Comments, Part I
(Note: I am fully vaccinated. Hence, these objections are not self-justification on the Covid vaccine issue.)
Let’s talk about all those times experts who had an excellent skill set in research have been wrong.
1. In the 1980s, scientists did what was hailed as an excellent study about Agent Orange and found that it was, if not exactly harmless then at least not guilty of causing the terrible medical problems some vets were experiencing. Veterans and family members who thought otherwise were wrong and the problems were no doubt due to something else. BUT, the study used flawed sample-selection procedures. Agent Orange is in fact dangerous and all those unsophisticated people with no research-skill sets were right while the high IQ types in universities were wrong.
2. The anti-cholesterol craze which led to people eating margarine made from hydrogenated vegetable oil. This type of diet was recommended by the mainstream medical establishment, not just Mazola. Now, decades later, we find that those hydrogenated fats have serious problems connected to them.
3. The use of Harrison rods in back surgery. The rods are no longer used. Removing them carries the risk of paralysis. Many with back problems are now worse off.
4. Routine tonsillectomies.
5. The prescribing of Larium as an anti-malaria drug. Military personnel called the Tuesdays they received it “Psycho Tuesdays.” Yet, presumably, the drug was developed by researchers and approved by the FDA—all people with great research skill sets. Yet, the enlisted men were right. The high-IQ guys were wrong. Larium can provoke symptoms and the FDA finally issued a warning.
6. Antidepressants really do lead to violence in some people and that violence is due to the drug and not to pre-existing tendencies in the patient. This article summarizes the result of a study published in a peer-reviewed journal: https://www.livescience.com/32934-do-antidepressants-increase-violent-behavior-111102html.html. Yet, these drugs were created and approved by scientists in universities and the FDA.
