SUPPLEMENT 128
Dr. Franz Hartmann had published in 1831,
THERAPEUTICS OF ACUTE DISEASES.
In this he tried to facilitate the practice of homoeopathy for beginners and the laity, and to make homoeopathic knowledge more accessible to the physicians of the old school. Hahnemann did not agree with it. According to a rough draft which we possess, he wrote the following to him.
November Ist, 1831.
Dear Colleague, Thank you for sending me the first volume of your homoeopathic Therapeutics, But owing to the difficult nature of our homoeopathic method of treatment, which requires so much thought and subtle differentiation for it to be successfully practiced, to try and popularise and render it empirical to the extent you intend, seems an impossible and unseemly task, and even harmful in the hands of the laity who have received no training. ( Here is inserted in the margin: How harmful for instance must become the use of those remedies which are so much praised in certain cases of illness, and how unavoidable the consequences must be where they do the opposite from what I should. Volume II. page 13.)
Therefore I think that it must have cost you a considerable struggle to deny our science when compiling this book, for the sake of trying to solve this insoluble problem. The only reason which, to a certain extent, would justify this enterprise of yours in the eyes of those who wish you well with their whole heart, is that you might considerably improve your financial position by publishing such a book — perhaps even gain several thousand thalers. But the trifle which you would receive from the publisher redoubles by regrets, especially as there is a way of savoir faire in our profession, which leaves no homoeopath without good remuneration and which I would have gladly imparted to you from experience, if you had given me the pleasure of seeing you here; a wish that I have frequently expressed,. and which I herewith repeat as your interested.
(here the draft is interrupted.) Hurtmann’s “Therapy” obtained a favourable reception from the other homoeopath’s, and went into three editions.
Hahnemann to Boenninghausen: Cothen, 22-9-’31
I am very vexed about Hartmann’s Therapy, and he has felt my silence very much because I have not written a line to him, although he had sent the book to me nicely bound — unfortunately he did it from poverty.
Hahnemann to Stapf: 19th May, 1832
I was all the more struck by what you tell me from the “Alleg.hom. Zeitg.,” as no one has written a word about it to me. So Hartmann is to be one of the editors! Is Saul also among the prophets? How can they choose such a weak-kneed fellow? A man who would like to turn us into allopaths, who wants to tell the laity to take remedies blindly according to the names of diseases, who considers our science far too cumbersome for practice and would rather cure (spoil) every-thing with Mercury, who poses as a quack under the guise of homoeopathy, and appends to our science the shame of popularity-this man more harmful to us than all our enemies is to be one of the editors-that gasbag! What am I witnessing! Let every honourable man ignore this arrogant babbler.
Remain yourself an austere editor of the Archiv, and henceforth do not allow anything wrong to be published in it, and in that way you will guard the honour of your magazine; videatur (see) my reprimand ad monita (as a warning) which I should like you to print verbatim.
This warning of Hahnemann did not appear. Hofrat Muhlenbein of Brunswick, on the return journey from the Homoeopathic Medical Congress, wrote to Hahnemann.
Gorzig, Aug. 11.32.
I have not the time to travel home via Kothen, and I therefore take the liberty of sending you by letter the greetings of the Society. The meeting was very well attended, and some of the members gave excellent observations. But especially I am to send you Stapf’s greetings, and to tell you that it would hardly be possible for him to print, in his Archiv, the essays against Hartmann and Trinks; it was discussed among the older friends of homoeopathy, and they were all of the opinion that it would be better for science and also for homoeopathy if such matters were not mentioned in our publications, and also that it would be more fitting for you to send these reprimands to them privately. It could and would, without doubt, cause a schism in our Society, and we should not allow this to happen, least of all in the eyes of the general public. I am also of that opinion.
SUPPLEMENT 129
DR. MORITZ MULLER’S REPORT CONCERNING THE CONGRESS AT LEIPSIC, 1832.
Leipsic, August 13th, 1832.
Very esteemed Hofrath,
I have the honour to give you a brief preliminary report about the celebrations of the Homoeopathic Society. A more detailed account will reach you later, or perhaps, either the physicians coming to see you, or our periodical will tell you of
it.
Physicians from a distance were present in larger numbers than ever before. The preliminary meeting of the 9th dealt with the drafting of regulations for the Society. They were accepted as regards their intention and were carried out, but will have to be revised, co-ordinated, and divided into a rigid and a flexible part.
The members of the Society fall into five categories according to their position.
