Classical homeopathy, also known as Hahnemannian homeopathy follows the canon (i.e. classical) traditions of remedy prescription, case serving, etc. These were laid dowm by Hahnemann's philosophy as stated in the Organon of the Medicine and subsequently developed by many classical Homoeopaths, e.g. Dr. C. Von Boeninghausen,Dr, Jahr, Dr. EB Nash, Dr. Allen, Dr.Constentine Hering ,Dr. Carrol Dunhum, Dr Richard Huges, Dr. Kent, Dr.John Henry Clarke, Dr. William Boerick, Dr. Boger, Dr. Robert and others.These all physicians were Allopathic practitioners and was converted to Homoeopathy. The practitioners list is very long, who practiced Classical Homoeopathy at the time of Hahnemann and after death of Hahnemann. They are all Classical Homoeopaths.

The Classical Homoeopathy begins with the practice of Hahnemann, the Father of Homoeopathy and is still today is practiced in the same style.

Genesis of Homoeopathy

Dr. Hahnemann was a good translator and had good command over few European languages. Once he was translating chapter of Quinine of Cullen's Materia Medica, he found that Dr. Cullen has written that if quinine bark is taken regularly, it will produce malaria fever like syndromes. The logic mind of Hahnemann agreed with the version of cullen and he took small quantity of bark daily. Within few days Hahnemann felt malaria like syndromes. He told his experiences to another friend doctor. He also took the bark and felt the similar experience as Dr. Hahnemann had felt. Hahnemann thought that Quinine is the medicine for curing malaria fever and if taken in healthy body it creates malaria like syndromes.

This was the first thought which came in his mind that medicinal substances has power to produce the disease syndromes in healthy body for which they are used. And these sunbstances has power to cure the syndromes if any sick person is having like symptoms.

Several times he repeated the experiments with the quinine. He found that apart from the syndromes produced by the quinine,there is much more behind hide, which should be brought out. He started to write down feelings,symptoms, sensations, aggravations, ameliorations, whatever he felt, noted down daily in a diary. When the effects of the crude drug finished, he catagorised the symptoms from most important to lesser important. First he begins from Mind. To start from mind symptoms, this was a unique at that time. Because all the medicines were presented in their syndromes at that time.

Organon of the Rational Art of Healing

The Organon of the Healing Art / Organon of the Rational Art of Healing, {One should not be confused with the word ORGANON because this is a famous title of a Philosophy book, written by Great Greek Philosopher Aristotel}, is the first classical book of Homoeopathy in which the art of healing is described. The book is written in Aphorism, section or Para style, which was the tradition of the writing at that time.It have theoratical and practical part together in one biding. Six editions of the Organon of Medicine were published.

Another classical work of Hahnemann is Chronic Diseases and its Cure. The book covers the theory of chronic diseases and materia medica of medicines, which was experienced and observed by the Hahnemann while treating the Chronic disease conditions.

Another Classical work is Materia Medica Pura in which the details of the drugs, there preparation and their prooving is given in details.

Homoeopathy, as a science has a philosophy of its own with some cardinal principles. These are called the fundamental principles as every science have its own, according to their philosophy or phenomenon. These principles are mainly seven.

Seven Principles

Hahanemann laid down seven principles, which he described in his classical work Organon of the Medicine:

1. Simila Similibus Currentur (like cures the alike)
2. the Single Remedy
3. the Minimal Dose
4. the Potentized Remedy or the Doctrine of Drug Dynamization
5. Theory of the Vital Force
6. theory of Chronic Diseases
7. Doctrine of Drug Prooving

which make together the essence of Classical Homoeopathy.

The Law of Similars: Similia simlibus curantur

The law of similar is a cardinal principle of Homoeopathy. This is the key of the Homoeopathic science and base also. This is a latin phrase and its literal meaning is 'Likes cure likes'. The word Homeopathy is a Greek origin that means 'similar sufferings'. It can be defined that Homoeopathy is a therapeutic method of the similarity of the symptoms. The law of similarity is ancient origin. In Ayurved, Charak have first recognised the law of similars, saying the rule VISHASHYA VISHMAUSHADHAM that means poison can be cured by the poison. It is also claimed that Hippocrates sensed the law and he applied the law in some recorded cases. Time to time, it is said by the Medical practitioners that theory of the law of similars is correct, but how to implement it, no body knows about the implementation's tactics.

