3 / 12
EDITORIAL
Christa Gebhardt & Dr Jürgen Hansel
Chief editors
1
FOURTH ROW OF THE PERIODIC TABLE ¦
IRON SERIES
EDITORIAL
SPECTRUM OF HOMEOPATHY
Dear readers,
The performance-based society in which we now live is in a
process of radical transformation as a result of the increasing
penetration of information technology. Like a giant octopus,
work burrows its tentacles ever deeper into our consciousness
and our private lives via the ubiquitous medium of smartphones.
When we completely identify with work and discipline, duty
and rules, we are in the rigid cage of the Iron series, in which
everything is experienced in terms of performance and efficiency.
This is the “usual madhouse of everyday life”, as described in
Ulrich Welte’s comprehensive overview of the fourth series of the
periodic table. As in his book on the Silver series, Welte presents
a series of fascinating cases featuring all the elements of the
Iron series, from Kalium to Krypton in various compounds. He
also gives a lucid explanation on how to work with the stages
of the periodic table, using Scholten’s pioneering system.
A series of contributions on the individual stages and elements
supplements and consolidates this overview, and so clarifying
the approaches of Jan Scholten and Rajan Sankaran in the ho-
meopathic use of the periodic table. The Indian homeopath’s
school emphasizes more strongly the themes of protection and
security of the fourth series. This comes out very clearly in Anne
Schadde’s article on Germanium and the loss of security of stage
14, as well as Willi Neuhold’s piece on Scandium, stage 3, which
still finds itself in an early stage of protection.
Two contributions by Karim Adal and Jürgen Hansel with case
histories on erectile dysfunction show how people can define
themselves in performance terms, even in the most intimate
areas of life. With the pronounced fear of failure found es-
pecially in stage 5; “sex is like work,” as a Vanadium patient
puts it. In stage 6, sexuality becomes a challenge that must
be mastered. In Adal’s casetaking, this one-sided fixation is
fundamentally transformed during homeopathic treatment
with Chromium metallicum.
The metals of the fourth series are better known than the ones
mentioned so far, especially the leading element Iron. Together
with its typical characteristics, Mike Keszler also describes some
examples of rare salts, such as Ferrum muriaticum and silica-
tum. Wyka Feige introduces us to both Cobaltum nitricum and
Cobaltum muriaticum. The homeopathic veterinarian, Geoff
Johnson, presents special aspects of Cuprum in two dogs.
Angelika Bolte and Jörg Wichmann‘s take on Zincum metallicum
offer us a fresh perspective on a familiar remedy. Using a case
history, the two authors present Andreas Holling’s model of the
periodic table, which relies on an understanding of the periodic
table based on sensations rather than on themes.
Whereas most of the contributions in this issue of SPECTRUM
concern homeopathic work on the periodic table, Jeremy Sherr
and his wife Camilla follow the traditional route of the remedy
proving. In this way, they have gathered symptoms and themes
of the rare elements of the Iron series, such as Scandium,
Gallium, Germanium, and the enigmatic Krypton. Franz Swoboda
is interested in the tension between classical materia medica and
the modern system of the elements. In a case of Manganum,
stage 7, he balances the rather negative Hahnemannian
picture of this remedy with the more positive aspects found
in Scholten.
The usual madhouse of performance-based society as re-
flected in the typical themes of the Iron series is of course
not restricted homeopathically to the remedies of this series.
There are analogues in the Plant and Animal kingdoms.
Bhawisha Joshi regards insects, spiders, crustaceans, as well
as the mallows, pumpkins and crucifers as typical representa-
tives of the fourth series.
In Jan Scholten’s Plant theory, however, the Fabanae class has
its focus on the fourth series of the periodic table, especially the
subclass 644.00 – Fabidae (44 refers to the fourth series). Martin
Jakob shows how we can find a suitable Plant remedy for people
who show themes of the Iron series but are too complex for a
Mineral remedy, using four cases of rare Plant remedies from
the order of the 644.20 – Malpighiales. In contrast to the other
articles, these examples demonstrate how much more complex
and challenging it is to work with the Plant theory rather than
with the periodic table.
This issue of SPECTRUM not only presents a further dutiful
chapter of our current materia medica but also efficiently helps
our readers to appreciate the new homeopathic methodologies.
Let’s hope you will not find any errors.