NorthWest Biotherapeutics Inc (NWBO)

[CogDiss 1188X]

It is telling that Dr Horton and Dr Angell, former editors of two of the most prestigious medical journals, wrote books decrying the corruption of medicine as soon as they left their posts.

Here are two more — seems to be a growing cottage industry:

Dr Jerome Kassirer, former Editor-in-Chief of The New England Journal of Medicine and

Dr Richard Smith, a previous editor of the British Medical Journal for twenty five years.

https://www.amazon.com/Take-Medicines-Complicity-Business-Endanger/dp/0195176847/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmrnull_1


https://www.amazon.com/Trouble-Medical-Journals-Richard-Smith/dp/1853156736/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmrnull_1


Here’s a snippet of a review of Smith’s book:

This is an absolute must read book. It is beautifully written, but the content is quite devastating. I read it from end to end in one sitting and was riveted throughout. Any illusions one might have had about the integrity of scientific research, the veracity of papers, and the altruism of journals are shattered forever. But the demolition is done with such a lovely blend of logic, humour, anecdote, and evidence that it really does make a cracking good read. It should be a standard text for all courses in scientific subjects, never mind medicine, as it would open students' eyes to the dangers of taking published work for granted.

Well, at least it’s a cracking good read.

Looks like one has to get out a magnifying glass, a slide rule and the most state-of-the-art bullshit detector one can find when reading the odd prestigious medical journal these days.

This dilemma (trust authority and be regularly misled or take on the Herculean task of rolling up ones sleeves to fact-check everything) reminds me of a quote by Chomsky on developing “courses of intellectual self-defense” in the context of social change movements — short but thought provoking as a potential way forward if adapted patient advocacy groups that don’t take corporate sponsorship: