A Clinical Repertory to The Dictionary of Materia Medica

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I must ask my readers to do me the favour to give particular attention to the prefaces to this work-not only to this, the general preface, but also to the introductory notes to each separate division; for, though the uses of each division are fairly obvious, and the arrangements simple, the REPERTORY is capable of subserving other uses besides the obvious ones, and these I shall endeavour to point out. That prince of Repertory-makers, Von Boenninghausen, described his well-known "Pocket Book" as being intended for use at the beside "and in the study of the materia medica." I may in the same way describe my REPERTORY as being designed "for use in the study of the materia medica" no less than as an instrument for finding out the indicated remedies. Homoeopathic practice consists in knowledge of materia medica and knowledge how to use it. This demands unlimited patience and application in the study of drug comparisons. My REPERTORY will enable the practitioner to compare any remedy with any similar remedy in five different points, all of great importance in practice. In my Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica every remedy is described from a number of different points of view. The clinical point of view is one of these, and under the heading "CLINICAL" I have prefixed to each remedy a list of the affections in which it has been found most frequently indicated in practice. In compiling these clinical lists I had in view the project of preparing, later on, an Index of these headings to enable the reader to find at a glance all the remedies which have been accredited with the cure or alleviation of any given state. The CLINICAL REPERTORY herewith presented constitutes this Index.

Whilst the preparation of this work was in progress it occurred to me that it would greatly extend the usefulness of the CLINICAL REPERTORY if I were to add one or two other indices at the same time.

One of the sections under which I have described remedies in the Dictionary is headed "CAUSATION." This tells how remedies are related to conditions due to definite Causes. I have therefore added an alphabetical list of CAUSES, under any one of which will be found named all the drugs which have been observed to be curative in conditions produced by it.

Another index deals with TEMPERAMENTS. Acute observers, from the time of Hahnemann onwards, have noticed that some remedies act well on some types of persons and not at all so well on others. The respective types of Nux vomica and Pulsatilla are well known; but many other remedies have preferences more or less well marked for particular temperaments. These are mentioned in the Dictionary under the heading "CHARACTERISTICS" as the types of constitutions the particular remedy is specially "suited to." In the second and third volumes I have put the words "suited to" in italics so that they may be more easily found. In the Repertory of Temperaments they will all be found completely indexed. This, I think, is of no little importance, since type of constitution is very often a determining factor in the choice of a remedy. There are some patients whose constitutions correspond so accurately to a particular medicinal type, that the corresponding remedy will cure almost any indisposition they may happen to have. But under "SUITED TO" are included not temperaments, persons, and constitutions only, but also complaints occurring in persons of particular age and type; so that this section becomes in a way a complement of the Clinical Repertory-the first and most important division of this work. The user of the Repertory, therefore, who may not find the remedy he is in search of in the Clinical Repertory, may possibly find it in the Repertory of Temperaments under the heading of the complaint the patient is suffering from.

The last of the repertories included in this volume is a REPERTORY OF RELATIONSHIPS. This is twofold, and includes Clinical Relationships and Natural Relationships. The Repertory of Natural Relationships shows at a glance the place in nature of any remedy in question-mineral, vegetable, or animal-and how it stands in regard to its closest congeners. For instance, if a reader wishes to find the nearest botanical relations of any plant remedy he will be able to find them without difficulty. In the Dictionary is given the natural order of each plant. In the Repertory will be found an alphabetical list of all the natural orders represented, and under each is given in alphabetical order a list of all the plants of that order included in the materia medica.

But there is also given a list of the natural orders in their systematic or evolutionary order; so that every order is here given in juxtaposition with its allied orders. In this list I have prefixed a number to each order; and in the alphabetical list I have given each order the same number. Thus on consulting the alphabetical list, not only will all the individual members of that order be found there, but the number attached to the order will enable the reader to refer to the numerical list and find in that the orders most nearly allied to it. On reference to these orders in the alphabetical list, all the members of each will be found.

This is often to importance, since there is a strong therapeutic likeness between members of the same botanical group. The chief function of homoeopathy, it is true, is to individualise. This must be effected with the greatest possible completeness. But when once this has been done-and to effect this was one of the main objects I kept before me in compiling my Dictionary-grouping can be of the utmost value in the study and use of the materia medica.The mistake some first, and thinking that this might prove a short-cut to learning the materia medica. It is nothing of the kind: it merely results in muddling the materia medica unless each individual remedy has been first of all depicted in full detail.

When this indidualising of remedies has been mastered, the grouping becomes of great importance in practice. Of this both Dr. Burnett and Dr. Cooper made the most brilliant use. I need only instance the working out of the Lobelias by Dr. Burnett.

**Contents and Sample Pages**