The Homoeopathic System of Medicine was founded or discovered by Dr.Samuel Christian Fredrick Hahnemann, a genius who inspite of immense opposition by old school of medicine, laid firm foundation to this system of medicine which has been widely accepted by the people over the world.

The Father of Homoeopathic system of medicine was born on 10th of April 1755 at Meissen in Sexony, Germary.During school age he showed great interest in learning and was favourite among all teachers. However it was at Prince's School at Meissen where firm foundation of his philosophical knowledge was laid. It was here he acqured the perfection in foreign languages and art of translation.

He joined the university of Leipzig in the year 1775. Hahnemann was hard working and to meet the expensive career and maintain his life he started translating English works in to German. After studying in Leipzig he went to Vienna to learn under Dr. Quarin, who was private physician to the Emperor. On 10th of August 1779 he was awarded degree of 'Doctor of Medicine' at the University of Erlanger for his thesis on The Causes and Treatment of Cramps.

After obtaining his degree he became a busy practitioner for a period of 10 years in Germany.When he was practicing in Gommern he fell in love with Henriette Kuchlerin and married her on 17th November 1782. During his practice he came across the miserable condition of practice of medicine prevailing at that time like blood letting, draining the system by purgatives etc. As a result of which he developed aversion to these prevailing methods of treatment. He gave up his practice and made living by literary works. He earned good reputation as an author. His works on Poisoning by Arsenic, Guide to the treatment of Suppurating Wounds and Ulcers, Instruction to Surgeons on Venereal Diseaseswere noted as classical works during his time. He also gained popularity in the field of chemistry. He discovered a method for detection of adulterations of wine which became to be known as Hahnemann's Wine Test.One of the preparation of mercury bears his name as Mercurius Solubilis Hahnemanni.

Dr. Hahnemann severely criticised the harmful methods employed by the physicians for treating the diseases, such as blood letting and use of purgatives. He was also against treating the insane as wild beasts by physicians and attenders.

In the year 1790 when he was translating Treatise on Materia Medicaby Dr. Cullen,he came across the explaination regarding the frebrifuge properties of Cinchona. He believed its curative properties in Ague due to its aromatic and bitter properties. Hahnemann was dissatisfied with Scoth proffessors explaination of febrifuge properties.He thought that there were many bitter and aromatic medicines, but were not febrifugal.In search of an appropriate explaination he decided to take four drachms of Cinchona twice a day for several days. As a result of which he suffered from all the old symptoms with which he was familiar in Ague one after the other. Other than common symptoms he observed appearance of characteristic symptoms not to be observed in Malarial fever for eg. Obtuseness of Senses, Stiffness in all limbs. To make it clear Dr. Hannemann experimented or proved Cinchona to discover the principle on which it acted. He came to conclusion that Cinchona removes the symptoms of Ague because it produces symptoms similar to that of Ague when given in healthy human beings.He verified this theory by experimenting other medicines. He said that the curative properties of the medicines can be ascertained by proving them on healthy human being and noting the symptoms produced by them so that they can be applied in diseases where the symptoms are similar to that produced by the medicine during proving to establish a perfect cure. Based on these observations he formulated the law of cure Similia Similibus Curentur which means Like Cures Like.To make it simple ' A medicine cures a particular disease if it is capable of producing in health, symptoms similar to those of the disease'.

Hahnemann started to collect the data of morbid conditions produced by the medicines when taken by the healthy individuals which had been observed by the physicians in the past. But the information was scarce. Hence he himself tested several medicinal substances and recorded the carefully observed symptoms. These results containing twenty seven medicines were published in Fragmenta de Viribus Medicamentorum Positivis in the year 1805. He continued to add new drugs to his work by new provings and furnished observation of about ninety medicines. The rule and theory of his newly discovered method of treating diseases for practical application appeared as an essay in Hufeland's Journal in 1806 entitledThe Medicine of Experience, and later in the year 1810 as seperated treatiseOrganon of Rational Medicine, which in successive growning editions was renamed asOrganon of Medicine,the latest being 6th edition.In this book Hahnemann briefly described his theory , its philosophical and scientific soundness ,rules for examination of patients, for proving the drugs and selection of remedies on Homoeopathic principles.

Two most important features of Hahnemannian method are, use of single remedy and minimum dose. According to him every medicinal substance has a specific action on the body, and when mixtures are given , the specific action of each cannot be differentiated and also to guess which acted well. Hahnemann also found the method of reducing the adverse effects of the drugs when taken in crude form. He reduced the quantity of the dose by process of potentisation, where in the medicine is quantitatively reduced but qualitatively enhanced sufficient to cure the disease.

Dr. Hahnemann started giving lectures at Leipzig university regarding his newly discovered system. His lectures attracted number of medical students and physicians. He opposed the prevailing methods of treatment and use of huge doses of mixtures of medicines. The medicinal fraterinity strongly criticised his Organon and his principles. He completed his another master piece Materia Medica Pura in 6 Vols. His popularity grew as years rolled by. His mission for treating sick irrespective whether rich or poor earned the praise of the great poet Goethe. Due to strong opposition of his opponents he was made to leave Leipzig and on an invitation of Duke he bacame his private physician and settled at Kothen.

His supporters constituted no of students and scholars who had great respect to this man, and assisted him in preparing medicines and conducting provings of newly discovered drugs. Some of the physicians in an intention to prove ineffectiveness of his newly discovered system became his strong followers and further developed this system eg.Dr. Hering. Some of them started practicing Homoeopathy after they were cured by disease being declared incurable by the eminent physicians during that time eg.Dr.Boenninghausen. Dr. Hannemann published his another workChronic Diseases in 1828. Hahnemann described the nature and their expression to the outward world. He gave a new insight to the Homoeopathic physicians for tackling the chronic diseases.

In the year 1835 he got married to Mademoiselle Marie Melanie D'Hervilly who entered his life as a patient. In the year 1835 to the delight of French Homoeopaths he went to France and began practicing at Paris. He was assisted by his wife. He made sufficient money with his busy practice. Some years later his health started deteriorating due to bronchial catarrah. His condition showed no improvement and on 2nd July 1843 at 5 am. he left the world with his valuable gift of Homoeopathy for the service of Humanity.

His contributions include over 100 proving of Homoeopathic medicines, 70 works on Chemistry and Medicine, translations of about 24 works from English, French, Italy and Latin on subjects of Chemistry, Agriculture and Literature and above all his discovery of Homoeopathic system of medicine.

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