My letter today requesting Prometheus Books to retract my father's "gross distortion of Vietnamese and U.S. history"

Prometheus Books executives: Steven Mitchell, the late Dr. Paul Kurtz, Lynette Nisbet, Jonathan Kurtz (2002)

Also see my item last month, Prometheus Books publishes my father's long-debunked lie that the American Friends Service Committee provided "tens of thousands" of Heimlich chest valves to the North Vietnamese during the war.

March 31, 2014

Jonathan Kurtz
President
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive
Amherst, NY 14228

Dear Mr. Kurtz:

This is to respectfully request a retraction of the following false information in Heimlich’s Maneuvers: My Seventy Years of Lifesaving Innovation, my father's memoir which your company published last month:

I remember another incident in which I was overcome with emotion. It occurred in February 1993, when I was invited to accompany a team of twenty cardiac and thoracic surgeons to Vietnam, a trip arranged by the citizen ambassadors of People to People International...In Hanoi, our plane was met by a contingent of North Vietnamese cardiac and thoracic surgeons. The head of the Vietnamese delegation introduced each member of our team until he came to me.

“Dr. Heimlich, you need no introduction,” I remember him saying. “Everyone in Vietnam knows your name.” I assumed he was talking about the Heimlich Maneuver, but, in fact, he was referring to the chest drain valve. “Your valve has saved tens of thousands of our people during the war, both civilian and military,” he said. I never knew the North Vietnamese had used the valve during the war. It had been supplied to them by the Quaker organization American Friends Service Committee. The next morning, at a meeting of American and Vietnamese doctors, the chairman opened his session saying, “Dr. Heimlich will live forever in the hearts of the Vietnamese people.” Hearing his words, I cried openly.

Per a November 2005 expose published by Radar Magazine, the story was debunked over eight years ago:

Next, Peter (Heimlich and his wife Karen Shulman) took aim at a lesser-known invention, the "Heimlich chest drain valve," which was used on the battlefield in Vietnam to save soldiers from dying of a collapsed lung caused by a chest wound. According to Heimlich's press statements the invention saved tens of thousands of lives, including among the North Vietnamese, after the American Friends Service Committee shipped valves to both sides in the war. Henry often tells the story of a trip to Vietnam during which he received a hero's welcome because of his valve.

But the Quakers have no record of distributing the valve. Peter contacted the American Friends Service Committee, the Quaker group that provides aid in foreign conflicts. "They checked deep in the archives and contacted several staffers from the '60s," says Peter. "No one had even heard of the Heimlich valve." AFSC spokeswoman Janis Shields says that if the valves had been shipped to North Vietnam, there would have been documents. The AFSC's shipments to North Vietnam consisted primarily of penicillin.

In addition to grossly distorting Vietnamese and U.S. history, my father's false claim suggests that the American Friends Service Committee and Becton, Dickinson and Company (the company that manufactures the Heimlich Chest Drain Valve) may have violated laws governing the transfer of medical supplies during wartime.

It's unclear how your editors failed to catch such an obvious falsehood, but in recent weeks I've made best efforts to address the matter.

In a February 16, 2014 e-mail and multiple follow-ups, I asked my father's publicist, Lori Ames, if my father intended to retract the false claim. He has not done so.

Therefore, in a March 10, 2014 e-mail and a follow-up I asked your company's Senior Publicist, Lisa Michalski, if your company intends to address the matter.

I haven't received a reply, hence this outreach to you.

I'm hopeful that you share my interest in correcting the record. With that in mind, I look forward to your reply.

If you have any questions or require additional information, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Sincerely,

Peter M. Heimlich
(Street address redacted)
Duluth, GA 30096

ph: (208)474-7283
website: http://medfraud.info
blog: http://the-sidebar.com
e-mail: peter.heimlich@gmail.com

cc:

The Hon. Nguyen Quoc Cuong, Ambassador, The Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the United States
The Hon. David B. Shear, U.S. Ambassador to The Socialist Republic of Vietnam
The Hon. Rob Woodall, U.S. House of Representatives (GA-7th District)
Alexis Moore, Media Director, American Friends Service Committee (Philadelphia, PA)
Alyssa Zeff, Director, Becton, Dickinson and Company Worldwide Public Relations (Franklin Lakes, NJ)

Click here to view my letter via Scribd. Click here to download a copy.

How Neal Barnard MD of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) "stays fueled"

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Food photos and text below from Food Diaries: How George Washington University’s Dr. Neal Barnard Eats for a Day The plant-based-food advocate shows how he stays fueled for a busy schedule of teaching and research.


