Charles Wentworth Littlefield
From Kook Science
| Charles Wentworth Littlefield | |
|---|---|
 As pictured in "The Beginning and Way of Life" | |
| Born | 17 December 1859 [1] Mankato, Minnesota |
| Died | 2 February 1945 (85) [2] Seattle, King, Washington |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Kansas City Homeopathic Medical College (1896) |
| Field(s) | Medicine (homeopathic) |
| Known for | "Resurrection salt", "Rainbow lamps", his theory of mineral archebiosis |
| Spouse(s) | Lena Leota Hurd (m. 1882) [3][4]; Mary L. McDonald (m. 1934) [5] |
Charles Wentworth Littlefield (December 17, 1859 - February 2, 1945) was an American homeopathic physician, surgeon, and prononent of a theory of archebiosis from minerals.
Background
By his own account, as published in the One Thousand American Men of Mark Today (1916), Littlefield was a self-taught practitioner, "admitted to practice by the State Board of Examination in Arkansas in 1886. In 1896 he received the degree of M.D. from the Kansas City Homeopathic Medical College, valedictorian of class. He has practiced medicine under the State Board of Examiners in Arkansas in 1886-90; in Kansas in 1890-97; in 1897-1909 at Indiana; and since 1909 at Washington. He is a member of the Indiana Institute of Homeopathy, Washington State Society of Homeopathy, King County Homeopathic Medical Society, and the American Institute of Homeopathy."[1] After relocating from Indiana in 1909, records suggest that Littlefield remained in King County, Washington for the remainder of his life.
Press Coverage
Saline for the Cure (1902)
"I can bring the dead back to life."
- "DISCOVERS THE SECRET OF LIFE: Indiana Physician Asserts It is Volatile Magnetism, Which Exists in the Air.", Boston Daily Globe (Boston, Mass.): 9, 29 September 1902, http://newspaperarchive.com/boston-daily-globe/1902-09-29/page-9
- "SAYS DEAD MAY LIVE - Amazing Claims of an Indiana Physician - HE OFFERS PROOF OF HIS THEORY", Nashua Telegraph (Nashua, New Hampshire): 7, 11 October 1902, http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2209&dat=19021011&id=EwtAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KKQMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5713,1837494
- "BRINGS DEAD TO LIFE - An American Doctor's Claim - Dr. Littlefield of Virginia claims to have discovered a Saline Powder Which Quickly Restores Animation", Christchurch Star (Christchurch, New Zealand) (7541): 4, 25 October 1902, http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=TS19021025.2.30&e=-------10--1----0--
- "Brings Dead to Life: A WONDERFUL SALINE POWDER", Bruce Herald (Bruce, New Zealand) 39 (93), 2 December 1902, http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=BH19021202.2.20&e=-------10--1----0--
- Doctor Discovers Secret of Life and Death, weirdlectures.com, http://weirdlectures.com/?p=610 — orig. 1902, source unnamed
Archebiosis by Design (1903)
"Ammonia, alcohol, and distilled water added to a quantity of salt..."
A selection of newspaper reports on Littlefield's claims to have created life in his laboratory:
- "INDIANA DOCTOR HAS CREATED LIFE? - With a Combination of Salt, Water, Alcohol and Ammonia He Has Developed Germs.", The Day (New London, Connecticut): 1, 25 July 1903, http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xvpGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gPgMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4820%2C2144733
- "CAN MAN CREATE LIFE? DR. C.W. LITTLEFIELD TELLS OF HIS ASTOUNDING EXPERIMENTS BY WHICH LIVING MICROSCOPIC BEINGS ARE CREATED", The New York Herald (New York): 66, 23 August 1903, https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030313/1903-08-23/ed-1/?sp=66
- "The Secret of Life", Ohinemuri Gazette (Ohinemuri, New Zealand) (1170): 2, 23 November 1903, http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=OG19031102.2.10&e=-------10--1----0--
- "MAKES CRAB IN LABORATORY - Scientist Says He Has Also Produced Fish From Minerals—All Very Small", Stillwater County Democrat (Stillwater, Montana), 29 August 1914, http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ssllAAAAIBAJ&sjid=K44NAAAAIBAJ&pg=3004%2C806757
A more critical survey of the claims:
- Tingley, Charles Edward (30 September 1905), "Littlefield and the Artificial Creation of Life", Scientific American 93 (13): 263, https://archive.org/stream/scientific-american-1905-09-30/scientific-american-v93-n14-1905-09-30#page/n10/mode/1up
Selected Patents
Rainbow Lamps
An instrument for the healing of the body and mind by use of light.
The Rainbow Lamp, patented on 27 August 1918 as "Therapeutic Light Apparatus" (US Patent No.: 1277089), is described as "an apparatus which may be employed to decompose light into its elementary colors and then to concentrate or collect a large number of similar rays upont he same area in such a manner that the rays of the same color from all sources will be superposed upon the same area."
- See also: Rainbow Temple Association.
Selected Bibliography
- Littlefield, Charles Wentworth (1905), The Riddle of the Ages
- Littlefield, Charles Wentworth (1910), The Twelve Vitalized Tissue Remedies: for Private and Domestic Use, Constituting a New Science in the Work of Health and Healing Book, Seattle: Metropolitan Press
- Littlefield, Charles Wentworth (1911), Twelve Practical Lessons in Biology, Psychology and Metaphysics, Seattle: The Arche-biosis Assembly
- Littlefield, Charles Wentworth, Harmony of Nature and Revelation
- Littlefield, Charles Wentworth (1919), The Beginning and Way of Life, Seattle: Rainbow Temple Association
- Littlefield, Charles Wentworth, The Mind Control of Matter
- Littlefield, Charles Wentworth, From Mineral to Man
- Littlefield, Charles Wentworth, Archebiosis
- Littlefield, Charles Wentworth (1937), Man, Minerals and Masters, Los Angeles: DeVorss & Co.
Blood, Salt, and Biblical Mantras
"First: to show by demonstration and illustration that thoughts are things, and their power may be expressed through certain mineral compounds, such as are known to be a part of organic nature, vegetable, animal, and human. Second: That our thoughts may be formulated into charms or mantras according to a mathematical system herein called: Personal Numerology, or mantras. Through the use of this system they become more potent to execute our desires." - Man, Minerals and Masters (1937)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 One thousand American men of mark today. Chicago, Ill.: American Men of Mark. 1916. p. 73-4. http://archive.org/details/onethousandameri00chic. (Birth date and place provided by Mr. Littlefield himself.)
- ↑ "Washington State Death Certificate Index 1907-1960", digitalarchives.wa.gov (DCDE8F95AA6E547A4F38B55519C8FB91: accessed 02 Aug 2013), Charles W. Littlefield, 24 Feb 1945.
- ↑ "Kansas, Marriages, 1840-1935," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FWGS-LQH: accessed 02 Aug 2013), Charles W. Littlefield and Lena L. Hurd, 15 Apr 1882.
- ↑ "Washington State Death Certificate Index 1907-1960", digitalarchives.wa.gov (E86CAE5BCCB923ED27937B06801A44AD: accessed 02 Aug 2013), Lena L. Littlefield, 15 Sep 1933.
- ↑ "King County Marriage Records, 1855-1990," digitalarchives.wa.gov (1259BD090FA31E0AA22E86DF34C33231: accessed 02 Aug 2013), Charles W Littlefield and Mamie L McDonald, 12 Dec 1934.