1

Introduction

 About Author: -

Dr. E.D. Berridge M.D. (Bachelor of Medicine and bachelor

of Surgery of the University of London, Doctor of Medicine (By examination)
from the Homoeopathic College of Pennsylvania) (Formerly Resident Medical
Officer to the Liverpool Homeopathic Dispensary)

 Author of,
• Index to cases of poisoning in the allopathic journals
• Pathogenetic record
 Contribution to,
• American Journal of Homoeopathic Materia medica
• North American Journal of Homeopathy
• Hahnemannian Monthly
• Hering’s Complete Materia medica
• Monthly Homoeopathic review
• Gregg’s Homoeopathic Quarterly
• British Journal of Homoeopathy etc.

Dr Berridge was of the opinion that a perfect repertory should contain

a reference to every symptom of a materia medica under every rubric where it
can be possibly be looked for. So, he wanted to prepare a repertory which would
have been complete in nature.

Dr Berridge was of the opinion that our materia medica is still

incomplete and we often obliged to select a remedy to a certain extent by analogy.
Hence, we require a collective view of the medicines acting on any organ which
agree as to specific character, anatomical region, general character, sequences,
direction, sides and generalities (including concomitants).
 2

According to Dr. Berridge, if we wish to obtain maximum benefit from

Homoeopathy, we can only do so by faithfully following the three great rules of
the Master,

1. Careful selection of similimum

2. Single remedy

3. Minimum dose

Plan & construction

 Editions: -
o 1st edition was published in April, 1869, 2nd edition in 1873.
o 2nd edition was published as revised rearranged edition by Bjain
publishers, New Delhi.
 Number of pages: - 317
 Sources: -
o Hering’s Materia Medica
o Additional symptoms from later provings.
o Cases of poisoning reported in the journal of allopathic society being
published as an appendix to the British journal of Homoeopathy.
 The book has been divided into 2 main sections:
 Sec. I: - The symptoms themselves
 Sec. II: - Conditions (including concomitants)
 Section 1 is further divided into 5 sub-divisions:
a) Functional symptoms: -
• Objects false appearance of (colours, far too, distorted,
moving, multiplied, part visible)
• Objects, imaginary (Halo, figures of living objects)
• Photomania
 3

• Photophobia
• Sight dazzled
• Sight impaired (Blindness, Dimness)
b) Anatomical regions: -
• Eyeball (including conjunctiva bulbi): - superiorly, inferiorly,
externally, internally, posteriorly, interiorly, circumference,
round cornea, centre of,
• Sclerotic
• Cornea
• Chambers of eyes
• Iris
• Lens
• Fundus
• Orbit: - circumference, superiorly, inferiorly, externally,
internally, posteriorly, orbital integuments, integuments
superiorly (Eyebrows)
• Eyelids: - upper and lower, upper eyelid inner surface, lower
eyelid inner surface
• Tarsal edges: - upper and lower
• Puncta lachrymalia
• Canthi: - external and internal
• Carunculae lachrymalis
• Lachrymal gland
• Lachrymal bones
• Lachrymal sacs
 4

c) General character: sequence and direction: -

• Periodical: - alternate days, every day, from 4 A.M. to 3
P.M….
• Gradual increase and decrease: - gradually come & suddenly
go, suddenly come & gradually go, suddenly come & go
• Changing character or places
• Directions: - Within-outwards (Antero-posteriorly-forward),
Without – inwards (Antero-posteriorly-backward), vertically
downward, laterally-lengthways, laterally-outwards (to
external canthi), obliquely…
• Alternate with other organs/Body
d) Right side: -
• Functions
• Anatomical regions
e) Left side: -
• Functions
• Anatomical regions
 Section 2 has been divided into 2 sub-sections:
o Aggravation: -
 Time
 Situation and external influences
 Posture
 Touch
 Motion
 Head
 Mental factors
 Eyes
 5

 Ears
 Nose
 Face and front of neck
 Teeth
 Mouth and throat
 Abdomen (including stomach anus and all functional
symptoms thereof)
 Urinary organs
 Sexual organs
 Chest and larynx
 Back and nape of neck
 Arms
 Legs
 Sleep
 Fever (chill, heat, sweat)
 Generalities (including skin, bones convulsions, other
drugs etc.)
o Amelioration: -
 Situations
 Touch
 Motion
 Mental factors
 Head
 Eyes
 Nose
 Abdomen
 Urinary organs
 Chest
 6

 Sleep
 Fever
 Generalities
 All the symptoms in these sub-sections are arranged alphabetically,
excepting the peculiar symptoms, which, not falling under the general
heading, are placed last.
 The arrangement of symptoms in section 2 is in every respect exactly
the same as that of section 1.
 In sub-section c of section 1, where the directions of symptoms have
been given, the directions of symptoms are given in the chapter
belonging to the organ where the symptom commence. For e.g.
Shooting from eyeballs to head is given in c sub-section of main
section 1 in Eye but not in that of Head.
 In every rubric in section 1A and in the principal sub-section of Section
1B contains all the medicines, which are given separately in all other
sub-section.
 All the medicines for varieties of symptoms, which are given separately,
are given in brackets. Thus under "Shooting in Eyeball" are placed
bracketed the medicines possessing any variety of Shooting which may
be given separately, or Shooting in right or left eye separately, or
Shooting in any subregion of eye (e.g. Orbit), or Shooting in any
direction in eye, or Shooting to or from eye from or to any other organ.
 Sometimes in a complex group of symptoms one symptom follows
another; in this case if they are both in the same organ, they are given
in Section I., sub-section C.; if in different organs, in Section II. Thus
"Blindness followed by Heat in Eyes " would be given in I. C. under
the rubric "Symptoms Changing Character;" but "Blindness
followed by Heat in Head," would be given in II under rubric "
 7

