August 20, 2014

Judy Woodruff
Managing Editor
PBS NewsHour
2700 Sout !uin"y Street
Ar#ington, $A 2220%
&ear Ms' Woodruff(
)*+ writing in regards to How Dr. Heimlich got his maneuver 40 years ago ,u-#ised June 1%, 2014 on
your ,rogra+*s we-site and -y#ined -y &r' Howard Mar.e#, wose NewsHour -iogra,y des"ri-es i+ as
/dire"tor of te 0enter for te History of Medi"ine and te 1eorge E' Want2 &istinguised Professor of te
History of Medi"ine at te 3ni4ersity of Mi"igan'5

&r' Mar.e#*s story in"#udes tree fa"tua# errors and wat a,,ear to -e two unsu-stantiated "#ai+s' 6is is to
re7uest ,u-#ised "orre"tions to te fa"tua# errors and tat you deter+ine if is "#ai+s +ay -e
su-stantiated or not' )f not, tis is to re7uest ,u-#ised "#arifi"ations'
6is is a#so to res,e"tfu##y re7uest tat you re4iew te resear"ing, writing, and editing of &r' Mar.e#*s
arti"#e in order to deter+ine if it +eets te NewsHour*s standards and tat you ,ro4ide +e wit te resu#ts'
0899E06)8NS
$ia &r' Mar.e#*s story(
:6e; Hei+#i" +aneu4er as e#,ed to sa4e "ount#ess #i4es o4er te ,ast four de"ades in"#uding'''
:a"tress; Ha##e Berry'
$ia How Dr. Heimlich Maneuvered Hollywood Into Backing His Dangerous AIDS "ure" -y Set
A-ra+o4it", 6e Ho##ywood 9e,orter, August 14, 2014(
6e Hei+#i" )nstitute "#ai+s tat 100,000 #i4es a4e -een sa4ed :-y te Hei+#i" +aneu4er;, and
in is +e+oir, Hei+#i"*s Maneu4ers( My Se4enty <ears of =i4esa4ing )nno4ation, ,u-#ised ear#ier
tis year, :&r' Hei+#i"; in"#udes tose of 0er, Ni"o#e >id+an and Ha##e Berry a+ong te+'
Berry has denied being saved by the maneuver? 0er and >id+an didn*t res,ond to
in7uiries'
)n a June 1%, 2014 e@+ai# and fo##ow@u,s to &r' Mar.e# and is NewsHour editor Margaret Myers, )
re7uested ,u-#ised "orre"tions to two oter easy@to@fiA date errors' 6ey refused, so )*+ re@su-+itting +y
re7uest to you'
Here*s te first(
For several years, &r' Hei+#i" a#so ad4o"ated treating ,atients wit "an"er, H)$ and =y+e
disease -y infe"ting te+ wit +a#aria''''
As ) wrote to &r' Mar.e# and Ms' Myers, +y fater as ad4o"ated te treat+ent :/+a#ariotera,y5; fro+ at
#east 1BC2 :4ia an A,ri# D0, 1BC2 Wa## Street Journa# re,ort; to te ,resent :4ia is auto-iogra,y tis year
and a Ee-ruary 12, 201D 0in"innati Business 0ourier arti"#e;'
6at*s +ore tan tree de"ades, not Fse4era# years'F
$ia !arning" hewing on #his May ause hoking -y PBS 8+-uds+an Mi"ae# 1et#er in a Ju#y 2, 2014
"o#u+n ,u-#ised on is -#og, ere*s &r' Mar.e#*s res,onse(
:Peter; Hei+#i"*s s,e"ifi" "o+,#aint ere "o+es down to tis( ) use te ter+ Fse4era# yearsF to
des"ri-e tis ,ase of is fater*s "areer wi#e Mr' Hei+#i" ,refers te ter+ Ffor de"ades'F I do
not find the two terms as mutually exclusive as he does'
Here*s Mr' 1et#er*s ta.e(
:); tin. &r' Mar.e# needs to "e". out te +eaning of /se4era#,5 as in se4era# years' )t doesnGt +ean
de"ades' &r' Mar.e# is a +edi"a# istorian so ) trust :o,e; tat e .nows wat eGs ta#.ing a-out''''
