The Celebrity Doctor Whose 'Cures' Duped Famous Figures For Years

From Hollywood to Manhattan, if you needed a certain kind of medical help, you went to Dr. Max Jacobson. He was "a strange man," Chuck Spalding, a New York businessman, said in an interview about him. "Loud, arrogant, kind of a mad scientist type." Jacobson, also known as Dr. Feelgood, was a physician who treated some of the most famous figures from the ‘50s and ‘60s, including President John F. Kennedy. But it wasn't until years later that the disturbing ingredients in Dr. Feelgood's "miracle medicine" were revealed.

Miracle Treatment?

The doctor himself didn’t look reassuring. His coats were covered with blood, his fingernails were filthy, and he brought patients to a cramped, messy waiting room where they sat for hours. Still, Max’s patients thought his medicinal mixtures were made of miracles. 

Magic Injections

Despite his off-kilter ways, his practice flourished. You never knew who would walk through his office door — Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, and Elizabeth Taylor were only a few of his high-powered clientele — and Max would travel the world with his well-known friends. By marketing his secret mixtures as “vitamin shots” and “magic” injections, Max manufactured a pile of wealth.

Gathering a Business

Before infiltrating the world of the elites with "miracle medicine," Max lived in Germany. He fled to America once the Nazis took over in 1936. He was initially interested in treating multiple sclerosis, but his passions quickly switched to manufacturing booster shots. These took hold in the New York theater communities, and soon enough, Hollywood celebrities wanted in.

Take This, Mr. President

One of these interested high-powered people was John F. Kennedy. For most of his life, the president lived in pain from chronic conditions like back pain, infections, and venereal diseases. He also suffered from Addison’s disease, which is a hormonal condition characterized by fatigue, nausea, and dizzy spells.