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Reviews and abstracts: International press abstracts
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57 doi:10.1016/j.homp.2003.11.009, available online at www.sciencedirect.com
Obituary: Wyrth Post Baker J Winston This obituary of Wyrth Post Baker (1905–2003) pays tribute to an important figure in American homeopathy. His influence was particularly telling within the political arena as: ‘When [in the early 1960s] the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided to subject all Over The Counter (OTC) drugs to review, Wyrth went before the FDA and succeeded in persuading that body to exempt homeopathic drugs from that review. Had he not been able to do so, that would probably have been the death knell for homeopathic drugs, since the homeopathic community did not have the resources to meet the requirements for modern scientific proofs of efficacy.’ Sandra Chase, MD. Dr Baker was in practice for some 60 years (graduating in 1930 from the Hahnemann Medical College of Pennsylvania). He served for many years on the Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Convention of the United States (HPCUS) after helping to revitalize it in 1981. The 1st edition of the HPUS was published in 1897. It is currently in the 9th edition and published as a revision service, in loose-leaf binder format. He also served as President of a number of organizations including American Foundation for Homoeopathy, American Institute for Homoeopathy, Southern Homoeopathic Medical Association as well as the HPCUS. Homeopathy Today, June 2003, p 6.
Homeopathy and enneagrams: using the enneagram to diagnose miasms and kingdoms F Schmitt In this lengthy and sometimes confusing piece the French homeopath F Schmitt attempts to create a homeopathic methodological approach based on combining homeopathy with the enneagram personality diagnostic system. He discusses Hahnemann’s Chronic Diseases, definitions of disease, the treatment of chronic diseases, and the miasmatic approach before discussing his synthesis of the Miasm–Enneagram connection. Though little of the material is presented in great depth many interesting points are discussed. Dr Schmitt relates sycosis to cognition, psora to emotion and syphilis to drive (this corresponds to the anthroposophical view of man as having a three-fold nature, intellect, feeling, and willing, respectively). He also weaves into this piece the kingdoms of nature and some repertorization. There are many illustrations and diagrams.
‘The phobias and obsessions of Sycosis go well with the group of 5,6, and 7 centered in the mental realm and in flight.’ ‘The destructive anger and violence of Syphilis correspond well with the group of 8,9, and 1 centered in the drives and aggression.’ ‘Psora is characterized on the mental level by excess emotionality, which fits in perfectly with the predominance of the affect and seduction specific to the group of 2,3, and 4.’ ‘With this simple diagram, we can begin to better understand the essence of each miasmy’ The enneagram is an approach with great potential for psychological understanding yet it takes a great deal of study and reflection before one can use it effectively. In my view this material should have been divided into two articles, the first consisting of theoretical and historical aspects, the second devoted to clinical applications. This approach may have better served the reader. The American Homeopath 2003; 9: 72–81.
Archetypes of the Homeopathic Materia Medica: Sulphur DJ Lilley Noted British/South African homeopath, DJ Lilley, treats the reader to a discussion of archetypes (Sulphur, Calcarea, Lycopodium), in particular, Sulphur: ‘Archetypes are inherited, deep-seated patterns of behaviour, perceptions, values and identity, derived from the collective unconscious of the human race and inherent in the unconscious of the individual. They are portrayed in a mosaic of fundamental, symbolic forms representing the major ancestral types, which have evolved in the unfolding continuum of matter and life since the creation of the first hydrogen atom.’ The author explains Sulphur in depth. Much of the material will be familiar to homeopaths but the parallels between vulcanism and colour are stimulating: ‘There is a passion in the volcano, and in Sulphur, and this passion is not just the capacity for rage. It can be manifested in all facets of his life—a passion for life and living, expressed physically, intellectually, creatively or sexually—and also projected into his passion, be it sport, politics, science, philosophy or religion.’ The American Homeopath 2003; 9: 84–89.
The American Homeopath 9, 2003 This issue of the annual The American Homeopath under the reins of current editor Melanie Grimes, is 160 pages in length and divided into four sections: Homeopathy
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Interviews (N. Shah, M. Quinn, J. Snowdon, and J. Lillard), nine articles dealing with materia medica and clinical homeopathy with topics concerning the Macaw, bowel nosodes, Compositae family, Vines, Hura bras., archetypes, Oncorhynchus tshaw., and Taraxacum. The third section concerns Provings and includes several remedies: Hippocampus kuda, Enallagma carcunculatum, Chironex fleckeri, and Lampona cylindrata. Finally, in the fourth section, there are reviews of seven books: Aphorisms and Precepts from Extemporaneous Lectures by James Tyler Kent, The Materia Medica of Milk: A Collection of Articles from Homoeopathic Links, Dynamic Provings Vol. 2, Dynamic Materia Medica: Syphilis, Provings: with a Proving of Alcoholus, Patients in the History of Homoeopathy, and An Insight into Plants, Volumes I and II. This annual journal was started in 1995 by Greg Bedayn. All issues follow the same structure as outlined above. It sells for 35 USD+post and is published by the North American Society of Homeopaths. (NASH; www.homeopathy.org)
The bowel nosodes A Bickley The author presents background material on the bowel nosodes before discussing five in detail, Morgan pure, Morgan gaertner, Proteus, Dysentery co., and Gaertner. ‘So you can use Gaertner for antibiotic poisoning now, or in the past, or even if they seemed to cure the condition that was there originally. y sometimes it cures the antibiotic poisoning, and sometimes it cures the whole shooting match. It is an extraordinarily powerful remedy. Whenever I see recurrent courses of antibiotics, the file opens at Gaertner.’ The American Homeopath 2003; 9: 34–39.
