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(June 15, 2005) On June 9, 2005, a news release came to my attention trumpeting the latest individual to receive a "Linus Pauling Award." Increasingly, people in the world of CAM (complementary alternative medicine) are being given awards named after Pauling, by groups that, as far as one can tell, have no actual association with Linus Pauling, his Institute, or his family. It is almost eleven years since Pauling died, on August 19, 1994 at age 93. Linus Pauling, Ph.D. was one of the greatest scientists of the twentieth century and, according to the New Scientist (the prestigious international weekly science magazine) in 1979, he was one of the twenty greatest scientists of all time. The only other one from the twentieth century listed was Albert Einstein. Pauling is the only person ever to win two unshared Nobel prizes, for chemistry (1954) and for peace (1962). In addition to startling and unique contributions in biology, chemistry, and physics, Pauling gained notoriety, acclaim, and legions of fans all over the world during the final three decades of his life by investigating and championing natural therapies, particularly vitamin C, antioxidants, and other elements of nutritional medicine. He helped to name and establish a field of nutritionally-based medicine called Orthomolecular Medicine. To simply list Pauling's accomplishments in both mainstream and innovative science would take up this entire article. It is understandable, then, that a laundry list of self-selected wannabe leaders and self-identified "masters" of complementary alternative medicine (CAM) might want to associate themselves with someone like Pauling (in reality, there is, and was, no one quite like Pauling) in terms of getting, or encouraging their being given, a Linus Pauling "award." But let's hold on a minute. One thing that comes to my mind here is the zinging comments by Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX), who, in a nationally televised vice presidential debate with Sen. Dan Quayle (R-IN) on October 5, 1988, turned to Quayle (after Quayle raised the memory of the late President John F. Kennedy) and said, in one of the most memorable lines ever spoken in a major national candidates' debate: "Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy." Without disparaging any past, present, or future recipients of various Linus Pauling awards, I would have to say to the latest Linus Pauling award recipients: "Dr. or Mr. or Ms. X, I knew Linus Pauling. Linus Pauling was a friend of mine. And Dr./sir/madam, you're no Linus Pauling!" In fact, I did know Linus Pauling and it is credible for me to say that Pauling considered me to be a friend. I met with and interviewed him on a dozen occasions between 1980 and 1994. I was invited several times to visit with him at his home, his beloved Deer Flat Ranch right on the Pacific coast south of Big Sur, California. In our conversations, all of them recorded and many of them published, Pauling and I ranged far and wide about all sorts of questions and issues relating to the world at large and his career and accomplishments, including his work to end atmospheric nuclear testing and his uncompromising and pioneering efforts in the field of natural healing. In the latter area, Pauling consistently championed medical freedom of choice as well as simple, cost-effective, grassroots-oriented, self-care solutions whenever possible to maintain and restore health, even in the face of cataclysmic diagnoses like cancer. He was also a world class researcher, needless to say, and published hundreds of articles in the leading scientific journals of the twentieth century, as well as several highly influential scientific books, including The Nature of the Chemical Bond which, according to Wikipedia, "is probably the most influential chemistry book ever published." Pauling, then, is a tough act to follow, or to associate oneself with. Unquestionably, Linus Pauling (despite his world class achievements, he was a down to earth individual who was approachable and easy to converse with) had a decent sized ego. At this point, I am reminded of actor-producer John Houseman intoning about another successful and well-known individual in the famous 1970s TV commercials for a financial institution, "He earned it." One can only wonder what Linus Pauling might think of the numerous individuals who are annually given awards by organizations, little and littler, in his name. He would probably, at least, be amused. And maybe the proliferation of Linus Pauling awards, many of them now to CAM-related individuals, might actually help a bit to keep the late, great scientist and humanitarian's memory alive. In our current anti-historic, amnesiac culture, even a genuine Linus Pauling needs some assistance in that area! In fact, after musing this past week about the subject of Linus Pauling awards, I have decided to get on the bandwagon myself and offer my own PBC Linus Pauling Award! There will be no actual physical award such as an engraved plaque or a document suitable for framing, and certainly no awards dinner - only the announcement of the winners in this e-column.
