Salvador, Bahia, Brazil is the Site of the 54th Congress Liga Medicorum
Homeopathica Internationalis October 11-15, 1999

HOMEOPATHY IN BRAZIL
by Dr. Corrado Bruno

Homeopathy began in Brazil with the arrival in November 21, 1840, of the French doctor Benoit Jules Mure who had previously established homeopathic dispensaries in Palermo and Paris and had taken homeopathy to Sicily and Malta. By 1846, the Homeopathic school of Brazil was authorized to grant certificates of study to homeopathic graduates. The Imperial Decrees in 1886 officially recognising Homeopathic Drugstores made the first reference to “homeopathic doctors” in Brazilian Law. In 1902 and 1908 Homeopathic Infirmaries in the army and the navy hospitals, respectively, were founded. Created by Decree No. 7283, dated May 10, 1879, and having established a Hahnemannian Faculty December 2, 1912, the Instituto Hahnemanniano de Brasil was officially authorized to qualify doctors in 1918, and, in 1921, Ministerial Notice made the Faculdade Hahnemanniana equivalent to official colleges. Homeopathic Pharmacy was declared an obligatory study in Brazilian Pharmaceutical Colleges in 1952, and, in 1957, homeopathic medical study through three disciplines was made obligatory in the federalized School of Medicine and Surgery in Rio. In 1976, the General Part of the Brazilian Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia was approved and it was published in 1977. By 1982 the prerequisites for achieving the designation of Homeopathic Medical Specialist had been delineated, the science having been recognized officially as a specialty in medicine in 1980. In 1989, the Brazilian Homeopathic Medical Association (AMHB) and the Brazilian Medical Association (AMB) reached a cooperative agreement by virtue of which the former maintained the responsibility for preparation of the homeopathic specialty examination and both organizations granted the specialty title. Annual tests have been given since 1990. The courses leading up to that test, by resolution, must comprise 1200 hours (450 hours theory, 450 hours practice, 300 hours monograph). Rio de Janeiro University accredited six Full Professors in the Homeopathic Clinic by examination. The Brazilian Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists (ABFH) having been created in 1991, by 1995 the Federal Council of Pharmacy established criteria for the Title Homeopathic Pharmaceutical Specialist.

We have now in Brazil almost 12,000 doctors who have completed the specialization course in homeopathy. More than two thirds of them actually practice homeopathy in most of their cases.
There are about 1,310 pharmacies that sell exclusively homeopathy in medicines in the country.

The Brazilian homeopathic doctors have amalgamated themselves into the AMHB, Associacão Médica Homeopática Brasileira (Brazilian Medical Homeopathic Association), via 19 affiliated institutions throughout Brazil.

The AMHB has ten Working Commissions composed of elements from different states in Brazil. One of them, the Research Commission, has a national research project that includes:

• National Experimentation Protocol
• Research Protocol for Bibliographic Review of Pathogenesis
• Protocol for Unified Model of Patient Records
• Protocol for Utilization of Clinical Cases
• National Protocol of Clinical Research in Homeopathy
• Protocol of Clinical Pathogenesis

The Brazilian Association of Homeopathic Dental Surgeons (Associação Brasileira de Cirurgiões Dentistas Homeopatas-ABCDH), an entity with scientific and cultural objectives that was incorporated in 1993, held the 2nd Brazilian Congress of Homeopathy Applied to Odontology with an attendance of more than 200 dentists.

In the Veterinary area, the AMVHB, Associação Médica Veterinária Homeopática Brasileira (Brazilian Veterinary Homeopathic Medical Association), that was founded in 1993, became an official specialty organization through Resolution 625 of March 16, 1995, issued by the Federal Council of Veterinary Medicine. Currently, there are 350 homeopathic veterinaries in Brazil linked to AMVHB.

The last National Congress was held in September, 1996, with the attendance of 700 people. The next one will be in October, 1998, and more than 1,000 participants are expected, including medical doctors, veterinaries, pharmacists and dentists.

Salvador da Bahia, host of the 54th LMHI Congress
Next year, the 54th Liga Congress will be held in Salvador - Bahia, Brazil from the 11th to the 15th October, 1999.
Salvador is a beautiful city whose people are known for their friendliness and hospitality. The nice weather in this season will permit enjoying the breath-taking environment with the best beaches of Brazil.

The Congress is being much anticipated by the Brazilian homeopathic community that is eager to know the scientific work of their colleagues around the world and to show them all the scientific and political Brazilian homeopathic activities. So, we will have during the Congress the chance to meet professionals of all areas at the same time and to exchange knowledge among researchers and practitioners from the whole world.

The abstracts can be sent to the Scientific Committee of the 54th LMHI Congress, in English, to the folowing address:

Rua Andaluzita 114
13088-200 Campinas SP
Brasil
Fax:
email:

The deadline will be 30th April, 1999.

More information about the Congress can be obtained from the following:

Interlink Consultoria & Eventos Ltd.
Rua Teixeira Leal, 107-A-Graça
40150-050 Salvador BA
Brasil
Phone:
Fax:
email:

Dr. Corrado G. Bruno
Rua Canumã, 422
13088-200 São Paulo - SP
Brasil
Phone
Fax:
email:

Dra. Margarida M. Vieira
Rua Frei Caneca, 210 ap. 1107
88020-260 Florianopolis - SC
Brasil
Phone and Fax:
email: