Morris Fishbein (July 22, 1889 – September 27, 1976) was an American physician and editor of the ''

Journal of the American Medical Association ''JAMA'' (''The Journal of the American Medical Association'') is a peer-reviewed medical journal published 48 times a year by the American Medical Association. It publishes original research, reviews, and editorials covering all aspects of ...

'' (''JAMA'') from 1924 to 1950. Ira Rutkow's ''Seeking the Cure: A History of Medicine in America'' provides a brief overview of Fishbein's influence on American medicine during the

Interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

. Fishbein is vilified in the

chiropractic Chiropractic () is a form of alternative medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially of the spine. It is based on several pseudoscientific ideas. Many c ...

community due to his principal role in founding and propagating the campaign to suppress and end chiropractic as a profession due to its basis in pseudoscientific practices.

Biography

He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on July 22, 1889, son of an immigrant Jewish peddler who moved his family to

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

. He studied at Rush Medical College. Fishbein served for 18 months as a resident physician at the Durand Hospital for Infectious Diseases. He joined George H. Simmons, editor of The ''Journal of the American Medical Association'' (''JAMA''), as an assistant and advanced to the editorship in 1924, a position he maintained until 1950. He was on the cover of ''Time'' on June 21, 1937. In 1938, along with the AMA, he was indicted for violating the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. The AMA was convicted and fined $2,500 but Fishbein was acquitted. In 1961 he became the founding Editor of ''Medical World News'', a magazine for doctors. In 1970 he endowed the Morris Fishbein Center for the study of the

history of science The history of science covers the development of science from ancient history, ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural science, natural, social science, social, and formal science, formal. Pr ...

and

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. Its first activity was a lecture series taking place in May of that year. Allen G. Debus served as director of the Center from 1971 to 1977. Fishbein also endowed a chair at the university for the same subject, a chair taken up by Debus in 1978. The 7th floor in Shoreland Hall at the University of Chicago was known as Fishbein House, using the Fishbein name as its namesake. He died on September 27, 1976, in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. He was survived by two daughters, Barbara Fishbein Friedell and Marjorie Clavey, and his son, Justin M. Fishbein.

Quacks

He was also notable due to his affinity for exposing quacks, notably the goat-gland surgeon John R. Brinkley, and campaigning for regulation of medical devices. His book
Fads and Quackery in Healing
' debunks

homeopathy Homeopathy or homoeopathy is a pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine. It was conceived in 1796 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann. Its practitioners, called homeopaths or homeopathic physicians, believe that a substance that ...

osteopathy Osteopathy is a pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine that emphasizes physical manipulation of the body's muscle tissue and bones. In most countries, practitioners of osteopathy are not medically trained and are referred to as osteo ...

Christian Science Christian Science is a set of beliefs and practices which are associated with members of the Church of Christ, Scientist. Adherents are commonly known as Christian Scientists or students of Christian Science, and the church is sometimes in ...

, radionics and other dubious medical practices. In 1938, Fishbein authored a two-part article "Modern Medical Charlatans" in the journal ''Hygeia'' which criticized the quackery of Brinkley. Brinkley sued Fishbein for libel but lost the case.Lee, Alton R. (2002). ''The Bizarre Careers of John R. Brinkley''. University of Kentucky Press. pp. 211-218. The jury found that Brinkley "should be considered a charlatan and a quack in the ordinary, well-understood meaning of those words." Fishbein responded that "the decision is a great victory for honest scientific medicine, for the standards of education and conduct established by the American Medical Association." Fishbein was also critical of the activities of

Mary Baker Eddy Mary Baker Eddy (née Baker; July 16, 1821 – December 3, 1910) was an American religious leader and author, who in 1879 founded The Church of Christ, Scientist, the ''Mother Church'' of the Christian Science movement. She also founded ''The C ...

whom he considered a fraud and plagiarist.Hudson, Robert P. (1983). ''Disease and Its Control: The Shaping of Modern Thought''. Greenwood Press. p. 70.

Selected publications

*''The Medical Follies'' (1925) *''The New Medical Follies'' (1927) *''Shattering Health Superstitions'' (1930)
''Fads and Quackery in Healing''
(1932)
''Frontiers of Medicine''
(1933) *''Your Diet and Your Health'' (1937) *''A History of the American Medical Association 1847 to 1947'' (1947) *''Medical Writing: The Technic and the Art'' (1957) *''Morris Fishbein, M.D.: An Autobiography'' (1969) *''The Handy Home Medical Adviser'' (1974)

References

External links

Morris Fishbein Center for the History of Science and Medicine, University of Chicago

Guide to the Morris Fishbein Papers 1912-1976
at th
University of Special Collections Research Center

American Medical Writers Association

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fishbein, Morris 1889 births 1976 deaths American medical journalists American skeptics American critics of alternative medicine Critics of Christian Science Physicians from St. Louis JAMA editors Rush Medical College alumni

Biography

Quacks

Selected publications

See also

References

Further reading

External links