“The slave-doctor (or “empirical physician”) learns by imitation and rote observation of a master, not by genuine scientific understanding. He treats slave patients hurriedly, never talking with them individually or letting them describe their own symptoms—he simply issues an order, “like a tyrant,” and rushes off to the next patient.
The free/gentleman physician, who trained scientifically and attends free patients, does the opposite: he goes back to first causes, examines the whole nature of the disorder, and takes the patient (and often his family) into his confidence, gathering information from the sick person, explaining as he goes, and only prescribing once he has persuaded and won the patient’s cooperation.” [Paraphrase of the passage in the Laws of Plato.]
– Plato, Laws, in The Dialogues of Plato Translated into English with Analyses and Introductions, trans. Benjamin Jowett, 4th ed. (Oxford: Clarendon Press), vol. 5, Book IV, 720a–e.
Dear Reader,
What a difference in the right approach to medicine and the patient!
In this issue we press forward in our understanding of our materia medica, epidemic diseases, and the nature of our philosophy of examining the patient and analyzing the case homeopathically. We do not shy away from questioning, examining our practice and constantly seeking improvement. We continue to learn from Hahnemann as well as understanding the progress of homeopathy in his lifetime and beyond.
I hope you will find much food for thought in the following pages. I look forward to your comments and letters to the editor.
Respectfully yours,
Alex Bekker, MD, ABIHM, FAIS
Editor, AJHM
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The American Journal of Homeopathic Medicine (AJHM) is a peer-reviewed scientific journal, specifically intended to meet the needs of physicians and other practitioners involved in the specialty of homeopathy.
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