Jahr's New manual of homoeopathic practice (Volume 2).

  • Jahr, G. H. G. (Gottlieb Heinrich Georg), 1800-1875.
Date:
1841-1842
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Jahr's New manual of homoeopathic practice (Volume 2). Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    cause being evident, and the specific antidote being known, as, for example, Arnica against mechanical injuries, Mer- cury against syp/iiliiic affections, &c. We can frequently substitute this for characteristic symptoms, provided it is always the particular character of the cause which is evi- dent in the individual symptoms of an affection. Now, as the same cause will frequently affect different individuals in many different manners, according to their age, con- stitution, habits and other peculiarities, which are not always the effects of a single cause, but also those of the individual constitution which is reflected in the individual symptoms, for this reason, in all the cases of the known cause we should be assured by a comparison of the symp- toms o( thet absolute fitness of the medicament in question. This precaution is entirely indispensable in every instance where it is most of an antidote against the pathogenetic cause. The ^roporrtona^e resemblance of the symptoms forms another point which should command our attention in the choice of a medicament. We have before said that the cause, organic lesion and pathognomonic symptoms indicate the kind or family of medicaments to be consulted, while the accidental and individual symptoms enable us to find that which, in a given case, was the true specific. But that this may become as true in practice as in theory, it is yet required that the individual symptoms of the medicament correspond precisely to the individual symptoms of the malady. For the sake of illustration, take an example of phlegmonous angina, with a tendency of the tonsils to sup- purate, and characterized, as to a salient symptom, by burning pains of excoriation. Belladonna, Mercury and Cantharides may be indicated in such a case, since they relate to the pathognomonic symptoms, such as swellino-, inflammatory redness of the parts affected, difficult, pain- ful or even impossible deglutition, &c. Belladonna and Mercury may also cover the symptoms of burning (or smarting) ;)am of excoriation: but the only medicament applicable to this case is the Cantharides, since neither the Mercury nor Belladonna have this symptom in a manner as decided as we suppose it to be in our example, while the Cantharides produces, not only in the throat, but also in all the internal organs, burning pains of excoriation as one of Its most distinctive symptoms. On the contrary, in an- other angina of the same pathological nature where in addition to burning or smarting pains of excoriation the most prominent symptom is an excessive salivation we