Dr Aleena Thomas
ABSTRACT
The word generalities mean “The quality or state of being general”. Physical generals are symptoms of the physical plane of the person as a whole. Generalities section is one of the important chapter of Kent’s repertory deals with most of the physical generals. In this article, an attempt has been made to study and understand the scope of the generalities chapter of Kent’s repertory in the clinical practice.
INTRODUCTION
Dr J. T. Kent’s master piece work “A Repertory of Homoeopathic Materia Medica” better known as Kent’s repertory is a literature which has prevailed over the field of repertorization. Kent’s concept of general to particular based on principles of individualization which is greatly appreciated and followed today by one and all because it confirms the essence of homoeopathy. According to Kent what is expressed on the part is always preceded by a deviation in the state of health of a person. Such deviation can be known through expressions at the level of generals. In Kent’s repertory generals are dealt with in depth followed by particulars and minutes.
The generalities chapter is found at the end of the Kent’s repertory. Along with the mind section this is also one of the most important sections of the repertory. Generalities are symptoms that are true of the whole person rather than of a particular part of the body. They are symptoms of which we can say “I” instead of “MY”. I may be a chilly person (found in generalities chapter-cold in general agg.) but my left leg is what hurts (a particular symptom found in extremities chapter). Symptoms of the whole are usually more important than symptoms of a particular part.
Total number of rubrics in this chapter is 245.
The chapter starts with rubric DAY TIME and ends in WOUNDS.
The chapter covers about 82 pages.
ARRANGEMENT OF RUBRICS AND SUBRUBRICS
- This chapter contains 245 rubrics and 1723 subrubrics, sub-sub rubrics and sub-sub-sub rubrics.
- Out of these 245 rubrics 207 rubrics bear the list of medicines with their subrubrics. The rest 38 rubrics are with cross references and are referred to other rubrics.
- There are about 75 rubrics and 15 subrubrics under different rubrics and may be put with the heading modalities.
- About 48 rubrics of this chapter may be considered as mental rubrics, as feelings are expressed by these rubrics.
- There are 44 worth named diseases.
- About 41 physical states are present in this chapter.
- There are 16 rubrics which may be considered as effects of, suppression of or bad effects of.
- Etiological rubrics have been discussed in this chapter.
- The arrangement of rubrics and subrubrics are always in standard form that is in alphabetical order.
The rubrics in this chapter are basically scattered and can be clubbed into the following headings for easy understanding of the rubrics
- Ailments from
- Body functions
- Constitution
- Food
- Injuries
- General modalities
- General sensation
- Miasms
- Motion
- Pathological rubrics
- Periodicity
- Poisoning
- Posture
- Signs
- Seasonal aggravation
- Temperature
- Time
- Weather aggravation.
The rubrics under each heading are as follows
Ailments from
- Coal gas from
- Gonorrhoea supressed
- Hunger from
- Intoxication after
- Measles after
- Onanism from
- Scarlet fever after
- Sexual excess after
- Vaccination after
- Lifting, straining of muscles and tendons, from
Body functions
- Menses-beginning of, during, at the end of
- Perspiration
- Sleep
- Vomiting
- Loss of body fluids
Constitution
- Dwarfishness
- Emaciation
- Lean people
- Obesity
- Old age, premature
- Nursing children
- Stone cutters for
- Stoop shouldered
Food
- Eating
- Fasting
- Food
- Hunger
- Starving
Injuries
- Injuries(including blows, falls and bruises)
- Burns
- Bruises
- Shocks from injury
- Slow repair of broken bones
- Wounds
General modalities
- Air open agg.
- Bathing agg./amel.
- Change of position agg./amel.
- Constipation amel.
- Eating agg./amel.
- Emission agg.
- Moon light agg.
- Vomiting agg.
