©Quarterly Homœopathic Digest, Vol.XXIX, 3 & 4/2012. Private circulation only. 1

CONTINUING HOMŒOPATHIC MEDICAL EDUCATION SERVICES

QUARTERLY HOMŒOPATHIC DIGEST

VOL. XXIX, 3 & 4, 2012

Part I Current Literature Listing

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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. Great Expectations

Can Homœopathy really deliver “miracles”?

HERON, Krista (HT. 31, 4/2011)

Homœopathy can be burdened by magical

expectations. Many physical ailments are helped by

homœopathic remedy while they remained unmitigated

for years by other treatments.

The most important contribution of any

homœopathic medicine is to improve the quality of life.

In serious pathologies, Homœopathy may slow down

the progression or provide palliation all the while

allowing for greater freedom and joy in living.

Deeper emotional symptoms are expressions of

personality with roots reaching back to earliest

childhood. They can be modified for the better.

2. Assumptions of Homœopathy

SHEPPERD, Joel (AJHM. 103, 3/2010)

Homœopathy develops a strict method of science.

Its methodology contrasts with allopathic biomedical

science. Both Homœopathy and Allopathy make use of

consistent reasoning to reach conclusions, however,

each scientific method starts with different assumptions.

Fruitful discussion between practitioners of different

methods takes place with explicit statements of these

unwritten viewpoints. The separate belief systems of

Allopathy and Homœopathy are discussed.

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II. MATERIA MEDICA

1. The Spirit of Homœopathic Medicines

GRANDGEORGE, Didier (AJHM. 103, 3/2010)

In this unique article the author briefly touches

upon several points: disease as reflection of an

individual’s refusal or inability to examine his

unconscious impulses, conflicts, and motives; love as a

means of escaping entrapment in the unconscious; three

stages of love and their correlation with Hahnemann’s

Miasms and physical pathology; and, lastly, an

examination of five homœopathic remedies relative to

their correspondence to states of grief for the dead.

2. Materia Medica Pura Project

SAINE, André (AJHM. 103, 3/2010)

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Many of the characteristic symptoms of most of our

homœopathic remedies have yet to be incorporated into

our Materia Medicas and Repertories. The Materia

Medica Pura Project, instigated by Dr. SAINE and aided

by the efforts of sixteen working groups in Europe and

North America, is a project in process with the

important goals, among others, of creating a summary

of the most characteristic symptoms of lesser-known

remedies and better developing the genius of our better-

known remedies, and improving the thoroughness and

accuracy of our repertory. In depth research is

underway to achieve this goal, consisting of a thorough

review of reliable proving, toxicology, cured cases and

cumulative clinical experience. [There is another

Materia Medica Project – Materia Medica Revisa

Homoeopathiae – since 2007. Already about 30

Medicines have been covered Monographs. The work

is going on well. The Monographs are very well

produced in every way = KSS.]

3. Notes on Provings and the Clinical Use of

Remedies

MORRELL, Peter (AJHM. 103, 3/2010)

This essay explores and distinguishes between the

effects of remedies on healthy people in Proving and

those effects that arise when the remedy is given to the

sick person. It should be borne in mind by the reader

that the points given here largely derive from the

author’s own observations made during personal use of

remedies over a thirty year period, plus reflections about

them, and thus his comments might not accord exactly

with the experiences of other homœopaths. However,

one would hope that they prove useful and insightful to

others. The essay begins with a consideration of

Hahnemann’s habitual reference to the word

‘experience,’ and what it meant to him, and closes with

some thoughts about the concept of the Vital Force and

how that helps us to grasp more clearly the often

confusing clinical effects of our remedies.

4. Rein oder nicht rein?

(Pure or not Pure?)

LUCAE, Chnitian and WISCHNER, Mathias

(ZKH. 54, 1/2010)

This article analyses the reliability of the sources of

Hahnemann’s Materia Medica. It was considered for

long that Hahnemann’s Materia Medica contained

basically Proving symptoms of high reliability.

However, further research by the authors has

revealed that there may be symptoms which are not of

such high quality. Five sources have been identified:

1. Toxicology

2. Medicinal Provings on Provers

3. NB-Symptoms

4. Remedy Proving on patients

5. Clinical Symptoms

HAHNEMANN’s Materia Medica was born in

1805 with the Fragmenta de Viribus

Medicamentorum (FVMP), and from 1811 it

progressed with his Pure Materia Medica and ended

with the last volume of Chronic Diseases (CK)

In a letter to BOENNINGHAUSEN (letter dated

16.3.1831) HAHNEMANN writes that because he has

no hospital under his control he was unable to verify the

symptom. He found that several unreliable material had

entered.

The toxicology was the first source which

HAHNEMANN tapped. Then his tests on ‘Provers’.

There were errors in the ‘original’ symptom when they

were carried over to the Encyclopaedia/Chronic

Diseases.

In the opinion of the authors HAHNEMANN’s

Materia Medica is not a collection of proving

symptoms, but a collection from several sources.

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III. THERAPEUTICS

1. Homœopathic ear drops as an adjunct to standard

therapy in children with Acute Otitis Media

TAYLOR, A. James and JACOBS, Jennifer

(HOM. 100, 3/2011)

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of a

homœopathic ear-drop for treatment of Otalgia in

children with Acute Otitis Media (AOM).

Methods: Children with AOM were enrolled in the

study at the time of diagnosis and randomized to receive

either standard therapy alone or standard therapy plus a

homœopathic ear drop solution that was to be used on as

needed basis for up to 5 days. Parents of children in

both treatment groups rated the severity of 5 AOM

symptoms twice daily for 5 days in a symptom diary. A

symptom score was computed for each assessment with

lower scores denoting less severe symptoms. Parents of

children randomized to receive ear drops also recorded

information regarding symptoms being treated and

response to treatment.

Results: A total of 119 eligible children were enrolled

in the study; symptom diaries were received from 94

(79%). Symptom scores tended to be lower in the group

of children receiving ear drops than in those receiving

standard therapy alone; these differences were

significant at the second and third assessments (P= 0.04

and P = 0.003, respectively). In addition, the rate of

symptom improvement was faster in children in the ear

drop group compared with children in standard therapy

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alone group (P = 0.002). The most common reason for

administration of ear drops was ear pain, recorded for

93 doses; improvement was noted after 78.4% of doses

for this indication. There were no significant side

effects related to use of the ear drops.

Conclusions: This study suggests that homœopathic

ear drops were moderately effective in treating otalgia

in children with AOM and may be most effective in the

early period after a diagnosis of AOM. Pediatricians

and other primary health care providers should consider

homœopathic ear drops a useful adjunct to standard

therapy. [This study is a wasteful one. The ‘eardrops’

is a combination remedy comprising Pulsatilla,

Chamomilla, Sulphur, Calcarea corbonica, Belladonna,

Lycopodium all in 30c potency! How are they called as

‘homœopathic’ and notwithstanding this muddle it was

found to be “moderately effective.” = KSS].

2. Homœopathy in the treatment of tubercular

lymphadenitis (TBLN) – An Indian experience

CHAND, Kusum, S., MANCHANDA, RK.,

BATRA, Sudhir and MITTAL, Renu

(HOM. 100, 3/2011)

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 retrospective

exploratory study of 25 positively diagnosed cases of

TBLN has lead to the development of 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.

3. Blisters and Homœopathy: Case Reports and

differential diagnosis

JURH, Gheorghe and WAISSE, Silvia

(HOM. 100, 3/2011)

Blisters are skin lesions characterized by

accumulation of fluid between the layers of the skin.

Their severity varies from the common blisters caused

by friction to severe autoimmune and congenital bullous

disorders, some of them currently without treatment in

conventional medicine or requiring drugs with

potentially severe side-effects. This article reports cases

of blistering diseases successfully treated with

homœopathic medicines, which represent an alternative

for the treatment of such disorders.

Case 1: Pemphigus Vulgaris in an adult – Rhus

toxicodendron

Case 2: Atopic Dermatitis in a child

Kali carbonicum LM6 and Calcarea

sulphurica 10x

Rhus toxicodendron 30x

Case 3: Pathogenetic Blisters in an adult

Ranunculus sclerata 30x

Case 4: Bullous Lupus in an adult; Ranculus bulbosus

LM3 & 5

Case 5: Bullous pemphigoid in an adult: Sulphur LM

1& 2, then Carboneum sulphuratum M.

4. New homœopathic medicines: use of modern drugs

according to the principle of similitude

TEIXEIRA, Marcus Zulian (HOM. 100, 4/2011)

Background: The homœopathic method is based on

the application of the principle of therapeutic similitude

(Similia Similibus Curentur), using medicines that cause

effects similar to the symptoms of disease in order to

stimulate the reaction of the organism against

disturbances. Such vital, homœostatic or paradoxical

reaction of the organism can be scientifically explained

on the basis of the rebound effect of modern drugs.

Aims: This article presents the conclusion of a study

aiming at a method to use modern drugs with

homœopathic criteria.

Methods: Adverse effects as catalogued in United

States Pharmacopoeia Dispensing Information Drug

monographs were collected.

Results: A homœopathic Materia Medica and Repertory

comprising 1251 modern drugs to be employed

according to the principle of therapeutic similitude was

developed.

Conclusion: Besides supplying a basis for

Homœopathy as a medical rationale related to scientific

pharmacology, this study makes available a method that

may broaden the scope of intervention of Homœopathy

in present day diseases.

5. Epidermolysis bullosa: report of three cases treated

with Homœopathy

JURJ, Gheorghe; WAISSE, Silvia; et al.

(HOM. 100, 4/2011)

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a group of rare

genetic disorders characterized by recurrent blistering as

a result of even minor traction of epithelial lined tissues,

most remarkably the skin. Associated morbidity is

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serious for all patients affected due to the presence of

large areas of denudated skin thus susceptible to

infection. There is currently no available treatment in

conventional medicine. This article reports the case of 3

children successfully treated with individualized

homœopathic medicines.

6. Case of Bothrops atrox: Hereditary

cholesterolemia

MASTER Farokh (AJHM. 103, 3/2010)

59 year-old man with hereditary cholesterolemia

with lot of Cardiac problems. Angina pectoris,

recurrent occlusion of internal Carotid Artery. Mild

disturbance of vision before every attack. Vertigo from

anxiety or nervous excitement with sensation of falling.

Prostration after sexual intercourse. Father died when

he was ten. He was sent to boarding school. Felt

lonely, forsaken. Reserved. Venous stasis. Slow

speech.

On several medications, Bothrops lanceolatus did

help him. Bothrops atrox 30c daily in the five cup

method for 15 days. LDL levels decreased. After

another 45 days dosage, 80-90% improvement. Then

the dosage of conventional medicines were reduced.

In two years no recurrence of carotid artery

occlusion. The cholesterol levels remained in normal

range.

Bothrops 30, once a month for 3-4 months.

Bothrops atrox: Remedy Notes

Mind

Ailments from mental shock.

Anxiety from fright.

Fear that the heart will stop beating unless constantly

moving about. (Bothrops alternatus also). [Gelsemium

too has this symptom = KSS].

Sadness from pain.

Head

Pain in the head aggravated in open air.

Headache in the right side of occiput.

Pain increases suddenly.

Nose

Epistaxis in the morning on rising.

Epistaxis with amennorhea.

Epistaxis instead of menses or after suppressed menses.

Face

Distended veins of the face.

Mouth

Furry tongue.

Thick slurred speech. Tongue feels thick.

Throat

Throat feels thick.

Stomach

Anxiety felt in the stomach extending to the head.

Abdomen

Trembling felt in the abdomen.

Abdomen is sensitive to clothing.

Rectum:

Diarrhea after midnight.

Flatus during diarrhea.

Bladder

Urge for urination is absent.

Urging to urinate after urination.

Female genitalia:

Menses too frequent, every 2 or 3 days.

Pale and watery menses.

Cough

Cough with affections of the heart.

Chest

Complaints of the heart with numbness of the upper

limbs.

Oppression of the chest aggravated lying on left side.

Pain in the region of the heart after midnight, between

4-6 am.

Pressing pain in the heart aggravated by deep

inspiration, talking and motion.

Pain in the heart extending to left axilla.

Chest feels too small.

Back

Stitching pain in the lumbar region aggravated by

standing and breathing.

Extremities

Awkwardness of the lower limbs, falls while walking.

Stumbles while walking, ascending and descending

stairs.

Paleness and blueness of hands and fingers.

Cold and clammy perspiration of the hands and palms.

Trembling of the palms.

Sleep

Wakens from sleep due to heart symptoms.

Wakens from sleep due to pain.

Dreams

Of sick people and disease.

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Perspiration

Perspiration on affected, painful and covered parts.

Offensive, putrid odor of perspiration.

Warm perspiration.

Skin

Painful cicatrices of skin.

Ecchymotic lesions of skin.

Generals

Hemorrhage of non-coagulable blood. Hemophilia.

Wounds bleed freely.

Hypotension.

Necrosis.

Paralysis of muscles.

Raising affected limbs aggravates.

Lying in a horizontal position ameliorates.

External trembling with perspiration.

Twitching of muscles.

Weakness from pain.

Hot weather aggravates.

Rising from sitting aggravates.

Shock after injuries.

In addition to the above Bothrops atrox often

proves effective for the following:

Motor and sensory aphasia

Sequelae of post-cerebrovascular accidents

Pseudobulbar palsy

Multi-infarct dementia.

7. Homœopathic Treatment of patients with Dementia

TEUT, Michael

(AJHM. 103, 3/2010)

One hundred years after the first description,

Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias belong to the

most disabling and burdensome health conditions

worldwide. It is estimated that 24.3 million people have

dementia today, with 4.6 million new cases every year.

The role of Homœopathy and other complementary

therapies in the therapy and prevention of dementia has

not yet been systematically evaluated.

A case of a patient with dementia treated with

Hyoscyamus niger is presented. Boger’s General

Analysis Repertory as a tool to identify the

homœopathic remedy is explained. A comparative

Materia Medica of the most important remedies for this

condition is discussed.

Dementia can be treated successfully with

Homœopathy. The role of homœopathic treatment in

geriatric diseases needs further attention and research.

8. Syphilinum: An Answer to Osteoporosis

SAHA, Subhranil (AJHM. 103, 3/2010)

Osteoporosis is gaining increasing importance day

by day all over the world among the epidemics of non-

communicable diseases. It is multifactorial in origin;

but what is the biggest threat is that it is usually

asymptomatic until fractures or some serious

deformities occur; validating its description as the

‘silent disease.’ There is an increased restorative

activity of the osteoclasts in comparison to the bone-

forming activities of the osteoblasts. The common sites

of fracture are distal radius, lumbar vertebrae and the

neck of the femur. My experience reveals that

Syphilinum, whenever used appropriately, not only

lessens the pain, but also reduces the risk of fracture to

an immense extent. Other medicines are also required

according to the symptom-totality. Also, dietary

modifications, exercises and, in some cases, therapeutic

supplementation of calcium and vitamin D are

mandatory.

9. A Case of Terminal Metastatic Small Cell Cervical

Cancer

FLEISHER, A. Mitchell (AJHM. 103, 4/2010)

A case of a woman with terminal, metastatic small

cell cervical cancer, in hospice at the time her

homœopathic treatment was initiated, is presented.

Lacking characteristic symptoms enabling

repertorization of the case, thematic analysis was

employed. Themes of lack of confidence and self-

worth, inadequacy, overwhelm, need for support,

concern about what others think, coupled with themes

of a lack of nurturance, caring and love in childhood,

feeling completely alone to face danger and attack,

insecurity, guilt and shame, punishment by chronic pain

due to abandonment by God and family, coupled with

physical generalities and food cravings led to the

prescription of Magnesia bromatum, which was

alternated with Carcinosinum compositae, according to

the Ramakrishnan method of cancer treatment. Clinical

response was profound and deeply curative.

[I have been unsuccessful in accessing the Materia

Medica of Magnesia bromatum in any of the Materia

Medicas extant = KSS].

10. Flashback to Hell

Ten years of healing for witnesses of 9/11

SHALTS, Edward (HT. 31, 3/2011)

Richard, mild, polite quite sensitive, consulted a

few months after witnessing at close range the 9/11

attacks on World Trade Center. He was also a witness

to 1993 and 2001 twin bombings at a very close range.

Since then, he became withdrawn. Morbidly afraid of

the dark. Terrible nightmares. Anxious and edgy.

Easily offended. Lost his concentration at work.

Stramonium 200. Two weeks later, no nightmares.

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Mood even and concentration improving. Calmer. Four

weeks later, quality of sleep better.

Fear lessened.

The symptoms relapsed when he was under stress

and repetition of 200 or 1M took care of him.

By 2006, he was significantly better. But still

feelings of guilt and poor concentration.

Aurum bromatum a rarely used remedy

dramatically finished what Stramonium started.

11. We remember: September 11, 2001

GROSSMAN, Lauri

(HT. 31, 3/2011)

The author discusses her experience of helping the

victims of 9/11 disaster, by working 14 hour shifts with

homœopathic remedies – Ignatia, Natrum mur., Aurum

metallicum, Aconite, Phosphorus, Stramonium.

