The Battle Creek Sanitarium was a health resort which employed holistic methods based on principles promoted by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Treatments included hydrotherapy, electrotherapy, phototherapy, physical training, exposure to fresh air, enemas, and dietetic plans crafted to lower patient’s libidos in order to live a chaste lifestyle free of sin. It became a destination for both prominent and middle-class American citizens, including celebrities such as J.C. Penney, Henry Ford, Amelia Earhart, Warren Harding, Mary Todd Lincoln, and Sojourner Truth.

Click the image to the left to view a fully digitized promotional book published by the Sanitarium, which outlined its principles and practices as well as life at the sanitarium. For images of life at the Sanitarium, follow the link below to Page 2.