A remedy to take seriously RC Hyde California homeopath, RC Hyde presents a detailed look at the Dandelion (Taraxacum: taraxos-‘ailment’, achos-‘remedy’) going into the herbal usage and history, Proving symptomatology, comparative materia medica (similar to Nux vom., Ant. Crud., Puls., Hydrastis, and Chelid.), and therapeutic accounts. She relates the fascinating account of her Proving with 30C: ‘As I studied Tarax, I began to realize that over my lifetime I matched the mental picture of the remedy well-basically cheerful, but with an undercurrent of impatience, a need to work to feel satisfied, chronic lateness, a lifelong compulsion to read leading to social withdrawal in favor of reading. I also have had difficulty starting work—whether the work was physiHomeopathy
cal or mental—but once the task was started, I would be deeply involved and want to finish it.’ The author finally suggests that more study of Taraxacum (‘yan herb/weed whose virtues have yet to be discovered.’) is needed. If one has interest in this remedy this article is noteworthy. She includes herbal and homeopathic bibliographies. The American Homeopath 2003; 9: 5–14.
Report of the AIH Bioterrorism Project Moskowitz, Fleisher, Schore, Merizalde, Wilson In this 40 page article the authors, led by American Institute of Homeopathy Bioterrorism Committee Chairperson Richard Moskowitz, MD, present contemporary information, materia medica and repertorial material, excerpts from the old masters concerning pathology, symptomatology, and homeopathic treatment and prophylaxis of smallpox, anthrax, plague, tularemia and botulism. This committee was established by AIH President Jennifer Jacobs, MD in December 2002 in the wake of the attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon on 11 September 2001. She did so to create an organized review of what extent homeopathic remedies might prove effective for treatment and prophylaxis. Aside from scientific and didactic material this article includes a materia medica for anthrax, rubrics and a materia medica for smallpox, a brief review of the literature in relation to the plague, and the homeopathic treatment of tularemia and botulism. The article which follows, ‘Variolinum, Vaccininum and Malandrinum: The Powerful Smallpox Nosodes and Their Therapeutic Use’ (E Scheiwiller-Muralt, pp 137–151), is a shortened version of an article which appeared in Homoeopathic Links (15:4, pp 234–245). In 1991, Dr Scheiwiller-Muralt ‘yput forward the hypothesis of a smallpox miasm and tested it in about two hundred cases. She found that smallpox nosodes ‘y are able to cure deep-rooted disorders in cases where well chosen homeopathic remedies have failed. These nosodes are most powerful, and their effect is deep, long-lasting and surprisingly fast.’ American Journal of Homeopathic Medicine 2003; 96: 94–136.
An introduction to ‘The Boenninghausen Repertory Therapeutic Pocketbook’ method G Dimitriadis This article presents the historical development of the repertory before going on to discuss, in detail, the
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Boenninghausen method which the author maintains is based on Hahnemannian principles. Dr Dimitriadis has spent the last 10 years working on this, culminating in the publication his The Boenninghausen Repertory (2000). While this repertorial method is superior to the Kentian method, the teaching of it requires great care if it is going to become a widespread and preferred method of repertorization. I say this because a great amount of material is presented in this scholarly article but it is overly complex and thus difficult to read and digest. The 94 footnotes cited are useful and are longer than the article itself. American Journal of Homeopathic Medicine 2003; 96: 152–163.
Hahnemann: the real pioneer of psychiatry P Morrell The title of this article is a bit misleading as the word ‘compassionate’ should be inserted before psychiatry. Nevertheless, the author improves upon his earlier piece published in the Journal of the American Institute of Homoeopathy. Morrell quotes extensively from Organon Aphorisms and particularly Aphorism #210: ‘Hahnemann also condemns outright the fact that the mentally deranged patient of his day all too ‘often witnesses the occurrence of ingratitude, cruelty, refined malice and propensities most disgraceful and degrading to humanity, which were precisely the qualities possessed by the patient before he grew ill,’ and which are very clearly non-curative, injurious, only aggravate the condition of the patient.’ The author offers no concrete conclusion concerning Hahnemann’s role in creating a more compassionate psychology: ‘yit is hard to see to what extent such modern ideas about the significance of mind or mental symptoms in homeopathy truly derive from the words of Hahnemann. One suspects that his own words have been hammered on an anvil of modern psychology into very distorted word shapes, belonging to a lexicon of concepts that would have been entirely alien to Hahnemann himself. This clearly remains a matter of opinion and debate.’ American Journal of Homeopathic Medicine 2003; 96: 164–169.
Rajan Sankaran on the Umbelliferae and Compositae families: a review V Burley Ms Burley, who writes a homeopathy column for The Daily Mirror and is a registered member of the
Society of Homoeopaths (SOH), reviews a seminar given by Sankaran. This seminar presented his philosophy and latest insights—that of ‘sensation’—which links the remedies within a particular plant family. Previously he had concentrated on delusion as a focal point. ‘Consider the Loganiaceae family, where the main sensation is shock. The way in which this shock is perceived and experienced will determine which member of the family is indicated. Nux vomica perceives the shock as something that must be recovered from as quickly as possible (hence symptoms such as ‘Anger from interruption’). This attitude represents the typhoid miasm, so we find that Nux vomica is the typhoid remedy of the Loganiceae. Gelsemium, on the other hand, perceives shock as something that must be avoided, so we have symptoms such as ‘Ailments from anticipation’. In this case, the qualities of avoidance and acceptance belong to the sycotic miasm. Whereas Ignatia perceives shock as something that must be controlled—a reaction typical of the cancer miasm. This is an example of how the various plant families can be differentiated according to the quality of sensation (level 5), rather than according to their delusion.’ Four cases are presented and Case 3 is summarized as follows: ‘She talked repeatedly of accident and injury, which suggests the Compositae family. The sensation for the family is of being injured, hurt or insulted, with a fear of being touched, hurt or approached. The remedy of the acute miasm in the Compositae family is Arnica. Her experience was at level 4 (delusion), so the potency given was 1 M.’ A fascinating article which provides insight into a great homeopath’s mind. See also ‘The Depth of Homeopathy’ (R. Sankaran, Homoeopathic Links, 16:3, pp 165–167) in which Sankaran explains his thought. The Homeopath 2003; 89: 8–12.
