The Story of our Health Message

The Source of Mrs. White’s Counsel

This clear statement by one of the pioneers of Seventh-day Adventists was published in the church organ at the time when the health reform was just beginning to be agitated among them. The fact that there were at that time reformers who were doing commendable work in writing and lecturing on health principles was readily and openly acknowledged. That fact was not left for the discovery of critics many years later, who might thereby assume that Mrs. White merely copied from others in her advocacy of health principles. However, we have positive statements both from Mrs. White and from Elder White that at the time the vision was given they had not made a study of the writings of others. Mrs. White further testifies that she had completed the writing of her initial articles before she read the writings of others upon the subject. Although the statement anticipates some of the history which will be traced later, her testimony regarding this should be given here. What she wrote was in answer to the direct question, “Did you receive your views upon health reform before visiting the Health Institute at Dansville, N.Y., or before you had read works upon that subject?” SHM 80.2

The reply was as follows: “It was at the house of Brother A. Hilliard, at Otsego, Mich., June 6, 1863, that the great subject of health reform was opened before me in vision. I did not visit Dansville till August, 1864, fourteen months after I had the view. I did not read any works upon health until I had written Spiritual Gifts, Vols. III and IV, ‘Appeal to Mothers,’ and had sketched out most of my six articles in the six numbers of ‘How to Live.’ I did not know that such a paper existed as the Laws of Life, published at Dansville, N.Y. I had not heard of the several works upon health, written by Dr. J. C. Jackson, and other publications at Dansville, at the time I had the view named above. ... SHM 81.1

“As I introduced the subject of health to friends where I labored in Michigan, New England, and in the State of New York, and spoke against drugs and flesh meats, and in favor of water, pure air, and a proper diet, the reply was often made, ‘You speak very nearly the opinions taught in the Laws of Life, and other publications, by Drs. Trall, Jackson, and others. Have you read that paper and those works?’ My reply was that I had not, neither should I read them till I had fully written out my views, lest it should be said that I had received my light upon the subject of health from physicians and not from the Lord. SHM 81.2

“And after I had written my six articles for ‘How to Live,’ I then searched the various works on hygiene, and was surprised to find them so nearly in harmony with what the Lord had revealed to me. And to show this harmony, and to set before my brethren and sisters the subject as brought out by able writers, I determined to publish ‘How to Live,’ in which I largely extracted from the works referred to.”—The Review and Herald, October 8, 1867. SHM 81.3

“I was astonished,” she wrote of this at another time, “at the things shown me in vision. Many things came directly across my own ideas.”—Manuscript 7, 1867. SHM 81.4