Who Invented Homeopathy?

As he began to entertain ideas that challenged the allopathic model — i.e.,employing drugs that have effects opposite to the symptoms — he found that many other physicians were also looking for less poisonous and deadly alternatives. Working together, these physician-chemist-pharmacists began to test a wide variety of plant, mineral, and animal preparations on themselves. This method of testing and documenting their own personal reactions is what we now call: ‘homeopathic proving’. Their courage in doing this, their skills at perceiving the most subtle reactions, and the fine detail in their documentation is nothing short of amazing!

In my opinion, these physicians were amongst the most ethical of all medical researchers, because they courageously tested their medicines on themselves rather than on animals.

BTW, Hahnemann coined the term ‘homeopathy’ from the Greek term homoios, meaning: ‘similar’; and from pathos, meaning: ‘suffering’. In other words: the medicine is in some way similar to the disease. He also coined the term ‘allopathy’ to describe our current Western medical model. Allo means ‘opposite’. So allopathic medicines are the opposite of the symptoms.

The minimum dose

In exploring this radically new approach to healing, Hahnemann tried significantly reducing the strength or volume of the preparations he was using in his treatments. The doctors of his time, like today, were using massive doses of herbs, metals, etc. The result of this reduction in dosing was patient improvements with fewer toxic reactions. He and his colleagues experimented and diluted the preparations even further, then shook and pounded the bottles, and found that their patients benefitted even more! So quite by accident, the process of preparing homeopathic remedies was born.

There are accounts of nurses in pediatric wards who were astonished at the improved results when small-drop doses of medicines were given. The children recovered much quicker; and the nurses vehemently complained when the doctors didn’t use those diluted medicines.

Then without anything resembling a word processor or computer, these medical pioneers began the tedious process of gathering information garnered from the provings, and from the responses to the drop-doses. These medical texts — called ‘materia medicas’ — hold the most extensive and crucial information available for any person desiring to use homeopathics. We modern homeopaths employ these books and the computer programs based on them every single day!

A simple question from a critical mind

During his early years of questioning and experimenting, Dr. Hahnemann was reading an article by a Scottish physician, Dr. William Cullen — another famous doctor. He was discussing how quinine extracted from the Cinchona bark cured malaria because it was bitter. Cinchona trees are plants native to South America, and called ‘quina-quina’ by the Quechua people, meaning: holy bark. Malaria is a common disease in South America, as it is in many places around the world, and is now showing up here in our more humid states. Some are connecting the use of GMO mosquitos being released for other purposes to the rise of malaria. But, I digress…

Dr. Hahnemann didn’t agree with his Scottish colleague. He thought if the hypothesis of the bitterness being the cure of malaria, then anything bitter could cure malaria — which was clearly not true. A simple question came to his mind: why is Cinchona such a specific and powerful cure for malaria? Quinine is the active ingredient in Cinchona bark. It’s now synthesized in labs, and is the primary cure used for malaria all over the world.

As his story goes, he decided to experiment on himself. He ate small pieces of the bark, and gradually increased the amounts. As he did this he began to feel poorly, and to show symptoms of malaria: fever, headache, chills, muscle aches/pains, vomiting, and diarrhea. All symptoms receded when he stopped eating the bark. He experimented again, fully documenting his symptoms, and once again the symptoms disappeared when he stopped eating the bark. This was the first ‘proving’ of a substance that would later become the standard of practice for adding medicines to the materia medica. After his personal proving of the bark he enlisted other doctors to do the same; and carefully compiled all the information.

A simple answer from a critical mind!

Are you still with me as travel back through time and imagine this man opening up his mind and heart to new ideas? As a trained medical person, I’m in absolute awe of his dedication and love for his medical art and for the people he was able to help.

So if he eliminated the possibility of bitter substances curing malaria, then why did Cinchona bark work? Then he remembered the medical translations and the references to ‘like curing like’. He surmised that Cinchona cured malaria because in it’s raw, toxic doses could cause malaria; and he ‘proved’ it repeatedly. Then he concluded that any substance that could cause symptoms could then cure those symptoms. That was the first huge leap for Hahnemann’s homeopathy.

A compassionate man

From the days of the disgruntled physician drop-out, to a now-excited and passionate doctor with a drive to help heal, Hahnemann was a rebel with a cause.

It was my mentor and homeopathic teacher, Dr. Richard Pitcairn, who showed me the fertile ground from which homeopathy sprang: compassion. I’m not sure if you can say that about many other medical models. But when reading about his life, it’s clear that Dr. Hahnemann’s driving force was the compassion he held in his heart for his patients. He is considered the Father of Modern Medicine because he took us out of the cruel practices of the time. Unfortunately, he is rarely given credit for this.

Thank you so much for reading this blog. I hope you’ve enjoyed going back in time to look at the life of this ‘doctor without mental borders’ who has been an inspiration for me, and a ‘true north’ in my own medical practice.