Homeopathy: The Great Riddle

A wonderfully succinct and even-handed introduction to the history, philosophy, and methodology of homeopathy, this revised edition of Homeopathy: An Introduction for Beginners and Skeptics serves as an ideal “Homeopathy 101” text for both newcomers and critical readers alike. Organized into five major sections, the book explores the core precepts and tenets of homeopathic practice, its historical origins, a detailed biography of Samuel Hahnemann, and the long-standing political and medical debate between allopathy and homeopathy as it evolved in the United States over the past century. The text is further enriched with copious annotations, an appendix featuring an actual case history, and an extensive reference guide to homeopathic organizations, suppliers, and related literature. Presented with clarity and balance, the book places homeopathy within a broader historical and scientific framework. This volume also represents part of a larger intellectual evolution originating in the author’s original “Science Trilogy,” a series of publisher-commissioned works that included Planet Medicine: From Stone Age Shamanism to Post-Industrial Healing (Doubleday Anchor), The Night Sky: The Science and Anthropology of the Stars and Planets (Sierra Club Books), and Embryogenesis: From Cosmos to Creature: The Origins of Human Biology (Avon Books). The original version of Planet Medicine was later revised and republished by Shambhala Publications, then subsequently expanded into separate volumes entitled Origins, Modalities, and Homeopathy—the latter first subtitled An Introduction for Beginners and Skeptics and later revised again as The Great Riddle—all published by North Atlantic Books.