A Scientist in Wonderland: A Memoir of Searching for Truth and Finding Trouble

by Edzard Ernst

Overview

This is the story of the author’s life as a doctor and a scientist. Despite a youthful ambition to become a jazz musician, he studied medicine and eventually became a medical research scientist, taking up appointments in Germany, Austria and finally in England. His reverence for the pursuit of truth through the application of scientific methods, coupled with a growing interest in the history of medicine during the Nazi era, did not always endear him to others. At the time he was appointed to the world’s first chair in alternative medicine, this was an area of health care that had rarely been studied systematically, and was almost entirely dominated by outspokenly evangelic promoters and enthusiasts - among them, famously, HRH Prince Charles - many of whom exhibited an overtly hostile, anti-scientific attitude towards the objective study of their favoured therapies. Clashes were inevitable, but the sheer ferocity with which advocates of alternative medicine would operate in order to protect their field from scrutiny came as a profound surprise. This memoir provides a unique insight into the cutthroat politics of academic life and offers a sobering reflection on the damage already done by pseudoscience in health care.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781845408008
Publisher:	Andrews UK
Publication date:	01/28/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Professor Ernst qualified as a physician in Germany where he also completed his MD and PhD theses. He was Professor in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR) at Hannover Medical School (Germany) and Head of the PMR Department at the University of Vienna (Austria). He came to the University of Exeter in 1993 to establish the first Chair in Complementary Medicine. Since 2012, he is Emeritus Professor.

Read an Excerpt

Click to read or download

Editorial Reviews

12/22/2014
Ernst, the former chair of the department of complementary medicine at England’s University of Exeter, documents his transition from a rebellious young musician into an esteemed doctor, writer, alternative-medicine researcher, and academic with meticulous, though stolid, detail in this memoir of a remarkable medical and academic life. From his time as a medical student through his first job at a Munich homeopathic hospital—where he learned the “incredible power” of the placebo effect—to a brief stint working at a psychiatric hospital in England, Ernst’s trajectory propels him to the heights of academia: he became a professor in rehabilitation medicine in Hannover by age 40 and, in short order, chairman of rehabilitation medicine at the vaunted Vienna Medical School. Now an alternative-medicine skeptic, Ernst excoriates Prince Charles in a long chapter on the royal’s affinity for alternative therapies; this portion may surprise Americans, but it’s a measured, if biting, critique. Yet what stands out is Ernst’s extraordinary research at Exeter and how alternative practitioners have rejected his scientific approach. His stated “mission impossible” to “shine the cool, dispassionate light of reason on to the whole topic of alternative medicine” is exhilarating in both scope and impact, and this should be a must-read for practitioners and patients. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

"This is no dry autobiography, but a compelling account of a seeker after truth dicing with the dark forces of un-reason and self-interest… Ernst's book is a testament to determination and integrity… This slim volume deserves a place on the bookshelf of every scientist and politician with an interest in healthcare, every medical practitioner and every camist with a conscience."

The Skeptical Intelligencer - Richard Rawlins

"A Scientist in Wonderland is a rather droll, quick read… [and] it's an effective antidote to New Age nonsense, pseudo-science and old-fashioned quackery."

The Times - Robbie Millen

"[T]his ferociously frank autobiography... [is] a clarion call for medical ethics."

Nature - Barbara Kiser

'Ernst's A Scientist in Wonderland is entertainingly written and, like his professional life, challenging. Some of it is unashamed diatribe. Many will find the attitudes expressed by the author to be offensive. Others will regard Ernst as a hero and a martyr for evidence-based medicine based upon scientific rigour… A Scientist in Wonderland is an absorbing and personal account of the life of an influential figure in the passionate and divisive contemporary conflict between conventional and alternative medicine… It is well worth reading.'

Journal of Law and Medicine - Ian Freckelton QC

"If you have any interest whatsoever in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), Edzard Ernst's new book A Scientist in Wonderland is a must-read… Long may this man speak truth unto power!"

Skeptical Inquirer - Chris French

"This is a deeply moving and deeply disturbing book yet written with a light touch, humour and self-deprecation."

Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine - Michael Baum

"Edzard Ernst is a living legend... The book is easy to read and hard to put down. I would particularly recommend it to anyone, with an open mind, who is interested in the truth or otherwise of CAM."

Australasian Science - Loretta Marron

"Ernst's book is a reminder of the need to have the courage to tell the truth as you understand it, and fight your corner against those in authority, while never losing a compassion for patients and a commitment to winning the debate. "

Spiked! - Robin Walsh

" A Scientist in Wonderland is more than an autobiography and I'm not sure I can do justice to the riches to be found in its pages. Sometimes it’s reminiscent of a black comedy, other times it’s almost too painful to read."

Skepticat - Maria MacLachlan

"This engaging book is a memoir by a medical researcher whose passion for discovering the truth about untested therapies eventually forced him out of his job… [This] highly readable book concentrates on fact rather than emotion. It should be required reading for anyone interested in medical research."

The Pharmaceutical Journal - Andrews Haynes

"The writing in A Scientist in Wonderland is clear and engaging. It combines good storytelling with important insights about medicine, science, and analytic thinking. Despite all the troubles Ernst encountered, I found his story to be inspirational. I enthusiastically recommend the book to scientists, health professionals, and laypersons who like to see nonsense and mendacity exposed to the light of reason."

James Randi Educational Foundation - William M. London

"In his new book, A Scientist In Wonderland: A Memoir Of Searching For Truth And Finding Trouble, no one from the world of alternative medicine is safe from Professor Edzard Ernst's firing line."

Mail Online - Katherine Keogh

"It should be required reading for everyone interested in medicine – without exception."

AntiCancer.org.uk - Pan Pantziarka

"Edzard Ernst is one of those rare people who dare to question their own beliefs, look at the evidence without bias, and change their minds… In addition to being a memoir, Dr. Ernst's book is a paean to science… He shows how misguided ideas, poor reasoning, and inaccurate publicity have contributed to the spread of alternative medicine… This is a well-written, entertaining book that anyone would enjoy reading and that advocates of alternative medicine should read: they might learn a thing or two about science, critical thinking, honesty, and the importance of truth."

Science-Based Medicine - Harriet Hall

"Ernst isn't just an academic - he's also an accomplished writer and skilled communicator. He puts over some quite complex ideas without resorting to jargon and I felt informed without ever struggling to understand, despite being a non-scientist. I was pulled into the story of his life and read most of the book in one sitting... I was impressed by what Ernst had to say and the way in which he said it."

The Bookbag - Sue Magee

"If you want a true measure of the man, buy Edzard Ernst's memoir A Scientist in Wonderland , which the Imprint Academic press have just released. It would be worth reading [even] if the professor had never been the victim of a royal vendetta."

The Spectator - Nick Cohen

"[F]or all its trenchant arguments about evidence-based science, the second half of A Scientist in Wonderland remains a very human memoir, and Ernst's account of the increasingly personal nature of the attacks he faced when speaking to CAM practitioners and advocacy groups is disturbing… Ben Goldacre's 2012 book Bad Pharma created a storm via its exposure of the pharmaceutical industry’s unhealthy links with mainstream medicine. Ernst’s book deserves to do the same for the quackery trading under the name of complementary and alternative medicine."

Times Higher Education - Helen Bynum