Dr. Alan Cantwell, R.I.P. (1934-2021)

A few days ago, I learned from Joan D'Arc (the co-founder of PARANOIA MAGAZINE) that Dr. Alan Cantwell passed away in January of this year. Cantwell's 1988 book, AIDS & THE DOCTORS OF DEATH, played a significant role in my development as a writer and researcher. The book partially ignited my interest in conspiracy theories and helped inspire me to view the field as a complex, ever-evolving art form. It was one of the first guideposts leading me down this strange and wonderful path of 1) studying the shape and shadow of consensus reality and 2) studying the shape and shadow of those who question consensus reality.

 

Cantwell and I shared the same Table of Contents page several times back when I was contributing regularly to such publications as PARANOIA and THE CONSPIRACY READER. Over the years, he sent me a few complimentary emails about my articles in NEW DAWN and other magazines. He even graciously gave me a blurb for my first book, CRYPTOSCATOLOGY: CONSPIRACY THEORY AS ART FORM ("A sane and penetrating analysis into the murky realm of contemporary conspiracy theory. Guffey is sure to inform and entertain you with Cryptoscatology."--Alan Cantwell, M.D.).

Cantwell particularly liked my article, "©onspiracy Inc.: Anatomy of a Discipline," which later became Chapter One of CRYPTOSCATOLOGY. When the article first appeared in the pages of PARANOIA in 2005, he sent me the following email:

Hi Robert:
I just finished your SANE article on conspiracies in the latest PARANOIA.
Thanks for the kind words about my research.
Like you, I sometimes wonder how much leg pulling is included in some of these really weird articles in conspiracy magazines.
However, I am very grateful to the P editors to print my stuff -----as it would be near impossible to get such unflattering articles in "real" medical journals.
Now what's your take on that fairy article in the same issue?????? Only kidding!!
Keep up your good work in trying to give conspiracy theories more "credibility"!!
Regards,
Alan Cantwell MD 

Here's what Joan wrote about Cantwell on her Facebook page:

I have just realized my friend Alan Cantwell has passed away. I sent him an email about a month ago and he didn't reply, so I checked. Readers of Paranoia Magazine will remember many articles written by Dr. Cantwell, author of Queer Blood, AIDS and the Doctors of Death, The Cancer Microbe, AIDS: The Mystery and the Solution, and Four Women Against Cancer. I met Dr. Cantwell on a trip to Los Angeles in the '90s where he lived in the Hollywood Hills with his husband, who was actually named Frank Sinatra! Alan made a delicious spaghetti dinner and played the piano.

And here's an excerpt from Cantwell's 1-10-21 LOS ANGELES TIMES obit: 

Alan R. Cantwell Jr., M.D., physician and author, passed away peacefully at home on January 1, 2021. Dr. Cantwell was always interested in research and throughout his career published many papers on dermatological problems. During the AIDS pandemic his interest concerning the many cases he was observing lead to a series of books on the subject which he authored and published through his own publishing company, Aries Rising Press. A fine pianist, good painter, generous host and a man devoted to his patients, Dr. Cantwell will be missed by all who knew him.

To read the entire obit, click HERE.