Bringing back the Baron W Howard This article is the result of the author spending 2 days with Roger van Zandvoort in order to better understand the work and thought of Clemens MF von Boenninghausen (1785–1864) the author of the first repertory, Repertory of the Antipsoric Remedies (1832; in 1835 he produced Repertory of Medicines Which are not Antipsoric). This wide ranging article/interview is another in the recent revival of the Boenninghausen Repertorial method and covers historical and clinical material. It is a useful look into Zandvoort’s penetrating Homeopathy
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reportorial thought. Julian Winston, homeopathic polymath, is quoted in a number of places: ‘As Julian Winston has pointed out, ‘That need [to distinguish between the patient and the particulars] is peculiar to Kent’s thought process.’ He cannot understand how someone can see in a way other than his. Kent had on very large blinkers. There were many things he was blind about. We should keep that in mind.’ This useful article is peppered with reference citings which use roman numerals. This is unfortunate as the reading becomes much more labored. Nevertheless it is worth the effort. The Homeopath 2003; 89: 16–22.
Zirconium sulphuricum: a case P Alex The author, who has recently been working in Torgau in the very building in which Hahnemann lived and worked from 1805 to 1811, presents a case handled by a synthetic remedy based on Scholten’s work. This article is noteworthy because the patient is profusely quoted and because of Alex’s thoughts on the chosen remedy, Zirconium sulphur. This remedy is presented in Homoeopathy and the Elements (Scholten) but only as a short dream Proving. Alex nicely justifies his thought and remedy selection.
homeopathy and quantum models. He discusses the memory of water linking it to cellular memory. He helps in understanding the concept of non-locality: ‘yeverything in the universe is inextricably and instantaneously linked to everything else in a vast matter–energy network that transcends ordinary notions of space and time. This fundamentally new view of the world is called ‘entanglement’ or, more simply, ‘non-locality’.’ He talks of ‘complementarity’, mathematical operations, weak quantum theory and suggests a number of quantum metaphors for homeopathy: ‘By replacing the two entangled particles with the patient and practitioner, the ‘handshake’ between them results in the remedy.Through this metaphor, I was able to develop quantum-theoretical interpretations of such homeopathic phenomena as aggravations (as incomplete entanglement), the treatment of animals (as being ‘entangled’ with their owners), and a concept of miasms as atemporal entities initiating and affecting dis-ease processes in time. Thus, the concept of treating miasms could involve the strange notion of healing in the past and the future, as well as in the present.’ Several of the 22 reference citings are noteworthy, eg The Interpretation of Nature and the Psyche (Jung and Pauli), The Non-Local Universe: The New Physics and Matters of the Mind (1999, Nadeau and Kafatos), and The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos (1994, Waldrop).
The Homeopath 2003; 89: 24–26. The Homeopath 2003; 90: 10–14.
Bluebell: a proving S Deeks This British homeopath presents a proving of Agraphis nutans 30C and 200C (Bluebell) on eight volunteers. Though certainly incomplete the Proving: ‘yseemed to bring out images of sadness and grief, along with a strong sense of fear and foreboding. There was also an identification of trust as an important theme in Agraphis nutans. In terms of opposition or polarity, we can see a tension between fear and trust; also between agitation and a sense of calmness.’ ‘The general state of the remedy is indicated by a desire to withdraw, and to hide (see Cooper’s amelioration from shelter). There is a dislike of consolation or attention.’ The Homeopath 2003; 90: 8–9.
Homeopathy and the quantum world 2 why bother? L Milgrom Some will argue ‘Why Bother?’, but the author shows us why he does by creating associations between Homeopathy
The Fluorine civilisation J Damonte This short treat is reprinted from a 1979 issue of The Homeopath in which the influential British lay practitioner and teacher notes the theme of Fluorine to be one of instability and representative of the times. ‘This pathology, which is really only the modern extension of the syphilitic miasm, especially deserves the name of Fluorismy’ He covers the keynotes and constitution of Fluorine as well as the salient points of the Syphilitic miasm. ‘owing to aggravations of all kinds—vaccinations, medicaments, operations, food and atmosphere—there is a rapid transformation to a sycosis which is very often different from the well-known carbonic sycosis of Natrum sulphuricum and Thuja. The latter is a dry, thin, nervous sycosis which is difficult to detect and to treat, and which generally justifies Silica and Causticum.’ There are many delightful quotes leaving the reader with much to chew on. The Homeopath 2003; 90: 18–19.
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Improving the success of homeopathy: bridging the credibility gap: a conference review J Smith This review of the Second International Conference (April 5,6, 2003) at the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital (biographies and abstracts are available at www.rlhh.org deals principally with research). H Walach, I Bell, T Wilson, L Lachance, Dr Spence, R Purtell, N Ahern, and R Steel were some of the presenters. Dr Spence delivered the Blackie Memorial Lecture in which he talked about the 5 years study at the out-patients department of the Bristol Homoeopathic Hospital (1997–2002) which analyzedy ‘ythe data of 5000 consecutive patients; it showed statistically significant levels of improvement, particularly in children. The next day, the costeffectiveness of homeopathic treatment was demonstrated by three separate studies from France and Germany.’ The Homeopath 2003; 90: 24–25.
Archetype in a medicine bottle: re-integration of mind and brain in the homeopathic treatment of mental illness D Brown This Oregonian (USA) homeopath says nothing new to the experienced homeopathic practitioner but the way he expresses his thoughts makes for some unique insights. He speaks of Freud and Jung, psychopharmacology and depth psychology, information and material, and suggests that ‘our’ medicine does what a good psychotherapist does: ‘yreflect back to the patient an image that is truthful in its correspondence to her deepest feelings and dilemmas.’ And that homeopathy is informational and ‘yis not only about where the patient is now; it encodes holographically the pathway along which the individual traveled to get to his particular psychological place, and thus points out the way he can turn around and travel in the opposite direction!’ ‘Psychopharmacology presumes that the biochemical abnormalities cause depression. Perhaps the deeper truth is that the mind and spirit of the organism—what homeopaths call the vital force-uses the body, including the brain, to express its dis-ease! The nature of the symptoms—the unique constellation of mental, emotional, and physical symptoms, form a detailed, descriptive statement of the inner condition of the organism. yThe organism is expressing its state, and the symptoms are the working materials of its expression.’
