Concordant Materia Medica

by Frans Vermeulen
a review by Paul Herscu ND, DHANP

The Concordant Materia Medica by Frans Vermeulen has replaced Boericke in my consulting room. Let me tell you why.

Using Boericke's Handbook of Materia Medica as a template, Vermeulen cuts and pastes all the information found in the following:

Additional material is added from Clarke's Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica, Kent's Repertory of the Homeopathic Materia Medica, and Vermeulen's Synoptic Materia Medica.

The result is a text which is true to the remedy provings while it incorporates the clinical experience from some of the best homeopaths of the last 140 years. One aspect that makes the Concordant Materia Medica so useful is the way the material is pasted in. Unlike Margaret Tyler's Homeopathic Drug Pictures, which sequentially adds information from various authors, Vermeulen seamlessly incorporates the various texts while preserving Boericke's basic paragraph and sentence structure. For example:

Extremities - Bruised pain on left internal malleolus. Tearing in the feet, at times in the soles, dorsum, heels or toes; in tarsal and metatarsal bones. 5Stiches in the hips on walking. 2Arms feel powerless. 4Boring in the joints. 6Rheumatic pains in limbs and back, <sitting, >lying down.

The first two symptoms are from Boericke. They are followed by symptoms from Allen (5), Phatak (2), Lippe (4), and Pulford (6), respectively. To give you a sense of how much these additions enhance the remedy descriptions lets compare a selection first from Boericke followed by Vermeulen.

Boericke:

RUTA GRAVEOLENS
(Rue-bitterwort)

Acts upon the periosteum and cartilages, eyes and uterus. Complaints from straining flexor tendons especially. Tendency to the formation of deposits in the periosteum, tendons, and about joints, especially wrist. Overstrain of ocular muscles. All parts of the body are painful, as if bruised. Sprains (after Arnica). Lameness after sprains. Jaundice. Feeling of intense lassitude, weakness and despair. Injured "bruised" bones.

Head - Pain as from a nail; after excessive intoxicating drinks. Periosteum sore. Epistaxis.

Eyes - Eye-strain followed by headache. Eyes red, hot and painful from sewing or reading fine print [Arg-n.; Nat-m.]. Disturbances of accommodation. Weary pain while reading. Pressure deep in orbits. Tarsal cartilage feels bruised. Pressure over eyebrow. Asthenopia.

Vermeulen:

RUTA GRAVEOLENS
Rue; Herb-of-Grace

Characteristics - acts upon the periosteum and cartilages, eyes and uterus. Complaints from straining flexor tendons especially. Tendency to the formation of deposits in the periosteum, tendons, and about joints, esp. wrist. Overstrain of ocular muscles. All parts of the body are painful, as if bruised. Sprains (after Arn). Lameness after sprains. Jaundice. Feeling of intense lassitude, weakness and despair. Injured "bruised" bones.

2Pains BRUISED; SORE, ACHING, & RESTLESSNESS. Heaviness; as of a weight in forehead or hanging to feet; or lower limbs. As of a rough blunt plug in part, head, nose, etc. Paralytic stiffness. Distortions. Gnawing, burning pains; neuralgia. Lameness after sprains. 7All parts of the body on which he lies are painful, as if bruised. 5Great restlessness, cannot keep his legs still, & heaviness. 4Fractures, and esp. dislocations. 6Nodules in tendons after sprains.

Mind - 2Dissatisfied with himself and others, and disposed to weep. Suspicious, imagines that he is always being deceived. Fretful, quarrels and contradicts. 8Starting from sleep from lightest touch. Delusion someone is behind him. FEAR OF DEATH DURING HEAT. Desire for light.

Head - Pain as from a nail; after excessive use of alcohol. Periosteum sore. 2stitches < reading. 5Heat in the head, & anxious restlessness. Shooting pain in forehead, extending to temples. Pains in the temple, as from a blow, extending to occiput. Pains externally, as from a fall. 7Pulsative, pressive pain in the head.

Eyes - Eye-strain followed by headache. Eyes red, hot and painful from sewing or reading fine print [Arg-n.; Nat-m.]. Disturbances of accommodation. Weary pain while reading. Pressure deep in orbits. Tarsal cartilage feels bruised. Pressure over eyebrow. Asthenopia. 2Lachrymation. Itching in inner canthi; 7and on lower lids, smarting after rubbing; eyes become full of water. Cramp in lower lids followed by profuse lachrymation. Green circle around the light in the evening. 7Coldness beneath left eye. 4Eyes burn like fire.

The amount of additional information varies from remedy to remedy, however it is accurate to say that there are many additions. Vermeulen emphasizes and codes several types of symptoms: Concomitants (&), alternating symptoms (#), etiologies (=) and pains extending (arrow pointing to the right). Symptom gradations appear as they did in their original texts.

At 1018 pages the Concordant Materia Medica is no thicker than Boericke (including Oscar Boericke's Repertory), yet it is definitely small enough to pack around. Measuring in at about 6 by 9 inches is quite a feat since it actually condensed 3807 pages of materia medica. The book is very well constructed; with a good cover and binding, high quality paper and alphabetical thumb marks. The print is sharp and the layout is easy on the eyes.

In recent years insightful homeopaths have expanded and deepened our understanding of homeopathic remedies. Those of us in practice today owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the authors of these new works. However, we must not overlook the pure materia medicas (provings) - whose language of symptoms is the closest simillimum to the language of our patients, or the experience of homeopaths who treated such a wide range of infectious and chronic diseases.

While Frans Vermeulen incorporates new information into his Concordant Materia Medica, for the most part it is a celebration of the pioneering work of those who lay the foundation for our homeopathic materia medica - the provers and early homeopathic physicians of the profession.