The Substance of Homoeopathy Rajan Sankarn

Introduction
As students of Homeopathy we found the whole system quite confusing – we could see no system,
no order. There were many schools of thought and practice. Many rules, dogmas and habits took
over where there was a lack of understanding of the principles of the Materia Medica. Our results
were consistently poor, yet the occasional brilliant cure convinced me that there was some
explanation to such success which, once understood, would allow us to repeat the process with
similar results.
Studying these successful cases, I tried to understand the main idea behind Homeopathy. This took
me on a fascinating journey, leading to a new understanding of health, disease and cure, and this
forms the basis of my previous book “The Spirit of Homeopathy”. In it, I have explained the concept
of disease as a delusion, and how this idea can be applied in practice to heal. The book has become
quite popular and many colleagues have reported that they found the ideas very useful in practice.
This was only the first step, however, many things had yet to be explained.
For the same patient, different homeopaths prescribe entirely different remedies. I had thought
initially that this was due to differences in case-taking. But even in seminars where I took cases in
front of the audience, and all could observe the same, there were at least twenty different
suggestions for the same case. Which meant to me that we were still prescribing on symptoms; each
would take some symptoms or some idea and come up with some remedy.
There had to be a way, I felt, whereby all could arrive at a small group of closely related remedies, if
not the same one. There was a need for a map to chart our way in this ocean of drugs and disease.
My effort in the passed two years have been in this direction. I had already developed my concept of
disease as delusion, and now wondered if disease states could be classified.
I somehow saw such a possibility through Hahnemann’s idea of miasms. The idea of miasms, which I
had discarded earlier as unimportant for practice, suddenly struck me as a most useful tool to
classify disease states. I interpreted the miasms using my understanding of disease as delusion, and
the result, I find, is a classification of the most practical utility.
Miasms now represent to me the different possible types of reaction, which naturally mean the
different types of perception of reality. One type perceives reality as an acute threat and reacts
instinctively and suddenly in an impulsive manner. This is the acute miasm, as I have termed it. In
psora, reality is seen as a problem that can be solved by
a struggle. In sycosis, the problem seems insoluble and the reaction is an attempt to cover-up this
inability to cope. The syphilitic perceives the situation as a hopeless, desperate one and becomes
destructive as a result.
I found that disease states could be beautifully worked out on this framework and the patient
understood better; it became easier to arrive at the remedy. To make the process more accurate,
more points were required on this map. I worked on other miasms in between the main miasms, and
discovered the subacute, ringworm, malarial, leprous, and cancer miasms. These, together with the
tubercular miasm, provide a valuable map to study disease.
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The substance of Homoeopathy
To verify the truth of my hypotheses, I undertook to prepare and prove the Ringworm nosode and
also did a proving of Bacillinum. The provings further substantiated what I already found in practice –
that the idea of miasms was valid and most useful. The concept of miasms not only helped deepen
my understanding of disease processes but also gave me insight into other phenomena in the world
around, as for example, the reason for the increase in “new diseases”. I am very happy with this
discovery. But this was not still enough. The substances that make up the homeopathic Materia
Medica had to be understood deeper and if possible, classified and mapped out, just as we have
mapped disease states.
I got my first hint while preparing a lecture on Argentum metallicum. I noticed that the symptoms of
this remedy reveal the qualities of performance and show (e.g. troubles of speakers, singers,
preachers, etc.) which I could readily relate to silver itself (silver tongue, etc.). Silver is for show!
Similarly, Aurum metallicum (gold) also has a strong theme of performance (Responsibility,
Industrious, Conscientious). I wondered if this theme was common to all metals.
After studying the metals one by one, I was convinced that all the metals have in common the
theme of performance and defense – which, in everyday life too, is their function! This drew my
attention to the Periodic Table, which I studied with keen interest. I found that as the metals got
heavier (atomic weight), their performance increased in degree. Moreover, closely related remedies
were placed in the same group of the Table. E.g. , Palladium and Platinum, two well-known
complements in Homeopathy, are placed in the same group – Platinum, the heavier one just below
Palladium.
I then started studying other elements in the Periodic Table and found a common theme for the
cations, another for the anions and then for the salts and acids. There were some elements that
could not be understood in their essence from the available proving records; these I decided to
prove myself. With some students and colleagues, I conducted a proving of Ferrum metallicum and
later, of Iodum. These provings deepened my understanding of these remedies and also of the
Periodic Table in general.
I studied the well-known idea of using remedies by studying their component parts (e.g.
Magnesium and Sulphur in Magnesium sulphuricum) and developed it further. I found that the
components of a salt do not just coexist, but there is an interaction between the component ions
and an understanding of the ions and their interaction enables us to deduce the possible state of
drugs. This is useful even with the old, frequently used drugs, but especially so with the lesser known
and poorly proven ones. I put this idea straightaway to test in practice with the most gratifying
results. At this point, I met Jan Sholten from Holland who had been working along similar lines. His
work confirmed and added to my findings.
After studying the minerals, I turned my attention to the animal kingdom. With my friend Jurgen
Becker I held a seminar in Bombay, where we proved Naja, the Indian cobra. This proving
encouraged us to study snakes in general and we started using other snake remedies like Crotalus
cascavella, Crotalus horridus, Vipera and Elaps corallinus based on an appreciation of the quality of a
snake, with finer differentiation to decide which one in particular.
Having found a theme common to snake remedies, I went further and try to discover if there was a
common theme in the entire animal kingdom – there had to be, for animals have distinguishing
qualities. Thus I came to my simplest and most important discovery, viz. the differences between
remedies (and patients) belonging to the different kingdoms – Plant, Animal, Mineral, Nosode. This
discovery was built gradually from observation of several hundred patients and confirmation in
several others. These observations of natural phenomena have formed a beautiful map of remedies
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The substance of Homoeopathy
which, if well understood and correctly used, makes our task so much simpler. The study, however,
revealed more clearly than ever the deficiencies in our Materia Medica. There are few well-proved
animal remedies and many of the elements in the Periodic Table remain to be proved. It is
heartening to find that colleagues like Jeremy Sherr are actively taking up this task.
I have found my own knowledge of botany rather poor and hence could not easily link plant sources
to the remedy provings. I wish to undertake a detailed study of this shortly, but have for now given
in the section on plants some general directions towards this vast kingdom.
There is so much to learn still and ignorance is no bliss – it allows the mind no rest. In a seminar in
California, I decided to prove Cannabis (in potency, of course) with colleagues. The proving was most
rewarding; not only did we learn much about Cannabis, but also made a startling observation. The
most characteristic symptoms of the drug was produced in a woman (seminar participant) who had
not taken the proving dose! She developed symptoms that she had never experienced before in her
life, and these coincided with those who had taken the dose. A similar phenomenon was observed
again at the Spiekeroog (N. Germany) seminar, where Bacillinum was proven. The best provings
were from those who had not taken the dose. This is enough to set the mind thinking for a long
time.
In “The Spirit of Homeopathy”, I talked about Homeopsychoterapy, i.e. presenting the image back
to the patient instead of giving the remedy, in order to bring about awareness in health. This had
already demonstrated to me that the homeopathic stimulus need not be in a drug form. I have now
chosen another medium – one close to my heart – music. Music can affect the state of mind and
produces moods. Why, then, can it not be used curatively on the homeopathic principle? This
thought resulted in the music provings, where we proved four tunes (Indian ragas) on large
audiences at different places. The results were remarkable, and I think that these proved ragas can
be used effectively on the homeopathic principle as music remedies.
I had found some aspects of homeopathic philosophy rather puzzling, and the solution, I felt, had to
be of great significance. For instance, when does a state crystallize into organic tissue changes? An
interesting observation made in a case provided the clue to the answer. I believe my idea on “state
and pathology” will be of immense value in practice.
These theories and experiments, ideas and experiences, have all helped me to grow as they
developed. Though I realize that this is but one step forward in a long journey, even a little ray of
light is most encouraging to a mind in darkness and gives impetus to the movement. I wanted to
share all these experiences with my colleagues at this stage, and hence this book. I would like the
reader to be with me at every step, and therefore urge him or her to read first “The Spirit of
Homeopathy” after which this book will be much easier to understand and follow.
Finally, while the study of symptoms forms the bedrock of our practice, the ideas in this book will
help expand the possible applications of the law of similars. It affords a new view of the world where
Homeopathy is brought closer to other branches like Chemistry, Botany, Zoology and Music. As we
take each branch of knowledge and move inward, closer to the stem, we are able to relate to the
other branches. Once at the very stem, the differences between the branches disappear – we have
reached the point of origin of all the various branches, and we are now free to take any of them. I
hope this book initiates your movement towards the stem of knowledge, just as the ideas in it have
done for me.
The story of this book
(taken from “the spirit of homoeopathy”)
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The substance of Homoeopathy
The purpose of this introductory is to lead the reader from the ideas expounded in “The Spirit of
Homoeopathy” to the most recent developments in my understanding and practice of
Homoeopathy. This introduction (intro: into; ducere: to lead) is essential to those who have not read
the earlier book and will serve as a revision to those who have already done so. I have thought it
best to give some excerpts from “The Spirit of Homoeopathy” as a summary of that book, but would
advise the reader to study the book itself and familiarize himself with the concepts detailed therein.
As students of the Homeopathic College, we found the homeopathic Materia Medica very dry, the
Repertory mechanical and the philosophy theoretical and obsolete. In fact, philosophy was our
worst subject because we could not relate it in any way to practice. We found the lectures so boring
that we had literally to be dragged into them This was just the beginning of our troubles. When we
started our practice, we found different schools of thought, different ways to look at Homoeopathy.
Some practitioners were giving combinations of medicines, some were giving specifics, some were
looking only at pathology, a few were basing their prescriptions upon keynotes, and others were
using the Repertory. Among the last group some were using Kent’s method, others worked with
Boger’s, and a select few were following Boenninghausen’s. Some gave importance to miasms while
others criticized them. This situation only added to our confusion.
First steps
Once I got out of college, I started working with the Repertory because of prior familiarity with it
and I started repertorizing cases mechanically. I was trying to use the characteristic and peculiar
symptoms mainly because there are less remedies in these rubrics which made repertory work
easier. I would choose a few characteristic symptoms, look at the relevant rubrics in the Repertory
and prescribe the medicine which was common to them. In some cases it worked, but in many it
failed. I remember one early case of mine: my grandmother had difficulty in swallowing and I took
her symptoms: “Potatoes disagree” and “Choking, esophagus, on swallowing”, and from these I
came to the remedy Alumina, which helped her wonderfully.
However, in many cases this approach failed, and so I poured all my energies into the search of a
method which would prove a success in every case. I knew that the clinic was the best laboratory I
could find and the scientific mind the best tool. The one principle I have adhered to throughout is to
use only one remedy or therapeutic method at a time, and I have tried to keep everything else
constant as far as possible. This has helped me a great deal in validating my observations.
Precedence of mentals and generals
Together with my colleague Dr. Jayesh Shah, I started studying our cases of success and failure.
What became quite obvious was that those cases in which we prescribed on mentals and generals
were much more successful than those in which we had relied upon particular symptoms or used
pathology as the basis for our prescription. We looked at this idea purely from a practical point of
view without really understanding the reason for it, and started trying it out cautiously in some of
our cases.
I still remember an early case of “vitiligo” (given in detail in the chapter Central disturbance). I could
not get any symptoms from this lady except for my observation that she was a very humorous and
talkative person. Also, she was warm blooded and liked to walk in the open air. Repertorizing the
symptoms, a) “Loquacity with jesting”, b) “Walking in open air ameliorates” and c) “Warmth in
general aggravates”, I found the remedy Kalium iodatum. However, Kalium iodatum was not even
mentioned under the rubric “Skin, discoloration, white spots”. I was in a dilemma – Will this remedy
work? So far, we had been selecting a remedy based on mentals and generals but we also made sure
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that the remedy covered the local (presenting) problem as well. This was one of the first cases
where the pathology was just not covered. I decided to take a chance by ignoring pathology and
gave this lady Kalium iodatum. The remedy worked beautifully.
I started asking some questions. Why did it work? How did it work? How could the remedy cure
something which is not known to be capable of causing or curing? What was the principle involved?
At this time, I suddenly realized that when a remedy is potentized beyond 12 C, there is not one
molecule of the original substance left; what remains is only energy. Since there no material
substance left, it cannot cause any material changes in the body directly. It can cause no physical,
physiological or chemical changes in the body; it can only cause dynamic changes. The sentence that
came to my mind was: Potentized remedies have dynamic effect only.
This sentence was the door to a totally new look at Homoeopathy and my first step to real
understanding of disease. What exactly is a dynamic disturbance? This was the question. We had
seen in our practice that a remedy that covers the mentals and generals cures the pathology, even if
it is not mentioned in the Materia Medica. We found that in patients, it is the mentals and generals
that are common to most patients of a particular remedy, whereas the “particular” or local
symptoms differ from person to person.
Central disturbance
So, the general disturbance (represented mainly by mentals and generals), the central disturbance
as we called it, comes first and this is followed by changes in the various organ systems depending
upon each individual’s pathological tendencies. Pathology grows on the central disturbance like a
creeper on a stick. What we have to do is to remove the central disturbance.
Components: rubrics connected by a situation
My understanding progressed further when I started asking the question: What is a mental state? I
then got the clue, that understanding the mental state of a person is different from listing his mental
symptoms. Initially I tried to understand the mental state of patients and remedies in terms of
essences or cores, but found that the core did not seem to cover the whole remedy. That is the time
when I conceived the idea of understanding remedies in terms of components. Take for example the
symptom “Predicts the time of death” in the remedy Aconitum. Immediately two things become
clear: one is that Aconitum has fear of death, and secondly it has the ability to predict (clairvoyance).
These two components together make the symptom “Predicts the time of death”.
In this way I started studying remedies as a characteristic combination of components. This idea
helped me greatly in practice, but then came the question: Are these components merely
unconnected phenomena or is there something in the background which connects them?
A hint of the existence of such a background connecting the symptoms can be seen in the study of
Fluoricum acidum. In Fluoricum acidum, there are components like “Indifference to loved ones, yet
talks pleasantly with strangers”, another component is “Increased sexual desire” and a third is “Lack
of morality”. If we look at these three aspects, they seem at first sight to be unconnected. How, we
could ask, is increased sexual desire connected with indifference to loved ones? One situation can
explain all these components, namely, when a man finds that he has married someone totally
unsuited to him, and needs to dissolve the marriage. In such a situation he needs to develop an
indifference to his family, to become irresponsible and have increased sexual desire along with
sociability. I looked into the Repertory and found the rubric: “Delusion, marriage, must dissolve”,
and the only remedy given is Fluoricum acidum!
Such observations created a new wave of thinking in my mind and I postulated that components of
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The substance of Homoeopathy
a state are not unconnected; the connection is that all of them are needed in one particular
situation. A corollary to this is that each remedy represents a particular situation and that each
patient’s state also comes from a particular situation in the past in which the components of his
present state were necessary. From these observations the idea of disease as being a survival
mechanism in a particular situation became clear. The concept of Situational Materia Medica was
born.
Root of disease
As thinking along this line progressed further, I saw that even children (with no special past
situations) have states, and that adults too have states which cannot be explained on the basis of
past situations in their lives. I came to the conclusion that these states may have been inherited
from earlier generations. When I looked at cases in this new light, I found a very striking
resemblance between the state of the mother during pregnancy and the state of the infant. I also
found similarities between the state of the parents at the time of conception and the state of the
child. This is how the idea of roots of disease developed. Roots are tendencies which, when excited,
manifest as specific states of disease. These tendencies are impressions from specific situations in
the past (or from previous generations) and make a person feel and react as if he is in that situation
(delusion).
Delusions: what they really mean
I also realized the importance of the section on delusions, because a delusion is a false perception of
reality, and disease too is a false perception of the present. The whole mental state of a pe rson is an
expression of this false perception (delusion).
Understanding the mental state
With all this understanding, I tried to find more ways of understanding the mental state of a person
and evolved some techniques. One was to use dreams since the theme of a dream represents the
prominent components of the state of the dreamer. I also studied the way the patient expresses
himself and how he relates to the people around him. Such techniques became an integral part of
my practice. With new perceptions in my practice, many ideas were generated. These include ideas
about remedy relationships, the Situational Materia Medica of several remedies and ideas about
pathological and homeopathic prognosis. Much more importantly, however, I could look at the
question of what it really means to be healthy. This could be related not only to Homoeopathy but
to Philosophy in general.
Higher purpose of life
Health, I realized, was man’s freedom to be in the moment and fulfill the purpose of life. I could not
appreciate Hahnemann’s vision that man, like all creatures, is an instrument of the spirit and is
assigned a specific purpose by it (Aphorism 9 of the Organon). Disease comes in the way of the
organism’s ability to fulfill this purpose, since it doesn’t allow man to react to the present. It makes
him react according to a situation from the past. Cure is restoration of health. It is achieved by man
becoming aware of his false perception of reality. This is made possible through exposure to his
delusion. This is the basis of the law of similars on which Homoeopathy is founded.
Practice became more simple; Materia Medica came alive and repertorial rubrics took on a new
meaning. Philosophy, which earlier we had to be dragged into, became one with the spirit of life
itself.
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Sharing insights
Each chapter deals with a specific question. Each idea in this book seems so obvious to me now, but
to get to it was a struggle. In practice an idea or question would flash in the mind. Then came
sleepless nights while the mind grappled with the problem. Some solution would appear and this
had to be tested the very next day case after case. Practice, a strict and impartial judge, mercilessly
shatters some of your most carefully constructed theories. The ideas that stood the test of practice
were subjected to further scrutiny; further observations were made and then I could go to the next
step, just like a mountain climber who makes sure of his foothold before going higher. Step after
difficult step I came closer to the understanding of Homoeopathy.
I wanted to share all these insights with students who might face the same difficulties that I did. It
was with this aim that I gave a series of seminars in Europe and India between 1986 and 1990. I had
made some notes for these seminars which, together with some more recent insights, I have now
put together and given shape to in the form of this book. It is possible that what I say may not be
new – but to have knowledge of and, on the other hand, to actually experience and strongly feel
something as correct and true are two very different things.
Generally, most classical homoeopaths would agree with the ideas in this book. However, some of
the ideas are new in Homoeopathy or at least are not stated so clearly and pointedly elsewhere. This
include the ideas of roots of disease, components of mind, importance and use of delusions and
dreams, compensated and uncompensated feelings, homeo-psychotherapy and Situational Materia
Medica. My view of remedy-states and understanding them through the situations from which they
originate promises to be the basis of a new Materia Medica, of which I have made a beginning
through this book.
If you read through all the chapters, I think that you will get a fairly accurate view of my thoughts
and approach. As each chapter was written independently, there is bound to be some repetition and
a lack of sequence. I must also add that even though my perception of Homoeopathy has become
much clearer, still I have the feeling of having seen only the tip of the iceberg. I therefore make no
pretence that this book is either complete or final. At best, I can say I have made an honest attempt
to tell you the story so far. My aim in doing so is to stimulate the reader to make his own
observations and develop his vision. I am confident that in doing this the wonderful spirit of
Homoeopathy will touch you. Truth has the quality of striking deep within.
What is to be cured in disease
(adapted from chapter 9 of “the spirit of homoeopathy”)
Vital to developing the homeopathic vision is the understanding of what is to be cured in disease. It
is to be able to perceive, to feel and to know as the truth that disease is not something local but a
disturbance of the whole being. It is to have the unshakable conviction that if we treat the
disturbance at the centre, the local problems will be lessened. It is to understand that remedies in
potency produce the central disturbance alone.
These points need to be stressed repeatedly, explained and exemplified so that they become a part
of our thought process. This and only this conviction can make us staunch and successful
homeopaths and remove from our minds the confusions that arise in practice. This vision will make
several things clear, and the rules and principles of Homeopathy will become absolutely logical
derivatives and no longer remain dogmas.
Questions about the importance of mind, the differences in the various approaches to totality, the
evaluation of symptoms, the importance of pathology, the site of action of a remedy, selection of
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potency and the prognosis of the case – all these questions will be solved quite easily once this vision
develops. It is for this reason that I am writing this.
We are going to begin with one of Hahnemann’s most profound observations which he mentions in
Aphorism 211 of the “Organon”, namely that the mental state often chiefly determines the choice of
the remedy. We are going to examine what a mental state means. We are going to talk about
peculiar and characteristic symptoms and how they too represent the central disturbance. We will
see the oneness of Kent’s, Boger’s and Boenninghausen’s philosophies. We will use case illustrations
to bring home all that we have said.
Aphorism 211 from the “Organon” reads:
“This holds good to such an extent, that the state of disposition of the patient chiefly determines
the selection of the homeopathic remedy, as being decidedly characteristic symptom which can least
of all remain concealed from the accurately observing physician.”
Look at the words. It says “the state of disposition”, “the state” and not the “symptoms”.
Hahnemann did not write “this holds true to such an extent that mental symptoms determine the
choice of remedy”. Try to understand. He did not ask us to record the symptoms. He asked us to
understand the “state” of the patient’s mind. Don’t write “Contradiction, intolerant of”, or
“Dictatorial”, these are all mere symptoms. Understand the state of mind from which these
symptoms come. If you look at the symptoms you will be led to many remedies. But if you look at
the state, there will be only one.
Every remedy has a different state of disposition.
Aphorism 212:
” The creator of the therapeutic agents had also had particular regard to this main feature of all
diseases, the altered state of the disposition and mind, for there is no powerful medicinal substance
in the world, which does not notably alter the state of the disposition and mind in the healthy
individual who tests it, and every medicine does so in a different manner.”
Each remedy has a peculiar state of mind which is characteristic to it. Each remedy produces a state.
Each patient has a state of mind. If you compare symptoms, you will be lost in the jungle. If you
understand the state, you will find that there is only one remedy which produces that state.
Aphorism 211 says:
“The state of disposition being characteristic, which can least of all remain hidden from the
accurately observing physician.”
Look at the words. We say mental symptoms are most difficult to get, and Hahnemann says, “it can
least of all remain concealed”; from whom?, “from the accurately observing physician”. The word is
observing. If you are able to observe, no patient can hide his mental state from you. He never wrote,
“it can least of all remain hidden from the accurately enquiring physician”. The physician is an
observer. Mental state has to be found mainly by observation, and not by enquiry. You have to look,
you have to see, you have to understand and you have to feel the state. You have to experience the
experience of the patient. This is the art of case-taking, especially with mental symptoms. It is not
just not asking questions like “Are you angry? Are you sad? Are you depressed?”
A remedy that covers the mental state and general symptoms of a patient has got a greater
possibility of curing than the one that covers the particulars without covering the mentals and
generals. This is one of the lessons I have learned from practice. In so many cases I have prescribed
on mentals and generals, missing the particular symptoms in the Repertory, and I have been
successful. But when I tried the reverse, I have always failed. If a remedy covers the particulars,
without covering the generals and mentals, it is bound to fail.
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Most of you will agree with me, that the two principles that I have given are not entirely novel. They
have been emphasized by many masters and teachers of Homeopathy. Now, what is the explanation
for these observations? The explanation is the key with which many doors of our philosophy can be
opened and the key to reduce the differences between various approaches and schools of thought in
Homeopathy. One of the principles of Logic is that controversies arise out of ignorance. When there
is knowledge, there is no quarrel, because truth is one. So in persons who seem to be
knowledgeable, but who quarrel, there must be ignorance. We will try to resolve the conflict
between the various schools and one explanation will resolve many of them.
Know what is curable in disease
In the third Aphorism of the “Organon”, Hahnemann describes something very fundamental. The
third Aphorism is perhaps one of the most important of the “Organon”. He says:
“If the clinician clearly perceives:
– what is to be cured in diseases, that is to say, in every individual case of disease (knowledge of
disease, indication),
– if he clearly perceives what is curative in medicines, that is to say, in each individual medicine
(knowledge of medicinal power)
– and if he knows how to adapt, according to clearly defined principles, what is curative in medicines
to what he has discovered to be undoubtedly morbid in the patient, so that the recovery must ensue
– to adapt it, as well in respect to the suitability of the medicine most appropriate according to its
mode of action to the case before him (choice of the remedy, the medicine indicated),
– as also in respect to the exact mode of preparation and quantity of it required (proper dose) and
the proper period for repeating the dose
– if, finally, he knows the obstacles to recovery in each case and is aware of how to remove them, so
that the restoration may be permanent,
then he understands how to treat judiciously and rationally, and he is the true practitioner of the
healing art.”
Get the meaning of it: “If the physician, clearly perceives, clearly understands what is to be cured in
diseases”. Does this make sense? Diseases have to be cured. Hahnemann writes in his first and
second Aphorisms:
“The physician’s high and only mission is to restore the sick to health, to cure, as it is termed. The
highest ideal of cure is rapid, gentle and permanent restoration of the health or removal or
annihilation of the disease in its whole extent, in the shortest, most reliable and most harmless way,
on easily comprehensible principles.”
Cure is removal of disease. So, the disease has to be cured. Then why is he writing in the third
Aphorism, what is to be cured in disease? I consider this word “in” to be very important. The person
who knows what is to be cured “in disease” will succeed. I am stressing this point again and again
because it needs to be stressed. If we have a clear concept of what is to be cured in disease – we will
cure. If we don’t, we will not cure.
Step by step we are going to use logic to try and find the answer to this question. The first is
Aphorism 116:
“Some symptoms are produced by the medicines more frequently – that is to say in many
individuals, others more rarely or in few persons, some on very few healthy bodies.”
This refers to provings. When a remedy is proved, it produces some symptoms which are common
to all the provers, some symptoms which are common to some of the provers, and some symptoms
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which are the symptoms of the individual provers.
This means that a drug when given to 100 provers will develop some symptoms which are common
to all of them, some which are common to 30 or 40, and there will be some symptoms that only
individual provers will produce. Now, which are those common symptoms, that all provers will
produce? If you read the Materia Medica Pura, in the introduction to Bryonia and Rhus
toxicodendron, Hahnemann observed that whoever be the prover, whatever be the symptom,
Bryonia will be aggravated from motion and Rhus toxicodendron will be ameliorated by it. These are
pure data of observation.
Mental state versus mental symptoms
This means that general modalities are common to all provers. In Aphorism 212, we have already
read that all remedies produce a mental state in all provers which is peculiar to that remedy.
Whoever be the prover, Aconitum will produce violence in the mind, Stramonium will produce terror
and Pulsatilla will produce a tearful disposition. Hahnemann writes of Aconitum that it cannot be
given to a calm person. So, the second thing a remedy produces that is common to all provers is “a
mental state”.
I am trying to point out that having mental symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean that the mind is
affected. Mind is a state which is produced in all diseases, and in all the provers. The centre has to
be captured first. This is the law of disease. There can be no affection of the parts without the
affection of the whole. There can be no disease in the organs without central disturbance.
Our medicines are potentized. This means that there is no material dose remaining in them. There is
no physiological effect. Digitalis has an effect on the heart in physiology not in Homeopathy. In
Homeopathy, Digitalis potentized becomes a dynamic agent that causes a central disturbance at the
level of mind and generalities first, and then if there is tendency to heart trouble then it will be
affected; and if his prostate is susceptible, this will be affected; if his liver is a weak point, it will
affect his liver and if he has a tendency to insanity, he will become insane. Digitalis no longer
remains a heart remedy.
Kent writes that it is one of the best remedies for prostate. Somebody writes that it is a good
remedy for liver troubles and jaundice. Somebody else writes: “Vertigo from hunger is Digitalis.”
Digitalis is not vertigo, not heart, nor liver, lung or spleen. Digitalis is a dynamic disturbance, which it
produces in all provers. The term local remedy when it is used for a potentized drug is a misnomer.
There are no local remedies when they are potentized. It is clearly written in “Organon” that
remedies have dynamic effects only. Potentized remedies have dynamic effects only. There is no
physiological, no pathological, no organic effect. A well-proved remedy, if proved further, will give
you many more particulars, but not as many more generals. All the particular symptoms for which
you are searching can be missing. Kalium iodatum was not proved nor given as a remedy in a person
who had a tendency to leucoderma. Therefore you missed it, but the craving for motion in open air,
bilaterally symmetrical affections, and the state of mind with loquacity and jesting were produced in
most of the provers. Therefore, if a remedy clearly produces mentals and generals, you can assume
that if proved in a susceptible person that remedy would have produced the same particulars (local
effects).
But if you see a remedy that produces particulars, can you assume that it will produce the same
mentals and generals? Impossible. Because it had the opportunity and it did not produce them. That
is why we say, the remedy that covers mentals and generals has got much greater possibility of
curing, than one that covers particulars without covering mentals and generals. It is the central
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disturbance that comes first, and then this central disturbance will go and act upon those organs
which are more susceptible, but with the modus operandi (type of characteristic action) of the
central disturbance.
So, does the modality represent the central disturbance or the pathology? The peculiar modality
represents the central disturbance and not the pathology. The peculiar modality will show you who
is the culprit, the cause, Arsenicum or Phosphorus. Suppose your house is susceptible to robbery and
the robbery has taken place, does this information give you the name of the culprit? No. The way in
which the act of robbery was executed will give you the name of the culprit. The modality will give
you the identity of the fellow at the centre who is causing all this trouble. The name of pathology will
only point to individual’s tendency. What is to be cured in diseases? It is the central disturbance that
has to be cured in diseases; and not the pathology. That is the secret.
I like to compare disease to the Mafia. The Mafia Organization (we may assume) is governed by
certain definite rules and principles. The first rule of Mafia is: Only one don can rule at the centre.
Unless the don controls the centre, he cannot act on the periphery. The reverse is not applicable.
They will not allow a second godfather to operate; there will be only one godfather, and he has to
control the centre, otherwise he cannot operate his smuggling and other rackets. Once you cure the
central disturbance, then its aggravating influence on peripheral pathology will disappear. Once you
remove the central disturbance, once you remove the P.N. E.I. (Psycho-Neuro-EndocrinoImmunological) disturbance, its aggravating influence on the peripheral pathology will automatically
disappear. If you remove the Mafia boss, all the smuggling and other activities will automatically
stop. Try and stop the smuggling locally, and nothing will happen. Try to stop the drug racket and it
may stop for the time being, but it will come back again. But if you identify the boss and hit him on
the head, then everything will stop. As long as you handle particulars as particulars, you will not
succeed. The moment you catch the central thread of one remedy, the central thread of the patient,
his P.N. E.I. disturbance, everything will become clear.
The other thing that becomes clear is that since there is only one central or P.N. E.I. disturbance, all
the four systems must indicate the same remedy-state. That means, if a person has a mental state,
you cannot prescribe on it alone. You must expect concomitants in the neuro-endocrineimmunologic systems. If you have a nervous symptom, you cannot prescribe on it alone, unless there
is no contradiction at the level of mind-endocrine-immunologic systems.
To summarize, we have to focus in every case on the central disturbance. It is the factor behind all
local problems. It can be identified especially from the mental state and general symptoms. The local
peculiarities are also indicative of the nature of the central disturbance and hence can be
generalized (Boger). The central disturbance being the same all over, we can find its indications
concomitantly in more than one sphere (Boenninghausen). The easiest way of identifying it
(especially in illness with bodily pathology) is to understand the mental state (Kent).
The natural classification of diseases
Historical perspective
As long as man has known disease he has strived to attribute it to some or the other cause, trying to
find some order in these onslaughts on his health, attempting to classify them – such classification
offered a feeling of security against the unknown.
The peculiarity of the homeopathic system of medicine – distinctive from all other schools – is that it
enables the physician to approach even unknown pathological conditions with reasonable certainty
of finding a remedy for the patient. Thus a classification was not, for a long time, deemed essential
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by Hahnemann and other pioneers of Homeopathy. However, in a large number of chronic diseases,
Hahnemann found that:
“The disease would continue to progress, the remedies employed would do little or no good, and
the disease increased from year to year… even when the treatment was apparently conducted
strictly in accordance to the doctrines of the homeopathic art as hitherto known. Their
commencement was cheering, their progress favourable, their issue hopeless.”
“And yet, the doctrine itself is built upon the steadfast pillars of the truth, and must ever remain
so.”
Hahnemann was not willing to ascribe these failures to the want of sufficient number of medicines
proved, especially as, in spite of additions yearly made to the Materia Medica, no progress was
made in the cure of chronic diseases. He says that from the year 1816-1817 the solution of this
problem occupied him night and day, and at length he succeeded in solving
“this sublime problem through unremitting thought, indefatigable inquiry, faithful observation and
the most accurate experiments made for the welfare of humanity.”
Hahnemann discovered that the chronic diseases nearly always had a pattern that could be related
to psora, sycosis or syphilis – the chronic miasms. He proposed that the chronic diseases resulted
from badly suppressed scabies (itch), gonorrhea and syphilis respectively. He indicated the drugs
likely to be most useful in treating such cases: the anti-miasmatics. With this new understanding of
the chronic diseases, Hahnemann found that one became “able to deliver mankind from the
numberless torments which have rested upon the poor sick, owing to the numberless, tedious
diseases, even as far back as history extends… a great boon (which) had not been put within their
(physicians’) reach by what Homeopathy had taught hitherto.”
The purpose of classification
Hahnemann’s classification, based on a theory of origin of diseases, has aroused more controversy
than all his other tenets and doctrines. All that he had written earlier (drug provings, law of similia,
simplex, minimum, etc.) makes profound sense, being logical. It seems reasonable to study his
classification without going into argument as to whether his theory is sound or not. If the
classification is of practical utility, if the theory can be understood in spirit and applied in practice,
we accept it; if not, we discard it.
With this attitude I began to look into Hahnemann’s theory of miasms, asking whether it is possible
to divide diseases into categories, and whether such a division (classification) helps in arriving at the
similimum more easily, for this is the main objective.
I find that after understanding the miasms in the light of my own concept of disease as a delusion,
my practice of Homeopathy has become much simpler and my prescribing more certain. Any
classification is just a means to an end, a way of looking at things. This particular classification has
helped me in greatly simplifying remedy selection. I would liken it to a map which put you on the
correct street, whereon you could knock at the individual doors and look up the occupants.
Understanding miasmas
I have dealt extensively with the concept ” Disease is delusion, awareness is cure” in “The Spirit of
Homeopathy”. Relating this idea to the theory of miasms it becomes clear that the classification of
diseases must be a classification of delusions. As drugs are nothing but artificial diseases, the
classification is both a “disease state” and a “drug state” classification.
We know that disease is a false perception of reality… a delusion. This false perception of reality has
its root in an actual situation which existed either in the patient’s own life earlier or as a state in the
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parents. However, the impact of that situation is such that when faced with another situation the
patient’s reaction is still as though he is in the previous situation. For example, a man suddenly
comes to face a lion. He is panic-stricken and flees from the spot. Later, when he suddenly sees a cat,
there is terror on his face. In other words, he reacts as though he had seen a lion (previous
situation). This is his delusion.
Thus we see that disease expressions are the response to a delusion in all cases where there is no
exciting / maintaining cause to account for the response. (As in nearly all cases the response is not
due to an exciting / maintaining cause which, if present, must be removed, I shall deal with disease
entirely as a delusion, qualifying this where necessary). It is these responses that we perceive as
symptoms.
In order to find out if there was a particular theme to each miasm, I studied some drugs generally
accepted to belong to that miasm, attempting to find the common theme in them if there was one. I
used Hahnemann’s classification of diseases and drugs:
1. Acute : Aconitum, Belladonna, Stramonium
2. Chronic : Psora – Sulphur, Psorinum
Sykosis – Thuja, Medorrhinum
Syphilis – Mercurius, Syphilinum
I shall now give a brief analysis of these groups and the conclusions that could be drawn from the
same. I have tried to restrict myself entirely to rubrics that can be found in the text – the conclusions
that follow are therefore not based on my personal experience alone, and can be reached by anyone
who makes a similar study. The fact remains, however, that I was greatly aided in arriving at these
conclusions from my understanding (clinical) of drugs and patients. Thus I recognize Medorrhinum
as a person who is very anxious that his weakness should not be exposed and uses egotism to cover
up this weakness.
As this is an abstraction derived from personal experience, I have not included it in the analysis.
Analysis
Acute
Aconitum:
Fear, of walking across a busy street A feeling that Fear, of accidents, of suffocation. something
sudden will Death, presentiment of. happen, resulting in Delusion, about to die. sudden death.
Belladonna:
Delusion, pursued by police and soldiers. Feeling he will be Visions of gallows, with fear. pursued,
killed… Fear, alternating with rage. Therefore runs, escapes;
rage.
Stramonium:
Delusion, lost in the wilderness. Impression of danger.
Delusion, dogs attack him. Seeks a safe spot.
Desires light and company.
Children wake up screaming,
recognize no one, cling to those nearby.
Danger, impression of.
A similar study could be made of Hyoscyamus, Veratrum, Lyssinum, etc.
Conclusion
We find that in all these drugs there is a feeling (delusion) that “there is a strong threat from the
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outside world”, and the person reacts in an instinctive, reflex manner. It will be noticed that
Aconitum and Belladonna which are the best examples of the acute miasm are given in Synthetic
Repertory (II) under “Sudden manifestations”.
Psora
Sulphur:
Fear of poverty. We find that there is
Delusion, he is getting thin. a struggle with “ego”
Talks of business. and “money”.
Delusion, disgraced. The feeling is that he
Imagines himself a great man; is loosing something
though ignorant, despises literary and must struggle
men and education. to get it back.
Psorinum:
Despair of recovery There is a feeling that
during convalescence. things may go wrong at
Fear of poverty. any time though they are
Feeling that business will fail fine at the moment.
though it is prosperous. Therefore to keep things
Delusion, going to lose his fortune. as they are,
Ailments from anticipation. he must struggle.
Feels good and bad in turns.
Conclusion
The delusion here has two components:
– stress from outside and
– anxiety from doubts about his ability (capacity) to deal with this stress: “Will I be able to do it?”
However, failure here does not mean the end of the world.
Sycosis
Thuja:
Delusion, is thin. A feeling of a fixed
Delusion, is made of glass. weakness in himself
As if body is fragile (Phatak’s MM). is very evident.
Fixed ideas. The patient covers this
Religious fanaticism. up by not allowing
Insanity, will not be touched or anyone to come near
approached (Phatak’s MM). him both physically
Secretiveness. and psychologically.
Medorrhinum:
Sensitivity to a slight critique. A feeling that there
Sensitive to reprimands. are faults in him that
Fear of misfortune. may be noticed and
Anticipatory anxiety. evoke criticism.
Anxiety when a time is set. Covers up with egotism.
Averse to responsibility.
Washing hands.
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Egotism.
Conclusion
The feeling is: “I am incapable of handling this situation. Something is wrong with me.” With this
admission of a weakness in self is an attempt to cope with it and cover it up. The patient keeps trying
to make up for this specific weakness in him even when the situation does not demand it, i.e.
though the environment is normal. This feeling probably arises after struggling without success for
some time.
Syphilis
Mercurius:
Delusion, surrounded by enemies. Feels viciously
Suspicious, considers everyone attacked from all sides
his enemy. – a desperate situation
Impulse to kill the person which requires him
who contradicts. to do desperate things
Impulse to kill his beloved ones. to come out of it.
Suicidal.
Syphilinum:
Antisocial. A feeling that there
Hopeless despair of recovery. is absolutely no hope.
Indifference. The reaction is violent…
Horrid depression and antisocial, kills, etc.
despair (Boger’s SK).
Liar, want of moral feeling.
Kill, desire to.
Washing hands.
Conclusion
The feeling is: “I cannot manage. I can’t cope with the problems both inside and outside. I cannot
adapt to this unfavourable situation nor can I control or cover up my weakness.” The response to
this feeling is a drastic do-or-die attempt to change either himself or the environment – a violent
process, a last ditch attempt. While the person tries to regain control, there is an internal feeling of
despair and futility… the situation appears hopeless.
These conclusions are corroborated by the central features of the infection itself.
Acute : Sudden onset, rapid progress and swift determination – death or recovery.
Psora : (Scabies) Itching, a constant struggle, with extreme discomfort fort but not lifethreatening, not hopeless.
Sycosis : (Gonorrhea) Gleet is the most characteristic manifestation. A chronic, steady, fixed
defense with no likelihood of complete recovery, but not a desperate situation.
Syphilis : A chronic desperate struggle where the body destroys itself in an attempt to survive –
ulceration, caries, etc. A violent effort in a hopeless situation.
The body responds to a particular infection in a specific manner. The nature of the infection
determines the response. Thus infection with T. Pallidum calls for a specific type of response – the
syphilitic response. When a person reacts to any situation in an inappropriate manner, e.g. in a
syphilitic manner where all that was required was a struggle, then the underlying miasm is syphilis.
Consider a student who has failed an exam. All he needs is to study hard (struggle) to pass the next
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time. However, if he commits suicide, he evidently felt it was a hopeless situation requiring a drastic
solution. This is a syphilitic response and the underlying miasm is syphilis.
Perception of reality differs according to the miasm of the individual. Therefore, to recognize the
miasm, determine how reality is perceived by the patient.
Let me illustrate this concept of miasms with an example. Imagine that you are driving a car on a
lonely mountain road and suddenly there is a loud noise and the car starts wobbling. You
instinctively stop the car and get out as fast as you can. You get palpitations, start sweating and are
in a state of great panic and excitement. Once out of you car, you find that it was only a burst tyre.
Your panic recedes on realizing that the situation is not threatening. You realize that you have to
change the tyre, and start struggling with it, wondering if you can do it. After some time you realize
that you are incapable of doing it and light a cigarette while waiting for someone to help you out.
Finally you lose all hopes – you know that no one is going the help you out and you cannot do it
yourself. So you kick the car angrily and lie down, indifferent to what happens. The four phases of
this incident represent the four miasms.
1 – Panic – Acute
2 – Struggle – Psora
3 – Feeling of incapacity
and cover up – Sycosis
4 – Despair – Syphilis
We can see here how the first stage could possibly require Aconitum, the second Lycopodium, the
third Argentum nitricum and the fourth Syphilinum respectively.
What is interesting is that the external situation is the same, namely a burst tyre. The various
miasms represent a progressive failure to cope with the situation. As the person fails in his struggle
(Psora) to cope, he starts developing bad feelings about himself and becomes fixed (Sycosis), and
when this reaches a certain level, he becomes filled with despair (Syphilis). Thus, I would like to
stress again that the same external situation (reality) is perceived differently depending on the
miasm.
Survival response
We must not forget that all symptoms of a disease (or a drug), no matter which miasm they belong
to, represent the survival mechanism called for in the original situation, but inappropriate for the
moment. In other words, the person is reacting to a situation which does not exist now, but he feels
that in order to survive he must respond as if to the original situation. This is his delusion, his
disease. A person flees from a lion in order to survive. If he later reacts in the same fashion on seeing
a cat, it is undoubtedly inappropriate, for here he doesn’t need to flee to survive.
The original situation of each remedy demands either an acute, psoric, sycotic or syphilitic response
predominantly. The miasm depends on the external situation, its severity and duration and also on
the capacity (ability to cope) of the individual to face it. Thus if a dog approaches a child, it will panic;
an adult may throw a stone and try to send it away (struggle); a middle-aged person would sit where
he is and wave a stick to keep it at a distance – a constant effort so that it does not approach him
(fixed, unmoving), while the aged infirm person just wait for the dog to get him.
The acute is the immediate reaction necessary to survive. Psora is the reaction to a situation which
demands that he struggles with the circumstances outside in order to survive. Sycosis is the reaction
to a situation that demands that he accepts his own weakness and covers it up in order to survive. In
order to cover up his inadequacies, the sycotic puts up a defense of fixed ideas, neurotic acts,
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obsessive compulsive habits (“I need to check and recheck my work because I am not good
enough”), such as we see in drugs like Silicea, Thuja and Medorrhinum. The syphilitic reaction comes
with the realization that adjustment is no longer sufficient and that in order to survive he must bring
about a radical change in the internal or external circumstances, or both. This is usually an end stage
and the survival response may break down completely, leading to suicide.
A good number of people in the world today are in a sycotic state. There is a sense of inadequacy
and inferiority, of having a tough time with the self in the struggle for existence. The growth of
psychotherapy, self-improvement techniques, etc., are all in response to the rise in sycosis.
Unfortunately, however, most such methods manage to achieve the opposite because they only
bring about a better adjustment to fixed ways of thinking and living. These are only ways of coping
with the same feeling of inferiority rather than a true diminution of the feeling. A girl who feels she
is ugly (delusion) may try various methods. “How to look more beautiful?”, or “Think positive”, e.g.
“I am beautiful”, etc., but in the final analysis, her feeling is the same (“I am ugly”), but now she is
further away from awareness of this feeling.
mostly spoken of common infections of the human race and seen that the characteristics of that
infection fit in with the miasmatic classification. Here I must point out for clarity that our miasmatic
classification is not built around characteristics of any infection. It is based on common states of
being, the delusions and reactions most often seen. As infections are secondary to these states, they
naturally fit into the classification and help us to understand it more easily, being distinct, wellknown entities.
The miasmatic classification is one of the most brilliant contributions made by Hahnemann to the
medical world. I have benefited immensely from it already though there is much still to be learned.
Physical expressions
This miasmatic classification of disease, though based on a concept of disease as a delusion, is not
restricted to the mental state alone. We know that the mind and body work harmoniously as a unit,
and the disturbance is uniformly expressed in both spheres.
Acute miasma:
An immediate, strong response like high fever, bounding pulse, flushed face, etc., as in Belladonna
or Aconitum.
Psoric miasma:
Expressed by a reaction of body on exposure to environmental stimuli, a reaction to one’s
surroundings, e.g. sensitivity in the same person to many factors like noise, light, odours, etc.,
producing functional disturbances, e.g. headache, nausea, discomfort.
Sycotic miasma:
There is a hypersensitive response to something specific arising out of a deficiency of the normal
response, e.g. tumors and allergies. Keloids are a good example where the “deficient” feeling gives
rise to an increased attempt to repair the fault.
Syphilitic miasma:
The situation is not manageable, and thus we find destruction in the form of gangrene, ulceration,
etc. It is like burning your own property before retreating in a war (scorched earth policy).
Thus, we find the physical and the mental states in tune with each other.
Provers experienced a lot of dreams of parties, feasts. The theme seems to be of: dream of danger;
of being pursued; of being sad. Aggravation from consolation. Of somebody facing a danger, and the
dreamer being unable to help.”
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Conclusion
In concluding this section on in-between miasmas, I would like to say that there may be many other
miasmas waiting to be discovered. With time, our map will become more and more precise. You
must have noticed in the above examples that we have mostly spoken of common infections of the
human race and seen that the characteristics of that infection fit in with the miasmatic classification.
Here I must point out for clarity that our miasmatic classification is not built around characteristics of
any infection. It is based on common states of being, the delusions and reactions most often seen.
As infections are secondary to these states, they naturally fit into the classification and help us to
understand it more easily, being distinct, well-known entities.
The miasmatic classification is one of the most brilliant contributions made by Hahnemann to the
medical world. I have benefited immensely from it already though there is much still to be learned.
Correlation with other classifications
As will be seen, this classification of disease corresponds to certain natural as well as scientific
classifications. We can therefore say that the basis of this classification is true because it is universal
in application.
The four stages of life
Consider the different miasms in terms of a situation where a huge mountain is to be climbed. The
acute miasm is the first instinctive, sudden response at the sight of a big mountain: “Oh!” He is taken
aback. Psora is the struggle to get to the top; sycosis is the man who is stuck somewhere halfway
and has decided to settle down there, while syphilis is the man who is falling down.
One might say the acute miasm is the way a child would look at a mountain, while psora, sycosis
and syphilis may be represented by the way a youth, a middle-aged and an aged person respectively
would look at the mountain.
Thus, the acute miasm will be found more in babies and children because this is the time when
threatening situations from outside are more often found. The reaction of the acute miasm is an
innocent, instinctive and childlike reaction. Therefore, even when we find it (acute miasm) in an
adult, there will be a kind of childishness in his response (the type of response helps in recognizing
the miasm).
In the same way, the psoric miasm will be prominent in the years where one has to stand on one’s
own feet and face the world – youth and adolescence, a period of struggle.
The sycotic miasm will be seen predominantly around the middle age when the person, after
struggling long, sees many defects in himself and tries to cover them up. This is the time when ideas
become rigid, freedom restricted and the person is content to cope rather than struggle.
The age of syphilis is the age of senescence. There is no hope now; the struggle is over. Even coping
with the self is not possible and the only way out is death and destruction.
In children we see illnesses of an acute nature, like measles, diarrhoea, etc. – conditions which
almost always create panic because when untreated, death is a possibility. In young adults, we find
functional disturbances like anxiety from problems which are solved with some time and effort, e.g.
acne, menstrual disturbances, imbalance of growth. In middle age, we see restrictive diseases such
as arthritis, asthma, ischemic heart disease, etc., while in old age, there are more destructive
diseases such as myocardial infarction, parkinsonism, gangrene, osteoporosis, etc.
These various phases correspond to the acute, psoric, sycotic and syphilitic miasms. This
correspondence does not mean that the acute miasm is seen only in children and the syphilitic only
in old age. It depends on the intensity of the roots of the disease. If there are roots of equal intensity
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for diseases belonging to all four miasms, then it is very likely that the acute will become manifest in
childhood and so on.
In Psychiatry, diseases are classified into Functional, Neurosis and Psychosis. These correspond to
psora, sycosis and syphilis.
Personality types
The psoric personality
1. The psoric personality has highs and lows. The struggle is like a tug of war with the outside world.
Sometimes the balance is on his side and he feels high; at other times, the balance is on the other
side and he feels low.
2. The psoric person is seen to be active. The struggle is an active process which becomes apparent
especially at times of stress.
3. There is a lack of confidence in facing the situation, a feeling that he may not be able to do it.
This causes constant anxiety which becomes marked when he is actually confronted with the
situation (active psora). It is also present, but to a much lesser degree when he is not facing a
situation. He then has a kind of anticipatory anxiety though he is not so distressed (latent psora).
This causes a kind of internal restlessness, insecurity, dissatisfaction, sensitivity and anxiety about
the future. But there is always hope, however bad the situation.
4. There will be many and varied dreams. Depending on the everyday situation; the dreams will
reflect his anxiety about not being able to cope and about the struggle (effort to cope).
5. The psoric person is usually expressive during case-taking. He is observant, being keen of mind,
and therefore describes his symptoms vividly and well.
The sycotic personality
The main feature of the sycotic personality is secretiveness. He is always trying to hide his weakness
and is constantly tense. These constant efforts to cover up his weakness make even everyday life
stressful. He never hopes to get rid of his weakness; all that he wants is to somehow cover it up.
Consequently, he is more closed during the interview.
The sycotic person has fixed habits and traits; he thinks and acts in particular ways and even the
dreams are specific. The sycotic individual is less active and more reserved than the psoric.
The syphilitic personality
The syphilitic person has neither the highs and lows of psora nor the secretiveness of sycosis; he has
a strong pessimistic view of life. He feels that it is not possible to modify what is wrong; it has to be
radically changed or destroyed. With this internal feeling which eats him up, he can have impulsive
reactions to situations. It does not matter what the situation is – be it an insult, criticism or
domination – his feeling is that the matter has gone beyond a tolerable limit and there is no point in
trying to adjust.
So, the syphilitic person is characterized by deep and chronic pessimism with occasional sudden
impulsive violence directed at himself or others – a mercurial temper. The syphilitic personality is
also marked by very rigid ideas. These ideas are not only about himself as you see in the sycotic
person, but also about the situation. That is why they are usually aggravated by contradiction, are
dictatorial and are not amenable to change unlike the psoric personality, which is more
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impressionable. The syphilitic response occurs when a person is faced with a superhuman task – one
where no man can succeed.
The acute personality
The features of the acute personality are that he perceives the situation to be one of acute threat
and, therefore, reacts instinctively, sharply and intensely. It is a state of alarm and here, feelings
about one’s own self are not in the forefront. It is as if the situation itself is so overwhelming that it
doesn’t matter who is facing it – the reaction will be the same.
The acute personality has two phases, a compensated and an uncompensated. These two phases
are true for all miasms but are especially marked in the acute. If the acute miasm is present in a
chronic situation then the person is required to compensate the most, because his actions will
otherwise be funny and totally out of context, since they are meant for an acute threatening
situation. Many of these unacceptable and “funny” features will be heavily compensated and they
will become uncompensated in a stressful situation or will be expressed in their uncompensated
form in very special ways. The reactions in these circumstances will be sudden and quick as if the
person is facing an acute threat. They can appear to have mood swings but if examined closely,
these are actually manifestations of a compensated phase going into an uncompensated phase.
In general, the acute personality is excited, excitable and hyperactive, and goes sometimes to the
other extreme of being completely shut off and insensitive. The dreams too are full of excitement
and represent acute, threatening situations. Many go into a contraphobic behaviour which means
they do exactly the opposite in their life to what they fear – a Stramonium (a remedy known for fear
of dogs) patient may have many pet dogs. They can also have manic defense reactions like
excessively loud laughter or abnormal bursts of courage and cheerfulness. In general, they function
at a very high voltage. There may also be sudden, impulsive violence as in the syphilitic personality
but without the counterpart of the chronic, deep-seated pessimism.
Physical symptoms of the miasms
When we talk about the physical symptoms of the miasms we do not mean the pathology. What is
more important is the nature of the pathological process – the pathogenesis. Thus, an indolent ulcer
with hypergranulation (proud flesh) following an injury, etc., would represent the sycotic miasm, not
syphilis (ulcer). Whatever the pathology in the case, its physical state will reflect the miasm.
The acute miasm will show sudden and violent reactions, exacerbations, threatening conditions that
cause panic in the mind of the patient and those around him. An acute miasm does not usually cause
chronic structural pathology. However, the acute miasm can aggravate structural pathology
especially when the tendency to such a pathology (genetic predisposition) is quite strong in the
patient.
The psoric miasm in its physical aspect will show the same highs and lows as we see in the mind. It
will demonstrate hypersensitivity to external factors and will manifest the same struggle and
activity. In its pathology, psora will tend to cause functional disturbances at the level of various
systems and reversible pathological changes although this is not invariable.
The sycotic miasm in its physical aspect also has a hyper-reaction. In psora the reactions are to a
variety of stimuli since the struggle is with outside irritants. Here the weakness is perceived within
the self, so sycosis is usually not much affected by external factors; yet it can be aggravated by
something very specific. Thus, it does not show a plethora of modalities as does psora. In sycosis,
since one is trying to cope with the body’s own specific weakness, its reaction will be concentrated
at specific sites and organ systems, tending to cause chronic, slow troubles usually with a tendency
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to overreaction in that particular sphere (note: this aspect is further amplified in pathology and
miasms). The reaction will also be the same no matter what the stimulus is or even with no
stimulus. Thus, we see overgrowths, hyperimmune responses, fixed and steady states like asthma,
and structural pathology. The disease usually has an insidious onset and the course is steady. In
sycosis we find a tendency to discharges that leave indelible (fixed) stains.
The syphilitic miasm shows slow degenerative processes with occasional, severe sudden destructive
episodes (gangrene, myocardial infarction). Such seemingly acute conditions are usually based upon
a degenerative process that has been taking place over a long period of time.
The acute miasm, therefore, usually shows acute, sudden, intense reactions to stimuli. Psora shows
the maximum generalities, the maximum cravings and aversions, and there may be several and
varied modalities in the same patient. Sycosis has very special cravings and they are usually limited
in number; the modalities too are very specific and few in number. Syphilis too has few and specific
cravings and its sensitivity to stimuli is much lesser than psora. They seem not to react up to a
certain degree of stimulation, and then react abruptly in a destructive manner.
Physical states, delusions and miasms
The state of the mind and body are always related: the delusion belongs to the person as a whole
and is reflected at both levels. Therefore, the symptoms of the body and mind are often found to be
common (e.g. hypersensitivity and irritability), though it is not always easy to see the connection.
Let us look at this correlation between the mind and the body in drugs.
The main sphere of Staphysagria is sycotic, i.e. a perceived weakness within. The feeling in the mind
is that he cannot afford to react sharply to insult or injury, should not expose his “lack of control”,
and so has to bear (suppress) everything. Therefore, he develops a hyper-response, a
hypersensitivity that prevents him from coming into contact with injurious or insulting stimuli. The
same reaction exists in the body. The pains of Staphysagria therefore come on from touch, and the
main theme of the pain is extreme sensitivity or touchiness. Staphysagria is thus commonly indicated
in toothaches, tooth extractions and pains following surgery. We see that there are hyper-responses
to definite factors and the response is specific. Note that the mind and body of Staphysagria show
not the constant intense irritability as in Belladonna and Chamomilla, but a tremendous sensitivity to
a particular spot which, when stimulated, produces a sharp reaction.
Arsenicum is a drug with a strong sycotic aspect with its main delusion being that he is old, weak
and defenseless, and that there are thieves around who intend to take advantage of his weakness.
We see a hyper-response in the form of becoming restless, fastidious, cautious and anxious. In the
body, the same feeling of vulnerability to external injurious factors is manifested by its overreaction
to several stimuli, especially at night (the time of maximum danger). Arsenicum is aggravated from
dust, rich or spoiled food and ice-cream, and the response is in the form of restlessness, burning,
diarrhoea, vomiting, cold hands and feet, etc.
In the syphilitic state, the perception of the body is that things have gone too far and that he must
sacrifice (suicide) or destroy (kill) what cannot be changed. In Mercurius, this feeling is reflected in
the physical sphere too in the form of ulcers, with their foul smell and decay representing this
destructive process.
In Aconitum (acute miasm), there is a feeling that something sudden will happen leading to his
death. Mentally this is seen as a “Fear of death”, “Anxiety” and “Restlessness”, etc. In the physical
sphere, we find the racing pulse, palpitation and flushing of face alternating with paleness, etc.
To summarize:
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– The acute is a state of instinctive reaction. The feeling is : “Something terrible is happening”. The
mind and body react.
– In psora, the feeling is: “Something is happening to me and I must do something about it.” The
mind and the body struggle.
– In sycosis, the feeling is: “There is a problem which I am not capable of solving, so I have to find a
way around and constantly see to it that it is kept at a distance.” The mind and body overreact.
– The syphilitic feeling is: “The situation is desperate and hopeless, and I can’t cope”. There must be
change. The mind and body move towards destruction.
Pathology and miasms
Earlier we looked at how certain miasms are more common in particular ages and how some
pathologies reflecting the different miasms are also more commonly seen in the different ages, e.g.
measles in childhood and degenerations like parkinsonism in old age.
Similarly the evolution of the disease will reflect the miasm. For example, with an inflammation of
the lungs (pneumonitis), the first reaction is one of severe pain, high fever, restlessness and
quickened pulse. This is the stage of the acute miasm and requires drugs like Aconitum, Belladonna.
If the condition does not spontaneously resolve at this stage (progress depends on intensity of
roots), the body mounts an active inflammatory response with exudation of plasma proteins like
fibrinogen which cause consolidation of that portion of the lung. Neutrophils attracted to the site by
chemotaxis are enabled by the fibrin scaffolding to engulf the organisms. This is the subacute stage
where the body has contained the inflammation but the threat is still present. This stage requires
drugs like Rhus toxicodendron and Bryonia; the symptomatology will call for this group.
Following this, the body has to clear up the debris for complete resolution. This is a struggle. When
this process is unduly delayed, psora is active and drugs like Sulphur and Lycopodium will be
required.
Normally, the condition does not go beyond this. However, if long term sequelae such as restrictive
pulmonary disease due to fibrosis between pleural surfaces, imperfect resolution, etc., are found, it
indicates sycosis. Drugs like Silicea are now needed.
In some cases, the infection results in a lung abscess, indicating syphilis. Here, we find drugs like
Hepar sulphuris and Mercurius often indicated.
Depending on the intensity of the roots, the person is carried through to the various stages of
pathology described above. If the patient has a predominant psoric miasm, we will often see
pathology corresponding to that state persisting.
At the same time, we must remember that it is not the pathology which shows the miasm but the
state. The pathology per se is not as important as what is characteristic of the pathology in that
individual; this is usually in keeping with the mental and physical state. The three together reflect
the miasm. The mental (delusion and response), and physical (type of reaction / response at physical
level) state have already been discussed.
To understand “what is characteristic of the pathology in that individual”, let us take the example of
an ulcer. We do not conclude from the pathology, i.e. the ulcer, that the underlying miasm is
syphilis. Consider the following:
– Acute ulceration of the gastric mucosa often results following severe burns – “Curling’s ulcer”. This
shows the acute miasm.
– A psoric ulcer would be one following trauma in which there is a struggle to restore the normal
skin. These ulcers are sensitive, painful, and there is healthy granulation tissue but the process is
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slow.
– The sycotic ulcer will be indolent, with proud flesh (hypergranulation) and often painless.
– Syphilitic ulcers are spreading, unhealthy and destructive.
Certain pathologies fall into particular miasms or remedy states, e.g. warts belong to sycosis and
call for drugs like Thuja. But if a person has a strong tendency to warts and if his state is Stramonium,
this Stramonium state will also aggravate the warts, although Stramonium is not known for such a
pathology.
This can be understood by an example. If a gangster is well trained in smuggling, may be because his
basic nature is that of a smuggler, he will do his job very well. Now, if he is in a country where there
are very strict customs restrictions and hence almost impossible to smuggle goods into, he may
enter politics but here too, he works in the same manner, i.e. with cunning and secrecy (as if he is
still smuggling). A normally chronic problem, e.g. hair loss can, in a particular case, manifest with
acute expressions. Stramonium may be the remedy provided there is a Stramonium feeling and
reaction to the hair loss; panic and crying for help.
We have to find what is the state that indicates the miasm rather than finding the miasm on the
basis of the pathology. Some erroneous notions have risen from lack of understanding of this
concept. It has been mentioned in our literature, quite correctly that psora does not usually causes
structural changes. This must not be taken to imply that where there are structural changes, the
case is not psoric. The same holds true for the acute miasm too. In such cases, you are likely to find a
strong genetic predisposition to that condition. I believe that miasms are inherited or acquired
separately from the tendency to pathology. I further believe that the inheritance of the miasm
(specific remedy / disease states) is not genetic and actually takes place because the vital force of
the parents is tainted by such states. Only such an explanation can account for my observation that
the states of father and mother at the time of conception are seen to be transmitted to the
offspring.
Finally, we must remember that the miasms are only a classification; what must be cured is the
disease state.
Multi-miasmatic disease states and remedies
So far, for the purpose of understanding, we have been considering each miasm separately.
However, a disease state is usually a combination of miasms with its main focus on one miasm;
likewise, a remedy will have one predominant miasm with extensions into the others. It is most
important to perceive each miasmatic state of the remedy in order to understand the disease state
in toto, because then we become aware of how a person perceives and reacts to the environment,
how he perceives himself, and how he reacts when things within and outside become
unmanageable.
For example, consider an old man alone in the house with his money. He knows that he is weak and
needs people but has to be very careful and cautious or else they will rob him (“Fear , alone, of
being”; “Cautious”, “Suspicious”). Sometimes, the situation may get too acute and he sees thieves in
the house (“Delusion, sees thieves”), or it may not be so bad, in which case it is a struggle to
safeguard the money. The situation may go out of hand – he is robbed. It is a hopeless situation and
suicide is the only way out. Thus, we see a situation in which elements of all the miasms are found,
with sycosis in the forefront. The remedy, as is evident, is Arsenicum. We find that Arsenicum has all
the miasms with a predominance of sycosis followed by acute then syphilis and only some psora.
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Diagrammatically, these multi-miasmatic states could be represented as follows (taking the above
specific example to illustrate):
Separate states
There can be and usually are two or more miasms in a case, though only one is prominent at a time.
We can use an example to illustrate this. Consider a Stramonium state, where there is a hyperresponse of fear, sheer terror, with clinging; this could be an acute miasm. However, why does such
an intense state exist at all? It might have come from an intense situation but also (and more
commonly) from a less intense situation in timid person. Thus, we find that the Stramonium state
comes up most easily in Calcarea type of patient. A Calcarea patient when chased by a dog would be
likely to develop a Stramonium state while a Platinum type of personality would take a stone and
throw it
at it.
Case:
– Child aged 2 years
– Recurrent attacks of cold, cough and fever
– Fear of strangers, animals
– Clinging to mother
– Grimacing
Stramonium 1M was prescribed for her. Infrequent doses were given for several months. There was
no more fever but the recurrent cold remained. Her fear of strangers and clinging decreased, and
she stopped grimacing. However, her fear of animals remained and she developed obstinacy, and
copious perspiration of the scalp. The remedy she now needed was Calcarea carbonica.
However, I have found that acute states can exist independent of other miasms even for a long
time. I have seen in practice that the acute remedies (purely acute miasmatic expressions) like
Stramonium, Belladonna and Hyoscyamus have effected complete cures in chronic diseases
(including reversal of pathology). The reason as already explained, is that though the condition is
chronic, the perception of the condition and the expressions thrown out are acute in nature; it is an
acute state. For this reason, I have added the acute as the fourth miasm in the classification.
A purely acute miasm would exist when the root is very strong of a very intense situation in a
person in the past, or an intense situation creating the acute state in the mother during pregnancy.
Such occurrences are quite rare, and usually we find the psoric miasm present in nearly all cases,
with sycosis and syphilis becoming more and more common. It is seen that in a dominant sycotic
state too there is likely to be a psoric element. This is in keeping with our understanding of the
miasms.
Who is most likely to feel that something is lacking in him? It is one who has struggled to cope with
the external situation and failed. He will then feel that something is wrong with him and tries to
cover up this perceived weakness. Similarly, in a predominant syphilitic state, there are likely to be
both psoric and sycotic elements. This helps us to understand why Hahnemann called psora the
mother of all diseases. It is the most likely of all the miasms to be present alone, and is nearly always
present when there are other miasms.
At any particular time in a case, the state of the patient is usually never purely psoric or purely
acute, etc. The main focus of its symptomatology will be on one miasm, but there will be glimpses of
symptoms showing the other miasms too.
This is easy to understand if we analyze a person’s reaction when faced with a situation, for
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example, the situation of the burst tyre. At the loud bang, the person is bound to get out quickly and
be startled, then think: “OK, let me try to change the tyre though I have never done it before… and
then, if I can’t do it, I will call someone.” Finally, he feels: “I can’t do it, and there is no one to help. I
give up.” However, depending on which miasm is prominent, that reaction will be intense and
persistent. Where the acute miasm is prominent, the person will continue to look startled with a
blanched face and palpitations long after he gets out of the car and realizes that it is only a burst
tyre. Other reactions and thoughts may come and go, but this startled expression and fear will
persist.
Such a state could be diagrammatically represented as follows:
The remedy that we give for this predominant acute state must also cover the reactions from the
other miasms.
In a given case where two or more miasms are found to be prominent, the remedy must cover the
most prominent miasm as well as the others. As the state changes, it may be found that a different
miasm shows predominance. The following diagram of the same patient’s progression in a case is
illustrative:
We see that the entire diagram illustrates one state where syphilis is prominent but others are
present as well. The drug may be Mercurius or Aurum metallicum, etc.
After being treated by the indicated drug for a long time (usually years), the state may change with
a predominance now of sycosis, for example:
It is mentioned in homeopathic literature that Sulphur, Calcarea and Lycopodium follow each other
well, i.e. they are often indicated in this sequence. All are psoric remedies with other miasmatic
dimensions.
The following is a diagrammatic representation of a case where such a sequence occurs.
Sulphur Calcarea Lycopodium
Diagrammatic representation of the multimiasmatic
states of Sulphur, Calcarea and Lycopodium
We find that in these psoric remedies, Sulphur has the greatest element of psora, Calcarea has a
marked sycotic element too, while Lycopodium is the most syphilitic amongst these three psoric
remedies. In fact, I believe Lycopodium, is the most syphilitic of all the psoric remedies. The cyclical
sequence thus actually represents the treatment of a predominantly psoric state with the various
phases showing a relative prominence of psora, sycosis and syphilis. I would like to stress once again
that these changes take place over a large time-scale and the indications for the respective drugs are
very clear cut. I find it necessary to bring this point to notice because I have seen a rapid alternation
of remedies by many beginners (and some older physicians) with “change of miasm” being offered
as a reason.
Classification of remedies according to miasms
There is no formula for classifying a remedy into a particular miasm. Such a classification would
depend upon out understanding of the remedy, of its basic delusion. This understanding comes from
a deep study of the symptoms, both physical and mental, and from clinical observations.
The miasm concept helps us to arrive at an understanding of the basic delusion because if there are
traits of a particular miasm in a remedy, the delusion of that remedy must lie in that particular
miasm. For example, if we see constant excitability in a remedy, it must lie in the acute miasm and
the original situation must be of an acute threat from outside.
To take an example, let us consider Arsenicum album.
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I consider one of the main delusions of Arsenicum to be “Delusion, sees thieves”. This is a
completely external factor and so, one would classify Arsenicum in the acute or psoric miasm.
However, when we examine the symptoms of Arsenicum, we see that there are obsessive and
compulsive traits like fastidiousness and a mania for cleanliness. This indicates that there is also a
strong sycotic component. When we examine the mind, we see the following symptoms which
clearly define the basic delusion:
– Delusion, sick, of being.
– Delusion, time has come to die.
– Desire, for company, yet fear of people.
– Fear, of offending a friend.
– Mania, wants to be held.
He is dependent on others because of his weakness, yet feels that they are people who cannot be
trusted, people who are more interested in his money. All the same, he cannot afford to offend
them, as he is too weak to support himself.
Thus, we find Arsenicum to be predominantly sycotic in dimension. This is borne out by the fact that
Arsenicum is given under psora with 1 mark, while under sycosis, it has been given 2 marks
(Synthetic Repertory).
The following account of a patient’s life-style as described by a relative makes it easier to
understand Arsenicum. This man improved marvelously on Arsenicum album 1M.
A 65 year old man, living in a huge house with two servants. His children are all staying away from
him. He calls himself a recluse. He is very fastidious, a collector of curios which he polishes for one
hour a day after the servant has finished. For one reason or another, various servants have left the
job after working for a long time. He needs them twenty four hours. They are given a place in the
house to stay, they are fed, and he has kept a television in a separate room just for the servants. He
calls them “my niece” or my “nephew” – never “servant”. All the same, he doesn’t trust them at all;
before leaving the house, he locks up his room, even if he is going out for half an hour. It is very
evident to those who know him well that he goes out of his way to please the servants so that they
won’t rob him. The servants know it too, but don’t dare to take advantage of this because the
minute he feels they are getting smart, he would change the servants. He usually employs young
children or a married couple to work for him – never a single adult. He thinks that everybody,
including his own children, is trying to get a share of the money. This is probably because he is
himself a greedy person who would go to any lengths to acquire money. This greed, or rather need,
is so great that even his children are disgusted and feel: “We don’t want his money; let him keep it.”
Arsenicum also has a syphilitic part, seen in the “Despair of recovery” and a strong “Suicidal
disposition”. However, the main feeling is that of internal weakness. He feels unloved, dejected and
very insecure. The panic, struggle and suicidal disposition all rise from and are related to this one
basic point, and so one can say that the main essence of Arsenicum lies in the sycotic miasm with
extensions into the other three.
In this manner, I have been able to understand remedy states more deeply using the concept of
miasms. I shall now give two more illustrative examples.
I had believed earlier that the situation of Argentum nitricum arose from being trapped in a
situation alone and trying desperately to find a way out. In that case Argentum nitricum would be a
psoric remedy, but by examining a little deeper we find that behind all these fears there is
something more which, in fact, forms the basis of the fears. Argentum nitricum has several sycotic
traits, such as compulsion about time, compulsion about planning things, about doing things in a
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particular way, and obsessions with fixed ideas that he cannot pass a certain place. So, we see fixed
ideas and fixed actions.
He must feel a tremendous sense of fault within, which he is trying to cover up by his behaviour.
This is shown in the rubric “Fear of losing self-control”, which I consider to be one of the leading
rubrics of Argentum nitricim. In whatever situation self-control is involved, he becomes highly
nervous because he feels he lacks it, e.g. when looking down from a high place or if he has to catch
a train. In the very situation where one needs self-control, Argentum nitricum will become panicky.
If this man had self-control or felt he had, then no problems would arise.
In its symptomatology, Argentum nitricum has panic reactions such as diarrhoea from anticipation,
and psoric symptoms like anxiety from anticipation, but there are mainly sycotic symptoms of
obsessive and compulsive behaviour. Ultimately, there are syphilitic manifestations like ulcerations
and degeneration, when he finds the basic fault not correctable and/or the situation is too stressful
for him.
The above is another example of how psora is the mother of sycosis. We say this because the feeling
that he lacks self-control would arise most often in a person who has struggled for a long time with a
situation that needed self-control and failed time and again. A fixed idea then enters him that he
lacks self-control. This is the basis of sycosis. When a person loses his struggle in the sycotic state, he
develops a syphilitic state. In this way both the sycotic and the syphilitic miasms are based on psora.
At a point, it is possible even to predict which psoric remedy would be a counterpart of which sycotic
remedy. For example, Lycopodium is likely to be the psoric counterpart of Argentum nitricum since it
is involved in a struggle which is concerned with self-control, high places and success. This
correspondence is seen in the following rubrics, Argentum nitricum: “Undertakes nothing lest he
fails”, its counterpart in Lycopodium is “Fear of not being able to reach his destination” and “Fear of
undertaking anything”.
Anacardium comes from a situation where he is the dependent son of a dictatorial parent. The
features of Anacardium can seem very acute, especially fear before exams, etc. This is also seen in
the rubrics “Delusion, pursued by enemies”, “Anxiety as if pursued by enemies”. The psoric element
is not seen prominently. However, the main focus is on both the sycotic (“Want of self-confidence”;
“Cannot rest till things are in place – fastidious”) and syphilitic (“Moral feeling, want of”; “Cruelty”;
“Kill, desire to”). Thus Anacardium falls in the syco-syphilitic (cancer) miasm.
