How many English translations of the Organon are there? And how are they different?
So maybe you are about to buy your first Organon. Or you bought one and you don’t like it and want to try another. Or you thought there was only one Organon, but your neighbor in class has one that’s totally different than yours. What gives? Well no worries, because today, we’re going over the different English translations of the Organon so that you’ll know exactly what you are reading, and maybe give you bragging rights because you will know that yours is a lot better than your neighbor’s.
Quick overview of the Organon:
The Organon was written in 1810 by Hahnemann as a tool for homeopaths to learn the principles that govern homeopathic practice, and to learn how to apply those principles. He wrote six editions of the book. The last edition was finished in roughly 1842 but wasn’t published until long after his death in 1921. So we have a 30 year time frame when he was writing different editions from 1810 to 1842. Hahnemann was German, and so he wrote in German (unsurprisingly). So those of us who don’t speak German are at a bit of a disadvantage. During his lifetime and afterward however, people have been translating the book into many different languages, including English, as the popularity of homeopathy spread. Most editions have been translated into English by this point in time, and some editions have been translated multiple times.
The Organon consists of a preface, introduction, and a set of 291 aphorisms. All translations include the aphorisms, but not all contain the preface or the introduction.
Which editions are available to English speakers:
Editions 1, 4, 5, and 6 have been translated into English. There are no English versions of 2 and 3. What might be important about that is that Hahnemann’s theory of Chronic Disease was published between editions 3 and 4. So edition 4 is the first to include his miasmatic theory. I find the first edition fascinating because you can see how he thought before he formalized this theory. However without 2 and 3, we cannot see any more of the evolution of thought. Just a little glimmer in the first. But not sure how important it is, in the scheme of things.
English translations of the first Edition
Just to warn you, the first two editions we discuss, 1 and 4, are a little bit complicated. But it gets easier as we go along.
The first edition was written in 1810 by Hahnemann. It was translated by the British Homeopath Charles Edwin Wheeler in 1913. Remember I said the last edition, edition six, was completed by Hahnemann in 1842. So all six editions were available to Wheeler to be translated. Additionally, by this point in time, multiple people had translated the fourth and fifth editions. So why was this translation of the first edition made?
This translation was made by a publisher called Everyman’s Library, who wanted to translate it as an important work of history, and didn’t want to be seen as a supporter of homeopathy. The publisher therefore chose this first edition to translate, as the first edition was considered a more momentous, historical book.
Wheeler omitted things he felt were purely “technical”, including the introduction and some notes in the text. Since it’s the only English translation of the first edition, it’s unclear to me what notes were omitted. We could of course find that out by comparing it to the German edition - if you are curious, have at it.
Edition two: written 1819, no English translation.
Edition three: written 1824, no English translation.
English translations of the Fourth Edition
The fourth edition was written 1829 and there is one translation of it in English. The translation was done by the Irish homeopath Charles Devrient and edited by Samuel Stratten in 1833 (note that 1833 is only 4 years after Hahnemann finished his German edition). This was the first translation into English, and was reproduced for many years afterwards. The introduction and preface are included. But also by the year 1833, Hahnemann published his fifth edition, making this translation out of date by the time it was published.
In the United States, the Devrient translation was reproduced in four “American Editions”, the first of which was published in 1836. Because Hahnemann had published his fifth edition, the Americans added in things from the fifth edition that were missing in the fourth edition. I am unsure who exactly added the fifth edition changes, since the title page cites the “North American Academy of the Homeopathic Healing Art”, which of course is not a person. Hering wrote the introduction to the American editions, so perhaps Hering? I don’t know. But if you find an American Edition of the Organon, or an Organon with Hering’s name on it, then know that you are actually buying a modified version of Devrient’s translation (even though Devrient’s name won’t appear anywhere on it, because apparently the Americans were above citing the people who actually did all the work. And before you get offended, I am American so I get to poke fun at our egotistical ways). Devrient’s translation is definitely not my favorite, so I really don’t recommend getting an American edition nor Devrient’s original version if you are just trying to understand the Organon for the first time.
English translations of the Fifth Edition
The fifth edition was written in 1833 and translated by Dudgeon Robert Ellis, a Scottish doctor. He first translated it in 1849 and then updated it in 1893 by adding an appendix where he compares different editions of the Organon and adds some essays Hahnemann wrote. This is one of the most commonly available translations (more about this below in edition 6), so you likely have seen this one.
What about across the pond?
By 1860, the American edition based on Devrient’s work (hybrid of the fourth and fifth edition remember) had gone through it’s own fourth edition. Demand, according to the American Homeopath Conrad Wesselhoeft, was growing for copies of the Organon and by 1876, Dudgeon’s 1849 translation and the last American edition were both out of print. So Conrad Wesselhoeft stepped up to the plate and translated the fifth edition again in 1876. He also felt (as do I) that Dudgeon’s translation was far superior to Devrient’s. However, he (unlike I) felt Americans were of a different character than the British, and so needed a translation done by a fellow American. I have no idea what he meant; the Dudgeon translation isn’t filled with British-isms as far as I can tell, but maybe I just watch enough “Great British Bake Off” not to notice?
English translations of the Sixth Edition
The sixth edition was completed in 1842, but not published (even in German) until 1921. There are three translations of the sixth edition into English. The first was written by Boericke in 1922.
Now before we go further, I need to mention that Hahnemann wrote the sixth edition by putting a blank piece of paper between the pages of his fifth edition, and just made adjustments by hand. The meat of the work didn’t change much from the fifth to the sixth edition, so what Boericke did, was take Dudgeon’s translation of the fifth edition, and just translate the notes Hahnemann added for the sixth edition. Therefore what is considered “Boericke’s” translation, is actually mostly Dudgeon’s translation. This Boerick/Dudgeon translation is the version you find everywhere because it’s out of copyright and was the only translation for 60 years. It’s online in multiple places and you can buy print versions of this version very cheaply. It’s popularity is a shame though, because it’s notoriously inaccurate and difficult to read; Boericke switched footnotes around, forgot them, put them on the wrong aphorism, etc. The preface and introduction are included however.
More modern translations:
In 1982 three homeopaths, Jost Künzli, Alain Naudé, and Peter Pendleton translated the sixth edition again with the goal to modernize the language. They did not include the introduction or preface, just the aphorisms.
Steven Decker translated the work again in 1996, with Wenda Brewster O’Reilly adding annotations. Their goal was to be more literal with the words, but modern with the grammar. They contend that previous translations had translated the grammar and got the main point across, but did not translate the literal words that Hahnemann chose. I don’t know how true this is or not; I can’t read the original German to say how they compare to Hahnemann’s choices, but I can tell you that the Decker/O’Reilly version definitely has very different language and reads like a very different book (to me any way) in comparison to other translations.
Conclusion:
Basically if you are an English speaker only, you can read translations of the first, fourth, fifth, and sixth editions of the Organon. The fifth and sixth have been translated multiple times. Of all the editions to know, Boericke/Dudgeon’s is by far the most common. I often find it is also the version that lists no author other than Hahnemann. So if you can’t find anyone’s name except Hahnemann, you are probably the reading the sixth edition translated by Boericke and Dudgeon.