20 years ago: The British Homoeopathic Journal, April 1988

Editorial: the bowel nosodes and the development of homoeopathy

Peter Fisher devoted this issue to the subject of the bowel nosodes, in the hope that it would trigger a new wave of interest in this fascinating group of remedies.

The Editor considered that, as in many other instances, the homeopathic movement had been ahead of its time in recognizing the significance of the bowel flora in chronic disease. It was only in the previous few years that the role of the bowel flora in ankylosing spondylitis had been discovered, when bacteria with antigenic determinants cross-reactive with tissue antigens were found in the bowel flora of HLA-B27-positive patients but almost never in B27-negative controls. Fisher gave further examples of the relationship of disease with bowel flora. The seminal work of Edward Bach and Charles Wheeler “Chronic Disease: A Working Hypothesis”, which first dealt with the involvement of bowel flora in chronic disease, was published as early as 1925.

The Editor thought it ironic that the bowel nosodes, the most important group of homeopathic medicines to have been established in practice over the previous 50-odd years, had never been proved. He did point out that this applied to most of the nosodes, such as Medorrhinum, which has become a major remedy; and asked “Are the nosodes an exception? Can they be prescribed on the basis of the symptoms of the disease of which they are a product, rather than provings? Or even, as in the case of the bowel nosodes, where they are not the cause of the disease but a factor perpetuating it”. In this issue, Cummings asserted that proving is the only legitimate basis for their homeopathic use.

The other issue was the supply of ‘mother tinctures’, which had not been replenished since the 1950s. Fortunately, thanks to John Paterson's bacteriological professionalism, the re-identification and cultivation of new stocks was entirely feasible. Fisher concluded “We now know the majority of bowel organisms are anaerobic, and would not have been detected by the culture methods used by the original workers – a great challenge and perhaps many other bowel nosodes await an intrepid researcher”.[ ¹ ]

• References

• 1 Fisher P. Editorial: the bowel nosodes and the development of homoeopathy. Br Hom J 1988; 77: 65-66.
• 2 Cummings S. History and development of the bowel nosodes. Br Hom J 1988; 77: 73-77.
• 3 Paterson E. A survey of the nosodes. Br Hom J 1988; 77: 91-107.
• 4 Alexander M. Reidentifying the bowel nosodes. Br Hom J 1988; 77: 67-71.
• 5 Cummings S. The bowel nosodes – bacteriology and preparation. Br Hom J 1988; 77: 78-81.
• 6 Somper J.D. Some cases involving the use of the bowel nosodes. Br Hom J 1988; 77: 82-90.
• 7 Treuherz F. A bibliography of the bowel nosodes of Bach and Paterson and the flower remedies of Bach. Br Hom J 1988; 77: 112-116.
• 8 Foubister D.M. Vomiting in infancy and childhood. Br Hom J 1988; 77: 117-123.
• 9 Sumper D. Obituary, Foubister DM. Br Hom J 1988; 77: 142-143.
• 10 Davies A.E. Obituary, Pinsent RJFH. Br Hom J 1988; 77: 143-144.