The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-05-24
INVENTOR EDISON
and MEDICINE.
What the Inventor Of the Photograph Does
When HG Does Not Feel Well.
His Ideas About a Change of Diet-why He
Objects to an overcOat- The Way He
Graduates Heat for the Body.

Some time ago Mr.. Edison, the electricity
wizard, was ILL.,, and there was CONSERVATION
in his home and among his helpers in the
workshops. Everybody in the shops, from
the small Coy who politely evadts question
ing visitors and successfully avoids betray-
ing Mr.. Edison's whereabouts, to the chief
lieutenant of the great man, was greatly
concerned. His immediate associates over
whelmed Mr.. Edison with advice, and all
besOught him is call in physician. Mrs.
Edison was anxious, too, but very properly
refrained from Offering any opinions, feeling
confidence in her husbands ability to choose
the Wisest course. He approved of her
silence On this subject, and lectured his
business associates and friends thus:
" My friends, you are deceived. 1t is true
am net well, but my ailment is not Sc
riOus. if properly treated If l were tOfoi-
low your advice. take all the drugs you sug.
gest or all that the physician you advise me
to call IN would prescribe, would become
worse. The fact is my liver is out of order
and my kidneys are not in just the condition
they should be. L will remedy all that very
speedily. My cure will be a change of diet.
That is all that is needful In such case.
Come 10 think of it, l have been eating a
great deal Of meat latelyS now l will stop
eating meat altogether and will eat only
vegetables"
Leaving his friends to ponder over his
words, MIR. Edison then went up into the in
terror Of the State on business. His friends
repeated his observations, and
IN THIS WAY IT CAME ABOUT
That several newspaper paragraphs APP
peared, alleging that Mr. Edison was con-
hrmed vegetarian. One of these said:
"Thomas A Edison, according to afriend
OF his. Is vegetarian, eSchewIng flesh. fowl
and fish, de enjoys fruits of all kinds,
grains or every variety, and likewise vege-
tables, especially those that ripen in the
sunshine. de is very careful about his
diet, holding that it has Il powerful influence
upon the mind and its action, as well as
upon the health and VigUr of the body. He
has studied the matter under the beams Of
the solar orb, under the flash Of electricity.
under the laws of science and in the light Of
reason. 1t seems that he is unaware of any
thing like self-denial in the practice of
VegetarianiSm. and that he finds plenty of
delicious, InYig0rating and eXbilaTating es-
culcnts outside of flesh, fowl ard fish"
One day last week a New York Sun re-
porter called on Mr.. Edison at his labora-
tory in Orange. He was seated, smoking
vlclOusIy black-lO0klng cigar, at a long
table in bare room on one of the upper
floors. His face was blooming with healthy
color, and a smile that betokened physical
we'll being showed a set of firm white teeth.
His iron-gray hair stood up in untamed dis
order from forehead that was clear and
unwTinkled. Altogether, MI Edison lOO1ed
exceedingly vigorous, physically aud men
tally. He read tile paragraph above quoted
and shook his head.
mo, that isn't true" he said. 81 am not
a vegetarian at all in fact, Just now | am
not eating any vegetables to speak of. [
have studied myself and | can mend any
little breaks in my system better than any,
body else l ever met. When my liver CT
kidneys are out of order l know that my
diet is at fault. l change the diet COM
pletely and then l am a new man again. l
don't believe in doctors or drugs. Doctors
theories are never to be relied on, and most
OF the drugs aren't worth anything.
1 AM A CHEMIST,
And know the resulting action of swallow
ing drugs, and | don't take anything into
my stomach that l am not sure will have
beneficial result. You know that many Of
the drugs that physicians have given patients
for ages finally proved to be utterly worth
less. Change Of diet destroys any harmful
bacteria. Ii the latter thrive under a GER
tain diet, 1t naturally follows that an en-
tireIy different diet will change their en-
VironmeGt and make it so uncomfortable
for them that they will be glad to quit. l
have been seriously i'll but once in my life.
Then L had doctor; yes, took his medi-
cineS, too"
Mr.. Edison appeared lost in thought for a
moment. Then he added:
II believe heartily ia the laws of common
ment that comedies with these laws then I
approve Of him; but il he comes with lot
OF theories and drugs | wont have him."
Mr.. Edison noticed that the reporter was
critically watching him. He thought his at
tention was directed to his clothes, and,
pointing to his coat, short, thin, blue serge
jacket he said:
" wear the same thickness of outer gar
ments the year round. | never wear an
overcoat. 1t is big, heavy, clumsy, and of
little value as protector against cold. The
air can get in under it in a number OF
places. increase or decrease the number
OF my undergarments, according to the tenn
perature. Every morning when | get on
OF bed open the windows of my room and
try the air. Ii it is warm or mild | put on
one undefshirt; if cold, put on two and
if very cold put on three. / was down in
the mountains of New Jersey one winter
with number of men, and proved that my
ideas were good The Thermometer was l5o
below zero, and they who wore heavy over
coats almost frUZe, while l. with no over
coat, and a thin summer weight suit Of
clothes over three heavy flannel undershirts,
was as comfortable and chipper as if | had
been in some flower garden in q sunny,
warm climate. You see an underShirt hugs
you tightly, doesn't allow any heat to es-
cape, and yet doesn't confne you as an
OVercoat does"