Kishore Cards – A Homoeopahtic Card Repertory

Dr P Sumesh

Jugal Kishore’s Card Repertory
Repertories became voluminous and more complex with the introduction of new Philosophies and different types of constructions. The practitioners found it difficult to put them into day to day practice. Few of them found that if the rubrics in the books were written on separate pieces of paper, one could quickly glance through them and find similimum. They started to prepare their own chits, diaries and different paper cuttings. These efforts finally given birth to Card Repertories.

Name of the Repertory: The Kishore Cards – A Homoeopahtic Card Repertory
Authors: Dr. Jugal Kishore BSc, DMS, MD (Hom)
And Dr. Arvind Kishore MBBS, MF (Hom) London
Publishers: Kishore Card Publications, New Delhi
Year of Publishing: First Edition 1959
Second Revised and Enlarged Edition 1967
Third and Enlarged Edition 1985
Printers: M/S Powers – Samas (First Edition)
M/S Kapur Printing Press (Second Edition)
Agricole Printing Agency (Third Edition)
Dedicated to: Sharda
Price: Rupees Two Thousand only

Contents
Part I
Introduction
1. Forward to the second edition
2. Preface to the first edition
3. Preface to the second edition
4. Preface to the third edition
5. Practical Analysis
6. List of remedies and their code numbers

Part II
Rubrics and their code numbers
Forward to the second edition: It is written by J.N. Mujumdar MSc, MB (Cal), LRCP (London), FRCS ( Edin), DMS (Homoeo). He appreciates Dr. Jugal Kishore for making this laborious work, in spite of his busy Professional practice.

Preface to the first edition:
The Author says that it took about seven years to complete the first edition of the Card Repertory. About 579 medicines and 3497 rubrics were included in the repertory. The rubrics are arranged in the alphabetical order and they are numbered from 50.
He admits that there are certain remedies, which do not appear under any of the rubrics; are included and assigned code number, so as to enable practitioner to add such remedies in suitable rubrics; when his experience and study dictate their inclusion.
Most of the rubrics from Kent’s and Boenninghausen’s Repertories were included in this repertory. The repertory is so constructed that a Practitioner can use it either according to the Boenninghausen method or Kent method. Information from about 91 books was included in this card repertory.

These cards are primarily meant for quick elimination of remedies without the risk of excluding similimum. The elimination is a mechanical process. The rubric number is stamped on the top of each card. For quick reference a table of contents of some important rubrics are given at the beginning of index. He admits that it is not a complete one. Cross-references are also given. Meanings of some rubrics are also given. For example; code number 1570 – Fever: Zymotic. The meaning of Zymotic has been given within brackets – Fever due to specific virus.

He gives some directions for reading certain rubrics; for example, Rubric number 1714 “ Bore head in pillow” should be read as Head, affections and sensations, motions of head, bores in pillow. The rubric number 0832 “ Waking on” the correct way to read this rubric is “ Cough, in morning, on waking ”. Rubric number 0577 read of  “ Periosteum” – should be read as “ Bones, sensitiveness of Periosteum”
Rubric number 1618 read simply “ right” should be read as “ Head, parts and regions of, internal forehead, eyes, above right”
The letter “Cf” or “C” which is used as a short form for “see” indicates the Cross-references or related rubric. For example; rubric 1617 “ Flatulence in general” – we see that rubric number 2666(rubric in Abdomen) is referred to with the letter C. With the help of this Practitioner can select the most similar rubric.

For evaluating remedies he has used two types of holes; round/ square holes and oval/ figure of eight holes. The latter indicate the high grade and the former indicate the lower grade remedies.

Working method:
After case taking, the rubrics are arranged in the descending order of their importance. “Red line” rubrics are considered at the upper most. The respective code numbers are written against each other rubrics. Then pick out the cards for the corresponding numbers, put them in the order of the list; one behind the other, leaving aside (for the time being) the cards of less importance or those rubrics with very few remedies. After arrangement; look for the synchronizing of the holes. Not more than three holes could be seen through the upper most (first) card. He notes down the holes of the cards. Decode those remedy numbers; by using the code numbers and list of remedies. We can also note down the second group of remedies which are not all through but are most tarns –illuminant. In certain cases, there may not be any hole going through the all the cards. In such cases, the most illuminant holes should be noted down and decoded. There is an isolated punched hole at the top of left corner of the card. It is only meant for checking and does not have any significance.

