The American Naturopathic Association
In 1902, Benedict Lust organized the Naturopathic Society of America, which was reorganized as the American Naturopathic Association (ANA) in 1919. In 1921, Lust was elected president for life. Shortly after he died, the organization split in two, forming the Eastern ANA and the Western ANA, each with its own constitution, officers, programs, and conventions.Personality conflicts as well as philosophical difference led to the split. The Eastern naturopaths were determined to follow the example set forth by Kneipp et al.,while those in the West seemed determined to "medicalize" naturopathy. "The two camps developed their own textbooks which showed their different points of view: Paul Wendel's Standardized Naturopathy (1951) and Harry Riley Spitler's Basic Naturopathy (1948)."
Natural Healers and Education
It seems that most, if not all, of the American naturopaths whose work
is well documented had some kind of formal training in the natural healing
arts or in medicine. However, not all of this formal education occurred
before they began to practice. For example, after learning natural healing
from Father Kneipp and others informally and then establishing his practice,
Benedict Lust earned degrees in osteopathy and medicine. When the American
School of Naturopathy, which he had founded, gained its charter in 1905,
it conferred on Lust the Doctor of Naturopathy degree.
Early practitioners of "the nature cure" learned through observation and
self experimentation. Later healers learned by apprenticeship. Some had
a conventional medical education but rebelled against it, and still others
were educated in osteopathy and chiropractic, with the addition of intense
independent study.
As to what kind of education these healers recommended for others, there
was alsovariation. One healer, who felt that doctors should be artists
rat her than scientists, said "Furnish them with the necessary portion
of anatomy, physiology and biochemistry. But not too much of it.(Schweninger
1926, 43-46)".
Benedict Lust founded the American School of Naturopathy in 1901. Here
students learned "basic sciences, physiotherapy, phytotherapy, geotherapy,
electrotherapy, mechanotherapy. Degrees in naturopathy and chiropractic
were granted." Lust also established a school of massage and physiotherapy.
In addition to classroom education, he offered naturopathic home-study
courses through his journal.
In 1947, in a speech before the Eastern ANA, Dr. Jesse Mercer Gehmann,
president at the time, stated, "We need standards and we need more, to
stand by them, once they are established.... These standards should insist
upon a thorough training in basic Nature Cure. All students should be
required to be thoroughly competent in applying the methods of the old
Masters ... Our standards should include thorough training through study
of Kneipp, Priessnitz, Just, Kuhne, Rikli, Trall, Schroth, Graham, Jennings,
Lust and Macfadden ... We need adequate standards for entrance upon training
for a Doctorate in Naturopathy, but these standards need NOT be, nor should
they be patterned after the medical requirements. Our work is not based
on awarped and decadent pathology, bacteriology, or biology (cited in
Freibott 1990, #7)."
Early Naturopathy: Basic
Tenets and Theories
The European Healers
Naturopathy in America
Other American Healers
© Copyright 2007 Coalition for Natural Health