A few years before his death, on a warm summer day, hot enough to full 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.
May 2, 1869
Keeping the Sabbath. Rainy and cold in the morning. I helped Rudolph make forms of crystals from pasteboard. He has no special regard for the Sabbath, which he estimates like any other day in the week. This at first affected me strangely.
In Europe, where Rudolph received his education, some of the people go to church in the morning, and others, young and old, take their pleasure in the afternoon which is devoted to enjoyment of every kind. He does not go to church, says he does not derive any benefit from it. He visited Oschaz, in Saxony, the birthplace of his father: also Dresden, which has 150,000 inhabitants. Philadelphia at the present time, 1869, has but 100,000.
Oschatz. Oschatz, a small town in Germany, was destroyed by fire and rebuilt, so it no longer bears much resemblance to the birthplace of Dr.Hering. His father moved his family to Zittau, a picturesquely situated small town in Saxony. None of the relations are living in the former place at the present time.
Different stories are told of the way in which the town received its romantic name. Hering’s secretary, Dr.Knable, also a Saxon, told the tale in the following way: The count who governed the domain, was on a hunting party with his lady-love, on horseback, when they halted and overlooked the few houses that were built. What shall we name the place, my dear? said the count. OSchatz, modestly said the lady, how should I tell? Oschatz it shall be then, said the count. Schatz being German for sweetheart.
Travelling in Europe.
Rudolph Hering thinks it would cost two thousand dollars to make the tour of Europe at he present time. Three years later, when visiting abroad and giving some time to the hospitals, besides touring, I found that this was about the sum required for an eighteen month’s stay, devoted to study and to travel.
A Sunday afternoon. Round Table. Allopathic Doctors. I read to the ladies a delightful article, from the Gartenlaube, entitled Ohne Dorner, keine Rosen (Without Thorns, no roses). In it four characteristics, peculiar to women, are described: 1. Roses with but few thorns. 2. Roses with many thorns. 3. Klatschrosen (red ones) for the gossipy kind. 4. Eva-Roeschen, roses named after mother Eve.
Then came some of the Sunday visitors to gather about the round table, in the back room, with Hering in the center of the circle, and Mrs. Hering pouring delicious coffee. The younger women sat with their Handarbeit, knitting, embroidery, or some light occupation, listening to the wisdom of the men as German women are wont to do.
Dr. Hering on the subject of allopaths says: their ways are mean, cunning and underhand; they deceive, they cheat, they steal, they kill. He relates the case of a lady, who hid in the closet of the room while allopathic doctors were holding a consultation over the case of one of her women friends, who was employing Dr. Lingen, a homoeopath. In a revengeful mood the doctors declared that this patient should not, dare not be permitted to get well and live under homoeopathic treatment. The lady in the closet overheard the conspiracy. Under some pretext the patient was removed, taken to England, away from her homoeopathic physician, where after five or six week, she died.
Macfarlan. Surgery.
Dr. Malcolm Macfarlan accepted the position of Professor of Operative Surgery in our College, which Hearing thinks will ultimately make it a successful institution, since surgery is the point of the augur (Chirurgie ist die die Spitze des Borhrers).
Dr. Macfarlan had become popular as surgeon in the army during our Civil War. He was particularly successful with operations for hernia.
Fairs. Dr. Hering’s aims to raise American Fairs to the standard of the European Volksfest. He thinks Fairs will have a good moral influence upon people. Children will work with an end in view. He contemplates writing articles for the papers on the subject of Fairs and their Philosophy.
Some years ago, Miss Hering says, her father was desperately opposed to Fairs. He is now prepared to defend them. Also Dr.Guernsey, who is said to be opposed to Fairs, in toto, has had his name placed on a circular letter to be sent to the doctors.
The Sabbath.
Hering observes that Dr.Gause never stays a minute over 12 o’clock, midnight, at any of the faculty meetings, on a Saturday night, he says: Now my Sunday begins To which Hering replies: That’s right, Dr.Gause, keep your Sunday. I like you for that. You are honest. Dr.Morgan, too, keeps his Sunday strictly. Dr. W., who is opposed to keeping the dispensary open on Sunday, says, it will bring us into bad repute. He is the one who told Hering, Every man ought to go to church for appearances sake
Hering says it is an old story that when Christ was asked: Is a man justifiable to break the Sabbath? he answered: If he knows what he is doing. (Wenn erweiss was er thut). The saying is Godlike enough to have come from Jesus’ lips. Hering seems to think that Christ instituted the Sabbath for the Jews, who needed some such formal arrangement.
May 3, 1869. Fair. In the evening a preliminary meeting was held by the Professors of the College, seconded by Dr.Williamson, to discuss Fair matters; the principal meeting is to be held tomorrow.
Temperance. Hering talked on the subject of temperance. Said he had treated two prominent lecturers on the subject, for mania potu. They gave as a reason for drinking; that they could lecture better under the influence of liquor Wine is sacred, he thinks, and whosoever says anything against its proper use, commits a sin against the Holy Ghost. Alcohol is injurious, therefore a bad thing to be addicted to. Wine is an antidote to drunkenness.
He thinks that beer, in moderation, serves a good purpose, but that in those parts of Germany where beer is taken to excess the people become fat, gross and slothful and lack ambition. Horace Greley remarked that he had seen as much drunkenness in those parts of Europe where wine is used as in other places. Henry Ward Beecher denied this, saying that he found very little, or no drunkenness, in places where the use of wine is customary. Hering says: One ass comes out and says, ‘I saw drunkenness’ and the other one says: ‘I saw none’
The Tribune. A man by the name of Young, who wrote contributions in the form of letters, for Greeley’s paper, sued Dana, the proprietor of another paper, in the sum of one hundred thousand dollars, for publishing his letters which revealed a certain swindling plot.
May 4, 1869.
The Fair. Richard Koch’s opposition.
Dr. Hering received a letter from Dr. Pulte, in Cincinnati, where they also are getting up a Fair for the benefit of homoeopathic hospital. Pulte is to conduct pioneer tables and is asking Hering to contribute a dozen of his pictures. Hering says he must do something to help them, then maybe they will so something for us. Pulte was associated with the Allentown Academy. While there he wrote a biography of himself in which he quoted a memorial poem, written after the death of Schoenlein, the German pathologist. Although Pulte has done much for homoeopathy he is of such an overbearing disposition that he is hard to get along with. He wrote of a certain man, whom Hering respected, he is unscientific, ignorant and unworthy of confidence The elder Miss Hering, Odelia, was quite indignant over Pulte’s behaviour.
Richard Koch predicts that the Fair will be a failure, by reason of a certain member being on the committee, (meaning Morgan) who from selfish motives will hinder its success. He thinks that Morgan will arrogate to him-self directorship of the hospital. Koch says he will eat his shirt if the Fair realizes more than five thousand dollars, and offers to bet five hundred to back his opinion. It netted seventeen thousand. The bet was not paid.
Somehow everything Hering proposes, Koch opposes. If Hering asks to have the plates representing diseases of the skin removed from the walls of the College building on visiting days, Koch insists on having them remain. This morning the Janitor at the College, and myself, removed these pictures to a floor above, on account of a Ladies’ meeting to be held in the lower room. When Koch found this out he made complaint because they were not put in the chemical room, down stairs. Hering threatens to play the madman. Should Koch hang the pictures again in the objectionable spot he says he will break them up
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,