Homeopathy and the Defence of Medical Pluralism in Nineteenth-Century New South Wales

Abstract

Examinations of medicine in nineteenth century New South Wales have predominantly found it notable for its emphasis on private practice, its lag in the nineteenth-century race for medicine to professionalise, and its generous spread of irregular modalities. This paper examines the contribution of homeopathy, the most influential of the irregular modalities, to shaping the medical landscape in the colony. Examination of the prominent debates regarding regulatory medical legislation reveal the extent to which the homeopaths, amongst others, successfully aligned themselves with liberal sensibilities in the colony to engage in an effective and sustained defence of medical pluralism, at a time when what constituted scientific medicine was itself undergoing significant transformation and renegotiation.