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SamuelHahnemann
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ChristianFriedrichSamuelHahnemann(German:[hanman]10

SamuelHahnemann

April1755[1]2July1843)wasaGermanphysician,bestknownfor
creatingthesystemofalternativemedicinecalledhomeopathy.
Contents[hide]
1 Earlylife
2 Medicalpractice
2.1 Creationofhomeopathy
2.2 Developmentofhomeopathy
2.3 Thecoffeetheoryofdisease
3 Laterlife
4 Descendants
5 Writings
6 Seealso
7 Notes
8 References
9 Furtherreading

AdaguerrotypeofSamuelHahnemannin1841

10 Externallinks

Earlylife

[ edit ]

Born

10April1755
Meissen,ElectorateofSaxony

Died

2July1843(aged88)
Paris,France

ChristianFriedrichSamuelHahnemannwasborn

Nationality German

inMeissen,Saxony,nearDresden.HisfatherChristianGottfried

Fields

Homeopathy

Hahnemann[2]wasapainteranddesignerofporcelain,forwhichthe
townofMeissenisfamous.[3]
Asayoungman,Hahnemannbecameproficientinanumberoflanguages,includingEnglish,French,Italian,
GreekandLatin.Heeventuallymadealivingasatranslatorandteacheroflanguages,gainingfurtherproficiency
in"Arabic,Syriac,ChaldaicandHebrew".[4]
HahnemannstudiedmedicinefortwoyearsatLeipzig.CitingLeipzig'slackofclinicalfacilities,hemovedtoVienna,
wherehestudiedfortenmonths.[5]Afteronetermoffurtherstudy,hegraduatedMDattheUniversityof
Erlangenon10August1779,qualifyingwithhonors.HispovertymayhaveforcedhimtochooseErlangen,asthe
school'sfeeswerelower.[6]Hahnemann'sthesiswastitledConspectusadfectuumspasmodicorumaetiologicuset
therapeuticus.[ADissertationontheCausesandTreatmentofCramps][7][8]

Medicalpractice

[ edit ]

In1781,Hahnemanntookavillagedoctor'spositioninthecopperminingareaofMansfeld,Saxony.[9]Hesoon
marriedJohannaHenrietteKuchlerandwouldeventuallyhaveelevenchildren.[4]Afterabandoningmedical
practice,andwhileworkingasatranslatorofscientificandmedicaltextbooks,[10]Hahnemanntravelledaround
Saxonyformanyyears,stayinginmanydifferenttownsandvillagesforvaryinglengthsoftime,neverlivingfar
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fromtheRiverElbeandsettlingatdifferenttimesinDresden,Torgau,LeipzigandKthen(Anhalt)[11]beforefinally
movingtoParisinJune1835.[12]

Creationofhomeopathy

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Mainarticle:Homeopathy
Hahnemannwasdissatisfiedwiththestateofmedicineinhistime,andparticularlyobjectedtopracticessuch
asbloodletting.Heclaimedthatthemedicinehehadbeentaughttopracticesometimesdidthepatientmoreharm
thangood:
Mysenseofdutywouldnoteasilyallowmetotreattheunknownpathologicalstateofmysuffering
brethrenwiththeseunknownmedicines.Thethoughtofbecominginthiswayamurdereror
malefactortowardsthelifeofmyfellowhumanbeingswasmostterribletome,soterribleand
disturbingthatIwhollygaveupmypracticeinthefirstyearsofmymarriedlifeandoccupiedmyself
solelywithchemistryandwriting.[4]
Aftergivinguphispracticearound1784,Hahnemannmadehislivingchieflyasawriterandtranslator,while
resolvingalsotoinvestigatethecausesofmedicine'sallegederrors.WhiletranslatingWilliamCullen'sATreatise
ontheMateriaMedica,Hahnemannencounteredtheclaimthatcinchona,thebarkofaPeruviantree,was
effectiveintreatingmalariabecauseofitsastringency.Hahnemannbelievedthatotherastringentsubstancesare
noteffectiveagainstmalariaandbegantoresearchcinchona'seffectonthehumanbodybyselfapplication.
Notingthatthedruginducedmalarialikesymptomsinhimself,[13]heconcludedthatitwoulddosoinanyhealthy
individual.Thisledhimtopostulateahealingprinciple:"thatwhichcanproduceasetofsymptomsinahealthy
individual,cantreatasickindividualwhoismanifestingasimilarsetofsymptoms."[4]Thisprinciple,likecureslike,
becamethebasisforanapproachtomedicinewhichhegavethenamehomeopathy.Hefirstusedtheterm
homeopathyinhisessayIndicationsoftheHomeopathicEmploymentofMedicinesinOrdinaryPractice,published
inHufeland'sJournalin1807.[14]

Developmentofhomeopathy

[ edit ]

