The homoeopathic materia medica : arranged systematically and practically / by A. Teste ; translated from the French and edited by Chas. J. Hempel.

  • Teste, Alph. (Alphonse), 1814-
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The homoeopathic materia medica : arranged systematically and practically / by A. Teste ; translated from the French and edited by Chas. J. Hempel. 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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    found applicable to most of the cases of a particular epidemic. Consequently it was in itself a rational pro- ceeding to look for a specific remedy or a specific mode of treatment in this or that epidemic. Even Hahne- mann had sometimes to resort to such a proceeding. But if this be the plausible side of the specific doc- trine, it is not the less true that in order to have a perfectly legitimate basis of existence, this doctrine should, above all things, have demonstrated the vali- dity of the following two principles : 1st. Essential sameness or symptomatic invaria- bility of all diseases. 2d. Essential sameness of the physiological effects of all drugs. We shall find out presently, in examining Hahne- mann's opinions concerning the individualization of diseases, to what an extent all diseases, whether natu- ral or medicinal, may be considered essential. D. Every physician, says Hahnemann, adopt- ing a treatment of such a general character, however unblushingly he may affect to be an homoeopathist, is and will always remain, a generalizing alloeopathist; as without the most especial individualization, homceopatluj has no meaning:71 This maxim rigorously excludes em- piricism of whatever name, and upon whatever data it be based, and in this respect, I consider the maxim just, and accept it explicitly. But is it, as has been supposed, the negation of diagnosis or prognosis ; in one word, does it imply the complete upsetting of pathology? Such a conclusion seems to me to go beyond Hahnemann's own ideas. 1 Organon, p. 28, note.