Institute for the History of Medicine

Established in 1980, the Institute for the History of Medicine (IGM) is the only institution of its kind in Germany with no university affiliation.

At present research in the institute concentrates on two main areas, both of which have yet to become established at German universities: the history of homeopathy and social history of medicine. In both areas the focus is at present on patients in history.

The Institute owns a research library with more than 65,000 volumes as well as the homoeopathy archives with the estate of Samuel Hahnemann and important pupils and successors, Clemens von Bönninghausen in particular. The archives also hold the records of international and national homoeopaths’ organisations.