This book review is reprinted from the New England Journal of Homeopathy with the permission of Amy Rothenberg, ND, DHANP.
New England School of Homeopathy
115 Elm Street, Suite 210, Enfield, CT 06082
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The Dynamics and Methodology of Homeopathic Provings
By Jeremy Yaakov Sherr
Reviewed by Francis Treuherz, MA, RSHom, FSHom
[Read an Interview of Francis Treuherz]
foreword by Edward Whitmont
Malvern: Dynamis Books 1994
131 pages, paperback, ISBN 0952 4633 OX, £14

Introduction
In this article I intend to draw the reader's attention to some old and new provings, to some research priorities, in addition to reviewing Jeremy Sherr's new book. It is particularly noted that some good new provings are being produced by students and teachers in the British Isles.

Priorities for students
When I meet new students of homoeopathy I often suggest that there are three prerequisites for a successful student. Firstly they should take a remedy. By which I mean not simply buy one over the counter, but go for a real consultation with a registered homoeopath and a single remedy constitutional prescription, and a follow up interview. The experience of a sense of well being will surely follow. A surprising number of students begin their training despite never having this experience.

Secondly they should make a remedy. By this I mean starting with the preparation of a mother tincture from raw material, and taking it all the way through to a high potency, under skilled pharmaceutical supervision.

Thirdly they should prove a remedy. Students had fears and doubts, which are explored and allayed in Jeremy Yaakov Sherr's new book. Most provers benefit from the experience, especially if they turn out to be sensitive to the proving substance. This course of action used to be the most difficult as there were no guidelines, there was no textbook and few clear precedents easily available.

Heroic research
One could read Hahnemann in the Organon, ¶ 105 to 145, and Kent's Philosophy Lecture 28. There is copious yet unorganised reference to provings in our materia medica; these examples from the past are of a varied standard, reliability and readability. For example looking at my shelves here is Hale's miniature book on Saw Palmetto¹ (Sabal serrulata) and the vast tome edited by Bellows for the 'O O & L Society' on Belladonna². Burnett tried a number of potentially dangerous substances on himself from salt through to Tuberculinum and Carcinosin³. I think Benoit Mure was the most spectacular having travelled to Egypt, Malta and Brasil to locate and prove such substances as Guano, Diseased Potato and a range of animal venoms⁴.

Our history is full of such heroism in research, like the work of Boyd and his 'Emanometer'⁵ attempting to measure reactions to high potencies; the mustard gas experiments where homoeopathy was shown to be effective against poisonings during World War 2⁶; Benveniste and his exploration below Avogadro's constant⁷ ; and most recently the stalwart work of Jennifer Jacobs in Nicaragua working with children with dysentery'. All this is very valuable. The last of the heroic provers of the last generation in this country perished in 1972 in the tragic Staines air crash. ⁹We have begun to take their places.

It is a peculiar idea to me that so much research is devoted to the art of converting the allopathic profession to the homoeopathic way of looking at medicine and explain the mysteries of the minimal dose. The height of some ambitions is creating a homoeopathy project which will be published in an allopathic medical journal. The mystery of the microdose is better served by research that is undertaken to enhance the practice of homoeopathy. Such work will help us with our first ethical commandment, to cure as it is termed! The more we cure the more we will collect patients and so our influence will grow.

New provings
Now there is a whole movement of provings beginning in the British Isles with such substances as Adamas (Diamond)¹⁰, Androctonos (Scorpion)¹¹, Brassica (Rape seed)¹², Chocolate¹³, Germanium¹⁴, Hydrogen¹⁵, Iridium¹⁵, Lac humanum¹⁷, Luna¹⁸, Neon¹⁹, and Sol britannic²⁰ all receiving recent provings. In Ireland Granite, Limestone, and Marble²¹ have been newly created with spectacular results. Fire has also been proved but not yet reported²². Much of this work comes from students who are discovering that their project work is the best part of their course. Seven of these come from Jeremy and the pioneers of the Dynamis School.

The pioneers
Jeremy Sherr has provided a text to study, a blueprint which awakens the past. The whole history of homoeopathy is built on a foundation of provings. We have the materia medica but very little work on the methodology or the philosophy by which the information is created, and then converted into a usable form. Jeremy Sherr with help from his colleagues and students from the Dynamis School of Advanced Homoeopathic Studies has produced a modem work on the philosophy of provings. He deals clearly and positively with issues like the ones I have just raised, in his first chapter on the necessity for provings. He goes on to relate the modern process of managing a proving to the flawed model of the controlled clinical trial²³, and the work of Hahnemann, Kent, Boger, Nash and others. The title is too modest, as Jeremy demonstrates the lessons from provings for the whole of our philosophy, especially the reactions to the remedies, and so to our evaluation and management of patients.

The collective unconscious
The collective unconscious is discussed, which provides new food for thought about placebo. There provings are many instances of serendipity. Why should a prover of Neon receive an unasked for dump of used neon lights into her front garden as she began the proving? How are relatives and friends of provers affected by an unknown substance which they did not take? This section is rich in food for thought.

