Omeopatia in Italia
«Prof. ANTONIO NEGRO (1908 – 2010)».

Antonio Negro was born in Alassio, in the western cost of Liguria (Italy), on June 17th 1908. He received his education in the Salesian Institute, founded by Saint Giovanni Bosco.

Completed his classical studies, he began his study of Medicine at University of Genua, following advise from his family doctor Dante Bisceglia; homoeopath, that studied in the Hahnemann Medical College of Philadelphia under the wing of Costantine Hering, the founder of the American homeopathy (… I was only twelve when I heard the word “homeopathy” for the first time).

Attending classes of important doctors like Maragliano, Remotti and Tusini he met Nicola Pende. In that time he was founding the Italian modern endocrinology. That meeting was vital for his education and clinical orientation. He begun his apprentice and will follow him in Rome at Sapienza University as associate from 1935 to 1950.

In Rome, working in the military hospital of Celio, during the War, he did not forget homeopathy although he was also active in the academic and hospital life with his master.

Indeed he increased his study and tested therapeutic results helped by endocrinology and orthogenesis studies (he will teach it at university) and constitutionalism by Pende. He joined the Roman Homeopathy Centre with other doctors (like Cigliano, Chinaglia, Galeazzi Lisi and the Tosi Brothers).

Thanks to them Italian homeopathy was saved by the downfall started in the end of ‘800 till I world wide war. He will soon become director of the Centre and felt the urgent need to change it. His house will host some young doctors and students starving to homeopathy studies.

On July 1947 he funded the Centro Ippocratico Hahnemanniano Italiano (C.I.H.I.), with some colleagues (Baratta, Pavignano, Santini and Sardoni) and other supporters (De Leva, Lucenti, Pantaleo, Ristori). (“…homeopathy’s spread in our country will depend on this Italian scientific and homeopathic organization; although it’s time to be alined to the level spread reached by other countries). It’s the beginning of Italian homeopathy and he will spend his entire life to develop it.

The C.I.H.I. based in G. Belli street will be supported by Associazione Omeopatica Italiana (A.O.I.), homeopathic library and homeopathic Practice for needy people. In 1947C.I.H.I. launched homeopathic classes.

First classes took place into the Noble Chemical and Pharmaceutical College. Two year later it will move in the new address in via G. Cesare.

In 1949 the Istituto Omeopatico Italiano (I.M.O.) is founded based in Rome and Milan. Negro will be supported by Count Giancarlo Dal Verme, great fan of homeopathy.

Pharmaceutical industry will show its interest on homeopathy because of I.M.O. During the Fifties Antonio Negro built relations with international schools: the Leon Vannier French one and the Swiss school of Pierre Schmidt. In 1953 founded the Accademia Italiana di Medicina Italiana Hahnemanniana (A.I.M.O.).

Classes, currently carried on even now, were launched by Pende in the new address of Navona Square. The academy became soon a landmark for homeopathic Italian doctors. New partnership were built (Catena, Croce, Fontana, Leoni, Mosso).Homeopathic medical review was launched and became the official academy tool. Scientific activities and homeopathic developing were carried on.

Organization of many national meetings increased Institutional interests of Presidents of Italian Republic, Sandro Pertini, Francesco Cossiga and Oscar Scalfaro to Negro’s activities.

National Institute of Health will nominate him as homeopathic medical commission “representative”. In the Seventies two more adventures: in Rome in 1972 he founded the Società Ambulatori di Medicina Omeopatica (S.A.M.O.); new students will join the team, and also his son Francesco Eugenio which later will lead on. In the same year he founded also a series of books of homeopathic medicine (Fratelli Palombi editors).

In 1970 in Naples Antonio Negro, reorganized the Neapolitan homeopathic medicine, helped by Alma Rodriguez, doctor and drug chemist. He will follow this project for almost twenty years. He founded the Centro di Medicina Omeopatica Napoletana (Ce.M.O.N.) dedicated to Tommaso Cigliano. In 1976 founded the Libera Università Internazionale di Medicina Omeopatica (L.U.I.M.O.) supported by Thomas Paschero (Buenos Aires), Proceso Ortega (City of Mexico) and Rodriguez; creating a wide cooperation with the main South American homeopathic schools.

In the same year will chair the Liga Medicorum Homeopathica Internationalis till he get nominated as member in 1988.

In 1991 regardless his advanced age, Antonio Negro started a new project in Rome. He founded the Scuola Italiana di Medicina Omeopatica Hahnemanniana S.I.M.O.H. ( www.omeopatiasimoh.org – Tel. 06.5747841) supported by few students and Maria Letizia Salvi. He will manage it till the end of his life. He also founded the homoeopathic Library dedicated to Evelino Leonardi, the homeopathic Center dedicated to Ferdinando Meconi and the Biopathology and Orthogenesis Center of Research dedicated to Nicola Pende. He promoted a series of books named “Similia similibus curentur” and in 2006 established the “S. Hahnemann” award.

His last foundation was the Museo dell’ Omeopatia located in Navona Square, already set in motion in 2006. The museum is sponsored by italian cultural assets department. In 2007 Italian homeopathic biography is published and in 2008, in the occasion of his 100 birthday, Antonio Negro gave his medical archive and his private homeopathic collection to the museum (www.fondazionenegro.it).

Antonio Negro died in Rome on march 25th 2010. Everybody agreed that the father of italian homeopathy left emptiness and also his humanity and passion for leading on his profession. Being a person of great spirituality he had the reward of Popes Pius XII, Paul VI, Benedict XIV. Diocese of Rome gave him the Good Samaritan award. In the funeral sermon archbishop Vincenzo Paglia remembered him like a “ God’s friend, men’s doctor ”…’