CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN

HOMEOPATHY

CONTINUING HOMEOPATHIC MEDICAL EDUCATION

SERVICES

QUARTERLY HOMEOPATHIC DIGEST

VOL. VIII, 1991

Lead me from Untruth to Truth

Lead me from Darkness to Light

Lead me from Death to Immortality

Adyaya I Brahmana 3 Mantra 28

(This service is only for private circulation. Part I of the journal lists the Current literature in

Homeopathy drawn from the well-known homeopathic journals published world-over -

India, England, Germany, France, Belgium, 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.)

Compilation, translation, publication by

Dr.K.S.Srinivasan,

1253, 66th Street,

Korattur,

Chennai - 600 080, India.

QUARTERLY HOMOE

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Year 1991, Vol.VIII

INDEX

S.No Topic Page. No.

1. QHD, Vol. VIII, 1, 1991 3

2. QHD, Vol. VIII, 2, 1991 25

3. QHD, Vol. VIII, 3, 1991 46

4. QHD, Vol. VIII, 4, 1991 83

QUARTERLY HOMOE

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PATHIC DIGEST

Year 1991, Vol.VIII

1. QHD,Vol. VIII, 1, 1991

PART I CURRENT LITERATURE LISTING

A list of current homoeopathic literature, subject-

wise is given below. The list includes original

contributions in th British, American, German, etc.

journals not readily accessible to every homeopath.

Some of the articles may appear in Part II in later

numbers of the Quarterly Homoeopathic DIGEST,

as abstract/summary/condensation/full, etc.

I. PHILOSOPHY

1. The eugenic cure in the homoeopathi

medicine (FAUST-ALBRECHT, H.

(AHZ, 235, 1/1990)

2. Hahnemann’s historical basis for the

origin of the Psora theory KLUNKER, W.

(ZKH, 34, 1/1990)

3. Homoeopathy and homoeostasis in the

vascular system –– Part 2, CROTTY,

Thomas P. (BHJ, Vol 79, 1/1990)

4. The strange case of the vanishing antibody

: the Nature controversy, LEE, Felicity

(The Homoeopath, Vol : 8, 1/1988)

5. Personal viewpoint : A meta-model of

homoeopathi philosophy for the

integration of apparent contradictions,

DAVIDSON, Robert (The Homoeopath,

Vol. 8, 1/1988)

6. Acute intercurrent disease, EIZAYAGA,

Francisco (The Homoeopath, Vol. 8,

1/1988)

7. Repetition of the dose LOGAN, Robin

(The Homoeopath, Vol. 8, 2/1988)

8. Dilemmas in prescribing –– The reason

we study the relationship of remedies and

how best to do this ROBERT, Ernst (The

Homoeopath, Vol. 8, 2/1988)

9. Homoeopathy and psychological problems

HOLLAND, L.K. (Homoeopathy, Vol. 40,

4/1990)

10. In defence of polypharmacy

MUKHERJEE, J. (JNIH, Vol. 1, 1/1990)

II. MATERIA MEDIA

1. “Sadness” – Stramonium GYPSER, K. H.

(ZKH, 34, 1/1990)

2. Evaluation of Bacillinum in tinea infection

BHARDWAJ, O.P. MANCHANDA,

R.K., GUPTA, RAMJI (BHJ, Vol. 79,

1/1990)

3. Staphisagria in psychiatry BARBANCEY,

Jacqueline (BHJ, Vol. 79, 1/1990)

4. Background to the plant drugs in

children’s diseases BODMAN, Frank

(BHJ, Vol. 79, 1/1990)

5. A case of Lyssin in a 10 yr. old girl

MORTELMANS, Guido (JAIH, Vol. 3,

1/1990)

6. Conium in a case of multiple sclerosis

JOHNSTON, Linda (JAIH, Vol. 83,

1/1990)

7. Hepar sulphuris calcareum ELMORE,

DUTT (Resonance, Vol. 12, 1/1990)

8. An image of DPT WARKENTEIN, David

Kent (Resonance, Vol. 12, 1/1990)

9. How to study Materia Media

CANDEGABE, Eugenio (Resonance, Vol.

12, 1/1990)

10. Another side of Phosphorous

REICHENBERG–ULLMAN, Judyth

(Resonance, Vol. 12, 2/1990)

11. Chamomilla ELMORE, DUTT

(Resonance, Vol 12, 2/1990)

12. Bromium BROWN, Plumb (Resonance,

Vol. 12, 2/1990)

13. Tuberculinum Children HERSCU, Paul

(Homoeopathy Today, Vol. 10, 9/1990)

14. Calcarea sulphurica CANDEGABE,

Eugenio (The Homoeopathy, Vol. 8,

1/1990)

15. Acute and life-threatening cases

i) Postman Pat and the bees : the hazards

of rural life GAINE, Janet

ii) Case of life-threatening septicaemia

CASTRO, Miranda

iii) an acute case CHAPPELL, Peter (The

Homoeopath, Vol. 8, 1./1988)

16. Leprominium : a new nosode VAKIL

Prakash (The Homoeopath, Vol. 8,

2/1988)

17. Aegle marmelos

Aranea scinencia

Athista indica

Cassia fistula

Tela aranea

Thea chinensis

(CCRH Quarterly Bulletin, Vol. 12, 1 &

2/1990)

18. Bowel Nosodes

BARMAN, Rabin (JNIH, Vol. 1, 1/1990)

III. THERAPEUTICS

1. Homoeopathy and peppermint

REMBGES, H. (AHZ, 235, 1/1990)

2. Tips from practice – Herpes Zoster

SCHWEITZER, Wolfgang (AHZ, 235,

1/1990)

3. Therapeutic observations

International references (AHZ, 235,

1/1990)

4. Coma and hemiplaegia in cerebral

malformation

MASTER, F.J. (ZKH, 34, 1/1990)

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Year 1991, Vol.VIII

5. A case of epidemic disease treated by C.v.

BOENNINGHAUSEN (ZKH, 34, 1/1990)

6. Day-today management of anxiety and

depression SPENCE, David. S. (BHJ, Vol.

79, 1/1990)

7. Sebarrhoeic dermatitis treated with

homoeopathic high dilutions of tobacco ––

a case study SUDAN, Bernard J.L. (BHJ,

Vol. 10, 1/1990)

8. A case of staphylococcus pyoderma

SULLIVAN, Andrea D., (Resonance, Vol.

12, 1/1990)

9. Relief for morning sickness

REICHENBEG-ULLMAN, Judyth

(Resonance, Vol. 12, 1/1990)

10. Tooth pain after filling

STEPHENSON, David L. (Resonance,

Vol. 12, 1/1990)

11. Sun allergy after antibiotics –– using the

additions to Mac Repertory

CARTE, Katie (Resonance, Vol. 12,

2/1990)

12. Temporo-mandibular joint dysfunction ––

the most effective therapy for the TMJ

patient

STEPHENSON, David (Resonance, Vol.

12, 2/1990)

13. Herpes, Pre-menstrual Syndrome,

Irregular Labor contractions

SHAPIRO, Michael, (The Hahnemannian,

march 1990)

14. Homoeopathic treatment of

Hypothyroidism

SHAPIRO, Michael (The Hahnemannian,

March 1990)

15. Homoeopathic treatment of hypersensitive

patients NCH/IFH annual case conference

reports

GRAY, Bill (Homoeopathy Today, Vol.

10, 9/1990)

16. Dysfunctional relationships and

homoeopathic treatment, case confec.

report

MORRISON, Roger

(Homoeopathy Today, Vol. 10, 9/1990)

17. Taking the case of a newborn, case

confece. report ZAREN, Ananda

(Homoeopathy Today, Vol. 10, 9/1990)

18. The recurrence of acue mania in a

chronically hypersensitive patient,

NCH/IFH case confece. report SAINE,

Andre (Homoeopathy Today, Vol. 10,

9/1990)

19. AIDS : Some early clinical experience

STRANGE, Mike (The Homoeopath, Vol.

8, 2/1990)

20. I’m sorry I don’t have a clue

OLIVER, Terry (The Homoeopath, Vol.

8, 2/1990)

21. Menace of drugs and role of homoeopathy

in de-addiction HARISHCHAND, Diwan

(JNIH, Vol. 1, 1/1990)

IV. REPERTORY

1. Remedy errors in Kent’s repertory

Part II –– Myrica cerefera and Myristica

sebifera

EPPENICH, H. (ZKH, 34, 1/1990)

2. Additions to the rubrics ‘Sciatica’ in

Kent’s Repertory SCHINDLER, M.

(ZKH, 34, 1/1990)

3. Compilation of the rubric from Part I & II

of the Book “Synoptic Key of the Materia

medica” under one head SHARMA, Mrs.

Anita (CCRH Quaterly Bulletin, Vol. 12.

1 & 2/1990)

V. RESEARCH

1. Water and Information

ENDLER, P. (AHZ, 235, 1/1990)

2. Homoeopathy in the Veterinary practice,

Research Project

SCHUTTE, A. (AHZ, 235, 1/1990)

3. In-vitro effects of Viscum album

preparations on human fibroblasts and

tumour cell linces

KOOPMAN, Gerrit; ARWERT, Fre.,

ERIKSOON, Aldur W., BART, J., Kippa,

A., VAN KRUINING, Hans (BHJ, Vol.

79, 1/1990)

4. Measles and homoeopathic immunizations

NEUSTAEDTER, Randall (Resonance,

Vol. 12, 2/1990)

5. Science of Medicine –– A new approach

Mahata, C.R. (JNIH, Vol. 1, 1/1990)

6. Drug response patterns in homoeopathic

treatment of chronic tonsillitis

DE, T.K. (JNIH, Vol. 1, 1/1990)

VI. PHARMACOLOGY

1. The approval of homoeopathic remedies –

A view of the homoeopathic

pharmacopoeia of the United States,

BORNEMAN, Jay P. (Resonance, Vol.

12, 2/1990)

2. Homoeopathy for the pharmacist

FINKUS, Anthony (Homoeopathy, Vol.

40, 4/1990)

3. A note on physical, chemical,

pharmacological and pharmacognostical

evaluation of Iberis Amara

NANDI, M., CHOWDHURY, K. GHOSH

(JNIH, Vol. 1, 1/1990)

4. We need self-dependant homoeopathic

pharmacy CHATTERJEE, S.N. (JNIH,

Vol. 1, 1/1990)

VII. VETERINARY

1. Homoeopathy in Veterinary practice,

Research Project SCHUTTE, A. (AHZ,

235, 1/1990)

2. Veterinary homoeopathy prescribing

QUARTERLY HOMOE

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Year 1991, Vol.VIII

MACLEOD George (Homoeopathy, Vol.

