James Henry SalisburyJames Henry Salisbury (1823-1905) was born in Scott, New York in 1823. He earned a Bachelor of Natural Sciences degree from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in 1844. He then joined the New York Geological Survey as an assistant chemist, was promoted in 1849 to principle chemist, and remained in this position until 1852. During this time Salisbury earned his medical degree from Albany Medical College (1850), and he earned a Master’s degree from Schenectady College (1852).

Salisbury served as a physician during the Civil War, and became convinced that diarrhea suffered by the troops could be controlled with a diet of coffee and lean chopped beefsteak. Eventually he came to believe that most diseases were a result of an unhealthy diet, and spent the rest of his life developing this meat patty which came to be known as Salisbury Steak.

Source: Medicine in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County: 1810-1976 / edited by Kent L. Brown Cleveland OH; The Academy of Medicine of Cleveland 1977