October 7, 2009
Evidence Offered with Respect to
Historical Events Concerning Consensus and Dissent on the HIV-AIDS Hypothesis
Darin
Brown Ph.D.
Introduction
For
many people, doubt of the HIV-AIDS hypothesis is associated with one
individual, a German-American biochemist, Peter Duesberg, a professor of
molecular and cell biology at the University of California, Berkeley. However,
Duesberg is not alone in his dissent from AIDS orthodoxy. Many prominent and
distinguished scientists and academics either agree with his position on HIV or
support dissent from the HIV-AIDS hypothesis in some fashion. Several of these
have either conducted research on retroviruses (the class of viruses to which
HIV belongs), treated AIDS patients, helped developed HIV antibody tests,
worked on drugs in the same class as those used to treat HIV, or made
fundamental contributions to the theoretical scientific grounding upon which
the hypothesis rests. (See Appendices A and B below.) Nevertheless, the
mainstream media and AIDS propagandists continue to spread the false claim that
only a “tiny minority” or “handful” of “fringe” scientists disagree with the
HIV consensus. This document will present a brief synopsis of historical
events concerning consensus and dissent on the HIV-AIDS hypothesis, exposing
this claim as wholly unsubstantiated by fact. It will also show that dissent
from the hypothesis is a very real and growing global phenomenon.
Duesberg’s dissent
Peter
Duesberg is a molecular and cell biologist. He received a PhD in chemistry
from the University of Frankfurt in Germany in 1963. He is currently professor
of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of California, Berkeley.
In 1986, he was awarded the seven-year Outstanding Investigator Grant from the
National Institutes of Health. Also in 1986, he was elected to the National
Academy of Sciences.
In
1970, Duesberg completed work showing that the influenza virus has a segmented
genome. He isolated the first cancer gene in 1970 and mapped the genetic
structure of retroviruses, (the class of viruses to which HIV belongs).
In
1987, Duesberg published the first major scientific paper questioning HIV in
the journal Cancer Research; its title was "Retroviruses as
Carcinogens and Pathogens: Expectations and Reality" (Duesberg, 1987). The
primary focus of the paper was the virus-cancer research program, but near the
end of the paper, Duesberg took on the HIV-AIDS hypothesis, by pointing out the
low annual incidence of AIDS, the inconsistency of a long clinical
"latency" period with the short period of virus replication, the low
levels of active virus, the fact that retroviruses do not kill cells, and the
lack of an animal model. The paper caused an immediate furor. It was
published at just about the same time that the CDC had officially classified
reactivity on ELISA and Western blot tests as synonymous with "HIV
infection" (Richards, 2007) and AZT was being promoted as a treatment. A
major publication, Confronting AIDS, had been published in 1986, and
this book set out an agenda for the public health sector in dealing with the
new epidemic (Institute of Medicine, 1986). Many accused Duesberg of
jeopardising public health by raising questions.
During
the same year, survey researcher and freelance journalist John Lauritsen
interviewed Duesberg, and his interview was published in the New York Native
(Lauritsen, 1987a). Duesberg then followed up with sequels in the journals
Science and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
(Duesberg, 1988; Duesberg, 1989; Duesberg, 1991). In 1992, Duesberg published
a 77-page paper in Pharmacology and Therapeutics promoting his own
alternative causation theory of AIDS – the "drug-AIDS hypothesis". He
claimed that the majority of AIDS cases in North America and Western Europe
were the result of recreational and pharmaceutical drug abuse Duesberg, 1992).
In
1996, Duesberg published his manifesto in a new book, Inventing the AIDS
Virus, in which he put forward his arguments and positions to the general
reader (Duesberg, 1996b).
Other dissent
Around
this time, others were also challenging the hypothesis, although from different
perspectives.
In
1984, the psychiatrist Casper Schmidt wrote an article in the Journal of
Psychohistory entitled "The Group-Fantasy Origins of AIDS"
explicitly challenging the hypothesis (Schmidt, 1984). Eleni
Papadopulos-Eleopulos, a medical physicist based at the Royal Perth Hospital in
Australia, and her group of researchers have published since 1988 that HIV has
never been correctly isolated (purified) as a distinct exogenous entity
(Papadopulos-Eleopulos, 1988). In contrast, Duesberg concludes that HIV does
exist, but as a harmless passenger virus, as opposed to the causative agent in
AIDS (Duesberg, 1997). Robert Root-Bernstein, an associate professor of
physiology at Michigan State University and former MacArthur prize recipient,
professed his own doubts about the HIV hypothesis in his 1993 book Rethinking
AIDS: The Tragic Cost of Premature Consensus. Root-Bernstein does not rule
out a role for HIV in AIDS, but he claims it may be neither necessary nor
sufficient for AIDS (Root-Bernstein, 1993).
In
1995, a collection of articles was published by dissenters in the journal Genetica
(Genetica, 1995). Three were written by Duesberg, two by the Perth
group of researchers, and two by Root-Bernstein. They formed the basis of the
book AIDS: Virus or Drug Induced?, published the following year
(Duesberg, 1996a). In addition to the papers cited above, it included articles
and papers by mathematician Mark Craddock, NIDA researcher Harry Haverkos,
Lauritsen, Nobel prize winner Kary Mullis, Yale math professor Serge Lang,
public health professor Gordon Stewart, and journalist Celia Farber.
Journalists (print) cover the controversy
John
Lauritsen, a former survey researcher and freelance journalist, also began
publishing articles as early as 1985 in the now defunct weekly, the New York
Native, that were critical of the HIV theory and the direction of research
predicated upon it (Lauritsen, 1993). In 1990, Lauritsen published Poison
by Prescription: The AZT Story, a book that was highly critical of the
studies demonstrating the efficacy and safety of AZT in the treatment of AIDS
(Lauritsen, 1990).
In
1993, Lauritsen published his manifesto, The AIDS War, a collection of
his writings on AIDS from 1985 to 1992 (Lauritsen, 1993). Celia Farber began
chronicling the controversy over the hypothesis in 1987, most notably in a
series entitled “Words From the Front” in SPIN magazine. Between 1992
and 1994, Neville Hodgkinson and the Sunday Times published a series of
articles on the dissidents, which attracted much media attention itself
(Hodgkinson, 1993).
