On July 18th, 1927, the following letter appeared in the Daily News,.
A CHALLENGE.
Sir,- I challenged Sir Thomas Horder to live exclusively on a diet of ordinary white bread and water for a month and still be Sir Thomas Horder. If he will accept my challenge I will keep him company on a diet of wholemeal bread and water and then write his epitaph.
BERTRAND P. ALLINSON.
(President London Vegetarian Society).
This challenge was followed up by one from the writer. Needless to say neither was accepted.
Any further attempt to show the superiority of wholemeal bread over bread made with white flour appears superfluous.
It may fairly be assumed that the advocates of the use of white bread, as the Staff of Life, with the hundred and one similar claims they make for it, have no faith in its virtues, or they would not tolerate the non-acceptance of such challenges from those who make them without any possible chance of gain to themselves. Such challengers, however, have the knowledge that they have got hold of a good thing themselves, and are wishful to pass it one to others, the doing of which will provide them with all the reward they desire. This is only one of the many ways in this world that we can pass good things on to others and ye t retain them more securely, and value them more greatly ourselves.
During the last fifty years, in spite of our misgiving, we must admit that the improvements and changes that have been borough about for the better are wonderful. This applies to our eating and drinking as well as other aspects of life, whereby “self- cures” have been secured, and life prolonged and made more worth living.
The improvements that have been brought about, however, tending to health and fitness, are as nothing compared to the good results that would follow especially among the women of England it they would abandon the use of white bread entirely and substitute pure wholemeal bread in its place, and discard tea drinking also. Some of them would find it to be more difficult for a start than their men friends find it to give up the use of tobacco, but great accordingly would be their reward.
With many, constipation would become a thing of the past and many others troubles that had arisen therefrom. Four better things will be found to take the place of the two given up while health and fitness will prove to be their birthright. Doctors will case to cross their doorsteps and life will have become more worth living. Having found one such “self-cure,” they will soon find that “Natures Way” has many other wonderful “self-cures” to offer.
When one speaks of wholemeal bread one should not think of it as bread and butter only. All kinds of stomach troubles brought about by the eating of white bread, white polished rice, white macaroni, tapioca and such like lop-sided starchy foods have been cured by adopting quite a different menu.
Instead of substituting wholemeal bread and butter for the white they have been in the habit of eating, which latter is swallowed like lumps of pudding, with but very little chewing accompanied with very little saliva, and which starts to ferment soon after it reaches the stomach ; they substitute pure wholemeal toast, well baked and not buttered when hot, this will leave the mouth in a thousand different particles well covered with saliva, and perfect digestion will follow.
Such toast left unbuttered can be eaten with food at lunch, or any later meal, and perfect digestion will follow. Such toast left unbuttered can be eaten with food at lunch, or any later meal, and will of much to guard against the temptation of bolting instead of always properly chewing all foods.
“Eat slowly : only men in rags
And gluttons old in sin
Mistake themselves for carpet-bags
And tumble virtuals in”.
If still more helpful means are required to ensure perfect digestion, cut the slices of wholemeal bread a little thicker and bake it thoroughly in the oven, as is done on the Continent with white bread, known as Ziwebach. With eating and drinking, as in every other walk of life, we never fall into temptation unless we are tempted. If still more palatable things are desired to ensure good mastication, eaten with other foods including salads, substitute “Pitman” “Granarg”, “Place-o-bred”, Place-o-bred Gems”, “Cripbred”, and other such like wholemeal Biscuits.
If sweet Biscuits are desired with fresh or stewed fruits, try “Barely Malt Fingers”, “Perfect Bran”, Ginger Nuts” and “Wheatoat”, obtainable at Health Food Stores or direct from the manufactures. In place of the white polished rice of commerce, the natural undressed. Japan type Empire grown rice should be substituted. Brown sago in place of tapioca, and wholemeal Empire macaroni in place of pearl barely as sold by grocers. Every Food Reformer and Nature Cure Practitioner soon learns that there are a hundred and one natural substitutes that are superior to white bread and such like starchy foods, tea, coffee, fish, flesh, fowl and dairy produce.
The most amazing thing, however, that the writer knows, after more than 40 years of endeavour to cater for the needs and requirements of Food Reformers, is the headway made in starting the young life with Nut Milk substitutes for dairy milk. This began over 30 years ago, but I do not think any one anticipated the great strides in this direction that have been made during the last few years.