Breakfast: “Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I usually top oatmeal with fresh fruit and spices. Today it’s sliced strawberries, a banana, and a dash of cinnamon."

Lunch: “Today’s lunch is my favorite meal: a bean burrito. I brought a green salad—kale, tomatoes, and cucumbers—from home."




Dinner: “My dinner rule is to combine greens, beans, and grains. Tonight the entrée is Hoppin’ John salad with steamed bok choy and sliced tomatoes. The salad is a mixture of black-eyed peas, brown rice, green onions, celery, tomatoes, fresh parsley, lemon juice, and garlic cloves."

I get no respect from the Cincinnati Reds & "Heimlich Heroes," but I've got a friend in Drefach Felindre

Per my previous item, last night Cincinnati Reds baseball team representative Rob Butcher accused me of being "on some kind of mission to prevent people from helping others."

What did I do to elicit such opprobrium?

I asked him for information about ballplayer Todd Frazier's apparent endorsement of "Heimlich Heroes," a first aid training program in Ohio schools that includes performing the Heimlich maneuver on unconscious choking victims.

Here's a clip from one of the program's training videos:



As I reported last month, representatives of the American Red Cross and the American Red Cross told me they don't recommend the treatment.

And, per my previous item, "Heimlich Heroes" program manager Terri Huntington has refused to answer a number of reasonable questions I've submitted.

For example, would she please direct me to any published research studies, to any medical organizations, and/or to any licensed medical professionals that recommend performing "the Heimlich" on unconscious choking victims?

Because I can't find any.

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Despite the Rodney Dangerfield treatment I've gotten from the two Cincinnati organizations, my self-esteem just got a boost from the other side of the globe.

Via Lifesaving spaniel earns pat on the head from Heimlich by reporter Guto Llewellyn published this morning in the Carmarthen Journal:

Lifesaving spaniel Mollypops has been praised by none other than the son of the inventor of the Heimlich manoeuvre.

Owner Rachel Hayes, 40, from Drefach Felindre, had been choking on a chew sweet for several minutes and believed she was about to die until her pet jumped on her back, dislodging the sweet.

Since the Carmarthen Journal reported the story last week news of Mollypops's heroism has spread across the world, even drawing the attention of Peter Heimlich, whose father Henry invented the Heimlich manoeuvre.

The Heimlich manoeuvre involves using a series of abdominal thrusts on a choking victim in a bid to dislodge the item. However, the technique has been called into question, and by now it is advised that people follow St John Ambulance advice instead of the Heimlich manoeuvre. This involves using hard blows on the upper back of the victim.

Peter Heimlich said: "I give big props to Mollypops. Based on what I've read in the Journal, she's strictly up to date on St John Ambulance's first aid recommendations, plus she kept her cool in a stressful situation.

"I'd urge all creatures great and small to follow her example and learn how to respond to choking and other medical emergencies."

...Mollypops only needed one blow to save her owner's life, and Rachel says she is delighted with the recognition her dog is receiving.

She said: "It's really good. I have just been overwhelmed by the attention her story has received, and it's amazing to hear Mr Heimlich say that she did the right thing."

Based on my recent experiences with Rob Butcher and Terri Huntington, to get some pointers on how to deal with the media, their masters might wish to consult Mollypops.

Cincinnati Reds rep writes me, "You appear to be on some kind of mission to prevent people from helping others"

Rob Butcher, Cincinnati Reds' Director of Media Relations (source)

According to the Cincinnati Reds, by asking questions about a first aid training program being taught in Ohio schools, I'm up to no good.

This started last month I asked the Ohio and Hamilton County Health Departments to review the "Heimlich Heroes" program because it teaches students and others to perform the Heimlich maneuver on unconscious choking victims.

As I reported, that treatment is not recommended by the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association.

Terri Huntington and my father at February 18, 2014 book-signing at Cincinnati's Joseph-Beth Booksellers (source)

I'm unaware of any published research that supports the treatment or any medical professionals who recommend it, so a few days ago I e-mailed these and other questions to "Heimlich Heroes" program manager Terri Huntington:

According to the training videos on your website, your program teaches students to perform the Heimlich maneuver on unconscious choking victims. Would you please direct me to any published research studies, to any medical organizations, and/or to any licensed medical professionals that recommend this treatment?

