment.

Homœopathy was used by 74.5% of patients and

50% used other adjuvant treatments. Compliance

was highest in the SPC group with only I

discontinuation due to adverse effects. The

administration of treatment caused an improvement

in CGLC in all groups studied that increased after 2

months follow-up.

Conclusions: AD affects women more frequently

than men and prevalence rates are high in midlife

and in subjects with a first degree family history of

AD. Psychological comorbidities among these

disorders are frequent and increase with time, being

generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder the

main reasons for consultation in the Primary care

setting. The most frequently used pharmacological

treatment is the combination of SSRI +

Benzodiazepines + SPC. A quarter of the patients

used other adjuvant treatments and half of them used

other therapies. Overall clinical evolution was

favourable for the patients under any of the

treatments. SPC showed an excellent adherence to

treatment due to a good safety profile and they have

presented a favourable clinical evolution as a

monotherapy or in combination, so Sedatif-PC could

be an interesting treatment option for the patients

with anxiety disorders.

9. PH-DA: A protocol for observational real-life

sstudy of homœopathic treatment of atopic

dermatitis in the outpatient private and

institutional setting

EIZAYAGA, E. José and WAISSE, Silvia

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Background and aims: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a

chronic non-infectious skin inflammatory disease,

mostly affecting children, whose incidence and

prevalence are increasing in developed and

developing countries, affecting the quality of life

(QOL) of both patients and caregivers.

Conventional medical treatment is mostly restricted

to long-term use of emollients and corticoids, with

the consequent adverse effects. In Homœopathy,

AD represents about one-third of outpatient visits

due to skin-related complaints, however, the efficacy

and effectiveness of homœopathic treatment are

controversial, whereas most studies do not take into

account the real-life conditions of homœopathic

clinical practice. The aim of the present study was

to develop an observational real-life research

protocol applicable to the actual conditions of

outpatient homœopathic practice in the private and

institutional setting.

Methods: Based on our previous experimental

results, we elaborated and tested in a multicenter

pilot project one earlier version of the protocol (PH-

DA) including objective scores of AD severity,

generic and DA-specific quality of life

questionnaires, and several outcomes measures,

which proved to be too complex and time-

consuming to be widely and feasibly applied by

homœopathic practitioners. On these grounds,

further research, and discussions with international

experts including CR charman, we made

modifications in the original PH-DA allowing for

faster and more accurate measures. Therefore, the

outcomes of PH-DA include: 1) one measure of AD

severity, TISS (Three Item Severity Score), whose

completion demands less than one minute; 2) self-

reported global measurement of AD severity; 3) self-

reported global measurement of AD-related QOL; 4)

self reported POEM (Patient Oriented Eczema

Measure), a validated score with satisfactory

correlation with QOL questionnaires; and 5) self-

reported assessment of DA progression and

wellbeing by means of ORIDL(Outcome Related to

Impact on Daily Living). The latter four might be

self-administered at the waiting room. The

remainder of data (sociodemographic, clinical

history, and homœopathic diagnosis and treatment)

are the homœopathic medical standard ones and do

not demand extra effort from practitioners.

Expected results: PH-DA might represent a

practical, reliable, and accurate tool to establish the

effectiveness of homœopathic treatment in real-life

institutional or private outpatient clinical practice,

and eventually might also be applied to RCTs to test

efficacy. This latest version of PH-DA is currently

subjected to multicenter pilot testing at the

Department of Homœopathy of the Faculty of

Medicine of Maimonides University, Buenos Aires,

Argentina, and the Outpatient Clinic of the Säo

Paulo Medical Homœopathic Association, Brazil,

affliated with the Brazillian national health system.

The results will be communicated at HRI

International Homœopathy Research Conference.

10. Potassium dichromate (homœopathic Kali

bichromicum) in the community hospital.

Intensive Care Unit setting: a review of sixteen

cases

FRYE, Joyce (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Purpose: An RCT at the Univ. of Vienna, reported

mean 3.5 day reductions in time to extubation and

discharge from an ICU in a group treated with

homœopathically potentized potassium dichromate

(Kali bichromicum 30C, KB). Subjects were mostly

men in their late 60s with a > 10-yr smoking history

on mechanical ventilation (MV) due to

exacerbations of their Chronic Obstructive

Pulmonary Disease. Exclusion criteria included

lung disease in addition to COPD; positive blood

culture; airway obstruction; heart disease; and need

for catecholamines. (Frass, Dielacher et al. 2005)

Subsequently, KB was approved for use at two rural

community hospital affiliates of a major U.S.

medical center. A review of the cases treated was

undertaken to gain a better understanding of the use

of KB in the community hospital setting.

Methods: The local institutional review board

approved onsite review of charts in the electronic

medical record (EMR). Sixteen patients for whom

KB had been ordered from September 2009 to

March 2011 were identified by the inpatient

pharmacy director in a search of the dispensing

database. EMRs were reviewed to note diagnoses,

days on MV prior and after introduction of KB,

ventilator settings, and sputum description. The

pulmonary physician who had obtained approval for

use of the drug also supplied brief comments for

some patients, which had been prepared for the

Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee.

Results: The inpatient pharmacy obtained KB in

blue plastic tubes containing 38mm medicated

lactose pellets (Boiron USA, Newtown Square, PA)

from a local community pharmacy. ICU nurses

administered five pellets sublingually bid. The

requisition for KB most often came from the

pulmonary consultant; although he was not the

primary physician in any case. Timing of KB was

inconsistent; in several cases it seemed a last-ditch

effort after many days of intubation, and the patient

succumbed. No patient woud have met inclusion

criteria for the Vienna study and all had multiple co-

morbidities; yet consistent sputum descriptions

suggest that the concept of “genus epidemicus”may

be applied to some medical conditions beyond the

epidemic situation. Physician observations were

generally favorable.

Conclusions: Methodology for assessing

generalizable “real-world” use of homœopathic

medicines is critically needed. Utilizing propensity

scores and linear regression modeling may provide

one such method for future pragmatic clinical trials.

11. Can quality in Professional Education and

Training be characterized by three opposing

pairs of core categories? Findings from a

qualitative, single case study of the education

quality at a small private compelementary

medicine college in Switzerland

KESSLER, Ulrike and CHATFIELD, Kate

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Background: Public desire for complementary

medicine in Switzerland is highly evident with over

two thirds of the population voting in a national

referendum in May 2009 in favour of

complementary medicine being included in the

Swiss constitution. Education for complementary

medicine practitioners in Switzerland is undertaken

in the private sector with wide variation in

pedagogical approaches and quality assurance

procedures. However, the public interest in

complementary medicine necessitates an assurance

of public safety and professionalism of service.

Objectives: This study sought to investigate how

the college defines its aims and objectives are

realized in practice.

Methods: The study was conducted between

September 2009 and August 2010. It utilized a

qualitative, single case study approach to examine a

college offering part time professional education and

training for practitioners in complementary medicine

in Switzerland. Grounded Theory was used as a

methodological framework for collecting and

analyzing the data.

Results: The results of this study appear to

empirically confirm previous findings which, for

quality Professional Education and Training, have

emphasized the importance of aligning a teaching

programme with the aims and objectives of an

education: Coherence, effective and transparent

communication: Transparency, and taking into

account the Student-interest.

Conclusions: Consideration of the emergent themes

of this study has resulted in formulation of a tentative

hypothesis, that three opposing pairs of core

categories (or dimensions of quality):

 Separateness – Coherence,

 Opaqueness – Transparency and

 Self-Interest (of the course provider or

institution) – Student-interest.

Are able to characterize quality in Professional

Education and Training.

12. A review of use of enantiomers in Homœopathy

KUZEFF, Michael (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Many molecules in nature have geometry,

which enables them to exist as non-superimposable

mirror images, or enantiomers. Modulation of

toxicity of such molecules provides possibility for

therapeutics, since they target multiple points in

biochemical pathways. It was hypothesized that

toxicity of a chemical agent, could be counteracted

by a homœopathic preparation of the enantiomer of

the chemical agent (Patents applied for

PCT/AU2003/000219-PCT/**AU2008/001611).

A diverse body of data, including controlled

laboratory studies using several species and

compounds, supports the conclusion that toxicity of

optical isomers may be inhibited by homœopathic

enantiomer preparations. These data were obtained

with minimal or no pre-testing to determine optimal

test solutions suggestive of a robust hypothesis.

Inhibition of the excitotoxic neurotransmitter L-

Glutamic acid with homœopathic preparations of D-

Glutamic acid, indicates the latter may be of use for

amelioration of symptoms of disturbances of mood.

This is an example of hypothesis driven research

using Homœopathy. Potency chords seem more

stable in action than simplexes.

The abstract presentation will touch on recent

work summarized in the review article at

http://www.hindawi.com/isrn/toxicology/2012/575

292/, and also point to some of the numerous

scenarios where it may be possible and relevant to

investigate action of enantiomers in Homœopathy.

13. Assessment of a new decision support expert

system in headaches cases

THEODOROS, Lilas and ELEFTHERIOS,

Tapakis (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Continuous advancements in Information and

Communications Technologies along with the

consequent massive adoption of Web services

provide today, exciting and effective decision

support tools for many professions. The vital need

for high levels of accuracy and effectiveness in

homœopathic prescribing was the driving force

behind the development of a new online expert

system.

VithoulkasCompass is a web-based decision

support tool, designed to aid the homœopathic

practitioner in finding the individual correct remedy,

by inputting relevant symptoms. Calibration and

refinement of the algorithms and mechanisms that

lead to the proposal of the correct remedy by the

expert system are the key areas of continuous, on-

going research, always confirming new

developments against a very large number of real

world cases from the archives of the International

Academy of Classical Homœopathy (IACH).

A statistical assessment of VithoulkasCompass

expert system platform has been performed on

chronic headache cases. The methodology included

two phases.

1. It analysed the performance of the software on

cases already solved by Homœopathy experts

(and specifically Professor’s George

Vithoulkas), comparing the remedy provided by

the human expert with the corresponding

proposal of the system.

2. It assessed the support that the software

provides live – in front of the patient – on cases

solved by less experienced homœopaths. This

evaluation process is based on statistical

analysis of success rates derived from the

assessment of the follow up on patients’ cases,

according to the principles of classical

Homœopathy.

The first phase was initiated with the selection

of successful cases from highly skilled expert

homœopaths. Successful cases are cases where

follow ups clearly indicate that the remedy acted

curatively. After repertorisation of the cases an

assessment process was performed on how

accurately the proposed, software-generated

remedies, successfully matched the human

prescribed remedies.

The second phase was about reviewing cases

solved by homœopaths with the support of

VithoulkasCompass expert system. After the initial

input and the analysis of symptoms, a first set of

proposed remedies was provided by the system. If

the case was clear, the homœopath proceeded with

the appropriate prescription. If the case was not

clear, the differential analysis functions of the

software were utilized in order to suggest symptoms

not revealed by the patient and to finally single out

the correct remedy. Along these lines, the

contribution of the differential analysis function was

also effectively assessed.

A team of scientists guided by Prof. Vithoulkas

of the LACH and the Aegean University evaluated

the results of the system and the curative effect of the

consequent administered remedies.

Statistical analysis demonstrates that

VithoulkasCompass expert system, has a very high

accuracy in proposing appropriate remedies for

treating patients suffering from chronic headaches,

as well as showing high efficiency on individually

prescribed homœopathic remedies, in many

headache cases.

14. Homœopathic research in palliative care (PC) –

A review of modern studies concerning the field

of PC

LLOBET, Lara I Isidre (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Introduction: Homœopathy, with a tradition of use

without discontinuity in nearly all over the world

longer than 200 years, stands as one of the

complementary and alternative medicines (CAM)

that could offer effective alternatives of treatment in

palliative care, not yet fully explored or investigated.

Observational studies support its use in the filed of

PC to reduce anxiety, depression, and to improve

quality of life, also to reduce hot flashes and

breathlessness.

Objectives and method: Review of indications and

possibilities that homœopathic treatment offers in

the field of PC from modern investigations,

confirming somehow classical homœopathic authors

tips. Review of bibliography of Encyclopaedia

Homeopathica, review of summaries of searches in

PubMed, Medline and Cochrane Database of

Systematic Reviews.

Results: Homœopathic treatment offers effective

alternatives of symptoms control in several clinical

situations that appear in persons at the end of life.

The review has been done for those clinical

situations that have been studied with modern

research methodology, after selection of the best

studies and with more significant results, adding tips

from classical homœopathic authors. Clinical

situations selected are: -emergencies; -cancer; -

prevention and treatment of iatrogenical oncological

conventional treatment (radiotherapy,

chemotherapy, surgery); -(oncological) pain; -

infections; -digestive symptoms; -respiratory

symptoms, -skin symptoms; -agony.

Conclusions: Homœopathy is an

alternative/complementary therapeutics effective to

relieve physical, emotional, psychological and

spiritual suffering of the sick at the end of life; could

reduce the necessary charge of conventional

chemical medication, reducing its secondary effects

and improving their tolerance, being of easy

administration, without pharmacological

interactions and with minimal secondary effects;

contributed to the understanding of how patient lives

the end of life and his needs; could improve quality

of life and dignity of the patient at the end of life,

diminishing the suffering; could improve probability

of survival, and, when time is coming, quality of

death (euthanasia).

15. Usefulness of Homœopathy in essential

hypertension: an exploratory interventional trial

MEHRA, Pritha (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Background: Hypertension has shown a significant

increase in its prevalence not only in urban but also

in rural population in India. Out of all hypertensive

cases 85%-95% account for ‘Essential

hypertension’, which is mostly attributed to genetic,

psychological and environmental factors. Thus,

there is need for a holistic approach for its treatment.

Homœopathy with its holistic concept along with life

style modifications can prove to be a better option.

This observational study as a part of thesis during

post graduation was taken up to examine the

usefulness of homœopathic medicines with life style

modifications in management of essential

hypertension.

Objectives: The primary objective was to evaluate

the role of homœopathic drugs in the management of

essential hypertension. Secondary objective was to

find out the cases which belong to ‘Metabolic

syndrome X’ as per the clinical criteria of National

Cholesterol Education Program (Adult Treatment

Panel (ATP III).

Methodology: An exploratory interventional trial

was conducted at Dharam Kiran Govt.

Homœopathic Hospital, Hyderabad from 2004-06.

30 cases were enrolled from the OPD of the hospital.

Patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were enrolled

in the study after receiving written informed consent.

Medical history, physical examination, laboratory

investigations were used to rule out Secondary

hypertension. Detailed case history was recorded as

per the standard case recording format and cases

were repertorized using suitable repertory. Final

selection of the medicine for each case was done in

consultation with homœopathic Materia Medica.

Modifiable risk factors like obesity (Body Mass

Index), excess salt intake, alcohol consumption etc.

were recorded at baseline.

The cases with Stage II hypertension as per Joint

National Committee on prevention, detection,

evaluation and treatment of high blood pressure VII

report (JNC VII) were followed up every fifteen

days and cases with Stage I hypertension were

followed every one month till one year.

Improvement status was assessed considering

changes in staging according to JNC VII report and

improvement in general condition. Main outcome

measure was to assess the change in blood pressure

in Stage I and II hypertension cases and secondary

outcome was to find cases that belng to ‘Metabolic

syndrome X’. Data was analyzed by using statistical

software SPSS version 16.

Results: 16 (53.33%) cases showed marked

improvement, 8 (26.67%) cases improved

moderately, 3 (10%) showed no improvement and 3

(10%) cases dropped out. Arsenic album, Natrum

muriaticum, Nux vomica, Causticum and

Lycopodium were found useful in the management

of essential hypertension. Wilcoxon’s signed rank

test was used to analyze the data. The difference in

values for both systolic and diastolic blood pressures

before and after treatment were found statistically

significant (p<0.001). Clinical presentation of

essential hypertension as Metabolic syndrome X was

present in 46.67% of the cases.

Conclusion: This study found that the constitutional

treatment based on homœopathic principles offers

the best therapeutic solution in the management of

essential hypertension. Further well designed

studies should be taken up to establish the efficacy

of Homœopathy in management of essential

hypertension.

16. ‘ “IT’S THE CONSULTATION, STUPID!”

….ISN’T IT?’

Complementarity and the shortcomings of

RCTs

R.MILGROM, Lionel and CHATFIELD, Kate

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Background: For over 200 years, Homœopathy has

benefited many millions worldwide. Yet

controversy still surrounds its modus operandi (e.g.,

the action of its potentized remedies), primarily

because Homœopathy is thought to violate basic

reductionist principles of science and biomedicine.

Against this, the relevance of RCTs has been

questioned, and alternative explanations of the

efficacy of Homœopathy/CAMs proposed, based on

more holistic principles derived from quantum

theory, e.g., non-locality and complementarity.

Brien et al. recently conducted a five-armed

RCT of adjunctive homœopathic treatment in

patients with active yet relatively stable rheumatoid

arthritis. While sizeable clinically relevant benefits

were found, Brien et al. attributed these solely to the

innately empathic nature of the homœopatic

consultation; not to any prescribed single or

complex homœopathic remedy. The question posed

here is whether quantum theoretically derived

notions of non-locality and complementarity, could

shed a different light on the outcomes and meaning

of Brien et al.’s research.

Method: Complementarity refers to seemingly

contradictory phenomena when, depending on

experimental circumstances, light and sub-atomic

particles behave as wavelike; it being impossible to

observe both with absolute certainty simultaneously.

Taken together, however, they present a fuller

description of reality than either taken alone. Thus,

what we observe (particle or wave) ultimately and

intimately depends on the kind of experiment we do,

i.e., the answer obtained depends crucially on how

the (experimental) question is asked.

Preliminary findings: In suggesting specific and

non-specific effects of a treatment are non-additive

(i.e., the whole is greater than the sum of its parts),

Weatherley-Jones et al. suggest a similar

complementary relationship in RCTs of the

therapeutic process. This was made explicit when

attempting to comprehend the results of recent RCTs

of homœopathic provings in terms of non-local

correlations between verum and placebo groups.

Discussion: Brien et al. suggest the exact opposite:

specific and non-specific effects of the therapeutic

process are deemed additive (i.e., the whole IS the

sum of the parts), and both are amenable to

simultaneous testing via the RCT. An alternative

interpretation, however, is that Brien et al. are

hinting at complementarity between remedy and

consultation. Thus, RCTs which emphasise the

medicine might necessarily lose sight of the

consultation; while RCTs emphasizing the

consultation (e.g., Brien et al.) might necessarily

lose sight of the medicine.

Conclusion: The Brien et al. trial is too

underpowered to draw firm conclusions as to

whether Homœopathy’s effects are due solely to the

consultation, or a complementary relationship with

the remedy. However, by implying the power of the

homœopathic consultation, Brien et al. might have

begun to reveal how RCTs allow knowledge of the

therapeutic process EITHER to the medicine OR the

consultation, but not BOTH with absolute certainty

at the same time. This biomedical re-statement of

Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle suggests all that

the therapeutic process is comprised of

complementary parts of a whole real-life integrated

phenomenon; not just in Homœopathy, but for all

healing modalities, including conventional

medicine.

17. Modeling entelechy: quantized gyroscopic

rotation as a metaphor for the Vital Force(VF)

in Homœopathy

R. MILGROM, Lionel (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Integrative healthcare assumes that for the sake

of our patients, conventional and complementary

and alternative medicine (CAM, in all its forms,

including Homœopathy) find some common ground.

The problem however, is that conventional

medicine (CM) is dominated by scientism, relentless

reductionism, and a purely mechanistic

epistemology. Thus, only physical manifestations of

disease are considered ‘real’, as they are observable

to the senses.

Homœopathy/CAMs adopt a more holistic

epistemology, embracing the ancient notion of

entelechy: that an essentially embodied but non-

physical (and therefore not directly observable) Vital

Force propels an organism towards self-fulfillment,

e.g., health.

One way to meld these opposing epistemologies

is to model entelechy using the multi-dimensional

discourse of quantum theory. This is because, “…..it

is possible for quantum properties (e.g., a particle’s

wave function) to be physical but not directly

observable or measurable”. Also, “a wave function

contains within it all that can possibly be known

about a system by observation, not its ontological

reality, separate from the observer.”

Based on these insights, I propose a metaphor

for the Vital Force (VF) as a multi-dimensional

quantized gyroscope, exhibiting symptoms in our

reality (and therefore physical but not directly

observable) only when it ‘precesses’.

Elaborating the metaphor further, diseases and

remedies are envisaged as ‘torque-like’ vectors that,

respectively, ‘brake’ or ‘accelerate’ the quantized

VF to ‘precess’, eliciting symptoms in our reality:

the latter corrects precession by accelerating the VF,

which ‘throws off’ the dis-ease and restores health.

The metaphor also illustrates a mirror-like

relationship between dis-eases and homœopathic

remedies (e.g., Hahnemann’s description of

remedies as similar ‘diseases’), and suggests CM’s

homœostatic immune system might be seen as an

embodied projection of Homœopathy’s VF.

18. Usage and appraisal of educational media by

homœopathic therapists – a cross sectional

survey

ESCHER, Max et al. (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Background: During recent years the market for

homœopathic education media has increasingly

diversified with old (books, seminars) and new

media (video-seminars, pc-programs, homeo-wiki

and internet-courses). However, little is known

about homœopaths preferences in using educational

media and their requirements of this topic.

Aim: This survey was designed to gain a better

understanding of the usage and appraisal of

educational media by homœopaths.

Methods: 192 homœopathic practitioners (GPs and

health practitioners) at a educational conference

were asked to answer a standardized questionnaire

covering the topics “formal education and context of

work”(9 items), “homœopathic practice and usage

(24 items), utilization of educational media” (9

items) and “favoured attributes for educational

media”(11 items).

Results: Out of 192 homœopaths who attended the

conference, 118 completed the questionnaire

(response rate 61.5%). For their continuing

homœopathic education they predominantly

indicated to use books (scale value from 0 = never to

2 = always: 1.72) and seminars (1.54) whereas

journals (0.98) and the internet (0.65) were used less

often. The most favoured attributes concerning

medical education media were reliability (1.76),

relevance for clinical practice (1.74) and user

friendliness (1.6). Less favoured attributes were

inexpensiveness (1.1), graphical material (0.92) and

interactivity (0.88).

Conclusions: The survey illustrates the current

situation of medical education media in Homœopaty.

Although there are parallels to earlier research

conducted in conventional GPs, homœopaths are

more likely to refer to classical media. New

education tools should be designed according to

these preferences.

19. Acceptance of Homœopathy by the staff of an

intensive care unit: a service evaluation

PANNEK-RADEMACHER, Susanne and

CACHIN JUS, Martine (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Background: Although intensive care medicine

relies mainly on mechanical interventions, technical

devices and intensive drug treatment, initial

experience demonstrated that additional

homœopathic treatment may be helpful in these

patients as well. We examined the acceptance of

homœopathic treatment in the personnel of an

intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods: The entire crew of the ICU of a Swiss

hospital was asked to fill in a self-administered

questionnaire.

Results: The response rate was 42% (13 of 31

persons). 58% were female, 73% of the participants

were in the age group between 31 and 50 years. All

participants had previous experiences with

Homœopathy (50% were treated with homœopathic

drugs, 28% consulted a homœopath, 17% consulted

a physician with homœopathic training and 5% took

basic courses in Homœopathy).

30% opted for the use of Homœopathy on the

ICU, 17 voted against it, whereas 50% were

inconclusive.

67% wanted to get additional information about

the use of Homœopathy on an ICU.

Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that merely a

minority rejects the additional use of Homœopathy

on an ICU. Half of the participants were

inconclusive, which is at least partly due to the lack

of information about Homœopathy. As a

consequence, more than two thirds were interested

in additional information concerning the use of

Homœopathy on the ICU, not for personal use.

Based on the results of our survey, ICU personnel

seem to regard Homœopathy as a therapeutic option

in their daily work, but they do not receive adequate

support. In conclusion, the subject of Homœopathy

should be included in the specialized training of ICU

personnel.

20. Exploring the effectiveness of homœopathic

treatment for irritable bowel syndrome

PECKHAM, Emily; RAW, Jackie and

RELTON, Clare (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Aims: This study had two aims: to explore the

effectiveness of homœopathic treatment compared

to usual care, and to investigate the feasibility of

carrying out a study comparing homœopathic

treatment to an attention control.

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome is a

common chronic complaint which has a significant

impact on people’s quality of life. Despite much

research there is no consensus on the optimal

treatment for IBS and prognosis for recovery is poor.

It is therefore not surprising that people with irritable

bowel syndrome seek homœopathic treatment, with

gastroenterological problems being the fourth most

common reason for referrals to NHS homœopathic

hospitals. However there is no clear evidence

regarding the effectiveness of individualized

(classical) homœopathic treatment in the treatment

of irritable bowel syndrome.

Methods: This study involved a three armed

randomized controlled trial of individualized

homœopathic treatment compared to an attention

control and usual care. An attention control is a

treatment designed to control for the time and

attention given to the patient by the therapist, in this

case the attention control chosen was supportive

listening. An attention control arm was included in

this study to test the feasibility of including an

attention control in a trial of individualized

homœopathic treatment.

This presentation will consider the challenges in

carrying out a study that explores the effectiveness

of homœopathic treatment in an NHS setting. The

challenges to carrying out such a study and how they

were overcome will be discussed. In addition, the

rationale behind the choice of methods, and why

supportive listening was chosen as an attention

control will be considered.

Initial findings from trial will be drawn on to

examine whether or not supportive listening is an

appropriate attention control for homœopathic

treatment.

21. Homœopathic treatment against Candida among

a diverse population including children and

adults, diagnosed on the autistic spectrum. A

retrospective study

BERDICEVSKY, Israela; RON, Boaz; RON,

Dushan Danny (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Experimental: Feces samples and vaginal swabs

were sent to a private microbiological laboratory

under the guidance of Dr. Eli Lefler (a senior

microbiology Ph.D and a senior mycologist with

huge experience in the field) and Mr. Doron Shefei.

The laboratory is located at Elisha hospital in Haifa.

The samples were sent to the laboratory and the

results were evaluated quantitatively due to the

intolerance growth of Candida as follows: negative,

weak, middle, massive, massive plus. If the results

were positive a homœopathic mixture was prepared

individually (at the homœopathic pharmacy of

Super-Pharm). The individuals were asked to take

the mixture for three months. At the end of this

period, all the patients had to send again stool for

cultivation for presence of Candida. The patients

were asked to keep their regular kind of nutrition.

Conclusions: From the table it can be concluded

that 36.1% of the samples that showed massive and

massive plus presence of Candida before, after the

homœopathic treatment, became negative whereas

11% of the samples did not responded at all. 16.7%

of the stool samples that showed low concentrations

became also negative. More than 91% of the

samples showed improvement after treatment.

Summary: Due to these results it can be concluded

that this homœopathic treatment against Candida is

highly efficient. This is very important especially

among the autistic population, in which Candida is

widespread and difficult to treat. I want to emphasis

that I know personally some children that were

treated successfully.

22. Homœopathic potencies alter Photosynthesis of

cowpea

SUKUL, Anirban; SUKUL, NC. et al.

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

The effect of potentized CCC and potentized

maleic hydrazide (MH), a growth retardant was

studied on the growth of cowpea. We studied further

to see whether CCC 30 prepared with nano particles

was more effective than the usual CCC30 CCC 200,

MH 30 and ethanol 30 (control were prepared by the

standard procedure of successive dilution (1:100)

followed by succussion. CCC30 (nano) was

prepared by initially triturating CCC with copper

nano particles. The triturated material was later

diluted and succussed following the standard

procedure. Ethanol 30, prepared in the same way,

was used as the control. Plants grown in earthen pots

were treated separately with each of the test

potencies by foliar spray. The application was

repeated seven times. All the treatments

significantly increased plant growth, chlorophyll,

sugar and protein in the leaves. CCC 30(nano) and

CCC 200 were more effective than CCC 30. Of the

four agents MH 30 induced mamum protein

synthesis in the leaves.

23. Clinical evaluation of the effects of Arnicare

gel, a homœopathic preparation in sport related

pain and stiffness. The efficacy and safety of a

homœopathic arnica gel (Arnicare®) in the

treatment of sports

NOBEL, Sion; MERVILLE, Christophe et al.

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a

homœopathic arnica gel (Arnicare®) in the treatment

of sports related muscular soreness and pain.

Design: Randomized, double blind, placebo

controlled clinical trial.

Setting: Self use of an over-the-counter preparation

by athletes participating in a club sport activity.

Subjects: Moderately trained athletes who

experienced pain and stiffness after competitive

sports games.

Interventions: Arnicare®, a homœopathic gel

containing 7% arnica montana IX, or matching

placebo, applied to the lower extremities 3 times

daily shortly before and after sports games until

resolution of symptoms.

Main outcome measures: Pain and stiffness at

different time points as assessed on a 100mm visual

analogue scale after in total three sports games.

Results: 120 subjects (54 males, 66 females) were

enrolled and randomized into two groups of 60.

Subjects were mainly basketball players (85%) and

the groups were comparable at baseline. The overall

(baseline adjusted) level of stiffness during the 72

hours following the sports game was significantly

less in the Arnicare group as compared to the

placebo group (23.7mm versus 29.1mm, P=0.02).

With regard to the overall level of pain there was a

similar trend that did not reach statistical

significance (24.9mm versus 27.9mm, P=0.17).

Between group differences were most pronounced

12.36 hours post-exercise. 2 subjects in the arnica

group experienced mild side effects (slight tingling,

itching) that did not lead to discontinuation of the

treatment.

Conclusions: Arnicare® gel can be used after sports

activities to help with the short term effects of

exercise stiffness and pain, as a substitute for OTC

analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs: very few

subjects used any analgesic in conjunction with

Arnicare® gel. Furthermore, Arnicare® gel was safe

in use.

24. Effects of homœopathic treatments on

strawberry plants in field

TREBBI, Grazia and DINELLI, Giovanni et al.

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

In conventional agriculture strawberry plants

are generally treated with fungicides to control

pathogens. However, consumer concerns about

possible risks associated with the use of fungicides,

along with development of pathogen resistance, have

resulted in an intensive search for safer, more

effective control options that pose minimal risk to

human health and the environment. One of them

could be the use of homœopathic treatments, that,

thank to their extreme dilution level, do not lead to

any toxicity or accumulation in the environment.

The present research aimed at verifying the

efficacy of such treatments on strawberry plants by

evaluating phyto-pathological (control of infection

induced by the fungus Botrytis cinereal, one of the

most common pathogen of this crop), agronomical

(fruit production) and biochemical (antioxidant

activity, poliphenols and flavonoids) parameters.

We performed three subsequent field trials (in 2010,

2011 and 2012) at a biodynamic farm: in all trials,

the field was divided in plots consisting of 18

plants/treatment, each treatment being replicated 4

times in a randomized complete block design.

Homœopathic treatments were chosen on the basis

of previous experimentation in growth chamber in

which they gave significant results in the control of

B. cinerea infection. They were Sulphur 6x, Horn-

equisetum 6x and Sulphur 6x + Horn-equisetum 6x,

being ultra pure water as a control. These treatments

were sprayed weekly according to biodynamic

calendar from about the end of March to the mid

June; assessments were performed weekly on fruit

production and infection level. At the end of trials,

strawberry samples were collected for biochemical

analyses. Results showed that some homœopathic

treatments induced a decrease of infection level and

an increase of both strawberry production and

biochemical compounds.

Data obtained from this experimentation need

further confirmations by performing field trials in

other location and/or by using other crops, but can

provide first indications for selecting homœopathic

treatments to be proposed for practical use in

agriculture, in the context of the so called “agro-

Homœopathy”.

25. Depressed patients treated by homœopaths: a

protocol for a pragmatic randomized controlled

trial and qualitative study applying the cmRCT

design

VIKSVEEN, P; RELTON, C and BISSELL, P.

(HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Context: Depression is a major healthcare problem

in Europe and worldwide. The WHO predicts

depression will become the main burden of disease

worldwide by 2030. Established treatments

(antidepressants and the ‘talking therapies’) may

help many depressed patients, but not all.

Antidepressants are known to cause unwanted side-

effects and many patients refuse to take such drugs.

Depression is one of the main reasons why patients

seek homœopathic treatment. Existing evidence of

the effectiveness of Homœopathy in depression is

limited and former studies have struggled with

difficulties such as low recruitment rates.

Qualitative studies reporting on depressed patients’

experiences with homœopathic treatment have not

previously been published.

Aims: To evaluate the acceptability and

comparative clinical and cost effectiveness of

adjunctive treatment provided by homœopaths for

patients with self-reported depression in addition to

usual care, as well as patients’experiences with

homœopathic treatment.

Methodology: We propose to carry out a pragmatic

randomized controlled trial using the cohort multiple

randomised controlled trials (cmRCT) design. The

pragmatic design has been chosen in order to

increase external validity. Patients will be recruited

from the South Yorkshire Cohort (SYC) which

includes some 20,000 participants, of which about

9% suffer from self-reported longstanding

depression. By using this methodological approach

we hope to facilitate the recruitment process,

increase recruitment rates and reduce attrition rates.

Patients will be treated by homœopaths over a 9

month period and will be assessed over a period of

12 months. The main outcome measure will be

PHQ-9 at 6 months. Secondary outcomes will

include PHQ-9 at 12 months, and at 6 and 12

months: GAD-7, EQ-5D, BMI, MYMOP2 and a life

satisfaction score. Inclusion/exclusion criteria will

be as open as possible, in order for treatment to be as

similar to ‘real world practice’ as possible. We will

also be assessing patients’ experiences through

semistructured interviews with a purposive sample

of participants receiving treatment by a homœopath.

We report preliminary data including response rates

and, if possible, uptake of intervention rates.

--------------------------------------------------------------

VI. HISTORY

1. Übersetzung und Verbreitung von Hahnemanns

Werk in Franzӧsischen (Translation and

propagation of Hahnemann’s Works in French)

DENIS, Fourinier (ZKH. 58, 2/2014)

The diffusion of the work of Samuel

Hahnemann translated into French is the subject of

this article. It presents its actors, translators and

publishers, from the publication of his pre-

homœopathic works to an digital age. However, as

a result of a monopoly on the translation and the

disinterest in the original texts, we are concerned

about what still escapes the French-speaking

homœopaths in the work of Hahnemann.

2. Hahnemann in Paris (1835 – 1843).

JÜTTE, Robert (ZKH. 56, 2/2014)

Before Hahnemann met Melanie d’Hervilly his

second wife, he had planned to retire and give up

practicing Homœopathy. After marriage and move

to Paris in 1835, a new Chapter in the life of the

Founder of Homœopathy began, full of scientific

activity (preparation of the 6th Edition of Organon of

the Healing Art, experiments with a new way of

potentising, the Q potencies), continuation of his

practice, which grew in consequence of his

reputation as a fashionable doctor, and furthermore

a life in high society which hitherto been unknown

to him. [Dr. Robert JUTTE’s book Hahnemann-

Biography published in 2005 is quite interesting for

many details unknown so far = KSS.]

3. Hahnemanns Begräbnisstätten in Paris

(State of Hahnemann’s Grave in Paris)

DӦRFERT, Petra (ZKH. 58, 2/2014)

In 1843 Samuel Hahnemann was buried in the

Montmartre Cemetery in Paris. The funeral and the

condition of the grave – which still exists – were

heavily criticized. 55 years later HAHNEMANN

was exhumed. Together with the remains of his

second wife Melanie he was transferred to the Pere-

Lachaise Cemetery where a monument was erected.

[The Pere-Lachaise monument was, as most of us

know was done in 1900; there was a celebration of

100 years of the HAHNEMANN cemetery, in 2000.

It is interesting that although Melanie has been

buried at the foot of Hahnemanns in the Pere-

Lachaise Cemetery, no mention of her is made in the

Grave, only HAHNEMANN and the epitaph he

wanted ‘Non inutilis vixi’ is written. In spite of a

century that has passed, the Grave looks quite as

good as new. That is because, I was told, there were

visitors to this grave almost every day and some one

would clean it and offer flower bouquet. KSS.]

4. Die Pharmazeutischen Labore und die

Populanisierung der Homӧopathie in Frankreich

im 20 Jahrhundert

(The Pharmaceutical Laboratory and die

popularization of Homœopathy in France in the

20th Century)

FAURE, Olivier (ZKH. 58, 2/2014)

Laboratories Homœopathiques de France

founded in 1927 and LHM (Laboratoins

Homéopathique Modernes founded in 1932

Laboratoins Boiron, since 1967 were not only

successful enterprises. With their sales strategies,

they brought the Homœopathy remedy to the public

acknowledgement. They achieved official

appreciation and reimbursement of some of their

products. Part of this income was funded into the

education of homœopathic general practitioners and

into research.

5. Franzӧsische Ärzte und die aktuelle Geschichte

der Homӧopathie

(French doctors and the actual history of

Homœopathy)

RABANES, Olivier (ZKH. 58, 2/2014)

The homœopathic physician, like his fellow

doctors, is interested in the history of his method in

order to comprehend the evolution of his school, its

clinical and therapeutic application and the point of

view of his predecessors. With the aid of different

works, by numerous French homœopaths in the last

30 years, we present a short survey of different

aspects of this history in France.

6. Homӧopathie und Frühromantic in Frankreich

im Zweiten Drittel des 19. Jahrhunderts.

(Homœopathy and its beginning in France in the

second two thirds of the 19th Century)

FAURE, Oliver (ZKH. 58, 2/2014)

French Homœopathy had its beginning like a

kind of wafts of mist of protest. Adherents of the

method practiced or used magnetism simultaneously

and felt attracted by F.J. Gall’s Phrenology, creating

thus a medical sphere in search of a new medicine.

Those same persons tried as well as to establish a

new society. Many of them followed Saint

Simonism and Fouriesism. Homœopathy also

enthralled the Catholics who wanted to counteract

the rising materialism and to reconcile science and

belief.

--------------------------------------------------------------

VII. GENERAL

1. Characteristics of patients consulting their

regular primary care physician according to

their prescribing preferences for Homœopathy

and complementary medicine

LERT, France; BENSOUDA, Lamiae Grimaldi;

et al. (HOM. 103, 1/2014)

Background: Homœopathic care has not been well

documented in terms of its impact on patients’

utilization of drugs or other complementary and

alternative medicines (CAM). The objective of this

study was to describe and compare patients who visit

physicians in general practice (GPs) who prescribe

only conventional medicines (GP-CM), regularly

prescribe Homœopathy within a mixed practice (GP-

Mx), or are certified homœopathic GPs (GP-Ho).

Material and methods: The EPI3-LASER study

was a nationwide observational survey of a

representative sample of GPs and their patients from

across France. Physicians recorded their diagnoses

and prescriptions on participating patients who

completed a self-questionnaire on socio-

demographics, lifestyle, quality of life Short Form

12 (SF-12) and the complementary and alternative

medicine beliefs inventory (CAMBI).

Results: A total of 6379 patients (participation rate

73.1%) recruited from 804 GP-Ho were slightly

more often female with higher education than in the

GP-CM group and had markedly healthier lifestyle.

They did not differ greatly in their comorbidities or

quality of life but exhibited large differences in their

beliefs in holistic medicine and natural treatments,

and in their attitude toward participating to their own

care. Similar but less striking observations were

made in patients of the GP-Mx group.

Conclusion: Patients seeking care with a

homœopathic GP did not differ greatly in their socio-

demographic characteristics but more so by their

healthier lifestyle and positive attitude toward CAM.

Further research is needed to explore the

directionality of those associations and to assess the

potential economic benefits of homœopathic

management in primary care.

2. Specialization: Thoughts on the Future of

Homœopathic Practice

MUELLER, Manfred (AH. 21/2015)

This article argues in favour of ‘specialization’

in Homœopathy, to be ‘pragmatic’.

Too much value is given for ‘mental’ while we

actually in practice apply ‘clinical’. People think of

‘specialists’; by specializing the homœopath can

build vast and sound practice, says Dr. MÜLLER;

may be true. [Well, whether knowingly or not

somehow many practitioners become ‘specialist’; if

I succeed in some difficult cases of children more

such come and I become a paediatrician. = KSS].

The article analyses at length the Practice as of

now and in the ‘Fine Words of Wisdom’ says: “To

sum it up, don’t be just a “Jack of all trades and

master of none”. Homœopathy is a huge field and

specialisation in one area of health care not only

gives you a higher clinical success rate, it also

increases your confidence as a prescriber, and it

helps make homœopathic practice less

overwhelming for new practitioners. “[This subject

‘Specialization’ is suggested so that Homœopathy

falls in line with the hegemony medicine. In an

article on this subject I presented five cases each

different: a psychiatric, a female disorder, a

‘Vascular’, an injury, etc. all by one Homœopath. In

my opinion Homœopathic Practice cannot be

‘successfully’ practiced by ‘specialization’. The

maxim ‘Jack of all trades and master of none’ is

irrevalent in this context. It is negation of the basic

principle of the ‘whole’ person who is ill. While we

have famed authors on ‘Skin’, T.F.ALLEN,

‘obstetrics’, H.N. GUERNSEY, ‘Rheumatism’ H.A.

ROBERTS, in actual day today practice I found that

these did not help much, they did to some extent, but

successes were better when I studied the ‘whole’.

While ‘Specialization’ may help in the beginning

stages of practice it will not, during later as you

mature in practice = KSS].

3. Nutrition and Homœopathy – addressing the

Foundations of Health

HAYESM, Deborah (AH. 21/2015)

This article discusses our food habits and how it

is necessary to take the right food for a particular

person’s good health and need. Indulgence in food

which are deleterious do not come under natural

disease and the remedy for such illnesses or only

avoidance of such disease making foods. The

disease that are due to the bad food habits and life

style are not to be reckoned as chronic diseases.

(Organon §77). Traditional cultures do not know

processed food which cause many ailments.

4. The Importance of a Mentor in Homœopathic

Practice

HUENECKE, Jason-Aeric (AH. 21/2015)

The need for a Mentor, to one who aspires to be

a good Homœopath, is discussed. Very relevantly

he quotes Parker PALMER Quaker Activist “each of

us has an inner teacher, a voice of truth, that offers

the guidance and power we need to deal withour

problems.” This is exactly what a Mentor does for

his Mentees.

5. Der “andere” Kent

(The “other” Kent.)

KRON, Heike (ZKH. 59, 1/2015)

This essay is an attempt to show, on the basis of

several original quotations from personal letters and

articles, that KENT has different facets in his

personality from those usually thought of. A short

biography takes a closer look at his life and

summarizes most important data. In his last years, a

burn-out and an increasing exhaustion developed.

His lectures on Homœopathic Philosophy, showing

KENT rather as an indoctrinating teacher and

fanatic, can be seen in a different light on the basis

of quotations from letters and article and

contributions of his later life. KENT has developed

a more tolerant and open minded attitude altogether

towards the end of his life.

Well researched. [Please also read GYPSER’s

4 part article in KENT in AHZ. 261, 3/2016 = KSS].

6. Homöopathic auf Kuba

(Homœopathy in Cuba)

JAHN, Stefanie (ZKH. 59, 2/2015)

Since early 90s Homœopathy has become a part

of the National Health Care System in Cuba; also in

Veterinary and Agriculture Homœopathy is

organized and financed by the State in regard to

education. Researches also are on regularly.

Homœopathy is becoming increasingly popular,

both with physicians and People. Homœopathy is

well integrated with other systems like Naturopathy

and other non-conventional methods. In this way

costwise healthcare is quite viable.

The polytherapeutic and interdisciplinary

working are having very good effect on both patients

and physicians. Even in emergency conditions this

works well.

Excellent results were obtained with the

Leptospirosis epidemic in Cuba with the Nosode, in

2007. [In this connection see Homœopathy, (2010),

99, 156-166 – Part II of this QHD].

--------------------------------------------------------------

VIII. BOOKS

I. Cyrus Maxwell Boger und das Erbe der

amerikanischen Homӧopathie BRAGG,

C.F., WINTER, N., (Cyrus Maxwell Boger

and the heritage of American Homœopathy)

Pohlheim, ahlbrecht: 2013, 412 s.,

Großformat, Hard cover. EUR. 69.-

(German) review by Klaus HOLZAPFEL

(ZKH. 58, 1/2014)

“A great - grand daughter of the famous

homœopath and an excellent Boger – specialist have

together written this book. Boger’s Life and his

homœopathic methodology have been

discussed…… The book presents before us BOGER

as a person, his family life … His writings are also

listed. Some of his writing in the IHA which we do

not find in Robert BANNAN’s ‘Collected Writings’,

are given; these are of great value and deserve to be

a separate book…. Norbert WINTER’s comments

on the two great works of BOGER, Synoptic Key

and General Analysis are of great value. ….”

Sum up: ‘A milestone in Boger research and

history of Homœopathy. (Just read Introduction to

Influenza-Epidemic); a “must have for all Boger-

interested homœopaths.

II. Homӧopathie für Notfälle und akute

Erkrankungen – Ein praktischer Leitfaden,

(Homœopathy emergenies and acute

ailments). PAREEK RS AND PAREEK A:

Narayana: 2013:192S. ISBN: 978-3-943309-

45-4: 29, Eur. (German) review by Bernhard

ZAUNER (ZKH. 58, 1/2014):

“Sum-up: A book completely in Pareek’s style.

Written well and easy to read with Case Reports to

justify the remedy. Impressively written throughout

and case treated, however, to me it appears

somewhat difficult in practice. May be due to lack

of knowledge of the ‘small’ remedies which are very

successful in such cases. To quote Kent “but it is so

easy to teach and so hard to practice.

III. Die Homӧopathie-Lüge. So gefährlich ist die

Lehre von den weißen Kügelchen,

WEYMAYR, C., HEISSMANN, N.,

München, Piper: 2012. Brosch 332 S., Preis

16.99Ɛ. – (German) review Karl-Heinz

GEBHARDT (ZKH. 58, 1/2014).

The title of the book, would read in English ‘The

Homœopathy-lies, so dangerous is the lesson of the

white globules’. In summing up “Homœopathy not

a lie, but rather this book spreads lies about

Homœopathy”.

IV. Nosoden und Sarkoden. Einführung und

Entwicklung zweier homœopathischer

Arzneimittelgruppen in der ersten Hälfte des

19. Jahrhunderts. Quellen und Studien zur

Homӧopathiegeschichte, Band 18, Hrsg.v.

Institut für Geschichte der Medizin der

Robert- Bosh Stiftung, Essen. KVC 2013.

284 S. geb. EUR. 29,80 (German) review

Klaus HOLZAPFEL (ZKH. 58, 3/2014).

This deals with research work and was given the

Hans-Waltz price. The research was on Nosodes,

(and Sarcodes, their history including the sources in

respect of each Nosode/Sarcode.) The interest in

Nosodes as a curative (homœopathically) was

aroused by Constantin HERING. Another influence

is William LUX the founder of Isopathy whose

therapeutic maxim was “Aequalia aequalibus

curentur”…. The book is rich in information on the

subject and is helpful to the practitioner who in the

course of practice would be using Nosode/Sarcodes.

V. Homӧopathische Behandlung von

Kindersen. Praxiswissen kompakt, Lang M

and Rauh W.: Stuttghart: Haug: 2013. 352S.

brosch. EUR 69.99 (German) review by

Monika GRASSER.

“A new book in 1st edition for quick prescription

for well-known indications in Paediatric practice ….

A compact and thorough book by two wellknown

experienced Paediatricians. … In my daily practice

in paediatrics I use the book frequently.

VI. Homӧopathie für Skeptiker,

SCHLINGENSIEPEN, I., BRYSCH, M.-A.,

Münches: O.W. Barth; 2014. 192S., kart.

Ɛ16.99 (German) review Peter MINDER.

(ZKH. 58, 4/2014):

The title is self-explanatory. An interesting and

easy to read written addition to Homœopathy with

an easily understandable update for today’s

scientific stand. …”

VII. “Understanding Posology in Classical

Homœopathy”- Revised third International

Edition, by Farokh MASTER reviewed by

George DIMITRIADIS (AH. 21/2015)

This is a small booklet of only 100 pages being

a compilation of Seminar Notes on Posology. This

book review has become a 23 pages article with

references, etc. Makes a very interesting reading.

DIMITRIADIS critically analyses more or less

threadbare. These possible are so many that they

require few pages and not to give in summary here:

“MASTER states that the higher potencies hold

more potential energy given they are succussed and

then goes on to point out, that the simillimum (i.e.

the most similar remedy) depends also upon the

potency selected. But both these statements are not

entirely accurate.

There are several errors of ‘facts’ too.

VIII. Miasms of the New Millenium – New

Insights into the Ten Miasms, HERRICK Nancy,

MORRISON Roger, review by Laura SHOLTZ

(AH. 21/2015)

These are the 10 Miasms:

1. Acute Miasm (HAHNEMANN)

2. Typhoid Miasm (SANKARAN)

3. Malarial Miasm ( SANKARAN)

4. Ringworm Miasm (SANKARAN)

5. Psoric Miasm (HAHNEMANN)

6. Cancer Miasm (FOUBISTER)

7. Tubercular Miasm (VITHOULKAS)

8. Leprosy Miasm (VAKIL)

9. Syphilitic Miasm (HAHNEMANN)

10. Sycotic Miasm (HAHNEMANN)

“Miasms of the New Millenium is ground-

breaking book, full of insights in to the ten Miasms,

simple enough for students of Homœopathy to use

as a text, yet offering enough new information to add

to a long-practicing homœopath’s education as well.

I am glad to add this book to my library, and suggest

that you will be too.” [not I = KSS].

IX. More Doctoring: Selected Writings, Volume

2, 1977-2014 by Richard MOSKOWITZ,

2014, Soft cover, 381 pages. $25. ISBN: 987-

1-502-42668-0 (AH. 21/2015):

“More Doctoring is the second volume of Dick

Moskowitz’s Collected writings, a worthy successor

to plain Doctoring. Its many and varied contents

comprise published articles, cases, book reviews,

obituaries, letters and interviews, all written in Dr.

Moskowitz’s clean, concise, expressive language …

In Section II MASKOWITZ gives us the benefit of

his honest, humble eloquant homœopathic wisdom

with a fascinating collection of cases on the nature

of toxicity and sensitivity and using a selection of

cases to argue against the commonly held notion that

Homœopathy is purely placebo effect……

MOSKOWITZ argues that the need for malpractice

insurance arises because of what he calls “high-tech.

high-cost, high-risk medicine and that the incidence

of malpractice cases is directly proportional not to

the kinds of treatment carried out, but to the number

of them. …. In two strong articles MOSKOWITZ

comes to the defence of lay prescribers. … “The

giving of remedies by unlicensed persons has always

been an important part of Homœopathy and citing

HERING’s Domestic Physician as an eminent

example of books encouraging just that. … Finally

he reflects that it was lay prescribers who kept

Homœopathy alive through the years when it

effectively went underground and that äll people

possess the innate power to heal and be healed, with

or without specialized medical training, and no law

or authority has the right to proscribe or restrict the

freedom of its exercise. [We agree totally = KSS] …

I enjoyed reading this book very much … It should

be valued for the honesty, insights, passion,

compassion and pearls, homœopathic insight it

contains.”

XI. Helium – including an Introduction to the

noble Gases by Jeremy SHERR, 2013, hardcover,

216 pages, $64. ISBN – 978-1-908127-03-7, Salire

Books Ltd., Scotland. www.saltirebooks.com ,

review by Laura Scholtz (AH. 21/2015): “….

Make no mistake, this is a textbook describing

Helium as an element, its chemical properties, its

homœopathic themes, cases and Materia Medica.

….. This is not a dry, scientific textbook, almost

the opposite. Anyone, homœopath or otherwise,

reading through Jeremy SHERR’s Helium and

learning not only about the noble gases but gleaning

insights into the human condition as well, will

embark on a very enjoyable adventure…”

XII. BASCHIN M. Ärztliche Praxis im letzten

Drittel des 19. Jahrhunderts. Der Homöopath

Dr. Friedrich Paul von Bönninghausen (1828 –

1910). (Medical practice in the latter 19th Century.

The Homœopath Dr. Friedrich Paul von

BONNINGHAUSEN (1828 – 1910). Medizin,

Gesellschaft und Gechichte, Beiheft 52,

herausgegaben von R. JÜTTE. 318 S. Stuttgart:

Franz Steiner; 2014 EUR 54-. (German) review

Peter MINDER (ZKH. 59, 2/2015): The Case

Records of Friedrich von BOENNINGHAUSEN the

4th son of Clemens von BOENNINGHAUSEN have

been analysed by Marion BASCHIN and we get a

knowledge of the nature of medical practice, the

social structure and the daily practice of a

homœopath in the tradition of the famous father in

the late 19 and early 20th century is available now.

This is a very carefully carried out study and analysis

of an insignificant homœopathic General

Practitioner. Valuable Homœopathic Medical

History.

XIII. DAVIDSON, J.: A Century of

Homœopaths – Their influence on Medicine and

Health. New York, Springer: 2014. 207 S. geb,

Ɛ106.99. Review Marian BASCHIN.(ZKH. 59,

2/2015): The Title is self-explanatory. In regard to

American ‘Homeopaths’and their work a thoroughly

interesting book. Very well printed with many

illustration and with about 100 Euro very costly.

XIV. WissenchaftstheoretischeGrundlagen

der Homöopathischen Medizin – Versuch einer

Standortbestimmung (Scientifically theoretic

basis of Homœopathic Medicine), WÜRGER, W.

Berlin LIT Verlag, 2013. 350 Seiten. Broschiert

34.90EUR. (German) (ZKH. 59, 2/2015). Review

Karl-Heinz GEBHARDT: Warmly recommended.

[From time to time attempts are being made to show

Hahnemann’s Homœopathy as ‘scientific’(material

Sciences?). In spite of unprejudiced ‘Scientifically’

verifiable proofs the conventional Medicine (driven

by the powerful Pharma Industry) refuses to see.

Nevertheless these efforts continue. KSS].

XV. Medical Pluralism and Homœopathy in India

and Germany (1810 – 2010) – A Comparison of

Practices Martin DIGES. Stuttgart: Franz

Steiner Verlag: 2014 250 P. Soft cover; EUR 46. (A

review Peter MINDER (ZKH. 59, 2/2015): “In 250

pages and 14 chapters Indian and Western authors

are discussed. To me fascinating is the perspective

of Medicine anthropology on Homœopathy with

case studies thereon, leading to “medical pluralism”.

Also that the Lay Homœopathy plays a greater roll

in this collection rightly. Not an easily readable

lectures and scientific English and necessary read for

everyone who care for a perspective of history and

medical anthropology.”

XVI. Synthesis English: Archibel’s New

Standalone App Featuring Full Synthesis 2009V

with Veterinary Symptoms: For iPhone , iPad,

Android & Windows Tablets and Smartphones.

$179, reviewed Myra NISSEN, (AH. 21/2015): “The

Synthesis App. was first developed in German in

mid-2014. The English version was released in

October of that year and versions in Spanish, Italian

and French soon followed. …..In Summary,

Synthesis English is a powerful, useful, convenient

and portable repertory analysis app. for the

professional homœopath. While appreciating that

the full Radar Opus program could not run on a

mobile device, the users I spoke to felt that the app.

needs more features. A Materia Medica or at least

remedy Keynotes would be a helpful addition.

However, the application is still new: it is worthy of

consideration and watching to see what develops in

future versions. Perhaps one day there will be a

second mobile app. with complementary capabilities

to make a full mobile repertory and diagnostic tool.”

[Perhaps the day is not far when a patient sits before

a device and tells all his complaints, which will be

recorded. And soon the machine would analyse and

the result will be on screen, indicating the remedy,

the ‘homœopathic’ remedy. No need for one to

study and learn Materia Medica, the aggravation, the

direction of cure, etc. all that you need is to have the

App on your Smartphone, iphone, or tablet. And that

is ‘Science’ for you. = KSS].

XVII. Explore your Inner Human – Animal

connection – The Joshis’ Approach (AH.

21/2015)

Review Laura SCHOLTZ: “This is an unusual

book. The first section centers on personality and

the inner self, moving on to an individual’s

understanding of reality, a highly singular delusion,

as anyone who appreciate Homœopathy apprehends

and accepts. Bhawisha Joshi quotes Albert Einstein,

“Reality is merely an illusion albeit a very personal

one.” In Section 2 Joshis introduce personality

mapping. …. To arrive at the indicated

Homœopathic remedy and the individual obtains a

crystal-clear understanding himself….”

--------------------------------------------------------------

IX. NEWS & NOTES

I. Impressions from Internationeller Coethen

Experience Exchange – 13 (ZKH. 58, 1/2014)

Homœopathic treatment of Chronic

Diseases

A journey into the Historic Sources,

Documentation, Case Analysis, Solution Strategies

and evaluation – Lessons!

Over the year the presenters of papers and

participants in the annual who all have years of

experience behind them, has been increasing. The

question newly learnt, what are the burning

questions to be taken up for discussion and what do

we elicit for practice? The response to these

questions are very encouraging.

II. Congress Report: Application of the

Symptomen Lexicon (German): Seminar of

Michael Kohl. Part 3, Vienna, 19/20.10.2013:

Report by Anton ROHRER (ZKH. 58, 1/2014):

Special about SL (Symptomen Lexikon):

Seminar of Michael KOHL has developed into a 4

part series. The Seminar is about the application of

the Symptomen Lexikon by Uwe PLATE (SL). Part

4 of the series deals more with application of the SL

in general practice, as well as handling mental

diseases and the criteria of follow-up prescriptions

and Q potency.

With the SL one can work with all possible

symptoms and symptom combinations. Hahnemann

himself has, in his Materia Medica, in the Foot Notes

to some remedies given the singular symptoms what

he considered as characteristic. …. With the SL is a

genial instrument for selecting the remedy;

combination of symptoms can be linked and a

remedy selected exactly as Hahnemann taught and

which has not been so since two centuries. The SL

is in conception the most significant innovation since

the Kent Repertory.

III. The retiring President of the North American

Society of Homœopaths, Dr. Manfred

MÜLLER, (AH. 20/2014).

Has rightly drawn our attention to the excessive

use of Wireless technology which would blast high

frequency microwave radiation at us from cell

towers satellites, communication antenna and a

growing number of household devices. He also felt

that such brutal, constant assault may do much harm

to our Vital Forces and to the medicinal forces of our

remedies. Despite modern technologies and miracle

drugs, Homœopathy did not die, as widely predicted.

On the contrary it has become a force to be reckoned

with. HERING is said to have once quipped that

“Homœopathy has to prevail, because those who use

it would out-live those who don’t!” Homœopathy is

not merely a medical treatment. It is a set of

principles to live by. [It is a way of Life I have been

saying = KSS]

IV. Advancing Practice: Joint American

Homœopathic Conference 2016. Report by

Vatsala Sperling (AH. 20/2014):

From 4th to 6th April, 2014 in Long Beach,

California, simultaneously events were held. Eric

UDELL and Pearlyn GOODMAN-HERRICK: their

experience of treating acute and dissimilar disease in

patients under treatment for a chronic condition.

This is a common situation which every homœopath

is bound to face from time to time. [“with reference

to the repetition of a remedy in a Chronic Case this

is what H.C. ALLEN said: “The appearance of an

acute attack of acute symptoms during the treatment

of a chronic case is a sign, as a rule, that you hit the

mark. Let it alone, if you can, is the best rule. It

often happens after taking the remedy for some

chronic trouble, the patient will have an attack of

coryza, for example, without any exposure or cold to

explain it. Never interfere with such an attack; in a

short time it will disappear and the patient will have

taken one step towards recovery. Often a sharp

attack of diarrhea heralds the approach of

improvement.,” (Proceedings of the International

Hahnemannian Association, 1904) = KSS]. Divya

CHABRA’s “mind-blowing” trip through her ‘leap

to a Simillimum’ concept; she urged the participants

to explore the sub-`conscious terrain of clients by

asking them about food desires and aversions, as

well as fears, dreams and acutes they may have

experienced in childhood and pre-pubescence before

they learned ‘to compensate’. She expressed the

need for a new Materia Medica that would describe

the remedies chosen by her method (!)

Farokh MASTER presented ‘his approach’ to

the homœopathic treatment of advanced cases of

Cancer.

Joe KELLERSTEIN’s talk was on basics: “Four

quadrant questioning: toward precision in Case

Taking”. Such questioning would help to go to the

core of the case, he said.

Kate BIRCH and Cilla WHATCOTT spoke on

homœoprophylaxis.

Nancy HERRICK and Roger MORRISON’s

ideas of leprosy being the miasm of outcastes was a

treat to heart. Leprosy is mostly restricted to third

world countries. This miasm can be recognized by

such symptoms as a deep sense of isolation, self-

hatred and disgust.

Lisa DECANDIA presented case taking of

children.

“The Banerji Protocols Disease-specific

Treatments for Common or Serious Health

Problems” was addressed by Barbara SARTER and

father and son trio PRASANTA and PRATIP

BANERJI caused a row. The question was raised

“How could you give a specific remedy for a specific

disease. Is it not mimicking the allopathic approach

of treating a disease”, they asked. The Banerji’s,

however, stuck to their claim that their experience

was of five generations of homœopathic practice.

Jason-Aeric HUENECKE presented Lanthanides:

Remedies of Empowerment for Homœopathic

pioneers.”

Karen ALLEN spoke on “Endometriosis and

Pain Reduction: A case of Retrospective Review.”

She successfully showed how Homœopathy could

be of service in those cases where Western Medicine

had failed.

Kim KALINA spoke about CEASE therapy for

Autistic spectrum and other modern complaints as

proposed by Tinus SMITS.

With so many ongoing wars, Renita

HERMANN’s talk on Post Traumatic Stress

Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury and Military

Sexual Trauma of returning war- veterans turned out

to be a very timely topic.

Barbara WATERS presented “Bowel Nosodes:

When it’s time to go deep”.

Tanya RENNER spoke on the importance of

cell salts for removal of troublesome symptoms and

re-establishing mineral balance.

Karl ROBINSON brought up to date

Aluminium, its neuro-toxic effects and medicinal

potential.

V. Celebrating the past, embracing the future:

Joint American Homœopathic Conference

2015. (AH. 21/2015)

The 10th Annual JHC in Philadelphia: from May

8th to 10th 2015.

On the opening day Dr. Praful VIJAYKAR

showed cases in which he could predict the future

outcome for patients with congenital issues, for

example a child born without pupils, and other

patients that were declared incurable. Through his

“Predictive Homœopathy” he was able to cure these

patients. [Did the child get pupils? = KSS].

Paul HERSCU spoke about his ‘Cycles and

Segments’ approach to handling cases of Autistic

Spectrum Disorder.

André SAINE spoke about use of the LM

potencies with examples from his practice.

Dr. Heiner FREI spoke on Polarity Analysis.

By focusing on reliable symptoms including

modalities, polar symptoms (symptom that may have

an opposite aspect e.g. thirst/thirstlessness),

perceptual symptoms (e.g. sensitive to light, touch,

noise, temperature) and muscle tone, and conducting

and astute search through Boenninghausen’s

Repertory, Dr. FREI is able to find improvement in

80% of cases of ADD/ADHD.

Chris SOWTON spoke on using dreams for

solving cases.

Some homœopaths discussed on Veterinary

Homœopathy.

Gabrielle TRAUB presented using well-known

polychrests for treating patients with bi-polar

disorder and drug-induced Psychosis.

Peter FISHER gave a comprehensive

presentation on clinical and Biological research in

Homœopathy.

Peter CHAPPELL spoke on Trauma; John

BORNEMAN gave an entertaining and informative

talk on our homœopathic pharmacopeia. Jackie

WILSON on her personal experience of Cancer was

inspiring.

VI. Neiswander Homœopathic Library, grand

opening: (AH. 21/2015)

The Neiswander Homœopathic Library was

merged with the Library of the National Center of

Homœopathy in May 2015. Dr. Allen Cliford

NEISWANDER, MD. whose father was a

Homœopathy doctor, carried on a busy Practice after

he returned from services in the II World War. Dr.

NEISWANDER practiced and taught for long and

passed away at 95 yrs of age in 2009. He had a vast

Library. This Library has now been handed over to

the National Center of Homœopathy. The

Neiswander Library was rich with collections from

the late Julian WINSTON, and also from

Homœopaths without Borders. Thus the National

Center has an excellent Library new. [Allen C.

NEISWANDER was also the President of the

American Institute of Homœopathy. I have several

articles of Dr. NEISWANDER as a subscriber for

the journal of the American not of Homœopathy

(which later became the AJHM, from 1965 – during

editorship of Elizabeth Wright-Hubbard, upto 2014.

With this journal one can study the state of

Homœopathy in the USA as it was in the 50s – 60s

to present day = KSS].

VII. Homœopaths without Borders: A Tour de

Force for Homœopathy in Action, Rich

ELAND, (AH. 21/2015)

Homœopaths without Borders (HWB) have

been carrying out excellent voluntary service in such

needy places a Haiti where wonderful work was

done in Chikungunya Fever Epidemic. They have

also lay Homœopathy practitioners from among the

local population. HWB is also having plans of

projects in the USA.

The two requirements for volunteering with

HWB are a willingness to learn and devotion to

service. They are in need of donations.

VIII. Where is Homœopathy going?

(Editorial. AH. 21/2015) the Editor Deborah

HAYES contemplates: We could take a narrow

trail apart from those who do not understand

Homœopathy, and end up a lofty but isolated

sanctuary; or we could converge our path travelling

along with other ‘Complementary’ and ‘alternate’

therapies and integrate some of them into our

practice [or let ourselves get ‘integrated’ into theirs

and lose our identicity completely = KSS].

Questions are raised: When did you read the

Organon last? And the provings? The great masters

Close, Hering Dudgeon, Wells, Lippe, Farrington;

we stand on their shoulders [which are firm indeed:

KSS]. [Personally, I have been asking these

questions since some years; I have added: have you

read ‘Hahnemann’s Life and Works’whether

BRADFORD or HAEHL? ‘Not even’ 2% answered

‘yes’; ‘it is not in our College Syllabus?’ What a set

of Team which draws up the Syllabus! = KSS].

IX. Putting the house in order, by Cynthia

CHRISMAN (AH. 21/2015):

This is about different ideas regarding

professional homœopaths their training and

accreditation, peer review in training and practice;

this state is relevant mostly to the USA and Europe.

X. Celebrating the past, embracing the future:

Joint American Homœopathic Conference 2015

(AH. 21/2015):

This again discusses the neo trends in

Homœopathy practices – the Rajan Sankaran ideas,

the Other Song, the ‘Dreams’ method, Praful

Vijaykar Predictive Homœopathy, the Cycles and

Segments method of Paul Herscu, the MIND only

method of Sehgal and lattest ‘the Joshis’ Method’,

etc. lest one may be termed disparagingly, everyone

of them swear by Samuel Hahnemann(!). However,

it is worthwhile that there was Heiner Frei’s method

of polarity analyses especially in ADD/ADHD.

XI. What kind of life is “a lifetime of

Vaccines?”by Charlotte GILRUTH (AH.

21/2015): “Vaccines in the U.S. represent a

government – industry alliance … the likes of which

are unknown in any other place or time in recorded

history.”- Attorney Alan Phillips.

Pharma envisions a grim future for us all.

Merck’s recent infographic, “A Lifetime of

Vaccines,” depicts seven life strages, from newborn

through elderly. Sanofi Pasteur presents, “New and

next generation vaccines for every stage of life.”

The slogans, “You never outgrow the need for

vaccines” and “Vaccines are not just for kids,”

probably originating at the CDC (Centers for

Disease Control), have spread across the country to

places like health departments and pharmacies

touting vaccination for adults. With nearly 300

vaccines under development, pressure mounts for

cradle-to-grave vaccination, including, disturbingly,

flu and T dap (Tetanus/Diphtheria/acellular

Pertussis) shots for pregnant women. The vaccine

industry, governmental policymakers, and medical

associations are working in concert to shift the long-

standing public assumption that vaccination mostly

ends with childhood.

“Four new vaccines, including an annual flu

shot, have recently been added to the recommended

schedule, which when approved, will bring the total

to 52 shots by age 18; the dangerous and

controversial HPV Vaccine has been on that list for

over two years now. The recommended schedule for

adults shows the same stready increase. In 2010 the

annual flu vaccine was recommended mostly for

adults over 50. That changed to all adults in 2011.

In 2012, the recommendation for HPV for males was

added. In 2013, a TDaP shot was recommended for

pregnant women, one per pregnancy. …..”.

[A detailed article which is well worth reading.

Please see Part II of this QHD].

XII. Homœopaths without borders: A tour de

Force for Homœopathy in action, by Richa ELAND

(AH. 21/2015): “HWB is rapidly becoming a

household word in the Homœopathic Community”.

The HWB’s work in Haiti is wellknown, a selfless

service….. especially in parts of Africa when

chikungunya Epidemic was bad the HWB

volunteers and Homéopathes Communautaires have

been using Homœopathy to treat people since April

2014. HWB has lofty goals. [Countries like India

and Bangladesh should organize HWB and there will

be a great jump in health and government’s

expenditure will be much less = KSS].

XIII. The NASH (North American Society of

Homœopaths) – has been publishing the journal

The American Homeopath since 20 years. (The

present issue is the 21st – for 2015). NASH has 25

sets of all issues and is offering it to libraries that

offer holistic, alternative or integrative Medicine

Programmes at no charge. Interested may contact

NASH at nashinfo@homeopathy.org using the

subject *NASH Journal Project.” following is

necessary.

 How your programme would benefit from

the donation of the journals.

 Where the journals would be located.

 Who would benefit from having access to

the journals.

 Whether access to the journals would be

permanent or temporary.

 If the organization is able to pay costs of

shipping and handling of the journals.

XIV. I am practicing Homœopathy since more

than 55 years now. Of course the diseases for which

patients came about 20 – 25 years ago have almost

all of them, are not seen in practice now. However,

the number of chronic ailments, mostly non-

bacteriae, are the one now – Rheumatoid Arthritis,

Diabetes (which is increasing year by year and now

even daily labourers are diagnosed as Diabetic),

Hypertensions, IBS, Calculus, Thyroid disorders,

Vitamin particularly Vit-D deficiencies are the daily

practice. Our economic status have improved and a

fairly good food is available for all (leaving out the

genuinely poor and those BP.!); yet we have these

auknebts, every 3rd person from youth to old say ‘I

have Thyroid and am on tablets for life time(?);

doctors caution me not to stop.” Oh yes! Almost

every other female from puberty past middle age

have either PCOD /Fibroid Uterus; more women

have been undergoing surgical removal of uterus;

“you are a mother already and there is no more need

of this Uterus, who knows this small Fibroid or even

polyp may become cancerous and then it may be too

late”. I have heard that there are Gynaecologists who

advice women so!

The Pharma Industry thrives on Paracetamol,

‘Thyroid’ tabs, Vitamin D tabs, and B12 and Calcium

tabs.

I think that Thyroid complaints have become so

common only after the Compulsory manufacturer of

Iodised salt; as for Vit-D., tall buildngs have

practically shut out exposure to sun; even for a few

feet, the women particularly hold an umbrella to

‘protest’ their skin from darkening! The doctors are

not health carers, they are only interested to

prescribe after disease sets in.

If the majority of the people adopt healthy habits

where is the place for doctors? There will be no rush

for MBBS qualification. So, as Hahnemann told 250

yrs. or so ago, doctors are only the windows for the

Pharma Industries to sell their products; even an

illiterate person comes with a bunch of laboratory

test results – cholesterol, triglycetrides, Liver

function, blood sugar, blood pressure, Thyroid,

Vitamin D. We saw Mad Cow diseases, Bird Flu,

Swine Flu, Rat fever (as if all creatures other than

humans are responsible for our illnesses) and as new

discoveries come up more and more tests are added,

it is endless. And every new born is followed with

several ‘preventives’ upto age 16 or more – with

‘boosters’, etc.! we see more cases of Autism! Are

these “advances” in health status? However, all are

happy, The doctor, the laboratories and the Pharma

Industry.

So go on doing tests even when you are well,

who knows, something may be lurking, do an MRI!

-K.S. SRINIVASAN.

XV. Internationaler Coethener Erfahrungs-

austausch (ICE 14) : (ZKH. 59, 1/2015).

International Coethen Experiences Sharing:

This is an annual event.

1. Of Case Analysis and treatment Competence

– learning from one’s own experience: Frederik

SCHROYENS: How do symptoms enter as clinical

experience in the Repertory? In the early

Repertories clinical results were chosen. Most of the

entries were unclear as to the criteria. They have to

be discussed anew and known transparently.

2. Gerhard BLUEL: Mononucleos – working out

the clinical experience with Homœopathy: Fixed

Diseases have specific disease entities, i.e. a definite

disease-caustive can be found, for which a specific

homœopathic remedy can be found. 28 cases from

his own practice were evaluated. The specific

remedy which was effective was found. In respect

of some remedies in the Repertory for

Mononucleosis, confirmation were not found.

3. Ulrich KOCH:Necessity of a total therapeutic

stances in respect of psychic disturbances:

Hahnemann has set a different approach towards

mental ailments due to physical sufferings and a

purely psychic nature. In practice pathognomic

mental symptoms are to be taken into consideration

(e.g. Delusions).

Two cases are presented to show that psychic

cases can be well handled by Homœopathy.

Sometimes it is not possible by solitary

homœopathic medicines alone and some times some

other non-medical measures are required, or

combined psychopharma.

4. Ulf RIKER: Learning from errors a “Borreliose

Case” emerging as a Psychosomatose: 42 yrs old

female diagnosed as Borreliose, 5 years ago; then

she had wandering joint pains. Was on Doxycyclin

for 24 days, no relief. Suffered a diarrhea; then a

Rheumatologist who found nothing wrong; then a

Dermatologist who diagnosed a ‘Psoriasis-Arthritis

since Psoriasis; A Lay Practitioner, a Nerve ailment,

a dentist found nothing wrong. Then she went to

Borreliose Specialist. Who gave her Cephalosporin

over 17 weeks then a Leucocytes-transformation; the

“Borreliose was cured” but Borreliose Serology

remained unaltered.

Many symptoms: Calc-p. gave relief of some

symptoms, then Sil. Then Colichicum 200, then

1000 repeated few times. The complaints were

relieved.

5. Micha BITSCHNAU: Recurring

vulvovaginale Infekte: Conventional therapy in

recurrence rapidly loses its effect, Homœopathy

supports Phytotherapy and is therefore this method

is the right choice.

6. Doris DIEKHANS: Three cases to impress the

efficiency of pure Homœopathy and its relevance in

PSA raising in prostatohyperplasia.

7. Stephen BAUMGÄRTNER: Explanatory

models for the action of homœopathic potencies:

Explained clearly with diagrams.

8. Stefan WILDFANG: Same whether Lupus or

Sjögren – Main thing Homœopathy. Significanes of

symptoms for choice of the medicine. (§6:

alterations of the now ill of the individual’s healthy

state. §211: mental state often decides the choice.)

Case: Female 45 with Sjögren-Syndrome – no

improvement with Silicea, great improvemet from

Nat-c. analysis of the choice of symptoms: the

physical, particularly the pathognomic symptoms

gave the decision, the high emphasis on the Mind

symptoms gave the wrong remedy.

Case: a female with recurring cystitis: very good

reaction for Agaricus. After an acute fear first Acon.

(unsuccessful) then Agaricus repeated (good).

Longlasting further treatment with Sepia.

Dr. Heiner FREI Seminar on the use of Polarity

analysis with Böenninghausen method.

XVI. A glimpse in the work of Homœopaths

without borders by Elisabeth von WEDEL (ZKH.

59, 2/2015): The mission of Homœopaths without

Borders Germany(HOG) is primarily to promote

Homœopathy as an effective, low cost health care

system, which is mainly achieved through the

implementation of homœopathic clinics and training

programmes. The treatment of Post-Traumatic

Disorders was the main aim of the first project which

was conducted in Bosnia-Herzegowina after the war

in the 1990s. Various projects all over the world

have been realized ever since and various

experiences have been gained. To give a little

insight we discuss the differential diagnosis of the

common remedies for altitude sickness as well as

those for Malaria. In case of lacking conventional

Medicine or in case of non-response to conventional

treatment the various compositions of China have

proved to be of high value.

Experiences gained in Bolivia, Kenya and

Sierre Leone are also discussed.

XVII. Interview zur Homöopathie in Barzilien

mit Frau Prof. Dr. Silvia WAISSE, Profession für

Wissenschaftsgeschichte, PUC-SP, Brasilien

(Interview about Homœopathy in Brazil with Prof.

Dr. Silvia WAISSE (ZKH. 59, 2/2015): A gist of the

question and answer Interview: In Brazil

Homœopathy is institutionalized as a regular

Medicinal Speciality. People have accepted it

happily. As a clinical medical speciality it is on par

with other specialities like Paediatry, etc. According

to Govt. information there are 2458 Homœopathy

doctors. There are no Lay physicians. Lay practice

is forbidden in Brazil. Homœopathy is not a

weekend course but regular University oriented.

Kentian Homœopath PASCHERO whose

psychoanalysis and neuro-endocrine-immune

integration (a typical stance in the 30s-40s years has

been the main teaching until now and in the official

teaching course. The Brazilian homœopaths are not

so strong a ‘Kentian’ as Indian Homœopaths. They

are, however, quite strong in that teaching that the

Mind rules over the body and this idea pervades all

their thoughts and actions.

Has the Brazilian Homœopathy in any way

influenced other lands and schools? Masi

ELIZALDE founded in Argentina but most of his

followers were Brazilian, Swiss and French who are

all still practicing. No fixed national method has

been formulated in Brazil. In fact the only

worldwide (the right, only one) group may be found

in Brazil who use the LM method orginated by

HAHNEMANN, and developed it further.

Homœopathy came to Brazil around 1840 as in

other Lands and some foreign (mostly French) came

to Brazil and they taught. Mostly the well-off people

supported it. (e.g. Brazilian Kaiser Peter II), and

Homœopathy succeeded where the conventional

failed as in Cholera and Yellow Fever. In 1912

Faculty was founded. The spiritual KARDEC set his

foot in Brazil; he had, at least thrice, met

HAHNEMANN and spoken to him and he called

Homœopathy ‘Spiritual Medicine’ and it made great

impression among the learned Brazilian people.

