| Allopathy or Allopathic medicine (from
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| | principle of curing disease by
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| Gr. allos, other, and pathos, suffering)
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| | administering substances that produce the
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| is the name given by Samuel Hahnemann,
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| | opposite effect of the disease when given
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| the founder of homeopathy, to the methods
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| | to a healthy human. Hahnemann used this
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| of his medical foes. The term is
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| | term to distinguish medicine as practiced
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| sometimes used today to refer to
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| | in his time from his use of
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| conventional medicine. The correct
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| | infinitesimally small doses of substances
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| meaning and use of the term is a point of
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| | to treat the spiritual causes of illness.
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| disputation, even among the authorities.
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| | In the essay by William Jarvis cited
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| Current usage of term
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| | below, he notes that "although many
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| There is controversy surrounding the
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| | modern therapies can be construed to
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| applicability of the term "allopathy."
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| | conform to an allopathic rationale (eg,
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| Many people use the term neutrally,
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| | using a laxative to relieve
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| simply as a name for orthodox medicine
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| | constipation), standard medicine has
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| when necessary to distinguish it from
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| | never paid allegiance to an allopathic
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| other medicinal paradigms. Others have
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| | principle" and that the label "allopath"
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| used the term allopathy in a deprecatory
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| | was considered highly derisive by
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| manner.
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| | mainstream medicine.
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| Medical dictionaries and general usage
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| | Whorton also discusses this historical
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| dictionaries also give varying accounts
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| | pejorative usage:
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| of the meaning of allopathy. Some
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| | One form of verbal warfare used in
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| dictionaries define allopathic medicine
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| | retaliation by irregulars was the word
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| as conventional medicine. Steadman's
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| | "allopathy." ....... "Allopathy" and
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| Illustrated Medical Dictionary defines it
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| | "allopathic" were liberally employed as
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| as "[r]egular medicine, the traditional
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| | pejoratives by all irregular physicians
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| form of medical practice." The Oxford
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| | of the nineteenth century, and the terms
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| English Dictionary presents a similar
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| | were considered highly offensive by those
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| application: "the present prevailing
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| | at whom they were directed. The generally
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| system of medicine".
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| | uncomplaining acceptance of "allopathic
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| Some definitions use the same extension
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| | medicine" by today's MDs is an indication
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| of the term, but retain some historical
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| | of both a lack of awareness of the term's
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| connotations. In addition to the
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| | historical use and the recent thawing of
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| definition already presented, the Oxford
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| | relations between irregulars and
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| English Dictionary puts forth the
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| | allopaths.
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| definition of allopathy as a "term
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| | James C. Whorton
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| applied by homeopathists to the ordinary
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| | The Companion Encyclopedia of the History
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| or traditional medical practice, and to a
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| | of Medicine states that "Hahnemann gave
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| certain extent in common use to
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| | an all-embracing name to regular
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| distinguish it from homeopathy" The
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| | practice, calling it 'allopathy'. This
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| Compact Oxford English Dictionary
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| | term, however imprecise, was employed by
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| likewise defines it as "the treatment of
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| | his followers or other unorthodox
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| disease by conventional means, i.e. with
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| | movements to identify the prevailing
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| drugs having effects opposite to the
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| | methods as constituting nothing more than
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| symptoms. Often contrasted with
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| | a competing 'school' of medicine, however
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| homeopathy."
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| | dominant in terms of number of
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| Other definitions define allopathic
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| | practitioner proponents and patients." In
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| medicine more in accord with the meaning
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| | the nineteenth century, some pharmacies
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| of its word parts, allos meaning opposite
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| | labelled their products with the terms
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| and path meaning disease. Steadman's
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| | allopathic or homeopathic.
