Necessity of Case Taking - Dr. D. P. Singh

Homeorizon E-journal - November 2008

NECESSITY OF REPERTORY
- Dr. P. Singh


Repertory, today has become the lingo of the homeopathic fraternity. Without its knowledge one cannot claim successful prescriptions (at least not in every case). To any uninitiated, Repertory may seem like a maze or a labyrinth. It is only with your tenacious labours and persistence that you move to the inner recesses of the labyrinth and come out with laurels of similimum.
The term Repertory has an interesting etymology, it corresponds to the Latin word Repertorium which originates from reperire, to find; re: again, parere to bring forth. It means a “place where things are kept to be brought forth again”. Thus Repertory can be defined as, an inventory, a table or compendium where the contents are so arranged that they are easy to find. Repertory helps to pigeon hole a patient’s problems then offer the precise solution.
Need of Repertory: Repertory was invented to meet the demands of ever growing Materia medica. For a logical thinker like Hahnemann, the accumulation of information and facts following provings of remedies in increasing number must have posed the problem of retrieval. So, he planned to make a symptom-dictionary which would be a source of reference and also help in quick prescriptions. Hahnemann’s first index to his growing symptoms first took shape in 1818. Attempts to compile the Repertory were then done by Ruckert and Jahr but unfortunately both were not found upto the mark by Hahnemann.
It was Boenninghausen who produced the first printed Repertory (in German) called the “Repertory of Medicines which are Antipsoric” in 1832. This blew the bell and soon Knerr, Kent, Allen, Boger followed the path simplifying the search for repertory to create their own versions of Repertory.
Classification of Repertories: Repertories today adorn the shelf of almost every homeopath. We have about hundreds of Repertories but we practically use only some of them, it may because we are better versed with them or we are ignorant about the new ones. Chiefly we have the Puritan group comprised of repertories which precisely describe the words of provers, retaining their purity e.g. Knerr’s, Gentry’s works.
The other group is the Logical-utilitarian group which emphasises on the essence of the symptoms. It includes Repertories based on specific philosophies, either General to Particular or Particular to General (Kent’s, BTPB, BBCR. Next we have the Regional Repertories (Berridge’s Eye, Minton’s Uterine Therapeutics), Clinical Repertories (Boericke’s, Murphy’s) which aim to cover the disease condition or part.
We also separate the Card and the Computer Repertories which have totally different working and philosophies.
Nowadays it is the Computer Repertories which have gained our attention. It eases our work but at the same too much dependence on them infers danger of eventual atrophy of the thinking process of the human brain. Use of Repertory should be judicious, it is the sole discretion of physician to decide which case should be repertorised and from which repertory. A cursory knowledge of Repertory may result in remedy being fitted to the case rather than the remedy required in the case.
Study of Repertories not only facilitates the selection of similimum but it also helps in the study of Materia medica. So, to each other or Repertory can be alleged as the legal offspring of Materia medica. It has its origin in the medicines, it has the recording of symptoms from it and moreover it simplifies the work of Materia medica.
Repertory serves the purpose of supplementing the Materia Medica and nowhere does it aim to replace it. The study of both together can only help us in clinching similimum and bringing about cure.
So vital is the need to know Repertories and their Usage that we have decided to release exclusive issues covering the Horizon of Repertory. We also wish to inform all of you that your much loved Homeopathic Horizon Ezine has completed its first year in your service. On the repeated demands of our subscribers/readers we have decide to change the status of this E-journal to monthly jounal. So now you will get everything you have been getting in this Ezine and more and that too monthly.
Wishing you Great Reading.
Enjoy The Issue.
- Dr. P. Singh
--Editor --
Homeopathc Horizopn