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Published online 13 May 2009 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2009.479
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Court setback for science writer
Libel case threatens discussion of science and medicine internationally, says Simon Singh.
A court case between one of Britain's leading science writers and an organization representing alternative medicine practitioners is causing renewed concern about the potential for libel laws to stifle debate on scientific issues.
Simon Singh, author of Fermat's Last Theorem and other books, is being sued for libel by the British Chiropractic Association over an article he wrote for the Guardian newspaper last year.
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RE: Libelous fad-science writing!? -- I think this a very clear but sad case of "Dawkinsian syndrome" in the bad science or scientism writing industry, that has caught up with Simon Singh's profession, after qualifying himself as a science writer-reporter-commentator, etc since the mid-1990s. Unfortunately, Singh has now picked on a wrong target: a field that he has no formal training nor biomedical knowledge in, as one that is chiropractic. As far as I know, chiropractic is a licensed paramedical practice or profession; and is not categorized as any form of alternative medicine or not per se; Singh's legal adviser(s) should have known better; caveat lector! Best wishes, Mong 5/13/9usct3:31p; author "Decoding Scientism" and "Consciousness & the Subconscious" (works in progress since July 2007), "Gods, Genes, Conscience" (2006: http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?isbn=0595379907 ) and "Gods, Genes, Conscience: Global Dialogues Now" (blogging avidly since 2006: http://www2.blogger.com/profile/18303146609950569778 ).
Hi Mong H Tan, ................................................................................... 1. Chiropractors are definitely categorised as alternative medicine practitioners. (http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/158/20/2215)............................................................................................. 2. There is no evidence (as Simon states) that chiropractic care can alleviate paediatric problems like colic, sleeping and feeding problems, frequent ear infections, asthma and prolonged crying. ......................................................................................................................... 3. Whats more is that, there isn't even a plausible scientific explanation of how chiropractic care could help with the aforementioned inflictions. .................................................................................................................. I hope he does appeal this obviously flawed decision. I'd hate for children to miss out on the care they require because of bogus promises from people purporting to health professionals. - J John, MBChB
RE: Simon Singh vs. the BCA!? -- Jubal John, I think any appeal on Singh's behalf may go to waste for 2 reasons: 1) technically and specifically, this case is libelous against the BCA, and not against any unscrupulous nor anonymous chiropractors; and 2) unbeknown to Singh, all those specific pediatric afflictions could be shown that their root-causes might be related to the developmental problems of their central nervous system, especially the autonomous neuro-cardio-endocrine and immune systems: as highly specialized chiropractic could help alleviate those afflicted symptoms by manipulating, comforting, and enhancing the activities of the autonomous neuro-cardio-endocrine and immune systems in pediatric patients. As such, these biomedically qualified and specialized chiropractic treatments could not be "bogus" as Singh has had blatantly and uncategorically alleged above. Anyway, I do wish Singh the best of luck (and cost and anguish) if he does decide to appeal by May 28. -- Best wishes, Mong 5/17/9usct1:35p; author "Decoding Scientism" and "Consciousness & the Subconscious" (works in progress since July 2007), "Gods, Genes, Conscience" (2006: http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?isbn=0595379907 ) and "Gods, Genes, Conscience: Global Dialogues Now" (blogging avidly since 2006: http://www2.blogger.com/profile/18303146609950569778 ).
There are two broad classes of medicine: evidence based, and alternative. Evidence based medicine tries to gather data showing that a given therapy improves a given well defined medical condition. So, treating people who are suffering from a bacterial infection with an antibiotic that can be shown experimentally and independently to kill the bacteria, and then observing that their health improves, and that bacterial levels in their bodies decrease can make a link between the therapy and the disease causal agent. Most clinical conditions are not as easy as this to define, so the clinical status and the therapeutic outcome must be assessed in large, carefully selected groups, with appropriate controls where the patients are treated with a placebo, which of course has its own therapeutic effect, over the "neuro-endocrine-cardiac-immune" system: a.k.a. belief. So the only seriously relevant analyses involve double-blinding the clinical trial, so no one knows who gave what to whom, till the results are analysed. Alternative therapies are seldom subjected to such a comparison. But they can obviously work: massage is not statistically validated, but it works, doesn't it? Unfourtunately, this "it works, doesn't it" mentality is not applicable to most medical conditions. If my child is suffering from chronic ear infections, personally, I'll go for the antibiotic- that-targets the bacteria approach, rather than the back rub. I guess I'm funny like that. On the other hand, sure, I'll get a massage if I "feel bad" or a specific bit of my body is aching. I would love to see the evidence that chiropratic care has a statistically significant effect on the immune system, or the "autonomous neuro-cardiac-endocrinological" system(s). Maybe it just makes people feel better, like a good massage, or the placebo. And nothing wrong with that. But let's not confuse that with validated medical therapy. Please. Good luck Mr. Singh.