From brisbanehomoeopath [Log on to view profile]

The 10 Miasm System

on 2009-08-29
17 replies

One of the most contentious of our theories, one of the most difficult concepts for
practitioners to put into practice. Many homoeopaths abandon the idea of miasms as
not being useful to them, or being too hard to use in practice.
This also means that in order to try and understand it, the theory has been altered since
Hahnemann's day. There are now several models of Miasm.
Hahnemann said that attending to the Miasm was of utmost importance in curing
Chronic disease. However due to the confusion over how to classify remedies, how to
determine the miasm, it was not adopted by all homoeopaths.
It is often one of the most difficult concepts to teach to students. I have probably found it
to be the single most challenging aspect of training - and have tried many different ways
to teach it. Some did not work, and some did. In fact I would say that lecturing actually
helped me to come to a better understanding of it. Faced with the questions, lack of
comprehension, and sometimes frank disbelief of aspiring homoeopaths, it forced me to
look at how I applied miasmatic theory in clinic.
We all know that remedies have symptoms. Those symptoms appear from provings,
from poisonings, from clinical cures, and sometimes just from theorizing (You would be
surprised how often the old homoeopaths like Kent did that). This is easy to understand,
and easy, it appears, to use for prescribing.
But then we have miasm - important because it is necessary to address it to get lasting
cure of a chronic illness, but difficult to understand as separate component of the case.
How do you know what is miasm and what is remedy.
Often practitioners attempt to discern miasm as the pathology that appears in the
persons case, or family. So gonorrhea means Sycosis, TB means Tubercular, Cancer
means the miasm of the same name.
However, pathologies do not all present or progress the same way. As an example, you
can have cancer that occurs suddenly and progresses rapidly (Acute, Typhoid), that is
hidden and non-life threatening/benign (Sycotic), that causes the person to lose weight
and burn out (Tubercular) or complete destroy the hosts system (Syphilis).
And in cases that did not yet present with pathology, or had obvious pathology in their
family history, or perhaps did not know such history.what to do with those people.
So for me, I had to find a method that allowed me to apply miasmatic classification to all
patients, regardless of the stage of their illness, of their knowledge of their family history,
and regardless of which one of the thousands of remedies I wanted to prescribe. The
method had to be applicable pre-pathology, and apply to all medicines.
Which is why Sankarans method really appealed to me. The miasm and the problem
intersect to form the state, which is matched to a remedy. In fact Miasm directly lead me
to specific and sometimes remedies otherwise unknown to me.
So miasm could be separated out of the case, but also could be seen directly affecting
the main problem of the patient. This meant it could be seen as the reaction, conscious
strategy, or effect on the persons life. By asking questions along this line miasm could
be more easily solicited rather than guessed at. Just like the complaint itself, the patient
could tell you what their miasm was (in a manner of speaking).
Another thing that appealed to me about a 10 miasm system, was that instead of
stretching several miasms over one remedy you had enough concepts to have different
miasms.
MIASMATIC CLASSIFICATIONS
(reference: Rajan Sankaran, System of Homeopathy & An Insight into Plants vol I)
The Three Original Miasms

