Aphorism 21
Now, as it is undeniable that the curative principle in medicines is not in itself perceptible, and as in pure experiments
with medicines conducted by the most accurate observers, nothing can be observed that can constitute them medicines
or remedies except that power of causing distinct alterations in the state of health of the human body, and particularly
in that of the healthy individual, and of exciting in him various definite morbid symptoms; so it follows that
when medicines act as remedies, they can only bring their curative property into play by means of this their power of altering man's state of health by the production
of peculiar symptoms; and that, therefore, we have only to rely on the morbid phenomena which the medicines produce
in the healthy body as the sole possible revelation of their in-dwelling curative power, in order to learn what disease-producing power, and at the same
time what disease-curing power, each individual medicine possesses.
Aphorism 22
But as nothing is to be observed in diseases that must be removed in order to change them into health besides the
totality of their signs and symptoms in healthy persons and to remove them in diseased persons; it follows, on the
one hand, that medicines only become remedies and capable of annihilating diseases, because the medicinal substance, by exciting certain effects and
symptoms, that is to say, by producing a certain artificial morbid state, removes and abrogates the symptoms already
present, to wit, the natural morbid state we wish to cure. On the other hand, it follows that, for the totality of the symptoms of the
disease to be cured, that medicine must be sought which (according as experience shall prove whether the morbid symptoms are most readily, certainly,
and permanently removed and changed into health by similar or opposite medicinal symptoms ) proved
to have the greatest tendency to produce similar or opposite symptoms.
Aphorism 23
All pure experience, however, and all accurate research convince us that persistent symptoms of disease are far
from being removed and annihilated by opposite symptoms of medicines (as in the antipathic, enantiopathic
or palliative method), that, on the contrary, after transient, apparent alleviation, they break forth again, only
with increased intensity, and become manifestly aggravated(aph. 58-62 & 69).
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Aphorism 24
There remains, therefore, no other mode of employing medicines in diseases that promises to be of service besides
the homoeopathic, by means of which we seek, for the totality of the symptoms of the case of disease, a medicine
which among all medicines (whose pathogenetic effects are known from having been tested in healthy individuals) has the power
and the tendency to produce an artificial morbid state most similar to that of the case of disease in question.
Aphorism 25
Now, however, in all careful trials, pure experience, the sole and infallible oracle of the healing art, teaches us
that actually that medicine which, in its action on the healthy human body, has demonstrated its power of producing
the greatest number of symptoms similar to those observable in the case of disease under treatment, does also,
in doses of suitable potency and attenuation, rapidly, radically and permanently remove the totality of the symptoms
of this morbid state, that is to say (aph. 6-16), the whole disease present, and change it into health; and that all medicines
cure, without exception, those diseases whose symptoms most nearly resemble their own, and leave none of them uncured.
Aphorism 26
This depends on the following homoeopathic law of nature which was sometimes, indeed, vaguely surmised but
not hitherto fully recognized, and to which is due every real cure that has ever taken place:
A weaker dynamic affection is permanently extinguished in the living organism by a stronger one, if the latter (whilst differing in
kind) is very similar to the former in its manifestations.
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Aphorism 27
The curative power of medicines, therefore, depends on their symptoms, similar to the disease but superior to
it in strength (aph. 12-26), so that each individual case of disease is most surely, radically, rapidly and permanently
annihilated and removed only by a medicine capable of producing (in the human system) in the most similar and
complete manner the totality of its symptoms, which at the same time are stronger than the disease.
Aphorism 28
As this natural law of cure manifests itself in every pure experiment and every true observation in the world, the
fact is consequently established; it matters little what may be the scientific explanation of how it takes place ;
and I do not attach much importance to the attempts made to explain it. But the following view seems to commend itself as
the most probable one, as it is founded on premises derived from experience.
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Aphorism 29
As every disease (not entirely surgical) consists only in a special, morbid, dynamic alteration of our vital energy (of
the principle of life) manifested in sensation and motion, so in every homoeopathic cure this principle of life dynamically
altered by natural disease is seized through the administration of a medicinal potency selected exactly according to
symptom-similarity by a somewhat stronger, similar artificial desease-manifestation. By this the feeling of the
natural (weaker) dynamic disease-manifestation no longer exists for the principle of life which is now occupied
and governed merely by the stronger, artificial disease-manifestation. This artificial disease-manifestation has soon
spent its force and leaves the patient free from disease, cured. The dynamis, thus freed, can now continue to carry life on
in health. This most highly probable process rests upon the following propositions.
Aphorism 30
The human body appears to admit of being much more powerfully affected in its health by medicines (partly because
we have the regulation of the dose in our own power) than by natural morbid stimuli-for natural diseases are cured and
overcome by suitable medicines.
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