The
Historical
Perspective
Samuel Christian Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy . As a practicing physician and author of several books on chemistry and medicine, Hahnemann vigorously opposed the medical practices of the 1700's. He believed that bloodletting, purging, and the massive doses of medicines prescribed to patients was unnecessary in treating the ailments. Hahnemann was a proponent of good clean living, better public hygiene and being one with the elements of nature.
The
First
Proving
The
first
major
breakthrough
occurred
in
1803
in
Germany
when
Friedrich
Serturner
was
able
to
extract
and
isolate
morphine
from
the
opium
poppy.
In
1790,
while
translating
A
Treatise
on
Materia
Medica,
by
Dr
William
Cullen,
Hahnemann
came
across
a
passage
about
the
properties
of
Peruvian
bark,
or
cinchona,
which
was
to
radically
change
his
life.
Cullen's
research
showed
that
an
extract
named
quinine,
obtained
by
purifying
the
bark
of
the
cinchona
tree
was
a
good
treatment
for
malaria,
especially
due
to
its
astringent
qualities.
This
literature
made
no
sense
to
Hahnemann,
who
as
a
chemist
had
known
more
powerful
astringents
than
quinine
and
yet
had
no
effect
on
treating
malaria.
Being
a
scientist,
Hahnemann
decided
to
conduct
an
experiment
and
dosed
himself
with
quinine
for
several
days
and
began
recording
his
reactions.
To
his
great
astonishment,
he
began
developing
the
symptoms
of
malaria,
even
though
he
did
not
suffer
from
the
disease.
The
symptoms
occurrence
coincided
with
his
ingestion
of
quinine
and
ceased
the
moment
he
stopped
the
experiment.
This
initial
process
of
validating
his
beliefs
in
the
properties
of
quinine
is
called
the
"The
First
Proving".
Hahnemann
continued
his
research
on
people
he
knew
well
and
documented
his
results
in
great
detail.
He
followed
the
testing
of
quinine
with
medicines
such
as
arsenic
and
belladonna.
This
lay
the
foundation
of
the
system
of
medicine
known
as
homeopathy.
Homeopathy
is
derived
from
two
Greek
words
"homoeos"
meaning
similar
and
"pathos"
meaning
suffering.
Translated
literally,
it
means
"similar
suffering".
It
is
a
system
of
medicine
propounded
by
Dr.
Samuel
Hahnemann,
a
German
physician,
a
little
over
200
years
ago.
The
Birth
of
Homeopathy
The
orthodox,
or
allopathic
system
of
medicine
prevalent
at
that
time
was
a
medicine
of
theories
and
a
medicine
of
experience.
Treatment
of
patients
was
not
based
on
based
on
any
fixed
principles.
The
commonest
method
of
treating
diseases
was
venesection
or
bloodletting,
leeching,
branding
(to
drive
away
evil
spirits)
and
other
such
barbaric
means
to
remove
the
disease
from
the
patient.
Many
people
died
as
a
result
of
this
treatment
than
the
actual
disease
itself!
Most
physicians
were
quite
contented
and
satisfied
with
this
practice
of
medicine,
but
Dr.
Hahnemann,
who
had
a
successful
practice,
had
his
reservations
about
the
allopathic
system
of
medicine
and
in
disgust,
he
quit
his
practice.
In
order
to
survive,
he
started
translating
books,
since
he
was
fluent
in
German,
French,
English
and
Latin.
In one such book- a Materia Medica by Dr. Cullen, he came across a statement that was difficult to believe. Dr. Cullen had written that the Peruvian or Cinchona bark could cure malaria because it was bitter and had astringent properties. Now he knew of many other substances that were bitter and astringents, but they did not cure malaria. He took a few grains of the powder of Cinchona daily, and soon developed all the symptoms of malaria- the chills, body ache and fever. He realized that Cinchona cured malaria not because it was bitter, but because it had the capacity to produce symptoms similar to malarial fever.
Thus was born Homeopathy- Similar Suffering, and the law of cure- Similia Similibus Curentur, that is, ‘let likes be cured by likes’. In simple terms, it means, " any substance that can produce a set of signs and symptoms in a healthy person can be used to cure a similar set of signs and symptoms in a diseased person".
Homeopathy has a great deal to offer. With this different approach to illness, a homeopath can help patients with diseases generally considered incurable by conventional medicine.
So the next time you need to visit a doctor, try a gentler, safer and holistic alternative. Go for homeopathy