By Gary Schwitzer
misconceptions or misunderstandings of how science works.
• First, I blogged about a science writer’s lament about how reader comments sometimes display an inability to accept evidence.
• Second, I posted a humorous piece from The Daily Show showing some more gaps between what science shows and what people want to believe.
• Third, Dr. Otis Brawley of the American Cancer Society concluded a piece about prostate cancer screening recommendations with the question, "Are we as a society prepared to pay attention to scientific evidence?" Excerpts:
"Because doctors and patients believed that screening
works — wasn’t it obvious that it would? — they opposed rigorous
studies, called randomized trials, that assign half the patients to get
screening while the other half goes unscreened.
Despite opposition from doctors and patients, the trials finally got
done, and today the harms of screening are better proved than the
benefits.
…
The phenomenon of so-called experts, who do not understand basic
principles of screening, making exaggerated statements is not limited to
prostate cancer. It also occurs in breast and lung cancer screening.
Well-designed scientific study has clearly showed that these procedures
save lives, but science has also demonstrated that the procedures have
limitations and risks of harm."
Read his entire post. Brawley also has a forthcoming book, "How We
Do Harm," that will undoubtedly touch on these themes in greater detail.