Drum roll, please. . . Time to announce the first winners of the Peter Barry Chowka 2005 Linus Pauling Award!
1. Linus Pauling himself! Actually, this isn't the first time that the real Linus Pauling received a Linus Pauling award. Way back in 1966, when Pauling was a young man of 65, he was awarded the first annual Linus Pauling Award Medal by the Puget Sound, Oregon, and Portland Sections of the American Chemical Society. "The Pauling Award Medal," according to the American Chemical Society Pacific Northwest sections, "recognizing outstanding achievement in chemistry is presented annually. . . The award is named after Dr. Linus Pauling, a native of the Pacific Northwest, because of the inspiration of his example. A nominee shall have made outstanding contributions to chemistry of a character that have merited national and international recognition." This original Linus Pauling Award Medal has indeed been given out annually, at least through 2001, according to the award medal's official Web site. A number of the recipients, like Pauling, have been Nobel prize winners. 2. Health- and freedom-loving citizens of America and of the world! Pauling had populist inclinations, and consistently favored, not only scientific innovation, but medical freedom of choice and accessible, simple, inexpensive solutions to vexing health problems - hence his support of vitamin C. He was fond of contrasting the cost of a kilogram of vitamin C, an effective treatment for cancer, he believed ($14 per kilogram or less), with the outrageous costs of chemotherapy and other conventional treatments for cancer. To the point here, Pauling also believed, as he told me in an interview in 1982 (quoted in an article I wrote, published in New Age 8: 36-39 in December 1982) that the major impetus for change in the medical Establishment towards more nontoxic approaches was coming from the public and not the leaders of medicine, "from the bottom up and not from the top down," as he put it. 
Dr. Manto Tshabalala-Msimang 3. Mantombazana (Manto) Tshabalala-Msimang, M.D., Health Minister of South Africa (SA)! In my opinion, Dr. Tshabalala-Msimang, as much or more than any individual in the healing arts that I am currently aware of, embodies many of the qualities of Linus Pauling. Since 1999, Tshabalala-Msimang, 64, has charted a uniquely original course in her job as the cabinet level director of medical policy for South Africa, the continent's fourth largest country. Currently, South Africa is on the world's radar because it supposedly has the highest percentage of people with HIV/AIDS. Subjected to unremitting domestic and foreign pressure of all kinds to kowtow to the international medical-industrial complex's demands that South Africa align itself with symptom-drug treatment allopathy and provide millions of its citizens with drugs for the treatment of HIV/AIDS, Tshabalala-Msimang instead has advocated a cautious approach that recognizes the limitations of the Western-derived pharmaceutical paradigm and the validity of natural, native healing traditions. Speaking at a large AIDS conference in Durban, SA on June 7, Tshabalala-Msimang said "I hope you have come in such big numbers not just to focus on one ailment but to focus on all of them, because many other people are dying of other diseases in this country. Even though it is a conference on HIV and AIDS, you must not forget to talk about cancers, you must not forget to talk about diabetes, you must not forget to talk about other communicable diseases." According to one news account, "Tshabalala-Msimang also reiterated her view that anti-retroviral drugs were not the only answer to fighting HIV and that nutrition was a key component in the approach to treatment of [HIV/AIDS]." For her efforts over the years, Tshabalala-Msimang, like Linus Pauling, has been bitterly criticized and denigrated by her many critics and there are currently demands for her to resign her government post. Instead of giving in, she has stuck to her convictions and goes forward in her work with an energy, independence, and strength unusual for a high government official anywhere. Congratulations to all of the winners! Link Response from Peter D'Adamo, N.D. (one of the "Four Masters" referenced above)
Updated August 25, 2006
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