Psora, sycosis, syphilis - how to recognise them

- BENERJEE.P

Psora, sycosis, syphilis

Treatment of chronic diseases is never possible without a thorough knowledge of the chronic miasms-Psora, Sycosis and Syphilis. But how to acquire this knowledge? There is certainly some method, and let me try to explain it to you. First of all, let us see, how we frame our conceptions of the so called acute diseases. For example, let us see how we frame our conception of "Cholera". We see a large number of cholera cases and then gradually catch hold of the general symptoms of all those cases. We find that all the cholera cases we have seen, have evacuations, vomiting, coldness and collapse etc. Then as soon as the name "Cholera" is pronounced, we are at once put in mind of a state having the above general symptoms. And these general symptoms form the basis of our knowledge of "Cholera". When we have a knowledge of the general symptoms of a disease manifestation, it becomes easy for us to treat any particular case. Because, we have then only to find out the particular symptoms of the case and select that remedy (out of all the remedies that have those general symptoms) that has those particular symptoms. Suppose, here is a case of cholera, that is to say, a patient having all the general symptoms of that disease (namely, evacuation, vomiting, coldness and collapse). And suppose, the particular symptoms in the case are -copiousness of the evacuations, copiousness of vomiting, copiousness of perspiration, copiousness of thirst. Now, there is no difficulty in selecting Veratrum Album. Thus, we see that it is very convenient and even necessary to know, first of all, the general symptoms of the disease. If the general symptoms of the disease are once grasped, it becomes easy to treat any patient having that disease, because, it remains then only to find out the particular symptoms in the case of the particular patient and to choose the remedy that has those particulars.

 What has been stated above in respect of the acute diseases, is true in respect of the chronic also. You have to frame your conceptions of the three different chronic miasms (from which chronic diseases arise), by studying out the general symptoms of each just as you frame your conceptions of cholera, fever and small-pox etc., by studying out their generals. The only difference is that, in the case of acute diseases, you can form your conceptions from a study of patients, while in the case of the chronic miasms, it would be easier to frame your conceptions from a study of the three classes of miasmatic remedies. I am giving below a classified list of such remedies, so as to enable you to make a miasmatic study of them:-

 Anti-Psoric Remedies.
     Abrotanum.  * Bufo.
     Acetic Acid.  * Calcarea Carb.
     Agaricus Musc.  * Calcarea Ars.
     Alœ.  * Calcarea Phos.
  * Alumina.  *  Carbo Animalis.
     Ambra Grisea.  * Carbo Veg.
     Ammon Carb.  * Capsicum.
  * Anacardium.     Cistus Canadensis.
     Antim. Crud.     Clematis.
  * Apis.     Coccus Cacti.
     Argentum Metallicum.  * Conium.
     Argentum Nitricum.  * Crotalus.
** Arsenicum Album.     Croton Tig.
** Arsenicum Iodatum.     Cuprum Metallicum.
  * Aurum Metallicum.     Digitalis.
  * Aurum Muriaticum.     Dulcamara.
  * Baryta Carb.     Ferrum Metallicum.
     belladonna.     Ferrum Phos.
     Benzoic Acid.  * Fluoric Acid.
     Berberis.  * Graphites.
     Borax. ** Hepar Sulphur.
** Iodine.     Petroleum.
  * Kali Bichrom.  * Phosphorus.
  * Kali Carb.     Phosphoric Acid.
  * Kali Iodide.     Platinum.
     Kali Phos.     Plumbum.
     Kali Sulph. ** Psorinum.
  * Lac Caninum.  * Pyrogen.
** Lachesis.     Sarsaparilla.
  * Ledum.     Secale.
  * Lycopodium.  * Selinium.
     Magnesia Carb. ** Sepia.
     Magnesia Mur. ** Silicea.
     Manganum.     Stannum.
     Mezereum.  * Staphisagria.
     Muriatic Acid. ** Sulphur.
  * Natrum Ars.     Sulphuric Acid.
  * Natrum Carb.  * Tarentula.
** Natrum Mur.     Theridion.
  * Natrum Sulph. ** Tuberculinum.
  * Nitric Acid.  * Zincum.


