Repertory 

is an index of homoeopathic materia medica which is full of information collected

from toxicology, drug proving and clinical experiences.

The process of repertoriasation is essentially an elimination, which starts with a broad choice
and slowly narrows   down the field, giving us adequate small group of medicine, so that the
final selection is made easier with the help of further reference to the materia medica.

The physician who have never used or have  rarely used repertory complains about its
elaborate methods and time consuming nature, but one who has used it meaningfully find it
is highly useful and time saving.

1. To avoid routinism 
For a stomach pain ameliorated by hard pressure a routine prescriber settles his prescription upon
Bryonia, but in repertory under Stomach – pain-pressure ameliorate, there are 7 remedies but no
Bryonia. Repertory teaches the physician to be careful in the selection of the medicine and avoid
routionism.

2.It teaches by gradation the relative importance of various medicines

It is important that symptoms according to their intensity [gradation] in a patient must match
with similar intensity in the medicine chosen. An ideal homoeopath make an analysis of each
symptom in each case and make the final selection according to the intensity and gradation of
each symptom of the patient as found in the medicine.

3.To select similimum quickly.

Repertory reduces the laborious work of repertorising the whole case, when there is peculiar and
striking symptoms or if their is any etiology which can be referred in the appropriate repertory
immediately. So repertory simplifies and strengthens our selection for particular medicine.

4. Helps to find out complete symptom.

In repertory, a complete symptom with all its components can be referred to one place, especially
concomitance which are scattered in several places in materia medica.

5. It promote discovery of medicine.

which one had not thought of. such symptom would remain in his mind forever.

6. Second prescription.
It suggest related remedies which could be helpful for selecting a drug for follow up or second
prescription.

7. Its constant use makes the physician efficient.

By constant handling one refreshes the knowledge of M.M, difficult symptoms and medicines
with different grades.

8.. It help the physician to ask intelligent questions.

Some times the patients are not able to tell their symptoms correctly or the physician not able to
get the symptoms from them for the choice of medicine ,under such circumstances one can use
repertory to his advantage and finally chose the medicine by asking questions guided by
repertory.

9. Repertory teaches us to be careful about those symptoms belonging to the disease [common
symptoms] and to consider only those symptoms which lie outside the disease [uncommon
symptoms of the disease]

Allopaths diagnose the disease for the purpose of commencing the treatment where as
homoeopaths diagnose the disease for the purpose of removing the common symptom of the
disease and to consider the rest of the symptom that lie outside the pathognomonic symptom.
Repertory makes the study of M.M extremely interesting and revels more and more about
uncommon symptoms. When we are in doubt a rubric, the meaning of which is not clear, we are
compelled to read the materia medica for the exact meaning.

10. It help the study of Materia medica.

Take any drug and refer any section in the repertory which one wants to study and not down the
presence of remedy against the given rubric.
Help in comparative study of drugs.
The intensity of symptom in a drug can be studied which help in the final selection of medicine.
Repertory expand our knowledge by giving more remedies for  keynotes.

11.To recall.
Sometimes a symptom strikes a physican, but unable to recall the medicine. In such cases he can
seek the help of repertory.

12.To find out the similimum.

Symptoms are converted in to rubrics, these rubrics are located in the repertory. The repertory
gives an idea about co running medicines, so the indicted medicine can be found out.

Limitations of repertory

 Repertoryis basically an index, never suggest a final choice.

 Different repertories have different philosophy and construction.
 New additions to materia medica cannot be accommodated in repertory.
 Many rubrics are not represented well.
 No guidance about potency, dose and repetition.
 Nosodes and sarcodes not represented well.
 If the physician makes mistakes in interpretation, and just counting the symptoms and
markes, he will fail.
 Use of repertory cannot be independent of knowledge of materia medica,organon or
clinical subjects.

POINTS TO QUOTE:- 
♫…repertory is a bridge between Materia Medica and clinical data.

♫…repertory is an index to Materia Medica.

♫…repertory is mean and not and end in itself.

♫…repertory is condensed knowledge of HMM.

♫…Application of MM is done by repertorisation of bedside.

♫…Source of repertory is MM.

♫…repertory lacks behind MM.

