L’homéopathie mène au pire (part I)

In Eugène Ionesco’s one act play La Leçon, the Professor’s faithful housekeeper repeatedly warns him to stay away from broaching the seemingly safe and unthreatening subject of arithmetic because “l’arithmétique mène au pire” (“Arithmetic leads to the worst”). Quite what “the worst” is, we only find out at the end, by which time it’s far too late for the infuriatingly dim student.

Homeopathy is generally presented as safe and unthreatening (except of course to Big Pharma). It too can lead to the worst.

Today, we have two stories for you, split over two posts for ease of reading, and also because I expect to swear quite a lot in the second one.

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin.

Our first tale concerns Penelope Dingle, a young Australian woman diagnosed with colo-rectal cancer who was persuaded by a homeopath (and also, no doubt, her crackpot husband, who sells a book touting a diet to “reverse diabetes”) to forego medical treatment in favour of homeopathy and a special diet. In 2004, after undergoing major emergency surgery, she wrote to her homeopath, whose name is Francine Scrayen, asking for an explanation. It’s upsetting reading. Here’s an extract:

You write – “First of all it is so good to hear you are doing well!”
As you have made no effort to find out the truth for yourself, and as I am the only source of information that is reliable, it is time you were apprised of the facts.

Perhaps, you may then even contemplate apologising.

Fact
My prognosis is very poor. Statistically, I am not expected to live more than 2 – 4 years.

That letter, sent to her homeopath (and suddenly ex-friend) after finally realising how dangerous was the advice she’d been given and how determinedly the quack had sought to isolate her from the reality of her illness by dissuading her from consulting a doctor, is heartrending. The quack’s callousness in the face of extreme pain is nauseating, and the revelation that she told the patient to apply a treatment that would have resulted in a horrifically painful death may give you a glimpse into why I cannot abide these self-centred, hypocritical parasites.

Penelope Dingle died in 2005. The coroner’s report is here. It’s pretty clear that the cultish methods of isolation from, and lying to, non-believers were in place early on. Whether or not Penelope Dingle could have been saved if she had  accepted medical treatment is unknown: waiting two years before going to see a doctor over rectal bleeding is a bad idea (passing blood is like earache: if you get it, you should see a doctor) is not a wise action. She could certainly have been spared a lot of pain.

Homeopathy is not safe, gentle, or harmless. Nor are homeopaths, no matter how plausible-sounding or ostensibly caring.

Related articles

• Yet another whack at those dastardly quacks (thepunch.com.au)
• Meryl Dorey and the Magic Water (mycolleaguesareidiots.com)
• If it quacks… (lifeofalabrat.wordpress.com)