Edward H. Dewey
Edward Hooker Dewey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 21 May 1837 Wayland,Pennsylvania,United States |
| Died | December 21, 1904(aged 67) Meadville, Pennsylvania,United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physician,assistant surgeon |
Edward Hooker Dewey(21 May 1837 – 21 December 1904) was an Americanphysician.He was a pioneer of therapeuticfastingand the inventor of the "No Breakfast Plan".
Career
[edit]Dewey graduated from the College of Medicine and Surgery of theUniversity of Michiganin 1864 with a medical degree, and became an assistant surgeon in theArmy of the United States.From 1866 he started to work inMeadville, Pennsylvania.[1]
Dewey'sThe True Science of Living(1895) had been reprinted at least four times by 1908. His sequelThe No-Breakfast Plan and the Fasting Cure(1900) was very successful with the public. By 1921 it had gone through three editions and was translated into French and German.[2]Dewey argued for people to completely abstain from breakfast, and only consume two meals per day. He attributed all disease and physiological problems toexcessive eating.[2]He advocated long fasts and believed that abstinence from food could cureinsanityandmental disorders.Dewey was aProtestantand affirmed harmony of his "No Breakfast Plan" with theChristian Gospel.EvangelistGeorge Frederick Pentecostwrote the introduction toThe True Science of Living.[2]
Reception
[edit]Dewey's ideas were popular in the early 20th century but were not accepted by medical experts. In 1910, theBritish Medical Journaldescribed Dewey as "not an accurate or careful writer", noting medical errors in his bookThe No-Breakfast Plan and the Fasting-Cure.[3]The journal concluded that his ideas about fasting being acure-allfor disease was not supported by solid evidence and was a "foolish delusion".[3]PhysicianWilliam Tibbleswrote that moderate fasts are beneficial but should be carried out under proper medical supervision. He noted that Dewey took the principles of fasting to an "irrational extreme".[4]
Dewey influenced alternative health writers such asHereward CarringtonandWallace Wattles.[2][3]Linda Hazzard,author ofThe Science of Fasting,studied under Dewey. Hazzard was aquackdoctor noted for her promotion of fasting as a treatment, and was imprisoned by the state of Washington for a number of deaths resulting from this at a sanatorium she operated there in the early 20th century.
Publications
[edit]- The True Science of Living: The New Gospel of Health(1895)
- A New Era for Women: Health Without Drugs(1896)
- Chronic Alcoholism(1899)
- The No-Breakfast Plan and the Fasting-Cure(1900)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Whorton, James C. (2016 edition).Crusaders for Fitness: The History of American Health Reformers.Princeton University Press. pp. 263-264.ISBN978-0691641898
- ^abcdGriffith, R. Marie. (2000).Apostles of Abstinence: Fasting and Masculinity during the Progressive Era.American Quarterly52 (4): 599-638.
- ^abcAnonymous. (1910).Food And Feeding.The British Medical Journal1 (2563): 388-390.
- ^Tibbles, William. (1914).Dietetics: Or Food in Health and Disease.Lea & Febiger. pp. 244-245
External links
[edit]- Works by Edward Hooker DeweyatProject Gutenberg
- Works by or about Edward H. Deweyat theInternet Archive
- The No-Breakfast Plan and the Fasting-Cure
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