Dr. Isaac Jennings
Hygiene, as we understand it, is generally considered to have begun with Dr Isaac Jennings. Although the beginnings of any movement are difficult to discern Hygienists usually view this unusual doctor as the first to make a radical break with the conventional medical system.
Dr. Isaac Jennings was born in Fairfield, Conneticut on November, 17th, 1788. He died on March 13th, 1874. Dr. Jennings obtained his medical degree from Yale University having studied under Professor Eli Ives M.D.
Dr. Jennings practised orthodox medicine for a number of years gradually losing confidence in the employment of drugs which he finally abandoned during the treatment of a young woman afflicted with Typhus Fever. It appeared that the woman would die. Medication was discontinued. From a pure spring he obtained water and with gentle hygienic measures the lady made a complete recovery which convinced Dr. Jennings that drugs were useless and from that time on he ceased to use them. This was around the year 1822 which he started to develop his theory of Orthopathy.
Unaided by modern knowledge of physiology or the accumulated literature of predecessors writing on the nature of disease, relying entirely on his own reason, observation and experience he concluded that, ” the universal belief was that disease was hostile to life tended downwards in all its forms and of course should be counteracted. It was such a time and such a circumstance I took practically and decidedly the position that disease was in no wise antagonistic to life”. Dr. Jennings recognised that the maintenance and recovery of health depended upon certain conditions, influences and materials.
Dr. Jenning’s theory of Orthopathy gave a clear insight into the theory of enervation. Unfortunately he was not able to unify his philosophy with Dr. Trall and so strengthen both their positions but considerable debate went on between them. The following is an extract from a letter Dr. Jennings wrote to Dr. Traul,
“Respected and very dear friend. Very dear because devoted with all the energies of your being for a cause that is very dear to me. I was somewhat surprised to find in the February number of “The Herald of Health” notice taken by you of some remarks which I had made in reference to your theory of disease quite incidentally in a business communication to another party. I am not sorry however that you have thus in a very kind manner opened the way for a free and full discussion of our respective views of the nature of disease. What is disease has long been a perplexing question and on the correct settlement of this question hangs momentous results. I trust we shall both give expression of our thoughts on this subject with a sincere and earnest desire to know, love and to do the truth, wherever it may be found. However, our selfishness might be elated by the victor’s crown, our benevolence, if we have any, would disdain such diotrephean pre-eminence.”
Dr. Jenning’s all embracing theory of Orthopathy meaning right action or right suffering, that disease was the right action of the body functioning under lawful and orderly conditions at all times, is made clear in the following statement,
“from my standpoint it is seen life is a unit in its constitutional structural arrangement endowment and vital economy, that every department of the living organism is impressed as strongly as the Creator himself could impress it with a tendency to act in unison with every other part for the perfecting of the whole fabric that there might be a sound body for the use and residence of a sound mind that through the operation and influence of deleterious causes and agencies man has become deteriorated in his whole being, so dwarfed and enfeebled that every part of his system is now liable to be thrown into derangement by slight causes and that the immediate occasion of these derangements that are constantly occurring whatever they may have been their remote or producing causes is lack of sustaining energy.”
Lack of sustaining energy clearly indicated that Dr. Jennings theory is based upon a proper understanding of enervation. Dr. Jennings wrote several books, “Medical Reform”, 1847, “Tree of Life of Human Degeneracy” 1862, and “The Philosophy of Human Life” 1852. A further unpublished manuscript was also written later in life. I have a copy of this manuscript but it was never in print. The main student of his work is probably Dr. William Alcott, whom I will discuss later in this series.
Jennings, unlike, Traul, did not accept Hydrotherapy. He rejected it on principle whereas Traul abandoned it only after a trial. Dr. James C. Jackson, so far as I can ascertain, never abandoned it and practised Hydropathy to his death. Unfortunately several of the early hygienists were deluded by the fallacies of the water cure developed and promulgated by the European, Kneipp and Priesnitz. Dr. Jennings was probably one of the earliest physicians to employ placebos on an extensive scale. For 20 years he gave bread pills, coloured water and other non medicinal preparations at the same time giving good hygienic advice. His success was incredible and people sought his care from far and wide. Eventually his conscience got the better of him and he announced that he had no faith in medicines from which time he never made any pretence.
Dr. Jennings left Conneticut and went to Obolin in Ohio in 1839 to help with the establishment of a community dedicated to a way of life that was to conform to hygienic principles. Unfortunately one of the great tragedies of Jenning’s life is that the venture did not succeed. He served the city of Obolin as mayor and was a trustee of Obolin College.
It is said of Dr. Jennings that his success was phenomenal. No other physician could exist in the same region. He greatly influenced Traul, Jackson, Walter, Page and Oswald. In the front of his book, “The Philosophy of Human Life”, Jennings quotes Napoleon Bonaparte, “Doctor, no physician, we are machines made to live we are organised for that purpose such is our nature do not counteract the living principle let it alone leave it the liberty of defending itself it will do better than your drugs”. Indeed Dr. Jennings was the father of the “let alone” treatment or “doing nothing intelligently”.