Albert Broadbent

FSS FRHS
Portrait c. 1902
Born(1867-02-15)15 February 1867
Hollingworth, England
Died21 January 1912(1912-01-21) (aged 44)
Manchester, England
Occupation(s)Lecturer, writer
SpouseChristina Harrison

Albert Broadbent FSS FRHS (15 February 1867 – 21 January 1912) was an English food lecturer, writer and vegetarianism activist.

Biography

Broadbent was born in Hollingworth; he later married Christina Harrison.[1] Broadbent became the secretary of the Vegetarian Society in 1895. He represented the International Congresses at Paris, Dresden, St. Louis and London.[1] He was an active member of the Vegetarian Federal Union and attended all their meetings from 1893.[2]

Broadbent was Secretary of the Vegetarian Society (1895–1912) and was succeeded by Henry Brown Amos.[3] He lectured extensively on food reform. Broadbent was a Fellow of the Statistical Society and the Royal Horticultural Society.[1] He was editor of The Vegetarian Messenger and Health Review.[1]

Broadbent's book Science in the Daily Meal argued that a vegetarian diet is capable of providing the body its highest state of physical development. Broadbent listed one hundred Uric Acid free recipes.[4] The book promoted the consumption of plasmon but this food was controversial as not all vegetarians advocated its use. In 1903, J. P. Sandlands wrote a rebuttal to Broadbent's book entitled Science in the Daily Meal Criticised, or Plasmon Confounded.[5] Broadbent published an abridged edition of Howard Williams' book The Ethics of Diet, in 1907.[6]

Broadbent started vegetarian eating establishments in Edinburgh,[7] Aberdeen and Leicester, with the intention of bettering the social position of women, by providing them the opportunity to earn a living wage. The meals were also provided at a low price, so that poorer people would be able to access vegetarian meals; this enterprise ended in failure and, as result, Broadbent suffered a significant financial loss. After experiencing a complete nervous breakdown,[8] Broadbent died on 21 January 1912.[1]

Selected publications

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Who Was Who, 1897-1916. A & C Black Limited, 1920. p. 89
  2. ^ "Albert Broadbent". International Vegetarian Union. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  3. ^ "Henry Brown Amos". Henrysalt.co.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Science in the Daily Meal by Albert Broadbent". Pharmaceutical Journal. 68: 483. 1902.
  5. ^ Addyman, Mary; Wood, Laura; Yiannitsaros, Christopher. (2017). Food, Drink, and the Written Word in Britain, 1820–1945. Routledge. p. 157. ISBN 978-1-8489-3610-2
  6. ^ "The Ethics of Diet by Howard Williams". The London Quarterly Review. 6 (108): 18. 1907.
  7. ^ "Mr. Meldrum Sets Us Right". The Battle Creek Idea. Battle Creek Sanitarium. 6 (4): 42. 1913.
  8. ^ Scott, WM. M. (1 May 1912). "Mr. Albert Broadbent—An Appreciation" (PDF). Good Health. 10 (5): 148.
  9. ^ McLaughlin, Terence (1979). If You Like It, Don't Eat it: Dietary Fads and Fancies. New York: Universe Books. p. 169. ISBN 0-87663-332-7. OCLC 5499827.
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