40, 4/1990)

VIII HISTORY

1. Homoeopathy in the German Romantic

Movement, medico-historical and medico-

philosophical spot light, R. PIESCH – Part

I & II, (AHZ, 235, 1 & 2/1990)

2. Hahnemann’s Geneology

GEBBEOERM T, (ZKH, 34, 1/1990)

3. Homais, Homoeopathy and Madame

Bovary

MICHOT-DIETRICH, Hela (The

Homoeopath, Vol. 10, 1/1990)

4. Coming of age in the eighties

BORNEMAN, Jay (Resonance, Vol. 12,

1/1990)

5. A critical moment for homoeopathy in the

USA (Homoeopathy Today, Vol. 10,

9/1990)

IX. GENERAL

1. Medicine and Toxicology, Therapeutics

International references (AHZ, 235,

1/1990)

2. Verifications and Clinical symptoms

(ZKH, 34, 1/1990)

3. International references

(ZKH< 34, 1/1990)

4. Where have we been, where are we going

?

BARRACLOUGH, M.C. (BHJ, Vol. 79,

1/1990)

5. Meeting of European homoeopaths

Maison de L’Homoeopathic, Brussels, 3

June 1989 (BHJ, Vol. 79, 1/1990)

6. IFH Professional Course –– the second

week LEVATIN, Janet (Resonance Vol.

12, 1/1990)

7. What in the world is homoeopathy ? A

report on the 1989 IFH Public Conference

8. IFH Professional course –– the third week

LEVATIN, Janet (Resonance, Vol. 12,

2/1990)

9. An interview with Jeremy Sherr

WINSTON, Julian (Homoeopathy Today,

Vol. 10, 9/1990)

10. Motivational factors in homoeopathic

education

MURUGAN, M (JNIH, Vol. 1, 1/1990)

11. Planned approach to setting up a national

information center for homoeopathy

SATPATHI, JN., DAS, T., GHOSH, S.K.

(JNIH, Vol. 1, 1/1990)

1. J A I H : Journal of he American Institute

of Homoeopathy, 1500, Massachusetts

Avenue, N.W. Suite 42, Washington D.C.

20005., U.S.A.

2. Resonance : International Foundation for

Homoeopathy, 2366, Eastlake Avenue, E.,

Suite 301, Seattle, Washington, 98102,

U.S.A.

3. CCRH Quarterly Bulletin : Central

Council for REsearch in Homoeopathy, B-

1/16, Community Centre, janakpuri, New

Delhi 110 058.

4. The Homoeopath : The Joural of the

Society of Homeopaths, 2, Artizan Road,

Northampton NN1 4 HU, U.K.

5. Homoeopathy Today : National Center for

Homoeopathy, 500, Massachusetts

Avenue, N.W. Suite 42, Washington D.C.

20005., U.S.A.

6. Homoeopathy : The Journal of the British

Homoeopathic Association, 27-A,

Devonshire Street, London WIN 1RJ.,

U.K.

7. The Hahnemannian : Journal of the

Homooeopathic Medical Society of the

State of Pennsylvania, C/o Guy Hoagland,

M.D., 11, Flowers Drive, Mechanicsburg,

Pennsylvania, 17055, U.S.A.

8. Simillimum : The Journal of the

Homoeopathic Academy of naturopathic

Physicians, 11231 SE Market Street,

Portland, OR 97216, U.S.A.

9. B H J : The British Homoeopathic Journal,

Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital,

Great Ormond Street, London WC1N 3

HR, U.K.

10. J N I H : Journal of the National Institute

of Homoeopathy, GE-Block, Sector III,

Bidhan Nagar, Calcutta 700 091

11. Z K H ; Zeitschrift fur Klassische

Homoopathie, Karl F. Houg Verlag 6900,

Heidelberg 1, Germany.

12. A H Z ; Allgemeine Homoopathische

Zeitung, Karl F. Haug Verlag, 6900

Heidelberg 1, Germany.

HERING TRIED TO FIND A PROTECTIVE

REMEDY AGAINST PSORA

JENNER INTRODUCED THE COW-POX

VACCINATION IN 1798

We can only visualize with difficulty what it

signified, what hopes were generated in the

suffering humanity.

1

The medical world during

HAHNEMANN’S time was characterized by the

great infections, of helplessness of man against all

acute diseases as also the exanthematic diseases of

children. Measles itself often turned out to be fatal.

A method which would protect against such

lifethreatening diseases must appear to be a

wonder, Naturally, possibilities to protect against

PART II

PSORINUM, PSORA

AND THE MIASMS

G. v. Keller

AHZ, 229, 1/1984

QUARTERLY HOMOE

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Year 1991, Vol.VIII

other diseases in this maner were searched for.

What was there so close as to exterminate Psora

2

well known since ages as the root of all evil ?

HERING experimented with Psorin and wrote

3

: “I would like to have a generally preventive

medicine for the itch which to me, is more

significant than just one more new medicine” and

in another place

4

“ if one could find a remedy

which would prevent Psora, then one would have

reached the peak of discovery”.

HAHNEMANN tried to find a specific

medicine against Psora : Homoeopathy was

already, without high-flying plans, sensationally

successful in the early days in treatment of the life-

threatening acute diseases. Especially through the

use of medicine “specific” to the infections, was it

possible to astoundingly contain and bring down

the mortality rate as against the usual methods of

treatment.

“Specific medicine means the search for a

remedy similar to the collective characteristic

symptom picture of the entire infection and not the

single individual patient

5

m which would then be

administered to every individual afflicted with the

infection. The same specific method cured the then

prevalent venereal diseases if the primary affection

had not been treated externally

6

. while the curative

remedy for every contagion must be determined

afresh each time for every epidemic and for every

newly occurring infection bearing the same name,

the specific remedies for the chronic venereal

diseases were the same, Thuja with Acidum

nitricum for the Sycosis, Mercury for Symphilis.

Up to this Homoeopathy was completely

successful. But as much more hahnemann

proceeded to treat chronic diseases so much poorer

were the successes. HERING wrote

7

:

“HAHNEMANN had the same experience which

we all have, some men become healthy some do

not. He saw in the appropriate cases cures of course

but in chronic cases often without sustained

permanence. HAHNEMANN’s characteristic

greatness as observer indicated to him the

difference between those which remained cured

and those which did not remain cured. He

discovered that the symptoms must be removed in

the reverse order of their development, that the

symptoms appearing last are always the most

significant for the choice of the remedy, that if the

symptoms are removed in the reverse order of their

development, the patient remained cured, but not in

any other order”.

“The same talent made him recognize that the

chronic patients in whom an eruption followed

became well better and permanently than when the

internal symptoms went away without external

manifestation. Thus was the first ideas, the

hypothesis. Just as it usually was with

HAHNEMANN to comprehend the prevailing

contagion and the intermittent fever as one picture,

he similarly comprehended as one picture the itch

and the chronic disease as a consequence of driving

it away”.

The hypothesis of the miasmatic nature of the

non-venereal diseases began so. HAHNEMANN

though that with this discovery he was on the trial

of a specific cure for Psora

8

. In a letter in 1823

9

he

wrote : “To find without fail the art of completely

eradicating the ancient chronic diseases and clear it

completely, I have, during the past 4 years of my

life endeavoured day an night and have made a

thousand experiments and experiences as also

unbroken contemplation and at last attained my

object”.

Instead of that the procedure for treatment

of chronic diseases were formulate : The hopes

of HERING and HAHNEMANN have not been

fulfilled. A specific against Psora was not found

and a vaccination was, as HAHNEMANN straight

away foresaw

10

, not possible

11

. But the hypothesis

of the miasmatic nature of the non-venereal

diseases brought about a decided progressive step

in the development of homeopathis theory and

practice. HERING wrote about this event, as

follows

12

: “The HAHNEMANNian school only

followed without preconceived opinions, the pure

practical experience alone and whenever

hypothesis were allowed they were not considered

as intrinsic”.

HAHNEMANN investigated for 11 long years

to find a specific remedy against the Psora. With

the help of the theory of miasmatic nature of Psora

he thought that he could find this specific as we

have read in the above cited letter. He declared

soon that there was not just one medicine against

Psora and that there were more number of those

remedies. In a letter in 1827

13

he spoke of 6 or 8

medicines, in 1828 in the first edition of the

Chronic Diseases of 21 remedies and at last in

1835 in the second edition they were 47

14

.

Even so he declared tthat in one ailment only

one remedy was not sufficient and in 1829 in the

fourth edition of the organon he formulated for the

first time the paragraph 168 15: “In the non-

venereal chronic diseases arising out of Psora more

and successive one after another anti-psoric

remedies are required to be employed and indeed

so that after each previous medicine had completed

its action the next remedy must be homeopathically

chosen appropriate to the symptoms grou still

remaining”.

HAHEMANN followed the specific only

part of the way : This simple and laborious

procedure of treating chronic diseases, the patient

searching out a new curative remedy as soon as a

new disease picture presents itself

16

was not

acknowledged by many of his contemporaries.

Some held that HAHNEMANN meant as specific

the medicines used in acute diseases. One of his

eminent exponents, Richard HUGHES wrote in an

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Year 1991, Vol.VIII

article titled “The Two Homeopathies”, as

follows

17

: “The innovation that one

(HAHNEMANN is meant here) in his 74

th

year

establishes must to bein with, not be good and the

fact that HAHNEMANN introduced the 30 dilution

as the standard dose for proving and treatment, this

reform is not welcome. To consider the

HAHNEMANN of 1830 to 1843 as our leader is ,

in my opinion, exposing his senility”. Richard

HUGESS was 41 years old then.

Others attempted to further proceed, with

HERING, Psorin researches and hoped that it

would be possible to remove disease with products

of the same disease.

THORER

18

wrote 1833 : “The finding of a

class of remedies of contagious disease products as

curative medicines against those same contagious

diseases form which they were drawn was a

temporary muddle, which created a temporary

misgiving about the correctness of the homeopathic

precepts”. HERING and HAHNEMANN quickly

found the doctrine of healing by symptom

similarity, whereas others continued to attempt to

establish the class of remedies against diseases

which it had caused, thus Tubercullnum against

tuberclosis in exended sense or Syphillnum against

the concocted syphilitic diathesis.

