BREAKING: There's no HIV/AIDS "Patient Zero"

Interesting read about how scientists have pretty much debunked the myth that Gaetan Dugas started AIDS (lol) in 1979.

It begins with a single man, a young flight attendant named Gaetan Dugas, who presumably became infected abroad and then unwittingly gave it to some of his sexual partners. His sexual partners in turn gave it to their sexual partners and so forth until the whole continent was full of clusters of people dying of the mysterious disease. In journalist Randy Shilt’s 1987 book, ‘‘And the Band Played On,’’ and in various media reports, he was described as sexually adventurous and said to have told Centers for Disease Control investigators he had approximately 250 sexual partners each year.

It’s a compelling narrative, but it’s not quite right.

The story of how HIV reached the United States is all wrong - The Boston Globe

 

250 a year? Wilt Chamberlain is raising eyebrows in his grave.

 

Gaetan Dugas is a hockey name, like he played for the Caps or something.

 

Duh. Of course that isn't how it started. It's a government plot to wipe out the black population.

The Man Who Created Aids : ‘Robert Gallo’ – TIP

U.S. Government created the AIDS Virus - Kate McClare

 

There was a RadioLab about this.

 

If he played for the Caps, he would have never scored in the Spring, thus making 250 even more dubious.

 

Close: Gaetan Duchesne (RIP):
Gaétan Duchesne - Wikipedia

 

Yet one reason why I loved hockey in the 80's, the variety of names, beautiful to my young American ears.

 

Yeah, I based it off Gaetan Duchesne, who I think played for the Kings too.

Didn't know he died.

 

I don't think Gaetan Duchesne played for the Kings, but Steve Duchesne did. They were roughly the same age.

 

Ange Duquesne de Menneville, the Marquis du Quesne, was the French governor of New France.
He is credited with bringing the first Catholic Mass to what is now Pittsburgh.

And he started AIDS.