By C. LESLIE THOMSON
OF THE KINGSTON CLINIC, EDINBURGH
2013
It is now a full century since James C Thomson returned from America after training with Henry Lindlahr in his sanatorium in Illinois so I am writing this introduction as a fourth generation Nature Cure adherent. From Henry Lindlahr who taught my grandparents James C Thomson and Jessie R Thomson through my father C Leslie Thomson. I was born and brought up at the Kingston Nature Cure Clinic in Edinburgh; the clinic was run by my extended family for over 50 years. I have also brought up two healthy strapping lads along the same principles. Now there are grandchildren – but my sphere of influence stops at my immediate offspring! It is up to the next generation to decide for themselves.
Embracing the ethos of Thomson-Kingston Nature Cure is a whole life choice not another “alternative” to be dabbled in. Because of this it is not for everyone; but those who choose to embrace these principles – which are for some are still too unorthodox – will certainly reap the benefits. Please seek the support and guidance of a qualified practitioner – contact details are on the website – before launching into fundamental changes in your everyday habits. www.naturecuresociety.co.uk
Whilst reading the booklets please remember that many were written at a time when Nature Cure practitioners were swimming against a very strong tide of medical orthodoxy. Some of the contents may be considered as common sense now but were very radical at the time! Some of the modalities might seem a little quaint or old fashioned but on the whole the information contained in the text stands up not only to scrutiny but also to the test of time. Some of the prose is also a little archaic and was written before feminism became established, but bear with it and the essential information will shine through!
FOREWORD
This booklet has its origins in a 1946 series of articles by James C. Thomson for Rude Health-The Kingston Chronicle. They were collectively reprinted as a Monograph, ‘Nature Cure for Beginners’, a title doing little justice to a richly thought-provoking text.
Twenty years later, the present writer revised and recast the material to its present form. It is hoped that this edition will, like other T-K booklets, be found to repay at least a second perusal by the reader gaining personal experience of Nature Cure living.
LIVING WITH NATURE CURE
by C. Leslie Thomson
Nature Cure is much more than a way of dealing with disease; it is essentially a way of looking at life; a curiosity about life and a philosophy of living. It is not “just another cure”- to quote the words so often used by those who neither wish nor care to understand
the Nature Cure viewpoint. Indeed, one can immediately spot those antagonistic to Nature Cure – no matter how impartial they seek to appear-by their attempts to diminish its scope. “Nature Cure is just diet”, “Nature Cure is just sunbathing and eating fruit”,
“. . . just osteopathy”, “. . . just faith-healing”, “. . . just exercises”: in fact, almost anyone thing-except possibly just living at its highest and fullest degree.
In trying to convey something of the breadth of Nature Cure to a newcomer, over-simplification is an ever-present hazard. One must have some starting-point of understanding about the individual interests. What may be a fascinating explanation to one person can be boring and incomprehensible to another. In an attempt to establish a starting-point, eight enthusiastic followers of Nature Cure had the foregoing difficulty put before them, and they
were asked to describe – briefly – the incident or philosophical item which had first given them a positive interest, and which had led them to a deeper or more active pursuit of it. The replies are worth quoting in full:-