James Caleb Jackson (March 28, 1811 – July 11, 1895) was an American

nutritionist A nutritionist is a person who advises others on matters of food and Human nutrition, nutrition and their impacts on health. Some people specialize in particular areas, such as sports nutrition, public health, or animal nutrition, among other disci ...

and the inventor of the first dry,

whole grain A whole grain is a grain of any cereal and pseudocereal that contains the endosperm, germ, and bran, in contrast to refined grains, which retain only the endosperm. As part of a general healthy diet, consumption of whole grains is associated ...

breakfast cereal Breakfast cereal is a category of food, including food products, made from food processing, processed cereal, cereal grains, that are eaten as part of breakfast or as a snack food, primarily in Western societies. Although warm, cooked cereals li ...

which he called Granula. His views influenced the health reforms of

Ellen G. White Ellen Gould White (née Harmon; November 26, 1827 – July 16, 1915) was an American author, and was both the prophet and a co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Along with other Adventist leaders, such as Joseph Bates and her husb ...

, a founder of the

Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sa ...

Biography

Jackson was born in Manlius,

Onondaga County Onondaga County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 476,516. The county seat is Syracuse. The county is part of the Central New York region of the state. Onondaga County is the core of the ...

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

, to James and Mary Ann Elderkin Jackson. He "spent time" at the Manlius School. After completing his education at Chittenango Polytechnic Institute, he worked as a farmer until 1838. He married Lucretia Edgerton Brewster when he was 19 years old. In his early life, Jackson was active as an

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

. He lectured for the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, becoming the society's secretary in 1840. With

Nathaniel P. Rogers Nathaniel Peabody Rogers (June 3, 1794 – October 16, 1846) was an American attorney turned Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist writer, who served, from June 1838 until June 1846, as editor of the New England anti-slavery newspaper ' ...

, starting in 1840 he edited the National Anti-Slavery Standard for about a year. In 1844, with Abel Brown he bought the abolitionist newspaper the ''Albany Patriot''. Jackson managed and wrote for the paper until 1847, when his failing health forced him to retire. Jackson had been troubled with poor health throughout his life, but he experienced a remarkable recovery after taking a 'water cure' at a

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...

operated by Silas O. Gleason, the Greenwood Spring Water Cure in

Cuba, New York Cuba is a town on the western border of Allegany County, New York, United States. The village of Cuba lies within its borders. The federally recognized tribe of Seneca Native Americans has a reservation on the western town line. As of the 20 ...

, in 1846–1847. As a result, he spent the second half of his life as an advocate for

hydropathy Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and treatment. The ter ...

, training to become a

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

and opening a hydropathic institute at Glen Haven on Skaneateles Lake in

Cortland County, New York Cortland County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population of Cortland County was 46,809. The county seat is Cortland. The county is named after Pierre Van Cortlandt, president of the conventio ...

, in 1847. In 1858, he took over the 'Our Home Hygienic Institute' at Dansville,

Livingston County, New York Livingston County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,834. Its county seat is Geneseo. The county is named after Robert R. Livingston, who helped draft the Declaration of Independence a ...

. The spa had been founded by Nathaniel Bingham on the site of a

mineral water Mineral water is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. It is usually still, but may be sparkling ( carbonated/ effervescent). Traditionally, mineral waters were used or consumed at t ...

spring some four years earlier. Under Jackson's management, the spa grew to become one of the largest in the world, catering to around 20,000 patients, and was renamed 'Our Home on the Hillside'. Jackson was assisted by his wife, known as "Mother Jackson", and their adopted daughter, Dr. Harriet Newell Austin. The health resort was a Jackson family operation for many years; James Hathaway Jackson (son of James Caleb Jackson) and James Arthur Jackson (son of James Hathaway Jackson and grandson of James Caleb Jackson) were both leaders of the facility. The family referred to it as the Jackson Sanatorium by 1890; the establishment was also known as the Jackson Health Resort. Along with water cures, Jackson believed that diet was fundamental in improving health. Over time, he removed

red meat In gastronomy, red meat is commonly red when raw (and a dark color after it is cooked), in contrast to white meat, which is pale in color before (and after) cooking. In culinary terms, only flesh from mammals or fowl (not fish) is classified ...

from the

menu In a restaurant, the menu is a list of food and beverages offered to the customer. A menu may be à la carte – which presents a list of options from which customers choose, often with prices shown – or table d'hôte, in which case a pre-est ...

at the spa and ruled out tea, coffee,

alcohol Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...

, and tobacco. Jackson was a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

Forward, Charles W. (1898). ''Fifty Years of Food Reform: A History of the Vegetarian Movement in England''. London: The Ideal Publishing Union. p. 66 and promoted a vegetarian diet with emphasis on

fruits In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

, vegetables, and unprocessed grains. Jackson believed his diet could cure intemperance and

masturbation Masturbation is a form of autoeroticism in which a person Sexual stimulation, sexually stimulates their own Sex organ, genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. Stimulation may involve the use of han ...

.Mrozek, Donald J. (1987). ''The Scientific Quest for Physical Culture and the Persistent Appeal of Quackery''. ''Journal of Sport History'' 14 (1): 76-86. Although accepting the use of surgery, he opposed

drugs A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestio ...

. Jackson was opposed to

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

in any circumstance, describing it as "among the greatest crimes". In 1863, he developed the first

and named it Granula. Jackson died on July 11, 1895, in

Dansville, Livingston County, New York Dansville is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town of North Dansville, New York, North Dansville, with a small northern part in the town of Sparta, New York, Sparta in Livi ...

Publications

* 1822 ''Morning Watches'' * 1853 ''Hints on the Reproductive Organs: Their Diseases, Causes, and Cure on Hydropathic Principles'' * 1862 ''Consumption: How to Prevent It, and How to Cure It'' * 186
''The Sexual Organism, and Its Healthful Management''
* 186
''Dancing: Its Evils and Its Benefits''
* 1870 ''American Womanhood: Its Peculiarities and Necessities'' * 187
''How to Treat the Sick Without Medicine''
* 1872 ''The Training of Children'' * 1872 ''The Debilities of Our Boys'' * 1875 ''Christ as a Physician'' * 187

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, James 1811 births 1895 deaths 19th-century American inventors Activists from New York (state) American abolitionists American anti-abortion activists American health and wellness writers American nutritionists American Seventh-day Adventists Temperance activists from New York (state) American vegetarianism activists Anti-smoking activists Hydrotherapists Orthopaths People from Dansville, New York People from Manlius, New York Seventh-day Adventists in health science Opponents of tea drinking Hydrotherapy advocates

Biography

Publications

See also

References

External links