The Club will be comprised of those who desire to pursue a course of
Health Study by correspondence.
This combination will constitute the first and only Club of its kind in
the world.
It will unite in its membership a group of independent thinkers,
representative of all parts of the American Continent.
The purpose of the Club will be to teach the science of Regeneration--to
teach them to "dare to be healthy" according to the laws and teachings
of biology.
These teachings will consist of a two years' course in _Biology_,
dealing with its most important branches, in _Physiology_, _Anatomy_,
_Hygiene_, _Physiological Chemistry_, _Pathology_, according to
biological facts, and _Therapy_ in accordance with biological and
physical laws and precepts.
All methods of _natural healing_ will be explained in detail, including
diet, breathing exercises, and rest.
The comprehensive aim will be to inculcate the principles which govern
the process of perfect metabolism--that is to say, the changes of
nutritive matter within the body--as the means of bringing into being a
race endowed with health and beauty and therefore predestined to
happiness.
The course of instruction will be based upon the literature of science,
including certain fundamental teachings from the pen of the author of
the present pamphlet, which comprises, moreover, extracts from the
works of distinguished scholars whose theories have been tried and
tested during the last thirty-five years.
Its precepts will be based upon personal experience and actual practice,
the outcome of careful and patient observation.
The series throughout will be formulated with a view to the purpose of
graduating later from among those who follow the course, a body of
competent instructors capable of transmitting the knowledge they have
acquired to others, privately or professionally. But remember the axiom
of Cicero:
"Not only is there an art in acquiring knowledge but also a rarer
art in imparting it to others."
The first question, then, which will naturally arise in the mind of the
reader will be:
_What is This Method of Regeneration?_
The reply to this question is in reality a simple one, but in order to
explain and define the word "Regeneration" from a purely scientific
standpoint, it will be necessary to cite the results of the author's
researches and to outline his method of healing by regeneration, showing
how he purposes to lead the way from a dark past and a dull present
into a brighter future.
Before doing so, however, it may perhaps conduce to a better
understanding if I quote from the remarks of an eminent local authority
on the chemical composition of the body--a subject "new," as it appears,
to the general medical practitioner of the day though, for over a
quarter of a century freely expatiated upon by the great Biologists of
the period.
The extract is taken from a recent article by Assistant Surgeon General
Dr. W.C. Rucker, of the United States Public Health Service, and reads
as follows:
"Much of the advance of modern medicine has been accomplished through
the development of physiological chemistry which is even yet a new
science.
"Although so new, it is assuming such importance as to make it manifest
that the physiology of the future will be written largely in terms of
chemistry.
"We have come to realize that the body is in a literal sense of the
word, a chemical laboratory. The foods we eat, the fluids we drink, the
gases we breathe are complex chemical compounds which the body must
take apart and put together again in such a way that the materials may
be delivered in a shape that will enable the cells to store them. It is
then the business of the cells to utilize these materials for TISSUE
BUILDING and in the production of energy, in the form of work and heat.
The body manufactures different kinds of products, some beneficial,
others harmful. Thus for example, excessive muscular effort throws into
the bloodstream fatigue products that are poisonous. A person utterly
tired out is really suffering from acute poisoning. On the other hand,
to resist invasion by infectious diseases, the body manufactures
anti-poisons that kill the enemy germs--making in other words, its own
medicine."
The physical processes here mentioned by Dr. Rucker are fully explained
in my book, "Dare to be Healthy," chapter VI, VII, VIII, and the natural
principles involved have been practiced by me for over 30 years. I
mention the fact simply as corroborative evidence of the authenticity
and value of the work shortly to be published.
"Art may err, but Nature cannot miss,"--is an aphorism attributed to
the poet Dryden. It adequately supports Dr. Rucker's wise, significant
and timely pronouncement and reminds me of an illustrative incident
recorded in connection with the world famed physician Boerhaave of
Leyden,--Holland's chief centre of learning--who lived some 250 years
ago, when doctors knew less than at present of the circulation and
functions of the blood.
Boerhaave, it appears, conceived the idea of a sort of posthumous
pleasantry, of a distinctly lucrative nature, at the expense of his
medical brethren. Professional ignorance and popular superstition had
alike surrounded his name with a halo of mystery and he was credited
with almost miraculous powers of healing and the possession of the
Secret of Disease and Health.
