Dr Aarti M Patil (Kognole)
History & Evolution of Card Repertory : –
1) In 1888 William Jefferson Guernsey’s prepared the first card Repertory based on Boenninghausen’s works i.e. Guernsey’s Boenninghausen’s slips published by Globe press, Philadelphia. Before that in 1885, he prepared a card Repertory for Diphtheria, was printed in Homoeopathic physician in 25 pages. Guernsey’s Boenninghausen’s slips was having 2467 cards plus 57 pages book, a box 16.5”x19.5”x6.50” compartments each containing 49 slips 13.5”x1.5” wide. Each slip of paper represented a single rubric, and had printed upon it, in a column, the grades of the remedies in alphabetical order. The first slip contained a columnar list of all the remedies. When the slips were all lined up next to the first slip the grading 1,2,3,4 would line up with the remedy names. It was available for the profession in 1892.
After words Dr. H.C.Allen worked on Guernsey’s cards and added more remedies, which was known as Allen’s – Boenninghausen’s cards.
2) In 1912 Dr. Margaret Tyler prepared a punched card Repertory but her Teacher Dr. Kent did not allowed her to publish as those cards were based on Kent’s work.
3) In 1913 Welch and Houston put out loose punched cards Repertory, and were based on Kent’s 134 rubrics.
4) In 1922 Field prepared costly Repertory, ‘symptom Register” published privately on 254 pages book, 6460 cards (rubrics) and almost 383 remedies were covered. Remedies and rubrics are considered from Boger-Boenninghausen’s, as well as Kent’s Repertory.
5) In 1928 Dr. Boger’s famous cards Repertory, General Analysis, was published with 17 pages, 304 cards and App.224 remedies. This card Repertory was first printed in book form, for pocket reference and later transferred to Punched cards to insure greater facility in use.
Whatever be the future developments in sophisticated computerization, there is a lurking fear in our minds that card Repertories in above forms may not be available easily but one should make the use of these mechanical aided repertories like card indices in our day-to-day work.
Download the complete article with sample cards : www.similima.com/pdf/card-repertory-complete.pdf
A very good and informative article.