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medical history (11)
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study critique (270)
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11 posts
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Your Book Review: Great And Desperate Cures

A review of 'Great and Desperate Cures' by Elliot Valenstein, which examines the history of lobotomy and psychosurgery, explaining how tens of thousands of patients underwent dangerous brain operations from the 1930s-1950s despite poor evidence of effectiveness.

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Jul 17, 2026 20,439 words 214 likes 192 comments Listen · 147 min Read Read

Your Book Review: The Family That Couldn’t Sleep

A review of 'The Family That Couldn't Sleep' by D. T. Max, discussing its exploration of prion diseases and their impact, with updated perspectives on the book's conclusions.

acx
Jul 12, 2024 11,039 words 171 likes 130 comments Listen · 58 min Read Read

Book Review: From Oversight To Overkill

Scott Alexander reviews a book critiquing Institutional Review Boards, arguing they now harm medical research more than they help.

acx
Apr 12, 2023 5,765 words 291 likes 576 comments Listen · 36 min Read Read

Your Book Review: Exhaustion

Anna Schaffner's 'Exhaustion: A History' traces explanations for chronic fatigue from ancient times to modern Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, showing how they reflect contemporary cultural and scientific ideas.

acx
Aug 5, 2022 4,346 words 79 likes 186 comments Listen · 31 min Read Read

Shilling For Big Mitochondria

Scott Alexander explores the history and mechanism of DNP, a dangerous but effective weight-loss drug, and discusses recent developments in safer mitochondrial uncoupling agents.

acx
Mar 2, 2021 2,469 words 138 likes 286 comments Listen · 18 min Read Read

Know Your Amphetamines

Scott Alexander examines the history, chemistry, and efficacy of various amphetamine-based ADHD medications, comparing their strengths and weaknesses.

acx
Jan 25, 2021 3,345 words 263 likes 217 comments Listen · 24 min Read Read

Ketamine: An Update

Scott Alexander discusses new research suggesting ketamine's antidepressant effects may be linked to the opioid system, exploring the implications and potential future directions for depression treatment.

ssc
Nov 8, 2018 786 words 0 likes 64 comments Listen · 7 min Read Read

Cancer Progress: Much More Than You Wanted To Know

Scott Alexander examines conflicting narratives about cancer treatment progress, analyzing data to show that while some improvements are due to social factors, there's evidence of genuine advancements in cancer treatment and outcomes.

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Aug 1, 2018 2,168 words 0 likes 180 comments Listen · 19 min Read Read

Book Review: Madness And Civilization

Scott Alexander reviews Foucault's 'Madness and Civilization', examining its controversial historical analysis of societal attitudes towards mental illness.

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Jan 4, 2018 6,224 words 0 likes 313 comments Listen · 45 min Read Read

Prescriptions, Paradoxes, and Perversities

Scott Alexander analyzes online drug ratings, finding patients prefer older antidepressants while doctors prefer newer ones, and explores potential explanations for this paradox.

ssc
Apr 30, 2015 3,430 words 0 likes 247 comments Read Read

Weird Psychiatric Ads Of The Seventies

Scott Alexander presents and humorously critiques a series of strange psychiatric drug advertisements from the 1960s and 1970s, highlighting their peculiar imagery and messaging.

ssc
Jul 28, 2014 1,628 words 0 likes 36 comments Read Read
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