| What Are Generalities?
The Generalities section is found at the end of Kent’s Repertory.
Along with the Mind section, this is one of the most important sections
of the Repertory. Generalities are symptoms that are true
of the whole person rather than of a particular part of the body.
They are symptoms of which we can say “I” instead of “My.” I may
be a chilly person (found in Generalities, p. 1366), but my left
leg is what hurts (a particular symptom found in Extremities, p.
1043). Symptoms of the whole are usually more important than symptoms
of a particular part. Take a few minutes to read through the Generalities
section, p.p. 1341-1423.
Time Modalities
The Generalities section begins with time aggravations. "Morning"
refers to six to nine a.m., "Forenoon" from ten a.m. until
noon. Afternoon is one p.m. to five p.m., "Evening" six
p.m. to nine p.m., and "Night" nine p.m. until five a.m.
Certain remedies are well known for specific time aggravations,
although there are many other remedies listed in the Repertory
for these time aggravations. These include:
7 a.m. (Eupatorium perfoliatum)
9 a.m. (Chamomilla)
10 a.m. (Natrum muriaticum)
11 a.m. (Sulphur)
Noon (Argentum metallicum)
2 p.m. (Pulsatilla nigrans)
3 p.m. (Belladonna)
3-5 p.m. or 4-6 p.m. (Sepia)
4 p.m. or 4-8 p.m. (Lycopodium clavatum)
Better evening (Aurum metallicum and Medorrhinum)
Twilight (Pulsatilla nigrans and Phosphorous)
9 p.m. (Bryonia alba)
Sunset to sunrise (Syphilinum)
11 p.m. (Cactus grandiflora)
Better at midnight (Lycopodium clavatum)
1 a.m. (Arsenicum album)
2-4 a.m. (Kali carbonicum)
3 a.m. (Kali nitricum)
4 a.m. (Nux vomica and Carcinosin) [Note
that Carcinosin is not in Kent's Repertory]
5 a.m. (Podophyllum and Kali iodatum)
There is a another rubric called "Periodicity." This
means any symptoms that tend to recur in a periodic way, whether
it be daily, weekly, monthly, or annually. There is also a separate
listing for "Breakfast, after" (1346).
Temperature
Chilliness is best found in the rubric "Heat, Lack of Vital"
(1366). Other related rubrics are "Cold, Becoming" (1349),
"Cold in General Aggravates" (1348), "Uncovering
Aggravates" (1410), and "Undressing Aggravates" (1410).
There is a Chill section of the Repertory. This relates more
to infections with chills and fevers rather to feeling cold.
Heat intolerance is best found in the rubric "Heated, On Becoming"
(1367). Other related rubrics are "Warm Aggravates" (1412),
"Weakness, Worse Heat" (1417), "Sun Aggravates"
(1404), and "Summer Aggravates" (1404). There is also
a Fever section of the Repertory which again is more related
to infections. Hot flushes (I.e., menopausal hot flushes) are found
under "Heat, Flushes of."
Weather
There are a variety of weather aggravations. There is a section
for "Air" (1343), which contains "Open Air, Ameliorates"
and "Open Air, Aggravates." Also, you will find here
"Air, Seashore Aggravates" and "Air, Seashore Ameliorates."
This is the best rubric for people who are better or worse at the
seashore. Other weather rubrics include:
Autumn (1345)
Change of Temperature (1347)
Change of Weather (1347)
Clear Weather (1348)
Cloudy Weather (1348)
Cold Dry Weather (1349)
Cold Wet Weather (1350)
Dry Weather (1357)
Foggy Weather (1362)
Moonlight (1374)
Snowy Air (1402)
Spring (1403)
Storm Approach (1403)
Summer (1404)
Sun (1404)
Vaults=Basements [Cold and damp] (1411)
Warm Wet Weather (1413)
Wet Weather (1421)
Wind (1422)
Windy Stormy Weather (1422)
Winter (1422)
Modalities
There are separate sections for "Air" (1343) and "Wind"
(1422). "Drafts" are found under the Air section, along
with "Desire For" and "Aversion To" Open Air.
Desire and aversion for alcohol are found in the Stomach section.
Those who are generally worse from alcohol can be found in the rubric
"Alcoholic Stimulants" (1344). Related rubrics include
"Intoxication" (1369), "Reveling From Night"
(1397) and "Wine" (1422).
There are a number of rubrics in the Repertory pertaining
to clothing. Perhaps the most useful is "Clothing, Intolerance
of" (1348). This idea can also be found in the section "External
Throat, Clothing Aggravates" (471) and in the section "Abdomen,
Clothing Sensitive To" (541). Related rubrics are "Undressing
Aggravates" (1410) and "Uncovering Aggravates" (1410).
There are a variety of body functions listed in the Generalities
section. These include:
Loss of Fluids [I.e., Extended diarrhea or hemorrhage]
(1371)
Menses (1373)
Perspiration (1391)
Sleep (1401)
Vomiting (1411)
Waking (1411)
Again, note that these rubrics refer to general aggravations at
the time of these activities.
There are separate listings for body types. These include:
Dwarfism (1357)
Lean (1370)
Nursing children (1376)
Obesity (1376)
Old people (1376)
Stoop Shouldered (1403)
A small but useful rubric is "Contradictory and Alternating
States" (1351). This refers to conditions that rapidly change
from one polarity to another in a confusing and unpredictable manner.
An example would be a young man who complains of intense coldness
in his hands alternating with severe heat. The condition changes
so rapidly that at times he complains of both simultaneously.
"Faintness" (1358) is a useful rubric in the Generalities
section. This should be distinguished from "Vertigo",
which has its own section. Faintness is more non specific and non
localizing. It is often described as a complaint of lightheadedness,
dizziness, giddiness, floating, swaying, or disorientation. Generally
it is not associated with any specific accompanying signs. Vertigo
is the illusion of movement or rotation of the environment about
someone. It can also be the illusion of rotation, tilting, or oscillation
of the environment. It is often associated with nausea or vomiting
and balance problems.
There are a variety of rubrics relating to food. These include:
Eating (1357)
Fasting [this is a useful rubric to describe hypoglycemia]
(1361)
Food (1362)
Hunger From (1367)
Starving (1403)
Tobacco Aggravates (1407)
The Food section refers to feeling generally worse from eating
certain foods. Food desires and aversions are found in the Stomach
section.
Motions of the body include:
Chorea [dance-like writhing movements] (1347)
Convulsions [seizures] (1351)
Convulsive Movements (1356)
Jerking (1369)
Quivering (1397)
Shuddering Nervous (1400)
Trembling (1407)
Twitching (1409)
There is also a separate rubric for Parkinson's Disease ("Paralysis
agitans").
Long-term effects of exposure to various toxins and poisons are
found in the Generalities section. Larger sections for these problems
can be found in Boericke's Pocket Manual of Homeopathic Materia
Medica with Repertory and Murphy's Homeopathic Medical Repertory.
These include:
Arsenical (1345)
China (1347)
Coal Gas (1348)
Copper (1356)
Iron (1369)
Lead (1370)
Mercury (1374)
Quinine (1397)
Silica (1401)
Smoke (1402)
Sulphur (1404)
Aggravations related to position include:
Change of Position (1347)
Kneeling (1370)
Lying (1371)
Rising (1397)
Sitting (1401)
Standing (1403)
Stretching (1403)
"Pulse" (1393) is a fairly extensive section that describes
various types of pulses. These include irregular, hard, imperceptible,
frequent, fluttering, slow, and weak.
There are a variety of purposeful activities that cause aggravations.
These include:
Ascending (1345)
Bathing (1345)
Descending (1356)
Exertion (1358)
Jarring (1369)
Lifting (1371)
Motion (1374)
Playing Piano [use this also for repetitive typing
on the computer] (1390)
Riding [can use the subrubric for motion sickness]
(1397)
Rising (1397)
Rubbing (1398)
Running (1398)
Stretching (1403)
Touching (1407)
Walking (1411)
Motion sickness can also be found in the Stomach section
under "Nausea, Riding in a Carriage" (509).
Much of the Generalities section is taken up with sensations
of the body. These include:
Analgesia [painlessness of something normally painful]
(1345)
Ball (1345)
Bubbling (1346)
Caged (1346)
Coat of Skin Drawn Over Inner Parts (1348)
Constriction (1350)
Flabby (1361)
Foreign Bodies or Grains of Sand Were Under the Skin
(1364)
Formification [creeping, crawling sensation on skin
like insects crawling on it] (1364)
Frail (1365)
Full (1365)
Hair Sensation (1365)
Hard Bed (1365)
Heaviness (1367)
Knotted (1370)
Numbness [loss of all sensation] (1375)
Orgasm of Blood [sudden rush of blood to the affected
part-adrenaline rush like feeling] (1376),
Painlessness of Complaints Usually Painful [see also
analgesia] (1390)
Plug (1391)
Prickling (1392)
Pulsation (1392)
Sensitiveness (1398)
Shocks (1399)
Shot Rolling Through Arteries (1400)
Smaller (1402)
Stagnated as if Blood (1403)
Streaming of Blood (1403)
Strength (1403)
Swollen (1406)
Tension (1406)
Threads (1407)
Trickling Like Drops (1409)
Water Dashing Against Inner Parts (1413)
Wave Like (1413)
Worms Under the Skin Sensation (1422)
Sexual aggravations are found in a variety of locations in the
Generalities section. These include "Coition" [sexual
intercourse] (1348), "Emissions Aggravate" (1358), "Onanism"
[sexual withdrawal before intercourse] (1376) and "Sexual Excesses"
(1399). Some of these ideas can also be found in the Genitalia
sections.
An important rubric is "Sides" (1400). This is where
you would look for a condition where someone only had symptoms on
one side of their body. Sub rubrics here include "One Side",
"Alternating Sides", "Crosswise", "Right"
and "Left."
"Vaccination" (1410) refers to ailments following a vaccination.
This condition is also called vaccinosis. Kent’s Repertory
refers only to the smallpox vaccination, as no other vaccinations
were available at the time of writing. In more modern repertories,
this has been expanded to include other vaccinations.
"Bathing" (1345) is a useful rubric. The subrubrics
include "Bathing, Dread Of" (1345) and "Bathing Ameliorates"
(1345). There is a separate listing for "Uncleanliness Aggravates"
(1410).
There are a variety of rubrics that touch on the idea of fatigue.
These include:
Collapse (1350)
Fainting (1358)
Lassitude (1370)
Reaction, Lack Of [inability of the body to muster
a defense against disease] (1397)
Sluggishness of the Body (1402)
Weakness (1413)
Weariness (1421)
These are useful rubrics to consider for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Diseases
There are a variety of diseases that are included in the Generalities
section. Most of the diseases in the Repertory are found
here. There only a few diseases listed. Remedies are generally
prescribed on symptoms and not on specific diseases. Many of the
well known diseases of today were not well known or understood at
the time of the writing of the repertory. Specific diseases found
here include:
Abscess [a collection of pus in a circumscribed cavity]
(1343)
Anemia [deficiency of blood constituents] (1344)
Apoplexy [stroke] (1345)
Cancerous Affections [see also "Tumors" and
"Ulcers, Cancerous"] (1346)
Caries of Bones [dental cavities or pockets of degeneration
of bones] (1346)
Catalepsy [trance-like state with rigidity of limbs
that remain in the same position for a long period of time, catatonia]
(1347)
Chlorosis [iron-deficiency anemia] (1347)
Cold, Tendency to Take [recurrent upper respiratory
infections] (1349)
Contracture/Strictures After Inflammation [the constriction
of tissue after an inflammation] (1351)
Convulsions [seizures] (1351)
Cyanosis [blue discoloration of the body resulting
from lack of oxygenation to the tissues:see "Face, discoloration,
blueness"] (1356)
Dropsy [edema/swelling: see also "Extremities,
Swelling, Lower Limbs, Dropsical"] (1356)
Emaciation [malnourished or Underweight] (1357)
Exostoses [bony hard overgrowths] (1358)
Glanders [disease of horses with swollen lymph nodes
and ulceration] (1365)
Gonorrhea Suppressed (1365)
Hemorrhage [bleeding] (1365)
Leukemia [cancerous disease of the white blood cells]
(1370)
Measles After [see Fever Exanthematic Measles] (1373)
Necrosis of Bones [destruction of bony tissue] (1375)
Obesity (1376)
Paralysis Agitans [Parkinson's disease] (1390)
Polypus [growth extending from a mucous membrane] (1391)
Scarlet Fever [see Fever Exanthematic Scarlatina] (1398)
Scurvy [vitamin C Deficiency] (1398)
Septicemia [infection of the blood] (1399)
Sycosis (1406)
Syphilis (1406)
Thrombosis [blood clot] (1407)
Ulcers (1410)
Varicose Veins (1410)
Diabetes is not listed in the Generalities section, but can be
found under Urine Sugar (691). Thyroid disease and goiters are
found in "External Neck, Goiter" (471). Malaria is found
in the Fever section under "Remittent" and in the Chill
section under "Quartan", "Quotidian", or "Tertian."
Meningitis (inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain
and spinal cord) is found under "Fever, Cerebrospinal"
(1282) or "Head, Inflammation, Meningitis" (128). Parasites
are located in the Rectum section under "Worms" (634).
The Generalities section contains rubrics for Sycosis and Syphilis.
There is no specific rubric for psora. Tuberculosis is found under
"Chest, Phthisis" (878).
A variety of injuries are found throughout the Repertory,
many of which lie in the Generalities section. These include:
Injuries (1368)
Burns (1346)
Shocks from Injury (1399)
Slow Repair of Bones (1402)
Bites of Poisonous Animals (1422)
Wounds (1422)
Sunstroke can be found in the Head section under "Sunstroke"
(231). Head injuries can be found in the Head section under "Concussion"
(109) or "Injuries" (128). Stings of insects can be found
in the Skin section under "Stings of Insects" (1331).
There is also a listing in the Extremities section for "Injuries"
(1019).
Other Confusing Rubrics
"Puerperal Convulsions" (1353) refers to convulsions
of pregnancy. "Atrophy" (1345) means a wasting or shrinkage
of tissue. "Clonic Convulsions" (1352) are seizures characterized
by an alternating contraction and release of the muscles. "Tonic
Convulsions" (1355) are more of a steady contracted state.
"Extensor Muscles" (1353) refer to muscles that tend to
straighten or extend a part of the body. "Fistulae"
(1361) are abnormal passages between a body cavity and the surface
or between two body cavities. "Indurations" (1367) are
hardenings of tissue. "Excessive Physical Irritability"
(1369) refers to a nervous system that is excessively sensitive
and wound up. "Magnetism Ameliorates" (1373) is about
individuals who feel better when they are hypnotized or placed in
a trance state. "Metastasis" (1374) refers to symptoms
that jump from one part of the body to another. The symptoms are
not necessarily related to each other. An example would be the
remedy Abrotanum, which has rheumatic arthritis following
diarrhea. "Plethora" (1391) is an excess of any bodily
fluid, although most often relates to excess of blood in a particular
area. This often manifests as flushing of the skin, redness, and
heat.
----------------------------------------------
Dr.Todd Rowe is a licensed homeopathic physician
in Arizona. He teaches extensively and has written several books
on classical homeopathic education including Homeopathic Methodology
and the Homeopathic Journey. He is the past-president of the National
Center for Homeopathy and serves on the Board of Directors for the
Council for Homeopathic Education. He is the director of the American
Medical College of Homeopathy and the Society for the Establishment
of Research in Classical Homeopathy.
|