We present to you a case of Dr. Samuel Hahnemann recorded on page 91 of Homoeopathy Explained by Dr. J.H.Clarke. Presented alongwith is its analysis by Dr. Clarke.

'sch---, a washerwoman, somewhere about forty years old, had been more than three weeks unable to earn her bread when she consulted me on September 1, 1815.

"1. On any movement, especially at every step, and worse on making a false step, she has a shock in the pit of the stomach, that comes, as she avers, every time from the left side.

"2. When she lies she feels quite well; then she has no pain anywhere, neither in the side nor at the pit of stomach.

"3. She cannot sleep after 3 a.m.

"4. She relishes her food, but when she has eaten a little she feels sick.

"5. Then water collects in her mouth and runs out of it like water-brash.

"6. She has frequent empty eructations after every meal.

"7. Her temper is passionate, disposed to anger. When the pain is severe she is covered with perspiration. The catamenia was quite regular in a fortnight since.

"In other respects her health is good."

          This is the case, and whether you choose to call it "indigestion," "gastralgia," "biliousness," or by any other name you are not advanced one bit on the path of cure. But what happened in Hahnemann's mind on the unrolling of this film? It immediately started the unrolling of several corresponding Materia medica films. And this is how Hahnemann tells the story of them:-

"Now as regards Symptom 1, Belladona, China and Rhus toxicodendron cause shooting in the pit of the stomach on making a false step, but none of them only on movement, as is the case here. Pulsatilla certainly causes shooting in the pit of the stomach on making a false step, but only as a rare alternating action, and has neither the same digestive derangements as occur here at 4, compared with 5 and 6, nor the same state of the disposition.

"Bryonia" alone has among its chief alternating actions, as the whole list of its symptoms demonstrates, pain from movement, and especially shooting pains, as also stitches beneath the sternum (in the pit of the stomach) on raising the arm, and on making a false step it causes shooting in other parts.

"The negative symptom 2 met with here answers especially to Bryonia; few medicines (with the exception, perhaps of Nux vomica and Rhus toxicodendron in their alternating action - neither of which, however, is suitable for the other symptoms) show a complete relief to pains during rest and when lying; Bryonia does, however, in an especial manner.

'symptom 3 is met with in several medicines, and also in Bryonia.

'symptom 4 is certainly as far as regards sickness after eating, met with in several other medicines (Ignatia,Nux vomica, Mercurius, Ferrum, Belladona, Pulsatilla, Cantharis), but neither so constantly and commonly, nor with relish for food, as in Bryonia.

"As regards Symptom 5, several medicines certainly cause a flow of water like water-brash, just as well as Bryonia; the others however, do not produce symptoms similar to the remaining ones. Hence Bryonia is to be preferred in this particular.

"Empty eructations (of wind only) after eating (Symptom 6) is found in few medicines, and in none so constantly, so commonly and to such a degree, as in Bryonia.

"To 7, one of the chief symptoms in diseases (see Organon, sec. 213) is the 'state of disposition,' and as Bryonia causes this symptom also in an exactly similar manner, Bryonia is for all these reasons to be preferred in this case to all other medicines as the homoeopathic remedy."

So much for the selection of the remedy. Here we can see an admirable display of Hahnemann's mind at work. As he elicited the symptoms one by one, the "films" of all the medicines the names began to unroll themselves in his mind, and the Bryonia film fitted much more closely to the case than any of the others. Though much space is required to tell the story, the action in Hahnemann's mind was almost instantaneous.

Now let us have the dosage of the remedy given and the sequel. Hahnemann says:-

"Now as this woman was very robust, and the force of the disease must consequently have been very considerable to prevent her, on account of the pain, doing any work; and as her vital powers, as stated, were not impaired, I gave her one of the strongest homoeopathic doses, a full drop of the undiluted juice of Bryonia root to be taken immediately, and bade her come to me again in forty-eight hours. I told my friend E., who was present, that within that time the woman would assuredly be quite cured; but he, being but half converted to Homoeopathy, expressed his doubts about it. Five days afterwards he came again to learn the result, but the woman did not return then and, in fact, never came back again. I could only allay the impatience of my friend by telling him her name and that of the village where she lived, about a mile-and-a-half off, and advising him to seek her out and ascertain for himself how she was: 'What was the use of my going back? The very next day I was quite well, as I am still. I am extremely obliged to the doctor, but the like of us have no time to leave off our work; and for three weeks previously my illness prevented me earning anything."

Here most assuredly the academic name of the disease was nothing to the prescriber, and the name of the medicine nothing to the patient. But Hahnemann found the substance into which Nature had packed the vibrations corresponding to the vibrations of the disease, and the former vanquished by the latter. The undiluted juice of the root was given, and that must be something stronger than the mother tincture, as it does not appear to have had any alcohol mixed with it. But a cm. potency could not have acted more effectually.

As I have said above, Hahnemann's "medicine-films" had to a large extent been created by his own experiments on himself. It looks a very simple matter for anybody to swallow a drachm of the ø (or the mother tincture) of Bryonia and to experience a great many pains and aches in consequence. Truly this is quite easy. But to observe all these sensations accurately, depict them clearly in all their true characteristics and arrange them so that they may be available for use by all succeeding generations - to conceive of the possibility of doing this, and to execute the work, demanded genius of the very highest order, a supreme artist as well as a master in all that goes to make up medical science. That the world of general medicines does not yet know Hahnemann is by no means wonderful. He is still far and away beyond their range and reach.