At the start of the 1900’s Medicine was an are of conflict in society. A Topic that is still very immature in the sense that they still didn’t have many proven treatments for the sick. Doctors at this time were poor, had a low rank in society and often very depressed. This fueled them to try many new methods of treatment in effort to repair their situation. Doctors were willing to put their paycheck in front of the well-being of their patients , often resulting negatively.

At the time and even today there were two types of doctors. Homeopathic, the type of doctor that would treat patients with natural non-toxic treatment for example encouraging their patients to eat healthy foods which would help their body’s immunity therefore helping the patients maintain his or her health. The second type of doctor at this time was the Allopathic doctor. These doctors practiced treatments which involved unnatural and toxic resources which were aimed to target and effect the cure directly. allopathic doctors have been around for centuries, and one of the most famous incidents caused by allopathic doctors was giving George Washington 650 mg of mercury to try to cure what is now known as strep throat. allopathic doctors have been the “ones on top” in the medical world for as long as Americans began experimenting with medicine in the early 1600’s. How ever as Americans knowledge grew the rise of homeopathic doctors provided competition for the allopathic doctors. At this time the American Drug Association formed a doctors union in efforts to regain their power. In 1903 Dr. J.N McCormack of the A.M.A once Quoted, ” We have never fought the Homeopath on matters of principle. We fought him because he came in our community and got the business”. Through out these crucial years in medicine, allopathic managed to destroy the rise of homeopathy. With their power and money provided by their expensive treatments, allopathic doctors and the A.M.A acomplished what they strived to do which was destroy their competition.

The picture I have chosen is of a Homeopathic doctor who was attacked by the AMA at this time. Max Gerson was a doctor of the early 1900’s who believed a treatment for cancer was to eat healthy foods and often warned his patients about the harms of cigarettes. In the eyes of The AMA and the allopathic doctors, Gerson was seen as a doctor who was provide cheap common sense treatments which threatened their expensive treatments such as radiation for example. Doctors effected such as Gerson became blacklisted in the world of the medicine, however still managed to help the progression of medicine to make it what it is today.

Today, thankfully we have grown from out mistakes throughout the history of medicine . Still however the Allopathic stance on medicine is still the top dog as far as how we treat ourselves from todays harms. Once again how ever , with out these incidences in American History we would not be where we are today in not only medicine but society as well. I believe this is probable the most important and most responsible for shaping our medical world today.

Citation:

http://www.youtube.com/user/JFHEALTHYandFit

http://www.wholehealthnow.com/homeopathy_pro/homeopathy_1900_1924.html

http://www.holistic-mindbody-healing.com/allopathic-medicine.html