With increasing civilization, new and fatal epidemics appeared, reaping a rich harvest for the grim monster—Death—and adding yearly to the per-centage of the ever-increasing bills of mortality. Many an honest practitioner threw away lancet and saddle-bags in despair, while quacks and medical charlatans, profiting by the wranglings of the regulars, and the weariness of the people, drove a reckless but well-paying trade, with nostrums of every character, from the deadliest poison to the simplest house-hold herb.
But a brigther day was about to dawn.
In the picturesque town of Meissen, in the district of Cur Saxony, lived an honest and worthy man, Christian Gottfried Hahnemann, an intelligent, patriotic and highly esteemed, though unassuming and unambitious member of that community, by trade a painter upon porcelain, known under the name of Dresden-China.
On the 10th day of April, 1755, he was made happy by the birth of a son, whom he named Samuel Christian Frederick. Amidst all the fond hopes the parents cherished for their new-born babe, little did they imagine to what a destiny the great Creator had appointed him. Of the mother of this child not very much is known, save that she was modest, industrious, intensely attached to her family, full of sympathy with her children's aspirations, and ever-ready to aid them in their schemes of pleasure or advancement. The infantile years of little Hahnemann were spent amidst scenery so strikingly beautiful, as to impress his young buoyant heart, even in those tender years, with an admiration of Nature's handiwork, and so instill into him a love of the works of God, which ever increased as he grew older. He was not sent to school very young, not until he was eight years old; this will perhaps partly account for the fact that when he did go, he manifested an ardent thirst for knowledge, which was never slacked during his long life-time. But he did not spend his first eight years of life entirely in play. Those health-securing, physical-exhilarating and developing exercises were occasionally relieved by lessons from his father, and sometimes from his mother, in reading and writing, and by frequent conversations of a religious and moral character.
These conversations laid deep the foundation of that undeviating integrity, fixedness of purpose, unwavering conscientiousness and unaffected reverence for the Divine Being, which ever characterized this Medical Reformer in after life. The influence of this paternal conversational instruction and moral training made him what he was, as a school-boy, as a college-student, as an author, a chemist and a physician. Untiring industry, conscientiousness, and a reliance upon Divine blessing, will in any sphere in life secure success, and Samuel Hahnemann was no exception to the general rule. In writing on this subject, he says: "My father had the soundest ideas on what was to be considered good and worthy in man, and had arrived at them by his own independent thought. He sought to plant them in me, and impressed on me more by actions than by words, the great lesson of life, to act and to be, not merely to seem! When a good work was going forward, there, often unobserved, he was sure to be helping, hand to heart; shall I not do likewise? In the finest distinctions between the noble and the base, he decided by his actions with a justness that did honor to the nicety of his sense of right and wrong. In this, too, he was my monitor."
Such sterling qualities, rooted in the boy's heart, and early budding out in his life, made him beloved by all who came in contact with him. Play-mates, school-fellows and instructors not only treated him with kindness, but with ardent affection.
This school-boy life did not pass, however, without trials, the greatest of which was the disinclination of his father for him to continue his studies. It is a little strange that the good man, who himself possessed a keen power of observation, did not once suspect the future greatness of his child: but he was very poor, had several other children to support, and doubtless feared that a thorough classical and scientific education would give to his son aspirations that would be doomed to bitter disappointment. His teacher, however, pleaded on his behalf, offering to remit the usual school-fees, and he was permitted to continue his studies until he was twenty years of age. A proof of the poverty of his parents at this time, is illustrated by the circumstance, that his father complained of the great consumption of oil during young Hahnemann's preparation of his lessons, and would not permit him to use the family lamp after the other members of the household had retired: but Samuel, who was never daunted by difficulties, or frustrated in a purpose, when he had concluded that it was legitimate, manufactured a lamp out of a lump of clay, and successfully coaxed his mother to supply him with oil.
At the close of his high school term, young Hahnemann wrote, as was usual with those just finishing their course, a treatise. He had for some time manifested a deep interest in natural science, and particularly in the branches of chemistry and physiology. He wrote his thesis in Latin, choosing as his subject, "The wisdom of God in forming the Human Hand." This was for his age, a work of great merit, and even his father seemed to have become proud of his abilities, and gave his free consent for the studious boy to go to Leipzig that he might attend the lectures at the University, and presented him with all the money he possibly could spare, amounting to nearly fifteen dollars in our currency. "This," says Hahnemann, "was the last money I received from my father." He left his home for Leipzig on Easter, 1775.
He was at first somewhat puzzled by that troublesome subject, "the ways and means," but fortunately becoming acquainted with two rich Princes of Greece, who were anxious to be instructed in the English and French languages. Hahnemann entered into a lucrative engagement with them as instructor, and also obtained employment as a translator of medical and philosophical works. The remuneration he received for private teaching and translating, not only enabled him to supply all his moderate wants and purchase of books, but he saved a considerable amount besides. In order to save so much, and at the same time attend faithfully upon all his classes, he denied himself sleep every other night. In 1777, we find him attending the hospitals of Vienna where his excellence of character, and extent of medical information, completely won him the friendship and confidence of the celebrated Doctor von Quarin, who perceiving the noble qualities and promising abilities of the young man, adopted him as a special protégé. Hahnemann says of him, "To him I owe my claims to be reckoned as a physician. I had his love and friendship." After this, he visited the University of Erlangen, where he graduated, receiving the degree of Doctor of Medicine on the 10th of August, 1779. At this time, an earnest longing for the air of Saxony and the scenery of his native district seems to have taken possession of him. After having occupied several prominent positions, the government offered him the office of District Physician in Gommern, which he accepted in 1782.