J. H. Tilden

John Henry Tilden (January 21, 1851 – September 1, 1940) was an American physician and natural hygiene proponent best known in circles of alternative healthcare for his criticism of pharmaceutics and for his theory explaining disease via "toxaemia" which influenced the field of naturopathy.

Career

Tilden was born in Van Burensburg, Illinois, on January 21, 1851. He began studying medicine under the supervision of his father, Joseph G. Tilden MD. At age 17, the younger Tilden joined the medical office of J. Fellows, of Nokomis, Illinois, and studied medicine another two years. In 1872, Tilden graduated from the Eclectic Medical Institute of Cincinnati, and practiced in Nokomis for eight years. Meanwhile, in 1877, he took a post-graduate course at the American Medical College at St. Louis, Missouri.

In 1879, Tilden moved to St. Louis, and, at the college, lectured in anatomy and physiology for two years. In 1881, he moved to Litchfield, Illinois, where, practicing four years, he "established a fine reputation." In June 1882, he was elected Adjunct Professor of Anatomy in St. Louis. In 1886, Tilden moved to Wichita, Kansas, where he drew acclaim, and in 1890, moved to Denver, Colorado. In 1916, he established the Tilden School for Teaching Health as a private residential teaching institution and sanitarium where he offered patients his alternative to the standard medical practices of the day.

Personal life

In 1873, Tilden married Rebecca Maddux, a native of Hillsboro, Illinois, and daughter of Nathaniel Maddux. They had two children, a daughter, Edna, born in 1876, and Elsie, born in 1878 (who died in 1884). Tilden was "a prominent member of the National Eclectic Medical Society, and also of the State Medical Society, of Illinois."