Historical Statistical Data on Success Of Homeopathy - Epidemics & Pandemics (Homeoprophylaxis)

Homoeopathy has a long and successful history of its use in epidemics and pandemics. The protocol is based on individualisation based on the mental-emotional makeup, physiological and physical symptoms of the individual. Homoeopathy avers that the 'vital force' or the immunity of the individual is the key to ward off illness and when this is deranged a person falls sick. It advocated lifestyle changes even while taking homoeopathic treatment (Letter to the patient on cheerful methods of life)

Also Read: Your Immune System A Time-Tested Vaccine Against Coronavirus

However, in the case of an epidemic, a remedy is prescribed when the remedy's proving symptom mirrors the symptom-complex exhibited by the majority of those infected by the actual pathogen. A remedy thus worked out is said to present the 'genus epidemicus' of the disease.

This remedy acts as a preventive (prophylaxis) among the majority or modifies to a milder form among the rest. Those affected ever so mildly or are unfortunate to escape will then need a more individualised remedy arrived at after a detailed case taking.

Homoeopathy's first tryst with an epidemic was during the summer of 1799. An epidemic of scarlet fever occurred in Königslütter, Germany. The founder of homoeopathy Dr Samuel Hahnemann discovered the great value of Belladonna as a prophylactic against this serious disease. The mortality rate with homoeopathy was less than 5%.

Dr Hahnemaan's Letter Rx for Cholera in German

Dr Hahnemann's Rx -English Translation

During that period 'Allopathy', a term coined by Dr Hahnemaann used crude extracts and compounds. The conventional medicine, then, resorted to extensive use of bloodlettings, calomel and purgatives that did more harm than help.

Later in the early 19th century, the Cholera epidemic swept Europe. Admiral Mordvinov collated the statistics on the lay homoeopathic treatment of cholera provided during 1830-31 from different regions of Russia. According to these statistics, from among 1273 persons who had been treated with homoeopathic medicines, 1192 recovered and 108 died (i.e., the mortality rate was about 11%).


Even as Typhus Fever, Pneumonia, Yellow Fever and Spanish Influenza struck Ireland, England, Scotland, Austria, South America, New Orleans and Pittsburgh, homoeopathic treatment ensured much lower mortality rate when compared to the allopathic treatment available then. (see chart 3).

(Source Credits/Reference: Statistical Chart from Lives saved by Homeopathy in Epidemics and Pandemic

In the year 1873, a statistical report was presented by Dr E. Kellogg for New York, for Philadelphia by Dr P. Dudley, and for Boston was compiled by E. Russell. The following table is a summary of their general statistics published in [1, page 401]

EPIDEMICS AND PANDEMICS BETWEEN 1799 AND 1918

Year	Location	Disease	Treatment by Homeopathy	Treatment by Allopathy	Treatment with No Medicine
1799	Königslütter, Germany	Scarlet Fever	Mortality <5%
1830 ~ ‘31*	Russia	Cholera	Mortality 11 %    Reported by Imperial Council & Foreign Ministry of Russia.	Mortality 63 %       Reported by Imperial Council & Foreign Ministry of Russia.	Not recorded.
1830 ~ 1832	Vienna, Prague, Hungary and Moravia	Cholera	Mortality 7 %           Reported by Dr. Kath, appointed by King of Bavaria.	Mortality 31 %             Reported by Dr. Kath, appointed by King of Bavaria.	Not recorded.
1836**	Vienna	Cholera	Mortality 33 %                         Lead Homeopath in charge was Dr. Fleischmann	Mortality 66 %
1847	Ireland	Typhus fever	Mortality 2 %                           Lead Homeopath in charge was Dr. Joseph Kidd	Mortality 13 %             Lead Allopath in charge was Dr. Abraham Tuckey	Not recorded.
1847	England	Typhus fever	Mortality 2 %	Mortality 13 %	Mortality 10 %
1848	Edinburgh, Scotland	Cholera	Mortality 24 %                       Reported by Edinburgh Dispensary.	Mortality 68 %         Reported by Edinburgh Dispensary.	Not recorded.
mid-1800’s	Austria	Pneumonia	Mortality 5 %                            Lead Homeopath in charge was Dr. Fleischmann	Mortality 20 %           Lead Allopath in charge was Dr. Dietl	Not recorded.
1853 ~ 1855	South of America	Yellow fever	Mortality 5.4 %                                Lead Homeopaths in charge were Dr. F. Davis and Dr. W.  Holconibe	Not Available.	Not recorded.
1854	London, England	Cholera	Mortality 16.4 %                     Reported by Royal College of Physicians.	Mortality 59.2 %       Reported by Royal College of Physicians.	Not recorded.
1878	New Orleans, USA	Yellow fever	Mortality 5.6 %                       Special Commission reported the statistics.	Mortality 17 %           Special Commission reported the statistics.	Not recorded.
1918***	Pittsburgh, USA	Spanish Influenza	Mortality 1.05 %                    Reported by Dean, Pittsburgh Hospital	Mortality 30 %          Reported by Dean, Pittsburgh Hospital	Not recorded.

