Copyright ©2007 by Gaby Rottler
All Rights Reserved
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Organon der Heilkunst, 6. Auflage
Aph. 13 Daher ist Krankheit (die nicht der manuellen Chirurgie anheimfaellt), keinesweges wie von den Alloeopathen geschieht, als ein vom lebenden Ganzen, vom Organism und von der ihn belebenden Dynamis gesondertes, innerlich verborgnes, obgleich noch so fein gedachtes Wesen (ein Unding*), was bloss in materiellen Köpfen entstehen konnte und der bisherigen Medicin seit Jahrtausenden alle die verderblichen Richtungen gegeben hat die sie zu einer wahren Unheilkunst schufen) zu betrachten.
*) Materia peccans
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ENGLISH VERSION:
Dudgeon, 6th.ed. (found as The Organon online on http://www.simillibus.com)
DIFFERENT TRANSLATIONS IN [ ] BY GABY ROTTLER:
§ 13 Therefore disease (that does not come within the province of manual
surgery) considered, as it is by the allopathists, as a thing separate from the living
whole, from the organism and its animating vital force, and hidden in the interior, be it
ever so subtle a character, is an absurdity, that could only be imagined by minds of a
materialistic stamp, and has for thousands of years given to the prevailing system of
medicine all those pernicious impulses that have made it a truly mischievous (non-healing)
art.
[Therefore disease (that does not come within the province of manual surgery) is in no way considered, as it is by the allopathists, as a being -so delicate it may ever be thought - separated from the living whole, from the organism and its animating dynamis, hidden in the interior (an absurdity*), that could only be imagined by material minds and has for thousands of years given to the prevailing system of medicine all those pernicious directions that have made it a truly mischievous (non-healing) art. GR]
*) Materia peccans
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COMMENT BY GABY ROTTLER:
Hahnemann excludes diseases that have to be approached by surgeons. What sorts
of diseases can that be: In the introduction he writes:
"They merely followed the example of crude instinctive nature in her efforts, which are barely successful even in the slighter cases of acute disease; they merely imitated the unreasoning life-preserving power when left to itself in diseases, which, entirely dependent as it is upon the organic laws of the body, is only capable of acting in conformity with these laws, and is not guided by reason and reflection they copied nature, which cannot, like an intelligent surgeon, bring together the gaping lips of a wound and by their union effect a cure; which knows not how to straighten and adjust the broken ends of a bone lying far apart and exuding much (often an excess of) new osseous matter; which cannot put a ligature on a wounded artery, but in its energy causes the patient to bleed to death; which does not understand how to replace a dislocated shoulder, but by the swelling it occasions round about it soon presents an obstacle to reduction; which, in order to remove a foreign body from the cornea, destroys the whole eye by suppuration; which, with all its efforts, can only liberate a strangulated hernia by gangrene of the bowel and death;"
So these are some of the examples which should be handled by a surgeon:- - bring together the gaping lips of a wound and by their union effect a cure
- - straighten and adjust the broken ends of a bone lying far apart
- - put a ligature on a wounded artery
- - replace a dislocated shoulder
- - remove a foreign body from the cornea
- - liberate a strangulated hernia
So, we can clearly see here: When a big artery is wounded, and somebody is going to bleed to death - then it's necessary to put a ligature around the artery first - and _afterwards_ give the indicated remedy. If bones are broken - first the adjustments have to be done - and then Symphytum might be indicated. These causes of possible diseases are clearly to be removed before any treatment is necessary.
What does he mean with Materia peccans: obnoxious substances that the old allopaths wanted to eliminit from the living organism by giving laxatives and others . In the preface he writes: "In order to give a general notion of the treatment of diseases pursued by the old school of medicine (allopathy) it may be observed that it presupposes the existence sometimes of excess of blood (plethora - which is never present), sometimes of morbid matters and acridities; hence it taps off the life's blood and exerts itself either to clear away the imaginary disease-matter or to conduct it elsewhere (by emetics, purgatives, sialogogues, diaphoretics, diuretics, drawing plasters, setons, issues, etc.), in the vain belief that the disease will thereby be weakened and materially eradicated; "
These imaginary substances of disease were some of the rocks the old medicine was based on. Perhaps this is understandable because it's always easier to fight a 'foe' with a material body. The clearer the imagination about an enemy that can't be seen the easier it seems to find ways to combat him.
For Hahnemann, disease doesn't exist isolated. Perhaps we can find an analogy in contemplating the current view of bacterial and viral diseases. Let's take Escherichia coli (E.coli) , a bacterium that inhabits our intestines. When an organism is in health, is balanced, there are no symptoms to be seen of this inhabitant. But, a lot of triggers might influence this bacterium, to multiply and several serotypes cause , among other diseases, quite nasty diarrhea, UTIs etc. Is E.coli to be regarded as a foe, an enemy , that has to be fought? ( Of, course, nowadays, we can put a face to this enemy, in our microscopes after special stainings we can clearly identify him.) We don't use laxatives or purgatives today for eliminating such a 'morbific substance' - as it probably would have been called in older days - but modern medicine fights this baterium with antibiotics. That these antibiotics don't limit themselves to attack E. coli, we all know. So it's not E.coli that's the disease. We just know some of the factors that may lead to dysbalances in the intestines (and speculate about the others) - but we can clearly see and perceive the symptoms that are produced by the vital force.