CHARLESTON, Maine — The fifth century philosopher and
mathematician Pythagoras may be best known for his theorem, but
he is also credited with being the world’s first-known
vegetarian. He led a group that was well known in ancient times
for not eating meat, fish or fowl. His followers, known as
“Pythagoreans,” didn’t consume animal meat for ethical reasons
and religious objections. The Pythagoreans believed in the idea
of metempsychosis, which is the transmigration of a person’s
soul into the bodies of other animals. Those who abstained from
eating meat were considered to have adopted the “Pythagorean
diet” in ancient times. The term “vegetarian” was later adopted
in the 19th century for those who didn’t consume meat for
ethical or health reasons. Among those who promoted the
vegetarian practice in more modern times were doctors who
discovered the healthy aspect of a diet consisting mostly of
beans and grains. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, of Battle Creek,
Mich., was among the earliest in the medical field in the