This book traces the genesis, principles and practice of homeopathy, and discusses the reasons for its enduring popularity. Two hundred years ago, medicine had little to offer except blood letting and the administration of violent purgatives - practices which shortened the course of illness by hastening the death of the patient. Largely in reaction to what he correctly saw as the brutality and ineffectiveness of the medicine of his day, the eighteenth century German physician Samuel Hahnemann developed a system of therapeutics that he termed homeopathy. Ironically, while modern medicine has changed beyond recognition, homeopathy, with its roots in alchemy and metaphysics, continues to be practiced precisely as it was in Hahnemann's day. Readers of this book will enjoy the story of homeopathy and its almost magical attraction, whilst learning much from the authors' rational and scientific discussion of the biological, chemical and psychological questions that this treatment raises.

Edzard Ernst is a professor emeritus who has for 20 years researched all areas of alternative medicine. As the world's first professor of complementary medicine (at the University of Exeter) Ernst performed numerous scientific studies of complementary medicine with an emphasis on efficacy and safety. He has published more than 1000 articles in the peer-reviewed literature and several books, including the best-selling 'Trick or Treatment' co-authored by Simon Singh. Edzard Ernst is joint recipient of the 2015 John Maddox Prize for Standing Up for Science.