Herbert M. Shelton
Encyclopedia
Herbert Macgolfin Shelton (6 October 1895–1 January 1985) was an American
alternative medicine
advocate, author, pacifist
, vegetarian, and supporter of raw foodism
and fasting
cures. Shelton was nominated by the American Vegetarian Party
to run as its candidate for President of the United States in 1956. He saw himself as the champion of original Natural hygiene
ideas from the 1830s.
to Thomas Mitchell Shelton and Mary Frances Gutherie Shelton, who were devoted Christians. As a child, Shelton took an interest in animals, especially their habits when sick as compared to when well. He was especially intrigued by their fasting when the farm animals became sick.
College of Physcultopathy in Chicago
and interned at Crane's Sanatorium in Elmhurst, Illinois
. He also attended Lindlahr College of Natural Therapeutics for post-graduate work and served at Lindlahr's and Sahler's Sanatoriums. Shelton later continued post-graduate work at Peerless College of Chiropractic in Illinois
and served an internship at Crandall Health School in Pennsylvania
.
In 1921, he married Ida Pape, studied at the American School of Chiropractic, and graduated from the American School of Naturopathy with a Doctor of Naturopathy (ND). He preached that cooking food denatures it, and that a healthy body has the ability to restore itself from illness without medical intervention. Although heavily criticized by his contemporaries for advocating fasting over medical treatment, Shelton remains an early leader of the raw food movement.
In 1922, Shelton self-published his first book, Fundamentals of Nature Cure. Seeing importance in the Hygienic Movement (launched in 1832 by Dr. Isaac Jennings and Sylvester Graham), he changed the title of this first book to An Introduction to Natural Hygiene. A later book, The Science and Fine Art of Fasting, had exerted a tremendous influence on Mahatma Gandhi, who frequently consulted the book before undertaking public fasts.
In 1927, he was arrested, jailed and fined three times for practicing medicine without a license. These arrests continued periodically through the next three decades while he continued to lecture and campaign for his ideas.http://www.soilandhealth.org/02/0201hyglibcat/shelton.bio.bidwell.htm
In 1932, Shelton was jailed repeatedly for practicing medicine without a license. Found guilty of violating the Medical Practice Act, he served 30 days on Rikers Island
.
In 1942, Shelton was charged with negligent homicide and "treating and offering to treat a human being without a state medical license" for starving a patient to death. The case was never tried and charges were dropped.
In 1978, another patient died at one of his schools, this time apparently of a heart attack. After a two-year-long court battle, Shelton lost the lawsuit for negligence and was bankrupted by the judgment. The school closed as a result.
. He died thirteen years later, unable to improve his own health despite many attempts. His contemporaries were shocked to see him unable to walk, speak normally, or write.
Toward the end most of his subsequent books were dictated in a whisper. He continued his involvement in Dr Shelton's Health School (now the seventh organization under that name).
A biography of Shelton was published in 1989, Yours for Health: The Life and Times of Herbert M. Shelton by Jean A. Oswald, Franklin Books, Franklin, Wisconsin ISBN 0-9620490-0-X
Bibliography of Herbert Shelton at Open Library (116 items).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
alternative medicine
Alternative medicine
Alternative medicine is any healing practice, "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine." It is based on historical or cultural traditions, rather than on scientific evidence....
advocate, author, pacifist
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
, vegetarian, and supporter of raw foodism
Raw foodism
Raw foodism is the practice of consuming uncooked, unprocessed, and often organic foods as a large percentage of the diet....
and fasting
Fasting
Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. An absolute fast is normally defined as abstinence from all food and liquid for a defined period, usually a single day , or several days. Other fasts may be only partially restrictive,...
cures. Shelton was nominated by the American Vegetarian Party
American Vegetarian Party
The American Vegetarian Party was a United States political party formed on July 28, 1947. The party held conventions and nominated candidates for President and Vice-President in several national elections, although they never seriously pursued ballot access or official recognition as a political...
to run as its candidate for President of the United States in 1956. He saw himself as the champion of original Natural hygiene
Natural hygiene
Natural Hygiene can refer to:* a school of medical thought also named orthopathy, founded by Herbert Shelton* naturopathy* a reference to the hygiene hypothesis...
ideas from the 1830s.
Early life
Shelton was born on October 6, 1895 in Wylie, TexasWylie, Texas
Not to be confused with the unincorporated area of Wylie, Texas just outside Abilene, Texas.Wylie is a city in Collin, Dallas, and Rockwall Counties in the U.S. state of Texas, and a suburb of Dallas. At the 2000 Census, the population was 15,132; 2004 estimates pegged it at 25,850...
to Thomas Mitchell Shelton and Mary Frances Gutherie Shelton, who were devoted Christians. As a child, Shelton took an interest in animals, especially their habits when sick as compared to when well. He was especially intrigued by their fasting when the farm animals became sick.
