Historical context

In the 16th century the pioneer of chemical medicine Paracelsus declared that small doses of “what makes a man ill also cures him", anticipating homeopathy, but it was Hahnemann who gave it a name and laid out its principles in the late 18th century.

At that time, mainstream medicine employed such measures as bloodletting and purging, used laxatives and enemas, and administered complex mixtures, such as Venice treacle, which was made from 64 substances including opium, myrrh, and viper's flesh. Such measures often worsened symptoms and sometimes proved fatal.

Hahnemann rejected such methods as irrational and inadvisable.

Instead, he favored the use of single drugs at lower doses and promoted an immaterial, vitalistic view of how living organisms function, believing that diseases have spiritual, as well as physical causes.

(At the time, vitalism was part of mainstream science. In the 20th century, however, medicine discarded vitalism, with the development of microbiology, the germ theory of disease, and advances in chemistry.)

Hahnemann also advocated various lifestyle improvements to his patients, including exercise, diet, and cleanliness.

Hahnemann's concept

Hahnemann conceived of homeopathy while translating a medical treatise by Scottish physician and chemist William Cullen into German.