ORIGIN & GROWTH OF HOMEOPATHY IN INDIA

         Homoeopathy came to India as early as 1810 when a French traveler, Dr. John Martin Honigberger who learnt Homoeopathy from Dr. Samuel Hahnemann visited India and treated patients with Homoeopathy. In his second visit in the year 1839, he treated the then ruler of Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh with Dulcamara. Maharaja was so happy with results and he encouraged him to continue the Homoeopathic treatment in India. Homoeopathy continued to spread and Indians found in its philosophy and principles, a reflection of their belief and culture. The ancient Hindu physicians had, in fact recognized the "Law of Similars" as one of the principles of treatment. In the Bhagwat Purana, written hundred of years ago in the Bhagwat Purana - a Sanskrit couplet says "Vishaya Vishmoshashi" to which Homoeopathy took root and flourished. Surgeon Samuel Brooking, a retired Medical Officer had the courage and conviction to establish a Homoeoapthic Hospital at Tanjore, in South India, in 1847. There have been a number of other well-known enthusiasts like Dr. Cooper and Dr. J. Ruther ford Russel, two Government Medical Officers, Mr. H. Ryper, a military pensioner, Captain May and others of Calcutta, made Homoeopathy popular among the masses of Bengal. Last but not the least, was the services rendered by Dr. C. J. Tonnere, M.D. the French Homoeopath, proved "Acalpha Indica" in the year 1851 was first Health Officer of the town of Calcutta and later he established Homoeopathic Hospital. In 1861, a virulent epidemic of malarial fever was raging over lower Bengal and it was at this juncture that the great philanthropist, Late Babu Rajendra Lall Dutta, a layman, truly laid the foundation of Homoeopathy and started its practice with astounding results. He converted the redoubtable allopath and his opponent, Dr. Mahendra Lall Sircar, M.D. D.L., C.I. E. to Homoeopathy. Dr. P.C. Majumdar, M.D. another Homoeopath of Calcutta started his practise in 1864 and laid the foundation of Calcutta Homoeopathic Medical College in 1885.

          The year 1867 is also memorable for the establishment of Banaras Homoeopathic Hospital with Shri Loke Nath Moitra as Physician In-charge. In August 1869 a homoeopathic charitable dispensary was started at Allahabad with Shri Priya Nath Bose as the Physician In-charge of the dispensary while in another important event in 1870 the Maharaja of Jaipur sent for Dr. Salazar of Calcutta for the treatment of his cataract. From this time onwards, homoeopathy spread not only in Bengal, but also to other parts of India. The Rev. Father Muller, the great Jesuit Missionary of Mangalore in the South; Mr. P. Subbarayulu, the large-hearted lawyer of Kakinada in the East; and Mr. V. M. Kulkarni, the tireless telegraphist of Bombay in the west - all these like Babu Rajendra Lall Dutta of Calcutta, are names to conjure with in the Indian Homoeopathic world. Homoeopathic treatment proved to be highly effective in practice and its fame spread rapidly with the opening of several dispensaries in the second half of the nineteenth century. Now the process of its recognition by the Government of India was started. In April 1937, Md. Ghias –ud-idin, M.L.A. moved a resolution in the Legislative Assembly for its recognition. The resolution was passed and forwarded to the State Governments for its implementation and Bengal was the first province to constitute a Homoeopathic State Faculty in 1943. After independence and formation of National Government, on 17th February, 1948 Shri Satish Chandra Samanta, M.P. (West Bengal) moved a resolution which runs as follows " This Assembly is of opinion that homoeoapthic system of treatment be recognized by the Indian Union and that a General Council and a State Faculty of Homoeopathic Medicine be established at once". This resolution was unanimously adopted and subsequently the Government appointed a Homoeopathic Enquiry Committee in 1948 and the Committee submitted its report in 1949. In 1952, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, the then Union Health Minister appointed a Homoeopathic Ad-hoc Committee which functioned upto 1954. In 1954 Government constituted a Homoeopathic Advisory Committee. In 1956 this Advisory Committee was taken over by the Minister of Health and Secretary in the Ministry of Health became its first Chairman. Govt. of India appointed Dr. K. G. Saxena as first Honorary Homoeopathic Advisor in 1962. A Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Committee was established in the year 1962 to lay down the standard of Homoeopathic drugs. In 1969 for the development of ISM & Homoeopathic drugs an autonomous council was established. On 17 th December 1973, Central Council of Homoeopathy was established by the Government of India with the enactment of Central Council of Homoeopathy Act, 1973 with the following objectives.

