Sifting of drug
symptoms.
By Constantine Hering, M. D.
Presented by Sylvain Cazalet
Dr Constantine
HeringIn Vienna and in
Prague, according to Heyne (P. 36), the cæsarling, Agaricus
cæsareus (The agaricus muscarius or
“Bug Agaric” is used as a fly-poison.) is not allowed to be
brought to market ; it is forbidden by an order of the police. Why
forbidden, because the cæsarling has a red hat, and so also has the Agaricus
muscarius, and because the former might be confounded wish he
latter ! The ordinance is certainly a well meaning, paternal one,
and likewise judicious. In the first place, by means of it the ignorant
are protected from injury ; in the second place, by means of it
this noble fungus is protected and preserved for him who alone deserves
to enjoy it. The solitary connoisseur knows that the sparthous naked
pileus, the yellow flesh on the outer circumference of the stripes
distinguish the prince of the fungi. But above alt, he is made certain,
by the pure yellow color of the lamellæ, that there stands before him
the most complete of all the agarics -the noblest, the fairest, the one
in favor ail others surpassing, the one highly renowned since the
earliest ages of which even Pliny speaks as that to be preferred (Hist.
Nat c. 22) -that the imperial agaric stands before his eyes, and is in
his hands, and is thus worthy to reward him who knows it, and to pass
over into his juices and blood.But few may have had
the good fortune to hold both in their hands at the same time -in the
light the cæsar, in the left the fly-killer. (The agaricus muscarius or
“Bug Agaric” is used as a fly-poison.) But whoever is so
fortunate as to be able to joy before himself Harper’s work on the
fungi, let him compare the first plate with the last.As nobility of
sentiment displays itself in every word, and imprints itself on every
stage of development so here nobility is to be seen in every line, even
down to the burgeoning egg- on the other hand, in every line of the
fly-agaric, the malignant, the adder-like, the toad like, ever in the
very egg. There is healthy laughing red gold, like apples ; here a
sinister, livid aspect, by reason of its sickly warts.Just so it is in the
Hahnemannian Materia Medica. What in Austria is called the police, is
called, in relation to the Materia Medica, criticism. Our police
requires that we should rather leave patients uncured than cure them by
means of symptoms along which there are perhaps false Ones, because
these symptoms come from provers whom it pleases as to regard with
suspicion, or because they were observed on patients.
Dr Constantine
HeringThe police allows no
mushroom with red hat ; scientific criticism allows no symptoms
from patients, no symptoms from timid dosers, no symptoms which appeared
after the potencies, etc. The police say : they have red
caps ; they may be potencies ; away with them ; we are no
connoisseurs ! Our criticism gees still farther, for it not only
says : they may be false, but it says : they are false !
Surely this criticism might learn so much as this from the police, as to
say : they may, they might, they could be ! For precaution’s
sake let everything that resembles them be called out. Many of our
critics go still one step farther. They not only say : these
symptoms are altogether good for nothing ; no, they regard them as
a kind of scabby sheep ; they think that even the good symptoms may
be poisoned by these bad symptoms : It reminds one of the booth
puller of the last century, who taught the people that the black teeth
must come out, because otherwise they would infect the rest. In like
manner they would tear out the carious symptoms, so that the rest might
then stand so much the firmer ; but that, in consequence, the
entire row of teeth becomes loose, can only be shown by the result on
many thousands of maltreated persons.That this horrible
delusion has fixed itself in the best heads like a mold upon the brain,
and disseminates itself probably after the manner of such yeast sporules
floating in the air, let an example show.In a quarto-volume
begun in 1852, en honored commentator of the provings of Kali
bichrom. says (p. 4, note) : “I have, subjected
narratives of the provers to what may appear somewhat rigid
criticism ; and in the fear of incorporating any useless or
doubtful symptoms, may have left out many that really belong to the
drug, and which may turn out to be valuable. But I hold that it is
better to reject many real symptoms than admit one false one, as one
false symptom tends to vitiate the whole by destroying our confidence in
the rest.”Truly we must be
thankful for this, that a man has the courage boldly to write and send
out into the world such horrible nonsense as this. Thereby we learn
things which, otherwise, we should not have understood how to regard as
possible.There are then really
men, physicians, Homœopathicians, who have confidence in the collection
of drug symptoms : And what sort of confidence ? A confidence
in the hundreds of symptoms of the various remedies -a confidence more
tender than the sugar manikin upon a macaroon- one joit and down it
goes !“One false symptom
tends to vitiate the whole.” What’s a false symptom ? Neither
