Pandora's Lab: Seven Stories of Science Gone Wrong

by Paul A. Offit

Pauling counted on the “Wizard of Oz” effect to promote his belief that vitamins and supplements were miracle drugs. He hoped that people would ignore the little man behind the curtain (his lack of data) and pay attention only to the booming voice that came with having won two Nobel Prizes. Similarly, Rachel Carson was seductive because she was a dynamic storyteller: the most trusted science writer in America. Like Linus Pauling, Russell Portenoy’s claim that oxycodone could offer pain relief without addiction and Walter Freeman’s claim that lobotomies could cure psychiatric illnesses were persuasive because both men were respected members of the medical and scientific community. They were convincing because they wore the badge of academic success, not because they had reproducible data showing that they were right. Finally, Peter Duesberg’s claim that HIV wasn’t the cause of AIDS or Luc Montagnier’s claim that bacteria caused autism were granted full public hearings because both men were brilliant, highly acclaimed virologists. The point is that all scientists—no matter how accomplished or well known—should have unassailable data to support their claims, not just a compelling personality, an impressive shelf of awards, or a poetic writing style.