Antique 1913-1919 French Lick Springs Hotel Physicians Medical Diet Booklet Rare For Sale

🏛️ ANTIQUE c. 1913–1919 FRENCH LICK SPRINGS HOTEL — PHYSICIANS’ MEDICAL DIET LISTS — PLUTO WATER 🏛️

A REMARKABLE SURVIVOR FROM THE EARLY HISTORY OF AMERICAN MEDICINE, MEDICAL NUTRITION & THE GREAT MINERAL-SPRING RESORTS!

More than a century ago, physicians prescribed specialized diets, mineral waters, and restorative stays at America’s celebrated health resorts.

This fascinating original antique booklet takes us directly into that world.

Offered here is “DIET LISTS (FOR PHYSICIANS’ USE),” a compact medical reference and promotional publication distributed compliments of the legendary French Lick Springs Hotel Company of French Lick, Indiana.

Believed to date to approximately 1913–1919, this booklet combines historical physician-directed dietary recommendations, medical nutrition information, and a detailed chemical analysis of the famous Pluto Water.

Of particular historical importance, the water analysis is attributed to Harry Everett Barnard, Ph.D., chemist associated with the Indiana State Board of Health.

Unlike an ordinary hotel souvenir, this publication was specifically intended for physicians, offering an unusual connection between early twentieth-century medical practice and the therapeutic reputation of one of America’s most celebrated resort ESTIMATED DATE: CIRCA 1913–1919

IMPORTANT HISTORICAL RESEARCH & DATING EVIDENCE

Although the booklet does not bear a confirmed publication date, its contents provide an especially compelling clue to its age.

The chemical and bacteriological analysis of Pluto Water is attributed to:

“LABORATORIES INDIANA STATE BOARD OF HEALTH, H. E. Barnard, Ph. D., Chemist.”

This attribution is significant.

Harry Everett Barnard (1874–1946) was an American chemist whose professional work included food safety, water analysis, sanitation, public health, and nutrition.

According to the Indiana Historical Society’s archival finding aid for the H. E. Barnard Papers:

• 1905: Barnard joined the Indiana State Board of Health.

• 1913: He received his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree from Hanover College in Indiana.

• 1919: Barnard left Indianapolis following his years of service there.

The booklet specifically identifies Barnard with the Ph.D. designation, providing an important clue that the printed analysis was prepared or attributed in its present form no earlier than 1913, assuming the credentials were used accurately.

His documented association with the Indiana State Board of Health, together with the 1913 doctorate and his departure from Indianapolis in 1919, supports circa 1913–1919 as a reasonable estimated period for this publication.

This date range is a carefully researched attribution, not a confirmed printing date. The possibility that an older laboratory analysis was reproduced in a later printing cannot be excluded.

The historical information concerning Barnard can be independently researched through the Indiana Historical Society’s archival collection, H. E. (Harry Everett) Barnard A FASCINATING PIECE OF EARLY MEDICAL HISTORY

What makes this booklet particularly appealing is its original intended audience: physicians.

Rather than merely advertising accommodations or resort attractions, the publication presents historical dietary information intended to assist medical professionals in advising patients.

Its contents include eleven alphabetically designated diet categories, A through K, addressing a variety of medical and nutritional concerns.

Subjects represented include:

• Weight-reduction diets

• Kidney disorders and nephritis

• Liver-related dietary restrictions

• Convalescent nutrition

• Light and easily digested foods

• Gout and lithemia

• Gastric hyperacidity

• Low-purine dietary recommendations

• Diabetes-related dietary management

• Other specialized dietary regimens

The booklet provides period recommendations concerning meats, vegetables, fruits, breads, beverages, and other foods, offering a revealing look at how physicians approached nutrition more than a century ago.

These recommendations are presented as historical medical information and are not intended as modern healthcare guidance.

For physicians, medical historians, dietitians, nutritionists, pharmacists, and collectors of scientific or medical literature, this booklet offers an unusually tangible connection to the evolution of clinical dietetics and preventive HARRY EVERETT BARNARD, Ph.D. — HISTORICAL LABORATORY ANALYSIS

One of the booklet’s most interesting features is its detailed chemical analysis of Pluto Water.

The analysis identifies mineral constituents and provides measurements expressed in parts per million and grains per gallon, reflecting the scientific reporting methods of the period.

