Research paid for by the Allegiance Healthcare Corporation, a leading manufacturer of the latex gloves in question, reached identical conclusions to those cited by Dr. Koop, however. Dr. Koop said that he was misled about the nature of the latex gloves study and was not aware of a connection between his comments and the analysis paid for by Allegiance. A spokesman for the drug company said there was no connection between the grant and Dr. Koop's efforts on Capitol Hill. I'm not a lobbyist, de facto or otherwise. I did not receive any payment for my work.
Most foundations accept grants from private sources.
I did it to change the way that medicine is practiced, to bring important information to patients faster and get them more involved in decisions about their health.'' ''It is true,'' he went on, ''there are people in my situation who could not receive a million-dollar grant and stay objective. But I do. I was approached by people who asked me if I would represent the side of tobacco in the tobacco settlement and I refused. But I guess we have to redouble our efforts,'' he said. Such statements, though, do not erase the sense many of his critics have that America's family doctor, as Dr. Koop referred to himself in a 1991 memoir, has put his credibility at risk.