Triumph of Homeopathy
I’ve never considered the idea that Homeopathy and fine art might cross paths, until I found this painting by Russian artist Alexander Beideman, who painted it in 1857. Aside from artistic considerations relating to composition and use of colour, I thought this was an interesting paiting because it depicted the split in the medicine world that we’re still experiencing now, except this was painted over one hundred and fifty years ago already. The painting is also known as ‘Homeopathy Looks on at the Horrors of Allopathy.”
The Painting
The painting is divided into two extreme scenes, each one taking up half of the picture. This compositional choice is not common , but I suspect it was done on purpose to reflect the divide that was prevalent at the time in medicine. Of course, we still have this divide today, but it’s not purely between allopathic medicine and homeopathy - rather it’s between allopathic western medicine and all the other other forms of complimentary health practices available to us. But back in 1857, choices as far as complimentary medicines were possibly a bit limited.
The left half of the painting, the extreme negative, darker side, shows the ‘horrors of allopathic medicine’. A doctor is sawing off a man’s leg, while the man’s distressed wife and child watches. Another doctor is knealing by his arm, making little cuts for bloodletting, while another doctor stands over the patient, holding a cartoonishly oversized spoon and medicine bottle, perhaps alluding to allopathic medicine’s focus on drugs while neglecting a more holistic approach to the patient. In the doorway, death is looming.
In the right half of the painting, considered the extreme positive, side, we see a bit of light, and in the light, the gods and godesses are watching on in horror. They’re all floating on the clouds - an allegorical image of Homeopathy in the background, and the god of medicine, Aesclepius, in his red cloak near the front. His hand is raised in anger and horror at what he is witnessing. Behind him we see the goddess Athena, who protects the sciences, and next to her, right at the edge of the canvas, is the German physician and founder of Homeopathy, Smauel Hahnemann. Also present is the goddess of Justice, holding her burning sword and a set of balancing scales. The expression on all their faces is one of disapproval as they watch the scene before them.
We also see a snake behind Aesclepius, clasped in his right hand. In Russian art, the snake was often used as a symbol for eternal love, especially when it was decpicted as biting its own tail. It was also used to symbolize love, wisdom, eternity, a form of guardian spirit and, of course, of danger. Aesclepius - who was revered for his amazing healing skills in Ancient Greece - had a close association with snakes, and the Ancient Greeks believed that snakes had great healing power. They understood that the venom of the snake could be a powerful medicine, but they also viewed the shedding of the snake’s skin as an act of regeneration, renewal and rebirth. The presence of the snake in this painting packs a lot of symbolism into the image.
The Artist
Alexander Beideman, born in Russia (1826 - 1869) painted this allegorical painting while he was in Germany. It now hangs in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, Russia. I couldn’t find out much more about the artist, except for one portrait of a young girl that he painted (Portrait de jeune fille (à vue ovale.) and an untitiled landscape, from 1857 hanging in the National Museum of Finland. He was also known as Alexandr Yegorovich Beideman.