PSORA
A difficult situation where one has to struggle in order to succeed. There is anxiety with
doubts about his ability, but he is hopeful and failure does not mean the end of the
world. A struggle to stand on ones own two feet. The task is well within his reach. Some
effort made, and it will be accomplished.
Optimism. Making the effort. Getting it done.
Give up easily. Despair of recovery. Lack of self confidence.
Functional pathologies.
Poverty/Wealth. Materialsim. Greed.
Assimilation/Elimination. Poor nutrition. Poor immunity frequent colds.
Never well since flu, infections, parasites, sprains and injuries.
Easy spraining of joints. Weakness of connective tissues.
Ailments after change or upheaval. Difficulty adapting to change.
Remedies: Sulphur, Psorinum, Calc, Lyc, Cuprum
SYCOSIS
Fixed irredemiable weakness within. The person tends to cope with it or hide it from
others. He accepts his limitations and tries to cover them up.
Fixed in their ways. Rigid ideas. Ritualistic behaviour.
Hypersensitive reaction to many things, so their life is restricted.
Guilt. Remorse. Self-reproach. Fear of being exposed.
Asthma. Soft or pedunculated Warts. Neuroses. Overgrowth. Moles.
Catarrh of bladder. Suppressed gonorrhoea. Horny callosities. Hardness of prostate.
Weeping on being spoken to. Aliments from anticipation. Anxiety before an
engagement.
Always washing their hands. Fear before an examination. Delusion pursued. Timidity
about appearing in public. Introverted.
Discharges stain indelibly. Condylomata. Benign tumors.
Avoids things rather than faces them. Accepts things they cannot change.
Catarrh of bladder from suppressed gonorrhoea. Hardness of prostate.
Tender horny callosities on soles of feet.
Discharges stain indelibly fast.
Submission. Accomodation. Manipulation. Adaption.
Hormonal imbalances masculine women, feminine men.
Hair on unwanted parts. Fishy smelling discharges. Excessive catarrh.
Nail biting. Nappy rashes.
Amelioration in the evening or at night. Night owls.
Remedies: Copaiva, Med, Mangifera, Puls, Sabadilla, Thuja, Silicea, Nat-sulph, Sil
SYPHILIS
Situation is beyond salvage. Complete hopelessness and despair. Desperate efforts to
change or destroy the situation. Health deteriorates. Cannot cope with anything, not
even himself. Death is the only way out.
Has committed an unpardonable crime.
Homicide. Suicide. Self destructive behaviour like alcoholism. Catatonic withdrawal.
Total indifference.
Captain of a sinking ship.
Ulcers. Heart attack. Psychoses. Paralysis. Necrosis.
Always discontented. Disposed to become a criminal without remorse.
Morbid impulses. Anxiety with suicidal disposition. Mental symptoms come on during
perspiration.
Abscesses, esp. those hard to mature. Sunken nose. Injected cornea.
Ulcers > warmth. Ulcers with painful margins.
Inflammation and degeneration of the bones.
Threatened gangrene with blueness of the part.
Destruction. Homocide. Despair. Psychosis. Devastation.
Things have become impossible to live with.
Remedies: Merc sol, Syphilinum, Aurum, Baryta carb, Huangnan, Leptandra,Echinacea, Clematis erecta, Lachesis, Hepar sulph, Dendroaspis

polyepsis

The Two Later Miasms

TUBERCULAR
Intense oppression and exploitation with a desire for change. Must do things in an
intense and hectic way in order to break free.
Old age is narrowing in on him. Has little time to live. Lots of things left to accomplish.
Works at a hectic pace. Racing against time.
Caught. Suffocated. Compressed. Oppression.
Burnt out. Going towards total destruction.
Like a man trapped in a very narrow tunnel.
Tuberculosis. Asthma. Eczema. Allergies.
Temper tantrums, especially to get attention.
Wanders from place to place intense restlessness.
Intense dissatisfaction with their lives.
Aversion to routine. Craves change.
Strong feelings of being romantically unfulfilled. Many affairs out of boredom.
Fear of boredom. Cannot stick to one thing. Needs new things all the time.
Cosmopolitan.
Burned out from desire to do too much. Wants to experience everything before they die.
Remedies: Abrotanum, Acalypha-indica, Agraphis, Tub bov, Baccilinum, Drosera, Calcphos, Balsam-p, Phos, Tarentula
CANCER
Weakness and incapacity within. Needs to perform exceedingly well and to live up to
very high expectations. Reaction is a superhuman effort stretching himself beyond the
limits of his capacity.
A continuous and prolonged struggle which seems to have no end.
Failure means death and destruction.
Unable to accomplish many of the things he planned to.
Tasks seem out of his reach, but there is the slightest hope if he stretches himself
beyond his capabilities.
No control over his life anymore. His life is slipping away.
Things will get destroyed if they do not keep control
Chaos. Order. Perfectionist. Fastidious. Must have total control of surroundings.
Cancer. Diabetes.
Impulse to jump from a height.
Cannot rest when things are not in their proper place.
Ailments from rudeness of others.
Remedies: Anacardium, Anhalonium, Bellis-p, Carcinonsinum, Nitric acid, Argnit,Ignatia, Staph, Conium, Arsenicum, Kail-arsenicum.
The Five New Miasms
ACUTE
An acute threat, and the reaction is strong and instinctive.
Instinctive. Uncomplicated.
Suddenness, then nothing. Sudden great danger.
The threat is too big.
Must escape or run away. Being beside oneself with anxiety.
Panic. Shock. Stupefied. Immobile. Terror.
As if a bomb explodes or there is an earthquake.
Helplessness. Run for your life.
Safety once the danger is passed.
Panic attacks. Sudden manifestations of illness. Apoplexy. Mania. Fever.

To kill as an act of self defence

Voice lost from injuries to the head. Traumatism. Violent pains.
Threatening abortion. Cardiac anguish. Anguish during labor.
Reflex actions. Alarm. Storms.
Remedies: Aconite, Arnica, Belladonna, Chocolate, Crot-tig, Lyssin, Stramonium,
Veratrum alb, Camphor
TYPHOID (Acute-Psoric)
A critical situation which if handled properly for a critical period, will end in total recovery.
The reaction is an intense struggle against it.
Impatient. Demanding. Competitive.
Bed is sinking. Losing position of comfort and security.
Sudden loss or business failure.
Do or die. Intense short effort. Grab it all right now. Wants quick results.
Taking chances recovering lost ground.
Given up. Sinking. No effort. No action of will. Profound exhaustion.
As if your house is on fire.
Crash in the stock market.
Able to rest at the end if you can just make it that far.
Subacute problems. Crisis. Emergency.
Demanding help. Clinging.
Desire to go home. < When away from home.
Continued fevers with muscular soreness. Continued fevers run very high.
Continued fevers with headaches. Pneumonia. Cerebral fevers.
Fear of being sold. Talks always of business. Busy delirium.
Diarrhoea from fever.
Dreams of physical exertion.
Desires to change their position. Anxiety drives them out of bed.
Remedies: Bryonia, Nux-vom, Rhus-tox, Cham, Hyos, Baptisia, Paris quad, Nuxmosh,Pyrogen, Phos-ac, Carbo-veg.
RINGWORM (Psoric-Sycotic)
Alternates between periods of struggle with anxiety about success and periods of
despair and giving up.
Makes the effort but slides down again.
Theme is of unsuccessful efforts. Effort cannot be sustained for success.
The task is beyond easy reach. Always trying but not succeeding.
Gives up hope. Just sits and does nothing. No more trying.
Situation of a woman trying to lose weight.
Hopeful for awhile, then gives up for awhile, then hopeful again, then gives up again.
Dry or Moist Herpes. Herpes which stings. Tinea. Large warts often on the hands. Hard
or inflamed warts. Acne. General discomfort.
Irritation irritability that occurs during the daytime.
Remedies: Calc-sulph, Calc-sil, Mag-sulph, Teucrium, Sars, Dulc, Tarax, Viol-t,
Chrysar.
MALARIA ( Acute-Sycotic)
Acute feeling of threat comes up intermittently in phases, between which is an
underlying chronic fixed feeling of being deficient.
Sudden acute manifestations that come up from time to time, followed by periods of
quiescence.
A feeling of weakness which the person accepts.
Periodic attacks.
Dependent but unable to do anything about it.
Feels hindered and obstructed. Feels unfortunate and stuck.
Fear of being injured, of being attacked.
Worried about the future.
Alternates between excitement and acceptance.
Suppressed anger. Contemptuous.

