Three Blind Mice

There was once a German fellow who believed living in houses and wearing clothes were evil and unnatural. (Okay, that’s not so unusual. Most of the men I’ve known would probably agree with him.) August Engelhardt (1875 – 1919) figured that since the sun was the source of energy, we’d all be healthier if we spent our days soaking in the sunshine. Sun worship is impractical much of the year in Germany, but luckily Engelhardt was left with a generous inheritance. He moved to an island in the South Pacific where he founded a small colony of coconut eaters. He reasoned that since coconuts grow closest to the sun, they must be ideal for man. He believed eating only coconuts would render him immortal. When he died of malnutrition at age 43, he looked worse than many men twice that age. He was proof, if we needed it, that man is meant to be an omnivore.