Preface to the second edition:

• Some mistakes of the previous editions were corrected in this second edition. Especially those medicines with their symptoms taken from Kent’s New Remedies (for example, Aur.sulph) were found to have not reliable and were excluded.
• Concomitants of Boger’s Repertory especially, concomitants of menses are given as rubrics in the second edition.
• Additions of medicines were made from reliable sources like British Homeopathic Journal.
• Author has made some combination or synthesis of rubrics.
• Example,“ Fear of darkness and fear of robbers in children” are combined together to form a single rubric. “ Desire for highly seasoned food and desire for pungent food” are included under a single rubric.
• The number of rubrics increased to 9063 and the number of medicine increased to 590.
• Almost all symptoms of Mind chapter from Kent’s repertory is included.
• The modalities of particulars which were absent in the first edition have been included.
• Here there is an option to select three types of evaluation of remedies, by paying an additional cost.
• The numbers of old rubrics (in the first edition) are indicated in Italics. The number of new rubrics and the number of cross-references are given in straight type.

Preface to the third edition:
129 new rubrics and 102 new remedies were added. So that the total number of rubrics in the third edition is 9192 and the total number of remedies is 692. Jugal Kishore’s son Arvind Kishore has given his contributions in this edition.

Practical Analysis:
A description of the ‘ Rubric card’ (Kishore Cards)
A card has 80 vertical columns; numbering from 1 to 80 from left to right. They are numbered at the bottom and top in small type. Each vertical column from above downwards contains number from 0 to 9. The first four vertical columns are kept apart (without being divided by vertical lines). They are meant for punching the number of rubric. The rest of the vertical columns are meant for the coded remedies, which have these particular symptoms. The remedies are indicated by the punched holes. The punched number (any number from 0 to 9) is placed against the small digit number placed at the bottom or top of the column; containing that particular hole and that gives us the number of the remedy. The remedy can be made out from the list of ‘ Remedies and their code numbers’. The code number of remedies starts from 50. The total number of remedies that can be punched on this card is 800; but since we are utilizing first four columns for the number of rubric, the available space on the card is only for 750 remedies.
On the top of the card is printed the name of the rubric along with its code number.

Some special rubrics:
1. Appendicitis 0025
2. Ascites 0959
3. Addison’s disease 3269
4. Aggravation pregnancy 0250
5. Arteriosclerosis 9084
6. Bubo 0032
7. Cancerous affections 0586
8. Confinement aggravation 0226
9. Cracks of nipples 0627
10. Chest, excoriation, nipples 0633
11. Children, especially remedies for 0093
12. Cold remedies of Dr.Gibson Miller 3731
13. Collapse 0779
14. Cataract 1347
15. Climacteric ( Menopause) 1837
16. Death , apparent ( appearance, as if dying) 0900
17. Encephaloma 0587
18. Enteritis 0031
19. Gonorrhea 3293
20. Hemorrhage and tendency to hemorrhage 1650
21. Hodgkin syndrome 9115
22. Immobility of affected parts 1749
23. Intussusception 0033
24. Iron after abuse of 6539
25. Jaundice 2854
26. Labour,effects of ( maternity) 6541
27. Lean people 1794
28. Leprosy 1084
29. Mastoiditis 4758
30. Leukaemia 1822
31. Metastasis 1879
32. Mesenteries 1878
33. Mesenteritis 1878
34. Mothers (nursing) 0214
35. Nursing children ( infants in arms) 2427
36. Opacity of cornea 1387
37. Otitis media 1009
38. Pemphigus 1094
39. Peritonitis 0031
40. Petechiae1095
41. Purpura haemorrhagica 2885
42. Spina Bifida 3879
43. Septicaemia 2671

