UPDATE ON ORGANON OF MEDICINE

SIGNIFICANCE OF FAMILY HISTORY IN

HOMOEOPATHIC PRESCRIBING
DR. ANJU JETHANI M.D. (HOM.)
Sr. Medical Officer, Medical Center, High Court of Delhi
Sr. Lecturer, Department of Organon of Medicine,
Nehru Homoeopathic Medical College, New Delhi
E-mail: dranjujethani@gmail.com
#9818456536

ABSTRACT
From evolutionary viewpoint, our burden of diseases, manifesting at
any phase of life, has deep connections with our familial heritage. In
fact, the modern conventional textbooks of medicine enumerates
several clinical conditions in which familial tendency have been
delineated as an important etio-pathogenic factor. From homoeopathic
perspective, Hahnemann and post Hahnemannian stalwarts have also
clinically utilized this important aspect of a patients history in case
perceiving. The following article attempts to glean the literature in this
context and provides clinical suggestions that highlight the significance
of family history in homoeopathic prescribing.

"In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past,

bridge to our future"
These words of Alex Haley, a well known English writer, give us a
starting point for our discussion on significance of family history in
case perceiving.
To begin with, let me quote Lawrence K. Altman from his well known
work The Doctor's World: The Growing Importance of the
Family History:
One of the most valuable diagnostic procedures that doctors can do is
free of risks, involves no advanced technology and costs only the time
it takes to ask pertinent questions. This procedure is the taking of the
family history as part of the medical history. Its importance for the
patient as well as for grandchildren and future generations increases
each passing year as more is learned about the hereditary nature of
many common disorders and as newer therapies become available for
them.1
Echoing these very thoughts, Phyllis Speight in his book A study
course in homoeopathy- Physicians purpose writes:
The family history is of great importance to the homoeopathic
prescriber as it shows the inherited constitution of the patient and
gives a general impression of health those patients forebears. Some
families show a definite trend towards emotional instability, others are
characteristically placidWe are often helped by getting a record of
the family that is age of the parents, their general health, and cause of
death if they are deceased. This applies to brothers and sisters

also.we often get good picture of hereditary tendency in this way.

Find out, if possible, if there is or has been blood relationships between
ancestors. 2
From clinical point of view, the significance of family history stems not
only

from

the

understanding

of

conditions

such

as

Hyper-

cholesterolaemia, obesity, hypertension, allergies, etc known to be

hereditarily transmitted but also tendencies to substance abuse
such as alcoholism etc. For example, recent evidence indicates that
as a group, children of alcoholic (COAs) are at higher risk than nonCOAs for a number of psychological disorders in both childhood and
adulthood and that they seem to be more impulsive and possibly more
neurotic than people without alcoholic parents.3
Besides this, the adequate understanding of family history demands in
depth perception of various factors influencing inheritance, such as:

Age of parents at which they got illness: If parents suffer

from an illness at a younger age, there are greater chances for
the offspring to suffer from the same illness. A study related to
psoriasis and breast carcinoma has revealed that if parents
suffered from these illnesses at a younger age, the incidence of
these illnesses in the offspring increases. 4,5

Sex of affected parent: Eczema is seen more commonly seen

in children of allergic mothers than in children of allergic fathers.

Situation in which parents got illness: If a parent was a

schizoid personality at puberty, and suffered from schizophrenia
later in their life, then there are more chances of development of
schizophrenia in their offspring. 6

Delving further, we find that from Hahnemannian point of view, the

familial reflection on an individuals bio-pathography is best described
in context of concept of miasm. In fact, Hahnemanns in-depth
evolutionary anthropological study of chronic diseases, that took place
in generations and generations of mankind, gave him the insight to
uncover the significance of miasm. He has underscored this very
thought on concept of miasm in The Chronic Diseases - Their
Peculiar Nature and Their Homoeopathic Cure in the following
words:
In the many thousands of years during which it may have afflicted
mankind, for the most ancient history of the most ancient people does
not reach to its origin, it has so much increased in the extent of its
pathological manifestations -an extent which may, to some degree, be
explained by its increased development during such all inconceivable
number of years in so many millions of organisms through which it has
passed, that its secondary symptoms are hardly to be numbered. 7
Hahnemann pointed out that alongside the modifying influence of
accessory circumstances, hereditary dispositions is the most important
conditioning factor in the expression of the miasm. This careful
assessment of inheritance (nature) and environmental factors (nurture)
in manifestation of chronic disease is described in The Chronic

