第7章

But，independentlyofanysuchgroundsofactiveresistance，thesubjectinvolvesinterestssodisproportionedtoitsintrinsicclaims，thatitisnomorethananactofhumanitytogiveitapublicexamination。Ifthenewdoctrineisnottruth，itisadangerous，adeadlyerror。Ifitisamereillusion，andacquiresthesamedegreeofinfluencethatwehaveoftenseenobtainedbyotherillusions，thereisnotoneofmyaudiencewhomaynothaveoccasiontodeplorethefatalcredulitywhichlistenedtoitspromises。

Ishallthereforeundertakeasoberexaminationofitsprinciples，itsfacts，andsomepointsofitshistory。ThelimitedtimeatmydisposalrequiresmetocondenseasmuchaspossiblewhatIhavetosay，butIshallendeavortobeplainanddirectinexpressingit。

Notonestatementshallbemadewhichcannotbesupportedbyunimpeachablereference：notonewordshallbeutteredwhichIamnotaswillingtoprintastospeak。Ihavenoquibblestoutter，andI

shallstooptoanswernone；but，withfullfaithinthesufficiencyofaplainstatementoffactsandreasons，Isubmitthesubjecttothediscernmentofmyaudience。

Thequestionmaybeaskedintheoutset，——Haveyousubmittedthedoctrinesyouareprofessingtoexaminetothetestoflong-repeatedandcarefulexperiment；haveyoutriedtoseewhethertheyweretrueornot？TothisIanswer，thatitisabundantlyevident，fromwhathasoftenhappened，thatitwouldbeofnomannerofuseformetoallegetheresultsofanyexperimentsImighthaveinstituted。Againandagainhavethemostexplicitstatementsbeenmadebythemostcompetentpersonsoftheutterfailureofalltheirtrials，andtherewerethesameabundantexplanationsofferedasusedtobefortheUnguentumArmariumaridtheMetallicTractors。Icouldbynopossibilityperformanyexperimentstheresultofwhichcouldnotbeeasilyexplainedawaysoastobeofnoconclusivesignificance。

Besides，asargumentsinfavorofHomoeopathyareconstantlyaddressedtothepublicinjournals，pamphlets，andevenlectures，byinexperienceddilettanti，thesamechannelmustbeopentoallitsopponents。

Itisnecessary，forthesakeofthosetowhomthewholesubjectmaybenew，togiveinthesmallestpossiblecompassthesubstanceoftheHomoeopathicDoctrine。SamuelHahnemann，itsfounder，isaGermanphysician，nowlivinginParis，“[Hahnemanndiedin1843。]attheageofeighty-sevenyears。In1796hepublishedthefirstpapercontaininghispeculiarnotions；in1805hisfirstworkonthesubject；in1810hissomewhatfamous“OrganonoftheHealingArt；“

thenextyearwhathecalledthe“PureMateriaMedica；“andin1828

hislastwork，the“TreatiseonChronicDiseases。“Hehasthereforebeenwritingatintervalsonhisfavoritesubjectfornearlyhalfacentury。

TheonegreatdoctrinewhichconstitutesthebasisofHomoeopathyasasystemisexpressedbytheLatinaphorism，“SIMILIASIBIILIBUSCURANTUR，“

orlikecureslike，thatis，diseasesarecuredbyagentscapableofproducingsymptomsresemblingthosefoundinthediseaseundertreatment。AdiseaseforHahnemannconsistsessentiallyinagroupofsymptoms。Thepropermedicineforanydiseaseistheonewhichiscapableofproducingasimilargroupofsymptomswhengiventoahealthyperson。

Itisofcoursenecessarytoknowwhatarethetrainsofsymptomsexcitedbydifferentsubstances，whenadministeredtopersonsinhealth，ifanysuchcanbeshowntoexist。Hahnemannandhisdisciplesgivecataloguesofthesymptomswhichtheyaffirmwereproduceduponthemselvesorothersbyalargenumberofdrugswhichtheysubmittedtoexperiment。

ThesecondgreatfactwhichHahnemannprofessestohaveestablishedistheefficacyofmedicinalsubstancesreducedtoawonderfuldegreeofminutenessordilution。ThefollowingaccountofhismodeofpreparinghismedicinesisfromhisworkonChronicDiseases，whichhasnot，Ibelieve，yetbeentranslatedintoEnglish。Agrainofthesubstance，ifitissolid，adropifitisliquid，istobeaddedtoaboutathirdpartofonehundredgrainsofsugarofmilkinanunglazedporcelaincapsulewhichhashadthepolishremovedfromthelowerpartofitscavitybyrubbingitwithwetsand；theyaretobemingledforaninstantwithaboneorhornspatula，andthenrubbedtogetherforsixminutes；thenthemassistobescrapedtogetherfromthemortarandpestle，whichistotakefourminutes；thentobeagainrubbedforsixminutes。Fourminutesarethentobedevotedtoscrapingthepowderintoaheap，andthesecondthirdofthehundredgrainsofsugarofmilktobeadded。Thentheyaretobestirredaninstantandrubbedsixminutes，——againtobescrapedtogetherfourminutesandforciblyrubbedsix；oncemorescrapedtogetherforfourminutes，whenthelastthirdofthehundredgrainsofsugarofmilkistobeaddedandmingledbystirringwiththespatula；sixminutesofforciblerubbing，fourofscrapingtogether，andsixmore(positivelythelastsix)ofrubbing，finishthispartoftheprocess。