Hahnemann labs, Boiron, Washington Homœopathic

Products supplied the medicines required. Homœopaths

around the world called to offer their help.

She also narrates her experience of working with

the Homœopaths without Borders amongst the people of

earthquake hit Haiti in January 2010, with Arnica,

Hypericum, Symphytum, Bryonia, Carbo vegetabilis and

Bioplasma (combination of all 12 biochemic salts)

11. The Life Savers: Remedies for Emergencies

GROSSMAN, Lauri (HT. 31, 3/2011)

Indications for Aconite, Arnica, Ignatia,

Hypericum, Cocculus, Stramonium, Carbo vegetabilis,

Aurum metallicum and Bioplasma are given for use in

emergencies and disasters.

12. An Angel Takes Flight

Earthquake aftermath: Miracles of healing in Haiti

GROSSMAN, Lauri (HT. 31, 3/2011)

Homœopaths Without Borders (HWB) – NA had

made several visits to Haiti and treated many. One such

was a case of Angel in a wheel chair with open wounds

in legs, feet and toes with flies swarming the sores. He

was quiet and did not make eye contact. None knew his

age. His mother thought he was ‘possessed’ and left

him in a boarding school. Hospitalised every month

with foul smelling sores which oozed. Delicate features

with large head.

Silica 200 one dose with instructions to repeat

when necessary. A month later, skin had begun to heal,

oozing gone. He was animated and connecting to us.

He was improving continuously with occasional doses.

13. Music, Homœopathy and Healing

Cello virtuoso finds relief from epileptic seizures

LUPEKAR, Ian (HT. 31, 3/2011)

18 year-old Thomas with petit mal seizures since 8

years, but never while playing the music instrument

Cello. Irritable, argumentative. Brags about his

abilities. Can’t stand crowds, noises. Hot. Not

bothered about cleanliness or his appearance. Passionate

about music. Nosebleeds often. Chronic, intense sinus

pain during allergy season. Aurum sulphuratum LM 1.

Six weeks later, seizures decreased by 50% calmer,

happier. Sinuses improved by 30%. Nose bleeds

stopped abruptly. Seven months later, hygiene

improved. No ‘colds’ in allergy season. Eleven months

into treatment, improvement plateaued. LM 2. Three

months later, allergies returned. Nose bleeds recurred.

Seizures considerably less. LM 3.

Four years into treatment, taking LM 10, a couple

of times a week.

Seizures couple of times a week, sleeping well,

making friends.

[This is a very interesting case and instructive too;

A ‘reading’ of the ‘Proving’ in the Encyclopaedia,

Vol.2, p.23, suited the case so well. = KSS]

14. Concussion!

ROTHENBERG, Amy (HT. 31, 3/2011)

Valerie 18, had sports related Concussions to head

many times. She was a Soccer player. MRIs revealed

nothing problematic. But she suffered headaches with

sick feeling in stomach, could not handle lights, noise or

people. Fatigued easily and sought solitude. Slept long

hours. Natrum sulphuricum 200.

A month later, better in thinking, ‘whisper’ of

headache. Less irritable and was hanging out with

friends.

Two months later, energetic, enjoying festivities.

No longer headaches. She never needed further doses.

15. Heading off concussions

Homœopathic help for head injuries

MALERBA, Larry (HT. 31, 3/2011)

The centre for disease control estimates that there

are 300,000 sports-related traumatic brain injuries in

USA each year.

There is no truly effective Conventional Treatment

for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI), also known as

Concussion.

Clinical experience indicates that homœopathic

medicines are quite effective in all stages of concussion

and post concussion syndromes.

Arnica montana

Arnica can minimize, stop and reverse bleeding,

swelling and the effects of blunt trauma.

It fits the initial state of shock during which the

person is unaware of the severity of the trauma.

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Hypericum

Trauma of nervous system, to head, neck and spine.

Stiff neck, whiplash and pinched nerves. Numbness,

tingling, burning and neuralgic pains.

Hellebores

Psychomotor slowing after head injury. Delay in

thinking and ability to respond.

Natrum sulphuricum

Depression, suicidal inclination after the head

injury.

Opium

Dreamy, disconnected state of mind after head

injury.

Cicuta

Spasmodic phenomena, cramping, twitching,

convulsions.

16. A gift for all seasons.

The homœopathic Interview

GOODMAN-HERRICK, Pearlyn (HT. 31, 4/2011)

The interview’s gift to the practitioner is the

extraordinary opportunity to learn about another person

as a complete, unique human being. The gift to the

patient is to be able to speak one’s pain and to be

listened to by someone paying full attention without

judgement.

Susannah 34, sought help for painful menstrual

cramps and PMS. Hair falling+. Tired all the time. No

energy to work through the day. Work outs make her

better. Sepia 12c, 1 tablet twice a day.

A month later, looked upbeat. Cramps reduced.

Calmer. Less irritable. Within three months, fully

resolved and even hair fall stopped.

Six months later, feeling well in general, but stiff

back since few weeks. Better when walking, worse

with prolonged stooping. Sepia 30 , 1 tablet b.d. for a

week. No >. She was grief stricken by not seeing

family members for 5 years. Ignatia 30. Back pain

disappeared.

Alice, 78, talented artist, was complaining of

intense itching of vulva with no other symptoms. The

remedies which helped her in the past also did not help.

Then she described her recent craving for salt chips.

Upon further inquiry she revealed that her painful

thoughts about failed relationship and of late crying a

lot over it. Natrum mur 1M. Itching completely

stopped and her mental state improved. She is into her

90s and leading an active life.

Joe, age 47 years, car mechanic had right sided

sciatica since a few days. Pain < while walking and was

better with hot shower. As Colocynthis was the only

remedy indicated, anger issues were probed. He told he

was furious with his wife. Colocynthis 30 thrice a day.

Pain totally subsided in 2 days.

17. Safe Haven and Healing for the homeless

HERRMANN, Renita (HT. 31, 4/2011)

Mission Neighbourhood Resource Center, San

Francisco, CA is an organization which administered

basic medical attention to folks living on the street and

hosts a shelter.

The Clinic has case Managers, doctors, physician’s

assistants, nurses and staff who keep the Clinic rolling.

Maria, 50, pain in back, severe gas, wept while

narrating complaints. Pain on deep inspiration.

Phosphorus relieved her.

Ben was suffering with chronic diarrhea for years

and also Paranoia. He felt the government was after

him and so stayed on streets. Phosphorus 200. A week

later, he told he had severe diarrhea for 5 days and then

no diarrhea. His Paranoia also subsided and got an

apartment to stay.

Many of the clients at centre have history of

physical and or emotional trauma. So to start with

Arnica, Aconite or Hypericum given as indicated.

Sue, 61, with Agoraphobia. Signs of panic attacks:

dry mouth, sweaty palms, racing heart. Could not

recall past trauma. Hoarding things. Aconite. Within a

month, Agoraphobia lifted. Got rid of excessive old

clothing and mementos.

Don, with skin lesions probably due to a spider bite

2 weeks ago. Ledum 1M. A week later improved but

not fully resolved. Ledum 10M. Completely healed.

An accompanying symptom of craving for alcohol also

was helped much.

Rhonda was much abused physically and mentally

by her husband. She escaped from him. Suffered a

broken jaw and always in pain. Arnica M; one month

later: sleep very good; her face was so good as if one

had a facelift! No panic attacks. Fantastic results from

one dose of Arnica!

18. The Martial Artist who could not stop fighting

McGEE, Melinda (HT. 31, 4/2011)

Joe, tall, 43 years old with hand injury after hitting

something. Arnica 1M. Within minutes, better. Rapid

speech, large gestures, sitting with legs splayed with

shorts. Jumping topics. Frequently getting in fights.

Estranged from family. Hyoscyamus 10M. Two

months later calmer, wore a long pant and avoided

confrontations and fights. Talked without gestures.

Reconnected with his father. Still issues with anger;

disconnected thoughts and feelings. Hyoscyamus 50M.

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19. Cosmetic Procedure Gone Awry

Painful changes yield to homœopathic healing

SMITH-SCHICK, Wanda (HT. 31, 4/2011)

The author offers Classical Homœopathy to clients

at the Mission Neighbourhood Resource Center in San

Francisco.

Brenda 30, a Hispanic woman sought help for dark

spots, pain and swelling of her hips and buttocks.

Two years earlier she had mineral oil injections to

make her hips and bottom rounder and more

womanly. Ledum 1M. Within 20 minutes pain

reduced. A week later, pain returned, her energy

and mood slumped. Ledum 10M. Pain reduced and

then increased. Hips are getting smaller. Swelling

and hardness reduced. As she was burdened by the

guilt, clairvoyance and blue black discoloration.

Lachesis 200.

A week later, pain much reduced.

Discoloration fading. Great emotionally and

energy-wise.

Hip pain completely gone in four months with

a higher potency.

20. Battle the Bulge and Get Healthy!

ROTHENBERG, Amy (HT. 31, 4/2011)

The epidemic of Metabolic Syndrome is on the rise

in the USA.

Caroline 50, with Hypertension, Diabetus Mellitus,

Cholesterol profile had worsened and was overweight.

Irritability, hot feeling, excessive bleeding and

abdominal pain, all relieved by menstrual flow. H/o

sore throats and sleep apnea.

In addition to lifestyle counselling and food

supplements, Lachesis 200.

A month later, lost three pounds. Hot flashes less

frequent and intense. Sleeping better. She continued to

improve and at the end of an year lost 14 pounds.

21. Contagion Season!

The Flu and You: What to Do

ASPINWALL, Mary (HT. 31, 4/2011)

Flu is a powerful epidemic illness that affects large

numbers of the population and highly contagious.

Indications for Oscillococcinum, Arsenicum,

Baptisia, Bryonia, Eupatorium perfoliatum, Gelsemium,

Hepar sulph, Mercurius vivus, Nux vomica and Rhus tox

are given.

22. Die Beurteilung therapeutischer Kausalitäten durch

Cognition Based Medicine

(The evaluation of therapeutic causality through

cognition based Medicine)

TEUT, Michael (ZKH. 54, 1/2010)

Evaluation of therapeutic causality is necessary

from homœopathic verification of symptoms. The

systematic single case analysis according to cognition

based medicine is presented as methodological tool and

practically demonstrated and discussed with the aid of a

patient’s case of spontaneous bacterial Peritonitis.

The author presents varied correspondences:

 Time connection – pre – and post – a time

connection: how long are the symptoms existing and

how soon would they become better/changed?

Example: a Migraine since 10 years with a weekly

attack lasting 10 hours (approx.). Immediately after

treatment began, he got the attacks within one week and

no more. The history of the complaint lasted 10 years

two months.

 Time Calender – Correspondence: The effect of

Therapy corresponded with a time frame. Example:

The repeated dose of a homœopathic remedy induces an

aggravation. The time frame corresponds with the

therapeutic interventions.

 Space correspondence: The local application of a

therapy corresponds with a local symptoms change.

Example: Salves containing corticoid brings out the

Eczema locally but not on other places.

 Morphological correspondences: An interference

corresponds with anatomic structures.

 Dose-action-correspondence: Increasing or

reducing the dose leads to change of effect. Example: A

homœopathic high potency mitigates the symptoms for

a period of two months, a homœopathic low potency

only for two days.

 Processual correspondence: The action of a

Therapy corresponds with the cognitively preselected

therapeutic course. Example: A therapy process is

followed according to Hering’s Law and can be

foretold.

 Dialogic correspondence: A dialogue between

patient and therapist corresponds with the alterations of

the form. Example: The physician and patient talk

about the guilt feeling of the patient against his parents.

As a result the patient feels lighter and his high BP

normalizes.

 Homœopathic correspondence: The symptom

form of the disease/the sick person corresponds with

symptom picture of a homœopathic drug picture.

Causation

A causation form exists when a singular element in

a therapeutic process exist direct with the cause.

Functional therapy process: Example: after a

bypass surgery the arterial ends of two arteries got tied

up together thus causing a bridge

 Functional Therapy Process: A therapeutic

experience reveals the results of the course of healing

process in advance.

©Quarterly Homœopathic Digest, Vol.XXIX, 3 & 4/2012. Private circulation only. 9

To conclude: Systematic analysis and judgement of

causations in Homœopathy is basically possible and

meaningful.

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IV. REPERTORY

1. Organising the Repertories: Purpose, Emphasis and

Form

COOK, Daniel (AJHM. 103, 4/2010)

Every Repertory author made a number of

subjective decisions about how much of the Materia

Medica to include, and how to organize symptoms.

Many different arrangements have been used. One

repertory emphasizes certain parts of a symptom and

certain relationships, while another subordinates these

to different priorities. Every order has strengths and

weaknesses; none is ideal for all cases and all

symptoms. The advantages of different repertories are

discussed that each might be used to its strengths.

2. Die Bedeutung der Grade in Bönninghausens

Therapeutischem Taschenbuch

(The Significance of Grade in Boenninghausen’s

Therapeutic Pocket Book)

MINDER, Peter (ZKH. 54, 1/2010)

The hitherto accepted thesis that the higher, so-

called characteristic grades in Boenninghausen’s

Therapeutic Pocket Book represent clinically verified

Proving symptom is to be revised. A large part of these

originates from the pure clinical experience of

BOENNINGHAUSEN.

[BOENNINGHAUSEN had his daily experience. He

drew his source, from the provings, it is said. The

interpretation of the individual Prover’s statement is

something that may be different from others who

‘proved’. However, ultimately the wholething is a

question of clinical confirmation – even if it not be a

‘proved’ symptom = KSS.]

3. No fear of ghosts in Lycopodium: a contribution to

the discussion on repertory reliability

ADLER UC (HOM. 100, 4/2011)

Background: Repertory mistakes in modern

Homœopathy have been pointed out since the early

years after the publication of the sixth edition of Kent’s

repertory. A structural error of many current repertories

is the use of Kent’s repertory as a basic information

source. ‘Fear of ghosts’ is widely considered to be a

symptom of Lycopodium clavatum by the homœopathic

community.

Objectives: To demonstrate that the source of ‘fear of

ghosts’ in Lycopodium clavatum was an inaccurate

translation, that has been spread by secondary sources

and to review Hahnemann’s conception and efforts

towards a reliable repertory.

Results: The symptom ‘fear of ghosts’ does not exist in

the primary source, being the product of a

misunderstanding of the English translation of

Hahnemann’s original record, ‘fear of frightful

imaginary images’. Hahnemann’s efforts to compile a

reliable and complete dictionary of Materia Medica

were also briefly presented, as well as Rückert’s

repertory, which, in addition to collating and classifying

symptoms in alphabetical rubrics and sub-rubrics,

displayed them completely, as registered in primary

sources.

Conclusion: The misunderstanding about ‘fear of

ghosts’ in Lycopodium clavatum exemplifies how

distant current homœopathic information is from its

primary sources and from Hahnemann’s ideal of a

symptom-lexicon. In spite of its technical limitations,

Rückert’s repertory, which was strongly recommended

by HAHNEMANN, can be considered as a template for

new repertories based on primary sources.

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

V. PHARMACOLOGY

1. Quasi-quantum model of potentization

MOLSKI, Marcin (HOM. 100, 4/2011)

Analytical time-dependent functions describing the

change of the concentration of the solvent S(t) and the

homœopathic active substance A(t) during decimal and

centesimal dilution are derived. The function S(t) is a

special case of the West-Brown-Enquist curve

describing ontogenic growth, the increase in

concentration of the solvent during potentization

resembles the growth of biological systems. It is

demonstrated that the macroscopic S(t) function is the

ground state solution of the microscopic non-local

Horodecki-Feinberg equation for the time-dependent

Hulthèn potential at the critical screening. In

consequence potentization belongs to the class of quasi-

quantum phenomena playing an important role both in

biological systems and Homœopathy. A comparison of

the results predicted by the model proposed with the

results of experiments on delayed luminescence of a

homœopathic medicine is made.

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VI. VETERINARY

1. Homœopathic and integrative treatment for Feline

Hyperthyroidism – four cases (2006---2010)

CHAPMAN, Sara Fox (HOM. 100, 4/2011)

Hyperthyroidism is a frequent veterinary problem,

particularly in elderly cats. Homœopathic treatment and

other integrative modalities were provided for four

hyperthyroid cats whose owners did not want

conventional treatment. Symptomatic homœopathic

treatment with Thyroidinum was helpful in one cat. All

cats were prescribed an appropriate individualized

homœopathic remedy. All four cats showed resolution

of clinical signs; three attained normal thyroid hormone

levels. Three cats later received Acupuncture and/or

herbal medicines; two cats later received symptomatic

homœopathic remedies. Two cats are thriving after

over 3.5 and 4.25 years of treatment; two were

euthanized for unrelated problems after 3 and 4 years of

treatment. Homœopathic and complementary therapies

avoid the potential side effects of methimazole and

surgical thyroidectomy, they are less costly than

radioactive iodine treatment, and they provide an option

for clients who decline conventional therapies.

2. Horse Alchemy: Miracles of Homœopathic Healing

– for horses labeled “hopeless cases”

CANNIZZARU, Robin (HT. 31, 3/2011)

Alchemy, is an Oldenberg gelding horse with dull

hair, pushy, mischievous and prone to accidents,

resulting in cuts and scrapes. Abused when started

under saddle, so suspicious and anxious when saddled.

