Homeopathic Materia Medica

Homeopathic Materia Medica are encyclopedia of materials which may be used to prepare homeopathic medicines. They list the materials along with details of the provings which establish the symptoms and conditions for which they are claimed to be suitable. They thus constitute a homeopathic prescribing reference guide and are often used along with the Homeopathic repertory.^[1]

Samuel Hahnemann started the practise of homeopathy while translating the botanical Materia Medica of the Scottish physician William Cullen from English into German in 1790. Twenty pages in that work are devoted to Peruvian chinchona bark which is used to prepare the medicine quinine. This substance produces fever-like symptoms while being used to cure intermittent fever or ague and this led Hahnemann to conceive the principle of similars: that like may cure like. He went on to develop the materia medica along these homeopathic lines and others then continued this work to produce great volumes of potential ingredients.^[2]

Although there are various homeopathic Materia Medica, written by different authors and covering different specialities, the term Homeopathic Materia Medica is often used to reference the total sum of homeopathic preparations and prescribing options. Hahnemann developed the first Homeopathic Materia Medica by a system of homeopathic provings, where a substance was ingested by the "prover" and the symptoms that the "prover" developed were recorded in great detail. Materia Medica may also include accidental poisoning and some information from clinical treatment.

Sources of Homeopathic Materia Medica

Drug proving is the basic source of Materia Medica through which, drugs who have found a place in Materia Medica are known of their symptomatology and new drugs are known of their symptomatology, Physical and Mental presentation. Drug proving is carried out by the methods described by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann in his Organon of Medicine in § 105 to §145. The other sources of Homeopathic Materia Medica are as follows: -

1. Noting of signs and symptoms which occur because of Drug Overdose of medicines.
2. Noting of signs and symptoms which occur in Poisoning in a person.
3. Noting of signs and symptoms which occur after administering the medicines in sick people and following the appearance of Side Effects.
4. The books written by the pioneers of Homeopathy have been the base for the further works on the subject.

Contributions by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann

The first works were by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann - The Medicine of Experience and then followed by Fragmenta de Viribus Medica Mentorum Postivis. The Fragmenta de Viribus Medica Mentorum Postivis was written in Latin Language. Dr. Samuel Hahnemann published the work in 1805 A.D. and was a compilation of the signs and symptoms appearing after poisoning, effects occurring after administration of drug over dosage, proving of new drugs on himself and on other people who were known as provers. There were 27 such drugs presented in the Fragmenta de Viribus Medica Mentorum Postivis.

Reine Arzneimittellehre / Materia Medica Pura

Important to the Homoeopathic Materia Medica, the next work was the Reine Arzneimittellehre which was translated in English and was known as the Materia Medica Pura which had three editions.

1st Edition of Reine Arzneimittellehre

The first edition was published in 6 volumes and contained 64 medicines of which 22 medicines were taken from the Fragmenta de Viribus Medica Mentorum Postivis and other were newly proved by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann himself and other provers.

• The first volume was published in the year 1811 A.D. which contained 12 medicines.
• The second volume was published in the year 1816 A.D. which contained 08 medicines and also contained 3 Magnets.
• The third volume was published in the year 1817 A.D. which contained 08 medicines.
• The fourth volume was published in the year 1818 A.D. which contained 12 medicines.
• The fifth volume was published in the year 1819 A.D. which contained 11 medicines.
• The sixth volume was published in the year 1821 A.D. which contained 10 medicines.

2nd Edition of Reine Arzneimittellehre

The second edition was a revised edition published in 6 volumes and contained 69 medicines.

• The first volume was published in the year 1821 A.D..
• The second volume was published in the year 1824 A.D..
• The third volume was published in the year 1825 A.D..
• The fourth volume was published in the year 1825 A.D..
• The fifth volume was published in the year 1826 A.D..
• The sixth volume was published in the year 1827 A.D..

3rd Edition of Reine Arzneimittellehre

The third edition was a revised edition, condensed and published in 2 volumes. The medicine Causticum was transferred to another work by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann - Die Chronischen Krankheiten.

• The first volume was published in the year 1830 A.D..
• The second volume was published in the year 1833 A.D..

Die Chronischen Krankheiten / The Chronic Diseases

The next work important towards Homeopathic Materia Medica was the Die Chronischen Krankheiten which was translated in English and was known as the The Chronic Diseases which had two editions.

1st Edition of Die Chronischen Krankheiten

It contained 4 volumes of which the first three volumes were published in the year 1828 A.D. and the fourth volume was published in the year 1830 A.D.. The first volume contains the theory towards concept of chronic diseases while the 2nd, 3rd and 4th contains pathogenesis of medicines.

