ON January 6th, 1888, The Times printed an anonymous letter regarding the homoeopathic cure of a little dog belonging to the celebrated painter Meissonier, which was accompanied by a testimonial signed by the great Meissonier and his painter son. We read under the heading “Odium Medicum”:.
SIR, In the present controversy on this subject, you may, perhaps, in your spirit of fairness, think the enclosed document worth publishing. It has been in my possession for some time.
I was studying painting a few years ago with Meissonier, whose valuable dog which had been given to him by his great friend Dumas was struck with paralysis in its hind quarters; it had also its neck twisted.
I had long studied homoeopathy for my own use, and my little globules were the subject of much good-humoured fun to Meissonier and his friends and family, who did not believe in them at all.
The dog in question was condemned to death by a great vet. in Paris, who attended Meissoniers very valuable horses, as will be seen by the enclosed testimony. The same evening I was dining with him and his family, and the dog was in the room a subject of much lamentation when, in his sudden and animated manner, he challenged me to cure it with “my homoeopathy.”.
I accepted the challenge and gave the dog at once in their presence a single dose of Rhus tox. of a rather high dilution.
The next morning I was at work with him alone in his garden studio before breakfast, when his clever and energetic daughter came running into the studio as if the house were on fire, crying out that “the dog walked.”.
We ran out of the studio Meissonier with his brush in his mouth and his large palette on his thumb, in his earnest eagerness about everything that freshly caught his attention and there was the animal running about on its four legs as strongly as ever.
It still had its neck twisted, however, and I was much puzzled how to proceed with my patient. I then perceived that its coat was rough and staring. Here comes in one of the great principles of homoeopathy that every symptom must betaken into account and the proper remedy at once suggested itself. I gave it two doses of Arsenicum 3x: the dog quite recovered, and is, I believe, alive and well to this day.
Yours faithfully,
A PUPIL OF MEISSONIER.