The Quintescence of HAHNEMANN’s Psora

experiments came to this : While in acute diseases

it can be treated with one medicine perhaps with

one disease-specific, in the developed Psora, that is

in every prolonged and serious chronic disease,

more or many remedies following each other will

be needed, while the disease merely changes its

form but not become extinguished. Often Psora

crosses over only into its latent state, a condition

which HAHNEMANN described as

19

: “Subjected

with one or more of these diseases (the slumbering

Psora), one considers oneself healthy and others

also consider him so. He can live many years

tolerably well and carry on his duties apparently

unhindered”.

Psorinum as Intercurrent remedy :

Psorinum which HERING hopefully though could

prove to be a protection against Psora, became an

extraordinarily valuable remedy in another way in

the treatment of chronic diseases. HERING wrote

on it

20

: “All potentized bioproducts need not be

considered to be absolute specifics but as chronic

intercurrent medicines. The remedies given after

that then work with longer reactions and those

given before develop thei power also” and in

another place

21

: “In many cases have observed,

what to me appears to be highly significant, a slow

appearance of new symptoms which are not

serious, particularly on the skin, through which an

antipsoric remedy is generally very clearly

indicated”. To think of it, one can confirm it from

one’s own pratice. One patient, after being

prescribed. psorinum for the first time said as

follows

22

.

The anus which is so sore itches so much after

cleaning it well with water; now I have used Nivea

oil and cotton padding.

Sulphur was the next medicine for him. –

HERING wrote further as follows

23

: “The

nosodes

24

cause the same disease symptoms which

are indicated by another medicine. Just as Sulphur

for example. The nosodes cure many diseases

completely which were not at all similar to the

mother of the stuff… But undoubtedly they cure

only according to symptoms similarly because

every other cure is impossible”.

Psorinum according to symptom similarity :

Psorinum works as antipsoric remedy like every

other remedy according to symptoms similarity. In

psoric, that is chronic disease the treatment

procedes just as other diseases in

HAHNEMANNian Homeopathy, that is that the

disease as presented before us at this moment is set

against the medicine known as most similar in the

materia medica. Never even once can we proceed,

without examination, under preconceived

medicinal sequences, we must choose each

following medicine anew on the symptoms we

encounter in this patient at this time

25

.

I would like to demonstrate this procedure with

the testimony of the above cited patient

26

, which

lead to the prescription of Psorinum, he had a

colitis ulcerosa :

When there is diarrhea, first it smells very much, it

then smeist really much. I can note it even before

when stinking flatus is discharged before that and

then comes the diarrhea. First a few flatus is

discharged and then the stool. Abdominal pain

around the nave, a sensation as if widn would come

and when I visit the loo and the wind and stool is

discharged, the abdominal pain goes. Some times I

mus strain so that I need not then again visit the

loo.

The comparable proving symptoms are :

“Cutting abdominal pains, after that much stinking

flatus is passed after which it is relaxed

27

,

“pinching in abdomen which compels to go to stool

after which would be better

28

”; “Stool in the night

almost involuntarily, he could not bear to reach the

toilet, at the same time severe discharge of

flatus

29

”.

Now, another woman patient whose prevailing

symptoms were aggravated by Psorinum and in

whom itching and burning skin came on. In this

Sulphur given later, ameliorated

30

.

Before the eyes it began to dance, rings like smoke

rings, then so hazy, a light grey mist. That may

occur to me in the mornings on waking, when I

wake and open my eyes, it begins, Or it begins

when I am quietly sitting in the bus, and I close the

eyes. It goes off when the eyes are closed and I

again open my eyes, it comes again. It does not

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Year 1991, Vol.VIII

occur while I am reading, indeed, because I must

somehow concentrate.

Following proving symptom is relevant

31

:

“Glittering before the eyes and all objects dancing,

also black flecks and rings”. The “rings” and the

“dance” called to my mind Psorinum while KENT

has taken these symptoms in his Repertory. The

modalities “mornings when I awake and open the

eyes”, “it comes again when I open my eyes again”

and “I then close my eyes” are new, they are not to

be found in the provings, like the continual

collection of symptoms as the case is in the history

of the homeopathic material medica. Impelled to

compare Psorinum I recalled the other symptoms of

this patient as follows: “Wears a fur cap, a coat or a

shawl even in the warmest weather”, “would not

like the hed exposed”.

The head must always be kept war, I have always

kept the head covered even at nights in bed. I

always wrap a towel around the head and throat

even in summer.

Now the well-known symptom

32

:

“Predisposition to involvement of the head,

ameliorated by epistaxis”

33

:

The nosebleed, I may say, I have every four

weeks really, but rapidly, but everytime when I get

the more really very severe flow, I am free. Every 4

weeks I have nosebleeds and have the feeling,

there I am going to get the headache and when I

have the headache for a couple of days and if I can

again have the nasal flow and a bit of blood flows

out, my head will become lighter. I am even glad

when the blood comes. When I have the headache

it remains for a couple of days and then it feels as if

it will begin to slacken in the head and then it will

flow out just as I have observed : the flow

somewhat warm and it can really be blood.

Another female patient

34

:

Yesterday morning my nose bled again. I wake up

and without any reason, the blood flowed and I

allowed it to flow, you know why? Now my

headache has gone I Out of both the nostrils,

without my having sneezed or even having touched

the nose, morning at 6 O’ clock it has flowed. Nose

bleed and there the headache was not merely better

but gone away!

Psora is not simply a third miasm : I have

shown that for some time HAHNEMANN was of

the view that Psora could be reckoned as a third

miasm besides the two well-known chronic miasms

Sycosis and Syphilis and Psora could, just like the

Sycosis and Syphilis, be treated by a specific

medicine. Soon it came to be that the venereal

diseases also could be complicated with the Psora

and it can therefore be treated with specific remedy

but must be treated by the general direction of

antipsoric cure. HERING wrote

35

: “As much more

I attemped to learn to separate the psoric diseases

from all the others so much more that limits

disappeared before my eyes”.

Psora is not simply a third miasm besides

Sycosis and Syphilis so that all diseases and

particularly all the remedies could be put into three

classes, but Psora is that principle of chronic

diseases of humans, the inherited disease

disposition in general.

Through this depiction of the theory of chronic

diseases I remain firmly on the foundations of

HAHNEMANNian homeopathy. If modern authors

have put forward their own miasms theory

36

, they

are free to do so, but then they should not cite

HAHNEMANN.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND ANNOTATIONS :

1. Compare HAHNEMANN’s foot-note to

paragraph 56 of the 6

th

edition of the

Organon”………….the benefit which

mankind experienced from the use of

cowpox vaccination, that hereby those

who had been vaccinated remain free from

infection by human pox and at the same

time were cured of the latter in advance”.

2. Book 5 Moses Chapter 28, Verse 27 “If

the people of Isreal do not obey the voice

of the Lord their God and do not observe

and do all his Commands and Statutes, –

the Lord will smite you … with the scab

and itch, so that you cannot be healed”.

From HENCKE, “Hahnemann’s theory of

nature of diseases in general”.

3. STAPF’s Archiv, 13 Vol. 3 (1833), 33.

4. STAPF’s Archiv, 10 Vol. 2, (1831), 30. In

this letter HERING spoke first of all that

JENNER’s cow pox vaccination was only

a last resort and we should hold that since

until now we do not have anything better,

and proposed then, to otentise the cow pox

poison and vaccinate with it. If one

succeeded with it, one can perhaps prevent

every infection in his manner.

5. Organon, 6

th

edition, paragraph 102 :

“Everyone of those who suffered from the

infection then had indeed a and only

source from which the infection spread

and therefore same disease, but such an

epidemic disease encompassed in its

entirety and the totality of its symptoms

(the knowledge of which appertains to the

whole outline of the disease picture so that

a homeopathic medicine most appropriate

to the symptoms comprehended could be

chosen) cannot be perceived from a single

sick person but drawn and fully deducted

(abstracted) only from many patients of

different physical conditions”. See also

annotation 8 – Paragraph 241 “Every

single (intermittent fever) epidemic has its

own character general to the ailing

individuals, which may be established

according to the totality of all the common

symptoms found out and which would

QUARTERLY HOMOE

O

PATHIC DIGEST

Year 1991, Vol.VIII

indicate the homeopathic curative specific

(homeopathic) medicine appro-priate to all

the cases which almost always helps”.

6. HAHNEMANN, the Chronic Diseases,

2

nd

edition, Vol 1, 18 : Even Syphilis

because of its easy curability yields to the

smallest dose of the best mecurial

preparation, as also Sycosis because of its

not difficult curability requiring few doses

of the juice of the Tree of Life with

Potassium Nitrate alternated and when

complicated with Psora they become

chronic, difficult to be cured”.

7. Homop. Vierteijahrschrift, 15 (1864)

322.

8. HAHNEMANN, The Chronic Diseases,

2

nd

edition, Vol. 1, p 10. “The most

accurate observations have taught me by

comparing different patients with so much

differing apparently chronic ailments and

infirmities are all merely the progeny of

the one and the same primitive illness and

therefore are to be seen as only parts of

one and the same disease and are to be

treated medicinally just as in a large

epidemic of yphus in which only the

symptoms of all or many other patients

suffering with this disease are take

together which depict the whole and

complete picture of the prevalent Typhus

and the curative remedy cured the whole

epidemic of Typhus and thus proved to be

specifically helpful in every individual

patient”.

9. Allg. homop. Ztg. 32 (1847), 42.

10. Annotation to paragraph 56 of the 6

th

edition of the Organon : “a hman disease

product, e.g. a Psorin, obtained from a

human itch would cure similar human

itch, – that is going far”!

11. ATTOMYR, Letters on Homoopathy,

Vol. 3 (1834), 34: HERING appeared to

expect more from Psorin than it is capable

of”.

12. STAPF’s Archiv, 9 Vol. 3 (1830), p. 102.

13. HAEHL, R., Samuel HAHNEMANN,

Letter of STAPF to HAHNEMANN on

6.9.1827, p. 155, Vol. II : “You now

possess the solution to the riddle why

neither Nux nor Puls. nor Ignat., etc. will

or can do good, whilst the homeopathic

principles remain unaltered….. Therefore

be reasonable, and do what you can with

your antipsorics…. you can make

excellent observations on their peculiar

effects and gain much knowledge, as also

from the many splendid cures you may

make with them, since you have only 6 or

8 medicines to choose from and not from

the whole realm of medicines”.

