Homeopathy

The origin of Homeopathy

During the 1^st to 5^th centuries, Romans physician, Galen and Dioscorides, introduced more herbs into the pharmacopoeias. One of the best examples he provided was using the root of veratrum album in the treatment of cholera. Paracelsus in the early 16^th century laid down the foundations of modern chemistry. He said that plants and metals contained active ingredients that could be prescribed to match an illness.

From the 16^th to the 19^th centuries, medical knowledge in Europe increased. The Pharmacopoeia of Herbal Medicine by Nicholas Culpeper and General History of Plants by John Gerard were published and translated from Latin to English.

The work of Hahnemann:

The founder of homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann studied chemistry and medicine, and used to supplement his income by writing articles and books. He used to protest against harsh medical practices and drastic doses of medicines administered to patients. In the end, he gave up being a doctor and became a translator. By the late 18^th century, active ingredients of herbs and other plants were extracted. The first important breakthrough was when morphine was extracted from Opium in 1803.

In 1790, while translating the Materia Medico of Dr. William Cullen, Hahnemann came across a passage about Peruvian bark. Cullen stated that quinine, which is a substance purified from Peruvian bark was a good treatment of malaria. This made no sense to Hahnemann who, as a chemist, was aware that there were other much more powerful astringents that had no effect on malaria. He decided to investigate further and for several days he dosed himself with quinine and recorded his reactions.

He then went on to repeat the process using other substances that were in use as medicines, such as belladonna and arsenic. This process was called proving.

The symptoms most commonly found for each substance we called keynote symptoms and the combination of symptoms made up a "drug picture." His experiments on a large scale brought about the establishment of a new system of medicine. He started to match the symptom pictures to the drug pictures of various substances and had successful treatment. He called this new system homeopathy. He set out the principles of Homeopathy and began teaching it at the University of Leipzig.

To award or minimize aggravations, Hahnemann devised a two-step process whereby he diluted each remedy and banged it down on a hard surface at each stage of the technique of potentization.

He believed that shaking a remedy allowed the release of the energy of the substance; increasing the intensity of the electrodynamic agent of that substance.

His crucial observation was that the more the substance is shaken and diluted, the greater the therapeutic effect while simultaneously rallying the toxic effect.

This assertion seems to violate our usual understanding of physics and chemistry especially when the dilution reached is beyond numbers; beyond even one molecule of the original substance remaining.

A single dose was able to stimulate the body's healing power. During 19^th century, Hahnemann's philosophy spread rapidly from Germany across Europe to Asia and America.

In 1831 there was a cholera outbreak in central Europe. Hahnemann gave the remedy, which was very successful.

Frederick Foster, one of his followers was one of many people cured of cholera. He set up a homeopathic practice in London and founded the first homeopathic hospital in 1849.

The cholera epidemic of 1854 allowed Dr Quinn the chance to prove the success of homeopathy. Once again the death rate in London homeopathic hospital was 30% less than in other hospitals.

Dr Hering and Kent were two important American homeopaths that continued Hahnemann's work in the States. They devised the laws of cure based on symptoms mounting from the top of the body downwards from inside, from the most important organs to the least. They also believed that the cure occurs in reverse order to the onset of symptoms.