There are only a few remedies that belong almost solely to one miasm. These can be considered
archetypes of the miasm.
Acute : Aconitum
Psora : Psorinum
Sycosis : Medorrhinum
Syphilis : Syphilinum
A study of these remedies with their delusions and responses helps in perceiving the central
features of their respective miasms.
The reader is referred to “The Spirit of Homeopathy” for the description of Psorinum and
Medorrhinum. Here I would like to describe my clinical experience with Aconitum and Syphilinum. A
study of these four remedies is essential for an understanding of the respective miasms.
Aconitum napellus
Kent begins the lecture on Aconitum with: “Aconitum is a short acting remedy”. Aconitum is a
remedy rarely used in chronic conditions. This is not because it has no effect in chroni c situations,
but because of our bias against some remedies we restrict their use. If we just open up our mind a
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little we can see how many people around us need Aconitum as a chronic constitutional medicine.
Let us study the important components of Aconitum:
– Excitement, excitable, nervous;
– Fear, of death;
– RESTLESSNESS;
– Clairvoyance / prophesying;
– Frightened easily;
– Sudden manifestations (Synthetic Repertory, vol. II, p. 616);
– Sensitive / beside oneself;
– Anger, violent/violent;
– Anguish;
– Hurry;
– Mood, changeable;
– Joy / laughter;
– Sadness / weeping;
– Irritability.
From these components one can get a fairly good idea of an Aconitum person. He is very excitable,
can flare up all of a sudden, can get frightened very easily. Pain can make him beside himself. This
excitement will be manifested suddenly and violently – violent anger, violent fear, etc., with great
restlessness; will go up and down, pace back and forth and show an acute panic reaction.
The Aconitum person who is calm can suddenly flare up and starts shouting, can get frightened and
start moaning and groaning, and can get so panicky that he can start throwing his arms wildly about.
Rubrics :
– Gestures, wild throwing motions of the hands;
– Shrieking with the pains;
– Moaning, groaning, whining.
Not only his health, but also the health of people around him causes him great concern; a problem
with anyone and he does not react in a cool manner, but always in a panicky, jerky fashion and will
raise a big hue and cry, get worked up – paces back and forth – summon all the doctors and may even
land himself in the hospital after that – so great is his excitement!
No wonder that Hahnemann wrote: “Whenever Aconitum is chosen homoeopathically, you must
above all observe the moral symptoms, and be careful that it closely resembles them, the anguish of
mind and body, the restlessness, the disquiet not to be allayed.”
H.C. Allen writes: “This mental anxiety, worry, fear accompanies the most trivial ailment.”
The great nervous excitability is the most important component of the mental state of Aconitum.
One could almost say it is contra-indicated in calm people; we must look for the excitable person –
one who cannot take anything easy, everything excites him. Here it comes close to remedies like Nux
vomica, Chamomilla, Staphisagria, Coffea and Graphites.
Rubric:
– Beside oneself.
This nervous excitability is linked with other components so as to make Aconitum a unique remedy,
different from others.
Rubric:
– Excitement, nervous.
Aconitum should be added to the sub-rubric: “Palpitations, with”.
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The first of these is “Restlessness”, “Anxious restlessness”. Pierre Schmidt feels it is the most
important remedy for “Restlessness, anxious” (Synthetic Repertory). He is excitable and becomes
very, very, very restless. Nux vomica is not so restless nor is Staphysagria or Coffea or Ignatia. The
anxious restlessness is a feature which is most prominent in Aconitum alone. He just can’t sit. He
tosses about.
It is like Arsenicum and Rhus toxicodendron – only it is more intense, more vigorous, more sudden,
more acute. It is not the constant physical restlessness of Rhus toxicodendron. Nor is it the desire to
pace back and forth as in Arsenicum. It is a sudden burst of tremendous excitement, fear or anxiety
with intense internal restlessness. He does not know where to go, what to do with himself; his mind
is just concerned and ruled over by a tremendous anxiety and fear. And then, as suddenly as the
whole state came, it just disappears, leaving almost no trace of itself. It comes and goes like a storm.
Here it may be compared with Argentum nitricum which also has these sudden anxiety attacks. The
only difference is that in Argentum nitricum the anxiety attacks appear in some fixed situations, for
instance passing a certain point, in closed places, high places, before engagements, before a journey,
etc. In short, Argentum nitricum has more of the phobic kind of neurosis and Aconitum, anxiety
neurosis – with nonspecific yet intense anxiety attacks.
Naturally, anything that causes more excitement of the mind is bound to aggravate the situation
further. Hence, in these times Aconitum avoids crowds and crossing the streets. The proving reads:
“Fear to go where there is any excitement.”
We have already seen two aspects of the Aconitum personality, viz. nervous excitability and
restlessness. We have also seen the suddenness of effects, and we have a hint about the anxiety and
fear of Aconitum – termed anxiety neurosis. Let us go further.
Fear, fright, anxiety dominate the sudden attacks of the Aconitum excitability. Fear, tremendous
fear, sometimes nonspecific, sometimes specific, sometimes a definite fear of death. But in any case,
sudden, intense fear from trivial causes is characteristic. It is not the insecure feeling of Calcarea, nor
the terror of Stramonium, nor the anxiety about health of Arsenicum, Nitricum acidum or Kalium
arsenicosum.
No, it is the intense, sudden panic state that something is going wrong, something severe,
something inexplicable, as if it is the end, it is death. Great restlessness accompanies these states
with anguish.
The physical symptoms of his state are clear: tremendous palpitation with great anxiety, the face
becomes red and hot, respiration is oppressed, limbs feel weak. There is moaning, groaning,
howling, loud whining or weeping. Easily startled and very sensitive to noise. It should be added to
the rubrics: “Heat” and “Discolouration, red, of face in anxiety and excitement” (Materia Medica
Pura).
As I have already said, this state is not the permanent state of Aconitum. It soon passes off and then
comes the normal state, the steady state of the Aconitum person, which has some characteristics
too as we shall see.
One thing that is marked in an Aconitum person, even in his normal state, is: “Hurry”. The proving
symptom reads: “He does everything in a hurry, and runs about the house.” He is hurried in
movements, in his occupation and in walking. His speech is hasty too – great impatience, wants
things at once.
The excitability can work the other way too and this person can be a cheerful person, laughing,
singing, dancing: “Becomes gay, and inclined to sing and dance”. But here again he is excitable and
the slightest trifle can change his mood from cheerfulness to anxiety. So, we have moods,
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changeable and variable. The proving reads: “Alternate attacks of opposite states of humour”, “Fitful
moods” (Phatak).
Rubrics:
– Cheerful – alternating with bursts of passion;
alternating with moroseness;
alternating with madness – foolish;
– Ecstasy;
– Singing;
– Dancing;
– Joy, ailments from excessive;
– Laughing, spasmodic;
– Moods, changeable, variable;
– Exhilaration;
– Weeping alternating with laughter.
I am pointing out the cheerful side of Aconitum to convey the idea that Aconitum person is not
always in a panicky state. In fact, it is this cheerfulness that could distinguish it from Argentum
nitricum or Arsenicum.
See rubric: “Smiles, never” (Arsenicum) and also “Cheerful” (Argentum nitricum is not there)
(Synthetic Repertory). This makes of the Aconitum person a quite good company despite his
excitability.
Rubrics:
– Affectionate;
– Loquacity.
The speech is hasty, or jerky: excited speech, rapid change of thought, wandering speech, jerking
suddenly from one to another subject.
Rubrics:
– Speech, hasty;
– Thoughts, wandering, rapid quick.
The wandering thoughts is an important aspect of the Aconitum mind. The proving reads: “On
attempting to think of one thing, another thought intrudes, this soon supplanted by another and so
on.”
One more dimension of the excitability of the Aconitum person is his easy irritability. This person
can get very angry, suddenly. He can shout or even become violent. This can be excited by trifles.
Rubrics:
– Anger, violent;
– Reproaches others;
– Irritability;
– Contradiction, intolerant of;
– Rage, fury;
– Shrieking;
– Quarrelsome;
– Violent;
– Censorious;
– Throws things away.
The people around know that this man is very excitable, he will cool down soon – so, there is no
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sense exciting him further – it is better to keep quiet and allow his anger to subside. They also know
that he has no ill will, it is only this sudden excitability that makes him so.
The last dimension to the excitability of Aconitum is sadness. Again the three features of the
Aconitum personality are found in its sadness: “Sudden”, “Intense”, “Passes off soon”.
Rubrics:
– Sadness, anxious; chill, during; heat, during; music, from; perspiration, during.
It is accompanied by the usual features of Aconitum, viz. “Anguish”, “Restlessness”, “Moaning and
groaning”.
One other very prominent feature of Aconitum is its “Clairvoyance”. The clairvoyance of Aconitum is
manifested in its “Prophesying”. So, an Aconitum person can get intuitive feelings about people,
future events, things. So, he can read faces, and predicts events. Also he can get internal feelings,
also things which may not have any foundation in logic or fact.
Rubrics:
– Clairvoyance;
– Prophesying;
– Dream, as if in a;
– Fancies, excitation of;
– Fear, death, of, predicts the time.
The last rubric: “Predicts the time of death”, is a combination of “Clairvoyance” with “Intense fear of
death”.
The sleep of the Aconitum person also shows symptoms of his excitability in the form of
“Somnambulism”, “Talking in sleep”. The dreams of Aconitum reflect the same excitability and
anxiety. The dreams are:
– Dreams, anxious, clairvoyant.
The sleep can be very restless: Sleepless from anxiety, with constant agitation and tossing, Sleepless
– restless – constant tossing, Starting in sleep, Light sleep, Lies on back with the hand under the head
or sleeps in a sitting posture with head inclined forward, can’t lie on the sides.
Some rubrics:
– Face, expression, anxious, frightened;
– Thirst, burning;
– Heat , palms;
– Discolouration, red, cheeks;
– Perspiration, uncovered parts, on (Phatak);
– Desires, beer
bitter drinks
acids.
Syphilinum
Some rubrics of Syphilinum are:
– Antisocial (Phatak’s Repertory);
– Moral feeling, want of;
– Squanders;
– Abusive;
– Liar;
– Dipsomania;
– Indifference to the future.
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The main symptom of Syphilinum is: “Hopeless despair of recovery” (Phatak’s Materia Medica). This
indicates that the feeling of Syphilinum is one of desperation; whatever he does he cannot regain his
position (recover means to gain lost ground), his efforts are finally of no use. This is the broad and
general feeling of Syphilinum.
In the different remedies of the syphilitic miasm this feeling is more specific than general. In Aurum
metallicum this feeling is specific to his duty and responsibility. He feels he can never fulfill it, it is
too much for him. In Mercurius the feeling is specific to being dominated – here he feels he must
desperately revolt. In Fluoricum acidum the feeling is that he cannot save the relationship, he has to
break it.
In Syphilinum the feeling is in all these and other spheres – that the situation is beyond his capacity
to salvage – it is all too much for him. He desperately tries – this is seen in manic attempts, for
example in fanatic and manic religiousness, in manic tendency to wash his hands or keep his bowels
clean, etc. But all this is felt to be insufficient – the situation gets too hopeless and the person
decompensates into an antisocial – “I don’t care” attitude – which can lead to the worst of human
behaviour including serial killing.
In the pathology of Syphilinum too, one sees the absence of hope. The pathologies are concerned
with destruction, poor reaction, ulceration, infarctions, hemiplegias and so forth. It is as if the body
has decided, like the mind, to destroy itself because it sees no hope. Syphilis itself is a taint which
slowly and steadily destroys; without proper treatment a syphilitic dies a slow, difficult death. The
mind and body give up and go into a state of self-destruction without caring what happens. It is not
surprising that syphilis in the mother is associated with habitual abortions. The foetus is already in a
process of self-destruction, already has the feeling: ” I wish I had never been born”.
Specific situations
It is very evident from the various examples already given that remedies belonging to the same
miasm show their own special individual features. These arise from the specific situation of that
drug. Thus, although all the drugs belonging to the acute miasm have the common delusion of a
threat from outside, in Belladonna the specific situation is like that of one who is going to be taken
to the gallows, while in Stramonium, it is like that of a person lost in a jungle.
Application of the miasms theory
Understanding the case
Each case needs to be viewed from the point of his miasmatic totality in order to understand it
completely. I cannot overstress the need to settle upon the miasm before searching for a remedy;
the drug must match the pace and nature of the disease. It will not do to give a remedy belonging to
the acute miasm in a syphilitic case, e.g. Stramonium where Mercurius is required.
The characteristic symptoms of the case are those which represent the delusion of the patient. The
delusion will have acute, psoric, sycotic and syphilitic elements.
The acute components of the delusion are:
– What he feels outside of him that is urgently threatening (e.g. pursued by animals).
– The panic which he has to react to save himself (e.g. desire to escape).
The psoric components of the delusion are:
– What he feels outside of him that needs adjustment. This will come under the rubrics of delusions
and fears (sensations) and feelings
– The adjustment he needs to make or the symptoms that represent this adjustment, e.g. obstinate
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(functions and actions).
The sycotic elements are:
– What he feels is wrong with himself (e.g. “Delusion, small”).
– What symptoms represent his adjustment to his feeling (e.g. “Washing hand”, “Egotism”).
The syphilitic element again has two components:
– What he feels requires a radical change (delusions, sensations, e.g. “Delusion, persecuted”;
“Delusion, sinned away his day of grace”; “Despair of recovery”).
– What he has an impulse to do (actions, functions) e.g. suicide, murder, abuse, deceit.
When we consider all the components of these miasms, we arrive at the basic delusion – the
disease. To work in this fashion, after taking the case we could ask ourselves the following questions
about the patient:
– What is outside (external) that he reacts to?
– How does he react?
– What is outside that he has to struggle to adjust to?
– What does he do to adjust to that?
– What in himself does he feel is lacking?
– What does he do to adjust to this defect?
– What is outside or inside that he feels he must change in order to survive?
– How does he want to bring about this change?
Understanding and differentiating remedy states
Let us look at two remedies that are very similar: Hyoscyamus and Lachesis. Both have loquacity,
jealousy, suspicion, foolish behaviour, homicidal tendencies, lasciviousness and persecuted feelings.
The difference can be seen through their miasmatic classification: Hyoscyamus is acute, Lachesis is
mildly psoric with a strong syco-syphilitic element.
By this we mean that the delusion of Hyoscyamus is an external problem. His wife is trying to poison
him or run away with someone. The fault is not his and there is nothing he can do but react with
suspicion, threats and homicidal violence. Lachesis, on the other hand, has the delusion that not onl y
is there a threat from outside in terms of competition but also that he is lacking; he therefore
concentrates on himself and tries to make up for this lack. Once you understand this, you realize
why Lachesis has egotism and Hyoscyamus does not, and why Hyoscyamus has the delusion his wife
is faithless and Lachesis does not.
Using the repertory
While using the Repertory we must remember that no symptom by itself belongs to any particular
miasm. Each symptom has to be examined as to where it originates and what it represents. What is
its space, quality and underlying element? In the Repertory, we find under “Washing hands”,
Psorinum, Medorrhinum and Syphilinum, representing three different miasms.
Psorinum is like a motor mechanic who keeps getting dirty and must wash often to keep clean. This
is his struggle. Medorrhinum is like a boy who has smoked a cigarette and tries to wash his mouth in
order to hide the smell as far as possible, though he knows it will not go. Thus, washing in
Medorrhinum is a cover up. In Syphilinum, the situation is like that of a person who has tainted his
hands by killing someone – an unpardonable sin – and makes a desperate attempt to wash off the
traces of his crime. This is rather like the “hands washing” of Lady Macbeth. In this situation, there is
no hope and the person is doomed. Once he realizes he is doomed, he not only stops washing his
hands but goes to other extreme – he doesn’t care (antisocial, drunkards, etc.)
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Selection of the remedy
Miss T.P. , medical student, 22 years of age, came with complaints of : 1) bilateral oedema of feet
since four years, aggravated in evening, aggravated by hanging legs down, and 2) scanty menses
since four years. Menses suppressed by bathing which also causes swelling of the feet: during a
menstrual period, if she took a bath, the menstrual flow would cease abruptly and resume after
three to four days. The menses would leave indelible stains, the same also being the case with
perspiration. She had numerous complaints before exams: urticaria the evening before the exam,
sleeplessness to the extent that she would take (allopathic) medicines, hairfall and also nausea and
giddiness before the exams. She had a craving for sweets, chocolates, fish and spices. Averse to milk,
and doesn’t like meat (feels it is dirty). There is much fear of darkness, robbers, ghosts and high
places, marked fear of dogs. She has a very strong image of what she has to be; very self-conscious.
Finds it difficult to mix about with others; shy of public places, people. Speech is fast and very tense.
Cannot sleep in total darkness; if she wakes up in darkness feels breathless and anxious. Cannot
tolerate hunger.
Analysis
External situation : Fear of dogs 3, robbers, ghosts,
darkness 3, high places.
Internal situation : Timidity, appearing in public; Fear of exams; Conscientious about trifles.
Destructive feelings/reactions : None
The external situation is threatening: acute miasm. The internal feeling indicates the sycotic miasm.
There is not much of psora or syphilis involved here. In a routine prescription, the first group of
symptoms would have led to a prescription of Stramonium or a closely related drug. The second
group of symptoms would have led to Silicea.
From an understanding of the miasms, we know that the drug must have both the acute as well as
the sycotic aspects necessarily. Thus, an ordinary evaluation of symptoms might give a secondary
place to the acute or sycotic aspect and this may consequently be left out in the repertorial process.
However, when we search for a drug which has both, i.e. an acute treat from an animal force (we
may not be able to get the exact rubric, i.e. “Fear of dogs”, but it is necessary to find a drug having a
similar “threat” source) and the sycotic “Deficient” feeling related to exams, etc., we find Aethusa
cynapium. Aethusa was given to this patient with a very satisfactory response.
Rubrics
– Anxiety, darkness aggravates.
– Timidity, appearing in public.
– Fear, examinations, of.
– Delusion, dogs, sees.
– Respiration difficult, darkness, in.
– Menses, suppressed, bathing, from.
This is the manner in which we could proceed in selecting the remedy. Evaluation of the symptoms
is no doubt important but in this process, we must remember that the most characteristic symptoms
are those which point definitely towards a miasm.
Prognosis
Once we understand the miasmatic element in a case, we can anticipate the outcome of the case
with greater certainty. The acute miasm has the best prognosis: a rapid cure. Psora, sycosis and
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syphilis have increasingly poor prognoses. As the multimiasmatic case moves towards psora from
syphilis in the course of treatment, the prognosis improves.
5) I am riding a bicycle which is as high as a double-decker bus; people are looking at me. Suddenly I
feel scared, I try to brake but it is of no use.
So, it shows embarrassment and inability to get out of a situation. Most of the time it is a very
difficult situation, it looks hopeless but finally the dreamer gets out of it, as seen in the following
dream:
6) There are floods in Bombay, there is scarcity of essential commodities; so I have to go out and
walk on a deserted road. It is clean and surrounded by water but I have the feeling that it is going
down. There is one coconut tree and below is a small shop blue in colour. Coming closer I see a
person inside and a pack of biscuits, fruits. I feel relieved.
Provers experienced a lot of dreams of parties, feasts. The theme seems to be of: dream of danger;
of being pursued; of being sad. Aggravation from consolation. Of somebody facing a danger, and the
dreamer being unable to help.”
Conclusion
In concluding this section on in-between miasms, I would like to say that there may be many other
miasms waiting to be discovered. With time, our map will become more and more precise. You must
have noticed in the above examples that we have mostly spoken of common infections of the
human race and seen that the characteristics of that infection fit in with the miasmatic classifi cation.
Here I must point out for clarity that our miasmatic classification is not built around characteristics of
any infection. It is based on common states of being, the delusions and reactions most often seen.
As infections are secondary to these states, they naturally fit into the classification and help us to
understand it more easily, being distinct, well-known entities.
The miasmatic classification is one of the most brilliant contributions made by Hahnemann to the
medical world. I have benefited immensely from it already though there is much still to be learned.
A new repertory
Disease states (and drug state) take on specific patterns allowing us to classify them logically into
groups. We have seen how remedy selection becomes greatly simplified once we arrive at the
particular “group” (miasm). It would be most useful to have an arrangement of symptoms which
would lead us most swiftly and certainly to the group – the particular miasm. This consideration led
me to conceive a new repertory.
A repertory is formed by breaking down the entire (whole) disease state with its expressions into
components. We subsequently use the repertory to unify various components found in a patient
into a sensible entity which we feel represents the disease state.
The new Repertory would list various components in a way such that when assembled, the sum
would indicate the miasm. Then, further differentiation will enable us to come to the similimum.
External situation
Threatening Non-threatening
e.g. Robbers Exams
Animals Problems at work
Fire Difficulties in journey
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Internal situations (feelings)
Small, Handicapped, Weak, Sick, Dependent, Guilty.
Finally, there are actions and destructive feelings which represent syphilis.
Reaction of strength
Positive Negative
Dictatorial Homicidal
Contradiction, intolerant of Suicidal
Revolutionary Antisocial
Cruel
Each of the main situations in psora and sycosis will be further differentiated into its exact situation.
For example, if there is danger in the situation, then it would be differentiated into danger where
help is available and where not, danger to life, to property or to relatives, danger that can be
avoided or has to be faced, and whether it comes from people or other elements like fire. Thus, we
define the exact nature of the danger.
Similarly, the internal situation will be finely differentiated. For example, handicapped – is it
intellectually, emotionally or physically? Likewise the reactions – e.g. suicidal by hanging, shooting
oneself or jumping out of the window. We can also find remedies for a combination, e.g. of
unavoidable danger from a natural element in a physically handicapped person.
At this point, we can turn to the traditional Repertory for the specific rubrics of fears, delusions and
reactions which best represent the particular (specific) situation, and thus arrive at the similimum.
Such a Repertory will be very difficult to construct since we have much to understand before we put
down the situational Materia Medica of drugs. However, the concept of such a Repertory helps us a
great deal in how to proceed to understand a case. The method outlined above may seem tedious
but is much simpler, more logical and therefore more certain.
Miasms in between the main miasms
Tubercular miasm
The miasmatic classification represents to me a map of diseases, and to plot diseases on this map
more specifically it was necessary to have more points on it. Besides the classical trio of psora,
sycosis and syphilis, there is abundant literature on the tubercular miasm.
Tuberculosis is one of the most widespread and most important infection mankind has known,
accounting for much morbidity and mortality. In the pathology of tuberculosis we see much
destruction of tissues and lasting disability in the form of restricted lung space, for example due to
fibrosis, etc. We have the sycotic aspect wherein the situation is not totally lost but the person lives
for the rest of his life with a fixed weakness and very often has tendencies to recurrent colds and
other respiratory affections. On the other hand, tuberculosis is also known to have violent,
progressive features which are almost totally hopeless without medical intervention – e.g.
conditions like T.B. meningitis, miliary tuberculosis, etc. Thus, the tubercular miasm seems to fall
between sycosis and syphilis.
The main feeling of the patient is a sense of oppression. There is a great need to take a deep breath:
oppression of chest, suffocation. The same feeling is found in the mind. The “Concise Oxford
Dictionary” defines the word “Oppress” as follows:
Oppress: 1) Keep in subservience by coercion.
2) Govern or treat harshly or with cruel injustice.
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3) Weigh down (with cares and unhappiness).
Oppression: 1) The act or an instance of oppressing; the state of being oppressed. 2) Prolonged
harsh or cruel treatment or control.
3) Mental distress.
Oppressive: 1) Oppressing; harsh or cruel.
2) Difficult to endure.
3) (of weather) close and sultry.
The feeling is that one’s weakness is being exploited. We do not have such a rubric in the Repertory
but the closest we can find is “Persecution” in which Drosera is one
of the most important drugs. The drugs that the best represent the tubercular miasm are
Tuberculinum and Drosera.
Drosera rotundifolia
Phatak’s Materia Medica gives the following description:
“Fears being alone and is suspicious of friends. Imagines being deceived by spiteful envious people.”
In “Delusion, being deceived”, Phatak’s Repertory lists only two drugs: Drosera and Ruta.
Hahnemann’s Materia Medica Pura gives the following symptoms under Drosera:
“All day long, uneasiness of disposition and anxiety, full of mistrust, as if he had to do with none but
false people.
Extremely uneasy, sad disposition, all day – he imagined he was being deceived by spiteful , envious
people.
Silent and reserved, with anxiety, he always feared he was about to learn something disagreeable.
Anxiety, as if enemies would not leave him quiet, envied and persecuted him.
He is sad and dejected about the ills of life, which people cause one another and himself, respecting
which he is anxious and concerned; at the same time, want of appetite.
He is dejected about the malice of others on all hands, and at the same time, disheartened and
concerned about the future.
Anxiety in solitude – he wished to have someone always near him, could not bear to be without
companions and was quieter when he had someone to speak to; but when they again left him in
solitude, he was all the more anxious, until he fell asleep; on awaking, the anxiety returned.
Very peevish; a trifle put him out of humor. An unimportant circumstance excited him so much that
he was beside himself with rage.
Obstinate prosecution of resolutions he had formed.”
The theme of Drosera is that of being stabbed in the back, of being deceived by one’s own friends
and yet, at the same time, great dependence on them.
There is a feeling of weakness due to which he is dependent, but at the same time, he feels his
weakness is taken advantage of. This is a typical tubercular feeling. Drosera feels harassed by others
and let down by his own friends. Even the cough is described in Phatak’s Materia Medica as
harassing. The patient reacts to this “oppression” rather violently. The slightest irritation causes
violent bouts of cough excited by a tickling sensation in the throat. Drosera, as we have seen, also
has a suicidal inclination.
Tuberculinum bovinum kent
We know the expressions of this nosode better than its central feeling. The prominent features are
the violence, the desire for change, the need to travel, the boldness and daring, etc. Tuberculinum
has very few known delusions. The drug has not been well proved and the indications commonly
prescribed on have been derived clinically – these indications are very reliable. There are three
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delusions available:
– Delusion, people seem big;
– Delusion, snakes in and around;
– Delusion, someone behind him and desire to see.
The situation is one where people who do not wish him well (“Delusion, snakes in and around her”)
are behind him (“Delusion, someone behind him and desire to see”), and they are much more
powerful than he is (“Delusion, people seem big”).
To understand Tuberculinum better, let us look at the other symptoms:
– Hopelessness (Phatak);
– Hopeful;
– Change, desire for;
– Travel, desire to;
– Fear of dogs;
– Cursing, abusive;
– Dream of being a prude;
– Shamelessness in children.
In my experience, Tuberculinum patients often seem to be breaking free from the bonds of society.
They do things which cannot be termed antisocial but are at the borderline of what is acceptable to
society. We have young people nowadays who zoom about on motorcycles, go in for wild, daredevil
exploits, etc., seeking change and excitement – this represents to me the clinical picture of
Tuberculinum, bold and rash.
The Tuberculinum patient may be one who sees the rules of society as being too rigid and strict –
almost oppressive. Tuberculinum has “Dreams of being a prude” which shows that rules of social
conduct, etc., are important in the Tuberculinum situation. It also, as we know, has a desire for
change and these two features explain to an extent the typical Tuberculinum patient – the rash, bold
person who does daring things and at times is destructive.
Jurgen Becker sees the theme of Tuberculinum in the fairy tale of “Red Riding Hood”. Riding Hood is
the young girl who has been told by her mother to walk along straight path (and no other) in order
to reach her grandmother’s place. She is warned that if she deviates from this path, she might lose
her way and get into trouble. The wolf tempts her to leave the path and try a different one – it
promises excitement instead of monotony. Riding Hood takes her chance and, as we know, the wolf
reaches the grandmother and eats her up before Riding Hood finds her way to the cottage.
The wolf in the story represents the animal side of man; it represents sensuality and excitement
without the need for control or discipline. The straight path is what society proclaims to be right –
the code of society.
I see the Tuberculinum situation today in what has been termed the “generation gap”. The youth
today feel they have a right to live their own life – they feel imposed upon by the “restrictions” laid
down by their orthodox parents. In order to prove (often to themselves) their independence, they
do things which are not approved by society. By parents I mean not only those who have given birth
but all those who have taken up a responsibility towards a person and to whom that person is
consequently responsible. This could be, for example, the church or school, etc.
This feeling of being oppressed, of suffering injustice and labouring under a burden difficult to
endure is found most prominently here in India. It is, therefore, hardly a surprise to find tuberculosis
in vast populations of Indians. This theme of oppression is reflected even in our movies – the
common man in India dreams of liberation from oppression (a desire for change) which is what he
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sees in the movies. We also see in these movies that it is usually a man who is already poor and
destitute who is subjected to further atrocities and he reacts in the end with violence, bringing about
the desired change. This represents the sycotic and syphilitic aspect of the miasm. We further note
that it is usually the malnourished and poor man who develops the disease, especially the more
destructive and progressive form – again the strong element of sycosis (weakness) in the
background.
Leprous miasm
Speaking of the tubercular miasm, we find another widespread infection in this country (formerly all
over the world) – leprosy. The leprous miasm has features that indicate that it is almost exactly
between tuberculosis and syphilis. Leprosy in its pathology has three distinct types. It has a
tuberculoid type which, though progressive, has a better prognosis than the other types – there is
hope. At the other end there is the lepromatous leprosy which is rapidly progressive and destructive,
resembling syphilis. The intermediate type lies between these two.
The main feeling of the leprous miasm must be similar to the tubercular miasm (only much worse)
as we find both these infections rampant in this country. Thus, there is intense oppression (lepers
are treated worse than animals; often the objects of loathing) and an intense hopelessness, with an
intense desire for change.
We find that the tubercular, leprosy and syphilitic miasms have such an intense feeling of
hopelessness and desire to change the situation, that they often seem acute. Often we find only
strong expressions which are the natural outcome of such intense states (especially leprosy and
syphilis).
According to me, the drug which most characteristically represents the leprosy miasm is Secale
cornutum. Kent gives Secale cornutum and Sulphur in bold type in his Repertory under the rubric:
“Skin, eruptions, leprosy”. The symptoms we find in a leprosy patient are loathing for self, ashamed,
abandoned (forsaken), hatred and despised. It is an almost hopeless situation.
In Secale we find “Violent”, “Fight, wants to”, “Forsakes his relatives” and “Becomes shameless”,
“tries to kill people”, “Forsaken” and “Shameless”. It is known for its destructive pathologies
especially gangrene, which would be one of the prominent pathologies of the leprosy miasm. This
miasm requires a much deeper investigation and I have not been able to understand it fully yet. I
believe that a large number of patients fall in this miasm but are not recognized.
Cancer miasm
As I have said, the tubercular miasm falls between sycosis and syphilis. If we analyze the progression
from sycosis to syphilis, we find that the syphilitic state develops when a sycotic (with a fixed
weakness) is subjected to extreme stress (oppression) and is expected to perform well in such a
situation. If the sycotic is only subjected to oppression, then tubercular state develops.
What if the sycotic is expected to perform exceedingly well, to live up to expectations? This is a
common situation today. Everyone has this feeling of weakness within, yet society has greater and
greater expectations. We are looking for yet another miasm between sycosis and syphilis, the theme
of which is a tremendous effort, stretching oneself beyond the limits of his capacity in order to
survive. This miasm should have the sycotic fixity as well as the syphilitic destructive dimension. By
now it is quite obvious that we are talking of cancer. We find cancer increasing in incidence all over
the world and this is not entirely explained by control of other infections or an increase in life span.
The cancer miasm has this theme of superhuman effort in order to survive. It has the sycotic
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element of building up growths, etc., with fixity and at the same time, the breakdown like syphilis.
The feeling of the cancer miasm is that he is expected to fulfil a great demand which he feels
incapable of doing. Though he would like to cover up for this, this is not sufficient and he has to put
everything he has and much more in a really intense effort to survive, for failure means death and
destruction. It is a continuous and prolonged struggle which seems to have no end.
The main remedies of the cancer miasm are Carcinosinum and Nitricum acidum. These two
remedies are quite unlike each other but if we can see the common theme in them we have grasped
the feeling of the miasm. They are like Aconitum and Lyssinum of the acute miasm – very different
yet similar.
Carcinosinum
The clinical picture of Carcinosinum is of a person who is a model of perfection – one with whom it is
difficult to find fault. We often find a history of high expectations on the part of the parents and
usually a high level of performance on the part of the subject to live up to them. We find
Carcinosinum listed under:
– Ailment from anticipation;
– Discontent;
– Dancing;
– Indifferent;
– Fastidious;
– Change, desire for;
– Sensitive to reprimands;
– Travel, desire to;
– Timidity;
– Suicidal;
– Obstinacy;
– Dwarfishness;
– Dreams of murder.
These symptoms show both the sycotic and the syphilitic dimensions and the strong need to
perform. The patient is constantly striving to be perfect and in doing so, stretches himself to the limit
of his capacity. There is no rest or freedom from tension.
Nitricum acidum
Nitricum acidum has the features of sycosis as well as syphilis equally. It has in its pathology warts
and ulcers, both very prominently. The idea of Nitricum acidum is of an intense superhuman struggle
to survive – the specific situation here being like a lawsuit, in which he battles desperately. It has the
symptoms:
– Obstinate;
– Hatred of persons who offended;
– Anxiety about health;
– Unmoved by apologies;
– Delusion, incurable disease, has;
– Violent, destructive;
– Cursing.
We see a constant, fixed and continuous battle with much destruction. The person cannot relax for
a moment, nor can he afford to make mistakes (for example in a lawsuit), he must strive for
perfection. This is the thread that links Carcinosinum and Nitricum acidum. As the world becomes a
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more competitive one, the cancer miasm is showing itself in greater frequency, a sign of the
desperate struggle to survive.
Other miasms
Looking around, we find other widespread infections which afflict mankind in near epidemics. I
thought of a miasm between the acute and the sycotic miasms. In this miasm there must be an
acute feeling of threat that comes up intermittently in phases between which there is a chronic
underlying fixed feeling of being deficient. The idea that came to me immediately was the malarial
miasm.
Malarial miasm
Malaria is a very common infection marked by periods of relative dormancy, with sudden acute
attacks of fever with chills, followed again by a quite phase. The main remedy of the malarial miasm
is China. The main feeling of this miasm and China is that of persecution.
China has two components, the acute threat with its fear of dogs, etc., on the one hand, and on the
other, it has fixed ideas and the chronic, tormented, persecuted and hindered feelings which gives
rise to theorizing and planning without any hope of executing these plans. Another important drug
belonging to this miasm is Colocynthis. This remedy has severe spasmodic colics and periods of
quiescence. Phatak describes the pains as “atrocious”. It is as if atrocities are being committed on
him – something akin to persecution.
It is useful at this stage to differentiate “oppression” and “persecution”. The latter is derived from
“secut” which means to follow. Persecution is a harassment, something that follows a person and
troubles him. Oppression is a continuous feeling of injustice, cruelty and suppression.
Thyphoid miasm
Having discovered these miasms. I wondered if there could be a miasm between acute and psora,
and another between psora and sycosis. I concluded that the “subacute” miasm between the acute
and the psoric miasms had to be typhoid. Typhoid has a prolonged prodrome with a feeling of
malaise, days before the temperature rises significantly. The fever is continuous, rises higher each
day and can become quite life-threatening. Typhoid has both the acute features as well as slowness.
It is an intense struggle in which there is an acute threat from outside – the response is not just
instinctive but has the component of a struggle. The feeling is that of a critical situation, which if
properly handled for a critical period, will end in total recovery. One of the main drugs for this
miasm is Bryonia.
Bryonia has the fear of poverty and the struggle for wealth. It has “Delirium, talks of business” which
gives an indication as to how critical and acute the situation is, and how intensely he is struggling
against it – Bryonia is also given under “Fear of starving”.
Ringworm miasm
As for the miasm between psora and sycosis, I had great difficulty in finding one that had the
characteristics of psora, i.e. the struggle with anxiety about success, and sycosis, with its fixity and
given up state with no hope of recovery (yet not life-threatening). I was searching for an infection
that comes up suddenly with an intense struggle which is not life-threatening but at other times is
quiet and fixed.
After much thinking and reading, I got the idea that this infection was none other than Ringworm.
Ringworm is characterized by periods when it is just another skin lesion and times when it itches
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terribly like scabies, compelling scratching – thus, there are both the resigned acceptance as well as
the element of struggle.
In order to confirm this idea, I got a specimen of ringworm scraped from the skin of an infected
patient, confirmed it by histopathological examination, then potentized it and proved it on a few
volunteers. The volunteers did not know what they were taking. I relied mainly on the dreams to
reveal the inner essence of the remedy proving.
The main theme of the dreams was a feeling of “trying to do something”. On one hand, there were
periods of trying to do something with a feeling of hope while at other times, there was resignation
and acceptance of the situation, followed again by another trial. This alternation between struggle
and giving up was seen in the dreams of most provers of this nosode.
For example, one person had a dream that he was inside a little tent and was trying to come out of
this tent, but outside the tent were thousands of crows that pecked him when he got out, so that he
had to get back again. He would try again but the same process would recur. Similarly, other provers
had dreams which represented a situation in their life where they were trying to do something –
sometimes with hope, sometimes giving up altogether.
No doubt further provings are needed to understand this nosode better, but the initial pilot testing
seems to confirm my idea that the ringworm miasm has the main feeling of “Trying”. The situation is
on the borderline of his capacity and, while not threatening, it is good for him to succeed. So he tries
periodically but when he fails, he just gives up and accepts it. This reminds me of the struggle of
obese people trying to lose weight. There are periods of struggling, jogging, walking, dieting,
followed by periods of acceptance, chocolates and calories. The main remedies for this miasm are
Calcarea sulphurica and Calcarea silicata.
Calcarea sulphurica has periods when he “Sits and meditates over imaginary misfortune” (nothing
can be done) and at other times when he is “Quarrelsome”, “Hasty” and “Hurried”, etc. He feels he is
not appreciated and so tries to win appreciation. When this fails, he just sits and broods over his
misfortune. Calcarea silicata has “Anxiety about health” and “Utterly ambitionless” on one side while
on the other it also has “Hurried”, “Impatient” and “Anticipatory anxiety”. The patient feels
incapable of performing and gives poor health as an excuse for nor being able to perform but at
other times he somehow tries to live up to the expectations.
Conclusion
In concluding this section o in-between miasms I would like to say that there may be many other
miasms waiting to be discovered. With time, our map will become more and more precise. You must
have noticed in the above examples that we have mostly spoken of common infections of the
human race and seen that the characteristics of that infection fit in with the miasmatic classification.
Here I must point out for clarity that our miasmatic classification is not built around characteristics of
any infection. It is based on common states of being, the delusions and reactions most often seen.
As infections are secondary to these states, they naturally fit into the classification and help us to
understand it more easily, being distinct, well-known entities.
The miasmatic classification is one of the most brilliant contributions made by Hahnemann to the
medical world. I have benefited immensely from it already though there is much still to be learned.
Proving of ringworm
I collected the specimen as described earlier and potentized it up to 30 C potency. On the night I
potentized the remedy I had a dream:
My car is parked near a railway station, a few yards from the clinic. My mother has purchased some
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things. I can’t park my car in the clinic because my space is occupied by someone else. I put my
mother on a bullock cart and I am running behind the cart. I go to the clinic and see the manager of
the building. I tell him: “I want my car parking space. The lethargy must be shaken.”
In reality my parking place is sometimes occupied. If it is, I use someone else’s place. I get angry but
I don’t show it. I want to tell the people in charge of the building but I don’t. This is the situation in
my life where on the one side I want to act (psora) and on the other I don’t (sycosis).
The provers took the 30 potency every night until the symptoms developed – up to 8 days in some
instances. None of them knew what they had taken. Seven of the provers developed symptoms.
Prover 1:
He had a dream that he was the boss of a hospital, the King.
Prover 2:
He had a dream in which he was anxious that he had not taken enough notes from the “Organon”
and had difficulty trying to pass an exam.
Prover 2 is normally anxious. After taking the remedy his anxiety went down. This was a case of cure
from the remedy.
– Normally I have to rush for my bus. I get very tense trying to reach the college in time. That tension
disappeared after the remedy. I thought: “Fine, I cam miss my lecture. I could relax.” Anxiety usually
led to irritability. My anger has come down a lot. I used to tremble with anger.
He use to tear and break things when they didn’t work for him.
– I had a dream that I was trying to tell my friends to give up smoking. I was trying to force the
matter. “Don’t smoke”, I said.
I also had a dream I was playing cricket and doing well. Usually I am sluggish. I can’t move in life. I
was very strong in the field. I won the match for my team. In the morning I had a pain in my neck on
the right side. It started gradually. I tried stretching but it didn’t help. I was sleeping or lying with hot
applications. In the evening it came back. Sometimes I had a pain in my hand as well as the neck.
Prover 3:
He dreamt he developed varicose veins, a calcaneal spur and pain in the left eye. He went to the
hospital for treatment and was offered a homeopathic mixture. He wanted a single remedy. They
told him he would have to wait fifteen days in the hospital. “Cut off my leg then”, he said.
Some provers developed an aversion to coffee. Three of the provers dreamt of pain in the left eye
with inflammation. What was the feeling about the homeopathic mixture of prover 3? In one
situation in his life he had been in hospitals for five days in a state between struggle and inertia.
What is the significance of dreams in term of the patient’s life? We have to look at the dream and
what it means to the dreamer. What situation doesit call to mind? What feeling does it bring up?
Prover 4:
He had a dream that all the provers had forgotten to take the first dose. At college they were all told
they would dream the same thing. They all felt strange and foolish. He had a dream of having a pinch
of salt in his hand. He had a biting pain in the stomach from 4:00-5:30 PM. On the second day at 2:00
PM, he had to press his stomach to ameliorate the pain. He had a yellow/greenish discharge from
the left eye. He felt tremendous anxiety in the chest for 5-10 minutes, as if the heart had reduced in
size. A fear that something was going to happen, which lasted the whole day. He also had sudden
attacks of anxiety.
Prover 5:
He had a dream that a nephew and cousin were urinating in the bathroom together. The stream of
urine was hitting the wall. It was a childish game but it was no use to tell them not to do it. “They
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always do it. It doesn’t work to tell them.”
Prover 6:
He had a dream he was in an old school doing a fashion show. They were all dancing on the stage
and the show was good. Then he walked along a corridor and
saw his friends sitting in a room doing an exam. He was hiding from the lecturer who walked by.
He had another dream of a field of crop and a huge ship. His whole life’s survival depended on
cutting the crop and making a ship to take the crop. Then he has a big party and in front of him the
whole ship is destroyed.
This dream didn’t tally with the rest of the provers. The dream was about success and failure, and
no struggle. In the other dreams you see no panic and no destruction. They were about inertia and
struggle. The prover was asked what he felt the dream meant: “It explains my life situation”, he said.
He was the only prover who had received placebo and at that time I didn’t know this.
Prover 7:
He felt tremendous anxiety. He had a dream that ten patients came at 6:30, all in an acute state and
all wanting medicine straight away. He told them to come one at a time. He was told to learn
patience. The solution, a doctor tells him, is to learn patience and not to panic. She, the doctor, sees
five of the patients and he sees the other five.
Prover 8:
He felt he was losing his balance in the last few days while riding a bike.
Separate proving
The following is a separate proving by a lady doctor. Here too, the 30 C was used.
– Going to a shop; can’t recognize where I am – narrow, deserted streets. I bought a black skirt. Then,
while returning, again, can’t recognize where I am; confused. Then I feel I have a black skirt already,
my parents would admonish me. I try to go back to return the skirt. I enter a shop, I don’t know if it
is the same one. It has tables running all along the walls with cloths just thrown on them. I see a
bright blue skirt with a lot of flowers. I want to exchange the black skirt for it. Then I feel it is too
much of a bother to go to the salesperson and exchange the skirt so I just pick up the blue skirt, put
it in my bag and leave the black skirt there. While leaving I worry: “What if someone catches me?”
– I am driving a car, white Maruti, with my family sitting in. I am driving in the side lane and I
approach a manhole with many people working around it. The manhole is standing and not flat on
the ground. As I reach just near the manhole the man opens it and dirty black water comes gushing
out. My mother screams: “Watch… Where are you going”, and I quickly reverse the car and just
manage to prevent the dirty water from falling on it. While reversing I reverse from one end to the
other end of the road at an angle. I knock one cyclist down but he is unhurt and cycles off. I knock
down one female who is on a motorbike. She seems to become unconscious and lies down on the
motorbike and the bike is moving backwards on its own. I am very scared and feel she will die. But
then, suddenly, she gets up and drives off.
– I have to catch a flight at 4:30 PM. I come to the airport at 4:00 PM. I am very anxious. My mother
is with me but she is very relaxed and I keep saying, “Hurry up, we have to report one hour in
advance.” Then I want to park the car and I find the cars are all parked in a staircase-like thing in a
slant. But to enter this parking place I have to enter it by means of some staircase. I wonder how the
car would go up this and I am trying to think how to do this. Then one person moves a lever and the
staircase moves to the floor level so that I can drive the car up. I find when I park the car, the car
disappears and only keys are left (like all the other cars). Now I wonder : “Should I leave the keys
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behind or put them in my bag?” There I see two friends and want to talk to them but they do not
talk to me and I want to go to them but something happens and I can’t. Then I try to find my
handbag but I can’t and then I see my mother sitting coolly with my bag. Then I realize that the dress
I am wearing is inside-out.
No one has told me. I want to correct this and try to find a bathroom but can’t find one. Feeling
anxious. I am trying to catch a flight, trying to park the car, trying to find my bag, trying to find a
place to change my dress.
These were the symptoms brought out in the proving of the ringworm tissue and I find the results
most encouraging in that they seem to confirm my ideas.
I conducted another proving of the Ringworm nosode at a recent seminar in Bombay (28th – 29th
Aug. 93). I append a review by my friend Mr. Patrick in the “Homoeopathic Links” (Asian Edition
2/93):
“The main theme of Ringworm as understood by Dr. Rajan through dreams and physical symptoms
of the provers is: trying hard but unable to get it. The mood of the prover was that of irritability,
restlessness and some also experienced pricking sensation of soles.
Here are some of the dreams narrated by the provers:
– A water bottle kept for filling under the tap is overflowing.
– I am at my friend’s house and all the family members are present (actually he has one brother but
in the dream he has also a sister). When I reach there everybody leaves the house and only he stays.
Then suddenly someone comes and takes the brother by the hand. They go to the bathroom and I
follow them, the newcomer is having a knife in his hand and he covers the brother’s face with a
mask, I feel it is anesthesia. He is about to kill him, they close the door and I hear him screaming. I
turn around and his sister is there again, the newcomer takes her somewhere and she cries for help.
Then all the members of the family come back, the sister is being raped but they are cool about it.
– One person becomes naked on a road and shows his varicose veins to me. He is not embarrassed.
Other people on the road walk as if they are not aware of us (not looking at us).
– I go to an office but people don’t allow me to enter in and drive me out.
– I am riding a bicycle which is as high as a double-decker bus; people are looking at me. Suddenly I
feel scared, I try to brake but it is of no use.
So, it shows embarrassment and inability to get out of a situation. Most of the time it is a very
difficult situation, it looks hopeless but finally the dreamer gets out of it, as seen in the following
dream:
– There are floods in Bombay, there is scarcity of essential commodities; so I have to go out and walk
on a deserted road. It is clean and surrounded by water but I have the feeling that it is going down.
There is one coconut tree and below is a small shop blue in colour. Coming closer I see a person
inside and a pack of biscuits, fruits. I feel relieved.
Provers experienced a lot of dreams of parties, feasts. The theme seems to be: dream of danger, of
being pursued, of being sad, aggravation from consolation, of somebody facing a danger and the
dreamer being unable to help.”
A proving of bacillinum
Bacillinum burnett
A proving of Bacillinum was conducted on the 22nd October 1993 in my seminar at Spiekeroog, an
island in the North Sea near the town of Bremen. There were two hundred fifty participants in the
seminar, of whom around a hundred took the proving dose, at bed time on the 21st October. They
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noted down and reported the effects of the drug the next morning at the seminar. All had received
Bacillinum 220 C, and were not aware of the drug being proved until after they had reported the
symptoms the next day.
Reason for selecting bacillinum
I reached Bremen a day before the seminar and had a meeting with some friends. We thought it
would be a good idea to prove a remedy at the seminar. As it was going to be a five day seminar on a
quiet, peaceful island with dedicated homoeopaths, we felt it was the ideal opportunity. Then arose
the question of the remedy to be chosen for the proving. I asked myself: “What is the main feeling in
the seminar and in the world in general today?” I felt, and so did the others, that change is the main
feature in the world today. We see change everywhere: political, economic, social and
environmental change – and in the past few years, this change has been rapid and tremendous. The
same rapid change can be observed in the attitude of the medical profession in general, and the
homoeopathic field in particular.
In the past few years, there has been a marked activity in the homoeopathic world. The increasing
number of seminars, books, provings and ideas are visible signs of such activity heralding change. In
fact, the forthcoming seminar, we felt, was a prime example of such a change. It was at Spiekeroog
that Dr. Künzli held his traditional yearly seminars, where he taught a rather strict form of classical
Homoeopathy. And now, I was going to present some very new concepts at the same place. This
change is what all of us desired. It seems as though the old and the traditional is not enough to meet
the demand of our time.
This desire for change is found in Tuberculinum and the main theme of the tubercular miasm, as I
understand it, is the need for rapid change in order to have a hope of survival. We note that the
incidence of tuberculosis in the world is rising steadily despite drastic measures like B.C. G.
vaccination, sustained treatment with powerful antibiotics, etc. There must be something in the
state of human beings that attracts this infection. We decided to prove Bacillinum (Koch).
A summary of the proving effects
I took the dose myself at night. I got a dream that a colleague from Holland was visiting me with her
husband, and I had to go from place to place, arranging things in connection with their visit. There
was a lot of quick, intense activity in the dream. I woke up with this feeling and went down to the
breakfast table in the hotel. I met a colleague from Denmark and asked him about his experience
with the proving. He told me that he had a dream full of hectic activity. Several provers used this
word “hectic” to describe their feeling. (It is interesting to note that under “Hectic”, the C.O. D. gives
also: – Hectic fever (or flush): a fever which accompanies consumption and similar diseases, with
flushed cheeks and hot dry skin).
In the seminar, I asked all the provers to write down their experiences and dreams, and then invited
some of them to come and speak out their experience. A brief summary of the proving follows.
Prover a
– Hectic at night. Fast. Many things to be done. Action – intense and hectic activity.
Prover b
– Hectic night. Couldn’t sleep till 4:00 am. Feeling warm, hot. A peculiar feeling of painful activity, of
high activity in the kidneys. Dream of a mountain/abyss. Feeling: “So what if it is deep?” Going down
on a rope, the people above looked so small.
Comment: This dream gives the second theme of the proving (the first being hectic activity): a risky
situation, taking a risk but feels no fear. There also seems to be a need to take a risk, and hence the
descent down the abyss with a rope – the situation seems to warrant a risk.
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Prover c
– Felt fully awake and read. Didn’t get tired. Dream of building a house with stones. The workers
made a hole. How can this house stand with so many holes?
Prover d
– Hectic at night.
Prover e
– Dream of a mountain and a drunken man. I felt it is my big duty to stay with him. Dreamt of an
aeroplane. Dreams were hectic, also sad and frustrating. There were many little cats, black and
white. It was my duty to give milk to them. I couldn’t do so.
Comment: The theme here is of having to do a lot but being unable to cope up… there is hectic and
intense activity, also a need to care for others, a sense of duty.
Prover f
– Hectic night. Felt like doing something. Felt very much under pressure. Dreamt of a beach, high
water. It was a difficult way through the high water.
Prover g
– Dream of a concentration camp. Also of a 1300 page “Open Testament” of Tolstoy.
Prover h
This person did not take the proving dose but, the same night (of the proving), he awoke with a
fright. He had a dream in which he saw lots of cables and wires. He saw a black ground like lava. He
saw helicopter-like planes going down with an intense noise; the movements, up and down, left an
intense feeling of close danger. He saw a dream of a train full of nuns being deported.
Comment: The themes of this dream are similar to the ones before, namely intense activity, risk and
even something like a concentration camp with the deported nuns. But this person did not take the
proving remedy. I had observed this phenomenon earlier in a proving of Cannabis indica in
California, as you will read in this book, i.e. the development of symptoms in a person who hadn’t
taken the proving dose. But the next speaker startled us even more.
Prover i
This colleague told us that she had seen in the seminars at Bad Boll in the provings conducted there
(by Dr. Jurgen Becker and others) that she would develop the symptoms of the proving a week
earlier to the proving without even knowing what remedy was going to be proved. A week before
the present seminar, she had dreamt that a woman killed a man with a knife. In another dream, a
big dog came and bit her neck, she had dream of a narrow restaurant with a feeling that this was too
dangerous for her. She also developed physical symptoms like pain in kidney and stomach, and
symptoms like asthma.
Prover j
The next prover said:
– Previously, I could not take a risk to prove a remedy. This time I could. I felt much calmed down
with the proving, a feeling of quiet joy. There was no problem. I had no aggressiveness at all.
Surprisingly, my child who always has restless nights, this night slept very well. My mother, however,
had an awful night. She had chill and then sweat.
Comment: This prover’s observation is very unusual, interesting and thought provoking. Can the
state of a prover be transmitted to those around him? In other words, does a proving also affect
those not taking the dose? Here we enter the realm of the unknown and there is much scope for
fantasy. However, observations such as these need to be critically studied and carefully documented
– they may lead us to something as wonderful as our infinitesimal dose.
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Prover k
– Dream of a toy railway which goes up and down on one rail in a mountain. It is dangerous, risky
and fast but had to be done.
Prover l
Dream in which she feels oppressed by neighbours.
Prover m
Dream that a pregnant woman is being pursued by somebody behind her. There is loneliness and
violence. Saw a picture of the painting “The cry” by Edward Munch.
Prover n
A colleague who couldn’t come to the seminar on that day. She had developed vomiting and
diarrhoea, had become restless, had a shaking chill, she was crying, had nausea and oppression, felt
hectic. She said she was feeling well in mind, though sick. She had not taken the proving.
Prover o
One colleague reported that she had heard on the phone that his daughter who was several
hundred kilometers away had developed hollow cough, was restless and was relieved in clean cold
air.
Prover p
– Dream of travelling up a hill, a mountain, on a monorail.
Comment: This is the second prover who dreamt of a monorail. The monorail is a very fast train
(with an element of risk) and represents the latest change in transportation.
Prover q
– I did not take the remedy, but helped to fill the globuli into the little paper bags (about 2:00 pm).
After that there were one and a half hours of break left, my girlfriend and myself walked to the
beach and went swimming in the sea. Although I used to freeze very fast, I did not feel the cold, and
even afterwards I did not have the desire to put on my clothes again but wanted to run around very
fast, enjoy the sun and the sand, an intense feeling of being alive.
Comment: The weather at this time on the island was 0 ºC and we were all freezing in spite of warm
clothes.
– Also the whole afternoon I moved very fast and liked running and jumping very much ( as far as
this was possible during the seminar); there was a very beautiful sunset and upcoming of the moon –
a very moody atmosphere – but I just wanted to move, run of joy. After the last part of yesterday’s
seminar my feeling changed into inner restlessness, the feeling of doubt about many themes, slight
fear and there seemed to be danger, but I didn’t know where it came from.
Comment: The intense activity and the joy of life is seen in this. The feeling of danger and
restlessness are seen here.
– Although I did not eat too much that day, I was not hungry, but I felt a kind of nausea, pressure
round the stomach and a warm sensation in the solar plexus.
My girlfriend and me talked a lot about your thoughts about the development of diseases and the
“mechanism”, how delusions crystallize into pathology, about the depth of delusions and where they
come from and mainly about our own delusions, whose main aspect seems to be the same in both of
us. We were on the one hand very scared, but on the other hand full of hope because we believe to
know a possibility how to solve delusions Homoeopathy cannot solve.
Comment: Here we can see that the seminar represented on the one hand risk and, on the other
hand, hope.
– We then started to focus on pictures that arose in our minds, which were not unknown or
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completely new to us, but the special thing was the speed these pictures changed without leaving a
deep impression of the theme these pictures were about.
I turned very sleepy then, and the pictures were not conscious any more.
I woke up after I had a dream: I was in a room with several beds and there was an old man who
showed to me two other men making love to each other. I awoke very alarmed.
Comment: The theme of homosexuality comes up and the person views this as a strange and
alarming thing.
– I had a second dream: Again this theme of homosexuality, me as a third person watching, but this
time it was OK, because it seemed not mere physical contact but much more emotional. When I
awoke after that, the feeling of restlessness had disappeared (at about 4:00 am). Then I fell asleep
again, it was in a very peaceful atmosphere. I sweated very much, but this sweat seemed to me
something very comfortable and pleasant, as if I had sweated out something severe and fearful and
dangerous so that I could feel free again.
Comment: This shows a resolution where the insane thing seems to be okay and even though it
seems strange and alarming at first, later on he sees that emotional contact and warmth are there
even though the physical aspect is unchanged. This is probably how he viewed the seminar too and
felt that though the form of Homoeopathy has changed, the spirit is the same and with this he could
relax. This proving for me is the most impressive proving of the seminar since it brings up all the
aspects beautifully and vividly.
Some excerpts from the provers’ notes:
– I was standing on a bridge with my back to a big house (which was as I knew a mill, water mill I
guess). A few hundred meters ahead of me was a brick church. It must have been sometime in the
18th century for I knew the mill was attacked by French soldiers. I didn’t see them but they shot big,
very big cannonballs over the church towards the mill. They G-7 the house or the bridge but the
cannonballs were that big that I could see them coming and avoid them stepping from one side of
the bridge to the other. (Afterwards the cannonballs seemed to me like huge oversized
homoeopathic globuli). I never had that dream before, was never much interested in history about,
for example, the Napoleonic wars, no aggression against the French. What I think is remarkable is
that I didn’t worry about myself or about my family in the mill.
– A small airport: a small aeroplane with wings like a kite made dangerous loopings, was dependent
on the (strong) wind, could not be piloted, then became a helicopter (orange-red with black carrier
on it, the carrier went loose, the helicopter fell down making a slow looping and smashed on the
ground, plastic pieces flew around, all that 50 meters away from me. I run to the pilot who crept to
his microphone (talked with the tower?). I took him under the arm, there was gasoline everywhere, I
thought about the possibility of an explosion but didn’t hesitate to help. But the pilot didn’t want
any help, was completely OK. He told me the reason for the crash would have something to do with
the toilets (!). One or two minutes later the machine would have worked again. I told him about the
mechanic problem of the carrier on the top of the helicopter, but he was not interested in that
(fact).
– I remember very little dream during the past nights. I was immediately even calmer than before,
confident, trustful, tired but feeling good. I did things in a little joyful and a bit magical atmosphere. I
slept well but not uninterrupted. Several dreams in which except one there were some problems but
they always worked out well and I was confident.
Having to get things from my home when away in a country-house and someone says I have to drive
there anyway – so I drive there. We arrived. I lock the car door – key inside. But there is another key
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in one door of the car. I drive the car, go up and down, will have to stop (usually the road is level).
The brake pedal is very small and close to the other pedal. But I can make it, feel it in my feet that I
find the right pedal.
A school mate from fifteen years ago, who was always strange and aggressive, wants to fight. I feel
powerful, too, not inferior. But I don’t want to fight and he accepts. Another wants to hold me, I
make fall a bookshelf to make a symbol. And the situation clears up – I leave. Never dreamt before.
I see a long house from a distance, no people, feel a little strange. The door is open, a train comes
out, only of metal material and somehow smoking. I realize it’s a train bringing people from
concentration camp to a crematorium, driving them in alive. (But now the train drives out.) Me and
my friends wonder how can people do things like that. We were not personally involved by feelings.
I was outside standing and taking a piss. Suddenly I realized there was a child sitting almost in the
line of water. I was ashamed about this. It was curiously looking at my running water and I felt it
wanted to touch the streaming water. It did not dare to. Then there was an agreement, a
“permission”. She held her hand into the stream and enjoyed it, played with the water.
– A violent, destroying storm. Feeling this is the ruin of the world. I was in a house in the first stage. I
saw trees, a total wood flying blown by the wind over the ground in our direction. People were
blown on the ground, flying horizontally like the trees. One of these people was clinging to a cross,
another flying down over the ground held tight a gutter. Behind me there was an old woman in the
room. We felt fear and I said to her: “Now we have to hold the glasses of our windows.” Then there
were lightnings, flashes. On one window we saw high glowing balls, so big as a church falling in a big
hole in the ground, one after another. Then a big amount of smaller burning balls fell from the sky.
Then there was nothing left to see, no trees, no houses and there was peace, and quietness. The first
time of the night I slept very anxious and restless. After this dream I was totally quiet and slept and
enjoyed it very well.
– I took the dose at 0:30 on 20th October 93, woke at 4:00 with a dream, the major portion of it I
have unfortunately forgotten. It dealt with saving a group of people at a mountain side. At the end
of the dream I remember I was driving a bus full of people downhill over a very sandy and hilly area.
It was a heavy bus and even though I was standing on the brake with my full body weight I could
bring down the speed of the bus only little. But fortunately the speed was always lowered by hilly
curves and nothing happen, which was like a miracle to me.
– First reaction: physical. The heart started to beat heavy as if it had hard work to do, the
temperature went up – I was extremely warm – and had to turn the cover many times, open the
windows – feet out of cover, but once out, they got icy cold. Peculiar feeling in the body as if
poisoned. Very restless – turned in bed. Kidneys affected – had to go to toilet to urinate three times
during night (normally rest). I could not sleep until 4:00 am. That is unusual, I normally sleep after
two minutes. I had a sudden fear of cancer. Dreams – I had two dreams that I don’t remember and
one peculiar dream: “There was a kind of initiation. An old man (master), with white curly hair, was
holding a stick over another man, else, could become and same one, could be a ceremony”. A kind of
initiation to another “dimension”; I have never had this dream before. The ceremony was pleasant.
– After getting and just touching the remedy I got some diarrhoea with liquid stools yesterday in the
evening and once more in the night (after taking it). In the night and this morning there is also a
sickness like vomiting, but I didn’t vomit, in the morning some chilliness. The diarrhoea was very
explosive… Dreams: Some men jump with the horses over abyss of a sand mountain and the sand is
broken. They are buried in it and perhaps some of them die. Those who didn’t die say they become
violent. I am just a viewer of this without emotion.
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I want to put some glasses into a cupboard but there are some bottles with poison in it. I take one
of them, the bottle is broken and some poison is coming out on my hand where I get an urticaria. I
am afraid of being poisoned and perhaps must die.
I go by car to some relatives for a celebration because of birthday. I am invited to go with them to
the church for a mass. There is a friend of mine and she says that I can help her with the chorus we
want to sing.
I never had such dreams before. After taking the remedy I had a few minutes in which I was very
awake in spite of the fact that before I was very tired.
– When I started falling asleep, I had a pulsating sensation in the head (front and back), as if
something big pulsating is in there and wants to come out. At the same time I had a dream/vision of
a market garden with lots of beautiful flowers in various colours, with one person putting flowers
into a pot to sell them. It was very beautiful (never before with these great colours, only in another
proving).
Dream: I had three brown mice I was responsible for and I was looking for a box for them they can
feel comfortable in. They were soft and warm.
Dream: I was in a room with some people and suddenly people in uniform came in order to kidnap
us. They fixed bombs at the outside of the building and it was a big shock and we were very scared.
The first thing I did was that I told them I was pregnant although I wasn’t, because I thought they
would let me go then. I said several times: “What about that little baby in there?” I woke up and
thought – my feeling of danger was actually not strong enough as I would suppose it to be in this
situation.
Dream: Terrorists said they would make a plane fall down over my city. There were two small
children I was responsible for (4 and 8 years about), we had to run but the small one fell into the
water we had to cross – it was frozen. He was actually wet and it was terribly cold. We had to run but
he was too slow. I carried him but he was too heavy for me.
Later on my friend and me tried to escape in a car, but we couldn’t find mine. So we took another
one, they were all so similar, but it didn’t work.
Unusual about these dreams is the topic of being responsible for me.
The effect of the proving on the seminar and its resolution
On the second day of the seminar (proving dose taken on the first day), the mood was very different
from the first day. There was much restlessness in the room, a lot of activity. We did a lot of things
and felt there was much more to be done – and done fast. I myself was going too fast, as though I
had to tell all I knew in the remaining four days of the seminar. This relentless pace kept on till the
fourth day. I was talking about the Periodic Table of Elements, and had taken up the Halogens. At
this point, I remarked that many elements of the Periodic Table were still unproved. This led to
further comment that most of the chemical substances in the world were unproved. I considered the
various sources of our remedies and the literature available, our Repertories – how incomplete they
were, the insufficiency of auxiliary modes of treatment, etc. Gradually, the enormity of our
ignorance dawned upon and oppressed us. All felt the need for intense, hectic activity. When I tried
to continue the discussion on the Halogens, I could not help but laugh at the foolishness of this
attempt to “know everything” – to have total knowledge. All the others soon joined in the laughter;
we could see the delusion that we had to know it all or were sunk. The whole atmosphere of the
seminar then became relaxed and there set in the peace and joy of life. This feeling of peace
persisted long after the seminar in many of us who had earlier felt a need for hectic activity. In fact,
this is one excuse I have to offer for the book being delayed!
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Conclusion
The proving of Bacillinum at Spiekeroog confirmed the picture I had in mind of the tubercular
miasm, on which I had already written in this book. It made the picture clearer and brought it to life.
The main themes of the remedy (and the miasm) are:
– Intense and hectic activity;
– Feeling of danger, risk;
– Need to take a risk;
– Fearlessness; does not feel fear to the extent demanded by the situation;
– Sense of oppression;
– Need to help others, especially those in danger;
– Hopefulness.
We can see from the last rubric that it lies before the syphilitic miasm which is totally hopeless. In
Bacillinum, the feeling is of oppression and danger but with the hope of finding a way out if he reacts
rapidly – intense activity in the time available. This proving is especially significant as it showed:
– The phenomenon of a person developing the symptoms without taking the proving dose;
– The effect of the proving on the seminar itself.
I have gained a lot from this proving experience and wish that all my colleagues should undergo at
least once the experience of a mass proving followed by discussion.
The nosode as the centre-point
OF THE MIASM
The nosode of a miasm, for example, Psorinum (psora) and Medorrhinum (sycosis) or Syphilinum
(syphilis), represents the centre-point of that miasm. Let us try to understand this a bit further. The
nosode is the disease product which is made from the tissue that is fully under the influence of the
infection.
This tissue is so completely overcome by the infection that it no longer has in it the individuality of
the person, but has only the signs of the process of the infection. In the case of scabies, the tissue
will have in its quality the struggle of the scabetic infection; in gonorrhoea, the nosode will have the
quality of a fixed infection of gonorrhoea, whereas the defeated tissue of syphilis will have the
character of total despair and distress. The nosode represents what one might call the defeated
tissue completely under the spell of infection and, therefore, manifesting the very basic qualities of
that infection or infectious process.
Thus, when we study the symptoms of the nosode we are able to understand the centre-point of
the miasm; for example, a study of Psorinum shows the very character of the psora, i.e. an intense
struggle with a problem from the environment. This problem is nonspecific in the case of Psorinum;
it can be a religious problem, a problem about money, a problem about his acceptability, a problem
about his love. It has an undifferentiated character. Now, from this undifferentiated sense of
struggle, we can then branch out into more specific remedies, e.g. if the struggle is for ego and
honour, then the situation would be Sulphur. If this is causing physical insecurity, then it would be
Calcarea or Nux vomica, etc. But when this struggle is on all fronts, the struggle is undifferentiated,
then the remedy that will be needed is Psorinum.
That is why it is often said that the indication of a nosode is when several remedies seem to be
indicated or when several remedies fail though seemingly indicated. In the example, the feeling of
lack of capacity and the need to struggle was an undifferentiated feeling, and at various times it
manifested itself in different forms, e.g. sometimes it manifested as ego problem, sometimes as
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poverty problem, sometimes as security problem – each time leading to a different prescription, but
the basic problem was undifferentiated feeling of lack of capacity and the need to struggle, and this
is the central point of the psoric miasm and would need Psorinum as the remedy.
The same applies for Medorrhinum and Syphilinum. This idea also fits perfectly well with the
miasms in between the main miasms, since, when we study Carcinosinum, we understand the
central point of cancer miasm or in Tuberculinum, we understand the undifferentiated feeling of the
tubercular miasm. It can therefore be easier to see which nosode is the closest to a particular patient
and after fixing the nosode, one can then look around to see which remedy comes closer. This would
then help us to limit the area of our search and make it more specific, e.g. if a patient comes with
strong destructive and homicidal tendencies, and there is a tremendous sense of desperation in him,
one might think that the closest nosode to him would be Syphilinum. Here one would ask whether it
is just undifferentiated hopelessness or it is the hopelessness which is marked for a specific area, e.g.
an area of high responsibility in which case one would go to Aurum metallicum. I have found this
approach very useful in some cases.
What we learn from miasms
In the classification of disease states we have tried to see patterns that may be found in vast
populations. The study of disease is in a way a study of mankind… we understand what it means to
be a mortal. Human civilization has its own advantages and there is no denying that we have come a
long way from the caveman. It is in the nature of man (as opposed to an ape) to understand and
harness the power of nature, of natural elements.
However, by modifying the environment to extents that are entirely unnatural, man has created
certain situations for himself: the problems of war, industrialization, population, political conflicts,
etc., are created by humans. To survive in these situations, man developed states of being,
appropriate for that time, adopting postures best suited to that situation. When the situation
changed, these states of being, these postures, were no longer needed and were therefore usually
dropped. It is when these states continue despite the change in situation that things go wrong; then
man is under a delusion – he is no longer aware of reality. In order to diminish this delusion which is
a stress at the very centre, the body “accepts” infections which best “live out” the delusion. Once
this occurs, man is able to accept himself and is accepted by society as well – his behaviour is not so
abnormal, considering his infection.
Thus, infection is subsequent to an internally created susceptibility. This is what the masters have
said in different ways. Thus, we find Stuart Close talking of “satisfying the susceptibility”, while Kent
says: “The bacteria are the result and not the cause of disease.” The man who is internally
destructive and violent will be the one to acquire syphilis, a violent destructive disease. These
internal states are classified by us as miasms.
As mentioned earlier, states develop in response to a situation. The frequency of any disease can be
directly related to situations calling for it. The reason for cancer is the attitude of cancer, just as the
reason for tuberculosis is the attitude of this condition. The harijan (the low caste) in India was
treated like a leper – he was not allowed to use the same water-source, enter the house of a “higher
caste” person, etc. This being his situation, it is not surprising that these were the people most likely
to develop leprosy.
The feeling in the mind manifests in the body. Once this is clear, we cannot help wondering what
happens when the infection “invited” by the body is removed by treatment without the basic feeling
being altered in any manner. This is the case with antibiotics, and I believe the increasing incidence
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of new pathologies and infections is just an expression of the body’s attempt to substitute the older
(“cured”) infection with another which fills in the void. The substitute may be less appropriate to the
state and this results in a worsening of the patient’s general condition – something we recognize as
suppression.
While the pernicious results of a one-sided treatment are sometimes immediately evident, the
major effects are seen on a larger time scale. In the West today, we find increasingly incurable and
intractable conditions replacing the older often purely infectious diseases… there is a high incidence
of autoimmune diseases, cancers, etc. What is alarming is that trends show that theses conditions,
formerly the domain of old age, are now showing up in younger people with a greater frequency. I
would say that this was to be expected. What other outcome could result when we remove the
syphilitic infection without removing the syphilis in the man’s mind? The destructive mind invites
destruction, whether in the form of syphilis or AIDS – the latter is to me nothing but syphilis in
another guise.
In India these late effects are not yet seen in any great measure. However, many of our patients
present with complaints very similar to older, well-known infections, so much so that we
occasionally confuse the two. But whereas the earlier group of cases would show an acute, selflimiting course with a reasonably definite prognosis (good or bad), the current cases seem to have a
uniformly unhappy prognosis with long lasting debility. The last statement is based on my
experience especially with young children and their complaints, e.g. measles, etc.
The purpose of stressing so much on these morbid matters is to create awareness, for to be aware
is to be healthy. Now, we can consider the possible solutions to these problems. As disease is the
result of unnatural postures, awareness of these and consequent alteration in our thinking would
result in health. Man must obey his natural instincts when they do not go against his community. A
simple change in diet and habit would go a long way towards healing, not only because of the
physical (bodily) benefit but also due to the changed mental outlook that precedes it. It is most
disheartening to watch youngsters and adults alike watching loud noisy and senseless television
programmmes, lying on their back, eating junk food all along. Nothing could be more unnatural,
more calculated to disrupt health. It would be healthy to eat, sleep and rest as much as is needed –
neither too much nor too less. The most potent weapon we possess to promote health is education.
In order to educate others, we must be able to recognize what is already existing that is healthy
around us, and why it is so. This is not so easy to define and I can only attempt to give a general
indication. What are the things that create awareness of our state of being? It could be even a movie
or a joke. There are movies which take you into a realm of fantasy, wanting you to be one of the
characters of that movie. There are others which touch you deeply and you can identify with that
character. Instead of thinking, “I am that”, (would like to be), you feel, “That is me!” The latter type
of movies are the ones, I feel, best calculated to promote health.
There are jokes which excite laughter without really affecting you. Then there are others which
make you feel much better after the laughter. I recall one such incident which seemed to have just
the sort of effect I am talking about. It was my father’s patient who had been talking of suicide for
days. The conversation was as follows:
– I am going to commit suicide.
– How do you propose to do it?
– By shooting myself.
– Do you have a gun?
– No.
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– Then what is the use of talking about it? Get one and we will discuss it.
The patient started laughing at this unexpected “advice” and subsequently improved. What this
“joke” has done to him was to create awareness that he really did not intend to die.
It is abstract things like these that we must look for and appreciate, hoping that someday we can
define them more clearly and use them in practice to heal.
The concept of miasms: a summary
Hahnemann postulated a theory of causation to understand, simplify and treat chronic disease
conditions more effectively. While a history of suppressed scabies, gonorrhoea or syphilis is often
not available, diseases do show a pattern that corresponds to the above mentioned conditions,
enabling us to classify them accordingly. The miasmatic concept treated here is, therefore, not a
“theory” of causation but a convenient classification of some practical utility. As an extension of the
concept of disease as a delusion, a classification of the disease states becomes a classification of
delusions. An acute state often has various kinds of pathology, even of chronic expression, and is
often recognized. It is included here with the other three basic miasms.
Studying the acute, psoric, sycotic and syphilitic miasms through an analysis of the most prominent
remedies belonging to each miasm makes it easier to understand the situation and delusion of that
miasm.
Acute state
The delusions of these remedies represent an acute threat and the reaction is strong and instinctive;
for example Stramonium: “Delusion, alone in wilderness”, “Desire for light and company”, “Clinging”.
Psoric state
The delusions show a difficult situation where he has to struggle in order to succeed. There is
anxiety with doubts about his ability, but he is hopeful and failure does not mean the end of the
world; for example Sulphur: “Delusion, getting thin”, “Fear of poverty”, “Ailment from scorn,
embarrassment”, “Egotism”.
He must struggle in order to recover or maintain his position.
Sycotic state
A feeling of a fixed, irremediable weakness within the self, with an attempt to cope with it and hide
it from others – hence covers up with egotism, secrecy, compulsive acts, etc.; for example Thuja:
“Delusion, body is made of glass”, “Will not be approached or touched”.
Syphilitic state
The delusion is that he is faced with a situation beyond salvage, leading to complete hopelessness
and despair. In a desperate effort, he tries to change the situation and the result is usually
destruction – do or die! For example Mercurius: “Surrounded on all sides by enemies”, “Anarchist”,
“Kill, desire to”.
Types of reaction
A man is driving on a mountain when suddenly the tyre bursts with a loud blast. He is excited and
panicky, gets out of the car immediately and without thought (acute). He studies the damage and
tries to repair it, wondering if he can do it (psoric). After struggling a lot, he realizes that he is not
capable of doing it, accepts the situation and smokes a cigarette while waiting for someone to pick
him up (sycotic). After two days he realizes no one is going to come and that he is in a desperate,
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hopeless situation – stuck on a mountain without food. In a drastic measure, he kicks the car down
the mountain or gives up totally and awaits death.
To cope with the needs of life (stress) we need a certain capacity. Depending on our actual state and
intensity of the stress, we move between the acute, psoric, sycotic dispositions. Only if we lose all
ability to deal with or to accept the situation do we fall into the syphilitic state.
Acute : instinctive response
Psoric : struggle
Sycotic : cover up of internal weakness
Syphilitic : no recovery possible – change or destroy
Acute personalities
Acute personalities react totally instinctively to stress, which they see as a threat or attack from
outside. All miasms have compensated / uncompensated states, but acute personalities appear to
have especially wide mood swings (change between compensated and uncompensated); they are
either excited, excitable, hyperreactive or seem to be completely shut off (of course the personality
is mostly compensated; imagine an uncompensated Hyoscyamus, Stramonium, Aconitum in a train!).
But we find neither the fixed ideas of sycosis nor the aggressive self-destruction of syphilis.
Hyoscyamus, as an example of an uncompensated acute state: loud, foolish, senseless, excited,
insane, delusion of supposed blames/injuries.
Psoric personalities
Psoric personalities lack self-confidence, and so constantly have fears and anxieties, especially
under pressure and stress. Therefore they suffer from anticipatory anxiety. They are very restless,
active, and struggle with their problems. Psoric patients present many and varied dreams; they are
expressive and can present and describe their complaints well. You find nervous, hyperreactive
personalities; all fears express themselves in a feeling between hope and despair. The despair is not
deep-seated. Hope returns very soon.
Psorinum: despair of recovery (3) – but always with hope, fear of poverty (poverty means loss, so
actually a fear to lose, but this again contains the hope to gain), anticipatory anxieties. In one word:
struggling.
Sycotic personalities
Sycotic personalities are above all secretive; they want to hide their weakness; dreams are more
fixed and more specific. They develop fixed habits to cover up their fixed (constantly present)
weakness. This may express as egotism, secrecy, fastidiousness, etc. They are typical middle-age
remedies, less flexible and never hope to get rid of their weakness. They will say: “If I do this or that I
can cope and nobody will know my weakness.”
Syphilitic personalities
Syphilitic personalities are given to extremes but often show a strong pessimism. They want total
change or destruction, trifles may cause suicide, e.g. failing in an exam.
Syphilinum: despair of recovery but without hope; antisocial, drunkard, liar… has given up, is
finished.
Aurum metallicum: despair of salvation, delusion has lost hope or forgiveness, delusion, has
neglected his duty and therefore deserves reproach.
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How can we understand a patient
USING THE CONCEPT OF MIASMS?
1. We have to answer the question: What is the element in the case?
– Acute (threatening);
– Psoric (struggle);
– Sycotic (weakness);
– Syphilis (destructive).
2. Understand and differentiate the remedies, for example Hyoscyamus (acute) vs. Lachesis (psora).
Hyoscyamus: (delusion of a) man whose wife tries to poison him, someone tries to hurt and injure
him, someone persecutes him. This is why he loses control of himself, becomes foolish. He is never
sarcastic, there is no satire in him, he is always excited and presents an instinctive, instant reaction.
Lachesis: (delusion of a) person feeling a weakness in herself. She tries to compete with someone
better, her survival depends on her winning. Thus she develops egotism, talks a lot about herself,
becomes loquacious, sarcastic (putting others down), deceitful (putting herself up). It is the situation
of someone who has to compete against a person with better qualities, like a menopausal woman
whose husband has a young girlfriend.
The game of musical chairs represents the Lachesis theme: two people running around one chair,
winner the one who sits down first after the music stops playing.
3. Use and understand the Repertory:
Many rubrics contain remedies of all miasms, but all react in different ways, for example “Kill,
impulse to”: behind this rubric stands the delusion that something is pursuing him. The acute miasm
will react in an instinctive way. The psoric state will struggle. The sycotic will try to hide. The
syphilitic remedies will collapse or hit back.
So, we have to ask ourselves what is the type of reaction, and which type of reaction is the person
choosing now (reacting – struggling – building – breaking).
4. Expect a sequence of remedies coming up in a case.
If a sycotic case is treated, a psoric root can come up. We can see a cycle of syphilitic, sycotic, psoric
remedies.
5. Prognosis:
The acute state has the best prognosis.
The syphilitic state has the worst prognosis: the patient has given up already.
Illustrative cases
Case 1
A six year old girl accompanied by her parents and brother came with complaints of recurring cold,
cough and fever with acute attacks of tonsillitis. Her appetite was poor and she was not gaining
weight. The ENT surgeon had advised tonsillectomy.
During the interview she was highly restless and also seemed shy, was clinging to her parents all the
time, putting her fingers into her mouth and evading looks. The parents describe her as: very
affectionate and caring, would cling to her parents, kiss them, etc., demands a lot of attention, when
angry, becomes violent, would scream and pull her mother’s hair, slap her and pinch her. She is very
afraid of her teacher. When scolded in class, she would pass urine involuntarily. She is very sensitive
to what others say about her. She was initially bold but is now afraid of darkness, cow’s horns and
dogs. She loves company except when hurt – at such times she would prefer to be alone. She has the
habit of talking to herself: imitates her teacher, conducts imaginary classes, etc. She loves to dress
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up beautifully, apply lipstick, etc. She asks: ” Am I pretty?”, loves to watch “The bold and the
beautiful” on TV, thinks people on the road look at her because she is beautiful. She would model in
an imaginary fashion show.
She is very possessive about her mother, wants to sleep next to her. She becomes very upset if her
parents argue and likes to see them affectionate with each other. She is afraid of being kidnapped.
Dreams of being kidnapped, of falling into a well, that her mother is dead.
She craves sweets, fruits, chocolates, cold drinks and sugar. She is averse to non-vegetarian food
and milk. She prefers to eat snacks and fast foods outside rather than usual meals.
During pregnancy, the mother was very tense about everything, was not happy. She had many
fights with her husband. Theirs was a love marriage, a Christian girl getting married to a Hindu boy –
quite unusual here and not approved by her parents. She had always wanted to get married, to be
loved by someone. After getting married, she had many problems with her in-laws. Her husband was
violent and used to beat her. She was very scared to talk to him. She always felt “alone and helpless”
and would cry all the time. She always thought herself very attractive and beautiful.
Analysis
The main feature of the case is the intense excitability of the nervous system. This is seen in the
involuntary urination from fright on being scolded by the teacher. The same feeling of being in a
threatening situation is seen in the fear of dogs and cow’s horns, fear of being kidnapped and
dreams of being kidnapped. These fears represent “Delusion that she is about to receive an injury”
and “Danger, impression of”.
We note the clinging to parents, dreams of being kidnapped, dream that her mother is dead and
desire for company. These indicate a specific situation – her main feeling is “Delusion, she is always
alone” and as this is in a threatening situation, she reacts by “Clinging to persons or furniture” and a
need to attract attention: “Delusion, beautiful, she is and wants to be”. The feeling is that she is
alone, facing danger and about to receive an injury. The whole situation is very acute and
threatening. The reactions are instinctive, sudden, for example the involuntary urination. This is an
example of the acute miasm. The situation is the same as that of the mother during pregnancy. The
mother had left her home and married a man who hit and ill-treated her – she felt alone and
forsaken with constant fear.
The remedy is Stramonium. With it, the child did well both in her colds as well as in her fears.
Case 2
Her brother, 10 years old, with complaints of recurrent cold, cough, passes stools every time he eats
something.
He is very affectionate, sensitive yet obstinate. He is badly affected by the fights between parents.
While at school, he is constantly worried that his father might be beating his mother. He is intelligent
but takes a long time to grasp anything. He can be very destructive – when angry would smash his
toys. His mother says his nature is like that of his father. The father’s nature (as described by the
mother) is violent and hot-headed. He beats her, is scared of losing her. She had thought of leaving
him but did not. He is very attached to his parents. He is very possessive about her and suspicious
that she may leave him. The boy has a dream of having a magic wand. He craves meat, chicken, fish
and fruits.
Analysis
The boy takes after the father. He is violent and destructive. The girl is like the mother. The boy
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fears his father would beat his mother: “Delusion, persecuted”. He is sensitive to persecution and
this is expressed as anger and fright. The father is possessive and suspicious of his wife: “Jealousy”.
He would beat her up: “Jealousy, with rage” and “Striking”, “Fear of being betrayed”. These indicate
Hyoscyamus.
The father’s state must have intensified once they got married since Hyoscyamus has “Delusion wife
is faithless”, whereas the mother’s state (“Clinging”, “Desires company”) must have diminished in
intensity. Subsequently the violence of the father stimulated an intense Stramonium state in the
mother and she saw herself as alone, hopeless and in danger. So, the second child was born with an
intense Stramonium state.
Case 3
Mr. N.A. , 26 years old, teacher of music and drama in a school. He came with complaints of chronic
colds, allergy to certain substances, drowsiness after lunch with heaviness of head, palpitation
aggravated by lying down and aggravated by hot bath. He was always interested in music, learned to
play the piano at the age of seven years. He likes to write (free-lance) for newspapers and
magazines. He has difficulty in mixing with people of his own age but gets along very well with
children. He also works in a child ward – play therapy. He prefers the company of children as he has a
strong desire for approval which he gets more easily from children. He is aggravated by
contradiction: “I hate to be corrected. I want to be the best. I want the performance to be very good.
My work has always been appreciated.” However, he does not ever perform in public. “I am unable
to perform. I hate to be seen in public – feel very self-conscious. I would never do anything
unconventional, not even wearing bright colours. My dad is like me – prefers to be in the
background. I want to be known but not seen.”
About his temper he says: “I am very irritable. If someone was late in meeting me, I would get angry
and walk away. Also if a person doesn’t return a borrowed article, I would confront him angrily. I
remember things done to me years back quite vividly and write angry letters.” He gave an example
of his temper. One day, in his absence, some staff member broke his locker in school as they needed
something from it urgently. When he came to know about it the next day, he was so wild with anger
that he almost broke the main locker in the school office and was restrained with much difficulty. His
father had a similar temper. He hates to be misjudged in any way.
Talking about his fears, he says: “Since childhood I have always had a terrible fear of dying.” He gave
an example: Once he slipped while descending a staircase and tumbled down. He was so frightened
that he started shouting, “I am dead, I am dead, I am dead.” Everybody in the house gathered
around him as he lay on the ground with eyes screwed shut, shouting: “I am dead”. When he opened
his eyes he saw everybody laughing at him. He is afraid of crowds: “I hate to be in a crowd, can’t
bear to be in a crowded church or rally, feel better on leaving the crowd.” He hates to be stuck in
traffic. Once he left a taxi caught in the traffic and took a train. He is unnerved if a dog follows him.
Slight pain worries him. A slight pain in the jaw and he thinks it is lockjaw. The least headache makes
him fear a brain tumor.
Eggs cause vomiting and diarrhoea.
Dreams: “As a child, dream of a hen in my bed near my feet and I woke up screaming with fear.”
Analysis
Here, though at first sight the case seems like that of a chronic situation, we notice that the
reactions are very acute, as if reacting to an acute threat: the childhood dream of the hen, fear of
dogs, the acute fear when exposed to public, the panic when he is stuck in traffic and the panic on
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falling down the stairs. This shows us that the case falls in the acute miasm.
To come to the remedy, we have to consider his main feelings. The main feeling is as if he has
suffered wrong (e.g. the breaking of his locker): “Delusion, wrong, fancies he has suffered”. The
other reaction when a dog follows him – unnerved – gives us “Delusion, about to receive injury”. If
these two rubrics are combined, we get Hyoscyamus. This is confirmed by the dreams of a hen which
frightened him so much. Hyoscyamus is given under “Delusion sees hens bound with chains”.
The patient improved radically with Hyoscyamus – the allergies, colds, palpitation and nervous
excitability rapidly yielded to treatment. It is interesting to note here that though the patient never
appears in public, we cannot consider it to be a sycotic feature and take the rubric “Timidity –
appearing in public”. His reaction was such an intense terror that he would nearly shriek and have to
be dragged on to the stage. It is a very acute feeling as of a threat. He is not concerned about hiding
some weakness – just wants to save himself from the public. Hence we have to choose acute rubrics
rather than “Timidity”. This is an important aspect on which I would like to stress very much: The
rubrics selected must reflect the intensity and nature of the state.
Case 4
Mr. J.M. brought by her son (a homoeopath) with complaints of post herpetic neuralgia, median
nerve paralysis, hypertension and diabetes. She had been on steroids for the neuralgia without
much relief. She becomes very restless with pain at night, keeps moving about, weeps with the pain,
wants to put her hands into cold water. There is a sensation as if nerves are touching the hands. She
has been to twelve or thirteen doctors in two months.
Her son described her general mental state. She cries a lot when he goes for his job in the hospital
and does not allow him to go, weeps a lot when he can’t come home, weeps when angry. Obstinate –
gets things done by weeping. She was weeping so much with the pain that everyone at home got
tense and decided to take her to the hospital. She became calm immediately and started packing
things as if going for a picnic. She seemed quite happy.
All along, as the son was narrating the case, she kept interrupting him with: “Why is the pain not
going? I want immediate relief.” She was crying, restless and constantly complaining of pain, she
says: “My pain is not hysterical”. She is the President of the Lioness Club and is very bold. She comes
from a rich family but her in-laws are not very rich. She constantly complains and criticizes her inlaws in their absence but is very nice to them. She likes to go out, travel, make friends, dine out in
hotels, etc., feels very lonely when children are not at home but never bothered or scared if they
come home late. She loves consolation. Her pain increases when her son comes home. She keeps
asking: “Why am I getting thin? Why is this happening to me?” and says: “You people are useless,
you can’t do anything. You doctors don’t know anything.” If shouted at, she weeps. She criticizes a
lot.
Childhood: Mother died when the patient was three years old and father died when she was twelve.
She was brought up by her elder brother and sisters. Sometimes she says she has not received
enough parental love. She constantly complains that she has suffered this or that, others are treated
better than her, etc. She gets wild at times and you can smell hatred on these occasions.
Analysis
We see a strong cry for relief, attention – a demand for instantaneous relief from pain. It is as if the
pain is a threat from which she has to be rescued as quickly as possible. This looks acute but on the
other hand she feels neglected and makes an attempt to get attention by her efforts and demands.
This looks psoric. The whole situation is like that of a child whose parents don’t give him attention,
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without which he cannot live. Therefore, she screams for attention when she feels her needs have to
be attended to immediately. On the other hand, even when there are no immediate needs, she
makes a constant effort to attract attention. In this case, even as president of the Lioness Club, she
sought attention which was not absolutely essential. On the other hand, she felt threatened when
left alone, especially by her children and would intensify her efforts. This is a subacute situation.
The main feelings can be summarized:
– Carried, desires to be;
– Reproaches others;
– Beside oneself;
– Complaining;
– Impatience from pain;
– Restlessness relieved by being carried about;
– Shrieking with pain;
– Weeping, child is quiet only when carried about.
The remedy is Chamomilla, which is an important drug of the subacute miasm. Her behaviour was
childish and hence the above rubrics were chosen though she is not a child. She improved well – her
attitude changed gradually and there was complete relief from the pains. Even her blood sugar levels
came down.
Case 5
Mrs. V.P. , 40 years, came with her husband and uncle with complaints of recurrent fever. She has
been diagnosed as a case of patent ductus arteriosus. The echocardiogram revealed vegetations and
the patient had been informed that she had subacute bacterial endocarditis. She has had fever since
seven years. During the fever, she had stiffness of the fingers in the morning on waking. She was
rather shy, had restlessness of the hands, was wearing five rings on her fingers and also a black
thread around the wrist. The rings had different stones in accordance with astrological beliefs. She
was always very anxious about her son. He was in America when rioting took place there. She craves
milk, especially warm milk, sweats much on the left half of the body.
Analysis
The main feeling in the case is that of a threat which could prove dangerous, even fatal, unless a lot
of effort is put in to save the situation. On one side there is hope and efforts while on the other
there is danger with fear. This can be seen in the situation of rioting – feeling of acute threat causing
fear, panic and restlessness in her. Next we consider the numerous rings worn according to
astrological beliefs. This shows an intense effort to save herself from possible disaster. The main
pathology itself has fever which is not very high or threatening but there is a possibility of it
becoming dangerous. At other times, it is quite normal.
The focus of this case lies between the acute feeling and the psoric feeling – there is an intense
struggle to overcome the problem. This is the subacute or typhoid miasm. Even the pathology has
been termed subacute bacterial endocarditis. The remedy we shall choose must lie mainly in the
subacute miasm. It must have the feeling that some mishap is likely to occur without knowing
exactly what to anticipate, and the need to put in a lot of effort to save oneself from that.
In this case the feelings, when converted into repertorial rubrics, are:
– Fear, happen, something will;
– Fear, superstitious;
– Anxiety about children;
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– Sleepiness before the heat.
We get Rhus toxicodendron. Rhus toxicodendron is a well-known typhoid remedy. It is the only drug
given under “Sleepiness before heat” (Künzli’s “Kent’s Repertorium Generale”). The patient
improved very well not only in the fever but also the state of mind. When she came the next time
(three months later), she was wearing just two rings, thus also indicating to me that the remedy had
the desired effect.
Case 6
Mr. G.M. , 34 years old, comes with hypertension, headaches, ischaemic heart disease and
insomnia. Childhood: felt he was not being attended to. Lots of financial crises. “My personality
growth was very very ordinary till I left my family to study. Then I achieved my personality.” He had
frequent attacks of migraine, so severe that he had to take leave from office. Very big family: 25
people. “We were millionaires in Burma but when we left, we had nothing to bring back with us. The
weight of all this was on my father. My mother used to have hysterical attacks and in childhood this
tension always remained with me, always getting into problems, always mismatched. When we
came to Bombay, father had severe problems because of the huge family. I was neglected. My
mother could not express her anger at anyone else and so all her frustration was poured on me. I
had to work a lot as we were financially not in a good position. After I joined business, my brother
and I didn’t get along well. Due to his many weaknesses, he became a burden to me and the
business. I was the only one handling the big business. I had to close down in 1977 due to losses. At
this time I developed high blood pressure. My father expired around the same time. Except for the
blood pressure my life was peaceful.”
He is very critical about family members, finding fault with every one except his wife (love
marriage). His wife and mother don’t get along well and this is his greatest worry. “As far as
personality is concerned, I am very sensitive but don’t speak out.” He has inclination to read spiritual
books, meditate, etc. “My college days – personality point of view – were very good but academically,
OK. In business, I keep a low profile. I am cautious not to overdo it.”
Dreams:
– Accidents – train; self, mother or somebody of her age dying;
– Sexual (amorous);
– Calamities like thunderstorm;
– War – as if our building was bombarded;
– Of monkeys on trees.
“I like monkeys very much. I like their eyes – twinkling, deep stare, jumping, funny, anger, hair on
the head, etc. I like to be alone, at peace with nature. I like company of people of similar nature –
broad outlook on life, spiritual talking, reading, activities, etc. I like activities where I get
importance.”
Analysis
We see that this man had many problems since his childhood… the financial problems, not getting
enough attention from his parents, being criticized by his mother, the problems with his brother,
etc. The feeling here is that life is a struggle. However, there is hope and we don’t find the patient
having any negative feelings about himself, nor is there despair and resignation (hopelessness). This
is the psoric personality. To differentiate between remedies of this miasm, we have the facts that he
feels criticized, suppressed and not having received due importance. We also see his attempts to
become knowledgeable, gain importance and get recognition.
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We would select the following rubrics:
– Ailments from scorn;
– Delusion, disgraced, she is;
– Religious speculations, dwells on;
– Censorious.
The remedy was Sulphur and it helped him beautifully; not only did the hypertension and ischaemic
heart disease improve, the patient felt more contented than ever in his life – his internal agitation
reduced substantially.
Case 7
Mr. N., age 29 years, came with a complaints of bronchial asthma since several years. The attack
would come on very frequently, starting between 2:00-3:00 am. The attacks could be induced by
anxiety. During the attack, the patient felt very weak, did not like to be disturbed, was very
intolerant of noise. Very anxious and restless during the attack yet he sits still. He feels lost, does not
know what is happening, feels choked up and finds swallowing difficult. Often during attacks, he
would wonder if he would survive the attack.
The patient was doing textile business and felt his partner had cheated him. He felt very bad as the
partner was a close friend. After his loss he started learning to work with computers. He now
conducts computer classes. His greatest griefs, he says, are the death of his mother when he was
very young and the heavy business losses he had twice. He suppresses his anger most times but at
times bursts out. Cravings: sour, fats, spicy food and fruits. Dreams of dead persons.
Analysis
I had given him Staphysagria initially with no effect. On studying the case again, I recognized the
following features: the complaints come in attacks – the breathlessness, the anger, etc. He feels
suppressed yet sensitive. These features belong to the malarial miasm. Along with this appreciation,
the rubrics: “Respiration, asthmatic after midnight and 3:00 am” and “Cough after midnight” led me
to China and Arsenicum. I could see that he had features of both, i.e. the cheated feeling of
Arsenicum and the harassed feeling of China. The cravings (sour, spices, fruits) also fitted in with
China and Arsenicum. However, the specific feature: “Disturbed, averse to being” belongs to China
arsenicosum. This is a very well-known malarial remedy. It has also other features: “Periodic
asthmatic attacks with great prostration” (Phatak’s Materia Medica), “Censorious with dearest
friends” and “Restlessness with exhaustion” (Synthetic Repertory).
The main feeling of the case is: harassed (China) and betrayed (Arsenicum) by someone but is
unable to do anything about it, and hence suppresses the feeling, only letting it out in attacks when
things get too much. This is a prominent feature of the malarial miasm, which lies between the acute
and sycotic miasms. The acute feature is the sudden great anxiety and weak collapsed condition
which looks very threatening while the sycotic feature is the feeling of dependence which compels
him to suppress
his feelings constantly without being able to retaliate.
The patient was given China arsenicosum 10 M with which the frequency of the attacks greatly
diminished. He remained free of attacks for six months and then had quite a bad one which
responded promptly to China arsenicosum. Incidentally, the patient’s father who came later for a
very severe eczema (after varicose veins), also improved dramatically under China arsenicosum – one
of the most satisfying results I have seen in my practice. The patient’s son also needed China
arsenicosum, with which his asthma disappeared completely.
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Case 8
Dr. (Miss) B.K. , a 24 years old homoeopathic physician, came with the complaint of asthma since
age seven years, during exams, relieved by sitting bent forward. She feels very weak during the
attack. She has always been very tense before exams and important engagements, trembling when
nervous, especially before viva voce. She has a marked fear of dogs (3) and of darkness. When she
goes out, she has a constant feeling that people are looking at her. She cannot eat at parties on
account of this feeling. Describing her nature, she wrote in the case record that she is proud and
leads the life of an obedient, sincere, hardworking person. She is very shy, very serious, lacks
confidence and is very much concerned as to what others think of her. She has a marked fear of
failure. She is obstinate, fastidious – much affected by disorder – “simple” and feels she cannot adjust
in a large family after marriage. Her prospective in-laws want to start a nursing home for her. “They
have high expectations of me and I doubt my capability.” She is irritable before menses.
Dreams:
– Missing the train and therefore late for exams;
– I don’t see the time table properly and therefore prepare for the wrong subject.
She craves chocolates and ice-cream. She has profuse perspiration on the back, forehead and palms,
staining yellow and sometimes indelible. Menses: stains difficult to wash off. Occasionally breast
tenderness before menses. On examination, nails are ribbed vertically and have white spots on
them. The soles of the feet are cracked.
Analysis
The case has strong psoric and sycotic components thus falling into the ringworm miasm. She has
sycotic features on the one hand, fastidious, indelible stains left by discharges, while on the other,
the fearful aspect seeking security and protection. She tries to live up to expectations at times and
hence gets highly nervous, but at other times she just feels she cannot do it. The feature of
struggling for a while and then giving up is characteristic to the ringworm miasm. As on the one hand
we have features of performance especially with respect to exams and on the other there is need for
security and protection, I gave her Calcarea silicata 10 M /1 and there was a remarkable change in
her mental outlook and complete disappearance of the asthma.
Case 9
Mrs. S.R. , 37 years, accompanied by her husband, comes with the complaint of pricking pain in the
right side of the throat. It began immediately after she ate a mango four months back. She has taken
a lot of treatments (antibiotics, etc.) and has been to many ENT specialists without relief. She also
has hypertension since the birth of her second child five years ago.
Hobbies: housekeeping, cooking, reading magazines.
Dreams: “Unpleasant as well as pleasant. The unpleasant one is that I am flying high and want to
come down but cannot. The pleasant one is that I got an offer to teach in a nearby school.”
She did very well in exams, is well qualified (B.A. , D.E. , G.C. E.) yet has been unable to get a good
teaching job. Classmates who were much inferior had got jobs. She did get offers but the timing was
not suitable. She is very anxious before exams, has palpitations before speaking. “I want to do
everything in the best possible manner – perfection.” She is more tense before her son’s exams than
he is. “I feel guilty that I don’t devote enough time to my home.” She does not want others to think
ill of her, is very keen on producing a good impression. The house should be spic and span.
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Analysis
The main feature of the case is a lack of confidence. She has anticipatory anxiety, timidity appearing
in public and certain compulsions seen as conscientious about trifles, e.g. the house should be spic
and span, etc. Her dreams represent the same feeling. “Flying high, wants to come down but
cannot” indicates lack of confidence and tension. The other dream indicates success, where she has
got a job. The chief complaint is a fixed complaint which came on after eating a mango! Fixed ideas.
This is sycosis. The remedy is Silicea.
Case 10
Mrs. S.D. came to the clinic (unaccompanied) with complaints of dark circles around the eyes,
diabetes mellitus (taking Daonil 1-1-1), headaches before menses. She is a lawyer (and housewife),
very well dressed, bright lipstick. Marked saddle across the cheeks, greasy face.
Dreams:
Owns a big house with huge rooms by the sea.
– I walk on the beach. It is a good house, it is by the beach.
– Why walk?
– To keep fit because of diabetes. I like to walk.
– Fast or slow?
– Fast.
– How is the house in the dream?
– Huge open spaces all around.
– Were you tense before exams?
– Very much.
– When else?
– Going to a new place, meeting new people.
– Any other dream you remember?
– Temples. Daughter met with an accident but the blood was white. Talking to my brother in the
USA – he informs me that everything is fine. (This dream came when I was worried about him.)
– Are you religious?
– I believe in God. I don’t do anything (praying, etc.) daily.
– Tell me about your childhood.
– It was good, happy.
– What was your nature as a child?
– Aggressive. If anyone cheated, I fought. Always wanted a fair fight. I fought with others for my
brother. I was protecting everyone like that. I was good in studies but quiet in the class. I used to
play outside all the time.
– Biggest tensions?
– The children, since they have arrived (born). I used to be outgoing earlier. Now the children come
first. I am very tense. Tense that they should do well. Everything has to be like clock work. I want the
children to be perfect. I don’t want anything wrong with them. I am very particular about clothes
and dress. I have trouble relaxing, I kept telling myself I am going to get diabetes (and I did). I am
very particular about things (fastidious). I let go for a day or two and then I am back in control.
Sensitive to scolding. Inside, I get bothered but don’t show it to others.
– Hobbies?
– Reading, going out, travelling, music.
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Analysis
In this case we see a tremendous lack of confidence and anxiety that things should be in order,
perfect, faultless. She is fastidious, is sensitive to reprimands and has tremendous anticipatory
anxiety. She is very particular about clothing, her children, etc. There is a constant tension, she
cannot relax, keeps stretching herself to the limit of her capacity. This is the cancer miasm. The
remedy is Carcinosinum as we have other symptoms like “Ameliorated, seashore; open air”, “Travel,
desire to” and “Sensitive to music”. She is at the very centre of the miasm. With treatment, the
“saddle” lessened, her headaches went and the diabetes improved markedly.
Case 11
Mr. P.J. , 32 years old, came in March 1989 with complaints of hypertension, sleeplessness, heavy
head and frequent urination. He also complained of forgetfulness with respect to names, lack of
concentration while reading and listening, easy exhaustion – would get tired from minimal exertion.
Mentals: Gets very nervous before an interview, cannot bear anyone shouting at him. Hands and
feet become cold and, at times, the hands tremble. As a child, he wanted peace everywhere – could
not bear to see a fight. He gets suicidal thoughts when he cannot achieve something he feels he
could.
In the case record he has written that he was married but did not have sex for several months.
When questioned, he gave several excuses of lack of privacy, fear of conception, etc., but it seems
that the real reason was a feeling of impotency. He did not mention it – his wife did.
Analysis
We find premature senility – old age complaints at a young age. There is a suicidal disposition when
he fails in something. These indicate the syphilitic miasm. However, there is the fear of being scolded
if he doesn’t perform, intense nervousness before an exam or interview. He also needs to cover up
his impotency – he gives many excuses to hide it. This indicates the sycotic miasm. The miasm is
syco-syphilitic, i.e. cancer miasm. The remedy is Agnus castus which has the mental weakness, loss
of concentration, etc., associated with sexual weakness, heaviness of head, etc. Agnus castus falls in
the cancer miasm as seen in its pathology – secondary gonorrhoea, rheumatic nodes, sterility,
ulcerated gums, ulcers in the mouth, etc.
Case 12
A woman aged 35, a teacher. She has a bad cough and menstrual problems. First interview on
16/03/91. She is asked about her nature.
– When I trust people I am asking that they should be very honest. I don’t like being betrayed. I don’t
like to be misunderstood. I don’t like to take revenge but I like to make them see they have done
something wrong. I like a person to know when they have done something wrong. I get annoyed,
irritated, I don’t like hypocrisy. I like people to be straightforward. As soon as I see the person has
betrayed me I feel bad.
My father died very young. I always wanted to have a father. (She starts to weep).
I work at two places. At one school there is a Principal and I think of him as my father but he is so
inconsiderate. He incites me, harasses me, humiliates me in front of others. He doesn’t give me the
respect due to a teacher. I gave him that respect and honour. I don’t know how to describe the
feeling.
– Why does he do that?
– I don’t know (she starts weeping). I only work there for two hours and I am busy for those two
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hours. He accuses me a lot. He listens to other people. I don’t know who is jealous of me. I worked in
Calcutta and no one had any complaints about my work. This man finds everything wrong with me. I
tried to give my resignation but he won’t accept it.
He does not want her to leave. She should have walked out but she needs the situation and he
needs her.
– I don’t know why he listens to others. He insults me in front of others. My relationship is good with
everybody. I have done nothing wrong to anyone. Another teacher, who is not qualified, she fights
with me, wants to put me down, troubles me. He takes her side. This is injustice. I don’t expect him
to see me as his daughter, even though I see him as a father. He wants me to support him in
everything. In the last fifteen years I have given in my resignation so many times. He is such a liar.
How can he teach morality to the children? He blames me for my character. In other places I have no
complaint about my character. Every teacher and student has a high regard for me at other places.
He keeps listening to other people. You can’t have ill feeling against someone for no reason. He is so
rude to me in front of people. The teacher who isn’t well qualified is in the good books of the
Principal. She wants favours from him. She fights with me openly.
She has a high pitch voice, a quick, complaining tone to it.
– My Principal is very irritating.
– Is he irritating like your cough?
– May be. I won’t stop fighting. Why won’t he let me leave when he is unhappy with me. (She is
playing with her fingers).
I ask myself: Is this the situation she has chosen or is the Principal really a bad man, and can she
really notleave this college?
– Have you had similar problems in the past?
– Yes, it always happens to me. In Calcutta one man used to irritate me. He used to shout and other
people warned me about him. Another woman was his instrument to irritate me. When I had the
proof I threw my books on the table and I walked out. Then they asked me to come back. I wrote
and asked for an assurance of honesty before I would go back. This place here is very irritating but I
don’t know how to come out.
– Why don’t you walk out?
– He says I am ditching, betraying the students. Why should I let the students suffer? They have
done nothing wrong.
– What dreams do you have?
– Of being drowned, of my father. (Her father died of leukemia).
– What is the cough like?
– A feeling of something stuck in my throat; it has to be swallowed, like a ball in the throat. It is
worse at night. I have to wake up.
When I am angry, I tell the person: “You have done wrong.” I will just shout out. I want the person
to accept he is wrong. I don’t have anything against him. I just want to be treated as a human being.
Her husband is asked for his opinion.
– She reacts, overreacts to what is in front of her.
Her tongue is cracked in the middle.
Follow up:
The cough improved immediately but she was as excited as ever. She received a dose every month.
By January 92, the cough is better and the attacks not so frequent. “I still get angry but I try to be
cool instead of retaliating. My situation at the institution is better. I don’t talk. I keep quiet.” She had
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a problem in the past with a weeping, pus-oozing eczema around her ankles. The skin trouble
recurred quite badly. She couldn’t work for two weeks. The cough is now almost gone. Her nature is
to react to injustice. The sensitivity has reduced by about 30%.
Follow up 3-4 months later:
She had a high fever and on the advice of a colleague took some Hepar sulphuris. It got no better so
she took some antibiotics. She used to have throat problems in childhood.
– How is your nature now?
– I am not shouting much.
Her husband says she is subdued. She still fights but it is more polite than before. The sensitivity is
still there but the reaction is less. Her periods are now on time and lasting five-six days. Her skin is
slowly getting better. She feels fine overall.
– How are your moods?
– Sometimes I am in a bad mood but usually I am OK.
Her husband says the situation has improved.
– I am trying to understand everyone. I can’t change everyone so I have to change my attitude. I
can’t force everyone to behave the way I want. I try to understand them.
I asked the husband how he sees her now.
– She is more sober. She used to be a ticking bomb. (She sounds less whiny now in her voice).
– Any dreams?
– I used to dream of fire or of being drowned. I used to dream of saints coming, before my marriage.
I used to meditate every morning and night.
I asked about the Principal.
– I still have that. There are still problems but I look at it differently. I had a discussion with him. I
listened to him coolly. I was not excited. I didn’t want him to know my feelings. I wanted to
understand him. Previously I was looking at him more like a father than a Principal. I am keeping my
distance. He is changing his attitude to me.
What are the features of this case?
The relationship between her and the Principal – whatever her perception is of this relationship – is
what she has created in her outer reality. She has two feelings: He is my father, I need him. I want
him. I cannot leave him. But, what does this man do? He betrays the trust. She needs people to be
honest. “I need to trust and the person I trust betrays me. How can he do this (harass, trouble me,
etc.)?” This is her reaction – anger. This is what she feels and the anger is provoked very easily, even
by small things.
Analysis
In this case there are two feelings. There is the extreme dependence on the father-like figure to the
extent that she could not leave the college though she logically should have done it under the
circumstances. The dependence is the sycotic aspect of the case which is less striking than the other
feeling, which is the tremendous violence provoked by feelings of persecution – the syphilitic feature
of the case. The sycotic weakness (dependence) prevents an uncontrolled violent reaction and
escape. She continues to work under oppressive conditions and feels oppressed with a desire to get
out. “I have resigned many times.” She feels so oppressed that she says, “I only want to be treated
like a human being.” At times she gets violently angry. The case falls between sycosis and syphilis,
i.e. it is tubercular miasm. To select the remedy the following specific feelings are selected:
– Delusion, deceived (Phatak’s Repertory);
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– Delusion, persecuted;
– Delusion, vexations and offences;
– Company, desire for, when alone;
– Violent;
– Paroxysmal, harassing cough.
The drug chosen was Drosera. The patient was given Drosera 1 M and gradually till Drosera 50 M.
She improved not only in her cough and menstrual problems but most strikingly in the mental state.
Note: Drosera (the sundew) is a carnivorous plant and it traps insects. Incidentally, on seeing this
case, my friend Misha Norland remarked that the potencies are made out of the plant with the
trapped insect.
Case 13
A married woman of 22 who had asthma since childhood, aggravated by cold weather though in
general ameliorated by cold weather and fanning (HOT patient). She also had offensive, profuse,
dark menses with clots. Her husband says: “She very easily gets into a rage. It comes up, very
suddenly.” She feels like running away or taking poison and has to be restrained. She had many fears
– of being alone, of dark, of ghosts. She likes travelling. When asked about dreams, she said that she
had dreams of being chased by snakes.
Without any further prompting, she said that she also dreamt of having sex with her brother-in-law.
This was a most unusual thing because the patient had come with her husband and there were
about twenty students in the O.P. D. The patient was from a conservative middle-class family, but
did not hesitate in the least before mentioning this dream.
Analysis
The most important feature of the case is the amorous dream and the way it was related by the
patient. Her behaviour is in total defiance of social norms showing her indifference and desperate
feeling, the latter being seen also in the rage and suicidal impulses. This expression is strongly
syphilitic. The anger with desire to run away from the house, the obstinacy and defiance (“I don’t
care what happens to my relationship with people, especially husband”) point toward the tubercular
miasm. The shamelessness, immodesty and actual indifference could probably have been the end
result of long continued oppression – this is quite common with women in such families and would
explain the violent expressions as well as the indifference. As I have already arrived at the remedy, I
did not probe deeper into the family history.
This is a peculiar case with intense feelings and expressions. It falls between the tubercular and
syphilitic miasms – it is a case of the leprous miasm.
The rubrics selected were:
– Rage with suicidal disposition;
– Rage, has to be chained;
– Rage in women;
– Indifference to exposure of her person;
– Forsakes her relations;
– Mocking his relatives.
The remedy selected on the above reasons was Secale cornutum. It is a remedy in the highest grade
in the rubric “Skin, eruptions, leprosy”. With Secale cornutum she improved remarkably in her
mental state, asthma and menstrual complaints.
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Case 14
A boy aged 15 accompanied by his father. The father explains that in infancy and early childhood
the child was well above average.
– When he started school lately he became retarded in development – mentally and physically. He is
short in height. He has failed the last two years in school. He is mentally dull and indifferent. He is
not interested in anything – current affairs, sport, games. He doesn’t want to learn anything. He picks
things up fast but loses interest very quickly. He can’t sit erect, he slouches. He has fixed ideas. He is
crazy about automobiles, cars, trucks. He draws and paints them. He is obstinate. If an idea gets into
him he sticks to his point. (The boy is sitting with a blank expression, his mouth half open). He has
been in different classes but he loses interest, won’t pursue anything.
He is clumsy and drops things easily. He has an intense fear of examinations. Before them he is very
confident, as if he knows it all. But when he gets there he writes nothing. His mind goes blank. He
bites his nails.
– On the day of the exams we have to wake him. He is sound asleep. He seems quite relaxed. He
(appears to) knows it all, then he writes nothing.
He has a recurring nightmare. He is on a crowded railway platform. He sees a man there. He thinks
it is a close relative. From behind the man looks like his father. Then he sees a hand stabbing the
back. He shouts and wakes up. I ask the boy to describe the dream:
– It started two months ago, I don’t know who is being stabbed but I see him being stabbed when I
wake up. It is a crowded station. The man falls down and then there is screaming. I see only the hand
that is stabbing him and the back of the man.
He gets this dream almost every night. “Sometimes I am screaming, sometimes I am talking.”
I asked him if he has any other dreams. He dreams about a garage and cars. He is working on the
cars and imported cars are brought there. He has many workers under him and he owns the motor
mechanics shop. When expensive cars belonging to important people come in they are worked on
under his supervision. Other dreams? He has had some frightful dreams. He dreams of falling down
the stairs in a college. He says: “I am not nervous before I go to school. I feel confident before I go. I
forget the answers, I write the wrong answer or I leave it blank.” (He shrugs his shoulders.) I
observed that his talk sounded quite normal. He understood questions and answered properly. He
spoke well. He was quite sharp, intelligent.
– You are failing all the classes, don’t you worry?
– No, I don’t think about the consequences.
The father explains that before he was three years old he was much above average. He learned
things faster than the average child. At three everything stopped. When he was seven they took him
to a child guidance counsellor who found that he was left handed. He had been forced to write with
his right hand when he started school. At first he used to come from school and describe what had
happened. Then he stopped and said nothing. He developed aversion to writing.
I ask the father to leave the room so that I can talk to the boy alone. (The boy smiles quickly as his
father leaves.)
– Why can’t you concentrate and do well?
– I like cars and garages.
– What makes you angry?
– If someone tries to argue with me I get angry very fast. When someone says you are not correct,
that is not the point, then I get angry. When I am angry, I don’t talk to that person for a while. I go
and sit alone for some time. Sometimes when I get angry, I throw something but not with people I
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don’t know. My mother used to tell me, force me, to do things I didn’t want to do. I used to throw
things at her. She used to tell me not to watch television. When I am doing algebra and I can’t solve
it, I throw the book. I never do one subject at a stretch. I do one subject, then another, then another,
then another, then another. It keeps shifting.
– What do you feel like when you are angry?
– I have fights with my mother. Sometimes I do things then I tell her I have done it. I am told not to
eat meat on Fridays. I use my pocket money to buy meat, then I go and tell them. I don’t have to tell
them. Then she starts shouting at me.
– What TV movies do you like?
– Action, comedies, martial arts, thrillers, not serious stuff. Sometimes I draw. (He draws cars and
buses.) I like cars, I am learning driving. (He has no brothers or sisters.)
– Tell me about you mother and father.
– I don’t get on with my mother. She says the opposite to me. Sometimes my father argues. (He likes
to eat fried rice.) My mother says I should have other things. I don’t like other people forcing me to
do things. If they do, I do the opposite. I don’t care about the consequences.
It is not important to know the remedy but to know the approach in any case. What is the main
idea? The boy – what is his perception of reality? The boy is very intelligent. He became dull and
uninterested, and gave up. He was forced to change from his left to his right hand. “I don’t like to be
forced to do things”, he says. This is his sensitive point. This could indicate any remedy. How did he
react? What was the feeling behind it? On the outside he says, “OK, I won’t do it. I won’t study,
pursue a career. I won’t write. I don’t care about the consequences. Do your worst.” It is defiance. “I
stand against. You can’t force me.” This is one aspect of the case. He stands quite strong, no fear: “If
I fail it doesn’t matter.” He will defy even to the point of destroying his own future, his own life. “I
will not do it”. This is the attitude on the outside.
Inside we have a dream – the stab in the back, falling down and dying, violent end, death, murder,
killing, stabbing. The potential in this boy is to stab and to be stabbed. He watches martial arts on
TV, the streak of violence is there. So, we have defiance and violence. Being forced – someone is out
to destroy him, his individuality. “I am going to stand there defiant.” The dream of being killed, the
stabbing indicate the feeling of being attacked and the desire to attack back in return. The obsession
is with being attacked, forced, compelled, being made to do things. The compulsion is to be defiant
and attack. There is also changeability – he doesn’t want to stick to one subject. He likes moving,
motion, motor cars. He was a high performer before the defiance, much above average and we can
still see the signs of this when he talks.
The remedy he needs should have the theme of attack and defence, and violence, a need to attack
to the extent of killing or of being killed. A remedy of extremes. He can appear stupid, dull. The
miasm is syphilitic – destruction. The theme of attack/defence indicates a metal. The motion and
restless nature indicate a mobile metal. The remedy is Mercurius.
The most sensitive point about him is contradiction. He was contradicted, told to do the opposite.
This gave rise to wild impulses, attack, stabbing in the dream almost every night. In the dream
someone is being stabbed in the back. Deep in his subconscious is the impulse to kill the person who
contradicts him. This is the main theme of Mercurius. It is not expressed consciously in the child.
Rubrics:
– Kill, desire to kill the person that contradicts her (single symptom);
– Anger, so that he could have stabbed anyone;
– Audacity – Heedless;
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– Courageous;
– Delusion, that he would be murdered;
– Delusion, everyone is an enemy;
– Dullness of mind, idiocy, imbecility, writes indistinctly, slowness, loss of will;
– Indifference, apathy, to everything;
– Indifference to all reprimands;
– Kill, desire to. Escape, impulse to run away;
– Loss of will power (Phatak).
The idea of syphilis is the idea of the killer. It is a killer disease. Mercurius sees people around him as
his enemies – “Delusion, surrounded by enemies”. He has to fight even to destroy himself, even if it
means suicide. I refer to Misha Norland’s article on Saddam Hussein and Mercurius: “I have to
obstinately fight, even to the bitter end, even if everything in my country is destroyed.”
The boy was given Mercurius solubilis 10 M.
Follow up on video 6-8 weeks later:
– I got the same dream only once.
Otherwise his nights were peaceful. There was no problem. He is asked how he is feeling now.
– I am more open than before. My anger against my parents has reduced.
The father says that he has grown in height in the last month and his sluggishness has reduced
somewhat. He is more interested in his studies. He has been studying for his exams and his
confidence has improved.
Follow up after another month:
– I got one more dream – that someone was threatening to attack me.
This is a good sign. It is coming up to his awareness, the basic feeling is becoming connected to him.
He has had no other dreams. He has started sneezing in the morning. He is asked about the dream.
– Someone is threatening me.
The father says that he is having some nightmares. He is more lively, more interested. His
confidence has improved considerably. He has done well in the exams.
– When I got the paper I started writing; I am more interested in sports and games than I was.
The boy appears more cheerful. His crazy, fixed obsession with motor cars is changing:
– It is less, I can’t understand that I used to stand in the garage all the time watching the cars.
The natural classification of drugs
Introduction
The homoeopathic drugs are classified according to their source into:
– Mineral kingdom;
– Plant kingdom;
– Animal kingdom;
– Nosodes;
– Sarcodes;
– Imponderabilia.
In this section we shall try to link this classification to drug pictures to see if we can learn about
remedies from a knowledge of their source. We shall study drugs from a particular source (e.g.
animal kingdom), and determine the features common to that source. A summary of this is followed
by a comparative analysis of the three major kingdoms – mineral, animal and plant.
A major part of this section is devoted to the mineral kingdom, which I have studied in greater
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depth than the other kingdoms. The Periodic Table of elements offers a ready and natural
classification of the mineral remedies, and we shall use it in our study. I have only briefly touched on
the plant and animal kingdoms and would like to study them in greater depth in the future. The
nosodes are dealt with in the second section (miasms) and shall only be touched upon here. I do not
have much experience with the sarcodes. However, I have introduced another imponderable as a
remedy: music. My work on music as a healing agent concludes this section.
things, he has to talk the whole day. He convinces people. He can convince anyone to buy anything.
I gave this man Argentum metallicum 1 M and two weeks later his voice was much better and soon
returned to normalcy.
This case paved the way to a new understanding, a whole new concept about not only Argentum
metallicum, but all the metals. Argentum metallicum is a performer, an intellectual who needs to
perform, who needs to show. I new that Aurum metallicum (gold) is also a performer but this is a
much higher performance. Aurum has a high sense of responsibility and duty. He is industrious and
can feel very guilty, depressed and even suicidal, if he hasn’t performed his duty or fulfilled his
responsibility. Argentum, on the other hand, is one who needs to have control with himself (“Fears
losing control”), who needs to perform and to show. So I understood that even if the degrees differ,
the common theme between Argentum metallicum (silver) and Aurum metallicum (gold) is
performance.
Mineral kingdom
Metals as performers
Some time ago I was asked to teach Argentum metallicum. At that time I had very little knowledge
of this remedy. I had hardly used it. So I read some books and tried to understand it.
In Phatak’s Materia Medica I read that Argentum metallicum prominently affects the larynx,
symptoms appear insidiously, slowly, lingering, progressing. There is a loss of control over mind and
body. In the Mind I read: “Loss of mental power”, “Talkative”, “Disinclined to talk in society”. I read
the modalities: “Worse while speaking, singing, mental strain”. The respiratory symptoms are:
“Hoarseness and aphonia aggravated using voice”, “Total loss of voice in professional singers”.
Extremities: “upper limbs”, “feel powerless”, “writer’s cramps”.
I asked myself the meaning of these symptoms. Most of the books I read gave the symptom: “Total
loss of voice in professional singers”. What does this mean? It means that the person sings till he
loses his voice. That means first of all he must be a professional singer or in other words he should
keep on singing a lot and then he loses his voice. Again, when we go to the Mind section we find
“Talkative” and also we have the symptoms “Vivacity” and “Desire to talk to someone”. So this is a
man who needs and likes to talk. He is a professional voice user like a professional singer,
professional preacher or even a speaker, a writer – a person who needs to speak, express himself.
Then you have other side where he loses his voice, his mental power, his ability to write and
develops writer’s cramps. So, I understood that Argentum metallicum is a person who needs to
perform through expression, either through voice, intellect or writing. At this point I could see the
connection with Argentum nitricum a remedy which I have used often. Argentum nitricum has
tremendous stage fright disproportionate to the situation and this demonstrate the need to perform
and explains the anxiety that he feels before such a performance.
I understood that the main theme of Argentum is performance and expression. Around this time I
went to buy a car. I was offered different colours and also had a choice of buying a silver coloured
car. I was told that the silver car would cost several thousand rupees more than the other cars. I
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asked the dealer what would be the advantage of silver. Did it last longer or have any other
advantage? I was told that the silver car was “show”. I could immediately connect this with the
Argentum need for show, for performance and expression. Speech is silver, silence is golden.
In Hering’s “Guiding symptoms” is found: “Inclined to talk a lot and argue with great facility. Debates
until there is loss of mental power and an inability to think”. A good orator is one said to be silvertongued. Coincidently, under the Mouth section
in Hering we find: “Tongue has a silver coating”, “Persons who have an inclination to be cheerful and
talk” (Hering). Argentum metallicum is known to be useful in professional singers. Singing is an
intellectual exercise involving as well expression, performance and show.
Having understood this much I was now waiting for a patient who would come with these features
so that I could test my concept of this remedy. Soon, I got a case of a businessman of around 35
years who had been suffering from the chronic hoarseness for the last four or five months. His wife
was with him and she tried to talk for him as the doctor had told him not to talk, but the patient
stopped her. He insisted on giving the whole history himself even though he could hardly speak. He
is a businessman and as his job is to sell things, he has to talk the whole day. He convinces people.
He can convince anyone to buy anything. I gave this man Argentum metallicum 1 M and two weeks
later his voice was much better and soon returned to normalcy.
This case paved the way to a new understanding, a whole new concept about not only Argentum
metallicum, but all the metals. Argentum metallicum is a performer, an intellectual who needs to
perform, who needs to show. I new that Aurum metallicum (gold) is also a performer but this is a
much higher performance. Aurum has a high sense of responsibility and duty. He is industrious and
can feel very guilty, depressed and even suicidal, if he hasn’t performed his duty or fulfilled his
responsibility. Argentum on the other hand, is one who needs to have control with himself (“Fears
losing control”),
who needs to perform and to show. So I understood that even if the degrees differ, the common
theme between Argentum metallicum (silver) and Aurum metallicum (gold) is performance.
I asked myself a question: Is performance in the common theme of all metals? At this point I came
across the Periodic Table of elements. I was surprised to see that Argentum and Aurum are in the
same group and come just one below the other. I was further surprised when I saw Palladium and
Platinum one below the other in the Periodic Table since both are very well-known complementary
remedies and have in common the symptom: “Delusion that she is not appreciated”.
I started finding more and more connections in the Periodic Table, horizontally as well as vertically.
For example, Platinum and Palladium are both very high performers, Platinum much more than
Palladium. In the Periodic Table Palladium is found above Platinum and Argentum above Aurum. So,
as the metals get heavier and heavier they move into deeper and deeper performance.
Ferrum (iron) is in the 4th period (1st line of metals) and is concerned again with performance but
also with defence. Swords and knives are made up of this metal. The 2nd line of metals (5th period)
like Palladium, Argentum have more to do with performance and show. For example Palladium has
the rubric: “Longing for the good opinion of others”. The heaviest of the metals li ke Platinum,
Aurum, Mercurius, Thallium and Plumbum form the 3rd line (6th period) and have enormous
performance and defence. They are mighty and strong and can be found as heads of organizations or
countries. The first line which consists of Manganum, Ferrum, Cobaltum, Niccolum, Zincum, thus
have to do with defence and performance but to a lesser degree than the heavier metals.
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Period 4 (first line of metals)
Niccolum-met. + -c. (old abbr.)
Mrs. K.P. , aged 63, advocate by profession, came with pain in the knees which makes it difficult to
walk, get up from a seat, climb stairs, etc. A very self-confident woman, sits erect, almost with an air
of authority. She says she is anti-authority. She was suppressed by her parents and at the age of
fourteen was forced to marry a person totally unsuitable and she divorced him nine years later. She
educated herself, joined the students’ movement and studied law. Her father thought he was doing
the right thing since the husband had lots of money. After the divorce she got married to someone
who had not a single penny.
She says she is an atheist, feels wronged, and is malicious. She now lives with her husband and
three children, yet she does a lot for her parents in their legal matters. She cannot tolerate
contradiction. It angers her, at the same time she tends to contradict others and disobey them. She
is talkative and can be quarrelsome, as she is now with her brothers. She dreams of her dead
mother. One particular symptom she gave is: “Heaviness in the head, morning on rising, but it
disappears very soon”. The knee pain is more on the right.
Rubrics
– Anger from contradiction;
– Contradiction, intolerant of;
– Contradict, disposition to;
– Contrary;
– Malicious;
– Quarrelsome;
– Loquacity;
– Dreams, dead relatives;
– Head heaviness, worse morning on rising, ameliorated after rising;
– Pain, rheumatic, knee, right.
Niccolum 200 produced a dramatic change within a week in the pain. Now she looks forward to
playing badminton.
Comment
1. Nickel comes in the same group as Palladium and Platinum. It is in the group before Copper. The
main theme of the metal is performance, defence and a certain hardness. A sense of duty and ego
are both exhibited here.
2. The situation of her childhood was contributory, if not causative.
3. The pain has restricted her activity and performance.
Ferrum metallicum
The next remedy I wanted to understand was Ferrum metallicum. I didn’t know this remedy well
and decided to do a proving along with students, resident doctors and some colleagues. A total of
twelve people took a single dose of the 30th potency and we noticed our symptoms, especially our
dreams. A summary of the proving is given here.
Proving of ferrum metallicum
One male and two female provers had dreams with a common theme. The theme was that a parent
of the prover is introducing him or her to someone and compelling the prover to marry him/her and
the prover says: “No, I don’t want to.” There were some other dreams also that made the picture a
bit confused and I didn’t know how to really understand and explain this in Ferrum. Incidentally, in
the proving none of the provers knew what remedy was taken and at least two provers who got this
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dream were completely ignorant of other’s dream.
So I dismissed the whole proving as not so useful and I didn’t know what to do with it, until I
mentioned this Ferrum proving and dreams to Dr. Sunil and he said: “Out of three cases of Ferrum
which I have treated and cured, two of them had the same problem, that they were being compelled
to marry someone they didn’t want to marry and they were quite against it.” Then I understood the
meaning of the provers’ dreams.
So, the theme has two (three?) things:
– Being compelled to do things against his wishes.
– Fighting against it.
– Guilt of not obeying parents.
So these are the three main elements in Ferrum. The main symptoms of Ferrum are:
– Abusive, insulting;
– Ailments from anger, vexation, excitement and scorn;
– Anger, contradiction from;
– Anger, violent;
– Anger, easily;
– Anxiety of conscience as if guilty of crime. Anxiety with fits;
– Anxiety, trifles, about;
– Aversion, friends, to;
– Capricious;
– Chaotic;
– Company, aversion to, friends, of intimate;
– Confusion;
– Conscientious;
– Contradict, disposition to;
– Contradiction, intolerant of;
– Conversation, aversion to;
– Delusions, war, being at;
– Dictatorial;
– Excitement;
– Fear of crossing bridge, crowd, dead, evil, misfortune, noise, people;
– Foolish behaviour;
– Haughty;
– Hysteria;
– Irresolution;
– Irritability, crackling of newspapers, even from;
– Morose;
– Obstinate;
– Occupation ameliorates;
– Positiveness;
– Quarrelsome;
– Remorse;
– Restlessness;
– Restlessness – driving out of bed;
– Rudeness;
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– Sadness;
– Sensitive to slightest noise;
– Sober;
– Strength increased, mental;
– Violent;
– Weeping;
– Work, aversion to mental.
So, one set of symptoms show rudeness, stubbornness, positiveness, contradict disposition to, etc.,
going against the parents. On the other side, you have anxiety of conscience, as if guilty of
committing a crime. So, what is one Ferrum situation? It is one where the parents are forcing the
child into what he doesn’t want to do. So you have ailments from anger and scorn. They say: “You
know nothing, you do everything wrong, let us decide and make decisions for you.” And the child
says: “No! no way.” Yet he feels guilty within him too.
In India, the main situation with the parents forcing something upon the child is marriage.
Dreams of ferrum
– of battles;
– of dead friends and dead relatives;
– of falling into water;
– of fights;
– of seeing the old school again;
– unpleasant;
– war, water.
The main theme is battle, fight. The basic idea of Ferrum is that the parents say: “I know what is
right for you.” The child says: “I know what is right for me, who are you to tell me?”, and he will not
change from this.
Phatak’s “Materia Medica” gives the symptom: “Always in the right”.
So, the Ferrum situation is one which requires both performance and defence against somebody
forcing him to do something against his will. Therefore, they become very strong-willed, very rigid
and stiff in their attitude so that they cannot take any contradiction. Ferrum can have allergy to
many substances. Ferrum is sensitive and excitable. In the Niccolum patient also, the parent forced
her to do something against her wishes. And she fights against that, at the same time she needs to
perform. This brings Ferrum very close to Niccolum, and when we look at the Periodic Table we find
that Ferrum and Niccolum are very near each other with only Cobaltum in between.
Where in life do we use iron? We use iron in gates and fences – e.g. iron reminds you of a jail with
bars, of a helmet, or a battle tank, an armour or shield. The theme of all these is that they are
protective. They prevent outside things from coming into your territory. You want to keep people
from breaking into your place, into your territory. You put forth a defence of iron. So the theme of
the provers’ dreams that their parents were forcing them to marry meant the parents were intruding
into their territory and they had to put up a strong defence to prevent this. This defence itself
becomes a performance, like in the Niccolum lady – whose job is to defend people, she is a defence
lawyer. We notice this in Ferrum people too. They defend themselves and perform to defend their
families. This theme of defence and protecting oneself is also strongly seen in Cuprum and Zincum
(which follow Niccolum).
Cuprum metallicum
As far as Cuprum is concerned the main mental picture we get is the feeling of being attacked. The
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rubrics are: “Fear of being approached, child cannot bear anyone coming near her”, or “Delusion,
that she is pursued by the police”, “Striking”, “Shrieking”, “Biting”, etc., which come in attacks.
Similarly, in the Cuprum general state we have spasms, convulsions and violent phenomena which
occur suddenly, periodically and spasmodically in attacks.
At the same time we also have in Cuprum the need to perform, for example we have the rubrics:
“Delusion, he is an officer”, “Delusion, he is a great person”, “Delusion, he is a person of rank” and
that “He is a general”. On the other hand we have single symptoms of Cuprum like: “Delusion, he is
selling green vegetables”, “Delusion, he is repairing old chairs”. For a long time I was wondering
what exactly these delusions meant. Then I understood that selling green vegetables and repairing
old chairs indicate very ordinary occupations and the Cuprum needs to be much more than that. He
needs to be a person of rank – a general, an officer. He has fear of being attacked and therefore he
needs to be a general. So the two aspects of defence and performance again come out quite clearly
in Cuprum.
One remarkable case that I remember was of a little girl aged three years. She was dragged into the
O.P. D. of the hospital (where I work) by her mother. She was shrieking and screaming and each time
I would look at her she would scream more loudly. This girl was a complete wreck, only skin and
bones. She could hardly stand or walk and I had serious doubts that she would ever recover. She
would sit on the floor of the room, would not look at anyone and if anybody went near her, would
scream and kick, bite and spit and make angry faces. Over the next three-four years we gave her
Cuprum and she improved very well. She put on weight, was able to go to school, her behaviour
improved and she showed very good progress.
The main theme of Cuprum seems to be attack and defence. Not a constant vigil as one would see
in Zincum, but rather a paroxysmal and violent phenomenon, a feeling as if one is being attacked,
and for that moment he has to defend himself, violently, vigorously and impulsively. This theme
emerges clearly in the following rubrics:
– Biting;
– Shrieking;
– Striking;
– Tearing. Violent, rage leading to violent deeds;
– Wildness;
– Rage in paroxysms;
– Croaks like a frog;
– Bellows like a calf;
– Delusion, arrested, he is about to be;
– Home, desires to go;
– Fears of strangers.
All these rubrics give us the theme of Cuprum: “Attack when you are attacked” or “Strike back
quickly when attacked”. This theme can be seen in many ways as in martial arts like Karate, and no
wonder a lot of Cuprum people are attracted to such activities.
In the physical sphere too the same theme emerges, i.e. violent paroxysms brought on by exciting
factors. The cough of Cuprum is typical. It has “Paroxysmal cough in long uninterrupted paroxysms”,
with definite exciting factors such as 3:00 am, moon phases, emotional excitement, etc. The cough is
like a convulsion; a condition for which Cuprum has much reputation. This is easy to understand
why, since we have already seen the theme of Cuprum to be “Paroxysmal violence with shrieking”,
etc., which is the typical feature of a convulsion.
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Zincum metallicum
Zincum, the remedy next to Cuprum has very similar feelings. It has also the feeling of being
attacked. In this remedy the rubrics are:
– Delusion, thinks she is accused;
– Delusion, thinks she is about to be arrested;
– Thinks she is to be murdered;
– Pursued by police or enemies;
– Rage;
– Escape, attempts to, is restrained with difficulty.
I found that Zincum patients have a tremendous constant anxiety as if they would be arrested, as if
somebody is behind them. The difference between Cuprum and Zincum is that Cuprum has periodic
attacks of tremendous anxiety. It is as if Cuprum is a remedy which has the feeling it “would” be
attacked whereas Zincum feels somebody is constantly behind him and this causes a constant
restlessness which is manifested commonly as “Restlessness of lower limbs” and in the rubric:
“Chorea while at rest”. He can never ever remain still. He is always fidgety, moving and in very
severe cases I found that these people have a criminal look on their face and a feeling as if
somebody is going to come from behind them at any time and this keeps them alert, stiff and tense.
Zincum people are good performers as well, like Cuprum. In the physical sphere the main symptom
of Zincum is that every sickness, every infection straightaway affects the brain and the nervous
system, causing a tremendous excitability and restlessness. For example, even the measles infection
would directly affects the nerves instead of appearing on the skin or even the lungs, and thus cause
severe complications like convulsions or late sequelae such as subacute sclerosing panencephalis.
After a period of excitability of the brain and tremendous restlessness, the Zincum patient can go the
other extreme which is a tremendous dullness, fagged out feeling such that he cannot even
understand questions – he repeats questions before answering them. He is muddled and has brain
fag. These two extremes of Zincum – the ability to defend and the collapse are two parts of this
metal. We can see now how Zincum is closely allied to Niccolum, which is in turn closely related to
Ferrum.
Manganum-act. + -c. (old abbr.)
Case
I had a case of a man aged 23, an architect. He couldn’t work because of his disease. (He walks with
a stick and had come alone. He sat straight, not relaxed, and was frowning). His chief complaint was
stiffness of the joints with pain. His knees, ankles, shoulders and back were affected. It started in
1979 with pain in the right leg.
– It started capturing my body. In the last thirteen years most of my joints have become affected by
arthritis.
He also has ankylosis spondylitis.
– I feel I am imposed on by my mother. This is what I think is my problem.
– What is your nature?
– I don’t speak out things. My mother has a military way of behaviour. I fear her. I cannot cope with
my mother. I feel she will not like what I do, will not approve. I feel like taking revenge on her. If she
does not like me to lie on the bed I feel like doing it to spite her, but I cannot do it.
Every morning at 6:00 am his mother puts on the radio with loud music and it disturbs his sleep.
– I feel like telling her: “Shut off that radio”, but I can never tell her. I feel like breaking the radio.
He is the only child. His father died in 1980. They used to live with the father’s parents and siblings.
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The mother was dominated, suppressed and harassed by her in-laws. They had moved out from
there but the mother kept “brooding and complaining about all things that used to happen. She talks
about the past all the time. She does whatever she likes but I cannot do it. Sometimes I feel she is
not my mother.” That was the important information in the case.
Follow up
The patient was following up with a colleague for the last three months and the colleague has now
brought the patient back. The patient has taken the remedy in December and improved. When
asked how he has been since December, he said without the frown:
– The pain has subsided. I have more confidence in myself. I feel I will be able to walk. I hope for it
now.
The swelling in his left ankle is less.
– What is the difference in the joints?
– The swelling and the pains are 20% better.
He is asked about his mother.
– Because of the attacks she had faced in that family she started to impose on me. I have a furious
feeling within me all the time. May be it is this feeling that is coming out in the form of joints pain.
– What did you do with this feeling?
He agrees he felt dominated.
– This how the fury started.
– How did you express it?
– I never expressed it. I never talk with my mother. I felt I was suppressing myself. I cannot come out
with my thoughts. I should have come out with my thoughts but I couldn’t. I felt she should not be
doing what she is doing. In January, I don’t know why, I told her: “You should not put on the radio so
loudly”, and she listened to me. (He looks happy). She really listened to me. I wanted to make some
changes in the house. She said: “Here is the money, go and make the changes.” For the first time I
am feeling she is my mother.
Analysis
I shall now explain how I looked at the case. His mother is troubling him, dominating him, pushing
him down. The feeling in his mind is to take revenge. He feels fury but cannot express it, he has to
suppress it. He is offended. He hates her. “She is not my mother”. He feels revengeful, malicious,
violent but can do nothing. So what does he do? He sulks, frowns, becomes sad and reserved.
The theme is a chronic feeling of being dominated, suppressed and harassed. “Constantly someone
is pushing me down”. Is he insulted? No. His ego has not been affected. This is not Staphisagria.
There is not the sensitivity of Staphisagria. His joints are being eaten away. This is a chronic, slow,
eating away process and he becomes bitter and sad. He feels like attacking, taking revenge. He
wants to fight back in defence but he cannot attack, he always suppresses his violence. He puts up a
wall. He becomes sad and embittered. On the outside he doesn’t react. Attack, defence and this
chronic state indicates a metal but this metal is not as heavy as Mercurius. It is not syphilitic, it is
more sycotic. The situation is not desperate at all and there is no suicidal thoughts here. He feels
harassed and has to defend himself. He has to be strong to put up with things. The main theme of
the remedy is suppression and the remedy is Manganum. In the Periodic Table it comes next to
Ferrum.
Rubrics
– Malicious;
– Hatred and revenge;
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– Violent;
– Hatred of persons who had offended him;
– Reserved;
– Quiet disposition;
– Morose;
– Conversation aggravates;
– Mildness;
– Irresolute;
– Timid – bashful;
– “I want to take revenge but I can’t”;
– Frowning;
– Sulky.
Manganum has a bitter sadness, a deep-seated bitterness. Clarke describes it as “rancour”. The
rubric is “Embittered”. The patient was asked how he felt about music. Sad music affects him
greatly. Sad music brings out sadness and relieves it. He likes the saddest songs. “Sadness, sad music
ameliorates” and ” Music, aversion to joyous but immediately affected by saddest” – Manganum is
the only remedy. According to the homoeopathic principle sad feelings will be relieved by sad music.
The reason why only Manganum is mentioned in this rubric is because the feelings are so suppressed
in Manganum that only music with the same depth of grief can touch them or relieve them.
They are quiet, reserved, morose, especially with the person who has offended. The mother also
needs Manganum. She was harassed, dominated, suppressed and she kept it all in. She couldn’t
express her feelings living with her in-laws. Other suppressed remedies express their pent up
feelings sometimes, for example Staphisagria, which has violent outbursts of anger. But Manganum
never expresses his feelings, so music relieves and brings out these feelings. Music brings our
emotions, our suppressed feelings, into the conscious. Manganum is unconditionally relieved by the
saddest music. Staphysagria is suppressed too but the ego is involved. There is morbid sensitivity
and scars form.
Manganum is a gradual, slow, deteriorating process like arthritis, muscular dystrophy. It is very close
to Ferrum. The feeling of being dominated is also in Ferrum, being forced to do something against
his will. Ferrum and Manganum are next to each other in the Periodical Table.
One month earlier the patient had felt he should meditate and the medicine helped him to do that
too. In the past there had been too much in his mind. On the next follow-up he came without a stick.
– The pain has subsided.
He is feeling much better and has started working again. He thinks he is 50% better.
– My dreams are much less.
– What are you dreams?
– There were three types. One, I was falling from a high building. In another it is as if I am late or
unprepared for exams. In the third I am travelling on a train, I have a ticket but the collector says I
don’t have a ticket. Now I dream of daily events. I have calmed down a lot. I used to think all the
time about my mother. Now I see she does it for everyone’s good. Before I saw her as an enemy. I
wanted to take revenge. I couldn’t stay in the same room and make conversation. She has changed
towards me. Now we do things together.
Now he can work, drive about, visit places. Previously he went out only to visit the doctor every ten
days. He has been given Manganum 10 M – one dose. Manganum is not suppressed anger. It is
totally suppressed, not only anger. The mother shows the hard, dictatorial side of Manganum, the
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son the suppressed side. The theme of attack and defence which generally indicates a metal are also
seen here.
Manganum picture
Shy child of dominating parents – gets the idea that his parents are not looking after his problem –
develops a feeling of bitterness. Bitterness – Shyness. And because of excessive domination the child
develops lack of self-confidence, feeling all the time inferior about the self – easily frightened and
anxious. In boys the first major fright is about sexuality – the guilt of masturbation and emissions.
They become weak and nervous, can’t concentrate, as if something bad is going to happen.
In the presence of their dominating parent they become nervous, tense, jittery. At the same time
having a feeling of bitterness towards them and also discontent about themselves and the situation.
This leads to periods of brooding, where they are thoughtful, absorbed and thinking constantly
about themselves. Sad, silent, inward weeping, low spirits, reflective, peevish, taciturn and dull:
During these phases with internal sadness, they respond well to sad music which seems to be in tune
with the sadness inside them.
Like Causticum, they may find sympathy for others because they find something similar to
themselves. There is a sense of isolation, as if nobody cares for them. They are better by expressing
themselves though they very rarely do so. They try to get over this by trying to please others and
getting gratitude and recognition. They are as submissive and sensitive as Pulsatilla, as anxious as
Thuja, as timid as Silicea, as sympathetic as Causticum, as much relieved by music as Aurum.
Physically, they may throw out psoriatic eruptions which are worse in winter, or a chronic eczema.
These eruptions are inveterate. They may develop hoarseness of voice, constipation, various
muscular pains or sprains and headaches. They are careful, eager to make a good impression and
thus hard-working and do a good job. They are very emotional people, sentimental. They are worse
in a closed room and better in the open air.
Cobaltum metallicum
Mr. G., a vendor aged 27, came to me with a twelve year history of photosensitive dermatitis. He
had a rash on his face which was aggravated by the sun and light of sun. He had taken steroids in the
past which gave him temporary relief.
