A Brief History of Homeopathy

A Brief History of Homeopathy In the 18th century, the practice of medicine was often more dangerous than it was curative. Mercury-containing compounds (e.g., calomel), which were used to treat gonorrhea and syphilis, often lead to mercurial poisoning. Toxic herbs were also part of medical practice, as were bleeding and purging. During this period, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician, became increasingly disappointed with the way medicine was practiced. He eventually decided to leave medicine and make his living translating medical books (Hahnemann was fluent in several languages). While translating Cullen’s Materia Medica (a text which details the therapeutic and toxic effects of natural substances), Hahnemann became interested in the author’s proposed mechanism of action for the drug Cinchona, which contains the alkaloid quinine. Cinchona, also called Peruvian bark, was used in Hahnemann’s time to treat “swamp fever” or malaria. In this particular text, the curative properties of Peruvian bark were attributed to its bitterness. Hahnemann felt that this was not the real reason for the drug’s effect, because he knew other bitter substances that had no action on malaria. Through self-experimentation, he found that by ingesting 4 grams per day of Peruvian bark, he experienced intermittent chills and fever. This led Hahnemann to conclude: “Peruvian bark cures paroxysms of chills and fever because Peruvian bark produces paroxysms of chills and fever.” He was intrigued that a substance, used to treat an illness, could also cause similar symptoms of that illness when used in large doses. “We must seek drugs which generally provoke a similar, and if possible very similar, illness to the human body.” S. Hahnemann – Organon of the Art of Healing Peruvian Bark Peruvian In order to confirm the concept of “like cures like,” he continued to experiment with various substances and used continually weaker doses in an attempt to reduce toxicity. Through scientific experimentation from 1790 to 1839, Hahnemann and an increasing number of other physicians found that they were often able to relieve patients affected with various illnesses by using very small doses of drugs that, in large doses, caused symptoms similar to that illness’. Hahnemann produced his Materia Medica Pura, which listed the experimental and clinical effects of 99 drugs based on their pharmacodynamic action on healthy persons. A Materia Medica is based on toxicology and pathogenic experiments of pharmacologically active substances. These references detail the functional, general, behavioral and anatomical lesions produced by drugs given in sub-toxic doses. Modern homeopathic Materia Medica also list the homeopathic drug’s indications and regimen. Hahnemann refined his technique and published several editions of his Organon of the Art of Healing. Physicians from Europe, and then from other countries throughout the world, kept perfecting the therapeutic method and adapting it to the constant progress of medicine. MATERIA MEDICA MATERIA “Repeated experimentation shows that the use of small doses is sufficient to cause a favorable effect without causing the violent reaction that would delay healing.” S. Hahnemann – Organon of the Art of Healing In the United States, the first physician practicing homeopathy settled in New York City in 1823. Dr. Constantine Hering opened the first homeopathic hospital in Allentown, PA in 1833. Hering also helped found the Homeopathic Medical College of Pennsylvania, which would merge with Hahnemann Medical College in 1940. In 1844, the American Institute of Homeopathy was created, three years before the American Medical Association. Around the turn of the century (1895), there were an estimated 12,000 homeopathic practitioners and 22 homeopathic hospitals. By 1935, most homeopathic schools had closed in the US., due to a conflict between homeopathic medical societies and the American Medical Association. Finally, Hahnemann Medical College taught its last course on homeopathy in 1940. In 1938, homeopathic medicines were included in the definition of Drugs by the Food and Cosmetic Act. Homeopathy has survived in the U.S. as a result of consumer demand, unlike in Europe, where its use has been maintained by physicians and pharmacists, as well as the public, for over two centuries. But an increasing number of health care professionals are re-discovering its possibilities and integrating homeopathic medicines in their modern practice. Physicians would prepare their medicines themselves and carry them in kits such as this one. But in the 1930, pharmacists started to standardize the methods for manufacturing and controlling homeopathic medicines. HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINES HOMEOPATHIC Hahnemann University Hospital Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia is named after the founder of homeopathy..

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