E B Nash Was Not A Fool…!!!

Among the various Materia Medica books we use, I always enjoy reading Leaders In Homoeopathic Therapeutics, written by E B Nash. In spite of my attachment to his book, I used to feel that Nash was a fool, because he has not given the drugs in the alphabetical order. It is a real headache to find out the remedy we need to read. I always wondered why B Jain has repeated the same mistake he had done. They could have arranged the drugs in alphabetical order while reprinting, but given only the drug index at the end, just to make the book “user-friendly”. I am sure that other publishers have also repeated the same mistake!

But, after listening to an introductory lecture on the study of Materia medica by Dr Farokh J Master, I have come to know that I am the real fool to misinterpret Nash and the publishers! There is one solid reason for the non-alphabetical arrangement of drugs in his materia medica. What Nash has given is the real method to study Materia medica – Study one big remedy, and then study the remedies related to the same. This is one of the best ways to study drugs. Unfortunately, we all study unrelated drugs one after the other, and finally, the things are not stored properly in the brain.

So friends, keeping this idea in the mind, it is time to reread the same book again and again in order to understand the remedies.

Wish you a happy reading!

Dr Muhammed Rafeeque

Family Homoeopathic clinic

Tags: e-b-nash, homeopathy, homoeopathy, materia-medica, study-of-materia-medica

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Comment by Dr.M.V.NarendraNath Reddy on December 26, 2011 at 6:24am: Thank you Dr Muhammed Rafeeque, Anything regarding the study of Materia Medica is always of a great utility. Could you please mention the very useful 36 key remedies mentioned by Dr Farokh J Master

Warm Regards

Narendra Nath

Comment by Veeraraghavan A.R. on December 26, 2011 at 10:38am: E.B. Nash, the great stalwarts of Homeopathy had arranged his materia medica in a such a way as, medicines are arranged according to utility of medicines. That is why Nux. comes to first.

Thank you sir, to revise my memory.

Comment by Dr Muhammed Rafeeque on December 27, 2011 at 7:00am: Thanks for the comments. I have emailed Dr F J Master to give more information on the key remedies.

Comment by Dr. Wequar Ali Khan on December 27, 2011 at 9:54am: Thank you Dr Rafeeque.Your input has open a new avenue to re evaluate the reading of MM.Dr Farukh Masters video is really effective as it helps one to absorb how to go about studying each remedy.I have personally enjoyed reading Margaret Tyler.s DRUG PICTURES, and from that to appreciate other masters as Nash, Farrington , Kent and others.

Comment by Dr Muhammed Rafeeque on December 27, 2011 at 11:24pm: Thanks for the valuable inputs.

Comment by Hans Weitbrecht on January 2, 2012 at 9:50am: Nash was a fool --, he picked Keynotes established by others, some even wrong indiscriminately and compared them, -- that is how his book came to be, -- its not by practical experience, he arrived at his comparisons, but by desc top theoretical considerations.

compare Lippe, Allen, Hering Gross, Farrington and you will see -- but this would mean work, and that is to be avoided, I suppose.--

Comment by Dr Muhammed Rafeeque on January 3, 2012 at 5:36am: Nash was very intelligent. That is the reason why his books are still existing!

In his materia medica, he has given his experience in the second part under each drug (given after the asterisks). M L Tyler and Lippe’s Keynotes also give the views of other physicians. The words of the original provers may be less in these books. But, words of the physicians are also important. Except source books like MM Pura, most of the MM books contain the things other than the words of the provers. Experience of physicians, toxicological studies, quotes from ancient texts, signature doctrines, clinical symptoms, constitutions, etc. Hence source books must be given prior importance. Still, the experience of pioneers is having its own value. The only necessity is we should not blindly follow anybody.

Comment by Dr Muhammed Rafeeque on January 4, 2012 at 11:22pm: We should also note that the title of his book is 'Leaders In Homoeopathic Therapeutics', not Materia medica!

Comment by Veeraraghavan A.R. on January 5, 2012 at 9:35am: I don't think that Nash was a fool. The very first literature which I had read in Homoeopathy is Nash's Leaders In Homoeopathic Therapeutics. But still even after 16 years It is very useful to me in all aspects. He is GREAT

Comment by Viktor Kalocsai on January 6, 2012 at 5:42am: I don't think that he woz fool,
Rather mean that he woz cool,
As a stripling kid,
He uzed to sit,
On hiz little wooden stool,
Long before he went to Cleveland School.

He healed the sick,
He wrote by heart;
He uzed to sing on his fine tenor voice,
He lived all hiz life by the Almighty God'z choice.

Cee two hundred La-cheee-sis,
You solved and pre-ven-ted a big cry-sis!

One-Eight-Three-Eight One-Nine-One-Seven,
Eugene-Beauharnais-Nash you are high in Heaven!

"I am greatful 'n thankful
for all dee Ho-mee-o-pa-thy world com-muu-nity mem-bers
who remember dee Illustrious
Eugene Beau-har-nais EeeeBeee-Nash; emdeee,
hom-eee-ooo-path,
who wazn't fool but rather COOL !"