Reprinted with the permission of The Society of Homeopaths, from 'The Homeopath' magazine, Autumn 2009 edition:
Reviewed by Francis Treuherz:
I began a review of Louis Klein's Clinical Focus Guide (,2003) that he 'has written and published what I am sure will become a modern classic'. This applies again; our descendants will be studying this great book one hundred years from now.
He devotes 50 pages to the history and philosophy of miasms and nosodes, immediately clarifying obscure concepts. The rest of the book is intensely practical. Louis Klein discusses a range of miasms and nosodal families. Each remedy picture follows a pattern, the various synonyms, a description, the scientific and other names and meanings, a lengthy commentary where we learn what Klein knows from his vast and deep experience of prescribing these remedies, and source notes - the conventional disease knowledge. There follow a Clinical Focus Guide - an account of the symptoms in the usual schema order, and then selections from traditional homeopathic sources, and relationships of remedies if any. The strongest parts, and there are many of these, are his descriptions of the disposition of the remedy and the patient, with subtle and useful detail. There are full bibliographies and an index.
I cannot list all the technical names for the families of miasms and nosodes so will mention just a few: clostridiales - Botulinum, and Tetanus; the plague -Yersinia; parasites - Malaria and Toxoplasmosis; tuberculosis and leprosy - Leprominium and
]ohneinum. This last remedy is Crohn's disease in cattle transformed into a nosode for us, through a full proving detailed in the book. This is a real breakthrough for homeopathy.
There is the remarkable synchronicity which can occur in homeopathy: Johneinum dreams of toilets as you might have expected, but there are also strong feelings of persecution, in a disease which is prevalent in (but not confined to) populations of Ashkenazi Jews - and the prover who experienced this was not Jewish. Toxoplasmosis dreams of cats; the picture in humans often follows proximity to cats.
Yersinia patients are seen as a pest.
The book brings to life and sorts out what has become the mythology of our well-known remedies, repeated from one author to the next, like Pertussin and the Tuberculinum nosodes, so that we can study them afresh. With each remedy, old and new, there is detail, subtle detail, but organised in such a way as to be clear, memorable, and easily found again.
The remedies described in this book are those that the author has prescribed, not just studied in earlier material medica, and reproduced for us; that is the strength of this book. I have read it 3 times and will have to be restrained from taking it on holiday. I look forward to Volume 2.
Second review: Reprinted with the permission of The Homeopathic Links magazine, Volume 22, Winter 2009:
Reviewed by Harry van der Zee, MD, Netherlands:
Miasms and Nosodes both represent topics in homeopathy that are of particular interest. Initially a homeopath will work with some of the better known nosodes and use them in the same way as any other remedy: a possible simillimum for a patient - e.g. "a Medorrhinum patient" or "a Sulphur patient".
If the derangement of health were a one-dimensional state asking for a single remedy response, homeopathy would be a lot more simple than reality shows. Even if the hypothesis to which some adhere, holds true, that one single remedy could solve everything for each and every patient, this remains a theoretical possibility that is often offers others the opportunity to find new openings in "stuck" cases.
To be able to find a nosode, including the ones we have less experience with, as a next step in a treatment it is clear that the totality of symptoms will usually not be of help. So one needs to know what to look for, and for that this book is a great help.
The book starts with an interesting history of miasms in homeopathy showing how the concept and understanding of miasms has changed over time. On each nosode the book starts with a description, a general commentary on the no¬sode and source notes. After that the author provides a Clinical Focus Guide, divided in two parts: 1) Mind and Disposition and 2) Physical Focus. This for me is the core of each chapter as it contains the condensed experience of the author.
Information from provings, published cases and other homeopathic sources is also included as are also cases by the author himself. In the case of Johneinum, notes of a proving conducted by the author are presented.
In the commentary on Malaria the author also goes beyond the individual symptoms of the malaria miasm and discusses its collective expression.
"Many of the personal feelings of hostility, persecution and even homicide (genocide) ... can be seen in a larger socio-political way. This is especially true where the individual or group needing help from remedies in this miasm are living in a town, society or country where they are being taken care of, but not allowed independence. This can be especially seen in refugees, principally those living in a refugee camp." (p. 468)
Of course besides the nosodes remedies beÂlonging to the particular miasm are also listed.
Nosodes discussed in this volume 1 are: Burkholderiales (Hippozaeninum, Pertussi-num), Clostridiales (Botulinum, ClostridiÂum perfringens, Tetanus), Corynebacterium (Diphterinum, Propionibacterium acnes), Mycobacterium (Tubercular nosode remÂedies e.g. Kent, Bacillinum, Tuberculinum bovinum, Tuberculinum aviaire, Lepromi-nium, Johneinum), Enterobacteriales (Bach bowel nosodes, Proteus, Colibacillinum, Eberthinum [Typhoid], Yersinia pestis, YerÂsinia enterocolitica, [and Rattus]), Parasitic protozoa (Malaria compound, ToxoplasmoÂsis). More will follow in volume 2.
Conclusion: this book is a must for every homeopath who wants a deeper understanding of the state of patients and practical guidelines for case management beyond the first simillimum. Congratulations Louis, Homeopathy owes you!