Even in the 19th and early 20th centuries it extended

to the whole Brazil from Rio de Janeiro to Salvador,

Bolivia. The connection between Homœopathy and

spiritualism is strong until now; it became quite

strong from Bezerra de MENEZAS (1831 – 1900)

who was a doctor and politician. The co-existence

was not only friendly but became stronger with the

medical Homœopaths.

Historically, spirituality and the socialistic

Utopist Benoit MURE, who from 1840 to 1848

worked in Brazil as also the Surgeon Joas V.

MARTINS who was the right hand of MURE

engaged themselves with treatment of the poor and

the Pharmacies supplied medicines free for that. Has

such happened elsewhere in the world?

--------------------------------------------------------------

List of Journals:

Full addresses of the Journals covered by this Quarterly

Homœopathic Digest are given below:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. AH: The Journal of the North American Society of

Homeopaths, 1122 East Pike Street, #1122, Seattle, WA

98122, USA.

2. AJHM: American Journal of Homeopathic Medicine,

formerly Journal of the American Institute of Homœopathy

(JAIH). 101 South Whiting Street, Suite 16, Alexandria,

VA 22304. USA.

3. HH: Homœopathic Heritage, B. Jain Publishers Overseas,

1920, Street No.10, Chuna Mandi, Paharganj, Post Box

5775, New Delhi - 110 055.

4. HOMŒOPATHY: Formerly British Homeopathic Journal

(BHJ), Homœopathy, Faculty of Homœopathy, 29 Park

Street West, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU13BE, UK.

5. HT: Homœopathy Today, National Center for

Homœopathy, 101 South Whiting Street, Suite 315,

ALEXANDRIA, VA. 22304, USA.

6. IJHDR: International Journal of High Dilution Research,

Romania.

7. S & C: Science and Culture, Indian Science News

Association, 92, Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road,

KOLKATA – 700 009.

8. ZKH: Zeitschrift für Klassische Homöopathie, Karl

Stiftung, Straussweg 17, 70184 STUTTGART,

GERMANY.

==============================================

Excessive hardships, laboring in swamps, great

bodily injuries and wounds, excess of cold or heat,

and even the unsatisfied hunger of poverty and its

unwholesome foods, etc., are not by any means very

powerful in causing the fearful malady of Psora

which lies in ambush, lurking in secret to break forth

into serious chronic diseases, nor of great

consequence in aggravating a chronic disease

already present; yea, an innocent man can, with less

injury to his life, pass ten years in bodily torments in

the bastille or on the galleys rather than pass some

months in all bodily comfort in an unhappy marriage

or with a remorseful conscience.

(Hahnemann’s Chronic Diseases)

--------------------------------------------------------------

PART II

(This section contains abstracts/extracts from selected articles; even the entire article in some cases)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. The Homœopathic Remedy and Medical

Responsibility

The Homœopathic Remedy – The Non

Medicine.

L.U.I.M.O. – Prof. NEGRO, Antonio Italy.

Roma, 12.13 December 1988

Auletta dei Gruppi Parlamentari

Via do Campo Marzio 74

Summary:

The Homœopathic doctor has the difficult task

of analyzing the patient’s personal history in order to

be able to prescribe the same Unique Remedy which

synthesizes the patient’s physiopathologic Unitarian

processes allowing the certain attainment of the

following double aim: restore health in its totality

and re-establish those values which are more apt to

prevent disease.

I shall here try to contribute to the understanding

of the subject: “Homœopathic Remedy” and the

responsibility of the homœopath, with serenity and

sense of duty and freedom favoured by my

experience and doctrine. The unity of measure for a

true Homœopathic Medicine which has to face

medical doctrines (without compromises) is the

natural law of similes which remains unchanged

through the ages – it is a law devoid of time.

Samuel Hahnemann (the discoveror, he who

codified and experimented Homœopathy), is not

concerned with the personal or traditional scientific

theories because he wants to and knows he can

defend man in his entirety who is naturally

stimulated and urged to harmonize with the order of

creation, if he does not want to become a wrong note

in the concert of the universe Hahnemann, therefore,

discovers and carries out the Responsibility of the

Remedy, of which his doctrine is a jealous custodian

for it considers the values of man and thus cannot be

limited (and attempts to this effect are being made)

to the private work of alternativity or expression of

another medicine. It takes on its responsibility as

original science and as moral conscience and teaches

to talk of man studied as an absolute “prototype”

reality of creation. This ethic and scientific research

is considered necessary by Hahnemann’s

Homœopathy to better understand man as an

unrepeatable person marked by the divine seal of the

law of similitude, thus (the logic consequence)

establishing the will of understanding the others (the

law of love). The Homœopathic science, therefore,

does not ignore the fate of man, as Hahnemann states

in the ninth paragraph of his Organon or the Art of

Recovery.

In choosing this subject for my talk I was

encouraged by the first paragraph of Organon where

one reads: “Unique and mighty aim, of the doctor is

to make the diseased man healthy”.

The Homœopath does not only achieve the

recovery of the localized morbid process, but must

aim at restoring, definitely and totally, to the

diseased the complete and certain awareness of the

equilibrium of his vital principle which, becoming

more vivid, keeps in a dynamic harmony the

mysterious composition spirit-body so that each man

may enjoy and show the real and absolute health.

The Homœopathic Remedy, for the continuity of the

similia similibus curentur law, represents the

imponderable biotic entity experimented in the

balanced person-subject. A serious experiment

which every homœopath identifies when practicing

his profession, studies the natural pathologic

development of the single diseased recognized in his

individual eziopathogenetic miasmatic (or diathesic)

hereditary or acquired process, as a personalized

biotype.

The search for the Homœopathic Remedy

(which often requires much labour, as Hahnemann

says), is not only designed to get the nosographic

picture with which the disease described in books on

pathology is diagnosed, but to understand and

recognize the singular semeiologic total sum (that is

mental, functional and organic), that is the entire

single man, which documents and explains the

description of the signs caused by the pathogenetic

experiment caused by the substance administered in

an infinitesimal dose to the healthy man who, in his

Unitarian individual dynamism experienced by the

entire person-object, is, by reproducing the picture

of psycho-organic correlationism, alike the

symptomatology of the disease of the single

diseased.

Therefore, the responsibility of the employment

of the Homœopathic Remedy is experienced by the

doctor in an accurate research of the total symptoms

of the diseased marked by his disease. This research,

which the doctors consider as a diseased-remedy

problem is identified in the law of similitude from

which the Unique Remedy logically and

experimentally stems. This Remedy, in its

imponderable infinitesimal action englobes the

archetype principle established in the spirituality

and in the bodily condition of each single living

being, that is the inborn tendency towards

transcendence towards light, that is towards the stage

of original perfection. The Homœopathic doctor,

therefore, has the hard task of analyzing the personal

history of the diseased in order to be able to prescribe

the same Unique Remedy which synthesizes the

physiopathologic Unitarian process of the diseased

achieving (through this very careful investigation)

the certainty of reaching (by virtue of the

infinitesimal dynamism of the Remedy co-vibrating

with the deviated Vital Force), the following double

aim: restore health in its totality and reestablish those

values which are more apt to prevent disease, and

putting the healthy man in a condition of

transmitting his best hereditary characteristics.

For this reason, by making the diseased healthy

as Hahnemann puts it, the Remedy has the power of

forging the most favourable heredity on the most

regular nature of man and makes the doctor face the

actual responsibility of its employment, as clinically

and pharmacologically exact as possible. The action

of the Homœopathic Remedy gives the real proof of

the most attentive ethico-scientific and sociologic

consideration which is legitimately proper of

Hahnemann’s medical doctrine and thus pure

science which by interpreting the diagnosis

individually, logically formulates the therapy of each

single man.

As for Homœopathy the diseased is person-

subject, that is characteristic biotype in its

physiologic and pathologic evolution, so, for the

Law of Similitude, the Remedy becomes the

personal and singular Remedy-object.

It is the Remedy of vitalism, scientifically

experimented formulated by Hahnemann and proved

in clinical medicine. This is documentated over

about two centuries with moral and scientific

conscience together with the certain and immense

value of which the Maestro Giacinto Viola,

honourable doctor in Bologna, writes: “The Italian

homœopaths, followers of Hahnemann, who study

and believe in the eternal Vital Power which

permeates life strongly hope that Italy (who first

accepted Homœopathic Medicine as documented by

history) will be the first to make a law which

safeguards and defends the development of

teachings and the practical achievement of the

sublime scientific truth discovered by Samuel

Hahnemann for the future of mankind ever ready to

know and respect the eternal values of life”.

Talk of the true Homœopathic Medicine always

gives rise to harmful controversies by allopaths and

by that Homœopathic Medicine which Hahnemann

called “hybrid”. But as history teaches, we are

certain that it is the path of truth which always

prevails and one day we will achieve the harmony of

intelligence which enjoys the sincere response of

facts. Whoever disregards the fundamental

principle of similitude by introducing blundering

pharmacologic methods different from those already

wisely experimented by Samuel Hahnemann,

deforms the legitimacy of medical vitalism as taught

by the genuine Homœopathy in clinical medicine

and in therapy, confirmed in the prescription of the

similar Unique Remedy which covibrates with all

the reactivity of the morbid process of the single

diseased. The immense scientific value of

Homœopathy (medicine of experience) has not been

properly understood. It is a conscientiously

construed science deformed by apparently scientific

innovations.

The Remedies employed 200 years ago by

Hahnemann and his school are even today the safest

means of recovery as clinical results continuously

prove. These are the most valid testimonies of

Samuel Hahnemann’s warning: “Imitate me, but

imitate me properly, if you wish to obtain a safe,

quick and harmless recovery”. In the Treccani

encyclopaedia at the voice “Homœopathy”: “The

time of everlasting debates is over. Through a vast

observation and experimentation regarding all

morbid affection we must establish the precise

boundaries within which the following statement

holds true: that morbid symptoms and thus diseases

can be efficaciously won and with more chances of

success by small doses instead of strong doses of that

drug which taken in high doses by a healthy person

can produce a disease similar to the natural one

which has to be treated. To this Homœopathy, since

Hahnemann’s time, has already given a remarkable

contribution which must be attentively considered.

This fact has been represented for years in the

clinics of L.U.I.M.O. and A.I.M.O. Someone very

superficially wrote that if Samuel Hahnemann were

alive today, he would write and act in a very different

way. This is false and presumptuous and confirms

that little is understood of the Law of similitude.

Samuel Hahnemann is timeless because his

study stems from the observation and the reasoning

of the natural law which unchangingly resists

through the centuries.

No “serious” homœopathic doctor ignores

scientific, biologic, biochemical, biophysical and

genetic discoveries. From these he deducts how

valuable the principles of the science of vitalism

remain; the vitalism which requires an ethic and

scientific foundation which enhances its doctrine as

I have already stated on 2nd July 1985 during a

conference at the Higher Health Institute. There

cannot be a different Samuel Hahnemann, one who

comprosises on the doctrine and becomes

utilitaristic. It would be a man without scruples,

uncertain, mediocre. Not the one who with a noble

conscience, wrote: “If you know (addressing his

enemies) a better method than the one proposed by

the law of same, I am ready to accept it”.

The cultural, ethico-scientific historicity of

Samuel Hahnemann faces much opposition today

and it is not accepted because it has not been studied

and experienced in its entirety.

Samuel Hahnemann, foreseeing such sad years

as the present ones, wrote: “And they (the

homœopathic doctors) will let Homœopathic

Medicine die because they will not understand the

immense and understructible value of the law of

similitude”.

Hahnemann is a (moral) being who continues

everlastingly. The truth of the cosmologic principle

of similitude lives, lived and always will live

because past, present and future are constantly real

God sculptured in nature – and especially in human

nature.

The Homœopathic law unites the true followers

of Hahnemann. The relation science-ethic becomes

moral and cultural strength and power because heart

and mind are ready for meditation, as Hahnemann

taught, on the mystery of life, and enjoy the triumph

of the moral values that support ideas.

Hahnemann’s Homœopathy experiences the

scientific reality of the individual unity of the single

person as the one expressed by Nobel Prize Eccles

who wrote: “The more we know of the brain, the

more we become spiritualists”.

Are not the studies on the individualization of

the single person and on the similar imponderable

unique Remedy, as true Homœopathy teaches and

deems capable of continuous manifestation of

certain recovery that makes man healthy as shown

by clinical facts, unchanging strength? Are these not

the realities which justify the truth discovered by

Hahnemann?

For the above reasons the Association for the

Free International University of Homœopathic

Medicine and the Italian Hahnemann Omeopathic

Academy (united in the truth of the doctrine

resulting from the law of same and which have been

teaching for years with the sole aim of training

Hahnemann Homœopath doctors as proved by their

principles) hope that the Senate and the Parliament

will issue a law (free from compromise, and wrong

formulations) which will safeguard True

Homœopathic Medicine and will consolidate, in

clear and natural terms, the righteousness of the

Homœopathic Remedy to the advantage of both the

Homœopathic science and the citizen who wants to

be cured according to homœopathic principles.

Homœopathic science does not have a fluctuating

internal development, but remains firm on its natural

principles. The arbitrary change causes the

transformation of the doctrine, and this results in

destruction and deviation of its ethic and scientific

base.

The more the essence of the Homœopathic

doctrine is studied and achieved, the more its

development achieves its highly humanitarian scope

which is “to make the diseased man healthy”. The

cornerstone of its scientific truth is the clinical and

pharmacologic experiment supported by complete

vitalism expressed by the sole and eternal Law of

similitude and thus ask (I would rather say demand)

for the juridical support capable of protecting them

from the dangerous deviations of illicit compromise.

In its ethic and scientific rationality,

Homœopathic Medicine always remains constant

and unchanging and its Remedies are those

Hahnemann left us, certain in their clinical and

pharmacologic experiment and which the

homœopath must constantly study and develop in the

most severe and demanding Hahnemann experiment

in the certainty of the intrinsic value of their curative

power. He who does not accept this ethico-scientific

reality is very much mistaken. It is for this reason

that Samuel Hahnemann’s faithful followers ask for

a severe law which may safeguard and defend the

ethics and science of True Homœopathy.

It is thus for social duty and scientific honesty

that we ask the Senate and the Parliament to

carefully and severely safeguard the actual value of

Homœopathic Medicine: keeping away negative and

destructive interests which attempt at the truth,

documented, as we can conscientiously and

scientifically state, by numberless clinical facts.

The citizen who chooses to be guided according

to the principles of Homœopathic Medicine must be

quite certain that the path he is treading, to defend

his own health, is based on the faithfulness of the

doctrine that the historical experience of facts

confirms and documents in the experimental clinical

and therapeutical survey.

The Homœopathic Remedy has but one origin:

pure pharmacologic experimentation on the healthy

man (which is the great discovery of the very

ingenious Samuel Hahnemann).

=====================================

2. The Homœopathic Remedy: Therapeutics of

the individual

Dr. ATMADJIAN, Anais France.

The Homœopathic remedy – The Non

Medicine

Roma, 12.13 December 1988

Auletta dei Gruppi Parlamentari

Via do Campo Marzio 74

Summary:

Each of us is unique in its kind, each is unique

as regards his experiences and what he has seen since

childhood and since our intrauterine life.

President, Ladies and Gentlemen, while the

world is in the throes of extremely serious

vicissitudes and the sky and the earth tremble

fearfully: 7,5 on 9 degrees of the Richter scale, we

meet here to speak of the true value of the

Homœopathic Remedy:

- It is indeed capable of a powerful action on each

individual suffering in body and soul.

- The diseased may indeed stop his suffering, all his

suffering, but at a sole condition: that the Remedy be

prescribed and chosen according to the laws of art,

according to the homœopathic methodology,

according to the basic principles established by the

founder Samuel Hahnemann.

1. THE UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL: WHY?

The human being on his whole presents certain

alikenesses and similitudes with the other

individuals of its species. The physiological

functions may be defined and considered a norm.

- For the same individual in case he achieves an

intense bodily effort (sports for instance) or a

strong mental effort.

- Or according to individuals developing in very

different parts of the world, such as mountains,

the North Pole, etc. we find alikeness in our

way of eating, sleeping, loving; alikeness which

becomes stronger if we are born in the same

cultural, sociologic and geographic

environment, etc., and despite this we are not all

alike.

Each of us is unique in its kind, each is unique

as regards his experiences and what he has seen since

childhood and since our intrauterine life.

We are sole and unique in our way of listening

and vibrating to outer stimuli, of perceiving the

echoes of situations the way these reach us.

Each present situation brings us back to

situations previously experienced which have left in

our childhood recollections of happiness, pleasure

and suffering which form a mnemonic trace which

may not be cancelled. Indeed, we speak of cellular

memory.

The suffering we evoke is personal and peculiar

to the person who experiences it: the Individual is

unique, unique in body, mind and entire life.

2. HOMŒOPATHIC MEDICINE: WHY?

More than one thousand unique specific

homœopathic remedies representing each one of

them a self-sufficient entity (never use compound

remedies).

These entities are natural, never of synthesis,

and come from the vegetable, animal or mineral

world and are available to the homœopathic doctor

who has made a diagnosis of his patient and his

disease, to relief him from pain and achieve the goal:

the one clearly enunciated by Samuel Hahnemann in

the first paragraph of Organon or the Art of

Recovery (first edition 1810):

“The first and sole vocation of a doctor is of

reestablishing health in diseased people and that is

achieve recovery”.

3. THE SPECIFIC HOMŒOPATHIC REMEDY

FOR THE UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL

The encounter is the following: a natural

substance, properly diluted and above all dynamized

to empower its pharmacodynamic properties, is put

at the disposal of an individual, unique in the

manifestation of his suffering for he is the sole to

present the same symptomatic whole: this

symptomatic whole is determined solely in the life

of that individual and of no one else. The

circumstances giving rise to the present disorders are

exclusive and personal to that particular patient. The

whole of these circumstances which have

accumulated through the years, which originate in

childhood, are specific for each diseased and always

come in the same way and, each time, in

circumstances not identical but similar. It would

thus be a mistake to believe that all diseased may be

faced in the same way, though they may be suffering

from the same disease. This would be insufficient

for the doctor and unsatisfactory for the patient and

his suffering. In common pathologies we have a

different context for each individual.

Homœopathic medicine gives an answer for

each individual case. If applied in the respect of the

basic methodology, it is a medical technique which

facilitates in an amazing manner the return to basic

health, the health which stems from its natural

source.

It is medical technique which greatly facilitates

the deep set, true, fundamental achievement of each

human being, of each individual. Thus doing the

individual places his actions in agreement with his

unconscious and harmony reigns between reality and

the unconscious.

Do we need a definition of the therapeutic

action?

It may only be that the unique Homœopathic

Remedy is the therapeutics of the unique individual.

=====================================

3. THE HOMŒOPATHIC REMEDY:

CONCEPT OF UNICISM

L.U.I.M.O. – Dr. ORTEGA Proceso Sanchez.

The Homœopathic remedy – The Non

Medicine

Roma, 12.13 December 1988

Auletta dei Gruppi Parlamentari

Via do Campo Marzio 74

Summary:

The fact that individuals react and get ill

according to their own nature is the principle of the

individuality of pathology. The medicine cannot be

replaced with another. This is the medicinal

individuality.

In Homœopathy unicism means prescribing a

single medicine at a time. According to Galen the

indication, just as in Homœopathy, is the evident

need for a particular action.

The action expected by administering the

medicine may be deduced only by a drug submitted

to Pure Experimentation, that is by a drug which has

produced, in the healthy person, a series of

phenomena similar in everything to the functional

and structural disorders which we know as diseases.

Homœopathy, a method of treatment discovered

and defined by Samuel Hahnemann, doctor of

medicine, rises to a condition of principle, the

condition of individuality referred to the diseased,

who as a human being in unrepeatable and to each

drug which, when experimented on the human body,

shows its particular form and action and the simpler,

the more natural it is the better.

Homœopathy is not just another system among

the many which try to eliminate or stop the

sufferings from diseases, but is the true method of

treatment: scientific because it reproduces

experimentally what nature shows by treating

diseases with a relation of similitude.

If medicines are experimented isolated it is

mandatory to administer them in the same individual

form.

The Homœopathic method is formed by various

principles or postulates related and complementary.

None of them can be omitted without destroying the

relation of the whole.

Experimentation on the healthy person, as far as

possible in respect of health, underlines the “Vis

Medicatrix Naturae” of Hippocrates or the “Natura

Morborum Medicatrix” and that is the fact that

nature is the best doctor.

The fact that individuals react and get ill

according to their own nature is the principle of

morbid individuality. The medicine cannot be

replaced with another. This is the medicinal

individuality.

The medicine acquires the characteristics of a

remedy by administering it according to the

principles of similes. On this basis of similitude, the

more the medicine is dynamized the better is its

action. Thus experience brings to the minimum dose

according to the numberless daily medical

experiences which faithfully follow Hahnemann’s

method.

In their intimacy, morbid processes are more

recognizable and verifiable, disorders of vital

energies, energies producing all the possible

functions and manifestations of the human organism.

The Homœopathic Remedy must have the qualities

and the capacity to operate on the vital dynamism or

disturbed energies and also modify, where possible,

the anomalous structures which lie in the patient as

a ground. The Remedy must be absolutely specific

for the nature of the patient during the development

of the disease and of his life.

The Homœopathic method, according to its

scientific characteristics, has the capacity of

foretelling and that it allows the development of its

postulates. In agreement with science, all the

principles forming this method have developed.

Pure Experimentation multiplies and increases and

perfections and no deviation or approximation is

acceptable.

In every achieved recovery we notice and

underline the curative action of nature and the best

result is obtained with the relation of similitude of

the Remedy.

Modern physics is trying to find an explanation

for the imponderable doses that the true homœopaths

employ. Nowadays both morbific and curative

actions may be explained only as energetic

variations.

The predisposing or constitutional factor, meant

as the basis of all true pathologic entity, (idea of

ground or psycho-somatics), is inevitable in the

pathogenesis of the various diseases which find no

solution in surgery. Only the lack of true vocation

or the desire to shortern the necessary clinical and

global research on the patient, can generate

temptations of complexism, pluralism and multiple

medicinal drugs. To prescribe the medicines

available in Homœopathic Pharmacopoeia

according to indications of an organ-tropic kind or

mixed together and thus deviating from the

necessary consideration of the whole, as the method

requires, is very different and even contrary to

Homœopathy. According to Hahnemann and the

classical authors of his time and of ours, these

practices are condemnable, not only because they

deviate from the indications of the method, but

because they are transcendently harmful for the

patient. True Homœopathy may be practiced only

according to the Unique Remedy, considerably

dynamized, capable of individualizing the particular

sufferings of the patient.

=====================================

4. BŒNNINGHAUSEN THERAPEUTIC

HINTS

(ZKH. 39, 5/1995)

ACONITUM NAPELLUS

Erysipelous-like swelling (DD. Hep., Lach.) with

severe Fever and restlessness – also antidote of

Belladonna (KMS.800).

The cheeks are particularly very red (in toothache)

(KMS.78).

After becoming cold particularly in sharp dry, East

Wind (KMS. 77).

Congestion to head burning heat of face (KMS 78)

Great restlessness, body and mind, (KMS.78)

Accelerated, hard pulse (KMS.76).

ALUMINA

Constipation from inaction of the bowels (an

excellent remedy) (DD. Aluminium metallicum).

(KMS.535)

ALUMINIUM METALLICUM

Constipation due to inactivity of the bowels (an

excellent remedy) (DD. Alumina) (KMS 535).

Eruptions, moist, only on the forehand. (KMS.537).

Tabes dorsalis. KMS Supp. 44, 54.

Hint from Chronic Diseases

Symptoms 211. Mind. Sym. 158 – 214f.

Eyes/Face 821, 831, 924, 973, 981, 1002, 1012f,

Tabes dorsalis.

Nearest relation to Nat. m. KMS. 551.

ANACARDIUM

Fixed idea that a stranger is always at his side (DD.

Thuj.) KMS. 722

Fixed idea that body and mind were separated (DD.

Thuj) KMS.728.

ANTIMONIUM CRUDUM

Exactly at the same day. (DD. Ign., Sabad.) KMS.

642. ARNICA MONTANA

Contusion pains KMS. 603

Inner and outer lesions. KMS. Supp.64.

Puls.is very much accelerated in the mornings but in

evenings again slow. KMS. 458.

The fever passes off when sweat appears. KMS.

249.

BARIUM

Cold of head after coldness of feet (DD. Sil.) KMS.

634.

BELLADONNA ATROPA B

Cold, of head, in cold air after staying in hot soon or

after hair cutting. (DD. Sep.) KMS, 634.

BORAX VENETA

Anxiety from quick downwards movement far from

similarity with Carb-v., Sep., Sul.) KMS. 507.

Anxiety, rocking forwards KMS. 507 Chronic

Diseases. Symptom 4, 5 eventually in some ways

sea sickness, KMS 506.

Severe Fright of report of shot, thunder KMS. 508.

Chronic Diseases Symp. 7.

Eye inflammation agglutination of eyelashes (D.D.,

Puls., Sil.) KMS. 508, CD. Symp. 77, 78.

Ear complaints with running out of pus KMS. 509.

CD. Symp. 88-106.

Scurf in the nostrils with inflammation and shiny

redness in tip of nose (DD. Sep., Sil.) KMS. 509 CD.

Symp. 109, 111, 112.

Erysipelas of (lt) side of face, distorting the face

when laughing agg. (DD. Bell, has rt. side or the

whole face) KMS 516 CD. Symp. 120, 121.

Toothache < by wet cold or cold water, KMS. 510.

DD Symp. 137, 139, 136.

Aphthae in children (a frequently needed helpful

remedy). KMS 510 CD. Symp. 150 – 153.

Teething in children (a most helpful remedy) KMS.

510 CD. Symp. 147, 148 with 125 as also 150-153.

Pain Chest, lying on the painful side agg. KMS. 512.

CD. Symp. 349.

Milk flows out of the breast in the nursing mother

(DD. Acon., Bell., Bor., Bry., Calc., Chin., Con.,

Iod., Lyc., Phos., Puls., Rhus.) KMS. 512. CD.

Symp. 360.

Empty sensation in the breast after nursing from it.

KMS. 512. CD. Symp.360.

Menses too early and too long. KMS 512 CD. Symp.

294, 295.

Ulcers on fingers and toe joints (DD. Sep., [Nux-v.

for ulcers on finger joints]) KMS. 513. Symp. 385,

387, 405.

Skin is incurable, the ulcers further spread, around

itself (DD. Sep. but not so similarly), particularly in

Children. KMS. 513. CD. Symp. 408.

BOVISTA, LYCOPERDON, B.

Objects seem very much nearer KMS. 707.

BRYONIA ALBA

So long as the sweat lasts the complaints remain

quiet Bry., Rhus. KMS. 249.

CALADIUM SEGUINUM

So long on the sweat lasts the complaints remain

quiet. (Bry., Rhus.) KMS, 249.

CALCAREA CARBONICA

Before stool angry irritability,

After stool great exhaustion and weakness. KMS.

659.

Continued movement agg. (opposite Caust.)

KMS.695.

Continued movement with exertion amel. (Opposite

Caust.) KMS 695

Drinking water agg., e.g. in Epilepsy (Opposite

Caust.) KMS. 695

Stomach cramping pains with involvement of the

Solar Plexus (DD. Caust., Lyc.). Drinking water

agg.696.

Vomiting, sour (watery, Caust.) drinking cold water,

agg. (opposite Caust., Phos. so long water in

stomach remains cold, Cupr.) KMS. 696.

After midnight and morning agg. KMS. 694.

Thirst for cold water often, unquenchable but it

becomes worse. Thirst will be severe, the more he

drinks KMS. 696.

Becoming wet, Bathing, Dampness, Wetcold

weather agg. KMS. 697.

External pressure agg. (opposite Caust.) KMS 698.

Rubbing amel. (opposite Caust. and others) KMS.

698.

Lying on side agg. (Lying on back Caust.) KMS.

697.

Fasting agg. (opposite Caust.) KMS 698.

Pain one sided especially – more upper right and

lower left KMS. 699

Cough, morning and day time with expectoration,

evening without KMS. 699.

CAMPHORA

More as antidote for 2/3 remedies KMS 801

A complete polychrestic action indicates that it is

the first rank in high and highest dynamisation.

KMS 801.

In itself it gives best results of bungling made by

many unsuitable strong medicines with intervening

dose of Opium. KMS 801.

CANNABIS SATIVA

Everything appears green. KMS. 707.

CAUSTICUM

Anxiety before stool and redness of face which

remains after KMS 695.

Continued movement, amel. KMS. 695.

Epilepsy, drinking water amel. (opp. Calc-c.)

KMS. 695.

Stomach cramps particularly range of Solar Plexus,

with affections of mind (DD. especially Calc. and

Lyc.) Drinking of water amel. (opposite Calc-c.)

KMS 696.

Fasting amel. (Opp. Calc-c.) KMS. 698.

Rubbing amel. (Opp. Calc-c.) KMS 698.

External pressure amel. (Opp. Calc-c.)KMS 698.

Muscle Tension KMS 697 (Muscles asleep Calc-c.).

Evening to premidnight agg. KMS. 694.

Continued movement > KMS 695.

Continued exertion agg. KMS. 695.

Waking up from the mid-day sleep agg. KMS 694.

Dry, cold air < KMS 697.

Lying on back agg, mostly lies on the side. KMS 697

(Lying on side agg. Calc.).

Watery vomiting (sour Calc-c. and others), cold

water drinking amel. (DD. Cupr., Phos.) (Opposite:

Calc-c.) KMS. 696.

Cough night time, difficult to be loosened, must be

swallowed KMS. 699.

One sided chill/heat/sweat KMS 698.

CHAMOMILLA MATRICARIA C.

Complaining, whimpering, moves from one place to

another, KMS, 79.

Especially for women and children KMS, 78.

One cheek red and somewhat swollen, sweat in the

hair. KMS, 79.

CHINA

Pulsating tooth ache, nights <, clenching the teeth

tightly amel. KMS, 80.

Light touch agg. the symptoms, KMS, 80.

Hard pressure amel. the complaints. KMS, 80.

Continued diarrhea, nightly increased sweat. KMS,

80.

So weak, that she cannot walk. KMS, 80.

CINA SEMEN C.

Cold sweat, particularly on face and forehead (DD.

Ver-a.). KMS, Supp.88.

COCCULUS/MENISPERMUM C.

Bright colored, pale stool, only during day.

(Characteristic symptom which never fails.) KMS.

787.

Night sleep undisturbed, night very much well than

during the day KMS, 787*.

Anxiety, hiccups, short stupor.

COFFEA ARABICA

Great oversensitivity of the nerves. KMS, 799.

Pains grip severely although it is not so heavy.

KMS, 81.

Hasty, completely besides herself. KMS. 81.

CONIUM MACULATUM

Diarrhœa only during day not at nights (DD. Kali-c)

KMS. 641.

CUPRUM METALLICUM

(Cold) Drinks reduces the vomiting (opposite Ver-a.

= sister remedy).

(Compare Phos. – only as long as water remains cold

and Caust.). KMS, 696 AHP. 199.

HELLEBORUS NIGER

Evening from 4-8 hrs. (DD. Lyc.) KMS. 642.

HYOSCYAMUS NIGER

Sickly emotional jealousy. KMS, 91.

Dark redness of face. KMS. 91.

Crazy talk, wants to escape. KMS. 91.

IGNATIA AMARA

Exactly at the same time. (DD. Ant-c., Sabad.)

KMS, 642.

Constipated, puffed up, rectum prolapse (DD. Nux-

v.) KMS, 782.

IPECACUANHA

Urine, bloody (Nux-v.). KMS, 782.

KALI CARBONICUM

Diarrhoea only daytime, no night time (DD. Con.).

KMS, 641.

End medicine after fever, if homœopathically

indicated. KMS, 461.

LACHESIS, TRIGONOCEPHALUS

… a continued sensation in the gums, as if the outer

layer is loosened. (Lt. according to Boenninghausen

a rare symptom) KMS, 248.

Erysipelas-like swelling which appears bluish

through, KMS, 800.

LYCOPODIUM CLAVATUM

Evenings from 4-8 P.M. (DD. Hell.). KMS, 642.

MERCURIUS VIVUS

Diarrhoea, smooth, KMS, 780.

Night much well than day. KMS, 787.

Constipated, puffed, rectum prolapsed (DD. Ign.)

KMS. 782.

Urine bloody (DD. Ip.) KMS, 782.

Soury taste of the food follows mostly Nux-v.

(Bitterer: Puls.). KMS, 462.

Complete paralysis of all limbs (DD. Puls.) KMS,

680.

PHOSPHORUS

Throat: sensation as if a small fine fur is overcoated.

KMS, Supp. 98.

Drinking cold amel. (so long as the water is cold in

the stomach) (cold drinks amel. Cupr., drinking

amel. Caust.) KMS, 696.

During sleep profuse sweat, during awake state dry,

burning heat (opposite Samb.) KMS, 596.

PLATINA METALLICA

Pride, self over-estimation, disclaims others. KMS,

85.

Shortsighted with smallness of all objects. KMS,

707.

Menses too early and too heavy. KMS, 85.

PULSATILLA PRATENSIS MILL.

Weepiness with chill and headache. KMS, 799.

Chilliness, loss of thirst, weepiness, open warmth

unendurable, sleepless before midnight, unpleasant

sleep mornings, aversion to fatty foods, diarrhea

mostly slimy, menses too late and with lumbar pains

and cramping pain in the lower abdomen. KMS, 87.

(Sequel) of severe unfulfilled Hunger. KMS, 456.

Bitter taste of food most commonly indicates Puls.

(Sour, Nux-v.). KMS. 462.

Complete paralysis of all limbs (DD. Nux-v.) KMS,

680.

RHUS TOXICODENDRON

(Almost) Specific for lifting, contusions, excessive

exertion of muscles.

So long as sweat lasts the complaints are calm (DD,

Bry., Calad.). KMS, 249.

SABADILLA, VERATRUM S.

Exactly at the same hour (Ign., Ant-c.). KMS, 642.

SABINA, JUNIPERUS S.

After-birth remains (DD. Sec. c.). KMS, 786.

Heavy flow of blood, not menstrual, bright red

blood. KMS, 88.

SAMBUCUS NIGRA

During sleep dry, burning heat, while wakeful very

profuse sweat. (Opposite Phos.). KMS, 596.

SECALE CORNUTUM

After-birth remains (Sabina). KMS, 780.

SEPIA SUCCUS

Head cold after staying in hot room or hair-cutting.

KMS, 643.

Humid cough after long cold, especially night.

HMS, 1, 31.

Itching of the skin, especially elbows, also sternum.

Skin appears as if rubbed with sand. HMS, 1, 31.

Ulcer above the joints of fingers and toes (specific)

(DD. Bor.) (Nux-v. has the ulcer only on the finger

joints). KMS, 513, 624.

Yellowish color face. KMS, 88.

SILICA TERRA

Head cold after chilling the feet. (DD. Bar). KMS,

634.

Dreams of corpses and the dead.

Sleeplessness nights from general heat. KMS. 89.

Unclean skin, everything becomes spreading ulcers.

KMS, 89. SPIGELIA ANTHELMIA

Facial pain with twitching burning in Jaw bone.

KMS, 89.

Face pale, emaciated with yellowish rings around the

eyes, Eye pains. KMS, 89.

Frequent urging for urination with copious urine.

KMS, 89

In the chest sensation as if purring of a cat. KMS,

89.

Violent heart palpitation. KMS, 89.

Chilliness great restlessness. KMS. 89.

STRONTIA CARBONICA

…everything has bluish ring. KMS, 708.

SULPHURATUR – SPIRITUS VINI S.

(So in KMS, 38ff.)

After a dose of S.v.S. sleepiness and eruptions are

good signs. KMS, 41.

TARAXACUM LEONTODON T.

Only the legs are affected not the arm. KMS, 461,

463. THUJA OCCIDENTALIS

(Almost) specific for Pox, Diabetes, Volvolus.

KMS, 716.

Some serious aphthae of children. KMS, 722, 730.

Compare also special symptoms. KMS, 722ff.

VERATRUM ALBUM

(Cold) drinks increases the vomiting (one of the

most excellent individualist)

(opposite of Cupr. = sister remedy). AHP. 199.

Unquenchable thirst for cold drinks. KMS, 92.

Nausea until bilious vomiting. KMS, 92.

Coldness of the whole body with internal heat.

KMS, 92.

Chill only external, with hot head. KMS, Supp. 87.

Rigor, with trembling of arms and legs, hot head.

KMS Supp.88.

Phantasying during the chill. KMS Supp. 88.

Cold sweat, particularly or face and forehead (DD

Cina) KMS Supp. 88.

Bruised sensation in the limbs. KMS, 92.

Unusual sinking of energy to the extent of faintness.

KMS, 92.

Abbreviations:

DD: Diffential diagnosis.

KMS: Kleine Medizinische Schriften,(Lesser

Writings) the number following indicates

the page number.

Supp.: Supplement volume.

RA: Reine Arzneimittellehre. (Pure Materia

Medica).

CK: Die Chronischen Krankheiten (Chronic

Diseases).

AHP: Die Aphorismen des Hippocrates. (The

Aphorism of Hippocrates).

HMS: Herings Medizinische Schriften (Hering’s

Medical Writings).

[Translated by K.S. SRINIVASAN from German

from the ‘Zeitschrift für Homœopathie’, Vol.39,

5(1995) by Andreas JANSEN. For personal study

only.].

References:

Bönninghausen, C. von: Kleine medizinische

Schriften. Heidelberg 1984. [KMS]

Bönninghausen, C. von: Kleine medizinische

Schriften. Supplementb. Heidelberg 1994.

[KMS Supp]

Bönninghausen, C. von: Die Aphorismen des

Hippocrates [AHP].

Hahnemann, S.: Reine Arzneimittellehre.

4. Nachdr., Heidelberg 1961. [CK].

=====================================

5. BOENNINGHAUSEN’S UNKNOWN

FEVER RUBRICS

BY W. KLUNKER

--------

“In his personal copy of Repertory of Antipsoric

medicines and Repertory of non-antipsoric

remedies, has entries interleaved in his own hand,

valuable hints.” This copy is in the Library of Pierre

Schmidt Foundation. The following is from this

source with some editing.

New Fever Rubrics in the ‘Repertorium der

antipsorischen Arzneien’.

1. Complaints before Fever:

Eructation: ars., phos., sep.

Eye pains: bell., nat-c.

Complaints overall: ars.

Stupor: ars., bell., ph-ac., sulph.

Chest pain: ars., bell., hep.

Extending and stretching: ars., calc., carb-

v., graph., hep.

Thirst: ars., bell., carb-v., mag-c., nat-m.,

sep., sulph.

Vomiting: lyc., nat-m., phos., sil.

Feet cold: carb-v., sep.

Yawning: ars., lyc., sil., sulph.

Joints tearing: calc., caust., kali-c., kali-

n., nat-m., sep., sulph.

Taste bitter: ars., carb-v., hep., nat-m., sil.

Face hot: calc.

Limbs tearing: ars., calc., carb-v., sulph.

Limbs weak: calc.

Great hunger: calc., lyc., phos., sil.

Cough: ars., bell., hep., kali-c., phos., sil.

Coldness, external: ars., merc., sulph.

Bone pains: calc., carb-v., rhod.

Heat of head: bell., sep., sil., sulph.

Head pain: ars., carb-v., nat-c., kali-n., nat-

m.

Head heavy: calc., nat-m., sil., sep.

Liver pains: ars.

Abdomen pains: ars., carb-v., phos., sulph.

Exhaustion: ars., calc., carb-v., hep.,

nat-m., nit-ac., ph-ac., phos., sulph.

Inclination to lie down: ars., bar-c., bell.,

nat-c.

Faintness: ars., hep., sep., sulph.

Ear, noises in: ars.

Back pains: ars., calc., nit-ac., sep., sil.

Hiccough: calc.

Coryza: bell., hep.

Vertigo: ars., bell., phos., sulph.

Nausea: ars., calc., lyc., nat-m., sep., sil.,

sulph.

Restlessness: phos.

Toothache: carb-v., graph., kali-c.

2. Complaints after the Fever:

Furuncles: euph.

Chest ailments: bell.

Diarrhea: phos.

Thirst: ars., bell., lyc., nat-m.

Dizziness:ars.

Vomiting: hep., sil.

Taste, bad: kali-c.

Throat pain: kali-c.

Cough: bell.

Headache: ars., carb-v., hep.

Abdomen ache: bell.

Bad temper: sil.

Sleep: ars.

Hiccough:ars.

Coryza: bell.

Weakness: ars., dig., nat-m.

Sweat: ars.

Vertigo: ars.

Dreams, fearful: ars., phos., sep.

Bruised sensation: ars.

3. Complicated fever:

Bilious (Gall) Fever: ars., aur., bell.,

coloc., dig., merc., mur-ac., mag-m., nat-

c., sulph.

Inflammatory Fever: ars., bar-c., bell.,

calc., caust., coloc., con., dig., dulc., hep.,

kali-c., kali-n., lyc., merc., mez., nat-c.,

nit-ac., ph-ac., phos., seneg., sep., sil., sul-

ac., sulph.

Heat Fever: carb-v., sil., thuj., zinc.

Cold Fever: bar-c., bell., calc., carb-v.,

coloc., con., dulc., graph., lyc., mang., nat-

c., nat-m., nit-ac., phos., sars., sil., sulph.

…. From becoming wet: am-c., calc.,

carb-v., sars., sep., sulph.

Putrid Fever: ars., bell., carb-v., dig.,

merc-c., mur-ac., ph-ac.

Gastric Fever: see Bilious Fever.

Yellow Fever: bell., merc., sulph.

Heat Fever: bell., sil.

Cold Fever: alum.

Catarrhal Fever: bell., con., dulc., mang.

Child-bed Fever: ars., bell., coloc., merc.,

plat.

Milk Fever: bell., calc., merc.

Nerve Fever:

a) Without pains:

Mur-ac.: “Difficult speech, groaning

and moaning in sleep and slip down in

bed.”

Op.: “Stupefying sleepiness with

snoring and redness of the perspiring

face.”

Ph-ac.: “Complete sleeplessness, mild

delirium and somnolency.”

b) With external pains.

Bry.: “Limb pains while walking

aggravation evenings and in warmth.”

Rhus-t.: “Limbs pain when resting,

worse in mornings and in cold.”

c) With internal pains:

Ars.: “Severe pains in stomach and

lower abdomen, with great weakness

and unquenchable thirst but everytime

drinks only a small quantity can be

taken.”

d) With mental confusion:

Bell.: “Violent Delirium, fantasy

illusions and visions with congestion

of blood to head.”

Rheumatic Fever: ars., bell., calc., carb-v.,

caust., dulc., merc., mez., phos., rhod., sil.,

stann., thuj.

Scarlet Fever: am-c., bell., merc.

Lingering Fever: ars., bell., con., iod.,

merc-c., sep., stann.

Mucous Fever: ars., bell., dig., dulc., mez.,

merc., merc-c., stann., sul-ac., sulph.

Mucous Fever: ars. (1854 in France)

Typhus Fever: see Putrid Fever and Nerve

Fever.

Worm Fever: calc., dig., merc., sil., stann.,

sulph.

Tooth Fever: bell., calc., merc., sil., stann.,

sulph.

Hectic – (Consumptive-) Fever: ars., bar-c.,

calc., carb-v., con., dulc., graph., guaj.,

hep., iod., kali-c., lyc., merc., merc-c.,

Nat-m., nit-ac., ph-ac., phos., sep., sil.,

stann., sul-ac., sulph.

New Rubrics in the “Repertory of non-

antipsoric Remedies”:

1. Complaints before Fever:

Anxiety: chin., nux-v., puls., rhus-t.

Appetite wanting: ant-c., chin., puls.,

rhus-t.

Eyes burning: arn., bry., rhus-t., spig.

Chest oppression: ip.

Vomiting: chin., cina., puls.

Chest pains: puls.

Stretching and extending: bry., ip.,

puls., rhus-t.

Diarrhea: chin., cina., puls., rhus-t.

…..mucoid: ant-c., ferr., puls.

Thirst: arn., caps., chin., cina., ign.,

lach., nux-v., puls., rhus-t.

Epilelsy: arn., chin., hyos., ign., rhus-t.

Vomiting: chin., cina, ip., puls.

Fingers numb: nux-v., puls.

Finger tingling: rhus-t.

Chilliness: bry., chin., ign., puls.

Yawning: bry., caps., ign., puls.,

rhus-t.

Gastric ailments: chin., cina, stram.

Taste, bitter: bry.

Limbs pain: arn., bry., cina., ign.,

lach., puls., rhus-t.

Severe hunger: chin., cina., ign., nux-

v., ruta, staph., verat.

Heart palpitations: chin., nux-v., puls.,

rhus-t.

…. with anxiety: acon., chin., puls.,

spig.

Cough: puls., rhus-t.

Bone pain: arn., chin., ip., puls., rhus-

t., sabad., sabin.

Headache: bry., chin., puls., rhus-t.,

spong.

Abdomen pain: arn., chin., rhus-t.,

spong.

Exhaustion: chin., ip., lach., nux-v.,

rhus-t.

Mucous in mouth increased: chin.,

rhus-t., spig.

Nails, blue: chin., cocc.

Sneezing: arn., cham., chin., cina,

sabad.

Back pains: arn., cina., ip., lach., nux-

v., puls., rhus-t., sabad., verat.

Shudder: bry., cocc., puls., sabad.

Flabbiness of body: caps., ip., puls.,

sabad., verat.

Sleepy tiredness: rhus-t.

Sleepiness: ant-t., puls., rhus-t., sabad.

Somnolency: puls.

Perspiration: caps., chin., nux-v.,

samb.

Vertigo: arn., bry., chin., nux-v., puls.,

rhus-t., verat.

Qualmishness: ant-c., chin., cina, ip.,

nux-v., puls.

Uneasiness: ip., nux-v., puls.

Restless: lach.

Calves, drawing in: hyos., puls.

2. Ailments after the Fever:

Breasts, swelling of the: arn., bry.,

puls.

Thirst: ant-c., ant-t., chin., ign., nux-v.,

rhus-t.

Vomiting: chin., cina, lach.

Chilliness: puls.

Limbs pain: sabad.

Hunger: chin., cina, staph.

Cough: puls.

Cold: verat.

Headache: cic., coff., lach., plb., puls.,

rhus-t.

Lumbar pains: kreos.

Abdomen pain: ant-t., hell.

Exhaustion: chin.

Roaring in ears: lach.

Sleep: arn., cham., op., plb., rhus-t.

Sleep disturbed: chin.

Hiccough: lach.

3. Complicated Fever:

Bilious (Gall-) Fever: acon., ant-c.,

ant-t., arn., asaf., asar., bry., cham.,

chin., cocc., ign., ip., nux-v., puls.,

rhus-t. sec., staph., tarax., verat.

Inflammatory Fever: acon., bry.,

camph., cann-s., canth., chin., colch.,

dros., hyos., ign., ip., laur., nux-v., op.,

puls., rhus., sabin., squil., spig.,

spong., stram., verat.

Fever from cold: acon., cham., chin.,

coff., hyos., ip., nux-m., nux-v., puls.,

sel.

Putrid Fever: bry., chin., hyos., ip.,

nux-m., nux-v., op., rhus-t.

Gall Fever, see Bilious Fever.

Gastric Fever: acon., ant-c., ant-t.,

asaf., asar., bry., cham., chin., cocc.,

coff., colch., cupr., cycl., ign., ip., nux-

v., plb., puls., rheum., rhus-t., squil.,

sec., staph., tarax., verat.

Yellow Fever: acon., arg-m., arn.,

ars., bell., bry., canth., dig., hell., lach.,

merc., nit-ac., nux-v., plb., puls., rhus-

t., phos., sabad.

Heat Fever: acon., bry., ip., nux-v.,

sabad., valer., verat.

Cold Fever: bry., canth., caps., ip.,

puls., ran-b., sabad., staph., verat.

Catarrhal Fever: acon., bry., cham.,

ign., nux-v., puls., rhus-t., spig., sabad.

Childbed Fever: acon., arn., bry.,

cham., coff., hyos., ip., nux-v., puls.,

rhus-t., sec., stram., verat.

Milk Fever: acon., arn., bry., cham.,

coff., ign., op., rhus-t.

Nerve Fever, creeping: camph., chin.,

cocc., cupr., ferr., hell., ign., nux-v.,

staph., verat.

Rheumatic Fever: acon., ant-c., ant-t.,

arn., bry., camph., cann-s., cham.,

chin., colch., cupr., euphr., ign., nux-v.,

puls., ran-b., rhus-t., squil., valer.,

verat.

Mucous Fever: asar., bry., cham.,

chin., cina, ign., ip., nux-v., puls.,

rheum., rhus-t., spig.

Sweat Fever: acon., samb.

Typhus Fever: bry., hyos., ign., nux-

m., nux-v., puls., rhus-t.

Worm Fever: cic., cina, hyos., nux-v.,

sabad., spig., stram., valer.

Teeth Fever: cham., ign., nux-v.,

rheum.

Hectic Fever: chin., cupr., nux-v., puls.

It is understood that Boenninghausen has,

during the compilation of these rubrics was not

strictly agreeing with Hahnemann’s distinguishing

of diseases as Chronic and non-Chronic. …It would

appear from Boenninghausen’s publications are

basically to be construed as advancing stages.

=====================================

6. THE HAHNEMANNIAN PROVING MUST

BE USED AS A BASIS IN MODERN

THERAPEUTICS OF THE TRADITIONAL

SCHOOL

DR.CASTRO, Hilario Luna

(HG. XXVI, 1/1959)

“In order to know the curative effects of drugs,

one has to prove them upon the healthy man;

that is what the founder of Homœopathy called

pure proving.” – Dr. Higinio G. Perez, founder

of the “Escuela Libre de Homœopatia de

Mexico”, General pathology, page 239,

Mexico, 1914.

DR. SAMUEL CHRISTIAN FREDERICK

HAHNEMANN (1755-1843), the renowned founder

of the therapeutic axiom “Similia Similibus

Curenter”, categorically stated: “Medicament is

every substance which has the property of making

the healthy man sick and curing the sick one.

Medicament is distinguished from morbid causes,

because these make sick but do not restore health.”

To the sage of Meissen corresponds the glory of

raising pharmaco-dynamics to the category of

science, for having introduced the knowledge of

drugs action upon the healthy man through the

rigorously experimental method of induction.

If this were not sufficient, Hahnemann, in his

Materia Medica Pura, the solid and immovable

basis of Hahnemannian Therapeutics, added to the

anatomophysiological experimental results upon

man, the symptomatic manifestations of the animic

order, were what constitute a truly unexpected

source of psycho-pharmacologic knowledge for the

physicians of his epoch and a theme of new

orientation for the so-called psychosomatic

therapeutics of the present time.

Besides having founded his therapeutics and

Materia Medica upon the basis of proving in the

above mentioned form, Hahnemann, with an unusual

clinical criterion rejected polypharmacy, magistral

prescriptions and the massive doses of Opium,

mercury, arsenic, etc., used his epoch, requesting at

the same time not to employ the drugs “ab usu in

morbis” and only to apply them through pure

proving.

Empiricism disappeared with Hahnemannian

proving, and as glimpsed by Mattioli, Stoerck, von

Haller, Vicat, etc., new horizons were opened for

therapeutics with precise indications and with

always flattering results, as has been corroborated

during the existence of the Hahnemannian

therapeutics for over a century and a half.

HAHNEMANN published in 1796, in

Hufeland’s Journal, an article entitled “An Essay

upon a New Principle for Discovering the Curative

Power of Drugs”, in which he pointed out the rules

for carrying out the proving medicaments upon the

healthy man, continuing his labours in this new way

of investigation, in collaboration with his pupils and

friends, publishing in his book entitled Fragmenta

de Viribus Medicamentorum Positivis the results of

the proving of twenty-seven medicaments, the basis

of his Materia Medica Pura, which verification he

called pathogenesis.

HAHNEMANN, after a severe criticism about

the form of imparting the knowledge of Materia

Medica and therapeutics of his time, affirmed: “We

have no other recourse left us than that of proving

the remedies upon a healthy man, if it is necessary

on our own bodies. The necessity of this method has

been felt at all times but in spite of that has been

nearly always followed in the wrong way, because

the medicaments have only been employed

empirically and “ab usu in morbis”, giving place to

the complete ignorance of their pharmacodynamic

action and leading us to their erroneous use in

therapeutics.

In all and everyone of the pathogenesies,

conscientiously obtained by the very founder of

Homœopathy, and his collaborators Jorg, Hartlaub,

Trinks, Hempel, Roth, Stapf, etc., the anatomo-

functional and animic symptoms were taken in to

account under a true hierarchization, establishing by

this fact the exceptional, proper, and genuine

psychopharmacodynamics of the Hahnemannian

school.

Hahnemann, in his monumental work entitled

An Exposition of the Homœopathic Medical

Doctrine or Organon of the Art of Healing, in

paragraph 105, lays down: “The second point of the

business of a true physician relates to acquiring a

knowledge of the instruments intended for the cure

of the natural diseases, investigating the

pathogenetic power of medicines, etc., etc.”, and in

paragraph 108, among other things textually he

affirms: “There is, therefore no other possible way in

which the peculiar effects of medicines on the health

of individuals can be accurately ascertained there is

no sure, no more natural way of accomplishing this

object, than to administer the several medicines

experimentally, in moderate doses, to healthy

persons, in order to ascertain what changes,

symptoms and signs of their influence each

individually produces on the health of the body and

of the mind ….”

Notwithstanding these new orientations in

pharmacodynamy and therapeutics contributed by

the founder of Homœopathy, since 1805, the

traditional school does not give even at the present

time all the interest that it deserves to the study of

the action of the medicament upon the healthy man,

because the great majority of drugs are prescribed by

the knowledge had of them in laboratory and through

the study of their action upon animals, which

constitutes a fallacious guide to their use upon the

sick man.

In the traditional school, Claude Bernard, called

the father of modern scientific medicine, introduced

his experimental works from 1847 to 1850, that is to

say, forty-two years after the proving realized by the

founder of Homœopathy, and in his work

Introduction to Experimental Medicine (1865), page

159, emphatically asserts: “We give great

importance to the experimentation upon animals and

we add that under the theoretic point of view,

experimentation upon every species of animals are

indispensable to medicine.”

The same line of behavior is followed by the

traditional school since that time, as Gaddum,

professor of Pharmacology in Edinburgh University,

Scotland, in his work Pharmacology published by

Oxford University Press of London, 4th English

edition, 1953, 1st Spanish edition, 1955, page 469,

says among other things: “one should not give a new

drug to man, before one is sure that it has been

administered to different species of animals. Mice

because they are cheap are used when it is necessary

to employ great numbers of them. Rats, rabbits,

guinea pigs and cats are also used. Monkeys,

genealogically similar to man, are used to prove the

action of drugs.”

Anthropoids, which in the biologist scale are

nearest to man, differ from the latter who possess

organization, a way of life and fundamentally and

psychical manner and articulate language, and if that

were not enough, there exist irrefutable proofs that

that which constitutes a food for certain animals is a

poison for man and vice versa, so that different

results of immunity, tolerance or receptivity to

pathogenic agents can be verified between man and

animals.

Cyanhydric or prussic acid is a most active

poison to man whom it kills instantaneously, on the

other hand the hedgehog and porcupine are affected

only to a slight degree.

Some herbivorous animals, especially sheep,

goats and rabbits can ingest leaves of Belladonna

without danger; according to Fleishmann it depends

upon the fact that the blood and liver, particularly of

rabbits, have the property of rendering in-active and

even destroying the toxic action of this plant. Horses

and bovidae are more sensitive. On the other hand,

a middle size dog supports a larger dose than a horse,

and a cat dies very rapidly with really small

quantities. Ten centigrams of atropine obtained

from Belladonna leaves are mortal to man.

Goats eat Rhus toxicodendron without any

consequences and upon man it produces gastro-

intestinal phenomena and diverse dermatitis of

changeable localization.

Hyoscyamus roots can be eaten without danger

by the hog. Dogs eat leaves and seeds of Aconitum

without showing any manifestations of intolerance.

The rat, toad and water salamander are

absolutely refractory to Digitalis action and in this

way we found numerous examples that it would be

prolix to enumerate.

Regarding pathogenic agents, opotherapic

drugs, vitamins, physical and ambietal means, etc.,

among man and animals there are absolutely

different results of intolerance, receptivity and

anaphylaxis.

The Koch bacillus has a pathogenetic action on

man and bovine cattle. Goats, guinea pigs and

rabbits do not acquire tuberculosis spontaneously

and they are only tuberculous through repeated

inoculations and the ass is completely refractory to

this infection.

The Eberth bacillus is highly pathogenic to man;

upon the chimpanzee and macaque it is only possible

to reproduce alterations resembling typhoid fever by

the ingestion of concentrated cultures. On the other

hand the female goat is extremely sensitive to the

Eberth bacillus and to the Brucella melitensis that

is the cause of Malta fever in man, and is found in

the organism of the male goat without producing

abnormal symptoms.

Atlassoff, produced typhoid phenomena in a

rabbit, introducing typhus bacillus directly into the

intestine, a completely different procedure from

natural infection.

The ram, guinea pig, mouse, young cat, gray

adult rat, old rat, young pigeon and hog, are very

sensitive to carbuncle infection. The hen is

refractory and only by subjecting the hen to low

temperatures (Pasteur’s cooled hen) does it get the

infection. Batrachia and argeline ram are quite

refractory to carbuncle. Crocodiles offer absolute

immunity to tetanus toxin.

The rat is insensible to diphtheric toxin.

Man is deeply affected by streptococcus, on the

other hand, the white rat and the dog have a natural

immunity to this pathogenic agent.

The hedgehog is unsusceptible to ophidians

poison.

Polyneuritis in doves subjected to a diet lacking

in vitamin B., provokes the death of this animal four

days after the first symptoms (Peters and Reader),

and man has manifestations of a deficit of a different

character that is able to produce other kinds of

troubles that exceptionally end in death.

Health in man which is a state of equilibrium,

harmony and psychophysical well-being does not

admit of excess or defect, should be for the

Hahnemann School, the point of departure and term

of comparison in order to know the morbid

phenomena that constitute the sick man’s pathology

and the symptomatic phenomenology of the

pathogenesis that form the Homœopathic Materia

Medica, for establishing in this way the relation of

analogy between disease and remedy that leads to

the simillimum for its use in therapeutics.

For that reason, given the peculiar and

unmistakable psycho-physical characteristics of

man, it is impossible that he will display the same

reactions and responses in the same manner to the

influence of the pathogenic causes and pharmaco-

dynamic proofs as these of the other animals of

Creation, and it is to the founder of the homœopathic

medical science, Dr. Samuel Christian Frederick

Hahnemann, whom we have to comprehend and

extol, because due to all the aspects of his

exceptional culture and indisputable intellect, he

knew how to fix the authentic and true form of

carrying out the proving upon the healthy man and

not on other animals, in order to always obtain the

same psychic and somatic symptoms and therefore

to be able to prescribe the remedies on the sick man

according to his axiom “Similia Similibus

Curentur”.

CONCLUSIONS:

1st. The eminent founder of Homœopathy, Dr.

Samuel Christian Frederick Hahnemann, father of

psychopharmacology, taught us how to know the

healthy and sick man under his double

psychosomatic aspect, unknown in his time, more

than a century and a half ago.

2nd. The experimentation upon animals, initiated by

Magendie (1783 – 1815) took great impulse with

Bernard, Richet, Roux, Ludwig, Müller, etc.,

continuing to the present day as one of the

fundamental basis in the therapeutics of the

traditional school.

3rd. The Hahnemann School accepts

experimentations of this kind only as a verification

of laboratory and refuses it in the therapeutics of

man, because it has in mind the biological axiom of

John Paul Tessier (1811 – 1862), distinguished

French physician of the traditional school, eminent

pupil of Dupuytren and Trousseau, Director of

“Medical Art” published in Paris, and converted to

Homœopathy, who categorically demonstrated:

“Every animal becomes sick according to his species

and in each species the individual suffers according

to his own nature” and

4th. The World at present day needs the

homœopathic medical science, in order that modern

and future therapeutics take to the solid and

immovable pure proving upon the healthy man, due

to the privileged brain of the great sage of Meissen,

Dr. Samuel Christian Frederick Hahnemann, in

order that the physician, with a perfect knowledge of

all drugs can administer them is a correct way and

lead suffering mankind to the recovery of health.

- The British Homœopathic Journal, July-Oct.,

’56.

=====================================

7. Approach to the Pre-Cancerous State

Dr. TWENTYMAN, L.R.

(HG. Vol. XXVI, 12/1959)

I must ask for a certain indulgence because I had

rather short notice to contribute to to-night’s

proceedings, and since the notice was given I have

been exceedingly hard pressed and have not had time

to prepare my remarks as I would have wished.

Nevertheless, I hope that what I have to say will

prove in certain respects worth while and interesting.

In the first place I should like to call attention to

the work of Professor Otto Warburg in Berlin, the

publication of which no doubt a number of you have

already seen in the Triangle of July, 1956.

I think the gist of Warburg’s work is as follows.

In dealing with tissue cultures, from malignant and

non-malignant tissues, he has demonstrated that the

malignant tissue cultures are distinguished from the

non-malignant, which may be growing quite as

rapidly, by the fact that their respiration has been

damaged and their energy is obtained by glycolysis.

That is the first fundamental observation, which was

made first a good many decades ago but which has

become much clearer as a result of more recent

research.

Warburg’s demonstration is that in the

development of malignant tendencies under the

experimental conditions of tissue cultures, a damage

takes place in the first instance to the respiration of

the cells and this damage is irreversible. If, for

instance, a rapidly growing tissue culture is starved

of oxygen supply is returned, it has lost to the extent

of 50 per cent, its ability to use the oxygen. There is

a strange irreversible loss of respiration in tissue

cultures starved of oxygen poisons, such as urethane

and so on. This, in Professor Warburg’s

understanding, is the fundamental crisis in the

development of malignancy. But the tissues in that

state of depressed respiration are not ipso facto

malignant.

He has gone on to demonstrate how it takes a

considerable number of generations of cells to build

up the glycolytic method of energy production in the

cell to a level sufficient to bring about frank

malignancy. His researches indicate that there is

first damage or destruction of the respiration and that

is succeeded after a latent period by generation after

generation of cells which build up the alternative

glycolytic function of energy production.

Warburg points out also that the two forms of

energy production in the cell are distinguishable

morphologically, as well as in the sheer biochemical

mechanisms. The respiratory function in the cell is

attached to the mitochondria, which can be separated

as distinct autonomous entities within the cell, and in

the destruction of the respiratory function the

damage falls on the mitochondria within the cell. In

the course of the degradation of the cell into the

malignant condition there is a morphological de-

differntiation. That is to say, the differentiated type

of cell, or specialized type of tissue, regresses to an

undifferentiated cell and the “dedifferentiation” goes

right to the inner morphology of the cell. The

mitochondria get destroyed and the cell reverts to the

condition which, in embryology, is characteristic of

only the very earliest cells. The earliest cells have

the glycolytic energy production. I will read you his

own words which I think put the position in a

nutshell.

“Cancer cells arise from normal cells in two

phases. The first is the irreversible damage to

respiration. In the same way as there are many

remote causes of plague-heat, insects, rats-but only

one common cause, the plague bacillus, there are

also many remote causes of cancer-tar, radiations,

arsenic, pressure, urethane, cigarettes-but only one

common cause into which all the others merge, the

irreversible injury to respiration.

“The irreversible impairment of respiration is

followed by a second phase, the development of

cancer-a long struggle for existence by the injured

cells, in which some of them die from lack of energy

while others succeed in replacing the lost energy of

glycolysis, the highly differentiated cells are

transformed into undifferentiated cells of

uncontrolled growth-Cancer cells.

These results do not deserve the pretentious title

of a theory. They are merely facts. It is not a theory

but a fact that respiration in the cancer cell is

inadequate; it is not a theory but a fact that glycolysis

increases during the latent period; and it is not a

theory but a fact that the energy of glycolysis is

morphologically inferior to that of respiration.”

On a quite different level and in a quite different

way, I should like to call attention, side by side with

this, to the work of Kasper Blong in the book, “The

Liver and Cancer”. It is a tiresome, irritating and

somewhat annoying book, as it suggests itself, but

one I think which all the same is full of extremely

suggestive observations and correlations of

observations. I think it can be said that what he is

drawing attention to is that the vast majority of

cancers in human beings develop in the portal

circulation. One must qualify that by saying his

notion of the portal circulation is expanded rather

considerably over what is normally taught in

anatomy. Through the anastomosis between the

portal and systemic circulations he envisages a far

wider play of the portal circulation through the body

than is normally accepted, and the flow of blood in

this portal circulation is often retrograde in direction.

He also regards the circulation within that portal

circulation, or the areas within it of stagnation and

congestion and so on, as being determined by the

liver into which it drains—a somewhat difficult

view, and, frankly, I am not sure in what way it

should be taken. The statistical facts he brings

forward and the way in which he brings them out are,

to say the least, stimulating and for me they do make

for the first time some rhyme and reason for the

malignant distribution in children as compared with

adults. The distribution in children is determined by

the placental circulation, and this gives a certain

rhyme and reason to the difference in distribution

which I think is well worthy of considerable study.

If one puts these two entirely different levels of

work of these two men side by side, it is perhaps

comprehensible that what Blond is referring to in

terms of toxins from the liver or the digestion could

well be related to Warburg’s terms. That is,

stagnation is producing areas of anoxaemia and these

areas are, in the sense of Warburg, producing a

respiratory depression and the areas are then exposed

to a regression to the malignant state. It would seem

to me that in some way as this one might, from the

level of cell studies and these statistical and organ

studies, as it were, of Blond, begin to build a bridge

towards an understanding of the development of

cancers. To me this whole phenomenon of

regression, as I said when I last spoke on this subject,

seems of the greatest importance.

I should now like to refer to something else. In

neither of these contributions is one really dealing

with entirely human levels but with the physiological

levels of this subject, and it seems to me that in

discussing cancer one has to grapple with it as a

development in the life history of an actual

individual. The danger of the statistical studies or

any other analytical studies in the scientific sense is

that in dealing with them one forgets the actual

individual patients in whom the conditions develop.

I should like to put side by side with what I have

just been saying from the physiological level the

following considerations. There is a danger when

one tries to describe diseases in relation to an age,

when, for example, one talks of cancer being related

to modern civilization. Men such as Professor

Haddow are, quite rightly, ready to jump severely on

people who are prepared to attribute the incidence of

cancer to being a by-product of civilization. It is

pointed out that cancer always existed for people

reaching the age at which to-day cancer tends to

develop. But it remains a fact that it is part of the

pattern of present-day civilization that people do live

longer. One cannot simply dissociate greater

longevity to-day from the rest of the pattern of our

civilization. To-day in the Western world people on

average live longer than people did in probably any

previous time in civilization. Therefore, it belongs

to the pattern of present-day civilization that people

now die of cancer much more often than before. We

need not get involved in arguments as to the

causation of greater longevity, but the fact remains

that in the whole pattern of the civilization in which

we live the two things hang together.

It seems to me that the particular crisis which is

involved in the development of cancer is the crisis of

menopause, in the same way as it may be said that

the crisis which is involved in the development of,

say, tuberculosis is the crisis of adolescence. The

difficulty is that in referring to “the crisis of

menopause” one’s words will be taken in the most

strictly defined sense and as meaning the crisis at the

end of the menstrual periods in women. I am not

referring to that; I am referring more to the crisis of

middle-age as defined by the Psychology of Jung;

the crisis that occurs when one has reached the limits

of one’s mature adult life, when in a sense one can

go in the external world no further and has got to turn

back to one’s own inner existence increasingly with

age. It is a psychological crisis which Jung has done

more to illuminate than probably any other

psychiatrist. It is the crisis in which the physical

cessation of the periods is only one particularly

obvious outer manifestation. It seems to me that the

danger of cancer develops in the life of the individual

in association with this crisis and the change of life,

when the ascending are of life reaches its zenith or

non-tide and one must develop a new orientation for

the future.

It may be asked, why, therefore, do people in the

twenties or earlier get cancer? In biology nothing

has a sharp beginning or a sharp end and things have

their echo before as well as after them. I am

suggesting that in that elastic sense, because these

events have their premonitory sounds as well as

those which follow them, and because of the way in

which it seems to me both psychologically and

biologically one has to train oneself to think, the

crisis which shows itself in a development of cancer

is associated with a failure to achieve the spiritual

transition to the second half of life.

Can one build a bridge at all between these two

sides? It is not easy, but with a little patience one

can make some progress. I should like now to bring

forward in outline some case histories, though only

a few because time is limited and one cannot endure

too many such anectdotes. These cases were treated

with Iscador.

The first case is that of a woman whom I saw six

or seven years ago when she was nearing

menopause. She was 46 and came to me because she

had an extremely large gastric ulcer about 2 inches

long. She had also extremely severe mastopathy in

the breast, with some very hard, large lumps. The

ulcer was so large that the question arose of whether

one ought to do an operation. Her refusal of surgical

intervention encouraged one to see what could be

done without it. I began treating her and within a

very short time her gastric symptoms subsided and

in the course of time her breast became completely

clear of the mastopathy. In the meantime I did a

capillary filter paper test on the blood according to

Kaelin’s method to see whether there was a tendency

to cancer or whether the condition was pre-

cancerous or cancerous. As far as I could ascertain

from the result of the test the condition was a

dangerous and pre-cancerous one. I have made a

succussion of tests from that time until now. The

quality of them has improved and the patient has

undergone a very remarkable improvement. She has

passed menopause and has adapted herself to it

extremely well. I cannot prove she would have got

cancer, one never can in such a case, but she herself

was at the time and remains convinced that the

remedy which affects her beneficially and changes

her whole attitude to life is Iscador. From the

moment I started giving it to her the change in her

condition was absolutely obvious to everyone who

knew her.

The next case is that of a man of 46 who was

extremely active and successful in business. He was

one of these very rapid workers who never seem to

have a doubt or hesitation in their mind as to what

should be done and whose decisions are so well

adapted to the business needs of the moment. He

came to me because he was disturbed because he was

losing this gift. He was finding himself uncertaion,

lacking in energy and interest, with mind wandering

and queer feelings of giddiness and so on. For a time

I treated him simply with the ordinary homœopathic

remedies after a certain amount of discussion with

him upon the nature of the symptoms and the

problems of adjustment at the age of 46 to a rather

different tempo of life. Throughout he was very co-

operative and most intelligent and understanding.

He did not improve as much as expected and so I did

one of these tests on his blood. I was then convinced

he was in a pre-cancerous state and I started treating

him with Iscador. Within three or four weeks he was

telling me he was, for the first time in 18 months,

entirely feeling himself again, and able to cope, and

with a much better and deeper understanding of the

problems of life than he had before falling ill. His

wife and business associates confirmed the change

in his condition and, so far as I can tell, there was a

satisfactory progress in events.

Most of the cases I am referring to are of

patients with symptoms of tiredness, a certain

depression, a certain lack of former active interest

and without any very definite and marked

symptoms-the sort of condition which it seems to

me is today extremely common and very difficult in

the ordinary way to treat. Not all patients with such

symptoms do I find to be pre-cancerous, but a

considerable number I do.

The next case is that of a man of only 27 or 28,

who was sent to me by his employer because he had

a very great fear of cancer. He was feeling unwell

and finding his work extremely tedious. He was

depressed and, as is said, introverted. Because of his

fear of Cancer, which I have come increasingly to

regard as a serious symptom in many cases, I carried

out a test on his blood and formed the opinion he was

in a pre-cancerous condition. I treated him and I

think the results were satisfactory. He felt much

better and quickly lost the fear of cancer and both his

employer and family were surprised at the complete

difference in his general manner and feeling of well-

being. He gained in weight the ¾ stone he had lost

and now feels fully restored to strength and vigour.

One has to find out in the phenomena observed

in the capillary tests where the forces of shape and

form in the blood became disturbed. What takes

place before the development of cancer, as Warburg

shows, is that the form, the morphological side of

things has been overthrown. The cell has fallen out

of that differentiation which the form of the whole

organism has brought about in the embryological

condition. The emotional side of things is, I think,

what Blond in his work has neglected in putting all

the emphasis on the liver in the cause of the

congestions in the portal circulations. He has

neglected the dramatic and immediate effect on the

portal circulation which emotions produce. I do not

think one can go as far as saying the liver produces

the cause when one has observed the effect on the

portal circulation and the rest of the circulation of the

emotions. Strong emotions sustained over a long

time, particularly those such as frustration,

indignation and anger, so common in modern life

and so much part of our modern civilization, produce

the exact conditions which Blond indicates.

There are a thousand gaps in what I have said. I

am not trying to make a complete story; I am only

trying in the study of cancer to bring the whole

human being into the problem. The great difficulty

in dealing with the problem of cancer theoretically

and scientifically seems to be that there is such an

overwhelming flood of facts and knowledge and bits

and pieces of empirical information that it is

becoming almost impossible to grapple with it in a

comprehensive form and picture which relates to

reality. One certainly will not be able to do so if one

leaves out things which have to do with the human

being and his emotion, his experience and the phase

of life in which they happened. The facts that are

relevant to the problem at the middle of the 20th

century are monumental in number and it seems to

me that they need to be grappled with together not in

some cause-and-effect way but by means of a

common picture as a whole.

DISCUSSION

DR. BENJAMIIN asked what was meant by

“mitochondria”.

DR. TWENTYMAN said that inside the cell there

were small bodies called the mitochondria.

Apparently each of them had an autonomous life of

its own. They had even been called viruses. They

might be said to be to the cell what the organs were

to man.

DR. STRINGNER said that he wanted to thank Dr.

Twentyman for an extremely stimulating talk. On

the question of relative anoxæmia or the lower

respiratory rate in the cell, they had been given the

views of the author of the article referred to, but what

was Dr. Twentyman’s own opinion? There was no

evidence apparently that the sufferer of chronic

cyanotic heart disease was especially prone to

develop cancer, even at a late age. Although one

heard of cancer developing at a very early age in

infants, was there any evidence that in such cases

there had been a particularly high degree of oxygen

deprivation at any stage?

DR. TWENTYMAN replied that Warburg was

convinced that intermittent oxygen starvation was

probably the commonest cause of the developments

in man. It had been demonstrated that x-rays would

destroy the mitochondria and therefore destroy the

respiratory function. It seemed certain that the

cellular stage, when the complete cancer developed,

should be regarded as the very last stage in a long

pre-disposed condition, during which the physician

should if possible have made a diagnosis and given

treatment. The work of Vannier and his whole

approach were of extreme help and value, but really

it related to another side of the story.

DR. FRASER KERR thanked Dr. Twentyman for

not having written his remarks beforehand, because,

as a result, it had been relatively easy for them to

follow him down all the roads he had explored.

The subject was one that interested Dr. Fraser

Kerr vastly before 1939. Some of them might

remember one of Dr. Tyler’s cases for which she

used a remedy, named Diketal, which came at the

time from America. An extremely rigid diet for the

patient was insisted upon because the remedy was an

oxygen catalyst. It proved completely successful for

a patient with a cancerous bladder, and other patients

given it died free of pain. It surely showed a high

degree of success when a patient, having retained

normal mental and bodily functions, asked five

minutes before dying “Have I got cancer?”

The work of Warburg seemed to agree entirely

with that of Blond. The two men were going towards

the same objective. Diketal was not used nowadays

because it was so difficult to get food not

contaminated with sulphur and chlorine and sulphur.

DR. THOMPSON WALKER also wanted to thank

Dr. Twentyman for a very stimulating paper. Could

anything more be said about the capillary test? Was

it simple, could it be done at home, and how specific

was it? Was it indicative of diseases other than

cancer?

DR. TWENTYMAN replied that he had not gone

into the question of the test more fully because that

would have meant a considerable digression. The

technique involved was not difficult; the task of

deducing the results required much experience. Dr.

Kaelin first worked it out.

Dr. Twentyman, in illustrating on the

blackboard the method of carrying out the test, said

a cylinder was made out of filter paper, which must

be of a certain grade, and it stood in a small dish in

which was put 2 c.c. of blood diluted with distilled

water. The blood rose up the filter paper and dried.

Fairly stable humidity and temperature were

required. Distilled water and solutions of viscum

then rose up the paper. “Gestures” were formed on

the paper by the blood line as it was carried up and

by experience one learnt which of them were

significant. They not only gave indications of cancer

but also of other diseases as well.

The process was time-consuming and it was not

practical for a physician to try to carry out the test

while he was busy looking after patients and it was

as well to have someone else to handle them.

THE PRESIDENT thanked Dr. Twentyman. The

report had been most interesting and the broad

pattern of what had been said was appreciated. The

correlation with the menopausal condition was of

interest because in many people there arose a period

of stagnation in spiritual emotions which might be

paralledled by a stagnation in the bodily processes.

That was something that had been dealt with at some

length by an American psychiatrist.

- The British Homœopathic Journal, April, ‘57

=====================================

8. EMOTIONAL TENSIONS IN CHILDREN

DR. H.A. NEISWANDER

(HG. Vol. XXVI/1959)

Emotional tension is the moving mind or soul

subjected to excitement. Every one is in competition

with every one else for esteem, love, respect and

recognition. Brothers and sisters vie with one

another for the affections of their parents.

Competition brings with it a feeling of hostility, this

hostility leads to a feeling of inferiority, a fear of

failure, fear of guilt and security. These are the

things of which these tensions are made.

Contradictions in our culture tend to pull us in

different directions. Our schools are trying to reduce

these conflicts by placing less emphasis on

competition and more on cooperation.

Everyone has his own limitations and must be

judged by his own particular ability.

Dr. Mangus states, “Attitudes laid down early

and impressed deeply in childhood become ruling

forces for good or for ill in the life of the adult.”

