Ehrenfried Pfeiffer (19 February 1899 – 30 November 1961) was a German scientist, soil scientist, leading advocate of

biodynamic agriculture Biodynamic agriculture is a form of alternative agriculture based on pseudo-scientific and esoteric concepts initially developed in 1924 by Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925). It was the first of the organic farming movements. It treats soil fertility ...

, anthroposophist and student of

Rudolf Steiner Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner (27 or 25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian occultist, social reformer, architect, esotericist, and claimed clairvoyant. Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the nineteenth century as ...

Life

Ehrenfried Pfeiffer began work with

in 1920 to develop and install special diffuse stage lighting for

eurythmy Eurythmy is an expressive movement art originated by Rudolf Steiner in conjunction with his wife, Marie, in the early 20th century. Primarily a performance art, it is also used in education, especially in Waldorf schools, and – as pa ...

performances on the stage of the first Goetheanum. After Steiner's death in 1925, Pfeiffer worked in the private research laboratory at the

Goetheanum The Goetheanum, located in Dornach, in the canton of Solothurn, Switzerland, is the world center for the anthroposophical movement. The building was designed by Rudolf Steiner and named after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It includes two performa ...

Dornach : ''Dornach is also a quarter of the French city of Mulhouse and the Scots name for Dornoch in the Scottish Highlands, and Dòrnach is the Gaelic name for Dornoch in the Scottish Highlands.'' Dornach (Swiss German: ''Dornech'') is a municipality ...

, (Switzerland). He became manager and director of the experimental biodynamic Loverendale farm in

Domburg Domburg is a seaside resort on the North Sea, on the northwest coast of Walcheren in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Veere, and lies about 11 km northwest of the city of Middelburg, the provincial capital ...

in the Netherlands. This farm was set up to carry out some of the agricultural studies of the Goetheanum laboratory. The work of testing and developing

's Agriculture Course of 1924 was an international enterprise coordinated by Pfeiffer at the Natural Science Section of the

. Pfeiffer’s most influential book 'Bio-Dynamic Farming and Gardening' was published in 1938 simultaneously in at least five languages, English, German, Dutch, French, and Italian.Paull, John (2011
" Biodynamic Agriculture: The Journey from Koberwitz to the World, 1924-1938"
Journal of Organic Systems, 6(1): 27-41. The following year, and just months before the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Pfeiffer ran Britain's first biodynamics conference, the Betteshanger Summer School and Conference, at the estate of

Lord Northbourne Baron Northbourne, of Betteshanger in the County of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1884 for Sir Walter James, 2nd Baronet, who had earlier represented Kingston upon Hull in the House of Commons as a Co ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

.Paull, John (2011
"The Betteshanger Summer School: Missing link between biodynamic agriculture and organic farming"
''Journal of Organic Systems'', 2011, 6(2):13-26. Pfeiffer's Betteshanger Conference is regarded as the 'missing link' between biodynamic agriculture and organic farming because the following year (1940) its host,

, published his manifesto of organic farming 'Look to the Land' in which he coined the term 'organic farming'. Pfeiffer first visited the U.S. in 1933 to lecture to a group of anthroposophists at the Threefold Farm in Spring Valley,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

on biodynamic farming.Kevin Dann, ''Across the Great Border Fault: The Naturalist Myth in America'', Rutgers University Press, 2000, His consulting was essential to the development of

in the U.S. Pfeiffer developed an analytical method using copper chloride crystallization and used this technique as a blood test for detecting cancer."Medicine: Cancer Progress"
''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

''. September 25, 1939. As a result, Pfeiffer was invited to the U.S. in 1937 to work at the

Hahnemann Medical College Drexel University College of Medicine is the medical school of Drexel University, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The medical school represents the consolidation of two medical schools: the first U.S. medical school f ...

