DR.SAMUEL HAHNEMANN (1755-1843) :
Ahead of his time
by
Dr.Rajesh Shah
The system of homoeopathic medicine was introduced
to the world by a German scientist
Dr.Samuel F. Hahnemann during the years 1793-96.
The bicentenary of homoeopathy is being celebrated this year.
On the 10th April, it is 239th birth anniversary of Dr.Hahnemann.
One of the most leading contemporary homoeopaths
George Vithoulcas says about Dr.Hahnemann :
With time, I am certain that this man will rank
as one of the greats in history, alongside such giants of
discovery as Einstein, Newton and Hippocrates.
In this article Dr.Rajesh Shah gives
bird's eye view of Dr.Hahnemann's exceptionally remarkable
contribution to the medical world.
Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, father of homoeopathy, lesser known and
under-appreciated medical scientist of sovereign caliber, his
239th birth anniversary falls on 10 th April 1993. He was a great
experimenter, original thinker, thorough scientist, a genius who
dared to live ahead of his time.
He was born when it was dark : Those were the days when patients
were treated with inhuman and cruel methods of blood letting
(cutting the veins to remove impure blood), application of
Leeches on skin to suck impure blood, purgatives etc. Medical
system had no direction, no scientific principles, no light.
His childhood : Hahnemann was born as a son to a porcelain
painter in Meissen, a town in West Germany. His father used to
provide him `thinking exercise' by locking him up in a room for
hours. Hahnemann cultivated the habit of original thinking since
childhood.
His Youth : Hahnemann was a linguist, he knew German, Latin,
Greek, French, English, Italian etc. He had deep interest in
Chemistry, Botany, Literature, Natural Sciences, Philosophy, etc.
He had written several articles on these diverse subjects. He
received his M.D. degree from the most famous medical school in
Leipzig, Germany, in the year 1779. After a short time, he gave
up his practice since he felt that the system of medicine then
practiced was cruel, inhuman, unscientific and without any logic.
He maintained his family chiefly by literary work, translations
and research work. For forty years it was Hahnemann's custom to
sit up the whole of one night out of every four; working,
translating, studying and writing.
TRANSLATING COOLIN'S BOOK : While translating Coolin's materia
medica, was amazed by a statement : "Cinchona Bark (Quinine)
cures Malaria because it is bitter in taste." Hahnemann found
this very illogical and he started experimenting on himself, by
taking two spoonful of Quinine three times daily. To his
surprise, he started developing some effects of quinine, viz.
fever, chill, exhaustion, etc. The fever was of periodic type
(intermittent fever). These symptoms which he developed after
quinine intake, were very similar to the symptoms of Malaria !
His genius mind interpreted that Quinine cures Malaria because it
produces symptoms like Malaria. He experimented with various
vegetables, chemicals and toxins to prove that : The substance
which has capacity to produce certain symptoms, it also has
capacity to remove/cure similar symptoms. And thus the first
fundamental principle called "THE LAW OF SIMILARS" was propounded
and Homoeopathy was born.
DRUG PROVING ON HUMAN BEINGS : Hahnemann was occupied in the work
of investigating the effects of various medicinal substances on
human beings. He was testing such drugs on himself and his
students to note different effects very minutely. Such a work
was never done in the history prior to Hahnemann. He tested and
proved carefully the action of over 90 drugs, to be used
according to his new system of medicine. The entire procedure
of drug proving was done on healthy humans and not on animals.
LIKE ANY OTHER GENIUS : He was treating hundreds of patients and
producing amazing results. The physicians practicing orthodox
medicine were annoyed and could not tolerate his novel scientific
method and his success. With political pressure, he was
given the choice of stopping homoeopathic practice or leaving the
country. While he received rejection from various places to settle
down, thousands of patients from all over Europe kept coming to
him for treatment, wherever he was ! A domineering medical group
appointed one Dr. Hering to prove that Hahnemann and Homoeopathy
were baseless. Dr. Hering, while doing so, was so much impressed
that he became Hahnemann's pupil and later on wrote 10 volumes of
"Encyclopedia of Materia Medica" ! Of course, Hahnemann's
struggle ultimately bore fruit, and was appreciated all over
Europe in his days. Hundreds of doctors started learning and
practicing homoeopathy.
In the year 1810, he published one of the most revolutionary
books of the medical history : "Organon of Medicine" , in which
he came up with most scientific, novel and time tested concepts
about health, disease, life, treatment, cure etc. Let us have a
look at some of them.
(a) Vital Force : Hahnemann said that human body is not mere
material but consists of dynamic, spirit like power, which he
termed as `Vital Force'. This vital force is responsible for the
animation of life, for the maintenance of health, for the
development of disease and also for the recovery from the
disease.
(b) Health and Disease : Health is a state of balanced vital
force. Any disturbance in the vital state results into diseases.
