In deepest reverence, such as is due to a King so distinguished for virtue, this was written by.
SAMUEL HAHNEMANN.
Cothen, the 7th of November,1831.
HUFELAND AND THE HOMOEOPATHIC TREATMENT OF CHOLERA.
In November, 1831, Dr. Georg August Benjamin Schweikert, Medical Officer of Health for Grimma, the friend and pupil of Hahnemann, wrote to Prof. Hufeland of Berlin, requesting him to hand over a number of beds in one of the Hospitals of Berlin, for the purpose of treating cholera patients by homoeopathy.
Hufeland’s reply was in the negative, but shows at the same time his noble mind and his unflinching endeavor to serve Truth If possible. The letter reads:
Berlin, 29th Novr., 1831.
Dear Sir, I apologise for leaving you so long without an answer. But the Minister was ill and away in the country. I too was ill and could therefore only send a letter to him on your behalf, and I only received and answer to it yesterday.
He is of the opinion that however much he wished to do justice to your merits, and your endeavors, yet he believes sufficient has been done for the homoeopathic treatment of cholera in Berlin, as for the past six weeks some hospital wards have been cleared for H. Stuler and Haynel to treat patients, and also no obstacles are put in their way when they use them in private practice, which they often do.
I am of the same opinion, however much I should have liked to see you personally once again. You know my opinion of homoeopathy from my public declaration, and I wish for nothing more than that the truth in it may be proved by strictly controlled experiments, including those for cholera. Therefore I would have wished that the homoeopaths here had not withdrawn form the supervision of the physicians detailed for this purpose, and in this way prevented the verification of their experiences, whilst now I fear that the results obtained will be thought one-sided, prejudiced and unreliable, and will therefore find very little credence.
I am afraid that you, yourself, will soon have an opportunity in your district of seeing this sad illness at close quarters, although one of its many peculiarities seems to be that it avoids certain parts, and generally breaks out less in the country and small towns than in more densely populated districts.
May Providence preserve you, and assist you in your endeavours to cure.
With sincere friendship and esteem, Your devoted, D. HUFELAND.
SUPPLEMENT 119
REPETITION OF HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES, AND SMELLING OF MEDICINES
In the Preface to Boenninghausen’s “Repertory of antipsoric Remedies,” Hahnemann explains further points more in detail:
Practice has proved that one single small dose will be sufficient in some cases of (chronic) disease, where the condition is slight, especially in small children and very delicate and sensitive adults; in most cases this method in insufficient, especially in a case of long standing, or if the disease is well established, or in important acute conditions. But the conscientious homoeopaths cannot trust themselves to repeat the same medicine and dose again and again because by so doing they might make the condition much worse. For this reason many have adopted another method, and that is to increase the dose. But even the results are not favourable, and frequently they are very serious, because the vital force is too violently and strongly taxed by it.
A similar bad effect is produced by a large number of frequently repeated very small doses, as they accumulate in the organism into a kind of very large dose.
Apart from these erroneous methods Hahnemann now shows a new and certain way:
Give the smallest dose, but not in quick succession or it may accumulate into an overstrong dose for the vital force, but with such intervals that no precipitating or overcoming of the life forces may occur. For this, of course, naturally the constitution of the patient, and the extent of the illness must be considered in the right proportions.
Hahnemann takes as an example the use of Sulphur in chronic (psoric) diseases, and advises the most minute doses of the remedy (Tinct, sulph. o/x) even in robust persons, and in developed cases of psora it is not to be repeated more often than every seven days; with weakly and sensitive patients he extends this to nine, twelve, or fourteen days, and allows the remedy to act from four to six weeks. The case can then be completed with six, eight, or ten doses — presupposing that no allopathic misuse of Sulphur had preceded it.