General sensations
- Analgesia
- Ball internally
- Band sensation of
- Constriction internally
- Congestion
- Hard bed sensation of
- Flabby feeling
- Formication
- Hair sensation of
- Heat flushes of
- Knotted sensation
- Lassitude
- shuddering
- Smaller
- Swollen
- Trembling
- Thread sensation
- Plug sensation
- Water dashing sensation of
- Worms under skin
Miasms
- Sycosis
- Syphilis
Movements
- Chorea
- Convulsion
- Convulsive movements
- Jerking
- Quivering
- Shuddering
- Trembling
- Twitching
Pathological rubrics
- Abscess
- Anaemia
- Apoplexy
- Atheroma
- Atrophy glands
- Brittle bones
- Cancerous affections
- Caries of bone
- Catalepsy
- Chorea
- Collapse
- Convulsions
- Exostoses
- Fistula of gland
- Haemorrhage
- Indurations
- Inflammations
- Injury
- Leukaemia
- Metastasis
- Necrosis of bone
- Paralysis agitans
- Plethora
- Polypus
- Scurvy
- Septicaemia
- Softening of bone
- Tumour
- Ulcers
- Varicose vein
- Wounds
Periodicity
- Daily
- Weekly
- Monthly
- Yearly
Poisoning
- Arsenic poisoning
- Iron after abuse of
- Lead, chronic effects of
- Mercury abuse of
- Quinine abuse of
- Silica from overuse of
- Sulphur abuse of
- China
- Coal gas from
- Copper from
Posture
- Lying
- Rising
- Sitting
- Standing
- Stretching
- Lifting
- Kneeling
Signs
- Blackness of external parts
- Cyanosis
- Chlorosis
- Emaciation
Seasonal aggravation
- Autumn agg. in
- Spring agg.
- Summer in
- Winter in
Temperature
Chilliness-
- Heat, lack of vital
- Cold becoming
- Cold in general agg.
- Uncovering agg.
- Undressing agg.
Heat intolerance-
- Warm agg.
- Heated on becoming
- Sun agg.
- Summer in
Time
- Day time
- Morning
- Forenoon
- Afternoon
- Evening
- Night
Weather aggravation
- Clear weather agg.
- Cloudy weather agg.
- Cold dry weather agg.
- Dry weather agg.
- Foggy weather agg.
- Wet weather
- Windy and stormy weather
This section contains maximum physical generals of the patient. So the rubrics can also be listed in relation to
- The man himself
- Symptoms related to environment
SYMPTOMS RELATED TO MAN HIMSELF
- Age- nursing children, old people
- Constitution-dwarfishness, obesity, lean people, sycosis, syphilis etc.
- Sensations-hair sensation of, water dashing sensation of, hard bed sensation, plug sensation, thread sensation etc.
- Tissues
Glands- atrophy, fistula, ulcer
Bones- brittle bone, carries of bone, injuries, necrosis, softening of bone, slow repair of broken bone
Blood vessels inflammation
- Ailments from and other modalities-intoxication after, vaccination after….air open agg, moon light agg, vomiting agg. etc.
- Clinical conditions-anaemia, cancerous affections, inflammation etc.
- Character of symptoms- contradictory and alternating states, pain appears gradually and disappears gradually, side symptoms on one side, alternating sides, crosswise, painlessness etc.
- Reactions of body- anxiety physical, irritability, lassitude, weakness, sensitiveness, reaction lack of, mucous secretion increased etc.
SYMPTOMS RELATED TO ENVIORNMENT
- Time – day time, morning, evening, night etc.
- Environment- weather (dry, wet etc.), sun, moon light, air draft of, high places etc.
- Food- breakfast, eating, hunger, fasting etc.
- Toxins- arsenical poisoning, coal gas from etc.
- Other modalities-
Aggravations- crowded room, exertion, lying, noise, uncleanliness, uncovering, etc.
Ameliorations- rubbing, warm bed, bathing etc.
