Concept of symptomatology in homoeopathy

1. SYMPTOMATOLOGY
By Dr.KOLAVENKATA SATISH
PG STUDENT
DEPARTMENT OF REPERTORY
DR.AR GOVT HOMOEO MEDICAL COLLEGE

2. SYMPTOMATOLOGY
 INTRODUCTION
 SOURCEESOF SYMPTOMS
 SIGNIFICANCE OF SYMPTOMS
 ELEMENTS OF SYMPTOMS
 CLASSIFICATION OF SYMPTOMS
 TYPES OF SYMPTOMS
 GRADATIONOF SYMPTOMS
 PRINCIPLES FORVALUING OF SYMPTOMS
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

3. INTRODUCTION
 The word SYMPTOM was derived from the
word ‘SYMPTOMA’ a greek word which
means “Any change that happens”

4.  “Any noticeable change in the body
and its functions either subjective or
objective which indicates disease of
the kind or phase of the disease.”
 “subjective evidence of disease or
physical disturbance observed by the
patient.”

………..MerriamWebsters Dictionary

5.  In Homoeopathy symptom is
defined as “any change in the
health of the body and the
mind , which is felt by the
patient remarked by those
around him and observed by
the physician”

6. DIFFERENT DEFINITIONS BY STALWARTS
:
 The change in the health of the
body and of the mind – which can
be perceived externally by means
of the senses by the patient
himself, remarked by the those
around him and observed by the
Physician. -
……………..Dr.Hahnemann

7.  “Every symptom is indicative of a
deviation from the normal state of
health”
– Dr. Kent
 “In general a symptom is an evidence of
disease or a change of state of health”
– Dr. Stuart Close

8.  “A symptom is the expression of
disturbance in a healthy body
produced by a drug or some morbid
agents” -- Dr.Dewey
 “Symptoms to the Homoeopaths are
the language of body expressing its
disharmony and calling for the similar
remedy”.– Dr. Elezebath Wright

9.  Disease is a condition and not an entity,
and its manifestations are those of
abnormal physiology called “symptoms”.
 The production of symptoms is always in
according with natural physical laws and
every sign and symptoms are expression
of some internal deviation from normal
physiology. It is the outward reflection of
the internal essence of the disease.

10.  To the understand the disease one
must be able to distinguish the
variation in the healthy
expressions, from an actual
deviation

11. find symptoms of the following orders
 symptoms referring to the disease of
particular nosilogical type helping us for
disease determination
 symptoms referring to the particular tissue
and organs of an affected person helping us
for disease individualization
 symptoms referring to the individuality of the
patient which helping us for individualization
of a person

12. SOURCES OF SYMPTOMS:
 Drug proving
 Toxicological
 Clinical
 Empirical (through experience)
 Chemistry
 Biological

13. SIGNIFICANCE OF SYMPTOMATOLOGY:
 Symptoms of the disease are helpful in
diagnosis of the disease
 Symptoms of the patient helpful in
diagnosis of the patient
 Proper understanding of symptoms
helpful in understing –
 The depth of the pathology there by
the prognosis
 to learn the material medica
 is imperative in selecting the similimum

14. ELEMENTS OF SYMPTOMS
 Location
 Sensation
 Character/color/odor
 Aggravation
 Amelioration
 Concomitants
 Causation
 Duration
 Extension
 Alternation
 Miasm

15. CLASSIFICATION OF THE SYMPTOMS:
COMMON
SYMPTOMS
UN COMMON
SYMPTOMS
HAHNEMANN’S
CLASSIFICATION

16. BOENNINGHAUSEN’S CLASSIFICATION:
 QUIS – Personality / the individuality
 QUID – Disease its nature & Peculiarity
 UBI – Seat of disease
 QUIBUSAXILLIS _ Associated symptoms
 CUR-_ Cause of the disease
 QUOMODO – Modifying factors
 QUANDO –Time factor

17. 3. KENT’S CLASSIFICATION
KENT
. GENERAL
SYMPTOMS
PHYSICAL
GENERALS
MENTAL
GENERALS
. PARTICULAR
SYMPTOMS
3. KENT’S CLASSIFICATION

18. GARTH BOERICK’S CLASSIFICATION:
GARTH
BOERICK’S
Basic
symptoms
Determinative
symptoms

19. DIFFERENT TYPES OF SYMPTOMS

20. SUBJECTIVE SYMPTOMS
 felt by the patient himself
 The deviations and alterations at the level of
the sensations and functions indicative
primitive stage of the disease which the
patient alone can feel
 Ex:all types of sensations,
 pains,discomforts ,
 vertigo,illusions,delusions

