This book review is reprinted from Volume 27, Number 6 December 2007 Edition, with permission from Homeopathy Today.

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HOMEOPATHIC REMEDY PICTURES: STUDYING WITH CARTOONS
By Alexander Gothe and Julia Drinnenberg
Homeolink Publishers, 2007, softcover, 212 pages, approximately,
(Translated from Homoopatische Leit-Bilder, published by Karl F. Haug Verlag.)
ISBN 978-90-807103-4-4

Reviewed by JAY YASGUR, RPh, MSc

THIS BOOK IS ABOUT JUST WHAT THE TITLE SAYS-HOMEOPATHIC remedy pictures with some 600 cartoons. However, what the title doesn't say is that virtually all the thoughtfully drawn images are comical, and because of that, a reader can learn the materia medica of the remedies easily and quickly. To quote Harry van der Zee from the book's Forward: «The ability to laugh about each other, and ourselves, about our role as homeopaths or patients, is healing in itself. And Alexander and Julia have offered this very remedy to us with this marvelous book." 1

With its large size (8.5" x 11"), glossy paper, and colorful images, it also makes a great "coffee table book"-pick it up when you have a few minutes to refresh your memory about remedy indications, or just when you need a laugh.

The authors include fifty of the major homeopathic remedies. Each section begins with an introductory page along with a photo of the remedy's source. For example, the Aconite page includes a beautiful photo of the monkshood flower accompanied by the following description: "In former times, Aconite was used as a quick-acting poison. Nowadays, by contrast, it is a valuable medicine in the treatment of highly acute, vehement conditions. The complaints are so intense and frightening that the patients (like the victims of poisoning) are certain they will die very soon."

This is followed by about fifteen of the major aspects of the remedy in bulletindicated paragraphs. Here are the first three for Aconite:
. Homeopathically, Aconite is suitable for persons who suffer from an oversensitive nervous or cardiovascular system.
. The nervous system reacts after a shock or a fright, the cardiovascular system reacts to being exposed to cold wind or to heat. Both can produce a strong reaction in the form of an acute, sudden and very intense illness, accompanied by anxieties and an enormous restlessness.
. Aconite is an important remedy for the early stages of many illnesses and is often followed by other remedies as the illness progresses or the symptoms change. Acute infections often start off with complaints typical of Aconite.

That material is then followed by the cartoons, approximately 10 to 15 of them per remedy. Remedy keynotes serve as captions. [See accompanying Aconite samples. ]

When beginners ask me for study hints, I pass along one that my teachers gave me: "study one remedy per week using several different references." This useful addition will keep you from dozing off in bed if for no other reason than its vibrant color. And if there's one thing I know for certain, homeopathy is anything but black and white.