in Philadelphia While in the U.S., he continued to consult with those interested in biodynamic farming and helped to form the Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association in 1938. in 1940 he immigrated to the U.S. from Switzerland with his wife Adelheid, escaping the advance of German troops into France. They brought with them their son Christoph and daughter Wiltraud. With the advent of World War II in Europe, Pfeiffer took his family to Kimberton, Pennsylvania (near Philadelphia), where Alaric Myrin offered Pfeiffer the opportunity to create a model biodynamic farm and training program. Starting in the late 1930s he taught biodynamic farming and gardening at the Kimberton Farm School. One of his students, Paul Keene, who worked and studied with Pfeiffer there for two years and shortly thereafter co-founded Walnut Acres, recalls: "he helped bring all of life together for us in a definite coherent pattern". While at Kimberton, Pfeiffer led the initiative to found the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association, and to start its journal. While at Kimberton, Pfeiffer also met

J. I. Rodale Jerome Irving Rodale (; August 16, 1898 – June 8, 1971) was a publisher, editor, and author who founded Rodale, Inc. in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, and The Rodale Institute, formerly the Soil Health Foundation. Rodale was an early advocate of sustai ...

, founder of ''Organic Gardening and Farming'' magazine, and of the organic movement in the U.S. This relationship gave biodynamics a little-known place in the history of the American organic movement. Interpersonal difficulties - a motif of Pfeiffer's life - brought to a close the Kimberton Farms chapter. Aiming to continue his work training biodynamic farmers, Pfeiffer bought a farm in Chester, New York, where a small colony arose focused on farming, education, and the administration of the Biodynamic Association. His copper chloride sensitive crystallization theory brought him an honorary degree of Doctor of Medicine from Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

in 1939. He studied

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...

and became a professor of

nutrition Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients, which can be metabolized to create energy and chemical structures. Failure to obtain sufficient ...

in 1956.Andrew Lorand, ''Biodynamic Agriculture — A Paradigmatic Analysis'', Ph.D. thesis, Pennsylvania State University, 1996. Pfeiffer wrote on the dangers of pesticides and DDT and

Rachel Carson Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist, writer, and conservationist whose influential book '' Silent Spring'' (1962) and other writings are credited with advancing the global environmental ...

consulted with him when she was writing

Silent Spring ''Silent Spring'' is an environmental science book by Rachel Carson. Published on September 27, 1962, the book documented the environmental harm caused by the indiscriminate use of pesticides. Carson accused the chemical industry of spreading d ...

. In 1961, at his home in Spring Valley, N.Y., he suffered from a series of heart attacks, lingering for several days, but ultimately was not given the proper medical care and died. His wife subsequently took over the operation of their farm in Chester, New York.

Work

Pfeiffer was a pioneer of

in Europe, Britain, and America. He is most widely known for his innovative work in

composting Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant, food waste, recycling organic materials and manure. The resulting ...

. He conducted extensive research on the preparation and use of biodynamic compost and was the inventor of ''BD Compost Starter'', a compost inoculant.Steve Diver, ''Biodynamic Farming & Compost Preparation'', Alternative Farming Systems Guide: ATTRA, February 1999
Document text
For many years Pfeiffer served as a compost consultant to municipal compost facilities, most notably

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

,A. W. Martinez
"The City With Golden Garbage"
''

Collier's Weekly ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened in 1905 to ''Colli ...

'', May 31, 1952. as well as countries in the Caribbean, Europe, and the Far East. A technical difficulty with the resulting compost, that it would not spread readily with the commonly used fertilizer spreader, could not be overcome and the project ultimately failed. Pfeiffer invented two anthroposophic Image forming methods, a method using a round filter chromatography (''circular chromatography'' or ''chroma test'') and the ''copper chloride crystallization method'', developed together with Erika Sabarth. In the latter method, a solution of copper chloride and the test solution is allowed to evaporate. The pattern of the copper chloride crystals can be "read" based on the patterns of known samples. Similarly, the patterns of the circular chromatographs can be "read" based on known samples. Both methods require much practice to "read" and interpret the images.