It is for the first time in the history of medicine, Hahnemann did the practical implementation of the Law of Similars. By experimenting and his keen observation with the inductive method of reasoning, he convinced the Physicians the law of cure.

Law of simplex -the single remedy

Hahnemann said in the Oranon of medicine, in aphorism 272, that only one single, simple medicinal substance to the sick, should be administered at a time. This is one aspect of the Hahnemann approach which have several dimensions to understand the doctrine.

In fact the Homoeopathic remedies are prooved in single and the materia medica is built up with the collection of symptoms, observed by the proovers. These symptoms are collected and segregated according to their charecteristics. The effects of the medicine is tested either in planned proovings or they have got collected from the accidental proovings.

Another aspect is that only a single remedy is required, which is most similar matching to the symptoms of the sick person.

The other fact is, the physician will not understand, which medicine is curing if used more than sigle and this might deviate to the use of another medicine.

The possibility of synergistic action cannot be ruled out, if more than one medicine is used. The effect will be the sum total of the effects of the separate drugs. The ionic ingredients of the drug may even result in interaction and could cause the adverse effects in the body.

The concept of Vital force, which is governing the human body comprehensively, is having a single identity. Therefore the medicine should be one to correct the disturbances and dishormony of the body by single medicine at a time.

Law of Minimum :The Minimal Dose

Hahnemann laid a principle in aphorism 275, the suitableness of a medicine for any given case does not depend on its accurate Homoeopathic selection alone, but likewise on the proper size or rather smallness of dose. Under this direction the patient is given medicine in a very minute dose. That means although the dose is smallest in quantity, but it produces least possible excitation of the Vital force to effect the necessary changes. The concept of minimal dose is conjoined with the drug dynamisation process or say potentization. The Law of Minimum has many advatages.

1. The minimal dose does not damage any vital organ of body, so there is no risk of drug affects or drug addiction.
2. The concept of the minimum dose can be ascertained by the law of Arndt-Shultz with the established facts that small dose stimulate, medium dose paralyze and the large doses kills. It can be said that action of one substance will not be same if they are administered in small and large quantity on living matters.
3. To avoid undesired aggravation of any kind.
4. The dynamic action of a drug produces uncommon, peculiar, strange, rare and other distinguised symptoms when used in the minimum quantity, when prooving
5. the remdies fine and finest quality of action for cure purposes, is possible in the minimal doses.
6. To maintain the similarity of the sequence of the drug and the disease, minimal dose is necessary
7. According to Fincke the law of quantity is thus "The quality of the action of Homoeopathic remedy is determined by its quantity in inver ratio."
8. Law of least action is formulated by the French mathematician Maupertius: "the quantity of action necessary to affect any changes in nature is the least possible. The decisive amount is always a minimum, a infinitesimal".

It was long believed that Hahanemann always used single medicine at a time as a rule, which is followed by the subsequent followers of the Homoeopathy -- but recently documents have come to light that suggested he did otherwise. However, in classical Homoeopathy, largely due to the influence of Kent, it is not common practice to mix remedies at the same time.

The Potentized Remedy or Doctrine of Drug Dynamization

Every crud substance have a latent medicinal property in itself. By the process of Drug Dynamization the latent property of the substance is awakened and is developed for action to an incredible degree.

Dr. Stuart Close, M.D. writes that "the Homoeopathic potentiisation is a mathmetico-mechanical process for the reduction , according to scale, of crude, inert of poisonous medicinal substances to a state of physical solubility, physiological assimilability and therapeutic activity and harmlessness, for use as homoeopathic healing remdies."

The method of drug potentisation is in two sections.

• Trituration : by this method only those substances are triturated which are insoluble .

• Succussion : by this method only those sunstances are potentised which are soluble.

The Homoeopathy considers the objective of the potentisation thus;

• The most deadly poison or virulent medicinal substances becomes harmless when used in the potentised state. These substances are transformed into beneficial remedies after dynamization process.For example: Snake Venom, Arsenic, Mercury etc

• The potentised medicine actions are more wide-spread, more deeper and more longer

• Many substances are not active in the crude state and their use as a medicine is too limited. By dynamization process, their innert power of healing comes out, for example; Charcoal,Silica, Common Salt etc.

• It is believed in Homoeopathy that Vital force is dynamic in its nature and if this force is affected by the disease, it can be cured only by the dynamic power of the selected medicine and not by the crude quantity.

