Often the question has been asked, "Is Schusslerism Homoeopathy?" and it has as often been answered in the affirmative as in the negative. Schussler himself claims that it is not in any way related to Homoeopathy, and puts Biochemistry forward with an evident desire to become the founder of a new system of medicine.

He claims with others that the Tissue Remedies act by supplying deficiencies. This idea, taken literally, seems erroneous; for example, in a disturbance of the molecules of Natr. mur. there is not necessarily a deficiency in the amount of Natr, mur. in the body, but rather a lack of continuity in the arrangement of the existing molecules in the body. This salt given as a remedy does not supply a lack or deficiency of salt, as the quantity given is usually too infinitesimal for that purpose, and were this the case it might be given in quantity with food and drink with the desired effect. The deficiency that it does supply in minimal doses is in the arrangement of the equilibrium of the chain of Natr. mur. molecules in the affected tissues as before explained, thus causing them to perform their function properly; for, since the deficit is a molecular one, the supply must also be molecular.

This idea of the action of remedies is not new, as any one who has carefully perused the works of that astute observer, Von Grauvogl, can testify. Many of Schussler's ideas may be seen foreshadowed in Grauvogl and Hering.

It has always been a matter of dispute as to how our homoeopathic remedies act. The question, embracing as it does that of infinitesimal doses, is one of the most vital for Homoeopathy, and one that even at this day exposes us to the ridicule of our old-school brethren.

We present the hypothesis that Homoeopathy and Biochemistry are quite similar; that Biochemistry offers a rational explanation of the homoeopathic action as contained in that law of Hahnemann, Similia Similibus Curantur!

The following table shows, so far as analyses have been made, that the twelve tissue salts are constituents of many of our well known and proved remedies of the vegetable kingdom:

Table

The figures in the above table indicate the percentage.

This table is a very incomplete one, as analyses have only been made of comparatively few of the remedies of the animal and vegetable kingdoms that we use; and many of these analyses have been made so crudely as only to note the presence of these salts in them, not giving their proportions. To do this accurately would entail much time and expense. Of course this, to the allopath, is a question of no moment whatever; but to us, as homoeopaths, who deal with infinitesimals, such an enormous quantity as 18.2 per cent, of Silicea occurring in Equisetitm; 6 per cent. of potash and sodium salts occurring in Hamam.; 4 per cent. of Silicea in Cimicif.; 3 per cent. of Magnes. phos. in Coloc., as well as other inorganic constituents in varying quantities, becomes a matter of vital importance. Could we have an exact quantitative and proportionate analysis of any one drug from the animal or vegetable kingdom, we could then dissect its symptoms and tell which belonged to one tissue salt and which to another; and it is highly probable that we, by this means, could easily explain why the symptoms of one drug are so often found under me pathogenesis of another, why one is characteristic in one drug and only generic in another, when, indeed, it may not rightly belong to either, but to an inorganic tissue salt, a constituent of each drug.

Perhaps the drug of which as complete an analysis has been made as of any is Phytolacca decandra. After evaporation and incineration, which remove the organic constituents, there remain 8.4 per cent. of the inorganic; of these, 6.8 per cent. are soluble and consist mostly of the salts of potash, while the insoluble remainder, 1.6 per cent., consists of calcium, iron and silica. If we compare the pathogenesis of Phytol. with the biochemical application of these salts, we shall see a striking and significant analogy. As the largest quantity of the inorganic salts therein contained is potash, we shall find that more symptoms of Phylol. correspond to the Kalis, while fewer symptoms correspond to the calcium, iron and silica. The following table illustrates this:

Were the analysis quantitatively correct, we should probably find some Natr. mur., as one of the prominent symptoms of Phytol. is acrid, watery discharge from the nose.

This would explain why we have different sets of symptoms under one homoeopathic drug, appearing to antagonize each other - each is produced by a different tissue salt.

This much for the vegetable and animal kingdom, substances that can be reduced by analysis to elementary bodies. In the mineral kingdom the action is somewhat different. Nothing need be said of such remedies as are compounds of sulphur and phosphorus, as they derive their medicinal power by combinations which form tissue salts. The carbonates become transformed into the phosphates; this disposes of such drugs as Kali card., Calc. card., Magnes. carb., etc.

There only remain the minerals, such as Aurum, Platinum, Argentum, etc. These in a crude state are acknowledged inert, and we triturate them to develop their power. In the crude state they do not appear to be materially changed by any of the organic acids of the body. When we finally divide these they still remain the same, but a new power has been developed in them, a catalytic power.

Examples of catalytic power are, unfortunately, very few. Of the known ones is the following:

Platinum in mass produces no change - no combination of oxygen and hydrogen - as it will do, as chemistry teaches us, when it is finely divided, without being changed itself.

This is catalysis, wherein one body produces changes in another without itself being changed. The wherefore of this action is not known, but it still remains a fact. Catalysis is contact action, and by this contact action, mineral drugs act inert in the crude state, by trituration a contact action is developed, which causes changes, and when given to the healthy produces symptoms.