In which readers are once again given permission to laugh at the illogical gullibility of their fellow human beings…

Science and pseudo-science have been formally separated for many years, yet we somehow live in an age where the sales of pseudo scientific “medicine”  are positively thriving. So why is it that otherwise clever and educated people believe in the efficacy of products for which there is no supporting evidence? Are the millions spent on these treatments simply a tax on the gullible or are they genuinely harmful? This is the subject of Ben Goldacre’s brilliantly hilarious book, of the website, of the weekly Guardian column, Bad Science.

It was Karl Popper who proposed falsifiability as a model to distinguish science from pseudo-science and, according to Goldacre and most other adherents of scientific principles, it is this dispassionate empirical scepticism that drives discovery forward. Popper set out criteria for identifying pseudo science, including:

• The use of vague, exaggerated or untestable claims
• Over-reliance on confirmation rather than refutation
• Lack of openness to testing by other experts
• The use of misleading language

Any of that lot sound familiar? They do to Goldacre, an NHS doctor, who takes great glee in carefully and systematically exploring the evidence and methodology behind the claims of “alternative” and complementary medicine. This may be shooting fish in a barrel but it is often very funny indeed. What isn’t funny is the cynicism of many of the peddlars of pseudo science, and Goldacre’s targets get bigger as the book moves forward.

Gillian McKeith may be ludicrous, but some charlatans are more charlatan than others, and thanks be to Goldacre that her ludicrous balloon is now well and truly pricked. I suspect she’ll be back, but next time thanks to Bad Science there will be fewer people paying attention to the mad harridan. But Goldacre is not a bully and his targets deserve our scorn, most much, much more than the ridiculous Ms McKeith. These people are the inheritors of travelling snake oil salesmen and prey on the uninformed, the confused and the gullible.

Yet surprisingly and engagingly,  Goldacre still takes time to explore the genuine beneficial effects of otherwise medically worthless practises. He does so by exploring the weird and wonderful world of the Placebo Effect and the huge and genuine physiological benefits of psychological well-being. So powerful are these effects, patients often get better even when they already know the pills they are taking are placebos. As is usually the case, underlying scientific explanations are more interesting, elegant and mind blowing than the pseudo scientific quackery out front.

Goldacre also attacks bad practice of the established industry that leaves it open to attack by peddlers of pseudo medicine. He also acknowledges the underlying benefits of simply promoting a balanced diet and exercise whoever is doing the promoting. This approach sees Goldacre come across as a balanced, human, non sneering debunker. Yet Goldacre knows he is fighting a losing battle.

This is because the real villains of Bad Science are not the charlatans themselves but the mainstream media (hello, The Daily Mail) where a toxic combination of ignorance, love of a scandal and distrust of the institutional powers of state combine to undermine public trust and create a climate where pseudo science can thrive. The peddlars of complementary medicine are not interested in scientific proof. They co-opt the language of science in order to talk over the heads of the scientific community directly to confused and it has to be said, gullible, consumers. But it is the ignorance and cynicism of the mainstream media, willing partners in idiocy, who make it possible.

All would be fine (ish) if we were simply talking about the Worried Well and an unofficial tax on the gullible middle classes of the Western world. But purveyors of quackery, as Goldacre shows, also cause real harm. The harmful effects of real and non existent health scandals have been exacerbated by the march of pseudo science. Worse, much worse, the purveyors of complementary medicine are making inroads into less scientifically orientated parts of the world, especially those with reason to doubt the motives of the West.  The unimaginable tragedy and scandal of the non treatment AIDS in South Africa is in no small part due to the influence of idiotic and/or cynical alternative health practitioners. Ben Goldacre is a good enough writer and Bad Science is a good enough book to take on this huge change of pace without appearing trite.

There are plenty of other books that lay bear quackery for comic effect. Where Bad Science scores is in its likeability and it is therefore essential reading for anyone with a relative or friend with a penchant for complementary medicine, who wishes to arm themselves with the necessary tools to win a dinner table argument.  Goldacre’s targets are well chosen, his methods are precise and his writing style fluid - Bad Science is thoroughly entertaining, enlightening and comes highly recommended.

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