At the sale of effects, following his death, there was a great gathering
of the most celebrated physicians of the day and his books and records
fetched fabulous prices. But one special tome, ponderous, silver-clasped
and locked, entitled: "Macrobiotic, The True and Complete Secret of
Long, Healthy Life," was the cynosure of every avaricious eye. The
auctioneer shrewdly reserved it until the last. Amidst a scene of
unparalleled excitement and competition the Great Book was at length
knocked down to a famous London physician for no less a sum than seven
thousand Gulden. When opened with eager anticipation before the
disappointed bidders, its pages were found to be blank--with one
exception. Upon this one was inscribed in the handwriting of Boerhaave
himself, only these ten words:
"_Keep the head cool, the feet warm, the bowels open._"
Turning to an excited audience it was thus the great London authority
spoke:
"I once heard it said that the world is simple; that health is simple;
that it is the folly of man that causes all complications, and that it
is the delicate task of the true physician to reduce everything to its
original simplicity. Heaven knows that our great Master, Boerhaave, has
solved life's problem. To me this truth is well worth the 7,000 Gulden I
pay to secure it; while to you, my friends, who have travelled from
distant parts of the globe in search of it, receive from me the legacy
of our Master and also be, likewise, content."
The moral that this story teaches is the same eternal lesson of all
time, as expressed through the medium of Biology: that not by art or
artifice can health be cheaply snatched at will from the Infinite
Sources of Life, but that by consistently following the guidance of
Nature's Laws the healthy functions of the human organism may alone be
correctly maintained, or, when driven by ill-treatment into decline, it
is the rational scientific assistance we afford to the efforts of
Nature, by which alone we may hope to re-establish that normal condition
of health. For, in the worthy words of Wordsworth I may say: "So build
we up the being that we are."
The writer does not claim for this method so great a degree of
simplicity. But he does base it upon the same truth that simplicity and
a return to natural conditions are the only ways of effectively healing
the diseased body.
Guided by the great masters of biology and physiological chemistry, his
object has been to determine the elements of which the twelve main
tissues of the human body are composed and to learn in what manner these
tissues suffer from the various diseases which attack them.
Were I desirous of emulating the illustrious Boerhaave, I might
concentrate my work into these few words: _Supply the system with the
necessary constituents of its tissues and at the same time assist the
organism by means of simple and natural appliances, and REGENERATION
will continue until the desired physiological condition is reached._
In so doing, I fear, I should bequeath but little to the comprehension
of humanity.
I desire that all shall benefit by the diligent research work of my
life. I desire to leave my legacy to humankind clearly and distinctly
defined, in rules carefully expressed in the Course of Study I have
prepared.
I do not expect them to be accepted without controversy. Nor do I look
for gratitude from those whom I seek to benefit. I have no delusions and
the satisfaction of having delivered my message will be my sole reward.
I can only trust in this more enlightened age, that history as poetized
by Pope may not repeat itself:
"Truths would you teach, or save a sinking land?
All fear, none aid you, and few understand."
My solace, even so, for the nonce would be the knowledge of life and
health restored to the faithful, though, comparatively, few and the
confidence that truth must, in the issue, at length prevail, convincing,
victorious over all.
Before proceeding further I wish it to be distinctly understood that it
is no part of my scheme or intention to seek in any way to eliminate the
physician.
As there are, in fact, no two human organism exactly alike, so also is
there divergence, more or less, in each individual case, in disease; and
however apparently similar the symptoms may be, the knowledge and
experience of a physician becomes necessary in order to determine
correctly what the ailment is and how general principles should be
applied in each particular case.
On the contrary, I purpose to explain fully the secret causes of disease
and their removal, in pursuance of the belief held in common with
fair-minded physicians the world over, that a better knowledge of the
human organism and hygiene on the part of the layman, would be of equal
advantage alike to physician and patient.
Drawing aside the veil from professional secrecy and allowing the
patient to know the why and the wherefore of things, means positive
success for my hygienic-dietetic system of healing, because it is the
only system which can ultimately survive in the light of general
knowledge and wisdom.
No knowledge, no precautions, will always prevent disease. It is the
natural incidence of the law of cause and effect that man, collectively,
cannot expect to go through life unmolested by disturbances of health.
From the very outset the tendency to disease is inherited; and indeed
today, although we have now learned how to combat the enemy, yet
opposing hosts are seen to be so vast and strongly entrenched about us
that we realize to some extent the years that must elapse before mankind
can be entirely set free from his hideous heritage, the harvest sown by
past ignorance, deception and neglect.
