LESSER KNOWN PEARLS OF WISDOM OF MATERIA MEDICA

found in WORKS OF BOENNINGHAUSEN

FROMDR. ANJU JETHANI

SENIOR MEDICAL OFFICER,Medical center, high court of

delhi, dte. of ayush, gnct of delhi

Baron Clemens Maria Franz Von

BŒNNINGHAUSEN (1785-1864)

No one man, except Hahnemann, has left so deep an impress upon the literature of Homœopathy, or has exerted so great an influence in

favour of the Homœopathy taught by Hahnemann, as Bœnninghausen.

Hahnemann groomed Baron von Boenninghausen

as one of his successors

That is why the Founder shared the methods of the LM potency with him

before he passed away. Other than Melanie Hahnemann, Boenninghausen seems to be the only person who was

privy to this information.

IN HIS LESSER WRITINGS, BOENNINGHAUSEN HAS CLEARLY STATED THAT :

"In the new edition of the Organon which will probably appear yet in the course of this year, improved and completed by Hahnemann himself, a new simplified procedure for the potentizing of medicines will be taught, which has considerable advantages over the former and yields a preparation as to the efficacy of which I can, from my own experience, give full praise. I know this procedure but according to my pledged word of honor, am not as yet permitted to communicate it to anyone."

BOENNINGHAUSEN’S KNOWLEDGE OF LM SCALE OF POTENCIES

HAHNEMANN’S CORRESPONDENCE

WITH BOENNINGHAUSEN

Hahnemann sent Baron von Boenninghausen two LM case histories in 1843, shortly before he left for his Heavenly Abode. The Baron shared these cases with his colleagues in the Stapf's Archives, Volume 1 number 1 published in 1844, page 69.

DIFFERENT MODES OF ADMINISTRATION

These cases can be found in Boenninghausen's Lesser Writings in an article called, Three Precautionary Rules of Hahnemann. These cases were very instructive as they show how the Founder administered olfaction as well as the oral medicinal solution of the Centesimal and LM potency.

LESSER KNOWN PEARLS OF WISDOM OF MATERIA MEDICA

• BŒNNINGHAUSEN'S CROUP POWDERS• IMPORTANCE OF LOCATION IN SEPIA• KEYNOTE OF MAGNETIS POLUS AUSTRALIS• IMPORTANT SENSATION OF ALUMINA

USEFUL IN PRESCRIBING AS A CONCOMITANT• IMPORTANCE OF MODALITY OF CHINA• POSITION IN SLEEP OF STANNUM• CONCOMITANCE OF CRAETAGUS

BŒNNINGHAUSEN'S CROUP POWDERS

Boenninghausen treated croup almost exclusively with three remedies. His method was to give five powders; first, he gave a powder of No.1 (Aconite) in water so as not to make the patient cough; he waited two hours and if necessary gave powder No.2 (Aconite) and followed after two or three hours, if necessary, with No.3 (Spongia).

The Lesser Writings; C. M. F. Boenninghausen ‘MY TREATMENT OF MEMBRANOUS CROUP’

The others, No. 4 (Spongia) and No.5 (Hepar), were given if necessary, but he always waited two to four hours between the doses. Hardly one in a hundred received all five powders , and he treated, it is said, over 400 cases without losing one. All this emphasizes the value of these remedies in croup.

The celebrated "Croup Powders", Aconite- Hepar and Spongia, saved the situation every time. For years these three homœopathic remedies, in the 200th potency, were sold by homœopathic chemists as five powders-to be taken in a certain order- should so many be required- Acon. -Spong. -Hepar -Spong. -Hepar -"Bœnninghausen's Croup Powders".

CLINICAL IMPORTANCE OF LOCATION ----- ‘UBI’

Boenninghausen has given clinical examples to highlight the importance of location in case perceiving as can be deciphered from study of his Lesser writings.

Concerning the Relative Value of Symptoms and Something about Borax

(LESSER WRTINGS OF BOENNINGHAUSEN)

‘Hitherto we have had only one remedy, so far as I know, namely, Sepia, which corresponds with the sores on the upper side of the joints of the fingers and toes in chronic (psoric) patients, for Nux vomica will benefit only sores on the joints of fingers, and its action is not permanent.’

