Card Repertories in Homoeopathy

Dr Namita.S  BHMS MD(Hom)

INTRODUCTION
Card Repertory is a system of visual sorting which helps the physician by eliminating the necessity of writing out the rubrics and remedies against them.

CHRONOLOGY OF CARD REPERTORY

1888	Guernsey’s Slip; by Dr. William Jefferson Guernsey; published in 1892. Based on BTPB. Later Dr. H. C. Allen improved this. There were 2,500 slips.
1910	Card Repertory by Dr. Enrique Jaminez Nunez; based on BTPB. There were 600 large cards and introduced Evaluation of Drugs.
1912	Tyler’s Punched Card Repertory; by  Dr. Margaret Luis Tyler. Based on Kent’s Repertory. There were 1,000 cards.
1913	Loose Punched Card Repertory; by   Dr (s). Welch & Houston. Based on Kent’s Repertory. There were 134 cards.
1922	Card Repertory by Dr. Field; mainly based on Kent’s work & he also included Boger’s work. There were 6,800 cards and accommodated 360 Drugs [maximum till date].
1924	Card Index Repertory; by Dr. Cyrus Maxwell Boger and forwarded by Late Dr. L. D. Dhawale. There were 305 cards (Dr. Dhawale added 14 cards). There were 250 medicines and 04 typography were used.
1948	Card Repertory by Dr. Marcos Jaminez; based on BTPB. There were 600 large cards and introduced Evaluation of Drugs
1948	Card Repertory by Dr. Braussalian; based on Kent’s Repertory. There were 1861 cards and 640 medicines.
1950	Card Repertory by Dr. J. G. Weiss.
1950	Spindle Card Repertory; by Dr. R. H. Farley.
1950	Card Repertory (unpublished) by   Dr (s). W. W. Young & Dr. Pulford.
1950	Modified Boger’s Card Index Repertory (unpublished); by Dr. L. D. Dhawale. He added 14 cards to Boger’s work.
1950	Card Repertory by Dr. P. Shankaran; based on Boger’s Card Index. There were 420 cards and 292 medicines
1959	Dr. Jugal Kishore’s Homœopathic Card Repertory; by Dr. Jugal Kishore; containing 10,000 punched cards.

Essential qualities of a good card repertory

• Most card repertories were limited in scope due to improper construction.
• Too small and give only a broad general selection limited to few polychrests.

Most important use is Eliminative functions.

1. Results should be as close as possible to factual texts on repertory.
2. Cards should be of standard texture and thinness.
3. Should be strong as well as thin enough and should not shut off light completely.
4. Punching should follow standard methods.
5. Card system should be elastic, so that new rubrics can be introduced or new remedies added.
6. Punching should indicate degree of drugs.

Merits of card repertories

• One has to select the cards according to rubrics arranged in repertorial totality and look for common remedies.
• It saves time as compared to manual writing down. It cuts down time needed in calculation of marks and analysis.
• It does not require paper work.

Purpose – Elimination of remedies in reportorial analysis.

Demerits of card repertories

• It is difficult to include all remedies.
• Most of the card repertories do not represent the rubrics well, especially sub-rubrics. It is difficult to use finer expressions at general and particular levels in repertorization.
• Computer repertories have made it obsolete.

KISHORE’S CARD REPERTORY

• Full Name: Dr. Jugal Kishore’s Homœopathic Card Repertory.
• Author: Dr. Jugal Kishore.
• Publication:  1^st Edition – 1959.
• 2^nd Edition – 1967.
• 3^rd Edition – 1986.
• Based on: Mainly, Kent’s Repertory; but rubrics were taken from all the existing repertories. 

