The
word Homeopathy is a Greek derivation, in
which “Homoios” means
Similar and “
Pathos” means Sufferings. The system of medicine was discovered
by a German Doctor named Samuel Christian Frederick Hahenemann in 1790. It is based on a natural law of cure
known as Similia Similibus Curenteur which means “ Let likes to be Treated by Likes.” as advocated by
Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine wrote 24 centuries ago:
Similar and “
Pathos” means Sufferings. The system of medicine was discovered
by a German Doctor named Samuel Christian Frederick Hahenemann in 1790. It is based on a natural law of cure
known as Similia Similibus Curenteur which means “ Let likes to be Treated by Likes.” as advocated by
“Disease is produced by similar and by similar administered the patient is restored to health, thus that which produces strangury cures strangury that which causes vomiting cures vomiting”
Basil Valentine in 1394
“ Likes ought to be removed by likes and not by contrariries”
Paracelsus of in the 16th century:
“Never has a febrile disease been cured by cold, not cold disease by heat , it is the like that cures the like.”
Dan Stahl in the 17th century
“The admitted rule in the medicine to treat diseases by remedies contrary or opposed to these symptoms which they present is completely false and absurd. I am convinced on the contrary that diseases yield to agent which causes a like affection. Similia Similibus”
Dr. Samuel Hahnemann was born in Meissen Erlangen University
He was a keen observer and that is
the reason that he could succeed in the discovery of homeopathic system of
medicine.
During the days of Hahnemann , the
practice of medicine was a pretty crude affair, consisting mainly of bleeding,
purging and blistering which had a basis of the speculative principles of
orthodox medicine founded by Hippocrates. Having obtained his degree in
medicine, Hahnemann remained in busy practice in various states of Germany
During this period he had adequate experience of the miserable
condition of the practices of medicine. He was very much depressed and felt
that he was doing his patients and his family more harm than good by treating
them according to the accepted medical practice of his days. Consequently he
had bade good-bye to his practice and decided to earn
his livelihood by translating medical books from one language to another. In a
short time he began to earn both name and fame and his income also started
increasing day by day.
It was in the year 1790, when he was
translating Cullen’s Materia Medica, he came across Cullen’s definition about Cinchona (Peruvian Bark) that it has the properties of curing
Ague (malarial fever). How could the master mind Hahnemann could readily accept this
definition! He wanted to know exactly as to how Cinchona is only curative for malaria. So, he made a decoction of the
Cinchona and started taking its large
doses at regular interval. To his great astonishment that one day the complete
symptom of malarial fever appeared in him in the order-first Chill, then Heat
and finally Sweat! What a fine picture of malaria which he used to treat during
his practice! But was he still satisfied?
No, not the least. This experiment completely changed the mind of Dr. Samuel
Hahnemann. He started testing the effect of Cinchona
in the same manner on his family members and friends, and found the exact
similarity in the symptom presented by all of them. He was satisfied with this and
concluded that a drug which is capable of producing the disease-like symptoms
in a healthy person can only prove curative in a patient if the symptoms of the
patient have a similarity to the symptoms which are produced by a drug in the
healthy person. Thus, the year 1790 started a new era in the history of
medicine when the first foundation stone of Homeopathy was laid down. This is
what we call the Law of Similars or Similia Similibus Curentur or Let Likes to be treated by Likes.
Encouraged by the experiment of Cinchona, Hahnemann started proving of
other drugs which were at time as specifics for certain other diseases, such as
Belladonna
for scarlet fever, Ipecac for
vomiting, Drosera for whooping cough
etc, etc, and the results were beyond his expectations as the symptoms produced
by these drug in healthy persons were quite similar to those of the symptoms
found in the patients suffering from these diseases. Not only this but they
also produced many other characteristic symptoms on the basis of which it has
been possible to use these remedies for various other types of ailments. By and by he developed a new
materia medica on the basis of the
totality of symptoms produced by different drugs in healthy persons, on himself,
friends and family members, disciples and colleagues and were $made known to
the world in his monumental works known as MATERIA MEDICA PURA and the CHRONIC
DISEASES, both containing over one hundred medicines.
By degrees his labour took definite
form for the employment of his new system of medicine, and in the year 1796 his
thesis on Homeopathy appeared in the Hufeland’s s Journal for the first time
which was not a doctrine itself but almost limited to ‘to employ the remedy in
a disease which is found from observation to produce the nearest possible
resembling to it when in health.’ This
was however possible only in 1808 when Hahnemann
started his teachings and published the real doctrine of Homeopathy in the book
named “ORGANON OF THE HEALING ART” in the year 1810. Five editions of the “ORGANON” were published during the life-time of
Hahnemann but sixth edition was published after his death renaming it as
ORGANON OF MEDICINE.
The discovery of Homeopathy was an
open challenge for the then prevalent orthodox system of medicine. This brought
a revolution in the existing, medicine in Europe, and Dr. Hahnemann had to face
great criticism and opposition form the medical profession in Germany France France provided
him with all facilities for the research and development in the field of
Homeopathy, Dr. Hahnemann made full use of
it till his death on 2nd July 1843 in Paris
Dr. Samuel Hahnemann was born in Meissen Erlangen University
He was a keen observer and that is
the reason that he could succeed in the discovery of homeopathic system of
medicine.
During the days of Hahnemann , the
practice of medicine was a pretty crude affair, consisting mainly of bleeding,
purging and blistering which had a basis of the speculative principles of
orthodox medicine founded by Hippocrates. Having obtained his degree in
medicine, Hahnemann remained in busy practice in various states of Germany
During this period he had adequate experience of the miserable
condition of the practices of medicine. He was very much depressed and felt
that he was doing his patients and his family more harm than good by treating
them according to the accepted medical practice of his days. Consequently he
had bade good-bye to his practice and decided to earn
his livelihood by translating medical books from one language to another. In a
short time he began to earn both name and fame and his income also started
increasing day by day.
It was in the year 1790, when he was
translating Cullen’s Materia Medica, he came across Cullen’s definition about Cinchona (Peruvian Bark) that it has the properties of curing
Ague (malarial fever). How could the master mind Hahnemann could readily accept this
definition! He wanted to know exactly as to how Cinchona is only curative for malaria. So, he made a decoction of the
Cinchona and started taking its large
doses at regular interval. To his great astonishment that one day the complete
symptom of malarial fever appeared in him in the order-first Chill, then Heat
and finally Sweat! What a fine picture of malaria which he used to treat during
his practice! But was he still satisfied?
No, not the least. This experiment completely changed the mind of Dr. Samuel
Hahnemann. He started testing the effect of Cinchona
in the same manner on his family members and friends, and found the exact
similarity in the symptom presented by all of them. He was satisfied with this and
concluded that a drug which is capable of producing the disease-like symptoms
in a healthy person can only prove curative in a patient if the symptoms of the
patient have a similarity to the symptoms which are produced by a drug in the
healthy person. Thus, the year 1790 started a new era in the history of
medicine when the first foundation stone of Homeopathy was laid down. This is
what we call the Law of Similars or Similia Similibus Curentur or Let Likes to be treated by Likes.
Encouraged by the experiment of Cinchona, Hahnemann started proving of
other drugs which were at time as specifics for certain other diseases, such as
Belladonna
for scarlet fever, Ipecac for
vomiting, Drosera for whooping cough
etc, etc, and the results were beyond his expectations as the symptoms produced
by these drug in healthy persons were quite similar to those of the symptoms
found in the patients suffering from these diseases. Not only this but they
also produced many other characteristic symptoms on the basis of which it has
been possible to use these remedies for various other types of ailments. By and by he developed a new
materia medica on the basis of the
totality of symptoms produced by different drugs in healthy persons, on himself,
friends and family members, disciples and colleagues and were $made known to
the world in his monumental works known as MATERIA MEDICA PURA and the CHRONIC
DISEASES, both containing over one hundred medicines.
By degrees his labour took definite
form for the employment of his new system of medicine, and in the year 1796 his
thesis on Homeopathy appeared in the Hufeland’s s Journal for the first time
which was not a doctrine itself but almost limited to ‘to employ the remedy in
a disease which is found from observation to produce the nearest possible
resembling to it when in health.’ This
was however possible only in 1808 when Hahnemann
started his teachings and published the real doctrine of Homeopathy in the book
named “ORGANON OF THE HEALING ART” in the year 1810. Five editions of the “ORGANON” were published during the life-time of
Hahnemann but sixth edition was published after his death renaming it as
ORGANON OF MEDICINE.
The discovery of Homeopathy was an
open challenge for the then prevalent orthodox system of medicine. This brought
a revolution in the existing, medicine in Europe, and Dr. Hahnemann had to face
great criticism and opposition form the medical profession in Germany France France provided
him with all facilities for the research and development in the field of
Homeopathy, Dr. Hahnemann made full use of
it till his death on 2nd July 1843 in Paris
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