Otto Abramowski

Otto Louis Moritz Abramowski (1852 – 14 December 1910) was an Australian surgeon, naturopath, fruitarian and raw foodist.

Biography

Abramowski was born in Osterode, Kingdom of Prussia. He studied medicine at University of Königsberg and the University of Berlin where he qualified M.D. in 1876. He was appointed an army surgeon in the German army in 1875 and held this position for eight years. He moved to Terowie, South Australia, in 1884. He moved to Mildura and was one of its first settlers where he lived and practiced for twenty years. He was an Irrigation Trust Commissioner in Mildura and served on the Horticultural Society Committee. Abramowski opposed compulsory vaccination and was fined £2 in 1905 for non-compliance with the Vaccination Act.

He was appointed resident surgeon at Mildura District Hospital, a position he held until 1908 when he moved to Melbourne. He married again several years later. He argued that meat-eating was a cause of uric acid poisoning. He also opposed consumption of alcohol, bread, coffee and tea. In 1909, he patented a self preserved food composition made from nuts and raisins. His book Fruitarian Diet and Physical Rejuvenation first published in 1911 by the Order of the Golden Age sold well and was re-printed after World War II.

Sun Sanitarium

Abramowski came to the conclusion that meat-eating is a major cause of disease and that fasting and fruit aids recovery. He established a naturopathic Sun Sanatorium in Coronet Hill, although it was not a financial success.

Death

Abramowski died on 14 December 1908, aged 58 at his residence in Elsternwick, Victoria. Lack of support for his ideas combined with the upkeep of his sanatorium is reported to have broken his health. Before his death he starved himself for some time.

Selected publications

Eating for Health (1907), republished as Vitalism: The Art of Eating for Health (1908) Fruitarian Diet and Physical Rejuvenation (1911, 1916)