Franz Hartmann 1796 - 1853

Franz Hartmann (1796 - 1853) was a German orthodox physician who converted to homeopathy, Hartmann was a student of Samuel Hahnemann, and he was a member of the Prover’s Union.

(Not to be confused with Franz Hartmann (1838-1912) see below*)

Franz Hartmann (1796 - 1853) was Robert Alexander Schumann’s and Clara Schumann’s homeopath.

Franz Hartmann (1796 - 1853) also obtained a lock of hair from Ludwig von Beethoven two days after his death.

Franz Hartmann (1796 - 1853) was a friend of Paul Wolf, and he was a member of the Central Association of Homeopaths in Leipsig, alongside Albrecht, Baumann, Ernst von Brunnow, Pierre Dufresne, Anton Fischer, Carl Franz, Gaumann, Gustav Wilhelm Gross, Comte Sebastien Gaeten Salvador Maxime Des Guidi, Carl Georg Christian Hartlaub, Carl Haubold, Hofrath, Kretschmar, Kruger Hansen, Johan Joseph Wilhelm Lux, Moritz Wilhelm Mueller, Muhlenbein, Charles Gaspard Peschier, Frederick Hervey Foster Quin, Gottlieb Martin Wilhelm Ludwig Rau, Rohl, Mathias Roth, Ruckert, Rummel, J A Schubert, John Ernst Stapf, Suffert, Karl Friedrich Gottfried Trinks, George Adolph Weber, Friedrich Wolf,

Samuel Hahnemann’s Provers Union consisted of John Ernst Stapf, Gustav Wilhelm Gross, Christian Gottlob Hornburg, Carl Franz, Tenthorn, Hermann, Ruckert, Christian Freidrich Langhammer and Franz Hartmann. All of them became active in developing homeopathy in years to come.

Hartmann was the son of an elementary school teacher, and though he was a delicate boy, he attended Chemnitz grammar school where he became friendly with Hornberg. Hartmann earned extra money then by giving lessons to the poor children of weavers.

Aged 18, he went to Leipsig University in 1814, where his friend Christian Gottlob Hornburg was already practicing homeopathy and a student of Samuel Hahnemann. Hartmann also  became a student of Samuel Hahnemann, although he continued to attend medical lectures at the University.

In 1817, Hartmann went to study at Berlin University, where he earned extra money by practicing homeopathy.

In 1819, he qualified as a doctor and returned to Leipsig where he practiced as a homeopath. When his orthodox collegues discovered this, he was prosecuted. Unfortunately, his mother and father died within weeks of this misfortune, so Hartmann went to Dresden to take the State Medical examinations, and he began to practice homeopathy again, moving back to Leipsig in 1826.

Hartman began writing for John Ernst Stapf’s Archiv fur die homoopathische Heilkunst and also to write books about homeopathy, suffering censure from Samuel Hahnemann who was wary of conciliating allopaths. Hartman worked at the dispensary clinic with Clothar Mueller and Viet Meyer. His health was never strong and he was an invalid for many years when he was older.

Franz Hartmann, a critic as well as admirer of Hahnemann wrote about his personality: “we often had an opportunity of admiring the amiability with which he charmed us all. There sat the silver-haired old man, with his high arched brow, his bright piercing eyes and calm countenance.” He liked talking about objects of the natural sciences, the condition of foreign countries and their inhabitants. In his leisure time, he used to take moderate amounts of good wine and his meals ended with a smoking pipe. On wine, Samuel Hahnemann said, “I cannot recommend the frequent use of wine unless it be mixed with water as was the custom of Romans and Greeks”. On smoking, Samuel Hahnemann’s remarks were, “It is a useless habit acquired in my earlier days when I had to sit up every other night to earn bread for my children whilst I pursued my own researches during the day”. This shows that moderation in every sphere is justified.