Career
Shelton attended Bernarr Macfadden'sBernarr Macfadden
Bernarr Macfadden was an influential American proponent of physical culture, a combination of bodybuilding with nutritional and health theories...
College of Physcultopathy in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and interned at Crane's Sanatorium in Elmhurst, Illinois
Elmhurst, Illinois
Elmhurst is a suburb of Chicago in DuPage and Cook Counties, Illinois. The population is 46,013 as of the 2008 US Census population estimate.-History:...
. He also attended Lindlahr College of Natural Therapeutics for post-graduate work and served at Lindlahr's and Sahler's Sanatoriums. Shelton later continued post-graduate work at Peerless College of Chiropractic in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and served an internship at Crandall Health School in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
In 1921, he married Ida Pape, studied at the American School of Chiropractic, and graduated from the American School of Naturopathy with a Doctor of Naturopathy (ND). He preached that cooking food denatures it, and that a healthy body has the ability to restore itself from illness without medical intervention. Although heavily criticized by his contemporaries for advocating fasting over medical treatment, Shelton remains an early leader of the raw food movement.
In 1922, Shelton self-published his first book, Fundamentals of Nature Cure. Seeing importance in the Hygienic Movement (launched in 1832 by Dr. Isaac Jennings and Sylvester Graham), he changed the title of this first book to An Introduction to Natural Hygiene. A later book, The Science and Fine Art of Fasting, had exerted a tremendous influence on Mahatma Gandhi, who frequently consulted the book before undertaking public fasts.
Legal history
A pacifist, Shelton was jailed in 1917 for making an anti-draft statement in public.In 1927, he was arrested, jailed and fined three times for practicing medicine without a license. These arrests continued periodically through the next three decades while he continued to lecture and campaign for his ideas.http://www.soilandhealth.org/02/0201hyglibcat/shelton.bio.bidwell.htm
In 1932, Shelton was jailed repeatedly for practicing medicine without a license. Found guilty of violating the Medical Practice Act, he served 30 days on Rikers Island
Rikers Island
Rikers Island is New York City's main jail complex, as well as the name of the island on which it sits, in the East River between Queens and the mainland Bronx, adjacent to the runways of LaGuardia Airport. The island itself is part of the borough of the Bronx, though it is included as part of...
.
In 1942, Shelton was charged with negligent homicide and "treating and offering to treat a human being without a state medical license" for starving a patient to death. The case was never tried and charges were dropped.
In 1978, another patient died at one of his schools, this time apparently of a heart attack. After a two-year-long court battle, Shelton lost the lawsuit for negligence and was bankrupted by the judgment. The school closed as a result.
Death
By 1972, at the age of 77, he was completely bedridden from a degenerative neuro-muscular disease believed to be Parkinson's diseaseParkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
. He died thirteen years later, unable to improve his own health despite many attempts. His contemporaries were shocked to see him unable to walk, speak normally, or write.
Toward the end most of his subsequent books were dictated in a whisper. He continued his involvement in Dr Shelton's Health School (now the seventh organization under that name).
A biography of Shelton was published in 1989, Yours for Health: The Life and Times of Herbert M. Shelton by Jean A. Oswald, Franklin Books, Franklin, Wisconsin ISBN 0-9620490-0-X
Selected bibliography
- The Hygienic System, Vol. II: Food and Diet, 1935, Library of new Atlantis, San Antonio, Texas, ISBN 1-57179-415-8,
- The Hygienic System, Vol. III: Fasting and Sun Bathing for Healing Disease, 1934, Self Published, San Antonio, Texas,
- The Hygienic System: Vol VI Orthopathy, 1939, Dr. Shelton's Health School, San Antonio, Texas.
- Natural Hygiene: Man's Pristine Way Of Life, Dr. Shelton's Health School, San Antonio, Texas, 1968.
- Hygienic Care of Children, Dr. Shelton's Health School, San Antonio, Texas, 1931.
- Living Life to Live it Longer: A Study in Orthobionomics, Orthopathy and Healthful Living, 1926, Kessinger Publishing, Oklahoma City, ISBN 0-7661-8568-0,
- Shelton, Herbert M. / Willard, Jo / Oswald, Jean A.. The Original Natural Hygiene Weight Loss Diet Book (1986) Keats Publishing, Inc. New Canaan, Connecticut ISBN 0-87983-376-9
Bibliography of Herbert Shelton at Open Library (116 items).
External links
- Bidwell, Victoria. "TIMELINE FOR THE LIFE & HARD TIMES OF DR. SHELTON
- http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/nutritional-science/the-paradise-diet.htmlRawFoodExplained.com - Shelton's Fundamental view about FruitarianismFruitarianismFruitarianism involves the practice of following a diet that includes fruits, nuts and seeds, without animal products, vegetables and grains. Fruitarianism is a subset of dietary veganism....
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