Sebastian Kneipp was born in 1821, to a poor weaver in Stephansreid, Bavaria of Germany. As a child, Kneipp’s ambition was to join the priesthood. With the help of a priest who befriended him, Kneipp entered high school where he studied theology for five years. During his theological studies he was taken ill with pulmonary tuberculosis, a fatal disease at that time. By chance, a small book on hydrotherapy, authored in 1734 by Dr. Hahn, found its way into his hands, which motivated him to take short full – immersion dips in the icy waters of winter Danube River. The treatment enabled him to stimulate his physical stamina, or immune system, so much so that his tuberculosis went into remission and he was able to complete his studies. In 1850, he entered a seminary in Munich. He continued his hydrotherapy and convinced other theological students to practice it. Kneipp was ordained a priest in 1852 and was always called to the bedsides of many patients to perform the last rites. Instead he successfully treated a number of the patients with hydrotherapy. He perfected his own system of hydrotherapy, and his successful treatment of the poor attracted much attention. People came from throughout Germany to be healed by Kneipp’s hydrotherapy. His success fostered resentment from physicians at one point, and he was charged in German courts with quackery, which he was subsequently acquitted of.

Kneipp continued to refine his treatment from one of severity to milder versions. It consisted of bathing in and drinking of cold water, going to bed and rising early, long barefoot walks in wet grass, and simple meals consisting of little meat and large quantities of whole-grain cereals. During his time in Bad Worishofen, Kneipp was able to counsel many people. Tens of thousands came from all over the world to receive his healing advice. He continued his hydrotherapy practice at Wörishofen Monastery in the foothills of the Alps until his death. Father Sebastian Kneipp was one of the founders of the Naturopathic medicine movement. He is most commonly associated with the “Kneipp Cure” form of hydrotherapy, a system of healing involving the application of water, temperatures and pressure. His book My Water Cure in 1886 was published and translated into many languages. Today, Kneipp’s hydrotherapy is still practiced throughout the world, especially in Germany and the United States.