This book review is reprinted with the permission of the Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians
P.O. Box 21488, Portland, OR 97212
FAX:(503) 795-7320
e-mail: hanp@igc.apc.org

A COMPARISON BETWEEN SYNTHESIS AND THE COMPLETE REPERTORY
Durr Elmore, Editor

Kent's Repertory is now obsolete! Two new repertories have been published in beautiful book form in recent months: Synthesis, edited by Frederik Schroyens, M.D., and The Complete Repertory, Mind, edited by Roger Van Zandvoort. I commend the editors of these new repertories for taking on a Herculean task, and produced two great, modem repertories, based upon Kent's Repertory, with many corrections, improvements, and numerous additions, all footnoted and documented. This is a great moment in homeopathy!

After reading the reviews of Synthesis and The Complete Repertory, Mind, readers may be interested in a comparison of these two repertories. Both are new, and many homeopaths are considering purchasing one or the other (or both). They share many similarities, but also have some differences.

Similarities

Both Synthesis and The Complete Repertory follow the hierarchical schema of Kent. Both have carefully documented every addition to the repertory. Both have repeatedly checked additions from many books and journals. Both have made thousands of corrections of errors in Kent's Repertory. Both have modernized spelling, language and updated old-fashioned medical terms to current terminology. Both have developed clearly readable symptom formats, consistently used. Both have added thousands of additions. Both have merged similar rubrics. Both have created some new remedy abbreviations (unfortunately not the same in each), and list them. Both have added many cross references and synonyms. Both have created new rubrics.

Neither of these repertories has a good word index, which is always helpful. Perhaps one will be created in future editions.

Differences

Regarding grading of remedies, The Complete Repertory uses four degrees, Synthesis three.

Only The Complete Repertory lists the page numbers of rubrics also found in Kent's Repertory, The Synthetic Repertory, or Kunzli's Repertorium Generale.

Regarding footnoting of symptoms, Synthesis lists both the author and source. The Complete contains a complete Bibliography, but the footnotes refer only to the author.

The Complete gives an Appendix indicating the frequency of each author's additions (for example 1,485 additions from Hahnemann). It also gives a list of the number of additions by remedy and grade (for example, we see at a glance that there are 366 additions of Hydrogen, 295 being grade 1, 55 grade 2, and 16 grade 3).

Synthesis appendix includes a scholarly treatise on repertories, including hierarchical structure, language, additions, criteria used to make an addition, and procedure for additions. It includes an "Index of Important Changes and Corrections," with remarks regarding each chapter of the repertory. This is quite useful.

One volume versus separate volumes
Synthesis is contained in a single volume. The Complete Repertory is released a volume at a time (Mind is the first of three volumes). There are advantages and disadvantages of a repertory being divided into separate volumes. On the plus side, smaller volumes are lighter, easier to hold and to carry. On the negative, one must usually switch, reach for the other volumes and continually change books, which is slightly slower and more bothersome. Multiple volumes are also less portable-three books must be carried instead of one. When all three volumes of The Complete are out, perhaps it will be published as a single large volume.

Size and number of additions
There are advantages and disadvantages to adding remedies to rubrics in a repertory. The main disadvantage is that with too many additions rubrics become larger, and they then begin to become less useful in differentiating between remedies. Small rubrics tend to lose their fineness and uniqueness as they grow larger.

Nevertheless, there are many remedies that definitely deserve to be added to rubrics, due to both proving symptoms and from well-confirmed clinical experience. If a remedy should be in a rubric but is not included, and our patient has this symptom, the remedy will not be brought to mind by the repertory, and probably not prescribed.

This is the challenge of a repertory editor- to balance the need for adding remedy additions against the inherent weakening of differentiation between remedies as rubrics become larger. This is not a black or white matter, but is like a continuum, with many opinions or shades of correct and incorrect. Additions are needed, but for many rubrics there is a point where too many additions limit the utility of a repertory in helping differentiate between remedies. At times different homeopaths will have different ideas about whether a remedy should be added to a rubric, and at other times they will be in agreement.

A comparison of these two repertories by size.
Synthesis has 211 pages in the Mind section, The Complete 377 pages. The Complete is larger for several reasons:
1. The Complete font is larger than Synthesis, taking more space, while making it easier to read (at least for my eyes);
2. Dreams have been included in the mind volume of The Complete, because dreams may be said to represent the mind. Synthesis also created a separate chapter for dreams, but the Dream chapter follows the Sleep chapter.
3.The Complete has added emotions felt in the body to the mind chapter. E.g. Anxiety felt in stomach is found under Mind, Anxiety, stomach. It also remains in the Stomach chapter.
4. The Complete is larger because more additions have been added to rubrics.

