Dr Geethu.K.A
GEORGE VITHOULKAS- born 1932
While working as an engineer in South Africa, he encountered homeopathy and was fascinated by it. He devoted himself completely to the study of homeopathy, traveling to India from 1963 to 1967 to expand his knowledge. There he met and treated Krishnamurti.
His return to the West triggered an explosion of renewed interest in homeopathy, and indeed Vithoulkas has been a decisive figure in the development of homeopathy in the late 20th century.
He later founded the International Academy for Classical Homeopathy on the Greek island of Alonissos. He trained many famous homeopaths, including Jan Scholten, F. Schroyens.
In 1996 he was awarded the “Alternative Nobel Prize” for his life’s work-Right Livelihood Award
Main works
- Essence of Materia Medica
- The Science Of Homoeopathy
- .Materia Medica Viva
George Vithoulkas, in his epochal materia medica lectures, managed to get to the very heart of many new and old remedies, enabling us to better imagine and so remember them.
His pupils published an unauthorized short materia medica based on these great lectures, known as the “Essence of Materia Medica”, which is still very popular and which inspired a whole generation of homeopaths. Incidentally, this is very like what happened with Kent’s lectures, which were also written up by his pupils and became a very popular materia medica.
But then Vithoulkas decided to publish his own long-awaited complete materia medica, which he started many years ago with this series. It is substantially more comprehensive than the Essences.
The first 12 volumes of a big edition, the remaining volumes are yet to be published.
Contributions
Philosophy-in “The Science of Homoeopathy””A New model of health and disease”-placed ,homoeopathic theories into modern ,scientific language.
Repertory –Additions to Kent Repertory
Computer expert system
Video lectures by e-learning programme
MATERIA MEDICA VIVA
12 VOLUMES
160 remedies and counting…
Book proper
Cover Page-Heading-materia medica viva
Author -George Vithoulkas
-Volume number
-remedies(vol.1-abelmoschus to ambrosia)
Homoeopathic book publishers
International Academy Of Classical Homoeopathy,Alonissos-Greece
Dedication(to his wife -zissula)
Foreward dated 1992
-By 3 persons-
- Dr.Bill Gray,California
- Dr.Ronald W.Davey,England
- Dr.Roger Morrison,California
They describe the book to be the future reference and study book as it is written for modern times,enlists the contributions of Vithoulkas ,how his expanded knowledge of drugs have been obtained.
Introduction
Vithoulkas explains how he was convinced to publish his own materia medica by his students from 1975-76 and encounter with the black market book “the stolen essences” in 1979.
He has recorderd everything which struck him as the necessary and appropriate aspects of the remedies in “The living materia medica”
The sources
1.Materia medicas -Allens Encyclopedia
- Herrings Guiding Symptoms
- Materia Medica Pura
- Kents Lectures Of MM
- Borickes MM
2. His own experience and uderstanding of medicines
3.Information from paper cases from “Centre of Homoeopathic Medicine ” in Athens
4.Information from video cases
5.old and new journals.
THE STRUCTURE
1.The essential features-heart of the remedy ,uniqueness,peculiarites .This is the part that students should study.
2.Generalires and Keynote symptoms on different systems.Only for reference when you study a case.
Explanation about avoiding giving examples from world famous personalities as students misunderstood and applied it in a mechanical way.
Eg:Abraham Lincoln-sulphur, Mussolini-lyco
Asks to be cautious as he included only salient points of remedies according to his estimation.
Looking forward for research in homoeopathy
One last word for the students:”In remedies we must try to see patterns than symptoms”
Acknowledgement
The credit of this work is given to his certain students, their support from all over the world esp.dedication of some Greek doctors.
Financial support from Marion Quarto Foundation in Germany.
Sandy Ross of USA who collected money for transcribing tapes of video seminars.
Transcribing and editing by –Dr.George Guess,Ruth Martins,George Skuby.
Dr.F.Schroyens –computer programming and all other help .
Gratitude to his wife-Zissula.
Contents
Volume 1- Abelmoschus to Ambrosia-24 remedies
Volume2- Ammoniacum gummi to Argentum nit-28
Volume 3-Arnica to Avena sativa -23
Volume 4- Bacillinum to Benzoic acid 11
Volume 5-Beriberis to Butyric acid -13
Volume 6-Cactus to Calc ail-10
Volume 7-Calendula to carcinocin-8
Volume 8- Carduus Marianus to Cicuta virosa-6
Volume 9-Cimcifuga to Conium-9
Volume 10—Corallium rubrum to Euphrasia-14
Volume 11-Ferrum met to Helleborus-7
Volume 12-Hepar to Iris versicolor-7
Materia medica
- NAME OF DRUG
- COMMON NAMES-english,french ,german,italian,spanish etc., (aconite )
- MODE OF PREPARATION
-Uses(alumina)
-Physiological action (adrenalin)
- THE ESSENTIAL FEATURES-heart of the remedy
THE MENTAL EMOTIONAL PICTURE
-descriptive narration,
-reactions of same remedy in different situations
-comparisons eg;causticum
differentiation from lyco given in chelidonium
bufo and baryta mind
– a common thread/theme going at all levels of the patient, for e.g. in Alumina, the theme of delayed action and slowness
-one symptom explained in many aspects.
eg;coldness of boracic acid ,induration of calcarea flour,homesickness of capsicum ,delusions of cannabis indica
-qoutes from kent,clarke,tyler,other authors
.eg:bromium ,calendula(herring),agaricus (tyler)
THE CHILDREN
eg:calcarea child,borax child,chamomilla child,agaricus child ,arnica child
OTHER CHARACTERISTICS SYMPTOMS
Gradation –bold font used for highlighting characteristic symptoms.
- GENERALITIES-physical generals described with keynotes in bold
- Modalities(ACONITE,AGAR.)
- PARTICULARS-anatomical order ,head to foot symptoms of even small remedies ,with bold fonts
- CAUSATIONS (Adonis,agaricus)
- CLINICAL-conditions given with bold highlights.
- RELATIONS-complimentary,inimical,antidote,follow well,similar
- ANTIDOTES-separately given for some drugs .eg:acetic acid,allium sativa
- DOSAGE-3x to CM,30c upwards,tincture to highest potencies
- CASES-Volume 2 onwards cases narrated
- NOTES –Volume 3 onwards space for writing notes provided
Merits
- Descriptive narration in easy language
- Easy to imagine and remember the drug picture- portrait of the patient with minute details
- Vithoulkas has carried the efforts of Kent in creating the remedy portraits to the next level.
- Detailed mind symptoms of even small remedies are given.
- The comparison of the essence of various related medicines helpful
- Modern-day materia medica
- Systematic arrangement
Be the first to comment