is there a single one, among many thousands and thousands, which
positively is a false one, nor has it ever been, in a strictly
scientific manner, demonstrated of any single one. We have hitherto only
suspected, we have sought to make it probable ; but all this is no
proof !There are many
“false symptoms” in all probability-it could- at reasonably be
expected to be otherwise ; and, for this reason the old school too
knew nothing better to say in opposition to is greatest product of the
century, than to throw suspicion on the whole of it. Now come along such
imitators of our opponents, and think if they throw suspicion on single
symptoms -for proof that the suspicion is welt grounded has never yet
succeeded even in one single case-then not only must these symptoms
thrown out, but even the good, the true ones along with them I If, among
the servants of a house, one falls under suspicion, was hang them
all ; for the “sugar manikin” of our confidence has come
to grief I In this way have they thought to rescue science and to build
the highways of truth !But by what means do we
find out that any symptoms whatever, of any drug, really and truly
belong to that drug I There must be ways and means, for even the most
conscientious most careful prover, the most attentive observer, may
possibly err-for he remains a man, and “to err is human.” That
such a thing is possible, and is to be taken for granted, follows from
the very words of the same critic ; for not without emotion do we
read his confession that he may, in his zeal for the rescue of our
science, “have left out many that really belong to the
drug ;” and he is willing to admit that these “may”
perhaps, later in the course of time, “turn out to be
valuable.” But how shall these unlucky symptoms begin to “turn
out to be valuable” if, in the collection of symptoms in the
symptoms-code they have been already thrown over-board ?There is but one way in
which we can, from time to time, render single symptoms more
probable ; in this way many symptoms may gradually turn out to be
valuable ; but this is only possible on condition that we do not
throw them overboard into the jaws of the revenues sharks of criticism.But this way is that of
the strictest method, the method of Hahnemann, who, a full half century
before Applet wrote his theory of induction, solved the great problem
practically in the very same manner. In the same way we must continue to
travel ; we must develop after the manner of all sound growth, and
we shall attain what Hahnemann had in view-mathematical certainty.To this may
belong :1. Provings on the healthy, with or without
poisonings.
2. Observations on the sick.
3. Cures of groups of symptoms.
4. Collocation of all these symptoms in all their relations.
5. Comparison among themselves of the symptoms of each remedy.This last, the great
essential, the estimation of the value of single symptoms, the sifting,
the separating, the valuing and everything else that is based on this
estimate of the value of single symptoms-in the region of the art ;
determination in the choice of the remedy ; in the region of the
science ; columns and arches to be erected-all this, however, is
most plainly impossible unless we first have collections of all the
symptoms-collections of the completes possible I These, too, must be in
the hands of everyone, in order that a few prominent ones may not,
through their preconceived opinions, confuse and throw dust into the
eyes of the many who ought to see for themselves, whether by means of
clouds of learned dust from the quartos and folios which they flap open
and shut, or through the whirlwinds of sand which they raise.We must have our
Materia Medica before us accessible to all, and just as it was proposed
in this journal (Alleg. How. Zeit., 69, 12, 89 and American Homœopathic.
Review, p. 90) ; on the other hand the pure symptomatology in the
encyclopedic form as the foundation of the art. All of our contentions
bring us not a step forward, and they tend, in spite of our thirty
years’ war, at the very best, only to a peace of Westphalia, that is, to
a still greater distraction. The three editions of the Organon
will certainly not unite us, but these two collections of the Materia
Medica might at least render a sound and healthy criticism possible.In the lottery to raise
money for the completion of the tower of Cologne Cathedral, every ticket
costs one dollar, and it is hoped that the two towers will be built
simultaneously. In the enterprise for the building up of our two towers,
each share is to cost five dollars. That is a difference to be
sure ; but on the other hand, there a building only is to be
completed ; here one is to be begun. And whereas there it may
chance that one gets something ; here every one is sure of getting
his portion. But to contribute to our enterprise is by no means to come
over to our party ; and one may contribute for no other reason than
this that he approves tho simple accomplishment of an enterprise solely
that the thing may at last come into existence, and that the world may
have it. But perhaps even this is asking too much ; if so, then we
must nurse it quietly until the world is ready to have.
Source :
Am. Hom. Review, 1865.
Copyright © Sylvain
Cazalet 2001
