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Sebastian Kneipp

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Kneipp in 1890

Sebastian Kneipp (German pronunciation: [zeˈbasti̯a(ː)n ˈknaɪp]; 17 May 1821 – 17 June 1897) was a German Catholic priest and one of the forefathers of the naturopathic movement. He is most commonly associated with the "Kneipp Cure" form of hydrotherapy (often called "Kneipp therapy" or "Kneippism"[1][2]), the application of water through various methods, temperatures, and pressures, which he claimed to have therapeutic or healing effects, thus building several hospitals in Bad Wörishofen.

Although most commonly associated with one area of nature cure, Kneipp was the proponent of an entire system of healing, which rested on five main tenets:[3]

  • Hydrotherapy – the use of water to treat ailments
  • Phytotherapy – the use of botanical medicines was another of Kneipp's specialties
  • Exercise – promoting health of the body through movement
  • Nutrition – a wholesome diet of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables with limited meat
  • Balance – Kneipp believed that a healthy mind begets a healthy person

Early life

Kneipp was born in 1821 in Stephansried in the Kingdom of Bavaria.[4] His father was a weaver, and Kneipp trained as a weaver until he was 23 when he began training for the priesthood.[4] Matthias Merkle, a priest in Grönenbach began instructing him, but Kneipp fell ill with tuberculosis in 1847.[5][6] Kneipp was so ill that he was visited by a physician around 100 times in each of his last two years of study.[5] While Kneipp was ill, he began reading many books and found his illness described in a book about water cures.[5] In 1850, Kneipp met a student in the Georgianum seminary in Munich that was also ill and shared water cures with him.[5] Both Kneipp and his friend at the Georgianum recovered from their illnesses and with his renewed health Kneipp was able to complete his studies.[5] He was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1852.[4]

History

Background

In the 19th century, there was a popular revival in the application of hydrotherapy, instigated around 1829 by Vincent Priessnitz, a peasant farmer in Gräfenberg, then part of the Austrian Empire.[7][8] This revival was continued by Kneipp, "an able and enthusiastic follower" of Priessnitz, "whose work he took up where Priessnitz left it",[9] after he came across a treatise on the cold water cure.[10][11] At Wörishofen, while serving as the confessor to the monastery, he began offering treatments of hydrotherapy, botanical treatments, exercise, and diet to the people who lived in the village.[4] Some of his suggested treatments included "ice cold baths and walking barefoot in the snow" and other "harsh" methodologies.[12] In 1893, M. E. Bottey described Kneipp's water cures as "dangerous in most cases".[13] Wörishofen became known as a place with a reputation for spiritual healing.[4] In addition to "peasants", Kneipp's clients also included Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his father, Archduke Karl Ludwig as well as Pope Leo XIII.[12] Others took Kneipp's processes back to their home countries to found alternative therapy spas and colleges.[12]

Hydrotherapy

Kneipp began developing his healing methods in 1849 after contracting tuberculosis and experimenting with the water treatments developed by Sigmund Hahn.[14] After being ordained in 1852, he continued to experiment with water treatments in his parish.[14] Kneipp began working with the cures developed by Vincenz Priessnitz but developed a more complex and gentle method.[14] His gentle cures contrast the earlier water cures that he referred to as horse cures for their strenuous nature.[5] Kneipp's treatment of patients also contrasted that of hospital medicine because it was personalized and took into account the patient's individual strengths and weaknesses.[5]

Kneipp's approach comes from his theory that all diseases originate in the circulatory system.[5] This theory is similar to humoral theory. Like those who believed in humoral theory, Kneipp asserted that breathing miasmatic or excessively hot air would lead to disease.[5] While it may deal with one humor instead of four, his theory still asserts that an imbalance in the blood whether it be circulation or foreign matter is the root of disease.[5] Under Kneipp's depiction of disease, water cures work by affecting the blood.[5] They dissolve foreign matter, cleanse the blood of this matter, aid in circulation, and strengthen the body as a whole.[5]

Lifestyle

In addition to specific cures, Kneipp had prescriptions with regard to food, drink, and clothing.[5] He believed that food should be dry and simple and should not be spicy.[5] He also believed that people should drink primarily water but also allowed consumption of alcohol in moderation.[5] As for clothing, Kneipp preferred self-spun clothing made of linen or hemp over wool.[5]

Personal ideology

Kneipp's approach to medicine was not independent of his Catholic faith.[6] His focus on water and herbs stems from the idea that remedies are naturally provided by God.[6] His emphasis on plain food, drink, and clothing comes from the theory that humans should live in accord with nature.[6] He used scripture as well as references to Roman practice to support the reasoning behind his cure and admitted that his treatments did not fall in line with current scientific understanding.[6] The fact that his treatments were not based in scientific theory did not bother Kneipp because they were seen as able to succeed where scientific medicine could not.[6]

Sebastian Kneipp had a particular dedication to helping the poor and those that physicians can't help.[5] His suffering early in life caused Kneipp to develop a deep sympathy for those less fortunate than him.[5] He turned down many patients that could feasibly recover on their own but claims to have never refused to treat a patient that is poor or untreatable by other methods.[5]

Publications

Kneipp's book My Water Cure was published in 1886 with many subsequent editions, and translated into many languages. He also wrote "Thus Shalt Thou Live", "My Will", and The Care of Children in Sickness and in Health.

