The story of how Tourette syndrome, a common hereditary disorder, provides insights into the cause and treatment of a wide range of human behavioral problems. It covers diagnosis, associated behaviors including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, learning disorders, dyslexia, conduct disorder, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, alcoholism, drug abuse, obesity, depression, panic attacks, phobias, night terrors, bed wetting, sleep disturbances, lying, stealing, inappropriate sexual behavior, and others, brain structure and chemistry, treatment and implications for society, over 2,500 references, 30 page Tourette syndrome-Human Behavior Questionnaire, and Extensive index
When I was in grade school I was interested in all aspects of science. I found a set of The Book of Knowledge encyclopedias and read about evolution and all the geological epochs. It was possible to 'wind the tape' of evolution backward to single celled bacteria, and then still further to the beginnings of the universe. It seemed these probably came from something still simpler. Which was simpler, God, the most complex and complicated entity ever envisioned by man, or some still simpler sub-atomic precursors? The latter seemed far less complex. If God was chosen as the creator of everything, this still left the question who or what created God? The trouble with the God hypothesis is that it simply postponed finding the answer. I call this 'the problem of postponement.'
As I discuss in the Introduction of 'Did Man Create God?' I experienced considerable hostility whenever I repeated these thoughts with religious friends. I thus decided to not talk about it and just go on with life, which included attending the University of Illinois at age 16, entering Northwestern University Medical School at age 19, and obtaining my MD degree at age 23. I graduated from Medical School in 1958 and took a general internship, residency in Internal Medicine and Fellowship in Hematology at Cook Count Hospital, then the largest hospital in the world.
At the time I took hematology, so many exciting things were happening in the field of genetics that I decided to take a second fellowship in human genetics with Arno Motulsky at the University of Washington in Seattle. I subsequently became the Head of the Department of Medical Genetics at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Southern California where I remained for 37 years.
From 1968 until 1979 I was involved in both clinical genetics and basic research into human chromosome structure and DNA metabolism. In 1980 I undertook a major switch to become involved in the molecular and clinical genetics of human behavior especially relating to Tourette Syndrome (TS), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Conduct Disorder. From 1980 until retired I ran one the largest Tourette Syndrome-ADHD clinics in the world. In 1988 I began to compile my experience into an 800-page book entitled 'Tourette Syndrome and Human Behavior.' I set up Hope Press to publish it and numerous other books by other authors on the same subject. The TS book sold very well and was reprinted many times. It was called 'The Purple Bible on TS' by hundreds of mothers.
I viewed TS as a 'behavioral spectrum disorder' because is was associated with many other problem behaviors including attention deficit disorder, obsessive compulsive disorders, oppositional defiant disorder, and others. This, and my idea that all behavioral disorders were caused by the coming together of many different genes interacting with the environment (polygenic inheritance) initially caused much controversy and led me to write a second book entitled 'The Search for the Tourette Syndrome and Human Behavior Genes.' This is no longer so controversial since virtually everyone in the field now agrees that TS and ADHD are polygenic behavioral spectrum disorders.
My third book, 'The Gene Bomb' was written to try to explain why ADHD and other behavioral disorders including autism, seem to be increasing in frequency. By the time I retired from the City of Hope Medical Center at the end of 2002 I had written over 470 scientific papers. The writing of 'Did Man Create God?' came about after I retired from the City of Hope Medical Center. It was a result of my childhood fascination with evolution, religion, God, and 'the problem of postponement' and my adult fascination with genetics, behavior and the human brain. Many further details about the book and a listing of all my publications can be found at www.didmancreategod.com.
