In §36–42 of the Organon of Medicine, Samuel Hahnemann explains a very important philosophical concept — what happens when two dissimilar diseases meet in the human body.
This topic is extremely important for BHMS exams, viva, and understanding why homoeopathy follows the law of similars instead of treating with dissimilar (allopathic) medicines.
According to Hahnemann, a disease cannot be cured by adding another dissimilar disease, whether natural or drug-induced. To clarify this, he described three possible situations.
Hahnemann states:
A pre-existing disease cannot be cured by the addition of a new dissimilar disease, nor by medicines that produce dissimilar effects in a healthy person.
To understand this, he classified three cases:
- When both diseases are of equal strength or the older is stronger
- When the new disease is stronger
- When the new disease acts for a long duration
Let us understand each case clearly.
Scenerio I (§36–37)
When the Older Disease is Stronger (or Equal in Strength)
Situation:
Two dissimilar diseases meet in one person. The older disease is either:
- Equal in strength
- Or stronger than the new one
Result:
The older, stronger disease repels the newer one.
The new disease fails to affect the organism.
Explanation:
The stronger chronic disease already has a deep hold on the organism. A weaker acute or epidemic disease cannot establish itself.
Examples:
| Older (Stronger) Disease | Repels | New (Weaker) Disease |
|---|---|---|
| Severe chronic scurvy | → | Mild autumnal dysentery |
| Chronic eczema | → | Epidemic fevers |
| Pulmonary consumption | → | Plague |
| Rachitis | → | Vaccinosis |
As explained later by James Tyler Kent, a deep-seated chronic disease with organic changes cannot be easily suppressed by a weaker acute disease.
Allopathic Parallel
Under common allopathic treatment:
- The chronic disease remains uncured
- Even years of treatment do not remove it
- Only temporary suppression occurs
Scenerio II (§38–39)
When the New Disease is Stronger
Situation:
A stronger new dissimilar disease attacks a person already suffering from a weaker chronic disease.
Result:
- The old disease is suspended temporarily
- The new disease runs its course
- After recovery from the new disease, the old disease returns unchanged
Important Point:
The stronger disease does not cure the weaker one — it only suppresses it temporarily.
Example Explained
If a patient has early Bright’s disease and then develops syphilis:
- Kidney symptoms temporarily disappear
- Albumin vanishes from urine
- But after syphilis subsides, kidney disease returns
- Eventually, the patient may die from Bright’s disease
More Examples:
| Old (Weaker) Disease | Suspended By | New (Stronger) Disease |
|---|---|---|
| Epilepsy | → | Severe phthisis |
| Itch | → | Measles |
| Pulmonary phthisis | → | Smallpox |
| Mania | → | Smallpox |
| Scarlatina | → | Cowpox |
| Mumps | → | Cowpox |
The stronger dissimilar disease never cures the weaker one.
This observation should have taught physicians that:
- Nature does not cure by dissimilarity.
- Yet allopathy continued using dissimilar drugs.
Effects of Allopathic Suppression
Aggressive treatment creates:
- An artificial drug disease
- Temporary suspension of symptoms
- Return of disease in aggravated form
Examples of Suppression
- Itch suppressed by purgatives → eruption returns worse
- Epilepsy suppressed for years → returns more severe
- Artificial ulcers fail to cure chronic diseases
Long-term use of unsuitable drugs:
- Weakens vitality
- Adds new morbid states
- Produces complex chronic conditions
Scenerio III (§40–42)
When the New Dissimilar Disease Acts for a Long Time
Situation:
A new dissimilar disease continues acting for a prolonged period.
Result:
The new disease does not destroy the old one. Instead:
- Both coexist
- They form a complex disease
How Do They Exist?
- Each occupies a different organ or system
- Each affects areas suited to it
- Neither cures nor removes the other
Examples:
| Older Disease | Joined By (Long-Acting) | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Smallpox | → | Measles |
| Measles | → | Mercurial drug disease |
| Syphilis | → | Psora |
A syphilitic patient may later develop psora, and both conditions coexist.
There is no true amalgamation.
The diseases coexist separately in the organism.
Nature permits the coexistence of two or more dissimilar diseases.
But:
- They do not cure each other
- They do not annihilate each other
- They remain separate
This proves Hahnemann’s fundamental law:
Only a similar disease can remove another disease.
Thus, cure is possible only through the Law of Similars — the foundation of Homoeopathy.