What is doctrine of analogy
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The Doctrine of Analogy
The doctrine of analogy is the principle that when two things share relevant similarities, what is known or true about one can be reasonably applied - with appropriate qualification - to the other. It operates across several major fields.
1. Philosophy (Metaphysics & Logic)
In classical philosophy, analogy describes a middle path between two extremes of predication:
- Univocal - a term means exactly the same thing in both cases (e.g., "dog" for a poodle and a labrador)
- Equivocal - a term means completely different things (e.g., "bank" for a river bank and a financial institution)
- Analogical - a term is used with related but not identical meaning
Aristotle introduced this in his analysis of categories. The classic example is the word "healthy": a healthy person, a healthy diet, and a healthy complexion all use "healthy" analogically - they all relate to health, but in different ways (as cause, as sign, as subject).
2. Theology (Analogy of Being - Analogia Entis)
This is perhaps the most developed and debated form. The core problem: How can finite human language describe an infinite God?
Thomas Aquinas argued that when we say "God is good" and "humans are good," we do not mean the same thing (univocal) nor completely different things (equivocal) - we mean something analogous. God possesses goodness essentially and absolutely; creatures possess it only by participation and derivatively.
Aquinas identified two main types:
- Analogy of attribution (analogia attributionis) - properties are attributed to a primary subject and then derivatively to secondary subjects (e.g., a living being is "healthy" primarily; a diet is healthy only insofar as it relates to that being's health)
- Analogy of proportionality (analogia proportionalitatis) - A is to B as C is to D (e.g., sight is to the body as intellect is to the soul)
This was challenged by Karl Barth, who rejected the analogia entis in Protestant theology and proposed instead the analogy of faith (analogia fidei) - that any valid analogy between God and humanity is grounded in God's own self-revelation, not in a natural similarity of being.
3. Law (Legal Analogy / Reasoning by Analogy)
In legal reasoning, the doctrine of analogy holds that cases with similar facts should be treated similarly - this is the foundation of the common law doctrine of precedent (stare decisis).
When no statute or direct precedent applies, courts reason analogically by:
- Identifying a case whose facts resemble the present dispute
- Extracting the legal principle from the prior case
- Applying it to the new facts, if the relevant similarities outweigh the differences
For example: if a statute prohibiting "vehicles" in a park was held to apply to motorbikes, a court may reason by analogy that it also applies to electric scooters. The argument's strength depends entirely on whether the similarity is legally relevant.
In civil law systems (and international law), analogy is used to fill gaps in legislation - if a statute does not address a situation, courts apply the rule governing the most analogous situation.
4. Theosophy and Occult Philosophy
In Theosophical tradition, analogy is elevated from a reasoning tool to a law of nature - the "Law of Analogy." Helena Blavatsky described it as the "first key to the world-problem," the idea that the same universal principles operate across all planes of existence, from the spiritual to the material (summarized in the Hermetic maxim "As above, so below").
Summary Table
| Domain | What is analogized | Key principle |
|---|---|---|
| Logic/Metaphysics | Terms and predicates | Meaning is related but not identical across uses |
| Theology | Language about God | God's attributes are real but infinitely superior to ours |
| Law | Cases and statutes | Like cases should be treated alike |
| Theosophy | Cosmic planes | Universal laws repeat at every level of existence |
The doctrine is fundamentally about epistemic humility - recognizing that we often know one domain well and another poorly, and that carefully mapped similarities can extend our understanding without pretending to perfect equivalence.
In repertory
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Doctrine of Analogy in Repertory (Homeopathy)
This is a foundational concept introduced by Dr. Clemens von Boenninghausen in the context of his Therapeutic Pocket Book (TPB), published in 1846. It is one of the key philosophical pillars on which the TPB is built.
What is the Doctrine of Analogy?
Boenninghausen observed that in clinical practice, symptoms recorded in the materia medica were often incomplete - particularly their modalities (the factors that aggravate or ameliorate a symptom) were missing for specific body parts.
His reasoning was this: if a remedy is known to produce a particular modality or sensation in one part of the body, that same quality likely applies to the remedy as a whole and can therefore be extended to all other parts where that remedy acts.
Core principle: Local modalities and sensations pertaining to one part can be raised to the level of a general, and applied to the whole person and to other parts.
This is why the doctrine is also called the "Doctrine of Grand Generalization."
Practical Example
Suppose a proving records that a remedy causes burning pain in the stomach, but there is no proving record of burning pain in the throat for that same remedy. Boenninghausen reasoned by analogy: since burning is a characteristic sensation of that remedy (known from the stomach), the remedy should still be considered when burning occurs in the throat.
The local symptom (burning in the stomach) is generalized - the modality/sensation is attributed to the remedy as a whole, not just to one organ.
Why is This Significant?
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Fills gaps in provings - Materia medica recordings are never exhaustive. Every body part cannot be proved for every modality. The doctrine of analogy allows Boenninghausen to use incomplete proving data more effectively.
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Enables repertorization - The TPB is constructed on this principle. Rubrics in the TPB are arranged so that modalities and sensations appear as generals (applicable to the whole remedy), not tied to specific local symptoms. This allows a prescriber to match a patient's overall symptom picture to a remedy even when exact symptoms are unrecorded.
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Elevates local to general - This is consistent with the homeopathic principle of treating the whole patient, not isolated complaints.
