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SECOND PART
ANTIPSORIC
MEDICINES- PREFACE
(Concerning the technical part of Homoeopathy)
Here Hahnemann
describes about the best possible mode of administration of the
doses of medicines to the patients.
A small pellet of one of the highest dynamization of medicines
laid dry up the tongue, or the inhalation of an opened vial,
which contain one or more such pellets –is the smallest and
weakest dose with the shortest duration of action.
(A pellet is the finest of the size of poppy seeds of which
about 200 weigh a grain)
Hahnemann from his
experience says that it is most useful in diseases to give the
patient the powerful Homoeopathic pellet or pellet only in
solution and this solution in divided doses. In this way
medicines dissolved in 7 to 20-tablespoonful of water with out
any addition, in acute and very acute disease even 6, 4 or 2
hours, when the danger is urgent every hour or every half hour,
a tablespoonful at a time; with weak person or children only a
small part of a table spoon may be given as a dose.
But in chronic diseases it best to give a dose of solution of
the suitable medicine at least every two days more usually every
day.
Our vital force
cannot bear the same unchanged dose of medicine when given twice
in succession even in less frequency to a patient. By the
frequent repetition, the good effect of the former dose of
medicine is either neutralized in part or new symptoms proper to
the medicine appear, and which obstruct the cure. Thus even a
well-selected Homoeopathic medicine produces ill effects on the
organism and attains its purpose imperfectly or not at all.
When a particular
medicine is found effective in a case and it become necessary to
take the one and the same medicine repeatedly, it is better to
make a modification in its degree of dynamisation in order to
receive the same medicine by vital force calmly and willingly at
brief intervals.
This slight change in the degree of dynamisation is attained by
shaking the bottle, which contain the solution of medicine, 5 or
6 times every time before taking it.
When a particular
medicine is found effective in a case and the repetition is
indispensable to secure the cure of a serious chronic disease,
here Hahnemann suggest the repetition of same medicine in a
lower potency. (E.g.: - if before he had used the 30th dilution,
he will now take one or two pellets of the 24th). This solution
of the lower potency must be shaken 5 or 6 times before taking
it. This will be continued so long as the remedy still produces
improvement and until new ailment appear for in such a case a
new remedy will have to be used.
On any day when
the remedy has produced too strong action, the dose should be
omitted for a day.
Well selected Homoeopathic medicine can be administered through
the sensitive spot other than the nerves of the mouth and the
alimentary canal, i.e.: - if the same remedy that has found
useful is at the same time in it’s watery solution rubbed in
into one or more parts of the body which are most free from the
morbid ailments (e.g., on an arm, or on the thigh or leg which
have neither cutaneous eruption, nor pains or cramps) – then the
curative effects are much increased. The limbs, which are thus
rubbed with the solution, may also be varied, first one then
another. Thus the physician will receive a greater action from
the medicine Homoeopathically suitable to the chronic patient
and can cure him more quickly, than merely internally
administering the remedy.
This procedure
will also explain the wonderful cures. E.g.: - Chronic crippled
patients with sound skin recovered quickly and permanently by a
few baths in a mineral water. The limb, there for, on which the
solution is to be rubbed in, must be free from cutaneous
ailments.
Frequently it is
useful in treating chronic diseases to take the medicine, or to
rub it in the evening, shortly before going to sleep, because we
have then less disturbance to fear from without, than when it is
done earlier
In cases where a great irritability of the patient is combined
with extreme debility, and the medicine can only be administered
by allowing the patient to smell a few pellets contained in a
vial, when the medicine is to be used for several days, allow
the patient to smell daily of a different vial containing the
same medicine, but every time of a lower potency, once or twice
with each nostril.
ANTIPSORIC MEDICINE
List of medicines of first volume is as follows:
1. Agaricus muscarius
2. Alumina
3. Ammonium carb
4. Ammonium mur
5. Anacardium orientalis
6. Anti crudum
7. Ars alb
8. Aurum
9. Aur mur
10. Baryta carb
11. Borax veneta
12. Calcarea carb
13. Carbo animalis
14. Carbo veg
15. Causticum
16. Clematis erecta
17. Colocynthes
18. Conium mac
19. Cuprum
20. Digitalis
21. Dulcamara
22. Euphorbium
23. Graphatis
24. Guajacun
25. Hepar sulphuris calcareum
List of
medicines of second volume is as follows:
Iodum
Kali carb
Lycopodii pollen,
Magnesia carbonica
Magnesia muriatica
Manganum
Mezerium
Muriatic acid
Natrum carb
Natrum mur
Nitric acid
Nitrum
Petroleum
Phosphorus
Phosphoric acid
Platina
Sarsaparilla
Sepia
Silicea terra
Stanum
Sulphur
Sulphuric acid
Zincum
(Name of the medicines has some difference when compared to
modern materia medica. The common name of the medicine is also
given along with the name of medicines. )
General
presentation of a medicine is as follows:
Begins with the name of medicines and its common name. Then
there is a brief introduction about the medicines which include
– the parts from which the Homoeopathic medicines prepared, its
non Homoeopathic or empirical uses
Symptoms are arranged in the usual schematic order seen in other
materia medica. (Mind, vertigo, Head, eye, ear, nose, face,
mouth, throat, stomach and abdomen, rectum and stool, urine,
male, female, respiratory, chest, back, extremities- upper and
lower, sleep & fever.). But there is no separate heading for
these symptoms.