         "To evolve minimum standards for admission, duration of course of training, details of curricula and syllabi of studies of Homoeopathy, uniform title of degree and diploma, uniform courses of study of not less than four years duration and maintain central register of practitioners of Homoeopathy’’.

         Uniform Education in Homoeopathy at diploma and graduate level was enforced in the country in the year 1983. Forum for Post Graduation have also been notified by Central Council of Homoeopathy. In 1978 separate Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy established.

    

Mahatma Gandhi the Father of Nation : " Homoeopathy is the latest and refined method of treating patients-economically and non-violently Government must encourage and patronize it in our country ”.

Development of Homoeopathy in Delhi

Late Dr. Madhab Chand Banerjee, L.M.S. was perhaps the first regular homoeopathic practitioner in Delhi. He started practice in 1909 and was very popular. In 1920 Rai Sahib Dr. Daya Shanker Kayastha who had obtained his M.D. Degree from Michigan in U.S.A. got converted to Homoeopathy and for several years taught the subject to a number of official in the Govt. of India by holding regular classes in the Central Secretariat, and later at his own clinic in Chandni chowk. At the same time, Dr. Yudhvir Singh also started his practice in Chandni Chowk, Delhi. He first started a free homoeopathic dispensary with the help of Mir Mohd. Hussain Sahib, Municipal Commissioner, in 1928. Following the partition of India, a number of homoeopathic practitioners from the Punjab came and settled in Delhi. Among them the late Dr. Diwan Jai Chand and the late Dr. V.D. Kashyap, both converts from Allopathy soon became distinguished in their work and gave a fillip to Homoeopathy in Delhi. Among the past stalwarts of Homoeopathy in Delhi are the late doctors Rup Narain, Rajinder Kumar, P.S. Sehga, Bishamber Das and P.N. Bhatnagar. Thereafter a large number of practitioners set up their private practice and a number of free dispensaries were opened, some of them were aided by the Delhi Municipal Committee and Delhi District Board.

N.H.M.C. & H Building

       Legislation and Government help. The Delhi Homoeopathic Act was passed in 1956 and came into force on 1.10.1956 through the good offices of Dr. Yudhvir Singh, who was the then Health Minister of the short-lived Legislative Assembly in Delhi in those days. Under the Act, a Board of Homoeoapthic System of Medicine, Delhi was established in November 1961. Nehru Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital was affiliated to the Board and the Board awarded the Diploma qualification after completion of 4 years course. With a view to prepare the cadre of teachers/examiners etc., the Board had conducted a Diploma Examination allowing private candidates to take the final examination for the first three years beginning from 1965. A large number of private practitioners from all over India and one from Sri Lanka availed this opportunity and they were awarded D.H. S. Diploma. 60 to 70 free and charitable dispensaries were functioning in Delhi during the year 1977 - 78 of which some of them were started by the Delhi Corporation and the New Delhi Municipal Committee, in addition to the dispensaries run under the Central Govt. Health Scheme for the benefit of Central Govt. Servants. Of these, Dr. Yudhvir Singh Homoeopathic Charitable Trust managed the largest number of dispensaries from the funds of Charitable Trusts, particularly, of the Jain Community and a few were receiving grant in aid from the Delhi Corporation and the Delhi Administration.

