In 2009, the anesthesiologist Scott Reuben was found to have fabricated years of research, leading to Scientific American calling him “a medical Madoff.” That was followed by unmasking years of fraud of two additional anesthesiologists, Joachim Boldt and Yoshitaka Fujii. These serial fraudsters presently lead the infamous leaderboard at Retraction Watch.
As Dr. Talmage Egan’s recent article, “Knowledge under siege,” shows, anesthesiologists have also been leaders in advancing the principles of scientific integrity. However, corrupt research undermines public trust in science, our most powerful tool in shaping the future. Egan starts by looking at a fraudulent paper published by Andrew Wakefield in Lancet. Based on manipulated and misrepresented data, Wakefield claimed an association between the MMR vaccine and autism. The claims have been debunked and the paper retracted, but the vaccine skepticism from Wakefield’s paper continues to undermine public health today.
Egan outlines the continuum from outright fraud (such as Reuben, Boldt, Fujii and Wakefield) to questionable science (fueled by the pressure on scientists and institutions to publish weak findings in sketchy for-profit journals) to the elitism and arrogance of some scientists and institutions who lack the humility to admit and correct scientific error. This continuum has undermined public support of and confidence in the scientific enterprise. By turning to charlatans to understand physical reality, we deny future generations the knowledge required to navigate an increasingly complex world.
Steven L. Shafer, M.D.
Port Angeles, WA