Role of homoeopathy

in the field of surgery

Dr. P. Chakraborty
BHMS, MD
Professor, HOD Dept of Surgery
Fr. Muller homoeopathic medical
college
 SURGERY
 Surgery is an art. it is
that branch of
medicine which is
concerned with the
repair, Removal or
replacement of the
diseased tissue; in
other words, any
cutting, suturing and
repairing of human
tissues.
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 In Medicine, surgery (from the Greek
χειρουργική, or chirurgical, and Latin
“chirurgiae” meaning "hand work") is a medical
specialty that uses operative manual and
instrumental techniques on a Patient to
investigate and/or treat a pathological condition
such as Disease or Injury, to help improve
bodily function or appearance, or sometimes for
some other reason.

 An act of performing surgery may be called a

surgical procedure, operation, or simply
surgery. In this context, the verb operating
means performing surgery.
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 Surgery can last from minutes to hours,
but is typically not an ongoing or periodic
type of treatment.

 Surgery is considered an invasive

procedure. Although it is sometimes
difficult to determine when a medical
procedure is considered surgery, a
medical treatment that involves a cutting
of a patient's live tissue (e.g., hair and
nails are dead tissue) is usually
considered surgery of some sort.
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 A medical procedure involving a drilling of
live tissue in a body would often be
considered surgery, but mere piercing of a
body is not necessarily surgery since
piercing is often done for taking samples
or draining fluids from or injecting
materials into the body, or setting up
intravenous drip, and usually does not
require suturing to close the pierced
opening.
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 DEBRIDEMENT
 Examples of surgery
without cutting the
body may include
Debridement or
closing (suturing or
stapling) an open
wound or applying
Skin graft if done
under typical surgical
conditions.
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Skin grafting

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 Many types of more complicated or
involved surgery are obviously considered
surgery, since they involve common
surgical procedure or setting as
mentioned above. A medical procedure
may be surgery even if not all of the
typical surgical conditions or procedures
mentioned above are used.

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 HISTORY OF
SURGERY
 Prehistoric cultures had
developed forms of surgery.
The oldest for which we have
evidence is Trepannation , in
which a hole is drilled or
scraped into the Skull, thus
exposing the dura mater in
order to treat health problems
related to intracranial pressure
and other diseases.
www.similima.com Trepannation
10
 Trepannation

 Evidence has been

found in prehistoric
human remains from
Neolithic times, in
Cave paintings, and
the procedure
continued in use
well into Recorded
history.
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 Surprisingly, many prehistoric and premodern
patients had signs of their skull structure
healing; suggesting that many survived the
operation. In modern-day Pakisthan remains
from the early Harappan periods of the Indus
Vally Civilization (c. 3300 BC) show evidence of
teeth having been drilled dating back 9,000
years.
 A final candidate for prehistoric surgical
techniques is Ancient Egypt, where a Mandible
dated to approximately 2650 BC shows two
perforations just below the root of the first
Molar, indicating the draining of an abscessed
Tooth.
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 Evidence of brain surgery
 Recent
excavations of
the construction
workers of the
Egyptian
Pyramid also led
to possible
evidence of
Brain Surgery. www.similima.com 13
 In India - Father of surgery
 The oldest known surgical
texts date back to Indian
physician Sushruta, the
“Father of Surgery”,
Surgery who
taught and practiced surgery
on the banks of the Ganges
around 600 BC. Much of what
is known about Sushruta is
contained in a series of
volumes he authored, which
are collectively known as the
Susrutha Samhita.
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Sushruta
14
 It is the oldest known surgical text and it
describes in great detail the examination,
diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of
numerous ailments, as well as procedures on
performing various forms of plastic surgery,
such as cosmetic surgery and rhinoplasty. His
technique for the latter, used to reconstruct
noses that were amputated as a punishment for
crimes, is practiced almost unchanged in
technique to this day.

