Homoeopathy: The Formative Years

We begin this study of CAM by looking at the history, theory and practice of homoeopathy, arguably the most popular and also most controversial of the therapies today. The following texts illustrate the general picture we are given of the founder of homoeopathy Samuel Hahnemann and of the history of the therapy he presented to the world. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine states:

“Hahnemann was a man of passion, a scientist of meticulous diligence and a healer with immense compassion. He was prolific in his work and rigorous in all his endeavors and experiments.” ¹

Peter Finigan, author of Natural Therapies A-Z, writes the following:

“Samuel Hahnemann not only discovered a new approach to the healing of the sick, which he called homoeopathy, but he also gave humanity a method of curing illness which since the end of his life, has grown slowly, gently and permanently to every continent on earth and in its time has given back to millions of people the health and well-being which they sought. It is my belief homoeopathy will find its true place at the forefront of medicine in the 21st century.” ²

These texts serve as flattering portraits of the founder of homoeopathy, but they do not capture a true likeness of the subject by any means.

Samuel Hahnemann (left) was born in Meissen, Germany in 1755. At aged twelve, Hahnemann could read and write Greek and had begun to teach the subject at his local school. Recognising Hahnemann’s exceptional intelligence, the school offered him a place free of charge on the understanding he continued to teach alongside his studies. At aged twenty, Samuel Hahnemann left the school, fluent in five languages and with a strong desire to become a doctor. With little money, young Hahnemann left home for Leipzig University to study medicine. He was now on his own and apart from the odd letter to his mother, there is no record in any biographies that indicate that Hahnemann ever returned home.

Hahnemann stayed at Leipzig for two years and then moved to Vienna, continuing his medical studies at a local hospital. In order to fund his studies, Hahnemann carried out some translation work but found it very difficult to make ends meet. Almost at starvation point, he was introduced to an exceedingly wealthy man, Samuel Brukenthal, the governor of Transylvania (now Romania). Impressed with Hahnemann’s keen mind, Brukenthal invited him to become his personal librarian.

Aside from being extremely rich, Brukenthal also held the position of Master of the Chair at the Madgeburg Freemasons’ Lodge and he opened the door for Hahnemann to join the Lodge St Andreas zu den drei Seeblattern in Hermannstadt. Hahnemann’s admittance into the Lodge took place in October 1777. Few of Hahnemann’s biographers pay attention to this particular period in his life but it is a period that must not be overlooked. In order to gain insight into this extraordinary movement and its vital influence on the young Hahnemann, the following brief history of European Freemasonry is included.

The beginnings of European Masonic activity can be traced back to the late 1720s, with fledgling lodges appearing across France under the direct control of what became known as the English Mother Lodge system. Aside from the opportunity for networking and conviviality, the purpose of the lodge meeting was to impart knowledge, supposedly hidden from the masses but considered necessary for the advancement and even perfecting of mankind. Through secret ritual and instruction, lodge members were ‘enlightened’ by degrees, and when instructed with sufficient secret knowledge, it was believed the now ‘illumined’ brethren could begin the process of transforming society, operating within their own particular sphere of influence.

Supporters of Freemasonry described lodge meetings as a means of conveying to the individual the upright principles of brotherly love, equality and truth. Opposition to Freemasonry stemmed from the fact that Masonic rituals and teachings demonstrated occult influence and that meetings were always conducted behind closed doors, inviting the very reasonable question - why should knowledge considered beneficial to mankind be kept secret from the great majority of mankind?