But, from the malignant evil of internecine strife Universal Good is
rising with an awakened nation's cry--a cry for freedom and release from
the ever-lengthening chains of pernicious interests and obsolete
institutions. The moment of release is at hand: That pyschological
moment of which James Russell Lowell sings:
"Once to every man and nation
Comes the moment to decide,
In the strife of Truth with Falsehood,
For the good or evil side."
And knowing what the People know--they who have borne so long, in grimly
impotent silence, under the guise of Freedom, the fortunes of the
slave--can we for one moment doubt what view their lawful, reasoning
demand for redress will take and whether or no it will prevail? The
hundred million voices of the Union sternly answer: NO!
In effecting this release, so far as the Science of Healing is
concerned, my system, which I claim to be entirely original, will be
found particularly efficacious, for it presents plainly and
convincingly, in the light of the most recent discoveries, the truth
that _all constitutional diseases are but the variations of one basal
deficiency_; that the entire art of rational healing lies in a knowledge
of the component parts of the body tissues, in a determination of the
tissues involved in the process of degeneration in each specific
instance, and in the subsequent treatment thereof by means of supplying
to the blood the elements necessary to regenerate the tissues in
question.
From this brief explanation may be judged the importance of the
hygienic dietetic physician in cases of sickness. The quack and
charlatan it is who persuade people to believe that they do not need the
physician, and compel them to pay for this belief in money and in
health. It is the obvious duty of every one to seek aid in case of
sickness from some physician who is a profound and professed advocate of
the only sensible, practical method of treatment; but, at the same time
I would make it possible for all to acquire sufficient knowledge to
enable them to judge for themselves whether the attendant summoned
responds in some measure to this requirement, the simple and logical
course of which contains at least some ray of hope for all who suffer.
* * * * *
It may not be amiss to cite here a brief outline of the teachings of the
four bright particular stars who have served as beacon lights in the
history and development of medicine. Not only does the modern medical
world acknowledge the doctrines of these four men as the foundation upon
which the practice of healing has been raised to a science, but
moreover,--_a point much more important for our consideration_,--it
also admits that the least essential part of the work of Hippocrates,
the "Father of Medicine;" namely, his _statement of theory_, is the part
which has been accorded permanent prominence, whilst the portion of
greatest value in his labours; that is to say, the _practical part_, has
been neglected and ignored.
The following passages are taken from the article entitled "History of
Medicine" in the Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th. Edition, vol. XVIII,
pages 42-51.
"_Hippocrates_, called the 'Father of Medicine,' lived during the age of
Pericles, (495-429 B.C.), and occupied as high a position in medicine as
did the great philosophers, orators, and tragedians in their respective
fields.
His high conception of the duties and position of the physician and the
skill with which he manipulated the materials that were at hand,
constituted two important characteristics of Hippocratic medicine.
Another was the recognition that disease, as well as health, is a
process governed by what we call natural laws, learned by observation,
and indicating the direction of recovery. These views of the 'natural
history of disease' led to habits of minute observation and careful
interpretation of symptoms, in which the Hippocratic school excelled and
has been the model for all succeeding ages, so that even now the true
method of clinical medicine may be said to be the method of Hippocrates.
One of the important doctrines of Hippocrates was the healing power of
nature. He did not teach that nature was sufficient to cure disease, but
he recognized a natural process of the humours, at least in acute
disease, being first of all _crude_, then passing through _coction_ or
digestion, and finally being expelled by resolution or crisis through
one of the natural channels of the body. The duty of the physician was
to 'assist and not to hinder these changes, so that the sick man might
conquer the disease with the help of the physician.'"
"_Galen_, the man from whom the greater part of modern European medicine
has flowed, lived about 131 to 201 A.D. He was equipped with all the
anatomical, medical, and philosophical knowledge of his time; he had
studied all kinds of natural curiosities and was in close touch with
important political events; he possessed enormous industry, great
practical sagacity, and unbounded literary fluency. At that time there
were numerous sects in the medical profession, various dogmatic systems
prevailed in medical science, and the social standing of physicians was
degraded. He assumed the task of reforming the existing evils and
restoring the unity of medicine as it had been understood by
Hippocrates, at the same time elevating the dignity of medical
practitioners.
