Let the good work go on, and when a veteran and hero finishes his work and is given his eternal leave of absence from our ranks, there will be a hundred willing hands, and heroic hearts, to take up and carry on the great work. Let us, one and all, make and hold ourselves competent and ready to take up and carry on successfully any part of the great work that circumstances, or Providence may assign to us.
MEETING IN WILMINGTON, DELAWARE The following address was read by Dr. A. Negendank:
While we are today assembled. representing the Homoeopathic physicians of the State of Delaware, to share in the general respect, and to show our high esteem to the departed master spirit of Constantine Hering, I feel that in honoring him we are conferring honor ourselves as being followers of the same principle in medicine-Similia similibus curantur-which our deceased veteran ever defended, and to the elucidation of which he devoted a large portion of a long life of eighty years.
Dr. Hering was a man sui generis, far above the grovelling propensities of ordinary human nature; he forgot, in his devotion to science the entity of worldly existence for which so many toil. Our profession has always claimed, not for the individual, but for the body collective, a high standard of honor and unselfishness, a position above those who know less of the frailties of humanity. Let everyone judge for himself if he deserves such a claim or not, but I say it without hesitation, that our departed friend deserved that claim, and that I believe him to have been the high priest of his profession.
There are men who seem to be sent into this world for purposes and action only. All their facilities are bent to toil and work; their spirits and their frames alike team with energy. They pause and slumber like other men, but only to recruit from actual fatigue; they occasionally need quiet, though only as invigoration for renewed exertion; they investigate and reflect; their mission, their enjoyment, the object and condition of their existence is work; they would not be content to exist here without it, nor conceive of another life without it. Their vitality is beyond that of ordinary men; they are never seen idle; in repose they dream of work, and their pleasure is work.
A few years before his death, on a warm summer day, hot enough to lull the energy of the youngest, while sitting in his arm-chair smoking a cigar and sipping his coffee, the venerable old gentleman was overcome by fatigue, and rousing himself from slumber exclaimed: If it was not for the work begun, the completion of which rests upon me, the frail and weary body might wish to be at rest. Such a man was our highly esteemed and distinguished Hering.
I had the privilege of living with the doctor for several years, as his assistant, and there is not a day of that time that I cannot recall with pleasant remembrance; at his frugal table he was cheerful, conversational and instructive, never dictatorial, always pleased to receive. If it was upon any subject with which he was not as familiar as the speaker, he would listen with grave attention, and a pleasant sparkle of the eye would indicate his gratification to learn. Humble people were cheerfully entertained at his hospitable table, and the kindest attention and respect were shown them by the doctor, as well as by Mrs. Hering. If friends happened in in the evening before the doctor retired to his study, he was always ready for a social chat, full of good humor and wit. A cigar, rye bread, a piece of Swiss cheese, a glass of wine and plenty of time in prospect would furnish material for an enjoyable evening. But if our venerable sage came home overworked and fatigued, he preferred to be undisturbed and he retired to his study where quiet reigned, there to be in company with his books or pen.
To the young man he was full of encouragement; enthusiastic in showing him the way that would be sure to lead him of success; never oppressing him with his store of knowledge to learning, but ready to give to the fullest extent, all that he judged his hearer to be capable of receiving. A faint smile would be probably all the censure bestowed on a weak effort in literature; but for an able antagonist he had voluminous ammunition for battle, including a fair quantity of grape-shot. A good jest, even though at his own expense, or even against Homoeopathy he relished, but a cold or willful expression against the sacred truth of Therapeutics he considered unpardonable. After the death of Dr. Watzke, in 1867, I expressed my regret at losing such an able colleague from our ranks; he knit his brow and answered: I am not at all sorry; a man who, after finding a truth, can say that he is sorry for it’, ought to die.
