Organon of Medicine

By Samuel Hahnemann

1. The physician’s only mission is to cure the sick; it is not to speculate on the nature of disease.
2. The ideal cure is rapid, gentle, permanent and removes the whole disease in the shortest, least harmful way, according to easily comprehensible principles.
3. If the physician understands what is curable in disease, and understands what is curative in medicines, and understands how to apply the medicines (according to well defined principles) to the disease, and knows how to remove conditions which prevent the patient from getting well, he is a true physician.
4. The need to recognize and remove the maintaining causes
5. Pay attention to the exciting cause AND the fundamental cause (which is usually a chronic disease) including the patient’s character, activities, way of life, habits, etc.
6. There is no need for metaphysical speculation. Disease are the totality of the perceptible symptoms
7. To cure, you only need to treat the totality (not symptomatic palliation; a single symptom is not the disease).
8. If the symptoms are removed, the disease is eradicated
9. The physician wants to make people healthy so they can use their body to get on with the higher purposes of their existence.
10. Without the vital spirit (force) the organism is dead
11. In diseases, it is the vital force that is deranged
12. The vital force produces the disease therefore if the vital force is cured, is cured (how it does so is of no concern to the physician)
13. Diseases are not peculiar of distinct entities. It is absurd to think so. Only materialistic minds think so. It is this thinking that has pushed conventional medicine along, making it mischievous (an art of darkness), incapable of healing.
14. Everything morbid is curable
15. The diseased vital force and the symptoms of the disease are the same
16. Since diseases are, therefore, spirit-like, you need spirit-like medicines to be effective against them.
17. The physician only needs to eliminate the totality of symptoms, which will remove the inner alteration
18. The totality is the only guide to the remedy
19. Medicines cannot cure unless they can cause derangement
20. The power of medicines can be discovered only by their effects – not by reason.
21. Symptoms of provings are the only way of learning their power. Pure experiment will reveal nothing. Remedies cure only because of their ability to alter human health by causing characteristic symptoms.
22. The curative powers of medicines exist only because they can produce symptoms in the healthy and remove them from the sick. Medicines can be similar or opposite to the disease. Which to use is revealed by experience. (description of allopathic medicine)
23. But experience shows tat anti-pathic drugs don’t cure; the symptoms return with renewed intensity
24. Therefore homoepathy is the system of choice.
25. This can be learned by pure experiment (not the kind of experiment which is conducted by the regular physician, which is like looking into a kaleidoscope)
26. A weaker dynamic affliction is extinguished by a stronger IF it is similar in nature.
27. Curative powers depend upon the symptoms they produce being similar to the symptoms of the disease, but stronger.
28. Scientific explanations of how it works are of little importance, there is no value attempting one. Nevertheless…
29. The artificial disease of the remedy overpowers the weaker natural disease. When the force of the artificial disease is spent, the body returns to normal health. This is a most probable explanation.
30. The human body is more disposed to let it’s state of health be altered by drugs than by nature.
31. Disease agents do not affect everyone. We fall ill only when susceptible.
32. Medicinal agents can affect all people.
33. The body is, therefore, more susceptible to medicinal forces.
34. The artificial disease does not only have to be stronger, but it has to be most similar. ( the vital principle is instinctive, unreasoning, and without memory). Nature cannot cure an old disease by adding a new dissimilar one.
35. Consider when two dissimilar diseases meet in the same person (examples are given in paragraphs 36 -40)
36. Old diseases keep away new dissimilar diseases.
37. Chronic diseases are not affected by non-homoeopathic treatment.
38. New, stronger diseases can suppress old disease but will never remove it
39. Allopathic treatment surpresses the disease, then the chronic disease returns when the medication is withdrawn.
40. New diseases can join older diseases and become complex. Neither removes the other makes it into a chronic problem.
41. Heavy drugging with allopathic medicines leads to an artificial drug disease and makes it into a chronic problem.
42. Two dissimilar diseases can exist in the body at the same time.
43. But when two similar diseases meet we can observe how cure takes place.
44. Two similar diseases can exist in the body at the same time.
45. Two similar diseases will destroy each other in the organism.
46. Examples of the above.
47. It should be convincingly clear that this is how to cure according to natural law.
48. Dissimilar diseases don’t cure.
49. Nature is poor in remedial homoeopathic diseases, so we do not notice them often.
50. And those that can cure, bring other problems, often because the dose cannot be controlled.
51. But the physician has many medicines available.
52. there are two methods: allopathic and homoeopathic. Each opposes the other. To practice both at the whim of the patient, is criminal
53. True, gentle cured, can only be homoeopathic.
54. Allopathic practice is based on conjecture.
55. The only reason people stuck by allopathy is that it afforded palliative relief
56. patients were deceived by quick improvement, but this method is fundamentally harmful.
57. Examples of treating a single symptom with a contrary remedy
58. Why anti-pathic is bad. Directed against a single symptom: a short amelioration followed by a long aggravation
59. Examples of injurious effect of anti-pathic medicine
60. Increasing doses of a palliative medicine never cures
61. Physicians (if they had been capable of reflecting upon the sad results) should see the result of applying contrary medicines and understand that the homoeopathic way is better and the only way to cure.
62. The reason palliation is dangerous is explained in paragraphs 63-69.
63. The primary action of the medicine and the secondary reaction of the vital force of counter reaction).
64. Explanation of primary and secondary reactions.
65. Examples of primary and secondary effects as stated in paragraph 64.
66. In a healthy body, one does not notice the secondary reaction to homoepathic doses, but the primary action of some of these remedies is perceptible to a good observer.
