False Prophets: Fraud and Error in Science and Medicine

It's naive to expect that the dishonesty that permeates many fields of human endeavor should be conspicuously absent in the realm of science. In fact, scientific breaches of ethics abound, covering a full spectrum of misconduct ranging from faulty research to outright fraud. In this book, a respected virologist places the scientific community under the microscope, probing the repercussions of various aspects of misconduct, including forgeries, plagiarism & overzealous grantsmanship. Professor Kohn chronicles some famous frauds & unearths several lesser-known incidents buried in the annals of science, medicine, history, archeology & psychology. He explores the motives for these deceptions & examines the conditions that allow & encourage fraud. This revised edition includes new information on the AIDS race.

Kohn, professor of virology at Tel Aviv University, surveys the broad range of scientific "misconduct" or honest error: Margaret Mead's misreading of Samoan sexual behavior; outright fraud like the Piltdown Man fakery; the thalidomide tragedy of the 1960s; Lysenko-style biology in Russia. Here are summarized exposes of scientific misdemeanors from corner-cutting by sometimes well-meaning lab assistants to issues of possible bias, conscious or otherwise, in major media flaps like the racially controversial "findings" of British psychologist Burt that "low intelligence" is hereditary. All fascinating material. Why do some scientists cheat in full knowledge of the profoundly skeptical nature of their discipline? Kohn pinpoints fame, money and personal pathology while downplaying the notion that the scientific fraud he exposes may be a cancer beyond control. Illustrations.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Who cheats in science and how often does cheating occur? These and other questions are the subject of this revealing study of scientific misconduct. Kohn, professor of virology at Tel Aviv University and editor of the Journal of Irreproducible Results , examines the ways investigators unintentionally make errors through personal bias or visual limitations or intentionally "cook" and "trim" data. He describes in fascinating detail instances of blatant cheating, famous hoaxes, plagiarism, and forgeries, and he explores the pressures which contribute to cheating and ways in which fraud is detected. Evidence suggests that even such famous scientists as Newton and Mendel may have fudged data to support their theories. Kohn presents a sensitive, balanced, and fully documented account which should generate much useful dialogue. For public and academic libraries. Laurie Bartolini, Illinois State Museum, Springfield
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.