September 2020 - THE PEOPLE OF THE MATERIA MEDICA WORLD - A COMPARATIVE MATERIA MEDICA - PART II

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THE PEOPLE OF THE MATERIA MEDICA
WORLD: A COMPARATIVE MATERIA
MEDICA
Part - II
BY
DR.SAPTARSHI BANERJEA
Gold Medallist
BHMS (Honours in Nine Subjects of Health University)
M.D.(Hom.)
Deputy Director-Bengal Allen Medical Institute
Overseas Consultant-Orawan Holistic Institute, Thailand.
Visiting Lecturer-Allen College of Homoeopathy, England.

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banerjea
CHRISTMAS WITH THE CROCUSES
Mr. & Mrs. Crocus organized a Christmas party.
 Nature: Mr. Crocus wanted to write the suggestions for the party but couldn’t do
so as he had already forgotten what they were.Mrs.Crocus made quick decisions but
changed it immediately. Crocus children were affectionate & happy, full of frolic &
laughter.
 Kissing game: Veratrum proposed a kissing game. Crocus are fond of kissing &
dancing. When Anacardium was given a kiss, he was so angered that he swore to all
 Sleep: Crocus, Belladonna & Phosphoric Acid were singing in their sleep.
Arsenic & Sulphur were in the same bed. Sulphur kicked off the covers &
immediately Arsenic froze.
 Haemorrhage: Crocus, Belladonna, Platina had epistaxis from the football
game. Platina had dark & coagulated blood, Bell. Had bright red & hot whereas
Crocus boys had dark stringy blood.
A WEDDING IN HIGH LIFE
Mr. Phosphorus was getting married to Miss. Calcarea
 In front of the flowers, danced the Tarentula sisters to entertain the guests.
 For dinnerPork was taken from Miss Pulsatilla & given to Mr. Nux Vomica .
 Bread & butter was given to Mercurius. Arsenicum was greedy for the ice cream
& thereby suffered.
 Ignatia & Nux Vomica sat at opposite ends of the dining table as they couldn’t
agree.
 Apis mel fainted in a closed room but revived when the windows were opened.

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ONE DAY ON THE OCEAN BLUE
People of the Materia Medica world were on their way from a ship in Brooklyn.
Mr.Cocculus-Vacillating fellow, nothing pleases him. He talks until he tires you out listening
so as to hide his timidity. He was so afraid of death that others wondered why he was on the
ship. When he was nauseated, he wouldn’t drink beer which he was fond of.
Mr. Glonoine-A bright man, a good talker. His flow of ideas entertained the whole party. A
drink of wine made him worse.
Mr.Tabacum-He was cheerful & talkative but had fits of depression when he had indigestion.
Miss Theridion: She craved for bananas & oranges.
Miss Colchicum: On looking at the menu, she found, she was quite hungry for a number of
things but when they were brought to the table, the smell of it caused her to shudder.
Mr.Petroleum: He is so violent in his anger, that all were careful, how to approach him.
Mr.Kali Bichromicum: He was so lazy & indifferent, that others thought that he might have
better remained at home.
Mrs.Lactic Acid: Fault finding, sarcastic but very lazy woman.
THANKSGIVING DAY AT GRANDMA CARBON’S
Reunion of Carbon family organized by Carbon grandmothers-Carbo Vegetabilis & Carbo
Animalis. All the Carbon daughters with their children had come.
Twin Sisters of Carbo Veg. & Carbo Animalis.: Grandma Carbo Veg was weak, had asthma
& always carried a fan. She had a weak voice which gave out on the least exertion. Her twin
Carbo An .was old & had Carcinoma.
Ammon
Carb
Baryta
Carb:
Calcarea
Carb:
Kali
Carb:
Lithiu
m
Carb:
Magnesi
a Carb:
Natru
m
Carb:.
Strontiu
m Carb-
The
Ammon.
grandchildr
Little
Baryta had
enlarged
Miss.
Calc.
Had
She had
nosebleed
on
She
was
weak
She was
nervous
&
She
hated
exercis
She had
no
appetite

4. 4
en had
inherited
the
nosebleed
from
Carbon
grand mom
(thin, dark
blood).
neck glands.
The timid
children had
fear of
ghosts like
grand mom
Carbo Veg.
The Baryta
children had
a sudden
disgust for
food in the
midst of a
meal as they
couldn’t
swallow
much with
hypertrophi
ed tonsils.
Baryta &
Calc.
Children
quarrelled
with each
other.
Baryta got
shy & hid in
the corner.
trouble
with her
children.
They had
good
appetite
& fat
bodies
but they
were
unhealth
y. They
would
wet bed
every
night.
They had
profuse
sweat
that by
morning
the bed
was as
wet as if
they had
urinated.
washing
the face
in the
morning.
The Kali
daughter
was weak
although
obese.
She had
chronic
indigestio
n & on
seeing
the Calc.
Children
eating
raw
potato,
she was
horrified.
eyed &
sat in a
shaded
corner.
tremblin
g with
fear as if
some
accident
would
happen.
e &
open
air.
She
was
seated
in the
coolest
corner
except
desire
for beer.
She was
seated
next to
the fire
as she
was in
danger
of
apoplexy
from a
draught.
Common Emotionals: Grandmother Carbo Veg observed the common traits in her children at
the dinner table. All were absent minded with mental sluggishness & slow flow of ideas.
They were anxious with trembling.
Food: At the dinner table, meat was kept away from the Kalis, Calc., Stront. Milk wasn’t
placed near the Nat. Or Calc. Cold water was provided for Nat.,Mag.,Calc.
HOW THE IODUMS SHOWED THEIR PATRIOTISM
The Iodums formed a brigade to offer their services.
 Grandfather Iodum- In a melancholic mood. He had fear of evil. He objected to
a physical examination of his men as it was a skinny crowd with the exception of
Mercurius Iodatus Ruber & Flavus.
 Grandmother Iodum- The chief cook because all the sons were so hungry
always.

