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ADDRESS

By
C. Everett Koop, MD, ScD
SURGEON GENERAL
OF THE
U. S, Pupiic HEALTH SERVICE
U., S, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

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PRESENTED TO THE New YorK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
New York, New York
DECEMBER 7, 1987
(GREETINGS TO HOSTS, GUESTS, FRIENDS, ETC.)

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR RECOGNITION AND YOUR HONOR. I DO
APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH,

AND 11’S INTERESTING THAT YOU HONOR ME FOR MY ACHIEVEMENT AS AN
EDUCATOR, WHICH, I’M AFRAID, LET'S THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG. THIS HAS
BEEN ONE OF THOSE WELL-KEPT GOVERNMENT SECRETS YOU READ ABOUT IN THE
NEWSPAPERS. BUT, ALAS. THE SECRET IS APPARENTLY NOW OUT:

THE SURGEON GENERAL OF THE U.S PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE IS NOT NOW

A SURGEON -- I WAS ONE ONCE AND I THINK I WAS A PRETTY GOOD ONE,
TOO -- BUT I HAVEN’T PRACTICED AS A SURGEON SINCE MY APPOINTMENT
IN 1981,

AND I’M CERTAINLY NOT A GENERAL. ACTUALLY MY EQUIVALENT
MILITARY RANK IS THAT OF A VICE-ADMIRAL. BUT WHO EVER HEARD OF
A "SURGEON ADMIRAL”?
NO, I AM NEITHER “SURGEON” NOR “GENERAL”. WHAT THIS JOB IS --
HAS BEEN -- AND CERTAINLY WILL CONTINUE TO BE LONG AFTER I’VE
FINISHED MY OWN TOUR OF DUTY IN IT...1S THAT OF EDUCATOR.

I’M SUPPOSED TO TELL PEOPLE THINGS ABOUT THEIR HEALTH. BUT I’M
NOT SUPPOSED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.

AND FOR AN EX-SURGEON...BELIEVE ME, THAT’S NOT EASY.

NOW, I HOPE -- DESPITE MY CONFESSION HERE -- THAT YOU WON'T
TAKE YOUR AWARD BACK, 1’M DELIGHTED WITH YOUR APPRECIATION OF MY
ROLE AS A PUBLIC EDUCATOR. AND I KNOW IT CAN ONLY HELP ME IN MY
CAREER DEVELOPMENT AS A NON-SURGEON,. NON-GENERAL.
AND NOW, WITH THAT CLARIFICATION OUT OF THE WAY, LET ME SPEND
THE NEXT FEW MOMENTS RECOUNTING A COUPLE OF IMPORTANT LESSONS 1’ VE
LEARNED ALONG THE 6-YEAR PATH THAT HAS LED TO THIS EVENING’S
DINNER,

THE FIRST LESSON HAS TO DO WITH ALLIES.

THIS IS A SUBJECT THAT’S DISCUSSED QUITE A BIT IN SCIENTIFIC
CIRCLES BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT SCIENCE -- BY ITSELF -- IS NOT ABLE TO
ACCOMPLISH ALL THINGS POSSIBLE. SCIENCE NEEDS GOVERNMENT...NEEDS
EDUCATION... NEEDS THE FINANCIAL COMMUNITY...AND NEEDS THE GENERAL
PUBLIC MOST OF ALL.
WE TALK ABOUT SUCH ALLIES AT GREAT LENGTH...BUT MOSTLY IN
GENERALITIES. HOWEVER, IT WAS MY GOOD FORTUNE TO GET A STRONG
LESSON IN THE SPECIFICS OF ALLIANCE-BUILDING. AND I WANT TO SHARE
THAT BRIEF LESSON WITH YOU NOW,

YOU MAY RECALL THAT, ALMOST TWO YEARS AGO. IN FEBRUARY 1986,
PRESIDENT REAGAN ANNOUNCED THAT HE WANTED ME TO PUT TOGETHER A
REPORT TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, TELLING THEM THE PLAIN FACTS ABOUT
AIDS,

THE AIDS EPIDEMIC HAD, BY THEN. BEEN ON THE RECORD BOOKS FOR
NEARLY 5 YEARS, AND A GREAT MANY THINGS HAD HAPPENED:
* FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAD MORE OR LESS IDENTIFIED THE AIDS VIRUS
-- WHAT WE NOW TECHNICALLY CALL THE “HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY
VIRUS,” OR H.I.V. I SAY “MORE OR LESS” BECAUSE A GREAT DEAL
ABOUT THIS VIRUS STILL ELUDES US,

* AND, OF COURSE, WE IDENTIFIED THE ROUTES OF TRANSMISSION OF
THE AIDS VIRUS FROM ONE HUMAN BEING TO ANOTHER...

