Among the followers of Hahnemann we often hear the statement that homoeopathy is fundamental; that it is scientific; that it is based in natural law. Let us grant, for the sake of argument, that this is true, the natural corollary of this statement is that these laws must be active in all realms of fundamental science, i.e., that in those sciences that deal with the established laws of the universe the same natural laws must be active. It is self-evident that natural sympathy and cooperation; these laws are fixed and immutable. That which sets the planet in its orbit so regulates the other planets that they obey the same laws; their difference lies not in the governing laws but in time distance and circumstance, which is again ruled by law. If the planets moved at random, lawlessly, the result would be chaos.
So too if one realm of the universe was moved by fundamental laws which had no application or relation to other realms of the universe, the result must be chaos. If one science is seemingly governed by laws which are contradiction to those of another science, one must be lawless, not a science but chaos would be the result.
IF HOMOEOPATHY IS A FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE, OR A PART OF A FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE AS WE BELIEVE, IT MUST WORK IN HARMONY WITH ALL THE NATURAL REALMS, AND THE LAWS WHICH APPLY TO THOSE REALMS MUST APPLY ALSO, IN SOME DEGREE AND RELATIONSHIP, TO HOMOEOPATHY.
In spite of the years that have been devoted to the study of homoeopathy, with their accumulated data, we glimpse but dimly the possibilities of these conclusions.
When we realize the confusion that man has caused in his individual life, in very sphere, it is little wonder that he has misunderstood the natural powers and resources, and has failed to make use of natural laws. It is not strange, then, that medicine, among many other phases of our modern life, is but a series of experimental gropings without form or order.
The glimpse at our present state of social confusion cannot excuse our refusal to substantiate our claim that HOMOEOPATHY is based on natural laws. Let us consider the place HOMOEOPATHY must hold if our contentions be true.
If homoeopathy is founded upon fundamental laws. what are some of those laws? Our ignorance permits us to register but a few, but inevitably the time will come, if we keep a clear vision, when we will be able to add more to our burden of proof.
Let us look at the first formulated and recognized law of homoeopathy, SIMILIA SIMILIBUS CURANTUR. Whence came this law? It was simply an intelligent observation of our natural resource, those in their closest proximity to out daily lives, in the vegetable kingdom, and their relation to disturbed and disordered conditions arising in mankind himself. It was found that the ills of individual man could be successfully treated thus first doubtless these substances acted in an ordered and orderly manner under certain definite conditions and circumstances.
This recognition of law underlying cure is of ancient origin; no one knows when the first recognition of this law crept into use, but ancient Hindu manuscripts recorded its application. Certainly Aristotle recognized it, and Hippocrates sensed the possibilities of this law and applied it in some recorded cases. From time to time all through medical history this hypothesis was enunciated or demonstrated in greater or less degree. Hahnemann later demonstrated this law to be universal and not an occasional circumstance. He called the science and art of healing which naturally followed. Homoeopathy, but the thought was not a new one; it was age-old before a science of healing was based solely on this law.
In other words, in even the embryonic stages of homoeopathy it was found that law governed. Gradual experimentation widened the possibilities of application of these laws; no amount of experimentation extended the laws themselves. All that experimentation could do was to enlighten our minds regarding the scope of the law.
A law is a fundamental fact; because we do not recognize a law does not mean that the law does not exist. Even of man-made laws, which in their essence are not laws in the true sense but rules laid down by man for man, it is recognized that ignorance of the law is no excuse.
As observation became focused upon the unfolding of the law of cure, other regularities in reaction were discovered, and a second law of cure, this time pertaining to the direction of cure, was formulated. This was: CURE TAKES PLACE FROM, ABOVE DOWNWARD, FROM WITHIN OUTWARD, FROM AN IMPORTANT ORGAN TO A LESS IMPORTANT ORGAN; SYMPTOMS DISAPPEAR IN THE REVERSE ORDER OF THEIR APPEARANCE, THE FIRST TO APPEAR BEING THE LEAST TO DISAPPEAR.
Simple disappearance of symptoms is by no means cure; symptoms often have periods of recurrence, but no true cure has ever been observed that did not follow the law of direction.
