John Harvey Kellogg American doctor Date of Birth: 26.02.1852 Country: USA

Biography of John Harvey Kellogg

John Harvey Kellogg was an American physician who revolutionized the concept of health and wellness. He was born on February 26, 1852, in Tyrone, Michigan, to John Preston Kellogg and Ann Janette Stanley. Growing up with two sisters, his family later moved to Battle Creek, Michigan, where his father founded a factory for producing brooms.

Kellogg received his education in public schools and went on to attend the Michigan State Normal School. He then pursued a medical degree at New York University Medical College, graduating in 1875. On February 22, 1879, he married Ella Ervilla Eaton, and although they did not have biological children, they raised over forty children, officially adopting seven of them. Ella passed away in 1920.

As a devout Seventh-day Adventist, Kellogg often spoke at spiritual gatherings. However, his unorthodox creative style caused some dissatisfaction among certain members of the church. In December 1902, the Battle Creek Sanitarium, owned by the Adventists, burned down. In an attempt to raise funds for its reconstruction, Kellogg wrote a book called "The Living Temple." Unfortunately, the book's content, tinged with pantheistic ideas, led to his expulsion from the church in 1907. Before this pivotal moment, Kellogg had served as the chief physician at the Battle Creek Sanitarium.

Kellogg was known for his holistic approach to healing, emphasizing nutrition, enemas, and a comprehensive exercise regimen. He believed that many diseases could be alleviated by changing the intestinal flora. He prescribed water enemas to his patients, followed by the consumption of yogurt to restore a healthy gut microbiome. Alongside his brother, Will Keith Kellogg, he founded the "Sanitas" company, which produced whole grain products from around 1897.

The invention of corn flakes, however, brought the Kellogg brothers the most fame. While experimenting with cornmeal recipes, they accidentally created flakes instead of dough balls. These flakes, when toasted, became airy and crispy. To make the taste more appealing to the general public, they added sugar and served the flakes with milk and additional sweeteners. This led to the birth of the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company, later known as the Kellogg Company.

It should be noted that the idea of dry cereals based on grains did not originate with the Kelloggs. Dr. James Caleb Jackson had already introduced a dry breakfast called "Granula" in 1863. One of Kellogg's patients, Charles William Post, became their main competitor by establishing his company, "Post Cereals." Kellogg later claimed that Post had stolen the corn flakes formula from his office safe at the sanitarium.

Although Kellogg initially expressed concerns about society's sexual problems, he eventually shifted his focus to combating smoking. Nevertheless, various sources suggest that he never fully abandoned his claims. For a long time, Kellogg vehemently opposed masturbation, considering it worse than the plague, war, and smallpox. He believed that individuals who engaged in this act would suffer from uterine cancer, urinary diseases, nocturnal emissions, impotence, epilepsy, madness, and mental and physical weakness. He advocated for male circumcision to "curb masturbation" and the use of phenol (carbolic acid) to reduce the sensitivity of girls' clitorises.

Despite his advocacy for racial equality through adopting African American children, Kellogg supported racial segregation and believed that immigrants and non-whites could harm the gene pool. John Harvey Kellogg passed away on December 14, 1943, in Battle Creek, Michigan.