Robert E. Willner (21 June 1929 — 15 April 1995) was an American doctor noted for his role in AIDS denialism, the view that

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

is not caused by

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

infection.

Life

Medical career

Willner described himself as originally an "orthodox" physician who slowly transitioned to

alternative medicine Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or evidence from clinical trials. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and alt ...

, particularly following his wife's 1978 struggle with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherap ...

. In 1995, Willner asserted that "I am convinced you can prevent disease with diet, lifestyle changes, sanitation." Willner's Florida medical license was suspended in 1990 following a Florida Board of Medicine ruling that Willner had made inappropriate medical claims for food products.

AIDS denialism

Willner authored a book presenting his point of view on the relation between HIV and AIDS, titled ''Deadly Deception: the Proof That Sex And HIV Absolutely Do Not Cause AIDS''. The book was published shortly after Willner's medical license was revoked for, among other things, treating an AIDS patient with

ozone therapy Ozone therapy is an alternative medical treatment that introduces ozone or ozonides to the body. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prohibits all medical uses of ozone, "In any medical condition for which there is no proof of s ...

. The following month, on October 28, 1994, in a press conference at a Greensboro, North Carolina hotel, Willner jabbed his finger with

blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the c ...

he said was from an HIV-infected patient. Willner was heavily influenced by the research of AIDs denialist

Peter Duesberg Peter H. Duesberg (born December 2, 1936) is a German-American molecular biologist and a professor of molecular and cell biology at the University of California, Berkeley. He is known for his early research into the genetic aspects of cancer. He ...

, which has been discredited by the scientific community.

Death

Willner died on April 15, 1995, of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

Publications

''The Pleasure Principle Diet: How to Lose Weight Permanently, Eating the Foods That Made You Fat''
(Simon & Schuster, 1984) *''Deadly Deception: The Proof That Sex And HIV Absolutely Do Not Cause AIDS''. (Peltec Publishing Company Inc, 1994). * ''The Cancer Solution'' (Peltec Pub Co, 1994)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willner, Robert 1929 births 1995 deaths 20th-century American physicians Alternative cancer treatment advocates Alternative medicine activists HIV/AIDS denialists