Feels things are not good enough, are unworthy.

Limited. Imprisoned. Miserable. Brooding. Sentimental.
Phobic, paroxysmal fears.
Migraines, neuralgia, worms, colic, colitis, rheumatism, menieres , asthma.
Stuck in a dependent position, powerless but attacked from time to time
Ravenous appetite esp. from worms. Respiration is impeded during palpitations.
Sticking in the epigastrium impedes respiration.
Remedies: Berberis-v, Capsicum, Cina, China, Colocynth, Spigelia, Nat-mur, Ant-crude

LEPROSY ( Tubercular- Syphilitic)

Intense oppression, hopelessness and a desire for change.
Can no longer make himself useful.
Difficulty relating to people (younger people)
Cast off by society and by family. Displaced and pushed into a corner.
No hope left, only death.
Intense sense of isolation. Abandoned. Forsaken. Repudiated.
Mocked. Criticised. Looked down upon. Hunted down. Poisoned. Destroyed.
Dirty. Disgusting.
Suicidal. Homicidal. Tears himself. Biting. Despair.
An outcast, with no hope of being normal, so they isolate themselves and feel disgust
for themselves.
Sadism and perversion.
Gangrene. Paralysis. Warts are withered.
Dreams of walking amongst ruins.
Inclination to uncover. Avoids the sight of people.
Suicidal disposition to throw himself from a height.
Desires to travel. Desires to kill. Contemptuous. Destructive.
Remedies: Secale, Hura, Ocimum-s, Aloe, Cicuta, Mandragora, Curare, Iodum
on 2009-08-29
Re: The 10 Miasm System From sajjadakram635 [Log on to view profile]
complete list of miasmatic remedies.
MIASMS - Sankaran - Acute
acon. aconin. aether agath-a. apom. arb. arn. bad. banis-c. bell. berbin. beryl. borx.
brucin. cactin-m. calen. camph. chlol. chlor. choc. coffin. conin. crot-t. digin. diosin.
diph.elat. glon. helium hydr-ac. hydrog. hyosin. hyper. lepi. lith-met. lyss. meli.
mentho.morph. morph-s. muscin. narcot. nicot. oena. opun-f. pyrus stram. stry. verat.
MIASMS - Sankaran - Typhoid
abel. acet-ac. acon-ac. aeth. ail. amyg. anan. arge. arum-t. bapt. benz-ac. bor-ac.
botul.bry. camph-ac. carb-ac. carb-an. carb-v. carneg-g. cham. chr-ac. chrys-ac. citac. euphr. form-ac. fuma-ac. gal-ac. gaul. gluta-ac. hell. hip-ac. hydr-ac. hydrobr-ac.
hyos. ip. lac-ac. lycps-v. mal-ac. manc. mur-ac. nux-m. nux-v. ox-ac. par. petr. phac. pic-ac. podo.pyrog. rheum rhus-t. rib-ac. sarcol-ac. sin-n. sul-ac. tann-ac. tart-ac. ter.
thioc-ac. ur-ac.verat-v. visc.
MIASMS - Sankaran - Psora
calc. cob. cupr. ferr. graph. kali-c. lyc. nat-c. nicc. psor. sulph.
MIASMS - Sankaran - Malaria
abies-n. abrom-a. am-c. am-m. ang. arum-m. berb. bol-ed. cact. canns. caps. casc.cedr. chel. chelo. chin. chin-b. chinin-m. chinin-s. chininsal. cina colch. coll. coloc. dios.eup-per. iber. kali-m. kalm. lac-d. lysi. mag-m. magngr. merl. myric. nat-m. polyp-p. prun. ran-b. ran-s. rhus-r. rob. ros-d. sarr. spig. sumb.
MIASMS - Sankaran - Ringworm
act-sp. aegle-m. amyg-p. asim. calc-s. calc-sil. chrysar. dulc. fagu. goss. kali-s. lach.mag-s. opun-v. pseuts-m. rhus-v. sangin-n. sars. sin-a. tarax. teucr. upa. vero-o. violt.
MIASMS - Sankaran - Sycotic
ant-c. asaf. bov. calad. calc-br. calc-f. cann-i. caul. caust. cinnm. coch. cop. croc. dig.
fab. gamb. gels. helon. hipp. kali-bi. kali-br. kali-n. lac-c. lac-cp. lac-del. lac-f. laclup.lam. lil-t. luf-op. mag-c. mang. mangi. mati. med. nat-s. pall. pip-n.
polys. ptel. puls. rhod.sabad. sang. senec. sil. thuj. til. trib. yohim.
MIASMS - Sankaran - Tubercular

