20 GENERAL THERAPEUTICS FOR VETERINARIANS 



Kothen from 1820 to 1835, when he moved to Paris, where 

 he died in 1843. Hahemann came into prominence with his 

 new doctrine in 1796. His chief works were: " Organon der 

 rationellen Heilkunde " (1810) and " Reine Arzneimittel- 

 lehre" (1811). 



Hahnemann's Theory. — Disease, according to Hahnemann, 

 consists of the symptoms only. The treatment of disease, there- 

 fore, consists of combating and removing the symptoms (symp- 

 tomatic method). Certain drugs produce in the healthy organism 

 symptoms Hke those caused by disease. Digitalis, for example, 

 produces symptoms exactly similar to those of heart disease. In 

 the treatment of any disease, therefore, a drug should be used that 

 will produce in a healthy organism symptoms similar to those 

 observed in the particular disease; in heart disease, for instance, 

 digitalis. Hence the motto of homcEopathy: Similia similibus 

 curantur. 



Hahnemann further maintained that every drug acted the more 

 powerfully the more it was diluted. For this reason a drug should 

 always be administered in extreme dilution, i.e., in the smallest 

 dose possible. Moreover, only one drug should be used at a time. 

 Allopathy, according to Hahnemann, acts contrary to the purpose. 

 There are three forms of homoeopathic preparations: Triturates, 

 dilutions, and pellets. A triturate of one part of the drug and 99 

 parts of milk sugar is called the first triturate; one part of the first 

 triturate with 99 parts of milk sugar forms the second triturate, and 

 so on. Similarly, the first dilution or potence is a solution of one 

 part of thedrugin99 parts of alcohol, the second dilution or potence 

 a solution of one part of the first dilution in 99 parts of alcohol, etc. 

 With these dilutions the pellets, which are made of milk sugar, are 

 moistened. 



The charlatanism of the homoeopathic theory is not without 

 effect upon the laity even to-day. However, it is more to be deplored 

 that Hahnemann has found many followers in medical circles. If, 

 on the one hand, the so-called newer homoeopathy has sought to 

 coincide more with modem investigation, and if, on the other hand, 

 serum therapy in many respects has assumed a homoeopathic char- 



