Bad Science (book)
First edition cover
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| Author | Ben Goldacre |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Pseudoscience |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | Fourth Estate |
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Publication date
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September 2008 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 338 |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 259713114 |
| 500 22 | |
| LC Class | Q172.5.E77 G65 2008 |
Bad Science is a book by Ben Goldacre, criticising mainstream media reporting on health and science issues. It was published by Fourth Estate in September 2008. It has been positively reviewed by the British Medical Journal and the Daily Telegraph and has reached the Top 10 bestseller list for Amazon Books. It was shortlisted for the 2009 Samuel Johnson Prize. Bad Science or BadScience is also the title of Goldacre's column in The Guardian and his website.
A brief introduction (by Goldacre) touching on subjects covered by subsequent chapters. It bemoans the widespread lack of understanding of evidence-based science.
Detoxification methods (the Aqua Detox, ear candles etc.) that can easily be shown to be bogus by simple experiments that can be carried out at home with easily found materials. Discusses the "detox phenomenon", touches on purification of repeated rituals and compares the phenomenon of Detoxification and rituals in the Third World to "cleanse" child soldiers.
The claims for Brain Gym, a programme of specific physical exercises that its commercial promoters claim can create new pathways in the brain. The uncritical adoption of this programme by sections of the British school system is derided.
On cosmetics, and the misleading and pseudoscientific claims by their manufacturers. Also touches on the past and current regulation of the industry.
Homeopathy is used to prompt a discussion of the nature of scientific evidence, with reference to the placebo effect, regression to the mean, and the importance of blind testing and randomisation in the design of fair clinical trials. Having concluded that homeopathic pills have been shown to work no better than placebo pills, the author suggests homeopathy may still have psychological benefits which could be the subject of further study.
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