Benedict Lust (February 3, 1872 – September 5, 1945) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

-born American who was one of the founders of

naturopathic medicine Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a form of alternative medicine. A wide array of pseudoscientific practices branded as "natural", "non-invasive", or promoting "self-healing" are employed by its practitioners, who are known as natur ...

in the first decades of the twentieth century.

Biography

Lust was born in Michelbach,

Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden is ...

, Germany.Anonymous. (1945)
''The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Volume 32''
New York: James T. White & Company. pp. 505-506. As a youth, he became ill and was treated by Fr.

Sebastian Kneipp Sebastian Kneipp (17 May 1821 – 17 June 1897) was a German Catholic priest and one of the forefathers of the Naturopathy, naturopathic medicine movement. He is most commonly associated with the "Kneipp Cure" form of hydrotherapy (often called ...

, a famous advocate of the

water cure Water cure may refer to: * Water cure (therapy), a course of medical treatment by hydrotherapy * Water cure (torture), a form of torture in which a person is forced to drink large quantities of water * ''The Water Cure'', a 1916 film starring Olive ...

system. In 1892, he moved to the United States as Kneipp's official water cure representative. Lust attended the New York Preparatory College. He graduated from the Universal Osteopathic College in 1897 and the Eclectic and Naturopathic College in 1904. He received an M.D. from the Eclectic Medical College of New York in 1914. In 1896, Lust began his career as a naturopath by opening a health center and health food store in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He also opened the New York School of Massage in 1896 and the American School of Chiropractic. He published several German and English language magazines advocating

hydrotherapy Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and treatment. The term ...

and natural cure. One of his regular customers at the time was

Bernarr Macfadden Bernarr Macfadden (born Bernard Adolphus McFadden, August 16, 1868 – October 12, 1955) was an American proponent of physical culture, a combination of bodybuilding with nutritional and health theories. He founded the long-running magazine pub ...

, the popularizer of physical fitness and natural medicine. Benedict Lust was a disciple of

Adolf Just Adolf Just (born 8 August 1859, Lüthorst near Dassel, Kingdom of Hanover; died 20 January 1936, Blankenburg (Harz)) was a German naturopath. He was the founder of the sanatorium Jungborn in Eckertal (resin). Life He began an apprenticeship as a ...

, a German naturopath.Leavitt, June O. (2012). ''The Mystical Life of Franz Kafka: Theosophy, Cabala, and the Modern Spiritual Revival''. Oxford University Press. pp. 158-159. Lust established a branch of Just‘s

Jungborn Heilerde-Gesellschaft Luvos Just GmbH & Co. KG is a German manufacturer of medicinal clay (''Heilerde'', "healing earth")-based products for both internal and external application. Four different fineness grades of loess in both capsule and powder ...

in the

Ramapo Mountains The Ramapo Mountains are a forested chain of the Appalachian Mountains in northeastern New Jersey and southeastern New York, in the United States. They range in height from in New Jersey, and in New York. Several parks and forest preserves en ...

of New Jersey and translated in 1903 Just‘s book ''Kehrt zur Natur zurück!'' into English under the title ''Return to Nature; the True Natural Method of Living and Healing and the True Salvation of the Soul: Paradise Regained''. In 1901, Lust opened the American School of Naturopathy in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. He served as the organization's only president.Whorton, James. C. (2002). ''Nature Cures: The History of Alternative Medicine in America''. Oxford University Press. p. 194. In 1919, the Naturopathic Society of America was dissolved and Lust founded the American Naturopathic Association to supplant it. He operated the ''Herald of Health and Naturopath'' journal. He was also associated with Bernarr Macfadden's ''Physical Culture'' magazine. Lust established health resorts known as Yungborn in

Butler, New Jersey Butler is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 8,047, an increase of 508 (+6.7%) from the 2010 census count of 7,539, which in turn reflected an increase of 11 ...

and

Tangerine, Florida Tangerine is a census-designated place (CDP) in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,865 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Tangerine is located at (28.75 ...

which acted as the Winter Campus for the American School of Naturopathy until 2001. He published and translated

August Engelhardt August Engelhardt (27 November 1875 – 6 May 1919) was a German author and founder of a sect of sun worshipers. Background Engelhardt wrote a book called ''A Carefree Future'' () in 1898, which described a colony of fruit and vegetable eaters, ...

