Denialism by Michael Specter

“Confusing popularity with authority is one of the hallmarks of denialism.”

This quote sums up much of what this book is about. I was fascinated and little disturbed by some of it. I’ll take each section individually:

Vioxx and the Fear of Science – This chapter deals with the public fear of science, particularly when it goes hand in hand with corporate profit. It takes as an example the drug Vioxx, and the increased risk of death for those with heart disease. This sets the stage, more or less, because it is an example of actual malfeasance, and how it can garner mistrust…but mistrust of what? To blame “science” as a whole is foolish, and Specter makes a case that pulling Vioxx off the market completely had more of a negative effect than simply being honest about the risks, since it really was only a minority at risk.

Vaccines and the Great Denial – I was taken by surprise with this chapter and the apparent vitriol associated with vaccinations. I had no idea how far it went. When I was a youngster, I do remember one family who refused to vaccinate their kids…they all got whooping cough. Now, though, apparently measles and mumps are coming back in a big way because people are afraid of vaccinations. Why? Some very solid research has come out saying vaccines are safe. And people just absolutely refuse to believe, even in the face of an epidemic. Unbelievable.

The Organic Fetish – If denialism about vaccines surprised me, it was nothing compared to the chapter on organics and the anger spewed out toward genetically modified foods. Specter is clear that it’s not only safe to eat genetically modified foods, people are literally starving because of the self-righteousness of wealthy Americans. Organic food is not as safe, and cannot produce enough to feed the world on available land.

The Era of Echinacea – Specter has been building more and more about the consequences of denying clear scientific research, and this takes it further, in a disturbing way. I have always thought multivitamins useful, but this chapter shows they can be literally harmful, and I feel a little silly. Just because something is good for you, doesn’t mean it works in pill form…a prime example being Omega III fatty acids. When eaten in fish they are good for you, but have never been shown to have any affect at all otherwise. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg compared to “alternative” medicine. Little did I know that the National Institutes of Health has a department with a budget of over $100 Million to research…what? Homeopathy? Some of the examples were absurd, but our tax dollars are being wasted on things that have already been shown to be useless!

Race and the Language of Life – There is a bit of a shift in this chapter. It begins by mentioning another touchy area…the fact that race of a patient is a real factor in how we treat disease, because even tiny variances in genetics can mean significant things. For example, I knew someone who contracted hepatitis from a long ago blood transfusion. He was treated with Interferon. Little did I know, this only works for certain people of European descent, because of a specific mutation of one gene. The chapter continued, however, to go into genetics and genetic testing as predictors for disease. In the future, “personal genetics” will be a reality. Right now an individual’s race may be a guide for treatment, but in the near future, genetic traits will be decoded on an individual basis. Even now, for a few hundred dollars certain common tests can be done.

Surfing the Exponential – Continuing the forward-looking theme, this chapter is largely about responsibility. People cannot ignore scientific progress. Scientists have brought ancient viruses back to life in a lab. Some people have criticized them because it shows terrorists can do the same thing...but that’s the point! We can’t ignore the science, because we will be faced with it. But besides horrors, science is full of hope. Molecules have been made to produce malaria-fighting chemicals, and it’s possible there will soon be organisms to “digest” excess carbon in the atmosphere. There is promise in science, but denialism will lead us nowhere but into the darkness of superstition, where we accept the popular voice over evidence.