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International Journal of Epidemiology 2001;30:403-405
© International Epidemiological Association 2001

Book Review

Finding the Silver Lining: Review of ‘False Premises False Promises: Selected Writings of Petr Skrabanek’.

Dublin: The Skrabanek Foundation. Scotland: Tarragon Press Whithorn, 2000, pp.236, £15. ISBN: 1 870781 112.

David A Savitz

It is rare to read a book of essays by an academic author and have an emotional, even visceral response, in addition to an intellectual one, but clearly Petr Skrabanek was no ordinary thinker or writer. A collection of his essays, published posthumously, begins with his self-description on the inside jacket of his work in Dublin as a ‘natural scientist, forensic toxicologist, doctor of medicine and connoisseur of the absurd’. This is not a job description typical of university postings, but if I had been searching for someone to fill such a role, Dr Skrabanek would have been perfectly suited to the job.

Before commenting on any of the 16 essays included in the book, particularly those that pertain to epidemiology and public health, it is necessary to consider the perspective he brings to all the topics he considers. The author deserves great credit for having found a plane of . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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