Merseyside Skeptics Society

Please note we are at a different venue than usual!

The Denbigh Castle is a couple of minutes walk from Moorfields train station right in the heart of Liverpool City Centre. Please see the map below for full details on where to find us

Scientific research in medicine has led to many groundbreaking discoveries, from the development of vaccines to the treatment of many previously fatal diseases. Today our chances of surviving serious illness are better than ever, thanks to significant advances in medical knowledge. Yet history is littered with sham doctors, charlatans and quacks peddling bogus medicines and preying on those people desperate for a cure. It is also no coincidence that the ‘Mad Scientist’ trope has remained popular since the most famous iteration in Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ – Science itself is not infallible and flawed research can have disastrous consequences, such as Andrew Wakefield’s retracted autism study. In the age of social media and in the wake of COVID-19, the distrust in scientific experts has resulted in a new wave of fake medicines, false information or flawed medical research that is spread at a rapid pace.

In this talk, Dr Jenny Lange delves into the history of grifters who capitalised on a lack of medical knowledge, as well as discussing where scientific research has gone wrong. From John R. Brinkley, the bizarre ‘goat-gland doctor’, to more recent fake medicines such as those promoted by the ‘Church of Bleach’, and the disastrous trachea implants developed by Paolo Macchiarini, this talk will examine how easy it is to fall prey to medical misinformation even today.

Join us for good times and good conversation at Dr Duncan's in Liverpool City Centre. Don't be shy, come along and say hello! We're very friendly to people coming alone!

COVID SAFETY NOTE:
We're looking forward to seeing those of you who will join us for our social. Here are some things you could do to help look after yourself and our other attendees (if you like):

If you have access to a lateral flow test, why not take a test before you join us? If it's positive for COVID-19, please stay at home.

If you have new symptoms of COVID-19, even if a lateral flow test is negative - we'd prefer you stay at home. We'll have other social events in the future that you can join in when you're feeling better. (And remember that the symptoms of COVID-19 can look a lot like a standard cold!)

Please be respectful of other people's boundaries. Give each other plenty of space and be considerate. If you need to cough or sneeze, cough into your elbow or a tissue and throw the tissue away before sanitising your hands.

Misinformation is one of the biggest challenges we face today, it shapes what we believe, how we vote, and even how we see the world. So, helping young people learn to spot it is more important than ever.

But most educational programmes about misinformation are designed for young people, not with them. That’s where Project Real comes in. We work with young people to co-create engaging, research-based activities that build their skills in spotting misinformation through lesson plans, comics, and even games.

In this talk, Yvonne Skipper will share some of the key interventions we’ve developed together with Education Scotland, Police Scotland, and social media influencers. She will also talk about what we can learn from working side-by-side with young people – and how involving them directly can make a real difference in helping them (and us!) stay smart, safe, and resilient in an increasingly complex online world.

Join us for good times and good conversation at Dr Duncan's in Liverpool City Centre. Don't be shy, come along and say hello! We're very friendly to people coming alone!

COVID SAFETY NOTE:
We're looking forward to seeing those of you who will join us for our social. Here are some things you could do to help look after yourself and our other attendees (if you like):

If you have access to a lateral flow test, why not take a test before you join us? If it's positive for COVID-19, please stay at home.

If you have new symptoms of COVID-19, even if a lateral flow test is negative - we'd prefer you stay at home. We'll have other social events in the future that you can join in when you're feeling better. (And remember that the symptoms of COVID-19 can look a lot like a standard cold!)

Please be respectful of other people's boundaries. Give each other plenty of space and be considerate. If you need to cough or sneeze, cough into your elbow or a tissue and throw the tissue away before sanitising your hands.