Those whose capacity for independent thinking survives this indoctrination can then undertake homeopathic education through the Faculty. Faculty courses have traditionally been on the short side, as busy practitioners are not in a position to undertake further lengthy courses. Despite the disadvantages of this model, many fine homeopaths have been trained in this way. A typical homeopathic course at a medical faculty or university in India looks very much like a medical course. The only change from the medical curriculum is that homeopathic pharmacology and prescribing is substituted for conventional pharmacology and prescribing.
Students then go out to undertake a period of internship.
Similar courses have been started more recently at the Natal and Witwatersrand Technikons in South Africa. With these exceptions, most homeopathic education has taken place outside institutions. One of the most important routes to homeopathic knowledge since the time of Boenninghausen has been self-study. Some of our most distinguished authorities have essentially been gifted amateurs, who devoured every work on homeopathy they could lay their hands on, experimented on their unfortunate families and relations, and came over time to develop a mastery of the art of prescribing by dint of intelligent application and trial and error. Several individuals, having mastered homeopathy by the self-study route, or by studying with established masters, then went on to found homeopathic schools.