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From: manis@ubc-vision.CDN (Vincent Manis)
Newsgroups: net.rumor
Subject: Re: Corn Flakes
Message-ID: <533@ubc-vision.CDN>
Date: Thu, 30-Aug-84 00:22:52 EDT
Article-I.D.: ubc-visi.533
Posted: Thu Aug 30 00:22:52 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 29-Aug-84 00:45:51 EDT
References: <848@ut-ngp.UUCP>
Organization: UBC Vision, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Lines: 30

Actually, there's a lot more to both the corn flake and graham
cracker stories. 
 
Rev. Sylvester Graham invented his eponymous crackers in 
the 1840's because he felt that young people  were eating
food that was too spicy, thus making them lustful. He 
developed a bland whole-wheat flour that was alleged
to not excite lurid passions. The honey, and later 
pie-crust crumbs, are later additions.
 
Rev. Kellogg had elaborate theories about health food. As a
^result, he opened the Battle Creek Sanatarium in the late
19th century. I believe it was a brother who developed the
corn flakes. Prevention of masturbation was only one of the
goals of the magic flake: it was also to clean the body of
(unspecified) bodily poisons. Rev. Kellogg added corn flakes
to the diet at the Sanatarium.

But it's important to know *why* masturbation had to be 
prevented. It wasn't the usual hair on the palm, or blindness
in later life. No, masturbation caused insanity. Many
doctors had discovered this in their patients, and 
had as a result prescribed chastity belts, saltpeter,
and herbal teas to cool the patient's passions. Corn flakes
seemed like a less drastic way of preventing the patient 
from going (graham?) crackers. One of Thomas Szasz's books has
a chapter on this amazing phenomenon.
 
Let's hear it for General Jack D. Ripper, a man who kept 
all his precious essences. And look where it got him.