's book, ''A Carefree Future'' in 1913. In 1918, he published the ''Universal Naturopathic Encyclopedia'' for drugless therapy, and also published ''Nature’s Path'' magazine. He became known as the "Father of Naturopathy" in America, and his writings and magazines introduced Americans not only to German methods, but also Indian concepts of

Ayurveda Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population repo ...

and

Yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

Paramahansa Yogananda Paramahansa Yogananda (born Mukunda Lal Ghosh; January 5, 1893March 7, 1952) was an Indian Hindu monk, yogi and guru who introduced millions to the teachings of meditation and Kriya Yoga through his organization Self-Realization Fellows ...

was one of several Indians who wrote articles for ''Nature’s Path'' in the 1920s, gaining wide exposure to a large American audience. Lust was a vegetarianism activist and opponent of the

germ theory of disease The germ theory of disease is the currently accepted scientific theory for many diseases. It states that microorganisms known as pathogens or "germs" can lead to disease. These small organisms, too small to be seen without magnification, invade h ...

vaccination Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine to help the immune system develop immunity from a disease. Vaccines contain a microorganism or virus in a weakened, live or killed state, or proteins or toxins from the organism. In stimulating ...

and

vivisection Vivisection () is surgery conducted for experimental purposes on a living organism, typically animals with a central nervous system, to view living internal structure. The word is, more broadly, used as a pejorative catch-all term for experiment ...

. He considered the germ theory to be the "most gigantic hoax of modern times." Lust eschewed the use of drugs and believed that all diseases, including cancer, could be cured by natural processes. Lust died at

Family

Lust was the son of Johannes and Luise Lust. He married Aloysia Stroebele (Louisa Stroebele Lust) in New York City on June 11, 1900. Similar to Lust, Stroebele was a naturopath and vegetarian. Lust's brother was Louis Lust, a baker who operated a bakery near Lust’s health center. Louis's son John B. Lust, was also a naturopath.

Controversy

Lust was criticized by medical experts for promoting quackery and was often in conflict with the

American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is a professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. Founded in 1847, it is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was approximately 240,000 in 2016. The AMA's state ...

.Boyle, Eric W. (2013). ''Quack Medicine: A History of Combating Health Fraud in Twentieth-Century America''. Praeger. pp. 85-86. On one occasion Lust was convicted of practicing medicine without a license and fined $100. He promoted pseudoscientific treatments such as biological blood-washing and zone therapy.Gardner, Martin. (1957)
"Medical Cults: Naturopathy"
In ''

Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science ''Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science'' (1957)—originally published in 1952 as ''In the Name of Science: An Entertaining Survey of the High Priests and Cultists of Science, Past and Present''—was Martin Gardner's second book. A survey o ...

''. Dover Publications. In total, Lust was arrested sixteen times by New York authorities and several times by federal agents.Cayleff, Susan E. (2016). ''Nature's Path: A History of Naturopathic Healing in America''. Hopkins University Press. p. 186. In 1921, Lust was arrested for criminal libel against

Frances Benzecry Frances McKeon Benzecry (c.1878 – 1937) was one of the first female detectives in New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 populatio ...

, a private detective for the American Medical Association. Lust wrote that Benzecry was "a disgrace to American womanhood and to the free soil of America on which she treads". He was released after a $10,000 bond was posted.

Selected publications

''Universal Naturopathic Encyclopedia''
(1918) *''The Fountain of Youth: Or Curing by Water'' (1923) *''The Crime of Vaccination'' (1926) *''Zone Therapy Or Relieving Pain and Sickness by Nerve Pressure'' (1928)

References

*Lust, Benedict ''Yungborn: The Life and Times of Dr. Benedict Lust and Pilgrimages to the Great Masters'', Healing Mountain Publishing, reprinted 2006.

*Boyle, Wade, Kirchfield, Friedhelm ''Nature Doctors'' Medicina Biologica, 1994, *Wassamer & Payne ''Butler New Jersey In Story and Pictures'' Butler Argus, 1951.

External links