Kentian

A philosophical, unkempt man with a long history of suppressed eczema, burning soles, and a characteristic 11 a.m. symptom pattern received Sulphur in ascending potencies (200C, then 1M after a clear return of symptoms). The skin eruption returned briefly then cleared as his energy and mood improved — a classic Kentian constitutional response. Kent's method ranks the mental symptoms first, then the physical generals, then the particulars; here the philosophical, lazy, unkempt mental picture and the burning-soles general were decisive. The case illustrates the Kentian emphasis on the constitutional remedy in high potency, given sparingly, with long waits between doses for the remedy to act.

A driven executive with anticipatory anxiety, right-sided digestive complaints, and lack of self-confidence masked by bravado improved on Lycopodium 1M given as a single dose. The case illustrates Kent's emphasis on the mental picture — the lack of self-confidence, the bravado, the anticipatory anxiety — over the local digestive symptoms. The right-sidedness and the 4-8 p.m. aggravation were confirmatory generals. The single high-potency dose, followed by a long wait, is characteristic of the Kentian approach to chronic constitutional prescribing.