Symptoms
– Cracks on tongue or either side of midline;
– Dreams of danger, as if falling into a well;
– Timidity when speaking to others;
– Strong feeling of guilt. Sensitive if his faults are noticed or pointed out by others. “If my ways are
pointed out I am very sensitive”. He has a tremendous sensitivity of the mind and the skin – to
people and to the sun. He can’t talk/communicate; and blames himself.
Rubrics chosen
– Confidence, want of self;
– Reproaches himself;
– Cracks on the tongue;
– Sun aggravates (Phatak’s Repertory).
The remedy which emerged was Cobaltum. “Delusion he is a criminal and that others know about
it” – (Synthetic Repertory). He always has to be careful to defend himself. The patient was given
Cobaltum 200 and he has responded very well. The skin has cleared 80-85%. It had not been so clear
for twelve years. The same theme is in Cobaltum – defence from attack, from fault finding. Cobaltum
has to be faultless.
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So, in this way I understood Cobaltum and then I could understand the themes of Manganum,
Ferrum, Cobaltum, Niccolum, Cuprum and Zincum, which are the metals of the 4th period. I could
see that these metals have a common theme which is defence and performance. A feeling as if the
people are getting into their territory and the need to keep them out, the need to defend against the
attacks of others and also to perform. This theme of metals can be easily understood because, in the
world too, a metal is used for its performance and for defence.
Period 5 – second line of metals
Palladium metallicum
In the 5th period we have two remedies which are commonly used – Palladium and Argentum. In my
experience with Palladium I found that these people lay a great emphasis on what other people
think about them and they always try to get the good opinion of others to which they attach great
importance. If they don’t get that good opinion then they feel insulted (“Delusion she is not
appreciated”) and neglected. One of the rubrics of Palladium is “Delusion that he is neglected” and
this is a very strong feature of Palladium. This reminds one of the Argentum nitricum feeling:
“Delusion he is despised” or “Forsaken feeling, sensation of isolation”. The main feeling of these
people is that if they do not do good enough, if they do not do well enough, they will be neglected,
they will not be wanted and this deserted, forsaken feeling becomes strong. So, they always need to
do something in order to win the appreciation of other people. The main feeling on seeing the
Palladium patient is : “What a nice person she is, how good she looks, how well she talks, how well
she manages, how well she does things, etc.”
I remember one woman who had come with complaints of asthma and extensive Lichen Planus. She
would sit with a tremendous air of authority but in a very nice way. I found that she was very strongwilled but she appears very friendly. The rubric is: “Obstinate, tries to appear amiable”. This woman
used to live with her husband in a joint family and with her father-in-law and mother-in-law. She is
quite an egoistic person (“Delusion, enlarged, is very tall”), though she does not externally appear so
and she tries her best to win the appreciation of her father-in-law. What she felt most disturbed
about was that however much she did, he didn’t praise her and it was this praise from him that she
craved.
Rubrics are:
– Flattery, desires;
– Longing for good opinion of others;
– Haughty;
– Wounded, wishes to be flattered;
– Delusion that she is not appreciated;
– Offended easily;
Argentum metallicum
We have already discussed the theme of Argentum metallicum which is very close to Palladium in
that both try to perform, but here the performance is more with their talking, singing and
expressing. These people often become famous singers and speakers.
It is a syco-syphilitic remedy which has two sides: on one side talkative, hasty, jumping, laughing,
restless, and on the other side disinclined to talk, tired, forgetful, etc. Besides these two phases one
thing is lack of control, doing unaccountable things, and another is deceitfulness.
Physical symptoms:
– Electric shocks;
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– Convulsions;
– Cramps.
But at the same time it has got thickening of the cartilages and the symptoms that are deep and
penetrating. So, close remedies are Alumina, Mercurius, Selenium and other metals. All these
remedies have in common deep penetrating processes with sudden acute exacerbations, violent
impulses and manifestations. In Argentum metallicum one of the most important symptoms is:
“Aggravated using voice”, “Aggravated from speaking, singing, mental exertion”. From this we know
it is a remedy for teachers, professors who use voice and mind, and are compelled to do this but on
the other hand they can give up from too much of this, for their voice is lost, mind stops working;
there is alternation between loquacity and sadness. They are in a chronic situation in which they are
forced to perform.
“Silver is a showpiece of human society”, “Speech is silver, silence is golden”: Speech is show,
constant need to show, mentally and by speech. It is an impossible situation because they can never
ever meet demands and therefore they become depressed. The patient alternates between
performance and failure. When he feels forced to perform, there is both anger and fright. This fright
is what he shares with Argentum nitricum which has “Anxiety before performance”. In anger there is
rage and when provoked he can react with striking, e.g. “Cough from anger or jerks”. He can go out
of control, he loses his balance and control. Slowly over time, the mind and body give up struggle
and go into deep-seated degeneration, he develops vocal cords nodules, so may never be able to
speak well again. His cartilages and condyles become thick and so cannot move again, limbs feel
powerless, become tired and weak – emaciated, loses his mental power and becomes almost insane;
so, his organs of performance, which are mind and voice, limbs and joints, are the chiefly affected.
A person who uses logic and intellect more and likes to show, to demonstrate his skill, his expertise,
his knowledge – a professional speaker – thatis his job, he lectures and lectures and reads and gives
lectures. They are people who talk less from experience and more from the performance angle: big
orators, public speakers, clergymen, preachers. He is a man who is compelled to perform, he is a
performer, he comes in a class same as a musician, as a singer, as a writer, as a novelist, even as a
newspaper editor – the same quality – the need to show, need to use intellect, the words, the talent
(high intellect, poor emotion). He can rationally analyze and put things very clearly, argue it, use
logic for it. He is the one who is quoted, quotations come from him because he is good at speech. If
we were to take a real life example one would be Winston Churchill, to the same class belongs
Norman Vincent Peale, great speakers, great singers.
Silver is a showy metal, it is shiny, silvery. Silver is for show. A good orator is called “silver tongued”.
Funnily enough, Argentum metallicum has the symptom “Tongue has a silver coating”. It is said
silence is golden, speech is silver. Silver is not so noble, but is always very showy. This is the positive
side of silver, it has the negative side too. The opposite is, it loses the power of talking, the intellect
becomes dull, the voice croaks, the person loses his control and he gets writer’s cramps, paralysis.
His limbs lose control and power and so there is a feeling of want of control and want of power. Just
as Aurum metallicum has extreme polarity between high morality and extreme guilt and suicide,
Argentum metallicum has polarity between high performance and tremendous lack of confidence in
performance; he cannot perform because he has no control on his mind, on his voice, on his hand
and on his movement, i.e. exact organs of expression, exact expression of show. And how does this
process take place? It doesn’t take place in a day, it is a slow chronic remedy; just as silver gets
darker and darker if you keep it exposed, so also the processes of Argentum metallicum are slow and
chronic, and things get worse and worse.
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See the two opposite sides in Argentum metallicum. On the one hand you have “Great inclination to
talk, his mind is very clear and he argues with facility, inclined to laughter and loquacity”, and on the
other hand you have the opposite: “In society is indisposed to talk”, “Increased cheerfulness and
disposition to talk”, “Displeased and aversion to talk”, and on one hand “Paralytic weakness” and
then the opposite “Much inclined to move, feels as if she had more power”.
In India there are many kinds of music – one of them is classical music. Completely intellectual,
completely mathematical, the person only uses his vocal cords and knows how to manipulate them
to produce most wonderful notes. But there is no heart in it, it is only a play with the vocal cords. So,
you have singer’s nodules, hoarseness of speakers. They have to clear their throat frequently and
bring out thick white expectoration – loss of control over mind and body and that is what singers
complain: “I don’t know, nowadays I am not having control over my voice, the voice breaks, it has
lost its timbre.” The speaker will say: “I have lost my control over my voice – it cracks.” The writer will
say: “I don’t have control over my writing – I don’t know why when I write, I suddenly get pain and
my handwriting is disturbed.” The piano player will say: “I don’t have any more power in my hands.”
These are the kind of people who will need Argentum metallicum.
Voice, larynx and extremities are the most important sites of action of Argentum metallicum
because these are the organs of show.
A situational materia medica
Argentum metallicum has been forced by his parents to perform, to be a performer, to demonstrate
his intellect, his skill, his talents, his brain power. Parents say: “My son, you are OK if and only if you
show the world how talented you are.” Given this kind of expectation, the person tries to do his
best, talks, sings, preaches, but at a point he can’t do it any longer and he collapses, the voice is lost,
the power is gone, he can’t live up to it. So, he alternates (like Aurum alternates between “I am
highly moral” and “I am highly immoral and sinned away the day of grace”) between “I am a high
performer” and “I am not good enough, I can’t perform anymore, I am useless.” Either his intellect is
highly developed or he can’t remember, is confused, has a loss of mental power. So everything in
Argentum metallicum is about mental power. The child is expected to have high mental power and
to demonstrate it, show it, express it. Kent says it singles out mainly the intellectual faculty, it
scarcely affects the emotion.
Argentum nitricum
The theme of Argentum metallicum is modified in Argentum nitricum where again there is a feeling
of being neglected and despised (“Delusion, despised, is”) if he does not perform (“Delusion, thinks
he is repudiated by relatives”). The main difference is that in Argentum nitricum the performance is
expected at the time of crisis (rubric “Fear of ordeal”). Argentum nitricum patients are what I call the
ideal “crisis managers”. They are trouble shooters of the highest degree. In fact they arrange their
whole life in such a way that there is never ever a crisis and, if one comes, they either become very
flustered and panicky or keep total control and manage it very well.
The theme of Argentum nitricum is therefore the performance under crisis, which needs a great
control and this can be seen in the rubrics:
– Fear of high places;
– Fear of narrow places;
– Fear when anticipating an engagement;
– Hurry, time, to arrive, at the appointed;
– Anticipation, ailments, from;
– Fear of failure;
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– Diarrhoea from anxiety;
– Fear of falling.
I have observed that Argentum nitricum people are especially particular about planning, and
confirm their appointments once or even two-three times before arriving. They are very punctual as
they have: “Anxiety when a time is set” and they arrive usually quite some time before their
appointed time. When they come in they sit as if ready to start running or as though they are about
to begin a race. They are quite hurried and impatient in their movements.
One of the main word that I have found for Argentum nitricum is the word “suspense”. They either
crave for suspense or they can’t stand suspense and sometimes both. For example, a man whose life
is absolutely planned to the very last detail is interested in books by Ludlum with high suspense.
They like challenging jobs in order to overcome fear. I remember one case where a man worked in a
bank and he had a very high pressure job; he was a successful banker but kept changing his job every
couple of years. When I asked him why he changed the job every two years, he said: “I usually accept
only a very high tension job and by two years I have organized the whole thing and then there is no
suspense left anymore. So, I take up another job where I don’t know anything.”
The dreams they have are to do with “Falling from high places” or getting trapped and the main fear
that they have is the fear of losing control in this critical situation (rubric: “Fear of losing selfcontrol”). They are very performance-oriented.
Vertical comparison
Now we can see that the Niccolum, Palladium, Platinum group has ego as its main quality whereas
Cuprum, Argentum, Aurum have value as their main quality. The latter were used in making coins
and also you have gold, silver and bronze medals (bronze being an alloy of copper and tin). We see in
Cuprum: “Delusion he is a person of rank”, “Is a person of value, performance and responsibility”. In
Argentum metallicum we see he is a singer, he is a preacher, he is a speaker, also a person of value
and responsibility. We also very well know the high responsibility and value that the Aurum man has.
Stannum
Stannum metallicum
When we go three metals away from Argentum, there is tin, Stannum metallicum. We have a very
similar theme here. Stannum metallicum is very sensitive to what others say about her (Phatak’s
Materia Medica) and on the other hand we have taciturnity and dislike to society. In Stannum we
have on the one hand the rubrics: “Activity, fruitless, desire for”, “Busy fruitlessly” which shows that
he needs to keep moving, he needs to be busy and he needs to be occupied, while on the other we
have: “Business, aversion to” and “Extreme weakness” so that the patient is unable even to talk.
Stannum also has the symptom “Worse from using the voice” just like Argentum metallicum. So, we
can understand that Stannum is the performer especially in business, in talking, in moving, in activity
and he also has to be very conscious of his reputation with other people.
I remember a very nice case of a businessman aged 50 years who came with the chief complaint of
leucoderma (white discoloration on skin) and these spots were found on the back of his right hand
and on his eye lids and some other parts of the body.
This person was a good businessman and was quite successful in his business.
But he was extremely sensitive about these white spots and what others would think about them.
He was so sensitive about these spots that he would keep the spots on the back of the hand covered
with a small plaster and tell people that he had an injury on the hand. He used to spend as much as
half an hour in front of the mirror looking at the spots on his face and hands and would remain
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inside the house for months together, and not mix in society for fear of these spots being noticed
and his impression or reputation getting spoiled.
This man did well on Stannum; not only did his white spots diminish, his attitude of mind changed
and he became quite relaxed. Earlier he was quite reserved, would not go out of the house, would
not talk to others except for business. After Stannum, he could move and mix in society. What I
understood from this case is that Stannum is a person who needs to perform, who needs to do
business, needs to be very sensitive about his reputation and impression with other people; that is,
his whole survival depends on high performance and creating a good impression.
Period 6 (third line of metals)
Platinum metallicum
One of the main symptoms of Platinum is “Delusion, he is noble”. He feels he is of “superior birth” –
born in a high family. He cannot indulge in everyday ordinary things. He cannot accept this side of
himself. He is therefore split into two sides:
– Nobility with the concomitant of everything high, that is high achievement, brilliant discoveries,
spectacular shine, rare, valuable, spiritual and intellectual.
– The other side which he pushes down and looks at with contempt, is the ordinary everyday things
of life: the “bad side of man”, i.e. jealousy, greed, contempt, anger and most significantly, sexuality.
Nobility involves splitting man into the spiritual and the ordinary, the intellectual and the instinctive.
Both aspects are equally strong in Platinum but there is no balance or togetherness. The patient sees
only one aspect, that is either purely sexual or purely intellectual/spiritual and he is unable to
integrate these two. Therefore, we have the symptoms in Platinum: “Mental symptoms alternate
with physical symptoms” and “Sexual symptoms alternate with mental symptoms”, and this
alternation can occur quite rapidly. There is an another alternation too which is equally significant.
Within him he feels “big” since he is noble, but at the same time in this world of people he can feel
left out and unable to mix. He remains rare and is unable to form a relationship with other people
just like the metal Platinum does not form a compound easily. On the outside, the appearance of
Platinum is quite ordinary and he can feel unappreciated since inside he feels he is noble and high.
This alternates and can coexist, that is: bigness alternates with smallness, egotism alternates with
forsaken feeling.
Out of the forsaken feeling comes the fear that the few people he can relate to will leave him: “Fear,
husband, that he would never return; that something would happen to him”, since he feels generally
estranged from most including his own family (rubrics – “Delusion, family, does not belong to her
own”, “Estranged from her family”). There is also a strong feeling that he has to keep proving his
nobility in order that people come to him since they will not like him if there is nothing noble in him.
This creates ambition in him (“Ambitious”). Where does all come from? Just like Sulphur has the
feeling of being a great person, Platinum feels he is noble by birth or rank. Both of these feelings
come from scorn, embarrassment, and from mortification (“Ailments from”).
The symptoms of Platinum in delusions are:
– Delusion, she is alone in the world
– Delusion, cut into two parts – into upper half and lower half, unlike Stramonium which is right half,
left half ;upper and lower signifying intellect and sexuality (instinct) respectively;
– Delusion, not appreciated;
– Delusion, forsaken;
– Delusion, disgraced (like Staphisagria);
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– Delusion, devils sees – “All persons are devils” and thus the Platinum person can get quite abusive.
Therefore, one gets the idea that the situation is one where the person is treated badly and is not
given due respect, i.e. scorned, embarrassed, tormented and criticized. His survival therefore
depends on his saying: “I don’t care what they think of me. They are low-born and I am high-born.
They are my enemies”; “Delusion, proud”. From the scorn and persecution comes the feeling of
pride and nobility. Once he puts himself in the nobleman’s class he is isolated and he has to prove he
is special to survive. He has to split into the two sides we already spoke of. The same situation can
come in the case of a girl who is badly treated or criticized by her mother for no fault of hers. Here
the father sides with her. The girl calls her mother “devil” while she feels that she is noble, which
puts on her the stress of proving it.
The Platinum person is described as contemptuous (“Contemptuous – in paroxysms against her
will”), dominating (“Dictatorial”) and proud (“Egotism”, “Haughty”). This is not always so. In their
eagerness not to lose someone they can get: “Affectionate”, “Amative”, “Caring”, “Embraces his
companions”, “Extravagant”, “Exuberant”, “Flatterer”, “Kisses everyone”. On the other side an
unattractive side of Platinum can be an erotic nature, “Lasciviousness”, “Libertinism” and even
sexual perversions. The Platinum people are thus very strong in their emotions – either way. They
can be fanatical. All feelings including envy, malice, affection, hatred are felt quite intensely.
Similarly there are intense feelings of contempt for self like “Striking himself” or “Suicidal”.
Sometimes they can withdraw into a sulky, unfriendly mood. The Platinum isolates himself in his
ivory castle. He is an ordinary looking man surrounded by the glitter, alone, estranged, and needing
to prove that he deserves to be there.
Case of platinum
Mrs. A., a 32 year old woman, mother of two boys aged five years and eight years, was referred to
me by a colleague. Her main problem was of recurrent attacks of severe renal pain which had been
diagnosed as nephritis. Pains were associated with fever and frequent burning urination. These
attacks were occurring roughly once in two weeks for the past four months, but had increased in the
last two months, so that she was almost confined to bed. Her mother and sister were also being
treated by the same colleague. Mrs. A. has a loud, shrill, dominating voice and can be very
demanding and excited. She tends to exaggerate her problems. Once my colleague remarked to her
sister that Mrs. A. might be also developing psychogenic problems like their mother. This remark
infuriated Mrs. A. so much so that she phoned my colleague and fired him for over half an hour on
the telephone. Soon the colleague referred this case to me. I found her to be very strong, very
demanding, demanding instantaneous relief (rubric “Shrieking for aid”). She was quite egoistic,
talking about her achievements especially her business whereas her husband, a very mild-mannered
person, just watched us quietly during the interview. She has extreme reactions in some situations
as when, once her husband was threatened by someone, she started crying, was abusive, suicidal,
uncontrollable and felt extremely lonely.
Within a week of giving her a dose of Platinum 10 M her pains were 50% better and within two
months of starting treatment her renal pains disappeared.
She has improved emotionally, though the pain infrequently recurs in a mild form.
Aurum metallicum
I have written about Aurum in “The spirit of Homoeopathy”.
Mercurius solubilis
For Mercurius, the reader can refer to the last case in the Miasm Chapter.
Plumbum metallicum
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Plumbum has a marked fear of being assassinated. Assassination is the word used only for a person
who is in a very very high position, like a king or a leader. So the feeling of Plumbum is he needs to
be one of the highest performers and in one of the highest position, and all this involves
performance as well as strong defence, as there is the danger of being assassinated. In this extreme
situation Plumbum can have “Destructiveness” and “Suicidal disposition” too and he feels alone
(“Company, desire, friend, of a”). In rubrics like “Ailments from anticipation” and “Timidity appearing
in public”, we have Plumbum thus making it a political personality. I believe the late Indian Prime
Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi might have needed Plumbum.
The opposite side of Plumbum is total paralysis of the body and mind, which makes them look
stupid and imbecile.
Thallium met. + -act. (old abbr.)
I would like to project these ideas into remedies which are less known and one such is Thallium.
Here I would like to show how I study a remedy which is less proved, how I could use the
symptomatology. When we read Thallium from Phatak’s Materia Medica, we find here that this rare
metal is useful for:
– the most horrible, neuralgic spasmodic, shooting pains, pains like electric shocks;
– numbness or formication starting from fingers extending up to the lower limbs and down to the
feet, lower abdomen and perineum;
– paralysis of lower limbs, locomotor ataxia, tremors;
– hair fall with great rapidity after acute and exhausting diseases;
– muscular atrophy.
Here we notice that there are no mental symptoms written, but I think we can derive the idea of
mind from these symptoms itself. We have here the most horrible neuralgic, spasmodic and
shooting pains. It is obvious that these pains are violent and spasmodic, indicating that the mind can
also be violent and spasmodic. That means it feels attacked and attacks in return with great violence.
Further, we read that there is numbness and formication and paralysis of lower limbs, that is
absence of sensation and function of the muscles which involve movements and therefore the other
side in the mind must be feeling that the mind cannot move, cannot think, cannot act.
If this is the failed (uncompensated) side of Thallium, the coped up side must have great
performance, great agility, great mobility and activity of the mind. Locomotor ataxia indicates a loss
of control and uncoordination. In the mind also the person must have feelings of tremendous
uncoordination, confusion and of being unable to think clearly. The coped up side of Thallium in the
mind must have tremendous ability to coordinate things. From this, when we make a picture of the
Thallium mind, we have on the coped up side a person who is very active, hard-working, sharp, who
is very coordinated in all his activities and actions, who has full control on everything around him;
and he feels attacked sometimes, and if he does, he will attack very violently in return.
This much reminds me of the situation of a General in the midst of coordinating the whole war
effort. This leads us to understand the feeling of Thallium as the head of Army, as the head of
defence forces next in line to the ruler (who could be Plumbum). In the study of Thallium I have thus
shown that one can derive the whole mental picture from reading the physical symptoms. This is
one method used to study remedies where the mind is not so well known and also in order to
supplement our understanding of the mental picture of remedies which are partially known.
Aluminium / alumina
Alumina
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Aluminium: This metal is close to other metals in its quality, but the situation is more desperate.
Here is the picture of the oxide of aluminium namely Alumina.
There are some things that are essential to the life of a human being and if these are taken from
him, he doesn’t find any point in living. First of these is hope. Whatever the situation in life, as long
as there is hope he will live and if there is no hope he will deteriorate and die. The remedy for total
absence of hope (e.g. in a black night) is Syphilinum. Dr. Phatak describes Syphilinum in his Materia
Medica as “Hopeless despair of recovery”. Despair itself means hopeless and hopeless despair
means hopeless hopelessness. Therefore Syphilinum is the remedy of death and destruction. He
could commit suicide or homicide.
The second thing very important for life is independence and a person needs to be able to take his
own decisions and not to be dominated by somebody else. The remedy when you take away a
person’s independence totally is Mercurius. He becomes revolutionary, defiant, homicidal or
suicidal.
Then third thing that is required is acceptance in society, some religious feelings. You take this away
from man and you have Aurum – suicide again.
The fourth thing is a sense of individuality or identity. “I am Rajan and you are so and so. I have this
quality and you have this quality. I am so and so and you are so and so.” A sense of individuality is of
utmost importance, right from childhood. You ask a child: “What is your name?”, and she says the
name – identity is given. You take away the identity, you don’t know who you are – no name, no
quality, and you get the story of Alumina.
These four are the greatest antisyphilitic remedies that we have with no hope, no independence, no
morality, no individuality.
So, the symptoms of Alumina are mainly symptoms of identity and individuality.
Rubrics
– Delusion, head belongs to another;
– Delusion, consciousness belongs to another;
– Delusion, errors of personal identity;
– Feels as if somebody else has heard or said something when he has heard or said it (Phatak’s
Materia Medica);
– Contradictory to speech, intentions are;
– Inconstancy in thoughts;
– Undertakes many things but persist in nothing.
There is a rubric in Alumina: she gets an “Impulse to cut herself even though she abhors the idea” –
what does it indicate?
– Impulsiveness;
– Destructiveness;
– Suicidal impulse;
– Weak – resolution, timidity, fear.
All these confused feelings give the picture of Alumina.
Confusion of identity
Probably the most important remedy for this in the Materia Medica is Alumina.
The situation of Alumina arises from conflicts between parent and child where the child is not being
given identity. Whatever the child does – they say: ” No, not this”. His identity and individuality have
been broken down, whatever the child says is not right – you are no one, you know nothing, and
then comes despair. “I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what I am, I don’t know who I am. I don’t
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know what I want, I don’t know what I want to be and I am so small, I am so timid, completely
dependent on parent.”
Conversation with one of the patients about his mother:
– I always run to her for help and she always breaks my identity, she finishes me off, whatever my
opinion is, it has no value, she makes me lose confidence in myself.
From that situation, one of the most important needs of man – to feel “I am someone” – is lost.
“delusion, head belongs to another”
He doesn’t even know to whom his head belongs. We use our head to think. He feels somebody
else thinks for him, he can’t think for himself.
His real identity is being suppressed, is being pushed in, so he has to mould himself according to
what people want, and then there is fight, there is violence, suicide, morbid impulse by shooting
himself, “Scorn – ailments from scorn” and “Contemptuous” like Platinum. He has some symptoms
like “Delusion, he is great”, “Laughs, contemptuous” and one very important symptom which is
“Fastidious”. A man who has lost his identity has to do everything perfectly according to somebody
else otherwise he feels completely humiliated and finished.
The will is taken away from the person and so you have the symptom “Weak will” and similarly the
will is also taken from the muscles too and he can’t move properly, he has no balance. I think
Alumina will be a good remedy for left-handed children who are compelled to write with the right
hand, as they are compelled to lose they identity and will be confused whether they are left-handed
or right-handed. So when you force the child to be something other that what he naturally is and
really force him, you are laying the seeds of Alumina. It is similar in a man having his own
characteristics, if you say no, make him behave as you want, if you crush his will, crush his ideas, for
example the Chinese situation. In China, everybody is made to wear the same trousers and the same
T-shirt, the same colour. You are supposed to have the same number of children – identity is lost
completely – there is confusion of identity. The man is not allowed to be himself, his will is taken
away from him, he is a helpless man, he is dependent on you, he cannot walk on his own and he is
told: “No, you should not be like this”, and he is pushed into a corner.
Someone trying to be other than what he is will end up in boredom and confusion, in violence and
in fear. For example, in the school situation: the students want to play, to jump around, to dance,
and you put them in a corner and say: “You have to study and be a doctor” – again you are creating
Alumina. Do not take away the individuality of a person, let him be himself.
Some rubrics are
– Blood or knife, cannot look at;
– Thoughts frightful, on seeing blood or a knife.
An explanation of these rubrics can be found in another rubric:
– Suicidal disposition; on seeing blood or a knife she has horrid thoughts of killings herself, although
she abhors the idea.
He is afraid to look at blood or a knife, afraid of the impulse. Natrum sulphuricum has a fear of being
left alone lest he should injure himself, which is similar but, as in Aurum, Natrum sulphuricum has no
split feeling. In the case of Alumina it is as if she were two persons, a split personality. The desire for
suicide points to depression and despair, but in Alumina this is changeable. One side is depressed
and the other side not, nothing is fixed, it is chaotic.
He doesn’t’ know who he is or what he wants. The main feature of Alumina, therefore, is a split in
identity, personality or self.
Aluminium oxide is the hard substance that forms on Aluminium, that gives the hardness of the
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metal since Aluminium is the soft, easy malleable metal. The feeling of Alumina inside too, is soft
and easily mouldable, so that there is no identity. So he needs to be hard and rigid to keep up his
identity. In the coped up state the Alumina patient can be quite hard and rigid as the following
rubrics demonstrate.
– Timidity alternating with assurance;
– Defiant;
– Obstinate, resists wishes of others.
Case
A man about 38 years, he has a moustache and wears glasses. He is a research scientist working in a
big soap manufacturing company. He works with chemicals, has complaints of chronic eczema for
many years, on the face and neck. This is a follow up interview and the patient is asked to tell his
story from the beginning. He folds his arms.
– I would like to ask you how exactly you would like me to proceed. What would be the ideal way of
saying it?
– Tell me about the complaint, what you came with and then what happened.
– It started with skin irruptions 10 years back. My mother’s side had skin eruptions too. It started
with two red spots on the cheeks. I used ointments.
His voice goes up and down all the time.
– Five to six years after, it recurred with red patches in the skin. There was oozing of sticky fluid on
scratching. This persisted for quite some time. I used steroid and other creams. It was suppressed for
the time being. I thought the problem was over. After four years it deteriorated, the skin had
deteriorated and the placing of the hand on the skin used to cause pain.
The eczema produces liquid and he can have the feeling of a cobweb on his face. We can see that he
has a very impersonal way of talking. He rarely uses “I” or “my”.
– The itching sensation was almost wild. I decided to try Homoeopathy. I saw someone for two
years. It became a permanent feature on the face. With the homoeopathic treatment I came out of
that. I stopped the treatment. That was probably a mistake. It appeared and the face became bright
red. It is worse from sunlight. Fortunately for me I came back to Homoeopathy. It is now under
control.
He continues to talk about his skin in a very unemotional, long winded way.
– The problem has now more or less vanished. There is no itchy sensation.
Everything he says is in great detail and sounds very detached.
– Overall I would say this has been brought under control.
He sounds like a scientist.
– Tell me about your nature.
What will he say, can you imagine!
– Yes, in fact, I was wondering about this factor. The nature of a person is very important, a factor
which makes a lot of difference, the ability to live in the environment. I am fairly ambitious. I strive
for things when I can. Having lived in a community for some time I have become quite choosy over
who I want to live with.
He likes to argue a lot, picks arguments persistently with others. Note his language: “One would say
this is a factor” – this is someone else. This is the main theme of the case. He is not connected with
himself. The main rubric is “Confusion of identity”. He has fear of losing control. He is afraid of
letting go. He sounds very dry and boring. There is no life in him. He is like a machine, a robot.
Which remedy needs to keep in control? Alumina – “When walking with eyes closed will fall down”,
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“Needs to keep watching, to keep control”. The main feeling of Alumina is “Fear of losing control”.
The feeling is as though another has said it or seen it: “Delusion, thinks someone else sees for him”.
He speaks as though someone else was talking and not him. In the proving, the provers could see the
different way they were talking.
Alumina’s main feeling is loss of control, a feeling that someone else would take control of the mind
and body. Dreams: of boats floundering, as if the boats loses control, “I must keep this boat steady”.
This man is very steady, controlled in the way he talks. This man feels he needs self-control. It is a
syphilitic remedy: suicidal impulses and a tremendous need to keep control – “Fear, on seeing blood
or a knife”, “Impulse to kill at the sight of a knife”. He shakes because he feels he cannot control it
and feels he is finished. Inside, the person is very soft, moulded easily, can be shaped. In order to
make it difficult for someone to shape him he has to be hard on the outside. Inside is the fear of
losing the hardness. It is the conflict of fear and self-assurance. He puts up a stiff front. If he gives
way, something will take over, so he argues hours to maintain his position. When someone argues
endlessly it is only to establish his own identity. He has to create and retain the identity which he
does not feel he has. He doesn’t have emotions he can express -it’s all shaky. The words are the
cover to the uncontrolled, confused inside. He doesn’t use the word “I” because he doesn’t know
what “I” is. When he says things he doesn’t know who has said it, himself or someone else.
After the remedy the skin is better but the state of mind is the same. This is a deep case. You can’t
expect a quick change in the emotions and nature.
Next follow up
He talks about his skin still sounding detached but there are more “I”s in his talk and a little more
animation in his voice and on his face. The state of mind will take a long time to change. He is using
now his hands to describe his symptoms – before he never used his hands.
– How are you emotionally?
– I used to wake up in the night very suddenly. Now that is not there.
He needs to shake another person up in arguments because he is shaking inside. I repeated the
Alumina 10 M about twice a year (as needed).
Alumina is associated with Boron in the Periodic Table. The remedy made from Boron is Borax.
Borax shows with Alumina the symptom “Cobweb sensation on the face” which represents the
confusion. Borax has as its main symptom: “Fear of downward motion”. The main feeling behind
“Fear of downward motion” is the feeling of losing control. Therefore the child clings to mother or
nurse when he is put down. There is also “Starting from noise”. It has also “Fear of upward motion”.
I remember one case referred by a colleague which was quite confusing. We elicited one dream
from the patient, i.e. dream of a giant trampoline. He falls down on to it and then goes up again. His
feeling in the dream is of fear, after eliciting this dream we could see that his view of his life was as if
it is going up and down and there was feeling he could not control it, which produced anxiety.
This feeling of not being in control seems again like Alumina. Thus, there seems to be a common
factor theme in Borax and Alumina – need for stability. In nuclear reactors, a set of control rods
made of Boron (or Cadmium) are used for stability. If the danger of a fission chain reaction getting
out of control is anticipated, these rods are used to arrest the reaction, as they absorb neutrons
readily. (The fuel for reactor is provided by a neutron source – Uranium or Plutonium.)
We see that certain remedies have common themes and when they are grouped together, they fall
naturally into a classification already established by science, one based on the periodic law. Although
I had come this far, I was still quite surprised when, on looking the Periodic Table (see chart), I found
that Natrium and Potassium fall in the same group. We know from our knowledge of the Materia
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Medica that both Natrum and Kalium have a strong theme of relationships. In the next group, we
find Magnesium, Calcarea and Baryta – which also have a common theme, i.e. the need for support.
Even before my attention had been drawn to the Periodic Table, I knew that the halogens (group
VIIA) have much in common. This had also been confirmed by a proving of Iodum (described later).
While this process of discovering the natural relationship of remedies was exciting, I had yet to
understand how such a beautiful arrangement of elements had been arrived at. I needed to
understand the elements themselves – their properties and the basis of their grouping in chemistry.
After a brief “elementary” study of chemistry, I could understand the broader aspects of the
classification much better. I shall give a brief summary of what I learned, beginning with a short
introduction to the Periodic Table.
A brief introduction to
THE PERIODIC TABLE
The Periodic Table is a classification of the chemical elements in a logical framework, so that it is
easier to understand the properties of elements and their reactions with each other. The foundation
of the Periodic Table was laid by Dimitri Ivanovitch Mendeleev. In the modern Periodic Table the
elements are arranged according to their atomic numbers. To understand this we have to
understand the atomic structure a little.
A single atom of every element consists of protons (p), neutrons (n) and electrons (e). The protons
have a positive charge (+), the neutrons are neutral (0) and the electrons have a negative charge (-).
The protons and the neutrons form the nucleus of the atom, whereas the electrons circle the
nucleus in orbits, which they occupy in a specific manner. The first orbit can have a maximum of 2
electrons, the second orbit a maximum of 8 electrons, the third a minimum of 18 electrons, and so
on. The last orbit of every atom must have 8 electrons to be stable.
Atomic structure
The atomic weight of the atom, i.e. the number of protons plus the number of neutrons is: W
= p + n
The atomic number of the atom, i.e. the number of protons, which is equal to the number of
electrons, is: p = e
For example, Sodium has the atomic number 11; and its atomic structure will be:
2 electrons in the 1st orbit
8 electrons in the 2nd orbit
1 electron in the last orbit.
Sodium atom
If we take Potassium which has:
atomic number = 19
Number of orbits = 4
Electrons occupying the orbits in the order 2, 8, 8, 1
then the atomic structure is:
Potassium atom
Thus we see that both Potassium and Sodium have 1 electron in the outermost orbit and this is true
of every 8th element, if we write all the elements in an ascending order according to their atomic
number.
The periodic Table was therefore formulated as follows:
Gr. Gr. Gr. Gr. Gr. Gr. Gr. Gr.
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I II III IV V VI VII VIII
1st Period 1 2 (1)
2nd Period Li
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
(2,1) (2,2) (2,6) (2,7) (2,8)
3rd Period Na Mg Al Si P S Cl
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
(2,8,1) (2,8,2) (2,8,6) (2,8,7) (2,8,8)
4th Period K
19
(2,8,8,1)
The number represents the atomic number of the elements, for example Na = 11, K = 19.
The figures in brackets represent the number of electrons occupying each orbit (for example Na:
2,8,1)
We can see that, as we go higher in each line (Period), the number of electrons increases by 1, and
that Group I elements all have 1 electron in their outermost orbit, Group II elements have 2, Group
VII have 7 and Group VIII have 8 electrons in their outermost orbit.
This is very significant because their properties and chemical reactions are based on this. I will
explain this a little further. Every atom has to have 8 electrons in the outermost orbit in order to be
stable. Now, Sodium has only 1 electron in the outermost orbit and so, to be stable, it has either to
give away 1 electron or accept 7 electrons. It is easier to give 1 electron. By doing this the Sodium
atom loses 1 negative charge (as electrons have a negative charge) and forms Sodium ion with a
positive charge (Na +). Chlorine, on the other hand has 7 electrons in the outermost orbit (Chlorine
atomic number = 17, orbital arrangement: 2, 8, 7; so it needs 1 electron to have 8 electrons in the
last orbit to be stable (as it is easier to accept 1 electron than give 7 electrons). The Chlorine atom,
by accepting 1 electron, gets 1 extra negative charge and becomes negatively charged, forming a
Chlorine ion (Cl-).
The elements which give away electrons and form positive charged ions (cations) occupy the left
side of the Periodic Table (Group IA, IIA); and the elements which accept the electrons and form
negatively charged ions (anions) occupy the right side of the Periodic Table (Group VA, VIA, VIIA).
The cations and anions give and take electrons respectively to form neutral and stable compounds
(e.g. Na+ + Cl- = NaCl). The elements of Group I, II, III (cations) give 1, 2 and 3 electrons respectively,
while elements of Group V, VI, VII (anions) accept 3, 2 and 1 electrons respectively forming stable
compounds.
The elements of Group IVA (Carbon and Silicon) have 4 electrons in their outermost orbit. They
neither give nor take electrons but share them. Therefore, they are less reactive than those
belonging to other groups. The elements of Group 0 already have 8 electrons in their outermost
orbit and so are absolutely stable and do not react at all. They are therefore called the noble or inert
gases (e.g. Helium, Argon).
We have seen that Sodium and Potassium both react by giving 1 electron and thus have similar
properties and occupy the same group in the Periodic Table. Then what is the difference between
the two? As the number of orbits in Potassium is one more than in Sodium, the electron to be given
is more distant from the nucleus; the attraction from the positive proton is less and it is easier for
the electron to be given by Potassium than by Sodium. So Potassium is more reactive than Sodium.
As we go down the Group on the cation side of the Periodic Table the reactivity increases. So in
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Group IA, Sodium is more reactive than Lithium and Potassium is more reactive than both Lithium
and Sodium.
When we consider the anions, as the number of orbits increases, it gets more difficult to accept
electrons as the distance from the positively charged protons in the nucleus increases, the attraction
is less, therefore reactivity decreases. So, as we go down a Group on the anions side of the Periodic
Table the reactivity decreases. For example, in Group VIIA (Halogens) Fluorine is the most reactive
and Iodine is the least reactive. Conversely Fluorine is less stable and Iodine is more stable.
CATIONS ANIONS
GROUP GROUP
Period 1
Period 2
Reactivity increases Reactivity decreases Stability decreases Stability increases
As we move from one Group to another along the same line (Period), as the number of electrons to
be accepted or donated increases, the reactivity decreases. Sodium (Group I, Period 3) is more
reactive than Magnesium (Group II, Period 3) and Chlorine (Group VII, Period 3) is more reactive
than Sulphur (Group VI, Period 3).
CATIONS ANIONS
GROUP I GROUP II GROUP V GROUP VII
Reactivity decreases Reactivity decreases
We have so far talked about Group IA – Group VIIA. There are some elements which have some
common properties like metallic lustre, paramagnetic properties, and are grouped together as
Transition Elements or, in day to day parlance, called Metals. These are the elements of Group IB to
VIIB. The reason for these common properties is a little more complicated and rightly belongs to a
chemistry book. I will just mention that the electrons of these elements jump from one orbit to
another and take in light energy for this. So they absorb some light and reflect the rest and therefore
have a colour and lustre. As the electrons jump orbits, they give and take energy and so they are
good conductors of heat and electricity. They have also much smaller atomic volume, are more
compact and so are hard, unlike the A Group elements. Metals can exist independently and can also
form compounds.
Correlation with homoeopathy
We have seen that cations (like Sodium, Kalium, Magnesium, Calcium) have to give electrons – and
become stable once they find atoms that accept electrons. Their task is simply to find such atoms.
The anions (like Phosphor, Sulphur and Chlorine) have to accept the electrons to be stable and have
to make an effort to keep that electron with them. Thus in the compound between the cation and
anion, the cation is the more passive one – whereas the anion is the active one.
In the homoeopathic Materia Medica we find something startlingly similar. We find that the cations
(like Natrum, Kalium, Calcarea) have in them the feeling that they are incomplete and hence need to
find a relationship to support them. For example in Kalium we find the tremendous anxiety and fear
when alone, in Calcarea we find the tremendous fears and need for support, etc.
Whereas when we look at the anions (like Phosphorus, Sulphur, etc.), we find that they too feel the
need for relationship but the feeling is that they have to make a lot of effort if they wish to keep the
relationship. For example Phosphorus has fear of being alone, but this is associated with a very
caring, sympathetic (active) attitude; Sulphur has the caring aspect too along with the need to do
something to keep a standard (ego), to maintain a good appearance. When they fail in this, the
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anions can turn to the other side, e.g. Phosphorus can become indifferent and Sulphur neglects his
appearance.
So, we see the cations (e.g. Natrum, Calcarea) as dependent, passive and feeling the need for
relationship, while the anions (Phosphorus, Sulphur, etc.) as active and feeling the need to make
efforts to keep the relationship.
For example the quality of Calcarea as we understand from Calcarea carbonica is seeking
support/protection. Whereas in contrast to this, in Phosphorus we find that the person is very
sympathetic and caring, i.e. the active part of the relationship (though he too has a desire for
company and sympathy). To take another example, let us look at Kalium and Sulphur. Kalium has a
tremendous anxiety with fear when alone and needs the relationship. In Sulphur, not only must he
care for others, he must also come up to a certain standard (ego) in order to keep the relationship
(effort).
The reactivity of cations decreases as we go from Group I to Group III and correspondingly we know
from our Materia Medica that Natrum patients (Group IA) are more reactive than Magnesium
patients (Group II). As we move down the Group, we have understood that the reactivity increases.
Thus Kalium is more reactive than Natrum – while Natrum forms one to one relationships, the Kalium
relationships are with a group (1: family).
When we consider the anions, the bonds formed by Group VII are stronger than those of Group V
(as the reactivity is more). Correspondingly the feeling of Group VII elements (Halogens) is that they
have to put in a very strong effort, more than Group V (Phosphorus) or Group VI (Sulphur) to
maintain the relationship. So Phosphorus feels an expectation from others to care for them and
when they feel incapable of living up to it they become indifferent (“Indifference to loved ones”).
The higher the expectation, the greater is the fall from such an expectation. So in Group VII, e.g.
Fluoricum acidum, when he can’t live up to the expectations he feels like breaking the relationship
(“Delusion, the marriage must dissolve”). Phosphorus (Group V) feels if he does not live up to the
expectations he will be unloved. As we move from Group V to Group VI to Group VII, the intensity of
feeling increases from unloved to humiliation to betrayed (so the effort to avoid this also increases
from group V to Group VII).
As far as metals (or Transition Elements) are concerned, we see that they can exist alone or in the
form of compounds. They have to do with performance (good conductors of heat, electricity) and
defence (they are hard and brittle substances in nature, as we saw earlier). As the metals get
heavier, their performance quality and defence quality increases – the same is true of them in
Homoeopathy as we shall see later.
Study of individual groups
Of the Group I elements, only Natrum and Kalium are frequently used. However, these two are very
well understood and the characteristic feature common to both is the theme of forming
relationships. In Natrum the stress is on individual relation, i.e. one to one, whereas Kalium, more
reactive, has one to a group/family. The theme of Group I elements is the formation of relations.
Interestingly, we find in Lithium carbonicum “Disposed to weep about his lonesome condition”
(Hering).
The main theme of Group II elements is the need for support; the person is dependent and desires
security. This need increases as the elements get heavier (increasing at weight) and reaches an
extreme with Barium (barus: heavy) the heaviest stable (non-radioactive) element of this group.
Magnesium has the feeling of an orphan/infant. The need is for a nurturing parent. Calcarea is like a
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young child who realizes the instability of the outer world and feels the need for the security of a
home. Baryta is like a young adult who has now to stand on his own feet. In the collapsed state, he
feels a tremendous sense of incapacity, of not being able to stand on his own feet and needs to be
supported by society.
Our understanding of Group III elements is limited. Boron (in the form of Borax) and Aluminium (Al2
O3; Alumina) are among the more commonly used of this group; the others have not been well
proved. The features common to Boron (Borax) and Alumina are “Confusion” and “Cobweb
sensation on the face”. As these features are not found in the other Natrums, we must attribute
them to the Boron component of Borax (Sodium biborate).
Group IV contains the non-metallic elements Carbon and Silica. The common feature of Graphites
(Carbon) and Silicea is that they are non-reactive.
Group V elements (Phosphorus, Arsenicum, Antimonium, Bismuthum) have the theme of being
unloved and alone, as seen in the symptoms “Fear of being alone”, “Company, desire for” and
“Clinging”. As we go down the group, the reactivity decreases and we find that the tendency to form
relationships is diminishing. Whereas Phosphorus would like to form relationships with many,
Arsenicum is more limited in relationships (with much mistrust), Antimonium “Clings to attendants”
(and “Repels the others”, “Averse to touch”), and Bismuthum wants only the mother (“Takes the
hand of the mother” – Phatak). We see here how the reactivity decreases as we go down the group.
The common features of Group VI are “Averse to company” as in Sulphur and Selenium, and
“Incapacity for work”. A tremendous effort is the expectation of them, and the failure is this
incapacity. They have (feel the need) to earn, come up to a certain standard, be successful in
business. For example Sulphur: “Talks of business”. Under “Memory, weak, business, for”, we find
Sulphur, Selenium and Tellurium (it also has Phosphorus and Fluoricum acidum which are the most
reactive remedies of Group V and Group VII). The theme of having to make an enormous effort is
evident in this group: Sulphur “Cares for others”, Selenium has “Aversion to certain people” and
Tellurium “Neglects everything”. As we go down the group, the effort to form relationships
decreases.
In Group VII, there is the feeling of being let down and betrayed. For example Fluoricum acidum has
“Indifference to family but animated with strangers”. There is an effort here to form relationships. In
Iodum (the heaviest) on the other hand, we find “Averse to company”, “Avoids the sight of people”,
“Averse to the presence of strangers” and “Aversion to the company of intimate friends”.
We see that common themes run through individual groups (and periods) of the Periodic Table.
More work along these lines is required to complete our understanding of the subject. A step in this
direction has been taken by Jeremy Sherr of England, who has begun proving some of the unknown
(to Homoeopathy) elements of the Periodic Table. We need to coordinate our efforts to further the
homoeopathic science. A study of this sort needs also to be made of the plant and animal kingdoms.
I have attempted to show that as a science, Homoeopathy is closely related to Chemistry. No doubt
exists in my mind that such a relation can be found in the science of Biology, Physics, etc. We realize
that all knowledge is related and that every branch of science seeks to express the universal truth.
With the concepts detailed above in mind, we shall now study the Salts, beginning with the
individual elements/ions and then the combinations (compounds).
The cations
Natrum (sodium)
Sodium is the main constituent of extracellular fluid of the body. It is a reminder to us that life
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started in the ocean and sea water formed the fluids. Sodium in the body helps to keep the balance
or, in other words, maintains homeostasis. Thus Natrum, as opposed to Calcium which has a positive
function, is responsible for balance and maintenance of the balance, of the internal harmony.
In the human psyche, one could say that the main anxiety of Natrum is the anxiety of keeping
balance or harmony. In the human situation, this would mean the maintenance of relationships.
Natrum as an element is also known to be highly reactive and needs to form a compound with an
anion (negative ion); it cannot exist independently. In the Natrum side, we see this marked desire to
form and maintain a relationship especially on a one to one level. The Natrum person does not need
too many but just the one and is very much dependent only on one relationship, without which she
feels very isolated and therefore very insecure. This is brought out best in the delusion of Natrum
carbonicum “Delusion, division between himself and others”. It is this tremendous need and
dependence on relationship that makes the Natrum patient very vulnerable to hurt. Out of this
vulnerability the Natrum person develops a fear of people and therefore tries to avoid contact.
While on the one hand she wants to avoid company, she also dreads being alone (rubric in Natrum
carbonicum: “Company, averse to, yet dreads being alone”).
The Natrum persons are surely much more reactive than Magnesium or Calcarea people. They
respond with great sensibility, especially to the feelings of others, and also what others say and think
about them. Thus Natrum carbonicum is found in the rubric “Sympathetic”. However this sensibility
is often suppressed. They feel there is really no one for them. This is somewhat similar to the
repressed feeling of Magnesium, yet unlike Magnesium, Natrum people are very much aware of
their emotions. If they have been hurt, they tend to not forget, thus fortifying themselves against
future hurt. Natrum has also an important role in contraction of muscles and in the movement of
body fluids. Such movement can be found in Natrum. They are very emotional especially concerning
relationships. When disappointed or unable to form a relationship, they tend to withdraw and keep
away from the sight of people. Thus they are often closed people. Natrum muriaticum is the most
prominent and most frequently used of the Natrums. In addition to the above qualities of Natrum,
the Muriaticum element brings in him hatred and revenge, as we shall see later.
Kalium (potassium)
Potassium is the most important intracellular cation. Almost 98% of Potassium in the body is found
within cells. Potassium also influences neuromuscular functions, and a common feature of
hypokaliaemia is muscular weakness. Potassium, like Sodium, also influences the electrolyte balance.
The most important effect of high Potassium levels in blood is cardiac arrhythmia. Kalium comes in
the same Periodic Group as Natrum (Group IA) and has similar feelings as Natrum, i.e. need for
relationship and harmony, and dependence on the relationship. Yet in Kalium this anxiety is much
deeper and he now needs not only a relationship on a one to one basis but also needs relationships
with a group of people. He needs much greater security than Natrum, security not balanced by a one
to one relationship; he needs the family or a group and the harmony between him and the
family/group is his condition for feeling OK.
In this context we can compare Natrum with Magnesium. Natrum needs one person and
Magnesium needs one mother for nourishment whereas Kalium needs a family and Calcarea a
home. In the Periodic Table Natrum and Magnesium are in the same Period next to each other, like
Kalium and Calcarea. The Kalium feels tremendous anxiety without a group/family they can relate to.
Thus the harmony and integrity of that family becomes the chief concern of Kalium (rubric Phatak:
“Anxiety with fear when alone”). If anything disturbs this relationship, the Kalium person gets quite
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fearful and out of that fear, can get quite aggressive. Like Calcarea, this aggressiveness is restricted
to the family: “Quarrels with family”. Rubrics: “Company, desire for, treats them outrageously, yet”,
“Quarrels with his bread and butter” (Phatak’s Materia Medica).
Magnesium
The main feeling of Magnesium is of tremendous internal anxiety and insecurity , but this feeling is
usually repressed. There is a difference between the words suppression and repression. Suppression
means pushing down what comes up, while repression denotes not allowing feelings to come up at
all. I would say that Natrum persons generally suppress their emotions while Magnesium people
repress them. The emotions are so repressed that even the patient is unaware of them.
The main feeling of Magnesium is the feeling of needing the nourishment and the care of parents. It
is the feeling of a nursing child or that of a fetus, which needs all the protection and nourishment
from the mother in order to survive. These feelings in the adult seem so out of place that they have
to be repressed, but they continue to be active in the subconscious, producing tremendous internal
anxiety, the cause of which the patient cannot exactly pinpoint. The feeling within is of being
forsaken (rubric: “Forsaken, beloved by his parents, wife and friends, feels not, of being” –
Magnesium carbonicum). The feeling is of being forsaken and alone, and very needy of protection.
This manifests as anxiety that comes up from small matters, anxiety of such intensity that it cannot
be understood. The patient tries to attribute the anxiety to some reason or the other, but knows
that it is not the real cause. Another way the anxiety manifests is by physical symptoms and
pathology that comes up for no obvious reason. These problems can be well-known psychosomatic
conditions like ulcerative colitis, lichen planus, etc., but there seems to be no big tension in the
patient’s life. They can sit with a composed face and honestly say that they have no tension
whatsoever, and yet they have the most severe problems and pains.
The coped up Magnesium patient can seem quiet, self-confident, unaffected, composed and
matter-of-fact; they not only take care of themselves but even seem to be taking care of others,
especially in a motherly way. What gives the strongest confirmation of Magnesium is usually the
dreams. The repressed emotions of Magnesium patients often manifest in a variety of dreams.
These dreams are often symbolic, i.e. the real meaning of the dream is not clear. There may be
dreams of houses, weddings, fruits, etc. Some of the dreams that recur in the Magnesium patient
are dreams of falling, water, children, dead relatives and death of relatives.
In some Magnesium patients I have noticed that they may have dreams of dangerous situation but
there is no feeling of danger in the dream, e.g. some patients dream that they are standing near a
flood of water but they feel nothing – they are just watching it. Another feature of Magnesium
patients’ dreams is that in most of the dreams there is a feeling of alone-ness, of having to face the
problem alone, and even having to help someone in danger, e.g. robbers come into the house and
the patient is alone. Another theme is the theme of being left behind. Quite a few Magnesium
patients I treated had the dream that they were on a railway platform and the train departed with
all the relatives while the patient was left behind. Among the pleasant dreams that Magnesium
patients get, are usually dreams of being with people, going for a picnic with relatives, meeting
friends, being with relatives who are actually dead.
One set of Magnesium patients say that they do not get any dreams whatsoever. Even when closely
questioned, even after jogging their memories, they are not able to remember a single dream that
they had in the past several years, or even their whole lives. This in itself is for me a strong indication
of Magnesium. It is extremely rare that a person does not remember a single dream, since dreaming
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is a healthy phenomenon and total absence of dreams indicates a severe repression. It is further
confirmation that there is a strong barrier between the conscious and the subconscious parts of the
mind. The Magnesium patients who do not have any dreams are usually the ones with the most
severe pathology. In such people you may get two more indications, i.e. they might be sleepless and
cannot attribute this to any reason (rubric: “Sleeplessness, causeless” – Magnesium carbonicum). The
other feature is that though they say they have no dreams, in the morning when they wake up they
feel completely unrefreshed as if the mind was active the whole night. This latter phenomenon is
also found in Magnesium patients who do remember their dreams. They say: “I dream so much that
I am completely exhausted in the morning”, and there is no apparent reason in their lives to explain
why they should have so many dreams.
These features of tremendous anxiety, insecurity, a need for protection and nourishment, and a
strong repression of emotions are seen in an orphan, one who has no one
to protect him or whom he can confide in. Kent narrates his experience with Magnesium
carbonicum in his lectures on Materia Medica:
“I have observed, especially among illegitimate infants, those that have been conceived by
clandestine coition, that they have a tendency to sinking in the back of the head. I once had in
charge an orphanage where we had sixty to one hundred babies on hand all the time. The puzzle of
my life was to find remedies for the cases that were going into marasmus. A large number of them
were clandestine babies. It was a sort of Sheltering Arms for these little ones. The whole year
elapsed, and we were losing babies every week from this gradual decline, until I saw the image of
these babies in Magnesium carbonicum, and after that many of them were cured.”
I have found that many Magnesium patients have the history of being neglected in some way by the
parents. The feeling of being unwanted in the very early years of life, e.g. an unwanted female child,
after a series of females, when the parents desperately wanted a male child; or a person who has
lost his mother at a very early age, or lost his father at an early age, so that the mother became too
busy to look after the child, and the child was looked after by a foster parent. Such people tend to
become self-sufficient, non-demanding and repress their emotions to a great extent. This state
persists even after changes in their life situation later on.
However the history of such situations in childhood is not mandatory for a patient to develop a
Magnesium state. Such a state could have also come from either parent of the patient. We could
look into the life situation of the parents if we wish to trace the origin of such a state.
Among the physical symptoms of Magnesium I have found that most of them have discharges that
stain the clothes and these stains are difficult to wash off, for example perspiration stains the linen
yellow and is difficult to wash off. Menses are blackish and leave indelible stains. Also I have found
that Magnesium patients have either a craving for or aversion to vegetables.
The above picture when combined with a certain slowness in a weak, chilly, sweaty, sour smelling
patient, is typical of Magnesium carbonicum. These patients often have a craving for meat and fruits.
Their main fear is that some mishap would occur, especially to other people. Whenever a relative,
especially one whom they depend on, goes out, they constantly feel that that person will meet with
an accident. They can be very anxious and may start from slight touch.
The theme of Magnesium can be also seen clearly in Magnesium muriaticum. Here the Muriaticum
element of feeling hurt will also be present. But it is worth studying Magnesium muriaticum.
The main theme of Magnesium muriaticum is the forsaken feeling and disappointment / hurt. They
feel the need to be independent and to defend themselves against hurt.
We can have many presentation of Magnesium muriaticum, for example we can have a girl who is
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very reserved, has a repulsive, unfriendly mood, would like to strike back when offended but holds
herself back out of fear. She cannot confide in anyone and has no friends. She bursts into tears
before her menstrual periods. Or we can have a woman who is extremely friendly, takes care of
other people. Everybody can lean on her for support. She is very friendly but, at the same time, she
is reserved, does not reveal her emotions to the closest person, not even to her husband. She is very
nice, nurturing and even motherly. I have seen that Magnesium muriaticum people like small
children very much and take up professions involving caring/looking after children. These people can
be patient though they feel hurt easily.
Physically, I have found that Magnesium muriaticum people crave open air. In food they crave
vegetables, especially cauliflower, and sweets. They have dark, tarry menses. They often dream of
being left behind (forsaken) or lost in a forest. It is interesting to note that Magnesium muriaticum
has the dream of being lost in the forest, while Magnesium carbonicum has the dream of being lost
in one’s own house.
Calcarea (calcium)
Calcium was used by the earliest form of life to offer protection in the form of a shell, exoskeleton,
etc. In humans it occurs primarily in bones which give us stability and protect vital organs like the
brain, heart, lungs and the spinal cord. The main feeling of Calcarea is the need for stability and
security. The person feels like an oyster without a shell, and seeks protection. He strives to get
protection from outside or develop it himself.
Anything that threatens his stability and security causes immense fear in the Calcarea person. He is
especially sensitive to frightful events occurring around him. Thus, he has fear of animals, dogs,
physicians (especially dentist) and disease. It is these fears of Calcarea that mark him out. He seeks
protection from others and, in an uncompensated state, relies completely on them. This can be
especially seen in Calcarea carbonica children and young people who are usually accompanied by
their parents to the consultation and, whenever asked a question, never answer directly but whisper
the answer to their parent. Even a coped up Calcarea adult is usually accompanied by some relative.
I have seen them use the expression: “I am happy when everybody is around me”. I have heard this
sentence from many Calcarea patients and to me it represents the need to have people around
them for protection and security. In a coped up state the Calcarea person is a home builder. The
home represents the protective shell that he needs around him. The person has to cope especially
when he has to face the responsibility of life and does not have protection and security whereas if
he can avoid it (responsibility), he can remain uncompensated.
In India I see this uncompensated state in women who were constantly protected in childhood by
their parents, and then by the husband, so that they develop no coping mechanism. I have seen girls,
cozy in the protective environment of their parent’s house hesitate and fear to get married, unable
to trust that they will get the same security. They remain unmarried as long as possible, till they
suddenly realize that their parents are getting old too and would not always be there to protect
them. This can also apply to young men much dependent on their parents (Mama’s boys) who
remain bachelors till late and then try to find a mother substitute for a wife.
Calcarea carbonica children can be very obstinate and can even get aggressive, but this is almost
always confined to their home and especially with their doting parents. It is as if they are testing the
reliability of their protective wall, assuring themselves that their parents will not leave them,
however much troubled (rubric: “Torments those about him day and night”). Outside the home they
are often extremely timid and fearful, well-behaved and extremely sensitive to rudeness and
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admonition.
What I have said so far applied especially to Calcarea carbonica, since this brings out the best
picture of Calcarea, and the main feeling of Calcarea carbonica is: “I need security to be alive”. One
of the important rubrics of Calcarea carbonica is the single symptom: “Delirium, talks of nothing but
murder, fire and rats”. This delirium represents his fears of humans and of natural and animal
dangers.
The dreams of Calcarea carbonica represent such anxieties too. Besides the dreams of animals,
snakes, etc., one dream I have seen in Calcarea patients is the dream of watching a murder. Such a
dream is covered by the rubric: “Delusion, murdered, sees someone”. The other anxiety of Calcarea
carbonica is anxiety when watching / hearing about cruelty (rubric: “Horrible things, sad stories
affect her profoundly). On watching a fight scene or a horrible scene on TV, the child goes out of the
room or closes his eyes (rubric: “Excitement, hearing horrible things, after”). These childish fears
(“Fear in children”) can be seen in many Calcarea carbonica adults too.
Physically, the Calcarea carbonica person is usually obese but can be thin. The profuse perspiration
of Calcarea is a well-known feature, as are the desire for eggs, ice-cream, sweets, meat, indigestible
things like lime, sand, slate, pencils (this can persist even in adults). The pathology of the Calcarea
patient will usually involve structures like bones and joints. The main modalities I have found are:
worse ascending (breathlessness, weakness), pressure of clothes (can not tolerate tight clothes),
exertion of any kind (making them indolent), dryness and chapped skin in winter, especially of the
feet.
Baryta (barium)
Barium is not found in the human body. It falls in Group IIA of the Periodic Table, in which group are
also Magnesium and Calcium. The main theme of Group IIA elements is the seeking of protection
and security. The Group IIA elements also have the theme of stunted growth. A deficiency of Calcium
and Magnesium leads to stunted growth in children. This can be seen in the rubric “Dentition slow”,
in which you will find Calcarea carbonica, Magnesium carbonicum and Magnesium muriaticum. The
same theme of stunted growth is taken two steps further in Baryta carbonica. Phatak gives an
important indication for this remedy: “Children are late in coming into usefulness and taking on
responsibility”.
When we study Group IIA we find that the Magnesium situation is like that of a nursling who is not
yet cut off from the umbilical cord of the mother. Calcarea is fixated at an older group of children
where they don’t depend on the parents, yet need them for security and protection. In Baryta
people the problem seems to lie in learning their jobs and taking on responsibility and becoming
useful. At this point they somehow seem blocked and feel a tremendous sense of incapacity, a
feeling of being handicapped, as if they are unable to stand on their own feet (“Delusion, legs are cut
off”). It seems as if there is a tremendous need to become much older than they are, to take up
responsibility in life very very early. In a failed state they become imbecile, irresolute, totally
dependent, and childish. One can see the bashfulness of the Baryta patient with its infantile
dependence, naivety, much anxiety especially brought on by the loss of someone who was
supporting him. This is the failed state of the Baryta person.
Most Baryta people, I see however, present quite the opposite picture. These are people who take
on responsibility in life quite early and fulfill them, who support others in a big way. They are
conscientious and anxious for others (rubric: “Anxiety about domestic affairs”). They are
homemakers and develop signs of premature senility – hypertension, early baldness. The
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responsibility along with their conscientious nature can remind one of Aurum metallicum, which lies
in the same period as Baryta.
I have found the Baryta carbonica people to be very organized. They can reach quite high positions
in life. Occasionally, however, these people can have bouts of irresolution and self-doubt especially
when dealing with new and strange circumstances (rubric: “Fear of strangers”). Such a person can
also become very dependent upon his physician and on the people around him.
The anions
Carbonates
The central theme of the Carbonates is vital reaction. Carbon is found in the inorganic form
(graphites, diamond) and in the organic form. The latter is a vital component of most chemical
compounds associated with life; an entire branch of chemistry – organic chemistry – is devoted to the
study of these compounds.
The present study refers to the organic carbon compounds with special stress on Carbo vegetabilis
and Carbo animalis (vegetable and animal charcoal). The main features of these drugs are the
sluggishness, lack of reaction, the collapse, etc., a state very close to death. In the failed state Carbo
vegetabilis is almost dead, corpse-like; it has been called a corpse reviver! There is complete loss of
vital power and reaction. The coped up side is just the opposite of this. It represents vital reaction
and activity – animation. We find the following rubrics:
– Starting, startled easily;
– Starting, fright from, and as from;
– Frightened easily;
– Irritable from trifles;
– Offended easily;
– Lascivious;
– Passionate;
– Fear, of strangers;
– Affectionate;
– Violent, vehement;
– Anger, violent;
– Delusion, deserted, forsaken, is;
– Delusion, smaller, of being;
– Fear, of accidents;
– Fear, of death;
– Anxiety in the dark (i.e. fear of unknown).
We come to the basic theme of Carbon which is the “Fear of death” with the need for a vital
reaction (activity) in order to survive. This is suggested by the rubric “Starting from fright”. This
starting from fright and this mortal fear is found in all the carbonates in our Materia Medica, e.g.
Baryta carbonica, Calcarea carbonica, Kalium carbonicum, Natrum carbonicum, etc. On the failed
side, the carbonates have sluggishness, lack of reaction and a slowing down of the vital process.
The symptoms are:
– Reaction, lack of;
– Dullness;
– Concentration, difficult;
– Indifference;
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– Fears everything;
– Feeling of being smaller (“Delusion, small, he is”);
– Slowness, comprehension difficult;
– No feelings of pleasure or pain;
– Collapsed conditions;
– Easy sprains and dislocations;
– Dullness and apathy.
From these we can see that the Carbonates represent the vital reaction of life, the fear of death and
desire to live, the basic survival instinct. When a salt is formed (with Carbon), the main feeling is that
of survival which depends on X (the feeling of that element). For example, Calcarea carbonica feels
that he survival depends upon his security. Another feeling could be: “My security lies in showing a
vital reaction”. So the main theme of Calcarea carbonica is the role of Calcium in life. The main
theme of Kalium carbonicum is the theme of Kalium in life, of Potassium being made use of in the
life processes. Therefore, we say that the Carbonates are the most representative of that particular
cation or substance, for example Magnesium carbonicum of the Magnesiums and Ammonium
carbonicum of the Ammoniums, because they represent the role of that particular substance in
basic life processes.
Thus Carbon, which forms the very basis of the living kingdom, represents the survival instinct, the
basic reaction required to live.
The situational Materia Medica of Carbon is one of fright, where there is a threat to survival and the
person finds himself too small and poor in the race for survival.
Silicates
Silica forms a large part of the earth’s crust: rock, mountain, sand and glass are all composed of
Silica in varying proportions.
As the sea lashes against rocks, they stand firm, rigid, unyielding – almost unchanging. The main
theme of Silicea is the need to be unyielding, unchanging, to be rigid and fixed. Silicea represents a
stubborn, continuous resistance with firmness in the face of attack. The pathology of Silicea often
exhibits these qualities of fixity and obstinacy – chronic suppurative processes, keloids, fistulae, etc.
The Silicea person feels that his survival lies in rigidity, fixity and firmness. In the collapsed state
(failed side), where he is unable to achieve this, the Silicea person internally feels weak and
fainthearted. The irresolute, timid state of Silicea is well-known: the timidity when appearing in
public, the extreme self-consciousness and the feeling of fragility of his image, of having to stand out
there and face everything without losing his composure or changing his stance. These feelings create
in him tremendous anticipatory anxiety before meeting people, appearing in public or before an
examination. The other side of Silicea is the courageous, defiant side (Boericke’s Repertory: Mind –
Mood, courageous, defiant).
Silica is found in the hard structures of the body like the nails and teeth; it gives these structures a
certain solidity and firmness so that they are able to withstand attacks. One of the main constituents
of cement is Silica. Cement is used for firmness and rigidity – to “fix” bricks in place. The essential
symptoms of the coped up state of Silicea are the fixed ideas, resistance (obstinacy), fixed image and
rigidity. In the uncompensated state, the main symptoms are yielding, irresolute, suggestible
(“Magnetized, desires to be”), extremely nervous, timid and self-conscious.
Silica is found in very small quantities in the human body – man needs to be firm, tough and
unbending only to a certain extent in the face of change. A Silicea person assumes this stance all the
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time. The Situational Materia Medica of Silicea, I would think, is that of a person who is expected to
live up to a certain image even though keeping up that image gets increasingly tougher, and it seems
as though this image would shatter at any moment. Silicea lies between the sycotic and tubercular
miasms, as it has the fixity which looks like sycosis and the resistance to attacks which looks like the
tubercular miasm. In the dreams, besides those of anticipation, exams, etc., Silicea has “Dreams of
being pursued by wild animals”. This represents the internal feeling of being attacked in some way
and the need to stand firm against it.
The Silicates have the property of Silicea and where there is a Silicate of a particular cation, we find
added to the quality of that cation the Silicea features – the need to be firm and rigid in the face of
attack.
L4 PHOSPHATES
The main theme of Phosphorus and the Phosphates is activity. This activity is basically in response
to stimuli and is hence actually reactivity. Phosphorus is one of the most reactive remedies of our
Materia Medica. It is reactive both mentally and physically, and this reactivity is a function of
heightened sensitivity – sensitivity and reactivity are
the main features of Phosphorus. The activity is reflected in the active metabolism,
with features like increased hunger with emaciation, diseases of rapid metabolism like diabetes,
tuberculosis, fever with increased activity and appetite, etc. Looking at it in another way, we can say
that the patient is sensitive and reactive because he perceives the situation to be one where he must
react and move (be active) in order to survive. Broadly speaking, he has the feeling experienced in
the situation:
– of a thunderstorm (“Fear of thunderstorms”);
– of being attacked (“Delusion, choked by forms, being”);
– of grief (“Ailment from grief”);
– of disappointed love (“Ailment from disappointed love”);
– or in short, any situation which calls for sensitivity, activity and movement.
Since life itself, especially animal life, needs a lot of sensitivity and activity, Phosphorus is the
element found most abundantly, after Calcium, in the human body.
The activity, sensitivity and reactivity of Phosphorus is very well seen in the human psyche.
Phosphorus people are extremely emotional; there is a lot of love, affection, care and sympathy. At
the same time, they can be easily excited, very anxious and fearful, clairvoyant and restless. In the
intellectual sphere we find the increased activity expressed as “Ideas, abundant”, “Clearness of
mind”, “Memory, active”, “Industrious”, “Senses, acute”. On the other hand, we find indifference,
apathy, deficiency of ideas, weakness of memory, indolence and dullness of senses. This represents
the “failed” or collapsed side.
The essence of the Phosphorus mind is that the person feels treated like an inanimate object. He
feels neglected, uncared for, taken for granted. He feels exploited, oppressed, stifled, silenced and
therefore wants to be more animated, oversensitive and overactive.
My experience with Phosphorus people (and Phosphates) is that they are very sensitive to other
people around them. They tend to attract attention towards themselves, either by their appearance,
manner of speaking or the warmth that they show. It is often difficult to ignore a Phosphorus
person. Yet, behind this sensitivity is the lurking feeling that they are not getting enough attention,
care and love. This creates an insecurity in Phosphorus people which makes them seek more
company, more friends, etc. They try to get the love they miss. They can do this by caring a lot for
others. Thus Phosphorus and Phosphates in the coped up form are very caring and helpful people,
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going out of their way to care for others. They can be very sensitive and active in their caring. Often,
the situational Materia Medica of Phosphorus is of a child who does not get attention and love from
the people in his house and therefore makes a lot of friends outside the house in order to fulfill this
need. They may have a lot of friends, yet a Phosphorus person is often unable to make close,
intimate friends.
The phosphates salts of various cations reflect this feeling very strongly.
Arsenicum (arsenic)
Arsenicum album
Arsenicum is related to Phosphorus. It has a similar feeling, only much deeper. The feeling is of
being isolated and hence insecure.
The patient sees the world as threatening, chaotic:
– Delusion, sees thieves around him.
– Delusion, conspiracies against him, there were.
– Delusion, people conspiring to murder him.
He feels lonely yet threatened by people. The Arsenicum person needs company but cannot trust
the very people he is dependent on. The fear of being alone (isolated) is very intense and he is very
careful not to offend people lest they leave him and go away (“Delusion, offended people, he has”).
His life is full of anxiety and he becomes extremely restless, the anguish driving him from place to
place. In this acute anxiety, he wants to be held (“Mania, held, wants to be”), wants to be carried
fast (“Carried fast, desires to be”) which means he seeks immediate relief and hopes that the other
person will relieve him quickly.
In the coped up state, the Arsenicum person will be very conscientious, careful, cautious, fastidious
and responsible. He will not offend anyone and always keeps away from insecurity. In the Arsenicum
compounds, one finds the same qualities of tremendous anxiety with restlessness: “Rest, cannot, till
things are in the proper place”. They feel that they cannot rely on anyone, cannot trust anybody and
hence become self-reliant. They are afraid of being let down and are therefore very cautious. They
are usually chilly, worse after midnight, and can get into very acute attacks of anxiety or develop
acute physical complaints.
Bismuthum (bismuth)
Bismuthum-sn. (+ -o.) (old abbr.)
Bismuth is a reddish white metallic element placed below Antimony in Group VA. The Group theme
of isolation is seen in Bismuthum too, but in greater intensity. As it is a metallic substance, it has in
addition the theme of performance, of attack and defence. It has ailment from abdominal operation
– which is an “attack on the tissues”. The feeling is that the person is alone and has to withstand
attacks. In the uncompensated form, there is terror, clinging, desire for company and weak will. The
following rubrics express the uncompensated form:
– Anguish driving from place to place;
– Anguish with restlessness;
– Clinging;
– Company, desire for;
– Fear, alone, solitude;
– Lamenting;
– Restlessness driving out of bed;
– Restlessness driving about;
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– Starting from sleep;
– Will, weakness of;
– Dreams: falling; anxious; frightful.
Physical symptoms
– Cancer of stomach (Arsenicum +++, Phosphorus +++);
– Nausea after abdominal operation;
– Vomiting, convulsive.
