My Endeavour
by Ching-Chee Chan, Ph.D.
All Rights Reserved
Egret Publishing Inc.
May 2001
In one warm summer evening in the mid nineteen sixties, I heard a
BBC news report about a terrified woman teacher being disciplined
by the school board for refusing to let one pupil into her class room,
because the pupil was suffering from some kind of bone disease with
limbs coiling and twisting like boiled spaghetti. I remember I had
seen children like that in wheel chairs in the supermarket. That was
my final year research in the University of Manchester. I soon
departed for Canada.
After settling down in Toronto, I spent my free time exploring
southern Ontario's almost limitless space, limitless compared with
that of England. One day I noticed the same phenomenon again in a
mall, and sometime later I was told that was arthritis or so-called
juvenile arthritis. I used to associate such disease with old people. I
had never heard that children could get arthritis. This must be a
new phenomenon. In those few years, the media were full of stories
about degenerative diseases of unknown causes and the ever-expanding list of allergies. Were those real or the media needed
something to fill the air time? Statistics would tell. After years of
procrastination, I decided to write to the Minister of Health, Mr.
Marc Lalonde about collecting the data. One of those assistants to a
certain deputy minister replied on his behalf. From the bureaucratic
language, I gathered the answer was "no" even the actual word was
not used. That was my first experience with the federal government.
They had a way of saying no without actually saying no but meaning
exactly no. That was 1971, and a new minister took over the
following year. I wrote again. The reply was similar. I realized they
did not want to hear it and I decided to sleep on the idea, besides
something seemed to be missing.
Application of Principles of Chemistry to Medicine
Fifteen years had passed since. One day I noticed an article in a
news magazine about something called "AIDS" which I had never
heard of before. Of course I bought a copy of the magazine and read
the article carefully. It suddenly dawned on me that this might be
the missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle which had been in my
subconscious mind.
After mulling over for about a year, I published a letter in Canadian
Research, and the following two years, another two letters stating
that by plotting the incidence rates of those degenerative diseases
(neurological, musculo-skeletal) against year we might show the
relationship among those diseases, and a probable cause. c1, c2, c3
I was inspired by the fact that same results could be reached by
different routes such as kinetics theory, thermodynamics and
statistical mechanics. I knew that most life scientists did research on
the molecular or cellular dimension and there was the so-called
information explosion in the nineteen seventies. I felt that many
experimental results and statistical data had been accumulated and
by processing these data, some fruitful results might be obtained. I
could work on macroscopic quantities or functions such as incidence
rates to reach the correct conclusion as scientists studying cell
structure, like a two-prong attack on a strategic target. This was
equivalent to working on thermodynamics and reaching similar
conclusion with those working on kinetics theory. It turned out to be
correct as it will be obvious (see below).
Unfortunately the data, I needed most such as incidence rates of
diseases were available only for a few diseases but Statistics Canada
provided numbers of deaths due to various diseases covering many
years. If the numbers of deaths of various diseases are proportional
to the corresponding incidence rates, this would be no problem. But
in the cases of diseases do not affect the life expectancy, this would
be a problem. One set of data had to be given up because of this. It
was a messy job to "translate" number of deaths into incidence
rates. Nevertheless I wrote and published (self publication) a booklet
entitled "AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH TO AIDS AND
RELATED PROBLEMS" in 1992. The main point of this work was
the hypothesis that AIDS and many chronic debilitating diseases
were related and caused by a modified version of Hansen's
bacterium, published previously in Canadian Research,c1, c2, c3 now
correlated with observed facts and supported with statistical data.
In the booklet, I proposed thalidomide as a treatment for AIDS and
other autoimmune diseases. The results of Dr. G. Kaplank45, k46 and
many others in 1993 proved my point.
A manuscript of mine was accepted by an AIDS Journal for
publication in 1995 but was later released back to me for being too
controversial. I did not pay lip service to the HIV hypothesis. Most
of the advertisers in this journal are from the HIV industry which is
based on the hypothesis that HIV causes AIDS. The hypothesis is
supported by governments with taxpayers' money. The right to free
speech is for the famous and the powerful. This is Lysenkoism. For
further detail, please click here.
