“Return to Nature!”, Adolf Just. RETURN TO NATURE! THE TRUE NATURAL METHOD OF HEALING AND LIVING AND THE TRUE SALVATION OF THE SOUL. Paradise Regained By ADOLF JUST THE CARE OF THE BODY—WATER, HUMAN CURATIVE POWER LIGHT, AIR, EARTH, FOOD, FRUIT CULTURE. AUTHORIZED TRANSLATION FROM THE FOURTH ENLARGED GERMAN EDITION BY BENEDICT LUST, NATUROPATH. EDITOR OF "THE NATUROPATH AND HERALD OF HEALTH,” DIRECTOR AND PROPRIETOR OF THE AMERICAN JUNGBORN, BELLEVUE, BUTLER, N. J. VOLUME I PUBLISHED BY THE TRANSLATOR, B. LUST, 124 EAST 59TH STREET, NEW YORK, U. S. A. COPYRIGHTED 1903 BY BENEDICT LUST, NEW YORK, AND REGISTERED AT STATIONERS' HALL, LONDON, ENGLAND. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DEDICATION. In translating the present work I had in mind that large number of the English speaking people of the world who are to-day suffering under the lash of medical superstition, quackery and charlatanism; men and women and children who for want of proper education and understanding are groping about in darkness, and are constantly being imposed upon by human vipers who live and thrive upon the suffering and ignorance of their less fortunate fellowmen. "Return to Nature" was written by a man humanely inclined, and with a heart for the lowly as well as for all men who work towards the betterment of Humanity. May this volume be the means of spreading and propagating, health, peace and happiness, hope, faith and enlightenment in the thousand homes. It was in this spirit I undertook its translation and with this wish I respectfully dedicate it to the English-speaking people of America, and throughout the world. THE TRANSLATOR. TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH EDITION. MOTTO : Nature ever shows the true and perfect way, Therefore learn betimes ne'er from her paths to stray. The Simpler Life is the demand of the hour. The confusions of a complex civilization, the disintegration of the old-fashioned home, the distractions of international discord, the perplexity of the individual mind wavering between the evolution of Science and the revolution of Theology—all these disturbing elements have settled moodily into a sense of universal unrest, that pervades the mingled atmosphere of nations. Poets, preachers, philosophers, even diplomatists and politicians have propounded causes and proposed cures innumerable. But the dream of Individual Peace and Universal Harmony is as yet but a beautiful vision of prophetic revelation. And realization seems too remote to reckon with. Simply because we humans have persistently sought Peace from external conditions. One single attainment would bring the concept from the clouds into the concrete—Be at peace with yourself. This is not moralizing. Nor philosophizing. Nor rhapsodizing. It is the energizing impulse that constrained Adolph Just to renounce the grimy smoke, mental fog and moral miasma of artificial civilization and seek from the clear pure horizon-vantage of Nature the secret of Health, Happiness and Universal Oneness. This book reveals the secret. It is so simple, easy and unpretentious that the world's greatest scientists, doctors and savants have quite overlooked it. Would you be whole, in body, mind and spirit? Would you live to be twice threescore-and-ten, each year growing younger, happier, better? Would you feel consciously superior to cooks, doctors, druggists and undertakers, and everlastingly immune to all forms of Disease? Would you, incidentally, halve the cost of living, and lift housewifery from the drudging routine of three-meals-a-day-and-a- lunch to the imperial freedom of meal-time abolished? Would you evolve from a wretched, dyspeptic, fearful pessimist into a cheery, strong, courageous optimist? Would you thrill in tune with every bird and flower and rill in "God's great out-of-doors," finding your own divinity reflected in every living thing? Would you become the supreme embodiment of Health, Beauty, Grace, Power, Truth, Wisdom, Love? Then return to Nature—that's all. For Nature is the true interpreter of the Infinite: no other voice whispers truths so potent to awaken, arouse and inspire Humanity. But one word more as regards my functions as Editor of the English Edition. Animated by a deep spirit of veneration and respect for the humanitarian author, Adolf Just, I have made but very few alterations and corrections. I have ventured to amend the translation in so far only as it appeared to me to be indispensable for the better understanding of the English and American public. In conclusion I give expression to the sincere wish that every reader of this book may be as much