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Comite International des Pharmaciens Homeopathes
224
Tt~E
BRITISH
HO~I(EOPATHIC
JOURNAL
remedies at the level of the diencephalon. H a h n e m a n n had taught the importance of mental symptoms and these experiments offered objective evidence for the hypothesis that the action of remedies was in the brain. Miss A. M. Binsard (France) discussed the experimental details, recording the activity of mice after treatment with potencies of Ignatia and Gelsemium compared with the effect of a standard dose of Diazepam. There was a significant reduction of anxiety using Ignatia 3 CH and Gelsemium 5 CH and a sedative effect from Ignatia 5 CH. Dr. M. Aubin (France), following up the work of J. Bildet in Professor Quilichini's department in Bordeaux University (1975), showed the protective effect of Phosphorus 15 CH on rats livers damaged by carbon tetrachloride. He measured three different enzyme functions as well as changes in the histological appearance of the liver. In a 1Vfeeting of the League Research Committee, Dr. Boiron reviewed the reports sent in b y member countries and these were ably translated from the French by Dr. Trevor Smith. India, Germany and Belgium reported worl~ on the Pharmacopoeia; provings h a d been dohe in India and laboratory experiments in all these countries. Clinical trials on a double blind basis were reported from France, and methodology was discussed. Methods for "Provings *~ were discussed in a special sub-committee in an a t t e m p t to revive an internationally acceptable protocol. Communication needed to be improved, and member countries were urged to send in more detailed reports of their own research programmes.
Comite International des Pharmaciens Homeopathes J . B. L. A I N S W O R T H ,
~.~.s.
The International Homceopathie Pharmacists Committee meetings were held on Sunday, 20 May 1979, at the H a m b u r g Congress Centre during the 34th International Congress for Homceopathic Medicine (Triennial Congress). A morning session of the Scientific Commission chaired b y Professor Netien, late of the Department of Botanic Medicine, Lyons, preceded lunch provided b y courtesy of the German hosts, jointly Dr. Willmar Schwabe Co., and DHU. oi Karlsruhe. The afternoon session was devoted to a meeting of the General Assembly chaired b y J. ]3. L. Ainsworth. The agenda of the morning session covered the following subjects: 1 Presentation of the French Homceopathic Pharmacists Syndicate's worl~ "Homeopathie---Pharmacotechnie et Monographie des medicaments Courant", virtually a draft Pharmacopoeia..
XXXIV
2
3
INTERNATIONAL
CONGRESS
225
Consideration of a draft document for inclusion in the International Homceopathic Pharmacopoeia dealing with the method of preparation of mother-tinctures. Discussion of mother-tincture monographs for the International Homceopathic Pharmacopoeia.
The French publication referred to in 1 is a joint venture which it is hoped will be adopted by the French Authorities as official. At present there are sixty-four monographs in loose leaf form---fifty-one of vegetable origin, twelve mineral or chemical, and one from the animal kingdom. The introductory section covers General Methods of preparation of mothertinctures, etc., and the finished products--pills, granules, tablets, etc. Analyses and assay procedures are also detailed. The work is on a continuing basis. Item 2 on the method of preparation of mother-tinctures for the International Homceopathic Pharmacopoeia is largely based on the French work, but in view of differences of technique between the German and French methods the International Homceopathic Pharmacopoeia draft details two main methods of mother-tincture preparation A (French), B (German). In the monographs reference is made to A and B and values for alcohol content and total residue are detailed. There is a definition of a mother-tincture which follows advice from the European Pharmacopoeia Commission experts: "Mother-tinctures are liquid preparations resulting from the action of alcohol on material of vegetable or animal origin or of mixtures of the expressed juice of plants with alcohol." The draft document is to be amended in certain detail before submission for expert opinion at Strasbourg. The need to have terminology up to date and internationally accepted was stressed by Dr. Schorn. The third subject for discussion virtually concerned the adoption of eleven monographs for vegetable drugs after amendments where necessary to the methods of preparation of the mother-tinctures to take account of t h e main national variations. Drafting of a further twelve monographs is in hand for the next meeting at Strasbourg.