In my manuscript, I cited more facts and statistical data to support
my hypothesis and I also proposed a mechanism which was
applicable to AIDS, autoimmune diseases, neurological diseases and
many types of cancer. As far as I was concerned, my manuscript
had been through peer review although it was not published in a
scientific journal. The manuscript was reproduced in Chapter 2;
Cause of AIDS in my new booklet (self publication), entitled "AN
ALTERNATIVE APPROACH TO AIDS AND RELATED
PROBLEMS: BOOK 2" in 1996.
Most diseases with similar variation patterns could be fitted in the
spectrum of Hansen's disease. Unexpectedly many diseases, such as
asthma, breast cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's diseases,
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, with similar variation patterns, could
not be fitted in the known spectrum of Hansen's disease.
However, the development of the periodic table of the chemical
elements gave me an idea. When the periodic table was first
developed, there was a vacant space. Chemists at the time thought if
the periodic table was correct, there must be an element not yet
discovered. A few years later, an element was discovered to fill the
space. In my case, it was the reverse. There were too many diseases
but not enough spaces to put them. If my hypothesis and the
correlation were correct, there must be parts of the spectrum of
Hansen's disease not yet known. So I created some spaces as
unknown parts of the spectrum to accommodate them.
Several hundred copies of the two booklets have been sent to various
ministries or government departments and established scientists.
The shortened versions of these two booklets are available free on
line. The work is being updated continually electronically, please see
Supplement.
The Role Played by the Media
In the old days, scientific activities were mainly confined to the
academies and involving only a few people. If there were any
dispute, it was usually settled inside The Royal Society and outsiders
never got to hear it. If results were published in academic journals,
laymen had neither the time nor the interest to read them. Now it is
different. Science has been commercialized and many more people
are involved, especially the general public. Many papers are being
published and not every paper is checked. When I was a research
student, a fellow student told me he was unable to repeat an
experimental result described in a paper because the particular
compound was not soluble enough at the specified temperature to
provide a solution at the concentration specified in the paper. The
most important new factor is the media, the conduit between the
scientific community and the general public. The general public
want certainty but scientists provide ideas in the form of hypotheses
and gather evidences to prove their hypotheses. The media like to
provide what their customers want in order to have higher ratings
hence greater profit. Scientists know a hypothesis when they see one
even it is not specified in the original scientific publication. Science
writers, who are responsible for transferring the publication to the
media for the general public, also realize this but the message tends
to be scrambled. As a result, a hypothesis may be presented as a
proven theory to the general public. Scientists need money, mostly
from governments, to conduct experiments to prove their
hypotheses. Politicians are accountable to the taxpayers for the
money and they want certainty if possible because of their political
career. Scientists are under pressure to assure their hypotheses are
certain to be correct, i.e., "proven" theories. Some scientists said "it
is the virus, stupid." This was an expression of faith or contempt for
others, not a proof. Faith is for religion. Ultimately it was the
propaganda power of the media that caused the HIV hypothesis to
be accepted as a "proven theory" by the general public. This
resulted in disproportional funding or no funding for scientists who
have different hypotheses.
Below is a message I send to various web boards on the Internet as a
direct appeal to the general public.
A Probable Solution
A few years ago, someone suggested, in a Toronto paper, that some
chronic debilitating diseases may be due to slow viral or bacterial
infection. He was attacked by some care-giving organizations for
raising the question. It seems that people do not want to consider the
possibility. This is unscientific. Perhaps this is why there are still no
cures for these diseases. Many people suffering from these incurable
diseases are crying out for new ideas and new treatments. Perhaps
these questions should be put directly to people suffering from these
incurable diseases. Patients should have a say in their treatments
and the direction of medical research. For detail, please click here.