Relationship to Other Doctrines in TPB
The TPB rests on four philosophical concepts:
| Doctrine | Principle |
|---|---|
| Doctrine of Analogy (Grand Generalization) | Local modalities/sensations extended to the whole remedy |
| Doctrine of Concomitant | Peculiar accompanying symptoms that individualize the case |
| Evaluation of Remedies | Remedies graded in 5 grades (Capital = grade 5, down to Roman in brackets = grade 1) |
| Concordance | Relationship between remedies based on observed clinical kinship |
Kent's Endorsement
James Tyler Kent, commenting on the use of analogy in repertorization, wrote:
"Many of the most brilliant cures are made from the general rubric when the special does not help... we have to work by analogy. In this method Boenninghausen's Pocket Repertory is of the greatest service."
- Kent, How to Study the Repertory, 1897
Summary
The doctrine of analogy in repertory = generalization of local symptoms to the remedy as a whole. It is Boenninghausen's method of bridging incomplete materia medica data by reasoning that a remedy's characteristic sensation or modality in one part is an expression of its whole nature, making it applicable wherever that sensation or modality appears in any patient.
In menstrual history in case taking What we can ask Also in obstetrics history
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Here is a comprehensive, structured guide to what to ask in both menstrual and obstetric history during case taking.
Menstrual History in Case Taking
1. Age at Menarche
- "How old were you when your periods first started?"
- Normal: 10-16 years
- Note: delayed (>16) or precocious (<8) menarche suggests hormonal/endocrine issues
2. Cycle Details (the "4/28" pattern)
Ask about the cycle formula - written as: duration of bleeding / cycle length
| Question | What to ask | Normal |
|---|---|---|
| Cycle length | "How many days from the start of one period to the start of the next?" | 21-35 days |
| Duration of bleeding | "How many days does your bleeding last?" | 3-7 days |
| Regularity | "Are your periods regular or do they vary?" | Regular |
3. Last Menstrual Period (LMP)
- "What was the first day of your last period?"
- Essential for calculating EDD in pregnancy, excluding pregnancy in gynaecology
4. Previous Menstrual Period (PMP)
- "And the period before that?"
- Helps confirm regularity
5. Amount/Volume of Flow
- "How many pads/tampons do you use per day? Do you soak through them?"
- "Do you pass any clots?"
- Heavy (menorrhagia): soaking >1 pad/hr, passage of large clots
- Light (hypomenorrhoea): scanty flow
6. Associated Symptoms
- Dysmenorrhoea: "Do you have pain with your periods? When does it start - before, during, or after?"
- Primary: no pathological cause, spasmodic pain, young women
- Secondary: endometriosis, fibroids, PID
- Premenstrual symptoms: bloating, breast tenderness, mood changes, headaches
- Intermenstrual bleeding (IMB): "Any bleeding between periods?"
- Post-coital bleeding (PCB): "Any bleeding after intercourse?" (flag for cervical pathology)
- Dyspareunia: painful intercourse (deep = endometriosis, fibroids; superficial = vaginal/vulval)
7. Menopause (if applicable)
- "When did your periods stop?"
- "Have you had any bleeding after the menopause?" (post-menopausal bleeding = investigate urgently for endometrial/cervical cancer)
8. Current Contraceptive Use
- Type of contraception affects cycle pattern (e.g. hormonal methods cause amenorrhoea or irregular spotting)
Obstetric History in Case Taking
1. Gravidity and Parity - Establish First
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Gravida (G) | Total number of pregnancies (including current) |
| Para (P) | Number of deliveries at or beyond 24 weeks (alive or stillborn) |
| Nulliparous | Never delivered |
| Primipara | Delivered once |
| Multipara | Delivered 2-4 times |
| Grand multipara | Delivered 5 or more times |
Example: 4 pregnancies, 2 miscarriages = G4 P2
2. For Each Previous Pregnancy, Ask:
Date and Outcome
- "When was this pregnancy?"
- "How did it end?" (live birth / stillbirth / miscarriage / termination / ectopic)
- "At how many weeks?"
Mode of Delivery
- Normal vaginal delivery (NVD)
- Instrumental delivery (forceps / ventouse) - why?
- Caesarean section - elective or emergency? What indication?
Baby Details
- Birth weight
- Sex
- Condition at birth (Apgar scores, NICU admission, congenital abnormalities)
Antenatal Complications (for each pregnancy)
- Gestational hypertension / pre-eclampsia / eclampsia
- Gestational diabetes
- Antepartum haemorrhage (placenta praevia / abruption)
- Anaemia, infections (UTI, Group B Strep)
- Preterm labour or prolonged bed rest
Intrapartum Complications
- Prolonged labour
- Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH)
- Perineal tears or episiotomy breakdown
- Blood transfusion required
Postnatal Complications
- Infection (wound / genital tract / UTI)
- DVT / PE
- Postpartum depression / psychosis
- Breastfeeding difficulties
3. Current Pregnancy (if pregnant)
- LMP - "What was the first day of your last period?" (to calculate EDD)
- Cycle length - to adjust EDD if cycle is not 28 days (EDD = LMP - 3 months + 7 days, Naegele's rule, for 28-day cycle)
- Was the pregnancy planned / were fertility treatments used?
- Booking scan / anomaly scan dates and findings
- Fetal movements - "Can you feel the baby moving? Any change?"
- Symptoms of the current pregnancy: nausea/vomiting, heartburn, constipation, swelling, bleeding, discharge
Quick Memory Aids
Menstrual history acronym - "PALM-COMB":
- P - Period (LMP, PMP)
- A - Age at menarche
- L - Length of cycle
- M - Menstrual duration
- C - Clots
- O - Other symptoms (pain, IMB, PCB)
- M - Menopause
- B - Birth control
Obstetric history - "GPAL":
- G - Gravida
- P - Para
- A - Abortus (miscarriages/terminations)
- L - Living children
These form a systematic framework for any gynaecology or obstetrics OSCE or clinical case taking, as outlined in sources including the Merck Manual OB/GYN history guidelines and TeachMeObGyn.
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