Secola/Nieft wrote:
> BTW, anybody know how Stefansson died?

Stefansson died at age 83 of a stroke on his farm in Vermont during a
conversation about the Gyrfalcon trade in Iceland during the Middle Ages.
The year was 1963 and Stefansson was still active at Dartmouth
University.

The fatal incident was his second stroke, the first having occured a few
years before.  This stroke he attributed to his having cheated on his
"stone age" diet for over a decade after marrying a much younger woman
(his widow still lives in Washington, DC) who tried to civilize him with
vegetables, fancy breads and deserts. To recover from this stroke, he
returned to his stone age of meat and fat only. His recovery was rapid
and complete, defying his doctors predictions.

During his recovery he wrote his book about paleolithic nutrition;
"Cancer Disease of Civilization" the notes to which he had began in 1906
when he first journed to the Arctic and first talked to missionary
doctors.  After this work was published he began his final work, his
autobiography "Discovery" finishing it only shortly before he died.

The first book of Stefansson's that I read was "Fat of the Land" (the
only book about pemmican).  Dr. Michael Eades ("Protein Power")
recommended it to me at the publication party for the first edition of
"NeanderThin". Dr. Eades collects Stefansson's books (he wrote over 20)as
well as diet books of historical interest. Most of Stefansson's book are
available through inter-library loan at your local public library.  I
highly recommend them.  "Hunters of the Far North" is also the best book
about "the Eskimo Thing"(thanks for the copy Mike).

Ray Audette



> Kirt Nieft / Melisa Secola
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