A country-wide survey in Miami County, Ohio,

was made of the third and sixth grades, in the county,

village and city schools, but not of the private

schools. The survey was made on about 1500

children, according to the elementary form of the

California test of personal ability, by the Division of

Mental Hygiene of the Department of Public

Welfare of the Agricultural Experiment Station of

Ohio State University. The original evaluation of the

personal adjustment of school children was made in

1946; one year later a follow-up study was

conducted with many of the same children. The

object of the later study was to find what changes in

personal and social adjustment occurred during that

interval. The study was designed to find out the

improvement or non-improvement, the extent to

which they experienced loss in their mental and

social health, the extent to which they held their own,

the factor which they held responsible for their

improvement or non-improvement. It was evident

that many of these children were maladjusted to a

serious degree. The difficulties were evident in such

ways as speech disorders, unusual fears, over-

aggressive behavior, extreme shyness, school

failure, truancy, stealing, rejection by their

companions, bad dreams and nail biting, etc., to

mention only a few.

Technologically speaking, we have advanced to

a high degree, but human development has lagged.

The emotional difficulties are clearly shown.

Adverse childhood experiences cause adult

emotional ills. Successful living requires a high

development of emotional and social maturity.

Mental and social health are used synonymously in

the Miami report.

The United Nations World Health Organization

says, “Health is said to be a state of complete

physical and mental well-being, not merely the

absence of disease and infirmity.” This tells us that

health is more than a sound body, more than a sound

mind in a sound body. In a modern world, health

requirements include social health. This is reflected

in the person’s ability to live easily, harmoniously

and comfortably with other people, including people

who differ widely from himself.

It is estimated that at least one third of all

persons who consult medical advice are without

physical cause. They have complaints which show

up in physical symptoms but are actually mental

conflicts. It is also estimated than one in twenty

young people becomes so emotionally ill that he has

to be hospitalized.

The symptoms mentioned, together with many

other of their symptoms, may be caused by some

underlying disease and make a good case study. The

similia may be found for speech disorders, unusual

fears, over-aggressive behavior, extreme shyness,

bad dreams or nail biting. For an example, Johnnie

may have a terrible fear of the dark, awakens cross

each morning, has much rumbling and rolling in his

stomach and abdomen and has an enormous appetite,

yet his malnutrition is apparent and Lycopodium is

his remedy. Dottie becomes vexed at trifles, is

peevish, irritable and discontented, is inclined to

weep, her excretions are offensive and corrosive. If

she is given Nitric acid, her personality will be

changed and she will have a much more pleasing

disposition. Teddle is much disturbed by

excitement, starts easily, is shy, weak and tired, has

night terrors, is irritable, is a sleep walker, has an

offensive breath, vomits occasionally and has

nocturnal enuresis, but, if given Kali phos. at

repeated intervals for a period of time, he, too, will

be relieved. Gracie is exceedingly irritable,

everything puts her out of humor, dislikes to be

carried or moved, she may have a stomach disorder

thought to be aggravated by the summer heat, but, if

given Bryonia, her irritableness and sensitiveness

will soon subside. Bobby is very sensitive to noise,

repeats everything you say to him, refuses to work,

he has a more or less constant motion of his feet,

nervous in character and worse during sleep, he cries

out during sleep, he has a headache which seems to

come from school work; had he been given Zinc.

met. the past few years, he would be a different boy

today; but it is still not too late as he is still a small

boy and much can be done for him.

To produce free and responsible, healthy

citizens, to produce happy and socially useful

persons, to provide children with maximum

opportunities to grow in the direction of mature,

well-adjusted persons, their basic needs as well as

their similia should be provided and fulfilled.

DISCUSSION

DR. GUSTAV TUFO [Chicago Illinois]: I have a

few notes to show that these cases are akin to what

we call schizoid patterns or split personality. These

children live in two worlds. One side is normal, and

when a child retires into his shell he is considered

abnormal. These cases have remissions, and they

go into another world.

You speak of dull, apathetic children who are

perfectly normal but who lack that certain something

at home-love or parental care—that is necessary to

inculcate in them the feeling that they are wanted.

The feebleminded child is a distinct entity, as is

the idiot, the moron, the child with behavioristic

tendencies, or the child who is emotionally

immature. Heredity plays some part in these

symptoms, but in the majority of cases it plays no

part.

We have not proved that these tendencies are

hereditary. As a matter of fact, we might get out of

siblings a prodigy. We might get a very acute mind

from a very poor family. It does not follow that

because of the fact that a family is wealthy the child

is going to be an outstanding pupil.

When we talk of these children we must

remember that these people may develop a complex,

Oedipus or Electra. If the child is rejected it might,

say, form a mother-daughter or father-son complex

or love, such as in later life is pathologic. By this I

mean the child may develop perversions whereby

there may be actual interplay of the sexes, the female

with the mother and the male with the father. These

tendencies may develop criminalistic ways in later

life when the child sees he or she is being denied love

and is thus replacing that love with criminal

tendencies or with certain qualities that are inferior

to the normal.

Certain of these children we classify as normal

or subnormal. For that reason we have certain tests,

called Simon-Benet tests and others, which classify

the child. The I.Q. test, for example: In a normal

group of ten or twenty children, two or three might

have an I.Q. of 175, which is quite a bit above

normal. The normal is between 90 and 120. The

child with a normal I.Q. from 90 to 120 does not

show any abnormality, or that there is anything

wrong with it.

The I.Q. test does not necessarily deviate with

the manner of living. The tests are usually given at

the age of from ten to fourteen. For that matter, we

can give them to any person at any time. A child

may have an I.Q. of 150 and the adult will not be

better in his I.Q. because his I.Q. commensurate with

his age.

DR W.W. SHERWOOD [Santa Monica, California]:

Mr. Chairman, I don’t want to discuss this paper

particularly, but the essayist spoke of nail biting as

one of the things that children dc. I would like to ask

Dr. Grimmer or anyone else to discuss that. I know

that is one of the things that so far I haven’t been able

to find in the repertory.

DR. DIXON: Dr. Boger, in his little Synoptic Key,

gives three remedies for nail biting: Arsenicum,

Sanicula and Hyoscyamus. I have found Sanicula

to be the most effective in treating that condition.

DR. SHERWOOD: Some children eat dirt and

foreign bodies, and things of that sort. I have figured

that it was due to a lack of something in the child’s

system. I gave one child a month’s supply of

ordinary sea kelp, and she was satisfied and quit

biting her nails.

DR. GIER: I thought nail biting was due to some

nervous irritation. Ammonium bromatum is the

remedy in the repertory for nail biting. It is the only

one there, and I think it works.

DR. TUFO: These children are emotionally upset.

DR. NEISWANDER (CLOSING): Regarding the

matter of a child eating dirt, I have felt a good many

times that it was due to a lack of some food element

that the child needed. It might be due to some

calcium deficiency, either Calcarea carbonate or

one of the other calciums.

We must take the whole child into

consideration. The same applies to nail biting.

Sometimes we see children whose nails have been

bitten clear back to the margin. That is only one

symptom. May be the remedy is Sanicula; may be

it is Arsenicum. However, we have to take the rest

of the symptoms in the case into consideration.

Enuresis is another thing. Some of those cases

are comparatively easy to correct. Too many times

a nervous condition is connected with it, and we

must get the symptomatology of the entire case. I

think one must examine the case and know exactly

what he has. Not only is it necessary to have the

symptomatology and physical examinations, but the

psychological condition as well.

- The Homœopathic Recorder, Jan., ‘51

=====================================

9. Illustrations and Practical Applications of the

Law of Similars

Dr. UNDERHILL, Eugene

(HG. XXVII, 8/1960)

It is an established fact that there are more

suicides on bright, sunny days than on dark, dreary

ones. The gloom of the day is in some measure

similar or in tune with the hopelessness in the mind.

Comes a glorious day when every prospect pleases

but the awful shadow never lifts, by contrast it only

deepens.

Loss of a loved one by death or separation can

be a terrible blow. Homœopathy has cured many a

case of sickness when the patient has never been well

since such a loss. But let us consider other measures

and note their significance. A gay party, something

exciting and amusing may act as a palliative for a

few brief hours, but when it is over there is nothing

left to hold to, nothing but an empty void. Grief is

better assuaged by the silence, by a walk alone in the

forest or by a friend who understands.

Everyone knows that misery likes company and

the more similar the misery the more effective the

treatment and this is strictly homœopathic.

Hahnemann went so far as to say “grief and sorrow

are extinguished in the mind by more intense, real or

fictitious affliction of another person.”

“What he needs is a dose of his own medicine.”

This is a treatment that has been effective in all ages

and in every realm and clime. How explain it except

on a homœopathic basis?

When a little child is on an all-out crying bout

imitate him, he will soon laugh it off.

Science has established that there are roughly 21

grades or degrees of pain, from the least, grade 1 to

the most extreme grade 21. Suppose in an accident

two injuries are sustained, one causing grade 7 pain

and the other grade 18. Practically no discomfort

will be experienced from the minor injury until the

pain from the other has been ameliorated. The

stronger potency has cancelled out the weaker.

The black fingernail following a hammer blow

is wholly unnecessary. The only exception is where

actual destruction of tissue has occurred. Drop

hammer instantly and apply very hard pressure to

the injured part. Continue pressure until pain begins

to subside, a matter of a few moments, then ever so

gradually reduce pressure as the discomfort leaves.

Result, no black nail.

To explain this in modern terms, the blow

causes the nerves in the injured area to go into local

shock. The blood vessel control mechanism fails to

function, the capillary walls over-dilate and seepage

of blood into the surrounding tissue results. The

hard pressure gives mechanical support to the blood

vessel walls until the nerves recover from shock and

resume their function. This treatment is very

definitely homœopathic. The hard pressure is

similar in kind but differs in degree from the injury.

When adhesive straps are removed from the

chest in cases of rib injury or fracture it will be

observed that no bruise marks will be seen on the

area covered by the adhesive but are often

conspicuous just beyond it.

A burn, if there is no destruction of tissues, is

treated very effectively by homœopathic means.

Hold the burned part as the pain subsides ever so

gradually, reduce the heat or very slowly move the

burned area away from the fire. A first degree burn

will be cured immediately and with no after

discomfort. Treat burns with heat, either dry or

moist heat as circumstances may require. Cantharis

ointment (carried by homœopathic pharmacies is an

excellent treatment for burns. Cantharis (Spanish

fly) will produce burns and blisters in strong solution

and therefore acts curatively when used in properly

reduced strength. In severe and extensive burns this

drug may be used internally in potentized form.

A frozen limb is successfully and

homœopathically treated by cold and not by heat.

Thawing out the part in ice water is a time honored

method.

Again quoting Hahnemann, “How does Jupiter,

shining brightly in the morning dawn, vanish from

the gaze of the beholder? By a stronger potency, the

brightness of approaching day.” “In situations

replete with foetid odors, wherewith is it usual to

soothe effectively the offended olfactory nerves?

With snuff, that affects the sense of smell in a similar

but stronger manner. No music, no sugared cake,

which act on the nerves of the other senses can cure

this olfactory disgust.” “How does the soldier

cunningly stifle the piteous cries of him who runs the

gauntlet from the ears of the fife commingled with

the roll of the noisy drum. And the distant roar of

the enemy’s cannon that inspires his army with fear?

By the loud boom of the big drum.”

Many years ago a business man made frequent

trips by train between New York and Philadelphia.

One day he was picked up unconscious beside the

track. It was more than a year before he was able to

return to his work. He remembered boarding the

train at Jersey City but until he regained

consciousness in the hospital his mind remained a

total blank as far as the intervening time was

concerned. Finally he was able to resume his trips

between the two cities. One day when going into the

dining car the train gave a lurch and he stumbled

against the vestibule door. He said to his friend,

“Now I remember how it happened. I reached for

the hand of the vestibule.” Here again the Law of

Similars operated. The slight shock and trauma

induced the reaction that bridged the memory gap.

The successful results of shock treatments are to

be explained on a homœopathic basis although this

fact is evidently not for “scientific” publication.

Unfortunately the size and repetition of the dose of

these treatments are often beyond the requirements

of the case and brain damage has sometimes

resulted.

Mechanical injuries and defects may require

mechanical means of treatment and in such cases

surgery is the indicated homœopathic remedy.

The above illustrations are given to demonstrate

the fact that Homœopathy is not limited in its scope

to the field of drug therapeutics although it is in this

field that it has become known throughout the world.

No other method of treatment has so wide a curative

range or is so effective within its range. Every

homœopathic remedy when accurately prescribed on

the symptoms of the patient is a “miracle drug” in

the most fully warranted sense of the term.

The unfailing operation of the Homœopathic

Law, the Law of Similars, is entirely too obvious to

be ignored by any intelligent person. Historians of

the future in reviewing the present century of

medicine will be amazed that it was not long ago

accorded universal recognition.

- The Layman Speaks, May, ’60.

=====================================

10. The connections between the Liver and certain

psychic disorders as seen by the Homœopath

Dr. WILHELM SCHWARZHAUPT

(HG. XXVII, 8/1960)

This year’s Congress of the Liga Homœopathic

Internationalis is being devoted to the general theme

“Homœopathy and Psychosomatic Treatment”.

First of all we must ask ourselves what we

understand by the term psychosomatic. Present-day

psychosomatic medicine endeavours to obtain a

comprehensive picture of human illness. In order to

achieve this aim, it demands that the results of

somatic examination should be supported by a

further examination, namely that of the psyche as the

second field of examination in human medicine

(Boss). In doing this, however, the former material

conceptions concerning the human body are

transfered to the spiritual sphere, and a second

object, namely a “psychic apparatus” (Freud) is

added to the psychic organism. But according to the

conceptions of modern psychosomatics, this

procedure in no way corresponds to the non-material

character of human existence. According to Boss,

“all bodily structural and functional phenomena are

so entirely invested in the human psyche that they

can be recognized as direct implementation sequelae

(not symptoms of expression) of the latter, or in

reality as the embodiment of the respective vital

relation to things or fellow creatures in which the

person stands”. From this approach the pathological

physical conditions will also be comprehended in

their full import and significance.

But in my opinion these speculative

observations are after all of little use for therapy in

themselves. They may lead to very varied

interpretations, which depend in certain

circumstances to a large extent on the subjectivity of

the analyst. Nor has it been considered that body and

soul form a single entity even when the spiritual

trauma is taking place. What are the somatic

prerequisites for the readiness to experience? This

question is never asked. For there are enough causes

for spiritual trauma of a greater or lesser degree in

life, which do not influence illness. In my opinion it

would be of much greater use for therapy if, without

symbolical interpretations or attempted

interpretations, the findings and the whole epic

width of the symptoms were allowed to combine to

form a highly individual situation. Situation pictures

then develop, and it is interesting to note that they

repeatedly find unforced reflections in the

homœopathic syndromes.

It is never possible to separate a part from the

whole. The psychic situation is inconceivable

without the physical counterpart, and organic

dysfunction has its effects on the psyche. Psychic

normalization is capable of regulating organic

dysfunction. But regulation of the organic

dysfunction is in turn also capable of remedying the

psychic disorder.

The particular situation which one finds in each

instance usually indicates at once the course which

should be followed. Taking the liver as an example,

it can be seen repeatedly that the normalization of

severe liver disorders is at the same time capable of

remedying the psychic disturbance. Conversely, in

the presence of a predominantly psychic disturbance,

its regulation is capable of progressively healing the

disordered liver metabolism.

If the most important liver remedies of

Homœopathy are analysed, it will be immediately

perceived that as far as their psychic symptoms are

concerned, they all possess so-called minus values.

Expressed as a rough common denominator, this is

the common feature of all liver remedies. True liver

remedies possess none of the merriment and laughter

such as that observed to a pronounced extent with

Cannabis indica, Coffea, Lachesis, and various other

remedies. The only exception here is Phosphorus,

which possesses a surprising ambivalence. But with

pronounced liver participation, the predominating

characteristics shown by Phosphorus are

despondency, hypersensitivity and timidity: The

basic features of Berberis are indifference, apathy,

melancholy, anxiety, timidity and dread; those of

Bryonia are dejection, fear for the future, ill-humour,

fear for the future, ill-humour, angry irritability and

the wrath of avarice; those of Card. mar. are

pronounced hypochondria with a basis of sadness;

those of Chelidonium are dejection, restless worry

about the present and the future, and sadness with

crying; that of Leptandra is similarly pronounced

dejection; those of Lycopodium severe depression

and melancholy, despondency increasing to anxiety

particularly in the evening, general dissatisfaction

which rises to frantic rage, indifference and

insensitivity towards outward impressions, and

shyness (caused by acute mistrust). Only when the

syndrome is accompanied by severe cerebral

disorders, is forced laughter observed with

Lycopodium. But in such instances the liver

condition is no longer the predominating factor in

the clinical picture. With Magn. mur. the main

characteristics are fear coupled with peevishness,

and the patient is mopey and long-suffering. Natrum

sulph. induces peevishness and crossness, and even

light music evokes melancholy almost to tears

(Jahr). With Nux vomica irritability and anger

predominate, and the patient is cross, ill-humoured

and hypochondriac. The Podophyllum patient has a

bilious temperament, while with Taraxacum the

dominating mood is gloominess. The patient is

discontented and in a bad mood for conversation or

work. The happiness and volubility said to

characterize taraxacum are never observed if a

positive liver finding is present. With this

observation we come back to Phosphorus. If a

positive liver finding is observed in a Phosphorus

patient, then the dominating characteristics are

timidity, nervous irritability and hypersensitivity.

To use the expression of Breyer, the mental vivacity

otherwise observed with Phosphorus lies in another

plane of similarity.

It is interesting to note that with a number of

more or less severe endogenous depressions, and

even with schizoid and catatonic conditions, a

change in the liver metabolism can be expected with

a fair degree of probability. In most cases I have

found with repeated examinations on one and the

same patient that the liver serum test results vary.

These tests comprised the Takata Ara test,

Weltmann’s Coagulation Band, the cadmium test,

thymol test, serum-bilirubin, Gross’s reaction, and in

numerous cases the protein fractions were

determined by means of electrophoresis. If in the

treatment care was taken that a suitable remedy was

sought, which at the same time had a connection with

the liver metabolism, then substantial results and

even true cures were achieved. Let us consider a few

cases in support of this claim.

First patient: E.F., 51 years old. Father died at age

of 76 from the results of cerebral sclerosis; mother

85 years old and still alive—apart from an old

chronic cardiac complaint she has always been

healthy. The mother’s family has a psychic history.

A few great-uncles suffered from manic conditions,

while a sister has an intermittently progressive

schizophrenia but has never been certifiable. One

brother is healthy.

In youth the patient only suffered a few

childhood diseases, which healed quickly and

without complications. In 1943 he had a slight attack

of hepatitis with yellow jaundice of one week’s

duration only; in 1945 he had severe diphtheria, and

in 1946 he again had yellow jaundice, but this also

cleared up very quickly after two weeks. In 1948 the

patient suffered a severe attack of food poisoning.

Since this time he has not been really fit physically.

He also believes that his mental capacities have

somewhat deteriorated. From that time onwards the

patient has suffered depressions which sometimes

led to severe melancholia. For the last two years he

has been suffering from a very remarkable psychic

disturbance. He has become increasingly unjust

towards his subordinates; he flies into a temper

quickly and has shouted violently at his wife

suddenly and without motive during the last few

years. Unseen by those about him, but all the more

burdensome for him, he suffers from obsessional

ideas which set in forcefully in the early morning

after the patient awakes and before he gets up. He

has the idea that he must choke his wife who is lying

next to him in bed, or he wants to gouge her eyes out,

or to cut open her whole body. Sometimes this

obsessional idea changes, and he thinks he must

throw himself out of the window. Then again he has

the idea that he must throw himself of the the

window in order to escape from all the imaginary

difficulties. At the same time, he is very successful

in his profession, and is highly respected in all

circles. The patient also complains of nausea in the

morning of frequent tenesmus, acidity, pressure in

the stomach one hour after eating, and sudden

attacks of tiredness. He is then obliged to drink

coffee or alcohol which very quickly restores his

energies; but on the other hand, coffee and alcohol

increase still further the fatigue which he

experiences in the evening. The patient is a heavy

smoker, he works very late at night, has a very deep

sleep, but awakes in the morning tired and with

headache, mostly at about 4-5 a.m., and the

obsessional ideas mentioned above then set in. He

also complains that his sexual capacity is paralysed,

although during recent years his libido has shown an

unusual increase.

Somatic examination produced the following

results: completely normal circulation. The heart

shows a certain aortal configuration with a slightly

expanded vascular band. The E.C.G. is normal.

About 1½ fingers below the costal margin, the liver

is palpable, and the edge is somewhat hard and blunt.

It is slightly painful on palpation. Acidity conditions

in the stomach are completely normal, and the urine

contains no protein or sugar. There are no pressure

points in the gastric cavity, and no pathological

findings are to be observed in the nervous system;

nor do the other organs show any pathological

findings. The blood picture is normal, and the

Westergren sedimentation shows 6/12mm. The liver

tests show the following changes: serum bilirubin

1.6 mg. per cent., Takata 70, cadmium + + +(pos.),

thymol test + + + (pos.), Weltmann 0.175 mg. per

cent. Electrophoresis shows a slight increase in the

total protein and in the gamma globulin values. The

patient is first treated with Nux vomica D 12, taking

5 drops mornings and evenings; in the course of four

weeks his capacity increases and his early waking

also shows improvement. The obsessional ideas

have receded appreciably; the patient himself states

that he now gets on much better with his colleagues.

What still remains is the need to drink coffee and

alcohol in order to overcome a certain ebb, the

pressure in the stomach 1-2 hours after eating, and

the occasional tenesmus. To treat these symptoms

also, I continued with Nux vomica D6. After this the

patient states that he feels as though he were newly

born. His full energies had returned and his

obsessional ideas have left him, and his stomach

pains have not returned. Objectively, the swelling of

the liver has disappeared. The liver periphery

coincided with the costal margin, the Takata was 90

mg. percent,, Weltmann 0.25, and serum bilirubin

had sunk to 1.0. The thymol test had become

negative, and merely the cadmium test was still

positive with +. The total protein had become

normal, and the gamma globulin values had also

decreased to normal.

The patient still attends for six-monthly control

examinations, and to date no signs of a relapse have

been observed.

It should be stressed that this patient was not

subjected to any dietetic restrictions, and it was only

suggested that he should keep down his consumption

of animal fats. The patient was unable to alter his

mode of life owing to excess of work and increasing

social obligations.

Second case: A mother brings her 30-year-old son

to me. He had never been ill before, had done very

well at school, had passed a commercial examination

with distinction, progressed very well in his business

career and had now become first assistant to his boss.

Economically, his position is absolutely secure, and

his boss wants him back fit as soon as possible, in

order to have the services of this valuable assistant

restored to him. The son had smoked relatively

heavily, but had never drunk very much and had

been very moderate in his habits. Two years ago he

contracted fish poisoning. Afterwards he was at first

run down and tired, but during the last six months an

increasing melancholy ill-humour had developed.

The son had become a pronounced hypochondriac;

he no longer had confidence in his own ability,

would sit around sadly in corners and was incapable

of anything. His skin had turned a grayish yellow,

he had no real appetite, and complained of pressure

and a certain fullness on the right underneath the

costal arch. Apart from a few insignificant

childhood complaints, the son had never really been

ill before. His first major illness had been the fish

poisoning. His bowel action was bad, his appetite

extremely small, occasionally he complained of a

bitter taste in his mouth, and his stool was very dry

and dark brown. Very occasionally he suffered dull

frontal headaches.

All the while the mother was depicting this, the

son sat on his chair before my desk staring in front

of him, engrossed in himself. In reply to my question

as to what treatment had been carried out so far, the

mother stated that her son had been to a nerve

specialist, who had given him hormones at first.

Then he had said that it was a case of a serious

psychic disorder, and it would probably be necessary

for the patient to go into an institution for electric

shock treatment. But the mother did not want this at

any price, and wanted to first try to help her son by

other means.

Examination produced the following

pathological findings: very slight subicteric sclera,

increased urobilinogen excretion in the urine, a

strongly inflated abdomen and a substantial

enlargement of the liver, which protruded about four

fingers below the costal margin. The blood picture

showed a slight anæmia of 3.95 mill. ery. and 80

percent. hgb. The blood sedimentation was slightly

high with 13/26. Takata showed 65 mg. percent.,

Weltmann 0.3 mg. per cent., serum bilirubin was

moderately high with 1.9 mg. percent., the cadmium

test was positive with + +, while the thymol test was

positive with + + +. The protein values with blood

also showed an increased total protein and a

moderately severe increase in the gamma globulin.

No other pathological organ findings were to be

observed in the patient. As medication, Card. mar.

ø was administered. A diet was prescribed

specifying no sugar, plenty of vitamin and little fat,

above all no animal fat. After three weeks the

mother returned with her son and said of her own

accord that her son’s appetite had improved

considerably. The son himself greeted me with an

easy friendliness, and in reply to my question he

stated spontaneously that he felt freer, and above all

the pressure which he had felt hitherto underneath

the right costal arch had virtually disappeared. After

a further three weeks, the son came to my surgery

alone. He stated that he again felt the urge to work.

The psychic pressure had left him examination

showed that the swelling of the liver had

retrogressed. The liver could still be felt about 1½

fingers under the costal arch. Urobilinogen was no

longer present in the urine, the Takata had improved

and had sunk to 75 mg. percent., Weltmann was

0.25, cadmium and thymol tests were still positive,

while the serum bilirubin showed 1.6 mg. percent.

After a further three weeks, the patient had a

very fresh appearance, and was himself eager to get

back to work. He felt completely free once again and

full of energy. The liver periphery could still be felt

somewhat hard under the costal arch. Unheated

urobilinogen had become negative in the serum. The

Takata had sunk to 80 mg. percent. After further

four weeks the sedimentation was 4/9, Takata 90 mg.

percent, Weltmann 0.2 mg. percent., thymol and

cadmium tests negative and serum bilirubin 0.9 mg.

percent. The total protein in the blood serum was

normal, while the gamma globulin was also within

completely normal limits. The patient was asked to

return for occasional control examinations. He is

now completely free from all subjective and

objective symptoms.

The third case involved a 68-year-old woman

patient. Throughout her whole life she had been

fully active and energetic. She had managed a

furrier’s business with great success, and had even

kept the business going during the turmoil of the war

and the post-war years. But then one year before

coming to me she had become ailing following a

stomach upset. Remarkable mental changes had

taken place and she became shy, hiding timidly in

her back room; she believed she was ill and that she

would not get well again. In business life she would

venture nothing further, because she had lost her

self-confidence. In addition, she was afraid of being

on her own, so that her daughter could scarcely leave

her side. When the daughter was not at home, then

she insisted that her son should be there. This fear

increased particularly during darkness. She became

very thin, because she felt full after only a few

mouthfuls. She also complained of extensive

flatulence, which increased particularly towards

afternoon. During the examination it was noted that

her skin was very withered and grey. She must have

lost a lot of weight, and this was confirmed by her

relatives. No peculiarities were to be observed in the

mouth, throat and thoracic organs. The stomach was

relatively strongly inflated and was obviously out of

tune with the other regions of the body. The liver

was just palpable, and its periphery painful. The

urine showed increased urbilinogen (unheated), and

also showed an extensive brick dust sediment after a

relatively short period of standing. The blood

picture showed a certain eosinophilia; the stool was

then examined for worm’s eggs, but without success.

Sedimentation was not accelerated, Takata showed

60 mg. percent., Weltmann was normal with 0.25

mg. percent., serum bilirubin showed 1.4 mg.

percent., the thymol test was positive with + +, and

the cadmium test with +. The protein values in the

serum were not determined at that time. Basing on

these findings, the patient was first given

Lycopodium, starting with Lycopodium D30, but no

appreciable improvement was observed over a

period of four weeks. The patient was then given

Lycopodium D12, whereupon the patient’s

condition improved visibly. The stomach was no

longer so inflated; the patient regained her appetite

and started to put on weight. Her interest and

activity in business life returned, and she was no

longer afraid of being alone. But she still did not

think that she was quite fit again, and was afraid that

she had Cancer and it was being kept from her. After

a further eight weeks the patient was hardly to be

recognized. She was back in the sales room, making

her own buying arrangements and sales, and she took

over the administration of money matters which she

had previously handed over to her daughter; she was

once again domineering, but this was not to be

attributed to the Lycopodium, because she had had

this characteristic earlier.

In a recent series of serum tests, Weltmann was

0.2, Takata 90 mg. percent., serum bilirubin 0.8 mg.

percent., while both cadmium and thymol tests had

become negative. The eosinophilia had disappeared

from the blood. I was able to keep check on the

patient for a further four years. She has gained 6

kilos in weight. She has remained completely

healthy and active, and the only symptom of which

she has since complained is arthritic pains in the

knee joint which required treatment from time to

time.

To sum up, it may be said that in the

Homœopathy of psychic disorders connected with

the liver, it is always necessary to observe the total

complex in order to select the successful remedy. A

part should never be taken for the whole. But it has

been found that the disorders are accessible from

both sides. If the psychic disorder dominates the

syndrome, then this symptom is decisive in selecting

the remedy. If the organic findings are in the fore,

as in the Card. mar. case (2nd), then the objective

symptoms beside the subjective symptoms of the

liver disorder must determine the choice of the

remedy to be used.

If both aspects are present to an equal degree, as

in the Lycopodium case, then the remedy selected

must equally cover both groups of symptoms. The

basic principle for selecting the remedy is the rule of

similarity. And whoever has the simile or still better

the simillimum is practicing psychosomatic therapy

in the truest sense, otherwise the rule of similarity

would have no validity whatsoever.

- The British Homœopathic Journal, Jan., 1958.

11. Plausibility of the implausible: is it possible that

ultra high dilutions ‘without biological activity’

cause adverse effects?

TEIXEIRA, Marcus Zulian Faculty of

Medicine, University of São Paulo (FMUSP)

(Int J High Dilution Res 2013; 12(43))

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

The homeopathic scientific model suffers

constant criticism due to employment of different

assumptions and antagonistic to conventional

scientific model, despite constantly develop studies

confirming their premises [1- 3]. The preferred

target of the critics and skeptics rests on the principle

of similitude curative (‘like cures like’) and the use

of ultra-high dilutions (dynamized medicines).

While the principle of similitude is scientifically

grounded in the rebound effect (paradoxical

reaction) of conventional drugs [4,5], being recently

proposed its therapeutic application by modern

pharmacology (‘paradoxical pharmacology’) [6-8],

several studies show clinical, biological and

physical-chemistry activities of ultra-high dilutions

in experimental models [9].

Despite these evidences, many skeptics

questioning the ‘plausibility’ of the homeopathic

model. Disregarding the biological effect of the

homeopathic medicines, they gathered in public

squares from different countries with the purpose of

ingesting large doses of these ‘implausible’ ultra-

high diluted drugs and show that nothing will

happen, because they would not have the power to

cause adverse events as the conventional drugs.

Although they have not notified any disorder after

this massive ingestion of dynamized homeopathic

medicines, a recent systematic review suggests that

they must have suffered serious consequences, as we

have suggested in the past. [10]

In order to counteract the widespread idea that

homeopathy ‘is safe to use’, Posadzki et al. [11]

conducted a systematic review to critically evaluate

the evidence regarding the adverse effects (AEs) of

homeopathy described in published case reports and

case series. In a total of 38 reports analyzed, 30

pertained to direct AEs of homeopathic medicines

encompassing 1142 patients submitted to various

medicines and forms of treatment (mostly, complex

homeopathic medicines in low potencies). Reporting

that “in 94.7% of cases the potencies were described

as below of the 12ª Centesimal, the point beyond

which the likelihood of a single molecule being

present in the remedy approaches zero”, the authors

claim that “in the majority of cases, the possible

mechanism of action involved allergic reactions or

ingestion of toxic substances”. With this approach,

the authors seek to dismiss the biological effects of

ultra-high dilutions, because if they cause AEs

would be confirming the plausibility of its possible

therapeutic effects. However, toxicological tests are

required to affirm that AEs are a consequence of

toxic (allergic) effects of the substances or of

‘imponderable’ effects of ultra-high dilutions.

In view of the recent report cited in the review

[12] in which a complex homeopathic medicine

indicated for treating infant colic (Gali-col Baby,

GCB) caused apparent life-threatening events

(ALTEs were described by the National Institutes of

Health consensus group in 1986 as “an episode that

is frightening to the observer and that is

characterized by some combination of apnea (central

or occasionally obstructive), color change Int J High

Dilution Res 2013; 12(43):41-43 42 (usually

cyanotic or pallid but occasionally erythematous or

plethoric), a marked change in muscle tone (usually

marked limpness), choking or gagging” [13]) in

consequence of the ‘toxicity of active ingredients’

(Citrullus colocynthis, Matricaria chamomilla,

Bryonia alba, Nux vomica, Veratrum album,

Magnesia phosphorica and Cuprum metallicum at

potencies between 4C and 5C), Oberbaum et al. [14]

performed a toxicological study of these components

showing that “doses ingested in the GCB series were

10-13 orders of magnitude smaller than those

reported to cause toxic reactions in humans” and that

“there was poor correlation between symptoms with

GCB and toxic profiles of the components”. As

alternative explanation, they suggest that “four

components (Veratrum album, Cuprum metallicum,

Bryonia alba and Matricaria chamomilla) have an

intermediate to high propensity to produce at least

one of the five symptoms that define ALTE, when

given in homeopathic dilutions. Two of these

(Veratrum album and Cuprum metallicum) have an

intermediate-to-high propensity to produce three of

the four possible ALTE symptoms”. The authors

conclude that “it is unlikely that the ALTE following

ingestion of GCB was a toxic reaction to any of the

drug’s component”, proposing the ‘homeopathic

theory’ (pathogenetic manifestations) [15] as

explanation for this linkage.

In view of these results, it can be inferred that

AEs caused by homeopathic medicines at potencies

≥ 6C ‘are more closely related to the imponderable

effects of ultra-high dilutions than the toxic (allergic)

effects of substances’. Accordingly, other case

reports cited in that review described serious AEs

with potencies of this magnitude, including the

occurrence of ‘drug rash with eosinophilia and

severe pulmonary involvement’ after using Sedativ

PC (complex homeopathic medicine with 6

ingredients in 6CH) [16], and the occurrence of

‘heart disease and bladder cancer’ with a complex

homeopathic medicine in very high potencies

(Aconitum napellus, Baryta carbonica, Cantharis

vesicatoria, Gambogia, Pulsatilla nigricans and Rhus

toxicodendron at 1000c, M or 10M potencies) [17],

discarding any influence of ‘toxicity of substances’.

Similarly, in a systematic review on information

regarding adverse effects of homeopathic medicines

including 19 reports of clinical trials, 19 case (or case

series) reports and 15 homeopathic pathogenetic

trials, Dantas and Rampes [18] concluded that “the

mean incidence of AEs of homeopathic medicines

(ultra-high dilutions) was greater than placebo

(9.4/6.1) in controlled clinical trials”, including

mostly headaches, tiredness, skin eruptions,

dizziness, bowel dysfunction such as diarrhea or

loose stools and, more frequently, aggravations of

symptoms following the administration of

homeopathic medicines.

Countering the false adage that “if homeopathic

medicines do not do well, evil also do not do”, the

evidence of the manifestations of serious AEs with

the inappropriate use of complex homeopathic

medicines and/or very low potencies are an alert to

the need to achieve a ‘good homeopathic clinical

practice’, in conformity with the fundamentals of

‘therapeutic similitude’ according to the

‘pathogenetic experimentation’ and the

‘individualized medicines’. On the other hand,

allows observation of biological effect of ultra-high

diluted substances, reiterating the scientific validity

of the use of the ‘dynamized medicines’.

References

[1] Proceedings of the XXV GIRI Symposium, 2011

Nov05, Monaco. Int J High Dilution Res. 2011;

10(35).

[2] Proceedings of the XXVI GIRI Symposium,

2011 Sep04, Foz do Iguaçú (Brazil). Int J High

Dilution Res. 2011; 10(36).

[3] Proceedings of the XXVI GIRI Symposium;

2012 Sep20-22, Florence (Italy). Int J High Dilution

Res. 2012; 11(40).

[4] Teixeira MZ. Homeopathic use of modern drugs:

therapeutic application of the organism paradoxical

reaction or rebound effect. Int J High Dilution Res.

2011; 10(37): 338-352. Int J High Dilution Res

2013; 12(43):41-43 43

[5] Teixeira MZ. Rebound effect of drugs: fatal risk

of conventional treatment and pharmacological basis

of homeopathic treatment. Int J High Dilution Res.

2012; 11(39): 69-106.

[6] Bond RA. Is paradoxical pharmacology a

strategy worth pursuing? Trends Pharmacol Sci.

2001; 22(6): 273- 276.

[7] Bond RA, Giles H. For the love of paradox: from

neurobiology to pharmacology. Behav Pharmacol.

2011; 22(5-6): 385-389.

[8] Smith SW, Hauben M, Aronson JK. Paradoxical

and bidirectional drug effects. DrugSaf. 2012; 35(3):

173- 189.

[9] Teixeira MZ. Scientific evidence of the

homeopathic epistemological model. Int J High

Dilution Res. 2011; 10(34): 46-64.

[10] Teixeira MZ. Results of mass overdose of

homeopathic medicines in United Kingdom:

scepticism or prejudice? Int J High Dilution Res.

2010; 9(30): 3-4.

[11] Posadzki P, Alotaibi A, Ernst E. Adverse effects

of homeopathy: a systematic review of published

case reports and case series. Int J ClinPract. 2012,

66(12): 1178-1188.

[12] Aviner S, Berkovitch M, Dalkian H, Braunstein

R, Lomnicky Y, Schlesinger M. Use of a

homeopathic preparation for ‘‘infantile colic’’ and

an apparent life-threatening event. Pediatrics. 2010;

125: E318–23.

[13] National Institutes of Health Consensus

Development Conference on Infantile Apnea and

Home Monitoring, Sept 29 to Oct 1, 1986.

Pediatrics. 1987; 79(2): 292–299

[14] Oberbaum M, Samuels N, Ben-Arye E, Amitai

Y, Singer SR. Apparent life-threatening events in

infants and homeopathy: an alternative explanation.

Hum ExpToxicol. 2012; 31(1): 3-10.

[15] Walach H, Sherr J, Schneider R, Shabi R, Bond

A, Rieberer G. Homeopathic proving symptoms:

result of a local, non-local, or placebo process? A

blinded, placebo-controlled pilot study.

Homeopathy. 2004; 93(4): 179- 185.

[16] Bernez A, Perrinaud A, Abdallah-Lotf M,

Magro P, Machet L. [DRESS syndrome with severe

pulmonary involvement following oral intake of a

homeopathic drug]. Ann Dermatol Venereol. 2008;

135(2):140-142.

[17] Geukens A. Two more case histories. J Am Ins

Homeopath. 2001; 94(2): 93–105. Available at:

http://www.homeopathyusa.org/journal/.

[18] Dantas F, Rampes H. Do homeopathic

medicines provoke adverse effects? A systematic

review. Br Homeopath J. 2000; 89 (Suppl. I): S35-8.

=====================================

12. Debate: The philosophical and evidentiary

basis of homoeopathic immunisation: a

response to Teixeira

GOLDEN, Isaac

(Int J High Dilution Res Vol. 13, 46/2014)

ABSTRACT

Homoeopathic immunisation was first used in

1798, but remains controversial with some

homoeopathic practitioners. Teixeira supports the

use of genus epidemicus (GE) remedies, but strongly

condemns the use of nosodes for disease prevention.

However, Teixeira failed to fully understand the

principle of similars, he used a double standard when

comparing evidences using GE remedies and

nosodes, he misread information demonstrating the

safety of long-term homoeoprophylaxis (HP), and he

appeared to be unaware of scientific evidence which

is available supporting the prophylactic use of

nosodes. These four areas are addressed in turn, and

evidence from 1798 to 2012 is presented showing

that appropriate homoeopathic immunisation using

GE remedies and/or nosodes has the potential to

prevent much suffering without any risk of possible

short-term toxic damage or long-term energetic

adverse effects.

Introduction

Homoeopathic immunisation

(homoeoprophylaxis – HP) is controversial even

within the homoeopathic community. Teixeira,

whilst writing to support the use of genus

epidemicus (GE) remedies in the prevention of

epidemic diseases, has attacked the prophylactic use

of nosodes claiming that they “do not take the

epistemological features of Hahnemann's

homoeopathy into account nor exhibit scientific

evidence”. He has further suggested that advocates

of this approach, such as Dr Dorothy Shepherd and

this author, “transgress the bioethical principles of

beneficence and non-maleficence”[1].

However Teixeira has failed to fully understand

the principle of similars, he has used a double

standard when comparing evidence using GE

remedies and nosodes, he has misread information

demonstrating the safety of long-term HP, and he

appears to be unaware of scientific evidence which

is available supporting the prophylactic use of

nosodes.

The principle of similars

Teixeira correctly stated that when applied to

homoeopathic treatment, the principle of similars

indicates that, “substances causing symptoms on

healthy individuals can be used to heal similar

symptoms in sick individuals”[1, p.157].

However, when applied to homeopathic

prevention, the principle of similars can be restated

in two ways:

(1) A substance that can cure symptoms of an

infectious disease is capable of preventing similar

symptoms in previously unprotected people.

Hahnemann's use of Belladonna to both cure and

prevent scarlet fever is an example of this statement.

(2) A substance that can cause symptoms similar to

the common symptoms of an infectious disease is

capable of preventing similar symptoms in

previously unprotected people. Hahnemann’s

proving of China officinalis is an example of this

statement, as is the use of appropriately selected

nosodes.

It is correct that if different outbreaks of the

same disease produce dissimilar symptoms, then a

single remedy will not provide effective prophylaxis

in both outbreaks. However, if the common

symptoms of different outbreaks are similar, then a

remedy chosen because of its similarity to these

common symptoms (whether a GE remedy or a

nosode) will be effective in both. This statement

holds true even though different people acquiring the

disease may need different remedies for treatment.

This is the very reason why Kent stated that “you

will find that for prophylaxis there is required a less

degree of similitude than is necessary for curing …

We must look to homeopathy for our protection as

well as for our cure”[2].

Teixeira incorrectly interprets Hahnemann’s

attack on the use of isopathy in Aphorism 56 – “a

method of curing a given disease by the same

contagious principle that produces it”[1, p.161] – as

an attack on the use of nosodes in disease prevention.

Firstly, it is highly unlikely that the organism used to

prepare a nosode of, say, pertussis would be identical

with the strain of the organism against which it is

being used as preventative. It certainly would not use

material from the same patient as in true isopathy,

where, for example, a patient’s own blood or urine is

potentised and prescribed to the patient as a remedy.

Thus, we are not using ”the same”. Secondly,

Hahnemann was referring to treatment of established

diseases, not to the prevention of a disease. Thirdly,

Hahnemann elsewhere stated that once a substance

is potentised it is no longer identical – “even if the

prepared itch substance should be given to the same

patient from whom it was taken, it would not remain

idem (the same), as it could only be useful to him in

a potentized state, since crude itch substance which

he has already in his body as an idem is without

effect on him. But the dynamization or potentizing

changes it and modifies it; … Thus potentized and

modified also, the itch substance (Psorin) when

taken is no more an idem (same) with the crude

original itch substance, but only a simillimum (thing

most similar)”[3]. So Hahnemann expressed a range

of views on this issue.

Teixeira incorrectly stated that nosodes could

not be used homoeopathically, because they have not

been subjected to pathogenic trials (provings). In

fact, some small provings of a range of nosodes have

been undertaken. However, just as the use of

toxicological information pertaining to a substance

can appropriately be incorporated into the materia

medica of the substance alongside provings, so can

knowledge of the common symptoms produced by

an organism be used in the materia medica of that

organism[4]. So, as noted above, it is possible to

select nosodes for use in a HP program based totally

on the principle of similars and, in fact, that is the

only basis on which any substance used in a HP

program should be selected.

Evidence supporting the efficacy of GE remedies

Teixeira presents a thorough outline of the use

of homoeopathy in epidemic diseases. However,

most of the evidence presented relates to the

successful use of homoeopathy in treating resulting

cases of disease, not in prevention. There are a few

examples given relating to prevention using GE

remedies, none of which formed part of randomised

control trials (RCTs). However, when Teixeira

attacked the use of HP, he complained that there was

an absence of controlled clinical studies. This is a

clear double standard, as is his criticism of HP using

nosodes because there is no evidence that antibodies

are produced, without applying the same test to GE

results. In fact, homoeopathic immunisation using

either approach does not rely on antibody

stimulation, and thus testing is not expected to show

changed antibody levels.

Teixeira describes some of the relatively few

RCTs used to evaluate homoeopathic treatment,

about which there is considerable disagreement

between the homoeopathic and allopathic

professions. In addition, the use of RCTs is

increasingly seen within the allopathic literature to

be problematical due to fundamental flaws in design,

which means that the practical relevance of findings

is frequently compromised [5,6,7].

Thus, just as the findings of well-constructed

studies using GE remedies should be accepted, so

should well constructed studies using nosodes.

Examples of such studies will be presented below.

Evidence of the safety of HP using nosodes

Teixeira incorrectly states, “Golden reports

rates of adverse effects higher than 10% in children

subjected to this method – similar to those of

conventional vaccination”[1. p.165]. In fact, the per-

dose reaction rate was 1.5%[8], which is

considerably less than that expected per dose from

vaccination.

Further, the author conducted a separate study

examining the long-term safety of four methods of

immunisation – vaccination, HP, constitutional

protection, and no method at all. The results using

diagnoses made by general practitioners (GPs) are

presented in Table 1, which clearly show that the use

of appropriate long-term HP is significantly less

damaging than vaccination and, as a fact, appears to

be no less safe than the use of general or

constitutional treatment as an immunisation option.

They show, for example, that vaccinated children

have 15 times greater odds of developing asthma

than children using an appropriate HP program

(based on nosodes)[9].

Table 1: Comparative long-term safety of HP using GP diagnoses

Method

Condition

Measurement

HP only

Vaccination

only

General

only

Nothing

Asthma

Odds ratio

0.124

1.89

0.49

0.69

Chi test P

0.0006

0.0007

0.13

6.5E-40

Eczema

Odds ratio

0.239

1.76

0.225

0.665

Chi test P

0.0097

0.006

0.025

6.5E-40

Ear/

Odds ratio

0.703

1.517

0.599

0.401

Hearing

Chi test P

0.364

0.04

0.282

9.4E-41

Allergies

Odds ratio

0.307

1.518

0.446

0.608

Chi test P

0.038

0.061

0.171

5.8E-40

Behaviour

Odds ratio

0.541

0.784

1.675

0.784

Chi test P

0.055

0.613

0.049

1.2E-40

There is a growing body of rigorous scientific

evidence supporting the effectiveness of

homoeopathic immunisation whether using GE

remedies or nosodes. There are very few if any RCTs

of value, however, as stated above, this in no way

limits the value of the findings of well-constructed

studies. These studies cover both short-term and

long-term uses.

Short-term: one of the best reports (in English) of

the use of nosodes for short-term protection was

during an outbreak of meningococcal meningitis

type B in Brazil in 1998. The doctors conducting the

intervention in 65,826 children followed this group

plus another group of 23,539 unimmunised children

for 12 months. They reported an effectiveness of

intervention of 95% after 6 months and 91% after 12

months[10].

Long-term: The research conducted by the author

from 1986 to 2004 using long-term HP, mainly

nosodes based and one GE remedy, yielded the

following results surveying 2,342 child-years:

effectiveness = 90.4% - confidence interval (95%-

CI) = (87.6% - 93.2%) (p= 0.05)[11].

The study was not controlled. However, it is

possible to use a de facto control via national attack

rates for the three diseases for which there were

failures. Table 2 shows these figures.

It is appropriate to acknowledge the significant

contribution made to HP evidence by scientists at

Finlay Institute in Havana, Cuba. They performed

interventions in 2007 and 2008 in over 2.2 million

people against increasing levels of leptospirosis

triggered by severe hurricane damage [12]. The

interventions were highly successful, and led to the

homoeopathic immunisation

Table 2: Comparison of national and HP attack rates

Disease

Attack rate, unimmunised%

Attack rate, HP %

Efficacy of HP %

Whooping Cough

85.0

11.7

86.2

Measles

90.0

9.0

90.0

Mumps

70.0

5.9

91.6

(based on nosodes) of the entire country population

over 12 months of age against swine flu in 2009/10,

to wit, about 9.8 million people. HP is also being

used against pneumococcal disease, hepatitis A and

dengue fever. The Cubans generally use a

combination of nosodes and GE remedies. Whilst

this is not the approach used by the author, the Cuban

approach does work almost certainly, because every

remedy in the mixture has a degree of similarity to

the common symptoms of the infectious disease it

aims to prevent.

Table 3 provides a snapshot of the use of HP, both

GE remedies and nosodes, from Hahnemann’s time

till this day. Quantified measures of effectiveness

were shown to be comparably effective to results

using vaccines in real-life situations.

Table 3: Snapshot of the historical use of HP

Year

Author(s)

Disease

Type

Numbers

Effectiveness

1798

Hahnemann[13]

Scarlet fever

GE

1646

92.9%

1801

Dudgeon[14]

Scarlet fever

GE

1831

Hahnemann[15]

Cholera

GE

1831

Hufeland[16]

Scarlet fever

GE

1849

Von Bœnning

hausen[17]

Cholera

GE

1884

Burnett [18]

Smallpox

Nosode

1900

Kent[19]

Various

GE

1907

Eaton[20]

Smallpox

Nosode

2,806

97.5%

1920

Close[21]

Various

GE

1932

Chavanon[22]

Diphtheria

Nosode

1941

Patterson and

Boyd[23]

Diphtheria

Nosode

33

1950

Taylor Smith[24]

Polio

GE

82

No cases

reported

1956

Heisfelder[25]

Polio

GE

6,000

No cases

reported

1963

Gutman[26]

Influenza

Nosode

385

86.0%

1967

Shepherd[27]

Various

Nosode/GE

1968

Krishnamurty[28]

Influenza

Nosode

1972

Sankaran P[29]

Various

Nosode/GE

1974

Castro &

Noguiera[30]

Meningitis

Nosode

18,640/6,340

86.1%

1976

Blackie[31]

Influenza

Nosode

1976

Mathur[32]

Various

Nosode/GE

1982

Speight[33]

Various

Nosode/GE

1989

Lockie[34]

Various

Nosode/GE

1991

Eizayaga[35]

Various

Nosode

1991

Sethi[36]

Diphtheria;

Measles;

Polio;

Pertussis

Nosode/GE

1993

Lessell[37]

Various

Nosode/GE

1996

CCRH[38]

Dengue fever

Nosode

23,250

99.8%

1998

Mroninski[10]

Meningitis

type B

Nosode

65,826 /

23,539

92.4% – 91.0%

1999

Srinivasulu[39]

Japanese

encephalitis

GE

20 million

Cases reduced to

0 after 3 years

2001

Marino[40]

Dengue fever

GE

2003

Partington[41]

Malaria

Nosode

33

2004

Golden[11]

Pertussis;

Measles;

Mumps

Nosode

2,342 child-

years

Pertussis=86.2%;

Mumps= 91.6%;

Measles=90.0%

2006

Minah &

Margai[42]

Malaria

Nosode

731

2007

Nunes[43]

Dengue fever

GE

156,129

Significant fall

in cases

2007

Finlay Institute,

Cuba[12]

Leptospirosis

Nosode + GE

2.2 million+

Significantly

fewer cases

2008

Finlay Institute,

Cuba[12]

Leptospirosis

Nosode + GE

2.2 million+

Significantly

fewer cases

These few examples point to the range of evidence

available from well-constructed and rigorous HP

interventions using both GE remedies and nosodes.

There are more, and fortunately there is on-going

research in different countries to expand the

evidentiary base of HP.

Conclusions

Teixeira's contribution was thorough and

contains valuable information. It is disappointing

that the misunderstandings and errors noted above

regarding the appropriate use of nosodes to prevent

targeted infectious diseases led Teixeira to attack the

many thousands of homoeopathic practitioners

worldwide who use appropriate HP programs based

on nosodes as transgressing “the bioethical

principles of beneficence and non-maleficence”.

Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact,

evidence shows that appropriate homoeopathic

immunisation using GE remedies and/or nosodes has

the potential to prevent much suffering without any

risk of possible short-term toxic damage or long-

term energetic adverse effects.

References

[1] MZ Teixeira. Homeopathy: a preventive

approach to medicine? Int J High Dilution Res

[online]. 2009 [cited 2013 October 15]; 8(29): 155-

172. Available from:

http://www.feg.unesp.br/~ojs/index.php/ijhdr/articl

e/view/360/407

[2] Kent JT. Lecture 29, Lectures on Homoeopathic

Philosophy. 1900. B.Jain Publishing. New Delhi.

Page 229.

[3] Hahnemann S, The Chronic Diseases 1838.

B.Jain Publishing. New Delhi. Page 152.

[4] Vermeulen F. Monera. Emryss Publishers,

Haarlem, The Netherlands. 2005.

[5] Walach H. The efficacy paradox in randomized

controlled trials of CAM and elsewhere: beware of

the placebo trap. J Altern Complement Med 2001; 7:

213-18.

[6] Ioannidis JPA. Why most published research

findings are false. PLoS Med 2005; 2: e124.

[7] Golden I. Beyond Randomized Controlled Trials:

Evidence in Complementary Medicine. Journal of

Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative

Medicine Volume 17 Issue 1 January 2012. 2012.

DOI 10.1177/2156587211429351

[8] Golden I. Vaccination & Homoeoprophylaxis? A

review of risks and alternatives. 7th edition.

Gisborne: Isaac Golden Publications, 2010. Page

150.

[9] Golden I. Homoeoprophylaxis: A Fifteen Year

Clinical Study. Isaac Golden Publications, Gisborne,

Australia. 2005. Page 40.

[10] Mroninski C, Adriano E, Mattos G (2001)

Meningococcinum: Its protective effect against

meningococcal disease. Homeopathic Links Winter

Vol 14(4); pp. 230-4.

[11] Golden I. The Complete Practitioner’s Manual

of Homoeoprophylaxis, Isaac Golden Publications,

Gisborne, Australia. 2012. Page 66.

[12] Bracho G, Varela E, Fernández R, et al. Large-

scale application of highly-diluted bacteria for

Leptospirosis epidemic control. Homeopathy. 2010;

99: 156-

[13] Hahnemann S. The Cure and Prevention of

Scarlet Fever, Lesser Writings. B.Jain Publishing.

New Delhi. 1801. P.369ff.

[14] Dudgeon R. E. 1853. Lectures on the Theory

and Practice of Homeopathy. p.541,2. Republished

by B. Jain Publishers, 2002, New Dehli.

[15] Hahnemann S. Cause and Prevention of the

Asiatic Cholera. 1831. Lesser Writings. B.Jain

Publishing. New Delhi. 1801. P.369ff.

[16] Hufeland CW, Prophylactic Power of

Belladonna in Scarlet Fever. Hufeland's Journal,

1826.

[17] von Boenninghausen CMF, Brief Instructions

for Non-Physicians Concerning the Prophylaxis and

Treatment of Asiatic Cholera, Lesser Writings.

B.Jain Publishers, New Delhi, 1986 (reprint). p. 303.

[18] Burnett JC, Vaccinosis and its Cure by Thuja;

with Remarks on Homœoprophylaxis. W H L, 1992

(reprint), pp. 114, 115.

[19] Kent JT, Lectures on Homoeopathic

Philosophy. B. Jain Publishers, New Delhi, 5th

Edition, 1954, p. 229.

[20] Eaton CW, Variolinum, Transactions of the

American Institute of Homoeopathy, 1907.

www.whale.to/v/eaton.html.

[21] Close S, The Genius of Homoeopathy. B. Jain

Publishers, New Delhi, 1991, p. 20.

[22] Chavanon, P. La Dipterie, 4th edition. St. Denis,

Niort: Imprimerie 1932.

[23] Patterson, J and Boyd WE. Potency Action: A

Preliminary Study of the Alteration of the Schick

Test by a Homeopathic Potency. British

Homeopathic Journal. 1941; 31: 301-309.

[24] Taylor-Smith A. Poliomyelitis and prophylaxis.

Br Homeopath J. 1950 Apr;40(2):65-77. PMID:

15420319.

[25] Eisfelder, HW, Poliomyelitis Immunization: A

Final Report. Journal of the American Institute of

Homeopathy. V. 54, Nov-Dec 1961, pp. 166-167.

[26] Gutman W. Homeopathic oral vaccine against

influenza. Homeopathy. 1963. 13(12); pp. 185, 187.

[27] Dr Dorothy Shepherd, Homoeopathy in

Epidemic Diseases. Health Science Press, 1981

reprint, p. 15.

[28] Krishnamurty, Report on the use of

Influenzinum during the outbreak of epidemic in

India in 1968. Hahnemannian Gleanings.

1970;37:225-6.

[29] Sankaran P, Prophylactics in Homoeopathy.

The Homoeopathic Medical Publishers, 1961.

[30] Castro D & Nogueira GG, Use of the Nosode

Meningococcinum as a preventative Against

Meningitis. J.A.I.H. 68: 1975; pp. 211-219

[31] Blackie M, The Challenge of Homoeopathy.

Unwin, 1981, p. 184.

[32] Mathur DK, Principles of Prescribing. B.Jain

Publishers, New Delhi, 1987 (reprint), pp. 50, 53.

[33] Speight LJ, Homoeopathy and Immunisation.

Health Science Press. 1982. p. 3.

[34] Lockie A, The Family Guide to Homoeopathy.

Guild Publishing. 1989. p. 17.

[35] Eizayaga FX, Treatise on Homoeopathic

Medicine. E Marecel, Buenos Aires. 1991. pp. 282-

286.

[36] Sethi B, Homoeo Prophylactic Remedies.

B.Jain Publishers, New Delhi, 1991. pp. 22, 47, 56,

78.

[37] Lessell CB, The World Traveller's Manual of

Homoeopathy. C W Daniel Co Ltd,1993. Page 14.

[38] Central Council of Research in Homoeopathy.

CCRH News 1996-1997.

[39] Srinivasulu G. Poster presentation. 60th

Homeopathic World Medical Congress. Berlin. 4-

7/5/2005.

[40] Marino R. Homeopathy and Collective Health:

The Case of Dengue Epidemics. Int J High Dilution

Res 2008; 7(25):179-185.

http://www.feg.unesp.br/~ojs/index.php/ijhdr/articl

e/viewFile/312/373

[41] Partington, T. Silent and Deadly: Prophylaxis

and Treatment of Malaria. Homeopathy in Practice,

2006, pp.14-19.

[42] Minah J and Margai FM. The Use of Malaria

Nosodes to Reduce the Prevalence of Malaria in

Depressed Communities. Minah JB: Anfrage nach

Unterstützung einer Forschungsarbeit an das

Sekretariat des DZVhÄ. 20. Oktober. 2006.

[43] Nunes LA de S. Contribution of homeopathy to

the control of an outbreak of dengue in Macaé, Rio

de Janeiro. Int J High Dilution Res. 2008; 7(25):186-

192.

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e/viewFile/315/374

[44] Lyrio C et al. The use of homeopathy to prevent

symptoms of human flu and acute respiratory

infections: a double blind, randomized, placebo-

controlled clinical trial with 600 children from

Brazilian Public Health Service. Int J High Dilution

Res 2011; 10(36):174-176.

http://www.feg.unesp.br/~ojs/index.php/ijhdr/articl

e/view/499/513

13. DEBATE: Isoprophylaxis is neither homeo-

prophylaxis nor homeopathic immunization,

but isopathic immunization unsupported by

the homeopathic epistemological model: a

response to Golden

Marcus Zulian Teixeira

(Int J High Dilution Res Vol.13, 46/2014)

Abstract

Homeopathy might be employed for the

prevention of epidemic diseases

(homeoprophylaxis) provided remedies are selected

on an individual basis in compliance with the

‘principle of symptom-based similitude’ and

according to the totality of symptoms peculiar to a

given epidemic (remedy of the ‘epidemic genius’ or

‘genus epidemicus’), as countless examples in the

literature show. The use of nosodes for the

prevention of epidemic diseases (isoprophylaxis),

i.e., selected based on the ‘principle of etiological

identity’ with full neglect of symptom-based

individualization and pathogenetic trials, is not

supported by the homeopathic epistemological

model. As long as there are no reliable scientific

evidences attesting to its efficacy and safety,

‘isopathic immunization’ might not be indicated as a

regular replacement of classical immunization, as it

would mean a transgression of the bioethical

principles of ‘beneficence’ and ‘non-maleficence’.

Although many homeopathic practitioners

systematically indicate that practice, it is condemned

by homeopathic institutions worldwide. In this

article, I elaborate on epistemological, ethical and

scientific features of these disparate approaches to

prophylaxis, which I had summarily addressed in a

previous review.

Introduction

In 2009, I published a review on the therapeutic

and preventive application of Hahnemann’s

homeopathy to epidemic diseases, according to

which the selection of the ‘constitutional’ and

‘epidemic genius’ or ‘genus epidemicus’ (GE)

remedies ought to be based on the ‘principle of

symptom-based similitude’ (‘homeopathic’ and

‘individualized’). On those grounds, I criticized the

indiscriminate use of ‘isopathic’ medicines

(‘nosodes’, ‘isotherapic’ or ‘biotherapic’ agents,

which are selected according to the ‘principle of

etiological identity’) as a standard prophylactic

approach against epidemic diseases instead of

classical immunization, for neglecting the

epistemological premises of the traditional

homeopathic model that underlie those century-old

applications. In addition, I stressed the need to

‘individualize’ the GE remedies indicated for the

treatment and/or prevention of each new epidemic

outbreak of a same disease, as well as in function of

their different stages [1].

Asserting that I “failed to fully understand the

principle of similars”, Isaac Golden criticizes my

views in this issue of IJHDR [2], on the grounds that

I “used a double standard when comparing evidence

using GE remedies and nosodes”, “misread

information demonstrating the safety of long-term

homoeoprophylaxis (HP)” and “appeared to be

unaware of scientific evidence which is available

supporting the prophylactic use of nosodes”.

To substantiate my views, in that review I drew

heavily on and quoted extensively from

Hahnemann’s Organon of Medicine [3] and Lesser

Writings [4], which represent the backbone of the

homeopathic epistemological model. However, it

seems that Golden did not read my review, as many

of the epistemological, scientific and ethical issues

he disputes are thoroughly elucidated there [1].

For that reason, I thank the Editor of IJHDR the

opportunity afforded to elaborate further on the

epistemological, scientific and ethical aspects

addressed in the previous review to show that the

isoprophylactic program formulated by Golden has

no support in the homeopathic epistemological

model, and that its author does not provide scientific

evidence attesting to its safety and effectiveness, and

transgresses the bioethical aspects of “beneficence”

and “non-maleficence”.

Epistemological premises of the homeopathic

method of treatment

The homeopathic method of treatment of

(chronic, acute and epidemic) diseases is based on

four fundamental premises or assumptions: 1)

similarity of signs and symptoms between patient

and remedy (principle of symptom-based

similitude); 2) testing of remedies in humans

(pathogenetic trials); 3) prescription of

individualized remedies; and 4) use of potentized

remedies. From these four basic assumptions, the use

of potentized or dynamized (serially diluted and

agitated) remedies is attributed particular relevance,

although Hahnemann first formulated it to minimize

the occurrence of eventual aggravations. The

foundations of the epistemological model of

Hahnemann’s homeopathy are provided by the

former two, i.e., therapeutic similarity and

pathogenetic trials of drugs, while therapeutic

individualization (based on the ‘totality of

characteristic signs and symptoms’) is the inherent

condition that allows for the curative (preventive)

reaction of the organism to be effectively awakened

[1, 5].

As it is known, those assumptions are explained

in several paragraphs of Organon of Medicine in the

simple, clear and free from contradiction style that

characterizes Hahnemann’s reasoning. In my

previous review, I quoted and commented briefly

Hahnemann’s assertions, here I present further

elaboration to make them more easily

understandable.

Principle of symptom-based similitude (law of

similars)

In Organon of Medicine § 6-12 [3], Hahnemann

attributes the cause of any disease to an ‘imbalance

of the vital force’ (“morbid derangement of the

internal dynamis”), which is revealed to us by the

‘totality of manifested signs and symptoms’

(“morbid phenomena perceptible to our senses”). By

the same token, the cure of diseases (“recovered

health of the whole organism”) occurs through the

“restoration of the integrity of the vital force”,

resulting in the “disappearance under treatment of all

the morbid phenomena”.

“It is the morbidly affected vital energy alone

that produces diseases, so that the morbid

phenomena perceptible to our senses express at the

same time all the internal change, that is to say, the

whole morbid derangement of the internal dynamis;

in a word, they reveal the whole disease;

consequently, also, the disappearance under

treatment of all the morbid phenomena and of all the

morbid alterations that differ from the healthy vital

operations, certainly affects and necessarily implies

the restoration of the integrity of the vital force and,

therefore, the recovered health of the whole

organism.” (Organon of Medicine, § 12)

Due to the “futility of transcendental

speculation which can receive no confirmation from

experience”, Hahnemann had no interest whatsoever

in investigating “how the vital force causes the

organism to display morbid phenomena, that is, how

it produces disease”, as “it would be of no practical

utility to the physician to know” (Organon of

Medicine, § 6 note to § 12). Other homeopaths

sought to explain the principle of therapeutic

similarity by appealing to ‘metaphysical’ notions,

but Hahnemann remained highly critical of such

endeavors to prioritize the more practical and

scientific approaches (phenomenological qualitative

research) that in time proved to be crucial for the

survival of the homeopathic model along more than

two centuries. In Organon of Medicine, § 14-18, he

reiterates that the diagnosis of the vital force

imbalance and of all diseases “makes itself known to

the accurately observing physicians by means of

morbid signs and symptoms”.

“From this indubitable truth, that besides the

totality of the symptoms with consideration of the

accompanying modalities (§ 5) nothing can by any

means be discovered in disease wherewith they

could express their need of aid, it follows undeniably

that the sum of all the symptoms and conditions in

each individual case of disease must be the sole

indication, the sole guide to direct us in the choice of

a remedy.” (Organon of Medicine, § 18)

In § 19-22, Hahnemann highlights the relevance

of the ‘pathogenetic trials of substances in humans’,

as doctors can only learn the curative properties of

drugs from the “totality of signs and symptoms

[they] cause in the state of men’s health”. Once a

doctor learns the type of symptoms that substances

arouse in experimental subjects (similar or opposite

to the symptoms of the disease to treat), he or she

will be able to indicate a similar (homeopathic) or

opposite (enantiopathic) treatment.

“But as nothing is to be observed in diseases that

must be removed in order to change them into health

besides the totality of their signs and symptoms, and

likewise medicines can show nothing curative

besides their tendency to produce morbid symptoms

in healthy persons and to remove them in diseased

persons; it follows, on the one hand, that medicines

only become remedies and capable of annihilating

disease, because the medicinal substance, by

exciting certain effects and symptoms, that is to say,

by producing a certain artificial morbid state,

removes and abrogates the symptoms already

present, to wit, the natural morbid state we wish to

cure. On the other hand, it follows that, for the

totality of the symptoms of the disease to be cured, a

medicine must be sought which (according as

experience shall prove whether the morbid

symptoms are most readily, certainly, and

permanently removed and changed into health by

similar or opposite medicinal symptoms) have the

greatest tendency to produce similar or opposite

symptoms.” (Organon of Medicine, § 22)

As the “persistent symptoms of disease are far

from being removed and annihilated by opposite

symptoms of medicines (as in the antipathic,

enantiopathic or palliative method), that, on the

contrary, after transient, apparent alleviation, they

break forth again, only with increased intensity, and

become manifestly aggravated” (Organon of

Medicine, § 23, 58-62, 69), Hahnemann

recommends the ‘homeopathic method of

treatment’, “by means of which we seek, for the

totality of the symptoms of the case of disease, a

medicine which among all medicines (whose

pathogenetic effects are known from having been

tested in healthy individuals) has the power and the

tendency to produce an artificial morbid state most

similar to that of the case of disease in question”

(Organon of Medicine, § 24-29).

“Now, however, in all careful trials, pure

experience, the sole and infallible oracle of the

healing art, teaches us that actually that medicine

which, in its action on the healthy human body, has

demonstrated its power of producing the greatest

number of symptoms similar to those observable in

the case of disease under treatment, does also, in

doses of suitable potency and attenuation, rapidly,

radically and permanently remove the totality of the

symptoms of this morbid state, that is to say (§ 6-16),

the whole disease present, and change it into health;

and that all medicines cure, without exception, those

diseases whose symptoms most nearly resemble

their own, and leave none of them uncured.”

(Organon of Medicine, § 25)

“The curative power of medicines, therefore,

depends on their symptoms, similar to the disease

but superior to it in strength (§ 12-26), so that each

individual case of disease is most surely, radically,

rapidly and permanently annihilated and removed

only by a medicine capable of producing (in the

human system) in the most similar and complete

manner the totality of its symptoms, which at the

same time are stronger than the disease.” (Organon

of Medicine, § 27)

In Organon of Medicine § 63, Hahnemann

outlines a physiological explanation of the

‘mechanism of action’ of the principle of therapeutic

similitude employed in the homeopathic method of

treatment: “Every agent that acts upon the vitality,

every medicine, deranges more or less the vital force,

and causes a certain alteration in the health of the

individual for a longer or a shorter period. This is

termed primary action. […] To its action our vital

force endeavors to oppose its own energy. This

resistant action is a property, is indeed an automatic

action of our life-preserving power, which goes by

the name of secondary action or counteraction”.

Hahnemann describes several examples of that

universal mechanism of action of drugs (primary

action of the drug followed by secondary and

opposite action of the organism) in association with

the physiological effects of various palliative

(enantiopathic) treatments used in his time.

“[...] Excessive vivacity follows the use of

strong coffee (primary action), but sluggishness and

drowsiness remain for a long time afterwards

(reaction, secondary action), if this be not always

again removed for a short time by imbibing fresh

supplies of coffee (palliative). After the profound

stupefied sleep caused by opium (primary action),

the following night will be all the more sleepless

(reaction, secondary action). After the constipation

produced by opium (primary action), diarrhoea

ensues (secondary action); and after purgation with

medicines that irritate the bowels, constipation of

several days’ duration ensues (secondary action).

And in like manner it always happens, after the

primary action of a medicine that produces in large

doses a great change in the health of a healthy

person, that its exact opposite, when, as has been

observed, there is actually such a thing, is produced

in the secondary action by our vital force.” (Organon

of Medicine, § 65)

The homeopathic model of treatment profits

from the secondary action (vital reaction) of the

organism as a therapeutic means. By administering

to ill individuals substances that were proven to

cause a similar ‘totality of characteristic symptoms

and signs’ (similia similibus curentur), homeopaths

seek to awaken an effective and healing vital

reaction of the organism against its own disorders,

thus restoring its normal state of health. It is worth

mentioning for the sake of future discussions, that

only an ‘effective vital reaction’ able to stimulate the

organism’s various physiological systems (mental,

neurological, immune, endocrine, metabolic

systems, etc.) via the “characteristic totality of

symptoms” might induce effective curative and

preventive actions.

By emphasizing that the organism’s secondary

action (opposite in character to the primary action of

the drug) occurs “in all cases, without exception”,

i.e., with ponderable or infinitesimal doses, in

healthy or ill individuals, Hahnemann raised the

principle of similarity to the category of a ‘natural

law’ (Organon, § 58, 61, 110-112).

“In those older prescriptions of the often

dangerous effects of medicines ingested in

excessively large doses we notice certain states that

were produced, not at the commencement, but

towards the termination of these sad events, and

which were of an exactly opposite nature to those

that first appeared. These symptoms, the very

reverse of the primary action (§ 63) or proper action

of the medicines on the vital force are the reaction of

the vital force of the organism, its secondary action

(§ 62-67), of which, however, there is seldom or

hardly ever the least trace from experiments with

moderate doses on healthy bodies, and from small

doses none whatever. In the homoeopathic curative

operation the living organism reacts from these only

so much as is requisite to raise the health again to the

normal healthy state (§ 67).” (Organon of medicine,

§ 112)

In the terms of contemporary scientific reason

and physio-pharmacological notions, the “primary

action” mentioned by Hahnemann corresponds to

the ‘therapeutic, adverse and side effects’ of

conventional drugs. The “secondary action” or “vital

reaction”, in turn, corresponds to the ‘rebound

effect’ or ‘paradoxical reaction’ of the organism,

which occurs after the discontinuation of several

classes of drugs that act contrarily to the symptoms

of diseases (modern enantiopathic drugs) [6-17]. Just

as the homeopathic drugs (similar to the ‘totality of

characteristic symptoms’) awaken a curative vital

reaction in a small number of idiosyncratic

individuals only, also the rebound effect of modern

drugs is an idiosyncratic property and thus, it appears

in a small fraction of individuals only. The evidences

afforded by modern pharmacology provide scientific

support to the inclusion of ‘therapeutic

individualization’ among the epistemological

foundations of the homeopathic model.

Homeopathic pathogenetic experimentation

(trials)

As mentioned above, the ‘second

epistemological premise’ (“second point of the

business of a true physician” according to

Hahnemann) concerns the investigation of the

pathogenetic properties of drugs, the knowledge of

which is a sine qua non condition for the application

of the principle of therapeutic similitude. For that

purpose, a model of clinical-pharmacological

studies, similar to phase I modern pharmacological

preclinical trials, but serving the particular

requirements of homeopathic practice, was

designed, to wit, the so-called ‘homeopathic

pathogenetic experimentation’ or ‘homeopathic

pathogenetic trial’ (HPT). HPTs take all kinds of

signs and symptoms (mental, general and physical)

elicited by the tested substances into account, no

matter whether they were administered in mass- or

infinitesimal doses, and that correspond to the

therapeutic, adverse and side-effects of modern

drugs.

“The second point of the business of a true

physician related to acquiring a knowledge of the

instruments intended for the cure of the natural

diseases, investigating the pathogenetic power of the

medicines, in order, when called on to cure, to be

able to select from among them one, from the list of

whose symptoms an artificial disease may be

constructed, as similar as possible to the totality of

the principal symptoms of the natural disease sought

to be cured.” (Organon of Medicine, § 105)

“The whole pathogenetic effect of the several

medicines must be known; that is to say, all the

morbid symptoms and alterations in the health that

each of them is specially capable of developing in

the healthy individual must first have been observed

as far as possible, before we can hope to be able to

find among them, and to select, suitable

homoeopathic remedies for most of the natural

diseases.” (Organon of medicine, § 106)

All the pathogenetic symptoms collected in

HPTs are compiled in the homeopathic materia

medica following an anatomical-functional

distribution (mind, head, eyes, ears, nose, face,

mouth, throat, stomach, abdomen, etc.). In clinical

practice, homeopaths select ‘individualized

homeopathic medicines’ based on the ‘totality of

characteristic symptoms’ exhibited by patients. This

the safest and most effective approach to the

prescription of ‘medicines able to cause morbid

symptoms (adverse effects) in humans’, which is the

basic requirement for the application of the principle

of symptom-based similitude: “medicines can show

nothing curative besides their tendency to produce

morbid symptoms in healthy persons and to remove

them in diseased persons” (Organon of medicine, §

22).

Individualized treatment with simple substances

According to Hahnemann, any doctor aspiring

to become a “genuine artist of healing” should be

able to recognize that which must be healed in each

individual case of disease, understand the healing

properties of remedies and adjust them qualitatively

and quantitatively to the patient’s needs according to

the principle of therapeutic similitude (Organon of

Medicine, § 3).

As Hahnemann conceived of illness as a

weakened operation of the normal physiological

processes of adjustment and compensation, he

associated any internal imbalance with the various

individual symptomatic manifestations. As a

consequence, he employed the “totality of signs and

symptoms” exhibited by patients as the basic

criterion for diagnosis of the “affection of the vital

force” (individual predisposition, morbid

susceptibility or homeostatic imbalance) and

selection of the homeopathic remedy most similar to

the condition exhibited by the ill individual.

“Now, as in a disease […] we can perceive

nothing but the morbid symptoms, it must […] be the

symptoms alone by which the disease demands and

points to the remedy suited to relieve it - and,

moreover, the totality of these its symptoms, of this

outwardly reflected picture of the internal essence of

the disease, that is, of the affection of the vital force,

must be the principal, or the sole means, whereby the

disease can make known what remedy it requires -

the only thing that can determine the choice of the

most appropriate remedy - and thus, in a word, the

totality of the symptoms must be the principal,

indeed the only thing the physician has to take note

of in every case of disease and to remove by means

of his art, in order that it shall be cured and

transformed into health.” (Organon of Medicine, §

7)

From the set of patent signs and symptoms

exhibited by patients, homeopathic semiology

emphasizes the “more striking, singular, uncommon

and peculiar (characteristic)” in each case of disease

(idiosyncratic aspects), while it dismisses the

common, generic and indefinite symptoms as

lacking inherent individualizing power.

