Editorial

Table of Contents

Homeopathy overrides the Tower of Babel

What a time for homeopathy! It is truly becoming medicine for the whole planet. This issue represents contributors from four continents, who speak eight different mother tongues. (Some may even suggest more languages: the three differing English “dialects” of America, Britain, and Australia.)

Now that homeopaths can work together, side-by-side, speaking one common tongue, reading the same books, studying at the same institutes, what does this say about our ability to become one profession? There are many issues that still divide us, some political, some scientific, but the biggest obstacle we have at this time, in my opinion, is ourselves and the manner in which we conduct ourselves as one community.

In a nutshell, we are not a very supportive community. There is infighting and one-upmanship, competition, and most importantly, we criticise each other's ideas constantly, each against the other. Some have suggested that we don't need enemies from outside to destroy homeopathy; we are very good at doing it ourselves.

In spite of this, look where we are today. Would Hahnemann have ever dreamt that his science would have such worldwide distribution? Homeopathy is now practiced in countries that did not even exist in Hahnemann's time and its healing effects are felt around the world. From AIDS in Africa, to hospitals in France, to colleges in New Zealand, homeopathy is infecting the world with like-curing Likes.

As this issue of Links is being sent to you, a team of homeopaths from around the world is rushing to aid the tsunami victims in Southeast Asia. With money from one part of the globe, supplies and remedies from another, homeopaths from another, we rush to aid yet another part of the globe.

I am proud to be a homeopath. What else can be healing balm to the strife of the times we live in?

My new year's resolution is to listen more to opinions I disagree with, investigate with an open mind, and let Time decide what works and what doesn't. Hahnemann was a great experimenter. In this, his 250th anniversary year, I challenge us all to experiment, to grow homeopathy, both individually and as a collective, unified group, so that 250 years from now, homeopathy will have grown and expanded beyond our wildest dreams, or at least as much as it has in the last 250.

Onward, Melanie Grimes, Guest editor

Editorial

In its first nine years, its infancy, LINKS was published in Switzerland, where it developed from a newsletter into an international journal.

In the last nine years, its puberty, LINKS was published in the Netherlands. Now it has moved to Germany, the land linking the high mountains of the Swiss with the seashores of the Dutch. It's also the land where on 10th April, 1755 - this year 250 years ago - Samuel Hahnemann was born.

Germany has produced many great minds - scientists, philosophers, musicians etc. Although homeopathy is now being practised in all continents, the world has yet to recognise the greatness of Hahnemann and his method of healing - a method whose potential we have only just started to uncover and apply.

This year in which we celebrate the birth of the founder of homeopathy is a special year for LINKS. It is going to establish itself in Germany, a country where I trust we will find the common ground from which homeopathy can further develop its potential.

I'm looking forward to the next adult period of nine years of Homœopathic Links. May it be an inspiring and fruitful one.

Harry van der Zee, MD, editor