The Book That Killed 1,000 Babies
The terrible true story of Dr. Benjamin Spock, MD
In 1946, pediatrician Dr. Benjamin McClane Spock, MD, published a book of radical parenting advice that antagonized the status quo, provoked a country, and unleashed an infant death epidemic.
Every tragedy has an origin story and every story offers lessons for us to learn. The story of the book that killed 1,000 babies is no different.
This story starts with the genesis of a genius.
Disclaimer: This story is not meant to disparage Dr. Spock, blame him, or disregard the enormous amount of good he accomplished for generations of children. I also acknowledge that medical knowledge and advice evolves over time. This article is meant to highlight a sad section of history.
Origins of the bloody book
To know the book, you must know the author. Dr. Spock was born in 1903 in New Haven, Connecticut, to a wealthy family. He grew to a towering six foot four inches and attended Yale University, where he aided the school’s rowing team in winning a gold medal at the 1924 Olympics in Paris.
During his time at Yale, he also joined the exclusive Zeta Psi fraternity. Later, he accepted an invitation into the infamous secret society of wealthy erudites…