Meeting of the General Assembly of C.I.P.H. The afternoon of the 20 May was given to the business of the full Committee of C.I.P.H. The main items of interest were a report from the member from Belgium on the work of the Working Group Homceopathy of the European Pharmacy Group which meets regularly at Brussels, and news of the work being undertaken by a Group in Belgium led by the President of the Belgian Pharmaceutical Association and composed of several Belgian homceopathic physicians. This aims to compile a Compendium of Homceopathic Medicines giving basic information of nomenclature, preparation used, and bibliographic references of 2,000 + items. More than 300 items have already been completed and the work is expected to finish in two years. The German delegate spoke of the official adoption of the German Homceopathic Pharmacopoeia which would become an official standard in July of this year. There are fourteen monographs completed at present and further groups of thirty are being worked out for adoption at intervals depending on progress with the officially constituted committees in Berlin. The Committee was visited by the President of the LIGA, who stressed
226
THE
BRITISH
HOM(EOPATHIC
JOURNAL
the need for continued close co-operation as had been achieved in the last three years. The President for the next two years is to be M. Pierre Mugler of Metz, and the General Secretary Dr. Charles Braun of Karlsruhe. Dr. J a n Fontijn of Zaandam remains as Treasurer. The next meeting will be at Strasbourg in June 1980.
Book review L'Homeopathie et Son Avenir. B y Dr. Alain Horvilleur. Presented by Michel Bousson. Editions Camugli, Lyon, 1979. (Pp. 262). According to the Introduction, this book is the first of a series entitled "Straight from the Specialist", in which a journalist interviews an expert at length and in depth about his subject and publishes the recorded conversation (edited no doubt). The questions are those which might be asked by a potential patient, an interested layman, or even another doctor who would like to find out more about homceopathy and its relationship to the medicine with which he is already familiar. The text takes the form of twenty-five "Consultations" in which the journalist "sounds" the physician on aspects of homceopathy that might attract the attention of a modern enquirer, such as: "Is there a doctor in the house?" (i.e. Is homceopathy useful in emergencies?); " W h y do homceopaths use such old-fashioned Latin names? .... What remedies would you take on a trip across the Sahara? .... How does a homceopathic doctor deal with depression? Cancer? Gynaecological problems? Children? .... What is the relationship between the homceopathic doctor and the acupuncturist? the dentist? the vet? .... W h a t causes a doctor to take up homceopathy?" Dr. Alain Horvilleur is the General Secretary of the International Medical Homceopathic League, so it is good to know that he has such a sure touch with the media at least the written medium. He shows himself to be a man of sincerity and common sense, whose answers are straightforward and informative--when he does not know something he says so. He makes no exaggerated or esoteric claims for homceopathy, but rather regards it as a valuable instrument in the hands of the modern doctor, whose first and only d u t y is, as Hahnemann said, to cure the patient. Improve your Savoir Faire! This is good bedtime reading, especially for anyone who is threatened with a television interview. M HARLING
Tt~E
BRITISH
HO~I(EOPATHIC
JOURNAL
remedies at the level of the diencephalon. H a h n e m a n n had taught the importance of mental symptoms and these experiments offered objective evidence for the hypothesis that the action of remedies was in the brain. Miss A. M. Binsard (France) discussed the experimental details, recording the activity of mice after treatment with potencies of Ignatia and Gelsemium compared with the effect of a standard dose of Diazepam. There was a significant reduction of anxiety using Ignatia 3 CH and Gelsemium 5 CH and a sedative effect from Ignatia 5 CH. Dr. M. Aubin (France), following up the work of J. Bildet in Professor Quilichini's department in Bordeaux University (1975), showed the protective effect of Phosphorus 15 CH on rats livers damaged by carbon tetrachloride. He measured three different enzyme functions as well as changes in the histological appearance of the liver. In a 1Vfeeting of the League Research Committee, Dr. Boiron reviewed the reports sent in b y member countries and these were ably translated from the French by Dr. Trevor Smith. India, Germany and Belgium reported worl~ on the Pharmacopoeia; provings h a d been dohe in India and laboratory experiments in all these countries. Clinical trials on a double blind basis were reported from France, and methodology was discussed. Methods for "Provings *~ were discussed in a special sub-committee in an a t t e m p t to revive an internationally acceptable protocol. Communication needed to be improved, and member countries were urged to send in more detailed reports of their own research programmes.
Comite International des Pharmaciens Homeopathes J . B. L. A I N S W O R T H ,
~.~.s.
The International Homceopathie Pharmacists Committee meetings were held on Sunday, 20 May 1979, at the H a m b u r g Congress Centre during the 34th International Congress for Homceopathic Medicine (Triennial Congress). A morning session of the Scientific Commission chaired b y Professor Netien, late of the Department of Botanic Medicine, Lyons, preceded lunch provided b y courtesy of the German hosts, jointly Dr. Willmar Schwabe Co., and DHU. oi Karlsruhe. The afternoon session was devoted to a meeting of the General Assembly chaired b y J. ]3. L. Ainsworth. The agenda of the morning session covered the following subjects: 1 Presentation of the French Homceopathic Pharmacists Syndicate's worl~ "Homeopathie---Pharmacotechnie et Monographie des medicaments Courant", virtually a draft Pharmacopoeia..
