A Farewell to Patricia Le Roux

The death of Patricia Le Roux, one of France’s leading homeopaths and mother of four children, has sent shockwaves through the homeopathic community, both in her homeland and throughout the world. She had been attending the yearly conference of the SSH (Société Savante d’Homéopathie) in Paris on Saturday 15th of October, when she was knocked down by a scooter; she was rushed to hospital, where she died shortly after. It seems so unbelievable that such a dynamic person could be here one minute and gone the next. Her seemingly ‘undestructible’ energy had made us forget that she, too, was mortal.

Patricia seemed able to produce more work that humanly possible. Trained by Didier Grandgeorge, her friend and mentor, she maintained a busy private practice as a homeopathic paediatrician in Marseille, as well as working at the emergency department of the town university hospital. In her consultations, she found a balance between solid homeopathic knowledge and traditional medical practice, knowing for instance when to use an Actinide remedy in a crisis situation at the emergency department. “When they look like they’re about to disintegrate, an Actinide is often of great help.” Beside her clinical work, she was continually on the road, giving seminars, attending conferences, as well as participating in the numerous associations and work groups to which she belonged: ECH, SNMHF, SSH, GPHEF, CHUMS[1]. Her language skills put her in an ideal position to coordinate differents homeopathic projects at an international level; she was one the leaders of the Liga (LMHI).  

She enriched homeopathy with many new provings, bringing the butterfly realm into the reach of homeopathy, with her book Butterflies. Homeo-bambin and Homeo-pitchoun helped homeopathy reach a wider public. In her book Metals in Homeopathy she made extensive use of Jan Scholten’s work, of whom she was a dedicated ‘student’, to describe a case from each of the elements, her prescribing following the Element Theory. Her newest book, The Actinides, which is just about to be published, is at the avant-garde of homeopathic research and will most probably prove to be an important work for further developments in a field that has become crucial in the treatment of the ailments of our times.  

Patricia was not only a dedicated homeopath, she was also a wonderful musician – leader of a choir and a flute virtuoso. One summer evening, while at her family’s home in the countryside, a beautifully restored old monastery, she quietly disappeared into the chapel and soon enchanting flute music was wafting over the fields and forests. We suggested creating an event for musician homeopaths, and she was, of course, immediately enthusiastic. “That’s something I’d love to do –  it could, perhaps, be an opportunity to bring together through music those of us who cannot come together in the practice  homeopathy.” Togetherness, tolerance, and an unquenchable thirst to know were important drives in her professional life. She had recently come back from Africa, where she had participated in a series of provings led by Jan Scholten, and was full of ideas. Despite just having had an operation on her foot, she talked of going back to work as soon as possible, envisioning herself with her tiny patients sitting on her knees, while her leg was up. She was looking forward to getting back to running, when her foot had healed. Running, always, running for gold.

Her sudden disappearance leaves a huge gap in our community, which has lost one of her most brilliant lights. We wish strength and courage to the many people whose lives she has touched – her family, friends, colleagues, patients, and fellow musicians. Farewell, Patricia. 

[1] ECH: European Committee for Homeopathy; SNMHF: Syndicat National des Médecins Homéopathes Français; SSH: Société Savante d’Homéopathie; GPHEF: Groupement des Pédiatres Homéopathes d’Expression Française; CHUMS: Collègues Homéopathes Unicistes Marseillais

Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Monarch butterfly; Simon Koopman