Your program's home page features a photo and quote from Cincinnati Reds baseball player Todd Frazier. On what date did Mr. Frazier or his representative endorse your program?

Her March 24, 2014 reply:

Although we appreciate your interest in our organization, we are not comfortable with the focus of your questions. As such, neither Deaconess nor any of its affiliates, including Heimlich Heroes, will respond to any additional inquiries from you and politely request that you refrain from contacting us further.

Since Ms. Huntington was clamming up, yesterday I wrote to Rob Butcher, the Cincinnati Reds' Director of Media Relations, to ask if Todd Frazier and/or the Reds endorsed the "Heimlich Heroes" program.

He asked me for details, so I provided him with all of the above information and explained that, to the best of my knowledge, "the program appears to be teaching Ohio students and others to perform an unproven, experimental medical treatment."

Last night I received this e-mail from him:

You appear to be on some kind of mission to prevent people from helping others. Feel free to write the Reds have no comment.

Cincinnati Enquirer deletes press agent's "Heimlich Heroes" article after I debunked it

Melinda Zemper, Oak Tree Communications LLC, West Chester, OH (source)

After I tagged press agent Melinda Zemper for publishing false claims in a March 5 article, the Cincinnati Enquirer has deleted it.

For background, see my item last week, Hype tripe: Cincinnati press agent claims "Heimlich Heroes" first aid training program "expanding nationwide" via partnerships with the YMCA and two other national nonprofits -- the program's manager says "NOT." 

Here's a screenshot from Zemper's article that was published by the Enquirer's Community News Share section:

If you click the link to her article now, here's what you'll see:

 
I asked Enquirer Media Communities Editor Nancy Daly what happened.

source

A couple days ago she e-mailed me:

Once we learned there was some controversy we deleted it. Share is not a place for that.

Besides Zemper's false claim that three national nonprofits -- the YMCA, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and the American Heritage Girls -- were partnering with the "Heimlich Heroes" program being taught in local schools, via my February 26 item, here's the other concern I brought to the Enquirer's attention:

"Illinois Supreme Court Strikes Down as Unconstitutional the Illinois Eavesdropping Statute," press release issued today by Annabel Melongo's attorneys -- includes strong quotes from Ms. Melongo, her counsel, and the Legal Director of the IL ACLU (which arranged for her defense)

Click here for the original press release. Click here for a copy of today's ruling by the IL Supreme Court.

March 20, 2014 

Press Release

Contact: Gabriel Bankier Plotkin

Miller Shakman & Beem LLP

Phone: (312)759-7239

Email: gplotkin@millershakman.com

Illinois Supreme Court Strikes Down as Unconstitutional the Illinois Eavesdropping Statute

CHICAGO – In a ruling that protects citizen's ability to gather and disseminate information about governmental activity, the Illinois Supreme Court held today that the state’s Eavesdropping Statute is unconstitutional.  In two unanimous decisions, People v. Melongo and People v. Clark, the Supreme Court held that the controversial statute violated the free speech and due process protections of the U.S. and Illinois Constitutions. 

The Illinois Eavesdropping Statute was enacted to protect private conversations from being recorded without consent.  But the Supreme Court held that the statute, as written, was far too broad, making criminals out of people who recorded conversations that were undeniably public, or that nobody intended to be private.  For example, the statute made it a felony for someone to record on his iPhone a shouting match between two passionate fans in the stands at a baseball game, or to record police officers interacting with protesters in a public plaza in front of City Hall and posting the exchange on YouTube.

The Supreme Court also held that the statute infringed on the free speech rights of citizens by making it a crime to audio record conversations with public officials, who have no privacy interest in the statements they make while interacting with the public, including recording police officers making public arrests.  In fact, as it turns out, the only prosecutions ever brought under the statute charged citizens with felonies for recording and reporting on conversations with police officers or public officials performing their official duties, in violation of their First Amendment rights.

The case against Annabel Melongo was one such example. Ms. Melongo was charged in Cook County in 2009 with six counts of felony eavesdropping. Her crime was recording telephone conversations she had with a representative of the Circuit Court of Cook County, who was explaining to her the official procedure for correcting an inaccurate court transcript, and then posting those conversations on a blog aimed at exposing public corruption.Ms. Melongo served almost two years in jail before a Circuit Court judge concluded that it was unconstitutional to charge her with eavesdropping. 

The State’s Attorney appealed the trial court’s decision directly to the Illinois Supreme Court, arguing that the broad statute was properly applied to her conduct.  The Supreme Court disagreed, writing that the Eavesdropping Statute “burdens substantially more speech than is necessary to serve a legitimate interest in protecting conversational privacy” and is thus “unconstitutional on its face.” 

The Court went on: “The statute criminalizes the recording of conversations that cannot be deemed private: a loud argument on the street, a political debate on a college quad, yelling fans at an athletic event, or any conversation loud enough that the speakers should expect to be heard by others.  None of these examples implicate privacy interests, yet the statute makes it a felony to record each one.  Judged in terms of the legislative purpose of protecting conversational privacy, the statute’s scope is simply too broad.” 

“In this day and age, it is important to protect people’s rights to privacy,” said Gabe Plotkin, one of the attorneys who represented Ms. Melongo before the Illinois Supreme Court, and a partner at Miller Shakman & Beem LLP. “But the Illinois Eavesdropping Statute did not do that.  Instead of serving as a shield to protect individual privacy, the statute was written so broadly that it allowed the State to use it as a sword to prosecute citizens for monitoring and reporting on the conduct of public officials.  The Supreme Court recognized this flaw in the statute and struck it down .  The burden is now on the legislature to craft a statute that actually serves the goal of protecting privacy – and that does so without infringing on the rights of citizens to keep public officials honest.”

As for Ms. Melongo, this case has been a hard fought battle to protect her rights.  An immigrant  from Cameroon for whom English is a third language, she wrote the first draft of the motion that led the Circuit Court to find the statute unconstitutional on her own, by hand, while sitting in her jail cell.  After the State’s Attorney’s Office asked the Supreme Court to hear her case on appeal, the American Civil Liberties Union reached out to Mr. Plotkin, Daniel Feeney and Alexandra Block at Miller Shakman & Beem, who agreed to represent her pro bono.

“My gratitude goes to the ACLU of Illinois for its tireless work in standing for and defending the civil liberties that the now-defunct Illinois Eavesdropping Statute had undermined for years. Last but not least, my gratitude goes to my lawyers at Miller Shakman & Beem for the respect they have shown me, their unparalleled professionalism in handling my case, and for defending me pro bono” Ms. Melongo said.

“Annabel should be commended for her bravery, determination, and her commitment to the rights guaranteed her under the constitution” said Mr. Feeney.  “She fought hard for those rights, and for her freedom, and overcame significant obstacles.  I am proud to have stood with her and represented her interests before the Supreme Court, and I am grateful that she has been vindicated.”

The Court's ruling today relied, in part, on the ACLU's earlier litigation, ACLU of Illinois v. Alvarez, in which a federal appeals court found that the Illinois eavesdropping law is unconstitutional when used to prosecute people for audio recording on duty police officers. 

"In an era of citizen-journalists and citizen-activists, it was wrong to criminalize gathering information from government officials in conversations that cannot be seen as private," added Harvey Grossman, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois.   "We are pleased that the Court has protected this most important right under the First Amendment."

Punk'd by my 94-year-old father, Chicago talk radio host tells listeners to "forget the Red Cross" choking rescue guidelines

WGN radio host Jonathon Brandmeier (source)

My father's never gotten proper credit as a master media manipulator who for decades used his charm to spin uninformed journalists.

As I told reporter Paul Teetor of the LA Weekly:

"My father is such a brilliant promoter, he could teach P.T. Barnum a few tricks."

But as a result of the dozens of media reports that exposed him as a career scammer -- for example, check out Chuck Goudie's tough ABC7 Chicago expose that aired over seven years ago -- presumably it's gotten more difficult for my father to find marks.

Also, who would consider my father -- a 94-year-old with a history of making delusional claims, who hasn't held a medical license since 2002, and who lives in a retirement community -- to be a medical authority?

Enter WGN Chicago talk show host Jonathon Brandmeier.*

Check out these clips I stitched together from Are you choking?! Dr. Heimlich is here, a March 12, 2014 interview Brandmeier and his second banana conducted with my father (with my brother Phil Heimlich on hand). In keeping with the show's yuckfest approach, I added clown horns where I spliced the clips.  




Briefly, after falling for my father's long-discredited hokum that rescuers should never use back blows to revive a choking victim, Brandmeier then imprudently advises WGN listeners to "forget the Red Cross" recommendations on how to respond to a choking emergency.

While you're at it, forget liability as well.

By the way, my father's claim that the American Red Cross is the only organization to recommend back blows is false. On the contrary, virtually every major first aid organization, including the Canadian Red Cross and the UK's St John Ambulance recommends performing back blows as the first response to choking.

