Quackdown

Debunking anti-circumcision pseudoscience

The National Coalition For Men (NCFM) published a letter to the Gates Foundation dated 14 July that argues against circumcision as an HIV-prevention measure in sub-Saharan Africa. The letter was written by Peter Adler and Steven Svoboda and submitted by the NCFM's president, Harry Crouch. Stephen Moreton has annotated the NCFM letter, pointing out its errors. This is a slightly edited version of the annotations he has sent to the Gates Foundation.

Solal's SLAPP suit

"Short of a gun to the head, a greater threat to First Amendment expression can scarcely be imagined." - New York Supreme Court Judge J. Nicholas Colabella

South Africans are living longer

On 6 August 2001, President Thabo Mbeki wrote a letter to his Minister of Health, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, questioning the priorities of South Africa's social spending.

CANSA promotes untested supplement

Search the Internet for cancer organisations in South Africa and the top site returned will likely be the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA).

Pet food advertising is better regulated than complementary medicines advertising

In this article, which is quite technical but nevertheless an important read, Professor Roy Jobson of Rhodes University's Faculty of Pharmacy's Pharmacology Division explains that we should consider using the current advertising code for pet food as a guide to improving the code for complementary medicines.