Wat*s your o,inionH Are /tree de"ades5 and /se4era# years5 inter"angea-#eH
Here*s te oter error(
By 1988, &r' Hei+#i" was re"o++ending te use of a-do+ina# trusts as a treat+ent for
drowning''''
As ) wrote to &r' Mar.e# and Ms' Myers, +y fater first -egan ,ro+oting is du-ious drowning res"ue
"#ai+s in $ew hug can save drowning victims -y syndi"ated +edi"a# re,orter Art Snider, ,u-#ised August
24, 1B74 in te 0i"ago &ai#y News'
$ia Mr' 1et#er*s -#og, ere*s &r' Mar.e#*s res,onse(
:&r'; Hei+#i" +ay a4e dis"ussed tis use for drowning as ear#y as 1B74 in a dis"ussion wit Art
Snider' Wi#e te ,ie"e Ite on#ine arti"#eJ "an -e "anged, for :Peter; Hei+#i"*s "o+fort, to state
tat fro+ "the mid%&'(0s to the late &')0s* Dr. Heimlich recommended his maneuver +or
drowning victims*" ) wou#d not "ite Snider*s ,ie"e, ,er se' Snider is +ere#y te re,orter re,orting
on Hei+#i"*s F+edi"a# ad4i"e'F &r' Hei+#i" +ay a4e s,o.en to oter re,orters as we##'
6erefore, to suggest a ,ri+a"y on Snider*s ,art is ,otentia##y +is#eading'
)n res,onse, in a Ju#y 10 e@+ai# ) wrote Mr' 1et#er(
Wou#d you as. &r' Mar.e# if e*s aware of any arti"#es ,u-#ised -efore Art Snider*s August 24, 1B74
0i"ago &ai#y News story :atta"ed;H )f so, )*d -e interested in o-taining a "o,y or "itation' And if
e*s interested in wen +y fater first ,u-#ised is du-ious drowning res"ue "#ai+s in te
#iterature, )*d dire"t i+ to te August 1B7K Anna#s of 6ora"i" Surgery arti"#e, ,ood%choking and
drowning deaths -revented .y e/ternal su.dia-hragmatic com-ression -y +y fater, >aro#
Hoff+an M&, and Ee#iA 0anestri M&' :&rs' Hoff+an and 0anestri were is "o##eagues at
0in"innati*s Jewis Hos,ita# -efore +y fater was fired in 1B77';
) didn*t re"ei4e a res,onse so ) don*t .now if Mr' 1et#er fo##owed troug or if &r' Mar.e# res,onded'
9egard#ess, te ,oint is tat &r' Mar.e# a,,arent#y ne4er e4en "e".ed Pu-Med during te resear"ing,
writing, or +y su-se7uent 7uestioning of is arti"#e' )f e ad, e wou#d a4e easi#y found te 1B7K Lourna#
arti"#e wi" e4en as /drowning5 in te tit#e'
As for &r' Mar.e#*s "o++ent tat /:+y arti"#e; "an -e "anged, for Mr' Hei+#i"*s "o+fort,5 ) don*t .now
wat e*s on a-out' ) tougt te NewsHour*s o-Le"ti4e was to ,ro4ide a""urate infor+ation for te -enefit
of your audien"e' Based on +y eA,erien"e, it*s un"#ear if &r' Mar.e# sares tat o-Le"ti4e, -ut, need#ess to
say, tat*s for you to deter+ine'
)n any e4ent, to +y dis"o+fort M and ,era,s yours M is /-y 1BCC5 error as yet to -e "orre"ted'
3NS3PP896E& 0=A)MS
$ia Mr' 1et#er*s -#og :te -o#d ita#i"s are 7uotes fro+ &r' Mar.e#*s story;(
In 1972, the New York Times reported that more than 3,000 people in the U.S.
choked to death that ear, makin! it the si"th most common ca#se o$ accidental
death. Up #ntil that time, the #s#al response #pon disco%erin! a chokin! person
was to slap him or her on the &ack.