14. ATTOMYR, Letters on Homeopathy,

Vol. 3 (1834), 35: ‘How have we, a few

years ago, separated the antipsoric

medicines so rigorously, and how is it now

? The Psora theory has not nay more the

least influence in my therapy. I do not at

all any more ask about Psora and if I do, it

is more out of novelty rather than for the

purpose of therapy”. Page 36 : “Not to

give similar medicine in a psoric disease

because it is not in the list of the

antipsorics would be a sin against the

basic principles of homeopathy”.

15. In the 6

th

edition of Organon this is

paragraph 171.

16. ATTOMYR, Letters on Homeopathy,

Vol. 3, 28 : “Every case is different.

Therefore we are, with every patient, a

beginner, as a pupil”.

17. Monthly Homeopathic Review, Nov.

1877 and New England Medical

Gazette, Vol. 12 (Dec. 1877), p. 556. In

the CLARKE, a student of HUGHES

wrote in the Journal of the American

Institute of Homoeopathy. 4 (1911), p.

232 : “Dr. HUGHES has been successful

in laying down the idea of disease as

entity and he put it forth that diseases have

their specific medicines”.

18. Practical contributions In the field of

Homoeopathy (THORER). 2 (1835), P.

13.

19. Chronic Diseases, 1, 61

20. STAPF’s Archiv, 14, Vol. 2 (1834), p.

99.

21. STAPF’s Archiv, 13, Vol. 3 (1833), p. 61

22. Mr. H. H. born 1936 died 20.3.1975.

23. Allg. homoop. Ztg. 46 (1853), 245.

24. HERING, Allg. homoop. Ztg. 43,

(1852), p. 315 : I have until now

considered the medicines in this whole

range as nosodes and understand thereby

only the disease products, and particularly

the active salts contained in them”.

25. Organon, 4

th

edition, paragraph 166, 6

th

edition, paragraph 170 : “Much more

here than in other cases, where a change

of the disease state has occurred, the

remaining set of symptoms now present

must be taken anew and (without regard to

the medicine which at the beginning

appeared to be the second suitable

medicine) a homeopathic medicine which

is as appropriate as possible to the present,

new state must be chosen afresh”.

26. Mr. H.H. on 16.9.80. On 4.3.75 other

symptoms indicaed Psorinum of which we

are not interested here.

27. HHNEMANN’s provings in STAPF’s

Archiv. 13, Vol. 3 (1833), 163, No. 206.

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PATHIC DIGEST

Year 1991, Vol.VIII

28. Op. cit. No. 212

29. Op. cit. No. 245

30. Mrs. S.M….., born 1914, on 5.12.1975.

31. The last appearing symptoms in a proving

in a lady of 24 years, used by Dr. J.E.V. of

Vienna, reported by HARTMANN in

Allg. homoop. Ztg. 1 (1833), 162.

32. Proving in STAPF’s Archiv. 15, Vol. 3

(1836), 177, No. 1.

33. Mrs. R. W. born 1918, on 15.10.1974.

34. Mr. W. A., born 1910, on 08.12.1977.

35. STAPF’s Archiv. 13, Vol. 3 (1833), 35

36. Compare e.g. AELBLY, Criticism on a

lecture of Frenchman VANNIER’S

student in the Liga Congress 1931 in

which is said : “We know from Dr.

VANNIER that the phosphoric

constitution stems from the basis of

measles, the fluoric from the basis of

scarlet fever. The first one depicts a pre-

tubercular manifestation while latter one

the syphilitic basis”. (Allg. homoop. Ztg.

180 (1932), 108.

The provings which appeared in STAPF’s

Archiv. fur Homoopatische Heilkunst in 1833 are

not those of HAHNEMANN himself only, but

were carried out on a number of people. Because

they are written down just as the provers

experienced them, a certain amount o f near

duplication will be found (c.f. Nos. 299 and 300,

for example). There is also no uniform style of

description; sometimes nouns are used, sometimes

adjectives; sometimes the description is terse and

clinical, at other times it verges on the anecdotal.

Unlike today’s medical publications, many of the

provings contain vernacular expressions, and some

contain dialect or antiquated words which are not

to be found in any German-English dictionary, not

indeed in the vocabulary of any educated Germans

of today.

The date of the provings, 1833, means that

they were too late to be included in the third edition

of reine Arznelmlttellehre. Margaret Tyler, in her

picture of Agaricus, writes that she believes we

have no translation of the provings of Psorinum in

English. That statement provided the stimulus for

this attempt, and I hope that it will be of interest

both in practice and as an insight into the character

of the provings carried out by the founding figures

of homeopathy, upon which the early Materia

Medica was based.

Alan CROOK

Introduction from the 1833 edition of Archiv

fur homopathische hellkunst. edited by Johann

Ernst STAPF : The following highly important

symptoms of one of the most effective and

therefore most beneficial of medicines have been

proved by two very shrewd and notable observers,

Dr. S. of L….., and Dr. R. of P….., mostly on

themselves aftr a few doses of Psorinum 30

globules, and accurately and conscientiously set

down. The Archiv owes the communication of

these provings to the kindness of Privy Counsellor

HAHNEMANN. Though far from exposing the

entire, undoubtedly vast therapeutic field of

Psorinum, they do at least grant us for the time

being a highly desirable insight into it, and give

many suggestions and hints for the healing

application of this grat remedy in most serious

cases. Several excellent physicians, such as

ATTOMYR, GROSS, HERING and others, have

discovered, as I myself have, what Psorinum

properly applied can accomplish; things up to now

unsuspected –– incredible things – and we can only

hope that more and more new provings of

Psorinum on healthy people, and more and more

over the sick will unite to give us a more complete

and proper understanding of it. Readers are

referred to what our esteemed colleague HERING

has to say about it in his invaluable article on this

most important substance: that it will serve for the

time being as an introductory foreword.

Johann Ernst STAPF.

INDEX

Emotional 262, 267, 409b, 410, 414, 416-

435, 438.

Mental 6-10, 368, 436-437.

Head 4-5, 11-41, 91, 161, 405, 408.

Vertigo 2-3.

Face 42-52, 61.

Eyes 53-83.

Ears 30, 84-104.

Nose 155-163.

Lips 105-106, 164-169.

Mouth and teeth 106-118, 128, 146-152,

199, 395, 406, 408.

Tongue 119-113.

Throat 117, 14-127, 129-136, 139-141,

143-145, 201.

Respiratory

(See also throat) 270-300, 303, 306.

Chest 301-318, 281, 285, 287, 289,

290, 293-295, 297-298, 410.

Neck 50, 91, 137, 142, 319-326.

Back 228, 293, 327-342.

Abodomen 206-207, 209-215, 217-227, 229-

239, 246.

Extremities 50, 342-350, 353-364, 391, 409a,

411-414.

Appetite 153-154, 170-185, 395, 407.

Digestion 186-205, 208, 216, 305.

Stool 240, 245, 247-249, 379.

PROVINGS OF PSORINUM

Samuel Hahnemann

Introduced and translated by

ALAN CROOK from The

Homeopath Vol. 6, No. 4

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PATHIC DIGEST

Year 1991, Vol.VIII

Rectum and Anus 250-253.

Urinary Tract 236, 254-258.

Male Genitalia 259-267.

Female Genitalia 232, 238, 268-269.

Skin 36, 42, 45, 47-52, 81-82, 105.,

135, 137,

(See also Face and Lips) 155, 253, 321,

324, 361-362, 365, 396, 403, 409, 409a.

Perspiration 361, 392, 396, 399, 400, 402,

407, 409a.

Slep 370-389, 437

Generalities 351-352, 365-366, 369, 390, 393-

394, 397-404, 407, 409, 415, 434.

Modalities 1, 89, 113, 117, 19, 306, 325,

212-214, 223, 364, 367, 375.

Psorinum : The Provings

1. Felt much better in the morning.

2. Vertigo in the morning.

3. Vertigo-everything going around with

him; (8

th

day).

4. Numb sensation in the left half of he

forehead: (In the morning after 3

hours).

5. Waking in the night, his brain felt

clouded, as if from a drinking party

the evening before. Befogged and

stupid, he fell over.

6. Thinking that he understands what he

has just read, he is about to explain it

to someone else, and then realizes that

he has not understood it after all.

7. Memory so weak that he cannot

remember what ha just been said.

8. She loses her memory and no longer

recognizes the room once she has

looked out of the window; (2

nd

day).

9. Memory very weak; she cannot

remember a thing.

10. Very forgetful; (8

th

day).

11. Stiff pain in the skin of the right

temple. (7.30 p.m.).

12. Pressive pain as if sprained, to the

right of the occiput. (Noon, 1

st

day).

13. Pressive feeling in left temple,

extending into the head; (1

st

evening).

14. Sensation, especially in the occiput,

as of a string bound tightly round the

head, seeming to be pushed outwards.

15. Frontal headache, as if he brain were

too big for the cranium; bursting

sensation on rising; better after

washing and breakfasting.

16. Heavy feeling in the head in the

morning.

17. Tearing headache.

18. a boring, stabbing pain in the left

temple.

19. Throbbing pain in the temples.

20. Headache, as if it wanted to come out

through the forehead; (2

nd

day

towards evening).

21. Contracting frontal headache.

22. Sensation as if her whole head were

on fire.

23. Headache in the evening; (2

nd

day).

24. Headache all over the head, like

blows from a hammer inside the head.

25. Violent headache, as though a stick

had been placed inside with.

26. General feeling of faintness. Towards

7 O’ clock she had to lie down and

soon fell asleep. Night sweat which

gave great relief; (2

nd

-3

rd

day).

27. Shocks in the head; (5

th

day).

28. Pressure headache in the forehead and

temples (7

th

day).

29. Spasmodically contracting headache;

(8

th

day).

30. Pressive headache with ear discharge;

(7

th

-8

th

day).

31. Sensation of fullness in the head on

mental exertion.

32. Throbbing of blood in the head during

intellectual tasks.

33. Pain in the temple after mental

exertion.

34. In the left frontal area, dully pressive

sensitive stitching pains, irrespective

of rest or movement; (2

nd

and 3

rd

day).

35. Frontal headache with sensation of

weakness within.

36. Itching of the forehead.

37. Stitching pains in the right half of the

forehead, extending into the eye.

38. Burning in the forehead; (2

nd

day).

39. Pain in the middle of the forehead;

(4

th

day).

40. Drawing sensation in the frontal

sinuses, as if he had a cold.

41. Frontal headache; (3

rd

day).

42. Many red patches on the forehead.

43. Facial pallor (3

rd

day). On touching

the cheekbone, pains as though it

were festering; (3

rd

day evening).

44. Facial sweat.

45. Yellowish facial colouring and sickly

appearance, lasting from December to

March, (in an otherwise health man).