Another law, equally applicable throughout the universe, is that of mutual action: ACTION AND REACTION ARE EQUAL AND OPPOSITE.
To some of us who have thoughtfully considered these things they seem so self-evident that it would be almost unnecessary to speak of them were it not for the purpose of urging you to observe the lawfulness of homoeopathy, and to prove our claim of the fundamental lawfulness of this true science of healing. Let us look at a law which follows naturally the law of mutual action.
This is the law designated as the law of least action, which was formulated by Maupertius, the French Mathematician.
To us as homoeopathic physicians and students it may be known as the law of quantity and dose:THE QUANTITY OF ACTION NECESSARY TO EFFECT ANY CHANGE IN NATURE IS THE LEAST POSSIBLE:THE DECISIVE AMOUNT IS ALWAYS A MINIMUM, AN INFINITESIMAL.
Health is a matter of perfect balance; trifling circumstances may sway it, and even as seemingly trifling circumstances may sway it, so may it be balanced by the least possible in medication, which may, in condition of perfect health, cause the same loss of balance, or a corresponding loss of equilibrium.
Another law of quantity to be considered here is:THE QUANTITY OF THE DRUG REQUIRED IS IN INVERSE RATION TO THE SIMILARITY. In other words, the greater the similarity of the drug symptoms to those of the patient the less quantity will be required, for the greater will be the state of susceptibility of the patient.
A corollary to the law of quantity is: THE QUALITY OF THE ACTION OF A HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDY IS DETERMINED BY ITS QUANTITY, IN INVERSE RATIO. Again this is a problem of the susceptibility of the patient and the similarity of the drug; the laws of quality and quantity go hand in hand.
Biology gives us this law:FUNCTION CREATES AND DEVELOPS THE ORGAN. It has been observed in the study of HOMOEOPATHY that functional symptoms are produced by the vital force in exact proportion to the profundity of the disturbance. Often, however, when pathological changes occur the symptomatic picture changes greatly in that functional symptoms do not manifest themselves in as great a degree; the disease condition has struck deeper and manifests itself less on the surface. Following the biological law, therefore, homoeopathy postulates the law of symptoms development:FUNCTIONAL SYMPTOMS PRECEDE STRUCTURAL CHANGES.
Now the law of use governing the homoeopathic remedy must therefore be: THE DOSE AND QUANTITY THAT WILL THOROUGHLY PERMEATE THE ORGANISM AND MAKE ITS ESSENTIAL IMPRESS UPON VITAL FORCE IS THAT WHICH WILL EFFECT THE FUNCTIONAL SPHERE OF THE INDIVIDUAL.
We say:”This must therefore be:” if we reason logically, and have observed carefully, keeping our line of reasoning along the lines of laws already formulated and proven sound, we can do no less than believe that this is truly fundamental law.
For many years daily practice has proven the value of the law of repetition of the dose;NEVER REPEAT YOUR REMEDY SO LONG AS IT CONTINUES TO ACT. This governs the administration of remedies to individuals in stages of diseases let us look at the law that must govern the production of symptoms by artificial means, i.e., drugs provings, by which we get our guidance for the administration of drugs to the sick.
The object of proving drugs is the production or artificial diseases that we may observe the symptoms and apply the substances so proven in like states of natural disturbance. The law governing this must be closely allied to the law of administration in states of diseases, or else our case is not logical. We find this law:NEVER REPEAT THE DOSE IN A PROVING WHILE SYMPTOMS ARE MANIFEST FROM THE DOSE ALREADY TAKEN.
Again granting that homoeopathy is allied to all nature, we must concede that orbits or cycles of action are fundamental part or natural manifestations. So also we find that the homoeopathic remedies have cycles of development and recession. If the natural cycle of symptom development is interfered with, we gain no knowledge of the true nature of the substance being proved; at best we can get but a distorted comprehension of its nature when there is any interference. Continuing to repeatedly administer a remedy while it is producing disease symptoms in a prover would make those out of a normal cycle of disease symptoms which have been in process of development. This is simply the result of logical reasoning.
