eveglass | Books of 2010: 48. Bad Science, by Ben Goldacre

Bad Science is a fascinating book. Goldacre, a British medical doctor, bemoans the lack of scientific literacy in the public -- why is it that homeopaths and other alternative therapies can flourish despite evidence, why nutritionists tout one fad diet after another with great success, and how quack doctors can come to prominence and cause real harm. This book is an attempt to inject some basic scientific literacy into its readers, with clear, concise language and great deal of wit.

Goldacre starts with the more easily-debunkable claims of alternative practitioners who leech out "toxins" using foot baths (hint: it involves electricity, salt water, and iron nails... and no "toxins"). From there, he moves on to the homeopath industry to show what's needed to produce good methodology in a paper, stuff like randomization, blinding, and proper controls. He tackles the nutrition and pharmacology industries, showing how you can misrepresent your results (ignore people who drop out, play with the baseline, play with the statistics, etc.) and how the media routinely dumb down or sensationalize certain stories while ignoring others. There's a fascinating chapter on the placebo effect (more complex than you might think) and a cautionary chapter on the MMR-vaccine / autism media debacle.

Through it all, Goldacre is quick to point out that he's not against sensible eating, or people taking (or not taking) pills, or medical interventions. His constant refrain in the book is, "It's a bit more complicated than that." What he is against is the alternative medicine industry and media's portrayal of science as something highly difficult to understand, something that exists in a black box. Goldacre asserts that sensible, intelligent, motivated people can understand science, and the media's dumbing down (and the alternative medicine industry's "science-y sounding" papers) aren't helping anyone, especially in an age when so many of our decisions ultimately come down to understanding science.

I think this is a wonderful introductory book for laypeople who may have (like me) forgotten most of their high school science.