To the editor:
In the April 25 Deseret News, a letter from E.D. Riches suggested that I agree with Masters and Johnson regarding casual transmission of AIDS. I appreciate Mr. McBride suggesting that I am a courageous physician, but I strongly disagree with Masters and Johnson.To suggest that there is casual transmission of AIDS is to ignore all that has been learned from the more than 58,000 AIDS cases that have been reported in the U.S.
Masters and Johnson have certainly added to our understanding of sexuality, but their obvious lack of understanding of epidemiology is evident in their book.
The claims of underestimated numbers of infected people and their method of arriving at that claim by interviewing sexually active people resemble the musical quality of the old Kinsey report.
Both groups appear to have far greater interest in high frequency than in high fidelity and their study is grossly distorted in my opinion.
I am not alone. It has been described by outstanding medical groups from other parts of the country as "foolhardy," "potential for great harm," and, "the book perhaps does its greatest disservice in reviving old myths."
Harry L. Gibbons
Director
Salt Lake City-County Health Dept.