[Omeo33] Art 1241 - Homeopathy, 2011, 100 (4), 293-299

[Gino Santini]

No fear of ghosts in Lycopodium: a contribution to the discussion on repertory reliability
U.C. Adler

Background - Repertory mistakes in modern homeopathy have been pointed out since the early years after the publication of the sixth edition of Kent’s repertory. A structural error of many current repertories is the use of Kent’s repertory as a basic information source. ‘Fear of ghosts’ is widely considered to be a symptom of Lycopodium clavatum by the homeopathic community.
Objectives - To demonstrate that the source of ‘fear of ghosts’ in Lycopodium clavatum was an inaccurate translation, that has been spread by secondary sources and to review Hahnemann’s conception and efforts towards a reliable repertory.
Results - The symptom ‘fear of ghosts’ does not exist in the primary source, being the product of a misunderstanding of the English translation of Hahnemann’s original record, ‘fear of frightful imaginary images’. Hahnemann’s efforts to compile a reliable and complete dictionary of Materia Medica were also briefly presented, as well as Rückert’s repertory, which, in addition to collating and classifying symptoms in alphabetical rubrics and sub-rubrics, displayed them completely, as registered in primary sources.
Conclusion - The misunderstanding about ‘fear of ghosts’ in Lycopodium clavatum exemplifies how distant current homeopathic information is from its primary sources and from Hahnemann’s ideal of a symptom-lexicon. In spite of its technical limitations, Rückert’s repertory, which was strongly recommended by Hahnemann, can be considered as a template for new repertories based on primary sources.

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