Herman Tarnower (March 18, 1910 – March 10, 1980) was a cardiologist and the author (with Samm Sinclair Baker) of the bestselling diet book The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet. He was murdered by Jean Harris.
He was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1910 to Dora and Harry Tarnower. Both were Jewish immigrants. He had three sisters, and attended Syracuse University, becoming a medical doctor specializing in cardiology.
Tarnower established a cardiology practice in the Scarsdale and White Plains areas of New York. During World War II he joined the US Military Corps and was promoted to major. When the war was over, he founded the Scarsdale Medical Center and was highly regarded amongst his colleagues and patients. He was a relentless social climber who held elaborate dinner parties and cultivated a circle of wealthy friends and patients.
Friends from the publishing world suggested to Tarnower that he write a book documenting the diet he recommended to his patients. The basic nutritional philosophy of cutting down on carbohydrates, eating plenty of oily fish, lean meat, fruit and vegetables and have a low intake of fats, salt and sweets was quite revolutionary at the time and when The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet was published in 1979, it became an immediate bestseller.
Tarnower had begun a relationship with Jean Harris in 1965. A confirmed bachelor, he continued to see other women during the course of their relationship, and in 1979 was seeing a woman who worked as a secretary in his office, Lynne Tryforos. This was a source of tension that led to the end of the relationship between Harris and Tarnower, and these tensions came to a boiling point on 10 March, 1980, when Harris drove from the Madeira School in McLean, Virginia to Tarnower's home in Purchase, New York. She had a handgun in her possession, with which she stated she planned to commit suicide after talking in person with Tarnower one last time. When she arrived at the house, however, she noticed Tryforos' lingerie in the bedroom. An argument ensued, and Herman Tarnower allegedly said to her, "Jesus, Jean, you're crazy! Get out of here!" Harris shot Tarnower four times at close range, wounding him mortally. She was arrested and tried for 2nd degree murder, claiming at trial that the shooting was an accident and that the gun had gone off accidentally while Tarnower tried to wrestle it away from her. She was convicted and sentenced to 15 years to life. However, she was pardoned and released in 1992.
The acknowledgements page of the 9th printing of the paperback edition of Tarnower's The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet starts with, "We are grateful to Jean Harris for her splendid assistance in the research and writing of this book..." then, two paragraphs later, "We wish, especially, to thank Lynne Tryforos..."
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