Johann Heinrich Lahmann (30 March 1860 – 1 June 1905) was a German physician who was a pioneer ofnaturopathic medicine. He was a native of theFree Hanseatic City of Bremen.
He earned his medical doctorate at theUniversity of Heidelberg, and after graduation became ageneral practitioner inStuttgart. On 1 January 1888, he opened asanatorium called the "Physiatric Sanatorium" at Weißer Hirsch, outside ofDresden. This institution would eventually become well-known internationally.
Lahmann was influenced by the methods used byVincenz Priessnitz (1799-1851) andJohann Schroth (1798-1856), both pioneers in the field ofalternative medicine. He eventually turned away from traditional medicine, and was disdainful of drugs and unnatural medications. Lahmann stressed the importance of diet, exercise and fresh air, and was an ardent practitioner ofphysiotherapy andhydrotherapy.[1]
Lahmann recommended avegetarian diet[1] of fruits, vegetables, nuts,whole grain bread anddairy products, and believed in limiting one's intake oftable salt and liquor. He developed five separate diets for his patients, which included food fordiabetics, food for the overweight, as well as a strictlyvegetarian diet. In his 1891 book,Diätetische Blutentmischung als Grundursache der Krankheiten, he argued that diseases were ultimately caused by a poor diet, and therefore a proper diet was needed to prevent illness. He was also one of the first physicians to recognize the importance of minerals in an individual's diet, feeling that many foods were mineral deficient.
Lahmann was an advocate ofanimal rights, refusing to use them in laboratory experiments. He also advocated loose-fitting clothing for all his patients, and recommended bothsauna and open-air bathing.
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