Kent's Repertory-How to use it

☑As stated earlier, Boenninghausen did not differentiate between modalities and sensations pertaining to parts of body (Particulars) and those pertaining to the individual as a whole.

☑Kent was of the opinion that the modalities pertaining to the parts cannot and should, not be applied to the person and raised to the rank of .generals. Yet he said, ",Qur generals were well worked out by Boenninghausen and much overdone, as he generalised many rubrics that were purely particulars, the use of which as generals is misleading and ends in failure.

☑The success coming from Boenninghausen's Pocket Book is due to the arrangement whereby generals can be quickly made use of to furnish madalities for individual symptoms, whether general or particular.

☑This feature is preserved in my repertory, as all know who use it. 'The new Repertory is produced to show forth all the particulars, each symptoms with the circumstances connected with it. It is in its infancy....The author is devoting his life to the growth and infilling and perfecting of this work...and begs all true workers" for help in this work. What do these remarks show? they show that although Kent gave top rank to Mentals, with the Physical Generals coming next, he gave equal importance to particulars provided they are qualified by modalities.

☑Kent's repertory gives a huge number of verified by modalities. Kent's repertory gives a huge number of verified, qualified Particulars but they are yet'"scanty" (that is incomplete) according to Kent.

☑But where we are able to locate one, the results have been truly marvellous, subject only to the condition that they do not "contradict the Generals".

☑ This much, in brief, is about the construc­tion of the repertory. Kent's advice as to how to use his Repertory may be briefly sumed up as follows;

☑The first and highest thought in homoeopathy is the individual. Our work is individualisation. I once planned a short-cut with Cards, but I scon saw that I must work out every case, every patient, on his own merit in each and every case, making use of the fullest repertory accessible, curtailing nothing lest I miss some­thing important.

☑I prescribed for twenty -five to forty patients in one and half hours and never neglected anybody.

☑This can be done by anybody unless he works uphill with his cases. A doctor should know GENERALS, COMMON SYMP­TOMS and PARTICULARS to the fullest if he wants to save work, so that he can use them quickly if he has a large business.

☑When looking over a list of symptoms, first of all discover 3,4,5,or 6 symptoms that are "strange, rare and peculiar". Work these out JlrsL These are the HIGHEST GENERALS, as they apply to the patient himself. Then find out which one of this list is most like the rest of the symptoms, common and particular.

☑To individualise between these few remedies you must have the fullest repertory that can be found.

☑The symptoms you settle upon must be such that CANNOT BE OMITTED in each individual. Do not expect a remedy that has the generals must have all the little symptoms. It is a waste of time to run out all the little symptoms. Learn to omit the useless, common particulars. Get the strong, strange, peculiar symptoms, and then SEE TO IT THAT THERE ARE NO GENERALS IN THE CASE THAT OPPOSE OR CONTRADICT.

☑Those wishing to have more details are referred to Glen Bidwell's "How to use the Repertory" and Margaret Tyler's "Repertorising". A few excerpts from Tyler's "Repertorising" would be in order.

1. A lot of time and labour in repertorising can be saved if one follows the GRADING of symptoms. Mental symptoms are of first grade. A strongly marked mental symptom will always rule out any number of poorly marked symptoms of LESSER GRADE. One should combine two rubrics that practically amount ot the same thing; e.g. aversion to company and better alone, though different, are sometimes difficult to sort on it. Similarly "worse in the darkness" and "fear of darkness".

2. Next come the Physical Generals (Time, Modalities, etc.) but they have got to be in CAPITALS (bold letters) or in italics in the PATIENT AS WELL AS IN THE REPERTORY, to take this rank; or to be safely used as eliminating symptoms. This means that the first One or Two symptoms which are to be used as "Eliminating Symptoms" (to "eliminate" or throw out those remedies in the remaining rubrics, which are not found in the first two rubrics, MUST BE in bold type or italics. The first two "eliminating rubrics" naturally have to be INDISPENSABLE, strong, well-marked and characteristic, to the case. If less important rubrics are used as "eliminative". the curative remedy itself may be thrown out.

3. The third grade General symptoms are Cravings and Aversions, not mere dislikes, but longings and likings; in corresponding types in the patient and the rubrics. For instance, if your patient is only a little restless, Ars. and Rhus tox, superlatively restless remedies, will be rather contra-indicated.

4. Go for the patient as a live entity, revealed by his general and mental symptoms in chief. The whole is greater than its part. But, in their position of secondary importance, you must go into the Particu­lars all the same, if only to confirm your choice of the drug. Among the particulars, your first-grade symp­toms will be those which are peculiar, unusual unexpected, or unaccountable.

5. If you are to be a good prescriber, study the drugs in the same way as you know people with their whims, fancies, cheerful or sad, loquacious or taciturn, who crave sweets or salt or meat or hate them; quarrelsome and fault finding or affectionate and mild, etc.

6. If you have a patient who is predominantly WORSE FROM HEAT, here is an Eliminating Symptom for you. Ruthlessly cut out all the remedies that are chilly. None of them you need write down at all. And so on, down all the remaining rubrics, mental, general and particular, you will carry that great eliminating symptom. For instance, with just two important symptoms alone (worse from heat and worse from consolation), which have got to be in equal type in the patient and in the drug, you have reduced your area of search to Lil-tig., Nat-mur and Plat.... If you get such marked eliminating symptoms to begin with, see what a comparatively small number of drugs you have to carry down through all the rubrics, and how much easier and quicker it is to get your remedy.... you will find that one drug stands out more and more pre-eminently-it maynot be in all the rubrics, but it has got to be in all the important ones, those best marked in the patient, and of highest grade in the repertory.

7. Totality means the CHARACTERISTIC TOTALITY; cease counting fingers and toes. A drug picture to be complete, does not consist of strings of little symp­toms, but of BROAD OUTLINES OF MENTAL AND PECULIAR symptoms-peculiar to one drug and distin­guishing it from all others. Get the strong, strange, peculiar symptoms, and then SEE TO IT THAT THERE ARE NO GENERALS IN THE CASE THAT OPPOSE OR CONTRADICT. 8. Many drugs can be got only by reading and studying their GENIUS. One of the veterans used to lay down his own law: "Read a drug a day, and two on Sundays." 9. When in a case there is a strongly marked mental symptom, use that as an Eliminating Symptom and while going through the remaining rubrics, record only those that have this mental symptom. 10. The amount of time and labour involved in finding the remedy be means of the REPERTORY may be immensely lightened if we realise the Grading of Symptoms - their relative value - and by using the highest grades as "Eliminating Symptoms."