Everygrainofthispowdercontainsthehundredthofagrainofthemedicinalsubstancemingledwiththesugarofmilk。If，therefore，agrainofthepowderjustpreparedismingledwithanotherhundredgrainsofsugarofmilk，andtheprocessjustdescribedrepeated，weshallhaveapowderofwhicheverygraincontainsthehundredthofthehundredth，orthetenthousandthpartofagrainofthemedicinalsubstance。Repeatthesameprocesswiththesamequantityoffreshsugarofmilk，andeverygrainofyourpowderwillcontainthemillionthofagrainofthemedicinalsubstance。Whenthepowderisofthisstrength，itisreadytoemployinthefurthersolutionsanddilutionstobemadeuseofinpractice。

Agrainofthepowderistobetaken，ahundreddropsofalcoholaretobepouredonit，thevialistobeslowlyturnedforafewminutes，untilthepowderisdissolved，andtwoshakesaretobegiventoit。OnthispointIwillquoteHahnemann’sownwords。

“Alongexperienceandmultipliedobservationsuponthesickleadmewithinthelastfewyearstoprefergivingonlytwoshakestomedicinalliquids，whereasIformerlyusedtogiveten。“Theprocessofdilutioniscarriedoninthesamewayastheattenuationofthepowderwasdone；eachsuccessivedilutionwithalcoholreducingthemedicinetoahundredthpartofthequantityofthatwhichprecededit。Inthiswaythedilutionoftheoriginalmillionthofagrainofmedicinecontainedinthegrainofpowderoperatedoniscarriedsuccessivelytothebillionth，trillionth，quadrillionth，quintillionth，andveryoftenmuchhigherfractionaldivisions。A

doseofanyofthesemedicinesisaminutefractionofadrop，obtainedbymoisteningwiththemoneormorelittleglobulesofsugar，ofwhichHahnemannsaysittakesabouttwohundredtoweighagrain。

AsaninstanceofthestrengthofthemedicinesprescribedbyHahnemann，Iwillmentioncarbonateoflime。Hedoesnotemploycommonchalk，butprefersalittleportionofthefriablepartofanoystershell。Ofthissubstance，carriedtothesextillionthdegree，somuchasoneortwoglobulesofthesizementionedcanconveyisacommondose。Butforpersonsofverydelicatenervesitisproperthatthedilutionshouldbecarriedtothedecillionthdegree。Thatis，animportantmedicinaleffectistobeexpectedfromthetwohundredthorhundredthpartofthemillionthofthemillionthofthemillionthofthemillionthofthemillionthofthemillionthofthemillionthofthemillionthofthemillionthofthemillionthofagrainofoyster-shell。Thisisonlythetenthdegreeofpotency，butsomeofhisdisciplesprofesstohaveobtainedpalpableeffectsfrommuchhigherdilutions。“

ThethirdgreatdoctrineofHahnemannisthefollowing。SeveneighthsatleastofallchronicdiseasesareproducedbytheexistenceinthesystemofthatinfectiousdisorderknowninthelanguageofsciencebytheappellationofPSORA，buttothelessrefinedportionofthecommunitybythenameofITCH。InthewordsofHahnemann’s“Organon，““ThisPsoraisthesoletrueandfundamentalcausethatproducesalltheothercountlessformsofdisease，which，underthenamesofnervousdebility，hysteria，hypochondriasis，insanity，melancholy，idiocy，madness，epilepsy，andspasmsofallkinds，softeningofthebones，orrickets，scoliosisandcyphosis，caries，cancer，funguahaematodes，gout，——yellowjaundiceandcyanosis，dropsy，——

[“ThedegreesofDILUTIONmustnotbeconfoundedwiththoseofPOTENCY。Theirrelationsmaybeseenbythistable：

lstdilution，——Onehundredthofadroporgrain。

2d“Onetenthousandth。

3d“Onemillionth，markedI。

4th“Onehundredmillionth。

5th“Onetenthousandmillionth。

6th“Onemillionmillionth，oronebillionth，markedII。

7th“Onehundredbillionth。

8th“Onetenthousandbillionth。

9th“Onemillionbillionth，oronetrillionth，markedIII。

10th“Onehundredtrillionth。

11th“Onetenthousandtrillionth。

12th“Onemilliontrillionth，oronequadrillionth，markedIV。，——andsoonindefinitely。

ThelargefiguresdenotethedegreesofPOTENCY。]

gastralgia，epistaxis，haemoptysis，——asthmaandsuppurationofthelungs，——megrim，deafness，cataractandamaurosis，——paralysis，lossofsense，painsofeverykind，etc。，appearinourpathologyassomanypeculiar，distinct，andindependentdiseases。“