The
same year, the journal Science undertook a 3-month investigation led by the
journalist Jon Cohen, in which it interviewed more than 50 supporters and
detractors, examined the AIDS literature, including Duesberg's publications,
and carried out correspondence and discussion with Duesberg (Cohen, 1994). It
claimed to refute Duesberg point by point. This was the most significant
acknowledgement to date by a major science journal of the existence of dissent
on AIDS.
“The Group” is formed
In
1991, several scientists, researchers, and doctors under the name "The
Group for the Scientific Reappraisal of the HIV/AIDS Hypothesis" (aka
"the Group") submitted a short letter to various scientific journals.
(Many of these original signatories are described in Appendices A and B
below.) It read:
"It
is widely believed by the general public that a retrovirus called HIV causes
the group of diseases called AIDS. Many biochemical scientists now question
this hypothesis. We propose that a thorough reappraisal of the existing
evidence for and against this hypothesis be conducted by a suitable independent
group. We further propose that critical epidemiological studies be devised and
undertaken."
All
the journals refused to publish it.
In 1995, the Group was finally able to get another letter accepted and
published by the editor of Science:
"In
1991, we, the Group for the Scientific Reappraisal of the HIV/AIDS Hypothesis,
became dissatisfied with the state of the evidence that the human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) did, in fact, cause AIDS."
"Specifically,
we have proposed that researchers independent of the HIV establishment should
audit the Centers for Disease Control's records of AIDS cases, bearing in mind
that the correlation of HIV with AIDS, upon which the case for HIV causation
rests, is itself an artefact of the definition of AIDS. Since 1985, exactly the
same diseases or conditions have been defined as 'AIDS' when antibodies are
present, and as 'non-AIDS' when HIV and antibodies are absent. Independent
professional groups such as the Society of Actuaries should be invited to
nominate members for an independent commission to investigate the following
question: How frequently do AIDS-defining diseases (or low T cell counts) occur
in the absence of HIV? Until we have a definition of AIDS that is independent
of HIV, the supposed correlation of HIV and AIDS is mere tautology."
"Other
independent researchers should examine the validity of the so-called 'AIDS
tests', especially when these tests are used in Africa and Southern Asia, to
see if they reliably record the presence of antibodies, let alone live and
replicating virus.”
“The
bottom line is this: the skeptics are eager to see the results of independent
scientific testing. Those who uphold the HIV 'party line' have so far refused.
We object." (Group, 1995)
The
Group began a periodic newsletter in 1992 (Group, 1992). Since that time, the
number of individuals who have either signed the original letter submitted to
the journals in 1991, or who have expressed doubt about the hypothesis has
swelled to over 2,600. A significant proportion of these hold either medical
or post-graduate academic degrees. A list of these individuals is available at
the following URL: http://aras.ab.ca/rethinkers.php,
accessed 6 October 2009.
Presidential AIDS Advisory Panel
Dissidents
attracted their first real endorsement from a major political figure in 2000 – Thabo
Mbeki, president of South Africa (Bialy, 2004). Mbeki has openly questioned
the HIV theory, and in the summer of 2000, he convened a South African Presidential
AIDS Advisory Panel to deliberate on issues pertaining to HIV and AIDS in South
Africa (PAAPR, 2001). He invited dissenting scientists such as Duesberg and
biochemist David Rasnick to join the Panel. (Other dissenting scientists
invited to the Panel are listed in Appendices A and B below.)
Recommendations
in general and in particular diverged between those who supported the HIV-AIDS
hypothesis and those who dissented from it. Ten experiments were proposed by
various panelists. One important conclusion reached by the Panel concerned the
unreliability of data on HIV and AIDS in South Africa: “The deliberations of
the panel were at all times bedevilled by the absence of accurate and reliable
data and statistics on the magnitude of the AIDS problem or even HIV prevalence
in South Africa. Repeated requests for such data and statistics, particularly
by panellists who refuted [sic] the causal link between HIV and AIDS,
failed to result in the provision of such data by either South African
panellists or the officials of the Department of Health.” (PAAPR, 2001)
Mbeki
suffered considerable political fallout over these actions, although he was
re-elected by a wide margin of victory, despite his dissenting views (BBC,
2004a). Indeed, when presented with both viewpoints, a majority of South
Africans conclude that anti-retrovirals are not the most effective treatment
for "HIV/AIDS" (SABC 2, 2005).
Official responses: The “Durban
Declaration” and NIAID “Evidence That HIV Causes AIDS”
The
AIDS orthodoxy’s response to Mbeki’s assembling of his Presidential Panel was
not reasoned debate or dialogue, but the so-called “Durban Declaration”, which
was published in the journal Nature on 6 July 2000. It was conceived
and implemented by Simon Wain-Hobson, a prominent HIV gene sequencer. It was
signed by over 5,000 physicians and scientists. (Each signatory was required
to have a PhD or MD-equivalent degree.)
The
claim has been made that the Declaration was signed primarily by HIV-AIDS
researchers, or at least scientists who were remotely familiar with the most
important aspects of the debate over HIV causation. However, this is far from
the case. The following is an e-mail sent by Simon Wain-Hobson on behalf of
the “organizing committee”:
“Thu,
22 Jun 2000 04:22:28-0700 (PDT)
Dear
—,
You
have probably heard about the reappearance of an old myth surrounding the cause
of AIDS. Peter Duesberg is back in the columns of Nature and Science. His
thesis is that HIV doesn’t cause AIDS, that there is no need to screen blood,
or treat patients. The situation has taken a serious turn in that President
Mbeki of South Africa is consulting him. The consequences are being felt
in Africa and Asia. An international group of scientists and doctors has come
up with something called the Durban Declaration to be published in Nature on
July 6. ... If you would like to sign on we would be delighted. Send me an
e-mail confirming this. ... Many of you will say that HIV/AIDS is not your
area. However over the years you have heard enough of the arguments to
understand the association. Furthermore many of you know well infectious
diseases and understand Koch’s postulates. If you have colleagues in the
laboratory or in the clinic who you feel would like to sign on please ask them.
The more the better. ...
Many
thanks,
Simon
Wain-Hobson” [emphasis added] (Bialy, 2004)
This
e-mail clearly conveys the fact that signatories were enlisted without
consideration of their particular knowledge of HIV or AIDS, and without
consideration of how much time and effort they had expended to research all
viewpoints in the debate, or even whether they were remotely familiar with the
basic arguments and positions of Duesberg and other dissidents. It also
demonstrates that the Declaration was specifically made in response to a
perceived threat posed by the Presidential AIDS Advisory Panel convened by
Mbeki. It follows that the Declaration was more a piece of political
propaganda than a legitimate part of scientific discourse.
