Origins of the Complete Repertory Project

The Complete Repertory project began in the 1980s as an initiative to consolidate and refine the vast and scattered body of homeopathic repertory data into a single, coherent, and clinically reliable system. Its foundation was laid by Roger van Zandvoort, the author, Dutch homeopath and researcher, who recognized that existing repertories—such as Kent’s Repertory of the Homeopathic Materia Medica—though widely used, contained numerous inconsistencies, omissions, and lacked clear source attribution.

 

The core elements of this project are:

Maintaining and enlarging the Complete Repertory, managing and improving its editorial software, and maintaining and expanding the collections of homeopathic literature and related subjects.

Driven by the need for clarity, precision, and clinical applicability, Roger began a thorough comparative study of all major repertories and source materials available at the time. This included cross-referencing Kent, Bönninghausen, Allen, Jahr, Hering, Boger, Knerr, and others, as well as original materia medica and provings. From this labor-intensive process emerged the first edition of the Complete Repertory in 1994, a digital publication designed for use in emerging homeopathic computer software.

What distinguishes the Complete Repertory from similar works is not only its comprehensiveness but also its editorial transparency. Each remedy addition is traceable to a documented source—be it a proving, cured case, or clinical observation—and grading is reassessed accordingly. The project adopts a dynamic model, continuing to grow as new literature is integrated, corrections are made, and user feedback is incorporated.

 

Today, the Complete Repertory stands as one of the most extensive and source-critical homeopathic repertories in the world, used by practitioners and researchers alike. It continues to evolve with each new edition. Its roots lie in a deep respect for homeopathy’s classical foundations, coupled with a modern commitment to scholarly rigor and practical usability.

 

The evolution of the Complete Repertory

 

1980s – The Vision Takes Shape

As a student of homeopathy, Roger became increasingly aware of the limitations in the repertories available to practitioners. Kent’s repertory was widely used but contained errors, missing remedies, and lacked transparency in grading and sourcing. Roger began an extensive comparison of repertories and source texts, compiling data manually and developing a comprehensive and verifiable vision for a repertory.

1990–1993 – The First Edition

After years of research, the first edition of the Complete Repertory was released in 1993. It was designed from the outset for computer use, distinguishing it from traditional print repertories. Its innovation lay in integrating data from multiple sources—including Kent, Boger, Bönninghausen, Hering, and Jahr—while explicitly referencing materia medica and proving literature for every addition or grade.

1990s – Expansion and Software Integration

Throughout the 1990s, the Complete Repertory underwent rapid evolution. New editions were published nearly every year, each incorporating corrections, new provings, clinical confirmations, and improved hierarchical structures. It was adopted by major homeopathic software systems such as Vision, MacRepertory, now SHS, and later Complete Dynamics, Novomeo, Jrep, Comrep, Curar. Its compatibility with various platforms made it a preferred repertory for many digital users worldwide.

2000s – Increased Source Transparency and Editorial Control

The repertory’s structure matured during this period, with a stronger focus on source-critical editing. Remedy additions are only included if they are supported by original literature or credible clinical cases. Editorial policies became stricter, avoiding the uncontrolled data additions seen in other repertories. A separate classification system for types of evidence (e.g., proving, cured case, clinical observation) was introduced and linked to grading.

2008 – Table Structure for Data Portability

A standardized table export structure was introduced to facilitate cross-platform use and precise data exchange. This made the Complete Repertory suitable for integration into modern software ecosystems and supported collaborative development workflows. It also marks the beginning of a more modular and structured data management system.

2013 – New Structured Tabular Format

A new standardized text-based table structure was defined in 2013. This format provided clear fields for rubrics, remedies, sources, authorship, grading, and cross-references. It enabled systematic updates, re-imports, and rigorous quality control over increasingly large datasets. This format remains in use today as the editorial backbone of the Complete Repertory.

2010s – Wider Recognition and Clinical Focus

By the mid-2010s, the Complete Repertory had become one of the most widely used repertories in the world. Its growth is increasingly driven by clinical confirmations, especially from historical case reports and cured cases. The inclusion policy prioritized reliability and practice relevance over theoretical completeness.

Efforts were also made to avoid duplication of evidence, such as counting only unique confirmations, and implementing systems to filter and grade remedies based on source type and confirmation frequency. New statistical and Bayesian tools are experimented with in the analysis.

