Ancient Homoeopathy

[David Little]

Dear Colleagues,

I ran across an interesting quote in Homoeopathy, The True Science of
Health, by Dr. Dhama, an experienced Indian homoeopath. His book is a very
good introduction to homoeopathy that is sold in India.

"Aristotle, about 350 BC, gave the following dictum:

'If simile acts upon simile, the result of this mutual action reveals
itself in neutralization, annihilation of the original qualities and in
production of another state, which is exactly contrary to the previous
one....If the simile of the remedy acts upon the simile of the disease, the
result of this mutual action in neutralization of the original qualities,
viz., of the pathopoiesis of the remedy and the pathogenesis of the
organism, and change into the contrary state, viz, health'.

Hahnemann was a scholar of ancient Greek and could read the original
texts of masters like Pythagoras, Hippocrates, Plato and Aristotle all of
whom wrote on medical subjects. It is no accident that the above account of
the use of similars and explanation of cure in 350BC is so similar to what
is found in the Organon and the Chronic Diseases. This dictum explains how
a similar remedy and a similar disease neutralize each other (primary
action) as well as points out that the secondary action changes the
organism to the contrary state, i.e. health.

Sincerely, David Little
---------------
"It is the life-force which cures diseases because a dead man needs no more
medicines."

Samuel Hahnemann

Visit our website on Hahnemannian Homoeopathy and Cyberspace Homoeopathic
Academy at
http://www.simillimum.com
David Little © 2000

[Tanya Marquette]

thanks for this tidbit David,

what i would also like to find is reference to even earlier understandings of this principle. i read
somewhere that it could be traced back to the Delphic oracle when it was still matriarchal. that
would place it about 5000 yrs ago. and if that's the case, i would imagine that principle was in
much wider use among early civilizations.

tanya

[David Little]

At 07:36 AM 7/30/2002 -0400, you wrote:

Dear Tanya,

The use of homoeopathic ritual goes as far back early aboriginal
period of human history. The use of similars in this manner has been called
"homoeopathic magic" by some commentators. Hippocrates, however, made the
principle very clear and scientific in his writings. I would like it very
much if you can find a references to the Delphic oracle, etc..

Sincerely, David Little
---------------
"It is the life-force which cures diseases because a dead man needs no more
medicines."

Samuel Hahnemann

Visit our website on Hahnemannian Homoeopathy and Cyberspace Homoeopathic
Academy at
http://www.simillimum.com
David Little © 2000

[Wendy Howard]

>what i would also like to find is reference to even earlier understandings

The Greeks were the inheritors of ancient Egyptian traditions, so much of
their medical knowledge can be traced back 5,000 years at least. The
Egyptian civilisation was a remarkably developed one - and one which came to
prominence almost literally overnight. It included a well-structured "health
service" with an accurate understanding of anatomy and physiology and a
considerable pharmacopeia featuring elaborately-prepared plant, mineral and
animal-product remedies - many of which can be related to modern approaches
(eg. use of stale bread crumbs in wound treatment formulations - the
bread-crumbs not only absorbed wound exudates but also produced mould, ie.
penicillin). This sudden appearance of a cohesive and sophisticated
civilisation in the Nile valley 5,000 years ago naturally leads to the
assumption that the various practices that are evidenced in the papyri were
at least partly based on knowledge handed down from prior civilisations ...

The Egyptians used a wide spectrum of vibrational healing techniques
(affirmations, sign, signature, similarity, therapeutic dreaming, ritual) as
well as more practical approaches. They certainly used the concept of the
simillimum - a child's name was chosen to match their vibration, so that
calling a person's name was equivalent to giving them a dose of their
simillimum (this is found in other societies too) - and they used this in a
variety of ways.

This is an instruction from the Ebers papyrus relating to a woman who
suffers odour from the vulva when walking:
"You say: "what is the smell that she emits?". If she says to you: "I emit
the smell of burnt meat" you say: "It is nemsu of the vagina." You do thus
for it: You fumigate her with burnt meat the smell of which she emits."

It's hard to make direct comparisons between homeopathic remedies and
Egyptian medicine because many of the ingredients in the latter are unknown,
but it's certainly possible to identify common ground.

Here's one of several cures listed for subinvolution of the uterus:
"oakum-tar (?) that is on the wood of a ship (zopissa?), is rubbed with
dregs of excellent beer, and let her drink it." Kreos is in the rubric
FEMALE; SUBINVOLUTION.

"Remedy to prevent a woman from getting ill in her urine: northern salt 2
ro, mhwt 4 ro, sweet beer 25 ro, honey 5 ro, are injected into the hinder
part." Nat-m is one of the principal remedies in urinary problems.

Regards
Wendy

[Tanya Marquette]

Dear David,

I am thinking i saw a reference to the delphic oracle in a book on holistic healing and women. i will try to find
it.

tanya