© SOH : Page 1

A Beginner's Guide to Rubrics & Repertorisation

When repertorising the idea is to reflect the case in rubrics as clearly as possible. You could begin by
thinking about what is most unusual and characteristic in the case and which are the themes it centres
around? Try to choose your rubrics so that they tell the 'story' of the case as much as possible. Casework
guidelines will help you relate these to the full context of case analysis.

As a beginner’s rule of thumb, you may find it effective to use a maximum of six to eight rubrics. It is
important to choose those which are most descriptive of the patient’s suffering. You may sometimes
use as few as 3 or 4, choosing those which you know to be most characteristic and with the aim that
together the 'story' of the case and the development of pathology is told. If you choose many without
due care, then it is usual that only well represented polycrests will come through - this could hide the
unique remedy that you want behind a spurious foreground.

The most useful rubrics to form the basis of your repertorisation are medium sized rather than very
large. In large rubrics most of the remedies come through – this in turn makes the next task of
differential analysis more complex; in tiny rubrics, however, very few remedies obviously come through.
With tiny rubrics it is usually best to note them separately (using them later as a confirmation in
differential analysis) unless they seem to be central to the case, in which instance you may include
them. Do bear in mind that too many small rubrics can unbalance your repertorisation or may not show
any remedies coming through. Sometimes it is useful to try out different repertorisation strategies!

Avoid using several rubrics that repeat the same theme. If you find that two rubrics are saying the same
thing, then you could ask yourself, which is really most relevant and best reflects the theme/s of the
case? For example 'desires company' and 'fear of being alone' are similar, so which is most characteristic
in the case? Which drives the other? If you feel it is necessary, it is also possible to join two rubrics
together into an inclusive new rubric. For instance, you can theme a case and then join up smaller
rubrics that best express the theme/s. When doing this, allow the highest grade in an individual rubric to
come through unchanged in the new combination rubric.

It is good to maintain a balance between mental, general and physical symptoms, unless the case is
obviously very one sided. If you find that you are focusing on one aspect, then check that this really is
representative. In a chronic case we might have, for example, three mental/ emotional rubrics to one or
two physicals and one or two generals. The best physicals and generals are those that you see as relating
to the theme of the case and therefore connect in some way to the mental/ emotional symptoms. Or a
physical particular may be included because it is striking and unusual, a strange, rare and peculiar (SRP)
symptom.

To sum up, before repertorising the case, check out your rubrics, and ask yourself:
• Do my chosen rubrics accurately reflect the essential features/themes of the case?
• Are my choices grounded in the facts of the case & the symptoms of the case?
• Are there too many rubrics? Have the main characteristics got lost in multiplicity?
• Have I focussed too much on only one aspect of the case?
• Are all possible levels of pathology represented (M, E, G & P)?

For more advanced prescribers: When you come to analyse your repertorisation, to tot up the score, you
may find it useful to pay less attention to gradings, bold, italic and plain and more to frequency of
occurrence. This becomes especially relevant when considering lesser known and newer remedies
because their intensity of pathologising has not been established. It is only with polycrests and other
well known and clinically verified remedies that gradings are useful for differential purposes.