Forthelastthreecenturies，ifthesameauthoritymaybetrusted，undertheinfluenceofthemorerefinedpersonalhabitswhichhaveprevailed，andtheapplicationofvariousexternalremedieswhichrepeltheaffectionfromtheskin；Psorahasrevealeditselfinthesenumerousformsofinternaldisease，insteadofappearing，asinformerperiods，undertheaspectofanexternalmalady。

ThesearethethreecardinaldoctrinesofHahnemann，aslaiddowninthosestandardworksofHomoeopathy，the“Organon“andthe“TreatiseonChronicDiseases。“

Severalotherprinciplesmaybeadded，uponallofwhichheinsistswithgreatforce，andwhichareverygenerallyreceivedbyhisdisciples。

1。Verylittlepowerisallowedtothecurativeeffortsofnature。

Hahnemanngoessofarastosaythatnoonehaseverseenthesimpleeffortsofnatureeffectthedurablerecoveryofapatientfromachronicdisease。Ingeneral，theHomoeopathistcallseveryrecoverywhichhappensunderhistreatmentacure。

2。Everymedicinalsubstancemustbeadministeredinastateofthemostperfectpurity，anduncombinedwithanyother。Theunionofseveralremediesinasingleprescriptiondestroysitsutility，and，accordingtothe“Organon，“frequentlyaddsanewdisease。

3。Alargenumberofsubstancescommonlythoughttobeinertdevelopgreatmedicinalpowerswhenpreparedinthemanneralreadydescribed；

andagreatproportionofthemareascertainedtohavespecificantidotesincasetheirexcessiveeffectsrequiretobeneutralized。

4。Diseasesshouldberecognized，asfaraspossible，notbyanyofthecommonnamesimposeduponthem，asfeverorepilepsy，butasindividualcollectionsofsymptoms，eachofwhichdiffersfromeveryothercollection。

5。Thesymptomsofanycomplaintmustbedescribedwiththemostminuteexactness，andsofaraspossibleinthepatient’sownwords。

Toillustratethekindofcircumstancesthepatientisexpectedtorecord，Iwillmentiononeortwofromthe313thpageofthe“TreatiseonChronicDiseases，“——beingthefirstoneatwhichI

openedaccidentally。

“Afterdinner，dispositiontosleep；thepatientwinks。“

“Afterdinner，prostrationandfeelingofweakness(ninedaysaftertakingtheremedy)。“

Thisremedywasthatsameoyster-shellwhichistobeprescribed“fractionsofthesextillionthordecillionthdegree。AccordingtoHahnemann，theactionofasingledoseofthesizementioneddoesnotfullydisplayitselfinsomecasesuntiltwenty-fouroreventhirtydaysafteritistaken，andinsuchinstanceshasnotexhausteditsgoodeffectsuntiltowardsthefortiethorfiftiethday，——beforewhichtimeitwouldbeabsurdandinjurioustoadministeranewremedy。

SomuchforthedoctrinesofHahnemann，whichhavebeenstatedwithoutcomment，orexaggerationofanyoftheirfeatures，verymuchasanyadherentofhisopinionsmighthavestatedthem，ifobligedtocompressthemintosonarrowaspace。

DoesHahnemannhimselfrepresentHomoeopathyasitnowexists？Hecertainlyoughttobeitsbestrepresentative，afterhavingcreatedit，anddevotedhislifetoitforhalfacentury。Heisspokenofasthegreatphysicianofthetime，inmost，ifnotallHomoeopathicworks。Ifheisnotauthorityonthesubjectofhisowndoctrines，whois？SofarasIamaware，notonetangiblediscoveryintheso-calledsciencehaseverbeenascribedtoanyotherobserver；atleast，nogeneralprincipleorlaw，ofconsequenceenoughtoclaimanyprominenceinHomoeopathicworks，haseverbeenpretendedtohaveoriginatedwithanyofhisillustriousdisciples。HeisoneoftheonlytwoHomoeopathicwriterswithwhom，asIshallmention，theParispublisherwillhaveanythingtodouponhisownaccount。TheotherisJahr，whoseManualislittlemorethanacatalogueofsymptomsandremedies。IfanypersonschoosetorejectHahnemannasnotinthemainrepresentingHomoeopathy，iftheystrikeathisauthority，iftheywinkoutofsighthisdeliberateandformallyannouncedresults，itisanactofsuicidalrashness；foruponhissagacityandpowersofobservation，andexperience，asembodiedinhisworks，andespeciallyinhisMateriaMedica，reposethefoundationsofHomoeopathyasapracticalsystem。

SofarasIcanlearnfromtheconflictingstatementsmadeuponthesubject，thefollowingisthepresentconditionofbelief。

1。AllofanynoteagreethatthelawSimiliasimilibusistheonlyfundamentalprincipleinmedicine。OfcourseifanymandoesnotagreetothisthenameHomoeopathistcannolongerbeappliedtohimwithpropriety。

2。Thebeliefinandemploymentoftheinfinitesimaldosesisgeneral，andinsomeplacesuniversal，amongtheadvocatesofHomoeopathy；butadistinctmovementhasbeenmadeinGermanytogetridofanyrestrictiontotheuseofthesedoses，andtoemploymedicineswiththesamelicenseasotherpractitioners。