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 GRECE
 Other ancient cultures to have surgical
knowledge include ancient Greece - the
Hippocratic Oath was an innovation of the
Greek physician
Hippocrates - and ancient China.
However ancient Greek culture
traditionally considered
the practice of opening the
body to be repulsive and thus
left known surgical practices
such as lithotomy to such
persons as practicewww.similima.com
[it]., Hippocrate
16
  CHINA

 In China Hua Tuo

was a famous Chinese
physician during the
Eastern Han and Three
Kingdoms era. He was
the first person to
perform surgery with the
aid of anesthesia, some
1600 years before the
practice was adopted by
Europeans.
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Hua Tuo 17
  Arab
 In the Middle Ages, surgery was
developed to a high degree in
the Islamic world, with renowned
practitioners such as Abulcasis
(Abu al-Qasim Khalaf ibn al-
Abbas Al-Zahrawi), an
Andalusian-Arab physician and
scientist who practised in the
Zahra suburb of Córdoba. A
great medieval surgeon, whose
comprehensive medical texts
shaped European surgical
procedures up until the
Renaissance. He is also often
regarded as a Father Of Surgery. Abulcasis
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 In Europe, the demand grew for surgeons
to formally study for many years before
practicing; universities such as Montpellier,
Padua and Bologna Universities were
particularly renowned. By the fifteenth
century at the latest, surgery had split away
from physics as its own subject, of a lesser
status than pure medicine, and initially took
the form of a craft tradition until
Rogerius Salernitanus composed his
Chirurgia, laying the foundation for modern
Western surgical manuals up to the
modern time. www.similima.com 19
  19th century
 Late in the nineteenth
century, Bachelor of
Surgery degrees
(usually Ch.B.) began
to be awarded with
the (M.B.), and the
mastership became a
higher degree, usually
abbreviated
Ch.M. or M.S. in
London, where the
first degree was Rogerius Salernitanus
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M.B.,B.S
 Modern surgery
Modern surgery developed rapidly with the
scientific era. Ambroise Paré
(sometimes
spelled "Ambrose")
pioneered the treatment
of gunshot wounds, and
the first modern surgeons
were battlefield doctors in
the Napoleonic Wars.
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Ambroise Paré 21
 Evolution of surgery

Ancient

Modern
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 Evolution of surgical procedure

 Navalsurgeons were often

barber surgeons, who combined
surgery with their main jobs as
barbers.

 Three main developments permitted

the transition to modern surgical
approaches - control of bleeding,
control of infection and control of pain
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 Bleeding
Before modern surgical developments,
there was a very real threat that a patient
would bleed to death before treatment, or
during the operation.

 Cauterization (fusing a wound closed with

extreme heat) was successful but limited - it
was destructive, painful and in the long term
had very poor outcomes.

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 Ligature
 Ligatures or material used to tie off severed
blood vessels, are believed to have originated
with Abulcasis in the 10th century and improved
by Ambroise Paré in the 16th century.

 Though this method was a significant improvement

over the method of cauterization, it was still dangerous
until infection risk was brought under control - at the
time of its discovery, the concept of infection was not
fully understood. Finally, early 20th century research
into blood groups allowed the first effective blood
transfusions.
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 Infection

The concept of infection

was unknown until
relatively modern times.
The first progress in
combating infection was
made in 1847 by the
Hungarian doctor
Ignaz Semmelweis who
noticed that medical
students fresh from the
dissecting room were
causing excess maternal
death compared to
midwives. Ignaz Semmelweis
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Semmelweis, despite ridicule and
opposition, introduced compulsory
handwashing for everyone
entering the maternal wards and
was rewarded with a plunge in
maternal and fetal deaths,
however the Royal Society in the
UK still dismissed his advice.

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Use of phenol to prevent infections.
 Significant progress
came following the
work of Pasteur,
when the British
surgeon
Joseph Lister began
experimenting with
using phenol during
surgery to prevent
infections. www.similima.com
Joseph Lister 28
 Introduction of techniques to
sterilize equipment

 Lister was able to quickly reduce

infection rates, a reduction that
was further helped by his
subsequent introduction of
techniques to sterilize equipment,
have rigorous hand washing and a
later implementation of rubber
gloves.
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 Lister published his work as a series of
articles in The Lancet (March 1867)
under the title
Antiseptic Principle of the Practice of Surg
.