Alternative vaccine methods
Homoeopathic Links 2003; 16: 77–78.
R Neustaedter This article is extracted from the author’s book The Vaccine Guide: Risks and Benefits for Adults and Children (2002). In four brief pages much information is presented including: Belladonna as a scarlet fever preventative, prevention during epidemics, long-term prevention, the Schick test, Grimmer’s protocol for polio prevention, Paterson and Boyd, etc. ‘Unlike conventional vaccines, the homoeopathic alternative does not rely on antibody formation.’ He postulates that ‘Homoeopathic remedies reduce the patient’s sensitivity to the dynamic stimulus of the virus or bacteria, thus lessening the patient’s predisposition to being overcome by this stimulus.’ (Golden, 1998) It is quite interesting reading but citations are not referenced nor explained as footnotes. This is not helpful to the reader and references should, of course, be included even though this is a direct excerpt from the book. Nevertheless, this article contains fascinating information and should help to increase sales of Neustaedter’s important work. The Homeopath 2003; 90: 30–33.
Using vital sensations to connect the disturbed vital force and the simillimum J Baker The author, the director of the Maui Academy of Homeopathy (Hawaii), presents a case using Rajan Sankaran’s recent advances in case analysis. This ‘yinvolves [the] utilization of phenomena known as vital sensations in tandem with the miasm of the case.’ Sankaran’s thought is presented in detail in his latest book, An Insight Into Plants. Dr Baker, in a lengthy discussion, reviews Rajan’s thought and how he arrived at a new level of analysis by using the MacRepertory program. Baker finds the vital sensation symptomatology of the chief complaint which narrows his choice to one family of remedies. He analyzes further, in the realm of miasm, and settles upon one remedy within that family which expresses the miasm. Repertorization is not relied upon to any great extent: ‘Repertorization is not reliable; it is manmade. Repertorial rubrics are out-of context extractions, veritable artifacts of a much larger truth: Homeopathy
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provings. Though provings have and continue to be a most reliable tool, they are often too big, too unwieldy to utilize effectively. While rubrics can be very seductive and misleading, vital sensations will never lie. They represent the innermost truth from the microcosm to the macrocosm.’ Homoeopathic Links 2003; 16: 81–88.
The general iteration theory of homeopathic potentisation: the iterative paradox of potentised remedies A. Zoebl
Avogadro’s number and homeopathy A Morozov These articles share much or little in common depending on your mood. Zoebl makes the case for ‘iteration’ as the explanation for the ‘why’ of potentisation. Iteration means that ‘ythe result of the last step becomes the initial condition of the next step so that at the end of the process all preceding steps are contained in the final result.’ Or more simply ‘yfeedback involving the continued re-absorption or enfolding of what has come before.’ The author provides a musical experiment to support his hypothesis and maintains that Avogadro’s number is irrelevant to potentised (iterated) remedies. ‘Potentized remedies are the medical-technical application of iterative paradoxes whose non-linear equations release the tremendous energies of feedback effects.’ Morozov specifically addresses impurities and the effects they have in the steps of potentisation and in this paper attempts to ‘ydemonstrate activity of high homeopathic potencies can be explained without any new theories and doubtful hypothesis, and is based on the chemical compounds they comprise.’ ‘In conclusion, we would like to propose the hypothesis of a mechanism of action of homeopathic remedies. Experimental data show that dissolving substrate changes a chemical composition of impurities in a solvent and these changes are specific for dissolving substances. Due to this fact, an organism can ‘know’ about the appearance of a dangerous compound in the environment before-hand by changes in impurities in the basic component of the environment (water, air, food). Homeopathic potentisation disrupts the link between excess concentration of a dangerous substance and changed composition of impurities. As it is shown in the experiments, the changes in patterns of the components of impurities are presented in very low
Homeopathy
concentrations, when even single molecules of a primary substance are absent. Hence, the reaction of the organism on the changed pattern of components of impurities in a homeopathic remedy is a response to the absence of a toxic agent in a remedy.’ From these types of quotations from both papers one sees how complicated this area is and how difficult it is to clearly explain and communicate ideas. Perhaps we should ask why we can’t cleanly and convincingly communicate our thought in these areas. Certainly there must be metaphors and analogies which researchers can creatively employ in order to help us ‘see’ their ideas better. These areas are complex but with writing as dense and confusing as in these, and other journal articles, readers are simply not going to devote the time and energy necessary to read and understand them. Homoeopathic Links 2003; 16: 93–95 and 97–100.
