On Using the Repertory
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1998 Mar / Apr VOL VII NO 2.
Mr S M Gunvante
'Puls / Phos / Calc-c / Tell / Staph
Go for the Simplest Entry Point
Readers are requested to carefully understand and even work out a few cases according to the advice in this article. I have personally found it quite dependable in the last few years, but would be grateful if readers write to me a post card letting me know their comments -giving reasons for their opinion.
S M Gunvante.
Consider the fact that a large number of Homoeopaths, even after a full term of academic education in colleges find it difficult to practice classical Homoeopathy and resort to poly pharmacy, alternation of remedies and finally allopathic remedies. Does it not mean that the present method of teaching in colleges, lectures, seminars and learned articles, leaves much to be desired, and naturally leads to inefficiency in practice? I did a lot of heart searching and have come to the conclusion that if true learning and easy, correct practice is to result, the teaching methods have to be in consonance with the Psychology of the learner.
The Organon talks of the totality in a number of Aphorisms. In Aph 153, Hahnemann tells us that the "more striking, singular, uncommon, peculiar [characteristics] signs and symptoms of the case are chiefly and almost solely to be kept in view...." He affirms in Aph 211 that the "State of disposition of the patient, being decidedly characteristic, chiefly determines the selection of the remedy,." But in Aph 213 he modifies this statement by saying "We shall never be able to cure Homeopathically if we do not select a remedy, which is not only similar, but is also capable of producing a similar state of the disposition and mind."
In aph 164 Hahnemann says "The small number of Homoeopathic symptoms present in the best selected medicine, is no obstacle to cure where these few symptoms are chiefly of an uncommon kind and peculiarly distinctive [characteristic] of the disease."
2.Again in Aph 106 and 192, he says that the whole pathogenetic effects of the several medicines must be known, that is to say, all the morbid symptoms and alterations in health that each of the medicines is specially capable of developing, must have been observed, before we can hope to be able to select the suitable Homoeopathic remedy..." Valuable as all these directions undoubtedly are, I submit that they are all abstract and difficult to fully comprehend and apply in practice, without enlightening clinical experiences.
3. Reading the Materia Medica and understanding it [various competing remedies] for application in practice is equally confusing, and difficult of application in individual cases. Despite Kent's learned and impressive Lectures, Vitholkas' Essences or Margaret Tyler's Drug Pictures, the fact is that each remedy has several facets which are not applicable in every case. This adds to the confusion.
4. This situation was correctly recognized by Kent, who, on pg 3 of the booklet, "Use of the Repertory" says: The sick images in the M.M are too numerous and too varied to be named or classified...I have known often the intuitive prescriber to attempt to explain a so called marvelous cure by saying, "I cannot quite say how I gave the remedy..."
Kent concludes, "It is growth of art...but if carried too far it becomes a fatal mistake, and must therefore be corrected by REPERTORY work done in even the most mechanical manner."
5. The logic of learning behaviour is "From the known to the Unknown" Following a reverse order, thereby first even clinical experience is like putting the cart before the horse. Hence, all the lectures, teachings and articles produce no learning. Which again proves my contention in pedagogic terms, "If the learner has not learnt, the Teacher has not taught."
6. What is the solution? THE REPERTORY. This is not the place to go into the problems faced by Repertory makers and the usefulness of different Repertories. I find Frederick Shroyen's SYNTHESIS to be the best: up-to-date, numerous additions of rubrics and remedies. The Complete Repertory is not yet easily available in India. Therefore, in this article, the page numbers given, refer to Synthesis.
7. Use Of The Repertory: I advocate the massive use of the Repertory at every stage of a Homoeopathic practice, from case taking to the selection of the similimum. The reasons are:
1] Hahnemann has advised in Aph 155, "For employment of the Homoeopathic remedy it is only the symptoms of the medicine that correspond to the symptoms of the disease that are called into play.... but the other symptoms of the medicine which are often very numerous being in no way applicable to the case, are not called into play at all" and should be ignored.
2] Margaret Tyler and J H Clarke referred to these symptoms "Which are not called into play" as negative symptoms.They advised us to take only the Positive symptoms into consideration while looking for a remedy.
8. 1] While using the Repertory we have the advantage of examining only SINGLE RUBRICS each time, i.e., Positive symptoms. If we consult the Materia Medica, we will be confronted by so many symptoms - positive and negative. Then we are likely to regard the negative symtpoms also as essential the similimum. When we take this view point, we understand what a great advantage the repertory is!!
2] The repertory is the only place where we find the symptom broken up, ie analysed, which prevents us form getting confused with a combination of symptoms, like in the Materia Medica. These analyzed rubrics are like nuggets of gold, handy for use and when the need arises. Yet, they are also capable of being synthesized or combined with other symptoms found in the individual patient. A distinct advantage the Materia Medica! Failure to take advantage of this second factor is the major reason why many of us fai by not using the Repertory in every case is the major reason why many of us fail.
3] The Repertory is a perfect replica of the MM with the presentation of symptoms in the anatomical as well as the alphabetical order, making for easy reference. The only "drawback" if one may call it so, is that in it "everything must be sacrificed for the alphabetical order" [Kent] and we do not get word pictures of symptoms of the remedies as we find in the lectures. Yet, Kent advises in How to use the Repertory:
The use of the Repertory in Homoeopathic practice is a necessity if one is to do careful work. Our Materia Medica is so cumbersome without a repertory that the best prescriber must meet with only indifferent results."
