‘The Best of Medicine’ and ‘The Worst of Medicine’ are two free debates designed to stimulate public debate and argument about the best and worst ideas, phenomena, developments and practices in the history of medicine.

At this event four experts will denounce the worst ever harebrained schemes in medicine and call for them to be chucked into the sin bin of history. The audience will then get a chance to vote for their favourite proposal, or even a mystery people’s choice.

Speakers
• Michael Fitzpatrick, GP
• William Schabas, Director, Irish Centre for Human Rights, National University of Ireland, Galway
• David Wootton, Professor of History, University of York and author of ‘Bad Medicine’

Facilitator
• Fiona Fox, Director, Science Media Centre

Michael Fitzpatrick I have been a full-time general practitioner in East London for more than 20 years. I have written on a range of medical and political subjects, including AIDS, addictions and health scares, for both medical journals and the mainstream media. My books ‘The Tyranny of Health: Doctors and the regulation of lifestyle’ and ‘MMR and Autism: What parents need to know’ are published by Routledge. My latest book, ‘Defeating Autism: A damaging delusion’ is coming out later this year.

David Wooton I work on the intellectual and cultural history of the English speaking countries, Italy and France, 1500-1800. I am the author of ‘Bad Medicine: Doctors doing harm since Hippocrates’. I held positions at both British and Canadian universities, and visiting positions in the US, before coming to York. I review regularly for ‘The Times Literary Supplement’ and ‘The London Review of Books’.

Fiona Fox I have a degree in journalism and 20 years of experience in working in media relations for high profile national organisations. My career includes stints working for the Equal Opportunities Committee, National Council for One Parent Families, and The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, a leading aid agency. Despite having no background in science, I managed to persuade a distinguished panel of eminent scientists to take a risk and appoint me to become the founding Director of the Science Media Centre, which opened in April 2002. The main remit of the Centre is to help restore public trust in science by persuading more scientists to engage more effectively with the big controversial science stories that hit the headlines.