Bad Science

How do we know if a treatment works, or if something causes cancer? Can the claims of homeopaths ever be as true - or as interesting - as the improbable research into the placebo effect? Do journalists understand science? Why do we seek scientific explanations for social, personal and political problems? Are alternative therapists and pharmaceutical companies really so different, or do they just use the same old tricks to sell different types of pill? We are obsessed with our health and we are constantly bombarded with inaccurate, contradictory and sometimes even misleading information. Until now. Writer, broadcaster and medical doctor Ben Goldacre dismantles the dodgy science behind some of the great drug trials, court cases and missed opportunities of our time, but he also goes further by showing us the fascinating story of how we know what we know, and gives us the tools to uncover the bad science for ourselves.