A Book by Ben Goldacre, a man who signed his dead cat up as a certified
professional member of the American Association of Nutritional
Consultants to prove a point.
"Let me tell you how bad things have become" begins Bad Science, before describing the Brain Gym exercises currently practiced in British schools. If you, as a budding neuroscientist (or even just as a sane individual), are concerned by the idea of children being taught that nodding their heads vigorously will make them smarter by increasing blood flow to the frontal lobes then you might want to read on. Ben Goldacre, a British doctor, is on a crusade and this book outlines his manifesto. He targets three main audiences and carries them on a crash course through modern science, mainstream media and money-making 'medical' quackery. Goldacre writes for us - scientists - as well as reaching out to people with no scientific education and imploring his 'enemies' - scare-mongering journalists and greedy nutritionists - to see reason.
The book outlines a clear set of ideas about the advancement of public knowledge of science and Goldacre explains the obstacles he sees to these goals through a series of succinct examples of media debacles and blatant false advertising. Bad Science is the art of misinterpreting statistics, underestimating placebo effects and taking advantage of health worries and scientific ignorance in the general public to make a quick buck. Most of this is explained whilst maintaining a humorous tone - if you like gathering fun facts about the reality of recreational drug use or finding out the truth about 'Horny Goat Weed' aphrodisiacs then this is your book - but he also describes a darker side: the people who don't want to stop making money from dodgy therapies. One chapter is only included in the most recent edition of the book as Goldacre was being sued for libel by its subject, a multivitamin-pill magnate peddling lies in AIDS-striken South Africa.
by Ellie Rea
"Let me tell you how bad things have become" begins Bad Science, before describing the Brain Gym exercises currently practiced in British schools. If you, as a budding neuroscientist (or even just as a sane individual), are concerned by the idea of children being taught that nodding their heads vigorously will make them smarter by increasing blood flow to the frontal lobes then you might want to read on. Ben Goldacre, a British doctor, is on a crusade and this book outlines his manifesto. He targets three main audiences and carries them on a crash course through modern science, mainstream media and money-making 'medical' quackery. Goldacre writes for us - scientists - as well as reaching out to people with no scientific education and imploring his 'enemies' - scare-mongering journalists and greedy nutritionists - to see reason.
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| Book cover of "Bad Science" |
The book outlines a clear set of ideas about the advancement of public knowledge of science and Goldacre explains the obstacles he sees to these goals through a series of succinct examples of media debacles and blatant false advertising. Bad Science is the art of misinterpreting statistics, underestimating placebo effects and taking advantage of health worries and scientific ignorance in the general public to make a quick buck. Most of this is explained whilst maintaining a humorous tone - if you like gathering fun facts about the reality of recreational drug use or finding out the truth about 'Horny Goat Weed' aphrodisiacs then this is your book - but he also describes a darker side: the people who don't want to stop making money from dodgy therapies. One chapter is only included in the most recent edition of the book as Goldacre was being sued for libel by its subject, a multivitamin-pill magnate peddling lies in AIDS-striken South Africa.
Check out his TED talk!As a population with at least basic knowledge of the procedures of evidence-based medicine, we medical neuroscientists may end up feeling a little smug as Goldacre dips into statistics and scientific reasoning. Despite this, for me at least, it served as a necessary reminder that one must always seek the full story beneath anything from a peer-reviewed academic paper to a sensationalised tabloid newspaper article. Although probably preaching to the converted, Goldacre's closing plea to scientists to make sure our work is known and not misinterpreted is sound advice. This book will make you reassess the way you think about science in the media. Please read it (or at least watch his TEDtalk).
by Ellie Rea
this article originally appeared March 2012 in Volume 5, Issue1, "Mental Health Disorders"
