Dr. Samuel Hahnemann -The Genius Master Mind

No man is born great; greatness is conferred on him by others in recognition of his good acts. Good action is preceded by good thinking. Good thinking generally motivates one to know more, to unfold the truth, to spread it and to hold fast to it unto death. Others may time & again verify the same. Once they confirm it they try to develop the same to make it more perfect. Mankind has developed like this and will go ahead for the higher purpose of its existence. Such a truth is Homoeopathy and the man who discovered it was Dr. Christian Frederic Samuel Hahnemann.

Young Samuel was a talented boy. He was admitted in the town school on 20-07-1767 at the age of 12 years and within some time he was authorized to impart rudiments of the Greek language to the other students of his schools. His father after giving primary education sent him as an apprentice to a grocery store in Leipsic so that the young boy can earn as early as possible.  Magister Muller the head of the town school and some other teachers heard of the episode. They urged the father to allow Hahnemann to return to the school with out usual fees. At 16 years of age Hahnemann joined Princess School in which the same teacher of ancient language was the rector. Hahnemann's innate attachment to medical science was first exposed during his school leaving ceremony of princess school when he delivered the Latin oration titled "The wonderful construction human hand". He said, "none of you most honorable and learned auditors can doubt that the existence of god may be known , understood from the mechanisms of his universe, and yet I think I may today assert that it is above all else in the construction of human body that the wonderful beneficence of the supreme being is most radiantly shown forth".

On 10-4- 1779 at the age of 24 years Hahnemann got his degree "Dr. of Medicine" from Erlangen University. Later being dissatisfied with the then practiced medical system, he left practicing medicine and used to earn his livelihood by translation of original writings etc on chemistry , medical science , hygiene etc.

Around 1790-96, he discovered homoeopathy, while translating Cullen's Materia medica. Homoeopathy as one of the principles of treatment was known to the Ayurvedic rishis of India, topped by Charaka (estimated about 4000 to 2000 years BC ). The Greek physician Hippocrates (460-377BC) universally regarded as the father of scientific medicine worked nearly the same principle. Paracelsus (1490-1541 AD) had a similar opinion. He publicly burnt the works of Galen (131-200 AD) holding that complete break the past was essential to progress. But their contributions could not survive.

1. None of them could find out and establish a definite natural law exclusively for actual cure.

2. None of them could work out and establish a definite working method for applying this principle in the field of therapeutics.

It was only Hahnemann who for the first time established medicine on the firm basis of facts perceived by human senses including the sixth sense mentioned by him as "other senses" completely free from all form of abstract ideas and "transcendental speculations" .

The main hindrance to apply the principle "Similia Similibus Curentur" was the severe adverse effect after administration of the drugs in crude form on Similia basis, as it was purported to create a stronger and similar disease manifestation. In most cases a destructive aggravation stood on the way of its application. The over dose of medicine even in crude form in few cases prescribed correctly on similia basis caused severe aggravation. Hahnemann started thinking how the material substance could be minimized yet maintaining its therapeutic efficacy, the process of simple dilution proved futile.

After doing a series of repeated diligent experiments and observations he succeeded in inventing the process of trituration and succussion, the very special process of homoeopathic drug preparation of various strengths.

Hahnemann could do away with the principle obstacle by the invention of his very simple but amazingly efficacious method viz. enormous reduction of the dose of medicine by the process of potentisation. By this process the material drug substance could be reduced almost to nil and the therapeutic energy liberated to maximum. While in this state, the drugs maintained their individual specificity.

Thus by this process highly toxic or inert substances could be most safely and most beneficially be used for therapeutic purpose , this phenomenon was repeatedly verified throughout his life time in 99 drug provings from its crude state to potentised state and their applications on patients. With out this process of potentisation Hahnemann's entire contribution to medicine would have remained a theory only with little or no practical application as in the cases of ancient thinkers.

Thus we see, homoeopathy as a system of medicine has totally revolutionized the traditional system of medicine built up through thousands of years of postulations & experience. Homoeopathy as introduced is not a mere addition to medicine, a reformation in concept of medicine but a thorough revolution, after demolition of the fundamental approach, ideas theories and practice.

