On the exoneration of Dr. William H. Stewart: debunking an urban legend.

ABSTRACT:

Background

It is one of the most infamous quotes in the history of biomedicine: "It is time to close the book on infectious diseases, and declare the war against pestilence won." Long attributed to the United States Surgeon General, Dr. William H. Stewart (1965-1969), the statement is frequently used as a foil by scientific and lay authors to underscore the ever-increasing problems of antibiotic-resistant and emerging infections. However, the primary source for the quote has never been identified.

Methods

We undertook a comprehensive search of multiple databases encompassing medical literature, news articles, and congressional records to attempt to identify sources for the quote.

Results

No source of the quote was identified. However, a trail of source documents was i

SUBMITTER: Spellberg B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3707092 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature