This aphorism is a rejoinder to the Hufeland's statement that “Homoeopathy removes symptoms only and the disease remains as it is”. Here Hahnemann says that there is no proof that the disease remains after removal of the symptoms. He blames the materialistic concept of disease of the old school for this thinking. Hahnemann insists that logically, only after the removal of the external expression of the internal disturbance of the body the person should be termed as red and restored to health.

As the concept of disease has changed over a period of time one would be tempted to say the other way round that in today's practice the doctor is more interested in making the blood chemistry of the patient normal than the patient himself. As we now understand that if the exciting cause and the precipitating factors persist then the patient cannot be termed as to be cured or normal. In a case of hypertension the patient was repeatedly complaining of giddiness and uncomfortable sensation at the chest. When his blood pressure came down the physician was thrilled, but his other above complaints remained, so the term patient is cured is wrong.