Repertory of Hering’s Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia medica
Author : By Calvin B Knerr M.D
“This belongs to the Puritan type of repertories, where the symptom of the patient is recorded without much change.
This repertory also belongs to the group of concordant repertories.
The word “concordance” means a state of being of the same heart and mind, a harmony, a harmonious arrangement of the symptoms.
This word was first used in Homeopathy by Boenninghausen in Therapeutic pocket book. The word concordance was replaced by “ Relation ship of remedies” in later edition of Allen.
Chapters :
1. Mind and disposition.
2. Sensorium.
3. Inner head
4. Outer head.
5. Eyes.
6. Ears.
7. Nose.
8. Upper face.
9. Lower face.
10. Teeth and gums.
11. Taste and tongue.
12. Inner mouth.
13. Throat.
14. Desires, aversions, appetite, thirst.
15. Eating and drinking.
16. Hiccough, belching, nausea and vomiting.
17. Scrobiculum and stomach.
18. Hypochondria.
19. Abdomen.
20. Stool and rectum.
21. Urinary organs.
22. Male sexual organs.
23. Female sexual organs.
24. Pregnancy, parturition, lactation.
25. Voice, larynx, trachea, bronchia.
26. Respiration.
27. Cough and expectoration.
28. Inner chest and lungs.
29. Heart, pulse and circulation.
30. Outer chest.
31. Neck and back.
32. Upper limbs.
33. Lower limbs.
34. Limbs in general.
35. Rest, position, motion.
36. Nerves.
37. Sleep.
38. Time.
39. Temperature and weather.
40. Fever.
41. Attacks, periodicity.
42. Locality and direction.
43. Sensations in general.
44. Tissues.
45. Touch, passive motion, injuries.
46. Skin.
47. Stages of life and constitution.
48. Drug relation ship.
Lastly — Index.
Total number of pages – 1232.
Preface :
The order of arrangement, followed in the compilation of this repertory is the one inaugurated by Hahnemann, developed, perfected and used by Hering through out his entire materia medica work viz.: the anatomical or regional division into 48 chapters.
Each chapter is alphabetically divided into sections and rubrics sufficient to allow full scope for analysis of the matter contained there in without destroying consistency as a whole.
The section word is repeated down the column in preference to the customary —-, which like all marks of abbreviation, ciphers, signs etc are apt to become confusing and are not as space saving as might be supposed.
For eg : Chapter Nose – Coryza
Coryza Acrid
Coryza albuminous etc.
There are four marks of distinction: –1,11, 1 , 11 have the significance as set down in guiding symptoms.
1 — the lowest, a single light line, designating an occasionally confirmed symptom
11 — a double light line, a symptom more frequently confirmed, or if or but once confirmed strictly in character with the genius of the remedy.
1 — a single heavy line, symptom verified by cures.
11 — a double heavy line, symptom repeatedly verified
: — the perpendicular dotted line , marks observation taken from the old school such as harmonize with our law of cure.
t — toxicological extracts.
¶ — symptom observed on the sick only.
—– the hand direction cross reference to related symptoms, diseases and conditions .
The repertory is supplemented by a complete index of localities and terms.
As in the guiding symptoms, so in the repertory; original readings, the words of the prover and the clinician are preserved to the letter, it being thought preferable to retain the most delicate shades of meaning, occasionally even different wordings of the same symptoms, by taking refuge in an extra rubric or cross reference, fuse or commingle in a vague generalization at the sacrifice of individuality.
In a repertory , we have separation by analysis for the purpose of classification and ready reference; in materia medica combination by synthesis to enable us to study drug effects in their grand unity and relationship.
Lastly — abbreviations of 408 drugs given.
From Abies Nigra to Zizia aurea.
Merits of The Book :
1. Useful as a book of reference, to find the desired symptom together with the indicated remedy.
2.The symptoms are given in their original form without much change.
3. Symptoms arranged in alphabetical order under each chapter.
4. About 408 medicines are dealt within the repertory.
5.There are four grading of symptoms, which helps us to understand the relative importance of drugs in the concerned symptom.
6. Since the cross-reference is given, one symptom can be referred to at more than one place.
7. Additional chapters are given in this book, which are not found in any other book.
For eg : Chapters – Pregnancy, parturition , lactation.
Heart, pulse and circulation.
Limbs in general.
Rest, position, motion.
Nerves.
Time.
Temperature and weather.
Attacks, periodicity.
Locality and direction.
Tissues.
Touch, passive motion , injuries.
Stages of life and constitution.
Demerits :
1. This repertory is not useful for systematic repertorisation of a case. .
2. The abbreviations given for the medicines are different from other books.