The repertory is a treasure which helps us to enrich our knowledge of materia medica. It compels us to do comparative study of different remedies and as a result we understand the fine differences between them. The study of the repertory is never dry and never mechanical, on the contrary, it is most interesting and challenging. It is well illustrated in this article.

Industrious: A Repertorial Journey
by Dr. Rajesh Shah, M.D.
Homeopathy Times, Vol.1, No.3, 1994

The repertory is a treasure which helps us to enrich our knowledge of materia medica. It compels us to do comparative study of different remedies and as a result we understand the fine differences between them. The study of the repertory is never dry and never mechanical, on the contrary, it is most interesting and challenging. It is well illustrated in this article.

The study of repertory is challenging because every rubric that you study in the repertory demands that you differentiate between all the drugs listed under that rubric. If you accept the challenge, you will spontaneously undertake a pleasant journey towards understanding various remedies.

Let us try to understand in depth, the rubric industrious. An industrious per-son is one who is persevering and steadfastly active in his business, one who is hard working and constant in his purpose and one who is diligent. In short an industrious man is one who puts all his efforts into fulfilling his decided purpose. You will find that there are many remedies listed under this rubric. We will study a few of them to find out what makes each of them industrious, what are their individual purpose which lead them to work hard and we will also study the associated emotions which either motivate, moderate or obstruct their efforts, and characterize the remedy.

Tarentula is a highly industrious remedy. Let us see how Tarentula achieves its decided purpose in work. The purpose is selfish and the modus operandi is deceitful. Tarentula is cunning and sly like a fox. Tarentula's activities are self-centered, destructive, cunning deceitful and mischievous. Thus while differentiating other industrious remedies. Tarentula distinctly differs in his motives of working hard. Tarentula's industriousness is accompanied by tremendous physical restlessness and hurry. This restlessness is often better by music.

Tarentula is not listed under the rubric Religious. Tarentula lacks sense of morality. Religiousness is far away from malice and Tarentula is far away from malice and Tarentula is full of malice.

A Tarentula child or a businessman will threaten others to get the work done. The child might say: 'Mummy,you give me chocolate or I will break the telephone'. Tarentula not only threatens others but may injure them;emotionally, physically or financially. They may even threaten to kill ! Study the following rubrics carefully.

Tarentula:

• INDUSTRIOUS
• Destructive, cunning
• Moral feeling, want of
• Deceitful, sly
• THREATENING, to destroy, to kill

The peculiar mentality of Tarentula is exhibited in his speech and gestures, which lack manners and humility.
Tarentula:

• Abrupt, rough
• Answers abruptly, shortly, curtly
• Answers doesn't when questionned
• SPEECH, ABRUPT
• Speech, threatening

Tarentula people, as I have seen,seem to be highly ambitious and active. They are not only physically restless but also mentally. Their mind is never free.

Read Tarentula: *WORK, mental, desire, for

Sepia is another leading industrious remedy, close to Nux vomica. As Nux Vomica is to modern man, Sepia is to modern woman. Let us examine the following rubrics to study Sepia:

• Industrious
• OCCUPATION,DIVERSION AMEL.
• BUSINESS, DIVERSION, AMEL.
• INDUSTRIOUS, BEFORE MENSES

The presence of Sepia in such contradictory rubrics indicates two facets of Sepia. It is important to note that it is often the 'diversion of mind' that ameliorates Sepia. At the same time, thoughtful career activities and interest in the occupation may also relieve. Many times one comes across Sepia (housewife) saying: 'Whenever I meet with some conflict with my mother-in-law. I take up the work of arranging the cup-board. Cleaning the utensils or doing the work tremendously and intensely...! This shows that it is the diversion of mind by physical activity that relieves her mentally. Sepia is better by physical occupation.

