Dear Fredric,

The uncommon ,peculier charecteristic symptoms are very very important and if present we can rely upon it and cure is almost certain .
Hahnemann mention it in 153 aphorism, some 50 aphorisms after his case taking aphorisms.
He can tell it earlier with case taking,but he didn't, as he aware of its utmost importance.
Mental symptoms,mental states etc can be seen with case taking aphorisms(from my memory between 80 to 100 aph, I can clarify later after eferring if needed) and along with one sided diseases(173 to 230 aph.
So charecteristic symptom is very important as he wrote in seperate place.
er Iam repeating,

Long before I had written one case of paralysis of young man cured by Nux Vom
The patient was of 20 years(some 22 years ago in my earlier days of practice)
He was paralized for 4 years(quadre paralysis as it is written) Paralysis occured suddently day before his sister's marriage.
As i visited him, he was lying on bed,can speak
As a part of examination I palpated his abdomen, to every one surprise, he become in opisthotonus position(just like a bow, spine area raised,head and feet in bed) but with concious ness.(why this occured I will tell you last)
In my mind came Nux V-convulsions with conciousness(another remedy is Strychinum it is alkaloid of Nux)
I gave him Nux vom 1M 2 doses every 10 days
With in 3 months he begin to sit and walked with in 6 months
But the remainiing symptom was he cannot walk at night or dark places
so I gave Carboneum sulph 200 every week and with in short time it was cleared
Lastly heaviness in occiput- I gave him Cocculus Ind 30 every other day

Now he is a manual labourer with 3 children

About him-Mild,yielding nature
Aversion covering,thrstless and sweatless
By looking in to mental pulsatilla is suitable and Nux Vom not at all

As I prescribed alone on the basis of Charecteristic symptom alone(At that time I thought only of 2 remedies for that condition fortunately ,now I know more than 30 remedies for the above symptom)

So I believe if characteristic symtom is very prominant, I should take importance on it ,even if totality and mental state are different.That is why Hahnemann placed it seperately.

Behind the case - I already told that he paralized day before his sister's marriage
What actually happened was, one week before this he was srtucked by an iron needle,he got tetanus injuction
Here we can see that he showed a clear tetanic symptom-"Opisthotonus position" that lead me to Nux. Most probably he was affected by that inuction or the injuction just stopped tetanus partially ,so he paralized .
Nux Vom Covered this ppeculier symptom completely or it antidotted allopathic effect.

Any way If charecteristic is present I will give sure imporatance to it than mentals and complete case taking.
For instance I didn't find Nux in him that time and even now
If complete case taking is taken surely another remdy wil come, most probably pulsatiila.
The calssics will not agree, but Iam not a classiccal hompath but like to give single remedy if I find it.

There are many ,many cases of Vitiligo,epilesy,Uterin fibroids,Ovarian cyts,Hypertension etc cured by peculier symptoms with single less repeating remedies in my clinic

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