Edward William Cotter (c. 1890 – 23 October 1970) was a British lay homeopath who was the last Editor of The Homeopathic World.

Edward Cotter may have been taught homeopathy by John Henry Clarke, and he practiced at 51 Welbeck St, London W1.

In the 1930’s a diverse range of assorted lay therapists (mostly homeopaths, herbalists, vegetarians, antivivisectionists, bonesetters, diet therapists, hydrotherapists) became active, including probably 500+ lay homeopaths.

Most towns at that time had a herbalist and a homeopath. Leading figures of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s include Noel Puddephatt, J Ellis Barker, Harold Edgar Tyrwhitt, Leslie J Speight and Phyllis M Speight, Edward Cotter (c1890-c1970), Arthur Jenner (born c1916), Frank Parker Wood, Eric F W Powell, George Pettitt, Harry Benjamin (c1890-c1950), Darnell Cooper and Edwin D W Tomkins.

Edward Cotter practised in London during the 1950s and 60s. He was based in the fashionable 51 Welbeck St, London W1, where he had a practice for many years, certainly from 1963-65. Little is known about him as he appears to have been a quiet and unassuming person who simply got on with the job of practising homeopathy full time, without doing any ‘evangelical’ work on behalf of the homeopathic cause.

He may have been taught by John Henry Clarke or by others. He was not medically trained and is assumed therefore to have been taught by other laypersons. Cotter had many articles published in The Homeopathic World, and the best of them are reproduced in his book: Homeopathic Teachings from a Master, published by Charles William Daniel

‘..in her introduction Phyllis M Speight describes Edward Cotter as a reserved man with a busy practice in London, who was reluctant to associate with practitioners who did not understand and work according to the laws laid down by Samuel Hahnemann

…he was still seeing patients in 1965′ …. ‘Cotter had a large and thriving west London practice, and he also contributed articles to The Homeopathic World., the best of which are presented here.’

Cotter was closely associated with Leslie J Speight and Phyllis M Speight, and was very probably in contact with many other London based lay prescribers of the 40s and 50s.

Edward Cotter wrote The Absolute Simillimum, in The Homeopath,  Volume  7, Number 2. Winter, 1987. Page 96-97, Homeopathic Teachings from a Master, and he submitted various cases and articles to homeopathic publications.

 

Homoeopathic Teachings from a Master (1987)