Drug proving in homoeopathy -HA Roberts insights

Dr Raghavi V

ABSTRACT:
Drug proving chapter from the book named “The Principles and Art of Cure by Homoeopathy” is written by a renowned Homoeopath Herbert A Roberts who made significant contributions to the field of Homoeopathy. This chapter explores the fundamental principles and methods of Drug proving in Homoeopathy. Drug proving is a vital component of Homoeopathy the enables the understanding of the therapeutic properties of substances, it is a process that involves testing the effects of a substance on healthy individuals to determine its therapeutic properties. This chapter discusses the requirements for drug proving, including the use of pure substances, healthy provers, and normal circumstances. It also highlights the importance of accurate recording and analysis of symptoms, including the identification of key elements such as location, sensation, modalities and concomitants. By following this we can identify the unique characteristics of each remedy.

KEYWORDS: Drug proving, Homoeopathy, H A Roberts

INTRODUCTION:

One of the unique characteristic distinguishing feature of Homoeopathy is the concept of Drug proving.

As per Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy Drug proving is defined as a process in which drug substances are put into trial on healthy human volunteers and their pathogenetic effects are observed, noted and compiled as the first step to introduce the drug in the Homoeopathic Materia Medica.

Drug proving is also known as Homoeopathic Pathogenetic Trial.

Samuel Hahnemann explained about Drug proving from Aphorism 105 to 145 in his masterly work titled “Organon of Medicine”

Doctrine of Drug proving is one of the cardinal principles of Homoeopathy and it forms the basis for drug pathogenesis, hence it is very essential to have a good understanding of Drug proving.

Herbert A Roberts in his book titled “The Principles and Art of Cure by Homoeopathy” has a separate chapter named “Drug Proving” where he gives his insights on this topic.

This article is an attempt to give a brief overview of this chapter.

Since ages drugs are being used for treating diseases, with various derivations from various sources. They were derived from simple herbs to dreadful combinations from various sources. Medicine man who knew the preparation and administration of medicine was often considered superior more than mortal due to his powers.

Over the years, various healing doctrines emerged and one such doctrine was “Doctrine of Signatures” This Doctrine is based on the belief that each member of the vegetable kingdom carried within itself a resemblance to a human organ, indicating that the plant could be used to treat ailments of that organ.

Although medical knowledge progressed, medical practice often reverted back to superstitious practices due to rare insights regarding drug application. But Paracelsus made notable advancements in understanding action of drugs. Efforts by Swedish physician, Halle to discover the nature of remedies were not coordinated.

Hence it was Hahnemann after the Law of Cure discovery, mandatorily made proving on humans to know the drug action i.e. Drug proving.

Then Roberts provides an understanding of what is Life, Health and Drug. He explained life as a continuous action of vital forces that sustain the body and prevent it from decay and explained Health as balanced action of these vital forces which maintains the integrity of its parts. He defined Drug as any material agent (in any attenuated form) when ingested, capable of disturbing the balance of vital forces.

Therefore he called Drugs are destructive while foods are constructive.

Next, he outlines three essential requirements that are needed to obtain the knowledge of drug, for a valid Drug proving. They are –

• Purity of the Drug – Drug must be pure, genuine, free from any mixture with other substances and must have all its active properties.
• Healthy state of the prover
• Normal circumstances – The circumstances surrounding the prover must be their normal usual conditions and habits of life. This ensures any changes observed can be attributed to drug’s action.

The objective of Drug proving is to discover the character of the drug’s action on the Vital energy of human body, while doing so Roberts emphasizes the importance of careful selection of provers for Drug proving and gives certain key points regarding that –

• Prover should be susceptible to the drug being tested, as those who are most susceptible will develop the most complete symptomatology.
• However, provers who are less susceptible can still be used, as their symptoms can serve to verify those produced in more susceptible provers.
• Individuals with idiosyncrasies to certain foods makes them the best provers for those substances.
• Prover must be Intelligent to perceive, appreciate and record subjective symptoms accurately.
• Honesty is essential in a prover to record all phenomena accurately and truthfully.
• A valuable prover records all symptoms without bias and avoids skepticism and imagination while doing so.
• The prover must be in a normal healthy state with a stable mental, moral and physical equilibrium.

Next, Roberts given us an insight as to how symptoms must be recorded in Drug proving emphasizing the importance of accurate and unbiased recording of symptoms in Drug proving.

