[Homoeopathy, a contentious issue: clinical experiments to support homeopathy in the military and in the Berlin Charité, 1820-1840]

This article investigates a series of clinical trials undertaken at Berlin's Charité hospital between 1820 and 1840. Part of the administrative practices associated with Prussian medical policy, these trials were used to decide whether a new method resulted in better, faster or less costly cures. The article demonstrates that the hopes of homopaths that these trials would clearly demonstrate the superiority of their relatively new method were not fulfilled. The essay investigates the role of the medical experts; medical claims and arguments; the areas of dispute and agreement in academic and homeopathic medical communities; and the role of public opinion and censorship laws.