James Salisbury

James Henry Salisbury, M.D. (1823 - 1905) was a 19th century American physician, and the inventor of the Salisbury steak.

Salisbury was born in Scott, New York in 1823. He earned a Bachelor of Natural Sciences degree from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1844. He joined the New York Geological Survey as an assistant chemist, was promoted in 1849 to principle chemist, and remained in this position until 1852. He earned his medical degree from Albany Medical College in 1850, and a Master's degree from Schenectady College in 1852.

Salisbury served as a physician during the Civil War, and became convinced that diarrhea suffered by the troops could be controlled with a diet of coffee and lean chopped beefsteak.

Salisbury was one of the earliest health food faddists and taught that diet was the main determinant of health. He believed vegetables and starchy foods produced poisonous substances in the digestive system which were responsible for heart disease, tumors, mental illness and tuberculosis. He believed that human dentition demonstrated that humans were meant to eat meat, and sought to limit vegetables, fruit, starches, and fats to one-third of the diet.

He wrote the book The Relation of Alimentation and Disease.

He is buried at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio.