Minutus

Hahnemann's Organon of Medicine
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Aphorism 104:

'When the totality of the symptoms that specially mark
and distinguish the case of disease or, in other
words, when the picture of the disease, whatever be
its kind, is once accurately sketched,1 the most
difficult part of the task is accomplished. The
physician has then the picture of the disease,
especially if it be a chronic one, always before him
to guide him in his treatment; he can investigate it
in all its parts and can pick out the characteristic
symptoms, in order to oppose to these, that is to say,
to the whole malady itself, a very similar artificial
morbific force, in the shape of a homoeopathically
chosen medicinal substance, selected from the lists of
symptoms of all the medicines whose pure effects have
been ascertained. And when, during the treatment, he
wishes to ascertain what has been the effect of the
medicine, and what change has taken place in the
patient's state, at this fresh examination of the
patient he only needs to strike out of the list of the
symptoms noted down at the first visit those that have
become ameliorated, to mark what still remain, and add
any new symptoms that may have supervened.
Footnote:

1 The old school physician gave himself very little
trouble in this matter in his mode of treatment. He
would not listen to any minute detail of all the
circumstances of his case by the patient; indeed, he
frequently cut him short in his relation of his
sufferings, in order that he might not be delayed in
the rapid writing of his prescription, composed of a
variety of ingredients unknown to him in their true
effects. No allopathic physician, as has been said,
sought to learn all the circumstances of the patient's
case, and still less did he make a note in writing of
them. On seeing the patient again several days
afterwards he recollected nothing concerning the few
details he had heard at the first visit (having in the
meantime seen so many other patients laboring under
different affections); he had allowed everything to go
in at one ear and out at the other. At subsequent
visits he only asked a few general questions, went
through the ceremony of feeling the pulse at the
wrist, looked at the tongue, and at the same moment
wrote another prescription, on equally irrational
principles, or ordered the first one to be continued
(in considerable quantities several times a day), and,
with a graceful bow, he hurried off to the fiftieth or
sixtieth patient he had to visit, in this thoughtless
way, in the course of that forenoon. The profession
which of all others requires actually the most
reflection, a conscientious, careful examination of
the state of each individual patient and a special
treatment founded thereon, was conducted in this
manner by persons who called themselves physicians,
rational practitioners. The result, as might naturally
be expected, was almost invariably bad; and yet
patients had to go to them for advise, partly because
there were none better to be had, partly for fashion's
sake.'

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Minutus appreciates your fruitful contribution!

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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
Website: http://www.minutus.org
Email: ashahrdar@yahoo.com
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