46. Burning in the face.

47. Above the left eyebrow and left

cheek, eruption like semolina, which

soon disappeared again; (3

rd

day).

48. Places on the face, neck and hands

which itch on being touched.

49. Burning in the face, followed by

appearance of vesicles.

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PATHIC DIGEST

Year 1991, Vol.VIII

50. Many firm, painless, long-lasting

nodules, on the face, nape of the neck

and legs.

51. A lot of vescles on the face.

52. A decrease of pain-sensation in the

face.

53. episodes of blindness, when walking

in the street; (1

st

evening).

54. Pressive sensation in right eye, worse

for touching.

55. Tiredness of the eyes in the evening,

as after much reading by artificial

light; (1

st

evening).

56. Pressive sticking pain left eye; (after

3 hours).

57. Sudden failing of vision, so that for a

few moments he cannot see anything

clearly, only hazily; (2

nd

day).

58. yellow butter-like substances in the

eye (2

nd

and 3

rd

day).

59. Lachrymation towards evening.

60. Pressive pain the eyes.

61. Deep wide blue rings around the eyes.

62. Burning pains in the eyes, as if sand

had been shaken into them.

63. Glassy eyes; agglutinated lids in the

morning; pressive pains in the eyes.

64. Red eruptions at the edges of the

upper eyelid, like developing grains

of rye; sensations of something

moving in front of the eyes, or as if

one were playing with the fingers in

front of them.

65. Sticking pains in the left eye.

66. Eyes as if full of sand.

67. Pressure as it of a foreign body in the

right eye as soon as it is closed. On

opening it the pain goes; (Evenings).

68. Inflammation of the right eye, from

18

th

December to 30

th

December.

69. Small burning eruptions below the

eyes, like heat-spots.

70. Inflammation of the eye, with

pressive pains, as if sand were in the

eye; lachrymation over night.

71. twitching of the right eyelid; (After 6

hours).

72. Fiery sparks before the eyes; (After 5

hours).

73. Lachrymation in the eye; (After 5

hours).

74. Fine pricking pains in the area of the

eye, below the eye-sockets, as if she

had sand in the eye; (After 4 hours).

75. Sticking pains in the eye; (After 5

hours).

76. Burning pains in the eyes; she has to

keep closing them.

77. Lachrymation on looking at any

object for a long time; (After 8

hours).

78. Pressive pain in the eyes.

79. Gnawing pain in the the eyes.

80. Itching of the canthi.

81. Itching of the left lower eyelid,

extending from one side to the other.

82. At the edge of both upper eyelids, a

small neoplasm like a grain of barley;

(5

th

day).

83. The objects which he sees in the room

appear to be trembling.

84. A dull ringing in the left ear; (1

st

evening).

85. Te right ear seems changed; it seems

as if he is hearing with someone’s

ears; (1

st

evening).

86. Sensation in the left ear as if she were

exhaling through it, rather than

through the respiratory tract.

87. On eating, or on swallowing saliva,

sensation of something bursting in the

ears.

88. Sticking pains in the ears around

noon.

89. Sticking pains in the inner ear,

temporarily relieved by pushing a

finger into the ear, then worse.

Frequent recurrence, especially

evenings when at rest.

90. Gnawing pain the left ear.

91. Ringing noise, alternating between

left and right ears, with a buzzing in

the head, so that she hardly hears a

thing. Behind the ears, in the area of

the trapezius muscle, painful

sensation as of a wound which

torments her cruelly, accompanied by

momentary sensation of heat

extending to the vertex, worst in the

evenings, when it feels as if she were

being pulled upwards by the hair.

92. Pressure in right ear; (7

th

day in the

morning).

93. Buzzing in the ear; (1

st

day).

94. After the buzzing, sticking pain the

left ear.

95. Itching in right ear.

96. Sticking pain in the ears.

97. The left pinna inflamed on the inner

side, with small pustules; (7

th

day).

98. Sticking pain in the right ear,

preceded by coldness.

99. Discharge of fetid pus from the ear;

(After 7 hours).

100. Discharge of reddish wax from the

left ear.

101. Discharge of fetid pus from the left

ear.

QUARTERLY HOMOE

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PATHIC DIGEST

Year 1991, Vol.VIII

102. discharge from the ears during the

headache; (8

th

day).

103. Painful ulceration in the left ear; at

the same time a neoplasm on the right

ear, which looks just like the rest of

the skin, but is divided into four parts

by a cross-shaped split, rather like a

wart, and with a deep little hole in the

center.

104. A long-lasting, highly painful

stitching in the left ear-lobe;

(Evenings).

105. A small neoplasm on the upper lip.

106. Burning of the lips.

107. A sticking pain in the lower jaw-bone.

108. Marked swelling of the maxillary

glands; sore to the touch;

accompanied by a very painful

pustule below the left lower jaw.

109. Blunt sensation of the teeth on

smoking tobacco (1

st

afternoon).

110. Tearing pains in the teeth.

111. Otherwise wobbly teeth become

firmer; (2

nd

day).

112. Sticking pains in the teeth, moving

from one side to the other, extending

upwards within the head, followed by

burning pains in the right cheek

which is also somewhat swollen.

113. During luncheon a tremendous

stabbing pain in a hollow upper right

molar, as though the teeth were being

pulled out; then continuing grumbling

throbbing toothache in all the teeth on

the right side, only during the day-

time. Better in open air.

114. When touching the teeth in order to

remove something from between

them, pricking pains as if from

needles.

115. Front teeth (especially) so loose that

he fears they might fall out.

116. Toothache intensified on touching.

117. Better in the open air, but much foul-

tasting catarrh; (from 10

th

September

to end of October).

118. Gum boils on the right side only, after

the protracted toothache had quite

disappeared.

119. Whitish coating of the tongue nearly

all the time.

120. Almost half of the tip of the tongue

burnt, so that he cannot taste properly.

121. Tip of the tongue very dry, as if burnt,

painful.

122. Thick white coating of the tongue,

covered, with whitish-yellow mucus.

123. Dryness of the tongue; (4

th

day).

124. Dryness and scratchy feeling in the

throat; (4

th

day in the morning).

125. Pain in the throat, can only swallow

with difficulty.

126. Pain in the throat, as if swollern.

127. Severe inflammation of the throat

with ulceration of the right side; raw

pain deep down, and burning in the

palate.

128. Painful pimple on the palate.

129. Tickling in the throat, causing

coughing; (6

th

and 7

th

days in the

morning).

130. Dull, blunt stabbing pain in the left

tonsil; (6

th

day).

131. Burning in the throat, extending

further and further downwards.

132. Pressing pain the throat; she can only

swallow with difficulty; only brief

remissions, after which it returns.

133. Burning in the throat; (5

th

day).

134. Tickling in the throat; (Morning).

135. Small red spot forming on the neck,

with a carona the size of a pin-head

with a blackhead in the middle; very

painful or scratching; (Morning).

136. Swollen cervical glands on both sides,

painful to the touch as if squashed;

pain extends into the head; (7

th

day).

137. A red rash on the neck, beginning

with a stabling pain. Small red spots

on the neck and breasts.

138. Swollen sensation in the palate.

139. Sore throat – cannot swallow.

140. Sore throat; raw burning pain on

eating anything hot (e.g. soup); cold

food causes no discomfort. (7

th

day).

141. Pain in the left tonsil, with feeling of

engorgement.

142. On turning the head, a violent

stabbing pain in the sinews on the left

side of the neck.

143. Hoarseness.

144. Burning in the throat.

145. On swallowing saliva, painful

sensation in the throat; swallowing

difficult.

146. Insipid taste, as of rotten fruit, in the

mouth.

147. Aggravation of the unpleasant taste

after eating and smoking tobacco.

148. Her whole lunch tasted of oil.

149. Evil taste in the mouth – must drink

to dispel it.

150. Tough mucus in the mouth, with a

putrid, nauseating taste. The teeth

stick together as if glued, can only be

separated with effort; (2

nd

-9

th

January)

151. Dryness of the mouth.

152. Earthy taste in the mouth.

153. Desire for breakfast; (After 2 hours)

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PATHIC DIGEST

Year 1991, Vol.VIII

154. After breakfast, aversion to smoking;

however, when he started to smoke,

his pipe tasted good; (1

st

morning).

155. Itching on the tip of the nose. (1

st

day). The nose drier than usual, he

needs to blow it less often; (3

rd

day).

156. Boring, stinging pain in the right

nostril, followed by violent sneezing;

(3

rd

day).

157. On the nose scurf, which use to fall

off on coughing, now sticks fast and

is hard.

158. Burning in the nose, followed by

coryza, as in an attack of the catarrh.

On blowing out of the mucus, the

burning pain eased off for a short

while; (4

th

day).

159. Pain in the left nostril like the

pricking of needles, on poking the

finger into it.

160. Sensitivity of the nose on inspiration.

Less nasal mucus; (8

th

day).

161. Stabbing, drawing pain extending

from the forehead down to the nose.

162. Inflammation of nasal septum, with

white purulent vesicles.

163. Nose constantly obstructed.

164. Dryness of the lips.

165. Lips painful and look swollen.

166. On the inner surface of the lower lip,

a vesicle, clear like water.

167. Painful itching of the right half of the

upper lip, as if swollen.

168. Lips brown, black and dry; (5

th

evening).

169. Lips, brown, black and dry; (5

th

evening).

170. In the afternoon hungry, and thirsty

for beer; (1

st

day).

171. Strong craving for tobacco-smoking,

with loss of appetite from not

smoking; (1

st

evening).

172. Hunger without appetite.

173. Unusually strong hunger after going

for a walk; (3

rd

evening).

174. Appetite with easy satiety.

175. For three days his morning bread and

butter tasted like “Katzenbisse”, for

the rest of the day it tasted as usual;

(The word “Katzenbisse” literally

means “cat-bites”. None of the

several Germans whom I consulted

felt that this conveyed any meaning,

and the general consensus was that

this was an intentional misprint for

“Katzenpisse”; this at least has a taste,

if not a familiar one! A.C.).

176. Strong aversion to pork.

177. Great thirst during luncheon.

178. Craving for beer.

179. Appetite for meals diminished.

180. Great appetite thirst even greater.

181. No appetite for meals, but thirst for

drink.

182. Great thirst; dryness and burning in

the mouth.

183. Hunger in the evening; (6

th

day).

184. Great thirst; (4

th

day).

185. Great hunger.

186. Sensation of heartburn/pyrosis, at

times after drinking water.

