ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts to account for the shift from the charismatic transmission of knowledge to the development of professional educational practices through an examination of the pressures placed upon alternative therapists to establish external legitimacy and acquire societal trust for their practice. It shows that the knowledge base of the therapies alone was not enough to explain their revival; rather, the enthusiasm of a select number of teachers created and sustained, for a time, collective excitement about alternative medical ideas. M. Weber’s concept of charisma will be used to comprehend ethnographic and historical data on homoeopathy and chiropractic. The chapter focuses on one group of non-medically qualified homoeopaths, represented by the Society of Homoeopaths and who have 360 licensed members. The consumer through the Association of Community Health Councils has called for better training and the standardization of curricula and skills. Practitioners were concerned to increase the popularity of their approach and could see the advantages of colleges and credentials.
