Introduction:

    Professor Dr. D. P. Rastogi, world’s renowned homoeopath, eminent teacher has given a simple and understandable article on Miasm. He is chairman of Post Graduate Committee Central Council of Homoeopathy now. He was an Honorary Physician to President of India. Formerly he was the Director of Central Council for research in Homoeopathy and served as Principal of Nehru Homoeopathic Medical College New Delhi. He holds many positions in India and abroad. He has authored many books in our literature. Recipient of National and international awards.

     According to Hahnemann the three miasms resulted from the suppression of acute diseases

• Thus psora resulted from suppression of itch disease which we now call scabies.
• Sycosis resulted from suppression of gonorrhoea.
• Syphilis resulted from suppression of the chancre disease.

     Hahnemann spent twelve long years in observing and identifying these three profound and morbidly predisposing pathologies. He accepted and confirmed the possible coexistence in the same patient of two or even three of the miasms which overlapped each other. He insisted that the physician has to recognize and handle them adequately.

     Hahnemann stated that it was necessary to deal with these one by one whenever one discovered their simultaneous co-existence in the patient. This can be included in his definition of dissimilar disease.It is necessary to employ, serially but at the correct and necessary intervals, different homoeo-miasmatic remedies according to the symptom pictures that follow each other during the curative process.

The basis for recognizing the different miasms :

     The birth of cellular pathology, with its extensive laboratory demonstrations confirmed the ever - present correspondence of the whole with every one of its parts.Cellular pathology demonstrated that every transcending disturbance in the cell begins in the nutritive processes , that is in the function of assimilation.These disturbances can only be of three types : deficiency, excess or deviation.

Theory and practical application :

     Numerous efforts have been made to explain. However, this always ended up by being a personal conception of whoever was studying it.Initially pathology dealt with the tissues, then with the cell and finally it has given way to an interest in molecular pathology.

     All the advances in biochemistry and genetics have been integrated into this research.

     In spite of the many discoveries and the never ending future discoveries and interpretations, the fundamental notion of an imbalance in the organism, as seen by a deficiency ,an excess or a deviation , still holds true. This is confirmed by the fact that in the realm of physiology and psychology these same morbid tendencies can be recognized. The most surprising thing is that these disturbances each correspond to Hahnemann’s three miasms of chronic diseases.

     Deficiency or lack, with resulting hypofunctional physiology, and its inhibitions are characterstic of psora.In physiological hyperactivity, anatomical hyperplasia and psychological expansion correspond perfectly with Hahnemann’s sycosis. Deviation, the syphilitic stigma will be charcterized anatomically and physiologically by dystrophies,dysplasias and dysfunctions. The syphilitic psyche will manifest itself by involution and degeneration.

     The above considerations simplfy and faclitate the classfication of all possible symptoms for each of the Hahnemannian miasms.For example , a hypotonic intestine that brings about constipation due to lack of motility will correspond to psora.A colon with hypermotility will correspond to sycosis, while one with spasmodic dystonia or perverse movement will be of a syphilitic nature.

     A dry unhealthy skin will be of psoric nature, while an oily skin with copious perspiration and a tendency to the formation of excrescences will be sycotic. A skin which is ulcerated with a tendency towards degeneration will present the syphilitic condition.

     A slow, sluggish or depressed mind will be psoric.A hyperactive, hurried psyche with a changing unstable nature will make evident “ the hypertrophy of the ego” in the sycotic individual.The degenerative deprivation that clouds the spirit with its tendency towards destruction and death will constitute the syphilitic position.

Summary :

     To summarize we may state that psora will be all that which means inhibition, sense of inferiority, coldness, functional deficiency, lack of productivity or of holding back.For example we can think of symptoms such as shyness, anxiety, irritability [holding back of anger], dryness, impotence, lassitude, weakness [whether it be general or of an organ or a part of the body].

Sycosis :

     Will be manifested by expansion, precipitancy, hypersensitivity, hyperactivity, hypersecretion, pride, exaggerated fears, irascibility [manifest anger], hyperthermia, neoplasms, hurried.

Syphilis :

     Syphilitic manifestations will include:

• Degradation
• Indifference
• Loathing life
• A perversion of biological functions
• Abnormal secretions
• Rage [blinding anger]
• Convulsions, spasms, deformities
• Haemorrhages, putrefactions and destructive tendencies in the tissues as well as in the mind.

Examples from Kent’s repertory and Allen’s Materia Medica:

• Sadness is of a psoric nature because of its inhibitory quality.
• Grief is the sycotic manifestation of sadness because of its expansive quality.
• Prostration of mind exhibits the destructive syphilitic quality of sadness.
• Fear, when it is psorically inhibited is manifested by anxiety.
• Specific fear [different fears] outwardly manifested is sycotic in nature.
• In anguish there is a fear with an implicitly destructive syphilitic tendency.
• The psoric individual will manifest a weakness of memory.
• The sycotic patient would be absent minded due to his charcterstic instability whereas the syphilitic will be forgetful in the sense of having memory lapses which demonstrate the destructive tendencies.
• A slow pulse can be classified as psoric, a rapid pulse as sycotic and irregular one as syphilitic.
• In the extremities weakness is psoric, restlessness is sycotic and ataxia syphilitic.
• Erections incomplete, short or wanting are psoric; frequent and strong erections are sycotic and erections troublesome, painful or without sexual desire are syphilitic.

Examples of pains :

• Pains that are sore, bruised, pressive and demand that the patient rest, indicate psoric inactivity with its lack of tone.
• Stiching, pulsating and wandering pains manifest irritability. Hyperfunction, hypertonus consistent with sycosis.
• Burning, bursting and burning pains indicate the syphilitic destructive, disordered nature.