Learned, dapper and with a bowel to set your watch by, healthy-eating prophet Dr Allinson was over a century ahead of his time and a self-proclaimed authority on everything from farting to skinny dipping. Here's his vital advice on kids' salt intake.

For those of you unfamiliar with the great man, the wholegrain bread-fixated godfather of the brand that still bears his name was a prophet of healthy living. But there was so much more to his repertoire, which should be a moral satnav for our own times.

Our revered doctor would have something to say about our modern-day fixation with caffeine. Not one for popping down his local Starbucks, or its 19th Century equivalent, listening to this frightening account leads one to believe that he was supping a pretty potent brew.

Bad habits - whether it's smoking, drinking or over-eating - are the bane of society and a drain on the NHS. But who ever considered breathing through one's mouth an outrageous habit? Yes, you guessed who. There appear to be one or two major health risks involved in Dr Allinson's remedy, but what do we know, eh?

So seldom in these trying times can one find an authority to turn to for tips on how to keep one’s “excretory organs” in fine fettle, so thank heavens for Dr Allinson’s ageless advice. Incidentally, we’re guessing that the august physician had yet to launch his own bread brand when he offered this comment...

Dr Allinson refused to eat meat as a point of principle, and that principle was safeguarding the health of his bowels. If you’re thinking of turning veggie for ethical reasons, then think again.

Smartly dressed, neatly bearded and with a digestive system to die for, Dr Allinson fired off pearls of wisdom as regularly as his bowels. Our nation of work dodgers – a rising percentage of which cannot even drag themselves out of bed in the mornings – should heed the following advice: go skinny dipping.

Here’s some more medical wisdom from back in the days when a certain Colombian marching powder was still considered a not unreasonable remedy for toothache. If only the kids of today would stop shoving it up their noses, the nation’s oral health would not be in such a parlous state.

He may be long gone, but his wisdom lives on. If only he’d been born a century later to guide us through the tough times, we wouldn’t be in the mess we’re in right now...

Nineteenth-century physician and godfather of Allinson’s bread had a hotline to the truth. A century on, his wisdom could help solve the problems of our own troubled times. If only the youth of today would listen...

The godfather of Allinson’s bread was a mine of wisdom – and it wasn’t all bread-related. A century on, his moral insights help us cast light on the problems of our own age.

Those good people at Allinson’s have sent us the writings of their founder, the 19th century physician and wholemeal bread-fixated Dr Thomas Allinson, and they make eye-opening reading. It dawned on us that each seasoned insight might help us solve a problem of our modern age.