 Anti-Sycotic Remedies.
     Argentum Met.  * Calcarea Ars.
     Argentum Nitricum.  * Causticum.
** Arsenicum Album.     Clematis.
** Arsenicum Iodatum.     Colchicum.
     Benzoic Acid.     Dulcamara.
     Berberis.     Fluoric Acid.
** Iodine.  * Natrum Sulph.
  * Kali Bichrom.  * Nitric Acid.
  * Kali Carb.  * Phosphorus.
  * Kali Iod.     Phosphoric Acid.
  * Lycopodium. ** Psorinum.
     Magnesia Carb. ** Pyrogen.
     Magnesia Mur.     Sarsaparilla.
     Magnesia Phos. ** Sepia.
** Mezereum. ** Silicea.
     Muriatic Acid.  * Staphisagria.
  * Natrum Ars.  * Thuja.
  * Natrum Carb. ** Tuberculinum.
** Natrum Mur.


 Anti-Syphilitic Remedies.
     Arsenicum Album. ** Lachesis.
     Arsenicum Iodatum.  * Lycopodium.
  * Aurum Met.  * Mercurius.
  * Aurum Mur.  * Nitric Acid.
  * Calcarea Ars.     Phytolacca.
     Fluoric Acid.     Sarsaparilla.
** Hepar Sulphur.  * Staphisagria.
  * Kali Bichrom.  * Syphilinum.
  * Kali Carb. ** Tuberculinum.
  * Kali Iod.

 All these remedies are used in the the treatment of chronic cases. They are all deep-acting. Those with one asterisk against them are comparatively more deep-acting than those without asterisks, and those with two asterisks are still more deep acting, Medicines outside these lists have not much of a miasmatic basis, and they are, as such, used in acute cases generally, and also, at times, during sudden aggravation of chronic diseases. It should be noted that some of these chronic remedies are purely anti-Psoric, some anti-Sycotic and some anti-Syphilitic, while some are anti-psoro-sycotic, some anti-psoro-syphilitic, and some anti-psoro-syco-syphilitic.

 The medicines detailed in the the above lists are always used in the treatment of chronic cases and any one of them may have to be followed by any other as occasion arises. It is, therefore, not advisable to state as to which should be used after which, as, such rigidity would tend to interfere with the freedom of the prescriber. Selection should always be made on the basis of the symptoms available, and if a particular remedy is called for by the symptoms after any particular remedy, there should be nothing to stand in the way of the selection. Let us, therefore, avoid orthodoxy in the matter of following one medicine with another.
 If the the medicines detailed in the above lists are studied thoroughly from a miasmatic point of view, it will appear that some of them have the general symptoms of Psora, some of Sycosis and some of Syphilis. And it will also appear that some of them have even a combination of the general symptoms of two and even of all the three miasms. If you can acquire a knowledge of the general characteristics of these miasms, the treatment of any chronic case will become a matter of enjoyment. Because, all you will have to do then, would be only to find out the particulars of the particular patient and to trace out and use the miasmatic remedy that has them.

 Though I have advised the framing of your conceptions of Psora, Sycosis and Syphilis from a study of the materia medica of the remedies, instead of from a study of patients as is done in the case of acute diseases, yet this was by no means the original method with Hahnemann. He made his studies and framed his first conceptions of these miasms from the study of a large number of patients, because he had no miasmatic Materia Medica then. It was by a close scrutiny of patients that he discovered three general differences between different groups of patients, and named these three different groups-Psoric, Sycotic and Syphilitic. This is, in brief, the history of the discovery of the chronic miasms. But the method followed by Hahnemann was far more difficult than that advised above. You should, therefore, do well to frame your conceptions of the chronic miasms by a study of the remedies as you find them in your Materia Medica.
 In this chapter, I have explained the method of framing our conceptions of the chronic miasms, and we have yet to understand their general characteristics.