He did not approve of using toxic often fatal substances such as Arsenic, Mercury, and various forms of treatment such as bloodletting to treat disease. He left practice and began translating medical texts from seven different languages. He soon developed the same symptoms of malaria. It was this incident that started Samuel Hahnemann to further his scientific observations which lead to the practice of Homeopathy. This approach was opposite to the medical approach of Allopathy which uses medicines whose effects are different from those of the disease being treated.
Symptoms represent a beneficial reaction.
The classical homeopath will investigate all the signs and symptoms of the patient before selecting a single remedy, termed the simillimum, that will be used for treatment. Homeopathic prescription is based upon each individual's expression of symptoms with special interest in the unique expression of symptoms and the individual's perception of their life's experiences through the subconscious state as observed in dreams, delusions and how they perceive themselves. The use of combinations of remedies given at the same time do not have the years of observation and recorded proving as do the single remedies. Therefore, combination remedies are not considered in the selection of the simillimum by a classical Homeopahic. The fact that remedies are so diluted, to a point far beyond where any of the original physical substance remains, makes it difficult for most to comprehend it's effectiveness.