Berlin, August 13th, 1860.

Henry M. Smith, M.D,

My dear Sir: Continuing my correspondence, I now communicate to you the proceedings of the “Central Verein of Homoeopathic Physicians,” which held its annual meeting this year, at Hanover.

On the evening of the 9th inst., a preliminary meeting was held, in which about thirty of the members participated, and I by invitation, as a guest; they assembled to attend to the strict business transactions of the society. There had been several standing prizes for specified essays offered, but only one essay had been sent in. Two new prizes, each of one hundred Thalers, were reported to have been left for this society to dispose of. The President of the society, Dr. Weber, proposed that the meeting to be held the next day, be devoted only to scientific communications, the old rule to read long tedious articles should be abolished, and in its stead should be substituted free discussions on various scientific subjects. This proposition was accepted by acclamation. A report was made by Dr. V. Mayer of Leipzig, to whom the last meeting had entrusted the making of a plan for a new Complete Repertory. He reported that he had improved on the plan adopted of late in England, on which plan part of their new Repertory is already published, and that in a few days the first sheets, treating on the teeth, would be ready for use. The society ordered that of the 500 copies printed, each member (their number in about 230) should receive one copy, with the request to send, in the course of a month, a critique to a committee of three, whose duty it would be to report at the next annual meeting, their report to be based on the criticisms received: and so rests this matter for the present.

A petition from Dr. Altschul in Prague, asking the society to interest itself in the establishment of chairs for Homoeopathy, was read., — The society unanimously considered such a step premature, and declined to take up the matter for the present The President of the society, Dr. Weber, physician to the King of Hanover since 1846, conducted the meeting throughout with great dignity, circumspection and firmness, and has, no doubt, left the impression with all the members, that there could be no better representative of Homoeopathy in the position he occupies, and that the cause of the progressive art is perfectly safe in his hands.

On the 10th many more physicians arrived, and, not only was Germany well represented, but also Russia and Poland, each by one physician, the United States by two, Dr. Gersdorf from Salem, Mass., and myself. The session was opened with an admirable address by Dr. Weber. An article next read by Dr. Kafka, defending the position of physiological Homoeopathy, was not discussed. Dr. Wolf, from Berlin, communicated a very strong and able article on Homoeopathy, as taught and promulgated by Hahnemann; he dwelt with great earnestness on the provings of medicines, in general, and the great importance of provings in small doses; his remarks, although not meeting the approbation of all the members present, were finally sustained by your correspondent, who appealed to the past experiences of the provers of medicines, and the undeniable fact, that the most important and most indicative symptoms, such as guide us daily in the application of medicines, have been obtained from higher dilutions. An interesting discussion on Intermittent. Fever came up, and it was gratifying to see that a great number of the speakers firmly upheld the true homoeopathic principle: that the curative remedy had to be selected according to its similarity with the peculiar case, and that if the fever paroxysm did not show any very great characteristic speciality, we must look for specialities into the symptoms occurring during the apyrexia: the administration of “Chininum sulphuricum,” in crude doses was unanimously condemned, as not only always productive of great harm, but un-homoeopathic. By special request, your correspondent made a communication on the Homoeopathic Colleges in the United States — how they originated, how they were conducted, and how they effected the state of Homoeopathy.

The conclusion from those remarks was, that the establishment of chairs for the teaching of Homoeopathy, now agitated in certain quarters is premature, and would only retard the necessarily slow progress of the art: as the “Central Verein” has already established a Polyclinic at Leipzig, the report of their success being a sufficient proof of the usefulness of that institute, for the present nothing more would be done by this society to farther any schemes proposed by over zealous men to establish chairs of Homoeopathy. Interesting discussions were held en “Angina tons, and Prolapsus uteri.” After an instructive and harmonious meeting, the President announced the session closed at 2 P.M., to meet again a year hence at Leipzig, Dr. Hartlaub to preside. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon the members of the society with their ladies and a goodly number of distinguished laymen met in a beautifully decorated saloon, in a public garden, to partake of a sumptuous dinner. Toasts were brought, first to the King, Queen and family, to the memory of Hahnemann, to the gentlemanly President, to the grand masters in the art, the ladies, and finally, to the brethren who had come across the ocean to meet them. All regretted that the meeting had to be dissolved so soon, and each returned to his vocation with a renewed assurance that the good cause which they tried to further and promulgate was gaining slowly but surely. They all look forward to the not very distant day, when the blessings of Homoeopathy will be enjoyed by all, and the dark ages of physic give way to the rising sun of the healing art.

Yours truly, Ad. Lippe.