“You cannot divorce Medicine and Theology. Man exists all the way down, from his innermost Spiritual to his outermost Natural.”
Kent may have equaled or even surpassed the genius of Hahnemann by delivering a highly accessible and profoundly refined form of homeopathy to the 20th century.
Little is known about Kent’s personal life as he was a very private man. Kent practiced conventional medicine in St. Louis where he first discovered, then converted to, homeopathy through the successful homeopathic treatment of his seriously ailing wife by Dr. Richard Phelan (a graduate of Hahnemann College). In 1888 Kent was invited to become a consulting Physician at a new “All homeopathic” hospital in Philadelphia, there he founded his legendary Post–Graduate School. Kent was an avid Swedenborgian and proponent of high potencies (200–c and up), often prescribing the CM and MM potencies and inspiring the “Kentians” with his belief that the homeopath must treat not only the patients physical body, but also the mental/emotional and spiritual elements simultaneously which required using the higher potencies. Kent’s famous Repertory was more systematic and readable than its precursors and is still the popular choice today. Kent developed “Pictures” of constitutional types of patients, i.e.: Sulphur as “The ragged philosopher” etc. Later, his pupil, Margaret Tyler, developed this idea further in her book, Homeopathic Drug Pictures, and more recently Mr. Geroge Vithoulkas has developed his own profoundly insightful “Essence pictures” along similar lines. The influence and popularity of Kent’s interpretation of homeopathic philosophy has steadily increased around the world since his death.