187. Sour erucations.

188. Hiccough.

189. Hiccough soon after eating, while

smoking a pipe.

190. Rancid eructations in the evening.

191. Heartburn/pyrosis.

193. Eructations like rotten eggs; (2

nd

day).

194. Week feeling in stomach after supper;

when she then ate some roast, it

ceased. (1

st

evening).

195. Nausea in the morning.

196. Vomiting after every consumption of

food; nausea and retching until

eventually vomiting followed,

bringing up first ingesta and then a

sour, mucus fluid; (1

st

day).

197. Continual nausea in the day-time,

with tendency to vomit. Vomiting of

very sweet-tasting mucus, in the

morning always at 10 a.m. and then

towards eveing; (8

th

November – 21

st

January approx.).

198. Fasting in the morning, Vomiting of

sour mucus, leading to bluntness.

199. of the teeth.

200. Nausea with tendency to vomiting.

201. Tickling sensation in the throat,

followed by empty retching– in the

morning.

202. Sour vomiting.

203. Weakness and nausea in epigastrium–

mornings.

204. Cramps in the stomach area; (4

th

day).

205. Stabbing pain the epigastrium.

206. Cutting abdominal pains; they passed

off afer several passings of offensive

flatus; (1

st

evening).

207. Cutting in the abdomen, as if from

purging. (3

rd

day).

208. Cutting pain in the stomach area; (4

th

day).

209. Abdominal cramps, while still in bed

in the morning.

210. Cutting pains in the abdomen.

211. Cutting abdominal pains; weakness

and pressure in stomach then ceased.

212. Griping abdominal pain in bed in the

morning, driving him to stool, which

relieved.

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213. Colic towards evening; immediate

relief from eating.

214. when lying down, sensation of worms

crawling, relieved on standing up;

colic relieved by eating.

215. Colic.

216. Contracting pains in the stomach area.

217. Abdominal distension after icy cold

foods.

218. Stabbing pain in the hepatic area.

219. Stabbing pains in the spleen area.

220. Stabbing pressive pain below the left

floating ribs.

221. Stitching pains in the sides.

222. Violent stabbing below the bottom rib

on the left; (Lasted from beginning of

February to beginning of May).

223. Stabbing pains in the spleen area,

relieved by standing still, renewed on

starting to walk, and very often also at

rest.

224. Stabbing pains to the left of the

umbilicus, frequent when at rest.

225. Stabbing abdominal pains, on the

right side.

226. Muscular twitching in right inguinal

region (lit ; “in the right of the lap”)

after driving. Once only, but very

violent.

227. Sensation of a swelling/tumour on

sitting, extending right across the

body below the short ribs.

228. Boring pains in the vertebrae;

(Mornings).

229. Abdominal pain, as if from eating

rhubarb”; (Mornings). (“The word

“rheum” is printed in Roman type,

which elsewhere in the text indicated

Latin. I have therefore translated with

the Latin meaning (=rhubarb) rather

than “rheumatism”, as being in any

case more likely to cause abdominal

pain. A.C.).

230. Unusual abdominal distension after

eating.

231. Griping in the abdomen while

driving.

232. griping in the whole abdomen,

especially in the pubic area in young

ladies.

233. Abdominal cutting pain in the

umbilical area.

234. Distension of the abdomen.

235. Cutting pain in the loins, so severe

that she had to be led by the hand.

236. On physical exertion, pressive

stabbing pain in the symphysis pubis,

several times.

237. Flatulence completely ceased until

mid-February.

238. Urging bearing-down sensation

towards the womb, with burning

pains on micturition.

239. Dull stabbing pain in the inguinal

glands; (7

th

day).

240. Scoft stool afer previous abdominal

pain; (1

st

day).

241. Four to five stools a day after

preceding abdominal pain.

242. Stool a few times liquid, spurting out

as from a synringe; another time soft

and pappy; at times the stool is well

formed; (1

st

-4

th

days)

243. At times unsuccessful urging for

stool; he thinks he cannot hold it any

longer, but when he goes to pass it,

nothing will come away.

244. Dark brown stool, very loose and

offensive.

245. Stool during the night; almost

involuntary- he could hardly make it

to the potty in time; accompanied by

violent passages of flatus. The stool,

by the way, was of a proper

consistency, like little balls; (6

th

right).

246. Rumbling in the abdomen; (6

th

morning).

247. Painless diarrhea four times; (2

nd

day).

248. No stool; (1

st

day).

249. Stool twice in the morning, otherwise

not for the whole day.

250. Itching in the anus.

251. Raw soreness in the rectum, while

driving; (4

th

-6

th

day).

252. Itching in the anus. (4

th

day).

253. Copious perspiration of the perineum

on moving.

254. Burning cutting pains during

micturition.

255. Very painful strangury, and after he

thinks he has finished, a few more

drops of urine sometimes come.

256. Stabbing pain in the urethra,

extending from the meatus in-wards;

(2

nd

day).

257. After urination, in spite of all efforts

to restrain it, involuntary flow of

urine continues from the urethra.

258. Burning pains in the glans penis on

beginning to urinate.

259. A painful, purulent vesicle on the

scrotum.

260. Flow of prostatic fluid before

urination; (6

th

day).

261. Frequent constriction in the penis.

262. Uncommonly strong aversion to

coitus, almost throughout the whole

period of proving.

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263. Complete impotence – four weeks in

duration – in an otherwise normaly

very robust and virile man.

264. Failure to ejaculate during coitus.

265. Sexual organs are flaccid. (6

th

day).

266. Inflamed ulcer on the glans penis; the

testicles are swollen and heavy; (3

rd

day).

267. Indifference towards sexual

relationships; flaccidity of the male

genital and no desire for coitus.

268. Menses eight days too late.

269. Menses scanty and delayed.

270. Occasional violent sneezing; (2

nd

day).

271. Violent sneezing following boring

pains in right nostril.

272. Frequent sneezing without a cold.

273. Tough nasal mucus; he can hardly put

down his hand-kerchief, and yet he

has no cold. Always a plug of mucus

far up in the nose, which induces

nausea. Relieved by stooping.

274. Chronic nasal catarrh; (3 months).

275. Coryza after burning in the nose.

276. Copious coryza, for several hours at a

time, recurring frequently.

277. After hawking up the mucus, the

burning stopped for a while; (4

th

day).

278. Catarrh with coughing and

expectoration of yellowish-green

mucus.

279. Fluent coryza.

280. Dry cough with raw pain below the

sternum; (2

nd

day).

281. Cough with sensation of weakness on

the chest.

282. With persistent coughing,

expectoration of saliva and sour

mucus from the chest.

283. Dry cough caused by a tickling

sensation in the trachea.

284. Hoarseness.

285. Dry cough with sensation of

heaviness of the chest.

286. Dry cough with nausea and retching,

and a tickling in the throat the whole

day; (7

th

day).

287. Coughing and feeling of weakness in

the chest.

288. Urge to cough, with sensation of

coldness.

289. Coughing in the evening, with pain in

chest and throat; relieved at rest; as

soon as she starts to talk she needs to

cough.

290. Hoarseness on the chest and in the

throat.

291. Tickling in the windpipe with

frequent coughing.

292. Dyspnoea in the evening; (1

st

day).

293. On breathing, frequent stabbing pains

extending from the back through to

the chest.

294. On breathing, stabbing pains in the

right chest, several times.

295. On deep inspiration, stabbing pains in

the sternum. On palpation pressive,

broken feeling in sternum.

296. Shortness of breath in the open air;

relieved by lying down and driving.

297. Oppression on the chest with terrible

backache.

298. Shortness of breath is worst with the

chest-pain in a sitting position, so that

he could not write for six weeks.

Relieved on lying down.

299. Shortness of breath, even when

walking in the open air, so that he

always has to hurry in order to get

home and lie down, However, he

feels nothing when doing light work,

such a spurning trees.

300. Shortness of breath.

301. Twitching throughout the left side of

the chest.

302. Constriction of the chest.

303. Dull boring pain in the right side of

the chest, with some respiratory

constriction; (6

th

day).

304. Stabbing pain the left side of the

chest.

305. Cutting pain lie knives in the chest.

Burnt sensation in the oesophagus.

Eructations, relieving much

abdominal distension, in the evenings

when he has a hearty appetite.

306. Tremendous chest pain, as though a

heavy weight lay on the chest and

pressed down on it. Continued for

three days, with shortness of breath;

increased to an unbearable degree on

lowering the head when bending

down.

307. In bed, must keep the arms as far

away from the chest as possible,

because otherwise they increase the

chest pain.

308. Chest pain, as though the lung were

torn away and something were

pressing it.

309. Stabbing pain in the chest,

independent of respiration.

310. On going to lift anything, sensation as

if everything in the chest were torn

apart.

311. Palpitations; (5

th

day).

312. Stabbing pain in the right mammary

gland.

313. Constriction in the chest.

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PATHIC DIGEST

Year 1991, Vol.VIII

314. Coughing with greenish

expectoration, almost like tissue;

especially in the morning on waking

and in the evening on retiring;

associated with nausea. Mucus

remains tenaciously on the chest; only

with difficulty can he cough some of

it up.

315. On coughing, pain the chest as if

something might be torn off.

extending from below sternum into

the throat. (7

th

day).

316. Ulcerative pain in the chest, beneath

the

317. sternum.

318. On coughing, stabbing pains in the

chest.

319. Tensive pain in the nape of the neck

on waking, as if she had lain

awkwardly in bed.

320. Drawing pain in the nape of the neck,

extending to the shoulder, on waking.

321. Sticking pains in the nape of the neck

and on it pustules the size and shape

of lentils.

322. Boring pain and stiffness in the nape

of the neck; (6

th

and 7

th

days).

323. Tearing pains in the nape of the neck.

324. Several pustules on the nape of the

neck, with stabbing pain.

325. Most violent pain in the nape of the

neck, but only indoors. Disappears

almost immediately in open air, and

returns immediately indoors.

326. If he rests his head on his hand,

sensation as if bodiless, as though he

could pass the hand right through the

neck; (Lasted a whole afternoon).

327. stabbing and tearing pain in and

between the shoulderblades,

extending down to the sides, like

rheumatic pain; (6

th

and 7

th

days).

328. Tearing pain in the shoulderblade; (5

th

day).

329. Stabbing pains between the shoulders,

in the morning.

330. Back pain, as though the third

vertebra up were missing or broken;

(Violent and lasted 8 days).

331. Tearing pain in the left shoulder;

afternoons and evenings when at rest.

