John Henry Clarke(1853–1931)

Physician, editor of The Homoeopathic World and author of the Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica

John Henry Clarke was a London physician, editor and author whose three-volume Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica (1900–1902) is the largest single-author clinical materia medica in English, with a Clinical Repertory to match.

M.D., University of Edinburgh (1877)Consulting physician, London Homoeopathic HospitalEditor, The Homoeopathic World (1885–1931)

About John Henry Clarke

John Henry Clarke was born in 1853 and qualified in medicine at the University of Edinburgh, taking his M.D. in 1877. He practised in London, was for many years consulting physician to the London Homoeopathic Hospital, and edited The Homoeopathic World from 1885 to 1931.

His Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica, published in three volumes between 1900 and 1902, gathers for each remedy its history, characteristic symptoms, relationships and clinical uses drawn from the literature and from Clarke's own practice. He followed it with A Clinical Repertory to the Dictionary (1904) and with The Prescriber, a popular therapeutic index.

Clarke was a prolific writer and a forceful advocate of homeopathy within British medicine, and his Dictionary remains the book practitioners open when the usual references fall short on a lesser-known remedy.

On Similia

Read Clarke's Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica free on Similia

Key works & contributions

A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica · 1900–1902

Three volumes covering over a thousand remedies with history, characteristics, relationships, causations and clinical notes; the reference for lesser-known remedies.

A Clinical Repertory to the Dictionary of Materia Medica · 1904

The repertory companion to the Dictionary, indexed by clinical condition, causation, temperament and relationship.

The Prescriber · 1885

A therapeutic index of remedies by condition, in many editions, written for rapid reference.

Areas of focus

Clinical materia medicaRemedy relationshipsCausationMedical journalism

Frequently asked questions

Who was John Henry Clarke?

John Henry Clarke (1853–1931) was a London homeopathic physician, editor of The Homoeopathic World, and author of the three-volume Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica.

What is Clarke's Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica?

A clinical materia medica of over a thousand remedies in three volumes (1900–1902), with history, characteristic symptoms, relationships and clinical uses; its companion is the Clinical Repertory of 1904.

Where can I read Clarke's materia medica online?

All three volumes of the Dictionary are free to read on Similia.