The patience of Dr. Hering in listening to the endless narration of a patient afflicted with a chronic disorder, was remarkable, and one might have thought that the master’s day had no end, or that he had only the one patient to attend. The restlessness of all who were waiting in his office, did not in the least disturb him; they might wait, or go home to come back another time. He did not believe in hurry, and often said, No, one is in a hurry but the devil.
Dr. Hering was a power. But what was that power? Was it his learning? No doubt it was a part of it. Was it his industry? No doubt it was a part of it. But the great lever of his power lay in his character. He was modest, kind and open-hearted. Integrity and honor were his beacon-lights; a man in whom there was no guile.
I may be asked by some of our friends, did our sage never get out of humor, or could he scold? I am frank to say that he could get out of humor and scold too. Tell him that he promised, so and so, and you were sure to put him in bad humor; it was especially distasteful to his feelings, as would be a doubt against his honest character, No; I never promise, never, never; no one makes promises but the Old Nick, and he never keeps them He had his own fashion of scolding, and it was done in full earnest, but never to hurt anyone, as he was always careful not to let its force descend directly upon the subject who had offended.
One stormy winter night, the coachman awaited the doctor before the house of a friend where he was calling and had become so interested in conversation, that driver, horses and storm were alike forgotten. About ten o’clock, John, not feeling very comfortable on his box, and perhaps thinking the doctor might have given him the slip by a side door, drove away to the stable. The old gentleman returned shortly after on foot, naturally out of humor, and John was soon hacked to pieces, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of pieces, roasted, fried and baked, the frying pan emptied out of the second-story window, into the dark, cold night. All of this time John slept soundly in his warm bed, and never heard any of these maledictions.
Dr. Hering’s standing as a scientist, skilfulness as a physician, his special love and labor as a therapeutist I shall pass by in silence, knowing full well that ample justice will be done him, this day by our fraternity. Ages to come will appreciate his labor, which was done to free medicine and the medical profession from the vortex of endless speculation in therapeutics, which has been a labyrinth, as old as the history of medicine. The work of building up a true temple of science kept the tools of our mason bright. He was industrious to the last breath of his life when kind nature’s signal called him for retreat.
In love, to the memory of the departed, I have given these few outlines of his character.
MEETING IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
A preamble and resolutions were adopted by the meeting commemorative of the departed.
MEETING IN SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN.
At a meeting of physicians and laymen the exercises included the following programme, in German:
1. Trauerweise, von Trautenfels. 2. Prolog, gesprochen von Frl. Boege. 3. Freunde schmueckt des Meisters Haupt; von Dr. Mossa. 4. Prof. Dr. C. Hering’s Wirken in Amerika und Deutschland. Vortrag von Dr. Werner.
5. Es wird dereinst die Nachwelt blaettern; von L. Frankl. 6. Blau-Weiss-Gold. Vortrag. 7. Der Scmerzensschrei aus allen Ecken. Ein Volkslied mit homoeopathischen Randzeichnungen.Von Prof. Dr. Hering, und Dr. Werner. 8. Schlusswort.
MEETING IN PARIS, FRANCE.
An account of the proceedings of the Memorial meeting held in Paris, is copied from the Bibliotheque Homoeopathique:
La fatale nouvelle, venait a piene se repandre dans Philadelphia que le fils de notre confrere, M. Heermann, en informait son pere par le telegraphe. Le secretaire-general de la Societe Hahnemannienne Federative comprit aussitot que les homoeopathes francais devaient rendre un hommage public et collectif of ce veteran de I’homoeopathie, a celui qui, depuis Hahnemann, avait de plus enrichi la Matiere medicale, Aussi il invita sans plus tarder tous nos confreres presents a Paris a se reunir chez lui le 31 juillet 1880, pour aviser au meilleur moyen d’honorer la memoire de ce grand bienfaiteur de I’humanite. La plupart des membres de la Societe furent exacts au rendez-vous et la seance fut ouverte a 9 heures du soir, sous la presidence de M. Leboucher. M. Love, vice president de la Societe, et M. Cramoisy, etatient au nombre des assistants.
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,