Personality :: Personality Taint – a window to successful prescribing

According to the Webster’s New World Dictionary ‘Personality’ is: “Habitual patterns and qualities of behavior of any individual as expressed by physical and mental activities and attitudes; distinctive individual qualities.”

Every individual can present three different kinds of personality:
(a) Personality during the normal state of health.
(b) Personality under the influence of a disease.
(c) Personality under the influence of a drug (medicinal substance).

Hahnemann defines the qualities of healthy state of any individual person as under in Aphorism No.9 of his “ORGANON OF MEDICINE”:
“In the healthy condition of man, the spiritual vital force (autocracy), the dynamis that animates the material body (organism), rules with unbounded sway, and retains all the parts of the organism in admirable, harmonious, vital operation, as regards both sensations and functions, so that our indwelling, reason-gifted mind can freely employ this living, healthy instrument for the higher purposes of our existence.”

In the healthy state of man his personality remains rational. When a person falls ill his personality becomes deviated from his healthy personality. To accurately picture out this deviated personality, i. e. personality under the influence of a disease, Hahnemann says in Aphorism 6 (ibid):
“The unprejudiced observer – …..takes note of nothing in every individual disease, except the changes in the health of the body and of the mind (morbid phenomena, accidents, symptoms) which can be perceived externally by means of the senses; that is to say, he notices only the deviations from the former healthy state of the now diseased individual, which are felt by the patient himself, remarked by those around him and observed by the physician. All these perceptible signs represent the disease in its whole extent, that is, together they form the true and only conceivable portrait of the disease.”

And in respect to the law of the power of medicine for affecting any man, Hahnemann says in Aphor.32 (ibid):
“But it is quite otherwise with the artificial morbific agents which we term medicines. Every real medicine, namely, acts at all times, under all circumstances, on every living human being, and produces in him its peculiar symptoms (distinctly perceptible, if the dose be large enough), so that evidently every living human organism is liable to be affected, and, as it were, inoculated with the medicinal disease at all times, and absolutely (unconditionally),……”

He further clarifies that the medicinal substances have the power of deranging the health of the man unconditionally whereas the morbific noxious agents and infectious miasms i. e. natural diseases can derange the health of the man only in certain conditions and only certain individuals see Aphor. 33 (ibid):
“In accordance with this fact, it is undeniably shown by all experience that the living human organism is much more disposed and has a greater liability to be acted on, and to have its health deranged by medicinal powers, than by morbific noxious agents and infectious miasms, or, in other words, that the morbific noxious agents possess a power of morbidly deranging man”s health that is subordinate and conditional, often very conditional; whilst medicinal agents have an absolute unconditional power, greatly superior to the former.”

It is a proven fact that all medicinal substances have the power to derange the man’s health unconditionally. On the basis of this natural law ‘Personalities under the influence of various medicines’ are processed through individually proving them on various healthy and sensitive individual human beings so that the true picture of the power of each medicinal substance is known clearly (our Materia Medica has been constructed on this basis). Only this fact that the living human organism is much more disposed and has a greater liability to be acted on, and to have its health deranged by medicinal powers, is not sufficient to prove their power to cure natural diseases. They only can perform a cure if any medicinal substance is capable of producing in the human body an artificial disease as similar as possible to the disease to be cured. This fact is described by Hahnemann in Aphor. 34 (ibid):
“The greater strength of the artificial diseases producible by medicines is, however, not the sole cause of their power to cure natural diseases. In order that they may effect a cure, it is before all things requisite that they should be capable of producing in the human body an artificial disease as similar as possible to the disease to be cured,”

Simultaneously the dose of thus selected similar disease producing medicine must be somewhat stronger than the disease to be cured, i. e. the power of the dose of such similar medicine must be strong enough to produce a similar disease in the sick person than the disease to be cured. See Aphor. 48 (ibid):
“Neither in the course of nature, …., nor by the physician”s art, can an existing affection or malady in any one instance be removed by a dissimilar morbific agent, be it ever so strong, but solely by one that is similar in symptoms and is somewhat stronger, according to eternal, irrevocable laws of nature, which have not hitherto been recognized.”

Thus Hahnemann says with confidence in Aphor. 53 (ibid) that homoeopathic method is the only method to obtain true mild cures:
“The true mild cures take place only according to the homoeopathic method, which, as we have found (# 7-25) by experience and deduction, is unquestionably the proper one by which through art the quickest, most certain and most permanent cures are obtained since this healing art rests upon an eternal infallible law of nature.
The pure homoeopathic healing art is the only correct method, the one possible to human art, the straightest way to cure, as certain as that there is but one straight line between two given points”.

When one goes through the Materia Medica one finds various symptoms very similar in a number of medicines, yet every medicine differs a lot from any other medicine in spite of similarity in various aspects among two or more medicines. The differentiating factor between the medicines may be called as the personality taint or the peculiar personality. Whenever one is able to identify the personality taint of the disease, which is especially in mental sphere, enables to select the curative medicine, which has similar personality taint in its pathogenesy.

I may be allowed to quote a few examples from my own experience:

1. Brig. (retired) G.. aged 75 years, suffered from an attack of hemiplegia in 1985. He received treatment at Military Hospital and got well. But, he developed complete anorexia. After examination at the M. H. no abnormality was found, and as such he was not prescribed any medicine. At this stage I was asked by one of his acquaintance if Homoeopathy could help him. I told that he can be helped provided I could get his symptom picture. I was told that it was not possible to ask him because who will dare to ask him. However his wife can tell whatever she knows about his symptoms. On enquiry she told that whenever he is asked about meals or about his desire for food he becomes furious.
He had been head of a Central Government Department having directorates all over India and had been very rigid and disciplined officer whole his service life i.e. he was of very dominating nature, so, I prescribed Nux vomica 200 with placebo. It promptly produced the desired effect. After four days he himself desired to meet me. His aversion to food vanished in a few days. Within three months he gained four kilos of body weight. He remained well thereafter till his death. He occasionally used to come to see me.

