Johann Sigismund Elsholtz

Johann Sigismund Elsholtz (26 August 1623 – 28 February 1688), (some sources mention his day of birth as 28 August, and his death on 19 February) was a German naturalist who was a native of Frankfurt an der Oder.

Johann Sigismund Elsholtz studied at the Universities of Wittenberg, Königsberg and Padua, where he received his doctorate in 1653.

This book was written for the benefit of artists and astrologers, as well as for students of medicine and physiognomy.

It examines the perceived relationship between proportions of the human body and the incidence of disease.

Elsholtz was a pioneer in the fields of hygiene and nutrition, and in his writings on holistic health, he stressed the importance of clean air and water, healthy food and drink, and also personal cleanliness.