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David Gorski

Orac is the nom de blog of a humble surgeon/scientist who has an ego just big enough to delude himself that someone, somewhere might actually give a rodent's posterior about his copious verbal meanderings, but just barely small enough to admit to himself that few probably will. That surgeon is otherwise known as David Gorski. That Orac has chosen his nom de blog based on a rather cranky and arrogant computer shaped like a clear box of blinking lights that he originally encountered when he became a fan of a 30 year old British SF television show whose special effects were renowned for their BBC/Doctor Who-style low budget look, but whose stories nonetheless resulted in some of the best, most innovative science fiction ever televised, should tell you nearly all that you need to know about Orac. (That, and the length of the preceding sentence.)

DISCLAIMER: The various written meanderings here are the opinions of Orac and Orac alone, written on his own time. They should never be construed as representing the opinions of any other person or entity, especially Orac's cancer center, department of surgery, medical school, or university. Also note that Orac is nonpartisan; he is more than willing to criticize the statements of anyone, regardless of of political leanings, if that anyone advocates pseudoscience or quackery. Finally, medical commentary is not to be construed in any way as medical advice.

To contact Orac: oracknows@gmail.com

Posts by this author

April 13, 2006
I have to hand it to Matt (a.k.a. The Pooflinger). When he hosts a Skeptics' Circle, he does it up right. Last time, he envisioned the 21st Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle as a Shakespearean play. This time around, he envisions a very frightening future world in which credulity and religious…
April 13, 2006
Oh, lovely. Before I leave the topic of mercury-autism conspiracy mongering for a while, something perverse has led me to feel the need to point out something I've become aware of: Not surprisingly, it looks as though our favorite "Christian Libertarian" commentator from WorldNet Daily, tireless…
April 12, 2006
A while ago, I discussed the case of a chiropracter who has pioneered a technique of "touchless" chiropractic, manipulating patient's spines without even touching them. Well, an Ohio chiropracter has gone one step further. He claims he can cure patients by going back in time: COLUMBUS, Ohio - A…
April 12, 2006
After his behavior in Monday's post about the Geiers, I've reluctantly decided to issue my first ban ever on a commenter. The one on the receiving end? Fore Sam. Is anyone surprised? His rhetoric has become increasingly violent-sounding, with his posting comments suggesting that Kathleen Seidel…
April 12, 2006
Tangled Bank #51 has been posted over at Discovering Biology in a Digital World. Get your fix of science blogging all in one neat package.
April 12, 2006
Excellent. Having had to work on a talk last night, I didn't have any time to write anything substantive. Horrified at the thought of this blog going silent on a weekday (going silent on the weekend doesn't concern me much, given that my traffic almost always falls by around 50% regardless of…
April 11, 2006
Grand Rounds Vol. 2 No. 29 has been posted over at Anxiety, Addiction, and Depression Treatments. As always, there's lots of good stuff over there for your reading pleasure. And don't forget that tomorrow there's a new Tangled Bank--and the day after that a brand spanking-new Skeptics' Circle to…
April 11, 2006
OK, I've been prodded enough! Yes, I've been aware of the study purporting to present good anecdotal case reports showing that there might be something to the hypothesis that megadoses of vitamin C can cure cancer where other therapies fail. I've also been aware of an in vitro study that suggested…
April 10, 2006
Recently, I mentioned a case of fishing line inserted in a patient's urethra that had to be removed by a urologist. Now I've become aware of an even odder case, of a woman who managed to hide a loaded pistol in her vagina. She managed to go through a pat-down: Move over, Bond girls. A Ross County…
April 10, 2006
When it rains, it pours. Last week, we had the Shattuck paper; this week, I'm sucked right back into this topic, at least for today. A few weeks ago, I commented about a truly frightening direction that autism quackery was taking, with the father-son team of Mark and David Geier's bizarre proposal…
April 9, 2006
Lucky bastards living in Manhattan. You'll soon have a flagship Apple Store that will be open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Bastards. Is it just me, though, or does the store thus far bear an uncanny resemblance to a Borg ship? This is one case where I'd gladly be assimilated.
April 9, 2006
Unbelievable. Contrary to my predictions last week, somehow the Detroit Tigers have managed to remain undefeated through the first week of the baseball season. They're 5-0. Just as enjoyable, the Cleveland Indians are right behind them, with a 4-1 record. But that's not the best thing. No, the best…
April 9, 2006
