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From: "E. J. Richards" <>
Subject: [WASH] allopath vs. homeopath
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2003 19:54:26 +0200
References: <004201c38db1$d29df180$a5182940@fqgzp01>


Dear Jean, dear Washington County Listers,

Most modern medicine is based on treating ailments with remedies which
oppose or do the opposite of what a disease causes. In medical terms, this
is "allopathy" -- which is Greek for "other-suffering," for instance, in
treating an infection, school medicine will use an anti-biotic, emphasis
here on anti-, meaning against, which is which allopathy means. Homeopathy
which means "same-suffering", takes a different approach, and treats
patients by administering drugs with a diluted form of whatever causes the
disease, whence "same-suffering", following the theory that the body will
react defensively to this "small" attack and find the right way of reacting.
(It sounds a little like de-sensitivity in allergy treatments.) Or, it is
like treating a fever with a tea or infusion made from linden leaves which
actually provokes a fever in order to treat the fever. Sometimes this
actually works. (Allopaths would say, hey, don't increase the warmth of the
body during infection, this will only let the bacteria flourish even
better.)

Most (as in practically all) American doctors are allopaths, whereas in
Europe (I live in Germany) you find "homeopaths" who treat using a diluted
form of whatever causes the disease. I personally prefer allopaths, but
sometimes homeopaths have interesting remedies. Don't get me wrong -- a
good friend of mine swears by homeopathy, and more power to him. I go for
school medicine, which is militantly allopathic.

Hope this helps.

Jeff Richards
Münster, Germany

P.S. And isn't there somebody out there who could help me solve the mystery
of my Gibson family? -- they somehow seem (in the early nineteenth century)
to have zipped over to Washington Co. from (West) Virginia. Only besides
knowing the name of my ancestor, John Gibson, who died young in 1819, who
married one lovely lady named Sarah Archer, I have nothing to go on. Mind
you, I am determined to buy myself a tie with the Archer tartan (already
have the Gibson, that is, Old Buchanan, tartan, Gibson being a really old
Scottish name, like Archer, but most of the folks with ancestors in
Washington County have probably learned that they have to deal with
seriously Presbyterian/Calvinist ancestors with Ulster Scots background. I
have -- thanks to the help of some very kind souls out there -- figured out
the Archer genealogy, it is the Gibson which, well, is a torment. I am
trying to solve a mystery: my grandmother maintained that the Gibsons were
FFV, which might mean in this case First Family of (West) Virginia. Hey,
West Virginia is a beautiful place. So is Virginia. I just want to figure
out who my Gibsons were. Thanks in advance.
P.S.S. Send some sun. We have lousy rainy, windy weather here.


----- Original Message -----
From: "jeanealogy" <>
To: <>
Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2003 5:35 PM
Subject: [WASH] meaning of a word


> In recent research I have found several physicians in our family line. In
the "Directory of Deceased American Physicians" they are listed as being an
"allopath". What would this be in present day terms?
>
> Jean
>
> Researching STRAIN, CRAWFORD, ROBB, SCOTT. FARRAR, MC CANDLESS and MORGAN
>
>
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