The Health Reformer

The Health Reformer. Battle Creek, MI: Health-Reform Institute, 1866-1876.

 

According to the Encyclopedia of Seventh-Day Adventists, the Health Reformer (1866-1878) "was issued monthly at Battle Creek, Michigan, in association with the Western Health Reform Institute (WHRI), renamed Battle Creek Sanitarium in 1877. The periodical served the dual purpose of advertising the health institution and instructing the church members and wider community about natural means for the prevention and treatment of disease.

The first issue was dated August 1866, with Dr. Horatio S. Lay (1828-1900), WHRI director, serving as the initial editor. It began as an unillustrated production of sixteen pages, its masthead reading 'Our Physician, Nature; Obey and Live.' Dr. Lay proclaimed in his first editorial the 'aim to instruct the people how to avoid sickness, or if sick, how to regain their health' for it is 'a moral duty' to live healthfully.

The elements of healthful living advocated in the columns of the periodical were many and basically simple. Rest and adequate sleep, sunshine and fresh air were stressed in the earliest issues. The advice was to drink only water and to abstain from alcohol, tea, coffee and tobacco. The ideal diet excluded meat of any kind. Some recipes provided contained no eggs or milk, suggesting a preference for a vegan regimen. Butter was not recommended. Salt was regarded as detrimental, as were sugar and candies. As a rule two meals a day were preferred, with no intake between meals in order to rest the digestive system. Bread baked from coarse flour, rather than white flour, was recommended. Other important elements included dental care, the use of music to relieve stress and of natural remedies rather than reliance on drug medication. Women were advised not to wear tight corsets that hindered deep breathing and to adopt the Reform Dress, details of which were provided in several issues as early as 1868" (https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=F9D3&highlight=y).

The journal was continued, in 1879, as Good Health. A Journal of Hygiene [Devoted to Physical, Mental and Moral Culture], edited by John Harvey Kellogg, who remained as editor until his death in 1943. Encyclopedia of Seventh-Day Adventists describes: "After he became editor in 1874, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (1852-1943) moved toward a somewhat more scientific basis for the articles. He sometimes used an anthropological approach, investigating customs outside his Western culture. ... By the 1870s the periodical grew to thirty-two pages and increased to its maximum size of ninety pages in 1900 with an annual subscription rate of one dollar. Its overall presentation became more attractive, advancing from the pages simply of block text during the early years to illustrated articles and decorative covers in several colors. Circulation statistics were encouraging, 54,264 copies being reported for the year 1883. This total included 4,000 subscribers from outside the faith (https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=F9D3&highlight=y).

 

Vol. 1-3 (1866-1

 

 

 

 

Vol. 9-11 (1874-1876)

 

Vol. 12-13 (1877-1878)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vol. 51 (1916)

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112088514952&view=1up&seq=17

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015076976656&view=1up&seq=1

Vol. 51 no. 1 (January 1916)

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112088514952&view=1up&seq=17

Vol. 51 no. 2-12 (February 1916-December 1916)

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112088514952&view=1up&seq=17

 

 

 

Last updated on April 27th, 2024

SNSF project 100015_204481

@VLS@veganism.social | VeganLiteraryStudies | @veganliterarystudies |