The Quackometer

Welcome to the Quackometer

WHAT IS THE QUACKOMETER ALL ABOUT?

The Little Black Duck

The quackometer is a project based around the automation of debunking quack medicine on the web. The web is full of pages supporting dubious medical claims and inflated capabilities for cures. The freedom that the web gives us to express our views, entertain and do business also gives quacks a way to make a living by promoting nonsense treatments to unsuspecting people.

Spotting these web sites appears to be easy when you know what to look out for. If it is that easy, can the process be automated? The quackometer project intends to find out.

DO YOU HAVE A WEB SITE YOU WANT TO TEST FOR QUACKERY?
DO YOU WANT TO SEE IF SOMEONE MIGHT BE A QUACK?

Go to the quackometer...

recent quackometer blog entries...

Is the Popularity of Homeopathy Collapsing?

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:56:00 +0000

There is a claim by many sceptical writers that we live in a new age of endarkenment. Our public lives, whether in politics, universities, businesses and health, face an onslaught of irrational thought. However I have uncovered some remarkable evidence to suggest that interest in homeopathy is declining rather aggressively. I am not sure I believe it, and I want to encourage comments and

more...

Chiropractic Folly and the Nature of Evidence

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 20:09:00 +0000

Criticising quackery and pseudoscience has its risks. Write a newspaper article or blog criticising someones scientific and medical ideas and you are likely to enter into sharp debate about evidence and its interpretation. Criticise a quack and you can be sure they will be thinking of ways to shut you up - maybe with lawyers. Vested interests and money are strong factors and there are none of the

more...

The Society of Homeopaths Have Nothing to Lose by Winging It

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 21:23:00 +0000

Sense about Science, a UK charity who aim to assist and campaign for better science reporting in the media, have today launched a new pamphlet design to help people understand how medical claims on the Internet may be misleading. The report entitled "I've got nothing to lose by trying it" explains "how to tell the beneficial from the bogus in the face of the miracle cure stories, new wonder-drugs

more...

The World Health Organisation Traditional Medicine Hoax

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 23:03:00 +0000

The World Health Organisation is this weekend holding a Congress on Traditional Medicine to be held in Beijing, and will be evaluating how far governments around the world are following a previous WHO directive to integrate 'traditional' medicine concepts into their healthcare systems. According to the WHO, traditional medicines (TM) are defined as: the knowledge, skills and practices based

more...

Manchester TV Station fined £15,000 for broadcasting dangerous homeopathic nonsense.

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:07:00 +0000

I am well aware that this blog may suffer from a distinct availability bias: I only really comment on and criticise forms of quackery that are easily accessible to me. As such, I may give the impression of highlighting the worst aspects of alternative medicine in the UK when actually I am only commenting on those areas that interest me and I can easily research (i.e. Google). Occasionally, I get

more...

Julian Graves' Mendacious Defence of Cancer Quackery

Homeopaths: Win a Piano!

The Society of Homeopaths: The Failure of Self Regulation

Julian Graves: Not Just Nuts - Dangerously Irresponsible

Neutrahealth in Trouble

How Can You Criticise Homeopathy When You Have Never Studied It?

Kaloba Cold Cure: How the MHRA condones quackery

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Malaria?

The Epiphenomena of Quackery

Write to Your MP about our Libel Laws

About Me

The Quackometer has been developed by Andy Lewis. If you wish to get in contact then please read the FAQ and then email me. Details in the About section.

The $100 Challenge

With minimum cost, homeopaths could do a simple test that would start to shut me up about the implausibility of homeopathy.

It is now

 49 weeks

without anyone taking the test.

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News

The quackometer is currently undergoing redevelopment after a move to new servers.

In the meantime, the quackometer engine is not available.

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