* AND WE ALSO HAD A GOOD TEST TO DETECT THE PRESENCE IN THE
BLOODSTREAM OF ANTIBODIES TO THE AIDS VIRUS.
BUT MANY THINGS HAD NOT HAPPENED:

* WE STILL HAD NO VACCINE TO PREVENT THE VIRUS FROM
SPREADING...

* WE HAD NO DRUGS THAT STOPPED THE AIDS-RELATED ILLNESSES
FROM INVADING AND TAKING OVER THE BODY -- AND THE MIND -- OF A
PERSON WITH AIDS.
* AND, WHILE WE TOLD THE PUBLIC HOW THE AIDS VIRUS WAS
TRANSMITTED, WE HAD’T SUCCEEDED IN TELLING THEM WHAT TO DO TO
AVOID GETTING AIDS, IN OTHER WORDS, WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT
“HIGH-RISK” BEHAVIOR, BUT WE NEGLECTED TO DESCRIBE “LOW-RISK” OR
"NO-RISK” BEHAVIOR,

THERE WAS MUCH CONFUSION. FRUSTRATION, ANGER, AND FEAR AT THAT
TIME. AND THAT’S WHEN THE PRESIDENT ASKED ME TO SPEND A FEW MONTHS
TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.

BUT IN ALL HONESTY I REALIZED THAT I, T00, HAD SOME CONCERNS
ABOUT CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THE AIDS EPIDEMIC AND I NEEDED TO BE
EDUCATED -- AND FAST -- IF I WERE TO DO WHAT THE PRESIDENT WANTED.
FOR THE NEXT 8 MONTHS, THEREFORE, I INVITED A WIDE RANGE OF
ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS TO MEET WITH ME PRIVATELY AND TELL ME
WHAT THEY KNEW ABOUT THIS DISEASE AND WHAT THEY THOUGHT THEIR
CONSTITUENCIES OUGHT TO KNOW, ALSO,

I LISTENED TO VIRTUALLY EVERY POINT OF VIEW ON THE SUBJECT,
BROUGHT TO ME BY SINCERE PEOPLE REPRESENTING...

THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION AND THE NATIONAL P.T.A....

THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES AND THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
COMMISSION OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION...
THE SYNAGOGUE COUNCIL OF AMERICA AND THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF
CATHOLIC BISHOPS...

I] TALKED WITH THE NATIONAL COALITION OF BLACK LESBIANS AND GAYS
AND WITH THE WASHINGTON BUSINESS GROUP ON HEALTH.

I MET WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF LOCAL. COUNTY. STATE. AND
TERRITORIAL HEALTH OFFICIALS. ALL IN ALL. 1 TALKED WITH
REPRESENTATIVES OF 26 ORGANIZATIONS.

MOST WERE NOT WELL VERSED IN EITHER SCIENCE OR MEDICINE. BUT
THEY RESPECTED THE ROLE OF SCIENCE AND THEY TOOK SERIOUSLY THEIR OWN
ROLE -- AS CITIZENS IN A DEMOCRACY -- TO TRY TO INFLUENCE SCIENCE IN
A WAY THAT WOULD BENEFIT OUR SOCIETY, ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN VISION
OF WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE ARE ABOUT AS A NATION.
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THEY WERE A DIVERSE BUT PROFOUNDLY CONCERNED PARADE OF
ADVOCATES AND. AT THE CLOSE OF EACH PRIVATE SESSION, EACH GROUP
PLEDGED TO HELP ME GET MY FINAL REPORT INTO THE HANDS OF THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE,

