An Overview on Card Repertory with special emphasis to Kishore’s Card

1. An Overview on Card Repertory with special emphasis to Kishore’s Card Prof. (Dr.) Krishnendu Maity BHMS [Calcutta] MD (Hom. Repertory) [Pune] CFN L. B. S. Homœopathic Medical College, Bhopal. Email: post.krishnendu2010@ymail.com

2. To search the similimum in easiest way, the Homœopathists were seeking a shortest possible way. • There were several voluminous repertories with their own philosophy & construction, leading difficulties in finding similimum. • The ever-increasing MateriaMedica were adding fuel to the fume.

3. A fewphysician thought that if the rubrics found in the repertories were written on separate paper-piece, can be a quick glance through them, to save time & energy. • Some Homœopathists started preparing their own diaries, chits or different types of paper-cuttings. This finally gave birth to Card Repertory. Card Repertory is a system of visual sorting which helps the physician by eliminating the necessity of writing out the rubrics and remedies against them.

4. CHRONOLOGY OF CARD REPERTORY

8. ESSENTIAL QUALITIES OF A GOOD CARD REPERTORY • Most card repertories were limited in scope due to improper construction. • Too small and give only a broad general selection limited to few polychrests. • Most important use is Eliminative functions. • Results should be as close as possible to factual texts on repertory. • Cards should be of standard texture and thinness. • Should be strong as well as thin enough and should not shut off light completely. • Punching should follow standard methods. • Card system should be elastic, so that new rubrics can be introduced or new remedies added. • Punching should indicate degree of drugs.

9. MERITS OF CARD REPERTORIES • One has to select the cards according to rubrics arranged in repertorial totality and look for common remedies. • It saves time as compared to manual writing down. It cuts down time needed in calculation of marks and analysis. • It does not require paper work. • Purpose – Elimination of remedies in reportorial analysis. It is the mother of Computer Repertory.

10. DEMERITS OF CARD REPERTORIES • It is difficult to include all remedies. • Most of the card repertories do not represent the rubrics well, especially sub-rubrics. It is difficult to use finer expressions at general and particular levels in repertorization. • Computer repertories have made it obsolete.

11. KISHORE’S CARD REPERTORY • Full Name: Dr. Jugal Kishore’s Homœopathic Card Repertory. • Author: Dr. Jugal Kishore. • Publication: 1st Edition – 1959. 2nd Edition – 1967. 3rd Edition – 1986. • Based on: Mainly, Kent’s Repertory; but rubrics were taken from all the existing repertories.

12. Plan & Construction: This gigantic & very popular card repertory was published in 1959. Mainly it was based on Kent’s work, though rubrics were taken from all the existing repertories of that time. In the 1st edition, there were 3,500 cards. The 2nd edition was improved and contained 10,000 cards & 600 medicines. The 3rd edition was published in 1986 with few additions here & there. This repertory was an attempt to substitute both Bœnninghausen’s as well as Kent’s repertory. It can be used for cases with prominent mentals, physical or only particular symptoms.

13. This repertory comes in 03 wooden boxes with 10,000 cards. Box I contains 4,000 cards [card no. 0001 – 3099]; Box II contains 3,000 cards [card no. 4000 – 6099] and Box III contains 3,000 cards [card no. 6100 – 9999]. There is ‘List of Remedies and Their Code Numbers’. It contains 591 medicines [serial number 50 to 640]; from Abies canadensis (Abies-c) to X-ray.

15. CARD NUMBER 1933 Structure of Card: Each card has 80 vertical columns of number at the bottom as 1,2,3,….80 (from left to right). The numbers 1 to 80 also appear on the top at the second line. Above downwards each column contains 0 to 9 numbers.

16. Every card has a ‘rubric’ written on the top of the card, with the name of the chapter. Each rubric has a number, written before the rubric. The number of the rubric is punched in first four columns – which are meant for indicating the rubric. Looking into these four columns, we can easily know the number of the rubric by arranging the punched numbers from left to right.

17. The card has rectangular ()punched areas here & there [in the 1st edition the punching were the shape of ‘’]. • To know the ‘code of medicine’, we have to read the number always putting the bottom number first in the left hand before the punched number. • The number is to be referred to the Index to Kishore’s Card that reveals the name of the medicine.

18. REPERTORIZATION WITH KISHORE’S CARDS • The case is to be analyzed & the repertorial totality is to be framed. • The symptoms are to be converted into rubrics. The final rubrics should be located separately and the card number is to be written against each rubric. • All the cards with rubrics should be kept in order against each other. • Finally, the common punched hole is to be found holding them against light and the medicine code is to be found out.

19. In this way, we get a group of medicines from the common punched hole and by referring it to the Index of Kishore’s Card. • These medicines are to be referred to the MateriaMedica and then to select the Similimum of the particular case. Sometimes it may happen that the common hole is not visible after keeping all the cards together. In that condition, the least important card with rubric should be removed – one after another – till the common punched hole is located.

20. ADVANTAGES OF KISHORE’S CARD REPERTORY • Third edition contains 591 medicines and 10,000 cards. • Almost all rubrics in the Kent’s repertory are incorporated in this Card Repertory. • This repertory can be used in two methods of repertorization – Kent’s and Bœnninghausen. • Many of the rubrics in the Bœnninghausen’s repertory are made available, up to dated and completed. • Elimination is a mechanical process. We can save the time taken for writing down all the rubrics, medicines and adding their marks. Hence, useful for very busy practitioners.

21. The rubrics and the cards are arranged in alphabetical order; so easy to find the required rubric. Table of contents of rubrics with their code numbers is given in the index. • Contents of the medicines with their code numbers are given in the index. • Cross-references are helpful in finding the related and similar rubrics. • Evaluation of medicines can be done with changing the shape of the holes. • New remedies are added from the reliable source like British Homœopathic Journal. • It does not require paper work. • It is useful in conditions were electricity and computers are not available.

22. DISADVANTAGES OF KISHORE’S CARD REPERTORY • Quite voluminous (repertory include three boxes of cards); so useless at bed-side. • All the rubrics needed in day-to-day practice are not available in this card repertory. • A thorough knowledge of rubrics are necessary before starting the process of repertorization. • Evaluation of remedies are not present. • There are certain medicines in the list, which are not found under any of the rubrics. • With the invention of computer software repertories, card repertories become out dated.

23. SOURCES • Kishore, Jugal – Kishore’s Card Repertory. • Tiwari, Shashi Kant – Essentials of Repertorization (4th edition). • www.homeopathyspace.com Thanks to all ………….