The prescriber

J H Clarke
• The author had been practicing homoeopathy
since 9 years.
• The only work of reference he had was clinical
index of Dr Ruddock’s well known vade
mecum.
• it was limited and the author had interleaved
his copy, and soon became overloaded.
• So he set about compiling a work which was
more complete
• The prescriber was first published by the firm
of messrs. Keene and ashwell
• For the sake of Indian readers and britons
whose lives are spent largely in tropical
countries – added items on diseases which are
mostly met in those parts.
• In compiling these, the admirable work by Drs
E A Neatby and T Miller Neatby – a manual of
tropical disease and hygiene for missionaries
• Mr W H Knight – literary executor of the late
Dr leopold salzer of calcutta – assisted the
author by sending collated therapeutic items
from many sources
• The position of the prescriber in medical
literature is unique.
• The prescriber deals with nothing but
treatment and the directions, instead of
dealing with generalities, go into minute
particulars for ready application to any case of
any disease.
• Name of the author: Dr John Henry Clarke
• Year of publication: 1885
• First edition: 1885
Updated in: 1925
Number of remedies: 430 or 428
Typography: single grade, italics
Type of repertory: General clinical repertory
 Plan and construction
• Preface
• The book can be divided into 2 main sections
• 1 – INTRODUCTION TO THE PRESCRIBER
• 2 - THE PRESCRIBER
• INTRODUCTION TO THE PRESCRIBER
Is further divided into 4 parts
Part 1 – How to practice homoeopathy
Part 2 – Case taking
Part 3 – The plan of the prescriber and how to
use it
Part 4 – List of remedies, abbreviations and signs
Abies nigra – Zinc valer
• How to practice homoeopathy
- Necessary implements
- Comparative value of symptoms
- The dictionary of practical materia medica
- Boenninghausen’s pocket book
- The scope of clinical repertories
- Kinds and degrees of similarity
- Hahnemann’s doctrine of chronic diseases
- The genus epidemicus
- Symptom repertories
- Various materia medicas
• Case taking
- A suggested form
- Totality of symptoms and the invisible nature
of disease
- ‘Treating symptoms’. Hahnemann’s case
- Indications from heredity and history
- The value of the names of diseases
The plan of the prescriber and how to use it
• The plan
• Rules for prescribing
• Examples of prescription
• Main rubrics or headings are given as Bold roman
• Sub rubrics – CAPITAL ROMAN
• The names of the diseases or the rubrics are given in
alphabetical order.
• If a disease has more than one name, each name is given with
a reference to the one under which the treatment is described.
Abscess, or suppuration
Aphthae or thrush
Megrin or migraine
Fear or fright
• Cross references - Abortion. See Miscarriage
Faeces. See constipation, diarrhoea
Falls, see bruises, sprains
• Each heading has the names of the medicine or medicines
found to be useful in that particular disease
• When more than one medicine is named,
there will be found prefixed to each, the
symptoms which would lead the prescriber to
choose that in preference to the rest.
• Adenoids – in pale, fat children, cold clammy
feet, head perspiring at night, calc c
• In children with consumptive family history
bac.
• when many symptoms of a drug are given
they are separated by , or ;
• Those separated by , belong to a single group
• All these symptoms must be present in the
patient to prescribe the drug
• Sciatica – pains made worse by sitting,
relieved somewhat by walking, entirely by
lying down – Am. mur
• Purely neuralgic; accompanying paralysis; in
old and debilated persons – ars
• If no differentiating symptom or indication –
the medicines are named in order of their
general applicability and numbered
• It is intended that the prescriber shall use
them in that order
• CIRRHOSIS – (1) phos, (2) ars. Iod,(3) china, (4)
aur. mur, (5) hydrocot
• The sign ɸ following the name of the medicine –
strongest preparation
• 1, 2, 3, etc – refer to the centesimal attenuations
• 1x, 2x, 3x etc refer to the decimal scale
• After the name of each medicine – there will be
found the number of the attenuation recommended
• Eg: Acon. 1 – 3, would mean 1, 2 and 3 and the
prescriber may select any of these as he thinks fit.
• When the choice lies between two only, the two
numbers are joined by an ‘or’ cham 1 or 6
• When no sign or number follows the name of a
medicine the pure substance is meant. Kali I gr ii
• Dose –
• Where no dose is mentioned – one drop of
tincture, or one pilule or tablet is intended.
• When tinctures – one or two drops to a tea
spoonful or dessert spoonful of water is the
proper dose
• When powder – one or two drops to a sufficient
quantity of sugar of milk
• Triturations – indicated by the number of grains,
silic. 3, gr. Iii
• Triturations must be given dry on the tongue or
suspended in water
• Repetition of the dose –
The times of the repetition of the dose are given
in terms of hours and minutes
1h – medicine has to be given every hour
2h – every two hours
6h – every six hours
10 m – every ten minutes
• The time of the day –
The best time for giving medicine is from an
hour to half hour before food.
Four times a day – (or every 6 hours)
The first dose – given on rising
Second – an hour before lunch
Third – an hour before dinner
Fourth – at bedtime
• Alternation – remedies may sometimes be
alternated with advantage, but should not be
adopted as a routine method.
• if two medicines seem almost equally
indicated it is best to decide upon one of
them, and give that
• To give both at the same time destroys the
value of the observation, and tends to weaken
the prescriber’s power of diagnosing the
remedy.
• Sleep – except in dangerous acute cases
patients should not be awakened from sleep
to receive their medicine.
 Explanation of signs used
• m.= minute
• h.= hour
• r.= on rising
• h.s.s= at bed time
• gl. = globule
• gtt. = drop
• 3i = one drahm, or one teaspoonful
• 3ii = two drahm or one dessert spoonful
• 3iv= half ounce, one table spoonful
• 33i = one ounce, or two table spoonful
• Oi= one pint
• < = worse, or aggravation
• > = better, or amelioration
• Acon. 3, 3ii
• Signateur, gtt.iii .ex aqua 3ii. Quartis horis