AND THAT'S THE PART I WANT TO EMPHASIZE TO YOU THIS EVENING.
SCIENCE, IF I MAY SAY SO. HAS BEEN A MIXED BLESSING TO THE PEOPLE OF
THIS CENTURY AND THIS COUNTRY, NEVERTHELESS, THEY WANT SCIENCE AND
SCIENTISTS TO CONTINUE TO REVEAL MORE ABOUT THE UNIVERSE WE LIVE IN
-- AND WHICH LIVES IN EACH OF US -- AND THEY HAVE GREAT FAITH THAT,
ON BALANCE, SCIENCE WILL HELP MORE OFTEN THAN IT WILL HARM,
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WEEK AFTER WEEK, I HEARD MANY THINGS -- BUT ONE COMMON THREAD
OF COMMUNICATION WAS THIS MESSAGE OF FAITH THAT, WITH THE MAXIMUM
PARTICIPATION OF AVERAGE PEOPLE, SCIENCE CAN CONTINUE TO MOVE
FORWARD IN A RATIONAL AND SOCIALLY USEFUL MANNER,

THOSE EIGHT MONTHS OF LISTENING... LEARNING... AND THEN WRITING
THAT REPORT WAS -- QUITE COINCIDENTALLY -- A MINI-COURSE IN
UNDERSTANDING THAT FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN
THE PROCESSES OF OUR NATIONAL LIFE.
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WHEN THAT PARTICIPATION OCCURS, I BELIEVE THE PEOPLE FEEL A
GENUINE SENSE OF PROPRIETORSHIP ABOUT THE PROCESS...AND ABOUT LTS
QUICOME,..EVEN IF IT’S AN OUTCOME WITH WHICH THEY DON’T COMPLETELY
AGREE.

THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE BASICALLY FAIR...AND 1 BELIEVE THEIR
SENSE OF FAIRNESS HAS NEVER BEEN MORE EVIDENT THAN DURING THE
EVOLUTION OF THE AIDS EPIDEMIC.

I EMPHASIZE THIS BECAUSE, AS I’M SURE YOU KNOW, MY REPORT ON
AIDS WASN'T EXACTLY WHAT MANY PEOPLE HAD EXPECTED. 1 WON’T GO INTO
DETAILS, I‘LL JUST REFER YOU TO YOUR PUBLIC LIBRARY, THANKS JUST THE
SAME.
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YET, THE REPORT DID CONTAIN THE KIND OF INFORMATION THAT CAME
UP OVER AND OVER AGAIN DURING MY CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE AND
GROUPS FROM ACROSS THE SPECTRUM OF AMERICAN LIFE. AND THAT’S THE
KEY REASON THAT -- AFTER MORE THAN A YEAR -- THE REPORT HAS NOT BEEN
“AMENDED” OR “ADJUSTED” IN SOME WAY.

NOR HAVE I HAD TO APOLOGIZE FOR ANYTHING IN IT,

THE REPORT SPOKE OF THE NEED TO TELL OUR CHILDREN ABOUT AIDS...
AND ABOUT THE PRIMARY WAY IN WHICH AIDS WAS BEING TRANSMITTED: THAT
IS, THROUGH SEXUAL INTERCOURSE.

SO, WE HAD TO FOCUS ON THE NEED TO TELL OUR CHILDREN ABOUT
HUMAN REPRODUCTION, HUMAN SEXUALITY. AND -- MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL --
THE NATURE OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS:
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WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT YOURSELF...AND WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT
OTHER PEOPLE.

IT SEEMED TO ME THAT THE PUBLIC HAD ALREADY BEEN GIVEN MORE THAN
ENOUGH MISINFORMATION ABOUT THIS DISEASE AND THE PEOPLE WHO HAD IT.
BUT THE PUBLIC HAD NOT YET BEEN GIVEN NEARLY ENOUGH INFORMATION TO
HELP THEM UNDERSTAND THAT SCIENCE AND MORALITY HAD TO WALK HAND-IN-
HAND, IN ORDER FOR US TO CONTAIN THE EPIDEMIC OF AIDS,

AND. AS IT TURNED OUT, I HAD TREMENDOUS ALLIES FOR THIS POINT
OF VIEW.

AND FRANKLY THAT’S WHAT MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE.
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T RELEASED THE "SURGEON GENERAL’S REPORT ON AIDS” ON OCTOBER
22, 1986. AND FROM THAT MOMENT ON, THE SCHOOLS... CHURCHES... SYNA-
GOGUES.. .HOSPITALS...CITY HALLS..,.STATE HOUSES...AND CIVIC ASSOCIA-
TIONS OF AMERICA HAVE HELPED TO DISTRIBUTE THE REPORT.