Case
Master P.K. was brought on 24/08/89 with chronic colds, leading to breathlessness. He craves
sweets, meat, chocolates, fruit. What was very noticeable was that the the child stuck to the mother
as if he was glued on to her and would not be separated even for a second. The mother reported
that she had a problem even to use the toilet, since the child would not let her go away. He was
given Bismuthum 1M, 4 doses in all between August 89 and January 92. In between, on two separate
occasions in July 91, he was given Belladonna 1M (which was indicated temporarily).
The child did very well on Bismuthum. His attacks of cold and breathlessness decreased and have
disappeared since the the last one year. His sticking to his mother came down drastically over time.
Comments: This is a complete decompensated case of Bismuthum.
Rubrics
– Clinging, take the the hand of the mother, will always;
– Fear, of being alone;
– Fear, of solitude.
Some other rubrics of Bismuthum (not related to the case) are:
– Unfeeling;
– Hard-hearted;
– Aversion to everything;
– Dipsomania;
– Discontent with everything;
– Indifference to everything;
– Irresolution;
– Changeable;
– Moral feeling, want of;
– Morose;
– Reserved;
– Restless;
– Starting from sleep;
– Talk, indisposed to;
In the compensated form there is independence, courage and strong will.
Antimonium (antimony)
Antimonium has ailment from vaccination, an invasion of tissue by foreign proteins, which is not as
bad as the “attack” in Bismuthum. Antimonium feels alone, frightened and clings to the attendants
(and not only to the mother as in Bismuthum). The intensity of reaction is seen in the forcible
vomiting of Antimonium tartaricum which, however, is not as violent as the convulsive vomiting of
Bismuthum. In the coped up state, Antimonium would show qualities like courage, obstinacy,
independence.
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Sulphates
The basic theme of Sulphur (and Sulphates) is the need for effort, for struggle. In its
symptomatology, Sulphur is best known for its indolence and lack of effort. Everyone knows the
symptom “Delusion, old rags seem fine as silk”. This is contentment, there is no action to try and get
out of the situation of poverty. Sulphur is also found under “Indifference: to personal appearance, to
the welfare of others, to business affairs, to everything, to pleasure”.
So, in the failed state of Sulphur, there is a total absence of effort. It shows a “care a damn” attitude
and indolence. There are also symptoms that reveal the other side – the effort made to overcome
problems.
– Fear, of poverty;
– Anxiety about business;
– Industrious;
– Impatience;
– Hurry;
– Cares about others;
– Anger about his mistakes;
– Discontented with himself;
– Feels he is a failure;
– Want of self-confidence.
In order to understand the feeling behind all this effort, we can look at some of the rubrics of
Sulphur:
– Ailments from egotism;
– Ailments from embarrassment;
– Ailments from scorn;
– Delusion, disgraced, she is;
– Delusion, he is black.
From these rubrics one can see that the feeling of Sulphur is of being insulted, scorned, suppressed
and criticized, with hurt pride. The feeling that comes across from the “Indifference” rubrics listed
alone is that the Sulphur person is in a situation where he is expected to: be perfect in appearance,
take care of others, be very good in his business. In short he is expected to be good in his
appearance, relationship and work, which includes his knowledge, talent and capabilities. Failing
this, he will be scorned and embarrassed.
In human society, the above qualities are associated with a person’s self-worth or ego. Thus ego is
the one of the chief affections of Sulphur and effort, the main action. Thus we find the main feeling
of Sulphur and Sulphates to be scorned and rejected, and we see the coped up personality as one
who makes an effort so that the above feelings are minimized or avoided. He thus works very hard,
taking care and helping those whom he can. He also takes unusual care of his physical appearance
and is careful about the impression he makes on others.
Thus the rubric “Desires finery” is a coped up aspect. She is careful with her clothes and keeps up
with the latest in fashion so that none may find her wanting in anything.
The halogens
The Halogens belong to the Group VIIA of the Periodic Table. In all, there are five: Fluorine, Chlorine,
Bromine, Iodine and Astatine. Little is known regarding the therapeutic utility of Astatine, a naturally
occurring radioactive element, which is the heaviest of the Halogens. For practical reasons, this
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study is confined to the first four Halogens.
All of them have certain common properties – the properties of a Halogen – and are thus similar to
each other. In the physical sphere, the most notable feature is the hardness of glands, found in all
the Halogens. This represents a hard, defensive posture, whether we consider the hardness of the
gland itself or regard it as a function of the body’s immune mechanism. Also peculiar to Halogens is
the tremendous activity, the active metabolism, the rapid emaciation, marked restlessness, etc. The
feeling can be compared to a nation attacked by an enemy, where we observe a strong defence with
tremendous activity and mobilization of forces, with the impulse to strike back at the least
provocation. This exactly represents the centre (core) of the Halogens, both mental ly and physically.
The intensity of the feeling (which indicates the desperation of their delusion) seems to increase
with the heaviness of the element.
Fluoricum acidum
Fluorine is the lightest, the most active, forming and breaking relationships very quickly. This can be
seen in the symptomatology of Fluoricum acidum.
Fluoricum acidum is flirtatious, has many acquaintances but no deep relationship. The term
“buoyancy” has been used to describe Fluoricum acidum. The word is derived from “buoy”, a conical
object which floats on the surface of the ocean and never sinks, never reaches any depth. Thus Fluor
is quite superficial (as will be seen) in comparison to the other Halogens. However, a study of the
pathology for which Fluoricum acidum and Calcarea fluorica are well known shows very deep,
chronic processes – a substance containing Fluor seems to take on syphilitic dimensions. With the
Muriaticum (Chlorine) and Bromium (Bromine) compounds, we find more of sycotic tendencies. This
paradox can be explained by the extreme lightness of the element. It falls out of the human range –
the feeling of Fluor is abnormal for a human being at any time; thus to be fixed in a Fluor state
becomes an extreme feeling, nearing the syphilitic miasm.
Muriaticum acidum
Chlorine (Muriaticum) is found in all of us even in the healthy state. This signifies that it is an aspect
of health, i.e. it has to do with situations met with frequently in life. Muriaticum has the feeling that
all of us have experienced at some time or the other. Yet, to be stuck in the Muriaticum (Chlorine)
state becomes unhealthy; however, this is different from Fluor, which is stuck in a state abnormal in
human life (while Muriaticum is stuck in a state which is needed to a certain extent in normal human
life). Thus the former is syphilitic (representing a totally abnormal state) while the latter is sycotic
(representing fixity in one state). It is concerned with deeper relationships than Fluor, like deep
friendships; it is therefore more reluctant to enter a relationship and the disappointment and hurt
felt on rejection is much more intense. Thus we find that it is deeper and not as reactive
(superficially) as Fluor. Whereas Fluor presents an indifferent attitude, Muriaticum becomes
repulsive, e.g. : “Delirium, quiet alternating with restlessness” or “Mood, repulsive” as in Magnesium
muriaticum. The impression of danger becomes more definite in Muriaticum as a “Fear of robbers”
(Natrum muriaticum and Magnesium muriaticum) and “Delusion, sees thieves”.
Bromium
In Bromium the sensation of danger takes on a more threatening form as evident from the rubric
“Delusion, jumped upon the ground before her, all sorts of things”. The feeling here is of being
attacked with an intent to harm and not just to rob as in Muriaticum. Bromium is deeper than
Muriaticum and is concerned with the formation and breaking of deeper ties. The internal feeling is
of great restlessness and one feeling is of being flustered (“Disconcerted”).
Iodium
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In Iodum the feelings are the deepest. It is concerned with very deep relationships like those
between parent and child. The Iodum defences are the hardest and the internal restlessness and
metabolism are the highest. The reactions of Iodum are very violent. We find In Phatak’s Materia
Medica: “Ailments from: nervous shock, disappointed love”. The feeling is like that of being starved
by one’s own parents, with a tremendous sense of betrayal, shock and disappointment. I understood
these features of Iodum only after a proving of the drug. The proving is given below in detail.
A proving of iodum
I found it difficult to understand the Halogens from the Materia Medica. Iodum was a drug I didn’t
have much experience with, and in order to get at the core of the drug, I deciding to do a proving of
Iodum. Along with some students, I took a single dose of Iodum 30 at night. All of us noted our
symptoms carefully, paying special attention to the dreams. Later, in order to understand the finer
features of Iodum, I took another dose, this time of the 200th potency. All provers were aware of
the drug being taken. The following symptoms were brought out in the course of the proving (N.B. :
The comments are mine).
S.K. :
– Forgetfulness – in speaking, to take back change (money).
– Irritability.
– When in the O.P. D. (Out Patient Department), I was asked to describe Stramonium and I could not
answer properly. I felt: “Why could I not answer properly?” I was twisting a paper and felt like
twisting my body.
– Impulsiveness.
– Inability to answer properly.
– Felt like scratching my hand violently when I could not answer.
– Feeling: “I should hurt myself”. Angry at self.
– Dream: “Of a woman I know, having epileptic attacks, laughing and running. My father does the
same thing when he comes into the room. I search in the Repertory for it and ask my aunt who has
proved Iodum.
Comment: Here we can see an impulsive, intense, sudden, violent anger, in this case directed
towards herself. It is as if she feels let down by herself in a very bad way at a vital time.
M.:
– Calmness.
– Dream: He goes to restaurant with his family and while there, goes to the phone. When he comes
back his family has eaten everything and nothing is left for him. He is angry.
Comment: Feeling of being let down by his own family.
S.:
– Dream: “I am on an island with greenery everywhere and a tall castle. I am obese and I can’t walk. I
enter the castle; there is a huge window through which I see many sheeps which have been hurt by
somebody. I think of helping them. I go through a tunnel, enter a room and see a laboratory where
there are bottles full of Iodine. I take some cloth from the curtain and tie it to the sheeps to heal
their wounds.
Comment: Feeling that urgent action is needed. We also see the violence here.
J.:
– Dream: She is with a child near a circle and she sees a man playing with a knife coming near them.
He is chasing them. When she asks why he is doing this he says there is a bigger knife in the garbage.
Comment: Sudden intense danger.
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R.:
– Dream: of a fighter bomber circling around a city in Pakistan, which it has to bomb. It goes around
and tells them through a loud speaker: “I am going to bomb, run”.
Comment: Violence and attacking. Intense threat and need for rapid action.
– Dream: My father sitting on the table and eating noodles which are coming out from his mouth. I
stopped eating (without taking anything) and my mother comes with my aunt and consoles me. I
rejoined the table with the feeling of anger and hunger. I felt: “How could he not understand how
bad it looks?”
With 200 C
– Dream: My mother and her relatives have finished all the food, nothing is left for me. I ask where
my food is and she answers that there is nothing for me. I am violent, hungry and angry, and scratch
her face. She scratches my face too.
Comment: In the second and third dream there is the feeling of being let down and a violent
reaction.
M.:
– Dream: I was on a train and outside it was dark and raining. The driver was driving the train very
fast and I was anxious.
Comment: Threatening intense situation.
– Dream: Three or four women fight on the train.
Comment: Suddenly being attacked.
– Dream: I went out of my house and saw a person with a hip deformity. My grandmother asked
what had happened to him to make him walk like that. I answered that I would examine him.
Suddenly he started jumping and climbed on windows and on top of a building, started making
faces. He was spitting large chunks like stones. He came down and chased me. I knocked on the door
and ultimately my mother opened it before he caught me.
Comment: Need for rapid, urgent action.
Conclusion
This proving brought us very close to the feeling of Iodum which is the feeling of a sudden threat or
a betrayal which needs rapid and intense activity to counteract it, for example when a bomber from
the enemy country comes overhead. There is increased metabolism with tremendous hunger and
eating in many dreams. Another simile is of a railway steam engine moving very fast and consuming
all the coal quickly. From this proving, we could understand the causation as mentioned in Phatak’s
Materia Medica: “Ill effects of nervous shock, disappointed love”. The proving of Iodum also gave us
the clue to the other Halogens; they must have similar feelings as Iodum, though lesser in degree,
Iodum being the heaviest amongst them. It also gave us the clue to the states and the feelings of
various Iodides and other Halogen compounds.
Compensation of the halogens
As we have noted from the Materia Medica picture and especially from the above proving of Iodum,
the Halogens have the feeling of betrayal and hurt, and react in a repulsive manner by “throwing
off”. This is the failed sides of the Halogens. In life, however, they learn to cope up and avoid
situations that cause these feelings. So the main feature of the Halogens in the coped up state would
be to avoid breaking of relationships. They can be very caring to their loved ones so as to try and
avoid getting hurt. As against the cations, like Calcarea, Natrum, etc., which need the relation and
“stick on”, the Halogens and other anions feel that in order to avoid the hurt, they must do
something – they are “doers”. For example, in Fluoricum acidum, we have the symptom
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“Indifference to relatives” and “Delusion, children out of the house, he must drive”. However,
Fluoricum acidum also has “Dream of sudden death of his little son, and also of the son of one of his
friends, thinks that in both cases he had been the one to blame, reproaches himself very much”.
In Muriaticum, the coping up is much more intense, in the form of caring and nurturing. This aspect
can be seen in the Muriaticum compounds like Natrum muriaticum (“Sympathetic”) and Magnesium
muriaticum (“Patient”).
In Bromium, the coping up is more than in Muriaticum. The feeling is of having to fulfil the wishes of
other people, the relatives and loved ones. For example, we have the symptom: “Takes no interest in
household duties (Phatak’s Materia Medica) which indicates that the coping up will be the opposite.
This is seen in the tremendous guilt of Kalium bromatum (“Delusion, crime, he had committed”).
They are very duty conscious, highly industrious – “Always busy” (Kalium bromatum).
In Iodum the coping up is the most intense. It has “Dreams that her daughter had fallen in a brook”
(Allen’s Encyclopedia). This can be compared with the Kalium bromatum feeling: “Delusion, brother
fell overboard in her sight”. This seems to signify that the difference between Bromides and Iodides
is that while the Bromides have a high sense of duty, the Iodides have a very high sense and
responsibility like a mother has for her daughter. Thus the Iodides shoulder heavy responsibilities
fort their children, family and friends. These features of the Halogens will be found in all the Halogen
compounds, though coloured by the properties of the cation.
The salts
We have studied the individual characters of the anions and cations. Now let us look at the
interaction between the anions and the cations when they come together an a salt. It will be seen
that in the salt, both the anion and cation show their specific, individual features, but as a result of
the action of one on the other, the salt acquires special qualities. A salt consists of two
complementary qualities, both of which are needed in order to survive in a particular situation.
With the exception of metals and few others (Phosphorus, Sulphur), one quality is insufficient to
survive. A salt is thus the union of two qualities which balance each other, and together are
appropriate in certain life situations. There are various salts in the human body, which enable us to
face different everyday situations. When a person is stuck in the situation of a particular salt, or
perceives himself to be in a particular situation, he needs that salt in order to get out of that state.
Of the two components of a salt, the cations (positive ions) need to form a relationship while the
anions (negative ions) sometimes seem to repel relationships. It seems as if it needs much effort for
the anions to maintain the relationship. Thus we find Natrum, Magnesium, Kalium and Calcarea
eager to form relations while Fluor, Iodum, Phosphorus, etc., feel the need to make an effort to
maintain the relationship. The two components, when they come together in a salt, enter a strong,
complementary relationship adapted to life situations.
The quality of a Natrum is a strong desire for a relationship. In the face of such a strong need, any
rejection is bound to cause tremendous hurt and disappointment. This need of Natrum needs to be
balanced by the quality of expecting disappointment and rejection, of being able to break off the
relation. This quality comes from the Muriaticum element. Thus Natrum muriaticum is
understandably a very basic salt, for it represents man’s need to form relationships and at the same
time the ability to withstand rejection. Calcarea phosphorica is another salt found in large amounts
in the body, and hence must represent a basic life situation. The Calcarea person needs to have
people around, wants to be protected as he feels insecure. The feeling of Phosphorus is: “I must
prepare to be alone, to be able to live on a distant island.” Thus, Calcarea phosphorica has the need
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for security but the ability to live alone if the need arises.
In this way, the main salts of our body represent the basic situations of life. Schussler seems to have
instinctively understood this and formed his system with the twelve tissue salts.
We shall now proceed by summarizing the qualities of the cation first, then the anion, and then try
to understand the characteristics of the salt through cases. Once this is done, we will derive the
properties of certain less understood and less used salts using the same principles.
The salts, like other drugs in the homoeopathic Materia Medica, can present several different ways.
These different presentations always represent the basic theme of the drug, only at a different stage
in its evolution. To explain, let us study Calcarea sulphurica. It could be seen in any one of the
following stages:
1. Lamenting: “I am not appreciated by the one from whom I seek protection”.
2. Action: “I must make an effort in order to gain the appreciation of the one from whom I expect
protection”.
3. When this fails: “I have to fight and quarrel with the person from whom I seek protection since
my efforts to gain his appreciation have failed” (“Quarrelsome”, “Jealous”, “Hatred of persons who
disagree”).
4. When even this fails: “I am completely unable to get the appreciation despite my efforts and
quarrels”. Therefore he becomes fearful, frozen and numb (“Sits and meditates over imaginary
misfortunes”).
These four stages are seen in all the drugs of the Materia Medica and in patients. In practice, the
second stage is seen most frequently but it is also the least known in our literature. We find only the
failed state in the Materia Medica while what we see in practice is the coped up or coping up stage.
The importance of this can be understood by considering an example.
Let us suppose we have a patient who is described as very helpful to everyone. This is the most
characteristic feature about her. We have other data but this is something that cannot be ignored.
Now where do we look in the Repertory? Affectionate? Sympathetic? Cares about others? None of
these rubrics are really satisfactory. Once I understood the various stages of remedies, I started
taking rubrics from a more advanced stage if there was no rubric available which corresponded to
the current stage. Thus in the above example, I would ask what would be the patient’s feeling/action
if the helpfulness went unreciprocated. You can find such an incident in the patient’s life. From this
we can select a rubric. For example, if the patient were to become cruel if disappointed, I would
often select the rubric “Cruelty”. The remedy chosen by this method would usually fit into the case
very well. However, we need to be cautious, taking care not to overuse/abuse this method.
The four stages represent the reaction of a person as the intensity of the delusion increases. Thus
Stage 1 states the delusion or main feeling, Stage 2 represents the coping mechanism as the
intensity of the delusion becomes more, Stage 3 shows the failed stage where the person is unable
to cope up with the delusion at this intensity, but is trying his best to do so, Stage 4 represents the
given up stage where the person makes no effort to cope.
In any single patient, all these stages may be seen at some point of their lives, though one of these
is usually more marked. Thus the Calcarea sulphurica person may make efforts to gain appreciation
but when he does not, laments that he is not appreciated. The four “stages” described help in
understanding the drug (and patient) better, and are used only as a convenience. It must not be
expected that patients will fall strictly into one stage.
Natrium carbonicum
1. The main theme of Natrum carbonicum is of the vital reaction (Carbonicum) which is needed by a
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person who is alone, i.e. without having any relationship with another human (Natrum).
2. Natrum carbonicum people are quite independent and self-sufficient, living their lives alone
though having good contact with others. They are sociable and can be quite loquacious and
vivacious. I have found them to be organized, sincere, honest, straightforward, non-manipulative
people, they have strong principles. Industrious, they can be resolute, persevering, self-possessed
and courageous (Allen’s Encyclopaedia). They react well to music – sensitive and refined. They are
sympathetic and help others, sensitive, especially to the suffering of people who are lonely and
forsaken by society. For example, if a beggar is seriously ill on the footpath and being ignored by the
people around, the Natrum carbonicum person may postpone his own work and take the beggar to
the hospital, etc. They can fight for others. On the other hand, they can be quite quarrelsome,
pugnacious.
3. Allen’s Encyclopaedia mentions the symptom: “She does not know what to do, on account of
apprehensiveness and ennui, and thinks that she is quite lonely and forsaken, all day”. The two basic
feelings are ennui (boredom) and apprehension (anxiety) as a result of this forsaken, lonely feeling.
The ennui produces an intolerable melancholy, a sad despondent mood and the anxiety is concerned
with the future. They are very sensitive, especially to separation from loved ones and to the breaking
of relationships. They desire to make contact but have been unsuccessful in forming relationships
and blame themselves for it (“Delusion, he cannot succeed, does everything wrong”). They get
estranged from their family and friends, and bear all this grief silently, feeling forsaken. These people
can have a severe inferiority complex, especially in the sphere of forming relationships – they may
feel unworthy of love, of any relationship. I have found in such people a history of disturbed
relationship with one of the parents, especially that of being forsaken/neglected by the father or
mother. A woman gives the history that her father neglected her in childhood.
There is also the vital fear: “Starting at the slightest noise”, “Fear of all mankind”, “Fear, constant, of
everything”. Natrum carbonicum persons may also be irritable and later, indifferent. They get averse
to society, even to their family, husband, etc.
The dreams include “Dream of danger, robbers, murder, corpse, water and flood”, while there are
pleasant dreams: “Dreams of marrying two women, of parties and
entertainment”. The pleasant dreams show that he is setting up relationships and having good
contact with society, whereas the anxious dreams show the fear of death and the fear associated
with being lonely.
4. Indifferent, weary of life, no desire to do anything, dullness and stupefaction. I have not seen this
stage.
Physical symptoms
– Chilly but heat and sun aggravate.
Natrium phosphoricum
1. The main feeling of Natrum phosphoricum is: “The person I love is indifferent to me”.
2. They are self-possessed, self-dependent and very helpful people. Very friendly, sensitive and
sympathetic.
3. Indifference to loved ones, many fears: “Delusion, images, frightful”, “Anxious about the future”,
“Starting from noise”, “Starting easily, irritability from trifles”.
4. Discouraged; Imbecility.
Physical symptoms
– Sourness, acidity but with desire for highly pungent, strong tasting things;
– Crave fried fish and eggs.
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Natrium muriaticum
1. The main feeling in Natrum muriaticum is of being betrayed / disappointed by the person with
whom he seeks (or has) a relationship.
2. They are very organized, independent, dependable. Reserved, they have a wall of
unapproachability but are externally cheerful. It is difficult to get them to express their real feelings
but when they “break” a little, there is a flood of grief. However, this is rarely shown. They are highly
sensitive. Much desire for music. Romantic; can be passionate.
3. They have a fear of being hurt, disappointed, and hence are reserved, unapproachable. At the
same time, there is tremendous insecurity with fear of being alone, of robbers, etc. (like Natrum
carbonicum). They make strong efforts to try and maintain the relationships they form
(“Affectionate, sympathetic”). There is a feeling within that they are not good enough (“Delusion,
she looks wretched, when looking in a mirror”), and this (they feel) is the reason they may be (or
have been) let down / disappointed. Following such disappointment, there is a great sadness (“Silent
grief, weeping when alone”), with aversion to consolation.
There is a bitter feeling, tremendous anger, irritability, hatred and malice: “Dwells on past
disagreeable occurrences”, “Revengeful”. An idea clings, prevents sleep, inspires revenge. They
become averse to company, shut off from people: “Averse to the opposite sex, to her husband”. This
again alternates with desire for company / relationships, etc.
Thus we find contradictory symptoms in Natrum muriaticum. In order to avoid the disappointment,
they enter a relationship where right from the beginning there is no expectation of total
commitment (like falling in love with married men / servants): silent, one-sided love. They like sad
music (Manganum). The mental symptoms are aggravated before menses. I have found that these
patients usually give a history of big problems or quarrels with their parents. There is almost always
a history of disappointment in love. Tremendous grief after death of someone dear.
4. I have not seen this stage.
Physical symptoms
– Hot patients;
– Headache from exposure to sun;
– Crave salt, bitter things;
– Crack in the middle of the lower lip, especially in cold weather;
– Much thirst;
– Sweat leaves a salty deposit;
– Mapped tongue;
– Much trouble around the menstrual periods.
Natrium arsenicosum
This is a remedy I have prescribed seldom.
1. In my understanding, it should have the main feeling: “I cannot trust and may be cheated by the
person with whom I have a relationship”.
The rubrics are:
– Starting – Suspicious;
– Restless, anxious;
– Frightened easily;
– Fear, of people.
These rubrics are easily understood in the light of the main feeling. Besides this, Natrum
arsenicosum has two specific delusions:
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– Delusion, neglected his duty;
– Delusion, fancies he has done wrong.
These two symptoms seem related to the Arsenicum symptoms: “Fear when something is expected
of him”, “Cares for others” and “Delusion, he has offended his friend”.
2. In the second stage, one can expect the Natrum arsenicosum person to be very dutiful to his
relations (friends, etc.) and he will be very caring and supporting to them.
3. He is mistrustful, anxious and irritable. One can also expect the cautiousness and fastidiousness
of Arsenicum.
Case
Mrs. N., a 43 years old housewife, came with the complaint of recurrent bouts of dry cough with
dyspnoea and pain in the chest. The complaints were: night from 11:30 pm to 2:30 am, lying down
and by tea. She had cough as soon as her head touched the pillow. There was involuntary passage of
urine with the cough. She feels very hot, sweats profusely and is very thirsty. She is hypersensitive
(B.P. 190/120) and has a past history of malaria.
I observed that she was very reserved, answered to the point, sat erect and did not reveal her
emotions easily. On enquiry, I learned that she was extremely fastidious and anxious to get the work
at home done on time. She was very sensitive and would remember any hurt for a long time. I gave
her Natrun arsenicosum 200, with which not only did her cough disappear completely, but her
hypertension too improved to the extent that she does not take anti-hypertensive drugs any longer.
Note: Here, though the patient feels hot, Natrum arsenicosum was given. Natrum arsenicosum is
generally a chilly remedy, but it was otherwise clearly indicated. In general it is important to match
the thermal modality, but if a remedy is otherwise very clearly indicated, one single modality should
not rule it out.
Physical symptoms
– Chilly;
– Craves pickles.
Natrium sulphuricum
1. The main feeling of Natrum sulphuricum is : “I am scorned / disgraced / insulted / not appreciated
by the person with whom I have (or seek) a relationship”.
This is clearly seen in the dreams (Allen’s Encyclopaedia):
– Vexatious dream that a young gentleman of her acquaintance slighted her.
– Dream that he was much hurt and provoked because he had been insulted.
– Dream that insults had excited him so much that he began to fight.
2. They are very independent, dignified people who win respect and honour in their field of activity.
They are industrious and make efforts in order to gain appreciation or to be valued by others in
relationships. They are caring, responsible and helpful. These are people whose advice is sought, in
whom one can confide. They will not be taken advantage of; very independent. Their sense of pride
is marked.
3. In the third stage, we find that these are the people who make a lot of effort to keep the
relationship. Therefore, they can be dominated or suppressed. Often, they are taken advantage of,
and are scorned. Though they resent this internally, they are so dependent on the relationship that
they allow themselves to be made use of and treated badly, all the while feeling not good about
themselves – not worthy. They can get quite irritable and angry about this. This irritability does not
last long however, and it is followed by a feeling of guilt and remorse which alternates with a feeling
of indignation and hurt pride. When the relationship is not successful, they can get into a stage of
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very deep sadness and melancholy which is usually unexpressed and internal. In this stage, they can
have suicidal thoughts (“Sadness with suicidal disposition”). They have no wish to live, and feel that
nothing ever works (“Succeeds never”). They can be quarrelsome (“Dreams of fighting”). Natrum
sulphuricum has a strong feeling of responsibility and guilt, and it is these features that make it a
leading sycotic remedy.
4. Does not talk and wants no one to talk to him. Suicidal disposition.
Physical symptoms
– Wet weather aggravates;
– Hot patient;
– Asthma in the early morning;
– Desire for ice-cold water;
– Sudden diarrhoea in the morning;
– Itching when undressing, especially of the toes as soon as he removes his socks (“Itching of toes,
evening, when undressing” Kent’s Repertory).
Case
Mrs. N., 55 years, came to me with the complaint of recurrent asthmatic attacks since 8 years.
These attacks are aggravated during humid and rainy weather, and from exposure to smoke / dust.
She was on allopathic treatment – bronchodilators, etc. She had yellowish-green expectoration.
She is a very calm, mild person. She is very sensitive and feels insulted very easily but suppresses all
her feelings. She cares a lot for her family, and is very tense about the health of her daughter and
mother-in-law. Her two sons are in the USA and she misses them a lot. As a child, she was very
joyful, playful and mixing easily with people. Now she prefers to be alone. She does not like to be
consoled except by close relatives. She likes to read novels, scientific books, knitting and listening to
Indian classical music. She gets dreams of thieves and of falling from a height.
I gave her Natrum sulphuricum 1M with which her asthmatic attacks decreased in intensity and
frequency. She is improving steadily.
Kalium carbonicum
1. The main theme of Kalium carbonicum is the vital fear and reactivity (Carbonicum) that is seen
when a person lacks the support of a family or a group (Kalium).
2. I have not seen many Kalium carbonicum patients in the coped up stage. However, I have found
that they can be independent, caring, very supportive of their family or group. In fact, they can be
the backbone of the whole family. They can be friendly, cheerful and confident.
3. I have seen this stage very often and find it very easy to recognize. The main feeling here is a
tremendous need for family, group – for support. There is much anxiety with fear when alone. The
anxiety is seen everywhere, for example: “Frightened at trifles”, “Fear of being alone”, “Startled
easily, from noise, from touch”. Dreams of ghosts, of danger, of robbers, of falling from a height, of
frightful figures. There is a strong desire for support which is represented by the rubrics: “Carried,
desires to be”, “Rocking ameliorates” and “Shrieking for aid”. Dream of dead relatives calling out for
help. They feel forsaken when they don’t get the support they need. This can make them feel very
angry, quarrelsome, irritable, shrieking at trifles. This quarrelsomeness is directed especially at the
one whose support they seek, e.g. husband or child. “Dream of quarrelling with dead relatives, of
dead persons, as if they were alive and quarrelled with her” (Allen’s Encyclopaedia). After the
quarrelsomeness, they can get quite tearful: “Weeping when telling of her sickness”, and even into a
more pitiable state of begging, entreating.
4. When their efforts to get the support they need fail, they become “Indifferent when in society”,
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“Averse to husband, to members of family”, “Disgust, hatred, sulky, repulsive”.
Clinical observations
Many Kalium carbonicum patients are very well organized (a mineral kingdom characteristic). I have
found, as I have described in “The Spirit of Homoeopathy”, that these patients can get quite
quarrelsome with the doctor and often do not admit to any improvement. Their follow-ups often
begin quite suddenly with the statement: “I am not better”. They speak loudly and are impatient
with the progress. Even so, they are quite faithful to the doctor and don’t leave very easily. Their
anxiety about health is marked. As my colleague Jayesh Shah observed, they often make theories
about their disease.
Physical symptoms
– Often chilly patients;
– Sweat, backache and weakness;
– The main feeling in the back and joints is as if they will give way, will not give him the support he
needs – he therefore needs to support his back;
– Many gastro-intestinal complaints, especially flatulence;
– In women, always many complaints around the menstrual period, especially irritability and pain in
breasts before menses;
– Cramps in the calves and jerks in sleep are common;
– Aggravated 3:00 am;
– Perspiration on the upper lip -I have found this to be characteristic of Kalium carbonicum;
– Craves sweets.
Kalium phosphoricum
1. The main feeling is: “I am not loved (Phosphorus) by the people from whom I seek support
(Kalium).”
2. I have seen Kalium phosphoricum patients to be very cheerful, friendly and expressive, quite
independent, very supportive of their family, sympathetic and cooperative.
3. The Kalium phosphoricum person can be tremendously anxious, highly nervous, oversensitive and
affected by trifles. They are always on the edge, so nervous that even a slight noise causes startling,
apprehensive about future and health. The mind is full of thought and activity and they cannot sleep.
Kalium phosphoricum is a well-known remedy for insomnia. The dreams are very frightening. One
patient narrated a dream in which she was chased by a tiger. The tiger was knocking at the door
while she and her children were in the house and her husband was missing. On the other hand, they
can get very irritable, even cruel to their husband or baby.
A businessman may find that his partners have let him down and suddenly he has to face it all alone
though he seeks support (“Clinging, wants to be held”). He doesn’t find such support and gets quite
desperate (“Delusion, being doomed”). He tries his best to manage the business by himself but soon
gets worn out (“Businessmen, worn out”).
4. “Work seems to drive him crazy owing to the impotency of his mind”: This rubric represents a
worn out, paralytic state of mind, where his senses become dull, he cannot use his mind anymore,
becomes imbecile, indifferent to business.
Case
A boy aged 10 was brought in by his mother fort treatment of a long standing, extensive ringworm
infection which extended over his abdomen, thighs and nates. The mother also mentioned that the
boy has become “very touchy and irritable”, did not like to study and could not concentrate. At the
beginning of the interview, the telephone rang and the boy was visibly startled by the sudden noise.
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I noticed that he put fingers into the mouth and made funny gestures throughout the interview. He
had to search for words before answering, making it often seem like he was stammering. When
asked about his dreams, he said he had a vivid dream that he watches his brother being chased by a
bull and then falling down and breaking his leg.
When asked about the pregnancy, the mother said that she had fallen on her abdomen then, as she
was walking fast and did not see an object on the floor. She had a tense time in pregnancy, as she
was alone (her husband was mostly out of town on work), and had to look after her children. She
had a dream around this time that there was a tiger after her. She tries to climb the stairs and get
into her house to protect her children and herself. Ultimately she escapes.
She described herself as being “overinvolved” with her children. “Children are my whole life”. She is
very friendly, communicative and caring for others.
The rubrics chosen were:
– Starting easily;
– Starting from noise;
– Starting from fright;
– Gestures, ridiculous or foolish;
– Restlessness during mental labour;
– Fear, of being alone.
Kalium phosphoricum was given and the child’s mental state improved considerably, and the
ringworm disappeared totally.
Here one can see in the dreams, the extreme anxiety of Kalium along with the “Caring for others”
feature of Phosphorus. Together, this leads to the idea of Kalium phosphoricum: “Need to take care
of the family (on whom she depends)”. The mother was later benefited by the same remedy.
Physical symptoms:
– Weakness – fagged out; paralytic weakness;
– Oversensitive physical states;
– Chilly patients;
– Careworn look on the face;
– Hungry soon after eating;
– Craves sweets.
Kalium arsenicosum
1. The main feeling is that the people (family, group) whose support he seeks cannot be trusted –
they could almost rob him at any time.
2. He supports his family a lot, takes good care of them, seems confident and independent. He is the
backbone of the family, supporting all of them.
3. Kalium arsenicosum is one of the most anxious patients in the Materia Medica; almost crazy with
anxiety. He feels weak and needs support (Kalium) and yet cannot trust anyone (Arsenicum). He is
highly organized, extremely fastidious and very careful and cautious. Very excitable, he speaks loudly
and anxiously, can get irritated almost to the point of wanting to kill. Quarrelsome with his family,
discontented, he feels: “When I have done so much for them, how can they do this to me?” Very
suspicious. Extremely anxious about his health, cannot trust his physicians, avoids people as far as
possible, fearful, startled easily. His dreams are very frightful.
4. Indifferent to everything. Suicidal thoughts.
Physical symptoms
– Very chilly; cannot have his legs and feet uncovered;
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– Aggravation 1:00-3:00 am;
– Develops chronic inveterate skin complaints like psoriasis;
– Ulcers and malignant conditions;
– Sudden noise – a sudden noise throws the whole body into a tremor;
– Itching, aggravated by warmth (though the patient is chilly).
Case of psoriasis: kalium arsenicosum
Mr. N., aged 56, came with the complaint of extensive psoriasis that has not responded to any
treatment till then. He had been under homoeopathic treatment for a month and had improved a
little. As the case was interesting, I wanted to record it on video, and he agreed. As soon as I told him
he was to be filmed, he began to smooth his hair. He needed little prompting and began to speak at
once.
– For the last fifteen years I have had psoriasis. I tried skin specialists. The skin is very rough, itchy
after baths. I apply oil. I get upset. I get nervous to go to places to see people. Since taking the
medicine this is better.
He speaks fast.
– The nervousness is also gone. But why has this skin condition come to me? Why is no one able to
give me a guarantee that he will cure this disease? I work in a bank. People keep asking me what
treatment I am taking and what is happening. I am fed up with these questions. I don’t get any
happiness in anything. Because of this skin problem I cannot come into contact with people.
He complained about his family problems.
– I have domestic problems. Everyone is against my views. My mother, wife, sister, daughter –
everything is wrong. I get very upset. I am very sentimental. They don’t listen to me. I burn from
inside when they disobey me.
– What do you do?
– I abuse them, I shout at them. I am very particular. I like to have things in their proper place.
He was sitting in a very tense posture, leaning forward. He looked as though he would be easily
frightened. I asked him how he reacted to sudden noise.
– I get so frightened that I jump. My heart has become very weak.
I analyzed the case as follows:
He asked: “Why is no one able to give me a guarantee?” The feeling behind this is that he cannot
trust anyone. He feels he cannot trust the physician or anyone, wants to cut off from people. He
does not trust them. But the expression is: ” Because of my skin I avoid contact”. He is very
sentimental, cares a lot for his family. There is a theme of relationships. The feeling here is: “My own
family, on whom I shower so much affection, for whom I have so much responsibility, are they
dependable? No. They don’t listen to me. No one is trustworthy”.
He is very fastidious and anxious. This makes us think of Arsenicum. But Arsenicum does not explain
his whole state. There is something more.
There is extreme nervous tension, an extreme state of anxiety, much more than Arsenicum, more
intense. This man feels anything can happen. He is very tense. He has some of the qualities of
Arsenicum but things affect him greatly. He is not strong enough to withstand the situation of
mistrust. Imagine what it must be like – he cannot manage by himself and he is weak, dependent. If
such a person is surrounded by untrustworthy people, what will happen?
“I need these people whom I don’t trust.”
If the Arsenicum person doesn’t get good treatment, he will go to someone else. This man feels that
others are letting him down. He is desperate to the point of suicide. Arsenicum is not so desperate.
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This man is weak, dependent, needs help but feels that he will be let down by the very people he
depends on. His anxiety is tenfold – a little sound and he jerks. Totally dependent, totally weak: “My
weak heart”, he says. He needs support, needs the family. This is a chronic, desperate situation. The
remedy that has this dependency and weakness is a Kalium remedy: Kalium arsenicosum.
Follow up (on video):
He is sitting back in the chair.
– Good progress. The skin is smoother and the falling skin (scales) is less. The nervousness has gone,
the weakness has gone. I am feeling better. My sleep is good now. I used to get up in the night. My
dreams are better. I used to dream frightening things, that someone is following me, that someone
wants to kill me. Psychologically I was down. The worry is better now because the skin is better. I
didn’t feel good. I didn’t want to meet people. Now I want to talk to people.
– What about your family problems?
– That also has improved. I don’t know how. I used to get angry. Now I compromise on things. I
wanted to move from Bombay. They used to oppose me. The situation is still there but I am not
getting angry. It doesn’t affect me so much. I used to get so angry I could kill them. I compromise,
change my mind. I don’t know if it is from your medicine. The face is very clear now. Because the
face is clear I feel like talking to other people.
He has relaxed. The skin still has some way to go.
The rubrics are:
– Fear: alone, people, death;
– Frightened at trifles;
– Kill, sudden impulse to;
– Insanity, behaves like a crazy person;
– Suspicious;
– Violent to his friends (single symptom);
– Dreams: of the dead, of death, of misfortune, of fire.
Kalium sulphuricum
1. The main feeling of Kalium sulphuricum is of being disgraced and insulted by one’s group or
family, i.e. by the persons whose support he seeks.
2. He seems independent of the opinion of others and is respected and valued. He is very
industrious and makes a lot of effort for others, helping them, supporting them so that his value
rises in their eyes. He is caring and is the support of his group / family.
3. There is a tremendous want of confidence, the person feels discouraged, and very insecure,
irresolute, is very fearful, startled easily. I have seen that they are very sensitive and get offended
easily.
4. Indolence, aversion to business, indifference.
Physical symptoms
– Very hot patients, aggravated by warmth, ameliorated by open air;
– Yellow discharges, expectoration, etc.
– Eczema with thick yellowish discharge especially when there is much itching, aggravated at night;
– Marked craving for sweets.
Kalium bromatum
1. “Impression of danger from his family”: He constantly feels that the very family whose support he
needs (Kalium) can harm him (Bromium).
2. The person becomes very supportive of his family, extremely duty conscious, goes out of his way
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to conform to the family ethics and norms. They are very helpful to everyone, highly industrious –
always keeping themselves busy.
3. They are extremely anxious, have a constant anxiety as if somebody from their family is going to
pounce on them. This feeling is naturally aggravated when they have done (or feel they have done)
something wrong; thus, for the least reason they feel extremely guilty as if they have committed a
crime and are going to be punished by the parent figure. They feel they are watched constantly.
They are very fidgety especially with hands and fingers. Helpless feeling, they become almost
aphasic, answer in monosyllables – are unable to express themselves. On the other hand, this can
lead to the other extreme with “Want of moral feeling”. They can get very excited.
4. They can go into severe mental depression: “Despair with a suicidal disposition”, “Dullness,
sluggish”.
Clinical observations
These patients are very meticulous and organized. The look of the patient is embarrassed and guilty.
I have found that they come from very strict / religious families. They have many sexual symptoms
with guilt feelings. Puberty is an important time for Kalium bromatum. Sexual fantasies are quite
prominent and they may have perversions such as sexual desire for their mother or sister. Looks on
all sides to see if people are observing him, he feels highly guilty, like a criminal. A colleague found
Kalium bromatum indicated in a real criminal, who insisted that his memory for that period during
which he had committed the crime was blank (Phatak: Amnesic aphasia). The Kalium bromatum
person constantly feels that anything he does may be interpreted as a crime – for example going to a
movie, etc. This feeling is so marked that they feel they may commit a very big crime: “Delusion,
crime, about to commit a”, “Delusion, murder her husband or child, she would”. There is so much
fear of committing a crime that they feel they would commit the worst crime. This, for a woman,
would be to kill her own child or husband. I had a case where the lady had a tremendous fear (not
impulse) that she would throw her son under a bus/car while crossing the road. “What if…?”
It is one of our leading sycotic remedies: strong obsessions and compulsions. In order to keep their
mind and hands busy (“an idle mind…”), they usually have as hobbies knitting, stitching, painting,
musical instruments or computers, etc., to occupy them. One symptom I have often confirmed is the
“déjà vu” phenomenon: “Delusion, experienced before, thought everything had been”.
Physical symptoms
– Restless, fidgety hands;
– Acne leaving behind unsightly scars;
– Complaints at puberty.
For further details see “The Spirit of Homoeopathy”.
Kalium iodatum
1. The main feeling of Kalium iodatum is that he may be betrayed, starved (Iodum) by those people
whose support he seeks, i.e. his group or family (Kalium).
2. The Kalium iodatum patients I have seen are very cheerful, talkative and witty. They are
communicative in a way that they really entertain people with their jokes, etc. No social occasion is
complete without them. They are strong, independent people who take on the entire burden of the
family on their shoulders. They are devotedly attached to their family and children. Kalium iodatum
persons are very active, hard-working and very helpful to others.
3. They can get very irritable, abrupt, harsh and abusive. The irritability is directed especially
towards their children. They can be quite cruel to their family: “Irritable towards children; unfeeling
to family; sadness, aversion, devotedly attached children become burdensome”. Quarrelsome,
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malicious and violent, they can be haughty, fearful – fear of death, misfortune, etc. These fears are
also seen in dreams: of danger, of being murdered, of murder, of falling. The fear and anxiety is
ameliorated by walking in the open air, and this makes the Kalium iodatum patient a great walker.
The walk is brisk and vigorous. This modality is similar to Iodum.
4. Despair, disgust with everything, insanity.
Physical symptoms
– Very hot patients;
– Symptoms diverse, many (Phatak).
I have seen it indicated in stout women who have a diversity of complaints. They have symptoms in
many organ system, usually of chronic, progressive nature, e.g. diabetes, hypertension, arthritis,
hyperthyroidism, etc.
Comment: Kalium iodatum is a syphilitic remedy.
Case
Mrs. M., 53, came with the complaint of osteoarthritis since July 92 involving her elbow, wrist, ankle
and hip joints. The pains were extremely severe, aggravated by slight touch. She was taking many
anti-inflammatory drugs and others to counteract the acidity caused by these. Besides this, she also
had cervical spondylosis with severe pain in the neck and back, hypothyroidism, hypertension and
diabetes.
She is very anxious by nature. One year back, her husband was wrongly diagnosed as a case of
cancer. She was very upset, tense and anxious about her husband’s health. It was at this time that
she developed her endocrine problems – hypothyroidism and diabetes. She had to take insulin for
three months then. The lady is very loquacious but witty too, and mixes easily with people. She gets
very angry easily but cools down soon, used to hit her children. She is very anxious if anyone is late
returning home. She weeps easily and is affected by hearing bad news, which gives a peculiar,
indescribable sensation in the back and loins. She likes to keep herself busy with housework or
knitting, sewing, cooking. She likes music.
She starts from sudden noise, starts in the sleep. She had dreams of swimming, of being followed by
robbers but unable to run – and then suddenly starts flying and comes home, of dead relatives, of
weeping. She is a very hot patient and perspires profusely all over the body.
She was given Kalium iodatum 200 in November 92. She is now completely off all allopathic
medication, and all her complaints are much better. Her blood pressure and blood sugar are well
under control.
Kalium bichromicum
Kalium bichromatum combines the qualities of Kalium and Chromium. Chromium is a metal with the
atomic number 24 and is placed before Manganum in the Periodic Table.
1. The main feeling is of being hurt / injured by their family.
2. I have not seen this stage but would expect them to be strong people who can bear all the family
problems – especially those caused by their own family.
3. The main impression I get from these patients is that they are extremely reserved, taciturn,
keeping all their feelings to themselves. They avoid society and are hard, inexpressive. On probing
with leading questions, one gets the idea that they have been hurt quite badly by someone in their
family and bear it within, not showing any reaction. Inside, they feel very sad after the annoyance,
which is a strange reaction since the annoyance is usually of the sort that should cause anger. It
seems that due to the metallic quality of Chromium, they have the ability to bear the hurt caused by
their family or loved ones.
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I have also seen the opposite in some Kalium bichromatum patients. They can be extremely timid,
with great fear of being hurt, tremendous anxiety and lack of confidence: tremendous fear in crowd,
bashful.
4. They are discouraged, do not recognize their relatives, averse to business.
Physical symptoms:
– Spotty, wandering pains;
– Pain in the head which increases and decreases with the sun;
– Sinusitis; on stooping, they feel a whole load coming onto the frontum;
– Pains increase and decrease gradually;
– Discharges very thick, stringy;
– Chilly patients but itching draft of air.
Case 1
A man aged 35 years came with the complaint of spotty, wandering pains in the chest. He was
working abroad and sending money home. He had worked very hard to support his family and the
first time he came home, he found that his brother had wasted all the money. He bore this silently
and went back abroad to earn more money. When he came back again, he found that his wife had
frittered away all the money. This was when he developed the complaints. He was very taciturn and
I obtained even these scanty details through a friend of his. I asked him to describe the feeling he
experienced when he came to know about what they (his brother, wife) had done. His reply was
“sadness”. He got Kalium bichromatum with which he soon improved.
Case 2
A medical practitioner, aged 41 years, came with the complaint of recurrent headache since
fourteen years with a bursting sensation at the left temple associated with blockage of the left
nostril. The headache would begin at about 4:00 am and keep increasing during the day, aggravated
by exposure to sun, fasting and loss of sleep. Since seven years, he had developed what he called a
“fear complex”. There was tremendous insecurity and lack of confidence with irritability, impatience
and weak memory. He was very chilly though aggravated by the sun. Asked what he was anxious
about, he said: “About the future, family and financial problems”. He would not take any risk
especially in his profession. If a difficult case came to him, he would immediately refer the patient to
some hospital, etc. Very afraid of medico-legal problems – avoids any situation where these could
remotely arise. If there is any quarrel near his clinic, he would get very upset and tense. He
described himself as “quiet, shy”. Worried about his seven year old son. He was hurried and irritable.
I treated him from 1985 till 1992, during which time Kalium bichromatum was given in the 200th
potency and gradually raised to the CM potency. His headaches were the first to disappear, followed
by his nervousness and anxiety. Finally, he brought out an eczema on both his feet which also
responded well to Kalium bichromatum. He has remained well.
Causticum
Causticum is a Kalium salt (preparation). It consequently has the Kalium feature of dependence on
the family / group. There is a need in Causticum to have an intimate, unbreakable bond with the
group – unity, solidarity. This need arises from two subconscious feelings, viz.:
– A feeling of danger from outside (“Fear, happen, something will”; “Fear of impending danger”) and
– That his survival depends on the group (“Fear of being alone at night”).
Thus the main feeling of Causticum is that there is danger from outside to the group on which his
survival depends. Therefore, the Causticum person sees a threat to any member of the group as a
threat to the group itself and hence to his own survival. This, however, is a subconscious feeling.
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Consciously, what he feels is anxiety for others, especially those belonging to the group: “Anxiety for
others”, “Weeps with sympathy for others”. He takes great care to see that nothing happens to
anyone in the group: “Cares, full of, day and night”, “Cautious, anxiously”.
At this juncture, we may differentiate Causticum from Phosphorus. I find that the principal
difference is this: Causticum feels anxious for others, while Phosphorus feels the anxiety of others.
Thus, the Phosphorus mother will suffer in sympathy when her child is not well, injured, unhappy,
etc. If the child is happy and enjoying himself, the Phosphorus person is not concerned or disturbed
any longer. The Causticum mother, on the other hand, is all the time anxious for her child, feels that
something might happen, that he may injure himself and so on. Thus if a member of the family is a
little late returning home, for example from a party, the Phosphorus person would assume that he /
she is enjoying himself and not worrying about it. In the same situation, the Causticum person would
become extremely anxious, expecting the worst (accident, etc.) and often cannot rest in one place
till he / she is back home: “Anxious forebodings at twilight.” So markedly characteristic is this feature
that I often confirm my prescription of Causticum by asking the patient how he reacts when any
family member returns home late, especially in the evening. I find that those patients who need
Causticum can hardly sleep till the last person in the family is back home.
They assume responsibility for the weaker members of the family and, in a broader sense, of
society… the weakest links in the chain must be strengthened. In a way, this is like the Union
worker’s (leader) mentality: I am one of the thousand workers, in our solidarity / unity lies my
security. If any one man is fired without reason, and this goes without comment, then everyone is in
danger… including me (subconscious).
I have found that in the clinic, the Causticum person often describes the follow-up of other patients
before he speaks about himself. Even if he begins with his own complaints, he very soon starts
telling about his son / brother / friend, etc., and may not give his own complaints as much
importance. They are very sympathetic with the physician; I have often been advised to take more
care of myself, as I “look so tired”.
The Causticum person is very sensitive to any threat to the security of his group and will fight
strongly for it: “Offended easily”, “Quarrelsome”, “Malicious and heedless”. He can get quite bold
and hard externally, though internally he is anxious, nervous… soft. The constant anxiety about his
group makes the Causticum person work a lot for others. They need power, control and mobility in
order to lead the group and keep it unified; they loose all these: muscular weakness, gradually
developing paralysis (very characteristic), stiffness with or without pathologies like rheumatoid and
osteoarthritis, etc.
The loss of control over muscles is quite like Staphisagria. Causticum, Colocynthis and Staphysagria
are said to follow each other well. They are similar in some aspects, for example both Causticum and
Colocynthis are “Greatly affected by the misfortune of others”. However, Causticum has a lot to do
with the group / family, Colocynthis with injustice, and Staphisagria with honour (not so much with
injustice).
Case
I was called to see Mrs. L.F. , a 60 year old lady who was bed-ridden from a crippling rheumatoid
arthritis affecting nearly all the joints. She was on several pain killers and other allopathic medicines.
I obtained the following history. She was always very nervous and tense. The mere ringing of the
telephone or barking of a dog would frighten her intensely. On enquiring further, I understood that
the situation in her family was quite tense. Her husband and son (aged thirty years and living with
them) would argue incessantly and often very loudly. The father was trying to impose his will on the
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son; he expected his son to return home by a certain time, etc., which the son resented, as he was
no longer a child. There were major fights everyday and these had a strong impact on the lady,
leaving her tense and worried. At a point, she started reacting; she became quite stern, even
dictatorial, and told her husband to stop interfering with the son. This was the time around which
she developed the joint complaints, which progressed quite rapidly and left her stiff and immobile.
I could perceive that besides the fear that the family would break up, she had an inexplicable,
intense and constant fear that something would happen. This was seen in her reaction to the
telephone ring, the bark of the dog, etc., and was, as I said, inexplicable, since it had nothing to do
with the family situation. And then, the stern attitude she assumed to preserve the solidarity of the
family, and also the stiffness and immobility that had developed led me to Causticum. There was a
quick and dramatic change in her after she received the remedy; she was on her feet again in weeks,
walking to church to offer her thanks to God.
The two most important feelings of Causticum , “Anxious for others” (in this case, her son) and “Fear
that something will happen” are clearly in evidence in this case. Interestingly, Causticum is one of
the few remedies listed under “Fear of dogs”.
Magnesium carbonicum
1. The main feeling of Magnesium carbonicum is the tremendous vital anxiety, i.e. the basic anxiety
of all living creatures for their survival. This anxiety arises from a feeling of not having the care,
protection and nourishment that he needs. It is just like the feeling of an infant abandoned by his
parents. Thus the main rubric of Magnesium carbonicum is “Forsaken feeling”, “Forsaken; beloved
by his parents, wife, friends, feels of not being”.
2. In the second stage, Magnesium carbonicum people are very independent. They seem not to
need any care from others and, in fact, can be quite caring. I have observed that these people deny
any anxiety about anything, seem quite content and completely self-sufficient. They speak in a plain,
impersonal manner – sometimes almost like a newsreader. They can be superficially friendly but
generally don’t make deep emotional contacts. Their contentment makes them somewhat
unambitious and along with their low emotional expression, makes them appear placid.
3. The fears of Magnesium carbonicum are represented by the rubrics “Fear, of accidents, death,
misfortune, that something will happen”, “Anxiety before going to the dentist and physician”,
“Beside oneself with anxiety”, “Starting, from noise; when touched”.
The anxiety of Magnesium carbonicum can be very acute and can resemble the anxiety of remedies
like Stramonium, Rhus toxicodendron, Argentum nitricum, etc. It is, however, differentiated from
these by two features:
– Magnesium carbonicum has the symptom “Sleepless, causeless”. I take this to mean that they
themselves do not know the cause of the anxiety, the real feeling (of being forsaken) being very
much repressed.
– Magnesium carbonicum has several symbolic dreams, usually of danger in some form, or
separation / death of relatives, of dead relatives, weddings, fruits, etc. These dreams express the
hidden, repressed emotions. On the other hand, Magnesium carbonicum patients often have a very
characteristic feature, viz. the total absence of dreams. They often say they don’t even know what a
dream is, having never had one.
There is an interesting difference between Magnesium carbonicum and Magnesium muriaticum.
Whereas Magnesium muriaticum has the dream that he is lost in a forest, i.e. outside the house, the
Magnesium carbonicum patient dreams that he is lost in his own house. The meaning is that
whereas the Magnesium muriaticum person can find a home if he makes an effort, the Magnesium
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carbonicum situation is such that despite being in his own house, he is homeless, and no efforts is
going to help. This contributes to the placid feeling one get with a Magnesium carbonicum patient.
One symptom of Magnesium carbonicum in this stage is: “Fears whole day as if some accident would
happen”. I have found that this usually involves the nourishing one – when the parent or husband
goes out, the patient fears that they might have some accident. (The Causticum person too might
express a similar fear but here it is an anxiety for the ones he nourishes). The Magnesium
carbonicum person often has great anxiety about his health, which is expressed again as: “Fear that
something will happen”. Another aspect of Magnesium carbonicum patients is that they can become
very reserved, indisposed to talk and develop a very repulsive mood, when they avoid people.
4. The patient becomes dull and despairing.
– Senses, dullness of; Sulky in sadness; Sadness, indisposed to talk; Despair of recovery.
Physical symptoms
– Chilly patients, though their feet may get warm and have to be uncovered;
– Desire fruits, meat and vegetables (also averse to vegetables);
– Perspiration sour smelling, leaves indelible yellow stains on clothes;
– Very unrefreshing sleep. More tired on waking than on going to sleep;
– Menses black as pitch; indelible stains;
– Children have a tendency to develop boils recurrently and in rapid succession (Phatak’s Repertory,
p. 54).
Case 1
This case was referred to me by a colleague. The child was suffering from typhoid fever (twelve to
thirteen days) and was in a bad shape. He had been given Bryonia and Phosphorus without effect,
these being prescribed on current symptoms. When I saw the child, he was asleep. Over his bed was
hanging a painting of a child looking quite abandoned and lost. I was informed (by the father) that
the parents of the child had separated several years ago, and just before this, the mother had
painted this portrait. I heard that the child was very independent. He could cook, stay alone for long
period by himself, etc. Even during the fever, the child seemed quite OK by himself and did not want
anybody. The only thing he wanted during the fever was fruits.
In this case, I found that even during the acute process of typhoid, the characteristic symptoms of
the child – the not needing care and desire for fruits – were in keeping with his state before the
typhoid. I felt, therefore, that the child did not need any medicine other than that suited to his state,
i.e. Magnesium carbonicum. The picture drawn by the mother strongly influenced the prescription
in this case. It was as though the mother anticipated the state of the child following the divorce (cf.
picture).
Case 2
I saw a case with Dr. Phatak, of a 12 years old child with the complaint of very obstinate
constipation not yielding to enemata. The boy also had some psychiatric problems: he was very
taciturn, would not play or mix with others, would not go to school, etc. – he had become completely
shut off. He had been taken to many psychiatrists. We were told that the father of this child had
cancer and was very sick for six months, during which time the boy had looked after and taken care
of him. All the complaints began after the father died. The rubric chosen in this case was
“Constipation from mental shock, nervous strain” (Phatak’s Repertory, p. 63). The child improved
very well on Magnesium carbonicum. In this case, the death of the father excited a state in which
the child behaved as if he had lost everything, and that there was nobody for him anymore.
Case 3
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Mast. N., 6 months old, was brought by his parents with the complaint of rash on the face and body
with severe itching (scratching). The child had had an abscess of the right lung for which he was
hospitalized for incision and drainage. Subsequent to this he had a severe diarrhoea which also
required hospitalization.
On enquiry, I found that the mother had a difficult pregnancy. She was diagnosed to have placenta
praevia and was advised complete bed rest. She also had severe migraine headaches during this
period. When she was hospitalized for the delivery, her mother was very ill and was comatose in the
same hospital. She always feared that something bad would happen, and would anxiously enquire
about her mother’s health. In the meantime, her mother expired but she was not told about it. She
says: “I suspected that something was wrong, and that my mother was very ill and dying, but no one
told me the truth. Those last weeks of pregnancy were like a cat and mouse game for me”. Once she
delivered the child, she was told about her mother’s death and was so shocked that she could not
breast-feed her child.
She described the child to be “playful, crying only when hungry, does not like to be carried. He is
restless and active”. The child perspires profusely on the head and has constipation. He wakes up
with a start if he sleeps on his back.
I was struck by the lack of emotion in the child’s mother while she narrated the history. She had a
placid feeling about her.
I gave the child Magnesium carbonicum 1M based mainly on the mother’s history during pregnancy.
There were corroborating features in the child too, such as the “Profuse perspiration on the head”
and “Starting, lying on back, while”. The child did exceedingly well on this remedy.
Magnesium muriaticum
1. The main feeling of Magnesium muriaticum people is that they could be disappointed by the
person whose love and care they seek. They feel there is no one they can trust, and hence the
delusion that they are friendless.
2. They could become quite self-dependent (“Busy with himself”). They can go out of their way to
care for others so as to win affection. The Magnesium muriaticum persons are very friendly and
make friend easily. They are mild and patient besides being very helpful.
3. When their effort to gain friends fail, they can get depressed and become unfriendly, repulsive.
They feel homesick, and have nostalgic memories of the time when they did have somebody who
cared for them. The feeling of being forsaken is very strong. They are taciturn, don’t like to talk, are
not expressive and answer curtly, in monosyllables. They can be very irritable but usually try not to
show it because of the feeling of dependence. They can be very anxious. These feelings, especially
the anger and hatred, are consciously felt, though unexpressed (like Natrum muriaticum). I have
seen that they very much like the company of children and animals as these respond to their love
and the chances of being disappointed are very less. Magnesium muriaticum have many
characteristic dreams. Dreams: lost in the forest; robbers; falling into water; unsuccessful efforts; of
children. I have found that Magnesium muriaticum patients dream that they are doing something
really big for others, for example as if the whole family was in danger and they are rescuing them.
Also, they have dreams of being left behind on the platform while the family goes off in the train,
etc.
Physical symptoms
– Hot patients. Desire open air (Pulsatilla);
– Blackish menses. Acne before menses;
– Crave sweets, vegetables especially cauliflower or broccoli (clinical observation).
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Magnesium sulphuricum
1. Magnesium sulphuricum combines the feeling of Magnesium and Sulphur.
The main feeling is of being insulted / unappreciated / disgraced (Sulphur) by the person on whom
he depends for love, care and nourishment (Magnesium).
2. They are very independent (“Content with himself”), efficient, conscientious (“Anxiety of
conscience”) and calm (“Tranquility”). They are very careful about their appearance and are welldressed. They are very sensitive to blemishes and other noticeable marks on the skin.
3. They can be very anxious, especially about health. Even trivial ailments make her unreasonably
anxious – rushes to doctors, insists on X-rays and other investigations. They can get very angry and
irritable. The feeling is : “When I do so much for them, why don’t they do anything for me? Why am I
not appreciated?” There is an underlying fear of rejection. They feel that if they don’t look good,
work hard enough, etc., they will be rejected. Dreams of unsuccessful efforts. The dreams are very
frightful.
4. I have not seen this stage.
Physical symptoms
– Hot patients;
– Crave raw vegetables, especially salads; fruits.
Calcarea carbonica
Of all the salts formed by a cation, the one containing the carbonate represents that cation group
best, for the carbonate represents the vital reaction. Thus Calcarea carbonica is the most
representative of the Calcarea group.
The main theme of Calcarea is a need for protection. In the physical sphere we find Calcarea
carbonica to be sluggish, obese and worse from exertion. In other words, there is no effort. Calcarea
carbonica feels the need for protection but in order to get this, he does not need to make any effort
– all he has to do is to show a vital reaction.
The main rubrics of Calcarea carbonica are:
– Fear, excited by report of cruelties;
– Talks of nothing but murder, fire and rats;
– Starting at the prick of a needle.
We do not find any effort in these rubrics – just the reaction of fright and starting. This is enough for
the Calcarea carbonica person to get the protection he seeks. As with other drugs, we can describe
the Calcarea carbonica evolution in four stages, any of which may be present at one time.
1. He feels he needs protection and in order to get it, all he needs is to show a vital reaction.
2. He finds the protection he seeks by showing a vital reaction. By expressing fear, etc., he
surrounds himself by a lot of people who protect him. A typical statement of Calcarea carbonica is: “I
like to have people around me”. These are people who don’t go out much, don’t want any adventure
in life. They would prefer to settle down and feel secure. They build families and home and choose
for their friends / partners people who are protective, on whom they can depend. The protection of
Calcarea carbonica may be in the form of money, hence “Fear of poverty”. “Desire to be
magnetized”: The desire to be magnetized in Calcarea carbonica means that he allows his will to be
taken over by the other person – “Doctor, tell me what to do. I will do exactly as you say”. Inside the
protected environs of his establishment, the Calcarea carbonica person feels very secure and can do
a lot of things, but once he goes out, he feels very insecure, and therefore tries not to go out. For
example, a girl whose parents are very protective would be very reluctant to get married and go to a
new, unknown place where she might not receive the same protection and security.
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Case
A novelist, 35 years, came with the complaints of tuberculous lymphadenitis in the axillary and
cervical region. The patient did not want to take allopathic treatment. She was the only child and her
parents were very protective, always looking after all her needs. One of her parents feel sick and
then, suddenly, at the age of 32, this lady got married. She loved plants, tended for them with
utmost love and care – she even spoke to them. She said: “Plants are something you don’t have to
fear”. I gave her a single dose of Calcarea carbonica 1 M with no repetition for six months, during
which time she improved marvelously, the glands disappearing within three to four months. It is
now more than seven years and she is fine.
3. When despite showing a vital reaction he is unable to get the protection sought, the Calcarea
carbonica person gets panicky and shows intense fears. This is the stage where he “Talks of nothing
but murder, fire and rats”. This rubric represents to me the Calcarea carbonica horror of the world
around him. It shows the human element (murder), the natural (fire) and the animal (rats) elements
which the Calcarea carbonica person fears. A dream which I have found in many Calcarea carbonica
persons is that of seeing someone being murdered. This stage of acute fears and disturbance is seen
most frequently in the child, for this is the time when the Calcarea carbonica state is most intense.
The Calcarea carbonica child is typically very very scared of injections – nothing frightens the child
more than the threat of an injection (“Starts at the prick of a needle”). In the adult, there is great
fear of surgery, and the patient especially dreads going to a dentist.
Calcarea has the symptoms: “Fear of pain and suffering” and “Indifference to recovery”. Dr. M.L.
Sehgal of Delhi combines the two rubrics to explain a typical statement made by his typical Calcarea
patients: “Doctor, I hope the medicine is not too strong. If the medicine (or potency) is going to
aggravate my complaints, I would rather let it be as it is and not take anything”. The Calcarea patient
shrinks from all forms of violence and instability, even in movies. “Cannot watch cruelty in cinema” is
a rubric I have confirmed in nearly every Calcarea patient of mine and in fact, I often ask this
question to clinch the prescription. While even the adult does have many fears, the childhood is the
most valuable source of information. The fear of the Calcarea child is very intense and is especially
found when they have encountered something for the first time in their life. I have seen that many
Calcarea children who passed worms in the stools for the first time are so terrified by this experience
that they are unable to pass stools for the next few days. This may be found even in a sixteen year
old.
4. When even the panic fails, he becomes completely indifferent: “Sits and breaks pins all day”,
“Indifferent about recovery”. I have not seen this stage in practice which means to me that most
people do manage to find the protection they seek.
Calcarea silicata
It represents a combination of feelings of both Calcarea and Silicea. Like Calcarea the person feels
insecure and feels the need for protection from external harm. Like Silicea, he feels the need to keep
up a particular standard. When those two feelings combine, we have a unique feature of Calcarea
silicata namely: “I need to keep up to a particular standard to get the security and protection I
need”. This gives the symptom: “Sensitive to reprimands”. A person is reprimanded by an authority
or his superior when he falls short of the standard set for him by that superior. The sensitivity to
reprimands represents the need of Calcarea silicata to maintain the standard which the superior sets
for him.
In the third stage, the Calcarea silicata is a shy, bashful, timid, extremely nervous personality, very
fearful and especially timid to appear in public. He has a lot of anticipatory anxiety before exams,
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interviews, meeting people or before beginning a new job. There is severe anxiety about health,
often with severe hypochondriacal manifestations. There is also a lot of anxiety about money
matters. He is irresolute, hesitant, mild and yielding. The dreams are of anxiety, insecurity and the
patients can also have pleasant dreams of being with their family or talking to dead relatives. They
are physically lean, chilly, have sweaty palms and soles, especially cold sweaty fingertips, blue line on
the gums, suppurative problems like sinusitis or bronchitis with yellowish, offensive discharges.
Clinical observations
I have found it useful in a large number of economically middle-class teenage boys and girls, who
feel a lot of expectation on them. They are partly in a situation where they feel they need to come
up to a certain expectation to get the approval of their parents, whose security they seek. Such
patients often come with neurotic and hypochondriacal complaints which serve as an excuse for
non-achievement of expectations and get sympathy from their parents.
A proving of calcarea silicata
I held a seminar at Trivandrum (Kerala state) in South India on the 13th and 14th November 1993. I
felt this would be a good opportunity to do a short group-proving of a remedy.
In selecting the drug to be proved I considered the quality of this state (Kerala) and its people. The
following are the distinctive features I found in the people of Kerala:
– They are (known to be) closely linked with their homeland, and to their community. They travel
long distances to earn money, but always come back to Kerala and try to build their home there. A
large percentage of Indians going to the Arab countries to work are from Kerala. They do not usually
settle permanently in other places.
– They are very sincere and conscientious in their work. They are faithful and very hard working; job
security is very important for them.
– They are rather traditional and not so forward in their views. They are often rather timid by
nature.
– Kerala state has often elected a communist government (it is only one of the two – among twenty
two – states in India to do so).
From this the basic themes that emerge are:
– Strong need for security, financially and from the community.
– Strong sense of duty, conscientious.
These features reminded me of Calcarea silicata.
I also remembered that many of my patients needing Calcarea silicata were from Kerala. I thought it
might be a good idea to prove this remedy in the seminar. Around one hundred participants of the
seminar took the proving dose (single) of Calcarea silicata 200 on the night of 13th November and
reported their dreams and other symptoms in writing the next morning at the seminar, where we
discussed the proving. None knew what drug was being proved. Incidentally, this is the first salt I
have proved (previous provings were of Iodum, Ferrum metallicum, Veratrum album, Ringworm,
Cannabis indica, Bacillinum and Naja).
The proving and comments
Prover a
– My sleep was quite normal. But I had some dream: as if I was going for a tour and was facing some
financial loss. Woke up fresh.
Comments: Two aspects of the dream are: 1. Going on tour which means going away from one’s
home, going away from the place of security. 2. Financial loss, which again means loss of security,
more so when a person is away from the place of security. This dream, therefore, shows the
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importance of security in Calcarea silicata, both financial and that of one’s home.
Prover b
– At the outset itself I must mention that I did not experience anything extraordinary. But I was a bit
skeptical about using this drug – just in case something untoward happened. So I thought I would
give it to my wife. But then there was a conflict. Then better sense prevailed and I took the medicine
myself. Contrary to my expectations I did not have any dreams. I had set the alarm to get up in the
morning. But when the alarm went off I was in a dual state of mind: to get up or sleep for some
more time. Finally when I got up there was some hesitation whether I should come here or attend
another obligatory function. Then I opted for a compromise and spent half time here and the rest of
the time at the other function. Not many physical symptoms worth mentioning.
Comments: Aspects of this man are:
– Fear of doing something new, which means once again a feeling of insecurity when away from his
accustomed place.
– He could have thrown away the proving dose but had a responsibility to prove, hence he thought
he would let his wife take it. But then there was a conflict between his responsibility towards his
wife and his fear of taking the proving.
– There was a dual state of mind: between comfort and the responsibility to come to the seminar.
– Then there was a conflict between one obligation and another.
What is observed here is the conflict between security and comfort on one hand and on the other,
duty, responsibility and obligation towards others. What is interesting is that this conflict occurred
before he took the proving dose.
Prover c
– Took the medicine at 9:00 pm, slept late. Woke up at about 3:30 am, again slept after some time.
Dreamed of a quarrel with a taxi-driver as he refused to take me to the point I wanted to go which
was not far off. I threatened to deflate the tube (tyre) and that worked. Dreamed of giving money to
a neighbour to dig a well for him.
Comments:
– 1a. The taxi-driver would not take him for a short distance because it was not financially
profitable for him. But when threatened with a greater financial loss he agreed, so here too the
problem is about money and we see that where money is involved, there is fear.
– 1 b. On the part of the prover the feeling is one of anger towards the taxi-driver for not fulfilling
his social obligation. And the threat of financial damage seems to say: “If you don’t do your duty
towards the society, you will suffer financial damage”. This is like a “fine”. To be fined may be a big
worry in the Calcarea silicata people.
– Here, giving financial support to others in the community, again this involves duty and obligation
and also some money matters.
Prover d
– I took one dose of the drug at 11:00 am. Round about 2:00 am I woke up with a dream. In the
dream I helped a family. A middle aged lady told me that her father, who cannot walk due to a
fracture, would have to be admitted in a hospital. I was upstairs at that time. I came there and took
him on my back and went to the hospital. After that I went to a shop, bought some things and
returned again and gave it to the lady. I talk with her some time in the kitchen. Later I woke up.
Comments: The theme of this dream is also of giving physical support to others in the community.
Thus, a sense of duty and obligation is a strong theme of this remedy.
Prover e
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– I was working in my kitchen. My mother-in-law came and said her cousin had passed away and his
dead body was kept in my house for funeral for one day, even though I am very tired and could not
say anything to her. After some time the relatives come with the dead body and keep it in my house.
I welcome everybody and prepared food for the relatives. At that time, I need rest but I am happy to
welcome everybody because it was my duty to welcome everybody. I welcome the priest who came
for the funeral. My husband put cinema cassette for songs but I did not allow him to do so. A that
time my friend came and put Christian songs.
Comments: Here the theme is she is fulfilling her role in the community – “the daughter-in-law” –
even though she is tired, so in the conflict between comfort and duty, duty is winning each time. The
feeling internally seems to be: “I will have security only if I fulfill my obligation towards my
community, only if I live up to my role”. For me this represents the Calcarea and the Silicea aspects.
Calcarea needs security and Silicea needs to fulfill a role – to be conscientious.
Prover f
– My dream was about myself. I dreamt that I am sleeping in a cradle which is hanging from the sky –
I mean from nowhere – I don’t know where is its origin or where it is fixed. The cradle is being pulled
smoothly by a woman (like a mother) and she is humming a musical bit very nicely. I felt that I am
going back to my childhood. I got a good sleep yesterday night. That’s all.
Comments: In this, need for security (Calcarea) is clearly seen.
