OLD ITALIAN NEIGHBORHOOD VALUES
A Novel by Stephen L. DeFelice, M.D.
About The Author:
Stephen L. DeFelice, M.D. is the founder and chairman
of FIM, The Foundation for Innovation in Medicine, a nonprofit
educational organization whose mission is to help speed
up medical discovery in order to reduce unnecessary suffering
and premature death. He believes that the potential weapons
of modern technology can dramatically reduce or eliminate
many diseases. He is an author of a number of books on medicine
and health, and this is his first novel.
His interest in medical discovery began in 1965 when he
conducted the first United States clinical study with carnitine,
a naturally occurring substance, which is now approved by
FDA and has saved the lives or reduced the suffering of
children with rare diseases.
As a young medical researcher, Dr. DeFelice was heavily
involved in directing clinical studies on psychotropic drugs
for anxiety, depression and a variety of major psychotic
conditions such as schizophrenia and manic depression. Regarding
the latter, he was involved in the development of lithium.
At that time we were in the so-called Age of Anxiety and
beginning to enter the Age of Depression. With the technologic
revolution came personal and familial instability, and the
use of psychotropic drugs increased dramatically to help
people cope. Parallel to this came an explosion of conditions
such as divorce, hyperkinetic children, bulimia, anorexia
nervosa and numerous types of phobias. Support groups suddenly
appeared for almost any type of situation ranging from divorce
to the loss of a pet. This all led to family and personal
turbulence resulting in the most rapid change of a society's
values in the history of mankind - and it continues!
Dr. DeFelice was reared in an old Italian neighborhood
where stability and strong family bonds were common. There
were no restaurants in the neighborhood and families ate
at home every night. There were five cars on a city block
of about fifty row homes. Women did not smoke, drink or
drive cars and most of the men went to bed very early exhausted
from days of hard labor. But there was much love and consideration
for others. Italian immigrant parents, enthralled by the
opportunities in America, worked hard and saved money to
send their children to college - and a number of them made
it. Few, if any, took medications for mental problems. Drugs
were nowhere to be seen and alcoholics a rarity. These were
verboten and closely monitored by family and neighbors.
Dr. DeFelice is fully aware that we cannot return to the
lifestyle and values of the old Italian neighborhood but
believes there is much to be learned from this tradition
that can be helpful to many of the readers in these trying
times. For example, respect for others was on the top of
the list of values but, according to Dr. DeFelice, seems
to be disappearing at a rapid rate playing a significant
role in the unhappiness in our country.
In “Old Italian Neighborhood Values,” Dr. DeFelice
draws from his personal experiences to give readers a revealing
look at how traditional values are changing in modern America.
To him, coping with life is as important as conquering
disease, and he hopes that this book will help you in some
way.
Hear Dr. DeFelice from his
new video.
