Georg von Necker 1770 - 1848

Georg von Necker (Neckar) (Necher) (his real name was Georg Friedrich von Necher) (?1770-?1848) MD was an Austrian army physician, and Royal Court Physician until 1848, who converted to homeopathy to become the first homeopath in Naples in 1822.

Necker was a student of Samuel Hahnemann, and the homeopathic practitioner of Charles II Duke of Parma (then Duke of Lucca), Frederick William III of Prussia, William Gell, Baron Franz von Koller, Maria Isabella of Spain, Queen of Naples (the wife of Francis I of Naples), Louise Marie Adelaide de Bourbon, Maria Louisa Duchess of Lucca, and Zuarte, a merchant of Cadiz.

Necker taught homeopathy to Frederick Hervey Foster Quin, and converted Cosmo Maria De Horatiis, Giuseppe Mauro, and Francesco Romani to homeopathy, and he was a colleague of Franz Xaver Kinzel, Anton Schmidt,

Necker stayed in Naples for only four years until the death of Baron Franz von Koller, but his influence there was felt throughout Europe.

Necker, from the Bohemian town of Melnik, personal physician to the commander of the Austrian army of occupation, Baron Franz von Koller, who brought homeopathy to Naples. Necker knew and used this new method of treatment developed by Samuel Hahnemann, which he had learned in Vienna.

Settling in Naples, Dr Necker opened a clinic there that quickly proved a great success. Thanks to him, numerous doctors were trained and other clinics were set up, helping to make homeopathy known in the region and in Italy as a whole.

In May, 1823, Necker opened a homeopathic dispensary for the poor in his own house in Naples. It was not long before Francesco Romani, Giuseppe Mauro and Cosmo Maria De Horatiis became converts.

In the list of the contributors to Hahnemann jubilee of 1829  the name appears as ”Hofrath Necher, Leibarzt S  R  H des Herzogs von Lucca, zu Lucca Italien”. His name is on both the Zeitung and Frederick Hervey Foster Quin lists.

Dadea says that the Bohemian George Necker introduced Homeopathy into Italy, coming to Naples in 1822 as Baron Franz von Koller’s family physician.

He was a pupil of Samuel Hahnemann as a practitioner of great distinction, and demonstrated by rather than words the truth of the science he professed. With a short time he made many striking cures which brought over the new therapeutics among others, Francesco Romani, Giuseppe Mauro, and Cosmo Maria De Horatiis.

In addition his private practice, Necker, in May, 1823, opened in his own house a dispensary for the poor, which was attended by several physicians and surgeons of the German army, in which he was always assisted by Francesco Romani and sometimes by Anton Schmidt and Franz Xaver Kinzel.

The dispensary was closed the following year, Necker having been sent by Maria Isabella of Spain, Queen of Naples, Rome to take professional charge of her sister, Louise Marie Adelaide de Bourbon, then Queen of Etruria and mother of Charles II, Duke of Parma (then Duke of Lucca).

Necker remained in Naples until Baron Franz von Koller’s death in 1826; in September of that yet he was appointed physician to Charles II Duke of Parma (then Duke of Lucca) and his court, a position which he held until 1848.

Pierre Augustus Rapou says that Necker came from Melnick, a town in Bohemia, near Prague. (World Hom. Conv., vol. 2, p. 1068. Pierre Augustus Rapou, vol. 1, pp, 131, 132, 176, 195, 242)