XXXIV
2
3
INTERNATIONAL
CONGRESS
225
Consideration of a draft document for inclusion in the International Homceopathic Pharmacopoeia dealing with the method of preparation of mother-tinctures. Discussion of mother-tincture monographs for the International Homceopathic Pharmacopoeia.
The French publication referred to in 1 is a joint venture which it is hoped will be adopted by the French Authorities as official. At present there are sixty-four monographs in loose leaf form---fifty-one of vegetable origin, twelve mineral or chemical, and one from the animal kingdom. The introductory section covers General Methods of preparation of mothertinctures, etc., and the finished products--pills, granules, tablets, etc. Analyses and assay procedures are also detailed. The work is on a continuing basis. Item 2 on the method of preparation of mother-tinctures for the International Homceopathic Pharmacopoeia is largely based on the French work, but in view of differences of technique between the German and French methods the International Homceopathic Pharmacopoeia draft details two main methods of mother-tincture preparation A (French), B (German). In the monographs reference is made to A and B and values for alcohol content and total residue are detailed. There is a definition of a mother-tincture which follows advice from the European Pharmacopoeia Commission experts: "Mother-tinctures are liquid preparations resulting from the action of alcohol on material of vegetable or animal origin or of mixtures of the expressed juice of plants with alcohol." The draft document is to be amended in certain detail before submission for expert opinion at Strasbourg. The need to have terminology up to date and internationally accepted was stressed by Dr. Schorn. The third subject for discussion virtually concerned the adoption of eleven monographs for vegetable drugs after amendments where necessary to the methods of preparation of the mother-tinctures to take account of t h e main national variations. Drafting of a further twelve monographs is in hand for the next meeting at Strasbourg.
Meeting of the General Assembly of C.I.P.H. The afternoon of the 20 May was given to the business of the full Committee of C.I.P.H. The main items of interest were a report from the member from Belgium on the work of the Working Group Homceopathy of the European Pharmacy Group which meets regularly at Brussels, and news of the work being undertaken by a Group in Belgium led by the President of the Belgian Pharmaceutical Association and composed of several Belgian homceopathic physicians. This aims to compile a Compendium of Homceopathic Medicines giving basic information of nomenclature, preparation used, and bibliographic references of 2,000 + items. More than 300 items have already been completed and the work is expected to finish in two years. The German delegate spoke of the official adoption of the German Homceopathic Pharmacopoeia which would become an official standard in July of this year. There are fourteen monographs completed at present and further groups of thirty are being worked out for adoption at intervals depending on progress with the officially constituted committees in Berlin. The Committee was visited by the President of the LIGA, who stressed
226
THE
BRITISH
HOM(EOPATHIC
JOURNAL
the need for continued close co-operation as had been achieved in the last three years. The President for the next two years is to be M. Pierre Mugler of Metz, and the General Secretary Dr. Charles Braun of Karlsruhe. Dr. J a n Fontijn of Zaandam remains as Treasurer. The next meeting will be at Strasbourg in June 1980.
Book review L'Homeopathie et Son Avenir. B y Dr. Alain Horvilleur. Presented by Michel Bousson. Editions Camugli, Lyon, 1979. (Pp. 262). According to the Introduction, this book is the first of a series entitled "Straight from the Specialist", in which a journalist interviews an expert at length and in depth about his subject and publishes the recorded conversation (edited no doubt). The questions are those which might be asked by a potential patient, an interested layman, or even another doctor who would like to find out more about homceopathy and its relationship to the medicine with which he is already familiar. The text takes the form of twenty-five "Consultations" in which the journalist "sounds" the physician on aspects of homceopathy that might attract the attention of a modern enquirer, such as: "Is there a doctor in the house?" (i.e. Is homceopathy useful in emergencies?); " W h y do homceopaths use such old-fashioned Latin names? .... What remedies would you take on a trip across the Sahara? .... How does a homceopathic doctor deal with depression? Cancer? Gynaecological problems? Children? .... What is the relationship between the homceopathic doctor and the acupuncturist? the dentist? the vet? .... W h a t causes a doctor to take up homceopathy?" Dr. Alain Horvilleur is the General Secretary of the International Medical Homceopathic League, so it is good to know that he has such a sure touch with the media at least the written medium. He shows himself to be a man of sincerity and common sense, whose answers are straightforward and informative--when he does not know something he says so. He makes no exaggerated or esoteric claims for homceopathy, but rather regards it as a valuable instrument in the hands of the modern doctor, whose first and only d u t y is, as Hahnemann said, to cure the patient. Improve your Savoir Faire! This is good bedtime reading, especially for anyone who is threatened with a television interview. M HARLING