In other words, Dr. Maneuver is clueless about his own claimed field of expertise.

And just after the 2:00 mark, my father recommends performing "the Heimlich maneuver" on choking infants. That treatment has never been recommended by any legitimate first aid agency because it may result in serious harm.

What if a WGN listener follows his advice and hurts a baby?

That's one of the questions I'll be asking the Tribune Company -- they own WGN.

They also own the Chicago Tribune which a few weeks ago published a well-researched first-person article by Ian Mitchell that included:

In a conscious choking emergency, where a person can't cough, speak or breathe, the Red Cross procedure is to ask the person if he or she is choking and get consent to give aid.

Then administer five strong back blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand, "as forceful as you deem necessary to save that person's life," (Red Cross instructor Gabriele) Romanucci said.

The back blows are a less-invasive technique that might help clear the airway, so the Red Cross advises trying them first, he said.

"If that technique is not successful, then we would go to the abdominal thrust (aka Heimlich maneuver)," he said.

"Less-invasive" = Less potentially harmful.

What sort of potential harm?

See Case reports of complications from “the Heimlich maneuver,” a list I compiled of about 40 medical journal articles.

Finally, there's this clip in which Brandmeier & his sidekick guffaw about the hilarious concept:

What if the great Dr. Heimlich himself actually performed "the Heimlich" on a choking victim? Wouldn't that be a hoot?

When Brandmeier asks if that ever happened, my father replied, "I have not been in that position."




Punk'd by a nonagenarian!

Click here for the full article and other news outlets that ran with the story (BBC, New Yorker, etc.)

* CORRECTION (4/18/14): The audio of the interview is posted on the website of WGN-FM, so I assumed it aired on that station. After posting my item, I was informed by Tribune Radio Vice President Todd Manley that, in fact, the show aired on sister station WGWG-LP, 87.7FM. As of today, there's no indication of that on the website, hence my error.

Hype tripe: Cincinnati press agent claims "Heimlich Heroes" first aid training program "expanding nationwide" via partnerships with the YMCA and two other national nonprofits -- the program's manager says "NOT"

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Via a March 5 article bylined by "PR professional" Melinda Zemper published in the Cincinnati Enquirer's "Community News" (yellow highlighting added):

A few days ago I e-mailed media reps at the American Heritage Girls, the YMCA, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and asked for details about the partnerships.

I also e-mailed some questions to "Heimlich Heroes" program manager Terri Huntington.

source

Via an e-mail I received yesterday from Ms. Huntington:

I want you to know that the nature of the relationship with the organizations you mention was overstated...Heimlich Heroes has NOT formed a formal partnership with any of the organizations listed.

###

Also see my February 26, item, "Heimlich Heroes" program teaches Ohio students a choking rescue treatment NOT recommended by Heart Association and Red Cross -- I've asked the OH and Hamilton County Health Departments to review the program.

Photos of disgraced Duggar family mentor Bill Gothard, Jim Bob Duggar, and some of the Duggar gals [UPDATE: Jim Bob throws Gothard under the bus]

Source: DuggarFamily.com

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Via Conservative leader Bill Gothard resigns following abuse allegations by Sarah Pulliam Bailey, Religion News Service (via Washington Post), March 7, 2014:

Bill Gothard, an Illinois-based advocate for home schooling and conservative dress who warned against rock music and debt, has resigned from the ministry he founded after allegations of sexually harassing women who worked at his ministry and failing to report child abuse cases.

...Gothard’s ministry had been a popular gathering spot for thousands of Christian families, including the Duggar family from TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting.”

Via Duggar Family Mentor Sex Scandal: Bill Gothard Resigns From Conservative Religious Organization After 35 Women & Teenagers Accuse Him Of Sexual Harassment, Staff Report, March 7, 2014, Radar Online:

"...Mr. Gothard has resigned as president of the Institutes in Basic Life Principles, its Board of Directors, and its affiliated entities,” David Waller, administrative director of the Advanced Training Institute to families involved in the ministry, wrote in an email.

ATI is a homeschooling program in which Jinger Duggar quoted the organization’s theme song in the Duggar’s book The Duggars: 20 and Counting!

4/3/14 UPDATE: In hopes of getting the Duggars on record about Gothard's resignation, in recent weeks I sent multiple e-mails to the Duggars representative, Sylvester Smith at Legacy Consulting in Little Rock, Arkansas, and to Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar.

