A bitter debate divided the ranks of Rochester's homeopathic physicians in the late 1800s over the proper way to treat their patients. So bitter that a group of them broke away and formed their own medical society. More importantly, they located an available mansion on a hill overlooking the city, secured financial backing from a group of prominent Rochesterians, and turned it into a hospital.
The Hahnemann Hospital they called it, reflecting their dedication to the principles of medical practice as laid out by the German physician Samuel Christian Friedrich Hahnemann.