(1861-1949)

In the late 19th century, Gustav Riedlin, a general practitioner in Freiburg im Breisgau, became a leading figure in therapeutic fasting. After obtaining his doctorate in 1887, he developed a strong interest in fasting after being inspired by the works of American doctors Edward Hooker Dewey and Henry Samuel Tanner. Riedlin described fasting as an “operation without a knife.” Dr. Riedlin’s influential work alongside Otto Buchinger has significantly shaped the practice of therapeutic fasting in Germany. Riedlin’s emphasis on the concepts of life force and the duality of matter and spirit has led him to establish two distinct fasting levels, catering to both physical and spiritual purposes.