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NATURAL SCIENCE: A Short History of Homeopathy
Homeopathy is a system for treating physical disease and other ailments using the theory of treating "like with like." In practice, homeopathic medicine seeks substances that mimic an ailment's symptoms: this sameness is considered likeness1 is then diluted to infinitesimal amounts and administered to the patient in order to cure the problem.
Homeopathic treatment is currently in use for everything from cancer to colds and flu. 2 scientists remain heavily skeptical about its efficacy. The field was founded in the late 18th century by the German medical doctor Samuel Hahnemann.
Despite being a physician himself, Hahnemann was deeply skeptical of the medical practices of his time. In general, 18th century medicine was founded on the theory of the four temperaments, or "humors": Choleric, Melancholic, Sanguine, and Phlegmatic. These temperaments were based on the various combinations of hot and cold and wet and dry. A choleric, or angry, disposition meant that a person had a constitution that was essentially hot and dry. Phlegmatic, or unemotional, persons were thought to be cold and wet. Melancholy was caused by an excess of cold and dry, whereas Sanguine, or passionate, persons were hot and wet7.
This theory was first developed by the Greek physician Hippocrates, the founder of western medicine, and later expanded upon by Galen. When a person became ill, doctors believed it was because one or more of the humors had come out of balance. Some of the best treatments8 were thought to be bloodletting and purgation, the assumption being that these treatments would effectively drain off the excess humors. Other popular treatments included blistering plasters. Often the treatment proved worse than the disease. Many patients died from excessive blood-loss or were poisoned by unregulated medications. In this environment, Hahnemann's skepticism was well warranted.
Hahnemann first stumbled upon his theory when he was investigating a common treatment for malaria, cinchona bark. Modern scientists now know that cinchona bark contains quinine—a substance still used to treat malaria—but at the time, no one knew why the bark was effective.3 Hahnemann chose to implement the concept of treating "like with like" by testing an undiluted dose of the bark on himself. Finding that he had symptoms similar to those of malaria sufferers, Hahnemann concluded that effective drugs must produce symptoms in healthy people that are similar to those produced by the diseases that the drugs would be expected to treat. Hahnemann further hypothesized that, while undiluted substances would only worsen symptoms in the sick9, heavily diluted substances could be effective for a cure. The doctor and his colleagues then proceeded to test a variety of substances to see what symptoms they induced, in the hopes of finding cures for diseases with similar symptoms. Perhaps not surprisingly, Hahnemann's new field of homeopathy (i.e., "similar suffering") was met with considerable resistance from doctors comfortable with their usual practices.
In fact, Hahnemann's methodology for scientifically testing potential treatments was remarkably modern. Nevertheless, his conclusions remain extraordinarily controversial. One of the main points of contention involves the standard homeopathic practice of heavy dilution to create the appropriate dose of a substance. Dilution of homeopathic substances happens in stages. Hahnemann had hypothesized that shaking the solution after each dilution would imprint the molecular "memory" of the original substance into the solution, which would allow the diluted dose to be effective without the possibility of overdose or adverse side effects.
Modern scientists have been unable to find any evidence to support the theory of molecular memory. In fact, the idea that diluting a substance makes it stronger runs against the principles of chemistry and physics.4 Moreover, scientists point to a lack of standardized clinical data on homeopathic treatment. Clinical studies that do show effectiveness indicate that homeopathic cure rates are generally equal to those of placebos5.
Today, many conventional medical practitioners generally disregard homeopathy. Homeopathic practitioners are frequently termed quacks by conventional scientists. Nevertheless, homeopathy remains extremely popular both in the United States and abroad.10 In European countries such as France and England, conventional doctors frequently prescribe homeopathic treatments for common illnesses such as colds and flu. Pharmacists who are trained to answer questions about the homeopathic treatments' use and desired effects then fill the prescriptions.
