Companion to Synthesis

INTRODUCTION

The Companion to Synthesis helps the homeopath more easily find symptoms in Synthesis. Starting from more than 1,600 concepts one can find the best corresponding repertory symptoms. Or find the precise repertory symptom based on the 5,400-word index.

Concepts were introduced with Synthesis 7 (1997). They represent ideas, sometimes concrete, such as a disease name, sometimes more abstract, such as a general term, e.g. malevolence. Each of these concepts contains a number of Synthesis symptoms that are related to it. The concept becomes your starting point to find the repertory symptom that perfectly fits the patient.

With Synthesis 9.1, for the first time, this wealth of information becomes available for the book user, not just for the software user. Here are some clarifications about the three parts of the Companion to Synthesis.

I. CONCEPTS: ALPHABETICAL INDEX
The first chapter shows an alphabetical listing of concepts. This is how this alphabetical listing was created.

A concept is structured in a hierarchical way. For example, "First aid measures for respiratory ailments at high altitude" has been structured as "First Aid - Altitude; ailments from high - respiration".

Each of these three levels could be the "leading level" in our alphabet. We have chosen to put the most striking level first. In this example, this is: "Altitude; ailments from high". "First Aid" and "respiration" are more common expressions.

In the alphabetical listing you will find this concept under the letter "A" for altitude, followed by the specification "respiration". Other ailments due to high altitude will be next to this concept in the list, e.g. "vertigo".

In addition, we have indicated the remainder of the concept between brackets, following the leading level, to show you the context. The final way that the above concepts are listed, therefore becomes:
Altitudes; ailments from high - Respiration (First Aid)
Altitudes; ailments from high - Vertigo (First Aid)

This alphabetical listing of concepts shows the number of remedies and the related symptoms per concept:
Altitudes; ailments from high - Respiration (First Aid) (37 remedies, 9 symptoms)

These 37 remedies are the major remedies related to the concept as a whole. These remedies were obtained by repertorizing the symptoms of the concept utilizing the strategy "Sum of Symptoms and Degrees". If a large number of remedies ensued from such a repertorization, then only the 25 to 30 most important remedies were displayed.

Two additional features allow you to decide which remedy is more important: The remedy appears in the highest degree in which it appears in any symptom of the related concept. If the remedy related to the concept is in third degree, it means that it figures in third degree in at least one of the symptoms of that concept.

The remedies have a figure in subscript that indicates the "Sum of Symptoms" for that remedy (Ars.12, Bell.8, CARC.7, etc.).

The goal of presenting this information about the remedies related to a concept is not to replace the use of the precise rubrics. In fact, some concepts may be too general to use their listed remedies as the sole resource. But for many concepts these remedies will be a useful reminder of the main remedies to consider, without needing to search in the full Synthesis.

Some concepts are very similar or even identical, such as "aggressiveness". One reason is that in the first instance "aggressiveness" relates to more general symptoms and in the second instance "aggressiveness" is towards family members. You need to read the whole concept to be aware of the distinction.
aggressiveness (Children - Constitution)
aggressiveness (Children - Family; attitude towards)

In the Companion to Synthesis more precise information for Concepts is available: each concept is followed by a list of related Synthesis symptoms. These symptoms appear in the alphabetical order of the chapters: a symptom from chapter Abdomen will come first, if the concept starts with this chapter.

In the book, where you will need to look up the symptom, the chapters are in the Kentian order. This difference is because in the printed Repertory there is a bookmark and a cover page with an indication of the chapters. This allows you to quickly find a chapter, even if they are not sorted alphabetically.

Such a bookmark cannot be added to each list of symptoms of a concept. To enable a quick and efficient search, the symptom lists in the Companion are therefore presented alphabetically.

Each symptom itself is followed by the number of remedies, then, if applicable, the number of cross-references and the page number in Synthesis:

VERTIGO - HIGH - places (18 R/, 1 XR, pg. 250)

R/ indicates the number of remedies for that symptom; XR, the number of cross-references and pg. indicates the page number in Synthesis 9.1. This information will help you to decide which Synthesis symptom you want to look up.

The 1,600 Concepts included in this chapter focus on these themes:

They provide an easier a way of finding the more than 24,000 symptoms to which they are connected.

II. CONCEPTS: MAJOR CATEGORIES
Some specific concepts have been selected to be included in this second chapter "Major Categories". These categories include:

These concepts are based on the search possibilities of Radar. For each concept, the symptoms are listed which contain the related keyword. The concept "infants" shows all symptoms that contain the word "infants".

The Mental symptoms section is the exception to this. This chapter has been reprinted showing its original structure in the Table of Contents. Mental symptoms have been divided into different categories and showing this structure offers an additional way to more easily find information.

The presentation of these concepts is identical to the alphabetical listing.

III. INDEX OF WORDS
This chapter lists the most important words in Synthesis, followed by the page numbers where they can be found. The chapter name precedes the page number so that you can easily see to which chapter a certain symptom belongs. Numbers in bold indicate a rubric on level 2 (Face - veins).

Some words are very similar, such as the plural and the single of the same word (tumor and tumors). These are computer generated lists and as such present the words in their various forms. Hence, you need to look at both words to select your page.

This has been a short description of a very valuable and innovative way to find information in Synthesis. We hope that Synthesis book users will now benefit from these additional possibilities of finding symptoms.

Frederik Schroyens
Gent, July 22, 2004