Prover g
– I dreamt that I am a person of much knowledge and authority. People were looking at me with
respect. I would have remembered the dream fully, had it not been for the ant bite which woke me
up.
Comments: In this dream, you see the theme of being a respected member of the community.
Prover h
– I saw a child is drowning in a pond and saved by me.
Prover i
– One haunted dream of death of two personalities known to me, in which one is still alive and one
has passed away twelve years back.
Prover j
– In my dreams I saw an old man chasing a girl who was about twelve years old. Usually I am irritable
after sleep but today morning I woke up in a happy mood.
Comments: Here we see the insecurity of a little girl – being chased and pursued. This feature is
present in both Calcarea and Silicea.
Prover k
– Mad elephants coming towards us.
Proverl
– Last night I had a dream which cannot be explained in words. Even though I shall try to express it in
my own language. Dream: “I am just like you, one of the eminent homoeopaths and landing in
Australia for delivering a new reflexion of thought in Homoeopathy in an international
homoeopathic world seminar. My subject was related to combining the other sciences with
Homoeopathy, you may call it as Austropathy or the signs of sun. According to that science there are
twelve phases like Aries, Leo, Libra, Cancer and so on. According to this, these twelve stars positions
in zodiac zone, each and everybody (humanity) is classified under different characteristic features in
their mental and physical activities. In certain cases they may produce some combining characters
also. I made an elaborate research work to correlate these twelve zodiac positions to our polychrest
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homoeopathic remedies. So now I can diagnose a homoeopathic remedy to my patient, only with
the knowledge of his date of birth. Further more, I had already studied the panchathathwa, and
three qualities of each and every substance, the Swathic, Rajas, Thamo “gunas”; I correlated these
three into our favourite psora, syphilis and sycosis. So now, homoeopathic practice to serve the
humanity became more and more easy and the failures on the part of the physician are more or less
absolutely abolished. Dr. Hahnemann was an ordinary man who granted us a noble therapeutics, but
the followers cannot make it (there are exceptions like you) in success.”
If my dream becomes a truth, humanity will appreciate me in the future. Lastly I may tell you a
truth. At bed time I had not taken your medicine because I had not got it from anybody in the
seminar hall on 13/11/93. But I took it in thought and mind at bed time.
Comments: In this you see he has done a very big service to humanity and earned a respectable
position. Interestingly this is the most intense dream and is explicit. It has the same theme as other
dreams but this man has not taken the proving. Some other themes are: 1. theorizing (Silicea), 2.
failure (Silicea), 3. egotism (Silicea).
An observation: On the night of the proving while we were having dinner with some colleagues in
Kerala, there was a discussion about the seminar. Dr. K.V. John, an eminent homoeopath from
Trivandrum, suddenly said: “There was an homoeopath from Madras who came to Trivandrum but
could not get the train ticket to go back so we collected the money for him to get a plane ticket. He
returned the money to us later”. This statement was made rather out of context and I could
understand why this happened after reading the provings. Incidentally, none of us had taken the
proving before the dinner.
Prover m
– To describe the dream I had last night, I have to mention it in detail. I felt as if I am attending a
homoeopathic seminar, and a man (probably he is a great doctor, because everybody respected
him) is giving lectures. On the way he told there is no value for concomitant symptoms. I become so
shocked to hear this. Anyway I was called to talk. I started to talk gently and expressed my views
though it is the opposite to the “great doctor’s” comments. When I told concomitants have a value
of their own, suddenly somebody shouted from the audience putting aside all manners. But I kept to
my position and realized that I reached a position to clear my views and press on it. So I started with
the comments of Von Boenninghausen from his paper on the “Value of symptoms”. At this time,
suddenly, I felt many rushed to me shouting and forcing me to get out. At last I was taken away by
them by force. Even then I was trying to tell something but they won’t allow me. After that,
somebody came out and tried to console me but he also never observed my ideas. I was talking to
him weeping. He also behaved in such a way that I had committed a mistake which lead to the whole
trouble. After the dream I felt myself very sad because I could not express my ideas which even now
I believe to be correct and more than that nobody wants to talk gently on the subject. I felt hopeless,
sad, depressed and shameful as I am considered as the cause of all troubles though not much
worried also about the harassment on the physical level.
Comments: There is an established hierarchy in the community. People respect somebody and his
views are taken as final – everybody follows them, the structure is maintained and there is peace.
Everybody is expected to play his role and maintain the structure. Since that structure means
security for all, when someone tries to upset the structure, the others in the community will harass
him and throw him out and he will feel ashamed and insecure. The lesson of this dream is that the
price of security is loss of individuality and expression in a Calcarea silicata situation.
Prover n
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– My dreams were full of snakes. There was a snake under my bed and it chased me through the
whole house. The snake was multicoloured with green and black dots all over. I woke up two times
at night and both times my right hand was in a rotating motion. I don’t know if this has anything to
do with the remedy but this is what I saw.
Conclusion
What we understand from this proving is that the main theme of Calcarea silicata is: “My security,
financial and social, both depend upon my fulfilling my role in the community and fulfilling my duty
and obligation to others. If I don’t do this, I will be harassed and thrown out. The whole of my
community structure is based on hierarchy and mutual help. I have to help even if I have to give
away part of my money and energy. I have to fulfill my role even if it means lack of comfort,
individuality and expression.”
No wonder Kerala with its strong Calcarea silicata theme has such a strong Communist wave.
Communism itself is the idea that security depends on community structure and individuality is
suppressed. The conflicts in Calcarea silicata are between comfort and duty, between individuality
and social responsibilities / obligations.
In this proving we can see how a salt (Calcarea silicata) has the elements of its constituents
(Calcarea and Silicea) and how these blend together in a unique way giving a new flavour, a new
theme, a distinctive identity.
Calcarea phosphorica
The essence of Calcarea phosphorica can be grasped by studying the features of bone, in which it is
the chief mineral component. Bones provide security and stability to the body. At the same time, the
presence of bones in the body greatly facilitates movement as is evident in the contrast between a
crawling invertebrate and a galloping horse. Thus bone is that portion of the body which makes the
body stable and mobile. The need to be stable and secure is brought in by the Calcarea element
while the ability to make new connections is the Phosphorus trait.
Calcarea phosphorica may be present in one of the following four phases:
1. The need to be both stable and mobile, i.e. the ability to go out of his stable environment and
make new connections. At the same time, the person needs to return to the stable environment:
“Home, desire to go out and when out of home, desires to go home”. The fact that Calcium
phosphate is found in such large quantities in the human body indicates that the Calcarea
phosphorica situation is a common everyday situation. It is seen that people like to have established
relations but also like to make new connections. Everyday people leave their home but always come
back – this is a regular cycle and it is normal but the Calcarea phosphorica person is fixed in this
mode.
2. The Calcarea phosphorica people are in a stable environment and are able to make new
connections very fast. They are very friendly, love to travel and they make new homes wherever
they go. They care even for strangers and soon become part of their family. This may seem like
Phosphorus but the difference is that the Phosphorus person does not make a home – this additional
element is found in Calcarea phosphorica because of the Calcarea element, with its need for
stability. They are very active physically as well as mentally, and very sensitive. Cal carea phosphorica
people are often found to be sportsmen – they are good at various physical sports. This is possibly
explained by the fact that games involve a good deal of friendliness as well as activity and mobility.
They are often of an athletic build – tall, muscular and rigid fibre – unlike the physical soft, flabby
Calcarea patient. This is the type of Calcarea phosphorica seen very often in practice – the Calcarea
phosphorica state is only an exaggeration of a normal feature of man. Calcarea silicata, on the other
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hand, is not found as a compound in man and the situation is not an everyday one.
Calcarea sulphurica
Calcium sulphate, commonly known as gypsum, is most familiar to us as plaster of Paris. The evident
function of plaster of Paris is to provide security and stability as in a plaster cast used to immobilize a
fractured limb. This aspect is explained by the Calcarea component. In addition to the need for
stability, the Sulphur component introduces an element of ego and appreciation to the salt.
Calcarea sulphurica feels the need for security and appreciation. To be valued, to have some
standing in life requires that one should be knowledgeable, wealthy and have a certain position in
society. These can only be obtained by putting in effort and thus the Calcarea sulphurica person is
constantly trying to do things that will gain him appreciation. There is a constant feeling of not being
appreciated or valued, of being put down and suppressed. This, when combined with the need for
protection, gives the feeling: “I am not valued in my place of security”. Though he feels pushed
down, suppressed, he cannot react with the anger or the indifference of Sulphur for he depends on
these people for security. The most he can do is to complain and quarrel (“Lamenting that he is not
appreciated”, “Quarrelsome”).
On the other hand, the Calcarea sulphurica person can try to do everything in a manner that makes
others appreciate and value him – his work, manners, appearance, etc. A history of sibling rivalry in
childhood is almost invariably obtained from Calcarea sulphurica patients. This is the typical
situation of Calcarea sulphurica, where the child feels unappreciated at home (the place of security).
I believe that very strong comparison between two children and the putting down of one child can
cause a Calcarea sulphurica state. This child will tend to feel very insecure because he feels he is not
valued and feels the need to make tremendous efforts so that he is appreciated, valued and thus
assured of the security of his home.
Case
A case I recall is of a girl, aged 23 years, extremely smart looking, a very successful sales manager at
a young age, she had done very well for herself – much better than her siblings. She told us that the
most important thing she remembered of her childhood was the time one of her brothers told her
that she has been thrown shortly after birth into a rubbish bin. Her parents had not wanted a female
child and when she was born, thinking her dead, they dropped her into a rubbish bin where she was
found by a sweeper and returned to her house. This story haunted and since her childhood, she had
always been doing everything much better than her brothers and sisters so that she could gain the
appreciation of her father.
The four phases of Calcarea sulphurica are:
1. Feeling unappreciated and insecure – more specifically, that he is not appreciated in the place of
security.
2. Makes all efforts to win appreciation: dresses well, gathers wealth, knowledge, position. There is
an increased effort at the job (career) but he is still close to his home and family.
3. Becomes jealous, quarrelsome, obstinate, hateful for those who disagree with him (he gets the
feeling that his opinion is being pushed down, that he is not appreciated). Complains that he is not
appreciated. I have seen that the Calcarea sulphurica people have many fears, feel insecure and
lonely.
4. Sits and meditates.
Physical symptoms
– Tendency to boils and suppuration with yellowish pus;
– Desire for fruits and tea;
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– Hot patients. Desire for cold bathing; children who like to play in water, or who will not come out
of a swimming pool;
– Cracks in the feet in cold weather;
– Tendency to fungal infections like tinea and other skin troubles like eczema.
Hepar sulphur
Hepar sulphuris calcareum is described as the sulphurette of lime, CaS. It was introduced by
Hahnemann who used the white interior of the oyster’s shell and heated it along with pure flowers
of Sulphur. Thus was created an unnatural substance, from which the potencies were prepared.
Hepar sulphuris calcareum is very different from Calcarea sulphurica, probably due to the mode of
preparation. It becomes a syphilitic remedy. Yet, when we study it and try to understand its internal
feeling, we get the idea that it is nothing but and extreme form of the Calcarea sulphurica feeling.
The Calcarea portion of Hepar sulphuris calcareum is represented by its fears, but the fears are
much exaggerated and more intense than in Calcarea carbonica. For example, “Frightful visions of
fire and dead persons; violent fright on slumbering”. Thus, we find the Calcarea “fright” much
intensified in Hepar sulphuris calcareum – here it is a “violent fright”. The irritability of Sulphur is
present, but again in a violent form: “Violent, passionate, fretfulness. Wrathful irritability even to the
most extreme violence, threatening to end in murder and arson”. Even the end stage (4th stage) in
Hepar sulphuris calcareum is much worse than Calcarea sulphurica. While Calcarea sulphurica has
the symptoms “Sits and meditates”, Hepar sulphuris calcareum has the symptoms “Dementia with
complete stupidity, sits silent and speechless in a corner”, “Sad mood for hours; must cry
vehemently”.
Thus Hepar sulphuris calcareum seems to represent the violent extreme of Calcarea sulphurica,
which is easy to understand since it is the combination of Calcium and Sulphur prepared in a violent
manner. What is the feeling of Hepar sulphuris calcareum? Phatak gives: “Ferocious; wants to kill
those who offend him; wants to set things on fire”. We can see that Hepar sulphuris calcareum has
the feeling of being terribly offended, insulted. It is similar to the feeling that precedes a violent
revolution, the feeling of being terribly insulted / offended by the person who is supposed to look
after you (e.g. the king). In such a revolution, things are set on fire and people are slaughtered:
arson and murder. This is an extreme form of Hepar sulphuris calcareum. The third stage is also
marked by great touchiness and irritability, hasty especially in speech – words roll out tumbling over
each other – quarrelsome, hard to get along with – nothing pleases him, cross and violent.
Here, I remember the case of a young man. He found that the shirt he had given to laundry came
back with a stain. This enraged him so much that he set the shirt on fire. The same man, on another
occasion, poured kerosene all over his house and tried to set fire to it out of anger. I gave him Hepar
sulphuris calcareum and his nature gradually underwent a remarkable change. I do not remember
what complaint he presented with.
Case
I recall an interesting case where I prescribed Hepar sulphuris calcareum to a married woman, 28
years of age. She writes: “I have got skin troubles from and after my pregnancy”. Overexertion, cold
and mental upset lead to bed wetting, difficulty in breathing and cause fights and back answering.
She has a fear of animals, disease, blood and injections. She is very possessive and cannot bear that
her near ones spend time with or get close to others. She is very sensitive to insults and quite
malicious. When she gets angry she can strike people around her and shriek. As a child she was
happy-go-lucky, liked dancing and whenever her mother helped others or gave time to others she
would feel very neglected. She does not like it at all if her sister is more appreciated than her. After
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marriage she came to a less rich family and she felt that she was working like a servant. She feels
neglected by her husband. She said: “I feel my husband gives more importance to the peon than to
me”. She cannot tolerate contradiction, complains a lot about her husband’s indifference. Extremely
discontented and very quarrelsome. She came down with very painful boils and an abscess around
her left knee which was very tender and hot. In general she is very chilly, cannot bear draft of air,
likes food hot, likes sweets and fruits. The orthopaedic surgeon who saw her advised immediate
incision and drainage along with antibiotics, as the condition was likely to go into a pyrogenic
arthritis. She recovered with a few doses of Hepar sulphuris calcareum 200 and later 1M. She also
improved in her moods.
When this lady is not in this intense state she is very friendly, pleasant, cheerful and very caring for
her family members (“Delusion, members of the family are sick”, “Anxious about his family”, “Cares
about his relatives”). This lady also had frequent suicidal thoughts.
Interestingly, Clarke in his “Dictionary” quotes Teste who “removed” with Hepar sulphuris
calcareum: “Dissatisfaction with oneself and others; dreamy atrabilious mood, a sort of ferocious
spleen, as though one could murder a man in cold blood” (even in persons who are generally of a
merry and benevolent disposition). Teste mentions in the passing the merry and benevolent
disposition while highlighting the violent aspect of Hepar sulphuris calcareum. In fact, as can be seen
in the case example (above), this cheerful, caring aspect is as much part of the Hepar sulphuris
calcareum nature as the other, well-known, violent one.
Calcarea fluorica
Fluoride is a component of tooth enamel, the hardest substance in the body. The function of
enamel is to provide maximum security to the teeth by its hard, resistant quality. The need of
Calcarea fluorica is to be hard and resistant, yet totally protected and secure.
1. The main feeling of Calcarea fluorica is the fear of losing his security. Therefore “Fear of poverty”
is the main rubric of Calcarea fluorica. This comes from a feeling that he may suddenly find himself
with a broken relationship (Fluor) on which he is dependent (Calcarea). He consequently needs (feels
the need) to make his position very secure.
2. I have found that these people secure their position so that they can stand independently. For
example, they see that they have a good bank balance, take good care of their property (e.g. car),
maintain their health and job well, etc. They are very hard working, quite resolute, firm and strong.
They are secure and content, and seem very tough – they can take a lot. For example, a patient of
mine who is doing well on Calcarea fluorica has breast cancer which is ulcerating but she has not told
anyone and bears the pain without showing it. The Calcarea fluorica person develops very good
relationships with the people around him by being very helpful, etc., thus securing himself against
calamities.
3. They have tremendous anxiety about their job, possible financial loss (“Delusion, fancies, he
would come to want”), relationships – especially the feeling that the person they depend on may
leave any time, thus leaving them totally insecure; they feel insecure and become totally irresolute.
The most important dream of Calcarea fluorica (which I have repeatedly confirmed) is “Dream of
death of relatives”. The dream shows the tremendous fear that the person whom the person
depends on may leave him. However, if the relative (in the dream) is a person whom he gets love
and care and not money or protection, the remedy is likely to be a Magnesium salt. Calcarea fluorica
patients also often have dreams of unsuccessful efforts, for example, missing the train, etc.
4. When all efforts to secure himself fail, he feels vulnerable, insecure and helpless; he can go into
tremendous mental depression and become indolent – a given-up feeling.
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Physical symptoms
– Desire pungent, highly seasoned food;
– Hot patients but the pains are better from heat and constant motion (like Rhus toxicodendron);
– They develop slow, chronic, progressive pathology: indurations, exostoses, degenerations,
conditions like cervical spondylosis, osteoarthritis, calcaneal spur, hypertension, ischaemic heart
disease, cataract, varicose veins, haemorrhoids, bone tumors, cancers.
Physical signs I have confirmed in a majority of Calcarea fluorica cases are:
– Arcus senilis;
– Cracks on the tongue in the centre but crisscross;
– Thickened and ribbed fingernails;
– Prominent blue veins seen under a diaphanous skin;
– Several naevi.
Note from a patient
Knees : Better – more stable on my feet.
Back : Pain very slight sometimes – motions regular – no serious constipation.
Have consulted orthopedic surgeon.
He was not very happy with the X-ray, but felt that the muscular system around the spine was good
and helped to offset the effect of the defective spine.
Treatment – only some exercises.
Eyes : Present medication:
– Pilocarpine 4%, 4 drops/daily;
– Optipress drops, 2 drops/daily;
– Diomox tabs, 1/2 tab (125 mg), 2/daily (increased from 1/2 /daily);
Ocular pressure last measured at 24.0 in both eyes. Optic nerves good.
Doctor feels I am resistant to the higher pressures.
Cataract progressing slowly – affecting distant vision (reading).
Am told that Pilocarpine may be inducing cataract formation, but no alternative.
Diomox side effects cause very weak feeling as if energy is drained out of me. Prescribed Potchlor
(KCl) to offset depletion through urine.
Others : Recently had flu and loose motions.
Still some cough and chest congestion persist.
Have taken a routine blood check – Please see report.
This is a copy of a note given to me by a Calcarea fluorica patient. We can see the following
features:
– The matter is written in points, is highly organized and systematic.
– He talks about individual “problems” and not about himself.
– The note is written in minimum space; extra paper had been cut away.
– The need for stability is evident – “more stable on my …”
– Carefulness about health.
– Consults orthopaedic surgeon, ophtalmologist, etc.
– Routine blood check.
– Numerical description.
– The theme is: “I don’t want to loose any more. Let things not get any worse”.
– Structural changes: joints, lens (cataract), glaucoma.
– Complaints are slow and progressive.
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Calcarea iodata
1. The main theme of Calcarea iodata is the feeling that he may be terribly disappointed, betrayed,
hurt or even starved by the person on whom he is dependent. There is the dependence and need for
security (Calcarea) but at the same time, he needs to be very hard and strong, prepared for this
betrayal (Iodum).
2. They are extremely pleasing people, always very cheerful, making people laugh and feel happy in
their presence, always smiling and agreeable. They never contradict or go against anyone; there are
no clashes. They are very diplomatic. I had a case of a doctor who had affairs with eighty (80) women
at the same period of his life. Each woman knew about the other but he was so nice and tactful that
there was never any problem. He did well on Calcarea iodata. Calcarea iodata has a marked
tubercular element and these people show the changeability, desire for change and activity, and
love to travel.
3. They can be very aggressive yet full of fears. They get angry very rapidly, are very impulsive.
4. I have not seen this stage.
Physical symptoms
– Very hot patients;
– Usually emaciated but can be very obese. I have found that when prescribed correctly, obese
Calcarea iodata patients lose weight;
– Enlarged, hard glands;
– Thyroid affections, palpitation, increased appetite;
– Sudden violent pains.
Calcarea arsenicosa
Calcarea arsenicosa is the classic picture of a person who feels insecure as well as mistrustful. In
Arsenicum there is the feeling: “I need people but I cannot trust them – they may rob me”. They
cannot trust anyone. In Calcarea arsenicosa, the need for people is almost a dependence, and with
the mistrust, makes them highly anxious, insecure people.
1. The Calcarea arsenicosa person feels: “I may be cheated, let down (“Mistrustful” – Arsenicum) by
the people on whom I depend for protection (Calcarea).
2. They are very careful and cautious, very independent.
3. Full of anxiety, extremely insecure. I had a case of a menopausal woman who came with the
complaints of severe palpitation which came on from the least anxiety, fright or bad news. She had a
son and a daughter. The son went abroad and she got the feeling that he might never come back. All
her complaints were made worse when he left, and especially after her husband fell ill. She felt that
her future source of support (in case her husband died) had become untrustworthy. This created
extreme anxiety in her, and she would call her son over the phone every week. I gave her Calcarea
arsenicosa on these features of mistrust and insecurity. Also, Phatak’s “Materia Medica” gives:
“Complaints of fat women around the climacteric; when the least emotion causes palpitation”.
4. Extreme sadness (Kent’s “Lesser writings”).
Physical symptoms
– Chilly patients;
– Palpitation from the least emotion;
– Breathless on ascending stairs.
Baryta carbonica
1. The theme of Baryta carbonica is the vital reaction that is needed in a person who is totally
dependent on others, almost like a cripple or an imbecile. Delusions “that he walks on his knees”,
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“that a beloved friend is sick and dying”. Taken together, these two delusions show the dependent,
crippled feeling of Baryta carbonica and the fear of loosing this support.
2. The Baryta carbonica person can be very independent, even supportive
of other people. They are very responsible, especially about family affairs: “Anxious about domestic
affairs”, “Cares about domestic affairs”, “Anxiety about friends at home”, “Anxiety for others”. They
can be extremely hard-working (“Industrious”), very organized and conscientious (“Conscientious
about trifles”), and take pains to make sure of everything (“Carefulness”). They consequently occupy
quite responsible, dependable positions in their work and in society. They are very stable and
careful. For example, I have a (Baryta carbonica) patient who would take very good care of his car,
check out every little detail and maintain it well. He would advise others on how to look after their
cars and would personally take them to the service station, etc.
3. In the third stage, they can be extremely anxious especially without support. They are totally
irresolute and depend completely on someone to make decisions for them. They are so dependent,
it is childish. Phatak writes: “Children are late coming into usefulness, to take on their own
responsibilities and do their work”. They are afraid of anything new (“Fear of strangers”). They feel
laughed at and criticized. Baryta carbonica has a marked forsaken feeling. There are many fears
which are often childish (“Fear in children”). A small thing can make them extremely anxious
(“Anxiety about trifles”; “Delusion, she thinks every noise is a cry of fire and she trembles”). Starting:
starts easily, starting from noise and from fright. In general, in the third stage, Baryta carbonica
people avoid responsibilities and feel a sense of incapacity. This feeling of incapacity is very markedly
prominent.
4. Imbecility. Total childishness.
Physical symptoms
– Chilly patients;
– Premature ageing: falling of hair, baldness, loss of memory, hypertension, atherosclerosis – all at
young age;
– Craving for sweets;
– History of recurrent attacks of tonsillitis;
– May be emaciated.
Clinical observations
We find two types of patients – the totally dependent person or the coped up one. The first type
depends on someone for every little decision. They are usually accompanied by someone who
speaks for them, answers any question, etc. Then there is the coped up person who brings others to
you as patients and may even come with them on subsequent follow-ups. He will make sure of every
detail several times before he leaves, for example when to take medicine, how many pills, when to
come again, etc.
In many Baryta carbonica patients we find a kind of simplicity, naivety. They are rather credulous.
They can be resistant to change, for example they would try and avoid any changes in their lives –
changes in occupation (job), location (house), etc. They are quite conservative in their way of
dressing, living etc. They are the last people to accept new fashions. These people generally don’t
like to be noticed or brought into prominence. For example, they would very much hesitate to wear
something that stands out, like a shiny new shoe. They avoid giving they views / opinions easily for
fear of being criticized.
The coped up Baryta carbonica may sometimes seem like Aurum metallicum because of the
responsible, conscientious attitude, care for others and syphilitic dimensions.
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Baryta phosphorica
I have not used this remedy much. The main theme would be: “I am unloved /uncared for / treated
indifferently by the person I am totally (because of my incapacity to stand on my own feet)
dependent on”. In the second stage, we will see an independent person who is also very friendly and
sympathetic. In the third stage, the person would be more anxious even than Baryta carbonica.
Baryta sulphurica
1. The main feeling is: “I am scorned / insulted by the person I am so totally (since I am
handicapped) dependent on”.
2. The person is self-dependent and makes a lot of effort to be respected. It is a combination of
dependability and dignity. They are industrious, dependable and dignified people. A man with these
qualities will reach high positions.
3. The third and fourth stages are well illustrated by the following case.
Case
A 46 year old lady came with the complaint of psoriasis of palms and soles since four years. She was
accompanied by her husband. She was not at all relaxed during the interview. She told us that she
was never a bold person but in 1987, after they shifted to a different city with new people and a new
environment, she had a nervous breakdown, with tremendous fear of being alone or going out
alone. She cannot mix easily, feels she does not know how to talk and that people would laugh at
her. The psoriasis started a year after the nervous breakdown. Describing her nature, the husband
says she cannot make deep friendship since she feels offended / insulted easily. She feels others
avoid her, feels neglected and would weep and brood about it. She has a weak memory. She has
anxious and frightful dreams. The husband says: “Whenever she goes out, she involuntarily looks at
the genitals of males. She feels they will notice it and this would create a bad impression about her,
and people would lose respect for her”. She craves salt, sour things and pickles. She cannot tolerate
hunger.
This lady received Baryta sulphurica and improved steadily with it. The following rubrics of Baryta
sulphurica are applicable in this case:
– Fear of conversation;
– Timid;
– Bashful;
– Memory, weakness;
– Eating before aggravates (cannot bear hunger).
Needless to say, the remedy was not prescribed on these indications alone, but on the appreciation
of the case as a whole.
4. During the nervous breakdown, she would not talk, would not cook, very much afraid of going
out. Just sat on the bed and did nothing.
Baryta arsenicosa
1. The main feeling of Baryta arsenicosa is: “I cannot trust the person on whom (because of my
incapacity) I am totally dependent”.
2. They are very conscientious, independent and responsible people. They are fastidious,
methodical, highly organized, efficient and industrious. They are very caring for others, very friendly
and would not offend anyone. They are very careful about their own health and also the health of
others.
3. They can be shy, bashful and nervous, extremely anxious about the smallest thing, especially with
respect to health. They can get panicky. Frightened and restless. They do not trust anyone including
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the physician, often change the doctor. Irresolute. Very dependent yet mistrustful.
4. I have not seen this stage.
Physical symptoms
– Chilly patients.
– Early senility with very deep-seated, chronic, progressive disorders. Diabetes, ulcers, hypertension,
etc., coming on at an early age.
– Sudden acute manifestations may also be found.
Mercurius iodatus flavus
Mercurius iodatus flavus combines the quality of Mercurius and Iodum. The single symptom of this
drug is: “Delusion, man in the room intending to perforate his throat with a gimlet”.
The rubric shows the quality of Iodum which has the feeling of sudden, great, violent impulse and of
being betrayed: “Fear of others approaching him”. It has morbid impulses: “Impulse to kill”. There is
a feeling (fear) of a sudden murderous attack which needs an impulsive, violent reaction. Mercurius,
on the other hand, has the “Delusion, murdered, he would be”, “Delusion, surrounded by enemies “.
In Mercurius, the suddenness of the attack is not evident. When we combine Mercurius and Iodum,
there emerges the feeling he is going to be murdered (Mercurius) in a sudden attack (Iodum). Thus
Mercurius iodatus flavus has this combined feeling in its rubric, showing the theme of 1. attack and
defence (Mercurius) and 2. suddenness and violence (Iodum).
In my experience with Mercurius iodatus flavus, these people have violent, destructive and
impulsive qualities but the destructive quality is not as much as in Mercurius solubilis. I found that
these patients are extremely energetic (like Iodum: very active), have a very strong desire to travel
(Mercurius, Iodum) and need to be occupied. Hence they take up jobs where they can travel. Their
energy seems inexhaustible. They are very cheerful and talkative, may even sing and whistle – a sort
of elated, manic state. At the same time, they can get intensely angry, especially when they feel
betrayed / attacked. The symptoms are right-sided as opposed to Mercurius iodatus ruber which has
an affinity for the left side. The pathology is destructive and glands are often involved. They may
crave salt and sour things.
Metallic salts
Of the metallic salts, I have some experience with:
Alumina silicata Aurum sulphuricum Mercurius iodatus flavus Aurum muriaticum Aurum
arsenicosum Mercurius iodatus ruber Arsenicum sulphuratum flavum
Besides these, I have quite often used the salts of certain alkaloids, e.g. China arsenicosum, China
sulphuricum.
From experiences with these salts, I am able to say that the basic theme that emerges in the
metallic salts is (like other salts already studied) the combined feeling of the two components. This
“combined” feeling has an intensity and depth which lies in between the two, not greater – this my
experience. Aurum sulphuricum has a depth (and intensity) greater than Sulphur but less than
Aurum metallicum. To understand this better, we observe that Aurum muriaticum has syco-syphilitic
dimensions whereas Aurum metallicum is hopelessly syphilitic.
Some of the metallic salts are further explained through cases, but the basic method of
understanding them is as described above.
Case
Mr. M., 62 years, came to me in 1987 with the complaint of diabetes mellitus since June 81,
hypertension since 1981, loss of weight, pain and numbness in legs while walking. His FBS was 186
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mg% and PPBS was 350 mg%; he was on Diabenase. His blood pressure was 170/90 mm Hg.
He is easily annoyed and irritated. Though basically cheerful, if he becomes cross, he can be very
obstinate. When angry he just bursts out. He is very fastidious. His wife says he is very dictatorial. He
always keeps his word – if he promises to do something, he will do it somehow or the other. He is
hurried in walking, talking and in his occupation. He had fallen in love with a girl in college but
suddenly had to leave that city. He did not have any emotional disturbance or feel sorry about it. He
says: “I never felt sorry for myself at any time in my life; even if I had to start my life all again, I
would live it the same way”. He had many responsibilities during the Emergency in 1975 as he was in
the trade union. He had join the union at the request of a friend. He felt that he was helpless, not
able to do anything. In 1980-81 he was very tense since there was some internal disturbance, a kind
of split in the union. He felt hopeless and let down – he had never expected this type of behaviour
from the colleague who got him in this union. He was feeling very sad about the whole thing. But he
says: “I don’t compromise at all”. At this time, he was anxious about his wife’s ill health. He has no
children. His hobbies are reading books on business and classic literature, listening to Indian classical
music. He believes in socialism and gives speeches on the subject. He used to dream of water,
missing the day of exam or being late for exams.
His nails are ribbed, he has a prominent arcus senilis, knobby nose. He sweats profusely, the sweat
stains yellow and leaves a salty deposit on clothes.
In my observation, Mr. M. is very fastidious and responsible. He is responsible for others and
himself, especially about his health. He keeps his medical records in order and checks his health
(blood sugar, blood pressure, etc.) with great regularity. He is very regular and punctual in his visits
to doctors and is extremely agitated by the slightest fluctuation in his blood pressure / blood sugar
values. He also takes the responsibility of maintaining the health records of not only his wife but also
the maid servant.
I gave him Aurum metallicum 1M, with which his blood sugar was very much under control (FBS
119, PPBS 248). He was taken off antidiabetic drugs. However, his blood pressure was not well
controlled. I then gave him Aurum arsenicosum 1M with which his blood pressure came within the
normal range with few occasional fluctuations. His (anxious) nature improved too.
Explanation:
In this man we see features of both Aurum metallicum and Arsenicum. He is highly responsible and
dictatorial (Aurum metallicum), also fastidious and hurried (Arsenicum). He is very caring about his
wife who is ill. This care for his wife combines the “Care about relatives” of Arsenicum and the
responsibility of Aurum metallicum. “Indifferent to domestic duties” is an important symptom of
Aurum arsenicosum and it represents the failed side of the drug; feels a tremendous sense of
domestic duty. Even the physical signs of this man are divided between Aurum metallicum (knobby
nose) and Arsenicum (ribbed nails).
The most important incident in his life was one where the very person who got him into a
responsible position let him down, leaving the burden of responsibility on him. The main theme of
Aurum arsenicosum is that he feels responsible but also feels that he could be cheated by the person
for whom he is responsible. The Arsenicum person takes much care of others; this is a kind of
guarantee against being let down by them. Thus it has both “Mistrustful” and “Cares for others”. In
Aurum arsenicosum, the responsibility accompanies the care for others because on the one hand
there is guilt (“Delusion, neglected his duty”) but also the mistrust and feeling he will be let down
(Arsenicum). So the main components of Aurum arsenicosum are care and responsibility and is seen
as responsible caring.
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The rubrics of Aurum arsenicosum are:
– Censorious with everybody;
– Conscientious about trifles;
– Delusion, wrong, he has done;
– Reproaches himself;
– Neglects her children (single symptom);
– Indifference to domestic duties.
This is the first metallic salt we have studied and we see how the two components come together.
The acids
The main theme of an acid is a struggle followed by collapse: exertion and exhaustion. The struggle
is constant, it is an effort that, the person feels, has to be made in a particular direction. At some
point in this constant struggle, the person is so exhausted that a small setback, like the proverbial
straw that broke the camel’s back, leads to a state of collapse. The person feels a failure of all his
faculties – his mind and body are sapped of energy. The specific direction of this effort / struggle
depends on the acid concerned. We can say that the acid of a particular element represents a
constant effort / struggle in the situation of that element. This will be understood as we study each
acid later. The themes of struggle and collapse are clearly expressed in certain symptoms common
to all the acids: hurry, industry, feeling that their efforts are unsuccessful, fear of failure and on the
other hand, fatigue, indolence and indifference.
Phosphoricum acidum
As we have noted, the main feeling of Phosphorus is of being unloved and uncared for, to which the
person reacts by being affectionate, friendly and sympathetic in the hope that this love and care will
be reciprocated (“Affectionate, returns affection”). The effort of Phosphorus, therefore, is in the
direction of caring for others, being sympathetic to them, etc. When this effort becomes constant,
i.e. when he feels the need to make a constant effort in caring for others, the state is that of
Phosphoricum acidum.
1. The main feeling of Phosphoricum acidum is: “I must constantly care for others in order to be
loved / accepted”.
2. Increased activity. Hurry. Caring for others.
3. He can be quarrelsome; still, later, he becomes dull, sluggish and indifferent, or quiet and
brooding. The factors that result in such a state are ailment from cares, disappointment, i.e. despite
all his love and caring, when he is disappointed by those he cared for, he becomes tired and
apathetic. The best description of this stage is given by Phatak in his Materia Medica: “Apathetic;
from unequal struggling with adverse circumstances, mental and physical”. The words “unequal
struggle” is characteristic of most acids, and this is their feeling – that they are in an unequal
struggle.
4. Settled dispair and hopelessness.
Physical symptoms
– Tremendous weakness; weary;
– Marked desire for refreshing, juicy things; also highly seasoned food;
– Much ameliorated by afternoon sleep; by a short nap;
– Aggravated from grief with sleepiness;
– Emaciation from grief;
– Long standing painless fever;
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– Diabetes mellitus.
Case
Mr. M.N. came to me with a complaint of severe backache which, he was told, had its origin in a
cervical spondylosis. He was a diabetic (PPBS 304 mg %) and had a carbuncle in the right axilla. He
also mentioned “writer’s cramps” while I noted that he was bald already at the age of forty two. He
tires easily and often wants to lie down and not do anything. However, he feels much better in
general when occupied. He is dejected when unable to work and has a great fear of failure. He is
much worried about his brother who is mentally ill. He has been looking after his brother for long
and is often sad and brooding on his account. He recalled a pleasant dream “of a happy family”. In
another dream, he is on his death bed, gasping, and pleading with his family that he wants to get
out. He craves juices and spicy food.
With Phosphoricum acidum 1M , repeated six times in the course of two years, we saw an
improvement in every sphere. His carbuncle disappeared in two months, the diabetes came under
control (PPBS 172 mg % within three months) and he became more energetic. The backache was
greatly relieved.
Clinical observations
One of the strongest features of Phosphoricum acidum that I have found is the hypochondriacal
neurosis, where the person constantly broods about his health: “Brooding about his health”,
“Brooding about his disappointment”. The other feature is homesickness, which in this remedy
represents a longing for a happier situation / moment – a memory of times when he received love
unconditionally.
Muriaticum acidum
The main theme of the Muriates is the feeling of disappointment and, in order to avoid this, the
Muriate patient can make a lot of effort in nurturing others. For exemple, Natrum muriaticum is
highly sympathetic and affectionate; these people often lend a shoulder for others to weep on. The
love and care in the Muriate is much more than in Phosphorus or even Phosphoricum acidum since
the likely disappointment is also more intense.
The main rubrics of Muriaticum acidum are:
– Serious;
– Industrious, Restless;
– Excitement when working;
– Thoughts intrude and crowd around each other while at work;
– Discontent with himself; with everything;
– Succeeds, never;
– Anger with indignation.
The exact feeling of Muriaticum acidum is not brought out in these rubrics. A proving by Yvonne
Lassauw has made our understranding of Muriaticum acidum much clearer.
Dream proving
(following a single dose of Muriaticum acidum 30 C kept under the pillow)
Restless in bed, averse to touch. On going to sleep visions of long knives, not very sharp or gl istening
but rough and dull. One knife was stabbed in a tree, blood was pouring out (picture not very sharp as
if through steamed glasses). No fear but lugubrious. Vague threat what is going to happen to me
next.
Dream:
– I am staying with friends (wife, husband and three children) in a lovely big, cosy and free house. I
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was supposed to help with the children (clothing and feeding them in the morning). I liked that. But
when I was interrupted when doing something, I immediately got upset. “Oh, I hope I will be ready
in time. L (little daughter) has to be in school at nine”. Then, there was this woman (?) who came
and had a bruise on her face with a plaster on it, she had to go to her work and I had to remove the
plaster. I was not doing it quite right and some blood came with it. That kept on bothering me later:
“Suppose that woman might get a bloodpoisoning now or the plaster will not fit anymore tomorrow,
did I tear too much skin while removing?” I was not feeling guilty about it but it was constantly in my
mind. I kept on brooding about everything that might possibly go wrong with the feeling that it
would be a “disaster”. Meanwhile there was an older gentleman who lost his contact lenses and I
had to help and search for it. Hopeless, to find those tiny things in the hairy carpet, I got irritated. I
felt disorderly in my head. Then L shouted that she was ready on the toilet and I had to wipe her
bottom. “Yes, yes, I am coming”, I yelled, irritated. Then the husband gave a shopping list of things
that had to be bought at the grocery store – that was a relief and comfort, away from here, out,
delightful. Not being interrupted constantly, just one thing at a time. End of dream. Next night still a
little restless and I could not get asleep because of chilliness (which is highly unusual for me).
When we study the dream, we see that all the above mentioned rubrics fit into this situation of
Muriaticum acidum, where she feels that she has to make constant efforts to nurture everyone
around and ultimately gets completely exhausted in the process.
Sulphuricum acidum
The main theme of Sulphur itself is the need to make an effort. Therefore, Sulphuricum acidum
represents a very much exaggerated need to make effort. So the main symptoms of Sulphuricum
acidum are in “hurry”: “Hurry: while eating; in movements, cannot do things fast enough; in walking
and writing”, “Serious”, “Industrious, restless”. On the other hand (failed side), we have “Weary”,
“Speech, monosyllable”, “Prostration of mind” and “Discouraged”.
Fluoricum acidum
The theme of Fluor, as we have seen, is that of incompatible relationship and the need to break off.
So Fluoricum acidum represents tremendous effort in the direction of breaking the relationship.
This increased activity is seen in “Buoyancy” (lightness), “Increased ability to exercise his muscles
without fatigue”, “Impulse to walk fast, necessity to be always on the move”. The specific direction
of this increased energy / activity is indicated by the increased sexual desire: “Inability to realize
responsibility” and “Enjoyment, excessive” (Phatak). The other pole along the same axis is also seen
in the dream: “Dream of sudden death of his little son, and also of the son of one of his friends,
thinks that in both cases he had been the one to blame; reproaches himself very much” (Allen’s
Encyclopedia). This dream shows the struggle in the direction of not letting the relationship break; it
shows the guilt and responsibility.
Physical symptoms
– Very hot patients (also in rubrics Cold and Heat aggravate);
– Crave highly pungent food;
– Cracks in the tongue in all directions;
– Deep-seated, destructive disease conditions.
Picricum acidum
Picricum acidum seems to be concerned with a tremendous effort in the direction of intellectual
achievement. The failed state of Picricum acidum is dullness, sluggishness, inability to think long,
mental work becomes impossible. Such a state is reached usually in a person who has made a
tremendous mental (intellectual) effort and is now exhausted – brain fag. This may be seen, for
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example, in students preparing for highly competitive exams. (For further details please refer to “The
Spirit of Homoeopathy”).
Nitricum acidum
The theme of the Nitrate (as beautifully brought out by Dr. Divya Chhabra) is the feeling of danger.
This is brought out in Argentum nitricum, which has the theme of performance (Argentum) in a
critical situation (Nitrate). In Nitricum acidum, the basic theme is a constant effort to ward off / fight
danger. The danger could be perceived from several spheres: health, work, enemies and so on. The
effort is in the form of an obstinate, hard struggle with an unforgiving, violent, malicious attitude.
Internalized cold anger. They are tremendously suspicious, mistrustful, they see danger everywhere
and are ready to strike back. For example, the tremendous anxiety about health of Nitricum acidum
reaches the point where he feels anything could go wrong and that he always has to be on his guard
against possible disease. The Nitricum acidum person may also see (feel) danger to others from
disease: “Sympathetic, cares for others, ailment from nightwatching. There is a great fear of death.
The theme of danger is also seen in: “Delusion: about criminals; figures, sees”. We find in it the other
features of the acids : impatient, impetuous and also the other side, i.e. indolence, discouraged,
want of self-confidence, despair, discontented with himself. The indolence can reach an extreme as
described by Phatak: “No disposition to work or perform any business”. It shares with Phosphoricum
acidum the symptom “Homesickness with silent ill-humour”.
Physical symptoms
– Chilly patients;
– Crave butter, fat, fried things, spicy food;
– Deep crack in the centre of the tongue;
– Fissure in ano;
– Tendency to renal calculi;
– Cracks in the skin;
– Warts on external throat / nape of neck or eyelid;
– Worse when half asleep.
Clinical observations
They can be reserved and usually even the marked symptoms like anxiety about health, malice,
unforgiving nature (hatred, unmoved by apologies), etc., have often to be elicited by direct
questioning. In some of these patients, I have seen a very strong look in the eyes, which seemed
almost cruel and unfeeling.
Animal kingdom
Lac caninum
I don’t know why I like this remedy so much. I have used it often with very good results and I would
like to share my experience. After giving a lecture on Lac caninum I went to the hotel and lay down
to sleep but I was suddenly worried that a snake would come up out of the bath drain and felt I
should block the drain. I struggled between logic and the fear. My logic said one thing, my emotions
another. “Antagonism with self” – anti-agony, the struggle with one self. The lecture somehow
seemed to have put me in a Lac caninum state. It splits the person in two and there is a struggle
between the two sides. On the one part was the fear, the emotion, the instinct, the animal fear
(here the fear of snakes), the anxiety that the snake would attack me. On the other side was the
thought: “This is not logical, not correct, doesn’t make sense. Control your emotions, don’t be a
fool.” This is the civilized, controlled side. The other is the emotional, spontaneous side. Lac caninum
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is the milk of the dog (bitch). It has in it the nature of the dog. What differentiates the dog from all
other animals? It is an animal which is totally controlled, totally civilized. It has to suppress its basic
animal nature and only express the controlled, domestic side. You can’t make a cat perform tricks. A
cat has its own individuality. The cat is a proud animal and will not listen. It does what it wants. You
are a slave to the cat’s whims… the cat is Cleopatra! The dog is out to please, it is dependent. It can’t
find its own food. It is dependent on the master. Its survival depends on keeping the master happy,
by its performance, its affection, etc. “Anxiety, success, from doubts, about”; “Fear, duties, that she
will be unable to perform her”: Lac caninum (SR). He has to perform or he will not be wanted
anymore. “If I can’t do my duties, the master will kick me out.” The need to please is the animal side
but the dog knows that however he tries to please, however successful he is, he will never be equal
to the human. He knows he is at the bottom of the hierarchy. Even if a dog has been in the family for
years, when a child is born, the child is king. These are permanent feelings of inferiority: “Delusions,
diminished, short; despised; looked down upon; insulted, thinks he is”. He becomes contemptuous
of himself: “I can never be good.” The animal side is malicious. If you pull his tail he will bite you.
They are very passionate, very lascivious. He can get quite aggressive, defensive. This is replicated in
the provings and unbelievable when seen in the patient who needs Lac caninum. An architect who
needed it said: “I don’t understand why but every time I see a cat coming into the room I have to
chase it out.” Another patient said: “I don’t know why every time I walk in the street all the dogs
follow me!”
Imagine the life of a black person in the US, even today. What is the feeling? “I am unlucky. I have
been born with a black skin. I will try to perform but I know ultimately that I am black.” Jurgen
Becker tells me that a common expression of a black to another black is “Mofo” (Mother fucking son
of a bitch), surely a Lac caninum expression. a possible situation of Lac caninum could be incest.
Imagine what it must be like. On the one hand the child feels dirty, contemptuous of herself and on
the other hand she depends on the parents a lot and has to keep the feeling suppressed. They can
develop attacks of intense rage. When this rage becomes constant, the remedy changes to Lyssin –
the mad dog. When the mad part takes over and the civilized side is suppressed, that is Lyssin:
“Desire to attack the person he is dependent on”. Once in Germany I was giving a lecture on Lac
caninum. The door opened and two dogs walked in! The theme of the dog is an intense theme – the
conflict between civilisation and animal instinct. It is one of the main remedies for inferiority
complex.
A five year old boy, Master A.W. , came with recurrent cold and cough since age of four months,
especially during change of weather. He used to be quite breathless during the attacks and had to be
given antibiotics and bronchodilators. Amongst the symptoms observed, he had great desire for
meat (+++), spicy and fried food and wafers. Child used to be much aggravated by cold drinks and
every time he drank something cold, would develop bronchitis – would feel intensely remorseful
(+++) and would say: “If I had not taken the cold drinks I would not have fallen ill.” He doesn’t listen
to anybody, hits everybody. “I have no friends, they hit me. So, I am bad.” He is very aggressive
(++), striking and kicking (++), pulling hair but at the same time, he is extremely affectionate (++). He
runs to people and starts hugging and kissing and showing lot of physical affection. He has a dream
of a ghost which is black and he kills the ghost with his nails. Child loves animals (++) and even loves
the stench of animals. At the time when he came for the treatment he was on bronchodilators,
antibiotics, iron and vitamins. I was struck by two sides of him: one aggressive side and the other
affectionate side. This very much reminded me of a dog because a dog has these two qualities. It can
be very aggressive and at the same time very affectionate, especially a lot of physical affection. Also,
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the instinctive drinking of cold drinks and then feeling remorseful about it. Again we see two sides –
the instinctual side and the civilized side. What struck me was that he killed the ghost with his nails
which is a typical animal behaviour. He felt very close to animals, even liked the smell of them, and
had a marked desire for meat – carnivorous animal – and desire for spicy food too. I saw his nature as
that of a dog and on this basis I gave him Lac caninum in October 92. He didn’t need any repetition
till June 93. With 1 M, one dose, he felt absolutely better and didn’t require antibiotics or
bronchodilators anymore. He had a minor recurrence in June 93 and responded immediately to Lac
caninum. Till then child remained quite well in his health.
Sepia
Consider the following rubrics:
– Abrupt, harsh. – Aggravation from business failure.
– Aggravation from disappointment. – Aggravation from disappointment in love.
– Aggravation from scorn. – Amorous.
– Anger – about past events. – Antagonism with herself.
– Anxiety when alone. – Anxiety after anger
(single symptom).
– Aversion to members of family. – Ameliorated by being held.
– Held, wants to be. – Company, averse to and yet fear of being alone.
– Complaining, others, of. – Actions are contradictory to intentions.
– deceitful. – Delusion, he is poor.
– Delusion that her family will starve. – Delusion thatb he is unfortunate.
– Despair over miserable existence. – Despair of social position.
– Fancies, lascivious. – Sexual minded (Phatak’s M.M. ; S.R. )
– Fear of being humiliated. – Fear of poverty.
– Fear of solitude. – Forsaken feeling.
– Hatred of persons who have – Horrible things affect her.
offended him.
– Feels as if she could easily – Envy.
injure herself.
– Libertinism. – Malicious to loved ones
(single symptom).
– Mockery and sarcasm. – Mood, repulsive.
– Sadness about health. – Unsympathetic.
(single symptom).
– Will, contradiction of.
– Dreams, body, defigured.
– Dreams, face, disfigured.
– Dreams, amorous.
– Dreams of going astray in the forest.
– Dreams, mice, rats, snakes.
The main rubric of Sepia seems to be “Delusion, body, disfigured”; “Delusion, face, disfigured”
(dreams).
This is very much in tune with what happens to the Sepia face and body. They both become
disfigured and hence unattractive especially to the opposite sex. With the misfortune (“Delusion,
unfortunate”) of having such an appearance as a Sepia person knows that, even though she needs
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company, needs relashionship, she knows that ultimately no one will care for her, so she prepares to
live independently, not have any attachments; gets occupied, learns a career. One of the commonest
activities for women was sewing, so, Sepia develops “Anxiety while sewing” or else “Anxiety at
occupation”. That becomes her main concern. Business failures, poverty become aggravating
factors. Disappointed love and scorn are causative. So far we have described the collapsed state of
Sepia. The contradiction of will in Sepia is between the one part that wants to be pleasing and
attractive, that desires relationship and the other part that sees the whole relationship as hopeless
and would rather give herself totally to her career and independence. Therefore, Sepia can be
alternately rough and soft.
Indifferent and envious.
Serious and dancing.
Sepia can also apply to males with the same state of mind, males who would rather be occupied all
the time, males in whom business preoccupation rather than family is prominent.
The rubric “Anxiety after anger” is particularly interesting and it probably means that after anger
he/she gets anxious about the relationship and is probably related to the rubric “Company, averse to
and yet dreads solitude”. In the sexual sphere this ambivalence is well marked. Sepia can be very
lascivious and sexual minded and this aspect is attractive. But immediately following coition (coition
here could mean any close emotional contact as well) the Sepia person, knowing the ultimate
destiny of rejection, rejects, feels confused and irritable.
Young persons of nervous, delicate temperament prone to sexual excitement, worn out by sexual
excesses.
Sepia, therefore, comes close to Lachesis with its dreams of snakes, and envy but in Lachesis the
emphasis is more and more on keeping herself attractive. It is as if there is competition and she has
to win. If she does so, it is well. In Sepia there is despair, there is no hope in the relationship. Sepia
comes close to Tarentula too, since the theme of Tarentula is unrequited love and the need to be
attractive. The dancing, attractive hysteria and sarcasm are common to both, and a young Sepia can
often seem like Tarentula. Tarentula can also be very industrious. Again here the emphasis is much
more on attractive behaviour, and the contradiction of will as found in Sepia is not present. The
deceitfulness, the mischievousness and the speed are much more in Tarentula. Finally, Sepia comes
closest to Natrum muriaticum. Both have the theme of disappointment in love, both have the theme
of body being disfigured (Natrum muriaticum has the delusion “Wretched, thinks she looks, on
looking in the mirror”). What is the difference between the two? The dependence of Natrum
muriaticum is too much. The Natrum element of Natrum muriaticum seeks relationship whereas the
Muriaticum side feels so much betrayed that he wants to break the relationship. So, the main
contradiction of Natrum muriaticum is not between relationship and occupation, but between
making and breaking the relationship. Therefore, there is no contradiction of occupation and
relationship. In Natrum muriaticum there is one stream; the current flows in one or opposite
direction. In Sepia there are two streams. Therefore, Sepia is the larger, of which Natrum muriaticum
is a part. Sepia is an animal remedy whereas Natrum muriaticum is a two-sided salt; like a coin. The
main idea of Natrum muriaticum is in one relationship. She has fallen in love with one person and
that is the person she will love and hate. All that matters to her is how will he treat her. Her entire
mood depends on this. Having been hurt and disappointed in that relationship, she will be very
careful not to make any other relationships. But if she does so, she will put her whole being into it
and love with tremendous passion. If this love is reciprocated, she is at the height of ecstasy. If it is
rejected, she goes to the depths of grief.
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But all this is along one axis. Her entire mind is focussed on the one relationship and she will make
such a relationship where there is always doubt, for exemple falling in love with a married man. The
Natrum muriaticum symptom “Cheerful after coition” is very significant. This is the opposite of
Sepia. Coition creates hope in Natrum muriaticum, it creates confusion in Sepia.
Ignatia is the acute of Natrum muriaticum, since it has the theme of investing everything in one
person or one relationship. Natrum muriaticum likes to dwell on grief and nourishes the grief.
Natrum muriaticum alternates between affectionate – sadness, cheerfulness – sadness. The main
theme of Natrum muriaticum is not to get hurt in relationship; this is the coped up form of it.
Therefore, Natrum muriaticum is psoric and is an important part of the body. Salt is an important
constituent of our body and we all need this part of not getting hurt in a relationship. Sepia is a sycosyphilitic remedy with the fixed idea that the relationship will not last for him, and suicide from
despair over his miserable existence is not beyond his purview, though it is not such a suicidal
remedy. The acute of sepia is often Nux vomica, because Nux vomica is concerned with occupation,
business with tremendous irritability and has similar symptoms to Sepia: chilly, constipated, etc. In a
very acute situation of business failure, the Sepia can need Nux vomica. Nux vomica is
similar/inimical to Ignatia, which is the acute of Natrum muriaticum.
Naja tripudians
My friend Dr. Jurgen Becker of Freiburg, Germany, came to Bombay in 1991 and we did a seminar
together. Jurgen, in many of his seminars does short provings of remedies, i.e. giving one drug to
participants of the seminar and noting the effects of this drug during the seminar. I wanted to do a
similar thing here and to experience the group proving during the seminar. At this time, Jurgen was
working with Vipera which is the European snake and felt it would be a good idea to prove the
Indian snake naja, the cobra, which is easily the most well-known poisonous snake in India. He felt
that surely the Indian snake would have much more relevance to the Indian psyche than Lachesis,
The South American snake which is the most well-known snake in our Materia Medica and therefore
overshadows all the other snake remedies.
A dose of Naja 30 was sent in advance to all the participants of the seminar with instructions to take
it at bed time one week before the seminar, and write down the effects, especially the dreams.
None of the participants knew what drug was given. During the seminars, we collected these notes
and shared the experience. The main themes that emerged in the dreams and feelings were as
follows:
1. Sense of duty and responsability especially towards one’e family.
2. A feeling of being injured/affected.
3. A feeling of being wrong or being wronged.
4. Anger, violence.
5. A feeling of being split up between duty on one hand and being wronged on the other hand.
6. A feeling of being neglected.
7. A feeling of many obstacles in the way.
8. The theme of success and failure.
The most typical were the dreams of prover S.N.
“I am living with certain people, and I am going out and say good-bye to everyone around and leave
the place. I return home tired, and I see nobody around and suddenly there is a noise. I look around
and I find that everybody has become smaller. Only their weight is reduced, I am the only one who is
unaffected. Everybody comes to me and request me: ‘You are normal, you must be having the
solution to bring us back to normal height (weight ????????).’ I refuse that, but they insist on it so I
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am thinking.”
Feeling:
“A lot of importance is given to me and I must help them. They have put so much faith in me.”
On the 9th night another dream: “I have visited a place, few boys are with me. We get a place to live
with a great difficulty and all a sudden the owner of the place says: ‘You have to go from here.’ She
literally throughs our luggage out. All the boys went and left me alone. But I said I have paid, she just
cannot throw me out. So, I was sticking around but she gave me so much trouble that just to get rid
of her I started packing my things. Meanwhile the owner got hurt and she came running to me and
said, ‘Please, don’t go, you only can give me a medicine because you are doctor.’ But I refused… She
had troubled me so much but she kept on requesting, so finally I gave her medicine.”
Feeling: “Again a lot of importance is given to me and whatever may happen, I have to help others.”
One of the provers, C.M. , had a remarkable dream: “I drove my car over a live snake. It got
mutilated into two pieces; later on the two pieces got together and the snake went away.” This
dream can be directly correlated with four symptoms of Naja recorded in our Materia Medica:
1. Delusion, head is injured.
2. Insanity will split his head into two.
3. Will, contradiction of.
4. Two wills, as if he had.
The symptoms of prover A.S. are worth quoting:
“Hilarious mood. Nearly hysterical. went about hugging and kissing my friends and acquaintances.
Wishing them “Happy New Year” and shaking hands with my patients to wish them.
I felt I was going mad. My mind was constantly trying to stop this overreaction but my heart would
not listen and my actions overruled my brain. My mind said: ‘Be decent.’ I behaved like a lady but got
all the attention which I perhaps was craving for. In general, though, I was being called foolish and
childish.”
Comment: This proving shows the split between, on one side animation, on the other, decent.
Prover P.B.
“Increased thirst – thirst for a glass full of water (roomm temperature) every 1-2 hours. Sensation of
acid secretion in stomach, trickling through the intestines. Audible sounds. I experienced a body jerk
on the left side of the body at three different times during the day (on 10th January 91). I feel a great
sense of responsability, doing my duty to my family and I feel I am doing it quite efficiently. I am
receiving the due rewards and praises.”
Prover P.S.
Heaviness of head after 2 hours of taking medicine, coffee.
Dreams:
“Travelling by car with friends; taking grandmother (who is actually dead) to the doctor.”
Prover P.M.
“Dream as if some heavy weight has been placed over my chest, felt frightened very much and soon
woke up.”
Comment: A feeling of heaviness and tightness in the chest is commonly found in all snake remedies
and also the fear of sudden death. No wonder Naja is well indicated for heart diseases.
Prover P.V.
Dreams:
“1. I am going for the picnic with friends.
2. I am going on a tour – one of the friends missed the train, when I came back and talking with her.
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3. One of my neighbours with swelling of face (cancer). Dr. Sankaran talks to him and says ‘his
remedy is this one which you did not give him’. I had taken his case one year back with not much
symptoms. One of my friends who had also taken the case got few symptoms. I felt very guilty that I
could not give him any remedy and now he is in such a state.”
Prover K.S.
“We are playing there and enjoying. While coming back one cousin who is a little older goes home
on his own, another cousin goes home with her mummy who comes to pick her up. Other two
cousins were with me and I come home alone wondering whether I gave them proper instructions
how they should go home or not. I should have left them (at their home). I am scared, if they got lost
my aunty will scold me, “How could you be so irresponsible?”
Prover L.D.
“Pain in throat, cuts on the throat and it bleeds.”
Comment: It shows there is concentration around the neck which usually snake remedies have.
Prover N.
Dreams:
“1. I am in a crowded room, where I am supposed to write down my dreams. It is hard to remember
and I feel under pressure. When I have nearly finished some people watch me writing. Someone on
my right finds a mistake and points it out to me. I get really angry and justify what I have written.
Then I felt that I am aggressive, impulse to hurt him. I took my ball-pen and hit him deeply in his left
shoulder, scratching it down. In the same moment I feel ashamed and sorry. I know that it was
wrong but don’t care so much about the one I hurt.
2. I walk across a fun park which was not open yet. A man dressed like Wineton (?) held bow and
arrow in his hand, the arrow was on a string. He tries to shoot the arrow so that the girl, also in an
Indian outfit, can… it. But he always failed. I wonder how he will manage in the show, which was
going to be in a few hours.
3. I try to remember my dreams, but there is emptiness in my head. I can’t concentrate. Two friends
were in the same room talking and listening to music. I would rather be with them than doing this
writing. Finally I had written half a page and was relieved although it wasn’t finished yet. I go outside
in the street just with a big yellow
T-shirt on me. I felt that I was dressed in the wrong way and everybody stared at me, especially the
children, but I didn’ feel ashamed very much. I thought: ‘That’s the way it is now and I can’t change
it.’ Inside the two friends had a good talk and I join them, my writing again in front of me. There is
much sympathy among us. After a while they start preparing a smoke (narcotic drug). They don’t ask
me whether I want to smoke one as well, it was clear that I wouldn’t.”
After a while I finished my writing and the atmosphere was relaxed and sympathetic.
Symptoms:
“Waking up with the feeling not to be in the right place and wasting my time. Partly very impatient
and aggressive without showingt it. Swollen breast. Headache in the morning (…?) like a nail left
side.”
Comment: This prover shows almost all the symptoms of Naja.
Prover P.S.
Dream: “I was travelling in the train when I sat on the wrong seat. The ticket checker not only ask
me to change it, he told that despite being educated I do not have civic sense about where to sit,
and people around laughed at me.”
Comment: There is a strong feeling of being wronged in this prover.
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Prover S.S.
He had a dream where there is tremendous feeling of fright and is unable to shout.
Prover D.
“Dream of climbimg the mountain and I am not able to reach.”
Comment: A feeling of success and failure. Rubric – “Confidence, want of self; failure, feels himself”.
Prover P.
Dreams:
“1. I learnt from the news that there was heavy rain in Bombay when I was not in Bombay. I had felt
that it would have been dangerous to be in Bombay due to flooding.
2. water is flooded around me and I am floating and then, at a point, I dip my legs at a sloping place
with a fear of being dragged into the flow of water.”
Prover B.P.
Dream: “I have taken part in drama or movie with very good costume.”
Comment: Dream indicative of attractiveness.
Prover G.K.
Dream: “I saw a film actress on the stage in a dancing costume. She has finished her dancing. I get
up, she comes near me and I give her my visiting card and she told me that she would come to me
for treatment.”
Comment: This dream is indicative of a sexual element.
Prover A.V.
“Dream once, students were going for an exam and were attacked by dacoits in the bus. When they
are about to shoot… they were attacked by a ‘water form’ (children saved).”
2) Burning of palms, soles; 3) Flushing – facial; 4) Dullness, sleepiness; 5) Increased hunger; 6) Hot 3.
Prover A.D.
Dream: “A confusion that I was awake or dreaming. Fear of being killed and saw friend’s mother-inlaw kill the friend.”
Prover S.P.
“It is about a scene in a big parking place with many cars parked there. The time is night. Some
villains have captured me and my friends. We fight back. There is a gun fight and we are running
away from there. I get into a car to run away and start the car to escape from there and then I am on
my way out of that place. But still occasionally firing back at the villains with my gun. The dream
ends here. The feeling is to fight back and escape from there. But while driving it was feeling as if the
seat was very uncomfortable to sit in while driving the car.”
Prover S.A.
Dream: “I dreamt that one of my friends has failed in the exams and I told her about it and she
bursts out crying. On seeing her crying, my other friends started scolding me, critizing me. I felt very
bad about the whole situation. Physical changes: Increased thirst – at least 7-8 glasses in a day, which
I never have. I felt very en energetic and worked much more than I do normally.”
Prover H.M.
Dreams: “My father was dying and I am catching hold of him, screaming and trying to stop his
death. I don’t see much changes in me worth noting. But I wonder what I am feeling, what I have
observed in these days, has to do with the dose I have taken. I am very peaceful in thoughts, no
tensions, remaining calm. Not remembering about tension giving situations. In fact, few times, I
think that I should try to bring some solution to my tension, rather than escaping from it. But my
mind doesn’t allow me to think about it. As if it is telling me, “Keep away from situations which give
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you sad feeling.”
Observation
There are many dreams of religious places and temples.
Repertorially these symptoms can be correlated with the Materia Medica:
– Delusion, broods over imaginary troubles.
– Sadness as of having done everything in a wrong way.
– Suicidal disposition with an axe.
– Delusion, head is injured.
– Delusion, is being injured by his surroundings.
– Delusion that he is neglected.
– Delusion, neglected his duty, he has.
– Delusion, is under superhuman control.
– Delusion, has suffered wrong.
– Delusion, is being starved.
– Loss of self-confidence – thinks himself a failure.
– Fear of failure.
– Will, contradiction of.
– Wills, feels as he has two.
– Will, loss of.
– Wrong, everything seems.
Clinical experience
After this proving, the number of my Naja prescriptions have gone up substancially. I have been able
to precribe Naja in a large number of cases where otherwise I would have prescribed Lachesis,
Lyssin, Aurum metallicum, etc. A clinical picture of Naja that emerges is that of a woman in Indian
circumstances, who after marriage finds herself neglected, harrassed and wronged by her in-laws
and feels angry and malicious, and at the same time dutiful and responsible towards the family, and
there is a constant conflict about it. Naja patients has several features like Lachesis (snake qualities)
like attractiveness, communicative, malice, competitiveness, etc. But I found that in Naja these
qualities are subdued by a certain nobility, certain morality and they are not as loud, loquacious,
egoistical nor carcastic as Lachesis. In this way it seems to fit into the very nature of India. Also, Naja
patients do have some association with snakes, e.g. dreams of snakes, especially cobra (the only
snake with a hood), fear or fascination with snakes. They can wear snake design rings and glasses
with low nose bridge. They part their hair which gives a cobra-like appearance (hair coming forward
in middle and drawn slightly backward from sides – hood appearance). Can also have hooded eyes.
They can be remarkably strong and can take a lot of attacks and are usually attacked.
One woman who did well on Naja was an airline official whose job was to face and reply to irate
passengers of delayed flights. Here she constantly faces attack and she feels as if beaten by stick by
everyone. A short follow-up of this case:
– I used to brood a lot, think of things. On waking in the morning I used to feel like going back to
sleep. I used to feel tired and I used to feel hungry all day.
Brooding is a symptom of Naja.
– I feel more pleasant now. In the family a lot of cousins became obese around thirty and their hair
started falling out. I still feel like eating all the time. My mind is active while I am sleeping. It is not
sound sleep. I need the fan in the kitchen, or in a closed room.
– What about the change in the moods?
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– There has been a lot of change, I used to feel it (work) has to be done. I was always doing
something all the time.
The husband says: “She has a white discharge and low backache. After pulses she burps loudly and
often.” The husband was asked what he has noticed. “She is more active. She used to worry about
the past a lot, about problems. She would grumble or brood. Now she plays with the children.” She
can get worked up. “I can’t keep things to myself. I couldn’t forgive wrongs from the past. This is
quite a bit better. I have gone more to the back of my mind. I can see the clear water on top but still
the sediment is there underneath.” Her husband says: “Her nature is such that issues of the past
come up and spoil the present. Unless the people around listen to her she gets upset.” She used to
work as stewardess and says: “I was singlehandedly taking the beating of all the passengers.” In India
a snake gets beaten to death by people. This is the feeling of Naja – a feeling of being wronged or
upset by others and yet dutiful. The pace is quick. Things happen quickly for this patient. “I used to
work 16 hours and travel.” She went from high performance to total exhaustion. So many qualities
come together in Naja. She says:
“I have to do so much. I feel I can’t cope. I was put with the troubleshooters. 99% of the time I came
out with flying colours. I can’t cope, sometimes. I feel exhausted.”
– What is the main feeling?
– I feel insecure and cheated. I was totally in the right. They have cheated and wronged me. I used to
get up at 4 am and go to bed at 11 pm. There was nothing more I could do. I am being forced to do
my duty to the people who have harmed and wronged me.
There is a conflict of wills, as in the dreams of the provers.

COBRA PICTURE
The other two responses in India is to respect and to worship. Naja people command a certain
respect and instill a certain fear. One of the themes of Naja dreams is being pursued by people with
an aim to kill or injure. The dream of running or jumping over buildings in order to escape.
Interestingly, many of them had dreams of flying in order to escape. It is known that the bird is a
natural enemy of snake.
As an example, I give this case of a man around thirty years with cardiomyopathy complaining of
breathlessness on exertion. He is known to be very helpful but at the same time very malicious when
wronged. Once he was called for a meeting to discuss a contract, but when he reached there he
found that the contract had been already awarded to his competitor, and calling him was merely a
eye-wash. He was so infuriated and was insulted too. He left the room, took an iron rod and in the
presence of all he completely smashed the car of his competitior and dared him to come down and
fight. The other man sent a few local hoodlums in pursuit. But he turned around with the iron rod in
his hands and fire in his eyes, and the hoodlums took to their heels. This man when he sat in my
presence was completely subdued and all this was described by his brother while this man just
observed without comment. He improved remarkably with Naja.
Another case example that immediately comes to my mind if of a woman around thirty, who came
to me accompanied by her husband. She had an appointment but for certain reasons, I asked my
assistant with one other observer to take the case. She took a long time to take the case. After that
my assistant told me that the patient is almost weeping; she had to wait for a long time. When I
called her in, she was really fighting with tears, very hurt. I asked her:
– What did you feel?
– Very offended.
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– What was the exact feeling?
– I felt as if I am made a Guinea pig for the learning of students.
– Can you describe your feeling accurately?
– I was feeling as if stripped, and also put under a microscope.
Tremendous anger as if stripped in public. At the same time she could not express her anger, was
subdued and the nobility in her prevented her from attacking. She also had recurrent dreams of
cobra and a strong fear of snakes. She improved beautifully on Naja.
A woman, S., aged 51, operated for tubercular lymph node has a recurrence of lymph gland
enlargement diagnosed as TB. She comes with severe depression, with a sensation as if something is
heavily moving inside her body, as if muscles are moving clockwise and anti-clockwise, something
circular moving inside. Previously she thought it was spiritual energy – the Kundalini (represented as
a coiled serpent: “Delusion, under superhuman control”). She gave a history that she has done her
duties towards her in-laws but had been neglected by her husband whom was involved thoroughly
in his work. This woman has a lot of spiritual ideas. She dreams of God and snakes, especially cobra,
and she says that even in her waking state she had illusions of cobras with raised hood. She also
feels neglected by her children who are married and settled. She feels wronged by the whole family
and has attempted suicide a few times. She likes rain very much. I have found that Naja patients
have either a fear or fascination of rain and they can go into a state of brooding and severe state of
depression. This lady was seriously affected by her husband’s friendship with his lady secretary. She
also had several feelings and illusions regarding her past life which involved marrying the same man
(her present husband) in several past births. A theme of reincarnation is strongly associated with the
cobra in Indian mythology. With Naja, not only the lymph node, which was around 3 cm in diameter,
subsided, but also her state of mind improved and she was much more cheerful.
It is interesting how the mythological tales give a glimpse of the truth. Here are two Indian
mythological tales which show a remarkable similarity with the themes of the proving.
One story is: “There is a cobra who used to bite everyone, so people were scared of it. One day a
saint made him aware of his cruelty and sins. The cobra repented for its behaviour and became
absolutely docile. When people came to know about the change in the cobra’s behaviour, they
started throwing stones at it. Poor cobra! When the cobra asked the saint for advice, he said he had
told him not to bite, true, but that he could hiss at them so that they will also be scared.”
So, the theme is that if people take undue advantage, one also has to show that he will not stand
any nonsense.
Another story is: “Once upon a time lived a Brahmin couple who didn’t have a child. After praying to
God a lot they they got a child but it was a snake, not human. Everybody including the husband
hated the child. But the mother, how can she hate her child? She loved it very much. When the
snake-child grew up she felt apprehensive whether she will be able to get him married, since he was
a snke. Her husband wondered how he could get a bride for his snake-son. Still he found a girl whose
parents agreed to offer their daughter in marriage to his son, not knowing that his son was a snake.
Later, when they came to know of it, the girl refused to break the marriage and in spite of knowing
that her husband would be a snake, she readily married him. After marriage, every night a
handsome man came out from the snake’s body, made love to her and in the morning again became
a snake. One day, the snake’s father saw a light and heard a sound from the daughter-in law’s
bedroom. Being suspicious he opened the door and to his surprise he saw a man sleeping beside his
daughter-in-law and the lifeless body of a snake on the floor. He immediately burnt the lifeless
snake’s skin. Then the man told him that he was really a human but because he had hurt a snake in
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his previous life, he was cursed to be a snake in this life and that he could become a man only when
his snake body was destroyed.”
Naja has the mentality of a snake. Being an animal, qualities of animals are also found which are
survival, competition, sexuality, etc. But the snake has a terrible disadvantage that it can only slither
on the ground and others want to kill it, and it hisses, strikes and injects venom. The specific quality
of each species of snake seems to come in part from the country it is indigenous to, e.g. Lachesis
which comes from South America where people are extroverted, expressive, communicative and
have a strong ego – Lachesis has these qualities, whereas Naja comes from India where people are
subdued, suppressed and wronged, but yet are known to be spiritual, responsible and duty
conscious.
Crotalus cascavella
Mrs. S.P. , a 34 year old maid servant, came with the complaint of: 1) low grade fever in the evening
associated with chilliness and followed by sweating with 2) headache extending from the right to left
side and accompanied by heaviness in the occiput, 3) pain in the legs, evening, binding tight (without
which she cannot sleep), 4) drowsiness.
