Pocket Manual of Homeopathic Materia Medica & Repertory – Revised and enlarged edition – William Boericke / Oscar Boericke

Reviewed by Rochelle Marsden

35 Euros

1152 pages,

Publication 2013

Weight: 530g

ISBN: 978-3-941706-75-0

High-quality edition on lightweight paper with supple, flexible binding.

Approx. size (L x W x D): 17 x 12 x 23 cm • 6.7 x 4.7 x 9 in

The first thing that struck me when I put my battered original Boericke against this new updated version is the difference in size. The new one is half the height of the original owing to the lightweight paper and smaller print and the binding is so much more pleasing and substantial.

So how can anyone update a classical book like Boericke? I decided to compare the polychrest Arsenicum in the two books. In the new version the Materia Medica is a bit over 3 pages rather than 4 because of the smaller print. Under “Mind” there was the following added information: Delirium tremens; cursing and raving; vicious. Some of the sections are in a slightly different order e.g., in the new version Sleep, Fever, Skin; in the original version Skin, Sleep, Fever. There is new Section (Chapter) called “Relationships” and the Antidotes come before Complementary remedies. In the Dosage section “third to thirtieth potency has been replaced with “3C to 30C”, removing any doubt about whether the C or X potencies were being discussed. At the very end is a line beginning with * which means that the remedy information was originally listed under another remedy. There is a Quick Reference Guide that explains the key to the new notation.

This version has been updated to include over fifty new remedies such as AIDs and the new Lac remedies, which all have a + by their names in the List of Remedies. This list is now at the front of the book rather than at the back. The rare and uncommon remedies from the back of the original version have been incorporated into the main MM section but the Indian remedies seem to have gone completely. Themes for remedy groups, e.g. the Lacs and Lanthanides, have been included as well as classification for the plant remedies following Sankaran’s schema. In the Editors notes we are told that British spellings are employed and some terminology has been brought up to date e.g. ‘climacteric’ is now ‘menopause’. There is also a useful page explaining Remedy Relationships.

I have always loved the simple Boericke Repertory and it is still there but has been rearranged so that chapters now follow the pattern in the Complete Repertory. There are some Boericke chapters that are not in the Complete Repetory, but in the Editors notes it is explained where they can be found.

The back of the book has been used for more up to date information that homeopaths like to have at hand. There is a short explanation of the Periodic Table and then a section on Colour Relationships with a Repertory and Materia Medica of colour Preferences. The classification is Ulrich Welte’s revitalisation of H.V. Muller’s method with a simple explanation of how to use it. Finally there is a comprehensive section on the Plant Families.

Overall I would recommend this book over the original for all the modern additions and its smaller size and better cover. I would suggest that students of homeopathy invest in this new version and experienced homeopaths buy it because their original version may now be in tatters!