The Quackometer

If I had a pound for every quack who has accused me of being in the pay of 'Big Pharma' I would be richer than if I was really in their pay.

It looks like accusing someone of just being a shill for evil medical interests is a standard way that quacks avoid answering the criticisms made against them. Its very shallow. An experiment can be good and a scientific conclusion sound even if someone is receiving money from someone you don't like. I always try to criticise the science first - and then look for potential sources of conflict of interest if the science is found to be wanting. Quacks often do it the other way around. They use potential sources of conflict of interest as excuses for ignoring the evidence. Ignoring the science and just calling 'shill' is tantamount to calling someone a fraud - but in a cowards way.

So, for the record. This site costs less than a hundred quid per year to run. I do stuff in my own time and do not rely on contributions. I do not solicit contributions. I will be opening a quackometer shop to sell the odd mug or t-shirt. Hopefully, this will cover my hosting costs. Any excess will be used to buy dodgy quack products or services in order to show how real they are.

Since 2008, the quackometer has been hosted by Positive Internet who kindly offered to host the site for free as they like to support work like this. I am very greatful to them.

In my day job, I do not receive moneys or rewards from pharmaceutical companies or mobile phone manufacturers or anyone else that might cause a conflict of interest. If by some chance I do write about a company or service where I may have an interest, I will declare it. I hope the people who leave comments on this site will do the same.

By the way, if you want to send me cash, I can always set a precedent.