Benjamin Spock

Benjamin McLane Spock (May 2, 1903 – March 15, 1998) was an American pediatrician whose book Baby and Child Care (1946) is one of the best-sellers of all time. The book said to mothers "you know more than you think you do".

Spock was the first pediatrician to study psychoanalysis to try to understand children's needs. His ideas influenced parents to be more flexible and affectionate with their children, and to treat them as individuals. However, his theories were also widely criticized by colleagues. According to the critics, he relied too heavily on anecdotal evidence rather than serious academic research.Maier, Thomas. 1998. Doctor Spock: an American life. NY: Harcourt Brace, p260.

Spock was regarded as a radical during the troubled times of the Vietnam War.Bloom, Lynn Z. 1972. Doctor Spock: biography of a conservative radical. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill.

Spock won an Olympic gold medal in rowing in 1924 while attending Yale University. 

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Category:1903 births
Category:1998 deaths
Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States
Category:American military personnel of World War II
Category:American physicians
Category:Scientists from New Haven, Connecticut
Category:Writers from New Haven, Connecticut
Category:Sportspeople from New Haven, Connecticut