Alternative Medicine and Libel Reform

Simon Singh When?
Tuesday, February 9 at 6:00PM


Where?
The Admiral
72a Waterloo Street

Who?
Simon Singh

What's the talk about?

Summary


Prince Charles is a staunch defender and millions of people swear by it; most UK doctors consider it to be little more than superstition and a waste of money. But how do you know which treatments really heal and which are potentially harmful? Simon Singh and his co-author Professor Edzard Ernst investigated the evidence for and against alternative therapies and published their conclusions in “Trick or Treatment?”, an honest, impartial and hard-hitting examination and judgement of more than 30 of the most popular treatments. Singh, who has also authored “Fermat’s Last Theorem” and “Big Bang”, will discuss how and why he got involved in writing about alternative medicine. In particular, he will discuss the origins, philosophy and testing of acupuncture and homeopathy, two of the most popular forms of alternative medicine. Singh, who is currently being sued for libel by the British Chiropractic Association, will also comment on his ongoing legal battle, the impact of libel laws on scientific journalism and campaign for libel reform (www.libelreform.org/sign) .

Biography


After completing a PhD in particle physics, Simon Singh MBE joined the BBC and worked as a director and producer on programmes such as Tomorrow’s World and Horizon. He has also presented programmes on Radio 4, BBC4 and Channel 4. He is best known as the author of Fermat’s Last Theorem, The Code Book, Big Bang and Trick or Treatment?. His website is www.simonsingh.net
IMPORTANT: Due to the earlier start, which we realize may be inconvenient for some, latecomers will be welcome.