Reddit reviews Osler's Web: Inside the Labyrinth of the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Epidemic

Thanks, it's nice to know there are some unbiased observers out there!

You would be surprised how vehemently vitriolic and quickly dismissive people become at the mere mention of CFS, esp. with respect to the potential XMRV link. And w/o fail, they are people who know absolutely nothing about either.

Reddit seems to be rife w/ these self-proclaimed super-scientists who have read some article about one of the negative studies and now courageously declare that "science has spoken" and the link is dis-proven. They seem to have this pervasive view that science is some transcendent, pure process that marches toward truth, unimpeded by such human frailties as politics and self-interest. Therefore, they need not be bothered with the details, history, and politics of the disease in question.

And unfortunately, for sufferers of CFS, it is probably the disease most beleaguered by politics in modern times. To gloss over much, for 30 years now the CDC has overseen the effective burying of this disease (knowingly or not). They have diverted most of the Congressionally designated research funds to other diseases (and were rebuked by Congress). The little they didn't divert, they spent on what can only be called an active effort to "psychologize" the disease despite ever mounting research showing one consistent biological abnormality after another. Meanwhile, some (of the est. million+ in the USA alone) sufferers have been rotting away in the confines of their beds for 30+ years. For someone who understands this historical context, the flippant, callous ignorance with which some people dismiss this promising research is just...crushing.

Sorry for the long tirade. I just find this subject both fascinating and heartbreaking. For anyone interested in the the history and politics of medical science, you will likely not find a more interesting case study that CFS. I would recommend starting here