Abstract
Homoeopathy ws established in 1796 by German phsician Samuel Hahnemann$(1755{\sim}1843)$. This method is an alternative form of therapy involving treatment by natural remedies. The basic principles of homoeopathic medicine, 'similia similibus curentur', 'experimenta in homine sano', 'dose minimae' and 'unitas remedii', are founded upon the idea of illness as a disorder of the internal equilibrium at the physical, mental and psychic levels. The three distinguishing characteristics of homopathy are that remedies are prescribed on the totlity of a person's symptoms, that the remedy likely to cure a person is a dilution of that substance which would cause the same symptoms in a healthy person, and that remedies are prepared using mcirodoses of substances which are diluted and then vigorously shaken. This paper describes the historical background of homeopathy and compared with the basic principles of oriental medicine from the literature.