My Acquaintance with Jahr

Few years back, in a hot summer eve, I had a case of fever, Mr. L; aged 45 came to my clinic with a temperature of 103 with no known cause.

As it is one another boring day on the month of May (so called un season for doctor’s), I had no more pt’s except him. So I had plenty of time to spend. As I started my case taking I got nothing but vague symptoms like body ache, loss of appetite, loss of thirst, and as a rule general weakness, etc…
The fever is of intermittent type, but still there were no changes in the generals. I thought the last statement seems peculiar but where to find it. So again I left empty handed. His tongue was not coated, and had a single attack of vomiting of bitter liquid and yellow watery diarrhea. After 45 minutes of case taking I left with fewer symptoms, and for a moment I thought “instead of this kind of a case, I could have been left alone in my clinic for today”. But I know “The physician’s high and only mission is to restore the sick to health, to cure”.
So with my previous experience and considering the symptoms-Fever with loss of appetite, thirstlessness with general weakness I prescribed Gelsemium 200 in water dose to be taken every 15 minutes. Next day morning I had a call from the patient with no signs of improvement, so next set of soldiers followed Gelsemium one after the other naming Pulsatilla, China, Ars.alb. After 2 days of utter failure I was completely left in dark. Then I saw a light stepping towards me while reading my most beloved E.B. Nash. Though I was reading leaders, the following statement does not belong to E.B.Nash but to someone else who is equally great and he is none other than Jahr.

“Ipecacuanha is a well-known intermittent fever remedy in our school. Jahr recommends it in the beginning of all cases, unless there are special indications for some other remedy, and says, “By pursuing this course I have curedmany cases of fever and ague by the first prescription,thus saving myself a good deal of unnecessary seekingand comparing." Whatever may be said in condemnation of this loose prescribing, it is certainly preferable to the inevitable Quinine prescription of the old school, and some self-styled homoeopaths, for the reason that it will cure more cases than the Quinine, and do infinitely less harm. Ipecac can cure more cases than Quinine, but both can cure the cases to which they are homoeopathic, and that in the potentized form of the drug”.

After this, without any question I followed the light and gave Ipecac 1m in water dose every half an hour with a grand success that the fever left him within few hours with return of his appetite, thirst and he had a sound sleep. I have used Ipecac previously in cases of nausea, vomiting, haemorrages and as an expectorant in obstinate cough with much phlegm in chest. But never in a case of fever.

This experience gave me a way to cure several cases of fever with Ipecac when it is indicated and of course if no other remedy indicated. So this positive experience gave a good respect over Dr.Jahr, and guided me to read his “Therapeutic guide”, another treasure in homoeopathy, which has the most important results, of more than 40 years of his experience. This book helped me in following cases with a fair success:

• Gastric vertigo, his prime remedy is Pulsatilla.
• Catarrhal headache, he always first gives Nuxvomica which cures instantly. If the pains are more tearing and stitching, especially in the supra-palpebral region, or even in the malar bones, and thick mucus is discharged from the nose, he says“I know no better and more speedily curative remedy than Bry”.
• Cataract, Sulph-calc-lyc. Allowing a dose of Sulphur to act a long time and when exhausted calc then lyco.
• Acute gastritis, “What, Aconite is capable of accomplishing in this affection, exceeds all belief” (also in febrile rheumatism).
• Nocturnal cramps, in the calves yielded very speedily to Cham.
• His first, second and third series of fever remedies with indications often helps, and so on...

But the real gem that I have found out was his method of dosage which scarcely available here and there in his writings. A method which gave me some of the finest, rapid cures in conditions like headache, vertigo, cough, sneezing, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps etc., Though we have read somewhat similar administration or repetition of the remedy in organon aphorism 236, “The most appropriate and efficacious time for administering the medicine in these cases is immediately or very soon after the termination of the paroxysm”. Hahnemann has laid down this rule to cut off Homoeopathic aggravation, but Jahr from this (maybe) have adapted for his repetition.

Jahr used to advise his patient to take a dose of given remedy after every attack or paroxysm, in such cases that I have mentioned above. This gave him a great success, a gentle and rapid cure without any sign of aggravation. And this method is also very simple, even for a layman to handle the dosage and repetition by himself.

This light showed me a way on which am travelling for the past 3 years with remarkable success. I name it as Jahr method of dosage-“JD” in my prescription. My dear colleagues please keep in mind that, it can’t be used in all cases, even Jahr doesn’t. He used single dry dose, water doses every hour or two, weekly or monthly repetition etc… Sticking to one will lead to utter failure. I also want to mention it here that, Jahr is a true Hahnemannian and always believed the truth (law of similars). What Jahr did here is an enhancement, a crown for the rules laid by our master and such enhancements are always necessary in evolutionary science like Homoeopathy.

Finally, I say, I did not found anything new to the homoeopathic society, not anything new from my mind either. It is there in the literature, guided by Nash, declared by Jahr, which I read, experimented, experienced, enjoyed and now happily sharing with you all, for the betterment of ‘Homoeopathy’, the one I love the most.