Chronic Diseases – Samuel Hahnemann
The Chronic Diseases is Hahnemann’s work that explores the cause and treatment of the chronic diseases. Earlier this work was published in five parts (volumes) and every part except the second had its own preface, discussing some questions of general interest to homoeopathy.
CKI (first ed.) dates from 1828 – 4 volumes in all – the first 3 appeared 1828, the last volume in 1830. CKII (2nd ed.) manuscript (all volumes) was completed in 1834 (by Jahr who was employed by Hahnemann for that purpose). The five volumes appeared as follows: 1835 (vol.1 + vol.2); 1837 (vol.3); 1838 (vol.4); 1839 (vol.5).
At present this work is published in two volumes.
I cannot hope that these important communications (about the discovery of chronic miasms) will fare any better than the general Homeopathy which I have published hitherto. From unbelief in the efficacy of the small doses of medicine which I made known to the medical world, as being the most efficient, men prefer to endanger their patients for years longer with large and larger dose….
Why cannot this vital force, produce any true and lasting recovery in these chronic maladies even with the aid of the Homoeopathic remedies which best cover their present symptoms; while this same force which is created for the restoration of our organism is nevertheless so successfully active in completing the recovery even in severe acute diseases? …
PSORA has thus become the most infectious and most general of all the chronic miasmas. For the miasm has usually been communicated to others before the one from whom it emanates has asked for or received any external repressive remedy against his itching eruption….
Nature of Chronic Diseases – Examples of cases from historical literature where suppression of psoric eruptions had led to varied and serious pathologies….
In chronic miasmas, however, the outer local symptom may either be driven from the skin or may disappear of itself, while the internal disease, if uncured, neither wholly nor in part ever leaves the system; on the contrary, it continually increases with the years, unless healed by art….
This disease is neither destroyed nor cured by mere removal or suppression of skin symptoms; and so this thousand-headed monster, instead of being conquered, is inexorably let loose against the deceived patient to his destruction….
Suffering from several or from a greater number of these ailments (even at various times and frequently), which are a reflection of latent psora, a person will still consider himself as healthy, and is supposed to be so by others….
If that disagreeable event (stress factors) had been the cause, the sufficient cause, of these ailments, ought not the effect; i.e., the disease, to have entirely ceased of necessity, after the removal of the cause? But these ailments do not cease, they are in time renewed and even gradually aggravated….
Symptoms of Latent Psora include Disorders of the menstrual function; the menses do not appear regularly on the twenty-eighth day after their last appearance, they do not come on without other ailments and not at once, and do not continue steadily for three or four days….
These are some of the leading symptoms observed by me, which, if they are often repeated, or become constant, show that the internal Psora is coming forth from its latent state. They are at the same time the elements, from which the itch-malady, as it manifests itself, composes the illimitable number of chronic diseases…
The first two miasmata (Sycosis and Syphilis), which cause by far the smaller part of the chronic diseases, the venereal chancre-disease (syphilis) and the figwart-disease (sycosis), with their sequelae, we will treat first….
How important and necessary the cutaneous eruption is for the original psora, and how carefully in the only thorough cure of itch, that is, the internal cure, every external removal of the eruption must be avoided, we may see from the fact that the most severe chronic ailments have followed as secondary symptoms of the internal psora after the original itch-eruption has been driven out….
The cure of the entire destructive Psora through antipsoric remedies is effected most easily only while the original eruption of itch is still present….
In these pages Hahnemann writes about the healthy diet and regimen that must be followed while treating psoric disorders. He says it is easier to treat patients who have little suppression….
Mistakes while treating chronic miasmatic maladies. If the aggravated original symptoms appear on subsequent days still of the same strength as at the beginning, or even with an increased severity, it is a sign that the dose of this antipsoric remedy, although properly selected according to homoeopathic principles, was too large….
During the treatment of chronic diseases by antipsoric remedies we often need the other non-antipsoric medicines in cases where epidemic diseases or intermediate diseases (morbi intercurrentes) arising usually from meteoric and telluric causes attack our chronic patients, and so not only temporarily disturb the treatment, but even interrupt it for a longer time….
In this way we give the medicine, dissolved in seven to twenty tablespoonfuls of water without any addition, in acute and very acute diseases every six, four or two hours; where the danger is urgent, even every hour or every half-hour, a tablespoonful at a time; with weak persons or children, only a small part of a tablespoonful may be given as a dose….
Homoeopathy, by a certain treatment (potentisation) of the crude medicinal substances, advances them into the state of progressive and high development of their indwelling forces, in order that it may then use them in curing in the most perfect manner….
Thus potentized and modified also, the itch substance (Psorin) when taken is no more an idem (same) with the crude original itch substance, but only a simillimum (thing most similar). For between idem and simile only simillimum can be intermediate. …