Heinrich Lahmann

Vocation

German physician who was a pioneer of naturopathic medicine, stressing the importance of diet, exercise and fresh air. He was also an ardent practitioner of physiotherapy and hydrotherapy. Lahmann recommended a vegetarian diet of fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grain bread and dairy products, and believed in limiting one's intake of table salt and liquor. He developed five separate diets for his patients, which included food for diabetics, food for the overweight, as well as a strictly vegetarian diet. In his 1891 book, Diätetische Blutentmischung als Grundursache der Krankheiten, he argued that diseases were ultimately caused by a poor diet, and therefore a proper diet was needed to prevent illness. He was also one of the first physicians to recognize the importance of minerals in an individuals' diet, feeling that many foods were mineral deficient. Lahmann was an advocate of animal rights, refusing to use them in laboratory experiments. He also advocated loose-fitting clothing for all his patients, and recommended both sauna and open-air bathing. He died on 1 June 1905, aged 45, in Friedrichstal, Radeberg. Link to Wikipedia biography