Antoni Kaczkowski 1825 - 1884

Antoni von Chevallier Kaczkowski 1825? - 1884 was a Polish orthodox physician from Lvov, who converted to homeopathy, to become the editor of the magazine Polish homeopathist in 1860, he published the first Polish homeopathic manual in 1863, and he compiled the first comprehensive Materia Medica in the Polish language in 1876.

Kaczkowski was a colleague of Richard Hughes,

Kaczkowski settled in Lemberg in 1857, where he practiced homeopathy until his death. Chevalier de Kaczkowski died at Lemberg, Poland, May 3, 1884.

Homeopathy in Poland has a long tradition. The first comprehensive Materia Medica in Polish language was published in 1876 by Antoni Kaczkowski and the first homeopathic hospital was grounded in Poland in 1830.

The Polish Homeopathic Association which organizes the congress was founded in year 1892 (so is older than LMHI itself) in Warsaw. But in the meantime two wars affected Poland.

After first World War homeopathy redevelopped easily in free Poland (you must remember that before this war after three partitions Poland ceased from the world map – but never from the hearts of Polish people).

After second World War under the communist rule the situation of homeopathy was more difficult. It was tolerated but could not develop its full potential. Although the Polish Homeopathic Association was re-registered in Warsaw in 1946, and after that started also a pharmacy with homeopathic remedies, but till the year 1978 there were no regular courses in homeopathy.

From that year, the great Nestor of Polish Homeopathy Jerzy Lozowski, who started his education in homeopathy from German homeopaths at his late 60ties, decided to teach homeopathy to a group of doctors. And from that time Polish homeopathy started to grow.

With regular courses lead by the successors of doctor Lozowski in Pozna?, with many seminars of prominent homeopaths from all over the world, with several regional Homeopathic Associations and a native Homeopathic Laboratory more and more doctors were attracted to it.

But all this evoked discontent and counteraction from the academic doctors. They depreciated homeopathy in medical and popular press, especially after the infamous meta-analysis in Lancet 2005, which, as we know it today, was conducted with serious biases.

The culminating point was the statement against homeopathy as part of medical profession adopted by the Polish Supreme Medical Council on 4 April 2008. The document is the effect of long term opposition against homeopathy in some medical circles, which is to sense all over the world.

And this is paradoxically good that finally such a letter was written and adopted, because it has activated people and will help us to clear the situation of homeopathy in Poland and integrate our homeopathic community. We have developped some counteractions, and an excellent occasion for confirming, not only Polish homeopathy would be the next year Liga Congress in Warsaw 2009.

But of course the success of the Congress depends on participants, depends on you. I know it is difficult to spend extra money for this in time of crisis, but this is a personal decision and contribution of each homeopath to the situation of homeopathy in today’s world.

Today this is a Statement in Poland, tomorrow – a Resolution against homeopathy might be adopted in your country. We do not give up, and I promise that the 64th LMHI Congress in Warsaw would be some kind of special and very interesting – we could not reveal all the details at the moment.

Remember that the successful Solidarity movement against the supremacy of communism arouse in Poland – now is your personal turn to show your solidarity with homeopathy. I am sure that we all do build the history nowadays – especially the history of homeopathy.

Kaczkowski contributed to Richard Hughes,’ The Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica of Timothy Field Allen, and he contributed cases and articles to various homeopathic publications.