Hahnemanns humility before God and and profound faith in His justice rank him easily with the saints of every age and clime. During his last illness when his wife said “Providence surely owes you exemption from all suffering, as you have relieved so many others and have suffered so many hardships in your arduous life;” Hahnemann answered “why should I except exemption from suffering? Every one in this world works according to the gifts and power which he has received from providence, and more or less are words used only before the judgment seat of man, not before that of providence.
Providence owes me nothing. I owe Him much. Yes, everything”. It is only a saint of a high order who can thus give vent to his feelings when death stares him at his face! And the following remarks of him to a friend are worthy of being noted here: “It is perhaps time that I quite this earth but I leave it all and always in the hands of my God. My head is full of truth for the good of mankind, and I have to wish to live but in so far as I can serve my fellowmen”. These are memorable words indeed.
Hahnemann ever had an exalted opinion of the dignity of medical profession. He believed that his discovery was a gift to him from God in trust for the benefit of the fellow men. We may from some idea of Hahnemanns immense industry when we find that he proved about 90 Drugs, that he wrote upwards of 70 original works on chemistry and Medicine, some of which were in several thick volumes and translated about 24 works from the English, French, Italian and Latin, on Agriculture and General literature, many of which were in more than one volumes (Dudgeons remarks).
As a philosopher he was an integralist i.e., he accepted fundamental varities of mind, life matter though in temperament and development, both as man and as physician, he was a strong opponent of materialism, a doctrine which refuses to acknowledge reality of anything but Matter. Hahnemann anticipated the latest ideas of convertibility of matter and energy and developed the dynamisation theory of drugs and perfected a technique of preparation of potentized remedies. Of course he did not try to solve the problem of body – life – mind puzzle from an intellectual point of view but succeeded in discovering a technique by which both man and medicines can be studied as a whole.
As a physician his contributions in the field of Medicine stands unique. It was he who pointed out why the Art of Medicine did not progress on scientific lines whereas phenomenal progress was marked in other branches of human knowledge, scientific and philosophical. It was he who revolutionised the concepts of life, health and disease and assessed the right place of surgery in the practice of medicine. It was he who looked upon the insane as mentally defectives and chalked out a humane method of treatment.
It was he who built his system of therapeutics on such a solid rock of factual observations and experimental verifications that his works are as fresh and up – to – date as they were a century and a half ago. Inspired Hahnemann has left to the world a sacred message of truth – Homoeopathy – the science and art of Medicine as embodied in his immortal work Organon and Materia Medica pura and his book on “Chronic Disease” Evidents from the recent trends of thought in so – called modern scientific medicine, are not wanting to prove that the allopaths outlook is covering towards Homoeopathy and accepting unconsciously and indirectly the fundamental tenets of the latter.
The line of thought diverted by Pasteurs discovery of pathogenetic bacteria and Kochs bacteriological postulates is not curving back and will, if it continues on its present course, eventually merge into that of the Homoeopath and thus discover the unity of scientific thought which, for so long, has lain hid behind a scientific thought which, for so long, has lain hid behind a seemingly perpetual war of school against school, of system against system to the great detriment of the profession and misfortune of the suffering humanity.
Such was our Master, the benefactor of humankind. The life which started with privation, trial and calumny, which enjoyed a few years peace at Coethen and culminated with rich honours of Paris for his achievements came to a close, calm and dignified, worthy in every way of his life, on the morning of Sunday, July 2, 1843. Let me close with the tributes paid by Albrecht to the great departed “No splendid monument is required for Hahnemann. Over his tomb, like the angel with the leaf of eternal peace, lingers with heaven – born consciousness of a life devoted to duty, science, art, the welfare of mankind and the service of God.
By the side of this angel stands another, the certainty that nothing really good, really beneficial, can ever perish, but defies death and the grave, continuing in everlasting activity, and thus identifying itself with the highest order of things and the government of the universe. A third agel hovers there revealing to our gaze the name of Hahnemann and the significant words “Non inutilis Vixi” (I have not lived in vain) are graven there as with a sunbeam”.
On this auspicious day we should think about the place that Homoeopathy will occupy in future in the field of Medicine. I can not pretend to prophesy with certitude on the subject as with the passage of time advancing human knowledge may bring about unexpected changes in our fundamental notions about Matter, Life and Mind and something beyond it.
So far as I can see at present, however, there is no reason to suppose that homoeopathy, if for no other reason than its immensely wide field of application, should assume a position of special importance and become acknowledged by all as one the chief weapons in the conquest of disease. And sooner our national leaders, politicians and state officials realise this truth better chances will be there for us, for the medicine of future, and for the suffering humanity.
If we live up to the ideals set up by Hahnemann there is no power in the earth which can overweigh us or exterminate us as a professional entity.
In the name of Hahnemann and Homoeopathy I thank you all once again from the bottom of my heart for the rare honour and privilege offered to me on this occasion of celebrating the two – hundredth birth – day of our Master Hahnemann.
HOMOEOSMILE.
Dr. Big was seriously ill. He called in Dr. Great, who took his seat beside his patient. Dr. Big lay in his bed, completely covered by a thick rug, only his clean – shaved face popping out.
Dr. Big. Good morning, Dr. Great.
Dr. Great. Good morning. How do you do?
Dr. Big. Quite well, thanks! I am sorry, I mean I am very ill. Thats why I have called you in. By the way our fees, Sir?
Dr. Great. Rupees two hundred and one.
Dr. Good took out a cheque – book from under his pillow, somehow wrote out a page and handed it over to Dr. Great.
Dr. Great. many thanks! Now to business. May I know if you have any trouble in your head?
B. It was bell and then glon and now it seems to be heading towards hyoscyamus.
G. Thats fine. Any trouble in the eyes?.
B. Not much. Just cinerarian opacity, euphrasian lachrymation and staphysagrian styes.
G. Very good. Any trouble in the ears?
B. Nothing particular. It started with puls, passed through sil and is now lach.
G. Fine! Any trouble in the nose?
B. Nothing except some old Kali-bi chunks.
G. Whats your mouth like?
B. Just mercurian, sore and flabby and imprint of teeth and furrows and saliva, etcetera.
G. Thats lovely. Any pain in shoulders or arms?
B. Occasionally bell, usually rhus, sanguin to the right and nux – mosch to the left.
G. Thats good, but how do you know?
B. Vide Lilienthal. I never speak without authority.
G. Thats very nice of you. Any trouble in chest?
B. Nothing very serious. Usually tub, occasionally spong and ranuncul and phos.
G. Good. Any trouble in liver or spleen?
B. Slightly chionanthic liver and ceanothic spleen.
G. Thats fine. Any trouble with biles?
B. Usually chinese and calcarean and occasionally berb and card.
G. Very good. Any dyspepsia?
B. Oh no, just slight arg – nit flatulence.
G. Right. Any pain in the sacral region?
B. Usually rhus, and occasionally lyc and berb.
G. Thats fine. Any pain in the ovaries?
B. O doctor, I should like to inform you that I am a male person.
G. Oh! Many thanks for your information. Our books rafer so often to she and her that I am often inclined to call it she – pathy rather than homoeopathy. Now, any trouble in the urinary system?
B. Very slight, just cantheric urethra, sabalian prostate and terebinthian bladder.
G. Very good. Any trouble down below?
B. A perfect rhododendron.
G. Thats good. Any pain in knees?
B. Just slightly colchic.
G. Any pain like sciatica?
B. Seems to be gnaphalium and rhus.
G. Any pain in tendo – achilles?
B. Slightly acid – murian.
G. Thats fine. Any further symptoms?
B. The finger – joints are act – spic and the rough scales are anagallian. And a few ant – crudian corns and hepatic boils. I think thats all. Now, may I have your prescription.?
