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Homeopathic Materia Medica consists of genuine, pure, reliable
and authenticated symptoms of simple substances ascertained after
complete proving on relatively healthy human beings.
Knowledge of the Materia Medica is quite essential for repertorisation.
But it is impossible to keep in one’s head the mass of symptoms
as recorded in an encyclopedia of symptoms. No mind can memorize
ALL the symptoms of ALL the drugs with their characteristics and
gradations. Many practitioners find it difficult to practice Homoeopathy
in a straight way. Any attempt to find out a similar remedy by
going through the provings of the drugs, is a thing of despair.
Repertory is a valuable help as it is an index, a catalogue of the
symptoms of the Materia Medica, neatly arranged in a practical form
and also indicating the relative gradation of drugs but it is also
not the final answer to find the similimum
"From the comparative study of our drugs, we many of course,
at times recognize a suitable remedy for a given case. But to do
this, we must possess a sound knowledge of Materia Medic. Without
a good command over our principal subject – Drug pathogenesis, it
is impossible to arrive at a right conclusion".
By close and persistent study of the drugs of our Materia Medica
as individual personalities, it is possible to become quite familiar
with them and retain a mental picture. When you see a case, immediately
the picture of the drug is awakened in your mind. If you had not
had the idea of the remedy in your mind, you would not also see
it in your patient. And you have to study and restudy the remedies
and perceive the personality of each one, intelligently.
"If you are to be a good prescribe, by the way, your drugs
have got to be people for you, with whim, fancies and terrors, with
tempers and idiosyncrasies and characteristics, you have got to
see them talking about the world, speaking and moving and halting,
with the bodies-minds-souls of men. You have got to travel with
them in bus, train and tram and they will betray themselves, buttoned
up and shrinking together or loose and jolly and open, fidgety,
restless, fearful, dull and inert, quarrelling for an open window,
growling at the draught with the windows closed. You have got to
dine with them and the will reveal themselves in their relation
to food and drink and in the mental revelations such convivial moments
of relaxation call forth. You may spot them standing for preference
or sinking always into the nearest seat, stoop shouldered and drooping
or erect and full of ‘go’, depressed and querulous, restless and
anxious as their deeply sinned faces testify, smooth and smug, dirty
complexioned and careless of appearance, chalky faced and flabby
of superlative tissue, compact and hard as nails, fault-finding-affectionate
and mild – responsive to every wave of sentiments and emotions –
dull and indifferent. Look for them everywhere and learn them and
they will betray themselves at every turn, and you will often save
yourselves hours of solid work, by spotting them as they enter your
consulting room.( Dr M Tyler )"
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