The concept of Grand Generalization is founded by
Dr. Boenning Hausen say “What is true of the part is true of the whole”
A remedy that has produced any symptom in a location is capable of curing any other symptom in that location. If a remedy has produced a particular ailment /sensation in one part, it can produce and cure that same ailment /sensation in any part of the body. A peculiar modality with any sensation will be the characteristic modality of that remedy, anywhere in any patient, for any other symptom/ ailment. This can be summarized as Boenninghausen’s “Doctrine of Analogy or Dictum”
Based on this, the entire materia medica is reduced to Location, Sensation, and Modalities. This is called “Boenninghausen’s Grand Generalization”.
Dr.Hering and Dr. Kent severely criticized Boenninghausen for this as oversimplification of materia medica. Grand generalization can be proved wrong by quoting some examples from the homeopathic materia medica.
Example:
- Arsenicum album patient, in general, is ameliorated by hot applications, except the headache which is ameliorated by cold applications.
- Phosphorus patient, in general, is aggravated by cold, but his gastric ailments are ameliorated by cold.
But, if we neglect such minute exceptional cases, Boenninghausen’s method simplified the homeopathic prescription in a scientific manner, which by the way makes it easier to select the medicines.
