Dictionary and Help for Further Study of Allen's Keynotes

I hv gone through the book as it helped me to teach my students the interpretation of symptoms of the book of Allen's key note more precisely as well as the exact word meaning in detail so that there remains no difficulty of students to find the exact symptoms from patients to come to similimum in a case

About the reviewer- DR YOGESH NITURKAR MD from Dr M L Dhawale Memorial Homoeopathic Institute, Palghar. Homoeopathic Consultant Mathura Homoeopathic Clinic, Latur.Assistant Professor, V K Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Latur.Secretary, District Disability Rehabilitation Centre (DDRC), Latur. Allen’s keynotes is one of the most popular and widely used book on materia medica. Time and again various serious followers of this book had made positive efforts for understanding and applying Allen’s keynotes in their daily practice. One more such successful attempt has been made by Dr Subhas Singh and his entire team by simplifying Allen’s keynotes in the form of Dictionary and help for further study of Allen’s Keynotes. As a learner it is always difficult to understand the exact meaning of materia medica terms. Hence, it was the need of hour to minimize this hurdle by creating dictionary of terms that are encountered in Allen’s keynotes. This kind of work is possible only if one masters the basic work, understands the structure, concept and the underlying principles upon which Allen’s keynotes is framed. The objective of this book is to make the study of Allen’s keynotes much easier and efficient so that the learner, teacher and practitioner can utilize Allen’s keynotes to its full potential. The book covers biography of H C Allen covering his birth, family background, education, life as a homoeopath and his contributions as a teacher of materia medica, practitioner and dean of his own Hering Homoeopathic Medical college and literary contributions in journals and books. The next chapter is on prescription on keynote symptoms or keynote method of prescription written by Dr Subhas Singh. The chapter is a review of different concepts, ideology and acceptance vis a vis criticism about keynote prescription and the challenges in Homoeopathic practice. The chapter describes the evolution of keynote symptom as a concept of Hahnemann and H N Guernsey and further carried on by H C Allen and Stuart Close. The idea of using keynote prescription was strongly criticised by J T Kent and cautioned by Charles Raue. But one may have a question in mind that why H N Guernsey was in favour of Keynote Symptoms? The author reflects on the need of keynote symptoms felt by H N Guernsey as it was born out of the perception while teaching materia medica to the students of Hahnemann Medical College of Philadelphia. The students faced problems of understanding and applying materia medica. Further, H C Allen was big advocate of the keynotes. Both G N Guernsey and H C Allen made one thing clear that keynotes are simply suggestive. The dictionary part covers vocabulary along with indicated remedy inside the bracket and the meaning of term. If there is further reference or classification of the term that is also covered for better understanding. Alphabetical order of terms is followed in the dictionary. The next section is on help for further study of Allen’s Keynotes under mental generals, particulars, generals, sensations, time and time modalities, miscellaneous and relationship of remedies. It reduces the pain of going to a particular remedy and searching for a keynote. The user has to locate the keynote under the general or particular and find out the remedy. Overall the book is a must have collection for the serious student, teacher, practitioner and follower of Allen’s Keynotes as the author has made all possible efforts of retaining originality of the book. Author has segregated the keynote symptoms according to the various chapters and sub chapters. All related symptoms of all medicines have been arranged at one place so that the learning and application part becomes concise, precise and comprehensible.