What is a Repertory? A repertory is a place where information is stored or categorized so that it can be retrieved more easily. It is an index of symptoms, with a listing of all of the remedies known to be associated with each particular symptom. This information
What is a Repertory?
A repertory is a place where information is stored or categorized so that it can be retrieved more easily. It is an index of symptoms, with a listing of all of the remedies known to be associated with each particular symptom. This information can be stored in a book format, on software, compact disc, or through a collection of cards (card repertories). The word “repertory” comes from the Latin word repertus, which means “to find.”
Purpose of the Repertory
The purpose of the repertory is to help you find the right remedy for a given case. It is a tool. The repertory helps to individualize a case to find the right remedy for the right person. It also assists the practitioner find small and rarely used remedies and to link unusual symptoms with the appropriate remedy. There are some cases where using the repertory is crucial to finding the right remedy and other cases where it is much less useful.
History of Repertories
Initially in homeopathy there were no repertories. Hahnemann had only proven a few remedies, and it was possible to remember the symptoms that were associated with each of the known remedies. As further provings were undertaken and homeopathic knowledge increased, it was no longer possible to remember all the symptoms associated with each particular remedy. Repertories became increasingly necessary.
The first repertory was created by Hahnemann in 1805 and was handwritten. It was difficult to use, reflecting more an alphabetical index to the provings, and Hahnemann was never entirely happy with it. The next repertory to come out was written by Clemens Maria Boenninghausen in 1832. It was called Repertory of Anti-psorics and focused on the importance of modalities (something that makes a particular condition better or worse). Georg Jahr also wrote a repertory in 1835 called the Symptomen-Codex; it also was handwritten. This repertory was only based on proving symptoms. Hempel translated Jahr’s repertory into English and added to it, creating a much more substantial repertory in 1848. The first French repertory was written by Lafitte in 1844 (Symptomatologie homoeopathique, ou tableau synoptique de toute la matiere medicale pure. Vol. I, Paris). Lippe was one of the first homeopaths to add more mental and emotional symptoms to the repertory. His repertory was expanded by Lee, who abandoned the effort when he went blind. Much of Kent’s Repertory is based on the work of Lee and Lippe. Card repertories were popular in India. There have been more than 125 repertories created. Many are complete repertories, while others focus on only a specific area, such as Boenninghaussen’s repertory, devoted only to fever (Verushch einer homoopathicschen Therapie der Wechselfieber. Munster, 1833). These repertories are of varying quality and usefulness.
Modern Repertories
In more recent years efforts have been made to create repertories that are easier to use, which update the archaic language of many of the older repertories. Two of the most important of these are the Complete Repertory by Roger Van Zandvoort and the Synthetic Repertory by H. Barthel and W. Klunker. Both of these repertories are more expensive, but extensively researched, painstakingly constructed, and well designed. Robin Murphy’s The Homeopathic Medical Repertory is also popular, although considerably shorter. Many of the newer repertories combine older repertories and add symptoms gained from more recent provings. Electronic versions of repertories are becoming increasingly common. Still, Kent’s Repertory of the Homeopathic Materia Medica remains the most common repertory used in the world today. This workbook uses Kent’s Repertory as its main reference.
How is Information Added to the Repertories?
The repertories are incomplete. There is always more information that needs to be added. The repertories are primarily based on symptoms obtained from provings. Another method in which remedies and symptoms are added to the repertory is through cured cases. When homeopaths consistently see a symptom cured by a particular remedy, this may be added to the repertory. You may also see information in the repertory that is based on accidental poisonings. For example, one of the ways that we know about the remedy Heloderma suspectum (venom from the lizard Gila Monster) is from bites of the animal on humans and the associated symptoms that develop after the bite. These symptoms are then recorded into the repertory. One of the advantages of electronic homeopathic repertories is that this information can be updated much more quickly and regularly.
Grading of Symptoms
When a proving is completed, the symptoms of that particular remedy are added to the repertory on a graded basis. Symptoms that are very strong, clear, and common are added as threes (3) (usually designated by dark and bold type); symptoms less common and only moderately clear and strong are added as twos (2) (usually designated by italics or plain type with underlining); symptoms that are infrequent and weaker in intensity are added as ones (1) (usually designated by plain type).
For example, on p. 37 of Kent’s Repertory, you will find the heading of “Disgust”. Puls(Pulsatilla) and Sulph (Sulphur) are listed in bold type for this particular symptom (3). Merc (Mercurius vivus) is the only remedy listed in italics (2) and Ars (Arsenicum album), Cimx (Cimex), Coloc (Colocynthis), Mez (Mezereum) and Phos (Phosphorous) are listed in plain type (1).
Kent‘s Repertory
Kent’s Repertory of the Homeopathic Materia Medica was written in 1877. He was more of an organizer of other repertories, and much of his work was based on Lippe’s work. However, he also added a great deal of information gleaned from his own experience. Kent’s Repertory contains 648 remedies. His repertory is perhaps best known for its Mind section, which was more complete than any previous repertory in this area.
General Layout of Kent’s Repertory
A particular symptom in repertory is called a rubric. For example, on p. 63 of Kent’s Repertory you will find the rubric “Loquacity”. On page 766 you will find the rubric “Difficult Respiration”.
Remedies are listed alphabetically for each rubric. Abbreviations are used for each remedy (see Appendix D for a listing of abbreviations associated with each particular remedy). This helps to reduce the size of the repertory.
The general plan of the book is to work from generals to specifics and from the top downwards. The book is based on anatomical divisions (see Appendix E for a listing of each separate section). There are thirty-one separate sections. Take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the sections of the Repertory. Note that there are no sections for systems such as the circulatory system or the nervous system. Symptoms that relate to these systems are sometimes found in the Generalities section. The general format is to work from the top of the body to the bottom. For example, the Head section is followed by the Eye section, the Ear section, and then the Nose section.
One of the largest sections of the Repertory is the Mind section, which is at the beginning of the book. The Generalities section lies at the end of the Repertory. These two sections are the most important and are used the most in prescribing.
Take a moment to review the Word-Index section at the back of the Repertory. This is quite helpful when you are looking for a particular word that you cannot seem to find.
Structure of Kent’s Repertory
Each section of the Repertory is alphabetical and each main heading is followed by modifiers (see Appendix F for how these modifiers are structured). This format is the general rubric, followed by side modifiers, time modifiers, modalities, extensions, locations and ending with descriptors. This basic structure is followed over and over again in the Repertory and it is important to familiarize yourself with this.
The most difficult section to follow in the Repertory is the Head Pain section. If you can follow through this and understand how it is structured, then everything else in the repertory will be easier. The “Head Pain” rubric starts on page 132 in the Head section which starts on p. 107. You will note that over 500 remedies are listed under the rubric “Head Pain”. This is the largest rubric in the Repertory. Because this rubric is so large, it is not usually very helpful in finding the right remedy for someone with headaches.
Everything following the rubric “Head Pain” from p. 132 until p. 221 is classified as a sub-rubric. Sub-rubrics are modifiers or descriptions of the initial rubric (in this case “Head Pain”). The first sub-rubric after the general rubric of “Head Pain” is “daytime” on p. 132. This is the first of the time modalities. This means a headache that occurs during the daytime. Following this is the sub-rubric “morning” which again means a headache in the morning.
The next sub-rubric “in bed”, is indented and therefore is a sub-sub-rubric that modifies the preceding sub-rubric. This means head pain in the morning in bed. Similarly, all of the following sub-rubrics until “10 p.m.’ on p. 133 are modifiers of the sub-rubric “head pain in the morning”. For example the sub-rubric on p. 133 of “increases and decreases with the sun” means head pain that is worse in the morning and increases as the sun rises and decreases as the sun sets. The time modality section then continues with “forenoon” on p. 133 and finally ends with the sub-rubric “5 a.m.” on p. 135.
The next section of modifiers after time aggravations is Modalities. Modalities are basically modifiers or qualities that affect the basic symptom. This section begins on p. 135 with “acids from”. This means head pain from eating acid food. The section ends finally on p. 152 with “when yawning”.
The next section is Extensions. This means a symptom that extends from one place in the body to another. For example, the first extension is “extending to the back” which means head pain extending to the back. The section ends with “zygoma” (cheekbone) on p. 153.
The next section is Locations. The first location is “Bones”. This means head pain that seems to localize in the bones of the head. This section continues until p. 173 when it ends with “Vertex and Forehead”. Note that each location, such as forehead on p. 153, goes through the same cycle of structure as the larger sections including a general rubric (153), followed by side modifiers (154), time modifiers (154-5), modalities p.p. (155-158) extensions (158-159), and ending with locations (159-161).
The last section of the “Head Pain” rubric is Descriptors. Descriptors are qualities of the pain (see Appendix G). This starts on p. 173 with the subrubric “boring” and ends on p. 221 with “wedge like”. Note that for each type of pain the same cycle of general rubric, sidedness, modalities, extensions, and locations continues.
Amelioration and Aggravation
You can assume that everything in the Repertory means “worse from” unless “amel” is notated. “Amel” stands for ameliorates and means to make the condition better. Therefore the sub-rubric “daytime” on p. 132 means a headache worse during the daytime. The sub-rubric on p. 133 of “amel” means head pain that is less in the morning.
Common vs. Uncommon
As you look through the Repertory, you will find that some remedies are much more common than others (see Appendix A). Some remedies were very well proven at the time that the Repertory was written, and there is a wealth of information available about them (these are also known as polychrests). Others only came into usage later in the development of homeopathy and are poorly represented in the Repertory. Many of the remedies that have been proven more recently such as Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea), Neon, or Dolphin’s Milk (Lac delphinum), are not contained in the Repertory at all. Information on newer remedies can be found in proving transcripts or in more recent materia medicas (e.g., The Synoptic Materia Media Two, by Vermeulen). Periodically, the more modern repertories are updated with information from the most recent provings.
The most common remedy in the Repertory is Sulphur. See Appendix A for a listing of the most common remedies found in the Repertory.
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Todd Rowe
