Samuel Hahnemann Biography

Samuel Hahnemann was a German physician who founded the system of alternative medicine called homeopathy. A qualified medical doctor, he was disturbed by several common medical practices of the era like bloodletting and purging which he believed worsened the symptoms of patients instead of treating them. So feeling the need for an alternative method of therapeutics, he developed the system of healing which he named homeopathy. Born as the son of a porcelain painter, young Samuel ventured into career paths very different from his father’s. He was proficient in a number of languages including English, French, Italian, Greek and Latin, and was also blessed with a deep interest in biological science. He embarked on a career as a translator and teacher of languages. In addition to this he also studied medicine at Leipzig and moved to Vienna to further his medical studies. He eventually graduated as an M.D. from the University of Erlangen and began practicing. However, he became disillusioned with the medical fraternity very soon and was disturbed by several practices adopted by the physicians of that time. This propelled him to develop homeopathy as a system of alternative medicine. A prolific writer, he also wrote a number of books, essays, and letters on the homeopathic method.