It is better instead of giving these doses in quick succession to give perhaps after three doses, a suitable intermediate remedy — Hahnemann mentions Nux vomica o/x for eight to ten days, because the constitution often rebels against letting the effects of several doses of Sulphur act undisturbed, however necessary that remedy might be for the chronic condition. By means of these intermediate medicines nature is more likely to let the continued doses of Sulphur act quietly, and with good result on the system
If Sulphur has been misused allopathically, and even smelling a globule of the size of a mustard seed saturated with Tinct. sulphur x is of no avail, the smelling of Mercurius metal has a beneficial effect.
In acute diseases the time for repeating the dose of the suitable remedy is arranged in accordance with the more or less rapid course of the disease which has to be dealt with, so that it may have to be repeated perhaps after twenty-four, sixteen, eight, four or even less hours, when the medicine improves the patient without causing new troubles; and in diseases which may rapidly end in death (cholera), a weak dilution of Camphor must be given every five five minutes in a dose of one or two drops; also Cuprum, Veratrum, Arsenic, Phosphorus, Carbo veg., are frequently indicated every two hours; in nerve fever also this rule is followed. In intermittent fever the suitable remedy must be given in the smallest doses (o/x) immediately when recovering, and after the attack is over, and also after each of the three succeeding attacks, and at short intervals, by which means the intermittent fever will permanently subside.
In a further supplement Hahnemann once more lays stress on the fact that the antipsoric remedies have the greatest effect in chronic diseases, the more frequently they are repeated, and the smaller the doses of the higher potencies which we have introduced. As the vital force offers less resistance in this way, to the effect of the remedy, it follows, that a moderate dose, for example, the mere smelling of globules, frequently repeated is the most successful way of employing homoeopathic and antipsoric remedies. In this way even the most irritated nerves may be treated with good, or even with better results in feeble, chronic and acute patients. Hahnemann advocates this method in the most acute cases, which are apparently already at death’s door, as well as in small children. ” For persons whose nose is completely obstructed you hold the open bottle between the lips, and they receive the power in the medicine as well as if they had inhaled it through the nose.”
SUPPLEMENT 120
THE SMELLING OF MEDICINES
Already in the year 1831, when recommending the use of Camphor in cholera, Hahnemann adds in his essay published in the “Allg. Anz. f.d. Deutschen”:
This became evident from the homoeopathic use of Camphor against influenza, for which it is a specific homoeopathic remedy. The patient has to smell continuously the Camphor solution, if he wants to be promptly cured, which will happen in about 24 hours.
SAMUEL HAHNEMANN.
Cothen, July 11th, 1831.
Later he wrote to Boenninghausen: Cothen,
April, 28th, 1833.
I do not forestall Providence — otherwise I could have already produced a victorious revolution in favour of self- dispensing, if I explained that the homoeopathic physician does not need at all to beg for such a favour, as he only requires his pocket case containing olfactory remedies in dealing with all curable diseases. He could dispense his own remedies by simply applying the small bottle every fortnight to both nostrils of his chronic patient who comes to visit him, or at the bedside of the acute patient; without even allowing him to swallow the smallest amount of material medicine; this I and my assistant have now done for nine months with all patients. Also the infant has the small bottle held to its nose in its sleep, and in the case of nasal obstruction, between the lips. But I am not going to recommend that, because the public is accustomed to take powders.
My foreign patients now here, from Denmark, Russia and several from France, who have become familiar with this process, demand and obtain only a smell.
When I have written out the essay on the repetition of doses for the Organon, I shall write something similar for the preface of your repertorium, if you desire it.
Cothen, March,9th, 1833.
Among the antipsorics I would like to have Hepar sulph. calc. also called Sulphurated Calcarea, especially considered, as I have previously neglected it from the erroneous fear that this Hepar sulph. might be disintegrated by the air when triturated. For the last six months I have been convinced of the contrary, and in the 30th dilution I find it a valuable addition to antipsoric treatment and surpassing Sulphur in several respects. I only let them smell moderately once, with both nostrils, a globule saturated with Hepar sulph o/x every 8 to 14 days, and this, if necessary two or three times.
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