Reptiles - Spectrum of Homeopathy 02/2018

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Ever since Constantin Hering’s spectacularly experimented on himself in 1828, the snake has exerted a special fascination on homeopaths. In his lectures on the Bushmaster snake Lachesis, James Tyler Kent contended that the character of the snake is related to that of humans. The nature of the snake is manifested in mythology and biology as well as in the archaic depths of our reptilian brain. SPECTRUM 2/2018 sets off to search for this deeply imprinted reaction pattern of the remedies from the group of the snakes and other reptiles.

We can repertorize the more well-known snake poisons yet many other reptile remedies can only be found by recognizing their typical characteristics. This issue of SPECTRUM bridges the gap between the well-known and proved remedies such as Lachesis, Crotalus, or Elaps and the more exotic remedies, not just from snakes but also lizards, crocodiles, or tortoises. Jörg Wichmann’s taxonomy and Bhawisha Joshi’s homeopathic overview bring welcome clarity to the very heterogeneous group of reptiles. Our authors present numerous case histories to illustrate the assignment to the reptiles.

The collective of the “The Other Song” academy in Mumbai offers a marvelous panorama here. Rajan Sankaran, Pratik Desai and Rishi Vyas draw on three well-known snake poisons to demonstrate how the classical materia medica relates to the familiar snake themes and the insights of the sensation method. Sankaran, Meghna Shah and Sujit Chatterjee plus Vatsala Sperling rely on the patient’s inner experience in direct relationship to the biological characteristics of a remedy source when prescribing the still relatively unknown Testudines, the turtles and tortoises. The general reptile themes provide orientation – for example, in the case of two hyperactive children – to help differentiate lizard and spider remedies or in Tali Levi’s casetaking to point to the reaction pattern of the alligator.

Homeopathic case analyses still occasionally lack a solid basis of remedy provings and clinical experience. Yet such cases can expand our sparse knowledge of the subgroups of the reptiles when documented by the treatment success seen in the follow-ups. Susan Sonz with her fascinating story from the subconscious of the New York metropolitan jungle as well as Jayesh Shah present their own approaches. Shah takes his patient on a homeopathic journey of healing to a healthy conclusion, with a well-founded prescription of Cenchris contortrix, a tried and tested remedy for the most severe pathology. 

Although the path to the simile with the sensation method may seem especially straightforward, it is particularly important to proceed with as much care as usual. Hence the motto that applies especially to this issue of SPECTRUM: “Imitate it but precisely and carefully!”