Following what some have called a breach in research and journalistic ethics, a prominent Harvard rheumatologist faces an investigation into whether he failed to disclose a conflict of interest regarding an article he co-authored.

According to the Associated Press, Professor of Medicine Peter H. Schur helped author an article that appeared in February in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a medical journal that he edits, defending breast implants.

Arthritis & Rheumatism is the official journal of the American College of Rheumatology, which purports to be an objective showcase for studies involving rheumatological issues.

But Schur is also a consultant to four law firms which work for makers of silicone breast implants, which have barred from usage by the Food and Drug Administration. He has made roughly $30,000 since October of 1993 critiquing medical reports, reviewing patient records and testifying in trials.

In that same month, Schur and three colleagues submitted a paper to Arthritis & Rheumatism concluding that there is "little or no association" between implants and disease. The paper was edited that fall and published last February.

Schur could not be reached by The Crimson for comment yesterday.

In the published study, Schur did not disclose his ties with the implant industry. Medical ethicists have said that Schur was out of line.

"That strikes me as a bad mistake," David H. Smith, director of the Poynter Center of the Study of Ethics at Indiana University, said in an interview yesterday. "I think readers of professional journals have a right to know the kinds of engagements that the editorial writers have."

Schur himself denied any conflict of interest in an Associated Press interview yesterday. He said he did not need to disclose his work with the implant industry because it did not influence his research judgment.

He added that he thought acknowledging a conflict of interest was necessary only if "payment by industry has influenced the article. Clearly, none of us felt we were being influenced by anyone."

But according to ethical rules adopted in January 1993 by the International Committee of Journal Editors, consulting and expert testimony are among "the most important conflicts of interest," regardless of whether the authors judgements are influenced.

Members of the American College of Rheumatology's publication committee, which oversees the journal, told the Associated Press that they were surprised and concerned by Schur's moonlighting.

"He should have disclosed [his ties]," said member Dr. Bruce N. Cronstein of New York University Medical Center.

The publication committee promised an investigation on their editor's activities. "We will take the appropriate actions," Dr. David A. Fox of the University of Michigan, the committee's chair, told the Associated Press. "This is not an issue that we will ignore."

Studies in medical journals can have great impact upon juries in trials involving medical matters such as breast implants. They are typically used by both sides in the the cases that have come to court over the issue.

Although doctors disagree about the effects of breast implants on health, manufacturers have agreed to pay $4.25 billion to women who believe they have been harmed. But about 8000 women have rejected that settlement, and are now suing the companies on their own.