Charles Julius Hempel
Encyclopedia
Charles Julius Hempel was a German-born translator
and homeopathic
physician
who worked in the United States
.
and Collège de France
, in Paris
, and financed his schooling by translating. At the Université de France, he assisted Jules Michelet
, who succeeded François Guizot
as professor of history, in the publication of his History of France.
He came to the United States in 1835, and for ten years resided in the family of Piero Maroncelli, the intimate friend of the revolutionist Silvio Pellico
. There he imbibed an ardent love for music
and Italian literature
and got to know the Carbonari
refugees in America.
Other significant influences were the social theorist Albert Brisbane
and the theologian George Bush
.
While attending medical lectures at the University of New York
, where he was graduated in 1845, he became associated with several eminent homeopathic practitioners, and soon after his graduation he began to translate some of the more important works relating to homeopathy. In 1855 he married Mary (Coggeshall) Calder, daughter of George Coggeshall of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
He was appointed professor of materia medica and therapeutics in the Hahnemann Medical College of Philadelphia in 1857. He had an approach to homeopathy distinct from the Hahnemann school. His translations could be a source of controversy in the homeopathic community, in particular Constantine Hering
and Adolph Lippe raised objections due to errors in Hempel's early translations and unauthorized additions from his own experience.
When the Hahnemann Medical College was reorganized in 1860, Hempel and some others left. During his stay in Philadelphia, he also published his book, Materia Medica and Therapeutics.
On the death of his father-in-law in 1861, he went to Grand Rapids to settle up the estate. He decided to make the change of location permanent and soon had a large homeopathic practice in that city.
His health failing, he traveled to Italy and Germany in 1872, but the change was not beneficial, and he returned to Grand Rapids, where he died. Hempel was one of the earliest honorary members of the British Homeopathic Society, and was the recipient of diplomas and certificates of membership from many medical colleges and associations. His translations and original works permit him to be called the father of English homeopathic literature.
He published numerous translations, including:
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
and homeopathic
Homeopathy
Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine in which practitioners claim to treat patients using highly diluted preparations that are believed to cause healthy people to exhibit symptoms that are similar to those exhibited by the patient...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
who worked in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Biography
After completing his collegiate course at Solingen, he attended lectures at the Université de FranceUniversity of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
and Collège de France
Collège de France
The Collège de France is a higher education and research establishment located in Paris, France, in the 5th arrondissement, or Latin Quarter, across the street from the historical campus of La Sorbonne at the intersection of Rue Saint-Jacques and Rue des Écoles...
, in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and financed his schooling by translating. At the Université de France, he assisted Jules Michelet
Jules Michelet
Jules Michelet was a French historian. He was born in Paris to a family with Huguenot traditions.-Early life:His father was a master printer, not very prosperous, and Jules assisted him in the actual work of the press...
, who succeeded François Guizot
François Guizot
François Pierre Guillaume Guizot was a French historian, orator, and statesman. Guizot was a dominant figure in French politics prior to the Revolution of 1848, a conservative liberal who opposed the attempt by King Charles X to usurp legislative power, and worked to sustain a constitutional...
as professor of history, in the publication of his History of France.
He came to the United States in 1835, and for ten years resided in the family of Piero Maroncelli, the intimate friend of the revolutionist Silvio Pellico
Silvio Pellico
Silvio Pellico was an Italian writer, poet, dramatist and patriot.-Biography:Silvio Pellico was born at Saluzzo . He spent the earlier portion of his life at Pinerolo and Turin, under the tuition of a priest named Manavella. At the age of ten he composed a tragedy inspired by a translation of the...
. There he imbibed an ardent love for music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and Italian literature
Italian literature
Italian literature is literature written in the Italian language, particularly within Italy. It may also refer to literature written by Italians or in Italy in other languages spoken in Italy, often languages that are closely related to modern Italian....
and got to know the Carbonari
Carbonari
The Carbonari were groups of secret revolutionary societies founded in early 19th-century Italy. The Italian Carbonari may have further influenced other revolutionary groups in Spain, France, Portugal and possibly Russia. Although their goals often had a patriotic and liberal focus, they lacked a...
refugees in America.
Other significant influences were the social theorist Albert Brisbane
Albert Brisbane
Albert Brisbane was an American utopian socialist, the chief popularizer of the theories of Charles Fourier in the United States in several books, notably Social Destiny of Man , and in his Fourierist journal The Phalanx...
and the theologian George Bush
George Bush (Biblical scholar)
George Bush was an American biblical scholar, pastor, abolitionist and Christian Restorationist academic. He is distantly related to the Bush political family.-Biography:...
.
While attending medical lectures at the University of New York
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, where he was graduated in 1845, he became associated with several eminent homeopathic practitioners, and soon after his graduation he began to translate some of the more important works relating to homeopathy. In 1855 he married Mary (Coggeshall) Calder, daughter of George Coggeshall of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
He was appointed professor of materia medica and therapeutics in the Hahnemann Medical College of Philadelphia in 1857. He had an approach to homeopathy distinct from the Hahnemann school. His translations could be a source of controversy in the homeopathic community, in particular Constantine Hering
Constantine Hering
Constantine Hering was an early pioneer of homeopathy in the United States.-Biography:Hering was born in Oschatz, Saxony, and studied medicine at the University of Leipzig where his conversion to homeopathy occurred...
and Adolph Lippe raised objections due to errors in Hempel's early translations and unauthorized additions from his own experience.
When the Hahnemann Medical College was reorganized in 1860, Hempel and some others left. During his stay in Philadelphia, he also published his book, Materia Medica and Therapeutics.
On the death of his father-in-law in 1861, he went to Grand Rapids to settle up the estate. He decided to make the change of location permanent and soon had a large homeopathic practice in that city.
His health failing, he traveled to Italy and Germany in 1872, but the change was not beneficial, and he returned to Grand Rapids, where he died. Hempel was one of the earliest honorary members of the British Homeopathic Society, and was the recipient of diplomas and certificates of membership from many medical colleges and associations. His translations and original works permit him to be called the father of English homeopathic literature.
Works
- Life of Christ (1848)
- The True Organization of the New Church
- New Grammar of the German Language
- Christendom and Civilization (1840)
- A New and Comprehensive System of Materia Medica and Therapeutics, his chief work (1859)
- Homœopathic Theory and Practice in Surgical Disease, with J. Beakly (1865)
- The Science of Homœopathy (1874)
He published numerous translations, including:
- Samuel HahnemannSamuel HahnemannChristian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann was a German physician, known for creating an alternative form of medicine called homeopathy.- Early life :Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann was born in Meissen, Saxony near Dresden...
, Chronic Diseases (5 vols., Philadelphia, 1846) - Franz Hartmann, Acute and Chronic Diseases (4 vols., 1849)
- George Heinrich Gottlieb Jahr, Mental Diseases and their Homœopathic Treatment (1853)
- George Heinrich Gottlieb Jahr, Diseases of Women and Children (1853)
- Schiller's Complete Works, editor (2 vols., 1861)