2020–2024 – Refinement, AI, and Integration

In recent years, development has focused on:

  • Data cleaning and removal of questionable additions.

  • Grading upgrades based on stronger clinical evidence.

  • Incorporating the latest homeopathic provings.

  • Integration of AI-powered search tools and semantic indexing for materia medica and repertory usage (test-phase).

  • Improved user interface design for practical use by homeopaths, students, and researchers alike.

  • A parallel effort has begun to build a fully native FileMaker-based application (Curar), amalgamating the Repertory, MM, and Cases into a fast, clean, and reliable system for practical and educational use.

2025 – Today

The Complete Repertory remains under active development. Its modern incarnation includes:

  • Full source-critical tracing of remedies and rubrics.

  • Advanced statistical tools for clinical reliability analysis.

  • Strict grading policy based on the type of evidence and confirmation.

The project continues to adhere to its founding values: prioritizing quality over quantity, respecting classical sources, maintaining transparency of information, and a commitment to what truly benefits clinical practice. The upcoming Curar platform, now in early-stage development, will offer a new chapter in practical, reliable, and beautifully designed homeopathic repertory software.

As of today, the Complete Repertory project is in an advanced phase of refinement, restructuring, and modernization, with several major developments underway:

 

 

 

🔧

1. Editorial and Structural Refinement

 

 

The repertory is being thoroughly reviewed to:

 

  • Clean up legacy data: questionable additions, duplicate rubrics, and inconsistently sourced entries are being examined and removed or corrected.

  • Ensure strict source tracing: every remedy entry must be supported by a known and verified source—be it a proving, cured case, clinical report, or reliable materia medica reference.

  • Prioritize clinical reliability: the grading system is being honed to reflect confirmation strength, not just presence. Cured cases and practical reports are weighted more heavily than speculative provings.

 

 

 

 

📊

2. Grading Reassessment Based on Evidence

 

 

  • A four-grade system is in use, where grade 4 represents the highest level of confirmation.

  • Modern clinical literature and historical cured cases are being systematically evaluated for potential grading upgrades.

  • Bayesian analysis and statistical methods are being explored to automatically adjust grading based on frequency and reliability of confirmation, while avoiding duplication of evidence when the same case is cited multiple times.

 

 

 

 

💾

3. Clean Data Architecture in FileMaker (Curar Project)

 

 

  • A completely rebuilt FileMaker-based system is being developed, code-named Curar.

  • This system is designed for practical day-to-day use by homeopaths, students, and educators.

  • The structure is now fully based on:

     

    • Clean hierarchical FullText rubric paths

    • Explicit parent-child relationships

    • Table-based remedy and source links

    • Automatic grading calculations based on source types and counts

     

  • Emphasis is placed on speed, clarity, and transparency, using native FileMaker tools to ensure long-term maintainability.

 

 

 

 

🌐

4. Semantic Indexing and AI Integration

 

 

  • The project now includes work on an AI-powered document interface, where thousands of materia medica and repertory-related documents (PDFs, books, journals) are:

     

    • OCR-processed

    • Cleaned for structure and readability

    • Semantically indexed using tools like FAISS

     

  • This allows for intelligent cross-searching between repertory rubrics, remedies, and source literature.

  • Future development will include embedding links between symptoms and original sources, directly accessible from the repertory interface.

 

 

 

 

📦

5. Export-Ready Modular Format

 

 

  • The repertory data is now maintained in a tabular text-based format (from the 2013 specification), ensuring:

     

    • Export to multiple platforms

    • Data verification during import/export cycles

    • Long-term preservation of a transparent, structured editorial record

     

 

 

 

 

🌱

6. Educational and Collaborative Vision

 

 

  • While the repertory remains a standalone professional tool, there is a renewed focus on educational use.

  • Efforts are being made to:

     

    • Create simplified views or filtered versions for students

    • Offer source-attributed rubrics to teach critical repertory use

    • Encourage peer-reviewed feedback for corrections or new data

     

 

 

 

 

💡

7. Ongoing Projects and Immediate Priorities

 

 

  • Completing source mapping and confirming provenance for all remedy entries.

  • Finalizing the grading system logic and user interface in the new Curar application.

  • Expanding the semantic search system to cover more languages and historical texts.

  • Preparing modern user documentation and tutorials to accompany the new platform.

 

Actual Developments

Stay up to date with the latest developments in the Complete Repertory Project. Discover how we are integrating AI and refining our database for a better user experience!