| Ellen Goodell Smith | |
| Birth Date: | 25 August 1835 |
| Birth Place: | Belchertown, Massachusetts |
| Occupation: | Physician, writer |
Ellen Goodell Smith (August 25, 1835 – November 3, 1906) was an American hydropathic physician, vegetarian and writer.
Smith was born at Dwight in Belchertown, Massachusetts.[1] In 1857, Smith attended William T. Vail's Granite State Health Institute (a hydropathic institute) in Hill, New Hampshire, where she became a student and teacher.[1] In 1859, she attended Russell T. Trall's New York Hygeio-Therapeutic College in New York City.[1] She obtained her M.D. in 1861 with the highest honours. She worked as a physician at Dr. Vail's sanitarium until 1862.[1] She became resident physician at Russell T. Trall's sanitarium in Philadelphia in 1864 and for two years managed the Turkish bath department.[1]
She married Dr. John Brown Smith of Northfield, Minnesota in 1867.[1] A year later, Smith and her husband established the first hydropathic sanitarium and Turkish Bath in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In the 1870s, she worked as resident physician at Trall's sanitarium.[1] Her son, Lindsey Goodell Smith was born on August 25, 1874. Smith retired in 1883.[1]
She authored the natural hygiene book, The Art of Living in 1903. It was dedicated to Edward H. Dewey, pioneer of the "No Breakfast Plan".[2] Smith died from a fall in 1906.[3]
Smith authored the vegetarian book, The Fat of the Land and How to Live on It in 1896.[4] [5] It has been cited as an early vegan cookbook, as it contained a chapter "Milk and the Cow" which recommended not using dairy products.[6] She omitted butter, cream, milk, salt and sugar from her recipes.[7] It was the first published book to contain a recipe for a peanut butter sandwich.[8]