Dr.Jyoshna Shivaprasad, Asst Professor, Department of surgery and Homoeopathic Therapeutics is a leading academician and clinician rendering service at Fr Muller’s Homoeopathy Medical College, Mangalore. She presents excerpts and guidelines from Dr.Henry C.Allen‘s “The Therapeutics of fevers”.

    Acute Disease
§ 72 – The disease to which man is liable to are either rapid morbid process of the abnormally deranged vital force, which have a tendency to finish their course more or less quickly but always in a moderate time.
- Individual
- Sporadic
- Epidemic
The name : Its use and abuse

    The group of symptoms by which we name the fever are termed diagnostic; those by which we select the remedy therapeutic. Hahnemann says § 73: The homoeopathic physician does not acknowledge the names of fevers but cures all these diseases individually according to the symptoms they present, their several pecularities.

    There are no “ specifics” for Typhoid , any remedy may be called for by the individuality of the patient.
In some epidemics the same remedy may for a time fit many cases –Gnienus Epidemicus.

Individualization
    As no two individuals are alike. Dunhan says “ neither arsenicum, china or quinine in any form will cure a Nux vom fever.
    In Homoeopathic prescribing our endeavour is to find a drug which covers not only actual pathological picture but also the reaction of individual patient to that disease.
    The true cause of disease:
    § 73 Hahnemann says that in acute disease, they first attack single individuals and arise from some exciting cause but in reality they are generally only a transitory outburst, an explosion of a latent psoric affection. Hence the value of a well taken Anamnesis ( In organon § 83 –§ 104 has given in detail about ‘case – taking) comes into picture. Here more importance can be given to the characteristics which is defined in § 153 of organon. Characteristic symptoms are the more stri king, singular, uncommon, peculiar, sign and symptoms which should help in finding out a simillimum.
    In § 235 – Treatment of Intermittent fevers. The remedy selected must correspond by similarity of symptoms in the most homoeopathic manner possible to the strongest, best marked and most peculiar alternating state.

Time of administration of Remedy:
    § 236 – Remedy administered immediately or very soon after the termination of the paroxysm.
    § 237 – Brief, feverless interval the medicine should be administered when paroxysm diminishes or when subsequent stages of paroxysm decline.

Repetition and change of Remedy:
    § 238 – Need to wait and watch. Same medicine can be repeated provided the complex of symptoms continues to be same.
Allen says “ The exact similar remedy once found not be changed until the change of symptoms to a new picture”.

Potency and Repetition:
    Allen asks us to get into the habit of prescribing certain potencies. He says the question of potency can be settled by experimental method.
    Dunham also says : Nothing will gain the confidence of a patient as sure as cure so whether large or small, much or nothing, if under your auspices his health returns and he will have faith in your treatment. Play safe by giving low potencies in order to relieve the patient’s distress. High potencies also can be given in order to about the disease but we should be sure that it corresponds to the patient’s syndrome.
    The Tendency to Relapse: It is found in all acute cases and in mose fevers this ‘ Outbursts of latent psora’ assumes a periodicity. So, Sulphur can be prescribed.
    If sulphur fails then Psorinum or tuberculinum based on family history and inherited diathesis will cut short the acute attack and prevent a future relapse.
    The second part of the book consists of therapeutics of fevers which is given under the headings of:
- Characteristic
- Aggravation, Amelioration
- Relation
- Type
- Time
- Cause
- Prodrome
- Heat
- Sweat
- Tongue
- Pulse
- Apyrexia
- Analysis
Under some remedies comparisons are given and even some examples of cases treated with that particular remedy is given. Last part of the book consists of other repertory on fever which gives all essential headings.