Gay & Lesbian Issues and PsychologyReview, Vol. 5, No.2, 2009
BOOK REVIEW
PETER B. TODD
Kalichman,Seth. (2009). DenyingAIDS: Con-
spiracy theories, Pseudoscienceand Human
Tragedy. New York: Copernicus Books,
Springer Science Imprint, pp.205,
ISBN:9780387794754.
Seth Kalichman's timely book exposes the de-
structive shadow of AIDS denialism in the
manifest guises of pseudoscience and politics
with candour and ludicidity. The homophobia
and racism implicit in such denialist positions
are unmasked in conjunction with obfuscation
of such distinctions as those between neces-
sary and sufficient conditions in determining
the causality of HIVjAIDS. Like holocaust den-
iers, those who create doubt about whether
HIV causes AIDS can be held accountable for
much of the morbidity and mortality, espe-
cially in the developing world. As an account
of the history of the HIVjAIDS pandemic and
for consciousness raising, the book is an im-
portant contribution. Especially perhaps for
those scientists and policy makers whose de-
nial still results in the wish-fulfilling fantasy
that HIV as one of the fasting evolving of all
organisms is no longer a globally salient
threat. As Kalichman himself acknowledges in
his book, the adaptive mutation of HIV, to-
gether with mutant strains of tuberculosis, is a
menace to the lives of millions of people. The
analogy between holocaust and AIDS denial
seems to me to be a particularly valid one.
Kalichman dearly distinguishes between de-
fensive denial of traumatic realities such as
HIV seropositive status and mortality which
can be construed as a short term coping strat-
egy which is maladaptive in the long run and
denialisrn, As a psychological defence, denial
results in delay in seeking available treat-
ments which are evidence based and other
destructive behaviour patterns such as engag-
ing in unprotected sex. Exposing the HIV
seropositive person to more virulent strains of
the virus and others to infection. Denialism
promotes myths and such malignant misinfor-
mation as Virologist Peter Duesberg's refuted
daim that HIV is a "harmless" passenger virus
which does not cause AIDS. Such denialism
facilitates individual and collective defensive
denial in vulnerable populations as do the
spurious notions of AIDS causation associated
with Duesberg and former South African Presi-
dent Thabo Mbeki who was metaphorically
seduced by the Berkeley virologist who, inci-
dentally, had never conducted HIVjAIDS re-
search himself. These events, conspiracy
theories, pseudoscientific intrigue and the
need to debunk AIDS myths are explored at
length in the first three chapters of Ka-
lichman's book.
These chapters may help to dispel the myth
that empirical scientific inquiry is immune to
contamination by extra scientific influences,
induding those of an ideological and personal
nature as well as homophobia and racism in
the HIVjAIDS field. Briefly put, two groups
became the proponents and opponents of the
Durban Dedaration published in the journal
Nature in July 2000. This paper was a re-
sponse to an argument originally published by
Peter Duesberg in Science twelve years ear-
lier, provocatively titled "HIV is Not the Cause
of AIDS". By the time of the XIII AIDS Confer-
ence in July 2000, South African President
Mbeki had convened a panel induding many
of the more prominent AIDS dissidents to fuel
the controversy with mass media coverage. In
an attempt to put down the revolt, 5,228 emi-
nent medical and scientific signatories
(induding a number of Nobel Laureates) to
ISSN 1833-4512 © 2009 Author/Gay & Lesbian Issues & Psychology Interest Group of the Australian Psychological Society
TODD: BOOKREVIEW
the Durban Declaration affirmed that on the
basis of "exhaustive and unambiguous evi-
dence, HIV is the cause of AIDS". Having
been virtually excommunicated by scientific
orthodoxy, Duesberg eventually acknowl-
edged that his hypotheses had neither been
empirically tested nor published in peer-
reviewed journals (Todd, 2007). Two of the
criteria referred to by Kalichman as essential
to scientific theories rather than pseudoscien-
tific notions masquerading as science. Dues-
berg's claims had not run Popper's "gauntlet
of scientific criticism" including the falsifiability
criterion.
As a professor of Psychology at the University
of Connecticut, Kalichman has, I believe,
traced the origins and explored the perhaps
unintended consequences of AIDS Denialism
meticulously. He has also provided a valuable
elucidation of the distinction between dissi-
dence resulting in Kuhnian paradigm shifts or
scientific revolutions in explanatory theories
on the one hand and pseudoscientific obscur-
antism on the other hand. This additional
piece of illuminating writing renders the book
even more worth reading for philosophers of
science and researchers alike.
However, one criticism of Kalichman's treat-
ment of causality that I would offer is that it
seems to lack any account of contemporary,
multifactorial or biopsychosocial models of
disease. In particular research into psychoso-
cial factors, induding denial of HIV seroposi-
tive status, internalized homophobia, shame,
depression, guilt and self reproach as re-
sponses to bereavement, as predictors of be-
haviour relevant to the risk of HIV infection
and illness progression. Todd (2008, 2009)
has attempted to provide a comprehensive
account of relevant empirical research for so-
cial scientists, educators and health profes-
sionals working in the HIVjAIDS field. The
conclusions are that in such areas as psycho-
neuroimmunology, a need exists for further
prospective, longitudinal studies. Controlling
for such confounding variables as substance
misuse and stage of illness at the commence-
ment of research with sample sizes large
130
enough to optimize statistical power. The si-
multaneous analysis of psychosocial factors,
biological mediators including neuroendocrine,
cytokine and immune system variables and
HIV progression remains an important issue
for future research. Far from being a harmless
passenger virus, HIV transforms CD4+ T cells
into destructive, narcissistic clones of itself
through reverse transcription
Author Note
Formerly research psychologist, School of Sur-
gery, UNSW, then Neuropsychiatric Institute,
Prince Henry Hospital, Sydney, then member,
Biopsychosocial AIDS Project, University of
California, San Francisco, USA, then Consult-
ant, Department of Immunology, St. Vincent's
Hospital, UNSW and Research Coordinator,
Albion Street AIDS Clinic, Sydney. Currently,
psychologist and psychotherapist in private
practice. Email: Dto49976@bigpond.net.au
References
Todd, P.B. (2007).The neglected holocaust.
Griffith Review, 16, 195-202.
Todd, P.B. (2008). The psychoneuroimmu-
nological database for psychological inter-
ventions in HIV infection. Gay & Lesbian
Issues and Psychology Review; 4, 141-
147.
Todd, P.B. (2009). Unconscious mental fac-
tors in HIV infection. Mind and Matte,", 6,
193-206.
