Scientific fraud is an interesting phenomenon in itself. Books have been written about several famous cases, and more will surely follow. In October, for example, a Japanese archaeologist admitted to planting artifacts at a dig site so he could claim to have discovered the oldest tools in Japan. No Indiana Jones, he was caught on videotape. But Gratzer is interested in the unintentional deceptions that creep into science, and the political and psychological necessities that compel some scientists to cling to false beliefs in the face of common sense and scientific evidence to the contrary.
Scientists first have to mislead themselves before they can mislead others.
At the end of the 19th century, scientists were beginning to dissect the mysterious worlds of radioactivity, light and the atom. Rene Blondlot, a highly regarded French physicist studying Roentgen's X-rays, convinced himself he had discovered another form of radiation. Then he used his experiments to convince other French scientists. Foreign scientists, including the Germans, were skeptical. Partly because of German criticism, the French quickly rallied around Blondlot.