George Kamen

Memoirs of a Poor City Boy: from Penniless Youth to Chemist and Doctor George Kamen

Memoirs of a Poor City Boy: From Penniless Youth to Chemist and Doctor is the fascinating life story of George Francis Kamen. Amidst a background of poverty, George obtained a coveted college education and medical training. Always the pragmatist, George earned a degree in chemistry to back up his medical education. He went on to conduct groundbreaking research in the treatment of multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases with hydrocortisone injections and a salt-free, low-fat diet: The Kamen Diet. The author practiced medicine at a time when medical research sometimes was conducted with only a verbal agreement between patients and doctors. His treatments with hydrocortisone injections and The Kamen Diet also were found to be beneficial in patients with diabetes and cirrhosis of the liver. Published articles on Dr. Kamen's research with acrolein ranged from the effects of shock associated with burns (1943) to Mengo-Semliki virus immunity (1961), some of the earliest research on retroviruses. Dr. Kamen is listed in Leaders in American Science (1960) for his work on Multiple Sclerosis. Now retired and living in Sarasota, Florida, Dr. Kamen hopes that by publishing his memoirs, readers might find the courage and determination to realize their own dreams against any odds.