Medical Homoeopathy

Review

This book review is reprinted from the Summer 2006 edition of The Homoeopath with permission from Nick Churchill of The Society of Homoeopaths.

Reviewed by Lawrence Bogle

Medical Homoeopathy is described by its author as "as an easy and accessible reference tool" to be used by students and practitioners. His target has been reached in this book, as reference material it is easy to skip through. To the homeopathic student of human science it is a collection of several years' worth of lectures.

The book is set out in twelve chapters, ten of which are divided into 'systems'. Typically each section is laid out logically and clearly, so under the digestive system, for example, we begin with the mouth, go through the stomach, large intestine and end up with waste matter. Along the way, likely culprits of disease are described and their corresponding remedy offered. Remedy comparison is easy to see in this book as it is set out in tables, although the remedies covered are limited to those most commonly indicated, for practical reasons. The author does state that constitutional treatment is always preferable and may well lie outside the suggested remedies. Disease states covered tend to be restricted to those most frequently seen in clinic. At the close of each chapter, however, there is information on further reading, which is a useful pointer to follow up on specific subject matter.

Smith's style of writing is easy to follow and informal. It is peppered throughout with humour of the type likely to elicit the odd groan. On golfer's elbow for example, "exactly the same as tennis elbow except golfers have smaller balls" or the reassurance that without skin, "our bits and bobs would drop out all over the carpet". Great stuff, and pitched well to lighten a detailed and complex subject. Facts of interest are also included, like the surface area of lungs being the size of a tennis court and the appallingly slow classification process of mental illness, last updated in 1980.

For me what was missing were illustrations. Smith acknowledges that there are many beautiful, big and indeed animated diagrams to be found online, but as I read this book I was drawing in my head. Villi, small intestine: finger-like projections, or swollen blocked follicles: pink and tense like a drum. The addition of illustrations in a later edition would be helpful to those of us who respond better to the line than the word as memory aid. This compact book is packed with succinct information and is produced in a way that allows it to sit comfortably alongside Murphy, Morrison and Burnett, on your clinic shelves. If, like me, you returned to study human science after decades, with glitches in your memory, then reminders such as this book are most welcome.

This book review is reprinted from Volume 22, Winter 2009 edition, with permission from Homeopathic Links.

Reviewed by Ivo Wiesner, Ph D., Czech Republic

Motto: "Now go and heal the sick..."

The author taught medical sciences in several Colleges of Homeopathy for over ten years and wrote this book based on that good experience to bridge homeopathic and medical worlds, for students and for homeopathic practitioners alike.

After the introduction and some useful words in preparatory reading, we find the core of the book, twelve chapters, which follow the general logic of anatomy and physiology of conventional medicine ("body systems" as the author says). Each chapter is further divided into several subchapters.

In each chapter we start first with the overview of anatomy and physiology (healthy state) as a necessary warm-up. Then we are guided to understanding related local pathology (diseased state). In these days most patients will come to homeopaths with a clear diagnosis already. Therefore we need to understand what this diagnosis means, what the medical report really says. Even more important, in these days patients come to us with ongoing complex conventional medical prescriptions based on that diagnosis. And we should understand the toll of such cocktails, especially patterns of possible side-effects and iatrogenic risks.

For instance: symptoms like anxiety, constipation, sleeping difficulty, nausea and dryness of mucous tissues after the administration of beta blockers when high blood pressure (HBP) is treated. We should know that beta blockers are given in the HBP prevention as the rule of thumb to most people over 50 by their GPs. We should be really well aware of that when considering guiding symptoms for homeopathic prescription. Inevitably, we are pushed to admit that homeopathy is here in the role and position of complementary medicine, not in the authority of a self-supporting alternative way of healing.

Reading further through a chapter, we are guided to the homeopathic treatment itself, which is focused on the "differential homeopathy" and practical "homeopathic therapeutics". Here we are given many well-arranged remedy tables for quick overview and reference, which are easy to read. The text is full of diamonds of important medical information that induce straight homeopathic ideas and thinking about curative strategy and correct remedy choice, for example "chronic inflammation can cause calcium deposits and adhesions".

Sometimes, a subchapter of the adjunctive treatment is added, perhaps a comment on diet, or exercise recommendations like "patients get better in a shorter time if they are personally active in the healing process". A chapter is closed with "Further reading" recommendations enabling a reader to quickly find more information where necessary.

The overall easy-to-navigate system of the book is further strengthened by a well-prepared index at the end.

The intention in writing this book was to provide practitioners with an easy and accessible reference tool. I can conclude that it was done very well. Therefore, I can recommend this book to every homeopathic student and practitioner.

This book review is reprinted from Winter 2007 Edition, with permission from The Homeopath.

Reviewed by Geoff Johnson

Steve says this is a book that bridges the homeopathic and medical divide to provide an easy and accessible reference tool. It does that well, and more. The immediate thing that strikes me is the chatty style of prose - "the nervous system is responsible for sending nerve impulses - as if you couldn't guess that". Depending on the reader this may seem encouraging and remove the terror of medical science, or it could irritate and feel patronising. It is the style used throughout the book, and we are addressed as "my dears" making me think of the Just So Stories - homeopathy just so! Happily this friendly guide explains very clearly what is going on using words we can all understand and the more I read the more relaxed I became. To explain subjects like the nervous or endocrine system to people who have not studied medicine in depth is difficult - and this book succeeds pretty well.

I am always worried with homeopathic books that encourage therapeutic prescribing for chronic conditions such as thyroid disorders. I have found that the more chronic or serious conditions are, for a good cure I need greater individualisation. However my mind was put at rest in the introduction where Steve explains what this book is all about. It is not about "these are the remedies for insomnia", but rather here is a starting point, which will often help initially and possibly very much. The point is made that the height of our homeopathic craft is well considered constitutional treatment, although what that means Steve hasn't made clear. The emphasis on affinities is also well made and too easily forgotten when wandering the guru pathway.

There are also some lovely little homeopathic gems - the discrimination between Gelsemium, Argentum nitricum and Coffea in terms of their anticipatory anxiety for example. Generally the remedy pictures presented are concise and clear.

The index is fine - I thought of ten different diseases and seven were there - 7 out of 10 I suppose! Obviously Robin Murphy has been a major influence being referred to many times, and I wonder if this might be a weakness. Reading, listening to and considering many different homeopaths is essential for us all and students need to be careful not to follow one teacher but many.

So with what other books can this be compared? The 'medical sciences' is much more understandable than any medical textbook I have read. The relatively in-depth consideration of medical science combined with homeopathy reminds me of Dr Lockie's book, but the latter is much shorter on anatomy and physiology and greater on therapeutics, although it too is a pleasant read.

Steve thanks Ian Watson for making him realise that homeopathy can be simple - it is, but that does not mean it is easy! This is probably about as much medical science as we need to know, clearly and simply explained, but obviously much more homeopathy is required. So for whom is this book? For the student trying to learn their medical sciences this is a must. They want simplicity and clarity and that is what this book is. Hooray to read "don't bother to learn all those different muscles" - I did, and in all my years of surgery it did me no good at all! Practitioners where some medical science has slipped away would also find this useful before seeing that patient they have booked in with Cushing's disease. I think this is a beauty for students and practitioners in their early years - buy it!