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In the fall of 1948, Mervyn G Hardinge, MD, enrolled in the Master of Public Health program in nutrition at the Harvard University School of Public Health. A paper authored by Mark Hegsted and Fredrick Stare from Harvard on minimum protein requirements, a topic of considerable interest at the time, influenced his decision. Before this, while awaiting draft papers that never came, Hardinge went to his alma mater, the College of Medical Evangelists (later to become Loma Linda University) to teach anatomy.
The second semester of his master's program at Harvard was light and he took steps to initiate a doctoral program. After careful thought and considerable reflection, he decided to compare the nutritional status of vegetarians and nonvegetarians. Before making his request, he completed a literature review only to find very few published articles on the topic. Those that were available were almost without exception negative with regard to vegetarian diets.
Because no one had done the type of study he proposed, he was given permission to pursue this project for his doctorate. He was required, however, before beginning the research, to spend several months working in the kitchen of Peter Bent Brigham Hospital learning the different cuts of meat, fish, and fowl so that he, a lifelong vegetarian, would be knowledgeable when appraising the diets of his nonvegetarian subjects.
He returned to Loma Linda to start his research only to encounter an unexpected problem. He was told that he would have to change his research project. When asked why, the dean responded, "Because if you find the diets of vegetarians are deficient, it will embarrass us." Hardinge replied, "If the diets are deficient, we should be the first to find out, not others. He continued his research despite administrative dissuasions to the contrary. It was not the last hurdle he would face.
His criteria for accepting subjects into the study were stringent because he knew he would face tough questions, and he did. First, his methodology was challenged by one of his committee members; after he showed that his methods were those of that very committee member, his dissertation was approved. Then came his dissertation defense. When asked, "Does a vegetarian make an appropriate investigator for this type of study?" Hardinge replied, "Would a nonvegetarian be any less prejudiced? There are only 2 types of people in this world; one is either a vegetarian or a nonvegetarian."
Another questioner asked him to comment on the many negative vegetarian studies in his bibliography. After referring to 2 of the titles, "Megalocytic anemia in a young vegetarian" (1) and "Nutritional anemia in a vegetarian" (2), Hardinge asked, "Would a reputable journal publish such papers if the titles read, `Megalocytic anemia in a young nonvegetarian' or `Nutritional anemia in a nonvegetarian'?" After a ripple of laughter subsided, he continued: "There are 2 possible reasons for publishing these types of papers. Either the authors were prejudiced against vegetarians or it was so rare to find a vegetarian with these types of problems that they needed to be reported."
He was awarded his degree in 1951 and with his major professor, Fredrick Stare, began to publish his results. The first paper showed that vegetarian diets were adequate for adults, pregnant women, and adolescents (3). At the time of his investigation there was little interest in carbohydrates and fats. Nonetheless, he measured fat intakes from animal and plant sources and serum cholesterol concentrations. His second paper was the first to show that animal-fat intake is linked to serum cholesterol concentrations (4).
Two years later, in 1956, he published data on the fat and fatty acid contents of foods (5). He then used this information to analyze the diets of his subjects. He reported that vegetarians had significantly higher intakes of polyunsaturated fatty acids (6). The data in this paper were used for many years by researchers evaluating the fatty acid content of diets.
In 1958, some 14 y before dietary fiber became of interest in nutrition, he analyzed his subjects' diets for fiber content. He was the first to show that the amount of fiber in the diet influenced blood cholesterol concentrations (7). The final publication from his dissertation work returned to the topic that took him to Harvard years before: protein. After analyzing the amino acid intake of vegetarians, he reported than vegetarians obtained adequate amounts of all essential amino acids (8).
Before the final report of his analytical findings was published, Hardinge decided to submit for publication 2 chapters of his dissertation regarding the history of vegetarian diets and scientific studies of vegetarians. Because of the nature of the material, the editor of the journal to which they submitted decided to have it appraised by more reviewers than usual. The positive and negative comments were about equal in number. Hardinge remembers one with clarity: "The names of John Harvey Kellogg and Sylvester Graham in our journal; never." The editor ended her letter with a cryptic comment suggesting that Hardinge should proceed nonetheless. The 2 papers (9,10) were so well received that he was asked to submit a third describing what constitutes an adequate vegetarian diet (11). Reprints of these articles were sold by the journal for years.
Hardinge's quest for knowledge was ever present and he went on to obtain a PhD in pharmacology at Stanford University. In 1967, he became the founding dean of the new School of Public Health at Loma Linda University, a position he held until 1976. Two years later he was named emeritus dean.
In the 50 y since Hardinge began his investigation of vegetarian dietary practices, attitudes have changed considerably among both scientists and the general population. In 1997, Hardinge was named University Alumnus of the Year by the same institution that years before was afraid that he would be an embarrassment. In response to his award at the Third International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition, Hardinge said, "Attitudes toward vegetarian diets have progressed from ridicule and skepticism to condescending tolerance, to gradual and sometimes grudging acceptance, and finally to acclaim."
Ideas that at one point seem capricious or foolhardy, with a solid base of evidence, may grow into accepted concepts or at least recognized alternatives. Such has been the shift in attitudes toward vegetarian diets. Although still questioned by some and not practiced optimally by all who ascribe to them, evidence continues to accumulate that vegetarian diets may offer significant health benefits.
A true pioneer in vegetarian nutrition research, Mervyn G Hardinge led the way with the highest standards of scientific conduct, resolve in the face of difficulties, and commitment to find answers regardless of the consequences. We who would continue his search must be equally committed to the same high ideals.
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