Dr. Richard Hughes was born on August 20, 1836, in London. He got his degree in M.R.C.S (Eng) in the year of 1857 and a degree in L.R.C.P (Edin) in the year of 1860. He upgraded his medical knowledge with an M.D from an American college. He died in April 1902.
Hughes disputed Hahnemann’s idea of the vital force, as well as his theories about how homeopathic medicines operated and the psora hypothesis. He was likewise dissatisfied with the potency. He emphasized the similia principle, although his approach was casual and non-dogmatic. He argued it was not a natural law, as Hahnemann asserted, but rather a rule of thumb to attempt in the therapeutic lock. It frequently provided the correct solution, but it was not always the only key worth attempting.
Hughes believed that allopathy was more beneficial for some illnesses, such as angina. Hughes argued that if you are serious about the similia concept, you must consider pathology. Hughes thought that drugs should be chosen not just based on subjective symptoms, but also on their proven pathological effects on humans and animals.
Hughes also stated that when looking for the right treatment, you should evaluate the order in which symptoms appear. It was not sufficient to just examine the lists of symptoms documented in the provings. Each disease has its own set of symptoms, and one should look for a treatment that has a comparable pattern of symptom development.
Also Read:
- What is a Simple Substance in Homeopathy?
- What is Deflected Current in Homeopathy? – H.A. Roberts
- Biography of Dr. L. D. Dhawale (1884-1960)
Richard Hughes (1836-1902) Contributions
- A Manual of pharmaco-dynamics.
- A Cyclopedia of Drug Pathogenesis (6 volumes edition 4).
- The Knowledge of the Physician.
- Principles and Practice of Homeopathy.
- He cooperated with Dr. T. F. Allen in the completion of his work “Encyclopedia”.
- Hughes contributed much to Dudgeon in his translation work of Hahnemann’s Materia Medica Pura into the English language.
- In 1867, he wrote ‘The Manual of Pharmacodynamics & ‘The manual of Therapeutics’.
- In 1889, he was appointed as the editor of “British homeopathic journal”.
- In 1876, Hughes became the permanent secretary of the “international congress of homeopathic physicians” in Philadelphia, and he presided over the international congress held in London.
