The Lesser Writings of Samuel Hahnemann

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To become acquainted with the genius Dr Samuel Hahnemann, it is necessary to study his miscellaneous medical writings along with his substantial and voluminous works, The Organon, The Materia Medica Pura and The Chronic Diseases. It encloses the homoeopathic doctrines and the peculiarities of its practice. This collection has an elaborate work on Venereal Diseases, Essays on subjects connected with hygiene and the reformed system of medicine. Besides containing all the Essays in Stapf's collection, it also includes twenty more that are not to be found there. The writings have been arranged as much as possible in the order of their appearance. It must be read by every student of homoeopathy who wishes to become acquainted with the master mind himself.

Samuel Hahnemann, founder of the homoeopathic system of medicine was a thorough master of different languages like German, French, English, Italian, Latin, Greek, Arabic, Syrian, Chaldaic and Hebrew. His medical studies were pursued in the famous centres of learning in Europe. He graduated in medicine with special honours at Erlangen in the year 1779. He was a member of various scientific societies in Leipsic and other cities and was highly honoured for his researches in chemistry. The last years of Hahnemann's life were spent in Paris, where he was received with every mark of respect and honour and where his great ability was recognised by an, enormous clientage.

1. THERE is much that is puzzling and inexplicable in the nature of the venereal virus.

2. It has this peculiarity, that once communicated to the body it increases indefinitely, and that the forces of the corporeal life of the human being possess no power of overcoming it, and of expelling it by their own effort, like other diseases and even gonorrhoea. Its seat appears to be in the lymphatic system.

3. We find that neither the breath, nor the perspiration, nor the exhalation, nor the urine of persons affected with the venereal disease are capable of communicating either the local or the general affection. The semen of a person affected with general syphilis does not, according to the testimony of the most experienced observers, beget syphilitic children ; mothers affected with general syphilis only do not seem to have any power of infecting their offspring, nor can nurses affected with syphilis communicate the poison by their milk.

4. Usually the venereal diseases consist only of local affections ; a general malady accompanying these is something merely accidental.

5. The most remarkable thing about them is the difference betwixt the first and the second infection.

6. The first infection gives rise only to independent local diseases or idiopathic venereal local affections, gonorrhoea and chancre ; in their essential character buboes and condylomata belong to these, yet as regards the period of their occurrence, they constitute the transition into the second infection, in which the absorption of the hitherto merely local virus of the gonorrhoea, chancre and buboe into the general fluids, produces a state of the system that only makes itself known by local affections of another description, which may therefore be called symptomatic venereal disease, and the individual or collective phenomena of which are usually termed general venereal disease or syphilis.

7. Many experiments shew that true gonorrhoeal matter when inoculated produces chancre, and that matter from the latter gives rise to true gonorrhoea, that consequently both of these affections apparently so different arise from the same virus, which only exhibits different phenomena according as it is applied to different surfaces.

8. Parts of the body destitute of epidermis designed for the secretion of natural _fluids, when the virus is brought in contact with them, become subject, as Hunter demonstrated, to abnormal fluxes of mucus and pus without loss of substance ; this phenomenon is called gonorrhoea. On the other hand when applied to, or rather rubbed into, surfaces of the body provided with epidermis, it excites specific ulcers, which on account of their corroding character are termed chancres (ulcera cancrosa). In agglomerated glands it gives rise to buboes.

9. As long as the virus continues in the form of these local affections at the seat of the first infection (or in its neighbourhood, as in buboes) it retains unaltered the power to cause local infections and to excite (e. g. by inoculation) similar idiopathic venereal affections according to the nature of the part acted on. Should, however, these local affections disappear without treatment, or should a small portion of their matter pass into the circulation (the second infection) this virus is thereby altered in such a manner, that along with the development of the general malady, besides other local affections, ulcers arise, the matter of which, according to Hunter's careful researches, can neither, when applied to moist surfaces, produce venereal gonorr-hoea, nor when introduced into wounds develop chancre, and hence is incapable of producing syphilis in healthy organisms.

10. The matter absorbed by the lymphatic vessels from chancre gives rise to buboes, but the matter of the ulcers of the general affection when driven inwards produces none. As little can the virus of syphilis produce chancres on the genitals or gonorrhoea from within outwards ; if it break out on parts destitute of epidermis, as for instance on the alas nasi, it forms only general venereal ulcers, whilst the chancre virus applied to the same part produces a nasal blennorr-hcea.

11. The virus of chancre and gonorrhoea inserted into general venereal sores or into suppurating buboes, does not aggravate either of these, neither does the chancre become more malignant than it was previously by the application of gonorrhoeal matter, nor the gonorr-hoea by that of chancrous matter.

**Contents and Sample Pages**