 The work was groundbreaking and laid

the foundations for a rapid advance in
infection control that saw modern
aseptic operating theatres widely used
within 50 years (Lister himself went on
to make further strides in antisepsis
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 Pain
Modern pain
control (anesthesia
) was discovered
by two American
Dental Surgeons,
Horace Wells
(1815-1848) and
William Morton.

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 Medical Innovation Development

Unlike many of the early

bands this was designed
specifically for laparoscopic
insertion. It has swiftly
become one of the leading
bands placed in France.
There are now many band
manufacturers (approx 7-8
in total).
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 Use of anaesthetic chemicals such as
ether and chloroform

Beginning in the 1840s,

surgery began to change
dramatically in character
with the discovery of
effective and practical
anaesthetic chemicals such
as ether and chloroform,
later pioneered in Britain by
John Snow. John Snow
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In addition to relieving patient
suffering, anaesthesia allowed
more intricate operations in
the internal regions of the
human body. In addition, the
discovery of muscle relaxants
such as curare allowed for
safer applications.
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 A few general types of surgery
 .Elective surgery is surgery not needed to save
the life of the patient, but is expected to provide
some other benefit.
 Emergency surgery is surgery which must be
done quickly to save life, limb, or other capacity
such as eyesight.
 Exploratory surgery is for investigating a
patient's medical condition or making a
diagnosis.
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 Therapeutic surgery is for treating a
patient. Surgery may start out as
exploratory and become therapeutic.

 Amputation
involves cutting
off a body part;
for example,
a limb or digit.
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 Replantation, an
often difficult
type of surgery
more recently
developed,
involves
reattaching a
severed body
part.

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Reconstructive surgery
- reshaping of
certain bodily
tissues including
bone, cartilage,
muscle, fat, and
skin that have been
previously
damanged by
trauma or are
congenitally
abnormal. www.similima.com 38
Reconstruction of congenital deformity

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Cosmetic surgery

Cosmetic surgery
A common type of Eyelids
elective surgery
that is done to
improve the
appearance of the
patient.

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Facelift 40
Excision is the cutting out of an organ
or other body part from the patient.

Ancient circumcision set

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 Transplant surgery

 Transplant surgery is
the replacement of an
organ or body part by
insertion of another
from different human
(or animal) into the
patient. Removing an
organ or body part from
a live human or animal
for use in transplant is
also a type of surgery.
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Kidney transplant
42
 Minimally invasive surgery

 Minimally invasive surgery

involves smaller outer
incision(s) to insert some
sort of endoscope, which
is tube-like equipment,
to perform surgery.
There are also many
types of more specific
surgeries.
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 Laser surgery
involves use of a
laser for cutting
tissue instead of a
scalpel or similar
surgical
instruments.

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  Microsurgery is fine
surgery with the aid
of a microscope for
the surgeon to see
better.

Ear

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 Bariatric surgery is a
class of surgery for
treating obesity, a
common example of
which is
gastric bypass surgery.

Surgery is also used

for sterilization to
prevent reproduction,
although it is a rather
simple procedure for
males.
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 Conditions treated by surgery
 Surgery is used to both as a treatment,
and as an aspect of treatment, for many
conditions, including:
 Physical trauma, e.g. wounds

• Anatomical Abnormalities
• Disorders of function
 Inflammation

 Ischaemia and infarction

 Metabolic disorders
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 Neoplasia
 Other abnormalities of tissue

growth, e.g. cysts, hyperplasia or

Organ hypertrophy, as well as
some cancers, if caught early
enough
 Deformity and heavy scarring.

