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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
informative
medium-paced
Like many before me, I was made aware of Brian Deer and his journalistic work regarding Andrew Wakefield by <a href="https://youtu.be/8BIcAZxFfrc?si=4yW7pWbD5kWPyaXS">a certain Youtube video</a>. Bought this book literal years ago, but my to-read pile is an ever growing monstrosity, so I haven't gotten around to reading it until now.
Was it worth the wait? Yes, absolutely! As depressing as the accounts of medical scammers leeching money and attention from desperate parents is, it's heartening to read actual investigative journalism. With social media dominating so many information channels and medical misinformation being such a lethal problem, it's good for the soul to get this reminder that some people will do the research and will call out awful liars with zero conscience.
Children and adults alike still die from diseases that are preventable, and that is heart-wrenching and infuriating! I doubt Andrew Wakefield and the people who've enabled his lies ever will take responsibility for all the harm they've done. But at least there's thorough records of their lies, both in this book and in legal records all over the world. Gives me a bit of hope for the future.
Was it worth the wait? Yes, absolutely! As depressing as the accounts of medical scammers leeching money and attention from desperate parents is, it's heartening to read actual investigative journalism. With social media dominating so many information channels and medical misinformation being such a lethal problem, it's good for the soul to get this reminder that some people will do the research and will call out awful liars with zero conscience.
Children and adults alike still die from diseases that are preventable, and that is heart-wrenching and infuriating! I doubt Andrew Wakefield and the people who've enabled his lies ever will take responsibility for all the harm they've done. But at least there's thorough records of their lies, both in this book and in legal records all over the world. Gives me a bit of hope for the future.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
I really enjoyed this book. It’s full of scientific terms but they are clearly explained without being patronising.
In "The Doctor Who Fooled the World", journalist Brian Deer recounts his investigation of former doctor Andrew Wakefield—the man largely responsible for the "vaccines cause autism" myth, and, in turn, for a good chunk of the modern anti-vax movement. Wakefield, in short, once published a "study" (now redacted) showing a link between the MMR vaccine and autism that turned out to be almost a complete fabrication, built on terrible science and a lot of outright lies. Deer exposes all of that in this book.
I've wanted to read this ever since watching hbomberguy's video on the subject, and it didn't disappoint. Deer recounts the story as a gripping narrative that had me actually shaking my head in disbelief at the utter depths Wakefield was willing to sink to in order to further his interests—including not only a litany of lies and fraud, but also medical abuse of children for his own profit. Deer summarizes complicated medical terminology and concepts into simple explanations that laymen can easily follow. If this is a subject that interests you at all, I highly recommend giving this a read.
I've wanted to read this ever since watching hbomberguy's video on the subject, and it didn't disappoint. Deer recounts the story as a gripping narrative that had me actually shaking my head in disbelief at the utter depths Wakefield was willing to sink to in order to further his interests—including not only a litany of lies and fraud, but also medical abuse of children for his own profit. Deer summarizes complicated medical terminology and concepts into simple explanations that laymen can easily follow. If this is a subject that interests you at all, I highly recommend giving this a read.
informative
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
dark
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
challenging
informative
sad
medium-paced
dark
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
I thought I knew how bad the situation was but it is Worse. A case study in how a charlatan can damage a century's worth of progress.