The re-emergence of hygiene
In the Middle Agesfolk-medicinedevelopedrapidly.Medicinalplants, animal
partsand minerals wereusedto get rid of diseasesymptoms. Later,surgerywas
usedas a cure. At the beginningof the 1800sthe excessesof doctorsand the
cottageindustry of drugsled to generalloathingand ridicule of the medical
profession by the public in the USA and Europe. For at leasta century
strychnine was the best remedythe professionhad for palsyand paralysis.It was
usedto kill rats,cats and dogs.But when givenas medicine,it was tonic,a
nerving,a remedy for palsied people.It was standardmedical practice to with-
holdwaterfromthe ill, and thousandsof patientsliterallydiedof dehydration.
Alcoholwas a foundation of the manybitters that weresoldto the peopleas
tonics,as it wasthe chiefingredientin many of the patentnostrums sold.
Remedies weresold againstalcoholism that werechieflyalcohol.In addition to
druggingtheirpatients to death,physicianshavefrequentlybledthemto death.
Bleeding was employedin woundsand headinjuries that resulted in uncon-
sciousness. Not only werepregnant mothersbled,but physicians alsodrew
bloodfrombluebabies. In thesedayspatients werebled,blistered,purged,
vomited, narcotised,mercurialisedor alcoholisedinto chronic invalidism or into
the grave. The deathrate was highand the sick personwhorecoveredwithout
sequelae was so rare as to be negligible.In that timehygienewas verypooras
well.Physiciansnot onlyfrowned uponbut opposed bathing.Surgeons per-
formed operations without washing their hands, and operating rooms of
hospitals wereveritable pig-sties. Physicianswouldgo fromthe post-mortem
roomdirectlyto the delivery roomand assistin the birth of a childwithout
washing theirhands.Child-bed feverwas a verycommondiseaseand the death
rate fromit was veryhigh.
This is the time when the revolt, `hygiene', re-emerged. Out of the
contradictions,confusions, chaosand delusions called the scienceof medicine
grewa needfor newthoughts, and a crusade for healthreform developed.
TheNatural Hygiene'concept One of the first pioneers was Isaac Jennings(see the bookAwakeningour self- healingbodyby ArthurMichael Baker(1994)). In 1822,afterhavingpractised medicinefor 20 years and being thoroughly discouraged withthe results, Jenningsbegins to administer placebosof bread pills,starchpowders and colouredwater tonicsto patients,while instructingthemin healthy living. Jenningsand physiologist/ministerSylvester Grahamstartedto educatecitizens withfailuresand contradictions of current medical practice and theory. Graham developeda significantfollowingof Grahamites in responseto his eloquent lecturesand writings. To the temperance movementhe offered a vegetarian diet as a cure for alcoholism.He also advocated sexual restraint andhygiene measures suchas bathing. The truths proclaimed by Jennings and Graham found immediate and widespread acceptance.Afterbecoming fullyconvincedof the correctnessof his Do-Nothing Cure' and the `No-Medicine Plan', Jennings announced his
Introduction 3