 Brain damage and nerve damage

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 Homoeopathic view point
 Homeopathy is highly scientific, logical, safe, quick and
extremely effective method of healing. It offers long
lasting to permanent cure, treating the disease from its
roots, for most of the ailments. Homeopathy is the most
rational science with respect to its concepts of health,
disease and cure. Homeopathy does not treat superficially
by just driving away the symptoms but heals the patient
from within. Undoubtedly, homeopathy is the medicine of
future.
 The remedies are prepared from natural substances to
precise standards and work by stimulating the body's own
healing power.
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 Homeopathy: Holistic Medicine.
 Homeopathy: Magic of Minimum dose.
 Homeopathy: Better substitute to Antibiotics.
 Homeopathy offers wonder treatment for Viral
infections.
 Homeopathy: Often avoids Surgery
 Homeopathy: Answer to Allergic diseases
 Homeopathy: Excellent for Psychosomatic
ailments.
 Homeopathy: Ideal for Infants and Children.
 Homeopathy: A near complete system of
medicine. www.similima.com 50
 Surgery comes into play when the physiological
changes cannot be brought back to the normal
position by medication. When the part becomes
irreparable, we replace it or remove it & the
condition improves .E.g. when a tumor develops,
not corrected by medicines we remove it by
surgery. Homeopathy is not against surgery.
Surgery is an art and science by itself. Surgery is
called forth in the conditions where medicines
have limited or no role, and where surgical aid,
operation can cure or improve the condition.
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 Disease primarily a disturbance in the vital
force which is only functional in character
when there is no apparent pathology & so
surgery cannot be applied.

 If this disturbance persists for sometime &

when the human being is not able to
overcome the condition and it leads to gross
pathological changes which may or may not
be brought back to normalcy by medicines,
wherein the role of surgery becomes of
paramount importance.
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 There are number of diseases which are
labeled as 'surgical', where homeopathy works
curatively and can avoid surgery.

 Some such ailments are:

Septic recurrent Tonsillitis, Piles, Fissure-
in-ano, Fistula, Appendicitis (except
gangrenous), Chronic ear discharge, Vocal
cord nodules, Polyp in nose-ear, Kidney &
Biliary (small) stones, small size Uterine
Fibroid, Ovarian Cysts, Warts, Corns, etc.
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 Pathology is the ultimate of the disease process
and not the cause of the disease. Surgery
eliminates the ultimate of the disease and not
its cause.

 But this ultimate becomes a foreign matter

which is an obstacle to cure & the complete
recovery is not possible unless this obstacle is
removed. E.g. sequestrum in osteomyelitis

Hanemann says in section 7 as well as in its

foot note:
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 In aphorism
2

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 So surgery does not deal with that something
unknown which is residing in the body and
which can not be located.

 The concept of disease in homeopathy is that

disease is a total affection of mind and body,
the disturbance of the whole organism.

 Individual organs are not the cause of illness

but disturbance at the inner level (disturbance
of the life force, the vital energy of the body) is
the cause of illness. Homeopathy treats the
patient as a whole and not just the disease. 56
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 Medical philosophy is coming more and
more to the conclusion that the mere
treatment of symptoms and organs can
only help temporarily and that it is the
healing power of the body as whole that
has to be enhanced. Homeopathy
believes in holistic, totalistic and
individualistic approach.

 Hahnemann says in his “Organon of

medicine” in aphorism no 189
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 But in case of injuries caused to the body from without,
the surgical treatment is necessary only to the extent that
the parts injured require mechanical aid whereby the
external obstruction to cure is removed mechanically. But
in such injuries also the living organism requires active
dynamic aid to put it in a position to restore the organism
to health and homoeopathic treatment is called for.

 In certain diseases a stage comes when the medicines,

homoeopathic or otherwise, cannot be of much use,
surgery is required in those cases, e. g. appendicitis,
intestinal obstruction, hernia, all sorts of fracture.
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 On one hand surgery can play an important role
in medicine since some conditions such as
congenital deformities, structural problems,
severe injuries, or life-threatening pathological
conditions are simply not treatable without it. At
the same time, surgery is often performed
unnecessarily.
 For example, it is used when the body, given a
chance, could heal itself using natural and non-
invasive therapies. Successful surgery does not
mean that the person is “cured.” Surgery may
remove a tumour, a gallstone, or other diseased
tissue or body parts, but this removal doesn't
change the underlying pathological processes that
created them in the first place.
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 Homoeopathic surgery is that form of
treatment where the so-called surgical cases
can be averted, managed completely or
helped in the pre-operative & post-operative
stages with homeopathic medicines only.

 Since surgery is an integral part of medicine,

Dr. Hahnemann has not left it untouched. He
has very clearly advocated its use in certain
conditions, as is manifested from the
references in Organon-
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 Homoeopathic outlook in Fractures :
 The disease comes from within as a result of the

disturbance in the vital force. Hence the treatment

must be effected from within for the complete
cure. The cause of the disease has to be taken
into consideration for the successful treatment.

 In case of fracture of long bones, deformity &

sometimes complete breakage of bone occurs,
which cannot be set right by the medicines. Here
the disease has not come from within as a result
of the disturbed vital force. So this is to be
corrected by surgery.
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 As is the principle, surgery is the eliminating
science, it removes the products of the disease
& sometimes the cause of the disease, such as
external force, foreign body or any other
condition. Dr. B. K. Sarkar in his commentary
on Organon, has made this point very clear in
simple words,

“what comes from within must be treated

from within & what comes from without must be
treated from without. “
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 Homoeopathy in pre and post surgery:

 Surgery, at best, is an unpleasant process. Not only

does the surgical wound cause pain, but general
anesthesia causes its own side effects.

 Once it is established that surgery is necessary,

homeopathic remedies can play a vital role in
reducing any complications that may arise as well
as accelerating healing and recovery

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One of homeopathy’s best-kept secrets is
its ability to prevent complications from
surgery.
Homeopathic remedies can help:
Reduce fear and anxiety prior to surgery
Aconitum Napellus (aconite) is the first
remedy for sudden and violent onset of
shock or trauma accompanied with fear
and anxiety, which are common
emotions experienced before surgery.
This remedy is most effective when the
patient fears dying from the surgery
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 Gelsemium 30C is a common remedy for the
person who experiences great anxiety,
apprehension, weakness, and trembling prior to
surgery.

 When faced with anxiety

 gelsemium or aconite the night before the
surgery and another dose the morning of. If
fear and/or anxiety persist after surgery, up to
three more doses may be taken

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Excess bleeding during surgery,

If surgery poses the potential for a large

loss of blood or undergoing intravenous
(IV) therapy -
Arnica montana - It reduces bleeding
during surgery, prevents blood from
pooling under your skin, and minimizes the
surgical shock.
Recommended Dosage: 30X or 30C of
Arnica the night before the surgery, the
morning of the surgery, and just prior to the
surgery. www.similima.com 69
Stop Postoperative Bleeding
Bleeding occurs frequently after surgery,
and most people can reduce it with Arnica
montana. But following remedies can be
used when it suits specific symptoms.
Arsenicum album - when excessive bleeding
leads to great weakness, burning pains,
restlessness, and anxiety, as well as thirst.
Cinchona officinalis works best if bleeding
and a loss of fluids like sweat or urine
cause to feel faint or have ringing in the
ears.
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Ipecacuanha is used for fast bleeding of
bright red blood that is often accompanied
by nausea or a shortness of breath.
Secale cornutum helps in uterine bleeding
and the blood is thin and fetid. It's also
suitable entire body feels hot and
aggravated by the heat.
Recommended Dosage: 30X or 30C of one of
the above remedies every hour for up to four
hours until the bleeding stops. If the bleeding
does not slow significantly, try another remedy
in the same dose. If it starts working complete
the regimen by taking one to four doses of
that remedy the next day.
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Dramatically accelerating post-surgical recovery.

Recovery of digestive function following

surgery
Nausea and Vomiting:
Nausea can prevent you from getting out of
bed--and you need to move around to
regain normal bodily functions. And
vomiting can irritate the muscles and
stitching around a wound.

