The name of the ancient philosopher Pythagoras of Samos (c. 570—c. 500–490 BCE) is so closely tied to the idea of eschewing meat and fish that until the word vegetarianism was coined in the 1840s, such diets were often called “Pythagorean.” It’s surprising, then, to find out that there is some debate over whether or not Pythagoras did actually practice a vegetarian diet in the modern sense.
The problem is that Pythagoras didn’t leave any writings behind, and there are no detailed contemporary accounts of his behavior. Many sources say that Pythagoras and his adherents followed a restrictive diet that did not include animal flesh. There is confusion about the specifics of the diet, though. The 4th-century-BCE mathematician and philosopher Eudoxus of Cnidus reported that the Pythagoreans refused to eat any animals and even went so far as to avoid hunters and butchers. Aristotle and Aristoxenus, though, both say that the Pythagoreans consumed at least some meat and that their restrictions were limited to specific animals or specific parts of animals for ritual reasons.
We should do the responsible thing and say up front thatLeonardo’s vegetarianism has not been proved beyond all doubt. But there is some enticing evidence that he may have practiced vegetarianism. First, there is a contemporary letter that describes Leonardo as refusing to eat animal flesh. It is a letter from the Italian explorer Andrea Corsali to Giuliano de’ Medici (Leonardo’s patron) describing the vegetarians Corsali had encountered in India: “Certain infidels called Guzzarati are so gentle that they do not feed on anything which has blood, nor will they allow anyone to hurt any living thing, like our Leonardo da Vinci.”
We also have Leonardo’s notebooks. Although he never mentions whether or not he personally ate meat, Leonardo’s writings display a deep concern with animal welfare and horror over the fact that animals are raised to be killed and eaten by humans.
At the turn of the century, the medical doctor and health-food evangelist John Harvey Kellogg was the foremost proponent of vegetarianism in the United States. Kellogg promoted vegetarianism as part of a philosophy of “biologic living” that also required adherents to avoid alcohol and tobacco and to exercise vigorously. One of the hallmarks of Kellogg’s philosophy was his belief that sexual activity, and masturbation in particular, caused a wide variety of physical and mental illnesses and thus should be suppressed. He sought to accomplish this by placing his patients on a bland diet that was low in protein and high in carbohydrates. Two of the food products that he invented for that diet, granola and cornflakes, are still around today.
In "What About Hitler?" (letter, Sept. 2) it is erroneously stated that: "Adolf Hitler was a vegetarian all his life and wrote extensively on the subject." Because Hitler suffered from excessive sweatiness and flatulence, he occasionally went on a vegetarian diet. But his primary diet included meat. In "The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler," Robert Payne mentions Hitler's fondness for Bavarian sausages. Other biographers, including Albert Speer, point out that he also ate ham, liver and game.
Hitler banned vegetarian organizations in Germany and the occupied countries, though vegetarian diets would have helped solve Germany's World War II food shortage.
Humans don’t need meat and it’s easy for us to just say no. Some animals are ‘obligate carnivores’ – they have to eat meat, they’re not built to survive on a meat–free diet. Cats need taurine in their diets and a deficiency can cause blindness. They’re natural hunters.Dogs, however, are natural scavengers and have been electing to live close to humans for centuries, surviving on what we waste and throw away. They can live very happily on a meat–free diet.