Author: Dr. S. P. Koppikar
Publisher: B. Jain Publishers (P) Ltd., (India)
Reviewed By: Dr. Manish Bhatia
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Dr. S. P. Koppikar is probably the most experienced homeopath in India. He has been practicing since 1937 and his book is like a journey through his times. A large part of the book comprises of speeches that the author has delivered on various occasions and articles he has published in various journals.
The book is neatly divided into many sections like memories, history, materia medica, repertory, practice, therapeutics, research etc. But this is not a routine book full of knowledge on these subjects. This book has more. It is filled with wisdom that comes with experience. And here the experience is great – nearly 70 years of it!
The author does not try to teach you anything. He just tells you how he himself evolved as a homeopath. What problems he faced? What solutions he found? There are not much ‘issues’ about homeopathy that the author has not touched upon. Be it the question of remedy selection, value of symptoms,use of repertories, potency selection, repetition, combinations, miasms, multiple medicines, classical and therapeutic prescriptions, research etc., every topic has been covered in a narrative manner. As I went on reading the book, I realized that as Dr. Koppikar’s experience grew, so did his flexibility towards the understanding and practice of homeopathy. The authors view on many of these issues may appear very controversial but If someone speaks about all these issues after working on them for 70 long years, the words must be worth listening.
Dr. Koppikar has extensively quoted masters like Hahnemann, Boenninghausen, Tyler, Dunham, Hering, Allen, Lippe, Jenichen and many others. The historical excerpts from the works of these great people have made this book a joy to read. The book is also filled with very interesting cases.
After a long time I have read a book that has given me more answers than questions. It is definitely one of the most interesting books that have been published in the recent times on the practical aspects of homeopathy. Instead of trying to give new theories, the book shows the practical answers to many theoretical and practical problems that have plagued the homeopaths of all times. I am sure, everyone who will read this book will gain more flexibility in his/her attitude towards the practice of homeopathy. This is a book to recommend to every homeopath.
It doesn’t look that article was written by an expert. It was a layman article, written for laymen. He was not supposed to comment on the structure, rather he should contribute bringing out the insight unnoticed by the common reader. What we got after the reading is what everyone will just get after just go through the pages. I expected more from this article.