Legacy

Kneipp expanded the definition of health to include a more holistic view which included mental, social, and spiritual aspects.[14] Toward the end of his life and after his death, various organizations were created to teach his methods. In 1891, he founded Kneipp Bund, an organization that promotes water healing to this day.[15] In America, Kneipp Societies were founded, which, under the influence of Benedict Lust, changed their name to Naturopatic Society of America.[16] Today there are 600 organizations that are a part of Kneipp Worldwide and there are approximately 1000 members of the International Society of Kneipp Physicians.[14] After his death, his treatments became part of mainstream medicine in Germany.[14]

Archduke Joseph Karl of Austria dedicated his medical atlas to Kneipp.[17] Kneipp's likeness was featured on a stamp.[18] His recipe for whole wheat bread, called Kneippbrød, is the most commonly eaten bread in Norway.[18] Many towns in Germany have statues to honour Kneipp, including Füssen.

See also

  • List of Roman Catholic scientist-clerics
  • Kneipp facility

From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia

Sebastian Kneipp — Bavarian priest and hydrotherapist, b. at Stephansreid, Bavaria, 17 May, 1821; d. at Wörishofen, 17 June, 1897. The child of poor parents, he became a weaver like his father, but, during his time as a journeyman, constantly cherished the hope of becoming a priest and spent all his spare time in study. With the aid of a friendly priest he was enabled to enter the gymnasium. Five years of severe study and privation brought with it a breakdown in health and young Kneipp developed consumption. His attention was called to the value of hydrotherapy and he began some experiments on himself. While at Dillingen during the winter of 1849, he used to bathe for a few minutes two or three times a week in the Danube, and then hurry home to his room. He says: "I never derived any harm from these cold exercises but also, as I deemed, small benefit." His health was somewhat improved the next year, and he entered the Georgianum, a seminary for theological students at Munich, when he was nearly thirty. Here he continued his hydrotherapeutic exercises and induced a fellow student to practice them. He soon found that the old suggestions as to the use of water were entirely too violent. He was ordained priest in 1852 and became chaplain successively in Biberach, Boos, and St. George in Augsburg. In 1855 he was made confessor to the nuns at the convent of Wörishofen and assistant in the parish; in 1880 he became the parish priest.

While still a curate he practiced hydrotherapy for the benefit of the poor, and his success in curing their ailments attracted wide attention. People from neighbouring parishes began to flock to him; the rich as well as the poor came to be treated, and his fame spread throughout Germany. His little book, "My Water Cure", went through many editions and was translated into many languages, while people from all over Europe began to flock to him. Many of them were greatly benefited. Pfarrer Kneipp's system consisted of the regulation of the daily life, through simplicity of diet, and the plentiful use of cold water internally and externally. Many of the recommendations of cold water popularly attributed to him are exaggerations. He says most emphatically: "I warn all against too frequent application of cold water. Three times I concluded to remodel my system and relax the treatment from severity to mildness and thence to greater mildness still." His general rules were early to bed and early to rise, with a walk in the dewy grass in the bare feet, simple meals, no stimulants, not too much meat, and an abundance of cereals. To him we owe the idea of a cereal drink to replace tea and coffee. Kneipp Societies were formed in Germany and in the United States for the better execution of his regulations. Since his death they have dwindled, and his methods are being lost sight of, showing that it was the personality of the man rather than his system which gave him fame. He discovered nothing new, but systematized what was known before and had been allowed to lapse. Many well-known Europeans became his personal friends, and many prominent, and even royal, personages took up his method of treatment and were benefited. His "So sollt ihr leben" (1889) has been translated into many languages. Leo XIII made him a monsignor.

KNEIPP, Meine Wasserkur (1886-, tr. Edinburgh, 1891), contains a sketch of his life.

