Study of the effect of the first prescription

- BENERJEE.P

Let us now understand-(3) how to make sure that the first prescription has been correct and that the potency used has also not been wrong. We have already understood that the appearance of new symptoms, such as have never troubled the patient before, will indicate that the first medicine has been wrong. Now, if exactly the opposite thing happens, that is to say, if only such symptoms as have troubled the patient before appear after the use of the medicine, it is to be understood that the medicine has been correct. But only the re-appearance of some of the old symptoms is not enough to indicate that it is the process of cure that has commenced. Something more is necessary, and it is this, that the old symptoms re-appear in the reverse order, that is to say, the last symptom in the patient will re-appear first and in this way all the old symptoms one after another and last of all the oldest symptom. If this is the order of the re-appearance of the old symptoms, then it should be recognised at once as the true process of cure, and as such the first medicine used should be considered to have been perfectly correct. Suppose, for example, it appears from the record of your case that the patient had malarial fever and that this was treated with quinine, and that after that he had dyspepsia, and suppose some Ayurvedic medicine suppressed that dyspepsia, and suppose simultaneously with the disappearance of the dyspepsia the patient had palpitation of the heart and vertigo etc., and last of all there came up dropsy and jaundice. Suppose, from this record you select a medicine according to the law of similarity and administer the first dose in the right potency. Now, what will happen if the medicine used has been correctly selected?-The patient will be relieved first of all (but gradually) of his jaundice and dropsy, and his palpitation and vertigo will re-appear, and then these will pass off gradually, and then will re-appear the old dyspepsia, and then last of all will re-appear the old malarial fever. If this be the order of the re-appearance of the old symptoms-reverse order of their coming-under the use of your medicine, it is the process of cure. But if on the contrary, the old symptoms re-appear in a disorderly manner e.g. , the malarial fever first, the palpitation then and last of all the dyspepsia, it is no process of cure. However, besides the process of cure being a re-appearance of the old symptoms in the reverse order of their coming, there are other indications also for judging the correctness of the medicine used, e. g., under the use of the correct medicine and in a process of cure which results from the use of the correct medicine, the process of re-appearance of the old symptoms is from within outward, from the more internal to the less internal organ, from the centre to the circumference, from the mind to the body, and from above downwards. This process is ever the process of cure and this invariably indicates that the right medicine has been used.

 (4) But what is there to indicate that the right potency has been used? It is quite possible that in a given case you have used the right medicine but not the right potency, and in such a case there will be no effect. It is therefore essentially necessary also to fix upon the right potency. The mere similarity of the symptoms of the drug with the totality of the symptoms of the case is not enough. The strength, that is to say, the potency of the drug must also be similar to the strength or the potency of the disease which you want to cure. That is to say that, the medicine must be so powerful (neither more nor less) as to be able to encounter the disease. This suggests that there is a "plane" in which the disease is, and your medicine also, must be fine and subtle enough to reach that "plane". Unless it is so, no cure can be expected. If however, you are quite sure that you have selected the right medicine for your patient and if there is no re-action yet in spite of a reasonable waiting, do not hasten to change the medicine at once, but consider carefully if the potency has to be changed, either for a higher or for a lower one. A change of medicine, just where only a change of potency is required on account of the correct potency having not been given in the first instance, creates quite a disaster at times. Want of re-action from the use of the correct medicine, in spite of a reasonable waiting should indicate that the correct potency has not perhaps been used.

 (5) Now, what are we to expect on the use of the right medicine in the right potency? This is a difficult subject and let us discuss it in details.