How and Where Was Homeopathy Discovered?
The medical scenario in 18th century Europe comprised of a plethora of theories and hypothesis as early doctors were busy finding the nature, cause of disease, etc.
None of these theories were exact, and there was no fixed principle of cure known.
The discovery of Homeopathy dates back to the year 1790 and its credit goes to Dr.
Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician and scholar.
Cullen, a professor of medicine at London University had written 20 pages of materia medica describing the medicinal effects of a certain Peruvian bark (cinchona) in his paper.
Dr.
Hahnemann was translating Cullen's materia medica from English to German.
He came across a statement that cinchona cures intermittent fever because of its bitter and astringent properties and was dissatisfied with this explanation because there are many bitter substances which do not produce intermittent fever like cinchona.
As a young doctor, he was curious to know the action of cinchona.
So, Dr.
Hahnemann decided to take cinchona in the form of medicine everyday and consumed four drams of cinchona twice a day.
To his astonishment, he experienced the same medicinal effects of cinchona as described by Cullen.
Thus, a medicinal substance was being taken, or drug proving on humans was done - for the first time in medicine.
From 1790 to 1796, for six long years, Dr.
Hahnemann repeated such experiments on himself, healthy individuals and fellow doctors.
In every experiment, he found the same result and that, 'medicines cure diseases because they produce similar diseases in healthy individuals' or 'like cures like'.
So in 1796, Dr.
Samuel Hahnemann put forward these findings in a popular journal during that time, 'An Essay on New Principle for ascertaining the Curative Powers of Drugs and Some Examinations of Previous Principles'.
He published this newly found doctrine of cure i.
e.
Similia Similibus Curentur or 'like cures like'.
These findings were published in Hufeland's Journal vol.
II, parts 3 and 4.
Dr.
Hahnemann wasn't the first to state the law of similars or like cures like.
In fact, the founder of modern medicine, Hippocrates was the first person to mention this law.
But Dr.
Hahnemann was the first to apply this law to therapeutics & medicine and develop a new science of medical treatment - 'Homoeopathy', as we know today.
Thus, cinchona bark was to Dr.
Hahnemann just as the pendulum was to Galileo and the falling apple was to Sir Isaac Newton.
Interestingly, Dr.
Hahnemann also coined the term 'allopathy', a very popular system of treatment, which means 'treatment by opposites'.
None of these theories were exact, and there was no fixed principle of cure known.
The discovery of Homeopathy dates back to the year 1790 and its credit goes to Dr.
Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician and scholar.
Cullen, a professor of medicine at London University had written 20 pages of materia medica describing the medicinal effects of a certain Peruvian bark (cinchona) in his paper.
Dr.
Hahnemann was translating Cullen's materia medica from English to German.
He came across a statement that cinchona cures intermittent fever because of its bitter and astringent properties and was dissatisfied with this explanation because there are many bitter substances which do not produce intermittent fever like cinchona.
As a young doctor, he was curious to know the action of cinchona.
So, Dr.
Hahnemann decided to take cinchona in the form of medicine everyday and consumed four drams of cinchona twice a day.
To his astonishment, he experienced the same medicinal effects of cinchona as described by Cullen.
Thus, a medicinal substance was being taken, or drug proving on humans was done - for the first time in medicine.
From 1790 to 1796, for six long years, Dr.
Hahnemann repeated such experiments on himself, healthy individuals and fellow doctors.
In every experiment, he found the same result and that, 'medicines cure diseases because they produce similar diseases in healthy individuals' or 'like cures like'.
So in 1796, Dr.
Samuel Hahnemann put forward these findings in a popular journal during that time, 'An Essay on New Principle for ascertaining the Curative Powers of Drugs and Some Examinations of Previous Principles'.
He published this newly found doctrine of cure i.
e.
Similia Similibus Curentur or 'like cures like'.
These findings were published in Hufeland's Journal vol.
II, parts 3 and 4.
Dr.
Hahnemann wasn't the first to state the law of similars or like cures like.
In fact, the founder of modern medicine, Hippocrates was the first person to mention this law.
But Dr.
Hahnemann was the first to apply this law to therapeutics & medicine and develop a new science of medical treatment - 'Homoeopathy', as we know today.
Thus, cinchona bark was to Dr.
Hahnemann just as the pendulum was to Galileo and the falling apple was to Sir Isaac Newton.
Interestingly, Dr.
Hahnemann also coined the term 'allopathy', a very popular system of treatment, which means 'treatment by opposites'.
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