Education
Wayne State University. University of California, Los Los Angeles
Wayne State University. University of California, Los Los Angeles
Fleiss was a popular and sought-after pediatrician in the Greater Los Angeles area, both among poor and middle-class patients living near his Los Feliz office and among Southern California celebrities. Fleiss was a breastfeeding and anti-circumcision advocate. He recommended but did not insist upon childhood vaccinations, and stated he could be "convinced either way" as to whether Human Immunodeficiency Virus causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
Fleiss initially trained as a pharmacist and osteopath.
He relocated from Detroit to California to take advantage of 1962 legislation allowing an osteopath to convert his degree to an Doctor of Medicine. He earned his Bachelor of Surgery in pharmacy from Wayne State University, his Doctorate.O. from the University of California, Irvine, and his Master of Public Health from University of California, Los Los Angeles
Fleiss was the father of "Hollywood madam" Heidi Fleiss.
In 1995, he pled guilty to charges of conspiracy and bank fraud. He helped Heidi launder hundreds of thousands of dollars by lying on her loan application and falsely claiming that she was an employee of his medical practice.
He was sentenced to one day in prison, three years probation, 625 hours of community service and a $50,000 fine. Following the felony convictions, the Medical Board of California placed him on probation for 1 year and publicly reprimanded him for "unprofessional conduct" and "dishonesty".
The New York Times noted that "the sweeping inaccuracies in "The Good Doctor: The Paul Fleiss Story" evidently didn"t hurt its ratings", and the film was subsequently retitled The Making of a Hollywood Madam, and shown on cable television
Fleiss was known for his unconventional medical views. He was a proponent of the "family bed". While he recommended that his patients receive vaccines, he did not insist upon lieutenant
He was quoted by the Los Angeles Times as stating that he "could be "convinced either way" on whether Human Immunodeficiency Virus causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome".
Fleiss was a breastfeeding advocate and anti-circumcision activist, or intactivist. He was the author or co-author of three books: Sweet Dreams (2001), Your Premature Baby Comes Home with Juliette M. Alsobrooks (2006), and What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Circumcision with Frederick M. Hodges (2003).
Fleiss was described in the Los Angeles Times as "everyone"s favorite baby doctor" and having been "one of Southern California"s most sought-after physicians" for thirty years. In 2005, Fleiss was investigated for his role in the death, from untreated Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, of Eliza Jane Scovill, the daughter of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome denialist Christine Maggiore, who was Human Immunodeficiency Virus-positive.
Against standard medical practice, Scovill was never tested for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, and Fleiss was investigated by the Medical Board of California for gross negligence in her care as well as in the care of a second child who was also Human Immunodeficiency Virus-positive.