SYNTHESIS

Repertorium Homoeopathicum Syntheticum

Edited by Dr. Frederik Schroyens

in collaboration with

leading homoeopaths throughout the world

This can be discussed under the following headings :
• Meaning of “SYNTHESIS”
• History behind
• Its publications
• Philosophical background
• Construction
• Arrangement of rubrics
• Small discussion on the two most important chapters –
“Mind” and “Generals”
• Special features
• Criticism
 Meaning
• The process of putting together separate parts to
form a complete whole
• Making a whole out of parts
• The combination of separate elements in a whole
• SYNTHESIS is nothing but the on going process
of collection and compilation of symptoms with
corresponding medicines and their gradation from
various sources
 History behind
• From Dr. Jeorge Vithoulkas Foreword we came to
know about his opinion regarding synthesis
“Kent’s repertory, even if it is the best so far,
contains a lot of errors, its structure and its logic
are not always maintained, etc. I felt there was no
good reason to reprint all the same errors once
more, even with lot of additions, because this was
done already too often by other so called new
repertories.”
• So it was needed for correcting, updating & improving
the repertory.
• Dr. Frederik Schroyens ultimately did this job in
collaboration with the leading homoeopaths throughout
the world leading to the development of synthesis
repertory.
• Synthesis is a repertory linked to RADAR project.
• It is based on 6th American edition of Kent’s repertory
and contains all its rubrics and remedies.
• Since 1987 Synthesis has been used as database for
RADAR
• It has been commented upon and there by improved over
and over again. Indeed not only additions of an
increasing number of authors but also correction of
existing data have been integrated.
 Its publications
• Version 2 was released in 1988.
• Version 3 was released in 1990. This version contains 136000
addition from 130 authors compared to Kent’s original
repertory.
• Version 4 was released in 1992. It contains 178000 addition
from 200 authors.
• Synthesis 5x German edition was published in August,1993.
English edition was published in February,1994. Indian edition
in March, 1996.
• Synthesis 6 German edition in August, 1995.
• Synthesis 7.1 English edition in 1997. It contains 235000
additions from 330 different sources.
• Synthesis 8.0 was published in 2002. It has 3031 author
references and 4200 medicine references.
 Philosophical background
• Among the repertories developed over
Kent’s repertory, Dr. Frederik Schroyen’s
Synthesis is popularly used throughout the
world since its 1st publication. Though it is
based on Kent’s concept yet it has its own
individuality.
• Kent’s repertory is used on the basis of
General to Particular.
• Mental General followed by Physical
General, then Characteristic Particular.
Under chapter mind, mental generals are given; the
physical generals are mostly listed in chapter
generalities.

Mental generals
Will- (it is of first importance they are love,
sympathy, sadness etc.)

Understanding- (rational mind such as delusion,

hallucination, illusion)

Memory- (among the mental rubrics lowest in

ranking such as forgetful, mistake etc.)
Physical generals- desire, aversion,
reaction to heat and cold etc.

Characteristic particular such as pain

hand, leg, back etc. Coryza, dryness
of mouth, sweat on axilla, anosmia,
indigestion etc.
Dr. Kent repertory is based on the following :
– Individualization on the basis of evaluation of
symptoms
– Gradation of medicines and its basis
– Cross-reference and its background.

