Hahnemann's Organon of Medicine
*******************************
Aphorism 10:
'The material organism, without the vital force, is
capable of no sensation, no function, no
self-preservation, it derives all sensation and
performs all the functions of life solely by means of
the immaterial being (the vital principle) which
animates the material organism in health and in
disease.'
Footnote:
'It is dead, and only subject to the power of the
external physical world; it decays, and is again
resolved into its chemical constituents.'
***********************************************
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=====
"Life is beautiful, if you look at it in a beautiful way."
Dr Ardavan Shahrdar, MD, DIHom
President of Iranian Homeopathic Association
Email: ashahrdar@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.minutus.com
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Hahnemann's Organon of Medicine - Aphorism 10
-
Ardavan Shahrdar
- Moderator
- Posts: 1277
- Joined: Sat Jun 17, 2000 10:00 pm
-
Sara Klein Ridgley PhD
- Posts: 88
- Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2020 3:48 pm
Re: Hahnemann's Organon of Medicine - Aphorism 10
Dear Minutians:
I sent the following post to Ardavan and he asked me to post it to the
list as well.
I have been studying the Organon in the O'Reilly/Decker translation, and
have found some very enlightening nuances and differences from the older
translations that I have read prior to this edition.
Of special note is Decker's mastery of the German language AS IT WAS
USED DURING THE TIMES OF HAHNEMANN. This seems to me to be of crucial
importance. As someone who speaks many languages myself, I know that
the passage of time has a profound effect on languages, and it is clear
that current German very well may have different meanings to words used
200+ years ago. This post is long, but I think it is worth our while...
Sara
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Ardavan,
I am inspired to copy for your benefit the same Aphorism from the
O'Reilly translation of the Organon. Here it is:
Aphorism 10:
The material organism, thought of without life force, is capable of no
sensibility, no activity, no self-preservation. It derives all
sensibility and produces its life functions solely by means of the
immaterial wesen (the life principle, the life force) that enlivens the
material organism in health and in disease.
The side note on this aphorism read:
Without the immaterial life force, the material organism is dead.
The footnote reads:
Without life force, the material organism is dead and is only subject to
the power of the physical external world. It decays and is again
resolved into its chemical constituents.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, although it is CLOSE in this aphorism, there are still little
nuances that are noteworthy, such as sensibility vs sensation, which is
a rather great difference, and of course, not using the term vital force
and 'animates', as the original German does not refer to these terms, as
Hahnemann was not a Vitalist, rather a Dynamist. The term sensibility
has much wider implications than the word sensation. Also, important is
the use of the word WESEN, which is so difficult to translate, but which
is given a vast consideration in the O'Reilly book, and which includes,
among other differentiating definitions, also the concept of a CONSTANT
WESEN vs a CHANGEABLE or CHANGING WESEN.
The Glossary defines them as follows:
SENSIBILITY: (Empfindung in the German original) Sensibilitat (Latin)
Sensation is somatic feeling (e.g., pain, itching). Sensibility is the
ability to feel or perceive which includes not only sensation, but also
mental or emotional responsiveness, an aesthetic receptiveness to
impression. Empfindung can mean either 'sensation' or 'sensibility' and
has been translated according to context (& 11, fn 67). Sensibilitat
has been translated as 'sensibility (&113, 139). See also FEELINGS.
WESEN (get ready, this is LONG!)
Wesen [pronounced va-z-en]. Wesen is a multi-faceted term which can
mean any of the following: essence, substance, creature, living thing,
nature, or entity. There is no single English word that adequately
translates WESEN. In almost every instance in the Organon, Hahnemann
uses the term to refer to that entity which is the essential unchanging
'esse' of something; its being, its quintessence. A wesen is not an
abstraction; it is a dynamic, self-subsisting presence even though that
presence is not material and has no mass. A wesen is also not a
property; it permeates the whole of something and is indivisible from
it. The romantic philosophers of the nineteenth century (such as
Coleridge) used the word 'genius' in the same way that Hahnemann,
Geothe, and other German thinkers used the word 'wesen'. The world
'genius' also appears in the fifth edition of the Organon (&130) and in
various books and articles on homeopathic medicine. The term is most
frequently used in connection with the genius (i.e., the wesen) of a remedy.
Hahnemann indicates that the wesen of a disease (&7) impinges upon the
wesen of the human being (&10), resulting in a particular set of
symptoms. The wesen of a medicine (&20, &21) is introduced by the
medical-art practitioner in order to retune the mistuned wesen of the
patient, thereby restoring the patient to health. Hahnemann's use of
the word 'wesen' in these various contexts makes it clear that the life
force, diseases and medicines are all operating in the same dynamic
dimension.
