PART I: Who Was Dr. Herbert M. Shelton?
A Dr. Herbert M. Shelton TimeLine
much Bible study, and much attention to Scripture at home. In his youth, others tell me, Herbert holds a love for The Lord. And he takes a keen interest in animals, especially their habits when sick as compared to when well. He was especially intrigued by their fasting when the farm animals took sick.
1901 The family moves to Greenville, Texas: these family patterns and Young Shelton interests continue.
1911 Young Herbert begins his health seeking career when he is attracted to Bernarr Mcfadden's Physical Culture magazine, sitting on a newsstand. He is introduced to articles on fasting for rejuvenation, weight training, and raw food. He begins eating less cooked and more raw, fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts. At 5'8" and 145 pounds, he is a robust boy and begins lifting weights. His father chides him for these interests; and for many years to come, he discourages Young Shelton in his health seeking studies. Only much later, when is asthma is debilitating him does Shelton's father take an interest in his son's passion for natural healing. His mother is supportive, however. From Macfadden's teachings, Young Herbert soon seeks out Dr. Russell Trall's work and finds his landmark treatise, The True Healing Art, which clearly outlines the stance of The 19th Century Pioneering Hygienists. Then Young Herbert moves on to study Presbyterian Minister Sylvester Graham, The Father of Physiology and Temperance Lecturer.
1913 Young Herbert's last year of high school, he thoroughly introduces himself to The 19th Century Medical and Hygiene-minded Doctors and teachers of "drugless healing": Doctors Robert Walker, Felix Oswald, Charles Page, Issac Jennings, and Thomas Low. Young Herbert experiments with a 3 day fast and reports, when finished, feeling "energetic and rejuvenated!" He graduates from high school in Greenville, a shy and somewhat bashful boy when it comes to the girls.
1917 Herbert is put in jail for the very first time for making an anti-draft statement in public. He is anti-war, anti-violence, and decidedly pro-pacifistic. He is drafted and serves 10 months on KP duty or as a mechanic. He sends his $20.oo a month home to Mary for safekeeping. He continues his self-study of Hygiene during this time and comes to a conclusion: "The medical system is the most dangerous of all." He further studies Medical Doctors William Alcott, James Jackson, Mary Gove, Harriet Austin, and John Tilden. And he deeply studies all the instances of fasting in The Bible.
1919 Herbert attends Bernarr Macfadden's College of Physcultopathy in Chicago and interns at Crane's Sanitarium in Elmhurst, Illinois, where he receives clinical experience in fasting. Crane's is 1 of 8 fasting institutes in The Nation, none of which are doing "Pure Hygiene" and most of which are doing "The Nature Cure," complete with many therapies. Then Herbert goes on to the Lindlahr College of Natural Therapeutics for post-graduate work and serves at 2 more institutes: Dr. Lindlahr's and Sahler's Sanitariums.
1921 Herbert, at age 25, marries Ida Pape, who is 21. They move to New York City, where he attends the American School of Chiropractic. He graduates from the American School of Naturopathy with a Doctor of Naturopath (N.D.) and a Doctor of Naturopathic Literature (N.D. Litt.) He then takes various teaching and interning and doctoring positions.
1922 Dr. Shelton, N.D., N.D. Litt., also takes another degree D.C. from the American School of Chiropractic. Dr. Herbert M. Shelton self-publishes his first book, Fundamentals of Nature Cure. The Nature Curists do not accept the book, as it had too much Hygiene in it. Dr. Shelton then decides against the term, "nature cure," for 2 reasons: "Nature is not engaged in curing disease. And the term 'nature cure' has been so badly abused that it no longer had any settled meaning. Anything and everything was included under the phrase." At this point, only 27 years old, Dr. Herbert M. Shelton realizes that The Hygienic Movement, launched in 1832 by Dr. Issac Jennings and Sylvester Graham is a separate and distinct health care system that must be purified and then kept separate from all the alternative health care systems. He is quoted as declaring:
