Walter Lyle Voegtlin (March 4, 1904 – 1975) was an American

gastroenterologist Gastroenterology (from the Greek gastḗr- “belly”, -énteron “intestine”, and -logía "study of") is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders. The digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract, ...

and pioneer of the

Paleolithic diet The Paleolithic diet, Paleo diet, caveman diet, or stone-age diet is a modern fad diet consisting of foods thought by its proponents to mirror those eaten by humans during the Paleolithic era. The diet avoids processed food and typically incl ...

Biography

Voegtlin was born at

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

.Voegtlin, Walter L. (1933). ''Evacuation of the Gall Bladder with Cholecystokinin as Studied by Duodenal Drainage''. NorthWestern University, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. p. 27 He was educated at West Des Moines High School and Broadway High School. He studied at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

(1926–1929) and

Northwestern University Medical School Northwestern or North-western or North western may refer to: * Northwest, a direction * Northwestern University, a private research university in Evanston, Illinois ** The Northwestern Wildcats, this school's intercollegiate athletic program ** No ...

(1929–1933). He obtained his BA from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

in June, 1932. Voegtlin's Master of Science thesis at Northwestern University was titled ''Evacuation of the Gall Bladder with Cholecystokinin as Studied by Duodenal Drainage''. He received his

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

in 1935."1960 Alumnus Shares His Remembrances of Pearl Harbor"
Northwestern Medicine Medical Alumni Association. June 2020, Issue 38. Retrieved April 10, 2021. In the 1930s, Voegtlin and psychiatrist Frederick Lemere at the Shadel Sanatorium (now Schick Shadel Hospital) in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

promoted the use of

aversion therapy Aversion therapy is a form of psychological treatment in which the patient is exposed to a stimulus while simultaneously being subjected to some form of discomfort. This conditioning is intended to cause the patient to associate the stimulus wit ...

to treat alcoholics. Between 1936–1950 the facility treated over 5000 patients. It has been described as the first successful treatment for

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

based on scientific principles. In 1950, Voegtlin and Lemere reported that based on data from 4096 patients over 14 years there was a 60% abstinence at the 1-year point, 51% for two years, 38% for five years, and 23% for 10 years.

''The Stone Age Diet''

Voegtlin was the first to publish a book ''The Stone Age Diet'', based on the supposed principles of

Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός ''palaios'', "old" and λίθος ''lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone too ...

nutrition, in 1975. The book has been cited as pioneering the Paleolithic diet.Karasu, Sylvia R. (2016)
"In Nutrition, Where Does Science Stop and Fantasy Begin?"
''Psychology Today''. Retrieved April 10, 2021. Voegtlin argued that humans are predominately carnivorous and should eat an animal-based diet of fat and protein with a minimum of carbohydrate. He stated that humans are anatomically closer to the carnivorous dog than the herbivorous sheep. It was an eccentric book, in which Voegtlin advocated the mass slaughter of

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...

s and

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...

s. Food historian Adrienne Rose Johnson has commented that "Paleo leaders today have largely disavowed Voegtlin for his white supremacist, eugenicist, and generally unpalatable politics." Sylvia R. Karasua, a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry has noted that "Voegtlin believed humans were “strictly carnivorous” until 10,000 years ago, something we now know to be patently false." Voegtlin emphasized the importance of

meat Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...

in the diet with a very low percentage of carbohydrates and no raw vegetables. Voegtlin who promoted an early version of the Paleo diet did not oppose consumption of all

dairy product Dairy products or milk products, also known as lacticinia, are food products made from (or containing) milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, nanny goat, and ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food items in th ...

s and

legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...

s.Voegtlin, Walter L. (1975)
''The Stone Age Diet''
Vantage Press. pp. 259-263 In an appendix to the book, Voegtlin promoted 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, p ...

consisting of meat, eggs, fish, cooked fruits and vegetables, green beans, cheese and sour cream.

Personal life

Voegtlin married his wife Elene in 1932. Elene C. Voegtlin (1907–1962), died age 54.'' The Seattle Daily Times'' (January 24, 1962). p. 58. Voegtlin was in the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

and was on board the ''

USS Missouri Four ships of the United States Navy have been named USS ''Missouri'' in honor of the state of Missouri: *, a sidewheel frigate launched in 1841 and destroyed by fire in August 1843 *, a ''Maine''-class battleship in service from 1900 to 1922. *, a ...

'' in Tokyo Bay during the

Japanese Instrument of Surrender The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the written agreement that formalized the surrender of the Empire of Japan, marking the end of hostilities in World War II. It was signed by representatives from the Empire of Japan and from the Allied nat ...

on September 2, 1945. He was a medical officer at the hospital on

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...

.Willadsen, Jeffry. (2012)
"NSE commemorates Pearl Harbor"
''

Kitsap Sun The ''Kitsap Sun'' is a daily newspaper published in Bremerton, Washington, United States. It covers general news and serves Kitsap, Jefferson, and Mason counties on the west side of Puget Sound. It has a circulation of about 30,000 while reac ...

''. Retrieved April 10, 2021. A flag from the ''

USS Arizona ''Arizona'' has been the name of three ships of the United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the ...

'' was given to Voegtlin by a wounded seaman. Voegtlin gave it to his son Karl F. Voegtlin and it was donated to the

Naval Station Everett Naval Station Everett (NAVSTA Everett) is a military installation located in the city of Everett, Washington, north of Seattle. The naval station, located on the city's waterfront on the northeastern end of Puget Sound, was designed as a homepor ...

. His son Karl F. Voegtlin is also a gastroenterologist.

Selected publications

*Voegtlin, W., & Lemere, F. (1942). ''The Treatment of Alcohol Addiction: A Review of the Literature''. '' Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol'' 2: 717-803. *Voegtlin, W., & Lemere, F. (1950). ''An Evaluation of the Aversion Treatment of Alcoholism''. '' Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol'' 11: 199-204.
''The Stone Age Diet: Based on In-Depth Studies of Human Ecology and the Diet of Man''
(Vantage Press, 1975)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Voegtlin, Walter L. 1904 births 1975 deaths American gastroenterologists American white supremacists Feinberg School of Medicine alumni Low-carbohydrate diet advocates Northwestern University alumni Paleolithic diet advocates Pseudoscientific diet advocates Broadway High School (Seattle) alumni University of Washington alumni Writers from Des Moines, Iowa

Biography

''The Stone Age Diet''

Personal life

Selected publications

See also

References