Before Head Symptoms," and also in the Head Chapter under "
After Eye Symptoms."
 When a symptom refers necessarily to one subregion only (e.g. Closing
of Eyelids), this collective is given there. In I. A. and I. B., the medicines
not bracketed affect both sides simultaneously; if either is affected
separately, it is given in I. D. or I. E.
 In the rubrics “Right then left”, “Above then down”, and the reverse,
clinical symptoms are marked with an Asterisk to facilitate the
application of Hering’s law of inverse direction.
 Abbreviations: -
• A fixed scientific plan was adopted for abbreviation of medicines.
Abbreviations for elements and simple haloid slats are the same as their
chemical symbols. E.g. Na for sodium, S for sulphur.
• -ate salts are represented by adding ‘a’ and -ite salts are represented by
adding ‘i’ to the chemical symbol of corresponding haloid salts. E.g.
Sulphate of sodium is represented by Na-Sa and Sulphite of sodium is
by Na-Si.
• Acids are represented by adding ‘x’, the -ous acids are represented by
adding ‘ix’ and the hydracids are represented by adding ‘hx’ to the
symbol of the element or compound radical from which they are
formed. E.g. Sulphuric acid is represented as Sx, Sulphurous acid by S-
ix and Sulphydric acid by S-hx.
• In the medicines derived from the Animal and Vegetable kingdoms,
each genus is invariably expressed by a different cypher. For Ex.
 rs – rhus toxicodendron
 rs-g –rhus glabrum
 rs-r -rhus radicans
 trg. - trigonocephalus lachesis
 8

 trg-a - trigonocephalus atrox

 trg-c - trigonocephalus contortix
 Gradation of drugs: -
 Although the author has given a comment for gradation of drugs in the
preface of this repertory, but only for the adoption in future. He hasn’t
incorporated these gradations in this repertory. Gradations are as
follows:
 ITALIC CAPITALS
 PLAIN CAPITALS
 Italics
 Roman letters
 (Roman bracketed) - doubtful symptoms (mustn’t consider
into repertorisation)
 The medicines are written either in Roman or in Roman parenthesis in
the repertory part.
 Synonyms: -
 In this table he has arranged under one rubric all the varieties of
expression which in practice I have found to be synonymous. According
to him hair splitting distinction should be avoided in a repertory (though
in the Materia medica the ipsissima verbal of the provers should be
given), as different provers will often describe the same symptoms by
different terms. Symptoms verbally the same may actually be different
according to their locality. Thus, pressing out in the had generally is
equivalent to bursting, in the forehead to pressing forwards, in the
occiput to pressing backwards, in the vertex to pressing upwards etc.
He had arranged all such symptoms under real not verbal rubrics
E.g..: Boring- digging, rooting

Cutting – acute, sharp

 9

 Number of medicines: -
1171 medicines have been incorporated in this
clinical repertory for the diseases of eyes.

 Appendix:

In the appendix portion the omitted portion in the text is

mentioned. The rubric- Changing character or place (page 62) are reprinted in its
complete form to avoid confusion.

 Errata:

Corrections in different pages are given.

 Index:

For symptoms and conditions are given separately towards end.

 Scope: -

1. Regional repertories can be used in the study of homoeopathic

therapeutics as well as materia medica.
2. They help to repertorised the following type of cases

a) Cases lacking mental generals and physical general but rich with
common symptoms

b) Cases with clinical diagnosis

c) Short cases with a few symptoms

3. They are used as quick reference books at the bed side.

 10

4. Regional repertories contain some rubrics, which are not found in other
general repertories, therefore they can become a good companion in
study of such rubrics.
5. Regional repertories help us to find the most appropriate palliative
medicines in incurable cases.
6. This repertory gives an elaborated and detailed rubric of various
affection with their seat of location, sensation, direction, side,
modifying factors and concomitants. Such exhaustive work on eye is
lacking in general repertories. It contains some of rubrics which are not
found in general repertories.
7. It has mental symptoms related to eye in concomitants.
8. It has influences of physical factors on eye such as light, air, water in
very refined way.
 Limitations: -
1. Being a regional repertory, its use is limited to particular type of cases.
They are mainly used for reference work not for a complete
repertorisation.
2. Grading of drugs are not done.
3. Abbreviation different from the commonly using repertories.
4. Doctrine of analogy has been used here which is not always truly
applicable.
5. Medicines in parenthesis are doubtful and needs further verification.
6. We need still a general repertory for constitutional treatment and
sometimes for relationships for second prescription.
7. In this repertory clinical rubrics were not mentioned properly though it
is based on Hering’s guiding symptoms of our materia medica. Only
few rubrics were mentioned.
 11

8. Constitution, Indications in different stages of life such as childhood,

Pregnancy, Women, Old age are missing in this repertory.
 Working out cases: -

The author has given two cases from his practice to

demonstrate the working method of this repertory. The symptoms should be
arranged as mentioned below

1. Complaints, symptoms,

a. Functional symptoms

b. Anatomical regions

c. general character, sequence and direction

d. Right side

e. Left side

2. Aggravation

3. Amelioration

4. concomitants