The life force or the life principle can be interpreted either as the
wesen of the human being (i.e., as a self-subsisting entity) or as an
aspect of the human wesen (i.e., as a property of the human wesen). A
wesen cannot be a property of something because it is its 'esse', its
being. While Hahnemann generally writes about the life force or the
life principle as if it were an entity, he also makes certain specific
references to its being variable in amount (which can be true of a
property, but not of an entity). These include: a. his reference in fn
60 to the reduction and exhaustion of the life force as a result of
Broussais' system of blood letting, warm baths and starvation diet. b.
his reference in &288 to both the increase and the decrease of the life
force as a result of mesmeric treatment and c. his reference in the
Introduction to the 'supply' of life principle. The most consistent
interpretation of the Organon leads to the following conclusion: What
Hahnemann calls the dynamis (&9, &12) is the human wesen, while the life
force is its executive power.
A wesen always forms a unity with a particular body, but that body may
or may not have a material presence, that is, it may include a
particular material body or it may not. All wesens phenomenalize
themselves through a complete system of hierarchical functions (as in an
organism). The wesen is the source of acts committed through the body
with which it forms a unity.
The human wesen permeates and forms a unity with the entire body of a
particular human being. This includes but is not limited to one's
material body; it also includes one's larger supersensible sphere,
referred to by some writers as one's ambient (See 'ambient). In other
words, the human wesen permeates both the human organism and its
ambient, both of which are manifestations of the wesen. the wesen both
forms a unity with and is a common substratum of both. Therefore, the
human wesen sphere of action includes the individual's organism as well
as the circumstances, events and conditions which inform the whole
situation of the individual.
Hahnemann refers to various wesens other than the human wesen. Each
different medicine and disease is a wesen. A collective disease (such as
an epidemic or a miasmatic disease) is one which manifests in many
different people but whose wesen is the same in each case. The disease
wesen is the same even when it manifests with different symptoms in
different cases. The body with which a collective disease wesen forms a
unity is largely supersensible; only its manifestations are perceptible.
Hahnemann also describes the allopathic medical system as a wesen (p.
8--'The old school's material view of disease'). The body with which it
forms a unity is a body of thought, associated with certain organized
activities in the world (which could also be thought of as a kind of
supersensible corporate body). Its perceptible manifestations include
practitioners with a particular medical orientation and particular forms
of treatment which affect patients' symptoms in certain ways.
AMBIENT:
That supersensible sphere within the general environment which pertains
to a particular individual and which holds the factors to which one is
particularly resonant (i.e., the factors which impinge upon or affect a
particular individual and not another). The ambient comprises the
circumstances, events and conditions which inform the whole situation of
a particular individual, for example it is connected to one's
receptivity to certain diseases and not others. Hahnemann was aware of
the intimate relation between the human organism and its ambient; this
is reflected in his recommendations that the medical-art practitioner
record and carefully consider both a person's symptoms and circumstances
in order to obtain the image of a person's disease (&7, &18, &24). The
human wesen, or dynamis, forms a unity with the human organism and its
ambient, permeating both spheres. The term 'ambient' is used in the
Glossary to define terms; it is not used in the Organon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, if you have come this far....
Warmly
Sara
Ardavan Shahrdar wrote:
I sent the following post to Ardavan and he asked me to post it to the
list as well.
I have been studying the Organon in the O'Reilly/Decker translation, and
have found some very enlightening nuances and differences from the older
translations that I have read prior to this edition.
Of special note is Decker's mastery of the German language AS IT WAS
USED DURING THE TIMES OF HAHNEMANN. This seems to me to be of crucial
importance. As someone who speaks many languages myself, I know that
the passage of time has a profound effect on languages, and it is clear
that current German very well may have different meanings to words used
200+ years ago. This post is long, but I think it is worth our while...
Sara
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Ardavan,
I am inspired to copy for your benefit the same Aphorism from the
O'Reilly translation of the Organon. Here it is:
Aphorism 10:
The material organism, thought of without life force, is capable of no
sensibility, no activity, no self-preservation. It derives all
sensibility and produces its life functions solely by means of the
immaterial wesen (the life principle, the life force) that enlivens the
material organism in health and in disease.
The side note on this aphorism read:
Without the immaterial life force, the material organism is dead.
The footnote reads:
Without life force, the material organism is dead and is only subject to
the power of the physical external world. It decays and is again
resolved into its chemical constituents.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, although it is CLOSE in this aphorism, there are still little
nuances that are noteworthy, such as sensibility vs sensation, which is
a rather great difference, and of course, not using the term vital force
and 'animates', as the original German does not refer to these terms, as
Hahnemann was not a Vitalist, rather a Dynamist. The term sensibility
has much wider implications than the word sensation. Also, important is
the use of the word WESEN, which is so difficult to translate, but which
is given a vast consideration in the O'Reilly book, and which includes,
among other differentiating definitions, also the concept of a CONSTANT
WESEN vs a CHANGEABLE or CHANGING WESEN.