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 Arsenicum Iod.- They didn’t care about the cook. They were never hungry. They
were always thirsty & wanted plenty of cold water though it came up immediately!
 Merc. Iod Flavus- Also thirsty but more for acid drinks, so brought some
lemons.
 Calcarea Iodata- A lazy indifferent fellow like his granddad Calc. Carb.
REUNION OF THE PHOSPHORUS FAMILY
Father & Mother Phosphorus had planned a family reunion for their wedding
anniversary.
Father Phos. Proposed to put the overflow of children into the tents but Mother recalled how
all took cold easily, so they closed the porches for temporary bedrooms.
 Mr. Phosphoric Acid- He was the bachelor son & looked upon the reunion with
indifference. All the Phosphorus children were married except Phos. Acid, who had
been disappointed in love. He was emaciated & slow of speech. All his thoughts were
of his own troubles. He was homesick to tearfulness but he couldn’t endure the noises
of children.
 Ferrum Phos Family-They were so tired that they wanted plenty of time for rest
before the arrival of others. Miss. Ferrum’s blushes, her apparent helplessness
appealed to young Phos. They were hilarious & talkative but had difficulty
remembering names.
 Magnesia Phos Family-They arrived with head bound tightly to woollen
mufflers as they were suffering from neuralgia so they sat by the roaring fire.
 Natrum Phos Family-When they arrived, all were hysteric & frightened as there
had been a thunderstorm during the drive,
 Mr.Kali Phos: The son had a headache. He had his hand over his eyes to shut off
the light. He wanted to go for dinner as eating > his headache. But the jar of going out
& noise of dining room would undo all the good that eating would do, so Mother
Phosphorus sent his dinner to him.
 Calcarea Phos Family: The family were never satisfied with the arrangements.
His child was bow-legged & emaciated.
PLUMBUM METALLICUM
Mr.Plumbum was a painter.

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 He’s emaciated with wrinkled skin, drawn over the bones.
 He has a notion that everyone around him is a murderer & wants to assassinate
him.
 He makes an exception to Mrs.Carlsbad who is talkative & sympathetic.
 He is slow to comprehend & respond.
 He doesn’t go to the theatre or political meeting as he faints in a large company.
 He had a gradual paralysis. Initially he would get painful neuralgias.
 Later muscles would be paralysed & wither.
Mrs.Plumbum was hysterical.
 She often pretends that she is sick.
 She stuck a pin to Mr.Plumbum to make him move faster but he is slow to feel
the pin.
 She tried to play the piano to make her husband cheerful but she couldn’t lift her
fingers fast enough.
 She became sad but Mrs. Curare who was a forgetful woman came to
sympathise with her as her wrists also gave out at the piano.
PRACTICAL UTILITY
 Each remedy is presented in the form of a small animated picture.
 Gladwin analyses the individual peculiarities of each remedy e.g.Plumbum,Iodum.
 There is beautiful description of the group characteristics like Carbon group & the
Phosphorus Family.
 All the characteristic indications of a particular drug are elicited through
personification of different generations. Eg.Grandfather,son & grandson Crocus.
 Utility of remedies which we use in everyday practice are lucidly described in certain
chapters. Eg. Father Homoeopathy’s visit to the Prison Hospital of the Enemy which
elicits injury remedies. One Day on the Ocean Blue which depicts all medicines for
motion & sea sickness.
 Inimical relationship of remedies is explained. ‘Hepar the PeaceMaker’ is given as
an intercurrent between Silicea & Mercurius. ‘Those People across the Alley’-
Inimical Relation of Phos. & Caust. ‘Neighbours who are not Neighbourly’-Inimical
Relation of Rhus Tox & Apis.

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 Complementary relationship of remedies is explained well. Psorinum the
Grandfather & Sulphur is the Grandson.
 The language of the book is very easy to understand & will generate interest in
Materia Medica for beginners.
 Moreover, her love & passion for Materia Medica is portrayed in this work by relating
to these remedies as persons around her.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Gladwin FE. The People of The Materia Medica World. A Comparative Materia Medica.
New Delhi: B.Jain Publishers Pvt. Ltd; 2014.
Post Graduation Programme from England
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http://www.homoeopathy-course.com/index.php/training-courses/england-
homoeopathy-training/post-graduate-course
2 weeks Clinical Training Programme
(160+ Live Cases are demonstrated in 2 weeks
in Calcutta, every January to demonstrate the
Calcutta method of dependence on Clinical &
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