John Anderson 1817 - 1875

John Anderson 1817? - 1875? LSA, MRSA, MD was a British orthodox physician who converted to homeopathy after 20 years of allopathic practice, to become Physician to the Clapham Homeopathic Dispensary, a Trustee and Honarary Secretary of the Hahnemann Hospital at 39 Bloomsbury Square, and a member of the Hahnemann Medical Society,

In 1855, John Anderson wrote to The Medical Times and Gazette in defense of homeopathy, who refused to publish his letter on the grounds that ‘homeopathy was just a system of quackery’, and so his letter was published in full in The British Homeopathic Journal.

John Anderson practiced in Ventnor, Isle of Wight, and at 4 Bedford Terrce, Clapham Rise,

Hahnemann Medical Society instituted 10.4.1850 at 16 Bulstrode Street Manchester Square, with John Anderson, Francis Black, John Henry Clarke, Edward Cronin, Robert Ellis Dudgeon, John Epps, James Epps, Amos Henriques, Constantine Hering, Edward M Madden, Henry R Madden, Mathias Roth, James John Garth Wilkinson, treasurer Thomas Engall, secretary George Wyld.

John Anderson was a Trustee of the Hahnemann Hospital at 39 Bloomsbury Square in 1850, and knew the Staff of the Hahnemann Hospital at 39 Bloomsbury Square, which included Christian Karl Josias Bunsen, James Chapman, Edward Charles Chepmell, Paul Francois Curie, Robert Ellis Dudgeon, Thomas Engall, Joseph Hands, Sydney Hanson, Robert Hamilton, Amos Henriques, Charles Hunt, Henry Kelsall, Joseph Laurie, Henry Victor Malan, James John Garth Wilkinson, David Wilson, William Leaf, George Wyld, Thomas Egerton 2nd Earl of Wilton, Robert Grosvenor, Thomas Roupell Everest, Charles Powell Leslie, James More Molyneux, David Wilson, William Henry Ashurst, William Thomas Berger, W A Case, J M Douglas, G H Flatcher, John Fowler, Joseph Glover, Thomas Higgs, T H Johnstone, John Miller, Chas Pasley, Mathias Roth, Frederick Sandoz, W Stephenson, Samuel Sugden, Allan Templeton, Major Tyndale, William Warne, A Wilkinson, S Wilson and many others.

In 1855, John Anderson wrote to The Medical Times and Gazette in defense of homeopathy, who refused to publish his letter on the grounds that ‘homeopathy was just a system of quackery’, and so his letter was published in full in _The British Homeopathic Journal_.

In his letter, Anderson explains at great length that The Medical Times and Gazette had published an article attacking homeopathy, in which The Medical Times and Gazette referred to 3 out of 26 cases of cholera returned by Anderson to the General Board of Health.

The Medical Times and Gazette used the tried and tested methods of refuting homeopathy - lying!

Firstly, The Medical Times and Gazette disputed that Anderson’s cases were cholera, instead diagnosing them (patient unseen) as ‘choleraic diarrhoea’, calling into question the diagnostic capacity of Anderson who had practiced as an allopath for over 20 years before his conversion to homeopathy! Of course, it was perfectly possible to verify the diagnosis, as the returns form gives details of the patient’s address and the patient’s name, so any ‘medical journalist’ worth his salt could have checked these details before the publication of such innacuracy.

*_The Medical Times and Gazette___ _then attempted to claim that camphor was not a homeopathic similimum to cholera, and that the use of chlorophorm and hot bottles to warm the patient were not homeopathic. ____The Medical Times and Gazette_ _argued that only arsenicum,*_____ veratrum, mercurius and cuprum are homeopathic remedies. Anderson replied that he used all these remedies, resorting to potentised camphorated chloroform to cure the case.

_The Medical Times and Gazette__ _then accused Anderson of using different remedies in succession, as one remedy would counteract the others. Anderson replied with an explaination of homeopathic practice as recommended by Samuel Hahnemann.

No wonder _The Medical Times and Gazette___ refused to publish his letter!

Anderson submitted cases and articles to various homeopathic publications, including British Journal of Homeopathy 1855; 13:62-78 Observations on the Cholera Epidemic,