This book review is reprinted from The Homoeopath with permission from Nick Churchill of The Society of Homoeopaths.
Psyche and Substance: Essays on Homoeopathy in the Light of Jungian Psychology
by Edward Whitmont MD
Paperback, 2nd edition, 1991
reviewed by Adam Martanda
Adam Martanda RSHom practices in Derbyshire where he is Principal of
the Small School of Homoeopathy.
I must, at the beginning of this review, make a confession, admit to a bias. I have, recently, had the great pleasure and privilege to meet and talk with the remarkable author of this remarkable book. This in itself, is sufficient to produce a warm glow when asked to review this, the latest edition of some of his most important written work. In addition I have been studying his writings for many years and consider them to be some of the most influential books for me as a practising homoeopath and as a student of the human condition.
So with this in mind I offer this appraisal of the 2nd Edition of Psyche & Substance. The most striking thing about this book is the breadth of vision encapsulated within its pages. Here we have a clear demonstration of the necessity of a broad philosophical base for the effective study and practise of homoeopathy. Even the awesome mind of Hahnemann did not demonstrate this so clearly. Whitmont is a polymath, a New Renaissance man, who has dug into the breadth and depth of medical history, the natural sciences, religion and mythology, and the full spectrum of human experience to bring to light something of the mystery of existence. And yet, for all that, what is most clear is a great humility, a genuine recognition of how little we really know. He offers more questions than answers, more strands for us to follow, more things to ponder. He gently points us towards a task which he sees as being in the nature of an imperative, if we are to successfully undertake the role of homoeopath. Not simply to become technically competent, but to struggle to make the synthesis he himself is still attempting. To become an effective healer.
Whitmont begins the book with an overview, in which he explores the field of homoeopathy, as an art and science operating within the realm of nature. His references extend way beyond the narrow field of what we might normally define as homoeopathy. He offers us insights from philosophy, psychology, physics and much more, pointing us towards extensive bodies of knowledge beyond the often dry material associated with homoeopathy. The breadth of his study and his obvious understanding of these various disciplines is quite simply breathtaking.
In part two we are re-introduced to some old friends from our materia medica, though these old friends now reveal fresh aspects of the totality of themselves, and become clearer through this revelation. We are reminded that the remedy pictures to which Hahnemann referred, are living entities or archetypes through which nature reveals more of the mystery of life.
In addition to these old friends, there are three new ones Lactrodectus mactans, Mandragora, and Aristolochia clematis. Each of these is introduced and described with insight, clarity, and enthusiasm. It is this quality of enthusiasm, so striking when talking with Whitmont, that pervades the book. Here is someone who after a life-time of committed work in the field, is still bursting with lively interest, still exploring, experimenting, questioning, still actively involved and still healing.
The third section of this extremely readable book relates to practice. In this he offers us insights into his own methods of case-analysis and practice management. 'Me related essays in this section are concerned with the problems of chronic prescribing, psychosomatics, differential diagnosis, and surgery. In each of these Whitmont reveals more of his extraordinary capacity to relate the parts to the whole.
The fourth and final section of the book, Case Studies, presents a selection of material ranging from practical clinical work to Whitmont's deep insights into the theory of miasms. In this section we can see for ourselves how the wide ranging mind of this true physician has truly 'dared to taste and understand'.
I recommend this book to all who are concerned to further their understanding of the art and science of healing. In particular to those fellow students and practitioners who sometimes become discouraged by the daily demands of practice. This is a book to stimulate fresh impetus, to refresh the senses, to inspire, to inform, to enlighten the load. I for one would not be without it. Aude Sapere.
The Homoeopath Vol.11 No.3 1991