Pioneers of homeopathy
by Dr Thomas Lindsey Bradford
Presented by Dr Robert Séror
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Dr. LONGCHAMP. (? –1861)
Longchampwas born in Botteus, a Catholic parochial village in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland, from one of its most honorable families. Early in life he showed a great predilection for the study of medicine.
A friend of the family, the celebrated surgeon, Dr. Mayor, in Lausanne, who recognized his abilities, encouraged his inclination and received him in the year 1813 as a pupil in the Hospital of Lausanne. In the year 1815, Longchamp wept for his further education to Paris, where he remained for three years.
After receiving there his diploma as doctor, he undertook a scientific journey to the southern part of Brazil and Paraguay in company with his friend, the well known Dr. Reugger.
In Buenos Ayres, at that time, the noted dictator, Dr. Francis, was in power ; he assigned a very advantageous circle of activity to the two travelers, but retained them for ten years as captives.
In spite of the great advantages and the general respect shown here to Longchamp (His fame is preserved there to this day, for not long ago a citizen of that country traveling through Freiburg inquired very particularly for Dr. Longchamp.), he took the first opportunity to escape from that country, and returned to Europe in 1827 and choose Freiburg (Switzerland) for his residence.
After practicing there for three years, his attention was called to the new curative method through an article by Pierre Dufresne, of Geneva, in the Bibliothèque Universelle de Genève, an estimable scientific journal in the year 1831, on the subject of Homoeopathy.
Dr. Dufresne, who shortly before, through diligent study and personal practical experiments, had become convinced of the truth of Homoeopathy, at that time with great enthusiasm, declared his adhesion to the new curative method. and through periodical assemblies of physicians called by him, and through the Bibliothèque de Genève which he founded and published its company with his friend, the learned Dr. Peschier, he sought to make proselytes for the new school.
One of the first physicians gained by Dr. Dufresne for the new teaching was Dr. Longchamp. This talented physician devoted himself with great industry to the study of Homoeopathy, and soon became a zealous follower of the new doctrine and a very busy homoeopathic practitioner, gaining by his successful and brilliant cures a fame which spread throughout the country far and wide.
Soon after, he was also nominated as the physician of the educational institute of the Jesuits, known in the whole Catholic Europe ; this position he retained till the year 1847, when the Jesuits were expelled from the whole of Switzerland.
Longchampcertainly contributed through his position to the more general diffusion of knowledge concerning Homoeopathy in extended circles in Europe. This celebrated educational institute at that time was visited by pupils from the best families of a large part of Catholic Europe ; as physician of this institute. he was an unusual favorite and celebrated.
Many pupils owed to him their cure from chronic diseases that they had brought with them. So I myself, though residing at a distance fromFreiburg, have been consulted several times by former pupil of the institute at Freiburg, because they had learned to know and value Homoeopathy through Dr. Longchamp.
Longchampwas not only a distinguished homoeopathic physician, but also a very thorough surgeon and operator, who did honor to his first teacher, the celebrated surgeon Mayor.
Guided by a rich experience and an acute practical penetration, he only used the knife when he had found the internal treatment to be unavailing. He was indefatigable in the practice of his profession.
He was ready to give his medical aid to whomsoever needed it, without making the slightest distinction between the rich and the poor, which caused hint to be loved by the poor with a real devotion.
Dr.Longchamp, like every other physician who became converted to Homoeopathy, was most violently assailed and attacked by his allopathic colleagues. But strong and bold through his success at the sickbed, and being gifted by a most peculiar courtesy and amiability, he knew how to gradually gain the respect. of his opponents, so that they openly acknowledged his superiority and admired him for many years as a colleague who, as it were, stood above them.
So, it is said, that during his long continued disease (softening of the brain) all his colleagues gathered round his sickbed, and with childlike reverence offered him their aid, which was, however, of course in vain.
I am sorry to say that he has left no scientific works behind him, except some practical communication in theBibliothèque homoeopathique de Genève. His great services to Homoeopathy consisted, as indicated above, in the fact that he more than most others contributed to the acknowledgment and diffusion of our method of healing among the public far and near. We say among the public, for despite of the esteem entertained for him by his colleagues he had not the satisfaction of leaving a homoeopathic successor to his practice.
This is a new and additional example, if It were needed, of the vis inertiae, which by far the greater number of physicians allow to rule over them.Longchamp died on the 20th of February, 1861.
His death was a great event inFreiburg. It is said that rarely has there been seen so large a funeral ; an innumerable multitude followed his bier. All classes of society, the richest and the poorest, crowded together to show their last honor to their familiar counselor and fatherly friend. Long will he continue to live in the grateful remembrance of his fellow citizens.
TheQuin list of 1834 locates this physician at Freiburg in Switzerland. Kleinert mentions him as Longchamp who later achieved so much fame by his journey to South America, (Kleinert, p. 165. Allg. hom. Zeit., vol. 62, p. 96 ; vol. 64, pp. 40, 48.)
Numérisation, vérification, mise en page, Copyright © Robert Séror 2002