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I came up empty, but a couple days ago, reporter Abby Ohlheiser at TheWire.com scored:

So it's important to note that the Duggars are promoting this way of courtship in an interesting time for their particular religious communities. Right in the middle of the press tour for Growing Up Duggar, Bill Gothard — a Christian patriarchy leader whose teachings are referenced multiple times by the advice book as a resource — resigned as the head of his own organization after facing dozens of accusations of sexual harassment. Given their endorsement of Gothard's influential teachings, The Wire asked the family for a statement on the Gothard scandal. Jim Bob, the father, said:

"I think it's important for each person to put their faith in Jesus and not follow any man. For us its so important for each of us to have a relationship with the Lord. And the foundation of the relationship is asking Christ to forgive us for our sin, and to turn over the control of our life to Him, and to follow him. And so we don't follow any men, and that's just where we're at."

When asked specifically if the advice in the book still stands, despite the controversy surrounding the man who produced it, Jim Bob added, "What we do as a family, is we just follow what the Bible says. As a family, that's our goal. ... People will let us down, but Jesus won't." In other words, Gothard's ideas will remain a part of their family, even if the man behind them doesn't.

In For A Penny, Part I: WCPO-Digital, the new E.W. Scripps online venture, requires sources to become paid subscribers in order to read stories in which they participated

E.W. Scripps Company corporate slogan (source)

As an experienced source whose work has helped generate lots of news stories, I've never had a reporter refuse to provide me with a copy of a story to which I'd contributed.

Never say never.

WCPO-Digital, a new Internet venture owned by Cincinnati-based media conglomerate E.W. Scripps, requires sources to become paid subscribers in order to read stories in which they participated.

In other words, sources provide their time and information for free to WCPO-Digital reporters, but must pay for the privilege of reading the results.

The policy came to my attention as a result of the February 9, 2014 WCPO-Digital story by staff reporter Lucy May, Henry Heimlich: At 94, Cincinnati's famous, polarizing doctor still working to shape his legacy.

Click the title link and you'll learn the story's behind a subscription paywall.

Here's what Ms. May's colleague, WCPO-Digital staff reporter Dan Monk, and Ms. May tweeted the day the story was published:

Part of Ms. May's story is about my research into my father's bizarre career and my efforts to bring the information to public attention. I was also a principle source for story and Ms. May used quotes from an interview I gave her.

Check out this offer she made to me and Joy Patrick, another source/interview subject for her story:



My same-day acceptance, copied to her editor Christine Graves and the managers responsible for WCPO-Digital:



True to her word, here's Ms. May's snail mail follow-up including the cash:

Yesterday I e-mailed some questions about WCPO-Digital's "no free articles for sources" policy to Carolyn Micheli, communications veep at E.W. Scripps. I'll be reporting the results in a future Sidebar item.

My brother Phil, a former high-profile elected official, to WCPO-Digital: "If I had AIDS...shoot me up" with malaria

RIGHT TO LEFT (March 2005): My brother, former Cincinnati city councilman/former Hamilton County commissioner Phil Heimlich; his wife/my sister-in-law, Rebecca Heimlich; Christopher Finney, my father's attorney and former law partner at Finney, Stagnaro, Saba and Patterson; two guys I don't recognize; former Ohio Representative Tom Brinkman (in green suit); former Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro. (source)

Via Henry Heimlich: At 94, Cincinnati's famous, polarizing doctor still working to shape his legacy by staff reporter Lucy May, WCPO-Digital, February 9, 2014. (The story's behind a subscription paywall -- click here for the page with the quote.)

(Dr.) Heimlich also persists in arguing malariotherapy – the practice of injecting patients with a curable form of malaria – should be researched as a possible treatment for AIDS and other diseases.

...A World Health Organization report called Heimlich-backed experiments in the late 1990s that infected AIDS patients in China with malaria one of the “atrocities” committed by doctors in recent memory.

But Heimlich hasn’t backed down on either.

For his staunchest supporters, that’s all they need to hear.

“I can assure you if I had AIDS or another disease he thought it might work with –- shoot me up,” Heimlich’s son, Phil, said of malariotherapy.

The article does not report that Phil is the longtime vice president of the Heimlich Institute, the Cincinnati nonprofit that funded and supervised the experiments on Chinese AIDS patients and other "malariotherapy" experiments conducted on U.S. and foreign patients in Mexico, Panama, Ethiopia, and Gabon.


This item has been updated.