Diseases - Their Peculiar Nature and Their Homoeopathic Cure

as:
The awakening of the internal Psora which has hitherto slumbered and
been latent, and, as it were kept bound by a good bodily constitution
and favorable external circumstances, as well as its breaking out into
more serious ailments and maladies, is announced by the increase of
the symptoms given above as indicating the slumbering Psora, and
also

by

numberless

multitude

of

various

other

signs

and

complaints. These are varied according to the difference in the

bodily constitution of a man, his hereditary disposition, the
various errors in his education and habits, his manner of living
and diet, his employment, his turn of mind, his morality, etc. 8
In this backdrop and in order to rationally understand the anamnesis of
an individuals sickness, the detailed study of familial tree assumes
utmost importance. In order to perceive a case holistically, a physician
must enquire about the family history in detail. Summarily speaking,
he must ask specifically about the various diseases like diabetes,
hypertension, carcinoma, skin diseases, joint complaints, stones,
mental illnesses, etc. He must enquire about any tendency such as for
alcoholism, smoking, tooth decay, susceptibility to cold etc. He must
also enquire about the age of death of the family members, age and
other accessory circumstances associated with the onset of disease in
family.
Besides this, familial history may also provide valuable clues in the
selection of similimum, as mentioned in work of D.M. Foubister as:

Occasionally we obtain a history of venereal disease, although this is

exceptional. I inquire about cancer, tuberculosis and diabetes as a
strong family history of one or more of these suggest consideration of
Carcinosin. Occasionally there is a family history of alcoholism, which
suggests consideration of Leuticum. 9
In Lectures on Materia Medica, Dr. Carroll Dunham has recorded
a case of uterine disease which was cured with Agaricus given on
basis of aching in the heels and marked family tendency to spinal
meningitis. 10
Before we sum up this section, we may glean through some clinical
suggestions in context of significance of Family History/ Tendencies in
consideration of similimum.
Some Clinical suggestions on importance of Family History/
Tendencies
Family history of:
Abortions: Carcinocin, Syphilinum.
Contraceptive pills- Folliculinum

Asthma- Bac., Carc., Lyco., Medo., Nat. s, Psor., Sulph., Thyr, Tub.
Cancer: Brom., Carc., Cundurango, Hydrastis, Medo.
Death with cerebral/cardiac attack- Syphilinum
Diabetes: Carc., Thuja, Thyr., Tub.
Mental disorders- Carcinosin, Medorrhinum
Rheumatism especially autoimmune: Thymus
Allergies: Thyroidinum
Suicidal deaths: Syphilinum, Carcinocin
Tuberculosis: Agaricus, Bac., Carc., Dros., Ars. Iod., Kali c, Mag. c.,
Spong, Phos, Senecio aur., Tub., etc.

 Dwarfed children with family history of tuberculosis: Bacillinum

and Syphilinum.
Thus, we may conclude that a thorough exploration of family history in
its various details should be an inherent part of retrospective case
study in order to perceive the evolution of sickness for purpose of
individualization.

REFERENCES
1. Altman, K. Lawrence. The Doctor's World: The Growing Importance of
The Family History. London: Routledge Publication.
2.

Speight, Phyllis. A study course in homoeopathy- Physicians purpose.

London: Beaconsfield Publications.

3.

Drake, R.E. and Vaillant, G.E. Predicting alcoholism and personality

disorder in longitudinal study of children of alcoholics. British Journal of

Addiction, 83:799807
4.

http://www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/genetics.jsp

5.

Swanbeck G. et.al (1997). Genetic counselling in psoriasis: empirical data on

psoriasis among first-degree relatives of 3095 psoriatic probands. British Journal

of Dermatology. 137 (6):939-42.
6.

Malaspina, D., Harlap, S., Fennig, S. , et al. (2001). Advancing paternal

age and the risk of schizophrenia. Archive of General Psychiatry. 58: 361.
7.

Hahnemann, Samuel. The Chronic Diseases - Their Peculiar Nature and

Their Homoeopathic Cure, Translated from 2nd enlarged German edition by Prof.
Louis H. Tafel. New Delhi: B. Jain Publishers (Pvt.) Ltd.
8.

ibid

9.

Foubister, D.M. (1989). Tutorials on Homoeopathy, 1st edition, London:

Beaconsfield Publishers Ltd.

10.

Dunham, Carroll (1999). Lectures on Materia Medica. New Delhi: B. Jain

Publishers (Pvt.) Ltd.