Back sore when touched of pair lower right hip when

pressed. A bone chip in right ankle ( - a congenital

weakness). History of corneal transplant surgery due to

an injury. Sulphur 200.

Over the next several weeks, his soreness improved

and seemed calmer. Less mischievous and easier to

handle.

A month later sustained a deep cut on his right rear

heel which required sedation and stitches. A week later

sudden colic, lethargy, constipation. Nux vomica 200

three doses every 30 minutes. He was better within ten

minutes and back to normal within one hour. 18 months

later developed recurrent Laminitis which affects the

hoof. Hot painful swelling up his right leg, not eating

well, refused to move, tried to bite. Yawning with pain.

Hepar sulph. 200, 2 doses hourly. Within two hours he

started grazing.

A few weeks later, the sole of the foot began to

slough off revealing dead tissues. Then they were gone

replaced by healthy tissues.

Then Insulin resistance was detected. So diet

changed to low carbohydrate food and his constitutional

remedy, Sulphur 1M given and life style changed.

Since then minor episodes of laminitis. Within 18

months sugar levels normalized.

Alchemy is cured of recurrent Laminitis and Insulin

resistance which is unheard of in conventionally treated

horses.

3. Natural Hoof care for Horses: A cut above

DAIMLER, Anne, W (HT. 31, 3/2011)

Horses’ health literally stands on their hooves. A

correctly trimmed hoof flexes with each step and

pumps blood through the entire body.

Horseshoes reduce overall circulation and damage

hoof capsule which leads to Laminitis and Founder.

The author specializes in barefoot only (no horse

shoes), use physiologically correct hoof trimming and

uses homœopathy to ease pain and help hooves heal as

well as for bedsores, abscesses and psychological stress.

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

VII. RESEARCH

1. Homœopathic Plumbum metallicum for lead

poisoning: a randomized clinical trial

PADILHA, Queiroz Roberto, RIERA, Rachel &

ATALLAH, Álvaro Nagib (HOM. 100, 3/2011)

Poisoning due to lead and its compounds has short

and long-term effects primarily on the nervous,

hematopoietic, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular,

musculoskeletal, renal and reproductive systems. It can

manifest in acute or chronic symptoms. Measuring

serum concentration is the primary method for

diagnosing and monitoring exposed workers. Presently,

elevated lead levels are treated by drugs whose

effectiveness is contested on various fronts.

Experimental studies suggest that homœopathic

preparations may be effective in controlling blood lead

levels in laboratory animals, creating the need for

controlled studies to evaluate the effectiveness and

safety of these preparations in humans.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the

homœopathic preparation Plumbum metallicum in

reducing the blood lead level of workers exposed to this

metal.

Design: Double-blind randomized trial.

Setting: Workers’ clinic in the Ajax battery plant,

which employs 900 workers with varying degrees of

lead exposure in Bauru, Sāo Paulo State, Brazil.

Subjects: 131 workers exposed to lead.

Intervention: Plumbum metallicum 15cH or Placebo,

orally for 35 days.

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Results: The percentage of workers who demonstrated

a reduction in lead counts by a percentage greater than

or equal to 25% following treatment was the same for

both groups: 20.3% in the homœopathic groups versus

21% in the control group [Relative Risk (RR) = 0.95,

confidential interval (CI) 95%: 0.47=1.92)]. Analysis

by intention-to-treat also did not show any difference

between the groups: 18.2% in the treated group versus

20% in the placebo group (RR = 0.91, CI 95%: 0.45—

1.84).

Conclusion: The homœopathic preparation Plumbum

metallicum had no effect, in this study, in terms of

reducing serum lead in workers exposed to lead.

2. Modulation of arthritis in rats by Toxicodendron

pubescens and its homœopathic dilutions

PATIL, Chandragouda Raosaheb, RAMBHADE,

Ashish Devidas et. al.

(HOM. 100, 3/2011)

Background: Toxicodendron pubescens P. Mill

(Anacardiaceae) known in Homœopathy as Rhus

toxicodendron (Rhus tox) is used as an anti-

inflammatory medicine in homœopathic practice. In

this study, Rhus tox in its crude form and homœopathic

dilutions (3cH, 6cH, 30cH, 200cH) was evaluated for

effects on Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA) induced

arthritis in rats.

Methods: We assessed the severity of arthritis through

observations including inflammatory lesions, body and

organ weight and hematological parameters including

C-reactive protein (CRP). Blinded radiological analysis

of the affected joints and pain intensity determination

was also carried out.

Results: Rhus tox protected rats from CFA-induced

inflammatory lesions, body weight changes and

hematological alterations. Rhus tox protected against

radiological joint alterations due to arthritis. Arthritic

pain scores were also favorably affected by Rhus tox.

All the dilutions of Rhus tox including crude form

showed anti-arthritic activity. The maximum protective

effect was evident in the crude form at 10 mg/kg/day,

by mouth.

Conclusion: This study supports claims in the

homœopathic literature on the role of Rhus tox and its

ultra dilutions in the treatment of arthritis and associated

pain. Further study is needed to explain this anti-

arthritic effect of Rhus tox.

3. Anti-asthmatic and anti-anaphylactic activities of

Blatta orientalis mother tincture

NIMGULKAR Chetan Chandrakant & PATIL

Savita Dattatray & KUMAR Dinesh B.

(HOM. 100, 3/2011)

To study the anti-asthmatic and anti-anaphylactic

activities of Blatta orientalis mother tincture (B.

Orientalis MT), a homœopathic medicine, in

experimental animal models.

Methods: The anti-asthmatic activity of B. orientalis

MT was studied in the bronchial hyperactivity models,

acetylcholine and histamine induced bronchospasm, in

guinea pigs. Anti-anaphylactic activity was tested by

active and passive anaphylaxis models in rats, ati-

eosinophilic activity was tested by milk-induced

eosinophilia in mice.

Results: Significant protection against acetylcholine

and histamine aerosol-induced bronchospasm in B.

orientalis MT treated guinea pigs was seen. In active

and passive anaphylaxis albino rat models significant

reduction in mesenteric mast cells degranulation, serum

IgE level and eosinophil cell count was observed in the

B. orientalis MT treated rat group when compared with

the sensitized control rat group.

Conclusion: These results reveal broad activity of

B.orientalis MT may be due to mast cell stabilization,

suppression of IgE and eosinophil cell count.

4. Rebound acid hypersecretion after withdrawal of

gastric acid suppressing drugs: new evidence of

similitude

TEIXEIRA, Marcus Zulian ((HOM. 100, 3/2011)

Homœopathy is based on the principle of similitude

(Similia Similibus Curentur) using medicines that cause

effects similar to the symptoms of disease in order to

stimulate the reaction of the organism. Such vital,

homeostatic or paradoxical reaction of the organism is

closely related to rebound effect of drugs.

Method: Review of the literature concerning the

rebound effects of drugs used to suppress gastric

acidity, particularly proton pump inhibitors (PPls).

Results: The mechanism of action of these effects is

discussed. Rebound in terms of clinical symptoms and

physiological effects occur in about 40% of people

taking PPls, their timing depends on the half-life of the

drug and the adaptation period of the physiological

mechanisms involved. The wide use of PPls may be

linked to the rising incidence of carcinoid tumours.

Conclusions: These findings support Hahnemann’s

concept of secondary action of drugs. We are

developing a homœopathic Materia Medica and

Repertory of modern drugs on the basis of reported

rebound effects.

5. An analogy between effects of ultra-low doses of

biologically active substances on biological objects

and properties of spin supercurrents in superfluid

3He-B

BOLDYREVA, Liudmila B. (HOM. 100, 3/2011)

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The effects of ultra-low doses (ULDs) of

biologically active substances (BASs) (with

concentrations of 10-13 M or lower) on biological

objects (BOs), such as cells, organisms, etc., and the

properties of spin supercurrents in superfluid 3He-B are

discussed. It is shown that the effects of ULDs of BASs

on biologic objects can be specified by the same set of

physical characteristics and described by the same

mathematical relations as those used for the

specification and description of the properties of spin

supercurrents between spin structures in superfluid 3He-

B; 2) all quantum entities (hence, the BAS and the BO,

which consist of such entities) produce spin structures in

the physical vacuum. The photon being a quantum

entity, the features of the effects of low-intensity

electromagnetic radiation on BOs can be explained

using the same approach.

6. Short-term effects of repeated olfactory

administration of homœopathic Sulphur or

Pulsatilla on electroencephalographic alpha power

in healthy young adults

BELL, Iris R., BROOKS, Audrey. J.,

HOWERTER, Amy, et al. (HOM. 100, 4/2011)

Homœopathic pathogenetic trials usually rely on

symptom self report measures. Adding objective

biomarkers could enhance detection of subtle initial

remedy effects. The present feasibility study examined

electroencephalographic (EEG) effects of repeated

olfactory administration of two polycrest remedies.

Methods: College student volunteers (ages 18-30, both

sexes) from an introductory psychology course were

screened for good health and relatively elevated Sulphur

or Pulsatilla symptom scores on the Homœopathic

Constitutional Type Questionnaire (CTQ). Subjects

underwent a series of 3 once-weekly double-blind

sessions during which they repeatedly sniffed the

remedy matched to their CTQ type and solvent controls.

Each remedy was given in a 6c, 12c, and 30c potency,

one potency per week, in randomly assigned order.

Solvent controls included both plain distilled water and

a water-ethanol (95%) solution. All sniff test solutions

were further diluted just prior to laboratory sessions (0.5

ml test solution in 150 ml distilled water). Within a

session, remedies and control solvents were

administered via 2-s sniffs (8 sniffs of each of 4

different succession levels for the potency in

randomized order). Primary outcome variable was

relative EEG power (alpha 1 8—10Hz; alpha 2 10—

12Hz) averaged over 19 electrode sites, including all

succussions for a given potency.

Results: Mixed-effect models revealed significant main

effects for remedy type (Sulphur >Pulsatilla) in both

alpha bands, controlling for gender, baseline resting

EEG alpha, and solvent control responses. Additional

analyses showed significant nonlinear interactions

between dilution and time (weekly session) in alpha 2

for both remedies and alpha 1 for Sulphur.

Conclusion: EEG alpha offers an objective biomarker

of remedy effects for future studies and potential

method for distinguishing time-dependent effects of

specific remedies and remedy potencies from one

another.

7. Ultra High Dilution of triiodothyronine modifies

cellular apoptosis in Rana catesbeiana tadpole, tail

invitro

GUEDES JRP., CARRASCO S., FERREIRA,

CM., et al. (HOM. 100, 4/2011)

Background: Ultra High Dilution (UHD) are diluted

beyond the Avogadro limit with dynamization (dilution

with succussion). The process of anuran amphibian

metamorphosis is controlled by thyroid hormones,

including the resorption of the tadpole tail.

Methods: A randomized and blinded study was

performed to investigate the influence of

triiodothyronine (T3) 5 10-24M (10cH) on apoptosis

induced by T3 100 nM in Rana catesbeiana tadpoles’

tail tips, in vitro. Explants were randomized to three

groups: control: no T3 in pharmacological or UHD

dose; test: T3 100 nM and challenged with T3 10cH

(UHD); positive control: T3 100 nM, treated with

unsuccussed ethanol. The apoptotic index and the area

of explants of test and control groups at the first and

final day of the experiment were compared by t-test.

Results: There was no difference in tail tip area

between test and control groups, but a significantly

higher (p< 0.01) index of apoptosis in explants of the

test group.

Conclusion: This data suggest that T3 10cH modifies

the effect of T3 at pharmacological dose, opening new

perspectives for further studies and investigation of the

dose-effect curve.

8. Mercurius solubilis: actions on macrophages

DE OLIVEIRA, Simone Martins, DE OLIVEIRA,

Carolina Camargo et al (HOM. 100, 4/2011)

Background: Macrophages play central roles in

homeostasis as well as host defence in innate and

acquired immunity, auto-immunity and

immunopathology. Our research group has

demonstrated the effects of highly diluted toxic

substances in macrophages.

Aim: To investigate if highly diluted Mercurius

solubilis (Merc. sol.), can activate or modulate

macrophage functions.

Methods: We evaluated the effects of Merc sol. in the

6, 12, 30 and 200 centesimal high dilutions (CH)

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potencies on mice peritoneal macrophages (in vitro and

in vivo). Merc. sol. was added to mice’s drinking water

for 7 days (in vivo treatment) and animals were

euthanized and cells were collected. In vitro treatment

was performed on macrophages and bone-marrow cell

cultures.

Results: Macrophages showed activated morphology,

both when Merc. sol. was added directly to the cell

culture and to drinking water. The in vitro experiments

showed enhanced morphological activation, increased

interferon (IFN)γ release in the supernatant at lower

dilutions and Interleukin (IL)-4 production at higher

dilutions. Increase in nitric oxide and decrease in

superoxide (O --2) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were

also observed. In vivo treatment caused a decrease in

O2 increase in H2O2 production by macrophages.

Discussion: Taken together, the results allow us to

conclude that highly diluted Merc. sol. modulates

reactive oxygen species (ROS), reactive nitrogen

species (RNS) and cytokine secretion, which are central

mediators of the immune system, wound healing and

body homeostasis.

9. Different forms of administration of biotherapy

7dH in mice experimentally infected by

Trypanosoma cruzi produce different effects

FERRAZ Fabiana Nabarro; SIMONI Geysa Karla

et al. (HOM. 100, 4/2011)

Objective: To evaluate the effects of different forms of

administration of the blood trypomastigotes biotherapy

7dH in mice experimentally infected with Trypanosoma

cruzi.

Material and methods: Male swiss mice were

inoculated with 1400 blood trypomastigotes of the Y

strain of T. cruzi and allocated into 5 treatment groups:

IC (distilled water); TCBZ (benznidazole); TBA7dH

(biotherapy 7dH 20 days after infection); TBB7dH7

(biotherapy 7dH seven days before infection);

TBB7dH30 (biotherapy 7dH 30 days before infection).

Parasitological parameters assessed included pre-patent

and patent periods, parasitemia peak, total parasitemia,

mortality and survival rates. Cure index was obtained

by fresh blood examination, hemoculture and

polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Results: The TBB7dH group showed a reduction in

parasitemia peak, parasitemia area under the curve and

total parasitemia. The TBB7dH30 showed a tendency to

increased pre-patent and survival periods, peak

parasitemia was increased without increased total

parasitemia. TBA7dH did not present significant

alterations in the parasitological parameters analyzed.

Conclusions: Biotherapy 7dH given before infection (7

or 30 days) produces different effects suggesting

modulation of the host’s immune system. The effects

range from reduced parasitemia to its effective increase.

The use of biotherapy to treat T. cruzi infection

including dose, potency and schedule deserves further

investigation.

10. Use of homœopathic preparations in experimental

studies with abiotically stressed plants

JÄGER, Tim; SCHERR, Claudia; SHAH, Devika

et al.

(HOM. 100, 4/2011)

Background: Experimental research on the effects of

homœopathic treatments on impaired plants was last

reviewed in 1990.

Objectives: To compile a systematic review of the

existing literature on basic research in Homœopathy

with abiotically stressed plants using predefined criteria.

Methods: The literature search was carried out on

publications that reported experiments on Homœopathy

using abiotically stressed whole plants, seeds, plant

parts and cells from 1920 to 2010. Outcomes had to be

measured by established procedures and statistically

evaluated. Using of a Manuscript Information Score

(MIS) we identified those publications that provided

sufficient information for proper interpretation (MIS

≥5). A further evaluation was based on the use of

adequate controls to investigate specific effects of

homœopathic preparations and on the use of systematic

negative control experiments.

Results: A total of 34 publications with abiotically

stressed plants was identified, published between 1965

and 2010. The 34 publications described a total of 37

experimental studies. Twenty-two studies included

statistics, 13 had a MIS ≥ 5, 8 were identified with

adequate controls and 4 with negative control

experiments. Significant and reproducible effects with

decimal and centesimal potencies were found, including

dilution levels beyond Avogadro’s number. One

experimental model was independently assessed by

another research team and yielded inverted results

compared to the original trial.

Conclusions: Abiotically stressed plant models seem to

be a useful approach to investigate homœopathic basic

research questions, but more experimentation and

especially more independent replication trials are

needed. Systematic negative control experiments

should be implemented on a routine basis to exclude

false-positive results.

11. Review of the use of high potencies in basic

research on Homœopathy

CLAUSEN, Jürgen; VAN WIJK, Roeland and

ALBRECHT, Henning (HOM. 100, 4/2011)

The HomBRex database includes details of about

1500 basic research experiments in Homœopathy. A

general overview on the experiments listed in the

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HomBRex database is presented, focusing on high

dilutions and the different settings in which those were

used. Though often criticized, many experiments with

remedies diluted beyond Avogadro’s number

demonstrate specific effects. A total of 830 experiments

employing high potencies was found; in 745

experiments of these (90%), at least one positive result

was reported. Animals represent the most often used

model system (n = 371), followed by plants (n = 201),

human material (n = 92), bacteria and viruses (n = 37)

and fungi (n = 32). Arsenicum album (Ars.) is the

substance most often applied (n = 101), followed by

Sulphur (Sulph.) and Thuja (Thuj.) (n = 65 and 48,

respectively). Proving, prophylactic and therapeutic

study designs have all been used and appear appropriate

for Homœopathy basic research using high dilutions.

