HOMOEOPATHY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1844, 2 September 1913, Page 4

HOMOEOPATHY.

Sir,— Glancing through tho interesting column by "Liber" on books and authors, I notice tho announcement that tho next batch of the' "Everyman Library" is to include Hahnemann's "Organon of tho Rational Art of Healing." Will you allow mo to assure "Liber" that thero aro still many believers, in homoeopathy even in New Zealand. For instance, wo havo in Dunedin a Homoeopathic Association, formed only tlireo years ago, which -.held during'the past winter three meetings, at which lectures wero given to an averago audience of over 60 people. _ Under its auspices also & homoeopathic institute was opened, at which charitable treatment has been given to over 700 patients. However, homooopathy is a world-wido movement, and its status is not to lx) measured by tho lack of medical enlightenment prevailing ill our isolated and far-flung land. Will you allow mo to mention a fwv facts which indicate that in London for instance homoeopathy is a vigorous and lusty infant, viz.,, during tho past two .years fifty thousand pounds has been raised for additions to the London Homoeopathic Hospital. And this, as well as tho largo amount lieccssary for tlio support of a hospital of 200_ bods, is all raised by private subscription. Then thero is a very nctivo British Homoeopathic Association, whose in-' Como runs into somo thousands per annum, one of whose functions is to pay the cost of six months' sojourn in America of any medical man who is desirous of studying homoeopathy. To this association Sir. Otto Boil, tho millionaire, lias given this ycaT a donation of five thousand pounds. However, tlio latest development of activity on these lines in London has boon tlio formation of an International Ilomoeopathio Council with representatives in 30 different conntries. I havo tho honour to bo tho Now Zealand representative. This council lias recently published statistics showing the latest returns from various homoeopathic hospitals in Europe and America, and contrasting the results obtained with tho returns from tho allopathic hospitals, as follows:—In pneumonia, homoeopathic death-rate 3,9 cer

cent., tho allopathio death-rate 29 tier cent.; in insanity, at tho 'homoeopathic asylums thoro_ were 46 per cent. of recoveries, at tho allopathic 23 per oent.; in diphtheria tho homoeopathic deathrate 3.5 per cent., tho allopathio 16 per i cent.; and so on. These statistics havo been compiled from many thousands of cases, and havo never been challenged. For fuller details, vido London Truth of January 28 this year, and succeeding numbers.

Perhaps also "Libor" will bo interested to know that so acuto a critic as Bernard Shaw avows himself & disciple of Hahnemann in his prefacc to "A Doctor's Dilemma," Ho might also ask his Eocond-hand booksellor how his homoeopathic books of ancient date will sell as compared with allopathic works of similar date. 1 have lately had tho pleasnro of visiting several parts of your North Island, and havo mot numbers of enthusiastic homoeopaths and hoard of others'. One remarkable instance. was that of tho late Archdeacon Samuel Williams, who treated, as I ani informed, 300 cases of tvphoid fever in Hawko's Bay, with only ono or two deaths. —I am, etc., R, S. STEPHENSON, M.D.