Hahnemann

Hahnemann, Samuel (Samuel Hahnemann, 1755-1843), creator of the homeopathic method of treatment, born in Saxony, graduated from the medical faculty of the University of Leipzig and in 1779 received the degree of Doctor of Medicine at Erlangen. Having engaged in medical practice, H. soon became convinced of the extreme limitations of his specialized knowledge, became disillusioned with the medicine of his time and with the practical methods of treatment, and, abandoning practice, entered private service as a librarian, where he intensively engaged in expanding his knowledge in medicine, chemistry and other branches of knowledge. In 1790, H., translating from English the 'Materia medica' of Edinburgh Professor Cullen, drew his attention to the effect of cinchona bark in fever. In connection with the basic idea of 'leading medicine out of the wilderness of phraseology and returning it to experience, which will make it possible to know the truth,' H. began to take twice a day half an ounce of cinchona powder and obtained symptoms similar to intermittent fever. This experience H. called 'the morning dawn of the healing science, dawning to the clearest day,' and continued to conduct experiments with various other medicinal substances in regard to their action on the healthy human organism. As a result, H. came to the conviction that medicinal substances cause in the organism the same phenomena as the diseases against which these medicines act specifically. In 1796, H. wrote: 'One must imitate nature, which sometimes cures chronic disease through another, new disease, and one should apply against the disease to be cured such a medicinal substance which is capable of causing another, as similar as possible artificial disease, and the first will thus be cured - similia similibus curentur.' In 'Experimental Medicine' (1805), H. says that 'the recognition of medicinal symptoms from the whole group of symptoms of natural diseases is the business of inductive minds of the highest order and must be left exclusively to masters in the art of observation.' In 1810, H. published the 'Organon' - a catechism of the new doctrine called homeopathy (see). In this work the law was proclaimed: 'let like be cured by like' (similia similibus curentur). In 1812, Hahnemann returned to Leipzig and from this time until 1820 he gave a course of lectures on homeopathy at the university, titling it 'Rational Medicine.' Having established the principle of similarity, Hahnemann again took up medical practice, applying against vomiting emetic substances, against excitement - exciting substances, etc., and at the same time introduced the medicines in large doses; from such treatment the patients did not get better but worse, until H. in 1799 did not switch to small doses. In his doctrine of medicinal substances, H. developed in particular detail the necessity of treatment with minimal doses, the so-called homeopathic, or infinitesimal, doses which acquire special dynamic properties through trituration, grinding and mixing. 'Medicines, as they are diluted, not only do not lose their strength, but become even more powerful, even more penetrating, there occurs a positive increase in the strength of the medicine, its spiritualization, the true and amazing revelation and embodiment of its spirit,' writes H. in the edition of the 'Organon' in 1825-1827. In 'Reine Arzneimittellehre,' as well as in the 'Organon,' H. developed his views in detail on the essence of the life process, on disease, on the meaning and development of symptoms, on the causes of diseases, considering the spiritual principle as the basis and essence of life and ignoring the matter of the organism. Possessing the art of oratory, great critical abilities and being extraordinarily well-read, H. attacked medicine with its methods of treatment and in sharp forms finally broke all connection with school medicine - 'allopathy'; H. widely propagated his system of treatment - 'homeopathy' and acquired students and followers. In 1820, H. was forced to leave Leipzig, settled in the quiet town of Köthen, where he quickly created for himself a huge practice, at the same time engaging in literary work. In 1830, H. moved to France and there, as in Germany, tirelessly propagated his system of treatment and found followers among physicians, and even more so among the general public. From Germany and France, the teaching of homeopaths spread to European states and penetrated to America, where it received the widest distribution. H.'s undeniable merit lies in the fact that he emphasized the importance of hygiene and dietetics and sharply opposed bloodletting, emetic, laxative, vesicatory and other methods of treatment, which physicians of his era very much abused. H.'s main works: 'Organon der rationellen Heilkunde' (Dresden, 1810; 7th ed., Köthen, 1881); 'Fragmenta de viribus medicamentorum positivis' (Lpz., 1805); 'Reine Arzneimittellehre' (Dresden, 1811). Separate articles by H. are collected in the two-volume edition - 'Opuscula' (Dresden-Lpz., 1829-34).