Hahnemann in Sibiu: possible influence of the ideas of Baron d'Holbach

The present paper discusses the possible influence that the 1777-79 stay in Sibiu, at Baron of Brukenthal’s palace, might have had on Samuel Hahnemann’s early training. In this context, an analysis of the contents of Baron of Brukenthal’s Library as depicted in a catalog to which Hahnemann contributed was performed. Data suggest that Hahnemann was particularly interested in the ideas of Baron d’Holbach. The Appendix describes all the works related to Medicine and Natural Philosophy listed in the catalog. Keywords: Homeopathy; History; Early influences of Hahnemann; Sibiu/Hermannstadt; Holbach.  Hahnemann em Sibiu: a possível influéncia das idéias do barão d´Holbach Resumo O presente artigo discute a possível influéncia sobre a formação inicial de Hahnemann de sua estada no palácio do barão de Brukenthal, em Sibiu, entre 1777 e 1779. Para tanto, foi analisado o conteúdo do acervo da biblioteca do barão de Brukenthal, tal como descrito num catálogo que o próprio Hahnemann contribuiu a compor. Os resultados sugerem que Hahnemann esteve particularmente interessado nas idéias do barão d´Holbach. No Apéndice são listadas todas as obras relacionadas com medicina e filosofia natural citadas nesse catálogo. Palavras-chave: Homeopatia; História; Primeiras influéncias de Hahnemann; Sibiu / Hermannstadt; Holbach.  Hahnemann en Sibiu: la posible influencia de las ideas del barón de Holbach Resumen Este artículo discute la influencia que puede haber tenido en la formación temprana de Samuel Hahnemann su estadía en el palacio del barón de Brukenthal en Sibiu, entre 1777 y 1779. Para tanto, fue analizado el contenido de la biblioteca del barón de Brukenthal, como descripto en un catálogo que el propio Hahnemann ayudó a componer. Los resultados sugieren que Hahnemann estaba particularmente interesado en las ideas del barón de Holbach. En el Apéndice, son listadas todas las obras relacionadas com medicina y filosofía natural presentes en dicho catalágo. Palabras-clave: Homeopatía; Historia; primeiras influencias de Hahnemann; Sibiu / Hermannstadt; Holbach.  Correspondence author: Silvia Waisse Priven; [email protected] How to cite this article: Waisse Priven S, Jurj G. Hahnemann in Sibiu: possible influence of the ideas of Baron d’Holbach. Int J High Dilution Res [online]. 2008 [cited YYYY Mmm DD]; 7(23): 93-102. Available from: http://journal.giri-society.org/index.php/ijhdr/article/view/53/344. ÂÂÂ

Hannah Arendt Encounters Friedrich von Gentz: On Revolution, Preservation, and European Unity

This article contextualizes Hannah Arendt's complex and sometimes contradictory views on the Prussian statesman and balance-of-power theorist Friedrich von Gentz. A narration of Arendt's encounter with Gentz, to whom she devoted considerable space in her biography of Rahel Varnhagen and about whom she wrote two additional early essays, can illuminate the elusive contours of her international political thought as they developed from her early career to mature works like The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951) and On Revolution (1963). I argue that a better grasp of Arendt's encounter with Gentz will shed light on the following: Arendt's complex relationship with conservatism, the early influences on her commitment to European unity and federation, and the early development of her conviction that the pathologies of the nation-state system require a revolutionary, cosmopolitan answer. Moreover, understanding this early encounter and its lasting traces will clarify why Gentz, who himself was active at the height of the “Age of Revolution,” once again became an important interlocutor for Arendt as she explored the possibility of a new age of revolutions in On Revolution.

„Denn das Falsche kann echt werden“

: In his autobiographical accounts, Johann Wolfgang Goethe emphasizes the vital role that his father’s collections of books and art had for his own Bildung. In fact, the library of Johann Caspar Goethe (1710–1782) played a vital role in Goethe’s education and early studies while also attesting to his family background and status. However, soon after Johann Caspar’s death, his library was dissolved – and whereas Johann Wolfgang Goethe and other family members integrated some of the books into their own collections, the majority of objects were sold and dispersed. Today, a handwritten catalog commissioned by Goethe’s mother, Catharina Elisabeth Goethe, just before the sale (in 1793/1794), is a critical tool for reconstructing the collection. This article describes the history of Johann Caspar Goethe’s library, its dispersal as well as the efforts to reconstruct the collection. As the retrieval of the original copies from Johann Caspar’s library and the re-establishment of the original collection were impossible, the Freies Deutsches Hochstift has managed to collect equivalent titles and editions in order to restore a library that allows visitors to the Goethe-Haus in Frankfurt to learn about Goethe’s family background, the cultural setting of his upbringing, and early influences on his education.

Dr Dorothy Helen Rayner FGS (1912-2003): vertebrate palaeontologist and academic

Dorothy Rayner was one of the first women to be appointed to a tenured academic post in any English university geology department, joining the Leeds Department in 1939, serving for 38 years to her retirement in 1977. She had two very important early influences inher life. The first was her family, with its tradition through several generations of doctors, scientists, engineers, mathematicians, radical politics and social activism. The other was her earlier education, particularly her seven years at the very influential Bedales School, the first of what were to become known in the 20th century as “progressive” schools. After gaining a First at Girton College in the Cambridge Natural Sciences Tripos, she undertook ground-breaking research on the taxonomy and neural systems of Jurassic fishes, for which she was awarded a Cambridge PhD in 1938, soon after which she was appointed Assistant Lecturer in Geology at Leeds. In addition to an always very heavy teaching load she continued with a broad range of research, including further work on fossil vertebrates, and the stratigraphy of first the North of England and then the whole of the British Isles. She was also an outstanding Editor, and then President, of the Yorkshire Geological Society.

“The humble Baptists”

In the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, Baptists in middle colonies like Pennsylvania competed against a staggering variety of religious denominations and sects. Essential for establishing and maintaining their denomination in this context was the founding of the Philadelphia Baptist Association in 1707, the first Baptist institutional structure in America. In addition to tracing his family lineage, this chapter explores the early influences of the Philadelphia Baptist Association on Oliver Hart, along with the Baptist rituals and doctrines he absorbed in the Pennepek Baptist Church. Hart’s exposure to Quaker and Keithian antislavery sentiments in Pennsylvania is also considered.

The World Opens Up, 1900-1924

This chapter traces Wim Visser ’t Hooft’s life from his birth at the beginning of the twentieth century in Haarlem in the Netherlands to his move to Geneva as international secretary for the YMCA in 1924. The chapter stresses his patrician and Remonstrant background, pointing out how this background shaped his worldview and taught him to think and act independently and on his own initiative. The chapter also traces important early influences on his thinking and theology, such as the NCSV (Dutch Christian Student Society) and Karl Barth. His work in student relief after the war showcased his networking and problem-solving capabilities. The qualities he developed were decisive for his career in the World Council of Churches.

The Origins of John Harrison’s ‘Pendulum-Clock’ Technology

Working in Lincolnshire in the 1720s, John Harrison (1693–1776) established a unique approach to making accurate pendulum clocks that was born from his experiences in the family business that served country estates in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. The chapter charts Harrison’s early clock-making practice, inspired by local traditional clocks, and his unique interpretation. He used wood for the frames and most of the wheelwork before key elements of his precision timekeeping crystallised in the making of an estate clock for Brocklesby Park in Lincolnshire. Notably, the elimination of requirement for lubrication formed a solid bedrock for his life’s work in precision in this field. It examines Harrison’s early influences and progression of thinking through documentary evidence and artefacts to introduce the beginnings of his unique approach to precision pendulum clock making.