One usually associates with the Lachesis personality such characteristics as loquacity, jealousy, suspiciousness, self-centredness, and very critical of others.  
2       Clarke writes in his Therapeutics of the Serpent Poisons as follows:
      “This patient (cured by him with Lachesis 12) was a blonde of the Pulsatilla type and temperament. I mention this to show that though medicines have their special characteristic types, when the symptoms agree they will act just as well in persons of opposite type.”
3         M L Tyler observes in her Drug Pictures:
      “But many drugs have opposite effects: and one finds with surprise, what few people seem to know, that Lachesis which has loquacity and hastiness of speech in the highest type, has also slowness of speech in the same black type. And Lachesis, as we just now saw in a case of involuntary proving, has TACITURNITY also. One must not be caught out by half- knowledge and pre-conceived ideas: it is always well to make sure.”
4    George Vithoulkas writes the following at the end of his 3-page article on Lachesis in the Essence of Materia Medica:
 ” Lachesis has another state – has great ideas, frustrated in earlier years. Will not follow through on this ambition to do great things. All this driving inwards leads to development of kidney stones and heart lesions. This Lachesis is introverted, sensitive, does not want to hurt anybody, will never let out their emotions. You get these people who will not talk. Must understand that this type of silent person is also a Lachesis.” (Emphasis supplied by me)
5    Philip Bailey has this to say about Lachesis in his book “Homeopathic Psychology”:
   “The coiled serpent is a fine image for representing the Lachesis individual…In esoteric traditions, the coiled serpent represents the kundalini energy residing at the base of the spine. This energy is said to be of a sexual nature in most people, but it can be made to rise up the spine, being transmuted as it rises into creative potential, and ultimately into spiritual experience.” He continues: “Each Lachesis individual chooses whether to indulge his sexual and sensual appetites freely, or to sublimate them into something finer and more spiritual” (emphasis supplied). Later: ”it is important to realize that only the tense Lachesis individual is loquacious to any great degree. A relaxed Lachesis may be either introverted or extroverted by nature, but either way he will not appear excessively talkative to the homeopath. In general the extroverted Lachesis is more hedonistic and sensual, and also more egotistic than the introverted Lachesis. The latter tends to be more philosophical, mystical and artistic.”
. 6    I have come across patients possessing the characteristics of Lachesis emphasized by me in paragraphs 4 & 5. Among the books I possess, no other materia medica mentions these, and perhaps no repertory brings these out. So one would tend not to prescribe Lachesis to such persons as a constitutional remedy even if the general & physical symptoms point towards it.  
    I shall be grateful for comments & observations from the viewers.  
 
 

Thanks, Dr Kamal.
I am eagerly looking forward to receiving reactions of other viewers also.
 
 
Dr K C Kankan
Homoeopath
Jt. Secretary (retd), Government of India
E-mail: kankankc@yahoo.com