Sebastian Kneipp

[4] Matthias Merkle, a priest in Grönenbach began instructing him, but Kneipp fell ill with tuberculosis in 1847.

[5] In 1850, Kneipp met a student in the Georgianum seminary in Munich that was also ill and shared water cures with him.

[4] In the 19th century, there was a popular revival in the application of hydrotherapy, instigated around 1829 by Vincent Priessnitz, a peasant farmer in Gräfenberg, then part of the Austrian Empire.

[4] Some of his suggested treatments included "ice cold baths and walking barefoot in the snow" and other "harsh" methodologies.

[12] Others took Kneipp's processes back to their home countries to found alternative therapy spas and colleges.

Like those who believed in humoral theory, Kneipp asserted that breathing miasmatic or excessively hot air would lead to disease.

[5] While it may deal with one humor instead of four, his theory still asserts that an imbalance in the blood whether it be circulation or foreign matter is the root of disease.

[6] His emphasis on plain food, drink, and clothing comes from the theory that humans should live in accord with nature.

[6] He used scripture as well as references to Roman practice to support the reasoning behind his cure and admitted that his treatments did not fall in line with current scientific understanding.

[5] His suffering early in life caused Kneipp to develop a deep sympathy for those less fortunate than him.