Hale and Burt Provings

Taking the Case by Will Taylor, M.D.

Installment 13
of a series on homeopathy
© Will Taylor, MD 2002 [bio]Index of All Installments

Sections: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Section 5

A Colorful Proving Team

One of the most colorful teams of provers in our heritage is that of Edwin Moses Hale and William Burt. Both graduates of the Cleveland Homeopathic College in the late 1850's, Hale became interested in the remedies claimed for successful cures in the Eclectic and Native American botanical traditions. It was his belief that all such cures were attributable to the action of similars, whether intended to be or not:

Edwin Moses Hale "Our course, as consistent homoeopathicians, is, to CLAIM ALL CURES AS MADE BY THE LAW OF SIMILIA, AND PROVE THEM TO BE SUCH, as did Hahnemann.

"The law discovered by our great master is all embracing, universal, and the sooner his followers adopt this proposition, the better it will be for the honor and influence of our school."
- EM Hale
Special Symptomatology of the New Remedies

Ustillago corn fungus
William Burt was responsible for the actual proving of many of these remedies - as many as 30, generally proven in crude dose as "heroic" provings

Burt's provings include:
Aesculus, Baptisia, Cactus grandiflorus, Caulophyllum, Collinsonia, Dioscorea, Hamamelis, Hydrastis canadensis, Iris versicolor, Leptandra virginica, Phytolacca, Pulsatilla nutalliana (the native Pulsatilla of northwestern North America), Ustillago and Veratrum viride (North America's native Veratrum specie).

Veratrym viride We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the named and unnamed provers over history who have provided us with their direct experiences of the properties of our materia medica. By following in their footsteps, our knowledge of the true curative properties of substances will continue to grow to meet the needs of all suffering humanity.

Where to Find Historical Provings:

Samuel Hahnemann, Materia Medica Pura
Samuel Hahnemann, Chronic Diseases
Edwin Moses Hale, Special Symptomatology of the New Remedies
Timothy Field Allen, Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica (including most of the 3 sources above)
O. Julian, Materia Medica of New Homeopathic Remedies

Sections: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Next Installment:
Provings, Part II

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