Abstract
The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Library holds the unique manuscript of the sixth edition of Samuel Hahnemann's Organon der Heilkunst, the primary text of homeopathy. The manuscript volume is Hahnemann's own copy of the fifth edition of the Organon with his notes for the sixth edition, handwritten throughout the volume. There is a high level of interest in the Organon manuscript, particularly among homeopaths. This led to the decision to present a digital surrogate on the web to make it accessible to a wider audience. Digitizing Hahnemann's manuscript and determining the best method of presentation on the web posed several challenges. Lessons learned in the course of this project will inform future digital projects. This article discusses the historical significance of the sixth edition of Hahnemann's Organon, its context in UCSF's homeopathy collections, and the specifics of developing the online homeopathy collection.
Highlights
The unique manuscript of the sixth edition of Samuel Hahnemann’s Organon der Heilkunst (Organon of the Medical Art) is a gem in the Archives & Special Collections of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Library
The digital Organon forms the cornerstone of an online collection, launched in early 2009, of significant works in the history of homeopathy,http://www.library.ucsf .edu/collections/homeopathy/
The digital Organon has been popular among homeopaths and historians
Summary
The unique manuscript of the sixth edition of Samuel Hahnemann’s Organon der Heilkunst (Organon of the Medical Art) is a gem in the Archives & Special Collections of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Library. In 1920, James Ward and William Boericke, prominent homeopaths in San Francisco, purchased the Figure 2 Cover of the transcript copy manuscript for the sixth edition (the interleaved volume with Hahnemann’s notes) for $1,000 with Haehl’s assistance Ward related that he and Boericke had first inquired of Haehl about the manuscript in 1891 and indicated their desire to purchase it should the von Bonninghausens wish to sell it [3]. Haehl kept the handwritten transcript copy and used it as the basis for the German sixth edition, published in Leipzig in 1921 [1] He sent Hahnemann’s original manuscript volume to Ward and Boericke in San Francisco, and Boericke used it as the basis of the 1922 American edition [2].
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