“God doesn’t judge you by the results. What matters is the struggle" - Dr. Jack Preger, street doctor

Although history is rich in medical heroes, few are as unsung or unassuming as Dr. Jack Preger. Fewer still have a story as amazing as this British physician, who was born an Orthodox Jew, tipped to be a Rabbi, became an agnostic for 16 years, then converted to Catholicism - which he finally rejected in favour of an eclectic belief in the Paraclete or Holy Spirit.

His biography reads like an adventure story mixed with mysticism. As a farmer in Wales with no interest in medicine, he was "told" to become a doctor when driving a tractor - an unwelcome, seemingly impossible command, but one he could not ignore. This was clearly no hallucination, but a divine directive.

He graduated from The Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland, at the age of 42, and went to help with the hellish refugee situation in Bangladesh, where he exposed a child-trafficking scandal, and was deported. The clinic for mothers and children he had set up there was seized, and the patients thrown out on the street. Some died.

Kipling's "City of Dreadful Night" Calcutta, India came next, where after experiencing Mother Teresa's obsession with prayer instead of practicality, he set about alone, treating the poorest of the poor where they lay - in doorways, drains, and railway platforms. This activity led to the creation of one of the world's most amazing outdoor medical clinics, which operated under tarpaulins for fourteen consecutive years, at the side of a road called Middleton Row. It was supported by volunteers -quite often young travellers who saw what he was doing, and stayed on to help. The local authorities did not view such things so benevolently, and at once stage, threw him in jail. It did not deter him one bit.

Jack is by nature modest and has never sought publicity. With high profile, cleverly marketed international charities benefiting from sustained and generous support, this now works against him. The charity he was finally able to set up - Calcutta Rescue - remains in the global background, yet is one of the highest performing, most cost-effective charitable organisations in the world. There are no highly paid executives, no expensive administration, no marketing budget, only a few dedicated Indian staff, and a bunch of highly motivated foreign volunteers. Every single rupee goes to the running of four free medical clinics, two schools, and numerous other wonderful activities.

His struggle with his own religious beliefs, or lack of them, form a dramatic backdrop to his life. Blended with his extraordinary activities, the result is a story which needed to be told, but up until now, has not emerged.

Jack finally agreed to be interviewed for a book by one of his volunteers which is now on-line at: http://basilicum122.googlepages.com.

The book traces Jack's life and earliest memories, his religious doubts and fears, his spiritual experiences, and his endless struggle. It presents as dialogue set in various locations in this Indian megalopolis, and is punctuated by humour, drama and occasional irreverence.

Readers are invited to visit the site - for inspiration, and ideas how to help him. Jack is now 77, and is still working tirelessly for that huge city's never-ending supply of impoverished and diseased destitutes. He needs your help.