benefited by "Returning to Nature" as I have been. BENEDICT LUST, Naturopathic Physician, American "Jungborn," Butler, N. J., U. S. A., PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. I publish my book in celebration of the opening of the Jungborn. The vernal sun is again shining in the sky, the gloomy Winter is gone. Snow and ice have yielded to the warm, bright sun, new life is sprouting in field and meadow, in wood and glen, the Easter bells are tolling, the festival of the resurrection has come. I wish at the same time to add a friendly Easter greeting to all those who have already emerged from darkness to light, to all those whom my book may happily lead out of gloomy, dark, desolate, frosty paths into bright, sunny cheerfulness, to all my friends far and near. AD. JUST. Jungborn, Stapelburg in the Harz, Easter, 1896. PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION. When I had finished the first edition of this book, and sent it as a message of glad tidings into a world full of disease and suffering, full of worry and restlessness, full of misery and un-happiness, the earth was putting forth its first green, and resurrection songs filled the air. Three years have passed since then, men have not despised the glad tidings, but received them with joy and enthusiasm. The Jungborn, which is the heart and main artery of the enterprise, already blooms and prospers. But in the meantime it has become necessary to expand and perfect my book in important respects. While I am engaged on this fourth and enlarged edition, nature appears in her brightest colors. Solemnly and joyously the bells are announcing the festival of Pentecost. The spirit of Pentecost is about to descend. During the past three years my cause has become widely known all over the world. But the cause is nothing without the spirit. In many places the true spirit is still wanting; sometimes, indeed, even an unclean spirit threatens to beset the cause. May this new edition, with its many improvements, foster and spread the true spirit! Filled by this sincere wish I send these old and many new teachings once more into the world, to all men and women who are seeking and longing, who are weeping and lamenting, who are groaning and sighing. ADOLF JUST. Jungborn, Stapelburg in the Harz, Pentecost, 1899. TABLE OF CONTENTS. Dedication v Translator's Preface to English Edition ix Preface to the First Edition xi Preface to the Fourth Edition xi The Voices of Nature 1 The Primitive and the Present Condition of Mankind 2 How I was led to a true Natural Method of Healing 3 Reason and Science, and the Voices of Nature 6 The Jungborn, its Purposes 8 The Natural Bath 10 The old Natural Method of Healing and the true Natural Method of Healing 11 Vincent Priessnitz 14 Mistakes of past Water Applications and the incorrectness of Full-Baths 14 The Bath of the Animals in the natural state 16 The Natural Bath of Man, its Description 18 Details of the Natural Bath 20 The Origin of Acute and Chronic Diseases 24 The Effect of the Natural Bath 23 Goethe's "Faust" 26 The Application of the Natural Bath and its Significance 23 Wounds 46 Operations 46 Rubbing and Stroking of the Body 48 Cures by Stroking of women and men (shepherds, etc.) in the Country 49 Masseurs and Masseuses 50 The Application of Human Healing Power after the Natural Bath 51 The Explanation of the Curative Effects of Rubbing and Stroking 52 Who is gifted with Human Healing Power? 53 What more is to be considered in the application of human Healing Power 53 Light and Air 54 Light and Air, the true vitalizing Agents 55 The great mistakes and omissions of the past, with regard to Light and Air, and their Consequences 58 The true and perfect application of Light and Air (the Light- and-Air Bath) 60 Light-and-Air bathing Details 61 The Sunbath . 65 Light-and-Air Huts and Cottages 66 Injurious Gaslight 67 Our Clothing 71 The way clothes should be made 71 Health Shirts, Shoes, Sandals, Stockings, Gloves, Suspenders 72 Trousers for Men and Women 74 The Corset 75 Swathing clothes for Children 76 Going Bareheaded 77 The Purpose of Clothes 79 Jesus and Clothes 80 Furniture 82 Curtains 83 Beds 84 Earth Power 85 Man and his relation to the Earth 85 The Myth of Antaeus 86 The significance of Ancient Myths 86 The Bible 86 Sleeping on the Ground 88 False use of Reason, Science 89 The great significance of Going Barefooted 93 Additional directions for Sleeping on the Bare Ground 98 The present need of sleep a consequence of unnatural Living 96 Details with regard to Sleeping on the Bare Ground 102 How can one daily exploit the Earth-power? 