WE’VE MADE CAMERA-READY COPIES OF THE REPORT AVAILABLE TO MANY
LOCAL AND STATEWIDE GROUPS SO THEY COULD REPRODUCE IT AND EVEN ADD
THEIR OWN LOGOS TO IT. AND DOZENS OF GROUPS HAVE DONE JUST THAT.

REMMEBER, MANY OF THEM WERE PART OF THE WRITING PROCESS ITSELF
AND. THUS, THEY HAVE A SENSE OF OWNERSHIP OF THE REPORT.
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AND THESE ARE THE GROUPS THAT HAVE GONE TO LOCAL NEWSPAPERS AND
RADIO AND T.V. STATIONS...THAT’VE HELD PUBLIC MEETINGS...AND HAVE
DONE SUCH A TREMENDOUS EDUCATION JOB RIGHT AT THE COMMUNITY AND
NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL.

DURING THIS ENTIRE PERIOD OF INTENSIVE PUBLIC EDUCATION, I’M
SORRY TO SAY THAT NUMBER OF PERSONS WITH AIDS HAS NEVERTHELESS
CONTINUED 10 CLIMB.

BUT I AM ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THAT. WITHOUT THE PRO-ACTIVE
INVOLVEMENT OF SO MANY SOLID AMERICAN GROUPS -- OF EVERY PERSUASION
-- THE NUMBER OF PERSONS CARRYING THE VIRUS WOULD BE FAR HIGHER THAN
IT IS,
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THAT'S A VERY UNSCIENTIFIC ASSERTION. I KNOW. I CAN’T PROVE IT
AND NO ONE ELSE CAN EITHER. BUT I BELIEVE IT’S TRUE.

NOW, I PERSONALLY GET A LOT OF CREDIT FOR DOING SUCH A
MARVELOUS JOB IN TELLING PEOPLE THE FACTS ABOUT AIDS. AND I
SUPPOSE I HAVE, OR I DON’T BELIEVE I'D BE YOUR HONORED GUEST THIS
EVENING,

BUT I -- JUST LIKE EVERY ONE OF YOU -- I ALSO AM JUST ONE
PERSON. ..AND A GOVERNMENT EMPLOYE AT THAT...AND I MAINTAIN THAT THE
SUCCESS I’VE HAVE HAD SO FAR IS, YOU MIGHT SAY, JUST “THE TIP OF THE
ICEBERG.” |
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WHAT YOU DON’T SEE -- BUT WHICH I KNOW IS THERE -- IS THE BROAD
BASE OF UNDERSTANDING... AND SUPPORT...AND CONSTANT REITERATION OF
THE ANTI-AIDS MESSAGE BY TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ENGAGED AND INVOLVED
AND FAIR-MINDED CITIZENS...OUR STRONG AND COMMITTED ALLIES.

WE HAVE A TENDENCY -- IN SCIENCE AND MEDICINE -- TO BEWAIL THE
FACT THAT THE PUBLIC DOESN’T UNDERSTAND US AND DOESN’T TRUST US. I
KNOW THAT BECAUSE I’VE BEEN GUILT OF THAT KIND OF THING IN THE PAST,
ALSO, BUT IT'S NOT A USEFUL TENDENCY AT ALL.

I BELIEVE THAT THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS FAIR AND WANTS TO HELP --
IF WE WILL ONLY ASSUME OUR RESPONSIBILITY OF TELLING THE PUBLIC WHAT
WE’RE DOING AND THEN OF LISTENING -- REALLY LISTENING -- TO WHAT TO
THE PUBLIC HAS TO SAY IN RESPONSE,
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MY OTHER MESSAGE FOR YOU THIS EVENING IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT,
BUT IT’S ALSO ROOTED IN MY OWN EXPERIENCE OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS.

IT’S PROMPTED BY MY FAMILIARITY WITH ALL THE CRITICISM THAT HAS
BEEN LEVELED AT THE GOVERNMENT -- AND THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE IN
PARTICULAR -- THROUGHOUT THIS TRAGIC PERIOD DURING WHICH AIDS HAS
ACHIEVED EPIDEMIC PROPORTIONS,

THE CRITICISMS GENERALLY HAVE TO DO WITH MONEY -- WE WEREN’T
SPENDING ENOUGH, THE CRITICS HAVE SAID -- OR WITH OUR ABILITY TO
COMMUNICATE THE FULL NATURE OF THIS DISEASE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE,
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I BELIEVE IT HAS TO BE SAID THAT, FROM THE VERY BEGINNING --
GOING BACK TO JUNE OF 1981 -- THE GOVERNMENT TOOK SERIOUSLY THE
PRESENCE AND THE SPREAD OF AIDS. TO EVEN SUGGEST OTHERWISE IS
SIMPLY POPPYCOCK.