abrot. acal. agra. ant-t. aphis apis apisin. aran. aran-ix. aran-sc. arg-p. atro. aur-p. avic.
bac. bals-p. bar-p. bomb-chr. bomb-pr. brom. calc-p. canth. canthin. cereb. cimic. cimx.cist. cit-v. coc-c. cocc-s. coff. culx. dor. dros. ferr-p. form. gal-p. guaj.
helo. jug-c. kali-p.kreos. lac-e. lat-h. lat-k. lat-m. lith-p. mag-p. mosch. mygal. myris. natp. ol-j. ped. phel.phos. pix plb-p. prun-cf. pulx. scol. spong. stann. succac. tarent. tarent-c. tela teucr-s. ther. thiosin. triat. trom. tub. tub-a. tub-d. tub-k. tub-m.
tub-r. tub-sp. ust. v-a-b. verb. vesp.zinc.
MIASMS - Sankaran - Cancer
agar. agn. anac. anh. ant-ar. arg-ars. arg-n. ars. ars-br. ars-met. ars-n. ars-sf. asar.aster. aur-ar. bar-ar. bar-n. bell-p. cadm-met. calc-ar. carc. chim. chinin-ar. citl. cob-n.con. cund. cupr-ar. euph. ferr-ar. gali. gast. germ-met. ichth. ign. kali-ar. lev. lob.
mag-ar.merc-ar. mez. nat-ar. nit-ac. op. orni. oxal-a. phys. pip-m. plb-ar. rajas. ruta sabin. scroph-n. staph. tab. thlas. ulm-c. valer. viol-o. zinc-ar.
MIASMS - Sankaran - Leprosy
adam. aloe am-i. ambr. ant-i. arg-i. arist-cl. ars-i. astac. aur-i. bar-i. blatta-a. blattao.cadm-i. caesal-b. calc-i. castn-v. cere-s. cic. coca cocain. cod. com. cub. cur. cycl.
falco-pe. ferr-i. fum. grat. helodr-cal. hom-g. hura hydr. hydrc. inul. iod. kali-i. kola lact.
lappalaur. led. lepr. lith-i. mag-i. mand. nat-i. oci-sa. raph. ratt-r. rhus-g. sec. sep. sol-tae.thea xan.
MIASMS - Sankaran - Syphilitic
alum. anag. ancis-p. androc. atra-r. aur. aur-m. aur-s. bar-c. berb-a. bism. bit-ar. both.
both-a. bufo bung-cl. bung-fa. buth-a. cench. clem. corian-s. cory. crat. crot-c. crot-h.
dendr-pol. echi. echis-ca. elaps fl-ac. franc. hep. jab. jug-r. lac-leo. lach. lanthmet. lath.lept. maias-l. merc. merc-i-f. merc-i-r. merc-p. naja naja-n. nep. notest. orig. osm. oxyurn-sc. passi. plat. plb. plut-met. poll. psil. rhen-met. scor. sel. still.
syph. tant-met.thal. tung-met. vip. vip-a. vip-d. vip-r.
sajjad.
on 2009-08-29
Re: The 10 Miasm System From Niel Madhavan [Log on to view profile]
Frankly speaking, this 10 Miasm system doesn't make much of a sense to me. The four
miasms have been sufficient for me in most coses in my practice.

