Man has AIDS in 1950s

[Dave Wilton]

A question arose in alt.folklore.urban about a story of a man who 
contracted AIDS in the 1950s. Some posters claim this to be documented, 
but did not post references. Is there any documented evidence, from 
medical/scientific literature to prove or refute this story? Please 
email or post references.

Thanks. Extracts from original posts follow:

1st post:

Sender: chiparm at netcom16.netcom.com

>   It begins in the 1950s (or maybe 1960s) when a man has some
>mysterious illness and the doctors have absolutely no idea what's wrong
>with him. Slowly the man wastes away and dies, and blood and tissue 
>samples are stored away, in the hope that some day medical science can 
>discover what exactly killed him.
>   FF to the early 1980s. A doctor is reading the literature on the 
>newly discovered AIDS virus when he suddenly recalls the case from the 
>1950s. Since many of the symptoms the man with the mysterious disease 
>had are similar to those seen in AIDS cases, he decides to investigate. 
>The blood and tissue samples (or whatever it was they saved) are pulled 
>from deep storage and tested, and it is found that the man from the 
>1950s had the AIDS virus.

2nd post:

Sender: smayer at netcom9.netcom.com

>Mark this one as true. The fellow in question was an English sailor out 
>of Manchester who died in '59. "Earliest AIDS death" isn't really a 
>hobby of mine, but this one seems to be pretty well-documented.

--Dave Wilton
  dwilton at ix.netcom.com