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Every science has certain fundamental
principles which guide the whole system. Homeopathy as a science of medical
treatment has a philosophy of its own and its therapeutics is based on
certain fundamental principles. These are:
These fundamental principles are elaborated in the following sections. |
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Law of Similia |
| Homeopathy is a system of medicine founded on
a definite law 'Similia Similibus Curantur' which means 'like cures like'.
The word Homeopathy is a Greek derivation where 'homeos' means 'similar and
pathos means 'suffering'. So Homeopathy may be defined as the therapeutic
method of symptom-similarity. The recognition of this law was there even
before Hahneman. Paracelsus, Hippocrates, and ancient ayurvedic texts have
on occasions mentioned this law. But it was Hahneman who recognized the
universality of this law and lifted it from oblivion to make it the basis of
a complete system of medicine. According to this system, the choice of the medicine is fundamentally based on the principle that the medicine must have the capability of producing most similar symptoms of the disease to be cured in healthy persons. In aphorism 26 of 'Organon of Medicine', Hahneman states this law: "A weaker dynamic affection is permanently extinguished in the living organism by a stronger one, if the latter (whilst differing in kind) is very similar to the former in its manifestations." |
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Law of Simplex - The Single Remedy |
Hahneman in aphorisms 272-274 of ' Organon of
Medicine' states that only one single, simple medicinal substance is to be
administered in a given case of time. This is due to the following reasons:
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Law of Minimum |
The suitableness of a medicine for any given
case does not depend on its accurate homeopathic selection alone, but
likewise on the proper size of dose too. Under this principle we give
medicine to the patients in very minute doses. The minute dose means that
quantity of a medicine which is though smallest in quantity produces the
least possible excitation of the vital force and yet sufficient to effect
the necessary change in it(§ 246). The quantity is minimum, yet appropriate,
for a gentle remedial effect. This concept of minimum dose lead to the
discovery of a practical process called potentisation. Administration of the
minimum dose has the following advantages:
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