In India there is cultural and social plurality with people talking different languages at different places, practicing different religious faiths in the same place, experiencing varying climates at the same time at different places and so on. Such diversity is visible in the practice of medicine and its acceptance by people. Even though India is the seat of one of the richest ancient medical knowledge and still large number of people follows its traditional practices, Homeopathy has also been well accepted in the health care delivery.

Homeopathy in India,  was first introduced in the city Calcutta. Round about 1810 a German physician and geologist landed in India with some of his countrymen, for geological investigation. This German gentleman remained for a time in Bengal distributing homeopathic medicines to his Indian servants and other poor men. There is also some reference to one Dr. Mullens of the London Missionary Society who was known to distribute homeopathic medicines to the people of Bhowanipore, Calcutta.

Circumstantial evidences show that in the year before 1857 this system of treatment was extensively practiced by amateurs in the Indian Civil and Military Services and by other gentleman in Bengal. That this therapeutic system came to be practiced in India when Hahnemann was alive in Paris is known from a book published in London in 1852 by John Martin Honigburger, late physician to the Court of Lahore, under the title Thity-Five Years in the East . It is not known certainly when Honigburger first came to India but for some years up to the 1860 he practiced in Calcutta and was chiefly known as the ‘Cholera Doctor ". He had learnt homeopathy from Hahnemann in Paris in 1835. In 1839 he came to India for the second time for the treatment of Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab. Homeopathic medicines prescribed to the Maharaja by Honigburger had magical effect in the beginning but the selfishness and jealous hostility of the Indian hakims and vaidhyas spoiled the case and led to the persecution of homeopathy for a time.

Around 1846 homeopathic hospitals were opened by Surgeon Samuel Brooking, a retired medical officer, at Tanjore and  Paducuta in South India under the patronage of the rajahs of those states.

In November 1851 a "Native homeopathic hospital and free dispensary" was started at Calcutta under the patronage of the Hon’ble Sir John Hunter Littler, Deputy Governor ob Bengal and President of the Council of India, and Dr. Tonnere, a French allopath by education but converted to homeopathy, was appointed the physician in charge of the hospital. It is curious to know that this doctor was appointed the first health officer of the town of Calcutta. This hospital has a short existence and Dr. Tonnere with all his zeal and faith failed to secure a firm footing in Calcutta.

About this time some amateurs in the civil and military services had been practicing homeopathy with great success in Calcutta. One name shines most conspicuously and it is of Mr. Ed. Latour, one of the Puisne Judges of the Suddar dewani Adalat. Mr. Latour treated many cholera cases in which the mortality was only 30%, as recorded in British Journal of Homeopathy for July, 1854. He made a convert  of his immediate subordinate, a deputy magistrate, Maulvie Ziauddin Hossein, who in his turn became an amateur practitioner doing good to many. About this time or shortly  after wards two medical officers in Government service , Dr. Cooper and Dr.Russel, stationed in Fort William, were known to admire homeopathy and practice it. Mr. H. Ryper, a military pensioner of the subordinate service, who stayed at Cooly bazaar, Kidderpore, used to distribute homeopathic medicines free of cost. Mr. Ryper received encouragement from Capt. May, a staff pensioner, who lived just over the Kidderpore bridge and was great admire and advocate of homeopathy.

During this period a remarkable personality surfaced in Calcutta, who had much to do with the establishment and spread of homeopathy in India. He was Rajendra Lal Datta, Popularly known as Babu Rajen Dutta. He belonged to a scholarly family of Bengal and for some times had studied in Calcutta medical college. He was once treated for a chronic disease by an amateur homeopath and there after he grew interest in homeopathy. He brought Dr. Tonnere, the French doctor, to Calcutta. He was chiefly instrumental in funding the Native Homeopathic Hospital and free dispensary and in helping Dr. Tonnere in his homeopathic practice in Calcutta. As the hospital did not last long and Dr. Tonnere did not prove himself as a successful homeopathic practitioner, Rajendra Lal Dutta, an ardent believer of homeopathy, decided in the year 1861 to practice homeopathy himself. Homeopathy was given a fresh lease of life hence forward. A land mark in the history of homeopathy in India was the year 1863 when Pundit Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar placed himself under the treatment of Rajendra lal Dutta and was miraculously cured of his chronic illness which has baffled all leading allopaths of the time. Another remarkable cure was effected by Rajendra lal Dutta when the illustrious Raja Sir Radhakanta Deb Bahadur of Shobhabazar Rajbati was cured of Gangrene in his foot with homoeopathic medicines. These cures made a great sensation in the town and paved the way of the establishment and propagation of homeopathy in Calcutta, the leading town of India at that time.

Rajendra lal Dutta was fully convinced of the efficacy and usefulness of homoeopathic remedies and as such he was always on the look out for a suitable person to take up practice. In his efforts he succeeded when he converted Dr. Mahendra lal Sircar to homeopathy. Dr. Sirkar helped in providing homeopathy the pride of place in India.

