Well, Jay Yasgur has done it again. He has produce the 4th edition
of Yasgur's Homeopathic Dictionary, and he has exceeded himself. The
book is fatter-- 422 pages now-- and it contains that much more information.
Yasgur has included a 32 page section defining terms concerning the
major alternative therapies-- body work, bio feedback, reflexology,
Sentic cycles-- to name a few. The biography has been a bit expanded.
And the major body of the book has had much added.
There are a few small errors-- in discussing "autohemic therapy" he
refers to L. D. Rodgers as "she." Well, "she" was a "he"-- Loyal Dexter
Rodgers. On page 214: he says that the Symptom Register of Allen is
12 volumes. It isn't. The Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica is 10
volumes. The "repertory" of it is the Symptom Register-- and that is
two-volumes that are often added to the other 10. And I spotted but
one spelling mistake.
Most of the problem I have with the work is that some of his definitions
didn't go far enough. On page 29 he has a good definition of "bellwether"
is ("any leader of a blindly following crowd") but I wish he had told
what it WAS-- the "wether" is the castrated male sheep that wears a
"bell" and leads all the other sheep to the slaughter-house.
On page 122 within the definition of "Illuminist" he says: "acute disease
is the curative response to the chronic problem." I'm very curious about
the source of this definition.
But that level of criticism is really minimal when one looks at the
book as a whole. There is so much in it that is wonderful! The pharmaceutical
definitions are accurate-- what else would you expect from a pharmacist?
And there are gems within. On page 166: he explains the meaning of "octavo"
as it relates to book sizes-- and tells about the others as well-- the
twelvemo, the duodecimo, etc. And he give the sizes in inches. It's
about time that the definitions of book sizes was printed somewhere!.
On page 173 while defining "Pablum" he gives a wonderful history of
Quaker Oats. On page 187 we find that Albert Broccoli-- the producer
of all the old James Bond movies-- was related to the man who the Broccoli
vegetable was named after. A great piece of trivia! Yasgur's definitions
of "Rennet Wine," "Specious sophistry" and "Sutton's Law" were equally
well considered And where else can you find that the definition of "Symptom"
would take up nine pages?
As I pointed out in the introduction to the book when it first appeared,
this is not just a homeopathic dictionary. It might be considered so
because we see so many of these older medical terms within the texts
we work with on a daily basis. But it is more then that. It is a medical
dictionary-- and a good one at that.
My short review would probably be one of the shortest written-- just
two words: "Buy It!"
My longer review would say all the above and urge everyone to get this
book for their bookshelf.
Jay Yasgur has, once again, given the homeopathic community a great
resource.
