Mainz, July 28, 1860

Henry M. Smith, M.D,

My Dear Sir, —

While traveling in Germany one of my objects was to learn the history position, progress and prospects of Homoeopathy, which I have had opportunity to learn so far. I now communicate to you and think it will interest your numerous readers to hear from the country where Homoeopathy was first taught, and learn how this young giant prospers On the 23d of July I visited Leipzig, the birth-place of Homoeopathy, and calling on the venerable Dr. Haubold, a pupil of Hahnemann, with letters of introduction from his contemporary and friend, Dr. Hering, I met with a very cordial welcome. He took me to the Homoeopathic Polyclinic which is open every day, from 7 a.m. till 51/2 p.m., or longer if necessary. I there met Drs. V. Meyer and Miller, who are in daily attendance. A book is kept in which the name, occupation, age, and some symptoms of the patient, as well as the medicines he receives and their effects, are recorded. He receives a card with his number on the record and his name, he has either to report himself cured or express his desire to discontinue the treatment when he returns his card. A pharmaceutist prepares the medicines for the patients, and the attending physicians keep the books. The rooms are very appropriate, there is one room in which the patients are waiting, one in which they receive advice and medicines, admitting two at a time, and one room for private examinations whenever it becomes necessary to make ocular inspections. While I was there some forty or fifty persons came; of those who had already been under treatment, almost all had very much improved, some were dismissed cured; the day being Monday, the attendance was comparatively small. The prescribing physicians are true Homoeopathists, and never give more than one medicine at a time, they never alternate medicines, and never repeat doses until the effects of the former dose have been exhausted. The result of the Homoeopathic treatment of this establishment is very satisfactory in general, and will furthermore assist in the final disposition of the much vexed question of “doses.” At present extensive trials with Lehrman's high potencies are made, and so far very satisfactory. Eventually something will be published about the comparative results.

I found a valuable new work just published in Germany, “The Fundamental Laws of Physiology, Pathology and Homoeopathic Therapeutics,” by Dr. von Grauvogl; a work which I hope will be translated and published in the English language, as it is decidedly the most philosophical work ever written on the subject; although all Homoeopathists may not feel inclined to subscribe to the whole work as it is. * [A reworked version of the book was published in 1870 as E. von Grauvogl: Text book of Homoeopathy, translated by G.E. Shipman]

In Leipzig, Homoeopathy is decidedly in the ascendancy, and the practitioners hold firmly to the original doctrine, which must necessarily spread its blessings around them.

I hurried away from among them to meet the physicians of the Rhein Provinces of Westphalia, at Dortmund which I reached on the 25th of July. The first who came was the good old Doctor von Boenninghausen, who although in his 76th year, not only retains all his faculties, but is extensively engaged in the practice of medicine and takes the most lively interest in the progress of Homoeopathy, to which he devotes himself entirely. This society meets once a year in July, it has no officers, no constitution, no laws or by-laws, but all who take sufficient interest in the progress of Homoeopathy, in or out of the profession, come and participate in the deliberations. Among the celebrities present was Dr. Weber, physician to the King of Hanover, a man of great ability and a strict Homoeopathist; also from Brussells, M. Ph. de Molinari, pere, who although far advanced in life devotes all his means, time and energy to the propagation of Homoeopathy, he has a “Clinique Homoeopathic” at Brussells, and by his adherence to true Homoeopathy and advancement in knowledge, giving for many years only high attenuations in his Clinique, he has not only relieved many of his suffering brethren but has drawn the attention of the government to the superior success of his Clinique, and made many converts even among the physicians of the old school; Dr. Bolle, the editor of The Popular Homoeopathic Journal, who is dealing out home-truths to all men in his truly popular paper. Having neither officers, funds or anything else to dispose of, the evening meeting passed off without any preliminary wire-working, but in pleasant communications. On the 26th a goodly number of the friends of Homoeopathy being present, the regular meeting was organized, Dr. von Boenninghausen in the chair, Dr. Stapf's death was much lamented and the great merits of this old friend commented upon. He was the first regularly graduated Doctor of Medicine who openly espoused the cause of Homoeopathy, and became a warm friend of the art, as well as of Hahnemann. By request I made a communication on Kali bichromaticum, and many of my observations were corroborated by physicians, all living in different parts of the world, all having been guided in the administration of this valuable new remedy by the only law of cure and the provings we have of this medicine. A good many cases were reported in which Epilepsy had been cured by Bufo. In all cases unconsciousness during and profound Bleeps after the attack had been observed. Many instances of cure by Apis were related, while the indefatigable Doctor Hering received many warm thanks for his highly valuable additions to our Materia Medica. Dr. Boenninghausen reported a letter which came into his hands from Jenichen, to Dr. Stapf, he thus sent him Arsenicum 8000, and in his letter he states the mode by which he made it, even stating the number of shakes and how fatiguing the preparation was as it required all his attention, he finally hoped that if not now, in the future, the acknowledgment of a later generation would reward him, as he felt assured that no better preparation could possibly be made He states in this letter that while attenuating Arsenicum as high as 8000, he has potentized in the proportion of 1 to 100, and shaken every vial for each potence 20 times. He is also anxious to know what curative effect this preparation would have.

This letter, with Dr. Boenninghausen's notes, will be published in the proceedings of the meeting in The Allgemeine Homoeopathische Zeitung, at Leipzig. It has now given us an evidence that all the calumnies formerly entered against Jenichen are entirely false, that the physicians who have for many years relied upon his preparations had a good right to do so, that they were truly high-potencies, and that he was only actuated by the most noble self-sacrificing motives, when he endured the fatigue, the inconveniences and also the uncharitable sneers of his contemporaries; a grateful posterity will do him justice. From the proceedings of the meeting it was evident that Homoeopathy was gaining steadily, that the physicians, scarcely without exception, adopt the true principles of Hahnemann, and are giving smaller doses at longer intervals than formerly. The mode of administering medicine in chronic diseases which Dr. Hahnemann adopted in his latter years was to dissolve a highly attenuated medicine, say six globules in nine spoonfuls of water, to have six spoonfuls taken during two days and then to fill up the solutions with pure water, to take again six spoonfuls for two days and again to add pure water, continuing this mode until an improvement or a medicinal aggravation followed, which latter event scarcely ever occurred. This same method has been adopted by the most successful practitioners of the present day, and it is owing to their success that Homoeopathy is progressing, in spite of the powerful opposition that ignorance, prejudice and malice can bring against it. The general impression is that if we only remains, true to our cause, we will before long gain the day, and the enemy to progress will be conquered. On the 10th of August is the meeting of the German physicians at Hanover, to which I have received a pressing invitation, and I shall attend if possible. From there more communications may be made.