Conspiracy debate
The two letters below are in response to “Dr. Mary’s Monkey: Did HIV originate in New Orleans?” by Brobson Lutz, M.D. August 2007 issue. In the article Lutz critiques the book Dr. Mary’s Monkey by Edward Haslam.

(Dr. Lutz) confidently declared that the controversial issue of the origin of AIDS had been resolved. I have to disagree with his statement and write to explain why. 
Lutz was referring to the “AIDS from chimpanzees” story that started in 1999 when Dr. Beatrice Hahn, a researcher at the University of Alabama, found HIV-1 in chimpanzee cells.   

I read these articles carefully. The chimpanzee cells had been sent to Hahn by a friend who worked at the Coulson Primate Laboratory in Alamogordo, N.M. (White Sands Air Force Base). The cells came from a chimp named Marilyn that died in Coulson’s care in 1984.   

I lived in New Mexico at the time of Hahn’s announcement and had read an interview with that laboratory’s director, Dr. Frederick Coulson, in the local media the year before. In that interview Dr. Coulson proudly recalled that, upon the announcement of the discovery of AIDS in 1982, he procured blood samples from San Diego and immediately injected female chimpanzees in his lab with AIDS contaminated blood to see if the disease transferred from mother to child. When Marilyn died two years later, Coulson had cells from her body saved in a refrigerator in his office for future study. After Coulson’s death, staff cleaned out his office and found Marilyn’s cells. Presumably unaware of their experimental history, the staff member sent the cells to Hahn for analysis. Therefore, Hahn’s finding HIV-1 in the cells of a chimpanzee that had been experimentally infected with HIV-1 by Dr. Coulson proved nothing about the origin of AIDS.   

But Hahn’s announcement did provide convenient justification for enthusiastic press coverage (and a fresh round of research funding) that shifted the origin of AIDS paradigm to pursue this red herring into the jungles of Africa. Hahn’s subsequent research focused on analyzing the DNA of SIVcpz (chimpanzee) on the assumption that it eventually evolved into HIV-1. SIVcpz is a relative of HIV-1 occasionally found in humans but SIVcpz is not HIV-1 and the experts know it. Most importantly, the genetic differences between the two continue to puzzle scientists who say “natural” is “impossible” within the time frame. Ironically Hahn concurred with  “Scientists should not rush to draw too many conclusions.”   

The thoughtful reader might also ask How the expert researchers at Harvard, Stanford, NCI, U. of Chicago, Tulane, Oxford, etc. (especially those with their own primate laboratories) had “missed” such an obvious connection for the 16 years prior to its “discovery” at the University of Alabama?  

I will address some other issues Dr. Lutz raised, such as AIDS in 1959 and whether Tulane ever conducted experiments to establish the transmission vector of malaria on my Web site:  www.TheMonkeyVirus.com.    
Edward T. Haslam 
Author of Dr. Mary’s Monkey
Bradenton, Fla.

Conspiracy Challenger
Assertions in the book Dr. Mary’s Monkey are utterly absurd and heinous in implying that my father directed a clandestine operation in the production of a cancer virus in monkeys to be stealthily injected into Fidel Castro.

Dr. Lutz, who [wrote] the article, did have the foresight to talk to Dr. Monroe Samuels who performed the autopsy on [Dr.] Sherman. The autopsy study revokes the theory of Dr. Haslam that an accident with a linear accelerator was the cause of intense burns to Sherman’s right arm. Dr. Lutz revealed many other deceptive statements and theories by the author.

The ridiculous and illogical statements made in the book are so frequent that it’s a tragedy to recognize its existence. The information gathered for the book is all second-hand and third-hand information from high school or college students and their teachers’ comments, none of which have any actual fact. Haslam also derives much of his information from Judyth Cary Baker, who claims my father sought her out to work with him, sent her to Rosewell Park for cancer training and that she was my father’s assistant in various experiments. There is no record of Mrs. Baker ever working at the Ochsner Clinic and my father’s personal nurse and secretary have never heard of her. At the time she says she was associated with my father, I met with my father every day, including weekends, and knew exactly what he was doing, none of which pertained to experimental work.

Dr. Sherman worked at the Ochsner Clinic as an orthopedist and pathologist. Dr. Gordon McFarland, who was a protégé, colleague and friend, tells me she never once experimented with animals. The laboratory was a pathology laboratory in which she made gross and microscopic slides of bone pathology. Dr. McFarland worked with Dr. Sherman and took over her laboratory after her death. He assures me there were never any animal experiments in their laboratory.

The U.S. Public Health Hospital in New Orleans never had a linear accelerator. The author shows complete lack of information when attempting his theories and history on cancers and viruses. He states that two of my father’s grandchildren contracted poliomyelitis, that one child died and that the other one, a granddaughter, survived. His grandson did die but my father did not have a granddaughter at that time.

My father spent his life in tremendous effort to improve and save the lives of the sick. He had one of the largest and most prestigious surgical practices in the world. Presidents from various countries, nobility, famous movie stars, renowned statesmen, famous sports figures, everyday persons, were recipients of his talent and goodwill. He probably did more than any person to elevate the status of our city. During the time when our airport had many flights, especially to Central and South America, patients and family coming to Ochsner Clinic spent more money in New Orleans annually than at Mardi Gras, the Sugar Bowl and Spring Fiesta all lumped together.

It is sad that you would recognize a book directed to dishonor a most honorable man.
John Ochsner, M.D.
New Orleans

Ed. Note: We have great respect for the late Dr. Alton Ochsner. His contributions to public health and to the community were enormous. The book nevertheless exists and is worthy of public scrutiny including that of Dr. Lutz whose overall evaluation was critical in its conclusions.

Corrections: In our August 2007 issue, Hand Surgeon Donald C. Faust, M.D. was mislabeled. Dr. Faust is also listed in orthopedic surgery and in the Autumn 2007 issue of Louisiana Life magazine.

In “People to Watch,” September 2007 issue, we misspelled Stephen Rehage’s name. We regret the error.