       Twenty-eight homoeopathic dispensaries were opened in 1978. On December 1993 Legislative Assembly of Delhi was constituted and the then Delhi Administration Offices were converted to Govt. of National Capital of Territory of Delhi Offices. With this Delhi had a new outlook towards its overall development including health, sanitation, education, transport, law and order etc. This Government constituted a "Homoeopathic Advisory Committee" under the chairmanship of Dr. K. G. Saxena in 1994 for the development and expansion of Homoeopathy in Delhi. Govt. of Delhi had designed various Plan Schemes for the development and expansion of Homoeopathy and the initiative taken in the past few years is commendable. Directorate of Indian System of Medicine and Homoeopathy was established in Delhi on 1st August 1996 with a separate wing of Homoeopathy in the premises of Nehru Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital was a step towards the development of the infrastructure. Since then this Directorate has accomplished a lot for expansion of Homoeopathy in Delhi. The present infrastructure of Homoeopathy comprises of two homoeopathic colleges Nehru Homoeopathic Medical College & Hospital and Dr. B. R. Sur Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Homoeopathic Dispensaries, a research and development Centre (Dilli Homoeopathic Anusandhan Parishad) and a Statutory Body (Board of Homoeopathic System of Medicine). Govt. of Delhi has also started 24 new homoeopathic dispensaries and now there are 52 homoeopathic dispensaries on list. The year 1998-99 was marked with the installation of the Statute of Dr. Hanhememnn on 10th April by the Home Minister of India on his 234 th birthday at the Gummad Park in Defence Colony, New Delhi to give due recognition to the Founder of Homoeopathy. On 1st October Govt. of Delhi had taken over the institution of Dr. B. R. Sur Homoeopathic Medical, College and Research Centre from a private management.

Biographies

    DR. JOHN MARTIN HONIGBERGER

         Dr. Honigberger was born at Krostadt, a town in Transylvania in Rumania. After passing his M.D. with distinction, he became a successful practitioner. Dr. Honigberger arrived at Lahore in 1829-30 and was later invited to treat the Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab, who happened to be seriously ill. Later he stayed on in Lahore even after the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He wrote a book about his experiences, titled. Thirty-five Years in the East. He came from his native country, Transylvania through Levant, Egypt, Arabia and Persia and then on to India. He resided for about 15 years in the Punjab and returned via Afghanistan, Bokharo and Russia.

         He left his native town in 1815 for Constantinople. Later in 1817 he visited Jerusalem and as a physician to the Governor of Toccata he traveled with him to Asia Minor. His first patient at Lahore was the adopted son of General Allard. His fame spread only when he treated and cured some soldiers who had been bitten by a mad jackal and were beginning to show signs of hydrophobia, after some soldiers had already died of the bite.

         Maharaja Ranjit Singh was impressed by him when he treated his favorite horse of its bad ulcers of the leg. The Maharaja had come to have great confidence in him and made him accept the management of a gunpowder manufactory and also a gun stock establishment. Being homesick, Honigberger went back in 1834. Next year he went to Paris and met Dr. Hahnemann and his wife. Later on the advice of Dr. Hahnemann, he bought a large quantity of homoeopathic medicine from Hahnemann’s Pharmacist, Lehmann of Kothen.

         In the year 1836, he happened to go to Vienna and caught an infection of cholera, which was raging there. He saved himself by taking Ipecac every half an hour. He was impressed greatly by the results of homoeopathic medicine both in himself and others.

         He decided to start his practice at Constantinople. He treated cases of Plague with Ignatia. He was led to use it because he saw Armenians there wearing a string tied to a bean of Ignatia and it seemed to give them protection where so many people were dying every day.

         He also treated a case of hemorrhage with Aranea diadema, which brought him both name and fame. He had a very lucrative practice.

         On learning that Maharaja Ranjit Singh wanted him back, he reached Lahore in 1839 in the company of General Venture after an adventurous journey.

         After the death of the Maharaja his position and influence waned till Sardar Jawahar Singh came to power, and restored him to his former position as Court Physician and Director of the gunpowder mill. In 1849, the Punjab was annexed by Sir Henry Lawrence. With the abolition of the Sikh Darbar he had to relinquish his post. He was granted a pension. Later he returned to his country.

