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From 1932 to 1942, Dr. Francis Marion Pottenger,
Jr. (frequently misspelled Pottinger) conducted an experiment
to determine the effects of heat-processed food on cats.
This ten-year cat study was prompted by the
high death rate among his laboratory cats undergoing operations
to remove their adrenal glands. At that time, there were
no chemical procedures to measure the strength of adrenal
extract. So, manufacturers used cats. Cats die without their
adrenal glands. So, the amount of extract the cats needed
to keep them alive allowed the manufacturers to calibrate
the strength of their product.
Dr. Pottenger fed his cats a diet of raw milk,
cod liver oil and cooked meat scraps, which included liver,
tripe, sweetbreads, brains, heart and muscle. This was considered
the optimum diet.
Concerned with the cats poor postoperative
survival, Dr. Pottenger noticed the cats showed a decrease
in their reproductive capacity and many of the kittens born
in the laboratory had skeletal deformities and organ malfunctions.
By a quirk of fate, since the number of cats
donated by his neighbors in Monrovia, California kept increasing,
he couldn't handle the demand for cooked meat scraps. So,
he ordered raw meat scraps from a local meat packing plant,
including the viscera, muscle and bone. Always a scientist,
Dr. Pottenger fed these raw meat scraps to a segregated
group of cats so that he could observe any change. Within
a few months, this group appeared healthier, their kittens
more vigorous, and they had a higher survival rate after
their operations.
The contrast between the two sets of cats
was so startling, it prompted Dr. Pottenger to perform a
controlled experiment to verify these facts scientifically.
The experiment included 900 cats over four
generations and was well documented by Dr. Pottenger. The
cats were divided into five groups. All the groups were
supplied the same basic minimal diet, but the major portion
of the diets were varied. Two of the groups were fed whole
foods (raw milk and meat - real foods for cats). The other
three groups were given processed foods: pasteurized, evaporated
and condensed milk.
All four generations of the raw meat and raw
milk groups remained healthy throughout their normal lifespans.
The first generation of all three processed food groups developed
diseases and illnesses near the end of their lives. The second
generation of all three processed food groups developed diseases
and illnesses in the middle of their lives. The third generation
of all three processed food groups developed diseases and
illnesses in the beginning of their lives and many died before
six months of age. There was no fourth generation in any of
the three processed food groups. Either the third generation
parents were sterile or the fourth generation cats died before
birth! Remember, all four generations of the raw food groups
were healthy throughout their normal lifespans.
As for applying his results to human nutrition,
Dr. Pottenger said, "While no attempt will be made
to correlate the changes in the animals studied with malformations
found in humans, the similarity is so obvious that parallel
pictures will suggest themselves."
Does this give you an understanding of why
so many children are now developing cancer? Why there were
no fertility clinics 30 years ago?
There is no similar experiment in medical
literature. The findings were supervised by Dr. Pottenger
along with Dr. Alvin Foord, professor of pathology at the
University of Southern California and pathologist at the
Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena. These studies
met the most rigorous scientific standards of their day.
Best wishes for your health, |
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Peter Glickman |
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