• Some medicinal substances are used in very limited sphere. By the dynamization process, their uses can be brodened effectively.

The Introduction of the drug dynamization theory is introduced in the Organons of Medicine, Fifth edition, published in the year 1833.

Homoeopathic system is fundamentally based on the choice of the medicine, laid down by the law of similar's priciples that the medicine should have power to produce the most similar disease symptoms for curing the disease in the healthy human beings.

Theory of Vital Force

Among the medical science, Homoeopathy believes that it is the Vital Force which is responsible for the different manifestations of life. Hahnemann writes in aphorism-10, about the Vital force,"The material organism without the vital force is capable no sensation, no function, no self preservation ; it derives all sensations, and performs all the functions of life solely by means of the immaterial being vital force which animates the material organism in health and in disease,"

The Vital force in the healthy condition, maintains the normal functions and sensations of the organism. When the vital force is not dynamically deranged by the morbific dynamic influences, it is normal in this stage. When the vital force is influenced by the morbific dynamic agents, it deranges and causes abnormal sensations and functions,which are manifested outwardly through the material body as abnormal sign and symptoms, which constitute the disease syndromes.

The cure is possible when the vital force aided itself to rise the recovery. When vital force is weak, debilitated, exhausted and not provoked itself, the recovery of normal health is difficult.

Theory of Chronic Diseaes

While Hahnemann was treating his patient, he observed that some of the patient returns back to their complaints and symptoms after relief, in some interval. This reccurence of symptoms leads him to think over the problem. The failure gave him thought, why it happens and how it happens ? He tried to understand the reality behind this phenomenon. After 12 years of the regourous experimentation and observation, he came upto conclusion that their is some thing present in the human body, by which the occurence of the symptoms repeats after cure.He reached upto the conclusion that chronic diseases are caused by the chronic miasms and these miasms are Psora-Homoeopathic, Sycosis-Homoeopathic, Syphilis-Homoeopathic. Dr. Hahnemann concluded after 12 yrs of long and regorous experimentation that the real cause of the recurrence of the disease sympatomatology or symptoms or syndromes is due to Psora. Psora is a fundamental cause of the disease, which forms itself in innumerable forms of disease syndromes.Psora is the mother of all dideases and atleast seven-eight of all the chronic maladies are cropped up from it. The remaining eight sprangs up from the other causative factors say miasms i.e. Syphilis and Sycosis.

He observed that cure from these miasms are possible, when selected potentised drug is used,which are known as Anti-psoric, antisycotic, antisyphilitic. Only miasmatic treatment can prevent the relapse of the symptoms. The theory of the miasmatic treatment is included in the fourth edition of Organon of Medicine in year 1829. But Hahnemann published this innovation in Homoeopathic sciencein a separate book titled "Chronic diseases, their nature and Homoeopathic treatment" in year 1828.

Theory of Drug Prooving

In Homoeopathic treatment only those medicines are used / prescribed which have properly prooved or tested according to the rules laid down by Dr Hahnemann. The process is known "Drug Prooving". Actually Hahneann wants to know the potentized drugs actions in human body.

Dru prooving is a systematic process and arrangement to procure the disease producing power of any substance, say medicine in human say healthy human, both sexes, any and all age, body built, temperaments, constitution, etc.

The recording of the drug prooving must be reliable and thats why reliable and genuine person should be selected for the drug prooving. Hahnemann writes directions for conducting the drug prooving in the Organon of Medicine in aphorisms 120 -145 to procure the curative properties of medicine substances for curing thousands of thousands disease conditions.

The directives are that drug should be prooved on the human being because animals can not give the mental and subjective symptoms [b effects of some drugs on animal and on human being will be different.

Requisite qualification of Homoeopathic practitioner

Since the time of Dr. Hahnemann that Allopathic practitioners Modern Western Medicine practitioners can practice Homoeopathy as a speciality. Some rules have been framed by Dr. Hahnemann, which are essential and necessary to be followed by the Homoeopathic practitioners, who want to practice Hahnemannian homoeopathy. These requisite qualifications and conditions are implemented on the physician for providing the concept of "Ideal Cure" for which Dr. Hahnemann have written in the Ist Aphorism of the Organon of the medicine. The speciality of the Homoeopathic doctor must be according to the following conditions.

• Knowledge of disease,
• Knowledge of the medicinal power and essentials
• Knowledge of the application of the drug/remedy knowledge to the disease/symptoms knowledge
• Knowledge of the selection or choice of remedy/medicne
• Knowledge of the exact mode /procedure of drug/remedy preparation
• Knowledge of the repetition of the doses at a time and interval
• knowledge of the obstacle / hindrence to cure and their removals
• Knowledge of the things which deranges health, caused disease and how to remove them
• Physician should have sense of "No prejudice" according to aphorism-6 and 83
• Physician should have Sound senses according to aphorism 83
• Physician should have especial circumspection according to aphorism-98
• Physician should have tactful and have knowledge to handle the case
• Physician should have good understanding of the human nature and Psychology
• Should have patience and good conceiving and perceiving qualities.

Case-taking

Hahnemann developed a unique method of Case-taking and recording of the symptoms of sick person, which was not popular at that time.The specific type of the questioning according to the need of selection of proper remedy for a proper case, was felt to implement the remedy prooving into practice of healing.Hahnemann laid down some principals for the selection of remedy. In Aphorism 5th, hahnemann instruct for the exciting causes and fundamental causes. In aphorism 71 and further he instruct to the followers, how to take the case and accrordingly proper selection of medicine.Although this is not a tough work, but it require the ability and skill of the physician's capability of conception and perception.Hahnemann say in aphorism 71" The operation of curing is comprised in three points, and among it the first point is case-taking or case-recording.

"A case well taken is half cured" , this is the opinion of one master of Homoeopathy practitioner. A good Homoeopathic prescribing is depend upon the good deal of the information collected by the physician for selection of medicine purposes.The Homoeopath must know his patient spiritually, emotionally,mentally, physically and sociologically.A physician must devote his time to collect maximum information about the patient as best as possible.

Aphorism 83-104 of the Organon of the medicine is deals with the instructions of Hahnemann regarding Case-taking . The case should be record in such a way that it should contains all the essentials individualising charecteristics, which leads clearly matching with the recorded symptoms of the prooved medicine. The recording of the symptoms is an art, because a physician collecting the symptoms in view of finding a suitable remedy for the sick. Therefore the concentration of the physician should be within the sphere of the selection of medicine and the querry should be done around this sphere.

The object of the case taking is to select the true symptoms of the patient ^* to fulfill the object of diagnosis of disease, although this is necessary and essential because a physician must know, what he is treating ? This is only for diagnosis level. But the selection of medicine is finally depend upon the symptoms observed.

GENERAL DIRECTIONS:

• Whatever the patient is narrated the history of sufferings, the physician should attentively listen the all.

• The physician should also collect the maximum information regarding the patient, from his natives, relatives, family members, attendants about his complaints, behaviour,any secrets, any abnormality, which is observed by them.

• The observation of physician is very important. A keen observer observes any thing altered, peculiar, unusual,strange, uncommon in patinet by seeing, hearing, touching and use of other senses.

• The physician should write down , whatever he have observed, listened , experienced etc by his senses and from the attendants.

• The physician should advise the patient to speak slowly about his complaints. The physician should write down case history in the words of patient and style of expressions. The recorded symptomatology and case history will be for the future references, because it is impossible for any physician to keep in memory the patient complaints.

Selection of medicine : appropriate remedy

The selection of remedy, drug, medicine or medicament is very easy in Homoeopathy. The criteria for the selection of appropriate remedy is instructed by the Hahnemann in Organon of the Medicine in the practical part from aphorism 71- 142. The Organon of Medicine is very serious writtings of Hahnemann, which is logically written and should be understand the written material seriously by the reader or followers of the Homoeopathy. This is not an ordinary written book. It have logic on concrete backgrounds, which have been gained after years of years continuous experimentation and thus the contents are based on the practicle approach.

Homoeopathic Pharmacy

The Pharmaceutical preparations of Homoeopathy are very differ in compare to other medical systems.The Homoeopathic medicines are prepared according to the rule laid down by the founder of Homoeopathy Dr. C.F.S. Hahnemann. Factually the concept of dynamisation came in existence after a lot of work done by Dr. Hahnemann. In earlier days of homoeopathic practice, evidences are present, when Hahnemann used mother tincture of the herbs to treat the patient. Later he changed the concept and tried to minimise the power of medicine by invention of drug potentisation process.

Today the Homoeopathic medicines are available in the following forms.

