A system of medical treatment started by Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), homeopathy is based on the premise that the symptoms of a disease are evidence of a curative process going on in the body in response to the disease. The homeopathic physician attempts to promote the further development of these symptoms in order to accelerate the body's self-cure. Homeopathy flourished in the United States during the 19th century and is still practiced today, although it is disdained by most modern physicians.