| Show battle creek sanitarium battle creek what memories that came conjures up memories of other days even the pioneer days when the of the northern lake region bent the bow and smeared their faces with keal braided their flowing locks with feathers of the porcupine and wild eagle that they might appear more wild if possible than before and as they painted the cheeks and braided the hair the squaw women sharpened the flint arrow heads and shaped new bows that their lords might do battle to the death with other and here at battle creek way up in michigan a great battle one day did occur and when it was over and the sun kissed the range to the tar west the were muffled and the squaw w omen wrapped their heads in varicolored vari colored alani ets and wept for with the going down of the sun many braves passed to the proverbial happy hunting grounds but that was many many moons ago as the indians measure time and a new era 1 as long since dawned true it is battle creek to day just as it was decades ago but instead of the cry of the savage is heard the hum of industry the throb of life the greeting of men and women of the anglo saxon race the shouts of happy boys and girls ahr know of battle creeks former history only by tradition and here on the site of the famous battle between the red linen stands now one of the fairest cities of the great northwest a city bought out among thousands tor in it dwell month after month as the years come and go men and women who find within the charmed that which they have long sought elsewhere health when one speaks of health the mind naturally wings itself to battle creek tor up there health Is to be found as at few other places on earth forty years ago there began in bat tie creek a return to nature movement with purposes and in many respects similar to those which led to the famous brook farm exper ament twenty years before and to e movement of that period this movement while religious was avowedly non sectarian and was in a broad sense philanthropic altruistic and reformatory the immediate re suits were the establishment of a monthly journal now known as good health and shortly afterwards the erection of a health institution called the health beform institute the chief features of the institute at this parly period were diet reform dress reform and the use ot water as a cura live agent in 1876 the present management took charge of the institution and with the conbene and operation cooperation co of the board of directors the institution having been incorporated ten years before a thorough reorganization was effected broader plans were introduced the methods of treatment were placed upon a substantial and thor hughly scientific foundation and the name was changed to the battle creeh sanitarium since this time the growth of the institution has been con stant and rapid prom year to year alons for patients and facilities or treatments were enlarged to meet the increasing patronage until feb auary 1902 when a great alre swept away the two principal build ings of the establishment the arec alon of a new building was speedily begun and the following year may 31 1908 the present fireproof main build ing erected at a cost of more than was dedicated the cost of the entire establishment including equipment twenty dormitories cot and other buildings has amount ed to more than 1200 the battle creek sanitarium as it stands today to day is recognized the world over as the most complete and thor hughly equipped establishment of its sort and the headquarters tor physiologic therapeutics or natural methods connected with the sanitarium is a training school for nurses in which from two to three hundred nurses are constantly under training these principles and methods have penetrated to the remotest parts of the civilized world and scores of men and women who have been trained in these methods are devoting their lives to medical missionary work in heathen lands the battle creek sanitarium may be regarded as an epitome of the returns to nature idea in practical operation its success lu the restoration of sick people to health brings to it annually many thousands of men and women many of whom have been pronounced incurable but who nevertheless with rare exceptions return a few months later to their homes prepared to enter again upon the battle of life there are many sanitariums in the world but few it any that are con ducted on the same plane as that at battle creeh this haven of rest and health is in no sense a money mak ing scheme and every cent that I 1 made from patients who are able to pay tor their accommodations is used to help those who have nothing but broken health all over this country and even beyond the seas branch in are springing up creepers from the mother plan at battle creek one point in view is down on state street in the center of the metropolis tro polis of the middle west chicago where hundreds of the cites poor are cared for as tenderly as it in the par ent institution at battle creek in a few brief paragraphs one can tell but little of the good work of the battle creek sanitarium but a postal card will bring pamphlets that will tell all all except the knowledge ob talked by actual experience and that experience must be had at battle creek to be appreciated to its full worth this institution at battle creek was not built up in a day it took years of toll to reach the perfected state and the work has but begun the great work Is to come from rising genera alons who are imbibing ideas from the battle creek home and what it stands for for three decades for more than three decades the present institution has been the center of a wonderful aduca dional philanthropic and reform movement which has finally calmin abed in success undreamed of a few years ago and in this connection a brief history is most opportune in february 1802 the two main buildings of the sanitarium acre destroyed by alre for a short time the days were dark for those who had worked so hard to build it up but strong hearts are not to be awed by misfortune and a new building sprung from the ashes 11 the old site the de ration took place may 31 and june 1 1903 an elaborate pro gram was carried out and many men of national reputation made speeches and highly complimented the managers and their worl era on their good work invitations were sent to all patients rich and poor who had ever been at the sanitarium many re spondee in person and hundreds sent letters of regret one of the prettiest sights in con lection with the whole event was the procession of nurses and matrons which formed on the college grounds opposite the new sanitarium building and marched through the audience to reserved seats at the right and left of the speakers stand the matrons in their usual cream white uniform the nurses in blue and white and the gentlemen nurses clad in new suits presented a sight which moved the audience to one si boue burst of applause sanitary ideas As before stated there are many sanitariums in the world but none just like that at battle creek it being the first of the kind so far as known where an attempt has been made and crowned with success to bring to gether in one place and under one management all rational healing agencies giving special prominence to those physiological or natural heal ing agents the scientific knowledge of which has been chiefly developed within the last century especially hypnotherapy electrotherapy mas sage exercise diet sunlight mental and moral influences rest and gen oral health culture of course the first thing to be taken into consideration was the tion of the building to be occupied tor much depended upon that but after it had been discussed pro and con a plan entirely satisfactory was adopted and the structure today to day plays no small part in the healing process that goes on from day to day at battle creek A return to nature movement the philosophy of the battle creels sanitarium may be defined as the re turn to nature idea the doctors teach the use of natural foods natural life the use of natural agents in the treat ment of disease A great amount ot attention is given to dietetics fruits nuts and nut preparations cereal foods and easily digestible vegetables are the basis for the delicious menus which are dally served in the great sanitarium dining room at which sit down hundreds of intelligent men and women from all parts of the united states and even from foreign coun tries milk eggs and other dairy prod acts are also freely used great care is taken to provide the very best and choicest of everything edible of which the physicians approve during the year which has just closed a vast amount of these things were required to provide tor the army of patients who visited the sanitarium for several thousand sufferers housed there during the twelve months ot 1904 As to the expense for the past year it was considerable amounting to a total of divided as tol lows nut foods 50 tons 26 80 cereal foods pounds 9 bread 65 pounds 2 43 canned goods 3 cases 10 65 fruit juices etc made on the place gallons fresh fruit bushels vegetables bushels 3 20 sundry grocery items 41 pounds 3 38 eggs 25 dozen 6 co butter made on the place 29 pounds cream 68 quarts 10 70 milk quarts 1 45 coal tons labor total the amount of charity dispensed during the past ten years at this sanitarium amounted to to care for the patients an average of men and women were employed during each year and an average of patients are under treatment at this sanitarium every day in the year we have given our readers only a brief glance at the workings of this unique establishment another article would be required to give something of the details of the dally routine of a guest at the sanitarium and ot the methods which have given to this institution ution its world wide reputation as a mecca tor sick folks |
