Homeopathy

Anthony Campbell

Homoeopathy is a system of medicine that originated in the work of a German doctor, Samuel Christian Hahnemann (1755-1843). He qualified in the orthodox medicine of his day but became disillusioned with its methods and ceased to practise for many years. As a result of experiments on himself he was led to formulate his homoeopathic principle: "Let likes be cured by likes". This is similar though not identical to vaccination; the idea is to take a small dose of a substance whose effects are similar to those of the disease from which you are suffering. For example, the symptoms of scarlet fever are a flushed skin and perhaps delirium; these are mimicked by Belladonna (Deadly Nightshade), which is thus a homoeopathic treatment for scarlet fever. Using this principle, Hahnemann returned to the practice of medicine and soon became very successful.

Later, Hahnemann introduced other ideas into his system; these included the use of very dilute preparations and a theory of chronic disease. He also came to base homoeopathy on vitalistic ideas; he believed that disease is due to derangement of the vital force and that homoeopathic medicines act by stimulating this force.

Homeopathy spread to many other countries in the second half of the nineteenth century, especially the USA, and it changed in various ways as the years went by. Today, some prescribers practise what they call classic homoeopathy (the use of single medicines in highly dilute form) while others use mixtures of medicines (complex homoeopathy); there are other versions as well. Homoeopathy is practised by orthodox doctors and also by practitioners without an orthodox medical qualification. A wide range of disorders can be treated but most practitioners regard homoeopathy as complementary to orthodox treatment rather than as an alternative.

Homoeopathy differs from orthodox medicine in many ways but principally because the prescriptions are supposed to be individualized for the patient being treated. Thus, three patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis might be given three different medicines, depending on the symptoms in each case. In addition, homoeopaths may take into account various characteristics of the patient not connected with the disease, such as food and weather preferences, mood changes, and other matters. Much of the appeal of homoeopathy depends on this individualization.

Books on homoeopathy are of several kinds. Some are intended for practitioners or for patients wishing to treat themselves; these are not considered here. Others are intended to inform the general public about homoeopathy or to go in depth into the underlying philosophy; the bibliography makes some suggestions in these areas. A peculiarity of the homoeopathic literature is that many of the best books were written in the nineteenth century. These early books are nearly all available in Indian editions.

Dr Anthony Campbell is a consultant physician at Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital, Director, Research Unit, R.L.H.H., Hon Editor, British Homoeopathic Journal. Books: 'The Sacred Malady' (1967), 'Seven States of Consciousness' (1973), 'The Mechanics of Enlightenment' (1975), The Two Faces of Homoeopathy' (1984), 'The Natural Health Handbook' (1985), 'Acupuncture' (1987), 'Natural Selection Versus Natural Medicine' (1997).

Key texts

Hahnemann, S.C. (1979). The Organon of Medicine, 5th Edition, Trans. R.E. Dudgeon. Reprinted 1985. New Delhi: Jain.
This is Hahnemann's own account of his system. It went through six editions; the last was published posthumously. There are big differences from one edition to the next and especially between the fifth and sixth. There are many translations available. If you read only one, the fifth is probably the one to choose since many homoeopathic writers, including Kent (see below) never saw the sixth. Hahnemann is not easy to read, even in translation, and it is probably best to begin with later authors.

Hahnemann, S.C. (1896). The Chronic Diseases: Their Specific Nature and Homeopathic Cure. Trans. L.H. Tafel. Philadelphia: Boericke and Tafel.
Hahnemann's account of his (very controversial) theory of chronic disease. Only Vol. 1 deals with this; other volumes describe the medicines to be used in chronic disease.

Haehl, R. (1922). Samuel Hahnemann: His Life and Work. (2 vols.) Leipzig.
The main source for Hahnemann's life and career. Essential reading if you want to go into into the subject in depth. For a shorter account, see Cook (below).

Cook, T.M. (1981). Samuel Hahnemann: The Founder of Homoeopathic Medicine. Wellingborough: Thorsons. ISBN 0-7225-0689-9.
A concise and readable introduction to to Hahnemann's life and career, giving a vivid picture of his ceaseless peregrinations in his early years before homeopathy.

Dudgeon, R.E. (1854). Lectures on the Theory and Practice of Homeopathy. London.
Dudgeon was one of the earliest recruits to homoeopathy in Britain and is still one of the most readable. He writes with a light touch, although some parts are dated and judicious skipping is indicated. Dudgeon knew German and gives a good insight into the state of homoeopathy on the Continent in his day.

Hughes, R. (1902). The Principles and Practice of Homoeopathy. London.
An authoritiative account of homoeopathy as practised in Britain in the late nineteenth century. A considerable change came about in the early twentieth century and Hughes's writings fell into neglect; however, they still repay study today. Only for serious students, however.

Kent, J.T. (1900). Lectures on Homoeopathic Philosophy. Reprinted 1982: New Delhi: Jain.
Kent was an American homeopath who belonged to the school that blended homeopathy with Swedenborgianism. Homoeopathy almost died out in the USA after his time but his ideas became very influential in Britan and largely replaced those of Hughes and his contemporaries. They are still in vogue among many homoeopaths.

Campbell, A. (1984). The Two Faces of Homoeopathy. London: Robert Hale. ISBN 0-7090-1876-2.
This is a historical account of the origins and development of homoeopathy. It is one of the very few books that explain how Kent's version of homeopathy came to replace the more `scientific' version of homoeopathy current in Britain in the nineteenth century, and so contributed to the isolation of homoeopathy from mainstream medicine that obtained until recently.

Blackie, M.G. (1986). The Patient, Not the Cure: The Challenge of Homoeopathy. London: Macdonald and Janes. ISBN 0-356-08312-8.
Marjorie Blackie was one of the best known homoeopathic physicians in recent years and was Physician to the Queen. She was a follower of Kent and her book reflects this. It is written at a popular level and makes no attempt to be critical, but it is very readable. A good book to begin with if you know very little about the subject.