Plan & Construction

• This gigantic & very popular card repertory was published in 1959.
• Mainly it was based on Kent’s work.
• In the 1^st edition, there were 3,500 cards.
• The 2^nd edition was improved and contained 10,000 cards & 600 medicines.
• The 3^rd edition was published in 1986 with few additions here & there.
• This repertory was an attempt to substitute both Bœnninghausen’s as well as Kent’s repertory. It can be used for cases with prominent mentals, physical or only particular symptoms.
• This repertory comes in 03 wooden boxes with 10,000 cards.
• Box I contains 4,000 cards [card no. 0001 – 3099];
• Box II contains 3,000 cards [card no. 4000 – 6099]
• and Box III contains 3,000 cards [card no.6100 – 9999].
• There is ‘List of Remedies and Their Code Numbers’.It contains 591 medicines [serial number 50 to 640]; from Abies canadensis (Abies-c) to X-ray.
• Card number 1933

Structure of Card:
Each card has 80 vertical columns of number at the bottom as 1,2,3,….80 (from left to right). The numbers 1 to 80 also appear on the top at the second line. Above downwards each column contains 0 to 9 numbers.

Every card has a ‘rubric’ written on the top of the card, with the name of the chapter. Each rubric has a number, written before the rubric. The number of the rubric is punched in first four columns – which are meant for indicating the rubric. Looking into these four columns, we can easily know the number of the rubric by arranging the punched numbers from left to right.

The card has rectangular (ú)punched areas here & there [in the 1^st edition the punching were the shape of ‘¸’].

To know the ‘code of medicine’, we have to read the number always putting the bottom number first in the left hand before the punched number.

The number is to be referred to the Index to Kishore’s Card that reveals the name of the medicine.

REPERTORIZATION WITH KISHORE’S CARDS

• The case is to be analyzed & the repertorial totality is to be framed.
• The symptoms are to be converted into rubrics. The final rubrics should be located separately and the card number is to be written against each rubric.
• All the cards with rubrics should be kept in order against each other.
• Finally, the common punched hole is to be found holding them against light and the medicine code is to be found out.
• In this way, we get a group of medicines from the common punched hole and by referring it to the Index of Kishore’s Card.
• These medicines are to be referred to the Materia Medica and then to select the Similimum of the particular case.
• Sometimes it may happen that the common hole is not visible after keeping all the cards together. In that condition, the least important card with rubric should be removed – one after another – till the common punched hole is located.

Advantages of  Kishore’s Card Repertory

• Third edition contains 591 medicines and 10,000 cards.
• Almost all rubrics in the Kent’s repertory are incorporated in this Card Repertory.
• This repertory can be used in two methods of repertorization – Kent’s and Bœnninghausen.
• Many of the rubrics in the Bœnninghausen’s repertory are made available, up to dated and completed.
• 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.
• 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.
• Contents of the medicines with their code numbers are given in the index.
• Cross-references are helpful in finding the related and similar rubrics.
• Evaluation of medicines can be done with changing the shape of the holes.
• New remedies are added from the reliable source like British Homœopathic Journal.
• It does not require paper work.
• It is useful in conditions were electricity and computers are not available. 

Disadvantages

• Quite voluminous (repertory include three boxes of cards); so useless at bed-side.
• All the rubrics needed in day-to-day practice are not available in this card repertory.
• A thorough knowledge of rubrics are necessary before starting the process of repertorization.
• Evaluation of remedies are not present.
• There are certain medicines in the list, which are not found under any of the rubrics.
• With the invention of computer software repertories, card repertories become out dated.

W.J.GUERNSEY (WILLIAM JEFFERSON GUERNSEY)1889
1892
Guernsey’s Boenninghausen slips

• No. of cards 2467
  No. of remedies -126

Structure of cards

• Size of the card-13.5″×1.5“
• On the top the code number of the rubrics are mentioned
• Name of the medicines are written longitudinally with their grades 2,3,4,5
• Gradation as per Boenninghausen
• Index Book : There is another index book – 57 pages,where the code number Of the rubrics are recorded against the rubrics. 

Functioning

• The rubrics are choosen from the index book.
• Indicated rubrics code numbers are delineated.
• Indicated slips are taken from the box containing cards.
• They are made to lie side by side so that name of each remedy runs in the straight line.From left to right.
• On adding up marks of several important  remedies to one seeming the highest number is  the possible remedy for the case. 

Augmentation

• Dr. H. C. Allen improved the Guernsey Card repertory.
  More remedies were added.
  Was known as Allen’s Boenninghausen’s slips.