The basic research data set to support specific effects

unique to high dilutions and opposite to those observed

with low dilutions is, to date, insufficient.

12. The Homœopathic Prevention of Leptospirosis in

Cuba

BRACH, Gustavo and GOLDEN, Isaac

(AJHM. 103, 3/2010)

The water borne parasitic disease Leptospirosis is

endemic in Cuba. It peaks, especially in three Eastern

provinces of the country, every hurricane season when

there is often massive flooding and destruction of

infrastructure. The Finlay Institute in Cuba

manufactures a Vaccine against the disease, but it is of

moderate efficacy (around 80%) and whenever there is a

change in the active strain of the disease, there is a

significant lead time needed to prepare a new vaccine.

In 2007, the three Eastern provinces were hit by two

severe hurricanes in quick succession, and the incidence

of the disease rose despite use of the Vaccine. The

Finlay Institute homœopathically immunized over two

million people with immediate success. The program

was repeated in 2008 with equal success. The available

data is presented to show the impact of the

interventions, and the value of homœoprophylaxis in

providing a rapid, economical, effective and safe option

to vaccination.

[The effectiveness of homœopathic immunizations to

help control disease in epidemic situations has been

proved in the past. Nevertheless all Govts. have failed

to take note of this. It is appreciated that Cuba has

braved to do it and succeeded well. = KSS.]

13. Homœopathic Research Matters

JOHNSON, Christopher (HT. 31, 3/2011)

Research teaches us about which methods of

Homœopathy work best in different circumstances. It is

also a valuable tool for advancing the acceptance and

wider use of Homœopathy in mainstream medicine and

society.

The broad outline of the current homœopathic

research includes.

a) Randomised, Controlled Trials (RCTs)

Between 1950 and 2009 there were 142 RCTs of

Homœopathy. – 63 with positive results.

11 with negative results.

68 with inconclusive results.

These results certainly favour homœopathic

remedies having true medical or biological effects.

b) Observational trials.

These studies evaluate the whole package of care.

Researchers measure certain health marks at baseline

and then again after the end of treatment or at various

intervals.

The evidence is so overwhelmingly positive that

almost no one denies Homœopathy’s effectiveness.

c) Basic Research

This refers primarily to studies assessing the effects

of homœopathic remedies in the laboratory setting – in

vitro or in vivo models.

73% of 75 published studies were positive.

73% of replications were positive.

d) Homœopathy versus Conventional medicine

The vast majority of studies comparing

homœopathic to conventional medical treatment have

found Homœopathy either equivalent or superior.

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VIII. HISTORY

1. Samuel Hahnemann and the Principle of Similars

SCHMIDT, M. Josef (MedGG 29, 2010)

The principle of similars (treat likes by likes) is

generally considered to be one of the pillars of the

homœopathic doctrine established by Samuel

HAHNEMANN (1755-1843). Nevertheless, its status

and relevance with regard to the practice of

Homœopathy can be challenged by semantic,

conceptual, and epistemological objections.

1. Contrary to its literal meaning, “similia similibus

curentur” is commonly used in the sense of “all diseases

should be treated by similar drug diseases”, thus

transgressing its original field of indication.

2. From 1796, when HAHNEMANN published his

first definition of the principle of similars, he gradually

raised his claims from merely suggesting a heuristic

principle for finding new curative remedies to insisting

on having discovered a law of nature and the only true

©Quarterly Homœopathic Digest, Vol.XXIX, 3 & 4/2012. Private circulation only. 15

way of healing, in 1807/1808. To substantiate his

ambitious tenets, HAHNEMANN had to introduce a

variety of theories which in turn were to become the

main battleground in the ensuing controversy about

Homœopathy.

3. From the perspective of Epistemology of science,

science can never consist of a final set of absolute truths

or the like but must rather be described as a continuous

social process that retains a methodological cycle of

abduction, deduction, and induction. From the

perspective of theory of Medicine, however, Medicine

is to be considered as a practical rather than a cognitive

science in its own right. Its first concern ought to be the

development of practical directions for treating patients,

while the value of competing theories can only be

judged from their usefulness in practice. Hence, even

though Hahnemann’s theories, including his conception

of the principle of similars, may be untenable or

outdated, the genuine method of homœopathic treatment

he founded remains independent of and unaffected by

criticism at the level of theory and concepts.

2. “At times I had to be an Allopathic medical officer

and then again I was allowed to be a homœopathic

physician.”

Homœopathy and War from the Franco-German

War (1870/71) to World War I (1914-1918)

EISELE, Philipp (MedGG. 29, 2010)

With its focus on the Franco-German War and

World War I the present paper constitutes a first

approach to the comprehensive topic of “Homœopathy

and War”.

Sources used include articles from homœopathic

magazines, homœopathic specialist literature, material

from the estate of the homœopathic lay organization

“Hahnemannia” and individual testimonies from non-

homœopaths.

The paper begins by examining the importance of

the two wars for research into the history of

Homœopathy compared to previous conflicts and

demonstrates the value of the sources used. A brief

outline of Homœopathy and the military forces in the

decades before 1870 provides insight into the historical

context. This is followed by the investigation of

homœopathic war hospitals at home with an analysis of

the attitude of the homœopathic physicians and lay-

healers involved. The paper also describes the difficult

relationship between Homœopathy and conventional

medicine during the two conflicts.

3. “And thus there was another pointless thing in the

country [….]”. The failed homœopathic training of

missionaries at the Basle Mission.

BASCHIN, Marion (MedGG. 29, 2010)

This article deals with the unsuccessful attempts to

allow missionaries of the Basle Mission to undergo

homœopathic training. Before the Mission undertook

systematic medical missionary work in society in the

1880s, there were various requests and suggestions to

train the missionaries in Homœopathy. Here, these

attempts are put into a greater context of the research

into “Homœopathy and Mission”. It becomes clear that

Hahnemann’s teachings were certainly used in the

Mission, even if finding this out is sometimes arduous.

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IX. EDUCATION

1. Undergraduate Homœopathy education in Europe

and the influence of accreditation

VIKSVEEN, Petter & STEINSBEKK, Aslak

(HOM. 100, 4/2011)

Context: The safety of patients consulting with

practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine

(CAM) partially depends on practitioners’ competence,

and thus the standard of undergraduate education.

Objectives: Describe undergraduate Homœopathy

courses in Europe, student/graduate numbers and

whether there were differences between

recognized/accredited and non-recognised/non-

accredited courses.

Methods: Cross sectional survey of current

Homœopathy undergraduate education in Europe in

2008. Data from 145 (94.8%) out of 153 identified

courses were collected. Eighty-five (55.6%) responded

to a questionnaire survey. For others some data was

extracted from their websites. Only data from the

questionnaire survey is used for the main analysis.

Findings: The average course in the questionnaire

survey had 47 enrolled students and 142 graduates, and

lasted 3.6 years part-time. An estimated 6500 students

were enrolled and 21,000 had graduated from 153

identified European undergraduate Homœopathy

courses. Out of 85 courses most had entry requirements

and provided medical education (N=48) or required

students to obtain this competence elsewhere (N = 33).

The average number of teaching hours were 992 (95%

confidence interval (Cl) 814, 1170) overall, with 555 h

(95% Cl 496, 615)for Homœopathy. Four out of five

courses were recognized/accredited/non-accredited

courses (difference 0.6 years, 95%Cl 0.0-1.2, P = 0.040

and offered significantly larger numbers of teaching

hours in Homœopathy (difference 167h, 95% C1 7-327,

P = 0.041).

Conclusions: About 6500 currently enrolled students

are doing undergraduate Homœopathy education in

Europe and 21,000 have graduated from such courses

over a period of about 30 years. Undergraduate

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Homœopathy education in Europe is heterogeneous.

Recognized/accredited courses are more extensive with

more teaching hours.

2. Das Studium der Materia Medica homoeopathica

(MMH). Erfahrungen nach ein Jahr MMH-

Schulung in der Schweiz

(The Study of the homœopathic Materia Medica

(MMH). Experience of a one year study in

Switzerland)

MINDER, Peter (ZKH. 54, 1/2010)

Presentation of a structured training of the MMH,

which has been carried out successfully for a year in

Switzerland: Proving symptoms are acquired through

self-study, characteristics through team-work, and these

are conjoined with verification and fixed into a reliable,

condensed MMH. The concept works with the aid of

elements of modern didactics in order to enhance the

worked out topics in different cognitive levels.

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X. GENERAL

1. The frequency of dietary references in

homœopathic consultations

FILHO, Rubens Dolce

(HOM. 100, 3/2011)

A retrospective quantitative study on dietary

references found in medical records of 2753 patients

attending consultations from 10/1/1994 to 5/31/2007

was conducted. The symptoms found in the rubrics

relating to food and drink aggravation and amelioration,

aversion and craving of homœopathic repertories reflect

diets at different places and times and do not correspond

fully, to contemporary gastronomy. Desires for sweet

and spicy foods were statistically more frequent,

revealing the prevailing taste for such food among the

studied population. Food cravings should be carefully

analyzed before considering them as indications for

choosing homœopathic therapy, they are less significant

than aversions, aggravations and ameliorations.

2. Comparison of effectiveness of frequently and

infrequently used homœopathic medicines

RUTTEN, ALB (HOM. 100, 3/2011)

Rationale: Patients treated with Homœopathy may

respond to infrequently used or even ‘new’ medicines.

But does the introduction of an unlimited number of

(new) medicines improve Homœopathy? Do new

medicines solve old problems?

Methods: 1. Consensus meetings to evaluate best

cases. 2. Patient outcome study in 10 Dutch practices.

Results: Good cases are scarce for many medicines,

random variance is an important source of uncertainty.

50 Medicines are responsible for 72% of all successful

prescriptions. There is no difference in effectiveness of

frequently and less frequently used medicines.

Confirmation bias is found for a few well-known

symptom-medicine combinations.

Conclusion: ‘New’ and infrequently medicines are as

effective as ‘old’ frequently used medicines. Improving

the use of frequently used medicines is more effective in

improving results than seldom used medicines. Large

numbers are required and old mistakes should be

avoided developing new medicines. A research agenda

for improving the use of homœopathic medicines is

imperative.

3. A discussion: the future role Homœopathy in the

National Health Service (NHS)

YU-HIN NG, Daniel (HOM. 100, 3/2011)

Homœopathy has been provided by the National

Health Service in the UK for over 60 years, funded

largely by taxpayer’s money. However, in recent years,

its provision has come under much criticism questioning

its true value. Taking a neutral stance, arguments both

for and against the provision of Homœopathy on the

NHS is presented. It includes issue such as the evidence

and safety profile of Homœopathy, but also takes into

account costs and benefits of Homœopathy in a wider

perspective. Overall, the provision of Homœopathy is

justified as long as there is a need within the population,

occupying a complementary role alongside conventional

medicine.

4. Measuring the effectiveness of homœopathic care

through objective and shared indicators

LEONE, Laura, MARCHITIELLO, Maria,

NATILLI, Michela (HOM. 100, 4/2011)

Objective: To test a methodology to evaluate, at

population level, the effectiveness of homœopathic

treatment through standard objective public health

indicators.

Methods and settings: Indicators of hospitalization and

drug use were obtained from the Health Statistical

Documentation System of Tuscany for two

homœopathic centers in the Local Health Authority of

Pisa, Italy. We compared homœopathic users with the

general population in the same area and by comparing

patients before and after homœopathic treatment.

Results: The homœopathic patients used less drugs than

the reference population, this effect was more evident

for patients with repeated homœopathic consultations.

A significant decrease in drug use was found on

comparing the same the same patients before and after

homœopathic treatment. Hospitalization indicators

©Quarterly Homœopathic Digest, Vol.XXIX, 3 & 4/2012. Private circulation only. 17

tended to favour patients who had received

homœopathic but were not always statistically

significant.

Conclusions: This paper demonstrates a new

methodological approach to assess the effectiveness of a

therapeutic modality, without ad-hoc clinical trials.

This methodology can be used by public health

institutions in which non-conventional medicines are

integrated into the public health care system.

5. Vaccines, Drugs, and Other Causes: A Homœopath

Looks at the Medical System (Part I)

MOSKOWITZ, Richard (AJHM. 103, 4/2010)

Allopathic medicine utilizes a model of causality

based on superior physicochemical force, which relies

on the effect of external agents, and puts patients at risk

by seeking to override their individual predispositions.

Thus, adverse effects of vaccines tend to be overlooked,

because they entail pre-existing tendencies that are

characteristic of the patient, and could conceivably

occur even if the vaccine were not given. My cases are

exaggerated versions of what is already there, run the

whole gamut of pediatric diseases, and can best be

understood as non-specific reactions to vaccination per

se, rather than to any specific vaccine.

The pharmaceutical industry seeks drugs with the

power to control single biochemical reactions in almost

everyone who takes them, while adverse reactions

represent a diverse array of individual “side effects,”

each far less common and buried in the fine print. But

when added up together, the risk of something bad is

very significant indeed.

Consequently, spontaneous cures requiring no

further treatment are dismissed as “placebo,” while

drugs are deemed effective only if they can overpower

the physiology of as many patients for as long a time as

possible. A new research model is proposed in which

the placebo effect is maximized, nobody is blinded, and

the comparative effectiveness of homœopathic and

allopathic treatments are measured on the basis of the

totality of symptoms and followed over extended

periods of time.

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XI. BOOKS

1. Remodelling Medicine, Jeremy SWAYNE,

Saltire Books: U.K. July 2012, ISBN:

9781908127006. Price £48.99. hardbook (507 pages).

Review by David OWEN. (HOM. 101, 4/2012)

“…. Remodelling Medicine by Jeremy SWAYNE,

a Fellow and former Dean of the Faculty of

Homœopathy, likewise shows you the world in a

different way. On every page there are gems. This

book takes you to places and invites you to see things

through new eyes. It is nothing less than an atlas of the

world of Medicine. An atlas that completely different

from the one that most doctors are brought up with,

which map the body, and health, on to biological

systems, concepts of disease and models of treatment.

“… The book is hardback and has a solid feel to it.

It is divided into a useful introduction and 5 sections.

…. It should be on the bookshelves of all of us, not just

for our own information but to give to any skeptical

colleague with advice to: mix it with a little curiosity,

add a little open-mindedness and succus with humility.

Then stand back and watch.”

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

XII. OBITUARY

1. Dhan Prakash Rastogi: 8 May 1939 – 15

December 2010. MANCHANDA, Raj K. (HOM.

100, 3/2011)

Dr. Rastogi was born on 8th May 1939 in Bijnor

district of Uttar Pradesh. He finished his graduation in

Calcutta Homœopathic Medical College with a Gold

Medal and his Post Graduation Diploma (DF Hom.) at

the Royal London Homœopathic Hospital, U.K. in

1962. His another Post graduation course at Glasgow

Homœopathic Hospital and M.D.(Hom) from Sri

Sainath P.G. Institute of Homœopathy in Allahabad.

He started his Homœopathic practice in Rajasthan in

1963.

As Assistant Advisor (Hom.) to Government of

India he contributed significantly in the formulation

Homœopathic Central Council Act 1973, Introduction

of Homœopathy in Drug and Cosmetic Act, etc., etc. He

was Principal of Nehru Homœopathic Medical College

and Hospital, New Delhi from 1975 to 1984 and

organizing secretary of International Congress of LIGA

held at New Delhi in 1977. He served as Homœopathic

Physician to the President of India (1988-1992).

He was Director of Central Council for

Research in Homœopathy (CCRH), New Delhi from

1984 to 1999, establishing 52 Institutes/Units all over

the country to conduct research activities. He actively

monitored research studies on topics including

HIV/AIDS, Filaria, Malaria, Bronchial Asthma, Sickle

cell anaemia, Diabetes Mellitus, Sinusitis, malignant

diseases, drug addiction, conducted at various centres.

He was also the Secretary of Homœopathic

Pharmacopoeia Committee. He was a Member of

Editorial advisory Board of Indian Journal of Research

in Homœopathy (IJRH).

He was an author of more than 60 research papers

published in national and international journals and of

five books, including ‘Golden Tips by Masters’, ‘Use

©Quarterly Homœopathic Digest, Vol.XXIX, 3 & 4/2012. Private circulation only. 18

of Indigenous Drugs as Common Remedies’, ‘An

Overview of Repertories for postgraduate students’.

He was honoured with numerous awards including

the Hahnemann Award in 1995, Dhanwantri Award in

1997, Hahnemann Memorial Award in 2002, Dr. Sahani

Memorial Award and Pareek Foundation Award in 2003

and the Life Time Achievement Award in 2008.

He was a great ambassador for Indian Homœopathy

who will be sadly missed. [Certainly it is a rude shock

to me. I knew for two decades if not more. I miss him

veru much = KSS].

2. Richard Alastair Fingland (RAF) Jack

(28th Feb. 1920 – 9th July 2009) YASGUR, Jay.

(AJHM. 103, 3/2010)

RAF Jack, was a noted british homœopath and the

author of the very practical Homœopathy in General

Practice which is based on his forty years of clinical

experience.