67. These truths explain why homoeopathy is good.
68. In homoeopthy, experience shows that a small dose of medicine will extinguish the natural disease.
69. Exactly the opposite happens in anti-pathic treatment. The disease becomes worse when the palliation wears off.
70. Summary of all that has been said so far
71. All diseases are groups of symptoms that can be cured by similar remedies. There are three points for curing: Investigate the disease, investigate the remedies, learn how to employ them.
72. Diseases – definition of acute and chronic.
73. Discussion of acute disease
74. The worst Chronic diseases are produced by unskilled physicians using allopathic medicines.
75. These diseases are the most incurable.
76. homoeopathy can cure natural diseases. The debilitations of allopathic care can only be remove over time by the vital force itself (with treatment of any miasm that is in the background).
77. Some diseases are called “chronic” but are not – addictions and indispositions. Remove the cause and remove the disease.
78. Real chronic diseases arise from the chronic miasms.
79. Syphisis and sycosis
81. psora
82. In trying to cure these diseases, the case is to be conducted carefully
83. Requisites for understanding the picture of the disease: Freedom from prejudice and sound sense. The individualizing Examination of disease (general direction)
84. Patient talks. Physician keeps quiet. Do not interrupt. Write it all down
85. Start a new line for every symptoms.
86. When patient finishes, ask for particulars
87. Don’t ask “yes” or “no” questions
88. Ask about other parts of he body not mentioned
89. The physician should then ask more special detailed questions
90. The physician notes what he observes in the patient
91. In chronic cases, understand what the symptoms are before the  medicines were taken. Ask to discontinue to see the real disease.
92. In diseases of rapid course (acute) forget the other medicines. Do what you can to sort it out.
93. See what the friend say about the patient
94. In cases of Chronic Disease, ask about habits, diet, and domestic to be able to remove the maintaining causes
95. In cases of Chronic Disease, the most minute peculiarities are attended to
96. Some patients might exaggerate their symptoms
97. Others have false modesty and allege that their symptoms are of no consequence
98. Attach credence to the patient’s own expressions
99. Acute diseases are of short duration and easy to treat. There is less to inquire into and are often spontaneously detailed.
100. Investigating epidemic diseases.
101. It takes time to see the totality of the epidemic disease
102. You see the characteristics of the disease through several patients
103. Chronic disease must be carefully investigated. You must see the totality of the patient.
104. Once the totality is sketched, the most difficult part is done. The physician has a picture of the disease. To see the effect of the medicine, just ask how the patient is, and cross out the symptoms that have been cured.
105. The second point is to know the remedies
106. The pathological effect of several medicines must be known, so we can select among them
107. you can’t learn much about the effects of medicines by giving them to sick people, because the symptoms of the medicine will be mixed up with the symptoms of the natural disease.
108. you must do provings to find out the medicinal effects
109. I was the first to suggest this method
110. All those who have been the effect of poisons could have never understood that the morbid lesions were simple the clues to the curative powers of the drugs. It can’t be learned by a priori speculation , nor by the senses.
111. I have observed pure effects of the medicines – without any reference to therapeutic object – and they produce certain, reliable disease symptoms, each according to its own peculiar character.
112. Dangerous effects are seen at the termination of symptoms when given in large doses. This recalls the primary actions and secondary action. The human organism reacts as much as is needed raise the health to a normal healthy state.
113. The only exception is narcotic medicines, where the secondary action produces greater irritation and sensitivity.
114. With the exception of narcotics, we observe the primary action when given in moderate doses to healthy people.
115. Certain symptoms which are opposite are not secondary but, rather, alternating actions.
116. Some symptoms are produced frequently, and others rarely or in few persons.
117. The rarely produced symptoms are idiosyncrasies – the substances produce seemingly no impression in others. But when used homoeopathically they can heal all individuals.
118. Every medicine has a unique action.
119. Each substance cannot be confused with another.
120. Therefore, all medicines must be carefully distinguished from each other, so the physician can chose the correct remedy.
121. Strong substances produce effects in small doses, weak substances produce effects in larger dosed, and the mildest must be tested on very sensitive people.
122. The medicines used in provings must be pure and well know
123. They must be taken in a pure form
124. They should not be mixed with other substances.
125. The diet of the provers should be strictly regulated and simple. No stimulation drinks.
126. The prover must be trustworthy and devote himself to observation. He must be in good heath and intelligent enough to be able to Describe sensations accurately.
127. The provings should be done by both sexes.
128.  Provers should take 4-6 globules of the 30th daily for several days 
129. If effects are slight, then take a few more globules. Start with a small dose and increase daily
130. If the first dose produces symptoms, then the experimenter can learn to order of succession of the symptoms- which is useful to learn the primary and alternating actins. The duration of action can be found only after a comparison of several experiments.
131. If you have to give the medicine for several days, you can’t learn about the order of symptoms. One dose might act curatively of symptoms caused by the previous dose. Record these symptoms in brackets until further experiments show if they are secondary action or alternating action.(expanded)
132. But if you are just interested im symptoms and not in the order, give it every day.
133. You must learn the exact character of the symptoms – the modalities are most important.
134. Not all symptoms will be seen in one person
135. The whole picture of the remedy can be understood through a study of all the provings. The substance is thoroughly proved when no new symptoms are seen.
136. Although only certain people are susceptible to remedies when healthy, all people are susceptible to the similimum when sick
137. With mild doses in sensitive people, the primary effects can be observed. But excessively large doses will lead to a mixture of primary and secondary effects in “hurried confusion”.
138. All symptoms during a proving are symptoms of the medicine even though the prover may have experienced them before.
139. The prover must note all details and the physician should question the exact circumstances.
140. If the person can’t write, he should talk to the physician every day