Shew was born in
Providence, Saratoga County. He initially worked in a
daguerreotype shop in
Philadelphia before obtaining his medical degree in 1843. Shew developed an interest in hydrotherapy and traveled to
Gräfenberg to study
Vincenz Priessnitz's techniques. His wife, Marie Louise Shew, was also a hydrotherapist. They were friends with
Mary Gove Nichols, who had temporarily lodged at their home. The Shews operated a hydrotherapy "water-cure" house and welcomed patients. In May 1845, he opened the New Lebanon Springs Water-Cure Establishment, an institution costing approximately
US$3,000. He served as the co-owner and advising physician, while David Campbell managed the institution for ten years. Both Shew and his wife were
vegetarians. In 1850, Shew contributed notes and additions to the American edition of
William Lambe's
Water and Vegetable Diet. He died in
Oyster Bay, Long Island. ==
The Water-Cure Journal==