He received Medical degree from University of

Birmingham in the early 1940s. Practiced with National

Health Service most of his life. He also incorporated

number of holistic therapies such as hypnorelaxation

into his practice. Dr. JACK blended conventional

Medicine with Homœopathy.

3. In Memory

Beth ROTONDO (July 31, 1955 – August 15,

2011) (HT. 31, 4/2011).

Beth ROTONDO, a fourth generation homeopath

for over 30 years succumbed to Cancer, having defeated

it twice before. She campaigned against vaccines and

helped to start and nurture 13 or more homœopathic

study groups. She had a passion for connecting people

and helped build a huge community of healers.

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

XIII. NEWS & NOTES

I. Music expands the mind. Helen PHILIPS

(Nature). (The Hindu, 23rd April 1998).

SCIENTISTS seem to have proven what music

lovers have believed for years – that music expands the

mind. An area of the brain used to analyse the pitch of a

musical note seems to be enlarged by about 25 per cent

in musicians, compared with people who have never

played an instrument. The findings, presented in a

recent issue of Nature (April 23), suggest that the area is

enlarged through practice and experience.

The brain represents musical sounds much like a

map. Neighbouring nerve cells on the surface (cortex)

of the brain react to neighbouring notes, much as they

are arranged on a piano keyboard. The arrangement is

known as a ‘tonotopic’ map. But this map is not fixed.

It can be trained to become more sensitive to differences

between notes and may even decline after damage to the

inner ear. Christo Pantev and colleagues from Germany

now find that musical training seems to make the

cortical map area reorganize and grow. The younger the

musicians were when they started their musical training,

the bigger the area seemed to be. More experience

seems to mean a bigger tonotopic map. The researchers

made their discovery by using a brain scanning

technique to measure the size of the region that

responded to piano notes. Some of their volunteers

were musicians and some had never played an

instrument. Whatever instrument the musicians played,

a larger area of the cortex lit up in their scan when piano

notes were played than in any of the non-musicians.

The area seems to respond only to ‘musical’ tones.

Simple bland sounds, such as pure sine-wave notes (like

a simple ‘beep’ from a computer) did not provoke the

region into activity. The rich quality of the piano tones,

the result of harmonics and resonances, is needed to

activate this musical region. Notes from other musical

instruments would probably work just as well.

There are other expanded regions in the brains of

musicians, but this is the first found to be linked to

experience of listening. Pantev has previously found

that the region in the brain that controls finger

movements is enlarged in violinists. This sort of

enlargement is much like the development of other

motor skills such as are involved in typing, or playing

sports.

Another region on the left side of the brain, near the

‘language’ centre, is expanded in people with ‘perfect’

pitch – the ability to name a note without any reference

to other sounds. The enlarged region seems to enhance

the ability to associate verbal labels to sounds. But

these differences may be something we are born with,

predisposing certain people to be better musicians,

rather than altering with experience.

The enlargement of the cortical brain region in

musicians may be the key to the finding that music may

help enhance other skills. Anecdotal reports show that

many scientists are also keen amateur musicians. Is this

just coincidence?

So musical training and listening is to be

encouraged. It seems to be one of the few things that

can do us no harm, and it may expand the mind in more

ways than you think.

II. Very often we see certain reports highlighting the

deficiencies in our Society which cause much anguish;

however, these are rarely remedied because our

attention tend to be drawn into the more exciting and

involving lakhs –of-crores rupees scams etc.

For example, the recently reported cases of the

“Widows of the Mathura Vrindavan”. We have read

these at least four decades ago. There were angry letters

©Quarterly Homœopathic Digest, Vol.XXIX, 3 & 4/2012. Private circulation only. 19

to the Editor of Newspapers; soon this was forgotten.

From recent report we know that nothing whatever has

been done to remedy this inhuman state. The UP

Government has been putting up several statues of Dr.

Ambedkar, Madame Mayawati, her Mentor, and several

elephants (so we read in the newspapers) in the

meantime; great social uplift indeed!

Some years ago we were suddenly awakened by a

very tragic ‘fire accident’ in which several immates of a

mental ‘home’ in which the patients were chained and

hence unable to escape from fire, were burnt to death.

As usual after such events the Govt. ordered the District

authorities to ensure that such ‘chaining’ etc are not

there, be it even a minority religious based faith healing

centre.

Just few days ago, however, we read in the

newspaper with pictures of mentally ill patients

chained!

We also read of the pathetic state of Govt. run

mental asylum. Harsh Mander has in his article in The

Hindu dated June 6, 2010, said that “a lot of our mental

hospitals remain places of abuse and violence, prisons

in effect.”.

Similarly about malnutrition of infants and

children; the statistics may say something but in reality

not much progress has been made in this.

Manual scavenging is still prevalent in spite of

Court’s strict orders.

Female infanticide also has not been totally

stopped.

There are several other areas where our society is

very sick. Why are we apathetic? Have we no

conscience and if we have doesn’t it nudge even least.

With several millionaires amongst us why no one is

coming forward to put some money in Social works?

Even after the GATES and Warne BUFFET’s example?

= KSS.

III. President’s Message.

Celebrating the AIH of the work Ahead.

HOOVER, Todd (AJHM. 103, 3/2010)

The President thanks all the members who assisted

the production and delivery of LIGA Congress in May

2010. In reviewing the history of LIGA, the

tremendous contribution of AIH is realized. Our

capability to make a difference is directly linked to our

solidarity of members and our size.

IV. American Institute of Homœopathy Political

Responsibilities HOOVER, Todd. (AJHM. 103,

4/2010).

The author represented AIH at a meeting held by

Integrated Healthcare Policy Consortium (IHPC) to

build on the success in their implementation of the

Integrative Medicine positive language into the recent

Affordable Health Care Legislation.

V. Letter to the Editor

Hahnemann is Dead?

BEKKER, Alex (AJHM. 103, 4/2010)

“HAHNEMANN is dead in case you haven’t

noticed” was Dr. Jonathan SHORE’s response to a

question when asked about his proving in which

symptoms of provers two weeks before the beginning of

provings in which were noted down as valid symptoms

of proving.

Infact, for some, HAHNEMANN has become

redundant. Subjectivity now reigns! Homœopathy is

reduced to mere opinion and imaginative leaps of fancy.

VI. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

(PPACA) of 2010. Public Law 111 – 148. (AJHM.

103, 4/2010). HOOVER, Todd.

The PPACA was signed into Law by President

OBAMA on March 23, 2010. This document is

available for free online at

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-III

pub1148/content-detail.html.

VII. Stand up for Homœopathy! (HT. 3/2011)

NCH launches most crucial member campaign in

decades. In Oct. 2011, NCH launched a campaign to

recruit new members. The reasons are : One: the

attacks on Homœopathy have been intensifying, in an

attempt to destroy Homœopathy’s standing and

credibility. Two: NCH has made progress advocating

for Homœopathy in the US health care system and they

need a sustained, persistent presence to preserve and

advance the progress that has been made.

VIII. Haitian People still in Dire Need

HWB team continues healing missions

MERRON, Myrna (HT. 31, 3/2011)

HWB(Homœopaths Without Borders) have

completed successful missions to Haiti in association

with Baptist Sentinel Church, St. Vincent School for

Handicapped children and a Clinic in Leogane, and

Living Waters for the World. Two more missions in

planning.

IX. An Interview with Dr. Peter FISHER

JOHNSON, Christopher (HT. 31, 4/2011).

Trained at the elite Cambridge University, Peter is

qualified in both Homœopathy and Rheumatology and

is a fellow of Royal College of Physicians. He is a

member of WHO’s Expert Advisory Panel on

Traditional and Complementary medicine. He is the

editor of the Journal Homeopathy (Formerly BHJ)

since 25 yrs. – which is the only MEDLINE – indexed

homœopathic journal since 1998. He got involved in

research as there is a desperate need of it in

©Quarterly Homœopathic Digest, Vol.XXIX, 3 & 4/2012. Private circulation only. 20

Homœopathy. He is planning a mega-series of systemic

reviews and meta-analyses.

In his view, randomized controlled trial is

expensive and awful lot that can go wrong. In vitro

studies are better. Observational studies help. Cohort

studies are pretty consistently positive, but not

comparable.

There is a huge prejudice and persecution against

Homœopathy in UK for various psycho-social-

geopolitical reasons. It is persecuted because it is a new

paradigm that is threatening the established order.

We have to get our house in order; not to make

foolish claims; to try to be scientific; and instead of

larding up the repertory with anything you please, we

need to think a little bit more carefully about what we

put there; be a little more serious about it.

X. Nancy HERRICK received the Honorary

Doctoral Degree at American Medical College of

Homœopathy on 25th October 2011 - From Dr. Todd

ROWE. (HT. 31, 4/2011).

XI. The fashion industry loves Arnica. (HT. 31,

4/2011).

When fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg was

injured in a Ski accident, she tweeted: “Arnica gel is the

best thing you can do for bruises. … I cannot say it

enough…” This is just one example cited in a recent

New York Times article about how the fashion industry

is embracing the use of homœopathic Arnica, in all its

forms. Linda Fargo, director of Bergdorf Goodman,

says it is one of her “fashion week survival must-

haves.” Designer Phillip Lim said he tried a 3-day

regimen of Arnica when he was “feeling puffy” and

thought his “skin glowed afterwards.” A cosmetics

industry executive takes it instead of non-steroidal anti-

inflammatory drugs. Athletes and fitness professionals,

including the former coach of the U.S. Men’s National

Soccer Team, have been using it for years; orthopedic

surgeons prescribe it, and it is readily available at

drugstores. The article focuses on the toxicity of Arnica

when used in its herbal form and seems to confuse this

with homœopathically prepared Arnica, which is highly

diluted non-toxic, and safe.

- September 14, 2011, The New York Times,

Skin Deep: Seeking Relief Through Arnica, by

Bee-Shyuan Chang.

XII. Homœopath claims successful Dengue Fever

treatment (HT. 31, 4/2011).

Dengue fever and other viral flu outbreaks claimed

115 deaths in Sri Lanka this year, and conventional

medicine has done little to curb it. A Sri Lanka

representative of Homœopaths Without Borders, Joe de

Livera, is encouraging the Sri Lankan government and

the World Health Organization to turn to Homœopathy,

as it has been shown to be successful in Dengue as well

as other epidemics. He points to the experience of

homœopath Dr. Imthias Latif, who reports successfully

treating more than a thousand patients using the remedy

Eupatorium perfoliatum 200c.

- Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka), August 9, 2011,

“Consider other methods to eradicate dengue”

XIII. Materia non-medica:

Do we learn from the past anything? NICHOLS’

(Black Swan, says rightly that we do not and in fact we

cannot.)

All know that the famous ‘French Revolution’

occurred in 1789 due to the ‘feasting’ of the ‘well-off’

while the poor literally starved.

In The Hindu, Chennai, dated July 9, 2008 there

was a report titled “19 dishes on the Menu at food

shortages summit”. The G8 leaders who had gathered

for discussing “food shortages” had “an eight course, 19

dish dinner prepared by 25 Chefs! “This is one sure

way of driving away poverty and hunger!”

Very recently we have gone up further: The UPA II

Government hosted a dinner (what for??) for which 603

persons had been invited but only 375 turned up. (Per

head food cost came to Rs.7721/-). A total amount of

Rs.28,95,375/- (Dinamani, 7th Oct. 2012) was spent for

this. What to speak of Mahatma Gandhi’s country?

The total absence of a ‘conscience’ to each of these

persons who dared to conceive this idea and carry it

through and those who ate this cursed food, are beyond

words = KSS: Oct. 22, 2012.

XIV. What are the “after effects” of Chemotherapy?

Are the “after effects” same in every case? Knowing

the adverse “after effects” why do people agree to

undergo Chemotherapy? The desire to ‘live’ for some

more days even if the quality of those few more days

‘life’ is not worth the trouble?

‘The Hindu’, Chennai (April 22, 2009) says

“shattering mental effects of Chemotherapy”

The effects may be ‘forgetfulness’, searching for

the right word, trouble in multi-tasking. One patient

said “I feel like my brain is not my own”.

However, there seems to have been no detailed

study of this subject – may be due to the fear that

patients needing “life saving” (Chemotherapy) may be

discouraged from taking the medicine.

XV. Richard HAEHL said (Vol. I, Samuel

Hahnemanns ‘His Life and Work’ P. 434)

“Before the Great War” (World War I 1914-18)

there were in the United States 56 purely homœopathic

general hospitals with 35 to 1400 beds each, nine

hospitals for women (inclusive of midwifery) with 30 to

100 beds each, 13 mental asylums with 150 to 2000

©Quarterly Homœopathic Digest, Vol.XXIX, 3 & 4/2012. Private circulation only. 21

beds each, nine children’s hospitals with 30 to 100 beds

each, 21 Sanatorium with 20 to 250 beds each, eight

orphanages, with purely homœopathie treatment having

accommodation for 50 to 825 occupants each.”

This situation rapidly deteriorated after the War and

Homœopathy began to decline.

Even before the war the Drug Companies in the

USA were condemning Homœopathy in their journals

and almost all the Medical Journals were supported by

the Drug Companies. (“About 250 medical journals

were published at the turn of the century, and only one

was supported by the profession alone.” – (Vol. III,

P.415, Harris COULTER, “Divided Legacy…., 1973).

All efforts were taken by the Pharmaceutical

manufacturers to denigrate Homœopathy. Very soon

the number of Homœopathy colleges went down.

Dr. Harris COULTER, Vol. III of ‘Divided Legacy’

analyses the situation very clearly.

Homœopathy has not recovered its glory yet. Seats

in Colleges go abegging; unfortunately the standards of

teaching is also very low. = KSS.

XVI. It is a recognised fact that Greed, Lust,

Grabbing someone else’s, etc. are all ‘diseases’; we

have ‘rubrics’ in our Repertories to confirm this.

Therefore Poverty is a disease ‘nurtured’ by the well-to-

do. To that extent this is a very sickly world.

There are several reports of “hunger” as a reality

especially in the rural India and these ‘survive’

somehow for some years. What is hardest to bear is the

denial of food to one’s children. It is not unusual for

parents to send out children for debt bondage.

Efforts for the Government to help the ‘destitute’

are thwarted …….by several ‘Government employees’

in the pipeline. We read that the Postmen were insisting

that the recipient of the Government’s ‘dole’ pay him

some money; otherwise he refused to deliver the Money

Order! Govt. did catch some of these ‘crooked’ minded

Postmen. How is the system now working?

XVII. There have been several articles in the News

Papers about grinding poverty and destitution of a large

section of the ‘common man’ who lives on the fringe.

The ‘Common man’ is totally forsaken. Pictures of

pathetically malnourished infants and children lying on

the floor of the hospital as if waiting to die. Unlettered,

ignorant mothers sitting by the side with hopes.

The newspaper report rolls out statistical data (The

Hindu, April 2004 by Kalpana Sharma); we all read it

some may feel for this abysmal situation. Sometimes I

used to wonder whether the ‘powers’ do not see these

pictures. With what conscience does everyone of them

eat that days’ dinner? = KSS.

XVIII. Very often we read of so called “Hospitals”

run by the Govt. especially in the far flung areas or

tribal areas not possessing even basic facilities.

Children mostly malnourished, brought to these

hospitals die. It is not very unusual if there is no

‘doctor’ available in the ‘hospital’. “Villagers have to

the old decrepit PHC, a Km away, where often there is

no doctor. In one room in the PHC, medicine bottles

are dumped in a corner and rats abound in the

storeroom. Twenty five villages are served by the PHC

covering a population of 13,600.” (The Hindu, Aug. 1,

2004, report by Kalpana Sharma) [Very recently rats

were found to have bitten a child in a big Govt.

Hospital, in the Metropolitan City of Chennai = KSS].

[What do our colleague homœopaths of

Maharashtra who are demanding “that they be allowed

to prescribe allopathic medicines think of these? What

help can they offer to these children? – be it

homœopathic or allopathic? Don’t we have a social

commitment? How can one’s conscience reconcile with

this atrocious situation? = KSS]

XIX. The founding of the Alliance for Radiation

Safety in Paediatric Imaging (founded in July 13,

2007 – The Hindu, Chennai, dated March 6, 2008), was

to ensure that medical protocols for imaging children

keep pace with technology advances.

The growth of CT use in children has been driven

primarily by decrease in the time needed to perform a

scan – now less than 1 second – largely eliminating the

need for anaesthesia to prevent the child from moving

during imaging acquisition. The children get exposed to

radiation doses higher than necessary because many

technologists use the same X-ray exposure factors for

computed Tomography Examinations of children as

those used for adults. Children are more sensitive to

radiation than adults, as their tissues are developing.

Nearly 7 million or more procedures are carried out

annually in the US amongst children of all ages, with 33

percent on children under 10 years of age. Surveys at

71 CT units in India revealed that on an average 8.9

percent of CT procedures are on children; paediatric

protocols are not used on 32 of these installations.

These centres are exposing children to unjustifiably

high radiation doses.

Researchers from the All India Institute of Medical

Sciences, Delhi demonstrated that the doses to children

can be halved without reducing clinical benefits.

