The Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Tragedy

Dr. Archie Kalokerinos and the Hidden History of SIDS

In the 1960s Dr. Archie Kalokerinos hypothesised that SIDS may be caused by sub-clinical scurvy (vitamin C deficiency). His work was violently opposed but lives on.

Dr. Archie Kalokerinos was one of the great, unsung health revolutionaries of the twentieth century.


Born in Glenn Innes, Australia in 1927 of Greek parentage, Dr. Kalokerinos studied medicine at Sydney University before becoming chief practitioner for the small town of Collarenbri in Western Australia. It was here that he encountered an extraordinarily high infant mortality rate among Aboriginal babies, many of whom died apparently healthy at the age of six months, due to a sudden, inextricable collapse.

It was this problem and its solution that, except for a brief medical hiatus in the 1960s during which he mined opals, was to become the focus of Dr. Kalokerinos' career.

Studying the Literature on SIDS

After carefully studying the available literature Dr. Kalokerinos hypothesised that the infants may be suffering from a form of sub-clinical scurvy (vitamin C deficiency). Vitamin C was known to be used up very quickly during viral infections, infections which were very often present during a sudden infant death.

Baby Mary Recovers From Infection With Vitamin C


Dr. Kalokerinos' first vitamin C baby was Mary:

"Mary recovered dramatically in less than twenty minutes. I tried to record her screams on tape, but by the time the recorder was set up, the screaming had ceased and she only cried if pinched [...] Next morning Mary's body was covered in bruises, a typical sign of classical infantile scurvy." [1]


The Importance of Vitamin C

Dr. Kalokerinos had discovered the importance of vitamin C before even the great Linus Pauling had brought the world up to speed. Hundreds of babies lives were saved during his long career, which was also dedicated to championing aboriginal rights and fighting a fruitless struggle against medical authorities. Like so many gifted, humanitarian physicians of his era, Dr. Kalokerinos' work was, by turns, ignored and violently opposed. His contribution to the understanding of sub-clinical vitamin C deficiency as a factor in SIDS lives on as a testament to his skill and perserverance.

Mattress Wrapper Prevents SIDS

It may be an element in the water supply that gives researchers from that part of the world great insight into this tragic syndrome. In 1994, Dr. Jim Sprott, a New Zealand physcian, urged the government to act on the findings of UK scientist Dr. Barry Richardson, who hypothesised that a deadly combination of fungus and flame-retardant chemicals in mattresses was the cause of all SIDS. Since the implementation of specially formulated mattress wrappers, not one Sudden Infant Death has been reported in New Zealand homes in which the wrappers have been used. This finding has received independent scientific validation [2].

Vitamin C has long been known as the "anti-toxin" vitamin. An increased rate of vitamin C utilisation in babies subjected to toxic gases may be a link between the findings of these two life-saving health pioneers, although this has never been investigated.

Dr Archie Kalokerinos dedicated his medical career to furthering the understanding that vitamin C may prevent infection and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. His successful cases were many and in the future his work, along with other important work such as the discoveries of Dr Barry Richardson, will perhaps be revisited, expanded and used to benefit humanity.

[1] Kalokerinos, Archie. Every Second Child. Connecticut: Keats, 1981, pp. 57-58.

[2] Kapuste, H. 2002. Giftige Gase im Kinderbett ("Toxic Gases in Infants' Beds"), Zeitschrift fuer Umweltmedizin No. 44; January-April 2002:18-20

Read more at Suite101: The Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Tragedy: Dr. Archie Kalokerinos and the Hidden History of SIDS http://infant-toddler-health.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_sudden_infant_death_syndrome_tragedy#ixzz0cZwPoEfD

Resource

The Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Tragedy, Michael Jolliffe, Suite101.com, http://infant-toddler-health.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_sudden_infant_death_syndrome_tragedy, Jul 22, 2009.