Most people who have responded to the message above are ALS
patients or their relatives, probably most suspect infection is the
cause and the disease is life-threatening. I have frequently posted
messages on ALS web boards because the patients' mind is not
affected and I feel that my hypothesis would most likely be proven
by a cure of ALS. Therefore, I am fairly familiar with the
symptoms of ALS. Since June 1999, I have experienced cramps or
muscle spasms in the legs or feet while asleep and choking by my
own saliva while awake on three occasions, for detail, see My
Personal Problems.
Latest Research Findings in Alzheimer's disease
Based on consideration of variation patterns and the ENL
mechanism, inflammation may be involved in Alzheimer's disease
(see Chapter 4 Neurological Diseases in Book 2 and Neurological
Diseases in Supplement). Inflammation molecules have actually been
observed in the brains of patients of Alzheimer's disease (see
Comment on Alzheimer's Disease) according to some media reports.
Research Institutes Contacted
In October 2000, I contacted nine research institutes about checking
the DNA of Hansen's bacterium in blood or tissue samples from
patients of the chronic debilitating diseases mentioned above and
offered to finance the project. So far only two institutes replied, one
stating that they were not working in this field and the other seeking
further clarification. This seems strange but it is understandable.
Scientists love their own ideas like parents love their own children
but hate ideas from others. If my hypothesis turns out to be correct,
there will be a medical revolution and revolution generally does not
favour the establishment. In advanced countries, people believe
infectious diseases come from abroad. Therefore the department of
infectious diseases is the smallest department in a hospital and most
hospitals do not have an infectious diseases department. The biggest
outfits are oncology, autoimmune diseases and neurology in the
medical power structure. If cancer, autoimmune and neurological
diseases are suddenly curable by antibiotics, many people in the
power structure, who are too young to retire but too old to be
retrained, will lose power. A certain well-known personality was
reportedly to have said that it is a rare thing one would act or say
what he thinks, is correct, knowing it would have negative impact on
his career or words to that effect. It seems people are acting
according to their own interest, regardless of the principle or their
conscience. Patients had better act according to their own interest,
such as demanding what test or course to take. There may be a
conflict of interest between the patients and the medical power
structure in this case. Patients' power is the only means to bring
about changes in medicine under the present circumstances.
The public as the ultimate consumer of scientific research should be
the judge. Perhaps medical researchers and groups of people living
with those chronic debilitating diseases such as AIDS, ALS,
arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, Lyme disease and cancer,
should be interviewed and asked for their opinions about the state of
present medical research. When positive results diminish with
respect to increasing efforts, it usually indicates that researchers are
on the wrong track. Do they want more of the same or a change of
track? Many diseases normally afflicting animals now are infecting
humans such as the bird flu, mad cow disease, and swine flu. HIV is
believed to be from animals. Is it because more virulent strains have
recently been produced? This is the current medical opinion. Or is it
the breakdown of the immune system enabling these "pathogens" to
infect humans? Also, the increasing number of people suffering
from allergies and the ever-expanding list of allergies are subjects
for further discussion.
Readers' opinions and questions are most welcome, please e-mail the
author.
References
c1. Chan CC. The AIDS virus: culprit or by-product? (Letter). Can
Research 1987; 20(9): 4.
c2. Chan CC. AIDS related to living conditions (letter). Can
Research 1988; 21(6):6.
c3. Chan CC. Modified bacterium & poor lifestyle = AIDS (letter).
Can Research 1989: 22(4): 6.
k45. Makonkawkeyoon S, Linson-Pobre RNR, Moreira AL, Kaplan
G, et al. Thalidomide inhibits the replication of human
immunodeficiency virus type 1. Pro Natl Acad Sci USA 1993; 90:
5974-5978.
k46. Gorman C. An old new drug for AIDS. The notorious sedative
thalidomide may give doctors another weapon to fight a modern
plague. Time 1993 July 12: 39.
Links
Shortened Versions of "An Alternative Approach to AIDS and
Related Problems" and "An Alternative Approach to AIDS and
Related Problems: Book 2"