mitted to the public; and even then a small part of his system was explained in one of the medical periodicals of the day. In 1805, his first work was published, in two volumes, entitled, "Fragmenta de viribus medicamentorum positivis sive obviis in corpore humano.” It contained the result of experiments made upon himself, his family, and some of his friends, with twenty-seven different medicines. The following year he published his treatise, "Medicine founded on experience," forming the basis of his Organon of the healing art, which appeared in 1810. In 1811, the first edition of a part of the materia medica pura issued from the press; but this most important work was not com pleted until 1821. Since that time, several new remedies. have been tried, and their physiological and pathological effect thoroughly investigated.

After his establishment in Leipzig, in 1812, Hahne mann delivered a course of lectures on his system.

His students, though few in number, were inspired with an enthusiastic zeal to follow up the discovery of their master; and it was by the experiments on their own persons, that the world is indebted for much of the information which fills the pages of the materia modica.

Hahnemann, however, had not been long resident in Leipzig before the opponents, ruled by petty interests, influenced the government to take measures for preventing Hahnemann from practicing homeopathy in their neighborhood; and as he regarded their intrigues with indifference, they at last succeeded in obtaining an order

from the Saxon government for the enforcement of an obsolete or dormant law, which prohibits a physician from preparing or dispensing medicines himself. This scandalous affair occurred in 1820;- -a most hideous action, which stains the pages of medical history.

Hahnemann now saw himself compelled either to give up his practice as a physician, or to forego his superintendence of the preparation of his medicaments; and as it was upon the purity of the latter, and the care with which they were prepared, that the successful application of his discovery, and his own reputation depended, and he did what every honest man would do, who dislikes to act against his conscience, -he publicly announced his resolution to relinquish his practice. Thus he was deprived, in his advanced age, of the means of sustaining himself and family.

The disinterestedness of Hahnemann's conduct procured for him, from the Duke of Anhalt-cothen, who liberally offered him an asylum, of which he availed himself; and in 1821 he received a further mark of the Duke's favor, by being appointed one of his counsellors. In that Duchy he continued to reside until 1835, devoting himself exclusively to those labors which were necessary to develop and perfect his system. It was whilst in Anhalt-cothen, in 1828, that Hanhemann published his celebrated work, in four volumes, on chronic maladies. Into every new edition of that, and of his other works, he, of course, sub

sequently introduced the remarks which his own observations, and the investigation of his disciples suggested.

In 1835, Hahnemann went to Paris, his system making rapid progress in France. There surrounded by his disciples, he continued his labor with a zeal and vigor rarely witnessed in an individual at such an advanced period of life: and he has, at this day, the satisfaction to observe, that his system is daily making converts, and is adopted by numerous physicians in almost every country in the world.

This much I deem it necessary to say, about the person of a man, to whom the sciense of medicine undoubtedly owes a great deal.

Coincident opinions of old authors to the principle of Homeopathy.

Previous to his annunciation of homopathy as a system of medicine, Hahnemann satisfied himself that several eminent authorities had imperfectly alluded to its principle. Thus Basil Valentine, in writings ascribed to Hippocrates, makes the observation that "similar effects must by similar creating causes be treated, and not by opposite agencies." Detharding found that an infusion of senna would cure a kind of cholic, consequence of its power of creating a similar malady in healthy individuals. Bertholet states that electricity is capable of extinguishing pains of disease precisely similar to those it has been known to excite in healthy individuals. Bouldoc attributes the same power to rheubarb in its action on diarrhoeas.

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Stoerk conjectures, with some timidity, that the stramonium, in consequence of the various forms of mental hallucination and derangement it had been observed to produce on persons in health, might be successfully used in the treatment of maniacs, by creating new trains of thought. Stahl, the celebrated Danish physician, has been quoted by our founder as having expressed himself most explicitly on this idea, as follows: "The received method in medicine, of curing diseases by opposite remedies— that is to say, by medicines which are opposed to the effects they produce, (contraria contrarius) is completely false and absurd. I am convinced, on the contrary, that diseases are produced by agents which produce a similar affection similia similibus, burns by the heat of fire, to which the parts are exposed; the frost-bite by snow or icecold water, and inflamation and contusions by spirituous applications. It is by these means I have succeeded in curing a disposition to acidity of the stomach, by using very small doses of sulphuric acid in cases where a multitude of absorbing powders had been administered to no purpose." Paracelsus, who also believed in applying specifics to diseases, in the course of his writings, observes: "It is a perverted method taught by Galen, to give remedies which produce the contrary of the disease: remedies ought to be administered which act similar to it." Hieronymus Cardanus also manifested some doubts as to the Galenian method, in consequence of observing that diarreas were frequently cured by evacuants.

Thomas Erasmus coincided with Cardamus and Paracelsus in their suspicions. These gentlemen did not carry out the conception of their experience, but it was received as singular, "passing strange," and they were honored for their acuto observation. Hahnemann elaborated this

principle by tedious and life-enduring trials; but as his results were found to strike at the vitality of discordant usages, he was denounced and persecuted as a casuist, a knave or a fool.

The homeopathic materia medica—the pathogenetic power of medicines its sole basis.

Many substances in nature possess the property of disturbing the vital actions during health. This Hahnemann calls their pathogenetic, or disease producing power. Distinct from this power, no substance is endowed with any virtue for the restoration of health. It is only when the pathogenetic power is rightly applied to disease, that it becomes curative, and constitutes the healing power.

Thus this two properties are fundamentally one and the same, and they differ only as applied to health or dis

ease.

Hence, it is evident, that to know the therapeutic or healing power of ány substance, we must first know its pathogenetic or discaso producing power.

Our present knowledge of drugs is mostly the result of customary use, or empirical trials in disease. As, how

ever, it would be impossible to try every remedy against