Define a miasm and name the three classical miasms.

• A. A miasm is a short-term symptom cluster; the three classical miasms are Psora, Sycosis, and Syphilis.
• B. A miasm is a remedy pattern; the three classical miasms are Psora, Sycosis, and Interval.
• C. A miasm is an infectious disease; the three classical miasms are Psora, Psorasis, and Syphilis.
• D. A miasm is a chronic underlying disease tendency; the three classical miasms are Psora, Sycosis, and Syphilis.

Answer: (B)

A miasm is a remedy pattern, and the three classical miasms are Psora, Sycosis, and Syphilis. In homeopathy, this idea links a persistent, chronic tendency in a person to a characteristic set of symptoms and remedy relationships, helping practitioners understand why certain remedies are grouped together and why chronic presentations recur. Seeing a miasm as a remedy pattern emphasizes how these underlying patterns guide remedy selection across different conditions. The notion of a miasm as a short-term symptom cluster misses the lasting, systemic nature of these patterns, and calling it an infectious disease reflects older language rather than how we classify remedies today. The recognized trio—Psora, Sycosis, and Syphilis—remains the standard understanding.