JOURNAL

I am convinced that I must start to publish the web site within a few days. This means that it will be seen well before the contents are complete. I have decided to do this as soon as the first two articles are added. The reason for this haste is that I do not envisage this is to be a limited project, but one to which additional material can constantly be added. There is another less commendable reason. This is my lack of confidence that I will continue to add material without the external impetus of having made a public commitment to do so. In addition this will force me to overcome the difficulties I have in organizing the large amount of material I have, which cover so many diverse topics. I will get moving on this project by publishing on two topics, simply because the material happens to be on my desk and needs little revision. The early neglect of Pneumocyctis jiroveki (carinii) pneumonia is one, and a review of the original AZT trial is the other. The first was written about two years ago and the latter in 1987. The order in which material will be added will be determined by practical considerations. These include the ease with which I am able to locate documents and articles. Sometimes there may be issues of contemporary interest which relate to earlier work I have done or related issues I have previously commented on. I am trying to organize the records I brought with me from New York to London. I did leave even more material in two archives in New York City, but am not optimistic that these will be available in an organized fashion in a time frame that will be of use to this project.

Surprisingly I have completed the design of the site, it's pretty ugly, but I'm not going to spend too much time in improving the visual quality at this time. Yesterday I finally learned how to upload files to the server and how they can be accessed from the Contents page. After describing the article I add the word HERE in blue and clicking there actually works in retrieving the article, I will add an associated link to any contemporary comment I might make and to associated material that I can scan, for example, in this case my original short article in the PWA Newsline from about 1985 on PCP prophylaxis, also any photographs that may be of interest. It has been just over a week since I started this; but with excellent help from the company hosting this site on just two places where I got stuck, I believe all the components are in place in order to proceed.

Nothing has been added to this site for about a month. I was responding to a request to write about Alick Isaacs, the co discoverer of interferon. I will publish this article here as what I submit will be extensively edited and although this article is not directly connected with HIV/AIDS, it does provide some background on my interest in the connection between interferon and HIV/AIDS.

I will add an article I presented to President Mbeki's AIDS panel in 2000. It is essentially unchanged, so there is also a short introductory note. This proved to be a sad and lost opportunity, both because the differing views of the participants ensured that no meaningful discussion was possible. A minority of the participants were individuals who either believed HIV does not exist or who believed it plays no role in AIDS. Most, including myself did not doubt the role of HIV. With such basic differences, it was unrealistic to expect a meaningful dialogue

The article I submitted suggests .an explanation for differences noted in the distribution of HIV/AIDS in Africa as compared to N America and Europe. In suggesting that reasons for this may lie in the effects of untreated endemic and associated infections in Africa, it emphasizes my belief (and that of others) that disease specific interventions - that is dealing with a specific disease in isolation, not only may be less effective in improving the overall health of populations, but may also be less effective in dealing with the disease in question, by ignoring the influence of other prevalent infectious and non infectious causes of morbidity.