The Man: As we have concerned ourselves in this book according to the aim of the complete work principally with Hahnemanns scientific performance, the creation of homoeopathy, so we cannot here be concerned with a description and a dissection of the whole of his personality. There shall be mentioned here only in a summary manner that part of his nature which in some way has expressed itself in his works.
Hahnemann, arising from small circumstances, already in his youth felt his forces stirring and saw himself recognized as a talented boy already in school and treated correspondingly. As he then left the narrow confinement of his home and the wind of a free life whistled about his ears, he will certainly have suffered from the limitations and privations which poverty brought with it. It must have been particularly painful to him that he was compelled to earn his bread by translations and teaching in place of beating a direct path of science. Many slightings will have painfully touched the self-consciousness of the endowed but poor student.
Thus in him an originally marked self-consciousness will have paired itself with sensitivity so that he responded to all attacks made against his doctrine with great sharpness. With this was combined desire to acknowledgment and ambition of which one usually tends to speak only if they have been restrained by repressions, while in those who son obtain a place corresponding to their capacities by progressing on a smooth path these characteristics appear less markedly and consequently one speaks less of them although in themselves they may be stronger than in the other.
Soon also appeared in Hahnemann the tendency to overstress an opinion right in itself and to perceive it as alone valid, as can be observed already before the presentation of his new doctrine, for example in his fight against coffee.
Regard for rank probably at that time played a much lesser Role on the whole than later; but it seems as though Hahnemann always considered it particularly little. Already in his first writings there is to be found very depreciating opinion of his “medical fellows.” But one may also perceive therein perhaps as in his conditional recognition of the accomplishments of shepherds, executioners, etc., more the lack of prejudice of a superior mind.
Worthy of note is furthermore his great diligence land his gigantic working power which permitted him to remain at his writing desk the greatest part of the night, or by the side of a retort. Only in such a manner can the number of books and his studies be understood, besides his later ever-growing practice with its great exchange of correspondence.
With this disposition it could not fail to occur that after the representation of his new doctrine his already slight feeling of communion lessened still more and in combination with other qualities as self- consciousness and sensitivity, led to a special attitude towards his colleagues which was devoid of all regard. Through the lack of recognition of his doctrine and the unfriendly echo which came to him, his humor was naturally not improved and its published expression did not become friendlier.
So in a vicious circle the dissension between the two parties led on both sides lot a very sharp type of discussion, in which unfortunately the personal tone was not lacking. As it always tends to happen in such instances the blame rests on both sides; but one cannot absolve Hahnemann from he blade that he has given the guiding motive to the inharmonious concert of the next decades.
Moreover, one must not forget that the tone of treatment among his contemporaries with their opponents frequently was not the most friendly, one which I mention only John Brown, Schelling and, as the most famous example, Schopenhauer, with whom similar reasons existed in that the unfortunate unsalaried lecturer understandably did not have the most cordial feelings for his powerful opponents at the University as Schelling and Hegel.
That this irritative tone between homoeopathy and school medicine still obtains in our time is essentially due to the fact that in homoeopathy we do not have a theoretic philosophic system before us about which one soon tends to be appeased, but a medical doctrine which naturally ever again leads to a friction in practical life whereby often the fight over bread was not the least factor.
Since, as is well known, in the nineteenth century money played no Role at all and also physicians and in particular the famous gave away their services for nothing, so repeatedly one has reproached Hahnemann in that, particularly when he acquired a reputation, he also demanded a greater fee and, when he assumed the capacity to pay, insisted on payment. Actually no reproach can be made out of this as we are informed on the other hand also of magnanimous remissions and the free treatment of the poor.