Revolution has also been made by Hahnemann in the concept of health, disease, cure and the evolution of disease from its fundamental cause (miasm). To establish this system of medicine he had to do continuous experimentation and observation, publish the results and infer the principles etc. The difficulties faced during its practical application were continually analyzed and head way shown depending on its basic principles. The system was completely established even by giving prophylaxis and curatives in the then relying epidemics, that was one of the greatest contribution of Hahnemann.

We all know Hahnemann's long journey was through rough weather. Dr. Mahendra Singh wrote, "the boy who prospered in spite of poverty , the student who earned his living by teaching the man who wandered through 24 towns , 2 countries, proved more than 90 medicines wrote 12 volumes 70 original essays , translated 24 volumes published more than 50,000 printed pages and who was so poor that he had to wash his clothes with potatoes , could afford to buy only one loaf per day for the whole family , the man who was the object of pride of the profession &then violent antagonism , who was applauded , vilified & again glorified. Who never got freedom from poverty and wants, privations and persecutions, criticism &ridicule, faced his end with calmness of a prophet with the words "I have not lived in vain".

  After Hahnemann, our school has developed many a fearless investigators , a few notable teachers & quite a number of good practitioners but only in Hahnemann we find brilliantly combined a brilliant scholar , a famous physician , a multi linguist , the scholar , the discoverer , greatest experimenter , fearless investigator , meticulous observer , the accurate interpreter ,the internationally reputed chemist the great translator , hygienist , one of the most industrious man , a great philosopher one of the first philosopher , one of the first reformer of mental diseases and last of all the great revolutionist in the long history of medicine. All the above attributes were so brilliantly combined that enabled homoeopathy to stand today so firmly, in these times of medical nihilism.

Towards the end of his life Hahnemann wrote "I rejoice at the benefit homoeopathy has already conferred on humanity & look forward with intense pleasure to the most distant time when though I shall no longer be here. Below a future generation of mankind will do, justice to this gift of a gracious god & will thankfully avail themselves of the blessed means he has provided for the alleviation of their bodily and mental sufferings".

But alas! We the future homoeopaths, are we going to achieve the result? Today we are sorry to reiterate that in this revolutionary system counter forces of mixopathy, mongrelism, mixture with other pathies are rampant, perhaps more than true homoeopathy. We for our selfish motives have long forgotten the teachings of this great master. The selection of remedies on flimsy grounds too frequent repetition or too early change of prescription without waiting for the completion of action the previous dose , unwarranted use of palliatives , simultaneous or alternate use of more than one medicine (combinations and mixtures )and that often in crude form /doses on the other hand is a detrimental departure from the simple and pure , Hahnemannian practice bound to bring on early downfall of the glorious and noble art of healing for which the master dedicated his whole life.  

 The popularity and patronage thus extended to the system can continue perpetually provided the practicing physicians religiously follow the established working doctrines laid down by the immortal master and apply then more scrupulously and accurately viz, The use of single , simple pure drugs , refined and deprived of their injurious properties and enhanced in curative power by the pharmaco-dynamical process of mechanical comminution , trituration solution and dilution according to scale in minimum or infinitesimal doses administered by the mouth , the remedy having been selected by comparison of the symptoms of the sick with the symptoms of drugs produced by tests in healthy human subjects under the principle of symptom similarity as enunciated in the maxims "similia similibus curentur ,simplex simile minimum".

To make his dream come true a through knowledge and understanding of Materia medica and true interpretation of the teachings enshrined in Organon, the so called Bible of Homoeopathy. There is none in this hemisphere who achieved success, fame and greatness without facing hardship, opposition or even humiliation at one stage or the other in life. 

We should work hard so that in future true homoeopathy flourishes to deliver the result of somumbonum i.e, the highest good ever possible for civilization so cherished by our master & repeatedly verified and found as fact. We will conclude by the writings of one of his greatest follower who tried to perfect the system unto his last days, Dr.J.T.Kent, he tried to make others understand how great was Hahnemann in comparison with his fellow beings and he said, "we have climbed a foot hill , soon we see a mountain beyond but with faintest trace of human foot prints. We follow on through the mountain side steep & thorny, led by light of truth. Son the toilers grow weary &their numbers becomes smaller. In the distant past there was a multitude. The few toil up the steeps rocky mountain side, steeper rockier as they press onwards. The distance brings to view the heavens dotted with nebulus sky & space beyond there is to be seen another mountain far away and much higher , which is yet to be climbed upon through which the clear sky , above the clouds behold the "Immortal Hahnemann".