Homeopathic Medicine Case belonging to Samuel Hahnemann
date: label: Date made
content: ca 1840
label: when donated
content: 1926-05-19
name: label: Associated Name
content: Hahnemann, Samuel
notes: label: Description
content: This brown, leather-covered case with hinged lid was used by German physician Dr. Samuel C. F. Hahnemann (1755&#8211;1843) the founder of homeopathy. It contains four trays, each tray holding 52 small vials of pellets, and an end compartment in which powder papers are stored. Several of the original vials are missing from the trays.
label: Description
content: Hahnemann developed homeopathy in reaction to bloodletting and purging and other violent medical practices of his time. Experimenting on himself, Hahnmann created a new drug therapy system based on the principle of "similia similibus curentur," or "like cures like." This system purports that drugs eliciting certain symptoms are useful in treating illnesses with like effects. In order to decrease the toxic side-effects of the drugs, Hahnemann stressed that homeopathic preparations be heavily diluted.
label: Description
content: Hahnemann first published his principles of homeopathy in 1796. In 1810 he published his major work, Organon der Rationellen Heilkunde nach homöopathischen Gesetzen, which he revised over the years in five additional editions. In 1835 Hahnemann moved to Paris and practiced there for the remainder of his life. This medicine case, which is of French manufacture, presumably dates to that period.
label: Description
content: Homeopathy is still widely practiced around the world. It is well represented within NMAH, including a collection of over 2,000 historic objects from the Boericke & Tafel Homeopathic Pharmacy in Philadelphia.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: France
topic: label: Subject
content: Homeopathic Remedies
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
label: See more items in
content: Health & Medicine
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift from Drs. J. Perry Seward & Henry B. Minton
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MG.M-02114
label: catalog number
content: M-02114
label: accession number
content: 91708
objectType: label: Object Name
content: drug kit
label: Object Name
content: homeopathic preparations
label: Object Name
content: homeopathic drug kit
label: Object Name
content: drug kit, homeopathic
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: glass (vials(197) material)
label: Physical Description
content: leather (box(1) material)
label: Physical Description
content: leather (trays(4) material)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (sheets (paper) material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2 1/4 in x 5 1/4 in x 7 in; 5.715 cm x 13.335 cm x 17.78 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2 3/8 in x 7 in x 5 1/4 in; 6.0325 cm x 17.78 cm x 13.335 cm