(a). The general Homoeopathic Society.
1. Medical members.
2. Lay members.
(b). The Homoeopathic Central Association.
1. Ordinary (Medical).
2. Extraordinary (non-medical).
3. Honorary members.
The members of the Central Association receive diplomas, with your signature as the Permanent President (lithographed), as well as the signatures of the Director and Secretary pro. tem.; they pay a yearly subscription in addition to entrance fees.
A committee of the Central Association deals with all matters relating to the advancement and propagation of homoeopathy, and it consists of fourteen persons. This committee corresponds with all the members belonging to the Central Association, so that all matters worthy of knowledge might at once be communicated to them. Each Society has its Secretary who deals with the correspondence.
The capital (approx. 3,000 Rth.) apart from the new subscription which are about 200 Rthl. (the publisher Arnold increased his yearly contribution to 100 Rthl.) is to be used to start a hospital in Leipsic, to which a teaching centre is soon to be added.
These resolutions were accepted at the General Meeting of August the 10th, after Schweikert’s introductory address. This was followed by an address from me; then letters from you; from Hofrath Rau of Giessen, with an essay (he has founded a local Society); from Hfr. Weber of Lich, Dr. Gaumann of Lahr, and Dr. Roth of Munich; an address by Dr. Gross, and letter by Dr. Kretschmar of Belzig; letters from Dr. Suffert of Pensylvania, and Dr. Dufresne of Geneva; an address from Dr. Preschier of Geneva, the editor of the French Journal of Homoeopathy, and probable bearer of these lines; an address by Dr. Muhlenbein; essays by L. Ruckert and Dr. Rummel; and a Hungarian clergyman; an essay from a preacher named Fischer, and an essay from Dr. Muller of Liegnitz.
Stapf presented the Society with your portrait in bas-relief and an impression of it in wax, after a sculptor of Berlin, Adolph Straube, for the museum of our Society. Kruger-Hansen of Gustrow, Dr. Des Guidi of Lyon, and Dr. Dufresne of Geneva sent their latest publications for the library of the Society. The meeting lasted until half-past one. In the afternoon the lectures were concluded at a subsequent meeting from 6 to 7. After the balance-sheet for the capital amount had been drawn up, at twelve o’clock, I was elected on the committee as Director, and Schweikert as ex-director; Stapf, Muhlenbein, Gross, and Rummel as assessors; entries of new members: Franz Hartmann, and Haubold of Leipsic, Trinks of Dresden, Hartlaub of Brunswick, Wolf of Dresden, Rohl of Querfurt, and Schubert of Leipsic.
Muhlenbien and Franz Hartmann became administrators of the capital fund, the latter also being treasurer for the work of the Committee, and D. Albrecht Reporting Secretary. On the following morning at a meeting of the Committee, Dr. Lux was elected corresponding Secretary (but he has not accepted), and Hartmann as Archiv holder. It allotted to Dr. Peschier the correspondence with the physicians of Switzerland, France and Italy; the correspondence with Russia is to go through Dr. Hermann of Petersburg, that of England through Dr. Quin of London, and Brunnow will assist with the foreign correspondence. The correspondence with Munich, Baden, Hessen, Gorlitz, etc., will be dealt with by Roth, Baumann, Rau, and Ruckert; that of Vienna by Lichtenfels. Other localities have yet to be allocated. For America, channels will be found by Stapf. As Director-in-Office I shall take the liberty to frequently ask for your opinions and advice, and communicate events to you as they occur.
The dinner at two o’clock was splendid; there were 110 guests present; the dining hall was very well decorated, and your bust was wreathed; there was music throughout the day. Klein, the Rector of the University, proposed the first toast to science, and von Langern, the Royal Commissaire, proposed the second to the King; the Director (Schweikert) the third toast to you, while the remaining toasts were proposed by myself, Franz, Senator Albrecht, Canon Gunther, Prof. Krug, Dr. Des Guidi, Dr. Freigang, Prince Dolgorucki and Hofr. von Wroski, who translated the “Organon” into Russian. General post-director von Huttner, Frege, and others were present, and also your two sons-in-law. After dinner coffee was served in the garden during a concert where the wives and children joined us. At dusk the garden was illuminated but we gathered together and danced in the hall until after midnight, leaving the splendidly illuminated garden empty in the moonlight. Your two daughters were also present, and the Rector and his daughter stayed almost to the last. Homoeopathy has never been so much honoured in Leipsic as on this 10th of August.
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