♫…repertory growth is slow and delayed.

♫… repertory can't replace MM.

♫…repertory is always superior to MM.

♫…repertory gives options and not the drugs.

♫…repertory suggests and MM decides

♫…repertory is MM at your fingertips.

♫…repertory is a tool or method and is always impartial when Materia

      Medica can't be memorized.

♫…repertory is useful for differentiation of (a).drugs

                  (b).Comparison of drugs.

                  (c ).elimination of prejudices.

♫…Repertory is a bridge on which the physician can travel from a world of

       MM to the world of clinical medicine.

♫…if repertory is tool, you must be 1…thoroughly acquainted with it.

                                                   2…You must use the right technique.

                             3…practice that means –constant use of repertory

♫… repertory is a good servant but a bad master.

♫…A case determines the selection of repertorisation and in  the case

       symptoms will decide.

♫ …repertorisation is like fisherman's net.

♫ …repertorisation is like a menu card.

♫ ..Final court of appeal is Materia Medica.

♫ … Final selection of repertory depends on Materia Medica.

♫…Final selection of repertorisation depends on type of case.

♫…REPERTORY IS A MEAN AND NOT AND END IN ITSELF as proving in the

Materia Medica Pura increased ,it became very difficult to recollect all the
homoeopathic treatment with its proper sympotamatology .

            Even
Dr.Hahnemann in his last few years of life compiled a repertory which
he used for himself .Thus! repertory took place in homoeopathic science and
became a mean to find out the correct remedy with its proper evaluation. So,
taking help of repertory is very essential in solving a case.

            The
artistic prescriber sees much is proving that cant be retained in
repertory where every thing is satisfied /sacrificed for alphabetical system.

            So,
artistic prescriber must study MM and form in his mind sick image of a
patient which is needed and will in fill the sick persona of the human being. These
persona are too many to be named or classed .Its difficult to explain it ,comes
gradually it comes gradually to the experimental artistic prescriber.

♫…it is only growth of art in artistic minds what is noticed in all artists  but
matching of such image with drug picture with out the help of repertory can lead
to fatal mistakes.

♫…In repertorisation ,we get group of remedies having similar pathogenesis

where just matching sick image will be wandering in Materia Medica.

            But
repertorisation work ,done in most mechanical manner does not help.
(has no value).

♫…Two features of prescribing must go hand in hand ..(Matching the sick

persona with image).and must be kept in high degree of balance .Such a

prescriber will be a successful practitioner.

            After
the repertory work is done, one should refer to Materia Medica and
then prescribe the remedy which agrees with the patient fits his symptoms and
his powers and his modalities.

♫…It is quite possible for a remedy not having highest mark in anamnesis to be
the most similar image seen in Materia Medica..

♫…Repertory work is never mechanical .It's the only guide to the study of Materia
medica

♫…Materia medica is the final court of appeal.

…Repertorisation is the logical arrangement of symptom according to gradation.

…C.I.{Conceptual image}=Complete totality of case collected from the patient and

the attendant.

ADVANTAGES OF A REPERTORY:-
      A
homoeopathic repertory is very advantageous for the homoeopathic physician in
choosing the correct medicine. In difficult cases , repertory  is the only measure to guide a
physician to select or choose a medicine.

1…Repertory teaches the physician to be careful in the selection of the medicine and avoid
routinism. There are physicians who prescribe medicines, say pain in the stomach
>pressure—Bryonia. Every time but if he has been trained to consult a repertory before
prescribing ,he will see that for the same example, 7 medicines are given. Hence, it will help
him to avoid routinism.

2)…rare drugs or drugs  never thought of are indicated.

3)…It teaches him about Materia medica and widens the range of therapeutic field. By
consulting the repertory , time and again, we read and re- read the  different symptoms
produced by different medicines and will increase our MM  knowledge.

4)…It teaches ,by gradation ,the relative importance of various medicines. In a repertory
medicines are graded according to their intensity of the symptoms, they have produced 
while being proved up on the healthy human being.

      If
a particular symptom has been produced by a medicine, very intensely it is written as
bold letters.