The
document most often cited as proof of the HIV-AIDS hypothesis is a document,
“The Evidence That HIV Causes AIDS”, produced by the National Institutes of
Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) (NIAID, 2009). This document however,
fails to respect accepted standards of scientific discourse: It is anonymously
authored; it does not include a comprehensive list of citations; it does not
include author contact information; it can be retroactively modified at any
time without public record of such modifications; it has not been peer-reviewed;
and it has no journal of record to which rebuttals may be submitted. Thus, it
is totally illegitimate in terms of acceptable scientific discourse and should
not be considered as scientific evidence.
HIV on Trial
In
early 2004, investigative journalist Liam Scheff broke the story of the
Incarnation Children's Center in New York City (Scheff, 2004a). The story
detailed how children – primarily black, Hispanic, and poor – were being
force-fed toxic antiretroviral drugs through "NG-tubes" [nose tubes]
and "G-tubes" [stomach tubes]. The story was picked up by the New
York Post and the New York Press (Scheff, 2004b), ultimately leading
to a BBC documentary, "Guinea Pig Kids" (BBC, 2004b).
In
March 2006, Harper's published a 16-page article by Celia Farber
entitled, "Out of Control: AIDS and the Corruption of Medical
Science" (Farber, 2006b). This article initiated a series of events which
has put HIV protagonists on the defensive ever since. The article was
originally commissioned to cover Duesberg's cancer research specifically, but
Farber and Harper's editor Roger Hodge decided to shift the emphasis of
the story to Jonathan Fishbein and the HIVNET 012 Uganda trial of nevirapine. The
article attracted an enormous amount of media exposure, including coverage of
the article by the New York Times (Miller, 2006) and by National Public
Radio (Gladstone, 2006).
In
October 2006, Andre Chad Parenzee appealed his conviction in Australia of
having unprotected sex with three women despite being told he was diagnosed
"HIV positive" (YBYL, 2006). Eleni Papadopulos-Eleopulos and
Valendar Turner were witnesses for the defense. This appeal represents the
first time that HIV protagonists have been forced to defend the HIV hypothesis
in court (YBYL, 2007). The appeal was denied, and the Perth researchers
have responded to the ruling at their website (Perth, 2007).
Breaking the wall of silence
As
dissenting scientists continued their questioning, patient/activist organizations
began to develop. Health Education AIDS Liaison (HEAL) was founded in New York
City in 1982, and it eventually became the most prominent dissident activist
organization (HEAL, 2009). Other groups have come into being since then,
including Alive and Well (Alive and Well, 2009). These groups have openly
challenged the HIV theory.
In
2004, molecular biologist Harvey Bialy published Oncogenes, Aneuploidy, and
AIDS, a book about the life and work of Duesberg (Bialy, 2004). In 2006,
Celia Farber authored Serious Adverse Events, a history of the AIDS phenomenon
from a dissenting perspective (Farber, 2006a). In 2007, mathematician Rebecca
Culshaw penned Science Sold Out, detailing her disillusionment after ten
years of HIV research (Culshaw, 2007), and chemistry professor Henry Bauer
produced The Origin, Persistence, and Failings of HIV/AIDS Theory after
intense scrutiny of HIV antibody test demographics (Bauer, 2007). In 2008, the
English translation of Etienne de Harven’s book Ten Lies About AIDS
appeared (de Harven, 2008).
In
early 2006, the Group founded a new website (RA, 2009), and also by that time,
a network of dozens of websites, blogs, and information resources among
dissidents had developed. A list of these websites can be found at the
following URL: http://www.reviewingaids.com/awiki/index.php/List_of_dissident_websites,
accessed 6 October 2009. The servers of many of these websites are located
outside the United States, and several are written in languages other than
English.
In
2009, a major documentary film covering the controversy surrounding dissent
from the HIV-AIDS hypothesis appeared. The film presents the uncensored
viewpoints of virtually all the major players in the controversy in their own words.
It has already won several film festival awards (Leung, 2009). In November
2009, the film will be screened at the Rethinking AIDS Conference 2009, which “will
consist of talks that question the widely held dogma that HIV causes AIDS,
including whether HIV exists, whether it is sexually transmitted, whether HIV
tests are accurate and whether AIDS drugs are safe and effective”. (RA
Conference, 2009)
Appendix
A: List of scientists and academics who either supported Peter Duesberg’s
position on HIV or supported dissent from the HIV-AIDS hypothesis between 1987
and 1991
(This list is not comprehensive.)
Harvey Bialy is a molecular biologist. He received a PhD in
molecular biology from the University of California at Berkeley in 1970. He
was the editor of Bio/technology (now Nature Biotechnology, the
leading biotechnology journal in the world) from 1983-1996. He has coauthored
significant papers in molecular genetics and authored editorials and
commentaries on contemporary issues in biotechnology.
Bialy
was the co-recipient of a grant from the Charles Merrill Trust to study
antibiotic resistant pathogens in Nigeria in 1978. He received a World Health
Organization (WHO) grant to study the epidemiology and genetics of antibiotic
resistant enteric pathogens, also in Nigeria, in 1982. He worked as a visiting
researcher or research fellow at several universities in the United States and
Africa throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He was advisor to the Center for
Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering in Havana, Cuba from 1986-1996.
Bialy
was an original signatory to the Group for the Scientific Reappraisal of the
HIV-AIDS Hypothesis*, and was a member of the South African Presidential AIDS
Advisory Panel convened by Thabo Mbeki in 2000**. Bialy chronicled Duesberg’s
HIV dissent in his book, Oncogenes, Aneuploidy, and AIDS: A Scientific Life
and Times of Peter H. Duesberg, in 2004 (Bialy, 2004).
In
1992, Bialy stated, “A powerful hypothesis has to explain and predict. What
kind of scientist continues to support a hypothesis [the HIV-AIDS hypothesis] that
fails to explain and fails to predict?” (Farber, 1992) In 1995, Bialy stated,
“AIDS ‘science’ has one clear thinker. His name is Peter Duesberg.” (Duesberg,
1995)
Frank Buianouckas, PhD, is emeritus professor of mathematics at
CUNY, Bronx Community College. In 1995, he stated, “I am suspect about
everything involved in this AIDS epidemic, because if HIV causes anything, it
certainly causes fund-raisers. It sells stocks. It supports dances. It sells
condoms. And it keeps the AIDS establishment going.” (Penthouse, 1995)
Buianouckas was an original signatory to the Group for the Scientific
Reappraisal of the HIV-AIDS Hypothesis*.
