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Medical pioneer of the 20th century: Dr Archie Kalokerinos : an autobiography PDF

495 Pages·2000·22.59 MB·English
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MEDICAL PIONEER OF THE 20th CENTURY Dr. Archie Kalokerinos An Autobiography A most stimulating autobiography of a doctor who pioneered the way to understand some of the world's most' deadly diseases. Copyright © 2000 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia by Dr Archie Kalokerinos All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo copying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permis- sion of the copyright owner. Front cover photo of Dr Kalokerinos copyright © by Farina Photographs, Tamworth. Biological Therapies Publishing First published 2000 Biological Therapies Publishing Pty Ltd, Braeside, Melbourne, Victoria Ph: (61) 3 9587 3948 Fax: (61)395871720 ISBN 0-646-40852-6 FOREWORD by Dr. Ian Dettman Ph.D. (Biochem), F.R.M.I.T. (Microbiol, Biochem, Genetics), ND. Dr Archie Kalokerinos is a gentle, sensitive, dedicated man. He has not sought personal gain as the prime motive for the help he has given to his fellow human beings. Even now, well into his 70's, he still gives his time freely to help people that he believes are being treated unfairly. Like all of us, Archie can become outraged at injustice and he becomes especially angry when young infants may be dying be cause of ignorance and/or bureaucratic blindness by some areas of the medical establishment. Not only did Archie perceive poor health and injustice in the Aboriginal community, he vigorously pursued the truth behind its causes. Dr Kalokerinos challenged not only government officials but the very foundations of modem medicine. His acute powers of observation and persistent determination to evaluate situations hon estly and fairly led of course to a great deal of conflict in his profes sional life. This is an exciting book. It tells of the early days of Greek migrant struggle, of his adventures at medical school and early un derstanding of bureaucratic bungles and cover up by some medical incompetents. The seeds are sown in these early years for the adventures (truly spectacular "Hollywood" style) to come. His disillusionment with the medical establishment was re inforced when they refused to believe or to do anything about the extremely high rate of infant death amongst the Aboriginal popula- 111 tion. He searched for answers, and despite pmcticing all the univer sity based medicine he was taught, the childr~n (mainly Aborigines) continued to die. His disenchantment with these medical outcomes led him to postpone his medical career. He went to seek his fortune as an opal miner. Like all aspects of his life, Archie developed a deep under standing of opals and opal mining. In fact he became a world expert in opals and has authored some books on the subject. However, even in this area of life, his honesty and sense of fair play were set to lead him into some of the biggest adventures in his life. Because of his medical doctor status some of the villains involved in a multi million dollar opal robbery confided in him, and he eventually be came a victim of their wrath. During this opal mining time, Archie started to solve the jigsaw puzzle of the high rate of Aboriginal death. He returned to medicine and started another enthralling series of events. Archie and Dr Glen Dettman (Medical Scientist) became inseparable at this stage in solving many of the complex medical issues surround ing the high rate of Aboriginal infant death. Vitamin C was found to be a critical factor. Archie and Glen travelled the world several times and shared their experiences at many international confer ences. They befriended many notable scientists and doctors includ ing Professor Linus Pauling (the only man to have won two unshared Noble Prizes), Dr Frederick Klenner (physician extraordinare), Dr Irwin Stone (a very astute Medical Scientist who championed the understanding ofthe requirements for Vitamin C supplements), Dr Robert Cathcart (a very notable Orthopaedic Surgeon who invented the modified prosthetic hip, and later went on to become intensely involved in nutritional therapies), Dr Bob Erdmann, Dr Roy Kupsinell lV and Dr Wendell Belfield (a very experienced and successful ortho molecular veterinarian who has authored several books) and many others. Because of the perserverence of Dr Kalokerinos he suc cessfully reduced the Aboriginal infant death rate from virtually ev ery second child who presented with some risk factor, to zero. He kept these records of the reduction in the mortality rate for 10 years. But still, many Health Authorities with predetermined bigoted con cepts that Vitamin C was only good for preventing scurvy, refused to believe him. I recommend this book to all sections of the population. It's full of excitement. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry. It will have you not wanting to put the book down right to the very end. Recently, Dr Kalokerinos has been awarded Greek Australian of the Century by the very notable and considerable Greek Commu nity in Australia. Furthermore, it has been suggested that he may be in line for an Australian Medical Doctor of the Century award. Why he has not been granted a formal award by the Australian Govern ment for his discoveries and achievements I cannot understand. God bless Dr Kalokerinos, he is a courageous man, one whose discoveries, I believe, have saved countless lives. Further more his message of correcting some very basic nutritional defi ciencies (especially Vitamin C) will eventually become enshrined in basic medical doctrine. Ian Dettman Ph.D. v Acknowledgments My wife, Catherine and my childreniHelen and Peter, have been my strength and comfort over the years and without them much that has been good would never have happened. My parents who sacrificed so much for my benefit cannot be forgotten. My sister, Ada Penglis, her husband Paul, my cousins Jack and Doreen Moulos, Andreas Kalokerinos and members of the Greek community have been comforters, supporters and examples for me to follow when times were good or bad. In particular, my late brother, James, will forever remain as my first supporter, my adviser and mentor. Emmanuel and Bill Petrohelos, from Collarenebri, whose lives became so intimately entwined with mine, were the ones who provided the background to events that were instrumental in shaping my future. Many Aborigines are treasured in my memory. Those who are now dead will know how I feel about the times we toiled and suffered together. Naomi Mayers, from the Aboriginal Medical Service, Judge Bob Bellear, Faith Bandler, Shirley Smith, Barbara Flick, and many others are with us still and will, no doubt, recall the events depicted in this book. The late Professor Fred Hollows, although not an Aboriginal, will always be remembered for what he was -a man who wanted to help. Beverly Dyster, who worked with me at The Aboriginal Medical Service, always seemed