This patient was a terror in her house and neighbourhood. She would get into a violent rage at the
least provocation, and often without any. In these attacks of rage, she would beat her children “till I
get exhausted”, become abusive, throw things at people or injure herself badly – by striking her head
on the floor violently, etc. She gets angry if the children are stubborn or even if they ask a question,
“laugh too much” or play. She cannot control herself during this anger. Once her husband was
playing cards (gambling) with his friends. The patient got so angry that she threw stones at them,
causing a grievious head injury to one. “I broke his head.” She says: “I am afraid that in my anger I
might kill myself or my children. Why does this happen? I am affectionate but I hate my own people
and children when angry. On one occasion I lifted a grinding stone to throw at my children, I was so
angry.” She feels sorry once her anger disappears, and weeps. Since six years, she started falling
unconscious when in a rage: “My body becomes hot and then I faint.” She is very sensitive to noise –
gets anxious palpitation. “I want silence; no one should speak.” She recalled an incident when, at the
age of 18, she went to a wedding. On hearing the drums, she became very anxious and fainted.
She gave the following history: “Earlier we were quite rich. A maid servant used to come and work
at our place. But my husband and in-laws squandered away the money. My husband used to drink
and gamble. All the things given by my parents as dowry were sold by my in-laws. All my ornaments
were sold. When my in-laws wanted money, the neighbours asked them to sell our utensils too. Now
when I see our things with these neighbours my blood boils. I hate all my neighbours. They cheated
us into selling all our things. (She was weeping when telling this.) My mother-in-law used to drink
alcohol and beat me after that. She sold off everything, even my marriage sari.”
She used to have quarrels everyday with her husband, especially as he used to drink and gamble. On
two occasions she even tried to commit suicide – once by pouring kerosene oil on herself to set
herself on fire and once by jumping into the well. Both the times, her mother-in law stopped her.
This patient had many hallucinations. “On sleeping, someone calls out, and if I reply, then, that thing
chokes my neck, suffocates me and presses my legs. I feel weak, with tingling and numbness of the
body. I cannot opened my eyes. I try to scream but it holds my jaw and presses it. I then scream
loudly but no one hears. This happens very often. It happens to my husband too. Earlier, these things
used to press my in-laws. After their death, they have begun to press my husband and me.”
She keeps the light on out of fear. “At times I see a lady next to my husband. And he sees a man
lying next to me. Some lady comes to my house through the walls, takes rice and goes back through
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the door. She is dark complexioned, wears a green sari and has flowers in her hair. Sometimes it is
another lady in a white sari.”
She has many horrible dreams. “The dreams are after me, they don’t leave me.” She has these
dreams especially during the first three days of her menstrual period.
Dreams:
1. I am chased by my father, who is throwing stones at me.
2. I and my new born child fall into a well and do not come out. (This dream was within 12 days of
giving birth to twins; one died at birth, the other later.)
3. A man pushes me from a tall mountain and I am stuck half way. I can’t go up or down. The man
climbs down the mountain and laughs at me from below. He tells to come down and “see how deep
it is”.
4. A tiger is chasing me and my husband. I climb a tree but the tiger climbs it too. I run fast from
there and come to a temple. Here I find two tigers, one on either side. When I look at one the other
laughs and vice and versa. I tell my husband: “Let us get away from here.” Suddenly, the colour of
the tiger changes. A man meets us and says: “You went to the temple but did not take the prasad.”
We go back to the temple but there is no idol, tiger or pujari; only flowers in place of the idol. So, we
come back.
5. Someone knocks at the door. I open the door to find a person known to us. He suddenly changes
into a stranger. He chases me with a club to beat me. I run away screaming but no one comes to
help me.
6. Two children fall into a well. People come and tell me that one of them is my child. I go to the
well but can see only two small fish instead of children. I tell the people that these are only fish while
my son is a 10 year old boy. They try to convince me that it is my child. Then I see a man getting my
child out alive.
7. Dream of a five-headed snake.
I analyzed the case as follows
The main theme of the case is anger/rage with a tendency to injure herself. She has a deceived,
persecuted feeling. Suicidal – jumping into the well. Sensation of being choked. The delusion of a
woman sleeping next to her husband – amorous and jealous. Dream of being thrown from a high
place – danger. Dreams of animals – tigers, snakes; dream of temple, dream of man pursuing her to
beat her with club. Dream of snake. All these are snake themes –
pursued/persecuted/deceived/amorous/jealousy/animals/choking/suffocation.
Rubrics:
– Delusion, someone behind him.
– Fear, someone behind him.
– Delusion, hears footsteps behind him.
– Suicidal disposition – throwing himself from window.
– Fear of death (suffocation; being thrown from mountain).
– Unconsciousness.
Crotalus cascavella has marked hallucinations. Magnetic states (Clarke). Based on this, she was
given Crotalus cascavella 200, one dose on 30.06.93. I saw her again on 14.09.93. She had improved
considerably. The anger was much less. “I don’t get so angry now. My son broke a glass jar
containing sugar the other day but I felt that such things do happen, and it doesn’t matter.”
Plant kingdom
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Cannabis indica in california
Cannabis indica
In my seminar in May 1993 in the bay area of San Francisco, California, I thought it will be a good
idea to have a short remedy proving with the participants. For our first choice of the remedy to be
proved, I asked what was the commonest thing about California, and I was told that it is cannabis. I
was told that a large number of residents of California must have taken cannabis in some form or the
other. I felt there must be something in the situation of California and of America that has to do with
cannabis. We therefore decided to give the 30th potency of Cannabis on the first day of the seminar
to the volunteers for the proving. Only the organizer of the seminar and 2-3 others knew what was
the proving drug. None of the other participants knew the drug they were proving. The next day we
started the seminar with narration of the provings, and prover after prover got up and spoke about
almost the same themes, in fact the room was charged with the atmosphere of this remedy with the
feeling of terror, cruelty and the feeling of isolation and abandonment and so forth; and finally the
feeling of beauty and peace. Each prover would get up excitedly and talk on, continuing from where
the last prover had ended and we had a beautiful picture and idea of Cannabis and could understand
why it is one of the commonest addictions in the U.S. A. and in the world.
What was even more interesting was that one pregnant woman and another person who did not
take the drug to prove and probably who did not come in contact with the drug except that it was
distributed to persons around, brought out some of the best dreams of the proving. The pregnant
woman told me that she never had these dreams before. On the night of the proving when all the
persons took the remedy, she too got a very vivid dream which is unusual for her and the dream
which she described is one of the best descriptions of Cannabis. How this happened is open to
discussion but I want to bring it to the attention of the reader.
Cannabis has many aspects to it and the main ones we can list are as follows:
One is abandonment and forsaken feeling, second is a feeling of danger, the third is horror and
cruelty (like hell) and the fourth is beauty and peace (like heaven). There are more features too. The
feeling is that one is in a strange place, in a confusing place which is described as a spiral staircase or
a maze and there are emotions of fright, anger and despair. The feeling of one who is abandoned,
who is bullied and beaten up, a child without protector. A feeling of being lost, a feeling of things
going out of control and the need to find control. The need is for this child to grow up fast in order to
survive in his surrpoundings. From all these aspects we can see that Cannabis has the situation like a
lost, abandoned child in a dangerous, horrible, brutal world who does not have the protection of his
parents and is lost in this world, and is frightened, sad and angry, and also confused. He has the need
to somehow stand up for himself and take control of the surrounding but finds this task very
difficult. Out of this horror and cruelty, he needs to produce an illusion of an opposite state of
beauty and peace so that he can survive. The other side is the one which is commonly known of
Cannabis. In the repertory we have the rubrics:
– Delusion, he is in hell.
– Delusion, forsaken.
Prover 1
In the prover no. 1, the dream was that she is alone and is being chased by a big man and she is
running up the spiral staircase and is trying to find protection in the Literature class as there is no
help from the Maths and Science class. So, basically, Maths and Science represent calculation,
advance and progress and maze and confusion rather than the care and protection which are part of
culture. Examining Cannabis in California, in the context of the life situation in America, one can
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easily make the connection that the child is left unprotected very early in his life much before he has
developed his own protective abilities and he is faced with the harsh brutal world of Science and
Maths which offers absolutely no solution; they are just a maze and he is being chased by the big
bullies, and in his situation he finds himself isolated and in danger with no clarity of thought and not
knowing where to go. This is the kind of situation that can call for the need to produce the opposite
state, i.e. delusions of peace and beauty, and that is why we see a lot of cannabis addictions in
america, particularly in California.
Prover 2
Prover no. 2 describes the whole thing very vividly even though she had not taken the drug! It is
worthwhile to note down her dream:
“I had a dream: I was in a foreign land and my husband was not present. He was there but not with
me and my son. I go to pick up my son from a nursery. It was a place for children to meet other
children and play. It wasn’t a permanent situation. I felt temporary like a vacation. So, I walk into a
room and there is a group of children in semi-circle, I am looking for my son to take him and go. I
find him and notice he has this look of fright, anger, despair; there was a child 12 years old – may be
13 years old – American, beating him up in the dream. He (son) was 3 years old in the dream. This
bully was beating him up and he had this terrible sad look on his face but he wouldn’t cry. I then
interfered by reacting to the bullly and chased him. I chased him through the door; it was a little
down the stairs that were spiral, then through a door (another door). We were running; I was
chasing him through what seemed to be a maze. I finally reached him and was beating him (bully) up
in his house on his bed. During the dream I met my older brother, whom I was very close as a child,
who seemed to be my guardian or my protector when I was a child. He followed me into this house
and watched or was present when I beat up this boy who was hurting my child. We then started to
leave and the boy’s mother was in the house. The boy gave me a look meaning not to tell her what
happened, so I didn’t because I now felt I was wrong in hitting him. We made a silent agreement I
don’t tell his mother, he doesn’t make a big deal about me beating him up and he will show me and
my brother the way back to my son through this maze. So, we leave and he starts to take us back
and then he tricks us, tries to stab my brother, but stabs himself in the confrontation with my
brother or maybe my brother stabbed him. I don’t know because I was ahead of them. I now start
running. I lose my brother. I am lost in this maze. I finally get to this place. It seems like an airport
terminal. I ask directions to the nursery/day care. I am now frantic to get there. I feel like I let my son
down, left him behind, abandoned him for my own revenge. Someone gives me directions. I follow
but they are the opposite of the way I am to go, I learn later. I now feel panicky but try to find
control so I can find my son. I stop. I turn then I see a little door. I enter, it has children’s art pictures
on the wall. I know I am in the right place. Spiral stairs. I climb them quickly, reach top doors –
unlocked, walk in. TV is on, it is very dark in the room. There is a man there. My son is the only child
left. He is on a couch; alone, sobbing, I reach him and hold him, thank the man in Spanish “gracias”
and take my son out of there. I had a thought after this dream how can such a beautiful place
produce such a horrible experience. Also time seemed to go fast then slow.”
Prover 5
Prover no. 5 expresses it well when she says in her dream: “I realized we (my son and I) are lost but
it is beautiful and we are not worried; we just continue down the road and continue to say there is a
‘peaceful sadness’.”
Prover 7
Prover no. 7 dreamt of a shiny metallic figure, an alien, a strange figure, but “I am not threatened by
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it – it is in a lush environment of a lake, trees, blue sky. She also complained of a metallic taste in the
mouth before falling asleep. Probably this prover is referring to mechanization, everything is
becoming computerized and mechanical; everything is becoming strange and alien and unnatural,
and it brings a feel of threat.
Prover 9
Prover no. 9 says: “I felt the sense of presence in the room of danger. I felt tightness and pounding
in my head especially about the temples. A pressure in the head and within a minute it turns into a
sense of lightness all over the body.”
Prover 11
Prover no. 11 typically describes a scene where she seeks a ride with a young man who is very rich.
A man who is a stranger but then she soon realizes that he could be dangerous and takes him to her
old farm where she grew up, i.e. the place of safety. The same prover later had dreams of
earthquake; possible earthquakes and tornadoes and mushrooms where her small child was playing.
Her dreams are worth quoting.
“I was in a car with a young man who was very rich. The car was very nice, an old model T white. We
were driving somewhere. I wanted him for his money, then I realized that he might be dangerous.
So, I directed him to my old farm where I grew up in Tennessee. When we got there to the farm’s
gate, there were several other travellers visiting. I asked them if they had seen the creeks yet. They
said no. I told them they must see these creeks, that they are a sacred place, a place to seek your
vision or have a quiet time yourself. I took them there and I remember the green lushness of the
trees, and meadows seemed so vivid and I could smell the freshness (this is where I grew up). There
was a moment of danger feeling from the young man but I can’t remember it too clearly.”
Last dream: “I was looking for my daughter’s school. There were all these long roads. I ended out
going up this huge mountain where these two dirty roads ended together. Then I was in a little
house high up on a mountain and this is where my family and I live. I am worried that if an
earthquake came, the house would fall down the hill. My daughter was running around playing on
the hills. You could see the ocean. I was looking out at the ocean and saw a whirl wind that was like a
tornado but of a smaller size. Its colour was magnificient, a bright blue. It gathered itself then came
towards us. It tried to suck us when it came over the house but did not succeed. The house rattled
and lifted slightly. Then, another gathered over the ocean. Its colour was a dark beautiful purple – it
didn’t even last coming towards our house. The third gathered and only part of it rose into the air
like the top of a mushroom. It was like a magnificient colour slide show. The mushroom lost its shape
then turned into a drop and dropped back into the sea where it splashed magnificient colours. Then I
thought maybe I am on a psychedelic, everything seems so, oh I don’t know how to describe; only if
you have been on psychedelics you would understand. Then my husband either told me or showed
me he was seeing the same things. My daughter was playing naked. My husband would go to work
and then come back. When he got home, he started making love to me through my clothes which I
thought was strange. Then he said enough of this and went upstairs. A friend of his was there and
said: ‘Don’t get pregnant whatever you do’, and I said: ‘Don’t worry I am not planning to.’ Then I
wanted to borrow money for some reason. My husband was upset because we needed the money
for a well, our house has no plumbing, and I was giving the money to my daughter and her friend to
go shopping.”
Prover 13
Prover no. 13 had again the dream of a male teacher harrassing her and pursuing her to the
bathroom and hitting her. She goes back to the classroom and starts screaming: “Please witness
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what this man is doing to me”, and this man is now hitting her in front of the students. In the second
part of the dream, the same man and she walk down a beautiful hillside. She is in the land where she
grew up (again and again the theme of the place the prover grew up and security comes up).
Prover 14
A lot of dreams of provers like prover no. 14 concern encampment of people against the
government. Government forces were shooting them down. Rebels and rebellion. Again, there is a
feeling here of trying to find safety. Prover no. 14 dreamt of a pie-like circular building (Pentagon?).
Prover 15
Prover no. 15 puts it very clearly in the end when she says it is a common theme in the West when a
teenager is exposed (too soon) to all of the dangers of the world and he misses the security and
safety of his/her home; so, the child seeks warmth, security, and a community, and often tries to
achieve this through drugs.
Many provers reported a sensation of “floating” as in prover no. 17. He also felt the anticipatory
anxiety of having to perform the part of a snowman and feeling very embarrassed from this. Another
prover had the dream of a side role in a television show but is not able to do this well and spoils the
whole show. These two indicate that the feeling of Cannabis is the feeling of having to perform
which one is not fully able to.
Prover 18
Prover no. 18 had dreams of resolving her problems but the same prover had a dream that a small
mole on her daughter’s chest appears as a huge growth on her chest, the size of a grape fruit. Here
the problem is seen as much bigger than it actually is.
Prover 21
Two provers like prover no. 21 had dreams of snakes as a threatening thing which then turns into
something harmless.
Prover 22
Prover no. 22 has a dream of spilling a glass of water over a table and the hostess wanted to get him
another one but he said no because he was sure that he would knock that one over too. This dream
indicates a lack of control.
Prover 23
The feeling of prover no. 23 is worth quoting. “During my morning shower I began to feel a great
peace and felt that all the people who have given me trouble and all the people who have given my
friends trouble should be thanked and blessed for forcing us to face our fears and bad tendencies
and inspired us to try and overcome them. I thought of all the petty fighting between homoeopaths
who claim certain ideas and revelations as their own and get mad and hurt and angry – all this
competitiveness to come out with original material is also so silly, that someone stole this concept
from another and does not give him credit… when everybody is ‘stealing’ their ideas from Kent and
Hahnemann; and ultimately all this knowledge comes from the Holly of Holies, from God, who
chooses freely, without prejudice to give this information to man. I thought all these quarrels and
misunderstandings between people is all part of our natural journey and how beautiful it is, because
it is all part of the Creator’s master plan anyway – and I thought of the beauty of God.”
This gives a beautiful picture of the world we have inherited, the world of pettiness and quarrels,
fighting and competitiveness which arise from a feeling of isolation, i.e. each one for himself and
each one against the other, and from an absence of community feeling and togetherness. This is also
a part of the situation of Cannabis.
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Prover 26
Prover no. 26 (who did not take the remedy) had a dream of the house in which she lived after
college where they all smoked cannabis. The dream concerns a large bull with horns running
towards her husband’s back ultimatelt tearing his skin.
Prover 31
Prover no. 31 had dreams which are worth quoting:
“I dreamt that I was a prisoner. My captors were cruel, very clever and knew a lot about me. I was a
kind of James Bond. They were trying to break me psychologically. There was something about a
swimming pool and also an enclosure with an eight feet high fence. They were incredibly strong –
able to throw people bound onto chairs over this fence. I don’t know why I was in this place but I
was innocent and they were evil. I was the main focus of their hatred although I was there with
some friends. The dream ended with all of us (the innocent people) going upstairs in the prison
building to get some sleep but we never knew when the enemy would attack, so it would be a
sleepless night. I remember telling everyone to open the windows but close the curtains. There was
this feeling of total uncertainty and horror; we had to be on guard every second and never knew
when and how we would be attacked. Just before we closed the door to the bedroom, we saw some
people coming upstairs. They were carrying something metallic under each of their arms. It was…
My first reaction was that these must be their weapons. It turns out that these were members of an
orchestra and what I had seen were the French horns (musical instruments).”
The terror of being trapped in a place surrounded by enemies – never knew what is going to happen
next.
These dreams of prover no. 31 describe very graphically the feeling of terror, trapped and isolated
in the hands of brutal enemies. This is the worst feeling of a Cannabis; the most intense.
Prover 35
The feeling of being dissociated from the body comes up in the last part of prover no. 35. This is also
expressed as a feeling of floating. Her dreams:
“I took the remedy before I went to sleep. The first dream I remember was driving up the coast to
Mendocino county where a significant proportion of the cannabis in the state is grown. I ran out of
gas and had to push the truck. I had a feeling that something bad was going to happen. It was
beautiful all around me. The sun was bright and the hills, the ocean. Then I saw the black storm
clouds approaching us. The girl I was with saw it too. I decided we must rope ourselves together so
that after the storm we will still be together. I knew the storm would be very bad, and that we would
not be able to endure it, and we might get lost in the storm. We tied ourselves together and walked
head on into the storm.”
Here, two people are trapped in the presence of danger and come together to face the storm.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I might say that it is hardly surprising that Cannabis is being indicated more and more,
not only in California but in the rest of the world, since the breaking of families and breaking of
marriages is increasing, and thus the feeling of isolation and abandonment; and children are forced
to grow up very soon to face the horrible and cruel world where each one is for himself and where
there are no answers. The mechanical world and computers don’t give any answer and old values of
literature and music are all disappearing quite fast. The person seeks peace, seeks unity and seeks
love, and he gets these through the addiction of cannabis indica. The feeling of Cannabis is the
feeling of being incapable to face up the hostile world. It is a sycotic remedy and is known for its use
in gonorrhoea and is also a cancer miasm remedy. It should be used more often in practice.
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Staphisagria
In an article titled “Evolution of Staphysagria” In the Journal of the American Institute of
Homoeopathy, Karl Robinson wrote: “In Homoeopathy a remedy never evolves, only our idea of it
does.” My understanding of Staphysagria has evolved over the past few years and I find that I am
able now to often spot a Staphysagria person soon after he enters the consulting room. I wish to
share this insight with my colleagues.
As I now see it, one of the most important rubrics of Staphysagria is “Delusion: humily of others
while he is great”. To this rubric add “Aggravated from wounded honour” and “Fear of losing selfcontrol”. We have now the core of this remedy.
As I understand it, the main feeling of Staphysagria is the feeling of dignity and honour, like a person
of a noble birth. This feeling can be further understood when expressed as follows: The person feels
that he should live up to his dignity and honour which is often far more than needed in a man in his
position. He should not do anything that is undignified, even though others may do so. He should
never lower himself to the otherman’s level and retaliate by acting as he does. He must never lose
his control since it would be very much below his honour and dignity to do so. If sombody insults
him, he has to keep control as befits his noble birth. He cannot lose his temper and become abusive
or violent. If he did so, he would feel very upset and feel that he had done himself an indignity, and
this, to him, is worse than the effects of the insult. Hence the sentence in Phatak’s Materia Medica:
“Great indignation about things done by others or by himself, grieves about the consequences.” This
for me is a very significant sentence. He worries about the effect of such a lack of control on his
reputation – what people will say about him. The sentence in Phatak’s Materia “very sensitive as to
what others say about him”. The feeling seems to be that his survival depends upon maintaining a
very high reputation and self-control; of being a very superior, calm and dignified person who wins
the respect of all by his noble actions… a person who is much above the ordinary.
I have strongly felt that if Mahatma Gandhi needed a remedy, It would be Staphisagria. He was born
in a country ruled by another that had contempt for those of a dark skin, when it was a shame to be
Indian. However, this man showed such nobility and uncompromising dignity that he won the
respect not only of his countrymen, being called Mahatma or great soul, but also of the very people
who initially insulted him. Such was his bearing; he would not bend, not stoop to violence and
cruelty like the British. By his method of a non-violent and tremendously dignified fight where the
battle cry was “total self-control”, he earned his country a place of respect an the world of nations.
The picture of this man clad in a loin cloth – short, frail, dark and old – yet walking with his head held
high into audience with the Viceroy of India, sitting in front of him and speaking with honour – this
contrast between his appearance and honour is the “indication” that I have used again and again to
spot the Staphysagria patient, sometimes in the very first minute. I have observed that the
Staphysagria does not have the extraverted pride of Platina. He is not outwardly egoistical, nor does
he sit or act like a king or queen. I have found them to be soft, quiet, reserved, often humble looking,
but have strongly felt in their presence the need to treat them with honour and respect. Their
sensitivity to being spoken rudely or treated disrespectfully is palpable. It is a tremendous sensitivity
and it silently seems to demand and warns us of its presence. At the same time one can see in these
people a tremendous guilt about certain things they might have done, where they feel that they had
lost control, for example masturbation or violent anger.
It is therefore not surprising that Staphysagria is seen a lot in puberty and in adolescence where the
demand for self-control is at its maximum; the instincts and the passion are most intense, but on the
other hand one’s honour and reputation are at stake. This is also the time when the ego rises fast
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but is hurt by superiors like parents or teachers. To control the anger and the passion – to swallow
the ego and hurt – becomes a survival mechanism. This is the situation that can have maximum
problems; for example, in his sexuality, a person intensely concerned with his honour and reputation
will be too embarrassed to express his sexuality openly and this aspect will be suppressed, expressed
only in his fantasy (rubric: “Aggravated from embarrassment and sexual minded”). But even these
fantasies can produce intense guilt and fear in a Staphysagria person, guilt that he is indulging in
such fantasies and fear that it may be discovered by others. The whole edifice of honour and
reputation he has built up and guarded will collapse. This leads to an intense state of anxiety, a
neurotic anxiety with the feeling that somebody is behind him, and he constantly keeps looking
back. The need to have perfect control, to live far beyond his capacity make Staphysagria a sycosyphilitic remedy. The sycotic aspect is manifested in the reserved, almost secretive nature and the
constant apprehension that others might find his weakness, which is the losing of self-control. One
observation I have made repeatedly is that the Staphysagria patients are very apologetic and
apologize for everything; if they have missed their turn (in the consultation), or not taken the
medicine for a few days, if in their follow-up they are not better, they usually blame themselves for
it. They may say: “I couldn’t notice a significant change, but this is probably because I was not very
regular in taking the medicine.” Theidea seems to be to apologize in advance, so that the physician
will not point out their mistake later – this would be very upsetting for them (rubric “Sensitive to
reprimands”). Again, another observation is that if they have not done something right, they confess
it themselves. “Doctor, I am sorry but I have not stopped smoking.” Incidently, Staphysagria is the
main remedy for people who say: “I want to stop smoking but I simply don’t have the self-control to
do so.” Synthetic Repertory Vol. II, TOBACCO remedies to stop smoking; ultimately, when they do
give up smoking, they do so impulsively and abruptly. Rubric: “Throws things away”. This abrupt,
impulsive way of doing things can be seen in other aspects too – for instance, they store up they
anger and it comes out suddenly in one violent outburst.
Another common situation for Staphisagria is of suppressed sexual desire. This happens often in
marital conflicts. The wife for some reason refuses sexual intercourse. The man who needs
Staphysagria feels tremendous indignation but feels it below his honour to ask his wife again, so
suppresses the feeling of anger and passion, becomes very sensitive and irritable, and snaps at the
least provocation.
The syphilitic aspect is manifested by destructiveness, violence, the tendency to kill or commit
suicide out of desperation from being unable to fulfill the very high standards he has set for himself.
This is a syco-syphilitic remedy and falls in the cancer miasm. I have found that Staphysagria patients
have a tendency to cancer. The main characteristic of Staphysagria is extreme sensitivity and
reactivity, both emotionally and physically. If you touch the Staphysagria patient at his sensitive
point, which is his honour/reputation and self-respect, there will be an immediate intense reaction
though it is often suppressed. Kent writes: “A man insulted by someone beneath his station could
not react outwardly, went home sick, weak and trembling.” Physically too, Staphysagria is indicated
in extremely sensitive conditions like a painful surgical scar or a very sensitive tooth. In Phatak’s
repertory it is the only remedy listed in the rubric “SENSITIVE, morbidly”. This sensitivity could only
be found in a plant and not in a metal, salt or animal. In its nature, it has the softness of a plant
rather than the hardness or the competitiveness of an animal.
At a point, the Staphysagria person can find it too much to keep the control. He then starts showing
signs of losing it and the first signs are found in the anger.
– Trembling in anger.
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– Voice, lost during anger.
– Face, red in anger.
– Weakness after anger.
– Hemiplegia after anger.
– Anger, throws things away.
– Strike, desire to.
These are the first signs of losing control. Later, when the situation becomes desperate and he feels
the demand on him is too much, he throws to the wind all his reputation and honour, and becomes
the opposite, i.e. a person of ill repute, who is looked down upon and treated with utmost
disrespect. Here we have the rubric “Libertinism”. Harilal, the eldest son of Mahatma Gandhi,
according to me, was in this completely given up state of Staphisagria. He was already born with the
Staphysagria state inherited from his father. On top of it, he had to live up to the reputation of being
the son of Gandhi. He coped well at first, joined the freedom struggle in South africa and was
imprisoned like his father several times, but soon, with increasing demands on him, both from
society and fron his father superadded to an already sensitive Staphysagriastate, he gave up
completely and took to all kinds of bad habits bringing much dishonour to his family.
The Staphysagria patients we see lie somewhere between thsese extremes and the common theme
which links them are matter of honour and respect, and the internal feeling that they have is of e
very high reputation to live up to.
Some relevant rubrics of Staphysagria
– Ailments from embarrassment.
– Ailments from reproaches.
– Ailments from rudeness of others.
– Ailments from loss of place.
– Ailments from scorn, being scorned.
– Abrupt, harsh.
– Anger, face, with pale.
– Anger, face, with livid.
– Anger, about his mistakes.
– Blasphemy, and cursing.
– Breaks things, desire to.
– Contradict, disposition to.
– Contradiction, is intolerant of.
– Cruelty.
– Disobedience.
– Delusions at to greatness of.
– Delusions, criticized.
– Delusions, humility and lowness of others while he is great.
– Delusions, people behind him when walking.
– Delusions, small, things appear.
– Despair of social position.
– Estranged from his wife.
– Excitement; swallows continuously while talking.
– Fire, wants to throw things into.
– Fear if high places.
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– Fear of losing self-control.
– Fear of his position in society.
– Fear to lose his lucrative position.
– Impetuous.
– Impulse, rash.
– Impulsive.
– Impatience.
– Kill, desire to.
– Lascivious.
– Liar.
– Libertinism.
– Malicious.
– Nymphomania.
– Obscene.
– Reserved.
– Rudeness of naughty children.
– Sensitive to moral impressions.
– Sensitive to reprimands.
– Sensitive to rudeness.
– Sensitive, want of sensitiveness.
– Temerity.
– Throws things at persons who offend.
– Unfortunate, feels.
Food cravings of Staphysagria
– Alcohol.
– Bread.
– Fruits.
– Juicy things.
– Liquid food, soups.
– Meat, must have.
– Milk, cold.
– Onions, raw.
– Sour.
– Spicy.
– Stimulants.
– Tobacco, smoking.
Dreams of Stapysagria.
– Amorous.
– Anger.
– Exasperation (single symptom).
– Fights.
– Humiliation.
– Mortification.
– Quarrels.
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– Shameful.
– Vexatious.
Imponderabilia
A proving of music
The idea of using Music as a healing agent is not new; it is universally accepted that Music has
healing powers and most of us have experienced it. I felt that as music has healing qualities, it must
be related to Homoeopathy, it must be based on the law of similars. I learn Music myself, the North
Indian (Hindustani) classical Music in which we have a system called raga, a system of notes in the
major and minor scale which are sung or played in different combinations. Each combination is
called a raga. Each raga is very specific and consists of specific notes, some in the major and some in
the minor scale, sung or played in a particular way. Different pieces of music can be composed in
every raga. What I found remarkable was that each raga is known to have a specific time when it is
to be played, it evokes special feelings and created a specific atmosphere. I learnt this from my
music teacher and other expert musicians. The similarity between the raga system and
Homoeopathy is striking, for, in the homoeopathic Materia Medica too, each remedy is specific, has
specific modalities and evokes specific feelings. I wondered if ragas could be used as remedial
agents. To use ragas as remedies, we need to know the specific feelings evoked by that specific raga.
There were two ways of finding this: one way was to ask musicians, but they had certain individual
understandings, and the other way was to use Hahnemann’s method, i.e. to prove the raga, which I
did, with amazing results.
I took a sarod (stringed instrument) player, Mr. Devdas Naik, to one of my lectures and made him
play a particular raga (Rag Darbari) for about 10 minutes to an audience of about 200 people. All of
us closed our eyes and listened to the music, allowing our feelings to surface. All the feelings and
memories that came up while listening to the music were written down by the participants. In order
to test the specificity of ragas, Mr. Naik played the sarod again to the same audience in the same
room an hour later, maintaining the same style and meter, only changing the raga. The feelings were
once again recorded. The two provings were studied individually and compared with each other. The
result was amazing: A large number of the provers (60-70%) had similar responses to a pafrticular
raga, and the two ragas, despite being played under similar external conditions, evoked entirely
different feelings. Thus, I concluded that each raga evokes specific feelings in people, which belong
to it alone.
Music and culture are closely interlinked. I wanted to see if the effect of the raga was universal. In a
seminar in Madras, I made a vilionist play a raga (Dhira Shankarabharanam) to a large audience and
they were asked to write down their feelings. The music performance was recorded on a video. I
took this video cassette and played it to an audience of 200 in London, an later at San Francisco to
120 participants. As before, they were asked to write down their feelings, etc. The result of this triple
proving of the same raga in three continents taught me a lot, not only about music, but about
Homoeopathy. I learnt firstly, that ragas have specific feelings associated with them and these are
universal. My observation was that each raga evoked in the listener specific memories and
connected with these were specific feelings. With my original theme of situational Materia Medica, I
expected that most provers would come out with one particular situation but this did not happen. I
found that the similarity was not in the situation but the in the type of situation. The “type” was
characteristic because of its depth, intensity, the desperation of the feeling involved in the situation
and the action needed in it. An example from the provings will illustrate this:
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Two provers of the Rag Darbari visualized a situation of a farmer sitting in a field in which “the earth
is dry, cracked, parched and barren. The wells are dry and withered. The farmer is waiting and
hoping for rain, feeling cheated by nature.” Four other provers (same raga) visualized a scene where
“a woman is being abandoned by her husband. She falls at his feet, requests him not to leave, cries
and moans.” Many provers remembered the death of their close relatives, especially the father, and
the sense of enormous loss associated with the event. Now, the specific situations called to mind in
these various provers were different. Yet, there is a similarity in that all the situations are desperate,
hopeless situations. We were later told by the musician that this raga (Darbari) was composed by
Tansen at the request of Emperor Akbar who wanted a raga to alleviate the feelings of the
tremendous responsability he faced and the despair it brought about in him at the end of the day.
This raga has tremendous depth, great responsability and hopeless feeling which comes very close to
Aurum metallicum. One can easily imagine that the emperor had to shoulder tremendous
responsability and was in a state of Aurum metallicum which the music relieved.
The other raga that was proved on the same audience (Rag Bhairavi) had similar situations. It has
the feeling of the separation from the loved ones or, making efforts at work, but the feeling is not
anywhere near the desperation of Rag Darbarti. The feeling is lighter and that of romance and
separation, of attachment and detachment. For instance, in a prover of Rag Darbari, there was a
“feeling as if someone is dead in the family, the environment is that of mourning. This goes on for
sone days and then some happiness comes into the family.” Several provers of this raga experienced
the feeling of separation from their loved ones but the separation was never final and total as in Rag
Darbari.
Each raga has a particular depth and intensity in its situation and when it is played, people recall
memories of situations in their lives that had the same depth and intensity of feeling. It is interesting
to note here that while almost all the provers reacted to Rag Bhairavi, only a limited number recalled
specific events in their lives while listening to Rag Darbari. I believe this is because the intensity of
Rag Darbari is such that few people have experienced such a situation in their lives. This helped me
to understand that the remedy Aurum metallicum (which has a similar desperate, hopeless situation
with a need for intense effort and a feeling of having failed and being abandoned) can have two
different situations – that of a person who has failed a high responsability (“Delusion, he has
neglected his duty; feels he has sinned away his day of grace”) and also “Suicidal from
disappointment in love”. It doesn’t matter what the situation is – if the situation is associated with a
particular depth and intensity of feeling, it comes under the specific remedy or raga.
This greatly broadened my understanding of the Materia Medica for I could now see the situational
Materia Medica of each remedy was not a specific situation but a specific type of situation. At the
same time, I saw that in the provings many provers did mention some specific common situations. In
Rag Bhairavi, for example, there was a common theme of separation or quarrel with the loved one
especially in a man-woman relationship. Some reflexion will help us to understand this phenomena
for it is also seen in Homoeopathy, for example Natrum muriaticaum has “Disappoinment in love”
and the bitter-sweet memories associated with it. Natrum muriaticum is the closest to Rag Bhairavi
as I understand it, just as Aurum metallicum is to Rag Darbari. The reason why specific situations are
brought to mind by a specific raga or remedy is probably because particular situations in human
civilisation are associated with a particular depth and type of feeling. When these feelings are
aroused, the situation is called to mind. For example, the feeling of desperation and hopelessness is
connected with very high responsability which one cannot fulfill. The feeling of alternating hope and
despair as in Rag Bhairavi is ususally found in love relationships. We can now understand why these
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specific themes were recalled by the provers.
Another important observation was made after studying the provings in different cultures. I had
played Rag Dhira Shankarabharanam in Madras (India), London and San Francisco. This raga (which
seems to correspond to Pulsatilla brought out feelings connected with warmth and losing of that
warmth. In the Indian provings, the feeling of warmth and love came up strongly while in Western
audiences, the feeling of sadness and aloneness came up. From this I understand that each raga or
remedy brings up memories which are positive or negative depending on the experiences that
person had had in life connected with the theme of that raga or remedy.
I shall now give some excerpts from the provings from which I have drawn my conclusions. Space
does not permit inclusion of all the proving data and I wish to only get the concept across here.
Music proving (bombay)
The effect of two different ragas on the same provers
Rag Bhairavi Rag Darbari Kanada
(Raga no. 1) (Raga no. 2)
1. N.K.
Sadness, depressed person there Sad. A woman who is grief
was a note as if there was some stricken, helpless, crying out
past recollection of some memories for help. Feeling as though
someone was trying to recall. A note someone is caught in a violent
which was very sad as if some storm trying to come out but
tragedy has struck. In the end, is drowning more and more.
there was happiness and joy.
2. H.S.
Feeling as if someone is dead in the Poverty in the house, wants to
family. Environment around is that work hard. Goes out to find a
of mourning. This goes on for some job but gets no job anywhere;
days. Then after some days, some disappointment. Helpless
type of happiness comes in the fami- feeling; how the family ly but lasts for a very short period,
members will live; feels can and there occurs a sad event in the do nothing for them.
house – depression.
3. J.P.
I felt an experience of being left I was getting a feeling as if I
alone and sitting in a big room with had committed some wrong
the lights off, kind of drowning my and was feeling very guilty
sorrow into my own self, as though about it and I could make an
no soul left me some light to live. attempt to overcome the guilt
It was a feeling as if all the members feeling by overcoming the
of my family had to leave for out- wrong thoughts or wrong
station for good or that my daughter doings. Felt also trembling of
got married and had taken Bidai hands as if feeling of guilt.
(separation) to go to her in-laws –
in the family comprising only of me
(father) and daughter, and as if the
light of my life had gone, no reason
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for whom to live or earn.
4. C.S.
I am always told that I am a self- Brought the memory of the
possessed individual. Today when I concluding scene of the movie
came to the hall, my friends noticed “Guide”. The earth is dry,
that I was thoroughly disturbed cracked, barren, the wells are
(which usually they do not or I don’t dry and withered but patiently
show). Now, I again have struck the waiting and hoping and
balance. I again feel like a strong praying for the rains and as if rock. cheated by nature; a few raindrops fall on the barren earth
– but it was just one cloud.
5. A.D.
Feeling of tranquility-peace slowly Sadness, unhappy feeling.
crept in, picture of Mira Bai beloved Feeling as if a woman is being
(requesting him – Krishna). As if abandoned by her husband;
excitement is melting away into a she request him, falls at his
sea of calmness; pleasant feeling. feet; “Don’t go away”, she
cries – moans as she tries to
make him realize her love for
him.
In this first music proving, it can be clearly seen that two ragas proved on the same provers
produced entirely different feelings, specific to the raga.
Proving of the same raga in different continents
The second lot of provings is of the same raga in three different continents producing the same
feelings.
Proving of music (Madras, South India)
Raga Dhira Shankarabharanam
1. R.H. (18.04.93)
– Daughter taking her first steps.
– My mother sitting beside me in very childhood.
– Putting the children to bed.
– Watching the waves on the beach at sunset.
– Walking with husband in Lakshadweep.
– Son crawling for the first time.
– Understanding my husband’s pain at his film being rejected at the National Awards though he
never voiced it.
– Sharing my daughter’s hurt and trauma when teased by other students.
– Cycling along the beach as a teenager in Bombay.
– Just being with my husband (not talking, nothing) just the silence of being.
– My mother.
– The excitement of the summer holidays at grandfather’s house with lots of cousins.
– The children’s birthday parties especially on the beach.
– TEARS.
2. N.K. (feelings were in three stages)
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– The upper part of the chest felt as if it is filled with something and that suppressed my breathing.
Then the filled up feeling went up to the head and an electric-like thrill flowed downward upto
extremities.
– I am cuddling a baby in my hands, swaying my body here and there and I was enjoying the same. A
merriful joyous floating in the air just above the floor, travelling smoothly as angels do.
– A stage – grand curtains behind. A musician playing and I am enjoying it alone – very happy.
3. Mrs. U.
– Very soothing; felt as though I am in a temple singing the praise of God. Strangely I felt I was in a
marriage hall. There was also a feeling that I was gently swinging on a jhoola (swing). One more
feeling which was a contrast. It was jarring initially, but later it involved feeling of sadness of losing
someone close and later as though a mother was singing lullaby (lori) to her child, a baby.
4. P.V. V.
– Feeling of being consoled.
5. N.M.
– Very pleasant feeling floating in the air. Forget everything and fully involved in the music.
6. M.S.
– The feeling of complete relaxation from my head to the toe.
– At times I feel like crying also.
– It made me sleep also.
7. Mr. D.A.
– Feeling – love and effection to God.
8. R.K. L.
– Desires to help. Sensation of floating.
9. K.S. J.
– Early childhood playing happily with my brother and cousin in grandparents’ house, first in my
paternal grandfather’s house and then in my maternal grandfather’s house. Feeling as if on a happy
occasion like a marriage when lots of people come together and meet and get together.
10. S.L.
– It evokes sadness, nostalgia; a sort of homesickness feeling.
11. S.K.
– Makes me think of somebody who lost something very valuable. A bereavement has occured for
which the music has produced beautiful consolation.
12. Mr. M.R. J.
– No knowledge of raga.
– No specific reactions.
– But I liked this music and its melodious raga. It gives me a state of mood that I should help those
who are suffering and show our sympathy to the affected persons.
Proving of music (London)
Raga Dhira Shankarabharanam*
1. Mrs. D.S.
– Saw myself as a child in the backyard in the grass, swinging among the leaves. A tractor was
working in the garden. I see the flower including the bulb from which it grows, see the inside of the
automobile, see a cart on a wooden dirt road. It feels peaceful, playful and happy in a country sort of
way.
2. Miss B.
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– Feeling of being lost, alone, loneliness, cut off from loved ones; grief in futile death of loved one.
Forsaken feeling, feeling of identity with nature and natural world but separation from people. At
first, unable to express and realize. Towards the end, sobbing, grief and the meaninglessness of life.
3. Mr. C.J. (London)
– I feel I was separated from someone I love very much, waiting for him to return preparing for the
two of us meeting again. I feel alone but then I feel that we are so strongly connected that the little
time we are apart it doesn’t really matter. I start feeling joyful and happy. I feel hope. Something
beautiful is waiting for me even if the present seems like endless waiting. I feel as if I am at home
wanting to get out. Waiting for the spring, the light and the love to flower.
4. Mr. D.L.
– I was transported to Indian streets, feeling a little crowded and harassed, but captivated by
beauty, the beauty of that intense mixture of colours, odours, sounds and images. The beauty of
brillant garlands adorning people or Shiva or Ganesha. Transported to the music room of my host in
Delhi as I sat transfixed during his music lesson. Moved by the subtle texture of the raga. I
experience the richness and ancientness that the sound contains. Joyful feeling, almost in rapture
with the splendid richness of sound.
Analysis
Subtle texture – shows the softness and gentleness. The moment we say soft and gentle, the
situation which comes to mind is the mother’s care for the child. The Pulsatilla feeling is that of the
wind flower which must bend to every gust of wind to survive. Transposed into the human situation,
it is the feeling that I will survive if I am soft and gentle and not hard and rigid. Even the body will
express the same feeling. For example, the pains and the aches will be wandering and shifting, and
never rigid and fixed like Silicea. Therefore, Pulsatilla and Silicea are opposite to each other in
expression although the internal feeling is “yielding”. Pulsatilla grows on sandy soil and is often
indicated as an acute of Silicea. That is how the mental image is formed by the application of the
characteristics of the type of the struggle visualized in that particular situation. Each situation needs
a specific type of struggle. The Pulsatilla type of struggle is soft and gentle, a situation that needs a
soft and gentle approach. When you are alone, helpless, still not fully mature, nor able to take care
of yourself, you can’t be too firm about things. Then you have to use the soft and gentle way. This
feeling is most common at puberty in teenage girls who weep easily and feel alone. The problem is
not so threatening. The music provings teach us that the situational Materia Medica and the mental
pictures we get of our remedies are nothing but the application of the basic idea which is common
to mind and body, and can be correlated to the original source, the substance from which the
remedy is prepared.
5. Mr. L.C.
– Sad longing feelings, like homesickness, no personal thoughts but a picture of a young girl having
to say goodbye to her family and village. It was inevitable that she had to leave but I didn’t get the
sense that it was by choice. Then I saw her in a sort of turrret-like room, plain walls and a narrow
window and she was looking across the countryside – not barren, but not green and wooded –
yearning for her earlier life and remembering people and places. Underneath I didn’t get a strong
sense that she is desperately unhappy. I felt that if she could go home to visit regularly, she would be
OK but she wasn’t allowed to.
6. J.W.
– Sadness, melancholy, painful/aching. An image of an old man ploughing his field with oxen.
Contemplating his life. Lost youth. A sense of reminiscence and tiredness. Not a loss of love – not
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pained heart ache but more aching looking back over his life and his yearnings. A sense of of missing
out things, his yearning for what has not rather the awful/sad things which may have happened. A
sad poor man’s life. A life of struggle and hardship, of working for a long time for every little thing.
The pain of living only to survive rather than blossom and flourish.
7. R.M.
– Gradually the body was losing its weight and a feeling of gently floating in great peace took place.
There was a numbness and tickling in the vertex, as if through this spot everything was elevated.
There was a feeling of very fine, purified atmosphere, as if far away from the material world, being in
the higher spheres.
8. T.C.
– Reflective, longing. The situation of standing alone on a bridge overlooking a city. The busy bustle
of the world goes on around, but I am standing alone, sad, staring into the deep waters. I feel moved
by the beauty of life but the heart is heavy.
9. Mr. M.M.
– Image: a lake, or water hole, jungle, peaceful, animals over there. Sensation: hot, humid, still.
Feeling: something from the past, yearning, sadness and beauty.
10. N.P.
– Coolness after heat, evening. Longing, yearning, seaching for oneness with another person, with
nature, with myself, with God. Distant memory felt deep inside several chakras, not sure of what,
want to recapture it. Wistful but not sad, because the expectation is that I will remember it.
Aloneness which is OK because it won’t last. Stillness, contemplation. Reflection.
11. R.L.
– Struggling against oppression/grief, an interplay between own natural optimism and cheerfulness
on one side, and struggling against hardship and in particular the grief of someone dying perhaps.
The feeling of bereavement, loneliness. Remembering cheerful happy times with this person,
mingled with sadness that they are no longer alive.
12. K.T.
– Tearful, nostalgia, sunshine, childhood memories. Like in the village, related to families. Desire to
dance. Rain falling. Feeling of homesickness, excitement and anticipation. I feel I was back with
family where everyone was accepted as part of the whole village – that life goes on.
13. F.M.
– Feeling of a long, long journey through desert perhaps. Same feeling continues as though I had
been travelling a long time; tired melancholy, feeling of having struggled long, no point in
complaining, first have to keep going. Then I fell asleep: Sorry!
14. L.D.
– Going on a train across the desert travelling from the east. Travelling alone. SAD. Have left
something familiar. Have left community/family going somewhere new. Every time sun is low, sand,
dryness. It is an old train. I am a stranger. It is not frightening but there is a feeling of not being sure
what I am going to do. I think it has to do with work and responsability. Silent except for noise of
train or wind. Peaceful – no agitation.
15.
– Sadness, fearful, the feeling of being alone and seaching for something. I don’t find it. As if
wandering through the desert, hungry for water. My feeling comes several times, that what I was
searching for is almost reached and when I reach for it, it fades away as illusory and imaginary.
16. J.P.
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– The way goes on like an endless circle and I am caught in it.
17. R.U.
– Sadness, pregnancy. Lost love that is irretrievable. You want to recapture it but you cannot, no
matter how hard you try. It is very sad, like as being lost in the forest where you have been left by
your beloved to wander endlessly, never to be reunited.
18. A.K.
– Music – sentimental – sadness about past.
– Thinking about past memories with warm pleasant feeling.
– Standing at window and looking at a landscape and my thoughts about the past come as it used to
be.
– Sometimes, sadness comes in between, because the scenes are gone, never will come back, like
“you feel” which never come back anymore.
– Could also be related to a former lover who will not come back anymore.
19. J.W.
– From solitude by a river. Contemplative feeling. Striving for, reaching for something – in a steady
way, not a struggle. Alone with my thoughts – sad feelings but in a gentle way. Not violent grief – for
example.
20. S.W.
– Sadness but hopeful. Someone’s death. A funeral, a wake. Something coming to an end. Sad but
not miserable. Sad but with a light at the end of a tunnel. Sadness at someone dying but happy
knowing there is better ahead of them.
21. A.D.
– Difficult concentration followed by restlessness. Initially a sense of homesickness for a short time.
22. C.G.
– Abandoned. Desperate. Separate. Loneliness. Plight of a lost child.
23. R.E.
– Feeling of quietness – like mother rocking her child very gently and softly. Like a girl looking into
the lake and seeing her face in the water as a mirror. Like a light feather sinks down the earth. Blue
water.
24. C.S.
– Extreme sadness with weeping. Saw a hall of my junior school where I was very happy. The
sadness felt to be about the loss of that innocent childhood. Despair that it could never be
experienced again. Weeping is continuing as I write. Towards the end – a feeling of being soothed.
Someone saying: “It will be Ok, don’t be sad.”
25. M.T.
– I felt I was on the river of life and that music was the sound of stones and rocks, and as the river
whirled about them, I felt at the source of things. Then it changed and the river became the sea.
Suddenly, with the waves, we were boating upon a flat sandy beach where I had holidays as child
with my parents. I recall my favourite photo of my mother who is dead now. I have lost the photo
also. I realize that I couldn’t grieve enough when she died. I had lost these feelings and I didn’t feel
enough; and despair with myself for not having these feelings.
26. B.P.
– Exactly the old memories, folk music. Feeling of loneliness, of being alone and the family/loved
ones are somewhere else, and one knows there will be a long time before one meets the others.
27. J.L.
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– First, a feeling of sadness, thoughtful melancholy as if recalling a deceased loved one. But a certain
serenity as if walking in a country with peaceful beautiful surroundings… A feeling as if the grief is
not intense and gradually the beauty and peace of the countryside, the fields and trees have the
effect of cleansing the sorrow and uplifting the heart. A feeling of positivity, of optimism, emerges
that life will go on and that it will be good. This in turn leads back to further contemplation of the
lost friend in an but in an appreciating nostalgic way. The sadness is there but quiet and calm.
28. E.L.
– A positive hopeful mourning for someone who has gone away or died, soothing sort of sadness.
Broken love affair, misssing someone but in a positive way; no despair, no anger or blame.
29. J.N.
– Repetitive essential tasks. Uninterested. Feeling old. No thirst, feeling of still air. Not wanting to
talk.
30. S.Q.
– Sad melancholic, as if saying goodbye, letting go peacefully. Feeling of warmth and air.
Remembrance of times past, of having shared experiences. Celebration and departure. Wistful.
Calming. Soporific.
31. J.T.
– Nostalgia. Deep and chronic grief, love, lost long ago for lover, husband, child. Deep remorse,
inconsolable. Grieving with weeping, wailing, constantly relating tale over and over again.
Unresolved grief with no peace. Feeling of loss, separation – from source or from loved ones,
separation from inner light and love. Desires death, to be with loved ones. Forsaken, left on this
earth. What have I done to deserve this sadness, this deep grief? Why I have been left? Desires to
tell tale, to reminisce and relieve grief, to weep and to be consoled, yet is inconsolable.
Music proving (california)
Raga Dhira Shankarabharanam
1. D.
– I felt a sadness, a deep despair as if sadness was there and would never change. It would be always
in this way, hopeless. Then, the music changed and I could see myself a young child dancing and
hopping barefoot in the streets. There were not a lot of people on the street, I saw a butterfly flying
nonchalantly here to there from flower to flower. Then the sadness again. This time was also with a
sense of not good enough. The music picked up again with the sound of bees but I was still left in a
sad place.
2. K.C.
– At the beginning, the music sounded mournful. The picture in my mimd was of a person sitting
alone on a cliff overlookingh the ocean. As the music went on, I began to feel an odd physical
sensation which started on the surface of my chest over the sternum. It was a feeling of warmth and
pressure, it gradually moved up across the front of my throat and then up up around my jaw and
chin. It moved slowly. It was not painful, but it did not feel pleasant either. I can still feel it a bit
around my chin. As I continued to listen, my body relaxed and my limbs began to feel quite heavy.
There was a busy part of the music towards the end where I got a picture of a cloud of mosquitoes
and dragon flies buzzing around. I play violin, and I have made a lot of sounds with my violin but
some of the sounds this violinist made piqued my curiosity as to what he did exactly to produce the
sounds.
3. L.A.
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– A dark alley, the side walk in deep dark space above earth, sadness, my Guru, a concert of Indian
music inside a catholic church, inspires melancholy. Sitting at the edge of a cliff overlooking Berkeley
and the Bay, the feeling was of nausea, motion sickness. Now, I notice the presence of others. Again
out of the world feeling when I open my eyes. Swaying with one’s breath, thirsty.
4. M.C. (39 years)
– Beseeching, crying, whining – of mother about to give birth, asking for help – the commotion of
attending her (here I feel bolt of energy rises up through me from base chakra to the third eye,
crotch to eyeball) – the birth, the crying of the new born, all the fuss and the joy (here, I am deeply
relaxed, may be starting to slip off to sleep) the child grows older still and develops and marries. She
is happy on the wedding day, looking forward to be a mother (I feel the music ends happily).
5.
– Raga of simple day living, ordinariness, walking barefoot on a dirty road in the country carrying a
basket of fruits in my head. Walking in the market place. Doing chores of daily living – planting
garden, rocking baby in a craddle. Mosquitoes + flies buzzing all around sunset. Dancing in a village.
Cows wandering around.
6.
– Sad, tingling in head coming into shoulders. Dream of rescuing a small child and running through a
doorway and slamming the door behind us, so we were safe. Then, I went into tiredness which is still
within me, sleepiness.
7. Y.B.
– Worry, what to do with my dog for four weeks. Joyful of being in an independent position, usually I
am very sad to be alone. Thightness in my neck. Hopeful usually, I am jaded and hopeless. Nostalgic,
of the exotic lands and new experiences, flavour, smell and taste excited.
8. D.C.
– In the mountains, near an open air cafe where there are a lot of people, the noise of eating and
conversation in the background. I am standing on a rocky hedge looking out to a view of the sky
above mountains and valleys below in darkness or shadow. Sun is setting. A feeling of longing
tenderness, melancholy.
– In a closed white walled room. I am in a formal dance, maybe five or six couples very formal and
precise. No one speaks but we are very aware of each other.
– Night time outside in fields. Many people walking in small groups, carrying torches light,
murmuring to each other, walking in the same direction.
– Peacefull feelings, secure and settled out with sense of longing or looking for something going
somewhere. Reflective. Thoughts of being alone with my lover.
9. E.H.
– Wistfulness, longing, gold, some brown, some green colours paired with images of a safe, calm
soothing place, a cool dark blue mountainside, the peacefulness there. A mother soothing the child
in a quiet shaded room. A dancer (female) moving slowly in a long skirt of a translucent fabric (with
blue flowers on it). The higher notes seemed celebration, acknowledgement, achievement, perhaps
some striving – a gold colour and the lower notes a safe heaven, more grounded and not so
demanding, simpler. My mind wandered a little to the images of the case we had just done – her
appearance and to some of my personal concerns – a legal adversary I have. Images of blue water
that I had been looking at peacefully at lunch time.
10. L.F.
– At first, as in an Indian bazar but had a sense of despair hopelessness, perhaps of a poor person
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whose life stretches on for eternity. Also a fleeting thought of having lost my children and searching
for them but no hope of finding them, sadness unending. Also thoughts of Ireland or Scotland, and
being out of the grassy barren slopes by the ocean that stretches out endlessly – the sky is overcast,
and living a harsh existence in a small house alone, still with the despair quality. Later it seems the
music lightened a bit and wasn’t so bad and had more uplifting notes.
11.
– Sweet feeling of childhood, being in the classroom as a child looking out of the window in spring,
longing to be out of doors. Sadness associated with mother. Free feeling. a kitten being tangled in
some yarn as it plays. Walking in the garden. A feeling of sweet mystery. A light feeling and
calmness.
Raga Yaman
I proved this raga on around 600 participants at my seminar in Bombay. This raga was played on a
tape (specially recorded for this purpose) for about ten minutes. The name of the raga was not
mentioned. Everyone asked to write down their feelings at the end of ten minutes.
The common themes that emerged through this proving were of temples – religion, beauty of
nature (greenery, mountains, river, sea) separation from near and dear ones, peace with oneself,
tranquility, contentment and cheerfulness, separation from the world.
But the main feelings that came out were of solitude, being alone in the world, division between
oneself and others, being in a world of one’s own, a solitude without fears, a lofty feeling; as if
looking at a city below; a feeling of gaiety and mirth, contentment and tranquility, anxiety with
others, sympathy. Also, on the other hand, sadness like that which is felt on departure of near and
dear ones (wedding ceremony); the beloved is going away and his wife is pleading him not to go
away; pacifying loved ones; as if waiting for someone; being neglected by friends; of seeing
something black; fearful – darkness; a desire to be at mother’s breast.
On the physical sphere, many provers experienced a feeling of tremendous coldness – icy coldness,
especially of hands and fingers. Heaviness of eyelids; temporal headaches.
The remedy that covers theses feelings and experiences is Natrum carbonicum. The following
rubrics explain this beautifully:
– Aversion to husband.
– Aversion to members of family.
– Cheerful, gay, happy.
– Company, aversion to, yet dreads to be alone.
– Content.
– Delusion, division between himself and others.
– Delusion of water.
– Delusion of wedding.
– Delusion, sees spectres, ghost, spirit.
– Estranged from family.
– Estranged from friends.
– Fear of misfortune.
– Forsaken feeling.
– Indifference when in society.
– Joy, ailments from.
– Mirth, hilarity, liveliness.
– Misanthropy.
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– Sadness, aversion to company, desire for solitude.
– Sympathetic.
– Tranquility.
– Coldness of hands.
– Heaviness – lids.
– Pain, head – temples.
Sodium (Na) is basic constituent of life, one of the main salts. The basic theme of Natrum is
relationship; a need to structure (form) a relationship.
Here are some of the quotations from provings which clearly show the above feelings.
P.D.
– There are many temples and green area, and I am alone there and I am alone from whole world. I
see a crowded platform but I am not there; as if I am away from all crowd.
A.N.
– The music reminded me of a lovely village with a single villager walking away from somewhere.
U.B.
– Feeling of complete loneliness, full of sorrow, depression. I am alone in this world, nobody around
me.
L.A.
– I felt a loftiness – a high feeling, a softness almost sacred in the early part of raga. Also had a flash
of the Buddha walking through the fields alone. Then, as the music got louder and more intense, I
felt more down on earth – village activity level – colourful, but it never really lost its higher mood, its
softer and more lofty feeling.
K.S.
– The feeling of a situation as if somebody died in the family and the others trying to console the
family members – feeling as if something is lost.
K.G.
– Sense of incompletion and want to be complete.
N.G.
– Feeling of discord and tensions in a family.
P.P.
– A silent separation from a beloved after enjoying his company.
S.N.
– My bidai (separation) from my mother after my marriage.
L.D.
– Visions of garden and greenery, occasionally disturbed by outside thoughts of family.
V.D.
– Coldness in feet after walking on grass with dew.
M.P.
– I was alone in a huge temple, feeling very sad but at the same time peaceful, blissful, as if all my
troubles were soon to be over. Also an auspicious feeling. Tears filled my eyes.
S.C.
– Urge for company but still wanted to be alone.
3
N.T.
– I was alone and was in search of something, but I was afraid that I will not get it.
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M.S.
– I wanted to meet an extremely unknown person who will give me happiness. Coldness in fingers.
Feeling of separation from loved ones.
M.P.
– I saw myself beside a lake with a graceful walk (as a Rajkumari) as if waiting for somebody; happy
and gay, with a good smile on my face.
P.S.
– As if I was waiting for someone for many years and today is the fortunate day when that person
has come. Very happy, tears of joy.
N.S.
– Night, darkness, vastness, space-stars and sky, a solitude but without fear.
S.B.
– Found myself in darkness, as if passing through a cave, as if in dark jungle.
A.P.
– As if passing through a small narrow tunnel with sunlight at the other end. I am seeing light and
dark shadows.
H.A.
– Feeling as if I am all alone in the world and there is silence everywhere. Someone has come to me
and put my hand in his hand and taken me to heaven.
K.S.
– Two lovers who meet after a long period of separation.
U.S.
– A person who has suffered the agony of separation, loss of someone. It is a silent grief/loss of a
person/separation which is not reversible.
Y.V.
– Feeling of being alone and lonely, can see no life, monotonous, darkness everywhere, no hope
whatsoever.
A.M.
– Alone in the house, nobody is there, I have not put on lights, sitting near the window, and sadness.
I am looking for something, as if waiting for somebody.
S.S.
– As if a woman is requesting/pleading her husband not to go away, not to leave her alone. As if the
husband is going away to earn, to fulfill his ambition, and the woman is pleading him not to leave
her alone and saying: “With our love, we will manage our house, will overcome all difficulties.”
P.Y.
– As if somebody has departed, leaving me alone.
P.K.
– Reminding me of the time we had gone to Matheran with friends, and I was left all alone. Tall
building – 16th floor – watching the vehicles as they pass by the road at night.
R.S.
– There is mother and two sons, one loved and other neglected.
M.N.
– Neglected feeling, reminded me of an incident where I was neglected by my friends.
C.W.
– Enjoying the music and enjoying my own company.
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M.W.
– Coldness of fingers and toes.
K.C.
– Anxiety for others, as if waiting for someone.
A.S.
– Feeling sorry for a poor girl who cannot go to school; wanting to do something for her.
B.D.
– How wonderful nature is! Man is nothing, he is just part of nature, why can’t he live in the
present? Why does he always think about the past and future? These thoughts make me feel
weightless.
Conclusion
I feel I have a scientific basis for healing with music, though I have not yet used it on a large scale in
treating patients. To do this, we must know the specific effects of various ragas, especially the more
common ones (which are like our polycrests). I feel that when patients are made to listen to a raga
on the basis of proving symptoms, it will healing according to the homoeopathic law. Especially at
times of emotional stress, the patient is likely to obtain relief and peace by listening to his particular
raga much faster, perhaps, than with the right homoeopathic remedy, since the raga acts directly on
the emotional part of man. I feel strongly that music in Homoeopathy has tremendous potential.
Note:
Specially recorded cassettes of the above four ragas can be obtained from Homoeopathic Medical
Publishers.
Classifying patients into kingdoms
In homoeopathic practice, so far, we have used symptoms as the only guide to remedy, without
really considering the source of the drug. For example, if we were to differentiate Sepia from
Phosphorus, it would usually be on the basis of the symptoms alone. It is, however, becoming very
clear to me (and to others) that the symptomatology of any drug is intimately related to the source it
is drawn from, and that each drug has in it the essence of its source. For example, in Lachesis we find
the symptoms are left-sided, the person cannot bear pressure/constriction around the neck, and has
a darting movement of the tongue. It cannot be a mere coincidence that the Lachesis snake has all
its organs on the left side of its body, is most vulnerable around the neck region and has, like all
snakes, the darting movement of the tongue. Such examples are legion and have been used by
teachers to bring alive the Materia Medica. However, this knowledge has not been actively or
systematically used in differentiating remedies by studying their origin. If properly understood, this
study could enable us to think directly of the kind of remedy needed for the patient, a sort of direct
application of the law of similars. Having from the very outset found such an understanding
extremely useful in practice, I have attempted to identify and note down the main differentiating
features of the four major kingdoms from which our medicines are derived, i.e. Plant, Animal,
Mineral and the Nosodes. From this, we will have at least some idea as to which kingdom we are to
choose our remedy from, and this certainly makes our task much simpler.
I must warn that such differentiation is neither final nor full-proof, and is not always clear. Let it be
considered another point of view, so that we may be able to look at a case from several view points,
and not only one.
Plant kingdom
The basic quality of a plant is sensitivity. It is a living organism rooted to the soil, unable to move. To
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survive, it needs to be sensitive to changes in the external environment and also capable of adapting
to these changes, for it cannot move away. These features are also descriptive of those needing a
plant remedy. They are of a sensitive nature, affected by many things and adjusting/adapting to
these. In their choice of dress too, is reflected this sensitivity. They prefer flowerly, irregular
patterns, something that appeals to their aesthetic taste. Their writing too, is in “irregular patterns”,
usually rounded and disorganized. The same is true of their manner of speaking. They present their
complaints in a disorganized fashion, often talking in between about other people’s complaints, and
describing their own incompletely, in no particular order. They begin their follow-ups rather
abruptly. With their acute sensitivity, they feel most things intensely and are very descriptive. The
complaints are of a rapid onset and changing nature, with many modalities. They are usually related
to this sensitivity. The causative factor is often emotional or physical shock, strain or hurt. The
expressions they use are: “I am affected by/sensitive to”, “This hurts me”, “I can’t bear it”, “This
touches me.” These expressions show them to be sensitive, soft, emotional people. Their feelings
are most important to them, and the fear of being hurt. They find it difficult to make human contact
despite this sensitive, adaptable nature. They are easily affected and can have abrupt mood changes.
Even their dreams are influenced by the day’s occurence. The dreams are varied. Dreams of plants,
greenery nature, music art. The miasmatic range of plant remedies is from the acute to the sycotic
miasm. Exceptions are Drosera (tubercular) and anacardium (syco-syphilitic).
Animal kingdom
Competition is the rule in the animal kingdom. The theme of survival of the fittest holds true for all
living creatures including algae, fungi, plants, etc., but is most evident in the animal world. A person
needing an animal remedy immediately draws attention to himself by his clothing, behaviour, etc.
This need to attract attention – to be attractive – is an important aspect of their basic competitive
nature. Their clothes attract attention because of the colour, design or fashion in which worn. That is
not to say that they are always flashily dressed. The basic need is to attract attention, and this may
be gained by wearing dull clothes to a party. They are dressed different from others, and this
difference is noticeable. Their handwriting/signature is striking, eye-catching, aggressive. Even their
behaviour is attention seeking. They are lively, vivacious – animated. Very alert, they maintain eye
contact, looking for a reaction and are themselves quick to react. May be quite abrupt in the actions
and speech. They are very expressive and comunicate easily, seeming to have an extraordinary
ability to make human contact. There is a strong desire for company and they are worse when alone.
With these features of wanting to attract attention, to be better than others, they choose
professions that have competition and advertising in some form. They can be very jealous of any
competitor and may resort to any means including deceit to achieve their ends. They can be quite
malicious. Their fears, understandably, are of being neglected, looked down upon, failure in
competition/love, loss in attractiveness. Any of these features could become also an exciting factor,
for example rejection, failure in competition. The complaints they present with are usually those
which make them feel less attractive or less capable of competing successfully – they may come from
pimples, obesity, hair loss, etc. Even when the chief complaint is in another sphere, they almost
invariably draw your attention to some feature which has to do with attraction/competition. This
intense need to attract attention seems to have its basis in a split in self, as I understand it. In the
minerals, we have seen that the complaints/reactions are restricted to one or two spheres. For
example, in Calcarea sulphurica, all the features hinge on the axes of security and ego. In plants, due
to the sensitivity, the problems are in many more spheres – they are sensitive to all sorts of
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disturbances. However, in the animal remedies, there seem to be two distinct entities coexisting in
the same being. Further, the human part seems to have a contempt for the animal in the self. I have
found this “split” personality in most patients who improved with animal remedies. The clue to this
feeling about themselves is often to be found in their expressions: “By human beings”, “Human are
so cruel”, “I feel split up”, “I jump at them”, “I am not good enough”, etc. Before converting these
expressions into rubrics, it is worth our while to consider the underlying feeling. We find that animal
remedies figure prominently in rubrics that cover a split in self: “Antagonism with herself”: Lac
caninum, Sepia; “Confusion of identity “, “Sense of duality”: Lachesis, Naja; “Delusion, double of
being”: Lachesis, Moschata, Theridion; “Delusion, places, of being in two at the same time”:
Cenchris; “Will, two wills, feels as if he had”: Lachesis, Naja. The same theme may be reflected in
other rubrics, though not directly, for example: “Contemptuous of self”: Lac caninum; “Delusion,
looked down upon, she is”: Lac caninum; “Anger alternating with quick repentance”: Lyssinum;
“Striking, knocking his head against the wall”: Apis; “Impulse to stab himself”: Lyssinum.
This list could be extended further but would serve no purpose. I trust the idea has been conveyed.
Having understood this “split”, we can explain the two sides seen in them: affectionate, warm,
caring, play, faithful, communicative on the one hand, and jealous, aggressive, deceitful and
malicious on the other. The aggression is a marked feature. They have a fear of being attacked and
may respond by aggression. The dreams show many of the features described above. They have
dreams of animal, snakes, pursuit, being attacked; amorous dreams; dreams of flying. The
complaints are moderately paced, not as slow as the minerals nor as rapid as plants. The miasmatic
range is from the acute to the syco-syphilitic.
Mineral kingdom
The central features of the mineral kingdom are structure and organisation. These are the features
that help scientists understand this kingdom well, allow an exact classification of elements in the
Periodic Table, enable them to propose laws, etc. The structured organisation of minerals make
chemistry an exact science.
We find these features of structure and organisation in persons who require a remedy from the
mineral kingdom. The first impression one gets on seeing these people is that they are very well,
organized. Even the clothes they wear are characteristic: symetrical patterns, stripes, checks or plain.
They present their complaints in a very systematic manner, often beginning with the previous
follow-up and then speaking of subsequent events in an almost chronological order. “I came to you
last on… For the first six days, the pain in my…” They very often note down their symptoms in
carefully written points, and describe each symptom completely (in as much detail as they think
necessary) before passing on to the next symptom. Their handwriting/signature is usually well
structured, straight (not rounded) and angled. Clinical measurements, if any, are recorded and
reported exactly, in numbers: “My BP is 140/90. “In the follow-up, they describe the change in
percentages: “I am 25% better.” They speak precisely and to the point. All these characteristics are
due to a certain attitude of mind – a structured thought process. Consequently, the profession they
choose is one for which they feel (and are) best suited. They become engineers, accountants,
computer consultants, business managers… They are often very high performers and work in a
steady, stable and reliable manner. Even housewives show these characteristics, and manage the
house very efficiently.
The complaints they suffer from are generally of chronic nature; slowly progressive, unvarying
nature of complaints, for example osteoarthritis, hypertension, etc. With time, one can expect
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definite pathological (structural) changes in the tissues. The complaints often date back to a break in
structure/relationships, loss of job, financial losses, failure in performance/defense. These are the
important areas in their lives, and all the stress is in (and therefore on) these spheres. They talk of
“my home/family/relationship”, “my work/efficiency”, “my bank balance/health”, etc, when not
telling about “my joints, skin, nerves”. Their fears too are centered around these – they are anxious
about failing in their work (being unable to perform well), breaking of relationships, losing what they
possess or have built up. Their dreams reflect their fears, and are mainly about financial problems,
relations, family, house, performance, etc. As these are very definite and fixed areas, the dreams
tend to often be repetitive. In order to maintain structure and organisation in their life, they have to
be strong, systematic and calculating. This, in brief, describes their nature. They are not easily
moved, are very steady; their reactions are uniform, hardly varying in different situations. With
these qualities, they naturally find it difficult to make human contact. An apparent exception to
thelast mentioned feature is Phosphorus (and the phosphates). Phosphorus persons are alert and
affectionate, and make many friends. However, this “easy contact” is attained only at a superficial
level. The other drugs having strong characteristics which do not fit into this group study are the
Halogens and Sulphur (and sulphates in general). The Halogens have the theme of aggression which
is more commonly seen in the animal kingdom. Similarly, Sulphur (and sulphates) care much about
appearance, and hence attractiveness may become an important theme, again a feature seen mainly
in the animal kingdom.
The drugs prepared from the mineral kingdom have a very deep action. The miasmatic dimensions
of minerals encompass the whole range, from the acute to the syphilitic miasm.
Nosodes
The indication for a nosode lies in the process and not in any particular sphere or area of life. For
example, a person may say: “I desperately want to stand first in my class.” The emphasis could be on
getting the top rank, which is an object or sphere of his life. If, however, the emphasis is on his
desperation, and we find this desperation in every sphere of his life, then that he does or feels can
be described by this single word. His way of looking at life and reacting to it are always desperate.
For want of a convenient word, I have described it as a “process” as opposed to a “sphere”.
So, when everything is desperate, the remedy would be Syphilinum, but if the emphasis is of feeling
desperate because of or in a particular situation only, the remedy would be one of the antisyphi litics.
Philosophy
A case from practice
Transcript of a video case with explanation
Allergic asthmatic bronchitis
Case
I will give a case below, a detailed case which demonstrates all aspects of the approach to a case. It
demonstrates case-taking, observation, importance of history of the mother during pregnancy,
route(ROOT?????) of disease, understanding the case, rubric selection, remedy selection, follow-up
and the effect of allopathic drugs during homoeopathic treatment. This is the case of a three year
old boy. He gets attacks of allergic asthmatic bronchitis and has been given a lot of antibiotics and
allopathic medicines.. His diet has been strictly controlled, yet he gets attacks which last for two days
despite medication. He has a cold since two or three days and is coughing a lot especially now. As
the mother is giving the history, the boy is very restless and is banging the desk repeatedly with a
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bunch of keys. During the attacks he becomes stubborn, violent and irritable. He doen’t listen to
anything. [Taken together, what is this behaviour? – a tantrum. He is usually happy, easy to handle
and has a fixed routine, but is a different child during the attacks. So, he is not uniformly restless and
stubborn, but only in attacks.] He is a very bright child and needs lots of stimulation. He is not
disobedient, not aggressive or destructive. He lets other children take his toys, his bike, and he never
fights back. The mother is also quite restless. [The remedy is the same for both of them.] He watches
other children play, he observes. The mother says:
– I have travelled a lot in the last two years. Maybe that has upset him. He has cough all the year
round. Is he trying to bring up phlegm? He has had pneumonia twice and malaria once which lasted
for eight days.
