Everyone says they want to be / get healthy. Some people even say they ARE healthy. So that has got me wondering what "healthy" really is. I mean, would we know it if we saw it? Well, if you know me, that can only mean one thing: research! My favorite thing! As I was researching the definition of "healthy", I came upon a book, called "Primitive Man and His Food," by Dr. Arnold Devries, published in 1954. It's chock full of information about the health status of primitive people around the world, who were observed and studied by explorers and voyagers between the 16th and early 20th centuries. Dr. Devries compiled quotes from these travelers' diaries and journals about the health of the primitive people they encountered.
Oh my gosh! What I discovered from this book!
Now, it's usually the case today that we tend to view primitive humans as backward and worse off than we are, and that they were short-lived, diseased, and smaller, unhealthier--you know the drill--than us. (I could go into why we believe this, but that's a whole other topic!)
What this book shows is that primitive humans were in MUCH better physical condition than we are today, and that they--all of them, without exception--were stop-in-your-tracks beautiful! Dr. Devries summed up the general appearance and health of these various groups of people, saying that their teeth were in near perfect condition (in spite of no dentists, toothbrushes, etc.), their bodies and faces were free from deformity, well-proportioned and symmetrical, there was a predominance of reproductive efficiency (no pain or difficulty in pregnancy and births, no pre-natal deformity, etc.), there was high resistance to disease and, if anyone ever did get sick, recovery was rapid. There were no degenerative diseases at all, even in old age--and it was common for people to live into their hundreds! Dr. Devries also mentioned that there were no mental impairments whatsoever (this would include depression, deviant behavior, moodiness, etc., too), and people lived in a state of happiness and contentment. It seems that, without exception, primitive people of every age were strong and vigorous, and they were quite tall (males being taller than 6 feet in most cases).
I want to share with you some quotes from this book, so you can see how far we've come from our "healthy" days, and also just in case you're looking for a health model to aspire to--I know I want some of what they had, for sure!
This is from Chapter 9, "The Marquesas Islanders" (Polynesians):
"The Marquesas lived in their primitive state primarily upon tropical fruits and plants." [52 varieties of breadfruit, as well as many varieties of bananas, and coconut, root vegetables, moderate amounts of sugar cane, and wild plants--my note].
"The first explorers to arrive at the Marquesas Islands called the people the healthiest and most beautiful in the world. Never before or since has a racial group been so enthusiastically extolled for its excellence of physical development. Glowing accounts told of the natives' superb physiques, fine countenances, very attractive facial features, and vivacious, happy dispositions. Some of the men were said to display the torsos and arms of veritable giants; the women were smaller, of delicate development and matchless perfection of form. The Marquesan teeth were described as pearly-white, completely immune to decay, and of perfect regularity. The people were said to live to great age and were strong and vigorous in advanced years. Travelers wrote with almost poetic delight of this paradise of song, games, swimming, dancing, mirth and laughter. Some of the early navigators were so impressed by the health and happiness of the people that they reported the islands as the Garden of Eden."
Dr. Devries goes on to quote, they were of "very graceful shape, well-formed, robust, good legs and feet, hands with long fingers, good eyes, mouth and teeth, and the same with the other features. Their skin was clear, showing them to be a strong and healthy race, and indeed robust."
The women: "had beautiful legs and hands, fine eyes, fair countenances, small waists and graceful forms..."
The men: "as large as giants, and of so great strength, that it has actually happened that one of them while standing on the ground, had laid hold of two Spaniards of good stature, seizing each of them by one foot with his hands and lifting them thus as if they were children."
Of physical prowess and endurance: "The people were found to have extreme facility in climbing trees and steep rocks, but it was in the sea that they displayed the most incredible celerity. They learned to swim when mere infants, and many of the adults would spend half their waking hours in the water. A number swam about the ship for the greater part of the day without ever appearing tired. They would even eat meals in the water, having coconut, breadfruit and bananas tied on the end of a stick, which each would carry to sea...Some of the women swam with little children on their shoulders, and others would think nothing of throwing themselves from high rocks and cliffs into the water."
Of their dispositions: "...they have a great regularity of countenance; and an air of real goodness which was not belied by their dealing with us."
Of childbirth: "women experienced very easy delivery in childbirth, with labor usually lasting about a half-hour. The children were not weaned until they were able to speak or go about alone..."
Of deformity: "Not a single deformed or ill-proportioned person was seen on the island; all were strong, well-limbed and remarkably active...and their bodies are besides free from hues and sores...We did not see a single cripple or deformed person, but such regularity of form that it greatly excited our astonishment."
These are quotes from only a small section of the book, but the rest reads just like this, describing primitive people from all over the world, from Africa to Alaska to China.
Do you want to know what Dr. Devries attributed these peoples' remarkable health and beauty?
(1) their use of simple, natural foods of the right kinds (right biological adaptation--my note);
(2) their vigorous outdoor life; and
(3) their full use and enjoyment of the climate they lived in.
I don't know about you, but I want whatever they were doing!
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