XX. “Doctors in the Dark” by Dr. Sumanth

RAMAN refers to a report in The Hindu, Dec. 6,

2012 which underline the lack of appropriate

knowledge. How accurate are they in making a

diagnosis and how appropriate is the treatment they

recommend?” The answer is alarming. In Delhi the

©Quarterly Homœopathic Digest, Vol.XXIX, 3 & 4/2012. Private circulation only. 22

rate of correct diagnosis was as low as 22 percent and

the rate of correct treatment was less than 50 percent.”

When this is the situation with the dominant

Medicine (Allopathy) what can we say about the

standards of teaching in the homœopathic Colleges.

Honestly it is very poor. It is high time that

homœopaths become aware of this and take appropriate

action.

XXI. “Appalling condition of primary health care

Services” (The Hindu, dated 6.12.2012) says a news

item. It says that “the chances of correct diagnosis and

treatment in both rural and urban areas by private and

public care providers are dismal.” “The shocking state

of primary health care services in both private and

public clinics in urban (Delhi) and rural (villages in

Madhya Pradesh) areas has been highlighted in a

scientifically carried out study published a few days ago

in Health Affairs.” In Delhi correct diagnosis was as

low as 22 percent, the correct treatment was

significantly lower.

The report gives more details.

More and more ‘star’ hospitals are opened in the

private sector; each year the shareholders keep getting

higher returns. “Super speciality” is the Manthra while

no one cares about Primary Health Care and thus the

‘rural’ are neglected. Indeed a sound primary health

care will prevent need for more ‘super specialities’.

[There may not be money in Primary Health Care and

therefore it will not attract private involvement. It is for

the government to do something in this regard. As for

the medical education a lot has to be done = KSS.]

XXII. “Britains most senior medical adviser Dame

Sally DAVIES, has warned that the rise in drug-

resistant diseases could trigger a national emergency

comparable to a catastrophic terrorist attack,

pandemic flu or major coastal flooding. The threat

from infections that are resistant to frontline antibiotics

was so serious that the issue should be added to the

government’s National Risk Register of Civil

Emergencies. ….. The highest priority risks on the

latest register include a deadly flu outbreak, catastrophic

terrorist attacks, and major flooding ….. The strategy

includes more responsible use of antibiotics among

doctors and the clinical professions. ….

The drug resistance to antibiotics arises when drugs

knock out susceptible infections, leaving hardier,

resilent strains behind. The survivors then multiply and

over time can become unstoppable with frontline

medicines…..

Changes in modern medicine have exacerbated the

problem by making patients more susceptible to

infections. For eg., Cancer treatments weaken the

immune system.

Davies said that 80 percent of Gonorrhea was now

resistant to frontline antibiotic Tetracycline and

infections were rising in young and middle-aged

people….. Another drug carbapenems, which doctors

rely on to tackle the most serious infections and here

these infections are now resistant to antibiotics.

[Extract from The Hindu, Chennai dated 25 Jan. 2013

p.11]

[We homœopaths know that resistance will develop

even for potentised medicine, if repeated indiscreetly.

Hence the admonition of HAHNEMANN that only the

minimum doses should be given. It is unfortunate that

some homoœopaths try to imitate the allopaths and push

in several doses. Therefore it is further strange that

some homœopaths are clamouring for licensing them to

use allopathic drugs. Let them wake up. = KSS.]

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

LIST OF JOURNALS:

Full addresses of the Journals covered by this Quarterly

Homœopathic Digest are given below:

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

1. AHZ: Allgemeine Homöopathische Zeitung, Karl F.

Haug Verlag, Hüthig GmbH, im Weiher 10, 69121,

HEIDELBERG, GERMANY.

2. AJHM: American Journal of Homœopathic Medicine,

formerly Journal of the American Institute of

Homœopathy (JAIH). 801 N. Fairfax Street, Suite 306

Alexandria, VA 22314.

3. THE HINDU: Newspaper, Chennai – 600 002.

4. HH: Homœopathic Heritage, B. Jain Publishers

Overseas, 1920, Street No.10, Chuna Mandi, Paharganj,

Post Box 5775, New Delhi - 110 055.

5. HOM: Homœopathy, Formerly British Homœopathic

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

West, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU13BE, UK.

6. HT: Homœopathy Today, National Center for

Homœopathy, 801, North Fairfax Street, Suite 306,

ALEXANDRIA, VA. 22314, USA.

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 F.

Haug Verlag, Hüthig GmbH, Im Weiher 10, D-69121

HEIDELBERG, GERMANY.

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

©Quarterly Homœopathic Digest, Vol.XXIX, 3 & 4/2012. Private circulation only. 23

PART II

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

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

1. Homœopathic Potencies Alter Salivary Protein

Profile in Filarial Patients

Sandhimita Mondal, Nirmal C. SUKUL, Soma

SUKUL (Nee Chunari) & Swapan KR. RUDRA

(Science & Culture 78, 5-6/2012)

Potentized homœopathic drugs have been reported

to alter leaf protein profile in plants. The purpose of the

present study is to see whether homœopathic potencies

could alter salivary protein profile in filariasis patients.

Five patients were given orally one dose of Sulphur 30

and the remaining one Natrum mur. 200c. Saliva

samples of the patients were collected before drugs and

again next day after 21 hrs. Salivary proteins were

separated by gel electrophoresis. There was a

significant repression of all the detected salivary

proteins following treatment with homœopathic

potencies.

Potentized homœopathic drugs are known to

ameliorate diseases in man, animals and plants1.

Homœopathic potencies above 12c do not contain any

drug molecules. So, how do they act on the living

organism? In order to address this question we

conducted several experiments on plants. It was

observed that potentized Cina, which reduced root-knot

nematode infestation of cowpea, altered the protein

profile of the leaves of the plant through expression and

repression of some proteins2. We further observed that

treatment with Cantharis 200c, a homœopathic drug

used for burn injuries, resulted in the expression of

small heat shock like proteins and repression of other

proteins in a medicinal plant3. A plant growth inhibitor

in the potentized form, 30c, altered leaf protein profile

of cowpea with expression of some new proteins4.

In order to know whether homœopathic potencies

act on man in a similar way as in plants we treated six

patients suffering from Bancroftian filariasis with

homœopathic potencies on consent. Lymphatic

filariasis is a mosquito-borne disease caused by the

nematode parasite Wuchereria bancrofti. The disease

affects 120 million people in 83 coutries5. Salivary

proteins of the six patients under study were analysed.

The composition of saliva varies in different individuals

and with different diseases, both oral as well as

systemic6-10. The purpose of the present study is to see

whether homœopathic potencies could alter the salivary

protein profile in the treated patients.

Materials and Methods: Epidemiological Survey: A

large-scale epidemiological survey for lymphatic

filariasis was conducted in endemic villages of Bankura

district, West Bengal during 2009-2011. Blood was

sampled from the rural people during 20.00 and 23.00

hrs by finger prick and the mf density of the affected

people was determined11-12. People suffering from

lymph oedema and elephantiasis were also recorded.

These patients opted for homœopathic treatment. Six

patients were selected for the present study. Of the six

patients, aged 28-40 yrs, five were microfilaremic and

their microfilarial density was 200-250 mf per ml of

blood. The sixth patient had lymph oedema in the left

leg and no microfilaria in blood.

Treatment and Saliva Collection: All the patients

were brought to the laboratory and allowed to wash

their mouth by sterile distilled water before collection of

saliva. Whole saliva was collected by passive drooling

into sterile chilled graduated tubes6. They were asked

not to take any food or drink for at least 2 hrs before

collection of saliva. Depending on their symptoms one

patient was given a single oral dose of Natrum mur.

200c and all other patients were given Sulphur 30, one

dose each. After 15 days the same patients were treated

again with a single dose of the same drugs. Twentyone

hrs after the second treatment saliva samples were

collected again from them. The flow rate of saliva was

measured before and after treatment with the drugs.

Saliva samples were diluted with sterile miliQ water 1:1

v/v and vortexed vigorously to reduce the viscosity of

the samples centrifuged at 4500 rpm for 5 min at 4°C to

remove any suspended particles. Total protein content

of the supernatant was measured13.

Protein Precipitation and Processing: All

samples were divided into 10 aliquots, each containing

500μl. Each aliquot was mixed 1:1 v/v with a mixture

of TCA (20%)/acetone (90%)/2-mercaptoethanol

(0.07%), vortexed and kept at - 15°C overnight. All the

mixtures were centrifuged at 15000 rpm for 30 min at

4°C. The pellets were centrifuged at 15000 rpm for 30

min at 4°C. The pellets were washed with 20 μl of 0.2

M NaOH to neutralize the acidic condition and then

washed with acetone containing 0.07% 2-

mercaptoethanol to remove any pigments. The

©Quarterly Homœopathic Digest, Vol.XXIX, 3 & 4/2012. Private circulation only. 24

supernatant was discarded, and pellets were kept at --

30°C for further analysis14.

Protein Separation by Mono-dimensional

Electrophoresis (1D-E) and Identification: The

pellets were dissolved with 0.06 M Tris-HC1(pH6.8)

and kept for 10 min and then mixed with SDS sample

buffer containing 0.06 M Tris – HC1 pH6.8, 2% w/v

SDS, 4% 2-mercaptoethanol, 5% v/v glycerol and

0.0025% bromophenol blue, boiled at 96°C for 5 min

and cooled down. Equal amounts of proteins from each

sample were loaded on sodium dodecyl sulfate

polyacrylamide gel (SDS-PAGE) using 15%

acrylamide. Electrophoresis runs were performed by a

biotech vertical slab gel system (Regular model)

apparatus at 130-140v, 50mA in case of running gel and

at 70-80v, 42-45mA in case of stacking gel15. Apparent

TABLE 1: Mean value concentration with standard error (SE) of salivary proteins from 6 filarial patients

before and after treatment with individually selected homœopathic drugs.

Subjects

Unknown

(78Kd)(μg/mL BSA

equivalent)

α-amylase (64.5Kd)

(μg/mL BSA

equivalent)

PRPs (47kd)(μg/mL

BSA equivalent)

Cystatin(μg/mL

BSA equivalent)

Before treatment

Mean SE

48.2±2.04

86.10±1.9

46.79±1.95

55.2±1.64

After treatment

Mean SE

37.1±1.77

81.04±2.18

39.0±1.95

35.85±1.92

molecular weights were determined by comparison with

the migration rates of marker proteins (HyperPAGE

Prestained Protein Marker). After electrophoresis gels

were stained for 18 hrs with coomasie brilliant blue

R250 and then destained with a mixture of methanol,

water, glacial acetic acid (45:45:10 v/v) for 24hrs to

detect the separated proteins. The optical density of

protein bands was measured by densitometer using BSA

as an internal standard in the Gel documentation

system15-17.

Results: Mean salivary flow rate increased after

treatment with appropriate homœopathic drug from 0.8-

1.5 to 1-2 ml/min and mean protein content in saliva

decreased from 0.5-0.39 mg/ml to 0.4-0.36 mg/ml after

treatment with appropriate homeopathic drugs.

The pattern of Protein bands before and after

treatment with appropriate homœopathic potencies

show some differences in all six patients. Altogether

ten bands were detectable. Molecular masses of

proteins separated by gel electrophoresis were estimated

by their migration in the gel18. The optical density of

protein bands was measured by densitometer using BSA

as a standard. The optical density was used to estimate

protein concentration in the samples. The dominant

band in all the six patients has a molecular mass of 66

kD. Molecular masses of protein bands and their

approximate concentration in μg/ml are given in Table

1. It is evident that post treatment protein bands in all

the six patients show reduced absorbance as compared

to the pretreatment bands.

Discussion: Homœopathic remedies have been

reported to improve salivary flow rate in patients

suffering from xerostomia19. In our study, the flow rate

has also increased following homœopathic treatment

although the disease is different.

It is evident from the results that the total protein

content decreased and there was an overall repression of

all the detected proteins following treatment with

individually selected homœopathic potencies (Fig. 1,

Table 1). Repression of salivary proteins was observed

21 hours following treatment with homœopathic

potencies. In eukaryotes regulation of genes at both

transcriptional and translational levels takes long time.

It seems that in the present study repression of proteins

occurred at the translational level, and the initiation

factors involved phosphorylation resulting in general

depression of translation in the cells20. Homœopathic

potencies are thought to initiate their action on the water

structure covering the cell surface proteins. They bring

about a change in the global molecular network (GMN)

of H-bonded water molecules as well as protein

molecules21. The variety of translational mechanisms

allows focused repression of few mRNAs or global

regulation of all cellular translation20. It appears that the

homœopathic potencies, used in this study, might have

influenced the global regulation of all cellular

translation. The results indicate that homœopathic

potencies produce their effect on patients through

repression of proteins.

Acknowledgements

1. N.C. Sukul and A. Sukul, High dilution effects:

physical and biochemical basis, Kluwer Academic

Publishers, Dordrecht (2004)

2. N.C. Sukul, R.K. Singh, S. Sukul (Chunari) and A.

Sukul, Sci & Cult. 75: 291-293 (2009).

3. N.C. Sukul, S. Mondal and S. Sukul (nee Chunari),

Sci & Cult, 76: 540-543, 77:161 (2010-2011).

4. N.C. Sukul, S. Sukul (nee Chunari), S. Mondal, J

Alt Med Res (2011)

5. World Health Organization, Wkly Epidemiological

Records, 81(22): 221-232 (2006).

6. I D Mandel, J oral Pathol Med, 19: 119-125

(1990).

7. I D Mandel, Crit Rev Oral Biol. Med, 4: 599-604

(1993).

8. P. Laine, J H Meurman, J Tenovuo, H Murtomaa, C

Lindquist, S. Pyrhonen and Teerenhovil Oral

Onchol Eur J Cancer, 28B: 125-128 (1992).

9. I Joansson, M Lemander-Lumikari and A K

Saellstrom, Dent Res, 73: 11-19 (1994).

10. A Aguirre, L A Testa-Weintraub, J A Banderas, G

G Haraszthy, M S Reddy and M J Levine: Crit Rev

Oral Biol Med, 4: 343-350 (1993).

11. T Chakraborty, S P Sinhababu and N C Sukul,

Trop Med, 37: 35-37 (1995).

12. N C Sukul, P Sarkar, A Sukul and S P Sinhababu,

Jap J Trop Med Hyg, 27: 477-481 (1999)

13. O H Lowry, N J Rossebrough, A R Farr and R J

Randall, J Biol Chem, 193: 265-275 (1951).

14. K Jessie, O H Hashim, Z H A Rahim,

Biotechnology, 7: 686-693 (2008).

15. U K Laemmli, Nature, 227: 680-684 (1970).

16. C Dinnella, A Recchia, S Vincenzi, H Tuorila and

E Monteleone, Chem Senses, 35:75-85 (2010).

17. I V Grigoriev, L V Nikolaeva and I P Artamonovm,

Biochemistry (Moscow), 68: 405-406 (2003)

18. J M Walker. Protein structure, purification,

characterization and function analysis. In:

Principles and techniques of biochemistry and

molecular biology, in Principles and techniques of

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 6th edition.

Edited by Wilson K and Walker J. New York:

Cambridge University Press, 349-404 (2006).

19. S Hailal, A Koskinen and J Tenovuo, Homeopathy,

94: 175-181 (2005).

20. D L Nelson, M M Cox. Lehinzer principles of

biochemistry, 3rd edition, USA. Macmillon Worth

Publishers, (2000).

21. N C Sukul and A Sukul, Environ Ecol, 27: 71-77

(2009).

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

2. ZINCUM - A CONTRIBUTION TO THE

STUDY OF THE HOMOEOPATHIC

MATERIA MEDICA

THE LATE DR. ADOLF GERSTEL, VIENNA

Various methods for the individual study of

homoeopathic medicines have been proposed.

HIRSCHEL especially, in his compendium of

Homoeopathy, has largely entered on the rules for the

study of pharmacodynamics, and has given practical

examples of the synthetic as well as the analytic

methods. Both of these, the analytically synthetic and

synthetically analytic treatment of the list of the

symptoms of any one remedy of our Materia Medica,

still leave too much room for the play of phantasy to

satisfy the skeptic student of medicine; they would

rather serve as a good manual for one already

thoroughly familiar with the spirit of Homoeopathy.

For it is one matter for an older homoeopathic

practitioner to deduce the value of a remedy from its

symptoms and to gain a bird’s eye view of its effects by

calling to aid his own experience and that of others; and

it is quite another thing to present to a beginner, who

besides this is a skeptic, the synthetically analytic

method in such a way that he, through his individual

study, may learn to recognise the value and the

significance of the single symptoms, and then, from

these, the total character and the mode of its action with

some degree of self-confidence.

HIRSCHEL, in his direction, limits himself solely

to the elaboration of the list of symptoms in the Materia

Medica. This would also be quite sufficient for

beginners, if they should enter on this path under the

guidance of a teacher, who would, at the same time,

direct them to make their own provings under his

direction as Hahnemann did with his pupils at Leipsig

or who would explain and confirm such an elaboration

by practical examples. This ought to be done especially

in combination with homoeopathic clinics or with

reference to practical results.

