History According to Egil Asprem, "Steiner's teachings had a clear authoritarian ring, and developed a rather crass polemic against 'materialism', 'liberalism', and cultural 'degeneration'. [...] For example, anthroposophical medicine was developed to contrast with the 'materialistic' (and hence 'degenerate') medicine of the establishment." According to anthroposophy, mainstream medical science is "
Ahrimanic". The first steps toward an anthroposophic approach to
medicine were taken before 1920, when
homeopathic physicians and
pharmacists began working with Steiner, who recommended a new form of pharmacy,
Anthroposophic Pharmacy, along with specific preparation methods and an anthroposophic concept of humankind. In 1921, Ita Wegman opened the first anthroposophic
medical clinic, now known as the Klinik Arlesheim, in
Arlesheim,
Switzerland. Wegman was soon joined by several other clinicians, who trained the first anthroposophic
nurses for the clinic. At Wegman's request, Steiner regularly visited the clinic and suggested treatment regimes for particular patients. Between 1920 and 1925, he also gave several series of medical lectures. In 1925, Wegman and Steiner wrote the first book on the anthroposophic approach to medicine,
Fundamentals of Therapy. Wegman later opened a separate clinic and curative home in
Ascona. Wegman lectured widely, visiting the
Netherlands and
England particularly frequently, and an increasing number of physicians began to include the anthroposophic approach in their practices. The Lukas Clinic, a cancer clinic, opened in Arlesheim in 1963. In 1976, anthroposophic medicine in
Germany was regulated by law as a specific therapeutic system () under the Medicines Act and the Social Law Code V. In the 1990s, the
Witten/Herdecke University in Germany established a
chair in anthroposophical medicine. The press described the appointment as a "death sentence," and the perception that pseudoscience was being taught damaged the university's reputation, bringing it to the brink of financial collapse. A cash injection ultimately saved it from
Software AG, a technology corporation with a history of funding anthroposophic projects. In 2012, the
University of Aberdeen considered establishing a chair in
holistic health jointly funded by Software AG and the Anthroposophic Health, Education, and Social Care Movement, each of which would provide £1.5 million of endowment.
Joseph A. Schwarcz (2022) regards Steiner as a
quack.
Categorization and conceptual basis The categorization of anthroposophical medicine is complex because it both complements and substitutes conventional medicine. In 2008, Ernst wrote that it was being promoted as an "extension to conventional medicine". Steiner also proposed a connection betweens planets, metals and organs so that, for example, the planet
Mercury, the element
mercury and the lung were all somehow associated. These propositions form the basis of anthroposophical medicine. categorized it as "pure quackery", The French governmental anti-cult agency
MIVILUDES reported in 2022 that it remains vigilant about anthroposophy, especially because of its deviant medical applications and its work with underage persons. According to Ernst, "Anthroposophic medicine is based on several bizarre assumptions". Steiner seems to have been right about the role of diet in health maintenance, although his assumptions were erroneous. ==Methods==