Benjamin Spock, MD (May 2, 1903 – March 15, 1998) was an American pediatrician whose book Baby and Child Care, published in 1946, is one of the best-sellers of all time. By 1998 it had sold more than 50 million copies and has been translated into 39 languages. According to The New York Times, Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care was, throughout its first 52 years, the second-best-selling book, next to the Bible. Dr. Spock graduated from Yale University and received his MD from Columbia University. He was the first pediatrician to study psychoanalysis to try to understand children's needs and family dynamics. His ideas about childcare influenced several generations of parents to be more flexible and affectionate with their children, and to treat them as individuals.