But as we are so far without any such clinics in

Germany, we consider the synthetically analytic way the

best for those who would become physicians, but with

this modification, that we should keep in view the

clinical method, but so long as we lack clinical

institutions we should introduce instructive clinical

cases, such as we find in our literature, as illustrations.

Persons who wish to become Homoeopathic

physicians should be advised to first use, for their

individual study only, such proved medicines which

have approved themselves in many ways and,

undoubtedly, perchance even in the old school.

Then should be studied the cases of diseases

indubitably cured by this medicine alone, their

character should be studied, if possible also according to

their physiological diagnosis, but especially the

corresponding, characteristic symptoms of the disease

which were quickly and permanently removed, and thus

cured by this medicine, should be considered.

The same internal character which lies at the

foundation of these natural symptoms of disease and of

this diagnosis must also essentially belong to that

artificial disease, which might be caused by this

medicine in the healthy body, and the symptoms of

which, torn from their natural connection, we have

before us in our Materia Medica; this will enable us to

draw a conclusion as to the internal value and

connection of these symptoms with some degree of

certainty. That historical presentations of provings on

the healthy body and of poisonings will facilitate this

study is self-evident.

We shall now endeavor to present, in this clinical

synthetic manner, the action of Zincum. We have chosen

Zincum for several reasons.

1. Zincum has already been used as a remedy in

the old school. Trinks and Mueller say: An exact

description of this metal we first find in Paracelsus.

Gaudius learned the use of flowers of zinc as a

remedy from a certain Ludemann, who sold them as

an Arcanum under the name of Luna fixata and

who was said to have wrought wondrous cures by

means of it.

We owe to Gaudius, therefore, its enrollment in

the Materia Medica, for he convinced himself

through many observations and experiments of the

great efficacy of this metal. Its curative powers

were in later times sometimes over-valued,

sometimes under valued, as has been the case more

or less with all medicaments, with which indefinite

experiments were made in their usual crudely

empirical manner, for it is impossible to arrive at

sure results in such a manner. But strange to say, it

was used in many cases by itself alone and unmixed

( though more frequently in mixtures ) in diverse,

mostly spasmodic diseases, and then ex usu in

morbis definite healing powers were finally

ascribed to it. We therefore find occasional cases of

pure experience as to zinc in the old school, and

therefore also an opportunity of presenting the

character of our medicinal provings, founded on the

supreme law of healing similia similibus, to our

skeptical physicians, and of putting to use the

symptoms of zincum.

2. Also in Rademacher’s school acetate of zinc is

of great importance as a remedy in epidemics, and

the reason of this also is found in the homoeopathic

principles, and the key to its rational, successful use

in the several diseases is only to be found in the

Hahnemannian Materia Medica.

3. Into the Homoeopathic Materia Medica Zincum

was introduced as a pure metal by Dr. Karl Franz in

Leipzig, a pupil of Hahnemann, and its provings

were first published in the Archiv Bd. 6, Heft 2, 5.

152.

Although the results of the experiments made

by himself on himself and by other fellow provers,

whose names are given and among whom

Hahnemann was one, are given in the well known

symptomatic order, we nevertheless find in the

prefatory remarks a short sketch, from which we

can not only deduce in part the order of their

appearance with some of the provers, but the size of

the various doses, etc., is also given.

These points are very valuable, for they enable

us not only to show the agreement of the symptoms

among themselves, but also in the order of their

appearance even with the various individuals, and

they also permit us to conclude with greater

certainty as to the character and value not only of

these symptoms but also of those groups of

symptoms communicated later on (in 1828 & 1829)

in the Reine Arzneimittellehre of Hartlaub und

Trinks (1st and 2nd Vols.), in which these

particulars are lacking.

We usually possess in most of the remedies

only one cumulative list of symptoms. Of Zincum

we find such a list collected by Hahnemann in the

fifth volume of “ Chronische Krankheiten” (2nd ed.,

1839 ), as he counts Zincum among the antipsorics.

Then we find a very detailed account in Trinks and

Mueller with a statement as to the provers, and a

total summary in the detailed Symptomen Codex of

the year 1843. Later physicians commonly use one

of these latter compendia, which are however,

frequently less complete. The original sources are

seldom in their hands, because they are too much

scattered. Now if it is difficult even in

Hahnemann’s Materia Medica, where every

symptom forms a numbered paragraph, to form a

whole or to gain a full view, this is the more

tiresome in the other manuals owing to the manner

in which all the symptoms succeed one another. All

these facts seem to be mere trifles; but if all the

circumstances are weighed, and if we consider the

still greater external difficulties opposing the

formation of a new growth of Homoeopathic

physicians, these seeming trifles acquire the more

importance as it is owing to them that it becomes

difficult to the young physicians to study from the

original sources and to properly make use of our

Homoeopathic literature.

4. Besides the sources mentioned above, even

after the second edition of the Chronic diseases (1839 )

in the fourteenth volume of the Hygiea ( 1841 ), there

is an interesting verifying proving communicated by

Buchner. This was caused by Dr. Werneck and made on

several individuals. These provings are communicated

in detail in their historical sequence, and they bring to

view new symptoms and peculiarities of Zincum, to

which in turn we are indebted for interesting

Homoeopathic cures, and which confirm former

experiences.

Besides this, literature offers several instructive

stories of poisonings, even with fatal results, and also

the results of dissection.

According to Trinks and Mueller ( l.c., p. 1281 ) the

physiological effects of Zincum extend to almost all

the systems and organs of the animal organism, but

especially to the organs of the mind and spirit, the

sensorium, the sensory nerves, the system of the spinal

marrow with all its radiations, the intestinal canal, the

liver, the kidneys, urinary troubles, the bladder and its

sphincters, the sexual impulse of both sexes, the uterus,

the heart, the venous vascular system, the respiratory

nerves, the lungs, the sero fibrous membranous tissues

and the external cuticle.

We have, therefore, an abundant choice of morbid

states, which may be picked out of the symptom list of

Zincum.

We shall, however, first consult clinical experience

about it, and then compare with it the corresponding

symptoms of Zincum enumerated in the Materia

Medica. As to the experiences of the old school, we

shall mention them, in so far as they are pure, in their

appropriate places, and we begin with Rademacher.

Although I have never treated any case according to

Rademacher’s directions, I do not doubt the successes

arrived at, which are confirmed by many perfectly

credible colleagues.

Since the acetate of zinc is so largely used by this

school in cerebral affections, we must acknowledge

these cures and prove them from our standpoint, no

matter by what combinations Rademacher may have

arrived at its practical use in their direction. I shall here

consider what Dr. Kunkel relates concerning his

experiences and observations about zinc in this

connection ( Allg. H. Zeitg., 67 Bd., S. 45 flg., ) .

Dr.Kunkel, as he tells us, belonged for nine years to

Rademacher’s school, and had abundant opportunity to

learn the extraordinary medicinal virtues of zinc.

Rademacher ascribes to zinc, as Kunkel reports, a

“peculiar action” on that part of the brain which is to be

viewed as the bearer of our spiritual activities ( we are, I

think, entitled to consider this as the function of the

hemispheres); Kunkel from his experience agrees with

this view. In the duchy of Schleswic there reigned in

the years 1850-51 an epidemic of meningitis cerebro

spinalis, which Rademacher called “brain fever”. It

appeared in two forms, the one which we shall consider

bore the following traits: Quiet position, a seemingly

natural sleep extending into a sopor, from which the

patient can be roused only with trouble and often

imperfectly; slow pulse, sometimes with large

undulations ( 52- 60 ), etc., a state such as is

approximately found after lesions of the head and shots

which glance against the cranium.

In most cases the state bore the character of

depression. The only complaint uttered by the patients

when asked about their condition was a pain or rather

a strangely pressive, pinching sensation in the root of

the nose, with an occasional drawing proceeding down

along the nose.

This image of the disease occurred with every age

and with changing forms. Sometimes it accompanied

dentition, another time erysipelas of the face and head.

In two cases the erysipelas regularly returned every

week; they had arisen through fright during

menstruation. Often there was only an indication of

erysipelas, e.g., swelling on one or both sides of the

nose, while the general phenomena were very distinct.

Eruption of blisters on the upper lip, affections of the

serous membrane of the mouth, from the simple

stomatitis vesicularis to the most intense stomacace.

They came usually as a consequence of mental

emotions, sorrow and grief, fright or sleeplessness after

long nightwatches. Also convulsions of the most violent

kind, sometimes attended these states, e.g., with

erysipelas on the head of a child; or in consequence of

vexation in a full-blooded girl, who had not before

suffered from it; also the most violent toothache,

especially during menstruation and pregnancy. There

were no appearances of congestion; the complexion was

natural, no increase in temperature, normally large,

slowly reacting pupil, generally no photophobia, no sign

of disintegration of blood, a clean tongue, normal urine,

stool,etc. All these forms of disease, says Kunkel, were

removed by Zincum aceticum with a celerity and

certainty that left nothing to be desired.

Kunkel was therefore not in the position, to the

great sorrow of our young physician of the

physiological school, of proving his diagnosis by a

dissection.

Concerning meningitis cerebro-spinalis, which

continued long as an epidemy, much was written, and it

was diagnostically illustrated by many of the first

scientific men. We agree with Kunkel in supposing an

affection of the cerebrum, and also that the nervous

domain, ministering to nutrition, i.e., the sympathicus is

at the same time largely affected, and that thence there

result, in consequence of the anomalities in the nerves,

various material changes in the mixture of the juices and

in the organs of secretion. Thence the appearance of

erysipelas, forms of herpes, and affections of the serous

membrane of the mouth are here only secondary

consequences, but they point anyway to the fact that in

those nerves which belong to the portions which are

specially morbidly affected the innervation is also

morbidly altered.

Niemeyer, who describes a later epidemy, in which

there was sufficient opportunity of also studying the

disease in the corpses, adduces as the first, essential and

constant symptom: Violent headache. The kind of

headache is not further indicated, for this would not be

an anatomical symptom! Instead of this, we receive the

following information ( p. 30 ) : “ With respect to the

origin of the headache in brain diseases we are not

clearly informed; we do not even know whether it is

caused by a morbid irritation of the fibres of the

trigeminus which ramify into the dura mater or of those

nervous elements of the brain which form the central

foci of sensation; but experience teaches that among the

various encephalopathies, the disease and especially the

inflammation of the meninges are the ones in which

headache reaches its greatest intensity”. Niemeyer

further shows ( p.25 ) that the dissection constantly

showed a meningitis cerebralis with purulent exudation

in the subarachnoidal spaces, and that we usually

observe a great extension of the inflammatory process,

i.e., a simultaneous affection of the convex parts and of

those lying at the base.

The constant essential would then consist in this,

that it is the serous membranes which are diseased, and,

indeed, with a tendency to purulent exudation.

We may grant, that the former epidemic observed

in Sleswic was somewhat different in kind, for

according to the description the epidemic in Baden

showed more of an erethic character, during which the

patient was in a constant unrest; the direction and

essence of the internal disease would have been,

however, of a likely similar nature. Klunkel has

emphasized as an especially constant and characteristic

symptom: “ The strange pressive and pinching

sensation in the root of the nose, with occasional

drawing proceeding down along the nose”.

This kind of a frontal headache was evidently a

neuralgia of the frontalis and a part of the naso-ciliaris

as ramifications of the first branch of the trigeminus.

But the quintus coheres through its ganglion Gasseri

with the plexus of the sympathicus in the head and its

original branches ramify again into the dura mater, as

Niemeyer also states. In these cases observed by

Kunkel, therefore, the connection of this symptom per

se with the simultaneous cerebral symptoms, and

especially with the affections of the meninges, is

anatomically shown.

That mental emotions and especially fright,

especially predispose to this disease and therefore

sensitive individuals are readily seized by it; that

dentition with children predispose them to the disease,

as also that an intermittent type was occasionally

observed, shows a simultaneous affection of the

cerebrum and the sympathicus.

Now let us see in what relation Zincum stands in its

physiological effects to all this and what may be

deduced in its favour therefrom.

We find printed with spaced letters i.e., as repeated

and indubitable, and as having appeared in several

provers, the following symptoms:

248. Pressure on the root of the nose, as if it were

being pressed into the head, almost unbearable chiefly

at noon.

89. Pressive headache in the forehead, often,

chiefly at noon.

90. Sharp pressure on a small portion of the

forehead, in the evening.

We, therefore, find here as an especial effect of

Zincum a violent headache, quite similar to the affection

of the trigeminus described above, and that this pain

from Zincum passes into the brain may be concluded

from the following:

249. Pinching in the root of the nose with muddled

feeling in the forehead.

83. Pressure in the forehead with a muddled

feeling, aggravated by pressure

84. Pressure in the sinciput with a muddled feeling

at noon and in the evening.

91. Pressure in the sinciput with a muddled feeling,

extending to the eyes after dinner.

The inclination to sleep and the soporous

phenomena, which attended the cerebro- spinal

meningitis described by Kunkel and healed by Zincum,

we find indicated in the list by the following symptoms:

1297. Constant inclination to sleep, even in the

morning he can hardly keep awake.

1298. She cannot keep from falling asleep at 2 p.m.

and goes to sleep over her work; this passed off in the

open air.

1299. Much sleep.

1300. Drowsiness, with tensive spasmodic confused

feeling in the head without being able to go to sleep.

50. Absence of thought and slumberous state of

mind.

51. Dizzy, chaotic and empty feeling in the head, as

if he had not slept enough in the morning.

80-1. Stupefying headache, so that he had to lie

down, or as from coal-gas, all the morning.

We do not, indeed, find in these symptoms any

pronounced meningitis, which perchance, was far

enough developed to justify the above-mentioned

dissection. Nor are the pathologic-anatomical

alterations the immediate objects of healing, but the

pathologic process of formation on which they are

based.

For before the final result shown in the dissection is

reached there is a manifold series of alterations ( phases

or stadia of the disease ), each one of which may exist

by itself; and is able to constitute and does constitute

various forms of disease, which are essentially the same.

The disease in these various stadia may also be brought

to a standstill and to retrogression. It is only this

pathologic formative process which becomes known in

the proving of the medicine and from this its further

consequences and stadia may become known.

In the symptoms of Zincum cited above such a

pathological formative process may be distinguished,

and this the more as we also find there the other so

called secondary processes of the disease which

accompanied the above described brain fever, according

to Rademacher, and indeed:

257. Swelling of the right side of the nose.

258. Swelling and pain, fullness of the left ala nasi.

261. A red, swollen, hard point on the left ala nasi,

painful on pressure for three days.

These symptoms point to erysipelatous

inflammation, the more if we consider the following

symptoms:

260 and 1238. Freezing of the tip of the nose and

the lobule of the ear in slight cold.

These may also serve to show of what importance

even seeming non-essential symptoms may be.

Again in another direction.

285. Eruptive pimple on the upper lip.

286. Vesicles clear as water, or also purulent

pustules on the upper lip.

287. Flat, red pimple on the middle of the upper lip,

on the border, painful when touched. These are light

forms of herpes which Kunkel and Niemann observed.

So again the affections of the mucous membrane of

the mouth.

338. Swelling of the gums.

339. Swelling of the gums with a sore pain.

340. Bleeding of the gums at the least touch.

341. Severe bleeding of the gums.

347. Formication on the inner side of the cheeks as

from severe blisters.

348. Yellow little ulcer on the left inner surface of

the cheek, especially painful in the morning.

353. Blisters on the tongue.

354. Blisters on the tongue, painful when eating.

358. Swelling of the ridge of the palate close

behind the incisors with pain when touched for three

days.

All these symptoms falling more or less in the

domain of the trigeminus, and of the trophic nerves

accompanying it, show a defective innervation and

indeed and altered nutrition caused by a depression of

the nervous activity. This change makes itself known on

the side through a passive congestion with

corresponding serous and purulent exudations, and on

the other hand through a diminished faculty of

resistance to external influences, whereby their cosmic

influences are rendered the more possible ( 1238).

These secondary attendants of the original nervous

affection, which become visible to us in the external

cutaneous parts in various forms, must be able to

analagously proceed also in the meninges, where a

similar and a simultaneous affection of these same

nervous ramification exists; this is shown in the purulent

exudation in the subarachnoidal tissues as shown by

Niemeyer, and we shall also become acquainted with

other corresponding forms of cerebral affections.

Kunkel also mentions the ready excitability of the

mental sphere of his patients, etc. From the symptoms

found under zincum it may also be clearly seen that

Zincum transforms the mental sphere in such a way that

it is readily excited, is oversensitive and as if it were

affected by terror; this appears from the following

symptoms:

27. Irritable, easily frightened.

30. Every slight mental emotion produces an

internal tremor.

31. After a slight mental emotion, long continued

trembling as from a chill.

914. Constant stinging on the edge of the shoulder

blade, so violent that she was frightened; at the same

time rising of heat to head.

1330. Starting up from sleep at night with an

involuntaary jerk of the left leg.

1331. Starting up from sleep at night,

unconsciously, during the menses.

1313. Very restless sleep with frightful dreams.

1314. Frequent awaking on account of frightful

dreams.

