A Reminiscence of Hahnemann
Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 5:46 am
[From Bradford's Life and Letters of Hahnemann, pp.373-375]
Under the title of "A Reminiscence of Hahnemann", an account is given in the Medical Advance, for April, 1893, of the presentation of a patient of Hahnemann to the students of the Hering Medical College of Chicago, February 23, 1893. The name of this gentleman is John B. Young, of Clinton, Iowa. He was taken from Paisley in Scotland to Paris, and was placed under Hahnemann's care when he was twelve years of age.
He had previously been ill for two years, and had been given up by his physicians, when a charitable lady took him to Paris by short stages.
"You went from London to Paris?"
"Yes, I went from London to Paris."
"When you arrived in Paris, did you go to see Hahnemann, or did Hahnemann come to see you?"
"He came to see me the second day after my arrival, and gave me an examination that lasted about an hour and a half."
"Did he strip you?"
"Yes, I had to go to bed. He went over me more thoroughly than I have ever been gone over before or since."
Dr. Allen: 'And still it is said that Hahnemann was a symptomatologist, and usually prescribed for symptoms; and rarely made a physical examination.'
Mr Young: "He would make me count one, two, three, etc., up to one hundred, and put an insturment to my chest and did the same to my back, and he did more thumping of my chest than I ever had before."
"He said he KNEW that I had come to him in time and he could cure me."
"Did he give you very much medicine?"
"Not a very great deal. I think I had medicine about four times a day at first, including what I got at night."
"What was your impression of Hahnemann?"
"The first impression made on my mind when I saw him was that his face had a luminous expression. He looked more to me, as I would call it, a divine man - there was divinity about his appearance. He was a good man undoubtedly, and I was informed that he often when he gave his medicine said to his patients that he was but the instrument, that he did the best he could and then they must look to God for the blessing."
"At that time were there many patients visting Hahnemann at his office, and what was the size of his office?"
"He had a very large room, and when I was there he had some two hours that he met 'counsel patients'. There were generally sixty or more patients at any time in his office when I was there."
"Were there any foreigners at that time who came to Hahnemann?"
"Oh, many of them. I became acquainted with quite a number of his patients. I had been there quite a while and there were patients there from America, and Germany, and Russia, and a number from my own country, and they were there from all parts of the world, and there were a great many who expressed themselves to me in this way, that they had not gone to Hahnemann until they were in the last stage of the disease and had been given up by their regular physician. Hahnemann got them when, like me, they were pretty nearly gone, so that it looked to me more like a place where miracles were being performed than any place in which I have ever been, and numbers he brought from death into health."
"He finally cured you?"
"Yes, I came home strong."
"How long were you under his care?"
"About nine months. There is one thing I would like to tell about him. Of course I was indebted to Miss Sterling for being taken to Paris and placed under his care, and just before she left Paris she wanted to settle with Dr. Hahnemann, and of course under ordinary circumstances it would have been a large bill she would have had to pay. Hahnemann refused to make a bill, and when she insisted he said: 'Madam, do you think you have more benevolence than I have? Do you suppose that you should have had all the trouble and expence of bringing him from Paisley and that I should then charge anything.' He says, "No".
"I suppose he received a present that was worth more than the bill. That was the disposition of the woman. Mrs. Hahnemann, the young wife, was there to assist. It was in 1837. I was put on a diet, a special diet for morning and evening. I had babies' food; that is, bread and milk and sugar. The bread was cut up in small pieces and boiled milk poured over it with sugar and allowed to stand a while and soak soft, and I had that for my morning and evening meals. All stimulants were forbidden. He gave the orders for my meals. I do not know that I should reveal his private affairs, but I was going to say that Hahnemann was an inveterate smoker. I have seen his young wife fill his pipe for him many times."
Under the title of "A Reminiscence of Hahnemann", an account is given in the Medical Advance, for April, 1893, of the presentation of a patient of Hahnemann to the students of the Hering Medical College of Chicago, February 23, 1893. The name of this gentleman is John B. Young, of Clinton, Iowa. He was taken from Paisley in Scotland to Paris, and was placed under Hahnemann's care when he was twelve years of age.
He had previously been ill for two years, and had been given up by his physicians, when a charitable lady took him to Paris by short stages.
"You went from London to Paris?"
"Yes, I went from London to Paris."
"When you arrived in Paris, did you go to see Hahnemann, or did Hahnemann come to see you?"
"He came to see me the second day after my arrival, and gave me an examination that lasted about an hour and a half."
"Did he strip you?"
"Yes, I had to go to bed. He went over me more thoroughly than I have ever been gone over before or since."
Dr. Allen: 'And still it is said that Hahnemann was a symptomatologist, and usually prescribed for symptoms; and rarely made a physical examination.'
Mr Young: "He would make me count one, two, three, etc., up to one hundred, and put an insturment to my chest and did the same to my back, and he did more thumping of my chest than I ever had before."
"He said he KNEW that I had come to him in time and he could cure me."
"Did he give you very much medicine?"
"Not a very great deal. I think I had medicine about four times a day at first, including what I got at night."
"What was your impression of Hahnemann?"
"The first impression made on my mind when I saw him was that his face had a luminous expression. He looked more to me, as I would call it, a divine man - there was divinity about his appearance. He was a good man undoubtedly, and I was informed that he often when he gave his medicine said to his patients that he was but the instrument, that he did the best he could and then they must look to God for the blessing."
"At that time were there many patients visting Hahnemann at his office, and what was the size of his office?"
"He had a very large room, and when I was there he had some two hours that he met 'counsel patients'. There were generally sixty or more patients at any time in his office when I was there."
"Were there any foreigners at that time who came to Hahnemann?"
"Oh, many of them. I became acquainted with quite a number of his patients. I had been there quite a while and there were patients there from America, and Germany, and Russia, and a number from my own country, and they were there from all parts of the world, and there were a great many who expressed themselves to me in this way, that they had not gone to Hahnemann until they were in the last stage of the disease and had been given up by their regular physician. Hahnemann got them when, like me, they were pretty nearly gone, so that it looked to me more like a place where miracles were being performed than any place in which I have ever been, and numbers he brought from death into health."
"He finally cured you?"
"Yes, I came home strong."
"How long were you under his care?"
"About nine months. There is one thing I would like to tell about him. Of course I was indebted to Miss Sterling for being taken to Paris and placed under his care, and just before she left Paris she wanted to settle with Dr. Hahnemann, and of course under ordinary circumstances it would have been a large bill she would have had to pay. Hahnemann refused to make a bill, and when she insisted he said: 'Madam, do you think you have more benevolence than I have? Do you suppose that you should have had all the trouble and expence of bringing him from Paisley and that I should then charge anything.' He says, "No".
"I suppose he received a present that was worth more than the bill. That was the disposition of the woman. Mrs. Hahnemann, the young wife, was there to assist. It was in 1837. I was put on a diet, a special diet for morning and evening. I had babies' food; that is, bread and milk and sugar. The bread was cut up in small pieces and boiled milk poured over it with sugar and allowed to stand a while and soak soft, and I had that for my morning and evening meals. All stimulants were forbidden. He gave the orders for my meals. I do not know that I should reveal his private affairs, but I was going to say that Hahnemann was an inveterate smoker. I have seen his young wife fill his pipe for him many times."