Regards
Niel
on 2009-08-29
Re: The 10 Miasm System From sameervermani [Log on to view profile]
I would concur Niel :), you can read the following thread where we had quite a lengthy
debate on this point

http://abchomeopathy.com/forum2.php/194559/
on 2009-08-29
Re: The 10 Miasm System From brisbanehomoeopath [Log on to view profile]
For myself, 10 miasms allows more precision when choosing a remedy. With medicines
divided up into 10 groups rather than 4, it narrows down the choice more rapidly.

I assume from the reference to 4 miasms that neither of you uses the Cancer miasm
either?
I also use many different remedies in my practice too, polycrests only making up about
20-30% of my sucessful prescriptions. With such an expanded materia medica, it is
necessary to develop tools to help select from such a large number. Kingdoms, Plant
groups, Animal groups, Nosodes, Imponderabilia, Miasms, the Periodic table - the more
of these groups I understand the more easily I can sort and remember my medicines.
This thread continues beneath the following ad.

on 2009-08-29
Re: The 10 Miasm System From brisbanehomoeopath [Log on to view profile]
I have given a number of examples in the forum where the new miasms helped me to
select a curative remedy. It really works much the same way as using 4, but there are
10 instead.

http://www.abchomeopathy.com/forum2.php/194590/

http://www.abchomeopathy.com/forum2.php/194592/
http://www.abchomeopathy.com/forum2.php/194352/
Those are 3 examples of Leprosy, Malaria and Cancer miasmatic states.
on 2009-08-29
Re: The 10 Miasm System From sameervermani [Log on to view profile]
I assume from the reference to 4 miasms that neither of you uses the Cancer miasm
either?

[SV] At the risk of sounding repetitive, I would point out though, cancer itself, is not a
miasm, and Carcinosin should therefore not be thought of as simply the 'cancer
nosode', it is merely a 'constitutional' remedy, which sometimes has some link to
specific etiology. For a disease to be labelled as a miasm, it must be contageous in
some form, affect every system of the body to some degree, and most importantly, also
be manifest in every suceeding generation. This is not the case for cancer, which can
skip many, many generations, before ever being seen again, even as the presentation
of Carcinosin. It can also of course sporadically occur in individuals with no familial
history of the disease whatsoever. At best, Cancer can be considered merely as a
'constitutional derangement', which is sometimes passed by way of the carcinosin
presentation. It is though, even in this circumstance, rare for a carcinosin individual to
even develop cancer, they simply have the 'cancer personality', and it is just as common
for this to become manifest, as a result of the individuals reaction to their lifestyle
choices etc, than by way of 'bloodline'.
on 2009-08-29
Re: The 10 Miasm System From brisbanehomoeopath [Log on to view profile]
Many people do use it, it is generally accepted as a miasm even amongst those who
don't use the later 5 miasms but I see you are happy enough without it.

No miasm is about an literal illness as such, but a pattern (or taint I suppose). The
cancer pattern defines the miasm, not the presence of cancer. This is the same as a
Sypilitic constitution not needing to have syphilis to show the pattern. I find the cancer
pattern/miasm very useful in clinic, and see it quite freqently as the remdies that typify it
are not uncommon (Ars, Arg-n, Staph, Ignatia)
The concept of miasm has indeed expanded beyond the need for it to be considered
contagious, although Typhoid, Malaria and Leprosy still fit into this concept.
I agree, cancer does not have to appear in the person with the miasm - in fact most of
the 'cancer ' people I have seen have not had it, and do not appear to have an excess
of the disease amongst their relatives. This is also my observation of the other miasms,
many syphilitics, and sycotics show no evidence of the disease in their past or present
states.
Re: The 10 Miasm System
Hi

