(1821-1898)

Dr. Schuessler was born in the town of Zwischenahn in Oldenburg, Germany. He was a very studious boy. Owing to his outstanding abilities, he devoted most of his time to foreign languages. Latin, Greek, French, English, Spanish, and Italian were easily mastered by him. When he grew into a young man, Schuessler decided to become a homoeopathic practitioner.

On hearing this, his brother promised assistance on the condition only if he would become a legally qualified physician practicing Homoeopathy. Schuessler accepted the offer and studied medicine at the Universities of Berlin, Paris, Giessen, and Prague, obtaining his M.D. after two-and-a-half years. He started his practice as a homoeopathic physician at Oldenburg.

In 1873, Schuessler published in the 'General Homoeopathic Journal' (Allgemeine Hom Zeitung) vol. 86, page 91, the first treatise of his new healing system under the title "An Abridged Homoeopathic Therapy." In 1874, his first book "An Abridged Therapy Based on Physiology and Cellular Pathology" was published, which was destined to carry his theory around the globe.

Two leaders in the world of science had shown him the path for exploration. They are:

1. Rodulf Virchow was the founder of Cellular Pathology, which teaches that all diseases are based upon a change in function or condition of cells in the body. The possibility of stimulating these cells forms the starting point of Schuessler's doctrine.
2. The second to influence Schuessler was professor Moleschott who pointed out "the structure and vitality of the organs depended upon the presence of the inorganic constituents".

To the above two theses Dr. Schuessler added his doctrine: "Restoration of the cell, and thereby of the body, will result from restoration of the deficit of the inorganic salts."

Schuessler's system of treatment is called Biochemic Therapy. It is an offshoot of homoeopathy as the twelve salts used were homoeopathic medicines. Biochemic salts are used in potentised form as homoeopathic drugs. While the biochemic salts supply the deficiency in the tissues and cells of the body to restore their vitality, the homoeopathic remedies produce a similar vital disorder to stimulate the vital force to check the natural diseases. Therefore, Schuessler's therapy is concerned with the corporeal disorder and homoeopathy restores the vital or spiritual disorder.