Dan Dale Alexander (July 18, 1919 – June 15, 1990) was an American nutrition influencer, famous for his eccentric beliefs about

cod liver oil Cod liver oil is a dietary supplement derived from liver of cod fish (Gadidae). As with most fish oils, it contains the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and also vitamin A and vitamin D. Histori ...

curing arthritis. He became known as the "Codfather".

Career

Alexander was born in Norwich, Connecticut. He was educated at

Norwich Free Academy The Norwich Free Academy (NFA), founded in 1854 and in operation since 1856, is a coeducational independent school for students between the 9th and 12th grade. Located in Norwich, Connecticut, the Academy serves as the primary high school for Norw ...

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

but failed to obtain any degree as he dropped out.Don Alexander; Health Ideas Stirred Furor
Los Angeles Times. Alexander had no medical credentials. Lasagna, Louis. (1963). ''The Doctors' Dilemmas''. Harper & Brothers Publishers. p. 211Deutsch, Ronald M. (1961)
''The Nuts Among the Berries''
Ballantine Books. pp. 194-198 He obtained a Ph.D. from an obscure diploma-mill which he received in the mail from St. Andrew's Ecumenical College,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. He sent a check for $100 to the college as appreciation for receiving it. Alexander is best known for ''Arthritis and Common Sense'', which sold more than one million copies. He was president of Witkower Press of Hartford, Connecticut, who published the book. He believed that drinking

mixed with

orange juice Orange juice is a liquid extract of the orange tree fruit, produced by squeezing or reaming oranges. It comes in several different varieties, including blood orange, navel oranges, valencia orange, clementine, and tangerine. As well as vari ...

could cure arthritis. He appeared on ''

The Johnny Carson Show ''The Johnny Carson Show'' was a 1955–56 half-hour prime time television variety show starring Johnny Carson. While working as a staff writer on ''The Red Skelton Show'', local Los Angeles television comedian Carson filled in as host when Sk ...

'' and ''

The Merv Griffin Show ''The Merv Griffin Show'' is an American television talk show starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, May 10, 1965 to July 4, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 ...

'' to promote his ideas. His ideas were uncritically accepted in the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' and on radio stations.

Reception

Alexander's statements about cod liver oil curing arthritis have been described by the Federal Trade Commission and medical health experts as deceptive, false, misleading and

quackery Quackery, often synonymous with health fraud, is the promotion of fraudulent or ignorant medical practices. A quack is a "fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill" or "a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skill, ...

. Barrett, Stephen; Victor, Herbert. (1994). ''The Vitamin Pushers: How the "Health Food" Industry is Selling America a Bill of Goods''. Prometheus Books. pp. 146-147. The Arthritis and Rheumatism Foundation complained that Alexander's statements were false advertising and unsupported by scientific evidence.

Stephen Barrett Stephen Joel Barrett (; born 1933) is an American retired psychiatrist, author, co-founder of the National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF), and the webmaster of Quackwatch. He runs a number of websites dealing with quackery and health frau ...

and

Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, cellist and conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and conductor, he is bes ...

have written:

lexanderconcluded that the basic cause of arthritis is "poorly lubricated joints" and that dietary oils (particularly cod liver oil) relieve arthritis by lubricating the joints. This theory is ludicrous. The lubricating fluid within the joints is not oil but a fluid that resembles blood plasma and is secreted by the tissue lining the joints. Moreover, dietary oils can't reach the joints intact because they are broken down into simple substances by the digestive process.

In 1956 the FTC issued an order for Witkower Press to cease falsely advertising ''Arthritis and Common Sense'' as reliable treatment for any kind of arthritis or related condition.Federal Trade Commission. (1962)
''In the Matter of Witkower Press, Inc, Et Al.''
In ''Federal Trade Commission Decisions. Volume 57''. United States Government Printing Office. pp. 145-222 There were 35 hearings in the case and 3,000 pages of testimony were received. In 1960, Alexander appealed the order without success.Walrad, Ruth. (1960)
''The Misrepresentation of Arthritis Drugs and Devices in the United States''
Arthritis and Rheumatism Foundation. pp. 104-106

Publications

''Arthritis and Common Sense''
(1950)
''Good Health and Common Sense''
(1960) *''Healthy Hair and Common Sense'' (1969) *''The Common Cold and Common Sense'' (1971) *''Dry Skin and Common Sense'' (1978)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Dan Dale 1919 births 1990 deaths People from Norwich, Connecticut Pseudoscientific diet advocates