Franz Hartmann… had been a pupil of Hahnemann, and was present at his consultations with patients. Hartmann relates that one day a patient came to consult Hahnemann. The malady was condylomata (figwarts). Samuel Hahnemann examined them and then questioned the patient for a half-hour, noting symptoms in his record book. He then closed his book, consulted the “Materia Medica” for a few moments, went into the next room, brought out three powders, and said: “Take a powder every three days; come again the fourteenth day, and pay now four dollars.” The man paid and retired.”What then did you give, Herr Hofrath ?” “What!” replied Samuel Hahnemann, “have you listened to the examination and do you not know ? You must study the ‘Materia Medica’! ” So Hartmann said no more, for Samuel Hahnemann never told his pupils what remedy he gave, fearing to encourage routine practice. The fourteenth day the patient came again, the warts were but one-third their previous size. Samuel Hahnemann gave him two more powders, to be taken every fifth day. “Come again the fifteenth day; this time you pay nothing.” Hartmann, surprised at the rapid diminution of the warts, said again, “But, Herr Hofrath, what did you give ?” “Do you not yet know ? study then ‘Materia Medica.‘” The fifteenth day the man returned; no trace of the warts was to be found. Hartmann could not contain himself. He came to Samuel Hahnemann’s study at an earlier hour than usual and opened his record book to learn the remedy given. It was Chamomilla 30; three powders. The two on the second day were sugar of milk alone. More astounded than ever, Hartmann could not contain himself, and when Samuel Hahnemann came in; “Herr Hofrath,” said he, “I have committed a great crime. The desire to know with what remedy you cured the figwarts so burned within me that I opened your book and ascertained it, and now I pray you, on what grounds did you give Chamomilla?” “Ah, have you done that?” said Samuel Hahnemann; “then take the book and read further, read the ‘Symptomen-codex’ and see if it were possible to give any other remedy than Chamomilla, when such symptoms were present.” And so it was. Even Hartmann was satisfied that Chamomilla was the only suitable drug.

Franz Hartmann wrote Hartmann’s Theory of Acute Diseases and Their Homeopathic Treatment, Franz Hartmann’s Diseases of Children and Their Homeopathic Treatment,  Special Therapeutics According to Homeopathic Principles, Practical Observations on Some of the Chief Homeopathic Remedies, and he edited Homeopathic Domestic Physician by Carl Gottlob Caspari.

Of interest:

F A Hartmann (? - 1878) MD, MBHS, editor of the New Zealand Homeopathic Gazette 1873 (John James Drysdale, The British Journal of Homeopathy, Vol XXXI, (1873). Page 156). (Obituary F A Hartmann in John James Drysdale, Robert Ellis Dudgeon, Richard Hughes, John Rutherfurd Russell (Eds.), The British Journal of Homoeopathy, Volume 36, (1878). Page 390). Hartment was practicing in New Zealand in 1871 (living at Waterloo Crescent, practicing at J Pond’s Homeopathic Pharmacy 63 Queen Street (Daily Southern Cross, R?rahi XXVII, Putanga 4216, 17 Huitanguru 1871, Page 1)

Please note Australian and New Zealand homeopathic history specialist site here /archives/2009/12/25/australian-homeopathic-history/

In 1858, F A Hartmann and  George Calvert Holland were swept up in a scandal when a patient died in Norwich, from a rare condition and a missed diagnosis, an anomalous strangulated hernia, complicated by the intransigence of the allopathic surgeons who refused to consult a patient who was being attended by a homeopath. Compare the account given of this incident in the allopathic press (Anon, The Medical Times and Gazette, Volume 2, (J. & A. Churchill, 1858). Page 423) and in the homeopathic press (John James Drysdale, Robert Ellis Dudgeon, Richard Hughes, John Rutherfurd Russell (Eds.), The British Journal of Homoeopathy, Volume 17, (Groombridge & Sons, 5 Paternoster Row, W H Billing, 19 Castle Street Edinburgh, William Radde, 322 Broadway New York 1859). Pages 161-165)!

*Franz Hartmann (1838-1912) ‘…_ was a German medical doctor, theosophist, occultist, geomancer, astrologer, and author. His works include several books on esoteric studies and biographies of Jakob Bohme and Paracelsus. He translated the Bhagavad Gita into German and was the editor of the journal Lotusblüten. He was at one time a co-worker of Helena Blavatsky at Adyar. In 1896 he founded a German Theosophical Society. He also supported the Guido von List Society (Guido von List Gesellschaft)… [?] one of the original founders of the magical order that would later be known as Ordo Templi Orientis…_’