A small tribute to Great DR. SAMUEL HAHNEMANN on his birthday.
Dr. Hahnemann as Hygienist and Dietist
"My CALLING GIVES ME NO RIGHT TO DEAL WITH THE ENNOBLING OF THE MIND., My duties lie to pointing out the greatest of physical assets, health. People hardly ever take the trouble to go in quest of it, and hardly ever value it untile they have lost it". DR.Hahnemann(Friend of health, vol. 1 1792).
Dr. Hahnemann as a hygienist and dietist showed by his words and deeds with great clearness new paths and considering the general conditions of the times in which he lived this signifies even more. Cupping, bloodletting, purgatives and starvation cures were believed to be all that was required to restore the balance of a disordered state of health. The sanitary arrangements for safeguarding the public and private health of the towns were hopeless. They existed no drainage in tortuous narrow streets and there were no public arrangements for the removal and disposal of refuse and decaying matter.
During that time there was no provision of good drinking water, and so this resulted in a continual succession of epidemics. With this neglect of hygiene on the part of the authorities and people in general, doctors troubled themselves little or not at all about it. Dr. Hahnemann who was completely at variance with the whole with the whole science of therapeutics of his day and in particular with the use of customary medicines was forced to take refuge in hygiene was forced to take refuge in hygiene and dietetics. This is known through his consultations by letters especially during the period at the end of 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century and the beginning of 19th century. This period consists almost entirely of advice concerning hygiene and diet.
Few pieces of evidence of letters related to hygiene and diet.
1) Letter to a patient who was an educated working man in GOTHA, who inspite of being delicate, reached the age of 92 yrs. In this letter he writes about the man should not overexert himself and he advises him to give prime importance to his own health first. He writes that a calm cool headed man lives more tranquility and healthily and reaches a good old age. He advises to be more prudent, consider yourself first, let everything else be only of secondary importance to you.
2) Letter to Dr. stapf: He writes to him that if you are trying to put your health on a sounder footing, any non-medical rules which can be followed are not undertaking more work than your bodily to accomplish it too quickly. He also advises him to combine the two following sayings to be best of their abilities. " Ascertain that your shoulders can bear and recognize their limitations" and " Hasten with the leisure". He also advised anger and sorrow must be expelled from the bosom of a wise man and he must not allow them to enter. He also wrote: Take care to maintain your equanimity in difficulties otherwise you will die".
From many letters, it was evident that he goes into smallest details of food and drink for each meal and gives exact prescriptions according to the condition of individual requirements. He recommended baths, ablutions, cleanliness in the rooms, beds and body linen. He advised the admission of fresh air into the houses (walks) with the avoidance of excessive physical or mental exertion.
Hahnemann always took questions of diet into account both in acute and chronic diseases, for till his old age diet remained one of the principal element one of the principal element of his FRESH AIR, FRESH WATER, FREE MOVEMENT are as a general rule always the preliminary conditions of well-being. He believed that next to food exercise is the most essential requirement of the animal mechanism it is that winds up the machinery.
Literary works in the context of diet and hygiene: The advice was given by Hahnemann individually he collected together in the short popular works are as follows:
1) Teo pamplets of " FRIEND OF HEALTH" (1792, 1795) It was a group of more or less popular discussions on medical topics. This consists of a series and will well repay careful study at the present day.
2) Translation of " HANDBOOK OF MOTHERS OR principles on the education of infants by J.J Rousseau in 1796.
3) His first medical treatise" Directions of curing old sores and ulcers" in 1784 describes detailed and excellent hygienic counsels. At this time, when very little attention was paid to hygiene, Hahnemann devoted considerable space to it. In this, he recommended exercise and open air, the benefit of a change of climate and of a seashore, the value of cold water as a remedial agent.
4) " On the effect of Coffee" in 1803 he enlightens all reasonable persons of all nations upon the effects of such an injurious and pernicious beverage. The essay against the use of coffee was written at a time when the germans considered it a favorite beverage, especially the women, and the very poor people, as is tea with us today. He says that in order to enjoy a long and healthy life, man requires food and drinks containing nutritious, but nonirritating, medicinal parts. He describes the medicinal substance. He describes in its place but recommends its medicinal virtues for chronic ailments that bear a great resemblance to its primary action.
DISCUSSION: In today's' era where we find there have been quiet lifestyle changes and the world is moving at a very fast pace and have a fast life surrounded by all modern amenities and the way we are moving towards the electronic world, we have to realize the importance of diet, hygiene, and exercise. Master Hahnemann was indeed ahead of his times; his writings on these subjects serve to be a boon for an individual who wants a healthy life, even today it is a real pleasure to read these entertaining and instructive essays in which Hahnemann gives importance to hygiene, exercise, and diet.
