Vasily N Dunkel 1838 - 1926
August 16, 2009
Vasily N Dunkel 1838? - 1926? MD was a
Russian orthodox physician who converted to homeopathy to become a
Physician at the Moscow Homeopathic
Hospital,
Dunkel was present at the All Russian Homeopathic Congress, which was held in Russia from 20- 22 October 1913 in Saint Petersburg, where he read a paper on The Biological Bases of Homeopathy.
Dunkel was a colleague of Carl Bojanus, Brazol, Frenkel, Frohwein (Frovein), Lutsenko, P A Muchin, Constantin Franzovitsch Schvezkovsky, V U Shtrub (Strup), D S Trifonovskaya,
Dunkel practiced in Vilnius in 1911.
Doctor Sokolov, the remarkable promoter of Homeopathy, became its first chairman. It was he who was the head of the Moscow delegation at the first Russian Congress of Homeopathic Adherents. V N Sokolov managed to collect around him such talented doctors as V V Postnikov, V N Dunkel and some others.
In The All Russian Society of Doctors Homeopaths, they studied Homeopathic methodology, published Russian and foreign literature and promoted Homeopathy among the medical community.
In 1938, during the time of Stalin’s repression, the society was closed. V V Postnikov and D Kegeli died of serious diseases after they were released from prison.
In 1936, homeopathic clinics were opened in Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev and Riga. One of the oldest Homeopathic drug stores functions in Riga. It is 150 years old now.
In 1958, The Moscow Homeopathic Society was opened. V I Ribak was elected its first president. The society held clinical analytical sessions with patients, republished classics of Homeopathy and organized the training of doctors homeopaths.
A number of remarkable doctors played a very important role in the promotion of Homeopathy both in the 19th and 20th centuries. They are Moscow doctors N M Vavilova, S A Mukhin, I M Lipnitskiy, V I Varshavskiy. Their high professional skills and effectiveness in treating patients promoted the stability of Homeopathy and preservation of Homeopathic methodology.
It also helped to educate a new generation of doctors. Each of them wrote a manuscript and trained disciples who continued their Guru’s cause. The books written by N M Vavilova and I M Lipnitskiy are still used as manuals for doctors practicing Homeopathy.
Dunkel is mentioned in Allgemeine homöopathische Zeitung, Volumes 67-68 in 1863, and the Zeitschrift des Berliner Vereines Homöopathischer Aerzte, Volume 17 in 1898,
Dr. Dmitry Sokolov (1872-1932), the future founder of the All Russian Society of Homeopathic Physicians (Vserossiyskoe Obshchestvo vrachei gomeopatov or VOVG) in 1925, who had headed the Moscow Society of the Followers of Homeopathy during several years, refused further managing the Society for the lack of time.
Instead, Dr. K Weis, who later also became a member of the All Russian Society of the Followers of Homeopathy, was elected. The dispensary of the Society had 9201 paying and 836 free visits, while in 1913 there were 9148 paying and 851 free ones.
In 1912, the Society finally succeeded in opening a small in patient facility. Nevertheless, the payment was certainly high (7 rubles per day in a separate room and 4 rubles per day in a common room) and the Society finished 1913 with a deficit of 2065 rubles.
It was mentioned at the annual meeting for 1913, that this price is too high for the families of poor material well being, whilst well to do patients prefer to be treated at their homes. Thus, only especially benevolent results of the treatment provided in the clinic, may allow the inflow of patients.
Also the proposal of a landed lady A Il’ina, passed to the Society through Dr. Vasily Dunkel’ (1865-ca.1930s), was discussed. Il’ina proposed to grant the land and the timber in her estate in the Ardatov district of the Novgorod province in order to build a homeopathic hospital – all these on the condition that a doctor who will manage the hospital, will provide homeopathic treatment free of charge. The proposal was rejected by the members of the Society as there were no “free” homeopathic doctors in the Society.
It is known that during WWI a small military hospital for 20 beds was run by the Society. Homeopathic medicines for it were provided free by three Moscow homeopathic pharmacies. Six doctors (A Andrianov, A Vasil’eva Garnak, V Dunkel, P Muhin, V Strup (Shtrub) and E Epple were employed.