References

  1. Back to citation Whorton, James C. (2004). Nature Cures: The History of Alternative Medicine in America. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-517162-4.
  2. Back to citation The dictionary definition of Kneippism at Wiktionary, retrieved 14 September 2020
  3. Back to citation "Kneipp Philosophy". Kneipp International. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  4. Back to citation occurrence 4.0 Back to citation occurrence 4.1 Back to citation occurrence 4.2 Back to citation occurrence 4.3 Back to citation occurrence 4.4 Hoolihan, Christopher (1 November 2008). An Annotated Catalogue of the Edward C. Atwater Collection of American Popular Medicine and Health Reform. Vol. 3: Authors A-Z. University Rochester Press. pp. 424–5. ISBN 9781580462846. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  5. Back to citation occurrence 5.00 Back to citation occurrence 5.01 Back to citation occurrence 5.02 Back to citation occurrence 5.03 Back to citation occurrence 5.04 Back to citation occurrence 5.05 Back to citation occurrence 5.06 Back to citation occurrence 5.07 Back to citation occurrence 5.08 Back to citation occurrence 5.09 Back to citation occurrence 5.10 Back to citation occurrence 5.11 Back to citation occurrence 5.12 Back to citation occurrence 5.13 Back to citation occurrence 5.14 Back to citation occurrence 5.15 Back to citation occurrence 5.16 Back to citation occurrence 5.17 Back to citation occurrence 5.18 Kneipp, Sebastian (1 January 1894). My Water-cure: Tested for More Than 35 Years and Published for the Cure of Diseases and the Preservation of Health. J. Koesel. p. 1. “kneipp my water cure.”
  6. Back to citation occurrence 6.0 Back to citation occurrence 6.1 Back to citation occurrence 6.2 Back to citation occurrence 6.3 Back to citation occurrence 6.4 Back to citation occurrence 6.5 Kneipp, Sebastian (1 January 1894). Thus Shalt Thou Live: Hints and Advice for the Healthy and the Sick on a Simple and Rational Mode of Life and a Natural Method of Cure. H. Grevel & Son.
  7. Back to citation Claridge, Capt. R.T. (1843). Hydropathy; or The Cold Water Cure, as practiced by Vincent Priessnitz, at Graefenberg, Silesia, Austria (8th ed.). London: James Madden and Co. Retrieved 29 October 2009. Full text at Internet Archive (archive.org). Note: The "Advertisement", pp.v-xi, appears from the 5th edition onwards, so references to time pertain to 5th edition.
  8. Back to citation Metcalfe, Richard (1898). Life of Vincent Priessnitz, Founder of Hydropathy. London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co. Retrieved 9 December 2009. Full text at Internet Archive (archive.org).
  9. Back to citation Metcalfe, Richard (1898), p.117
  10. Back to citation Metcalfe, Richard (1898), p.120
  11. Back to citation Kneipp, Sebastian (1891). My Water Cure, As Tested Through More than Thirty Years, and Described for the Healing of Diseases and the Preservation of Health. Edinburgh & London: William Blackwood & Sons. Retrieved 3 December 2009. translation from the 30th German edition. Full text at Internet Archive (archive.org).
  12. Back to citation occurrence 12.0 Back to citation occurrence 12.1 Back to citation occurrence 12.2 Sinclair, Marybetts (1 November 2007). Modern Hydrotherapy for the Massage Therapist. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. pp. 10–. ISBN 9780781792097. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  13. Back to citation "Minor Paragraphs". Popular Science. 48 (21). Bonnier Corporation: 431–2. January 1896.
  14. Back to citation occurrence 14.0 Back to citation occurrence 14.1 Back to citation occurrence 14.2 Back to citation occurrence 14.3 Back to citation occurrence 14.4 Back to citation occurrence 14.5 Locher, Cornelia; Pforr, Christof (2014). "The Legacy of Sebastian Kneipp: Linking Wellness, Naturopathic, and Allopathic Medicine". The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 20 (7): 521–526. doi:10.1089/acm.2013.0423. PMID 24773138.
  15. Back to citation History of Soybeans and Soyfoods in Southeast Asia (13th Century To 2010): Extensively Annotated Bibliography and Sourcebook. Soyinfo Center. 1 June 2010. pp. 768–. ISBN 9781928914303.
  16. Back to citation Wengell, Douglas; Gabriel, Nathen (1 September 2008). Educational Opportunities in Integrative Medicine: The A to Z Healing Arts Guide and Professional Resource Directory. The Hunter Press. pp. 120–. ISBN 9780977655243. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  17. Back to citation Skrypzak, Joann; Buenger, Barbara Copeland; Art, Elvehjem Museum of (2003). Design Vienna: 1890s to 1930s. Chazen Museum of Art. pp. 92–. ISBN 9780932900968. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  18. Back to citation occurrence 18.0 Back to citation occurrence 18.1 Skinlo, Inger Helga (3 October 2002). "Kneippbrødets historie" [History of Kneippbrod] (in Norwegian). NRK.
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