Herman Hugh Fudenberg (October 24, 1928March 15, 2014) was an American clinical
immunologist and the sole identified member of the Neuro Immuno Therapeutics Research Foundation (NITRF).
Fudenberg was a proponent of the
discredited hypothesis that there was a connection between the
MMR vaccine
The MMR vaccine is a vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella (German measles), abbreviated as ''MMR''. The first dose is generally given to children around 9 months to 15 months of age, with a second dose at 15 months to 6 years of age, w ...
and
autism
Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...
. In 1995 Fudenberg's medical license was suspended for improperly obtaining
controlled substances
A controlled substance is generally a drug or chemical whose manufacture, possession and use is regulated by a government, such as illicitly used drugs or prescription medications that are designated by law. Some treaties, notably the Single ...
.
Education
He received his A.B. from
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
in 1949 and his
MD from the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
in 1953. Fudenberg received his M.A. in immunochemistry from
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
in 1957.
Career
The areas of his research, conducted primarily in the 1960s and 1970s, included research into
immunoglobulin
An antibody (Ab) or immunoglobulin (Ig) is a large, Y-shaped protein belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily which is used by the immune system to identify and neutralize antigens such as pathogenic bacteria, bacteria and viruses, includin ...
and receptors for this molecule in human
monocyte
Monocytes are a type of leukocyte or white blood cell. They are the largest type of leukocyte in blood and can differentiate into macrophages and monocyte-derived dendritic cells. As a part of the vertebrate innate immune system monocytes also ...
s,
as well as the ability of red blood cells to, in vitro, form "rosette" formations around
peripheral blood lymphocyte
Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) are mature lymphocytes that circulate in the blood, rather than localizing to organs (such as the spleen or lymph nodes). They comprise T cells, NK cells and B cells.
References
Lymphocytes
{{lymphatic-s ...
s.
Fudenberg was hired by the Special Projects Unit of the
Council for Tobacco Research in 1972, to study whether some people are genetically predisposed to
emphysema
Emphysema is any air-filled enlargement in the body's tissues. Most commonly emphysema refers to the permanent enlargement of air spaces (alveoli) in the lungs, and is also known as pulmonary emphysema.
Emphysema is a lower respiratory tract di ...
. He initially found that up to 10% might be, and was planning on warning such people not to smoke tobacco, but his funding was cut off without explanation before he could do so. "They may have cut me off because it would have been negative for them," Fudenberg suggested.
He trained from 1954 to 1956 under
William Dameshek
William Dameshek (1900 in Voronezh – 1969) was an American hematologist. He graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Medical School and spent the early part of his career at Beth Israel Hospital (now Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center). He w ...
, former editor of ''
Blood
Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells.
Blood is com ...
'' and completed a residency at
Peter Bent Brigham Hospital
Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH or The Brigham) is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and the largest hospital in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Along with Massachusetts General Hospital, it is one of the two ...
from 1956 to 1958.
Fudenberg was a professor of medicine for 15 years (first associate, and later full) at
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It is part of the University of California system and is dedic ...
, as well as associate professor of immunology at the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
. He was editor of the journal ''Clinical Immunology and Immunopathology'' for 15 years and developed the
Rosette test Erythrocyte rosetting or E-rosetting is a phenomenon seen through a microscope where red blood cells ''(erythrocytes)'' are arranged around a central cell to form a cluster that looks like a flower. The red blood cells surrounding the cell form the ...
as well.
Additionally, Fudenberg sat on the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
's expert committee on immunology for 20 years.
In 1974, he relocated to South Carolina, specifically the
Medical University of South Carolina
The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is a public medical school in Charleston, South Carolina. It opened in 1824 as a small private college aimed at training physicians and has since established hospitals and medical facilities acros ...
, where he remained as a professor until 1989.
MMR vaccine and autism
In the 1980s Fudenberg began claiming that the MMR vaccine causes autism. The scientific consensus says that no evidence links the vaccine to the development of autism and that the vaccine's benefits greatly outweigh its risks.
Fudenberg published his research in the fringe journal ''Biotherapy'' (now discontinued) in 1996, concluding that "Fifteen of the
rue Autismpatients developed symptoms within a week after immunization with the
MRvaccine";
further asserting that "Fudenberg healed children, with a quarter 'fully normalised'."
This paper was cited by
Andrew Wakefield
Andrew Jeremy Wakefield (born 3 September 1956) is a British fraudster, anti-vaccine activist, and disgraced former physician. He was struck off the medical register for "serious professional misconduct" due to his involvement in the fraudu ...
's fraudulent 1998 Lancet paper.
The proposal of a vaccine-autism link has been called "the most damaging medical hoax of the last 100 years".
[
Fudenberg claimed in a 2004 interview with ]Brian Deer
Brian Deer is a British investigative journalist, best known for inquiries into the drug industry, medicine, and social issues for ''The Sunday Times''. Deer's investigative nonfiction book '' The Doctor Who Fooled the World'', an exposé on d ...
that he was able to cure autistic children using his own bone marrow
Bone marrow is a semi-solid biological tissue, tissue found within the Spongy bone, spongy (also known as cancellous) portions of bones. In birds and mammals, bone marrow is the primary site of new blood cell production (or haematopoiesis). It i ...
