A Comparison of Mind Section Kent's and Boger Boenninghausen's Repertories
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1998 Jan / Feb VOL VII NO 1.
Dr [Mrs] Bharamgude Sucheta Sanjeev
Homoeopathy is not only science but an art. Therefore, each master, from Hahnemann, Boenning-hausen, to Kent, and Boger has different ways to reach to similimum with advantage and deficiencies in each. Let us consider the good of each and come to the similimum in an easy way.
Kent's idea was to reflect a picture of diseased man as a drug personality through his mentals. So he gave the highest value to mental symptoms. However, it was not the intention of, Boger and Boenninghausen, to reflect the picture of man through his mentals. They have used them just for differentiation. Boenninghausen explains that it is very difficult to elicit mentals and even an experienced physician may make a mistake in its interpretation. So it more reliable to use modalities and concomitants (also best for beginners)- and mentals may be used just for differentiation.
Boger and Boenninghausen's advice to refer to the Materia Medica rather than to the repertory. Hence, we find few frequently required rubrics in their Mind with few prominent remedies which have practical applicability. In Kent's case as he wanted to reflect the disease as a drug personality through its mentals, the essence of the case is formed by mentals. Hence we find mental symptoms are much more detail in Kent's repertory than that of any other author. He devotes 95 pages to mental symptoms as against only 49 pages of BBCR.
Kent has given highest value to mental symptoms in the order 'will', 'emotion', 'intellect' and 'memory' but he has mixed them alphabetically in the section of Mind, whereas Boger and Boenninghausen have used mental symptoms just for differentiation-differentiating them into mind and sensorium. We find mental symptoms scattered all over the repertory in BBCR under Mind section, sensorium, sensations and complaints in general [restlessness, Air desire for open], conditions of aggravations and ameliorations in general [especially all emotional modalities] and as concomitant under different subsections. It is not that Boger has always evaluated mentals last; wherever they are characteristics he has always taken them first, for example, recent changes in temperament and behaviour, emotional cause, mental concomitant, mental modalities, etc. according to the case.
Kent has tried to differentiate finer shades of some symptoms example:
- Anger, irritability, quarrelsome, rage, fury, indignation
- Childish behaviour, foolish behaviour, idiocy, imbecility, gestures ridiculous or foolish , Antics
- Sadness [gloomy] morose, despair, discontented [displeased, dissatisfied], grief, discouraged, dejection, melancholy
- Dullness, forgetful, absent minded, memory weakness of, preoccupied, prostration of mind, abstraction of mind, concentration difficult, confusion mental efforts -inability to sustain
- Defiant, disobedient, obstinate
- Cowardice, frightened easily, startled, timidity
- Death desire for, loathing of life, ennui
- Envy, jealousy
- Anxiety, fear
- Home desire to go, homesickness
- Exhilaration [exaltation], ecstasy, high spirited, mirth [hilarity]
- Hatred, malicious, misanthropy
For many rubrics found at one place in Kent, we have to combine 2-3 rubrics in BBCR. For example, the rubric anxiety in BBCR is mainly devoted to the anxiety felt in different locations except about business and waking on where as the rubric Anxiety in Kent's repertory is in much more detail and almost 5 pages are devoted to this rubric.
Time modalities, with other modifying factors, causative factors like strangers presence of, sedentary employment from, speaking when, vexation after, different concomitants like shuddering with, weeping followed by, etc are given alphabetically in the Mind section and anxiety felt in different locations is given under respective sections For example, abdomen anxiety-in, chest-anxiety-in etc.
Delusions and illusions in Kent are given under one rubric and all subrubrics mixed alphabetically. Illusion under vision and hearing is given as one small rubric and under nose -odors imaginary and real- are mixed under one rubric. Kent devotes nearly 15 pages to rubric 'Delusion' under mind.
In BBCR we find hardly 2 pages devoted to delusion but illusions are given in much more detail in subsection like eye-vision-illusion, ear-hearing-illusion, and in nose-smell-illusions of.
Fear is given in detail by Kent with many subrubrics which are not found in BBCR:-
e.g. Fear animals of in general
Fear of becoming a burden
Fear of consumption
Fear of losing self control
Fear of being drawn upward
Fear of walking across busy street
Fear of literary work
Some subrubrics of fear found in BBCR but not in Kent are
Fear- recurrent
Fear -sadness alternate with
Fear -shadows of
Fear- on awaking
Fear -driving when
Fear- being eaten
Fear- Knaves
Fear- rattling noise.
The delirium rubric in Kent is in detail with many subrubrics not found in BBCR. Time < >, abandons her relatives, alternating with colic, from fatigue, study, etc. from laughing, after haemorrhage etc.
Mind -confusion with many subrubrics and parallel rubrics in Kent not found in BBCR like,
mind-confusion -Air in open
mind-confusion-calculating when
mind-confusion-conversation, aggravates
mind-confusion-dinner after
mind -confusion dream as if in
mind-confusion-as to his own identity
mind-confusion-after head injury
mind-confurion mental exertion from and many more.
Gesture are outlined in Kent-convulsive, hasty, as if intoxicated stamps the feet etc.
Comparison of remedies covered under same rubric
| Rubric | Kent | BBCR |
| Cowardice | Cham3,Nux-m4,NV3,RT3 | |
| Clairvoyance | Lyss2,Nux-m 2 Med | |
| Anger ailments from | Cocc3, Kali-phos2,Gels2,Tarentula2 | |
| Emotional excitement a/f | Caps3,Coll3, Acid phos3, Puls3,Staph3 | |
| Mischievousness | Anac3,NV3,Cann-i3 |
Rubrics of mind found in Kent not in BBCR
- Castle in the air
- Antagonism with herself
- Circumspection lack of
- Estranged family from her
- Inquisitive
- Mood alternating
- Mind active with physical prostration
- Mind -concomitants
- Mind -ambitious
- Mind -held wants to be
- Mind- imbecility senile
- Mind -open hearted
- mind -alternating symptoms of mind and moods are worse
- Mind agg full moon
- mind -agg epilepsy after
- mind agg climacteric
- mind communicative
- mind-finery fond of
- mind-reflection deficient-faulty
1. Kent gives nymphomania under mind but amorous under genitalia where as Boger gives "Amorous and nymphomania" under both the sections mind and sexual impulse
2. Awkwardness in Kent is given under extremities. In BBCR you will find mind awkwardness drops things and upper extremities-awkward .
3. Mental modalities and causative factors especially emotional in BBCR given under conditions of aggravation and amelioration in general at one place, where as they are alphabetically scattered in the Mind section in Kent's repertory.
4. In BBCR mental symptoms are scattered in repertory under sections- mind, sensorium, sensation and complaints in general, conditions of aggravation and amelioration in general - and whenever modifying factor or concomitant for particular rubric under respective section. In Kent, mentals are mainly given under the Mind section unless it is a concomitant or modality for a particular symptom when it is found in the respective section.
