Dr Joel Lexchin and Donald L Light examined the evidence that commercial interests biased the content of journals. They recommended that an independent body should be created to study the past five year contents of leading medical journals. I believe that the harm done to the public and to doctors and scientists by refusing to cover journals that are small, that do not depend upon advertising, and that contain material which is not yet carried in the major journals is greater than the harm done by drug companies forcing their innumerable and dodgy papers into these journals. At least the reader does have a choice. They can turn the pages quickly but if they are not even aware that the material has been hidden by the Medline censorship, they have lost their freedom of choice.
About thirty years ago I applied to Index Medicus, now Medline, to have the journal I edited, The Journal of Orthomolecular Psychiatry, now called The Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, included in the list of journals that were covered. Dr Linus Pauling and a prominent Senator from California supported my application. It was turned down. They rejected this journal because they said they did not have enough money. I understood immediately that this was a standard brush off reply, as I cannot visualize the United States government ever running out of money and its credit was probably better than it is today. It was obvious that the term orthomolecular was unacceptable, because of its connotation that the dreadful disease of schizophrenia might respond better to a combination of nutrients rather than medication.
Since then at irregular intervals I applied again and again, until about three years ago when I was joined by Dr Hugh Riordan,. Riordan was one of the most prominent orthomolecular scientists, for whom the University of Kansas has recently created the Hugh Riordan Chair for Orthomolecular Medicine. Since then, I have been more actively involved. Dr Andrew Saul is acting on behalf of the International Society of Orthomolecular Medicine and the International Schizophrenia Foundation and Dr Steve Hickey made an independent application. Again, the answers have been slow in coming and very uninformative.
Competing interests:
Editor, Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine
Rapid Response:
Choice and Censorship
Dr Joel Lexchin and Donald L Light examined the evidence that commercial interests biased the content of journals. They recommended that an independent body should be created to study the past five year contents of leading medical journals. I believe that the harm done to the public and to doctors and scientists by refusing to cover journals that are small, that do not depend upon advertising, and that contain material which is not yet carried in the major journals is greater than the harm done by drug companies forcing their innumerable and dodgy papers into these journals. At least the reader does have a choice. They can turn the pages quickly but if they are not even aware that the material has been hidden by the Medline censorship, they have lost their freedom of choice.
About thirty years ago I applied to Index Medicus, now Medline, to have the journal I edited, The Journal of Orthomolecular Psychiatry, now called The Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, included in the list of journals that were covered. Dr Linus Pauling and a prominent Senator from California supported my application. It was turned down. They rejected this journal because they said they did not have enough money. I understood immediately that this was a standard brush off reply, as I cannot visualize the United States government ever running out of money and its credit was probably better than it is today. It was obvious that the term orthomolecular was unacceptable, because of its connotation that the dreadful disease of schizophrenia might respond better to a combination of nutrients rather than medication.
Since then at irregular intervals I applied again and again, until about three years ago when I was joined by Dr Hugh Riordan,. Riordan was one of the most prominent orthomolecular scientists, for whom the University of Kansas has recently created the Hugh Riordan Chair for Orthomolecular Medicine. Since then, I have been more actively involved. Dr Andrew Saul is acting on behalf of the International Society of Orthomolecular Medicine and the International Schizophrenia Foundation and Dr Steve Hickey made an independent application. Again, the answers have been slow in coming and very uninformative.
Competing interests:
Editor, Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine
Competing interests: No competing interests