“In this search for a homoeopathic specific

remedy, that is to say, in this comparison of the

collective symptoms of the natural disease with the

list of symptoms of known medicines, in order to

find among these an artificial morbific agent

corresponding by similarity to the disease to be

cured, the more striking, singular, uncommon and

peculiar (characteristic) signs and symptoms of the

case of disease are chiefly and most solely to be kept

in view; for it is more particularly these that very

similar ones in the list of symptoms of the selected

medicine must correspond to, in order to constitute

it the most suitable for effecting the cure. The more

general and undefined symptoms: loss of appetite,

headache, debility, restless sleep, discomfort, and so

forth, demand but little attention when of that vague

and indefinite character, if they cannot be more

accurately described, as symptoms of such a general

nature are observed in almost every disease and from

almost every drug.” (Organon of medicine, § 153)

“If, however, among the symptoms of the

remedy selected, there be none that accurately

resemble the distinctive (characteristic), peculiar,

uncommon symptoms of the case of disease, and if

the remedy correspond to the disease only in the

general, vaguely described, indefinite states (nausea,

debility, headache, and so forth), and if there be

among the known medicines none more

homoeopathically appropriate, in that case the

physician cannot promise himself any immediate

favorable result from the employment of this

unhomoeopathic medicine.” (Organon of Medicine,

§ 165)

“We shall, therefore, never be able to cure

conformably to nature - that is to say,

homoeopathically - if we do not, in every case of

disease, even in such as are acute, observe, along

with the other symptoms, those relating to the

changes in the state of the mind and disposition, and

if we do not select, for the patient’s relief, from

among the medicines a disease-force which, in

addition to the similitude of its other symptoms to

those of the disease, is also capable of producing a

similar state of the disposition and mind.” (Organon

of Medicine, § 213)

As a result of the combination of the principle

of symptom-based therapeutic individualization and

the injunction to prescribe “one single, simple

medicinal substance at one time”, Hahnemann was

adamantly against the simultaneous use of more than

one homeopathic remedy (a premise that is

dismissed by many homeopaths) on the grounds that

the HPTs were conducted with single and simple

substances. By the same token, he condemned the

use of composite means (remedy mixtures or so-

called ‘homeopathic complexes’) without subjecting

them to HPTs first.

“In no case under treatment it is necessary and

therefore not permissible to administer to a patient

more than one single, simple medicinal substance at

one time. It is inconceivable how the slightest doubt

could exist as to whether it was more consistent with

nature and more rational to prescribe a single, simple

medicine at one time in a disease or a mixture of

several differently acting drugs. It is absolutely not

allowed in homoeopathy, the one true, simple and

natural art of healing, to give the patient at one time

two different medicinal substances.” (Organon of

Medicine, § 273)

“As the true physician finds in simple

medicines, administered singly and uncombined, all

that he can possibly desire [...] he will, mindful of

the wise maxim that it is wrong to attempt to employ

complex means when simple means suffice, never

think of giving as a remedy any but a single, simple

medicinal substance; for these reasons also, because

even though the simple medicines were thoroughly

proved with respect to their pure peculiar effects on

the unimpaired healthy state of man, it is yet

impossible to foresee how two and more medicinal

substances might, when compounded, hinder and

alter each other’s actions on the human body [...].”

(Organon of Medicine § 274)

To summarize, a proper homeopathic treatment

prioritizes an ‘individualized choice of a single

remedy based on the most characteristic signals and

symptoms exhibited by the patient’ across the

various fields of clinical expression (i.e., mental,

general and physical). As a consequence, different

remedies might be prescribed to individuals with a

same disease as a function of their singular pattern

of susceptibility (including physical, mental,

emotional, dietary and weather-related components,

among many others). In addition to being the ‘most

effective’, it is also the ‘safest’ approach to avoid the

occurrence of adverse events that the homeopathic

remedies (pathogenetic effects) are liable to cause in

susceptible individuals [18, 19].

As stated in my previous review [1], the

homeostatic balance of the mental, general and

physical functions achieved through the application

of the principle of symptom-based similitude

contributes to the promotion of health, and thus

constitutes a preventive means against disease by

itself. According to the traditional homeopathic

model, this is the most effective means to induce

immunity against all epidemics.

As Hahnemann emphasized, any remedy

selected without complying with this ‘third

homeopathic epistemological premise’ (symptom-

based individualization) should be considered as

“unhomeopathic medicine” and will not elicit a

“favorable result” nor “effecting the cure” [5]. This

is to say, all three epistemological assumptions

discussed up to this point should be complied with

for any therapeutic or preventive action to earn the

right to prefix “homeo”.

Potentized (dynamized) remedies (high dilutions

or infinitesimal doses)

In the early years of homeopathy, Hahnemann

applied the ‘principle of symptom-based similitude’

using ‘substantial doses’ of drugs selected as a

function of the ‘pathogenetic symptoms’ they had

elicited on healthy or ill individuals. On these

grounds, he performed successful treatments of a

wide variety of chronic, acute and epidemic diseases,

which are described in his Essay on a new principle

for ascertaining the curative power of drugs [20],

published in 1796, to wit: uterine colic with

Matricaria chamomilla; autumnal dysentery with

Arnica montana; painful indurations of the lymph

nodes with Conium maculatum; paralytic and

spasmodic affections with Solanum dulcamara;

chronic hemorrhages, mania and seizures with

Hyoscyamus niger; tremors, muscle twitching,

cramps and intermittent fevers with Ignatia amara;

amaurosis, cataracts and opacities of the cornea with

Anemona pratensis, among others.

In 1799, during an epidemic of scarlet fever

[21], Hahnemann used ‘diluted and agitated doses’

for the first time to reduce the pathogenetic power of

the medication and thus avoid the occurrence of

‘aggravations’ [22]. In 1814, during the treatment of

typhus or hospital fever [23], Hahnemann outlined

the method of potentization (serial dilutions with

strong agitation), while the ‘theory of potentization’

in strict sense only is formulated in 1827 [24], when

Hahnemann incorporated trituration and succussion

in the ‘potentization process’ to develop and exalt

the “dynamic medicinal powers of natural

substances”. However, even after having provided

sound foundations to his ‘theory of potentization’,

Hahnemann continued prescribing remedies in

ponderable doses for the treatment or prevention of

diseases [25, 26], as well as in pathogenetic studies.

“The homoeopathic system of medicine

develops for its special use, to a hitherto unheard-of

degree, the inner medicinal powers of the crude

substances by means of a process peculiar to it and

which has hitherto never been tried, whereby only

they all become immeasurably and penetratingly

efficacious and remedial, even those that in the crude

state give no evidence of the slightest medicinal

power on the human body. This remarkable change

in the qualities of natural bodies develops the latent,

hitherto unperceived, as if slumbering hidden,

dynamic powers which influence the life principle,

change the well-being of animal life. This is effected

by mechanical action upon their smallest particles by

means of rubbing and shaking and through the

addition of an indifferent substance, dry of fluid, are

separated from each other. This process is called

dynamizing, potentizing (development of medicinal

power) and the products are dynamizations or

potencies in different degrees.” (Organon of

Medicine, § 269)

Therefore, it is worth to emphasize that although

‘dynamizing or potentizing’ increases the

“medicinal powers of the crude substances”, thus

enlarging the scope of safety and efficacy of

remedies, a homeopathic treatment might also be

conducted using ‘ponderable doses’ (i.e., not

potentized), provided the first three epistemological

premises are complied with. By the same token,

mere indication of ‘potentized remedies’ with

disregard for those three premises might not be

considered as a homeopathic treatment, as e.g., it is

the case of isopathy.

Epistemological premises of the homeopathic

method of treatment (prevention) in epidemic

diseases

As mentioned in my original review [1], the

epistemological premises underlying the treatment

of epidemic diseases are the same as in other (acute

and chronic) diseases, i.e., based on the present

‘characteristic totality of symptoms’ (as in the acute

diseases), as described in several paragraphs of

Organon of Medicine.

Hahnemann’s guidelines – Use of the remedy of

the “epidemic genius”

As in the case of acute and chronic diseases

discussed above, Hahnemann also laid down

individualizing semiologic and therapeutic

guidelines for the approach to epidemic diseases.

Just as each individual patient exhibits a set of

characteristic signs and symptoms that distinguishes

him or her from all other individuals with the same

acute or chronic disease, also each epidemic disease

“is a phenomenon of unique character” that must be

distinguished from all previous outbreaks.

Hahnemann, thus, warns against the application of

information obtained in past outbreaks to future ones

without a “careful examination of the pure picture of

the prevailing disease”.

“In investigating the totality of the symptoms of

epidemic and sporadic diseases it is quite immaterial

whether or not something similar has ever appeared

in the world before under the same or any other

name. The novelty or peculiarity of a disease of that

kind makes no difference either in the mode of

examining or of treating it, as the physician must any

way regard to pure picture of every prevailing

disease as if it were something new and unknown,

and investigate it thoroughly for itself, if he desire to

practice medicine in a real and radical manner, never

substituting conjecture for actual observation, never

taking for granted that the case of disease before him

is already wholly or partially known, but always

carefully examining it in all its phases; and this mode

of procedure is all the more requisite in such cases,

as a careful examination will show that every

prevailing disease is in many respects a phenomenon

of a unique character, differing vastly from all

previous epidemics, to which certain names have

been falsely applied […].” (Organon of Medicine, §

100)

As in all collective diseases the pathological

image might only emerge after having observed a

considerable number of individuals, Hahnemann

indicates to observe several cases to paint “the full

picture of the disease”, “totality of signs and

symptoms” or ‘epidemic genius’, according to the

homeopathic connotation of this notion.

“It may easily happen that in the first case of an

epidemic disease that presents itself to the

physician’s notice he does not at once obtain a

knowledge of its complete picture, as it is only by a

close observation of several cases of every such

collective disease that he can become conversant

with the totality of its signs and symptoms. The

carefully observing physician can, however, from

the examination of even the first and second patients,

often arrive so nearly at a knowledge of the true state

as to have in his mind a characteristic portrait of it,

and even to succeed in finding a suitable,

homoeopathically adapted remedy for it.” (Organon

of Medicine, § 101)

When searching for the remedy of the ‘epidemic

genius’, one should bear in mind that the

“characteristic picture of the epidemic” will emerge

from the ‘totality of the most peculiar, rare and

uncommon signs and symptoms’. The thus

‘individualized remedy’ might then be

therapeutically prescribed to all the individuals

affected by a same outbreak.

“In the course of writing down the symptoms of

several cases of this kind the sketch of the disease

picture becomes ever more and more complete, not

more spun out and verbose, but more significant

(more characteristic), and including more of the

peculiarities of this collective disease; on the one

hand, the general symptoms (e.g., loss of appetite,

sleeplessness, etc.) become precisely defined as to

their peculiarities; and on the other, the more marked

and special symptoms which are peculiar to but few

diseases and of rarer occurrence, at least in the same

combination, become prominent and constitute what

is characteristic of this malady. All those affected

with the disease prevailing at a given time have

certainly contracted it from one and the same source

and hence are suffering from the same disease; but

the whole extent of such an epidemic disease and the

totality of its symptoms (the knowledge whereof,

which is essential for enabling us to choose the most

suitable homoeopathic remedy for this array of

symptoms, is obtained by a complete survey of the

morbid picture) cannot be learned from one single

patient, but is only to be perfectly deduced

(abstracted) and ascertained from the sufferings of

several patients of different constitutions.” (Organon

of Medicine, § 102)

Upon reflecting on the nature and treatment of

epidemics of intermittent fever (Organon of

Medicine, § 235- 244), Hahnemann restates the need

to individualize the “homoeopathic (specific)

remedy suitable for all the cases” (epidemic genius)

for the ongoing clinical manifestations according to

the “totality of symptoms common to all”. With

patent coherence, Hahnemann stresses the

epistemological premise indicating the use of simple

and single (specific) substances and avoidance of

complex means.

“With regard to the intermittent fevers, that

prevail sporadically or epidemically (not those

endemically located in marshy districts), we often

find every paroxysm likewise composed of two

opposite alternating states (cold, heat - heat, cold),

more frequently still of three (cold, heat, sweat).

Therefore the remedy selected for them from the

general class of proved (common, not antipsoric)

medicines must either (and remedies of this sort are

the surest) be able likewise to produce in the healthy

body two (or all three) similar alternating states, or

else must correspond by similarity of symptoms, in

the most homoeopathic manner possible, to the

strongest, best marked, and most peculiar alternating

state (either to the cold stage, or to the hot stage, or

to the sweating state, each with its accessory

symptoms, according as the one or other alternating

state is the strongest and most peculiar); but the

symptoms of the patient’s health during the intervals

when he is free from fever must be the chief guide to

the most appropriate homoeopathic remedy.”

(Organon of Medicine, § 235)

“Epidemics of intermittent fever, in situations

where none are endemic, are of the nature of chronic

diseases, composed of single acute paroxysms; each

single epidemic is of a peculiar, uniform character

common to all the individuals attacked, and when

this character is found in the totality of the symptoms

common to all, it guides us to the discovery of the

homoeopathic (specific) remedy suitable for all the

cases, which is almost universally serviceable in

those patients who enjoyed tolerable health before

the occurrence of the epidemic, that is to say, who

were not chronic sufferers from developed psora.”

(Organon of Medicine, § 241)

As mentioned in the original article [1], in

addition to indicating homeopathic remedies as

therapeutic means for manifest cases of epidemic

diseases, Hahnemann also points to the use of

‘individualized homeopathic medicines’ as a

‘prophylactic practice’. In this regard, he mentions

the example of Atropa belladonna, which had cured

individuals affected by scarlet fever in previous

epidemics, as preventive remedy for future similar

epidemic outbreaks. It is worth to call the attention

to the fact that the same homeopathic approach

based on the “totality of symptoms common to all”

(epidemic genius) was used in the selection of

preventive remedies for each stage of disease.

“A striking fact in corroboration of this is, that

whilst previously to the year 1801, when the smooth

scarlatina of Sydenham still occasionally prevailed

epidemically among children, it attacked without

exception all children who had escaped it in a former

epidemic; in a similar epidemic which I witnessed in

Konigslutter, on the contrary, all the children who

took in time a very small dose of Belladonna

remained unaffected by this highly infectious

infantile disease. If medicines can protect from a

disease that is raging around, they must possess a

vastly superior power of affecting our vital force.”

(Organon of Medicine, note to § 33)

“Subsequently to the year 1801 a kind of

purpura miliaris (roodvonk), which came from the

West, was by physicians confounded with the scarlet

fever, notwithstanding that they exhibited totally

different symptoms, that the latter found its

prophylactic and curative remedy in belladonna, the

former in aconite, and that the former was generally

merely sporadic, while the latter was invariable

epidemic. Of late years it seems as if the two

occasionally joined to form an eruptive fever of a

peculiar kind, for which neither the one nor the other

remedy, alone, will be found to be exactly

homoeopathic.” (Organon of Medicine, note to § 73)

This prophylactic use Hahnemann made of

Atropa belladonna in epidemics of scarlet fever is

insistently mentioned by Golden, inappropriately, to

justify prophylaxis in general (including

isoprophylaxis). In a biased manner, he uses the

“homeopathic” evidence (resulting from the use of

remedies chosen as a function of their similarity with

the ‘symptom-based epidemic genius’) to justify his

‘isopathic practice’ (i.e., based in ‘nosodes’ chosen

based on their identity with ‘etiologic agents’), thus

confusing readers unaware of the differences

between both. By mixing together those different

approaches, Golden has recourse in several of his

conclusive statements on the effectiveness of

isoprophylaxis (“there is a growing body of rigorous

scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of

homoeopathic immunisation whether using GE

remedies or nosodes”) [2] to the robust century-old

evidences for the application of GE remedies to

make up for the poor evidence relative to the use of

nosodes.

According to Hahnemann and the homeopathic

epistemological model, ‘prevention’ is only possible

when the selected remedy is chosen according to

‘epidemic genius’ criteria and is similar to the

totality of characteristic symptoms of the “early

stage of the epidemic” (“a remedy that is capable of

quickly checking a disease in its onset, must be its

best preventive”) [21, 27]. Here it is worth to remind

that Hahnemann prescribed different remedies for

each stage of an epidemic disease, which were

systematically individualized as a function of the

corresponding symptoms. This is a sine qua non

condition for GE remedies to have effective

prophylactic action in any epidemic, and thus it

should be systematically taken into consideration in

the selection of such remedies.

In a short work entitled “Cure and Prevention of

Scarlet Fever” [21], Hahnemann describes the use of

Atropa belladona for the prevention and treatment of

the early stage of an epidemic that occurred in

Königslutter in 1799. That remedy had been chosen

as a function of the GE of that particular stage the

disease, as according to him, “a remedy that is

capable of quickly checking a disease in its onset,

must be its best preventive”. Here he also describes

the use of Opium and Ipecac for the treatment of two

different conditions presenting in the stage of full

development of disease. Those remedies were

prescribed alone or in alternation as a function of the

state exhibited by each individual patient and the set

of symptoms corresponding to each manifestation of

disease: “For my own part, when summoned to cases

of the fully developed disease (where there was no

question of prevention or suppressing its

commencement), I found I had to combat two

different states of body that sometimes rapidly

alternated with one another, each of which was

composed of a convolute of symptoms”. He also

mentions the use of Matricaria chamomilla for what

he describes as “unhealthy skin” and “the

characteristic suffocating cough” that may appear in

the course of scarlet fever. ([1], pages 162-163)

A similar procedure is described in two short

writings on the treatment and prevention of Asian

cholera [25, 26], in which Hahnemann indicates

camphor as the GE remedy for the first stage of

disease, particularly aiming at the prevention of its

transmission (prophylactic approach). Due to the

extremely short duration of that first stage (two

hours), Hahnemann observed that in some cases

“this first stage, with its tonic spasmodic character,

is hardly observable, and the disease passes instantly

into the second stage of clonic spasmodic character”,

when copper becomes the GE remedy for

prevention, being representative of the “early stage

of the epidemic”.

“A receipt has been given to the world, which

proved so efficacious in Dünaburg in the Asiatic

cholera, that of ten patients but one died. The chief

ingredient is camphor […], and the camphor been

given alone, and always at the very commencement

of the disease, for it is only when given alone, and at

the first invasion of the disease that it is so

marvelously useful. But if physicians come, as usual,

too late to the patient, when the favorable time for

employing the camphor is past, and the second stage

has already set in, when camphor is useless, then

they may use it in vain; their patients will die under

its employment. Hence every one, the instant any of

his friends take ill of cholera, must himself

immediately treat them with camphor, and not wait

for medical aid, which, even if it were good, would

generally come too late.

I have received many communications from

Hungary from non-medical persons, who have

restored their friends, as if by magic, by giving

camphor the instant became ill. Where the cholera

first appears, it usually comes on in the

commencement in its first stage (with tonic

spasmodic character); […] In the first stage camphor

gives rapid relief, but the patient’s friends must

themselves employ it, as this stage soon ends either

in death or in the second stage, which is more

difficult to be cured, and not with camphor. […] If

this period of the commencement of the disease, so

favorable to recovery and speedy cure, by the above

indicated employment of camphor, has been

neglected, then things look worse; then camphor is

no longer serviceable. There are moreover cases of

cholera, especially in northern region, where this

first stage, with its tonic spasmodic character, is

hardly observable, and the disease passes instantly

into the second stage of clonic spasmodic character;

[…] The patient is to get one or two globules of the

finest preparation of copper (prepared from metallic

copper in the mode described in the second part of

my work on Chronic Diseases) […].” [25]

“If physicians would but take warning, and,

rendered uninfectable by taking a few drops of

camphorated spirit, approach (ever so quickly) the

cholera patient, in order to treat him at the

commencement of his sickening with this medicine

(pure, unadulterated camphorated spirit) which

alone is efficacious, and which most certainly

destroys the miasm about the patient, by giving him,

as I have taught, every five minutes one drop of it

[…]. Thus, the cholera is most surely and easily and

almost miraculously curable, but only in the first

couple of hours from the commencement of the

sickening, by means of the employment of pure

camphor, and that before the physicians in larger

towns that are summoned can attend. But on their

arrival they may even then, by the employment of

unadulterated camphor-spirit, if not cure the cholera

completely (for the lapse of a few hours generally

makes it too late to do so) yet annihilate the whole of

the contagious principle of this pestilence on and

about the patient, and adhering to themselves and the

bystanders, and cease to convey the miasm with

them to other parts of the town.” [26]

Based on the abovementioned considerations,

there can be no doubt that the therapeutic and

preventive approach to epidemic diseases according

to the homeopathic epistemological model is one and

the same and similar to the one applied to other acute

and chronic diseases (albeit with some minor

adjustments). It consists in the identification of the

similarity between the totality of characteristic

symptoms exhibited by a ‘group of patients’ and the

pathogenetic manifestations of substances as

described in the homeopathic materia medica to

choose a simple and individualized remedy for each

stage of disease.

As I observed in my original review [1], also

James Tyler Kent used that same approach to the

treatment of epidemic diseases. However, as Golden

drew heavily from Kent to substantiate his

misguided explanations, I discuss the latter’s views

more thoroughly in the next section.

Kent’s guidelines – Use of the remedy of the

“epidemic genius”

Based on Hahnemann’s premises, Kent

describes in Lectures on Homoeopathic Philosophy,

Lecture 3, a semiologic protocol to diagnose the

“group of epidemic remedies” (epidemic genius)

[28]. Here he indicates to begin by observing 20

individuals affected by an epidemic disease very

carefully and to record all their symptoms in a

schematic manner (repertory classification) so that

when addressed collectively they “present one

image, as if one man had expressed all the

symptoms”. By placing before each symptom the

number of patients that exhibited it, the homeopathic

practitioner becomes able to “find out the essential

features of the epidemic” (nature of the disease)

based on the common (pathognomonic symptoms)

and characteristic (peculiar symptoms) totality of

symptoms.

Next, with the help of a homeopathic repertory,

he or she should select 6 or 7 remedies that cover the

totality of symptoms of the given epidemic (group of

epidemic remedies) and refine the individual image

of each remedy by checking their description in the

homeopathic materia medica. Then, going from the

general to the particular – as “there is no other way

to proceed in homeopathy” – he or she should adjust

the characteristics of each patient to the

particularities of each selected remedy

(individualization), as “a little difference in each

case” is found even among the members of one same

family. Were none of the thus selected remedies to

be useful, “the physician must return to his original

anamnesis to see which one of the other remedies is

suitable”. Kent emphasizes that although the

application of the epidemic genius to the choice of

homeopathic remedies demands hard work, its

results are spectacular.

“[...] Every remedy has in itself a certain state of

peculiarities that identifies it as an individual

remedy, and the patient has also a certain state of

peculiarities that identifies him as an individual

patient, and so the remedy is fitted to the patient. No

remedy must be given because it is in the list, for the

list has only been made as a means of facilitating the

study of that epidemic. Things can only be made

easy by an immense amount of hard work, and if you

do the drudgery in the beginning of an epidemic, the

prescribing for your cases will be rapid, and you will

find your remedies abort cases of sickness, make

malignant cases simple, so simplify scarlet fever that

classification would be impossible, stop the course

of typhoids in a week, and cure remittent fevers in a

day.” (Lectures on Homoeopathic Philosophy,

Lecture 3)

Isoprophylaxis is neither homeoprophylaxis nor

homeopathic immunization, but isopathic

immunization unsupported by the homeopathic

epistemological model

Although he acknowledged the benefits

afforded by the smallpox vaccine - which was

introduced by Edward Jenner in 1796, after careful

observation and description of a series of 27

immunized cases - Hahnemann condemned the

indiscriminate use of high dilutions of parts or

subproducts of a disease or pathogenic agent

(nosodes or biotherapics) for prophylactic purposes

or as isopathic treatment (‘principle of etiological

identity’; aequalia aequalibus curentur) without

previous pathogenetic testing and application of

similarity grounded on symptom-based

individualization. According to Hahnemann,

cowpox could be used as a homeopathic remedy

only because its set of symptoms (disease) was

similar to the one of smallpox.

“A third mode of employing medicines in

diseases has been attempted to be created by means

of Isopathy, as it is called - that is to say, a method

of curing a given disease by the same contagious

principle that produces it. [...] To attempt to cure by

means of the very same morbific potency (per Idem)

contradicts all normal human understanding and

hence all experience. Those who first brought

Isopathy to notice, probably thought of the benefit

which mankind received from cowpox vaccination

by which the vaccinated individual is protected

against future cowpox infection and as it were cured

in advance. But both, cowpox and smallpox are only

similar, in no way the same disease. In many respects

they differ, namely in the mere rapid course and

mildness of cowpox and especially in this, that is

never contagious to man by more nearness.

Universal vaccination put an end to all epidemics of

that deadly fearful smallpox to such an extent that

the present generation does no longer possess a clear

conception of the former frightful smallpox plague.

Moreover, in this way, undoubtedly, certain diseases

peculiar to animals may give us remedies and thus

happily enlarge our stock of homoeopathic remedies.

But to use a human morbific matter (a Psorin taken

from the itch in man) as a remedy for the same itch

or for evils arisen therefrom is - ? Nothing can result

from this but trouble and aggravation of the disease.”

(Organon of Medicine, note to § 56)

“It is only in accordance with my well known

maxim (the new principle) that small-pox, to give

one example from among many, has an important

prophylactic in the cow-pox, which is an

exanthematous disease, whose pustules break out

after the sixth day of inoculation, with pain and

swelling of the axillaries glands, pain in the back and

loins, and fever, and surrounded by an erythematous

inflammation - that is to say, constituting altogether

a disease very similar to variola.” [21]

As it was discussed above, for any substance

(simple or complex) to be considered as a

homeopathic remedy and employed therapeutically

or preventively in a “safe” and “efficacious” manner

according to the principle of symptom-based

similitude, it should be subjected to testing in human

beings to investigate its ‘primary effects’,

‘pathogenetic symptoms’ or ‘adverse effects’. In this

way, any animal product might be used

homeopathically, provided those premises are

observed. This is, indeed, the case of many nosodes

(Medhorrinum, Psorinum, Tuberculinum, etc.),

which were subjected to pathogenetic testing and are

used in compliance with the homeopathic requisite

of symptomatic individualization.

Contrariwise, according to Hahnemann, the use

of nosodes selected based on the ‘principle of

etiological identity’ (isopathy), i.e., the

administration of ‘the product of infectious agents to

treat (or prevent) diseases caused by the identical

etiologic agent’, is not supported by the homeopathic

epistemological model. Properly named

“isoprophylaxis” or “isopathic immunization”

(instead of “homeoprophylaxis” or “homeopathic

immunization”), this approach is suggested by

Golden and followers as a prophylactic procedure

applicable to all epidemic diseases of childhood.

Consistently, they suggest replacing the

conventional schedule by an isoprophylactic

program.

(Table 1), which according to them is “comparably

effective to conventional vaccines, and is non-toxic”

[29].

Table 1. Homeopathic preventative program

against infectious diseases

Recommended

age

Remedy

Potency

1 month

Pertussin

200

2 months

Pertussin

200,

200, 200

3 months

Pneumococcinum

200

4 months

Pneumococcinum

200,

200, 200

5 months

Lathyrus sativus

200

6 months

Lathyrus sativus

200,

200, 200

7 months

Haemophilis

200

8 months

Haemophilis

200,

200, 200

9 months

Meningococcinum

200

10 months

Meningococcinum

200,

200, 200

11 months

Tetanus Toxin

200

12 months

Tetanus Toxin

200,

200, 200

14 months

Pertussin

10M,

10M

16 months

Pneumococcinum

10M,

10M

18 months

Lathyrus sativus

10M,

10M

20 months

Haemophilis

10M,

10M

22 months

Meningococcinum

10M,

10M

24 months

Tetanus Toxin

10M,

10M

26 months

Pertussin

10M,

10M

30 months

Pneumococcinum

10M,

10M

36 months

Lathyrus sativus

10M,

10M

40 months

Haemophilis

10M,

10M

44 months

Meningococcinum

10M,

10M

48 months

Tetanus Toxin

10M,

10M

[

52 months

Pertussin

10M,

10M

58 months

Pneumococcinum

10M,

10M

64 months

Lathyrus sativus

10M,

10M

70 months

Haemophilis

10M,

10M

76 months

Meningococcinum

10M,

10M

84 months

Tetanus Toxin

10M,

10M

Upon subjecting my remarks to criticism, and

seeking to substantiate the use of nosodes prepared

from infectious agents as a standard prophylactic

practice [2], Golden made several mistakes and

incurred in contradictions, as he also did in debates

with other advocates of the homeopathic

epistemological model [30, 31].

To begin with, although Hahnemann clearly

defined “isopathy” (isotherapy) as “a method of

curing a given disease by the same contagious

principle that produces it” based on the “principle of

etiological identity” (aequalia aequalibus curentur),

Golden argues that his “preventive program” [29] is

not isopathy, but is based on the “principle of

similars”, for which purpose he adduces the

following misconceptions:

 An isopathic remedy is made from a

patient’s own materials (as a fact, this is an

autoisopathic remedy, while the remedies

prepared from other people’s materials are

isopathic);

 Isopathic remedies are made of

“strains” or “subtypes” of microorganisms

that are probably not “identical” to the one

causing a given epidemic (as a fact, no

matter whether they are identical or

“probably” non-identical, they are

prescribed based on the principle of

etiological identity, instead of the principle

of symptom-based similarity);

 Nosodes are as used “preventive”

rather than as “curative” means, thus

complying with Hahnemann’s prohibition

(as a fact, either indication is based on one

and the same principle of etiological

identity, while homeopathy applies the

principle of symptom-based similarity to

the cure and prevention of diseases);

 The process of “potentization”

turns an “isotherapic” remedy into a

“simillimum” (this notion was advocated

by Hering and Stapf, however, without any

foundation in the homeopathic doctrine,

according to which the simillimum is the

ideal homeopathic remedy).

Golden states, “Teixeira failed to fully

understand the principle of similars”, to then have

recourse to flimsy arguments to characterize his

isopathic practice as a legitimate homeopathic

approach. Those misguided endeavors

notwithstanding, Golden grounds his preventive

approach on the “principle of etiological identity”

and fully dismisses the “symptom-based similarity”

that characterizes the homeopathic “principle of

similars”.

Evidences on the safety of homeoprophylaxis and

isoprophylaxis

According to Hahnemann, the use of

‘dynamized remedies’ in compliance with the

assumption of ‘individualization of a single remedy’

is the single (safe and effective) application of the

homeopathic method of treatment (and prevention),

because the “totality of the symptoms” reflects “the

affection of the vital force”, and “must be the

principal, or the sole means, whereby the disease can

make known what remedy it requires” (Organon of

Medicine, § 7). Therefore, in addition to the

‘constitutional’ homeopathic treatment, which aims

at minimizing the individual susceptibility that

predisposes to disease, the use of ‘remedies of the

epidemic genius’ as homeopathic therapeutic (or

prophylactic) means is the safest and most effective

way to perform specific homeoprophylaxis.

Although Golden does not choose potentized

remedies based on the individualizing totality of

symptoms, which is the sine qua non condition for

“safe” and “efficacious” application of the “principle

of symptom-based similarity”, the remedies he

selected for his preventive program (Lathyrus

sativus, Pneumococcinum, Tetanus toxin, and

others) were, indeed, subjected to homeopathic trials

in humans, when they showed a wide variety of

‘pathogenetic effects’ that are liable to cause

‘adverse effects’ in susceptible children when

prescribed with disregard for the three fundamental

homeopathic premises. By stating that his program

“offers a comparable level of protection against

targeted infectious diseases to vaccines, without any

accompanying risk of toxic damage” [30], Golden

ignores the major premise underlying the principle

of symptom-based similarity: “medicines can show

nothing curative besides their tendency to produce

morbid symptoms in healthy persons and to remove

them in diseased persons” (Organon of Medicine, §

22). The reason is that any substance might only heal

symptoms if it is able to induce them, and thus

cannot exhibit an “efficacy” (protection) comparable

to the ones of vaccines “without any accompanying

risk of toxic damage”. In other words, if a substance

is inherently able to elicit morbid symptoms, it is not

exempt from causing toxic/adverse effects.

In regard to the safety of his “preventative

program” [29], Golden observes that the rate of

adverse effects per individual is 9.2% (215 reactions/

2,342 individuals) and the rate of adverse effects per

dose 1.5%, being the reactions typically “mild and

brief”. In premarket studies (phase II clinical trials)

rigorously controlled to ensure the validity and

reproducibility of the results (unlike the alleged

findings reported by Golden), “common adverse

reactions occur in 1% to less than 10% of vaccine

doses” [32].

Contrary to Golden’s estimates and illustrating

the power of ‘potentized substances’ to cause

pathogenetic symptoms (adverse events) when they

are given to individuals with disregard for the

homeopathic premise of ‘symptom-based

individualization’ (nosodes, for example), the study

“A systematic review of the quality of homeopathic

pathogenetic trials (HTPs) published from 1945 to

1995” [33] showed that “156 HPTs on 143

medicines, involving 2,815 volunteers, produced

20,538 pathogenetic effects (median 6.5 per

volunteer)” and called the attention to the high

frequency of occurrence of “morbid symptoms”

caused by potentized substances, “on average about

84% of volunteers receiving active treatment

developed symptoms”.

Several examples of such ‘iatrogenic events’

(‘pathogenetic symptoms’ or ‘morbid symptoms’),

which might serve as a warning against the potential

danger implicit in Golden’s “preventative program”,

are described in the materia medica of nosodes, as

e.g., in “an involuntary proving of the

Diphtherinum”, which was administered to a girl for

preventive purposes [34]. Based on the homeopathic

epistemological model, one might predict that the

same might be the case with other nosodes or any

other homeopathic remedy not prescribed as a

function of ‘symptom-based individualization’, their

pathogenetic symptoms and the patient’s individual

pattern of susceptibility (idiosyncrasy).

“A girl nine years of age having been exposed,

Nov. 13, to malignant diphtheria received

Diphtherinum 1M (Skinner) three times daily for

eleven days, as a prophylactic, developing chilliness,

high temperature, red face. She complained of being

tired and cold, severe pain on swallowing and on the

12th day the tonsils and posterior walls of the

pharynx were covered with dirty gray, yellowish

membrane, corrugated vertically, like the surface of

a wash-board turned up. Thursday, Nov. 14, 1907,

began powders, three each day for eight days, then

two daily for two days. Nov. 23, complained of being

tired, sat down to rest three times. Nov. 24, would lie

down because tired, but after a while felt playful.

Nov. 25, temperature 103, pulse 148, full, with

throbbing of carotids, eyes bright, face flushed, with

center of cheeks almost purple. Throat dark red, no

membrane; but on posterior wall of throat, yellow,

dirty cream color with dry membrane in folds, up and

down. Monday night talks in sleep, with eyes wide

open. Wanted imaginary objects taken from room,

and to “make those people get away.” Sat up and

picked among bed-clothes for strap for her school

books. Nov. 26, temperature 101.2, pulse 116,

membrane lighter and moist, thin in middle of throat.

Nov. 27, temperature 99.2, pulse 100. Throat

clearing from middle. Jerking of single limb, or

shoulder, or finger. Nov. 28, temperature 101.2,

pulse 116. Desired to have mother hold her hand.

Tongue whitish, with exceedingly red tip (moist).

Nov. 29, temperature 101.2, pulse 116, breath

offensive. Nov. 30, temperature 99.4, pulse 100.

Membrane white, and showing more to front.

Clearing from center of posterior wall of throat.

Tongue coated whitish, with red papillae; very red

tip, with a dark red spot in center of red tip. Slept

well last night, until 4 A. M., then was restless and

wakeful; moved and changed position, moved arms

and legs often, snored and fan-like motion of ala

nasi. Skin seemed dry, forehead moist along edge of

hair, when first falling asleep.” (The materia medica

of the nosodes with provings of the x-ray,

“Diphtherinum: an involuntary proving”) [34]

Any discussion of the accuracy of Golden’s

findings demands proper analysis of the presence of

“systematic error” or “bias” in the methods he

employed [29], which even without such analysis are

patently poor, as they exhibit many flaws relative to

clinical epidemiology criteria, and the conclusions

are inferred from insufficient data. For those reasons,

Golden’s results are scientifically questionable

relative to both main requirements, to wit, “safety”

(underestimation of adverse events) and “efficacy”

(overestimation of effectiveness).

“A more detailed summary of my findings is

shown in Table 2. The data is based on questionnaire

responses from parents whose children used my HP

program. Each response covered one year of a

child’s life. Some parents returned questionnaires

over 6 years, and some only for the first year of the

program. Fifteen data groups were divided into three

groups of five, based on slight differences in the HP

programs used. The third group (Series 11-15) was

studied in greater detail in order to validate the

findings of the earlier Series. Seven different tests

were performed on Series 11-15 data.” [29]

According to The Cochrane Collaboration [35],

“a bias is a systematic error, or deviation from the

truth, in results or inferences. Biases can operate in

either direction: different biases can lead to

underestimation or overestimation of the true

intervention effect. Biases can vary in magnitude:

some are small (and trivial compared with the

observed effect) and some are substantial (so that an

apparent finding may be entirely due to bias). Even

a particular source of bias may vary in direction: bias

due to a particular design flaw (e.g. lack of allocation

concealment) may lead to underestimation of an

effect in one study but overestimation in another

study. It is usually impossible to know to what extent

biases have affected the results of a particular study,

although there is good empirical evidence that

particular flaws in the design, conduct and analysis

of randomized clinical trials lead to bias. Because the

results of a study may in fact be unbiased despite a

methodological flaw, it is more appropriate to

consider risk of bias”.

Bias is classified as: selection bias (random

sequence generation or allocation concealment),

performance bias (blinding of participants and

personnel assessments should be made for each main

outcome), detection bias (blinding of outcome

assessment should be made for each main outcome),

attrition bias (incomplete data of outcome

assessment should be made for each main outcome)

and reporting bias (selective reporting) among other

types.

As a result of the methodological flaws in the

design and conduction of his study on community-

based prophylactic intervention (lack of sample

randomization, blinding, effective control group and

independent examiners) [29], Golden is guilty of

various types of bias that might cause “deviation

from the truth in his results or inferences”, to wit:

selection bias (biased allocation to interventions due

to inadequate generation of a randomized sequence:

lack of effective control group; non-random

sampling; volunteer patients); performance bias (due

to knowledge of the allocated interventions by

participants and personnel during the study: lack of

blinding); detection bias (due to knowledge of the

allocated interventions by outcome assessors: lack of

blinding of outcome assessors); attrition bias (due to

amount, nature or handling of incomplete outcome

data: incomplete response to long-term

questionnaires, loss of participants); reporting bias

(due to selective outcome reporting: use of

incomplete questionnaires, analysis of partial

groups). The absence of an effective control group,

that ensures for the normality of the variances of the

groups subjected to analysis, makes appropriate

evaluation of the safety and intervention

effectiveness impossible (due to the difficulty to

assess individuals exposed to preventable diseases,

for example), because comparison with national

disease attack rates does not provide an “effective”

control group (Golden’s sample is of patients, which

does not correspond to the national distribution, for

example). Other confounding factors are the fact that

12% of the participants had been previously

vaccinated and the positive expectations of the

patients’ parents (placebo effect), among others.

A posteriori, hoping to minimize those

structural methodological flaws, Golden applied

biased “tests to validate the measures”, which being

strongly criticized by the scientific community

makes difficult to admit the findings reported in

“Evidence of the Safety of HP Using Nosodes”,

“which clearly show that the use of appropriate long-

term HP is significantly less damaging than

vaccination, and in fact appears to be no less safe

than the use of general or constitutional treatment as

an immunisation option” [2, 29]. The same

misgivings derived from the poor methodological

quality of Golden’s research hinder one from

admitting the findings reported in “Scientific

Evidence of the Effectiveness of HP using

Nosodes”, according to which it “offers a

comparable level of protection against targeted

infectious diseases to vaccines” [2, 29]. The fact that

such results were not published in a peer-reviewed

scientific journal, where methods and data are

systematically subjected to evaluation, endorse the

present criticism.

Also other reviews pointed to the low

methodological quality of the research conducted on

isoprophylaxis, while stressing that well-designed

scientific studies should be performed before it

might be recommended as a safe and effective

alternative to the conventional immunization of

children: “substituting isopathic nosodes for

vaccination in the hollow promise of safety and the

hope for efficacy is simply bad medicine” [36].

“Over the past 100 years, Allopathic medicine has

developed vaccines for nearly all serious epidemic

diseases, and development of newer vaccines for less

severe diseases continues at a feverish pitch. In

keeping with the desire to prevent serious infectious

disease and out of concern for the side effects of

vaccination, some Homeopaths have developed a

parallel system of homeoprophylaxis using remedies

that are either nosodes of the specific disease, or

remedies that have been highly effective in treating

that disease. […] Much of the evidence for safety

and efficacy of homeoprophylaxis is anecdotal. Dr.

Grimmer reported that over 30,000 individuals

received Lathyrus sativa to prevent Polio and no one

had a side effect to his knowledge. Isaac Golden

reports that out of over 1300 children who received

generalized homeoprophylaxis for multiple diseases,

approximately 10% had side effects although the

majority was very mild and brief. His results are

from a survey in which only 70% of the population

responded. […] Although unlikely, generalized

Homeoprophylaxis may someday be a valuable tool

for the practitioner. Before that day will be possible,

standardized, Allopathic style prospective testing

must be performed. Safety analysis that is reliable

must be obtained. Research in this area should be

supported because of the suggestion of efficacy

present in the data so far. Generalized substitution as

a safe alternative to Allopathic vaccination should be

avoided, unless the practitioner is prepared to clarify

the experimental nature and potential risks of this

approach. Our patients are faced with difficult

decisions regarding vaccinations. Many homeopaths

have appropriately voiced concerns with the

vaccination process. But substituting isopathic

nosodes for vaccination in the hollow promise of

safety and the hope for efficacy is simply bad

medicine. […]” [36]

Evidences on the effectiveness of

homeoprophylaxis and isoprophylaxis

In his response article [2], Golden states that I

“used a double standard when comparing evidence

using GE remedies and nosodes” and “appeared to

be unaware of scientific evidence which is available

supporting the prophylactic use of nosodes”. In my

prior review [1], I did not use “a double standard

when comparing evidence using GE remedies and

nosodes”, but reported the lack of reliable evidence

in support of either approach.

“After defining the individualized medicine

(epidemic genius) for the different stages of a given

epidemic, according to the state of the art of

homeopathic semiology as laid out by Hahnemann,

large-scale application in prevention and treatment

must be followed up through experimental and

observational studies properly designed, to enable

results to be analyzed complying with the tenets of

modern clinical epidemiology and to avoid both

systematic errors (biases) and chance effects that

contaminate isolated results. In spite of the

centuries-old evidences described in this paper, most

attempts in this area only exhibit as results reports of

“series of treated cases”, with a low level of

scientific significance, making thus impossible to

infer definitive conclusions. Among attempts carried

out in Brazil, only Marino in his MA dissertation

assessing the action of single and individualized

Eupatorium perfoliatum in the prevention of dengue

during the 2001 epidemic in São José do Rio Preto,

SP, included a control group and statistical analysis,

showing a fall in the incidence of the disease after

the homeopathic intervention. These same

methodological criteria ought to be reproduced in the

design of research projects employing dynamized

isoprophylaxis, as mentioned above widely

publicized as preventive against epidemic diseases,

but without any support in Hahnemann’s

homeopathic epistemology and showing no

scientific evidence regarding the benefit and risks of

such method.” ([1], page 166)

Those remarks notwithstanding, it should be

admitted that the studies that used individualized

remedies (symptom-based GE) for the treatment and

prevention of epidemic diseases

(homeoprophylaxis) are much more consistent,

exhibit better methodological design and scientific

documentation than the ones that performed

isoprophylaxis, from the careful reports of

Hahnemann of series of cases and prevention (scarlet

fever, typhus, remittent fevers, cholera) [21-23, 25,

26, 37] to the more recent therapeutic and preventive

protocols (influenza, cholera, dengue) [38-45].

Among the more recent studies, the multicenter

protocol for randomized controlled trials (RCT)

formulated by Dantas et al. [46] stands out, as it is

rigorously based on the homeopathic

epistemological premises, as well as on ethical and

scientific fundamental assumptions and prescribes a

“rigorous methodological design”. Initially

formulated for the treatment of an epidemic disease

(influenza) and indicating the use of individualized

GE remedies, it might be easily adapted to

homeoprophylaxis, by “employing the same

remedies that presented similarity with the totality of

characteristic symptoms of the initial stage of

epidemics”, and to isoprophylaxis, i.e., when

“nosodes” are used (provided that the same

“rigorous methodological design” is complied with).

The same rigorous methodological design is

currently being used by a group of researchers in the

elaboration of a multicenter RCT assessing the

effectiveness and efficacy of individualized GE

remedies for the prevention and treatment of dengue

fever involving various Brazilian states and counties

exhibiting high incidence and prevalence rates of

infection (“Protocol for prevention and treatment of

dengue fever and its complications”) [47], thus

seeking to add improved data to the ones provided

by previous non-controlled protocols or using non-

individualized remedies. Incidentally, I would like to

suggest those investigators to assess the possible

different stages and forms of disease to select more

accurate ‘preventive’ and ‘therapeutic’ remedies, as

Hahnemann did.

Rather than criticizing my suggestions [1] to

improve the data provided by previous studies,

which exhibited low methodological quality, by

means of “experimental and observational studies

properly designed” (“the use of RCTs is increasingly

seen within the allopathic literature to be

problematical due to fundamental flaws in design

which means that the practical relevance of findings

is frequently compromised” [2]), Golden should

make profit of the above mentioned examples of

rigorous methodological designs to improve the

scientific quality of the studies assessing

isoprophylaxis, most of which report insufficient

data and exhibit significant methodological flaws

[48]. Although some models of observational studies

are fit to demonstrate the plausibility of homeopathy,

experimental studies as the RCTs can and should be

adapted to the homeopathic model to thus minimize

the occurrence of systematic error (placebo effect)

[49] that might confound the results.

In an example of “well-designed” cohort study,

Bracho et al. [50] performed a very large-scale

isoprophylaxis intervention against Leptospirosis in

Cuba. The nosode was prepared from four

inactivated Leptospira circulating strains (200c and

10M) and was administered to 2.3 million persons at

high risk in an epidemic in a region affected by

natural disasters. The data from surveillance were

used to measure the impact of the intervention by

comparing with historical trends and non-

intervention regions. A significant decrease of the

disease incidence was observed in the intervention

regions (below of the historic median), and no such

modifications were observed in non-intervention

regions. The number of cases of leptospirosis

dropped from 38 cases/week per 100,000 individuals

at the beginning of the study to 3-4 cases/week per

100,000 within three weeks. Although lack of

randomization and use of conventional prophylactic

measures (vaccination and chemoprophylaxis) in

only 3% of the population were cited as possible

biases, the promising results obtained in such a large

sample minimize that suspicion [48]. However,

further studies including RCTs with smaller samples

might provide further evidences to support stronger

conclusions.

In this and other similar epidemics in which the

available therapeutic and/or prophylactic measures

are insufficient or non-existent, isoprophylaxis

might be experimentally used as an attempt to

minimize the harms to the population without any

major implications. However, until there is reliable

scientific evidence to indicate it as a safe and

effective alternative to the classical ‘immunization

schedule’ for child diseases, which effectively

protects children from severe and fatal diseases,

indiscriminate use of ‘isopathic immunization’

should be discouraged on the grounds that it

transgresses bioethical norms [1].

Ethical problems of replacing ‘classical

immunization’ by ‘isopathic immunization’

Based on the homeopathic epistemological

premises and above mentioned evidences, in my

previous review [1] I criticized the indiscriminate

use of non-individualized homeoprophylaxis and

isoprophylaxis unsupported by scientific evidences

attesting to their safety and effectiveness. In

addition, I stated that such practice “transgress[es]

the bioethical principles of beneficence and non-

maleficence”, which was disappointing to “many

thousands of homoeopathic practitioners

internationally who use appropriate HP programs

based on nosodes”, according to Golden [2]. In

addition to the ethical implications involved, any

excess committed ‘in the name of the homeopathy’

might damage to its reputation, as I discuss below.

“Unfortunately, during the last years a series of

proposals were made in Brazil for the prophylaxis

and/or treatment of dengue and influenza epidemics

that do not comply with Hahnemann’s homeopathic

epistemology, but indicate the use of homeopathic

complexes (associations of homeopathic and/or

isopathic medicines with disregard of previous

pathogenetic experimentation as well as

individualization according to the characteristic

symptomatic totality of each stage of an ongoing

epidemic) on the whole population of a given area

without using structured research protocols able to

assess the efficacy and safety of such practices. The

indiscriminate distribution of homeopathic

medicines promising to immunize populations

against a given epidemic without data on their

efficacy and possible side effects represents a risk to

public health as may lead populations to ignore

hygienic and prophylactic measures proved effective

by feeling ‘protected’ by homeopathy. In the case of

dynamized isoprophylaxis, which dismisses

pathogenetic experimentation and the principle of

similitude - main pillars of rational homeopathic

practice - the problem is even more acute: by

irresponsibly suggesting to replace official

vaccination schemes with ‘schemes of isopathic

vaccinations’ with no scientific evidence whatsoever

of efficacy and safety, proposers of this idea

transgress the bioethical principles of beneficence

and non-maleficence.” ([1], pages 166-167)

In regard to the use of ‘isopathic immunisation

programs’ in Australia, instead of conventional

immunization, the National Centre for Immunisation

Research & Surveillance published a factsheet

entitled “Homoeopathy and vaccination” [51], in

which it addresses the ethical aspects of that

approach in view of the lack of scientific evidences

to support it. The Australian Register of

Homoeopaths (AROH) published a “Statement on

the use of homoeopathic medicines for prophylaxis”

[52], which is a strict protocol that must be followed

by all “homeopathy practitioners” that prescribe

isopathic immunization (HP), “after the client has

discussed immunisation with a medical practitioner,

and made a carefully considered decision not to use

immunisation”.

“[…] Unlike conventional vaccines,

homoeopathic preparations use nosodes which are

diluted to such an extent that no trace of the original

pathogen (nosode) remains. These preparations are

given orally to babies on a regular basis (usually

monthly to bimonthly) from 1 month to 26 months

of age and cost around $95, plus postage and

handling, for the completed schedule. […]

Therefore, unlike conventional immunisation, there

is no rigorously tested research evidence to support

this form of therapy in the prevention of childhood

infectious diseases. Some people believe that

homoeopathic preparations will provide protection

against infectious Int J High Dilution Res 2014;

13(46): 54-82 74 diseases on the basis of very little

evidence. For example, Golden’s unpublished

survey of 150 children who had received

homoeopathic immunisation 5-10 years prior to his

study demonstrated that 72%-100% of children did

not develop the disease against which they had been

treated with homoeopathic preparations. However,

20%-30% of these children had also received

conventional immunisation. These findings are not

surprising because conventional immunisation

programs have eradicated or radically reduced the

occurrence of most childhood infectious diseases in

our country. Therefore, the incidence of these

infections is so low that you would not expect to see

it in a sample as small as 150 children, whether or

not they had received homoeopathy. Interestingly,

15 children in Golden’s study stated they had

experienced side effects to the homoeopathic

‘vaccines’. […] The Australian Register of

Homoeopaths (AROH) states homoeopathics

‘should not be recommended as a substitute for

(conventional) immunisation’. Unless reliable

scientific research is conducted which demonstrates

the effectiveness and safety of homoeopathic

preparations in preventing infectious diseases, they

cannot be recommended as an alternative to

conventional immunisation […].” [51]

“[…] C. Where the efficacy and/or effectiveness

of HP has not been well demonstrated to be as high

as that achieved with available immunisation for a

specific disease considering any relevant factors

(e.g. comparability and reliability of data sets,

relevance of the conditions surrounding the data

collection to those relating to the patient in question),

HP should not be recommended as a substitute for

immunisation, and should only be considered by the

practitioner after the client has discussed

immunisation with a medical practitioner, and made

a carefully considered decision not to use

immunisation. Any practitioners recommending HP

should be prepared to support such recommendation

with data (in a Court if necessary). However, a

patient (after examination of the relevant

information), considering risks and benefits may

choose to use HP after deciding against an available

immunisation, or for a disease where an

immunisation is not available, and/or as part of an

ethical clinical trial. In certain circumstances,

however, such decisions have lead parents into legal

proceedings […]”. [52]

In line with the Department of Health’s advice,

the British Homeopathic Association recommends

that immunization should be carried out in the

normal way using the conventional tested and

approved vaccines. In a factsheet entitled

“Homeopathy and immunisation” [53], ‘isopathic

immunization’ is criticized together with the

warning that “relying on nosodes instead of

immunisation may create a false sense of security,

since efficacy is not proven”, as I had observed [1].

Analogously, the Royal London Hospital for

Integrated Medicine does not recommend or

prescribe homeopathic remedies to replace the

Department of Health’s childhood immunization

program [54].

“[…] There are no proven homeopathic

substitutes for immunisation. Some people have

suggested using ‘nosodes’ (homeopathic

preparations of the ‘bugs’ which cause the diseases).

There is currently no evidence that nosodes are

effective in humans. Relying on nosodes instead of

immunisation may create a false sense of security,

since efficacy is not proven. […] Homeopathic

medicines prescribed by trained practitioners can

successfully treat epidemics of infectious disease,

even where there are no other alternatives. For

example, homeopathic medicines have been shown

to relieve and shorten the duration of symptoms

during outbreaks of influenza. […] You may be

prescribed a homeopathic medicine which has been

individually selected for you. This medicine may

boost your overall wellbeing and health, making it

less likely that you will catch an infection or help you

to recover more quickly should you become ill. This

is known as a constitutional prescription. […] The

Faculty of Homeopathy follows the Department of

Health guidelines on immunisation and recommends

that immunisation be carried out in the normal way

unless there are medical contraindications.” [53]

In the USA, the National Center for

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

(NCCAM) also manifested to be against ‘isopathic

immunization’, but recommends classical

immunization: “Certain homeopathic products

(called ‘nosodes’ or ‘homeopathic immunizations’)

have been promoted by some as substitutes for

conventional immunizations, but data to support

such claims is lacking. The National Center for

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

(NCCAM) supports the Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention’s recommendations for

immunizations/ vaccinations” [55]. Calling the

attention to the fact that “there has been a resurgence

of certain vaccine-preventable diseases in the United

States in recent years” and “that children who

received care from complementary health

practitioners were substantially less likely to get

recommended immunizations and were more likely

to be diagnosed with a vaccine-preventable disease”,

the NCCAM tells its members that “it is essential

that we recognize the extraordinary success of

childhood vaccination, and that we look to the

abundant scientific evidence that documents the

safety and vital role of vaccines in the health of our

Nation” [56].

The position adopted by the Brazilian

Homeopathic Medical Association (AMHB) even

for the accreditation of specialists in homeopathy, is

to comply with the orientations formulated in the

“National Program of Immunizations”, and warns its

members that systematic avoidance of vaccines for

the prevention of childhood diseases “leaving them

vulnerable to certain diseases against which they

could be protected through vaccination” is a blatant

transgression of the “Brazilian Code of Medical

Ethics” (article 32: “It is forbidden to the physician

not to use all available means of diagnosis and

treatment at his or her hands for the benefit of the

patient”). In addition, by not allowing their patients

to be vaccinated, or even advertising against

vaccination, doctors not only create a problem for

health authorities, but also transgress Decree 12,342,

from September 27 1978, which establishes

vaccination as mandatory in Brazil (article 14: “The

doctor should strive to improve the overall health

conditions and the standards of the medical services,

as well as assume their share of responsibility in

regard to public health, health education and health

legislation”; article 21: “It is forbidden to the doctor

not to cooperate with the health authorities or

contravene the relevant legislation”). According to

the above mentioned Decree, when a doctor

considers that a given vaccine might be harmful for

a patient on an individual basis, he or she might

contraindicate it, and assume the responsibility for

that decision [57].

Therefore, by replacing effective (safe) official

immunization programs by isopathic immunization

unsupported by scientific evidences, homeopathic

doctors “transgress the bioethical principles of

beneficence and non-maleficence”, as they no longer

employ “all available means of diagnosis and

treatment in their hands for the benefit of the

patient”, might cause undesirable adverse events and

impair their country public health conditions by

allowing diseases that are controlled or eradicated by

classic immunization to affect the population. In

addition, when “advertising against vaccination”,

homeopaths promote criticism against homeopathy,

which is unjustified, as homeopathy does not

endorse such recommendation. This posture soils the

image of homeopathy, and contributes to undermine

its global acceptance and dissemination. It is worth

to observe that some studies showed that

homeopathic “doctors” recommend classical

vaccination more frequently than the lay

homeopathic “practitioners” [58-63].

“Childhood Vaccinations - Vital to Our

Children’s Health. People turn to complementary

and alternative medicine (CAM) seeking better

health. Several studies have found an association

between use of CAM and positive health behaviors

such as getting regular exercise, not using tobacco

products, and following a healthy diet. CAM use

also has been associated with higher rates of

vaccination for influenza, pneumococcus, and

hepatitis B among adults. Unfortunately, however,

this may not be the case for vaccinations in children.

A recently reported NCCAM-funded study in the

Maternal and Child Health Journal showed that

children in Washington State who received care

from CAM providers were substantially less likely

to get recommended immunizations and were more

likely to be diagnosed with a vaccine-preventable

disease. The investigators note that their findings do

not provide an explanation for the association. For

example, it is possible that the study’s results reflect

an increased tendency of parents who are already

vaccine-hesitant to seek out CAM professionals, a

direct influence of CAM providers on parents’

attitudes, or another explanation. Nonetheless, as a

physician and Director of NCCAM, I find these

results troubling in and of themselves. It is very

difficult for most Americans to remember that polio

and diphtheria regularly killed or permanently

injured thousands of people in the United States

yearly, as recently as the last century. In fact, polio

has been eradicated in the United States and

diphtheria is very rare because of vaccinations.

However, these diseases have not yet been

eliminated worldwide and could easily return to the

United States. The Washington State study is

especially troubling in light of reports from the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

that there has been a resurgence of certain vaccine-

preventable diseases in the United States in recent

years. For example, in 2010, 8,627 cases of

whooping cough (pertussis) including 10 infant

deaths were reported throughout California - the

largest number of cases reported in 63 years. The

benefits of vaccination in preventing illness and

death have been repeatedly proven and greatly

outweigh the risks. I fully support the CDC’s current

evidence-based recommendations for pediatric

vaccinations, and I urge parents to safeguard their

children by following these recommendations. I also

urge all health care provider organizations -

including CAM organizations - to raise vaccine

awareness among their members, and enlist them in

efforts to help increase adherence to childhood

vaccinations. It is essential that we recognize the

extraordinary success of childhood vaccination, and

that we look to the abundant scientific evidence that

documents the safety and vital role of vaccines in the

health of our Nation.” (Josephine P. Briggs, Director

of the NCCAM) [63]

Conclusions

The homeopathic model of treatment (and

prevention) applies the principle of symptom-based

similitude to prescribe individualized remedies that

were shown to induce similar symptoms in

pathogenetic trials. In this regard, any type of

substances (from the mineral, plant or animal

kingdom, either natural or synthetic) might be used

in a homeopathic manner, in ponderable or

infinitesimal doses. For that reason, also modern

drugs might be used in agreement with the principle

of symptom-based similitude, thus representing an

addition of thousands of new remedies to the

homeopathic materia medica [64-67].

By the same token, any treatment that merely

uses ‘potentized remedies’ with disregard for the

homeopathic epistemological premises cannot be

considered as “homeopathic”. This is the case, e.g.,

of isoprophylaxis, which uses nosodes based on the

principle of etiological identity, with full neglect of

the similarity of symptoms, pathogenetic studies and

individualization of treatment.

By applying those same basic assumptions to

the prevention of epidemic diseases

(homeoprophylaxis), remedies similar to the

epidemic genius of the initial stage of an epidemic

outbreak might be used in a homeopathically

prophylactic manner to prevent transmission to

susceptible individuals. Although all outbreaks of a

same epidemic disease are caused by the same

microorganism (etiological agent), the symptoms of

each individual outbreak should be surveyed anew in

order to select an individualized remedy for each

particular stage.

Although most homeopathic studies targeting

the prophylaxis of epidemics used methods unfit to

give accurate answers to the questions on the

efficacy and safety of homeoprophylaxis and

isoprophylaxis, novel models of experimental and

observational studies are emerging, the results of

which might provide (or not) the evidences required

vis-à-vis the current medical mainstream. The

example provided by those studies should be

followed by homeopathic practitioners devoted to

the propagation of homeo- and isoprophylaxis for

the sake of their patients’ wellbeing and the health of

the community at large. In this regard, is worth to

bear in mind that the global consensus of

homeopathic institutions worldwide states that

“unless reliable scientific research is conducted

which demonstrates the effectiveness and safety of

‘homoeopathic’ preparations in preventing

infectious diseases, they cannot be recommended as

an alternative to conventional immunization”.

In spite of the enormous benefits that

conventional immunization programs afford in the

public health sphere, adverse reactions and

aggravation of chronic diseases might be found,

when their effects are evaluated based on patterns of

individual susceptibility. Based on well-justified

clinical and scientific reasons [68, 69], homeopathic

doctors are entitled to contraindicate any vaccine to

avoid further impairment of the patient’s health.

The same criticism I directed in other article

[70] to homeopathic practice unsupported by sound

epistemological and scientific criteria (non-

individualized medication, use of complexes,

systematic discontinuance of conventional

medication for no clear reason, etc.) also applies to

isoprophylaxis:

“Homeopathy is a serious thing! Cannot be

regarded as a dazzle of ‘alternative’ doctors who

despise the integrity of their patients because they

believe in an ‘absolute and immediate power’ of any

prescribed homeopathic substance, disregarding, in

most cases, the criterion of drug individualization,

fundamental for the success of the homeopathic

treatment.” [70]

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14.  The  Homœopathic  Remedy  in  Chronic  and 
Serious Pathologies 
Dr. SPINEDI, Dario  
(The Homeopathic Remedy-The Non Medicine 
–  A  Proposal  for  Recognition,  roma,  12-13 
December 1988) 
 
Summary:  By  severe  chronic  pathology  I  mean 
those  diseases  that  experience  (in  allopathic 
medicine) are as follows: a chronic course requiring 
continuous  or  repeated  treatment;  a  negative 
prognosis  as  regards  the  quality  of  life,  or  an 
unfavourable  prognosis;  diseases  requiring  the 

removal of an organ to obtain an attenuation of the

disease to guarantee the very life of the patient.

1.DEFINITION: By severe chronic pathology I

mean those diseases that experience (in the

allopathic medicine) show up as follows:

(1) A chronic course requiring continuous or

repeated treatment:

Ulcerous colitis, aggressive chronic Hepatitis,

Brochial Asthma, Epilepsy, etc.

(2) A negative prognosis as regards the quality of

life, such as for example: polyarthritis, multiple

sclerosis, endogenous psychosis, paresis after

polio or intra partum.

Or an unfavourable prognosis such as for

example:

Lupus eritematodes, disseminates, hereditary

polycystic kidney, severe psychosis with

repeated attempts at suicide.

(3) Diseases requiring the surgery of an organ to

obtain an attenuation of the disease to guarantee

the very life of the patient, such as for example:

Werhoff’s disease or the surgery of the spleen,

polycystic ovaries (Stein-Leventhal’s disease),

severe endometriosis, tumours, etc.

I have treated one or more patients for each of

the above pathologies and in many cases I succeeded

in achieving a recovery.

2. CRITERIA OF RECOVERY

a) Improvement and normalization of laboratory

parametres.

b) Disappearence of the subjective and objective

symptoms for which the patient consulted me.

c) Minimum period of observation 2-3 years.

3. STATISTICAL EVALUATIONS

It is a difficult for a single doctor to propose a

statistical survey responding to modern requirements

in this field.

In this respect a centre with a vast casuistry and

long periods of observation should be available.

Due to the shortness of my talk, I shall have to

limit myself to four cases to explain the above.

4. CASUISTRY should like to draw your attention

on a case of severe acute pathology and three cases

of chronic pathology.

a) FIRST CASE

In honour of my Maestro Dr. Jost Kunzli. Ten

years ago my wife gave birth to a child and had to

undergo a Caesarian operation. This was very

complicated and a state of septicaemia ensued.

Symptomatology: Semi-unconsciousness,

shivering, temperature at 41 degrees. Proposal of the

hospital and of the doctor who was treating her:

timely administration of a combination of three

antibiotics, cortisone, anticoagulating substances

and ergotamine.

At this point I called Dr. Kunzli for advice. He

suggested I take my wife and the new born baby

home and just observe the symptoms ignoring all

treatment.

Of course, my wife’s doctor and the Board of

doctors deemed me irresponsible and made me sign

a paper in which they declined all responsibility.

With the help of neighbours I took my wife home;

her temperature was very high and the wound was

bleeding.

Once home, I started to observe the symptoms.

As time passed, I realized that everytime I

entered her room, my wife started coughing. This

happened only when I entered the room.

I informed Dr. Kunzli of this strange fact and

after questioning me further, he suggested I

administer my wife Phosphorus at the thirtieth

centesimal (30CH).

At 11.00 p.m. I put on my wife’s tongue a

pillule of Phosphorus 30CH.

The day after her temperature had disappeared.

Later I discovered in Kent’s Repertory the note

“cough when someone enters the room” with a sole

remedy represented by this symptom: Phosphorus.

Three days later I took the stitches out from the

wound and my wife and child were well again.

This is the case of a Septicaemia which

recovered in a night treated with Phosphorus 30CH.

b) SECOND CASE

Three years ago a sixteen year old girl came to

me.

She was crying because she did not want to take

any more cortisone which, according to her, caused

her stomach-ache and pain in the bones.

Diagnosis: acute ulcerous colitic condition.

Symptomatology: in the last months loss of body

weight of 19 Kg., diarrhea with blood 15-20 times a

day, strong abdominal pain.

Sedimentation 54 of the first hour despite a 50 mg.

therapy of cortisone and salazopirine followed for

many months. The choice of the homœopathic

Remedy fell on Mercurius solubilis, especially

because the patient was always dreaming of people

cut to pieces: legs, arms and heads, all cut up, or

people without head or inferior limbs.

In Kent’s Repertory under the note

“Multilation” we find, among other remedies,

Mercurius solubilis which covers the totality of the

patient’s symptoms.

Mercurius at the two hundredth centesimal (200

CH) is prescribed.

Course of disease: Cortisone is put aside at once.

A month later the abdominal pain disappears. Feces

almost normal.

Six months later: Sedimentation has lowered

from 54 to 28 without employment of cortisone.

Normal feces.

Weight increase of 10 Kg.

A year later there was a check-up at the

University Hospital of Berne which acknowledged a

great objective and subjective improvement of the

patient.

Hospital advice: Continue the homœopathic

treatment.

This is an example of respect of the rights of

others on the part of the allopathic colleagues.

c) THIRD CASE

The third patient comes to me on 06/06/1986.

Thirty years old. Diagnosis: purple idiopathic

haemorrhagia or Werlhoff’s disease.

The diagnosis had been effected in 1984 and

since then, for two years, the patient had been treated

unsuccessfully with cortisone.

This is why the doctor suggested surgery of the

spleen.

Laboratory data: 20,000 platelets.

The antibodies against the thrombocytes are

extremely high.

The G immunoglobulins on the thrombocytes

are, for example, 685 whereas the normal number is

10 at the highest. The 1Gm are 2.110 whereas the

normal number is 10 at the highest.

The Homœopathic treatment starts on

06/06/1986 with Crotalus horridus, that is the

poison of the rattle snake.

This Remedy was chosen firstly on the strong

symptom “aversion for loved ones”. Her father, for

instance, loved her very dearly, but she felt uneasy

in his presence. This was also true for the other

members of her family.

On 6th June, 1986 she was administered a dose

of Crotalus horridus at the thousandth centesimal

(C) and cortisone was immediately and totally

suspended. On 20th August, that is two months later,

the patient called me saying that she was perfectly

well and that she had 220,000 thrombocytes.

Her relations with the family had not yet

improved and her last menstruation had been

painful. It was thus decided to repeat the

administration of one pillule of Crotalus at the

thousandth centesimale (C 1000) on 1st September,

1986.

60 days later the thrombocytes were 246.000.

Her relations with the family had improved, but

menstruation was still painful. Therefore on 20th

November, 1986 it was decided to give her Crotalus

at the tenth thousandth centesimale (C 10,000).

Two years have elapsed since then. The patient

has regained an excellent health and thrombocytes

have always been over the limit of 200.000.

The idea of spleen surgery was abandoned and

this was the very reason for which the patient had

consulted me.

d) FOURTH CASE:

Five years ago a young homosexual patient

came to me suffering from chronic aggressive B type

Hepatitis and with very high hepatic enzymes and

transminasis.

He had been taking cortisone for three years yet

transaminasis and gamma-GT remained high.

Despite the opposition of the doctor who was

treating him, a Professor in gastroenterology who

stated that he would give up his profession if

Homœopathy succeeded in curing his patient, the

patient started the Homœopathic treatment.

The remedy was Natrum muriaticum, the

simple kitchen salt which, dynamized has

miraculous facilities.

It is not by chance alone that an Oriental

philosopher wrote: “There is something strangely

holy in salt, found both in the oceans and in our

tears”.

Natrum muriaticum at the thousandth

centesimal (C 1.000) is administered to the patient

on 21/09/1983. Transaminasis are GOT 149, GPT

230 (I refer to the old values). On November 18th,

1983, that is two months later, values reach 86 and

113 which means that they were halved with a single

pillule of kitchen salt, dynamized and without even

one mg. of cortisone. Without any further

administration of the remedy until 26/02/1984, 5

months later, transminasis were almost normal: GOT

27 and GPT 38.

After a sentimental crisis in June 1984, values

rise to 74 GOT and 105 GPT. Natrum muriaticum

at the thousandth is again administered. Three

months later, on 27th September, 1984, values are

again normal.

The Professor in gastroenterology speaks of a

probable recovery because gamma GT values have

returned normal. On 09/10/1985, a year later, the

last dose was administered and, without an apparent

reason, values become very high, and reach 330

GOT and 590 GPT.

A dose of Natrum muriaticum at the

hundredthousandth centesimal (C 100.000) is

repeated on 26th May, 1986, that is a year after the

last dose, because of a further sentimental crisis and

a deep psychic depression. Despite this episode

laboratory values remained normal.

On June 17th, 1987, another dose of the Remedy

was administered again because of sentimental

problems which were liable to unbalance this very

weak patient. In the last two years all the laboratory

values have kept normal and we may thus speak of

recovery.

Exams: GOT, GPT, Gamma-GT, alkaline

phosphatitis, hepatitis antibodies and antigenes.

The psycho-physical condition of the patient is

greatly improved and he is now in a condition to

overcome the daily difficulties of life.

Observation period: 5 years.

Pillules administered in this period: six.

--------------------------------------------------------------

15. The Homœopathic remedy and Laws of

Recovery

Dr. SIMEONE, Giovanni

(The Homeopathic Remedy-The Non Medicine

– A Proposal for Recognition, roma, 12-13

December 1988)

Summary: The use of the Unique Remedy permits

to vary the power of the dynamization and thus

administer different potency and decide according to

variations on HERING’s law.

Authorities, Ladies and Gentlemen, dear

Colleagues,

My experience as a country doctor has taken me

to brief considerations which I here wish to

communicate to you as simply as possible.

If there are orders and laws to govern the

universe, the recovery of an individual must also be

governed by a law.

This simple observation was carried through

and analyzed by a well-known homœopath: Dr.

Constantin HERING who established, in a simple

manner, easily understandable by everyone and not

only by doctors, the way the recovery of a diseased

individual must come about.

First slide

The first slide regards the enunciation of the

law.

HERING’s law states that: recovery proceeds

from top to bottom, in the physical sense of the term,

from the inside to the outside, from the most

important organs to the least important and in the

opposite order to that in which the symptoms

appeared. To prove this, I want to tell you of a case

I experienced at the beginning of my life as a young

doctor. A difficult case which, like all difficult

things of life, greatly changed my life as a doctor and

perhaps also as a man.

I wish to tell you of a case of “LES systemic

erythema or lupus”. This case was treated

successfully though I have had other cases which

unfortunately, did not end in the same way though

clearly and positively affected by Homœopathy. I

was asked by a friend to help treat a thirty-two year

old woman who had been suffering from “LES” for

many years. At the age of 17 she started suffering

from rheumatism of the joints and after a year’s

therapy it was decided that she should go to the

nearest hospital. Once in hospital, realizing the

seriousness of the disease, it was decided to take the

young woman to a more specialized clinic of the

University of Naples and subsequently, the patient

herself asked to be moved to the University of Rome.

Here the disease was ascertained under all points of

view also through a bioptic examination.

From the age of 17 to 32, many therapies were

followed but it must be mentioned that the patient

had chosen to be buried alive, I dare say, because she

would stay home all day and go out only to see

doctors.

How did this affect her personality? Her social

relations? A complete closure towards the world, a

childish autism which reached its peak when the

patient refused to talk to our honourable Professor

Negro, causing me great embarrassment. Actually,

she had interiorized, not only the physical pathology,

but also all the problems connected with the use of

certain substancces and the disease itself.

I believe that the way I started treating this case

is very important. I employed a complex

homœopathic product and the patient started to

improve. As the patient already showed signs of

chronic Kidney insufficiency, light though this may

have been, as well as a high degree of high blood

pressure and pains in the joints. I decided to treat her

with a “complex”. The patient improved, as we

could see by her blood tests, and various parametres

that I had held in great consideration, which were

taken at the University where she lied that she was

having a conventional therapy.

When the patient came to our Centre of

Homœopathic Medicine to be studied, her condition

had already improved. The same could not be said

for her character. She refused to be questioned by

my colleagues despite the improvement which the

analyses confirmed.

When I submitted the case to Professor Negro,

he smiled in a fatherly way and explained that the

law of Homœopathy remained valid also as regards

“LES”; the law of similes and that I was not to fear

a severe disease because a severe disease expresses

itself in a unique organism which cannot be repeated,

unique as it is genetically, physically and socially.

This was very fortunate for me because it was at this

point that the Unitarian Homœopathic Remedy

started.

As regards the law of recovery, my patient did

something that could be considered revolutionary:

while with the “complex” treatment the blood values

changed, her global condition was always pretty

much the same. After administering, the Unique

Homœopathic Remedy Arsenicum album some of

the symptoms which had previously been suppressed

and had been absent for years began to show once

more.

Of course, this greatly frightened my patient for

she thought that the disease was getting worse, but it

did not frighten our School, nor the doctors. The

pains which before were especially present in the

rhachis started moving towards the peripheric joints

and the classical rash of the “systemic erythema of

lupus” returned. Later, the minor symptoms came

on which had been there at the beginning of disease

as well as a temperature which I accurately

registered and noted down.

Was our patient getting worse or was she

improving? According to Hering’s law she was

improving. Let us see why. First of all because the

symptoms were moving from top to bottom and that

is the pain was moving to the peripheral joints.

Secondly, because the disease moved from the

kidney, one of the most noble organs of the

hierarchy, to the skin, the least important, if I may

say so, of the hierarchy of the apparetuses and

systems of the human body.

What does this mean? It means that the doctor

has the prognostic and therapeutic possibility of

establishing if the drug is the right one, if prognosis

is good or bad. I am speaking of a severe pathology,

commonly labelled non curable. Moreover, a third

condition had developed in this patient and that is old

symptoms reappeared in an order which was exactly

opposite the one they had appeared. Symptoms do

not always appear in this manner, but if we want to

formulate an adequate prognosis it is enough that

one sole condition appear to give a positive or

negative judgement on it.

Second slide

In the second slide I have tried to put the

different organs in order of priority and at the centre

I have put the brain, then I have put the heart, the

hypophysis, the liver, the lungs, the kidneys, the

testicles and the ovaries, the bones, the muscles and

the skin.

As you can see, in our case we passed from a

pathology which concerned the kidneys to a

pathology which involved the skin and the brain.

That is, from a more important organ to a less

important organ, from the inside to the outside.

Without any doubt the answer is: the Unique

Remedy, which gave me the possibility of evaluating

the evolution of the symptomatology and asking my

patient to bear up with some temporary disorder

because she was getting better, she was going

towards an improvement. It is thus a problem of

methodology. I can state that the administration of

more substances may result in an improvement, but

then the method does not exist any more. This is the

reason why I chose the Unique Remedy which is

necessary because it respected a scientific

methodology.

After two years of therapy the case evolved

positively and we treated this patient till 1986. Since

then she has been well and we have not administered

her any more drugs. As the Honourable Doctor

KENT rightly says: “There is no need to stir up a

body which does not need to be stirred up”.

What happened after this positive symptomatic

evolution? The patient returned to normal blood

pressure values, her kidney disorders improved and

then reached normal values. Proteinuria decreased,

hematuria disappeared and, what is more, her

attitude towards life changed completely. The

woman who did not want to go out, who wanted to

stay at home alone, waiting for death and who had

relinquished all her parents wanted to give her in

favour of her two brothers, finding herself recovered

in a manner that no longer belonged to her, which

she did not feel her own, managed to escape from

this situation thanks to the Homœopathic Remedy

and the help of friends. She phoned me no more than

30 days ago and she said that she wished to get

married and she asked me what would happen if she

had a baby. I was very pleased to know that not only

had she overcome the physical disease but also that

childish autism, closed to life and the world.

The above are not strictly technical elements but

important because it summarizes in a simple manner

what HERING’s law represents for the

Homœopathic oriented mind and, I would say, for

any mind guided by common sense.

While the official medicine goes towards the

specific, towards an aimed research of the antibiotic,

towards the pharmacologic monitoring and towards

the subtle choice of the quantity of drug to be

administered, now we are arguing over a concept

which has been overcome by science in all respects.

We are trying to establish whether it is better to

administer something highly specific or more things

put together of which we do not know the synergic

effect. In this case, moreover, another bearing post

of Homœopathy would lose its force and that is the

Pure Experimentation and that means that there is no

experimentation of complex drugs.

Must then these drugs be eliminated from the

market? Not according to me. They may be labelled

in another manner. Homotoxicology, for example.

It does give results, but these are limited. Why is

this? If I had continued to give my patient my

complex, she would have become accustomed to it,

the result would thus have become steady and little

by little the case would have slipped through my

fingers.

The use of the Unique Remedy permitted me to

vary the power of the dynamization and thus

administer different potency and decide according to

variations on Hering’s law. A skin rash disappeared

and another deeper symptom came up. For the

Homœopathic doctor it was a medical language

which indicated the administration of a higher

potency. This is impossible with a drug which

contains potencies already registered by the Ministry

of Health and by the producers. I believe we have

no doubts in defending the strict method in favour of

consumers. It is the State that must safeguard

consumers and not lend itself to the pressures

coming from specific interests, but must heed the

pressures of authentic science as already said by

Professor Negro.

