William Tyler Jarvis, courtesy of Emmerson Bartlett Memorial Chapel
William Tyler Jarvis, Ph.D, a longtime adviser to the American Council on Science and Health, a retired professor of public health and a determined defender of sound science, passed away at the age of 80 on March 1.
Dr. Jarvis co-founded, among other groups, the National Council against Health Fraud in 1977, and served as its president until he retired in 2000. During this period, he helped NCAHF become a model to other groups that assisted in exposing fraud and bad actors in the healthcare community.
Dr. Jarvis "recommended labeling and attacking quackery as a public health problem. He wrote extensively and spouted unique insights into the quack marketplace," according to NCAHF. "For example, in response to sales pitches for 'natural' methods, he would note that death and disease are also natural."
Dr. Jarvis loved many things and had many careers, but teaching was his first love. A retired Professor of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Loma Linda University in the Schools of Dentistry and Medicine, Dr. Jarvis taught what we at ACSH preach: Science, not Hype.
Born in Takoma Park, MD on October, 19, 1935, Dr. Jarvis received his Ph.D from the University of Oregon after graduating from the University of Minnesota, Duluth and Kent State University.
Generous with his knowledge, Dr. Jarvis also taught using the written word. Among his books, Dr. Jarvis authored Quackery and You, and coauthored The Health Robbers as well as the textbook Consumer Health: A Guide to Intelligent Decisions. He also wrote countless articles on the topic of consumer health fraud.
Survived by Ada, his wife of 53 years; his two sons Will and Matt; his sister Janet Hanf; and five nephews, Dr. Jarvis will never be forgotten here at the Council.