Hippokrates of Kos like Socrates talks about the relationship of part and whole. The ancient Greek philosopher Hippokrates, the guru of modern western medicine proposed two principles: Similia similibus curenter (let like be treated by likes), and contrario contraries curenter (let opposite be treated by opposites). The two paths of medicinal thoughts gradually evolved into Homeopathy and Allopathy. But in the twentieth century, more especially in its first half, there was a systematic and deliberate assault on Homeopathy in the United States though in Europe it continued holding reverential therapeutic reputation.
The idea of separating the body into segments and curing the disease is one of the gross weaknesses of the allopathic treatment despite its multiple wonderful feats. Allopathic discipline is successful because it has taken best help from modern science in comparison to other disciplines like Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Herbal medicines, and Chinese medical traditions, to name a few. During the last two to three decades, Homeopathy has extensively used modern science to diagnose maladies and treat them. Furthermore, one of the prudent adaptations of science and technology is done by Yoga of the Ramdev school of medicinal thought. The successes of these schools of medicine depend on how they reconcile with science and also critique the ills of science and its logic.
Allopathic medicine has provided wonderful cures and at the same time has been menacing in comprehending the human body. Except some prudent thinkers in this field, the general approach of practicing physicians is disciplinary parochialism. Body is treated with medicinal violence because their treatments are like hitting the target as the drone aircrafts hit the enemy camps. The surgical accuracy eliminates the particular foe and ignores the entire origin and causes of the problem. By saying this, it is not the case that the philosophy of allopathy is ignoring the whole and targeting the parts. Modern holistic treatments have come to the fore in this school of medicine too.
But one of the essences, for instance, of homeopathic medicine is the reverence to part and whole comprehension. Allopathic school has still to appreciate such modalities in the domains of, not merely pure science and technology, but deep ecological episteme which understands the healing power of nature. The problem with allopathic school is that it has progressed with so much of velocity with capitalistic worldview that it arrogantly does not have philosophical patience and time. Despite Ramdev’s wonderful medicinal feats, an allopathic physician does not stop counting the problems by not coming to him.
Disciplinary parochialism is initiated not by researchers and thinkers of allopathic schools, but by market-physicians. The same is the case with homeopathy too where book-reader physicians bring ill reputes to its ancient glory. Ramdev, Yoga, and Ayurveda are chided by referring to misdirected, ill-informed bazaar-gurus. Thus the problem is not the schools but its teachers.
There is another misconceived notion that Homeopathy and Ayurveda are alternative medicines. Such terminological marginalization is colonial mindset of creating center and margin. The term alternative very subtly pushes non-Allopathic schools into the periphery. It is like some European communities do not include them in ethnic groups because they do not regard them as ethnic. There are many such fallacious ideologies all around us. Homeopathy has evolved by scientifically proving its drugs on healthy human beings (unlike using animals for experiments). Ayurveda too has its positivistic base. The commercial success of these schools has depended on which of them have taken modern science readily.
But modern allopathic medical science has its problems which is its disciplinary hoodwinking. There still are wonderful intellectuals. A reputed physician in Kathmandu lives happily by taking homeopathic drugs of heart problem and practicing pranayam. This is an individual case, but there are medical schools in India and Europe where there are multidisciplinary departments of medicine. They reconcile.
Thus the treatment out of the principal of the contraries or similarities is what differentiates the two major schools of medicine. Such ideas have come a long way in medicinal philosophies. I sometimes think and many would agree that the domains like Homeopathy, Ayurveda, and Yoga medicinal system need more cultural awareness because of the sheer Nepali economic condition which has to depend on natural modes of medicinal comprehension. The varying principals are progresses of science not opposites like two enemies are.
orungupto@gmail.com
Related story
