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en:ahr:dunham-c-homoeopathy-the-science-of-therapeutics-158-10408 [2012/07/12 10:56]
127.0.0.1 external edit
en:ahr:dunham-c-homoeopathy-the-science-of-therapeutics-158-10408 [2013/01/13 10:51]
80.86.255.130
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 {{anchor:​s409}}It is obvious that these characteristic symptoms so precious to the Therapeutist may seem to be of little or no pathological value — may even seem accidental to those who forget that there are no accidents in Nature. {{anchor:​s410}}They would be valueless if we did not need to <span grade2>​individualize</​span>​ but could be content with <span grade2>​grouping</​span>​ our diseases and remedies. {{anchor:​s409}}It is obvious that these characteristic symptoms so precious to the Therapeutist may seem to be of little or no pathological value — may even seem accidental to those who forget that there are no accidents in Nature. {{anchor:​s410}}They would be valueless if we did not need to <span grade2>​individualize</​span>​ but could be content with <span grade2>​grouping</​span>​ our diseases and remedies.
  
-{{anchor:​s411}}To the Naturalist whose object it is to <span grade2>​group</​span>​ his specimens, it is sufficient to know that John Doe has a vertebral column is a mammal, has two hands and is a Caucasian — because this enables him at once to place John Doe in the variety Caucasian of the species man, and his analysis goes no farther. {{anchor:​s412}}From this his whole physiological status follows. {{anchor:​s413}}But these items of <span grade2>​general</​span>​ knowledge would hardly enable the <span grade2>​sheriff</​span>​ to recognised ​John Doe in Broadway. {{anchor:​s414}}It is of no importance to the Naturalist that he has such "​accidental"​ peculiarities as an aquiline nose, black eyes and hair, and a brown mole on the left ala nasi; but these very peculiarities are all important to the sheriff, for they give him the means of detecting the object of his search upon the crowded street. {{anchor:​s415}}It must not be forgotten, however, that the points on which the Naturalist laid stress are equally important to the sheriff; for if the latter should bear in mind only the <span grade2>​individual</​span>​ peculiarities of the object of his quest and <span grade2>​should forget</​span>​ that he is a Caucasian, he might find the former in the person of an Indian or if he should forget that he is a bimanous creature, he might arrest a monkey!+{{anchor:​s411}}To the Naturalist whose object it is to <span grade2>​group</​span>​ his specimens, it is sufficient to know that John Doe has a vertebral column is a mammal, has two hands and is a Caucasian — because this enables him at once to place John Doe in the variety Caucasian of the species man, and his analysis goes no farther. {{anchor:​s412}}From this his whole physiological status follows. {{anchor:​s413}}But these items of <span grade2>​general</​span>​ knowledge would hardly enable the <span grade2>​sheriff</​span>​ to recognise ​John Doe in Broadway. {{anchor:​s414}}It is of no importance to the Naturalist that he has such "​accidental"​ peculiarities as an aquiline nose, black eyes and hair, and a brown mole on the left ala nasi; but these very peculiarities are all important to the sheriff, for they give him the means of detecting the object of his search upon the crowded street. {{anchor:​s415}}It must not be forgotten, however, that the points on which the Naturalist laid stress are equally important to the sheriff; for if the latter should bear in mind only the <span grade2>​individual</​span>​ peculiarities of the object of his quest and <span grade2>​should forget</​span>​ that he is a Caucasian, he might find the former in the person of an Indian or if he should forget that he is a bimanous creature, he might arrest a monkey!
  
 {{anchor:​s416}}To drop the figure, then, it is evident that we must seek to discover among the symptoms of every drug certain ones that are produced by no other drug, and which shall serve to distinguish it from all other drugs similar in other respects; that these symptoms will often be unimportant and trivial in a physiological point of view; furthermore,​ that we must, for convenience sake, when the number of drugs in our Materia Medica has become considerable,​ endeavor so to group them, on the basis of certain clearly defined symptoms or collections of symptoms, that for the purpose of preliminary examination and comparison, these groups may be regarded and compared as though they were individual drugs. {{anchor:​s416}}To drop the figure, then, it is evident that we must seek to discover among the symptoms of every drug certain ones that are produced by no other drug, and which shall serve to distinguish it from all other drugs similar in other respects; that these symptoms will often be unimportant and trivial in a physiological point of view; furthermore,​ that we must, for convenience sake, when the number of drugs in our Materia Medica has become considerable,​ endeavor so to group them, on the basis of certain clearly defined symptoms or collections of symptoms, that for the purpose of preliminary examination and comparison, these groups may be regarded and compared as though they were individual drugs.
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 {{anchor:​s434}}It will be observed that dark colored uterine hemorrhage though produced by Crocus cannot be said to be <span grade2>​characteristic</​span>​ of it. {{anchor:​s435}}It is a characteristic symptom of a group to which Crocus belongs, but not of Crocus, for it is produced by the other members of this group as well as by Crocus. {{anchor:​s434}}It will be observed that dark colored uterine hemorrhage though produced by Crocus cannot be said to be <span grade2>​characteristic</​span>​ of it. {{anchor:​s435}}It is a characteristic symptom of a group to which Crocus belongs, but not of Crocus, for it is produced by the other members of this group as well as by Crocus.
  
-{{anchor:​s436}}Characteristic symptoms must of necessity be for the most part subjective and seemingly trivial phenomena. {{anchor:​s437}}A list of them alone, if presented as the pathogenesis of a drug would be as meaningless and at first sight as ridiculous, as a list of the colors and marks, and angels ​and curves by which friends recognise each other would be if presented alone as the sum total of the properties of certain genera and species of the Animate Creation. {{anchor:​s438}}As a background to the latter, there must be a series of phenomena capable of morphological and organic arrangement,​ and as the basis of the former we must have a series of objective and organic symptoms capable of physiological and pathological arrangement and of approximate explanation. {{anchor:​s439}}But it must never be forgotten that <span grade2>​without</​span>​ the <span grade2>​characteristics,</​span>​ as we have described them, there can be no <span grade2>​individualization</​span>​ and without <span grade2>​this</​span>​ there can be no <span grade2>​accurate homoeopathic prescription.</​span>​+{{anchor:​s436}}Characteristic symptoms must of necessity be for the most part subjective and seemingly trivial phenomena. {{anchor:​s437}}A list of them alone, if presented as the pathogenesis of a drug would be as meaningless and at first sight as ridiculous, as a list of the colors and marks, and angles ​and curves by which friends recognise each other would be if presented alone as the sum total of the properties of certain genera and species of the Animate Creation. {{anchor:​s438}}As a background to the latter, there must be a series of phenomena capable of morphological and organic arrangement,​ and as the basis of the former we must have a series of objective and organic symptoms capable of physiological and pathological arrangement and of approximate explanation. {{anchor:​s439}}But it must never be forgotten that <span grade2>​without</​span>​ the <span grade2>​characteristics,</​span>​ as we have described them, there can be no <span grade2>​individualization</​span>​ and without <span grade2>​this</​span>​ there can be no <span grade2>​accurate homoeopathic prescription.</​span>​
  
 {{anchor:​s440}}The truth of this is made apparent by a glance at the history of Homoeopathy. {{anchor:​s441}}Certain of Hahnemann'​s followers discarded the apparently trivial subjective phenomena from the provings of drugs, retaining only the objective, organic symptoms. {{anchor:​s442}}They thus lost the means of distinguishing between the individual members of the groups of remedies. {{anchor:​s443}}It was thence-forward useless for them to discriminate closely between individual cases of any one type of disease. {{anchor:​s444}}Hence inevitably arose the fashion of prescribing a <span grade2>​specific</​span>​ remedy for a disease — as the phrase went — putting the leading members of respective groups of drugs and diseases to represent the whole groups. {{anchor:​s445}}These were the so-called "​specifikers"​ who had one or two remedies for dysentery, one for hooping cough, one or two for scarlatina, etc., "of whom the world is weary."​ {{anchor:​s440}}The truth of this is made apparent by a glance at the history of Homoeopathy. {{anchor:​s441}}Certain of Hahnemann'​s followers discarded the apparently trivial subjective phenomena from the provings of drugs, retaining only the objective, organic symptoms. {{anchor:​s442}}They thus lost the means of distinguishing between the individual members of the groups of remedies. {{anchor:​s443}}It was thence-forward useless for them to discriminate closely between individual cases of any one type of disease. {{anchor:​s444}}Hence inevitably arose the fashion of prescribing a <span grade2>​specific</​span>​ remedy for a disease — as the phrase went — putting the leading members of respective groups of drugs and diseases to represent the whole groups. {{anchor:​s445}}These were the so-called "​specifikers"​ who had one or two remedies for dysentery, one for hooping cough, one or two for scarlatina, etc., "of whom the world is weary."​
en/ahr/dunham-c-homoeopathy-the-science-of-therapeutics-158-10408.txt · Last modified: 2013/01/13 10:51 by 80.86.255.130