Ever picked up a book from the 1960s and felt like you were reading a time capsule that somehow predicted the future? That’s the vibe of the none of these diseases book. Written by Dr. S.I. McMillen, it’s this weirdly fascinating mix of biblical archaeology and medical science. Most people think it’s just another "preachy" religious text, but honestly, it’s more of a manual on how ancient laws essentially functioned as public health mandates.
McMillen was a medical missionary. He spent years in Africa and later practiced in New York. He noticed something. The Mosaic Law—those dense, often tedious rules in the Old Testament—contained hygiene protocols that wouldn't be "discovered" by modern science for thousands of years. It’s kinda wild when you think about it.
The Germ Theory Before Germs
Imagine you’re a doctor in the 1840s. You’re delivering babies, but you just came from performing an autopsy. You don't wash your hands. Why would you? Germs aren't a thing yet. This actually happened in the Vienna General Hospital, where Ignaz Semmelweis realized that doctors were literally killing their patients with "cadaverous particles."
The none of these diseases book points out that 3,500 years before Semmelweis, the book of Numbers was already telling people to wash under running water after touching a dead body. Not a bowl of stagnant water. Running water.
Why This Mattered then (And Now)
- Running water vs. Stagnant water: Bacteria thrives in a basin. It washes away in a stream.
- The Latrine Rule: Deuteronomy 23:12-13 required soldiers to bury human waste outside the camp. This prevented the spread of cholera and typhoid long before we knew what a parasite was.
- Quarantine: The Bible mandated isolating people with skin diseases. Modern medicine calls this "standard precaution."
Dr. McMillen’s thesis is basically that God gave the Israelites a "medical insurance policy" in Exodus 15:26. The verse says that if they followed His statutes, He would put "none of these diseases" upon them that were in Egypt. In ancient Egypt, medical "cures" involved things like crocodile dung and lizard blood. Yeah, not exactly FDA approved.
The Psychosomatic Connection
The book doesn't just stay in the dirt and the sewers. It gets into your head.
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About sixty percent of the original text actually deals with "peace of mind." McMillen was talking about psychosomatic illness before it was a trendy buzzword in wellness retreats. He argues that emotions like resentment, jealousy, and anger aren't just "bad vibes"—they are physically destructive.
They wreck your body.
When you’re perpetually angry, your adrenal glands are on overdrive. Your blood pressure spikes. Your heart takes a beating. McMillen uses a lot of anecdotal evidence from his own practice to show how "spiritual" problems like a lack of forgiveness lead to very physical problems like stomach ulcers and high blood pressure.
The Modern Revision
The book was updated later by Dr. David Stern. The 21st-century version tackles things McMillen couldn't have seen coming in 1963, like the specific mechanics of stress-induced immune suppression. It keeps the core message but adds the data to back it up.
Honestly, some of the 1960s language in the original can feel a bit dated. He’s very "old school" about certain lifestyle choices. But if you look past the mid-century tone, the underlying logic is hard to ignore. The book makes a compelling case that the Bible wasn't trying to be a science textbook; it was providing a framework for survival.
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The Circumcision Debate: Science or Ritual?
One of the most controversial and famous chapters in the none of these diseases book involves circumcision. McMillen leans heavily into the timing—the eighth day.
Why the eighth day?
He points to Vitamin K and Prothrombin. These are essential for blood clotting. Medical research (referenced in the book) shows that Vitamin K doesn't reach adequate levels in a newborn until the fifth to seventh day. Prothrombin levels peak on the eighth day—often reaching over 100% of "normal"—before leveling off.
It’s a specific detail that feels too "on the nose" to be a coincidence. To McMillen, this was proof of a divine architect. To a skeptic, it’s a fascinating piece of historical medical data. Regardless of where you land, it’s one of those sections that makes you stop and think.
Is It Still Relevant?
You’ve probably seen a dozen "lifestyle" books this year. Most of them tell you to sleep more, eat plants, and be kind.
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That's basically this book, just with a lot more scripture.
The none of these diseases book isn't saying you’ll never get sick if you pray. It’s saying that a massive percentage of human suffering is preventable through hygiene, moral boundaries, and emotional health. It’s about prevention.
Actionable Takeaways from the Text
- Stop carrying grudges. The book treats resentment like a slow-acting poison. If you want lower blood pressure, forgive that guy who cut you off or that relative who annoyed you. It’s for your heart, not theirs.
- Respect the "Sabbath" principle. Your body isn't a machine. Even if you aren't religious, the concept of a dedicated day of rest is a physiological necessity to prevent burnout and "diseases of exhaustion."
- Hygiene is still king. We learned this again during the 2020 pandemic, but the book reminds us that the simplest acts—washing hands and proper waste disposal—are still our best defenses against infectious "plagues."
The book ends with a heavy focus on spiritual wholeness. McMillen believed that you can't truly have a healthy body without a healthy soul. Whether you agree with the theology or not, the medical history he uncovers is a trip. It’s a reminder that sometimes the "newest" health trends are actually thousands of years old.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the specific medical citations McMillen uses, you should check out the revised 21st-century edition by Dr. David Stern. It cleans up the 1960s jargon and adds modern clinical studies that weren't available when the original was written. You can usually find it in the health or religion section of most major bookstores.