         It is not known when he died, but his life was full of adventure and pioneering. He was the first man to introduce the name of Dr. Samuel Hahnemann and his healing art to India.

    DR. PRATAP CHANDRA MAJUMDAR

         Dr. Pratap Chandra Majumdar took his L.M.S. degree from Calcutta Medical College in 1878 and later got the honorary degree of M.D. from U.S.A. Converted to Homoeopathy by his father-in-law, Dr. B.L.Bhaduri, he fortified his grasp of Hahnemannian Homoeopathy as the worthy assistant to Dr. L. Salzer for a pretty long time He proved a number of indigenous drugs, and wrote a large number of books in English and Bengali. He edited the Indian Homoeopathic Review, the second oldest homoeopathic journal in India. He attended the Fourth International Homoeopathic Congress held in Chicago in June 1891. In collaboration with Dr. D.N. Roy, he established the Calcutta Homoeopathic Medical College in 1881 and maintained it till his death. He expired on Oct. 22, 1922.

 

    DR. RAJENDRA LAL DUTT

         Babu Rajendra Lal Dutt may be called the Father of Indian Homoeopathy. It was he who converted Dr. M. L. Sircar to Homoeopathy. It was he who brought Homoeopathy into high esteem by curing illustrious luminaries like Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Raja Sir Radhakanta Dev and scores of others.

         He was born in 1818 in the famous Dutt family of Wellington Square, Calcutta and amassed an immense fortune by dint of his personal talent in honest business and trade and spent the whole of it in various philanthropic works and mostly for Homoeopathy. He expired at the age of 71 years on June 5, 1889 leaving Homoeopathy in Bengal, on a firm, sound and wide footing.

 

    

    DR. MAHENDRA LAL SIRCAR

         Dr. Mahendra Lal Sircar, C.I.E., M.D., D.L., was not only the greatest homoeopath of his time tin India, but also a great scientist. He was born on Nov. 2, 1833 in Paikpara, near Howrah. He appeared at the M.D. Examination in 1863 and came out first. He devoted his life wholly to the propagation of the principles of homoeopathy. The Calcutta journal of Medicine, edited by him, was started in Jan. 1868 for this purpose.

         In the field of physical science, Dr. Sircar has made great contributions and was a pioneer of scientific research in India. He also inspired Dr. J. C. Bose and Dr. P. C. Ray. Recurrent malarial fever and bronchial asthma clouded the evening of his life and he died on Feb. 23, 1904.

    DR. DIWAN JAI CHAND

         Dr. Diwan Jai Chand was born on 3rd July 1887 in Bhawalpur State (now in West Pakistan) and had his initial medical education at the K.E. Medical College, Lahore. He left for U.K. in 1910 and returned in 1913 after passing L.R.C.P., L.R.C.S.(Edin), L.R.F.P. & S. (Glas), D.P.H. (Edin), D.T.M. (L’pool), L.M: (Dub).

         On return from U.K. he joined service with the Punjab Government as Dy. Sanitary Commissioner in the Public Health Department, one of the first Indian to be appointed to that high post. He resigned soon after and started a clinic at Lahore in 1915. He soon became converted to Homoeopathy.

         For some time he was the President of the Punjab Homoepathic League at Lahore. He was the founder and Principal of National Homoeopathic College in Lahore in the early twenties. After independence of the country in 1947, he had to shift to Delhi as a refugee and established his clinic in New Delhi. He was President of the All-India Institute of Homoeopathy, Delhi Branch, for some years. He also founded and edited an excellent journal, "Health and Homoeopathy".

         In 1952, he was appointed a Member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Homoeopathy, which in 1956 became the Homoeopathic Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Health, Govt. of India, in which he continued to be a member till his death. He passed away on 14th May 1961.

DR. K.G. SAXENA

         Dr. K.G. Saxena was born on 25th Sept 1912 at their ancestral house in old Delhi. His early schooling was at Ambala and Karachi, after doing his intermediate he took admission at Calcutta Homoeopathic Medial College and completed his studies in 1973. He was married to Shakuntala Devi on 5th March 1937.

