Prescribing on the basis of Constitutional or General Characteristic Symptoms

In "Lesser writings" Dr. Kent states that there are no fixed types of constitution. They vary according to the combinations of characteristic, generals, and characteristic particulars symptoms of the sick individual. The general characteristic symptoms are also called as constitutional symptoms of the patient. General symptoms are the most valuable because they pertain to the patient as a whole to be cured.

General symptoms consist of:

1. General Modalities of the patients
2. General Mental Symptoms of the patient
3. General Physical makeup of the patient

The characteristic totality of the dynamic symptoms of the psycho-physical personality given by the comprehension of the patient through his character, his affection, his hatreds, and aversions, habits of life, profession, emotional accidents, disease, intoxifications and everything which constitutes his personal history gives the picture of his chronic disease condensed in the characteristic complex.

This characteristic complex represents the totality of the symptoms of the patient, the clinical synthesis of the morbid processes and so the rear expression of the primary vital perturbation which dynamically produces the actual pathology. It is this synthesis of the clinical problem that the homoeopathic diagnosis points to, with the clear conscience that homoeopathy only seeks to cure the chronic disease in its etiological and constitutional aspects and not in its terminal physio-pathological manifestations which are its consequence.

The Kent's repertory is based upon general and particular characteristic symptoms in which he advises the homeopaths to collect all general symptoms of the patient as well as particular characteristic symptoms. He should repertorise the general symptoms first and find the Simillimum, if one remedy comes out then there is no further need for Repertorization. But if two or more remedies come up then all the particular symptoms should be taken up and repertorise. The remedy that scores maximum marks on the basis of both general and particular symptoms should be selected as the Simillimum and administered to the patient in high potency or in a series of potencies when its effect declines.

Some of the important constitutional symptoms are:

Constitutional Symptoms	Remedy
Chilly, Worse in wet whether, cold water, during full moon and better lying on painful side ( Bry, Puls). Head sweats profusely while sleeping, wetting pillow for around (Sil, Sanic). Coldness of single parts, girls who are fleshy, plethoric and grow too rapidly. Dispose to grow fat. Deformed bones. Slowness in general and calculation is the most difficult task (Mathematics). Fear of suffering, pain, operation, hospital, dentist. Sensitive to cruelties; can't bear to see cruelties in movies.	Calcarea Carb
Children weak and emaciated, with well developed head but puny sickly bodies. Babies cries all the day but sleeps all night, hard for inferiors, kind for superiors, quarrel aversion to, victorial, dominating, power love of, boaster, rich vicious to be considered, dread full of men; of solitude,  fear of being alone. Worse from 4 to 8 PM, better from loosening garments; uncovering the head, affects right side or symptoms goes from right to left	Lycopodium
Adapted to thin, irritable, careful, jealous persons of bilious or sanguine temperaments. Ailments from honor wounded, fear; opinion of others, dispose to quarrelsome, spiteful, malicious; nervous and melancholic. Prone to indigestion and piles. Persons of an ardent character. Anxiety with irritability and inclination to commit suicide, but is afraid to die. Hypochondriac, literary, studious persons, who are too much at home, suffer from gastric complaints, ineffectual constipation; especially in drunkards. Oversensitive to external impressions; to noise, to odors, light or music; trifling ailments are unbearable; every harmless word offends. Worse at morning; waking at 4 AM, mental exertion after eating or overeating, touch, noise, anger, spices, narcotics, dry whether; in cold air. Better in evening, while at rest; lying down, in damp wet whether, walking.	Nux Vomica
Great sadness and weeping, dread of being alone, of men; of meeting friends; with uterine troubles. Indifferent; even to ones own family, to those whom  she loves best; to ones occupation. Great falling of hair after chronic headaches or at the climacteric. Dreams; rape of, threats of rape, pursued for the purpose of rape. Ailments; after sexual excesses, anxiety, irritability, restlessness, sadness, prostration of mind, after coition, aggravation before a thunderstorm (Psor), better from hot applications, violent exercise, warmth of bed. Antidotes mental effects of over use of tobacco, in patients of sedentary habits who suffer from over mental excretion.	Sepia
Persons of nervous temperaments, quick motion, quick tempered, plethoric, skin excessively sensitive to atmospheric changes. For lean stoop shouldered persons who walk and sit stooping; walks stooping, like old man. Standing is the worst position, they cannot stand. Cannot bear to be washed or bathed (in cold water; Ant Crude), emaciated big belly, restless, hot, kick off the clothes at night. Complaints that are continuously relapsing, where well selected remedies fails to produce a favorable effect. Sensation of burning; on vertex, and smarting in eyes in face, without redness, of vesicles in mouth, in rectum, in chest, of skin or whole body. Irritability; remorse easy and quick. Religious speculations dwells upon asking "Who made God". Better in dry warm whether, lying on right side.	Sulphur
Adapted to persons of light complexion; blue eyes, blond in preference to brunette; tall, slims, flat, narrow cheat; active and precocious mentality, weak physically; the tubercular diathesis. Symptoms are ever changing; ailments affecting one organ, then another, beginning suddenly, ceasing suddenly. Takes cold easily without knowing how or where. Emaciation rapid and pronounced; loosing flesh while eating well. School girls headache, aggravated by study or slight mental exertion; when using eyes in close work and glasses fails to ameliorate. Change desire for, wander desire to, travel desire to, emmui. Precocity, hopeful, anger; throws things away, knocking his head against walls and things, desire to pull one's hair, breaking things, tear things. Fear; of dogs, cats, something will happen.	Tuberculinum

Updated on: 01 Feb 2010