Welcome to Hidden Memorials: a series that gives a brief introduction to the city's lesser known monuments, memorials and statues. Today, let's look at the Samuel Hahnemann Monument.
So who is Samuel Hahnemann and why does he have a rather large monument in Scott Circle? The first question is actually answered on the back of the monument itself. Below an inscription of the year of the statue's dedication (MCM for 1900) are the words: "Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann/Doctor in Medicine/Hofrath/Leader of the Great Medical Reformation of the Nineteenth Century/Founder of the Homeopathic School." After giving up traditional medicine, Hahnemann started the practice of homeopathy in the late 1700s. He deduced from an experiment with tree bark that if a substance can cause symptoms in a healthy person, it can cure the same symptoms in a sick person.
The monument itself was a collaborative project between architect Julius Harder and sculptor Charles Niehaus. Niehaus was not only responsible for the enormous statue of Hahnemann in the center of the oval platform, but for the reliefs on the two curved panels that flank arch behind the statue. The red, yellow and green mosaic dome above Hahnemann is another nice touch to this memorial since so many bronze, sandstone, concrete and granite structures forgo any other colors whatsoever.
· Samuel Hahnemann Monument [Wikipedia]
· Samuel Hahnemann [Wikipedia]
· All Hidden Memorials Coverage [CDC]
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