Constantine Hering was born January 1, 1800, in Oschatz Germany. He studied
medicine at Leipzig University. He was asked by a professor to write a book
disproving Dr. Hahnemann's recently published Organon of Rational
Medicine.
Hering set out to invalidate homeopathy. He researched Dr.
Hahnemann's writings and tested the principles on himself. When he developed an
infected wound for which medical doctors advised amputation, he tried
homeopathy. The infection was cured. Instead of discrediting homeopathy, Hering
became an ardent supporter and practitioner. He emigrated to the United States
in 1830 where he became known as the Father of American Homeopathy. In 1848,
Hering chartered the Hahnemann Medical College of Pennsylvania where he and his
students treated more than 50,000 patients annually. One of Hering's greatest
contributions is Hering's Law of Cure. Based on keen observation, Dr. Hering
concluded the curative process must occur in five directions, which he
elucidated as follows:
1) From above downward
2) From inside to outside
3) From center to periphery
4) From more important to less important
5) From new to old
It is truly amazing that he came to these conclusions without the help of
laboratory tests or microscopes. Yet nearly 150 years later, modern science
supports Dr. Hering's conclusions. One can find this in any decent embryology
textbook. As an embryo develops, it grows along specific axes in specific
directions. These lines of growth and development correspond to Dr. Hering's
direction of cure. The maintenance of cells and tissues in the developed body
also occurs in these directions. For example, there is an electrical gradient
within the body. The brain and other vital organs have a higher electrical
charge than the skin and digestive tract. Therefore, nutrients naturally flow
from the more important to less important organs ensuring that the vital organs
are nourished first. Doesn't that make sense?
The key to applying these rules is to know which one should be seen at a
particular time. There has confusion and disagreement over this. The result has
been that to a large degree, practitioners have ceased to follow Hering's Law.
Recently, through the deeper understanding of embryology and other life
sciences, there are doctors who have resolved these problems. As a result,
Hering's Law will prove to be invaluable to understanding the curative process.
While Hering was a devout homeopath, one may use his Law of Cure to evaluate the
success of any type of treatment. For example, a patient has a skin rash which
is treated topically with a cream (drug, herb, vitamin, etc.). The rash improves
80%, but the patient starts having seizures. Of the two symptoms, the seizures
are obviously affecting the more important organ (brain). Any treatment which
improves now the rash first is a mistake and will lead to more serious problems.
The curative process must cure the seizures first. In fact, as the seizures
improve, the skin will likely get worse. With an understanding of Hering's Law,
we can see that the cure is heading in the right direction and not panic about
the exacerbation. Without that information, we might try to treat the worsening
rash more aggressively and interfere with the healing.
The beauty of Hering's Law of Cure is that it is applicable to all diseases
and all therapies. Now that this Law is supported by the most recent scientific
research, it should become the standard to which all therapies are held. Using
such an approach will prove which methods of treatment are the most effective
and which the most dangerous. The question is whether most health care
practitioners are willing to put their system to the test!
- Russell Swift, DVM, Classical Homeopath