In the Name of Science: A History of Secret Programs, Medical Research, and Human Experimentation

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 384 pages
• Published by: St. Martin's Press
• Edition: 1st Edition November 15, 2003
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0312303564
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0312303563
• Book Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Weighs: 1.7 pounds

From Publishers Weekly
As Goliszek writes in this great book, people throughout history have used their fellow human beings for experimentation, most often in the name of military or financial domination. The author, a biology professor at North Carolina A & T State University, says unprecedented medical advances such as the Human Genome Project have put us on the brink of discoveries "that will make real the threat of population control, gene warfare, ethnic cleansing, or worse." The best way to ensure that the past is not repeated, Goliszek argues, is to document the truth about it in all its chilling detail, which he effectively accomplishes here. The book is a compendium of damning evidence that implicates first and foremost our own government, our doctors and corporations, and ultimately ourselves. The book features copious primary documentation, but it doesn't read like an evidentiary record. Goliszek is a riveting storyteller. He introduces readers to the terrifying but intriguing shadow worlds of chemical and biological engineering; CIA mind-control experiments; the American eugenics movement of the past and present; and ethnic weaponry tailored to the genetic specifications of the targeted race. A recurrent theme here is how often experimentation involves subjects who have not consented. The most unsettling chapter gives firsthand accounts by victims of Cold War CIA experiments on children: brainwashing and mind control using chemicals, radiation, hypnosis, electric shock, isolation and physical torture, all reportedly to create the perfect spy-assassin. In an era when "weapons of mass destruction" is the buzz word, this is a must read, a book that will keep you up at night wondering who the enemy really is.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Lest we believe that biological warfare is a modern invention, biology professor Goliszek informs us that, as far back as the Crusades, it was common practice to catapult plague-ridden human cadavers into enemy fortresses. Cartloads of human feces similarly hurled at enemies were also once time-honored weapons that were restricted only recently by international agreements. These days, biological and chemical warfare tactics are, in theory, used only by unscrupulous enemies of freedom. Goliszek claims, however, that the U.S. government conducts certain officially unacknowledged and disavowed viral and chemical weapons tests. He also recounts grisly tales of experimentation on healthy humans throughout history, all of them conducted in the name of commendable scientific research. Alas, these horrors can't be relegated to the annals of history, though, for there is no lack of current scientific experimentation on humans--biological, chemical, and genetic. Appendixes backing up some of Goliszek's claims were not available for review, and while references are provided for each chapter, precise citations within those references aren't. Donna Chavez
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Reader Reviews
This is a book that is truly terrifying some of the time, but ultimately it's marred by unsupported conjecture and scare tactics. Goliszek shows us that there is indeed a long and shameful history of medical experimentation on humans, dating as far back as medicine itself. In modern times there is still much unethical and often illegal experimentation on humans taking place by the government and corporations. And you guessed it - the human subjects are usually minorities, the handicapped, coerced military personnel, and uninformed volunteers. Strangely, these days lab animals have more rights than human subjects. Much of this book builds a deserved sense of outrage about these ongoing atrocities. Unfortunately, the entire book doesn't hold up, becoming a repetitive tirade of unsupported opinions and scare tactics from Goliszek, attempting to force the reader's sense of outrage to the point of absurdity. A major issue is Goliszek's lack of notes and citations, regardless of a very extensive bibliography, because the reader cannot tell documented facts from the author's opinions. In the text Goliszek often adds extensive background to many tales of experimentation, sometimes down to the level of government document numbers. But strangely, in other narratives there is no information given whatsoever, so you have no way of knowing how much the story is embellished by the author. One example among many is a horror story in chapter 4 about radioactive iodine being injected into healthy infants, with no times, locations, or names given. Meanwhile, conjecture and opinionating sinks much of the book. For example, in chapter 3 Goliszek brands Planned Parenthood as a eugenics organization, merely because the group's founder was involved in that movement almost a century ago. In chapter 5 the testimony of people subjected to unethical medical experiments is given verbatim, as if this were adequate documentation of atrocities, though there is no evidence that the people are telling the whole truth, and at least one shows signs of inaccurate repressed memory syndrome. Chapter 8 presents a parade of conspiracy theories about the origins of AIDS that leads nowhere. Goliszek's book is a potential powerhouse, and some of it has the desired effect, but overall his motives become very questionable. Public education or scare tactics? [~doomsdayer520~] Comment | | (Report this)