From Niel Madhavan [Log on to view profile]

on 2009-08-29

I will join this debate to talk at length in some time. Right now, the only point I would like
to make is that I have successfully treated a cases, both sycotic and tubercular, with
Carcinosin.
Of the cancer cases cured completely by me, Carcinosin was used only twice.
Regards
Niel
on 2009-08-29
Re: The 10 Miasm System From brisbanehomoeopath [Log on to view profile]
Yes I can imagine that would be a situation that would occur. Nosodes can either be
used miasmatically, or as remedies in their own right simply on the basis of similarity.
Responding favorably to a nosode doesn't mean you have to be in the miasm it
represents. All the nosodes have clear uses outside miasmatic prescribing as per their
provings.

Cancer itself does not call for the nosode, just as Syphilis and Gonorrhea do not require

Syphillinum or Medorrhinum when they present as actual named diseases. Many other
remedies treat these conditions.
The miasm, and the named disease, are not necessarily the same thing. A person does
not have to be actually displaying symptoms of syphilitic infection (as per the medical
diagnosis) to be classified as Syphilitic in homoeopathy.
on 2009-08-29
Re: The 10 Miasm System From sameervermani [Log on to view profile]
'No miasm is about an literal illness as such, but a pattern (or taint I suppose)'

One again, I am repeating,

the taint you talk about must affect every system of the body to some degree, and most
importantly, also be manifest in every succeeding generation.
This is not true about Cancer , neither is it true of Typhoid, Ringworm, Malaria, Leprosy
on 2009-08-29
Re: The 10 Miasm System From brisbanehomoeopath [Log on to view profile]
Those 'taints' do in fact affect every system of the body. The patterns associated with
the illnesses can appear in mulitple family members.

Let me share with you some scientific research about Leprosy....

Two McGill scientists are leading an international research team that announced a
breakthrough last week: they have isolated a section of a human chromosome that
makes people vulnerable to leprosy.
'Medicine and human genetics professor Erwin Schurr and human genetics professor
Tom Hudson were two of the co-authors of a research paper announcing the discovery
in the March issue of the journal Nature Genetics. The announcement has already
stirred considerable interest, for a problem that Canadians may think is relegated to the
past.
'That depends on where you live,' said Schurr, a genetics researcher at the McGill
University Health Centre. 'On a global scale, there are 500,000 to 700,000 new cases
each year. These cases are not equally distributed around the world; there are a few
high incidence countries that account for the vast majority of cases.'
Schurr led a team that went to some of those countries to collect DNA samples from
members of affected families. The most afflicted countries are India and Brazil; some
African, Asian and South American nations also have new cases every year.
The disease is very rare in Europe and North America and most of the developed world,
and the number of cases in afflicted countries has gone down thanks to aggressive
multi-drug chemotherapy. Symptoms of leprosy include skin lesions, permanent nerve
damage leading to numbness of the feet and hands and, if left untreated, the disease
may result in gross disfiguration including loss of finger, toes, feet and hands. The
leprosy bacteria are transmitted through direct personal contact.
'Before the introduction of drug therapies 20 years ago, there were about 3 million new
cases a year. So the caseload came down, but the question is why hasn't it gone away
completely? We believe our discovery is an answer to that.'
While the team has not yet identified the actual gene, they have narrowed down its
location to a specific area on human chromosome 6.
'The gene predisposes people to becoming infected; it provides a friendly environment
for the bacterium (Mycobacterium leprae, the known cause of the disease).'
Tom Hudson, director of the McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre,
says that the gene is almost certainly a mutant version of a healthy gene carried by all
humans. He says the significance of the breakthrough can be placed in the context of
long-term and ongoing efforts to show a genetic component to infection.
'People at the McGill Centre for Host Resistance Schurr, (Philippe) Gros, (Emil)
Skamene and others have been working for two decades to show that we get
infectious disease not just because of bugs, but also because of genes that make us