BUT OUR VERY FIRST TASK, AS A RESPONSIBLE SCIENTIFIC ORGANI -
ZATION, WAS TO IDENTIFY THE BEAST AND UNDERSTAND HOW IT WORKED,

WE DID NOT SOUND A GENERAL ALARM ABOUT “AIDS” IN 1981 BECAUSE,
FOR ONE THING. THAT TERM SIMPLY DIDN’T EXIST. IN FACT, AS MANY OF
YOU MAY RECALL. FOR OVER A YEAR THE DISEASE WAS REFERRED TO AS
"KAPOSI‘S SARCOMA IN PREVIOUSLY HEALTHY PERSONS” OR “PNEUMOCYSTIS
CARINII PNEUMONIA IN PREVIOUSLY HEALTHY PERSONS” -- NOT ANYTHING
THAT “ROLLED TRIPPINGLY OFF THE TONGUE,”
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THE PHRASE “ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME” -- AND ITS
ACRONYM “AIDS” -- ACTUALLY DIDN’T GAIN CURRENCY UNTIL THE FALL OF
1982, SOME 14 MONTHS AFTER THE FIRST REPORTS OF THIS STRANGE DISEASE
HAD COME TO US,

BUT GIVING IT A NAME DIDN‘’T SOLVE MUCH EITHER, BECAUSE AIDS HAS
PROVED TO BE A VERY STUBBORN PHENOMENON. IT BEGAN IN MYSTERY, AND
TODAY. MORE THAN 6 YEARS AND OVER A BILLION DOLLARS LATER. IT IS
SULL SOMETHING OF A MYSTERY.

BY MID-1983 WE BEGAN TO SEE THE DIM OUTLINES OF WHAT THIS
DISEASE REALLY MIGHT BE. AND AT THAT POINT. THE PUBLIC HEALTH
SERVICE PUT IT ON THE TOP OF ITS AGENDA FOR RESEARCH AND ACTION,
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WITH THE ADVICE AND COUNSEL OF THE NATIONAL GAY TASK FORCE, THE
PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE INSTALLED A TOLL-FREE HOTLINE AND THE
ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AT THAT TIME, DR. EDWARD BRANDT, SAID
THAT AIDS WAS NOW THE COUNTRY’S “NUMBER ONE HEALTH PROBLEM. ”

MOST AMERICANS READ THAT STATEMENT IN DISBELIEF. IN 1983
ALMOST ANYONE COULD HAVE LISTED A DOZEN OTHER CONCERNS THAT SEEMED
TO MERIT THAT TOP SPOT:

TEEN-AGE PREGNANCY, ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE, DRUG ABUSE, HEART
DISEASE, ALCOHOLISM, OBESITY...AND FOR ME, AT THAT TIME. THE
MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN WAS SMOKING,

AND I MUST BE VERY CANDID WITH YOU. CIGARETTES KILL IN ONE
MONTH AS MANY AMERICANS AS HAVE DIED OF AIDS IN THE PAST 6 YEARS.
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I THINK A CLOSER READING OF THE HISTORY OF THIS EPIDEMIC SO FAR
WILL LEAD TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE GOVERNMENT DID. IN FACT,
MOBILIZE ITS EXTENSIVE RESOURCES -- AND THIS IS THE CRUCIAL POINT --
IN A MANNER WHICH WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE EVOLVING BODY OF
INFORMATION WE HAD AT ANY ONE TIME.

AS THE INFORMATION CHANGED, PEOPLE IN GOVERNMENT MADE THE
NECESSARY ADJUSTMENTS IN BOTH POLICY AND PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION,

IN FACT, AS I INDICATED A MOMENT AGO, THERE WAS EVEN A QUESTION
AS TO WHETHER SOME GOVERNMENT DECISION-MAKERS WEREN‘T GETTING AHEAD
OF WHAT THE SCIENTIFIC DATA SEEMED TO INDICATE.
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PEOPLE IN GOVERNMENT -- ESPECIALLY SOMEONE LIKE ME, WHOSE
PRIMARY TASK IT 1S PUBLIC SUASION AND EDUCATION -- WE'RE CONSTANTLY
FACED BY THE REQUIREMENT TO TELL WHAT WE KNOW...BUT NOT TO TELL
THINGS THAT ARE BEYOND WHAT WE KNOW, THAT’S A CRITICAL DIFFERENCE,

MANY OF OUR CRITICS WANTED US TO DO THAT. BUT WE WOULD NOT.
AND WE WILL NOT.

