Charles William “C.W.” Post was an American food manufacturer who founded the Postum Cereal Company. His life was marked by chronic health issues, and the nature of his suffering raises a question: could his lifelong ailments be explained by celiac disease, a condition unknown during his time?
C.W. Post’s Mysterious Illness
Throughout his adult life, C.W. Post was plagued by debilitating health problems. He experienced two significant mental breakdowns, in 1885 and 1891, which were characterized as “nervous exhaustion.” His mental and emotional distress was accompanied by severe physical symptoms, primarily chronic stomach and digestive issues.
In 1913, his condition worsened, and he was diagnosed with what was described as a painful and inoperable stomach disorder. Believing he had appendicitis, he traveled by a special train to the Mayo Clinic for surgery, but the abdominal pain continued even after the procedure.
The Influence of the Battle Creek Sanitarium
In his search for a cure, Post became a patient at the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan, operated by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg. The sanitarium’s approach to health emphasized a vegetarian diet and abstinence from caffeine and alcohol. Dr. Kellogg created specific food products for his patients designed to be healthful.
Although Post’s health did not improve under Dr. Kellogg’s care, the experience was influential. He observed the dietary products created at the sanitarium, which sparked his ideas about the connection between food and health. This led to the founding of the Postum Cereal Company in 1895 and his first product, “Postum,” a grain-based coffee substitute. He followed this with “Grape-Nuts” in 1897, a cereal made from wheat and barley.
A Modern Medical Perspective
Looking back at Post’s life through a modern lens, his symptoms align with celiac disease. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder where ingesting gluten—a protein in wheat, barley, and rye—damages the small intestine. This damage can cause the chronic digestive distress and stomach ailments that Post endured.
The “nervous exhaustion” and mental health struggles he experienced are also recognized manifestations of the condition. Malabsorption of nutrients from intestinal damage can lead to neurological and psychological symptoms like depression. Since celiac disease was not a recognized medical diagnosis at the time, a definitive posthumous diagnosis is impossible.
Without the ability to perform modern diagnostic tests, any conclusion remains speculative. However, the pattern of his gastrointestinal and psychological suffering suggests an underlying cause. It is an irony that if C.W. Post did have celiac disease, the grain-based empire he built to promote health—with products like Grape-Nuts made from wheat and barley—would have been a source of his own chronic illness.