to be around when I needed a psychological prop. Margaret Peterson, a 'nursing aide' in the. same organisation was forever gentle and caring no matter how difficult or dirty was the task she was given or undertook. I value my association with her. My Alaskan friends, Mary Ann Mills, Bernadine Atchison, and Sandy Mintz, with Arthur Zahalsky from America, earned a vi special vote of thanks for what they did. Bob and Marie Erdmann, Oscar Falconi of Wholesale Nutrition, California, the late Dr Linus Pauling, Jay Patrick of Alacer Co-operation, California, and Dr Anthony ('Tony') Morris contributed by clarifying aspects of what I was doing. Many others in America worked tirelessly for me and made possible a substantial degree of progress. In Australia, Marcus Blackmore and Bill Hill from 'Blackmores', manufacturers of vitamin, mineral, herbal and cosmetic products have provided much needed and valued support professionally and otherwise. Dr Ian Dettman, from Biological Therapies in Melbourne, has taken over the role of his late father, Dr Glen Dettman. The chapter in this book about that remarkable man hardly does justice to what he did for me and for his fellow human beings. An associate of Glen's, Dorothy Knafelc, through her determined literature research provided Glen and I with the information necessary for the understanding of some of our clinical observations. This proved to be of extreme value and I will remain forever in debt to her. Two men who went out of their way, bravely and openly, to support me were Bill Lovelock of This Is Your Life, and Alvin Rhinebarger, from Bingara, who risked his entire future in order to help me. The citizens of Bingara rallied by my side when I was in deep trouble, as did, years before, the people of Collarenebri. David Mead, of Tamworth, kindly, and expertly, showed me how to correct spelling and grammatical errors. His son, Tim, escorted me though the maze of computer technology and seemed to be always there when disasters struck. Better Business Equipment, a Tamworth firm were more than usually helpful with my many needs. Jan Buchanan, from Sydney, patiently and kindly helped with editing. vii Professor Gillian Frazer, from Tamworth, corrected some glaring errors in my use of the English language. Sam Horden, in Sydney, encouraged me in many ways and paved the way for final publication. I owe these friends a great deal. To many of my colleagues I owe more than I can express. Dr Douglas Harbison and Dr Peter Wakeford, both from Tamworth, should, I feel earn a special place in the history book for what they did during their long careers. There are many others, specialists and family practitioners, who made life easier for me. Their skill and dedication is always a reminder of what the profession of medicine can achieve when the right men and women are in the right place at the right time. Dr Vera Scheibner, and her late husband, Leif Carlson, did an enormous amount of research on vaccines and the sudden infant death syndrome. This benefited my work in many ways. Leif devised an electronic marvel that monitored the breathing of babies in a manner previously not possible, and this led to a dramatic improvement in the understanding of the sudden infant death syndrome. Hiliary Butler, from New Zealand, made a special study of vaccines. She arranged meetings in several countries with individuals who transfused me with knowledge and allowed me debate on a solid foundation with sceptics and so-called 'experts'. Dr Robert Reisinger, in America, introduced me to the subject of 'endotoxin' and immediately simplified the understanding of everything I observed in Collarenebri. The manner by which this man's work has been neglected is an illustration of how the medical establishment ignores the things that really matter and concentrates on trivialities. One day, I hope, this man will be recognised for what he is -an outstanding medical pioneer. Vlll The 'ordinary people' of Australia have supported me in many ways and at many times. Public opinion and public pressure have been my strength. I value this greatly and express my gratitude and thanks. The late Jim Conomos, from Walgett - a Kytherian - first made me aware of what Australian opal was all about. Because of this I was able to begin my opal studies on a solid footing. The late Harold Hodges, of Lightning Ridge fame, and his wife Debbie, nursed me through years of turmoil and saw to my welfare whenever this was necessary. Greg Shermann, Michael Costello, and other opal dealers assisted in the collection of opal specimens for photographic purposes. Finally I must thank my maker for showing me the way and the many who prayed when there was a need for something that no mortal person could provide. ix INTRODUCTION Usually, an autobiography follows an orderly sequence of events -one leading naturally to another until the author decides on a cut-offpoint where, more often than not, readers can tum the final page and know that a lifetime of work is finished. I have found it impossible to follow this pattern because, after a critical stage, ev erything became mixed with events, experiences and discoveries covering widely separated fields intertwined in a manner that can not be followed if described in a true chronological manner. This applies, particularly, to the chapters dealing with medical problems such as The Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Otitis Media, Vac cine Reactions, Shaken Babies and Zinc Deficiencies. Trying to understand and solve these conditions involved years of observa tion, thinking, and research. Eventually, it became obvious that the only way to pass on the knowledge obtained was to simply deal with each disorder separately. They are, in fact, not separate disorders because nature has connected them in a fascinating manner. My aim is not to claim total originality or total personal credit, because many colleagues provided me with the support and information that eventually led to an understanding of what I observed clinically. I hope that what I have written will act as a stimulus towards a broader view of medicine, and take some of the stress away from physicians who are forced to deal so much with problems they cannot solve. Some academics will be critical and detail aspects where I di~play a lack of knowledge. There may also be some errors gener ated by this lack of knowledge. However, I believe that, if this is so, the errors are minor and do not, from a practical point of view mat ter very much. I state this because I have been able to demonstrate clearly, and beyond any doubt, that what I have learned enabled me X

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In the 1970s, an Australian doctor named Archie Kalokerinos volunteered to serve the Aboriginal people in the opal mining region of Australia. He found that an astonishing 50% of infants were dying, primarily from SIDS. He noted that the people and their infants were almost completely deficient of v
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