Key points are –

• Every symptom must be documented without bias/ favor.
• Many symptoms may be common to several drugs.
• Focus should be on identifying the characteristic symptoms of the drug, which sets it apart from all other drugs, which serves as guiding symptoms of the remedy.

Roberts highlights two main tasks to be accomplished while making a proving –

1. Symptom Appearance – A detailed record of the order of appearance
2. Analysis of the symptoms

Three major aspects to be considered in analysis –

• Location
• Sensation
• Modalities
• Concomitant

Now, with the clear objective of Drug proving and having all requirements to make a proving, Roberts questions as to how do we proceed next.

He further answers what are the other key points to be considered, emphasizing the importance of careful dose selection and gradual administration to obtain the characteristic symptoms of a drug in provings.

Dose
Based on the nature of the drug, he states three axioms –

Any drug which in its natural state affects the vital energy but little will develop a proving only in a high potency. Inert substances (e.g. Lycopodium, Carbo veg, Graphites) require high potencies to produce a proving.

Any Drug which in its natural state disturbs the vital energy to functional manifestations only may be proven in a crude form. Drugs (e.g. Lobelia, Cicuta, Tavacum) can be used in crude form.

Any drug which in its natural state disturbs the vital energy to destructive manifestations should be proven only in a potentiated form. Actively poisonous drugs (e.g. Mercurius group) should be proven only in high potencies.

Based on the objective of the proving –
Inert substances in crude form may not produce symptoms or may produce only a few symptoms of low value, which are not characteristic of the drug, and are expelled from the body before they reach the vital energy.

Active/ corrosive poisons when given in crude state because of their violent action they are expelled quickly and symptoms produced by them are valueless. Characteristic symptoms are never observed.

Susceptibility of the prover
Guides the quantity of the drug to be taken.

The greater the susceptibility, the smaller the quantity needed to react upon the vital force.

Roberts quotes that the standard is the dose and quantity of the drug that will thoroughly permeate the organism and make its essential impress upon the vital force, thus affecting the functional sphere of the body.

Less susceptible individuals requiring larger doses to give valuable symptoms.

High susceptible individuals require high potencies in provings to obtain characteristic symptoms of the drug.

Repetition of the dose
If the first dose does not produce marked symptoms, a second dose may be given, followed by a waiting period. If no symptoms appear, another dose may be administered. This gradual introduction reveal the characteristics of the drug.

• The repetition of doses should be governed by the nature of the drug and the reaction of the vital energy.
• Never repeat the dose while symptoms are still manifest from the previous dose.
• Never repeat your remedy as long as it continues to act.
• This is crucial for obtaining the characteristics of the drug.
• Drugs which are slow in action like Silica or Lycopodium administered at longer intervals, whereas drugs which are quick in action are given in shorter durations.

Recording the symptoms
Symptoms are produced in sequences, and its important to know the first effects, sequences, and duration of the symptoms.

Roberts stresses the importance of accurate recording of symptoms, to obtain a valuable and reliable proving of a drug. Therefore recording the symptoms in their order of appearance is vital.

Equally important is documenting concomitant symptoms i.e. associated symptoms that seem unrelated but bear a close relationship because they appear simultaneously and in association with other symptoms.

Hence, the value of the symptom record largely depends upon the order of symptoms and their associated symptoms.

Prover
Must be a faithful recorder of symptoms, along with their characteristic sensations, exact locations, modalities and concomitants in every proving is very crucial.

Describing sensations that are difficult to define correctly, often introduced with “sensation as if”

Complete Symptomatology –
Effects of atmospheric changes, positional modalities, Impact of day to day activities like eating, drinking, sleeping on symptoms must be noted.

The patient’s condition in different social settings must be documented.

All symptoms must be recorded, no matter how insignificant they may seem, as they may become important in the overall symptomatology.

Omitting symptoms because they appear in only one prover as insignificant, may lead to losing valuable information, gives an example of 3 am cough of Kali carb.

Objective symptoms are of limited value as curative symptoms but should still be included for completeness.

He concludes the chapter by emphasizing that ultimate aim of Drug proving is to capture a “living personality” of the remedy that can be recognized in the sick room.

REFERENCES
Roberts HA. The Principles and Art of Cure by Homoeopathy. B Jain publishers, Low price edition 2002.

DR RAGHAVI V
PG Scholar, Department of Organon of Medicine with Homoeopathic Philosophy
Government Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Bengaluru – 560079
raghavivijaykumar25@gmail.com
Under the Guidance of DR SHOBHA B MALIPATIL  Professor and HOD Department of Organon of Medicine with Homoeopathic Philosophy