Homeopathic Therapeutics of the Diseases of the Liver and Biliary Ducts: The Amazing Liver, Interfacing Nature with Spirit (2015)

Homeopathic Therapeutics of the Diseases of the Liver and Biliary Ducts is the title of Dr. med. Fortier-Bernoville's (see section ‘Note’) five lectures as published in L'Homoeopathic Moderne (1938, nos. 3, 5, 7, 9, 11) and reprinted in this 170-page volume. Perhaps Ms. Birch, the editor, added the sub-title, ‘The Amazing Liver, Interfacing Nature with Spirit’ to elude to the fact that she added a considerable amount of related subject matter and to suggest that the liver holds a very special (spiritual?) place. If this is the case, she provides little substantive explanation in the initial pages. I am not disputing that special place which the liver has among the organs, just indicating that she does not provide any reasoning as to why this might be so. The material which she adds is a lighter shade and bordered on both sides with a line. This helps differentiate her additions from those of Fortier-Bernoville's. Nonetheless, she provides a great amount of information on drainage.

For example in Chapter 8, ‘Homeopathic Practice of Drainage in the Treatment of Liver Diseases and the Diseases of the Bile Duct’ (pp. 51–55), Fortier-Bernoville begins by describing the primary outlets (urinary, digestive and cutaneous) of elimination and cites several useful remedies, Phosphorus and Sulfur before finishing with Berberis, Fumaria, Saponaria and Urtica urens. Sandwiched between these two pages is auxiliary material compiled by Ms. Birch. In this section, one comes to understand how waste is drained or excreted from the body while presenting several other useful remedies. Often, her discussions are in greater detail than Fortier-Bernoville's. She brings in other useful aspects such as the five-element theory of Chinese medicine. A chart is included; so, one may develop an understanding of how the organ systems are related not just in space and function but in time. She discusses how the application of shiatsu can stimulate meridians to promote elimination and suggests additional remedies, too.

For example:

‘Drainage Routes of Particular Remedies’

Lyc.: Will drain lungs to liver, either out kidneys or large intestine (potency dependent). Sulph.: Drains skin and joints through intestines.

Sepia: Drains liver through large intestine or through uterus and uterine blood. When the liver is moving more freely it pulls prolapses back into the body and releases pressure in portal vein.

Puls.: Drains sinuses, all mucus and liver through large intestine (high or low potency). – p. 53.

This quality paperback contains 21 short chapters, including ‘Remedies Corresponding to the Six, Principle Troubled Functions of the Liver’, ‘Six Remedies of Morbid Temperaments of Hepatic Dysfunction’, ‘Four Principle Drainers of the Liver’ and ‘Simple Example of Homeopathic Prescription in Chronic Cholecystitis’, etc. and several appendices.

Certainly not classical homeopathy, this book does provide a good, general overview of drainage concepts and, of course, there is a great deal of specific information related to the liver. One could consider this book to be a materia medica of the liver and its related functions.

Though Birch does offer sample prescriptions for some conditions, such as multiple gallstones, no cases are presented until the very end when she offers the hospice case of her cat! This case is interesting and would certainly appeal to the homeopathic veterinarian, but a couple of detailed human cases would have served the reader well.

This book contains a brief glossary and remedy index, but neither bibliography nor the Fortier-Bernoville sections are referenced with precise citing or their exact titles provided.

Note

Mauritius Fortier-Bernoville (9/25/1896–12/9/1939) was a noted French homeopath and author who founded and edited the influential French journal L'Homoeopathie Moderne (founded in 1932; ceased publication in 1940). He was active in LIGA affairs as well as other administrative aspects—he helped found the Institut National Homeopathique Francais (INHF). Fortier-Bernoville wrote several books, including Une etude sur Phosphorus (1930), L'Homoeopathie en Medecine Infantile (1931), his best known Comment guerir par l'Homoeopathie (1929, 1937), and an interesting work on iridology, Introduction a l'etude de l'Iridologie (1932). With Louis-Alcime Rousseau, he wrote several booklets, including Diseases of Respiratory and Digestive Systems of Children, Diabetes Mellitus, Chronic Rheumatism. He also wrote several short pamphlets, including What We Must Not Do in Homoeopathy, which discusses the logistics of drainage and how to avoid aggravations.

He was an opponent of Kentian homeopathy and a proponent of drainage and artificial phylectenular autotherapy as well.