Vitaopathy

Not to be confused with John Bunyan Campbell's Vitapathy.

Vitaopathy is a therapeutic system of medical treatment based on the application of what is effectively psychic healing (mind cure) in conjunction with vegetable remedies, originally devised and promoted by Thomas F. Adkin of the New York Institute of Science and New York Institute of Physicians and Surgeons (and the New York School of Vitaopathy), mail-order concerns that were ultimately banned from the U.S. mails on fraud orders. Per the advertising, Vitaopathic treatment involved a "subtle force" that "puts the system into a receptive condition," followed by the consumption of Vitaopathic remedies, the former enabling the full absorption of the latter.

The concept was latched onto, being stylised as Vita-O-Pathy, with certain elaboration, by Orrin Robertson, a roving Midwestern sanitarium operator and graduate of the New York Institute of Science, who was said to claim it was the "essence and quintessence" of thirty-six other systems of medicine, as well as other discoveries he had made. The 36 systems that constituted Robertsonian Vita-O-Pathy were enumerated thus: Prana-Yama; Zoism; Spiritual Science; Psychic Sarcology; Somnopathy; Christian Science; Osteopathy; Chiropathy; Divine Science; Botanic; Allopathy; Biopneuma; Prayer Cure; Rest Cure; Diet Cure; Eclecticism; Hydropathy; Magnetism; Phrenopathy; Nervauric Therapeutics; Electro-Therapeutics; Chromopathy; Vitapathy; Homeopathy; Psychopathy; Magnetic Massage; Faith Cure; Biochemic System; Therapeutic Sarcognomy; Physio Medical; Mechanical Therapy; Suggestive Therapeutics; Auto-Suggestion; Tripsis; Spondylotherapy; Chirothesia.

Reading

• Adkin, Thomas F. (1900), A Correspondence Course of Instruction in Vitaopathy, https://wellcomecollection.org/works/a97yp6wk