News is emerging of a libel suit brought in the USA against the author of the Quackwatch site: see the site itself here, and also the highly-respected Orac here.
No further details as yet, and I have not verified any of the information set out in the links, but this may be one to watch.
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Thursday, 1 July 2010
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The story appears to be genuine
http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2010/07/01/doctors_data_telling_the_truth_and_getting_sued_for_it.php
Well, to quote a TV advert:
"It's a dirty job ... but someone's got to do it."
and indeed they do.
Those who promote evidence-based scientific and medical theories, procedures and data, have no choice but to stand up and be counted. Backing down can never be the right nor the most effective response.
As Simon Singh has demonstrated, the fight is worth the candle.
Those who will not accept the discipline of evidence-based enquiry must feel its force and if they choose to fight it in the courts then they must lose - and be forced to pay the cost of losing.
Our task, as bloggers, is to expose the perpetrators by giving their actions maximum publicity using the skeptics' weapons of choice - robust commentary and referenced rebuttal.
And the commentary should include liberal extracts from Quackwatch's original analysis of DDI's work - which, it would appear, has spawned legal difficulties for DDI.
One wonders whether this attack is designed primarily to remove compelling evidence that has been helping those who are now bringing claims against DDI.
see: http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/urine_toxic.html
For those wishing to examine Doctor's Data web site, the reference is:
http://www.doctorsdata.com/home.asp
The test that Barratt complains of is:
http://www.doctorsdata.com/test_info.asp?id=4
Other useful references include
Quackwatch's mission statement:
http://www.quackwatch.org/00AboutQuackwatch/mission.html
Chelation Watch:
http://www.chelationwatch.org/
The 'provoked urine excretion test' (why do 'woo-merchants' have this fascination with bodily fluids) appears to be 'popular' with those who propound an unproven theory that elevated levels of heavy metals in the body, particular that of mercury, contribute to autism.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiomersal#Autism
Levels of autism in the US have not fallen since 2001 when the preservative thiomersal was removed from the majority of vaccines.
Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiomersal#History) comments:
"Some parents of autistic children adopted thiomersal as an explanation for the increase in reported autism cases and sued vaccine makers; the mercury-autism hypothesis is accepted widely among parents of autistic children, despite scientific studies rejecting it"
This case is also being looked at by John Pieret at 'Thoughts in a Haystack' at http://dododreams.blogspot.com/
John's perspective is as an American lawyer, though he's generally blogging on religion v science, creationism v evolution issues.
'How the "Urine Toxic Metals" Test
Is Used to Defraud Patients', runs the headline.
Quackwatch should count itself very lucky that Justice Eady is not hearing this case :)
I strongly recommend JoK adding the blog 'Thoughts in a Haystack' to his list of COMRADES.
http://dododreams.blogspot.com/
This is Stephen Barrett's own article on the litigation.
http://www.quackwatch.org/14Legal/dd_suit.html
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