A homeopathic correspondence to cancer: a Case of Taxus brevifolia R Pitt Dr Pitt offers a case of possible breast cancer cured with homeopathy. There is no diagnosis or chief complaint clearly stated but the patient’s medical history does seem to indicate a cancerous state as she had a tubal cyst removed and was diagnosed with endometriosis. It is interesting that the woman (age 36), a graduate student at the time, was writing a thesis on breast cancer. The author, in this lengthy case, allows us to follow his reasoning as he goes from Carcinosin, to Murex back to Carc. and on to Asterias rub. before finally coming to Taxus brev. ‘Immediately after the remedy, she felt the return of an old emotional state, similar to before. This died down after a few days. In the second week, she had a return of the axilla pain. The pain was unusually sharp and hot, like a searing, burning quality. This lasted a few days and since then has not returned. This was the first time the pain had come back, and the pain was unusually intense and sharp.’ Dr Pitt notes in his analysis that the return of the pain is of interest and very characteristic of the Proving symptoms. She continues to do well, 8 months later original symptoms have not returned and she is 3 months pregnant. Homoeopathic Links 2003; 16: 109–113. English-language journals reviewed by J Yasgur
57 doi:10.1016/j.homp.2003.11.009, available online at www.sciencedirect.com
Obituary: Wyrth Post Baker J Winston This obituary of Wyrth Post Baker (1905–2003) pays tribute to an important figure in American homeopathy. His influence was particularly telling within the political arena as: ‘When [in the early 1960s] the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided to subject all Over The Counter (OTC) drugs to review, Wyrth went before the FDA and succeeded in persuading that body to exempt homeopathic drugs from that review. Had he not been able to do so, that would probably have been the death knell for homeopathic drugs, since the homeopathic community did not have the resources to meet the requirements for modern scientific proofs of efficacy.’ Sandra Chase, MD. Dr Baker was in practice for some 60 years (graduating in 1930 from the Hahnemann Medical College of Pennsylvania). He served for many years on the Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Convention of the United States (HPCUS) after helping to revitalize it in 1981. The 1st edition of the HPUS was published in 1897. It is currently in the 9th edition and published as a revision service, in loose-leaf binder format. He also served as President of a number of organizations including American Foundation for Homoeopathy, American Institute for Homoeopathy, Southern Homoeopathic Medical Association as well as the HPCUS. Homeopathy Today, June 2003, p 6.
Homeopathy and enneagrams: using the enneagram to diagnose miasms and kingdoms F Schmitt In this lengthy and sometimes confusing piece the French homeopath F Schmitt attempts to create a homeopathic methodological approach based on combining homeopathy with the enneagram personality diagnostic system. He discusses Hahnemann’s Chronic Diseases, definitions of disease, the treatment of chronic diseases, and the miasmatic approach before discussing his synthesis of the Miasm–Enneagram connection. Though little of the material is presented in great depth many interesting points are discussed. Dr Schmitt relates sycosis to cognition, psora to emotion and syphilis to drive (this corresponds to the anthroposophical view of man as having a three-fold nature, intellect, feeling, and willing, respectively). He also weaves into this piece the kingdoms of nature and some repertorization. There are many illustrations and diagrams.
‘The phobias and obsessions of Sycosis go well with the group of 5,6, and 7 centered in the mental realm and in flight.’ ‘The destructive anger and violence of Syphilis correspond well with the group of 8,9, and 1 centered in the drives and aggression.’ ‘Psora is characterized on the mental level by excess emotionality, which fits in perfectly with the predominance of the affect and seduction specific to the group of 2,3, and 4.’ ‘With this simple diagram, we can begin to better understand the essence of each miasmy’ The enneagram is an approach with great potential for psychological understanding yet it takes a great deal of study and reflection before one can use it effectively. In my view this material should have been divided into two articles, the first consisting of theoretical and historical aspects, the second devoted to clinical applications. This approach may have better served the reader. The American Homeopath 2003; 9: 72–81.
Archetypes of the Homeopathic Materia Medica: Sulphur DJ Lilley Noted British/South African homeopath, DJ Lilley, treats the reader to a discussion of archetypes (Sulphur, Calcarea, Lycopodium), in particular, Sulphur: ‘Archetypes are inherited, deep-seated patterns of behaviour, perceptions, values and identity, derived from the collective unconscious of the human race and inherent in the unconscious of the individual. They are portrayed in a mosaic of fundamental, symbolic forms representing the major ancestral types, which have evolved in the unfolding continuum of matter and life since the creation of the first hydrogen atom.’ The author explains Sulphur in depth. Much of the material will be familiar to homeopaths but the parallels between vulcanism and colour are stimulating: ‘There is a passion in the volcano, and in Sulphur, and this passion is not just the capacity for rage. It can be manifested in all facets of his life—a passion for life and living, expressed physically, intellectually, creatively or sexually—and also projected into his passion, be it sport, politics, science, philosophy or religion.’ The American Homeopath 2003; 9: 84–89.
The American Homeopath 9, 2003 This issue of the annual The American Homeopath under the reins of current editor Melanie Grimes, is 160 pages in length and divided into four sections: Homeopathy
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Interviews (N. Shah, M. Quinn, J. Snowdon, and J. Lillard), nine articles dealing with materia medica and clinical homeopathy with topics concerning the Macaw, bowel nosodes, Compositae family, Vines, Hura bras., archetypes, Oncorhynchus tshaw., and Taraxacum. The third section concerns Provings and includes several remedies: Hippocampus kuda, Enallagma carcunculatum, Chironex fleckeri, and Lampona cylindrata. Finally, in the fourth section, there are reviews of seven books: Aphorisms and Precepts from Extemporaneous Lectures by James Tyler Kent, The Materia Medica of Milk: A Collection of Articles from Homoeopathic Links, Dynamic Provings Vol. 2, Dynamic Materia Medica: Syphilis, Provings: with a Proving of Alcoholus, Patients in the History of Homoeopathy, and An Insight into Plants, Volumes I and II. This annual journal was started in 1995 by Greg Bedayn. All issues follow the same structure as outlined above. It sells for 35 USD+post and is published by the North American Society of Homeopaths. (NASH; www.homeopathy.org)
The bowel nosodes A Bickley The author presents background material on the bowel nosodes before discussing five in detail, Morgan pure, Morgan gaertner, Proteus, Dysentery co., and Gaertner. ‘So you can use Gaertner for antibiotic poisoning now, or in the past, or even if they seemed to cure the condition that was there originally. y sometimes it cures the antibiotic poisoning, and sometimes it cures the whole shooting match. It is an extraordinarily powerful remedy. Whenever I see recurrent courses of antibiotics, the file opens at Gaertner.’ The American Homeopath 2003; 9: 34–39.