Dr. Mahendra lal Sircar had secured the M.D. degree of the Calcutta university in 1863, and had later become member of the faculty of medicine of the same university. He had only contempt for homeopathy, but after reading some books on the subject his interest in it was aroused. In order to scientifically investigate this healing art, he started working with Rajendra lal Dutta. After observing the efficacy of homeopathy he became a member of the homeopathic profession. This he did in February, 1867, much against the wishes of his senior colleagues and professors. He read a paper entitled " On the supposed uncertainty in the medical science and on the relationship between disease and their remedial agents " in the session of the fourth annual general meeting of the Bengal branch of the British Medical Association, pf which he was one of the vice presidents. He was a star of the first magnitude in the medical firmaments of the then Calcutta. He enhanced the prestige and convinced homeopathy to the scientific minded intelligentsia of the country.

During 1863-64 Dr.Beringny, another French homeopathic doctor, came to Calcutta to setup practice. Dr. B.l. Bhaduri, was converted to homeopathy under the influence of Dr. Salzar of the University of Vienna, who came to Calcutta in 1867 and carried on his homeopathic practice with great success. He, converted Dr. P.C.Majumdar who had graduated from the Calcutta medical college in 1878.

In the year 1867 Benaras Homeopathic Hospital was established in the patron ship of Mr I. Onside, civil and session judge at Benaras, and Dr. Loknath Mitra as the physician in charge.

In August, 1869, a charitable homeopathic dispensary was opened at Allahabad and Baboo Priyanath Bose, was the in charge of the Dispensary. In the year 1870 Maharaja Bahadur of Jaipur was treated by Dr. Salzar for his cataract.

After Dr. Sircar and Salzar, Dr Majumdar Became a top ranking Homeopath. In collaboration with Dr. D.N.Roy he established the Calcutta Homeopathic Medical College in 1881.

Towards the end of the nineteenth century Sri Mahesh Chandra Bhattacharya stared selling Homeopathic drugs. He also compiled and published homeopathic pharmacopoeia in Bengali and English with the help of which thousands have been able to enter the line and spread homeopathy to the further corners of the country.

A mega event came in the history on 24 Th June 1941 when the Bengal government establishes the General Council and state faculty of Homeopathic medicine by an executive order of the Governor of Bengal. This was the first state sponsored homeopathic council in India.

All India Institute of Homeopathy was formed in the year 1944 with its central office at Delhi. The founder members of the institute were Dr. A.N.Mukherjee of Calcutta, Dr. Diwan Chand of Lahore, Dr. Daya Sankar Kayastha, Dr.J.P. Srivastava, Dr S.P. Asthana and Dr.K.G. saxena. Dr. Saxena had been the founder general secretary of the institute since its inception.

The Govt. of India made the homeopathic enquiry committee on 30-9-1948 which accepted homeopathy as a scientific system of medicine and recommended the formation of a Central Council and the establishment of Provincial Homeopathic Council.

Rajkumari Amrit Kaur the first health minister of India appointed a homeopathic advisory committee in 1952 which functioned till 1954. the Director General of Health Services was its Chairman. This committee was taken over by the Ministry of Health and the Secretary in the Ministry of Health became its first chairman. The same committee recommended the appointment of an honorary homeopathic advisor. In may 1962 Dr. K.G. Saxena was appointed advisor to the Government of India. He was also appointed hony. Homeopathic physician to the President of India. this  committee recommended to constitute a Central Council of Homeopathy .

President of India appointed a Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia Committee under the Ministry of Health in September 1962 to lay down standards of medicines used in homoeopathy.. Dr B.K.Sarkar was the Chairman of the Committee.

The Homoeopthic Central Council Bill as recommended by a joint select committee was passed by both the House of Parliament and was given ascent by the President of India on December 19 th , 1973 to oversee the standards for homoeopathic education..

Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Laboratory, Ghaziabad was set up in September 1975 as a subordinate organization of the Department. It is recognized by the Department of science and Technology, as Scientific, Technological and Research Institution.

National institute of Homoeopathy was established on 10 th December 1975 at Calcutta as an Autonomous Organization under the ministry of Health and Family Welfare and a model academic Institute of Homoeopathy in the India.

The Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy was formally constituted on 30 th March 1978 as an autonomous organization and was registered under the societies registration act XXI of 1860. The policy, directions and overall guidance for the activities of the Council are provided by the Governing body, which has general control on the affairs and has authority to exercise all the powers. 

• In 1982 Homeopathic Practitioners (Professional conduct, Etiquette and Code of Ethics) Regulations were formed.
• In 1989 Homeopathy Post Graduate Regulation Notified.
• In 1995 Department of ISM and Homoeopathy was created.
• In 1996 First time Homoeopathic P.G.Course was introduced in National Institute of Homeopathy Calcutta.

Thus by the end of twentieth century Homeopathy has occupied a firm foothold in India. Today Homeopathy is the second most practiced system of medicine in India and with the faith and encouragement it is receiving one can clearly speculate its future.

References: