WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, SEATTLE, WASH.
Nov. 5, 1910.
EDITOR _Cosmopolitan_ MAGAZINE.
Am enclosing clipping which shows that prominent men up here in the
great Northwest are not afraid to try out certain methods of fighting
disease merely because they are thought to be "new" or "faddy" (tho' in
truth the fast cure is as old as the Old Testament).
The value of Professor Colvin's fast experience seems to be that he has
given to the world the best method of breaking the fast and getting
on to a solid-food diet. Upton Sinclair said the breaking of the fast
is the most important part of it, and would be the most dangerous were
it not for the great natural food, milk, which tides you over. But he
fails to remember there are thousands with whom milk does not agree,
sick or well.
Shortly after interview noted in enclosed clipping from Seattle
_Times_, Professor Colvin attempted to begin to break the fast with
orange juices and utterly failed. He then tried milk and was made so
sick that he had to fast for three more days to get into a condition
to break the fast. He then started in with a very light veal broth
(not soup, nor tea). He soon got so he could take a cup of it every
hour and a half. To get on to solid food he tried a few crackers with
the broth, but found too much soda in the crackers and abandoned their
use. Finally he hit upon the very thing that fitted the condition of
his body, dry whole-wheat bread toasted. This toasted whole-wheat bread
he had his cook crush with a rolling pin into a powder and each day
mixed more of it with the cup of broth. After this he filled the cup
three-fourths full of this toast powder and only poured in as much
broth as the dust would absorb, making a solid gruel, which was very
appetizing and nourishing (so much so that the professor continues to
use it for breakfast food though his fast is closed). Now to this gruel
he added mashed baked potato from time to time (more each time) until
he virtually supplanted the toast dust. From this he went to baked
apple, thence to raw eggs, thence to macaroni, thence to pigeon squab,
and thence to solid earth.
It seems to me that his discovery of the broth-toast-gruel method is
a great discovery. Especially so for those who live in the cities and
cannot be sure as to the absolute purity of their milk. Even when the
milk diet can be used it does not afford a solution for getting off of
a liquid diet on to a solid food basis.
In your July number appears a letter from Mr. Buel of New York in which
he says that it would be almost criminal to permit any one advanced
in years to enter upon the dangerous folly of the "fast cure." I am
enclosing you a clipping from the _Oregonian_, telling of the fasting
experiences of Professor Colvin's friend, Rev. J. E. Fitch. Rev. Fitch
is 81 years of age and a year ago took it into his head to out-fast
Moses. Holy Writ says that Moses fasted 40 days, and to prove to his
congregation that one did not have to be superstitious to believe some
of these Old Testament tales, Rev. J. E. Fitch, at the age of 80,
fasted fifty days; and instead of losing flesh towards the last part of
his fast actually gained in weight. He is as vigorous to-day as he was
at 21.
Your Mr. Buel spoke of fasters as cranks and faddists and intimated
that your solid citizen would not thus be led astray. Professor Colvin
is not a crank but one of our best citizens, being well known both in
this country and Europe, and spoken of as the probable president of
the Pan-American University to be located in Porto Rico.
Very respectfully,
THOS. F. MURPHY.
210 Merriman Ave.,
ASHEVILLE, N. C., 9/11/10.
MR. UPTON SINCLAIR,
ARDEN, DEL.
DEAR SIR,--After fasting for ten days I went off for ten days. Then
on for seventeen days, during which time I got rid of a long list
of troubles, except a cough, for which I underwent examination by a
specialist. I found I had tuberculosis. The entire upper right lobe of
my lung and about half of the left upper lung being affected. Now I
am up here making a very rapid recovery. I consider that the fasts I
took were the best things that could have happened for me, since they
eliminated a bunch of troubles that are nearly always present with
tuberculosis, such as indigestion, sore throat, rheumatism, etc. All of
these left me, and I never felt better in my life than since fasting.
I do not believe that such a rapid recovery as I am making could be
possible had I not fasted. Fasting did not cure the tuberculosis,
but it gave me an excellent stomach, with which to fight it, and
tuberculosis will always give way to a good stomach. I did not know I
had tuberculosis when I started fasting, but I now know, since learning
more about the disease, that I had the trouble in an active state
more than nine months before I fasted. My cough got very tame during
the fast and very nearly disappeared, but returned as I increased the
amount of food I took after breaking the fast, but at no time did it
get as bad as it was previous to the fast. I weighed 172 lbs. in May,
when I began my fasting and dropped to 148 lbs., and now weigh 180
lbs. and never felt better in my life. Have but a slight spot of the
tuberculosis affection left in my right lung.
While I would not recommend others affected with tuberculosis to fast,
I would ask that if you have any letters from consumptives who have
fasted I would appreciate a copy.