Development Part 4
In the syphilitic mia
sm, as seen in the remedy Syphilinum, we see the themes of despair, hopelessness with suicidal ideation, violence and destruction in all spheres, anti social behavior, addictions, compulsions. We see destructive processes physically, with an affinity toward ulcerations, bone decay and pain, congenital disorders, especially to the structure of the body and basically symptoms very similar to syphilis in both acute and chronic forms. Mercury, Hahnemann’s great antisyphilitic shows symptoms similar to this, with a particular affinity for destructive processes to the mucous membranes, nerves and bones. Mentally, there is suspiciousness, paranoia, violence, with great sensitivity and intensity. They don’t feel they fit in, they feel threatened by a malevolent world and feel the need to retreat to a safe, secure place. So here, we have another archetypal expression, this time once of violence and possible mayhem. Whereas in Psora the threat is one of not having enough food and of basic survival, here it is a threat of imminent violence, of destruction. In our society the most profound influence of this miasm is seen in people who cannot fit into society, become degenerate to one level of other, often imploding in self violence or violence to others. Our prisons are full of people whose expression is a syphilitic one. In some ways, the feeling of the syphilitic miasm is to do or die. The need is that much more desperate than the other miasms, and if a person cannot find a socially acceptable way to express this energy – the classic genius, idiot savant or similar person who has a one pointed expression in life, an ability to focus extraordinarily intensely on one thing, often excelling in it, but when that energy cannot find an appropriate expression in a “normal” social form, it can become inverted in a self destructive energy that “eats away” at the person. It is a thwarted expression that because of its intensity is thrown back at the person. Interestingly, in Syphilinum, there are pains like a line, a fine, piercing pain, which is a similar sensation to that of the overall Syphilitic state – intense, violent, focused, extreme – life is seen from that perspective.
In these descriptions, what is being described is both the physical and mental symptoms that can be related to the specific diseases mentioned as well as a broader gestalt of phenomenon which moves beyond the personal to the collective. If we are talking of miasmatic
influence moving through many generations, then its effect becomes more general and less specific, influencing both physical and mental expression in more diffuse and diverse ways. This is one reason why the major nosodes are so useful in prescribing and also why they can easily be overused. One of the justifications for giving a major nosode is when more than one remedy seems to be indicated and also when a well indicated remedy does not seem to work. Here it is inferring that the influence is more insidious and hidden, more occult and less expressing itself in specific keynotes or essence of the particular nosode itself. In that sense, it becomes more of an “atmosphere”, similar to the dictionary definition of a miasm. In this way, a miasm is behaving more like a field effect, similar to the morphogenetic fields described in the work by Rupert Sheldrake. (See Rupert Sheldrake, A New Science of Life) In his work, he postulates that all things that have a similar structure (DNA, atomic structure etc) can connect and communicate with one another based on sharing similar “fields” of consciousness and that these patterns of consciousness are past on through time, through generations and have a ”cumulative influence which acts across both space and time.” (P. 13). So the imprint of the past is past on into the present and the future. He is postulating this connection for all systems, not only in organic but also inorganic forms. The hypothesis he makes from this he calls “formative causation”. In the context of miasmatic conditioning, we are considering the fact that patterns of influence are past on through countless generations, stemming from one or more original infectious diseases, the memory of these original diseases being transplanted in myriad forms through genetic and “vibrational” imprinting, leading to a wider and more generalized influence on human health and behavior. This imprinting creates a propensity to illness, dependent on other constitutional susceptibilities and external factors that can stimulate this susceptibility into action, manifesting in a multitude of disease patterns and symptom complexes.
One of the most important practical aspects of this analysis is that it allows a homeopath to organize what seems to be chaotic or random symptoms into a more coherent pattern, enabling connections to be made within a given symptom picture and also allowing the roots of certain conditions to be revealed. One of the biggest challenges in homeopathy is to see both the breadth and depth of symptoms. Many symptom pictures look alike, but with a clear understanding of materia medica, one can use it to decipher symptom pictures into clearer totalities and knowledge of miasms and nosodes can be an essential part of this analysis. Because a nosode is made from diseased material, the potentized nosode has a unique pattern to it, as all remedies do, but the source of the remedy does make it somewhat different. If the root of a disease e.g., childhood asthma, stems directly from a history of gonorrhea, even a few generations ago, then often, only Medorrhinum will ultimately cure it and take the susceptibility away. No other remedy will do this.
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