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MODIFIED POTENTIZATION TECHNIQUES

Keeping pace with the scientific and industrial revolution, many followers of Hahnemann started constructing labor saving techniques and machines, by which they could prepare high potencies.

Hahnemann always spoke of trituration performed by hand. It was practical and possible to prepare Hahnemannian potencies manually as he mostly used upto the 30th centesimal. But already during his lifetime attempts were made to modify his process.

There were a small group of followers of Hahnemann who used high potencies. Among these enthusiasts, Dr. Gross, Dr. Schreter and General Korsakoff of Russia played the principal part. They became the real founders of the theory of high potencies.

GENERAL KORSAKOFF OF RUSSIA Top
Count Graf von Korsakoff was the real originator of high potencies. He claimed that one single medicated globule when placed among many non-medicated globules communicated its medicinal power to the non-medicated globules. He did this with 13500 unmedicated globules and one single dry globule of Sulphur 30. He warned that the bottle should not be carried in the pocket for fear of the power being enormously increased because of the shaking of the bottle in the pocket. What Hahnemann did with the fluid potencies, Korsakoff did with the solid dry globule.
JENICHEN OF WISMAR Top
According to Jenichen, further attenuation is not necessary for the dynamization of medicine, but continuous succussion without dilution is sufficient. He advocated that the degree of strength developed through potentization was directly proportional to the number of strokes given. Thus he suggested that every ten strokes given would increase the dynamic strength of the medicine by one degree.
BERNHARDT FINCKE Top
Fincke experimented with several methods of making higher potencies.
In 1869, Dr. Fincke was granted a patent for a new potentizing process, that of 'fluxion'. In this process, a one drachm vial filled with a hand-made 30C potency is subjected to a continuous water flow.
Using a long glass tube called a regulator, the water flows from the bottom of the vial, displacing the water above it. When one drachm of water has flowed through the vial, the potency was considered to have been raised by one degree. The neck of the vial was considered important to keep a slight backpressure in the vial.

Fincke devised his own method of dynamization. He used to take 100 drops of drug substance in a glass jug. He allowed a stream of water to flow into it. For every drachm of water entering in and out of the vessel, he would count it as one potency. Thus for 100 drachms of water entering and coming out of the vessel would raise the potency of the containing drug substance to 100. He never believed the value of strokes. He had paid importance only on the water with its exerting force on a medicinal substance in raising the potencies, and not on any strokes applied.
MULTIPLE OR SINGLE VIAL POTENCIES Top
The method of potentization given in the German Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia requires a new vial to be used for every stage of potentization, which is the original method developed by Hahnemann. It is known as Hahnemann's Multiple Vial method.Single vial potencies are easier and cheaper to produce. The disadvantage is that they are less accurate. They are called Korsakoff potencies, the method having been developed by the Russian General Korsakoff. His method is based on the fact that when a phial is emptied, some of the fluid remains adhering to the walls. Hahnemann's method was and still is more accurate.The method of potentization given in the German Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia requires a new vial to be used for every stage of potentization, which is the original method developed by Hahnemann. It is known as Hahnemann's Multiple Vial method.Single vial potencies are easier and cheaper to produce. The disadvantage is that they are less accurate. They are called Korsakoff potencies, the method having been developed by the Russian General Korsakoff. His method is based on the fact that when a phial is emptied, some of the fluid remains adhering to the walls. Hahnemann's method was and still is more accurate.

Hahnemann mentions that these potencies should be prepared by hand process. The hand process is suitable for preparing smaller quantities. The question of mechanical devices came up when shaking of large quantities in big vessels became necessary.Practically, it is too hard to pursue the Hahnemannian hand process in cases of higher and highest potencies that came up after Hahnemann. Hahnemann himself made potencies up to 60C.

Practically, automatic machines now prepare all higher and highest potencies or dilutions.