....not a banner season for scientific integrity, as WSJ's Eric Felten points out in a nice editorial, pointing to, among others, Scott S. Reuben, former Baystate Medical Center anesthesiologist who reportedly published fake data in 21 scientific journals to get pharma funding (more from Respectful Insolence blog when the news broke last March)...Felten's column ends nicely with a quote from a parent who has helped doctor her children's science fair exhibits...."Now I feel like we're doing real science," she quips. For more, read on.
Felten's column also touches on the Jekyll/Hyde image of the scientist in pop culture....this topic was addressed recently in the very active PMF Pharmaceutical Microbiology Forum--the white-coated hero versus the "we murder to dissect" type versus the out and out villain. At least, we have one presumably positive example of a pharma scientist in Harrison Ford's portrayal in Extraordinary Measures. Haven't seen it....am curious: How close was he, or did the film come, to reality?
AMS
