There are those out there who despise Dr. Robert Gallo. He discovered the cause of AIDS and is now at work on a vaccine, and yet he needs only to open his mail or make a trip, and there they are, the bizarre accusations, the flashes of hatred. ...
More respected critics—indeed, some of his colleagues—have. faulted Gallo for his behavior during a two-year-long dispute with French research scientist Luc Montagnier over who could claim credit for identifying the AIDS virus. Although both men extended the dispute far beyond the point of their colleagues’ patience, Montagnier publicly affected a Gallic hauteur even while he was filing lawsuits and playing scientific politics with all the skill of a Chicago alderman.
Gallo, on the other hand, has no genius at all for public relations. He made his case with acid public remarks that fairly burned through the newsprint they were printed on. ...