Take acon 3 in two drahms

Three drops in a dessertspoonful every 4 hours
• Under headings such as tongue, smell, taste
etc.,
• Author has mentioned certain characteristic
conditions, which however do not in themselves
constitute diseases.
• Helps in choice of remedies
• Tongue – SURFACE AND SENSATIONS
Different colors are present
Taste – depraved, diminished and lost, illusions –
tastes in the mouth
Smell – sensitiveness, illusions of, loss of
• After the rubric on toothache, there is a short
repertory titled: REPERTORY OF REMEDIES
FOR TOOTHACHE – adapted from ‘Hering’s
domestic medicine’
• Rearranged, with additions from author’s own
experience will be found in brackets
• Localities
• Character of pains and sensations
• Time
• Causation
• Persons and temperament
• Condition of aggravation
• Condition of amelioration
• Extension of pains
• concomitants
• Certain special rubrics like diet, constitution, chronic
diseases etc help the physician in treating the case.
• Diet – in health, infants, corpulency , ulcer of
stomach, gout, cancer
• In some rubrics – gives a little description
• Also mentions other general management and
instructions in square brackets or brackets –
appendicitis, ascites, bed sores
Eg: pediculosis, ringworm, scurvy, sleep and dreams,
• Location rubrics are given, under which are listed the
different conditions
Bone, Eyes, Nose, Liver, lungs etc
• Abscess
• Acidity
• Acne
• Alcohol habit
• Anemia
• Aneurism
• Angina pectoris
• Aphthae
• Ascites
• Asthma
• Back aching
• Beri beri
• Brain fag
• Bronchitis
• Calculus
• Cancer
• Change of life
• Cheloid
• Chicken pox
• Chronic disease
• Constipation
• Tb
• Cough
• Cramp in the calves
• Dandruff
• Dengue
• Diarrhoea
• Diet
• Dupuytren’s contraction
• Dyspepsia
• earache
• Eye – cataract
• Squint
• Sight
• Fever
• Fracture
• Gangrene
• Goitre
• Hemorrhoids
• Hay fever
• Headache
• Head lice
• Heart
• Hiccough
• Hernia
• Hodgkins disease
• Home sickness
• hydrocele
• Hypertension
• Impotence
• Labor
• Lactation
• Liver
• Meniere’s disease
• Pains
• Pancreatits
• Pneumonia
• Psoriasis
• Prostate
• Rickets
• Self abuse
• Sterility
• Stings
• Tetanus
• Ulcers
• Vaccination
• Varicose veins
• Vertigo
• Warts
• Worms