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

495 Pages·2000·22.59 MB·English

by  Archie Kalokerinos

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: [phone]
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
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