Comments – Nux vomica has produced the following symptoms during proving among other symptoms (Allen’ Encyclopaedia and Hering’s Guiding Symptoms), hence Nux vomica was selected:
* Taciturn, as if averse to everything, [Allen].
* Scornful, peevish, inclined to be angry (after one hour), [Allen].
– ?? Suits very particular, careful, zealous persons, inclined to get angry or excited, or of a spiteful, malicious disposition. [Hering]
– ?? Irritable, morose, sullen; quarrelsome if disturbed. [Hering]
– ? Irritable, angry disposition, anxious concern about little things. ? Chlorosis.[Hering]
– ? Fiery, excited temperament; violent; sensational. [Hring]
– ? Very much inclined to violently reproach others for their faults. [Hering]
– ?? Ill-humored, resists obstinately the wishes of others. [Hering]
– || Is sullen and obstinate; would not eat nor speak; eyes large, congested; urine high colored, with mealy sediment. ? Mania. [Hering]

2. In the year 1989 a man about 35 yeas old came to me for urticaria from which he was suffering for quite some years. I gave him Urtica urens 200 on the basis of the symptoms he related. It gave some relief. But the tendency persisted.
On one visit he told that whenever he takes butter or ghee his urticaria immediately relapses. On this symptom I prescribed him Pulsatilla 200 which cured him promptly and permanently.
He was of a man of mild temperament.
Comments – Pulsatilla is one of our first grade remedy which causes and aggravates the complaint after fats and butter.

3. Mrs. S…aged 37 came to my clinic on date 27-05-1996. She had the following symptoms:
Craving for sweets, but on eating even a little in the tea she gets ulcers on the tip of tongue which spread in the whole buccal cavity and even into the oesophagus.
Acidity – much burning in the stomach.
Sour eructations and pyrosis.
Loss of appetite.
Thirst < in the night.
Menses late, irregular and painful.
Periodical one sided pain, she had an episode of such severe pain in right side of her head.
Anticipation, agitation and palpitation on hearing any kind of news.
Forgetfulness.
Temperament very irritable.
Argentum nitricum 200 alone cured her permanently; last dose was given on 28-6-96.
Comments – Argentum nit. Some of the prominent symptoms from “A Dictionary of practical homoeopathic Materia Medica” by J. H. Clarke:
Mind – Mental anxiety.
Mouth – Papellae prominent, erect, feeling sore; tipof tongue red and painful. –
Ptyalism.
Throat – Rawness, soreness and scraping in throat. – Burning and dryness in fauces and pharynx. – Ulcers mercurial, syphilitic and scrophulous.
Appetite – Irresistible desire for sugar (but it <).
Stomach – Gnawing ulcerative pain in epigastrium.

4. Miss U….aged 23, suffering from chronic bronchial trouble visited my chamber on 29-10-97. her symptoms were as follows:
Tendency of recurring coryza since 1992. She used to get running nose and sneezing bouts on slightest change of climate.
Coryza always followed by cough and breathing difficulty. During these attacks has to keep sitting up in bed to ease her breathing.
Cough < lying down.
Wheezing respiration.
Dryness of moth.
Difficulty in swallowing.
Loss of appetite.
Craving for salt.
Menstrual functions normal.
P. H. She had a love affair and was desirous to marry her lover but her parents did not agree to this relation as such she was too much depressed due to the failure in love. And she remained in mental depression for quite some time. After this incident she started suffering with the above complaints.
Her treatment was started with Hyoscyamus niger 200 and was finished with Natrum mur. 200, Last medicine was given on 19-02-1998. And she was permanently cured.
Comments : Hyoscyamus Nig. (The Dictionary of Practical Homoeopathic M. M. – Clarke)
Mind – Melancholy, from unfortunate love, with rage or inclination to laugh at every thing.
Respiratory Organs – Constant cough when lying down, which ceases on rising up. – The cough is < at night (after midnight), when at rest, during sleep, in the cold air, from eating and drinking.
Chest – Oppression and embarrassed and rattling respiration. – Spasm in the chest, with shortness of breath, which forces the patient to bend forward.
Matrum mur. (ibid)
Causation – Disappointment.
Nose – Violent coryza, fluent or dry with loss of smell and taste and sneezing.
Chest – Breath short and chest tight.
Kent says in ‘Lectures on Homoeopathic M. M.)
Natrum mur. – Unrequited affection brings on complaints.
– She is unable to control her affections and falls in love with a married man.
– She knows that it is foolish, but lies awake with love for him.
– She falls in love with a coachman.
– She knows that she is unwise, but cannot help it.

5. Mr. M… D.. aged 44 years. First consultation on 08-12-1980.
Somewhat soft tumor on the condyle of the right elbow, noticed about 15 or 20 days ago. It was as larger than a betel nut. It was painless, only slight pain when he used to rest the elbow on table or some hard surface.
Pterygium in right eye.
Baggy swelling under the eyes.
Hepar sulph. 200. Last medicine was given on 31-01-1981
The tumor vanished completely with in a span of less than two months.
In this case there were no prominent guiding symptoms, so I looked in Kent’s Repertory – Extremities – Tumor – Elbow there is only one medicine in italics – Hepar sulph. I prescribed it, and it did the job.

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“Doon Ratna” Dr. S. K. MAMGAIN Gold Medalist
MAMGAIN HOMOEO CLINIC
218, D.L. ROAD, DEHRA DUN – 248 001
E-MAIL: drmamgain@vsnl.net