CORRECTION

A front-page story Saturday about abuse allegations against pediatrician Dr. Mel Levine incorrectly identified Minnesota psychologist Gary Schoener as a doctor. He is a licensed psychologist who holds an honorary doctorate.

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Jean Boyles' reaction was visceral when she heard last week that Dr. Mel Levine, the pediatrician who treated her son for more than a decade, was accused of fondling patients.

"I thought it was ridiculous," said Boyles, a Raleigh lawyer. "And so did my son."

Levine is a world-famous child development expert credited with revolutionizing his field and propelling thousands of troubled children to success. He has written dozens of well-regarded books and trained teachers and doctors in several states.

Last week, accusations that he improperly touched boys during physical exams became widely known when a Boston lawyer held a news conference, saying he represents five former patients in lawsuits against Levine.

Since then, lawyers say, 40 people, several of them in North Carolina, have come forward to allege being molested by Levine, 68.

Officials at the UNC School of Medicine, which has employed Levine since 1985, say they are investigating a similar complaint, received last weekend.

Now, Levine's legions of fans -- patients, doctors and teachers -- are trying to reconcile the man they revere with the allegations that could destroy his career.

Many parents see Levine as a savior, the first doctor to understand their children's unique struggles. Levine built his career by defying conventional wisdom about learning disabilities, refusing even to use the word disability or to diagnose children with specific disorders. Instead, he has espoused the idea that each child has a different learning style. He is widely described as a genius.

Levine, who lives in Rougemont, declined to comment.

"Dr. Levine has received an outpouring of support over the last couple of weeks," said his Raleigh attorney, Alan Schneider. "For a man who has spent his entire life trying to save troubled families ... these are the worst type of allegations. It's heart wrenching."

Earlier cases dismissed

Behind the scenes, such claims are not new to Levine, who has been a pediatrician since 1966, first in Massachusetts and then in Chapel Hill. Seven former patients, all of whom saw him in Massachusetts, have accused Levine of improper conduct.

In 1988, a patient filed suit in federal court claiming that, upon every visit to Levine, he was asked to strip naked from the waist down and stand on a stool. Levine inspected the boy's genitals so closely that they touched Levine's face, the suit says. The suit was dismissed.

In 1993, a patient who saw Levine for digestive problems filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine, claiming that Levine handled his genitals excessively.

The board dismissed the complaint after Levine laid out a host of medical reasons for genital examinations in such patients.

Since 2005, Boston lawyer Carmen Durso has filed five lawsuits that make similar claims. Durso, well known for representing several men who sued Catholic priests in Boston, said his clients had suppressed their experiences for years before having their memories triggered by events such as going to a pediatrician visit with a son or seeing Levine's books.

'The ray of hope'

They are damaging allegations against a man whose life has been defined by success and acclaim.

A native of New York, Levine graduated from Brown University and was a Rhodes scholar before getting his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1966. He joinedin the Air Force during the Vietnam War and served as a pediatrician at an air base in the Philippines.

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