The boy is still shaking the keys. The mother continues:
– The weeze begins soon after the cold. He is a very pooor sleeper. He is OK for three hours and then
starts sneezing and coughing around 1 am. He wants lots of water at night and often has to use an
inhaler. He eats well.
[My case-taking technique is simple. I just wait and watch. The patient will say the real thing, the
spontaneous thing. I look for the ideas. What is the situation, what are the symptoms? The boy gets
angry in intervals, not all the time. Why?] (The boy is constantly on the move.) Mother:
– He hates being scolded. I never hit him. Even if I raise my voice, he starts crying. He can be very
stubborn, very obstinate. He says yes/no. He is very sure of himself. He is usually much quieter than
this, especially for the first few minutes.
– Why is he different today?
– Because he has started wheezing.
The mother restricts his diet: no nuts, no red meat, no rice, no egg yolk, no sour or cold things. He
has seen ten doctors and they said no sour things. [The boy is now on the floor under the table.]
– He loves sitting down on the floor, even in the car.
She asks him to stand up. “No”, he says.
– He is very fond of his grandfather and he loves music. His behaviour is usually like this in the house
but not outside.
[He is singing and banging under the table.]
– He loves lying on the ground, putting his cheek on the ground.
[He points two fingers and pretends to shoot everyone.]
– He does this when he is embarassed. He is a very bright boy. He gets overreactive just before the
wheezing.
(He is still shooting and making funny faces at the camera.) [Does he like the cold of the ground – he
is now lying flat on the floor on his tummy?]
– What is his behaviour during attacks?
– He is very easy when he is well. When he is ill, he won’t listen. Everything is a fight. He is cranky
and irritable. I let him watch videos. He throws a tantrum for everything. He understands everything
we say. He is very easy when well, but likes to be doing something all the time.
– What kind of videos?
– Cartoons, he likes.
– What kind of things does he like?
– Violence. He likes to watch ‘Tom and Jerry’ and wildlife films and if something with violence comes
on, he is glued to it. He comes to watch straight away if there is fighting or boxing on the television.
He hates having his hair cut, I have to keep distracting him. I used to cut it while he was asleep. He
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doesn’t like having his hair washed.
He is extremely fond of his grandfather and father. He is very close to his mother.
– He won’t let anyone except me touch him, at night. I still attend playgroup with him. He cries if I
go. He hates loud noises. He puts his fingers in his ears. He is scared of them (noises) and of the dark
too.
[He starts pulling his mother.] He sleeps with the parents and goes to sleep holding his mother’s
hair. What are his fears? Being left by his mother, afraid that the mother will go away. [This is the
crucial sentence of the case.] He laughs very easily. He loves the colour orange but he tends to pick
up the black crayon more than any other. He observes anything new – clothes, things in the house.
He won’t let his mother tie up her hair or wear a headband.
– He reacts to the garden and to house dust (he wheezes). He loves curds and chicken a lot. His
illness makes me very tense. I am waiting for the next attack.
[He bites his mother’s hand.]
– He bites a lot.
[His aunt comes and takes him out of the room.]
– He clings to me during attacks but if I pick him up he tells me to go away.
[This is the crux of the case. I got to this point by waiting and watching. This is the most crucial
feature in the case. I got the feeling that he didn’t want the mother to go away yet he says, “Go
away”.]
– If I go away, he doesn’t want it.
[If you can solve this behaviour, you can understand the case.]
– I can lose my patience during attacks. He cries then till he is red in the face. Anytime he cries I pick
him up. I can’t bear to see him cry. He knows he can get away with anything. My husband is very
lenient with him. He runs to him if he has annoyed me. He sits hunched forward during attacks. He
wants me around, to see me. He sits with books on his own and pretends to read. He is not a rough
child. He might pull or push me but outside the home he is mild.
[The crux of the case: he clings to the mother and wants her a lot, but when he is ill, he is the
opposite and says, “Go away”. What situation is this? In what situation does a child who usually
wants the mother start to throw a tantrum and say, “Go away”? The child wants the mother so
much and yet tells her to go away. What are the rubrics?]
1. Capriciousness.
[Homoeopathy is simple but you have to think in a particular way. This case can only be solved by
observation and by keeping silent and letting it evolve spontaneously. Many a time you don’t need
the repertory or a computer. Six out of ten cases can be solved if you put your mind to it. What is the
capriciousness about? What doesn’t he want? Touch.]
2. Touched, aversion to being.
3. Caressed, aversion to being.
The remedy is Cina. It has “Indifference to caresses”, “Touch, aversion to be caressed”, “Weeping,
cries piteously if taken hold of or carried”.
4. Fear of others approaching him.
5. Irritability in children.
6. Looked at, cannot bear to be. (He started to scold them then.)
7. Striking in children.
Read the mind symptoms of Cina in Phatak. Where did the Cina state come from? It came from the
mother. How was this root transmitted? “He often says, ‘Go away’, to me at night. He has vivid
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dreams. whenever he sleeps, he talks.” He dreams of somebody going away. The person he likes is
going away from him. His favourite thing is the soothing with his fingers whenever he is embarassed
or shy. “He won’t go initially with strangers. He pushes people away if they try to caress him or try to
pick him up.” He constantly kisses his mother and father. He is very affectionate. He needs more
caresses than normal, then he goes to the opposite. This is the capriciousness of Cina. This must
have been the most prominent state of the mother during the pregnancy. Wait for the information
in cases. Keep pressing for more, more, more untill you get the symptoms. “He wants the three of us
together. He draws things in three. He is constantly asking for his father.” The mother has never left
him. [The mother talks nervously, excitedly.] He runs to his mother when she comes to him.
– How is his sleep?
– Very restless. He moves a lot in his sleep.
– His appetite?
– He eats lot of things. My husband is quiet, the opposite of me. I am an extrovert. Sadat is more like
me, more outgoing. He is serious in certain aspects. He wants complete attention. He can be really
concentrated in what he is doing.
– How was the pregnancy?
– Very good. No sickness, no food cravings.
She had spotting in the second month and had bed rest for two weeks. She was given antispasmodic
medicine. The labour lasted twelve hours and she had an epidural near the end. She couldn’t push
him out at the end and suction was needed. I persisted.
– Tell me more.
– In the last four-five hours I wasn’t dilating. They tried to dilate me.
– What was your state of mind?
– I was just thinking of the pain. There was nothing.
– Were you shouting?
– No. I pushed my hands against the wall with each pain. I was constantly asking for the epidural but
the doctors weren’t there.
They had gone away when she needed them.
– I was angry. They kept saying the doctor was coming but he didn’t come.
– How did you express the anger?
– I was crying for the epidural. I was begging for the epidural. When the doctor came I slumped into
his arms. The nurse kept telling me to be quiet. I lashed out at my husband and broke his gl asses.
– What happened?
– My husband tried to caress me, I pushed him away and broke his glasses.
[During the labour the doctor has gone away. The husband tries to caress her and she pushes him
away. She was angry when she didn’t get what she wanted. Did this state come during the
pregnancy? No. The state came from before, from her childhood. What is the state of Cina in
childhood? The child did not get the attention it wanted, then, when the parents tries to caress the
child, they were pushed away.]
– I thought the baby was ugly. I didn’t feel love for him. Later I heard him cry and I couldn’t bear
that. I didn’t really respond or react to him at first. Later I was very protective to him.
[She did the same thing to the child, rejected, then came back.]
– I still can’t bear to hear him cry. I have a foul temper. I lose it easily. I say really mean things. I hit
below the belt.
– For instance?
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– I lash out at my husband’s father. I used to lash out at my mother. I rarely lose my temper with
Sadat. I am very sensitive, stubborn. I don’t like to be told what to do. The most prominent thing is
my temper.
– When does it get worse?
– When someone says something I don’t want to hear (“Ugly, cross” – Phatak). I have an outburst. I
feel better afterwards. I am the youngest of three sisters. I was sent away to boarding school. I really
resented that. The other two stayed at home.
She was angry when she went home and would throw the food and the plate out of the window.
[The attitude was: “Where was this when I wanted it? Now I don’t want it.”]
The boy was given Cina 10 M and the case was referred back to a colleague of mine with the
suggestion to try 50 M if the 10 M didn’t work. Follow-up: The boy is sitting playing quite gently with
a little soft toy koala bear on the desk What happened after the remedy? He became very active and
violent, and started wetting himself. His sleep and appetite got better. He let his mother cut his hair.
(In Künzli there is a rubric “Hair cutting, children refuse” – one remedy: Cina. The reference is Pierre
schmidt.) Having the hair cut is to do with touch, caress, nearness and trust. On February 1st, he
started a cough and the old malaria symptoms came up. My colleague repeated the Cina 10 M but it
didn’t help, so the boy was given antibiotics. On February 8th he had a cough and cold and malarial
symptoms again. On February 27th he had a blood test, germs were found and he was given more
antibiotics. He was wheezing all through this time. On March 15th he saw the homoeopath and was
given Cina 50 M. “Since then he has been much better. He has had no attacks.” His sleep is better
and there are no problems with behaviour. On March 1st he had malarial symtoms again. As his
resistance goes down he gets wheezing. He is still on allopathic medicines. He is still not going to
school alone. He has stopped saying, “Go away”. This is now rare. He now says, “No, no, don’t go”.
There has been no violence since March 15th. He doesn’t wake much in his sleep now. “This
medicine has helped his sleep and his behaviour.” In the last two-three months, he has stopped the
allopathic drugs. Cina 50 M was repeated once or twice more. [The bronchodilators didn’t interrupt
the action of the remedy but the antibiotics did. They suppressed the malaria.] Follow-up: The child
has been followed up for more than two years and remains well.
The physician’s reaction
During the consultation each patient elicits a specific reaction from the physician. The kind of
reaction can be a very useful tool in understanding the patient. However, we have to understand
this phenomenom better in order to use it. This reaction may be of two types – conditional and
unconditional.
A conditional reaction is the reaction of the physician’s own mental state with the patient’s state, in
which the physician out of his not OK feelings needs the patient to behave in this or that way so that
he himself will feel OK. When the patient does not fulfill these conditions, then the physician will
develop such feeling as anger, grief, fear, or impatience. He may feel happiness when the conditions
are met. The same behaviour of the patient with another physician would elicit a different
conditional response depending upon his state of health and his own conditions for feeling OK.
For example, a patient who is not at all particular about time would make a punctual physician
unhappy but wouldn’t bother a sloppy physician. So, the irritabilty on the part of the punctual
physician shows his conditions for feeling OK as much as it shows the patient’s sloppiness. In other
words, a conditional response is usually a reaction to some one or the other quality of the patient
which the physician likes or dislikes. The moment he can remove this criteria of what he likes or
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dislikes from his mind, he will be left with the objective view of an observer. He doesn’t have
anything to gain or to lose from the patient and can therefore view him unconditionally. From this
unconditional viewpoint again two types of reactions are possible: empathic and instinctive.
Empathic response
When the patient narrates his experiences and feelings, the physician can sometimes experience
the very state and feelings of the patient. Such a state could be induced in him just as a magnet
giving its charge to a neutral iron piece. If the physician keeps himself still, he will be transported
into the patient and will be charged with the same energy. Very often, it is my experience that when
a Staphysagria patient leaves after an intense consultation, I experience feelings of indignation
myself, as if the incidents narrated by the patient have actually happened to me. After some time,
when the physician becomes neutral again, he is able to see the whole state objectively. This not
only helps to understand the patient better but also to guide the patient towards awareness. Since
the physician can see reality objectively, he may be able to help the patient to do so.
In coming to this central delusion of the situation, the physician has to take into account every
single piece of information and every observation about the patient: his behaviour, attitude,
hobbies, relationships, the narration of his complaint, etc. All this data is not only to be logically
fitted in and reasoned out, but one has to look through the inner eye and understand the patient as
only one human is capable of undertanding another.
Instinctive reaction
However, there is another way of looking at the patient in order to confirm at least in a broad way
our conclusion, so that we can be doubly sure of our understanding of the patient’s view (central
delusion) of his situation. This way is based upon the idea that a state will create around it ( the dog
will usually chase the one who is most scared of it) the very situation for which it is appropriate. A
physician, being an external factor, now has to ask himself what symptoms, feelings or state are
excited in him by the patient’s presence, by his behaviour and by his attitude. Here, interacting with
the patient plays a more important part than the narration.
It is easy to see that when the physicain gets an instinctive protective feeling towards the patient,
that (????????) the patient must come from a state of being overprotected (Calcarea carbonica). If
the patient provokes an instinctive reaction from the physician of wanting to avoid the patient, this
must come from the situation of being avoided by somebody. We can see this especially in
Stramonium cases where the patient gives the feeling of clinging so much that the physician has the
instinctive reaction of wanting to leave the patient in the wilderness, all alone – the very situation for
which the Stramonium state would be appropriate. This example mught sound cruel or even
unacceptable. You might say that when you see a frightened person like Stramonium you feel like
protecting him rather than leaving him in the wilderness. This is surely true but that is not an
instinctive reaction but rather one based upon our parental training and value system. To observe an
instinctive reaction one has to see how a child would react in that situation. On seeing a frightened
child, another child would tend to frighten him all the more. A weakling will be taken advantage of
and a strong child will create enemies.
If we disregard morality, parental, social and religious pre-conditions, our animal instinct will speak,
if we dare to let it. The Platina woman will draw forth from us an instinctive reaction which will be
alternating and opposite, namely of intense admiration alternating with intense criticism and even
abuse, simulating the exact childhood story of Platina. The Silicea child will make us adopt the stance
of an examiner, the very person Silicea is afraid of. The Kali carbonicum woman will tempt us by her
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general sourness and her extreme dependence to shirk our responsibility to her, exactly similar to
the origin of her state, which comes from a neglecting and irresponsible husband. Hyoscyamus with
his foolish and suspicious insanity will force us instinctively to become deceitful and secretive, to
pass sly, sarcastic remarks, and to poke fun at him or even to give him the remedy secretly, the very
situation for which his state is adapted. (Hyoscyamus is one remedy where the patient has to be
given his medicine secretly in the tea or coffee, etc.) The Lachesis woman through her egotism and
jealousy will provoke a reaction of competition and one-upmanship which will surely aggravate her
state. The Arsenicum man by his extreme carefulness and thriftiness will provoke others to steal
from him thus making real the delusion that he is surrounded by thieves.
Conclusion
We have described above the different responses of the physician during the consultation, namely
emphatic and instinctive. Usually, the empathic response comes when you are with the patient and
hearing his narrative. The instinctive response comes when you have to deal with the patient and his
actions. Both responses can occur towards the same patient but at different times. They could even
alternate.
When the physician observes his own instinctive response to the patient and correlates it with
empathic feeling, he will be able to get a more direct and better understanding of the patient.
Picture behind pictures
In essence, each of us is playing a role – we are like actors. Depending on what we think, what our
capabilities and our feelings are and also on what the situation around is, we select a role and play it.
It could be the role of a king, a minister, a wife or a servant, and this role we play is normal and
healthy provided we don’t feel compelled to play it and are unfit for any other role because of bad
feelings about ourselves and the situation. These bad feelings are delusions – disease.
The role that we play not only involves our profession but also our social position and our dealings
with problems and the people we encounter around us.
So, when we say king, he is king everywhere. In the animal kingdom, the king is the lion – he walks
and talks like a lion. The sheep is the servant and so he has the walk and talk of a sheep. In metals,
Aurum metallicum is the king, Platina the queen and Ferrum metallicum the soldier. In plants or
music, you will also find similarities. These similarities are usueful because a person who behaves
like a king will identify himself with the king, the lion and gold. The way the man walks and talks and
his manner of conduct is like a king, even when the situation is entirely different. Even if he is called
upon to play the part of a soldier, he will behave like a king. A lion cannot behave like a sheep even if
the situation changes. It is this fixity due to delusion which is disease.
The difference between an actor and a person who is diseased is that the actor knows consciously
that he is playing a part and he is able to change his part or role quite easily, whereas someone
under a delusion actually believes that he is the part, that he can only be this part and nothing else.
This restricts his freedom to be in the moment and react to the situation appropriately.
Imagine a story in which a person is playing a particular character that suits his life, but suddenly his
life changes and there is a completely new situation. For example, imagine a simpleton who has
been living a simple, rustic life and whose character is innocent, gullible, unpretentious and
unambitious. Suddenly he finds out that he is a long-lost prince and is now the king. A few years
later, you are taken into the palace with its grandeur and opulence and are given an audience with
the king. The picture that you see on the outside is of majesty, but after some talk you notice a
sudden foolish giggle – a sign that what is outside may not be the same as what is inside. The country
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bumpkin is the real one inside and the picture outside is the situation.
The tale of the wolf in sheep’s clothing is like this. You also observe the same phenomenom in a
person, say a French man, who settles in India. He adopts Indian customs and even feels like an
Indian, but it is likely that a strong connection with his mother country still dominates, and is only
covered. This man wil answer affirmatively if we question him about his indianness. He may talk in
an Indian language and may have a better understanding of Indian philosophy than an Indian, but
the question is: “Is this man really Indian?”
This phenomenom, called “picture behind pictures”, occurs when a child is born with a state which
is very different from that which is called for by the situation into which he or she is born. It will
occur also when a person is placed in a situation far removed from the one to which his internal
state is suited. In such circumstances, he cannot afford to play his original role even though that is
the one he still feels. He has to play the role that the situation demands, yet at the same time his
original character will be revealed in some unvoluntary, unsuitable, unappropriate and odd gesture,
word or act. It is these that are called peculiar symptoms and they indicate the real essence of the
picture behind pictures.
Once we become keenly observant of these particular things – those that don’t fit into the existing
situation of the patient – we get a hint of the underlying role or picture. We will slowly realize how or
why the patient shows that one particular overlying picture in his situation. We will see, and it is a
real pleasure to reveal, that the overlying picture is exactly the picture or the role demanded by the
real underlying main role in that new situation.
Case example
A young woman of 24 came to the clinic with mainly emotional propblems. She had studied
accountancy and had a lecturer with whom she became friendly. After passing out of college, she
was invited to join the accounting firm of this same lecturer. She found that working with him was
quite a different story fron being his student.
He was quite rude and harsh, and there was not the fun there had been in college. I suspect that he
was half in love with her, but due to something in his nature he could only express it as admonition.
This woman also had some feelings for him and was tremendously hurt by his rudeness. She seemed
to be almost broken by the whole thing. When she came to the clinic, she could hardly talk, crying all
the time, sobbing, sighing and seeking help.
In my clinic at this time was a colleague who was quite positive that this was a clear case of Ignatia. I
could see her point of view, but one thing about this case was the question as to what she should
do, a question that seemed to me to be asked more out of fright than grief. It was a new and
frightening situation for her; sexual feelings were there as well as those of love, disappointment and
grief. She was not yet prepared to handle them and was very frightened. Therefore, even though the
existing situation was of hurt and disappointment, this was situational, and the real person inside
was a vulnerable child suddenly faced with a frightening new and hard reality; a picture that to me
fitted the image of a child suddenly exposed to immense danger (Stramonium).
Rubrics
– Fear, darkness.
– Fear, strangers.
– Fear, alone.
– Clinging.
– Delirium, crying for help.
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In this case we can see that the apparent Ignatia-like features have been brought up in this
particular situation and this is what was demanded by her underlying (real) Stramonium state. If we
discount the situational features (sighing, sobbing, hurt, etc.) and see the peculiarities, we see the
helpless, frightened child seeking help and protection, the picture of Stramonium.
Remedy example
Take the remedy Calcarea carbonica. The main theme is fear of facing the roughness of the world.
Or the feeling of being weak to face the cruelty of the world. So, we have the rubrics “Delusion that
he is weak”, “Delusion that he is small”, as the main delusions. So, Calcarea tries to build a protective
wall of defense around him so he is safe, secure and covered like the developing embryo within an
egg. The constant endeavor of Calcarea carbonica is to build this protective wall and the constant
feeling is of smallness and weakness. The feeling is constant whatever be the expression of Calcarea
carbonica, but what will vary is the way he builds the wall and what kind of wall he chooses to build.
This will depend on which material is available. Some need not build the wall at all because the wall
is already built. They just have to live within it, for example a girl in India, completely protected by
her parents. May be the only girl in the family. Wealthy parents. What does she has to do? She is
completely protected. Indolent, a bit weepy, sensitive to reprimands. Symptoms that may not look
like Calcarea or may not be clear. But what is clear is that she has to do nothing about it. And then
she is married off into an equally protected house and does nothing. The very fact that she does
nothing indicates the remedy. But if her remedy was Calcarea carbonica and the situation was
different, for example mother is dead and father is an alcoholic who comes home and beats her up,
she gets nervous, is edgy, tense, always something will happen – features that again don’t remind
you of Calcarea carbonica. (THE MEANING OF THIS SENTENCE SEEMS NOT AT ALL CLEAR TO ME!!!!!)
May be of Rhus toxicodendron or Stramonium. But these are not features at all in reality. Imagine if
she was placed in a good house, what would happen, would these symptoms persist? In another
situation in her life, in school for instance where this nervousness and edginess is not manifested at
all. And especially when she comes to the doctor, she weeps before him and asks for his protection.
This gives a clue about the underlying picture and the remedy. But, when such a girl comes to a
doctor, it will be different from the girl of a protective family. This girl who comes from an
unprotected family and seeks the support and reassurance of the doctor, could easily break down
and cry. So, you have “Narrating her complaints” in Calcarea carbonica (3rd grade). But, if we just
look at the patient weeping narrating her complaints, we would not get Calcarea at all, we would get
Pulsatilla, and she seems to be seeking consolation but then, what about the nervousness and
edginess when she is at home? The common link between these two, Rhus toxicodendron and
Pulsatilla “states”, in the patient, is the feeling of insecurity and the need to build a protective wall,
which is the feeling of Calcarea carbonica, but the two former “states” are the expression of this
Calcarea carbonica feeling in particular situations.
Take a totally different situation in the same girl. She is getting older, her parents are older. She
doesn’t have any brothers and sisters or close relatives and she now has to find a husband and she is
not getting one. What will you see? Something changes; she becomes more extroverted, more
talkative, a bit shameless, reminding us strongly of Hyoscyamus with a rubric “Delirium preparing for
wedding”. But the question is why is she preparing for wedding? What does wedding mean to her?
In the case of a man, Calcarea may manifest in a different way. For him security cannot come from
the family or from the physician or from a wedding – from a wedding maybe, but here what kind of a
woman is he going to choose? The strong one, a protective one. He is looking for such a one. He may
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seek to create around him the protective wall of a group or organisation. The organisation becomes
for him the shell inside which he feels secure and outside of which even to put his foot he is scared.
So, he may become the creator of an organisation or he may join and become a faithful fanatic of an
organisation and get completely inside of it, refusing to get out. He may look like a fanatic or a
leader or an organiser, again depending upon whether he finds such organisation or has to create
one for himself. Here he may look like Thuja or Lycopodium. So, in different situations the same
core/feeling has varied expressions, each may fool us into believing that they are the real thing.
We have to treat what is inside and not what is outside. Just as the clothes are made fit the person,
so the external is one which properly covers the internal in a given situation, but it is not the clothes
that we have to treat. Given a situation we have to ask ourselves what kind of person would react or
act in this manner in this situation. We have to look for the hidden motivation for his actions, what
he gets out of acting in that particular way in that particular situation, and then we will find out that
what he desires may be different from what we think he desires and gets out of the situation.
The totality of symptoms
The essential idea behind the term “totality of symptoms” is that all the signs and symptoms
present in an individual at a time arise from one basic disturbance which is the disease of the
individual. Signs and symptoms that exist together without being the cause of one another are called
concomitant symptoms. The totality of symptoms is thus totality of concomitants. When put
together, concomitants become meaningful and form a picture which is the picture of the disease.
We can describe the totality of symptoms under different aspects:
1. Pace,
2. Sensitivity and excitability,
3. State of mind and dreams,
4. Nature of pathology and its meaning to the patient,
5. Causation,
6. Characteristic symptoms,
7. Miasmatic consideration,
8. Past history.
The coordinated picture of all these is the totality of symptoms.
Pace
The pace of the disease can be rapid, medium or slow, or it can be slow alternating with rapid or
medium alternating with rapid. The pace of the disease gives us an idea of the nature of internal
delusion and gives the clue about the remedy. In this also, we have to determine or judge whether
we are dealing with an acute, subacute or chronic condition. We also have to judge whether it is an
acute crisis in a chronic case (needing another remedy) or just an intensification of the chronic state,
in which case we would persist with the same remedy.
Sensitivity and excitability
Sensitivity and excitability to various external factors like atmospheric changes, food, emotional
factors, etc., has to be judged accurately and one has to choose a medicine with that kind of
sensitivity. It will be found usually that most sensitive and excitable disease state need a plant
remedy, intermediate states require an animal remedy, and less excitable disease states need a
mineral remedy. It is often found that even mineral remedies are excitable. This excitability is rather
superficial whereas core of them remain undisturbed whereas the whole plant will shake when
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excited. Excitability also denotes quick and intense reactions to several factors. One has also to
remember that though a plant remedy like Staphysagria is morbidly sensitive, unless one sees inside
it, one will not know this sensitivity.
State of mind and dreams
Once you underestand the above two, viz. pace and sensitivity of disease states, you more or less
get an idea what kind of a mental state the person is going to be in. If the pace is very acute and the
sensitivity very high, then the mental state is likely to reflect a delusion or something frightful,
threatening and acute. The dreams would indicate the same thing. What kind of delusion it is, what
kind of threat – one would establish through the various dreams, compulsions, gestures, words of
the patient, etc. Then we come either to one remedy or group of similar remedies. The same is true
if the pace and sensitivity are slow – here we expect the mental state to reflect the delusion of a
slow, non-progressive situation, a chronic struggle against a chronic problem. Here too, through
dreams and through various mental expressions, one can come to a group of remedies or through
careful study and accurate understanding, to a single remedy.
Nature of the pathology and its significance to the patient
Once you come from a group of remedies to only three, you would like to check it with the kind and
nature of pathology and what it means to the patient. You will find that not only are the pace and
sensitivity confirmed by the pathology (it will be same as the pace and sensitivity of the disease), but
it has a deep meaning in terms of the state of the patient, for example the man who needs to talk
will have some problem with his voice.
Causation
The causation again confirms the pace and sensitivity of the disease. Diseases which have a quick
pace will have sudden exciting causes whereas those of a slow pace have chronic, long-lasting
causative factors. Similary when excitability is high, the causation can be a triffle whereas if the
excitability is low, you need really a big causation to set off the problems. The nature of causation
will indicate the mental state or delusion of the person. One has to understand not only what the
causation is, but how he viewed it and also how he reacted to this cause. For example death of
parents: did he react to it as an acute crisis or did he see it as kind of breaking point in a chronic
struggle? Secondly, did he view the loss of father as loss of somebody whom he really loved and so
felt lonely, or as loss of support and so felt poor and unsupported? Then, you could have four
possibilities, e.g. :
Acute Chronic
Loss of support Stramonium Calcarea fluorica
Loss of love Ignatia Natrum muriaticum
So, causation has to be looked at in terms of the pace, sensitivity and feelings of the state it caused.
Once you find out correctly, you know where to look for the remedy.
Characteristic symptoms
At this point, you either know the remedy without doubt or still have to choose between 2-3
remedies which look very alike. Here what will help is to use characteristic symptoms, modalities,
physical characteristics, mental character, physical signs, etc. These inexplicable phenomena are
usually very good confirmatorry signs and they should be used only as such or at best with a view to
examine if the remedy that is indicated through them has the general characteristics of the disease
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in terms of pace, sensitivity, mental state, causation and nature of pathology. Usually it is easier to
work above downwards and one will find that the characteristics symptoms are very faithful to the
rest of the disease.
Miasmatic consideration
By the time the remedy selection has proceeded this far, the miasmatic nature of the disease has
already been covered by the remedy. Even so, it would be worth just to look once again if the
miasmatic nature of the case matches that of the remedy. The miasmatic nature not only covers
pace and sensitivity but also mental state and nature of pathology. It also has implications on
characteristic symptoms and modalities. The theory of miasms is a map on which one can chart
disease. The acute sensitivity of acute diseases, the struggle of psora, fixity of sycosis and
destruction of syphilis are four points on the miasmatic map. There are many in-between miasms. A
disease can fit entirely into one miasm or it has its base on one miasm and extends to others.
Remedies also fit well into this map. Through the miasmatic understanding, you can come close to
the nearest nosode of the patient and from nosode through characteristic symptoms to the exact
remedy.
Past history
Past history of the person will reveal not only the pace and sensitivity, nature of pathology,
miasmatic dimension, but will also give you many hints about his mental state. If characteristics are
not available in the present, one can always borrow them from past history. The past history also
reveals the causation and the course of the illness.
Family history
In infants and young children and sometimes even in older children and adults useful information is
obtained by asking for the state of the mother of the patient during her pregnancy, and also about
the state of mother and father; also important events in the lives of the parents. These often help to
give us a better understanding of cases which are not too clear. Often, if an intense state existed in
either parent or especially if an intense state existed in the mother during pregnancy, the child
inherits the same state. Of course, one cannot take this for granted but only as a hint to examine if
there are indeed confirmatory indications in the child.
Conclusion
I have listed, step by step, the various aspects which I look for in a case to construct a total picture
of the disease. This method has helped me much in simplifying the process of understanding cases.
State and pathology
I heard from my friend Dr. Anton Rohrer from Austria about a case presented in a conference in
Vienna. He explained that a senior homoeopath Dr. Dario Spinedi brought a case of a patient who
had a tumor on the face. The remedy given to him was Sulphur. The man also had itching eruptions
between the fingers. The tumor became less but his nature became worse – more angry, more
temper; in spite of becoming worse in the psyche, the tumor reduced in size. After three years of
treatment, the psyche improved too.
I have observed in practice that some patients have a very intense state (of disease) but very little
pathology. For example, we may have a child with intense characteristics of Calcarea carbonica with
the fears, sweat, craving for eggs, etc., but with very little or no pathology. On the other hand, I have
also seen patients who have a very mild state of disease, but have severe pathology. I asked myself
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what influenced the development of pathology in a person with a state of disease.
At this point I was approached by a union leader. He had come to me for treatment of a skin
condition, an eczema. This man is full of guts. You see nothing special about him, but this man has
single-handedly fought everyone up to the highest authority. Many people have tried to crush him
but he won’t be crushed. When his demands are rejected, he goes on strike and his co-workers
would join him, he has that leadership. His agitation initially produced little effect but he persistently
intensified the struggle. He is a fighter and loves to fight.
When I asked him for the modalities of the eczema, he said: “The eczema harasses me. I have to
scratch violently. But I have noticed that whenever I am at the eight of the agitation, the eczema
almost completely disappears. The moment there is peace, my skin starts iching again, and the
eczema flares up.”
Here I could see a very obvious connection between the situation and the pathology. In his mind,
the feeling is that people are unjust, that they harass him and that he must struggle, even violently,
in order to survive. With this state of being within him, he tries to find one to match it outside (in
life). He looks for such a situation, and when he finds one, he goes into an intense violent struggle.
He finds the situation of his internal delusion and then his pathology disappears.
When there is no such situation outside of him, he is unable to live his internal delusion (i.e. of
being harassed) and there is no way in which he can fully express his state. This is the time when he
develops on his body an eczema that harasses him, because of which he has to have a violent
struggle.
This led me to the idea that pathology develops when a person in unable to find outside himself the
situation of his internal delusion. Since he cannot find the situation outside, he cannot react to the
outside. Therefore, he develops such a situation in his own body in the form of pathology.
To undersrtand this concept, I shall give a rather crude example. A man may have a delusion that
there is fire everywhere. He may have an internal desire to run away, to escape or to pour water
over it. Now, in his every day life he may be an accountant and nowhere he can find a situation
which requires a reaction from him as if there were fire all around. So, he has to suppress his
delusion at a conscious level, but this suppressed delusion has to express itself somewhere. This
man, in my experience, is likely to develop severe bouts of burning in the epigastrium or palpitation,
etc., where he develops a similar panic and has to run about here and there, or pour into himself
large quantities of water as if to put out the fire. So, the internal delusion cannot be expressed
because the external situation is not conductive, or in other words, when a man cannot find an
external situation where he can fully live his delusion, he will develop or needs to develop pathology.
If he can find the situation where his internal feeling (delusion) can be fully expressed, he need not
develop pathology; it is not necessary, not required anymore.
In our lives we try to find the situation of our delusion and, if we succeed, in this situation we feel
most comfortable as we are able to express fully our internal state. This is often possible in
childhood; for example a Platina child can say, “I am a queen of the house”, and the parents will
agree; there will be no obstruction, no contadiction. When this child grows up, she will try to find a
situation where she can be queen, but this is not always possible. She can only find a situation much
less than that of a queen. The rest of the delusion has to be suppressed and this will manifest in the
form of pathology. When this woman finds the situation where she can be a queen, this pathology
can, and very often will, reverse itself.
In life we try to find a situation close to our delusion. We have choices in three spheres:
-Vocation
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– Location
– Relation(ship).
In each of these we try to find one where our internal delusion can be lived. But our choices are
limited and we forced to choose one where the possibility to live (and express) the delusion is
limited. To that extent we suppress it, and it manifests in the form of pathology.
For example, let us take the case of a person who has an internal state of Aurum metallicum. The
inner feeling of this person is that he shoulders a heavy responsibility. He has to struggle desperately
to carry out, to do his duty, live up to social and other expectations on him. This person, in his
childhood, fantasises about his future tasks, his future life, and can live with the delusion that he is
meant for great tasks, for great responsibility. When he grows older he tries to actualize these
fantasies. If he can find the opportunity to do so, he will be, to a large extent, free of pathology. But
often, he can’t find a comparable situation, he can’t find an opportunity to be as responsible for
others as his internal delusion demands; the load on him in reality is lesser than that imposed by his
delusion. To realize the full load of his delusion, he now develops ischemic heart disease, or such
pathology, so that even every day life becomes a great struggle, even a small responsibility seems
too much. Now, through pathology, he can actualize his delusion.
Thus, in my view, pathology is often the result of a difference between outer and inner realities.
An exciting factor (exciting cause) stimulates the delusion. The state is aggravated, but outer reality
often does not allow the expression of the delusion. Then, the aggravated part of the state has to be
suppressed. Pathology results. Thus, the beginning of pathology can be traced back to an exciting
factor. An example will make this clear.
I gave in “The Spirit of Homoeopathy” a case of a 35 year old married woman, a housewife, who
developed arthritic problems after the death of her neighbour. This neighbour happened to be the
only woman in her building who shared her mother tongue (refer “The Spirit of Homoeopathy”
Chapter 33). This patient did well on Baryta carbonica. She was a very shy and timid woman who
always felt the need for support – a “crutch”, which this neighbour provided. On the death of the
neighbour, she lost her crutch. This excited her anxiety and thus her Baryta carbonica state, but this
state could not be expressed. She could no longer actualize the delusion that “her legs are cut off”
(Baryta carbonica delusion) since in reality she was an adult, fully capable of standing on her own
feet. She developed a crippling arthritis that naturally made her lean on others for support, and thus,
through pathology, expressed her state.
In this case example, we can see the whole process of the development of pathology quite clearly.
Having a (Baryta carbonica) state, with the delusion that she is a cripple and needs support, she
looks around to see where she can find a person who would complement her state, or in other
words, support her like a child or cripple and thus help her live the delusion. On finding such a
relationship with her neighbour friend, this woman remains free of pathology. The loss of this friend
excites her insecurity; now, the (external) situation is different, her relationship is gone, the delusion
cannot be actualized. It has to be suppressed and it manifests in the form of pathology, which is an
indirect way of actualizing her delusion.
Let us look at another case given in “The Spirit of Homoeopathy”. I refer to the first case from
Chapter 25. Here, the man developed pathology after he was given a responsibility that he was not
used to. This man is a very conscious person and has a high sense of responsibility and duty. He was
managing well till he was given an unusual responsibility. This excited his (Aurum metallicum) state.
But, the responsibility that he took on was not as heavy as his state perceived it to be. Thus, he had
to develop pathology such that it made his task as strenous as perceived by his delusion. He
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developed cardiac pathology that made it difficult for him to withstand stress and responsibility. In
this example, we find a person who has coped up with his internal state, has made a balance with
the surroundings. When an additional factor comes up, this state is intensified but the situation
outside is not as intense he perceives it to be (delusion).
To take another example, consider the case of a coped up Lycopodium patient. He could be a
lawyer, needs to speak in public and thus lives his delusion that he has to be a performer, a public
speaker, in order to survive. He has the fear that he may not be able to perform well, but this fear is
now very much in the background since he is very much used to performance. Then, sometime in his
life, there comes a vey difficult case, a complicated case with every chance of failure. His inner fear
of not being able to succeed is much excited and this fuels his delusion that if he does not succeed in
this case, he is finished – his career will be destroyed, his life will be ruined. This is not reality. A
failure in this case would not, in reality, mean as much as he feels it does. Also, even his fear of not
being able to perform is not based on reality. The difference between his perception and reality will
now have to be made up for by pathology, and he develops such pathology as hampers performance
and public speaking. He could develop rheumatic or gouty attacks, hoarseness of voice, or severe
abdominal colic, fever, intense headaches – anything that can affect his performance. Here we see
how a person selects such vocation as to actualize or realize his delusion. If his delusion is that he
needs to be a public speaker, he would choose an occupation that has in it the need for public
speaking. This can also be seen in the way a person chooses his friends or spouse. (Especially so in
the case of his life partner. He would choose a spouse who helps him to live his delusion.) For
example, a Lycopodium person would choose a spouse who demands performance, or friends who
would look up to him only if he is a good performer. An Aurum metallicum person would have
friends who would make him responsible for them and so on. In this way, these people are able to
live their delusion and thus avoid the need for pathology. Again, as in the previous examples, when
they come across a relationship that is too demanding, their state is intensified and pathology can
result.
Some people, however, are unable to find an occupation or the relationship in which they can
actualize their delusion. Such persons have to find some other means of doing so. The commonest
way of doing it is in some form of recreation – taking up a hobby. Hobbies are chosen in such a way
as to re-create inner delusions. For example, a person may have the delusion that he has to face risk
and danger successfully in order to survive. He may choose an occupatiion like business where there
is lot of risk involved, but gradually, as time goes by, his business gets more and more stable, and the
risk element gets less and less. Then the person feels an internal restlessness and starts looking
around for a hobby which involves facing risk and danger. He may choose to go on risky journeys or
he may choose rock-climbing or even bungee-jumping. In the later example, the inner reality of the
person may be a tremendous need to face high places, water and danger.
When we examine the interests and hobbies of people, we see in it an attempt to recreate the inner
reality. This holds true for movies and television. The kind of movies that are popular represent the
inner realities of a large percentage of people, for example the kind of movies that are getting
popular these days are ones with an emphasis on violence, cruelty and crude sexuality. This shows
the inner reality of this age, which has in it the need for these qualities. Social restrictions make
expression of these qualities difficult and therefore, these are the very qualities that are suppressed,
and hence find expression through cinema.
On television, soap operas are getting increasingly popular. The reason could be that unlike in
movies, where you can live a fantasy world for a couple of hours, in a soap opera one can identify
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with one of the characters (closest to one’s delusion) and live that person’s life for years. The life
that you could not live yoursellf, you live vicariously. People live the lives of other people through
stories. In soap operas, the characters usually represent the big remedies in Homoeopathy, the
polychrests. Thus, many people can live through them and to an extent avoid the need for
pathology. Thus, we can see that things get popular for a reason. Things get popular because they
are needed. Also, it can be seen that a person who fully live his delusion through his vocation and
relationship does not have much interest (and does not need) movies and television (especially of a
specific type).
These means of entertainment are called recreation. I believe this is a very meaningful word
because these are the means to re-create the inner reality. For example, under the heading “interest
and hobbies” in Chapter 33 of “The Spirit of Homoeopathy, I have given a case where a boy who was
helped by Anacardium had tremendous interest in watching horror movies, especially ones which
involved a lot of cruelty. I believe that is possible that if such movies are banned, then, persons who
are in that state would either start more actively finding avenues to be cruel or will suppress this
state and create horrible pathology.
At a given time the person’s delusion is expressed in three distinct parts:
1. The conscious part which can be felt and expressed in words and action.
2. The subconscious part which is expressed especially in the dreams.
3. The pathology which is the crystallization of the delusion.
This brings us to an understanding of the second part – the dreams. This lies in between the
conscious part of the delusion and the pathology. The dreams are also the body’s way of actualizing
one’s delusion. When a person’s situation does not allow such an actualization, it is first expressed
into dreams. Together, the conscious part and the subconscious part of the delusion represent the
non-fixed aspect of the delusion, they represent the state, whereas pathology represent the fixed
part of the delusion.
Since we treat the state of being and not the pathology, and since the potency is selected on the
intensity of the state, the potency is to be selected in proportion to the sum of the conscious and the
subconscious parts. When we give such a potency, it removes the disease to that extent and this
creates a void where the part that has been suppresed into pathology can come back into the
central state and thus the pathology gets better while the central state (including mental state)
apparently seems to remain the same.
So, the remedy needs repeating. As long as the patient feels better you don’t need to repeat, but
when he starts to feel tense again, you need to repeat. You give one dose and the patient feels
better mentally and generally or his physicals are better but he feels tense. The latter, too, is a good
reaction to the remedy. For example, a patient has pathology but no dreams. The pathology gets
better with the medicine but he now starts having bad dreams which show the situation. His sleep is
disturbed and he is restless.
The pathology has improved but the mental state is worse. This is when the remedy needs
repeating. You have to keep repeating as long as the central state remains of the same intensity.
After some time (maybe a year or two years in a chronic case), as the person gets healthier, the
amount of central disturbance that he can stand increases and so more is diverted from pathology to
the central disturbance, and before the person can push it down again, you have to repeat the
remedy higher. When the central delusion is bigger, then you repeat higher. This is not a licence to
repeat the remedy frequently. We have to understand what we are treating. We are treating the
cental disturbance. If there is relief in the pathology but the central disturbance is coming back, this
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is the time to repeat, and repeat higher if needed. The nature of the pathology will indicate what
was suppressed. It indicates the cental disturbance as much as anything else. What you have to
ignore is the diagnostic label, the name. The way it manifests is the crystallisation of the central
disturbance. What is the characteristic location of each remedy? Which is the part that is affected?
Argentum metallicum is the performer and the throat is affected. His inner delusion is: “I may not be
able to perform. I cannot speak. My voice has failed.” Each remedy has characteristic locations.
These can be found in Boger’s synoptic key at the beginning of each remedy. What determines these
specific locations? This can be seen in the example of Argentum metallicum. In this remedy, as we
have seen previously, performance, especially show and use of voice are the conditions for feeling
OK. In such a person, if he had to actualize his delusion, i.e. “he cannot perform when needed”, then
the organ of voice, i.e. the larynx, should be affected. Similarly, in other remedies, we can see that
those organs will be chiefly affected, such as can actualize the delusion.
A case illustration
A man aged 32. He suffers from intense attacks of urticaria which lead to oedema with suffocation
and gasping for air. He has had to take steroids. This has been happening for 4 or 5 years. He passed
out of medical college but didn’t continue in the medical profession because he chose to join his
father’s business. Why did this happen?
– I went to a medical college at a time when my father’s business needed someone to take over, but
my brother was more inclined to business than me. I thought I should find a new line, new pastures.
Then my brother decided to do something else and I felt if I did not take over my father’s business it
would collapse.
-Why is that important to you?
– Money is everything in life. Business gives you money. Medical practice would not give me that
sort of money. Money is everything. That is what people ask you about, not qualifications. The most
important people are the ones with money.
The family was very wealthy. This man has been to Agra and yet has not seen the Taj Mahal. I
wanted to see the extent of his fixity of idea about money so I asked him:
– What about the artists, scientists, inventors? How many businessmen are known? Suppose Mother
Theresa were to walk on the street and on another street a most rich businessman was walking.
Where would the crowds be?
– With Mother Theresa. This woman is famous because she is the head of an organisation that has
so much money!
I was taken aback. The man is obsessed with making money. His father was born in Pakistan and in
1947, at the time of partition, the father was rich. Within a day they had to leave everything and
rush to India. It was a situation of tremendous fear. The father was then penniless and settled in
Bombay. He had to make money fast in order to survive. It was at this time that the boy was born. By
the time he grew up, the business was doing well. He inherited the father’s anxiety, which was
understandable in the father, but since he was quite rich, it could not be expressed fully in him. He
had to suppress a big part of the feeling. He had sessions of Homoeopsychotherapy which helped a
lot. This was used to expose him to the idea that he was living his father’s delusion. I would repeat
the “remedy” by giving him the video cassettee of the interview to watch. Then it stopped acting, so
he was given Bryonia 50 M (I thought the video was about a 10 M). His urticaria was gradually
improving. After repeating the Bryonia 50 M again, he improved psychologically. By the last followup, he had changed his life style. He had started relaxing and taking time off from work.
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What is mental disease? what is mental pathology?
When even the physical pathology is not enough to express the delusion then, the person becomes
mentally ill. Mentally ill people cut off, partially or fully, outer reality – they can live their own inner
reality. When they cut off partially, they develop neuroses. When they cut off fully, they develop
psychosis. Many times it is difficult to differentiate between intense mental states and mental
pathology, for example in Stramonium “Delusions of ghosts”. An intense state may look like neurosis
or even psychosis. The difference is that the state is only expressed to the extent that reality will
permit and will only change if reality permits it. In a neurosis or psychosis, the compulsion remains
even if it is harmful to the patient in his outer reality. He cannot help doing it. He is unable to
suppress it. So, now, the mind is diseased.
Let us consider the symptom “Washes her hands”. In a mental state, the patient (e.g. Lac caninum)
would not keep washing his hands in a crowded place. He will control/suppress it. If you convince
such a person that it is bad to wash hands twenty times a day, he will reduce it to five times – and
the rest will become pathology! The neurotic, on the other hand, will adjust his whole schedule so
that he can wash his hands twenty times a day. His entirely life becomes constricted – he has to wash
because there is nowhere to suppress it. The mind – the highest economy – itself is no longer free.
This is the highest suppression, where the pathology has no more important place to express itself.
So, even if it looks very odd in the situation (outer reality), he is still compelled to wash his hands.
In mental disease, the inner reality takes control and can lead to schizophrenia or manic depression.
In some patients, after treatment, the pathology improves frist. The state says the same until the
pathology disappears. Then the state of mind improves last. Other people feel better mentally,
emotionally and physically. In my logic and experience, it seems that when a person becomes fi xed,
stuck in his situation, i.e. already heavily involved in business and needs to get returns, like being
stuck in the Bryonia situation, then his state needs the situation and the situation needs his state.
For instance, a man has delusions of tigers. He goes to the jungle and you give him Stramonium. If
he relaxes that is the end of him, eaten by tigers! If the patient is stuck in outer reality, the state is
needed and in this case, the pathology will improve but not the state.
If people are not stuck, the state will get better first and then the pathology. After the state starts
reducing, they will have to look for a way out. Their outer situation will be very stressful and they
will try to find the quickest and safest way out. For instance, in the last case, it would be to get out of
business and into medicine. That is healing. This is the understanding that has helped me a lot in
practice. It explains why, in some cases, the pathology gets better first and the other last. It is not
necessary for the mental state to improve first. We are treating the state, not the pathology, and we
have to understand the state.
From this study of state and pathology, we also learn the importance and significance of dreams,
hobbies, etc. We are enable to follow the progress of the case more definitely: as the pathology gets
better, the dreams increase in number or, if the patient used to dream a lot, the dreams decrease in
number (when they return, it is time to repeat the medicine). This whole idea is an apparent
paradox, that pathology develops when the situation is too comfortable to allow the inner state to
express itself. I remember a Magnesium patient who told me that her chief anxiety earlier in life was
to get settled. As long as she was single she was fine, but after getting married, with a loving
husband, she developed asthma. She couldn’t understand why. When told that her asthma had
worsened because she was now married and settled, she exclaimed: “Oh, my God! Must I get a
divorce to become better, then?!”
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Learning homoeopathy through life
On a visit to England for a seminar, while on the plane, I happened to get a copy of the “Reader’s
Digest”. As I went through the various articles, I found that with my knowledge of Homoeopathy, I
could see these articles in a new light. I also found that I could understand the place of
homoeopathy in life much better. In fact, I can say that I found the “Reader’s Digest” rather like a
Homoeopathy Materia Medica… like Kent’s lectures or Tyler’s “Drug Pictures”. I found this study so
fascinating that I thought it might be worth an entire seminar discussing one issue of the “Reader’s
Digest”, and felt that this would bring Homoeopathy to life much more vividly.
Here, I give just one example of such an analysis. I have chosen the article, “The Boy and the
Billionaire”, which is reprinted with permission from the April 1992 “Reader’s digest”. Copyright (C)
1992 Print and Publishing Pvt. Ltd. I have followed this with an analysis.
The boy and the billionaire
It was his sense of humour that set Craig Shergold off from other children. A natural entertainer
with an exuberant personality, he loved to make people laugh. His greatest joy was putting on wigs
and funny hats and staging comedy skits for family and friends at his home in the London suburb of
Carshalton.
Craig brought the same buoyant enevgy to soccer. But in the autumn of 1988, his coach noticed a
change in the nine-year-old’s normally aggressive play. “He seems to have slowed down”, the coach
told Craig’s father, Ernie.
Craig complained of earaches, and his mother Marion noticed that his eyes blinked repeatedly when
he watched television. He seemed listless, but the family doctor blamed it on Craig’s grief over the
recent death of a beloved grandmother. As the weeks passed, however, he became more and more
subdued.
At Christmas, Craig did not even want to ride his new bicycle. This time the doctor blamed Craig’s
problems on ear infection. Antibiotics did not help.
A couple of weeks later, Craig suffered a violent bout of vomiting. Marion demanded an immediate
hospital appointment and a specialist put Craig through a series of test. Then he ordered a brain
scan. Afterwards Marion and Ernie were ushered into a doctor’s office. “I am afraid I have bad news
for you”, the doctor said, “Craig has a brain tumour.” Marion was speechless; Ernie bowed his head.
“The tumour”, the doctor continued, “was lodged in a very dangerous spot, near the top of the brain
stem, which controls breathing, heart rate and blood pressure.”
An ambulance carted Craig to the Great Ormond Street Hospital in central London, and tumour
surgery was soon scheduled. Marion didn’t want to tell her son, to crush that indomitable spirit. But
she had always been truthfull with him, and she didn’t want to break that trust. She sat at her son’s
bedside and held his hand. “Craig, do you know what you have?” “I think so, Mum.” He mentioned a
character from his favourite TV show who had a brain tumour. “I think I have got she has got”, Craig
said. Marion nodded. “I want you to be very brave”, she murmured. “I will be.”
Holding his stuffed elephant for luck, Craig was wheeled towards the operating room on January 17.
Marion and Ernie were at his side. Softly, Marion sang “I just called to say I love you”, one of Craig’s
favourite songs. Kneeling in the hospital chapel, Marion remembered when she and Ernie first
learned that she was pregnant after ten years of trying. They organized a big celebration at the
restaurant where Marion worked as a waitress. Marion led everyone in the singing, dancing an
laughing. When Craig was born on June 24 1979, the joy seemed certain to continue. Now she
pleaded her son’s life. Craig’s not ready for you, I won’t let you take him, because it is not his time
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yet.
It seemed her prayers went unanswered. After hours of surgery, the surgeon reported that he could
not remove all of the tumour because of its dangerous location. Two weeks later came the dreaded
news: the pathology report indicated a malignant teratoma, an aggressive cancer of the brain. After
his recovery from surgery, Craig would receive further treatment, but his death seemed all but
inevitable.
Media attention: Marion quits her job as she could stay with her son in the hospital. Ernie, a truck
driver, came after work in the evenings. One or the other was by the boy’s bedside twenty-four
hours a day.
Craig received so many get-well cards from family, friends and soccer team members that his doctor
joked: “You ought to go for the Guinness Book of World Records.”
Shortly before transferring to The Royal Marsden Hospital, where he would undergo chemotherapy
and radiation treatments, Craig received a video taped get-well message from his favourite TV
personality. Hearing this, a national newspaper published an article on this plucky boy fighting for his
life. Soon, other newspapers, along with radio and television picked the story. Craig became “Our Kid
Courage” to the British press.
Craig’s medical condition had worsened, however. His legs and left arm became weaker, his speech
slow and deliberate, his vision blurred. For all his pain, though, Craig never lost his sense of humour.
He even joked about the baldness caused by the chemotherapy. “Who is there?”, a visitor would
respond. “Ad-air”, Craig answered. “Ad-air who?” “Ad-air once, but now I’m bald”, came the punch
line.
The fact that so many people cared gave Craig hope. One night in the hospital, when chemotherapy
had sapped his strength, Craig fought against the sadness he felt. “Mum”, he said, “I’ll think about
the cards. Every time I do, it makes me feel better.” In September, in an attempt to build Craig’s
morale, the Shergold told the press he would try to establish a Guinness record for most cards
received.
Days later, a small truck pulled up outside the Shergold home, carrying several large sacks of cards.
The outpouring led to more publicity – which generated thousands more cards. He received cards
from Margaret Thatcher, Prince Charles, George Bush, Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev and two of
Craig’s idols: Michael Jackson and Sylvester Stallone.
Craig started having real hope of beating the record for most cards collected – 1,000,265 – held by
another English boy. This gave him a sense of purpose, made his condition something more than a
cruel twist of fate. In fact, so many cards were pouring in that Craig received his own “selection box”
at the central post office in London – making him the first person in British history to be designated
like a city for mail processing.
On November 17, 1989, the big night arrived. Craig, although shaky, was allowed to go to the local
soccer club for the ceremony. As 300 people gathered around, the local post office manager
presented Craig with card Number 1,000,266 – the record breaker. As Craig said “Thank you”,
everyone began singing “For he’s a good fellow”.
Some 6,000 kilometers away, in Charlottesville, USA, John Kluge began receiving letters from
friends. A soft-spoken man of 77, Kluge is a billionaire who made his fortune in the
telecommunication business. Kluge’s friends told him about Craig and all his get-well cards. They
urged Kluge to send a card. As Kluge considered mailing a card, an inexplicable feeling came over
him. Amid all the attention focused on the card campaign, he couldn’t help wondering: Had every
medical possibility been explored? Was there some treatment he could arrange for the boy?
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While Kluge had donated millions to worthy causes, he had never given money to an individual. He
didn’t want to start a precedent. And he didn’t want to raise false hopes for Craig’s family. Still, he
couldn’t shake the idea that there might be some hope for Craig. Kluge phoned a close friend, Dr.
Neal Kassell, professor of neurosurgery at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Centre. “Neal”,
he asked, “Could you contact the Shergold family? I have the feeling something important might
have been over-looked. I’ll pay for the expenses.”
Unable to reach the Shergolds by phone, Kassell sent a letter on August 7. Days passed, and the
Shergolds did not answer. His letter, of course, had disappeared into millions of others.
Since breaking the record, the number of cards had skyrocketed to over 26 million. Craig had been
in and out of the hospital regularly. On September 20, Craig’s physician, Dr. Diana Tait, asked Marion
and Ernie to come to her office. The news was not good. “The latest scans show Craig’s tumour is
growing again”, Tait said.
The outlook was bleak. The Shergolds were devastated. This time they avoided telling Craig the
news.
The next morning, to get her mind off the situation, Marion decided to open some of Craig’s getwell cards from the stacks of envelopes. Marion plucked the packet that contained Kassell’s letter.
As she read it, her hand began to tremble. “I can’t believe this.” She cried.
Marion called Kassell immediately and told him of the discouraging prognosis. Kassell said he could
promise nothing, but added that his medical centre had recently purchased a “gamma knife”, a new
instrument that could fire high energy radiation beams directly into brain tumours. “This might offer
a possible treatment for Craig”, he said.
When Ernie returned home after work, Marion handed him the letter. “I think God may have given
us a miracle”, he said.
Neal Kassell leaned towards the light box for a closer look at the brain scans. In the centre of Craig’s
brain, he saw a grey, egg size tumour that compressed his midbrain area and squeezed the brain
stem. Kassell’s hopes sank. The tumour was too big to be knocked out by the gamma knife.
Moreover, the mass appeared to branch out and invade surrounding tissue. This seemed to confirm
the lab finding that the tumour was malignant. If true, Kassell realized Craig could never be cured.
Besides, he thought, if he did operate, Craig had a one-in-five chance of dying as a result of the
surgery. And even if the operation succeeded, he wondered, what would Craig really gain? A few
months of life? Kassell called Kluge with the bad news. “Some things are beyond medical help”, he
said. “Are you absolutely sure you can’t treat it? Kluge persisted. “Please think about it some more.”
Kassell began searching within himself. The father of three girls, he asked what he would want for
them in a similar circumstance. He realized he would give them a fighting chance – despite the risks.
Kassell spoke to the Shergolds in late November. “I might be able to help your son”, he said. The
surgical risks were great, the benefits chancy. All he could do, Kassell said, was surgically remove as
much of the tumour as possible and hit the remainder with the gamma knife. This might buy Craig
some time. Kassell suggested the couple ponder their alternatives over Christmas and let him know
their decision after the first of the year.
For Marion, the decision was agonizing. She didn’t want to put Craig through any more pain.
Ultimately, she and Ernie decided to let Craig make the decision. “Mum”, he said, “no pain, no gain.”
Surgery was scheduled for March 1 at the University of Virginia Health Centre. That morning,
Marion and Ernie stood at their son’s bedside as Craig reassured them: “I am going to be all right,
you will see.” Moments later, as orderlies wheeled him towards the operating suite, Craig, clutching
his stuffed elephant, called out: “I love you Mum and Dad.” He then began singing “I just called you
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to say I love you”.
Kassell removed a five-centimeter oval of bone from the top of Craig’s skull. Carefully separating his
cerebral hemispheres, then splitting the band of fibres joining the two halves, Kassell found the
greyish-white tumour almost in the exact centre of the brain. It was encapsulated by a membrane –
which has not shown up clearly on the scans. Good, Kassell thought, the tumour is much more
contained than I had dared hope.
Kassell sliced open the membrane and began snipping and suctioning out the tumour. Moment by
moment, his excitement mounted. This tumour did not appear malignant. Could it have somehow
changed character since the British lab analysis two years earlier? The more he cut away, the more
convinced he became that Craig might beat odds.
Three hours into the operation, one of his resident physicians became concerned that Kassell was
moving deep into Craig’s brain. “Don’t go in there”, the resident cautioned.
Kassell paused for a moment. The operation had been a big gamble from the start. Now, as he
looked through the operating microscope and saw the final remains of the mass nestled in Craig’s
brain, he knew he had to gamble again. He went even deeper. Kassell left only one small section,
mostly scar tissue, in a very risky area. The tissue appeared dead, incapable of ever regrowing.
The surgery had taken more than five hours. Kassell did not need the gamma knife. Drained and
exhilarated, he left the operating room and went to tell Craig’s parents the good news. Marion
leaped up and kissed him. In the intensive care unit Marion leaned over Craig’s bedside and
whispered: “Craig, the cancer is gone. All gone.” Craig’s eyes flickered open, and he smiled.
Craig’s recovery was remarkable. His speech became faster and clearer immediately. He could
pronounce words that had been impossible for him before the operation. Two days after surgery,
when Kassell walked into Craig’s room, Craig said: “Doc, you are supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”,
and broke into laughing.
Lab tests found no trace of malignant cells in the tumour tissue. No one would ever know what had
eliminated them. The important thing was that Craig’s tumour was benign.
A few weeeks later, John Kluge came to the hospital to meet the Shergolds. When the businessman
entered the room, Marion grasped his hand and thanked him. “You are our guardian angel”, she
said.
Kluge handed Craig a two-headed coin. “This way”, he said grinning, “you will never lose.”
Then Craig presented a gift to Kluge: a mounted photograph of himself in a triumphant “Rocky”
pose taken several months earlier. In it, Craig wore boxing trunks and gloves; an American flag hung
in background. The inscription read: “Thank you for helping me win the biggest fight of all”.
Analysis of this story
Right from the very beginning, we see that Craig Shergold is a special child… he is “set off from
other children”. He is an entertainer and he loves to make people laugh. The idea here is that he
needs to be special, he needs to make people laugh in order to feel appreciated and loved.
We also see that Craig is normally quite aggressive and energetic. However in the autumn of ’88
there was a change. The change was from his aggressiveness to a listlessness. From one extreme to
another extreme. What brought about this change? We know that Craig lost his beloved
grandmother. What does the loss of a grandmother mean? In my understanding the position of a
grandmother in a child’s life is very special. There is a difference in the love shown by parents and
the love shown by a grandparent. Often, the love shown by one’s parent seems conditional for the
child (for example: “I will give you a gift if you do well in school.”), whereas the grandparent’s love is
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usually unconditional. You get the gift anyway. The loss of the grandmother to Craig could mean the
loss of the only person in the world from whom he could get love without needing to do anything,
especially without needing to entertain, perform or achieve. Following the death of the
grandmother, it is possible that Craig felt a great increased need to achieve, perform and entertain…
It became too much for him. Under this strain, he gave up and became listless and subdued.
So, we see in Craig the need to perform, and when this need becomes too much, we see the
opposite – the inability to perform and the collapse. We see also this quick change between one
extreme to another, from the heights to the depths.
Where could this nature have come from? I would think it is from his mother, Marion. Right from
the very beginning we see that Marion can be a very demanding person. She demanded an
immediate hospital appointment. Also, it is Marion who prays in the chapel, and it is in her
restaurant that the whole celebration is organized. We see Marion as a person who sings, who
dances and who laughs and seems to have the same energetic, exuberant attitude as Craig. Still
later, we find the other extreme, where she pleads for her son’s life, and even seems to dictate to
God saying: “Craig is not ready for you. I won’t let you take him because it is not his time yet.” So,
the quality of exuberant energy, the high and low, seems to come from Marion. Now, we come to
the interesting part, the miraculous cure of the tumour. How did this happen?
Craig became famous, he became special through the publicity he received. His parents encouraged
this by making him aim at the Guinness Record. It was this aim, this fame, this possibility of
becoming someone special, that turned the tide for Craig. We know that Craig needed to be
someone very very special. He needed a lot of appreciation, he needed to be valued. This need was
so high that it could only be satisfied by becoming a Guinness Record holder.
He could now live his delusion of being “a very special person”. As we saw in a previous chapter,
“State and Pathology”, when a person is able to live his delusion, he does not need the pathology.
Thus, with Craig actualizing his delusion of being somebody special, his need to have a brain tumour
was no longer present.
What could be the remedy for Craig and his mother Marion? The need to perform and to be
aggressive which both of them share is the quality of a metal (as we have seen in the chapter on the
Periodic Table). Of the metals, they need the one which craves appreciation (“Delusion she is not
appreciated”) and one that is entertaining (“Jesting”), one that is very special and highly valued
(“Egotism”), one that is set off from the others (“Forsaken feeling, stranged”). It is obvious that we
are talking about Platina. The qualities of Marion can be translated into rubrics:
1. Begging, entreating, supplicating;
2. Crying for help;
3. Singing;
4. Religious;
5. Dictatorial.
Craig’s tumour was cured after he created a record and received letters from the world’s most
famous people. But, was he really cured of his state of Platina? From his statements even after the
surgery, it is quite clear that he is in the same state (i.e. of Platina). even in the last sentence, Craig
says: “Thank you for helping me win the biggest fight of all.” Every word here is a Platina word,
namely:
1. Biggest of all;
2. Fight;
3. Helping;
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4. Me;
5. Win.
In fact, as a post-script to the story, I must add that the last time I was in London, I heard that Craig
has started a new project, i.e. to set up the Guinness Record for collecting the largest number of
visiting cards (calling cards).
Therefore, Craig’s need to be someone special (extra-special, unique, better than anyone else)
persists and so long as this need is satisfied, he will be free of pathology. But when he can find no
means for being extra-special, he probably develop some pathology, unless he receives Platina.
I was also curious to know the remedies for the other people in this story, namely the billionaire,
the doctor and Craig’s father.
In the billionaire, John Kluge, we see the following qualities:
1. He is soft spoken.
2. Anxiety for the health of others.
3. He keeps in the background.
These qualities could be translated into rubrics like:
1. Mildness.
2. Anxiety for others.
3. Talk, indisposed to.
The remedy that emerges is Cocculus. However, there are probably many other aspects to his
nature which we know nothing about, and hence can’t
be too sure about this suggestion.
The character of Dr. Kassell comes out best during the surgery. At the point where Dr. Kassell was
moving too deep into Craig’s brain, the resident doctor cautioned him not to take the risk. At this
point, Dr. Kassell took the responsability and went it. Undoubedtedly, he asked himself what he
would do if this was his own child, as he asked himself before deciding to operate. The main feature
of Dr. Kassell, therefore, is strong sense of responsability, a strong will. These two qualities come
together in the noble metal, gold (Aurum metallicum) which I think could be the remedy for Dr.
Kassell. It is interesting to see that Aurum metallicum in the Periodic Tanble is just one heavier than
Platinum.
Now, as to a possible remedy for Craig’s father, Ernie. The qualities of Ernie are that he is very
reserved, keeps very much in the background and, in this sense, is the exact opposite of his
exuberant wife and child. In my view we need to look for a remedy that is complementary to Platina,
is reserved and holds back emotion. I would think of Staphysagria as a possible remedy.
Such an analysis as we have done here is obvioiusly mere well-thought guesswork, and may be
criticized by some. Yet, I believe that observing life around us is an important avenue of knowledge.
One should not shy away from it, or remain confined within the closed doors of one’s consulting
chamber. My attempt in this article has been to try and expand one’s horizon and explore the
possibility of learning about Homoeopathy from life and about life through Homoeopathy.
The homoeopathic approach in life
While on a visit to Europe, I was invited to the weekly meeting at a clinic where eight homoeopaths
work together and asked to speak about something. When I entered, there was a heated discussion
about some problems they were having with each other. This discussion was in German, yet I could
grab something of what was happening. One of them felt the the problems of the clinic needed to be
solved by a counseller whereas the head of the clinic felt it wasn’t necessary, and that he could solve
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it himself. A fierce argument ensued, and the doctor who wanted to call a counseller was being
verbally attacked, and the leader became more aggressive with time. One of the doctors strongl y
supported the leader, two were quiet, and the others took an independent role each. Soon, the
leader established his supremacy, supppressed the first doctor (who was almost crying) and the
whole discussion ended with some kind of agreement, albeit a forced agreement, to keep things
status quo and discuss the whole thing at some future date. When I was invited to speak after the
discussion, I took the whole group as an example and began asking: “Why does a homoeopathic
group find an allopathic solution to a problem?” After asking this question, I said that the
homoeopathic solution would be to look at what is happening and to see the role of that each is
playing – to ask why each needs his role. I asked the leader why he felt threatened when his
leadership is questioned, and I ask the other doctor why she feels victimized. Why does she get into
this situation where she is going to be pushed down and knows it? In other words, what are the
psychological pay-offs for these roles, what is the delusion about oneself that necessitates one to
find these pay-offs?
Turning to the leader, I started to examine his leader role in other areas of his life and why he needs
to be always the one in the centre and on the top. For the one who strongly supported the leader,
we had to ask what it means for him to always support this one person without going into the merits
of the argument.
In this way, slowly, the weakness of the different members of the group came out and, because
there was an atmosphere of togetherness and basic good feeling for each other, the group did not
hesitate to speak out their feeling, “express” their weaknesses. The result of such a looking inwards
and also looking at the other – which also meant looking at what happened between the two and in
the group – almost instantaneously brought about a visible easing of the tension that was felt earlier.
I then explained that for me this process was Homoeopathy and we could see it working in the group
itself. Thus, I could demonstrate the basic idea that disease is delusion, awareness is cure.
What had happened earlier was no solution to the problem, to suppress the whole thing and
pretend it is solved when everybody knows that nothing is solved at all. Awareness is the only
solution, the only cure, but there are a number of substitutes which we all use in solving problems. I
wish to discuss some of these substitutes and perhaps you can see them in yourself and in the world
around.
The non-homoeopathic solutions
1. Denial
Explanation: To say that the problem does not exist, to say that there is no problem at all, it is only a
figment of imagination to which we should pay no heed.
Example: You go with burning feet to the doctor, he says you have nothing wrong with your feet.
2. Ignoring it
Explanation: To say that the problem exists but it is not worth looking at.
Example: You go with burning of the feet and the doctors tells you: “Just forget it.”
3. Explaining it
Explanation: Giving a reason why the problem could exist.
Example: With the burning feet the doctor says it must be due to neuropathy. And usually the
reason has no solution.
4. Avoiding it/living with it
Explanation: Doing nothing about it.
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Example: You have burning feet, the doctor says you have to live with it.
5. Relieving it
Explanation: When the problem becomes acute enough not to be denied/ignored then it has to be
relieved in some way.
Example: You go with burning feet, the doctor says : “Put them in cold water.”
6. Positive thinking
Explanation: Telling youself that not only you don’t have the problem but that you have the exact
opposite of the problem. You have already conquered it. (This is the worst of the solutions.)
Example: Doctor asks you to tell yourself 10 times a day: “I have no burning feet; in fact, I have the
coldest feet.” To a person who feels weak, you make him say: “I feel strong, there is hope, nothing is
impossible, the sky is the limit. I will do it.”
7. Taking it away
Explanation: This is the surgical solution to the problem.
Example: When the feet burn too much and none of the above work, just cut the sensory nerves. A
divorce, breaking of relationships, leaving a job, moving out of troublesome area in life, these would
be the solutions.
Homoeopathic solutions
1. Specifics
Explanation: To have only a fixed explanation (a set of explanations) for that problem.
Example: Burning feet – this must be Sulphur!
2. Combinations
Explanation: To say that the problem could be due to any one of four reasons and since you don’t
want to take trouble of deciding which one, you give all four “solutions” together and hope one of
them works out.
Example: You have burning feet. It could be due to Sulphur/Phosphorus/Lachesis/Arsenicum. So,
mix all the four and give it to the patient.
3. Pathological remedies
Explanation: This is similar to the specific remedy, except that you know the pathology behind the
symptom and assume that the pathology has a specific solution.
Example: You know that the burning feet in this case is due to thramboangitis obliterans and
therefore try Secale cornutum.
4. Miasmatic remedies
Explanation: You do not get any solution from anywhere and assume that there is some block and
try to remove this block.
Example: The burning of the feet hasn’t gone with Sulphur. So you think there is a sycotic block and
give Medorrhinunm.
5. Repertorial remedy
Explanation: You randomly collect some features of the problem and mechanically sort out what
could be the likely remedy, without understanding the case at all, except that such and such remedy
has been found with these various features, so it must be the correct one. So, there was burning
feet, increased appetite, desire for sweets, desire for bitter things. Sulphur covers three out of four,
i.e. it covers three out of four places, therefore it is the solution.
6. Fitting it
Explanation: Here we look at several aspects of the problem but fit the whole thing into one block
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or prefabricated solution.
Example: The burning feet is found in the man who is crying when alone, had disappointment in
love and therefore this person must be having the delusion of Natrum muriaticum and it must be
that his basic feeling must be the feeling of being unworthy of the love of the person he values. His
destiny is grief and it must have come from a disturbed relationship with the father in childhood.
7. Superficially similar remedy
Explanation: Here the problem as it appears on the surface fits nicely into a pattern, but actually this
problem and the pattern are based upon something deeper which we have not touched. It seems as
if the person is better but this only lasts for a very short time till an exciting factor rebuilds the whole
pattern. Therefore, the fundamental problem is intact. This is like the man who was seeking a bride.
With a computerized matrimonial system he wrote that he needs someone who can sing, entertain,
be in the house most of the time, energetic, and said he doesn’t mind if one or two of these things
are missing. The computer came up with a TV set and said it has all the features asked for except
one.
Example: The pattern looks like Stramonium. But the question is why is this man in a Stramoniumlike pattern – you may find that this Stramonium-like pattern is brought on by a frightful situation in
a person with the base of Calcarea carbonica below, i.e. he looks terribly frightened and you might
say “Delusion, he is alone in a jungle” but if you ask why he is in darkness, then you might see that
below it there is the feeling of being weak, unprotected and unsecure: the feeling of Calcarea
carbonica. The Stramonium might make him feel better for the time being but he will land again and
again in the Stramonium state unless he becomes aware of the Calcarea carbonica feeling below it.
The real remedy
The highest ideal of cure, that is rapid, gentle and permanent restoration of health, can only be
achieved by the unprejudiced and real awareness of the root of the problem, which is usually a
delusion.
One can see that the solution we choose depends often upon the intensity of the problem and also
upon how much we wish to really go to the depth of it. The world is not ready for Homoeopathy yet.
Most of our problems are not yet intense and threatening enough to compel us to go deep enough.
In fact, even as homoeopaths we tackle most of our problems in one the above mentioned ways. To
deny/avoid/suppress/explain/cut it off or “fit in” seem to work and these certainly are much less
troublesome and exacting than going into the crux and becoming aware of the real problem.
Problems between nations too are dealt with superficially and hence are usually never solved, but as
long as the earth turns around, people are not too concerned.
Slowly yet surely, however, a sporadic few have started to introspect. The movement towards
spirituality, holistic health, environmental awareness are sure signs that there is a change towards
the homoeopathic way of life and healing. When this sporadic movement gains momentum, when
the intensity of the world’s problems prove superficial measures insufficient and when people are
compelled to see the global problem as originating from the individual problem and the global cure
through the cure of the individual, real cure through awareness, it is then that Homoeopathy will
blossom and become the medicine whose time has come.