John Diamond
Vintage, 2001, £7.99
paperback
ISBN 0 099 42833 4

This is an anthology of the book that Diamond was writing at the time of his death (he died of throat cancer earlier this year) and some of his best columns previously published in different papers. While the thoughtful tirade against alternative medicine is sufficient reason to choose this book, there are many gems— “Doctors are much safer than they seem” ranks highly on my list—medics have lost a valuable ally.

Diamond remained stoical to the end. Others blame doctors for diagnosing their illnesses too late, sue tobacco companies for manufacturing their lethal addiction, and turn on the NHS when it finally admits that it cannot cure them, then run as fast as they can towards the nearest practitioner of colour­ aura­karmic­cabbage­soup therapy. Diamond did not. Nor did he gibber in a corner until he died: he retained his intellectual courage. Diamond freely admits his scepticism to the “alternative hype” from the outset. His motive is the deliberate deception that he believed many alternativists practise.

He argues, once an alternative remedy is shown to work, it ceases to be “alternative” but is adopted by mainstream medicine (think St John's Wort). Likewise, a “remedy” being natural does not mean that it is not harmful (think arsenic). He points out that many middle class people swear by their reflexologist and homeopathic doctor, but as soon as they develop any serious symptoms (crushing central chest pain, for example) they revert to orthodoxy. Alternativists' results are explicable via a few basic resources denied to a harassed GP: time, compassion, and a hefty dose of placebo effect. You could search Medline for authoritative articles on alternative remedies, or you could read Snake oil and other preoccupations.

The late great John Diamond remained “an incredibly witty man” to the last. Though he frequently denied it, his work demon­ strates a courage that stands as his epitaph.