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Plugging Bad Science

Submitted by John.Crippen on Mon, 10/27/2008 - 15:39

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There are not many books on Amazon that get 25 unsolicited reviews from the general public within a few weeks of publication, and none (to my knowledge) that get a consistent 5 star rating from all the reviewers.

Bad Science is by Dr Ben Goldacre, well known to Guardian readers for his regular column, and also within the medical blogosphere for his leading blog of the same name.
Ben graduated from Oxford with a 1st class degree in medicine and still found time to edit Isis. He has picked up a qualification in philosophy somewhere along the way, and is currently a research psychiatrist at the Maudsley Hospital. It’s an impressive career to date, and there is more to come.

The book is a joy. It is easy to read, at times very funny. But do not be deceived by the humour for, underneath the humour, Ben is the scourge of medical fraudsters, and is not afraid to name names. He may not be up there with Ian Hislop in terms of the number of writs he has attracted but he must have some good lawyers. He has already seen off a particularly offensive quack who was flogging patent medicine as a “cure” for HIV infection.

Readers of the Daily Mail, wearers of copper bracelets, homeopaths and nutritionists (to name but a few) may not enjoy Bad Science. The doyenne of nutritionists, the “awful-poo lady” herself, “Dr” Gillian Mckeith “PhD”, will not be gruntled to find that she is summed-up in a one-liner which in itself justifies the price of the book.

My seventeen year old son took a break from his science "A" levels to read Bad Science. It made him “very happy” (I quote). It will make you happy too.

Buy it.

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