Eg:-Kent  repertory :- Grade 1 :-Very intense :-bold        3 marks

                  Grade 2 :-less   intense :-italics       2 marks

                     Grade 3:-least intense  :-Roman    1 marks.

It is important that the symptoms are according to this intensity / gradation in a patient
must match with similar intensity (gradation) in a medicine chosen. From grading of
remedies it also helps the physician to interpret the intensity of symptoms .Eg:- 1o
symptoms = repertories= 10 drugs= see the intensity.

The simple way to do this is to grade the symptoms of the medicine as well as of the  patient
.

Eg:- A patient c/o many symptoms like chest pain , weakness , anorexia etc. and one
characteristic aversion to smell of eggs which is only under Colchicum  in the  repertory.

      Since
this is a peculiar symptoms in the patient and the medicine ,Colchicum would
alone take care of the rest of the symptoms .This way repertory reduces the laborious work
of  repertorizing the whole case .Also, ever if any cause is there, it has to be determined.

5)…It promotes the discovery of a medicine which one had not thought of- in any given
case. It helps in selection of auxiliary medicines. Dr.Kent in his homoeopathic philosophy
says , that it is always safe to have  a 2nd remedy at hand. When the visibly indicated
medicine does not bring about the expected results, the 2nd best remedy should be tried
.This repertorisation helps in the choice of the 2nd remedy if  the 1st on fails. It aids in
understanding of the similimum medicine-In order of importance arranged according to
relative value the sequence depends on drug picture/ proving?

7)…It helps the physician to ask intelligent questions.

Eg:-Lacrymation ,Business in Kent's repertory has 3 rubric, and concomitant 17 sub

rubrics.

Eg:- A patient c/o cold and sneezing and cold with no causative factor or modality.

Here the case is difficult BUT when here the physician sees a repertory with the rubric
Nose –sneezing, he asks the question following the sub rubric. From above downwards, he
reads each rubric and questions the patient guided by these rubrics .In this was , the
physician is guided to ask sensible questions. Also ,he comes across many conditions of
<and>.Even the patient gives correct answers for the choice of the medicines and after
practicing for sometimes in this way , the physician learns to ask question which help him
to choose correct remedy.

Granted that no guiding symptoms are to be asked but teaching a patient about
importance of each  symptom is no crime.
8)…repertory teaches us to be careful about those symptoms belonging to the disease
(Common disease) and to consider only those symptoms which lie outside the disease
(uncommon symptoms of disease).

       A
homoeopathic physician who has no knowledge of diagnosis will consider all the
common and uncommon  symptoms in a case  and will enter into a laborious and useless
job of repertorization and will arrive to a wrong medicine .

      BUT
on the other hand , an intelligent homoeopath who knows the pathognomic
symptom (which help in naming a disease.)will consider them before and separate them
from uncommon symptom.

      Diagnosis
of a disease helps in homoeopathy for the purpose of removing the common 
symptom of the disease and all the other symptom that lie outside these pathognomic /
common symptoms will be considered (i.e. uncommon symptom) to reprtorise a case by
comparing and re-studying.

9)…Repertory makes the study of MM very interesting and reveals more and more about
unknown symptoms. When we are in doubt a rubric ,the meaning of which is not clear ,we
are compelled to read MM for the exact meaning .When we do so, we feel that we are
meeting  new personalities (in the form of medicines) with new ideas which are always
willing to help us in the study case of difficulty or doubt.

      One
who does not know , the value of repertory ,would never like to turn the pages of
this huge book BUT once he knows about its advantages , he would definitely like to use it
and be benefited  from it –if "he is an upright and honest man .Thus, the Repertory will
help to find the medicine according to the symptom similarity  and cure the sick so that no
man dies in the hands of a lazy physician for the want of proper treatment. symptoms.

10)…Solving any case esp. for beginners and esp. when the similimum is not indicated

      Eg:-If
an exhaustive totality –Repertoize the case and it will indicate a group of
medicines.

11)…helps in finding a Similimum from a maze of symptoms.

12)…Opening a case in one sided disease.

13)…quick reference for confirming indicated remedy.

14)...grouping the remedies with similar pathogenesis.

15)…Helps to study remedy relationship.

16)…Helps for 2nd prescription .

17)…Narrows the field in selection of a remedy.

