The Curious Case of Charles Darwin and Homeopathy
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Advance Access Publication 29 October 2009 eCAM 2010;7(1)33–39 doi:10.1093/ecam/nep168 Commentary The Curious Case of Charles Darwin and Homeopathy Dana Ullman Homeopathic Educational Services, 2124 Kittredge St., Berkeley, CA In 1849, Charles Darwin was so ill that he was unable to work one out of every 3 days, and after having various troubling symptoms for 2–12 years, he wrote to a friend that he was ‘going the way of all flesh’. He sought treatment from Dr James Manby Gully, a medical doctor who used water cure and homeopathic medicines. Despite being highly skeptical of these treatments, he experienced a dramatic improvement in his health, though some of his digestive and skin symp- toms returned various times in his life. He grew to appreciate water cure, but remained skeptical of homeopathy, even though his own experiments on insectivore plants using what can be described as homeopathic doses of ammonia salts surprised and shocked him with their signifi- cant biological effect. Darwin even expressed concern that he should publish these results. Two of Darwin’s sons were as incredulous as he was, but their observations confirmed the results of his experiments. Darwin was also known to have read a book on evolution written by a homeopathic physician that Darwin described as similar to his own but ‘goes much deeper.’ Keywords: Charles Darwin – homeopathy – homeopathic – homeopath – James Manby Gully – hydrotherapy – water-cure – naturopathy – naturopathic medicine – history of medicine – history of science – extremely small doses – Drosera rotundifolia – Sir Charles Hastings – William Court Gully Introduction medicine. However, he was repulsed by the brutality of surgery and the primitive medical treatments of his day. The year 2009 is an auspicious year to the memory of He initially studied to be a naturalist, but his father Charles Darwin. It is the 200th birth anniversary of insisted that he attend Cambridge University to become Charles Darwin (1809–1882), and the 150th anniversary a clergyman (at that time, members of the clergy earned a of the publication of his seminal work, On the Origin of better living than many other professions). After gradu- Species (1859). And yet few people know that, according ating from Cambridge in 1831, he began what became a to Darwin’s own letters, it is uncertain that he would 5-year journey on the HMS Beagle surveying the coast have lived long enough to have written this important of South America. On board the ship, Darwin suffered scientific work in 1859 if he had not received treatment from seasickness, and in October 1833, he caught fever in in 1849 from Dr James Manby Gully, a homeopathic Argentina. In July 1834, while returning from the Andes physician who also used water cure, homeopathic medi- down to the coast of Chile, he fell so ill that he spent a cines and other unorthodox treatments. This remarkable month in bed. series of experiences changed the history of science. When Darwin was just 16 years old, he spent a summer as an apprentice to his father, who was a medical doctor. The Serious Illness and Near Death of Later, he attended Edinburgh University to study Charles Darwin Since 1837, Darwin was frequently incapacitated with For reprints and all correspondence: Dana Ullman, Homeopathic Educational Services, 2124 Kittredge St., Berkeley, CA. Tel: 510-649- episodes of stomach pains, vomiting, severe boils, heart 0294; Fax: 510-649-1955; E-mail: [email protected] palpitations, trembling and other symptoms. Today, ß The Author(s) 2009. Published by Oxford University Press. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc/2.5/uk/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original workis properly cited. 34 The Curious Case of Charles Darwin and Homeopathy some physicians have speculated that Darwin caught and their seven children) (4). Dr Gully and his health spa Chagas disease from insect bites in South America, were situated in Malvern (just southwest of Birmingham), while others have suggested that he suffered from around 150 miles from the Darwin’s home. Me´nie` re’s disease, but the orthodox physicians of Virtually every biography of Charles Darwin references Darwin’s day had no idea what his problem was, and his health problems and acknowledges that the one phys- all of their treatments simply made him worse. ician who provided the effective treatment to him was Dr [Recently, some scientists have speculated that Darwin James Manby Gully. However, most of these biographies suffered from systemic lactose intolerance (1), but this make reference to Dr Gully as a ‘hydrotherapist’, and remains speculation and may at best represent only one only few mention that he was a homeopathic physician. aspect of a more complex disease syndrome.] After being at Dr Gully’s spa for just 9 days, Darwin In 1847, Darwin’s illness worsened. Again he experi- lamented that Gully had prescribed homeopathic medi- enced frequent episodes of vomiting and weakness, but cine to him: ‘I grieve to say that Dr Gully gives me now he also experienced fainting spells and seeing spots homeopathic medicines three times a day, which I take in front of his eyes. In March, 1849, he was so sick that obediently without an atom of faith.’ Darwin continued: he thought he was dying. Darwin wrote to his good ‘I like Dr Gully much – he is certainly an able man’ (5). friend, J.D. Hooker, an English botanist, that he was The fact that Darwin saw Gully as being ‘able’ was still ‘unable to do anything one day out of three & was alto- not enough to convince him that homeopathic medicines gether too dispirited to write to you or to do anything were effective. but what I was compelled. I thought I was rapidly going The 1846 edition of Dr Gully’s book was during his the way of all flesh’ (2). earlier stage of experience in using homeopathic medi- It is indeed difficult to say that Charles Darwin would cines. In this edition of his book, Gully notes his use of have been healthy enough to live another 10 years, let homeopathic medicines, though he doubts its efficacy in alone to work as diligently on the body of work that his certain chronic diseases. He wrote in the first edition of seminal book required for its publication in 1859 unless his book, ‘although I might be induced to try to subdue a some type of effective treatment significantly improved passing but troublesome symptom, I could not trust to his health. Lucky for all of humanity, Charles Darwin remove the essential nature of a chronic malady by sought out a different type of medical care and experi- homeopathic means’ (p. 83) (3). enced a profound improvement in his health. However, by 1848, Dr Gully became a formal member of the British Society of Homeopathy (6), and he main- tained his membership through at least 1871 (7). In sub- Dr James Manby Gully: Homeopath and sequent editions of his book, his favorable experiences Hydrotherapist with homeopathy led him to change his writings on the subject. In the 5th edition of this book (1856), for It was Capt. Sullivan of the HMS Beagle who initially instance, he writes that distinct from the use of conven- told Darwin about a different type of medical treatment tional medicines in the treatment of chronic constipation provided by Dr James Manby Gully (1808–1883). One where drugs do not cure and lead to relapse, it is signifi- of Darwin’s cousins, William Darwin Fox, told him cantly different with homeopathic care: ‘In fact, cases that two friends had benefited greatly from Gully’s abound in which homeopathic treatment alone has effec- care. Dr Gully, a medical graduate of the University of tually and permanently cure habitual costiveness’ (p. 48). Edinburgh, was an unyielding opponent of the use of In reference to the treatment of headaches, the use of drugs of that era. Gully was particularly critical of poly- homeopathic medicines is ‘not only justifiable but desir- pharmacy, the common practice of using multiple drugs able’ (p. 48). concurrent for a patient, a practice that continues today Finally, Gully continues by asserting, ‘Homeopathic (3). Gully’s medical practice did not simply provide water practitioners have observed that patients under the water cure and dietary advice; he also prescribed homeopathic cure are more susceptible to the action of their remedies medicines and recommended medical clairvoyant read- than other persons, and that therefore the results may be ings. In 1846, he had authored a popular book entitled more accurately calculated. I have found this assertion Water Cure in Chronic Disease (3) that Darwin was to be substantially correct; and it confirms the vivifying known to have read. influence of the water cure over the bodily functions’ Darwin chose to go to seek care from Dr Gully, and (p. 48). Gully’s observation that the use of concurrent decided to take the entire family with him (wife Emma treatment of water cure and homeopathic medicine eCAM 2010;7(1) 35 seems to echo the experiences of naturopathic physicians and the Physician to Queen Victoria (1841–1861), Forbes who have been known to use these treatments together was viciously attacked for his minor praise of homeop- along with nutritional advice since the 19th century. athy, and many British physicians withdrew their sub- And even though Darwin was extremely skeptical of scription to his previously popular journal, leading to water-cure and homeopathic medicine, just two days the fatal demise of this previously successful journal (10).