Review: Bad Science by Ben Goldacre

[lizabelle]

***** (out of *****)

Bad Science is Ben Goldacre's passionate, poignant and entertaining look at science reporting in the media and how people at large are suffering from this. He also has an (occasionally very sharp) axe to grind with the people and industries that have benefited from the same phenomenon, but that is not the focus of the book. The chapter on Patrick Holford descends into a rant, but hey, it's a hugely enjoyable, articulate rant, so who cares? There's also a moving chapter on a nutritionist named Matthias Rath who peddles vitamins to HIV sufferers in South Africa and encourages them to give up their antiretroviral drugs (ugh).

Apart from the few cases mentioned above, Goldacre's problem is not with individuals, but with the media's role in science today. He tries very hard to show the reader how to look for signs of problems in research and reports, as well as exposing "big pharma"'s role in medical research. The result is a book that is accessible to people like me, and I enjoyed it a lot.

Goldacre's blog (largely a mirror of his Guardian articles) is here.

Comments

[rian]

I love Ben Goldacre, and I loved this book. As someone who spends their days evaluating clinical trials the repeated explanation of the importance of design, etc were a little wearing for me, but since the book is meant for a lay audience I understand why he did it like that. I was absolutely flabbergasted at the claims some of these people get away with making, and I did wonder if the stories would have had more impact if I had been British, and had personally seen people like Gillian McKeith bang on about their agenda on the TV. I suspect it would have meant more to me (outraged me more, although it outraged me plenty) if I had.

[lizabelle]

Yeah, as a layperson I was grateful for the constant reiterations of trial design! I tend to need science dinned into me several times before I really understand it.

His take on Gillian McKeith and Patrick Holford fascinated me, because as a vegan I have to be pretty health-conscious in my eating, and I have taken various bits and bobs of their advice over the years. I always ignored the expensive bespoke pills, though, which are what Goldacre really takes issue with.

I don't know how high-profile Holford is these days, but Gillian McKeith's tv shows have a pretty large audience, and it's easy to understand why: the western world is obsessed with food and dieting, and the people she bullies under her wing really are transformed after a few months of eating healthily (of course, she picks the people with the worst possible habits, otherwise the viewing wouldn't be as interesting!).

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