A remedy to take seriously RC Hyde California homeopath, RC Hyde presents a detailed look at the Dandelion (Taraxacum: taraxos-‘ailment’, achos-‘remedy’) going into the herbal usage and history, Proving symptomatology, comparative materia medica (similar to Nux vom., Ant. Crud., Puls., Hydrastis, and Chelid.), and therapeutic accounts. She relates the fascinating account of her Proving with 30C: ‘As I studied Tarax, I began to realize that over my lifetime I matched the mental picture of the remedy well-basically cheerful, but with an undercurrent of impatience, a need to work to feel satisfied, chronic lateness, a lifelong compulsion to read leading to social withdrawal in favor of reading. I also have had difficulty starting work—whether the work was physiHomeopathy
cal or mental—but once the task was started, I would be deeply involved and want to finish it.’ The author finally suggests that more study of Taraxacum (‘yan herb/weed whose virtues have yet to be discovered.’) is needed. If one has interest in this remedy this article is noteworthy. She includes herbal and homeopathic bibliographies. The American Homeopath 2003; 9: 5–14.
Report of the AIH Bioterrorism Project Moskowitz, Fleisher, Schore, Merizalde, Wilson In this 40 page article the authors, led by American Institute of Homeopathy Bioterrorism Committee Chairperson Richard Moskowitz, MD, present contemporary information, materia medica and repertorial material, excerpts from the old masters concerning pathology, symptomatology, and homeopathic treatment and prophylaxis of smallpox, anthrax, plague, tularemia and botulism. This committee was established by AIH President Jennifer Jacobs, MD in December 2002 in the wake of the attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon on 11 September 2001. She did so to create an organized review of what extent homeopathic remedies might prove effective for treatment and prophylaxis. Aside from scientific and didactic material this article includes a materia medica for anthrax, rubrics and a materia medica for smallpox, a brief review of the literature in relation to the plague, and the homeopathic treatment of tularemia and botulism. The article which follows, ‘Variolinum, Vaccininum and Malandrinum: The Powerful Smallpox Nosodes and Their Therapeutic Use’ (E Scheiwiller-Muralt, pp 137–151), is a shortened version of an article which appeared in Homoeopathic Links (15:4, pp 234–245). In 1991, Dr Scheiwiller-Muralt ‘yput forward the hypothesis of a smallpox miasm and tested it in about two hundred cases. She found that smallpox nosodes ‘y are able to cure deep-rooted disorders in cases where well chosen homeopathic remedies have failed. These nosodes are most powerful, and their effect is deep, long-lasting and surprisingly fast.’ American Journal of Homeopathic Medicine 2003; 96: 94–136.
An introduction to ‘The Boenninghausen Repertory Therapeutic Pocketbook’ method G Dimitriadis This article presents the historical development of the repertory before going on to discuss, in detail, the
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Boenninghausen method which the author maintains is based on Hahnemannian principles. Dr Dimitriadis has spent the last 10 years working on this, culminating in the publication his The Boenninghausen Repertory (2000). While this repertorial method is superior to the Kentian method, the teaching of it requires great care if it is going to become a widespread and preferred method of repertorization. I say this because a great amount of material is presented in this scholarly article but it is overly complex and thus difficult to read and digest. The 94 footnotes cited are useful and are longer than the article itself. American Journal of Homeopathic Medicine 2003; 96: 152–163.
Hahnemann: the real pioneer of psychiatry P Morrell The title of this article is a bit misleading as the word ‘compassionate’ should be inserted before psychiatry. Nevertheless, the author improves upon his earlier piece published in the Journal of the American Institute of Homoeopathy. Morrell quotes extensively from Organon Aphorisms and particularly Aphorism #210: ‘Hahnemann also condemns outright the fact that the mentally deranged patient of his day all too ‘often witnesses the occurrence of ingratitude, cruelty, refined malice and propensities most disgraceful and degrading to humanity, which were precisely the qualities possessed by the patient before he grew ill,’ and which are very clearly non-curative, injurious, only aggravate the condition of the patient.’ The author offers no concrete conclusion concerning Hahnemann’s role in creating a more compassionate psychology: ‘yit is hard to see to what extent such modern ideas about the significance of mind or mental symptoms in homeopathy truly derive from the words of Hahnemann. One suspects that his own words have been hammered on an anvil of modern psychology into very distorted word shapes, belonging to a lexicon of concepts that would have been entirely alien to Hahnemann himself. This clearly remains a matter of opinion and debate.’ American Journal of Homeopathic Medicine 2003; 96: 164–169.
Rajan Sankaran on the Umbelliferae and Compositae families: a review V Burley Ms Burley, who writes a homeopathy column for The Daily Mirror and is a registered member of the
Society of Homoeopaths (SOH), reviews a seminar given by Sankaran. This seminar presented his philosophy and latest insights—that of ‘sensation’—which links the remedies within a particular plant family. Previously he had concentrated on delusion as a focal point. ‘Consider the Loganiaceae family, where the main sensation is shock. The way in which this shock is perceived and experienced will determine which member of the family is indicated. Nux vomica perceives the shock as something that must be recovered from as quickly as possible (hence symptoms such as ‘Anger from interruption’). This attitude represents the typhoid miasm, so we find that Nux vomica is the typhoid remedy of the Loganiceae. Gelsemium, on the other hand, perceives shock as something that must be avoided, so we have symptoms such as ‘Ailments from anticipation’. In this case, the qualities of avoidance and acceptance belong to the sycotic miasm. Whereas Ignatia perceives shock as something that must be controlled—a reaction typical of the cancer miasm. This is an example of how the various plant families can be differentiated according to the quality of sensation (level 5), rather than according to their delusion.’ Four cases are presented and Case 3 is summarized as follows: ‘She talked repeatedly of accident and injury, which suggests the Compositae family. The sensation for the family is of being injured, hurt or insulted, with a fear of being touched, hurt or approached. The remedy of the acute miasm in the Compositae family is Arnica. Her experience was at level 4 (delusion), so the potency given was 1 M.’ A fascinating article which provides insight into a great homeopath’s mind. See also ‘The Depth of Homeopathy’ (R. Sankaran, Homoeopathic Links, 16:3, pp 165–167) in which Sankaran explains his thought. The Homeopath 2003; 89: 8–12.