I compared several rubrics in Synthesis, The Complete, and Kent's Repertory. The numbers indicate the number of remedies in each rubric. Here are the results:

Anororexia: Complete 20, Synthesis 12, Kent 0 (this rubric is new, not in Kent)
Anxiety about health: Complete 78, Synthesis 55, Kent 33
Biting nails: Complete 43, Synthesis 27, Kent 0 (rubric new, not in Kent)
Conscientious about Trifles: Complete 71, Synthesis 59, Kent 34
Cruelty: Complete 32, Synthesis 28, Kent 8
Delusions double: Complete 32, Synthesis 29, Kent 13
Development, arrested: Complete 10, Synthesis 8, Kent (rubric new, not in Kent)
Dictorial: Complete 28, Synthesis 20, Kent 9.
[Complete has Ars in bold and Dulc in second grade. Neither Ars nor Dulc are in this rubric in Synthesis or Kent.]
Fear, happen something will: Complete 85, Synthesis 63, Kent 34 [Complete had Medorrhinum added (from Pierre Schmidt) as a 4 (highest grade); this remedy was not included in Synthesis or Kent].
Fear high places: Complete 18, Synthesis 23, Kent 4
Fear poverty: Complete 16, Synthesis 16, Kent 11
Haughty: Complete 57, Synthesis 52, Kent 37
Precocity: Complete 22, Synthesis 7, Kent 1
(Complete has 2 added subrubrics)
Reproaches self Complete 35, Synthesis 35, Kent 20
Sentimental: Complete 67, Synthesis 37, Kent 25
Serious: Complete 79, Synthesis 63, Kent 53
Shameless: Complete 31, Synthesis 29, Kent 19

Comparing the number of remedies in these rubrics, The Complete had 722 remedies, Synthesis 563, and Kent's Repertory 3Ol. Out of these l7 rubrics, the Complete had more remedies in 14 rubrics, Synthesis had more remedies in one rubric, and the number of remedies was equal in 2 rubrics. From this sample, we can conclude that the Complete Repertory has more additions than Synthesis-in these examples about 28% more remedies. Bear in mind this figure (28%) is only derived from comparing a few rubrics. There is no doubt that the Complete is larger, but the 28% figure can only be used as a guess. The actual percentage that the Complete is larger than Synthesis may be greater or lesser than 28%. This may be viewed as an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on one's beliefs regarding additions.

Now questions may arise: Have an insufficient amount of remedies been added to Synthesis? Have too many remedies been added to The Complete? Both Dr. Schroyens and Roger Van Zandvoort did what they thought best regarding adding remedies. Both men put great thought and effort into each addition added. We could say that Synthesis has been more conservative, and The Complete more liberal in this regard. It is not a question of right or wrong. It is a manner of style and personal preference. Neither of these repertories was created without great care and much thought Both are useful and reliable.

Cross references: Cross references are helpful to jog our memory and to suggest related rubrics to be checked. The Complete is rich in cross references, which are at the end of the rubrics. Synthesis offers some cross references, which are placed at the beginning of the rubric. As a comparison, I selected 8 random rubrics. Here are the number of rubrics listed for cross references:

Delusions, Pregnant: Complete 4, Synthesis 1, Kent 0
Delusions, religious: Complete 2, Synthesis 1, Kent 0
Frightened easily: Complete 6, Synthesis 1, Kent 1
Grimaces: Complete 4, Synthesis 1, Kent 0
Quiet, wants to be: Complete 7, Synthesis 2, Kent 0
Serious: Complete 12, Synthesis 3, Kent 1
Shameless: Complete 14, Synthesis 6, Kent 0
Total: Complete 49, Synthesis 15, Kent 2

Again this is a small sampling, but there is no doubt The Complete is the undisputed leader in cross rubrics, having over 3 Limes more than Synthesis, and 25 times that of Kent.

Accuracy and Errors

It would be impossible to produce a repertory without mistakes, and I am sure there are some errors in both Synthesis and The Complete. Only time will tell how many. I believe that both repertories are quite accurate, but due to vast volume of material, both must contain some mistakes. Errors will be discovered in time, and can be corrected with old-fashioned pen and ink. A repertory is never finished, and future editions will surely follow. Both editors have worked diligently and corrected hundreds of mistakes from Kent's Repertory. We will graciously allow the editors to make a few errors themselves. I cannot judge which of the two is the most accurate. I will give them both an A - excellent!

Conclusion
Which is best? Which to buy, Synthesis or the Complete?

My answer to this question is simple-buy both! A repertory is the most used, and perhaps the single most important book in a homeopathic practice. Both repertories have unique contributions. Synthesis has the advantage of being finished and is in one volume. The Complete offers more remedies and many more cross references. For some cases, especially where a small remedy may be indicated, or the case is based mostly on mentals. I like the extra additions to the rubrics of the Complete along with it's smaller physical size. For most cases I'm well-satisfied with Synthesis.

Homeopaths who tend to be more conservative regarding additions may prefer Synthesis because it has fewer. Homeopaths who want more additions may prefer The Complete.

Both repertories have modernized and vastly improved Kent's Repertory. Each of these two repertories has some information that is unique. There is room on my desk for both. I use both Synthesis and The Complete Repertory every day, with appreciation to both Frederik Schroyens and Roger Van Zandvoort for access to the fruits of their labor of love.

Fall 1994 Volume VII No. 3 / SIMILLIMUM