Biting the fingernails is a practice very common in girls addicted to this vice. In such persons there will also be found, not infrequently, slight soreness or ulceration at the roots of the nails, and warts, one or more, upon one or both the first two fingers of the hand, usually the right.
The eyes often betray much. If, in addition to want of lustre and natural brilliancy, they are sunken, present red edges, are somewhat sore, perhaps, and are surrounded by a dark ring, the patient, especially if a child, should be suspected and carefully watched. It should be observed, however, that dyspepsia, debility from any cause, and especially loss of sleep, will produce some or all of these signs, and no one should be accused of the vice upon the evidence of these indications alone; neither could he be justly suspected so long as his symptoms could be accounted for by legitimate causes.
These are, of course, only a few of the thirty-nine examples that Dr Kellogg provides. Upon reading the entire list it becomes clear that almost everything is a sign of self-abuse to Kellogg. It encompasses everything from round shoulders and paleness to acne and tobacco use. The list even contradicts itself at times by listing both boldness and bashfulness as potential signs. We know, of course, that symptoms like acne are brought on by puberty and hormones. It’s hard to imagine how one man’s preoccupation with self-abuse could change the world, but this path would leave Dr Kellogg in search of a remedy to help those that he felt were in dire need of assistance.
In 1877 Kellogg created the Sanitarium Health Food Company to develop and sell his vegetarian products. He and his brother William spent countless hours creating various foods and trying out ideas, such as Protose, a meat substitute that consisted mostly of peanuts and wheat gluten. One included NutButter, an early form of peanut butter, in which he would boil the nuts instead of roasting them. Kellogg was granted a patent specifically for the ‘Process of Producing Alimentary Products’ in 1898.
The need to deal with the unclean acts of sexuality and masturbation was a great weight on the mind of Dr Kellogg, so he and his younger brother went to work to create a special food that would satisfy the hunger of their patients, while dulling their sexual appetites. One food that the Kellogg brothers tried on the patients of The San was a form of shredded wheat. The concept of shredded wheat cereal was actually invented in 1890 down in Denver, Colorado, by a man named Henry Perky. Perky sold his dry, pillow-like biscuits to vegetarian restaurants and eventually expanded into distribution and production on the east coast of the United States by 1892. Kellogg was a purchaser of shredded wheat as an option for his patrons at The San, but the reception from the patients was unfavourable, judging it far too bland, so he never purchased the patent from Perky. William Keith would later purchase the patent when he split from his brother to create the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company.
The Kellogg brothers were determined to develop a flake cereal that offered significantly more taste, but was conducive to John Harvey’s biologic living philosophy. It was hard for the brothers to get their flake-style cereal to take shape. In 1894, Corn Flakes were finally created and it was very much by accident. William had left for a few days to deal with his creative frustrations and think; when he returned, the batter they were using was mouldy, so he gave the crank a turn and out came the flakes. It turned out that the mould had given the batter the rise that it needed to form properly. The first flakes were made from wheat, but the concept would also work on rice, oats, and corn. William Keith stumbled upon the process, but John Harvey would claim the idea, insisting that it had come to him in a dream. The toasted flakes were to be sold exclusively to The San patients, and subscribers to their wellness magazine. The Kellogg brothers filed for a patent on 31 May 1895. The patent for ‘Flaked Cereals and Process of Preparing Same’ was granted on 14 April 1896.
It was quite clear early on that William Keith had aspirations to market their Corn Flakes product on a wider scale, but John Harvey was adamantly against the idea and forbade it. This was a divide that would change the relationship of the Kellogg brothers. The business sense of William Keith was in direct contradiction with the passion and dedication that John Harvey had to his beliefs.
Fate is a funny thing, to be sure. It turns out that Charles W. Post, the man who started the still prolific Post Cereal Company, was a regular at the Sanitarium. Starting in 1891 Post lived for extended periods at The San off and on for many years. It was while he was there that he saw the immense potential in the products being offered to patients. Prior to his ventures into cereal, Post was largely unsuccessful as a businessman. He created his own product called Postum, a coffee substitute, after observing the experiments and creations at The San. Kellogg didn’t mind Post coming there and poaching their ideas, because he was far too concerned with his mission. Post would soon market Grape Nuts, which became a commercial success; he had made his first million by 1901 and his wild success became an annoyance to Dr Kellogg. Post had exceeded any expectations that Kellogg had had of him, and John Harvey would call Post an imitator of his ideas.
I could have accumulated a fortune, but what is money for except to make the whole world better, to help people have a better life?
William Keith became increasingly frustrated watching others outside of The San find success with their health products, while he and his brother had a winning idea waiting in the wings. Battle Creek quickly became the breakfast cereal capital of the world. People came from all around to copy The San’s methods. In fact, over one hundred new cereal companies had opened in Battle Creek by the year 1912. The competition would come and go over the years, as many of the companies were unsuccessful and their product was often of poor quality compared to the big names like Kellogg and Post.
William Keith reached a point where he was fed up with his brother and was finally going to strike out on his own, but the tragic events of 1902 put his plans on hold. The main building of The San burned to the ground. William couldn’t leave his brother in his time of need and Dr Kellogg quickly made plans to rebuild his beloved Battle Creek Sanitarium, bigger and better than before. William Keith stayed on during the reconstruction to be of assistance. He remained at The San for a while, but eventually put his plans into motion and went into business for himself, leaving John Harvey to his obsessions.
In 1906, William Keith made his move and finally added sugar to the breakfast flakes to help improve the taste and appeal of the product. This move was seen as a terrible sin in the eyes of John Harvey. It was the same year that William Keith founded the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company, while John Harvey continued to sell the cereal strictly through the Sanitarium. John Harvey was very upset about what he saw as the commercialisation of their good family name and a product that had been intended only as a vital part of his life’s work. William Keith was quickly becoming the head of a million dollar a year business and John Harvey’s mood towards his little brother continued to darken over the next few years, as their relationship grew sour.
In 1910 John Harvey decided to change the name of his own company at The San to the Kellogg Food Company. William Keith saw this as a move of aggression and fired back by re-naming his company the Kellogg Toasted Corn Flake Company. William began to include his signature on every box of cereal, along with the slogan ‘Beware of imitations, none genuine without this signature.’