Germanium–met. was proven by Jeremy Sherr in 1992.

This short introduction to this remedy is based on a long article By Sonia Dole and Michel Zala that was published in ‘Les Echos du CLH’ 2000-2001. (magazine published by: CLH, 1 rue Vignoble, 4130 Esneux, Belgium)(with full permission)

According to Sonja Doyle:

Germ-m is close to Carcinosin. Germanium is more conscious about its anger. He feels bitterness and rancour within. Carcinosin appears as a conciliating and consenting prisoner. Germanium is perfectionist in order to gain good opinion from others. Carcinosin has a taste for the beautiful and perfect.

Germanium has a poor opinion of himself but still craves appreciation from others and simultaneously keeps a sense of pride (= paradox). There is bitterness but it stays within, it cannot come out. It is this rancour that stops the patient to like themselves and believe in themselves.

Germanium is the mixture of the straightjacket of Carcinosin, the rancour of Nitric Acid, the self depreciation of Lac-can and the sensitivity and dignity of Staphysagria.

My (Sonia Doyle) clinical observations from the use of this remedy:

- I observed severe aggravations after this remedy; mainly allergic reactions and eye symptoms.

- a few patients who suffered with ‘protection obesity’ lost weight.

- I use the remedy more as an unblocking agent; the remedy helps but rarely continues to be effective over long periods. Maybe this is the role of this remedy because the state of Germanicum mettalicum must be very difficult to carry. Anyway, for me healing is going to the next step.

Resume by Michel Zala (France) 2001.

Mentals:

- Emotions are felt with intensity but cannot come out or are kept under strict control.

- suppressed anger or explosion of anger. Such an explosion is very quickly forgotten with no feeling of culpability.

- the power is blocked inside; there is a feeling of incapability of the self (A patient once said: ‘I try to be what the others think I should be. I don’t think I can be loved because of all the horrible and poor parties I organise’)

- how do the others value me? Fear of being criticised.

- feeling of total failure. Cannot adapt. Inept.

- Fear of/ ailments from being ‘found out’.

- Feeling of isolation, stranger in society, pariah, being of an other planet.

(J Sherr differentiates from Androctonus: he is lonely but has been betrayed, the world is his enemy, solitary soldier, has to fight/kill to survive.)

- does not feel connected, somebody has entered their territory. There is only one solution: to close everything.

- Dreams of: Third Reich, concentration camps, air attacks of London, rape, burglars that cannot be fended of, invasion, …. Germ-m feels invaded. Prisoner. Is in hell.

- Feels GUILTY. Self reproach, hates himself, is disgusted with himself.

- Dyslexia, difficulties with concentration, confusion. The answer is there but it can not come out.

- According to Scholten: Civil servant, conservationist, conformist, in his village. (Stad IV (Ferrum) series 14)

Somatic:

- Extreme weakness, chronique fatigue, the vital force is leaving the body. (One patient said: My brain was pulled backwards.)

- Feeling of heaviness, present throughout the pathogenesis.

- severe illnesses with dysfunction of nerves, liver, kidney.

A personal observation:

A young girl I know well complained for the 100th time that she found it difficult to talk to the other girls in her year, I helped searching for a remedy for her.

She said she could not start conversations, she found nothing interesting to say although she would so much have liked to have girly conversations with the other girls. She also always felt that the others were observing her to judge her. She is not a withdrawn person and usually has a radiant smile and a confident look about her but often came home feeling sad about her incapacity to start conversations with the other girls. There was always some mild anger in her sadness, some frustration. She wanted to be able to make good friends with them.

She gets on well with the boys in her year (they often tease her but she takes it well and she is not short of boyfriends although she soon finds them boring.)

Because of the difficult relationship with her mum, she was already given Nat-m, Cygnus Cygnus and Mezereum for her occasional slowness. The remedies had helped her somewhat but were never convincing. A dose of Angustura brought some temporary help but finaly a dose of Germ- met 30 made a huge difference. There has not been any complaining for 6 months. This is the longest time ever (she is 17 now) and she now made one good friend and gets on better with the others.

A few notes taken during a conference by J. Sherr.

Further comments.

Like in the case of the young girl, the two authors of the article I refer to, conclude from the cases presented in their article and the cases they found in Homeopathic Links, that Germanium-met often acts as an intermediate remedy that helps the patient through certain stage without being capable of serving as a long term ‘constitutional’ remedy. Usually other remedies need to follow to bring further improvement in health.

Note.

- The picture of the remedy is often related to the so called semi-conductor qualities of this metal: the others can see in him but his feelings cannot come out.

This is a wrong. Germanicum is not a semiconductor. It was used in the productions of semi-conductors (now replaced by Silicium which is more effective).

- The pure crystal of Germanicum is a poor conductor which conducts currants in all directions.