Kapronczay Károly szerk.: Orvostörténeti Közlemények 186-187. (Budapest, 2004)
KÖZLEMÉNYEK — COMMUNICATIONS - KOTOK, Alexander: Homeopathy in Bulgaria: from revolutionaries to professionals. - Homeopátia Bulgáriában: a forradalmároktól a szakemberekig
Bulgarian medical periodicals until WWII can reveal single publications both for and against homeopathy but no appeal either to ban homeopathic practice in Bulgaria or exclude homeopaths from medical societies or to restrict homeopathic activity in the country by any other means may be found in them. It seems that the number of those who practiced homeopathy in Bulgaria was rather insignificant though there was a circumstantial evidence that even a homeopathic society existed at the border of the centuries. By the Sofia Homeopathic Association (Sojiisko homeopatichno druzhestvo) was issued the book "Homeopathy and its basic principles for healing" represented the translation from the book initially written by the Russian homeopath L. Kuchinski 10 . On September 9 th , 1938 the Supreme Medical Council (Vysshiia meditsinski sovei) decided to recognize homeopathy officially. Homeopathy was allowed to practice in the country by any physician, whilst homeopathic remedies were to be sold in homeopathic pharmacies exclusively. Preparation, importation and distribution of homeopathic remedies were subdued to the common pharmaceutical law. The advertisement of homeopathic practice was prohibited. The Tsar Boris III approved and signed the decision. It goes without saying that if homeopathy would not have been practiced then in Bulgaria, nobody would have discussed that topic on such high a level of the medical hierarchy. Somebody had to propose this subject to be discussed justifying its importance for the medical system, and somebody had to work out a project of the final decision. Hopefully the further research in the field will reveal all these uncertainties. Nevertheless, homeopathy enjoyed its state status for a while only. When appearance of the Russian corps in 1877, paved the way for freedom in whole and for homeopathy in part, the next time that Russians entered Bulgaria, in September 1944, put an end to the both. Homeopathy was declared quackery and its practice was prohibited altogether. Of course, also homeopathic medicines disappeared from the pharmacies. Even the word "homeopathy" dropped from the periodicals as if homeopathy never existed. The Renaissance of homeopathy in Bulgaria like the case of other former socialist countries started only after the breakdown of socialism in East Europe. The first homeopathic courses were conducted in 1992-93 by the English homeopath Peter Chappel of the London Royal College of homeopathy. In 1995, the same state status, which had been lost in 1944, was now returned to homeopathy. The current homeopathic community of Bulgaria counts some 250 persons. Homeopathy is practiced today mostly by nonphysicians (for example, by psychologists) and this subject is still to be regulated by the law, whose project has actively been discussed by the Bulgarian parliament. The problems of the current Bulgarian homeopathy are by no means specific. Homeopathic education is short-term, superficial and absolutely insufficient to understand and successfully apply homeopathy. The producers and distributors of homeopathic medicines conduct their own courses where participants are taught to prescribe many medicines, mixtures, specifics for all diseases, etc. without serious studying homeopathy, including classical works. This pharmaceutical intervention is of serious harm and consequences for the future of homeopathy in the world. Like other European countries, 1(1 L. Kuchinski Homeopatiia i neinite osnovi za lekuvcme (translation from Russian by K. Bakchevanov) Sofia, 1901. Cit. Kapinchcva I. Pervi...