One of Professor Negro’s teachings is the

following: act in any case because there are no cases

or pathologies that Homœopathy cannot treat,

therefore there is no point in saying: “Yes to

epilepsy and no to ‘LES’, or vice-versa; no to acute

kidney disorders and yes to Malta fever”, I believe

that this is not part of our cultural heritage nor of our

technical knowledge from a clinical and medical

viewpoint and thus we have to abandon this

psychological idea of inferiority as regards

methodologies which might have the merit of having

isolated the virus of a certain pathology, but which

do not have the merit of preventing and treating

without harm.

I am coming to the conclusion. My mind goes

back to the statesman who first had the courage to

accept, institutionalize and make Homœopathic

Medicine public I am speaking of the great Gandhi,

a man who, through non violence and good sense,

gave a sense to his own life. “Homœopathy”, said

Gandhi, “is the last sophisticated method of treating

patients, economic and non violent; the Government

favours it and sponsors it in our Nation”.

We, Italian Homœopathic doctors, expect the

same thing from our political class. This is what all

sick people who have benefitted in body and spirit

from Homœopathy, expect as regards the future of

Homœopathic Medicine.

--------------------------------------------------------------

16. Experimentation on the Healthy Human in

Homœopathic Teaching

Dr. RODRIGUEZ

(The Homeopathic Remedy-The Non Medicine

– A Proposal for Recognition, roma, 12-13

December 1988)

Summary:

Experimental Homœopathy differs from the

laboratory pharmacodynamics. The latter analyzes

the primary action of drugs in physiological doses;

Homœopathy studies the specific secondary effect of

a substance in infraphysiological doses in an

organism sensitive to the minimum action.

I consider the homœopathic fact, not only with

the awareness of the interest sprung from these years

of work in a teaching more and more suited to this

new generation of doctors, but I feel the need to

underline the importance of the new phenomenon for

the present and future outlook of Homœopathic

Medcine in the scientific field.

At present, most of the scientific world has

completely relinquished the idea that “science is not

boud to values”, but only limited to a description of

what axctually exists without mentioning what

should exist.

Scientific objectivity must most certainly not be

abandoned, but it must be acknowledged that both

the act of acquiring scientific knowledge and the

very objects of this knowledge very objects of this

knowledge cannot be free of values and choices. The

methods for acquiring scientific knowledge consider

the following:

1) Logic theories, consistent with the acquired

knowledge as a whole.

2) Precise experiments which may be repeated.

These requisites are what makes science

different from sectors of knowledge such as

metaphysics and theology; these SYSTEMS of

thought claim to represent knowledge and are

all meaningful for thought claim to represent

knowledge and are all meaningful for thought

and behavior, but scientific knowledge is the

sole subject to experimental verification,

expressed with the optimum of lucidity and

elegance. Science is thus built up through

theories based on a few general postulates

expressed by mathematical reports; from these

postulates one may draw a great number of

assumptions and, among these, the key elements

may be experimentally tested and verified.

The entire structure is thought as the most

exact possible, devoid of all unnecessary

factors; therefore, in the main lines of scientific

knowledge nothing is left to chance. Two

things, however, are obvious in these general

lines:

1) The phenomena in which science is

concerned must have QUANTIFIABLE

AND NON CONTRADICTORY

characteristics, on the basis of which they

may be interpreted.

2) Scientists prefer to interpret them through

THESE QUANTIFIABLE CHARAC-

TERISTICS.

We know that all laws of nature are nothing but

statistical truths. Moreover, we have not dwelled

enough on the fact that, to prove the inviolable

validity of the laws of nature, we implicity need the

laboratory with its incisive restrictions. Leaving

nature to take care of itself, we get a glimpse of

something completely different; every process is

subject to total and partial interference by chance and

this inasmuch as a regular course of events,

respectful of the law, enters into a much more

complex system of interactions. But is not the aim

of scientific knowledge that of understanding natural

phenomena in an unitarian manner?

A unified theory of the physical world and of the

living world, as in the social and psychological

world, sought since the middle of the century by the

scientific community, underlines, according to me,

the importance of our pure experimentation, of our

clinical testing, which through an actual recovery

identifies man in all his process of development, past

and present, tightly connected to the social

environment and that relating to phenomena.

Perhaps it is the path to an Unitarian knowledge of

vital and general phenomena in general I have been

considering “the homœopathic fact” for over thirty

years and have lived it on my own preparation and

my own scientific labels. Homœopathic medicine is

an experimental and clinical fact and it is for this

reason that we feel bound to safeguard its

epistemologic status (both experimental and clinic).

The message must be understood and carried into the

future; it must not and cannot be reduced because at

present our parametres forbid us to quantify it. The

non quantifiable may be identified only through the

most correct procedure of Homœopathic medicine

and the human being becomes the junction with

nature while microcosm and macrocosm merge

together to answer our queries. Homœopathy is a

clinical-therapeutic method based on well defined

laws and general principles.

It is not the sole therapeutic system.

Hippocrates, father of medicine, defined the laws of

health and based them on hygiene, diet, climate and

treatment in accordance with the law of contraries to

suppress symptoms, or in accordance with the law of

the same to enhance nature medicatrix.

Since then, the application of both laws has

become traditional though always in the empiric

form and a remarkable prevalence of the law of

contraries. In different ages, doctors such as

Paracelsus, Van Helmont, Stahl and others tried to

enhance the application of the law of same, though

always starting from empiric observations as regards

the choice of the medicine. It was HAHNEMANN

who, though acknowledging the validity of the law

of contraries in symptomatic therapy, transformed

the principle of similitude into a universal

therapeutic regulation, thanks to the direct

experimentation of drugs on the human being.

In fact, any substance which in a physiological

or imponderable toxic dose produces a certain

syndrome in a healthy subject with a psycho-

physical balance, can also in very many diseases,

destroy symptoms such as those produced in the

healthy subject, as long as it is taken in small doses.

In Homœopathy, this is the principle of similitude

“Similia Similibus Curentur”.

However, for a diseased person to react to the

similar remedy, he must be in a state of

susceptibility, and Martiny defines susceptibility as

the power of the live matter to adapt the reaction to

the nature of the stimulant.

The understanding of the patient’s susceptibility

and the necessity as a consequence, of using

microdoses has influenced the course of the

therapeutic investigations of the Official Medicine

since the beginning of this century, following a path

parallel to that of Homœopathy, without ever

crossing it. Everyone acknowledges the action of

microdoses in a susceptible organism when

hormones, enzymes, vitamins, acids, colloidal

metals, antigens, vaccines, toxins, catalytic

substances, etc., are used, but no one acknowledges

that, as a logic result, the use of microdoses,

according to the specific susceptibility, must arise

from the principle of the same. Biology has defined

the problem of Homœopathy.

The pharmacodynamic law of Arnold-Schultz

states that small doses stimulate the vital activity;

moderate doses excite it; strong doses depress it;

very strong doses cancel or eliminate it. The toxic

dose, if very strong, kills the cell, the organism is

struck by its destructive action, called primary, and

in which the toxic agent does not allow the organism

to react.

When the dose is less strong, the damaged cell

modifies and gives rise to a physiological process

which shows up with a determined symptomatology;

in this case the primary action suppresses the natural

disease and corrects the local organic disorder and

this is why the weakened doses are called

physiologic doses.

Further reduced doses have a very mild

physiologic or primary action, which may be noticed

only in sensitive subjects and are thus called

hypophysiological or infinitesimal doses. These

doses are the ones which give rise to a reaction of the

organism or secondary action of drugs: it is an

extremely variable reaction which depends on the

reactive capacity of the subject, in experimentation,

specifically conditioned by the particular biopsychic

balance of its general functions. It is for this very

reason that experimental Homœopathy is different

from the pharmacodynamics of the laboratory. The

latter analyzed the primary action of drugs in

physiological doses; Homœopathy studies the

specific secondary effect of a substance in

infraphysiological doses in an organism sensitive to

the minimum action.

Experimentation in Homœopathy totally

depends on the study of the human being’s reactions

and all verifications arise from clinics.

Clinical medicine thus joins therapy from which

it should never be separated. The experimentation

of a drug on the human being, in an

infraphysiological dose, causes the explosion of a

series of symptoms which reveals a dynamic

alteration of the organism, a reaction of the

neurovegetative and central nervous systems which

shows the individual’s global response to a stimulus

produced by drug. This, called pathogeny of a

treatment, is made up of sensations, qualitative

variations of physiologic functions, alterations of the

bearing, mood, character, behavior of the individual

as a living unit. The specific value of psychologic

and neurovegetative symptoms forming the

individual’s personality, is not to be found in each

separate symptom but in the particular and original

manner in which all the symptoms merge and

characterize a totality which, through a similitude, is

also found in the natural setting of the disease.

This shows how Calcarea carbonica can cause

a very complex pathogeny by means of a small part

of its pathogenesis. It is the result of Calcarea

carbonica experimentation.

Calcarean carbonica is a complex calcium

carbonate extracted from the oyster’s intermediate

layer.

Experimentation was carried out on different

people and at the 30th centesimal and one can see

(this is only an example) that this experimentation

was made directly by Hahnemann who

experimented 101 substances on himself and in this

substance found 1.631 symptoms. After the

experimentation, this substance became a Remedy.

This is only an example to show some of the

symptoms arisen in the mental. As regards psyche

and affectivity we notice the following: a great

anxiety and palpitations and a kind of sweating

anguish, nausea, fears of losing one’s mind and so

forth.

We notice, moreover, more specific and reactive

symptoms which express a form of suffering of the

entire person as well as the general symptoms: great

sensitivieness to cold air, great fatigue during a

physical effort, etc.

We also see the symptoms concerning each

organ of the body and the accuracy with which

HAHNEMANN identified the symptoms of the

entire body by dividing it anatomically, symptoms

which take on a strictly personal character and not

general characteristics of organ and disease.

Calcarea carbonica has cured many diseases.

Always, however, identifying in the morbid and

medicinal individuality a picture similar to that of

the experimentation.

Bibliography leads us to many experimental and

clinical proofs. Our Centres of Rome and Naples

carry on this job with every medical record. The

discovery of the experimental set of symptoms,

regarded as entity, the special value of which ensues

from a special integration and not from the single

symptoms, brought on a practical response to the

problem of constitutions or morbid dispositions.

Calcarean ostearum – calcarean carbonica

NUMBER MENTAL SYMPTOMS IN THE

PURE MEDICAL MATTER OF S. HAHNEMANN

TOTAL 1.631

MIND 70

HEAD 165

EYES 80

EARS 45

NOSE 21

FACE 64

TEETH 52

MOUTH 73

THROAT 73

STOMACH 110

ABDOMEN 112

RECTUM ANUS 77

URINARY ORGANS 35

MALE SEX 39

FEMALE SEX

RESPIRATORY 96

CHEST 43

NECK AND BACK 55

UPPER LIMBS 69

LOWER LIMBS 143

NERVOUS SYSTEM 52

SKIN 20

SLEEP 105

TEMPERATURE 46

EXPERIMENTAL MENTAL SYMPTOMS

(SUMMARY)

GREAT ANXIETY AND PALPITATION,

SWEATING, ANGUISH AND NAUSEA WITH

ANGUISH, JERKS IN PRECHORDIAL AREA.

FEAR OF LOSING ONE’S MIND. FEAR THAT

OTHER PEOPLE MAY NOTICE ONE’S

MENTAL CONFUSION. IRRITATION AND

ANXIETY IN FREQUENT PAROXYSMS,

DEPRESSION AND MELANCHOLY AT THE

HIGHEST DEGREE WITH A SORT OF

ANXIETY. RESTLESSNESS IN CARRYING

OUT ANYKIND OF WORK.

HEAD AND GENERAL

BLOOD COMING TO THE HEAD FROM

THE PRECHORDIAL AREA. BLOOD

FLOWING TO THEHEAD AND HEAT DURING

MENSTRUATION, GREAT SENSITIVITY TO

COLD AIR. FATIGUE FROM PHYSICAL

EFFORT. FATIGUE AND SLEEPINESS IN THE

DAYTIME. DIFFICULTY IN GOING TO SLEEP

FOR AN EXCESS OF WORRIES.

GENITALS AND PHYSICAL

MILKY LEUCORRHOEA WITH BURNING

ITCHINESS.

ENCHANCEMENT OF THE SEXUAL

INSTINCT.

RECTUM AND ANUS.

CONSTIPATION, HARD, SCARCE STOOLS

WITH NON DIGESTED SUBSTANCES,

FEVERISH. FORMICATION IN THE RECTUM

AS OF ASCARI. SEVERE ITCHINESS OF THE

ANUS. GREAT IRRITABILITY BEFORE

EVACUATION.

EXPERIMENTAL SYMPTOMS.

GREAT ANGUISH AND PALPITATION. A

KIND OF SWEATING, ANGUISH AND

NAUSEA WITH THE ANGUISH JERKS IN THE

PRECHORDIAL AREA. FEAR OF LOSING

ONE’S MIND. FEAR THAT OTHER PEOPLE

MAY NOTICE ONE’S MENTAL CONFUSION.

IRRITATION AND ANXIETY ON FREQUENT

PROXYSMS, DEPRESSION AND

MELANCHOLY AT THE HIGHEST DEGREE

WITH A SORT OF ANXIETY. RESTLESSNESS

IN CARRYING OUT ANY KIND OF WORK.

HEAD

BLOOD FLOWING TO THE HEAD FROM

PRECHORDIAL AREA. BLOOD FLOWING TO

THE HEAD AND HEAT DURING

MENSTRUATION. GREAT SENSITIVITY TO

COLD AIR. FATIGUE AND SLEEPINESS IN

THE DAYTIME. DIFFICULTY IN GOING TO

SLEEP DUE TO EXCESS WORRY.

GENITALS

MILKY LEUCORRHOEA WITH BURNING

ITCHINESS. ENHANCEMENT OF SEXUAL

INSTINCT.

RECTUM AND ANUS

CONSTIPATION, HARD SCARCE STOOLS

WITH NON DIGESTED MATTER, WHITE

STOOLS. FORMICATION IN THE RECTUM AS

OF ASCARIDES. SEVERE ITCHINESS OF THE

ANUS. GREAT IRRITABILITY BEFORE

EVACUATION.

EXAMPLES OF DISEASE TREATED.

OSTEOMALACIA, RICKETS, DENTITION,

LYMPHATISM, CHRONIC ADENITIS,

ANAEMIA, LEUCOCYTEMIA,

HYPOPARATHYROIDISM, GOITRE, LIPOMA,

POLYPI, EPILEPSY, HEADACHE, CATARACT,

SUBACUTE AND CHRONIC OTITIS, CHRONIC

TONSILLITIS, HYPERTROPHY OF THE

TONSILS, BILIOUS LITHIASIS, MESENTERIC

TUBERCULOSIS, CONSTIPATION, HERNIA,

HEMORRHOIDS, CORYZA, CHRONIC

BRONCHITIS, ASTHMA, EMPHYSEMA, T.B.C.,

VARICOSE VEINS, GALLSTONES, POLYPI OF

THE BLADDER, MENORRHAGIA,

METRORRHAGIA, DYSMENORRHEA,

FIBROMA OF THE UTERUS, LEUCORRHAEA,

POLYPI OF THE UTERUS, NIGHT POLLUTION,

IMPOTENCY, HYDROCELE, IMPETIGO, MILK

CRUST, CHILBLAIN, NETTLERASH, ACNE,

PSORIASIS, FALLING HAIR.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ALLEN, H.C. – THE MATERIA MEDICA OF

THE NOSODES WITH PROVINGS OF THE X

RAY – JAIN PUBLISHING – NEW DELHI.

CLARKE, J.H. – A DICTIONARY OF

PRACTICAL MATERIA MEDICA – JAIN

PUBLISHER – NEW DELHI.

DUPRAT, H. – MATERIA MEDICA

OMEOPATICA – F. LLI PALOMBI EDROMA.

HAHNEMANN, S.C. – CHRONIC DISEASES –

HARJEET CO. – NEW DELHI.

HERING, C. – THE GUIDING SYMPTOMS OF

OUR MATERIA MEDICA – HARJEET CO. –

NEW DELHI.

FROM THE CLINICAL CASES TREATED

AT THE HOMŒOPATHIC MEDICINE STUDY

CENTRE TOMMASO CIGLIANO – NAPLES –

ROME – CE.M.O.N.

I believe that this is not the place to deepen the

thematic of Pure Experimentation: I have just

identified its general aspect as it is the nucleus of the

L.U.I.M.O. teaching method. The teaching method

to reach the Unitarian synthesis of the state of

disease of the single human being has arisen. Its

establishment has been very slow because it has had

to be verified on experience and in a continuous

development of research.

IT IS THE CREATURE OF L.U.O.M.O. –

ASSOCIATION FOR THE FREE

INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF

HOMŒOPATHIC MEDICINE.

The basic objective for which L.U.I.M.O. was

established has been achieved and has already given

results.

Through the confrontation of the most

significant clinical experiences and the absolute

respect of Hahnemann’s methodology a method of

teaching has been structured which, once understood

and taken up in its simplicity, even the neophyte can

listen to any other clinical experience without

fearing that the different approaches may deform the

acquired basic principles or keep him away from the

sole diagnosis which each follower of that same

teaching will have to make.

The difficulty of learning this medicine which is

concerned with life and which first considered the

state of disease, comes to a mind structured

according to the parametres of our pharmacology as

a paradox.

Pathology and pharmacology considered from a

different viewpoint!

It has been difficult to understand, I have had to

experiment over and over again to really start to

understand. The human phenomenon, the person

with his individual peculiarities, unrepeatable and

his continuous psycho-physical changes, has

certainly focused the real relation between man and

nature. The influence of nature on the state of health,

the getting ill and the recovery, in many instances, of

the state of health, have slowly made me understand

why Hahnemann defined divine medicine

Homœopathic Medicine. And here comes the

problem of teaching of Homœopathic Medicine lies

in the way the programme of study of medicine has

been structured since Hahnemann, even if, of course,

there have been variations.

The teaching of medicine responded, as it does

nowadays, to the law of the contrary, thus to a

structure seeking and having to discover the disease

on the one side and the treatment on the other. The

study of medicine thus followed the path towards the

perfectioning of the technique of an analytical

research on the “causes of disease” and on the

quantifiable and perfect pharmacological

experimentation. Scientific research dominates and

has always dominated man with its continuous

extraordinary discoveries, making man only the

support of the entire mechanism.

The teaching of medicine makes one wish to

assume wonderful notions and securities on behalf

of an analytical science which actually proceeds and

discovers, but which has forgotten that the support is

man, unique and unrepeatable, both in health and in

illness.

Homœopathic Medicine with its

experimentation on healthy men and clinical

provings on the human beings, lies on a completely

opposite basis though it does obviously not ignore

the findings of science and medicine.

The observation of the human phenomenon

within the tissue of life, starts from a synthesis and

reaches a synthesis, it employs the tools, but never

loses sight of its support, man, unique and

unrepeatable.

On the basis of this difference we have

established a teaching method which considers man

in his psycho-physical totality.

The line of development of learning must move

on the basis of Hahnemann’s method itself.

Once Hahnemann discovered how to apply the

similitude, that is, experiemented drugs on the

healthy man, he defined the characteristics of this

method.

OBSERVATION ON ONESELF SIMPLE (OR

NATURAL) LANGUAGE EXPERIMENTATION

OF DRUGS ON HEALTHY PEOPLE SIMPLE

LANGUAGE IDENTIFYING CHANGES

In learning the method, the language is the

reading key to the variations, firstly in the

observation of oneself and then, through the result of

experimentation. The simple or natural language is

of the utmost importance because in Homœopathy

the symptoms are not only nosographic expressions.

For reactive and subjective symptoms. In this sense

words have a diagnostic value when one goes on to

the observation and from the experimentation on

oneself to that on the diseased.

It is therefore necessary for the doctor who

wishes to become an authentic homœopath to live

the reality of understanding the language in the

observation of himself (that is in the passage from

the state of health to the state of artificial disease

caused by the drug); he himself must be a point of

evaluation of the symptoms of his future patient of

which he becomes the parameter.

The dynamic elements intervening in daily

behavior are part of the finding that the doctor must

make of himself (not for analysis), as elements of a

reactive dynamism which stands out during the

observation on himself and which shows in the

simple language and not in affected forms of some

kind of metalanguage or scientific language.

The psycho-physical reaction of the observer,

after the administration of the drug, identifices the

series of symptoms caused by the drug. In the

spontaneous language devoid of deductions, the

doctor learns, through a continuous observation, to

judge and correlate in a quick synthesis the series of

symptoms which may be important for the

prescription. The centre of suffering, that which

must be treated, in the dynamic unit of the human

being, cannot be deduced; it must come only from

observation and pass through the doctor’s

judgement. It is an act concerning life and its

modification from the state of health to the state of

disease.

The doctor must learn and perceive the changes

and correlate them synthetically in a spoken

dynamism which shows in a series of symptoms,

subjective, reactive and objective.

It is thus important to consider the relation

between the doctor and the patient from an inter-

subjectual point of view. When it is visualized on

the subject-object level it deforms the reality which

is vital, dynamic, between two individualities which

aim at finding in an intimately ezyological key the

roots of a pathologic behavior. It is a question of

expressing in dynamic fidelity the tridimensional

anthropologic constituent of soma-psyche-spirit.

This is the only way a doctor can have the basis

for the establishment of a dynamic biopathographic

history, apply in a proper manner the principle of

similitude and achieve: “Main and sole aim of the

doctor is to make the diseased healthy, that is restore

their health”. For the above and many other reasons,

in sum, for the medicine of man, of life, of the human

being, it is necessary to find a teaching fitted to man,

a teaching which takes into consideration life with

its continuous development, which teaches what the

state of health is and then compare it with the state

of disease. In all subject of study live men should be

considered in their Unitarian correlationism, while

analyzing one must join together, nothing must be

considered as a part, everything must continue to be

correlated.

It is the observation of life and its phenomena

that the doctor must achieve and where he himself

becomes the bearing element.

Homœopathic Medicine must necessarily

establish a new way of teaching medicine if it wants

to be really understood and take on its authentic

identity in the scientific field and if it want doctors

to be trained and formed as well as informed. The

moving dynamic elements which the careful doctor

experiences during observation on himself will make

him understand all the developing relations of any

process in the way these are told by means of words;

a symptomatologic series which claims balance from

the nucleus and brings it back to the nucleus through

its own modalities which are already structured

(miasma) and those induced by the outside.

To transmit Samuel Hahnemann’s integral

miasmatic clinical therapeutical method which

corresponds to all the laws of nature at stake, one

must proceed in the only logic way: reach the

knowledge of the method by induction through the

imitation of those principles which have allowed the

curative therapeutic act as well as the drive for man

towards “the superior aims of his existence”.

Everything must be drawn from life and nothing

devised.

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17. Basics in Education

WINSTON, Julian (HT. 21, 4/2001)

Homœopathy is a science. The basic ideas were

known to many through the ages, but it remained for

Hahnemann to put it all to gether—to understand

how the idea of similar can become a true science of

therapeutics. In Paragraph 2 of the Organon, he

explains that any healing system should operate by

principles.

As Homœopathy developed, Hahnemann found

that some cases were harder to cure than others. And

he searched for reasons. The result was his concept

of chronic disease, and those who worked through

principles were forced into looking at some cases at

a deeper level.

Through the years, Homœopathy continued to

develop. New remedies were proved. And people

gained experience. In wanting to share their

experiences, they wrote books and taught classes.

Today, I see a number of teachers sharing their

experiences through their clinics, or through

seminars, or through their writings. I know many of

them. They all started, years ago, with the

principles. They struggled to learn Materia Medica.

They practiced according to the principles. And as

they gained experience, they began to make

connections---after all, it is “the medicine of

experience.” They, as Hahnemann, began to

contemplate why some cases were not getting better.

As Jan Scholten said, “When you have a case which

does not respond to all the remedies you know, you

can only assume that the case will respond to a

remedy you don’t know.”

So these practitioners/teachers began to develop

ideas to help them in the search for that “unknown

remedy.” One approach is to assume that the remedy

really does not exist—and that leads to both new

provings and the idea of “synthetic Materia Medica”

– for example, a case which looks like both Lithium

and Phosphorus could be in need of Lithium

phosphoricum – which, until now has not been

proven.

[A similar condition existed in the 1870s when

Schuessler developed his “cell salts”. Many of these

were being given on theoretical indications based on

pathology. But Hering saw them and suggested they

be proven, and now we have another group of

remedies that were found to be homœopathic –

through both provings and clinical work.]

But a few problems arise when the teachers

begin to teach at these new levels. We have to

consider the experience of the teacher/practitioner.

In 1993, Jolles described four levels of learning:

unconscious incompetence (you are clueless):

conscious incompetence (you know you are clueless

and work toward finding out); conscious

competence (you can do it, but you have to think

about each step); unconscious competence (you are

so competent that it becomes automatic for you; you

have no idea how you know this, but you do!). I

would say that most of our teachers these days fall

into the latter category—their years of Materia

Medica learning and repertory slogging are largely

unconscious by now—they are looking at

Homœopathy from new perspectives and may be

largely unaware that the unconscious basics guide

them.

But what about their students? At one time

Homœopathy was a medical speciality, taught in

medical schools. Then, the schools folded. The

courses that were left were aimed at the post-

graduate level of education. We must remember that

a basic book like Kent’s Lectures on the Materia

Medica is a transcription of lectures aimed at

students who already had four years of homœopathic

education and were knowledgeable in anatomy,

physiology, and pathology. His lectures were post-

graduate level.

In the best of all worlds, we would have good

homœopathic education. After four years of study

and a few years of practice, one would be able to take

this experience and add to it with graduate study.

And it is at this level that most of the seminars I have

seen offered today are aimed.

The problem is that these seminars have no level

of prerequisite study. Those who attend are a mixed

group—from new students to long-time

practitioners. Although the teachers know the

basics, that is not what they are typically teaching.

They are teaching at the post-graduate level, and

knowledge of principles is assumed.

This material should be saved for the end stage

of study for the experienced practitioner, not the first

stage. The process should be simple: you take the

case as an unprejudiced observer as Hahnemann

suggested, and you look through it trying to find the

characteristic symptoms. Then you look at the

repertory. Then you go back to the Materia Medica.

Then you find the remedy that seems the best match

and you give it. May be, there are two possible

remedies—and you aren’t sure. So you read more

and try to differentiate between the choices. You

look at the case again. But may be, after all this

work, you still have no idea. You’ve seen this

patient for five years with some moderate success,

and the case is stalled. Only then would it be the

time to start considering the case using these

different perspectives. For example, is it an animal

remedy? Is it a mineral remedy? Could it be a

synthetic prescription? Why am I reminded of a

snake by this person? And so on.

I am connected to a four-year school teaching

homœopathy. I read the journals and go to

conferences. What I’m seeing is that often the

students are taking the case and half-way through

they start thinking, “animal? Mineral?” And at that

point they are no longer “unprejudiced.” They are

deciding the end without seeing the whole. I see it

over and over again. The result is that people start

to not really understand Homœopathy and its

principles. And they begin to fail in their cases. And

then they may try to find a course on therapeutics to

learn how to “give this for that”- because their basic

education didn’t teach them the basics—only the

fancy top layer.

The teachers may say, “Well, it’s not our fault!

We can’t be blamed for the students not doing it

right.” Well, I believe they can. There must be

accountability in the process. It is their

responsibility as educators to ground their material

in the fundamental principles of the system. So

when a failure happens, there is an understanding of

why it has likely happened and what to do about it.

Recently, a homœopathic educator suggested to

me that we are in the bind we are, “because there has

been so little emphasis on four good years of training

and so much emphasis on the ‘the greatest hits-of-

the-moment seminars.’ We have not developed

good critical skills. Yes there is room for intuition

in Homœopathy, but it is trained intuition. It comes

through years of ‘digesting the facts’.”

I certainly agree, I was at a seminar long ago

where the question was posed to George

VITHOULKAS, “Were Hering and Kent genuiuses,

or were they just hard workers?” To which

Vithoulkas replied, “Their genius was the capacity

for hard work.”

We are in a society where there is a demand for

instant everything – fast food, fast shopping, fast

transport, and instant results for minimal input. And

Homœopathy can’t be done like that. It is about

critical analysis. It is about thinking. It is about

principles.

This is the April issue. I hope you will have fun

figuring out what is the “April Fool” item.

Julian WINSTON.

--------------------------------------------------------------

18. Letter To The Editor: Against divisiveness

(HT. 21, 5/2001)

It was with a heavy heart that we read the latest

edition Homœopathy Today. The editorial attacks

on the ideas of Rajan SANKARAN, Jan

SCHOLTEN, Nancy HERRICK, Todd ROWE and

others are unwarranted. While it is very clear that

Mr. WINSTON has a great love for and desire to

protect Homœopathy, his sweeping use of the

editorial position to advocate his personal beliefs has

become a detriment to the National Center. Many

people have dropped their membership in the NCH

because of the increasingly divisive tone in the

newsletter. No good to Homœopathy can come from

one person or group trying to impose their idea of

what is “good Homœopathy” upon others. Let ideas

and clinical results speak for themselves. Thus this

letter has been examined, co-edited, and co-signed

by a large number of concerned and prominent

homœopaths who wish to raise their voices against

intolerance and divisiveness. We have much

important work ahead of us; we cannot allow

ourselves to be sidetracked by partisan bickering.

Especially pernicious is the oft-repeated

technique of proposing a “straw man” case to show

that one set of ideas is unworkable. In one glaring

example of this technique, Dr. SHEPPERD presents

a case of Anacardium which he uses to criticize

SANKARAN’s concept of kingdom. Two of the

main elements of the case described were extreme

sensitivity and feeling offended which are hallmarks

of what Sankaran describes as belonging to the plant

kingdom. In fact, Dr. SHEPPERD shows such a

superficial understanding of the concepts being

criticized that it appears he has not bothered to

actually read Sankaran’s books before publishing his

opinion.

All homœopaths try to find the simillimum

using every possible clue. Our Materia Medica and

Repertory are the bedrock of practice and each of

the writers attacked are expert with these tools. If

we had a perfect set of information to work with, no

innovation and no new remedies would be needed

Unfortunately that is not our situation. The majority

of our remedies are poorly proven-pitifully less than

the fine provings of Ms. HERRICK that Mr.

WINSTON criticizes. Our repertories are

contradictory and mistake ridden. Even old

remedies that are clearly described in our literature

are not available from any pharmacy. We do not

know everything—in fact we know very little. Many

times we miss seeing cases which are staring us in

the face if we could only open our minds to the

patient and see in a different way. Is there any

among us so arrogant as to believe he cures every

case? Can’t we admit our many failures? Every

homœopath (including Dr. GYPSER and Dr.

SHEPPERD we feel certain) has dozens—no

hundreds—of failures that arrive at the doors of his

colleagues. Not one of us holds “The Answer.”

What is needed is tolerance to hearing new ideas and

techniques without ever loosening our grip on the

basics—the Materia Medica and the repertory.

What is most concerning, however is the effort

to make serious people sound ridiculous, unthinking

or superficial. Mr. WINSTON seems to feel capable

of judging whether or not something is or is not

Homœopathy. He states that Jan Scholten’s work is

not Homœopathy because there are no provings—

thus ignoring some dozen provings reported in

Scholten’s book. He states that there are insufficient

cases of Ms. Herrick’s remedies to place them in the

repertory thus ignoring multiple cases reported in

journals throughout the world. Ms. Herrick’s careful

exploration of the nuances of new remedies needs to

be supported and improved upon rather than

criticized. Is it impossible to believe people of good

faith when their ideas conflict with our own? Indeed,

by the criterion set by Mr. Winston (supervisors,

placebo controls, etc.), most of the remedies in our

Materia Medicas would be thrown out—even those

proved by Hahnemann. What are we to make of the

fact that 95% of the time Dr. Gypser prefers

remedies proved from before 1864? Is this a valid

way to determine the simillimum? Do provings

become valid simply because they are old?

Mr. WINSTON and Dr. SHEPPERD also

criticize Sankaran’s concept of the “central

delusion.” But what does Sankaran’s search for a

central delusion mean? In practice it is nothing more

than the attempt to look deeply into the mind and

heart of our patient to find the suffering—call it

“symptoms” if you prefer—of the individual in front

of us. This is not theorizing; it is listening to

phenomena in exactly the way Goethe spoke. When

Sankaran uses a dream it is not by “interpreting” the

dream or “theorizing” as suggested by Dr.

SHEPPERD and Mr. WINSTON. Rather the only

question asked about the dream is how the patient

felt in the dream. This is a simple technique for

accessing the suffering the patient feels—his “state”

as Hahnemann put it.

MANGIALAVORI speaks of the general

themes of a plant family; SANKARAN speaks of

themes of the kingdoms; VITHOULKAS speaks of

an essence; HERRICK speaks of the behavior of the

animal whose milks she has proved; SCHOLTEN

speaks of similarities of symptoms in related

chemicals. When all of these fine homœopaths write

of their ideas, it is to add to our current

understanding. None of them asks us to throw out

our repertories, rather they say, “When you find

yourself with a patient for whom repertorization

does not lead to a clear remedy try looking at the case

from this perspective to see if it may shed some

light.” If some misuse the work, should we throw out

the concept? Do some people carry these ideas too

far? Yes, but let’s us not throw out the baby with the

bathwater. We are not a science that knows every

answer. Rather we are like a family working

together on a jigsaw puzzle. One new piece can be

found and grouped with another piece, even if we do

not see at the moment how this discovery fits into the

whole puzzle.

Perhaps coincidentally a letter by Steven

OLSEN is also published in this issue. This letter

objects to the “doctrine of signatures.” It is true that

HAHNEMANN disparaged this doctrine. At the

time of HAHNEMANN the “doctrine of signatures”

meant simply and only that the shape of a substance

could be used to determine the organ the plant was

likely to help (for example a bean shaped leaf applies

to kidney ailments). This rudimentary doctrine was

criticized by HAHNEMANN. But nowhere does

HAHNEMANN criticize the idea that the source of

the remedy has a bearing on the symptoms it

produces. Why are nine of our snake remedies listed

for fear or dreams of snakes? Why do numerous

plant remedies have their aggravations at the exact

hour when the species opens its flower (Pulsatilla at

sunset, etc.). why are so many of our remedies made

from creeping plants found to have dreams or desire

to travel? Is this coincidence or is it possible that the

life struggles and habits of the remedy source do

influence the feelings of the provers? We cannot

explain how this might take place but why should

this concept be so implausible? Is it inconceivable

to Mr. OLSEN that the physiology of the plant or

animal from which a remedy is taken will have a

bearing upon the symptoms produced in the

proving? And if the physiology of the remedy

source can give us clues, why would we ignore the

possibility of using these hints? Would any

responsible homœopath use only this type of data in

formulating a remedy decision? Decidedly not.

We hope we are wrong in supposing that all of

these articles indicate a strong editorial conviction

against and intolerance to hearing new concepts. It

seems that Mr. Winston has developed a clear image

of what he believes is “Good” Homœopathy and that

Dr. GYPSER ranks high in his concept. We can see

this in many articles and reviews in recent issues of

Homœopathy Today: He criticizes the text of Dr.

ROWE; he takes the unusual step of re-reviewing

Ms. Herrick’s book (not liking the earlier favorable

review): his recent monthly columns have strongly

criticized several other authors. We do not believe

Mr. WINSTON is taking Homœopathy Today in a

healthy direction but rather using it as a bully pulpit

to voice his own personal views. Perhaps Mr.

WINSTON no longer feels able to represent the

homœopathic community?

We are not suggesting that Mr. WINSTON does

not have a right to express his opinion. However the

most recent issue is given almost entirely over to this

intolerant viewpoint. We want to be certain that Mr.

Winston’s personal opinion is not allowed to speak

for our whole community. One immediate way to

reassure the many staunch homœopaths who are

concerned about this editorial leaning is to allow

others in specific fields to review new books. For

example, allow someone who has actually done a

proving to review a work on provings; allow

someone who is involved in the actual teaching of

constitutional Homœopathy to review books on

education; allow someone who is an actual

homœopathic practice; and so forth. Homœopathy

Today is one of the major voices of our community.

Mr. WINSTON should feel proud that he has made

such a contribution to this newsletter and the

community owes him much. It would be a shame to

allow this newsletter to devolve into partisanship and

divisiveness which will only wound the community

it exists to serve.

Roger Morrison, MD, Author, Desktop Guide to

Keynotes and Confirmatory Symptoms;

President, Hahnemann Medical Clinic; Instructor,

Hahnemann College of Homœopathy.

Jonathan Shore, MD, DHt, Instructor, Hahnemann

College of Homœopathy; Past editor, Journal of the

American Institute of Homœopathy.

Nancy Herrick, PA, Author, Animal Minds,

Human Voices; Instructor, Hahnemann College of

Homœopathy.

Dr. Rajan Sankaran, Author, Spirit of Homeopathy

and System of Homeopathy.

Steven King, ND, Past president, International

Foundation for Homœopathy; Course coordinator,

IFH professional course.

Ted Chapman, MD, Clinical Instructor, Harvard and

Tufts University Medical Schools; Past President,

American Institute of Homeopathy; President,

Council on Homœopathic Education.

Mitchell Fleisher, MD, Instructor, NCH.

Ed Kondrot, MD, Instructor, Desert Institute of

Classical Homœopathy.

David Riley, MD, Editor in Chief, Alternative

Therapies in Health and Medicine; Medical

Director, Integrative Medicine Institute; Co-founder,

Integrative Medicine Education Associates.

Duncan Soule, MD, Director, Fulcrum Institute:

Instructor, Hahnemann College of Homeopathy.

Declan Hammond, RSHom, Director, Irish School

of Homœopathy.

Jeff Baker, ND, Director, Maui Academy of

Homœopathy.

Deborah Gordon, MD, Instructor, Hahnemann

College of Homœopathy.

Melissa Fairbanks, RSHom, Director, Four Winds

Seminar.

Corrie Hiwat, RSHom, Editor, Homeopathic Links.

Harry van der Zee, MD, Author, Miasms in Labor,

Editor Homeopathic Links.

Andrew Bonner, ND, Hahnemann College of

Homeopathy.

Rebecca Reese, MD, Hahnemann College of

Homeopathy.

Richard Moskowitz, MD, Past President, NCH;

Reviewer, Homeopathy Today; Author,

Homeopathic Medicines for Pregnancy and

Childbirth, etc.

Eric Sommerman, PhD, RSHom (NA, Director,

Northwestern Academy of Homeopathy.

Deborah Collins, MD, RCHom, International

lecturer.

--------------------------------------------------------------

19. Homœopathy versus Speculative Medicine: A

Call to Action

SAINE André (SIM. XIV, 3/2001)

"If we are true to Homœopathy it will be true to

us — that is our experience."

- Adolph Lippe

Twenty-one prominent members of the

homeopathic community have signed their name to

a letter (click here to read the letter) addressed to Mr.

Julian Winston, editor of Homœopathy Today

(May 2001). They accuse him of being intolerant and

divisive of the homeopathic community by

advocating his personal beliefs.

Such accusations are not new in the

homeopathic community–simply because

Homœopathy is a therapeutic method which is based

on fixed principles and its history is characterized by

practitioners taking license to call their practice

Homœopathy in spite of practicing contrary to its

basic principles. Over one hundred years ago Lippe

said that "The followers of Hahnemann who have

found that his promises of successfully combating

disease... were guided by certain fundamental and

infallible principles... naturally looked upon every

new departure from this strict practice which

procured unparalleled success as a step backwards,

and when these departures became so many fold,

there was really nothing left of the school but the

name. To try to gain a hearing, try to defend the

master's teachings which led to success, try to show

erring men the baneful consequences of their

backward sliding–this can surely not be construed

into a persistent effort to divide the school."

In this conflict one thing is clear: divisions

within the homeopathic profession are always

initiated by authors and supporters of approaches

incompatible with Hahnemann's specific method of

healing, which he called Homœopathy, and not by

Hahnemannians upon whom it is incumbent to keep

denouncing the numerous misrepresentations and

departures.

Hahnemann clearly defined Homœopathy and

all its underlying principles and warned us against

misrepresentations. In 1832, in his fight against the

"half-homeopaths" of Leipzig, Hahnemann wrote,

"Should any false doctrines be taught under the

honorable name of Homœopathy... may you depend

upon it that I shall raise my voice aloud, honestly and

to its utmost. In all the public papers far and near I

shall warn a world already weary of deceit against

such treachery and degeneracy, which deserves to be

branded and avoided."

Hahnemann and his faithful disciples

denounced with great vigor every misrepresentation

and departure with the objective of preserving the

purity of our noble art. There is no reason why the

present time should escape the same scrutiny,

especially when considering that it will likely be

remembered as the most effervescent in the

extravagance of its departures. How often have we

heard that in front of a class or a seminar, a professed

homeopathic teacher took the case of a patient with

a chronic disease in fifteen or twenty minutes; that

the teacher could perceive the totality through a

partial case; that the patient was prescribed a remedy

from an association made with the clothes worn by

the patient at the time of the visit (e.g., that a patient

wearing a white shirt with black stripes was

prescribed Lac zebrenum, or a patient with black

pants and a yellow and black striped shirt was

prescribed Apis mellifica)?

What are we to think of provings conducted by

giving the remedy to half the people attending a

weekend seminar but including in the proving the

symptoms experienced by everyone in attendance as

if non-provers were affected by some sort of "group

mind"? Or provings in which symptoms experienced

two weeks prior to a proving are also considered part

of the proving as it is said that the subconscious of

these provers already knew that it would come in

contact with the remedy; or provings done by putting

the remedy under the pillow?

At other times teachers go as far as falsifying

follow-ups to demonstrate the cleverness of their

prescribing. We have heard such stories from many

quarters. Some teachers teach as illuminated gurus

possessed with mystical knowledge. What a farce

they are making of Hahnemann's Homœopathy.

Things don't seem to have changed much since

Hering said, "The teaching has becoming a trade by

which the profession is degraded, traders are profited

and the public injured." When devoid of the rigor

taught to us by Hahnemann and left to speculation,

what is left of Homœopathy easily turns into its

antithesis.

Therefore, the question is: Are the 21 signers of

the said letter to the editor promoting any false

doctrine?

Hahnemann on the doctrine of signatures

Arguing in favor of the doctrine of signatures,

they write that "at the time of Hahnemann the

'doctrine of signatures' meant simply and only that

the shape of a substance could be used to determine

the organ the plant was likely to help (for example a

bean-shaped leaf applies to kidney ailments). This

rudimentary doctrine was criticized by Hahnemann.

But nowhere does Hahnemann criticize the idea that

the source of the remedy has a bearing on the

symptoms it produces... Why are so many of our

remedies made from creeping plants found to have

dreams or desire to travel? Is this coincidence or is it

possible that the life struggles and habits of the

remedy source do influence the feelings of the

provers? We cannot explain how this might take

place but why should this concept be so

implausible?... And if the physiology of the remedy

source can give us clues, why should we ignore the

possibility of using these hints?"

First of all regarding the assertion that the

doctrine of signatures in Hahnemann's time "meant

simply and only that the shape of a substance could

be used to determine the organ the plant was likely

to help" is pure fabrication. In Hahnemann's time, as

well as for time immemorial, the doctrine of

signatures was not "simply and only" related to the

shape of the substances, but instead, as Hahnemann

himself mentioned, to all "sensible external signs"

which could be used to divine the properties of

medicines. Even Dorland's Medical Dictionary

defines a signature as "any characteristic feature of a

substance formerly regarded as an indication of its

medicinal virtues."

Second and most importantly, in a period of

almost fifty years, Hahnemann made it very clear in

several of his writings that signatures were

inadequate for revealing the inner hidden healing

property of medicines. In 1796, in his Essay on a

New Principle for Ascertaining the Curative Powers

of Drugs, Hahnemann writes that "as the above-

mentioned sources for ascertaining the medicinal

virtues of drugs were so soon exhausted, the

systematizer of the Materia Medica reminded

himself of others, which he deemed of a more certain

character. He sought for them in the drugs

themselves; he imagined he would find in them hints

for his guidance. He did not observe, however, that

their sensible external signs are often very

deceptive, as deceptive as the physiognomy is in

indicating the thoughts of the heart. Lurid-colored

plants are by no means always poisonous; and on the

other hand, an agreeable color of the flowers is far

from being any proof of the harmlessness of the

plant."

In 1808, in On the Value of the Speculative

Systems of Medicine, he writes that "although it is

certain that the Materia Medica can and must be the

daughter of experience, yet even it has given away

to arbitrary opinion, ideal and dream hypotheses, and

has allowed itself to be molded today into one form

and tomorrow into a new form,... What is to become

of an art (to which the charge of human life has been

committed) if fancy and caprice are to have the

upper hand in it?

"How uninquiringly our writers on Materia

Medica have adopted the statements proceeding

from these impure sources is evident, among other

things, from this, that they enumerate among the

virtues of crude medicines such as were originally

derived from the mere suppositions of our

superstitious forefathers, who had childishly enough

asserted certain medicinal substances to be the

remedies of certain diseases, merely on account of

some external resemblance of those medicines with

something appreciable by the senses in those

diseases (signature), or whose efficacy rested only

on the authority of old women's tales, or was

deduced from certain of their properties that had no

essential connection with their fabulous medicinal

powers... This is what I call a philosophical and

experimental origin of the Materia Medica!"

In 1813, in Genius of the Homeopathic Healing

Art, written for his early students, Hahnemann writes

that "it is impossible to guess at the internal nature

of disease, and at what is secretly changed by nature

in the organism, and it is folly to attempt to base the

cure of them on such guesswork and such

propositions; it is impossible to divine the healing

power of medicines according to a chemical

hypothesis or from their colors, smell, or taste; and

it is folly to use these substances (so pernicious when

abused) for the cure of diseases based on such

hypotheses and such propositions. And had such a

course been ever so much in vogue and been

generally introduced; had it been for thousands of

years the only, and ever so much admired course, it

would nevertheless remain an irrational and

pernicious method thus to be guided by empty

guesswork; to fable about the diseased conditions of

the internal organism, and to combat them with

fictitious virtues of medicines."

In 1817, in Examination of the Sources of the

Common Materia Medica, he writes that "the second

source of the virtues of drugs, as ascribed to them in

the Materia Medica, has, it is alleged, a sure

foundation, viz., their sensible properties, from

which their action may be inferred. We shall see,

however, what a turbid source this is.

"I shall spare the ordinary medical school the

humiliation of reminding it of the folly of those

ancient physicians who, determining the medical

powers of crude drugs from their signature... I shall

refrain from taunting the physicians of the present

day with these absurdities, although traces of them

are to be met with in the most modern treatises on

Materia Medica...

From this anyone may easily see how irrational

and arbitrary the maxims of the ordinary Materia

Medica are, how near they are to downright

falsehoods! And to make falsehoods the basis of our

system of treating the sick–what a crime!

"…Thus, the life and health of human beings

were made dependent on the opinion of a few

blockheads, and whatever entered their precious

brains went to swell the Materia Medica... All our

senses together, employed with the utmost care, in

the examination of a medicinal substance with

regard to its external properties, do not give us any,

not even the slightest information respecting this

most important of all secrets, the internal immaterial

power possessed by natural substances to alter the

health of human beings; in other words respecting

their true medicinal and healing power, which is so

extremely different in every active substance, from

that of every other, and which can only be observed

when it is taken internally, and acts upon the vital

functions of the organism! . . .

"But in the arrogant medicine of the common

stamp, the medicines–the tools of the healing art–are

employed without the least hesitation in the most

important work which one man can perform for his

brother–a work whereon life and death, nay,

sometimes the weal or woe of whole families and

their descendants depends, namely, the treatment of

disease; and the acquaintance with these remedies

being derived solely from their deceptive outward

appearance, and from the preconceived notions and

desultory classifications of teachers of Materia

Medica, there is the greatest danger of deception, of

error, and of falsehood...

"So much for the unfounded allegations

respecting the general therapeutic virtues of the

several medicines in the Materia Medica, which are

all elevated to dogmas, on a foundation of blind

guesswork, preconceived ideas, extraordinary

notions and presumptuous fiction. So much for this

second impure source of the Materia Medica, as it is

called, hitherto in use!"

Hahnemann on the significance of chemistry

As for Scholten's "similarities of symptoms in

related chemicals," referred to in the letter of the

twenty-one signers, Hahnemann interjects in the

same article that "chemistry, also, has taken upon

itself to disclose a source as which the general

therapeutic properties of drugs are to be ascertained.

But we shall soon see the impurity of this third

source of the ordinary Materia Medica.

"Attempts were made a century ago by

Geoffrey, but still more frequent have such attempts

been made since medicine became an art, to

discover, by means of chemistry, the properties of

remedies which could not be known in any other

way.

"I shall say nothing about the merely theoretical

fallacies of Baume, Steffens, and Burdach, whereby

the medicinal properties of medicines were

arbitrarily declared to reside in their gaseous and

certain other chemical constituents alone, and at the

same time it was assumed, without the slightest

grounds, on mere conjecture, that these hypothetical

elementary constituents possessed certain medicinal

powers; so that it was really amusing to see the

facility and rapidity with which those gentlemen

could create the medicinal properties of every

remedy out of nothing. As nature, trials on the living

human organism, observations and experience were

all despised, and mere fancy, expert fingers and

overweening confidence were alone employed, it is

easy to conceive that the whole affair was very soon

settled...

"Knowledge indeed! And what knowledge does

chemistry give us with respect to the inanimate,

speechless, component parts of medicines? Answer:

It merely teaches their chemical signification, it

teaches us that they act so and so with chemical re-

agents, and hence are called gum, resin, albumen,

mucus, earths and salts of one kind or another;

matters of vastly little importance to the physician.

These appellations tell us nothing of the changes in

the sensations of the living man which may be

effected by the plant or mineral, each differing from

the other in its peculiar invisible, internal, essential

nature, and yet, forsooth, the whole healing art

depends on this alone! The manifestation of the

active spirit of each individual remedial agent during

its medicinal employment on human beings, can

alone inform the physician of the sphere of action of

the medicine, as regards its curative power."

Hahnemann concludes that "this improved

healing art, i.e., the homeopathic, draws not its

knowledge from those impure sources of the Materia

Medica hitherto in use, pursues not that antiquated,

dreamy, false path we have just pointed out, but

follows the way consonant with nature. It

administers no medicines to combat the diseases of

mankind before testing experimentally their pure

effects; that is, observing what changes each can

produce in the health of a healthy man–this is pure

Materia Medica.

"Thus alone can the power of medicines on the

human health be known; thus alone can their pure

importance, the peculiar action of each drug, be

exhibited clearly and manifestly, without any

fallacy, any deception, independent of all

speculation; in their ascertained symptoms all their

curative elements lie disclosed; and among them

may be found a signalisation of all cases of disease

which each fitting (specific) remedy is capable of

curing...

"This doctrine of the pure effects of medicines

promises no delusive, fabulous remedies for names

of diseases, imagines no general therapeutic virtues

of drugs, but unostentatiously possesses the elements

of cure for disease accurately known (that is,

investigated in all their symptoms); and he who will

take the trouble to select the remedy for a disease by

the rule of the most perfect similarity will ever find

in it a pure inexhaustible source whence he may

derive the means for saving the lives of his fellow-

men."

Responsibility in teaching and publishing

In summary, Hahnemann and the twenty-one

signers have diametrically opposed views regarding

the use of signatures and any speculative source of

the Materia Medica. What, then, are we to think

when so many of our well known teachers of

Homœopathy sign their names to the false

statements mentioned so far, and advocate teachings

so contrary to Homœopathy's fundamental

principles? These signers have now crossed a line by

blatantly showing great ignorance of Hahnemann's

work and by clearly misinforming the community on

a fundamental level.

Mr. Winston, as editor of a homeopathic

periodical, clearly has the responsibility to identify

and condemn such departures from Homœopathy. In

fact, this responsibility belongs to everyone in a

position of authority. The least we could say is that

Mr. Winston's criticism of these new speculative

trends is much gentler than Hahnemann's. Also it is

clear that Mr. Winston was not advocating "his

personal beliefs," but rather defending Homœopathy

from misrepresentations as Hahnemann and his true

followers have always done.

Should it be such a surprise that so many

professed teachers of Homœopathy have departed

from the teachings of Hahnemann? Not really, as it

has been the case in most of our history and the

reason has always been from a lack of knowledge of

the basic teachings of Hahnemann. It is really

remarkable that so few in every generation, and even

fewer today, have earnestly sought to understand the

true nature of the inductive method of Hahnemann–

this is in spite of identifying themselves as

"classical" homeopaths, or being graduates from or

teachers at "Hahnemann" colleges.

One of the most important pillars of

Homœopathy is the great care to avoid any

speculation in the observation of the sick and in the

development of our Materia Medica. Carroll

Dunham summarized well this unique characteristic

of Homœopathy when he said that the chief duty of

the prescriber is to "base the treatment on facts,

indisputable, unmistakable, the results of pure

observation." Hering said that Hahnemann "called

his Materia Medica 'pure,' in order to indicate its

freedom from fiction, experimental cures,

preconceived opinions, and abstract ideas. Such

impurities are not found in the least degree in the

whole eleven volumes [of Hahnemann's Materia

Medica]." This is not the case with the twenty-one

signers, as in adopting their speculative approach

they have clearly and blatantly stepped outside the

homeopathic method.

Fixing what is not broken

They say that the reason for their innovations is

their failures in practice, which they relate to the

imperfection of our Materia Medica and repertories.

Every experienced practitioner will meet with failure

from time to time in curing curable cases with

dynamic disease. However, these failures are not a

failure of the law of similars but a failure to apply

the law correctly, and not a failure of the method of

Hahnemann but a failure to comply with it. Instead

of mastering and perfecting the method of

Hahnemann, the twenty-one signers are stepping

aside to explore what may be considered new and

exciting avenues but are in reality the very old and

easily traveled routes of speculative medicine. What

they may consider progress is in reality a giant step

backward.

Regarding failures in Homœopathy, Lippe said,

"the law of the similars is a natural law on which

rests the whole structure of the homeopathic healing

art. The history of the development of that law, and

how it can and must be applied for the cure of the

sick, was fully described in Hahnemann's Organon

of the Healing Art. A deviation from his methods

will necessarily be followed by failures, and weak as

well as lazy men will never, hardly ever, blame

themselves, but find some plausible excuse."

He continues by saying that "the logic of

experience and reason combined, teach us that we

cannot obtain the results claimed for Homœopathy

by its founders, if we reject, alter, or modify the

fundamental principles on which it is based, or the

practical rules known to govern these very principles

in the application for curative purposes. Hahnemann

left us a new system of medicine, not finished, nor

will it ever be finished, as something complete. If we

go on developing it, like all sciences and arts are

being developed, we will bring it nearer perfection

from year to year, we will reach greater results; but

if we do not follow the beaten path, the results will

become less favorable, and we must again fall into

the slothfulness of the previous schools of medicine.

The logic of experience and reason taught the writer

of this paper that to reject, alter or modify

Homœopathy, as taught by Hahnemann, is

'Homœopathy misapplied.'"

By adopting opposite approaches how could

these modern teachers expect the results promised by

Hahnemann? Very few practitioners, even among

the most popular teachers of today, have

demonstrated sufficient knowledge of the teachings

of the past masters of Homœopathy. If they were

familiar with these teachings, it is unlikely that

anyone would ever consider departing from them, or

try to fix what is not broken. In cutting off our roots,

what shall we expect? As Hering reminds us, "a tree

without its roots cannot grow or yield its appropriate

fruits." And Dunham asked, "If a student should fall

among false or incompetent teachers, could the

doctrine and practice he learns be true and

successful?" Lippe adds that "in our day, many

efforts have been made to introduce various

departures, to set aside Hahnemann's teachings and

introduce labor saving methods in the so-called

practice of Homœopathy... and how can we now, or

at any later period, expect to obtain the same results

in practice, which the master and his earlier and later

pupils obtained from him, if we do not follow his

advice implicitly?"

Mastering the art

Homœopathy is a discipline that is relatively

easy to practice when properly learned, but is

relatively difficult to master. Dissatisfaction and

discouragement are common when dealing with

difficult cases or failures, even for the best-trained

practitioners. In such time of vulnerability, did the

masters of the past look outside Hahnemann's

method for solutions, or did they delve deeper into

it? In 1864, Lippe described what Bœnninghausen

had done to become the great prescriber he was: "As

a friend and pupil of Hahnemann his unbounded

admiration increased daily by his intercourse with

him, and after the great master's death he studied all

his writings, and by these he became still more

penetrated by and convinced of the truth of

Hahnemann's observations and the great work

accomplished by him."

In the 1880's, Hahnemannians started forming

local societies to study the Organon. Their main

purpose was to develop a deeper understanding of

Homœopathy for better dealing with their difficult

cases. In Philadelphia it was led first by Lippe and

then by Kent, in New York city by Wells, Bayard

and Carleton, in Boston by Bell and Wesselhœft, in

Rochester by Biegler and in Toronto by John Hall. If

these very experienced and successful prescribers

felt the constant need to study the Organon to

improve their results, why would our modern

teachers not follow the same path of success?

Edmund Lee, who knew the practices of Hering and

Lippe very well, said in reference to them curing

many chronic cases which other physicians could not

help in the least, that "these men had no secret

methods of practice, no secret remedies; they had

nothing more than the humblest of us may acquire, a

profound knowledge of Hahnemann's Organon, of

his Chronic Diseases, and of the homeopathic

Materia Medica. Cannot we all obtain that

knowledge also, and having it, cannot we, too, use it

to cure these scourges of the human race as they

did?"

In 1879, Hering wrote, "A small number for

some one or other reason, call themselves

homeopathists, but find it far too much trouble to

read the Organon, and still greater one to examine

the sick according to the master's advice;... The very

worst thing in these doctrines of Hahnemann's is,

that if we do not follow them strictly and accurately–

'Machts nach aber machts genau nach!' ["Do alike,

but do it accurately."] said our master–we fail to heal

the sick and the patients do not get well except now

and then, accidentally, as it were."

In 1911, after about thirty years of homeopathic

practice, Kent wrote, regarding the study of the

Organon, that "the masters of these living doctrines

and the Materia Medica have been constant readers

of this great work. Not one of the great prescribers

has ever claimed a discovery not fully set forth in

this work, but all in their greatest accomplishments

have said that they based their success upon the

Organon. It is the first book for the student to read,

and the last for the old and busiest physician to

ponder over.

When Lippe, Wells and scores of others

advocated a continuous reading of this book during

their long careers, should we not likewise look upon

it with a feeling of profound respect? Should we not

crave the hidden truths that have made these faithful

followers of law so successful? To whom would a

rational man apply for light when desiring to follow

law in healing the sick and measuring out uses to

man? Naturally to Hahnemann and his faithful

adherents, and not to those who smile at what they

choose to consider the ravings of an aged man."

Lippe, Homœopathy's most successful prescriber,

said in 1883, "it is now over 50 years since I first

read the Organon. I just begin to comprehend it."

The meaning of “progress”

Now, how can we expect homeopaths to

understand and practice according to Hahnemann's

teachings if their own teachers do not do so? In 1912,

Kent wrote that "Homœopathy is making wonderful

strides in curing chronic miasms but they are upon

the lines laid down by Hahnemann. The author has

no discovery of his own to introduce to the world.

He has learned to be faithful to, and contented with

what has been handed down. The Law of Similars

will direct to curative remedies for all that are

curable and comfort such as are incurable, if we can

keep our selfish ends in subjection."

Contrary to this, in our present era, any

newcomer steps aside from the well established path

of success, develops his own approach (as if there

was a need for it) which he takes license to still call

Homœopathy, and peddles it as a "new" truth around

the globe. In fact nothing of these "progressive"

trends is new for Homœopathy. In 1886 Lippe wrote,

"'Progressive Homœopathy' is, in our days, the

watchword of the present young generation of

pretending-to-be Homeopathists. The historical fact

is, that the Old Guard, the early pioneers of our

Healing Art, progressively developing Hahnemann's

teachings and methods, contenting against great

odds, made great strides in making Homœopathy

respected by curing the sick... And now the young

generation, not yet born when these early victories

were won, unmindful of the last labors of the early

pioneers, desiring to reap the benefits of their hard

work, blad about 'Progressive Homœopathy.'" Any

claim to progressive Homœopathy has to be faithful

to Hahnemann's teachings, which will always

remain the foundation of Homœopathy.

The key to success in Homœopathy taught to us

by the masters of the past is the strict adherence to

its fundamental principles. Basic to these principles

is the strict inductive method of Hahnemann, which

consists of drawing the right conclusions only, after

having carefully observed all that can be observed

without leaving anything out or adding anything that

cannot be observed. Induction is not a matter of mere

guesswork but a precise instrument of inquiry for

arriving at the most plausible and best available

answer. This is in sharp contrast with most of the

current teachings in Homœopathy, which are based

as a rule on speculation–opinions, fancies and

theories.

Lippe said because the pioneers of

Homœopathy strictly followed the teachings of

Hahnemann they "have met with success–such a

success, as to our knowledge, no other mode of

practice could ever claim. We desire to show the

great necessity of and the advantages derived from

the strict adherence to the principles taught by

Hahnemann... and how a faithful adherence to these

principles will guide us on to an invariable success.

And if all persons professing and pretending to

practice Homœopathy were consistent, if they

exercised that fidelity to the principles of a school to

which they profess and pretend to belong, then such

a paper like this would be out of place; but as a great

many of the professing and pretending Homeopathic

practitioners not only practice but even teach a

multiplicity of erroneous but plausible opinions, and

as they very modestly claim that their own individual

opinions, quite unsupported by any argument, but

thrust at the profession merely as 'my opinion' must

be accepted for the time being, and as it is desirable

to establish a certainty of medicine, and as this

desirable certainty is at our command, offered to us

and to all mankind capable of comprehending any

logical argument and deductions from indisputable

facts, I offer to testify to the correctness,

applicability and results of Hahnemann's great

teachings, fidelity to principles is and must be

followed by success, and that success is our only and

sole weapon against error.

It is admitted that success must be followed by

the full acknowledgment of the superiority of

Homeopathic practice over all other modes of

practice, and that this success is invariably coming

to us if we are true to the principles of our school...

Why dare, I ask, do men professing and presuming

to be homeopathists, venture upon 'new departures'?

It is that they found the laws and practical rules when

applied practically leading to failures?"

The 21signers defend the teachers of these new

trends by suggesting they are all "expert" in the

Materia Medica. If we would remove all conjecture

from their teachings, as Hahnemann demands, what

would be left of their modern Materia Medica? They

teach and write Materia Medica as if paragraph 144

of the Organon did not exist; in it Hahnemann

unequivocally writes that "all conjecture, everything

merely asserted or entirely fabricated, must be

completely excluded from such a Materia Medica:

everything must be the pure language of nature

carefully and honestly interrogated." By neglecting

the teachings of Hahnemann aren't they sabotaging

their own efforts for success and Hahnemann's

prediction of certainty in medicine?

Basic texts, basic truths

In the preface to his Materia Medica Pura

Hahnemann writes that "he who has understood this

will perceive that if a work on Materia Medica can

reveal the precise qualities of medicines, it must be

one from which all assumption and empty

speculation about the reputed qualities of drugs are

excluded, and which only records what medicines

express concerning their true mode of action in the

symptoms they produce in the human body. Hence

the practitioner will rejoice to find here a way in

which he can remove the maladies of his fellow-

creatures surely, rapidly, and permanently, and

procure them the blessing of health with much

greater certainty."

Regarding the development of our Materia

Medica with "themes," "essences" and "central

delusions," Hahnemann writes in the introduction to

Camphora that this remedy "must have a sort of

general pathological action, which, however, we are

unable to indicate by any general expression; nor can

we even attempt to do so for fear of straying into the

domain of shadows, where knowledge and

observation cease, whilst imagination deceives us

into accepting dreams as truth; where we, in short,

abandoned by the guiding of plain experience, grope

about in the dark, and with every desire to penetrate

into the inner essence of things, about which little

minds so presumptuously dogmatize, we gain

nothing by such hyperphysical speculations but

noxious error and self deception."

Regarding the "basics" which the twenty-one

authors say is the Materia Medica and repertory:

perhaps they have forgotten that the "basics" of

Homœopathy are, more importantly, its fundamental

principles, of which they are making a complete

farce. Materia Medica and repertories based on

speculation are completely off base, and have

nothing to do with the basics? One of these

fundamental principles is the reliance "on facts,

indisputable, unmistakable, the results of pure

observation." The mastery of Homœopathy requires

rigorous studies of the reliable material only. Shall

we drop all the old and wise teachings of the past

masters and follow modern teachers down their new

avenues, or shall we follow the sure road traveled by

the ones who have at all mastered Homœopathy?

Induction versus speculation

Some want us to believe that this old method of

Hahnemann is a thing of the past and we must evolve

from it. For the ones not familiar with history, it is

important to understand that the inductive method is

what brought medicine out of its chaos. If the

fundamental principles of Homœopathy were true

yesterday they will continue to be true until the end

of time. Others want us to combine both methods,

Hahnemann's Homœopathy with the speculative

approach. It is impossible to advocate both as they

are as opposite as day and night, or as truth and

falsehood.

In 1879, Henry N. Guernsey wrote that "the

sound of the truth is so repellant to some men's

minds that they cannot endure it and it makes them

mad, and then they become mad indeed!

Well then, by "our side" I mean the right side,

that side which leads one onward and upward

throughout all coming time–not the wrong side

which leads in an opposite direction. I consider those

persons to be on "our side" who study Hahnemann's

Organon and his Chronic Diseases, and who see in

them the great eternal law of cure–that law which

cures all manner of departures from health in all

kinds of living creatures, when applied according to

its genius.

They study Hahnemann's writings as scientific

men study the principles of science, with a view to

apply those principles to practical purposes. They

begin at the beginning, and, paragraph by paragraph,

they investigate till they catch the real meaning and

genius of every sentence; they then apply such

knowledge in practice and measure by the results

obtained. This they do as Hahnemann did, and not

according to any notions of their own or of any other

person. This must be done according to principles

involved in the context, just as we work out the laws

of chemistry, of mathematics, or of mechanics, each

according to their principles; and so every law in

nature must be met and worked out in accordance

with its own principles and genius."

Truth in labeling

For years some of the signers and others they

support have held and openly advocated teachings

that are at variance with Hahnemann's Homœopathy.

It is the duty of every Hahnemannian to denounce

their misrepresentation and false teachings,

otherwise Homœopathy will be remembered only as

a caricature in the history of medicine. It is our duty

to protect the science that is so dear to us from being

degraded. Should our homeopathic institutions

neglect to stand by the teachings of Hahnemann and

close their eyes on false teachings promulgated even

by its most popular members, the consequences

would be fatal.

Regarding the tendency our homeopathic

institutions have had to tolerate departures from

Hahnemann's teachings, Lippe wrote, which was

later proven to be true, "let the curtain drop. Behind

the scenes–a grave, both for Homœopathy and the

poor sick." He writes that "we have to correct errors

taught and disseminated, and we shall expose these

errors which must lead our school astray, without

fear or favor." We hope that our institutions will

stand up and perform this unpleasant but vital duty.

We must be clear that denouncing

misrepresentations and their authors does not in any

way, shape or form constitute an affront to any of

these authors. Exposing their errors does not carry

any implication of malice whatsoever or judgement

about the moral character of the people involved.

It is possible that some of the twenty-one signers

have signed their names mainly to protest against

intolerance of the freedom to investigate, or the

liberty of opinion, or perhaps against censorship or

dogmatism. The point must be very clearly made that

everyone has the liberty to practice medicine as they

choose to within the limits of the laws of the land,

but honesty obliges that no one has the license to call

Homœopathy what is not Homœopathy. This is

simply misrepresentation. Hahnemann makes it

clear that departures from pure Homœopathy simply

cease to be part of the homeopathic method and

should therefore cease to be called Homœopathy. In

his preface to the Organon, Hahnemann writes that

"what is clearly pure in doctrine and practice should

be self-evident, and all backward sliding to the

pernicious routinism of the old school that is as much

its antithesis as night is to day, should cease to vaunt

itself with the honorable name of Homœopathy."

The role of the IHA

In 1870 there was also a plea for freedom of

medical opinion within the homeopathic

community. Lippe vigorously warned the profession

against this movement. He said that "there are true

and good men among us who erroneously believe

and endeavor to establish the opinion, that any

person professing to be a homeopathist, and who

bases his pretensions on the fact that he is a member

of a homeopathic society, must be allowed full

freedom of medical opinion and action, and that

therefore he is at liberty to accept, reject, or modify

any or all of the principles constituting

Homœopathy; that, in fact, he may consistently

enjoy multiplicity of opinions, and do just what he

has a mind to do;... the liberty to accept

Homœopathy surely does not include the freedom to

reject, modify, or alter any or all of its fundamental

principles."

He adds that if we accept the teachings of

Hahnemann "we shall never for a moment advocate

any of the modern departures–we shall scorn them;

and there will be not the slightest danger that the

advocates of unlimited liberty, and of that fallacious

cry for the supremacy of individual judgment over

the application of fixed immutable principles, will

ever pervert Homœopathy into Eclecticism which, in

reality, seems to be the aim of every healer who

discards Hahnemann's teachings, and claims for his

own individual judgement superiority to any fixed

principles." He adds that Hahnemannians "claim the

liberty of following Hahnemann, his tenets, and

remain a homeopathic healer; and also the liberty to

help to develop our healing art, to cure the sick and

report such cures." Indeed, liberty to practice and

teach Homœopathy is not license to change any of

its fundamental principles. Lippe concludes this

point with the following quote: "The price of liberty

is eternal vigilance." This is a small price to pay if

our institutions and responsible individuals want to

preserve Homœopathy intact for future generations.

The circumstances in the homeopathic world of

today are very similar to 1833 when Hahnemann

said how necessary it had become to gather his "true

pupils" around him "in order to separate the sheep

from the goats," or to 1844 when, following

Hahnemann's death, Benninghausen wrote that

"unless the signs deceive me, we are now at the

commencement of a new epoch, marked by the death

of our master, whose genius hovers around us, an

epoch when the unity of the school shall be restored,

when the excrescences shall have been chopped off,

and the genuine metal separated from the dross. Let

us henceforth be more firmly united, all of us who

desire the good, but let us exclude from our ranks

with unrelenting severity anyone who sneers at the

good cause, schismatics and all those who attempt to

substitute opinions and hypotheses for careful

observations. But let us at the same time honor the

memory of the great reformer in medicine, by

subjecting his doctrines, results of fifty years

observation, to repeated and comprehensive

examinations and trials, and by candidly

communicating our experience one to another. This

would be the best mode of preparing the monument

which the great man has merited by the services he

has rendered to suffering humanity."

The same year, in 1844, the pioneers of

Homœopathy in America founded the American

Institute of Homœopathy (AIH) for the following

two purposes: "1st. The reformation and

augmentation of the Materia Medica" because the

state of the Materia Medica was "such as

imperatively to demand a more satisfactory

arrangement and greater purity of observation which

could only be obtained by associate action on the

part of those who diligently seek for truth alone. 2nd.

The restraining of Physicians from pretending to be

competent to practice Homœopathy who have not

studied it in a careful and skillful manner" because

"the state of public information respecting the

principles and practice of Homœopathy is so

defective as to make it easy for mere pretenders to

this very difficult branch of the healing art to acquire

credit as proficient in the same."

The pioneers were well aware of the danger the

various departures represented for the recognition

and survival of their profession. In spite of such

measures, the AIH as well as most of the other

homeopathic institutions became infiltrated and

controlled by the ones who had not studied

Homœopathy "in a careful and skillful manner." The

abandonment of principles yielded very bitter fruits

for Homœopathy in the nineteenth century when

most of our institutions departed from Hahnemann's

method to eventually disappear. Likely

Homœopathy would have been remembered as

medical folklore similarly to Hydropathy,

Eclecticism, etc., if it had not been for the Old Guard.

To save Homœopathy, a few of the last

surviving members of the Old Guard founded in

1880 the International Hahnemannian Association

(IHA), which permitted Homœopathy to survive

through the twentieth century. P. P. Wells, a member

of the Old Guard, recalled in 1886 the motives for

creating the IHA. He said that "the IHA originated in

deep convictions in the minds of many members of

the American Institute of Homœopathy, that that

body had drifted so far away in its practical work,

from that of its founders, and from the motives which

gave it birth, that it no longer represented that for the

advocacy and inculcation of which it had been

created... Elucidation or advocacy of the

Homœopathy of Hahnemann this body had neither.

These had so almost entirely disappeared from its

sessions, that little was found in them characteristic

of the homeopathic law and its corollaries...

It was Homœopathy, as contained in these

principles, which the Association, at its birth,

pledged itself 'to illustrate and defend.' To illustrate

by a practice founded on these principles, and to

defend whenever and by whomever attacked, by all

the just means and powers possessed by the body.

They called this, and rightly, pure Homœopathy, by

this term intending to distinguish it from the

pretensions of quasi homeopathic practice and

teaching...

Devotion to the interest of the great truths of the

philosophy they had accepted and believed was the

characteristic which marked the occasion, and made

it memorable among remembered assemblages of

doctors. Personal interests or ambitions had no place

there, but only what is truth? And love for all who

loved this for its own sake." The members of the IHA

met every year from 1880 until 1959, and in

publishing all their proceedings, not only have they

left us with a wealth of experience but also, most

importantly, handed down the traditions of the

masters of the past.

Has the time now come again where we need an

organization like the IHA to defend Hahnemann's

Homœopathy from impostors? Or will our current

homeopathic institutions and the individuals in a

position of authority step forward and prevent the

present generation of false prophets from leading

Homœopathy astray? Doesn't the legacy we have

inherited, at the very least, demand this from us? In

the interest of the profession and the patient, mustn't

we stand united by the teachings of Hahnemann? Is

the task needing to be accomplished today so

different from the one that called for the creation of

the AIH and IHA in the nineteenth century?

Edmund Lee wrote that the work undertaken by

the IHA "is a noble one, and a great one. It is to stem

the torrent of eclecticism which threatens to wash

away all the old, safe, reliable landmarks left us by

Hahnemann. This work necessitates the increase of

the Materia Medica, and its purification from all

errors, clinical, pathological, or hypothetical; the

regeneration of its medical schools; the instruction

of its physicians and the exposure of false theory and

erroneous opinion of many of its professors and

leaders. This task the International Hahnemannian

Association proposes to accomplish by a strict

adherence to the law and its corollaries and by a full

and clear explanation of them."

Stewardship of the legacy

As a profession we have responsibilities toward

the community. Will our institutions and individual

members stand up and fulfill them? Or shall we leave

impostors continue to represent our profession and

teach false doctrine without objection? Shall we

again be the silent witnesses of the degradation of

Homœopathy? In 1862 Dunham, in reproaching

Hering and Gray for not having made sufficient

efforts in denouncing the misleading translations

made by Hempel of important works in

Homœopathy, said that "in a matter which involves

the education or perversion of a whole generation

and healthy progress and soundness of Homœopathy

whenever the English language is spoken–in such a

matter the engrossments of business or tenderness

toward a delinquent individual kept them silent,–

would be to cast a doubt upon the estimate in which

they hold scientific truth, a doubt inadmissible in

gentlemen of their position." He adds, "Why Drs.

Hering and Gray, acknowledged leaders of our

school in America, did not suppress this so-called

translation or expose its false pretensions... Alas! I

have nothing to say." To Dunham's delayed call to

action, Lippe said that it "unfortunately does not

remedy the evil done to Homœopathy and its

progress during that length of time."

We are now in the same position as when Lippe

said in 1860 that "the conflicting doctrines held by

the various practitioners of medicine, calling

themselves Homeopathists, make it not only

desirable, but imperatively necessary to determine

the fundamental principles of Homœopathy first... It

is a duty we owe ourselves, the community, and the

memory of Hahnemann to agree on positive fixed

fundamental principles... The community has a right

to know, and should know, what constitutes

Homœopathy and a homeopathic practitioner. The

community which is to be benefited by a

progressively developed art, find conflicting,

uncontradicted statements brought before it, with no

support but the delusive or idle assertion of

irresponsible individuals."

In 1861, Jahr founded a journal in Paris which

he called L'Art de Guérir (The Art of Healing). In the

foreword of the new journal, he writes that he has

omitted the word Homœopathy from its title as the

practice of pretend-to-be homeopaths had given it

such a bad reputation that its name alone had become

the main obstacle of its own development by

discouraging scholars and conscientious

practitioners. By not learning from the mistakes of

our past, we condemn ourselves to relive them. As a

profession we must clearly take a stance and convey

to the public that a homeopathic physician is one

who understands the method of Hahnemann and

practices accordingly. In 1835, shortly after his

arrival in Paris, Hahnemann clearly stated in an

address to a French homeopathic society that he

recognized as his disciples only the ones who

practice pure Homœopathy.

Dogma, creativity, and science

We can already hear replies from the ones not

deeply familiar with the history of Homœopathy that

the pursuit of this pure Homœopathy of

Hahnemann's is akin to the dogma of religious

fundamentalism and in effect stunts progress

forward. This is a grave mistake view, as

Hahnemann's Homœopathy has nothing resembling

a religion or a cultist movement but instead it fulfills

all the criteria of a science. The first of these criteria,

according to Dunham, is "a capability of infinite

progress in each of its elements without detriment to

its integrity." In fact, Homœopathy is the science of

therapeutics, and like other natural sciences, it is

developed on orderly and methodical investigation

where purity and accuracy of what is observed is an

absolute prerequisite. When speculation replaces

fact or is acted upon as a fact without evidence,

whether in the development of the Materia Medica

or in the observation of the sick, it belongs to another

field than Homœopathy. There is nothing wrong

with formulating hypotheses and then using the

scientific method to verify them. This would be

progress forward.