susceptible. The group has shown in the past that genes played this role in animals, but
this is one of the first times that the genetic link has been shown in humans.'
The research team for this study used state-of-the-art gene mapping techniques to look
for a common thread between affected families.'
So, you can see that in fact the susceptibility to Leprosy does in fact become passed
down. Homoeopathy realised this before science did (again!)
And in regards to Malaria, let me share another interesting piece of science....
'An inherited childrens' blood disorder called alpha thalassemia can protect children
against malaria, according to a new study.
'It is really remarkable and so simple. Children with alpha thalassemia have adapted to
the loss of red blood cells associated with malarial disease by making more of these
cells with less hemoglobin,' says Dr. Day. 'So, these children do better because they
end up with more hemoglobin overall when they have a malaria attack compared to
normal children,' says Dr. Day.
Malaria afflicts hundreds of millions of people, causing up to 2 million deaths every year
in Africa and Asia. Many of its victims are young children. In regions of the world where
malaria is endemic, mutations have arisen in human populations that allow people to
survive. Sickle cell trait, for example, protects against malaria.
So here we have an inherited genetic trait that has arisen as a result of Malaria in
previous generations - which clearly fulfills your requirements for classifcation as a
miasm.
Now typhoid is a little harder to clearly see this way as Leprosy and Malaria is. But I
found this interesting article...
'A key to survival of Salmonella typhi is its ability to lie dormant in carriers, who show no
symptoms but remain able to infect others,' says Kathryn Holt, a PhD student at the
Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and first author on the study. 'Our new tools will assist
us in tracing the source of typhoid outbreaks, potentially even to infected carriers,
allowing those individuals to be treated to prevent further spread of the disease.
'Using the genomic biology of this study, we can now type typhi, identify the strain that is
causing infection, identify carriers and direct vaccination programmes most efficiently. It
is a remarkable step forward.'
The study is a collaboration between researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger
Institute, University College, Cork, Institut Pasteur in Paris and Oxford University
Clinical Research Unit, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The team studied 19 isolates of typhi
from ten countries, using new sequencing methods that meant they could capture the
rare signals of genetic variation in this stubborn genome. They produced more than 1.7
billion letters of genetic sequence and found evidence of fewer than 2000 mutation
events, suggesting very little evolution since the emergence of typhi at least 15,000
years ago.
Their analysis shows that the typhi genome is decaying - as it becomes more closely
allied to us, its human host, it is losing genes that are superfluous to life in the human
body. More importantly, genes that contain instructions for the proteins on the surface of
the bacterium - those most often attacked by our immune system defences - vary much
less than do the equivalent genes in most other bacteria, suggesting that typhi has a
strategy to circumvent the selective pressures of our immune system.'
So Typhoid has adapted to the human host exclusively, and it can sit dormant in a
person, making them a carrier and allowing them to infect others. That is very similar to
other illnesses that are associated with miasms (like Tuberculosis).
And this article, suggests a similar reaction in human being to Typhoid, as they have
had to Malaria ...
'The gene mutation that causes cystic fibrosis also appears to protect against infection
with typhoid fever bacteria, a study supported by the National Institute of Allergy and

Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has found. The finding could explain why an estimated 12
million people in the United States carry the gene for such a highly fatal childhood
disease. Researchers led by Gerald Pier, Ph.D., of Brigham and Women's Hospital and
Harvard Medical School in Boston, report the finding in the May 7, 1998, issue of the
journal Nature.'
So another genetic mutation, an inherited illness, that has a relationship with Typhoid.
While not as clear as the Malaria link, it is certainly interesting.
on 2009-08-31
Re: The 10 Miasm System From brisbanehomoeopath [Log on to view profile]
Of course Ringworm then still presents a problem - but who knows what future scientific
research might reveal.