H. Frightful dreams.

At the same time we must call attention to the fact

that the curative symptoms confirmed in practice are not

always so extraordinarily prominent among the

symptoms observed in healthy individuals; Hartman

emphasises this with respect to Zincum, which also he

found useful in cramps originating in fright in

agreement with the experience of older famous

physicians.

From the old school we here cite: Ludwig ( Hufl.

Jour., Bd. 35, S 114 ) praises zinc, among other things,

also in spasms of infants, which are characterised by

starting up and screaming at night and by a gnawing of

the teeth, twisting the eyes, etc. According to Jahr it is

especially useful in hysteric forms of spasms which

recur frequently and cause the imagination to be

violently agitated at the least cause.

Also the pulse symptoms we find only sparingly

represented.

W.148. Pulse spasmodic, small without any increase in

the beats.

W.149. Tense, hasty, irregular pulse, with a hard and

dull stroke.

By our clinic comparison of Rademacher’s brain fever

with the symptoms of zincum, we find it proved for the

present:

That Rademacher’s cures in these cases rested on

Homoeopathic principles.

Zincum affects the serous membranes of the cerebrum,

and in part also the cerebrum itself, the trigeminus

which has its root and ramifies in this domain ( and it

seems this nerve by preference), as also the

sympathicus, and, indeed, in such a way that the plexus

accompanying the sensitive branches of the latter also

produce corresponding disturbances of nutritions in the

form of exudative processes in the various internal and

external cutaneous spheres.

These exudative processes are not, however, a

consequence of the primary dyscrasy of the blood,

but they are secondary consequences of alienated

innervation.

Having heard Rademacher, we now examine in the

same way the following clinic cases of Homoeopathic

cures, and first such as fall in the same sphere. We

begin, therefore, with a inflammation of the brain in a

child of a year and half during dentition, reported by

Theuerkauf. ( Allg. Hom. Ztg., Bd. 57, S 180):

The disease had already reached the following

dangerous degree.

a. Constant slumber with head bent backward, pressed

deep down into the pillow.

b. The half open eyes with pupils dilated and twisted

upward, alternately squinting, staring and rolling

the eyeballs to and fro.

c. The face was peculiarly altered, sunken, pale, cold,

or alternating with heat and redness of the cheeks.

d. Frequent piercing, loud screaming with starting up,

constant groaning.

e. Jerking with the dry, cracked lips or boring with the

fingers in the nose even to bleeding.

f. Automatic movement with the head and the hands.

g. Breathing irregular; short, dry, spasmodic cough.

h. Pulse small, frequent, very changeable.

i. He very eagerly took the water offered.

j. He rejected the breast the day before.

k. The abdomen costive for several days, hot, dry,

sunken,

l. The urine passes involuntarily.

m. The child lies apathetic, becomes restless on

moving, when the cough increases, and there is

retching.

In this state, after previous remedies (including

Belladonna ) remained without effect, Zincum 6 was

given in a solution of water every three hours, on which

improvement set in on the second day and after a short

relapse the child gradually recovered perfectly with a

continued use of Zincum.

Here we have, therefore, an undoubted cure of a

severe affection of the brain. We shall not expect in this

case the fully expressed image of the disease in the

symptoms of Zincum; we have a child before us, whose

subjective sensations we cannot find out, and must draw

our conclusions from the objective appearances; we

must therefore understand Symptom - the child eagerly

takes water as thirst., refusing the breast as lack of

appetite; so boring in the nose, we must explain as a

sign of an internal pain in the nose, for the same reason,

the child jerks at its cracked lips; so also the automatic

movements must be explained in the same sense.

With this explanation the above disease image is

represented by the following symptoms of Zincum;

those mentioned before and also to be applied here, we

shall only indicate by their numbers :

The group of symptoms: ( a,d,f,n ) has as its

correspondent 27, 50, 1297*, 1298,

1299,1313,1314,1331, among which we call especial

attention to the Zincum tendency to be frightened and

startled; furthermore

1316 Deep, exhausting sleep, with many dreams.

1332. Loud screaming in sleep at night, while

unconscious of it.

H. Talking and screaming in sleep.

54. Heaviness of the head as if it would fall off.

57. Obtuseness, sensitive heaviness of the occiput.

63. Dizzy drawing deep in the right side of the

occiput, when sitting.

Remark: In the Archiv, this symptom is more

sharply defined: “While sitting there is a dizzy drawing

in the right side of the occiput, deep in the brain.

Partial unconsciousness is indicated in part by:

59. Stupor like vertigo, in brief attacks, while things

turn black before the eyes and there is general

weakness, especially in the afternoon and evening for

several days.

66. Vertigo in the morning on awaking, as if the

head moved up and down; so also his fantastic images

moved up and down; all while half unconscious.

217. The eyes stand still, with absent mindedness.

These two symptoms ( 59, 66 ) when we suppose

them in a little child, may manifest themselves by

“automatic motions of the head, and rolling or twisting

of the eyes”, while S. 54, 57 and 63 might be expressed

by “ the head falling deep in to the pillow”. The latter is

also supported by:

105. Pain pressing asunder in the right side of the

occiput.

106. Painful forcing asunder in the left side of the

occiput, close to the cervical vertebrae.

925. Weariness in the nape, in the evening when

writing.

926. Stiffness and pain of the muscles of the nape

and the upper part of the back for several mornings, not

during the day.

927. Cramplike stiffness of the left side of the neck.

928. Tension and drawing in the right side of the

neck, both in rest and when moving.

The eye symptoms of group (b) are affections of the

three nerves of motion of the muscles of the eyes, the

oculomotorius, trochlearis and abducens, which have

their origin in the cerebrum, and also affections of the

branches of nutrition belonging to the ganglia in the

orbits. That these are also affected by Zincum may be

seen especially from nos. 91,86,217 and also from

211. Quivering in left eyeball.

213. Great restlessness and unbearable pain in the

left eye, often with great weakness in the head.

215. Morbid sensation of weariness in the eyes.

Especially 213 and 217 show the connection and

origin of these signs as being secondary and coming

from the brain, while from 215 taken by itself, this

connection cannot with certainty be deduced. The

prover Franz ( l.c. Sympt. 56 ) indicates the succession

of the symptoms in his provings, and we find that the

occiput was seized first and these are the symptoms

62,63,64 and 69 and together with these symptoms

appeared also 215, which is rather an anamoly in

nutrition and belongs to the sympathicus.

The affections in the occiput consisted of :

62. Vertigo in the whole brain, especially in the

occiput, as if the person should fall over, without any

reference to the eyes, when standing ( aft. 1,2,4, hours ).

63 cited already.

64 Vertigo in the occiput when walking , as if he

should fall to the left side ( at once )

69 Vertigo in the occiput, in the evening when

sitting, while smoking tobacco as usually, with

tenesmus.

To group ( c ) belong the symptoms:

W. 131. Vital turgidity much diminished.

W.1. Head more or less muddled, with transient

heat.

157. Sensation of heat in head with heat in face.

158. Heat in the head in the evening with redness

and increased warmth of the cheeks.

W.11. Pale face.

263. Paleness of the face.

264. Face earthy sallow as after a long illness.

221.Yellow, blue and green wheels before the eyes,

with wretched looks and drowsiness.

All these signs show a deep depression of nutrition,

which primarily is owing to an affection of the

sympathicus. GROUP E, I, K.

w. 15. Parched lips.

291. Dry, cracked lips.

256. Sensation of soreness in the extreme upper

parts of the nostrils.

259. Itching in the right nostril.

Furthermore the symptoms 248 and 249 apply

here, concerning which Kunkel correctly remarks :

Thence it is probably that in the hydrocephalus infantum

we find so frequently the phenomenon, that the little

patients endeavor every minute to as it were, push away

their noses with their little hands; this symptom,

according to Kunkel’s observation, is much more

frequent than the often mentioned touching of the head.

390. Burning thirst.

391. Much thirst for water.

W. 21, 22. Much thirst; increased thirst; desire for

cold water, which is very refreshing.

398. Less appetite.

399. No appetite and hardly any taste.

W. 23. Increased thirst with lack of appetite.

W.24. Total lack of appetite.

GROUP L,M.

604. Intermittent stool.

605. Constipation during the whole of the

beginning of the proving.

679.Involuntary passage of urine while blowing the

nose ( after a laborious stool).

H. Involuntary micturition while walking.

H. Incontinence of urine while coughing, sneezing

and walking.

These symptoms connected with urination

point to a paralysis or relaxation of the sphincter vesicae

and 679 is particularly characteristic, as it shows at the

same time an indolence of the rectum, characteristic of

the constipation of Zincum.

GROUP G, H.

788. Frequent dry tussiculation without pain.

789. Tickling cough, very fatiguing.

791. Suffocative cough, the tickling irritation takes his

breath. Zincum frequently shows oppression of the

chest, but this is not connected with head symptoms,

and the breast symptoms are very superficial.

We, therefore, have found quite naturally the

essential characteristics pointing to a hydrocephalus

infantum in the action of Zincum, and have thence

recognised the connection of the scattered symptoms

and their deeper significance.

From the cases of Rademacher first considered we

found out that the original affection starts from the

meninges, and that the brain enclosed by them readily

partakes of such disease. But as we do not consider the

exudation in pleurisy, which also we cannot conceive of

without exudation, as a sign of cure, but look at the

inflammation of the pleura, which is the cause, and

which is recognised by the shooting pains, so also in the

hydrocephalus. In children, indeed, we can only draw

conclusions from secondary signs manifest to the

senses; with these we, therefore, chiefly endeavor to

assure ourselves that the medicinal symptoms

corresponding to these secondary symptoms of the

disease are in connection with cerebral symptoms and

especially with diseases of the serous- fibrous

integuments.

But we have yet to mention a second

circumstance. Zincum has always been famed as a

remedy, especialy adopted to the infantile age. The

above account in part confirms this. The child was in

the dentition period, and Theuerkauf also explains the

disease as a consequence of dental irritation; in the

epidemic cerebro-spinal meningitis dentition was also

adduced as a predisposing cause. The teeth and the

gums receive their nerves chiefly from the second and

third branches of the trigeminus, and various plexuses

are also formed there. The posterior roots of the

trigeminus can be followed even into the medulla

oblongata, and it also provides as before observed, the

meninges with their nerves. We can therefore readily

conceive that during the breaking through of the teeth

there is a so called dental irritation attended with

cerebral irritation.

But there is also another factor to be considered.

When the teeth come through there is a simultaneous

development of the total infantile organism; changes not

only take place in the dental system but the whole head

and especially the brain is developing. Now since we

have already found out that the pathognomic action of

Zincum extends to these spheres, it is readily to be

explained that children have a greater receptivity to the

irritation of Zincum in their infantile age and especially

during dentition, in which these parts are being more

rapidly developed.

The specific action of Zincum on the brain is also

indicated from the pathologico-anatomical standpoint

by the following report of a case of poisoning, though

the report of the dissection is not up to the present

requirements of that school. A child, six years old,

suffering from hereditary scab, was washed by a quack

with a solution of white vitriol in wine. At once there

was the most severe burning on the head, after several

hours there was a violent headache with thirst; this was

followed by vomiting and stools, and after five hours

the child died suddenly in convulsions. In the post

mortem the vessels and sinuses of the brain were found

turgid with blood; at the same time much blood was

found extravasated in the cerebrum and the cerebellum.

- Homoeopathic Recorder Feb 1895.

3. ZINCUM IN SCARLATINA, TYPHOID,

DROPSY AND NERVOUS DISORDERS.

Translated for the Homoeopathic Recorder. March

1895.

The opinion that the inflammation of the brain to

which Zincum is related has by preference and primarily

its seat in the meninges is supported by the approved

efficacy of Zincum in diseases of the brain occuring

during scarlatina and typhoid fever.

It is pathologico- anatomically proved that such

brain diseases rest solely on acute meningitis. We shall

now examine more closely the Homoeopathic results

obtained in such cases.

ELB ( Allg. Hom. Zeitg., Bd. 31, S 227 flg. )

reports an epidemic of miliary scarlatina which reigned

in Dresden in the year 1845. In the beginning it was

mild, but with the increasing heat of August assumed a

malignant character, so that many children died from it

at that time, even as many as 7 or 8 in one family. The

malignant cases could be divided in two classes,

according as the brain or the lungs were pre eminently

affected. In the cases complicated with cerebral

affections death took place by a paralysis of the brain

while those with whom the lungs were affected died

from paralysis of the lungs. The cases in which a

paralysis of the brain were threatened, terminated, much

more rapidly.

When Aconite, Belladonna, Rhus, Ammonium carb.

and other remedies did not answer ELB found through

an extremely careful study of the symptoms that

Zincum was indicated for the cerebral forms, but

Calcarea for the thoracic forms.

A 4 year old, highly fed, scrofulous child fell sick,

December 20th, with repeated vomiting, which ceased

the following morning; but the child became cool and

restless and scarlatina appeared. By the use of Calc. the

exanthema was fully developed on the 23rd , the points

being very prominent and the single points grouped

together. (The latter symptom mostly pointed to

malignancy). In the evening of this day the child

became quite soporous the pulse collapsed, small (152 );

the extremities cool. Zincum, one grain every two hours.

The following night child was restless, with much

delirium. After midnight there was some rest, wherefore

the parents gave no more medicine. On the morning of

the 24th child was entirely motionless, pulse very small,

it could not be counted, total unconsciousness,

extremities icy cold, body cool, skin all over the body

bluish red, except the parts about the eyes, forehead and

chin, which were white; the exanthema appeared now

only sparingly. Zincum was again given every two

hours. After the first dose there were at once signs of

returning consciousness to be seen; in the evening the

skin was warm, the bluish red spots had disappeared,

the pulse was higher (150) some perspiration; at night

some sleep, but also delirium; next day ( the 25th ) there

was a return of consciousness, the child desired to drink,

the warmth of the skin increased, pulse 128, vigorous.

Desquamation began. The child recovered.

In the stadium of this scarlatina disease in which

Zincum was indicated, it was first of all necessary to

remove the cerebral affection which threatened danger

and which had interrupted the exanthema of scarlatina

miliaris. From the moment and in proportion as the

affection of the meninges diminished, and as the brain

returned again to its normal function, and thus was able

to resume its ruling activity over the entire organism,

the activity of the external cuticle also returned, and its

morbid process resumed its normal course.

Zincum did not, therefore, act specifically and

directly on the process of the scarlatina, but only

indirectly by removing the cerebral affection which

checked the normal course of the scarlatina.

ELB, however, was partly of the opinion that

Zincum is also related homoeopathically to miliary

scarlatina, and deduced this from the following

symptoms:

276. Eruptional pimples in the face.

296. On the chin severe itching and redness.

921. Itching between the scapulae with much cutaneous

eruption.

991. Miliary eruption in the bend of the left elbow.

1035. Red, small, round spots on the hands and fingers.

1231. Stinging itching of the skin with miliary eruption

after rubbing it.

1232. Itching miliary eruption in the hough and the

elbow- joint.

1234-5. Small red pimples with itching, which ceases

after scratching.

These forms of itching pimples, coming after

rubbing or scratching, have, however, very little

similarity with the points of scarlatina; other symptoms

of fever, throat, lungs, intestines and urine, all belonging

to Zincum, are as little characteristic and cannot prove

Zincum a remedy for miliary scarlatina in genere. The

epidemy was one of miliary scarlatina. In comparing

Rademachers’s cases of brain fever we have seen that

Zincum causes erysipelatous forms in the face in the

sphere of the trigeminous; according to this, Zincum

might rather correspond to the smooth scarlatina, to

which we shall return later. ELB himself disclaims

putting up Zincum ( and Calcarea, which proved useful

in the cases of this epidemy which were complicated

with affections of the chest ) as remedies which would

be suitable in all cases of malignant scarlatina. This we

would extend further by saying that these two remedies

did not correspond to any scarlatina per se, but only to

these peculiar secondary symptoms respectively in the

brain and in the lungs, as may also appear from the

cases now subjoined.

In the year 1852-3 there prevailed in and around

Leipsic a malignant epidemy of scarlatina. It was the

smooth scarlatina, for which Belladonna was found by

Hahnemann to be specific. Now there were also in this

epidemy quite similar and just as dangerous cerebral

complications, as MEYER describes for us in his article,

“Scarlet Fever and Zincum”. Since all other remedies

left him in the lurch, and he had even fatal cases to

lament, he was induced by ELB’s experience to use

Zincum. We briefly quote one of his cases: A well

nourished, somewhat scrofulous little girl of two and

one half years, who had never before been ill, fell sick

on the 8th of February, 1853, of violent fever with other

symptoms which as two of the children of the family

were already down with scarlet fever, also indicated

scarlet fever. On the 9th in the morning she received

Belladonna. In the evening her state was unchanged, the

child had not slept during the day, had cried much.

There was no trace of the exanthema. At 11 at night

convulsions had appeared. She had slept shortly before

for a few minutes but awoke with twitching of the

extremities, which still continued; now and then there

were successive impulses throughout the whole body

with gnashing of the teeth; at the same time she would

utter a startling cry with quite an altered voice; here

eyes were hald closed; face now pale and sunken,

somewhat distorted; forehead covered with cold,

clammy sweat; skin rather cool and dry; pulse very

small, could be compressed away and could hardly be

counted; respiration short and quick, but free from

rhonchus; </