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eCAM Advance Access published online on October 4, 2007
eCAM, doi:10.1093/ecam/nem128
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© 2007 The Author(s).
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/uk/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Review

Brief Homeopathic Pathogenetic Experimentation: A Unique Educational Tool in Brazil

Marcus Zulian Teixeira

Department of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine of the University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

In homeopathy, many difficulties are encountered in understanding theoretical presuppositions because they represent different paradigms from those of hegemonic science. In our medical school, we developed a brief homeopathic pathogenetic experimentation course to be added as curricular content and a didactic method in homeopathic disciplines to add practical experience to the theoretical approach of homeopathic presuppositions. In accordance with the premises laid out by Hahnemann, the father of homeopathy, brief pathogenetic experimentation was offered on a voluntary basis for students who were free of chronic diseases and who had not regularly used medication in the last 3 months. The clinical test, either crossed or sequential (randomized and blind), was used as a study model. Single weekly doses of a homeopathic medicine of 30 cH or placebo were taken by participants during 4 weeks after which crossover of the experimented substances took place for another 4 weeks. Polycrest medicines were used so that symptoms developed by the participants could be compared to those described in Homeopathic Materia Medica. Thirty-three of the 50 students who studied homeopathy as an elective discipline over the last 4 years at the School of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (FMUSP) participated. Participants described symptoms according to specific methodology including many comments with peculiar characteristics and notable idiosyncrasies. All these students endorsed the course because it contributed to their understanding of how dynamized substances produced symptoms in healthy participants as well as the cure of symptoms according to the casual similitude principle. Brief homeopathic pathogenetic experimentation proved to be an effective method to observe the idiosyncratic manifestations of human individuality based on qualitative methodology, thus building a basis of understanding of homeopathy.

Keywords: Homeopathy – medical education – undergraduate medical education – pathogenesis – homeopathic pathogenetic trial – homeopathic pathogenetic experimentation

For reprints and all correspondence: Marcus Zulian Teixeira, Rua Teodoro Sampaio, 352/128, 05406-000 - São Paulo/SP – Brazil, Tel: +55 (11) 3083-5243; Fax: +55 (11) 3082-6980; E-mail: marcus{at}homeozulian.med.br

Received August 7, 2006; accepted June 13, 2007


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