William Boericke - Guidelines
| 1 › 6 › 21 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |  |  |
Access Dr William Boericke's Homoeopathic Materia Medica on another page.
A Scheme that Homeopaths Use
Homeopathic remedies are talked of in books that are called materia medicas. It is Latin, and in this context stands for "preparations resorted to for treating diseases".
In such works homeopaths write of diseases and symptoms that they think match various homeopathic preparations especially. There may be added information of (non-homeopathic) concoctions too, but we leave that aside here. A remedy is associated with symptoms, which are presented under headings. The order of the headings is rather fixed, although at times two of the headings are combined for one entry. For a single remedy symptoms are filled in. Some or many entries may be blank, depending on the amount and quality of findings (provings) that are recorded thus. The scheme is from the originator of homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann.
In his Homoeopathic Materia Medica Dr. William Boericke uses a simplified Hahnemannian scheme, which may serves just as well, or even better. Note as well that the original term "extremities" may be changed to the far better "limbs", which is easier and quicker to grasp in our days, and which means just the same.
Ailments are filled in at proper places, to make searches for symptoms far easier. However, Boericke found it convenient to merge a couple of headings, where ailments seemed to make it all right to do so. So "the scheme is made to serve man, and not man made to serve the scheme." In a human world, for humans, the same applies to many a system too, and with possibly far-reaching effects.
|
Clinical Characteristics Relations Causation
Symptoms |
William Boericke (1849-1929)
 |
| Dr. William Boericke |
Dr. William Boericke (1849-1929) compiled a textbook of homeopathic remedies, his Homoeopathic Materia Medica in the early 1900s. Since then "Many a homeopathic professional has depended on this work for daily practice." Between 1880 and 1920 Dr. Boericke "was the physician of choice in San Francisco. Patients came from all over the world to be treated by him homeopathically" - till one Spring day in 1929 the hard working doctor died.
Dr. Boericke was born in Austria, where he studied at the Vienna Medical School for a year, and then emigrated to the Unites States. First his family settled in Ohio. He graduated from the Philadelphia Medical College in 1876. Then, in 1870, he moved to San Francisco. In 1880 he also graduated from Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia. After two years' study in Europe he started his own homeopathic practice in the States. He practiced as a homeopath in San Francisco for over fifty years.
Boericke became the first professor of Homoeopathic Materia Medica and Therapeutic at the University of California, San Francisco, and held the post for thirty years. In 1901 he authored the first edition of Boericke's Materia Medica. His brother Oscar added a repertory to the book in 1906. It is a concise guide to hundreds of remedies, and some of them appear nowhere else. A considerable number of homeopaths use this book in their daily practice.
An enlarged edition from 2000 is on-line ▾at Google Books.
Notes to Boericke's Homoeopathic Materia Medica
A Materia medica consists of remedies resorted to for treating diseases.
Symptoms associated with a homeopathic remedy are the results of praxis, clinical use, so-called provings, and scientifical testing procedures have only resently been tried on some ailments. Sound, ample, and clear documentation that remedies work, may not be seen (yet).
It is common practice to abbreviate the many Latin names of homeopathic remedies. On a previous page you find a list of the ones Boericke uses.
The Lay of the Land
There is good reason to bear in mind that the relationships between remedies and various diseases that Dr. Boericke and other homeopaths claim exist, lack scientific proofs. Also, there is no hard evidence that legitimates that some homeopathic remedies counteract one another as antidotes, inimical, and so on - contrary to such claims.
It seems to be a good rule of the thumb to leave physiological uses of the many chemicals and compounds that homeopathic remedies are derived from, to updated chemists or medical doctors unless the substances are legal and non-poisonous and not capable of doing harm. Many such substances are poisonous.
Further, be aware that current rules of the thumb for prescribing homeopathic remedies are simpler, more unison, more standardised. But there are many opinions and different practices among homeopaths as to dosing the remedies. Boericke speaks from one system, Adolf Voegeli from another, and so on. But draw benefit as you can, according to "When in doubt, win the trick (Edmund Hoyle)" - Hence, ignore Boericke's suggestions of dosages unless you are an experienced chemist, medical doctor, and know what you are doing, for the homeopathy of Boericke often borders on and reaches into phytotherapy (use of herbs and their tinctures) and chemistry, and may be a bit dangerous. Chemistry was cruder a hundred years ago than it should be today, alas.
In some countries such as in Norden, remedies are legally sold in parmacies only if they are 6d (ca. 6c) or higher - and there is a court verdict in Norway that for such dilutions (1 : 1 000 000) there is no physiologically actice substance left in the homeopathic remedy.
After telling that Dr. Boericke's descriptions of homeopathic remedies from the early 1900s lack scientific validation, it also needs to be said that his descriptions are hardly disproved either - definitely not all of them. And therefore it is scientifically improper to dismiss all remedy descriptions too, as conclusive evidence for doing so is also missing. Besides, it may be worth underscoring that homeopathy has survived for 200 years and is still going strong in some countries, despite severe antagonists thoughout. That homeopathy has survived could stem from something in it that works apart from the placebo effect. We find it fit to leave that possibility open. But do as you wish.
