In 2006, the professional AIDS activist crowd held a boring, soporific, atrociously irrelevant conference in Toronto, which we dubbed, the International Yawn Fest. It was so bad even Dr. Bob "Scientific Misconduct" Gallo thought it a farce, unworthy of his hallowed attendance. We heartily agreed.
Two years later, with great mirth, we have moved from Snooze Fest to Snub Fest -- the glaring and conspicuous, scientific cold-cocking of that rascal Gallo by the Nobel Committee, who awarded the Nobel Prize to Dr. Montagnier for his discovery of HIV, but overlooked the, ahem, "contributions" of co-discoverer, Dr. Gallo.
Those smart folks in Sweden, we reckon, have a simple rule -- if you "discover" a new human retrovirus via Le French Service Postale, sorry, no prize for you.
The old Grey Lady aka the New York Times said it best:
Half of the award will be shared by two French virologists, Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, 61, and Luc A. Montagnier, 76, for discovering H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS. Conspicuously omitted was Dr. Robert C. Gallo, an American virologist who vied with the French team in a long, often acrimonious dispute over credit for the discovery of H.I.V
Conspicuous?!!? -- You mean like a large matzoh ball hanging off your lip, during a lunch time meeting with the boss?
But it just gets better!
New Scientist -- Was Robert Gallo robbed of the Nobel Prize?
NPR --- Nobel Panel Decides Against US HIV Discovery
Baltimore Sun -- Nobel Panel Snubs Gallo in HIV prize
Herald Sun --- Nobel Rift between Luc Montagnier, Francoise Barre-Sinoussi and Robert Gallo
Scientific American -- No Nobel for You: Top Ten Nobel Snubs
The Times UK -- Nobel Medicine Prize Row as HIV Scientist is Excluded
Newsweek -- The Shocking Medicine Nobel
Forbes -- A Prize Tarnished
Washington Post -- French AIDS Researchers Split Nobel with German -- Key Role Played by Excluded American
Time -- Bumbling Toward the Nobel
The list of these biting, obviously painful articles (to Gallo's pride and prestige) goes on and on and on and on. They are too abundant to list. This would be comical, if not so tragic. As Shakespeare tells us, "That which originates from a dark deed, will blossom in a foul manner." A less macabre perspective has been proffered by one famous scientist, who described Montagnier and Gallo as "two bumbling thieves fighting over fake diamonds."
Psst. Here's a hint, sotto voce: The problem ain't that Gallo stole the virus from Montagnier -- the problem is that neither of them proved the virus capable of killing cells or causing disease. Have a nice day.
Why is it so difficult for newspaper editors and journalists talking about AIDS to cut through the muck and simply say that the toxic drugs given to pregnant women and Africans are simply worse than the disease?
Posted by: Kendra | October 19, 2008 at 11:44 AM
The causal chain of events here is quite remarkable. Scare people with thoughts of infection by a killer gay virus; drug them with toxic, FDA-approved chemicals which cause similar pathologies as the purported killer gay virus.
Quite sneaky.
Posted by: Trouble Man | October 19, 2008 at 10:05 PM
... and, as we'd say back in the old country, Bob's your uncle!
Except this isn't the "jiggle you hilariously" on his knee uncle. No, this is the sneaky, scary one that feels your boobs and sticks his hand up your skirt while your mum isn't looking. Puts me in mind of scientist NOT snubbed by the Nobel committee - sorry Uncle Bob!
Posted by: Nobblebobblehead | October 20, 2008 at 01:34 AM
"Hi, I'm Bob Gallo...You may remember from such 'scares' as, "The make-believe virus that I stole, that they stole back!" and "How to recycle your old, failed HTLV-1 and 2 experiments, the Gallo way!"
Posted by: LS | November 01, 2008 at 05:10 PM