| George Vithoulkas | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1932 Athens, Greece |
| Residence | Alonissos, Greece |
| Citizenship | Greek |
| Fields | Homeopathy |
| Institutions | International Academy of Classical Homeopathy |
| Notable awards | Right Livelihood Award (1996) |
George Vithoulkas (born Athens 1932)[1] is a teacher and practitioner of homeopathy.[2]
He studied homeopathy in South Africa and received a diploma in homeopathy from the Indian Institute of Homeopathy in 1966. Upon receiving his diploma, he returned to Greece where he practiced and began teaching classical homeopathy to medical doctors at what eventually became the Center of Homeopathic Medicine in Athens. In 1972, Vithoulkas started a Greek homeopathic journal, Homeopathic Medicine. In 1976, he organized the first of an annual series of International Homeopathic Seminars. In 1994, he opened the International Academy for Classical Homeopathy on Alonissos, which provides post-graduate training for homeopaths.[3]
Vithoulkas has authored a number of books on homeopathy, two of which, Homeopathy: Medicine of the New Man[4] and The Science of Homeopathy[5] have been translated extensively, and is currently writing Materia Medica Viva, a homeopathic materia medica or reference work on homeopathic remedies, to reach 16 volumes when finished. In addition to his books, he has published numerous articles in homeopathic journals and has developed an expert system for homeopaths to use in choosing remedies for their patients.[3]
Vithoulkas was a recipient of the Right Livelihood Award in 1996.[1][6]
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According to Vithoulkas's citation from the Right Livelihood award, his books "have had a profound influence upon the acceptance and practice of homeopathy worldwide."[1]
He has been described as "the maestro of classical homeopathy" by Robin Shohet;[7] Lyle Morgan says he is "widely considered to be the greatest living homeopathic theorist";[8] and Scott Shannon calls him a "contemporary master of homeopathy."[9] Paul Ekins credited Vithoulkas with the revival of the credibility of homeopathy.[10]
His biography has been published in the book Georgos Vithoulkas Der Meister-Homöopath Biographie und Fälle by the journalist Peter Clotten and the homeopath Susan Pfeifer who studied at his International Academy for Classical Homeopathy.[11]
In 1978, Anthony Campbell, then a consultant physician at The Royal London Homeopathic Hospital,[12][13] reviewed The Science of Homoeopathy. He criticised Vithoulkas for substituting assertion for hard evidence and constructing an almost meaningless argument on the basis of a dubious theory of disease. He described rhetoric put forward by Vithoulkas (in presenting the argument that "allopathic drugging" is harmful and must be avoided) as including a thoroughly irresponsible statement which could mislead an unfortunate layman into refusing orthodox treatment, mentioning Vithoulkas' claim, "in the course of an argument designed to show that 'allopathic drugging' is harmful and must be avoided", that syphilis, when treated with antibiotics, would have the early stages suppressed, but would go on to the secondary and tertiary stages. However, he felt the book also provided a good, if dogmatic, description of the principles and practice of "classical" homoeopathy.[14] In response, Vithoulkas quoted various medical studies he claimed supported his assertion that penicillin "may suppress primary syphilis while failing to prevent the insidious development of a tertiary stage, especially as manifested in psychosis."[15] This claim conflicts with other scientific studies, which indicate that penicillin treatment produces a complete cure of syphilis in more than 90% of cases.[16]
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