. Fudenberg was a co-inventor of the autism "treatments" Wakefield obtained a patent for in 1997, and Wakefield stated the same year in a letter to the bursary
A bursary is a monetary award made by any educational institution or funding authority to individuals or groups. It is usually awarded to enable a student to attend school, university or college when they might not be able to, otherwise. Some awar ...
of Royal Free Hospital's School of Medicine that he was waiting on a business plan from NITRF.
Flu vaccine claims
In a 2005 episode of ''Larry King Live
''Larry King Live'' is an American television talk show broadcast by CNN from June 3, 1985 to December 16, 2010. Hosted by Larry King, it was the network's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly.
Ma ...
'' in which Bill Maher
William MaherStated on ''Finding Your Roots'', January 12, 2016, PBS; on a series that lists "Jr." and "Sr." distinctions, Bill Maher's birth name was listed simply as William Maher, while his father was William Aloysius Maher Jr., and his pa ...
was being interviewed by Larry King
Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American TV and radio host presenter, author, and former spokesman. He was a WMBM radio interviewer in the Miami area in the 1950s and 1960s and beginning in ...
, Maher argued that "if you have a flu shot for more than five years in a row, there's ten times the likelihood that you'll get Alzheimer's disease." This claim has been traced by David Gorski
David Henry Gorski is an American surgical oncologist and professor of surgery at Wayne State University School of Medicine. He specializes in breast cancer surgery at the Karmanos Cancer Institute. Gorski is an outspoken skeptic and critic ...
back to Fudenberg; Gorski noted that it appeared on what he called an "über-crank" website. Specifically, it appears Fudenberg made the claim when speaking at the 1st annual International Public Conference on Vaccination, held by the National Vaccine Information Center
The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), founded under the name Dissatisfied Parents Together (DPT) in 1982, is an American 501(c)(3) organization that has been widely criticized as a leading source of fearmongering and misinformation a ...
in Arlington, Virginia
Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...
in 1997. The origin of the claim is unknown, as there is no study published in a peer-reviewed journal making such a claim. Furthermore, one study found that past exposure to influenza vaccines is associated with lower risk for Alzheimer's disease.
License revocation
In 1995 Fudenberg's medical license was revoked. The Casewatch website states: "the South Carolina medical board found Fudenberg "guilty of engaging in dishonorable, unethical, or unprofessional conduct," fined him $10,000, ordered him to surrender his license to prescribe controlled substance
A controlled substance is generally a drug or chemical whose manufacture, possession and use is regulated by a government, such as illicitly used drugs or prescription medications that are designated by law. Some treaties, notably the Sing ...
s (narcotic drugs), and placed his license on indefinite suspension." The board found that:The Respondent admitted that he has on numerous occasions obtained controlled substances and legend drugs, namely, prosom, ambien
Zolpidem, sold under the brand name Ambien among others, is a medication primarily used for the short-term treatment of sleeping problems. Guidelines recommend that it be used only after cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and after beha ...
, lasix
Furosemide, sold under the brand name Lasix among others, is a loop diuretic medication used to treat edema due to heart failure, liver scarring, or kidney disease. Furosemide may also be used for the treatment of high blood pressure. It can ...
, and potassium
Potassium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol K (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number19. It is a silvery white metal that is soft enough to easily cut with a knife. Potassium metal reacts rapidly with atmospheric oxygen to ...
from a member of his office staff and others, and that he has unlawfully obtained these controlled substances for his own use, and has, in fact, used these medications.
In an interview with ''The Post and Courier
''The Post and Courier'' is the main daily newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina. It traces its ancestry to three newspapers, the ''Charleston Courier'', founded in 1803, the ''Charleston Daily News'', founded 1865, and ''The Evening Post'', f ...
'', Fudenberg contended that "alcohol
Alcohol may refer to:
Common uses
* Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds
* Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life
** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages
** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...
and opiate
An opiate is an alkaloid substance derived from opium (or poppy straw). It differs from the similar term ''opioid'' in that the latter is used to designate all substances, both natural and synthetic, that bind to opioid receptors in the brain ( ...
charges are completely false" and tried to attribute many of the problems to a former staff member at NITRF.
Death
On March 15, 2014, Fudenberg died at the age of 85. He was survived by his four sons, including economist Drew Fudenberg
Drew Fudenberg (born March 2, 1957) is a professor of economics at MIT. His research spans many aspects of game theory, including equilibrium theory, learning in games, evolutionary game theory, and many applications to other fields. Fudenberg ...
.
References
External links
Neuro Immuno Therapeutics Research Foundation
homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fudenberg, H. Hugh
1928 births
2014 deaths
American immunologists
Boston University alumni
University of California, San Francisco faculty
Medical University of South Carolina faculty
University of California, Berkeley faculty
Pritzker School of Medicine alumni
University of California, Los Angeles alumni
American anti-vaccination activists
People from Inman, South Carolina