AND THE SAME IS TRUE OF THE BUDGET. WE’VE BEEN ROUNDLY
CRITICIZED FOR NOT ASKING FOR HUGE SUMS OF MONEY RIGHT FROM THE
BEGINNING. BUT, AS ANY GOVERNMENT PERSON KNOWS, WE’RE SUPPOSED TO
ASK FOR MONEY WE KNOW WE CAN SPEND RESPONSIBLY. IF WE ASK FOR MORE
THAN THAT. THEN WE’RE BEING IRRESPONSIBLE.
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HENCE, THE CHALLENGE FOR THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE IN THE EARLY
YEARS OF THE AIDS EPIDEMIC WAS TO SPEAK AND TO SPEND WITHIN THE
BOUNDARIES OF WHAT WE KNEW OR COULD REASONABLY SUSPECT.

I BELIEVE WE DID THAT. AND WE STILL ARE DOING THAT.

FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, THE AIDS EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN A POSITIVE
EXAMPLE OF THE WAY THE GOVERNMENT IN GENERAL -- AND THE PUBLIC
HEALTH SERVICE IN PARTICULAR -- OUGHT TO CONDUCT ITS BUSINESS:

WE STAYED CLOSE TO OUR AIDS INFORMATION BASE, AND DID NOT OVER-
REACT IN GROUNDLESS HYSTERICS NOR UNDER-REACT IN CALLOUS
INDIFFERENCE,
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T HOPE THIS DISEASE IS CONQUERED JUST AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND
THAT NOTHING LIKE THE AIDS VIRUS EVER APPEARS AGAIN. BUT. AS HUMAN
HISTORY AMPLY ILLUSTRATES, SUCH THINGS APPEAR WITH VERY TROUBLING
FREQUENCY. AND I SUPPOSE WE’LL BE IN FOR SOMETHING ELSE, BEFORE T00
LONG,

IF THAT HAPPENS AND IT’S NO LONGER ON MY WATCH. MY BEST ADVICE
TO MY SUCCESSOR WOULD BE TO ACT PRETTY MUCH AS WE ACTED OVER THE
PAST 6 YEARS:

THAT IS, MOVE AHEAD AS QUICKLY AS YOU CAN TO DEVELOP THE
INFORMATION BASE -- THE SCIENCE, THE DEMOGRAPHY, THE ECONOMICS,
OR WHATEVER IS REQUIRED -- AND THEN COMMUNICATE THAT INFORMATION
TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY, LEAVING NOTHING OUT,..BUT NOT
PUTTING A LOT OF UNSUBSTANTIATED THINGS IN EITHER,
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I WOULD ADVISE THAT MY SUCCESSOR DO THAT...AND THEN HUNKER DOWN
TO TAKE THE HEAT,

AND NOW, LET ME CLOSE WITH A LITTLE BIT OF WISDOM THAT HAS
STAYED WITH ME FOR MANY YEARS. IT 1S ESPECIALLY APPROPRIATE WHEN
DISCUSSING THE PHENOMENON OF AIDS, PARTICULARLY WITH SUCH AN
AUDIENCE OF DISTINGUISHED MEN AND WOMEN IN THE SCIENCES,

THIS BIT OF WISDOM WAS WRITTEN BY ONE OF THE GREAT PIONEERS OF
MODERN SCIENCE, SIR FRANCIS BACON. AND IT GOES LIKE THIS:

"NATURE IS A LABYRINTH IN WHICH
THE VERY HASTE YOU MOVE WITH
WILL MAKE YOU LOSE YOUR WAY.”
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THAT’S NOT A BAD MOTTO FOR SCIENCE...AND I’D SAY THAT IT’S
PRETTY GOOD FOR THE GOVERNMENT IN GENERAL.

ONCE AGAIN. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INVITATION AND FOR YOUR AWARD,
T DO APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH,

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