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The following remedies may be taken
every two hours during intense
symptoms and every four hours during
less intense discomfort. If improvement
is not obvious after 24 hours, consider
another remedy
Phosphorus 30C helps to prevent or treat
nausea after surgery; especially when
the patient has a strong thirst for ice
drinks and may also have a concurrent
headache.

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 Ipecacuanha 30C is effective for
persistent nausea with vomiting, when
vomiting does not provide relief

 Arsenicum 30C treats violent and

incessant vomiting, which is made
worse by eating or drinking cold water.
There may also be burning pain in the
stomach
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 Constipation:
Surgical procedures, especially abdominal or
gynecological operations, typically slow or stop
normal bowel function. The following remedies
may provide relief from constipation. Take one
of these remedies three times a day for up to
four days. If there is no improvement after 24
hours, stop taking it.

 Arnica 30C helps with constipation due to

experiencing shock, characterized by a pale
skin tone
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75
 China 30C is useful for large
accumulation of fecal matter that is
difficult to expel, and especially if the
patient is experiencing small amounts of
diarrhea instead.

 Raphanus 30C is indicated when there

is constipation with no urgings for a stool
and/or when there is painful gas in the
upper left part of the abdomen.
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 Phase Out Flatulence
Surgery can disrupt your digestive system,
resulting in flatulence. Gas may collect and
cause jabbing pains and severe bloating.

Carbo vegetabilis assists people who suffer

from great distension and offensive gas. This
remedy is best if you get relief from release and
if carbonated drinks ease the gas pains.

Cinchona officinalis is useful when there is

more pain than distension, frequent rumbling in
the abdomen, and no relief from releasing gas.
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 Colocynthis works when there is more pain
than distension and cramps are relieved by
bending over.
 Raphanus sativus helps people who have a
distended abdomen but are unable to expel
gas.
 Recommended Dosage: Take one of the above
in a 6X or 6C or 30X or 30C potency every two
hours during intense pain and every four hours
during mild discomfort. If you doesn't improve
after 24 hours, try another remedy.
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 Swelling, Stiffness, pain, bruise and
Soreness
 Ledum palustre 30C may help to relieve
bruising and swelling around the eye after
surgery. It is also useful for pain and swelling
after surgery on varicose veins.
 Rhus toxicodendron 30C is helpful for
relieving stiffness, soreness, and
restlessness after any surgery. It is often
recommended after operations on tonsils and
adenoids, appendectomy, and dental surgery
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 Arinica 30c/200c- Pain following surgery is
a common, if not nearly universal,
experience. The homeopathic remedy
Arnica is traditionally used as a treatment
for trauma, and therefore has been
proposed for reducing surgical pain,
soreness and bruise.
 Calendula 3c/6c/12c/30c – promotes the
formation of granulation tissue.
 Staphysagria30c/200c – pain following
surgery.
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 Ward off Infections
 Surgical infections from bacteria like
Staphylococcus aureus affect 500,000
Americans annually, according to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
Infections, which can strike an immune system
compromised by surgery, may cause
complications like bleeding and prolong your
recuperation. Protect yourself against infections
with Ferrum phosphoricum.

 Recommended Dosage: Two days prior to

surgery, begin taking 6X or 6C of Ferrum four
times a day, every six hours. Stop taking it the
day of your surgery.
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 Gynecological Surgery
• Abortion or Miscarriage:
Ignatia 30C, every four hours.
• Caesarean Section or Episiotomy:
Staphysagria 30C or Bellis
perennis 30C, every four hours.
• Dilation and curettage (D & C):
Belladonna 30C, every 4 hours.
• Hysterectomy:
Causticum 30C, every four hours
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 Orthopedic Surgery
• Ruta 30C is the first remedy for surgery
involving cartilage, tendons, ligaments and
periosteum. It is therefore a great remedy in
surgeries involving the knees and other
joints.

 Scarring
 Thiosinaminum 6X, once a day for one week.
Repeat one month later if necessary.
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