HOMEOPATHY “PRO ET CONTRA”: DISCUSSION ON HOMEOPATHY IN THE RUSSIAN PRESS OF THE END OF THE 19th CENTURY

Abstract

Public reforms in the Russian Empire of the second half of the nineteenth century stimulated social activity in various strata of Russian society, including among physicians and their patients. The result of this activity was the appearance of printed publications, such as “Medical Bulletin” and others, designed for public resonance. They discussed issues that, to put it in modern terms, can be reduced to the problem of the nation’s health. This article presents excerpts and analysis of polemical articles which supported introduction of the homeopathic method into Russian medicine, as well objections to it. The sources show both social and scientific aspects of the confrontation between the supporters and opponents of homeopathy. The natural-scientific revolution objectively contributed to the growth of the positivist worldview and the victory of allopathy.