PATHWAYS: Ten Reasons Why This Trial Is Still a Problem
The High Court has cleared the way for the PATHWAYS trial of puberty blockers to begin recruiting children. Mr Justice Chamberlain refused permission for a [...]
The Quackometer Blog
Experiments and Thoughts on Superstitious Health Beliefs
Latest posts
The IOC’s New Sex-Testing Policy: Pragmatic, Non-Ideological and Elegant
The International Olympic Committee has just announced a new policy on eligibility for the female category in Olympic sport. Announced on 26 March 2026, it [...]
PATHWAYS: A Trial Built on Missing Data, Pseudoscience, and Quiet Cruelty
November 2025, and the NHS has finally launched the PATHWAYS trial. Two hundred and twenty-six children, most only just into puberty, will be randomised: half [...]
The Irresistible Demise of Bristol Waldorf School.
So, some catch up news: the Bristol Steiner School – or as it was briefly known in its desperate rebranding phase, the Bristol Waldorf School [...]
Science or Snake Oil: Will the NHS Puberty Blocker Trial Harm More Than It Helps?
In spring 2025, NHS England may launch its much-anticipated “Pathways” trial into puberty blockers, a £10.7 million endeavour led by King’s College London and backed [...]
The Illusion of Proof: Confirmation bias and the Lucy Letby Case
Conspiracy theorists fall victim to a fundamental misunderstanding of how to evaluate and synthesise evidence. It’s not that they believe despite a lack of evidence, [...]
What would an ethical clinical trial into puberty blockers look like?
In light of the Cass Review, the new use of puberty blockers for children is now pretty much restricted to those enrolled in clinical trials [...]
Breaking Down Cass Review Myths and Misconceptions: What You Need to Know: Part 2
Continued from Breaking Down Cass Review Myths and Misconceptions: What You Need to Know: Part 1 The Myths (Part 1) … Myth 1: 98% of [...]
Breaking Down Cass Review Myths and Misconceptions: What You Need to Know: Part 1
It has now been just little under a week since the publication of the long anticipated NHS independent review of gender identity services for children [...]
The Muddling of the American Mind – Part II
Apologies for the delay on publshing Part II. The weight of muddle proved too much for me at times! But I thought I must publish [...]