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In the late 1700s, Dr. Christian Fredrick Samuel Hahnemann, a physician, chemist, and linguist in Germany , proposed a new approach to treating illness. This was at a time when the most common medical treatments were harsh, such as bloodletting, purging, blistering, and the use of sulphur and mercury. At the time, there were few effective medications for treating patients, and knowledge about their effects was limited.
Dr. Hahnemann was interested in developing a less-threatening approach to medicine. The first major step reportedly was when he was translating Cullen's Materia Medica and read about the treatment (Cinchona bark) used to cure malaria. He took some (Cinchona) bark and observed that, as a healthy person, he developed symptoms that were very similar to malaria.
This led Dr. Hahnemann to consider that a substance may create symptoms that it can also relieve. This concept is called the "Similia Principle" or "like cures like." The similia principle had a prior history in medicine, from Hippocrates in Ancient Greece -who noted, for example, that recurrent vomiting could be treated with an emetic (such as Ipecacuanha) that would be expected to make it worse-to contemporary medicine. |
Another way to view "like cures like" is that symptoms are part of the body's attempt to heal itself-for example, a fever can develop as a result of an immune response to an infection, and a cough may help to eliminate mucus-and medication may be given to support this self-healing response.
Dr. Hahnemann tested single, pure substances on him and, in more dilute forms, on healthy volunteers. He kept meticulous records of his experiments and participants' responses, and he combined these observations with information from clinical practice, the known uses of herbs and other medicinal substances, and toxicology, eventually treating the sick and developing homeopathic clinical practice.
Dr. Hahnemann added two additional elements to Homoeopathy:
1 . "Potentization," which holds that systematically diluting a substance, with vigorous shaking at each step of dilution, makes the remedy more, effective by extracting the vital essence of the substance. If dilution continues to a point where the substance's molecules are gone, Homoeopathy holds that the "memory" of them-that is, the effects they exerted on the surrounding water molecules-may still be therapeutic.
2. "Individualisation" a concept that treatment should be selected based upon a total picture of an individual and his symptoms, not solely upon symptoms of a disease. Homeopaths evaluate not only a person's physical symptoms but her emotions, mental states, lifestyle, nutrition, and other aspects. In Homoeopathy, different people with the same symptoms may receive different homeopathic remedies.
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An illness is treated with a medicine which could produce similar symptoms in a healthy person. The active ingredients are given in a highly dilute form to avoid toxicity which means that homeopathic remedies are extremely safe.
Homeopathy is successful in treating a wide range of conditions, even after conventional medicine has failed. In many instances Homeopathy can use alongside the conventional medicine to reduce the side effects and therapeutic dose of conventional medicines.
Homeopathy also has particular value in the treatment of chronic conditions that do not respond well to conventional treatments such as Eczema, Arthritis and Premenstrual symptoms.
The Homoeopathic principles formulated by Dr. Hahnemann still holds true although Psora, Syphilis and Sycosis has traveled the distance of about 200 years to reach the present day to denature invariably every body's vital force (the site of action for cure in Homoeopathy).
Now, more than a century and a half has passed after Dr. Hahnemann's death yet there has been no one who can even be a pale image of this colossus. Such was his greatness; but that should not stop us from trying to emulate him, as in the process we may be able to follow him.
Let us engage ourselves in the pursuit of Dr. Hahnemann's vision - "The Physician's high and only mission is to restore the sick to health, to cure, as it is termed" and we can be sure that Homoeopathy has a lot to offer to us to the patients and to the society at large.
Let us pledge to exert, try and sweat in the pursuit of lofty ideals of Dr. Hahnemann with utmost earnestness and without deviating even slightly from the principles he espoused and lived till the very end.
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| Hahnemannian Oath |
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"On my honour I swear that I shall practice the teachings of Homoeopathy, perform my duty, render justice to my patients, and help the sick whomsoever comes to me for treatment.
May the teachings of master Hahnemann inspire me and may I have the strength for fulfillment of my mission" |
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With this firm belief that the time has come for Homoeopathy to find its due place as a system of medicine for the welfare of the society, we, at Solan Homoeopathic Medical College & Hospital surge forward with all our might by adhering to the noble principles our master has laid down.
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