D. C. Jarvis
Encyclopedia
DeForest Clinton Jarvis (March 15, 1881 – August 18, 1966) was an American
physician from Vermont
. He is best known for his writings on the subject of folk medicine
. He recommended a mixture of whole apple cider vinegar and honey
that have variously been called switchel
or honegar, as a health tonic. He also promoted an acid diet (alkinalizing); an alkaline diet (acid forming) he found was consistent with illness or pending illness. Both practices which are still promulgated by various naturopath
s. He also advocated the consumption of kelp
, fish
, corn
, and apple
s, and warned against white flour
, white sugar
, and processed foods
.
In his practice he used Squibb's Nitrazine papers to determine acidity or alkalinity of a patient's urine and his willing test subjects did the same. These papers are now available known as Hydrion Short Range PH Paper ( Nitrazine Paper ) 5 yard roll in dispenser with chart. Used in urinalysis for determining PH( acid/base ) in the 4.5 to 7.5 range.
into a fifth-generation Vermont family and grew up in Burlington, Vermont
. His parents were George Jarvis and Abbie Vincent. He graduated from the University of Vermont
Medical College in 1904, and began practicing medicine in Barre, Vermont in 1909.
Jarvis's wife was named Pearl Macomber, and they had a daughter, Sylvia Jarvis Smith (b. June 29, 1914), who graduated from the University of Vermont
in 1936. His hobbies included making jewelry and playing the cello
, and he managed a children's orchestra
for 22 years.
Jarvis's 1958 book Folk Medicine: A Vermont Doctor's Guide to Good Health. The book was on the New York Times Best Seller list
for two years, ultimately selling over one million copies, more than 245,000 copies in a single year, and was still in print as of 2002. Wrote one reviewer, "Pliny, the ancient Roman originator of the doctrine of signatures, used honey and vinegar to cleanse the system and promote good health. D. C. Jarvis, M.D. in Folk Medicine has re-popularized the use of honey and apple cider vinegar in modern times." More recently, modern science has begun to revisit some of his claims about vinegar, particularly with respect to diabetes, weight loss and insulin resistance.
He died at the Girouard Nursing Home
in South Barre, Vermont
, at the age of 85. The cause of death was a chronic
kidney infection
, coupled with cerebral thrombosis
and arteriosclerosis
.
, where it was reconstructed and is still displayed, as an example of a small-town Vermont doctor's office.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physician from Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. He is best known for his writings on the subject of folk medicine
Folk medicine
-Description:Refers to healing practices and ideas of body physiology and health preservation known to a limited segment of the population in a culture, transmitted informally as general knowledge, and practiced or applied by anyone in the culture having prior experience.All cultures and societies...
. He recommended a mixture of whole apple cider vinegar and honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
that have variously been called switchel
Switchel
Switchel, also switzel, swizzle, ginger-water, haymaker's punch or switchy, is a drink made of water mixed with vinegar, and often seasoned with ginger. Honey, sugar, brown sugar, or maple syrup were sometimes used to sweeten the drink instead of molasses. In the U.S...
or honegar, as a health tonic. He also promoted an acid diet (alkinalizing); an alkaline diet (acid forming) he found was consistent with illness or pending illness. Both practices which are still promulgated by various naturopath
Naturopathic medicine
Naturopathy, or Naturopathic Medicine, is a form of alternative medicine based on a belief in vitalism, which posits that a special energy called vital energy or vital force guides bodily processes such as metabolism, reproduction, growth, and adaptation...
s. He also advocated the consumption of kelp
Kelp
Kelps are large seaweeds belonging to the brown algae in the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera....
, fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, and apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
s, and warned against white flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
, white sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
, and processed foods
Food processing
Food processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food or to transform food into other forms for consumption by humans or animals either in the home or by the food processing industry...
.
In his practice he used Squibb's Nitrazine papers to determine acidity or alkalinity of a patient's urine and his willing test subjects did the same. These papers are now available known as Hydrion Short Range PH Paper ( Nitrazine Paper ) 5 yard roll in dispenser with chart. Used in urinalysis for determining PH( acid/base ) in the 4.5 to 7.5 range.
Biography
Jarvis was born in Plattsburg, New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
into a fifth-generation Vermont family and grew up in Burlington, Vermont
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
. His parents were George Jarvis and Abbie Vincent. He graduated from the University of Vermont
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
Medical College in 1904, and began practicing medicine in Barre, Vermont in 1909.
Jarvis's wife was named Pearl Macomber, and they had a daughter, Sylvia Jarvis Smith (b. June 29, 1914), who graduated from the University of Vermont
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
in 1936. His hobbies included making jewelry and playing the cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, and he managed a children's orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
for 22 years.
Jarvis's 1958 book Folk Medicine: A Vermont Doctor's Guide to Good Health. The book was on the New York Times Best Seller list
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
for two years, ultimately selling over one million copies, more than 245,000 copies in a single year, and was still in print as of 2002. Wrote one reviewer, "Pliny, the ancient Roman originator of the doctrine of signatures, used honey and vinegar to cleanse the system and promote good health. D. C. Jarvis, M.D. in Folk Medicine has re-popularized the use of honey and apple cider vinegar in modern times." More recently, modern science has begun to revisit some of his claims about vinegar, particularly with respect to diabetes, weight loss and insulin resistance.
He died at the Girouard Nursing Home
Nursing home
A nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...
in South Barre, Vermont
South Barre, Vermont
South Barre is a census-designated place in the town of Barre in Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,242 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, at the age of 85. The cause of death was a chronic
Chronic (medicine)
A chronic disease is a disease or other human health condition that is persistent or long-lasting in nature. The term chronic is usually applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three months. Common chronic diseases include asthma, cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS.In medicine, the...
kidney infection
Urinary tract infection
A urinary tract infection is a bacterial infection that affects any part of the urinary tract. Symptoms include frequent feeling and/or need to urinate, pain during urination, and cloudy urine. The main causal agent is Escherichia coli...
, coupled with cerebral thrombosis
Thrombus
A thrombus , or blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. It is achieved via the aggregation of platelets that form a platelet plug, and the activation of the humoral coagulation system...
and arteriosclerosis
Arteriosclerosis
Arteriosclerosis refers to a stiffening of arteries.Arteriosclerosis is a general term describing any hardening of medium or large arteries It should not be confused with "arteriolosclerosis" or "atherosclerosis".Also known by the name "myoconditis" which is...
.
Legacy
After his death in 1966, Jarvis's office was dismantled and shipped to the Shelburne MuseumShelburne Museum
Shelburne Museum is a museum of art and Americana located in Shelburne, Vermont, United States. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the Museum grounds...
, where it was reconstructed and is still displayed, as an example of a small-town Vermont doctor's office.
Books
- Folk Medicine: A Vermont Doctor's Guide to Good Health (1958). New York: Holt.
- Arthritis and Folk Medicine (1960). New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.