Baunscheidtism

The practice, a form of homeopathy,[1] is named for its founder Carl Baunscheidt (1809–1873), a German mechanic and inventor.

The legitimacy of baunscheidtism as an effective medical practice was questioned by at least 1880, when a Melbourne practitioner named Samuel Fischer lost a lawsuit he brought against a patient who failed to pay him, based on the objection that Fischer (a bootmaker) was not a qualified medical practitioner.

'life awakener' in German) or "artificial leech" was a medical device invented by Baunscheidt to pierce the skin with many fine needles.

[3] The diseases that could allegedly be cured with the lebenswecker included whooping cough, baldness, toothaches, and mental disorders.

The device's popularity was great enough to support a market for "counterfeit" versions of the lebenswecker that were produced by Baunscheidt.