E B. Nash was born in Hillsdale, Columbia County, N. Y., on March 8th, 1838. At the age of seven he moved to Binghamton, NY and graduated from the local Academy. He began his study of medicine with Dr. T.L. Brown of Binghamton, and graduated from Cleveland Homoeopathic Medical College in 1874.
Dr. Nash began homeopathic practice in Triangle, NY, and also practiced a short time in Harpersville, NY He later moved to Cortland, NsY, where he practiced until his death.
When Nash was beginning his medical career he was stricken with paralysis. After considering his symptoms, he decided to take Lachesis, but it only helped a little. Discouraged, he put himself under the care of the great master, Dr. Adolph Lippe.
The venerable doctor gave him a remedy and stated, "When you are cured, come back and then I'll tell you what I gave."
Dr. Nash later returned to Philadelphia. "Here I am, entirely well now. What was it?" "Lachesis, Lachesis!"
"Yes, but I took Lachesis!"' The old doctor jumped up and down with delight, and laughing, said: "You did not take it high enough."
This experience along with instruction from Carrol Dunham on the use of his saw-mill 200c potencies gave Nash confidence in the higher potencies.
Dr. Nash was a member of the American Institute of Homoeopathy, of the New York State Homoeopathic Medical Society and an honorary member of the Pennsylvania State Homoeopathic Society. He was, for seven years, Professor of Materia Medica at the New York Homoeopathic Medical College. In 1903 he became president of the International Hahnemannian Association (IHA). In 1905 he gave, by invitation, a course of lectures in the Homoeopathic Hospital of London.
Dr. Nash in recounting a story from the IHA said,"Before I left home a physician said to me 'I don't enjoy very much going to the IHA because you are all in accord so that it makes a dull meeting. At the American Institute there is apt to be a lively time.'"
"That is true and the reason is because we subscribe to the same principles and act in harmony, if any man was to get on the wrong side of the law of cure, I think we would give him a moderately lively time. We do not differ very much, and then only on details."
"Perhaps in my paper I did not make my main point prominent enough; it was that the symptoms are scientific, they fulfill all the requirements of strict science. There is misapprehension abroad that any method that takes cognizance of bacilli is scientific and anything that does not is unscientific. It is the method and the truth that make true science and that we have."
Dr. Nash was considered one of the great teachers of medicine. His book, Leaders in Homeopathic Therapeutics, was thought to have been the means of converting many allopathic doctors to homeopathy. Many homoeopathic physicians in different parts of the world attributed their success in healing the sick to his writings.
Dr. Nash always criticized homeopathic 'rules' that were not founded on experience. For example, he had little confidence in the incompatibility of remedies, and quoted at length the success of a prescription of Phosphorus following Causticum, which are considered by many to be inimicals.
When his colleague, Dr. Carr asked the reason for giving Phosphorus after Causticum, Dr. Nash said that it was simply experience; that he had found Phosphorus indicated after Causticum, and had given it in high potency with perfect success.
He also disbelieved the popular theory that Phosphorus or Sulphur given in the last stages of tuberculosis produced evil results. He believed that there was no reason for giving medicines, other than their indication; that if the indications for Phosphorus alone were present, he certainly saw nothing else to be given.
Doctor Nash was spoken of as a public-spirited citizen and as a warm and faithful friend, a genial host, and a devoted Sunday school worker.
He died November 6, 1917 after a long and productive career serving and advancing his greatest passion in life - homeopathy.
