INDISPOSITION (FOOTNOTE TO § 7)

Indisposition is not a true disease. It is a slight deviation in the state of health
with one or more trivial symptoms, which can be controlled by a slight change
in the diet and regimen. Indisposition does not require any remedy. For the
psychological benefit of the patient, the physician can intelligently use the
placebo to please the patient.
Example:

1. In a suspected case of syncope and hysterical sufferings, the physician
   has to first remove the strong smelling flowers from the room.
2. In a case of inflammation of eye where a foreign body is causing the
   mechanical irritation, the physician will first remove this foreign body
   that is present in the cornea.
3. In a case of wounded limb that is threatened to go into mortification,
   the loosening of the over-tight bandage will do more good than a
   medicine.
4. In case of bleeding because of a torn artery, ligature is more essential
   than a medicine.
5. Extraction of foreign substances that are obstructing the orifices of the
   body like nose, gullet, ears, urethra, rectum and vagina is mandatory
   in case of accidental swallowing by the person. When such obstruction
   is removed with the help of surgical instruments improvement will
   follow even without medicinal aid.
6. Surgical removal of any calculus that is obstructing any vessel in the
   body and operating the imperforated anus (rectal atresia) in the new
   born baby are few examples for indisposition.
7. A slight exhausted and tired feeling felt by a person because of lack of
   overnight sleep does not require any medicine but a good sound sleep.
8. Overeating in a person leads to indigestion and stomach pain, this can
   be easily controlled by fasting and a light diet for a short period.

In both the above instances the vital force itself can take care of the above
problems of indisposition. The physician has to create a cooperative
environment for the developmental reaction. Father of medicine, ‘Hippocrates’
called them as nature’s self help by the name “Vis medicatrix nature”. Physician
should always possess the knowledge of differentiating indisposition from the
acute diseases. The old school physicians, in the name of symptomatic treatment
prescribe too many medicines to the patient at a time. In the name of one sided
procedure, they prescribe one medicine to one symptom. In this manner, they
treat each symptom as separated from the other, they are ignoring the totality.
Man cannot be separated into individual parts, he is one a single unit. Each and
every constitution requires only one single remedy at a time.