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Sunday, February 17, 2008
What are Victoria’s Secrets? A Letter to the Enquirer’s Politics Editor
Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati
Photo courtesy of here.
Carl Weiser, Assistant Editor, Government/Public Affairs
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Dear Mr. Weiser,
This is a follow-up to reporter Margaret McGurk’s February 17 item, The Debunko Squad: Wulsin’s Work Criticized.
From Ms. McGurk’s report:
The question: Did Victoria Wulsin cover up unethical medical experiments? That’s a charge made by Steve Black, who is running against Wulsin in the Democratic primary for the 2nd Congressional District, in a campaign mailer. He says the National Council Against Health Fraud has asked the State Medical Board of Ohio to investigate Wulsin on the charges.
The facts: A request for an investigation of Wulsin’s work for the Heimlich Institute was filed on Nov. 3, 2006 by Robert S. Baratz, a Massachusetts doctor who, under the NCAHF banner, has been a harsh critic of Dr. Henry Heimlich, founder of the institute. The letter accused Wulsin of “participation in unsupervised, unapproved, and dangerous experiments”
Wulsin worked for the institute in 2004 while it was conducting controversial experiments based on the idea that infecting AIDS patients with malaria might restore their immune systems. Wulsin said her only role was to review records and analyze data. She said she wrote a report criticizing the study and concluding that the therapy was ineffective, and was fired immediately by Heimlich.
The Ohio Medical Board will not confirm or comment on any investigation, other than to report that as of Feb. 14, it has taken no action against Wulsin. The case apparently remains open, as Black’s campaign says. Neither Baratz nor Wulsin has received the customary letter the board issues when it closes a case.
For the past few years, The Beacon’s been reporting on the Heimlich Institute, including a November 3, 2006 story about the complaint filed by NCAHFagainst Dr. Wulsin’s license. More recently we reported how NCAHF has been keeping an eye on the Heimlich Institute’s dubious “malariotherapy” experiments for over a decade. From a October 30, 1994 Los Angles Times front page story:
As you may know, on February 16, 2003, the Enquirer broke a big story about the Heimlich Institute’s “malariotherapy” experiments in China. That report,which linked two prominent UCLA immunology professors to the Heimlich experiments, eventually made its way into many publications, including the March 4, 2003 New York Times. Given Ms. McGurk’s item, I presume you’re now watching the current story. That’s why I’m writing you.
Over the past couple years, Dr. Wulsin has responded to our questions about her association with the Heimlich Institute and we’ve appreciated her co-operation. Recently, however, she and her campaign staff have failed to respond to our multiple request for answers to the following questions:
1) Has Dr. Wulsin received any communications about this matter from anyone associated with the State Medical Board of Ohio? If yes, what are they?
2) I’ve attached a copy of the National Council Against Health Fraud complaint, filed on November 3, 2006. Would Dr. Wulsin please provide a detailed reply to the allegations and specifically address why they are false?
3) What were the exact dates of Dr. Wulsin’s association with the Heimlich Institute as a paid employee?
4) Was Dr. Wulsin paid by the Heimlich Institute or was she paid by Dr. Heimlich or another individual?
5) Regarding her association with the Heimlich Institute, who first contacted her? Was it attorney Joseph Dehner or someone else? What was the date of that first contact?
6) Would you please provide me with a copy of Dr. Wulsin’s most recent curriculum vitae?
If the Enquirer is planning future stories on these matters, I’d appreciate it if you’d forward my questions to the appropriate reporter.
Thanks for for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
The Dean of Cincinnati
The Cincinnati Beacon
cc: Margaret McGurk, Malia Rulon, Barbara Henry (Gannett)
P.S. You may wish to fix the headline of Ms. McGurk’s online article which now reads, “The Debunko Sqaud” (sic)
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17 Feb 2008 at 05:23 pm | #
Meanwhile, the Ohio Medical Association is NOT endorsing Ditzy DemocRAT Icky Vicky Wulsin (Millionaire-Indian Hill), even though Icky and hubby Lawsie begged for their support. It would have put the OMA in a rather bad place, don’t you think, backing a malaria-injecting program worker like Icky Vicky??
From The WB, 2/16/08: http://tinyurl.com/32brpn
Consider the source, but the thumbs up or non-endorsement is easily verified.
18 Feb 2008 at 08:55 am | #
5) Regarding her association with the Heimlich Institute, who first contacted her? Was it attorney Joseph Dehner or someone else? What was the date of that first contact?
I remember your article last year about Joe Dehner, who may have used his affiliation with the Episcopal Church to help set up Heimlich’s AIDS experiments in Africa: http://tinyurl.com/yr59zo
Until recently, Mr. Dehner was also a longtime board member of the Heimlich Institute and a “malariotherapy” booster. In a November 7, 1994 Cincinnati Post article, Heimlich Using Malaria to Treat AIDS Patients, Dehner compares Heimlich to Galileo...Dehner’s enthusiasm appears undiminished. He nominated Heimlich for the 2005 Cincinnati Business Courier’s Health Care Hero Lifetime Achievement award. Given his decades of cheerleading for Dr. Heimlich, Dehner should have no problem explaining what his church is doing arranging experiments on African prostitutes.