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| Medical Dictionary calls it a
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| | Hahnemann used the term to refer to what
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| "therapeutic system in which a disease is
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| | he saw as a system of medicine that
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| treated by producing a second condition
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| | combats disease by using remedies that
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| that is incompatible with or antagonistic
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| | produce effects in a healthy subject that
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| to the first." Dorland's Illustrated
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| | are different (hence Greek root allo-
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| Medical Dictionary also defines it as a
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| | "different") from those of the disease to
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| "term applied to that system of
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| | be treated. He claimed that his theory of
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| therapeutics in which diseases are
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| | homeopathy, which attempts to mimic the
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| treated by producing a condition
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| | symptoms (hence homeo-, "the same"), was
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| incompatible with or antagonistic to the
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| | a more effective and humane alternative.
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| condition to be cured or alleviated.
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| | Contrary to the present usage, Hahnemann
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| Called also heteropathy." Tabor's
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| | reserved the term of "allopathic"
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| Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary says it's a
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| | medicine to the practice of treating
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| "system of treating disease by inducing a
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| | diseases by means of drugs inducing
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| pathological reaction that is
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| | symptoms unrelated (i.e. neither similar
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| antagonistic to the disease being
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| | nor opposite) to those of the disease. He
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| treated", and presents the application of
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| | called instead "enantiopathic" or
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| allopathy to conventional medicine as
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| | "antipathic" the practice of treating
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| incorrect, saying it is "erroneously used
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| | diseases by means of drugs producing
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| for the regular practice of medicine to
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| | symptoms opposite to those of the patient
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| differentiate it from homeopathy". The
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| | (e.g. see Organon, VI edition, paragraphs
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| American Heritage Medical Dictionary
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| | 54-56). After Hahnemann's death the term
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| defines it as as: "A method of treating
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| | "enantiopathy" fell in disuse and the two
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| disease with remedies that produce
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| | concepts of allopathy and enantiopathy
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| effects antagonistic to those caused by
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| | have been more or less unified. Both,
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| the disease itself."
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| | however, indicate what Hahnemann thought
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| The term is used on websites of certain
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| | about contemporary conventional medicine,
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| U.S. medical professional organizations.
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| | rather than the current ideas of his
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| For example, the Association of American
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| | colleagues. Conventional physicians had
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| Medical Colleges (AAMC) describes the
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| | never assumed that the therapeutic
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| type of medicine they teach as
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| | effects of drugs were necessarily related
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| allopathic, and the American Medical
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| | to the symptoms they caused in the
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| Association refers to M.D. students as
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| | healthy: e.g. James Lind in 1747
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| allopathic medical students. Similarly,
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| | systematically tested several common
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| the Accreditation Council for Graduate
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| | substances and foods for their effect on
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| Medical Education (ACGME) describes U.S.
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| | scurvy and discovered that lemon juice
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| M.D. residencies as allopathic. [citation
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| | was specifically active; he clearly did
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| needed]
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| | not select lemon juice because it caused
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| Other terms that have been proposed to
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| | symptoms in the healthy man, either
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| describe the conventional Western medical
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| | similar or opposite to those of scurvy.
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| system of practice include: conventional
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| | Practitioners of alternative medicine
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| medicine, Western medicine,
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| | have used the term "allopathic medicine"
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| evidence-based medicine, clinical
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| | to refer to the practice of conventional
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| medicine, scientific medicine, regular
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| | medicine in both Europe and the United
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| medicine, mainstream medicine, standard
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| | States since the 19th century. In the
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| medicine, orthodox medicine, and
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| | U.S., this was also referred to as
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| authoritarian medicine.
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| | regular medicine -- that is, medicine
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| History of term
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| | that was practiced by the regulars. The
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| The term was coined by Samuel Hahnemann
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| | practice of "conventional" medicine in
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| to differentiate homeopathic practices
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| | both Europe and America during the 19th
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| from conventional medicine, based on the
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| | century is sometimes referred to as the
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| types of treatments used.
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| | age of 'heroic medicine' (because of the
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| As used by homeopaths, the term
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| | 'heroic' measures such as bleeding and
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| "allopathy" has always referred to a
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| | purging).
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