Medicine

Medical examiner Michael M. Baden. In his new book, Unnatural Death: Confessions of a Medical Examiner, Baden, the former chief medical examiner for New York City, reviews the record of famous autopsies of the last 30 years as evidence of a pattern of bungled investigations of unnatural deaths. Baden, who has been a medical examiner for 30 years, views his profession as a historian or anthropologist who revisits ruined or questionable autopsies in the hopes of correcting history. Baden is now director of the forensic sciences unit for the New York State Police.

Dowie writes for Mother Jones, and has uncovered stories about neglected auto safety and the dangers of the contraceptive Dalcon Shield. His new book is called We Have a Donor, about the issues surrounding transplant surgery for both patients and doctors

Andrew Weil. He's a doctor of holistic medicine and an ethnobotanist, which is the study of how medicinal plants are used in different cultures. (Interview by Faith Middleton).

A discussion about what it's like to test positive for the HIV antibody but not have AIDS. The panel includes members of the New York City group Body Positive, a support group that counsels people who have tested positive for the antibody.

Dr. Allan Brandt, a researcher in the history of science and medicine will discuss the social history of sexually transmitted diseases such as VD and AIDS.

Dr. Perri Klass writes extensively for magazines and newspapers, and has published a collection of short stories. Her new memoir, A Not Entirely Benign Procedure, details her experiences as a med student at Harvard.

The AIDS crisis has scared many people from donating or receiving blood from the Red Cross. Kathleen Denton, Director of Communications for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the Red Cross, says those fears are unfounded. Denton explains that a test developed last April screens for the presence of antibodies to the HTLV-III virus, which is believed to cause AIDS. All blood is screened before being added to the pool. (Interview By Amy Salit)

Part two of Fresh Air's interview with medical and social experts on this special edition of the show devoted to the AIDS crisis. Dr. John Turner is an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University who treats many AIDS patients. Dr. Robert Sharrar is an epidemiologist monitoring the spread of AIDS in Philadelphia as the Director of the Division of Disease Control at the Philadelphia Department of Health.

Dr. John Turner is an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University who treats many AIDS patients. Dr. Robert Sharrar is an epidemiologist monitoring the spread of AIDS in Philadelphia as the Director of the Division of Disease Control at the Philadelphia Department of Health. Roger Stephens is the chair of the education committee of the Philadelphia AIDS Task Force and the Director of Social Work at Graduate Hospital.

On this special edition of Fresh Air devoted to the AIDS Crisis, Terry Gross speaks with a 32-year-old New Jersey man who was diagnosed with the disease a year ago. Fresh Air has respected his wish to remain anonymous.