:Peter; Hei+#i" says e ad as.ed &r' Mar.e# to ,ro4ide i+ wit a "o,y of te $ew 0ork #imes
arti"#e' )n a June 17 e@+ai#, Ms' Myers wrote +e tat it was ,u-#ised on Se,t' 17, 1B72' Se did not
,ro4ide te tit#e, autor, a "o,y of te arti"#e, or any indi"ation tat se ad read te arti"#e'
Dr. Marel res!onds" 6e N< 6i+es ,u-#ised an arti"#e on a""identa# deats on Se,te+-er 17,
1B72' ) used tis referen"e -e"ause &r' Hei+#i" stated in se4era# inter4iews tat e read an arti"#e
on te to,i" in te N< 6i+es in 1B72' 6is arti"#e rea##y e+erges fro+ a Nationa# A"ade+y of
S"ien"es study, wi" is easy to find at any uni4ersity #i-rary' But +ore i+,ortant tese studies and
statisti"s are re,orted E$E9< year -y +any different sour"es' 6erefore, ) see no reason to "ite te
sour"e -eyond wat ) a4e done' )t is si+,#y not te way ) a4e written tese ,ie"es for PBS' )f we
want to add footnotes, ) "an "ertain#y do tat -ut tis see+s a -it +u" for a -#og'
12m.udsman3s note" !hen he +irst wrote to Myers +or a co-y o+ the re+erenced New <or. 6i+es
article* 4eter Heimlich -ut his re5uest this way6"to save me a search." And the $ewsHour
a--arently didn3t or wouldn3t search either. But it took my adroit assistant* Marcia A--erson*
a.out two minutes to dig out a Se-t. &(* &'(7* +ront%-age article .y 8awrence 9. Altman headlined
:Science Academy Assails $ation3s ;mergency are.< It contains nothing a.out choking deaths
and no num.ers.=
)n oter words, &r' Mar.e#*s arti"#e "ited an arti"#e e adn*t read, te "ited arti"#e did not in"#ude te
infor+ation e "#ai+ed it did, and wen e was +ade aware of te infor+ation, e fai#ed to "orre"t is
error' 6erefore, tis is to re7uest a ,u-#ised "#arifi"ation'
'#t man doctors insisted that a &low on the &ack tends to dri%e the o&(ect
downward, lod!in! that o&str#ction e%en more ti!htl in the airwa.
Hei+#i" as.ed &r' Mar.e# to ,ro4ide i+ wit na+es of so+e of te do"tors wo too. tis
,osition, ,rior to 1B72'
Dr. Marel res!onds" Se4era# going as far -a". as Hi,,o"ratesN )n te A+eri"an "onteAt, Sa+ue#
1ross of Pi#ade#,ia in te +id@1C40s, 6eodor Bi##rot of $ienna in te 1CB0s, Moses 1unn of
Ann Ar-or in te 1C%0s, Jon Har4ey >e##ogg of Batt#e 0ree. in te 1CC0s @@ and ) +igt add
+yse#f, Howard Mar.e#, in te 1BC0s' )ndeed, it was an o-ser4ation ) +ade +any ti+es wen
treating "o.ing 4i"ti+s in te E9' 6e ,oint ere is tat +any do"tors +ade te o-ser4ation rater
tan +y ,ro4iding a ro## "a## of a## tose in istory wo noted tis ,ro-#e+' ) rea##y find tis 7uery
odd in tat te essay fo"uses on &r' Hei+#i", not oter do"tors a"ross ti+e wo treated "o.ing
4i"ti+s Iwi" is ,ra"ti"a##y e4ery do"torNJ
12m.udsman3s note" $ot to .e deterred* 4eter Heimlich then asked +or citations relevant to those
doctors3 -ositions. $o.ody has answered yet* including me.=
6o +y .now#edge, &r' Mar.e# sti## asn*t ,ro4ided any "itations to su,,ort is "#ai+' 6erefore, wou#d you
,#ease as. i+ to do soH )n te e4ent tat e*s una-#e to do so, tis is to re7uest a ,u-#ised "#arifi"ation'
Eina##y, tis is to res,e"tfu##y re7uest tat you re4iew te resear"ing, writing, and editing of &r' Mar.e#*s
arti"#e in order to deter+ine if it +eets te NewsHour*s standards and tat you ,ro4ide +e wit te resu#ts'
6an. you for your ti+e and "onsideration, and ) #oo. forward to your re,#y' P#ease fee# free to "orres,ond
wit +e 4ia e@+ai#'
Sin"ere#y,
Peter M' Hei+#i"
D%D0 9i4er Ho##ow 9un
&u#ut, 1A D00B%
,( :20C;474@72CD
we-site( tt,(OO+edfraud'info
-#og( tt,(OOte@side-ar'"o+
e@+ai#( ,eter'ei+#i"Pg+ai#'"o+
""(
Pau#a A' >erger, President Q 0E8, PBS
Mi"ae# 1et#er, PBS 8+-uds+an
Set A-ra+o4it", 6e Ho##ywood 9e,orter