A Leading Researcher

Dr. Maynard Murray

Maynard Murray earned his B.S. in 1934 and M.D. from University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 1936. He spent two postgraduate years in internal medicine, then three-and-a-half in ear, nose and throat surgery. From 1937 to 1947, he taught physiology and directed experiments at Cincinnati College of Medicine, studied law at night school and was learned in medical hypnosis.

In 1947, Murray moved to Chicago to begin a 25 year medical career in ear, nose and throat. Experiences with patients aroused his concern for the quality of life. While Americans lived longer, medical practice revealed they weren’t living better. Chronic illness and degenerative disease steadily increased.

“A large portion of our lifetime and resources are spent to combat illness and withstand aging,” Murray wrote. “Paradoxically, that despite the great variety of foods developed to nourish our life we still suffer degenerative diseases and fall prey to aging long before optimum lifespan is reached.”

Pointedly, he wrote, “Americans hold the dubious distinction of being among the sickest of populations in modern society. A nation with a drug industry flourishing as well as ours certainly cannot claim good health!”

Along his 45 year journey, Murray was actively engaged with farmers to learn agriculture. Later, he operated a successful vegetable farm. His research led him to a key to the cause, treatment  and prevention of cancer.

As a first step to learning how to supply minerals to humans, Dr. Murray realized we get our minerals mostly from food, secondly in water. He decided to use seawater as a soil amendment and observe if this provided any benefit. His theory was, if soil is supplied all essential minerals, plants will absorb them as nutrients and pass them to animals that eat them.  

In Murray’s first trials, the U.S. Navy supplied seawater from oceans all over the world. Railroad tank cars delivered seawater to Cincinnati which was sprayed at various controlled rates onto test plots. In over 20 years, Dr. Murray tested sea solids on various crops in seven states and different climates. Experiments indicated land plants tolerate 400 - 1000 cubic centimeters of seawater to 1/3 cubic foot of soil. Sea solids were administered to soil at 500 - 3000 lbs. per acre. Except for serious rainwater runoff, one application would last five years.  

He recorded, “we began using sea solids to grow large quantities of cereal grains to feed animals. Sea solids were applied at 1000 to 2,200 pounds per acre to half the fields. Controls received only customary fertilizer.”

Corn, wheat, oats, barley, hay, fruit trees, vegetable crops and other plants were raised on seawater, or sea solids. Fields were planted so an experimental plot using sea solids was compared to a control plot using the best commercial methods. Sea solids-fertilized crops grew faster, healthier and produced far greater growth. Resulting color, disease resistance, taste, and yields were outstanding.

Animals, wild and domestic, had no trouble determining which was better to eat. A walk through a field showed a glimpse of animal heaven. Rabbits and mice scurried everywhere, yet a control area with standard fertilizers was almost lifeless. In the 1950’s, Murray began assaying crops for nutrients. Consistently, foods grown with sea solids had significantly more minerals (ash content), vitamins (+25% vitamin C in tomatoes, +40% vitamin C in carrots), and sugars. So sea solid grown food is tastier, and more nourishing.

Growers quickly criticize Murray, insisting salt will kill plants as quick as any pesticide or poison. True, if it’s table salt. However, Murray found if sodium is blended with all the other elements in the same ratios as in seawater, plants are not injured, but thrive.

To evaluate qualitative effects, the total amount of minerals is less critical than proper ratios among them. Individually, one mineral in excess can be toxic and make other elements seem in deficit. In balance with all the elements in seawater, they enhance and enliven each other. Healthy plant residue recycled back into the soil promotes an improved organic soil whereas depleted plant residue from chemically supported production provides an inferior organic soil enhancement.

According to Murray, “At harvest, corn smut, rust, and other cereal diseases were significantly reduced in experimental fields. Disease  resistance had been fixed in plants by this complete elemental diet. The next step was to see if the resistance could be transferred from plants to animals.”