At 03:33 PM 11/11/2001 +0100, you wrote:
Hello all,
Disease is a mistuning of the vital force not causative toxins. The
disease-tuned vital force is the proximate cause and its correction is that
which leads to healing. That is the vitalist view. Causative toxins is a
materia peccans. What you have written is not the proper understanding of
the Striking, Exceptional, Unusual, Odd Characteristics of the disease case
of aphorism 153 of the Organon. Hahnemann did not even uses the term
"strange, rare and peculiar". Striking, Exceptional, Unusual and Odd
characteristics of the disease case does not mean "weird, hardly every
found, and too peculiar to use often". It means that which stands out and
defines the essential nature (Gr. Inbegrif) of the disease case and
separates the characteristic symptoms from what is common to all diseases
and all patients. This method is diagnostic as well as therapeutic.
I would recommend that you try to learn Hahnemann's terminology from
the view point of the Organon not Seghal or anybody else's work. Go to the
source with an open mind. The SEUO-SRP rubrics are not only for the
"constitutional remedy". One uses the SEUO rubrics to investigate causes,
constitution, temperament, social and domestic relationships, miasms,
traumas, and acute diseases. I would suggest you read aphorism 153
carefully and begin contemplating anew with a beginners mind and the wisdom
of experience.
Your using Seghalisms to define Hahnemann's teachings. You have the
wrong view of the SEUO-SRP symptoms. Please read aphorism 153 carefully.
Hahnemann's teachings on essence, totality and the disease-Gestalt are very
important. This is the basis for case taking. Then you must judge the
characteristic value of symptoms as taught in aphorism 153. This is the key
to finding what Hahnemann called the "homoeopathic specific remedy". Vide
aphorism 153.
"In the search for a homoeopathically specific remedy, that is, in the
comparison of the complex of the natural disease's signs with the symptom
sets of the available medicines (in order to find among them an artificial
disease potence that corresponds in similarity to the malady to be cure)
the more striking, exceptional, unusual, and odd (Characteristic) signs and
symptoms of the disease case are to especially and almost solely kept in
view. These above all, must correspond to very similar ones in the symptoms
set of the medicines sought if it is to be the most fitting one for cure.
The more common and indeterminate symptoms (lack of appetite, headache,
lassitude, restless sleep, discomfort, etc.) are to be seen with almost
every disease and medicine and thus deserve little attention unless they
are more closely characterized." (Organon of the Medical Art, Hahnemann,
O’Reilly 6th Edition, Aphorism 153.)
The first term is *Striking*. Hahnemann also called these symptoms
'marked". If a symptom is striking marked it is important because it STANDS
OUT. Striking and marked would include symptoms that is present,
predominating and persistent (PPP). Exceptional means they are not found in
every patient so they lead to the true simillimum. Unusual means they are
not found in every disease state so they help you find a specific remedy.
Odd means they have a high characteristic value that overrule less
characteristic symptoms. That is SEUO characteristics.
This offers knowledge of the causation, disease state and the curative
remedy. Hahnemann even said that the symptoms "common to all diseases" can
be used if they are “more closely characterized". So Hahnemann says you can
use those symptoms which characterize the diseases state as well as those
symptoms that are common to all disease where appropriate. This is the
proper definition of SEUO-SRP. Do you understand now???
Belladonna and Coccules are polychests and commonly used remedies.
Aphorism 153 and a careful judging the characteristic value of symptoms
certainly does explain why the above happens! It is because one is able to
judge the characteristic value symptoms. I use lesser known apsoric plants
and small remedies to cure chronic diseases at times. This is done by
learning how to judge the characteristic value of symptoms!!! Sometimes a
remedy not known for the disease state (including miasms) will cure a
patient when the defining rubrics are a high grade characteristic. The best
way to do that is striking, extraordinary, unusual odd characteristic
symptoms of the psyche and soma.
True miasms are based on *prior infection* not just any long term
degenerative diathesis. Many of Hahnemann's Paris cases were acquired
infections of the skin, TB, gonorrhea and syphilis. He saw these infectious
diseases daily because they were epidemic in the 1800s. This colored his
world view. He said psora (suppressed skin infections) was the cause of
most chronic diseases. Yes, this can cause almost any chronic disease
but......we have to bring this material up to date with modern realities.
Diet, hygiene, and civic projects caused a great reduction of infectious
diseases before antibiotics and most vaccinations. In the year 2001 many
cases Western are complicated by emotional maintaining causes,
overpopulation, stress, rapid urbanization, and chemical, radiation and
toxic overload. Some also are based on chronic miasms.
