Who was Samuel Hahnemann and what was he thinking when he developed a system of medicine still in practice after 200 years?
The German physician and chemist was a contemporary of Mozart. He studied to become a doctor but quickly became disillusioned with the conventional practice of medicine. Like popular new- age health practitioners today, Hahnemann advocated the healing power of healthful foods and exercise. But when patients came to him with ailments, he elected not to cure their symptoms of disease, but rather to treat the whole person with specialized, minute doses of natural substances intended to increase the body’s own inherent defenses. Hahnemman developed these medications, commonly called “remedies,” during a lifetime of “provings,” and with seemingly miraculous results: during the deadly 1832 cholera epidemic that swept through Europe, homeopaths claimed a 97% cure rate. As Hahnemann’s body of knowledge increased, so did his following, despite the fact that his detractors (many of whom practiced in the traditional medical arts) ridiculed his work and called it nonsense. Within a short number of
