Purinton was born in
Morgantown, West Virginia. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts from
Denison University in June 1899 and was an instructor in Greek at the Doane Academy (1899–1900). His father was Daniel Boardman Purinton, a former President of Denison University. Purinton wrote articles on business and personal efficiency for
The Independent magazine. He was Director of The Independent's Efficiency Service. Purinton was dean of the American Efficiency Foundation and wrote about the virtues of American business practices. He was a member of the
American Academy of Political and Social Science and President of the National Efficiency League of New York City. Purinton was a
naturopath. In 1902, Purinton edited
Benedict Lust's
The Naturopath and Herald of Health. He labelled his system of fasting the "Conquest Fast" and described it as "a combination of the early Church Fast with the modern Therapeutic Fast." His views on fasting influenced
Wincenty Lutosławski. Purinton died at
Chattahoochee, Florida. ==Selected publications==