If he had merely noticed this curious fact, we would not speak of Hahnemann as the founder of homeopathy.  His genius lay in continual investigation into the properties of other medicinal herbs and minerals of his day applying the principle that “likes cure likes, the principle of the similum.   He not only recorded and systematized his findings so that others could reproduce his results, he also made a number of essential discoveries. The most important of these was that by diluting the remedy, more subtle results could be obtained. If he had only diluted his remedies, he would have never experienced the deep healing power of homeopathic remedies.

Along with dilution he also dissolved the remedy in alcohol and then pounded the bottle of remedy on something like a book or the palm of a strong person’s hand.  Because of this pounding, the symptoms that he recorded were subtle.  The intermittent fever of China is a gross symptoms.  We know that many other remedies have the exact same fever.  A subtle symptom such as sensitivity to temperature, likes and dislikes can be characteristics of the healthy person.

As an example of a subtle symptom, through Hahnemann's testing and later clinical confirmations, among the subtle symptoms of China, we know that many healthy person taking the remedy China also experience unrealistic expectations of themselves.  This is subtle symptom.  It only appears when the diluted "pounded" remedy is used.  When the remedy is diluted and pounded instead of being overwhelmed by malarial fever, healthy testers experience to fulfill their most fantastic dreams.  Sick persons suffering from such delusions of grandure will also be cured by china if other symptoms also match.