QHD 2005 - Homeoxls

vigour. HAHNEMANN’s students were arrested,
fined, and even imprisoned. He himself was so
persecuted that he must either give up practice or
resume his journeying in quest of another abiding
place. Of a truth it may be said:
“His life was like a battle or a march,
And like the wind’s blast, never resting,
homeless,
He stormed across the war-convulsed earth”.
Not far from Leipsic was one of the many little
principalities of which at that time Germany was
composed. It was the duchy of Anhalt-Coethen.
One of its notables, the Grand Duke Frederick, had
heard of HAHNEMANN’s wonderful cures and
was, besides, a lover of justice. He offered an
asylum to the persecuted old teacher, appointed him
his privy physician with the title of Hofrath, and by
edict gave him permission to dispense and prescribe
within the limits of his kingdom. Early in May,
1821, HAHNEMANN shook the dust of
inhospitable Leipsic with his faithful students
accompanying him on the road set out for Coethen.
It was a delightful place, nestled in the valley
of a small river and in its quiet the master passed
fifteen years of his eventful life. In a summerhouse
at the end of a paved garden he studied and wrote
and meditated, formulating, completing, and
perfecting his life work. His “Chronic Diseases”
was written at Coethen, the last four editions of the
Organon, and the last two editions of Materia
Medica Pura.
The year 1829 was memorable because on
August 10, HAHNEMANN celebrated the fiftieth
anniversary of his graduation at Erlangen. His
disciples came to him bringing gifts. The old
Savant’s portrait was done in oil, his bust was
modelled. STAPF, his favorite pupil, had collected
the fugitive essays he had written, and brought the
first copy from the printer as his token.
ALBRECHT, the Dresden friend and after-time
biographer, delivered a poem in his praise.
RUMMEL presented the honorary diploma from
his alma mater. The scholarly MUHLENBRING
made a Latin oration, giving a sketch of his life and
labors. The good Duke and Duchess remembered
their beloved physician. Afterwards there was a
grand dinner. The disciples came from all parts of
the country, and those who could not come sent
letters of amity. This occasion resulted in the form
of the German Central Homœopathic Union.
Soon afterward, however, a great sorrow came,
and the wings of ashen gray were unfolded over the
good housewife. For years she had devoted herself
to the cares of life that her husband might be free to
pursue his studies. At the time of her illness
HAHNEMANN also was ill, but he kept himself at
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her bedside and comforted her. After her death his
daughters continued to care for the household, and
there was little real change in his domestic life.
The Cholera year of 1832 came, and although
HAHNEMANN never had seen a case of that
character his knowledge of the effects of medicines
upon the system enabled him to suggest the
remedies that would be found useful. His opinion
proved correct, because it was founded upon a law.
Now the years passed peacefully and happily; the
wanderer at last had come home. Homœopathy
was known and men of ability, physicians and
laymen journeyed to the little village, to hear the
old sage talk and to learn more of the new and
rational method of healing. Coethen became the
school house of Homœopathy from whence went
willing disciples to carry the teachings to all parts
of the world.
HAHNEMANN always was a very industrious
man; he never was idle. He proved about ninety
medicines himself; he wrote about seventy original
works on Chemistry and Medicine, some of them in
several volumes; he translated fifteen large medical
and scientific works from the English, six from the
French, one from the Italian and one from Latin.
These translations were not alone on Medicine, but
Chemistry, Agriculture and general Literature.
Among them was “History of the Lives of
Abelard and Heloise” which was considered a
remarkable work from a literary standpoint.
Besides this was the labor of attending to a very
large practice a great part of which was by letters.
He was not only a physician, reformer and chemist,
but he was an accomplished classical scholar and
critic, well versed in Astronomy and Meteorology
fond of Geography. In the days at Coethen he was
at seventy-five, interesting himself in the habits of
spiders, still studying Chemistry, and keeping
himself by letter en rapport with his followers in
different parts of the world.
In stature HAHNEMANN was a small man,
inclined to stoutness; his carriage was upright and
his work dignified; his step was firm and all his
motions active; his forehead was very high, arched,
and bore the impress of thought. In early life he
wore a queue; later on he became bald on the top of
his head, and locks of curling white hair fell over
each temple. His eyes were particularly piercing
and brilliant, as though a great soul looked over
defiantly upon the noisy world. He seldom smiled;
life had been too real for much laughter, yet he
enjoyed the pleasure of others. In early life he wore
small clothes, knee breeches and shoes with
buckles, and later on the long trousers; his coat was
dark. In his home life a gaily figured dressing
gown with long skirts, wadded slippers and always
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