The life of Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann
Hahnemann was born in the German city Meissen at April 10th 1755. 1775 he started to study medicine in Leipzig. He went then to Vienna (Austria) to continue his studies, because at this time only in Vienna bedside teaching was offered for students. Then he went to Romania where he learned to know malaria. After returning to Germany he finished his studies in 1779. After marriage with Henriette Kuchler he worked as physician and translator and scientist in different German cities (during his life Hahnemann changed his place of living 23 times). During his marriage Hahnemann had 11 children, two died very early (car accident). In 1792 Hahnemann treated a psychotic patient successfully with very human methods. Hahnemann was one of the first physicians who considered psychic diseases as a medical problem and who treated these people as human beings. 1790 Hahnemann translated the book of a Scottish pharmacologist and made his famous experiment with "China". This was the beginning of the proving of remedies in healthy people. In 1796 he published the results of his experiments. This year is called the birth of homoeopathy.
In 1805 he published his first book about drug provings in healthy people. 1810 the "Organon" was published, the main book where homoeopathy is explained practically and theoretically. This book is published in 6 editions, the last was finished in 1842 where he explained his new potencies of LM- or Q- potencies. In 1811 Hahnemann wrote his inaugural dissertation at the university of Leipzig then he acquired the right of holding academical lectures. In 1813 Hahnemann had to treat 180 people with typhus exanthematicus (spotted fever, a disease where still in the 20th century 50% of the patients died!) but out of his 180 patients "only" one person died!
In 1820 Hahnemann moved from Leipzig to Köthen. Hahnemann published more remedy provings (Pure Materia Medica) and in 1828 his "Chronic Diseases". 1830 his first wife Henriette died. 1835 Hahnemann moved to Paris (France) with his second wife Melanie. Hahnemann died at July 2nd 1843 in his 89th year. He was first buried at Montmatre cemetery and was transferred to Pere Lachaise cemetery in 1889 where his tomb can be visited today.
Homoeopathy today
During Hahnemann´s life homoeopathy spread widely in Europe, first in France, then Austria, Italy, Great Britain, Poland, Spain, etc. At the beginning of the 19th century homoeopathy spread all over the world, especially in USA, then Brasilia. The first homoeopathic physician in India was the Austrian Johann Martin Honigberger, who treated in 1839 the Maharaja in Lahore. Today in India homoeopathy is fully recognized and very successful.
Today homoeopathy is the most recognised and most powerful kind of alternative or complementary medicine all over the world. In the most European countries exist a regular education in homoeopathic medicine.