Potentisation is the process of serial dilution and succussion (or trituration) to convert a crude substance into a dynamic medicine capable of stimulating the vital force.
Chronological History –
1. Before 1796:
- Hahnemann practiced like allopathic doctors, using large doses.
- Disappointed by the side effects and failures → left practice.
2. 1796 – Law of Similars Adopted:
- Began selecting remedies based on Similia, but still using large doses.
- Noticed aggravations after remedies → began reducing the dose.
3. 1799 – Serial Dilution Introduced:
- To reduce aggravation, started using serial dilution.
4. 1801 – Cure & Prevention of Scarlet Fever:
- Gave details about preparation (Belladonna), including shaking and mixing.
5. 1813 – Spirit of Homoeopathic Doctrine:
- Presented a clear view of organism, health & disease.
6. Trituration Discovery:
- Substances like common salt, silica, lycopodium became effective only after trituration with milk sugar.
7. 1825 – Term “Potentisation” Introduced:
- Shift from dilution to dynamization or potentisation.
- Recognized friction/succussion as the key for activating dynamic power.
8. 1827 – Article on Small Doses:
- Explained how small doses become powerful due to succussion.
- Even substances with no odor/calorie gained dynamic medicinal properties.
9. 1829 – 30C as Limit:
- Declared 30C as ideal limit, but used even higher (e.g., 60C of Thuja for gonorrhea).
10. 1833–1842 – 5th & 6th Editions of Organon:
- §269–271: Detailed instructions on potentisation.
- Introduced two succussions per dilution step (in 5th edition).
- Later in 6th edition (published posthumously in 1921), introduced LM (Q) potencies with:
o 1:50,000 scale
o 100 succussions
o Split-dose method
11. 1835–1839 – Chronic Diseases:
- Described trituration for insoluble substances.
- Differentiated dilution (just weakens) vs dynamization (activates latent powers).
Mnemonic to Remember Timeline –
"Big Small Steps Turned Powerful Doses Into Living Medicines"
- B – Before 1796 – Big doses
- S – Similia 1796 – Small doses started
- S – Serial Dilution 1799
- T – Trituration discovery
- P – Potentisation (1825) coined
- D – Dynamic View (1827) of small doses
- I – Ideal Limit (30C in 1829)
- L – LM Potency (1838–1842)
Tags
ORGANON OF MEDICINE