Robert S. Mendelsohn
Robert S. Mendelsohn | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | April 5, 1988 Evanston, Illinois, U.S. | (aged 61)
Nationality | American |
Education | University of Chicago |
Robert S. Mendelsohn (July 13, 1926 – April 5, 1988) was an American
Mendelsohn wrote a syndicated newspaper column called The People's Doctor, and also produced a newsletter with the same name (the newsletter continued after his death until 1992, under the name The Doctor's People.[3]) He published five books, including Confessions of a Medical Heretic,[4] Mal(e) Practice: How Doctors Manipulate Women,[5] and How to Raise a Healthy Child…In Spite of Your Doctor. He appeared on over 500 television and radio talk shows.
Education and career
Mendelsohn was born in Chicago, Illinois. He received his medical degree from the University of Chicago in 1951. He was certified by the American Board of Pediatrics.[6] Mendelsohn had a full-time private pediatric practice from 1956 to 1967, and continued to see patients of all ages on a consultancy basis until his death in 1988.
For 12 years, Mendelsohn was an instructor at
Mendelsohn served as National Director of Project
Views and reception
Mendelsohn said that the greatest danger to American women's health was often their own doctors, and contended that
In an era in which the side effects of medications and the risks of medical treatments were hardly known except to doctors, Mendelsohn insisted that patients, too, had the right to such information. In the first of his books to attract widespread publicity, Confessions of a Medical Heretic (Contemporary Books 1979), he describes his efforts to make the Physician's Desk Reference, the authoritative guide to medications and medical treatments, available to the public.
In Confessions, Mendelsohn argued that the methods of modern medicine were often more dangerous than the diseases they were designed to diagnose and treat. He advised consumers to be suspicious of their doctors. “One of the unwritten rules in Modern Medicine is always to write a prescription for a new drug quickly, before all its side effects have come to the surface.” (Confessions of a Medical Heretic, p. 32)
Mendelsohn opposed vaccinations for children, claiming the shots are dangerous and worthless.
His book Confessions of a Medical Heretic was negatively reviewed in the
Quackwatch has noted that Mendelsohn "engaged in irresponsible criticism of the medical profession and science-based health care during most of his medical career."[11]
Nutritionist Kurt Butler described Mendelsohn as a "Whiney-voiced crackpot who made himself rich and famous by leading the bash-doctors movements now in vogue. Mendelsohn, now deceased, made a career of telling Americans that their doctors are out to rob and kill them. He urged everyone to avoid doctors and go instead to chiropractors, naturopaths and health fraud store clerks for their health care."[12]
Death
He died April 5, 1988, at his home in Evanston, Illinois.[13][14]
Publications
- 1982, Male Practice: How Doctors Manipulate Women, ISBN 0-8092-5721-1
- 1987, How To Raise a Healthy Child In Spite of Your Doctor, NTC/Contemporary Publishing Company, ISBN 0-8092-4995-2
- 1991, Confessions of a Medical Heretic, ISBN 0-8092-7726-3(This book was first published in 1979)
- 1985, Dissent in Medicine…Nine Doctors Speak Out, Contemporary Books, Inc.
- 1988, But Doctor, About That Shot: The Risks of Immunizations and How to Avoid Them, by Robert S. Mendelsohn, M.D., edited by Vera Chatz and published by The People's Doctor, Inc.
- The People’s Doctor Newsletter – published monthly from 1980 to 1988.
References
- ^ Martin, Frances (January 30, 1980). "People in Print: Robert S. Mendelsohn, M.D., F.A.A.P. - Confessions of a Medical Heretic - The People's Doctor". Diagnostic Medicine. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
- ^ Murray, Walt (January 21, 1983). "A medical Mort Sahl". Long Beach Press-Telegram. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
- ^ a b Eric Zorn, "Medical Pioneer`s Torch Flickers Out", Chicago Tribune, April 5, 1992.
- ^ Howard Wolinsky, Leon Pitt, "Dr. Robert S. Mendelsohn, 61, Evanston author, columnist", Chicago Sun-Times, April 6, 1988. via HighBeam Research.
- ^ a b Barbara Kleban Mills, "An Outspoken Physician Says the Biggest Threat to a Woman's Health Is Her Own Doctor", People, September 7, 1981.
- ^ "Robert S. Mendelsohn American Board of Pediatrics Pediatric License - The People's Doctor". The People's Doctor. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
- ^ "Successful Pediatrician Turned Gadfly : Medical Maverick Dr. Robert S. Mendelsohn, 61". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ Gorski, David. (2011). "Deadly Choices about vaccination". Science-Based Medicine. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- JAMA242 (22): 2470
- ^ "A Few Notes on Robert Mendelsohn, M.D.". Quackwatch. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ISBN 978-0967328102
- ^ "Dr. Robert S. Mendelsohn, Medical Critic, 61", Associated Press in The New York Times, April 16, 1988
- ^ John Van, "Medical Maverick Robert Mendelsohn", Chicago Tribune, April 6, 1988.
External links
- http://thepeoplesdoctor.net/ - website about Robert S. Mendelsohn
- Quackwatch.org Archived 2007-11-09 at the Wayback Machine - 'A Few Notes on Robert Mendelsohn, M.D., Quackwatch (A critique of Mendelsohn)
- Robert Mendelsohn – The First Anti-Vaccine Pediatrician - Vaxopedia