Honorary degree

Pfeiffer's work at Hahnemann earned him an honorary Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree from Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital of Philadelphia on June 8, 1939, at its 91st commencement ceremony.Personal communication from Irvin Miller, archivist of Hahnemann papers at Drexel. According to the minutes of the Board of Trustees on January 27, 1939, he was approved to receive an honorary M.D. at the June commencement. The program for these ceremonies also lists his degree as a Doctor of Medicine.

Books and articles by Ehrenfried Pfeiffer

Biodynamics in farming and gardening

* Ehrenfried Pfeiffer, ''Soil Fertility, Renewal and Preservation: Bio-Dynamic Farming and Gardening'', Asiatic Publishing House, 2006. . * ————, ''Bio-Dynamic Gardening and Farming: Articles'', Mercury Press, 1983-1984. . * ————, ''Using the Bio-Dynamic Compost Preparations & Sprays in Garden, Orchard & Farm'', Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association, 1984. . * Ehrenfried Pfeiffer and Erika Riese, ''Grow a Garden and Be Self-Sufficient'', Mercury Press, 1981. . * ————, ''Bio-Dynamics: Three Introductory Articles'', Charter, 1999. ASIN B000PIZ250. * ————, ''The Biodynamic Treatment of Fruit Trees, Berries and Shrubs'', Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association, 1976. * ————, ''Weeds and What They Tell'', Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association, 1981. ASIN B00071HRSU. * ————, ''The Earth's Face: Landscape and Its Relation to the Health of the Soil'', Faber and Faber, 1947. ASIN B0007IXST0. * ————, ''Practical Guide to the Use of the Bio-Dynamic Preparations'', Rudolf Steiner Publishing, 1945. ASIN B0007K8FAU. * ————, ''The Fair Garden Plot: Concise Guidance for Growing One's Own Vegetables'', Rudolf Steiner Publishing, 1945. ASIN B0007KD2GC.

Chromatography

* ————, ''Chromatography Applied to Quality Testing'', Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association, 1984. * ————, ''Sensitive Crystallization Processes: A Demonstration of Formative Forces in the Blood'', Anthroposophic Press, 1975. ASIN B00073467S.

Composting

* ————, ''The Art and Science of Composting: Observations and Testing Methods: The Chromatographic Method'', Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association, 1959. ASIN B0007HK7MC. * ————, ''The Compost Manufacturers Manual: The Practice of Large Scale Composting'', Pfeiffer Foundation, 1956. ASIN B0007G1MWC.

References

Biographical resources

* Ehrenfried Pfeiffer, ''Ein Leben fur den Geist: Ehrenfried Pfeiffer (1899-1961): Pfeiffers autobiographische Erinnerungen, Aufzeichnungen zur Atherforschung und Ernahrung, zur ... Briefe und Aufzeichnungen aus dem Nachlass'', Perseus-Verlag, 2000. . (German) * Henry Barnes, ''Into the Heart's Land: A century of Rudolf Steiner's work in North America'', SteinerBooks, 2005. , Chapter 19. * Kevin T. Dann, ''Across the Great Border Fault: The naturalist myth in America'', Rutgers University Press, 2000, . * Alla Selawry, ''Ehrenfried Pfeiffer: Pioneer of spiritual research and practice: A contribution to his biography'', Mercury Press, 1992. * Alla Selawry, ''Ehrenfried Pfeiffer: Pionier spiritueller Forschung und Praxis: Begegnung und Briefwechsel: ein Beitrag zu seiner Biographie (Pioniere der Anthroposophie)'', Philosophisch-Anthroposophischer Verlag am Goetheanum, 1987. . (German)

External links

The Pfeiffer Center, Chestnut Ridge, NY
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pfeiffer, Ehrenfried 1891 births 1961 deaths Agricultural writers Anthroposophists Emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States Organic farmers People from Chester, Orange County, New York Scientists from Munich People from Spring Valley, New York People from the Kingdom of Bavaria