From Hahnemannʹs hand to your computer screen: building a digital homeopathy collection

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Library holds the unique manuscript of the sixth edition of Samuel Hahnemannʹs Organon der Heilkunst, the primary text of homeopathy. The manuscript volume is Hahnemannʹs own copy of the fifth edition of the Organon with his notes for the sixth edition, handwritten throughout the volume. There is a high level of interest in the Organon manuscript, particularly among homeopaths. This led to the decision to present a digital surrogate on the web to make it accessible to a wider audience. Digitizing Hahnemannʹs manuscript and determining the best method of presentation on the web posed several challenges. Lessons learned in the course of this project will inform future digital projects. This article discusses the historical significance of the sixth edition of Hahnemannʹs Organon, its context in UCSFʹs homeopathy collections, and the specifics of developing the online homeopathy collection.