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allopathy

Allopathy is a term used by American homeopaths, naturopaths, chiropractors and other advocates of alternative health practices to refer to scientific medicine. My Random House Dictionary of the English Language (unabridged edition) defines allopathy as "the method of treating disease by the use of agents that produce effects different from those of the disease treated (opposed to homeopathy)." The word was invented by homeopath Samuel Hahnemann as a term for those who are other than homeopaths. In America, the term has not caught on and is used mainly by "alternative" practitioners and some osteopaths.


further reading

Sampson, Wallace and  Lewis Vaughn. (2000). Science Meets Alternative Medicine: What the Evidence Says About Unconventional Treatments. Prometheus.

Misuse of the Term "Allopathy" by William T. Jarvis, Ph.D.

Last updated 27-Oct-2015

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