Book review by Dr Mansoor Ali
Title : Snakes to Simillimum – Demystifying Venom
Author : Farokh J. MASTER, MD
Published by
B. Jain Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
1921/10 Chuna Mandi
Paharganj, New Delhi-110055
Ph.no.-9811959189
Email : info@bjain.com
811 pages, hardback
Foreword by Dr. Frederik Schroyens
Farokh J. MASTER had tried his best to make this book as interesting, exciting and reader-friendly as possible. No such book on snakes, complete in information and authentic at the same time, has appeared so far and therefore I recommend this to all students and practitioners. This book on ophidia is a delightful and valuable addition to our knowledge of materia medica and therapeutics.
A comprehensive overview of homeopathic snake remedies, packed with up-to-date details about snake taxonomy, biology, habitat, and provings, with clinical & differential materia medica, both well-known and newly proven snake remedies – plus an attached CD contains beautiful flash presentations of snakes along with descriptions- this book will be useful for busy practitioners and students alike..
“Mythology” – section beautifully decoded ancient and modern beliefs in various civilizations and cultures, including Roman mythology, Greek mythology, Hebrew mythology, Egyptian mythology, Indian mythology, role of cobra in Indian culture, Buddhist mythology etc…
Salient Features
- The full proving diaries are included for detailed study of how the drug picture was formed – included after analysis and compilation of symptoms from proving
- Research work on not yet completely explored Ophidia
- Descriptive work on mind and dream of all snakes to understand ‘personality type’
- Prescription based on learning from proving
- Rubrics are offered to underline the effects of the venoms, and each remedy has a very useful set of ‘bedside guiding symptoms’ covering the whole body
- A chapter on the group symptoms of the snake remedies as derived from the repertory is included.
- Individual chapters on each snake remedy, many of which include cases, provings, and even complete proving diaries.
- Prescribing hints and remedies differentials included throughout the text. The addenda of comparisons between the snake and other remedies are useful in the differentiation.
- “Bedside Guiding Symptoms” give a quick and relevant reference to the most interesting symptoms for each remedy.
- Appendix offers an alphabetical quick reference to clinical symptoms with remedy differentials. This section useful for students also, since this is mainly a comparative study of various ophdia groups in a particular clinical condition.
- The idea of understanding the language of the body represented in symptoms and the understanding of symbols in dreams has been included
Contents
Chapter 1: Anatomy of Snakes
Chapter 2: Taxonomy of Snakes
Chapter 3: Mythology
Chapter 4: Symbolism
Chapter 5: Dream Symbolism
Chapter 6: Ancient and Modern Uses of Snake Venoms
Chapter 7: Lists of Snakes
Chapter 8: Homeopathic Remedies Made from Snake Venoms
and its Various Parts and Taxonomy of Snake Remedies
Chapter 9: Group Symptoms of Snake Remedies with rubric interpretation give birds eye view
Chapter 10: Boa constrictor
Chapter 11: Bothrops alternatus
Chapter 12: Bothrops atrox
Chapter 13: Bothrops jararacussu
Chapter 14: Bothrops lanceolatus
Chapter 15: Bungarus fasciatus
Chapter 16: Cenchris contortrix
Chapter 17: Cerastes cerastes
Chapter 18: Clotho arietans
Chapter 19: Crotalus cascavella
Chapter 20: Crotalus horridus
Chapter 21: Dendroaspis polylepsis
Chapter 22: Echis carinatus
Chapter 23: Elaps corallinus
Chapter 24: Family Hydrophiidae and Hydrop his cyanocinctus
Chapter 25: Lachesis muta
Chapter 26: Naja naja naja
Chapter 27: Oxyuranus scutulettus
Chapter 28: Python regia
Chapter 29: Toxicophis pugnax.
Chapter 30: Vipera aspis
Chapter 31: Vipera berus
Appendix A: Alphabetical Listing of Pathologies and Conditions with Remedy Comparisons
Arrangement of drugs/chapters
Common name with family
Physical make and habitat
Proving of that venom in various literatures/authors
Important mental generals & physical generals
Bedside guiding symptoms
Pathological symptoms/ clinical indications
Summaries and comparative tables
Case presentations
“The book gives a perfect summary of our present knowledge about the snakes and the information added from the provings. It also meticulously prepares a homeopath for the future expansion of this knowledge. “- Dr. Frederik Schroyens in foreword
Dr. Farokh Masters must be congratulated on his extensive compilation of snake remedies and the addition of clinical date and provings to our materia medica. There is no doubt that this work will further enrich our knowledge and enhance our clinical results. – Jeremy Sherr, UK
Farokh Master’s Snakes to Simillimum will assist all Classical homeopaths to get closer to the essence of these remedies. He has brought together proving information, materia medica and clinical experience that will be of great use to all those who are interested in practicing classical homeopathy successfully.- George Vithoulkas, Greece
About Farokh J Master
Dr. Master’s birth into homeopathy was in the year June 1976, when he joined Bombay homeopathic medical college, after giving up his studies at the orthodox school of medicine. In December 1979, Dr. Master passed his LCEH examination, 1st class in all the subjects in all the years getting the most coveted silver as well as gold medal. He was also honored by the then Governor of Maharashtra for an outstanding medical career. In January 1980, he joined the college as a junior lecturer in the department of medicine. At the same time he also took the full time post initially as a house physician and later on as an administrative medical officer, in the homeopathic hospital. Both the posts were the first of their kind. Slowly, Dr. Master started giving seminars all over India, and became one of the popular teachers of the country. In 1986, Dr. Master was appointed as the professor in the department of medicine, at the age 29 years. In 1985, he first started teaching abroad, which he continues until today . In 1991, Dr. Master, joined MPK Homoeopathic medical college in Jaipur, Rajasthan, and completed his Doctor of Medicine in December 1994.
Dr Master has written more than 40 books e.g. – The Homeopathic Dream Dictionary, Cross References of the Mind, Perceiving Rubrics of the Mind, The State of Mind affecting the Foetus, Tumors and Homeopathy, The Bedside Organon of Medicine, The proving of Mocassin Snake, Bungarus, etc
vipera veins like a rope with bursting feeling and painful, feel worse by hanging down limbs and props them up,feels better headache by urination vomit etc body defense to throw out toxins of emotions infections etc,is equal to forte hamamelis.lachesis is more excited emotions abdomen hot worse by touch.very practicle article on snake remedies is by lanka rama rao in homoeo recorder jan 1936 worth cosulting.naja is pneumogastric paresis mostly effects heart and in others blood quality is disorganised.snake remedies should not be used by non professionals indulging in self and family home treatments.