ALBRECHT VON HALLER

Dr. Subhas Singh, Dept of Organon of Medicine, NIH. Dr. Satyajit Naskar, PGT, Dept. of Organon of Medicine, NIH. ABSTRACT:

Master Hahnemann mentioned about Von Haller frequently as a great and immortal personality. This article is little attempt to know about the life and work of this greatest personality and to understand why Hahnemann trusted on him and his work.

KEYWORD: Albrecht von Haller, Hahnemann, Homoeopathy.

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INTRODUCTION:

Albrecht von Haller was one of the greatest personalities of the eighteenth century, may be the most universally learned men of all time. His knowledge in medicine, surgery, anatomy, physiology, botany, literature, scientific bibliography, and public service were simply endless, and he achieved excellence in all of them.

BIRTH7:

Victor Albrecht Von Haller was born on 16th October 1708 in the city Bundesstadt of Switzerland in an old Swiss family. His Mother was Ana Maria Engel and father was Niklaus emanuel Haller.

He was the fifth and last child of Niklaus Emanuel Haller (1672-1721), a jurist in the service of the Republic of Bern, and Anna Maria Engel. His mother died when he was young, and he was raised by his stepmother, Salome Neuhaus. The family was neither rich nor well-connected and had little political influence.

EARLY LIFE7:

In his early life he suffered for long time and this long continued illness prevented him from the usual activities to be done by a normal boy. But this long physical illness can’t prevent his mental growth. He was much intelligent than his age-

 At the age of 4 yrs he used to read and systematically represent the Bible to his father’s servants.  At the age of 10 yrs he sketched a chaldee* grammar, prepared a Greek & Hebrew vocabulary, and compiled a collection of two thousand biographies of famous men and women.  At the age of 15 yrs he translated many writings of Ovid, Horace & Virgill. * The language of the ancient Chaldeans (A member of a people who lived in Chaldea, an ancient country in what is now 4 southern Iraq.)

STUDY7:

Haller received his earliest education from a former pastor. On 1721 when he was only 13yrs he lost his father. He attended public school in Bern for year and a half. From 1722 to 1723 Haller lived in Biel in the house of his step uncle Johann Rudolf Neuhaus (1701-1770), a physician who further guided his studies. Among other subjects, Neuhaus tried to instruct Haller in Cartesian philosophy, but Haller rejected it.

At this time, however, he began to write poetry and decided to become a physician. We do not know who influenced him the most to make this decision, but it is known that it was Samuel Herzog, physician to the city of Basel, who recommended him to study in Tübingen.

In December 1723 at the age of 16 years he entered the University of Tübingen where he studied under Elias Rudolph Camerarius jr. and Johanan Duvemoy. But he was dissatisfied with the study there.

In the year 1725 he went to Leiden University. Haller studied there under the famous Hermann Boerhaave (1668-1738), Bernhard Siegfried Albinus (1697-1770) and graduated as a doctor of medicine 23 May 1727, undertaking successfully in his thesis to prove that the so-called salivary duct, claimed as a recent discovery by Georg Daniel Coschwitz (1679–1729), was nothing more than a blood-vessel. Then spent a year abroad, traveling to universities across Europe, studying mathematics under Johann I Bernoulli at the University of Basel, and hiking in the Alps to collect specimens for his botanical work. The he visited London (Oxford) and Paris. He had many journey through “Alps”.

In 1729 he returned to Bern and started practicing as a physician and earned much reputation as a physician. In 1936 George II called him to hold the chair of Anatomy, Botany & Surgery in University of Göttingen.

While he was in the University of Göttingen he conducted a monthly journal “The Göttingische Gelehrte Anzeigen”. In this journal he contributed more than 1200 articles relating every subject of human knowledge.

He did extensive research work on Botany, Anatomy, physiology and Embryology.

FAMILY8: Haller married three times. He had eight children survived to adulthood.

LATER LIFE8:

End part of his life was devoted to the cataloguing of scientific literature. His Medicinae Practicae was enlisted with 52,000 publications on anatomy, botany, surgery, and medicine. In his study on Swiss vegetation he developed a system of botanical classification considered more logical than that of his Swedish colleague Carolus Linnaeus, known as the father of modern taxonomy.

In 1773 he became seriously ill and stopped almost all his works. He took Opium, which helped him to regain his strength. But excessive use of Opium caused rapid deterioration of his health.