One thing surgeons sometimes have to deal with is foreign objects placed in various orifices. As a general surgeon, I've seen various objects swallowed or placed in the rectum or nose. But I've never seen a case like this one described by RangelMD: The other day the topic came up (don't ask how)…
April 8, 2006
More blog filling, thanks to GrrlScientist. Really, though, if I belong in any European city at all, I'd have guessed London, but the test says otherwise: You Belong in Paris You enjoy all that life has to offer, and you can appreciate the fine tastes and sites of Paris. You're the perfect person…
April 8, 2006
As you may remember, our intrepid blog mascot has been traveling though history since January, going from Mount Everest, to Canada, to inventing paper currency. He even found time to wish fellow SB'er PZ a happy birthday. Fans probably wonder where he'd end up next. I realize that this is a few…
April 7, 2006
Just a reminder that the Skeptics' Circle is fast approaching. This time, it's hosted once again by a guy who goes by the name of The Pooflinger, and it's set to be flung at the blogosphere next Thursday, April 13. Submissions are due sometime in the evening next Wednesday. As you may recall, The…
April 7, 2006
One last photo from my afternoon at Venice Beach a couple of weeks ago. All I want to ask is this: Is this Alice Cooper's daughter? Dark eyeliner like Dad's? Check. Huge snake like Dad's? Check. It could be. Or is this her below?
April 7, 2006
It's rare for me to be gone so much in such a short period of time. Two meetings in two weeks, one in San Diego and one in Washington, DC, and I'm bushed. One thing that continually irks me on the two or three occasions each year when I go to meetings is how blatantly hotels rip customers off for…
April 6, 2006
Over the last couple of days, I've blogged a bit about a study by Paul Shattuck that shows how useless it is to try to use special education classification numbers as a means of proving the existence of an "autism epidemic." Well, at the risk of driving at least one person away, I'm going to…
April 6, 2006
Oh, no. Not deterred by the utter slapdown he got from me and PZ last time, Radaractive has posted the second edition of the "Darwin Is Dead" Carnival. (Hat tip, as before, to the Pooflinger!) I was feeling a little depressed at having to go back to work this morning, and seeing this carnival…
April 5, 2006
So now it's all becoming clear what a major part of the reason for Apple to change over to Intel chips was. Yesterday, Apple released software that will allow the new Intel Macs to run Windows XP: SAN JOSE, Calif. - To broaden its appeal in a Windows-dominated world, Apple Computer Inc. unveiled…
April 5, 2006
By the time this appears, I should be on my way home from the AACR. For some reason, the meeting this year didn't get me all fired up the way it usually does. Perhaps I'll post in more detail about why that may have been after I get home. In the meantime, here's something I've been meaning to try…
April 5, 2006
Yesterday, I wrote extensively about a new study by Paul Shattuck that seriously casts doubt upon one of the key claims of those arguing that mercury in childhood vaccines causes autism, namely the existence of an "autism epidemic." These claims are nearly always based on rapidly rising numbers of…
April 4, 2006
One of the key arguments by advocates claiming a link between mercury in childhood vaccines is that there is an "epidemic" of autism. They'll claim that autism was unknown before the 1930's, when thimerosal was first introduced into vaccines. (Never mind that there are plenty of descriptions of…
April 4, 2006
Having gone to two meetings in less than two weeks, I've noticed something different about how I approach meetings. Surgical meetings often reflect the truly bizarre nature of surgeon personalities. For example, the meeting in San Diego that I went to had one session that started at--I kid you not…
April 3, 2006
With the weather in Washington, DC, threatening to be full of thunderstorms and plunging temperatures this afternoon and tonight, I like to think back to where I was less than two weeks ago. As I mentioned before, last week, I was in southern California for a surgical meeting. While I was there, I…
April 3, 2006
Damn you, Kev! You hit me with this meme. I often ignore being tagged with memes, but because it's Kev I won't refuse. It's also a conveniently quick way to fill blog space while I'm at the AACR Meeting. I was just too tired last night to write anything substantive and utterly crashed at around 10…
April 2, 2006
I'm apparently a punk wannabe... I am 30% Punk Rock. Well, I may know what punk is, but... Okay maybe some people think I am punk, but is that enough? Nope.Take the Punk Rock Test @ FualiDotCom
April 2, 2006
Opening day at last! The 2006 baseball season starts this weekend. One thing that I can predict with a high degree of certainty is that, sadly, my old hometown team the Detroit Tigers will continue to suck, getting deeper into their second decade of futility as measured by sub-.500 records. In…
April 1, 2006
What the heck? On April Fools Day, all the other SB'ers are doing this quiz, so why not? I am 11% Idiot. I am not annoying at all. In fact most people come to me for advice. Of course they annoy the hell out of me. But what can I do? I am smarter than most people.Take theIdiot Test@ FualiDotCom…