In psychology, the view that more is to be gained by employing concepts from various the oretical systems than by restricting oneself to a single psychological theory or school of thought.
A system of herbal medical practice popularized in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Finley Ellingwood.
A school of natural medicine popular in the 19th century United States. Eclecticism was developed, in part from thompsonism by Wooster Beach. In 1825 Beach emerged out of obscurity as he began to write against the practices of physician colleagues who used bloodletting and the strong remedies of the day and started to advocate the use of natural remedies, primarily roots and herbs. In 1827 he opened an infirmary in New York City and in 1937 established the New York Medical Academy (later the Reformed Medical College of New York), the parent institution of eclecticism.