Shut Your Mouth and Save Your Life

In his search for answers as to why Native Americans had such strong constitutions, longer and more trouble-free lifespans, and none of the normal handicaps of their more 'civilized' counterparts, American painter and historian George Catlin drew a direct link between the 'closed-mouth' sleeping practices of the 'Indians,' as he called them, and their superior constitutions and health. Catlin was particularly impressed by the beauty, strength, demeanor, and superb health of the Native Americans. He described some of the tribes he met as picturesque and handsome, 'almost beyond description.' In visiting Native American graveyards, he couldn't help but notice the extremely low proportion of children buried compared to the more 'civilized' races. Convinced that the diseases of civilized man weren't due to genetics or inherent flaws in physical makeup, Catlin began looking for the one great 'lamentable fault' that might be behind the great disparity of health found between the civilized