Peter J. Steincrohn

Peter Joseph Steincrohn (November 28, 1899 - February 17, 1986) was an American doctor and author, known for the syndicated newspaper column with medical advice that he wrote from 1954 through 1986 which was published in places like Reader's Digest and the Saturday Evening Post.

Early life and education Steincrohn was born to Myer and Pearl (Brownstein) Steincrohn on November 28, 1899 in Hartford, Connecticut. He got his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1923.

Medical career Steincrohn interned at Muhlenberg Hospital in Plainfield N.J. He later did postgraduate work at Massachusetts General and Beth Israel Hospital, both in Boston.

Steincrohn worked at Mount Sinai and McCook Memorial hospitals, both in Hartford, Connecticut. His primary practice was as an internist and a cardiologist.

Media career Steincrohn's syndicated columns, which he wrote for the McNaught Syndicate, were published in over 100 newspapers in the United States and Canada. He also wrote over two dozen popular books on medical topics.

He was noted for his suggestion that, contrary to Walter Pitkin's adage that "life begins at 40," a better health approach is "Rest begins at 40." His focus was on giving sensible, realistic health advice for people, supporting the idea of moderate, not aggressive, exercise especially as people age. The New York Times said that his book about high blood pressure had "taken this terrifying symptom out of the miasma of complex science and warped common knowledge and set it into a comprehensible and comforting guide." One of his columns was quoted in the James Bond movie, From Russia With Love, about how many organs the human body could do without.

Personal life Patti Chapin, a former Ziegfeld Follies singer, and Peter Steincrohn married on February 8, 1936. They had one daughter, Barbara Jane, and two grandchildren.