The Glossary defines them as follows:
SENSIBILITY: (Empfindung in the German original) Sensibilitat (Latin)
Sensation is somatic feeling (e.g., pain, itching). Sensibility is the
ability to feel or perceive which includes not only sensation, but also
mental or emotional responsiveness, an aesthetic receptiveness to
impression. Empfindung can mean either 'sensation' or 'sensibility' and
has been translated according to context (& 11, fn 67). Sensibilitat
has been translated as 'sensibility (&113, 139). See also FEELINGS.
WESEN (get ready, this is LONG!)
Wesen [pronounced va-z-en]. Wesen is a multi-faceted term which can
mean any of the following: essence, substance, creature, living thing,
nature, or entity. There is no single English word that adequately
translates WESEN. In almost every instance in the Organon, Hahnemann
uses the term to refer to that entity which is the essential unchanging
'esse' of something; its being, its quintessence. A wesen is not an
abstraction; it is a dynamic, self-subsisting presence even though that
presence is not material and has no mass. A wesen is also not a
property; it permeates the whole of something and is indivisible from
it. The romantic philosophers of the nineteenth century (such as
Coleridge) used the word 'genius' in the same way that Hahnemann,
Geothe, and other German thinkers used the word 'wesen'. The world
'genius' also appears in the fifth edition of the Organon (&130) and in
various books and articles on homeopathic medicine. The term is most
frequently used in connection with the genius (i.e., the wesen) of a remedy.
Hahnemann indicates that the wesen of a disease (&7) impinges upon the
wesen of the human being (&10), resulting in a particular set of
symptoms. The wesen of a medicine (&20, &21) is introduced by the
medical-art practitioner in order to retune the mistuned wesen of the
patient, thereby restoring the patient to health. Hahnemann's use of
the word 'wesen' in these various contexts makes it clear that the life
force, diseases and medicines are all operating in the same dynamic
dimension.
The life force or the life principle can be interpreted either as the
wesen of the human being (i.e., as a self-subsisting entity) or as an
aspect of the human wesen (i.e., as a property of the human wesen). A
wesen cannot be a property of something because it is its 'esse', its
being. While Hahnemann generally writes about the life force or the
life principle as if it were an entity, he also makes certain specific
references to its being variable in amount (which can be true of a
property, but not of an entity). These include: a. his reference in fn
60 to the reduction and exhaustion of the life force as a result of
Broussais' system of blood letting, warm baths and starvation diet. b.
his reference in &288 to both the increase and the decrease of the life
force as a result of mesmeric treatment and c. his reference in the
Introduction to the 'supply' of life principle. The most consistent
interpretation of the Organon leads to the following conclusion: What
Hahnemann calls the dynamis (&9, &12) is the human wesen, while the life
force is its executive power.
A wesen always forms a unity with a particular body, but that body may
or may not have a material presence, that is, it may include a
particular material body or it may not. All wesens phenomenalize
themselves through a complete system of hierarchical functions (as in an
organism). The wesen is the source of acts committed through the body
with which it forms a unity.
The human wesen permeates and forms a unity with the entire body of a
particular human being. This includes but is not limited to one's
material body; it also includes one's larger supersensible sphere,
referred to by some writers as one's ambient (See 'ambient). In other
words, the human wesen permeates both the human organism and its
ambient, both of which are manifestations of the wesen. the wesen both
forms a unity with and is a common substratum of both. Therefore, the
human wesen sphere of action includes the individual's organism as well
as the circumstances, events and conditions which inform the whole
situation of the individual.
Hahnemann refers to various wesens other than the human wesen. Each
different medicine and disease is a wesen. A collective disease (such as
an epidemic or a miasmatic disease) is one which manifests in many
different people but whose wesen is the same in each case. The disease
wesen is the same even when it manifests with different symptoms in
different cases. The body with which a collective disease wesen forms a
unity is largely supersensible; only its manifestations are perceptible.
Hahnemann also describes the allopathic medical system as a wesen (p.
8--'The old school's material view of disease'). The body with which it
forms a unity is a body of thought, associated with certain organized
activities in the world (which could also be thought of as a kind of
supersensible corporate body). Its perceptible manifestations include
practitioners with a particular medical orientation and particular forms
of treatment which affect patients' symptoms in certain ways.
AMBIENT:
That supersensible sphere within the general environment which pertains
to a particular individual and which holds the factors to which one is
particularly resonant (i.e., the factors which impinge upon or affect a
particular individual and not another). The ambient comprises the
circumstances, events and conditions which inform the whole situation of
a particular individual, for example it is connected to one's
receptivity to certain diseases and not others. Hahnemann was aware of
the intimate relation between the human organism and its ambient; this
is reflected in his recommendations that the medical-art practitioner
record and carefully consider both a person's symptoms and circumstances
in order to obtain the image of a person's disease (&7, &18, &24). The
human wesen, or dynamis, forms a unity with the human organism and its
ambient, permeating both spheres. The term 'ambient' is used in the
Glossary to define terms; it is not used in the Organon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, if you have come this far....
Warmly
Sara
Ardavan Shahrdar wrote: