Petr Skrabanek
Encyclopedia
Petr Skrabanek was a leading doctor and professor of medicine. Author of several books and numerous articles, he was considered a leading scientist. At the time of his death The Times
explained, "From his base at Trinity College, Dublin
a stream of scientific papers and articles exposed the claims of public health doctors, epidemiologists, dietary evangelists and others that many diseases were preventable. This was not a popular message and he evoked strong antipathy in certain circles which was more than offset by the respect of his many admirers around the world."
, Czech Republic
, he studied chemistry entering Charles University in Prague
in 1957. Following his studies he was a researcher at the Institute for Toxicology and Forensic Medicine in Prague graduating in 1962. He then became the head of the Toxicology Department in the Institute for Forensic Medicine, Purkyně University
in Brno
.
In 1963 he studied medicine at Purkyně University
and in 1967 was selected to spend a month in Galway Regional Hospital. He returned to Ireland with his wife Vera in July 1968. Soon after, he was admitted to the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
to finish his medical studies qualifying for practice in 1970. For the next four years he worked in neurology in various Dublin hospitals. He left this post in 1975 to join the Endocrine Oncology Research team in the Mater Hospital
as a Senior Research Fellow and became involved in research into the neurotransmitter substance P
.
In 1984, he joined the Department of Community Health in Trinity College
with a grant from the Wellcome Foundation. From this position he "immediately began to establish his position as an original, cogent, and fearless critic, particularly in relation to preventive medicine." With the rise of his celebrity, he was "rapidly promoted from lecturer to senior lecturer and finally to associate professor." Before he died, he became a Fellow of Trinity College and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians
in Ireland
.
wrote, "His several hundred publications demonstrated his breadth of scholarship and ability to communicate .with learned and popular publications in a number of languages... As a teacher Professor Skrabanek is irreplaceable." On his work the British Medical Journal
stated "With the spirit of European iconoclasm he kept the medical evangelists in their hot boxes... He was a good scientist, as his work on substance P testifies, but this was not to be his métier. Rather he chose to take the broader intellectual view of a profession in disarray, a profession in need of careful watching."
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
explained, "From his base at Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
a stream of scientific papers and articles exposed the claims of public health doctors, epidemiologists, dietary evangelists and others that many diseases were preventable. This was not a popular message and he evoked strong antipathy in certain circles which was more than offset by the respect of his many admirers around the world."
Life
Born October 27, 1940 in NáchodNáchod
Náchod -History:Náchod was founded in 14th century by knight Hron of Načeradice, who founded a castle on a strategical place, where local trade road reaches the defile called Branka. The first written note dates back to 1254.-Castle:...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, he studied chemistry entering Charles University in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
in 1957. Following his studies he was a researcher at the Institute for Toxicology and Forensic Medicine in Prague graduating in 1962. He then became the head of the Toxicology Department in the Institute for Forensic Medicine, Purkyně University
Masaryk University
Masaryk University is the second largest university in the Czech Republic, a member of the Compostela Group and the Utrecht Network. Founded in 1919 in Brno as the third Czech university , it now consists of nine faculties and 42,182 students...
in Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
.
In 1963 he studied medicine at Purkyně University
Masaryk University
Masaryk University is the second largest university in the Czech Republic, a member of the Compostela Group and the Utrecht Network. Founded in 1919 in Brno as the third Czech university , it now consists of nine faculties and 42,182 students...
and in 1967 was selected to spend a month in Galway Regional Hospital. He returned to Ireland with his wife Vera in July 1968. Soon after, he was admitted to the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland , is a Dublin-based medical institution, situated on St. Stephen's Green. The college is one of the five Recognised Colleges of the National University of Ireland...
to finish his medical studies qualifying for practice in 1970. For the next four years he worked in neurology in various Dublin hospitals. He left this post in 1975 to join the Endocrine Oncology Research team in the Mater Hospital
Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin
The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital is a major teaching hospital, based at Eccles Street, Phibsboro, on the northside of Dublin, Ireland...
as a Senior Research Fellow and became involved in research into the neurotransmitter substance P
Substance P
In the field of neuroscience, substance P is a neuropeptide: an undecapeptide that functions as a neurotransmitter and as a neuromodulator. It belongs to the tachykinin neuropeptide family. Substance P and its closely related neuropeptide neurokinin A are produced from a polyprotein precursor...