Abbreviation of the name of his fellow observers are given at
the introductory part of each medicines and this abbreviations
are given at the end of the each symptoms which designate the
name observer of that symptoms.
Symptoms are numbered in groups of five. I.e. symptoms are
numbered as 5,10, 15, 20, 25 etc.
E.g.:-for annotation of Richard Hughes – under Antimonium crudum
Gangrene of the foot, which is quite black (388th symptom) [WEPFER,
1ibid.]
1. This set in soon after violent vomiting had subsided (?
Embolism)—Hughes.
A general analysis and a critical study
After a
detailed study of this book I would like to say that
Dr. Hahnemann was a great man with indescribable foresight
and we are very much inducted to him for his invaluable
discoveries, he made in this new system of medicine. Many of his
observations, which he made two hundred years back, even without
the proper facilities for investigation and modern equipment,
are still found relevant, without much change.
The earliest
discovery of a pathogenic microorganism was probably made by
Augustine Barsi (1835) who showed that the muscardine disease of
silk worms was caused by a fungus. Oliver Wendell Holmes in the
USA and Ignaz Semmelweis in Vienna 1846 had independently
concluded that peripheral sepsis was transmitted by the
contaminated hands of obstetricians and medical students and
demonstrates the efficacy of simple measures such as washing
hands in an antiseptic solution. Robert Koch made discovery of
bacilli, as the causative organism of various infectious
diseases in 1882. All these inventions were made either during
the time of Hahnemann or many years after the death of Dr.
Hahnemann. But we are able to see from his work, that Hahnemann
was able to realize the infective nature of the disease, its way
of spread and the method of prevention very accurately. (But
certain postulates regarding the invisible causative organism of
disease were present many years before the time of Hahnemann.
Varo and columella in the first century BC postulated that
diseases were caused by invisible beings inhaled or ingested.
Fracastorius (1546) proposed a contagium vivum as the possible
cause of infectious diseases and Von Plenciz (1762) suggested
that each disease caused by a separate agent. In 1683 Antony Von
Leeuwenhock made accurate description of various types of
bacteria.)
Hahnemann
explains three important things to be considered, with
respect to the origin of the chronic disease, they are:
1.The time of infection,
2.The period of time during which the whole organism is being
penetrated by the disease infused, until it has developed within
and
3. The breaking out of the external ailment.
These findings were later clarified by the modern science and
they described each infectious disease under the title as 1]
Time of infection. 2] Incubation period. and 3] clinical
manifestation (clinical features).
Hahnemann had also
explained the various factors, which lead to the spread of this
disease. He mentioned there are thousands of possible ways in
which things polluted with this invisible miasma may touch a man
in the course of his life, so that man who never been infected
with these miasma (especially psora) are the exception. It is
communicated so easily, that even the physician, hurrying from
one patient to another, in feeling the pulse has unconsciously
inoculated other patient with it; baby when being born, is
infected while passing through the organs of the mother, who may
be infected with this disease; or the baby receives this unlucky
infection through the hand of midwife which has been infected by
another parturient women or again, a suckling may be infected by
its nurse or while on her arm. By her caresses or the caresses
of a strange person with unclean hands. He also mentioned that
the chances of infection are more in crowded hospitals,
factories, and prisons or in orphan houses or in the filthy huts
etc.
These are now
found to perfectly true in the case of all infectious disease.
Lack of exercise and sedentary life style are two major
contributing factors leading to the development many so called
modern diseases like hypertension. Diabetes mellitus, backache
etc.
Hahnemann realizes the importance of exercise in proper
maintenance of health, prevention of many diseases, and its
usefulness in treatment of cases. So he encourages physical
exercise for the maintenance of good health.
He says – “ the daily laborer if his strength allows, should
continue his labor; the artisan his handiwork; the farmer, so
far as he is able, his field work; the mother of the family her
domestic occupations according to her strength; only labors that
would interfere with the health of healthy persons should be
interdicted”.
“ The class of men who are usually occupied, not with bodily
labor, but with fine work in their rooms, usually with sedentary
work, should be directed during their cure to walk more in the
open air, without, on that account, setting their work
altogether aside ”.
“ Person belonging to the higher classes should also be urged to
take walks more than is their custom.”
Hahnemann was well aware that many psychosomatic diseases of
modern life were the result of suppression of sexual desire,
mental stress and strain, anxiety, worry, repeated fright, great
grief, sorrow continuous vexation etc. These contributing
factors lead to the outbreak of secondary manifestation of psora.
In order to maintain a good health Hahnemann advise certain
dietary restriction are necessary—such as
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