Life history & contributions of James Tyler Kent

Life history & contributions of James Tyler Kent

Birth:-

Dr James Tyler Kent was the eminent world renowned homeopath. He was born in woodhull, New York of the United Sates of America on 31" march 1849. 

Education:-

He acquired his primary and secondary education in Franklin academy of Prathsberg. He completed his higher education in Colgate University where he received his degree and PhD in the year 1869. He got his degree in A.M (alternative medicine) in the year 1870 from the Madison University, He got his degree of medical education in Eelectic system of medicine from the Missouri.

From the Medical Institute of Cincinnati, he underwent instructions in allopathy, homeopathy, naturopathy, and different medical systems. Because of his training in all systems of medicine, he developed a spirit of tolerance and knowledge about all the medicinal systems and in his later years, he chose the best medicinal system.

Conversion to Homoeopathy:-

Kent got married at the age of 26. He started his medical practice as an Eclectic physician in the city of St. Louis of America. In his early medical practice. Kent was not impressed by homeopathy. But the incident that happened in his later years of life not only changed his impression but also the future of homeopathy. His wife was suffering with insomnia, which refused to respond to any system of treatment. Dr. Phelan a homeopathic physician treated her successfully. The case taking methodology adopted and the water dose administered by Dr. Phelan initially seemed non-sensual to Kent, but the improvement of his wife by such procedure impressed him very well. This situation made Kent to study Organon of medicine and other books on homeopathy. With the help of Phelan, Kent started practicing homeopathy and became a remarkable homeopath in the history of medicine. 

Death:-

He died at Stevensville, Montana on June 6 of 1916.

Contributions of Kent to Homoeopathy:-

1. During the years of 1881-1888 he worked as the professor of materia medica in the post graduate school of homeopathy, St. Louis.

2. Between the years 1890-1899, he was a teacher of materia medica at the school of homeopathy, Philadelphia. 

3. In the year 1897 he published "The repertory of homeopathic materia medica". Kent was having sound knowledge in "philosophy, materia medica and repertory", which is called the triad of homeopathy. The intelligent use of all these three subjects only brings about success in homeopathic practice.

4. In the year 1900 he published "The lectures on homeopathic philosophy".

5. "The lectures on homeopathic materia medica" was published in the year 1905. 

6. He worked as a senior lecturer in materia medica at the Hahnemann medical college and hospital at Chicago from 1903-1909.

7. The "lectures on homeopathic materia medica" was published in the year of 1905. 

8. Kent advocated to begin the practice with lower potencies especially the 30 potency and then gradually increasing to higher and higher potencies. This method was very close to Hahnemannian method. 

9. Famous homeopaths like Sir John Weir, A.H. Grimmer, Pierre Schmidt, B.K.Bose and many more were the disciples of Kent. 

10. He advocated the use of 30, 200, IM, 50M, CM, DM, MM potencies made with centesimal potency scale. 

11. "The series in degree" doctrine was introduced by Dr. J. T. Kent. He found that one potency is not sufficient in curing the chronic diseases. Many chronic diseases were cured by keeping the patient under theinfluence of one indicated remedy for many years. 

12. His contribution to literature of homeopathy is remarkable. Evaluation of symptoms, simple substance, law of vital action and reaction are the few. According to the later law, "a medicine is too high to cure. so long as it is capable of aggravating the symptoms belonging to the sickness, in the first hour of acute attack and in the first few days of chronic sickness." 

13. "What the doctor's need to know?" is another contribution of Kent which guides the physician about the knowledge he must acquire. 

14. Kent was also a great prover. In his books "New remedies, Clinical cases, Lesser writings and aphorism and percepts", he published the proving of new remedies. 

15. Kent was a member of American Institute of Homeopathy, International Hahnemannian Association, State Homeopathic Medical Society, British Homeopathic Society, London, President and Trustee of Chicago Homeopathic hospital.

Source:-

"Comprehensive Study of Organon: An Attempt to Understand the Organon of Medicine as a Scientific Treatise" by Dr. G. Nagendra Babu