Inventor of cornflakes and a brilliant surgeon

An extract from 'The Vegetable Passion' by Janet Barkas, 1975 (now out of print):

A Seventh Day Adventist whose name is as well known as the cornflakes that he invented was the vegetarian Dr.John Harvey Kellogg. His involvement with the Adventists really began in 1864, when James White visited the Kellogg home. Soon twelve-year-old John, an excellent student, was an apprentice at the Review and Herald Press, the Seventh Day Adventist publishing company still in existence today. His duties began with sweeping the floors and cleaning, but eventually he was setting type, reading proof, and performing more advanced editorial tasks.

Kellogg received his medical degree from Bellevue Hospital in 1875. However, he did not immediately return to Battle Creek. Instead, he took private lessons with Dr. George M. Beard, an advocate of the use of electricity as medical therapy. In fact, Kellogg's medical studies continued throughout his life in terms of extensive reading and trips to Europe to explore radical techniques in water cures and exercise therapy. But in 1876 he returned to Michigan; it would remain his base of operations for the rest of his controversial life.

Kellogg took over the Adventist sanitorium, which soon became a non-profit and non-sectarian health institute that reflected the personal stamp of Dr. Kellogg, inventor of the breakfast cereals that bear his name due to the business expertise of his younger brother.

For over sixty years, Kellogg edited Good Health Magazine, which promoted vegetarianism in almost every issue. His nutritional ideas were always undergoing modification. For instance, at first he was skeptical of all root vegetables since he believed they failed to receive the advantages of direct sunlight on their edible parts. At that point, legumes were the only vegetables he advocated. Later, he became a firm believer in such vegetables as potatoes. His dedication to fruits, nuts, and grains as the natural and best diet for man remained consistent throughout his life.

Kellogg wrote prolifically about his radical ways to treat sick people. In one book, The Miracle of Life, published in 1904, he describes his dietetic views in great detail. Chapters include "The Mystery of Life," "A General View of the Body," "The Miracle of Digestion," "Dietetic Sins: Shall We Slay to Eat?" "The Natural Way in Diet," "Drugs Which Enslave and Kill," and so forth. What is the oldest dietetic principle? "... the book of Genesis," writes Kellogg, "in which we are told that 'the Lord formed man of the dust of the ground ..."

Kellogg believed cow's milk was unnecessary because a milk made from the paste of filberts, almonds, and other nuts was completely equal to traditional milk. Of all the animal foods, eggs were the least objectionable to Kellogg. Meat was unquestionably the villain. He also advocated the free use of water as a beverage, not during meals. Kellogg believed fruits were essentials, rather than luxuries, and that nuts pound for pound-were the most nutritious food. While traveling, he rarely ate more than bread and apples.

By 1901, there were seven hundred guests at the famous and influential Battle Creek Sanitarium. Five years later, there were 7,000 patients, who were cared for by almost as many staff, including 30 physicians. Kellogg introduced such health programs as morning calisthenics and open-air sleeping arrangements.