Sri Lanka, July 20 -- Once, after reading a highly critical article on homoeopathy, a person asked me out of genuine curiosity: "How can homoeopaths practise medicine without knowing anything about their medicines?"

His question reflected a widespread misconception. He had been led to believe that homoeopaths simply administer sweet pills blindly because, as critics often claim, "there is nothing in homoeopathic medicines".

Such criticism frequently overlooks an important fact: homoeopathy possesses an extensive body of literature concerning its medicinal substances, their preparation, their observed effects, their clinical applications, and their therapeutic relationships.

Whether one accepts or rejects the theoretical interpretations...