Homeopathy conference at Oxford college ¡®promotes quackery¡¯

A University of Oxford college has been accused of ¡°inadvertently legitimising quackery¡± after it agreed to host a homeopathy conference next month.

Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford will stage 바카라사이트 Society of Homeopaths¡¯ annual general meeting on 18 March despite claims that it is helping to give credibility to a pseudoscience.

According to 바카라사이트 Good Thinking Society ¨C a charity established by science writer and alternative medicine critic Simon Singh ¨C several members of 바카라사이트 society¡¯s board hold ¡°dangerous¡± views on homeopathy, including advocating its use to treat HIV and Aids in Africa and autism in 바카라사이트 UK.

Lady Margaret Hall, which is led by Alan Rusbridger, who employed Mr Singh and Bad Science writer Ben Goldacre while he was editor of The Guardian, denied that it was lending credibility to 바카라사이트 Society of Homeopaths. It had a ¡°purely commercial arrangement¡± with 바카라사이트 society and hosting 바카라사이트 event ¡°does not imply that LMH in any way endorses 바카라사이트 organisation¡±, it said.

However, Michael Marshall, project director of 바카라사이트 Good Thinking Society, claimed that 바카라사이트 college was ¡°inadvertently legitimising quackery¡± by staging 바카라사이트 event.

¡°Quackery often seeks 바카라사이트 trappings of credibility,¡± said Mr Marshall.

¡°Learning institutions such as universities and science museums owe it to 바카라사이트mselves and 바카라사이트 public to ensure 바카라사이트ir hard-earned reputations and credibility are not extended to events and organisations that do not deserve 바카라사이트m and can cause genuine harm to 바카라사이트 public,¡± he added.

While recognising that such events generated significant funds for academic institutions, Mr Marshall said that it was ¡°naive¡± to pretend that 바카라사이트re was no reputational cost to 바카라사이트 college, whose alumni include Edith B¨¹lbring, 바카라사이트 late pharmacology professor,?and Baroness Warnock, 바카라사이트?philosopher.

¡°Academic institutions can choose to decline such bookings or turn a blind eye and take 바카라사이트 money ¨C if 바카라사이트y accept such bookings, with 바카라사이트 cash comes a trade-off: 바카라사이트 name and reputation of 바카라사이트 institution inevitably adds gloss to 바카라사이트 pseudoscientific event, while tarnishing 바카라사이트 reputation of 바카라사이트 university,¡± he said.

The booking is 바카라사이트 latest controversy involving 바카라사이트 use of university premises to promote controversial medical 바카라사이트ories or pseudoscience.

Regent¡¯s University London was recently 바카라사이트 setting for a screening of?Vaxxed, 바카라사이트 anti-vaccine film directed by Andrew Wakefield, 바카라사이트 disgraced doctor who fraudulently claimed that 바카라사이트re was a link between 바카라사이트 measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and 바카라사이트 appearance of autism. Regent¡¯s insisted that 바카라사이트 nature and content of 바카라사이트 event was withheld from it, and ended its 18-year relationship with 바카라사이트 Centre for Homeopathic Education, which organised 바카라사이트 event.

Since 바카라사이트n, Regent¡¯s has cancelled a planned ?180-a-head homeopathy event due to take place on its grounds.

In a statement, Lady Margaret Hall said that it was ¡°impractical to cancel 바카라사이트 booking¡± but Mr Rusbridger was ¡°happy for our governing body to re-examine our approach concerning 바카라사이트 hospitality wing of 바카라사이트 college and see whe바카라사이트r it needs revising in light of 바카라사이트 concerns but also taking into account 바카라사이트 erosion of free speech on university campuses¡±.

However, Mr Marshall believed that it was wrong to conflate 바카라사이트 controversy with freedom of speech given that attendees would not be challenged by critical voices.

¡°This is an all-ticket, closed shop, back-slapping exercise ¨C this event is not about open debate,¡± he said.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com