Bringing back the Baron W Howard This article is the result of the author spending 2 days with Roger van Zandvoort in order to better understand the work and thought of Clemens MF von Boenninghausen (1785–1864) the author of the first repertory, Repertory of the Antipsoric Remedies (1832; in 1835 he produced Repertory of Medicines Which are not Antipsoric). This wide ranging article/interview is another in the recent revival of the Boenninghausen Repertorial method and covers historical and clinical material. It is a useful look into Zandvoort’s penetrating Homeopathy
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reportorial thought. Julian Winston, homeopathic polymath, is quoted in a number of places: ‘As Julian Winston has pointed out, ‘That need [to distinguish between the patient and the particulars] is peculiar to Kent’s thought process.’ He cannot understand how someone can see in a way other than his. Kent had on very large blinkers. There were many things he was blind about. We should keep that in mind.’ This useful article is peppered with reference citings which use roman numerals. This is unfortunate as the reading becomes much more labored. Nevertheless it is worth the effort. The Homeopath 2003; 89: 16–22.
Zirconium sulphuricum: a case P Alex The author, who has recently been working in Torgau in the very building in which Hahnemann lived and worked from 1805 to 1811, presents a case handled by a synthetic remedy based on Scholten’s work. This article is noteworthy because the patient is profusely quoted and because of Alex’s thoughts on the chosen remedy, Zirconium sulphur. This remedy is presented in Homoeopathy and the Elements (Scholten) but only as a short dream Proving. Alex nicely justifies his thought and remedy selection.
homeopathy and quantum models. He discusses the memory of water linking it to cellular memory. He helps in understanding the concept of non-locality: ‘yeverything in the universe is inextricably and instantaneously linked to everything else in a vast matter–energy network that transcends ordinary notions of space and time. This fundamentally new view of the world is called ‘entanglement’ or, more simply, ‘non-locality’.’ He talks of ‘complementarity’, mathematical operations, weak quantum theory and suggests a number of quantum metaphors for homeopathy: ‘By replacing the two entangled particles with the patient and practitioner, the ‘handshake’ between them results in the remedy.Through this metaphor, I was able to develop quantum-theoretical interpretations of such homeopathic phenomena as aggravations (as incomplete entanglement), the treatment of animals (as being ‘entangled’ with their owners), and a concept of miasms as atemporal entities initiating and affecting dis-ease processes in time. Thus, the concept of treating miasms could involve the strange notion of healing in the past and the future, as well as in the present.’ Several of the 22 reference citings are noteworthy, eg The Interpretation of Nature and the Psyche (Jung and Pauli), The Non-Local Universe: The New Physics and Matters of the Mind (1999, Nadeau and Kafatos), and The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos (1994, Waldrop).
The Homeopath 2003; 89: 24–26. The Homeopath 2003; 90: 10–14.
Bluebell: a proving S Deeks This British homeopath presents a proving of Agraphis nutans 30C and 200C (Bluebell) on eight volunteers. Though certainly incomplete the Proving: ‘yseemed to bring out images of sadness and grief, along with a strong sense of fear and foreboding. There was also an identification of trust as an important theme in Agraphis nutans. In terms of opposition or polarity, we can see a tension between fear and trust; also between agitation and a sense of calmness.’ ‘The general state of the remedy is indicated by a desire to withdraw, and to hide (see Cooper’s amelioration from shelter). There is a dislike of consolation or attention.’ The Homeopath 2003; 90: 8–9.
Homeopathy and the quantum world 2 why bother? L Milgrom Some will argue ‘Why Bother?’, but the author shows us why he does by creating associations between Homeopathy
The Fluorine civilisation J Damonte This short treat is reprinted from a 1979 issue of The Homeopath in which the influential British lay practitioner and teacher notes the theme of Fluorine to be one of instability and representative of the times. ‘This pathology, which is really only the modern extension of the syphilitic miasm, especially deserves the name of Fluorismy’ He covers the keynotes and constitution of Fluorine as well as the salient points of the Syphilitic miasm. ‘owing to aggravations of all kinds—vaccinations, medicaments, operations, food and atmosphere—there is a rapid transformation to a sycosis which is very often different from the well-known carbonic sycosis of Natrum sulphuricum and Thuja. The latter is a dry, thin, nervous sycosis which is difficult to detect and to treat, and which generally justifies Silica and Causticum.’ There are many delightful quotes leaving the reader with much to chew on. The Homeopath 2003; 90: 18–19.
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Improving the success of homeopathy: bridging the credibility gap: a conference review J Smith This review of the Second International Conference (April 5,6, 2003) at the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital (biographies and abstracts are available at www.rlhh.org deals principally with research). H Walach, I Bell, T Wilson, L Lachance, Dr Spence, R Purtell, N Ahern, and R Steel were some of the presenters. Dr Spence delivered the Blackie Memorial Lecture in which he talked about the 5 years study at the out-patients department of the Bristol Homoeopathic Hospital (1997–2002) which analyzedy ‘ythe data of 5000 consecutive patients; it showed statistically significant levels of improvement, particularly in children. The next day, the costeffectiveness of homeopathic treatment was demonstrated by three separate studies from France and Germany.’ The Homeopath 2003; 90: 24–25.
Archetype in a medicine bottle: re-integration of mind and brain in the homeopathic treatment of mental illness D Brown This Oregonian (USA) homeopath says nothing new to the experienced homeopathic practitioner but the way he expresses his thoughts makes for some unique insights. He speaks of Freud and Jung, psychopharmacology and depth psychology, information and material, and suggests that ‘our’ medicine does what a good psychotherapist does: ‘yreflect back to the patient an image that is truthful in its correspondence to her deepest feelings and dilemmas.’ And that homeopathy is informational and ‘yis not only about where the patient is now; it encodes holographically the pathway along which the individual traveled to get to his particular psychological place, and thus points out the way he can turn around and travel in the opposite direction!’ ‘Psychopharmacology presumes that the biochemical abnormalities cause depression. Perhaps the deeper truth is that the mind and spirit of the organism—what homeopaths call the vital force-uses the body, including the brain, to express its dis-ease! The nature of the symptoms—the unique constellation of mental, emotional, and physical symptoms, form a detailed, descriptive statement of the inner condition of the organism. yThe organism is expressing its state, and the symptoms are the working materials of its expression.’
