As the spirit of the homoeopathic Materia Medica is the Spirit of Liberty, as Liberty is only gained at the coast of self- sacrifice, so only is it maintained. Homoeopathy demands of its practitioners a life of self-sacrifice.
The hunt for the simillimum is often exciting enough but it is frequently also not a little arduous, and the roughness of the road is never an excuse to the true homoeopath for failure to secure the prize. There are few pleasure in life comparable to that of the homoeopath who sees disease vanish under the remedy which he has prescribed after, it may be, a prolonged, arduous and careful search. Frequently the remedy is easy enough to find; but the true homoeopath must be ready for the difficult cases as well as the easy ones. If he is to be ready for them he must be of those who know how to :scorn delights and live laborious days”, and so take his highest pleasure in the good which therefrom results.
But not only does the practice of our art demand self-sacrifice; so also does its propagation.
In a recent number of the brilliant little journal of our French and Swiss Confreres Le Propagateur de l Homoeopathic is a moving and pregnant article by that fine clinician, Dr. J. Faver, of Toublouse, entitled, “Vers la lumiere”. Dr. Facre points out that Homoeopathy has passed through two periods of the past and is now in a third.
The first period was one of zeal, persecution, brilliant success and rapid augmentation of number. The second period produced many great names but no material increase in numbers. The third period has now lasted only a few years. It has been marked by an influx of medical men into our ranks, and by a movement on the other side towards homoeopathy.
“We are coming to you,” said a distinguished professor of the Faculty of Toublouse to Dr. Favre the other day, and Dr. Favre says he is proud to accept the augury. But he adds these weighty words:.
“Must we, on this account, rest on the positions we have won, and wait without striving for the day of triumph? By no means! We must work, strive and suffer yet more. LEt him who cannot suffer unjustly not think of making himself a homoeopath. (Que celuiqui ne sait as souffrir injustement, ne se fasse pas homoeopathe). We are an elite minority, so be it; but we are still ill-understood and too often, alas! ill-appreciated”.
I despair of doing justice to the beautiful language of Dr. Favre in my crude translation, but the sense is clear enough, and I hope it will be taken to heart by all at his Worlds Congress. For it is a message to homoeopaths all over the world.
I have known homoeopaths who smart under the sneers of their orthodox acquaintance and who let those sneers shape their conduct. These are not worthy of the high mission they have assumed. I can understand a man being ashamed of his own interpretation of homoeopathy, of his own imperfect practice of it. O often feel that way myself. But I cannot understand anyone who has once apprehended the spirit of Hahnemanns great revelation ever for one moment being ashamed of homoeopathy.
And yet there are some homoeopaths who are so much under the denomination of denomination of established orthodoxy that they think it infamous conduct, and a slight on the profession, to let the public know that homoeopathy is more successful in curing the sick that the thing called orthodox medicine.
The spirit of the Homoeopathic Materia Medica, the spirit of homoeopathy that is, is the spirit of Liberty, the Spirit of Truth, the spirit of Self-sacrifice. Absolute allegiance is the smallest homage it can demand. No trouble, no suffering must be counted in its service, or in the cause of its advancement. If we are not worthy-if we lack the courage of crusaders-let us abandon the task of our civilizing spiritualizing mission into the hands of others who are worthy.
Que celui qui ne sait pas souffrir injustement, ne se fasse pas homoeopathe!.
