Herman Tarnower

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 shot to death in 1980 by Jean Harris, who was convicted of his murder after a three-month trial in White Plains in 1981.

Early life

Tarnower was born in Brooklyn, New York to Jewish immigrants Dora and Harry Tarnower. 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. After the war, he founded the Scarsdale Medical Center and was highly regarded among 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 having 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.

Murder

Tarnower began a relationship with Jean Harris in 1966. A lifelong bachelor, he continued to see other women during the course of their relationship, and in 1979 was having an affair with Lynne Tryforos, a woman who worked as a secretary in his office. 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 March 10, 1980, when Harris drove from the Madeira School in McLean, Virginia to Tarnower's home in Purchase, New York with a handgun in her possession. At trial, she stated she had planned to commit suicide after talking in person with Tarnower one last time. When she arrived at the house, however, she noticed Tryforos's 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, mortally wounding him. She was arrested and tried for second 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 in prison. However, she was granted clemency by New York governor Mario Cuomo in 1992 and paroled in 1993.^{[1] [2]}

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..."

In popular culture

• In the film Mrs. Harris (2005), Tarnower was portrayed by Ben Kingsley and Jean Harris by Annette Bening.
• In the Seinfeld episode "The Summer of George", Kramer is mistakenly awarded a Tony for a musical named "Scarsdale Surprise", a show about the murder of Herman Tarnower.

References

1. ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,921003-1,00.html
2. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/24/weekinreview/jan-17-23-former-headmistress-freed-jean-harris-69-frail-paroled-for-1980-murder.html?src=pm

External links

• Herman Tarnower at Find a Grave
• Herman Tarnower at Crime Library

Persondata
Name	Tarnower, Herman
Alternative names
Short description	Cardiologist, author, murder victim
Date of birth	March 18, 1910
Place of birth	Brooklyn, New York
Date of death	March 10, 1980
Place of death	Purchase, New York