MARGARET TYLER PUNCHED CARD REPERTORY

• Published in 1912
  1^st punched cards
  Based o Kent’s repertory
  Discouraged by her teacher Dr. Kent

FIELD’S CARD REPERTORY

• Field was first to code the name of the remedies into numbers
  Total number of remedies was about 405.
  There was provision for about 40 more remedies
  In almost all remedies only first and second grade remedies  are punched. 

Consists of two parts

• 1^st part – Book consists of rubrics and remedy code
• 2^nd part – Four wooden box filled with cards
• Cards are made in three colours Green, white and light orange. These are done for easy search and for easily keeping back.
• To locate unorderly cards there is a cut at the top of each card at the right hand side.

THE GENERAL ANALYSIS (BOGER’S CARD REPERTORY)

Author – Cyrus Maxwell Boger
Year of publication – 1928
No. of cards – 304
No. of remedies – 222
Gradation – single grade
Based mainly on Synoptic key 

Construction

These cards are classified into three types:-
1.Fundamental or constitutional or life time effects
2.The present display of acute outbursts of the deeper lying tendencies
3.Modalities

Still further the cards in this repertory can be broadly classified into four main groups:

• Cards related to Locations
• Cards related to Sensations
• Cards related to Modality
• Cards related to Pathological rubrics

Examples:
Location – Epigastrium (Card no- 91)
Sensation- Adhesive (Card no -1)
Modalities – Dampness (Card no- 60)
Pathological – Emaciation (Card no – 88) 

ACHYUTHAN’S  CARD REPERTORY

Written by Achyuthan K. K
Published
1st edition – 1940’s
2nd edition – 1952
3rd edition – 1955
4th edition – 1962
No. of cards -7000
No. of remedies – 659
Based on Kent’s Repertory 

GRADATIONS
3 gradations as per Kent’s concept

4th edition
Square hole – 3 marks
Oval hole – 2 marks
Round whole – 1 mark

Construction 

• Rubrics having practical utility are chosen for construction of the repertory
• Chapter wise from Kent’s repertory cards are numbered.
• Each hundred cards are separately kept and for further easy selection they are divided into 4 colours
• 1-25 cards – Green coloured
• 25 – 50 cards – Red coloured
• 51-75 cards- white coloured
• 76 – 100 cards – yellow coloured
• In each edition card number, remedy code, gradations of remedies and size of the card under gone modification

Remedies are coded
Rubrics are indexed
Source of the rubric with page number are mentioned in a separate index book

After selecting the cards by going through the rubric index .
All cards are placed one after another and see for better hole through which light passes completely.
If more holes are matching see for gradation of remedies to get the final panel of remedies.

SANKARAN’S CARD REPERTORY

Written by Dr. Pichiah Sankaran
Published in the year
1955 – 1st edition
1958 – 2nd edition
1961 – 3rd edition
1968 – 4th edition
1972 – 5th edition
Number of cards – 420

(Although the last card is numbered as 392, some cards are numbered as 45A, 89A, 115A, 124A, etc which are added by the author later on)
Number of remedies – 292 

Construction
It is consisted of two parts:

1)Pocket repertory
2)Cards 

Pocket repertory
The book has three chapters:

a)Introduction

1. b) Repertory
2. c) List of remedies and their abbreviations

Introduction contains:

• Description of the card
• Method of the working
• Limitation of its use
• Some illustration

Repertory contains
Rubrics and their corresponding  remedies arranged alphabetically  with their gradations
Numerous cross references
Many more comparative rubrics for selecting an appropriate one.

List of remedies and their abbreviations

Structure of card

1. Card has 27 columns and 12 rows.
2. Total number of remedies will be 29×12 = 324
3. Left upper corner occupying space 3×8 = 24 rooms are left out for card number and name of rubric
4. There are 8 empty spaces at the last colum.
5. There is a sharp cut at the right hand top corner to keep card in one direction in the box.
6. Small rectangular holes have been punched under name of the medicine which are indicated in the rubrics.
7. There are 26 extra bigger size cards named  A, B, C, D etc those are used for grouping cards alphabetically.

REFERENCE:

1. Essentails of Repertorization- Dr.S.K.Tiwari.
2. Reperire- Dr.Vidhyadhar Khanaj.
3. www.similima.com