Life of masters - Karl Fedrich Trinks
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1993 Jan / Feb Vol II No 1.
Dr. K Das
Editor: With Trinks, we continue the series, Life of Masters! The birthdate should coincide with the month of this issue.]
"I would not on any account possess the reputation of being
an opponent of homoeopathy, the reputation of having the most ruthless
persecutions of their fellow creatures because they thought and acted
differently from the teachings of the Galenic dogmatism".
These were the firm words of K F Trinks one of the earliest
disciples of Hahnemann and who was amongst the earliest band of provers.
Although an earnest lover of homoeopathy, he formed the sharpest contrast to
Hahnemann, in his nature and views and on certain other matters.
Ancestors & Family
Dr. Karl F Trinks was born in a rich family, yet he was never free from want
and economic stress. Daniel Gottfried, his father, was the owner of a
water-mill. Though his father was a very good person, his mother Marie Rosine
was a dominating lady of miserly and covetous nature. Trinks had only one sister
who was four years younger to him.
Birth and Childhood
Trinks was born on 8th January 1800 in Eythra, a small village not
very far from leipsic. When he was 9 years old he was admitted to the village
school. He was given primary education by his uncle who later adopted him,
perceiving that Trinks was a boy of more than ordinary ability and he needed
care and help. Under his direction Trinks learnt Latin, French, History,
Mathematics and some branches of natural sciences. Trinks was very sharp,
diligent and meritorious. He learnt Greek language with the help of only a Greek
grammar book. At this time his uncle placed him in the grammar school at
Merseburg, where he continued his Greek studies under the guidance of one of his
school colleagues. In 1814 he attended school at Pastor Heckers in Eythra. In
school he was loved by all because of his tenacity, earnestness and attention in
study. His promotion encouraged his uncle very much. Unfortunately his beloved
uncle who cared for all his wants, died of pleuropneumonia in 1916. A cloud of
bad -fortune came over Trinks head after his uncles death. His means of living
became greatly strained. His mother always having opposed his desire to become a
physician, in the hope of turning him into a miller, restricted his allowance to
only six Thallers a week, which was pitiably small and not sufficient for even a
part of his most urgent requirements. Therefore Trinks started earning his
livelihood by private tuitions and proof reading.
Medical Education
From childhood Trinks wanted to become a physician. He received some
elementary knowledge of practical surgery and medicine from a surgeon of his
native village. Trinks helped him in his daily duties and derived practical
knowledge about medical practice. In 1917, Trinks went to Lepsic and enrolled
himself under Dr. Becl, a well known physician of that time at University of
Easter. He studied a lot, made his own extracts and copies. In 1819, he passed
Bachelors examinations with honours. After this he was the favourite student of
Prof Clarus in the Kackob Hospital. Till 1823 he remained at this University and
got his MD degree on 30th Sept 1823. The title of his thesis was
"On some principal obstacles and difficulties in the
way of distinguishing and estimating correctly the powers of medicine."
The very choice for this paper shows Trinks special interest in Materia Medica,v
which he considered to be the basis of all medical practice and which he found
to be inadequate. Moreover his thesis paper afforded him the opportunity for
individual experiments with the separate remedies and for the investigation of
their dynamic effects.
Conversion to Homoeopathy
Trinks was influenced by Homoeopathy through some of Hahnemanns
disciples. Although he never attended the great masters lectures, but by 1820
Trinks was friendly with a lot of Hahnemannian scholars engaged in proving of
drugs like Franz, Hamburg and later Hartlaub, Langhammer and others. But amongst
them all Hartlaub had more influence on the mind of young Trinks, with whom he
formed a most intimate and enduring friendship. Hartlaub directed him towards
new therapeutic light, and because of his critical faculties, he soon realised
the advantages of Homoeopathy. The influence of the Homoeopathic school could be
observed by his desire for experiment, for obtaining the specific and dynamic
action of drugs. He pointed out the difficulties in the prescription of
medicines by variations in the susceptibility and power of reaction of the
organism, influences by age, sex, constitution, mode of life and by the
combination of drugs in estimating the right nature of medicinal action.
After completing study, in 1824 Trinks went on a tour with his
intimate friend Hartlaub. They visited Dusseldorf, Brussels, Paris, then Germany
of Wurzburg and from there to Naumburg where he met Stapf.