Hiram Caton, PhD, was professor of politics and history at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia, where he once served as head of the School of Applied Ethics. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Biology and a
founding member of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences.
Caton
is author of the 1994 pamphlet The AIDS Mirage, which argues against the
HIV-AIDS hypothesis (Caton, 1994). In 1995, he wrote, “Peter Duesberg sent a
bucket of papers that I closely studied. In a letter of December 8, 1992, I
wrote him of a view I formed four years previous: ‘Your initial article on the
HIV model seemed to me one of the finest scientific criticisms I have read ... ever.
The 1991 article in Proceedings [(Duesberg, 1991)] and the use of drugs
article [(Duesberg, 1992)] are of the same quality.’” (Caton, 1995)
Gordon Edlin, PhD, is adjunct professor in the Department of
Anatomy, Biochemistry, and Physiology at the John A. Burns School of Medicine
at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. His research areas include the regulation
of viruses and bacteria, molecular mechanisms of disease, and molecular
evolution. Edlin was an original signatory to the Group for the Scientific
Reappraisal of the HIV-AIDS Hypothesis*.
Bernard Forscher, PhD, was editor of the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences, one of the leading scientific journals in the
world. In 1994, he stated, “It [the HIV-AIDS hypothesis] is a hoax that became
a scam.” (Hodgkinson, 1994) Forscher was an original signatory to the Group
for the Scientific Reappraisal of the HIV-AIDS Hypothesis*.
Walter Gilbert is a physicist, biochemist, and pioneer in
molecular biology. He received a PhD in mathematics from Cambridge University
in 1957. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1980 for his work with
Frederick Sanger “for their contributions concerning the determination of base
sequences in nucleic acids” (Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, 1980).
In
the 1970s, Gilbert developed the technique of using gel electrophoresis to read
the nucleotide sequences of DNA segments. He is a co-founder of the biotech companies
Biogen and Myriad Genetics. He helped to found Paratek Pharmaceuticals, a
company invested in combatting bacterial resistance, and Memory Pharmaceuticals,
which was geared toward developing cures for central nervous system disorders.
He has served in an advisory capacity for several other biotechnology companies
(Britannica, 2009).
In
1988, Gilbert stated, “Duesberg is absolutely correct in saying that no one has
proven that AIDS is caused by the AIDS virus. And he is absolutely correct
that the virus cultured in the laboratory may not be the cause of AIDS.”
(Hippocrates, 1988) In 1993, he stated, “I would not be surprised if there
were another cause of AIDS and even that HIV is not involved.” (Liversidge,
1993)
Beverly Griffin is a British virologist and emeritus professor and
Senior Research Fellow in the Division of Medicine at Imperial College London.
She is also honorary professor at the Department of Genetics and Microbiology
at Charles University in Prague. She has published extensive research on the
Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV). Griffin was an original signatory to the Group for
the Scientific Reappraisal of the HIV-AIDS Hypothesis*.
Sungchul Ji, PhD, is associate professor in the Department of
Pharmacology and Toxicology at Rutgers University. For more than three
decades, he has published extensively on theoretical cell biology. Ji was an
original signatory to the Group for the Scientific Reappraisal of the HIV-AIDS
Hypothesis*.
Phillip Johnson is emeritus professor of law at the University of
California at Berkeley. In 1994, he stated, “Duesberg had asked me to give a
critical reading to an early draft of the paper [(Duesberg, 1992)], and I was
sufficiently interested to go through it line by line and source by source. By
accident I had an unusual additional role … I became by default the go-between
for the author and editor. … Through this process I became intimately familiar
with the jots and tittles of the HIV/AIDS controversy, and I became convinced
that Duesberg was practicing honest science and the HIV establishment was not.”
(Johnson, 1994) Johnson was an original signatory to the Group for the
Scientific Reappraisal of the HIV-AIDS Hypothesis*.
Steven Jonas, MD, is professor of preventive medicine at Stony
Brook University Medical Center in New York. He is a Fellow of the New York
Academy of Sciences, the American College of Preventive Medicine, the American
Public Health Association, and the New York Academy of Medicine. He is a Past
President of the Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine, and a past
member of the New York State Board for Medicine. He is Editor-in-Chief of the American
Medical Athletic Association Journal. On health policy, preventive
medicine and public health, and drug abuse policy, Jonas has published over 135
professional articles, book chapters, and book reviews, and has delivered over
100 papers at conferences and seminars.
In
1994, he stated that evidence was “rapidly accumulating” that the original
HIV-AIDS hypothesis was not correct, and that “by itself it [HIV] is not
sufficient to cause the disease” (Hodgkinson, 1994). Jonas was an original
signatory to the Group for the Scientific Reappraisal of the HIV-AIDS
Hypothesis*.
John Lauritsen graduated from Harvard University in 1963 and
worked for more than 20 years in professional survey research as a market
research executive and analyst.
Between
1987 and 1991, Lauritsen authored no less than 25 articles and essays
questioning the HIV-AIDS hypothesis and drug therapies predicated upon it. During
this time, he drew upon his expertise in survey research and wrote extensively
on the epidemiology of HIV and AIDS as presented by the CDC, and on the
original clinical trials which led to the approval of AZT by the FDA in 1987
(Lauritsen, 1985; Lauritsen, 1987b; Lauritsen, 1988; Lauritsen, 1989). After
reading Duesberg’s critique of the HIV-AIDS hypothesis in Cancer Research
in 1987 (Duesberg, 1987), he became the first journalist to interview Duesberg
in 1987 (Lauritsen, 1987a).
Lauritsen
was an original signatory to the Group for the Scientific Reappraisal of the
HIV-AIDS Hypothesis*. In 1992, he stated, “The great merit of his [Duesberg’s]
critique of the HIV-‘AIDS’ hypothesis is its comprehensiveness. Though Duesberg
speaks with great authority in his own specialty, molecular biology, he is also
an excellent generalist, and has drawn some of his most powerful arguments from
such fields as epidemiology, toxicology, philosophy, and history.” (Lauritsen,
1992)
Robert Maver is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and served
as former head actuary for Mutual Beneficial Life. In 1994, he stated, “…the
first paper that I read was Peter Duesberg's in Cancer Research, … There
were so many points that made sense in terms of keeping an open mind toward questioning
whether HIV is in fact the cause of AIDS.” (Rethinking, 1994) Maver was
an original signatory to the Group for the Scientific Reappraisal of the
HIV-AIDS Hypothesis*.