In the year 1852, Dr Routh, a British allopathic physician and an opponent of homoeopathy, was a designated authority by medical officials of London to release the mortality-statistics (for all diseases). As a result of his findings, Dr Routh was constrained to testify in favour of homoeopathy. He collected statistics of different hospitals (England, Austria and Germany), a total of 32,655 homoeopathic cases and 119,630 allopathic cases. The overall mortality under homoeopathic treatment was 4.4 per cent, and the overall mortality under allopathic treatment was 10.5 per cent.

**Another event in that age, is from Sir William Wilde, the well-known allopathic doctor of Dublin, which in his work entitled “Austria and its Institutions”, wrote: “Upon comparing the report of the treatment of Cholera in the Homeopathic hospital testified to by two allopathic medical inspectors appointed by Government with that of the treatment of the same disease in the other hospitals of Vienna during the same period the epidemic of 1836, it appeared that while two-thirds of the cases treated by Dr Fleischmann the physician of the Homeopathic hospital, recovered, two-thirds of those treated by the ordinary methods in the other hospitals died.”

 ***In 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, a physician in a Pittsburgh hospital in the U.S. asked a nurse if she knew anything better than what he was doing because he was losing many cases. “Yes Doctor, stop aspirin and go down to a Homeopathic pharmacy, and get homoeopathic remedies.” The Doctor replied: “...but that is homoeopathy.” “I know it, but the homoeopathic doctors for whom I have nursed have not lost a single case.” [3]

Use of Homoeoprophylaxis in Cuba - 2004 -2010

Cuba has been subject to severe economic sanctions in the past. As a result, they had to devise their own health-care policy that was cost-effective and result oriented. Homoeopathy has been one of the mainstay systems that has seen them brilliantly tide over this difficult period. 

According to a study conducted by Finlay Institute, a vaccine producer in Cuba between December 2009 and January 2010, about 9,074439 individuals, near 90% of Cuban population received homoeopathic preventive medicine (Homeoprophylaxis) for respiratory diseases, influenza (including AH1N1) with remarkable outcomes and a great reduction rate in mortality. 

Homoeopathic interventions were also employed in other diseases in Cuba with enviable success such as 

1. Hepatitis A (population 1400000, the year 2004-2007)
2. Dengue (population 150000, the year 2006-2009) 
3. Leptospirosis [4] (population 2300000, the year 2007-2008) 
4. Conjunctivitis (population 180000, the year 2008-2009) 

In India, homoeopaths have successfully treated many cases of epidemics. Check out the list with reference here: Homeoprophylaxis: Human Records, Studies and Trials 

While the allopathic medicines and treatment modalities that existed in the 17th to 19th century has changed (for the better), the principle and practice of Homoeopathy and the remedies used have been consistent ever since it was discovered by Dr Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann.

Conventional or mainstream medicine also commonly known as 'Allopathy' made rapid advancement only in the later years of the 20th century after Sir Alexander Flemings discovered penicillin the first antibiotic. The first antivirals were developed only in the 1960s mostly to treat the herpes virus. Unlike the bacterias, viruses have proved more difficult to tame. Viruses are constantly changing; they can change from one season to the next and can even change within the course of one flu season. 

And since, survival is the key for every living organism, these pathogens are doing what is best for them. As a result, we have antibiotics and antivirals abuse leading to drug resistance.

While antibiotics and antivirals did help the allopathy system its performance on mortality rate, and on many occasions, it continues to help in saving lives, a generous credit also goes for the invention of diagnostic tools, life support systems, improved sanitation, hygiene, diet and nutritional habit for contributing to the lowering of mortality rate. 

Aude Sapere! 

(Dare To Be Wise)

References for further reading:

1. The Medical Investigator, volume 10, 1873.
2. Tracts on Homoeopathy, 1853
3. Homeopathy in Influenza– A chorus of fifty in harmony, W.A. Dewey, Journal of the American Institute of Homeopathy, May 1921, pp. 1040
4. Application of 200C potency of bacteria for Leptospirosis epidemic control (2010) FULL TEXT
5. The Logic of Figures, Dr. T. Bradford, 1900.
6. Large-scale application of highly-diluted bacteria for Leptospirosis epidemic control
7. Observational Research in Homeopathy: Improving Homoeoprophylaxis Research Outcomes
8. The history of homeopathy in the Russian Empire until World War I, as compared with other European countries and the USA: similarities and discrepancies