Before you dug into your Raisin Bran this morning, I hope you gave a brief pause and thought to one of the Kellogg brothers, John Harvey Kellogg.
John Harvey Kellogg would have turned 105 today which is why we mention him now. He is one of a handful of fascinating characters from the late 19th century who advocated a series of -ahem - unique health principles.
John Harvey Kellogg is probably most famous for his advocacy and production of whole grain cereals. He and his brother, Will, produced whole grain cereals as a cheaper alternative to more expensive breakfast meals consisting of meat and eggs.
However, the two brothers had a falling out and Will formed his own company. Will's company eventually became The Kellogg Company, manufacturer of such fine breakfast staples as Frosted Flakes and Raisin Bran.
But that is the boring historical stuff. The fun historical stuff is the fact that John Harvey Kellogg was a doctor who ran Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan. There, Kellogg advocated a number of different health practices with a particular emphasis on enemas.
According to that wonderful reference source Wikipedia, Kellogg made sure that every patient at his sanitarium had an enema. He then had each patient eat half a yogurt and administered the rest of the yogurt through - you guessed it - an enema.
If any of this at all sounds familiar, it's because T.C. Boyle wrote a book called The Road To Wellville and that was turned into a move with the same title starring Anthony Hopkins.
We're not done yet with the story of John Harvey Kellogg! He also founded the Race Betterment Foundation. Kellogg was an advocate of eugenics and did not want white people to mix with immigrants or non-whites.
So besides being a racist and favoring shooting water up your butt, Kellogg also was against masturbation!
Kellogg suggested some unusual ways to keep boys from masturbating. Some of the methods he suggested: tying a boy's hands; covering the boys junk with a cage(!) and electrical shocking(!!)
Thankfully none of Kellogg's ideas really took root and the main lasting legacy he left us with is helping to advance the cause of breakfast cereals.
So the next time you run to the bathroom after a hearty whole grain breakfast cereal, I hope you take the time to think a little about John Harvey Kellogg. I know I will.
2 comments:
1. What inspired you to write about this?
2. How'd you know today was raisin bran man's b-day?
3. You're so knowledgeable. You never cease to amaze me.
Thank you for your kind comments anonymous woman who i don't know.
1) I was inspired because i found out it was his birthday today and i thought he was an interesting historical figure.
2) I needed a topic so i looked up famous birthdays.
3) I always seek to please you.
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