Kary Mullis is a biochemist. He received a PhD in
biochemistry from the University of California at Berkeley in 1972.
Mullis
shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1993 “for his invention of the polymerase
chain reaction (PCR) method” (Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, 1993). PCR is
a central technique used in biochemistry and molecular biology, and it is also
the basis of the so-called “viral load” tests for HIV, which purport to
quantify the number of HIV virions (virus particles) present in a patient.
Mullis himself is skeptical of the use of PCR in AIDS research. In 1992, he
stated, “PCR made it easier to see that certain people are infected with HIV
... and some of those people came down with symptoms of AIDS. But that doesn't
begin even to answer the question, ‘Does HIV cause it?’” (Farber, 1994)
Mullis
was an original signatory to the Group for the Scientific Reappraisal of the
HIV-AIDS Hypothesis*, and he was invited to be a member of the South African
Presidential AIDS Advisory Panel convened by Thabo Mbeki in 2000, but could not
attend**. Mullis wrote the foreword to Duesberg’s 1996 book Inventing the
AIDS Virus, in which he stated, “We [Mullis and Duesberg] have not been
able to discover any good reasons why most of the people on earth believe that
AIDS is a disease caused by a virus called HIV. There is simply no scientific
evidence demonstrating that this is true.” (Duesberg, 1996b) In 1998, he
stated, “Years from now, people will find our acceptance of the HIV theory of
AIDS as silly as we find those who excommunicated Galileo.” (Mullis, 1998)
Eleni Papadopulos-Eleopulos is a biophysicist who has worked as a medical
technician at the Royal Perth Hospital, a teaching hospital in western Australia. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in nuclear physics from the
University of Bucharest.
Papadopulos-Eleopulos
was an original signatory to the Group for the Scientific Reappraisal of the
HIV-AIDS Hypothesis*, and was a member of the South African Presidential AIDS
Advisory Panel convened by Thabo Mbeki in 2000**. She authored a 1988 paper
which stated, “There is no compelling reason for preferring the viral
hypothesis of AIDS to one based on the activity of oxidising agents.”
(Papadopulos-Eleopulos, 1988) In 1993, she co-authored papers explicitly
challenging the HIV-AIDS hypothesis, in particular the isolation (purification)
of HIV itself and the alleged specificity of the Western Blot antibody test
(Papadopulos-Eleopulos et al., 1993a, Papadopulos-Eleopulos et al.,
1993b).
Robert Root-Bernstein is professor of physiology at Michigan State
University. He received an AB in biochemistry from Princeton University in
1975 and a PhD in the History of Science from Princeton University in 1980.
He was a MacArthur Fellow from 1981-1986.
His research interests include molecular complementarity, autoimmunity, and the
nature of scientific creativity. Root-Bernstein was an original signatory to
the Group for the Scientific Reappraisal of the HIV-AIDS Hypothesis*, and he
was invited to be a member of the South African Presidential AIDS Advisory
Panel convened by Thabo Mbeki in 2000, but could not attend**.
In
1990, he wrote, “Existing data do not, as yet, allow us to establish HIV as the
unequivocal cause of immunosuppression in AIDS.” (Root-Bernstein, 1990) In
1993, Root-Bernstein authored Rethinking AIDS: The Tragic Cost of Premature
Consensus, in which he postulated that HIV may be neither necessary nor
sufficient for AIDS (Root-Bernstein, 1993).
Harry Rubin, DVM, is professor emeritus of cell and
developmental biology at the University of California at Berkeley. He is a
pioneer in the field of retrovirology, (the study of retroviruses, the class of
viruses to which HIV belongs). He has done experimental research on the role
of the cellular microenvironment in the regulation of tumor development, and
his present work is concerned with the fundamental biological principle of
ordered heterogeneity.
In
1958, Rubin showed with Howard Temin that the retrovirus Rous Sarcoma Virus
(RSV) was oncogenic (i.e. could induce malignant transformation leading to the
formation of a tumor), and they developed the first in vitro
quantitative assay for RSV. This was the first of several cell culture assays
which led to fundamental research on the nature of retroviruses and reverse
transcription (the process by which HIV synthesizes DNA from its RNA genome)
(Temin, 1975).
Rubin
was an original signatory to the Group for the Scientific Reappraisal of the
HIV-AIDS Hypothesis*. In 1994, Rubin stated, “It is not proven that AIDS is
caused by HIV infection, nor is it proven that it plays no role whatever in the
syndrome.” (Hodgkinson, 1994)
Caspar Schmidt, MD, was a psychiatrist. Born in South Africa, he
moved to the US in 1975, where he received training in adolescent, child, and
infant psychology. He worked in psychoanalytic practice in New York City for
many years.
In
the summer of 1984, he published an essay explicitly questioning the viral
causation theory of AIDS (Schmidt, 1984). In a 1992 interview, he stated, “I
was never impressed with HIV as the cause of the syndrome, for various reasons.
... HIV, a relatively weak virus, belongs to the family of retroviruses.
Characteristically, the retroviruses do not kill cells, they cause them to
proliferate. So from the word go, when people said this weak virus kills the
T-cells, it didn't make sense to me. All the evidence was against it.” (Young,
1997)
Joseph Sonnabend, MD, treated many early AIDS patients in New York. He was one of the first doctors to question the HIV-AIDS hypothesis and promote
the concept of safe sex. Sonnabend founded the journal AIDS Research
(later re-named AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses after Sonnabend’s
departure) and collaborated with Mathilde Krim to found AIDS Medical Foundation
(later renamed American Foundation for AIDS Research, or amfAR). He was a member
of the South African Presidential AIDS Advisory Panel convened by Thabo Mbeki
in 2000**.
In
1989, Sonnabend wrote, “Despite the widespread acceptance of the etiologic
roles of the HIV’s in AIDS, these must remain conjectural as long as two
questions (at least) remain open. One concerns pathogenesis and the other the
association of the HIV’s with AIDS. ... The premature acceptance as fact of a
contention that more properly belongs in the realm of speculation has had a
number of far reaching consequences, let alone the painful fact that it has
provided virtually no help to people with AIDS, despite a massive investment
and six years of intensive work on the biology of the HIVs and the chemotherapy
of infection with these viruses. … The cause or causes of AIDS remains unknown,
and thus all hypotheses, including HIV, must be pursued.” (Sonnabend, 1989)
Gordon Stewart, MD, is emeritus professor of public health at the
University of Glasgow, UK, and an honorary consultant physician in epidemiology
and preventive medicine in the NHS and allied agencies, UK. In a professional
career of over 50 years in the UK and elsewhere, he has specialized in the
control of infections, with increasing emphasis upon the importance of behavioral,
social and environmental conditions as prime factors in disease control.
Stewart
was formerly a professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and at
Tulane University in New Orleans, and a visiting professor at medical colleges
in India, Pakistan, Senegal, and Cornell Medical School in the New York
Hospital. He has served as a medical consultant to several health authorities
in North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, including the World Health
Organization and UNICEF. He is an emeritus Fellow of the Infectious Diseases
Society of America and a former member of the Editorial Board of the Journal
of Infectious Diseases.
Stewart
was an original signatory to the Group for the Scientific Reappraisal of the
HIV-AIDS Hypothesis*, and was a member of the South African Presidential AIDS
Advisory Panel convened by Thabo Mbeki in 2000**. In 1992, he stated, “The
hypothesis that HIV is the sole cause of AIDS simply does not fit the clinical
and epidemiological facts.” (Stewart, 1992)
Richard Strohman was emeritus professor of molecular and cell
biology at the University of California at Berkeley. He received a PhD in
biology from Columbia University in 1958.
Strohman
studied cell and tissue growth regulation and cellular differentiation using
molecular and cell approaches. He was Chair of the Zoology Department at UC
Berkeley from 1973-1976, and director of Berkeley's Health and Medical Sciences
Program from 1976-1979. He was also former research director of the American
Muscular Dystrophy Association. He was an outspoken critic of genetic
determinism and biological reductionism.
Strohman
was an original signatory to the Group for the Scientific Reappraisal of the
HIV-AIDS Hypothesis*. In 1995, he wrote the preface to Duesberg’s book Infectious
AIDS: Have We Been Misled?, in which he stated, “If ever there was a rush
to judgment with its predictable disastrous results it has been the HIV/AIDS
hypothesis and its aftermath. … The collected works of Peter Duesberg is the
closest thing we have – in the HIV/AIDS controversy – to a steadfast refusal to
disregard uncomfortable facts.” (Duesberg, 1995)
Charles Thomas, PhD, is a molecular biologist and former
professor of biochemistry at Harvard and Johns Hopkins Universities. He is
president of the Helicon Foundation, a biotechnology research group.
Thomas
was an original signatory to the Group for the Scientific Reappraisal of the
HIV-AIDS Hypothesis*. In 1992, he stated, “I feel that for scientists to
remain silent in the face of all this doubt [about the HIV-AIDS hypothesis] is tantamount
to criminal negligence” (Farber, 1992). In 1993, he stated, “I think that
Duesberg and Root-Bernstein have it right” in response to the question, “If HIV
does not cause AIDS, what does?” (Rethinking, 1993)
*
The Group for the Scientific Reappraisal
of the HIV/AIDS Hypothesis (aka
the Group) came into existence as a group of signatories of an open letter to
the scientific community. The letter (dated 6 June 1991) has been submitted to
the editors of Nature, Science, The Lancet, and The New
England Journal of Medicine. All the journals refused to publish it:
"It
is widely believed by the general public that a retrovirus called HIV causes
the group diseases called AIDS. Many biochemical scientists now question this
hypothesis. We propose that a thorough reappraisal of the existing evidence for
and against this hypothesis be conducted by a suitable independent group. We
further propose that critical epidemiological studies be devised and
undertaken."
**
The Presidential AIDS Advisory Panel was
convened by South African President Thabo Mbeki in 2000 “in order to gain a
full knowledge of AIDS” and “to inform and advise the government [of South
Africa] as to the most appropriate course of action to follow in dealing with
AIDS.” Basic scientists, physicians, historians, economists, public health
professionals, policy makers, persons living with AIDS, and lay persons were
invited to serve on the Panel (PAAPR, 2001).
Appendix B: List of scientists and
academics who either supported Peter Duesberg’s position on HIV or supported
dissent from the HIV-AIDS hypothesis after 1991
(This list is not comprehensive.)
Henry Bauer, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and
Science Studies and Dean Emeritus of Arts and Sciences at the Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State University. After researching electrochemistry
at the Universities of Sydney, Michigan, Southampton, and Kentucky, he turned
to general issues relating to scientific activity, in particular how to
differentiate science from pseudoscience. He has taught both undergraduate and
graduate programs in humanities and science and technology studies. Upon
retirement from teaching at the end of 1999, he became Editor-in-Chief of the Journal
of Scientific Exploration.
Bauer has challenged the HIV-AIDS hypothesis in several
papers, based primarily on the claim that the data on HIV seroprevalence are
incompatible with the notion that the HIV antibody tests are detecting a
sexually transmissable virus (Bauer, 2005; Bauer, 2006a; Bauer, 2006b). In
2007, he published The Origin, Persistence, and Failings of HIV/AIDS Theory,
detailing his arguments against the HIV paradigm and his own explanations of
how it is has persisted for so long despite its failings (Bauer, 2007).
In 2006, Bauer stated, “The orthodox rule is wrong and the
paradigm is ready to be toppled.” (Dellinger, 2006)
Mark Craddock, PhD, is an Australian mathematician. He is a
Lecturer in Mathematical Sciences at the University of Technology, Sydney.
Craddock
has written articles criticizing the “virological mayhem” model of HIV
infection developed by David Ho and his collaborators in the mid-1990s
(Craddock, 1995; Craddock, 1996). In 1996, Craddock stated, “One gets a
remarkable sense of being disassociated from the real world when entering the
realm of AIDS research. … Science is about making observations and trying to
fit them into a theoretical framework. Having the theoretical framework allows
us to make predictions about phenomena that we can then test. HIV ‘science’
long ago set off on a different path. ... People who ask simple,
straightforward questions are labelled as loonies who are dangerous to public
health.” (Craddock, 1996)
Rebecca Culshaw is a Canadian mathematician. She received a PhD in mathematics from Dalhousie
University in 2002, with emphases in mathematical biology and optimal control
theory.
Culshaw
studied mathematical models of the immunological aspects of HIV infection for
ten years. She has authored or co-authored five papers and given seven
conference talks based on such models. She has served as a member of the Board
of Advisors of the Journal of Biological Systems.
In
March 2006, Culshaw published an article on LewRockwell.com, "Why I Quit
HIV", in which she described her reasons for quitting HIV research and her
disillusionment over the politics governing AIDS science (Culshaw, 2006a). She
expanded upon these reasons in her 2007 book Science Sold Out: Does HIV
Really Cause AIDS? (Culshaw, 2007). In 2006, she stated, “When all is said
and done, the only support we have for any role HIV may play in AIDS is an
epidemiological correlation. … When all is stripped away, as we slowly begin to
understand just how uncertain the foundations of the entire HIV-AIDS industry
are, all we are left with is nothing.” (Culshaw, 2006b)
Charles Geshekter, PhD, is emeritus professor of African history at
California State University, Chico. He has held three Fulbright Awards, and
his African field research was supported by the National Endowment for the
Humanities, Ford Foundation and Social Science Research Council. He was a
member of the South African Presidential AIDS Advisory Panel convened by Thabo
Mbeki in 2000**.
In
1999, Geshekter stated, “AIDS scientists and public health planners should
recognize the role of malnutrition, poor sanitation, anemia, and parasitic and
endemic infections in producing the clinical AIDS symptoms [in Africans] that
are manifestations of non-HIV insults. ... Multilateral institutions and
African social scientists should familiarize themselves with the growing body
of literature that demonstrates the contradictions, anomalies and
inconsistencies in the orthodox view that AIDS is caused by a viral infection.”
(Geshekter, 1999)
Roberto Giraldo, MD, is a specialist in internal medicine. For
four decades, he has dedicated his work to clinical, academic, and research
activities regarding different aspects of infectious, tropical, and
immunological diseases, in various regions of Colombia, the United States,
Europe, and Africa. Much of his research has been in the field of secondary or
acquired immune deficiencies, especially those occurring in developing
countries. He was a member of the South African Presidential AIDS Advisory
Panel convened by Thabo Mbeki in 2000**.
In
1997, Giraldo published AIDS and Stressors, a book arguing that AIDS is
neither an infectious disease nor sexually transmitted. He proposed that AIDS
is a "toxic-nutritional syndrome caused by the alarming worldwide
increment of immunological stressor agents." (Giraldo, 1997)
In
2003, Giraldo stated, "Never in the history of medicine has a disease been
subject to such intense public scrutiny as AIDS is today. Most people feel
certain that everything that they have been told about AIDS is true. Unfortunately,
none of the mainstream medical views regarding Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome and its purported cause, HIV, have been scientifically
validated." (Giraldo, 2003)
Etienne de Harven, MD, is emeritus professor of pathology and former
Director of the Electron Microscope Laboratory in the Department of Pathology
at the University of Toronto. His work in electron microscopy (EM) has focused
primarily on the ultra-structure of retroviruses, (the class of viruses to
which HIV belongs). He was a member of the South African Presidential AIDS
Advisory Panel convened by Thabo Mbeki in 2000**. The English translation of his
book Ten Lies About AIDS was published in 2008 (de Harven, 2008).
In 1998, de Harven stated, “Obviously, the HIV-AIDS
hypothesis has to be scientifically reappraised. And, most urgently, the
funding for AIDS research should no longer be restricted to laboratories
working on an hypothesis which has never been proven.” (de Harven, 1998)
Alfred Hässig, MD, was Professor Emeritus in Immunology at the
University of Bern, a former Director of the Swiss Red Cross Transfusion
Service, and a former President of the Board of Trustees of the International
Society of Blood Transfusion.
In
1997, Hässig stated, “Because the falsely interpreted ‘anti-HIV-antibodies’ are
not a defense mechanism against an infectious agent, a virus, but are
autoimmune antibodies, all AIDS research at present and the resulting
treatments are totally wrong.” (Continuum, 1997)
Serge Lang, PhD, was one of the most prolific mathematicians
of the 20th century. At the time of his death, he was professor emeritus of
mathematics at Yale University and a member of the National Academy of
Sciences.
Lang
was a vocal critic of the orthodox consensus on HIV and AIDS. He was also a
tireless advocate of Peter Duesberg’s cancer and AIDS research. He was
particularly critical of the treatment of AIDS dissidents in major scientific
journals, especially Nature and Science. He kept extensive
"files" on HIV and AIDS, which included many communications with the
editors of these journals. Many of these files concerning HIV and AIDS can be
found in the book Challenges (Lang 1998), and a collection of roughly
600 pages of original documents from these files can be found at the Serge Lang
Memorial HIV-AIDS Archive (Brown, 2006).
In
1994, Lang stated, “I do not regard the causal relationship between HIV and any
disease as settled. I have seen considerable evidence that highly improper
statistics concerning HIV and AIDS have been passed off as science, and that
top members of the scientific establishment have carelessly, if not
irresponsibly, joined the media in spreading misinformation about the nature of
AIDS.” (Lang, 1994)
Lynn Margulis, PhD, is a biologist and Distinguised University Professor
in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Margulis
has made significant original contributions to cell biology and microbial
evolution. She is best known for her endosymbiotic theory, which the
evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins has called “one of the great
achievements of twentieth-century evolutionary biology” (Brockman, 1995). She
was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1983. In 1999, she was
awarded the National Medal of Science by President Clinton.
In
2006, Margulis stated, “We find the paucity of evidence published in standard
peer-reviewed primary scientific journals that leads to the conclusion that
‘HIV causes AIDS’ appalling. No amount of moralizing censorship, rhetorical
tricks, consensus of opinion, pulling rank, obfuscation, ad hominem
attacks or blustering newspaper editorials changes this fact. The conflation
‘HIV/AIDS’ may be good marketing but is it science? No. Yet certainly the
political and economic implications of the term ‘HIV/AIDS’ are staggering.” (Margulis
and MacAllister, 2006)
George Miklos is the director of MIKLOS-BOND Biomedical Information
Services in Sydney, Australia. He is a widely recognized expert in genomics,
and was a pride of place author on the landmark publication describing the mapping
of the human genome (Venter et al., 2001). Over a span of more than
three decades, he has authored or co-authored more than 50 papers, articles,
and editorials on genetics, molecular and cell biology, and biotechnology.
