Book Review by Dr Winston Vargheese of the book INTRODUCTION TO MATERIA MEDICA authored by Dr Nagendra Babu

It gives me immense pleasure to write foreword to the book Introduction to Materia Medica by Dr G. Nagendra Babu, MD (Hom.) Professor and HOD Sri Sai Ram Homoeopathic Medical College, Chennai, the author of another versatile book A comprehensive study of Organon and a recipient of Best Teacher award. There have been so many books of Materia Medica written from the century when homeopathy was discovered to this century, the so-called modern Materia Medica. We have the pure Materia Medica where symptoms are expressed as they have been produced in provers and Materia Medica where interpretations and elaboration are given for each and every symptom. We have Materia Medica where the mental symptoms are expressed and exposed and Materia Medica where the pathological general are dealt with. Moreover, we also therapeutic Materia Medica where medicines are given for each disease condition and with indications of the particular drug in each disease condition, which lead to confusion among the students of homoeopathy whether they are undergraduate or postgraduate. This confusion get expressed in practice and finally resulted in many schools of Homoeopathy, some of them jeopardizing the existence of homoeopathy itself. These all confusions could be sorted out if we really understand the origin and evolution and types of the Homoeopathic Materia Medica. Until this time rarely, academicians have tried to bring out a book on this do except taking a few lectures on this topic.

Dr G. Nagendra Babu has made this attempt in an elaborate manner which is really the need of the time. The salient features of the book are,a brief introduction to beginners on what is Materia Medica, and how it is different from other Materia Medica, journey on the history of Materia Medica dating from ancient to modern times, explanations to terms used in Homeopathic Literature, Schuessler 12 Tissue Remedies, methods of studying Homeopathic Materia Medica, Sources Of Materia Medica, Scope / Advantages And Limitations of Homeopathic Materia Medica, Types of Homoeopathic Materia Medica, Relationship of Homoeopathic Remedies, Applied Materia Medica in Learning & and Practice, and Group Remedies of Homeopathic Materia Medica will also be useful to both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

More over the knowledge of the above are very much essential according to the new CCH curriculum for both Undergraduate and Postgraduate. Thus this book in not another Materia Medica Book where every medicine is explained so that a practitioner can use but it is a book on how the books of Materia Medica need to be understood and studied which become very essential for a newcomer to the homoeopathy that is our student community. So I wish the homoeopathic fraternity to make use of this wonderful book.

Reviewed by –

Dr Winston Vargheese MD (Hom)
Professor and P. G. Coordinator
Sarada Krishna Homoeopathic Medical College
Kulasekharam, Kanyakumari