Organon Paragraph 22 and the Origin of Allopathy

[Dr. Jeff]

Wow, this is an information-packed aphorism!

In addition to reminding us that it is symptoms which need to be cured when your pet is diagnosed with a dis-ease, Hahnemann introduces the 3 ways that symptoms can be addressed.

Here it is:

But as nothing is to be observed in diseases that must be removed in order to change them into health besides the totality of their signs and symptoms, and likewise medicines can show nothing curative besides their tendency to produce morbid symptoms in healthy persons and to remove them in diseased persons; it follows, on the one hand, that medicines only become remedies and capable of annihilating disease, because the medicinal substance, by exciting certain effects and symptoms, that is to say, by producing a certain artificial morbid state, removes and abrogates the symptoms already present, to wit, the natural morbid state we wish to cure. On the other hand, it follows that, for the totality of the symptoms of the disease to be cured, a medicine must be sought which (according as experience shall prove whether the morbid symptoms are most readily, certainly, and permanently removed and changed into health by similar or opposite medicinal symptoms1) have the greatest tendency to produce similar or opposite symptoms.

1 The other possible mode of employing medicines for diseases besides these two is the allopathic method, in which medicines are given, whose symptoms have no direct pathological relation to the morbid state, neither similar nor opposite, but quite heterogeneous to the symptoms of the disease. This procedure plays, as I have shown elsewhere, an irresponsible murderous game with the life of the patient by means of dangerous, violent medicines, whose action is unknown and which are chosen on mere conjectures and given in large and frequent doses. Again, by means of painful operations, intended to lead the disease to other regions and taking the strength and vital juices of the patient, through evacuations above and below, sweat or salivation, but especially through squandering the irreplaceable blood, as is done by the reigning routine practice, used blindly and relentlessly, usually with the pretext that the physician should imitate and further the sick nature in its efforts to help itself, without considering how irrational it is, to imitate and further these very imperfect, mostly inappropriate efforts of the instinctive unintelligent vital energy which is implanted in our organism, so long as it is healthy to carry on life in harmonious development, but not to heal itself in disease. For, were it possessed of such a model ability, it would never have allowed the organism to get sick. When made ill by noxious agents, our life principle cannot do anything else than express its depression caused by disturbance of the regularity of its life, by symptoms, by means of which the intelligent physician is ask for aid. If this is not given, it strives to save by increasing the ailment, especially through violent evacuations, no matter what this entails, often with the largest sacrifices or destruction of life itself.

For the purpose of cure, the morbidly depressed vital energy possesses so little ability worthy of imitation since all changes and symptoms produced by it in the organism are the disease itself. What intelligent physician would want to imitate it with the intention to heal if he did not thereby sacrifice his patient?

There are many specific medications, surgeries, etc. that can be used when dealing with your pets abnormal symptoms and dis-eases but they all fall into these 3 categories:

1. Those that work with ("homeo") your pets symptoms to activate natural healing mechanisms in their bodies using proven homeopathic medicines or

2. Treatments that directly oppose symptoms ("anti") in order to eliminate them or

3. Medicines (or surgeries or supplements, or...), which are also often antis, but which are different from ("allo") your pets symptoms but do not directly oppose them.

The 3rd is the biggest category and Hahnemann considers it to be the most dangerous method of treatment. Partially because the treatments used in the past, like blood-letting, can be very harmful, and because this method is usually based on experience and what authorities say, and not scientific knowledge.

These are treatment methods that may have helped in similar situation, so they may help again.

However, these decrease your pets vitality and balance in a number of ways.

You can find these specifically mentioned in the footnote, but they are beautifully delineated in the Stephen Decker translation of the Wenda Brewster O'Reilly edition of the Organon.

Can anyone list them?

 

[Dr. Christina]

Great post, Dr. Jeff.
This aphorism is worth spending much time reading and pondering.

Just to clarify some latin - homeo means same and allo - means different.

So homeopathic treatments are ones that produce symptoms that are LIKE the symptoms produced by your pet's imbalanced vital force.

Allopathic treatments are ones that are different than the current symptoms and whose goal is usually to stop the production of the symptom physiologically rather than rebalancing the vital force so it no longer needs to produce the symptoms.

Dr. Christina