[Letter to Colleagues from Peter Duesberg]

Comments on typescript entitled: The Role of Drugs in the
Origin of AIDS by Peter H. Duesberg
GENERAL
There is (or should be) always room for alternative
hypotheses in Science, and Dr. Duesberg has been attempting
to bring some alternative hypotheses to the problem of what
causes AIDS. His previous papers have shown that the
retrovirus HIV is not a likely candidate for causing the
observed immunosupression diseases, and that the
epidemiology of AIDS diseases does not fit very well with
the idea of an infectious causal entity. In this paper, he
suggests that recreational and medical drugs are a likely
culprit and proposes that further attention be given to this
kind of non-infectious cause of what has become known as
AIDS.
The author does not claim that he has established that
drugs are the cause of AIDS, but rather suggests that in
contrast to HIV, drugs fit all the facts that are known to
him, and suggests that further inquiry be undertaken to
prove or disprove this hypothesis.
Question #1 The contribution is certainly of sufficient
general interest; there is scarcely anyone who has not heard
of AIDS and is generally frightened about it.
Question #2 The quality of this paper is definitely
suitable for the PNAS. While there have been others who
have suggested similar ideas in the past, and these are
referenced, the present gathering together of all of the
threads of evidence represents a significant contribution by
a world authority on the subject.
SPECIFIC COMMENTS
Title: "The Role of Drugs in the Origin of AIDS"
I think that a better title can be found. My objection
is to the word "origin." This suggests that drugs may
"originate" AIDS, then an ws and develops!
The author might try: "The Role of Drugs in AS." Or even
"Do Drugs Cause AIDS?"
Abstract: No objections. (JI) r(,i Cv (