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Complementary and alternative medicine Friday Woo Medicine Religion Skepticism/critical thinking

Your Friday Dose of Woo: The Color of Woo, revisited

Ah, yes, Washington, DC. That’s where I am right now, deep in the belly of the government beast, attending the meeting of The Society of Surgical Oncology. It’s usually a great meeting, except for the distressing tendency of surgeons here to act, well, too much like surgeons. For example, consider when the very first session […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine History Holocaust Holocaust denial Medicine Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Dr. Lorraine Day’s at it again

You may recall Dr. Lorraine Day, the former Chief of Orthopedic Surgery at San Francisco General Hospital in the 1980’s who, after developing breast cancer, became a consummate altie, selling various dubious “natural, alternative therapies for all diseases, including cancer and AIDS.” Somewhere along the line, sadly, she also became a rabid anti-Semite and Holocaust […]

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Evolution Intelligent design/creationism Medicine Skepticism/critical thinking Surgery

The Energizer Bunny of antievolution

I need some β-blockers STAT. I say that not because I’m hypertensive or because I’m having heart palpitations–at least not at the moment. I’m saying it because, after reading the latest brave foray into antievolutionary ignorance by–as much as I hate to admit it–a fellow surgeon named Dr. Michael Egnor, I need to do something […]

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News of the Weird Politics Religion Skepticism/critical thinking

Some woo I can almost support

Apparently, our President brings “bad energy” wherever he goes, requiring some strong woo to cleanse the area after he leaves: Maya leaders are to perform a special cleaning ceremony at ancient ruins to clear bad energy after a visit by President Bush. Mr Bush is due at the Mayan ruins of Iximche in Guatemala as […]

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Biology Evolution Intelligent design/creationism Medicine Pseudoscience Science Skepticism/critical thinking Surgery

Train wreck, thy name is Egnor!

It figures. After my having written repeated debunkings of various physicians who are creationists (mostly of the “intelligent design” variety), in retrospect I should have seen this one coming. I should have seen that the Discovery Institute, eager to use anyone they can find whom they can represent to the public as having scientific credentials […]