The physician may have in his record page full of symptoms after the process of case taking. But that doesn't mean that the case is well taken and ready for selection of remedy. The physician should classify or analyse the case record to differentiate the symptoms which are important for the selection of similimum. He should differentiate the recorded symptoms in to different groups in order of their importance.These symptoms which represent the patient are grouped to find the similimum, the indicated remedy.

Characteristic Symptoms:The case record gets weightage only when it consists of characteristic symptoms, which individualize the patient. It is necessary to have individualizing characteristics so as to enable classify the symptomatology, to judge the value of symptoms, to lessen the group of medicines containing indicated remedies, and to differentiate the importance of each remedies. The characteristics are those which we feel unusual , strange and peculiar and individual to the case. For. Eg. Fever without thirst. These peculiarities relate to the patient not the disease. When we have 2-3 of these peculiar symptoms then these form the characteristic features.

Common Symptoms:Common symptoms are those that appear and we expect to appear in all cases of a diseased condition.For eg.Appearance of rash in measles; Presence of thirst in fever. Features pathognomonic is common, because it is common in that disease, but an absence of pathognomonic characterize that particular disease in that patient.

Pathognomonic Symptoms: A homoeopathic prescription cannot be made on pathology or morbid anatomy. Pathology gives only the results of the disease and not the true symptomatology.Hence pathological symptoms are not given much importance in homoeopathy for selection of remedy.

General Symptoms:Now let us come to the group of symptoms which are generals. All the symptoms that are predicated of the patient himself are termed as general symptoms. For eg. when the patient says "I am thirsty", as a matter of fact, although he feels thirst in the mouth, yet it is his whole economy that craves the water. When the patient expresses saying "I", should be considered generals. Some times when the patient expresses saying "I have so much burning" and when examined we find his head, skin, anus, urination and other affected parts burning. We find burning to be a general feature running common, and hence a general symptom. The affections of the patient are most generals i.e. his desires and aversions. The symptoms closely related to the mental state are all general symptoms. e.g. aversion to life, grief, anxiety etc. Dreams are also generals as they are closely allied to mental state. All the mental symptoms are generals and rank first among generals as they are closely related to the inner aspect of an individual. The menstrual symptoms are also generals. The things predicated of self, of the ego, described as "I do so and so", are all generals. General symptoms are important than particular ones. One strong general can over rule all particulars.

Particular Symptoms: All the things that are predicated of any given part of body or organ are things in particular. Eg. Headache, Joint pain, Backache etc. The abnormal sensations run only in one particular organ.

To enable to pick out remedy out of a group of medicines we must study both generals and particulars of the patient, and the generals always first. Many of the symptoms of regions are both common and particular. Particular because they are related to parts of body, and common because they describe a state. For e.g. Scarlet fever. Sometimes after gathering the particulars of every region of the body, we observe some symptoms running through the particulars which have become generals as well as particulars. E.g. Burning of eyes, Burning of Skin, Burning of micturition, Burning of feet etc.Considering the example the burning running in all the parts becomes a general as well a prticular to the concerned parts.