.
In 1984, he joined the Department of Community Health in Trinity College
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
with a grant from the Wellcome Foundation. From this position he "immediately began to establish his position as an original, cogent, and fearless critic, particularly in relation to preventive medicine." With the rise of his celebrity, he was "rapidly promoted from lecturer to senior lecturer and finally to associate professor." Before he died, he became a Fellow of Trinity College and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Work
The Irish Medical TimesIrish Medical Times
The Irish Medical Times is an independent weekly newspaper for Irish physicians. It was founded in 1967 by John O'Connell, who went on to become the Minister for Health, and is the leading medical magazine in Ireland....
wrote, "His several hundred publications demonstrated his breadth of scholarship and ability to communicate .with learned and popular publications in a number of languages... As a teacher Professor Skrabanek is irreplaceable." On his work the British Medical Journal
British Medical Journal
BMJ is a partially open-access peer-reviewed medical journal. Originally called the British Medical Journal, the title was officially shortened to BMJ in 1988. The journal is published by the BMJ Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Medical Association...
stated "With the spirit of European iconoclasm he kept the medical evangelists in their hot boxes... He was a good scientist, as his work on substance P testifies, but this was not to be his métier. Rather he chose to take the broader intellectual view of a profession in disarray, a profession in need of careful watching."
Books
- Skrabanek P, James McCormick J. Follies and Fallacies in Medicine. Third Edition. Eastbourne (UK): Tarragon Press; 1998. ISBN 1-870781-09-0
- Skrabanek P. False Premises, False Promises. Chippenham (UK): Tarragon Press; 2000. ISBN 1-870781-11-2
- Skrabanek P. The Death of Humane Medicine and the Rise of Coercive Healthism. Suffolk (UK): The Social Affairs Unit; 1994. ISBN 978-0-907631-59-0.
- Skrabanek P, Gibney MJ, Le Fanu J. Who Needs Who?: Three Views. Social Affairs Unit (1995) ISBN 0-907631-49-5
See also
- Disease mongeringDisease mongering]Disease mongering is a pejorative term for the practice of widening the diagnostic boundaries of illnesses, and promoting public awareness of such, in order to expand the markets for those who sell and deliver treatments, which may include pharmaceutical companies, physicians, and other...
- False positive
- HealthismHealthismHealthism, sometimes called public-healthism, is a neologism to describe a variety of ideological constructs concerning health and medicine. The term ‘healthism’ was most likely first used by the political economist Robert Crawford, whose article ‘Healthism and the medicalization of everyday life’...
- MedicalizationMedicalizationMedicalization is the process by which human conditions and problems come to be defined and treated as medical conditions and problems, and thus come under the authority of doctors and other health professionals to study, diagnose, prevent or treat...
- OverdiagnosisOverdiagnosisOverdiagnosis is the diagnosis of "disease" that will never cause symptoms or death during a patient's lifetime. Overdiagnosis is the least familiar side effect of testing for early forms of disease – and, arguably, the most important...
- SchooliosisSchooliosisSchooliosis, a pun on "school" and "scoliosis", is a term for a type of medical misdiagnosis. The word was coined by Petr Skrabanek and James McCormick....
- Screening (medicine)Screening (medicine)Screening, in medicine, is a strategy used in a population to detect a disease in individuals without signs or symptoms of that disease. Unlike what generally happens in medicine, screening tests are performed on persons without any clinical sign of disease....
External links
- Skrabanek revelled in debunking conventional thinking British Medical Journal
- Skrabanek dedicated his life to generating scepticism British Medical Journal
- Review of False Premises, False Promises by Oxford Journals
- Alternative treatments in reproductive medicine: much ado about nothing by Oxford Journals
- Night Joyce of a Thousand Tiers writings by Petr Skrabanek on the work of James Joyce
- Healthwatch News Letter on Skrabanek Foundation
- Propagation of the Absurd: demarcation of the Absurd revisited (PDF) by The Medical Journal of Australia