Homeopathy has been around a long time – it was proposed by Samuel Hahnemann in 1796. Opinions vary, but seem to go in cycles. It became popular in the 19th century, but attracted criticism, too. There was a revival in the 20th century, but NHS funding ceased in 2017.
“The German papers give an amusing account of the successful dexterity of a young author at Berlin, who, by the skillful management of this powers of reasoning, contrived to carry off two prizes which had been offered by learned bodies for the best essays upon the opposite sides of the same question. The subject in contention was that of what is called the homeopathic system in medicine – a subject upon which the medial men very generally, throughout the continent, appear now to be fairly at loggerheads. The faculty of medicine at Riga, it seems, lately offered a prize of 100 ducats for the best treatise upon, and in favour of, the system in question. The faculty of medicine at St. Petersburgh, on the other hand, and about the same time, offered a prize of 60 golden Fredericks for the strongest proofs that it was a delusion. Under these circumstances a smart young surgeon at Berlin stepped forward, and, incognito to both, by treating his subjects to suit their different tastes, succeeded in assuring the Doctors of Riga that homeopathy was not a system of quackery, and of convincing those of St. Petersburgh that it was. As the candidates’ essays were anonymous, and little direct intercourse exists between the two societies, it was of course not known that the favourite reasoner cut with a two-edged sword; but, now that the discovery had been made, it has subjected those learned Doctors to a very general banter throughout Germany.”
The Stamford Mercury, 13th October, 1837.