Hope Among the Ruthless.

There's something starkly unpleasant, something just plain wrong, about those who profit from the hopes of the sick and dying. That said there's a begrudged ingenuity at work. A fascinating cleverness on display in the way modern medicine shows weave their magic and navigate the system that's supposed to protect their marks.


Thug muscle, on the other hand, has always been brutish, petty, and humorless. Times do not change.

"I posted the blog so that patients, their friends and families would be aware of the whole story about [Stanislaw] Burzynski and his unproven therapy. I want them to be aware that the treatment seems to be in a constant cycle of trials generating unpublished results. As Dr Howard Ozer, director of the Allegheny Cancer Center in Philadelphia, said – it is scientific nonsense." - Rhys Morgan

Further reading about Stanislaw Burzynski's patent medicine saga:

• Threats against critics who voice legitimate concerns.
• If after decades you have no proven results, circle the wagons, threaten your critics.
• The False Hope of the Burzynski Clinic.
• FDA warns the clinic that even minimal research criteria are not being met (2009)
• Side note: I have strong doubts as to whether the FDA has the best interests of the public at heart and i do suspect that "Big Pharma" has a stronger role in shaping our current society then is admitted. But I do know that science based research criteria, trials, and the ethical treatment of subjects are vital to any "cure."
• Accessible Cancer Research UK write up of the situation.
•  Quackwatch overview.