The logic behind the use of Kent’s repertory

is deductive logic, that is approach from
generals to particulars. Among the generals he
paid highest importance to mental generals
followed by physical generals and lastly
particulars.
• In synthesis the above logic is strictly
followed and Dr. Schroyen also gave
maximum importance to mental generals
followed by physical generals, he only
arranged the mental and physical generals
in their respective chapters.
• Dr. Kent used 3 typhography for gradation
of medicines namely bold, italic, and
ordinary. In Synthesis 4 typhography are
used namely BOLD CAPITAL, bold
small, italic, and roman.
 Typography regarding
gradation of medicines
Four typography used for gradation of
medicines. They are:
BOLD CAPITAL – scoring 4
Bold small - scoring 3
Italics - scoring 2
Roman - scoring 1
 Construction
• Schroyen mentioned 38 chapters in his repertory
Synthesis. In his repertory dream occupies a
separate chapter.
• The 1st chapter is ‘Mind’ and ‘Generals’ is the last
chapter and in between various particulars are
present.
• It has been attempted to proceed from generals to
particulars. A general rubric and its remedies is
fast followed by the particular characteristics.
• Each section has been divided into rubrics & rubric
is further divided into sub rubric. Both of them are
are arranged alphabetically.
 CHAPTERS OF SYNTHESIS
1. MIND 15. ABDOMEN 26. RESPIRATION
2. VERTIGO 16. RECTUM 27. COUGH
3. HEAD 17. STOOL 28. EXPECTORATION
4. EYE 29. CHEST
18. BLADDER
5. VISION 30. BACK
19. KIDNEY
6. EAR 31. EXTRIMITIES
20. PROSTATE
7. HEARING 32. SLEEP
GLAND
8. NOSE 33. DREAM
9. FACE 21. URETHRA
34. CHILL
10. MOUTH 22. URINE
35. FEVER
11. TEETH 23. MALE
36. PRESPIRATION
12. THROAT GENITALIA/ SEX
37. SKIN
13. EXTERNAL 24. FEMALE
38. GENERALS
THROAT GENITALIA / SEX
14. STOMACH 25. LARYNX AND
TRACHEA
• In making this repertory more authentic and more
up-to-date, Dr. Schroyen formulated and added the
following plans and construction.
1. Addition after repeated checking – Synthesis contains
repeatedly checked additions from the standard
homoeopathic literature including Dr. Hahnemann,
Kent, Hering, Allen, etc.
2. Correction of Kent’s repertory – these corrections are
recognized by indicating ‘K’. Eg. Delusion – Starve he
must – Kali.chl. Is corrected to Delusion – Starve he
must – Kali.m.hr1,k,* . Here corrected source is Hering’s
guiding symptoms.
3. Symptoms are re-written in clearly readable format.
Such as “pieces, sensation as if head would fall in when
stooping”. It is correctly written as “pieces, on
stooping; sensation as if head would fall in”.
4. Combined modalities are applied throughout Synthesis,
such as aggravation from ‘cold wet weather’ it would
be searched as ‘weather-cold-wet’, but never under
‘cold-damp-weather’ and ‘damp-cold-weather’.
5. Ambiguous words have been clarified wherever
necessary.
6. Creation of some rubrics such as ‘periodicity’,
‘children’.
7. Language – correction of some nineteenth century
spelling like
– Anaemia => anemia
– Diarrhoea => diarrhea
8. All ‘ailments from’ have been grouped under rubric
‘ailments from’.
9. Aversion, desire, aggravation, amelioration
related to food are place under rubric ‘food
and drink’ in the chapter ‘generals’.
10. Several clinical rubrics are added.
11. All dreams are present in a separate chapter
‘Dream’.
12. Similar rubrics are merged into one, such as
‘nose-obstruction-alternating sides’ it is
corrected into ‘nose-obstruction-one side
alternately’.
 Arrangement of rubrics
• The head rubric is followed by sub-rubrics.
• The sub-rubric is arranged depending upon the
next important word in the situation. E.g. ‘anger
with red spot in the face’ so the chapter is ‘mind’
and the most important word is ‘anger’, so ‘anger’
is the rubric followed by sub-rubric ‘face’ as
‘face’ is the next important word. So the
arrangement is likewise ‘anger, face, red, spots in
face; with red’
• The leading word in a rubric is kept in front
e.g. in Kent’s repertory it is present as ‘after
rising’, ‘in bed’ ‘as if broken’, ‘as if
frozen’, whereas in synthesis it is present as
‘rising after’, ‘bed in’, ‘broken as if’,
‘frozen as if’.
• Merging of the subrubrics – in synthesis the
subrubrics are merged with the main rubric
wherever necessary. E.g

Laughing – involuntarily –eating after (Kent)

Laughing – involuntarily (Synthesis)
Time rubric is present in international format i.e 0-24 Hrs.

