Our friend has departed from the earth-sphere, but his memory will be held in dear remembrance.
Dr. Charles B.Gilbert, of Washington, D.C., expressed himself in this wise:
Having been a member of Dr.Hering’s household for some months, and having had some opportunities for observing the inner life of that great and good man, there is one quality to which I wish to refer.
As I was hurrying across the country from the West to attend the funeral to relieve somewhat the madness of my thoughts, I took up a little book that had been put into my hand by a friend just before I started; it was the little story by Edward Everett Hale of the Poor Men of Lyons, as they were called-how they had given up wealth and position to spread the gospel; their appeal to each other was-For the Love of Christ, and the answer was-In his name.
Verily, I said. Dr. Hering was a Poor Man of Lyons indeed, and a prophet among them.
On the day of the funeral as I stood by the door receiving the hundreds who came to view the face of their benefactor and saw among them scores who could, in their poverty, only have called on him For the Love of Christ. I could not help thinking: These are of The Poor Man of Lyons. The tears that rolled down their cheeks told louder than words that the answer to their appeal had been-In his name.
I cannot find words to express my individual sorrow and my indebtedness to him on whose monument no fitter motto could be engraved than this-He loved his neighbor as himself.
Reminiscences by Dr.C.W.Boyce, of Auburn, N.Y.:
We speak today in memory of the late Dr.Constantine Hering of, I cannot say, Philadelphia, because he belonged to the world.
You have selected me to say something in regard to him not because I am more competent to do it than the rest of you, but from the accident that I had been thrown more into his society.
In order to explain how my acquaintance with him began, and why it continued. I must commence several years before I first saw him.
The name of Dr.Hering is so closely associated with Lachesis in my mind, that when one is mentioned the other is almost sure to come up with it, and to a great extent, with me, homoeopathy depends upon Lachesis-for its glory.
It was by homoeopathy that I became acquainted with Lachesis, and it was by Lachesis that I came to know Dr.Hering. In 1846 I first became practically acquainted with homoeopathy, and began to practice it in preference to the ordinary method. It was not until several years after that the wonderful healing powers of homoeopathy were fully revealed to me. I had a case of typhoid fever which had continued unchecked for twenty-one days. At this time there seemed no chance for the patient to recover. Hope had been abandoned when, during the night following the twenty-first day, Lachesis was given every two hours. Next morning there was a complete change for the better, The tongue was moist, the delirium greatly lessened. From this time on convalescence progressed until health was restored. This care was never forgotten but in my daily rounds it was long time before I saw another such result. It came, however, in a case of gangrene. A woman discovered a small spot on the calf of her leg. Which gave her a great deal of uneasiness and it rapidly increased in size. When I saw her she was in bed, and the spot measured three inches in diameter; it was rapidly increasing in size, and she grew sicker and sicker. Lachesis was given and in a few hours the progress of the disease was checked. In a few days the entire piece of flesh which was affected fell out leaving a hole reaching to the sheath of the muscles; but this healed kindly in a short time.
These cases were treasured up in my memory. Soon after this, a case of aneurism of the aorta, where the patient was obliged to sit by an open window day and night to get all the air possible, was wonderfully relieved by the Lachesis.
Again followed a time of professional drudgery, without striking results, when again I was startled. A woman, who was nursing a child, was aroused at midnight by the cry of fire. She had only time to grasp her child and rush out of the house in her night clothes. It was winter-time, and she went into snow to her knees, She stood about in this undress until the house was consumed before seeking shelter. The result was that she did not get out of bed until the following summer, and then only by the help of Lachesis, which, in nine days, not only took her out of bed, but set her to doing her housework.
Now, to me, homoeopathy was fast coming to mean Lachesis, but I was soon to be aroused from any security I felt in the practice of even homoeopathy. A great grief came upon me. My only son sickened, and died within a few days. During his sickness I could not see that anything given medicinally had produced any effect. The disease went on unchecked until he died. On the day of his funeral the twin sister was taken with the same disease, and only after severe struggle was saved. Disheartened I asked: Is there any remedial virtue in medicine? My experience with Lachesis answered this question affirmatively. Then came another question: Has my practice of medicine been a success? On comparing results with other physicians whose death-roll I knew, I found that my success or failure, whichever it might be, was perhaps that of a fair average. This did not satisfy me. I asked my self another question: If occasionally I could obtain such results as I did from Lachesis, why could I not get them from other remedies? Where should I seek for the answer?