332. Tremendous back-pain.

333. Back-pain; a kind of stabbing

pressure.

334. Lame, beaten feeling in the back; he

cannot hold himself upright; (1

st

evening).

335. Between the 2

nd

and 3

rd

vertebrae a

dull, pressive pain; (1

st

afternoon).

336. Boring pains in the vertebrae. (6

th

day).

337. Stabbing pains in the lumbar region,

extending as far as the knee; (7

th

morning).

338. Pains in the small of the back.

339. Sensation of weakness in the small of

the back.

340. Pressive sensation in the small of the

back.

341. with itching; (7

th

day).

342. Tightness in the bones of buttocks,

extending to the knee, when walking.

343. Cramping pain in the bones of the

whole left arm; evenings when

resting.

344. Unusual roughness of wrists,

extending to the proximal

interphalangeal joints of the finger;

(Lasted 5 days).

345. In the morning on rising. stabbing

pain on the right ankle.

346. As above, as if from a sprained

tendon.

347. Tearing pain in the left knee and the

left shoulder

348. The leg on which he lies in bed is as

if too weak to bear the pressure of the

other. Has to keep changing his

position, until he falls asleep over it

(Lasted 6 days).

349. Gouty pains in the whole left foot.

350. Tendency to walk with the left foot

turned inwards, with a feeling as if it

had actually ben sprained, so that he

must actually look down to convince

himself that it is not so; (lasted 3

days).

351. Easy exhaustion from slight exertion.

352. Extreme exhaustion after driving.

353. torn feeling in the right elbow; (1

st

evening).

354. Tearing pains in the elbow.

355. Itching in the left arm.

356. Itching in the right elbow.

357. Pricking/stabbing at intervals in left

arm.

358. Itching in the biceps of the right arm.

359. Tearing in the arm.

360. Pricking in the left index finger.

361. Sweat on the palms of the hands.

362. Itching in the right wrist; red patches

form, like flea bites, which itch and

soon fade.

363. Weakness in all the joints, as if they

would collapse.

364. The pains in the feet are aggravated at

rest, like wise the itching.

365. Yawning for the first hour; shivering,

with a pale blue rash, with tearing and

QUARTERLY HOMOE

O

PATHIC DIGEST

Year 1991, Vol.VIII

cramping pains in the umbilical

regions; (7

th

day, around noon).

366. Feels very tired; liable to fall over.

367. She is at her best lying down.

368. work-sky.

369. Much yawning in the middle of the

day and the evening.

370. For several days felt sleepy early.

371. He dreams of his occupations and

intentions.

372. Anxious dreams of robbers, journeys

and dangers.

373. restless unrefreshing sleep.

374. Frequent yawning in the evenings.

375. Tiredness and lassitude towards

evenings; relieved as she got into bed.

376. Very restless, serious dreams.

377. Frequent yawning and early

sleepiness in the evening.

378. Always very sleepy.

379. He dreamt that he was sitting on the

toilet, and very nearly did it in the

bed; (5

th

day).

380. Slept very restlessly, several nights.

381. Very tense on going to sleep.

382. Very sleepy in the daytime; (6

th

day).

383. Unusually sound sleep at night.

384. Whenever she sits down, she falls

asleep.

385. Very restless sleep on account of

disturbing dreams.

386. Cannot get to sleep in the evenings;

(Lasted 5 weeks).

387. Very restless but refreshing sleep.

388. Many dreams, very much liked up

and recallable. In the morning the

body is in th same position as on

going to sleep the evening before;

(Curative result).

389. Cannot sleep on the right side as

accustomed, but can sleep on the left;

(Lasted 10 days).

390. Frequent cold shivers, especially in

the evening, with flushes of heat,

great exhaustion, feebleness and

sleepiness.

391. Stretching and turning fo the limbs,

without thirst or other complaints.

392. Copious sweat on walking.

393. Internal shuddering in the afternoon,

with cold shivers externally.

394. Around midday internal coldness,

with cold shivers.

395. Sweat o the face and palms of the

hands.

396. Frequent sensations of the coldness

during the day-time.

397. Frequent sensations of the coldness

during the day-time.

398. When the sun shone on her, it seemed

as though it were oppressing her. She

had to rest for sometime in the shade

before she could walk any further; (4

th

day).

399. Great heat in the evening; it was as

though she were going out of her

mind – phantasizing, with great

thirst–followed by sweating in the

night; then it all stopped.

400. At table and in the evening, very

frequently flushes of heat over the

whole body, with dripping sweat on

the face, while others were

complaining of the cold. Frequent

thirst, dryness and burning in the

mouth.

401. Chillness lasting several days.

402. Heat and sweating in the evening

while driving ; (6

th

day).

403. Cold shivers on the skin.

404. Heat in the afternoon.

405. Headache.

406. Thirst, coldness, dryness in the mouth

and on the lips, lasting 4 days.

407. Hot, sweating and thirsty in both cold

and hot weather.

408. Headache, coldness, dry mouth and

lips.

409. Frequent cold sensation on the skin

during the day; (6

th

day).

409a. Much sweating on palms of hands at

night.

409b. Unaccustomed anxiety while

driving; (1

st

day).

410. Anxiety-state with palpitations.

411. Trembling of hands and feet; (4

th

day).

412. Trembling of the hands; (6

th

day).

413. Trembling of the feet.

414. Anxiety, like fearful premonitions,

with great restlessness and trembling

of the hands.

415. Hot shivers through the whole body

when under pressure of work.

416. Cheerful, in a good mood, eagerness

and zest for work; (2

nd

morning).

417. Irritable, cross and jumpy in the

evening.

418. So sad that she could destroy herself,

then flamboyant extraversion.

419. Irritability and weepiness.

420. sometimes very miserable, at other

times very merry.

421. Very gloomy, sad, despairing; wishes

to take his own life when at his most

optimistic.

422. Very worked-up; angry at everything.

423. Despondent; very sad.

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PATHIC DIGEST

Year 1991, Vol.VIII

424. Merry, cheerful, pleased with life; (6

th

day).

425. Optimistic about the future.

426. Oppression of spirit.

427. Very sentimental.

428. Very irritable.

429. Very merry and cheerful.

430. Very violent in the morning.

431. Everything makes her angry.

432. Very violent, liable to outbursts of

temper, always thinking of dying;

suddenly very merry, just as suddenly

very sad; strongly alternating moods

during same day.

433. Very irritable when he has to

converse a lot.

434. Every moral impression affects her so

strongly that she trembles all over.

435. Gloomy in spirit and lacking in

gaiety.

436. Gloomy thoughts; he believes he is

going bankrupt.

437. Persistent thoughts of which he

cannot rid himself; they recur in

dreams at night; (Lasted 3 days).

438. Great aversion to being driven

anywhere – lasted four weeks – then

suddenly a desire for it which cannot

be satisfied quickly enough, even in

bad weather.

Introduction : This article has been created

over three years and in that time I have refined my

original ideas so that I feel can now write with

greater certainity. I have moved repeatedly between

observation, practice and theoretical considerations,

in oreder to test and re-test the original ideas. I

have also spent a lot of time collecting fresh data.

I felt the need to do this because there are

many original observations about Psorinum, in this

article. It is not just a modern restatement of

HAHNEMANN’s work. The ideas presented here

form part of a much larger work on the Psora

theory and the history of disease which shows no

sign of being finished at the moment. So these

notes are mainly about Psorinum as a remedy in

homeopathy and the major indications for its use.

Inevitably, we must also consider some aspects of

HAHNEMANN’s controversial Psora theory,

though I have tried to keep this brief.

Psorinum has become the single most

interesting and important tremedy in the Materia

Medica. One reason for this interest is personal, I

myself had scabis in 1971, along with 5 other

members of my family. Since then I have watched

with fascination, not only the unfolding of myriad

illnesses and symptoms within the members of the

family and their offspring, but I have also seen the

profound and curative effects of Psorinum as a

remedy.

Psorinum is a very full remedy, with a very

large symptomatology, much larger thean is

indicated in any Materia Medica. It could prove to

be as vast as to include all the antisporic medicines

with in its “sphere of action”.

It is the Alladin’s Cave and the Pandora’s Box

of homeopathy, as it contains and can release both

wonder and demons !

Psorinum appears to be a cure-all or panacea

(more on this later). It broadly covers and includes

Sulpur, Zincum, Natrum muriaticum,

Petroleum and Graphites and to a lesser extent

Sepia, Arsenicum album, Phosphorous,

Argentum nitricum, Calcarea carbonica, Silica

and Lycopodium. All these remedies are “big

stars” n their own right, but I feel that they are

better seen as merely a part of the Constellation

sorinum, for that seems to be their natural habitat.

In other words, Psorinum is a vast remedy, that

embraces all the above remedies.

In general, cases with a strong indication for

one of the above remedies will almost certainly

lead into Psorinum eventually.

Such cases are moving towards Psorinum, because

the underlying driving force of the case is Psora. A

case begins to unravel under the influence of our

rremedies. It unravels in the general direction of the

original cause, be it Sycosis, Syphilis or Psora.

Thus strongly Psoric cases unravel towards

Psorinum and it is sensible to accept this fact and

be guided by it.

While there have always been some theoretical

objectives to confusing the remedy with the miasm

(see ALLEN and DUDGEON), these are of more

inerest to pedants than to practitioners of

homeopathy ! Theory that cannot be substantiated

in fact, is always inferior to fact tht can be

substantiated, no matter how peculiar or heretical

the latter may seen to be, and no matter how

attractive and intellectually satisfying the theory. It

is all too easy to be deceived into. what Russell

called “intellectual rubbish”! Reading DUDGEON

should ensure that this point is clearly understood.

The truth of the Psora theory, comes not from

grandiose reasoning, but through accurate

observation of cases.

The tree main features of Psorinum are

offensiveness, itchiness and inveterate states. Thes

three run through all of its conditions. There is

nearly always itchiness and offensiveness, often

combined with a torpid lack of reaction. This lack

of reaction is often deep-seated and insidious. In

the worst cases it is slumbering lack of symptoms

which fails to manifest itself at all: a dormant or

quiescent sora (Physical and mental torpor?).

Sulphur, of course, is sufficiently close to

PSORINUM,

MORELL, Peter

The Homeopath

Vol. 6, No. 4

QUARTERLY HOMOE

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PATHIC DIGEST

Year 1991, Vol.VIII

Psorinum to bring about a shift and dislodge the

blockage of many cases. But Psorinum itself is

even better. Psorinum unjams jammed-up cases

because it is a feature of the miasm. Sulphur does

the same because it is the leading antipsoric

remedy after Psorinum. In torpid cases, one of the

first and centrifugal effects of taking Psorinum is

the return of itchiness of the skin, and of taking

Psorinum is the return of itchiness of the skin, an

dthis, as KSNT among others, noticed is always a

good sign.