Order from chaos
All research involves record keeping, and then collating, assessing, editing and analysing the information. Jeremy goes into great detail so that even these time consuming processes are related to our philosophy, and of course to the creation of new entries in the repertory. Toxicology, practical issues, and instructions to provers are covered. The instructions to provers may be freely copied and I hope they will be!

Ethics
What is missing I feel is any discussion of the ethical issues. The real lack of danger in doing a proving is explained, the enhancement of health felt by the provers is recorded. But in a society like ours an ethical committee is needed to ensure that the protocols of any project are indeed well constructed, and more important, that they are followed. It is not only our financial accounts that need an auditor, but our provings. Students need ethical supervision as they learn through mistakes, but some protection is needed. This book goes far in creating the blueprint for an ethical committee to implement. The next step is to create an ethical and administrative framework to protect the provers, and so protect the future practitioners of homoeopathy and their volunteers and their patients.

Sources of information
The book is weak in the way the information on recent provings is set out. Sources of information are named with no contact address, needed especially for the unpublished work which has become known as 'grey literature' by bibliographers. Bibliographic sources for these provings were not listed, although there is an adequate bibliography for the book itself. The need to register a book with the British Library and obtain an International Standard Book Number is essential, not just an administrative chore but to ensure that the work enters the databases of the world and becomes accessible to future researchers. It may even lead to some more sales. Many of the new provings listed below have overlooked this.

Unbound
Unfortunately the book is weakly bound, mine having come apart while studying for this review. I was fortunate enough to have a second copy and it too cracked at the spine after a short time. The paper is of a good thick quality and the binding appears to be stitched but ...... .

Originality
There are many fascinating references throughout the book from real experience and from all perspectives, students, provers, supervisors and the organisers. These are its strengths. It is an original contribution to our thinking. Buy your own and read it.

Francis Treuherz is in private and NHS practice in London. He was editor of The Homoeopath for 7 years and is a director of the Society of Homoeopaths. He has written a number of historical and clinical articles. He is a partner in the Homoeopathic Bicycle Company.

Footnotes
¹Edwin M Hale, Saw Palmetto, its History, Botany, Chemistry, Pharmacology, Provings, Clinical Experience and Therapeutic Applications, Philadelphia: Boericke & Tafel 1898
²Howard P Bellows, The Test Drug-Proving of the 'O O & L Society', a Reproving of Belladonna Being an Experimental Study of the Pathogenetic Action of that Drug upon the Healthy Human Organism, Boston 1906
³HL Chitkara, The Best of Burnett, New Delhi: B Jain 1993
⁴Charles J Hempel, Dr B Mure's Materia Medica or Provings of the Principal Animal and Vegetable Poisons of the Brazilian Empire, New York: William Radde 18554
Roseline Brillat, Benoit Mure: Missionaire de l'Homeopathie 1809-1958, Lyon: Boiron 1988
⁵William E Boyd, Emanometer research, British Homeopathic Journal 1925, 15:66; and Emanometer and disease, BRHomJ 1933, 23:374
6John Paterson et al, Mustard gas research committee reports. BRHomJ 1942 & 1943
⁷Jaques Benveniste & twelve others, Human basophil degranulation triggered by very dilute antiserum against IgE, Nature 1988 June 30;333 (6176): 816-8
⁸Jennifer Jacobs et al., Homeopathic treatment of acute childhood diarrhoea, BrHomJ 1993 Apr; 82 (12): 83-6
⁹A group of members of the Faculty of Homeopathy were all on the same plane which crashed en route for a Liga conference in Brussels
¹⁰Jeremy Sherr, Homeopathic Proving of Diamond, forthcoming.
¹¹Jeremy Sherr, Homeopathic Proving of Scorpion, first edition and, 2nd edition 1990
¹²Jeremy Sherr, Homeopathic Proving of Brassica, forthcoming.
¹³Jeremy Sherr, Homeopathic Proving of Chocolate, Malvern: Dynamis School, 1993
¹⁴Jeremy Sherr, Homeopathic Proving of Germanium, forthcoming.
¹⁵Jeremy Sherr, Homeopathic Proving of Hydrogen, Malvern: Dynamis School, 1994
¹⁶School of Homeopathic Medicine, Homeopathic Proving of Iridium, Sheffield, forthcoming
¹⁷Jaqueline Houghton & Elisabeth Halahan, Homeopathic Proving of Lac humanum, 1994
¹⁸Lesley King & Bob Lawrence, Luna: a Proving. Tunbridge Wells: Helios Pharmacy 1993
¹⁹Jeremy Sherr, Homeopathic Proving of Neon, forthcoming
²⁰Jean Daws & Daphne Scriven, Homeopathic Proving of Sol Britannic, Tunbridge Wells: Helios Pharmacy 1994
²¹Nuala Eising, Granite Marble Limestone, Co Galway: The Burren School of Homeopathy 1994
²²Nuala Eising, Homeopathic Proving of Fire, forthcoming
²³Harris L Coulter, The Controlled Clinical Trial: an Analysis, Washington DC: Centre for Empirical Medicine 1992.

New England Journal of Homeopathy Volume 4 Number 2
Spring 1995