[Alchemy, freemasonry and homeopathy]

Rev Hist Pharm (Paris). 2011 Jul;59(370):175-92.
[Article in French]

Abstract

In this article we are showing that homeopathic doctrine has really esoteric and occult origins as it was suspected by a few authors, nevertheless we saw Hahnemann also using scientific writers. As early as twenty-two years old Hahnemann was initiate in the freemasonry, very in vogue at that time. He will be life long attached to it and will keep close to distinguished freemasons. Freemasonry has conveid enlightement philosophical ideas as well as occult, alchemical and theosophical ones by successive incursion of very different orders. Among these we can find a few rosicrucians orders. At the beginning of 17th century in Germany, the first rosicrucians authors appealed to Paracelse, and the first members of their legendary fraternity manifested their contempt for the practice of transmutation into gold and must devote themselves to gratuitous medical practice (famous utopia). Freemasonry took again these philanthropic views so that Hahnemann was certainly involved to the ideas of Paracelse and his followers through the Rosicrucians which played a substantial part within freemasonry before homeopathy rose.

Publication types

  • Historical Article

MeSH terms

  • Alchemy*
  • France
  • Germany
  • History of Pharmacy*
  • History, 16th Century
  • History, 17th Century
  • History, 18th Century
  • History, 19th Century
  • Homeopathy / history*
  • Occultism / history
  • Philosophy
  • Utopias