Alternative vaccine methods
Homoeopathic Links 2003; 16: 77–78.
R Neustaedter This article is extracted from the author’s book The Vaccine Guide: Risks and Benefits for Adults and Children (2002). In four brief pages much information is presented including: Belladonna as a scarlet fever preventative, prevention during epidemics, long-term prevention, the Schick test, Grimmer’s protocol for polio prevention, Paterson and Boyd, etc. ‘Unlike conventional vaccines, the homoeopathic alternative does not rely on antibody formation.’ He postulates that ‘Homoeopathic remedies reduce the patient’s sensitivity to the dynamic stimulus of the virus or bacteria, thus lessening the patient’s predisposition to being overcome by this stimulus.’ (Golden, 1998) It is quite interesting reading but citations are not referenced nor explained as footnotes. This is not helpful to the reader and references should, of course, be included even though this is a direct excerpt from the book. Nevertheless, this article contains fascinating information and should help to increase sales of Neustaedter’s important work. The Homeopath 2003; 90: 30–33.
Using vital sensations to connect the disturbed vital force and the simillimum J Baker The author, the director of the Maui Academy of Homeopathy (Hawaii), presents a case using Rajan Sankaran’s recent advances in case analysis. This ‘yinvolves [the] utilization of phenomena known as vital sensations in tandem with the miasm of the case.’ Sankaran’s thought is presented in detail in his latest book, An Insight Into Plants. Dr Baker, in a lengthy discussion, reviews Rajan’s thought and how he arrived at a new level of analysis by using the MacRepertory program. Baker finds the vital sensation symptomatology of the chief complaint which narrows his choice to one family of remedies. He analyzes further, in the realm of miasm, and settles upon one remedy within that family which expresses the miasm. Repertorization is not relied upon to any great extent: ‘Repertorization is not reliable; it is manmade. Repertorial rubrics are out-of context extractions, veritable artifacts of a much larger truth: Homeopathy
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provings. Though provings have and continue to be a most reliable tool, they are often too big, too unwieldy to utilize effectively. While rubrics can be very seductive and misleading, vital sensations will never lie. They represent the innermost truth from the microcosm to the macrocosm.’ Homoeopathic Links 2003; 16: 81–88.
The general iteration theory of homeopathic potentisation: the iterative paradox of potentised remedies A. Zoebl
Avogadro’s number and homeopathy A Morozov These articles share much or little in common depending on your mood. Zoebl makes the case for ‘iteration’ as the explanation for the ‘why’ of potentisation. Iteration means that ‘ythe result of the last step becomes the initial condition of the next step so that at the end of the process all preceding steps are contained in the final result.’ Or more simply ‘yfeedback involving the continued re-absorption or enfolding of what has come before.’ The author provides a musical experiment to support his hypothesis and maintains that Avogadro’s number is irrelevant to potentised (iterated) remedies. ‘Potentized remedies are the medical-technical application of iterative paradoxes whose non-linear equations release the tremendous energies of feedback effects.’ Morozov specifically addresses impurities and the effects they have in the steps of potentisation and in this paper attempts to ‘ydemonstrate activity of high homeopathic potencies can be explained without any new theories and doubtful hypothesis, and is based on the chemical compounds they comprise.’ ‘In conclusion, we would like to propose the hypothesis of a mechanism of action of homeopathic remedies. Experimental data show that dissolving substrate changes a chemical composition of impurities in a solvent and these changes are specific for dissolving substances. Due to this fact, an organism can ‘know’ about the appearance of a dangerous compound in the environment before-hand by changes in impurities in the basic component of the environment (water, air, food). Homeopathic potentisation disrupts the link between excess concentration of a dangerous substance and changed composition of impurities. As it is shown in the experiments, the changes in patterns of the components of impurities are presented in very low
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concentrations, when even single molecules of a primary substance are absent. Hence, the reaction of the organism on the changed pattern of components of impurities in a homeopathic remedy is a response to the absence of a toxic agent in a remedy.’ From these types of quotations from both papers one sees how complicated this area is and how difficult it is to clearly explain and communicate ideas. Perhaps we should ask why we can’t cleanly and convincingly communicate our thought in these areas. Certainly there must be metaphors and analogies which researchers can creatively employ in order to help us ‘see’ their ideas better. These areas are complex but with writing as dense and confusing as in these, and other journal articles, readers are simply not going to devote the time and energy necessary to read and understand them. Homoeopathic Links 2003; 16: 93–95 and 97–100.
A homeopathic correspondence to cancer: a Case of Taxus brevifolia R Pitt Dr Pitt offers a case of possible breast cancer cured with homeopathy. There is no diagnosis or chief complaint clearly stated but the patient’s medical history does seem to indicate a cancerous state as she had a tubal cyst removed and was diagnosed with endometriosis. It is interesting that the woman (age 36), a graduate student at the time, was writing a thesis on breast cancer. The author, in this lengthy case, allows us to follow his reasoning as he goes from Carcinosin, to Murex back to Carc. and on to Asterias rub. before finally coming to Taxus brev. ‘Immediately after the remedy, she felt the return of an old emotional state, similar to before. This died down after a few days. In the second week, she had a return of the axilla pain. The pain was unusually sharp and hot, like a searing, burning quality. This lasted a few days and since then has not returned. This was the first time the pain had come back, and the pain was unusually intense and sharp.’ Dr Pitt notes in his analysis that the return of the pain is of interest and very characteristic of the Proving symptoms. She continues to do well, 8 months later original symptoms have not returned and she is 3 months pregnant. Homoeopathic Links 2003; 16: 109–113. English-language journals reviewed by J Yasgur