RUBRICS FOR SOME CLINICAL CONDITIONS
- Parkinsonism- paralysis agitans
- Haemophilia- haemorrhage, blood does not coagulate
- Sydenham chorea- chorea rheumatic
- Anorexia nervosa- emaciation insanity with
- Marasmus- emaciation children
- Atrial fibrillation- pulse slow, slower than heart beat
- Hypertension- orgasm of blood
- Osteomalacia- softening of bones
- Osteogenesis imperfecta- brittle bones
PAIN RUBRIC OF GENERALITIES CHAPTER
The rubric pain occupies a great role in this chapter and must be studied separately. It has been discussed under the following headings
- Types- the appearance and disappearance process have mainly been discussed.
- Location- Blood vessels, Bones, Glands, Cartilages, Muscles, Parts, Paralyzed parts and Small spots have got the considerations.
- Etiology- these are in scattered form in different sub rubrics and sub-sub rubrics.
- Character- it occupies the main heading of the pain rubric. Different type of pain with their location, etiology alphabetical rubrics and modalities have been well discussed.
Worth mentioning character of pain are benumbing, biting, burning, constricting, cutting, drawing, gnawing, paralytic, pinching, pressing, scraped, sore-bruised, splinter, stitching, tearing, twisting, wandering, wringing,
- Modalities- are in scattered form under sub rubrics and sub-sub rubrics.
SOME IMPORTANT SINGLE REMEDY RUBRICS
- Chills, feel better before- Psorinum
- Chorea menses during- Zincum metallicum
- Convulsions, addison’s disease in- Calcarea carb
- Convulsion, bending head backward from- Nux vomica
- Convulsion, vaccination after- Silicea
- Caged wire twisted tighter and tighter- Cactus
- Carrying on back agg- Alumina
- Carrying on back agg- Calcarea carb
- Catalepsy joy from- Coffea cruda
- Air seashore amel- Medorrhinum
- Faintness kneeling in church while- Sepia
- Feels as if she could feel every muscle and fiber of her right side- Sepia
- Frail as if body were- Thuja
- Induration, glands, injuries after- Conium
- Paralysis convulsion after- Hyoscyamus niger
- Periodicity, neuralgia every day at same hour- Kali bich
- Shot, rolling through the arteries, sensation- Nat phos
- Silica overuse of- Flouric acid
- Sitting, must sit up in bed with knees drawn up, rest her head and arms upon knees- Arsenicum album
- Thrombosis- Arsenicum album
- Weakness fever after- Aranea diadema
- Followed prolonged fever- Selenium
- Trembling, externally music- Ambra grisea
- Tumours, atheroma- Baryta carb
- Tumours, cheloid- Silicea
- Starving-Ignatia
- Weakness, lifting from- Carbo animalis
- Weakness, sitting loss of from- Cocculus indicus
- Foreign bodies, sensation as if small foreign bodies or grains of sand under- Cocaine
- Worms under skin sensation- Cocaine
CONCLUSION
The scope of Kent’s repertory lies in the availability of general symptoms. Even in the absence of mental symptoms, cases can be worked out successfully using physical generals and particulars available in Kent’s repertory. Physical generals are found in various chapters of Kent’s repertory such as Stomach, Sleep, Fever, Perspiration etc, but generalities is the one which is most abundant with physical generals. Hence in this article an attempt has been made to study and understand the scope of generalities chapter of Kent’s repertory in clinical practice.
REFERENCES
- Kent J.T. Repertory of the homoeopathic materia medica. New Delhi: B Jain publisher 1961
- P.V. Siju Reference to repertories for homeopathic students. New Delhi: B Jain Publisher. 1/e 2007
- Tarafder D. Repertory Explained. Modern homoeopathic publication Calcutta.2/ed.1993
- Tiwari S. K., Essentials of Repertorization, New Delhi :B Jain Publishers, 2012
Dr Aleena Thomas
MD Part 1
Department of Case Taking and Repertory
Under the guidance of Dr Anupama I. K.
Government Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital,Bangalore
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