Johann Schroth

Who was Johann Schroth?

Johann Schroth was an Austrian naturopath who was a native of Böhmischdorf, Freiwaldau.

Schroth was a haulage contractor by trade, and had vast experience dealing with horses. At the age of 18 he successfully treated a horse with an injured knee using cold compresses. He acquired a reputation as a healer of domestic animals, and subsequently used this treatment on injured humans. Later he introduced steam baths and full-body wraps for individuals without injuries as a means of naturopathic healing. From observations of sick animals that refused to eat, Schroth developed the idea of an austere diet for humans that included a regimen of "dry and drinkable days". Soon his curative methodology of cold wraps, steam and diet was touted as a means of purification and detoxification of the entire body, physical and mental.

Some people considered Schroth a "miracle worker" during his lifetime, and others thought him to be a charlatan, including several influential physicians. During the 19th century there was a dispute between supporters of Schroth and followers of hydrotherapist Vincenz Priessnitz, as to which naturopathic system was superior.