California IN BRIEF : SAN JOSE : Linus Pauling Sued by Former Associate

A former associate of Linus Pauling has sued the two-time Nobel laureate, claiming that Pauling improperly took credit for discoveries about the link between vitamin C and cardiovascular health. Matthias Rath of Woodside filed the intellectual property suit against Pauling and the Linus Pauling Institute of Science in Palo Alto in Santa Clara County Superior Court. Rath, who began work at the Pauling Institute in 1990, said he discovered a link between large doses of vitamin C and protection against heart disease. When Rath left the institute in 1992, Pauling signed an agreement saying that the institute waived all interests in Rath’s research data, patent rights and publications, Rath said. Pauling told the San Jose Mercury News that he always gives Rath credit when speaking about cardiovascular health and vitamin C, but that reporters have not always included that in their stories.