For example, someone could form the

hypothesis that it is more than a coincidence that in

the proving of many creeping plants "dreams or

desire to travel" is a constant. The verification of this

hypothesis would not be too difficult to investigate,

as one would merely have to read the reliable sources

and check whether it is coincidence or not. But how

seriously would the formulation of such a hypothesis

be considered when it is known by anyone familiar

with the Materia Medica that the majority of the

creeping plants do not have this characteristic

symptom, including well known remedies such as

Lycopodium, Ipecac, Gelsemium, Colocynthis,

Clematis, Dulcamara, etc?

However, let's assume for argument sake that it

was found to be more than coincidence, what value

could be ascribed to such a finding as in any case one

of the basic principles of Homœopathy is not to

generalize but to individualize at all times? Progress

forward in Homœopathy has always been by first

understanding very well its foundation and the strict

inductive method of Hahnemann. No other method

has so far demonstrated its superiority in achieving

certainty in medicine, while the speculative method

has had centuries to demonstrate its inconsistency

and failure, why then would anyone want to return

to it? Why not continue the work started by

Hahnemann and further developed by his true

disciples instead of trying to reinvent Homœopathy,

or fix what is not broken?

Steering by the compass

In spite of taking a case in its most minute detail,

as described by Hahnemann, and researching

thoroughly the Materia Medica for a simillimum, all

practitioners will meet with a certain number of

defective cases. What, then, shall we do? Shall we

adopt the speculative method, or continue to work

with the method which has brought our profession

this far?

As Dunham said, "Better cure by a 'lucky hit'

than not at all. But let not this lead us astray where

we might do better. If one had to traverse a

wilderness he would desire first of all a compass. If

this were not to be had he might 'steer by the stars.'

If these were obscured, he might judge from the

direction of vegetation and of hills and rivers. Failing

these, he might even 'guess' and his guess might lead

him right. Nevertheless, few travelers of sound mind

would be led by such a success to prefer a 'guess' to

a 'compass.'"

History teaches that Homœopathy is the surest

compass to cure the sick and its unique strength

comes from the fact that it is based on "pure

experiment, meticulous observation and sound

experience" and at the same time it excludes the

"theoretical conjecture or specious sophistry" of

speculative medicine.

Even though many of the 21signers have shown

great devotion to Homœopathy and some have done

good work for Homœopathy, the course they have

presently taken will hurt Homœopathy and

undermine their efforts to help our cause. Devotion

without guidance and principles is like sailing

without a rudder and a compass. Using Homœopathy

as an outlet for creative expression may be very

exciting, but when devoid of principles it is

definitely not good for the art and science of

Homœopathy. A good homeopath will learn to

optimally use his creative and intuitive skills, but

with complete respect to the fundamental principles

of Homœopathy.

Hopefully, this paper will inspire reflection on the

course currently taken and impel many to renew

their effort to rediscover Hahnemann and his great

work, rather than trodding on the old ways of

speculative medicine. The road that Hahnemann led

us down may be narrow, rugged and beset with many

difficulties, but is worth all our effort as it has proved

to be the road of true knowledge and success. Lastly,

I hope that this paper will be a call to action for the

urgent need to understand, protect and further

develop the legacy we have inherited from the

masters of the past.

--------------------------------------------------------------

20. A homœopathic rogue’s gallery

H.A. ROBERTS (HT. 22, 2/2002)

The following article, originally titled

“Monotony.” Appeared in the July 1926

Homœopathic Recorder. It speaks of one

practitioner’s successful use of Homœopathy for

many serious problems, long before the invention of

antibiotics or other modern-day drugs. Each

vignette gives important characteristic indications of

the homœopathic remedy that was used. Dr. H.A.

Roberts originally read this article before the

International Hahnemannian Association Meeting

in June 1925.

RECENTLY, IN THE MIDDLE OR A BUSY DAY, a

patient said, “Doctor, I should think you doctors

would get everlastingly tired of diagnosing cases and

treating the same old diseases, day after day, year in

and year out.” “But my dear fellow,” I said “the

homœopath does not treat diseases, he treats sick

individuals, and no two patients ill with the same

disease are ill in exactly the same way. The patient’s

individuality is present, be he well or ill and the

individuality is part at least of the spice of medical

life, which gives it variety enough to flavor it.” As I

went on my rounds the train of thought he had

aroused went with me persistently, and I present it to

you for your consideration.

Modern criminology has its rogue’s gallery,

wherein it records photographs, measurements and

thumbprints of offenders against society.

Homœopathic physician follows the old adage and

sets a rogue to catch a rogue.

Patient No.1 comes in, “Phew, it’s hot in here!”

It isn’t hot, but the patient is, and the thumbprints of

the remedy are presented for my identification as she

continues, “Doctor, I am so tired all the time, I can’t

get rested. I am more tried when I get up than when

I went to bed, and when I sleep I have such terrible

dreams.” The patient is about fifty years of age and

is passing through the experience of the cessation of

the function of the function of the ovaries. She is ill

and to cure her I must act the part of the angel in the

Garden of Eden and drive out the serpent—Lachesis.

Patient No.2. A young woman of twenty who

had influenza in 1920, but was not under my care at

that time. Since then she has had tonsillitis at

intervals of three or four months. The inflammation

always begins on the left tonsil and then goes over to

the right side. The left tonsil becomes very much

enlarged and then the right follows suit. The throat

is always very much more sore after sleep, even after

a short nap, and she awakes choking. An ëmpty

swallow” is always more painful than swallowing

either solid or liquid food. With a temperature of

102, the patient complains of being hot and chilly.

Here is the trail of the same serpent. Lachesis cures

the acute tonsillitis and removes the tendency

induced by the influenza.

Patient No. 3. A woman of sixty-eight. She

suffered during the night with acute pericardial pain,

which extended down her left arm to her fingers.

The pulse was weak and irregular. A pallor extended

all over her face. This patient had similar attacks

previously and they always come on during sleep

and she has wakened with a start in severe pain.

Here we have a serious case of angina pectoris and

again I bruise the head of the serpent Lachesis.

Patient No. 4 had to call me to “come in” when

I rang the bell. I found her sitting on the side of a big

chair, holding a cane. She had such severe pains in

her left leg, extending from the left lumbar region

down the back of the heel that she could not walk,

but she could not keep still and had to get up and

move in spite of the pain. Wet feet in a cold rain the

previous night was the opportunity seized by the

rogue Rhus tox to make his thumbprint

unmistakable.

Patient No.5 was almost hysterical, quiet

physically and excited mentally. Her eyes were full

of tears, the lids badly swollen, eyes half open. She

was suffering from a severe headache with the pain

coming in waves, the crest of the wave being in the

occiput. Very frequent micturition of clear, light-

colored urine. The menstrual period was just over.

The face and thumbprint of Gelsemium were

unmistakable.

Patient No. 6 is Miss baby, about a year old,

well nourished, with an exceedingly white skin. She

is extremely constipated. For several days there will

be no stool, then the rectum will be packed with little

hard lumps of fecal matter, held together by mucus.

I am not a great believer in heredity, but it is

interesting to note that both the mother and

grandmother had the same arch enemy, and the

constipation of three generations was cured by

Aluminum.

Patient No. 7 is at the other pole in age:

seventy-four. A sharp chill in the night was followed

by severe stabbing pains in the right side of the chest.

Her face was pale except that her lips were very red.

She sat propped up in bed, her chest filling rapidly

with mucus which was easily expectorated. There

was constant nausea. Temperature 102, respiration

52. Remember that she was seventy-four years of

age, and the symptoms listed above are grave at that

age. Ipecac is unmistakably the thief to catch the

thief. The patient made a good recovery from her

pneumonia.

So also did Patient No. 8, a girl of seventeen,

who had the characteristic chill and a sharp pain in

the right side of the chest. She had a loose rattling

cough with no expectoration. Labored breathing

with dilation of the alae nasi at every respiration,

temperature of 104, thirst for large quantities of

water. Lycopodium for pneumonia, but Mrs.G. had

the pneumonia of Ipecac. Miss D. had the

pneumonia of Lycopodium. Both recovered.

I have tried to present you some of the

individuals in my Rogue’s Gallery that I met in one

afternoon. If I have made you see what I meant when

I said that “the homœopath does not treat diseases,

he treats individuals,” the object of this paper is

accomplished.

--------------------------------------------------------------

21. Large-scale application of highly-diluted

bacteria for Leptospirosis epidemic control

BRACHO Gustavo et al. (HOM. 99, 3/2010)

Background: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of

major importance in the tropics where the incidence

peaks in rainy seasons. Natural disasters represent a

big challenge to Leptospirosis prevention strategies

especially in endemic regions. Vaccination is an

effective option but of reduced effectiveness in

emergency situations. Homeoprophylactic

interventions might help to control epidemics by

using highly-diluted pathogens to induce protection

in a short time scale. We report the results of a very

large-scale homeoprophylaxis (HP) intervention

against Leptospirosis in a dangerous epidemic

situation in three provinces of Cuba in 2007.

Methods: Forecast models were used to estimate

possible trends of disease incidence. A

homeoprophylactic formulation was prepared from

dilutions of four circulating strains of Leptospirosis.

This formulation was administered orally to 2.3

million persons at high risk in an epidemic in a

region affected by natural disasters. The data from

surveillance were used to measure the impact of the

intervention by comparing with historical trends and

non-intervention regions.

Results: After the homeoprophylactic intervention a

significant decrease of the disease incidence was

observed in the intervention regions. No such

modifications were observed in non-intervention

regions. In the intervention region the incidence of

Leptospirosis fell below the historic median. This

observation was independent of rainfall.

Conclusions: The homeoprophylactic approach

was associated with a large reduction of disease

incidence and control of the epidemic. The results

suggest the use of HP as a feasible tool for epidemic

control, further research is warranted.

Introduction:

Leptospirosis is a serious disease caused by

infection with pathogenic strains of the Gram-

negative bacterius Leptospira spp. In recent years,

Leptospirosis has emerged as one of the most

important zoonotic diseases worldwide and a severe

health problem in developing countries and the

tropics.1-3 According to antigenic determinants,

Leptospira spirochetes are classified into 25

serogroups and over 250 serovars that affect almost

all mammals. Human infection usually occurs when

contact with the urine of domestic and wild animals

(mainly rodents, dogs, pigs and horses) which are

natural bacteria reservoirs secreting spirochetes in

the urine, the animal vectors often remain symptom

free.4 Infection occurs through the mucosa or open

skin lesions and the contact urine contaminated

water.5-7

Under normal conditions, Leptospirosis is an

occupational disease affecting individuals living in

rural regions, mainly farmers involved in agriculture

or animal breeding which are considered the main at

risk groups. However, an increasing number of

Leptospirosis infections in urban areas and among

adventure travelers practicing water-sports has being

reported in recent years.8-11 Leptospirosis epidemics

are a greater concern in developing countries where

poor sanitary conditions, health structures, medical

awareness and misdiagnosis have contributed to

keep Leptospirosis as a major, but poorly

recognized, threat. In tropical countries, the

incidence of Leptospirosis is closely related to

rainfall and flooding seasons when ecological

conditions are favourable for the transmission of

zoonotic diseases.1-2 When infected urine

contaminates water reservoirs, the bacteria can

survive for long periods in water at neutral pH.

The symptoms caused by Leptospirosis

infection are extremely variable and potentially

dangerous, they include meningitis, pneumonitis,

hepatitis, nephritis, mastitis, myocarditis,

haemorrhagic crisis and multi-organ failure.12 The

broad spectrum of symptoms caused by

Leptospirosis infection frequently leads to

misdiagnosis, incorrect selection of medical

treatment and high mortality rates, especially in

regions where other infectious diseases with

overlapping symptoms are also prevalent (eg.

Dengue fever).13, 14

The laboratory tests for Leptospirosis diagnosis

are mainly based on demonstration of spirochetes in

clinical samples (blood, urine and organ samples), or

detection of serum antibodies. Leptospirosis

cultures from clinical samples grow very slow and

are a very late confirmatory method that should not

be used to decide medical treatments.7, 12 Antibody

detection by Indirect Hemagglutination Assay (HA)

has been considered the ‘gold’ standard for early

diagnostic serology, although antibodides are often

not detected in early phases of infection and the

presence of antibodies is not a direct predictor of

infection in endemic areas. The detection of

bacterial DNA in blood samples by PCR is a

sensitive and rapid method to confirm the infection

but is not widely available and mostly limited to

regional labs.15

Given the difficulties of confirming

Leptospirosis infection, medical awareness and

appropriate management of suspicious patients are

key aspect to decreasing mortality rates. However,

disease control strategies should be based mainly on

prophylactic approaches addressing immune

protection, transmission chain disruption and risk

amelioration. Among the most commonly used

prevention alternatives, chemoprophylaxis has been

demonstrated to be effective in outbreak control.

However, considering the short half life of

doxycycline in blood stream (18 h), its prophylactic

effect is limited and unfeasible for large groups at

risk in endemic areas.16-17 In addition the

effectiveness of doxycycline prophylaxis after

severe climatic phenomena has still to be

demonstrated.13 The control of animal vector

represents another strategy to disrupt the

transmission chain but it has to be effective and

sustained to significantly decrease infection risks. In

view of the diversity of vector animal species and

complexity of the ecosystems, especially after the

severe damage caused by natural disasters, vector

control is still far from being a realistic alternative.

Vaccination represents, to date, the most

effective option for disease control despite the fact

that Leptospirosis vaccines are not widely

available.18 vaxSpiral® is the commercial name of

the only three-valent Leptospirosis vaccine available

in the market. It is a whole cell inactivated

preparation developed and produced at Finlay

Institute, Cuba,19 vaxSpiral demonstrated 78.1%

efficacy and good safety profile in clinical trials

conducted in Cuba has been included in the national

immunization program since 1998 for immunization

of individuals over 15 years old in at risk groups

(mainly farmers and animal breeding workers).20-24

However, because of the time needed to complete

the immunization schedule and to reach high

coverage the effects of vaccination on decreasing the

incidence are significant only over the long term.24

Particularly in endemic regions suffering sudden-

onset epidemics, the effect of vaccination

programmes can be very slow because of the high

circulation of pathogens and the continuous

modification of group at risk.25

There are few published trials of disease control

using homœopathic medicine as preventive method,

homeoprophylaxis(HP),26-29 These approaches

involve the use of highly-diluted and succussed

(potentised) material from different sources

including plants, animals, minerals and bacteria. HP

has been used in epidemic situations since 1798 and

as an alternative to routine vaccination programs for

the prevention vaccine-preventable and non-

preventable diseases.27, 30-33 Potentised pathogens or

disease products known nosodes or biotherapies

have been reported to be effective in controlling

epidemic diseases, but Homœopathy and HP are the

focus of strong debate and more research is

required.26-29 In accordance with the basis of HP,

leptospira bacterium in highly potentized

formulations might be an effective and accessible

prevention alternative for the control of

Leptospirosis epidemics.28, 29, 34, 35 This approach

combines knowledge from Homœopathy,

immunology and epidemiology resulting in a

possible alternative in epidemic settings.

Natural disasters cause drastic modifications of

the habitat of animal vectors that increase the

probability of direct contact, and of contamination of

water reservoirs supplies, thus generating a sudden

increase of the risk of infection of animal-borne and

water-transmissible diseases.36 When Leptospirosis

endemic areas are affected by climatic events

producing heavy rainfall and flooding, the risk of

Leptospirosis infection is dramatically boosted and

challenges all prevention options.7, 37-41 After natural

disasters in endemic regions, urgent measures are

needed to control and prevent Leptospirosis

epidemics but these should be based on rational and

feasible strategies that integrate all available

options.38-39, 41

From 2005 to 2007, environmental, socio-

economic and climatic changes in Cuba caused

modifications of infection risks that resulted in an

increase in the disease incidence. Particularly, since

the beginning 2007, Leptospirosis incidence of

epidemic levels was observed in a region comprising

three adjacent provinces of Cuba. In October-

November 2007, these three provinces were severely

affected by high intensity meteorological events

which caused widespread flooding, further

increasing the risk of infections for the population.

To confront this emergency situation, from

November 2007 an intervention based on the

principles of HP was carried out on this region by

using a Leptospirosis nosode, based on the

hypothesis that massive application of this

homœopathic product would have an impact on

disease incidence. This article reports the results of

disease surveillance before and after this HP

intervention.

Material and methods

Population

The entire population over 1 year of age from

the provinces of Las Tunas (LT), Holguín (HG) and

Granma (GR) in eastern region of Cuba, independent

of their physical, psychological or social status was

considered as risk group and target population.

These three provinces were considered as one single

geographical area, designated the Intervention

Region (IR). The total population at the beginning

of the study was 2,404,787 persons (LT: 534,018

HG: 1,035,388 and GR: 835,381). All the remaining

provinces of Cuba were considered as another

geographical area (designated Rest of the Country,

RC): a total of 8,834,547 persons. The analysis

involving these populations constitutes a large-scale

epidemiological cohort study.

Epidemiological surveillance

The history of Leptospirosis incidence in Cuba

is recorded by an efficient National Surveillance

Program (NSP) for zoonotic diseases of the Ministry

of Public Health of Cuba (MPHC) established in

1980. The NSP is based on Municipal and

Provincial Centres for Hygiene and Epidemiology

(PCHE), connecting all Health Assistance

Institutions into a national network. Regional PCHE

centres have their own laboratory facilities for

diagnosis and confirmation of Leptospirosis

patients. After detection of suspicious cases at

emergency services of Local and Provincial

Hospitals, Polyclinics and Family Doctor Clinics,

patient data are recorded and blood samples are

submitted to PCHE for differential diagnosis. Each

PCHE generates a weekly report including;

suspicious cases, confirmed cases, mortality,

infection risk, exposure factors and geographical—

demographical distribution of cases. A national

weekly report based on provincial data is generated

by the Trend Analysis Unit from the Vice-Minister

of Epidemiology of the MPHC. For this paper we

used the data generated by the NSP.

Laboratory diagnosis of Leptospirosis

Leptospirosis diagnosis was assessed following

the national protocol used by all diagnostic

laboratories of the NSP, based on antibody detection

in serum samples by HIA and haemoculture.

Leptospirosis antigene for HIA were produced at the

Finlay Institute, Havana, Cuba. For haemocultures,

blood samples were cultured in vials containing

EMHJ culture medium. Vials were incubated for

several weeks at 28-30⁰C and checked weekly for the

presence of spirochetes using dark field microscopy.

Confirmed cases were reported according to the first

day of symptoms. Differential diagnosis to exclude

viral diseases with overlapping symptoms like

hepatitis A and B and Dengue infection was

performed by analysis of serum antibodies using

standard ELISA methods.

Prevention and control strategies

Conventional measurements: Conventional

prevention strategies are based mainly on

vaccination and chemoprophylaxis. The individuals

treated with either vaccination or chemoprophylaxis

in the IR amounted to about 3% of the population.

Individuals within risk groups were vaccinated when

identified with two intramuscular doses (6-8 weeks

apart) of vaxSpiral® following manufacture’s

instructions (Finlay Institute, Havana, Cuba). This

vaccine comprises three pathogenic strains (L.

interogans Serovar Canicola, L. interogans Serovar

Copenhageni and L. kirschneri Serovar Mozdok)

which circulate in Cuba and Latin America.

Chemoprophylaxis was applied mainly for focal

treatment and outbreak control to high-risk groups

when identified and consisted of a weekly oral dose

of Doxicycline 100 mg.

Homeoprophylactic strategies: HP intervention

was implemented for the entire population, over 1

year of age, of the IR. It consisted in the application

of the homœopathic product nosoLEP in two

different potencies. HP started in week 45 of 2007

with two oral doses of nosoLEP 200C with an

interval between doses 7-9 days. Ten to twelve

months later, the schedule was completed by the

administration of another two oral doses (7-9 days

apart) of nosoLEP 10MC. Each dose consisted of

five drops (250-300 μL) administered sublingually

20m away from eating, smoking or drinking. It was

administered by about 5000 personnel of public

health system of Cuba which included family

doctors, nurses, social workers and paramedics that

were trained in the administration procedure. The

intervention was organized and stratified in order to

achieve the highest coverage in the shortest time as

possible.

nosoLEP preparation

nosoLEP is a registered product (Registration

numbers: nosoLEP 200C: N-09-184-S01, nosoLEP

10MC: N-09-182-s01) developed and produced at

Finlay Institute following Good Manufacturing

Practice and National Regulations for homœopathic

products. nosoLEP comprises four highly-diluted

strains of inactivated leptospiras: L. interogans

Servovar Canicola, L. interogans Serovar

Copenhageni, L. kirschneri Serovar Mozdok and L.

borg petrsenii Serovar Ballum. The strains were

selected on basis of the frequency of isolation

(circulation rate), viability and virulence.

Inactivated bacteria (106 bacterial/ml) were used as

source material for mother tinctures obtaining.

From the mother tinctures, 1/100 serial dilutions

were prepared using homœopathic pharmaco-

technical methods (Korsakovian dilutions).

Between each dilution step, the solution was

succussed 100 times using an automatic dynamizer

up to 200⁰C (200 x 1:100 dilutions) and 10 MC (104

x 1:100 dilutions). The four strains were processed

independently and mixed in equal proportions in the

final products (nosoLEP 200C and nosoLEP 10mc),

in 30% ethanol. The quality of final products was

controlled by measuring the alcohol content, water

quality, Ph and microbiologic load.

Strains preparation: Leptospirosis strains

isolated from patients were classified at Finlay

Institute using monoclonal and polyclonal reference

antibodies. Virulence was checked in challenge

experiments in Golden Sirius hamsters

(CENPALAB, Havana, Cuba). Viable and virulent

strains were cultured in EMHJ liquid media at 28 -

30⁰C until stationary phase. The cultures were

harvested by centrifugation, inactivated at 56⁰C for

30 min and adjusted to cellular concentration of 106

bacterial/ml. Adjusted preparations were analysed

for identity and inactivity by the quality control

procedures established at Finlay Institute.

Data collection

Weekly reports on Leptospirosis incidence were

collected from PCHEs and the Trend Analysis Unit,

parts of the NSP of the MPHC. Data on rainfall were

obtained from the National Institute of Hydraulic

Resources (http://www.hidro.cu/). Population data

were provided by the National Statistic Office of

Cuba (http://www.one.cu).

Ethical considerations

nosoLEP is a registered product and its

application is fully regulated by National Regulatory

Agency according to International and National

regulations for homœopathic products; it is also

monitored by the National Centre for Pharmacology

Surveillance. The intervention consisted in the very

large-scale application of nosoLEP to the population

of IR as a response to an emergency needs to confer

protection to a large population exposed to an

increased risk of Leptospirosis infection. We

complied with international ethic standards for

interventions in humans.

The massive application of nosoLEP was

approved by the National Regulatory Agency and

both National and Provincial Public Health

Authorities. Information about the product and the

intervention was provided by local TV, radio

programs, newspapers and was also free available

through information desks spread over the IR. Every

participant was verbally informed by the person in

charge of the application and consent from each

individual was obtained before administration.

Consent from non-competent persons was obtained

from next of kin or the person in charge. Inclusion

was absolutely voluntary and free. No attempt was

made to influence individuals refusing to be

included.

Statistical analysis

The data were analysed by combining tools

from: Stat-Graphics Plus (Version 5.0), GraphPad

Prims 4 for Windows (Version 4.00) and SPSS for

Windows (Version 15.0.1). Central tendency and

dispersion of weekly reports data were assessed

using the median, inter-quartile range and range of

data and represented by Box and Whiskers plots to

explore the historic course of Leptospirosis disease.

Normality of the data was assessed by Kolmogorov-

Smirnov test. Differences between medians were

determined by Wilcoxon signed rank test and

Kruskal-Wallis test for grouped data. The Spearman

correlation test was performed between cumulative

rainfall and Leptospirosis cases. The Chi-squared

(χ2) test was used to compare the frequency of

Leptospirosis infection expressed in cases x 105

inhabitants. Statistical significance was considered

to be a 95% confidence level.

Results

Trends of Leptospirosis incidence in Cuba

In order to better understand the behavior of

Leptospirosis infection in Cuba, the data of reported

cases from 1990 to 2006 were analysed in a weekly

temporal series to study the historic trends across the

year. Despite the data year by year being very

variable, three main periods showing a common

yearly trend could be identified. The first period

from weeks 1 to 40 showed a low and stable

incidence with median number of reported cases

remained <13/week, no significant differences were

observed between weeks except week 26. The data

from this period also showed low variability (short

inter-quartile ranges). The second period, from

weeks 41 to 48 showed a slowly rising trend in the

median of reported cases. In the last period (weeks

49-52), even though the dispersion of the data was

higher, the median values were significant higher

than the medians of previous weeks and a rapid

increase was observed towards the last week of the

year.

This analysis showed that from 1990 to 2006 the

historic tendency was for a higher number of

confirmed cases in the last two periods of the year

(weeks 41-52) with the highest infection rate in

weeks 49-52. Upto 52.4% of the annual cases

were reported in the last 12 of 52 weeks, and of those

53.1% were reported in the last 4 weeks of the year

(weeks 49-52). The last two periods comprises from

October to December, when rainfall is at its highest

levels of the year.

Leptospirosis incidence and rains

Given the apparent relationship of Leptospirosis

incidence and rains, a further correlation analysis

was performed between these two variables.

Unfortunately, no data on rainfall are available

before 2004. However, correlation analysis from

2004 to week 46 of 2007, showed that the number of

confirmed cases was significantly related to the

increased rainfall (Spearman correlation factor 0.69,

p<0.05). This suggests that the variability within the

data should not be attributed to random effects and

that rainfall should be considered an important risk

factor for Leptospirosis infection, especially in high-

risk regions.

The emergency

From 2005 to 2006, 43.5% of the cases of

Leptospirosis reported in Cuba were concentrated in

the three provinces of the IR which comprises only

21.4% of the total population of the country. The

incidence trend during the year in IR is similar to

those observed historically in Cuba with the largest

number of cases being reported in weeks 49-52 of

the year. In 2007, the incidence of Leptospirosis in

the IR was higher than the historic median from the

beginning and throughout the year. However, an

abrupt increase was observed in the IR from weeks

39 to 46 when the number of cases increased to more

than 19% week.

The situation was further exacerbated by two

meteorological event in October-November causing

extreme rainfalls (peaks of 400 mm/h) and extensive

flooding. Consequently the risks of Leptospirosis

infection dramatically increased and extended the

risk to the whole population.

A simple exponential smoothing model based

on the 2004-2007 data was used to estimate the

probable trend of the number of cases in weeks 47-

52 of 2007. According to the model, no significant

reduction in the confirmed cases could be expected

during weeks 47-50 but a further increase in weeks

51 and 52 was forecast. The forecast curves showed

a trend similar to the historic observations but at

higher levels than previously observed: the 95%

confidence interval was 111-461 cases expected for

this period.

In contrast, in the RC no significant differences

were recorded between the number of cases reported

in 2007 and the historic trend. In addition, the RC

was not affected by any natural disasters in 2007;

normal levels of rains were recorded and the model

predicted a normal course of the disease (historic

median and the inter-quartile ranges were included

within the confidence limits of prognostic curve) for

the end of the year. Therefore the probability of

occurrence of a major epidemic was extremely high

in the IR while normal historic behavior of the

disease was expected in the RC.

The intervention in 2007

Considering the epidemic situation in the IR, the

unfavourable prognosis and the emergency caused

by natural disasters, a massive HP application of

nosoLEP 200C was started at week 45, 2007.

vaxSpiral vaccination and chemoprophylaxis in

high-risk groups were continued but because of the

limited availability of vaccines, vaccination

coverage among newly exposed population was

limited to 15,000 individuals in the IR (0.6%

coverage). In contrast, HP coverage reached over

the 92% of total population of IR at week 50

representing 2,112,257 individuals treated with two

doses of nosoLEP 200C.

Surveillance results from 2007 (end of the year)

The impact of the intervention was followed

through the surveillance system of MPHC. Two

weeks after the intervention started, a dramatic

decrease in the number of confirmed cases was

observed in the IR, falling from 38 cases in week 46

to 3-4 cases/week during weeks 4-52. The number

of cases detected in weeks 49-52 of 2007 was

significantly lower than the historic median for these

weeks. A noteworth finding was that this reduction

in the Leptospirosis cases occurred in only 3 weeks

and was coincident with the achievement of a 70%

coverage of the population treated with nosoLEP

200C. When comparing with the predicted trend, the

total confirmed cases after intervention (weeks 47-

52) was reduced from a forecast 111-461 (95%

confidence limits) to 38 representing a reduction of

91.8-65.8%.

Similar analysis was done for the RC to

determine whether a similar phenomenon was

observed in the untreated regions. In the same time

period (weeks 47-52, 2007) the numbers of

confirmed cases in RC were not statistically different

from the historic medians. In agreement with the

prediction, the number of confirmed cases in RC

remained over 16 cases/week at the end of 2007.

Surveillance results from 2008

The incidence of Leptospirosis was also

followed in 2008 to examine the incidence over a full

year. Two outstanding factors should be considered

for the analysis in 2008. The first is the impact of

three high intensity hurricanes that affected almost

all the country in August-September and generated

very heavy rain (Hurricanes ‘Gustav’, ‘Ike’ and

‘Paloma’). The second factor was the completion of

the application of nosoLEP 10MC (reinforcement

treatment) in 96% population of IR in September

2008 (2,308,562 people).

From weeks 1 to 41 of 2008, both RC and IR

reported a number of confirmed cases similar to the

historic median. In week 42 an outbreak of the

disease was reported in a closed of RC but

fortunately was quickly controlled by

chemoprophylaxis. But at the end of the year major

differences in the number of cases between RC and

IR were detected. In the weeks 49-52 of 2008 the

number of cases in IR remained significantly lower

than the historic median, thus the modification on the

trends observed in 2007 persisted a year after the

initiation of the HP intervention. Additionally, in the

IR in 2008, in 24 out of 52 weeks there were no

confirmed cases and in 40 of 52 weeks, 0-2

cases/week. In contrast, the number of cases in the

RC remained similar to historic levels with a high

number of infected people at the last weeks of the

year and no change in the trend in either 2007 or

2008. Despite the increased risks of Leptospirosis

infection in IR and four meteorological disasters, the

annual number of cases was significantly decreased

from 401 in 2007 to 64 cases/year in 2008, a

reduction of 84%. However in the untreated RC

region, 67 more cases were reported in 2008 than in

2007, an increase of 21.7%. Due to the decrease in

the IR there was an overall reduction of 62% in the

annual cases confirmed in Cuba.

Additional evidence was obtained from the

analysis of the incidence of the disease (per 105

inhabitants) by year. During the period 2000-2004,

the incidence of the disease in RC and IR was not

statistically different, with the exception of 2001.

In contrast, from 2005 to 2007, the incidence of

Leptospirosis in IR increased to reach its highest

value in 2007 of 16.6 per 105 inhabitants and was

significantly lower than RC and Cuba.

Consequently, the reduction observed in Cuba from

6.3 (2007) to 3.9 (2008) was the result of the

decrease in the IR.

The differences in the IR and RC regarding

Leptospirosis incidence were also evident when

correlating the disease with the rainfall. From 2004

and up to 2007, Leptospirosis incidence by year was

closely related to rainfall in both regions. However,

in 2008 this correlation was not observed in IR since

the decrease in the incidence was not proportional to

rainfall. In contrast, in RC no significant difference

was observed in the correlation between rainfall and

Leptospirosis cases in 2008.

Summarizing the data from week 46, 2007 to

week 52, 2008, major differences between RC and

IR were demonstrated. Both the trends and the

incidence of Leptospirosis were significantly

modified in IR with a reduction of confirmed cases,

while remaining as expected in the RC.

Discussion

As with most zoonotic diseases, the risks of

Leptospirosis infection are multifactorial and

comprise environmental, economical, social, and

host factors. Therefore, control measures including

education, vector control, sanitation and protective

immunization should be well integrated and locally

adapted in strategies to deliver multipoint reduction

of the main risk factors. In endemic regions the

strategies must be applied extensively and

continuously to achieve a significant impact on the

incidence.43 Nevertheless given the strong influence

of environmental factors, control of the disease is

difficult and epidemic outbreaks may be frequent

and sometimes unavoidable in endemic areas. A

more effective impact on disease incidence can be

achieved by preventive alternatives like vaccination

although the effectiveness of such interventions

depends on the appropriate identification of the

population at risk, the size of risk groups, the

availability of vaccines and the coverage of vaccine

application.18

Leptospirosis morbidity in Cuba from 1990-

2006 showed a trend of increasing number of

confirmed cases towards the end of every year (last

8 weeks), particularly weeks 49-52. The causes

underlying this observation are multiple but the

rainfall appears to be a strong influencing factor

since a high positive correlation with number of

reported cases was observed. Thus, control

measurements should be strengthened at the end of

the year and special attention should be given to

unexpected increases in rainfall.

From 2004 and upto 2007 an increase in the

annual incidence of the disease was observed in

Cuba, particularly in the IR although there had been

no modifications in the strategies for Leptospirosis

control. The main cause of this observation is likely

to be the implementation of policies promoting

agriculture and animal breeding that caused rapid

and continuous changes in the size and composition

of risk groups, making identification difficult. The

confirmed cases reported from 2004 were mainly

due in individuals over 15 years of age suggesting

that the continuous modification of risk groups

affected the coverage of vaccination and resulted in

an increased number of unprotected people exposed

to the infection.

The incidence of Leptospirosis reached

epidemic levels on 2007 in the IR when the number

of cases per week was over the historic median of the

region from the beginning of the year. Furthermore,

an emergency epidemiologic situation developed in

the IR after the impact of meteorological disasters

associated with heavy rain, extensive flooding and

extensive damage to the environment. The sudden

and drastic increase of Leptospirosis infection risk

and of the number of exposed individuals also

reduced the applicability and effectiveness of

conventional measurements.

A forecast model was used to predict the

possible trend of Leptospirosis infection during the

period of higher infection risks on 2007 in both IR

and RC. Because these two regions presented

different epidemic and meteorological conditions,

the model showed different prediction curves. In the

IR a high probability of significant increases in the

number of cases from week 46 was forecast while no

changes in the historic trends of the disease were

predicted for RC.

The HP intervention against Leptospirosis was

implemented (starting at week 45 2007) in the IR as

a response to the emergency situation with the main

objective to protect about 2.3 million people exposed

to an alarming epidemiological prognosis. Analysis

of the data from the Leptospirosis surveillance

demonstrated major differences. Between IR and

RC regarding disease incidence and trends after the

intervention. Follow up in the IR showed that the

historic trend of the disease was drastically modified

from the end of 2007 and throughout 2008 since the

number of confirmed cases was significantly

reduced. Unexpectedly this reduction was evident

only 2 weeks after the start of year 2008. A

noteworthy finding was that in both 2007 and 2008,

the number of cases at IR remained below the

historic median during the period of the year of the

highest risk of infection (weeks 49—52). No

modifications in Leptospirosis morbidity were

recorded in the RC but there was an increase of

reported cases in 2008. Particularly at the end of

2007, the real number of cases in the RC showed a

trend similar to that predicted by the forecast model

suggesting the validity of the model to estimate the

prevalence of the disease based on the historic

records and rainfall.

Analyzing the annual incidence in both

regions, IR showed a reduction of 84% while RC

reported an increase of 21.7% in the number of

Leptospirosis cases from 2007 to 2008: the incidence

of the disease in IR dropped from 16.7 x 105 (2007)

to 2.7 x 105 (2008). This reduction in IR was

achieved even when the risk for infection remained

at a high level. Finally, the correlation between

rainfall and incidence was disrupted in IR in 2008

but sustained in the RC. The effect observed after

the HP intervention in the IR had an impact on the

disease incidence of the whole of Cuba which

dropped to 3.9 x 105 inhabitants in 2008.

According to the data, the modification of

Leptospirosis incidence observed in IR could be

considered as unique phenomena of this region that

cannot be explained either by historic trends of the

disease or by changes in the rainfall. Considering

that there are multiple possible causes of the

differences detected between IR and RC, the

analysis should focused on the relative effect of the

following factors on Leptospirosis incidence.

First, the risks for Leptospirosis infection are

present all across the country.

Second, both high circulation of the pathogen

(epidemic levels) and environmental conditions

(four natural disasters) increased the risk of infection

at IR to a greater extent than in RC. During 2007 the

RC was affected neither by strong rainfalls nor by

high epidemic rates of Leptospirosis infection.

However in 2008, both regions were affected by

hurricanes and similar levels of rains were recorded

but no increase in Leptospirosis incidence was

observed in IR.

Third, the coverage of conventional

measurement of control including vaccination and

chemoprophylaxis was similar in both regions since

their application followed the current guidelines

from MPHC. The main difference regarding

prevention measures was the large-scale HP

intervention in the IR.

Fourth, the extent of vaccination and HP was

very different in the IR. The HP intervention

covered over 96% of the target population while the

coverage of vaccination was limited to 0.6% because

of the reduced stockpile of the vaccine vaxSpiral at

that time.

Fifth, the reduction in the number of confirmed

cases in IR occurred within 2 weeks but was

sustained for the next 57 weeks. This sharp decrease

of incidence does not suggest an expected effect of

vaccination or chemoprophylaxis considering the

time needed to induce a protective immune response

by vaccines and the short temporal protection of

antibiotics. In fact, because of the vaccination

schedule of vaxSpiral, the immunization of newly

exposed individuals was finished in a time frame

several weeks after the effects observed at IR. The

reduction of confirmed cases on IR was coincident

with the achievement of 70% of coverage of HP

treatment.

Taken together, these facts suggest that the HP

intervention in IR was the main factor causing a

significant reduction in Leptospirosis incidence.

However, the effectiveness of Homœopathy has

been widely discussed and remains controversial

despite decades of research and clinical testing.

Double blind controlled and randomized clinical

trials have been seen as the gold standard to

demonstrate efficacy, the real effectiveness needs to

be tested in large populations with high exposure to

the target disease, preferably in endemic areas.

Taking into account that the HP intervention

was implemented in a large population of a high-risk

endemic area, the data strongly suggest high

effectiveness of HP and support its applicability to

control of epidemic disease.

However, there is no evidence supporting the

replacement of conventional strategies and no data

regarding efficacy are presented. The rational

design of combined strategies to confront a complex

epidemic situation should improve the effectiveness

of control measurements. HP might synergistically

complement prevention strategies to reduce the

incidence of diseases in the short term by inducing

protective status in the target population.

Nonetheless, other issues including economic,

accessibility, availability, adverse reactions and

timing should be considered for the appropriate

design of prevention strategies. The massive

application of HP in the IR also showed potential

regarding feasibility and time saying. When trained

and organized personnel are involved in the HP

application, large coverage can be achieved in a

short time with modest resources.

Further studies in the IR should give new

evidence to support stronger conclusions. The

comparative study of mechanisms of immunity

within the HP treated, vaccinated or not vaccinated

population could provide important data to

complement the epidemiological observations.

Nonetheless, the surveillance of the Leptospirosis

incidence in Cuba over the next years should provide

valuable evidence of the effect of HP intervention in

IR.

Conclusions

The homœoprophylactic intervention was

strongly associated with a drastic reduction of

disease incidence resulting in complete control of the

epidemic. The results support the use of

homœopathic prophylactic formulations as a feasible

strategy to help control epidemic situations.

Integrated approaches should be designed according

to regional conditions and epidemic characteristics.

Scientific rigour and responsibility should direct

further research and application of HP.

Competing interest

The authors declare that they have no competing

interests.

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22. Chelidonium majus 30c and 200c in induced

hepato-toxicity in rats

BANERJEE, Antara; PATHAK, Surajit et al.

(HOM. 99, 3/2010)

Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is

one of the most prevalent malignancies world-wide.

The prognosis of HCC is poor and depends on

factors such as staging, tumor size, liver function and

co-morbidities. Current treatments including

chemotherapy and proton beam therapies are of

limited effectiveness, and only a small percentage of

patients are suitable for surgical resection and liver

transplantation. New therapeutic approaches are

under investigation and development, biological

therapies such as gene therapy are in their

experimental stages. Complementary and

alternative medicine (CAM) therapies including

Ayurveda, Homœopathy etc are potentially useful

palliative approaches that need more scientific

investigation in animal models before application to

human beings. Recently integrative medicine has

achieved therapeutic importance, combining

mainstream medical and CAM therapeies for relief

of symptom(s).

Homœopathy is a popular CAM treatment and

has spread throughout the world as a complement to

other systems of medicine.1But it is frequently

challenged as there is no plausible mode of action for

highly diluted remedies.2 Nevertheless it is one of

the most popular CAM treatment for cancer, seen to

increase the body’s ability to fight cancer, improve

physical and emotional well-being, and alleviate

symptoms resulting from the disease or conventional

treatments.3

Chelidonium major L, family Papaveraceae,

commonly known as Greater celandine is an

important medicinal plant. It contains alkaloids

including sanguinarine, chelidonine, chelerythrine,

berberine, coptisine and some non-alkaloid

compounds like flavonoids and phenolic acids.4

Extracts of C. majus exhibit anti-viral, anti-tumor

and anti-microbial properties both in vivo and in

vitro.5-9 Anti-tumor effects of C. majus had been

reported earlier.4 Crude alcoholic extracts (mother

tincture) of C. majus and homœopathic potencies are

prescribed in the treatment of various liver, kidney,

spleen and other disorders.4, 10-13

In our laboratory Chelidonium has previously

been studied in a mouse model, and reported to have

protective effects in hepatic carcinogenesis.14, 15 In

the present study rats were used with a view to

replicate our previous results in mice, and deploying

additionally a newer set of hepato-toxicity

biomarkers including alanine aminotransferase

(ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (ast), gamma

glutamyl transferase (GGT), reduced glutathione

(GSH), catalase, glucose-6-phosphate

dehydrogenase (G-6-PD), and lactate

dehydrogenase (LDH), triglyceride, cholesterol,

HDL-cholesterol, creatinine and bilirubin. The

experimental animals were tested for the above at

four time points: day 30, 60, 90 and 120.

Chelidonium 30c (Chel.30c) and Chelidonium 200c

(Chel. 200c) were evaluated separately, against

hepato-toxicity and tumor induction by the liver

carcinogen p-dimethyl amino azo benzene (-DAB)

and the tumor promoter phenobarbital (PB).16 p-

DAB and PB are Group 2B carcinogens (possible

human carcinogens),17 capable of producing liver

tumors when fed to experimental animals for a

period exceeding two months. For this reason the

main focus of our analysis was on the primary target

organ, the liver. But these carcinogens have also

been reported to affect other organs including

spleen, kidney and testis. Therefore these were also

included in this study. A combination of patho-

physiological tests and widely accepted hepato-

toxicity biomarkers were used to reflect hepato-

toxicity and cytotoxicity in the experimental animals

compared to controls.

Materials and methods

Maintenance of animals

White rats (Rattus norvegicus) were reared and

maintained (acclimatized to standard laboratory

conditions, temperature 25-35⁰ C, and were housed

identically under a 12h light: dark cycle in standard

cages) in the animal house of the Department of

Zoology (with approval from the University Ethical

Committee and under the supervision of the Animal

Welfare Committee), University of Kalyani.

Preparation of homœopathic remedies

Chel 30C and Chel 200c were derived from

plant extract of C. majus L. following the Indian

Homœopathic Pharmacopoeia, as previously

described,18, 19 in 90% ethyl alcohol and were

procured from HAPCO (165, BB Ganguly Street,

Kolkata 700 014). 1 ml each of the two drugs and

Alc-30 and Alc-200 (potentized ethanol also

procured from HAPCO, Kolkata) was diluted in

20ml of Mili Q (ultra-pure) water to make the stock

solutions of Chel 30C, Chel 200C, Alc 30C and

200C.

Carcinogens and homœopathic remedies

A group of 120 healthy rats, each weighing

between 70-100g were randomly selected. 30 were

randomly used for each of the four fixation intervals.

All the experimental animals were randomized by

fixed random allocation. Feed was wheat, gram and

milk powder.

Each group of 30 animals (both male and

female) was further divided into 6 sub-groups, each

of 5 rsts:

(1) Negative control group: fed normal diet.

(2) Negative control + EtOH group: succussed

alcohol (0.06 ml orally by gavage) daily with

normal diet.

(3) Positive control group: fed mixed with 0.06% p-

DAB (Sigma, D-6760) and provided 0.05%

aqueous solution of PB instead of water.

(4) Positive control group + EtOH group: fed mixed

with 0.06% p-DAB (Sigma, D-6760) and

provided 0.05% aqueous solution of PB instead

of water. From the sixteenth day onward, they

were also treated with succussed alcohol (Alc –

0.06 ml orally through gavage).

(5) Chel 30 and (6) Chel 200 groups: fed mixed

with 0.06% p-DAB (Sigma, D-6760) and

provided 0.05% aqueous solution of PB instead

of water and were also treated with 0.06 ml of

stock solution of Chel 30c through gavage,

twice daily (at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.) or Chel 200C

(6) once daily (at 8 am), respectively, starting from

the sixteenth day and were sacrificed at day 30,

60, 90 and 120.

Unlike our earlier studies when the treatment

was simultaneous with the carcinogen feeding, from

day0, in this study the medication or placebo

administration started after 15 days of feeding of

carcinogens to rats.

Animals were anaesthetized before being

sacrificed at the specific fixation interval. Weights

of whole body were recorded before sacrifice and

that of liver, spleen, kidney and testes were recorded

after sacrifice.

Selection of the parameters

A combination of widely accepted biomarkers

of hepato-toxicity like ALT, AST, GSH, GGT,

catalase, G-6-PD, and LDH and some pathological

tests to indicate general physiological status were

adopted. Since chronic dosing with p-DAB+PB (90

days or more) is known to induce liver tumors, some

of which become malignant20the expression of

matrix metalloproteinase (an indicator of metastatic

process), p53 protein (tumor suppressor protein) and

Bcl-2 protein (anti-apoptotic protein) were also

analyzed.

Table 1: Number of rat showing tumors in different treated and control (positive and negative) series at

different fixation intervals (30, 60, 90, 120 days)

Series

Total

number of

rats used

Total rats with tumors

Development of tumor at

30 days

60 days

90 days

120 days

Negative control

20

0/5 0/5 0/5 0/5 0/20

Negative control +

EICH

20

0/5 0/5 0/5 0/5 0/20

Positive control

20

0/5 2/5 4/5 5/5 11/20

Positive control +

EICH

20

0/5 2/5 3/5 5/5 10/20

Chel 30

20

0/5 1/5 4/5 2/5 7/20

Chel 200

20

0/5 0/5 2/5 3/5 5/20

5 rats were used per interval for each group

Laboratory methodology

All analyses were conducted observer blind

with respect to the animal belonging to treatment

group.

Tumor incidence: On autopsy, the tumor

incidence was recorded in control and treated rats.

Blood collection and tissue isolation: Blood was

collected in two vials, one containing anti-coagulant

(EDTA) and the other without EDTA. Serum was

obtained from blood without EDTA by

centrifugation for determination of cholesterol,

HDL-cholestrol, triglyceride, creatinine, serum

bilirubin, catalase GGT and LDH activity. Blood

with EDTA was used for determination of G-6-PD

activity. Liver, spleen, kidney and testis tissue of

sacrificed rats were quickly isolated in an ice tray

and separately processed for the study of

biochemical parameters and expression of

metalloproteinases by gelatin zymography and also

for immunodetection of p53 and Bcl-2 protein by

Western blotting.

Biochemical assays: For estimation of ALT,

AST, GSH, GGT, catalase, G-6-PD, and LDH some

pathological tests to indicate general physiological

status were adopted.21 LDH activity was assayed by

the UV-Kinetic method of Gay et al.22 Reagent kit

was supplied by Reckon Diagnostics P. Ltd.,

Gorwa, Baroda, India (Code-64X014). For G-6-PD

activity, 0.1ml blood was estimated using diagnostic

kit procured from Reckon Diagnostic P. Ltd., India.

CGT activity was assayed by the method of

Szasz.23 Reagent kit was supplied by Reckon

Diagnostics P. Ltd. (Code-6LX010). Catalase

activity was measured using the method of Chance

and Maehly.24 For creatinine, the standard modified

Jaffe’s Kinetic method was followed. For

determination of cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and

triglycerides, kits provided by Span diagnostics,

India, were used. For the estimation of total serum

bilirubin reagent kit was supplied by Reckon

Diagnostics (Code-64X014). For the estimation of

matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) activity, the

method of Billings et al.25 was adopted.

Metalloproteinase activity was analyzed by Image

analyzer (Total Lab-2.01) from Ultra-Lum, 1D

Image.

Immunodetection of p53, Bcl-2 proteins was

done by the Western blotting method of Magi et al.26

Expression of p53 and Bcl-2 protein was analyzed

by Image analyzer (Total Lab-2.01) from Ultra-

Lum, 1D Image.

Statistical comparisons were made between the

positive control + EtOH groups to that of verum

administered groups (Chel 30 and Chel 200). The

significance of difference between data of the

different series was calculated by Student’s t-test.27

ANOVA (SPSS 10.0 Software) was used to compare

multiple groups and within the groups and these

were also tested for multiple comparisons by

Tukey’s HSD.

Results

Tumor incidence

Out of 15 rats sacrificed at the three later time

points (day 60, 90 and 120), 11 and 10 rats,

respectively, showed liver tumors in the positive

control and positive control + EtOH fed series, while

7 and 5 rats showed liver tumors in the Chel 30 and

Chel 200 fed series, respectively (Table 1). In the

carcinogen fed positive control group the tumors

were present as multiple nodules, whereas some of

treated animals presented solitary or a few

individually distinguishable tumors. Both treated

series showed lower incidence of tumors as

compared to positive control at day 90 and day 120.

Activity of toxicity biomarkers in liver

ALT activity:ALT activity was higher in the positive

control and positive control + EtOH groups at all

fixation intervals compared to the negative controls.

In rats treated with Chel 30 the ALT activity was

almost same as that of the positive control + EtOH

series at day 30, but was significantly lower at all

later fixation intervals. On the other hand, in Chel

200 treated rats, the activity was significantly lower

than positive control lower at day 30, 60 and 120, but

rose at day 90 in the Chel 30 group the mean

difference was significant compared to positive

control + EtOH series at day 90 only (p = 0.003) and

at day 30 and day 60 for Chel 200 group (p = 0.001;

p = 0.001 respectively, Tukey’s HSD).

AST cavity: The AST activity gradually rose in rats

chronically fed p-DAB + PB (positive control) and

showed a further increase in the positive control +

EtOH fed group up to 120 days, compared to the

negative controls. On the other hand, the activity

was significantly reduced at all fixation intervals in

Chel 30 treated rats. The same was true for Chel 200

treated rats. Analysis revealed significant

differences between treated groups and positive

control +EtOH series only at day 60 (p = 0.002 for

Chel 30 group; p < 0.001 for Chel 200 group)

(Tukey’s HSD).

GSH: In the positive control and positive control

+EtOH series, the GSH was decreased at all fixation

intervals. In Chel 30 treated rats, the GSH gradually

increased. In the Chel 200 treated group the increase

in GSH appeared to be more pronounced at later time

points. Analysis revealed significant difference

between the Chel groups and positive control +

EtOH at day 90 (p = 0.023 for Chel 30; p = 0.012 for

Chel 200) and at day 120 (p = 0.004 for Chel 30; p =

0.001 for Chel 200) (Tukey’s HSD).

Activity of toxicity biomarkers in secondary

target organs

In spleen, kidney and testis the ALT, AST and

GSH activities were elevated in rats chronically fed

p-DAB+PB and p-DAB+PB +EtOH. The

administration of Chel in either dilution only

marginally reduced these parameters in spleen

mostly at day 90 and day 120, this was not

statistically significant (data not shown).

GGT activity: The GGT activity in the

carcinogen in toxicated rats was higher than controls

and increased with duration of feeding. But in rats

treated with Chel 30, an appreciable lowering was

noted at all fixation intervals compared to positive

control and positive control + EtOH groups. In Chel

200 treated rats the GGT activity showed a

significant lower activity at day 30 and 120. The

effects in the Chel. 30 group was somewhat more

pronounced than the Chel 200. The mean difference

was significant at all the intervals in the Chel 30

series (p ≤ 0.001 at day 30, p = 0.023 at day 60, p <

0.001 at day 90, p = 0.0 at day 120) but was not

significant at all other intervals except at day 60 only

in Chel 200 series (p < 0.001 at day 30, p = 0.001 at

day 90, p < 0.001 at day 120) (Tukey’s HSD).

LDH activity: The activity of LDH was

substantially higher in positive control and positive

control + EtOH groups than in the negative control

group. The LDH activity was lower in Chel 30

treated rats at all fixation intervals except at day 90,

but the effect was more significant in Chel 200

treated rats (Table 2b). the mean of both the Chel 30

and Chel 200 groups was significant against the

positive control + EtOH group at all the fixation

intervals except at day 30 in Chel 200 group.

G-6-PD activity: A significant elevation in G-6-

PD activity was observed in Chel 30 and Chel 200

treated rats compared to positive control and positive

control + EtOH series at several time points (Table

2b).

Catalase activity: The catalase activity in

positive control rats was reduced at all fixation

intervals. There was significant recuperation in both

the treated groups at all fixation intervals of which,

Chel 200 appeared to have slightly greater effect.

Pathological parameters

In the positive control and positive control +

EtOH series, there was elevation in serum

triglyceride, cholesterol, creatinine and bilirubin in

levels and reduction in HDL-cholesterol level at

most of the later time points compared to negative

control. There was significant reduction in serum

triglyceride, creatinine and bilirubin levels in the

Chel 30 and 200 groups compared to positive

control. A slight increase in serum cholesterol and a

marked increase in HDL-cholesterol level in the

Chel 30 and 200 series suggest detoxifying effects.

Zymogram profile for protease activity

The expression of MMP was slightly lower in

Chel 200 treated rats than in Chel 30 treated series

(according to band width), compared to positive

control.

Immunodetection p53 and Bcl-2 proteins by

Western bloting

The expression of p53 protein in normal rat

(negative control) at day 90 and 120. In both the

treated series the expression of p53 protein was

significantly reduced at day 90 and 120 as compared

to positive control + EtOH group, the decrease in

expression was more prominent in Chel 200 treated

series than Chel 30.

The Bcl-2 protein expression at day 90 and 120

can be seen in normal rat in Lane-1 with a fairly thin

band. There was an increase in the expression of

Bcl-2 protein in the positive control as well as

positive control + EtOH groups, Lane-2 and Lane-3,

respectively. In Chel 200 treated rats, there was a

significant decrease in expression of this protein at

day 90 as compared to Chel 30 treated one. But at

day 120 both showed similar results in reduction of

Bcl-2 expression.

Tissue weight/body weight ratio

Tissue weight/body weight ratio in carcinogen

fed animals was significantly increased compared to

negative controls.

Discussion

From earlier studies and the present study16, 18, 28

it is evident that chronic exposure to p-DAB and PB

alone or in combination induce hepato-toxicity and

oxidative stress. It is generally accepted that

covalent binding of the metabolites of p-DAB with

DNA is a major carcinogenic factor. Although it was

not possible to record the data on day 0 for obvious

reasons (the animals had to be killed for recording

data of most parameters studied) an analysis of the

results of the toxicity biomarkers at subsequent

fixation intervals reveals that an increase in activities

of ALT, AST, GGT, and LDH and decrease in

activity of catalase, G-6-PD and in GSH content,

denoting an elevated level of hepato-toxicity in the

carcinogen fed rats. In both the treated series (Chel

30 and Chel 200) this trend was largely reversed.

This indicates a detoxifying effect and reduced

oxidative stress. The expression of metallo-

proteinases and p53 and Bcl-2 proteins, which were

over-expressed in the positive control and positive

control + EtOH series, as compared to drug treated

groups, leads to the same inference.

The activity of enzymes such as aspartate

aminotransferases and alanine aminotransferases has

been linked to hepatocellular injury or necrosis in

liver and striated muscle tissue20, 29-33 and release of

ALT from the cytosol may be secondary to cellular

necrosis or a result of cellular injury with membrane

damage.34 The levels of these enzymes were greatly

elevated in the positive control groups but

significantly less in the treated groups.

The presence of fewer tumor nodules in the

treated rats suggests the possibility of the practical

use of Chel in liver disorders including carcinoma,

at least as a supportive therapy. The favorable

modulations in most endpoints in the Chelidonium

treated rats suggests that Chel 30C and Chel 200C

had similar protective effects against p-DAB + PB

induced hepatocarcinogenesis, although Chel 200C

appeared to have slightly better effects at the later

time points. The mechanism by which ultra-low

homœopathic doses could bring about such

alterations remains unclear at the present state of our

knowledge. We18, 19, 35 have elsewhere hypothesized

that they can act as a ‘molecular switch’, regulating

expression of relevant genes (e.g. tumor suppressor

genes like p53, Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen

(PCNA) and pro-apoptotic genes like Bax, Bad,

caspase 3, 9 etc.) through a cascade of actions after

the first gene is activated or inactivated. Recently,

DeOliviera et al.36 reported that a homœopathic drug

provoked decreased interleukin-2 and interleukin-4

production, resulting in a chain of differential

expressions in some 147 genes, in line with our

contention.

Conclusion

The results indicate that chronic feeding of p-

DAB and PB induced many cytotoxic changes, and

that these were positively modulated by

administration of homœopathic medicines. It is very

important that such studies are replicated

independently and in various animal models to

verify and confirm (or refute) our results,

particularly in the light of recent reports of beneficial

use of homœopathic drugs in breast cancer patients37

and animal cancer models.38

References

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an introduction to “like curing like”. Clin J

Oncol Nurs 2004; 8(3): 324-326.

2. Milazzo S. Russell N. Ernest E. Efficacy of

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3. Downer SM, Cody MM, McCluskey P, et al.

pursuit and practice of complementary therapies

by cancer patients receiving conventional

treatment. Br. Med J 1994; 309: 86-89.

4. Colombo ML., Bosisio E. Pharmacological

activities of Chelidonium majus L, Pharmacol

Res 1996; 33: 127-134.

5. Furusawa E, Furusawa S, Kroposki M, Cutting

W. Higher plants as a source of antiviral agents.

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6. Lozyuk LV. Antiviral properties of some

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7. Sethi ML. Screening of benzophenanthridine

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the structure-activity relationships. Can J

Pharm Sci 1981; 16: 29 – 34.

8. Horvath J, Keru A, Kulcsar G, Dan P, Nasz J.

Antiviral effect of Chelidonium extracts. Proc

Int Congr Chemother 1983; 9: 106 – 124.

9. Kery RY, Horvath J, Nasz I, Verzar-Petri G,

Kulcsar G, Dan P. Antiviral alkaloid in

Chelidonium majus L. Acta Pharm Hung 1987;

57: 19 – 25.

10. Boericke W. Pocket Manual of Homeopathic

Materia Medica. Indian edn. Calcutta: Sett

Dey and Co., 1976.

11. Clarke JH. A Dictionary of Practical Materia

Medica. Vol.I. New Delhi: Jain Publishers and

Co., 1978.

12. Gebhardt R. Antioxidative, antiproliferative

and biochemical effects in HepG2 cells of a

homeopathic remedy and its constituent plant

tinctures tested separately or in combination.

Arzneimittelforschung 2003; 53(2): 823 – 830.

13. Riley D. Contemporary homœopathic drug

proings. I Am Inst Homeoath 1994; 87: 161-

165.

14. Biswas SJ. Khuda-Bukhsh AR. Effect of

homeopathic drug, Chelidonium, in

amelioration of p-DAB induced

hepatocarcinogenesis in mice. BMC

Complement Altern Med 2002; 2: 4-12.

15. Biswas SJ, Bhattacharjee N, Khuda-Bukhsh

AR. Efficacy of a plant extract (Chelidonium

majus L.) in combating induced

hepatocarcinogenesis in mice. Food Chem

Toxicol 2008; 46 (5); 1474 – 1487.

16. Biswas SJ. Khuda-Bukhsh AR. Cytotoxic and

genotoxic effects of the azodye p-

dimethylaminoazobenzene in mice: a time

course study. Mutat Res 2005; 587: 1-8.

17. International Agency for Research on Cancer

(IARC). IARC monographs program on the

evaluation of carcinogenic risks to human

Lyons. Available at: http//193.51.

164.11/default/html; 2003.

18. Khuda-Bukhsh AR. Towards understanding

molecular mechanisms of action of

homeopathic drugs an overview. Mol Cell

Biochem 2003; 253; 339-345.

19. Khuda Bukhsh AR. Laboratory Research in

Homeopathy; Pro. Integr Cancer Ther 2006;

5(4): 1-13.

20. Pathak S, Khuda-Bukhsh AR. Assessment of

hepatocellular damage and hematological

alterations in mice chronically fed p-

dimethylaminoazobenzene and phenobarbital.

Exp Mol Pathol 2007; 83(1): 104-111.

21. Pathak S, Das JK, Biswas SJ, Khuda-Bukhsh

AR. Protective potentials of a potentized

homeopathic drug, Lycopodium-30, in

ameliorating azo dye induced

hepatocarcinogenesis in mice. Mol Cell

Biochem 2006; 258: 121—131.

22. Gay RJ, Mccomb RB, Browers GN. Optimum

reaction conditions for human lactate

dehydrogenase isoenzymes as they affect total

lactate dehydrogenase activity. Clin Chem

1968;14:740-753.

23. Szasz G. Reaction rate method for gamma-

glutamyl transferase activity in serum. Clin

Chem 1976; 22: 2051 – 2055.

24. Chance B, Maehly AC. Assay of catalase and

peroxidase. Meth Enzymol 1955; 2: 764 -775.

25. Billings PC, Habres JM, Liao DC, Tuttle SW.

Human fibroblasts contain a proteolytic activity

which is inhibited by the Bowman—Birk

protease inhibitor. Cancer Res 1991; 51:

5539—5543.

26. Magi B, Bini L, Marzocchi B, Liberatori S,

Raggiaschi R, Pallini V. immunofinity

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27. Fisher RA. Yates F. Statistical Tables for

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28. Biswas SJ, Pathak S, Khuda-Bukhsh AR.

Assessment of the genotoxic and cytotoxic

potential of an anti-epileptic drug,

phenobarbital, in mice; a time course study,

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29. Plaa GL, Amdun AM, Doull J, Klasser CD.

Toxic responses of the liver. 4th edn. Pergamon

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30. Timbrell JA. Principles of biochemical

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31. Vinitha R, Thangaraju M, Sachdanandam P.

Effect of administering cyclophosphamide and

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enzymes in rats with experimentally induced

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145-156.

32. Bain PJ. Latimer KS. Mahaffey EA. Duncan

and Prasse’s veterinary medicine, liver clinical

pathology. 4th edn. Ames: Iowa State Press,

2003, pp. 193 – 214.

33. Valentine BA, Blue JT. Shelley SM. Cooper

BJ. Increased serum alanine aminotransferases

activity associated with muscle necrosis in the

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34. Stockham SL, Scott MA. Fundamentals of

veterinary clinical pathology. Ames: lowa State

University Press. 2002. pp.434-459.

35. Khuda-Bukhsh AR. Potentized homœopathic

drugs act through regulation of gene-

expression: a hypothesis to explain their

mechanism and pathways of action in vivo.

Complement Ther Med 1997: 5:43-46.

36. De Oliveira CC, De Oliveira SM, Goes VM,

Probst CM, Kreiger MA, Buchi DF. Gene

expression profiling of macrophages following

mice treatment with an imunomodulator

medication. J Cell Biochem 2008: 104(4):

1364-1377.

37. Hughes SL., Smith AC, Relton C.

Homœopathy service in an NHS hospital breast

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343 – 349.

=====================================

23. What kind of Life Is “A Lifetime of Vaccines?”

GILRUTH Charlette (AH. 21/2015)

“Vaccines in the U.S. represent a government-

industry alliance … the likes of which are unknown

in any other place or time in recorded history.” –

Attorney Alan Phillips1

Pharma envisions a grim future for us all.

Merck’s recent infographic, “A Lifetime of

Vaccines,” depicts seven life stages, from newborn

through elderly.2 Sanofi Pasteur presents, “New and

next generation vaccines for every stage of life.”3

the slogans, “You never ougrow the need for

vaccines”4 and “Vaccines are not just for kids,”5

probably originating at the CDC (Centers for

Disease Control), have spread across the country to

places like health departments and pharmacies

touting vaccination for adults.6 The vaccine

industry, governmental policymakers, and medical

associations are working in concert to shift the long-

standing public assumption that vaccination mostly

ends with childhood.9

Vaccination programs, promoted on a federal

level and enacted through state health departments,

generally resemble those of Vermont. Its

Department of Health Immunization Regulation

specify that once a new vaccine is recommended by

the the Advisory Committee on Immunization

Practices (ACIP, a branch of the federal agency, the

Center for Disease Control) “there will be a two-year

phase-in period before children will be required to

have the vaccine in order to enroll in a child-care

facility or school.”10 Four new vaccines, including

an annual flu shot, have recently been added to the

recommended schedule,11 which, when approved,

will bring the total to 52 shots by age 18; the

dangerous and controversial HPV vaccine has been

on that list for over two years now.

The recommended schedule for adults shows

the same steady increase.12 In 2010 the annual flue

vaccine was recommended mostly for adults over

50. That changed to all adults in 2011. In 2012, the

recommendation for HPV for males was added. In

2013, a TdaP shot was recommended for pregnant

women, one per pregnancy.13

Abolishing the right to refuse

Pharmaceutical companies assess restrictive

state legislation as an effective means to build a

reliable revenue stream14 well into the future. This

strategy of enforced compliance will best succeed if

exemptions are eliminated. Currently, about half the

population (in 17 states), have philosophical

exemptions,15 which allow parents to opt out of any

or all vaccines for their children. (All but two states,

Mississippi and West Virginia, have religious

exemptions.)16 Proposed legislation in several states

allowing minors to agree to vaccines without

parents’ consent or even knowledge is a new avenue

of attack on parental rights.

[Editor’s note: California’s Governor signed

SB277 into law on June 30th 2015, removing all but

medical vaccine exemptions. The law will come into

effect in July 2016.]

Until recently the focus has been predominantly

on mandated childhood vaccine programs, adding to

the number of required vaccines and restricting and

eliminating excemptions. Targeting adults is a

newer game plan, through intensifying pressure for

health care workers, teachers and others to be

vaccinated as well.

Proposed vaccine legislation nationwide

Lobbying continually steps up across the nation

for vaccine-related regulations. In 2014 there were

47 vaccine-related bills in 17 states that the National

Vaccine Information Center recommends be

opposed.17, 18 Unless citizens are alert to pending

legislation, rights to vaccine choice can simply

evaporate.

In 2015, the NVIC tracked 110 bills across 36

states to eliminate and restrict vaccine exemptions,

expand vaccine mandates and police and emergency

powers, and to expand and force intrusive vaccine

tracking and data sharing.19 As NVIC says, “There

is no coincidence regarding common bill language

removing rights appearing in bills across the

country. This is an orchestrated legislative effort by

those who want to force vaccination.20

It’s noteworthy that high vaccination rates can

be maintained without trampling rights. About half

of 29 countries surveyed (mostly European) simply

recommend vaccines, yet have rates equivalent to

those of countries that mandate them.21

A Vermont drama

“Laws, like sauages, cease to inspire respect in

proportion as we know how they are made.”22

2012: During the legislative session, S.199, a

bill to eliminate the philosophical exemption,23 was

defeated after months of resistance spearheaded by

an indignant group of activists, the Vermont

Coalition for Vaccine Choice,24 composed mostly of

parents. (1,500 citizens signed the Coalition’s

petition to preserve vaccine choice.) A core group

of members was present at the State House almost

every day of the session, talking to legislators,

attending committee hearings, and generally

witnessing and participating in the legislative

process. They were described by a newspaper

reporter as “fixtures” at the State House,25 as ever-

present as the drug and medical industry lobbyists.26

Two or more lobbyists were present at each and

every related committee hearing, typing meticulous

notes of proceedings.

Coalition members also observed the

conviviality between those lobbyists and some

legislators, including vaccine bill sponsors. Medical

and pharmaceutical lobbyists frequently conferred in

the State House cafeteria; Health Commissioner Dr.

Harry Chen was sometimes present at these informal

conclaves.

2013, 2014: Bills to remove the philosophical

exemption were introduced, seemingly half-

heartedly, but they didn’t go anywhere.

2015: On February 12, a bill to abolish the

philosophical exemption was again introduced by

Senator Kevin Mullin, the same senator who had

introduced some of the failed or aborted bills over

the past three years, this time riding on the wave of

hysteria about the measles outbreak in Disneyland.

However, no one appeared willing to take up the

bill, and pro-choice parents were lulled into

complacency by statements from the governor and

health commissioner that the vaccination rate did not

warrant a change in the situation. Indeed, overall

immunization rates have steadily increased over the

past three years.

Even so, on April 15, after two months of

suspense, Senator Mullin moved to attach his bill as

an amendment to another bill moving through the

legislature, pointing out that the rate of vaccination

among entering kindergarteners had dropped by a

dangerous 0.7%. (Rates were higher across all other

ages.)

The bill was pushed through committees in both

the Senate and the House, with very limited

testimony heard. The Vermont Coalition for

Vaccine Choice and pro-choice individuals made a

valiant effort, lining up medical and legal experts to

explain the importance of preserving vaccine

exemptions. The House Health Care Committee

heard as well from those who had suffered vaccine

injuries, including one mother of a healthy seven-

year-old girl who died within a few days of a routine

flu vaccine, mothers of two autistic children, and an

adult woman who was paralyzed for over a year by

a TDaP shot, and received a substantial award from

the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.

In a satisfying coup, VCVC arranged on a few

days’notice for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr to testify, as

he had been doing in various states since the

draconian legislation had begun earlier in the year.

He has been researching vaccine safety for ten years,

especially the hazards of mercury-based preservative

Thimerosal, about which he has written a book,

Thimerosal: Let the Science Speak: The Evidence

Supporting the Immediate Removal of Mercury---a

Known Neurotoxin. (He has also toured with a

newly-released film, Trace Amounts, about the

decades-long cover-up of the damage done by

Thimerosal.)

Kennedy gave a fifteen-minute testimony27 that

electrified everyone in the room with his damning

summary of the corrupt vaccine industry and

governmental agencies pushing mandatory

vaccination.

“Vaccine industry money has neutralized

virtually all of the checks and balances that once

stood between a rapacious pharmaceutical

industry and our children. With the research,

regulatory, and policy making agencies

captured, the courts closed to the public, the

lawyers disarmed, the politicians on retainer and

the media subverted, there is no one left to stand

between a greedy industry and vulnerable

children, except parents. Now Big Pharma’s

game plan is to remove parental informed

consent rights from that equation and force

vaccine hesitant parents to inject their children

with potentially risky vaccines that the Supreme

Court has called ‘unavoidably unsafe.’”

It was encouraging that the chairman of the

House Health Care Committee had a change of heart

after hearing all the testimony. But we didn’t have

enough time to reach most of the legislators, as H.98

as amended was rushed to a vote by the Speaker. On

May 12th the philosophical exemption lost by a vote

of 85 to 57.28 The Senate concurred and the bill was

sent to the Governor.

The Speaker of the House, the Health

Commissioner and the Governor all cited concern

about Vermont’s “low immunization rates”as their

reason for suddenly pushing to get rid of the

philosophical exemption, even though the Health

Department had just released the latest data showing

increased vaccination in all grades, along with the

statement, “During the 2014-15 school year, 87.7%

of children entering kindergarten had received all

required vaccines; the highest percent of fully

immunized children entering kindergarten since

immunization requirements were revised in 2008.”29

(Emphasis added.)

Advancing the “cradle to grave” agenda of

vaccine promoters, the original H.98 creates an adult

immunization registry which will undoubtedly

buttress the adult vaccination mandates sure to

follow, just as the childhood immunization registry

of 2004 laid the groundwork for attacks on

exemptions for children in recent years. (Indeed,

another amendment was added to H.98 calling for a

report by January of 2016 “assessing whether it is

appropriate … to require school personnel to be

immunized…” with the “… required immunizations

for school attendance.30[Emphasis added.]

Advancing the “cradle to grave” agenda of

vaccine promoters, the original H. 98 creates an

adult immunization registry which will undoubtedly

buttress the adult vaccination mandates sure to

follow, just as the childhood immunization registry

of 2004 laid the groundwork for attacks on

exemptions for children in recent years. (Indeed,

another amendment was added to H.98 calling for a

report by January of 2016 “assessing whether it is

appropriate … to require school personnel to be

immunized…” with the “… required immunizations

for school attendance.30[Emphasis added.])

Rejecting a prolonged outcry for a veto,

Governor Shumlin signed H.98 on May 28th, making

Vermont the first state in the entire nation to repeal

a philosophical exemption.

Undeniable vaccine risks

If vaccines were an unmixed blessing, the push

to get vaccinated would be benign, and the entire

populace would believe what promoters say:

“Vaccines are the most effective public health tool

ever created.”31

In fact, vaccine risks are downplayed, while

their safety and effectiveness are exaggerated. In

1986, the US Supreme Court lifted liability for

manufacture and administration of vaccines,

labeling them as unavoidably unsafe.32 Federal law

requires that all who receive shots read and sign

before hand “Vaccine Information Statements”(VIS)

which all state, Ä vaccine, like any medicine, could

possibly cause serious problems, such as severe

allergic reactions.” They then go on to list mild,

moderate, or severe problems associated with each

particular vaccine.33 The Merck Manual, the largest-

selling medical textbook, says vaccines can cause

encephalitis (brain damage, through swelling of the

brain), when “ A ..vaccine triggers a reaction that

makes the immune system attack brain tissue (an

autoimmune reaction).”34 Numerous people

becoming ill after dining at the same restaurant

would cause alarm, yet the 30,000 adverse vaccine

reactions (10-15 percent serious) reported annually

to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System35

are not routinely investigated, instead generally

dismissed as “coincidence” or “temporal

association.”36, 37 Underreporting of adverse events

is very likely: “ … only about one percent of serious

events [adverse drug reactions] are reported,” says

Dr. David Kessler, former director of the FDA.38

Many believe that vaccines are comprised solely

of antigens—substances that induce the production

of antibodies. Those who carefully read food

ingredient labels will be horrified when they

examine vaccine package inserts, and learn that

vaccines also contain human and animal cells and

their residual DNA, GMOs, micro-

organisms/contaminants, allergens, neurotoxins,

carcinogens, and poisons.39 Amounts may be small,

but the risk increases with the number of vaccines

received. Indeed, a “synergistic toxicity” may well

be created among toxins in vaccines, making them

vastly more potent in combination than the sum of

their individual virulence.40

The mercury debate: still unresolved

Public health authorities usually assert that the

mercury preservative Thimerosal was eliminated

from vaccines years ago. However, a number of

vaccines still contain Thimerosal:

 DTaP: Diphtheria/Tetanus/acellular Pertussis

(Whooping Cough—Tripedia brand)

 DT: Diphtheria/Tetanus

 Td: Tetanus/Diphtheria

 TT:Tetanus Toxoid

 Influenza: Afluria, multi-dose Fluzone,

Fluvirin, Flu-Laval.

 Meningococcal: Menomune

 Also, Tripedia may be used to reconstitute Act

Hib to form TriHIBit.41

According to the FDA, “Thimerosal is

approximately 50% [ethyl] mercury (Hg)by weight

… Lacking definitive data on the comparative

toxicities of ethyl- versus methyl-mercury, FDA

considered ethyl- and methyl-mercury as equivalent

in its risk evaluation.”42

The EPA sets the safety limit for mercury in

drinking water at only two ppb (parts per

billion).43 44 45 Destruction of brain neurons occurs

at concentrations of 0.546 to 20 ppb. A compelling

five-minute video created by researchers at the

University of Calgary shows the obliteration of live

brain tissue after brief exposure to a 20 ppb solution

of mercury.47 Yet even the so-called “trace” amount

in some vaccines is 1,000 ppb per dose, while others

contain 25,000 ppb per dose!48 49

Aluminum, another potent neurotoxin, has

increased in vaccines as mercury has been reduced.50

Well-known pediatrician Robert Sears (“Dr Bob”)

worries that “aluminium may end up being another

Thimerosal.”51

Specific vaccines: a few facts to consider

Since there are risks associated with every

vaccine, it is a consumer’s responsibility to

investigate thoroughly before submitting to

vaccination. Closely analyzing package insers,

Vaccine Information Statements, and VAERS

reports is a good start. The Vaccine Safety Manual

by Neil Z., Miller is an excellent resource, based on

over 1,000 well-documented studies.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) studied

adverse event claims to the Vaccine Injury

Compensation Program (VICP), and came up with

findings for the causal relationship between adverse

events and vaccines. The committee is quite

conservative in its approach, concluding in 85% of

the adverse events/vaccine pairs that, “… the

evidence is inadequate to accept or reject a causal

relationship…” However, under the category,

“Evidence Convincingly Supports a Causal

Relationship.” the report states that, “Six types of

vaccines—MMR, varicella zoster, influenza,

hepatitis B, meningococcal, and tetanus containing

vaccines—are linked to anaphylaxis”52 (Emphasis

added.)

Pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine

Whooping cough flares up cyclically every 3-5

years across the nation and worldwide,53 Patsy Keso,

Vermont Department of Health epidemiologist, says,

“ The … pertussis vaccination is just not as effective

as we’d like it to be. Even if you’re vaccinated, its

efficacy wanes after a few years. “In Vermont,

vaccinated children account for 90 percent of

whooping cough cases.55Epidemics cannot be

blamed on the unvaccinated, states Anne Schuchat,

MD, of the CDC: “We know there are places around

the country where there are large numbers of people

who aren’t vaccinated. However, we don’t think

those exemptors are driving this current wave

[whooping cough outbreak].”56

Universal vaccination, proposed to address the

poor efficacy of the pertussis vaccine, would be most

unwise, due to grave risks from the vaccine itself. It

is by far the most dangerous of all the vaccines on

the required childhood schedule: children injured

and killed by pertussis-containing vaccines have

received close to half (44 percent) of the more than

$2.6 billion awarded by the Vaccine Injury

Compensation Program for vaccine injuries and

deaths since 1988.57

Package inserts of four commonly used

pertussis vaccines58—two DTaP vaccines for

children (Daptacel, Infanrix) and two Tdap vaccines

(Adacel, Boostrix) for adolescents and adults—

contain nearly identical language: “The following

adverse events were included based on one or more

of the following factors: severity, frequency of

reporting, or strength of evidence for a causal

relationship to [Depatacel, Adacel].” All four list

anaphylaxis (life-threatening allergic reaction),

encephalopathy/encephalitis (brain damage), and

various types of convulsions and seizures, while

Infanrix includes, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

(SIDS) at the very end of its list.