         He also served as the first Hony. Physician to Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the President of India and continued to serve the succeeding President's in the capacity till 1986. He also worked as first Hony. Homoeopathic Adviser to Goverment of India from 1962 to 1971 and made Herculean efforts for the recognition and advancment of Homoepathy from 1937 till today. He has been conferred Padam Shree award. He has also been conferred with National Award at Calcutta by N.C. Chakravarty Memorial Committee for his magnificent contribution towards the development of Homoeopathy. The international Homoeopathy congress, New Delhi decorated him with "President of Honour" in 1967 and again in 1989 in Calcutta.

Dr. B. R. Sur

       Dr.Bhagat Ram Sur, founder of Dr. B. R. Sur Homoeopathic Medical College, Hospital and Research Center was born on 20th August 1915. He started his career as a civil servant in Armed Forces Head quarters in 1940. He passed the 1st Examination in Homoeopathy held by Delhi Administration in the year 1965 with distinction. In his early practice, which was entirely free, he used to see long queues of patients after office hours and this continued for nearly more than twenty years. He retired from his services in the year 1973. Seeing his devotion and success in his medical profession, one friend of Dr. B. R. Sur suggested him to build a homoeopathic hospital. To make his dream come true he needed funds, so he started charging small donations. With great efforts he was able to get the land allotted from the slum department DDA. The institution was established in November 1985 and the hospital started functioning in the year 1986 with all its full-fledged diagnostic facilities like X-Ray, Ultrasound, ECG, Pathology Laboratory and operation theater facilities, though it was formally inaugurated by Sh. Jagpravesh Chander as a full fledged 40 bedded hospital in 1987. On 21st September 1988 first academic session of the college was started. The institution gained popularity amongst masses for its education and patient care. It is culmination of the efforts of Mrs. Jaswant Sur who joined him with no less enthusiasm. Apart from donating her lifetime savings she devoted herself entirely to this noble cause. Dr. B. R. Sur is a self-made, hardworking and an honest man who had brought up such an institution to the service of mankind. He donated this institution to Govt. of Delhi free of cost in October 1988.

Dr. Yudhvir Singh

       Dr. Yudhvir Singh, the veteran freedom fighter and homoeopath was born at Jaipur on 11th July 1897. He received education at Agra and Allahabad. He started Homoeopathic practice at the age of 23 and simultaneously joined the freedom movement as a member of Congress. Since then and almost for 60 years he occupied a Central figure not only in Delhi, but also at the International level in the field of Homoeopathy. In 1928 a homoeopathic charitable trust was started in his name which is now running 12 charitable homoeopathic dispensaries mainly located amidst the weaker sections of Delhi. Dr. Yudhvir Singh was the first Indian who became the president of the Municipal Committee where he removed corruption prevailing in the body and improved sanitation of the city and stopped the cow slaughter in Delhi.
         In 1952 Dr. Yudhvir Singh was elected as a Member of the newly formed Legislative Assembly and became the Health and Labour Minister of Delhi. He improved the services of the hospitals and made special arrangements for the treatment of the poor. He brought the Delhi Homoeopathic Act in 1956. In 1964 a homoeopathic college at Delhi was started under his by the charitable trust, which was later on taken over by the Delhi Administration. The construction of the building was started on a two and half acres of land purchased from Government with a capital investment of Rs. Eleven Lakh. He was one of the founders of the Delhi Public Library and remained as President of the Governing body till his death. He was President of Delhi Nashabandi Samiti ,Chairman of the Delhi Branch of the Hind Kusht Nivaran Sangh, President of Delhi Homoeopathic Board member of Central Council of Homoeopathy and President of the All- India Homoeopathic Medical Association, Chairman of the Reception Committee, International Homoeopathic Congress. He was a true Gandhian in his life and worked for the betterment of the people and was awarded Padma Bhushan in 1977 for his multifarious social activities. He wrote regular columns on Homoeopathy in leading newspapers. On 18th June 1983 he left for his heavenly abode. He lived for others and worked for Homoeopathy.