From 1849 to 1865 he wrote many articles which he attempted to demonstrate that various contagious diseases and infections were produced by germs. He believed
vegetables and starchy foods produced poisonous substances in the digestive system which were responsible for
heart disease,
tumors, mental illness and
tuberculosis. He believed that
human dentition demonstrated that humans were meant to eat meat, and sought to limit vegetables, fruit,
starches, and
fats to one-third of the
diet. The
Salisbury steak, his means of achieving this goal, is ground beef flavored with onion and seasoning and then
broiled and covered with gravy or brown sauce. It was introduced in 1888. Salisbury saw beef as an excellent defense against many different physical problems. Salisbury steak is similar to a number of other dishes made of ground beef. Its name caught on partly because
World War I inspired a movement in English-speaking nations to avoid German-sounding terms such as "hamburger". Salisbury was a
Theosophist. In 1899 he co-founded the Theosophical Society of New York with
Harold W. Percival. ==Salisbury diet==