Homoeopathy — Page 3
Preface 3 agents causing similar signs and symptoms complex. Before Dr. Hahnemann, this system was evidently outside the established system of allopathic treatment, although some of the treatments offered there worked on the same line as. These, however, were not understood. A few such practices were in vogue on an experimental basis and in a limited controlled way. For example, Ipecac and Opium were given in a diluted tinctured form to relieve nausea and vomiting. In fact, both these medicines are known as strong vomiting and nausea inducers. Dr. Hahnemann had experimented on many such drugs and was surprised to note that not only did they cause a certain illness, yet at the same time they cured that particular illness when administered in diluted form. During this deep and thoughtful experimentation, Dr. Hahnemann discovered the fantastic defence system of the human body. The physicians believed that the human body had the power of defending itself but were unaware of its magnanimity and the principle of its working. They did not how to utilise the defensive nature of the body against the establishment of the disease. This secret was revealed to Dr. Hahnemann after his constant, thoughtful deep study of the human body’s defence system. His observations about the great defensive capability of the human body were astounding and unbelievable, but must be believed because the observations he offered were so clear. In support of this, Dr. Hahnemann further noted that the body reacts naturally to every external attack. Anything alien to the human body, be it an article of food, drug or poison, provokes the body to react against it. External abuse of the body is quickly overcome by the bodily defences. During continuous experimentation and observation, he postulated that if in the past, some disease has been overlooked and not reacted to by the body, then the introduction of a similar symptoms-producing agent in extremely diluted and pacified form would induce defensive body reaction and eliminate the sickness. So, in principle, is the method of treating an ailment caused by injurious toxic substances with the same or similar substances given in an extremely diluted form. It is absolutely essential that the poison of the like thereof be diluted to the extent that it causes no harm to the body. However, in this imperceptible and chemically ineffective dilution, the body still picks up the message and reacts to it. Most of the time, the dilution of the homoeopathic remedy is such that the original substance is virtually absent i. e. the substance is in abstract form. The more the dilution, the more potently it works, i. e. the potency increases with serial dilutions. This is in total contrast to the quantitative summation of allopathic medicines.