Where Did Mrs. White Learn the Dangers of Self Abuse?
In 1864, Mrs. White published her first book on health reform, Appeal to Mothers. The entire book is devoted to warning Adventist parents of the dire consequences of self-abuse. In this book Mrs. White claimed her medical knowledge on the dangers of self-abuse came from visions she “saw”: “The state of our world was presented before me, and my attention was especially called to the youth of our time. Everywhere I looked, I saw imbecility, dwarfed forms, crippled limbs, misshapen heads, and deformity of every description. Sins and crimes, and the violation of nature’s laws, were shown me as the causes of this accumulation of human woe and suffering. I saw such degradation and vile practices…”8 There can be no doubt Mrs. White claimed her knowledge came straight from heaven. Attached to the same book was an anonymous 29-page essay on “Chastity” citing medical authorities who agreed with the prophetess. Among those quoted were famous health reformers of that era, such as Sylvester Graha
