Book Review of Bad Science
Ben Goldacre is a London physician and a columnist who exposes bad science and flawed reason for the Guardian newspaper. The book is a humorous and engaging read on the media/publics fallacy and misinterpretations of science.
The lack of a strong educational foundation in science has left many people with a science illiteracy. This has made them vulnerable to the “snake oil salesmen”, who profiteer from hypocrisy and half-truths. Dr. Goldacre attacks the media hype behind the good/bad for your health fads published and the idea that all social and physical problems can be solved with the help of a pill.
Challenging how science the media reports science, he tackles drug company deception, alternative medicine, vitamins, and nutrition fads. He leaves the reader with an awakening, spurring them to question and judge the evidence for themselves. Using excellent examples—the placebo affect, the Vioxx case, and the purported connection between the MMR vaccine and autism—he makes a defining case between the public’s perceived understanding and medical fact. The very entertaining book draws a clear line between the pseudoscience and evidence-based medicine.
While you won’t find the book at your local bookstore (it is currently only sold in the United Kingdom), you can find a copy online or through the website www.badscience.net; you should manage to land a copy for your bedside table.
Bad Science
By Ben Goldacre.
Fourth Estate; 352 pages
www.badscience.net
