Who “invented” homeopathy?
At its core, homeopathy is a method of treating diseases and medical conditions invented by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann (17551843) in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and significantly refined as well as popularized by the American James Tyler Kent, M.D. It is based on the theory that each naturally occurring element, plant, and mineral compound will, when ingested or applied, result in certain symptoms. Hahnemann believed that, by diluting these substances in a standardized manner, one could reach the true essence of that substance. Hahnemann described this process of dilution as potentizing (German: potenziert) the substance. These dilute amounts could then be used to treat the very symptoms they were known to produce. Hahnemann and his students approached their treatments in a holistic way, meaning that the whole of the body and spirit is dealt with, not just the localised disease. Hahnemann himself spent extended periods of time with his patients, asking them questi