21. DEVELOPMENT OF SYMPTOMS
I Stage : PRODROMAL
II Stage : Disordered Functioning
III Stage: StructuralAlteration
IV Stage: Secondary Signs & Symptoms
Secondary Neurosis (Somato-Psychic)

22. OBJECTIVE SYMPTOMS(signs):
 These are perceptible sure signs of disease do
not mislead the physician and always follow
the subjective symptoms
 very important guide in infants ,unconscious
patients,insane,deaf,and dumb
patients,patient with different language
,uncooperative patients
 Ex; color,murmer,
odour,hardness ,gait…

23. COMMON SYMPTOMS:
 common either to a medicine or a disease state.
Pathogenic common symptom:
 symptom that is common to a medicine
 They form the bulk of the drug pathogenesis
 They do not help in remedy selection when
found in isolation
 Ex: pain, fever, chills, sweat, cough, flatulence,
lameness, congestion, swelling and other
symptoms are common in so many medicines

24. Pathognomic common symptom
 symptom that is common to a disease states
 They may not be of any relationships they are
commonly found in many related disease
states.
 Help in differential diagnosis.
 EX: dry cough, coryza, sore eyes, fever and
rash in measles ,
 breathlessness in asthma,
 bodyaches and headache in fever

25. UNCOMMON SYMPTOMS
 Also known as characteristic symptoms
 These are the symptoms on which
prescription has to be based upon, It denote
those symptoms which are Peculiar in their
nature and character.
 Which are peculiar to a few patients suffering
from similar disease.
 They usually help in the miasmatic
understanding of the case.

26.  Ex : in Asthma nearly all cases is worse from
lying down. If, however, the asthmatic is
“relived by living down” we have an unusual
and peculiar symptom, the highly
characteristic of Psorinium.
 If the asthmatic patient “finds relief only in
the knee-chest position,” unusual and
peculiar, we have a strong characteristic
symptom of Medorrhinum.

27. “The greater the value of a
symptom in a diagnostic
sense, the less its value in
therapeutic sense”

28. GENERAL SYMPTOMS:
 A general symptoms is the one that refers to the
individual as a whole.
 A common sensation found at two or more than
locations also become a general
 Ex:“stitching pains” (Bry, Spig),
 “burning pains” (Ars alb., Carb v., Sulph);
 “stiffness relieved by continued motion” (Rhus tox.);
 All Sensations or symptoms that the patient
predicates of himself, or in the relating of which he
uses the first personal pronoun, are general
symptoms, as “ I am weak, “I am thirsty ,”“ I am
sleepy.”

29. MENTAL GENERALS:
 All the symptom related the mental sphere
are termed as mental general.They are the
symptoms which reflect the inner self, the
emotions,intellect, ego of the individual
 Will and emotions.:
 Eg:“loathing of life” and “impulse to commit
suicide” (Aurum)’ “fear of dogs” (Bell);
“insatiable desire to travel” (Calc phos.);
“obstinacy” (Calc carb.)
Will and emotions.:

30.  Intellect and understanding:
 Eg :“errors in speaking” (Lyco and Nat mur);
“inability to recall proper names” (Lyco and
Sulph);
Delusions, hallucinations, illusions, delirium,
amnesia are intellectual symptoms.

31.  Memory components
 Ex:Memoryloss,
absent mindedness,
acute memory etc..
 “forgets what he has just read” (Lach);
“forgets what he was about to say” (Baryta
carb.).

32. PHYSICAL GENERALS:
 These are the symptoms of the physical plane
of the person as a whole.
 These symptoms can be ;
 General reaction _ thermal, atmosphere,
seasonal
 Ailments from _ Circumstantial, dietary,
physical
 Laterality of the affections
 Sleep & its disturbances
 Appetite, thirst, desires and aversions.

33.  Mental & sexual complaints
 Tendency to pathological changes
 Dreams:Constantly dreams of dead relatives –
Calc, Sil ; .
 Dreams of hard labor or some strenuous exertion-
Rhus tox ,
 Dreams of fire- Hep sulph;
 Dreams of falling from a height-. Digit, Sulph and
Thuja
 Of these symptoms, the expressions, which have a
pathological basis are called as Pathological
generals
 Eg.Tumors, warts etc.