Dehner’s an international law attorney at Frost Brown Todd. Here’s a photo of him and his wife with David Pepper and former US Secretary of State Madeline Albright: http://isg.frostbrowntodd.com/isgphotos/
18 Feb 2008 at 02:03 pm | #
Here’s a point the Wulsin amen corner needs to consider. Phil Heimlich is vice president of the Heimlich Institute. He’s been privy to everything going on there since back in the 1980s, including the full extent of Wulsin’s involvement in the illicit experiments.
If there are dead AIDS patients out there or questionable financial transactions, that could be very bad news for Wulsin. If that’s the case and if elected, Wulsin would be vulnerable to any manipulation that Phil or Henry Heimlich wanted to apply. If she gets elected, how would it appear if it turns out she participated in infecting destitute sex workers in Ethiopia with malaria? In other words, even though he dropped out of the primary, Phil Heimlich might have serious leverage over Wulsin.
18 Feb 2008 at 03:28 pm | #
If indeed Wulsin’s got a dark stain on her past from her time with Heimlich, who else might have power over her? For example, what if a powerful medical corporation needed favors or congressional votes?
Current board members of the Heimlich Institute:
E. Anthony Woods, Chairman DEACONESS
Jane Mary Tenhover, Trustee DEACONESS
Barbara Lohr, Secretary DEACONESS
Henry Heimlich MD, Trustee
Philip M. Heimlich, Vice-President
18 Feb 2008 at 11:47 pm | #
Based on the Cincinnati Beacon’s loss of credibility recently, I would say Wulsin likely did nothing unethical. I believe she was hired and paid to do the review. Did it properly. Issued a negative report that is private, propriatory information which she is not allowed to release personally. And that she was fired, like the paper says, promptly for refusing to play Heimlich’s game.
Stop working on rumor and innuendo before you smear someone’s life’s work and until you get the facts - shut up.
What was once an insightful, informative blog that pushed the envelope has become an internet “rag.”
19 Feb 2008 at 07:52 am | #
Firstly, she released the report last campaign season, so I don’t know why you say she is not allowed to release it.
Further, have you read it? Yes, in parts she says evidence indicates that the data does not support malariotherapy, and that further work needs to be done with the oversight of proper review boards. But at the same time, she wants to collect more data, to continue talking with African mining companies, and to rename “malariotherapy” to “immunotherapy” due to bad press.
Why do these Wulsin fans ignore the other half of the report? It is totally incongruous with what they say.
Additionally, she admits in the report that she analyzed data from human subjects infected with malaria in Africa. Why didn’t she report this activity to the proper agency? Why did she take a paycheck while analyzing this unethical human data?
19 Feb 2008 at 08:10 am | #
#5- Get it right- She was hired as the Medical Director- not to just do a review. As Medical Director she had total control over most of the clinical trials and reporting the outcomes. That includes the report. Her job duties were more than just a REVIEW.
19 Feb 2008 at 08:17 am | #
Dean, the Enquirer fixed the “Sqaud” misspelling: http://tinyurl.com/276fq3
19 Feb 2008 at 11:58 am | #
anon 11:47 I believe she was hired and paid to do the review. Did it properly. Issued a negative report that is private, propriatory (sic) information which she is not allowed to release personally. And that she was fired, like the paper says, promptly for refusing to play Heimlich’s game.
Several serious problems here.
1) Dr. Wulsin has repeatedly stated that she was considering succeeding Dr. Heimlich as president of the Heimlich Institute. For 20 years, the sole research activity of the Heimlich Institute has been illicit offshore “malariotherapy” experiments conducted on cancer, Lyme disease, and AIDS patients. It stands to reason that as head of the Heimlich Institute, Dr. Wulsin would be responsible for continuing this work. What other work was there for her to do there? Promote the Heimlich maneuver for drowning and asthma? But those are also discredited, dangerous quack theories, so promoting them is also unethical.
Question for Anon 11:47 and others. Given the premise that Dr. Wulsin is an experienced, capable medical professional, she would have a variety of employment opportunities to pursue. Why do you think she chose to work at a place like the Heimlich Institute?
2) Contrary to anon 11:47, Dr. Wulsin’s report is not negative and her report fails to supports such a conclusion.
My assertion is supported by the following evidence. “Malariotherapy” has been widely denounced in the journals and popular press for decades. If Dr. Wulsin’s report was indeed negative, her bibliography would include some of those materials. In fact, the bibliography does not list a single critical article. Documents here: http://tinyurl.com/2d6p6n
19 Feb 2008 at 09:51 pm | #
Unintentionally funny post at Drinking Liberally: http://tinyurl.com/39ckzt
Steve Black has shown his law-abiding nature by the number of signs he’s illegally posted on public property. I remember when his blood-brother, Phil Heimlich, posted signs illegally all over Hyde Park....
The writer is apparently unaware that Dr. Wulsin worked for Phil Heimlich on a project involving blood, that of African AIDS patients.
21 Feb 2008 at 12:30 pm | #
The last thing this District needs is someone that is controlled by a Heimlich… A Vote for Vic Wulsin is a vote for the Heimlich Institute, (and all the lies that go with it) pure and simple.
Steve Black won’t take no flack… that’s where my vote is headed.
And I agree that it’s time to begin pushing the envolope at the Dean website… This is war on our rights. Vic will stay with the status quo, and she has shown us that she can’t win… Black is the man.