James Henry Salisbury, M.D. (January 12, 1823 – September 23, 1905) was a 19th-century
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
physician
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
, and the inventor of the
Salisbury steak
Salisbury steak is a dish originating in the United States and made from a blend of ground beef and other ingredients and usually served with gravy or brown sauce. It is a version of Hamburg steak.
Background
Hamburg was a common embarkatio ...
.
Early life
Salisbury was born in
Scott, New York, in 1823. He earned a
Bachelor
A bachelor is a man who is not and has never been married.Bachelors are, in Pitt & al.'s phrasing, "men who live independently, outside of their parents' home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating". ().
Etymo ...
of
Natural Sciences
Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...
degree from the
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1844. He joined the
New York Geological Survey as an assistant chemist, was promoted in 1849 to principal chemist, and remained in this position until 1852. He earned his medical degree from
Albany Medical College
Albany Medical College (AMC) is a private medical school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1839 by Alden March and James H. Armsby and is one of the oldest medical schools in the nation. The college is part of the Albany Medical Center, whi ...
in 1850, and a Master's degree from
Union College
Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...
in 1852. He was elected a member of the
American Antiquarian Society
The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society i ...
in 1862.
Career
Salisbury served as a physician during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
, and became convinced that
diarrhea
Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin w ...
suffered by the troops could be controlled with a diet of
coffee
Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world.
Seeds of ...
and lean chopped
beefsteak
A beefsteak, often called just steak, is a flat cut of beef with parallel faces, usually cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers. In common restaurant service a single serving has a raw mass ranging from . Beef steaks are usually grilling, gr ...
.
Salisbury was one of the earliest health
food faddists and taught that diet was the main determinant of health. He believed
vegetables
Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems ...
and starchy foods produced poisonous substances in the digestive system which were responsible for
heart disease,
tumors
A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...
, mental illness and
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...
. He believed that
human dentition demonstrated that humans were meant to eat meat, and sought to limit vegetables, fruit,
starches, and
fat
In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food.
The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple est ...
s to one-third of the
diet
Diet may refer to:
Food
* Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group
* Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake
** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...
.
The Salisbury steak, his means of achieving this goal, is ground beef flavored with onion and seasoning and then
broiled
Grilling is a form of cooking that involves dry heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above, below or from the side. Grilling usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking meat a ...
and covered with gravy or brown sauce. It was introduced in 1888. Salisbury saw beef as an excellent defense against many different physical problems. He suggested that Salisbury steak should be eaten three times a day, with much hot water to cleanse the digestive system. He was an early American proponent of a
low-carbohydrate diet
Low-carbohydrate diets restrict carbohydrate consumption relative to the average diet. Foods high in carbohydrates (e.g., sugar, bread, pasta) are limited, and replaced with foods containing a higher percentage of fat and protein (e.g., meat, ...
for
weight loss
Weight loss, in the context of medicine, health, or physical fitness, refers to a reduction of the total body mass, by a mean loss of fluid, body fat ( adipose tissue), or lean mass (namely bone mineral deposits, muscle, tendon, and other co ...
, and he promoted his diet for that purpose. His diet became known as the "Salisbury diet". It has been described as an early example of a
fad diet
A fad diet is a diet that becomes popular for a short time, similar to fads in fashion, without being a standard dietary recommendation, and often making unreasonable claims for fast weight loss or health improvements. There is no single defi ...
. The Salisbury diet was promoted by
Elma Stuart in her book ''What Must I do to Get Well?'', that went through at least 32 editions.
Salisbury steak is similar to a number of other dishes made of ground beef. Its name caught on partly because
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
inspired a movement in English-speaking nations to avoid German-sounding terms such as "hamburger".
Death
Salisbury died aged 82 at his country home in
Dobbs Ferry, New York
Dobbs Ferry is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 10,875 according to the 2010 United States Census. In 2019, its population rose to an estimated 11,027. The village of Dobbs Ferry is located in, and is a p ...
and was buried at
Lake View Cemetery
Lake View Cemetery is a privately owned, nonprofit garden cemetery located in the cities of Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, and East Cleveland in the U.S. state of Ohio. Founded in 1869, the cemetery was favored by wealthy families during the Gil ...
in
Cleveland, Ohio.
[Vigil, Vicki Blum (2007). ''Cemeteries of Northeast Ohio: Stones, Symbols & Stories''. Cleveland, OH: Gray & Company, Publishers. ]
Publications
''The Relation of Alimentation and Disease''(1888)
References
Further reading
*
Morris Fishbein
Morris Fishbein M.D. (July 22, 1889 – September 27, 1976) was an American physician and editor of the '' Journal of the American Medical Association'' (''JAMA'') from 1924 to 1950.
Ira Rutkow's ''Seeking the Cure: A History of Medicine in ...
. (1951). ''Dr. James H. Salisbury, Salisbury steak or hamburger, and the Salisbury diet''. ''
Postgraduate Medical Journal'' 10 (3): 256-257.
*Terence McLaughlin. (1978). ''A Diet of Tripe: The Chequered History of Food Reform''. David & Charles.
*Elma Stuart. (1889)
''What Must I Do to Get Well?: And How Can I Keep So?: An Exposition of the Salisbury Treatment'' W. A. Kellogg.
''The History of Salisbury Steak and Central New York'' (2019). Exploring Upstate
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salisbury, James H.
1823 births
1905 deaths
19th-century American physicians
Albany Medical College alumni
American Civil War surgeons
Burials at Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland
Low-carbohydrate diet advocates
Members of the American Antiquarian Society
People from Scott, New York
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni
Physicians from New York (state)