- Thomas Allinson
Thomas Richard Allinson (1858 – 1918) was a British doctor, dietetic reformer, business man and journalist. He was a proponent of
whole grain (or "wholemeal") bread consumption. His name is still used today for a bread popular in Europe, Allinson bread. [http://www.allinsonflour.co.uk/index.cfm]Biography
Allinson was born in the
Hulme district ofManchester on 29 March 1858. He went to school in Lancaster and Manchester and at age fifteen began work as a chemist's assistant. With money he saved and financial help from his stepfather, he was able to attend the extramural medical school in Edinburgh, which was less expensive than the University medical school. He graduated as a Licenciate of the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons of Edinburgh (LRCP, LRCS) in 1879 at the age of 21 years. After assistantships in Hull and the East End of London he established his own practice in Marylebone in 1885.During the 1880's Allinson developed his theory of medicine, which he called Hygienic Medicine. [Pepper S Allinson's Staff of Life History Today 1992; 42:30-35] In place of orthodox medicine, he promoted health through diet, exercise, fresh air and bathing. He advocated a vegetarian diet and the avoidance of alcohol, tobacco, coffee and tea. He especially promoted the benefits of stone-ground whole grain breads. He opposed the use of drugs by doctors, many of which at that time were ineffective and toxic and was a lifelong opponent of compulsory vaccination against smallpox. He became medical editor of the "Weekly Times and Echo" in 1885, for which he wrote over 1000 articles during his life, [Corley TAB Oxford Dictionary of National Biography] as well as answering readers' medical queries.
He wrote a number of books and pamphlets directed at a general rather than medical readership, including "A System of Hygienic Medicine" (1886), "How to avoid Vaccination"(1888), "The Advantage of Wholemeal Bread", "Medical Essays" and "A Book for Married Women"(1894) and books on stomach diseases, consumption (tuberculosis), rheumatism, vegetarian cooking and healthy diet. He gave frequent public lectures throughout the country propounding his ideas. In one of his books, "The Advantages of Wholemeal Bread"(1889), he proposed that whole grain bread was healthier than white (or refined) bread. He believed that smoking was a cause of
cancer , which was a radical idea at the time. Allinson regularly sought publicity for his theories and practices in the press and directed his energies not just towards his colleagues but directly to the public.His views often brought him into conflict with the
Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and theGeneral Medical Council , particularly his opposition to doctors' frequent use of toxic drugs, his opposition to vaccination and his self promotion in the press. [Scott CJ The Life and Trials of TR Allinson ex LRCP Ed Proc. R. Coll. Phys. Ed. 1999; 29:258-261] In 1892 he was struck off the Medical Register. Despite this he continued to practise and indeed maintained he had the largest medical practice in England.His "Book for Married Women" advocated equality of women and men, the right of a woman to choose the size of her family and birth control. For this he was prosecuted and convicted under the Obscene Publications Act in 1901. In 1892 he had bought a stone grinding flour mill in Bethnal Green and founded The Natural Food Company. The purpose of the company was to sell healthy foods. A bakery came shortly afterwards.
During
World War I , the food value of whole grain bread was recognised. Allinson was offered the right to re-register as a doctor but refused. His company flourished from the increased demand for whole-grain bread and meal. After his death, the company grew (two more stone-grinding mills were purchased inNewport, Monmouthshire and in 1921 Castleford, Yorkshire). The mills stand to this day.Bread
Allinson's original bread recipe (100% whole grain flour, no fat, less yeast, more water) is still used today, though some lovers of Allinson bread report that it's not as hearty nowadays as it used to be. [ [http://www.uni-ulm.de/LiLL/brot/beitraege/scott_en.html Flour Power - A Scottish Perspective ] at www.uni-ulm.de] The advertising slogan for the brand since the 1980s is "Bread wi' nowt taken out".
References
External links
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* [http://www.allinsonflour.co.uk/index.cfm Allinson Flour]
* [http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/templates/news/detail.cfm?newsid=6731 Bread and Butter of Healthy Living (story)]
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