The printed table includes compounds and constituents such as:

• Sodium sulphate

• Magnesium sulphate

• Calcium sulphate

• Sodium chloride

• Potassium chloride

• Ammonium chloride

• Calcium bicarbonate

• Silica

• Iron and alumina

The analysis concludes with a statement concerning the water’s sanitary quality, attributed to the laboratories of the Indiana State Board of Health and H. E. Barnard, Ph.D.

This combination of analytical chemistry, historical public-health practice, and commercial mineral-water promotion is particularly intriguing.

It also illustrates the relationship between scientific authority and the marketing of therapeutic mineral waters during the early twentieth century.

The attribution to Barnard is one of the most compelling historical features of this booklet and the principal basis for its estimated 1913–1919 date FRENCH LICK SPRINGS HOTEL — “THE HOME OF PLUTO WATER”

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, French Lick, Indiana, developed an international reputation for its mineral springs and magnificent resort hotels.

The French Lick Springs Hotel attracted travelers seeking luxurious accommodations, relaxation, and the purported health benefits of its celebrated mineral waters.

Pluto Water became closely associated with the resort and was extensively promoted during an era when mineral-water treatments enjoyed widespread popularity.

The booklet’s illustrated rear cover features a detailed architectural view of the French Lick Springs Hotel, accompanied by the historic slogan:

“The Home of Pluto Water”

This attractive illustration adds another layer of appeal for collectors interested in American hotel architecture, Indiana history, early tourism, and the golden age of luxury SCARCITY & SURVIVING EXAMPLES

Despite research into historical publications and comparable French Lick Springs Hotel advertising, I have not yet been able to locate another surviving physical copy of this exact physicians’ diet booklet.

This includes attempts to identify comparable examples through publicly accessible historical references and collections.

I am not claiming that this is the only surviving example, nor that additional copies do not exist. Other examples may remain in private collections, institutional archives, or uncataloged historical holdings.

Nevertheless, the difficulty in locating another documented example makes this an especially interesting piece for collectors and researchers.

Its physician-specific purpose, historical dietary content, detailed mineral-water analysis, and attribution to Harry Everett Barnard distinguish it from more commonly encountered resort postcards and general promotional APPROXIMATE DIMENSIONS

• Length: 5¼ inches

• Width: 3 inches

• Thickness: ¼ inch

A compact, pocket-sized antique CONDITION — PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

This is an original antique paper booklet exhibiting considerable cosmetic aging consistent with its estimated age.

The covers show noticeable age toning, uneven discoloration, scattered staining and spotting, surface marks, creasing, softened corners, and edge wear.

Interior pages display age-related yellowing, occasional handling marks, creasing, and minor imperfections.

Importantly, the booklet remains structurally solid and readable. It has never been written in or filled out.

Its historical dietary information, printed lettering, hotel illustration, and chemical analysis remain legible.

This is an unrestored antique collectible, not a pristine example. Its age-related imperfections are part of its surviving historical character.

Please examine all photographs carefully for a complete visual representation of its IMPORTANT — GROUP PHOTOGRAPH #24

Photograph #24 features three separate pieces of historic French Lick Springs Hotel and West Baden Springs Hotel memorabilia from my personal collection, along with a U.S. dime and ruler for size and scale reference.

THIS LISTING IS FOR THE ANTIQUE FRENCH LICK SPRINGS HOTEL PHYSICIANS’ DIET LISTS BOOKLET ONLY.

The other two historical pieces, the dime, and the ruler are shown solely for comparison, historical context, and size reference.

THEY ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS SALE.

Each historical piece is being offered separately in its own individual AN EXCEPTIONAL CROSS-COLLECTING OPPORTUNITY

This fascinating antique booklet may appeal to collectors and enthusiasts of:

• Antique medical books and physician reference materials

• Medical history and the evolution of clinical practice

• Historical dietetics, nutrition, and diabetes management

• Pharmacy, chemistry, and laboratory science

• Public health and early food-and-water analysis

• American mineral waters and historical therapeutic advertising

• French Lick Springs Hotel and Pluto Water memorabilia

• West Baden and French Lick resort history

• Indiana historical ephemera

• Edwardian-era and World War I-era publications

• Early twentieth-century advertising and printed paper collectibles

• Historic luxury hotels and American travel

Whether acquired for a medical-history collection, a historical research library, or a collection of French Lick memorabilia, this booklet offers a fascinating connection to a period when medicine, nutrition, scientific analysis, and luxury resort culture intersected.

An intriguing original survivor from the history of American medicine and one of Indiana’s most celebrated SHIPPING

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