Kent's Comparative Repertory of the Homoeopathic Materia Medica

Recensie

This book review is reprinted from The Homoeopath with permission from Nick Churchill of The Society of Homoeopaths.

reviewed by Terry Oliver

Editorial Note: In the March April Edition of Resonance the journal of the International Foundation for Homeopathy, Seattle, there was a book review of Kent's Comparative Repertory by Kokelenberg and Dockx. It was written by Linda Johnston of Van Nuys, California. Having obtained permission of the Editor for the mutual republication of articles I decided to use this very positive review in the Homoeopath, 9:1, 1989, which I now regret on ethical grounds. It appears that the US distributors of this Belgian publication are the Christine Kent Agency, and that this Agency is the trading name of Linda Johnston.

I have no objection to distributors praising their wares. (You should hear me on the subject of MacRepertory)! But the Editors should have explained this material fact before publishing their review so that the bias was public. I have commissioned another review of the book by Terry Oliver and will transmit this to Resonance via HomeoNet in the hope that balance can be restored. FT

This is a massive work in every sense, in terms of the time and effort in compilation, the physical size of the completed book, and the amount of time necessary for the reader to utilize it effectively.

The authors originally introduced the material as the basis for a series of seminars to homoeopaths in Belgium to review and update Kent's Repertory. The seminar transcripts were edited and published in Flemish, then translated into French and German. They are currently being translated into English and published on a quarterly subscription basis over a period of three years, which, to date, covers the Mind chapter, with over 200 pages, through to Face - Discoloration. Sources for extending the repertory include Barthel, Coulter, Vithoulkas, Schmidt, Paschero, Tyler and other highly respected teachers and writers.

The book systematically works through each rubric, and where necessary the rubric is redefined or explained. Great use is made of synonyms which frequently assist in converting the language of the patient into repertory terms. Explanations are often included to illustrate the differences between similar rubrics. When meanings are obvious the rubric is simply restated.

One aspect I found extremely useful is the wealth of cross-references which frequently pointed to rubrics I would never previously have considered. For example; the rubric Bad News, ailments from, shows Gelsemium as a remedy addition, in highest grade (the authors have used four degrees of grading), and gives the following page cross-references:

40 - Excitement after bad news
43 - Fear of hearing bad news
52 - Horrible things, sad stories affect her profoundly
76 - Sadness after bad news
319 - Trembling in ear after bad news
526 - Sensitiveness of the stomach to bad news
611 - Diarrhoea after bad news
1212 - Trembling hands after unpleasant news 1251 - Sleepiness after bad news
1265 - Chilliness from bad news
1298 - Perspiration from unpleasant news
1377 - Orgasm of blood from disagreable news

Many rubrics include differential diagnosis which discusses and compares the major remedies listed for a particular symptom. There are many new rubrics, some of which are synonyms or cross-references to other rubrics; the rest are totally new with their own list of remedies. I also noticed one entry for the rubric Excitement which gives the remedy Carlsbad and states ' ...you can remove this remedy. It is not used any more.'

The writing style is fairly informal and reflects the original presentation of the material at seminars. Occasionally there are humorous asides, though translation has not done them any favours. I felt some entries and interpretations were slightly questionable, not least the rubric Exhilaration, coition, after: Borax 'Has a downward motion aggravation'!

Overall this book offers great value ( and at around 200 pounds it needs to) in collating a vast amount of information from some of the best contemporary homoeopaths, as well as extending and redefining the repertory in more modern terms. However, it is difficult to see how it can best be used in practice. It is not a replacement repertory; it adds to Kent, but does not list the remedies given in the original repertory. The format of over 700 pages on double-sided A4 sheets in ring binders is not a practical constant reference system; and there is far too much information to write into an existing repertory, as everyone who has written in Vithoulkas' additions to the repertory will realize. Perhaps its greatest value might be, as originally intended, in teaching students how to find their way around Kent's Repertory, and in differential diagnosis between remedies, and it would be a worthwhile addition to a college library. I would also have liked some reference system, as in the Synthetic Repertory, to identify the sources of each addition.

The Homoeopath Vol.10 No.3 1990