Boger: concomitants and the wider pattern of a case
Some accounts contain plenty of physical detail but little that can be confidently expressed through the Mind chapter. That was the starting point of our October 2020 spotlight on Boger. Rather than forcing every account through the same repertory structure, the issue introduced two related works with different emphases: the Boger–Bönninghausen Characteristics Repertory and Boger’s Synoptic Key.
Notice what accompanies the complaint
The BBCR gives particular attention to concomitants and to its Heat, Fever and Chill sections. A concomitant is an accompanying symptom. In the homeopathic method discussed in the original article, it is studied alongside the chief complaint, rather than disappearing behind a general diagnostic label.
The official BBCR introduction develops this point through cases rich in physical symptoms, whether particulars or generals, but with few marked mental symptoms. The aim of the comparison is to understand what this repertory records especially well. It is a reason to become familiar with its arrangement, not a promise about the outcome of using it.
The newsletter also linked the New World Veterinary Repertory, whose construction draws on the BBCR. That relationship is useful bibliographic context: one repertory can become the foundation of a later work adapted to a different field.
Read the pattern across the details
The Synoptic Key approaches the material more compactly. Boger used the term genius for the characteristic pattern running through a symptom picture. His introduction presents the repertory as a means of orienting the reader’s search.
Its arrangement moves through modalities, mental features, sensations, observable aspects and the parts affected. These headings encourage a view across the material. For example, a modality concerns how a complaint changes with circumstances; a part affected identifies where it is experienced. They answer different questions even when both belong to the same description.
Compare the two books on their own terms
Read the introductions before comparing individual entries. In the BBCR, follow the accompanying symptoms and the structure of the relevant chapters. In the Synoptic Key, notice the broad headings used to bring a picture together. Keeping the book’s organising method in view makes the comparison more informative than treating every rubric as an interchangeable item.
Explore the BBCR introduction and examples, then read Boger’s Synoptic Key introduction. The Radar UK BBCR page provides the current product details.
Adapted from Luke Norland’s Zeus Soft teaching newsletter of 24 October 2020, with the accompanying repertory reading.
This article is for educational purposes and does not replace individual medical advice. Seek appropriate medical care for health concerns and continue any prescribed treatment.
