Antonio Arnaiz-Villena

Antonio Arnaiz-Villena is a Spanish immunologist noted for his research into the genetic history of ethnic groups. Arnaiz-Villena was head of immunology at the Hospital Doce de Octubre in Madrid and president of Spain's National Commission of Immunology from 1991 to 1995.

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Ethnicity research

Arnaiz-Villena's research was internationally reported following the publication of a paper on the genetic history of Jews and Palestinians, in the journal Human Immunology. This became controversial because of its assertions about the origins of the Palestine/Israeli conflict. Following strong criticism, it was withdrawn from the journal and deleted from the scientific archive.^[1] The comments about Arab-Israeli conflicts were described as "extreme political writing", which included claims that Palestinians were placed in "concentration camps". Arnaiz-Villena was removed from the journal's editorial board.

Earlier papers on ancestral ethnicity by Arnaiz-Villena and co-authors had already created controversy. A paper on the genetic relationship between Greeks and Macedonian Slavs had concluded that "Greeks are found to have a substantial relatedness to sub-Saharan (Ethiopian) people, which separate them from other Mediterranean groups."^[2] The conclusions of the paper were related to the "Black Athena" debate and became embroiled in disputes between Greek and Macedonian Slav nationalists.^[3] After the Human Immunology controversy, a number of geneticists led by Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza also criticized the claims in this paper, stating that, "using results from the analysis of a single marker, particularly one likely to have undergone selection, for the purpose of reconstructing genealogies is unreliable and unacceptable practice in population genetics".^[4] Another paper on the origins of Mesoamerican populations also made claims concerning multi-ethnic origins of populations.^[5]

Suspension, accusations and counter-accusations

In 2002, Arnaiz-Villena was suspended without pay from the Hospital Doce de Octubre, after being charged with embezzlement of funds. He was accused of "purchase of products not used in his department's health care activities; purchase of hospital products used in health care activities but in quantities much greater than needed; falsification of statistical data apparently to justify purchases; humiliating treatment of department staff; delay in health care activities; and transfer of department products to the university."^[6] Though suspended from the hospital he continued his work at the University. One year later he was reinstated to the hospital because "his basic and Constitutional Human Rights had been broken" according to a three body Court.^[7] All accusations were declared invalid (2003). Another three-body Court judgment again declared invalid all the accusations.^[8] Arnaiz-Villena was in practice never punished because he belongs only to University staff (Full Professor) and not to the Hospital one. The Public Prosecutor in an unusual thirteen type-written sheets concluded the the accusations were not proved and that some of Arnaiz-Villena collaborators were pressured to declare against him. Lastly, The Royal College of Physicians of Madrid carried out an extensive investigation at Arnaiz-Villena's request and concluded that none of the accusations were soundly based.^[9]

References

1. ^ Journal axes gene research on Jews and Palestinians
2. ^ PubMed, HLA genes in Macedonians and the sub-Saharan origin of the Greeks.
3. ^ Diana Muir & Paul S. Apelbaum: The Gene Wars, Azure, Winter 5767, 2007, NO. 27
4. ^ Neil Risch, Alberto Piazza, and Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza, “Correspondence: Dropped Genetics Paper Lacked Scientific Merit,” Nature 415 (January 2002), p. 115.
5. ^ Arnaiz-Villena A, Vargas-Alarcon G, Granados J, Gomez-Casado E, Longas J, Gonzales-Hevilla M, Zuniga J, Salgado N, Hernandez-Pacheco G, Guillen J, Martinez-Laso J.; HLA genes in Mexican Mazatecans, the peopling of the Americas and the uniqueness of Amerindians.
6. ^ British Medical Journal, Controversial immunologist faces court case.
7. ^ Sentence 184, TSJ Madrid, February 19th, Tribunal Superior de Justicia -Madrid
8. ^ Sentence TSJ, Madrid, January 10th 2004
9. ^ Colegio de Medicos-Madrid

See also

• Sub-Saharan DNA admixture in Europe