Information from the following books were included in the card repertory:
1. The Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica – Allen .T.F
2. The Materia Medica of the Nosodes – Allen.H.C
3. Therapeutics of Fever – Allen.H.C
4. A General Symptom Register – Allen .T.F
5. Repertory of Intermittent Fever – Allen.W.A
6. Diarrhea – Bell
7. New, old and Forgotten remedies – Anshutz.E.P
8. Repertory of Eye – Berridge
9. Therapeutic Pocket Book – Boenninghausen
10. Repertory of Antipsoric Medicines- Boenninghausen
11. Lesser writing – Boenninghausen
12. Boenninghausen’s Characteristics and repertory – Boger
13. Synoptic Key – Boger
14. Principles of Homoeopathy – Garth Boerick
15. The Materia Medica and Repertory- William Boerick
16. Repertory of Homoeopahtic Medicines- Bryant
17. Physiological Materia Medica – Burt
18. Genius of Homoeopathy – Stuart Close
19. Hahnemann’s Therapeutic Hints – Dudgeon
20. The Symptom Register – R.M. Field
21. An Illustrated Repertory – R.R.Gregg
22. Concordance Repertory – W.D. Gentry
23. Haemorrhoids – Guernesy
24. Chronic Diseases – Hahnemann
25. Lesser writings – Hahnemann
26. Organon of Medicine – Hahnemann
27. Materia Medica Pura – Hahnemann
28. Repertory of New Remedies – C.P.Hart
29. Boenninghausen’s Therapeutic Pocket Book –Hempel
30. Jahr’s New Manual – Hempel
31. Jahr’s New Manual with Possart’s additions- Hempel
32. Guiding Symptoms – Hering.C
33. Symptoms of Mind- Hering.C
34. A Cyclopedia of Drugs Pathogenesy and its Repertory- Hughes& Dake
35. A brief study course in Homoeopathy – Hubbard.E. Wright
36. Jahr’s New Manual Repertory – Hull
37. New Manual Repertory- Jahr
38. Materia Medica – Jessen
39. Repertory of Homoeopahtic Materia Medica – Kent
40. New Remedies – Kent
41. Philosophy – Kent
42. Evolution of Homoeopahtic Repertory – Juagal Kishore
43. Repertory of Hering’s Guiding Symptoms – Knerr
44. Cough and expectoration – Lee and Clarke
45. Repertory- Lippe
46. Text book of Materia Medica – Lippe
47. A Compendium of Materia Medica – Mc Michael
48. Therapeutics and Repertory of Digestive System –Mc Michael
49. Uterine Therapeutics – Minton
50. A Regional & Comparative Materia Medica- Malcom& Moss
51. Repertory of symptoms of Head- Neidhard
52. Boenninghausen’s Therapeutic Pocket Book- Okie, Howard
53. Rheumatism – Perkin
54. Special Pathology – Rau
55. Boenninghausen’s Therapeutic Pocket Book – H.A. Roberts
56. Principles and Art of Cure by Homoeopathy – H.A. Roberts
57. Rheumatic Medicines – H.A. Roberts
58. Sensation as if – H.A. Roberts
59. The Art of Interrogation – schmidt.P
60. Cross- References in Kent’s Repertory – Sankaran. P
61. Essentials of Homoeopahtic Philosophy and Repertory- Sarkar.B.K
62. The Clinic Repertory – shedd. P.W.
63. Grand Characteristics of Materia Medica –Skinner
64. Hull’s Jahr Repertory- Snelling
65. Hahnemannian Proving- Stephensen
66. A Materia Medica- Swan
67. Repertorising – Margaret Tyler & Sir John Weir
68. Sensations as if – J.W. Ward
69. Repertory of Modalities- Worcester
70. Journals of Homoeopathics
71. Medical Advance
72. North American Journal of Homoeopathy
73. The British Homoeopahtic Review
74. The British Homoeopahtic Journal
75. The Homoeopahtic Recorder
76. The Homoeopahtic World
77. The Homoeopathician
78. The Journal of American Institute of Homoeopathy
79. The Journal of British Homoeopahtic Society
80. The Transaction of American Institute of Homoeopathy
81. The Transactions of International Hahnemannian Associates
82. The Hahnemannian Monthly
83. The Hahnemannian Gleanings
84. The Hahnemannian Advocate
85. The Progress
86. The Homoeopathy
87. The Homoeopahtic Herald
88. The Organon
89. The Pacific Cost Journal of Homoeopathy.

Merits of Kishore Cards:

1. Third edition contains 692 medicines and 9192 rubrics
2. Almost all rubrics in the Kent’s repertory are incorporated in the Card repertory
3. This repertory can be used in two methods, Kent’s and Boenninghausen.
4. Many of the rubrics in the Boenninghausen’s repertory are made available, up to date and complete.
5. Elimination is a mechanical process. We can save the time taken for writing down all the rubrics, medicines and adding their marks. Hence useful for very busy Practitioners
6. The rubrics and the cards are arranged in alphabetical order; so easy to find the required rubric. Table of contents of rubrics with their code numbers is given in the index.
7. Contents of the medicines with their code numbers are given in the index
8. Cross-references are helpful in finding the related and similar rubrics
9. Evaluation of medicines can be done with changing the shape of the holes
10. New remedies are added from the reliable source like British Homoeopahtic Journal
11. It requires no paper work
12. It is useful in rural areas were Electricity and computers are not available.

Demerits:

1. Quite voluminous ( Repertory include three boxes of cards)
2. Not all rubrics needed in day to day practice will not be available in the card repertory
3. A thorough knowledge of rubrics are necessary before starting the process of repertorisation
4. Evaluation of remedies require an additional amount
5. There are certain medicines in the list , which are not found under any of the rubrics
6. With the invention of computer software repertories, card repertories become out dated.

Dr P Sumesh
Medical Officer, Departemnt of Homoeopathy
Govt. of Kerala