Hahnemann, (Christian Friedrich) Samuel (1755–1843)

German physician and founder of homeopathy. While practising conventional medicine, he developed a theory that a disease can be cured by drugs that cause the symptoms of that disease in healthy individuals (in other words, ‘like cures like’). He called this new form of treatment homeopathy. It involved the administration of very small doses of a drug, many of which are herbal in origin, to cure or alleviate the symptoms of some diseases.

Hahnemann was born in Meissen in Germany and studied medicine at the University of Leipzig. He attempted to practise homeopathic medicine in various towns in Germany 1798–1810 by administering his remedies free of charge, but found himself antagonizing local practitioners by his unorthodox theories and methods, to the extent that he was often prosecuted for practising dangerous, if not illegal, forms of medicine. However, he persevered in his efforts to publicize homeopathy and by 1825, the practice had spread to the USA and various European countries.