Caleb Williams Saleeby

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and Literature, letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". ...

(1878 – 9 December 1940) was an English physician, writer, and journalist known for his support of

eugenics Eugenics is a set of largely discredited beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter the frequency of various human phenotypes by inhibiting the fer ...

. During World War I, he was an adviser to the Minister of Food and advocated the establishment of a Ministry of Health.

Life

Saleeby was born in Sussex to a

Lebanese Christian Christianity has a long and continuous history in Lebanon. Biblical scriptures show that Peter and Paul evangelized the Phoenicians, leading to the dawn of the ancient Patriarchate of Antioch. As such, Christianity in Lebanon is as old as Chri ...

father and an English mother. His father, Elias G. Saleeby, was a founder and head of schools in

Mount Lebanon Mount Lebanon (, ; , ; ) is a mountain range in Lebanon. It is about long and averages above in elevation, with its peak at . The range provides a typical alpine climate year-round. Mount Lebanon is well-known for its snow-covered mountains, ...

. From his mother's side he was the grandson of the famous psychiatrist Caleb Williams of York. His father died whilst he was young and his mother moved to 3 Malta Terrace in

Stockbridge, Edinburgh Stockbridge is a district of Edinburgh, located north of the city centre, bounded by the New Town, Edinburgh, New Town and by Comely Bank. The name is Scots ''stock brig'' from Anglic languages, Anglic ''stocc brycg'', meaning a timber bridge. ...

. He was educated by his mother and at the Royal High School in Edinburgh. At

Edinburgh University The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter from King James VI in 1582 and offi ...

, he took First Class Honours and was an Ettles Scholar and Scott Scholar in Obstetrics. In 1904, he received his

Doctor of Medicine A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...

degree. He was a

resident Resident may refer to: People and functions * Resident minister, a representative of a government in a foreign country * Resident (medicine), a stage of postgraduate medical training * Resident (pharmacy), a stage of postgraduate pharmaceut ...

at the Maternity Hospital and the

Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE) was established in 1729, and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest voluntary hospital in the United Kingdom, and later on, the Empire."In Com ...

, and briefly at the

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

City Dispensary. In 1906 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was establis ...

. His proposers were Sir

Alexander Russell Simpson Sir Alexander Russell Simpson FRCPE FRSE LLD (20 April 1835 – 6 April 1916) was a Scottish physician and Professor of Midwifery at the University of Edinburgh. He invented the Obstetrical forceps, axis-traction forceps also known as the ob ...

, Sir Thomas Clouston, Sir William Turner and

Daniel John Cunningham Daniel John Cunningham, (15 April 1850 – 23 July 1909) was a Scottish physician, zoologist, and anatomist, famous for ''Cunningham's Text-book of Anatomy'' and ''Cunningham's Manual of Practical Anatomy''. Biography Cunningham was born ...

. He became a prolific freelance writer and journalist, with strong views on many subjects. He became known in particular as an advocate of eugenics: in 1907 he was influential in launching the

Eugenics Education Society Eugenics is a set of largely discredited beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter the frequency of various human phenotypes by inhibiting the ferti ...

, and in 1909 he published (in New York) ''Parenthood and Race Culture''. He was a contributor to the first edition of

Arthur Mee Arthur Henry Mee (21 July 187527 May 1943) was an English writer, journalist and educator. He is best known for ''The Harmsworth Self-Educator'', ''The Children's Encyclopædia'', ''The Children's Newspaper'', and ''The King's England''. Ea ...

's ''

The Children's Encyclopædia ''The Children's Encyclopædia'' was an encyclopaedia originated by Arthur Mee, and published by the Educational Book Company, a subsidiary of Northcliffe's Amalgamated Press, London. It was published from 1908 to 1964. Walter M. Jackson's c ...

''. Like Mee, he was a keen temperance reformer. Saleeby's contributions to the ''Encyclopedia'' were explicitly

racialist Scientific racism, sometimes termed biological racism, is the pseudoscientific belief that the human species is divided into biologically distinct taxa called " races", and that empirical evidence exists to support or justify racial discrimi ...

: he saw mankind as the pinnacle of evolution, and white men as superior to other men, based on "craniometry". He predicted the use of atomic power, "perhaps not for hundreds of years". He favoured the education of women, but primarily so they should become better mothers. In ''Woman and Womanhood'' (1912), he wrote: "Women, being constructed by Nature, as individuals, for her racial ends, are happier and more beautiful, live longer and more beautiful lives, when they follow, as mothers or foster-mothers the role of motherhood". Yet, at this time when the suffragette movement was at its peak, he also wrote that he could see no good reason against the vote for women: "I believe in the vote; I believe it will be eugenic". During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he was an adviser to the Minister of Food and argued in favour of the establishment of a Ministry of Health. Later, he moved away from eugenics, and did not publish any further writings on this subject after 1921—though he continued to write on health matters in particular. He also campaigned for clean air and the benefits of sunlight, founding The Sunlight League in 1924. Although the Sunlight League did not overtly promote

nudism Naturism is a lifestyle of practicing non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms ar ...

Saleeby did confide to friends that the idea behind it was to stimulate the nudist movement. Saleeby founded a

nudist club A naturist resort or nudist resort is an establishment that provides accommodation (or at least camping space) and other amenities for guests in a context where they are invited to practice naturism – that is, a lifestyle of non-sexual socia ...

in Britain in the 1920s exhorting the nudist lifestyle in his book ''Sunlight and Health''. He died on 9 December 1940 from heart failure at Apple Tree, Aldbury, near

Tring Tring is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Dacorum, Hertfordshire, England. It is situated in a gap passing through the Chiltern Hills, classed as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, from Central London. Tring is linked ...

Cancer research

Saleeby was a proponent of the

trophoblastic The trophoblast (from Greek : to feed; and : germinator) is the outer layer of cells of the blastocyst. Trophoblasts are present four days after fertilization in humans. They provide nutrients to the embryo and develop into a large part of the pl ...

theory of cancer first proposed by embryologist

John Beard John Beard may refer to: * John Beard (artist) (born 1943), Welsh artist and painter * John Beard (colonial administrator) (died 1685), Chief Agent and Governor of Bengal * John Beard (embryologist) (1858–1924), Scottish embryologist and anatomis ...

. He authored the book ''The Conquest of Cancer'', in 1908.

Family

He married Monica Meynell, daughter of

Alice Meynell Alice Christiana Gertrude Meynell (née Thompson; 11 October 184727 November 1922) was a British writer, editor, critic, and suffragist, now remembered mainly as a poet. She was considered for the position of Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom ...

and

Wilfrid Meynell Wilfrid Meynell (17 November 1852, Newcastle-upon-Tyne – 20 October 1948, Pulborough),Obituary, ''The Times'', 22 October 1948, p.7. who sometimes wrote under the pseudonym John Oldcastle, was a British newspaper publisher and editor. Born of a ...

, in June 1903. They had two daughters, Mary and Cordelia. In 1910, his marriage fell apart after his wife had a nervous breakdown. During this time, their daughter Mary, was sent to live with

Viola Meynell Viola Meynell, Mrs. Dallyn (15 October 1885 – 27 October 1956) was an English writer, novelist and poet. She wrote around 20 books, but was best known for her short stories and novels. Biography Maynell was born in Barnes, London to Wilfrid Me ...

. D.H. Lawrence was living at her family's cottage in Sussex. He became Mary's tutor. In 1930 he married Muriel Gordon Billings.

Selected works

*''Cycle of Life According to Modern Science'' (1904)
''The Conquest of Cancer''
(1907) *''Worry the Disease of the Age'' (1907) *''Health, Strength and Happiness'' (1908) *''Parenthood and Race Culture'' (1909) *''The Methods of Race-Regeneration'' (1911) *''Woman and Womanhood'' (1911) *''The Progress of Eugenics'' (1914) *
Sunlight and Health
' (1st ed 1923. 5th ed 1929)] File:Caleb Saleeby sitting at desk.jpg

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saleeby, Caleb 1878 births 1940 deaths 19th-century English medical doctors 20th-century English medical doctors Alternative cancer treatment advocates Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Medical School English eugenicists English people of Lebanese descent British naturists British cancer researchers British white supremacists Light therapy advocates People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh People from Sussex Social nudity advocates Proponents of scientific racism