In the explanation and healing of diseases he applied the science of
physiology. His theory was based upon the Hippocratic doctrine of
humours, but he developed it with marvelous ingenuity. He advocated that
the normal condition of the body depended upon a proper proportion of
the four elements, hot, cold, wet and dry. The faulty proportions of the
same gave rise, not to disease, but to the occasions for disease. He
laid equal stress upon the faulty composition or dysaemia of the blood.
He claimed that all diseases were due to a combination of these morbid
predispositions, together with injurious external influences, and thus
explained all symptoms and all diseases. He found a name for every
phenomenon and a solution for every problem. And though it was precisely
in this characteristic that he abandoned scientific methods and
practical utility, it was also this quality that gained for him his
popularity and prominence in the medical world.
However, his reputation grew slowly. His opinions were in opposition to
those of other physicians of his time. In the succeeding generation he
won esteem as a philosopher, and it was only gradually that his system
was accepted implicitly. It enjoyed great, though not exclusive
predominance until the fall of Roman civilization."
"_Thomas Sydenham_, (1624-1689) was well acquainted with the works of
the ancient physicians and had a fair knowledge of chemistry. Whether he
had any knowledge of anatomy is not definitely known. He advocated the
actual study of disease in an impartial manner, discarding all
hypothesis. He repeatedly referred to Hippocrates in his medical
methods, and he has quite deservedly been styled the English
Hippocrates. He placed great stress on the 'natural history of disease,'
just as did his Greek master, and likewise attached great importance to
'epidemic constitution,' that is, the influence of weather and other
natural causes on the process of disease. He believed in the healing
power of nature to an even greater degree than did Hippocrates. He
claimed that disease was nothing more than an effort on the part of
nature to restore the health of the patient by the elimination of the
morbific matter.
The reform of practical medicine was effected by men who advocated the
rejection of all hypothesis and the impartial study of natural
processes, as shown in health and disease. Sydenham showed that these
natural processes could be studied and dealt with without being
explained, and, by laying stress on facts and disregarding
_explanations_, he introduced a _method_ in medicine far more fruitful
than any discoveries. Though the dogmatic spirit continued to live for a
long time, the reign of standard authority had passed."
"_Boerhaave._ In the latter part of the seventeenth century a physician
arose (1668-1738) who was destined to become far more prominent in the
medical world than any of the English physicians of the age of Queen
Anne, though he differed but little from them in his way of thinking.
This was _Hermann Boerhaave_. For many years he was professor of
medicine at Leyden, and excelled in influence and reputation not only
his greatest forerunners, Montanus of Padua and Sylvius of Leyden, but
probably every subsequent teacher. The Hospital of Leyden became the
centre of medical influence in Europe. Many of the leading English
physicians of the 18th century studied there. Boerhaave's method of
teaching was transplanted to Vienna through one of his pupils, Gerard
Van Swieten, and thus the noted Vienna school of medicine was founded.
The services of Boerhaave to the progress of medicine can hardly be
overestimated. He was the organizer and almost the constructor of the
modern method of clinical instruction. He followed the methods of
Hippocrates and Sydenham in his teachings and in his practice. The
points of his system that are best known are his doctrines of
inflammation, obstruction, and 'plethora.' In the practice of medicine
he aimed to make use of all the anatomical and physiological
acquisitions of his age, including microscopical anatomy.
In this respect he differed from Sydenham, for the latter paid but
little more attention to modern medicine than to ancient dogma. In some
respects he was like Galen, but again differed from him, as he did not
wish to reduce his knowledge to any definite system. He spent much time
in studying the medical classics, though he valued them from an
historical standpoint rather than from an authoritative standpoint. It
would almost seem that the great task of Boerhaave's life a combination
of ancient and modern medicine, could not be of any real permanent
value, and the same might be said of his Aphorisms, in which he gave a
summary of the results of his long experience. And yet it is an
indisputable fact that his contributions to the science of medicine form
one of the necessary factors in the construction of modern medicine."
* * * * *
These extracts represent the principles of that bright constellation of
Master Minds who have gone before us and guided our footsteps through
tedious and tentative wanderings into the pathway of Truth. May their
undoubting, united testimony act as a reassuring, convincing influence
which will carry the reader back to the very fountain head of Medical
jurisprudence, through the medium of the Encyclopedia Britannica, the
highest accepted authority and criterion of authenticity in the English
speaking world; for, at the same time it will also provide a positive
and perfect safeguard and assurance of the solid basis and absolute
authenticity of my methods and teachings besides indicating definitely
the source and direction whence they are derived and establishing their
classical trend and legitimate purpose.