Minutus

Dear David,
You mentioned in your email that you believe that Hahnemann's description of figwarts is condyloma lata. You can not be sure of this. It is possible that Hahnemann has mixed up Condyloma acuminatum and Condyloma lata, too. But his description of figwarts disease is not far from HPV warts (Condyloma acuminatum). You should consider the fact that there are different types of warts associated with HPV depending on its subtypes and location. HPV has more than 80 subtypes. For example plantar warts have different appearence than genital warts caused by different subtypes. Warts associated with HPV can be small cauliflower-like warts often occurring in moist areas like vagina, under foreskin of penis, perianal,... , smooth, flesh-colored bumps, scaly growths, subtle flat to minimally-raised white areas,... some warts itch, some bleed, some are painful,... Figwart IS the old name for condyloma acuminatum (associated with HPV). It has other traditional and common names like moist
wart, pointed wart, venereal wart and verruca acuminata. Sometimes it is not easy to morphologically differentiate Condyloma lata and Condyloma acuminatum. As condyloma lata is a manifestation of secondary Syphilis, the past history of the patient helps us to do this differentiation. It is probable that Hahnemann was unable to differentiate condyloma acuminatum and condyloma lata but it seems far from mind that he was just describing condyloma lata. In the last page of the Sycosis section of Hahnemann's chronic diseases, he mentions that he had found two cases in which all 3 chronic miasms existed; Figwarts disease, Chancre miasm and a developed Psora. By the two first miasms, it is not probable that he was describing Condyloma lata (belonging to secondary Syphilis and Chancre (belonging to primary Syphilis) simultanously in a patient!
Anyway, I have always enjoyed your thoughtful articles. Thanks for your contributions in Minutus.
Warm regards,
Ardavan

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At 02:39 AM 5/10/2006, you wrote:
Dear Ardavan,

My observation is that Hahnemann may have included condylomata lata
as part of sycosis along with the condylomata acuminatum associated with
HPV genital warts. He describes several types of excresences not just one.
I did not say that he was only looking at C. Latum. His original list of
symptoms of sycosis in 1828 seems to have been a mixture of several
venereal disorders he observed in a larger group of patient in his clinical
study. He did not have laboratory test to sort things out. I would like to
present the following data.

Dorland's Medical Dictionary defines the two major condylomata as follows.

1. Condylomata Acuminatum "a small, pointed papilloma of venereal origin"

2. Condylomata Latum "A broad, flat, syphilitic condylomata"

Hahnemann wrote in his article On Venereal Disease, Chapter IX, Venereal
Warts and Excrescences (1788) that "fig warts" (in italics) were "broad and
furnished with a pedicle". Now the differential analysis between genital
condylomata acuminatum is "small and pointed" versus condylomata latum
"broad and flat". Hahnemann described "fig warts" as broad not small and
pointed. The pictures I reviewed of condylomata latum really looked figs
more than the common genital warts caused by HPV. They are very broad and
came in groups like figs when fully developed.

Hahnemann NEVER mentioned growths like condylomata lata in his syphilis
study in the Chronic Diseases. Why not? As condylomata lata are a common
lesion of secondary syphilis he must have seen them. It was Hahnemann
opinion in 1788 that "condylomatous warts" were NOT syphilitic when the
rest of the doctors thought they all were! Did he still think the same
thing in 1828? It certain looks that way. Why did Hahnemann describe fig
warts as "broad" just like Dorland's Medical Dictionary defines condylomata
lata? This is no accident! He also spoke of cock's comb and cauliflower
growths but he did NOT call them fig warts. So what I am saying has some
basis in historical as well as modern studies.

I have yet to see an work that said that "fig warts" were an old name
for the common small and pointed genital wart associated with condyomata
acuminata. Hahnemann had a very specific definition of fig warts. Do you
have a quote and reference for this statement? I would like to see it. As I
have shown, Hahnemann had a very precise definition of fig warts as "broad"
like a fig. I have also shown that right from the start he did not think
syphilis produce any sort of condylomata. He was quite wrong about this.
This information makes it all the more likely that Hahnemann included
condylomata lata his study of sycosis. He "may" have even named sycosis,
the fig wart disease after C latum.

It obvious that Hahnemann mixed symptoms of TB with psora and may have
mixed condylomata lata of syphilis with sycosis, etc. After all this was
just the beginning. As Hering said it has been for later generations to
update these lists with new symptoms and correct the errors of the past.
That today's homoeopaths wish to bring this material up to date is very
good. I agree that much of what Hahnemann describes as sycosis, is related
to HPV but I am not so sure that is the whole story. I will deal with some
other aspects of this discussion of sycosis in Neisserian Gonorrhea & Sycosis 1

Sincerely, David Little

---------------
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medicines."

Samuel Hahnemann

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