With Bayes' theorem the probability of these theories can be ascertained. An example of the Element Theory (Homeopathy and Elements) makes this more explicit. The experiment is a case of a patient with severe tinnitus, where the theory of the Elements leads to the successful prescription of Cadmium carbonicum. The chance of finding this remedy with the old theory is very low, let’s say 1 in 4000 (one out of 4000 remedies). The chance of finding this remedy with the Element Theory is moderate, let’s say 50%. The probability of the Element theory is low before being tested, let’s say 1/1000, "almost unbelievable". From this we can calculate the new probability of the Element theory:

P (Theory Final) = P (Theory Initial) * P (Experiment New) /*

P (Experiment Old). P (Theory Final) = 1/10000 * 50% /* (1/4000) = 0,2.

With the above experiment, the value or truth of the new theory has increased from 0.01% to 20%. With each successful experiment the value of the hypothesis increases quickly.

Classification of pictures

The pictures of remedies in our Materia Medica’s are a set of unrelated symptoms. They are like colored spots on a painting that have no connection at all. No real picture arises.

For computers that will suffice, but humans are not good at remembering encyclopedias. Humans think in pictures. The need for meaningful pictures has found expression in many ways. For the last twenty years, homeopathy has been moving towards transforming remedy pictures into genuine pictures. The old proving pictures with rows and rows of unrelated symptoms are being changed into coherent, relevant pictures. Vithoulkas developed his ‘Essences’, Sankaran his ‘Basic delusion’, ‘Situational material medica’ and ‘Vital sensation’, Mangialavori developed his ‘Themes’, Scholten his ‘Concepts’ and ‘Essences’. It’s a process of abstracting from the symptoms. The goal of this process is to develop a central theme, from which all the symptoms can be deduced logically. It makes remedy pictures shorter and more understandable. The trick is to do it in such a way that no essential information gets lost.

Advantages of Stage 1- Provings and clinical information:

They can be used where no remedy picture or essence is available at all, in a kind of "no man's land".

Advantages of Stage 2 - Classification

The first advantage is the generalizing as such, raising the scientific level.

Classification enables the prediction of remedy pictures. It is possible to describe remedies without going through the lengthy processes of provings and clinical cures.

It also means that the pace at which new remedies are added to our armory has been accelerated considerably.

Classification reduces the number of essential symptoms. The sub-divisions within the classifications make a good classification of symptoms both necessary and possible. The pictures become much easier to understand.

Classification expands the number of possible symptoms and possible expressions enormously. More cases can be understood.

Classification makes differential diagnoses clearer and simpler.

A greater number of remedies become easier to handle and to remember.

Coalescence with remedy classification

The classification of remedy pictures goes together with the classification of remedies in families. For the comparison of remedy pictures a more abstract level of looking at symptoms and syndromes is needed. The goal is a framework of symptoms and syndromes. This is achieved in the ‘Element theory’ of Scholten, where the possible field of symptoms is found in the periodic table of elements.

Paradigm

Obviously, homeopathy is based on the general scientific paradigms, such as order and truth. But homeopathy does not conform to the materialism paradigm of the mainstream of our culture. Already Hahnemann’s ‘vital force’ and ‘dynamis’ are not compatible with the materialism paradigm. Homeopathy cannot be restricted to the material world. Emotions and thoughts are at the core of its field of research. The worlds of emotions and thought are different from the material world and cannot be restricted to that world. They refute the materialistic paradigm.

Conclusion

The development of homeopathy as a science is necessarily a development towards more generalization. I say 'necessarily' because every science develops towards increasing generalization. The increasing generalization makes predictions possible. The result is that homeopathy has suddenly progressed very fast. The development of Family themes and the theory of the Elements show that very clearly. In a short time, the quantity of homeopathic remedies has increased considerably, while the understanding of the remedies has deepened. Practice has been greatly simplified through the proper understanding of the remedies. That does not mean that the methods of the first scientific stage, such as provings and cured cases, have become redundant. But compared with the picture formation and classifications of the second scientific stage, they are slow and restricted. The scientific aspects of homeopathy have progressed particularly through the pursuit of generalizations. This adds coherence to the older fragmented information and makes homeopathy more accessible to scientists from other disciplines.