BOERICKE’S CLINICAL HOMEOPATHIC REPERTORY:

NEED FOR STUDY-

J. H. Clarke says, “Certain diseases come to have certain remedies assigned to them and all patients who are found to be suffering from any given disease must be dosed with one of the remedies credited to it.”

Dr. J. Crompton Burnett says, “ The fact is, we need any and every way of finding the right remedy, the simple simile, the simple symptomatic similimum and the furthest reach of all- the pathological similimum, and I maintain that we are still well within the lines of homoeopathy that is expansive, progressive science.”

The General Clinical Repertories
 A Clinical Repertory by J.H.CLARKE, 1904
 Materia Medica with Repertory by O.E.BOERICKE, 1907
 The repertory portion of Raue’s Special Pathology etc

THE CLINICAL SCHOOL OF PHILOSOPHY-
The clinical school of philosophy has among its patrons, homoeopathic luminaries as E. A. Farrington, J. C. Burnett, W. E. Boericke, J. H. Clarke and C. M. Boger who had a clinically oriented prescription.
In this method, the symptoms are classified as basic and diagnostic. The application of this principle operates at two levels:
The medicines which are not overtly indicated for a particular diagnostic condition are tentatively ruled out from consideration in prescription.


 The diagnostic criteria are reckoned as bench marks. The symptoms which can be equated with the result of a pathogenetic process, represents the effects of the pathogenesis.
 The symptoms which are actively attributable to the pathogenesis, i.e., those relating to the aetiology, sustenance or modification of the disease phenomenon in the patient , assume a greater significance.


BOERICKE’S CLINICAL REPERTORY

BOERICKE MATERIA MEDICA AS SOURCE
According to Vidyadhar Khanaj, Boericke Materia Medica Part is the major source for the repertory but after verifying in to different chapters it is found that this is not the major source.

ONENESS OF REPERTORIES
To Prove Oneness of the repertory, single drug rubrics of Boericke’s repertory were studied and verified by comparing them with other basic repertories like KENT and B.B.C.R on a random basis and it is found that single drugs of Boericke repertory have representation in either of the repertories.

VARIOUS EDITIONS -
1st edition:
1901, Homoeopathic Materia medica. This edition did not have the Repertory part.
2nd edition:
1903, this edition also did not have the Repertory part.
3rd edition:
1906. First time repertory part was added by Dr. Oscar Eugene Boericke and was published by Boericke & Runyan, New York, 1049 pages.
5th edition:
1912, published by Boericke & Tafel, Philadelphia, 1155 pages.
6th edition:
1916, published by Boericke & Runyan, New York, 1293 pages.
8th edition:
1922, published by Boericke & Runyan, New York, 1128 pages.
9th edition:
1927. Last original edition by Boericke, published by B. Jain publishers, 1179 pages.

PLAN AND CONSTRUCTION-
This repertory has 290 pages of information, which is classified under 25 chapters.
In preface to repertory, Dr. Oscar E. Boericke writes, “In conformity with established reportorial methods, the division of sections in somewhat the old Hahnemannian method is followed”.
The flow-sequence of these sections conforms to Hahnemann’s anatomical schema, as followed in the Materia Medica Pura. It can be seen that this macro-construction is a harmonious blend of the anatomical parts and the systems.


SECTIONS
 Mind
 Head
 Eyes
 Ears
 Nose
 Face
 Mouth
 Tongue
 Taste
 Gums
 Teeth
 Throat
 Stomach
 Abdomen
 Urinary System

 Male Sexual System
 Female Sexual System
 Circulatory System
 Locomotor System
 Respiratory System
 Skin
 Fever
 Nervous System
 Generalities
 Modalities: Aggravations and Ameliorations

Micro-construction

Gradation Of Remedies:
remedies are graded into two:-
Italics - 2 marks(e.g., Ac);
Roman -1 marks (e.g., acon)
Number Of Drugs: 1048
Number Of Rubrics: 8,320

Arrangement Of Rubrics-

 Rubrics in each chapter are printed in BOLD CAPITAL. Sub rubrics are also arranged alphabetically. Sub rubrics are printed in roman after first indentation.
 “CROSS REFERENCES”
There are three types of cross references-
Ø Rubrics mentioned within the chapter.
Ø Rubrics mentioned of other chapters .
Ø More than one cross references if given with or without medicines.
 Technical names:
The technical names of diseases are given in brackets with the main symptoms.
 Some of the rubrics and sub rubrics are explained to simplify by giving technical terms, synonyms or more than one synonyms, and some time complete meaning in the brackets.