As more and more lodges appeared across Europe, so too did numerous men of mystery. Considered to be custodians of secret doctrines, these ‘adepts’ travelled the length and breadth of Europe, instructing lodges in such matters as alchemy, spiritual chemistry, magical sciences, spiritism and cabalistic knowledge. Cagliostro was one such mystery man whose particular ritual is described as follows:

“After an elaborate preamble - which included invocations of the planetary spirits - the ‘Dove of the Rite’ - a young boy or girl was hypnotized and put into a state of alleged clairvoyance, in which she would prophesy, see visions and pronounce upon the candidate’s fitness. All this while Cagliostro carried out ceremonies of ritual magic.” ³

The desire to commune with the higher realms paved the way for many charlatans, dubious adventurers and masters of illusion, skilled in the art of recreating ghostly apparitions and ethereal shimmerings. Quite regularly, mirrors and other such optical instruments were used to great effect. These methods were by no means new. The Aesculapian healing temples of some two thousand years earlier were noted for their ‘piped’ angelic choirs and the very earthly looking white-robed ‘gods’ who hovered mysteriously at the bedside of the fee-paying sick. ⁴ Of particular interest to this study of Hahnemann’s Masonic years is the influence of Johann Starck. A fervent alchemist and teacher of the magical arts, Starck was heralded as the master in the art of spiritual transmutation - the regeneration of man! The following extract gives some idea of Starck’s rites, which again proved very popular and were performed right across Europe.

“The initiate was instructed that in order to attain wisdom, art and virtue, it was necessary to honour the Supreme Being, to love Brethren and all Mankind; to be temperate, courageous, steadfast in misfortune, humble and not to fear death. An oath was taken, his eyes were un-bandaged and his gaze directed towards a star of eighty-one lamps flaming over the head of the presiding master. The knight was then allowed to have a glimpse of light through a half-opened door leading to ‘The Temple of Secret Doctrine.’ ⁵

Throughout the rite, much reference is made to alchemic symbolism and hidden meaning in numbers. Progressing onwards, thanks is given to The Architect of the Universe, The Supreme Being, The Almighty, The Wise and all the while various doctrines were imparted:

“We alone possess the knowledge, how to prepare from the four powers contained in Creation, the Primary Matter and then the Great Medicine for health and riches.” ⁶

Of necessity, this is a very condensed account of 18^th century Freemasonry but it affords some insight into the nature of the lodge and brings greater understanding to the fleeting passages in those biographies that mention Hahnemann’s Masonic connections. Biographer Thomas Bradford’s account of Hahnemann’s time in the service of the Master of the Chair now becomes much clearer:

“He carefully catalogued Baron Brukenthal’s immense library of books and rare manuscripts. It was in these quiet, scholarly days that Hahnemann acquired that extensive and diverse knowledge of ancient literature and of occult sciences, of which he afterwards proved himself to be a master and with which he astonished the scientific world.” ⁷

Starck’s instructions on seeking out ‘the Great Medicine for health and riches’ had planted a seed in young Hahnemann’s mind and he was convinced the secrets to health lay hidden deep in earth’s matter. These occult ideas would prove vital to the shaping of homoeopathy, despite all efforts by today’s homoeopathic authors to distance themselves from such influences.

Hahnemann stayed in Hermannstadt for two years, immersing himself in these strange teachings and then, with enough money saved to continue his medical studies, he left Transylvania and returned to Germany to finish his medical degree, finally granted him in 1779, aged twenty-four. But what did a doctor’s degree actually equate to in those days? We will now spend a few minutes looking more closely at health care in Hahnemann’s era. Doing so will help us appreciate his understandable and much-publicised revulsion towards the medical practice of the day.

Chapters

about the author

1. The Ultimate Temptress FREE
2. No Stone Unturned FREE
3. Homoeopathy: The Formative Years FREE
4. Death by Doctoring
5. Hahnemann’s ‘Secret’ Powders
6. Like Cures Like?
7. Just My Imagination Running Away With Me
8. Less is More?
9. The Memory of Water And other Fancies
10. Our Wonderful Immune System
11. A Certain Charm
12. Veterinary Homoeopathy
13. The Dance Of Homoeopathy
14. Gimme The Moonlight!
15. Hahnemann’s Latter Years
16. Homoeopathy Today
17. Bach Flower Remedies
18. Acupuncture FREE
19. Naturopathy
20. The Feng Shui Horrorscope
21. Reflexology, Iridology and other Intolerances
22. The Medicine Business
23. Ooooh! Heaven is a Place on Earth!
24. My Kingdom for Consistency!
25. Nothing New Under the Sun
26. References