Book review by Dr Mansoor Ali
Name of Book : In search of the later Hahnemann
Author : Rima Handley DPhil, FSHom
Published by : Elsevier, Sri Pratap Udyog, Sriniwas puri, New Delhi. 110065. India
Price : 195
About author : Rima handley working both as a homoeopath and psychotherapist taught medieval literature at Universities of London and Newcastle. She was the co-founder of the Northern college of homoeopathic medicine in New castle.
This book is the story of Hahnemann’s practice of homoeopathy in Paris during the last years of life. This work is based on his actual case records which as kept unexamined in German library. We can see his everyday work, experimental,tentative, hard working, disciplined and optimistic.
This book brings light to the materials unrevealed by Richard hale towards the end of his life, many years of effort by the author. Majority among us are familiar with early life of Hahnemann but not with last years. This in not a final work but according to author-others will be able to under take finer work once the tunnel have been excavated.
This book reveals a rather different Hahnemann, the private experimentation which underpinned the assurance of his public utterances – he tried and experimented different methods.
54 volumes of Hahnemann’s case records are preserved in the Institute of history of medicine at Stuttgart. 37 of these related to Hahnemann’s own practice in Saxony ,17 to Hahnemann’s joint practice with Melanie in Paris.
Main contents
- The context- The beginning of homoeopathy,conflicts , marriage practice, Robert Bosch Institute etc.
- The patients – Consultation and treatments
- Theory of disease
- Choosing the remedy to follow sulphur
- Hahnemann’s material medica- Early,middle and late period
- Veneral maism
- Iatrogenic diseases
- Experimentation with dose and potency
- Ultimate attenuation- LM potency
The whole range of his Paris patients are represented , many have successful cures, but mistakes akso, getting stuck and lost in his cases but always trusting the principles and overcoming the obstacles. An effective making, experimenting and learning homoeopathy.
In the chapter “Experimentation with dosage and potency author beautifully compiled various controversies evolutions and opinions on this complicated subject. Mode of repetition, multiple dosesrubbing, succusion, olfaction, descending potencies .
Author categorically stated that Hahnemann practiced olfaction as a more effective way of giving the remedy in general and not just means of avoiding aggravation.
The last case records shows how Hahnemann adapted a new method of prescribing with the discovery of psoric maism. He not merely prescribed on totality of symptoms but often prescribed maismatically by clearing psoric maism before proceeding with individualistic prescription. Few cases are presented elaborately so that we can understand the finer changes.
He prescribed higher potencies repeatedly in liquid doses contrary to his former practice give noe dose and wait method and found it so effective and ultimately leaded to LM potency – the most perfect and finer method according to him.
Hahnemann tried different ways of coping with the response of remedies, especially with aggravations. And prescribed new, unusual remedies, nosodes, unproved substances for alleviating the sufferings of humanity.
I hope this book will compensate some of the unrevealed areas in the last years of Hahnemann.
About the publishers : Elsevier is among the global leaders of Health Science publishing with an internationally acclaimed list of books and journals which includes The Lancet, Churchill Livingstone, Butterworth Heinemann, Mosby, Saunders and Hanley & Belfus etc.
Now Publishing homeopathic books( Which are not available in India from other publishers) from stalwart authors with attractive printing, lay out, cover at reduced price. So far 21 titles are available. They are also be publishing locally authored books on homoeopathy from eminent Indian/South Asian academics and clinicians and inviting proposals for new books designed for academic, professional and/or a general audience.
Contact : Email : d.roy@elsevier.com
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