Dr. Hahnemann defines the following terms of treatment:
(a) Allopathy (b)Antipathy (c) Heteropathy (d) Isopathy (e) Tautopathy (f) Homoeopathy- Allopathy: Dr. Hahnemann defined allopathy as the method of treatment in which several medicines are combined in order to cover different symptoms of the patient. For example if a person is suffering from fever, delirium, constipation and loss of sleep; drugs for each of these symptoms will be combined in his prescription in order to treat his disease. This method of treatment was prevalent during the time of Hahnemann and long after him. Even now allopathic physicians follow this method of treatment. It is also called Polypharmacy.
- Antipathy: Treatment which is based on the principle of opposite (contraria) is called antipathy by Dr.Hahnemann. For example application of cold in high fever, prescribing purgatives in constipation and narcotics in sleeplessness etc.
- Hetropathy: Treatment of diseases by unusual methods for example;
- application of leeches for inflammations,
- purging for purification of blood diseases,
- Cupping for colics,
- Steam bath for rheumatism etc.
- Isopathy: Treatment by similar substances is called isopathy. For example; treatment of tuberculosis by Tuberculin injections in isopathic method cured substances are used, whereas in Homoeopathy potentised substances are used. In isopathy identical substances are used.
- Tautopathy: Treatment of conditions produced by bad effects of drugs given in crude from by giving the same drug in minute doses. For example the bad effects of chloromycetin are neutralised by giving minute doses of chloromycetin. The bad effects of sulphadiazine are removed by minute doses of sulphadiazine.
- Homoeopathy: Treatment of diseases by similar remedies in potentised form. The similarity depends on the specific-Dynamic nature of the disease and the remedy. Specific pertains to the causes of the disease and dynamic pertains to the peculiar nature of the sick individual. These two factors combine to produce the totality of symptoms in the patient by natural diseases and in the provers by the effects of remedies (artificial diseases).
Another difference between Homoeopathy and Isopathy and Tautopathy is that in the former the similia principle is observed whereas in the later identia principle is observed.
The difference between Homoeopathy and specific drug treatment is that in the former, remedy for the cause of the disease depends upon the dynamic nature of the patient. The peculiar nature of the sick individual is the most important factor in the selection of the Similimum, whereas in specific drug treatment no such rule is observed. The result is that even if the cause is removed, its effects are temporary because susceptibility to diseases which is a dynamic condition is not treated and cured and the second drawback is that the patient is sensitised by the specific drugs and shows symptoms of the drug disease in a large number of cases. For example antibiotics cure pyogenic infections but the susceptibility to pyogenic infection is not removed hence the immunity is short lived and there are chances of reinfection. Moreover the patient becomes hypersensitive due to sensitising effect of the antibiotic and shows allergic reactions or may develop allergic diseases. Vitamin deficiencies are also created in majority of cases treated by antibiotics.