HPV (human papilloma virus) and Hepatitis B

vaccines

Outrageously—what next!—in the push by

vaccine companies to mandate vaccines,59 diseases

not spread by casual contact, like HPV and Hepatitis

B, are lumped with epidemic diseases like polio and

pertussis.

Since the approval of Gardasil in 2006 and

Cervarix in 2009, there have already been 136 deaths

reported in connection with HPV vaccines.60 A

public interest group warns, “The FDA adverse

event reports on the HPV vaccine61 read like a

catalog of horrors. Any state or local government

now beset by Merck’s lobbying campaigns to

mandate this HPV vaccine[Gardasil] for young girls

ought to take a look at these adverse health

reports.”62 Besides the United States, many injuries

have been reported in other countries, including

Japan, England, Denmark, France, and Spain.

Influenza vaccine

The flue vaccine is especially problematic in

being recommended or required annually, and some

brands still contain Thimerosal.

The founder of the CDC, Dr Alexander

Langmuir, later Emeritus Professor at Harvard, was

adamant: “I would not take the flu vaccine, my wife

doesn’t take the flu vaccine, no one should take the

flu vaccine. And in fact, when I was head of the

CDC, I wanted to make that as a public statement,

and I refused to say that you should take the flu

vaccine. That’s why I’m now a professor at

Harvard.”63

Previously, the majority of vaccine injuries

reported have been for children, but now most claims

are filed by adults, “mainly associated with injuries

alleged to have been caused by influenza vaccine,”

according to Vito Caserta, Acting Director of

Division of Vaccine Injury Compensation. He

predicts a ten-year high for vaccine injury filings in

2013.64

Danger! Vaccines during pregnancy65

Current vaccine package inserts for TDaP and

flu vaccines66 all state that the vaccines “should be

given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed,”

preceded in some of these inserts by the disclaimer,

“Animal reproduction studies have not been

conducted with [vaccine]. It is also not known

whether [vaccine] can cause fetal harm when

administered to a pregnant woman or can affect

reproduction capacity.”

A tenfold increase in miscarriages and stillbirths

occurred after the H1N1 (Swine Flu) virus was

added to the seasonal influenza virus in 2009.67

H1N1is now included in the regular seasonal flu

vaccine.68

Moreover, manufacturer’s information for the

mercury preservative Thimerosal (still used in some

flu vaccines) states, “Exposure to mercury in utero

and in children may cause mild to severe mental

retardation and mild to severe motor coordination

impairment.”69

We must suffer collective amnesia about the

terrible harm inflicted by past medical intrusions on

pregnancy, such as various birth defects resulting

from mothers taking Thalidomide during

pregnancy,70 or the “DES Daughters,” women who

developed vaginal tumors due to in utero exposure

to a synthetic estrogen prescribed to pregnant

women for thirty years.71

Combined vaccines: more is less

Researcher Neil Z. Miller points out that

vaccines are drugs, and that many many infants

receive “a cocktail of up to 13 vaccines/drugs” at the

same doctor visit. He asks, “When did you last take

8 or more drugs at the same time? If you took 8 or

more drugs simultaneously, would you be more

surprised if you did or did not have a serious

reaction?”72

Miller and research partner Goldman found that

hospitalization rates of infants as reported to VAERS

(Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) clearly

went up along with the number of vaccine doses

administered concurrently.73

A crisis of confidence

A recent Gallup poll queried Americans about

their confidence level in 16 key national

institutions.74 Confidence in the medical system

showed the most change, dropping 6% since 2012.

By its wholesale promotion of an ever-

expanding vaccine schedule, glossing over the

potential for serious harm, the medical profession

betrays public trust in a manner reminiscent of its

decades-long support of the tobacco industry.

Numerous mid-20th-century cigarette brands boasted

doctor recommendations in their ads, with slogans

like, “More Doctors Smoke Camels Than Any Other

Cigarette”, “20,679 Physicians say ‘Luckies are less

irritating,” and “Just What the Doctor Ordered!”

(L &M).75

As neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock shows,

“Almost 30 years passed from the time some

iconoclastic men of medicine tried to convince the

medical establishment that smoking caused most

cases of lung cancer until it was generally

accepted.”76

No doubt current hyper-vaccination will come

to be seen as similarly misguided and reckless.

The degree of coercion involved in vaccine

promotion should arouse suspicion. Doesn’t an

excellent product sell itself?

Manipulative and aggressive boosting of

vaccines can’t be stopped. The only hope is that

individuals break the habit of blind compliance,

keeping a tenacious hold on the right to choose their

health options while becoming empowered

consumers who “vote with their dollars.” Informed

consentfull disclosure of the risks and benefits of a

procedure before voluntary consent or refusal—is a

well-established protocol77 that should be immune

from legislations generated in fear.

It is nothing less than tyranny to force

individuals to undergo a medical procedure against

their beliefs by threatening them with loss of

employment or education. Vaccine exemptions

should be held dear by anyone who might wish to

refuse even one mandated shot from the profit-based

prescription of “a lifetime of vaccines.”

Endnotes

1. Phillips, Alan, JD. “Attorney Refutes Dr.

Offit’s Vaccine Exemption Criticism.”

GreenMedInfo, 10 June 2013.

tinyurl.com/ofe5rsv

2. “Lifetime of Vaccines” Healthy Women,

tinyurl.com/19ne2fc

3. “Vaccines for Tomorrow.” Sanofi Pasteur,

Vaccine Research and Innovation, Vaccine

Development

www.sanofipasteur.com/?codeRunrique=22

4. “Immunization Schedules for Adults in Easy-

to-read Formats” Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention.

www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/easy-to-

read/adult.html

5. “Attention Older Adults!” [brochure] Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention.

tinyurl.com/nvt57p8

6. Google search: “You never outgrow the need

for vaccines.” tinyurl.comnrhn2hj

7. Taylor, Lynne. “US biopharma: ‘nearly 30

vaccines in R & D’, Online Pharma Times.

24 April 2012. Tinyurl.com/kh2fkmx

8. ‘Immunization Schedules” Vermont

Department of Health.

healthvermont.gov/hc/imm/provider.aspx

9. Habakus, Louise Kuo. “The Science, Ethicss

and Politics of Vaccine Mandates,” Center for

Personal Rights. 27 September 2010.

tinyurl.com/bp6nhcw

10. “Vermont Department of Health

Immunization Regulations.” 1 January

2013.

www.healthvermont.gov/regs/documents/i

mm_regulations.pdf

11. “Immunization Schedules”Vermont

Department of Health.

healthvermont.gov/hc/imm/provider.aspx

 
© Quarterly Homœopathic Digest, Vol. XXXIII, 1 - 4, 2016.  Private Circulation only. 162 
 
 
12. Ibid. 
13. “Historic  Dates  and  Events  Related  to 
Vaccines and Immunization.” Immunization 
Action  Coalition.  
www.immunize.org/timeline/  
14. Mello, M.M.,  Abiola,  S.,  and  Colgrove,  J.  
“Pharmaceutical  companies’  role  in  state 
vaccination  policymaking:  the  case  of 
human  papillomavirus  vaccination.”  
American  Journal  of  Public  Health.    May 
2012.  (Epub 15 March, 2012) PubMed-US 
National  Library  of  Medicine,  National 
Institutes of Health. 
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22420796 
15. “State  Law  and  Vaccine  Requirements.” 
National  Vaccine  Information  Center 
(NVIC).  tinyurl.com/mg2llug  
16. Ibid. 
17. “NVIC  Advocacy  Portal:  Action  Needed 
Now/Bills  to  Watch.”  National  Vaccine 
Information  Center, 
https://nvicadvocacy.org/members/Home.as
px 
18. La Vigne, Patrice.  “New State Vaccine Bills 
Threaten  Vaccine  Choices.”  National 
Vaccine  Information  Center  website.    4 
April 2013, tinyurl.com/njqr9zs 
19. “NVIC Advocacy Portal: National Vaccine 
Information  Center.    11  March  2015. 
Tinyurl.com/njqr9zs 
20. Ibid. 
21. Haverkate,  M.,  et  al.    “Mandatory  and 
recommended  vaccination  in  the  EU, 
Iceland and Norway: results of the VENICE 
2010 survey on the  ways of implementing 
national  vaccination  programmes.” 
Esurveillance, Volume 17, Issue 22, 31 May 
2012.  Tinyurl.com/kjtd69w 
22. Saxe,  John  Godfrey  (attributed  to).  
University  Chronicle.    University  of 
Michigan.  27 March 1869. 
23. “Bill as Introduced: S.199.” Vermont State 
Legislature.  2012. Tinyurl.com/14dnlew 
24. Vermont  Coalition  for  Vaccine  Choice 
website: wwwvaxchoicevt.com/ 
25. Hallenbeck,  Terri.    “Legislature  Votes  to 
Preserve  Vaccination  Exemption.”  
Burlington  Free  Press.    May  4,  2012.  
Tinyurl.com/l8vzn30 
26. Employed  by  Pfizer  VAHHS  (Vermont 
Association  of  Hospitals  and  Health 
Sytems),  AAP  (American  Academy  of 
Pediatrics), Fletcher Allen (a large Vermont 
medical  center),  the  Vermont  Medical 
Society, and the  Vermont  Ethics Network.  
Vermont Registered Lobbyists, 2011-2012.  
Montpelier: Sec. of State James C. Codos. 15 
February 2011. 
27. “Robert  F    Kennedy  Jr  in  Vermont:  ‘Big 
Pharma’s  game  plan  is  to remove  parental 
informed  consent.”  5  May  2015.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2UJ2o
Beya0 
28. Vermont  General  Assembly:  H98,  An  act 
relating to reportable disease registries and 
data.  
Legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2016/H.
98 
29. healthvermont.gov/he/imm/ImmSurv.aspx 
30. H.98.  “Bill as Passed the House and Senate.  
Sec. 11, Report: Mandatory Immunization of 
School Personnel. (p.43)” Vermont General 
Assembly, 2015.  tinyurl.com/nzlrxmf 
31. 28 Gellin, Bruce, MD, MPH.  “VACCINES 
AND Infectious Diseases: Putting Risk into 
Perspective”.  (Remarks at AMA Briefing on 
Microbial  Threats.)    American  Medical 
Association.    June  1,  2000.  
tinyurl.com/n94q31a. 
32. LaGreca, Peter.  “Supreme Court Gives Big 
Pharmaceuticals  a  Vaccine  Against 
Lawsuits.”  Pace  International  Law  Review 
Blog, Pace Law School.  27 October, 2011.  
Tinyurl.com/mza32va 
33. “Vaccines  and  Immunizations:    Vaccine 
Information  Statements.”  Centers  for 
Disease  Control  and  Prevention.  
www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/ 
34. Ëncephalitis.” Merck Manual Home Health 
Handbook.    May  2013.  
Tinyurl.com/kpqsuyu 
35. “Vaccine Safety:  VAERS (Vaccine Adverse 
Event  Reporting  System).”  Centres  for 
Disease  Control.  
www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/Activities/vaer
s.html 
36. “Adverse Events:  Classification.” Vaccine 
Safety  Basics  2013.    World  Health 
Organisation. Tinyurl.com/k4llkse 
37. “Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System 
(VAERS).” VACCINE Safety.  Centers for 
Disease  Control  and  Prevention.  
tinyurl.com/cc4a2zw 
38. Kessler,  DA.    Ïntroducing  MEDWatch:  a 
new approach  to  reporting  medication  and 
device  adverse  effects  and  product 
problems.” Journal of the American Medical 
Association.  (June 2, 1993):2765. 

 
© Quarterly Homœopathic Digest, Vol. XXXIII, 1 - 4, 2016.  Private Circulation only. 163 
 
 
39. Millerm  Neil  Z.    Vaccine  Safety  Manual.  
Santa Fe: New Atlantean Press.  2012. 
40. “Synergistic  Toxicity.”  SafeMinds  website 
tinyurl.com/155m8t6 
41. “Thimerosal in Vaccines.” Vaccines, Blood 
&  Biologics.    U.S.  Food  and  Drug 
Administration.  tinyyrk.com/n2z86t 
42. Ibid. 
43. “National  Drinking  Water  Regulations.” 
United  States  Environmental  Protection 
Agency.  www.tinyurl.com/y55uvpu 
44. Wagnitz,  Michael  F.    “Reputation  of 
Vaccines  and  the  People  Who  Defend 
Them.” Pediatrics e-letter.  13 March 2008.  
tinyurl.com/mkytady 
45. “Vaccine Ingredients—Mercury Debate.  Is 
Far from Over.” Center for Personal Rights.  
Ppt page 15. tinyurl.com/kou5ckh 
46. Parran, Damani K, Barker, Angela, Ehrich.  
“Effects  of  Thimerosal  on  NGF  Signal 
Transduction  and  Cell  Death  in 
Neuroblastoma  Cells.”  Oxford  Journals: 
Toxicological  Sciences  July  2006    86  (1) 
132-140.  tinyurl.com/lupgs35 
47. Lorscheider,  F.L.,  Leong,  C.C.-W.,  Syed, 
N.I.    “How Mercury  Causes  Brain Neuron 
Degeneration.”  Department  of  Physiology 
and  Biophysics,  Faculty  of  Medicine, 
University of Calgary.  (Produced by Faculty 
of  Medicine  and  Advanced  Media  for 
Learning.)  Uploaded  December  21, 2008.  
www.youtube.com/watch? V=BtFsy0rQsak. 
48. “Thimerosal in Vaccines.”Ibid. 
49. “Vaccine Ingredients—Mercury Debate.  Is 
far from Over.” Ibid. 
50. Miller,  Neil  Z.  “Aluminum  in  Vaccine:  A 
Neurological  Gamble.”  Thinktwice  Global 
Vaccine  Institute.pdf.2009-2010.  
www.thinktwice.com/aluminum.pdf 
51. Sears,  Robert  W.,  MD.    “Aluminum  in 
Vaccines.”    Mothering  magazine  –  Issue 
146.  January/February  2008.  
www.mothering.com/community/a/aluminu
m-in-vaccines 
52. “Adverse Effects of Vaccines: Evidence and 
Causality.”    Institute  of  Medicine  of  the 
National  Academies.    25  August,  2011.  
Tinyurl.com/3apzfma 
53. “Pertussis  (Whooping Cough)”  Centers  for 
Disease  Control  and  Prevention  (CDC) 
website.  
www.cdc.gov/pertussis/outbreaks/about.ht
ml 
54. Stein, Andrew “Vaccinated kids account for 
90 percent of child whooping cough cases in 
Vermont”.  Vermont Digger [statewide news 
website].    8  October,  2012.  
Tinyurl.com/ksoldk2 
55. Ibid. 
56. Moyer, Melinda W.  “The Broken Vaccine.” 
Discover March 2013.  Tinyurl.com/kz6pezr 
57. “National  Vaccine  Injury  Compensation 
Program-Statistics  Reports”.    Health 
Resources  and  Services  Administration; 
Department of Health and Human Services.  
4 June, 2013.  Tinyurl.com/kgc6tcy 
58. “Package  Inserts.”  Immunization  Action 
Coalition  website.  
www.immunize.org/packageinserts/ 
59. Mello, M.M.,  Abiola,  S.,  and  Colgrove,  J.  
“Pharmaceutical  companies’  role  in  state 
vaccination  policymaking:  the  case  of 
human  papillomavirus  vaccination.”  
American  Journal  of  Public  Health.    May 
2012.  (Epub 15 March, 2012) PubMed-US 
National  Institutes  of  Health.  
www.nchi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22420796 
60. “MedAlerts  Home  [search  engine]:  Search 
the  VAERS  Database.”  National  Vaccine 
Information  Center. 
  medalerts.org/vaersdb/index.php. 
61. Ibid. 
62. Fitton,  Tom.    “Judicial  Watch  Uncovers 
Three  Deaths  Relating  to  HPV 
Vaccine/Event Reports Obtained from FDA 
Detail 1,637 Adverse Reactions to Gardasil” 
Judicial  Watch  [public  interest  group]  
website.  20  March,  2013, 
tinyurl.com/m6wvsnz 
63. Turner,  James  S,  Esq.  Quoting  from  a 
conversation  with  Langmuir.    Manookian, 
L.; Nelson, K., Pilaro, C.  The Greater Good.  
[a  documentary].    2012.  
www.greatergoodmovie.org/ 
64. Advisory  Commission  on  Childhood 
Vaccines.    “Meeting  Book-Section  7-1.”.  
Health  Resources  and  Services 
Administration; U.S. Department of Health 
and  Human  Servies.    7  March,  2013, 
tinyurl.com/mcxfa9s 
65. Brogan,  Kelly,  MD.    “Your  Baby.    Your 
Body.    Their  flu.”    Thinking  Mom’s 
Revolution.    25  June  2013.  
tinyurl.com/odpwajl 
66. “Package Inserts.”  Ibid. 
67. Goldman,  G.S.    “Comparison  of  VAERS 
fetal-loss  reports  during  three  consecutive 

influenza seasons: Was there a synergistic

fetal toxicity associated with the two vaccine

2009/2010 season?” Human and

Experimental Toxicology. 27 September

2012. Her.sagepub.com/content/32/5/464

68. “Package Inserts.” Ibid.

69. “Eli Lilly Materia Safety Data Sheet for

Thimersal.” tinyurl.com/ok4fbzk

70. “Thalidomide.” Wikipedia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalidomide

71. “Diethylstilbestrol.” Wikipedia.

En.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diethylstilbestrol

72. Miller, Neil Z. “Overdosed Babies”.

Thinktwice Global Vaccine Institute. 2009-

2010. thinktwice.com/overdose.pdf

73. Goldman, GS and Miller, NZ. “Relative

trends in hospitalizations and mortality

among infants by the number of vaccine

doses and age, based on the Vaccine Adverse

Event Reporting System (VAERS), 1990-

2010” Human and Experimental

Toxicology. Sage Publications.

Thinktwice.com/HET_study2.pdf

74. Mendes, E., Wilke, Joy. “Americans’

Confidence in Congress Falls to Lowest on

Record.” Gallup Politics website. June 13,

2013. Tinyurl.com/17y8mdo

75. Google search: “Doctor recommended

cigarette ads” tinyurl.com/leskb3v

76. Blaylock, Russell. “The Danger of

Excessive Vaccination During Brain

Development.” Mercola.com website. 14

March, 2008. tinyurl.com/kvwv2zq

24. Case Totality, Idiosyncrasy and Vitalism

MORRELL Peter (AH. 21/2015)

Three less-explored but key themes emerge

from a close study of the Organon, which also flow

from Hahnemann’s critique of the orthodox

medicine of his contemporaries. These themes are:

case totality, idiosyncrasy and vitalism.

Furthermore, it is possible to see how closely these

concepts are linked together within the conceptual

fabric of Homœopathy as a whole.

By using disease labels and focusing on just a

few symptoms, Allopathy ignores many ancillary

symptoms that it deems irrelevant.1 This approach is

thus reductionistic rather than holistic and unnatural

rather than natural; taking an unnatural shortcut it

reduces the patient’s symptom totality to just a few

key rubrics. Hahnemann’s point is that by adopting

this approach all that Allopathy can ultimately

achieve is to juggle symptoms: alleviate this and

palliate that without ever getting to the root of the

complaint or treating the patient as a totality. It does

not individualize or take account of the

idiosyncrasies of the patient; it merely blunders

ahead cognizant only of those few symptoms that it

chooses to see as part of an arbitrarily defined

disease label.2

Homœopathy adopts the opposite approach: it

takes all the features of the patient totality and finds

the best-matching remedy that fits the case, thereby

aiming to cure the whole client of all their troubles.

The best-fit remedy always matches not just the

broad symptoms but also the rare and peculiar

idiosyncrasies of the patient. No two people and no

two sickness states are exactly the same.

Homœopathy allows for and embraces this key

aspect of sickness reality whereas Allopathy

dismisses it as irrelevant.

The allopathic conception of disease as a named

invading entity is really a human construct, being

made rather than found; it is thus reductionistic,

unnatural and illusory. By contrast, the

homœopathic conception of disease as an unnamed

specific and peculiar derangement in the health of

the whole person is both holistic and natural; it is

found and not made; it is exactly how disease exists

in reality. The contrast between them could not be

starker.

Although Allopathy has admittedly become less

brutal, has learned from Homœopathy that single

drugs are better than mixed, and has reduced its

doses, yet in many respects it has changed very little

since Hahnemann’s time. It is still a palliative and

non-curative approach, opposing, suppressing and

juggling symptoms rather than curing the sickness in

its totality. It still adheres to an unnatural and

distorted view of named disease labels and is still

reductionistic. It lacks any true appreciation of the

whole living organism as it functions in its multi-

faceted totality and it comprehensively ignores the

sickness individuality of the patient.

As homœopaths know from direct experience,

clean and pure cases of sickness (e.g. in children)

respond swiftly and smoothly to the most similar

remedy. Quick and easy cases are always those that

have never used any allopathic drugs or vaccines;

moderately easy cases are those that have used few

allopathic drugs in their lifetime; the most difficult

cases are always those that have received extensive

allopathic drugging repeated many times, over many

years; in this way, modern cases reveal exactly the

same patterns which Hahnemann and the early

homœopaths observed. Therefore, study of modern

cases entirely confirms the holistic nature of sickness

(symptom totality) deriving from an internal

derangement of the life force: the manifest effects of

a hidden cause.

Each individual case of sickness is uniquely

marked by its peculiar idiosyncrasies found only in

that specific patient. Therefore, the allopathic notion

of named disease as broad categories of symptoms is

a fabrication, a distorted image viewed through a

narrow lens: it is made rather than found; synthetic

rather than natural.

The multi-faceted symptom totality (holism) of

a single drug was discovered entirely by accident,

through provings, and then clinically confirmed as

valid. Totality and individuality have entirely

supplanted the simplistic disease classification of

Hahnemann’s time and have become important

foundation stones of Homœopathy. Yet regular

medicine has persisted with its view of disease labels

for small groups of symptoms, once again

reductionistic, dealing in parts not wholes.

Reductionism dissects things down into ever

smaller parts and then believes that the parts can give

us real insights into the functioning of the whole; yet,

study of parts cannot reveal the true coherence and

totality of the whole; parts are just terms and labels

of convenience, and thus ultimately illusory. Parts

are always subservient, both conceptually and

functionally, to the whole structure. (4)

Vitalism

Throughout his writings, Hahnemann

repeatedly mounts a well-informed and penetrating

analysis into the nature of disease and its treatment

by medical practitioners of the orthodox school over

the centuries. The conclusions he reaches are

predictably damning. In his last Organon editions,

he exposes and rejects outright the absurdity of all

materialistic interpretations of sickness and the

therapeutic futility of employing drugs in crude

doses. As a more compelling alternative, he then

lays out an uncompromising and stunningly vitalistic

appraisal of the nature of the organism in sickness

and in health.5

In the 5th and 6th Organon editions, Hahnemann

revised nearly all the aphorisms to reflect his belief

that the concept of the Vital Force was absolutely

essential for anyone wishing to gain a sound

understanding of Homœopathy. The Vital Force is

mentioned numerous times in the long Introduction

and on nearly every other page of the later Organon

editions.6

In following Hahnemann’s example, Kent also

greatly emphasizes the central importance of the

Vital Force both to enrich and deepen our

understanding and practice of Homœopathy.7

Endnotes

1. Regarding specific remedies and named

diseases, “do not expect that there can be a

thoroughly specific remedy for any disease

of such and such a name… there are as

many specifics as there are different states

of individual diseases.” (Tischner, page

242); “From all this it is clear that these

useless and misused names of diseases

ought to have no influence on the practice

of the true physician, who knows that he

has to judge of and to cure diseases, not

according to the similarity of the name of a

single one of their symptoms, but according

to the totality of the signs of the individual

state of each particular patient, whose

affection it is his duty carefully to

investigate, but never to give a hypothetical

guess at it.”[Organon, §81];

2. “Diseases were held to be conditions that

reappeared pretty much in the same

manner. Most systems gave, therefore,

names to their imagined disease pictures

and classified them, every system

differently.” (Organon, §54); “Into this

wilderness of conflicting names, theories

and classifications Hahnemann began to

blaze his way, guided by the compass of

logic encased in the inductive method of

Bacon.” (Close, chapter 8); Hahnemann

“even wished to see the names of diseases

abolished.” (Ameke, page 116); He

dismisses as irrelevant “the name of the

disease, sought afer so blatantly by his

contemporaries.” (Haehl, I, page 299) He

“despises every useless name of a disease.”

(Haehl, I, page 299); “I reject the name of

local diseases” (Hahnemann, 1801 page

358); (Brown’s Elements of Medicine,

1801, in Lesser Writings, pages 350-361);

“All those theories, to which age after age

has given birth, when brought in contact

with simple experience, and tried by an

impartial test, have ever been found to be

far-fetched and unfounded.” (Lesser

Writings, page 489)

3. Regarding patient idiosyncrasy, the

homœopath focuses upon “the symptoms

peculiar to the individual” case (the propria

symptoms), which are much “more reliable

criteria for distinguishing one patient from

another,” (Coulter, II, page 250) and in

most cases “the patient’s habits and mode

of life were the most important of the

propria.” (Coulter, II, page 250) It shares

with ancient medicine “the aim of coming

as close as possible to the idiosyncrasy of

the patient.” (Coulter, II, page 250) which

is “that which distinguishes him from all

similar patients,” (Coulter, II, page 251)

and which distinguishes this “patient from

all others of his class. Each sick person is

unique in his sickness, and the sickness is

unknowable in its essence.” (Coulter, II,

page 251) Unlike Allopathy, Homœopathy

deals with “the characteristics which

distinguish the individual patient from all

others like him,” (Coulter, II, page 498)

4. Hahnemann emphasized “the totality of the

symptoms of the disease.” (Boyd, page 57)

“one must study disease in its totality,

rather than simply in respect to a single

prominent symptom.” (Boyd, page 59)

“the drug and the disease concur in their

totality,” (Boyd, page 59) “the totality of

the symptoms being the sole indication.”

(Dudgeon, page 304) “Slovenly empirical

practitioners seek only to remove certain

symptoms that appear to them to be grave,

which is a procedure fraught with danger.

The system of Hahnemann, however, pays

attention to all the symptoms presented by

the patient, even the most minute, for in it

the choice of the remedy is determined by

the sum-total of all the symptoms.”

(Dudgeon, page 316) “Homœopathy, he

says, has to do with the totality of the

symptoms, whilst the ordinary

symptomatic treatment concerns itself only

with those syptoms that are most

prominent.” (Dudgeon, page 820).

5. “In all such cases, they think they have

annihilated the evil, triumphed over the

disease, and performed a rational treatment

directed against the cause. But mark what

follows. New forms of diseases, which

infallibly manifest themselves sooner or

later, and which, when they appear, are

taken for fresh maladies, being always

worse than the primitive affection evidently

refute the theories of the old school. These

ought to undeceive them, and prove that the

evil has an immaterial cause, the deeper

concealed because its origin is dynamic,

and it cannot be destroyed but by dynamic

power.” (Hering Organon,page 3).

“This is the reason that all the authors on

Materia Medica, who have appeared since

Dioscorides (c.40-90 AD) up to the present

day, say nothing of the peculiar and special

action of individual medicines, but content

themselves, after enumerating their

supposed virtues in any particular case of

disease, with saying, whether they promote

urine, perspiration, expectoration, or the

menstrual flow, and particularly if they

have the effect of emptying the alimentary

canal upwards or downwards, because the

principal tendency of the efforts of

practitioners has, at all times, been the

expulsion of a morbid material principle,

and of a quantity of acrid matter, which

they imagine to be the cause of disease.

These, however, were vague dreams,

gratuitous suppositions, hypotheses

destitute of foundation, skillfully invented

for the convenience of therapeutic

medicine, which flattered itself; that it

would have an easier task to perform in

contending against morbid material

principles. But the essence of diseases, and

their cure, will not bend to our fancies and

convenience; diseases will not, out of

deference to our stupidity, cease to be

dynamic aberrations which our spiritual

existence undergoes in its mode of feeling

and acting,--that is to say, immaterial

changes in the state of health. The causes

of disease cannot possibly be material,

since the least foreign substance introduced

into the blood-vessels, however mild it may

appear to us, is suddenly repulsed by the

vital power, as a poison; or, where this does

not take place, death itself ensues. Even

when the smallest foreign particle chances

to insinuate itself into any of the sensitive

parts, the principle of life which is spread

throughout our interior, does not rest until

it has procured the expulsion of this body,

by pain, fever, suppuration, or gangrene.”

(Hering Organon, pages 34-35)

“There does not exist a single disease that can

have a material principle for its cause. On

the contrary, all of them are solely and

always the special result of an actual and

dynamic derangement in the state of

health.” (Hering Organon, page 38)

“However, the old school of medicine, aware

that it was more consistent with reason to

pursue a straightforward path than attempt

a circuitous one, still imagined they could

arrest disease by a removal of the supposed

morbid material cause. In the theoretic

researches after the image which they were

to form to themselves of the disease, as well

as in their pursuit of the curative indication,

it was almost impossible for them to divest

themselves of this idea of materiality, or be

induced to consider the nature not only of

material but spiritual organism, as being so

potent in itself that the changes in its

sensations and vital movements (which are

called diseases) are principally, and almost

solely, the result of dynamic influence, and

could not be produced by any other cause.”

(Hering Organon, page 39)

“The diseases of man are not caused by any

substance, any acridity, that is to say any

disease-matter, but that they are solely

spirit-like (dynamic) derangements of the

spirit-like power (the vital force) that

animates the human body.” (Organon,

page 7)

6. Here are the main aphorisms that lay out

Hahnemann’s vitalist position:

§9. In the healthy condition of man,

the immaterial vital principle which

animates the material body, exercises an

absolute sway and maintains all its parts in

the most admirable order and harmony,

both of sensation and action, so that our

indwelling rational spirit may freely

employ these living, healthy organs for the

superior purposes of our existence.

Without this vital dynamic power, the

organism is dead.

§10. The material organism deprived

of its vital principle, is incapable of

sensation, action, or self-preservation; it is

the immaterial vital principle only,

animating the former in its healthy and

morbid condition, that imparts to it all

sensation, and enables it to perform its

functions.

§11. In disease, this spontaneous and

immaterial vital principle pervading the

physical organism, is primarily deranged

by the dynamic influence of a morbific

agent which is inimical to life. Only the

vital principle thus disturbed, can give to

the organism its abnormal sensations, and

incline it to the irregular actions which we

call disease; for as an invisible principle

only cognizable through its operations in

the organism, its morbid disturbances can

be perceived solely by means of the

expression of disease in the sensations and

actions of that side of the organism exposed

to the senses of the physician and

bystanders; in other words, by the morbid

symptoms and can be indicated in no other

manner. By the extinction of the totality of

the symptoms in the process of cure, the

suffering of the vital power, that is, the

entire morbid affection, inwardly and

outwardly, is removed.

§12. It is solely the morbidly affected

vital principle which brings forth diseases,

so that the expression of disease,

perceptible by the senses, announces at the

same time all the internal change, that is, all

the morbid perturbations of the vital

principle; in short, it displays the entire

disease. Consequently, after a cure is

effected, the cessation of all morbid

expression, and of all sensible changes

which are inconsistent with the healthy

performance of the functions, necessarily

pre-supposes, with an equal degree of

certainty, a restoration of the vital principle

to its state of integrity and the recovered

health of the whole organism.

§13. Disease, therefore, (those forms

of it not belonging to manual surgery),

considered as it is by the allopathists as

something separate from the living

organism and the vital principle which

animates it, as something hidden internally,

the material, how subtile soever its nature

may be supposed, is a non-entity, which

could only be conceived in heads of

material mould, and which for ages,

hitherto, has given to medicine all those

pernicious deviations which constitute it a

mischievous art. (Hering Organon,

aphorisms 9-13)

7. Here is a selection of his aphorisms dealing

with the Vital Force:

- Man cannot be made sick or be cured

except by some substance as ethereal in

quality as the Vital Force.

- Susceptibility exists in the Vital Force, and

not in the tissues.

- Irregular action expressed in signs and

symptoms is the disease. The disturbance

in the Vital Substance has no other means

by which it can make itself known to the

intelligent physician.

- That which we call disease, is but a change

in the Vital Force expressed by the totality

of the symptoms.

- The microbe is not the cause of disease. We

should not be carried away by these idle

allopathic dreams and vain imaginations

but should correct the Vital Force.

- We do not take disease through our bodies

but through the Vital Force.

- An inflamed liver is not the disease. The

liver is not the cause of itself. It is under

the control of the Vital Force, and it is what

the Vital Force makes it.

- The Vital Force dominates, rules and co-

ordinates the human body.

- The Vital Force holds all in harmony, keeps

everything in order when in health. (Kent)

Sources

1. Wilhelm Ameke, History of Homœopathy,

with an appendix on the present state of

University medicine, translated by A.E.

Drysdale, edited by R.E. Dudgeon, London: E.

Gould & Son, 1885.

2. Linn J Boyd, A study of the Simile in

Medicine, Philadelphia: Boericke and Tafel,

1936.

3. Stuart Close, The Genius of Homœopathy:

Lectures and Essays on Homeopathic

Philosophy, Philadelphia: Erhart & Karl, 1924.

4. Harris L. Coulter, Divided Legacy, A History

of the Schism in Medical Thought,

Washington: Wehawken Books, 1973, 3

volumes.

5. R.E. Dudgeon, (editor), The Lesser Writings

of Samuel Hahnemann, 1851.

6. Robert E. Dudgeon, Lectures on the Theory

and Practice of Homeopathy, London &

Manchester: Henry Turner & Co. 1853.

7. Richard Haehlm Samuel Hahnemann, His

Life and Works (2 Volumes), London:

Homœopathic Publishing Company, 1922.

8. Samuel Hahnemann, The Organon of

Medicine, combined 5th/6th Edition, Translated

by R.E. Dudgeon, and edited by William

Boericke, Philadelphia: Boericke & Tafel, 1893.

9. C. Hering (Ed), Hahnemann’s Organon of

Homœopathic Medicine, 3rd American

Edition, New York: Wm Radde, 1849.

10. James Tyler Kent, Lesser Writings, Clinical

Cases, New Remedies, Aphorisms and

Precepts, Chicago: Ehrhart & Karl, 1926.

11. Rudolf Tischner, History of Homeopathy

(trans. L J. Boyd), New York: AIH, 1933.

=====================================

25. Introduction to the Materia Medica Pura Project

FIOR, Tim (AJHM. 108, 2/2015)

Our main Materia Medicas, Allen’s

Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica and

Hering’s Guiding symptoms of our Materia

Medica are more than one hundred and twenty five

years old. The purpose of the MateriaMedica Pura

Project (MMPP) is to update our Materia Medicas

and repertories for the top six hundred or so

remedies.1 There is an international team of

homœopaths from Europe, the US, Canada, and

South America working on this project.

Those who join the project are first asked to

index the most important homœopathic journals,

many of which are found online or in digital format.

This helps one to appreciate the vastness and

richness of the existing homœopathic literature,

particularly journals from the golden years of

Homœopathy: the mid-19th to the early 20th

centuries. The purpose of this indexing is partly to

find interesting articles, but the most important aim

is to sort out provings, toxicological reports, cured

cases and clinical experiences from reliable sources.

Once a journal is indexed, the results are

incorporated into a general index that is constantly

expanding. This general index, along with a number

of other indices of the old and modern homœopathic

literature, forms one of the main data banks of the

MMPP. Search engines such as Google Books are

utilized and programs such as Reference Works and

Encyclopaedia Homeopathica are also searched to

gather further information.

The first step in creating a remedy monograph

is to assemble and read all the accumulated

information on the remedy (provings, toxicological

reports, cured cases and clinical experience) in

chronological order, beginning with its original

proving onward. The characteristic symptoms are

then pasted in a document according to

Hahnemann’schema-from above, down and inside,

out. The work of Hahnemann is consulted first when

the remedy is one he proved, followed by reference

to subsequent publications such as Allen’s

Encyclopaedia2 and Hering’s Guiding Symptoms.3

All cured cases and a reference list are placed at the

end of the monograph and voilà, the greatest part of

the work is done.

However, the monograph is far from being

completed, as the most important part of the work

now needs to be done. To facilitate its access to the

busy practitioner, an introduction is written,

detailing the substance used to make this remedy, its

history and any interesting anectotes related to it.

The monograph is then re-read line by line and every

symptom is dissected in order to make repertory

additions. This process consists of adding and

upgrading the remedy to existing rubrics and/or

adding new rubrics or subrubrics, where necessary.

Through this final process, the monograph

author develops a deep understanding of the

remedy—perceiving its trends, patterns and red

threads. This knowledge is the basis for outlining

the genius of the remedy. This “genius” becomes the

most important part of the monograph—enabling the

busy practitioner to seize in few moments aspects of

a remedy.

So far, our work has resulted in tens of

thousands of reliable additions to the repertory, for

just over one hundred remedies. Once in the

repertory, in this case the MMPP version of the

Complete 4.5, remedies can be found and considered

for use in practice (with final reference to the remedy

genius, of course).

Those who have compiled monographs have

found that they are then able to see those remedies in

practice and prescribe them successfully. This

certainly has been my experience working on the

Asafoetida monograph (a portion of which featured

in this issue of the AJHM). The knowledge I have

gained in this work has allowed me to prescribe this

remedy successfully for a difficult patient (as noted

in the last case of this article). Those who read these

monographs also notice more frequent and accurate

prescriptions of these remedies.

References

1. Saine A. Materia Medica Pura Project.

AJHM. 2010; 103(3): 146-148.

2. Allen T. The Encyclopedia of Pure

Materia Medica: A Record of the

Positive Effects of Drugs upon the

Healthy Human Organism. New York:

Boericke & Tafel; 1879.

3. Hering C. Guiding Symptoms of our

Materia Medica. Vol.2. Philadelphia:

American Homoeopathic Publishing Soc;

1891.

Guide to Grading/Emphasizing Characteristic

Symptoms

In the Materia Medica section of the

monograph, we use only the more characteristic

symptoms, as did Hering in his “Guiding

Symptoms”. Symptoms are chosen based on

whether they are likely to be helpful in finding or

prescribing the remedy. And since all the included

symptoms are more characteristic we emphasize

(through use of typographical grading) only those

that are most characteristic.

The most characteristic symptoms are put in

italics. When these symptoms are also well-

confirmed they are put in bold. When symptoms are

most characteristic, well confirmed and presented in

a great percentage of provers or cases and/or are

almost unique to this remedy in our Materia Medica,

we present them in bold-underlined.

For example, in the monograph of Secale, the

following symptoms were put in bold-underlined as

the signature symptoms of the remedy: 1) cold

surface, but cannot bear any coverings on them.

2) prickling, tingling, formication and numbness,

3) all secretions and excretions are offensive, 4)

the symptoms of decomposition, and the total

absence of reactive power, 5) threatening

abortion, and 6) migraine.

The symptoms “dilated pupils” and

“diminution in the frequency of the pulse” were

also put in bold underlined because they are so

universal in this remedy. The former is

pathognomonic or ergot poisoning while the

intensity of the latter is unique in our Materia

Medica.

These rules of emphasizing the most

characteristic symptoms apply equally to symptoms

within cases (i.e. in the “Cases” section, which is at

the end of the monograph).

The following is a case excerpt with which we

will illustrate the rules of emphasis/grading: “I found

the patient greatly exhausted, thin, great pallor.

Severe pain in right kidney, unable to lie on that side.

His nights were disturbed, owing to the frequent

urination. Great smarting and milky, being heavily

ladened with pus. At time he would have profuse

bright red hemorrhages.”

In this patient with gonorrhea, all the symptoms

are characteristic, but we have to emphasize only

what is the most characteristic. The most

characteristic symptom here is the “profuse bright

red hemorrhage,” and as it is a well-established,

most characteristic symptom of Erigeron, it will be

therefore be in bold. Second, the intensity of the

pain, the location of the (right kidney), and the

modality (worse lying on that side) are also very

characteristic and will be italicized. This case

excerpt would therefore appear as follows: “I found

the patient greatly exhausted, thin, great pallor.

Severe pain right kidney, unable to lie on that

side. His nights were disturbed, owing to the

frequent urination. Great smarting and milky, being

heavily ladened with pus. At times he would have

profuse bright red hemorrhages.”

Grading of the symptoms:

Table 1:

Materia

Medica

Repertory

Un-confirmed

Plain type

Un-confirmed

very peculiar

Italics

Plain type

Confirmed

bold

Italics

Confirmed

very peculiar

Bold italics

Italics

Very intense

feature, clear

trend of the

remedy1

Bold

underline

Bold

1This aspect complies not only with the number of

provers/cases, but also with the intensity of the

symptoms (e.g. “A nagging, unsatiable desire for

sweets…”).

Table 2:

Very intense

and very

peculiar feature

Bold

underline

italics

Bold

Extraordinary

intense feature

BOLD CAPS

Bold

underline

Extraordinary

intense,

outstanding and

very peculiar

feature.

BOLD CAPS

ITALICS

Bold

underline

The repertory doesn’t show how peculiar a

symptom is; this is only given in the text. But this is

by design, as the repertory is meant only to give

hints on the remedies and how often they were

verified, not on the extent of their peculiarity.

Correspondence of gradation from Allen’s

encyclopaedia to the MMPP monographs:

Table 3:

Allen’s Encyclopedia

MMPP monograph

Ordinary letters

Ordinary leter

Underline

italic

*Star with italics

bold

*Star with bold

Bold underline

=====================================

26. Asafoetida: An Excerpt from the Materia

Medica Pura Project

FIOR, Timothy and SAINE, André

(AJHM. 108, 2/2015)

Asafetida (Asaf.)

Stinkasand, Stinking gum, Devil’s dung.

Botanical Information

Asafetida, or asafetida (Ferula assa-

foetida) is the dried latex (gum oleoresin) exuded

from the living underground rhizome or tap root of

several species of Ferula, which is a perennial herb

growing to 1 to 2 meters high. Ferula assafoetida is

in the family Umbelliferae, as the flowers which are

pale greenish yellow are produced in large

compound umbels. The species is native to the

mountains of Afghanistan, and is mainly cultivated

in nearby India. Asafetida is a Latinized form of the

Farsi/Persian asa, meaning, “resin”, and the Latin

foetidus, which means “smelling, fetid.” This refers

to its strong sulfurous odor. Asafoetida has a fetid

smell, but in cooked dishes, it delivers a smooth

flavor, reminiscent of leeks. All parts of the plant

have the distinctive fetid smell.1

In French it is known (among other names) as

merde du diable (devil’s feces). In some dialects of

English, too, it was known as devil’s dung. It is also

known as asant, food of the gods, giant fennel, and

stinking gum.

It was familiar in the early Mediterranean,

having come by land across Iran. Though it is

generally forgotten now in Europe, it is still widely

used in India (commonly known there as hing). It

was brought into Europe by a team involved in a

expedition for Alexander the Great, who, after

returning from a trip to northeastern Persia, thought

they had found a plant almost identical to the famed

silphium of Cyrene in North Africa—though less

tasty. Fortunately it could be substituted for

silphium in cooking because the true silphium of

Cyrene became extinct, and Asafoetida became more

popular amongst physicians, as well as cooks.

The resin-like gum comes from the dried sap

extracted from the stem and roots and is used as a

spice. The resin is greyish-white when fresh but

dries to a dark amber color. The Asafoetida resin is

difficult to grate and was traditionally crushed

between stones or with a hammer. Today, the most

commonly available form is compounded

Asafoetida, a fine powder containing 30%

Asafoetida resin, along with rice flour and gum

Arabic.

Traditionally-ascribed Properties/Uses

Antiflatulent: Asafoetida reduces the growth of

indigenous microflora in the gut, reducing

flatulence. In the Jammu region of India, Asafoetida

is used as a medicine for flatulence and constipation

by 60% of locals.

A digestion aid: In Thailand and India, it is used

to aid digestion and is smeared on the

abdomen in an alcohol or water tincture

known as mahahing. Asafoetida in this

tincture form was evidently used in western

medicine as a topical treatment for

abdominal injuries during the 18th and 19th

centuries.

Fighting influenza: Asafoetida was used in

1918 to fight the Spanish influenza

pandemic. In 2009, researchers reported

that the roots of Asafoetida produce natural

antiviral drug compounds that

demonstrated potency against the H1N1

virus in vitro and concluded that

“Sesquiterpene coumarins from F.assa-

foetida may serve as promising lead

compounds for new drug development

against influenza A (H1N1)viral

infection””.

Remedy for Asthma and bronchitis

An antimicrobial

A contraceptive/abortifacient: Asafoetida is

related to (and considered an inferior

substitute for) the ancient Ferula species

Silphium.

Antiepileptic

Antidote for opium1

Research

Two small (n=129), double blind, randomized

placebo controlled trials show that Asafoetida

performed better than placebo for constipation-

predominant irritable bowel syndrome at a two week

follow-up. One study was just below the 5%

significance level, and the other was near the 1%

significance level.2

History of Homœopathic Use

Asafetida was introduced into Homœopathy and

first proven by Franz, in 1822. This proving

included 326 symptoms from Hahnemann, Franz,

Stapf, Gross and Gutmann. Their contributions,

however, are not distinguished, and no information

is given as to how the drug was taken. This proving

can be found in Hughes and Stapf’s Archives.

In 1829, a second proving was conducted by

Jörg and his class (Jöerg Materialien) using the crude

drug.

In 1868, Lembke conducted a third proving with

the crude substance. Lembke’s reproving largely

confirmed the symptoms from Franz’s proving,

especially with regard to the extremity, head and

trunk pains. This proving did not however, develop

the symptoms of flatulence and reverse peristalsis

which feature so prominently in the Materia Medica.

The last proving of E.W. Berridge, was an

accidental proving with ether and Asafoetida.3

So far, all provings have involved the use of

crude doses. Thus, a modern proving with potencies,

including medium and high, would be beneficial.

Asafetida is one of the completed monographs

of Gypser’s group. Their references were checked

and incorporated whenever possible.

Before making any additions, Asafoetida

appeared in 2795 rubrics in the MMPP version of the

Complete 4.5 repertory. After making all the

additions from this lecture, Asafoetida now appears

in 4893 rubrics. Thus, it was added to 2098 rubrics

(many new, some existing), nearly doubling its

representation in the repertory. Additionally, its

grade was increased to 2 or 3 in many rubrics.

Genius

1) The first grand characteristic of this remedy is a

general theme of within outward.

1a) This is best exemplified in the reverse

peristalsis which is from within (stomach)

outward (up the esophagus). For example, we

find:

In the evening, a hysterical rising in the throat,

as if a ball or large body ascended from the

stomach to the esophagus, or even pharynx,

obliging him repeatedly to attempt to swallow

it, which relievd, but the sensation returned.

Sensation of a ball rising in throat, causes

difficulty in breathing, Globus hystericus.

Sensation of pressure, as if a body or lump

was ascending in throat, has to swallow

frequently,

Spasms of the esophagus, like that of

hysteria.

A bursting feeling upwards, as though

everything in the abdomen was coming out at

the mouth.

.Food, when partially swallowed, returns into

the mouth.

.Painful choking and belching up of rancid,

acrid fluid, mixed with food.

.Distension of the stomach and bowels, with a

feeling as if the peristalic motions were

reversed, with much spasmodic working in the

esophagus.

.Pressing, cutting, stitching pains in spells,

not regular, full of wind, pressing upward

(never down), gulping up rancid fluid,

constipation.

1b) Also, many of the pains are from within

outward, for example:

.Flying stitch from within outward, in forehead,

temples and sides of head.

.Pains in head seem to bore as if they extended

from the bone to the surface.

.Pressive pain in the right side of the forehead

from within outward.

.Pressure in the left temple, from within

outward.

.Burning in the left eyeball, as from within

outward.

.Extensive superficial ulceration of cornea,

with burning, sticking or pressing pains,

from within outward, rest and pressure

relieve, also better in open air, numbness

around eye.

.Stitching pains in the ears from within out.

.Boring sticking pain in left groin from within

out, better from inspiration.

.Stitches extending from within outward, in both

sides of the abdomen, while sitting, after eating,

disappears on pressure.

.Sudden, jerk like, violent stitch from the right

side, from within outward, toward the parietes

(abdominal wall).

.Pressure in the left intercoastal muscles, from

within outward, which is worse during and

expiration.

Pressive pain in the right side of the chest,

from within outward.

.Stitches in chest from within outward.

Whooping cough.

.Single violent stitches from within outward,

at short intervals, renewed when chest is

touched.

. Boring sticking in the left loin, from within

outward.

.Pressive sticking in the right upper arm, on its

inner surface from within outward.

.Boring pressure on the inner side of the left

forearm from within outward.

.Sharp stitches from within outward in the right

tibia.

1c) However, there can also be an inward directed

pain as in the following headache symptoms

with a peculiar nail or plug sensation:

.A sudden pain in the left temple, like an

inward—pressing pointed plug.

.Pain as if a nail or plug was driven into brain.

.Intermitting pressing-inwards in the left

temple, almost like a pushing inward.

.Pain in the right parietal bone, as from a

deeply penetrating plug.

2) Another great characteristic of this remedy is

part of its name which indicates a fetid odor.

This offensive fetid odor is a characteristic of

many of its discharges: the eructations, stools,

flatus, urine, discharge from nose, breath, sweat,

and discharges from ulcers. For example:

. Constant eructations of air having the taste and

smell of garlic.

. Eructations: smelling like garlic, tasting

rancid, sharp, or putrid, smelling like feces,

tasting like carrion.

. profuse, thick, papesent, brown, and very

offensive stool.

. blackish—brown,papescent, offensive stools,

which relieve.

. Hard, dark, offensive stool.

. The urine smells strongly of the drug.

. Urine acrid and pungent, though lighter colored.

3) Which brings us to its third grand characteristic,

a tendency to produce sensitive ulcers in many

different places, especially over the tibia. The

remedy’s syphilitic nature is expressed by these

ulcers, fistulous openings, necrosis and caries of

the bones and by many of the complaints being

worse at night.

This is a good example of the importance of

clinical symptoms in Homœopathy. In the

provings only pains in the tibia were elicited.

However, various practitioners extrapolated from

this and cured cases began appearing showing it is

useful for very painful ulcers and caries of the tibia

(see cases 1 and 20) and in other places. After the

reporting of many such cases, painful ulcers and

carious ulcers have become well recognized

symptoms of this remedy.

3a) Ulcers are so sensitive, the softest kind of

dressing hurts them and light touch, even a

short distance from the sore, causes acute

suffering.

.Uterine ulcer, sensitive and painful, with

offensive discharge.

.Ulceration of the cervix uteri, the ulcers have

high, hard edges, are sensitive and painful, and

bleed if touched.

.Pain in ulcer at night, almost unendurable.

.Dark red, hot swelling of the skin; ulcers with

thin, fetid, ichorous, bloody discharges; edges

raised, hard, blue; ulcers deep, flat, with

fistulous openings; ulcers affecting the bones;

ulcers bright red, raw in appearance, covered

with tenacious lymph; eruptions flat, painful;

shooting pains in the ulcer.

.Ulcers with extreme sensitiveness, patient

flinches from even the softest dressing, or

from near approach of any one.

.Ulcers with high, hard, bluish edges,

sensitive to touch, easily bleeding, pus

profuse, greenish, thin, offensive, even

ichorous.

.Old ulcers on forearm, wrist, hand especially

when affecting the bones, thin ichorous pus.

3b) Besides a tendency toward ulcers, there is a

tendency toward caries (i.e. necrosis) of the

bone and gangrene.

.Ulcers penetrating to bones, discharging thin,

fetid ichor.

. Caries of the forearm.

. Swelling and caries of bones of feet.

. Ulcers turn black or become purple.

. Cold gangrene.

. Black, gangrenous flesh above and below

the ulcer.

. Necrosis of the tarsal bone.

. Necrosis of the right tibia.

. Fistulous openings, necrosis and caries of

the bones.

. No longer tormented by the nightly

syphilitic bone—pains, but can again sleep

under his feather—bed. The apparently

healthy portion of the tibia lying beneath the

peculiar carious ulcer, became again

sensitive and painful to the slightest touch, or

even the approach of the finger, so also to the

removal of the char pie, and at night also

almost unendurable.

.Most extreme sensitiveness, in the vicinity

of the carious ulcer of the tibia, of the

superficial skin—sores, and also of the ulcer

itself; the patient cries out if the finger

touches a place distant from the ulcer;

removal of char pie causes most severe pain.

3c) The tendency toward offensiveness and

caries in bones are found prominently in the

ear and nose symptoms:

.Discharge of fetid, green, purulent matter

from nose and ears.

.Otorrhoea with offensive discharge and

diseased bones.

.Offensive odor of the diseases bone, a white,

watery, purulent discharge from the ear,

deafness, aggravation at night.

.Offensive otorrhoea, with boring pains in

mastoid bone.

.Mastoid disease with pain in temporal

region with pushing out sensation.

.Suppression of the left ear with sharp

shooting and violent throbbing, radiating

pains with anorexia and sleeplessness,

aggravation at 4 p.m. and all night.

.Offensive discharge from nose, stench

from nose. After mercury or in scrofula.

.Discharge of very offensive matter from

nose, with caries of bones. Ozena.

.Catarrh extending to sinuses.

.Ozena for nine years; discharge from nose

greenish yellow; very hard; sometimes very

thin and watery and exceedingly offensive.

3d) This wound sensitivity also extends to burns,

for example:

.Ulceration from burns or scalds or other

causes, with great sensitiveness to suffering,

child screams on seeing dressings prepared,

dreads and shrinks from the approach of any

one likely touch sore.

3e) And to stump neuralgia after amputation:

.Neuralgia of stump after amputation of thigh.

.Neuralgia of the thigh stump, characterized

by crushing pains, regularly worse at night,

from dark till two a.m.

4) Also, it is a remedy useful in hysterical

affections, and has wandering pains and much

flatulence which is characterized by the above

mentioned tendency to press upward.

.With this hysterical nature, there is an

intolerable hypersensitiveness to many external

impressions: noise, touch, mental excitement

are all sources of aggravation. This

hypersensitivity is physical as well as mental,

and is expressed physically by the sensitive

ulcers with offensive discharge of the carious

tibia and the uterus.

.Hysteria, with much trouble about throat or

esophagus, well-marked globus hystericus

and burning, spasms of lungs, etc.

.Spasm of glottis, alternating with

contraction of fingers and toes. Hysteria.

.The hysterical nature of the patient is revealed

in the telling of symptoms. Things of little

consequence are magnified; he fears paralysis

or softening of the brain is restless, unable to

concentrate on any one thing; low spirited,

irritable, and if a woman, there is alternate

laughing and crying. With these mental states

are associated the contraction of involuntary

muscles mentioned above. A ball rises in the

throat; it can be swallowed away but returns

again. Or there is a sensation as if the whole

esophagus were being forced upwards.

Flatulence is nearly always a prominent feature

of the case, and tends to press upwards,

sometimes with such vehemence as to cause

gasping for breath, and reflexly, occipital

headache, vertigo, fainting, twitching of

muscles, trembling, etc. Belching loud and

violent, which usually affords relief. Griping in

the region of the navel, heat with a sensation as

though the intestines were knotted into a ball.

.Hysteria worse evening.

.Hysteria, of the flatulent order.

.Great distension of the abdomen,

notwithstanding frequent discharges of flatus.

.After meals, flatulent distension of abdomen,

making heart beat very feebly, with faintness.

.Flatus accumulates in the abdomen and

pressing up against the lungs, produces

oppression of breathing and palpitation.

5) Besides the tendency to hysteria, there can be an

irritability mixed with indifference as well as

anxiety arising in the abdomen. Also

characteristic are the low spirits with heart

disease.

.Very irritable in disposition, and yet

indifferent to everything.

.Crossness and anxiety, which seem to come

from abdomen, when he has a little difficulty

in fixing his attention.

.Fits of low spirits with heart symptoms, low-

spirited between heart attacks.

.With heart symptoms, fear of death.

.Hypochondriac or hysterical restlessness and

anxiety.

.Anxiety in the morning on waking.

6) There are ailments from suppressed

eruptions or discharges.

.Nervous disorders from suppressed skin

eruptions.

.Nervous affections after suppressed

discharges.

.After repelled itch, was attacked with

dizziness, unconsciousness, and permanent

idiocy, attended with paroxysms of frightful

anxiety, followed by mania and furor, to

which some epilepsy was finally added.

7) There are many reported cases of it helping

deficient milk in nursing women, and

occasionally milk in a non-pregnant woman (i.e.

galactorrhea) or a newborn.

.Deficient of milk, with oversensitiveness.

.Agalactia occurs sooner with each subsequent

pregnancy.

.Milk is thin, poor, bluish and scanty.

.Agalactia with tingling, creepy sensations in

the breast, extremely nervous.

.Mammae turgid with milk, like in ninth

month, without being pregnant.

.Newborns with an inflamed mammary gland

with secretion of milk.

8) Most complaints affect the left side (compare

Lachesis and some of the snake poisons),

although there are a fair number of symptoms

affecting the right side as well. The twitching

and jerking are apt to involve the muscles of the

left arm or leg; pain in the left side of the head;

bleeding from the left nostril, etc. Some of the

provers experienced pain in the whole left side

of the body.

.About midnight violent pains through left

half of body, from top to toe.

.It affects the left side of abdomen, left

hypochondrium, left side of neck and nape, left

arm, left leg.

Cases

1. In 1818, on August 12, my wife, 40, of strong

constitution, choleric termperament, and always

well, was stung by a mosquito on the inner side

of the lower part of her left leg, in the region of

the shin. After several hours the spot was very

much inflamed, and the foot swollen. She took

a footbath of bran, after which she had great

pain. The suffering part became more inflamed,

the swelling increased, and extended half-way

up the calf. The second day inflammation

increased still more, and small pimples

appeared here and there on the inflamed part,

which were opened. The same evening these

little pimples became ulcers. The ulcers did not

heal, but, on the contrary, all formed one large

ulcer. She was treated unsuccessfully for more

than eighteen months. An experienced surgeon

ordered a compress of wine and copper be

applied. After the first application, the patient

was almost driven to insanity by the pain, yet

she bore it in the hope that her leg would be

entirely healed. Under this treatment, a

spreading ulcer, and at the same time the

general health of the patient grew much worse.

More doctors and treatments ensued but, alas,

without any beneficial result.

As the patient had now borne her suffering

with unequaled patience for six years, I resolved

to treat her myself, homœopathically. On

March 15, 1826, an accurate examination gave

me the following symptoms: (Remember that

Asafoetida was first proven in 1822 and thus it

was not available when his wife first fell ill.)

She had a large ulcer two and a half inches

long, one and a half inches broad, with hard

bluish edges, on the inner side of the lower part

of the tibia, with visible caries of the bone;the

least touch of the edge of the ulcer caused an

unbearable pain; a fetid, thin pus was

discharged; black, gangrenous flesh above and

below the ulcer;cold swelling around the inner

left ankle bone; extreme sensitiveness all

around the caries; removing the lint or

compress caused violent pain; fine stitches in

the left great toe; heaviness of the whole body;

little sleep, full of dreams; always at midnight

violent pain in the left side, from the head of

the great toe; fever; ill-humored, peevish,

irritable mood.

I could not find a more fitting remedy for

her case than Asafoetida.

On March 17, in the morning, I gave the

patient one drop of the 6C of Asafoetida in a few

grains of milk sugar.

On the 18th, the pain in the suffering part

was somewhat lessened. The ulcer had a cleaner

appearance, the edges grew softer, she felt a

sensation of warmth in the suffering part, much

pus was discharged, still fetid, swelling and

inflammation lessened, and it was evident that a

little piece of the shin bone would separate. The

pain in the whole left side, from the head to the

inner ankle bone, increased about midnight;

removing the lint and dressing the leg was now

attended by much less pain than formerly.

On the 21st, when dressing the leg, I could

see a small part of the tibia covered with black

specks; the ulcer was dressed twice a day with

lukewarm water, and the poultice renewed

every hour. The symptoms remained so until

the 24th. When the lint was removed, there came

with it a small piece of bone corroded by caries

half an inch long and one—eighth of an inch

broad. The ulcer was carefully washed with

warm water, and I saw that a small piece of the

tibia had come off. The ulcer now had a clean

look, and it was certain that the disease would

soon be cured. The smell of the pus had

lessened; swelling, redness and hardness of the

edges grew less, and one could see that the ulcer

became smaller.

The general symptoms decreased from day

to day, and on March 31 the patient could walk

about the room without pain. On April 2, the

hard edges of the ulcer, which grew small, and

discharged little scentless pus, disappeared. The

cure now advanced rapidly, the general

complaits disappeared, and the patient gained

strength. On April 21 the ulcer was entirely

healed.

Two years have passed since then, and my

wife is enjoying the best health, without feeling

the least pain in her leg when the weather

changes. In this way so serious a disease was

cured in thirty six days by a small dose of the

homœopatically indicated remedy, given in

strict accordance with our law. A quick, swift,

mild, and certain cure, where allopathic

treatment, in the course of six and a half years,

had done nothing to relieve, but, on the contrary,

had aggravated the evil.4

(N.B. This case is very similar to a

condition called pyoderma gangrenosum which

often occurs aftera minor trauma. “Patients with

pyoderma gangrenosum usually describe the

initial lesion as a bite reaction, with a small, red

papule or pustule changing into a larger,

ulcerative lesion. Often, patients give a history

of a brown recluse or other spider bite, but they

have no evidence that a spider actually caused

the initial event.”5).

2. A healthy female, 21, found a decided

diminution of the milk on the 6th week after her

first confinement, so that her strong and healthy

child could not obtain enough of nourishment.

She was ordered tincture of Asafoetida 3, and

after the use of this she continued to suckle her

child to the ninth month.6

3. Breasts. Dr. Boas, in consequence of the

application of Asafoetida plasters to the

abdomen, has seen the testes swell considerably,

and the pudendum likewise become inflamed

and swollen. This inflammation became so

violent in one case that he had to resort to

antiphlogistic treatment and, although the

patient was a lady of fifty, and had ceased to

menstruate long since, yet the mammae became

turgid and secreted a milky fluid, as if she were

in the ninth month of pregnancy. Dr.

Kallenbach, a homœopathic practitioner, guided

by this empirical experience, employed

Asafoetida in several cases for the purpose of

restoring or increasing the secretion of milk.7

4. A boy, after repelled itch, was attacked

with dizziness, unconsciousness, and permanent

idiocy, attended with paroxysms of frightful

anxiety; followed by mania and furor, to which

some epilepsy was finally added. The emulsion

of Asafoetida was given, and the epilepsy soon

ceased. At the end of eight days a phagedenic

herpes broke out upon the legs, and his mind

improved as the pustules filled up. In five or six

weeks he was cured, with the exception of some

weakness of memory, and remained well for

more than two years after.8

5. Mrs. E.W. 37, American, complains of

almost constant passage of flatus upward,

without relief; spasm of glottis, and sensation of

a bone lying crosswise in the throat; gone

feeling in the epigastrium at eleven a.m.; loss of

sensation in the hands; both hands and feet very

cold; a continued dread of death; will not go

upon the streets alone; is often filled with the

desire to do something dreadful; even thinks of

murdering her children. Has no family troubles

and is not obliged to work very hard. Has good

food, but always feels worse after eating. Is

nursing a baby of ten months, and is in the habit

of drinking eight to ten cups of tea daily. I

limited the amount of tea to three cups each day;

ordered light lunch between meals and selected

Asafoetida 200 as the remedy. A few doses of

Asafoetida per week were given for a period of

two months, with excellent results, all noted

symptoms disappearing except the continual

dread of death. This was removed later by a few

doses of Aconite 200. At the end of three

months the patent was discharged cured.9

6. Mr. W., 57, ozena for nine years; discharge

from nose greenish—yellow; very hard;

sometimes very thin and watery and exceedingly

offensive; intervals of abatement, sometimes for

a month or more; the discharge becoming

thicker and not so offensive. Pulsatilla 3 did no

good. Aurum metallicum 3, ditto, Asafoetida 3

cured.10

7. Tertiary syphilis in a man, 40. Large

ulcer upon the right leg with a bluish, hard

edge, painful to the touch; nightly pains in the

tibiae, bone very sensitive to touch. Nitricum

acidum 200 benefited him for a while.

Afterwards Asafoetida 200 cured.10

8. Amputation of the Thigh for Encephaloid.

Hemorrhage controlled by Acupressure—one

silver pin remaining in the stump. Ten months

before amputation the tumor had been

extirpated; it soon returned, growing rapidly;

after amputation, hot water was freely applied to

the wound, it is highly serviceable in controlling

hemorrhage, and in favoring union by first

intention. Acupressure was employed. Intense

pain occurring when the patient awoke from

chloroform was readily relieved by Arnica 300,

in water, internally; one of the pins with its wire

loop was left in the stump, by the breaking of

the wire for withdrawing it; no injury resulted.

Neuralgia of the stump, characterized by

crushing pains, regularly worse at night, from

dark till two a.m., was permanently cured by

Asafoetida 200.10

9. Whitlow, with violent, nightly pains and

threatening necrosis of the phalanx, was

quickly cured by Asafoetida 20010

10. A Characteristic of Asafoetida. A

pronounced characteristic of Asafoetida not

generally known, is the following: “A sensation

of emptiness and weakness, with distension and

throbbing in the stomach and in the abdomen

together, attended with gurgling and rolling of

wind, which is hardy ever passed downwards,

but escapes upwards with loud and difficult

eructation, giving relief.” My attention to this

symptom was riveted some fifteen years or so

ago in a case in which Argentum nitricum had

failed, but this remedy quickly cured. I would

say, also, the obstinate constipation is very

often associated with the aforesaid condition.11

11. Asafetida in Dyspnea. Mrs. F, 40, has had

much anxiety for several years; suffered from

the following condition for three or four weeks

past: spells of dyspnea; feels as if could not

breathe deep enough to be satisfied; sits down

and takes repeated deep inhalations till finally

says: “There, now! I got it that time.” These

attacks only during day and excited by exertion,

or thinking about this condition, when the fear

is excited that she will have a “spell.” and she

does have it. Relieved at night, and by

forgetting herself. Sleeps well. Condition of

lungs and heart normal, and during the attack the

air seems to enter all parts of the lungs. There

is considerable flatulence, and some relief of the

dyspnea by eructation. No rattling or

expectoration follows the dyspnea. Ignatia and

Arsenicum album in succussion for a week gave

no relief. Then Asafoetida cured the condition

in twenty four hours.12

12. Asthma. A man, 30, who was the pheasant

hunter of a neighboring count, and who from his

early childhood had been more or less afflicted

with scrofulous disorders, and had a generally

impressed scrofulous habit of body; this caused

his asthmatic troubles, and from the

fruitlessness of various treatments tried at

different periods of time he had already quite

despaired of any possibility of cure. The attacks

appeared almost daily at the time when he

sought my help. He sought me because I had

successfully treated a friend of his afflicted with

chronic asthma. Every bodily exertion, every

coition, but especially every rich meal, even

every meal of which he partook to satiety,

brought on his asthma. After many remedies

had been tried in vain, Asafoetida 9 first

repeated twice, then four, five to seven times a

day finally freed him completely from his

attacks. A year later in consequence of several

dietetic errors a moderate relapse occurred, but

I succeeded in removing it by the same

remedy.13

13. Baby, 18 months, was severely burned in

palms of hands on April 28. Found her in much

pain, and crying from that and the fright.

Dressed the hands with dilute carbolic acid and

gave internally Opium 200, with the result that

she slept well all night. The hands did well till

May 12, when one of them developed some

exuberant granulations, for which the family

used burnt alum, and then sent for me. I found

a raw ulcer, bleeding easily, black blood, edges

elevated and indurated. Child very nervous, had

not slept well for two nights. Crying at even the

sight of bandages or the doctor. Asafetida 200

not only eased the nervous condition and

allowed the child and the family to sleep, but

started the ulcer along the road to rapid

healing.14

14. Facial neuralgia. Facial neuralgia is one

of the most difficult diseases to

handle…Homœopath can cure countless

diseases which are “absolutely incurable” from

the orthodox point of view, and very frequently

the right remedy may be chosen by the sufferer,

if he studies the homœopathic “Materia

Medica” and is willing to do a little

experimenting. I have been permitted to see a

letter written by a well—known lady, addressed

to the principal of an old—established and

celebrated firm of homœopathic chemists. She

writes: “I have had the most extraordinary relief

from Asafoetida 3X, and would be glad to have

a large bottle of the same medicine. I have had

five years of everlasting face ache, and every

kind of treatment and medicine had been tried

with absolutely no result. At the end of a week

with Asafoetida I was prepared to jump over the

moon. This medicine should be given to any

sufferer from chronic pain in eyes, teeth and

jawbones, which doctors seem to know nothing

about. This happened about six months ago.

One of the most remarkable facts of many,

consequent upon my treatment, is this, that I am

now able to write and read a thing I have not

been able to do for more than an hour for years

without excruciating pain and this without

glasses which were given to me to gain relief.

“I am, “Very sincerely yours. “Mrs. L.B.”.

The chemist, in sending me this letter,

wrote to me: “This certainly is a rather unusual

remedy for facial neuralgia. The lady got the tip

from Boericke’s Materia Medica, in which she

read the words, “Orbital neuralgia, better

pressure and rest.” Occasionally a layman can

cure homœopathically diseases which no

orthodox physician can cure. The lady took the

medicine in the 3x strength. Of course it must

be borne in mind that Asafoetida will not cure

all facial neuralgias but only those which show

the same symptoms which Asafoetida has

produced in provers who have experimented

with the drug.15

15. Female, 29, Aug. 1, 1932, married. History

of cystic degeneration of left ovary. Operated

by a celebrated homœopathic surgeon in 1928.

Her symptoms had been growing worse for the

past six months. She was nervous, constipated,

and suffered from flatulence, nausea, vomiting

and pain during menstruation. Her physician

discovered pathology of the right ovary and

advised an operation. A close relative, a

prominent homœopathic physician in his special

field, sent her to me for homœopathic

prescribing instead. I elicited sensitiveness of

the right ovary on palpation. She was very

desirous of having a child, a longing that had

never been fulfilled. I prescribed Apis 6 four

times daily. She had no nausea, vomiting or

other symptoms during the next menstrual

period. I continued Apis intermittently. She

grew better in every way. October 1, 1932.

Flatulence during the menses, with a sensation

as if gas were coming up into the throat, and the

feeling of a lump. I prescribed Asafoetida 3 four

times daily. All symptoms vanished rapidly.

On March 23, 1933, she was delivered of a

bouncing boy. She is in perfect health today.16

16. Syphilis and Rheumatism. A man, 22,

has suffered from lumbago and rheumatism of

right hip-joint due to syphilis, who placed

himself under the treatment of an allopath who

gave him several medicines but of no good. At

last despairing of recovery came to my office on

June 5. On enquiry I learned that he has used all

sorts of mercurial preparations at the hand of the

former doctor. The pain increased at night and

was relieved by pressure. He was very anxious.

Ill humor, great disgust for food, diarrhea

sometimes painful, distension of abdomen with

feeling as if peristaltic action were reversed,

relieved by passing flatus. Frequent pain from

place to place. Under the above circumstances

I gave him Asafoetida 30, one drop dose thrice

daily. After three days the bowels were all right.

This was continued for a month, and he was

cured. No complaint since then.17

17. Phillip, 8, consults for asthma which has so

far defied all other therapies. The attacks he

suffers are sudden, intense, and slow to subside

under the different treatments attempted. On

two occasions, he has even had lung problems

serious enough to appear on X-rays. The mother

tells me that while he is sleeping, she sometimes

hears gurgling noises coming from his stomach.

An X-ray of the passage from the esophagus

through the stomach to the small intestine shows

a massive reflux reaching the upper third of the

esophagus. Allopathic treatment (Gaviscon)

stops the asthma for six months—which is

already enormous progress—but the attacks

recur as soon as Phillip stops taking the syrup.

After one dose of Asafoetida 15 CH, no new

asthmatic attacks occur, and five years later, this

child is doing very well. The remedy has only

been repeated once, in 30CH, when the mother

again heard the gurgling sound while her son

was sleeping.18

18. Geraldine, 2 months, is hospitalized after a

close call with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Her parents found her one evening in her crib,

inert, pale, not breathing. After being shaken a

bit, the child came back to life. At the hospital,

examinations confirm a gastro-esophageal

reflux. This has not recurred since the child

took one dose of Asafoetida. Finally, a small

symptom of note which can help us discover

Asafoetida babies at birth: they often have an

inflamed mammary gland with secretion of milk,

as do Cyclamen and Tuberculinum infants.18

19. An example of an Asafoetida woman:

Her partner commits suicide. After the first

shock the wife starts swearing at him. She calls

the police only hours later and doesn’t go to the

funeral. But she visits him every day at the

cemetery and swears at him loudly. She is

totally angry at him. One year after his death

she comes to the consultation for belching.

Rubrics: Grief with anger. Contradictory

symptoms. Eructations hysterical19

20. Venous Statis Ulcers of Ankle. J.G. 75, is

a recent widow who presented with anemia

(Hemoglobin of 6.5) and ankle pain due to

bilateral venous stasis dermatitis and eventually

ulcers. Her husband, a cardiovascular surgeon,

died in August 2013 of lung cancer. During the

two years that he was living with cancer, she

neglected her own health. Her hemoglobin was

8.5 in July 2012 and 6.5 in February 2014. In

April of 2012, she had slurred speech while on

vacation in Mexico which was diagnosed as a

TIA, and she was placed on daily baby aspirin

by her husband. When she initially presented to

me on 3/14/14 she had ankle pain for the last

month while going down the steps. This pain

was better rubbing and hot bathing and did not

change with the weather. She also has a history

of asthma for which she takes an Advair inhaler

once or twice daily. She has fall allergies and a

history of nasal polyps. She is chilly and worse

cold and wears sunglasses in the sun due to

cataracts possibly. She is a night person (2).

She prefers to sleep on her right side(1) and has

an aversion to drafts (1). She craves chocolate

(2). She is a calm person, sad at times and cries

for no reason occasionally. She used to teach

etiquette and believes that appearances matter a

lot. She’s affectionate and sympathetic and is

still grieving her husband’s death on 8/19/13.

On exam she cried when she spoke of her

husband. She had severe thoraco-lumbar

kyphoscoliosis, trace pretibial edema and a scab

on the right medial ankle just anterior to the

Achilles tendon. She took 2 pellets of

Lycopodium 200 C on 3/14/14, and was told to

stop the aspirin. The next day the leg pain

increased particularly on the left, on the inside

of the ankle. The ankle pain persisted at a higher

level after the remedy. The hemoglobin

increased to 9 on 3/19/14, and then 11 on

4/11/14 and 12.1 in May 2014. On 4/14/14 a

painful venous ulcer had opened on both medial

ankles which required debridement. The pain

was unbearable at first, a 10 out of 10, and the

right ulcer was oozing. It was painful around

the ulcers(2). On 4/14/14 she was given

Asafoetida 30C to take 2 pellets prn for pain.

On 5/5/14 she was doing much better with

the ankle pain from the ulcers. She took the

Asafoetida every 3-4 hours for two days, and

stopped on the third day as the pain was gone.

Before the remedy she had had daily pain for 2-

3 months. The left medial malleolar ulcer has

healed and the right one is healing and is quarter

sized. She has restarted driving.

On 6/5/14 she is doing much better. The

legs are much better and both ulcers have

healed, the right one family closing up 2 weeks

ago. She has been taking the Asafoetida 30C

about once a week for ankle pain, and doesn’t

complain of pain after the dose. The anemia is

gone. She will continue the Asafoetida as

needed for pain.20

References:

1. Asafoetida. 2015;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asafoetida, 2014.

* This article is adapted from a lecture presented at

the 2011 Liga Conference in Delhi, India titled

2. Peckham E. Homœopathy for Treatment of

Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Cochrane Database

Syst Rev 2013; 11(Nove 13):CD009710.

3. Bradford T. Index to Homeopathic Provings.

Philadelphia: Boericke and Tafel: 1901.

4. Stapf’s Archives. 1827; 6(3);110-115.

5. Jackson J. Pyoderma Gangrenosum 2013;

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/112382

1-overview.

6. Kallenbach. Homöopathische Zeitung. 1844;

26(5).

7. Hom. Gazette 1844.

8. Peters. North American Homœopathic Journal.

1860;9:283-292.

9. Howells. Cincinnati Medical Advance. 1879.

10. Hoyne T. Clinical Therapeutics 1878-80:54-58

11. Clifton A. Hahnemannian Monthly.

1893;28:427.

12. Payne C. North American Homœopathic

Journal. 1894; 42:595.

13. Lobenthal. Homœopathic Recorder.

1894;9(5):287.

14. Swan A. Cincinnati Medical Advance.

1903;41:386.

15. Barker J. Homœopathic World. 1932;6:798.

16. Coleman D. Homœopathic Recorder.

1936;51(6):269.

17. Vithoulkas. Materia Medica Viva 1995.

18. Grandgeorge D. The Spirit of Homœopathic

Medicines 1998.

19. Huedens—Mast H. Guide to healing with

homœopathic remedies: Hysteria. Vol.2, 2003.

20. Fior T. 2014.

=====================================

27. Miasmatic Doctrine: A Short History*

GALASSI, Renzo (AJHM. 107, 1/2014)

Hahnemann pushes us to search for the root

cause of a disease, the search for the ‘Causa

causorum.’ Why are we driven to leave the state of

order, of good health? Studying his wonderful

works, we come to recognize the profound evil that

disposes us to diseases, the predisposing cause that

Hahnemann called rightly, MIASM.

