Duchaine was a scientist, only his lab rats were actually human beings, bbers.
he was always experimenting. he wouldn't just settle when he found something that worked, he would constantly seek something knew to try. i don't think he was interested in bbing per se, more in the science of what he could create. like the fictional dr frankenstein, this is what excited him.
by performing his own experiments he is responsible for the induction of many of the widely used peds today. this is a fact and, good or bad, no one before or after him has come close.
it's a bit scary that this crazy scientist with so little formal education on endocrinology or human biology had so much influence on peds, but the reality is he was the only scientist crazy enough to take these kinds of risks with other people's health (he did experiment a little with himself but he quickly realised that he didn't have the genetics for successful bbing).
Duchaine was morally defunct and dangerous imo, but there is no doubt that he deserves the moniker, 'guru'.