HISTORY OF HOMîOPATHY
AND ITS INSTITUTIONS IN AMERICA
By William Harvey King, M. D., LL. D.
Presented by Sylvain Cazalet
CHAPTER XXIVBy Thomas Lindsley Bradford, M. D.
HOMîOPATHY IN GEORGIA.
This State not Highly Productive of Homťopathic History - Gilbert and Schley, the Pioneers - Reminiscences of Other Early Practitioners.
While homťopathy was known in Georgia as early as 1842, the conditions in the state were of such character that the few practitioners there were inclined to limit the field of their operations to the commercial centers. Previous to the war of 1861-1865 the slave people furnished at least half of the physician's patronage, and in consequence of this many medical men were stationed on the plantations, where they supported themselves in comfort, but after the war the country was in an impoverished condition, while the expenses of living were much increased, hence the more promising fields of the western country drew away many homťopathic physicians whose ambition in life was to accomplish something.
The pioneer of homťopathy in Georgia was Dr. James Banks Gilbert, who settled in Savannah in 1842. He was a graduate of the University Medical College of New York, and a former student of Dr. John F. Gray of that city. His remarkable success in the state was due wholly to his splendid capacity and attainments, and he succeeded in building up for himself a large practice, and at the same time gave the homťopathic school an excellent standing in the south. On his arrival in Savannah he presented his diploma and became a member of the Georgia Medical Society, and after he was fairly established his success attracted the attention of a fellow member, Dr. James M. Schley, who soon afterward went to New York and placed himself under Gray's medical instruction. On his return he also began the practice of homťopathy, but before long both these worthies were arraigned for trial before the medical society an charge of promulgating the heresies of Hahnemann's doctrine ; and they were expelled, but they were not crushed nor subdued, and the people employed them whenever they had need of medical attention. Dr. Gilbert died in 1853, and Dr. Schley in 1874.
Dr. W. H. Banks settled at an early date in Savannah, becoming partner with Dr. Gilbert. In 1850 Dr. Francis Hodgson Orme entered the office of Dr. Gilbert as a student, and completed his studies in the medical department of the University of New York. He graduated from that institution in 1854 ; returned to Savannah and entered into partnership with Dr. Banks. Almost his first professional experience was during the epidemic of yellow fever that so terribly decimated the south in 1855, and during which one thousand people died of that disease. During the height of the epidemic, of five homťopathic physicians then resident in Savannah, Dr. Orme alone was able to practice, the others having sickened and left the city. He escaped the fever until late in the season, when, a severe attack compelled him to leave his post for a time. His great success with homťopathic remedies caused the system to become very popular. The partnership with Dr. Banks continued for four years, when another epidemic of yellow fever visited the region, and Dr. Orme for the second time contracted the disease. He went to Atlanta, in which city he afterward made his home. In 1878 he was a member of the Homťopathic Yellow Fever Commission. He has taken an active part in sessions of the American Institute of Homťopathy.
Dr. Louis Knorr also was an early practitioner of homťopathy in Savannah. He was a graduate of the University of Munich in 1848, and became a convert to homťopathy in 1850.
Dr. Louis Alexander Falligant located in Savannah in 1858, associating himself with Dr. Schley. He then had just graduated from the Homťopathic Medical College of Pennsylvania. At the commencement of the war he entered the confederate army, serving as captain and aide-de-camp, and from 1862 to 1864 as health officer at Savannah.
Photo : F. H. Orme, M. D.
Dr. Edward Worthington Starr settled as an allopathic physician in Columbus in 1836, but after a time he became convinced that homťopathy was the true system of healing and adopted it in his practice. In 1860 he attended lectures in New York and Philadelphia, and returned to Columbus, where he practiced until his death in 1862.
Dr. William Elliott Dunwody practiced allopathy in Marietta from 1845 to 1856, when he adopted the homťopathic system.
Dr. Samuel Pierre Hunt became a convert to homťopathy in 1858, and after serving through the war in the confederate army, located with his family in Augusta.
Dr. William Larned Cleveland located in Atlanta in 1858, after graduating from the Western Homťopathic College of Cleveland. The cure of his sister by Dr. Bayard of New York first turned his attention to homťopathy. He built up a large practice in Atlanta, where he died May 20, 1876.
Photo : Wm. L. Cleveland, M. D.
Homťopathic-physicians in Georgia previous to 1860 The date preceding the name indicates the year the physician began the practice of homťopathy. The character * indicates that the practitioner originally was of some other school ; the character x indicates that the physician practiced medicine before the date given.
1850 Banks, W. H. x Savannah
1856 Cleckley, H. M. Columbus
1856 Cleckley, Marsden A. Columbus
1859 Cleveland, William L. Atlanta
1856 Dunwody, William E. * Marietta
1858 Falligant, Louis A. Savannah
1857 Gebhardt, Dr. x Augusta
1857 Goode, S. W. x Lumpkins
1857 Geiger, C. A. x Roswell
1842 Gilbert, James B. * Savannah
1857 Horne, W. x Savannah
1857 Hunt, Samuel Pierre * Augusta
1850 Knorr, Louis Savannah
1857 Kohlhaus, Dr. x Savannah
1854 Orme, Francis H. Atlanta
1857 Roosevelt, C. J. x Macon
1844 Schley, James M. * Savannah
1859 Starr, Edward W. * Columbus
1857 Thayer, H. R. x Augusta
1857 Van Voorhies, H. x Augusta
Copyright ę Sylvain Cazalet 2003