Med Secoli. 1994 ; 6(3): 515-24.

[Samuel Hahnemann: a mystical empiricist. A study of the origin and development of the homeopathic medical system]

Rizza E.

Istituto di Semeiotica Medica, UniversitÃ degli Studi di Padova, Italy.

Homeopathy is the product of the time of its birth and systematization and its founder's cultural background. From the beginning, homeopathy looked in two directions at the same time. On the one hand, it looked towards scientific enquiry and empirical proof and, on the other, towards religion, metaphysics and mysticism. The origin of this lies in the double orientation of Hahnemann's work: while affirming a rational system of therapeutics based on observation, he also developed a metaphysical theory of illness as well as of the action of medicines.