• Mother tinctures
• Decimal scale
• Centicimal scale
• 50 Millessimal scale

It is upto the decision of the Homoeopathic physician, which scale and potency is selected according to the individual need of the patient, considering his vital power, susceptibility, ideosyncracy and other essential factors.

Hahnemann's work

Hahnemann have written many articles before the invent of Homoeopathy. Originally Hahnemann was Allopathic physician practicing in Allopathy. He was a good Chemist and having knowledge of few languages, say Latin, English etc. He was in Government Sevice of Duke. A list of few main and important articles, Books, Publications titles are given in Chronological sequence:

Year 1775- On the wonderful construction of the Human Hand

Year 1779- A consideration of the Aetiology and Therapeutics of Spasmodic affections

year 1782- Essays Kreb's Medical Observer

Year 1784- Directions for curing old sores and Forensic detection

Year 1789- Instruction for Surgeons on Veneral diseases

year 1790- translation of Cullen's materia medica from English to German

year 1796- Description of klockenberger during his insanity

year 1797- are the obstacles to the attainment of simplicity and certainty in practicle medicine insurmountable ?

Year 1797- Antidote to some heroic vegetable substance

Year 1801- Cure and prevention of Scarlet fever

Year 1803- On the effects of Coffe / On a proposed remedy for Hydrophobia

year 1805- Aesulapius in the balance / Medicine of Experience

year 1808- On the Value of the speculative system of medicine

Year 1809- Signs of the times in the ordinary system of medicine

year 1810- Organon of the Rational Art of Healing / first edition

year 1811 to 1821- MATERIA MEDICA PURA

year 1813- spirit of the New Medical Doctrine

year 1816- On veneral diseases and its ordinary Improper treatment

year 1816- On the treatment of Burns

year 1828 to 1838 Chronic Diseases

year 1830- 1831 Four articles on Cholera

year 1819- Organon of medicine 2nd edition

year 1824- Organon of medicine 3rd edition

year 1829- Organon of medicine 4th edition

year 1833- Organon of medicine 5th edition

year 1921- Organon of medicine 6th edition

History of Repertory

The history of the origin of Homoeopathic Repertory begins from Hahnemann himself. Hahnemann prepared an index of remedy symptoms for his own uses, because it was very difficult for him to remember the big number of the recorded symptoms of many medicines, when in need.

After some time, when many medicines were symptomatically recorded, some of these medicines were proved several times to make foolproof testing, thus the huge number of recorded symptoms causes inconvenience. It was impossible to memorise such huge symptoms for any one. So Hahnemann started to make index of the important symptoms according to his own needs.Today, these Hahnemannian indexing is preserved safely in the Heal's Museum, Robert Bosch Krankenhaus, Frankfurt, Germany.

Later Dr. C. Von Boenninghausen modified the Hahnemann's idea of the arrangement of the indexing medicine. In year 1832 Dr. Boenninghausen prepared a repertory titled "Repertory of the Antipsoric Medicines". The preface of this repertory is written by the Hahnemann himself. Again in year 1835 Dr. Boenninghausen has written another repertory under title " Repertory of the medicine which are not Antipsoric". Again in year 1846, Dr. Boennighausen prepared a full fledge repertory under the title "Therapeutic Mannual for Homoeopathic Physician, for use at the sick bed and in the study of Materia Medica pura". This was the base of the origin of repertory. The Boenninghausen's style of repertory composing is copied by the subsequent followers of Homoeopathy and some of them modified the repertory in their own way. Today the Boenninghausen work is available under the title Boenninghausen's Therapeutic pocket book with some changes.

The methods of the French School of homeopathy, such as nosode prescription and cocktail remedies of Boiron, are non-classical.

See Homeopathic schools.

Sources:

1. The Organon of the Healing Art / Organon of Medicine by Smauel Hahnemann
2. Chronic Diseases and their Homoeopathic Cure by Samuel Hahnemann
3. Materia Medica Pura by Samuel Hahnemann
4. Lesser Writings by Boenninghausen
5. Life and Letters of Hahnemann by T.L. Bradford
6. Hahnemann Biography by Richard Haehl
7. A treatise on Organon of Medicine by Dr AK Das, NIH, Kolkatta
8. Hahnemann Organon Commentry by Dr. BK Sarkar,
9. Essays on Homoeopathy by Dr. BK Sarkar

Homeopathy