Melissa Heckscher

Rubbish. Entertaining, well-packaged rubbish, but rubbish nonetheless. This is one of those slick little volumes that fills up the bargain bins at Barnes&Noble, full of interesting tidbits, and good for a laugh. I actually liked this book, found it pleasant to read, and noted that sources are provided for every assertion in the book. Proper sourcing alone makes this book more respectable than many similar titles. That being said, the book suffers from complete innumeracy, and a lack of a sufficient scientific background to place its paranoia in context. This book is part of the psuedoscientific rumor-mongering urban legend ecosystem that thrives in damp corners of the internet. However, it is not confined to it, as I can think of several people I know who have shared tidbits with me that can also be found in this book.

I should clarify that not everything in this book is false. Far from it. There are in fact some good ideas in here, such as the best way to defrost meat (in the fridge) or proper practice for using a ladder. However, there are also some truly humorous bits of advice, such as the note advising you never to share razors, because you could be exposed to hepatitis. (pg. 55) I haven't searched the literature myself, but I would not be surprised if a case could in fact be found of hepatitis transmission traced to a razor, however, there are much more common methods of transmission that one should worry about first, such as fecal-oral (the epidemiologist's favorite, poo-to-mouth) from contaminated food or water. Or at least share razors with a better class of friends.

Another favorite is the words of caution for antibacterial soaps, that some scientists believe the use of anti-bacterial products may weaken the body's natural germ-fighting ability. However, the book says, microbiologists disagree, there is no proof of that. (pg. 53) Really? I checked with the microbiologist-in-residence, and she says there is no evidence on the subject at all. Leave the microbiologists out of it. The closest thing I can think of is I know an immunologist who says that western children would have fewer allergies if they had more parasites to challenge their immune systems.

A fine diversion for a well-informed, critical reader, but a potential minefield for the typical reader, who probably needs to have their groundless health and safety fears refuted rather than reinforced. However, this is unlikely, given that such fears are a species of invincible ignorance. A good antidote can be found at: http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/… (mer)