The Drug Picture.

The main features of Psorinum are :

1. Inveterate conditions in general

(never get well).

2. Inveterate dirtiness and offensiveness

– mouth, sweat, axillae, genitals, flatus,

stools, eruptions, feet, etc.

3. Lack of reaction (sensitivity) to

remedies, to diseases, to weather, to low

potencies, to anything (torpor).

4. Itchiness of the skin especillay in

folds and where the skin is thin, for

example : behind ears, behind knees, in

fold of elbow, folds of neck, wrists,

axillae, groin, genitals, between toes,

between fingers, around and in th navel,

around anus and perineum, on face, along

the jawline, in whiskers and around

mouth. Itchiness made worse by wool,

abrasion of clothes, heat, hot bath, het of

bed, undressing, (NB. the above

symptoms also apply to scabies itself).

5. Skin cented case and complaints ––

psoriasis, eczema, impetigo, acne,

blackheads, herpes, warts, itchiness, dry

crusts or watery oozing, scabs, scales,

cracks, desquamtion, etc. Generally

itching intensely at times and in place

indicated above. At first relieved and later

aggravated by scratching.

6. A history of skin conditions (see 5) in

certain places (see 4) in parents,

grandparents, brothers, sisters, etc.

7. Hard and uncomfortable nasal crusts

and scabs form high up in the nostrils,

difficult to detach and re-form after doing

so. Leads to chronic nose-picking.

8. Fungal infections – oral and genital

candida (thrush), ring-worm (of scalp,

hands, legs, etc), anthelete’s foot,

recurrent attacks that are temporarily

improved by Sulphur, Lycopodium or

Sillca.

9. Parasitic infestations –– pinworms,

nits, fleas, headlice, crabs. Recurrent

attacks, especially among children.

10. Allergic reactions of all kinds –

asthma, hayfever, skin, nose and eye

reactions to pollens, dust, feathers, certain

foods, detergents, oils, chemicals, etc.

11. Reactions to vaccinations and

immunizations, giving rise to chronic

nasal catarrh (mucus clear or green),

asthma, bronchial colds, frequent colds,

chronic coughs, and more serious

conditions, for example : brain damage.

12. A hose of infant and childhood

complaints, especially as listed above (See

5, 8, 9 an d10) in places indicated (see 4,

5). Theses also include nappy-rash, nasal

catarrh, painful teething, susceptibility to

colds of flue, night terrors, sleeplessness

in infants, petulant behaviour, waxiness,

crustiness and offensiveness of the ears

including discharges (otorrhoea), measles

German measles, chicken pox, heat rash.

13. Haemorrhoids, Varicosities, ulcers

and chilblains of extremities – ankles, feet,

toes, fingers, legs – all itching and painful

inflamed to some degree, worse for cold,

heat, undressing, scratching.

14. Non-sycotic (that is most forms of )

asthma, bronchial catarrh, bronchitis,

shortness of breath, incipient tuberculosis.

15. Offensively sweaty feet, hands and

axillae of an inveterate nature, often

associated with fungal infection (tinea

pedis).

16. Dandruff, greasy hair, itching of

scalp, greasy and dirty skin (face, hands,

chest, back). Desires to wash them

frequently. especially hands.

17. The patient will not improve while

drinking coffee or remedies seem to be

antidote by coffee.

18. Well indicated remedies fail to act, or

act for a time and then abort and fail

thereafter. Needs remedies too frequently.

Needs high potencies to achieve an effect.

Needs the highest potencies too frequently

(e.g. weekly or even daily).

19. Frequent indications for Sulphur,

Petroieum, Zincum, Graphites, Natrum

muriaticum, Lycopodium, Arsenicum

album, Phosphorous, Argentum

nitricum, Calcarea carbonica, Sepia or

silica which improve for a time and then

abort.

20. A history within a family of any or

several of the above symptoms (esp. 4, 5,

8, 9, 10, 13 & 15) strongly indicates a

Psoric state and thus the certain indication

of Psorinum at some time in their

treatment, most probably towards the end

of it.

21. Seasonal conditions, that appear in

one season only for example : the spring,

summer or winter (less so autum), worst

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Year 1991, Vol.VIII

for warmth, cold, warmth of bed,

undressing, standing, hot baths,

scratching. Better for quiet, rest, lying

down, Often feels unusually well the day

before an aggravation.

I have observed all the above symptoms and

conditions in a variety of people who have had

scabies or whose parents have had the disease. This

particularly includes myself, my mother, my wife

(and her family ) and our two children. An

increasing number of the symptoms have also been

confirmed in practice. The rest of the Psorinum

picture can be found in the standard Materia

Medica.

The mass of evidence out of which this article

grew is too large to include but will be part of a

larger work.

None of these features require much further

amplification. They are all self-evident, bare

features of the remedy and the underlying Psoric

state. Clearly, for use in practice they should be

though about carefully so as to become thoroughly

familiar.

If psora does over 85% of all human illness

and Psorinum is the major antipsoric medicine,

then we need a clearer picture of Psorinum than is

presented in most Materia Medica. The material

presented here is an effort in that direction. Much

of this material is either unavailable elsewhere or it

is present in a garbled, underemphasized or

misleading form. KENT’s Repertory is also

deficient for Psorinum.

Other Symptoms :

There is also a host of other symptoms, some

minor and others as yet only partly substantiated.

which I include for the sake of completeness. These

include.

1. Shyness, timidity, melancholy,

introverted, anxious, irritable, depressed.

2. Great overreaction to slights, angers

easily, becomes abusive and violent.

3. Excessive tiredness.

4. Insomnia, sleeplessness, wakes too

early and cannot sleep again due to

activity of mind, heat, sweat, itching, or

etc.

5. Hair tangles, becomes brittle, sticks

together easily becomes dry and white.

Split ends of the hair (recurrent or

chronic).

6. Ophthalmia, photophobia, glaucoma.

7. Lip herpes.

8. Bleeding of the gums, while cleaning

teeth. Recession of gums from the roots of

the teeth, especially lower incisors,

Accumulation of tarter on inner side and

between lower incisors. Furriness of the

tongue, esp. at base.

9. Nausea, after eating, smell of food,

smell of tobacco smoke, in pregnancy, in

mornings. Acid dyspepsia, buring in

stomach after certain foods.

10. Offensive diarrhea, alternating with

constipation. Difficult stool, must wait,

partial, inco,plete, must return to several

times. Hot sulphurous (highly offensive)

flatus.

11. Urinary disorders––polyps, cystitis

12. Uterine, menstrual and childbirth

disorders; for example : delayed opening

of the cervix, weak labour.

13. Impotence.

14. Coronary thrombosis and strokes.

15. Tuberculosis.

16. Arthritis, aching, swollen joints,

cracking or snapping of joints of ankle,

fingers, jaw, also toes, shoulders, knees,

hips.

17. Viral infections in general seem to

rest on a Psoric base; for example : colds

and flue. Cancer.

18. Great sensitivity to cold weather,

draughts, especially hands, fingers, toes

and head, must wrap up.

These lists cover nearly all modern illness.

HAHNEMANN said that Psora covers 85% of all

human illness : I would go further and say 95%.

HAHNEMANN also said that Psora is a hydra-

headed miasm that grows out into numerous and

diverse forms, which has also been illustrated in

these lists.

Finally, there is a good deal of overlap with

what HAHNEMANN includes in his list

“symptoms of Latent Psora”. It is not that I have

copied HAHNEMANN but that there is overlap of

observations. I originally observed similar

symptoms and then use HAHNEMANN’s lists as

the basis of further observations. I have checked

and confirmed only a small portion of

HAHNEMANN’s lists. Although many of the

above conditions and symptoms may be relieved by

conventional homeopathic treatment, often for

several years, eventually the usual constitutional

remedies will come fail and the patient will move

towards graver conditions as the need for

Psorinum increases. It is at this point that the

remarkable and truly unique power of Psorinum

manifests, being able to turn back the seemingly

inexorable tide of grave illness even at the eleventh

hour. This appears to be an aspect of Psorinum

that HAHNEMANN did not have the necessary

time to discover.

The Psoric Miasm

The relationship between Psora and Psorinum

has an interesting and not untroubled history. As

many homeopaths will be aware, the debate raged

in the last century over the relative truth or

absurdity of HAHNEMANN’s Psora theory. As a

result, within homeopathy, two divergent schools

of thought ware formed : firstly the cynical and

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Year 1991, Vol.VIII

critical disbelievers who though HAHNEMANN

had finally lost his marbles ! And secondly the

gullible sycophants who lapped up every word the

“Master” uttered. Between these two extremes

there was little room for careful or rational

conjecture. I feel that this situation was to some

extent a product of HAHNEMANN’s obsessive

and paranoid attitude to any form of even mildly

critical suggestion. It is well known that he

demanded total devotion from his closest

colleagues, he often formed theories on scant

evidence and he was unnecessarily angry and

impatient with other medical theorists and

practitioners of the day. These attitudes are still

common in medicine and were also present to some

extent in KENT.

It is quite possible that now, a century and a

half later, similar emotional reactions will reappear

to a new airing of the Psora Theory. Yet I am

happy to brave the storm of derision, should there

be one. perhaps people do not believe the Psora

Theory because of their poor powers of observation

of cases, symptoms and connections, often over

very long periods of time One also needs

considerable thinking time available in order to

deeply ponder the available data. It took

HAHNEMANN 12 years of the most meticulous

observation to formulate his Psora Theory. 12 years

in which he was a very busy man, by no means

wealthy and father of a large and nomadic family.

Perhaps that venom he reserved for his critics was

due to his conviction of the unique and precious

nature of his “arcane” discoveries. He viewed

homeopathy as his brainchild, his precious

discovery and his gift to ailing humanity, and he

viewed himself as its sole guardian and patriarch.

I feel that he was right about Psora and in

particular the following now modified premises :

1. That the itch or scabies does

produce a deep-seated and

“congenital” miasm, that is, an inner

predisposition dormant or active and

able to produce clearly recognizable

and predictable symptoms and

complaints in the individual and her

or his offspring or perpetuity.

2. That the history of al human

illness is traceable to skin diseases in

ancestors.

3. That all skin diseases are

traceable to scabies in self or

ancestors.

4. That possibly plague and

certainly lepr