Encyclopedia of Homeopathy

HISTORY OF HOMEOPATHY• 13illness right through to the 17th century. Only when the Swiss physician andalchemist Paracelsus (1493–1541) began to develop his theories did the study ofmedicine start to evolve again. Paracelsus revived the ancient Greek theory of theDoctrine of Signatures, which was based on the premise that the external appearanceof a plant—God’s “signature”—indicated the nature of its healing properties. Forexample, Chelidonium majus (greater celandine) was used to treat conditions affectingthe liver and gallbladder because the yellow juice of the plant resembled bile.Paracelsus argued that disease was linked to external factors such ascontaminated food and water rather than to mystical forces, and hechallenged his contemporaries to recognize the body’s natural ability toheal itself, claiming that the practice of medicine should be based ondetailed observation and “profound knowledge of nature and herworks.” According to his theories, all plants and metals containedactive ingredients that could be prescribed to match specificillnesses. Concentrating on practical experiments rather thanon alchemy, he laid the foundations for the early stages ofchemistry and subsequent development of pharmaceuticalmedicine, introducing new medicines, such as opium,sulfur, iron, and arsenic, into the contemporaryrepertory. His exploration of the chemical andmedicinal properties of many substances, and hisadvocacy of the Hippocratic concept of “like cureslike,” also made Paracelsus a key figure in the developmentof homeopathy. According to the British homeopath JamesCompton Burnett (1840–1901), the author of severalimportant works on homeopathy that are still in use today,“Paracelsus planted the acorn from which the mighty oak ofhomeopathy has grown.”PHILIPPUS AUREOLUS PARACELSUS One of thegreatest scientists of the 16th century, Paracelsuswas considered responsible for the transition fromalchemy to modern chemistry. Known as the “fatherof chemistry,” he believed in exact dosage, andstated that “it depends only on the dose whether apoison is a poison or not.”Medical practices by the 19th centuryThe period between the 16th and 19th centuries saw continued advancement in medicalknowledge. The development of the printing press, and the publication of herbals inlanguages other than Latin, brought herbal knowledge into homes on a wide scale anddecreased the monopoly of doctors and apothecaries on the treatment of illness. Hugelyinfluential English-language herbals, such as the Herball of John Gerard (1545–1612), andThe English Physitian by Nicholas Culpeper (1616–54), were published during this period.Despite medical advances and greater dispersal of herbal lore, however, the generalhealth of the population remained poor in many Western countries. Industrialization wasaccompanied by population transition from rural areas to polluted, overcrowded cities