EXHIBIT, SEPTEMBER 2014
THE GUIDE-BOARD
TO HEALTH, PEACE AND COMPETENCE
by Dr. W. W. Hall
TO HEALTH, PEACE AND COMPETENCE
by Dr. W. W. Hall
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Men consume too much food, and too little pure air;
They take too much medicine, and too little exercise. The Guide-board to Health, Peace and Competence;
Or, The Road to Happy Old Age. W. W. Hall. Springfield, MA: Fisk, 1869. Print. |
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William Whitty Hall (1810–1876), physician and pioneer editor of health magazines, was born in Paris, Kentucky, on October 15, 1810. After graduating from Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, with the intention of becoming a Presbyterian missionary, he studied theology and medicine at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. In 1836 he received his M.D. and became an ordained mininster. His plan was to support his missionary work through his medical practice.
Hall gradually abandoned preaching for the practice of medicine, working in New Orleans, Cincinnati, and New York City. He wrote several books on lung ailments and in 1854 began publishing Hall's Journal of Health. A prolific writer, in 1875 he started another periodical, Hall's Medical Adviser. Never weighing more than 125 pounds and working from five in the morning until ten at night, a violation of his own health rules, Hall fell in a fit on a street in New York and died almost immediately on May 10, 1876.
Hall gradually abandoned preaching for the practice of medicine, working in New Orleans, Cincinnati, and New York City. He wrote several books on lung ailments and in 1854 began publishing Hall's Journal of Health. A prolific writer, in 1875 he started another periodical, Hall's Medical Adviser. Never weighing more than 125 pounds and working from five in the morning until ten at night, a violation of his own health rules, Hall fell in a fit on a street in New York and died almost immediately on May 10, 1876.
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The Guide-Board was one of several large tomes on healthy living by Dr. Hall. Knox Historical Society has a leather-bound copy in its collection at the Saddlemire Museum. The 748-page book contains exceptionally clear and informative full-page engravings. John Elberfeld scanned several engravings, framed them, added suitable quotations from the book, and mounted a display at the Altamont Free Library in September 2014.
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Display of engravings and quotations from The Guide-Board at Altamont Free Library. At right, John Elberfeld, treasurer of Knox Historical Society, finishes hanging the exhibit. The two engravings shown contrast Hall's ideal of a happy, prosperous family with an image of dirty children, the result of poverty. Hall concluded that by following his tenets, people would inevitably become prosperous.
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John Elberfeld attaches a pill box replica to the display. What would Dr. Hall have thought about the millions of pill boxes produced in Knox?
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The editor of the 'Letter Box' says, that within a year he 'has taken pains to count the different medicinal preparations offered for sale for the cure of human ailments, and that they number over fifteen hundred; and that, among all that are liquid, there is not one which does not contain either opium or alcohol.'
In 1869, when W. W. Hall wrote The Guide-Board, the Town of Knox was producing millions of small oval and round basswood pill boxes to contain the medicines that Hall encouraged his readers to avoid. The exhibit contains several labels of patent medicines for pill boxes from Knox. Latcher’s Pills claimed that for 25 cents, the user could cure "scrofulous diseases, dyspepsia, habitual costiveness, and general chronic disease." |
Some of Dr. Hall's health advice was based on the prejudices and fears prevalent in his lifetime, while other recommendations are applicable today. As you study the exhibit, you may ask yourself these questions:
- Which of the quotations contain practical ways to maintain my health in the 21st century?
- Would I personally elect to follow his recommendations? Why? Why not? (hint: Hall was pro-Temperance, i.e. anti-alcohol)
Letter to the Editor, Altamont Enterprise, September 18, 2014
Knox: Pillbox Capital of the World. Dr. W. W. Hall believed patent medicines were just a way to ingest opium and alcohol in a socially acceptable manner. Knox, on the other hand, produced millions of small, wooden pillboxes to contain these questionable medications.John Elberfeld attaches a pillbox replica to the display in the Altamont Free Library to show Knox's contribution to the health care industry of the 1800s. (Photo by Jane McLean)
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The Best Gymnasium: Dr. W. W. Hall favored outdoor exercise, stating, "The best gymnasium is a wood-yard, a 'clearing,' or a cornfield." He recommended: A million times better recipe than the gymnasium for a sedentary person is --
1. Eat moderately and regularly of plain, nourishing food, well prepared. 2. Spend two of three hours every day in the open air, regardless of the weather, in moderate, untiring and useful activities. (Scan by John Elberfeld) |
Men take too much medicine, and too little exercise.
To the Editor:
In 1869 Dr. W. W. Hall wrote The Guide-Board to Health, Peace and Competence, a 762-page book containing his recommendations for being happy and healthy. He summarized his entire book with:
Men consume too much food, and too little pure air;
They take too much medicine, and too little exercise.
I discovered this leather-bound book at the Saddlemire Homestead, Knox Historical Society's museum in Knox, NY. In addition to Hall's helpful hints for remaining in good health, there were many fascinating full-page engravings that illustrated the points the author thought were most important. Of special interest is his strong opposition to patent medicines, while Knox produced millions of wooden pillboxes for these very medicines.
Knox Historical Society is committed to sharing its collection of artifacts. In order to do this, I scanned the engravings, printed enlargements, and selected the text related to the pictures. These enlargements and explanatory texts are now on display at the Altamont Free Library.
What does Hall say is our only disease? "There is naturally but one disease – that of old age. To leave the world as gently go out the embers of the hearth, or as the candle in the socket, without pain, or shock, or spasm. – this is worth taking pains for! To have the lamp of life thus go out, physically, we must live regularly, temperately, actively. Reader! May such be your exit and mine."
Unfortunately, Dr. Hall failed to follow his own health advice. I invite you to visit Altamont Free Library to learn about his life and see more pearls of wisdom from 145 years ago. The original volume is at the Saddlemire Homestead in Knox. Contact me at [email protected] to arrange a tour of the museum. For more information about the Knox Historical Society, please visit www.KnoxHistoricalSociety.org (a work in progress).
John Elberfeld
Treasurer, Knox Historical Society
To the Editor:
In 1869 Dr. W. W. Hall wrote The Guide-Board to Health, Peace and Competence, a 762-page book containing his recommendations for being happy and healthy. He summarized his entire book with:
Men consume too much food, and too little pure air;
They take too much medicine, and too little exercise.
I discovered this leather-bound book at the Saddlemire Homestead, Knox Historical Society's museum in Knox, NY. In addition to Hall's helpful hints for remaining in good health, there were many fascinating full-page engravings that illustrated the points the author thought were most important. Of special interest is his strong opposition to patent medicines, while Knox produced millions of wooden pillboxes for these very medicines.
Knox Historical Society is committed to sharing its collection of artifacts. In order to do this, I scanned the engravings, printed enlargements, and selected the text related to the pictures. These enlargements and explanatory texts are now on display at the Altamont Free Library.
What does Hall say is our only disease? "There is naturally but one disease – that of old age. To leave the world as gently go out the embers of the hearth, or as the candle in the socket, without pain, or shock, or spasm. – this is worth taking pains for! To have the lamp of life thus go out, physically, we must live regularly, temperately, actively. Reader! May such be your exit and mine."
Unfortunately, Dr. Hall failed to follow his own health advice. I invite you to visit Altamont Free Library to learn about his life and see more pearls of wisdom from 145 years ago. The original volume is at the Saddlemire Homestead in Knox. Contact me at [email protected] to arrange a tour of the museum. For more information about the Knox Historical Society, please visit www.KnoxHistoricalSociety.org (a work in progress).
John Elberfeld
Treasurer, Knox Historical Society