About This Selection of Boericke Remedies
We try to hold on to what is good, and drop the rest from the large, unwieldy or cumbersome saga of homeopathy. Thus, we speak for remedies of choice.- Not every Boericke remedy is found worthy of inclusion in our materia medica and repertory, for various reasons [Link].
- Not every facet of his conventional remedy descriptions is included here, as we do not attest to the assertions of scientifically unvalidated, so-called relationships between remedies that Dr. Boericke and various other homeopaths present. There is no real proof to state with certainty that some homeopathic remedies counteract one another as antidotes, inimical, and so on. So we dropped that part of his description. It is a minor part at the end of many of the remedies he lists up, but not all of them.
- Many non-homeopathic uses of remedies are dropped. This is (a) because we deal only with homeopathic effects - add "possible effects" if you like. And for physiological uses of the many chemicals and compounds that homeopathic remedies are derived from, leave them to chemists or medical doctors etc. unless the substances are legal and non-poisonous and not capable of doing harm. Many such substances are poisonous, remember, and the rules of prescribing things have changed much.
- About doses: There are many opinions and different practices among homeopaths as
to dosing the remedies. Boericke speaks from one system, Adolf Voegeli from another, and so
on. We do not adhere to Boericke's dosing counsel, in fact, but feel free to draw benefit
from it, and others, as the case may be. Hence, at the end of a remedy description Dr.
Boericke says things about doses: Please ignore his information about doses unless
you are an experienced chemist, medical doctor and know what you are doing, for the
homeopathy of Boericke often borders on and reaches into phytotherapy (use of herbs and
their tinctures) and chemistry, and may be a bit dangerous too. After all, chemistry was
cruder a hundred years ago than it should be today.
It is also worth noting that in countries such as ours, remedies are legally sold in parmacies only if they are 6d (ca. 6c) or higher - and there is a court verdict in this country that with such dilutions (1 : 1 000 000) there is no active physiologically actice substance in the homeopathic remedy. So, really, it makes sense in at least some countries to leave out rather many of Dr. Boericke's dosage tips. And some of them seem outdated, not just out of fashion.
Symptoms
Drug symtoms and guiding symptoms of the remedies
The lists of problems and troubles and so on listed under a homeopathic remedy are the guiding symptoms for such a remedy. There are sources of error in such a picture - but suffice to say that the things that are listed are troubles or repercussions (etc.) that the homeopathic remedy is said to be able to cancel (offset, remove, combat, etc.) somehow, more or less etc.
There are rules of the thumb for assessing or choosing the most appropriate remedy or remedies from the guiding symptoms. It could be good to know about such rules, because symptoms count differently: Mind symptoms, very peculiar symptoms and oddities, and strong symptoms are to be studied first of all. Most fit homeopaths try to select homeopathic remedies from such cues. That's about it.
Homeopathy is the "art of matching symptoms of clients with symptoms attached to many remedies. One is to check the main or relevant symptoms a sick persons has. Corresponding arrays of more or less "matching symptoms" of remedies make up the Materia Medica. Such listings are crucial for homeopaths that want to estimate which homeopathic remedies should be resorted to in any given case.
How far can you trust the remedy information that Dr. Boericke brings? It could be a long way in some cases (excepting the "relationships with antidotes and so on). But most of the remedies have not been accurately verified by science - not yet, at any rate.
The "corresponding symptoms" of each homeopathic remedy may be correct, even if unverified by science or the press - But for the sake of fairness let it be told that there is no hard evidence that all "guiding symptoms" of homeopathic remedies, are good hits. A remedy's description could be true, largely true, somewhat true, misleading, not correct - and there is no hard evidence of either of it, as a rule. Actually, there is much more to this subject. An analogy may illustrate many of them.
A remedy, a skerry?
I compare a remedy to a rugged, uneven skerry that rises above the surface of the sea. During high tide, when health is good, some skerry tongues (symptoms) may be visible (and drafted). And during ebb tide, when the vitality is low, more skerry tongues (troubles) may be in sight. That is possible. You get a more complex picture at ebb tide, then, at least in some cases. What is more, the true formation of the whole skerry may not be visible at high tide.
There are current disagreements among many homeopaths as to which guiding symptoms weigh the most. Well, a skerry may look quite different at high tide, at average tide, and at low tide. Such skerry observations could explain away some of the differences among homeopaths who tell what a remedy looks like - what symptoms that it supposedly helps against more or less, since any comparison halts.
Faith, trust, and incompetence are also factors to take into account in sorting remedy symptoms listed by different homeopaths. Also, maybe new symptoms have been added to some of the remedies as the years have gone by and symptoms from more patients with "ebb tide" vitality have been recorded. Many new remedies have been introduced too, and perhaps some weigh or grade symptoms a bit differently. One should be aware of that.
Further, neither Boericke's book nor any other homeopath's book contains all the remedies that are used today, and some thousand times more are possible to make, since most plants, plant parts, animals, animal parts, and chemical compounds are not tested at all homeopathically.
It could do well to take into account the things above before you get sucked into the technicality of homeopathy.
 |
 |
 |
 |
USER'S GUIDE to abbreviations, the site's bibliography, letter codes, dictionaries, site design and navigation, tips for searching the site and page referrals. [LINK]
© 2004–2009, Tormod Kinnes [E-MAIL] — Disclaimer: [LINK]