Disease is nothing but dis-eased vital force. Disease is not
material but dynamic in nature. Disease is dynamic disturbance of
the vital force which expresses itself by physical symptoms.
(c) Cure : Cure is nothing but the restoration of dis-eased vital
force. Restoration of vital force has to be brought about with
the medicine which has to be of similar dynamic nature.
(d) Similar and Dynamic Remedy : The medicine which has capacity
to produce disease like symptoms in healthy human being, should
be administered to cure similar symptoms in a patient. This
medicine or remedy has to have `dynamic power' and should not be
`crude'. There should be no `material', no `crude' substance in
the remedy, but only dynamic curative power.
(e) Potentisation : Hahnemann gave the most revolutionary concept
and method about drug-power and preparation. Even current
nuclear science is not able to understand and explain the nature
and form of homoeopathic medicines. He invented a method of drug
preparation, in which the end result will contain only the
"dynamic power" of the drug substance, without even a single atom
of the drug ! The homoeopathic medicines are in `potentised'
(attenuated) form and possess only dynamic-spirit like energy,
whose efficacy can be tested over and again.
(f) Minimum doses and single remedy : Hahnemann's intelligence
gave another basic principle;that of minimum dose. He said, to
bring about the desired change in human vitality, the amount of
quantity (dose) of medicine required is the least possible.
Single medicine has to be administered to any patient, at a time.
Homoeopathy never approves any combination of medicines.
(g) Inherited diseases and Genetics : Hahnemann was the first
person in the history who highlighted about the inherited disease
tendency (from parents and forefathers) and introduced the
terminology of `Miasms'. Not only was he able to recognise the
role of genetic influence on health but was also able to
discover the remedial measures to neutralize or blunt the
tendencies of hereditary diseases by finding out anti-miasmatic
remedies. In this regard homoeopathy is much ahead of time !
(h) Bacteria and Vaccination and Immunity : Hahnemann (1755-1843)
was among the first to recognise the role of Bacteria for disease
development. Jenner (1749-1823) was the first to use vaccine
(based on Hahnemann's 'Law of similars') in the year 1796.
Father of Bacteriology, Louis Pasteur (1822-95), first used
inoculation long after the birth of homoeopathy. Homoeopathic
medicine called `Hydrophobinum' prepared from rabid dog's saliva,
was in used by homoeopaths long before Pasteur introduced vaccine
prepared from rabid dog's saliva. Homoeopathic medicine called
as `Tuberculinum' was in use before Robert Koch (1843-1910)
discovered TB organisms. Of course, Tuberculinum was prepared
from TB. germs. Von Behring (1854-1917), who was called as father
of Vaccine therapy, was born 12 years after the Hahnemann's
death. In fact, Von Behring had acknowledged his debts to
Homoeopathy.
Before the concept of bacteria as cause of disease was brought
forth,bacteria were recognised and also used as medicinal agents
by Dr.Hahnemann and his followers. The concept of vaccination has
it's roots in the principles of Homoeopathy. Dr.Hahnemann must
be recognised as one of the foremost Bacteriologists and it would
be without any exaggeration to call him the real father of
vaccination.
(i) Not Bacteria but host factors : In those days scientists were
busy discovering various bacteria and microbes, emphasizing their
0prime role, in disease development. Hahnemann was a very advanced
thinker. He realized that bacteria can do nothing without the
susceptibility (vulnerability) of the host-patient. Modern
immunologist have realised this fact only since a few decades.
(j) Psychosomatism : Mind and Body : Hahnemann was most modern in
his views on the role of mind for the development of the physical
disease. He associated the mind and body relation with health
disease and cure. Not only that but he also could present to the
world very definite therapeutics based on such Psychosomatic
correlation.
(k) Individualisation : Hahnemann said there are no diseases but
diseased individuals. Human being is a wholesome entity where no
organ of the body is affected in isolation. You have to treat
the patient as a whole and the disease will be spontaneously
cured. He said, treat the patient and not the disease.
Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, whose contribution for the suffering
humanity has been unique. We have yet to fully comprehend some of
his concepts especially regarding drug dynamization. Let us
salute this man of greatest caliber who dared to think beyond his
time.
QUOTING DR.HAHNEMANN :
" The Physician's high and only mission is to restore the sick to
health."
" The highest ideal of cure is rapid, gentle and permanent
restoration of the health, or removal and annihilation of the
disease in its whole extend, in the shortest, most reliable and
most harmless way, on easily comprehensible principles.
(Ref.:`Organon of Medicine' by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, 1810)
"Aude Sapere" Meaning : "Dare to be wise". This phrase was
printed on the top of the first page of `Organon of Medicine'.
As per Dr.Hahnemann's wish, the following words were engraved on
his tombstone : `Non inutilis vixi' which means " I have not
lived in vain."
Copyright © Dr.Rajesh Shah, 1999-2000 Al rights reserved.
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