20 years ago: The British Homoeopathic Journal, July 1987

Research meeting in Monaco

This is a report by Anthony Campbell of a meeting to which he was invited, together with D T Reilly, M Taylor and M D Jenkins; in order to participate in a discussion on present and future research into low dose effects. The meeting was part of a series hosted by Monaco on complementary medicine and allied subjects, known as Les Entretiens de Monaco sur les Medecines Energetiques. This year the discussion was centred on Infinitesimalité (roughly translated as ‘very low dose effects’). Fifteen people participated; nine of them from France; the other two were from Australia and Israel.

The quantity and quality of research in France came as a revelation to the British contingent. The author referred to the generally very high scientific standard of the papers presented. These workers evidently represented only about half of those currently working in France on low-dose effects. Their work was very largely based on animal experiments. Where the British had a clear lead was in clinical research. Reilly's recent hay fever study published in The Lancet was the only clinical contribution, and was particularly well received.

At the end of the meeting the group was invited to send three representatives to the planning committee of the Entretiens. Two French representatives and the author were elected. It was decided that the group would meet at least once a year in the same setting; would be known as Le Groupe Internationale de Recherche sur l’Infinitesimalité (GIRI); would publish a report of proceedings; and would be enlarged to include any researchers in the field. The author concluded: “GIRI marks an important and exciting new development in the study of low-dose effects. What is particularly interesting about the group is that it provides a setting in which clinicians, pharmacologists, physicists and others can meet to discuss these phenomena freely and without preconceptions”.[ ¹ ]

• References

• 1 Campbell A.C.H. Report on a research meeting in Monaco. Br Hom J 1987; 76: 112-113.
• 2 Fisher P. Two Historic homoeopathic research papers. Br Hom J 1987; 76: 147.
• 3 Bellows H.P. General directions (To the local directors). Br Hom J 1987; 76: 148-149.
• 4 Persson W.M. Microdose effects of drugs and chemicals on the enzymes urease, diastase and trypsin. Br Hom J 1987; 76: 150-157.
• 5 Sukul N.C., Bhattacharyya B., Bala S.K. Differentiation of potencies of Agaricus muscarius by experimental catalepsy. Br Hom J 1987; 76: 122-125.
• 6 Fisher P. Springtime for homoeopathy in America. Br Hom J 1987; 76: 107-111.