This book review is reprinted with the permission of the American Institute of Homeopathy
925 E. 17th Ave.
Denver, CO 80218

Ambra grisea: The Road to Homoeopathic Practice, Volume 1
by Michael Thompson, R.S.Hom., F.S.Hom
Doghaus Publications, Northampton, England 1996
41 pages. 5.95 pounds

Michael Thompson in Ambra grisea: The Road to Homoeopathic Practice, Vol. I has written an entertaining and informative monograph on that remedy. The writing style is clear and uncomplicated, allowing for ready absorption of the material. Throughout the monograph there are MacRepertory generated repertory graphs which both delineate important rubrics in which the remedy appears and provide useful differentials of similar remedies. Mr. Thompson breaks down Ambra grisea into its essential themes: embarrassment, stool, strangers, music, causation, bladder, shyness and awkwardness, business, looked at, indifference, abuse and punishment, changing, conversation, death, unusual, crowds, old people, dwelling, sea and water, sex, sweating trembling, sleeplessness, suppression, cough, food, children, touch, and elbows. His method of discourse is to extract from the repertory all rubrics appropriate to the heading in question, provide a small bit of his own commentary, illustrate the themes with quotations from pre-existing materiae medicae, and provide case examples. He starts the monograph with nine cured cases of Ambra grisea.

For those who enjoy enhancing their learning by incorporating right hemispheric associations, he provides a mind map of Ambra's themes.

Much of what Mr. Thompson covers is not new material, but the organization of the monograph and his style of presentation really help to cement the remedy in one's mind. He does extract some interesting information not previously emphasized, as far as I know; such as, the close association of Ambra with elbow pain (tennis elbow), ailments from anything unusual, and the remedy's affinity with the sea. He also deduces that Ambra most likely is a remedy useful when there is a history of childhood abuse.

There are interesting descriptions of the physical nature of ambergris, the biology and behavior of the sperm whale, its source, and of the "aquatic ape theory" which suggests an evolutionary association between humans and whales and dolphins.

Throughout the monograph, Mr. Thompson employs allusions to the novel Moby Dick to illustrate aspects of Ambra grisea, a stretch of a fertile imagination in this reviewer's opinion. This latter habit ought not cause one to dismiss the monograph as fanciful, however, as all the material otherwise is based upon solid information.

Lastly, a number of repertory additions are provided and some possible future additions suggested for verification, these latter drawn more or less from Doctrine of Signature extrapolations.

I greatly enjoyed this monograph and recommend it to all students and practitioners of homeopathy. I also eagerly anticipate future such works by Mr. Thompson.

JAIH Spring 1997, Vol. 90, No. 1