Another facet of Sepia is marked "Indifference to work and business" as it is commonly known. In my experience, less number of Sepia patients have exhibited so typical indifference to work and duty. One those typically overtired and overworked housewives at a later stage, show indifference to work and their only business-domestic work. Secondly, as I have seen another segment of Sepia i.e. Career-oriented women, seeking emancipation from their traditional passive role of household work, they often tend to show marked indifference to the domestic work which is supposed to be their business. The understanding of Sepia should not be centered only around 'indifference'.

While talking, about the above facet of Sepia. let me draw your attention to two very interesting rubrics:

• Sadness,about domestic affairs sepia (only) (Phatak's Rep)
• Anxiety, about household matters, Pulsatilla (only)

The above two rubrics indicate a valuable difference between these two common female remedies. The Sepia female becomes sad while looking at and thinking about household work which is yet to be completed. This sadness in Sepia seems to be arising out of lack of interest and utter indifference. The same work makes Pulsatilla anxious and tense. Pulsatilla is fastidi- ous and keen to do household work.

When the mind is not diverted by occupation. Sepia tends to think about her problems and complaints; which makes her feel worse. Look at the rubrics:

• Thinking of the complaints, agg.
• Weeping, while feeling of sickness

Sepia like Pulsatilla and Medorrhinum, while talking about their complaints (problems, not necessarily the sickness) will think about it and the thinking makes her cry.

I recollect a case of a lady who had frequent headaches. While giving the history she had no headache, but while narrating her complaints, she started thinking about her headache and that made her cry. She responded to Sepia beautifully.

Coffea, Tarentula and Tuberculinum are highly industrious but they are not listed under the rubric 'Occupation ameliorates'. Bryonia is also industrious and busy but is also not listed under the rubric. 'Occupation ameliorates' I feel that each of these remedies (Coffea, Tarentula, Tuberculinum, Bryonia) are industrious fordifferent reasons.

Let us study Bryonia it is listed with one grade under industrious. Bryonia may not be primarily devoted to duty,but becomes industrious from inner anxiety and insecurity Bryonia:

• Insecurity
• ANXIETY, FUTURE
• FEAR OF POVERTY
• Anxiety do, compels him to,
• DELIRIUM, BUSINESS TALKS OF
• DELIRIUM, BUSY

The industrious Bryonia works all the time for business. He does business in the office, carries with him files at home and also does business in his dreams. Please read Bryonia:

• Dreams, business
• Dreams, exertion, physical and mental
• Dreams, being busy
• Dreams, household
• Dreams, of hard work
• Dreams, of excelling in work

The Bryonia personality typifies an insecure businessman. I have seen Bryonia patients hardly takiing a vacation. If they a vacation at all, they will often select a place where some business contract or deal could be done.

I would like to talk about one lesser known and lesser used industrious remedy: Coffea, Coffea's industriousness is associated with great mental hyper-activity. Coffea is full of clear thoughts, plans and theories. I have found coffea indicated in top executives who are responsible for the management of large companies. They are tense, anxious, mentally restless, responsible, hard working, creative and possess a sharp memory. They are often down with insomia and /or hypertension. Please refer Coffea:

• INDUSTRIOUS
• IDEAS ABUNDANT, CLEARNESS OF MIND
• Ideas abundant, night-evening
• ACTIVITIES, MIDNIGHT UNTIL
• Activities creative(Coff)
• Plans making many
• Passioniate
• Quick to act(Lach)
• Theorising
• Fancies, exaltation
• Memory active, until midnight
• Lamenting over trifles
• REMORSE
• Sleeplessness, ideas repeating
• Blood pressure, high
• Blood pressure, sudden rise(only coff)(Phatak's Rep)

Coffea patients are simple, sharp, smart and hard working intellectuals. As we find them in practice, they are happy, cheerful, live, sensitive and witty individuals. Coffea is a kind, caring and charitable minded person. They are nice people to be with. Read:

Coffea:

• Ecstasy
• Cheerful, Gay, Happy
• Exhilaration
• Mirth, hilarity, liveliness
• Vivacious
• Witty
• Affectionate
• Benevolence
• Veneration(love for man-kind)

When we think of coffea as a cheerful, witty and vivacious person, immediately Lachesis comes to mind for comparison. Lachesis comes to mind for comparison. Lachesis is also industrious. A lachesis lady will do a lot of household work before menses, she is industrious before menses, like Sepia.