The arrangement of rubrics in different sections-

In the Mind Section, the following is the order of arrangement of rubrics:
 Diagnostic terms as the rubrics Mental expressions of physical diseases
 Physical expressions of the mental imbalance
 Alteration of emotional state
 Alterations of perceptions
 Disorders of memory
 Disorders of mood
 Propensity for certain actions
 Disorders of speech
 Sleep related affections
 In the sections, which happen to be anatomical parts, e.g., Head, the sub-divisions of that part are arranged in the alphabetical order.
 In such anatomical parts, as are not divisible into sub-divisions, e.g., Tongue, only the clinical conditions are listed alphabetically.
 In the chapters dealing with the systems, the constituents of that system are arranged in the alphabetical order along with the respective complaints. In circulatory System, the arrangement is, Arteries- Heart- Veins and under Veins, Engorged- Inflamed- Varicose
 In the chapter Modalities, the aggravations are listed at the beginning, followed by the amelioration. These are arranged in the alphabetical order
 In the chapter Generalities, the conditions are listed in the alphabetical order.

Arrangement Of Remedies-

The remedies are arranged in alphabetical order and italics indicate the more frequently verified clinical remedy.
Because of two types of typography used to indicate the intensity of remedies, it is more practical for reference work and repertorisation.

SALIENT FEATURES
 The anatomical sections have been reclassified to render them more logical and meaningful
 Some sections also deal with the anatomical system instead of individual organs in a comprehensive manner
 Fever with all its varieties has been described in a separate section.
 The Generalities section has been made more comprehensive. Rubrics of this section like
Complaints, abuse of
 Checked discharges
Suppressed eruptions or mental labour sufferings
 Ill effects of different types of injuries, burns have also been mentioned.
 Prophylactics

 Being basically a clinical repertory, it puts more emphasis on the clinical aspect of the disease. Many clinical rubrics are given.
 The largest section is Female Sexual System, spread over 24 pages.
 The smallest section is Tongue spread over only one page
 The largest number of rubrics are in Skin Section. It has 102 main rubrics.
 The least number of rubrics are in Gums section. It has only 1 main rubric.
 The largest number of cross references are in Modalities section. It has 65 cross references.
 The least number of cross references are in Section Ear. It has only one cross reference.

Boericke’s Clinical Repertory As A Reference & Source In-
 Synthetic Repertory incorporates partial additions from Boericke’s Repertory
 As a reference in ‘Therapeutics of intoxication’ byF Bernoville
 The Complete Repertory (the millennium edition by Roger van Zandvoort compiled from many repertories) includes 4487 additions
 Kunzli’s Kent’s Repertorium Generale, an enlarged version of Kent’s Repertory incorporates partial additions from Boericke’s Repertory.
 Available in Hompath Classic 8.0 Version.

SCOPE-
 The clinical school of philosophy is operating in the case
 A diagnosis can be made, and there are several expressions which help to individualise that diagnosis
 Only some clinical expressions can be elicited in the case, and a classical totality on the basis of the recognised schools of philosophy cannot be made.

CONCEPT OF TOTALITY-
After going through the plan and construction of Boericke’s clinical repertory thoroughly and after critically understanding arrangement of the rubrics, I have come to the conclusion that totality can be achieved by following this order-
Cause
Type-clinical, pathological, investigation
Location
Sensation
Concomitants
Modalities: Aggravations and Ameliorations

LIMITATIONS-
 Because of its small size, a great many symptoms and remedies cannot be found in it.
 The organisation of the information is very haphazard and confusing
 No fixed pattern is followed
 Some typographical errors
 The arrangement of rubrics is arbitrary
 Some misplaced rubrics
 The sources of the remedies should be studied in detail so that no ambiguity remains

MERITS-
 Remedies for specific clinical conditions are represented well in this repertory
 Repertory contains lots of remedies and rubrics for drug abuse and toxicological effects of abuse of different elements have also been elaborately given.
 Treatment of patients after suppression of their conditions can be done by making use of many rubrics given as
checked discharges,suppression of eruptions or mental emotions, ill effects of injuries, burns
 Repertory elaborates many causative factors for every clinical condition and has also given prophylactics in detail.
 In acute conditions, it is more valuable since most of the acute diseases have an exciting cause if it is elicited properly.
 Many clinical and pathological rubrics are given which are not present in Basic repertories

ADAPTIBILITY
 For one-sided diseases
 Cases with clinical diagnosis
 Cases When definite cause is known
 To prescribe on the basis of pathological generals
 For the prescription of toxicological effect
 For the prescription of a prophylactic remedy
 For the prescription based on suppressed effects.
 For acute cases
CONCLUSION-
“It is by no means a rigid measure to which we must hold the afflicted patient; rather it is a flexible means which we may adapt to the patient himself and by this means find the remedy that will be best fitted to his needs.”