18)…it helps to make distinction b/w 2 competing similar remedies.

19)…It serves as a good guide /reference in looking up a particular symptom.

20)…Study of remedy relationship from acute to chronic and vice versa.

21)…it helps when a case is miss- managed by several physicians, it points out certain
medicines which may give the result.

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LIMITATION OF REPERTORY:-
      An
interesting legend –Alibaba and 40 thieves depicts that when ever Alibaba
commanded the ma gate of his hide out opened / closed respectively according to his
command.

      Similarly,
when Aladdin wanted anything , he would rub his lamp and the thing that he
wanted would be provided by the magic lamp. This is the kind of provision every neophyte
(new homoeopath ) expects from a homoeopathic repertory .With out making any efforts,
on his own ,he expects the repertory to spell out the medicine when ever he has to treat a
patient .BUT  a repertory can never behave like Alibabas door or Aladdin's lamp or
function like any push button machine fro which anything comes when needed.

Repertorisation requires when needed intelligent approach followed by a laborious work.

      Repertory
cannot feed any one until he had the knowledge of proper case taking
A case taking decides the symptoms which are to be repertorised but if the
physician does not know the evaluation of symptom, he cannot select a remedy.

      One
will be doomed if one entirely depends upon the results of mathematical
calculations of repertorisation with out consulting MM. Repertory just helps us to select  a
few remedies for a particular case.

      A
repertory cannot exist with out MM. Nothing made man perfect –So, is the
repertory .It has its own limitations .What ever is feed in the repertory , is got back from it,
nothing more and nothing less.

      There
are many repertories in use  today but none of them is perfect. Even if a repertory
is complete and perfect , it alone cannot make the correct selection of the medicine.

      A
repertory is only a good instrument which can point towards a few  medicines
having resemblance to the case before us. It is the MM that will make the final
choice –It is a repertory which suggests but MM which deals. Repertory revels
more than one possible medicine and encourages us to read more and more MM. It
leads to good ,healthy artistic  argument 's ,makes one a good judge and an
excellent homoeopathic healing artist. 

1)….translating the symptoms to reportorial language or rubric is  a difficult  task and
must be done properly.

Eg:-Rubric—Vertigo

                        Fainting have different medicines in front of each.

So, transformation of symptom—rubric must be correct

2)….Sometimes many important symptoms needed for repertorisation is not found which
is required for the Simimlium

3)….In chronic case, constitutional symptoms are not give which we really need.

Eg:- C/F,H/o, miasmatic Cleavage.

4)….Nosodes are no covered.

5)….Rubric's paucity / deficiency/scanty.

6)…. Various approaches by different authors for evaluation

          Eg: Kent's ,Boenninghausen are very confusing.

7)….Some remedies are over elaborated. Eg:-polycreast remedies like phos,sulph.

8)…. Paucity of some remedies .Eg:-Magnesium or Mag Carb.

9)…..Selection of similimum needs a very sound knowledge of therapeutics. 

      For
all limitations ,or all the above problems, the following helps to search for a near by
similimum—miasmatic  difference

                ---reference of Materia medica.

                ---Cross repertorisation. 

CLASSIFICATION OR TYPES OF REPERTORY:-

      A
Repertory can be written as per the schema of Dr.Hahnemann i.e. dividing the whole
body into different sections according to the appearance of the body i.e. from head to toe.

Or   it can be for easy reference ;written in the alphabetic order –from A to Z.

Eg: Alphabetical Repertory of characteristic of HMM by G.D.Shrivasta and J.Chandra.

      There are around 159 repertories and many more are likely to come up and many
physicians have made their own hand written repertory for their own reference .

The classification of repertory can be simply divided into 2—

1 ]….LOGICAL TYPE OF REPERTORY:-

         here some logic has been applied to get an exact similimum .

      The basic general repertories are BBCR, BTPB, Kent's.

2 ]….PURETIAN TYPE OF REPERTORY:-

      i.e.=Pure + Tan

      i.e. Symptoms are given in this repertory are in pure form and no alteration

      have been done.

Eg:-Impulse to steal is given here under Mind as it is but in Kent's Repertory ,see
Kleptomania.