The Lion of Wall Street: The Two Lives of Jack Dreyfus
by By Dreyfus, Jack
Category: Biography & Autobiography , Business

Most people live one life. Jack Dreyfus has had two. The first was filled with remarkable accomplishments. But the second life has extraordinary implications for all of mankind. Today, millions of people recognize the majestic Dreyfus lion, but few know the man behind the symbol.As a young man he was a tournament-winning golfer and nationally-ranked bridge player. He was hailed by The Encyclopedia of Bridge as "the best gin rummy player in the United States." He bred outstanding racehorses and received the Turf Writers' "Best Breeder of the Year" award on two occasions. Twice he was Chairman of the Board of the New York Racing Association, receiving the Eclipse award for "The Man Who Did the Most for Racing."However, he is probably best known for his accomplishments in the financial arena. When Jack was thirty-three he became Senior Partner of a New York Stock Exchange firm. The advertisements he created won awards of excellence. The mutual fund he started and managed outperformed all other funds by a wide margin.In 1958 Jack Dreyfus' second life began. He confronted what would prove to be the greatest challenge of his life. In the midst of a severe depression, he accomplished something unheard of for a layman. Having thoughts about electrical activity in his body he asked his physician to let him try Dilantin (phenytoin) a medicine usually prescribed for epilepsy, not depression. It brought him back to good health overnight. He sent six other people with similar symptoms to his physician, and they all had prompt recoveries.Realizing he had an obligation to investigate further, Jack did something most unusual. He retired from his two highly successful businesses, established a charitable medical foundation, and has spent the past thirty years obtaining information from all over the world about the many uses of phenytoin. In spite of phenytoin having been reported in medical journals for being useful for over 50 symptoms and disorders, it is being overlooked because of a flaw in our system of bringing medicine to the public.