Organon – The Art of Healing
§ 231
The intermittent diseases deserve a special consideration, as well those that recur at certain periods – like the great number of intermittent fevers, and the apparently non-febrile affections that recur at intervals like intermittent fevers – as also those in which certain morbid states alternate at uncertain intervals with morbid states of a different kind.
Intermittent diseases are those which occur repeatedly at certain periods. It is essential to pay special attention to this type of diseases. Great number of recurrent fevers forms this group. This class also includes those which reappear in different ways.
Explanation
Fevers like Malaria etc. are called intermittent fevers. These fevers come every day, alternate days, once in a week or so. Partial headaches again do not belong to this group. But menstrual disorders of ladies come under this group. Some are affected with fevers etc. in the same days or dates. The same disease breaks out every time in the same season. All these belong to this group. Their cure is difficult. Wherever it is felt that they are cured, mostly they are suppressed. Therefore, special examination is necessary.
§ 232
These latter, alternating diseases, are also very numerous,1 but all belong to the class of chronic diseases; they are generally a manifestation of developed psora alone, sometimes, but seldom, complicated with a syphilitic miasm, and therefore in the former case may be cured by antipsoric medicines; in the latter, however, in alternation with antisyphilitics as taught in my work on theChronic Diseases.
1 Two or three states may alternate with one another. Thus, for instance, in the case of double alternating diseases, certain pains may occur persistently in the legs, etc., immediately on the disappearance of a kind of ophthalmia, which latter again appears as soon as the pain in the limbs has gone off for the time – convulsions and spasms may alternate immediately with any other affection of the body or some part of it – in a case of threefold alternating states in a common indisposition, periods of apparent increase of health and unusual exaltation of the corporeal and mental powers (extravagant gaiety, extraordinary activity of the body, excess of comfortable feeling, inordinate appetite, etc.) may occur, after which, and quite unexpectedly, gloomy, melancholy humor, intolerable hypochondriacal derangement of the disposition, with disorder of several of the vital operations, the digestion, sleep, etc., appear, which again, and just as suddenly, give place to the habitual moderate ill-health; and so also several and very various alternating states. When the new state makes its appearance, there is often no perceptible trace of the former one. In other cases only slight traces of the former alternating state remain when the new one occurs; few of the symptoms of the first state remain on the appearance and during the continuance of the second. Sometimes the morbid alternating states are quite of opposite natures, as for instance, melancholy periodically alternating with gay insanity or frenzy.
These diseases are innumerable and belong to chronic diseases. Most of them are there on account of Psora rarely affected by syphilis! The former can be cured by anti-psoric drugs only. The latter variety is to be cured by alternating with anti-syphiliic drugs. This method has been explained in my book “Chronic Diseases”.
§ 233
The typical intermittent diseases are those where a morbid state of unvarying character returns at a tolerably fixed period, while the patient is apparently in good health, and takes its departure at an equally fixed period; this is observed in those apparently non-febrile morbid states that come and go in a periodical manner (at certain times), as well as in those of a febrile character, to wit, the numerous varieties of intermittent fevers.
These diseases may be with or without fever. Diseases with the same set of uniform symptoms come and go again and again without change, almost within the same time limits. The periodicity is fixed. In the meantime, he appears to be a healthy person. There are innumerable diseases like this.
Explanation
Diseases like Malaria are attended with fevers. Diseases like partial headaches, menstrual disorders of ladies etc. have no relation with fevers. Inspite of these sufferings, during the periods of cessation, they appear to be healthy. When malaria attacks, he suffers from chill, shivering, headache, body pains, backache, fever, vomiting, restlessness, screaming and at last sweats and weakness. With the cessation of the affection and before it recurs, the patient appears to be healthy, eats well and does well.
Taken from the book
Organon of the art of healing, Kulapathi
Dr. Ekkirala Krishnamacharya
3rd Edition, 1999, The World Teacher Trust, Visakhapatnam, India
Original in Telegu by Dr. E. Krishnamacharya; translation by Dr. E. Krishnamacharya
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