In
2004, Miklos stated, “How can you perform academic or commercially relevant
biology if you don't think deeply? If you don't have a coherent theory and if
you are dependent upon sophisticated technologies and bioinformatic protocols
that you don't understand, then your data interpretations are in the realm of
voodoo science. It is painfully obvious by now that this is where many…AIDS
researchers have located themselves – a conclusion attested to by the…mountain
of contradictions in the scientific literature concerning presumed HIV pathogenesis,
AIDS morbidity, mortality, epidemiology and demography.” (Miklos, 2004)
Donald Miller, MD, is a cardiac surgeon and Professor of Surgery
at the University of Washington in Seattle. He is a member of the American Association
of Thoracic Surgery, the Western Thoracic Surgical Society, and the American
College of Surgeons. He has authored or co-authored more than 30 scientific
papers and articles on thoracic and cardiovascular surgery.
In
2006, Miller stated, “When Duesberg's work on HIV/AIDS and cancer is finally
recognized and accepted, it will cause a revolution in science. …Once the
HIV/AIDS hypothesis is acknowledged to be false, a domino effect will impact
other branches of science that government now controls. … Duesberg's work will
do to biology and science in this century what Copernicus did to astronomy and
science five centuries ago.” (Miller, 2006)
Camille Paglia, PhD, is university professor at The University of
the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She has lectured and written extensively
on art, culture, the media and politics. She is the author of the bestselling
book Sexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson,
a groundbreaking and controversial survey of sexual decadence in Western
literature and the visual arts.
In
1996, Paglia stated, “I, as a scholar, have been completely skeptical right
from the start about everything [about AIDS].” (Christie, 1996) She has
described AIDS activists as “the most insane and vicious and intolerant people
I have ever met in my life … The way they controlled the discourse, their
arrogance – they were like little Hitlers, stormtroopers, who believed that
they had the truth, and anyone who tried to have a different view of AIDS, or
the origins of AIDS, or anything like that, that we should not be permitted to
speak.” (Christie, 1996)
Gerald Pollack is a professor in the Department of Bioengineering
at the University of Washington. He received a PhD in bioengineering from the
University of Pennsylvania in 1968. His research interests include the
molecular basis of biological motion, optical image processing, and cell
function. He is best known for his controversial theories on the nature and
structure of water, which challenge conventional theories of cell structure and
function (Pollack, 2001).
In
2006, Pollack stated, “If the papers that Duesberg cites are not misrepresented
– and it is difficult to see how hundreds of papers could be misrepresented
without the AIDS establishment coming down mercilessly on his misrepresentations
– then his points are indeed compelling. ... One could only hope for a detailed
point-by-point response from the establishment, but very little of substance
has been forthcoming. Mainly, what have come from the AIDS establishment are ex-cathedra
responses such as ‘the evidence is overwhelming.’” (Pollack, 2006)
David Rasnick, PhD, is a biochemist who has worked
professionally for 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry developing protease
inhibitors (a class of drugs used to treat HIV infection) for tissue-destroying
diseases including cancer, emphysema, arthritis, and parasitic disease. For
the past decade, he has collaborated closely with Peter Duesberg on the
aneuploidy theory of cancer. He was a member of the South African Presidential
AIDS Advisory Panel convened by Thabo Mbeki in 2000**.
In
1997, Rasnick stated, “The HIV cult has transported AIDS beyond the domain of
science and medicine, and into the realm of mythology. The discourse is
controlled by powerful individuals and institutions with a professional or
financial stake in HIV, who take it upon themselves to be the sole purveyors of
'truth.' Government institutions have compounded the difficulty of arriving at
a true understanding of AIDS by doing everything in their power to suppress the
views of scientists who disagree with established opinions.” (Rasnick, 1997)
Rodney Richards, PhD, is an organic chemist. He has worked as an independent
research scientist studying the relationship between viruses and disease with a
major focus on developments in testing technologies. During the mid-1980s, he
worked for Amgen Inc. and Abbott Laboratories, helping them develop the first
generation of HIV antibody tests.
In
2003, Richards stated, "There are at least 30 tests marketed to test for
HIV. None of them are approved by the FDA to diagnose the presence or absence
of HIV. ... The FDA and manufacturers clearly state that the significance of
testing positive on the Elisa and Western Blot [HIV antibody] test is unknown.
... To date, no researcher has demonstrated how HIV kills T-cells. It's just a
theory that keeps money flowing into the pharmaceutical approach to treating
AIDS." (Scheff, 2003)
Michael Tracey, PhD, is professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He has written
widely on many different aspects of media and communication, but most notably
dealing with the history, condition and future of public service broadcasting.
From 1991 to 1998 he was a Trustee of the International Institute of Communications,
and from 1994 to 1999, visiting professor and Chair of International
Communications at the University of Salford, England.
In
his Inaugural Lecture as Chair at the University of Salford in 1995, Tracey
applied his expertise in media analysis to examine the shaping of the public
discourse on AIDS, criticizing the “construction of a way of seeing AIDS that
was not open to questioning, either by the media or the ‘ordinary’ citizen” and
“the sheer venom of the assault [launched on Duesberg]”. He concluded, “What
we see within the orthodoxy of AIDS is something more akin to an act of faith,
a theology in an age when intolerant fundamentalism is rampant, where to
question is to be heretical , and where to be heretical is to be banished.”
(Tracey, 1995)
Valendar Turner, MD, is an emergency physician who has worked at the
Royal Perth Hospital, a teaching hospital in western Australia. He was a
member of the South African Presidential AIDS Advisory Panel convened by Thabo
Mbeki in 2000**.
In
collaboration with Eleni Papadopulos-Eleopulos and their colleagues at Perth,
Turner has questioned the isolation (purification) of HIV itself and the
alleged specificity of the Western Blot antibody test (Papadopulos-Eleopulos et
al., 1993a, Papadopulos-Eleopulos et al., 1993b). In 1997, he
stated, “The trouble is so many of us, doctors included, accept the validity of
the HIV theory and all the tests because of big names and big institutions. In
good faith I must add, but nonetheless without checking up for themselves or
asking questions. Well, they're not usually the ones told they're infected with
a lethal retrovirus. So patients must be their own advocates and thereby
influence public opinion towards the debate.” (Christie, 1997)
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