Sebastian Kneipp—Father of Naturopathy

Sebastian Kneipp (1821–1897) was a Bavarian catholic priest who tried to cure his own ill health with a combination of various forms of water treatments. He soon started treating others and became famous well beyond the borders of Bavaria. His success brought Kneipp into conflict with the law, and he was punished for practising medicine without a license. In 1855, he was appointed house chaplain at the monastery in Wörishofen, Bavaria. He turned the town into a centre for his cures, which it remains to the present day. Kneipp wrote several influential books and is considered the father of European naturopathy. He died in 1897 in Wörishofen.