Homoeopathy :types of constitution by J.H. Clarke
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Here is a detailed overview of Types of Constitution in Homoeopathy according to J.H. Clarke, drawing from his book Constitutional Medicine with Reference to the Three Constitutions of Dr. Von Grauvogl and his Clinical Repertory.
J.H. Clarke and Constitutional Medicine in Homoeopathy
J.H. Clarke's primary contribution to the concept of constitution in homoeopathy is his detailed exposition of Von Grauvogl's Three Constitutional Types, classifying patients based on the excess or deficiency of certain elements in the tissues and blood. Clarke presented these in his landmark work and also included a dedicated chapter on constitutions in his Clinical Repertory ("Repertory of the Temperaments, Dispositions, Constitutions and States").
Clarke's Three Constitutions (Based on Von Grauvogl)
Clarke arranged the morbid constitutions according to elemental excesses in blood and tissues. Every organ and tissue "breathes," and oxygen carried by blood to the tissues determines the constitutional type.
1. Hydrogenoid Constitution
- Characteristic element: Excess of Hydrogen, and consequently excess water in the blood and tissues.
- Correspondence to Hahnemann's Miasm: Closely corresponds to Sycosis (though covers a wider area, not confined only to gonorrhoeal infection).
- Key features:
- Patient is worse in damp, cold, wet weather and near water.
- Complaints aggravated by moisture, rain, humidity.
- Tendency to warts, condylomata, catarrhs, and tumours.
- Periodicity and intermittent fevers fall within its sphere.
- Vaccinosis (constitutional damage from smallpox vaccination) belongs here.
- Clarke also noted Burnett's observation that Gout is a sycotic disease, hence Hydrogenoid.
- Key Remedies: Thuja (principal remedy), Natrum sulph, Dulcamara, Medorrhinum.
2. Oxygenoid Constitution
- Characteristic element: Excess of Oxygen, or exaggerated influence of oxygen on the organism.
- Correspondence to Hahnemann's Miasm: Corresponds to Syphilis.
- Key features:
- Destructive pathology - tissue destruction, ulcerations, self-destruction.
- Body is thin; ill with change of season.
- Prone to disorders of the genitalia and diseases of the central nervous system.
- Numerous white spots on nails.
- Tendency toward ulceration and degeneration.
- Key Remedies: Calc phos, Ferr phos, Nat phos, Phosphorus, Phosphoric acid, Iodium, Silicea, Calc, Nat mur, Helleborus, Tuberculinum, Syphilinum, Merc sol.
- Note: Clarke acknowledged there are fewer clinical examples for Oxygenoid compared to the other two.
3. Carbo-nitrogenoid Constitution
- Characteristic element: Excess of Carbon and Nitrogen.
- Correspondence to Hahnemann's Miasm: Corresponds to Psora (Hahnemann's Psora).
- Key features:
- The most common and widely distributed of the three types.
- Poor tissue nutrition; sluggish metabolic state.
- Tendency to skin affections, eruptions, and functional complaints typical of Psora.
- General lack of reaction, torpor, deficient assimilation.
- Key Remedies: Sulphur, Calcarea carb, Lycopodium, and other deep-acting anti-psorics.
Clarke's Clinical Repertory - Constitutions Chapter
In his Clinical Repertory, Clarke divided the work into 5 chapters, one of which is the "Repertory of the Temperaments, Dispositions, Constitutions and States." This chapter lists remedies that act most beneficially in:
- Certain types of persons (e.g., fat/lean, tall/short, fair/dark)
- Specific temperaments (sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic, melancholic)
- Particular sex and age groups
- Certain constitutional states and diatheses
Other Constitutional Classifications Clarke Referenced
Clarke also engaged with other classical systems of constitution used in homoeopathy:
| Author | Types |
|---|---|
| Hippocrates | Apoplectic (short & thick) vs. Phthisic (long & thin) |
| Four Humours | Sanguine, Choleric, Phlegmatic, Melancholic |
| Bazin | Scrofulous, Gouty, Syphilitic |
| Vannier & Zissus | Carbonic, Phosphoric, Fluoric |
| Von Grauvogl (via Clarke) | Hydrogenoid, Oxygenoid, Carbo-nitrogenoid |
| Kretschmer | Asthenic, Athletic, Pyknic, Dysplastic |
Summary Table: Clarke's Three Constitutions at a Glance
| Feature | Hydrogenoid | Oxygenoid | Carbo-nitrogenoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excess element | Hydrogen/Water | Oxygen | Carbon + Nitrogen |
| Miasm | Sycosis | Syphilis | Psora |
| Key trait | Water retention, dampness agg. | Tissue destruction, ulceration | Torpor, skin eruptions |
| Weather | Worse damp/wet | Worse change of season | Variable |
| Key remedy | Thuja | Phosphorus group | Sulphur, Calcarea |
Clarke's work was significant because he translated Von Grauvogl's complex elemental constitutional theory into practical clinical terms, linking it directly to Hahnemann's three miasms (Psora, Sycosis, Syphilis) and providing a bridge for remedy selection in constitutional prescribing.
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Constitution in Homoeopathy - A Complete Explanation
Etymology and Basic Meaning
The word "constitution" comes from the Latin noun constitutio, meaning "arrangement" or "physical make-up." In German homoeopathic literature (Hahnemann's language), the equivalent term is "Beschaffenheit" - meaning nature, quality, temper, condition, disposition, and circumstance. So from the very beginning, the word was meant to capture something much broader than just the physical body.
Definition
Constitution is the total and complete make-up of an individual - encompassing their physical structure, inherited tendencies, mental and emotional characteristics, susceptibilities, and how they respond to the world around them.
In simple terms: Constitution = Body + Mind + Heredity + Environment + Susceptibility
As Paracelsus famously stated:
"No knowledge is perfect unless it includes an understanding of the origin - that is, the beginning; and as all man's diseases originate in his constitution, it is necessary that his constitution should be known if we wish to know his diseases."
Components of Constitution
Constitution in homoeopathy is made up of two broad categories of factors:
1. Endogenous (Genetic/Inherited) Factors
- Characters received from parents at the moment of fertilization
- Genetic predispositions and inherited tendencies
- Inherited miasmatic background (Psora, Sycosis, Syphilis)
- Body build, tissue type, organ sensitivities
2. Exogenous (Environmental/Acquired) Factors
- Influences of surroundings - home, school, food, climate
- Life experiences that shape mental and emotional patterns
- Acquired disease tendencies and diatheses
What Constitution Includes
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Physical make-up | Body build (tall/short, fat/thin), tissue state, skin, bone structure |
| Temperament | Mental and emotional personality (sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic, melancholic) |
| Diathesis | Inherited or acquired predisposition toward specific types of disease |
| Susceptibility | The degree and type of response to disease-causing factors |
| Miasmatic background | The underlying chronic miasm (Psoric, Sycotic, Syphilitic) |
| Vital force | The dynamic energy governing the whole organism |
Constitution According to Key Homoeopathic Masters
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Hahnemann - Introduced the concept in the Organon of Medicine (§5), where he instructed the physician to record the "ascertainable physical constitution" as one of the most important accessory circumstances in case-taking.
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J.T. Kent - "Physical constitution is the external disorder following disorder in the man, the vital force."
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Boenninghausen - Expanded the concept by studying how temperament and constitution influence remedy action.
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Whitmont - Defined constitution as "the inherent tendency to respond automatically along qualitatively fixed patterns."
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J.H. Clarke - Applied Von Grauvogl's elemental classification (Hydrogenoid, Oxygenoid, Carbo-nitrogenoid) to explain constitutional types in practical terms, linking them to miasms and remedy selection.
Constitution vs. Temperament vs. Diathesis
These three terms are related but distinct:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Constitution | The physical make-up - hereditary characters influenced by environment (nature + nurture) |
| Temperament | The mental make-up - personality, emotional reactions, behavioral patterns |
| Diathesis | An acquired or inherited constitutional disorder - predisposition toward a specific class of diseases |
Importance of Constitution in Homoeopathy
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Case-taking (Organon §5) - Hahnemann specifically directed the physician to ascertain the patient's physical constitution as part of a complete case.
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Constitutional prescribing - The goal is to find a constitutional remedy - the simillimum - which matches not just the immediate symptoms but the totality of the person's constitution. This remedy corrects both inherited and acquired constitutional defects.
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Predicting susceptibility - Understanding constitution helps predict which diseases a person is prone to before they even manifest.
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Chronic disease management - Constitutional remedies work at the deepest level, addressing chronic miasms and long-standing constitutional weaknesses.
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Individualization - Since every person's body chemistry is unique (determined at the moment of fertilization), the constitutional approach ensures that each patient is treated as an individual, not as a disease category.
In Short
In homoeopathy, constitution is the complete picture of who a person is - physically, mentally, emotionally, and hereditarily. It is the lens through which a homoeopath understands not just what disease a person has, but why they are susceptible to it and how best to restore their health through the most fitting constitutional remedy.
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