Case of MAGNETIS POLUS AUSTRALIS

Boenninghausen describes a case of patient suffering from recurrent ingrowing toe nail with sore pain in which he prescribed Magnetis polus australis 200 on the basis of location of the complaint i.e. inner side of great toe; where other characteristic symptoms were lacking.

MAGNETIS POLUS AUSTRALIS

This can be observed in Symptom no. 274

in Materia Medica Pura as well:

Sore pain in the inner side of the nail of the big toe, in the flesh, as if the nail had grown into the flesh on the side, very painful on being even slightly touched (aft. 8 h.).

CLINICAL IMPORTANCE OF sensations

Boenninghausen has given clinical cases of backache cured with Alumina metallicum on the basis of guiding symptom in the form of sensation as if BACK WAS PIERCED BY RED HOT IRON.

PECULIAR SENSATION OF ALUMINA

BOENNINGHAUSEN FOUND THIS PECULIAR SENSATION IN BACK

{AS IF BACK WAS PIERCED BY RED HOT

IRON} AS A VERY USEFUL PRESCRIBING CLUE for alumina IN A

GOOD NUMBER OF CLINICAL CASES.

CLINICAL IMPORTANCE OF MODALITIES

Boenninghausen also describes the kind of throbbing toothache cured by China.

‘I remember chiefly one case which happened to me whilst travelling through the country. A young girl, well featured and pleasant to look at, had become, when I saw her again, pale and thin.

The Lesser Writings; C. M. F. Boenninghausen ‘ON TOOTHACHE’

CLINICAL IMPORTANCE OF MODALITIES

……..She suffered from violent throbbings in the teeth, increased chiefly after meals and at night, and were slightly relieved by strong pressure and biting on the teeth, while a slight touch rendered the pains insupportable. In the meantime she had continual diarrhoea, and profuse night-sweats she was very weak and could scarcely walk about.

………..As she begged me to relieve her suffering, I gave her a small dose of China, and the next morning, when I set off, she told me, highly delighted, that she had had a very good night, had no toothache, and had been free from nightsweat.

CLINICAL IMPORTANCE OF concomitance

POSITION IN SLEEP:

ONE LEG STRETCHED OUT, OTHER DRAWN UP:

STANNUM

CONCOMITANCE OF CRATEGUS

A case in point : A lifelong hard drinker of 63 recently came to me with mitral incompetence and broken compensation. He did badly under several remedies including an allopathic prescription of large doses of digitalis with hypodermics of morphia two or three times a day. There was mounting ascites, dropsy of the legs, Cheyne-Stokes breathing and increasing insomnia, not always due to the dyspnoea.

CONCOMITANCE OF CRATEGUS

…………The peculiar sleeplessness kept me looking for a remedy to match the combined contingency and which would perhaps hold the heart a while longer. Sleeplessness in heart affections was finally found under Crataegus. The prescription was thirty drops of mother tincture in half a glass of water; one teaspoonful every three hours. The effect was unbelievable.

In two days the patient's blue cyanosed face became red; the very dry, red tongue again became moist; he began to lie down a little and the immensely hypertrophied and dilated heart grew progressively less; in short, a marvelous improvement set in, until one day a left sided supra-orbital neuralgia appeared. Now I knew the symptoms had been set in order. A single dose of Spigelia and only slightly irregular heart action remains.

CLINICAL GUIDE IN DIFFICULT CASES

‘When the character of affection has been disguised by successive administration of large number of homoeopathic remedies, which without curing, have only altered the symptoms, a single dose of Psorinum a few days before giving the reconsidered medicine indicated.’

BOENNINGHAUSEN’S GOLDEN WORDS

‘In general, we must never forget that one symptom can never be considered as a sufficient indication that every time the whole complex of characteristic morbid symptoms must correspond and that, therefore, the peculiarities adduced by no means make up for every other consideration,……….

BOENNINGHAUSEN’S GOLDEN WORDS

……..but that they can only serve to point in may cases to medicines which might perhaps be found suitable, and also to serve to confirm the selection after all the circumstances have been duly weighed.

The Lesser Writings; C. M. F. Boenninghausen ‘CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS’

Hahnemann’s appreciation

‘My faith in you stems not only in the earnest efforts with which you follow the words in spirit, but also your ability to enlarge upon their clinical application for suffering

humanity………….. The generations of physicians shall

respect you for this.’Extract from letter to Boenninghausen Samuel Hahnemann, his Life and Work.