Collection of Letters from the Homeopath Joseph Attomyr

In November 2021, the Institute for the History of Medicine (IGM) acquired a unique collection of over 150 letters written by homeopathic doctors in the 19th century at an auction in Switzerland. The two anthologies proved to be a stroke of luck in several respects. Firstly, among the handwritten letters from the period 1828 to 1843 addressed to the homeopath Joseph Attomyr (1807-1856) are 21 letters from Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) himself. Secondly, the other letters to Attomyr were also written by important homeopaths such as Johannes Ernst Stapf (1788-1860), Gustav Wilhelm Groß (1794-1847), Anton Schmitt (1793-1862) and Gustav Schréter (1803-1864). Joseph Attomyr studied medicine in Munich and Vienna, where he came into contact with Mathias Marenzeller (1765-1854). From 1833 onwards, he was the personal physician of Karl Ludwig von Bourbon (1799-1883), Duke of Lucca, who had already introduced homeopathy to Tuscany in 1824. Many of the letters purchased at auction were sent to Attomyr's address in Tuscany. Later, Joseph Attomyr, who was a member of numerous associations, including the Central Association of Homeopathic Physicians, practised as a family doctor in Budapest for many years (the more recent letters were sent to his practice in Pest). Attomyr is considered a pioneer of homeopathy in Hungary. This acquisition is an important source for the history of homeopathy and the connection between homeopathic doctors in the 19th century, especially in Eastern Europe, and it impressively complements the institute's collection. The letters have now been catalogued and entered into a database, but some of them still need to be restored. They will then be digitised.