"A statement of fact cannot be insolent." The miscellaneous ramblings of a surgeon/scientist on medicine,
quackery, science, pseudoscience, history, and pseudohistory (and anything else that interests him)
Orac is the nom de blog of a (not so) humble pseudonymous surgeon/scientist with an ego just big enough to delude himself that someone, somewhere might actually give a rodent's posterior about his miscellaneous verbal meanderings, but just barely small enough to admit to himself that few will. (Continued here, along with a DISCLAIMER that you should read before reading any medical discussions here.)
Orac's old Blog is archived at Archived Insolence.
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August 31, 2008
Category: Alternative medicine • Friday Woo • Medicine • Quackery
In which a two-time winner of Your Friday Dose of Woo explains himself--with music!
Posted by Orac at 10:00 AM • 10 Comments
August 30, 2008
Jack Chick is old. After many years of turning out the most hilariously over-the-top Christian fundamentalist cartoons, you may think he's lost his edge, but if anything he seems to be getting even loonier. For example, check out his latest...
Posted by Orac at 12:00 PM • 55 Comments
Category: Politics • Religion • Sports
Having grown up in an American league town east of the Mississippi, as a baseball fan it is my sacred duty to hate the Yankees. This is even more so given how badly my hometown team (the Detroit Tigers) and...
Posted by Orac at 9:30 AM • 23 Comments
August 29, 2008
Category: Alternative medicine • Announcements • Antivaccination lunacy • Medicine • Quackery
I hesitated about whether to post this, knowing how many antivaccine activists read this blog, which is why I didn't post it yesterday. Still, I think this might be of sufficient interest to my readers that I thought I'd announce...
Posted by Orac at 1:28 PM • 18 Comments
Category: Clinical trials • Medicine
The single most necessary task for a physician practicing science- and evidence-based medicine is the evaluation of the biomedical literature to extract from it just what science and the evidence support as the best medical therapy for a given situation....
Posted by Orac at 9:15 AM • 13 Comments
August 28, 2008
Category: Antivaccination lunacy • Medicine
A reader of this blog was outed by a moron posting as "Mark" on the Age of Autism blog. I will not link to the outing, nor will I link to Age of Autism. I have, however, kept a nice...
Posted by Orac at 6:00 PM • 96 Comments
Category: Announcements
I lamented how much I needed it, given the persistence of a couple of particularly annoying and obtuse antivaccinationist trolls over the last couple of weeks. Finally, it's here! We're talking the 94th Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle over at...
Posted by Orac at 2:08 PM • 3 Comments
Category: Alternative medicine • Clinical trials • Medicine
How on earth do studies like this get funded?
Posted by Orac at 9:00 AM • 29 Comments
August 27, 2008
Category: Announcements • Blog carnivals
...and contribute to the next edition of SurgeXperience, the blog carnival that's all about surgery. The next host, Dr. Cris Cuthbertson is interested in surgical research and, in addition to good posts about surgery, is looking especially for good posts...
Posted by Orac at 5:13 PM • 3 Comments
Category: Antivaccination lunacy • Medicine • Religion
It's not just the U.S. This time it's Canada, and it's actually not Jenny McCarthy's fault. This time, blame fundamentalist religion.
Posted by Orac at 12:41 PM • 201 Comments
Category: Announcements • Blog housekeeping • Blogging
In its quest to rule the science blogosphere, the Borg--I mean ScienceBlogs--Collective has assimilated yet another blog, it would appear. It's a good one too, and adding its uniqueness to us will only strengthen us. So please welcome blogger (not...
Posted by Orac at 10:00 AM • 2 Comments
Category: Antivaccination lunacy • Medicine
The decision not to vaccinate is not without social consequences.
Posted by Orac at 9:00 AM • 130 Comments
August 26, 2008
Category: Blog housekeeping • Blogging • Computers
Kill them! Kill them now!
Posted by Orac at 2:25 PM • 34 Comments
Category: Alternative medicine • Cancer • Medicine • Quackery • Religion
More cancer quackery, courtesy of one of Mike Adams' minions.
Posted by Orac at 8:50 AM • 18 Comments
August 25, 2008
Category: Alternative medicine • Cancer • Entertainment/culture • Humor • Medicine • Popular culture • Television
In which an imagined response beats a real open letter hands down.
Posted by Orac at 5:00 PM • 20 Comments
Category: Alternative medicine • Cancer • Medicine • Quackery
Sometimes ghoulishness by "alternative medicine" mavens doesn't require an actual dead celebrity.
Posted by Orac at 8:08 AM • 37 Comments
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