Bönninghausen’s Therapeutisches Taschenbuch (TT) first appeared in 1846 (Münster). The English Therapeutic Pocketbook (TPB) translation was completed in the same year (by a friend of Bönninghausen who wished to remain anonymous). Only this repertory fully represents Bönninghausen’s approach to case taking and analysis.
C.M.Boger’s “Bönninghausen’s Characteristics and Repertory” has often been confused with the TPB of Bönninghausen, in that it has been seen as representing Bönninghausen’s unique method of repertorisation; but whilst Boger’s work is indeed a compilation of Bönninghausen’s therapeutic writings, it is only the Therapeutic Pocketbook, through its unique, deceptively simple design and construction, developed by Bönninghausen himself, which provides the specific mechanism for applying Bönninghausen’s condensed method of recombining the characteristic symptoms in the selection of the remedy.
Whilst the TT/TPB was the most widely used repertory by the end of the 19th century, it fell more and more into disuse in consequence of the increasing popularity of Kent’s repertory. This was due to the fact that for optimum results, the Therapeutic Pocketbook method of repertorisation requires a thorough understanding of both the repertory itself (the summary nature of rubrics necessitates their most thorough comprehension), and of the case at hand a recognition of its core character, prior to searching for the most appropriate remedy.
On the other hand, Kent’s Repertory could be readily applied to a collection of separate symptoms by even the newest beginner, a feature which ensured its success. But Kent’s Repertory is riddled with errors, inconsistencies, and unverifiable entries; and whilst the later repertories modelled on Kent’s were greatly expanded and even computerised, only a small portion of these inherent errors were adequately addressed, so that the increasing numbers of entries more especially served to dilute any accurate information present in the original. Not surprisingly then, a decided lack of certainty is not infrequently felt when relying on these works, especially in uncommon, serious, or urgent cases, where previous experience cannot be called upon for guidance.
It was this lack of certainty which precipitated my search for a more reliable information base - my search for a better method, and it was following K.-H. Gypser’s Sydney seminar of April 1995, wherein he detailed the accuracy of the information contained within Bönninghausen’s Therapeutic Pocketbook, that I determined to focus on Bönninghausen’s method.
By contrast to the above mentioned works, Bönninghausen’s TT shows remarkable consistency in very accurately representing the materia medica (all medicines are listed from provings), and in its indication of the clinical weighting of each remedy within a rubric (remedy grading system). Yet the most significant feature of the TPB is that (by virtue of its basic design strategy) it allows the user to apply the concept of recombining the characteristics of a case of disease in the selection of its remedy. It is this last named feature which, most of all, takes the otherwise seemingly insipid TT and gives it a unique and impressive place as one of the (near lost) treasures of our homœopathic literature.
Unfortunately, the copy I had in my possession was an Indian reprint of the “New American Edition” of T.F.Allen (edited by H.A.Roberts, 1935), which had been greatly enlarged, and had also received many rubric and remedy grade changes (checking the Concordance list of remedies revealed 21 extra remedies; more importantly, there were four omissions: Angustura, and all three of the magnets). Such changes from the original (made using different inclusion criteria from Bönninghausen), coupled with the extremely poor quality of the available Indian reprint (remedy grades are often unclear), meant that the confidence required to use such a condensed repertorial system (reliant upon the selection of a small number of characteristic symptoms), the main attraction of which was accuracy and certainty, was lost. I soon realised the necessity for the republication of an accurate modern translation which itself posed no obstacle to a fluid practical use of its method.
The English Language Republication was commenced in Sydney, in June 1995, and within eighteen months, a similar project utilising our own computer database was underway in Germany, headed by Dr. Gypser, to republish the Therapeutisches Taschenbuch.
This English project provided the opportunity to (most carefully) expand the original TT to include material from Bönninghausen’s later writings (whilst retaining his fundamental design strategy), during which process we took great care to check and recheck the contextual meaning of many repertorial and materia medica terms used in the days of Bönninghausen. Every rubric has been referenced back to its original German counterpart, and this is the only repertory to provide extensive explanatory endnotes for the more difficult or unclear rubrics, with specific reference to the source materia medicæ, their proper comprehension allowing the repertorian to select only a minimum number of precise rubrics covering the core characteristics of the case.
From my own experience with the (four) preliminary editions trialled (almost exclusively) over the past two years, I can state that a thorough familiarity of this repertory and its rubrics (often pregnant with meaning) increases its ease of use to the point that the time required to consider a case of (especially chronic) illness can be reduced to a fraction of that previously required. I now find myself rarely consulting other repertories, and along with my close colleagues involved in this project, I can report a significant increase in prescribing accuracy and speed, both in acute and chronic cases.
The title for this publication was initially conceived as Bönninghausen’s Therapeutic Pocketbook, English Language Edition 2000, but the final distinctive title was settled upon for the following reasons: Firstly, the present edition is no longer the size of a pocketbook. Secondly, the term “pocketbook” implies a less significant depth of information than in a more ‘substantial’ and bulky desktop reference, and such term is therefore inadequate for this work, which can be seen to embrace the therapeutic method of Bönninghausen in its entirety, without compromise. Thirdly, the title should reflect the fact that this condensed work represents a clear method of prescribing, not a simple collection of otherwise scattered facts.
So it is with confidence in the method of Bönninghausen and in the accuracy of his work, that I am pleased to announce the release of The Bönninghausen REPERTORY - Therapeutic Pocketbook Method, marking the completion of its five year long republication project.
For the first time since the early 1900’s, this work provides access to Bönninghausen’s own therapeutic method in a form that is easily comprehensible in modern day English, whilst retaining the accuracy of its originator.
George Dimitriadis
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TBR Introductory Article (PDF - 239kb)
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August 2000
Sydney, Australia
