Book Reviews

Emergency Homveopathic First Aid. By Paul Chavanon and Ren~ Levannier~ Thorsons ( Wellingborough). No price quoted. 159 pp.

This book is translated from a French work by Dr. Chavanon; no date for the French original is given, but from internal evidence it appears to have been written in about 1948. I t is intended to do two things: to allow lay people t o t reat various disorders while awaiting the doctor's arrival, and to allow orthodox physicians to make simple experiments in homceopathic prescribing that will encourage them to take up the serious study of the subject. Unfortunately, quite apart from the difficulty of combining these aims in a single book, there is no likelihood that the present work will succeed in either aim.

Much of the terminology is resolutely Gallic, and the same applies to the prescribing instructions (a much more serious drawback). Thus, the commonly advised potencies are 7 and 9 (the unfortunate beginner in homceopathy is. nowhere favoured with an explanation of what these cabalistic figures actually refer to), and there are frequent references to "Sedative P.C.", the P.C. ap- parently signifying Paul Chavanon.

Among the diseases which the layman is evidently expected to diagnose is. "Paralysis, acute ascending (Landry's Paralysis)", which is to be treated b y Conium 9 while waiting for the doctor; a note supplies the useful information that the same remedy has a favourable effect on Carrg's disease in dogs. Other conditions recommended for treatment are spasmodic paraplegia (sic), anthrax (Pyrogen 7 is recommended immediately and--optimist ical ly--"on waking the following days"), "ganglionic fever", and rickets.

Even in so far as its avowed a im-- the presentation of homceopathy in a simplified form--is concerned, the book mus~ be judged a failure. From reading it, no one would suspect that the essential characteristic of homoeopathio prescribing is the individualization of remedies; for each condition two or three remedies are listed but no indication is given as to how one should distinguish among them. Thus the principles on which homceopathy is based are practically ignored.

This book is certain to dissuade any orthodox doctor from looking fur ther into homeopathy , while in the hands of a layman it will be at best useless and at worst positively dangerous. I regret that it is impossible to recommend it for" any purpose whatever.

ANTHONY C A M P B E L L b