Books of the Noughties: Bad Science

Continuing our Books of the Noughties series, I asked our head of marketing for an anecdote from when Bad Science was published.

Ben Hurd said this about it:

Dr Ben Goldacre has built up a very strong community around his Bad Science website and Guardian columns and in 2008 published a rather brilliant book that extends his crusade against the ridiculous and often nasty inaccuracies that prevail in the world of science. Bad Science is a superb book – it is funny, revelatory and hugely important. So much so that one chapter, the story of the vitamin pill peddler Mathias Rath had to be removed from the first publication while a legal dispute took place. The chapter is now included in the current edition and I urge everyone to read it (and you can do here for free). It is a somewhat chilling reminder that bad science and misinformation can create healthy profits on one side, and decidedly unhealthy patients on the other. Ben Goldacre isn’t just out to reel in the big fish though and some of my favourite sections of the book are the examples of simple science twaddle, harmless to everything but our bank balances and pride. A personal favourite is Ben’s piece on a ‘Detox Footspa’ product – just watch that water turn brown as the toxins are purged from your feet…bonkers.

If you haven’t visited Dr Ben Goldacre’s site yet, why not do so now. His most recent post, on Christmas Day, is about the bible passage Daniel 1:8, which Ben claims describes the first ever clinical trial.