What do WWII battles, ballistic missiles, and the deadly brown tree snake have in common?
John Harvey Kellogg worked as a doctor and nutritionist, alongside other professions.
However, you may be familiar with that surname primarily from Kellogg's Corn Flakes, a product that was actually created by his brother, Will Keith Kellogg, upon the request of John Harvey.
Dr. Kellogg was not only a renowned figure, but also a writer. In 1887, he released 'Plain Facts for Old and Young: Embracing the Natural History and Hygiene of Organic Life,' which was an updated version of his earlier publication from 1877 titled 'Plain Facts About Sexual Life.'
The book offers suggestions for young boys and girls on how to live their lives. Want to know more? Dr. Kellogg provided extensive guidance on proper behavior for girls in the 19th century.
"No girl can long be beautiful without health; and no girl who enjoys perfect health can be really ugly in appearance. A healthy countenance is always attractive.”
Dr. Kellogg was highly concerned about health and even developed the Battle Creek Health Builder exercise machine.
"A girl will always do well to avoid a companion who is vain, idle, silly, or frivolous. Girls who have these evil characteristics are very likely to have others also which are worse." Seems a bit harsh...
"No matter how pretty, witty, stylish, or aristocratic she may be, she should be shunned," he added.
According to Dr. Kellogg, sentimental books should be avoided. He stated, "A confirmed novel-reader is almost as difficult to reform as a confirmed inebriate or opium-eater. The influence upon the mind is most damaging and pernicious. It not only destroys the love for solid, useful reading, but excites the emotions, and in many cases keeps the passions in a perfect fever of excitement."
Kellogg argues that Geoffrey Chaucer's poetry has incited indulgence in one's desires, resulting in "self-abuse for the gratification of passions." Terrible!
Food can have various effects on our mood and body, such as potentially reducing depression or acting as an aphrodisiac. Kellogg takes a more cautious stance on certain foods and their potential dangers.
Dr. Kellogg warned girls about the risks associated with consuming "stimulating and exciting articles of food" such as spices, pepper, ginger, mustard, cinnamon, cloves, essences, all condiments, salt, pickles, fish, fowl, oysters, eggs, and milk...
According to the good doctor, indulging at night is the worst thing you can do! "Late suppers, confectionery and dainties—all these have a very powerful influence in the wrong direction by exciting functions which ought to be kept as nearly latent as possible."
We all know the side effects of drinking coffee, but Dr. Kellogg had another concern: "the influence of coffee in stimulating the genital organs is notorious."
Dr. Kellogg believed that the ideal ages for women and men were 20 and 24, respectively, as this is when the body reaches full maturity.
To all the women contemplating marriage, here's some advice: "Look well before you leap; consider well, carefully, and prayerfully. A leap in the dark is a fearful risk, and will be far more likely to land you in a domestic purgatory than anywhere else."
"Do not be dazzled by a handsome face, an agreeable address, a brilliant or piquant manner. Choose, rather, modesty, simplicity, sincerity, morality, qualities of heart and mind, rather than exterior embellishments."
Dr. Kellogg stated that these activities aren't productive and can even pose a potential danger, as they give young couples too much time to succumb to pre-marital temptation...
"There may be circumstances which render a prolonged engagement necessary and advisable; but, in general, they are to be avoided," he advised.
According to Dr. Kellogg, modesty holds great value. He stated that "maidenly modesty is one of the best qualities which any young lady can possess."
"A young woman who lacks modesty, who manifests boldness of manner and carelessness in deportment, is not only liable to have her virtue assailed by designing and unscrupulous men, but is herself likely to fall before the temptation to indulge in secret sin, which is certain to present itself in some way sooner or later."
Flirting can be harmful, he says. "It exerts a malign influence alike upon the mental, the moral, and the physical constitution of those who indulge it."
"The young lady who has become infatuated with a passion for flirting, courting the society of young men simply for the pleasure derived from their attentions, is educating herself in a school which will totally unfit her for the enjoyment of domestic peace and happiness … She is surely sacrificing a life of real true happiness for the transient fascinations of unreal enjoyment, pernicious excitement."
As long as it is done for exercise purposes, it is acceptable to engage in dancing! "Whatever apologies may be offered for other forms of the dance as means of exercise employed as a form of calisthenics, no such excuse can be framed in defense of 'round dances,' especially of the waltz."
Kellogg argues that dancing directly stimulates passions and prompts unchaste desires. These acts, often resulting in violations of strict morality, are detrimental to both the mind and body, he claims.
"Make your dear mother your confidant in all your perplexities and trials. Go to her for information on all subjects upon which you find yourself ignorant. Let no foreign influence beguile away your confidence from her who is most worthy of your love and respect, and who is best prepared to instruct you on all subjects, no matter how delicate."
Dr. Kellogg states that daydreams "are often the sources of general debility, effeminacy, disordered functions, premature disease, and even premature death, without the actual exercise of the genital organs!" Ouch!
Daydreaming is often associated with people who are lazy, pleasure-seeking, inactive, and prone to anxiety.
Sources: (Mentalfloss) (Internet Archive)
The 19th century was certainly a time of peculiarities. From babies being suspended in cages outside windows to doctors prescribing cocaine and opium, as well as people wearing clothing laced with arsenic, it was an era filled with bizarre practices. Could it get any weirder? Well, that's for you to decide.
Before the days of women's magazines and endless sources of online advice, there were a few books on the subject of how to live healthily and successfully. In this gallery, we will delve into the specific advice given by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (yes, you know the name).
Take a look through and discover how Dr. Kellogg advised the girls of the 19th century!
Dr. Kellogg declares, "… the girl who disregards the laws of health … who carefully follows the fashions in her dress, lacing her waist to attain the fashionable degree of slenderness … insufficiently clothing the limbs in cold weather … may be certain that sooner or later, certainly at no distant day, she will become as unattractive and homely as she can wish not to be …"
He further explores the problem with corsets by describing how they hinder the flow of blood to the heart. "The venous blood is crowded back into the delicate organs of generation. Congestion ensues, and with it, through reflex action, the unnatural excitement of the animal propensities."
Surprising 19th-century advice for girls
Daydreaming can be highly dangerous for a young woman!
LIFESTYLE History
The 19th century was certainly a time of peculiarities. From babies being suspended in cages outside windows to doctors prescribing cocaine and opium, as well as people wearing clothing laced with arsenic, it was an era filled with bizarre practices. Could it get any weirder? Well, that's for you to decide.
Before the days of women's magazines and endless sources of online advice, there were a few books on the subject of how to live healthily and successfully. In this gallery, we will delve into the specific advice given by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (yes, you know the name).
Take a look through and discover how Dr. Kellogg advised the girls of the 19th century!