Every day in our offices we see the wounds of

our fellow human beings and sometimes we see

some “wounds” of our own when we realize how

difficult it is to take these away or neutralize them in

our patients. At the same time we must face how

hard it is to make our fellow men understand how

“Hahnemann, the Organon, and the Chronic

Diseases.”

they must struggle in order to get on the path of cure

and to shine as beings truly “human.” Let us see what

the master Hahnemann teaches us in this respect:

Chronic Diseases

 Organon §74: Among chronic diseases we

must still, alas! Reckon those so commonly met

with artificially produced in allopathic

treatment by the prolonged use of violent heroic

medicines in large and increasing doses…”

 § 74: “whereby the vital energy is sometimes

weakened to an unmerciful extent, sometimes,

… deprive some part of its irritability and

sensibility, or exalt these to an excessive degree,

cause dilatation or contraction, relaxation or

induration or even total destruction of certain

parts, and develop faulty organic alternations

here and there in the interior or the exterior…”

 Organon § 75: “These inroads on human health

effected by the allopathic non-healing art (more

particularly in recent times) are of all chronic

diseases the most deplorable, the most

incurable; and I regret to add that it is apparently

impossible to discover or to hit upon any

remedies for their cure when they have reached

any considerable height.”

 Organon §76: “Only for natural diseases has

the beneficient Deity granted us, in

Homœopathy, the means of affording relief;

but those devastations and maimings of the

human organism exteriorly and interiorly,

effected by years, … must be remedied by

the Vital Force itself … if it has not already

been too much weakened by such

mischievous acts, …”

True Chronic Diseases

The true chronic diseases are Syphilis,

Sycosis, and Psora. Why was Homœopathy

not able to cure patients before the

discovery of the chronic disease?

Chronic Diseases § 9 – footnote: “….Of

this kind were the cures of diseases caused by a

not yet fully developed psora …

The remedies used were those that

corresponded as closely as possible,

homœopathically, to the symptomatic

picture, causing the temporary

disappearance of the symptoms, if they

were not too serious. The type of healing

obtained was to bring back the psora to a

state of latency, producing a state of

apparent health, … This condition could

last for many years.”

Chronic Diseases § 20

 “It was continually repeated fact that the non-

venereal chronic diseases, …. Reappeared

annually with an increase of complaints

 “These relapses are always characterized by:

a) A change of greater or lesser degree in their

symptoms.

b) The appearance of new symptoms.

c) The morbid, progressive, evolution from

year to year.

 “This fact gave me the first clue that the

Homœopathic physician with such a chronic

(non-venereal) case, yea in all cases of

(non-venereal) chronic disease, has not

only to combat the disease presented before

his eyes, and must not view and treat it as if

it were a well-defined disease, to be

speedily and permanently destroyed and

healed by ordinary homœopathic remedies,

but that he has always to encounter only

some separate fragment of a more deep-

seated original disease”

Chronic diseases §22 and 24: “But that the original

malady sought for must be also of a miasmatic,

chronic nature clearly appeared to me from this

circumstance, that after it has once advanced and

developed to a certain degree it can never be

removed by the strength of any robust constitution,

it can never be overcome by the most wholesome

diet and order of life, nor will it die out of itself.”

Origin of Psora, Chronic Diseases. § - 39-40-

41: “Mankind, therefore, is worse off from the

change in the external form of the psora-from

leprosy down to the eruption of itch-not only

because this is less visible and more secret and

therefore more frequently infectious, but also

especially because the psora, now mitigated

externally into a mere itch, and on that account more

generally spread, nevertheless still retains

unchanged its original dreadful nature.”

II. Different Hypotheses About the Origin of the

Miasms

The topic has deeply interested many

researchers during the last two centuries.

A. Hahnemann.

He did not have the time to complete the entire

work and in some steps seems to give different

interpretations, sometimes purely infectious, other

times as an “inner evil” that pervades the whole

being and his descendants. We compare what he

wrote in Chronic Diseases and the Organon.

Chronic Diseases § 101: “Psora (itch disease), like

syphilis, is a miasmatic chronic disease, and its

original development is similar. The itch disease is,

however, also the most contagious of all chronic

miasmata, far more infectious than the other two

chronic miasmata, the venereal chancre disease and

the fig-wart disease. To effect the infection with the

latter there is required a certain amount of friction in

the most tender parts of the body, which are the most

rich in nerves and covered with the thinnest cuticle,

as in the genital organs, unless of miasma should

touch a wounded spot. But the miasma of the itch

needs only touch the general skin, especially with

tender children. The disposition of being affected

with the miasma of itch is found with almost

everyone and under almost all circumstances, which

is not the case with the other two miasmata.

“No other chronic miasma infects more

generally, more surely, more easily and more

absolutely than the miasma of itch; as already stated,

it is the most contagious of all. It is communicated

so easily, that even the physician, hurrying from one

patient to another, in feeling the pulse has

unconsciously inoculated other patients with it”.

Chronic Diseases §102

 “In the same way, ash which is washed with

wash infected with the itch; new gloves which had

been tried on by an itch patient, a strange lodging

place, a strange towel used for drying oneself have

communicated this tinder of contagion; yea, often a

babe, when being born, is infected while passing

through the organs of the mother, who may be

infected (as is not infrequently the case) with this

disease; or the babe receives this unlucky infection

through the hand of the midwife, which has been

infected by another parturient woman (or

previously);

 “ …even in active life, in retirement, and in the

rich classes, the itch creep in. the hermit on

Montserrat escapes it as rarely in his rocky cell, as

the little prince in his swaddling clothes of cambric.”

Organon §78 – footnote: (1) “During the flourishing

years of youth and with the commencement of

regular menstruation joined to a mode of life

beneficial to soul, heart and body, they remain

unrecognized for years. Those afflicted appear in

perfect health to their relatives and acquaintances

and the disease that was received by infection or

inheritance seems to have wholly disappeared.”

Organon §284 – footnote: “Psora is transmitted to

the majority of infants with milk of the nurse, if they

haven’t inherited from the mother, cured through the

nurse, they are preserved. Excellent prophylaxis can

be done during pregnancy with a little cure,

antipsoric, with potentized sulfur as shown in §270;

this treatment is essential to destroy the psora, which

is almost always present in the mother and is due to

inheritance and produce most of the chronic diseases

in both the mother and the unborn child.

“This is so true that children of mothers treated

well during pregnancy are born healthier and more

robust than you might imagine. This is new

demonstration of the great truths of psora.”

B. Baran Clemens Maria Franz Von

Bœnninghausen (1785-1864)

From Allg. Hom. Zeit., Vol.65, page 100: “We

have not yet any certain signs by which we can

distinguish certainly the domain of the one miasma

from that of the other. Most of the symptoms in the

chronic diseases are found in all the three miasms,

and we are lacking, however, the way to examine in

detail these symptoms and to separate them, in order

to attribute to one or the other of them exclusively to

one or the other of these miasmas, and may therefore

serve for the determination of this very important

anamnestic particular.”

He felt we must expand the work of

Hahnemann: …. “I take the liberty to underline the

symptoms that are common to Thuja and to this

enlarged Sycosis, which may serve in many cases to

recognize the nature of the miasma in question, and

thus enable us to begin the treatment in the proper

manner…. This comparison also showed that

several remedies counted by Hahnemann among the

antipsorics may be included among the

antisycotics… Everything can be purified and

developed on the basis of further experience.”

C. Georg Heinrich Gottlieb Jahr (1800-1875)

“We can convince ourselves by the evidence

that what Hahnemann thought was not something

material to destroy or carry out, but only a

pathological tendency to fight…”

“….The real issue that places the theory of

chronic diseases issued by Hahnemann is not about

the more or less psoric nature (in narrower sense of

the word) of this diathesis; it presents this great truth,

that no chronic particular disease is a disease in

itself, an essence, but that all, without exception, rest

on a chronic diathesis of which we must destroy the

principle to heal radically the local disorder.”

D. Dr. James Tyler Kent 1849-1916.

Lecture XVIII Homeop. Philos.: “The Psora is the

beginning of every physical illness. All human

diseases have been built on Psora; therefore it is the

foundation of the disease, all the other diseases came

after. The Psora is the hidden cause, and it is the

disorder of the inner economy of the human race.

This state is expressed in the various forms of

chronic diseases. If the human race had remained in

a state of perfect order, the Psora would not have

existed.”

Psora as a spiritual illness: “It comes back to the

genuine, primitive error of the human race, the real

first disease of the human race, namely the spiritual

disease, from which the race progressed in what may

be called the true susceptibility to Psora, which laid

the basis for other diseases. If we consider the Psora

as a synonym of scabies, we do not understand, and

therefore express nothing that comes close to the

original intention of Hahnemann.”

Sycosis and Syphilis: (Lect. XXI) “The Syphilis

is that disease that corresponds to the effect of

impure coitus, to go where the Syphilis is located, of

coming into contact with those who have it. It is an

action; this is not the case with the Psora. ….The

will and the intellect preceding the action of the

man…

“….we found the remdies for the Sycosis in the

same way we find the remedies for any other

miasmatic disease, i.e. through anamnesis… The

children have only the inner nature of the disease and

not the primary and external forms of it… The

susceptibility is prepared by this heritage, as well as

susceptibility to Psora prepared by our parents and

the susceptibility to Syphilis is prepared by our

parents….”(Lect. XIX).

E. Prof. J. Henry Allen, M.D. (1854 – 1925)

Professor at the Hering Medical College

Chicago, Illinois, wrote a book on skin diseases and

one on chronic diseases. The Chronic Miasms

(1906), divided into two parts, the first titled, Psora

and Pseudo-Psora, and the second, Sycosis. This

book on miasms is considered a classic of

Homœopathy.

Pseudo-psora: “When a suppression occurred in

a body in which two or more miasmas were present,

all the conditions were excited and intensified, as

observed frequently when the Psora and Syphilis, are

perfectly combined hereditary transmission. I say

‘perfectly combined’, because there may not be

another possibility of so perfect union of miasms

with the Vital Forces as when it is produced through

the inheritance.

“Tubercuar diathesis is the result of such a

union, which is one of the most profound. So you

see that the Pseudo-Psora is worse than the Psora

alone. The Psora is the primary manifestation of

primordial sin, the primary curse, the execution of

the prophetic: ‘you will surely die’…. The whole

pathology originates from the secondary and tertiary

outbreaks of the miasmas”. All miasmas are capable

of producing mental symptoms, and many of them

are due to a combination of miasmas…..

“…the application of the Law of Similar to the

active miasm is the only true method of treating a

disease even when it has reached the pathological

state … there is only a law of healing, the one

promulgated by Hahnemann: the disease is healed

from the inside outward and from the top down …

When we suppress any local disease, we destroy this

process of healing and we are the enemies of the laws

then biological or physiological … Today the psoric

miasm is mixed in a high degree with Sycosis …”

F. Dr Herbert Alfred Roberts (1868 – 1940)

“The Principles and Art of Cure by

Homeopathy – 2nd Ed. 1942: “…coming through the

Greek and Latin, the original word is tsorat. The

interpretation of this Hebrew word tsorat clearly

communicates the idea that Hahnemann had in mind:

slot, defect, stigma, often referring to events leprosy

and plague … A great groove, a defect ….”

Treat a miasm at a time: “In dealing with the

combined stigmata, the most salient must be treated

for first… treating each time the dominant stigma, as

expressed by external events, up to obtain healing…

The Syphilis is from its beginning a constitutional

disorder. The tubercular diathesis is the combination

of the psora with syphilis… The Sycosis develops

after a gonorrhea deleted, and … becomes a systemic

stigma … which transmits its destructive forces to

the descendants …”

g. Dr N. Ghatak – an Indian doctor

He has written a book entitled, The Chronic

Diseases, Their Cause, and Treatment (around

1920). For this author the real cause of the disease

is located in the patient himself. “Hahnemann,” he

writes, affirms that the Psora is the real cause of all

diseases, that all the diseases are exacerbations of the

latent Psora. The Psora is the cause of and the

scabies and skin eruptions its effects; the Psora is a

condition of the system that enables him to develop

diseases. But when this condition came? When

man, created to live in harmony with the laws of

God, used in the wrong way the special gift of free

will, which allows him to think ell and think evil,

with false thoughts, with false desires and think evil,

with false thoughts, with false desires and false

projections that created a mess in his mind.

“This mental disorder is reflected in the physical

body and this was the appearance of primary Psora,

in this way, man acquired the susceptibility to the

illness. A disorder in thinking led then to do evil,

causing all human diseases. The scabies, is only the

active expression of Psora and not the Psora itself.

The Psora is a condition of the physical body

induced by perverse thoughts and is the primary

cause of all human diseases.”

H. Pierre Schmidt (1894-1986)

Dr. Schmidt suggested the terms ‘homeopsoric’,

‘homeosyphilitic’ and ‘homeosycotic’ for remedies

given for cases on the basis of symptoms understood

to be those of one of the three miasms-psora,

syphilis, or sycosis. He felt that Hahnemann’s

concept of psora was not easy for the newcomer, or

superficial reader, to penetrate as the most

fundamental of all morbid disorders. Schmidt

clarified it as a dyscrasia, a diathesis, a morbid

predisposition that leads to chronicity, inhibiting the

natural defenses, destroying the biological balance

of the living being, is the deepest morbid diathesis,

inherited from generation to generation, the mother

of all diseases.

I. Tomàs Pablo Paschero (1904-1986)

“Miasms, as Hahnemann called them, are not

diseases but the dynamic basis of diseases; these

three morbid units are nothing but the dynamic

disturbance of vital functions in three directions: the

excitation, inhibition, the perversion.

“Psora is the existential anguish…. Generated

by fear and original hunger, which give the

elementary conscience to be a body with some

mental values, lead to defend themselves from every

danger and to suffer the real consequences of this

danger. After the psoric existential anguish follow

the inhibilitory reactions, syphilitic, and the perverse

reactions, sycotic. In our clinical work there are no

pure and exclusive miasmatic types. Each patient is

basically psoric, however there is great variety of

possible combinations. The patient must be

identified thanks to the mental symptoms and

modalities that reflect its true personal style of life.”

J. Dr. Alfonso Masi-Elizalde (1932-2003)

Hahnemann says that the best way to follow the

evolution of the disease is to follow the moral

attitude, the mind symptoms of the patient. We can

deduce that thanks to this attitude that Hahnemann

recognizes a psoric person, an egotrophic and a

egolitic one.

 Masi speaks about only one disease, Psora, but

also replaces the old terms of sycosis and

syphilis with three new expressions: Egotrophy,

Alterlisis and Egolisis.

 Primary Psora. For every man, God creates and

donates, at the moment of conception, one

perfect human spirit but, at the same time, also

receives the consequences of the original sin.

Over this initial human spirit the personality of

each individual is formed that, in the healthy

psoric person, is in a certain balance. When this

balance is altered, begins to arise the disease

which is expressed initially as an anxiety

apparently not justified.

Egotrophy means “nourishment of ego”, a term

very concrete because it is material, organic. In the

end, we have therefore a term that has a very

profound meaning, but at the same time that pays

attention to the somatic level.

As regards the ancient name of self-syphilis,

Masi has coined a term with meaning exactly

opposite to Egotrophy: Egolysis. “Ego” = means

“I”, while “lysis” means “destruction,” and in this

way the word acquires a clear somatic meaning. For

the ancient name of hetero-syphilis, Masi has coined

the term Alterlysis, which therefore means

“destruction of the other” as opposed to Egolysis

which means “destruction of the I” or of himself.

New Miasmatic Classification of Masi

Primary Psora: is the personal sin of every

Man, is the stain that we have in our unconscious, in

our imagination. There is a discrepancy between the

mental status of the person and the characteristics of

the human nature, because of a divine attribute

envied.

Secondary Psora or (Psora projected): is the

projection of the contents of Primary Psora in the

environment with the attempt to identify the

“enemy”; is the stage, using the terminology of

Ghatak, of the “bad thinking.” The person tries to

find a justification for his mental anguish.

Tertiary Psora (or Psora Reactive): is the

reaction against the “enemy” identified by

Secondary Psora; is the condition that Ghatak calls

the state of “bad action.”

 It is divided into the stages of Egotrophy,

Egolysis and Alterlysis.

 In Egotrophy there is the resolution of the

discrepancy for the alleged certainty of being

able to dominate his “enemy” and to be able to

reach the envied divine characteristics.

 In Alterlysis there is an attack against what is

regarded as the “enemy.”

 In Egolysis there is the self-destruction for the

passive acceptance of his differences.

Damage Created by Psora

 Masi says that when Psora moves in the wrong

direction, we get the irritable man. It follows

that the Psoric individual considers bad what is

not bad. In this identification, the subject is

mistakenly seen in an unfortunate or wrong

position, followed by a subsequent reaction

(Tertiary Psora) that is, naturally, also wrong.

 To discover the Psora of a certain person, that

is, its “mark,” its “original sin,” we must analyze

all the irrational, inexplicable aspects of that

person.

 The anguish, the fear, the pain were not

“normal” for Adam, who before sin was healthy

in the fullest sense of the term. But these are

normal for man after sin man who became a sick

man. In Paradise there are only “healthy”

people and there were no distress, fear, pain,

death, etc.

Miasmatic Therapy

 Homœopathy accompanies mankind, sons and

daughters of Adam, to the maximum possible

level of psychophysical health (spiritual health

is obviously excluded, which implies the

voluntary choices by the individual and the

acquisition of specific merits). The

susceptibility and irritability (consequences of

Primary Psora) are the psycho-physical disease

of the Man. This disease can also express itself

with an attitude of escape (Egolysis), attack

(Alterlysis) or domain (Egotrophy).

K. Proceso Sanchez Ortega (1919-2005)

Professor Sanchez describes the miasm as

something that goes deeper – that the doctor doesn’t

perceive, doesn’t understand and is not able to

handle what is pathological, what is truly causal, and

instead by his treatment suppresses symptoms and

increases morbid predispositions. Ortega says that

Hahnemann brings to our mind the concept of miasm

as a damaging and contagious emanation, since he

had seen in the syphilis of his time a condition that

completely changed the individual from inside to

outside, from the mind to the skin, upon which

appears the chancre that represents what is

destructive and threatens the totality.

His insight into miasmatic pathology:

“I remember that I was just in the third year

of medicine and only 21 years old when, while

I was going back by bus to my village for a short

holiday and with the light of the evening, I was

reading a Materia Medica that a friend of mine

had given me and that had belonged to his uncle,

a homœopath. I had the idea, in my ignorance

at the time, to combine the three chronic

diseases with the three nutritional disorders

considered at that time in the schools of

medicine: lack, excess and perversion.

“I wrote, with the dim light of evening that

changes into night, on the inside of the cover of

the book of Jahr, this question that would be the

impulse for all my future research and that

pushed me to read and study everything that was

talking about the pathology of the human being.

“With this anxiety I read the philosophy of

Kent, similar works of Allen and Roberts and all

the classics of Homœopathy. The biographer of

Hahnemann, Richard Haehl, said that…if

Hahnemann had not discovered and left the

doctrine of chronic diseases, Homœopathy

would have been nothing more than one of

various therapeutic methods…

“Many disciples and homœopaths tried to

complement the work of the Master, especially

in North America and in England, but in my

persistent research those who better understood

Hahnemann were the French Leon Simon,

Gallavardin and above all Trousseau, an

allopathic convert to Homœopathy. In spite of

his materialism he gave the definition of

diathesis that we could today take as the

definition of miasma: ‘Congenital or acquired

predisposition, essentially and evidently

chronic, that produces multiple complaints but

unique in their essence.’”

He then discovered certain correlations.

Bouchard created the idea of pathology derived from

nutritional disorders. Virchow asserted in the

context of cellular anatomy that every living body

was like a single cell and that the cell may deteriorate

in three ways, by lack, excess or perversion.

Hahnemann demonstrated clinically, anatomically

and physiologically the perversion as a characteristic

of the whole organism and the whole mind of the

human being invaded by syphilis and for this reason

he recognized it as the only miasmatic disease also

recognized by ancient school. He perfectly

perceived as the second miasm the sycosis or disease

of vegetations or condylomata and also perfectly

perceived the psora as the basic and deepest miasm.

Hahnemann, in the face of the greatness of what he

was discovering, announced, leaving it written, this

last discovery, the MIASMS.

Proceso spent all the remaining years of his life

clarifying and presenting the Hahnemannian method

that was presaged and indicated by these authors.

For sixty-two years he visited thousands of patients

without rest his vocation preventing him from

resting. Among his patients were some of his

teachers who, seeing his development, decided to put

their lives in his hands. He told the author of this

paper one evening during a long conversation,

“What made me most happy in my life has been

teaching, despite my ignorance, Hahnemannian

medicine.”

How does man fall ill according to Ortega’s

concept?

Like Bouchard, we can say that a body may alter

its nutritional function toward lack, excess or

perversion and in this way, creates the dysfunctions

so persistent or chronic as more emphasis becomes

placed in that error. These accidental alterations (or

indispositions) trigger a response of defense by the

nature of the body, sometimes passing through

related disorders in the sense of the lack (increased

receptivity to exogenous factors, infectious or

environmental) of excess or perversion.

We understand how easily we can arrive at a

deterioration of physiology. From a functional

disorder it moves to a plastic one and then to

constitutional disorders, until the permanence of the

dysfunctions arrives invariably to the lesion. At this

point or even before, the lack of wisdom of the

ancient medicine may, in its desire of immediate

care, without correcting bad habits, make the terrible

mistake that in Homœopathy we call “Suppression.”

“The miasm is the morbid constitutional

condition coming from the suppression arbitrary and

anti-natural of specific acute diseases.” So

Hahnemann indicates that the suppression of the

chancre leads to constitutional Syphilis, the

elimination of the condylomata to constitutional

Sycosis, the suppression of the itch leads to

constitutional Psora.

Innovations of Ortega’s Thought

Psora: He proved that the essence of the morbid

dynamism of scabies is “lack” and that this unique

characteristic spoils the organic functions, giving as

a result hypo-function; whereas when it is damaging

the organs, it produces hypotrophy; if it reaches the

mind, it causes inhibition of the will, intellect and

feeling.

Sycosis: In the same way he demonstrated that

the essence of the morbid dynamism of sycosis is

“excess” and that this unique feature can

characterize the organic functions as hyper-function.

On the other hand, when it is damaging the organs,

it produces hypertrophy, and if it reaches the mind,

it causes expansion, exuberance.

Syphilis: The essence of the morbid dynamism

of Syphilis is destruction. This unique characteristic

can strike organic functions, resulting in

dysfunction; on the other hand it can damage organs,

producing atrophy, and, if it goes to the mind, causes

destruction or aggression.

All this allowed him to expand enormously our

clinical vision, enabling him to classify symptoms

on the basis of their essential morbid nature and

distinguish which symptoms are with certainty of

psoric character, sycotic character and syphilitic

character, which until that time was not possible to

do. One can recognize not only the functional or

organic symptoms of syphilis, but also the deepest,

the psychological ones. Furthermore one can

recognize the latent symptoms of any miasmatic

state.

It was possible to better understand the Materia

Medica through the study of remedies from the

miasmatic point of view. Dr. Proceso Sanchez

Ortega applied this study, with a devoted team, to

our basic resource, Hahnemann’s Materia Medica

Pura. This is a great help in selecting the remedy, as

well as when determining the relations with other,

similar medicines. It also comes into play when

deciding whether to give the patient the simillimum

or a similar, “due to circumstances.” Using this

method I wrote a book explaining every rubric in the

chapter Mind as either psoric, sycotic or syphilitic,

with some clinical examples.(1).

The contribution of Dr. Proceso assigns and

classifies symptoms according to their miasmatic

nature. This theory presents Symptomatic clearness.

Master Procesco requires in the clinic, before any

prescription, the application of paragraph 153 and

the basic principles stated in the Organon, before we

can consider which miasm currently predominates in

the patient. At this point we pass to the miasmatic

evaluation of the characteristic symptoms and then

choose the group that has the highest prevalence.

Once this is done, we analyse the case according to

six diagnoses:

Nosological, syndromic, miasmatic, integral,

individual and medicinal.

More on these below in the context of a case.

We also look at the congruence of the pathology

with the family history and the harmony between

the static and the dynamic of the patient. We do not

decide on the first prescription without knowing who

is the patient and, in the words of Dr. M. Dorcsi,

“What is it that we have to cure today?” we then

determine the “minimum syndrome of maximum

value” (an axiom formulated by Paschero) for the

characteristic symptoms corresponding to the

miasmatic layer. These unique and exclusive

symptoms are repertorized. When selecting the

medicine, one must take into account the curative

purpose-this may not always be complete recovery,

as it depends on the more or less precarious

condition of the body.

We then establish the degree of congruency

between the results of the repertorization and the

remedy. We must select the medicine considering

the miasmatic correspondence of the patient’s

symptoms with the image of the natural disease,

without forgetting the totality of symptoms.

According to Paschero, the decision on potency

is influenced by several essential factors:

- The nature of the medicine chosen

- The nature of the pathology,

- The sensitivity of the patient

- The miasmatic complexity

- The duration of the suffering

- The level of suffering (mental, physical,

psycho-physical functional, lesional)

- Extension of the pathology,

- The therapeutic purposes.

And now let us look at a clinical case from my

practice studied according to the miasmatic method

of Ortega:

The first time I saw Claudia, she entered

quickly in my office and, as soon as she sat, she

began to speak:

“Doctor, I have been suffering from an ulcer in

the vagina for five years, with frequent tendency to

bleed and yellowish leucorrhoea that seems to burn

the area.”

She was an attractive woman, showing tiredness

and an attitude of someone who is in a hurry, as if

she had the desire to escape.

Her father was very strong, dictatorial, obese,

many moles and fibroids on the skin, a drinker and

at times violent. Her mother was not very expansive,

a worker. Her uterus was removed because of

fibroids that were bleeding. She had a tendency to

colitis with abundant diarrhea, with six to eight

stools per day.

Claudia’s childhood was quite difficult because

the parents went to work in Switzerland when was

five years old, leaving her with the grandparents, and

thus her problem began, because regularly her

grandfather molested her sexually, so much that her

life was a torture for about ten years. She was scared

and spent the day hiding from her grandfather. What

she remembered was a period of great fear that has

continued, and she said, “I am afraid of everything;

it always seems to me that something will happen.”

At the age of fifteen she left home and started to

work as a secretary in a place where the owner after

a few months also began to molest her, until she

decided to marry a man fifteen years older.

The husband, however, after some months of

marriage, began to show the desire to have strange

sexual habits; i.e., he wanted to go in a club where

they practiced exchanging partners or where they

could practice group sex. Again the patient was

disappointed and began to suffer a terrible

depression, dysmenorrhea with pain that she defined

as cramping accompanied by clots, and, at the end,

this ulcer on the labia appeared. With this pathology

she began with allopathy without much

improvement, but it did at least keep her husband

from pursuing sexual encounters involving her.

At the age of her first visit, 35, she suffered from

fear and constant anxiety, with the desire and

impulse to escape; she did everything in a hurry, and

her life was passing by without the possibility of

being at peace. She always wanted time to move

faster so that she did not have to stop and think and

she had a great fear of everyone and everything,

especially of diseases.

The analysis of the case according to the

technique gave us the following diagnoses:

Nosological Diagnosis: Genital ulcer with

dysmenorrhea.

Miasmatic Diagnosis: In this case there was a

predominance of sycosis. Syphilis and psora are

present but to a lesser degree. Studying the

anamnesis of the family, the parents had the

same miasmatic structure. There is congruence

between the patient’s history and the family

history. This fact is a good prognosis for

solving her dysmenorrhea, with a tendency to

reactive depression due to a deeply hostile

environment since birth.

Integral Diagnosis: Integral diagnosis is a synthetic

description of the patient in relation to the

family history. It is an image of the whole life

of the paitient. Here we have a woman who

suffered from genital ulcers and whose family

environment was not appropriate as the early

absence of the parents left the patient exposed to

a profoundly dangerous psychological situation

when she was a child.

Individual Diagnosis: this is a synthetic description

of the current condition of the patient and is

related to Organon §3. “… what is to be cured

in the patient..” It is the “today” of the patient,

the latest existential phase of the patient, and the

first to be cured according to Hering’s and

Hahnemann’s instructions. Here we have a

woman who was living with a defensive

attitude. She also lived with a lack of affection

since she was young. She suffered continuous

mortifications in the field of sexuality since her

childhood and also with her husband. As a

response a genital ulcer materialized that helped

her to avoid her sexuality.

The symptoms of the first visit representing the

sycotic predominance were:

 Ailments from fright

 Hurry

 Time, passes too slowly

 Impulsive

 Anxiety, makes her walk faster

 Sighing

 Ameliorated by open air

 Desire sweets, strong cheese

Selection of remedy: the Medicine that best covers

the current sycotic aspect is Argentum nitricum.

Considering the good vital strength I prescribed the

200c potency in a single dose.

After a month-and-a-half she was a little better

though without substantial changes. I prescribed the

same remedy in 1M potency. Two month later, her

symptomatic picture was completely changed. Now

the predominance was psoric with small sycotic-

syphilitic additions.

The symptoms repertorized were:

 Anxiety, from anticipation.

 Forsaken, isolation sensation.

 Sadness, aggravated after eating.

 Confusion of mind if she starts to write.

 Menses late and scanty.

Once again the picture was covered by Arg. nit.

which was prescribed in the 10M potency. She then

had a change of attitude revealing the beginning of a

process of psychological liberation. She had spoken

to her husband, threatening to leave the house if he

did not change his attitude and sexual practice. She

also began to feel less unfortunate. However, for a

few days, she began to have some physical ailments

that she wanted to inform me of, namely:

 Stool green and bloody.

 Pain in stomach as from ulcer, and after

eating.

 Sensation of spasm of respiration, like

asthma, especially anticipating an event.

 Cough dry, night, with infrequent

expectoration of bloody catarrh.

 Temporary fit of complete loss of memory,

with a sense of deep sadness.

Almost all these symptoms are of syphilitic

prevalence, more superficial than her previous

problems and with an improvement of the deep

picture. Again the remedy that covered all the

symptoms was Arg. nit. This time I prescribed it in

the LM or Q potency. I started with LM 1, a daily

dose for fourteen days and then passed to LM 2 and

LM 3. She returned two months later to tell me that

everything had disappeared and that the vaginal

ulcer had started to improve, and she now had

minimal complaints regarding the ulcer. I prescribed

a few doses of LM 4 and later of LM 5. All

symptoms disappeared, including the ulcer.

I have seen her from time to time over the past

eight years, and her health remains satisfactory. She

and her husband underwent couples’ psychotherapy,

which helped them very much.

We can learn from this case the concept of

“miasmatic rotation”described by Master Ortega. It

shows us the true dynamic evolution of the sick. The

miasmatic rotation indicates a change of miasmatic

predominance as a result of the action of the remedy,

when a previously silent miasm appears with its

characteristic symptoms. The miasmatic rotation

sometime occurs spontaneously in the path of life,

due to the occurrence of an important even that

destabilizes the subject, activating another miasm

and making him completely different from his

former condition.

Multiple Miasms and Successive Prescribing

Let us finally look at Hahnemann’s views on the

complications of miasms in an individual, and the

complexity of miasmatic treatment. Firstly, can

there be more than one miasm in the same person?

In Organon § 206, Hahnemann recognizes this

possibility: “…the physician ….. has always, or

almost always, to treat a syphilitic affection

accompanied mostly by (complicated with) psora …

At times, both miasms may be complicated also with

sycosis in chronically diseased organisms…”

Chronic Diseases §169: “But if the patient was

at the same time affected with another chronic

ailment, as is usual after the violent treatment of fig-

warts by allopathic physicians, then we often find

developed psora complicated with sycosis, when the

psora, as if often the case, was latent before the

patient. At times, when a badly treated case of

venereal chancre disease had preceded, both these

miasmmata are conjoined in a threefold

complication with syphilis.”

On the successive treatment of miasms: §169:

“Then it is necessary first to come to the assistance

of the most afflicted part, the psora, with the specific

anti-psoric remedies given below, and then to make

use of the remedies for sycosis, before the proper

dose of the best preparation of mercury, as will be

described below, is given against the syphilis; the

same alternating treatment may be continued, until a

complete cure is effected. Only, each one of these

three kinds of medicine must be given the proper

time to complete its action.”

He continues this thought in §180: Ä repetition

of a similar process of cure is here required, i.e., first

another application of one or more of the anti-psoric

remedies that have not yet been used, and which are

homœopathicaly the most appropriate, until non-

syphilitic symptoms, i.e. psoric, may disappear,

when the before mentioned dose of the mercurial

remedy, but in another potency, should be given

again and allowed to complete its action, until the

manifest venereal symptoms (the pricking painful

ulcer of the tonsils, the round copper-colored spots

tat shimmer through the epidermis, the eruptive

pimples which do not itch and are found chiefly in

the face upon a bluish-red foundation, the painless,

cutaneous ulcers on the scalp and the penis, which

are smooth, pale, clean, merely covered with mucus,

and almost level with the healthy skin, etc., and the

boring, nightly pains in the exostoses) have entirely

passed away.”

As to whether there is one remedy for life or

several remedies, Hahnemann writes in Chronic

Diseases §179, “When this medicine has completed

its action, also probably a second, most suitable to

the still prominent psora symptoms, and these should

be allowed to act against the psora, until they have

effected all that can be at present done against it-then

should be given the dose above described of the best

mercurial preparation to act against the venereal

disease for three, five to seven weeks, i.e., so long as

it will continue to produce an improvement in the

venereal symptoms.”

On the three-fold complication Psora-Sycosis-

Syphilis, Chonic Diseases §181: “I have, in my

practice, found only two cases of the three chronic

miasms, the fig-wart disease with the venereal

chancre miasm and at the same time a developed

psora, and these cases were cured according to the

same method, i.e., the psora was treated first, then

the one of the other two chronic miasmata, the

symptoms of which were at the time the most

prominent, and then the last one. The remaining

psoric symptoms had then still to be combated with

suitable remedies, and then lastly what there yet

remained of sycosis of syphilis, by means of the

remedies given above.”

On the need for a succussion of remedies in a

psoric patient, Chronic Disease § 190: “The cure of

an old psora that has been deprived of its eruption,

whether it may be latent and quiescent, or already

broken out into chronic diseases, can never be

accomplished with Sulphur alone, nor with Sulphur

baths either natural or artificial.

Here I may mention the curious circumstance

that in general-with the exception of the recent itch-

disease still attended with its unrepressed cutaneous

eruption, and which is so easily cured from within

every other psoric diathesis; i.e., the psora that is still

latent within, as well as the psora that has developed

into one of the innumerable chronic diseases

springing from it, is very seldom cured by any single

anti-psoric remedy, but requires the use of several of

these remedies-in the worst cases the use of quite a

number of them-one after the other, for its perfect

cure.”

He repeats this idea in Organon §171: “In non-

venereal chronic diseases, those most commonly,

therefore, that arise from psora, we often require, in

order to effect a cure, to give several antipsoric

remedies in succussion, every successive one being

homœopathically chosen in consonance with the

group of symptoms remaining after the expiry of the

action of the previous remedy.”

References:

1. Galassi, R and Ortega, PS. The Mental

Symptoms in Homeopathy, Padova (Salus

Infirmorum), 2012 (in Spanish).

====================================

28. Homœopathy in the 1918 Influenza pandemic

JAHN, Stefanie (AJHM. 108, 4/2015)

Spanish Influenza and its Treatment by

Homœopaths Worldwide*

The “Spanish flu” was globally present from

1918 through the 1920s, coming and going in waves.

Its virulent peak took place in the fall and winter of

1918, during which time the disease caused the most

fatalities. With an estimated number of 27 to 50

million deaths, the pandemic killed more people than

World War I, which had just ended. People between

the ages of 20 and 40 represented the largest number

of fatalities, among them many pregnant women and

women in childbirth.

Fulminant pneumonia, pulmonary edema and

septicemia were frequent, and the influenza virus

had not yet been identified. The conventional

medical approach was symptomatic. Many methods

were applied, even those already proven useless or

even harmful. Doctors injected liquid silver,

platinum, colorants and turpentine oil. Quinine

derivatives were used against pyrexia. Alcohol,

caffeine, camphor oil, digitalis and strophanthus

were used to strengthen the heart. In order to

stimulate the immune system, medical practitioners

injected protein parenterally and vaccinated

influenza victims with their own (altered) body

secretions.

Nevertheless, conventional doctors sometimes

used natural remedies and warned patients to be

cautious when taking common medications.

Particularly in countries with few doctors, people

often reverted to traditional medical practices. The

homœopathic way of treating influenza during this

pandemic will be shown using the examples of a few

countries.

Germany

In Germany, the homœopathic movement

during the time of the Spanish flu was comparatively

large. There were some homœopathic doctors in

private practice as well as a few homœopathic

hospitals. It may also be assumed that many laymen

treated patients in this way. In addition to the

preventative and curative homœopathic remedies –

Aconitum napellus, Arsenicum album, Bryonia alba,

Eucalyptus, Camphor and Rhus toxicodendron –

homœopathic physicians also valued supplementary

therapeutic practices such as measures of hygiene,

bed rest, phytotherapy, special diets and hot or cold

compresses. Fever was to be tolerated, not

repressed. The most commonly-mentioned remedy

in Germany for treating the Spanish flu, according to

a Layer (1918), Zur Behandlung der ,Spanischen

Grippe; Layer (1918), Nochmals die Spanische

Grippe; Layer (1919).

the evaluated sources was Bryonia alba, followed by

Gelsemium sempervirens, Aconitum napellus,

Phosphorus and Belladonna. Eupatorium

perfoliatum was listed less frequently and

Influenzinum only once.

Altogether, there were approximately 100

homœopathic remedies listed for 46 indications.

Among these were so-called “polychrests”as well as

rarely given remedies. Along with typical fever

(Aconitum napellus, Belladonna) and cough

remedies (Phosphorus, Antimonium tartaricum),

Bryonia alba and Gelsemium sempervirens were

also mentioned. In many parts of the world these

remedies were referred to as epidemic remedies.

Thus the Genus epidemicus played a role in treating

the influenza pandemic in Germany.

Complicating matters, the “shape” of the

disease appearently changed during the pandemic

and consequently so did the epidemic remedies

themselves, sometimes within weeks. So it was that

Layer declared Iodum an epidemic remedy in

September/October 1918, where by

November/December it had changed to Ferrum

phosphoricum and Coccus cacti, and as of late

December, Aconitum napellus, Kalium iodatum and

Bryonia alba.a

Only a few German homœopaths named a

Genus epidemicus. In professional journals there

was no noticeable discussion of it. Possibly due to

the heterogeneity of the pandemic, homœopaths

often followed the Law of Similars and treated

according to individual symptoms. Occasionally

they used organ-related remedies. There was no

central reference which the majority of German

homœopaths could use as an orientation. Details on

potency were sparse. The applications ranged from

mother tinctures to X and C potencies, with X

potencies being preeminent. Occasionally, the

remedies and mother tinctures were injected. At

times homœopathic physicians prescribed their

remedies in alternating fashion or as a standardized

sequence.

Homœopaths often criticized conventional

influenza treatment, categorizing it as more

dangerous than the disease itself, due to its unwanted

side effects. During the pandemic, German

homœopaths treated both ambulatory and bed-bound

patients and reported on the success of treatment,

albeit imprecisely. Concrete figures are rare and at

best include only the number of treatments, with out

specifying the administered remedies,

accompanying measures, complications, cases of

death, outcome, etc. the sparse data show that in

relation to the overall morbidity rate, patients treated

by homœopaths represented a comparatively small

number of the total treated patients.

Switzerland

Although there was a homœopathic hospital in

Basel during World War I, there were no published

reports on local treatment. The journal Sauters

Annalen für Gesundheitspflege,b which dealt with

Homœopathy and natural medicine, recommended

the administration of Aconitum napellus for fever in

connection with the pandemic.c A vicar in Basel

named Johannes Müller published a pamphlet

recommending Aconitum napellus, Antimonium

tartaricum and Phosphorus for influenza and

pneumonia. His writings were accepted by the

public health department in Basel and also published

in the German Wuerttemberg.d

Additional insight concerning homœopathic

treatment of the Spanish flu was supplied by Antoine

Nebel. As a homœopath and bacteriologist, he

created the remedy Influenzinum hispanicum by

using various substances. It was primarily used in

the French-speaking area and supposedly worked

both preventively and curatively. Even though its

use was widespread, it was not the only remedy

utilized. At the beginning of the pandemic Nebel

used Eupatorium purpureum for about two weeks,

followed by Eupatorium perfoliatum for about for

sometime thereafter. Towards winter, he saw

symptoms calling for Tartarus stibiatus. In late

1918 and early 1919, according to Nebel, Rhus

toxicodendron was the remedy of choice.e

Altogether, the literature mentions eleven remedies

for seven indications. Information on potency

existed only from Müller, who recommended C3.

In addition to the use of homœopathic remedies,

both Imfeld and Nebel recommended naturopathic

and hygienic measures. They gave advice on

nutrition, lifestyle and phytotherapy for certain

symptoms. While Nebel was against the regular use

of laxatives, diuretics and diaphoretic medication

and warned of unwanted side effects, Imfeld advised

aspirin, antipyrine, pyramidon, chinin and laxatives.

In all, classic homœopathic fever and cough

remedies were used primarily in the German-speakig

regions, while the isopathic Influenzinum was

b Sauters annals for healthcare.

c Imfeld (1918), Die Spanische Grippe.

d Witte (2006).

e Nebel (1934).

dominant in the Francophone part of Switzerland.

No single approach or remedy was utilized across

the whole of Switzerland. According to statements,

Nebel with his Influenzinum hispanicum, succeeded

in finding an effective remedy which saved

“thousands of lives.” However, there is no concrete

evidence to support this claim, only reference to the

“testimonials of [contemporary] homœopaths.”f

France

Homœopathic physicians treated influenza

patients, including those with complications, in both

the Saint Jacques Hospital and the Hahnemann

Hospital in Paris.g Ambulant cases were also likely.

In the Frenopathicch literature reviewed there were

86 homœopathic remedies listed for 14 indications,

alongwith the authors’therapeutic guidelines and

retrospective comments. The remedy most

frequently mentioned—both for treating and

preventing contagion—was Baptisia tinctoria,

followed by Aconitum napellus, Bryonia alba,

Eupatorium perfoliatum, Phosphorus, Gelsemium

sempervirens, Spongia tosta, Calcarea carbonicum,

Arsenicum album, Rhus toxicodendron and

Influenzinum. According to Dano, Tuberculinum

and Psorinum proved useful in treating certain types

of influenza.h Years after the pandemic, Fortier-

Bernoville announced that Eupatorium perfoliatum

had been the Genus epidemicus for Europe.i

Statements for potency were sparse (C30, C200 and

mother tinctures).

Various approaches were used for ascertaining

the appropriate remedy, including the traditional

single remedy method guided by the Law of

Similars, the use of nosodes, the use of a

combination of different remedies and an approach

related to the Genus epidemicus. The use of

isopathic remedies was a French speciality, specially

the nosode Influenzicum. As in other countries,

French homœopathic physicians also made use of

other therapeutic measures in addition to

Homœopathy. Naturopathy, hygiene, essential oils

and cupping played a role. For immunization, they

occasionally injected patients with the patient’s own

blood and recommended taking in diluted

expectorants. Conventional medications were more

likely refused. However, explicit criticism do not

appear.

Precise figures from France concerning the

homœopathic treatment of Spanish flu were not

f Nebel/Morales Prado (2006), p.21.

g Chiron (1920); Chiron (1924); Planton (1924).

h Dano (1934).

i Fortier-Bernoville (1934 ND 1981).

found by this author. Nevertheless, there are reports

of successful treatments. According to his own

statement, Planton, for example, treated

“numerous”infuenza patients in Saint-Jacques-

Hospital in December 1923 and January 1924. All

were discharged “in full health” and without

complications.j Numbers of treatments were only

rarely claimed. They remain imprecise and non-

systematic.

Spain

At the time of the Spanish flu there existed

homœopathic institutions in Spain—hospitals,

polyclinics and outpatient clinics, primarily in

Madrid and Barcelona. The Spanish professional

literature mentions 59 homœopathic remedies for 38

indications in connection with the pandemic.

Bryonia alba is foremost, followed by Eupatorium

perfoliatum and Arsenicum album, Gelsemium

sempervirens, Belladonna and Rhus toxicodendron,

as well as Nux vomica, Aconitum napellus and

Phosphorus. Bryonia alba and Eupatorium

perfoliatum were also considered preventative.

Predominant potencies ranged from C1 to C30.

From time to time, extractions and mother tinctures

were utilized. Occasionally, the remedies were

prescribed alternatingly or as a standard combination

(e.g., Bryonia alba and Aconitum napellus). A few

remedies found more frequent application in

accordance with the theory of Genus epidemicus.

Due to the large number of different remedies used

it may be assumed that they were prescribed

individually – related to specific symptoms. There

was no homogeneous approach.

Homœopathic physicians in Spain also

recommended additional therapeutic measures

concerning diet, lifestyle (bedrest, avoiding

hypothermia) and hygiene. Nasal and oral cavities

were to be sprinkled with disinfectant solutions.

Conventional drugs and sera were refused and

criticized for their unwanted side effects.

In November 1918, the homœopathic physician

Savall claimed to have cared for “between one

hundred and one hundred-and-fifty invalids for the

past three weeks.” Most patients overcame the

influenza without complications and with a “fast

reconvalescence and total recovery.” During this

period he only witnessed one case of death among

the 46 cases of bronchopneumonia he treated.k

Savall supposedly worked for the Hospital Hom

œopata del Nino Dios in Barcelona. His successful

results, although not an accurate statistical survey,

j Planton (1924), p. 85-86.

k Savall (1918), p.353.

were indirectly confirmed by homœopathic

physician Moragas two years later. Homœopaths,

according to Moragas, inspired by the positive

results of their treatment during the pandemic,

attempted to form an alliance with the orthodox

medical community – largely without success.l

Netherlands

During the time of the Spanish flu the Dutch

homœopaths had hospitals, out-patient clinics and

practices where the pandemic’s patients were

presumably treated. Bryonia alba was the remedy

most commonly mentioned in relation to the flu,

followed by Arsenicum album, Phosphorus,

Gelsemium sempervirens, Rhus toxicodendron,

Aconitum napellus, Belladonna, Baptisia tinctoria

and Ipecacuanha. Aconitum and Phosphorus were

used prophylactically to prevent pneumonia.

Altogether, there were 31 homœopathic remedies

mentioned for eleven indications. J Voorhœve

counted Gelsemium, Phosphorus and Natrum

nitricum as epidemic remedies.m Furthermore,

Arsenicum, Bryonia and Rhus toxicodendron were

often used for multiple indications; so they too

should be included in the group of epidemic

remedies. One-fourth of all remedies were named

only once or twice.

Treatment based on the Law of Similarity—for

individual patients and their symptoms—was likely

to have been used here. At times, the remedies were

given alternately or consecutively in sequence.

Various X potencies (1 through 12) were used as

well as Avena sativa in tincture form. As in other

countries, the Dutch homœopaths recommended

accompanying therapeutic measures, essentially

focused on lifestyle, nutrition, naturopathy and

hygiene. Conventional drugs—primarily antipyretic

medication—were criticized but without emphasis.

The homœopathic physicians J.N. Voorhœve

and D.K. Munting undertook an important statistical

survey. They sent questionnaires to all then-

practicing colleagues in the Netherlands, asking the

total number of influenza and pneumonia patients

treated, the number of deaths due to influenza as well

as Pneumonia, cases of sepsis, empyema and other

complications. Almost half of the questioned

homœopaths, 14 out of 31, answered the questions

completely. The evaluation revealed an average of

700 patients treated (9747 total) and 3.5 deaths per

doctor (50-51 total). Even though the overall

mortality rate seems low (about 0.5%), the estimated

mortality rate from pneumonia was high, with 38 to

l Morgas (1920).

m Voorhœve J. (1920)

39 out of 434 cases (about 9%). The reported

mortality rate for empyema was zero. Voorhœve

considered this too low. Here the problem of

diagnostic procedures becomes evident, which in

those times of limited diagnostic means, often relied

on individual estimations.

The case was similar with the reported cases of

sepsis. The 14 colleagues who responded

completely reported the number of sepsis cases as

0.27 to 0.28% of total influenza cases. Out of a total

of 29 cases about twelve patients died, which adds

up to a mortality rate of almost 45%. Regarding this,

Voorhœve wondered if this figure was not “more or

less sugarcoated”and if all colleagues actually

understood “the diagnosis ‘septic influenza’as the

same thing.” It seemed conspicuous that most

colleagues noted only one or two cases of sepsis with

a mortality rate of 87 percent, whereas three

colleagues reported a high number of cases of sepsis,

yet with a low mortality rate of only 22 percent (7

out of 22 patients). According to Voorhœve, the

“only case of a true influenza sepsis” he himself saw

was so strong that he could hardly imagine it

possible “to fight this course medicinally.”n

The total number of patients treated by

homœopaths was rather low. It is not possible to

verify in what stage of the disease they were treated.

The physicians questioned were general

practitioners, some probably working at the

homœopathic hospital in Oudenrijn. Reportedly,

there was often no time for exact documentation—

many physicians responded from memory.

Voorhœves statement on (supposed) sepsis is a clue

that some cases were possibly presented as more

severe and with more complications than was

actually the case. Furthermore, some information on

the asserted success of homœopathic treatment of

pneumonia was inconsistent. While Voorhœve

stated extraordinary success in this early in the year

of 1919, the opposite appears in the statistical

evaluation in spring 1919 when a mortality rate for

pneumonia of nearly 9 percent was shown.

Therefore it can be assumed pneumonias took a

severe course in spite of homœopathic treatment.

Thus, extraordinary success with this treatment

compared to conventional treatment for severe and

complicated cases of the pandemic cannot be

confirmed. Nevertheless, Voorhœve considered that

the calculated positive result of 3.5 deaths per

homœopath with a total number of 700 patients was

n Voorhœve J.N. (1919), De Enquete omtrent de

Griep-epidemic, p.69.

not to be expected of all Dutch doctors, because there

must have been more influenza victims throughout

the country. This implies that fewer people died

under treatment by homœopaths than under

conventional therapy. According to this calculation,

a more successful treatment by homœopaths by

comparison with regular physicians in less severe

courses of the disease could be assumed.

Sweden

At the time of the influenza pandemic,

Homœopathy was practiced by medical as well as

lay practitioners in Sweden. There were only a few

homœopathic doctors throughout the country and no

homœopathic clinics. In contrast to many other

countries, the Genus epidemicus was highly

regarded and utilized in Swedish Homœopathy. In

journals, practitioners recommended that laymen

apply an epidemicum. With Rhus toxicodendron,

Bryonia alba, Belladonna, Aconitum napellus,

Ipecacuanha and Eupatorium perfoliatum they

named six epidemic remedies. In 1922, the Swedish

Assocation of Scientific Homœopathy declared

“massive demand” for Eupatorium perfoliatum as

an epidemicum, as recommended by the lay

practitioner Klara Fransén.o Phosphorus and

Arsenicum album, China, Arsenicum iodatum,

Antimonium tartaricum and Nux vomica were also

often given. Other homœopathic remedies were

only mentioned once or twice. For 21 indications—

sometimes similar to one another—the literature

mentions 30 homœopathic remedies. Gelsemium

sempervirens, often included among epidemic

remedies in other countries, was seldom utilized in

Sweden. Solitary individual symptoms were

commonly treated with remedies from the group of

epidemics. The law of similarity was not

emphasized. When restricted to one remedy, Rhus

toxicodendron was the choice. However,

occasionally certain homœopathics were given

alternately. In many cases Rhus toxicodendron

followed by Aconitum were used preventively. In

general, prevention was important in Swedish

Homœopathy. Only a few homœopaths commented

on potencies. Whereas Sjœgren used various D-

potencies, Klara Fransén preferred C200. She

recommended C6, 12 and 30 to laymen for self

treatment. Like colleagues in other countries, the

Swedish homœopaths proposed additional

therapeutic measures regarding hygiene,

naturopathy, special diet and bed rest. Even

o Styrelsen för Sv. Föreningen för Vetenskapling

Homeopati (1922).

bloodletting was mentioned. Often the homœopaths

considered conventional medication responsible for

the high mortality rate during the pandemic.

The Swedish homœopaths—next to the U.S.-

Americans—compiled the most numerous and

detailed statistics concerning the homœopathic

treatment of Spanish flu. The results were cited in

support of Homœopathy’s reputation. The reported

outcomes were positive without exception; many

however remained vague. According to Klara

Fransén, the greatest victory of Homœopathy was

“undoubtably the brilliant results homœopaths

throughout the country [achieved] in fighting the

Spanish Disease.” Fransén reported she herself

received notice from several manors with 40 to 60

cases, stating that all had been cured by her “life

elixir.” There were no cases of death.p With these

remedies “thousands [were] saved from certain

death, as the statistics confirm.”q

The “Hemläkaren” reported in February of 1919

that “during the current epidemic of the Spanish

Disease … Homœopathy (had) maintained its

position as a superb healing method […] quickly and

without after-effects”. Homœopathic physicians had

“treated hundreds or thousands of cases with only

solitary or no fatalities”.s In April of 1919 the

homœopathic Physicians Sjögren declared that

“recently homœopathic doctors [had treated] ten

thousand cases …. With a death rate far below that

of other treatment methods”.t The negligent dealing

with data is obvious. An exception is Sjögren’s

survey reporting that among 805 patients there had

been “two to three cases of death,” and among 47

cases of pneumonia “four to five” patients had died.u

Sjögren’s survey is probably a meaningful

evaluation that could point out the effective use of

homœopathic treatment and the Genus epidemicus

during a pandemic.

A comparison between homœopathic and

conventional treatment results was made by

Helleday. In 1920 he compared the results of the

“predominant school” to those of five homœopathic

physicians.v

Great Britain

In Great Britain, at the time of the “Spanish flu,”

pandemic patients with severe courses and

complications were treated in several homœopathic

p. Fransén (1919), p.22.

q Fern. (1920), p.6.

r With this announcement Fransén advertised in

several newspapers in Stockholm fort he

therapeutic application of Bryonia and Rhus

toxicodendron. No name (1918), Inkonsekvens.

hospitals. All in all, the country was in a leading

position for homœopathic therapy and research. The

patients were treated primarily according to the Law

of Similars individually, according to their

respective symptoms. Some remedies were more

frequently prescribed, but for differing indications—

an approach similar to the Genus epidemicus

method, even though this phrase was not explicitly

mentioned. For a total of 21 indications 54 remedies

were mentioned. Baptisia tinctoria was most

commonly named, followed by Arsenicum album,

Phosphorus, Gelsemium and Bryonia.

Baptisia had already been used in many

countries as the leading remedy during the flu

pandemic of 1889/90. Similarly, it was widely

utilized at the onset of the 1918/19 pandemic.

However, it was soon replaced by other remedies,

presumably due to lack of efficacy. British

homœopathic physicians gave Baptisia mainly in

serious cases with septic components, along with

Pyrogenium, Mercurius solubilis and Lachesis

muta. Eupatorium perfoliatum (e.g., France) and

Rhus toxicodendron (Sweden), which were

sometimes used in other countries, were barely

mentioned in Great Britain. Various “C” potencies

were applied and, more seldomly, “D” potencies.

Recommendations for homœopathic prophylaxis

were different and ranged from Baptisia, Arsenicum

and Influenzinum to Ferrum phosphoricum, Natrium

sulphuricum and Iris versicolor.

In addition to the use of homœopathic remedies,

homœopaths regularly recommended additional

therapeutic means. There were instructions on diet

and lifestyle, as well as attempts at vaccination with

homœopathically-prepared substances as a

prevention and to increase immunity. Bloodletting

was also mentioned. The proximity to science and

research is reflected in the British homœopathic

journals. There were regularly printings of and

comments on articles from the Lancet. Nevertheless,

adverse effects of regular medications as well as the

abuse of aspirin were criticized.

A study that suggests similar conclusions to

those from the Netherlands and the United States

come from Great Britain. This study also showed

that homœopathic remedies mostly failed in severe

cases. The successes that were achieved particularly

s No Name (1919), Prenumerationsanmälan, p.1.

t Sjögren (1919), llmänna behandlingsgrunder,

p.33.

u Sjögren (1919), p.100.

v Helleday (1920), p.90; Helleday (1922).

with outpatients were overshadowed by the adverse

outcomes of the critical cases and therapeutic

failures. In February 1920 Hall-Smith, a physician

at the London Homœopathic Hospital (LHH),

reported on the results of their treatment of

pneumonia during the Spanish flu. His analysis was

based on medical files from October 1, 1918 to May

15, 1919. During that time, 58 pneumonia patients

were admitted to the LHH. 22(38%) of them died.

Of the 22 fatalities, 12 died within 48 hours after

admittance, three patients died within 15 to 24 hours.

Hall-Smith assumed that these patients were already

succumbing to the illness, and the homœopathic

treatment could hardly be expected to be effective.

But even without these cases, the study showed 19

deaths in 55 cases or a death rate of 34.5%.

According to Hall-Smith, 26 patients exhibited

septic symptoms like cyanosis, delirium and coma.

In addition to many cases that showed improvement

after the administration of homœpathic remedies,

Hall-Smith regretted that “in many of the worst cases

the drugs administered had no appreciable effect,”

even when they seemed indicated. In cases of sepsis,

Hall-Smith recommended the use of stronger-acting

remedies linked to blood poisoning. He named

Baptisia tinctoria, Arsenicum album, Sulphur,

Pyrogenium and snake poisons. However, these also

often failed.w

In contrast to the positive outcomes frequently

described in outpatient therapy—probably

associated with early initiation of treatment—less

convincing results were reported in cases of severe

disease. Of course, this observation was only

possible due to the existence of homœopathic

hospitals in which British homœopathic physicians

could treat critical cases. Also, an emphasis was

placed on evaluations of these treatments, which

were probably not gladly, but nevertheless honestly,

discussed.

India

At the time of the Spanish flu, homœopathic

clinics and practices existed in India, where

presumably victims of the flu were treated.

Aditionally, homœopathic physicians were

employed by the civil service, which treated persons

who came down with the disease.x Nevertheless,

there are only a few articles about the pandemic flu

and its homœopathic therapy. These sources

indicate treatment with Tuberculinum.y Other

remedies were mentioned only once and were

w Hall-Smith (1920), p.128.

x Chatterjee (1920-21).

y Hossain (1920-21); Ghose (1923).

presumably chosen on the basis of the corresponding

symptoms. Altogether, treatment according to the

Law of Similarity may be assumed.

Information on potency was not available.

However, information on primary and secondary

preventative measures such as gargling, nasal

douches, lifestyle and hygiene does exist. Except for

a letter from the homœopath Majumdar to his British

colleague Burford, there were no statements about

results of treatment in the sources examined: “We

are just now having a very severe and widespread

epidemic of influenza passing over the whole

country.” Majumdar was “glad and proud to be able

to state that here again Homœopathy is winning its

laurels.” He himself came down with a severe attack

of influenza, presumably from exposure to the very

sick patients he was treating in the hospital and his

private practice. Nevertheless, he stated, “We have

made many remarkable cures.”z Thus, with Indian

homœopaths we again see claimed success with their

treatment of pandemic influenza, though proof of

this was not found.

Mexico

The physician and homœopath Manual Mazari

wrote his dissertation on the outbreak of the

“Spanish Influenza” in Mexico City and its

homœopathic treatment. Nine outpatient clinics

were set up in the city to treat flu patients. At this

time Mazari was head of the city department of

statistics. On the one hand he evaluated data on the

epidemic, and on the other hand he documented the

use of homœopathic remedies. His statistics deal

primarily with morbidity and mortality in the year

1918 through January 1919 in Mexico City. The

largest number of deaths from the pandemic

occurred in November 1918. He additionally

analyzed epidemiological data like age and sex of

patients, causes of death/complications, plus types of

the plague. Mazari did not evaluate the value and

efficacy of homœopathic treatment nor compare it

with conventional method.aa

Brazil

In Brazil there was a wide and varied

homœopathic infrastructure from 1918 to 1921. In

some hospitals, outpatient clinics and private

practices homœopathic patitents were treated free of

charge. It may be assumed that victims of the

pandemic sought help. However, there are no such

records to be found. A clue to the Genus epidemicus

is to be found in the writings of Dr. Fortier-

z Majumdar (1919), p.73

aa Mazari (1919).

Bernoville in 1934. According to this, Gelsemium

sempervirens was the main homœopathic remedy for

the treatment of Spanish flu in Brazil.ab Hence, it

may be assumed that there was some professional

discussion about homœopathic treatment of the

pandemic and the Genus epidemicus.

USA

At the time of the Spanish flu the United States

played a leading role in homœopathic medicine. The

greatest number of homœopathic physicians,

associations, hospitals and colleges were located

here. As in Great Britain and Germany,

homœopathic clinics utilized therapies in addition to

Homœopathy.

During the pandemic the homœopathic

remedies were often applied according to individual

symptoms. For 36 indications about 100 remedies

were mentioned in the literature examined. Some of

them were mentioned especially frequently and

largely coincide with the stated epidemic remedies

such as Gelsemium, Bryonia, Rhus toxicodendron,

Veratrum viride, Lachesis, Ferrum phosphoricum,

Eupatorium perfoliatum, Arsenicum album,

Phosphorus and Aconitum. In connection with

nerve involvement Belladonna was frequently

prescribed. For pneumonia, in addition to the usual

epidemic remedies, Veratrum viride and

Antimonium tartaricum were particularly used.

Other severe pathologies like cyanosis and sepsis

were treated especially with Arsenicum album,

Lachesis, Crotalus and Naja. A few statements

suggest that the effects were disappointing.

Influenzinum, applied in Mexico City, France

and other places found less mention in the USA. A

few physicians declared Cuprum or Zinkum as the

main epidemic remedies. Like in Great Britain,

France and Mexico, Baptisia was also cited, known

to many as the Genus epidemicus during the

influenza pandemic of 1889/90. Apparently it was

not really effective for the Spanish flu, so it was

replaced by other remedies in the process. As in

Sweden, treatment according to the Genus

epidemicus was of great significance in the U.S.

approach to flu. Similary, during a new outbreak of

the flu in 1922, other remedies were predominantly

used. In addition to Arsenicum iodatum, Bacillinum,

Tuberculinum, Cuprum with Curare, Quillaya,

Sinapsis nigra and Variolinum homœopaths now

ab Fortier-Bernoville (1934 ND 1981).

ac No Name (1922), Influenza Bulletin.

ad No Name (1922), Influenza: A favorable

Mortality and Publicity – Discussion, p. 593.

favored widely unknown remedies as epidemic

cures.ac

Quite often a change of remedy was justified

with a modified Genus epidemicus. Altogether the

homœopathic physicians acted differently in finding

their choice of remedy. The law of similarity, the

corresponding constitutional remedy, a nosode or

miasmatic remedy were mentioned. Occasionally

they prescribed three to four homœopathic remedies

simultaneously, out of concern that one alone would

not be sufficient for all symptoms. Mainly under

time pressure, others treated patients according to a

set scheme and administered a standardized

sequence of remedies. Broadly viewed, there seems

to be no regular concept; rather, everyone acted

according to his own convictions.

Wilms claimed “that it didn’t make much

difference which drugs were utilized – the results

were practically the same.” He evaluated 110 clinic

cases where Rhus toxicodendron, Hepar sulphuris,

Gelsemium and others were regularly used.ad The

applied potency was equally irregular. Approaches

varied from different D and C potencies to 1M, 40M

and CM. According to experiments, different

potencies generated different effects—so that one

remedy was supposedly effective in a certain

potency, while it was of almost no effect in another.ae

Mother tinctures, subcutaneous injections and

inhalations were used as well. Like elsewhere, the

American homœopathic physicians recommended

supplementary measures. These focused on

sufficient bed rest, diet, purgative and hygienic

procedures. Different opinions existed about the

wearing of face masks and quarantine. No small

number of the physicians ascribed great importance

to care and mental hygiene aspects to avoid fear.

Furthermore, the conducted immunization trials with

vaccines of the patient’s own body secretions.

In addition to homœopathic and naturopathic

substances, conventional medicines were regularly

prescribed—for example glucose, oxygen, morphine

and codeine. In severe cases of disease,

conventional drugs were occasionally used

exclusively. Concurrently, many homœopaths

expressed harsh criticism of conventional drugs,

citing their abuse and unwanted side effects. Here

the conflict between the so-called eclectic and purist

doctrine showed itself. As elsewhere in the world,

sources indicate that in a few areas elsewhere in the

ae No Name (1920), Symposium on Pneumonia,

Bureau of Clinical Medicine, 1919, p.819.

world, sources indicate that in a few areas of the

US—in private practice and during later waves of

the plague—treatment by homœopaths brought good

results. However, just as in all other countries

reviewed, this treatment was virtually never

exclusively homœopathic, but rather included the

above-named supportive measures. Furthermore, it

should be obvious that just the avoidance of

occasionally harmful conventional medicines

presumably brought positive results. Of note in this

regard is aspirin, which particularly in the U.S. was

taken prophylactically and many times overdosed.

Some reports suggest the conclusion that the

treatment by homœopaths prevented an outbreak of

the disease in an individual or alleviated its severity.

The sooner the treatment was begun, the seemingly

better was the success of therapy. It must also be

noted that a lot of the records were vague and of

questionable quality. Nonetheless, there were more

precise examinations with positive results.af

However, it is clear—also due to the existence

of homœopathic clinics—that as in the Netherlands

and Great Britain, homœopathic treatment alone for

severe cases was not satisfying or even failed in

severe cases. Railey, a physician with a private

practice and hospital duties, stated that the difference

between outpatients and inpatients was like “Dr.

Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”ag Nevertheless, even at the

beginning of the pandemic sometimes expectations

claimed by homœopathic methods were

exaggerated. The continuity and survival of

Homœopathy in itself was at stake—an aspect which

should not be underestimated in evaluating the

claims of its success. Homœopathy was threatened

in its very existence at that time, and not only in the

U.S.

Even Rabe criticized the reports of success—

they were to be taken with a grain of salt and were

derived from hearsay. There were “no reliable

statistics of series of cases, treated

homœopathically.” Furthermore, “so many of our

physicians [were] so extremely liberal in their

therapeutics,”that the analyses as evidence of the

superiority of Homœopathy, are absolutely

worthless.”ah Rabe alludes here to the occasionally

extreme inconsistency of therapy applied by

homœopaths.

af Vgl. Blackshaw (1918); Ohne Namen (1918),

Present Status of the Influenza Epidemic; Calhoun

(1919); Ohne Namen (1919), Influenza: A

favorable Mortality and Publicity – Discussion;

Stearns (1919); White und Douglas (1919);

In Williams’work the difficulties in getting

statistics were obvious. Indeed there were satisfying

results of therapy, but the data “lacked accuracy.” To

his requests, Williams had received responses such

as, “I treated about so many cases with so many

deaths, [with] no mention made on the exact number

of cases or of the frequency of pneumonia, a

definitive number of complications with their death

rate.” Because of this imprecision, Williams

abandoned his intention of compiling statistics using

the data supplied by his colleagues. He came to the

conclusion that it was not feasible to compile

“definite statistics for the purpose of comparison

with other methods of treatment “although he knew

of the “decidedly low death rate in both the disease

and its complications” under treatment by

homœopaths.

Bartlett commented likewise when he reported

on 223 pandemic cases from “Hahnemann

Hospital”in Philadelphia. While patients in his

private practice contracted bronchopneumonia more

rarely and less severely than those in hospitals and

recovered without further complications, “the real

tragedies” happened in hospitals. In “Hahnemann

Hospital,”the “mortality from the influenza

pneumonia was high, about 70 per cent.” In sum, the

homœopathic “treatment of the pneumonias [was] a

dark spot in therapy.” Many recommendations “have

not been satisfied” or were useless. “Noteworthy”

and without explanation”as well was the “fatality

[rate] among pregnant woman.” Their mortality in

Hahnemann Hospital was about 80 percent. The

alarmingly high rate of death, presumably due to

pulmonary edema and sepsis, was rarely so

transparently identified by other homœopaths.

However, Bartlett tended to gloss over the situation

and concluded that the results of others were even

worse.aj

Hinsdale also maintained that öur Homœopathy

record is not particularly a piece of work of which to

be proud, although somebody else did considerably

worse. At the best it is only a negative consolation

that we derive from comparison… The onset of

pneumonia was so shocking and so rapid in its

progress that it was fatal to make a wrong

prescription.” How effective were Lachesis,

Crotalus, Naja, Carbo vegetabilis, Nitricum acidum

Bœricke (1920); Green (1920); Woodbury (1921);

Ohne Namen (1922), Miscellaneous Notes.

ag Wells (1922), p.548.

ah Rabe (1919), p.131.

aj Bartlett (1919), p.741, 743-744

and other measures, “when the sufferer grew

cyanotic, the blood thin, dark and non-coagulable,

or, in other words, when the pneumonia was black

and of the streptococcus kind?” Hinsdale stated that

if one homœopath treated 300 cases of influenza

without a death and another had 27 deaths in 185

cases, this explained nothing about “whether the

influenza was simple or complicated.”ak

There are more indications of a higher mortality

rate than is commonly stated. One example is the

data of the public San Francisco Hospital.al And

Clement reported on 632 patients of Haynes

Memorial Hospital in Boston, of which 264 had

pneumonia. Many “were neglected cases, patients

filled up with aspirin, codeine, morphine and

digitalis.” The mortality rate in Haynes Memorial

was 20%. “The mortality rate in septic pneumonia

was 44 per cent”; that of pregnant woman, about 46

per cent. Regardless of these high figures, the Naval

Hospital evidently sent some “officers and men” to

Haynes Memorial as even more patients died in their

own hospital. Even “men in Government work

praised” the homœopathic hospital for its treatment

in influenza. It must be noted that not only

homœopathic but sometimes also conventional

medicines were used. Some patients received not

medications but merely “fresh air and liquid diet” as

“chief items.”am

Raynor and Murphy came to similar

conclusions. They analyzed the data of 280 patients

with influenza and pneumonia who were admitted to

Metropolitan Hospital in New York City (NYC)

between January and March 1920 and compared

these cases with those of NYC overall. According

to this study, if no complications arose, the results of

homœopathic treatment were better than with

conventional therapy. However, if there were

complications, the results were worse.an

An example of the presumed positive preventive

(and if started early, curative) effect of homœopathic

treatment is to be found in the account of Wieland.

At the time of the pandemic Wieland was the

company doctor in a business with 8,000 employees.

No one got aspirin or vaccine, rather Gelsemium and

bed rest were prescribed. Only one worker died.ao

Public Health Service physicians also treated

patients homœopathically at times. An impressive

example was the introduction of homœopathic

treatments in New Mexico which was of particular

ak Hinsdale (1920), p.297, 300

al Ward (1919)

am Clement (1920), p.157

an Raynor and Murphy (1920)

benefit to the indigenous population.ap It must be

noted that the virulence and fatal nature of influenza

differed at various times and locations. This

phenomenon could be an explanation for the

comparatively positive results in Pittsburgh

Homœopathic during an outbreak of influenza in

1920.aq

Discussion

In the context of recent influenza epidemics,

modern homœopaths sometimes cite the successful

homœopathic treatment of the Spanish flu and other

plagues and claim the advantages of homœopathic

over conventional medicine. They mostly reference

contemporary statements and data. However, the

methods of data collection are generally not

traceable, which precludes their critical

reproduction. The compilation of the data has to be

examined precisely, but many statements are

imprecise.

In the US, sometimes the data was generated by

questionnaire. In most cases there were few or no

criteria and controls. Some of the data was possibly

included multiple times; such as, when one and the

same respondent received multiple questionnaires or

responded more than once. Furthermore, some

homœopathic physicians stated that they were

so overworked during the pandemic that they did

not have enough time for documentation.

Accordingly they had to rely on subjective

memories. On the other hand, there were some

homœopaths who claimed they regularly had to

report their case numbers to the public health

authorities.

Also, it must be considered that homœopathic

treatment did not rely on a unitary concept. The

forms of treatment ranged from single homœopathic

doses to sequences of remedies and combinations

with naturopathic or conventional drugs.

Occasionally, homœopathic remedies were not

administered at all or even, in severe cases, replaced

by conventional medications. Nevertheless, there

were transnational overlaps with regard to the

remedies prescribed. Depending on

symptomatology, stage of disease and local

conditions, Bryonia alba, Gelsemium sempervirens,

Aconitum napellus, Phosphorus, Arsenicum album,

Eupatorium perfoliatum, Belladonna, Baptisia

tinctoria, Rhus toxicodendron and Influenzinum

were used most frequently worldwide.ar These

ao Wieland (1921)

ap Fisher (1921)

aq Johnston (1921)

ar According to the analized sources

medications can be designated as classical influenza,

cold, fever and cough remedies. Nevertheless, there

were occasionally distinct deviations, with rather

unfamiliar remedies coming into use.

In addition to homœopathic remedies,

homœopaths prescribed naturopathic therapies,

dietetic and hygienic measures and advised bed rest.

Apart from the effects of homœopathic remedies and

the accompanying measures, the simple avoidance

of certain doubtlessly harmful conventional

medications must be considered. The absence of

some regular drugs alone seemed to ensure a better

course of the disease.

Furthermore, the potentially more favorable

results of homœopathic treatment have to be

assessed with regard to the severity of the cases

treated. Statements in the historical record indicate

a striking difference in severity between the cases of

outpatients and inpatients. Some homœopathic

physicians, who practiced in hospitals and were

confronted with severe cases, were dissatisfied with

the inefficacy of homœopathic therapy and aghast at

the high death rate. A few surveys even showed

worse results than those of regular hospitals.

Additionally, the Spanish flu came in several waves,

with the most virulent occurrences in the fall/winter

of 1918. Before and after that period there were not

as many deaths due to the pandemic. Various

regions were also affected differently.

It seems likely that some homœopaths may have

felt pressure when confronted with the reputed

positive results of their colleagues. Hence it is

possible they felt compelled to deliver good results.

In the first third of the 20th century, Homœopathy

was experiencing a decline and was underpressure in

many countries. Potentially, many homœopaths

hoped to improve the general reputation of

Homœopathy with positive therapeutic results. The

situation was similar to what happened during the

cholera epidemics in the 1860s.

Estimates of mortality have to be considered in

various ways. Information about mortality under

conventional treatment do not exist and cannot be

generated in retrospect. Furthermore, there was no

standard conventional treatment approach; for

example, conventional physicians sometimes relied

on natural medicines. Nor can it be verified how

many patients of conventional doctors became

victims of the disease itself versus the treatments.

Also important is the fact that regular physicians

as http://www.scinexx.de/newsletter-wissen-aktuell-

17116-2014-01-22.html [Stand 01.02.2014, 12:36h]

treated considerably more patients than

homœopaths.

Even with these limitations, data about the

treatment of the Spanish flu by homœopaths remains

interesting. However, it may not be disregarded that

conventional medical treatment has developed

significantly since the 1918 pandemic; for example,

the treatment of superinfections with antibiotics, the

existence of respiratory machines in intensive care

units and the development of antiviral drugs. But

these resources are limited and not all human beings

around the world have access to them. Medications

can also have adverse side effects. Recent studies

point out that the antipyretic drugs used during the

pandemic of 1918/19 promoted its spread. The use

of then novel aspirin may have increased the severity

of the disease and increased its death rate.as

The experiences of homœopaths with the

Spanish flu and other pandemics are relevant. A

discussion of homœopathic therapy options and

corresponding research with regards to epidemics

and pandemics seem useful and desirable. The

results of current research from India and Cuba

indicate that Homœopathy can achieve remarkable

results in infectious diseases and epidemics. In both

countries the use of Homœopathy is supported and

evaluated by the government. Current outbreaks of

diseases which were formerly under control also

make a multi-and interdisciplinary approach appear

justifiable.

Also of potential importance is the idea of the

Genus epidemicus, which in considering both

individual and supra-individual aspects could allow

a fast and effective means of dealing with an

epidemic. The epidemicum, in theory, should be

effective in the prevention and cure of the disease, as

well as dealing with its sequelae. Because epidemics

and pandemics occur in various places and times in

different forms, the epidemic remedies needn’t be

the same per se. The fluctuation makes both finding

and evaluating an epidemic remedy sometimes

exceedingly difficult. In future epidemics and

pandemics and precise detection of the

symptomatology, the corresponding homœopathic

remedies and an evaluation of the treatment is

desirable. A prompt exchange and retrospective

analysis on a national and international level were

certainly never as easily achieved as today. For a

subsequent evaluation of the epidemicum’s

effectiveness, worldwide criteria should be

developed.

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====================================

CURING THE APPLE TREE

“I had cured a lady of a tiny tumor of the nose;

she was pleased and grateful, and subsequently

brought to me her niece, on whom the doctors were

about to operate for a small ovarian tumor; I cured

this tumor also, but it occupied two years or

thereabouts, and then aunt and niece both persuaded

a friend to come to me. How long did I think it

would take to cure her ovarian tumor? At least two

years. I prefer the operation said she; that will only

take six weeks. But it took less. She died under or

shortly after the operation… That same aunt and

niece persuaded a lady from Chatham to come to me

for a tumor of the breast; the lady’s husband

declined, as I thought it would take two years at the

very least. She was successfully operated on, and

thoroughly cured of her mammary tumor; nine

months later she was again thoroughly cured of

another tumor, by a perfectly successful operation; a

few months thereafter she was again successfully

operated on for another tumor, and just as she was

getting well—she died …cutting off the apple does

not cure an apple-tree of growing apples.”

-J.C. Burnett

Courteasy: The Faces of Homœopathy

--------------------------------------------------------------

PART III

(While Part II features articles from other journals, Part III contains the editor’s own contributions and