Concerning the funeral nothing is known as yet. Madame Hahnemann is not sending out any announcements of death or anything else. At present she has had the body embalmed by Ganal, and requested permission from the police to keep it unburied at least fourteen to twenty days, if she should desire to do so.
Profound grief for this loss is felt here by all his followers, in spite of their private opinions and other small dissensions. All shed tears of gratitude and affection for him. But the loss of these who have enjoyed the friendship and affection of this great man can only be conceived by those who have known him in his domestic circle, more especially during his later years. He, himself, when not persecuted by others, was not only a good but a simple-hearted and benevolent man, who was never happier than when surrounded by friends to whom he could unreservedly open his heart. In his soul there was no falsehood. He has nobly fought his way through life and gloriously trodden its difficult and often painful path. Sit ei terra levis. (May the earth lie lightly upon him –R.H.)
HAHNEMANN’S DEATH CERTIFICATE.
Municipal Offices of the Departments of the Seine.
City of Paris.
Extract from the Death Register of the year 1843.
I. Arrond.
On July 3rd, 1843, 10 a.m.
Certificate of death relating to Mr. Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann, physician, 89 years of age, widower by his first marriage with Johanna Henriette Leopoldine Kuchler; second marriage with Marie Melanie Derville, of no profession, 38 years of age. The above mentioned deceased, was born in Meissen (Saxony) and died in Paris in his own house, Rue de Milan, No.I yesterday at 5. a.m.
Given by us, at the Office of the Mayor, in the Municipality of the First district of Paris after the declaration of Mr. Simon Felix Camille Croserio, physician, aged 55 years, residing in Rue Bleue, No. 32, and Georges Henri Theophile Jahr, physician, 41 years of age, residing at Rue de Labruye, No. 12, who have signed together with us after reading it.
For documentary verification Croserio: in conjunction with Jahr and Marbeau.
For the authenticity of the signatures.
Paris. 23rd August, 1843.
The Mayor.
(Signature indecipherable).
ON THE DEATH OF HAHNEMANN.
Dr. Hull published in the “Homoeopathic Examiner” (Vol. III, page 257, September, 1843), the following report of Hahnemann’s last illness:
This impressive event took place on the 2nd July, 1843, after a protracted bronchial catarrh. The disease began on the 12th April, two days after he had celebrated his eighty eighth birthday in excellent health and spirits. Hahnemann had suffered from attacks of this disease in the Spring of them year for twenty years. He had always, as in this instance, prescribed for himself. This last attack set in with a serious diarrhoea, which exhausted him very much. In the early stages of the sickness he announced to his friends the opinion that he could not survive it. ” The early frame is worn out” was his expression. He seems to have suffered but slightly till a short time (probably a few days only) before his decease, when a dyspnoea came on in paroxysms, increasing in severity until the final one, which lasted thirteen hours and terminated in suffocation.
Dr. Croserio wrote to Dr. Hull about Hahnemann’s illness and death:
How much equanimity, patience and imperturbable goodness he exhibited! Though he had a distinct presentiment of his approaching end, yet he never permitted an expression to escape him which could alarm his wife; he calmly made his final arrangements, and embraced each of his friends with tenderness, such as belonged to a final adieu, but with steady equanimity. Hahnemann expired at 5 a.m. Two hours afterwards I visited his sacred remains. The face expressed an ineffable calm. Death could not detract from the angelic goodness which belonged to the expression of his features.
DR. RUMMEL’S POEM ON THE DEATH OF HAHNEMANN.
(“Allg. hom. Zeitung,” 1844, Vol. XXV, page 7.).
Shall sleep enfold thee, Oh! thou weary teacher? The rays of new-born light have scarce appeared Behind the darkest clouds of deepest night, And still thy friends lag, halting by the way!
Arise! thou Exile from the Fatherland! With thunder strike their apathetic dream! Arouse them from their dull beloved routine! To something newer, nobler and supreme!
Approach thine enemies with forceful rage, As once thou did’st, when “Murder” was thy cry: Like Hamlet’s ghost — a shade to daunt the brave: Annihilate their blindness and their hat: And when in death, too soon, thine eyes are closed, Peace be to Thee,– to them — forgiveness, given! Translated by Mrs.J.K. Strafford.
HAHNEMANN’S EMBALMING.
At the time when the body of Hahnemann was disinterred we find in the books of the firm Gannal for the 3rd of July, 1843, the following entry:
“The embalming of Dr. Hahnemann, 2000.00 fr.”
SUPPLEMENT 185.
HAHNEMANN’S FUNERAL.
Dr. Suss-Hahnemann’s letter of June 24th, 1869, to Dr. Platt, of Philadelphia:
My grandfather had the poorest and meanest funeral. He was buried very early in the morning; unfortunately it rained the whole time. Whilst the bearers were carrying the coffin down the stairs, in the house at Rue de Milan, a painful altercation occurred between Madame Hahnemann and the men. These had put the heavy coffin down too suddenly on the stairs, and Madame was afraid not that the coffin might be damaged, but the bannister. She, therefore, was more anxious about the latter than about the coffin! We all walked behind the hearse, a very poor looking procession, to the Montmartre. When we arrived at the open tomb there was another unpleasantness. It was an old vault built of brick which already contained two other coffins. I ascertained that one coffin contained the body of a Mr. Gohier, the other the body of a Mr. Lethiere. The coffin of my grandfather was too big and would not go into the tomb. The men tried for a time to force it in. Finally they were obliged to tear off the stone lid and thus at last poor Hahnemann found rest and peace. The grave is Number 8.
In an essay of September 26th, 1864, in the “Allg. hom. Zeitung,” Vol. 69, page 103. Hahnemann’s grandson writes from London:
The great affection which the wife professed to have for her husband whilst he was alive, disappeared immediately after his death. The immortal Founder of Homoeopathy was buried like the poorest of the poor, shortly after five o’clock in the morning, a very ordinary hearse conveyed the body, and we followed on foot, only his wife, his daughter who was the widow of Dr. Suss, myself and Dr. Lethiere being the mourners. The coffin was deposited, by his “faithful” ( in the original there are inverted commas — R.H) wife, in an old vault, where Madame Hahnemann had already placed two old “friends” (inverted commas also by the grandson– R.H). Hahnemann’s wish to have engraved on his tombstone the words,”Non inutilis vixi,” has thus remained unfulfilled till the present day; likewise his sacred promise, to his daughter, to return to her, after his death, the patient’s records. These which had been bequeathed to her she had lent to him, and the promise of their return had never been redeemed.
The owner of the Hotel Richmond in Rue de Helder, No.II, stated that Hahnemann had lived in that house until shortly before his death, but that he died in Nice!.
Richard Haehl was also an editor and publisher of the homeopathic journal Allgemcine, and other homeopathic publications.
Haehl was responsible for saving many of the valuable artifacts of Samuel Hahnemann and retrieving the 6th edition of the Organon and publishing it in 1921.
Richard Haehl was the author of - Life and Work of Samuel Hahnemann