general symptoms

General Symptoms vs Disease General Symptoms in Homoeopathic Repertory
In classical homoeopathy, especially according to James Tyler Kent, it is essential to distinguish between:
1. Patient’s General Symptoms
2. Disease General Symptoms
This distinction is fundamental for accurate repertorisation and remedy selection.

1. Patient’s General Symptoms
These are symptoms belonging to the individual patient as a whole, independent of the disease itself.
They represent:
Constitution
Temperament
Personal reaction pattern
Susceptibility
Individuality
These symptoms characterize the patient rather than the pathology.

Characteristics of Patient’s Generals
They are:
Peculiar to the person
Persistent across illnesses
Often long-standing
Applicable to the whole patient

Highly individualizing
Examples
Thermal State
Chilly patient
Hot patient

Desires & Aversions
Desire for salt
Aversion to milk

General Modalities
Worse from cold air
Better from warmth
Worse at night

Sleep & Perspiration
Profuse perspiration during sleep
Sleeps on abdomen

Mental Generals
Fear of death
Anxiety about future
Irritability
Example
A patient with arthritis says:
“I am always chilly.”
“I desire eggs.”
“I feel worse in cloudy weather.”
These belong to the patient, not specifically to arthritis.

2. Disease General Symptoms
Disease generals are symptoms common to the disease process itself and seen in many patients suffering from that disease.
They belong to the pathology rather than the individuality of the patient.

Characteristics of Disease Generals
They are:
Common in a particular disease
Shared by many patients
Pathological expressions
Less individualizing
Lower in repertorial value
Examples
In Influenza
Fever
Body ache
Weakness

In Diabetes Mellitus
Excessive thirst
Frequent urination
Weight loss

In Pneumonia
Cough
Fever
Dyspnea
These symptoms help diagnose disease but may not individualize the remedy.

Important Classical Concept
According to Samuel Hahnemann and Kentian philosophy:

> The physician should prescribe on the characteristic symptoms of the patient, not merely on common disease symptoms.

Difference Between Patient’s Generals & Disease Generals

Feature Patient’s General Symptoms Disease General Symptoms

1. Nature: Individual (Patient) – Common (Disease)
2. Value in repertory: Very high (Patient) – Lower (Disease)
3. Use: Remedy selection (Patient)- Disease diagnosis (Disease)
4. Peculiarity: Characteristic (Patient)- Non-characteristic (Disease)
5. Persistence: Often chronic (Patient)- Usually during illness (Disease)
6. Example: Chilly patient (Patient)- Fever in influenza (Disease)
7. Importance: Constitutional prescribing (Patient)- Pathological understanding (Disease)

Clinical Examples
Example 1: Fever Case
Disease Generals
Fever
Headache
Weakness
These occur in many febrile illnesses.

Patient’s Generals
Thirstless during fever
Wants fan despite chill
Anxiety at midnight
Better from uncovering
These individualize the remedy.

Hierarchy in Repertorial Evaluation
According to Kent:
1. Mental generals
2. Physical generals
3. Particular symptoms
4. Disease common symptoms
Disease generals are usually placed lower unless they become peculiar or characteristic.

When Disease Generals Become Important
A disease general becomes valuable if it appears in a peculiar manner.
Example:
“Complete thirstlessness during high fever”
Ordinarily fever causes thirst, so this becomes characteristic and important.

Repertorial Perspective
Kent’s Repertory
Strong emphasis on patient generals.
Boenninghausen’s Therapeutic Pocket Book
Uses modalities and concomitants to individualize disease expressions.
Boger-Boenninghausen’s Characteristics and Repertory
Balances pathology with characteristic generals.

Conclusion
In homoeopathic repertory:
Patient’s general symptoms represent the individuality and constitutional nature of the patient and are most important for selecting the simillimum.
Disease general symptoms belong to the pathological condition and are mainly useful for diagnosis and clinical understanding.
The art of repertorisation lies in distinguishing what belongs to the patient from what belongs merely to the disease.