Hope, Quackery, and Orthodox Health Research
Authors: KENNETH D. GARDNER
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1980)

Editorial Notes1 September 1980Hope, Quackery, and Orthodox Health ResearchKENNETH D. GARDNER JR., M.D.KENNETH D. GARDNER JR., M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-93-3-503 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptThe $2 Billion Americans spend each year on quackery (1) is a pittance compared with the $98 billion spent annually on health care (2). It is not a pittance, however, in relation to federal support for health research. Congress has earmarked $2 billion to support the basic health research activities of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation during 1980 (3). In brief, the American public this year will support quackery and basic orthodox health research with roughly equivalent amounts of money. Why do consumers continue to buy quack remedies when orthodox medicine seems to better...References1. What the health quacks are peddling now. U.S. News World Rep. 1976 June 21:45-6. Google Scholar2. GIBSON R. National health expenditures. Health Care Financing Rev. 1979;1:1-36. MedlineGoogle Scholar3. SHAPELYBRESLOW WG. Congressional Action on Research and Development in the FY 1980 Budget. Washington, D.C.: American Association for the Advancement of Science; 1980. Google Scholar4. Venom Rx: extra fangs and forked tongue. Med World News. 1980 Apr 28:17-8;23. Google Scholar5. MALONE P. Snake venom: exotic therapy for MS. The Miami Herald. 1979 Oct 22:(sect. 1), 1 (col. 1). Google Scholar6. BECKCOPPOLAHAGEN MVM. Snake oil or medicine? Newsweek. 1979 Dec 3: 89. MedlineGoogle Scholar7. 60 Minutes (Television broadcast). New York: Columbia Broadcasting System; 16 December 1979. Google Scholar8. . Public Workshop on Experimental Use of Cobra-Krait Venom Fractions in Treatment of Human Disease. Bethesda: National Institutes of Health; 5 November 1979. Proceedings. Google Scholar9. Editorial. A clinical trial for Laetrile this spring? Science. 1980;207:284-5. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. FRUEHLING P. FDA bottles up lifesaving drug. Cedar Rapids Gazette. 1979 Nov 17:4A (col. 3-6). Google Scholar11. BEYETTE B. Gerovital and the Las Vegas connection. Los Angeles Times. 1980 Jan 3:(part IV), 1 (col. 5). Google Scholar12. Article. DMSO fails to win vote of FDA panel for scleroderma. Med World News. 1979 May 28:12; 16. Google Scholar13. SHAW L. Selenium: hope for cystic fibrosis? Prevention. 1979;31:122-30. Google Scholar14. GARDNER M. Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.; 1957:4. Google Scholar15. GARDNER M. Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. ; 1957:213. Google Scholar16. LANGER E. The krebiozin case: what happened in Chicago. Science. 1966;151:1061-4. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of New Mexico School of Medicine Albuquerque, New Mexico PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByFrom Quackery to “Complementary” Medicine: The American Medical Profession Confronts Alternative TherapiesUnproven Cancer Therapies 1 September 1980Volume 93, Issue 3Page: 503-504KeywordsHealth care Issue Published: 1 September 1980 PDF DownloadLoading ...