Book excerpt: Resonance is a systematic treatise on the homeopathic point of view in medicine. Encompassing both philosophy and method, it considers in detail how homeopathic physicians think of health and disease, what they look for in the patient, how they conduct the interview, how they evaluate the effect of the treatment, and how they prepare and study the medicinal substances that they use. But it is not a "how-to" book that instructs students in how to proceed, or which remedy to prescribe for what condition, and even the first-aid applications are discussed as special cases of the general viewpoint, rather than as recipes to be followed blindly. The Introduction, "Who Needs Homeopathy?" addresses the prior question of why homeopathic medicine is both useful and necessary at this particular juncture. Part One, "Fundamentals," traces the origins and conceptual basis of homeopathy, and consists of three chapters. The first is devoted to the basic principles of the method: vitalism and the "vital force," the "law" of similarity, and its corollaries -- the so-called "totality of symptoms," the definition and scope of homeopathic medicines, the single remedy, the minimum dose, and the evaluation of improvement and worsening. The second discusses two specialized techniques which are peculiar to the method, namely, the pharmaceutical preparation of medicines, and their experimental administration to healthy volunteers, or "provings," as they are generally known. The third elaborates on the all-important approach to the patient, including the interview, or case-taking, with its method of elucidating the symptoms and then ranking them for remedy selection; the details of administration and dosage of remedies, with the proper regimen to be followed during the treatment; and the evaluation of remedy action at the follow-up interview, with indications for what to do next, as well as long-term case management. Part Two, "Remedies," begins with introductory remarks on the homeopathic study of medicinal substances in general, and then gives concise but detailed accounts of important individual remedies, organized in four chapters. The first describes a number of representative plant remedies, and concludes with a discussion of a new way of understanding plant families and how it can be used clinically in difficult cases. The second proceeds analogously to the remedies of the animal kingdom, and concludes with discussions of snake, insect, and mammalian remedies, to elucidate the importance of family relationships in locating the animal remedies as well. The third and fourth are devoted to the mineral remedies, with some basic constitutional types, including various salts and acids of the same "family" groupings, and other elements, such as ferrous, precious, and heavy metals. Part Three, "Ailments," is concerned with how homeopathic methods can be applied to the study and treatment of particular diseases and com-plaints, beginning with a general discussion of the subject as an important issue in itself, and divided into three chapters. The first is devoted to acute conditions, including first aid and the concept of self-care, and its application to the treatment of injuries and common domestic ailments...