Medical Practice
In 1824, Trinks finally settled in Dresden. Trinks and Ernest
von Brunnow were known to be the earliest Homoeopathis in Dresden. Subsequently
Mosdorf, Albrecht, Wolf and Schewarze joined them. It is said that these six
Homoeopaths started propagating Homoeopathic theories in the Saxon capital.
After settling in Dresden, he went to Bremsen for a short time but returned at
the end of the same year. His sharp intelligence, deep penetrating knowledge,
smartness, wisdom, clear perception and capability as a physician, gave him a
very prominent position within a very short period. His rapidly extended
practice and that of his homoeopathic colleagues, invited the envy and jealousy
of the allopathic physicians; who persecuted him with caricatures and charged
him for violating the laws by self dispensation. He had to face so much enemity
that he was summoned before the magistrate on the charge of dispensing his own
medicine.
In spite of all oppositions Trinks enjoyed a very good practice
and a large circle of patients. Throughout the north of Germany, Trinks was
regarded as the most distinguished physician who practised homoeopathy since the
time of Hahnemann. He was entrusted with the treatment of Princess Caroline of
Austria, for which he travelled to Vienna. Trinks practised for forty-four
years. He had patients from higher classes of society. He was honoured with the
title of Medical Councilor. In 1863 on July 2nd he received
Knightship of the Royal Order of Albrecht from the King of Saxony.
Trinks had special affinity and interest in studying two
diseases, viz Typhus and Cholera.
Marriage and Family Life
In 1827, this sharp intellectual fell in love with Auguste Henriette Uhlig, a
very beautiful young lady from Merseburg. After a courtship of 3 months, in the
company of a few friends at home, and in a very simple manner, avoiding all
ceremonies and outer display, Trinks married her in the month of December. He
lead a very peaceful domestic life. In 1829 a daughter was born whom he named
Elisa. He had a great affection for her and used to devote at least an hour with
the kid. In 1831 his son took birth. Trinks son became a high judicial officer
and his daughter married a military officer.
His Personality
Trinks was known, respected and admired by the entire
homoeopathic world.
He was more a critic than a creative writer. He was a practical
man with limited interest in art. He had no affection for music or theatre. He
did not like poetry, literature or painting or sculpture. Neither the joys of
companionship nor holidays could give him recreation. Only books afforded him
pleasure and recreation from professional duty.
As a person, Trinks was tall and handsome; earnest with deep
penetrating blue eyes. Intellectually he was clear and keen. He was a man of
genial disposition and had good stock of humor which sparkled in his
conversations and often appears in his writings. He had a very powerful
retentive memory. He always preferred facts to theories, practical than ideal.
He loved and practised homoeopathy because he felt the necessity of development
of principal of pure observation for the practice of medicine. Once he had a
very rough discussion with Boenninghausen, when he tried mixed medicines into
the practice of homoeopathy. He was a supporter of lower dilutions and always
opposed the so-called high potencies. At an early period in the history of
Homoeopathy, when Hahnemann was in danger of being led away by some of his
disciples, to promulgate crude and untested notions Trinks critical sense
prevailed with the Founder of Homoeopathy and prevented him commiting himself to
views that could not stand the test of experience. Trinks opposition did not
help him come close to Hahnemann. Though it first seemed that he was to join the
master more closely, but after publication of Chronic Diseases, he severely
criticised Hahnemann.
His Contributions
In 1830, Trinks and the publisher Arnold attended Leipsic
Homoeopathic Physicians meeting. This helped the promotion of the foundation of
the Central Association of Homoeopathy. He contributed a great lot of articles
to Hygeia and other homoeopathic journals, especially in the Homoeopathic
Quarterly and Journal of Homoeopathic Clinics. Trinks contributed a good part of
his time to the construction of the Homoeopathic Materia Medica.
He edited the Arzneimittellehre and Annalen with Hartlaub. With
Noack he published a Handbook of Materia Medica. Till his death he regularly
contributed useful articles, practical remarks, criticisms, to the homoeopathic
periodicals. He was always keen in knowing the latest progress in all branches
of medicine.
Death
In the autumn of 1867, this 66 year old physician of dignified and vigorous
stature, fell sick and died on 15th July 1868. He was buried at his
native place according to his own desire. In his death, the Dresden Journal
(No.163) wrote: "In him the Homoeopathic School lost their first reforming
authority, and the most important successor of Hahnemann".