Let us study industriousness in Lachesis which is a peculiar type: Lachesis

• Industrious, BEFORE MENSES
• Busy
• Business, desire for
• Work, mental desires
• Persists in nothing
• Theorising
• Fancies, exaltation
• Duty, no sense of
• Moral feeling want of disposed to be criminal without remorse
• Goodness feeling
• Dishonest
• Intriguer

The above rubrics explain the kind of industriousness as seen in Lachesis. They could be busy and industrious but fun loving and less responsible. His activities are not in order to fulfill responsibilities, but are full of imagination, plans and fancies. their activities could often be immoral and dishonest. Amongst those who have known him closely may carry an impression of them as that of a poisonous snake. Lachesis could prove to be a cheat and deceitful towards his own business partners or colleagues. This reminds me of one patient, who was a director of a leading company. After parting from the parent company, he kept himself busy trying to ruin their business. Jealousy and malice motivated him to work harder, with the only goal to achieve a bigger business then his old company. The following rubric explains in short the extent of malice in Lachesis:

• Malicious, in dreams: Lach(only)

A lesser known but very important facet of Drosera is worth nothing here. You will notice that Drosera is not listed in the rubric industrious. I have seen in two cases of Drosera where they had remarkable sense of persistence in their work. Drosera could become a successful executive. Refer to the following rubrics:

Drosera:

• Pertinacity
• Plan, carrying out, insists on
• Obstinate, in execution of plans
• Perseverance

Stannum Metallicum is also an industrious remedy but seems that his activities may not be productive. I have not used this remedy but mentioning of a facet of Stannum Metallicum would not be out of place. Let us study the following rubrics:

Stannum Met:

• Industrious
• Busy, fruitless
• Restelss, busy
• Activities, fruitless

Baryta Carbonica is another lesser used remedy where the patient could be hard working and industrious. Baryta Carbonica is not indicated only in those people who are mentally retarded, it would be the remedy for a successful businessmen or for university rankers, too. I have seen hard working ( slogging) patients as Baryta Carbonica, who may be self-employed, semi-skilled persons or so called bookish and hard working students, who know nothing beyond the books. Baryta Carbonica may be busy,hard-working and conscientious. Many times his activities will be without a foresight. This is very important in Baryta Carbonica. A busy Baryta Carbonica businessman might get scared of falling into uncertain enterprises involving a little risk or a new venture, which requires communicating with new and highly reputed parties. (Fears strangers) Baryta Carbonica businessman likes to play extra safe in his business. He can not be a successful speculator in stock market!

Refer: Baryta Carb:

• Industrious
• Busy
• Conscientious about triflies
• Heedless
• Fears strangers
• IRRESOLUTE,ABOUT TRIFLES
• IRRESOLUTION IN PROJECTS
• Grief over trifles
• TIMIDITY

Baryta Carbonica may be very busy and hard-working but may not be so productive. Industrious, but not effective. That is because they are less efficient and they have slow grasping (Phatak) of the situation. Their actions and business plans may be improvident (Thoughtless behavior: Phatak). The mental state of the Baryta carbonica is best described by allen as 'Lack of perception. They lack self confidence and will be irresolute over small matters.

One of the funny aspects of baryta Carbonica personality is about his mode of working peculiar to him. He will create and invite problems from many comers to increase his burden. His wife may complain: Doctor, what to say.. he is such a type that he will borrow problems from others as if he did not have enough problems of his own. 'Read this interesting rubric from Phatak's repertory: *Borrows trouble . . . !