Tag: Frances Oldham Kelsey

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Antivaccine nonsense Science Skepticism/critical thinking

Antivaxxers attack scientific consensus as a “manufactured construct”

Is it ever justified to doubt a scientific consensus?
Is it ever justified to doubt a scientific consensus? Sure, but if you're going to do so, you'd better have damned good evidence and reasons, which science deniers pretty much never have.

Neil deGrasse Tyson invoked the concept of a scientific consensus while supporting vaccines in his debate with Del Bigtree. Why was his statement about how “individual scientists don’t matter” compared to scientific consensus so triggering to antivaxxers? Why do antivaxxers reject the very concept of a scientific consensus and promote a hyper-individualistic view of how science should be conducted?

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Clinical trials Medicine Politics Science Skepticism/critical thinking

A tribute to Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey: A woman who made a difference

Dr. Francis Oldham Kelsey receives the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal from President John F. Kennedy in 1962.

I learned over the weekend that a historic figure in science-based medicine has died. If you know anything about the history of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), you will know this woman’s name, Frances O. Kelsey, MD, PhD. It turns out that Dr. Kelsey died on Friday at the age of 101. Somehow I […]