34. PARTICULAR SYMPTOM
 These are the symptoms which belongs to a
particular part, organ or functions of the body.
 These symptoms tend to disturb the patient most
and seeks consultation for them only.Thus the
prescription of acute necessity will be based on
these particulars
 At times a strong particular may point to a small
group of remedies and this help a quick prescription.
 According to Boenninghausen they provide a base
for the evolution of generals.
 Ex “sensation of coldness in larynx” (Cistus can,
Brom),
 “dilated pupils days before an epileptic attack” (Arg
nit.);

35. KEYNOTE SYMPTOMS”
 These are rare, singular, peculiar uncommon
symptoms defying their explanation by
pathology.
 There should be at least three key note
symptoms in order to make a correct
homoeopathic prescription
 Dr guernsey first emphasized the importance
of of keynotes later on dr lippe,p.p.
wells,H.C.allen

36. ELIMINATIVE SYMPTOMS:
 Symptoms which help to eliminative some un
important medicines to fecilitate the
selection of the similimum are called
eliminative symptoms
 MargretTyler first introduced this method for
facilitating an easy Repertorisation.The
method of repertorisation using the
eliminating symptom is called as the
eliminating method.

37. ALTERNATING SYMPTOMS
 These symptoms that recur at uncertain
intervals with morbid state of different kind.
 Ex:“headache in winter, diarrhea in summer”
(Aloe);
 “weeping alternating with laughter” (Ignatia);
“alternation of constipation and diarrhea”
(Sulph, Alum, Nux v).

38. NAGATIVE SYMPTOMS:
 The symptoms which are expected to be in a
case but remain absent are called nagative
symptoms they become valuable by they
absence
 Ex .absence of thirst in fever ,absecnce of
pain inflammation

39. ACCESORY SYMPTOMS
 A long standing symptom which the patient
thinks his a part and parcel of his normal
functioning is called an accessory symptoms
 There are important symptoms for the
homoeopathic prescription

40. CLINICAL SYMPTOMS:
 Symptoms which are common in a disease
conditions are called clinical symptoms
 clinical symptoms of the represents the
symptoms which are not found during the
proving of the drug ,but were found to be
cured in clinical practice

41. RECCURENT SYMPTOMS:
 symptoms which at return at frequent
intervals are called recurrent symptoms
 These indicate the tendencies and
constitutional dyscrasias of the individuals

42. PERIODICAL SYMPTOMS
 Symptoms which return at fixed intervals are
called periodical symptoms these symptoms
are helpful in finding out an indicate remedy
 .they given a good representation in most of
the repertories
 Ex “complaints recurring on same day
annually” (Vipera);
 “neuralgia at the same hour every day”
(Cedron, Kall Bich.

43. PARADOXICAL SYMPTOMS;
 Symptoms which are self contradictory and
opposite in nature but are found together are
called paradoxical symptoms
 Ex; sleepy but cannot sleep,throat pain better
by swallowing solid food

44. ACCIDENTAL SYMPTOMS
 Symptoms which are found prominently in a
person but do not fit in to the totality are
known as accidental symptoms
 These are present by chance and do not help
either in understanding the phenomenon of
the disease or In forming a totality.
 It is safe to ignore this symptoms after
weighing them properly

45. GRADATION OF SYMPTOMS
 1ST GRADE – A symptom recorded in the majority of
provings or brought out in every prover , confirmed
by several proving and verified upon the sick.
 2nd GRADE – A symptom brought out by a few of
the provers , it does not run through the whole
family of provers but it has been confirmed and
occasionally verified by reproving and upon the sick.
 3rd GRADE – A symptom brought out by a few of the
provers not confirmed by reproving or verified by
curing a patient but standing out very prominently.

46. GENERAL PRINCIPLES USED FOR
VALUE OF SYMPTOMS:
 -General symptoms are more impratnt than
particulars but an intence particular symptom
will necessarily be of higher value than a general
symptoms with poor intensity
 -Mental symptoms are more important than
physical ,characteristic or determinative
symptoms are more important than common or
basic
 -Subjective symptoms are more important than
objective symptoms
 -Functional symptoms are more important than
pathological

47.  -Proved symptoms are more important than
clinical
 -Symptoms relating to vital organs are more
important than those are relating to less vital
organs
 -In mental diseases a,physical symptoms are to
be taken as concomitant one for repertorisation
where as mental symptoms are to be taken as
concomitanant one in physical illness for same
purpose
 Also complete symptoms are given important
value than that of incomplete symptoms



48. Bibliography:
 Textbook of repertory by Dr.s.k.Tiwary
 Reperire by dr. vidyadhar R.khanaj
 Logic of repertories by Dr.J.B.D’castro
 The Genius of HomeopathyLectures and
Essays on Homeopathic PhilosophyBy Dr
Stuart M. CLOSE
 Homoeobook.com
 Hpathy.com