2nd Edition of Die Chronischen Krankheiten

It contained 5 volumes of which the first two volumes were published in the year 1835 A.D. and the third volume was published in the year 1837 A.D., the fourth volume in the year 1838 A.D. and the fifth volume was published in the year 1839 A.D.. The first volume contains the theory towards concept of chronic diseases while the 2nd, 3rd and 4th contains pathogenesis of medicines. Further, the volumes of The Chronic Disease were condensed by the publishers and is now available as a two volume book.

Contributions toward Homeopathic Materia Medica by other Pioneers

Contributions by Johann Christian Gottfried Jorg

Jorg was a Professor at the Leipzic University. His work with 13 medicines was published in the year 1825 A.D.. Medicines namely, Digitalis, Iodum and Nitrum were transferred to the Die Chronischen Krankheiten. Jorg's work is kept at the Library of the College of Surgeons. It has also been published in the 4th volume of Magazin by Frank.

Contributions by Dr. Hartlaub and Dr. Trinks^[3]

The work by Dr. Hartlaub and Dr. Trinks was published as a sequel to the work by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann for the Reine Arzneimittellehre. It was published in three volumes, released in the years 1828 A.D., 1829 A.D. and 1831 A.D. respectively. The first volume contained 18 drug proving, the second volume contained 14 drug proving and the third volume contained more than 30 drug proving, which were used in the 3rd edition of the Materia Medica Pura and the 2nd volume of The Chronic Diseases.

Contributions by Dr. Ernst Stapf

The work by Dr. Ernst Stapf were published in the year 1822 A.D. in which Dr. Samuel Hahnemann had also been a prover. The work by Dr. Ernst Stapf was included in the second edition of The Chronic Diseases and 12 medicines were also included in the Materia Medica Pura in 1836 A.D.. The work by Dr. Stapf was later translated into English language by Hempel.

Contributions by Dr. Constantine Hering^[4]

Dr. Constantine Hering was from the Americas and was a well known Surgeon who practiced Homeopathy and made big contributions to Homeopathy. He is very well known for his proving of new medicines, introduction of Grading and Evaluation methods for the symptoms in each drug of Homeopathic Materia Medica. His major contribution as a pioneer to Homeopathy and to the subject of Homeopathic Materia Medica is the Guiding Symptoms of our Materia Medica in 10 volumes. The 1st volume was published in the year 1879 A.D. and the 2nd volume was published in the year 1880 A.D.. He passed away in the same year. The remaining 8 volumes were published by C.G.Raue, C.B.Knerr and C.Mohr in between 1881 A.D. and 1891 A.D.. It is a voluminous work with 48 chapters and 408 medicines.

Contributions by Dr. T.F. Allen

His work consists of the Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica in which he gave an alphabetical arrangement to the drugs, updated their information, added poisoning and overdosing symptomatology information, symptoms arranged according to anatomical plan, information of form and dosage of drugs were also added. Dr. Allen also gave an arrangement of sub-grouping which were done according to the following principles. First - General symptoms not localised definitely. Second - Localised symptoms. Appearance of a part is given first. Afterwards sensation. Symptom denoting increased activity are given first. Those denoting depression and loss of action or function follows.

Contribution from Spain

Tarentula was first proved and introduced to the Homeopathic Materia Medica by Nunez.

Contribution from Italy

Cactus was first proved and introduced to the Homeopathic Materia Medica by Rubini.

Contributions from Brazil

Various indigenous plants and animals were taken up for proving and were presented to the Homeopathic Materia Medica by Dr.Mure.

Contributions from France

Quinine was first proved and introduced to the Homeopathic Materia Medica by Dr.Alphonse Noack. The work of compilation of discreet material available in France was mainly done by Dr.Roth and Dr.Jahr.

Contribution from Germany

• Chelidonium was first proved and introduced to the Homeopathic Materia Medica by Buchmann.
• Reproving of Cuprum by Central Verein

Contributions from England

• Kali bichromicum was first proved and introduced to the Homeopathic Materia Medica by Drysdale.
• Naja was first proved and introduced to the Homeopathic Materia Medica by Russel.
• Cedron was first proved and introduced to the Homeopathic Materia Medica by Casanova.
• Cotyledon umbilicus was first proved and introduced to the Homeopathic Materia Medica by Craig.
• Uranium nitricum was first proved and introduced to the Homeopathic Materia Medica by Edward Blake.

References

1. ^ Dr William Boericke, Oscar E. Boericke (1927). Homeopathic Materia Medica. ISBN 0766183882. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=UVnA--9ZPzMC. 
2. ^ Sidney Skinner (2001). An Introduction to Homeopathic Medicine in Primary Care. Jones & Bartlett. p. 371. ISBN 0834216760. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=dalJiPcNLqkC. 
3. ^ Pioneers of Homeopathy, Dr. Hartlaub and Dr. Trinks
4. ^ Dr. Constantine Hering

External links

• Extracts from Hahnemann's Materia Medica Pura
• Source of Homeopathic Materia Medica