102 The Fear of Catching Cold 103 Further Remarks on the Origin of Acute and Chronic Diseases, and the significance of Air with regard to them 106 The injuriousness and danger of the Fear of Catching Cold. 110 Earth Bandages and Earth Compresses 119 The Rationale of Earth Bandages and Earth Compresses 119 The great significance of Earth Bandages 119 Directions for Earth Bandages . 121 No Blood Poisoning through Earth Bandages 121 Earth Compresses 122 Significance and Application of Earth Compresses 123 Directions for Earth Compresses 124 Earth and Sand Baths 126 Earth and Clay as Skin Purifiers 127 How Shall we Bury Our Dead? 129 Nutrition According to Nature 132 Science and the Question of Nutrition 132 Fruits, Man's Natural Food 134 The greater and lesser Disadvantages of the Foods hitherto used 136 Fruit Diet 137 Fruits alone contain healing juices 139 The Nut our Chief Food 139 Milk, Bread, Vegetables, and other transitional Foods 140 The great mistakes of Contemporary Vegetarians 142 Dr. Densmore and his Teachings 144 Unripe Fruits 145 Vegetables and leguminous foods 146 Tropical fruits 147 Sugar very injurious 147 Details with regard to nutrition according to Nature 148 Ought man to Drink? 149 What ought we to Drink? 150 Effect of a Natural Diet upon the Soul 154 The myth of the Danaids and the Hydra 155 Sexual sensuality, Modesty, Prudery, and True Morality 156 Jesus and Nutrition According to Nature 156 Natural Mode of Life the foundation of the Scheme of Jesus 157 John the Baptist and his Food 159 The Bible and the Natural Food 161 Meat and Alcohol 163 Man is not a Beast of Prey 163 Climate 165 The use of Alcohol occasioned by the use of Meat 166 The danger of Alcohol 167 The Bible, Jesus, and the Meat Diet 167 The Tree of the "Knowledge of Good and Evil" 168 Did Jesus partake of the Easter Lamb? 171 What is the Serpent in Paradise? 173 Jesus and Alcohol 174 Fire 174 Fire the origin of Civilization and Anti-naturalism 174 The myth of Prometheus 175 Cooked Food, Warm Baths, etc. 176 The significance of Living on Raw Fruit 177 Cinderella 178 When Ought we to Eat? 180 The directions of Nature with regard to the Time of Eating 180 The significance of the Holy Communion 181 The Natural Food, Care, and Education of Children 182 The Duties of a pregnant Woman. 183 Immorality within Marriage 184 The care of new-born Children 184 Milk as food for Children 186 The fear of Bacilli 186 Fruit as food for Children 187 Jesus and the Children . 189 Vaccination 190 Prevention of the great Dangers of Vaccination 191 Serum and Diphtheria 191 Children's Diseases 192 Specific present-day Dangers and Sufferings of Children 192 The Dress of Children 193 The only true Education of Children 195 School Education 195 The Calling which Children are to Choose 196 Cases and Cures 197 What value attaches in general to testimonials of Cures? 197 Inflammatory Rheumatism 198 Serious Nervous Diseases 198 Serious Trouble in the Head and Deafness 199 Serious Stomach Trouble and Tuberculosis of the Spinal Cord 201 Retention of the Urine, incipient Dropsy 201 A high degree of Nervousness 203 Pneumonia 203 Disturbance of the Digestive Function 203 Dropsy 204 Throat Trouble 204 Scab on the Head. 204 Tuberculosis of the Spinal Cord 205 Toothache 205 Tuberculosis of the Bones. 206 Typhoid Fever 206 General Debility 207 Convulsions 207 Fistula of the Rectum 208 Blindness 208 Cholera Nostras, or Diarrhoea 209 Sexual Disease 210 The Dangers of Sexual Aberrations and the present false treatment of Sexual Diseases 211 Diabetes 212 Boils 213 Chronic Headache 215 Tetter 215 Snake-bite Poisoning 215 Disease of the Spinal Cord and Obesity 216 Chronic Inflammatory Rheumatism 217 Miscellaneous; rejuvenation, intellectual vigor the result of true Natural Healing 218 Large wound from the Bite of a dog 218 War, a Curse to Mankind 219 The significance of Earth Bandages in War 220 Influenza 221 General Remarks on Cases and Reports of Cures 222 General Directions with regard to the application of the Natural Method of Healing in every case of Sickness 223 The Fear of Infectious Diseases 227 The Freedom of Man 228 Sea and Mineral Baths, High Altitude Sanitaria 228 When Ought we to Submit to a Natural Cure? 229 The ancient Germans, once the strongest Men in the World.. 231 My Relation to the Old Method of Natural Healing 231 All innovation and progress in the Natural Method of Healing are in the beginning always opposed by the adherents of Natural Healing 232 The Mistakes of the prevailing Natural Methods of Healing.. 233 Everyone his own Doctor 237 The Errors and Dangers of all Medical Examinations. 238