In Kent’s repertory
under chapter In synthesis it is changed to
generalities it is
presented likewise:

Morning – 7 am Morning – 7 h
8 am 8h
Afternoon – 1 pm Afternoon – 13 h
2 pm 14 h
5 pm 17 h
Night – 11 pm Night – 23 h
4 am 4h
 In each chapter the head rubric is written in
BOLD CAPITAL & the subrubrics are
written in small letter. Again the 1st word of
subrubric is bold. E.g –

DIABETES mellitus
– accompanied by
• alcoholism
• tongue
red discolouration of the tongue
bright
white discolouration of the tongue
• Pain rubric is arranged in the following order
– Side
– Time
– Modalities
– Extensions
– Localisations
– Description of pain
• Weather modalities apply to the whole general
state have been grouped under a rubric ‘weather’,
‘wet weather’, ‘windy and stormy weather’,
‘winter in’, ‘storm approach of’, all are presented
in a single rubric weather.
• Sexual passion for male and sexual desire
for female which are present in Kent’s
repertory, they are converted into the rubric
‘sexual desire’ which is present in both
‘Male genitalia / sex’ & ‘Female genitalia /
sex’
• Right placement of rubric ‘awkward’ the
rubric is present in ‘extremities’ in Kent’s
repertory but synthesis kept it both in
‘Mind’ & ‘extremities’ as ‘awkward’ may
be due to mental condition or physical
condition.
 Some features about Mind &
Generals chapter
• More rubric and medicines are added in the
chapter mind in comparison to Kent’s repertory.
• About 529 rubrics are present in Kent’s repertory
whereas in synthesis it is 848.
• In Kent’s repertory there are 245 rubrics, in
generals whereas in synthesis it is 780.
• The following rubrics are added in Mental
chapters
Ailments from – anger
        bad news    
disappointment
       grief
        indignation etc.
ANIMALS:
love for animals.
cats:
dogs : aeth
pet; her: med, nat-m, podo.
children; in: med.
NATURE: love: care. Etc.
BEHAVIOUR Problems:
children in (destructiveness, disobedience, insolence,
Restlessness, rudeness etc in children.)
BUSINESSMEN: worn – out businessmen; suited to : calc,
coca, kali-p. Nux-v.
GAMBLING:
Passion for gambling:
Make money to:
Examples of adding medicines in
rubric
One example: -
Affectation – stram (Kent)
Affectation – alum.gl1, carb v. gl1,
carc.sk1, st1, caust.gl1, con.gl1, graph.gl1,
Hyos.vh, Lyc.vh, mez.h, nat. m.gl1, pall.gl1,
plat.gl1,vh, Stram,
Verat.vh.
 GENERALS
• The following rubrics are there :
– FOOD & DRINKS : contains all desire, aversions, modalities.
– Some pathological conditions are given as rubric :
Acetonaemia, Acromegaly, Adrenal failure, Alzheimer's
disease, Amoebiasis, Amiotrophic lateral schelerosis, Arterio
sclerosis, Down’s syndrome. Etc.
– Certain rubrics of poisoning like aluminium, arsenical,
mercury, quinine, are present as rubric.
– Rubrics on complexions – like dark, fair etc.
– Children complaints as rubric like delicate, punny, sickly.
– Rubrics on physical makeup – like lean people, obesity,
emaciation etc.
– Rubric vaccination after with its modification like –
diphtheria, meningitis, neurological complaints, etc.
– Rubric on moon phases like – full moon, new moon,
waining moon, waxing moon.
– Rubrics on periodicity like – day, alternate day, hour,
week, month, year etc.
– Rubrics on family history of – like asthma, cancer,
diabetes mellitus, eczema, gonorrhoea, insanity,
suicidal death, tuberculosis etc.
– Rubric on personal history – like abortion, antibiotic
use of, abscess recurrent of birth trauma of, bite of
animal, gonorrhoea etc.
– Rubrics on laboratory findings like – erythrocytes
decreased, leucocytes decreased, increased, platelets
decreased, sperms count low etc.
 Presented
by
Dr. P. K. Bairi
B. H. M. S. (Cal), M. D. (Cal)
Lecturer, Dept. of Repertory
M. B. H. M. C. & H.

Thanks to all of you for sharing

this afternoon with me.