How the Material Body and the Dynamic Vital Force Are Inseparable
Aphorism - 15.
"The affection of the morbidly deranged, spirit-like dynamis (vital force) that animates our body in the invisible interior, and the totality of the outwardly cognizable symptoms produced by it in the organism and representing the existing malady, constitute a whole; they are one and the same. The organism is indeed the material instrument of the life, but it is not conceivable without the animation imparted to it by the instinctively perceiving and regulating dynamis, just as the vital force is not conceivable without the organism, consequently the two together constitute a unity, although in thought our mind separates this unity into two distinct conception for the sake of easy comprehension.
Explanatory notes:
Aphorism 15 is intimately connected with Aphorism 7. A careful study of these two aphorisms reveals an important truth: symptoms do not constitute the disease itself; rather, they are merely the outward reflection of the internally deranged dynamic vital force.
If a physician is capable of perceiving the actual nature of this dynamic derangement, he can prescribe directly for the disturbed state of the vital force. However, when such perception is lacking, he must rely upon symptoms as the basis of prescription. Yet symptoms do not always convey the true nature of the underlying disorder and may, at times, prove misleading.
This can be illustrated by the example of heel pain. The symptom of aggravation on first motion in the morning, with relief from continued motion, is classically associated with Rhus Toxicodendron. Nevertheless, in my clinical experience, I have prescribed Rhus tox on several occasions solely on the basis of this symptom and obtained little or no satisfactory result. Such experiences suggest that individual symptoms, however characteristic they may appear, do not invariably reveal the true dynamic state of the patient. Therefore, the physician must strive to perceive the deeper derangement of the vital force rather than depend exclusively upon isolated symptomatic indications.
In this aphorism, Dr. Hahnemann elucidates the relationship between the material body and the dynamic vital force. Although they are distinct entities, they are mutually dependent and function in such perfect harmony that they appear as one. Their connection is so intimate that neither can manifest itself independently of the other.
The relationship between the material organism and the vital force may be compared to that between an electric wire and the current flowing through it. Just as the illumination of a bulb is impossible in the absence of either the wire or the electric current, the expression of life is impossible without the conjoint action of both the material body and the dynamic vital force. Each requires the other for the manifestation of life and its functions.
In this manner, the dynamic vital force manifests itself through the material body. Consequently, it often appears as though disease originates in the physical organism; however, according to Hahnemannian philosophy, the true seat of disease lies in the dynamic plane. The pathological changes observed in the material body are merely the outward expressions of an underlying dynamic disturbance.
Conversely, when the material body suffers injury, such as in a road accident, the damage is not confined solely to the physical tissues. The dynamic vital force is also affected by the trauma. Thus, the influence is reciprocal: disturbances of the vital force become manifest in the body, while profound bodily injuries likewise impress themselves upon the dynamic sphere. The material organism and the dynamic vital force are therefore so intimately united that an affection of one inevitably influences the other.
So, we can summaries the text as.
" The material body is the instrument through which the dynamic vital force expresses itself, while the dynamic vital force is the principle that animates and governs the material body. Consequently, neither disease nor injury can be exclusively material or exclusively dynamic; each exerts its influence upon the other according to the nature and depth of the disturbance."
