John Harvey Kellogg might come to mind when you think of breakfast staples such as corn flakes. But behind the beloved cereal lies a fascinating and controversial history of the man who sought to reform not just breakfast tables but also personal habits. A devout Seventh-Day Adventist, Kellogg's life's work went far beyond promoting healthy diets—his relentless campaign against masturbation was a defining aspect of his career.
Why was masturbation such a big deal in the 18th and 19th centuries?
By the 18th century, masturbation was not only disapproved of but also considered a disease. Religious revivals such as the Great Awakening and Victorian morality converged to cast masturbation as both a moral sin and a medical crisis. Influential books such as Onania: Or, the Heinous Sin of Self-Pollution, and all its Frightful Consequences (1730) and Samuel Tissot's Treatise on the Diseases Produced by Onanism (1766) laid the groundwork for associating masturbation with mental and physical ailments.
This concept took root in the 19th century, particularly in the United States, with John Harvey Kellogg as one of its most vocal opponents.
Who was John Harvey Kellogg?
Kellogg was a doctor, prolific author, and director of the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan. His advocacy of healthy living began with his work as a Seventh-Day Adventist, promoting ideas around vegetarianism, abstinence from alcohol and tobacco, and regular exercise. His periodical Good Health became a soapbox for these ideals but also included controversial ideas, including eugenics.
For Kellogg, sex—including masturbation—was a detriment to physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. He abstained entirely, never consummated his marriage, and devoted himself to spreading the word about its supposed dangers. In his 1877 book Plain Facts for Old and Young, he outlined 39 symptoms he attributed to chronic masturbation, ranging from acne and bad posture to epilepsy and mood swings.
How did Kellogg propose to curb sexual desires?
He believed diet played a major role in controlling sexual urges. Similar to ideas of dietary reformer Sylvester Graham-Kellogg noted that meat and flavorful foods increase sexual desire, while bland, plant-based diets would depress it. It is these ideas that motivated some of his food inventions.
Working at the sanitarium, Kellogg developed "granula," a health treat that consisted of baked oatmeal and cornmeal. However, following a dispute in the court with another inventor, he named it "granola." Later, Kellogg introduced flaked cereals including corn flakes as quick-to-digest ready-to-eat meals. His brother as well as his business partner, Will Kellogg, would have liked to add sugar on these flakes so that they become tasty. However, John didn't allow him to do so, and rather insisted that it must be made of purest diet. Over such unyieldingness, the brothers fought for more than fifty years.
What about the Yogurt Enemas?
One of Kellogg’s lesser-known health remedies was an enema machine that flushed the bowels with water, followed by a pint of yogurt—half ingested orally, the other half administered rectally. This peculiar practice didn’t gain much popularity, unlike his breakfast cereals.
While diet and enemas were central to Kellogg’s vision, he also supported extreme measures to curb masturbation. These included procedures that would be deemed highly unethical today. Fortunately, these methods were largely rejected, leaving Kellogg remembered more for his breakfast contributions than his anti-sex crusade.
Kellogg's legacy is a mix of revolutionary dietary innovations and contentious beliefs. While his anti-masturbation campaign may sound bizarre by today's standards, his contributions to the modern breakfast table—especially granola and cornflakes—have endured.