William Brady (March 26, 1880 February 25, 1972) was an American physician and pioneering medical columnist.Weiner, Richard. (1997). The Doctors: An Historical Overview of Syndicated Columnists, from Dr. William Brady to Dr. George Crane. American Journalism 14 (3-4): 530-538.
Biography
Brady was born in Canandaigua, New York.Anonymous. (March 19, 1972). "Dr. Brady, Writer". Democrat and Chronicle. p. 24 He obtained his M.D. from the University of Buffalo in 1901. He began his medical practice in Buffalo, New York, in 1901. In 1904, he married Cora May McGuire, they had two daughters.Anonymous. (1973). Brady, William. In Who Was Who in America, Volume 5. p. 82
In 1914, Brady started the first syndicated medical column "Personal Health Service" in the Elmira Star-Gazette, which he wrote until his death in 1972.Weiner, Richard. (1979). Syndicated Columnists. New York. p. 116 Brady was "America's oldest columnist, in age and in number of years of syndication." He wrote the medical column for 58 years.Bondi, Victor. (1995). American Decades: 1970-1979. Marquis-Who's Who. p. 432. It was syndicated in daily newspapers throughout the United States.
Brady also edited the medical column "Here's to Health" in the Los Angeles Times.Baur, John E. (2010). The Health Seekers of Southern California, 1870-1900. Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery. p. 8. In this column, Brady supported the consumption of saccharin. He recommended it as a substitute for "stout people who are trying to reduce and those who wish to avoid accumulating more slacker flesh".Peña, Carolyn de la. (2010). Empty Pleasures: The Story of Artificial Sweeteners from Saccharin to Splenda. University of North Carolina Press. pp. 42-43. In 1946, he commented that there was "ample scientific evidence" to suggest that anyone could consume up to five grains of saccharine a day. He wrote articles recommending people to take iodine doses. Brady was also supportive of the meat diet of Vilhjalmur Stefansson.Anonymous. (1931). Physician Accepts Results of Stefansson-Anderson Meat Diet Experiment. Meat and Livestock Digest 11 (6): 4. In his 1961 book, Brady admitted he held "strange notions" that were based on a "lifetime of sometimes unorthodox observation and practice are geared to keeping patients out of doctors' offices."Brady, William. (1961). An 80 Year Old Doctor's Secrets of Positive Health. Prentice-Hall. p. 8 He died of uremia at his home in Beverly Hills, California.
Reception
Brady was criticized by other physicians for making misrepresentations about medical treatments and promoting dubious health advice. A 1937 article in The Journal of the American Medical Association commented that Brady "has during recent years gradually departed from anything resembling accuracy or established medical science."Fishbein, Morris. (1937). The Misrepresentations of William Brady. Journal of the American Medical Association 109 (16): 1282-1283.
A 1946 article in the Journal of the American Dental Association noted that:
The Southern California State Dental Association accused Brady of misinforming his readers on specific dental ailments.J. C. A. H. (1946). Brady—Bunk or Debunk?. Journal of the Southern California State Dental Association 13 (8): 8.
Selected publications
An 80 Year Old Doctor's Secrets of Positive Health (1961)
References