A Gateway to the Organon of Medicine (part 1)
Bray Williamson MA Lic.BS Hom
Over the years, both in practice and as a lecturer and guide to students of homoeopathy, an area which I have found many people struggle with is the philosophy of homoeopathy.
Many who read the words of the ‘Organon of Medicine’, can understand what is written, yet they fail to comprehend the depth of meaning within the words Hahnemann used.
In this series of bogs I will deconstruct the first ten aphorisms of the Organon in the hope that I can open the gateway to students and to others, to fully understanding the deeper meaning within Hahnemann’s words.
For this blog I shall begin with the first two of Hahnemann’s aphorisms.
The 1st Aphorism
‘The physician’s high and only mission is to restore the sick to health, to cure, as it is termed.’ (S.Hahnemann)
This simple statement is the glowing pinnacle of the pyramid that is the ‘Organon of Medicine’.
From this first aphorism, every action that we take as homoeopaths, every remedy that we prescribe, every interaction we have with patients we must strictly adhere too.
Upon first reading this statement it may appear to be very straight forward and simple, because in it’s use of language it is indeed simple. However, within the meaning of those words there is so much more.
The statement starts with ‘The physician’s…’ not the homoeopath’s, so this is a call to all who seek to heal, whether they are a homoeopath, an ayurvedic healer, a herbalist, a naturopath, or an allopath, these two words are a call to each and every healer.
Next we have ‘…high and only mission…’. At this point it is important to remember that in his footnotes Hahnemann covers what the mission is ‘not’, however I will come to that shortly.
Firstly however, consider the words used,’…high and only mission…’. To have the ability to truly heal a person, to remove their suffering, and enable them to lead their best life, is without a doubt the highest achievement a healer can attain. That this must be our only mission is the simplest of truths. It is without doubt that anybody seeking to be a true healer must have but one mission, which is, as Hahnemann wrote, ‘…to restore the sick to health, to cure as it is termed.’.
Before examining this last part of the first aphorism, let us have a look at Hahnemann’s footnote where he states what the mission is not. It is not to create a myriad of theories about the cause of disease or to hide ignorance behind complicated rhetoric in order to sound like the most intellectual person in the room, and in doing so deceive the sick. I would also like to add that from my personal perspective, I would assert that it is not about trying to gain position or power, the mission is not to gain wealth, neither is it to mask symptoms and then call it cure.
In the last part of the first aphorism Hahnemann starts with ‘…restore the sick to health…’ . This is both an indicator for those who wish to heal, telling us that we must learn what sickness is, and what health is, and a trap for those who may believe that the removal of one symptom or the masking of disease is restoration to health.
We can see this in the very last five words, ‘…to cure, as it is termed.’ Here the trap is set, for now Hahnemann has brought into being the word ‘cure‘, and for those who wish to ‘build castles in the air’, and to seek wealth from masking symptoms and creating dependency, the word ‘cure’ traps them in their deception.
The 2nd Aphorism
For those truly seeking to heal the sick, we must understand the meaning of the word ‘cure’ which we find here, in the second aphorism of the Organon:
‘The highest ideal of cure is rapid, gentle and permanent restoration of the health, or removal and annihilation of the disease in its whole extent, in the shortest, most reliable and most harmless way, on easily comprehensive principles.’ (S.Hahnemann)
On the surface this sounds quite straightforward, however once broken down the depth of meaning opens up.
‘The highest ideal…’ , this is informing us of that which we must aim for. It is perfection, and may not always be obtainable.
‘…of cure is rapid, gentle and permanent restoration of the health…’, this then is true cure, the action of the simillimum, that we as homoeopaths rarely truly see. When the perfect remedy is given there is restoration of the health to such an extent that the patient often does not even recall the symptoms which brought them to see a homoeopath in the first place.
Looking away from homoeopathy it is important to assess whether other medical actions can achieve this ideal. Surgical intervention for example can be rapid, it is most often permanent, but it is most certainly not gentle. We can also look at the concerning use of anti-depression medication in the United Kingdom where doctors appear to be prescribing these drugs with complete abandon. Of course, the action of these drugs can be fairly rapid, the side effects anything but gentle, and the requirement for daily doses do not offer a permanent cure.
Moving on, within this second aphorism, Hahnemann adds,‘…or removal and annihilation of the disease in its whole extent, in the shortest, most reliable and most harmless way…’. This sounds similar, almost as if it is a rewording, but it is so much more. The ideal is the simillimum, so here we see Hahnemann opening the door of truth, being that most of the remedies we prescribe are similar and not the simillimum. It it therefore our duty to use the skills we have as homoeopaths to not just treat one symptom, but to achieve a cure in totality as quickly and as harmlessly as possible.
Hahnemann’s statement also opens the doorway to, when necessary, using non-homoeopathic methods. As I have often said to students, especially those of a more zealot nature, should I be in a car accident with multiple fractures and internal injuries, the last thing I want is someone hurtling through the crowd of onlookers with a triumphant call of, “Make way I’m a homoeopath!”. Personally, I want to see flashing blue lights, a full trauma team and to have them put my broken ‘Humpty Dumpty’ body back together again. Once that has been done, then I want homoeopathy to speed up and create a total recovery to such an extent that I no longer recall the accident.
To end this blog I would like to conclude with Hahnemann’s last words of the second aphorism ‘…on easily comprehensive principles.’. The principle of homoeopathy is ‘Similia Similibus Curantur’ . Like cures Like. It is a simple concept that requires no constructing of ‘castles in the air’.
I would also add that it is our duty as homoeopaths to open the gateway of homoeopathy to all, by making what we do, how we do it, and why we do what we do, as easy as possible for our patients to understand.
In my next blog I shall deconstruct the 3rd and 4th Aphorisms of the ‘Organon of Medicine’.