FollowingupthepioneeringworkoftheViennesephysicianAntonvonStrck,Hahnemanntestedsubstancesfor
theeffectstheyproducedonahealthyindividual,presupposing(asvonStrckhadclaimed)thattheymayheal
thesameillsthattheycaused.HisresearchesledhimtoagreewithvonStrckthatthetoxiceffectsofingested
substancesareoftenbroadlyparalleltocertaindiseasestates,[15]andhisexplorationofhistoricalcasesof
poisoninginthemedicalliteraturefurtherimpliedamoregeneralisedmedicinal"lawofsimilars".[16]Helater
devisedmethodsofdilutingthedrugshewastestinginordertomitigatetheirtoxiceffects.Heclaimedthatthese
dilutions,whenpreparedaccordingtohistechniqueof'potentization'usingdilutionandsuccussion(vigorous
shaking),werestilleffectiveinalleviatingthesamesymptomsinthesick.Hismoresystematicexperimentswith
dosereductionreallycommencedaround180001when,onthebasisofhis'lawofsimilars,'hehadbegun
usingIpecacuanhaforthetreatmentofcoughsandBelladonnaforscarletfever.[17]
HefirstpublishedanarticleaboutthehomeopathicapproachinaGermanlanguagemedicaljournalin1796.
Followingaseriesoffurtheressays,hepublishedin1810"OrganonoftheRationalArtofHealing",followedover
theyearsbyfourfurthereditionsentitledTheOrganonoftheHealingArt,thefirstsystematictreatiseand
containingallhisdetailedinstructionsonthesubject.A6thOrganonedition,unpublishedduringhislifetime,and
datingfromFebruary1842,wasonlypublishedmanyyearsafterhisdeath.Itconsistedofa
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5thOrganoncontainingextensivehandwrittenannotations.(Areadingofeacheditionwilldemonstratetheextent
oftherevisionandexperiencebasedadditions.)[18]TheOrganoniswidelyregardedasaremodelledformofan
essayhepublishedin1806called"TheMedicineofExperience",whichhadbeenpublishedinHufeland'sJournal.
OftheOrganon,RobertEllisDudgeonstatesit"wasanamplificationandextensionofhis"Medicineof
Experience",workedupwithgreatercare,andputintoamoremethodicalandaphoristicform,afterthemodelof
theHippocraticwritings."[19]

Thecoffeetheoryofdisease

[ edit ]

AroundthestartofthenineteenthcenturyHahnemanndevelopeda
theory,propoundedinhis1803essayOntheEffectsofCoffeefrom
OriginalObservations,thatmanydiseasesarecausedby
coffee.[20]Hahnemannlaterabandonedthecoffeetheoryinfavourofthe
theorythatdiseaseiscausedbyPsora,butithasbeennotedthatthelist
ofconditionsHahnemannattributedtocoffeewassimilartohislistof
conditionscausedbyPsora.[21]

Laterlife

[ edit ]

Inearly1811[22]HahnemannmovedhisfamilybacktoLeipzigwiththe
intentionofteachinghisnewmedicalsystemattheUniversityofLeipzig.
Asrequiredbytheuniversitystatutes,tobecomeafacultymemberhewas
requiredtosubmitanddefendathesisonamedicaltopicofhischoice.On
26June1812,HahnemannpresentedaLatinthesis,entitled"AMedical
HistoricalDissertationontheHelleborismoftheAncients."[23]Histhesis
verythoroughlyexaminedthehistoricalliteratureandsoughtto
differentiatebetweentheancientuseofHelleborusniger,orblack

BustofSamuelHahnemannby
FrenchsculptorDavidd'Angers(1837).

hellebore,andthemedicinalusesofthe"whitehellebore",
botanicallyVeratrumalbum,bothofwhicharepoisonousplants.[24]
Hahnemanncontinuedpracticingandresearchinghomeopathy,aswellas
writingandlecturingfortherestofhislife.Hediedin1843inParis,at88
yearsofage,andisentombedinamausoleumatParis'sPreLachaise
Cemetery.

Descendants

[ edit ]

ThereareafewlivingdescendantsofHahnemann'soldersisterCharlotte
(17521812),[25][selfpublishedsource?]butthelivingdescendantsof
Hahnemannhimselfderivefromoneofhisdaughters.
Hahnemann'sdaughter,Amelie(17891881),hadason:LeopoldSuss
Hahnemann.LeopoldemigratedtoEngland,andhepractised
homeopathyinLondon.HeretiredtotheIsleofWightanddiedthereat
theoutbreakofWorldWarIin1914.DrLeopoldSussHahnemann's
youngestdaughter,Amalia,hadtwochildren,Winifred(bornin1898)and
Herbert.WilliamHerbertTankardHahnemann(19222009)wasWinifred's
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son.HeservedasaMajorintheBritishArmyduringWorldWarII,and
thenhad

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MonumentatScottCircle,Washington,
D.C.

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