I had been practising homoeopathy for several years, and preferred it to allopathy from which I had turned. During these years of practising I had not seen in either practise, any such results as came from the administration of Lachesis.
Two steps had been taken; I had found homoeopathy, and I had found Lachesis.
I knew, or believed that Dr.Hering had been the one who introduced the remedy. So the next step in my progress was to seek Dr.Hering. I wrote to Dr.Hering asking him whether I might call upon him and hope to find him unoccupied long enough for me to get some information that would help me in the practise of homoeopathy. I was impressed with the idea that by seeing and talking with Dr. Hering I would be able to go and acquire what I wanted. I did not wait for an answer to my letter, but went, at once, to Philadelphia, and called at his house on the same evening of my arrival.
I found Dr. Hering entertaining a number of physicians in his garden, which, for the occasion was lighted by tapers placed in the trees. The garden was full of little tables, which held refreshments, and which were served after the German style.
On announcing myself at the door, as being a physician, I was ushered into the garden, along with the rest. After being there a short time I learned which was Dr.Hering. I saw a large man with long gray hair which fell down to his shoulders, and with a beard, likewise gray which reached to his breast. As I watched him, first speaking to one, then to another of his guests, I almost wondered why I had ventured there. He was always the centre of a group of interested doctors. Presently he turned to one of the tables, fortunately near where I stood, and took some bread and cheese. Now, was my opportunity; I stepped before him and announced my name. I wondered how I would be received. All at once he laid down his bread and cheese and taking both my hands he said: Oh Dr.Boyce, I am glad to see you, and calling his daughter, cried, Here, Odelia, is Dr.Boyce; keep him until all these go away; I want to talk to him. Odelia fulfilled her father’s desire, and gave me my first introduction to Limburger cheese.
I have always thought that she, and Mrs. Conrad Wesselhoeft, who was her companion for that evening, must have enjoyed the scene when I first essayed the eating of some of this cheese. It was made up of the most inviting little balls, ornamented with greens. Dr.Hering again took up his bread and cheese and began to eat, and following his example I took one of those beautiful little balls and a piece of bread. The balls looked so nice, and withal so small, that I put the whole of one into my mouth and began to chew. Imagine me standing before Dr.Hering with this in my mouth, trying to hold it and at the same time wishing to keep him from turning to someone else, and you can have some faint idea of my first acquaintance with Limburger cheese I was finally obliged to turn away from him, behind the neighboring bushes, and spit it out. On turning back again I caught a glimpse of two pairs of eyes set in countenances convulsed with laughter. This was my first introduction to Dr. Hering, and to Limburger cheese. I was with the doctor until late into the night and nearly all of the next day and the next, and so on, until I was ashamed to take up any more of his time, and excused myself on the plea that I must go home.
In about another month another great calamity seemed to be impending. My eldest daughter was taken with diphtheria. It went on to the croupy stage. This was at a time when I had never seen a case recover in which the larynx had become involved. The disease had first shown itself on November 1st. You all know how this disease progresses, and how anxious we all are when we have such cases to treat. This one progressed until the eleventh day slowly but surely getting worse, when I wrote to Dr. Hering, giving minutely the symptoms and condition, saying that on the thirteenth day, when I knew he would have the letter, I would telegraph the symptoms, if the patient were still alive. This I did, and soon had the reply: Give Lachesis. The case began to mend from this time, and finally recovered entirely.
In 1878 and 1879 he published 2 editions of his book, Sunstroke and Its Homeopathic Treatment.
Upon Hering's death in 1880 Knerr became responsible for the completion of the 10-volume Guiding Symptoms.
Dr. Knerr wrote 2-volume Repertory to the Guiding Symptoms,