In 1828-9 Cosmo Maria De Horatiis conducted clinical trials into homeopathy in Naples, at the Military Hospital of the Trinity, and he published the results of these trials, causing a great sensation in Naples.
Francis I decided to definitivly manage this outcry with a series of clinical trials under his auspices, and Francis I issued a Royal Decree to open a homeopathic clinic and conduct clinical trials into homeopathy.
Cosmo Maria De Horatiis and Francesco Romani were to be the homeopathic practitioners, and allopathic physicians were also appointed as part of these clinical trials.
Of course, the allopathic physicians did their absolute utmost to upset the clinical trials, with antagonistic behaviour, making sinister predictions, refusing to attend the hospital and publishing vitriolic texts against homeopathy.
False reports of patient deaths were circulated by the allopaths, which proved unfounded when the Duke of Calabria investigated these false claims.
Francis I demanded to see the reports on which these damning claims were founded, whereupon the offices were searched, the documents sealed and presented to Francis I who personally read every detail, pronouncing himself perfectly satisfied with the results of the homeopathic treatment, and he recommended that the clinical trials be continued, much to the disgust of the allopaths, who continued to do everything they could to disrupt the trials.
However, the trials continued for 155 days, ending only when Francis I had to travel abroad and refused to do so without his physician Cosmo Maria De Horatiis. Francesco Romani was not suited to face such implacable odds alone, so he resigned and the trials ended.
The results of these trials were published in State Papers which severely condemned the antics of the allopathic physicians. The report concluded that the results could not be verified as the allopaths refused to co-operate with the Articles of the Royal Decree.
The State also decreed that henceforth, any citizen should have the right to choose the style of treatment they preferred for themselves, and Francis I decided to open a homeopathic hospital.
The disembling and disinformation of the allopathic physicians proved to be very unpleasant lies. Esquirol even went so far as to claim that the trials had ended after 40 days and that Cosmo Maria De Horatiis had himself given up homeopath due to the results of the trials against homeopathy!
This is despite the fact that two of the allopaths, Marchesani and Alessi actually converted to homeopathy on the strength of the results they had witnessed during the trials, and Des Guidi, the Inspector of the University of Lyon, who was not part of the trials, but who was visiting Italy, also converted to homeopathy as a result of observing the trials from a distance, and he had his wife treated by Francesco Romani and Cosmo Maria De Horatiis. As a result, Des Guidi converted to homeopathy and became the first homeopath in France.
The astonishing behaviour of the allopaths eventually enabled homeopathy to triumph in Naples, and in France, and across Europe.
Also, note that Oliver Wendell Holmes repeated all the same old lies and inuendos of the Naples allopaths in his defamatory Currents and Counter currents in Medical Science, choosing to ignore the actual facts, puff up the reputations of the allopaths who took part (or otherwise) in these clinical trials, and to simply repeat the same tired old false accusations against homeopathy, revamped for a new age in 1861.