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Author:: Ben Goldacre (author)
Language:: English
Publisher:: HarperCollins
Category:: Science
Publication year:: 2009
Original publication year:: 2008
ISBN:: 978-0-00-728487-0
Pages:: 370
Synopsis:: Bad Science is a book almost entirely dedicated to the exposition of poor and damaging science reporting in the media, especially medical science. (Another major point of the book is focusing on specific people in the media who Goldacre thinks are doing a poor job or a disservice to the public.) This isn't all of the book, however: some chapters (The Placebo Effect and Bad Stats stand out) go into how medical science is actually done and what methods are used in clinical trials.
Review:: I found the book both entertaining and enlightning, although the book is heavily focused on the UK. If you're from the UK then you'd probably enjoy this book much more than I did, being from Norway.
Has read?: Yes
Images:
High-res images:: [Back (3.57 MB)] [Spine (710.82 KB)] [Front (3.95 MB)]
Table of Contents:: [Toggle visibility]

Introduction

Chapter 1: Matter

Chapter 2: Brain Gym

Chapter 3: The Progenium XY Complex

Chapter 4: Homeopathy

Chapter 5: The Placebo Effect

Chapter 6: The Nonsense du Jour

Chapter 7: Dr Gillian McKeith PhD

Chapter 8: 'Pill Solves Complex Social Problem'

Chapter 9: Professor Patrick Holford

Chapter 10: The Doctor Will Sure You Now

Chapter 11: Is Mainstream Medicine Evil?

Chapter 12: How the Media Promote the Public Misunderstanding of Science

Chapter 13: Why Clever People Believe Stupid Things

Chapter 14: Bad Stats

Chapter 15: Health Scares

Chapter 16: The Media's MMR Hoax

And Another Thing

Further Reading and Acknowledgements

Notes

Index

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Bad Science