The Graham System (1836)

AUTHOR: Alcott, William Andrus

KEYWORDS: food and diet, health

SUMMARY (Bryn Skibo & Ridvan Askin, edited Deborah Madsen):

In this letter to the editor, William Alcott enters an ongoing discussion surrounding the work of Sylvester Graham, writing that he has witnessed “for some time […] the contest now going on in your Journal” (199). Alcott disputes a number of myths about Graham's program: that he would prohibit his followers from eating meat if they were starving; that Grahamism cheats the Grahamite of food or limits them to bread alone (though Alcott writes that bread is one of the most nutritious foods available); and that an entirely vegetable diet causes mental health issues and reduces virility or physical strength. Alcott points to the Irish, German, Polish, and Swedish peasants and laborers – “millions of potatoe eaters” (200) – as evidence against the claim of “emasculation.”

Pointing to his own experience, both as a physician and as a vegetarian, he writes: “I have seen great numbers of vegetable eaters, and watched their progress from childhood to middle age.” What is more, he himself “abstained suddenly, about six years ago from animal food, and from all fermented, narcotic, and alcoholic drinks” without experiencing the least inconvenience (200). On the contrary, “in the judgment of some who know me,” Alcott writes, he did so “with great gain” (201).

 

Last updated on May 16th, 2024

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