Horace Fletcher

An American writer, lecturer, and self-styled nutrition reformer, he was born on August 10, 1849, and died on January 13, 1919. He became famous for promoting Fletcherism, the idea that food should be chewed thoroughly before swallowing, a habit he believed could improve digestion, health, and self-control.

His unusual advice earned him the nickname “The Great Masticator,” and made him a widely discussed figure in the health culture of his time. He wrote several books, including Fletcherism: What It Is and The New Glutton or Epicure, presenting his method in a lively, persuasive style aimed at everyday readers.

Today he is remembered less as a scientific authority than as a vivid example of an era fascinated by diet reform and personal optimization. Even so, his influence was real: for a time, his chewing doctrine became an international fad and fixed his place in the history of popular nutrition.