Dr. Hahnemann as Hygienist and Dietist
"My CALLING GIVES ME NO RIGHT TO DEAL WITH THE ENNOBLING OF THE MIND., My duties lie to pointing out the greatest of physical assets, health. People hardly ever take the trouble to go in quest of it, and hardly ever value it untile they have lost it". DR.Hahnemann(Friend of health, vol. 1 1792).
Dr. Hahnemann as a hygienist and dietist showed by his words and deeds with great clearness new paths and considering the general conditions of the times in which he lived this signifies even more. Cupping, bloodletting, purgatives and starvation cures were believed to be all that was required to restore the balance of a disordered state of health. The sanitary arrangements for safeguarding the public and private health of the towns were hopeless. They existed no drainage in tortuous narrow streets and there were no public arrangements for the removal and disposal of refuse and decaying matter.
During that time there was no provision of good drinking water, and so this resulted in a continual succession of epidemics. With this neglect of hygiene on the part of the authorities and people in general, doctors troubled themselves little or not at all about it. Dr. Hahnemann who was completely at variance with the whole with the whole science of therapeutics of his day and in particular with the use of customary medicines was forced to take refuge in hygiene was forced to take refuge in hygiene and dietetics. This is known through his consultations by letters especially during the period at the end of 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century and the beginning of 19th century. This period consists almost entirely of advice concerning hygiene and diet.
Few pieces of evidence of letters related to hygiene and diet.
1) Letter to a patient who was an educated working man in GOTHA, who inspite of being delicate, reached the age of 92 yrs. In this letter he writes about the man should not overexert himself and he advises him to give prime importance to his own health first. He writes that a calm cool headed man lives more tranquility and healthily and reaches a good old age. He advises to be more prudent, consider yourself first, let everything else be only of secondary importance to you.
2) Letter to Dr. stapf: He writes to him that if you are trying to put your health on a sounder footing, any non-medical rules which can be followed are not undertaking more work than your bodily to accomplish it too quickly. He also advises him to combine the two following sayings to be best of their abilities. " Ascertain that your shoulders can bear and recognize their limitations" and " Hasten with the leisure". He also advised anger and sorrow must be expelled from the bosom of a wise man and he must not allow them to enter. He also wrote: Take care to maintain your equanimity in difficulties otherwise you will die".
From many letters, it was evident that he goes into smallest details of food and drink for each meal and gives exact prescriptions according to the condition of individual requirements. He recommended baths, ablutions, cleanliness in the rooms, beds and body linen. He advised the admission of fresh air into the houses (walks) with the avoidance of excessive physical or mental exertion.
Hahnemann always took questions of diet into account both in acute and chronic diseases, for till his old age diet remained one of the principal element one of the principal element of his FRESH AIR, FRESH WATER, FREE MOVEMENT are as a general rule always the preliminary conditions of well-being. He believed that next to food exercise is the most essential requirement of the animal mechanism it is that winds up the machinery.
Literary works in the context of diet and hygiene: The advice was given by Hahnemann individually he collected together in the short popular works are as follows:
1) Teo pamplets of " FRIEND OF HEALTH" (1792, 1795) It was a group of more or less popular discussions on medical topics. This consists of a series and will well repay careful study at the present day.
2) Translation of " HANDBOOK OF MOTHERS OR principles on the education of infants by J.J Rousseau in 1796.
3) His first medical treatise" Directions of curing old sores and ulcers" in 1784 describes detailed and excellent hygienic counsels. At this time, when very little attention was paid to hygiene, Hahnemann devoted considerable space to it. In this, he recommended exercise and open air, the benefit of a change of climate and of a seashore, the value of cold water as a remedial agent.
4) " On the effect of Coffee" in 1803 he enlightens all reasonable persons of all nations upon the effects of such an injurious and pernicious beverage. The essay against the use of coffee was written at a time when the germans considered it a favorite beverage, especially the women, and the very poor people, as is tea with us today. He says that in order to enjoy a long and healthy life, man requires food and drinks containing nutritious, but nonirritating, medicinal parts. He describes the medicinal substance. He describes in its place but recommends its medicinal virtues for chronic ailments that bear a great resemblance to its primary action.
DISCUSSION: In today's' era where we find there have been quiet lifestyle changes and the world is moving at a very fast pace and have a fast life surrounded by all modern amenities and the way we are moving towards the electronic world, we have to realize the importance of diet, hygiene, and exercise. Master Hahnemann was indeed ahead of his times; his writings on these subjects serve to be a boon for an individual who wants a healthy life, even today it is a real pleasure to read these entertaining and instructive essays in which Hahnemann gives importance to hygiene, exercise, and diet.
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