Synthesis 9.1: English Edition

Review

This book review is reprinted with permission from Homeopathic Links.

Reviewed by Beat Spring

The creators of Synthesis did a great job, both in the cautious taking up of nearly 200,000 additions of over 150 homoeopaths from all different schools, as well as in putting much weight on correcting the numerous errors in Kent's repertory and streamlining the structure aiming for the highest possible consistency throughout the repertory.

Consistency
Where the hierarchy of rubrics has been inconsistent it has been corrected; aberrated rubrics have been put under the correct heading (e.g. 'Menses, amelioration of complaints during' got moved from 'Female Genitalia,' to 'Generalities'); the leading words of combined modalities have been unified (e. g. 'cold wet weather' is found always under weather, never under cold, damp or wet). This saves a lot of searching (or missing of rubrics) without any loss of the original accuracy. Together with the streamlining of the language by omitting unnecessary or redundant words (e.g. 'delusion, scrotum, thinks his, is swollen' to 'delusion, scrotum is swollen; his') or by splitting the symptoms only once and indicating with a ";" from where one should start reading (compare example above) makes the searching quicker and more efficient.

Additions
Taking up 200,000 additions cautiously looks like a contradiction in itself. On the other hand it reflects the tremendous work the team has undertaken over the past years. Additions have been checked repeatedly in standard literature and additions from living homoeopaths integrated only with caution and usually only in the first degree. Being dead does not necessarily make an addition more reliable and once an addition is in it is very difficult and requires much authority to get it out again. So it is important that the source of every addition is clearly stated. This allows for personal judgement about the value of a particular addition and eases the way to finding this particular symptom in its full meaning in the materia medica. Synthesis created here a new standard of abbreviation: instead of numbers alone (like in the SynRep which has lost its standard in that respect) we find letters for the authors name and numbers for the source (e.g. BG4 = Boger C.M., 'Times of the remedies and moon phases'). These letters are also much easier to remember. It is only to hope that this brilliant standard of abbreviation really becomes the new standard. Although I can imagine some problems having these small letters on the screen of a computer, it would definitely help the communication in homoeopathy to have one new standard of abbreviation again. For the first time to my knowledge a grading down of remedies has been done (by Vithoulkas, indicated by the new degree according to his opinion as number before the name: PULS1vh = Vithoulkas would put puls only in the first degree).

Criticism
Not much is left to criticise on this excellent work. In line with the new trend the causations in the mind are listed together under 'ailments from...'. This doesn't make much sense to me. Once decided on a symptom, I prefer to compare e.g. 'anticipation 'and 'ailments from anticipation' rather than screening through all the other 'possibilities' to choose as causation. To have the lowest rubrics in the hierarchy in bold makes (except in rubrics with many remedies) a quick orientation more difficult. The black dot would be enough highlight here. To choose instead of the 19th century English the American English is a question of taste. In Links we prefer the GB English.

Last but not least: the fact that much emphasis has been put on a good presentation adds to the work. Good layout, clear printing and solid binding make it to that treasure, which the repertory from its content anyhow is and always has been.

Homoeopathic Links - Summer 1994

This book review is reprinted with the permission of the American Institute of Homeopathy

Reviewed by Karl Robinson, MD

A vast new repertory called Synthesis Repertorium Homeopathicum Syntheticum, is finally in print after years of painstaking development. Based on Kent's Repertory and linked to the homeopathic software program RADAR, Synthesis was developed in Belgium primarily by Dr. Frederick Schroyens who was aided by input from scores of homeopaths worldwide who were using RADAR. Synthesis is the fifth edition of the repertory to be made available to users of RADAR. Version 4 contains about 178,000 additions to Kent's Repertory and Version 5, identical to the printed Synthesis, contains another few thousand editions and many changes in repertory language and layout.

It is a superb work, and Schroyens makes clear in the introduction in the back of the book that this first printed edition is only the latest step in an ongoing project to continuously improve this repertory. The layout is identical to Kent's Repertory except that Dreams has been taken out of the Sleep section and follows it as a section in its own right. Synthesis runs 1720 pages which are so beautifully printed and bound that wherever you open it (even page 1) it will stay open to that page, lying flat. A small point perhaps, but of inestimable help to the practicing homeopath.

Every addition has a subscript indicating from whom or from which reference book it came. The key to the subscripts is in the back of the book. Additions come from all the classical authors and scores of contemporary homeopaths. So if you run across an addition from an author or homeopath you don't much trust, you can ignore it. With so many praiseworthy features one hardly knows where to start the eulogy.

Many rubrics are followed by synonyms which make a dictionary much less necessary. For example, the rubric "Malicious" is followed by (= spiteful, vindictive). For those of us who have painstakingly made hundreds and hundreds of cross references in our Kent's Repertory, that is done for us in Synthesis with a parenthesis and an arrow followed by the appropriate rubric(s) to consult. This one feature is an incredible time saver plus an excellent way to learn the repertory better.

All references to time have been standardized using the European model; thus 15 h replaces 3 p.m., 18 h replaces 6 p.m., etc. Wherever possible archaic rubric language and spelling has been modernized. Also, the sexist vocabulary that Kent employed has been changed. Kent used "sexual passion" for men and "sexual desire" for women. Synthesis uses "sexual desire" for both sexes. You might say that Schroyens and company have kind of cleaned up Kent!

Under Stomach the remedies appearing under aversions and desires are the ones in Kent's original Repertory. All additions have been moved to Generals, Food. There are now four listings under Food:"agg.", "amel.", "aversion" and "desire." In my opinion this is where they all belong, making the Stomach "aversion" and "desire" now totally redundant. Perhaps future editions will remedy this problem.

Also in Generals is a new rubric, "Weather," under which all subrubrics concerning weather can be found. This is a big improvement and makes Synthesis more user friendly. In Generals the "Inflammation" rubric has been greatly expanded with subrubrics referring to inflammation in many disparate parts of the body. One could argue that not all the subrubrics are generals, but nonetheless it is certainly a convenient place to look them all up.

In the back of Synthesis is a six page index of pathological terms occurring in the repertory. This is a wonderful service enabling one to find all references to sinusitis, diabetes, etc. Perhaps in the next edition they could reference "nails."

I have only had Synthesis in my possession for a week and have used it daily. Just as after Kunzli brought out his Repertorium Generale I bid good bye to my Kent Repertory; now I tearfully bid adieu to Kunzli's. Synthesis is just that good.

Frederik Schroyens is an old friend. He and I and the Brazilian homeopath, Claudio Aranjo, spent a year (mostly dreary) in London studying at the Faculty of Homoeopathy. Since then Schroyens has vaulted ahead to become one of the best homeopaths in the world. The work he and his team have done in producing Synthesis is truly remarkable and deserves the gratitude and support of serious homeopaths the world over. As I am not a computer lover but a book lover, I am delighted to be able to lift and touch and feel my Synthesis.

I am aware that Kent Associates is about to bring out the MacRepertory Complete Repertory in a book form which will undoubtedly be a rival repertory to Synthesis. I look forward to owning and reviewing that one also.

JAIH Summer 1994, Vol. 87, No. 2