Artificial heart researcher Robert Jarvik's foray into pin-up boy for the pharmaceutical industry has turned into an embarrassment that may downsize his claims to being a medical pioneer.

After a congressional committee began a probe into Jarvik's promotion of cholesterol-lowering Liptor, drug giant Pfitzer pulled the ads that had earned Jarvik upwards of $1.35 million. The least of troubling of the committee's concerns was that a stunt-double for Jarvik was used in a sculling scene. Jarvik, it seems, can't row.

Now, the Tribune's Lisa Rosetta and Heather May report that other developers of the historic artificial heart implanted in Barney Clark in the early 1980s are annoyed by Jarvik's relentless self promotion that has eclipsed the work of hundreds of other researchers, including medical pioneer Willem Kolff.

Jarvik's publicist (yes, he has a publicist) says Jarvik has never claimed to be the sole inventor.

"The timing of this recent criticism - for an event that occurred decades ago - seems cynical at best, rather bitter and ill-founded."

Above: Jarvik in the days of more hair and more respect.