More and more infants every week are being brought into the world that are being weaned on Nut Cream reduced to milk strength at all ages without the aid of dairy milk, and the strangest thing about it is this great reform is being brought about by, and under the guidance of, qualified doctors, who have become convinced of the wisdom of their efforts to ensure a superior and fitter class of children from birth onward, among all classes of the community. Their endeavours, I am certain, will be crowned with success, in spite of all vested interest, and is already being appreciated with thankfulness by many proud mothers in all stations of life.
Medical etiquette restrains the writer at the moment from mentioning the chief of the medical doctors who deserves the praise and thanks for this, but they are none the less well serving their day and generation.
One thing is quite certain, they have stolen a march on the Nature Cure Practitioners, but we must be fair to them, they are up against a great array of vested interest as our daily papers often reveal, for the way of the reformer is hard, it always was and doubtless always will be, but it makes men true men, and such men make a better world.
WITH BREAD AND ITS ALTERNATIVES.
WHEN the matter is considered carefully one cannot help wondering why white bread and tea have such a hold on the majority of English folk with all their attendant health troubles.
Because they have been taught to like it, doubtless provides the chief reason. there are many wise folk, however, who discarded the use of both many years ago, and have since enjoyed far better health with none of the digestive trouble such things bring about, to say nothing of the greater pleasure they get by eating wholemeal bread over that they ever obtained from eating white, and also from the many substitutes they have found in the place of tea, since they gave it up, for health reasons, in spite on the fact they were of the opinion that they “could not live without it”.
It is very sad to be continually coming in contact with the many sufferers from all kinds of complaints, brought about by such unwise eating and drinking, resulting usually in constipation, and the endless troubles that follow in this train.
It should be remembered that it is unfair to expect that disease in any from that unwise living has taken years to bring to a crisis, can be put right by Nature in a week. On the other had where Nature not given a fair chance and the old order of living continued, plus doctors and drugs, one can fairly predict that they are likely to continue not only to go from bad to worse, but they will continue to be found among those of whom it may be said they have “suffered many things, of many physicians, they have grown no better but rather grown worse”.
As one who dose not believe that any of the dreadful forms of disease are incurable if Nature is given a fair chance in time, but, that if the old manner of living is persisted in , that has brought about the trouble, no drugs will ever mend matters, but only ensure a more painful condition, the end of which is the grave. The reasons why we should give Nature a chance and work with her, instead of against Nature are many. Numerous opportunities of doing so are as available to the poor as they are to the rich. Many of the rich buy disease at a high price, many of the poor doubtless find illness through lack of money, but far more between these two strata of society doubtless bring ill health on themselves by unwise eating and drinking.
After more than forty years trying to find out the best possible foods for the cure of the many forms of ill health brought about by this unwise feeding, I am of the opinion that, the most sure method is not feeding but fasting, giving Nature a rest; if this is wisely done no harm can follow, but new life and energy will result. It may be observed that I wrote on this aspect of “Self Cures” in the November and December issues of “HEAL THYSELF” for 1934. ” Fasting for Health” and “Fasts and How to Break Them” as indicated in the lists of back numbers contents in the July issue obtainable from the Publishers or from the sole distributors to Health Food Stores, “Pitman” Health Foods, Ltd., 471, Vitaland, Four Oaks. I must be careful accordingly to be brief and not to repeat here what was then written.
Henry followed in his father's footsteps, obtaining his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from Durham in 1891. At the age of 27 he arrived in Melbourne in April 1894 aboard the Port Albert. He was registered as a medical practitioner in Victoria on 4 May 1894.
It appears that Dr Cook already believed in homœopathy, possibly because of his father's influence, as in 1895 Dr Cook took the position of Resident Surgeon of the Melbourne Homœopathic Hospital . (This position was previously held by Dr James Cook, unrelated, who resigned in March 1895). He was listed in the 1896 & 1897 editions of the Melbourne Post Office Directory as being Resident Medical Officer at the Melbourne Homœopathic Hospital, but not in the 1898 edition.
In 1901 he moved to Sale in Eastern Victoria, where he ran a practice in York Street. By 1909 his practice was at Wyndham Street, Shepparton.
By 1919 he had moved to 2 Studley Park Road, Kew, where he died on 7 May, 1923.