DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EXCITING AND FUNDAMENTAL CAUSES

Previously I have explained Exciting causes of the disease in the post Causa occassionalis and briefed about Fundamental causes of the diseases. Here we will look for the difference between exciting causes and maintaining causes of the diseases.

LET US START FROM DEFINITION OF THEM.

Exciting causes: exciting causes are those factors that induce (give origin to) a state or condition of sickness.

They may produce,

  • Acute disease
  • Acute expression (manifestation) of chronic disease
  • Indisposition (mild illness).

Fundamental causes: The fundamental causes of an illness are those that are mostly or essentially to blame for its onset.

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF THEM?

Exciting causes

Dr. Hahnemann classified the exciting causes into mainly 2 types.

Individual causes

  1. Lack of ideal lifestyle

E.g., overeating, malnutrition, excessive sedentary habits, insufficient rest, or sleep.

  1. Physical or mental irritation

E.g., fear, grief, overjoy, emotions, accidents etc.

General causes

  1. Meteoric or telluric influences

E.g., related to earth’s climatic condition (atmosphere) and soil.

  1. Acute miasm

E.g., unavoidable crisis of war, flood or poverty comes under acute miasm.

Fundamental causes

Hahnemann classified Miasms into broadly 2 types.

  1. Acute miasms

Recurrent acute miasm: attacks a person many times in same manner.

Example: Cholera, plague etc.

Non-recurrent acute miasm/fixed miasm: attacks a person only once.

Example: Chicken pox, measles, whooping cough etc.

  1. Chronic miasms

Psoric: Struggle

Sycotic: Weakness

Syphilic: Destructiveness

WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THESE TWO CAUSES?

Exciting causes can only influence a person if they already have a chronic miasm that makes them vulnerable to specific diseases.

Fundamental cause is the soil in which plant of disease grows.

When this soil receives the water of exciting cause it blossoms.

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING EACH OF THEM?

Exciting causes: Proper identification of exciting causes is necessary so we can avoid them to prevent future sufferings.

Fundamental causes: We can easily understand, simplify, and treat the chronic diseases more successfully with the knowledge of fundamental causes of the diseases.