allopathy
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
allo- + -pathy – term coined by Samuel Hahnemann (the founder of homeopathy) as a pejorative term to indicate medicine that in his opinion treated something "other than" the disharmony that caused the disease. James C. Whorton – Nature Cures: The History of Alternative Medicine in America
Noun
allopathy (countable and uncountable, plural allopathies)
- (uncountable) (historical) a system of alternative medicine that treats symptoms with substances that produce the opposite effect
- (countable) a conventional Western medical method or treatment.
Usage notes
- Originally, this indicated solely treatment according to the "law of opposites" rather than the homeopathic "law of similars"; it is now principally used to distinguish conventional medicine from homeopathy (USA, UK, EU), especially in the literature of homeopathy.
- In the United States, the term is sometimes used to distinguish MDs from DOs (osteopathic physicians), usually in discussions of medical education.
- In India, used principally to distinguish "Western medicine" from Ayurveda, especially when comparing treatments and drugs.
Derived terms
terms derived from allopathy
Translations
historical: alternative medicine
traditional medical method or treatment
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