DEATH: He died on 12th December, 1777 in the city Bundesstadt of Switzerland at the age of 69 years.6

DISCOVERIES:

He did active scientific research and contributed many new discoveries. Among his hugely contributions, followings are the few-

 He first recognized mechanism of respiration.9  He first formulated the idea about the function of the heart- contraction of atria and ventricles. He also formulated how the heart automatically beat.8  He first described about nerve impulses and muscles contraction.1  He did extensive microscopical research with chicken embryo and formulated the understanding of the process of generation.8 WRITINGS8:

He is called father of experimental physiology. He wrote many poems, articles and books on anatomy, Physiology, botany, embryology. Among many of his great writings followings are inestimable-  Elementa Phisiologiae Corporis Humani (Physiological elements of the human Body), 8 vol. 1755.  Bibliothecae Medicinae Practicae, 4 Vol. 1776. Haller won a great reputation as a poet with “Versuch schweizerischer Gedichte” (1752), first published anonymously in his brother's publishing house. This contains his most famous poem, “De Alpen”, written in 1729. During his later years he wrote three philosophical romances – “Usong” (1771), “Alfred” (1773), and “Fabius and Cato” (1774) - in which he drew upon his political experiences and expounded his ideas of government. He also wrote on theology; in particular he defended Christianity and politicized against atheism. He did almost 52000 publications on Anatomy, physiology, botany, Medicine & poetry.

ALBRECHT VON HALLER AND HOMOEOPATHY:

Albrecht von Haller is quoted in the footnote to aphorism 108 and in foot note of aphorism 118 in the Organon of Medicine, by the founder of homoeopathy, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann. In aphorism 108 Hahnemann describes how the curative powers of individual medicines can only be ascertained through accurate observation of their specific effects on healthy persons. Hahnemann quoted-

“Not one single physician, as far as I know, during the previous two thousand five hundred years, thought of this so natural, so absolutely necessary and only genuine mode of testing medicines for their pure and peculiar effects in deranging the health of man, in order to learn what morbid state each medicine is capable of curing, except the great and immoral Albrecht von Haller. He alone, besides myself, saw the necessity of this (vide the Preface to the Pharmacopoeia Helvet, Basil, 1771, fol., p.12); Nempe primum in corpore sano medela tentanda est, sine peregrina ulla miscela; odoreque et sapore ejus exploratis, exigua illiu dosis ingerenda et ad ommes, quae inde contingunt, affectiones, quis pulsus, qui calor, quae respiratia, quaenam excretiones, attendum. Inde ad ductum phaenomenorum, in sano obviorum, transeas ad experimenta in corpore aegroro, etc. But no one, not a single physician, attended to or followed up this invaluable hint.”2

The English translation of the Latin Quotation of preface to the PHARMACOPEA HELVET, BASIL is as follows-

"Of course, firstly the remedy must be proved on a healthy body, without being mixed with anything foreign; and when its odour and flavour have been ascertained, a tiny dose of it should be given and attention paid to all the changes of state that take place, what the pulse is, what heat there is, what sort of breathing and what exertions there are. Then in relation to the form of the phenomena in a healthy person from those exposed to it, you should move on to trials on a sick body..." 3

Again in footnote of aphorism no 118 Hahnemann quoted-

“Every medicine exhibits peculiar actions on the human frame, which are not produced in exactly the same manner by any other medicinal substance of a different kind.”2

Foot note to aphorism 118

“This fact was also perceived by the estimable A. v. Haller, who says (Preface to his Hist. stirp. helv.): Latet immensa virium diversitas in iis ipsis plantis, quarum facies externas dudum novimus, animas quasi et quodcunque caelestius habent, nondum perspeximus.”2

English translation of this Latin quotation is-

“A great diversity of strength lies hidden in these plants themselves, whose external features we have long known but whose souls, as it were, and whatever divine element they have, we have not yet perceived.”3

CONCLUSION:

Von Haller was the first person in whole history of medicine, who understood the necessity of proving of drugs (Single, without being admixture with any other substance, in minimum dose) on healthy human being before going to apply it on sick person. He said it but never attempted it. It is Dr. Samuel Hahnemann who attempted and gave the thinking of Albrecht von Haller a practical form and gave the human civilization the gift of gracious god in the form of Homoeopathy.

REFERENCES: 1. Ackerknecht E H; A Short History of Medicine; Revised edition; The John Hopkins university press; London; 1982. 135. 2. Singh M & Singh S; Organon of medicine 6th & 5th editions, by Sameul Hahnemann, English translation of 5th edition & appendix by R.E. Dudgeon and of 6th edition by William Boericke, corrected, re-translated & redacted, First ed. – 2004, Homoeopathic publications, Kolkata. 2004.304, 308. 3. O’Reilly W B; Organon of the medical art by Dr Samuel Hahnemann; First Indian edition; B. Jain Publishers(P) Ltd.; New Delhi; 2010. 145,150. 4. Concise Oxford English Dictionary; 11th edition; Oxford university press; 2007. 5. http://www.famousscientists.org/albrecht-von-haller. 6. http://embryo.asu.edu/pages/albrecht-von-haller. 7. http://www.nndb.com/people/677/000096389. 8. http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/3200.html.