How many cases of scabies, infectious gonorrhea, infectious TB and
infectious syphilis do you see daily? When the inherited or acquired active
layer is based on an inherited or acquired miasms it is important to pay
attention to it for several reasons related to case management. Miasms are
important but they are not the only causation. Boenninghausen spoke of
categories seven causations that are more in line with modern ideas. Just
to cure a chronic disease with a apsoric plant remedy and then claim the
miasms do not matter is ignorant of greater realities. Many of us have do
that but don't make strange new claims. It just homoeopathy.
Many modern homoeopaths do not believe in acute-chronic,
functional-organic pathology, or any of homoeopathic pathology. The treat
every patient the SAME by the essence, mind, etc. This is the exact
opposite of Hahnemann's teaching on individualization. They just want to
use on simple method for everything. One has to know when it is appropriate
and know when it is not appropriate by the circumstances. Sometimes the
mental symptoms or constitutional remedy points to a medicine that the
patient cannot physically tolerate. This is why Kent said, "Don't give them
(a person with heavy organic pathology) the constitutional remedy they
needed 20 years ago!" .
There was a TB patient at the hospital and a Essence prescriber decided
he could ignore Kent's warnings and give this man Lycopodium because he
believed in treating all patients the same. He did not believe in acute,
chronic, functional and pathological diseases or time and progression. The
remedy did have the patient's mentals but it killed that patient! That is
what can happen if you treat every patient the same. To be a full
homoeopathician one must study the medical sciences and be able to adapt to
circumstances.
Many who come up with a brilliant idea think their way is the "only
way" or at least the "superior path". This type of ego is really prevalent
in the mind-only school and mental keynoters. They say they are practicing
the "highest method" so they don't need to learn all that "other stuff"
like single and multiple causations, individual or collective diseases,
acute and chronic states, functional and organic pathology disorder, stages
and degrees of development, miasmatic and non miasmatic, etc..
Such persons like to have one simple method that will do everything
without learning anything else. This is a archetypal complex that plays
itself out in many ways in individuals, society, countries, religions and
homoeopaths. I call this the panacea complex. They cannot live with chaos,
the uncertainty principle, flexibility and individualization. Well - these
states are integral parts of the world of physics, psychology and
homoeopathy. Hahnemann's system is designed to deal with these factors.
Extreme mentalism is common in the West where most people do not work in
a complete medical environment or hospital. Most Asians say most Westerners
are "stuck in their heads". I have seen what happens when they come to Asia
and are confronted with typhoid, malaria, cholera, leprosy, active TB,
active VD and the most advances states of chronic organic pathology
possible. Most of these cases would be in the allopathic hospital in the
West but in the East some are on your doorstep. Many essence folks cannot
handle this situation because they do not know the full field of
homoeopathic medicine.
Seghal, Scholten, Sankaran, etc., should be studied but.....don't forget
Hahnemann and the Organon. This is what helps put all the other works into
prospective. Many are practicing a trivialized version of homoeopathy and
are not using 50% of what Hahnemann really offers. At the same time, they
always think they are doing the "cutting edge". When you question them you
find out that they actually don't know every much about homoeopathy except
their personal version.
Seghal's explanations about PPP vs SRP, mind vs totality, and using
apsoric plant remedies to cure chronic diseases, etc., are doctrines with
little practical use to anyone outside the RH group. Homoeopathy has a
better, more expanded and flexible explanation. What is important is
Seghal's REPERTORY WORK (although I advise practitioners to learn the
entire repertory not just the mind section!)
Piet, review the Organon without any old concepts. Your rendition of
the Esse, Totality, disease-Gestalt and aphorism 153 is a refection the
confusions of modern homoeopathy rather than the Organon and its
philosophical background. Learn what these terms mean in their own paradigm
and then bring them up to date for yourself. I also had all the same
misunderstandings in the beginning. It took me 10 years to see that I was
projecting all my own modern confusions and half truths on to the Organon
and Hahnemann. Then it took me another 10 years to learn how to read it and
put it into practice.
You are a lot smarter than me and I don't think it will take you 20
years to understand the real philosophy, pathology and posology of the
Organon. That is why I have given you so much time. I have said what I can
say and what I think will help you. I don't think anymore discussion about
PPP vs SRP and mind vs Totality will matter now. They are all the same
thing in the bigger picture. Please study Hahnemann's work more closely,
read about Goethe, and review Jung's work. They all come from the same
source. This will help you (and others) to understand homoeopathic view and
practice in its original paradigm. Then bring it up to date with modern
realities.
Sincerely, David Little
PS. Please go back to discoursing on homoeopathy and psychology as your
were. I had no intention of diverting the discussion. I feel, however, you
should make an occasional disclaimer that advises students to study the
full range of homoeopathy. That would be helpful to students. So many in
the West are falling into THEIR minds-only that it is having a retrograde
action on homoeopathic education.
---------------
"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