Novelist J.D. Salinger, acclaimed author of The Catcher in the Rye, was also a keen follower of homeopathy. Living to the age of 91, Salinger's deep interest is documented by Joyce Maynard, a New York Times columnist, who lived with him for several years and wrote a book about it.
Salinger’s use of and advocacy for homeopathic medicine makes him one of a long line of literary advocates of homeopathy, including Henry James, William James, Emily Dickinson, Washington Irving, Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott, Harriett Beecher Stowe, Upton Sinclair, Goethe, Fyodor Dostoevsky and George Bernard Shaw.
"Salinger has a special love and even a “preoccupation” with homeopathy. He supposedly spent several hours each day (!) studying homeopathic books, and he regularly prescribed homeopathic medicines to people and animals.
Maynard describes a visit by her mother, who had an infected toe at the time. After an interview with her, Jerry prescribed a homeopathic medicine, and within minutes, her toe swelled considerably and then burst, after which the pain disappeared instantly (Maynard, 1998, 138).
Experiencing rapid effects from homeopathic medicines is quite common, and it is such impressive experiences that have helped homeopathy developed an international and loyal reputation, especially among the educated public and among the elite cultural classes (Ullman, 2007). People who take homeopathic medicines also often experience a temporary increase in certain symptoms prior to a deeper healing.
Experiencing rapid effects from homeopathic medicines is quite common, and it is such impressive experiences that have helped homeopathy developed an international and loyal reputation, especially among the educated public and among the elite cultural classes (Ullman, 2007). People who take homeopathic medicines also often experience a temporary increase in certain symptoms prior to a deeper healing.
More specifically, homeopaths often observe an increase in skin eruptions, nasal discharges, respiratory expectoration, or early and/or clotted menstrual bleeding shortly after taking a homeopathic medicine. Such experience of a “healing crisis” prior to a healing suggests that homeopathic medicines are not always the result of a placebo effect.
Maynard describes Salinger’s interest in “high potency” homeopathic medicines and his appreciation for constitutional homeopathy".
