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Bettina Blessing’s study follows the progress of homoeopathic therapies up to World War II. It focuses mainly on the development of double and complex remedies which were highly controversial even at the times of Hahnemann, who also experimented with double remedies. Various orientations of homoeopathy, spagyric, naturopathy and conventional medicine advocated homoeopathic remedies and supported medical concepts that were based on ‘holistic’ views. One of the proponents of alternative healing methods was the renowned Berlin surgeon August Bier (1861-1949). For him, homoeopathy was one of several possible medical approaches and, in accordance with Heraclitus, he argued that a ‘harmonious view’ of medicine was not possible as long as one of them was excluded.
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Bettina Blessing Pathways of Homoeopathic Medicine
Bettina Blessing
Pathways of Homoeopathic Medicine Complex Homoeopathy in its relationship to homoeopathy, naturopathy and conventional medicine With a Foreword by Robert Jütte Translated from the German by Margot M. Saar
With 23 Figures
Dr. phil. Bettina Blessing Institute for the History of Medicine Robert Bosch Foundation Straußweg 17 70184 Stuttgart Germany
ISBN 978-3-642-14970-2 Springer Medizin Verlag Heidelberg Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Bibliothek The Deutsche Bibliothek lists this publication in Deutsche Nationalbibliographie; detailed bibliographic data is available in the internet at http://dnb.ddb.de. This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer-Verlag. Violations are liable to prosecution under the German Copyright Law. Springer Medizin Verlag springer.com © Springer Medizin Verlag Heidelberg 2011 The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publications does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Product liability: The publishers cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information about dosage and application contained in this book. In every individual case the user must check such information by consulting the relevant literature. Planning: Renate Scheddin, Heidelberg Projectmanagement: Ulrike Dächert, Heidelberg Copy-Editing: Hilger VerlagsService, Heidelberg Cover design: deblik Berlin Typesetting: Hilger VerlagsService, Heidelberg Printer: Stürtz GmbH, Würzburg SPIN: 12994786 Printed on acid free paper
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Foreword Interest in homoeopathy is undiminished. 72% of Germans prefer to be treated with homoeopathic medicines (Marplan-Institute 1995). Two representative surveys show that homoeopathy has become the most popular alternative healing method in Germany: one was conducted by the pharmacy journal Apotheken Umschau in spring 2001, the other in spring 2003 by the market research institute Gesellschaft für Konsumgüterforschung (GfK). A survey among general practitioners and internists commissioned by the medical journal Ärztliche Allgemeine revealed that 76.9% of these physicians prescribe homoeopathic medicines, including many complex remedies, “very often, often or occasionally”. In Europe, interest in homoeopathy has also been on the rise for many years now, although harmonisation in European pharmaceutical law still seems a far cry. Like orthodox medicine,