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Eugene Christian

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Eugene Christian
Born1860
McMinnville, Tennessee
Died1930
San Diego, California
Occupation(s)Naturopath, nutritionist, writer

Eugene Christian (1860–1930) was an American naturopath, nutritionist and raw foodism writer.

Biography

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Eugene Christian School of Applied Chemistry

Christian was born in McMinnville, Tennessee. He worked in manufacturing and sales until 1900.[1] Similar to George J. Drews, Christian was one of the pioneers of the raw foodism movement in America.[2] Christian authored the raw food book Uncooked Foods and How to Use Them, in 1904.[2] The book was popular and went through five editions in 1904. It went through ten editions through 1924 and was printed up until the late 20th century.[3] It was widely reviewed in health journals.[4][5][6][7] Medical experts accused Christian of promoting a fad diet and called him the "dean of American food faddists".[8]

Christian had no medical qualifications, advertised himself as a "food scientist" and practiced diet therapy. In 1905, he was arrested and prosecuted by the New York County Medical Society for practicing medicine without a license.[9] In 1907 after an appeal, the New York Supreme Court concluded that no crime was committed and that Christian was improperly convicted.[10] Christian did not prescribe medicine.[11] The Supreme Court decided that a "food scientist" does have the right to diagnose or treat illness by prescribing diet.[1] Christian then advertised himself as a "hero" and "vindicated by the supreme court".[12] Christian believed that cooking food destroyed nutrients. During World War I, he appealed to the Surgeon General to change the army's rations to a raw food diet.[13][14]

Christian was the owner of the "Christian Natural Food Company", he also operated a mail-order school, the Eugene Christian School of Applied Food Chemistry.[8] He charged $100 for a diploma course in which an F. S. D. degree (Doctor of Food Science) was awarded. The school faded and he formed the Christian Dietetic Society and School of Scientific Eating.[8] He sold a "Course in Scientific Eating" for $10. The organization merged into the Corrective Eating Society. The Society offered a course for $3 which promised to teach people how to cure disease through a dietetic system. The Society sold quack products such as the "Vaco Reducing Cup", that was alleged to remove fat.[8] His products were described as "pseudo-scientific buncombe" by the Bureau of Investigation of the American Medical Association.[15]

Christian recommended raw egg as a good source of protein. He commented that "an egg should never be cooked".[16] He promoted a raw vegetarian diet. However, in volume eleven of Eugene Christian's Course in Scientific Eating, he wrote that "eggs and, once a week, a small service of fish or fowl, may be eaten to maintain the balance as to protein."[17] Christian promised his followers that they could live a hundred years on his recommended diet but died at the age of 69.[18] He died of pneumonia in San Diego, California.[19][20] In medical literature, Christian was cited as an example of a quack.[8][18]

Selected publications

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Hoolihan, Christopher. (2001). An Annotated Catalogue of the Edward C. Atwater Collection of American Popular Medicine and Health Reform, Volume 1. University of Rochester Press. p. 187. ISBN 1-58046-098-4
  2. ^ a b Berry, Rynn. (2007). "Raw Foodism". In Andrew F. Smith. The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink. Oxford University Press. pp. 493-494. ISBN 978-0-19-530796-2
  3. ^ Hoolihan, Christopher. (2008). An Annotated Catalogue of the Edward C. Atwater Collection of American Popular Medicine and Health Reform, Volume 3. University of Rochester Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-1-58046-284-6
  4. ^ Anonymous. (1905). Reviewed Work: Uncooked Foods and How to Use Them by Eugene Christian. The Journal of Education 61 (23): 636.
  5. ^ Anonymous. (1905). Reviewed Work: Uncooked Foods and How to Use Them: A Treatise on How to Get the Highest Form of Animal Energy from Food by Mrs. Eugene Christian, Eugene Christian. American Journal of Nursing 6 (2): 97.
  6. ^ Anonymous. (1905). Uncooked Foods and How to Use Them. A Treatise on How to Get the Highest Form of Animal Energy from Food, with Recipes for Preparation, Healthful Combinations and Menus. Journal of the American Medical Association 44 (17): 1385.
  7. ^ Anonymous. (1905). Uncooked Foods and How to Use Them. Dietetic and Hygienic Gazette 21: 256.
  8. ^ a b c d e Cramp, Arthur J. (1936). Nostrums and Quackery and Pseudo-Medicine, Volume 3. Press of American Medical Association. pp. 57-59
  9. ^ Anonymous. (1905). Unlicensed Practitioner Arrested. Journal of the American Medical Association 45 (3): 202.
  10. ^ Mills, Charles H. (1908). People V. Christian. Supreme Court-App. Division-First Department, Dec., 1907. The People v. Eugene Christian. New York Criminal Reports, Volume 21. pp. 577-578
  11. ^ Anonymous. (1908). A Judicial Blow at the Tyrannical Medical Monopoly. The Arena 39: 356-357.
  12. ^ Anonymous. (1908). Eugene Christian, the Hero. The Columbus Medical Journal 32: 123.
  13. ^ Hill, Fredric W. (1978). The American Institute of Nutrition: A History of the First 50 Years, 1928-1978; And, The Proceedings of a Symposium Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Journal of Nutrition. American Institute of Nutrition. p. 72
  14. ^ Grover, Kathryn. (1989). Fitness in American Culture: Images of Health, Sport, and the Body, 1830-1940. University of Massachusetts Press. p. 96. ISBN 978-0870236822
  15. ^ Anonymous. (1923). El Zair: Quackery's Latest Offer of an Elimir of Life. Journal of the American Medical Association 81: 768.
  16. ^ Wrangham, Richard W. (2010). Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human. Profile Books. p. 62. ISBN 978-1-84668-286-5
  17. ^ Christian, Eugene. (1916). Eugene Christian's Course in Scientific Eating, Volume 11. Corrective Eating Society. p. 8
  18. ^ a b Anonymous. (1930). More Funny Advice on Longevity. Journal of the American Medical Association 94 (20): 1604-1605.
  19. ^ Eugene Christian, Author and Dietitian, Dead. Gastonia Daily Gazette. (March 10, 1930). p. 9
  20. ^ A Dietist and His Theory. Charleston Daily Mail. (March 12, 1930). p. 6
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